It was a fairly normal day for Judy and Nick, as they patrolled the streets of Zootopia for potential street crimes, or otherwise waiting for the call to action of a series crime in progress. "You know Judy, I really like these care rides, just seeing the city, NOT having to put up with some of the crazier things that have been going on since I joined the force," Nick said.
"True… but nothing has happened all day, nothing suspicious going on." Judy said.
"Carrots, this past Monday we barely survived an insane kangaroo and his park of hybrid dinosaurs. Then there was that whole affair with the Stampede of Doom, found an insane mule with delusions of world conquest, a party turned hostage situation, meeting a bona fide superhero… and I don't think I need to say a word about the Bearenstein Caper." Nick said, Judy shivered at the memory.
"Don't. Remind me, about that case. How… how did a simple undercover assignment end with us both naked and covered in honey in the middle of downtown Tundra Town?" Judy asked in horror.
"AND I had to call in a favor from Finnick to get us back to Savanah Central unnoticed… and to not breathe a word to anyone about the whole naked and honey thing." Nick said.
"Well, I'd rather not have to go through that specific incident again," Judy said, then without warning, a building exploded, and three middle-school aged children. Specifically, a black rabbit, a red fox, and a zebra ran away from the explosion covered in soot, then immediately following that, a manhole erupted in a geyser of sewage.
"Hopps I know exactly what you're thinking. And yes, I do think we should go to the Olive Garden on Saturday night. But I'm pretty sure that whatever is going on here falls within the jurisdiction of utilities- and there she goes." Nick said as Judy jumped out of the cruiser window after the kids.
"Officer Judy Hopps ZPD, are you alright? And how did this happen?" Judy asked of the three kids.
"Okay… just give us a minute. We… we've had kind of an exhausting day." The black rabbit said, sounding out of breath as his friends were also panting in exhaustion.
"I can see that, now do you know what caused the explosion back over there?" Judy asked, pointing a smoldering hole in the wall.
"Murphy's Law ma'am, Murphy's Law… and my ears are still ringing." The fox girl said Judy had a skeptical look on her face.
"So you don't actually know?" Judy asked.
"No, it really was Murphy's Law. A boiler just… just exploded without warning. Can't explain the sewer geyser, however, just hope Scott is okay down there." The zebra boy said.
"So you don't actually know what caused that explosion. Now I imagine your parents always told you not to take rides from strangers… but do you need a ride home?" Judy asked.
"…yeah… yeah, we could. My phone was destroyed in the explosion, and Zack and Melissa forgot to charge there's, so there out of commission. My name is Milo, Milo Murphy by the way." Milo said, then Nick, who was overhearing the conversation. His face turned pale at the name of the young black rabbit. "-it's no problem. This isn't even my first time riding in a police cruiser." Milo said as he and his friends were ushered into the back seats.
"It's kind of a slow day anyway. You kids have anywhere, in particular, you need to be?" Judy asked, Nick hastily wrote down something no a notepad.
"Carrots, do you have any idea who the black rabbit is?" The note wrote.
"He just told me his name, why is that such a big deal?" Judy asked, and then Nick wrote down on another page the following, in cursive no less.
"There are many strange tales in Zootopia, as I'm sure you know dear maiden, Judith. But none are quite as strange as the family Murphy, a small clan of bunnies who have been cursed with bad luck. But the strangest thing is that its effects are as random as nature herself. At times, the worst that happens is someone is mildly inconvenienced in the grand scheme of Creation. At other times… great and terrible cataclysm follows behind them like a terrible storm… sometimes literally. As I learned once in my misspent youth as a hustler when I met the young lad in question on a particularly hot summer's day, it was a miracle I thought. That the ice chest that held our ambiguously legal merchandise held at all in the intense-"
"Yo, officers, we actually going anywhere anytime soon?" Melissa asked impatiently.
"Sorry kids, Nick's just being a bit of a drama queen right now. Apparently, he thinks that Milo here, and his whole family is some kind of jinx." Judy said.
"Oh he's very much right, I can assure you from personal experience that Murphy's Law is very much real," Milo said, then without any warning, Spider-Ham slammed into the windshield of the cruiser.
"Ow… Nick… Judy… how's your day been?" Spider-Ham mumbled.
"That could just be a coincidence. He does slam into windshields at random. Usually due to equipment malfunctions." Judy said
"No… it's Murphy's Law Carrots, and either we get as far away from Milo as mammalianly possible. Or risk a very painful and possibly serial death." Nick said with a look of absolute terror.
"Oh, now I remember you! You're that fox that sells paw shaped popsicles! Lucky thing you weren't hurt when that truck crashed into your cooler." Milo said cheerfully as he peeked at the elaborately written note.
