A/N: Well I'll be surprised... we're already at three favs and six follows! What?! You guys are awesome. Thank you all so much for sticking with me and this story! I can assure you that the story will only get better from here on out. Don't believe me? Read the next chapter and find out.
Be warned, this will be a long one and it's quite an emotional rollercoaster.
Chapter 4: An Unfriendly But Familiar Face
Zootopia Prison - 6:30 AM
The outside of Zootopia Prison was dark and gloomy. While it was still a little bit dark outside with some sunlight creeping in, heavy rain poured down from the clouds above. A police cruiser pulled up to the two prison doors, which were locked up tight. That was no surprise; it was completely normal for the prison doors to be closed and locked up so that way suspects wouldn't escape. The car came to a stop, and its doors opened. Judy, Nick, and Kaitlyn all got out of the car and walked up to the double prison doors.
"This is the ZPD," Judy called, knocking on the door. "Open up please. We need to talk to a prisoner here."
Soon, the double doors opened, revealing a security guard standing in the doorway. It was a polar bear all dressed up in police blues. He smiled when he recognized the small gray bunny and tall red fox standing before him.
"Ah, hello Officer Hopps and Wilde," he greeted the duo. "What brings you two here this early in the morning?"
"What cell is Dawn Bellwether in?" Nick asked.
"Dawn Bellwether? Well, that's quite a surprise. Do you need to talk to her?"
"As a matter of fact, we do," said Kaitlyn, holding up her laptop to show the security guard the image on her screen. "It seems that Dawn Bellwether could be a lead."
"I see." The polar bear nodded his head in understanding and looked closely at the screen, his eyes wide when he saw the image of one of the inmates. The image showed a sheep wearing glasses and a prison jumpsuit. He looked away from the screen and led the trio inside, completely out of the pouring rain.
The double doors closed behind them as they walked down the hallway to where the cells were located. Behind each set of bars was a prisoner. Some were asleep, some were sitting and doing nothing, and some were taking a dump. Suddenly, the four cops came to a stop when they reached a cell marked 'number 23'. Inside the cell was a certain sheep wearing eyeglasses and an orange jumpsuit. The former mayor, Dawn Bellwether, was sitting on her bed, clearly doing nothing. Her days of being mayor of Zootopia were all over after the little stunt she pulled, being the mastermind of the Nighthowler serum. Basically, she was the one behind all that, and nobody even noticed. However, thanks to the teamwork of Nick and Judy, they exposed Bellwether and the crazed sheep mayor was arrested and imprisoned.
"Dawn Bellwether," said the security guard, banging on the sheep's cell. "You have some visitors."
Slowly, Dawn turned her attention towards the fox, bunny, and hedgehog with a stern look. "Well well well," she said with a smirk. "If it isn't Officer Hopps. I haven't seen you in forever. How's life treating you these days?"
"We want answers, Bellwether," said Judy, her eyes narrowed. "A new drug called AniDote is slowly wiping out our population. Do you know who could be responsible for this matter?"
"Like hell I know," Dawn replied, rolling her eyes. "The last thing I remember was me being the mastermind of the Nighthowler serum, until you two took that away from me. I ain't telling you anything."
"This is serious, you crazy ewe," Nick snapped, wrapping his paws around the bars of the inmate's cell tightly. "You're going to tell us what we want to know, and if you don't, we'll make you talk. Do you understand?"
"You better listen to him, Bellwether. You really don't wanna know what will happen to you if you don't tell us anything. Now spit it out, or else we'll spit it out for you."
"Alright, okay fine." Dawn took a step back. "I'll tell you, okay?" she said, her eyes wide with fear. "Just please... don't hurt me. I've been beaten enough around here."
"Then you better talk," Kaitlyn growled. "Now, we're going to ask this question again, and you better answer with complete honesty. Do you know who could be responsible for creating this new drug that's slowly killing our population?"
Dawn gulped, knowing what the three cops were getting at. "Well," she began. "I don't entirely know this, but... whoever made a drug like that is most likely a really bad predator. His plan is to kill every single species in Zootopia, including prey mammals like myself. To be honest, I'm very terrified, like I'm scared to even drink anything at this point."
