(AN: Hello Fellow readers. SirRedFox here posting a new installment of "The Long Hustle Vol. 2." First off, if you're reading this, YOU'RE AWESOME! And, thank you.

In the last chapter Jack and Skye foiled an assassination attempt on Madge Badgers life. Wilford believes that he should an old informant and gun seller Dan Turner. Nala believes that the weapons used in the assassination attempt came from the biggest company in Zootopia, Priderock Inc.

So enjoy this new chapter of "The Long Hustle: Vol. 2, The Empire & The Emperor." And please, fill free to leave a review or comment. Thank you.)

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The Art of Strategy, Empires, and Making Friends:

It was morning in Zootopia. The morning sun's rays pierced the top of the skyscrapers in Savanna Central. Nick was up early today. He went down to the coffee house a few blocks from his apartment complex. He distressed, not being able to stand still, and fidgety. Today was to be a long day, because today was going to be his first day to make a trip with Mr. Barnes. Where he promised Shere Khan that he would be able to move Blue Sky in and out of the city safely, and be able to make the correct drop off.

The coffee joint that he had purchased his cup of joe from a joint that him and Judy use to frequent if patrolling Savanna Central. Nick was not sure why he wanted to visit that coffee shop of this morning? Was not for the coffee, although the coffee being good. No. He supposes that he wanted to see Judy. But Judy never showed. Nick was out of the Jungle and they, the ZBI, still wouldn't allow him to make contact with Judy. It was the thought of her that kept him going.

The blare of a cop car interrupted his thoughts of Judy. The cop car was a regular issued ZPD police cruiser. It jumped on to the curb and stopped right in front of him, blocking his path back to the apartment complex. Stepping out of the cop car was two familiar faces. Officers O'Malley, who was a bear, and Conner, who was a Zebra.

"Well look who it is" said Conner. "Nick freaking Wilde."

"Howdy fellas," Nick said. "Great seeing you guys again, but unfortunately I must be going. Big day ahead of me"

"Not so fast, fox" said Conner, pulling out his baton in the process. "Have any idea the trouble you caused once the ZBI out you as being nothing more than a lowlife dirty stinking crook? Then again I guess that's what you foxes do best, right." He said this as a statement and not as a question. "Once you were out as a crooked cop, every precinct had to give every officer an evaluation to make sure there were no more crooked police officers."

"Sorry to hear that, but I got to be-" Conner whacked the cup of coffee out of Nick's hands with his baton.

"I'm not finished yet." Said Conner.

Nick looked down at his now spilled coffee. He takes in a deep breath and letting in out slowly through his clenched jaw. He didn't have the time to deal with these two ruffians. He was at a losing position. He wasn't a cop anymore, so best he bites his tongue and play the obedient civilian.

"And that ex-partner of yours became a big bother too" he said. "She threw her walkie-talkie at me and tried to bust my head open."

"Well knowing Judy, you probably deserved it" Nick said.

Conner drove the end of his baton right into Nick's gut. He moaned in pain. Keep your mouth shut, he told himself. Keep your mouth shut and don't let them see that they get to you, remembering his mother's words.

"It really hurt. It felt like this." Conner whacked his baton against the side of Nick's head. Not too serious, but enough to cause bleeding and swelling around the eye. "Then she got me transferred from Precinct One to Precinct Twelve. Twelve! You know where that is? It is in Tundra District, where its always freezing cold."

"Is there something I can help you with officer?" Nick said. "If not, I'd really like to go now. I don't have time for stories of woe."

Conner delivered another blow with his baton, this time hitting Nick right in the leg. Nick went down on one knee as if purposing to some lucky gal. Only for him it was his sleazy ex-coworkers. O'Malley simply leaned on the cars hood with a smile on his face and enjoying the show.

"Listen fox," Conner said, pointing his baton at him. "Now that I know that you're still in Zootopia I'm going to be watching you. Just waiting for you to screw up so I can send you back to the Jungle. Because I might not be able to get to her, but you, you're free game. You got that?"

Nick nodded showing that he understood. Conner pressed the end of his baton against Nick's forehead. He pushed hard making Nick fall backward.

"Alright then," Conner said. "Glad we have an understanding."

"Hey Nick," O'Malley piped in. "If we run into Judy, we'll let her know that we saw a big pile of shit on the side walk for you."

Connor and O'Malley got back into their cruiser and sped off. Nick got up and left, reaching the apartment complex. His right leg was killing him and he could feel his left eye begin to swell up. He pressed the button for the elevator then once in he pressed the penthouse floor. All the way to the top. He rested up against the elevator wall, trying to regain some form of strength before those double doors opened.

