Author's Notes:
Nyxy: Thank you to each and every one of our readers, especially those who took time out of their day to fave, follow and review. It makes both of us very happy :)
Steffi: Yep! A big ol' thanks to all of you, cuz you're amazing and keep us writing!
Now, we present to you Chapter Two! You'll get to meet our antagonists this time, so yay? Lol anyways, here we go! You'll find review responses and author ramblings at the bottom of the actual fic, as to avoid spoilers or being annoying. See ya down below!
DISCLAIMER: We still own nothing, doh! Let It Go, Please?
"They don't get it, do they?"
The softly-spoken words were masked by loud bursts of mechanical humming and static, but the two other animals in the dimly-lit room heard them effortlessly due to a combination of natural abilities and heavily augmented hearing.
"Of course they don't, Ezra. They're not supposed to, and therefore they won't. What were you expecting?" This second voice was eerily calm, and Ezra could sense the other animal's growing disdain, lowering his pointed ears in an instinctive act of submission.
The young coywolf fumbled for an answer that would diffuse their situation, but he was cut off sharply by the room's second inhabitant, Vivian. The elegant mammal caught his eye with a gaze so full of smugness and superiority, that it was obvious even as the screen illuminating their cramped surroundings dimmed and changed images.
"Maybe he thought it would turn out like one of those idiotic movies he loves so much," she said coldly, "you know, where some altruistic moron comes out on top, and a few so-called villains are banished for trying to make something of themselves without the inane pressures of morality." Vivian spat the last word as though it were a curse, then laughed mockingly and flicked a strand of silky red fur away from her piercing eyes.
Ezra whimpered quietly, not daring to so much as flinch while iSANiTY's second-in-command stared him down. Their leader, he might stand up to upon occasion, but her? Never.
Glancing away from the oversized screen, Ezra's other companion watched the twany canine with what appeared to be a lopsided smile. It was fake and almost threatening, something which shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone who knew the animal.
"Take it easy on him, sis. The pup's doing what we ask without any arguments, so if Pig Hero 6 gives him some form of enjoyment, then so be it. As for me," he purred with a switchblade grin, "I prefer reality TV."
He tapped a few buttons, the image onscreen splitting to reveal a handful of separate camera views, all filming something of supposed importance. With another click, the silver-furred mammal enlarged one of the thumbnails and nodded casually, his expression changing to resemble that of a bored kit at school.
Vivian licked her delicate lips in anticipation, the flickering of their only light source casting strange, twisting shadows on her face and giving her a depraved, ravenous appearance.
"This is almost too easy, don't you think?" It was more of a rhetorical question than anything, but the pleasure in her voice sent shivers down the coywolf's spine.
Turning his attention from a now paused image, the grey mammal smirked. "You have a point, Viv. This whole thing has played out so smoothly, it's almost gotten boring and," he stretched, yawning dramatically, "a bit too easy. Law enforcement and the public have been so obsessed with all things NightHowler that we've been able to spread out and keep a low profile without even trying."
"Not to mention the sudden focus on species equality and rooting for the underdog," Vivian interjected, her svelte figure propped against a metal desk as she flicked her silken tail in controlled agitation.
"Exactly. Oppression is selling like carrots at a rabbit convention these days, and do we ever have a sob story for them," he said with pride, gesturing carelessly to the fearful coywolf.
Ezra gritted his teeth and bit back the beginnings of a snarl, shaking from an unfortunate combination of nerves and sorrow. Not only were they using him for something beyond his control, but iSANiTY's demented leaders bragged about it every chance they got. Poor little hybrid, you don't belong anywhere. Not here, not there. If only you were normal like us. Like the other Changelings. Like the Naturals. Anything's got to be better than being a literal mixup, right?
Snickering, Vivian drummed her glossy, cherry red claws on something metallic, the sound reverberating oddly throughout the confines of their secret chamber.
"Indeed. They'll buy into this pathetic mutt, listen to his words out of pitiful kindness, and feel sorry enough for him that riots will break out if anyone tries to punish our little pup. He'll speak iSANiTY's words, and in return, we'll spread his. Right, Ezra?"
The coywolf nodded tensely, afraid that he would howl something regrettable if he dared open his mouth to respond at all.
Vivian either didn't notice or didn't care about his lack of a verbal reply, instead continuing her tirade. "And speaking of rabbits, it's only fair that the one who started it all is now mixed up in our very tangled web. BlackIce has been so busy chasing after decoys that I doubt they'll see this coming. Should be interesting, at the very least."