"Sweet cheese and crackers," Judy muttered. "Are you completely sure that that's all you know, Bellwether?"
"No, but I do know this." Dawn took a deep breath before speaking again. "This predator," she said. "His name is Ultra, and he's bad. Like really bad. I don't know what kind of species he is because... well, he's always dressed in black, and it covers his fur and shields his identity. So... I don't know what type of animal he is."
"Do you have, or did you have any connections with this guy?" Nick asked, writing down notes on a clipboard.
"No, not at all," Dawn replied. "But I know that he's out to get me and the other inmates here. I've been trying to tell the security guard about this, but he doesn't believe me."
"Bellwether, I am truly sorry for not believing you," said the security guard. "I just thought that you were lying and making up an excuse to bail yourself out of here."
"Well, do you believe me now?"
"Affirmative."
Nick and Judy both stared in shock at the sheep. For once, they actually believed her. This guy was definitely up to no good, and if Nick, Judy, and Kaitlyn didn't do anything soon, more and more animals would die.
"Is that everything you know?" Kaitlyn asked. "Like are you certain that this is really happening and you're not behind this case also?"
"I'm telling the truth," Dawn replied. "And no, I am not behind this case. I'm serving my time here behind bars and trying to change after what I did."
"I see," said Nick, nodding his head in understanding. "Well, if that's the case, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions. We could use all the details and evidence we can get to stop this guy."
"Yeah, thank you for your time," said Judy. "That's all we needed today. Don't expect us to be back anytime soon."
"Of course," said Dawn as she sat back down on her bed. "Oh mutton chops, I'm never gonna get out of here. Oh, Kasey... if you can hear me, you've been my best friend since the beginning. I hope you're alright..."
"Wait... what did you say?" Kaitlyn asked, her eyes wide with shock. "Did you just say... my sister's name? You know my sister?"
"I guess you could say that," Dawn replied. "But yes, we've been besties for years, and ever since she disappeared, I haven't heard a word from her since. Maybe she's been... taken. Or worse. Killed."
"Killed?!" Kaitlyn began breathing heavily, nearly hyperventilating. She couldn't believe it. Her sister had to be alive. She couldn't be dead. She had to find her no matter what it took.
"Kaitlyn, are you okay?" Judy asked, a concerned look on her face as she glanced over at the panicked hedgehog.
"No no no..." Kaitlyn muttered under her breath before completely losing her temper. "No no no! She's... she's gotta be alive! She can't be dead! She's my sister! She's my whole world and I can't take it if she's gone! We have to find her! We have to!"
"Hey, it'll be okay." Judy placed a comforting paw on her partner's shoulder. "We'll find her, Kaitlyn," she said. "I promise. She can't be far."
"But Zootopia is so big! I don't know where that monster could be hiding! For all I know, he could be outside of Savannah Central drugging citizens! We can't let him drug anyone else, not even my sister!"
Dawn could do nothing but stare in shock as she watched the light gray hedgehog burst into tears. Normally, Kaitlyn was a very strong animal, and she wouldn't let things get to her, but after hearing the news about her sister, she broke. Literally broke. Fortunately, Nick came to the rescue and led the distraught hedgehog out of the prison, taking her to the car. It was still raining outside, but it wasn't raining as hard as it was before.
"It'll be fine, Bellwether," said Judy. "We're going to solve this case, and we'll make sure that that monster spends the rest of his life behind bars. We'll find him and your best friend. Once again, we appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions."
Without another word, Judy followed the security guard out of the prison and out into the rain.
"Why did you just lose it like that, Kait?" Nick asked, looking over at Kaitlyn with a concerned look. The hedgehog was still crying, tears falling down her cheeks. Slowly, she wiped her tears away and looked up at Nick, who was worried about her.
"It's... it's nothing," she lied, looking away.
"That doesn't look like nothing," said Nick. "What happened? Why did you just lose it like that? I'm your partner. You know you can tell me or Judy anything."
