Chapter 3: No Time To Say Goodbye

A/n: First I wanna start off by apologizing for being gone for so long. Depression, Writer's Block, and Capitalism has had me in a chokehold these past few years so I realize my stories have been collecting dust. I do intend to revive them all, eventually. I'm taking it one step at a time to get back in the helping these stories progress as I've always intended. Expect cameos and appearances of characters from other franchises in future chapters.

-Zootopia Police Department-

Judy walked through the sliding doors of the police station, the familiar sensation of cold air that always greeted her when she entered the ZPD brushing over her small form sending chills down her spine. She began making her way to the bullpen where the other officers like herself would meet up. For things such as updates on pre-existing cases, newer cases, or just to find out what their objectives were while on their shifts. But found herself stopping once she noticed the mammals wearing black and white uniforms with the inclusion of pitch black tinted shades and earpieces. Were they agents perhaps? If so, whatever Bogo called her in for must be serious business.

Judy walked over to Clawhauser's desk in hopes of finding any answers of what's going on from him. As usual, the rotund cheetah was chowing down on an assortment of sweet treats. He smiled and moaned in delight after stuffing an eclair into his mouth, a tiny bit of cream filling from jetting from his mouth and landing on his uniform. Judy winced at the sight before recomposing herself and clearing her throat which caught Clawhauser's attention. He ceased his eating and leered over his desk to see Judy putting on a best smile and even giving him a little wave.

"Hey Judy." He happily greeted her. "Is there something you need?"

"Hey Clawhauser, it's really busy today huh? Who are all these mammals?"

"Beats me if I'm being honest, but I've heard they work for the government so whatever they're here for, it must be serious and it's got the Chief on edge." Clawhauser responded seemingly as clueless as Judy.

"Hmm Interesting, well I should be getting to the bullpen. I shouldn't keep everyone waiting." Judy nervously laughed, rubbing the back of her head. Something about this whole situation. With a final wave, Judy didn't waste anymore time and ran off disappearing from sight. "Talk to you later Clawhauser!"

"Bye Judy!" the chubby feline waved back and immediately turned his gaze back to snacks before him.

The small rabbit made her way into the room, squeezing her small frame through the crack between the partially opened door. Everyone was already there, chatting amongst one another. Judy then spotted her usual seat next to a familiar red fox drinking from a coffee mug and wearing shades. As soon as he spotted her heading in his direction, he waved.

"Hiya Carrots, how was your vacation?" Nick asked, taking another sip from the mug. Judy took a seat next to the fox.

"It was going pretty great in fact, until the Chief called me back in." The rabbit cop groggily responded, her ears flattened and eyes droopy.

"I'm sorry to hear that fluff, anything I can do to make your morning a little bit better?" Nick asked.

"You can start by getting me a coffee when we go, I didn't have time to pick up my own on the way back so I'm still kinda tired." Judy explained before tenderly rubbing the bags that had formed under her usually wide and alert eyes.

"Done and Done." Nick grinned.

"Atten-hut!" A hippo officer announced loudly, catching the attention of all the conversing officers. They all paused and stood up out of their chairs, swiftly saluting to their chief. The massive buffalo sauntered into the room carrying a thick dossier, his hulking frame taking up most of the door. Behind him a slender coyote wearing a black and white business suit and pants strolled in as well, before standing beside Bogo in front of the podium.

"You all may be seated." Bogo calmly stated to which his subordinates immediately did. He would set the dossier down before clearing his throat. "Now, I would like to first off apologize to some of you for the inconvenience. I know some of you were on paid leave, but I can assure you that this is a very urgent matter we're dealing with here. Our guest here will fill you in on the details. The floor is all yours sir."

Bogo stepped out of the way, giving the small canid more than enough room to stand in front of the podium.

"Good Morning to you all, my name is Cori Johnson and I'm the CEO of Johnson Tech and Bio enterprises." The coyote spoke with pride. "We are a private organization focused on improving the technological and scientific status of this wonderful city. Now I know you all may be wondering why you're all here today."

The coyote opened the large collection of documents, flipping through some papers before picking out a printed image one that would greatly suit the narrative he was about to establish. The picture he chose was one of the first the facility had ever documented of him. It displayed the creature, arms and legs bound in chains and trying to break free. Cori flipped the paper around, revealing the unsettling photo to the lower ranked officers. Even eliciting a gasp from some of them. They began chattering amongst one another, fearful expressions littering most of their faces.

"What the hell is that thing?" cursed Officer Snarlov.

"Dunno, looks like some kind of monkey maybe?" Officer Higgins added with a shrug.

Judy and Nick were just as shocked, the fox and rabbit exchanged concerned glances before turning their attention back on the coyote who seemed to expect their reactions. His face perfectly expressed how unimpressed he was.

"I apologize, but that information is classified. All you need to know is that his name is Seven and he's very dangerous and unpredictable. We're still in the early stages of research and I have no doubt there are still undocumented illnesses he could be carrying that we're unaware of. Due to Zootopia currently being on lockdown it should make your jobs a lot easier hunting him down." The Coyote explained as he paced back and forth. He then grabbed another photo from the podium. "As far as potential leads, we have this."

