(AN: Hello again readers. I try to update as quickly as I possibly can. Sometimes this effects my writing.

Simple recap: Nick has met the big boss, Shere Khan. This along with a few other big players. After an intense interrogation, Nick passes Khan's test and is branded into the inner circle.

As always, please leave a review and follow.

Sincerely, Sir_RedFox)

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Nick laid in the hospital bed that he had been given, though it apparent that he was in no hospital. The place was too quiet to be a hospital. No nurses or any other patients, only one doctor, the female badger, and everything had a faint moldy smell. If anything, he was in an old run down hospital that some mammal kept running, and he had a guess of whom that mammal was.

This must be the place criminals go to when they have the sniffles, Nick thought. More likely, when a criminal gets hurt, this must be the place that they come to, to be all fixed up.

Hard to tell time laying in the hospital bed. No clocks or windows for him to look outside at. A window once on the far side of the room, but it had become bricked up.

If Nick had to guess, he has been bedridden for nearly a week, if not more. His face was still busted from Khan's interrogation. His left arm, that Khan broke with his massive tiger feet, wrapped up in a cast. The troubling though was the patch to the center of his chest. The Patch covered what his royal indoctrination into Khan's circle of trust, Shere Khan's branded insignia with the Gothic letters 'S' and 'K' overlapping each other.

"How are we doing today mister Wilde," The Badger doctor said coming in, wear a white lab coat, and a pair of stereoscopes around her neck. She carried a file in her hand and a paper bag in the other. She didn't wait for a response. "I have good news for you. You are being discharged. You are finally out of that bed and be free of this place."

Nick sat up in the bed. Ever since he was "admitted" into this hospital, he had an odd case of 'familiars' every time he looked at the doctor. "Excuse me" Nick said. "Do you do any other work here in Zootopia?" She shook her head 'no.' Then it hit him. He knew who this doctor is, why did he not notice it before. "You," Nick said, pointing at her. "You were the badger doctor who was helping Lion Heart cover up in the missing mammals case."

"Yes, I happen to be the very same doctor that tried to help Lion Heart" She said, with disgust in her voice. "I was arrested, sent to prison, lost my doctor license, and now find the only way to make money at what I do is helping criminals when they've been hurt, or worse."

"I just knew I recognized you, only couldn't put my finger on it"

"Well, anyway. You're free to leave this place. There are clothes for you in this bag" She said, holding up the brown paper bag. "And I'll give you something to help with the pain as you recover." She dropped the paper bag at the end of the bed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to," she said and marched out.

Nick twisted and let his legs fall off the side of the bed. Every part of his body hurt when he moved. He fought threw it, as he eased himself out of the bed.

The paper bag contained some blue jeans, a paw-hawiain shirt and a leather jacket. Nick took his time putting on the clothes, especially since one of his arms wrapped in a cast. With surprise, all the clothes seemed to fit him well. Even had his lighter and pen back.

The doctor came back in with a bottle of pain killers. She tosses the whole bottle to Nick. "There," She said. "Take one of those every four hours and you'll be fine."

"Question?" Nick asked. "Is it bad if I take these with alcohol?" Nick joked and smiled at her.

"Do you honestly care about my medical opinion?"

"Guess not"

"Then that is your answer." She sprouted out the door.

Leaving his room, Nick was right about where he was. Whole place an abandoned hospital that some mammal ran for criminals to procure care. Trying to find an exit he saw a wild pitch black with gray stripes' aardwolf leaning against the wall, flicking a lighter's flame, on and off, in his dog hands. His fur was rugged and unkempt. He wore jeans and solid black leather jacket. Tucked into his waist band, a black pistol. A voice made him turn away.

"Awe, Nicholas. Glad you're up and well." Turning to the voice inhabited it. Shere Khan. His fancy shirt was off and wearing a white muscle shirt and with his tiger hands under some x-ray device. "Good to see you finally on your feet" Shere Khan said.

"Yeah, well can't do any work lying on your back" Nick said.

"I like that," Shere Khan said. "A mammal that sees the value of work. I and my brother worked and fought to the bone to succeed to where we are."