"Nick, as much as I wanna tell you why, I'm afraid I'll break down again, but even worse this time." Kaitlyn sighed and took a deep breath before continuing. "It all started after my mom died," she said. "After my mom was killed by that savage polar bear, my sister just... disappeared. I looked over my shoulder and... she was gone. She was standing right beside me when my mom passed away, and now she disappeared. I've never been so scared in my life. I'm so sorry for losing my cool..."
Nick said nothing but held the hedgehog close in a warm and gentle embrace, an embrace that he normally gave his partner Judy. This time, however, he thought his new partner could use a hug, so he made an exception. Hopefully Judy wouldn't mind.
"It's okay, Kait," he said. "I understand. Really I do. I also had a dark past. It happened when I was a kid. I was like eight or nine when it happened..."
"What happened?" Kaitlyn asked, looking up at Nick with tears still visible on her face.
"Let's just say... when I was little, I learned that being a fox was difficult," the vulpine replied. "All I wanted was to be like everyone else, but it just wasn't meant to be. On the first day of the Junior Ranger Scouts meeting, those troop members turned on me. They... pushed me down to the ground, and... they..."
"What did they do?"
"They... they put a muzzle on me and kicked me out of the troop. I had never been so scared and humiliated in my entire life. That night, I learned two things... one, I was never gonna let anyone see that they got to me, and two... if the world's only going to see a fox who is shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else."
"I had no idea." Kaitlyn could do nothing but stare in complete shock. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, Nick," she said.
"Eh, it doesn't bother me that much anymore," he said with a chuckle. "Judy told me I'm so much more than that, and she's right."
"I'm glad you told me what happened." Kaitlyn wiped her tears away and smiled at the fox. "My mom told me to follow my dreams and never give up," she said before looking down at herself. "She... she also told me those words on the day she died. Before she slipped away, those were the last words she spoke to me, and I've been keeping my promise to her ever since she died. I want to make her proud, even if she's not alive anymore."
"I think your mom is already so proud of you, Kait," said Nick. "She's smiling down at you from above saying she loves you, and she wants you to never give up on your dream. You're definitely making your mother proud."
"Thanks, Nick," said Kaitlyn, sighing contentedly as the fox held her tighter. "You're such a good partner."
"Well, I do have my moments." The vulpine let out a chuckle as he released his grip on Kaitlyn, who was no longer crying. Instead, the hedgehog was back to her normal happy self.
"Where's Judy?" she asked, looking out the window.
"She's probably talking to the guard, but she'll be out of there soon," Nick replied. "You okay now? Feeling better?"
"Yup," said Kaitlyn. "Much better. Again, I'm sorry for losing it like that."
"No, it's okay." The fox put a comforting paw on his partner's shoulder. "We're gonna find her," he said. "I promise."
"And we'll also stop Ultra," she said. "That predator is bad news."
"Couldn't agree more." Suddenly, the rain stopped, and Nick breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in the driver's seat, glad that the storm was over. However, he was startled by the sound of someone tapping on the glass of the car window, but he knew that it was only Judy. Without a word, he rolled down the window and was met face to face with his partner's amethyst eyes.
"Nick, it's me," said Judy, smirking at the fox. "Get out of the driver's seat. You know I'm the one who drives the car."
"Aww, come on Carrots," Nick whined. "Can't you let me drive at least once?"
"Not a chance, you dumb fox," the doe replied, teasing him. "Now move over."
"Fine, you win." Nick rolled his eyes and moved over, allowing Judy to slide into the driver's seat. With a confident smile, the bunny sat down behind the wheel, turned the key, and pulled out from in front of the prison, heading out into the busy street.
And so, the three cops began their leg of the case, not knowing that it was only going to get harder - and worse - from here on out. Little did they know was that there was someone following them... and that someone was no good.
"Uh, guys?" Kaitlyn asked, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and fear. "We're being followed."
A/N: And there they go... off to start their leg of the case! With someone following them though. Who could it be...?
I apologize for the huge delay on this chapter. This was a tough one to write; I was crying while writing some of it. No joke.
Anyway, hope you're enjoying the story so far! Next chapter will be quite a bumpy ride, so be prepared. Lots of action and drama coming your way.
-Ultra