-Zootopia Police Department Headquarters, 8:00 AM-
"All right, you know the drill, everyone! Sit down and shut it!" Chief Bogo stepped up to the front of the briefing room. "We have one new recruit with us this morning. Our second bunny officer, Karen Skippel." Stomping and hooting shook the room as Chief Bogo indicated a white, blue-eyed arctic hare towards the back of the room, who winced slightly at the calling out. Judy Hopps stood straight up on her chair, turning towards her and applauding wildly, while Nick Wilde, who was sitting next to Judy in the same chair, smirked and offered warm applause. "That's enough! Skippel comes to us from the Mammal Inclusion Initiative in Tundratown. She's going to be our newest tech expert, and will be upgrading our computers for the next week. You will give up your station to her when requested. Moving on, assignments..."
After the morning briefing, Judy quickly leapt out of her chair and headed over to the new rabbit face in the room. Her bright smile of pride that a fellow rabbit had made it into their precinct was unmistakable.
"Officer Skippel!" Judy waved, "I had heard there was a new bunny in town. So nice to meet you!" Skippel regarded Judy with a somewhat blank expression.
"Officer Hopps."
"I uh, see you've heard of me," Juddy giggled nervously.
"You cast a long shadow, Officer Hopps," Skippel said. "All through my training, even though the MII had drafted me for my technical expertise, I kept hearing how you did things, how you completed all of the training drills, even the physical ones. I'm not that physically strong; it was pretty hard for me, and they eventually just passed me on doing what I was going to be expected to do. I still don't know how you did it."
"Oh, uh, I'm sorry," Judy apologized awkwardly. Nick headed over to the two rabbits and ended up at Judy's side.
"Don't apologize, Hopps," Nick said, "so you're a tough act to follow. Everyone has to get by on their own merits."
"You must be Officer Wilde," Skippel said evenly, looking up to eye him.
"I don't blame you if you're unimpressed," Nick smirked, "but we're all on the same side here, so maybe we can try to get along, hm?" Skippel really didn't have a reply to that, and just looked between the two.
"Uh, hey," she began, "I don't suppose you've heard of that sickness that's recently appeared, Officer Wilde?"
"Sickness?" Nick repeated.
"I think something unusual is going on," Skippel said, "I sometimes frequent message boards that report on strange things going on in Zootopia. This sickness, it's like, only affecting canines. It has a really high fatality rate, but there's only a handful of cases, and the infected aren't connected to each other in any way. That's not how viruses work. ...Anyway, I only mentioned it because you're a canine, just wondered if you knew." Nick shrugged and put on a perplexed look.
Judy looked more worried. "That's awful," Judy said, "can we do anything about it?" Skippel shrugged.
"The only viruses I can do anything about are on computers. Speaking of, do you mind if I start with yours this morning?"
"No, go right ahead," Judy said. Skippel nodded and headed out of the briefing room and towards Judy's desk.
"Guess that means we're gonna be cubicle buddies today, Hopps," Nick smirked, then he leaned in and whispered, "don't sit on my lap this time, please. Grizzoli almost caught us last time you pulled that."
"Hehe, sorry," Judy smiled, "I was feeling a bit silly that day."
"That seems to be a common theme among rabbits," Nick chuckled. "There's quite a chip on the shoulder of that arctic bunny."
"Oh, don't be too hard on her for that," Judy said with her arms open, "I can understand how constantly being compared to me could be annoying and discouraging."
"Right, because you're so awesome," Nick smirked broadly.
"That's not what I mean!" Judy laughed. "Anyway, let's get to your cubicle. I'm sure you've been letting the paperwork pile up again."
"Officer, you wound me."
-Nick and Judy's Aardvark Rise Apartment, 5:00 PM-
Two weeks later, Judy sat cross-legged on the couch of the apartment she and Nick shared. She grabbed the TV remote and flipped on the news.
"Tonight on ZNN, a special report," one of the anchors, Peter Moosebridge, began, "a dozen more cases of the mysterious Canine Virus have appeared. Canines all over Zootopia are being asked to limit their contact with other canines, and take extra precautions, such as extra paw-washing and medical masks. We go now to our chief medical correspondent, Longinus Tremor, for more details. Longinus?" Judy shut the TV back off. Nick happened by the couch.
"Nick," Judy crawled over to the edge of the couch and put her paws on the armrest, "are you sure you're feeling okay?"
"Never better, Fluff," Nick said, scritching under her chin a couple of times affectionately, "just like the last dozen times you asked."
"I'm just so worried about this," Judy said, collapsing back into the couch, "Skippel might be right, there's something strange about the virus. It doesn't seem very... viral. It's not spreading, it just seems to be showing up randomly."
"So they can't figure out the virus' infection vector," Nick said, plopping down on the couch next to Judy, "I won't say I'm not a bit scared. But it's not too unusual for a virus to only affect one kind of animal. Some of them are just particular like that."
"There's gotta be something we can do," Judy's foot twitched in anxiety, "maybe I can see if Skippel has heard anything else about-" Nick placed his forefinger on her mouth to silence her.
"What you should do is chill out," Nick teased, "last I checked, they don't make handcuffs small enough to arrest viruses." He softly placed a hand on her chest. "Your heart is going a mile a minute, Carrots. You really need to relax. All this extra anxiety isn't going to do you any good."
"Okay, okay," Judy said, climbing into his lap.
Nick chuckled warmly. "Oh, is this what we're doing?"
"If you want me to relax, then yes."
"Okay," Nick said, "don't forget to buckle up, then." Judy smiled happily, bringing Nick's red fluffy tail over her lap. Nick put his arms back over the head of the couch and let Judy relax in quiet. Five minutes later, he was stirred by Judy's voice, and noticed both of his arms were around her back.
"Nick?"
"Yeah?"
"You remember that vixen, Vivian?" Judy asked.
"Ah, your robbery-victim-turned-friend you tried to hook me up with."
