Surprise! I'm still alive, and the story isn't dead. I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter, prepping for finals among other things took precedence over my upload schedule. Regardless, I'll try to churn these out with a bit more haste from now on. I'm also elated to see such a decent following after the first chapter! This story follows a somewhat unique concept, so I'm pleasantly surprised to see you all enjoying it. As always, feel free to drop a review and follow, as your kind and constructive feedback means the world to me!

Special thanks to A5TRON4UTA for his continuous support and motivation.

Enjoy the chapter, and I'll hopefully see you all on the next one. -Wilde


Chapter II

~The Veiled Request~


Things were back to business as usual the following morning in Savannah Central. The arena in its entirety had been dismantled and carted away overnight, leaving virtually no trace of the previous evening's festivities. Mammals of all species bustled through the now vacant city square in droves, making their way to wherever their busy schedules led them.

For a certain fox officer, mornings like these generally began at the Juice Bar in Zootopia Central Station. Unlike his partner—who in her infinite enthusiasm for the job, frequently woke at 5AM—Nick often needed a pick-me-up to get the day rolling. And so meeting Judy there before their shift at the ZPD had become a customary occurrence. Yet today, in truly unprecedented fashion, the rabbit appeared to be running late.

Nick tapped his foot while he stood in line, his ears alert as he glanced around anxiously for his partner. "Come on carrots…" he muttered, checking the time on his phone. "Where are you…"

"Next please!" A voice spoke from high above the counter.

The fox looked up. "G'morning Cleo!" he said, stepping forward. "Still taking tall orders in this neck of the woods?"

The giraffe lowered her head to the shop window so that she could see him. "Always ready with the puns, you foxes… It's just you today huh?"

"Afraid so." he replied. "Here's hoping my sense of humor didn't scare the partner off for good."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time. What'll it be?"

Nick paused as he studied the menu board, his eyes skimming all the available options. "Hm… I guess I'll just settle for my usual, considering there's STILL no blueberry refreshments despite my repeated suggestions."

Cleo scoffed. "Maybe you should talk to the owner about that."

"Funny, that's what she told me the last time I brought it up."

She rolled her eyes as she laid the ingredients out; raw coconut, soy milk, and patented 'protein boost' before stuffing them into a tall blender. "So, you've no idea where Judy ran off to?"

"Cunning as I may be, I can't say for certain."

"Maybe she's sick."

The fox shook his head. "If there's one thing I've learned about that rabbit, it's that she doesn't know when to quit. That means sick days are off the table."

"So, then she's gone rogue. A little rebellion's never hurt anyone."

"Ha! Now that's a more plausible theory." Nick replied, smirking. "Though we both know Hopps would never willingly jump ship without taking me along for the ride. No, something tells me I'll be running into her real soon."

"…Which, I guess, means you should probably pick her up something while you're here." The giraffe suggested, smiling innocently as she turned back to look at him.

"Oh Cleo, Cleo." Nick said, crossing his arms. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to upsell me."

Cleo shrugged her shoulders with a grin. "Pfft, me? Never. We just wouldn't want you heading off to work with a guilty conscience now, would we?"

The fox opened his mouth for a moment to object, then paused, and then said nothing. "...Well, you've got me there."

"That's what I thought." Cleo clasped her hooves together smugly, quickly getting to work on a second drink. "That'll be fourteen dollars please."


Nick sauntered up the smooth sandstone steps beneath the ZPD headquarters carrying both beverages in hand. As he approached, he noted several uniformed officers bantering with each other under the massive rock awnings stretched overhead. One of them, Officer Wolford, could be overheard gleefully recounting his activities from the night before.

"She's got a penchant for cops, I'm telling ya! She even signed my badge!" The wolf exclaimed, nearly howling as he flaunted the metallic emblem to the others around him.

"Hogwash. Lemme see that thing." Officer Snarlov said, snatching the badge for himself. "Looks like it's been scribbled on by a cub. Hell, you probably wrote this yourself."

"Is that jealousy I'm hearing? Talk to me when the goddess signs YOUR badge, Snarlov."

The bear laughed. "I could pull more than a signature if I tried, lover boy."

"Keep dreaming you two." Fangmeyer said, lashing his tail with amusement. "Everyone knows Gazelle has a thing for tigers."

Wolford grumbled. "Lucky-ass, exhibitionist, feline backup dancers… Someone call me when they start admitting wolves to their ranks."

"I know I'd pay to see Wolford working it on stage." Nick interjected as he passed, snickering. The other officers chuckled.

