Nick watched the rain paint the window in an endlessly changing pattern of spots and trails as it increased in intensity, soaking the empty road beside the motel. It splashed against the roof of the diner straight across from the motel so relentlessly that he was sure that he could swim up there if he tried. He kept his focus mostly on the road, waiting for Judy and their friends to come back.
Honey sat on the bed with a laptop on her lap, brows furrowed together. "Looks like Finnick's still doing ok. Figures Theo wouldn't be interested, since he was under gangster custody when his daughter died."
"Be honest, Honey." Nick said, turning only slightly away from the window. "Do you think all this will be over when he leaves prison?"
Honey grimaced and turned back to the screen without answering. Nick felt his heart sink a little and looked back to the road. A pickup truck pulled up beside the diner. Two rabbits came out and approached the motel, but between the darkness and the rain and their raincoats, he had no way of knowing who they were. He doubted he knew them. If it were Judy and Jack, they'd be returning in a nice black car, with Winters at the wheel.
Alyssa had been gone for two hours now. She said she'd be back in three. She'd said she was scouting the airport they'd be going to in twelve hours, just in case NEST was waiting for them there. Nick had a feeling she just wanted out of the dingy room that only had enough beds for two mammals. She seemed to have a lot on her mind lately. Nick was feeling angsty himself, but he'd defied orders to stay hidden before, and he was not keen on repeating history. As for Gabe and Starlight, it turned out they had their own room, which they'd retreated to shortly after Judy had left for the party. Nick couldn't blame them for wanting their own space. If he was in their shoes, he'd be worried about Lance and Sherry, too.
There was a rapping on small knuckles on wood. Nick's ears pricked. He'd been so focused on the road he hadn't realised someone had approached their door. The door had no peephole, so he pulled the curtain over his face and peeked through the window to see who it was.
It was the two rabbits from the pickup truck, a buck and doe. Nick's jaw dropped.
"What the sweet cheese and crackers?" He breathed.
"Who is it?" Honey had been tense since the visitors failed to use the secret knock.
"Carrots's mom and dad!" Nick whispered.
"What the- what?!"
He saw the door of the adjacent room open, and Gabe's head poking out.
"Stay here, Hon." Nick went to the door and opened it. By then, Gabe was fully outside, one paw rested on his hip, where a kukri blade lay hidden inside his pants.
"Mr. Hopps! Mrs Hopps…" Nick rubbed the back of his neck. Gabe's tense posture relaxed when at their identification.
"Mr. Wilde…" Bonnie was holding a flower-patterned cake tin. "Thank goodness we got the right room."
"What're you doing here?" Nick asked.
Seriously, how the hell did they find us?
Stu brushed rainwater off his baseball cap. He didn't seem hostile to Nick's presence, "Judy told us you were staying at a motel. She didn't saw which one, but the only other motel is about thirty miles from here, so…"
"Oh, ok, well, Ca- Judy's still at the party, so maybe I can pass a message…"
"Actually, it's you we wanted to see." Bonnie said.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Whyyy?" Honey asked from her bed.
Stu and Bonnie tilted their heads to see past Nick. "Oh, howdy." Stu tipped his cap awkwardly. "Sorry, didn't see you there, Ms…"
"Bisnez. Narnia Bisnez." Honey eyed the rabbits like they were armed robbers.
"Ryder. Honey Ryder." Nick gave Honey a hard look. "Sorry, she seems to think being a paraplegic is a good excuse for being a smartass."
"Oh, you're…" Stu hesitated. "It's alright. Really. I told Bonnie we shouldn't just waltz in unannounced."
Bonnie lightly elbowed him. "I wanted to do this while Judy was away. You know how she'll react if she catches us here, especially after…"
She stopped herself, put a kind smile on her face, and held the cake tin tight between her paws.
"Mr. Wilde…"
"Call me Nick, if you want."
"Nicholas…"
"Eh, close enough."
"I don't suppose you'd accept an invitation to the diner across the road. Your friend can come if she wants."
Nick had only eaten takeout over an hour ago, and he was confined to this motel room for a reason. But it was just the diner across the road. There'd been no NEST activity since they'd arrived. If there was even the smallest chance of convincing Judy's parents to accept his presence in her life…
"Sure. Honey, you coming?"
"Nah, thanks anyway."
"What about you, Gabe?"
Gabe's paw had inched away from the hidden kukri blade. "I suppose some soup of the day wouldn't hurt. We'll take a different table if you want to talk in private."
Starlight emerged from that moment, a hooded purple jacket over her shoulders. "I second that. I'm Sarah Foxtail, this is my husband, Garth."
Garth and Sarah. Remember that, Nick.
"Lovely to meet you." Bonnie said. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. Did she know they were lying?
Nick grabbed his brown jacket, and the five of them crossed the wet road to the bright red and white lights of the nameless diner. It was late enough that the diner was open, but devoid of any guests other than themselves. Rock music weakly blared from a nearby jukebox. Nick led the way, making sure they sat in one of the round centre tables, away from the windows. Gabe and Starlight took a table on the other side of the diner. He could already see them both acting frosty and alert.