"That's the one," Judy giggled. "I've been going to see her every day at her fruit stand in Mezzo Park. She's still fine, too. I... feel a little better now, but I don't know if I can fully relax. You're right though, I'd feel a lot better if this virus was something I could beat up."
"I get you," Nick said, trying to soothe her further by rubbing her back, "but we can't really do anything at the moment, so we shouldn't be afraid of something that might never happen."
"Okay..."
"Personally, I just think all the canines on the unit, myself included, look ridiculous with those medical masks on. How are we supposed to intimidate the perps like that?"
Judy rolled her eyes, continuing to relax with Nick.
-Zootopia Police Department Headquarters, 5:08 PM-
It was mostly business as usual at the ZPD over the next couple of weeks. The canines on the force wore their medical masks as a precaution and it was tense every time one of them coughed or sneezed, but Judy was trying her best not to worry too much. She did agree with Nick, however, he looked rather silly in his medical mask. Judy showed up at Nick's cubicle.
"You want to go get some dinner tonight, Nick?" Judy asked. Nick shrugged.
"We should probably just order a pizza or something, Fluff. I don't wanna freak anyone out." Judy frowned at this. She knew it might be a better idea for them if they didn't go out, but the threat of the disease was still starting to weigh on their enjoyment of life. From further off, downstairs, Officer Delgato pointed at one of the TVs used to display various news channels.
"Hey, something weird's happening on ZNN. It's like it's trying to cut out...?"
"What do you mean?" Chief Bogo's voice boomed from a higher floor, then he shouted out, "Skippel! Change all the video feeds to ZNN!" She did so. The picture was flickering and jumping.
"The heck...?" Judy observed, "Looks like another feed is trying to cut in..."
"I think ZNN is being hacked," Skippel called out. "Someone is trying to superimpose their video feed onto the channel!"
"Can you stop it? Or figure out from where?" Bogo shouted.
"Not without access to ZNN's network!" Skippel was frantically opening programs on her computer.
"Well get access, then!" Bogo's tone was quite frustrated.
"It, it doesn't work like that!" Skippel said, panicky, as the feed was finally taken over. The video had a vaguely feline figure cloaked in shadow. It was a few moments before the figure started moving.
"Whaaat is this...?" Nick's eyes were wide, his tone cautious.
"Hello, citizens of Zootopia," a distorted female voice came over the feed. "I'm disappointed in our scientists and doctors. I thought by now someone would have figured out what was going on here in this city. By that, I mean all the dogs dropping dead." Shocked murmuring immediately erupted.
"Quiet!" Bogo yelled.
"Terribly effective, hasn't it been?" The figure continued to speak. "This little virus of my design. 75% fatality rate. Perhaps you think you're safe from it because the cases have been few. Don't worry, little degenerate mutts. You'll get your turn at death's door. I'm continually making adjustments to it. In time, all of you slavering, whining imbeciles will be silent forever, and I'll finally have the city I want. One without canines."
At this, the video feed cut out and it returned to ZNN, who seemed aware of what had just happened by the intense looks on their faces, but were not commenting on it just yet. Bogo bellowed out from the top floor of the ZPD: "Everyone who can hear my voice! Briefing room, NOW!" Nick and Judy both immediately headed that way.
"What on Earth is going on?" Judy's voice was trembling as the two ran. "A genocidal terrorist with a biological weapon?"
"And I thought Bellwether was twisted," Nick looked irritated even from behind his mask. "This chick seems like she's a villain from a Saturday morning cartoon show." Several officers appeared in the briefing room along with Nick and Judy. A mixed range of emotions were on display: fear, anger, disgust. Bogo stormed to the head of the room.
"So, we have the very real probability of a terrorist using biological weapons against the canines of Zootopia," Bogo said gruffly. "Skippel!" The white rabbit flinched at the intense voice hitting her like a fist. "Can you tell us anything?"
"I-I'm not sure, Chief," Skippel stammered, "I can't source the video, all I can do is analyze it. I have my computer working on that now. She's almost definitely feline, but... so many female felines have a similar sillohuette. She could be anything, tigress, cheetah, cougar, lioness... the list goes on!"
"All right, everyone," Bogo started, "we will be extra vigilant of suspicious female feline activity. If any criminals you encounter appear to be female felines, our canine forces should NOT engage. Call for non-canine backup. We don't know how this terrorist is deploying the virus. Use extreme caution. Now. Does anyone know how we might be able to narrow down our list of suspects from 'all female felines in Zootopia'?" Judy raised her hand.
"I might have an idea or two, sir," Judy said. "It'll require looking through some databases and news articles."
"All right, Hopps," Bogo grunted, "Skippel! You team up with Hopps and Wilde and give them some of your technical expertise. The rest of the technical team will finish analyzing the video. You three are pulling a double tonight." All three of them nodded with "yes, sir". "Everyone else, make sure to try to keep the people from panicking. This terrorist is trying to drum up fear; she may be overplaying her hand. We must be vigilant, but not give into panic. This is what she wants. Dismissed!" The officers scattered, and Skippel made her way over to Judy and Nick.
"I guess we'll be ordering a pizza after all, Carrots," Nick chuckled, "only delivered here."
Judy looked incredulous. "Nick, how can you joke at a time like this?"
"Coping mechanism," Nick grumbled. Skippel looked panicked.
"This is worse than even I imagined, and I'm a bit of a paranoid bunny," Skippel admitted. "Um, by the way, is it normal to feel like you're having a heart attack when Bogo is yelling at you?"
"Yeah, you'll have to get used to that," Judy said with a nervous laugh. "Anyway, there's little time to waste, let's go over to your cubicle."
"Well, at least one good thing is coming of this," Nick said as they headed over.
"What are you talking about?" Judy asked in slight exasperation.
"Now you have someone you can punch."
-Zootopia Police Department Headquarters, 6:30 PM-
"Sheesh," Officer Skippel started, taking a small bite of pizza, "what an assignment to be saddled with on my second month. I was expecting a hacker might try to get into the ZPD network, for fun or something. Not a crazed murderer using disease as a weapon." She looked rather stressed out as she was eating.