"Very funny, Wilde. But don't think we haven't noticed your taste in prey tail." The lupine jeered, imitating bunny ears behind his head with his fingers.

Snarlov stamped his foot down on the lupine's tail, prompting a high-pitched yelp from the officer. "Whoops."

Nick rolled his eyes as he propped the glass door open behind him. He'd grown thoroughly accustomed to the other officers ragging him for his close relationship with his partner. Developing thick skin was a certain rite of passage at precinct 1, with personal slights being thrown everywhere, by everyone, all the time. Of course, the jokes were always made in good fun. Such was life at the ZPD, and he certainly didn't let it phase him.

The distinct air of bureaucratic formality pervaded the fox's senses as he entered the station; the smell of freshly printed documents, as well as the echoes of determined voices and footsteps resounding through the open halls. Despite repeated visits to the ZPD headquarters since his initiation to the force, Nick always found himself mesmerized by the beauty of the building itself. A monolithic style similar to that of ancient monuments married with modern construction made for some of the most distinct architecture citywide.

As Nick approached the reception desk, Clawhauser waved to him. "G'fmornig Nifck!" the cheetah exclaimed, smiling through a mouth filled with 'lucky chomps' cereal.

"You look awfully giddy this morning, Clawhauser."

"Do I?" he beamed, seemingly unable to contain his excitement. "How could you tell?"

"Just a hunch." Nick shrugged, pretending as though he were clueless. "Though I'm guessing it has something to do with last night?"

Clawhauser nodded vigorously, taking out his phone and thrusting the screen towards the fox. "See for yourself!"

Nick smiled, taking the phone, and studying the photo before him. In it, a clear selfie of the cheetah could be seen, taken with none other than the pop-sensation herself. "Well I'll be darned. You ought to get that framed." He said, returning the device to its' owner.

"I'm going to!" Clawhauser squealed, lifting the photo to his eyes as though he were seeing it for the first time. "She's even more angelic than I imagined. I mean, golly… it's one thing to listen to her over the radio, or to see her on the billboards in Savannah central… but there are so many things you can't appreciate about someone like that until you experience her in person! …And watching her dance, the way she moves, it's not like the videos. There's a reason they say her hips don't lie!"

"Heh. You can say that again." The fox chuckled, his own mind drifting to the previous evening as Clawhauser continued.

"But meeting her was like a dream. Keeping track of all the details was just so overwhelming! Her flowing golden hair, to her gentle, yet confident expression. Oh, and don't even get me started on those gorgeous eyes!" The cheetah recounted ecstatically.

Those eyes. Her piercing, defiant gaze. Nick recalled the way she had locked eyes with him near the end of her opening act. It was hardly coincidence. As the singer lingered over him, it felt as though they were the only people present in the world. Her eyes were speaking directly to the fox, and some small part of him deeply longed to know what they were saying.

"Is that how you felt when you met her?"

Nick blinked a bit, shifting his focus back to the conversation. "-Er, funny that you should ask. Judy and I didn't get the chance."

"Aw, that's a shame. You two would've loved her." Clawhauser sighed dreamily, still staring at the photo with yearning.

"I'm sure." The fox rubbed his neck. "Speaking of Hopps, you haven't seen her, have you? I've been trying to get ahold of her all morning."

Clawhauser glanced away from his phone for a moment, looking up in contemplation. "Hmm… She might already be in the bullpen? I think the 9AM briefing starts in a few minutes."

Nick checked the clock behind the reception desk. "Huh… I should probably be heading over there too then." He smiled. "But I appreciate it buddy. We're still on for donuts Wednesday?"

"You can count on it!" the cheetah grinned back as he leaned into his office chair. "Good luck in there!"

"Me? I make my own luck!" Nick winked, adjusting the tie on his uniform before collecting the drinks in his paws and walking to the bullpen.

As he entered, he noticed the briefing room was abuzz as usual, though not with the typical debauchery from the officers present. Rather, everyone had taken up animated discussion of the previous evening's performance—everyone, except Judy, who was nowhere to be found. Nick grumbled to himself as he clambered onto one of the vacant desk chairs, and he set the drinks down.

He listened in on the cacophony of voices around him, quickly realizing just how much he'd underestimated the influence the singer had on the general populace. Though Nick had long understood the popularity surrounding Gazelle, the busy nature of his less-than-honest past meant he hadn't paid so much attention to her music. After the concert from the night before, a considerable part of him was dismayed he hadn't appreciated it sooner.

"Atten-hut!"

