Chapter 48: A Big Meeting

A tense silence filled the room, Judy and Jack still both slack-jawed, unwilling to make a move nor emit a sound.

Trigger's muzzle furrowed into a snarl, teeth clenched tight as a low growl edged out of his throat. "Judy…" he warned. The glare in his eye showed it clear about who he was getting ready to blame for this reveal of information.

Koslov placed one large paw protectively by Mr. Big, ready to protect his boss if needed be, even as his other paw snapped to his waist, brushing aside his suit to reveal the ivory grip of a polished, gleaming, and very mean looking pistol hilt that was ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice.

But Mr. Big only broke into a laugh. "Oh, Judy Hopps, what strange stories I thought you would tell! So it is true!" He chuckled some more, finally quieting down before addressing Trigger again. "Fear not, young child, no one betrayed you, especially Judy or Savage. Instead, you can call it… Business intuition! My daughter Fru Fru here only let me know that a friend of Judy's was in trouble over what went down in Bana City. It sounded serious, so after some prodding of Judy directly, I felt like I heard enough to ask for us to meet. Giver her credit, young one, she never let me know who you really are or what you do. That, I had to piece the pieces together myself. But Judy knows my importing business means that I have more information about what happened there than most. As for you? I had very minor suspicions due to rumors I get from the underground of Ocelotian pilots in the city, but when Agent Savage and the USAF got involved the other day, well? Let's agree to call it a guess of faith. But I didn't know for certain until just now. Your reactions told me enough." He tapped Koslov's paw next to his chair to let his guard know that it was safe to move further away. "Let us relax here, no one's in danger. Judy, Savage, I know your offices will both be very interested in what's being said here. We can work out the details later, however that is also is why I must ask for my apologies on the extra security. It's for both of our safety, better than to be sorry later. As for you, Three Strikes, also fear not. As long as you don't confirm by telling my outright, I know how to pretend not to recognize what I can tell by seeing with my own eyes." Spreading his arms dramatically wide, wide addressed everyone. "Let us not linger on this unpleasantness any longer. While the occasion might be a poor one, let us not speak to each other with hostility, but as family! And please, continue to enjoy the tea. Mi casa es su casa!" Lowering his arms arms to a relaxed position on his lap, he watched the pilot once more. "What's your name, child? I don't wish to call you by a title bestowed onto you by your enemies. While your title is catchy, and no doubt well earned, I would prefer to hear your name. And don't worry, child, I know how to keep a secret."

"H-humphrey," Trigger mumbled, looking like he just wanted to vanish. Or at least be let out of the room. "Humphrey Reyevski."

Judy's lowered when she realized something that struck her as being quite horrible: for the first time since she knew him, Trigger just gave his real name to someone who didn't already know his callsign. This someone was Mr. Big.

"And you can just call me 'Mr. Big'," the mafioso continued quite casually. "I would normally ask for something a little less formal, but a working relationship between us is perhaps the best we should be striving for. If I may though, just between the two of us, I would have thought that as one of Ocelotia's famous pilots, I did expect you to be bigger." As soon as Trigger started to frown at the comment, Big started to chuckle. "Between the two of us, I'm sure you get that a lot." When Trigger didn't react with any visible amusement, Big continued without so much as a shrug. "You must wonder why I arranged for us to meet face to face, especially since I am aware that you know, if only a little, of my reputation."

Trigger's eyes glanced upwards. "It crossed my mind," he mumbled. "I'm more interested in what you know."

Koslov snorted loudly, warning the pilot that he really needed to be more polite.

The corner of Big's mouth twitched into an amused smirk. "Straight to the point? I like that. Very well, where to start? What happened to your home, if you suspect that my business might be involved as it was with Bellweather's attempts at power grabbing, than ease your fears. My export partners were not involved in attacking Bana City."

"Oh goodie," Trigger grumbled, sarcasm dripping like venom in his voice, gaze finding more interest in his refreshed cup of tea over a staring contest with a mob boss. "Guess I don't have to kill you then- Fuc- Judy!" His freshly refilled cup was now half-spilled over his shirt from the rough jab to the shoulder that the police officer gave him. Grumbling again, he put the cup down in order to free up his arms to roughly paw at the wet spot.

"You can't say things like that!" Despite the harsh action, Judy was also still aware of the passenger on her own shoulder, so she was now busy with keeping Fru Fru from falling off. Not that she needed to protect herself from the pilot retaliating. Koslov coming over and towering over them with a menacing snarl was more than warning enough. "Especially not to Mr. Big! You're here as his guest, after all. Do remember that before running your mouth."

"Humphrey? Judy? Both of you behave," Jack muttered, almost sounding bored. "As interesting of a sight of having you two fight in the home of Mr. Big makes, I might also add it does make you both look like rather poor guests. But she's right, Humphrey. Pissed off or not about what happened, you control yourself." Grumbling to himself, the pilot crossed his arms, but visibly bit back a snarky remark towards Jack.