"Well, I'm sure you remember what Hopps' first case was," Nick chuckled, also having a slice of pizza. "What gives? I thought you bunnies were supposed to be lucky. But no, your first cases attract all the real psychos."
"I can't argue with you there, since I'm still working with one I met on that case," Judy smirked impishly, wiping her paws and face off from her dinner, but then her expression grew serious, "but we gotta get on this. Ah..." Judy looked a bit lost at Skippel's three-monitor set up with several programs running that she couldn't even begin to guess at their function. "I will leave the computering to you, Officer Skippel."
"Please, just call me Skippel, or Skip, or Karen, or something," Skippel cleaned off her hands as well, leaving the rest of the pizza, her appetite fleeing from her, "'Officer Skippel' has so many syllables that if you say it too much more we'll be here all night."
"Hm, I like Skip," Nick smirked.
"Anyway, Hopps, you said you had some ideas in the briefing?" Skippel asked expectantly.
"Judy's fine, if we're gonna be on a first name basis," Judy smiled, "um, I'm not sure if you can do this, but can you compile a database of all female feline Zootopians that work in either medical or scientific fields?"
"Oh, of course," Skippel nodded, starting to pull from a database program, "yeah, it would make sense if she was in medicine or science. That is, unless she has a team. But, uh, I'd hope someone working with such an intensely hateful motive would be working alone."
Nick grimaced from behind his mask he'd just placed back on. "You know I'd like to think so too, but I've known some canine-haters in my time, just beyond predator prejudice. We know Bellwether had a team."
"Hold on, no need to get all dire here," Judy tried to rein back in the conversation, "Bellwether was in a position of political power. Maybe it took this feline so long to make the video because that wasn't her area of expertise."
"Could be," Skippel considered. "Uh, there are dozens on dozens of female feline doctors and scientists on all specifications. Go them, I guess. Can we be more specific?"
"Uh, let's rule out ones that aren't in a field that has anything to do with microbiology?" Judy seemed unsure. Skippel added a few more conditions to her search.
"Still a couple dozen," Skippel said, "let me get even more specific... a geneticist. ...Okay whoops, now there aren't any."
"Hold on a second," Nick said, getting an idea, "Skip, can you back up this search chronologically to include former employees? Like, any felines that may have previously been a geneticist?"
"Oh, sure," Skippel nodded, "hmm, nothing one month back, or two. Whoa, okay, three months back we have one hit." Both Judy and Nick leaned their heads in suddenly, on either side of Skippel, making her flinch nervously. "It's spotted feline, looks like a jaguar. Her name is Serena Prowlmore. She worked at the Zootopia Center for Genetic Research."
"Okay okay okay," Judy said excitedly, "now can you find any news articles from three months ago about her release anywhere online?"
"I'll look, but I doubt anything as specific as a geneticist getting fired would have made any major news outlets," Skippel did a few searches, "there's one article on her departure online, but it's extremely vague; doesn't even say if she left voluntarily or not."
"We'll have to head down to the ZCGR first thing tomorrow," Judy said. "Karen, do you want to come with?"
"Uhhh," Skippel hesitated, "I have no real field training or experience; I doubt I'd be much help. I can do the paperwork and let Chief Bogo know what we've found."
"Okay, if you're sure," Judy nodded.
"Before we close up shop here," Nick said, "let's keep digging on this Serena Prowlmore and see if we can find anything. We are getting paid for a double, after all." Judy nodded in agreement, and Skippel started a bit as the duo's faces closed in on hers again, staring intently at her computer screens.
-Zootopia Center for Genetic Research, 9:00 AM-
Nick and Judy entered the facility, briskly walking towards the receptionist, who was a female chinchilla.
"Hello, officers," she greeted, "what can I do for you today?"
"Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, ZPD," Judy greeted, "We'd like to speak to the head of this establishment. Please, it's for a rather urgent investigation."
"Mr. Ratzenberg? Certainly, one moment," the chinchilla buzzed him on their intercom. "All right, he can see you now. Head up to the top floor of the elevator and follow the signs."
"Thank you," Judy said, and the two entered the elevator.
"Oh my gosh," Nick said with slight excitement, "she was a chinchilla. Did you see how soft her fur looked?" Judy shot him an exasperated look.
"Really, Nick? This again?" Judy sighed. "What is it with you? It's a good thing she wasn't close enough for you to touch."
"What can I say?" Nick shrugged. "I have a weakness for fluff."
"Is that how I got that nickname?" Judy wondered aloud as the elevator arrived at the top floor. The two headed into Mr. Ratzenberg's office. Ratzenberg was inside, seated at a small desk on top of a larger desk. He was a male white rat with red eyes. Judy took in how small he was compared to her, even though he was about twice the size of a typical mouse. He got up and walked around to the front of the smaller desk.
"Hello, officers Hopps and Wilde," he greeted in a soft, gravely voice, "Reginald Ratzenberg. What can I do for you?" He had both paws together in front of him, looking immaculate in a dark gray suit. He had a rather earnest smile.
"We're here inquiring about Serena Prowlmore," Judy said. "Can you tell us anything about her?" Ratzenberg's face furrowed a bit, his smile weakening.
"I'm afraid Ms. Prowlmore no longer works for us," he explained.
"We're aware of that," Nick said, "can you tell us why?"
Ratzenberg appeared to consider this. "Is she in some sort of trouble?"
"We... don't know," Judy admitted, "we were hoping you could tell us. Please sir, this is for a very, very important investigation."
"All right," Ratzenberg sighed, "but please, try to keep this all as clandestine as possible." The two officers nodded. "Serena Prowlmore was one of our most promising geneticists. A very talented jaguar. She made great strides in sequencing genomes and cataloging the properties of bacteria and viruses. But her co-workers mentioned that she was a bit... off. We occasionally caught her doing undeclared work or experiments, modifying viruses and bacteria usually. I didn't want to fire her immediately, because she had been so helpful to us, but after several offenses, I'm afraid I had no choice. What she was doing was unethical."