Her brother nodded, hitting another button and viewing the moving pictures with poorly-disguised glee.
"I think we all know it, sis. The whole thing is funny, really. BlackIce and the ZPD should be working together on the same team, considering they both share equally idiotic beliefs about protecting the weak and upholding justice." He scoffed at the notion, switching screens again before returning to his commentary.
"I wouldn't underestimate either of them, though. Hopps and the rest of the ZPD are clever and have the upper paw with offense, but we all know Wynter and her band of misfits can play a mean defense if they have to. Not that it should matter, though. Whoever wins the dance will still lose to iSANiTY in the end."
Ezra was only half listening at this point, having grown tired of the siblings' constant gloating over their horrific and cruel schemes. Frustrated and feeling particularly bold, the canine decided to share his opinion on their supposedly brilliant plans, even if it was a carefully toned-down version.
"I see what you're saying, but can you really be sure that's how every little detail will play out? What if BlackIce and the ZPD realize their common enemy and form an alliance?" The question was designed to throw a wrench into their conversation, and if he were judging on expressions alone, it had worked quite well.
"That'll never happen," Vivian snapped bitterly, "but if it somehow does, we've still got an advantage over the officers they assigned this case to. Wynter and that other fox Wilde have quite the history, and I don't think it'd be much of a exaggeration to say neither of them have completely gotten over it. If nothing else, those two morons being at each other's throats constantly should distract Hopps and the rest of BlackIce long enough for us to enact iSANiTY Phase Two."
Lazily applauding her insight, Vivian's brother zoomed in on a somewhat grainy video and watched intently, the speakers crackling occasionally from poor sound quality.
"Mm-hm, you've got it there. Wynter and company can't seem to resist going for our decoy Changelings, and the ZPD will keep chasing after BlackIce thinking they're the real criminals. Even if they do eventually manage to figure it out, the damage will be done and those two foxes won't be able to hold off attacking each other and getting in the way of saving their beloved Zootopia. A good plan, if I do say so myself."
His words were casually self-assured, as though he were discussing some bet he'd placed on a favorite sports team as opposed to top-secret plans for destroying an entire city.
"It sure is, Darkin," Vivian said sweetly, "in fact, you could say it's pretty close to idiot proof."
Ezra was aware of the way her frigid grey eyes lingered on him after the statement, and he couldn't help but sigh quietly and lower his head in apathetic defeat. She'd always hated the hybrid canine for some non-apparent reason, and he'd learned to just ignore it and press on as best he could. Darkin had promised the end would justify the means, and with nothing else left to believe in, the coywolf was determined to prove his leader right.
Back at the beautiful nightclub...
Judy watched as Mr. X studied her and her partner through his clouded glasses, obviously alarmed by the fact two police officers had made an appearance in his establishment without so much as a warning. He seemed far from threatening however, and she figured the experience could easily be kept brief and pleasant.
Smiling brightly, she handed him the neatly-folded picture of their witness.
"We were hoping you could help us identify this mammal," she said, still trying to ignore the less-than-ideal surroundings.
Taking the image from her paw, he studied it for a moment, holding the glossy paper close to his face and slowly tracing the vixen's outline before returning it to Judy and giving the fox standing beside her a knowing smile.
"Of course I know who that is," he laughed, pressing a paw to his broad chest, "that's Nicky's old sweetheart, Lexi Wynter. They used to come 'round here on weekends back in the day, insulting every single cover band I hired and ripping off drunken customers. Got quite a few complaints, too, but I never did kick either of you out."
Nick shifted awkwardly when the badger's eyes met his and and tried to change the subject with a snarky one-liner. Mr. X knew the drill quite well and didn't budge, while Judy giggled under her breath at how obviously flustered his words had left the fox. Her friend rarely discussed his past with anyone, but from the sounds of it, he'd been just as lovably annoying as he was now, if not a little more troublesome.
"Last time I saw Lexi was the night after you two broke up for the final time, a few days before she moved to Feralhights," the animal continued, "if I recall correctly, she kicked over one of my antique red fox statues, stole an entire container of ice cream and passed out in a pool of her own tears on the dance floor. I haven't seen that vixen since, but she's booked in for our live music event this Friday, and she left a forwarding address. Gimme a second to find that for ya."