Beckoning for Koslov to back down again, Big returned his attention to the guests, sporting another amused smile. "My dear Judy, you brought over a lively one this time around!" he gave a slight chuckle. "I can see why the Urusians have a reason to fear you, little coyote. I can't vouch for your skill, but you've got spirit!" When Trigger continued to simply glare back in silence, arms still crossed, he gave a slight shrug of indifference. "As I said, it's easy to think that Urusia might have used less than legal means to acquire their source of nighthowler plants, but I can say with strong certainty that their source was above the board, and mainly domestic."

"Legally acquired nighthowlers, especially in large quantities, is easy to track," Jack pointed out. "Urusia didn't have such purchases. And yet you're saying it wasn't illegal. Which was it?"

"Domestic," Big answered plainly. "They bought out the entire crop normally reserved for their organic farming. That's on top of whatever they have been storing preemptively from prior years." He noticed a slight twitch from one of his guests. "Yes, Judy?"

"Bellweather used a large train cart to manufacture just a few tiny pellets," Judy pointed out. "Was Urusia really able to buy it all out without anyone noticing? What about buying from neighbors? Other friendly nations?"

Mr. Big nodded with a slight smile. "A likely theory. But my import connections in Urusia let me know that their stock of nighthowlers was depleted." He raised a finger for emphasis. "And, that there was non to be found on the black market. No, Urusia stripped itself clean for what it had planned."

"Any why not smuggle it in?" Trigger mumbled, not looking like he was too interested in the answer. "Not like they cared about breaking any laws with what they did with it."

"Because…" Mr. Big paused for a moment, then smirked a little as he pointed at Trigger. "You know Nicholas Wilde well. Good kid, he is. Do you know that Nicky used to work for me? You know why I tossed him out? Swore that he would never walk into my home ever again for fear of death?"

Trigger just shook his head slightly, even as Judy shuffled nervously next to him.

"My business was always meant to help support those who society was more than happy to ignore," Mr. Big explained, tilting his head up in memory. "Gram-mama needed my help to sell her cannoli, but there was only so much I can do with a bicycle. With a little help from some of the bears you saw today, we lay the foundation of a business empire. At that time, us rodents didn't even have a place to live – we made do with whatever hole we can find to stuff ourselves into. That was why I set out in creating Little Rodentia, to build a home for those who otherwise won't have one. And that-" He pointed at the air in front of him, as though Nick was standing right there. "That was what I gave to Nicky when I found him, lost and alone in a cold and cruel world. He got a second home after his first proved unsuitable. All I asked in turn was for him to work for me. I never asked him to do anything illegal, never anything that would turn him into a bad mammal. And? He was all right. Grew proud, confident." The amused smirk fell a little. "And arrogant. Very arrogant. Didn't take very long for him to start believing that he was better than everyone else. That he knew better. I didn't see it at the time. Gram-mama baked him one of her cannolis. You know what that means? We were family. When she passed away, I knew I could trust him on a very important, if simple, task." Next to Big, Koslov crossed himself at the mention of Gram-mama's passing. "I asked Nicky to get a rug for me. A special rug, that will be used to bury Gram-mama in. Gave him the funds for it too. And you know what he did?"

All of Big's expression turned sour in an instant, the little shrew shuddering in disgust. "He got me a rug all right. A rug made out of the fur of a butt. Of a skunk. All because he wanted to save a penny and pocket the difference."

As he concluded his story, Judy found it very interesting to examine her teacup closely. Trigger, for his part, still simply glared at the table in front of Big with arms still crossed.

"When you rely on the underground supply chain to get results, you tend to get bitten," Big explained. "Nicky got too confident, and too cocky. And I'm afraid he was hardly the only one. Too many suppliers willing to run a con to make a quick buck. That is why Urusia wouldn't dare to rely on someone such as myself or my competition to purchase a large supply of nighthowlers. Why they risked using up their entire domestic supply instead. Even Bellweather herself relied on businesses like mine for as little as possible until she was able to secure her own production, as small as it was. It's Savage's work to know exactly how they got away with it, but perhaps some of what I say today will help him persuade others to save their time and effort."

"We… Already knew that Urusia used its own supply for the bomb," Jack muttered carefully. "Letting us know that it wasn't smuggled in isn't all that much of news. And we still don't even know why they did what they did."

Big shrugged. "No one knows why. But I can provide a name for who."

That got everyone's attention, especially Trigger's.

Big turned his attention fully on Jack. "A name you've definitely come across before. He for certain did everything he can to make sure that no one knows that he was responsible. But my Urusian friends assured me that he was involved in every step of the way. That he was the one to make the final call to attack Bana City."

"Who?" Trigger growled, emphasizing his shortness of temper.