"Anything specific about those experiments that you can tell us?" Nick asked. "Uh, in layman's terms?"
"A lot of varied things," Ratzenberg said, a hand to his chin, "trying to adjust the properties of viruses so they would live longer, become more virulent, or have more severe symptoms." Nick and Judy shared a quick glance of terror while he wasn't looking.
"So you did finally fire her," Judy prodded.
"Well, she certainly is not working with us any more," Ratzenberg said indignantly, "but... we never actually fired her. She actually vanished; she must have sensed we were about to. And, in what I'm sure is not a coincidence, many expensive pieces of our equipment went missing. We did file a report with the ZPD but I guess it might have been buried?"
"Th-thank you for your help," Judy said anxiously. "We'll be leaving now."
"Sorry I couldn't be of more help," Ratzenberg said, "I've no idea where she is now."
"We'll be in touch, sir," Nick said, "please call us if you have any more details to report."
Judy sighed heavily in the elevator. "So it is her. A mad scientist jaguar with machines that might let her modify a virus. It's a dead end, though. We have to start an animal hunt. Get her name out on the media."
"I don't think Bogo will go for that," Nick said, equally concerned, "all of this is still circumstantial. I mean it's most definitely her, no doubt, but we can't start an animal hunt until we can prove it."
"But while we wait for more clues, more canines die..." Judy twisted her mouth into a forced smile as the elevator opened and they walked past the receptionist. Nick waved at her with a grin, and the chinchilla waved back, slightly confused.
-Moucey's Department Store, northern Savanna Central Branch, 2:20 PM-
One week later, and no new leads had popped up on the Canine Virus case. A handful of new infections were reported, but nothing came up to lead the ZPD closer to their prime suspect, which they had yet to reveal to the public. With the stress of the case weighing on them, Judy and Nick used their time off to try to forget about work and do things that they enjoyed. This time, it was Judy's turn to pick the locale, and she chose shopping. Judy popped out of the dressing room wearing a sun dress, fitting a straw hat on her head. "How do I look?"
"That's, um, very nice," Nick said, his expression clearly impressed even from behind his medical mask. "Very cute."
"Aw Nick," Judy smiled with slight disappointment, "you've said that about basically everything I've tried on."
"Well, if you'd stop looking so good in those clothes, then I could stop saying it," Nick folded his arms, his ears heating up slightly. Judy giggled pleasantly at the compliment.
"Nice try, but I still have a few more outfits I want to look at," Judy smirked. She retreated back into the dressing room.
"Do all females shop like this?" Nick asked in exasperation. "Will they never stop until they try everything in the store on?"
"Shopping is fun, Nick," Judy grinned. Nick sighed and turned his head slightly. His eyes caught sight of a black jaguar female standing behind a perfume counter. His expression narrowed a bit as animal after animal passed her by without her moving to give them a free perfume sample from a bottle she was holding.
"Uh, Carrots," Nick said warily, putting on his sunglasses in case the jaguar caught him looking at her, "I'm starting to get a funny feeling."
"Well, you should probably stop thinking about me changing clothes then, you goofball," Judy teased.
"Seriously, Judy, get some clothes on and come out here."
Judy came out in the clothes she started the day with, knowing it was important whenever Nick used her first name. "What's wrong, Nick? Oh, please tell me you're not wearing sunglasses indoors." Nick took her wrist and led her behind a large fixture of ties, out of the line of sight of the jaguar.
"Something about that jaguar is bothering the heck out of me," Nick said, "she's looking at every customer passing her by, but hasn't sprayed a single one with a perfume sample yet." Judy's jaw dropped, and she peeked around the fixture.
"But that can't be her," Judy whispered, "Serena Prowlmore isn't a melanistic jaguar. ...Unless, you don't think she went as far as to re-sequence her own genes...?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Nick hissed quietly, "if that IS her, she probably just dyed her fur." Nick started taking some video of her on his phone, and snapping a few still pictures.
"Oh, right," Judy said. "Oh, no. No no no..." A dingo woman was heading down the store on a path that would take her past the jaguar. The jaguar's body language started to change, and her arms started to move.
"Would you care for a free sample?" the jaguar asked. "It smells really nice. Just remove your mask for one second." The dingo looked like she might comply.
"God...!" Nick spat. "We have no backup, are unarmed, and- Judy!" Judy sprang into action, rushing toward the perfume counter.
"ZPD!" Judy screamed. "Drop that bottle!" The jaguar bared her teeth in irritation and moved to spray the dingo. Just in time, Judy cleanly vaulted over the counter and carried her momentum into the jaguar, hitting her with both feet in her stomach. The jaguar grunted, falling back to the ground and unable to spray the dingo, but her grip on the bottle did not loosen. Judy started to reach for it, while the jaguar held it out of reach with her superior limb length. "Dingo, run!" The confused and terrified dingo did as she was asked.
"How dare you!" The jaguar's voice was familiar to Judy. She recognized it as matching the distorted voice from the terrorist video.
"Serena Prowlmore!" Judy proclaimed. "Drop that bottle! You are under arrest!" Nick kept filming the altercation, feeling worried. He wanted to rush to Judy's assistance, but his orders not to engage also hung with him, as he was canine.
"It will be a cold day on the surface of the sun before a tiny shrew like yourself could bring me in!" Serena kicked with both of her feet, throwing Judy off her. Judy quickly placed her hands behind her, leveraging herself against the counter and launching forward again. Yelling out, she delivered an uppercut to Serena's jaw. A feline screech of pain rang out.
"I really hope someone is calling the police, ironically enough," Nick fretted. He wanted to help, but needed the evidence of Serena's crimes. Also, a buried part of him that he didn't want to admit to feared for his own life.
"Fine, insect, if you want me to play rough...!" Serena roughly grabbed Judy by the shoulder with her free hand and thrust her into the counter, where Judy bashed her head. Groaning, she slumped over.