Stu had his paws clasped together on the table. Bonnie laid the cake tin in front of her before sitting down. An empty fourth chair stood between her and Nick. Nick hoped the questions weren't too hard-hitting.
The bunny waitress who came to their table took a visible dislike to Nick the moment she saw that there was a fox at their table. Nick braced himself to spend the duration of this conversation with an empty glass and plate, but then he saw the glare Bonnie aimed in the waitress's direction. The waitress saw it too, and she must have realised the danger inherent in upsetting the owners of the Hopps Family Farm, for she was completely cordial when she took Nick's order.
When the waitress retreated to the kitchen, Bonnie finally began the conversation. Nick tightened one paw over the over, trying not to let his anxiety show.
"I just want to start by apologising for what I said to you. I was way out of line."
"Mrs. Hopps, you didn't say anything that wasn't true."
"I don't know. You don't look like garbage to me." Stu gave a hopeful chuckle. Nick chuckled back, a genuine response. "Anyway, I'm sorry, too. I should have stopped her, but when Jude dropped the phone, I thought…"
"Yeah, I'd freak out, too." Nick said.
Stu contemplated the fox's contrite tone. "You know, Mr. Wilde, you're not as big a smartbutt as I was expecting."
"Thank you. What made you think I'd be a smartbutt?"
"Jude said you couldn't go five minutes without being cheeky. She's told us a lot about you, actually."
"She has?" Nick felt his heart jump to his throat. "She didn't happen to mention Wilde Times, did she?"
"She doesn't like to talk about that." Bonnie said sadly.
The diner door opened. A dripping wet wolf in a black raincoat strode through and sat in the corner table. He took out a flask and drank from it.
"Mostly she talks about her visits to your apartment. Back when you were under house arrest?" Stu said.
"Oh." Nick didn't think there was much to talk about on that subject.
"She said you took up baking. Got pretty darn good at it, too."
Nick remembered the turnover he'd left behind in that apartment. "Yeah. Beats binging Mate Island and blueberry cider, don't it?"
"About that, Judy said you loved blueberries more than anything." Bonnie drummed her fingers atop the cake tin. "I know this may seem a little… over the top… but I said some really horrible things to you, so…"
She gingerly lifted the cake tin. Out the corner of his eye, Nick saw the wet wolf get up and walk past their table to the restroom, trailing mud in his wake. Nick took note of the wolf's fur- black, with hints of red, and a white streak on his tail- before he saw what Bonnie was presenting.
Nick stared. A creamy cheesecake sat before him, nestled in biscuit and laden with juicy blueberries. He'd only seen treats this gorgeous on Furbook, and even then he'd thought they were fake.
"Mrs. Hopps, this…"
"Nicholas, sometimes saying sorry just isn't good enough." Bonnie said.
"That's right." Stu smiled and tugged on the straps of his overalls. "Besides, after the lengths you went to to fix your mistakes, you've got no right to refuse."
Nick tentatively put the cake tin lid over the blueberry cheesecake and pulled it to his side of the table. He dearly hoped they would mistake in the wetness in his eyes for rainwater. "Thanks."
Bonnie's smile weakened. "As far as Judy is concerned, you're a changed fox, and we've decided to take her word for it. But we're not stupid. We know you're both in a lot of trouble. I want you to give me your word you will look after her."
"Ma'am, I made that promise a long time ago." Nick said. He heard the sound of the wolf leaving the restroom. "But to tell the truth, all this time she's been the one looking after me."
Stu and Bonnie frowned and traded glances.
Nick felt fear, wondering what he'd said, but then he realised that the fourth seat between him and Bonnie wasn't empty anymore.
The wolf was sitting with his arms folded and one leg over the other, scrutinising them like pieces on a chessboard, as though he'd been there right beside them all along.
"Er… Nicholas? Do you know this wolf?" Bonnie asked.
Nick's mouth had gone dry, but he managed to speak. "Matter of fact, I don't. Not personally."
He knew the wolf's face. He'd seen it in that article about the ten-year anniversary of the fall of Roarcadia. But this couldn't be him. He was supposed to be dead, or hiding in some secret base at the bottom of the world. It was because of his organisation, Liberum, that Nick lost his dad. Perished in prison after being convicted for a terrorist attack he had no part in.
"Koobus Lupine." He breathed.
"Wilde. I was beginning to think we'd never meet."
He didn't correct me. It really is him.
"Holy crap." Nick whispered.
His neck fur prickled. He slowly pulled the cheesecake toward himself. "Mr. Hopps. Mrs. Hopps. Thank you for the cake, but I think you should go."
"Why? Who is this?" Stu grimaced at Koobus. "Who are you?"
"We should see about opening up those seats for your friends." Koobus said.
"Is he even listening to us?" Stu asked.
"Sir, will you please just go?" Nick said. He never took his eyes off Koobus.
