Chapter 10

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AN: I've been looking forward to posting this chapter. If you look over to the A03 version, I have a brilliant bit of art commissioned by Jaff96.

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"Full, full, still full, there's got to be…" Almost slamming on her breaks, Skye brought her open top sports car to a halt, pulling the wheel around and drove out from under the looming metal grating above her and into the open, towards the open and waiting spot. City driving gave her exactly zero percent of the thrill that a winding country lane, twisting mountain track, or unfettered speedway provided, but right now, even as she finished her journey into the bowels of one of the city centre underground parking garages, her heart was beating just as fast. Leaning out of one side, she made sure that her wheel was in line with where a pair of metal flanges started, the vehicle threading itself onto a car-loader like pair of trays and then driving along them. It was all too necessary given that, in a sunken pit below her advancing vehicle, lay a half dozen or so large rodent vehicles in their own little lot, making use of the space of just one small-medium mammal sized car.

Of course, the wrong turn could easily crush them (even if vehicle codes required the passenger compartment to withstand the weight of an elephant sized van driving over them), so their access roads into here had metal grating above them, with just enough headroom for the cars but not quite for the occupants to stand in. That was where the open pit came in and thus the flanges. Lining up her vehicle, it came to rest over the rat and squirrel sized vehicles. Pulling the brake, making sure she had her coupon to pay for the parking later, she got out, locked up and searched for the door to the multi-size pedestrian walkway.

The thought was beaten back as a black shadow cut across her head, her car, and the rest of the little medium sized lot. To the sound of a deep rumbling and an electric whir, she glanced up at the underside of the megafauna vehicle that had just slipped into the parking space that covered her own, and those around hers, in the same way her car covered those rodent vehicles..As it quieted down, she gave a quick check to make sure that any condensation from any aircon wasn't going to pour down into her open top, her ears going askew as she noticed something else.

Thankfully, as the smaller cars parked up perpendicular to those above, she'd ended up near the rear of the larger vehicle, and the road it had used to get in and out. So instead of heading straight out, she hopped up onto the bonnet of her car, bent her legs and pounced.

Sailing up out of the pit, flying through the air in a long graceful arc to the rear wall, she let gravity pull her into level flight for just a second and reached out with her arms, letting her paws hook over the edge, their claws grabbing tight onto tarmac. The rest of her swung down and impacted the tile walls with a fraction of the grace of her brief flight, hind legs quickly dragging and scrabbling as she pulled herself fully out.

Not enough space to stand just yet, she prowled forward on all fours for a few paces until finally the back end of a vehicle rose up above her like a cliff, and two tree-trunk like grey pillars rose up in front of her.

"Wah!" The elephant cow yelled, stepping back as Skye rose to her full height, barely up to her knees.

"Sorry, I was parked underneath, and I noticed your catalytic converter was missing," she said. "Thought it best to let you know."

The elephant was stunned silent for a moment, before shaking her head. "Can you take a picture?" she asked, keeping an eye on the vixen as her trunk unlocked the boot door.

Without a word, Skye did just that, handing it over just as the pachyderm pulled out a folded up baby stroller from the back and flicked it open. Trunk out, she raised it up and peered in, her eyes wincing in anger."Dung Beetles!" she cursed, handing it back. "Thanks for telling me though."

"Just thought you'd want to know," Skye said, turning back down to slide into the pit, only to pause.

Idea.

She cringed at it, but she was in a rush.

Letting out a tiny growl before shaking her head, she swallowed her pride like a spoonful of caster oil and turned back as the elephant guided an unsteady calf in pink shortalls and a fruit decorated onesie into the waiting seat.

Naturally, it had to be something as close to her blouse and blue denim overalls as possible, though at least she could take solace in not having a pacifier stuck in the end of her trunk.

"Excuse me," she asked, catching the elephant mother's eye again. "Which way are you going?"

"Zootopia Central," she said.

The fox let out a sigh of… not quite relief. "Perfect, I've got to get myself to Precinct One fast, it's something urgent… -Could I tag a ride on the back of your stroller please?"

She thought for a moment before nodding. "Sure, hop on."

And with that, Skye did, jumping onto the back footrest and holding onto the frame just like a tagging along older sibling would. The wheels on the thing were as big as those on her car, and with the elephant mother already taking a brisk speed, they were rolling along. Maybe not as swift as the swift fox's naturally swift running pace, in fact not by a long shot, but endurance was not her strong point, and from here to there this would be faster.

Much faster.

At the very least, any side glances and snickers would be worth it, given just how important this was.

