Hello, everyone! I finally ended my exams (for now), and I am going on a journey for like three/four days, so I wanted to post this today. I wanted to translate it before, but I ended adding things and... Well, I could have post it before but, in exchange, the chapter is longer than I expected to. Enjoy it!

Also, thanks to everyone that is following this story anad especially, thanks to those who had reviewed it. Hope you keep liking it!

Chapter 4

Judy

Judy was always a mammal with an impressive willpower, but this was a harsh blow. After her short conversation with Nick, she went back to her apartment without saying goodbye to Clawhauser or any other, and now she was lying on her bed, crying inconsolably. Her partner had been a fundamental piece of her life, and discovering she was used… Something broke inside her, causing terrible pain. She cried because she missed their chats, their chance grazes when they handed each other a coffee cup. She cried because she missed that happy feeling that overwhelmed her when he smiled, the desire to punch him lightly when his jokes were too bad, his silent gazes when he thought she was not looking that made her heart beat faster.

It was like she had a hole inside her chest. He wanted to scream, to throw up, to hit someone, to kiss him; it was like he was dead.

Even then, she refused to accept it. The memory of last night was still fresh, telling her that there was something he couldn't say, but maybe he tried to give the bunny a hint. Judy took refuge in that night desperately, examining every single word he said, every gesture he did, scrutinizing them, searching for something she could have overlook, something decisive, as minor as it could seem.

"Everything I said inside that interrogation room was true."

And yet, he claimed he was guilty. She could convince others or herself, but he was willingly saying that he was a criminal.

"But everything I said last night was true, too."

And yet, he praised her. He could convince other or himself, but he still asked her something.

He said goodbye. He knew what was going to happen, that he wouldn't walk out of that room as a free mammal.

"A-And I want—, I need you to trust me, to believe in me."

At the last moment, he still asked for confidence. For her not to judge him. That, after the horrible things she would hear about him, he needed her to trust him. After that, the Nick she knew left and never came back.

"And I want you to know that I am doing all of this for you."

Was he blaming her, perhaps, about his betrayal? Did he mean that she and her actions impelled him to deceive them? He was maybe talking about that ominous interview during the Nighthowlers case. Maybe… Maybe he never forgave her and this was nothing more that revenge?

"I need you to believe in me."

And now, after everything he said and done, she believed in him. She almost could hear his voice begging her to wait, telling Judy this was an act. It had to.

She spent the whole afternoon trying to distract herself, watching a couple of movies, going for a walk, but it just wasn't working. That fox was still in her head, with that insulting smirk he showed during the interrogation. There was no way to escape from those thoughts nor the anguish that grew more and more powerful in her chest.

It hurt, the mere fact of thinking that all was false almost physically wounded her, because it would be admitting that their friendship was false as well, that they never connected as they did. She thought about last night date without even realizing she considered it a date, about their chats, and she refused to think that any of that wasn't real.

With her head full of doubts, she arrived home, and her ringtone greeted her. She had left her phone at her apartment during her walk to forget about everything for a while, but she accepted the distraction gladly, at least for two seconds, exactly the time she needed to recognize the phone number.

"Hi, dad. Hi, mom."

On the screen, her parents looked at her with a worried look.

"Jude! How are you?" said Stu.

"Yeah, have you caught any criminals lately?" continued Bonnie.

Judy just smiled. They never knew how to approach her, since she was not as the rest of the rabbits. She was always brave and open-minded, and even though they tried to understand their daughter, she always managed to surprise them.

"C'mon, dad, mom, you know you are not calling me to speak about that," she sighed. "The news reached Bunnyburrow already, isn't it?"

"Well, huh, I mean…" her father doubted. "Yes. Yes, they did."

Her mother put her paw on his husband's, and nodded slightly before turning to the phone and talking:

"What we wanted to ask is: how do you feel, Judy, are you okay?"

"How do I feel? Sad, frustrated, angry," she replied abruptly, "broken."