When they did, Nick transported into a luxuries room. Morning light flooded in and blinded him. Adjusting his eyes, he could see around the room. There, a marble counter in the kitchen and a beautiful marble floor to match. There was a rounded couch in front of a fire pit, which was in front of a massive flat screen TV. He looked around for Shere Khan, he heard commotion in another room, a library of sorts.

In this room, decorated in Mahogany floor and bookshelves. Vicky leaning against one of the cases. She smiled as he walked in. At a window was a wooden table with a game of chess being played. Sitting at that table was Bagheera and Shere Khan himself.

"Ah, Nicholas" Shere Khan said. "I'm glad to see you this morning."

"Always glad to please" Nick said with a smirk.

"Why whatever happened to your face?"

"Oh this? Just ran into a couple of old friends that's all."

Vicky walked over to examine the bruise on his eye. Nick flinched away when she touched the bruise. He could tell she was just trying to find away to move close to him. Nick gracefully moved to avoid contact with her. He looks around the room. Books nicely shelved and paintings hung on the wall. One piece of painting made him stop and take a good look at it.

It was an oil painting and it showed the downfall of the Wolfman Empire. The painting was even titled 'The Fall of Wolfman Empire.' The painting showed a grotesque painting of an entire empire in flames. Mammals of all kinds were running, panicking, and killing each other in the streets. Blood ran down a column of marble steps and into the streets. A piece of the painting showed the image of a Wolfman soldier being beaten to death by the mammals of Wolfman who wore togas.

"You like my painting, Nicholas?" Shere Khan asked.

"Your painting?" Nick said, turning to Shere Khan with a surprised look. "You mean you actually painted this?"

Shere Khan laughed. "No, I wish my hands could create such beauty. No, my hands were created for different kind of skill."

Crushing the skulls of the innocent, Nick thought. Shere Khan focused back on his game of chess, still talking to Nick with every move he made.

"That painting actually use to belong to my old boss. When I still worked for a boss." Shere Khan said. "It depicts the moment when the great empire of Wolfman came to an end. Wolfman, back then, was the modern day Zootopia. Mammals of all kinds flocked to the streets of Wolfman in hopes of becoming whatever they wanted and it ruled by those with an iron fist."

"Shame it had to come to an end" Nick said.

"Do you know how and why it came to an end, Nicholas?" Shere Khan asked. Nick didn't know how to answer that question. "It was the last emperor of Wolfman, Romulus. He unfortunately put his trust in mammals that ended up betraying him. Specifically, his best friend, can you believe that. Your move Bagheera."

"Such a shame to see a friendship end" Nick said.

"They were best of friends, childhood friends to be exact. His friend was stealing food for the empire and lied to the Emperor about his doings. He thought he could be a hero once famine hit the streets. He would then present the food, that he stole, to the emperor and become a hero of Wolfman. But the emperor found out about his little scheme and had him executed. Unfortunately, before he could tell where he stored the food. In the end, the mammals of the empire grew into a frenzy and burned the empire to the ground. All because he put his trust in someone he thought he could trust." He looked up at Nick. "Now isn't that a story we can all learn from." He stared deep into Nick's soul with those jaded eyes of his before he went back to playing his game of chess.

"That's all very fascinating, and as much as I would love to continue talking about art, destruction, and mammals dying in the streets; I actual came by because today is the first day I ride with Barnes. Any specific instructions you'd like to give before I head out."

"Yes." Shere Khan said. "Don't get caught."

"Great, got it."

"Also, Vicky has something for you."

He felt Vicky's presence behind him. She came in close and presented something in her hand. It was a small stainless steal ALFA .357 MAG revolver with a wooden grip. Vicky grabbed Nick's hand and placed the revolver in the center of his palm and then she had Nick close his fingers around the gun.

"Figured it time you carried one. In case things don't go according to plan."

"It is your move, Shera" Bagheera said.

Nick pockets the revolver and watches the chess game being played. It reminded him of all the times Skye came to the prison and would dual him in a game of chess. He watched as Shere Khan calculated his next move. He reached for his Bishop.

"Oh, no" Nick said. "I wouldn't make that move." Shere Khan took Nick's advice and reached for his queen. "Noooope" Nick said bearing his teeth and scrunched up his face.

"You have a better move in mind?" Shere Khan asked

"Well, since your asking" Nick said. "If you move your Bishop or your Queen you leave your King open and your opponent to call check, if not checkmate. Instead move your rook to 5d." Khan gave a puzzled look. "I mean move your rook three spaces to your right."

