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

Secondly, I know I must sound like a broken record at this point. With me rewriting this all the time, I always believe that my writing could be a lot better. There's always room for improvement. But I'm trying to write as fast as I can with as much improvement I can make as I go along. Now things will probably be even harder as I am going to be juggling with chapters of "The Long Hustle," "The Good, The Bad, and The Wilde," and an actual real story that I'm trying to create. After awhile, I just get burnt out. So, again, please do bare with me. Thanks.

Quick Recap: Poor young Terra has opened up her heart to someone and that mammal has betrayed her trust. Assaulting and kidnapping poor Terra. Now only God knows where she might be or what is happening to her. How long must she endure torture before someone comes looking for her? And, more importantly, will they ever be able to find her before it is too late?

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.)

.

Tale of the Lion and the Mouse:

The clock showed five past eight o'clock. Basil sighed. His lab assistant was becoming more and more absent as she kindled this romance of hers. Basil having faith in Terra, believing that she knew how important their work is compared to some crush.

Basil looks over some of his lab equipment. Particularly a scalpel, razor sharp and fit to his size. He likes knowing that the razor is sharp enough to cut the skin of any mammal and could make an incision as large as himself. Though most mammals being larger than him, he would allow Terra to use the scalpel in her size.

Placing the scalpel back in the sleeve and into his lab coat pocket, along with the other scientific equipment he had displayed in front of him. Basil looks down at his pocket watch.

"In three… two… one." Basil looks up at the door.

Nothing.

This was odd, at least for Basil. By now he would at least be hearing pacing footsteps heading his way. But today there was nothing. This was concerning.

He strolled his tiny chair over to his tiny mouse-sized desk. He did a quick check of his email to see if there was a message from her that he missed, which would be preposterous. He never overlooks any email or messages.

Nothing on his computer. He checks his phone to make sure he didn't miss anything. Still there was nothing. He tried calling her, only for it to go straight to voicemail. Basil had a bad feeling in his gut. This was not protocol and Terra would have to be dead to break his protocol.

His ears twitched at the sound of the double wide doors swinging open. What relief.

"Ah, finally, Mrs. Terra. So glad for you to finally join me in our work. That is something you remember us doing, right? The forensics work that we do here."

"Basil?" came a voice. It was not Terra's voice that he heard and this bothered him. He turned around to see Officer Hopps, in her regular ZPD uniform with a ballistic vest on with a file under her arm. "I hope that I am not interrupting? Had a file to drop off."

"Actually, Officer Hopps, you are probably the only mammal that can help me right now."

"Oh, really? Why is that?" Basil never asks for help.

"It's young Terra, I'm afraid. I haven't heard from her this morning and it's already twelve past eight. I have not received one phone call, message, or email from her. Terra knows perfectly well what procedures to take when working with me. And you, Officer Hopps, have a talent for finding mammals."

Basil referring to the Night Howler case, with the missing mammals. Even Basil was impressed with her actions. Tasked to find one simple otter, only to find all the missing mammals. Very impressive indeed.

"I'm sorry, but I can not continue my work till I have found Terra, it will drive me insane not knowing. She knows how punctual I am, and there are rules and protocols that we have with each other."

"Are you sure she's not taking a day off?" asked Judy, sounding skeptical of all of this. "It's not like you haven't taken a day off. Wait, have you ever taken a day off?" Judy, sounding not quite too sure.

"No, I haven't Officer Hopps, but if I did, I would leave a good cryptic message for Terra reassuring her that it is a genuine message from me and not some imposter."

"I get it. You and Terra are very thorough in your work," she said, holding her hands up, wanting the mouse to stop talking. "So what do we have to go on?"

"She requested last night to leave early. For a date." He remembers her requesting it, because he remembers how annoyed he was by the request. Ever since this Landon fellow entered her life, it's been a non-stop string of annoyances. Coming in late, leaving early, and worst of all finding her so-called boyfriend in the lab. "She's been going out with a lion named Landon."

"Well there you go, she's probably spending quality time with her boyfriend. Do you know his number?"

"No I don't. I try not to associate with mammals that have nothing to contribute. Something I wish young Terra would hope to realize."

"Well, then, how do we find him?" They both sat there pondering.

"Coffee!" Basil shouted in excitement. Basil knew exactly how, with coffee. He got up from his little bitty desk that was on the larger table. He hopped off the table ledge on to a regular-sized rolling chair and then onto the floor. He scurried over to the trash bin, tipping it over. He riffles through crumbled up papers and exotic take-out in the trash. The bin had an awful stench, but there was one stench in particular he searched for.

He was right on top of the stench. There it was, a half-empty cup of horrible smelling coffee. Basil pushes and rolls the coffee cup out of the bin. He looks up at Judy.