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"Do you think we should ring her?"

"It'll be fine Carrot's. She's what, one minute later?"

Judy shrugged. "I'm just thinking, maybe she got her times one hour out or so, it could happen."

"Or maybe a group of sloths were trying to get on her train at a station and caused a delay," Nick replied, taking a sip of his morning coffee. "That has happened."

"It's just that after all I heard of her being this super dedicated…" The bunny trailed off, ears rising and tilting around as a familiar vulpine panting sound rang out.

"See," Nick said, "She probably chose to jog to… -Skye?"

Across the entrance hall, at the other end of the rows of doors, the swift fox vixen stood, leaning against a wall and catching her breath, tongue panting in and out. Nick made to wave her down, only for her to see him instead and jog over to meet them. "What are…"

"-Have you seen my sister or Jack?" she asked, leaning against the wall to catch her breath.

"No…" the red fox said, head tilting to the side slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"I need to talk to them, and they're supposed to turn up here to fill in a bunch of details or…" She shook her head. "The point is, I tried to call them, but they didn't answer. So I drove in, parked, hitchhiked with an elephant and then ran across the plaza literally as fast as I could." With that, she looked up at him. "I just need to talk to her, and I thought…"

"Well, I haven't seen her or him I'm afraid," Nick said. "In fact, we're waiting for our own fox to turn up, and…"

"There she is," Judy cut in, pointing to a flash of red walking in behind a crowd of exciting mammals.

"Yeah, we've got to…" Nick said, before pausing. "Hang on, no blue hair, that's…"

"That's my one," Skye said, quickly turning off. "Thanks for the help."

And with that, she departed.

Her sister meanwhile, with Jack in tow, had reached the front desk of the ZPD, the portly cheetah there turning to face them. "Well Hell-lo to you two," he cooed, leaning down and letting his chin rest on his bridging palms, a smile on his face. "You know, I never thought bunny fox pairings would be a thing, and now I see new ones everyday and it just doesn't get old. How can I help you?"

With that, Lt Vixen reached into her green dress jacket and pulled out a bunch of files, handing them over and smiling. "Military Intelligence. My asset and I have a vested interest in a mammal that has recently come under your custody. We require the space to privately interrogate him, and for your superiors to be informed of our jurisdiction in this matter, and others."

"Well I can just send those right along," he said, filing them away before giving a nervous aside glance back at them. "Though you might want to plug your ears, this is the kind of stepped on hoof tips that the Chief really doesn't like. In fact, I'm pretty sure none of the cops do, I…"

"-There you are."

They all turned, watching Skye come up to them. "We need to talk, urgently," she said, looking straight at the red fox.

Who looked back, an intrigued look on her muzzle, right paw coming up to adjust her glasses.

Skye's eyes narrowed. "This isn't me changing my mind," she clarified, before huffing. "It's me having my paw forced."

"Wait, you're joining in too?" Jack asked, before binkying up into the air. "Team Savage-Skye, back in business."

Lt Vixen glanced back up at Clawhauser, currently looking like he was trying to wrap his head around and overdosing on the idea of a bunny-fox trio, and smiled. "Give us a second, please."

And with that, she walked away, gesturing for Skye to come closer. "I expected the outcome, but not the reason," she said, her curiosity ever so briefly interrupted by a flash of concern. "What's the situation?"

Skye let out a breath of air. "North Korean spies…" She said, glancing at Jack. "Don't you remember?"

He blinked. "No."

"In Honey's bunker."

…

"Still no."

"Right then," she said, looking up to her sister. "During the whole thing we talked about, do you remember us talking about getting help from a Honey Badger."

"Vaguely," she pondered. "I'm presuming now that her level of skill has been greatly under-exaggerated."

"If you're thinking about giving her the same offer as Jack, forget it," she said. "She's… mentally unstable…"

"So ruled out then," Lt Vixen said with a smile, Skye letting it brush past her.

"I met her once on a trade thing and knew her as someone I could outsource complex electrical stuff to," she said. "Her private life, and pure level of mental… issues… was unknown to me until recently. Let's just say she had a big doomsday bunker and a big thing against sheep and call it at that."

"Called it at that."

"Anyway," Skye said, looking to the ground and starting to pace. "She'd disowned her really troublesome stuff by the time I learnt about it, but she still had this giant conspiracy board, talking about how sheep ruled everything and how everything could be traced back to them. Mothmammal, fake moon landings, the Dark Flame Wolf, that massive shortage of horse dewormer, you name it she'd linked it all up. Except one thing she'd noticed…" And with that, she looked up. "A pair of mammals who she said she thought were North Koreans or something…"

"Ah," Lt Vixen said, her eyes lighting up. "Getting involved in Elsa. Let me guess, they were talking to a one-eyed wolf, weren't they? He's the closest we've got to a face of the organisation."