Judy's eyes shrunk upon seeing the picture. A familiar black wolfess wearing a lab coat and glasses stood in the right frame beside the strange creature in a hug. The bunny took note of how the mood of the odd being had drastically changed in this specific photo compared to the last. It seemed almost…happy.

"Kelly?" Judy muttered aloud, dumbfounded at the revelation.

"Oh? Do you know her?" Cori questioned. Judy now had the canine's undivided attention.

"Umm…yeah she's just a family friend. Who is she to you?" Judy asked, making sure not to give too much information. She still needed to assess the situation properly and get as much context as possible before she gave everything up. After the nighthowler incident that solidified her career as a cop, the idea that she needed to remain cautious of everyone, even those who appeared official, stayed with her.

"An ex-employee, but a traitor no less." The coyote spat with malice. "You see, Kelly Handerson is delusional. She believes this creature is some pinnacle of evolution, that he's harmless but I beg to differ. Over the years she's grown an emotional bond with Seven and I've always had a gut feeling that bond would eventually get the best of her and cause her to act irrationally. My security reviewed footage from the past 24 hours and found her sneaking Seven out the facility. Of course I had her apartment searched but she had long abandoned it."

As she had taken in the story she found herself questioning things even more. It still baffled Judy, knowing that there was so much about Kelly's life she was unaware of. Not that she believed she was privy to every part of the wolf's life, but it was still a shock nonetheless to see such a twist of fate in her life and now she's a criminal on the run. Along with harboring some otherworldly creature.

Judy then recalled how strangely Kelly acted when she stopped by to visit her this morning. The sound she heard in the closet, that had to have been Seven she was hiding in there. Now she was fully convinced her family friend was a prime suspect.

She let out a mental sigh of relief with the reassurance that Zootopia was safe. Although that relief was short lived upon remembering her family and childhood friends were back in Bunnyburrow, where that thing was. She felt her heart start to pound in her chest, the fear of the situation finally kicking in. Cori slowly approached the rabbit where she sat, setting the picture of Kelly and Seven down in front of her. "Officer Hopps right? If you have any valuable information regarding Ms Handerson's whereabouts It would be necessary for this investigation if you told us. So many innocent mammals' lives are in danger with those two running around doing God knows what. You'd be doing not only me, but all of Zootopia a great service."

Judy anxiously rubbed her shoulder, feeling conflicted about what to do. She glanced down at the photo once more, seeing them so happy together made her believe there was more to the story than what she was being told. Then again, she had to think of the safety of everybody else. The bunny felt a paw being gently placed on her shoulder, she turned to Nick, seeing his trademark carefree but reassuring smile brought up her confidence just a little bit.

"There's no pressure partner. I know you'll make the right decision." Nick calmly stated.

Judy took a deep breath and looked into the coyote's piercing yellow eyes, "Okay. I'll tell you where she is."

"Splendid!" The coyote gave an unsettling toothy grin and spun back around and returned to Chief Bogo's side. "Now all I need you to do is find them, and bring them back to me alive. Another thing too, let's also refrain from speaking of this to anybody. Or there will be very severe consequences."

"Seven! Come on down, I made us dinner!" I heard Kelly call from downstairs.

Just in time too. I had just finished taking a nice refreshing shower and after so long, with warm water no less. Here I didn't have to worry about a million eyes watching me while I showered to make sure I wasn't "plotting" anything.

I'd set my dirty clothes in the large laundry hamper that was sitting in the far right corner of the bathroom. I looked in the mirror, finding comfort in seeing my cleaned up face. I now wore a red hoodie with dark blue jeans, and a fresh new pair of black jogging shoes.

I exited the bathroom and walked downstairs, the strong fishy scent smacking straight into my nostrils. Not the unpleasant fish smell either, the tasty kind that made my stomach rumble. I sat down at the table in the dining room where a bowl was placed. Filled with a steamy hot meal I had yet to properly identify. The bowl was filled with shiny white rice, chunks of what looked like salmon were sprinkled through the rice along with an assortment of vegetables like carrots, corn, peas, and chili peppers.

I picked the spoon that sat beside, scooping up a mountain of the flavorful meal and letting its contents settle in my mouth as delighted in the taste explosion. Kelly sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table.

"How is it?" She asked.

"This is really good, I wish I knew you were such an amazing cook. I would've asked you to prepare my meals instead of eating from the cafeteria." I signed with my hands before going back to eating.

"Aww you, I appreciate the compliments. I'm not the best cook, but I strive to please." Kelly grinned as she playfully waved her paw, tail swishing vibrantly behind her. "Oh! I'm just remembering something. While you were in the shower I went out and bought you some more stuff."

She set a large plastic bag on the table and scooted it over to me. I wonder what she got me?

I set the spoon back in the bowl and pushed it aside. Opening up the bag I dug my arms through all the loose plastic before retrieving some kind of mask. One that was sculpted to replicate the appearance of a canine, specifically a wolf. It was lined with very realistic gray fabric that felt exactly like real wolf fur on my fingers. Two tennis ball sized holes were cut into the facial area, presumably so the wearer could see.