The fox's thought was interrupted as his attention moved to the door adjacent to the briefing hall. From it, Chief Bogo emerged, clipboard in hand. The conversations in the room ceased simultaneously, the silence giving way to rhythmic thumping as the larger mammals banged their fists on the tables.

"Alright, alright! Shut it!" The bovid growled as he approached podium at the head of the room.

"There are two items of importance we need to address on today's record." He huffed, flipping through the notes on his clipboard and adjusting his glasses. "Firstly, the coffee machine in the officer's lounge has fallen out of order. I've tasked our most capable detectives with identifying the culprit responsible, but in the meantime, you'll have to get your beverages from outside the station."

An audible 'aww' arose from the officers within the room.

"Secondly," he said, raising his voice over the dissent, "Know that I still expect tip-top vigilance and exemplary performance from each and every one of you in your duties to our citizens. Though yesterday's performance presented a special occasion for the lot of us, I will hear no excuses pertaining to it today. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" Everyone replied in unison.

"Good. Today's assignments-"

The door in the back of the room flew open, prompting everyone to swivel their heads towards the noise. There, a seemingly exhausted Judy panted heavily, files spilling out between her arms as she made her way to the open seat beside her partner.

"Good lord carrots…" Nick whispered, reaching out to take some of the folders from the bunny so that she could climb onto the seat next to him. "Nice of you to bring the entire records department with you to the meeting."

"Later, Nick." She huffed, wiping some sweat from her brow.

Chief Bogo crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing on the tardy lagomorph before him. "Kind of you to grace us with your presence, officer Hopps."

Judy smiled weakly. "Apologies sir… It won't happen again."

"Do I even want to bother asking why you're late?"

"Well, I was examining some anomalous activity via closed circuit television in the Rainforest District when I figured it might be helpful to cross reference evidence in the forensics division with-"

"Save it. I don't care." The bovid grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Here. On time. From this moment forward. Clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

Bogo let out a heavy sigh as he returned to the topic at hand. "Today's assignments. Officers McHorn, Andersen, Delgato; narcotics enforcement division. Officers Fangmeyer, Wolford, Snarlov; Special intelligence. Grizzoli, Krumpanski; Youth services…"

He paused for a moment, flipping through some pages of notes before looking up in the direction of Nick and Judy.

"Hopps, Wilde; Security detail— Precinct 17 at the Palm Hotel and Casino."

"The Palm Hotel?" An officer behind them gasped.

"That's where Gazelle's next venue is!" Another chimed in, immediately followed by a flurry of murmurs and whispers.

"No fair!" Wolford whined, standing up in his chair. "Why do I have to pour through records and go on stakeouts with Snarlov when I could be sipping piña coladas with Gazelle!"

"You'll be sipping through straws after I kick your teeth in, Wolford." Snarlov hissed with annoyance.

"Shut it!" Bogo growled. "The next person in this room to express dissatisfaction with their current assignment can switch it for parking duty instead!"

The voices in question quickly fell silent, apparently unwilling to test the bovid's threat.

"Sir?" Nick asked, raising a paw. "The Palm Hotel is in Sahara Square. With all due respect, why are we being sent to assist with securing a venue beyond the boundaries of our own precinct?"

"It would seem you've been requested." Bogo replied, removing his reading glasses, and scooping the clipboard back under his arm. "That concludes our daily briefing. All officers dismissed."

Nick and Judy looked at each other. Requested?


Nick clicked his seatbelt into place as the cruiser rumbled to life beneath him. In the driver's seat beside him, Judy revved the engine, letting the car roll free from its space in the ZPD's parking garage. Soon, they were weaving their way through the busy streets of downtown Savannah Central.

"Oh, by the way… This is for you." Nick said as he offered the smoothie to his partner.

Judy looked over, her ears perking with delight as she accepted the beverage. "Aww Nick, you shouldn't have!"

"I know. Thank Cleo. And you never told me why you were late."

"Wellll, technically I was never late." She said, pausing to take a sip from her cup. "I've been at the station since five-thirty."

"Why am I not surprised?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm guessing all those folders from earlier had something to do with it?"

"Yep!" Judy flipped her turn signal, checking over her shoulder as she moved onto the ramp towards Sahara Square. "Time logs, maps, and still frames from several hours of surveillance footage. All regarding three cistern trucks that were stolen from a supply depot in the rainforest district during the concert last night."

"…That's all?" Nick scoffed. "I mean, I appreciate the effort carrots, but sifting through records past five in the morning seems like overkill for a few stolen trucks."