And with that, Skye shook her head. "No, I remembered it now." With a shiver, she looked up and set her eyes on the pair. "Two big cats, a lion and a tiger."

Jack's eyes widened. "The lion and tiger?"

With a deep breath in and out, the swift fox sighed. "Officially, no clue. Realistically, who else?" And with that, she turned to her sister. "And that's why I'm joining now," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't want to get involved in this crazy giant thing you're leaping into, but… Well, turns out it's way too late for that. So it's either be a sitting duck and have them come to do me in when I'm least expecting it, or join in the fight against them." Her lip quivered, and she shook her head. "I don't like this. But as I said, my paw has been forced. It's too late for me to stand this one out, so…"

She was cut off as a red furred paw held onto her shoulder, Lt Vixen looking down at her civilian sister. "We fight back together."

They stood there, eyes fixed on each other as the time seemed to tick away, before Skye nodded. "Thanks."

"Uh-hu," Lt Vixen said, tail wrapping around her legs and tail tip rising up to wind into her fingers. Tapping it against the back-paw of her other hand for a second or two as if it were a pen, she let her mind process everything through before nodding.

"First off, let's keep this between ourselves. Secondly, with the news of another mammal of severe criminal interest being back in town, the possibility of co-operation between the two was always there, hence why I intended to inspect this new prisoner of the ZPD. Now though, it seems that cooperation is a certainty, with my two little targets of interest potentially only being a middle mammal in the whole thing, bringing these arm dealers to these criminal's attention. It's something to chase up on. As will that Honey Badger."

Skye began to speak, only for the Lieutenant to cut her off.

"She's too much of a risk to bring onboard from the sound of it," she surmised. "And I should know. Even with dishonest mammals, you can always bank on their dishonesty. For ones like those, you can never bank on when they'll do…"

"-Something incredibly stupid," Jack filled in, with a particularly large smile on his face.

"Uh-hu," Lt Vixen agreed, letting her tail tip go, the appendage dropping back down. "But I'd like to revisit the source of this information. Who knows what else might be there, ready to find after filtering through the garbage. After that Skye, you'll…"

"-Help out," she said with an exhale, before raising her head, eyes narrowing. "But only in a support role, as you promised."

Closing her eyes, smiling, waving a paw, her sister nodded. "Well, I was going to say go through all the boring legal stuff that would confirm just that."

"Please tell me I don't have to do it again," Jack added.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Anyway, not time to waste," she said, turning around on the heel of her foot. "Now Mr Clawhauser, where were we?"

"Oh, uh…" The cheetah began, glancing down. "Awkward." The three looked down too, spotting a red fox vixen with flowing sapphire blue head hair and a collar mounted badge by the desk.

Skye pulled back as her sister brushed down her green blazer and walked back to the desk, glancing up at the cheetah. "No worries, I'm certain this won't take long.

"Wellll…." he began, "I'm afraid she's got a bunch of stuff to process just as big as you did. Though I could easily switch back over." Glancing back down to Carmelita, he gave a very sad 'my donuts have all gone' cheetah face in commiseration. "I said this might happen, but I'll be as quick as possible with hers, and then move back. Okay?"

The interpol inspector shook her head, glancing at the three to her side. "I'm afraid that I am here for some critical work, and time is of the essence. I hope you don't mind me going first."

"Hmmmm, I think I do," Lt Vixen said, walking up to face her.

"Well in that case, I'm sorry but I have to pull rank," Carmelita said, looking up at Clawhauser. "Being an inspector, I…"

"Rank lower than I do," the lieutenant cut in, flipping out her ID so the blue haired vixen could see. "So it seems if anyone is pulling rank, it'll be me."

Carmelita let her eyes narrow as she read it, her tail flicking behind her. All the while, Nick and Judy approached from the rear. "Hmmmm," Carmelita said, in a far more irritated tone than the amused purr her counterpart had given. "Tell me, in what world does a lieutenant outrank an inspector?"

"In the world where I'm a military intelligence officer, and this happens to be a matter of military intelligence," she said, smiling. "You could try and raise this to your Chief, but I'm certain he has the foreknowledge to know that I can raise it to my Chief, and that wasting his time with that is a very bad move. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"I think not," Carmelita said, the end of her muzzle twitching slightly. Her tail had begun swinging back and forth, and not in a happy manner, and she gave her army counterpart a long, hard, critical look over. "Tell me, do I know you?"