"Where did you get this? This looks way too real." I signed with my hands, blown away by the realism of the mask.

"I commissioned it online. I thought it would be pretty useful to have when we go outside." Kelly replied. What did she mean by that?

"What do you mean? I can't go out there, it's not safe. People will freak out won't they?"

"If you're wearing that you won't." The wolf then placed her paws in my hands, giving me a reassuring smile that always seemed to bring me back down to earth. "I didn't break you out of the lab just to keep you locked up in here will little ol me. I meant it when I said I'd take you out into the city. We'll just have to wait for a month or two until I'm sure the authorities aren't looking for us anymore, we can hide out here until then. Good thing they don't know we're here."

I nodded in agreement before going back to finish up my meal. Kelly left the table and left the dining room, I heard the stairs creaking letting me know she was heading upstairs. About five minutes had passed since I finished up the last bit of my dinner. Scooting my chair out, I got up and left the table making sure to place the dirty dishes in the sink before heading into the living room and excitedly plopped back down on the couch. I looked over at the tv which was currently on, tuned into a random channel. It was a gameshow of some kind.

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

"ZPD! Open up the door! We have a warrant for your arrest!" A voice boomed from the other side of the door.

The police? It couldn't be. I felt my heart drop into the deepest pits of my stomach. This couldn't be happening, I didn't escape just to be taken back to that place hours later. Kelly came rushing down the stairs, fear and panic written all over her face as well.

"What do we do?"

"Um…the backdoor! We can try that." She answered, grabbing my wrist and taking me into the kitchen. The wolf gasped upon seeing that the officers were already well prepared for that, a few cops visible through the glass window, standing on the other side of the door with their weapons drawn and pointed towards us. "That's not gonna work!...Oh! The garage, let's go!"

She turned in a blur of black dashing towards the garage door. I turned my attention to the table where the bag that contained my mask sat, I had a strong feeling I was forgetting something. I snatched up the bag knowing the item would prove useful later down the line.

We made our way towards the garage, within moments we were inside. Handerson scrambled through her pockets before eventually finding the car keys and immediately unlocking the door. She seated herself in the driver's seat, while I took the passenger seat next to her. I wasted no time and hurriedly buckled myself in. Running from the cops was the last thing we should do, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The car came to life, engine purring loudly.

"Sit tight, the ride's gonna be a little bumpy." the canine warned before slamming her foot down on the gas sending us crashing through the garage door and out in the open. There had to at least be a couple dozen of them out here and heavily armored too. Police cruisers and trucks surrounded the front of the house, but somehow Kelly managed to maneuver through the vehicles attempting to block her way with the quickest reaction speed I'd ever witnessed firsthand. The car bounded over a hill and straight onto the open dirt road. I whipped my head back to see a few cruisers far behind us which only encourage the wolf scientist to keep her foot firmly pressed down the gas petal. Thankfully that helped us gain some distance.

"What do we do now?"

"We're heading to the train station, the next train should be leaving in five minutes. Thankfully it's right down the street so we have more than enough time to get there." She calmly explained keeping her focus trained on the road ahead, the small train station becoming more visible in the distance.

How she managed to keep a level head through all of this, despite how intense the situation was made me feel extraordinarily lucky to have her watching over me. Her determination was inspiring.

Finally we had reached our destination. The van came screeching to a halt. We arrived just in time too. A breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the train hadn't left yet. I unbuckled my seat belt ready to make a beeline for the train and reached for the door handle but felt Kelly's furry paw grip my arm, turning to face her I'd noticed a remorseful frown on her muzzle.

"What's the matter? We're so close! The train's right there!"

"They haven't caught up to us yet. I don't think you're gonna like this idea but you'll have to go on your own. I'll distract the police long enough so you can get away."

My breath hitched in my throat at her request.

"What? Why? We can leave together! I can't be alone again. Where would I even go? I-"

Kelly placed her hands on my shoulders, and pulled me into a comforting embrace. I became overwhelmed by the entire situation and let the tears fall, silently crying onto the wolf's shoulder, staining it with warm tears.

"I know hun, it's okay but I know that you're capable of hiding somewhere until I find you. You're so much stronger and smarter than you realize. Just do it for me…please."

I nodded my head feeling utterly destroyed inside. We broke away from the hug and I shut the door, squeezing my head into the mask and throwing my hood over it. I so badly wanted to inject and change her mind but I stood and did nothing. Helplessly watching her speed off down the road. The cops tailing right behind her, and clueless that I was here thankfully. The sound of loud blaring police sirens becoming more and more faint.

Not wanting her sacrifice to be in vain, I dashed towards the train seeing the door now beginning to close. Right at the last second I was able to squeeze through the gap and into the train, a strong refreshing breeze hitting my form the moment my body was fully inside the now moving express. I was even more at ease seeing that I was apparently the only passenger on this ride. I stared out the window watching Bunnyburrow fade away and seeing the large city of Zootopia only increase in size.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I pondered in my head. "I hope you're safe Kelly."