Bending down carefully, Mr. X pawed through some of his many poorly-organized documents, the noise of rustling and increasingly frustrated sighs filling the room as he searched for what felt like an eternity.
"Sounds like Special Snowflake went off the deep end after I left," Nick commented dryly, yet his smirk and sharp words failed to disguise a flicker of green-eyed guilt and regret.
"Special Snowflake? Is that what you called her?" Judy asked incredulously, suddenly thankful she'd ended up with nicknames as benign and unremarkable as Carrots and Whiskers.
"Mm-hm," he said slyly, "never thought she'd live up to it, though. Guess Snowy was determined to prove me wrong as usual."
Judy, as unprofessional as it might be, had a hard time hiding her amusement as she visualized their witness rampaging through the nightclub, screaming at statues and overindulging on sugary treats. It reminded her of the three or so break-ups she'd experienced in her teen years, back when every bit of drama seemed like the end of the world.
If she'd been there that night, however, Judy knew she would've offered the heartbroken mammal a hug, some kind words and a shoulder to cry on. She hoped Lexi had a friend of some sort waiting for her when the club closed, but intuition told her the vixen had spent much of her time alone.
"Hey, don't be too harsh on her. I'm sure she regrets it now," Judy giggled, watching yet another fistful of paper go flying across the room as Mr. X's efforts grew more desperate.
Nick was still leaning on the desk, flipping though pictures on his phone with a bored expression as they waited for their still-undiscovered document to be found.
"And here we have Carrots, sticking up for someone who can't defend themselves yet again. As much as it pains me to say this though, you're right," he said in a mock-wounded tone, "I'm pretty sure she regrets everything."
Judy shook her head in amusement, somewhat annoyed by her partner's apparent lack of interest. "Can't really blame her for that."
Before the fox had a chance to respond, Mr. X popped up with a torn piece of paper gripped tightly in his large paw. Fixing his uneven glasses, the badger read it off quickly to his newfound companions, Judy listening impatiently and tapping the carrot pen in her paw as he spoke.
"17 SnowDrift Road. That's on the outskirts of TundraTown, mostly low budget and industrial. Whatever she's up to now, Wynter's not making a lot of cash. Heard she'd gone legit years ago, but if the cops are after her, I guess not. Shame, really," he droned wearily, looking over the mess of paperwork he'd have to clean up later.
Scribbling down the information with impressive speed, the bunny nodded.
"I know that area pretty well, so we shouldn't have too much trouble finding it. Ms. Wynter is a potential witness in one of our cases, but she's not up to anything illegal as far as I can tell."
"Now that is surprising," Nick mumbled, earning a dirty look from his large-eared partner.
Putting away her pen, Judy smiled and shook paws with the badger, who's original expression of hidden concern had been replaced by a genuine, kind-hearted grin.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. X."
"Any time, sweet thing," he said pleasantly, stacking a few of the papers that had been misplaced during his earlier search.
As the two uniformed animals prepared to leave, Nick gave the older mammal a somewhat condescending salute before striding towards the door, a gesture which the badger completely ignored, having witnessed similar tactics more times than he'd care to admit. Realizing they were on their way out, however, Mr. X dropped the sizeable heap of files, which landed with a loud thump on his desk.
"Oh, before you go, I thought I'd invite ya to Friday's big event. Free admission, for old time's sake, and I promise there'll be nothing illegal going on. Up to you of course," he added with a shrug, before returning his attention to the documents.
Judy's ears perked up, and she broke into a wide grin. As unpleasant as the club's environment was, the idea of spending a carefree night out with her best friend sounded wonderful. She'd been so caught up in her work recently that any desires for personal enjoyment had been pushed aside and nearly forgotten. Whatever way the bunny looked at it, she'd earned a break fair and square.
"We'd love that!" Judy exclaimed brightly, tugging Nick towards the building's exit before he could say anything negative about her idea.
Once they were outside in the glaring sunlight, however, the complaints began.
"What was up with that one, Whiskers? I though you couldn't stand Mr. X's little establishment." Opening the now-hot metal door, he slid into the parked cruiser and fiddled with a dial on the air conditioner.
She laughed. "I can't, but that's not the point. We both need a break, and you know I wanna try everything Zootopia's got to offer at least once. This sounds like it could be a lot of fun, too. There'll be music, dancing, and maybe we'll even run into your Special Snowflake if we're lucky," she chirped, winking playfully at the fox.