"Maybe you do," Lieutenant Vixen shrugged. "Maybe you don't." She flashed a smile. "Fortunately I don't really care. Now," she turned to Clawhauser. "About our business."

"Which isn't the important police business I flew across an ocean for," Carm spoke, her voice hardening.

"No, it isn't," came the reply. "It's the Military Intelligence business I flew across the ocean for."

"What kind of military intelligence business?"

"The kind I don't need to tell you about."

And then Carmelita spoke, her hard, firm, and angry. "I do know you."

"Oh," Lt Vixen said, giving an innocent little smile as her tail tip pulled its way up between her fingers, letting her playfully weave it about. "Only the good things, I hope."

Carmelita snorted.

Meanwhile, Nick and Judy had made their way over to Jack and Skye. "What's going on?" the doe bunny asked in a hushed whisper, directed straight at the swift fox.

"I don't know," she said. "I had no clue these two even knew each other."

"Hardly," Carmelita carried on, paying no mind to them. "Tell me if this sounds familiar. An over ambitious, career climbing, unscrupulous strongmammal. Only interested in heightening their own position, with little moral consideration as to how. Willing to play and toy with dangerous mammals, no matter the cost or risk." Her eyes narrowed. "I know your type to a T, and it ends in one of only two ways. Them imploding themselves, and all those unfortunate, foolish or greedy enough to get too close. Or under my boot, potentially frazzled with a paralytic electric punch, to be dragged off to face their judgement and justice."

"W-what?" Skye asked, finally cutting through, fur raised. "What are you going on about? I've…"

"Indeed," Lt Vixen cut in, leaning back, her eyes now half lidding, the first visible sign of growing irritation. "Do tell."

Carmelita gazed a neutral gaze back to Skye, then a slightly odd one to her side. The swift fox vixen looked down to see Jack there, looking all too interested in whatever was unfolding. He might as well have been asking for some popcorn for this. Regardless, Carmelita looked forward and spoke. "Delta Fox. Remember that little affair?"

And Lt Vixen smiled. "Ah, still one of my proudest moments."

Carmelita began growling. "So you really are the one who…"

"Yes," she said, leaning in. "And let me tell you, that opened a whole new chapter in my exciting and productive career."

"A career in letting crooks get off," Carmelita denounced. "Or perverting justice, of…"

"Creative use and acquisition of assets," Lt Vixen filled in for her, arms folded in front of her chest.

"Being a law unto yourself," the inspector accused, finger straight out and pointing at her face. This time, her ears did flick back, her face hardening with impatience. "So tell me, why are you here, in Zootopia?"

"To investigate rumours."

"As am I," Carmelita said, eyebrows rising. "Let's talk this out, for a second. If you're interested in justice, if you're interested in protecting mammals from serious dangers, if you're not just fixating on your next promotion, or the next big thing you can take off for the army to turn into a weapon… If you're not the kind of self-serving amoral mammal our encounter so far has suggested you are, then you will have no problem in agreeing that our best option is to share intel. To create a team. To work together. To take down these mammals and make sure that, if they are dealing with dangerous technology, for instance having some new nighthowlers… Then once done we will hand over whatever we find to the correct authorities, or if it's too great for them destroy it. Si?"

"I suppose you're right," Lt Vixen agreed.

"In which case," she said, "what rumours are you investigating?"

She idly looked down at her claw tips, then up at Carmelita. "You first."

"If you can pull rank on us, you could run through the bureaucracy and find it out anyway," Carmelita said, crossing her arms. "Whereas, unjustly, I do not have that privilege. I'm offering you convenience here, my leverage is lower, so… You first."

And with that, the army fox rapped her clawtips along the side of the desk for a second or two, before shrugging. "We're curious about a goat, for a start. I heard he's working for a rat."

"And why are you interested in that rat?" she asked.

"Because my superiors are," she said, leaning in. "They're interested in finding things out, and have given me orders to find them out, and return them to them. And given that what you've laid down in terms of dealing with this stuff goes against said orders, I fear we've reached an impasse."

Carmelita snorted. "Huh. You are only following orders. Where have I heard that one before?"