Let them go. Just let them go, please…
"Stuart, let's do as he says." Bonnie tugged at her husband's arm, practically pulling him out of his seat. Nick saw her other arm sticking into the purse she was wearing, where her phone likely was. "Nicholas, thank you for talking to us. Maybe later, you and Judy can join us for dinner."
They left quickly, heading straight for the truck outside. Koobus made no move to stop them.
Moments later, Gabe and Starlight slowly sat down in the two empty seats. Koobus smiled slightly at their presence, but neither of them looked happy at his. They looked even more stunned than Nick felt. Nick wondered if that had been the wolf's intention, to sit at Nick's table first to get rid of the Hoppses, then wait for the two agents to spot him and come over so they'd all be at one table.
"Starlight. Gabriel. It's been a long time." He said.
"Twenty years." Starlight hissed. "You disappeared, left me alone, for twenty years."
"And you thought you'd be better off with me than with that King Arthur fanboy, did you?"
"Why come back now?" Starlight growled, hackles raised. "Why didn't you come back after we escaped Roarcadia?"
"Your parents were dead, and the only reason Swinton didn't come after you was because I gave them no reason to. Settle down."
"Don't pull that shit on us, Koobus." Gabe had one paw under the table, resting on the gun hidden by his hip. "We never found out who sent those mercenaries to Zootopia. Then NEST comes after us two years later, and you just happen to show up at our hideout? I think you owe us some answers. About the first Project Twilight."
Koobus didn't answer. Nick saw him glance out the window towards the motel. The fox moved his upper arm as little as possible as he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Alyssa.
"I was framed for a terrorist attack that never happened." Koobus said.
"But then you decided to become a true terrorist two years ago, huh?"
It took all of three seconds for Nick to understand.
Cheryl Radames had been the one who manipulated them. Guided them. Her and her partner, Sedor Valentino… but neither of them had been responsible for the raids at the start at the calamity. Those mammals in black who attacked Precinct One, City Hall and those other places, and planted special TAME Collars on a select few mammals in each place, Bogo, Bellweather and Bisoniing included…
"The Tame Collar Raids." Nick uttered. "It was you."
"You catch on quick." Koobus said.
"So, this is what Liberum has sunk to?" Nick asked. "Making hostages of innocent mammals? Tearing cities apart? You know Liberum literally means 'free,' right?"
"Isn't Zootopia free now?"
Nick tightened his fist on the table. Without the Triuverate to enforce the more oppressive laws, conditions in the city had in fact been slowly improving, but they couldn't let this wolf use that to manipulate them.
"And why the hell are you here now?" Gabe growled and raised his gun higher. "You going to do the same to the Tri-burrows? Free them from the oppressive backwards rednecks running the vegetable farms?"
"Good guess, but no. While Bunnyburrow does have a sordid history of institutional specism, that's not why I'm here."
"Is Jason here, too?" Starlight asked. Nick glanced at her, noting the accusing but hopeful look in her eyes. She'd never mentioned a Jason before.
"No, Star. He's elsewhere. As for myself, I'm here for this."
He placed a black tablet on the tabletop. On the screen was a photograph of an ancient codex in a shiny display case. Just like the ones Judy and Jack had taken.
On their handheld devices.
Nick's paw swung toward Gabe and snatched the gun from its hidden holster. In a flash he was aiming it at Koobus's muzzle.
"Where did you get this?!"
"They're still alive." Koobus said slowly.
Nick blinked.
"If they weren't, you'd refuse to cooperate."
"Cooperate? With what?"
"I took care of the NEST agents left in Bunnyburrow. That gives you about a month before Swinton sends a new team. All I ask is that you distract him a little longer."
"A distraction? From what? What do you need the codex for?"
"All you need to know is that we both want the same thing. And NEST has Elba."
Nick watched Starlight's anger evaporate and felt his own horror grow. Elba was in Florada right now. With Ben.
"They can't have." Starlight whispered.
"I've kept tabs long enough to know how much he means to you. Why would I expose myself just to send you on a wild goose chase? Elba was abducted from Pottermass's old holiday villa last night. If you hurry, you may track him down before they extract him from the continent."
"What about Ben? Did they get him too?" Nick's gun followed Koobus as he slowly got up from his seat.
"His whereabouts I'm not so sure of. I have a train to catch." The wolf said.
"We're not done here!" Starlight had her own gun out now. "If Jason is still alive, where is he?!"
Koobus sighed and pulled out a black and blue stun grenade. "I don't have time for this."
He dropped it under the table. Nick dropped the gun as he, Gabe and Starlight leapt as far away from it as possible. The flash and bang came sooner than expected. Everything went white. His ears rang.
When he regained his senses, Alyssa was standing over him and the others, dripping wet, gun in paw. She was wearing nothing over her black tank top, allowing Nick to finally see the scars covered her neck, which he hadn't seen until now. The only other mammal in the diner was the waitress, her paws over her ears, a tray of smashed plates and food at her feet.