"Here, Officer Hopps. We start here." Judy leans down and picks up the cup of coffee. The cup read: BALI COFFEE HOUSE of Rainforest District, the only Palm Civet run coffee house." I always had a hunch every time Landon would speak he had nothing but shit to say, and that right there proves my theory."

"I don't get it?" Judy gave a confused look on her face.

"Well, Officer Hopps, you don't know how Palm Civets make their coffee and that's probably a good thing right now." Basil takes the lift on the side of the giant desk to get to the top. Making his way to the tiny hat and coat rack for his size, he retrieves a brown rain coat and Deerstalker hat, which he plops on the top of his head. Climbing on top of Judy's shoulder. "Now, if you will so kindly escort me to the Rainforest District, there's a lion I need to hunt."

Judy and Basil arrived in the Rain Forest District. They observed from Judy's cruiser. A few mammals attended the Bali Coffee House. Most were young college mammals typing away on their thousand dollar laptops hoping to create that next big screenplay, novel, or play. All while drinking whole organic shit coffee.

"Well, do you see him?" Judy asks.

Basil did not answer her. Being busy staring into his miniature mouse-size binoculars. He scanned the area to find any trace of this Landon fellow.

Judy gave a long sigh and taps her fingers on the steering wheel loudly. Basil tries to ignore her, but can tell that something was bothering her. He had long ago read a book on mammal body language and psychology, finding it all quite fascinating and storing such knowledge in his mind's attic. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to bait him into asking what was on her mind, so she could talk to someone about her problems. He cared little about what was on her mind. Basil tried his best to remove himself from all forms of emotion and intimacy between other mammals. He found it all too messy, distracting, and pointless. He was going this extra mile for Terra because she proves to be useful to him and his strange work methods. Without her, the whole process comes to a stop and he can't allow that.

Judy gives off another loud sigh. Basil sighs and rubs his fingers against his forehead. Very well, for her sake, he will bite.

"Is there something bothering you, Officer Hopps?" Basil asks.

"I guess you could say that."

Judy pulls out her necklace holding her and Nick's wedding rings with the pendant in the middle. She lets the rings and pendant slide down one end of the chain and then back down the other.

"Nick finally came to see me and found out about Archer," she said. "We didn't exactly leave on good terms either."

"Oh, I see."

"It's been three years and counting. I guess I was hoping after all this time, when we finally met again we would be all so happy and finally get on with our lives. One with our son."

Basil wasn't the one she should be talking to for comfort or advice. He remembers leaving his England home to escape family squabbles. All of it being pointless and a distraction from real important work.

He let Judy ramble on pretending to listen. The last thing he wants to put into his mind's attic was the useless problems of others. His main focus was on the coffee shop. Looking through his tiny binoculars, he catches the large lion he was looking for.

"Officer Hopps, I'm afraid you will have to cease the rambling of your troubled home life. Our target has arrived."

"You see him?"

"Yes. He just walked in and ordered a cup of coffee."

"Then let's meet him on his way out."

Basil hops on Judy's shoulder and holds tight to her fur. They approach him as he was walking out of the little coffee hut, a fresh cup of shitty coffee in his hands.

"Excuse me, Mr. Landon?" Judy said in an authoritive tone, flipping out her notebook and carrot pen. "I'm Officer Judy Hopps with the ZPD, and this is Dr. Basil with forensics. We have a few questions to ask you this morning."

"What is this regarding?" Landon asked in a polite manner.

"Terra," said Basil. "She got off early yesterday, to go out on a date with you. Is that correct?"

"That is correct." Landon tries to pass Judy, but Judy, being faster, side-steps in front of him. "We went on a date and ended with me dropping her off at her dormitory."

"Have you seen her this morning?" Judy asks.

"Sorry, but I haven't."

"Is there anybody that can confirm that is what happened?"

"No, sorry. It was pretty late and everything was dead."

"And you didn't see anything, unnatural?"

"Nope, just a regular date."

Judy is a great interrogator. Given enough time, she would be able to get the truth out of any mammal. Break Landon down and get the truth from him. However, time is something that they did not have. Basil could feel it in his gut.

Basil put a hand over Judy's mouth, stopping her from asking another question. Basil has waited long enough. His turn to ask the questions. Basil examines him from Judy's shoulder, from his dirty boots to the top hair on his mane. Widely searching through his mind's attic for the right questions.

"May I ask where you have been this morning, if not to see Mrs. Terra?" Said Basil.

"Only to my apartment and now here." Landon scratches his chin and clears his throat. Basil could tell he is getting on his nerves.

"Did you shower?"

"Yes, why?"

"I can't help but notice you smell heavily of Terra's perfume. Wild Katz I believe it is."

"Yeah, she puts that stuff on strong. It's hard to wash off." Landon brushes his shoulder as if getting rid of the smell.

"You have fresh clumps of dirt on your boots. You said you came from your apartment straight here."