Stu chuckled and Bonnie smiled, to her surprise.

"We actually expected that," he said, "you know, I have never been very fond of foxes, and at a different time I would probably be there smashing that fox friend of yours to pieces but…"

"Well, we actually trust him," finished his wife. "Do you remember that day when you forgot your phone at the station and Nick returned it to you? We maybe… We maybe phoned and talked to him?"

That last sentence was said with uncertainty and… Shame? Judy frowned.

"Oh, you two better didn't tell him something embarrassing about me," sudden realization hit her in the face. "That was why he started making comments about children's stage plays! He never told me how he knew and mocked at me for weeks!"

"Well, well, that's another story we don't need to discuss right now," replied Stu with a small smile, "We talked to him for… Wow, maybe forty minutes?"

"We just wanted to make sure he was a good mammal, sweetheart," added Bonnie, "Maybe we were a bit, huh, prejudiced, and we are terribly sorry for it."

"But he managed to convince us of our wrong point of view and, at the end, your mother and I…"

"…decided that he was a good mammal," ended Bonnie.

Judy was confused.

"Okay, okay, I get it, you like Nick," she was starting to be exasperated, "What is your point?"

Her parents looked at each other, gathering strength to speak.

"When we saw the news, we figured out that you would be devastated and, you know, we wanted to tell you that we trust Nick."

Stu's words caught her by surprise. The last one she didn't expect to tell her that they supported Nick were her parents and maybe Bellwether's gang.

"When he spoke about you," continued Bonnie, "about how you saved his life, how you made him get better; his words were so full of admiration and affection that we knew he would take care of you. And," she raised her paw, threatening, "Even when I am going to spank him hard for this, we know he is trustworthy."

Judy was speechless. At the first mention of Nick she thought she was going to throw her phone through the window, but she felt relieved. With their words, they took a huge weight off her mind, and she sensed her willpower coming back to her. That was exactly what she needed.

"Hey Jude, we can still see you and that goofy smile of you, which just confirms our suspicions," he winked at his daughter, "Let us know when you set the date of the wedding!"

She blushed and tried to reply, but they said a last "Love you, honey" and hung up. She just wanted to thank them. If they knew how much she needed that… Hell, they surely knew.

She noticed there were thirteen missed calls from an unknown number. She checked the time on her phone and her eyes widened. She was aware about being late, but 00:30? Gosh, that meant she must have arrived at home at like 23:30 and spoke with her parents for about one hour. Her stomach rumbled accusatory and she conceded and started cooking something fast to go to sleep, since she had to get up early for work.

After half an hour, her hunger was satisfied and her body was in her bed, but her mind… Her mind was far away, in a cell, next to a certain fox. She couldn't get to sleep, and looked at the time again. 1:15. 1:30. 1:45.

And the phone rang.

She stood up quickly, knowing that waking up Bucky and Pronk would be catastrophic. She then remembered that they were out for a week. And after that, she remembered that her phone was still ringing. Finally, she picked it up.

"Erm, hello?"

"Finally! Fucking finally, you damn bunny!" Finnick's voice was unmistakable, once you hear it, you will remember it forever. Judy had met with him a couple of times, since Nick and he were like brothers and she was determined to get the fennec fox into the legal side of the society, "I have been calling you for the whole afternoon without response!"

She was not prepared for his outburst, so her answer wasn't the most appropriate one.

"Oh, hey Finnick, how did you get my number?" she didn't remember giving it to him, but she cursed herself for saying that. He seemed angry, so probably expected an apology.

"Nick told me, in case something happened," his deep voice was worried, 'if that small ball of furious fur could be in another emotional state that wasn't wrath' she thought to herself, "and you will agree with me that, indeed, `something' happened. Care to explain it, huh?"

Judy wasn't sure where to start from. She feared that her voice betrayed her.