"Rear Admiral Samuel Prong," Big said, startled by the pilot's voice. "Vice chief of Urusia's naval operations. That's what you'll find on his business card. And what you won't find on it, head of the Urusian nighthowler bomb project. Savage? I had to ask for a few favors to find this out. Friends who are now at risk for their lives for letting the information get out, even to one as I. So now I am asking you on their behalf: Use your people and power to find the proof that he's responsible."

Jack sighed. "He's one of the first we suspected. After all, he's involved with most of Urusia's tech projects. We didn't find anything that time. You say he's the one?" Jack shrugged. "It'll be hard to convince the others, but I know that at least I won't rest until I find the evidence. Least we owe Ocelotia is to bring him to justice. Or at least find out enough to know that it wasn't him. But about him: he's only the vice chief. What about Urusia's chief of operations?"

"Too high up, too close to the parliament and royal family," was the blunt answer. "The Princess of Urusia was needed to rile up support for the war, but she needed to be steered clear of any harm that can come from finding out about the finer details. The crying of hers during the international conference after the attack? That was genuine. She was as heartbroken as any one of us, if not even more, for what her country had done. No, I'm sure that while the chief of staff had orders to figure out ways to win the war as it's his job in the end, it's Rear Admiral Prong who was involved with the nighthowler program. Beginning to end." Big smiled back knowingly. "Let this be a lesson for all of you: When you hear in the news about a useful tip from a reliable anonymous source? Mammals like me can be that reliable source." He nodded over at Koslov standing next to him. "One of my bears will give you the few details I have on your way out. It's not much, and can only be treated as speculation at best. My advice? Read it over, and burn it before you get back to the station." He gave a rather sinister grin. "All of the outdoor trash bins on my property are especially reinforced against fire."

"Just him?" Trigger's voice was quiet. Restrained. "He was responsible for all of that? Organizing the development of, testing… Authorizing it's use. That was all only him?"

"That, we don't know. But merely speculating?" Big paused, especially when Trigger noticeably winced at those words. "I'm afraid I don't have the answers for that. Could more than one person be responsible for choosing on whether to use a bomb made of nighthowlers? Likely. But something like that… People lower down need someone of authority to make the final call. From what I've learned, Prong is your guy."

A period of unsettling silence settled into the room as the guests pondered over what they were told. Silence that was interrupted only by a low growling emanating from a certain pilot. Low and barely audible, but compared to the lack of noise emitted by anyone else, very noticeable.

"Humphrey?" The slight sensation of movement in her paws reminded Judy that she was still holding onto him, so she gave a little squeeze to make sure that he was aware too. "Please stop that growling. Talk to us."

His fierce scowl slowly dwindled away, leaving in its place a slight embarrassed expression. "I-" he visibly struggled with his words. "A-assuming that you're even correct here," he glared at Big accusingly. "What I do as a p- what my work has me do means that I'll hardly be in a positing to do anything about Urusia officers! Even if he's the one who okayed the entire program that-" he froze. "T-that killed my family, what am I even supposed to do with it? You asked for me to be here. W-why?"

Big leaned ever so slightly forward from his chair. "Let me ask you a question, little Humphrey. If Rear Admiral Prong was standing right here, and you had all of the evidence you ever needed to know that he made the call that lead to the death of your family, what would you do?"

"I-" Trigger froze again. "I would…"

Judy squeezed his paw again. "Go on. We won't judge you."

"We can already guess the answer, so it's okay to say it," Jack added. "The question is are you willing to?"

"I-I would tear him to pieces," Trigger admitted, raising his free arm and flexing his claws. "Won't even need any weapons. These and my teeth would do." He looked down, ashamed. "Would... probably prefer not to use the quick and easy way out, honestly speaking. I would want to make him suffer. See and feel his blood run out of his body, listen to him scream..." His gaze shifted suddenly as he felt Judy stroke his arm gently, trying to calm him down.

Big nodded. "Not a since sentiment to be listening to, but anyone who says it's not an understandable one is lying, especially to themselves. This whole mess reminds me of the first time we were troubled by nighthowlers. When I first entertained Judy as a guest of mine, she was just a fresh cop in the ZPD. Was tasked on what is now we call the Nighthowler case. I told her something then, something important. The words might have been somewhat wrong at that time, but I fear now that recent events have proved them to be more correct and important than ever before. You know what I told her?"

Trigger hesitated, then shook his head.

"We may be evolved," Big said sinisterly, voice repeating what he said to Judy years ago perfectly. "But deep down, we are still animals."

Leaning back against his chair, he relaxed despite the looks he was getting from the others, especially Trigger's angry scowl. "It does make me glad to see that you recognize that we are all capable of terrible things if pushed too far. While your work will most likely mean that you will never cross paths with whoever truly is responsible for that terrible act, in the event that you do happen to cross paths, I must warn you: do not allow yourself to fall into the temptation that now will always be deep inside you."