"Judy!" Nick shrieked, his body moving him forward without his mind's compliance. Nick removed his sunglasses and started for her. Serena stared at him and he felt his heart skip a beat as he could feel something like a beam of cold hatred shoot through him from her eyes, but she quickly broke herself out of this and got over the counter, heading to the exit. Nick grabbed a tie from the fixture he was running along and ran up behind Serena. He leaped at her, tossing the tie in front of her and grabbing its other end with his other hand, yanking.
"Ouglh!" Serena gurgled at the sudden pressure on her neck. She spun around and clawed at Nick, but he swiftly dodged, dropping the tie. He grabbed her shoulder roughly to keep her free arm down and tried to grab at the perfume bottle. He too was too short to grab it while Serena held it just out of his reach. She snapped at him with her fangs. Nick flinched his head backwards and managed to avoid her; he knew jaguars had one of the nastiest bites of all cats.
"Give yourself up!" Nick grunted, almost managing to force her wrist down. He sunk his claws into her wrist to try to get her to drop it. She yowled out in pain and fury, and brought her knee into Nick's midsection. Nick grunted, but kept his grip firm. Over and over she thrust her knee into him in various parts of his abdomen until one final blow with with a bloodcurdling scream of anger from Serena managed to knocked Nick away from her and into the floor near the exit. He yelped as his back hit the wall, doubling over in pain.
Serena caught her breath, and then her composure. With a condescending, dark smile, she walked over to Nick and removed his mask roughly. She then sprayed him with the bottle, leaned over to whisper something, and spat on him. She then made her way out of the store. Groaning, Nick struggled to his feet and looked outside, but didn't see any sign of her. He felt like he should run into the parking lot to try to find her, but then he remembered his partner.
"Judy?" Nick limped over to where Judy was. Judy had both hands on her head, shaking it slowly. "Are you okay, Judy?"
"I think so..." Judy groaned, "the room's finally stopped spinning. My head is killing me. How about you? Are you okay?"
"Maybe not for long..." Nick said, his voice desperate.
"What?!" Judy shot up. "Where's Serena? Is she gone? Did... oh no... Nick...?"
"She sprayed me with that bottle, and she made her escape," Nick said, his tone devoid of emotion, "and right before she left, she said... 'enjoy the last few days of your life.'"
-Zootopia Mercy General Hospital, Quarantine Area, 12:00 PM-
A couple of days later, the animal hunt for Serena Prowlmore had begun in earnest. The Zootopian police were able to confirm from the blood and fur samples on Nick that it was indeed Serena's DNA and that she had dyed her fur; her DNA was kept on record at her previous area of employment, which had relinquished it. Pictures of both her black-dyed form and her natural colors were shown on TV regularly, along with a press conference given by Chief Bogo detailing her danger and the method she used to infect her victims. Judy found herself aimless and restless at the ZPD, desperately trying to find something to do that would help with the case. She felt empty without her partner. Chief Bogo caught sight of her and demanded she take the rest of the day off. Judy headed to the hospital immediately after.
"Please, can I see Nick Wilde?" Judy begged a male horse nurse near the quarantine area. "I'm his partner... please."
"All right. You'll have to get into full quarantine scrubs and an ear-net though, for safety."
"Of course. Anything." After Judy was redressed and passed through an anti-contamination chamber, she rushed over to see Nick. He looked awful. His eyes were barely open and his fur was damp with his own sweat. Judy's eyes enlarged and she felt her breath catch in her throat.
"Oh, Nick..." Judy rushed over, stopping short at his bedside.
"Carrots, izzat you?" Nick said weakly, "Or another hallucination?" He looked at Judy. "Wow, I must look like the wrath of God."
"Y-you could always see right through me," Judy was trying to fight tears. "How do you feel?"
"D'you want me to lie to you?" Nick said. Judy shook her head. "OK then. I feel like I can feel every single cell in my body. And they all hurt." Judy sobbed softly. "I know, I know. 'What were you thinkin', Nick, goin' after that insane jaguar by yourself?'"
"Yeah, that's as reckless as something I'd do," Judy gave a tearful chuckle, "and I'm really gonna come down on you for trying to stop someone who's putting all of Zootopia's canines at risk. What an idiot." She hoped her sarcasm was palpable.
"If only I had got her, huh?" Nick coughed, his voice distant.
"Nick..." Judy started to cry again. "Remember what I told you on that balcony at New Year's Eve. Y-you can't leave me. You're not going anywhere."
"Never promised that," Nick grinned as Judy sobbed, "but, you were right. I'm not. Even if my body turned to dust, I'd still be with you. I'd haunt you everywhere, a relentless fox spirit. You'll never be rid of me." He started coughing again, but struggled to keep smiling.
"Nick," Judy wiped her eyes, "what the heck am I supposed to say to that? What do I do?"
"You know what you need to do, Carrots," Nick said weakly, "you have to have that jaguar lying at your feet in a heap. Gotta find her, and make her pay. I know that's the only way your vindictive little bunny soul will be at peace." Judy felt herself grinning, her tears slowing.
"You know me a little too well, Nick," Judy said. "Prowlmore better hope I don't find her."
"There's my girl," Nick sighed, his breaths seeming a bit pained, "so, stop cryin' over me. I'm not dead yet. Go focus that fiery, righteous rage you keep inside on finishin' this case, okay?"
"You must be exhausted, Nick," Judy nodded. "I'll leave you be." She turned to leave, but looked back purposefully. "I'll see you later."
Nick laid his head back against the pillow, groaning and gritting his teeth, but then, in a surprisingly forceful tone, he said. "Yes, you will."
"I better..." Judy whispered to herself as she left. As she got into her regular clothes and headed out into the hall, she saw a familiar face. It was a male ferret, Dr. Carl Pedshark. Judy had encountered him at the ZPD; he was their medical examiner.
"Dr. Pedshark!" Judy headed over to him. "Dr. Pedshark! Hello!"