"I did. It's really muddy around my place." Landon took a step back, feeling threatened.

"How did you acquire that harsh looking scratch on your arm?"

"Oh, this?" Landon quickly pulls down his sleeve to cover his scratch marks. "It's nothing. I happened to have been mugged walking back home last night."

"I thought you said you dropped Terra off."

"I did."

"Then why did you walk home instead of drive?"

"I-ugh-never said that I drove her, we walked and I dropped her off."

"So you were mugged last night?"

"Yes," Landon bites down on his lip and starts to sway back and forth.

"You're a pretty big mammal to want to mug."

"The other mammal was bigger."

"And you attacked your mugger?"

"What? No, he attacked me. He ran off with my wallet."

"And yet you were still able to purchase a cup of coffee this morning. I bet if we go inside and see a record of their receipts, it will show you paid by card."

"Why did you not file a police report?" Judy piped in.

"It-it was late, I just wanted to go home."

"You said your mugger attacked you, but your scars tell a different story. I've seen enough defense wounds on an attacker to spot them."

"Okay, Stop!" Landon said, throwing a lion's hand up at them to stop talking. "I don't have to stand her and tolerate this."

"Well, we can go down to the precinct and answer some more questions there?" Judy said.

"Or," Basil said. "You can tell us where Terra really is?"

With a spring of action, Landon tosses his cup of coffee at Judy and makes a break for it. Judy dodges the flying cup of coffee and pursues after Landon. Basil holds on as tight as he can to Judy.

"Stop in the name of the law!" Judy shouted to cut through the crowd of mammals.

As they chased the large lion, he would toss any mammal in his way down to the ground. He even managed to knock down a giraffe. Still, Judy was right behind him. He turned down an alley.

"Officer Hopps, stop!" Basil shouts.

"What? Why?" Judy asks, coming to a stop before turning down into the alley.

"A bunny of your stature will never be able to catch up with him," said Basil as he climbed on top of her head and held on to her fur. "We need to out think him. And if I was him, I'd head to the metro section of this district. There will be lots of crowds there and all he will have to do is get in one of the carts as it leaves the station. If we want to catch him you need to do exactly as I say."

"Well, where do we go?"

"We go straight and turn on F street."

Judy followed Basil's orders. Basil had once glanced over a map of the Rainforest District and memorized every street and alleyway. He would direct Judy left, then right, then down an alley. He made a halt half-way across on a rope bridge.

"There, Officer Hopps, right there," said the little mouse. He points downward. Judy looked over the rope bridge. There she saw Landon jogging and looking back over his shoulder, believing he made a clean get away.

"How do we get down there?" asks Judy, heaving and huffing, taking in gulps of air.

"We are going to have to jump."

"What?!"

"Jump, and catch ahold of the vine in front of you. Grab any other vine and we miss our target. I'll let you know when to jump for it. Have to wait for the exact moment." Basil had his eyes on Landon. He was dead set on catching the lion. Judy did not question Basil, but took a few steps back, wanting to get a running start before jumping.

"Now, Mrs. Hopps! Jump, now!"

Judy jumps forward as far as she can. She does as Basil commanded and aims for the middle vine. Grabbing hold of the vine, she slid down like a fireman's pole. Basil held on tight. They slid straight down toward Landon. Judy lets go of the vine and lands on top of Landon's head. The lion was caught off guard by this and falls forward. As he hits the ground, a shiny object flies out of the lion's chest pocket.

With Landon on the ground and Judy sitting on top of the lion's back, Basil inspects the shiny object. His fears for young Terra were all confirmed now as he looks at the broken pendant that once belonged to Terra's deceased mother. Rushing to the pendant to pick it up. The piece of jewelry was a lot larger than Basil, but he managed to lift it over his head. Runs back to the lion and gets into Landon's face with the pendant.

"Where's Terra?!" Basil demanded. "She would never have trusted this particular pendant to anyone. Not even me, and especially not to someone like you. Now where is she?!"

Landon does not answer. He looks at the pendant, then at Basil, and only smiles. Judy reads the lion his rights as she cuffs him and calls in a squad car.

Basil stares at the lion in the interrogation room through the two-way mirror. His hands were cuffed to the table, barely able to move them at all. Landon had a smirk on his face, one that Basil wished he could knock right off.

"He says he's not talking till his lawyer arrives," said Judy. It was Judy and Bogo in the room with him. "Says we have nothing on him to convict him of any crime whatsoever."

"And he's right," said Bogo. "You don't have anything that proves he did any illegal activities."

"But he ran when confronted."

"Which makes him look suspicious, yes. But all you have to go on are hunches."

"What about him having Terra's pendant?"

"Said she gave it to him to fix and keep safe for awhile."

"But he's lying."

"Probably, but can you prove it?"