"But then his knight will be in the clear to take my rook out."

"Exactly," Nick said. "Here if I may, Bagheera?"

Bagheera gave a disgusted look. He turned to Shere Khan, and Khan only had to nod. Bagheera got out of the chair and let Nick sit down. Nick positioned himself and got comfortable.

"Now," He said. "Go ahead and make your move, any move you want."

Shere Khan thought of it for awhile then moved his bishop forward to 6g. Nick smiled at this and moved his knight forward. Shere Khan saw the opportunity and took out Nick's knight with his Queen.

"Oh, no" Nick said very sarcastically. "You took my knight. Proving to yourself that you're smart and I'm dumb. That is unless I do..." Nick moved his pawn forward. The two played chess head on with each other. They moved their pieces back and forth. Looking at the board, it would look like Shere Khan was winning by the number of pieces he still had left on the board. Then Nick moved his last pawn into position and declared Checkmate. Khan looked puzzled for a moment, looking down at the board, trying to figure out how he fell into checkmate.

"Impossible" Shere Khan said. "I always win."

"Not this time. It's not about how many pieces you take or how many pieces you have. In the end what it comes down to is knowing how to take out your opponent's king as fast as possible. I lured you into a false sense of security which left your King open for me to box into checkmate and with some of my weakest pieces. Have him surrounded, so he knows he's been beaten. Wouldn't you agree?"

Nick heard a low growl come from Shere Khan. Nick notices him clinch and unclench his hands into a fist. Nick could obviously tell that Shere Khan is a mammal that does not like to lose. Nick stuck out his hand for Shere Khan to shake.

"Good game" he said. Shere Khan grabbed his hand and slowly squeezed. The tiger's grip was strong and he could not break away, not that he was trying to. No, instead he tried his hardest to not whence or make any sign of pain as Shere Khan held his hand and shook it. Shere Khan let his hand go and Nick pulled it back. "Well I've wasted enough time this morning. Got to get with Barnes and make sure he does those delivers."

Nick gets up from the table and makes way out of the penthouse. Shere Khan looks down at the chess board. He sticks out a metal claw and tips his king over where it clashes down on the marble board. Shere Khan gives out a small roar and slams a fist down on the table where all the pieces' tremble and fall.

Close to noon when Nick, along with Barnes, met up with Flynn at the airport. He had just flown in new supplies to make Blue Sky, mostly being Night Howler plants freshly picked. After giving his friend Flynn a hearty hello, the crew started loading up the supplies into the back of Barnes eighteen-wheeler. Nick made sure to capture a few photos with his lighter/camera.

Done. Nick said his good byes to Flynn, put his aviator glasses on, and hopped in the truck with Barnes. The beaver looked just as scared of Nick that night at the warehouse. He had a smoldering patch on his chest where Nick burned him with the cigar. He was trying to control his shaking.

"Hey" Nick said wanting to reassure the poor beaver. "Everything is going to be alright. Let's get movin."

They traveled the supplies far out of Zootopia from Sahara Square. They traveled west until the climate was desert like. They came to there first weigh station. Nick told Barnes to stay in the truck and for him to handle this and climbed out of the truck. The weigh station officer approached him.

"Evening" Nick said.

"Evening" the weigh station officer said. He was a platypus. "Want to tell me what exactly you are hauling in this class 4 truck?" he asked.

"Farming chemicals" Nick said. "Everything from the simplest fertilizer to the strongest weed killer."

"Okay. Mind if I take a look?"

"Not at all" Nick said. "Just let me grab my respirator mask and thick rubber gloves, they're the kind that go all the way up to the shoulder."
Nick turned around and took a step toward the truck cab.

"Wait" the platypus said. Nick gave a small smile. His bluff was working, and good thing too. He didn't have any rubber gloves in the cab, and much less a respirator mask. Turned back around to face the platypus.

"You really need all that just to show me?" platypus said.

"Well of course I do" Nick said. "We're talking high level chemicals here. One bad sniff, or touch and your lungs will burn and cause your fur to fall off. Don't worry though, you'll be fine" he said with a wink and a smile. "Though I only have the one respirator mask and one pair of gloves in the truck. It will just take a minute."

"You know what that's okay." The platypus said, sounding scared of what chemicals were in the back of the locked truck. "I'll take your word on it."

"You sure" Nick said selling his lie all the way. "Take a quick minute and I'll have you back there with all them chemicals."

"No it's perfectly fine. You two have a nice day."