Nick's half-lidded eyes widened behind his sunglasses.
"I wouldn't consider that lucky, at least not for me," he added, sarcasm dripping from every word.
"Oh come on, Nick. She's not actually gonna hurt you," Judy said, rolling her eyes at the fox's ridiculous idea as she climbed into her seat, "in fact, from the sounds of it, you probably hurt her."
"And you care about a total stranger because?" Defensive. She was definitely on to something here.
"Girl code," she answered honestly, shutting her door as she turned the key and started the car.
It was the fox's turn to roll his eyes. "Girl code?"
"Yeah. Us girls stick together during bad times, especially if they were caused by a guy. So if you break up with your girlfriend, expect us to be on her side unless she did something really wrong."
Nick did not appear to be amused by this idea. "That's gotta be one of the dumbest things I've heard," he said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs lazily.
Judy snickered. "Of course you say it's dumb, all guys do! I think they're just jealous of how we stick together, even during a hustle."
"Hey!"
"What? It's true," the bunny said innocently, driving away from the dusty streets and vibrant décor of Sahara Square before rejoining the traffic rush as she headed for TundraTown's blanket of glittering, uniform white.
Once they reached a stoplight, she popped on her favorite playlist, filing the cruiser with an assortment of pop melodies, many of which were by Gazelle. Tapping and swiping past a few that didn't fit her current mood, she settled on a favorite before securing the MP3 player safely to her door and well out of reach of any meddling fox paws.
Covering his fluffy ears as though he were in agony, the fox groaned. "Are you trying to make me go deaf, Carrots?" A glimmer of amusement sparkled in his eyes, telling Judy that it was all a joke. Well, mostly a joke. They'd never agree on what constituted real music, but as it was her turn, there wasn't really much he could do about it.
Judy sang and bopped along happily to Gazelle's list of hits, the bunny's voice being notably clear and pleasant. They hadn't yet reached TundraTown, but she could already see how the terrain was beginning to change as the icy area got closer. Sahara Square's dry and disorienting heat had been replaced by cooler temperatures, with the breeze feeling almost cold as it streamed in through her open window.
Slowing down for a curve, she followed the wide but empty road past a few plain-looking buildings and small factories, many of which appeared to be abandoned. This was definitely the right area, and it wasn't known for its wholesome reputation.
"SnowDrift, coming up on your right," Nick pointed out, and as she got closer, she found he'd been right as usual with the directions. Judy had learned most of Zootopia's layout rather easily over the last year, but having a native still came in handy sometimes, especially one so familiar with the less-than-perfect aspects and areas of their city.
Unlike the road they'd been on earlier, this one hadn't been plowed recently and was covered by the occasional patch of slush. As they weren't truly in TundraTown, its pristine snow and famous winter-themed decorations were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the area came across as though it were trapped forever in the dreariest part of late fall.
Judy shivered as they passed a particularly ominous-looking factory, not daring to read the scrawls of unpleasant, discolored graffiti that covered its looming form. Thankfully, her witness's address was located in a more attractive building, though it still looked in desperate need of repairs.
"That must be the place," she said, pulling up near what seemed to be a low-budget storefront. It was two stories tall, the top having been converted into apartments. Aside from a few faded curtains, the upstairs portion of the building seemed unused. A sign was plastered over one of the dusty downstairs windows, though it was handmade and somewhat sunbleached.
"Wynter's self-defense and combat courses," Nick read out loud, a note of concern in his voice, "we teach you to fight back. Uh, Carrots, I think we've found our girl." The fox swallowed uneasily, removing his sunglasses. "And you know, I really don't think she wants to see me."
Judy nodded as she began to exit the parked car, stepping over a large puddle of melted snow and mud.
"Why would that be?" She asked curiously, her question only half sarcastic in tone.
Nick slammed the cruiser's door shut and glanced around with lowered ears, plucking at the indigo fabric of his uniform in obvious discomfort.
"I may have ditched her at our big makeshift prom," he began slowly, pausing before Judy urged him to continue, "in the pouring rain, and..." He frowned as he stepped out of the car, fluffy tail dragging through a small pool of dirty water.
"And?" Judy asked quietly, no longer sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"Left her in a soaking wet dress without a car or any way of getting home. I called her the next day of course, but she never answered." He sighed and smiled sheepishly, green eyes going wide with unspoken apology.