Trigger bristled in renwed anger. "And why the hell not?"

Big leaned over again, locking his gaze with the pilot's. "Will you be able to live with yourself if you will?" The battle of wills continued, until Trigger relented and shuffled back, ears flat against his head. "You won't be hurting just yourself," the much smaller mammal further explained. "You'll be hurting others as well. The family you do have left."

"I don't have any family left," Trigger growled out.

"Oh little coyote, you don't really think that you don't?" Big asked, completely unphased by the anger. "No extended family? No one close to you not directly related? What about your coworkers? Your close friends?" Trigger bit his lip, looking like he was regretting his outburst. "If you did something terrible, you'll be hurting Judy here. You want to tell me that you won't care about that?"

Trigger looked over at Judy with a shamed gaze. "I guess I would care," he mumbled, noting the small smile she returned for the answer. "B-but that doesn't matter. You said it yourself: that asshole who killed my family? And let's be realistic. I'll never so much as be in the same building as him. So why fuss over that hypothetical?"

"No, you won't meet him," Big spoke slowly. "But your work will mean that you will feel that tug of temptation many times, and against whom? Some Urusian in the home they grew up in? Someone who had no choice in which country they were born in? You give in to your desires, and you won't be any better than those who hurt you. Do remember that when your work will cause you to be away from us. Here in Zootopia, you have friends that can help you. But what are you to do once their gentle pull no longer has a hold on you? Think of that... often. With every fiber of your being, fight the temptation and nager! Don't let yourself succumb to that savage beast deep inside of you." Big offered Trigger a small, sympathetic if grim smile. "I wanted you all to know who I suspect is responsible for the following, simple reason: First, Savage, I want you to do everything you can to find who in fact is the culprit. And I warn you: After decades in my line of business, I am seldom wrong. Find the evidence, let the world know. Savage? It will be hard, but find the proof. A project of this size always leaves behind pawprints that you can follow. As for you, little Humphrey, I am hoping that perhaps, hopefully soon, or perhaps not so soon, you will hear on the news that a Rear Admiral Prong has been apprehended and brought to justice. I am hoping that when you will know for certain who did it, that you will feel a great burden lift off your shoulders. Is that enough?"

Trigger glanced down. "I- I guess." Picking up his cup, he quickly swallowed down the remaining liquid before putting it immediately back down. "If that's all you have, I want to go now." Shakily, he stood up, needing to prop his arms against his knees to avoid falling over. "T-thanks for the tea. Uhh, yeah, that's it then, isn't it?" Unsteadily still, he held out his paw for Big to shake. "And I guess… Thank you for.. for arranging this meeting." Considering the much smaller stature of the other mammal, he accepted the gesture being returned through the mere shaking of a single claw.

"It's been a pleasure, Pilot with the Three Strikes."

Trigger jolted back at being addressed by the title, jerking his arm back as though he'd been stung. Without a word, he stumbled back away from the table, heading quickly towards the door that would let him out.

While Jack looked like he wanted to stay a little longer, Judy only needed a single glance at Trigger before following him, staying close to make sure that he would at least stay upright.

And while Big stayed in the large room, Fru Fru continued to use Judy as a mobile seat. "Dear? You don't look so good." Past the doors and back in the corridor, Trigger was leaning heavily against a wall, breathing like he had just finished a long run rather than sit still while drinking a calming brew.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he complained.

"Was it the tea?" she asked. "I've given it to canines before, and they've all been fine with it-"

"-It's not the tea!" he quickly reassured her. "The tea was a good choice, really. No, it's… everything else. Too much for a five minute meeting." He glanced up when the doors opened up again, letting Jack through, who was himself flipping through a set of documents. "Anything useful?"

Jack shuffled through a second time. "Afraid not really. Basically what we heard, just a bit more elaborate. Lots of publicly available info, too. People in Urusia's government and military, private sector and which companies to look for… Most of this we're already on, but Big sounds certain it's Rear Admiral Prong. Otherwise he wouldn't have said anything. Come on, you don't look that great hugging the wall like that. Let's get you back to the car."

"Do I really look that much like shit?"

Despite herself, Judy couldn't help herself but chuckle. "Yeah, you really do look that terrible."

It was Raymond who guided them back down the corridor, keeping a careful second eye out on the visibly unsteady Trigger. Had he been waiting for them the entire time? Actually, rather likely, staying close where Mr. Big can call on him at a moment's notice. Even Judy, her own passenger still on her shoulder, kept a close pace to the pilot to make sure that he won't fall over suddenly. She couldn't help but feel really worried about him – such a meeting shouldn't have left him in such a state.

"Well then, sounds like you have your work cut out for you, doesn't it?" Trigger asked with an unusual smirk, heavily contrasted with his pained expression from just moments before.

Jack nodded. "Guess so."