"I-It's madness, Finnick. Yes, Nick has been acting 'weird' for the last… Well, for the last months, but, y-you know he took me yesterday to a restaurant a-and he was… He was just like before! And suddenly he got arrested and he confessed a-and he looks like he hates me and, and…"

Her voice broke.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Finnick waited for her to regain her composure, "Why are you so worried about him? He is just a fox."

That shocked the rabbit. Even when the fennec spoke with a completely neutral tone, what he said didn't make sense. She was perplexed.

"What are you saying, Finnick? You know that I trust you and you are not 'just foxes'."

"What I mean is: why do you care about him so much. You could just, you know, get over him and continue your life."

"He is my friend!" the conversation began to become heated, "I refuse to think that our friendship was a trick!"

She was screaming and breathing heavily. Why was Finnick telling her those things? To her annoyance, he chuckled.

"Oh, but you are too worried for a simple friend. C'mon, be honest, there is something more, isn't it?"

She thought. She looked at her feelings, wondering if he was right. But she couldn't understand. Not yet.

"I… I don't know. I'm confused. It's just…" she sighed.

Finnick laughed.

"Nick is right, you are a dumb bunny," his words turned serious again, "Look, I know him. I can `read' him, even if it seems impossible, and I can guarantee that he is clean now. And I have seen you, and I know that there is something you don't want to admit. What is more," he made a pause and she was sure he smiled, "I have seen you together and I know that your friendship is not the only thing you fear is a lie."

Judy didn't answer when silence took over the call, not daring to speak, knowing he was right. The fenneck took the floor again.

"I won't say it for you, it's something you have to face," his voice was tired and obviously frustrated. "You two are too blind to realize, but I can. You know, I met Nick long ago, and when you rabbit arrived… He was angry with you, then he was curious, after that he got amazed. But now, he is happy. You make him happy."

Her heart beat strongly. Her voice trembled.

"I-I will think about that."

"Good," the fox changed the topic quickly, "but going back to the initial reason of my call, yes, we have a huge problem on our paws, and yes, Nick has been acting weird lately. He needed help with things that weren't exactly legal and told me that they were for a secret mission. I didn't shallow that so he used a little favor he saved for a special occasion, and no, I won't tell you what it was," she giggled. "Anyway, he wanted to learn. How to infiltrate into a computer system without being noticed, how to code information, and last week he wanted to know how to manipulate electricity wiring and power settings. He spent hours talking to the contact I handed him. And one last thing two weeks ago, that seriously made me shiver."

She stayed quiet, sensing concern in his voice.

"Nighthowlers," he pronounced the name very cautiously. "He wanted to find out everything. Where the files about the case were, who 'cooked' the solution and where was he, everything. And well, I didn't know it immediately, but I discovered it in no time. And do you know what I heard this morning? One of the guys who made the drug disappeared. *Poof*. No one knows anything, but I have to say that no one has tried to find him neither," he paused. "He said goodbye in a quite exaggerated way, but don't worry, it's Nick, I'm sure he has a plan. Also, if you tell someone about the first part of this conversation I will rip your hears off and use them as gloves, understood?"

She smiled, Finnick was right. Nick had changed and she had to believe in him, just like he asked. Still, she didn't know where the Nighthowlers' case information was stored, and now it piqued her interest.

"Don't worry, I will take it to my grave. Oh, but out of curiosity… Where is the Nighthowlers information, anyway?"

"Oh, actually it is ironic. They are into the police station, but they just didn't share that information with most of the officers. You know, the best place to hide something is where it would be obvious to," she heard the sound of some papers getting unfolded, "And according to this ZPD blueprint upon which I won't share any details about how I got my paws on it, the information Nick was looking for is placed into the, erm, archive confinement room C.2. Same floor than the provisional cells. It has a special security device since there is an electric accumulator there where the whole power supply merge," he laughed. "God, the only way you could access that room without facing every single officer in the police station and getting caught in the record is being locked up in a cell and knowing the chief's personal security code. And getting out of the ZPD would be impossible without being noticed. However," he stopped to yawn loudly, "it is already late enough, so I'm going to get some sleep. It was nice to talk to you, bunny."