Judy froze, a look of horror plastered over her usually optimistic features. This was not good, not good at all. Usually her and her partner had no trouble getting witnesses to open up and talk to them, but something like that would not be forgotten so easily. She'd have to work extra hard to earn back Wynter's trust, and hoped Nick wouldn't screw it up by doing something rude and insensitive.
"Sweet cheese 'n crackers, Nick! No wonder you were trying to avoid her, you dumb fox," the bunny mock-shouted, shaking her head and facepawing dramatically.
"Now Carrots, you know I feel terrible about the whole thing. Really, I do," he said slyly, pressing a paw over his heart in a show of fake pain. More sarcasm, but Judy saw right through it. Her friend wasn't happy about what had happened that night, no matter how well he disguised it.
Locking the cruiser, she started off towards their rather worn-down destination, hopping effortlessly over the many patches of ice and slush covering her path. What had first seemed like a considerable distance went by all too quickly for the two animals, though she was sure it was due to completely different reasons.
Judy was most definitely not afraid of their witness, though she found herself dreading the inevitable awkwardness that was sure to arise between Ms. Wynter and her partner. She hated watching others fight, and hoped the foxes could at least manage to stay civil towards each other until the interview was completed. Somehow though, she feared it would devolve rather quickly into an insult-slinging mess.
Nick, however, was a bit more difficult to read. He was certainly feeling a great deal of something, but the bunny still couldn't put her paw on exactly what that something could be. She would've originally guessed dread or shame, but from the way he confidently swished his brush-like tail with each step, whatever it was didn't seem completely negative. Hmm, she'd have to think about it later. It wasn't like her to struggle with deciphering emotions, and she had always been curious about such things anyway.
Now that they were closer to the building however, it didn't seem quite as dreary or unused. A set of icicle-like wind chimes hung from the small balcony, glittering like multicolored diamonds every time sunlight struck a crystal. The red bricks were well-maintained, and Judy caught sight of a sleek and sporty-looking black motorbike parked in the driveway. Maybe their witness wasn't doing too badly after all.
"Well, here goes nothing," she said in an upbeat voice, knocking on the surprisingly new-looking metal door and awaiting a response from the arctic vixen within.
Steffi: Hey, I told you we'd be back! Did ya miss us?
Nyxy: Okay, Steffi, enough goofing off. We've got reviews to answer now, after all.
Steffi: Yes, REVIEWS!
REPLIES:
Guest: Thanks so much! We both like Sci-Fi, though it's mostly Nyxy's thing and she's enjoyed developing all the technology and gadgets for this fic. We're so glad you love it :D
Snoring Dragon Productions: Thank you, and we're so happy you liked the details and find our fanfic unique since that was one of our biggest goals :3 We're glad you like Wynter and her thoughts as well, and we promise you won't be disappointed by her and Nick's rather eventful reunion in the next chapter! Thanks again :D
Daydreamer B. A: Thank you! It's awesome you like the beginning and our characters, we worked very hard to make them believable and someone our readers can care about. You're right there as well, but no spoilers :3 Hopefully this chapter reveals some interesting plot twists, and we seriously appreciate being called creative!
Steffi: Well, now that's done! Not much noteworthy has happened in my life since the last update, and my brother's blasting his music so loud I can barely think, ugh. If this note makes no sense, blame him!
Nyxy: That's gotta suck, Steff! As for the chapter in itself, I'm pretty proud of it. Steffi did the entire plot here, but much of the non-dialogue writing is my own. What I will say without spoiling anything is that you're gonna see a lot more of iSANiTY and their schemes in the future, though I can't say when. Phase Two of their master plot will be revealed soon, and man, it's pretty terrifying. On a lighter note, you also got a look at some backstory, which hopefully Steffi did not screw up epically. What will our two favorite officers find on the other side of that door? Well, I think we know, but hey... There'll be plenty of sarcastic, snarky and even flirty banter in the next chapter, some of which has already been written. Wynter's still a bit angry over the whole thing, and she has no idea the reason Nick left in such a hurry had nothing to do with her or the party... You'll find out what really happened on that night later on, so stick with us!
Steffi: Yeah, cuz the best is still yet to come! We've had a ton of fun with this fanfiction already, and I can't wait to update again :D
Until then, bye for now from both of us at Zero Fox Given! Expect an update within 3-10 days as usual :3 Reviews, faves and follows are always appreciated, but I don't think we really have to say that XD