"It seems our two goals are mutually exclusive then," the Lieutenant said, turning back to Clawhauser. The portly cheetah had stayed out of hit, and looked as if he wanted to keep staying out of it. "Now, where are we…"

"What I said before is only even more true as I see you now," Carmelita spoke, harshly. "Untrustworthy, unscrupulous, no morals, no care for the law, hiding behind orders when you can but I am certain going against them when it is advantageous. Plenty of crooks start out in the military, they enjoy their power over others, the force they can hold. And I see you now, knowing what you are, smiling at it…" She shook her head and brought out her bag, unzipping it. "I have fought many like you in the past," she said. "I've even encountered ones like you who act like they're on the side for justice, who trick you into thinking that they are by your side. But they are only at your back, knife in paw." Sneering, looking up, Carmelita grabbed what was inside and pulled it out. "So let me warn you now, you break the law, you become just another one of those mammals I've encountered in the past. You'll end up like them too, dragged to face judgement by me, after being soundly, and sizzlingly, defeated."

There was a gasp from Clawhauser as Carmelita pulled out a weapon from her bag and placed it down on the desk in front of him. It almost looked gaudy, like a toy, red and yellow, a kids raygun. But a second look showed how strongly it was built, and the electrical systems running through it, feeding into the gaping maw at the end.

Many police forces had moved fully to non-lethal weapons: tranq-guns, tazers, in some cases bolin and net launchers. Others would still keep a ready force of trained mammals, ready to bring out lethal weapons when the call came.

And then there was Interpol.

Its now Chief Inspector.

And her shock pistol.

A long range electric shock launcher, like a slingshot firing a tazer as some would put it.

THAT as those who'd faced it did.

The design had few takers, most oftenly considered a ruinously expensive jack of all trades and master of none. But for mammals forced to adapt to multiple situations like Carmelita, it happened to fill a particular niche. The fact it had become her signature weapon, and her an expert at its use from decades of practice, was the icing on the cake.

She glanced at Clawhauser, the cheetah almost freaking out at where this argument was going. "As I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted. Just confirm that this is registered with the ZPD armory and…"

"Woah, woah, Woah! "

They all looked up to a panicked out Clawhauser.

"We don't need to fight. C'mon…"

"Yeah," Nick said, cutting in. "I don't know you," he said, pointing at Lt Vixen. "But you're your sister." He pointed at Skye. "And I trust you and I trust your ability to trust and you trust her, so…"

He looked over at Carmelita and shrugged.

She remained unconvinced.

"I mean," Judy carried on, "we're both working the same case, kind of. We'll both be interviewing the same guy… We've both got to interview this goat. If we keep up at this, what? Are we going to spar to see who gets to go first?"

Lt Vixen shrugged and gave a playful little grin. "Well I wouldn't be opposed to the idea."

"Sí," Carmelita said. "And I wouldn't be opposed to beating you and giving you and your ego a check."

"Hmmmm, aren't those my lines?"

The inspector turned around, facing off against Lt Vixen, a silence hanging between them.

While Judy began to silently curse her dumb bunny mouth.

Still, they wouldn't really…

"Is there a practice ring in the ZPD?" Carmelita asked, idly.

Nick and Judy remained silent.

"Let me rephrase that as an order…"

"Just following orders isn't a valid defense," Nick said, finger up in the air.

Carmelita looked equally irritated and proud of the response, Nick sighing in relief…

Until McHorn, walking past, leant in. "Yeah. Down the corridors between the showers, at the back of the gym. Why?"

Nick facepawed, as Carmelita slid her documents to Clawhauser. "I think we can fit in a quick one while he processes our documents."

"I don't need much time," Lt Vixen replied, smiling. "Let's get this over with."

"Yes," Carmelita said, eyes narrowing as she stared her down. "Lets."

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"Oh sweet cheese, they're really doing this…"

The three mammals standing by Judy's side said nothing, they had no more to add.

There, in the back room of the Precinct 1 Gym, stood a sparring ring. Solid floor dusted with a light layer of chalk for grip, wires taught, the posts and surrounding areas padded hard. To the two foxes in the stands, the place smelt like sweat, tears and blood.

To the two foxes getting in the ring, stretching their limbs, keeping their eyes fixed on each other…

They made far more important things to focus on.

"Skye, talk to them," Judy said. "Vixen to vixen, just…"

"I think she understands this better than you do Bunny," Lt Vixen said, snapping some light green fingerless gloves onto her paws. "That when you meet with someone who wants to push you down, who won't let words sway them…" With a stretch around she let her green army jacket slide off, revealing a white tank top below. "There's only one language that can penetrate their thick skull."