"Oh, Officer Hopps," Dr. Pedshark nodded. "Here to see Wilde? They have pretty much all the greatest medical minds here at the hospital, working on this virus. He's in good hands."
"Including yours?" Judy asked hopefully.
"Ah, unfortunately I have little to no experience with viruses," Dr. Pedshark admitted, "I'm only here in... in case the most unfortunate outcome occurs."
"Ah, of course," Judy said hollowly. "Can... can you tell me anything about the virus?"
"Oh, plenty," Dr. Pedshark nodded, "the next few days in particular are crucial. The virus attacks the immune system, making it go into overdrive. Victims develop an extreme fever, and this is what they usually succumb to. If Wilde can get past the fever, he will most likely survive."
"The fatality rate is so high, though..." Judy said sadly.
"There's a small ray of hope," Dr. Pedshark went on, "the virus, I've been told, was sequenced so it would only target canines. Specifically, using wolves as a base. So, the disease is most effective on wolves, and slightly less fatal to other canids."
"You know a day is awful when 'slightly less fatal' is the best news you've heard all day," Judy said wryly.
"Well, I will certainly try to give you all the good news I can... ah..." Dr. Pedshark said, fidgeting. "Oh, the virus indeed can only be transmitted from infected canines by blood. It seems to be unable to survive outside of liquid past a certain temperature. That's why she needed to use that bottle. And! There's a bit of a silver lining, as well. Should Wilde survive, he has agreed to let us extract samples of his blood. From that the doctors should probably be able to fashion a vaccine. Unfortunately, none of the other survivors agreed to have this done, s-somewhat understandable due to the trauma they've been through, so Wilde is our best hope right now."
"He HAS to survive, then," Judy said with a hint of steel in her voice, "for my sake, and for all of Zootopia's canines."
-Mezzo Park, 1:40 PM-
Judy trudged over to her vixen friend Vivian Reddish's fruit cart, hoping to catch her there. Her eyes were heavy, and she was exhausted from emotion. Vivian noticed the anomalies in her scent before she finished approaching.
"Judy?" Vivian's masked face had concern all over it. "Are you all right? Would you like a smoothie? Lemonade?"
"I need a coffee, really," Judy offered a weak smile.
"Please tell me what's wrong," Vivian begged, "I know you've been to the hospital. You smell like medicine. It's... it's Officer Wilde, isn't it?" Judy nodded softly. "Oh Judy, I know how much he means to you... that virus...?" Judy nodded again.
"Please stay safe, Vivian," Judy said quietly. "Boil your water, stay inside as much as much as you can. Don't go to any department stores... and stay away from as many felines as possible."
"Oh, Judy..." Vivian came from behind the counter and gently knelt down to give her a hug. Judy softly reciprocated, trying to keep from crying again. "Take care of yourself, okay? I'll do the best I can for me."
"Promise me you will be safe."
"I promise," Vivian nodded. Judy let go of the hug. "Now, what will you do for you?"
"I'm going to make sure this comes to an end. I know I won't be able to sleep soundly until it is," Judy looked determined through her weariness, and this impressed Vivian.
"I'll look forward to seeing your name in the papers, again, then," Vivian smiled. "Go get them, bunny."
-Zootopia Police Department Headquarters, 6:40 PM-
Two days later, Nick's condition hadn't changed. Judy's sleep had been restless, and she took little naps where she could. She jerked awake, finding herself sitting next to Karen Skippel at her computer station. Judy reached forward for her coffee, sipping from it.
"You still with me, Judy?" Skippel asked. Judy yawned.
"Barely," Judy admitted, "my sleep has been erratic lately, and full of nightmares." A minute of silence passed between them as Skippel was doing research on her computer.
"You..." Skippel began, unsure if she should proceed.
"Talk to me, Karen," Judy said, "keep me awake."
"You really care about that fox, huh?"
"Yeah," Judy nodded, "more than I can express in words. He's... well, he's my partner. In every sense of the word. A part of me. Without him, I'm incomplete."
"Wow," Skippel marveled, "I don't know if I've ever felt about anyone that strongly, much less a predator." Judy sipped her coffee, feeling that remark roll off her.
"Really?" Judy asked. "Hm, how do you get along with your brothers and sisters?" Skippel stopped moving her mouse.
"I... don't have any."
Judy blinked in surprise, "Huh? A rabbit with no siblings...?"
"Yup," Skippel nodded. "My mother died during childbirth. My father spent all of his time raising and supporting me. It was hard on both of us. I never have been really able to connect with people. People say I'm weird for a bunny, antisocial."
"Karen, that's so sad," Judy looked at her with concern, but Skippel wouldn't return her look.
"Maybe," Skippel considered, "but I see how much pain you're going through right now. It's eating you up. If I never feel about anyone that way, then I won't be able to be hurt like that."
"You have a point," Judy said, her eyes darting around, "but... I don't know. I chose him. I... really can't articulate it better then that. I feel like some things are worth pain."
"I'll take your word for it, Judy," Skippel went back to looking.
"We're not getting any closer, are we?" Judy grumbled.
"Actually, I was taking Nick's time-lapse idea into mind while looking," Skippel started, "several more cases of the virus have showed up in the past few days, and correcting for how long the virus usually takes to hit, I can somewhat pinpoint where they might have been infected. This has taken me like all day, but I've made a map of where I can guess the victims were when they were infected."
"Wait wait, hold on," Judy blurted, wide awake, "canines are still getting infected? I thought Prowlmore was pinned! If she showed her face at another store, the police would have been on her right away!"
"Looks like she's found another way," Skippel nodded, "take a look at this. The infected dots flow away from particular, central points on three of the four major sections of Zootopia. First, Rainforest District. She probably started there. Then, counter clockwise from there. The next day, Savanna Central. After that, Sahara Square. Only Tundratown remains."
"Wait, is that TONIGHT?" Judy's ears shot up in panic. "W-where are they coming from?"
