Nick stared out the window of the train and watched the countryside race by as he thought about the past few days. For what must have been the fifth time in the last hour, his mind started to wander to the drama he'd left behind in Zootopia, but he shook his head. Better to focus on something he could actually fix, instead of dwelling on all of that right now.
Nick stared at the open laptop in front of him and thought about the information Aurora had found on the computer pulled from the mole's shop. In addition to Nick's phone, at least a dozen other phones were actively being tracked, and among the recent activity was a single entry for the phone Nick's dad had regularly used to call the murdered Vixen in Northlund so long ago. The phone hadn't been used in years, until the sudden recent activity. Nick was confused as to how the phone could even be tracked, since service had lapsed after his dad disappeared, until Aurora patiently explained the phone had probably been turned on long enough to get a signal out through an open wifi connection.
Nick gazed out the window again and a mix of emotions surged through him at the thought of his dad. Anger. Feelings of betrayal and sadness. And hope, though he'd deny it if anyone asked. Nick was here on a missing mammal case, but deep down he knew he also wanted some answers.
There was another emotion he felt too, something new. Fear. He'd read somewhere that you learn to be a parent by example, and Nick was afraid he'd never be a good father. But he knew no matter what, he couldn't abandon kits like his dad had abandoned him. And he'd never just leave Judy like a coward in the night.
Nick gave up trying to corral his thoughts and just let them roam free. After his dad had left, he'd never really had a father figure in his life. Now that he thought about it, the closest he'd come to that was Stu saying he'd be proud to call him son someday. Nick chuckled to himself. A rabbit treating a fox like a son seemed crazy.
A small voice whispered in the back of his head. What about a fox raising rabbit kits?
He closed his eyes and let out a long, deep sigh. How had he ended up back here again? He didn't have time to think about this right now. Nick laughed to himself as he remembered the warning Chief Bogo had given him just a few months ago, about not letting his relationship with Judy interfere with his work.
Nick yawned and tried to focus again as he carefully considered the Zoogle map showing a cluster of warehouses on the edge of Northlund. Just over a week and a half ago, someone in those buildings had turned on his dad's phone, and Nick was on his way to find out more. They hadn't had any luck reaching anyone at the town's precinct before he left Zootopia, and after he'd seen it on the map earlier Nick knew why: the entire precinct could easily fit in the lobby of ZPD headquarters.
He sighed again and closed his laptop. Nick knew he should try to get some sleep. Tired minds make mistakes, and mistakes could get you hurt. Or worse. Instead, he went back to staring out the window and restlessly tried not to think about Judy, until the train finally arrived at his destination.
While Zootopia was gently headed into the cooler months of winter, Northlund was already in full-on frozen tundra mode. Nick had taken the train to the end of the line, unsure of what to expect since he'd never been this far north before. When he stepped onto the station platform, he immediately regretted not bringing more cold weather gear.
Nick shivered and stifled another yawn. He pulled the collar of his jacket up and gazed out at what little there was to see of the town. Nick realized now why his online searches had shown only one place where mammals could rent a car. Northlund was sparsely populated, but like most northern rural communities the small dense center was surrounded by clusters of buildings with large stretches of nothing between them. Two small streets branched off from the train station, flanked by one and two story gray concrete buildings. The drabness was broken by a lone flickering neon sign over a large industrial building, the red letters spelling out the name of a well-known seafood importer. Absent was the hustle and bustle of the city, and the few mammals that streamed off the train hastily moved through the swirling snow to waiting vehicles and nearby buildings.
Nick trudged through the deep drifts in the direction that Zoogle maps had indicated he could pick up the car he'd reserved online. He turned the corner and almost stepped on the tail of a small grayish fox who was crouched in a doorway. Nick jumped back as the fox held out a battered tin cup and turned to look up, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Nick recognized the symptoms of drug abuse common among mammals who abused nightshade: tremors, patchy fur, the visible skin a dull ashen gray. The beggar was bundled up against the cold, his clothing dingy and ragged. What little fur he had left was dirty and unkempt.
Nick hesitated before he reached into his pocket and pulled out some change to drop with a clatter into the cup. The beggar licked his lips and grinned. His nose twitched and he said, "City fox, eh? Lemme get a look at ya." He slowly lifted his glasses to reveal empty eye sockets, and the gray fox cackled at Nick's sharp intake of breath. The beggar lowered his glasses and added, "Just messin' with ya. Best be careful, this ain't no place for city folks. And doubly so for our kind."
Nick hurried past the beggar and made his way through the drifting snow towards the yellow Herdz Rent-a-Car sign.
Thirty minutes later Nick peered out the windshield at the swirling snow as he slowly drove a car that might have seen better days a few decades ago. With the poor weather and conditions getting worse, Nick didn't relish the idea of driving at night. And if he wanted to check out the warehouses before the sun went down, he'd have to do it now. Nick needed to pick up a phone, but the store, hotel, and precinct were on the far side of town. He honestly was exhausted, and Nick knew he should probably pick up a phone and try to get some rest before he did anything else. Except curiosity tickled at the back of his brain. If he waited, Nick knew he probably wouldn't have time to come back today before it got dark. Besides, the phone store wouldn't be closed for another few hours, and he was itching to pursue the lead on his missing father.
After a forty minute drive through the falling snow, Nick crept along the road near the warehouses. He shivered when he saw two wolves loading crates into a van parked in front of the last building. This by itself wasn't unusual, but he also noticed a raccoon leaning against a nearby wall, obviously acting as lookout. Nick made sure not to stare while he drove past, and his spine tingled under the withering gaze of the smaller mammal. A few moments later the warehouse was out of sight and the car was again enveloped by the flurry of falling snow.
Nick continued down the road for a few more blocks and stopped. What if the warehouse was emptied before he could even contact anyone from the precinct? He should at least try to get a look at the license plate on the van. Though Nick wasn't sure it was the location where the phone had last been used, he had a hunch that it was. He remembered how long it took the precinct just to get him the casefile, so efficiency wasn't exactly priority one here. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to sneak a quick peek and see what he was dealing with. He tiredly rubbed his eyes before he slid his tranq gun into the inside pocket of his jacket and climbed out of the car into the frigid street.
When Nick had examined the area on Zoogle maps earlier, he'd memorized a few locations and alleyways that looked like they would be an unobtrusive way to get closer to the warehouses for a better look. He'd just started down one of those alleys when a sudden bright light blinded him and a voice said, "Freeze, fox. Paws where I can see 'em." The glint of a gun barrel added emphasis to the words.
Nick silently cursed his stupidity. Of course any shady mammal with half a brain would know exactly where to put lookouts in case someone came snooping around. He considered trying to make a break for it, before another voice behind him said, "I know what you're thinkin', fox. Forget it." A quick sniff told Nick two more mammals were behind him. A wolf and a badger, and something about one of them smelled familiar.
Suddenly a larger mammal, most likely the wolf, grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against a wall. Nick finally found his voice. "Hey now, I was just-"
The wolf growled and interrupted Nick. "Quiet, fox. And don't move. I won't ask again." Someone patted Nick down, pulling out his tranq gun. After that, Nick felt someone lift the wallet out of his back pocket, and again he silently cursed himself for not leaving it in the car.
There was a pause, followed by a few shuffling noises. "Nick Wilde, eh? Now I know you ain't goin' anywhere, because Boris will definitely wanna talk to you."
Seconds later, Nick's arms were pinned behind his back. A bag was roughly shoved over his head, and the world went dark.