Across the field, Carmelita gave a slight harrumph. "And now you steal my lines, I see." She'd already dressed down, a blue strapless workout top around her chest, standing out from her rival's hard army utility. Her gloves were her usual fingered yellow, and around her neck she still wore her collar and badge, letting it shine out proud.

As much as it could, at least.

The room's lights were dimmed, the light coming from a trio of rays slicing down from small sunlights in the ceiling and angling down, over the ring, through the wires, and off into a corner. Three small columns of brilliance, leaving the rest of the place in a moody din.

Dust danced in them, and as the vixens began circling, forever eyeing each other as their paws paced around on the dusted floor, the air grew cloudier and cloudier. More dust danced in the rays, as the foxes circled around, letting their slice divide them from one another.

Lt Vixen smiled, bringing her paws up in front of her, legs bending tight and getting ready. "Nothing below the belt?"

"Nothing above the neck," her rival countered.

"Just one spar."

"It's all I need," Carmelita spoke, tail swishing behind her, gathering a cloud of dust and sending it spinning into the ether. Her fifth limb returned behind her, swaying back and forth, slow but determined. Pacing, like a predator stalking its prey.

Lt Vixen smiled. "Tch, confident much?" she asked, bringing her paws together, steepling them together. She gave a wide grin. "What's next, trash talk?"

"What even more do I have to add?" Carmelita asked, still pacing around, but getting in closer, the pair slowly but surely spiralling towards each other. "Upstart. Precocious kit. Unscrupulous. Reckless. Arrogant." She let a little snarl grow on her muzzle. "I'd repeat them all many times over, but you don't really seem to care about them that much."

Lt Vixen's smile increased, her eyes narrowing as she leant forward. "Success always results in jealousy."

"Said the Lieutenant to the Chief Inspector."

"And its twin. Insecurity."

Carmelita took a large step forward, closing the gap. Lt Vixen matched it, the two no more than a couple of paces from each other. Each stepping to the side, the world slowly spun around them, concerned onlookers passing and ray of sunlight briefly cut through by their ears.

They did not growl, yet. But they swelled and deflated with their large breaths, their hearts raced, the tips of their vulpine forms errantly twitched.

"In any case, you're right," Lt Vixen said, "I don't let it bother me. Because I have just one trashtalk about you."

"Oh, really?" Carmelita scoffed. "And what could that be?"

"The only one that counts," Lt Vixen almost chirped, paws coming up, held in front of her, inviting her opponent on. "You call me all those things. That I'm reckless, arrogant, an upstart…"

Her eyes narrowed.

"But you're old."

Carmelita dove forward, paw out to which Lt Vixen raised hers. They didn't touch, the fox cop pulling back, her leg taking her momentum. It swung out and low like a scythe, ready to cut her opponent down.

Lt Vixen saw it and leapt, sailing up in a vulpine pounce before coming down and striking with her left paw.

Carmelita easily pulled back, but then the right paw sailed up with even more force, and none of the warning. It shot out and brushed the narrowly dodging head, whose body then sent her arms on a one two that was met with a bruise catching elbow block, the army fox bracing her stance with her legs to hold.

They began flanking each other, circling around in the opposite direction to before, paws up and waiting before striking out like cobras. Carmelita missed, then missed, then Lt Vixen missed and got a glancing blow, but opened herself up for a punch in the side of her gut that sent her stepping back.

Carmelita had the advantage.

For a second.

It was now even again, the pair holding their paws like cards to their chest.

Both assessed each other.

The onlookers watched them, silently knowing that trying to interfere would not work.

These two had chosen this.

Strong breath after strong breath flared out of each vixens nose, as the circling brought the army fox to a position opposite of her sister. Their eyes briefly met, Carmelita saw the advantage, one-two-punch.

Elbow block. Paw catch. Push back. Spin around. Legs splayed and holding them steady after completing their one-eighty.

Now Carmelita saw the onlookers in the background.

Lt Vixen knew that. "You know, for my interest as much as theirs, tell us about Delta Fox…"

"You mean your gun running mercenary friends?" Carmelita spoke with righteous indignation.

"Legally speaking they were swindled with falsified information," Lt Vixen smirked, making Carmelita bare her teeth. "Years of loyal service, faithful action for our side, and you really think they'd throw it in with rag-a-tag bush rebels? I can see why you don't have friends."

"Oh I have friends alright," Carmelita spoke, firing a sucker punch that Lt Vixen barely failed to jump back from, a light knock in her chest for the effort. "Such as the dozen or so Interpol agents who discovered their gun run, and intercepted them. Four had to take permanent field retirement from their injuries, one of whom is lucky to be alive."