"The dots are leading away from the central water purification plants in each of the districts," Skippel said.
"Sweet heavens!" Judy put a hand to her forehead. "She's contaminating the water supplies!"
"Yeah, most likely," Skippel nodded, "and like most serial criminals, she's been very methodical about it. I'd estimate she hits the plants at about 8:00 PM."
"8:00 PM!" Judy repeated desperately, "There's barely any time! It's 7:00 now! I... I gotta go!" Judy frantically grabbed her supplies and her customized stun gun. "Karen, talk to Bogo! See if you can get any of the Tundratown police to show up at the water plant!" Skippel looked surprised at Judy's frantic scrambling.
"This is basically just a hunch, Judy!" Skippel had her arms out, "I mean the pieces fit, the math fits, but... I could be wrong."
"You're the best shot I have right now, Karen," Judy said, slipping on her armored vest, "I'm not going to let this chance slip away." Judy took off, tearing down the hall. Chief Bogo showed up shortly after, folding his arms as he regarded Skippel.
"And just where was Hopps going in such a hurry?" Chief Bogo asked meticulously.
"Oh boy," Skippel prepared for a very difficult conversation.
-Tundratown Main Water Purification Plant 7:50 PM-
Judy parked her police cruiser and hopped out, drawing her stun gun. Her mind raced. How was Prowlmore pulling this off? Didn't the plants have any guards? She hurriedly looked around and went to what looked like an enormous basin of what she hoped was the purified water. She noticed a female hippo guard slumped against the wall, bleeding. Judy came over to her and tested her pulse. She was still alive. Judy pulled out her radio to make sure backup and an ambulance was on the way, but she gasped as she saw a figure on top of the basin, standing on a grated walkway. The figure looked feline, and wore a trenchcoat that whipped in the cold air. Gritting her teeth, she decided she had no more time to lose. Not wanting to give away her position, she swiftly but silently climbed up to the basin's walkway, and drew her stun gun.
"That's far enough, Prowlmore," Judy said. Prowlmore turned to look at her, smirking with contempt and haughtiness. Her hand already had a vial in it, and was holding it over the basin.
"Well well, if it isn't the hero cop I was so rudely introduced to a few days ago," Serena Prowlmore said. "How's your dog? Choking on his own blood yet?"
"You've lost, Prowlmore," Judy sneered carefully, trying not to fly into a rage. "Put that vial down."
"On the contrary, it's impossible for you to win!" Prowlmore smirked. "Where am I going to put this vial down to? It'll slip through the cracks of the grate. Bye bye, puppies. Or, suppose you shoot me. I'll lose control of my body for several seconds, and then I'll just drop the vial involuntarily! Either way, the dogs die. Either way, you lose."
"What is your problem?!" Judy snapped. "Why do you want canines to suffer? What did they ever do to you?"
"Oh I'm afraid I have no tragic backstory to wet your eyes with," Prowlmore mocked, "I just hate dogs. The way they smell, scratch, sniff, whine, howl. Of all of us evolved mammals, they're still the most base. They're mostly still in the stone age. I'm surprised that they can form coherent sentences. Repulsive creatures. Zootopia will be better off without them. Or at least, far fewer of them."
"I'm afraid you will not get a chance to see that world," Judy grit her teeth.
"Have you been listening, you idiot?" Prowlmore sneered, "I win! Nothing you can do will prevent me from my goal."
"Yeah, but are you willing to die for it?" Judy said darkly. She placed her paw on the intensity dial of her stun gun. "Because this tiny, idiot bunny sees a very large, scary, and dangerous predator in front of her. It'll take a lot to bring her down." Prowlmore actually looked taken aback.
"What?" Prowlmore said, her haughtiness faltering. "You'd kill me? The police don't do that. Especially when their life isn't in immediate danger."
"Would you like to try me?" Judy asked coldly. Her words seeped with intense loathing. "I'm a terrified little bunny. So scared of what a big predator like you could do if you moved one inch on your LOATHSOME body. You will not live to see the world you want, Prowlmore. So, if you drop that vial, you will die for it."
Prowlmore's eyes were wide at the extreme hatred Judy was emitting. She started to hear sirens, and a helicopter started circling the area.
"Give yourself up, Prowlmore, you are surrounded!" A megaphone blared at her. Judy smirked to herself. The cavalry had arrived. She could see a few polar bear and moose officers emerging from the other side of the basins walkway. Judy's smirk vanished, however, as Prowlmore's fear changed to an indignant expression.
"All right then. In the afterlife, I will be content in knowing that I've caused your fall from grace, you hateful, wretched bunny," Prowlmore dropped the vial.
"NO!" Judy shrieked.
CLACK!
The stun gun went off and the charge sank into Prowlmore's midsection. She toppled to the grated floor, convulsing, and then was still.
"Officer Hopps, stand down!" A decorated polar bear officer charged across the platform, kneeling over Prowlmore. Prowlmore groaned, shaking her head weakly.
"You filthy liar," Prowlmore spat. "Spineless coward. You never were going to kill me. You didn't have the guts. Well, now look what you've wrought."
"You have the right to remain silent," Judy said, angrily bringing her foot back, about to kick her.
"Have you lost your mind, Hopps?" the polar bear yelled at her, "STAND DOWN. We have her. The polar bear fit a muzzle over her and cuffs on her back, and tossed her over to another officer. "Chief Poe Larson of the Tundratown PD. Fall in line."
"My apologies, sir," Judy said, holstering her weapon. "I thought I had her. I was trying to stall for time until backup showed up. At least, I hope backup was going to show up. I was following a wild hunch." Larson shook his head.
"Chief Bogo was right, I've never seen something so tiny so full of fire."
"Again, I apologize," Judy said, her ears drooping.
"Oh don't be sorry," Larson grinned, "It's quite becoming of such a small officer. At least we got that feline before she caused any more havoc, huh?"