"Good night, Finnick."

She hung up and laid on her bed. What her parents told her in addition to Finnick's words had relieved her, so maybe she would be able to relax and finally sleep. Tomorrow she would speak again with Nick and start to work in this case so—

"The information Nick was looking for is placed into the archive confinement room C.2."

That was actually weird. If the information was into the ZPD all the time, he could have focused his efforts on getting Bogo's security code and then he could go for it. Why didn't he take it and walk away?

Her police mentality was running, just thinking about why her friend let them arrest him when he could, literally, enter and go. Hadn't he just ruined the plan? Maybe, in the end, that wasn't what he was looking for?

Or maybe, just maybe, wasn't he who was looking for it?

And then, it clicked.

"The only way you could access that room without facing every single officer in the police station and getting caught in the record is being locked up in a cell and knowing the chief's personal security code."

But letting them arrest him would only be useful to get in, but once he was out, the conclusions would be logical even if he managed to dodge the security cameras.

"Last week he wanted to know how to manipulate electricity wiring and power settings. He spent hours talking to the contact I handed him."

"There is an electric accumulator there where the whole power supply merge."

Okay, it was clear that he wanted to escape, cut off the power supply and flee with the info, but we knew it was hi. There was no use into hiding who steals something when it is obvious. It would be utterly useless, only being worth to… To…

To make way for someone.

Still, there was something missing. It was highly risky to do something this big being able to enter and go without being arrested. That had to mean that, whoever it was the one who wanted the Nighthowlers' file, he had to get it personally and didn't trust the fox.

There it was! A smile appeared on the face. If Nick couldn't be trusted by whoever he was working for, it had to be because he was being manipulated somehow.

Or because there is no trust among criminals. Her smile faded. Judy shook that thought off her mind.

It was in that moment when it hit her that, very likely, there was being a jailbreak into the ZPD and, that it worked out well, the whole Zootopia would be in danger. She had to move, and fast. With one paw calling Bogo and the other one driving, she headed to the police station. She looked at the clock when it told the time was 2:30 and a fatal thought crossed her brain.

If he blew up his cover, it was because there was something really huge with what Nick could be blackmailed, or… Because the profit was better than his current life and friends.

And she wasn't sure about which one was worse.

Nick

The fox looked at the clock that hanged on the wall in front of his cell. 1:43. The distraction they planned should be in progress for almost ten minutes, and that meant that only a few officers remained into de ZPD. It was his turn, then. He stood up and approached the bars to see Fangmeyer sitting next to an old desk. He has ended his paperwork while he watched Nick, so he was now killing time with his mobile phone, concentrated on the screen. The fox looked at the wolf with annoyance, knowing that he was playing to that game that received so many criticism by the media. It was pretty speciescist to antagonize birds and pigs, in Nick's opinion.

"Hey, Fangmeyer," Nick called his ex-fellow officer with authority, as he was his boss.

The wolf raised his eyes from the device and glared angrily at him.

"What do you want, Wilde?"

Oh, he was so mad. Fangmeyer was always the playful type of wolf, sharing jokes with everyone, but lacked the finesse Nick had, which made him look like his pranks were an accident, so they teamed up to checkmate the whole station on April's Fools. Good ol' days.

Anyway, he was truly enraged since Nick's arrest, since he was his friend and owed his life to the fox. The prisoner smirked, that would make this easier.

"Wow, cool off, Snowflake," he chuckled, "I just wanted to have a nice little chat with my friend. It can be very boring to be into a cell, you know."

Fangmeyer growled, but didn't say anything. Nick could tell he was not happy with his nickname.