"You.. Will let me know, will you?" Trigger than asked.

The agent tilted his head. "Tell you what?"

Trigger blinked like it was an obvious question. "If he really's the one responsible or not," he elaborated.

Jack frowned. "Oh, that. Yeah, I will. I'll let Judy know when I do find out, and she'll pass it onto you." He didn't sound very convincing, but with a wince, Trigger didn't look too eager to pay attention to the answer either.

They got to the final set of doors, at which point Fru Fru tugged on Judy's shirt to let her know that it was her stop. "It's always good seeing you! Come again soon!" She gave the officer a wide hug, really meaning hugging Judy's neck more than anything.

Judy held up her passenger for Raymond to take over. "Let's plan on my next visit to be for a much better occasion. We should find a new spot in the city, part of me thinks our usual watering hole is getting old." She winked at her friend. "Just don't choose anything pricey unless you're covering my tab!"

Jack collapsed into a coughing fit that sounded an awful lot like "bribing a police officer!" Judy shot him a nasty look, and with Fru Fru no longer riding on her shoulder, was free to jab his own for the poorly hidden comment at her expense.

"Careful there," Raymond commented with a grin of his own. "Boss doesn't tolerate violence on his grounds. You want to fight?" Fru Fru safely cupped in one large paw, he used his other to open the large set of doors, hardly noticing the harsh rush of cold air that swept through the entrance way. "Take it outside."

Judy held out her arm to shake his. "There's going to be no need for that. While we already did, do pass along our thanks for Big's hospitality. And you too, Fru Fru. Today was short, but I promise to make it up soon!" She noticed that someone was rushing rather quickly outside. "But unfortunately, I gotta bounce. Bye!" She rushed out herself, following the others.

Jack had pulled out a lighter from his pocket, and just as Big had suggested, was already lighting the papers on fire. He took advantage of the hear of the flames to ward off the cold of the artificial blizzard for a bit, letting them consume the pages before bouncing up and tossing the remains into it before the fire can get to him. Within moments, only a wisp of smoke told of the contents that used to be within.

Trigger in the meantime found another wall to lean against, bracing himself with an arm as he shuddered violently. His teeth were bared once more in a pained grimace, eyes clenched shut.

"Humphrey?" Judy bolted over, concern plastered all over her features. "You don't look good at all. Let's get you back to the car befo-"

With a lurch, the pilot doubled over only to retch into the snow, groaning in complaint against the burning, acidic sensation.

"...Or maybe it's better not to rush you to the car," Judy corrected herself, carefully walking over to inspect the mess he made. "Although this is still Big's house… Let me take care of that." A few texts back to Fru Fru explaining the situation were all that was required to get the mess cleared up. "And I guess it's good to see for myself that you're eating again…" She ignored the angry if pained look he shot at her. "Are you at least good enough to go to the car now? Or do you need to wait still?" As he was also visibly shaking from the cold again, so the sooner she can get him somewhere warm, the better.

Bitterly faintly hiding the evidence by kicking snow over it, he also stepped away from the mess. As to her question, he shook his head, some form of life slowly returning to his features. "I'm doing better now," he admitted, wiping his muzzle with the back of his arm. "I'm just… I don't know. It's not the tea. At least I hope it's not, since I need to leave tomorrow. Not something I ate earlier either, I think. Probably it's just… Stress or something. Been brewing up all day today, and this meeting didn't help. I don't know what I expected out of it, just not… that." He stood there, shivering in the cold as more snow fell around them. While he did look a little more like himself, to say that he looked miserable was an understatement.

Therefor, grabbing his arm, Judy roughly pulled him after her, hurrying the both of them back to the car. She was even fully prepared to read him the riot act if he would try to stop her, but he relented right away and went along after her, only complaining about the force she was applying on his arm. While their car was out of sight at the moment, she could already hear how Jack had gotten in and started the engine for them, meaning that it should be rather warm when they will get to it. That small blessing was confirmed when she got to it, opening the back door and feeling the warm air greet her. Practically shoving the pilot into the back seats, she made sure that he was comfortable and buckled up before taking up her spot in the passenger seat.

"Everything all right?" Jack glanced behind him, both to look for obstacles, but to also analyze their passenger as well.

"Humphrey's sick," Judy explained somewhat bitterly. "Claims it's emotional, not physical."

Jack took another look, paw fingering over the control consol to increase the heating temperature and airflow. "Well, he didn't look or sound sick when he rode in with us. Trigger? You're with us?"

The pilot had his head propped up against the window, eyes closed and breathing slowly. "...Yeah," he answered slowly and lazily. When Judy made an unimpressed noise, he sat up, opening his eyes up. "I'm feeling better, honest. Let me rest here, okay?"