"That's what I thought too. Until I started reading the time logs provided by the Zootopia Transit Authority. You remember Banyan Street Station?"

Nick's ears went flat as he recalled the familiar name. "Er- yeah, I remember it. The abandoned subway line Doug used to conceal Bellwether's night howler operation.

"-And also, the last recorded position of the trucks via our cameras. From there, they might as well have dropped off the map."

The fox raised an eyebrow, turning slightly to look at her. "So, what are you saying?"

"Banyan Street Station is halfway across the city from the Rainforest district, Nick. Isn't it a bit odd then, that the last confirmed position of the stolen trucks happened to be at the exact location of Doug's old night howler lab?"

He shrugged. "Odd, sure. But probably just a coincidence. You know as well as I do that when the ZPD combed those tunnels after Bellwether's arrest, they found nothing."

"I know, I know… But I still can't seem to shake the feeling that something fishy is going on here."

"Don't let it bother you fluff. I'm sure the boys from the Rainforest District will track 'em down in the next few days." The fox grinned reassuringly before taking a sip from his own beverage. "For now, let's just worry about this weird, security-detail, thing."

"Yeah… You're right." Judy relented, rubbing her temple with one of her paws. "Sometimes I can get in over my head."

"Sometimes?" Nick smirked.

The bunny rolled her eyes. "Oh shush. By the way, what do you think the chief meant by us being requested for this job?"

"Beats me." Nick replied, rubbing his neck. "Though I must agree with Wolford, in that I'd much rather be 'sipping piña coladas with Gazelle' than taking on the usual grunt work at the station."

"You don't think we'll actually get to meet her, do you?" Judy asked, tilting her head curiously.

The fox laughed. "Not a chance."

The cruiser dipped downward as it entered the subterranean highway network leading away from Savannah Central. From there, bifurcations in the roadway connected Tundratown, Sahara Square, and even Bunnyburrow via tunnels under the bay area. Overhead, fluorescent lights flickered, dimming occasionally and then surging with the ebb and flow of each massive generator powering the climate wall above. Their ears twitched, sensitive to the steady river of electricity streaming through the walls, floors, and ceilings around them.

As the cruiser moved onto the exit ramp, a momentary flash of blinding light obscured the surrounding area from view. As their eyes adjusted, both officers were greeted with a picturesque landscape of rolling sand dunes interspersed with lush vegetation and natural rock architecture. The sweltering desert heat could be felt immediately, washing through the open windows of the vehicle like a wave.

In the center of the district, the crown jewel of Sahara Square glimmered in the afternoon sun. standing at over 1000 feet tall, the Palm Hotel and Casino dominated the city skyline for miles around. The sloping circular base housed an enormous lobby complete with various shops, restaurants, and an oasis pool. Towering upwards, a trunk comprised of hundreds of individual balcony suites made up the bulk of the structure, with the uppermost penthouse suites residing just below the enormous golden palm leaves for which the hotel earned its' name. Renowned for its exceptional amenities and unparalleled luxury, the building had garnered citywide recognition as being one of the finest residences in all Zootopia.

"It's even more incredible up close." Judy murmured as they drove nearer.

"You can say that again." The fox replied, craning his neck back to view the building in its entirety. Even Nick had to admit it was difficult not to be enamored by the scale and grandeur of the place.

The cruiser pulled into the main circle drive at the base of the hotel, moving into a zone specifically cordoned off by security from precinct 17. Judy parked the vehicle, exiting with Nick as they approached the local law enforcement on standby for the event.

"Good afternoon!" Judy greeted, flashing her badge in the direction of the conversing officers. "I'm officer Hopps, and this is officer Wilde. We've been assigned here from precinct 1 to assist with security-detail."

One of the officers, a desert coyote, looked down to the lagomorph and her partner. "Oh, right. They mentioned we had some outside help coming in." He crossed his arms, nodding in the direction of a uniformed lioness some distance away. "You'll probably want to report to commander Raiona, she's the head of security around here. She's over there."

"Oh, perfect! Appreciate the help!" Judy replied, grinning. She took Nick by the wrist as she led him in the feline's direction.

The commander was an imposing figure, tall and athletic with fearsome blue eyes. The breathable fabric of her tactical uniform fit closely around her body, emphasizing the curvature of her slim but muscular build. The tip of her left ear was missing, as though it had been sheared off in some horrendous scuffle.

Drawing nearer, they could observe the lioness's fingers working feverishly, her tail lashing as she scribbled notes on a diagram that had been spread across the hood of one of the vehicles. Her other paw rested on her hip, with her thumb tucked into the crease of her black service belt.