"So, no-one dead," Lt Vixen smirked. "No hard feelings."

"No hard feelings when they were locked up in jail where they belonged!" she spoke, giving out an easily blocked one-two punch.

"Well, they had some hard feelings," Lt Vixen smirked. Even though she was panting from the effort of the fight, she was still enjoying it. "We both know that your agents failed to properly announce themselves. They thought you were the rebels they were supposed to be protecting the shipment from."

"You mean the ones they were supplying," Carmelita yelled, jumping into a stance and rocketing her fist out in a knock-out punch straight for her opponent's centre mass.

Lt Vixen jerked to the side and let it brush across its target, before her own arm dove forwards and around it, wrapping the extended limb like a boa constrictor while her other paw was raised to block a counter attack. Carmelita's eyes widened as she was pulled forward, her free paw too slow as her opponents one dove into her armpit like a rising spike, driving up as her other side was yanked down. She grimaced from the pain as she was swung past and down, extended arm released as she nosedived straight to the hard floor. Paw hit the ground and pulled herself forward, the other one racing forward to touch it and take her weight. Lt Vixen turned around, expecting to see her opponent slammed into the ground, only to see her instead pull herself out of her dive and race on on all fours, powersliding herself around and standing up again.

Shaken.

Poised.

Humbled.

Undefeated.

"Was that your card?" Carmelita asked, standing up and brushing herself down. Clouds of chalk, kicked up from the floor, rose around them like faint mist. Once more they circled each other, cutting through it. "Because now I know it. So, unless you have more up your sleeve, I would throw your towel in. Now!"

"That's never been my style," the army fox smirked. "You like things to end quickly, like with that group you were talking about…"

Carmelita's face remained level, betraying nothing.

"-Saw something up, ambushed them, brushed it under a rug. -Me? I saw mammals of talent, locked up and going to waste. I looked further, and found that their conviction could have been avoided if your officers had just talked to them, clarified that those they were working for were suspected to be working for the side they thought they were working against." There was a pause, her head tilted. "If anyone is to blame for your officers injuries, it is those who called the shots on that mission."

"Which wasn't me," Carmelita cut in. "Different department, who's head paid the price. But my brothers and sisters in arms were hurt, they bled for that mission. And at its heart were a dozen or so guns for hire, who just so happen to claim they don't know what side they were fighting for. In a court of justice, that is not good enough. They were paying for what they did…"

"Until I organised their appeal, spending a year of hard work on it, despite the concerns of those around me, despite the false starts and near collapses. But I freed them, and got them working for me," Lt Vixen said, in her chippiest voice possible. "And they've done splendid work, don't you know? Lived free and happy lives, when we need them they're loyal to a fault. Why wouldn't they be? If you had your way, they'd still be locked up and wasting away today."

"Paying for the injuries they caused," Carmelita spat. "Back at Interpol HQ, I still meet with our brave mammals who came out of that mission different to when they went in. I see them hobble around with canes, or with an eyepatch where an eye was. And at least before, those who had done that to them were paying for it, until you came along."

Lt Vixen smiled. "What can I say, mission successful."

Carmelita halted herself and took a step forward, matched by her opponent as they came in to skirmish once more. "What can I say, but mission failed. Do I look flustered to you?"

For a second, the army fox let a twitch grow on her muzzle, before she pushed it off and attacked, this time taking the offensive. Punch, miss. Punch. Miss. Duck to the side to block and out with a roundhouse kick, Carmelita leaping backwards to dodge it. Her top forward, another pair of punches, one badly blocked and hitting home, the other aborted to hook around and pull away a retaliation.

It skirted her shoulder and she stayed herself with a foot, as Carmelita came in again with a pair of narrowly dodged punches, leaving her exposed. Lt Vixen then pushed in. One in the gut, one in the solar plexus. Winded, pushed back, Carmelita retreated, paws up only to defend and block the punches. Left-right-left-right-left-right, the army fox worked up a pant while the cop fox bruised her forelimbs, constantly retreating as she turned around and led her opponent across the field.

"As I said, you're old," Lt Vixen taunted, hitting left, hitting right, then pulling up a roundhouse kick that caught up with her opponent's retreat and knocked her bracing leg's claws out of their hold. Two quick punches came, not meant to hit but to keep the Inspector's paws busy, making sure she didn't have the chance to regroup and take the initiative as the army fox replanted herself to renew her offensive. "A younger fox could have struck back there. You're past it I'm afraid."