With Jack starting to drive, the car rumbled down the Tundratown streets for several silent minutes. Judy used the opportunity to use her sensitive hearing to listen in on the pilot, taking note of his now steady, even breathing. But ever now and then, a hitch in the breathing let her know that he was far from returned to normal. A whispered question to Jack didn't give her a good answer either on what to do, leaving her still fumbling with whether or not to intervene over this continued silence.

Another hick from the back seats several tense minutes later forced her to make up her mind. Even if Trigger was asking for piece and quiet, she wasn't going to let him have it. Not after he puked right over Mr. Big's front porch.

"Humphrey, it's just that-" Judy bit her lip for a moment, looking in the rear view mirror at how he jolted at her sating his name. "You're leaving us tomorrow. Feeling better now or not, were you really so stressed out over it that you became physically sick?"

Trigger pointed at her sharply. "Don't try to tell me to stay!" he snapped, only to shyly sink back into his seat. "I mean, normally that's not... I would've said that, if I were you to be honest… But… I can't stay! I just can't. And if nothing else, I reacted pretty much the same way when I-" he glanced out the window, making sure that they were driving down the road rather than parked where someone could somehow possible listen in. "-when I was c-convicted. I knew that I didn't do what they charged me with, but they still decided to ruin my life with it! I was pretty much like this back then too!"

Judy pondered his words for a few moments, watching the bright lights of the city flow past the windshield as they drove. "But… You were convicted of a crime that time. Of murder. Err… Worse, an assassination." She heard him audibly wince, but ignored it. "Especially since we now know that you were innocent the entire time? I can't even begin to imagine what you felt like back then. But now? Now you're… You're being returned to a proper unit. You know you didn't do anything wrong-"

"-I lost my family!" Trigger snapped from the back seat. "And that's not even everything!"

"We already know that part. What's the second part?" Judy demanded, although there wasn't a hint of anger in her voice. Only worry.

Trigger hesitated. "It's- I'm Three Strikes!" he reminded her. "Even the Tundratown mob knows who I am! It was easy to not notice when I was flying in that penal unit, but now I know that the Urusians are going to do what they can to especially make sure to take me out! Apart from the usual that I don't actually want to die, can you imagine what it will do to us if they do succeed in killing me?" Grumbling, he crossed his arms. "It'll increase Urusian moral, and lower ours. They need me to go out there and fight, and at the same time, I- I can't die! Because if that happens, then even more will be killed from that alone because this stupid war will drag on all the longer. And now that you remember that I'll be in combat again tomorrow, remember that I haven't flown properly for months now. That one time doesn't really count."

While relieved to hear his sentiment, there was something that Judy didn't quite figure out yet. "Wait, but you'll first transfer to your new unit. I'm sure they'll give you time to acclimate and regain your skills. It's not like you're going straight into combat-"

From the driver's seat, Jack held up an arm to stop her. "Actually, Judy, about that…" There was a defeated tone in his voice.

Judy's eyes widened in horror as the full realization of what was being implied hit her. "No! You can't be serious!"

Jack gave the slightest of nods. "Sorry Judy, but this isn't something I can control either. Afraid I am being completely serious here. We both are"

"Count and I are escorting Colonel McKinsey to his new post for our first sortie," the pilot explained with an angry scoff. "So guess what? You'll finally get to meet that bastard. Although in your case, it's just long enough to tell him to piss off. And not long enough for him to throw you into solitary confinement." Judy's stomach fell at the mention of that. How was it that he and Count were so casual about being locked up in an empty cell? Especially with how well known the effects of long term isolation are on people- actually, that explains both of their behaviors quite a bit. "-But we're flying escort to him on our way to our new airbase, along the way where there's suspected Urusian presence in the area," Trigger continued to explain, not seeing her expression from the back where he was sitting. "Which, just for clarification, in this war, means that the question is not 'if there is', but 'how many'. So no pressure, Three Strikes! Keep the asshole who made your life a living hell alive! 'Cause if he dies, it's right back to the ZPD as a useless POW, and no transfer to a proper unit!"

Judy let out a tired, frustrated groan as she tugged at her own ears. "You're a fine pilot, Humphrey. Combat or not, if you just believe in yourself, you'll be able to handle anything!" The part where she actually felt her hopes rise up at the mention of him being returned to the ZPD, she left out.

A huff escaped the pilot, loud enough that she could hear even over the sounds of driving. "I wish I can share your optimism," he grumbled.

With a shake of her head, she tried a different approach. "You already succeeded once before," she pointed out. "The Urusians didn't start calling you 'Three Strikes' for nothing. And I don't want to hear you complain about some sin lines painted on your aircraft. That's not why they call you that. You know that we've all read far too much online on what they think of you."

"I don't know if I can do that stuff anymore!" Trigger complained. "Half of it was because I practically had nothing to live for! I didn't care if I died or not! You think I would have... flown through a tunnel otherwise? Everyone I knew hated my guts! I was reckless!"