Nick shrugged his shoulders and gave a cheery 'okay' to the platypus. When turned around and made sure the weigh officer was not looking, he let out a breath of relief. He climbed back into the cab with Barnes. He pulled down his aviators and gave Barnes a reassuring look.

"See" said Nick. "As long as I'm here you got nothing to worry about. Now let's go."

Barnes let out a sigh of relief as well. He put the truck into drive and they were headed off.

It took them another two hours to get where they were going. Nick looked at the location that Bagheera provided for them. They appeared to be a desert like climate with very little vegetation. Driving up, Nick saw two large trucks like the one they were driving and a crew of sheep. Again, Nick told Barnes to wait in the cab. He hopped out of the cab and walked up to the sheep that looked to be in charge. Introducing him self to the sheep, but the sheep just stared blankly at him. The sheep waved his hand back at the crew behind him and all sheep started marching forward. They climbed into the back of the truck and started taking out all supplies for Blue Sky and loading them up in to one of their trucks. When done, they went to their other truck and started unloading its contents and putting them in Barnes's truck. They were small wooden crates large enough for each sheep to carry one. When done they didn't even give a half-assed goodbye but got into their trucks and left. Nick hopped in the back and gave one of the crates a good looking over.

With a flat head crowbar, that he got hanging on the wall of the truck, he popped the lid to one of the crates. It was just as he suspected. It was packets and packets of Blue Sky, heading for Zootopia to be distributed. Nick put the lid back on the box, but not before taking some pictures with his lighter, and hopped out of the back. He got back into Barnes's truck and they made their drive back to Zootopia.

Later that night, Shere Khan was at his desk. He was smoking a large cigar and looking out at the lights that lit up Zootopia. All while polishing his silver handgun with pearl grip.

There comes a buzz buzz sound from his desk. He opens up the drawers in his desk. All clear. It was not till he opened the one at the very bottom did find the source of the ringing. Among a pile of burner phones, one was buzzing, vibrating, and lighting up the dark drawer. He picked up the phone and held it up. He gave it a puzzling look. There was only one mammal in the world that knew the number to this phone. If they are calling it should be for an absolute emergency. Shere Khan hit the little green button on the buzzing loud phone.

"This better be a good reason for calling me" Shere Khan said into the speaker phone. Shere Khan listened to the long muffled complaint coming from the phone. He let the voice finish speaking before he spoke. "Yes, I am fully aware that I have a fox running the shipment. And I am aware of your history and dislike of foxes, particularly this fox. But, he is branded and under my watchful eye. So listen here. Everything will continue the way we planned and I will not hear another fuss from you. And by the way, never call this number again. I'll call you."

With that, Shere Khan ended the call. He didn't even wait for the other voice to respond. He looked at the small burner phone in his giant hand, and crushed the phone into pieces. He let the broken pieces fall into the trash bin. Bagheera walked in.

"Shera," Bagheera said. "We have a problem. The bikers did not complete their objective. Madge Badger is still alive in the hospital and is now under super protective watch."

"That is a problem" Shere Khan said. "Such wasted opportunity. How many of the bikers made it out?"

"None" Bagheera said.

"That's a shame." He walked out of his office and made his way to the study with Bagheera following behind. There he looked at the 'The Fall of the Wolfman Empire' painting hanging up.

"Did you know, brother, that before the fall of the Wolfman Empire, Emperor Romulus would battle other mammals to the death in front of a large crowd? Doing so would gain him the respect of his fellow mammals and provide them with the opportunity to witness something grand. The mammals of Wolfman would blindly serve him after displaying such a show. Perhaps it is time we presented such a show to our common mammals of Zootopia. I believe it is time we went to the Arena."

Bagheera wanted to protest. The Arena was a god awful place. But, he knew better than to question his brother's judgment. "I believe a new tournament is coming up soon. I'll make the arrangements."

"Thank you, brother," Shere Khan said. Placing a paw on his brother's shoulder as if to comfort before bring him in for a hug. Breaking away from Bagheera, he smoked his cigar and looked at all the chaos that the painting presented. It made him smile.

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(AN: Thank you for reading, and Thank you for reading this. Again, YOU'RE AWESOME! I hope you enjoyed this new installment, I do try leaving you, the reader, with wanting more.

There were a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter. Hopefully you can find them all.

In the next installment; Jack, Skye, and Nala take a trip to see and get some information from Priderock Inc.

As I said before, please leave a commit on how you'd rather have future chapters come out, or a simple review letting me know what you think. Thank you!

- SirRedFox)