Spider-Ham then effectively peeled himself off of the windshield. "Yeah sorry about that, I ran out of web-cartridges mid-swing. And now I'll be late for my very important date." Spider-Ham moaned as he jogged down the street… only to be hit by a truck and sent flying back as he ran across an intersection. He landed safely, sticking to the side of a building… unfortunately, it was a building scheduled for demolition, and he was shortly hit by a wrecking ball.
"Again, it's Spider-Ham. That poor pig just can't catch a break." Judy said in a nonplused tone.
"But doesn't Spider-Ham have… some kind of sense so that he can avoid incidents like that?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, but it's actually pretty useless from what I understand. He just knows that something dangerous is going to happen." Judy said.
"That… and Murphy's Law probably screwed it up." Nick said, still bearing a pallor of fear on his face.
"Nick, there's no such thing as luck," Judy said as she tried to start up the cruiser. "That's weird, it was working just fine," Judy said as she turned the key, only for the engine to sputter and stall. "Better call dispatch, tell Clawhauser that our cruiser isn't working. Officer Judy Hopps to dispatch, our cruiser isn't working." Judy said on the dispatch radio.
"Really? Selene herself looked that thing over. I didn't even know she knew how to maintain a car, it should be working like a fine Swiss watch." Clawhauser said.
"I know, I offered some kids a ride home after they got away from an unexpected explosion," Judy said, then she leaned her head into the backseat to talk to the kids.
"Clawhauser… there is a Murphy in the backseat." Nick whispered into the dispatch radio in terror.
"And you're… wait, did you say Murphy?" Clawhauser asked.
"Yeah… he's one of the bunny Murphy's." Nick answered back.
"Okay, try not panic Nick. I'll… I'll get Chief Bogo!" Clawhauser said, clearly panicking himself.
"CHIEF! WE GOT A CODE MURPHY!" Clawhauser yelled as he burst into Bogo's office.
"Clawhauser! Knock! How many times have I said that you are to knock on my door when you don't use the intercom?!" Bogo said as he was (not) playing with toy robots.
"I'm sorry sir, but we got a Code Murphy!" Clawhauser said then Bogo dropped his toys on the desk.
"What?" Bogo asked in shock.
"Milo Murphy is INSIDE of Nick and Judy's cruiser!" Clawhauser said.
"GET OUT! GET OUT OF THERE!" Bogo shouted over Judy and Nick's dispatch radio.
"What?! Chief Bogo what's wrong?!" Judy said in surprise.
"Judy, I want you to listen very. VERY, carefully, because it could very well save your life, you and Nick are to get out of the cruiser, and go your separate ways from Milo." Bogo said, sounding uncharacteristically terrified.
"Not this again, Nick was just rambling about this and I'll tell you what I told him. There is no such thing as-" then a street lamp fell over on the cruiser's engine, Judy looked surprised at the unexpected event. "There is no such thing as bad-" Judy was then interrupted again when the hubcaps, tires, and doors of the cruiser fell off.
"JUDY! STOP TELLING US BAD LUCK ISN'T A THING! AND RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Nick shouted as he ran out of the ruined cruiser… and was sent flying by an errant manhole cover exploding into another sewage geyser.
"Pretty sure the worst is-" Milo said, right as the street underneath the cruiser fell, and in turn causing the car to fall into the sewer. "Never mind, forgot I said anything," Milo said in his usual chipper tone.
"You doing okay there officer?" Melissa asked of Judy. Judy just looked anxious.
"A… a bit rattled. But I'm okay, what about you? Are you alright?" Judy asked.
"We've been through worse with Milo if you can believe it. Not even our first time down in the sewer." Zack said, then Nick fell onto the roof of the cruiser… and then the rest of it fell apart.
"Well… this is going to be one of those days isn't it?" Nick said, covered from head to tail in sewage.
"…so… how exactly does this… 'Murphy's Law' thing work exactly?" Judy asked of Milo.
"I'm pretty sure the government has more concrete data for you to work with Officer Hopps," Milo said.
Several minutes later, Judy and Milo were split up from Nick, Melissa, and Zack. "Wow! I'm amazed that the raft held out as long as it did." Milo said as the two bunnies disembarked from a raft that had somehow survived a number of glass shards and bottles in its hull… before popping. Milo then reached into his backpack and pulled out a pair of head-lamps.
"T-Thank… thank you." Judy said, looking clearly exhausted and tired.
"What's wrong Officer Hopps?" Milo asked with concern.
"Nothing… it's just that… well…" Judy said awkwardly.