"About that," Judy said, "there's an extremely high probability that this water basin is contaminated with the Canine Virus. We need to advise the employees of this facility, and probably have Tundratown deploy a boil water advisory. Oh also, theres an injured hippo at the base of the basin."
"Okay, I'll get my people on that," Larson nodded seriously, "you are dismissed." Judy sighed as Prowlmore fell out of sight.
"All of that suffering and fear she caused, and she gets to go to a prison cell instead of a grave," Judy grumbled.
"Not quite," Larson said, "she's a terrorist. After her trial, she'll likely be going to a special facility where we'll be getting us to tell her everything she knows and did with that virus."
"Ah, you'll be extracting the information painfully, I hope?" Judy smirked.
"You are one crazy little bunny," Larson laughed.
-Zootopia Mercy General Hospital, Room 308, 1:10 PM-
"Nick, you're alive!" Judy joyfully burst into Nick's hospital room, smiling at him in his white, blue-dotted hospital gown.
"So I am," Nick smirked, looking down at himself, "wow, no wonder they call you one of the best police officers in the ZPD. So astute."
"And you're still super annoying!" Judy hopped up and down, unironically gleeful while saying these words. Nick chuckled, very glad to see Judy.
"So, tell me how it went down," Nick grinned, "I heard you got her. I knew you'd get her."
Judy began to tell the story of what went down at the Tundratown purification plant. Nick's eyes slowly got wider and wider. Judy's voice and gestures were very emphatic.
"Good God," Nick said, baring his teeth in a wince, "remind me to never make you angry." Judy chuckled happily.
"Don't you see?" Judy asked. "The only reason I was so angry is because of how she made you suffer. ...Nick, there's something I should tell you, something I should have said for a long time."
"Don't, Judy," Nick held a paw up. "Look at me. I'm in a frilly little gown, and you've got dark circles under your eyes. I know what you're going to say. Trust me. I do. But we don't... we don't own this moment. Is this how you want to remember it?" Judy seemed both happy and perplexed, her mouth open in a grin, but sputtering in confusion.
"Nick I..." Judy said, confused, "It's just... I never know when it'll be too late."
"Never will be," Nick shook his head. "Like I said, I know. I can see right through you, dumb bunny."
"Okay, Nick," Judy smiled happily. "So, the doctors are working on the vaccine, right? You're a hero. Hopefully no more canines will have to die from this terrible plague, all because of you." Her eyes sparkled with pride.
"Yeah," Nick scratched behind his head. "Who knew all I needed to do to be a hero was lay in a bed and suffer terribly for five or so days. Wow, I lost count. Uh...Fluff? You're kinda, uh, vibrating." She was definitely shaking in joy, her arms held close to her chin.
"Please, please tell me I can hug you."
"I believe the doctor has said I am clear for hug-oOUGH," Nick yelped as Judy jumped onto him, "Jeez, Carrots, not so hard! I'm still tender in the tum from psycho kitty bashing my stomach in."
"Oops, sorry," Judy giggled in apology.
-Nick and Judy's Aardvark Rise Apartment, 10:32 PM-
Over the next month, the Canine Virus was finally defeated and obliterated from Zootopia, thanks to the vaccine culled from Nick's blood. Canines finally were able to show their muzzles in public again and Judy realized just how much she had missed Nick's sly smirking at others. One evening that they both had off, they had come back from a nice dinner together. They started to cuddle on the couch, Nick laid back luxuriously on the couch with Judy softly clinging to him. He'd finally decided to stop pretending he didn't really enjoy this, a lot.
"Mmm," Judy said in a haze of comfort, smiling, "well, I think the time is right. I'm gonna say it and you can't stop me."
"What? Say what- oh," Nick gulped, "very well, miss, fire away."
"I love you, Nicholas, very truly," Judy said tenderly, "I mean, I told you that the first time we were in our cruiser together, but I don't think even I knew how much I meant it. Not for a couple of years. Our partnership, it's always been about love and trust. I had just fooled myself into thinking that the love part... well, that I couldn't love a fox, you know? But wow, do I ever..." She snuck her hands up his shirt to warmly skritch at his tummy.
"W-woah, that tickles," Nick chuckled, "and for the record, what I said on the balcony at that New Year's party was all true. Every word. You can take it to the bank." Nick smiled, but then looked away and frowned. "No, you know what? You deserve more than that. I've loved you from basically the moment you smashed your head into my stomach under that bridge, Judy. You adorable little creature. I've always been afraid of loving you, though. I thought that, if we got too close, I could cause you pain. But duh, dumb fox, we are close, and basically always have been since we were partners. I realized when I had that virus that I would never be able to avoid hurting you. Whenever I feel pain, so do you. So I might as well love you, too, since I was denying myself that reality. I love you, so much, Judith."
Judy's eyes sparkled. "J-Judith?! No one's called me Judith since I was five!" She laughed pleasantly. "So can I call you something you haven't been called before? Mm, how about... Nicky?"
"Oh, please don't," Nick whined. Judy laughed again. Judy rubbed Nicks cheeks, looking smitten with affection. She leaned in to give him a soft, but loving kiss. Nick closed his eyes and reciprocated. After that moment passed, they shared a warm smile.
"I have a confession to make," Judy said, her ears heating up.
"What, after all that?" Nick said in surprise.
"When you were sick, and away," Judy started, "I didn't wash your sheets."
"Wow, how could you," Nick said sarcastically.
"No, it was because..." Judy said, her voice strangely timid, "I slept in them. They smelled like you. They... helped me get through that time. So, you were right. You were always there for me." Nick blinked several times. Judy was getting hard to see.
"Aw, don't cry, Nick!" Judy said in a high tone. She started to mist up, too.
"I am not crying!" Nick lied, "It's just really hard to look at you while you're glowing like the freakin' sun!" Judy wiped away his tears, and one of her own.
"Well, I'm tired," Judy suddenly hopped up. "Time to go to sleep in my bed." Judy headed, not to her bedroom, but Nick's. Nick tugged at the collar of his shirt.
"S-sly bunny," he said nervously, following her.