"Commander Raiona?" Judy asked respectfully, prompting the lioness to swivel her head as she approached. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Judy continued. "We're both eager to be working on this detail with your precinct."

The commander glanced at the bunny before her, then the fox beside her. She blinked, looking almost perplexed before huffing and immediately returning to her task. "Charmed." She replied curtly.

The short response brought a bewildered look to Judy. "Er- well allow me to introduce myself. I'm-"

"I know who you are, lieutenant. And I don't need you."

Judy recoiled slightly, shaking her head. "E-Excuse me?"

"I said I don't need you." The lioness replied without lifting her gaze. "'Got enough moving parts to keep track of with this event as is. I don't have time to babysit two cops from central who have no clue about the way we do things here in Sahara."

"Chief Bogo said we were specifically requested for this assignment…" The bunny murmured. "You're saying that it wasn't you?"

"Does it sound like it was me?"

Judy and Nick looked at each other, appearing visibly stunned and confused. Not one to be easily deterred however, Judy continued.

"Okay… Then who was it?"

The commander shrugged her shoulders. "Probably some politically oriented jerk-off trying to score points with chief Bogo. Whoever it was, they went straight over my head about it."

"What would anyone stand to gain by sending us here?"

"Connect the dots, darling." Raiona turned her gaze to Judy, leaning her back against the bumper of the vehicle. "That stunt you pulled with Assistant Mayor Bellwether made you the public face of the ZPD. These functions tend to attract some powerful people. People who could stand to gain an endorsement from the ZPD's poster child. I certainly wouldn't put it past any of em', given the recent power vacancy since Lionheart dropped the ball."

"I appreciate the sentiment commander…" Judy said, struggling to suppress the growing resentment in her words. "…But with all due respect, I'm nobody's poster child. I'm only here to exercise the duties of my assignment."

"Uh huh. As I said before, I don't need you. My precinct is more than capable of securing this event with our own officers."

"Well, there's gotta be something you need help with!" Judy said, crossing her arms in annoyance. "This place is enormous!"

The feline scoffed, turning her back to the bunny as she continued writing. "If you're insistent, the best I can do for you is parking duty. Take it or leave it."

Nick took a big step back.

"P-parking duty?!" Judy fumed, her voice shaking with anger. "I'll have YOU know I graduated at the top of my class at the Zootopia Police academy! Do you have any idea what it took to claw my way to where I am today?-"

As Judy began laying into the feline—who for all intents and purposes seemed more amused than threatened by his partner's outburst—Nick's ears began twitching to an incessant ticking noise. At first, he put it out of his mind. After all, his hearing was sensitive to any manner of odd sounds and frequencies. But the more he thought about it, the abnormal ticking began to sound more mechanical… less like ticking, but rather, clicking.

Nick whirled around, catching a blur of movement ducking into the vegetation as he did so.

"Hey!" He shouted, lunging into a sprint without thought for hesitation. "Stop right there!"

Drawing his taser from its' holster, the fox dove through the bushes lining the hotel's circular drive. He emerged into a second cordoned off area lined with trailer cars and a labyrinth of other freight for the event. He weaved through the tangle of mobile units, scanning his surroundings as he listened intently for a noise, but this time heard nothing.

Nick ducked his head, aiming his weapon into the empty spaces between the wheels of each trailer as he sidestepped along them. He couldn't even say for certain what he was chasing after. The fox had no description to refer to, no tracks to trace, and absolutely no idea where the source of the noise went. Whatever it was, for the moment it seemed to have eluded him.

Nick holstered his sidearm, straightening his back as stood up again. "Well… great."

In addition to losing the suspect, it appeared as though he'd gotten himself thoroughly lost as well. The fox rubbed his neck, groaning as he leaned his back against one of the mobile units. The blistering heat of Sahara Square meant that even a short chase was enough to make him pant. He quickly unbuttoned sleeves on his wrists, rolling them up to his forearms before loosening his tie.

Feeling sufficiently aerated, Nick unclipped the radio on his service belt to ask for directions back to the main area. But before he could raise it to his mouth, the door behind him opened without warning. The fox yelped in surprise as he careened into the trailer, landing on his back with a hard thud.

A gasp emanated from behind him, followed by a worried—yet most familiar voice. "Ay! Dios mío! Are you okay?"

Nick's ears perked. He'd heard this voice before. As he gradually regained his bearings, the fox looked up, finding himself staring into the deep brown eyes of one very concerned, yet intrigued Gazelle.