"You can remove your hands now, Sir." The badger doctor said. Shere Khan removed his hands and the badger doctor took them up to hold them to eye level. She turned and pricked the tiger's paws. "How does that feel?" She asked.

"Stiff" he said.

"That's expected. Otherwise, your paws are fine and functional." The badger doctor slide so x-rays into a folder. She walked out, down the hall and turn into a room. Nick couldn't tell what it was, but guessed it to be some kind of record room. Shere Khan stood up, massaging his tiger hands.

"I look forward to working with you, Nicholas" Khan said. "But for now you should rest up. There will be a car outside waiting for you."

Outside, it was night. Nick struggled to getting the cap off the pain killer bottle. He finally managed without spilling out any of them round white pills. Popped one the pain killers in his mouth and swallowed, ignoring the awful chalk taste. That's when he heard a familiar voice.

"Well, you look like shit," came the voice. Nick turned to Flynn leaning against a slick black looking car fit for some of the biggest mammals, say perhaps a tiger. "You also look like you could use a drink," he said. "Hop in the car, I know where to go and get pissed." With no other option, Nick climbed into the car.

As Flynn drove, Nick took note of the street corner they turn on. Once he gets the chance, he would call in to Jack about the hospital housing criminals. The first right step of being undercover. Maybe Shere Khan will be make an appearance when they raid the place. Make things easy for him for once.

Flynn pulled up to some dive bar, right outside of Tundra Town. The inside, dark and smoky. They take a seat at the bar and order two glasses of scotch on the rocks. Having his drink poured, he takes his scotch to his lips. The scotch warmed his mouth and burned his throat as he sipped it down.

"I must give my apologies Nicky," Flynn said. "I knew something bad would happen when I left you with Shere Khan. I just didn't know what exactly and I couldn't tell you."

"It's okay Flynn," Nick said with heavy sarcasm. "He only beat the shit out of me and broke my arm."

"Then you got off good mate," Flynn said. "How do you think I got these burns on my face?" He traced the burn marks on his face with his kola claw. "He pushed my face up against a steel boiler. Didn't let off till I had a mark that would never go away. And remember in prison, when I told you I was briefly working with a dingo?"

"Yeah," Nick said. Nick had almost forgotten about that conversation. It was over two years ago and was in one of his first weeks in prison.

"Well, why don't you think I work with that dingo anymore?" Flynn asked. "All because Shere Khan said it is unnecessary for two of us to be doing one job, and the dingo drew the short straw. Strangled the poor mammal right in front of me with piano wire, that brother of his did." Flynn was starting to act jittery and took another shot of scotch to calm himself down. "Oh, and don't get me started on his brother, the black panther, and that sadistic vixen he has by his side."

A large black paw, landed on each of their shoulders. "Why not mister McDowell, after all we are all colleagues here." A deep voice said. Turning around it was the black panther, Bagheera, and standing behind him to his left the vixen fox, Vicky.

The black panther, Bagheera, wore a black three-piece suit and a tie. From the looks of it, he appeared to be unarmed. Vicky showed off her whole entire arsenal. The gun tucked into her waist band, and her knife in its sheath. However, the eye catcher, the katana hitched to her left side.

She had her eyes on Nick and would not stop smiling at him. Probably remembering how much she had fun strip searching him while in nothing but his birthday fur.

"B-B-Bagheera" Flynn said, his words stuttering as he spat them out. "I was just telling our new friend, that-" before getting in another word, Bagheera pushed the Kola's head to the bar. Bagheera pulled down on Flynn's shirt, exposing the back of his right shoulder. He pointed at the branded mark on Flynn's shoulder.

"There," Bagheera said. "A mark that you should be proud of to carry. There will always be some mammal to carry out a job, but this," Pointing to the branded mark means something special, that you are to fulfilling my brother's cause. The scar on your face shows your sacrifice you inherit."

Nick sits up straight. "Well I did not know being the new employee would get such great perks," he said. "I've never been branded before, so that was a hoot." Gently pats where Shere Khan had branded him. "What about you?" Nick asked, turning to the vixen fox with highlights. "Do you have a scar proving your loyalty?"