"Well, I will speak alone, then," continued the fox. "Well, you know, I was just curious. I was wondering how you got me, since my tail is more intelligent than half of you guys. Do you think they could promote my tail? Like, Lieutenant McFluffy or something like that."

"I'm not going to tell you anything."

Nick laughed.

"So you don't know. I don't find it surprising, since you are one of the most mediocre officers in the ZPD," Fangmeyer froze, and the fox knew he just hit the spot. "Not strong enough, not sharp enough, doomed to work in unimportant things, like watching a criminal into his cell. Ms. Fangmeyer would be so disappointed."

The wolf stood up. He slowly walked to the bars of his cell, and stopped just in front of the fox, his paws crossed.

"Shut up, Wilde."

His words were filled with wrath, so much Nick could almost feel the heat in the room rising. Still, he noticed it: the grief. Behind all that hate, all that rage, he felt hurt. Hurt by someone he considered his friend and betrayed him. Someone he trusted, telling him things about his past, and now he was using those secrets against him. The vulpine felt sorry for his canine friend.

"You know I am right. Everyone thinks you are a poor excuse of a cop. And, when someone finally decides to give you a semi-important case, let's say, like taking down an arsonist, you manage to almost get killed. You should be thankful I was there," he winked at the wolf, "thankful that I needed to gain your confidence, to show I was `trustworthy'"

"Shut up!"

"How does it feel, Snowflake, to know that your uniform will never be more than a costume?" he mocked at him, laughing cruelly. "How does it feel to know you are only alive because I needed to use you?"

Fangmeyer was at his limit, shaking from fury. His paws closed on a fist, his fangs showing and his muzzle barely suppressing a roar. But he needed a little push. Nick leaned his head to him between the bars, and smirked again, his head within inches of the wolf's.

"You. Are. A failure."

That was the last straw. Fangmeyer wouldn't tolerate anymore his insults, not after everything he did, he just couldn't. So he followed his instinct, and it was telling him to punch that traitor in the face with all his strength.

However, he expected that.

He was a good fighter. Of course, he had to hide it. When he graduated valedictorian, everyone thought it was because of his deduction skills and cleverness, virtues that compensated for his lack of physical ability, but years of living on the street had taught him some tricks that, even when they weren't exactly fair, they were effective, especially when he combined them with the self-defense he learnt in the academy. And, of course, he also had to hide that he trained for the last months with Growlson. When someone studies how to kill with his bare paws, it must be kept as a secret. He was far from his teacher', but dangerous nonetheless.

So, when Fangmeyer's blow crossed the room between them, he was already prepared. At the last moment, he moved to his right, grabbing Fangmeyer's arm as it went from one side of the cell to the other, going through the bars, just where Nick's muzzle was a second ago. Then, he pulled the wolf's upper limb in, and Fangmeyer, who was caught by surprised banged his head against the bars.

Stunned, he could do nothing when a sudden movement and a hard hit from Nick forced his elbow to bend at an unnatural angle. The pain overcame his senses and he opened his mouth to scream. Lastly, the fox threw two well-aimed punched that hit him in the jaw. The first one avoided that any noise left his muzzle, and he tasted blood. The second one was too much, and Fangmeyer fainted from pain.

Nick looked at him, a serious gesture on his face, rapid breathing on his lungs, blood on his paws. Those seconds he spent contemplating his work felt like hours, until his adrenaline stopped flowing through his veins. He shook his head. "Focus, now," he commanded himself.

He took Fangmeyer's ID card and used it on the detector that hanged on the wall next to his cell. One second later, he was out of it. He freed the unconscious officer of his tranquilizer dart gun and walked to the door. With a last look to the wolf, he left.

The corridor was empty, so Nick assumed that the distraction worked out just right. Still, he had to be cautious, so he wandered through the police station sneakily, avoiding the areas that the monitoring cameras covered. It was easy, more than he had expected, since no one had his or her office there, since the place was set aside for storage mainly. Anyway, so many things could go wrong that he preferred not to think about them.