"Oh I wouldn't say so," Carmelita said, even as she had to jump back, letting a flurry of punches merely bruise the air in front of her chest. "With age comes a lot of things. A sense of caution. Wisdom. Patience."

Lt Vixen punched again, Carmelita jerking to the left, into the second strike which sent her stumbling back a bit. Lt Vixen, eyes fixed, followed her and pulled back her fist for the coup de grace as the Inspector stood tall and ready in the limelight.

The rays of light coming in from the ceiling.

Hitting her neck and shining off her badge, right into Lt Vixen's eyes. The army fox winced for a fraction of a second, but it was a fraction of a second too much. Carmelita pushed forward, Lt Vixen fired her punch but the tracking was poor, Carmelita diving down, pulling her head out of the way, feeling the fur race past against her cheek tufts and letting her other arm launch up and around into Lt Vixen's other elbow. Free paw grabbing the extended arm at its base, her coiled legs shot out and she pounced into a perfect vulpine arc, carrying her opponent beneath her for a slam down.

Lt Vixen shifted herself, but still hit the ground with her shoulder, crumpling down hard but making sure Carmelita didn't make her a fox sandwich with the ground.

Something she'd been counting on, now having to let go of her opponent to brace her fall. Landing well she bounced back up, turning around to see the army fox throw herself straight into an attack, arm launched into a charging punch. Carm shot her arm back to meet it. Lt Vixen adjusted hers, twisting her arm around Carm's, pulling up to grip it then down to lock her arm down against her opponents neck, pushing her down while lifting herself up. Something the police fox matched by making sure her arm locked on and levered just as tight..

Arms wrapped together, around each other's, around their opponents necks, as they stood up they were nose to nose.

Both their free paws came in, both matched each other, both gripped.

They stood there, locked together, facing off.

Both trying to pull each other down, not that it would work.

Stalemate.

Carm looked on angrily, while Lt Vixen let her grimace grow into a smile. "And there's your card played. Got anymore?"

"Patience."

"I have that too."

"I'm not going to give up before you give up."

"I'm not going to give up before you give up."

"Zorra perra…"

"You know, I did go to the bathroom before this, did you?"

"Like I wouldn't aim it at your feet…"

From the sideline, the four onlookers looked at each other. Judy had her paws out. "They can't go on like this forever, can they?"

They kept on staring at each other, Judy's ears flagging down.

Jack, smiling, gave her a look. "So what now Judy Hopps? Are they to be two vixens locked in an epic battle until judgement day and the trumpets sound?"

"While I'd really like that," Nick said, looking up, nodding and getting a certain look from Judy. "I think I have a plan."

"I think I do too," Skye said.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Do you see those two brushes over there?"

"So this isn't like the fennec, red panda, hyena time," Nick smiled. As did Skye, as they went over and grabbed the brushes.

"Hey, you two," Nick announced.

"We've got your weapons!" Skye followed. And with that, they tossed them, both battling vixens diving for them, picking them up and pulling them against each other's heads.

"BOOM!" they both shouted, at the same time.

Nick and Skye's smugness left them, as Judy gave them a sympathetic look. "Well, at least you tried…"

Lying on the ring, stalemated again, were the two vixens.

"If it's any consolation," Carmelita said, "I am imagining a ludicrous number of volts coursing through your smug face right now. And me using that to get on top of you, cuff you, and win. Just like I said."

"Hmmm, and I'm imagining a very small bit of metal moving through your head at a very high speed." Carmelita snarled, but remained silent. "-And not all headshots are fatal, but even if this one wasn't, which I'm pretty sure it isn't… I think I'd be the one walking off after this in better shape than you, don't you think?" Her smile increased, and she gave a nod to Skye. "So, I think I win. First dibs on the suspect, wasn't it?"

Closing her eyes, Carmelita huffed. "Fine," she said, as if the words were poison. "But if you pull one of your deals and rob that goat away from us, then I'll have interpol go over your life like a fine tooth comb. Trust me, we will find something, I'm certain."

"And I have good lawyers," Lt Vixen said, brushing herself off as she exited the ring. A nod and fistbump to her sister, and then they and Jack went their way.

Carmelita, Nick and Judy were left in the room, the fox tod looking a bit self-conscious. "Sorry, I didn't think that one…"

"No," she huffed. "Thank you. I suppose there was no better way to win that." She offered a smile. "You at least saved my dignity."

"Well," Nick said, leading her out. "You can thank my partner for the practice."

Judy smiled. "Awwww, thank… -Waidamminit!" And with that, off she went after them.