Vicky, the vixen fox, gave a wicked smile. She slowly untied her velvet scarf and removed it from around her neck. Doing so revealed just what scar she had. Across her throat, a jagged scar. With her fox claw she traced the scar all the way across. The look gave Nick's stomach a sickening turn. Vicky simply smiled watching Nick's expression. Why would she smile from such a horrific scar?

"He did that to you?" Nick asked.

"Believe it or not, mister Wilde, but that is from her own doing." Bagheera said. "She proved her loyalty by severing her own vocal cords, with her own fox claw." Vicky's smile never broke as she tied the scarf back around her neck.

"And you," said Nick. "What Scars do you have to prove your loyalty?"

Bagheera let go of Flynn and grabbed at Nick's shirt and jacket collar. He lifted Nick up out of his seat. Nick's fox ears folded back in fear, his toes were barely touching the ground.

"My scars?" Bagheera said, heated anger in his voice. "The scars I bare are the same as my brothers. The beatings at the hands of our foster home caretakers. Our blood mixed on the floor from our beatings. The bruises we got on the streets. Those are my scars of loyalty."

Bagheera let go of Nick. He flopped back down on the bar stool. He felt a string of pain shoot down his arm. Damn Khan for his broken arm, and damn his broken arm. Nick sucked up the pain and reached for the bottle of painkillers in his pocket. He popped one of the large chalk tasting pills into his mouth and swollows it down with what little scotch he had left.

"I believe we should turn in for the night." Bagheera said. "Mister Wilde, if you would come with me and Vicky, we will show you the living quarters provided to you."

"Just me?" Nick questioned.

"That's right Nicky," said Flynn. "You're on your own from here. I have to get back to the airport and fly to the land down under, keep the supply going. Don't worry, I made sure they give you nothing but the best."

Flynn embraced him in a hug and whispered in Nick's ear. "Be careful and watch yourself mate."

Flynn got up and walked out, giving Bagheera and Vicky a cheeky smile. As soon as Flynn left Bagheera tossed some bills on to the bar, making it clear that the time to leave had come. Outside, Bagheera tossed the keys to Nick.

"From now on, you'll be driving this vehicle," he said. "My brother's personal carriage. Wherever he wants to go, you will drive him." Nick sighed. He they made him into a driver. They got into the car that had brought him to the bar, and sped off. They were going to Nick's new life.

Pulling up to a lavish apartment building. A red panda in a valet uniform for the building greeted them and took the car keys. The inside were lavished with white and gold. In the elevator Vicky pressed the button to make the elevator go up. They almost went straight to the top, being the pent house. The group of three got out, Vicky walked straight down the hallway to what can only be her apartment. Bagheera opened up a door for him to walk through.

Bagheera flipped on a switch. Looking around, the apartment was of high luxury. Stainless steal and marble flooring and counter top decorated the kitchen. A white couch, turned toward a fireplace with a glass coffee table. Bagheera said he would leave to allow him to accustom himself with the new place, Nick stopped him before he left.

"And which room will you be in?" Nick asked, a tone of sarcasm in his voice. "You know, in case I need a glass of water in the night or think there's a bogie monster in the closet?"

Turning back to Nick, plastered on Baquera's face that his patience was wearing thin. He tucked hard at his suit making it straight. "I reside within the Central Savanna limits."

"Well, before you leave would you please check under the bed for any monsters?" Nick said, trying hard not to break into a smile.

Bagheera clutched Nicks collar in a ball, and brought him forward. Bagheera stared directly down at Nick. "You might think that your jokes are cute and funny, but they're not to me," Bagheera said. "If you truly wish for some assistance tonight you're more than welcome to go to Ms. Vicky down the hall, or my brother one floor above you. But I guarantee you that whatever is under your bed, monster or no, is less dangerous than going to the other two." Bagheera let go of Nick making him stumble back a bit. "Good Night, mister Wilde."

The door closed and Nick was finally alone. He looked up at the ceiling. So, the boss was right above him. Nick perked his fox ears up, wondering if he can overhear anything, a loud footstep or two. Hard not to help but wonder if the mammal upstairs become aware of him. He just imagined that tiger looking down at his floor, directly where Nick stood. Time to move Nick thought. More to do.