When he found himself in front of the security room he was looking for, he inspected the door carefully. It looked like a normal security door, which was a smart move. If a place is unsafe, nobody thinks about it as the resting place of dangerous closed cases' information. But he knew more things, such as the need of explosives or an extremely high-powered blowtorch to make his way through it without the correct access code. He searched his memory and typed twelve numbers before pressing enter'.

*Access denied*

Those words appearing on the small screen sank his heart. Bogo, for some unknown reason, had changed his personal code, which had ruined the plan. Which had ruined everything.

"Think, Nick, think."

Time was running and he had to do something fast. A brief thought crossed his mind. "Wait, wasn't that 3 an 8?" He typed again.

*Access confirmed*

He sighed, relieved. He was almost able to hear Judy's voice on his head: "Dumb fox."

He made an uncomfortable face and shook his head again, getting rid of distractions. When he entered the room, he was determined.

It was a simple room, flooded with filing cabinets. To be honest, Nick wasn't sure about what he had expected to find, maybe some huge super-computer or any other kind of technological monstrosity more befitting an old James BaBoond movie. He tried to spot the two things he needed. The information he looked for and the power panel. The second one was covert behind a fake sheet on the wall, but thanks to the blueprint he got from Finnick, he knew exactly where it was. The first one sent a shiver down the fox's spine. When he opened the file to check that it was the real one, the memories came back. He and Judy on the museum's pit, playing their roles to get Bellwether, the fear he felt when he thought she realized they switched the bullets for blueberries. The rest of the pages were technical chemical data about the compound, and scientific explanations he didn't understand.

Everything was as he expected it to be. The fox headed to the power panel.

"I hope my lessons with Finnick's contact were worth it and now I am a better electrician than cop. The tension is palpable."

He laughed at his own joke and got down to work.

Outside the ZPD a black car rested his engine. Inside it, a hyena was sharpening his claws, biding his time. He was the pure expression of boredom, as he had never been too patient. His name was Frederik Growlson, more known as a hitman called "Prankster", which was nothing more than an ironic nickname, because although his species was known to be giggly, but Growlson hated jokes and no one had managed to make him laugh.

The hyena looked at the two tranquilizer guns he carried into his coat and clicked his tongue with disapproval. He hated those poor excuses of a weapon, but orders were orders. Still, he was annoyed. I liked killing, even when he knew it was a consequence of his past. He was taught to crave violence, to love the feeling of taking away a life, and it had been a while since he had sated that hunger for blood. He almost whished that something went wrong inside the building so he could enter it by fire and sword.

He rested his head on the seat trying to distract himself, but then, what he had expected happened: every single light into de ZPD went out and he stepped out of the car, cracking his knuckles. He put on a balaclava, smoothed his clothes and drew one of the guns. Then, he broke into the police station.

Clawhauser was rummaging in the drawers of his desk, not being able to remember where the box of doughnuts was the last time he had seen it. He had saved a double chocolate glazed one just for this night shift since he was depressed about Nick's betrayal, but it was just then when the lights went out.

"A blackout?" he thought.

He decided to wait for a couple of minutes before getting worried, but he was already uncomfortable. When an unusually huge amount of automatic theft warnings arrived to the ZPD 20 minutes ago, causing that the building was almost empty, he had a bad vibe, but he knew he wouldn't have been taken seriously.

He started searching for a flashlight, to check on the rest of the workers that had remained into the station (Fangmeyer, Wolford, a panther called Furvitz and a deer that worked on administration). Finally he found what he was looking for when the sound of the main door opening attracted his attention. Since his night vision was poor compared to the rest of his fellow felines, he was just able to see a figure raising a hand a moment before he felt a piercing brief pain in the neck. A second later, he was immobile.