Basil only paid mild attention to the conversation Judy and Bogo were having. His main attention is the lion in the interrogation room. Basil's wait for answers was over.

Basil laid down his raincoat and Deerstalker cap. Hopping off the table he stood on and landing on the floor. He quickly scurries his mouse legs out the door and to the interrogation room. But with the interrogation room being closed, Basil has to squeeze under the door. Basil saw a large door stopper close by. With all his mouse strength, he wedged the door stopper as tight as he could against the door.

Landon could hear his presence but could not see the mouse. It wasn't till Basil climbed up on top of the interrogation table, which was a whole other task by himself, was Landon able to see him.

"What in Aslan's name do you want?" said Landon, giving a chuckle at Basil's presence.

"Xerxes and Androcles" said Basil, brushing off the dirt on his white lab coat.

"What?" Landon says confused.

"Xerxes and Androcles. Every school kit knows the history lesson of Xerxes and Androcles. It stands to serve as not only the first but the greatest cooperation between predator and prey. It was when Xerxes, this great lion, had a problem. One of his paws hurt and bled . Even with all his strength and might, he could not figure out why his paw was in so much pain. Then along came Androcles, a mouse no less, and he stopped to help the Lion. He examined Xerxes's paw and found that it was nothing more than a thorn causing pain in his paw. Just a thorn. Androcles not only removes the thorn, but bandages Xerxes's paw. And there marking one of the greatest stepping stones of uniting predator and prey." Basil moves in between Landon's cuffed writs.

"So why the history lesson?" Landon lowers his face to be eye-level with Basil.

"Because," said Basil. "I want you to know that I am nowhere near as nice as Androcles was. So here's what I'm offering. Tell me where Terra is and no harm will come to you."

Landon gives a toothy smile.

"Assuming that I do know where Terra is, why would I tell you? What can a peep squeak like you really do to hurt me?"

"You know what? Part of me was really hoping you would say that."

From Basil's pocket he pulls out the razor-sharp scalpel and plunges it into Landon's arm. He doesn't stop till he reaches the end of Landon's wrist and plunges it deeper.

Landon howled in pain. Blood starting to pour out of the lion's wrist in little streams. Landon tried to jerk his wrist away from Basil, but his restraints kept him in place.

"What the hell did you do?!" said Landon in a confused and fearful tone. His eyes darting from Basil to his now sliced open wrist. He clamps down with his other hand, hoping to stop the bleeding. Little effort it made.

"What I just did, Mr. Landon," Basil said coldly and in a tone that showed no remorse. "I sliced open your arteries, and then plunged the scalpel deep into the base of your palm."

Landon tries to reach out and crush the mouse. The cuffs on his wrist were restraining him from doing so. There was all ready a nice-sized pool of blood on the table. It didn't bother Basil in the slightest.

"Like Androcles, I can remove your thorn and patch you up before you bleed out. But only after you have told me where young Terra is."

"Help!" Landon shouted in a panic. "Hey! Someone help me!"

The two-way mirror started to ripple as if someone was banging on the mirror. Judy and Bogo must have seen what Basil did and were responding to Landon's cries for help. There was a bang at the door and the door knob fidgeted up and down, but it would not open. As long as that door stopper is wedged into the door, no mammal gets in.

"Help! Please help me!" Landon continued to shout.

"Don't bother, Mr. Landon, I sealed the door shut," anger and spite in his words. "Even if they do get through that door, I'm still the only mammal qualified to stitch and patch you up. So, I ask again, where is Terra?"

"What are you, insane?"

"By definition, yes I am. Now, tell me where Terra is and I'll remove the thorn from your paw and patch you up."

Landon watched most of his blood drain out of his arm. He had a frightful look upon his face.

When the ZPD were finally able to bust the door down, what was done was done. Judy and Bogo quickly push through the small crowd to the front. Blood flowed over the top of the table and drips off the sides onto the floor. Basil, still standing between the lion's hands. He had removed the scalpel from Landon's wrist and was patching up the wound. Placing a clamp on the sliced open artery to stop the bleeding. Basil looks up at Judy and Bogo.

"He's going to need thicker thread than what I have to properly close his wound. But more importantly, I know where Terra is."

.

(AN: Thank you for reading, and Thank you for reading this. Again, YOU'RE AWESOME! And I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read this fanfic. There's a million and one things you could be doing and you decide to take the time to read this. So, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter.

Oh, Basil. You might be able to lie to your self, but we all see how you care for Terra and her well being. If you didn't get the Palm Civet coffee joke, Google it. I really enjoyed Basil's arc through this chapter.

In the next installment: Will Basil and the rest of the ZPD be able to get to Terra in time before anything bad happens? And how much more will Basil spiral out of control?

As I said before, please leave a commit telling me what you think. Thank you!)

- Sir_RedFox)