"This is your first experience with Murphy's Law isn't it?" Milo asked.
"I… HOW DOES THIS EVEN WORK!? I mean, I was always under the impression that Murphy's Law was just some sort of adage about how anything that can go wrong can still happen regardless of your best efforts to avert it! Not some sort of luck curse that can turn anyone into a walking disaster magnet!" Judy yelled.
"But… you're a police officer. Aren't you used to danger?" Milo asked.
"Yes, but that's just part of the job, but all this…? In the short time since I met you. The cruiser Nick and I have had since his first day on the force falls apart like an Eastern European lemon. We fall into a sewer, and now I'm separated from my partner. I mean my week started out with fighting hybrid dinosaurs off of the coast of Outback Island. Last Christmas my brother was a hostage at the mayors Christmas party. But… all of this chaos in such short succession. And-"
"Sewer gator," Milo said flatly as an alligator surfaced.
"AND NOW SEWER GATORS, BECAUSE OF COURSE THERE ARE KILLER REPTILES DOWN HERE!" Judy shouted in aggravation.
"You're thinking of crocodiles Officer Hopps. Alligators are friendly by comparison unless provoked." Milo said, and then the gator snapped at Judy.
"AAAHHHHHHH!" Judy screamed as she leaped at the alligator.
"Clawhauser, it's been hours. Has there been any word from either Judy or Nick?" Bogo asked with clear concern on his face.
"No word yet sir… there probably alright, and nobody has actually DIED as a result of Murphy's Law-"
"Benjamin… those two are the best rookies to come out of the Police Academy I've ever seen, and I will not live with myself if those two die in some stupid accident. Not even because of a crime in progress. But because of bunny kitt with the WORST kind of luck imaginable." Bogo said, his voice quivering with fear, holding back tears.
"Are… are you crying, sir?" Clawhauser asked as Bogo looked uncharacteristically like he was about the blubber. Then without warning, Judy rode into the precinct on the back on the alligator from the sewer along with Milo, her uniform was torn up, which oddly enough made her look like Padme Mamamalia in the arena scene.
"You… would not believe… the afternoon I had." Judy said in exhaustion as she stumbled off of the alligator.
"All it did was just snap at her and… she just went berserk." Milo said, feeling sorry for the alligator.
"JUDY...! where's Nick?" Clawhauser asked. Then Nick entered the precinct, none the worse for wear.
"There really needs to be a map of the sewers, far too east for the initiated to get lost down there." Nick quipped.
Bogo then dived from the dispatch desk and gave the two a giant hug in relief.
"Sir… are you… are you crying?" Judy asked in confusion.
"I have never been more afraid," Nick said, terrified of the inexplicably affectionate Bogo.
"You two! NEVER! Scare me like that again. Milo, I want to speak with you in my office." Bogo said.
"So… I'll bet you're wondering what this is about this time young man." Bogo asked of Milo as he drank coffee.
"I don't know Mr. Bogo… coffee good?" Milo asked.
"No, not really, in fact, it's gotten cold somehow. Hopefully, that'll be the worse that Murphy's Law does while you're here. Now, how much do you know about the two officers you and your friends were with?" Bogo asked.
"There Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, of course, I know about them. That she's the first rabbit officer, and he's the first fox officer. My family was impressed that a rabbit got into the ZPD, and I think Nick used to be friends with Mellissa's dad." Milo explained.
"Well, then I hope you understand that there the best rookies to come out of the Police Academy since my youth. And I will not mince words with you. I was terrified for their well-being." Bogo said.
"But nobody has died as a result of Murphy's Law, some injuries here and there both minor and serious, but nothing particularly lethal… as far as I know." Milo said.
"I know, but all the same. I want to stay as FAR AWAY from those two as possible. Whatever the minimum safe distance for the effects of Murphy's Law, don't get them involved with yet another Murphy's Law related misadventure. In fact, I want everyone in the Murphy family with a Y chromosome to keep as far away from them as well." Bogo said.
"I… I'll try sir," Milo said, looking crestfallen.
"Milo… you're a good kid, and Murphy's Law isn't your fault. It's just that it's such an unpredictable force, that frankly we simply can't deal with it. And really, your most vocal critic has been you. You and a volunteer crossing guard who takes his job FAR too seriously." Bogo said reassuringly.
"Yeah… can I leave now?" Milo asked.
"Of course Milo," Bogo said, Milo jumped down from the chair and left the office. "Well, went better than the last time he was here. Last time he was here an ice cream truck burst through my office window, should probably give those two the weekend off, if only so that they can get their wits back together after this chaotic week." Bogo said to himself.