Growlson clicked his tongue again, bored. Everything about that weapon was wrong. The trigger was to soft, the shots, quiet, the reload, slow. What was worse, no blood. The hyena looked at the unconscious cheetah and found amusing that he was exactly the graphic representation of the dumb police officer. No one would miss him if he ripped his throat apart, right? How unfortunate he had to resist the temptation. Finally, he shrugged and headed to where the fox was supposed to be.

It was disappointing not to run into a mishap. Well, yes, he bumped into a panther, but he got rid of him with a simple shot. They just didn't know that someone had broken into the ZPD, so they weren't stealthy, weren't cautious, revealing their positions. If he was right, he should find Nicholas soon. "Damn it," he said to himself, "this is too easy."

So easy he slightly lowered his guard. Crass mistake, before he noticed, he had it on him. A paw hit his muzzle even when he hyena managed to dodge a kick, taking a step bag. He spat blood on the floor and bared his claws in front of his adversary, a grey wolf who snarled at him. Growlson smiled, finally some fun. His enemy, however, had his paws closed on a fist, not using his claws. Typical of weaklings, afraid of killing, repentant of being who they were. They hyena would enjoy this. Without further ado, he leaped on the fox as quick as lightning, wanting to end the fight fast, but the wolf answered nicely, grabbing him after dodging. That movement was used against him when the hyena managed to push him and threw him to the floor. Wolford rolled to his left, avoiding a blow that would have teared his chest and kicked Growlson in the belly, gaining enough time to stand up.

The glared at each other fiercely, the wolf growling, the hyena smiling. No, it wasn't a smile. A smile is not supposed to inspire so much fear, to be dirty with blood, to be wielded by a demon like that. Wolford trembled when he saw his eyes. Those eyes were dissecting him, analyzing every way to murder him.

And then Grolwson was leaping on him, too fast to counterattack when his muscles were stiff thanks to the terror he felt. He was only able to raise his left arm before his fangs sank into his flesh. He tried to push that killer away from him, howling in pain, but it was too late. Before noticing, his opponent was upon him, clearly going to use his claws to end the wolf's life. It was the end. He closed his eyes, waiting for the fatal blow.

It never came.

"Growlson!"

The hyena froze. His face turned to the source of the sound that interrupted his feast of blood. To Wolford's surprise, Nicholas Wild walked to them and, with his muzzle within inches of the hyena's, spoke.

"No. Killing."

He was not begging not suggesting. He was ordering.

"You know what you had to do, Growlson. You know what you can do and what you cannot. Still, you managed to almost fuck everything up."

The fox was not afraid, and Wolford was impressed. He noticed he had stopped screaming in pain, since the sight of the hyena was too terrific to make any moment. Then he felt a sting and started to fall sleep. He saw a tranquilizer gun on Nick's hand before fading into the black.

"We are going to be pursued by the whole ZPD," continued Nick as if nothing had happened, "so the last thing we need is blood on our paws. Well, your paws. Now let's go, we don't have enough time for this."

The hyena nodded. The police station presented a gloomy image, surrounded by shadows and filled with unconscious agents. They almost seemed dead. Maybe if the fox had been a little bit later, they would be.

"You have it?" the hyena broke the silence that had been established between them while they walked to the exterior.

"Of course," he snapped, taking out the Nighthowler's file from his jacket, "unlike you, I do my job."

Growlson nodded, but didn't say anything as the fox handed the file to him. When they reached the car, Nick sat next to him, in the front door. It was 2:06, which meant they lost time. Surely, that fight took him more than he expected. He must have gotten rusty.

"So, what's the plan, Freddy?" Nick was smirking when the hyena started driving, "Can we finally set up our tea party with your famous Nighthowler muffins?"

"I cannot tell you anything yet. You are going to stay at a hotel and not going to get out of your room until we tell you. The owner won't report you."

"How, paid vacation, great!" he raised his arms to emphasize a fake enthusiasm he wasn't feeling, "I love to do all the job and then still being untrustworthy. My favorite part was being told that every single piece of information that I got but this one was just 'a test'. What is yours?"