"And now?" Judy asked.

"Now I… I really don't know." he grumbled again. "I can't stay, and I… I don't want to go either." He absentmindedly rubbed at his neck. "Guess in a strange sort of way, I- I miss those days when it was just me in the back of your car. Of you and James grilling me on-on well, anything about me… And wearing those stupid collars. I can't believe I'm saying it, but I miss the time when Count and I still had to wear them. Guess I was just glad to finally be out of McKinsey's sights. Was terrified of you all finding out about… well, about what I didn't do, but I had no proof then! But it was better then having to worry about if I was to be shot at by Urusian missiles, or Ocelotian bullets! I was glad to be gone from there, even if I was being selfish by hiding my past. I know you both repeatedly told me that you had ways to work around needing to reveal to the Ocelotians what Count and I were saying, but damn it, I was scared! I already lost all my friends before, and doing so would have-"

"-You not telling us made it worse, Humphrey," Jack pointed out with an uncharacteristically raised voice, cutting Trigger right off. "I understand why you kept your mouth shut, but how betrayed do you think we felt when we read your file? Especially how Judy felt? Because out of all of us, I believe it is her you hurt the most. Between you and Dahlia, it was mostly like you worked together. Nick… I don't actually know. But I know that James and Judy both started to really care about you. You weren't there for some of the conversations we had on you. What you were hiding. Because as much as I hate to admit it, but Count was always easier to deal with. But you could have told us! If not explicitly, then hinted at it. Let us know that we should look into your files." Taking advantage of a red light, he turned around in his seat to look directly at the pilot. "The really stupid part? After I knew your case was falsified, I went back in to try and look for clues on it. And yeah, I was able to find them. Wasn't easy, so I know why neither I, nor Skye, nor the others in the ZIA or ZPD were able to piece it together, but the clues were there. You could have said something."

"I didn't even know if I did it or not my self!" Trigger snarled back, breathing heavily and quickly. "Don't you think the OADF spent a lot of time getting me to the point where I didn't know what was real or not anymore? I was half convinced I really did do it!"

"Boys!" Both of Judy's paws were clenched into fists, which she carefully placed on the dash before she could punch and destroy something. "Both of you! But especially you, Jack. Don't push his buttons like that. We all… make mistakes."

Jack's ears fell. "Sorry, Judy." Turning back, the light turned green just in time for him to occupy himself with driving again.

"Humphrey?"

Trigger wiped his eyes with the back of an arm. At least his breathing was calmer. "Should keep better control of myself," he admitted. "I was just thinking far too much lately, and since Bogo allowed us to use computers again now that we're no longer convicts. You know my browser history! I must have the entire area's map saved into cache by this point. But that's just a computer screen…" He kept his gaze fixed out the window. "I was thinking that if Count and I weren't… If we were just regular pilots and not from a penal unit? Remember when we went to Point Hind? Why not more of that? And not just there. I mean, there's so many places… I used to live here! Just point anywhere from here- well, not west out to sea, but anywhere else? Yeah, I can show you somewhere where I really want to be again. Chief Bogo would have gotten quite annoyed at how often I would have needed to ask him to let you have a day off for those... " He hesitated, biting his lower lip. "For years, after we moved to Bana City, I always wanted to come back. I knew it was better over there, so I kept my mouth shut. And then I got into the pilot program, which I would have never been able to do here. But… There was always that longing. So many places I want to go to again, and instead, tomorrow evening I'm flying out. Don't know if I'll survive to ever even have a chance to come back again."

When he fell silent, Judy felt like he was silently pleading for either her or Jack to say something. But what can she say? He wasn't going to change his mind."Humphrey? We both know how you get whenever I mention that you still have the option to stay," Judy reminded him, annoyed at his tone. "Why do you sound like you want to stay after all?"

"Because I want to stay!" Trigger admitted. "I'm not going to lie. I don't want to go! But… Look, if what Big back there said it true. That that rear admiral punk killed my family? At least if I'll be flying in a combat unit, there might be just that chance that I will have the opportunity to drop a bomb on his ass. Or at least I will know that I was needed somewhere else and am at least useful, rather than sitting on my ass back here being miserable. Would still prefer that to- to riding in the back of the car with you and James again."

"But you did at least like all those times you got to ride in the back with me and James?" Judy clarified. "As in, do you feel like that now?"

"Yeah-" Trigger's eyes watered anew. "Didn't think I would ever miss those days. Hated every second I had to wear the TAME collar. But when we would talk… You didn't know that you needed to treat me like a murderer. Plus, with us being here in Zootopia... Every now and then, sometimes all it took was finding the correct place on a map on the computer screen, but compared to being driven around Zootopia? All it would take was to spot a place I recognize, and I would... felt like I was-" his voice faltered. "Felt like I was home again." Restrained by his seat belt, instead of slouching forward, he leaned back while hugging his knees to himself.