Going to his room, the bed was giant. Lined with white linen and sheets. The closet was four large mirrors. A giant window to look out at Zootopia. He laid his four secret weapons on the bed. They were his voice recording pen, the lighter that took pictures, a cellphone, and the chip in his necklace keeping his calls incognito.

Nick struggled to take his jacket and shirt off with the cast on his arm. It took a minute or two. A door led to the bathroom. He went in to wash his face, maybe clear his head. Splashing water on his face and ran his fox fingers through the fur atop his head.

He took a glared at himself in the mirror. Every time he looked into a mirror, in view, seemed to always be a new version of himself. There was Nick the prisoner when serving time at The Jungle. There was Nick the gangster, and now, looking int the mirror he saw battered and bruised Nick. The Nick he wished to peer in the mirror was the one where he was happy, with Judy by his side.

Nick couldn't worry about any of this now. It took some time for him take off his clothes. He had to wrap his cast in a plastic bag. After his shower, which he must admit was pleasant to have a private warm shower, he walks back into the bedding area. He becomes startled by a light turning on. Sitting in an arm chair is the vixen fox.

"You startled me," Nick said.

The vixen did not speak a word. She can't, he knows that now. Nick wrapped his hand around his own neck, as if his own vocal cords had been slashed. Why was she here and how did she secure herself in? He did not lock the door, so she must have jimmied the door open. From now on, he'll be sure to double, no, triple the locks on the door.

All she did was look at him and give a flirtation grin. She didn't have her sword or gun on her, those were good signs, but she did still have her knife sheathed on her right hip. She got out of the chair and walked with a certain sway towards Nick. He noticed she was no longer wearing her shirt and scarf, but just her tight pants and short leather jacket that barely covered her breast.

She stood front and center and stared at him. Nick listens to and caresses her breath on his bare chest. He gave a nervous gulp of air as she moved her fox finger from the top of his chest slowly downward to the Gothic looking 'S' and 'K' branded in the center of his body. She traced the tinder 'S' and 'K' making Nick wince in pain. She put her paws up and tossed him some sign language. Nick had no idea what she was getting at? She gave a look of sigh realizing she was not getting through to him. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a pen and a small pad of paper. She scribbled onto the pad and held it up for Nick to read. It read 'Still Tender?' and pointed to his branded mark.

"Oh, this. Yeah, it's pretty tinder. Still healing" Nick said. Trying to not let her distract him.

She wants more than just talk, it became obvious to Nick. She scribbled on her note pad and showed it to Nick, reading 'want to see mine?'

The vixen fox opened up her jacket, exposing her breast. Just above her right breast, the same Gothic branded 'S' and 'K.' She reached out, grabbing Nick's hand and placed it on her right breast. Nick shot his hand back the moment his hand cupped her breast. His cheeks blushed red and his blood ran hot through his body.

"That's okay" Nick said. "I don't need to touch it." The vixen fox advanced on him making Nick stumble backwards. Vicky reached out and grabbed the towel around Nick's waist, pulling it off and tossing it aside. Nick's naked body bounced off the bed and on to the floor. He scrambled to get up.

"You know I just remembered, there something I need to pick up from the store. You know, to make this place feel more like a home to me." Vicky seats herself at the end of the bed. She had no where else to be. Nick, as swiftly as he could, putting on his pants commando style, grabs his jacket and hightails it out of the room. "You sit there make yourself comfortable and hopefully you'll be gone by time I get back."

Nick hurried out of the building and into the car Bagheera gave him. He did not know where he was going, but he drove around Zootopia, wanting to forget what happened in the apartment. One thing he could do, and that's start acting like the cop he is.

He pulled into an alleyway. Pulled out his cellphone and removed the pendant from his neck. It was a bit difficult to procure the little chip inside the phone with one hand. He dialed the number he was given. He let it ring for a bit, before someone picked up.

"Hello...?"

Hearing Jack's voice brought a smile to his face. It felt good to hear his old friend again. "Hey Jack," Nick said. "I have some intel you are going to want to apprehend."

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(AN: In the next chapter Jack and Skye investigate this hospital for criminals.

As always, please leave a review and follow if you enjoy this story.

Sincerely, Sir_RedFox)