The hyena could understand that Nick felt frustrated, but so much sarcasm made him sick. He took a hoodie from the backseat and threw it to the fox.

"Wear it. We don't want anyone recognizing you," the hyena sighed, still serious. "And look, I don't care about anything that isn't what the boss says, but he thinks so much time living in this rotten city could have softened you. He thinks that your instincts, your true nature could have been atrophied. He doesn't want to be loyal to him, but to yourself. So be patient."

Nick make a face.

"I know. But it's frustrating, you know. After all this time and he thinks that I am the one that has to be tested," the fox smiled sadly. "Anyway, where is the hotel? If you don't laugh soon or at least show some other emotion than boredom I am going to shoot myself with the tranq gun."

"Iceberg Boulevard, Tundra Town."

Nick sank in his seat. It was going to be a long ride.

"We are here."

Nick crawled out of the car with the hoodie hiding his face. They were in front of what looked like a building that was soon going to be declared disaster area.

"The receptionist will take care of you. Wait until I'm back."

And without saying anything more, he disappeared among the streets.

Of course Nick knew that place. He actually had stayed there for a week years ago, when an anonymous very dangerous gang wanted to get paid but an anonymous fox didn't want to. It was funnier than it sounds. That place was a refuge. When someone needed to stay hidden, a room could be found there. It was like a code. Everyone minded their own business and that hotel (which looked way better on the inside) stayed as a sanctuary, its existence ignored by every cop. And Nick, even though he was a police officer until yesterday, respected that code.

Even when every guest there was a criminal and a fugitive, the fox felt at home. He could tell if it was by the old style that emanate from the reception desk or the soft alcohol smell that came from the small bar/restaurant to his right, he had a warm feeling.

Behind the desk, a slender figure that belonged to a lioness was reading a thick book. The door creaked and the female raised her look to him. When she recognized his features, her eyes shone and her smile appeared. He stood up quickly and, to Nick's surprise, she embraced him on a warm hug.

"Nicholas! Oh, I couldn't wait to meet you, I am so happy that you are here, Mr. W has spoken a lot about you, he was so worried about you not coming with us, well, he still is, but I am sure he is more relaxed now, I sure assured him that you were feeling the same as we do and—"

"Wow, wow, calm down," Nick interrupted her, overwhelmed with the flood of words she launched at him. "Nice to meet you too, Mrs...?"

"Anna, Anna Roarland," she seemed embarrassed about her excessive talkativeness. "I'm sorry. I am just very excited about you helping us, being one of us. Mr. W will be so happy. You must be tired, let's go to your bedroom and we will talk tomorrow."

She guided him to his room, a lodging that was simple but functional. There was a bed, a small bathroom, a desk and a chair, a liquor cabinet and two bookcases filled with all sorts of literary work. Also, there was a suitcase on the bed.

"You have clean clothes and things like a toothbrush, soap and those kind of things into the suitcase. Oh, and if you somehow managed to bring in a mobile phone or any other electronic device, it won't work here. We have to be under the radar, so no risks. I'll come back tomorrow. Sleep well!"

She hugged him one more time and life without just like that. It was weird. How could such a sweet and maternal individual as her be working with such a dirty, horrifying group as theirs? "Ours, now," corrected himself. Well, she would find out more about her tomorrow, since it looked like he was going to stay there for a while.

Tomorrow there was going to be a good show on the news, for sure. What would Judy think? With that last thought, he closed his eyes.

Well, thank you for reading! Writing this chapter, at first the conversation with Fangmeyer was way simpler. Now I am probably going to create a background for him and how his friendship with Nick grew, to give him more importance, so he being so hurt and angry would make more sense. Also, I don't like to write fight scenes, so maybe they are a bit rushed (any advice on this topic would be appreciated), but as I haven't planned to include many hand to hand fights or Rambo-like scenes, this won't happen often. See you!