This time, Judy didn't know what to say. It really was a shame that this was his last night with them, as a part of her realized that this was probably the most he had opened up to her in a very long time. But then an idea popped into her head. "Listen, Humphrey, while I know that even once you leave, that we'll still talk with those phones-"

"Right..." Trigger mumbled dismissively.

"I still would rather not have you be alone tonight," she finished explaining. "I know Nick's not too busy. Don't know about James or Dahlia. But I would love it if you would join us for your last evening." She motioned out of the windshield. "We might be stuck in traffic, but we should still get back early enough. To her surprise, after slowly looking up at her from his slump, Trigger started to laugh. "Err… What?"

"Don't worry, Carrots, already have that covered!" Trigger said with a very uncharacteristically bright tone. Especially not compared to his mood just mere moments before.

But that wasn't the only thing that caused Judy to form a deep frown. Only Nick was allowed to call her that. But to be fair… She really should allow Trigger that chance just this once. After everything? He earned it. "Okay, how's it covered?"

Trigger eyed her, a strange expression on his muzzle. "It might be mine and Count's last night here, but we'll be packing and planning out the mission details for most of tomorrow. Major Easly has to leave today though. But he was planning on sticking around long enough to-" his expression soured. "Well, to make sure that I'm actually fit to join his unit or not. But I doubt he was ever going to be allowed to say 'no'. But unlike you cops, we pilots are expected that in a war, we'll be leaving home for a long time. Count and I already have, but leaving here would be like a second leaving home, I suppose." He hugged himself tighter, earlier joyful mood completely forgotten. "Don't know about Count, but for me, it really will be leaving home again…"

"Humphrey," Judy warned. "You're falling off topic."

"Different units have different traditions on what to do before you fly out," Trigger explained. "Count and I both have good reasons not to honor those of our previous units." A growl escaped his throat. "Especially mine that was more than eager to spit me right out after I got framed. But Easly asked me if I knew of any Yaktobanian traditions, since I'm the double foreigner here."

Judy pawed her face. "Don't tell me it's to get drunk."

Trigger simply shrugged. "Realistically for Yuktobania? Most likely. No, I know of a tradition which is much tamer than that… I- Don't know if the one I thought of is Yaktobanian specifically, or Eastern Block in general. And I'm pretty sure it started with cosmonauts specifically, so I'm sorta borrowing it for us pilots. No, we're going to watch a movie."

She let out a sigh of relief. Whatever she expected, a movie was the least worrisome on her mind. "Okay, that sounds fair. Which one?"

"You never heard of it," Trigger answered smugly. "Nor would you be able to understand it without subtitles."

"Humphrey-!" Judy warned. Urged on by her tone, he answered something that she failed to catch, mind taking a few moments to realize that she didn't mishear him as much as him probably not speaking English in the first place. "Humphrey? Come on now. No games."

"FangedSun of the Desert!" Trigger said like the answer was obvious. "A proper version's uploaded on EweTube. High quality, subtitles and everything. We're going to commandeer one of the conference rooms. Count's saying that Nick's already complaining about the movie choice, but that's already fixed. Ben said he knows the best popcorn to get too. Actually, even Bogo will be there, but he sounds busy or something."

"I believe Skye's setting the video up right now," Jack said rather smugly, showing that despite his mostly silent driving, he was still very much listening in onto the conversation.

"James and Dahlia are already there," Trigger also let them know.

Judy's ears perked up. "Yeah… How? And how do you know that Nick's there too? I know for a fact that he was scolded by Chief Bogo just today for how behind he is on paperwork."

From the back seat, a semi-amused grumble came from the pilot. "They gave me my phone back, remember?" Sure enough, he was waving the device in his paw, even if she couldn't directly see it. Judy pawed her muzzle, ashamed for forgetting something so simple. "Bogo also says that he'll forgive you falling behind on paperwork today. Or Nick for not catching up as much as he's supposed to," the pilot continued. "So you don't have an excuse not to stay with us."

"You really want me to stay and watch that movie," Judy commented, amused.

"It-It's not only about the movie," Trigger clarified. "Please, Judy. Everyone else are already planning on being there. It's my last night here…"

Judy turned around in her seat again. She didn't expect him to go straight to begging so quickly like that. She didn't expect him to beg for her to stay at all. "Well, it's not exactly my movie night, since it's not the end of the week for me," she admitted. Truth be told, the betrayed look she saw Trigger send her hurt a little, especially since she only wanted her comment to be a little joke. Was he really that tense? Normally, he would have understand her teasing. Even as of late, he would have understood it. Was it the meeting with Big? Are was it about him leaving? Whatever the cause was... "But if our little gang is all going to be there anyways, why not? Seriously, Humphrey, you really thought I was going to say no?"

The grateful smile he gave her alone let her know that it was the simplest non-choice she had to make this day.