Chapter 8

Possessed

A/N I wanted to extend my thanks to Cam and Etienne for their beta reading support in addition to Tinbuzzard11. Really helped me out in a pinch.

The morning of the Unification celebration, Nick instinctively kept an eye on Judy. His wife's expression was hard and intense; at least, more so than usual – to the point where there was little of their usual bantering the previous night. Judy's shoulders were frequently tight, ears upright and alert, and she moved with purpose.

He knew this side of her well. After coming back to Zootopia, his rabbit partner became fixated on taking responsibility for her mistakes and focused on her goal to the point of recklessness. The tod had gladly helped her most of the way, but there was a point that Judy just stopped listening to him when faced with a direct perpetrator.

Nick had directly called her out on this already, and she had acknowledged and apologised for it – so that seemed to be the end of it. Over the following year and a bit since then, she had gotten better about keeping herself out of unnecessary danger – not that there was too much after the Night Howler case – but Nick knew deep down that she couldn't help it. It was part of who she was, and why she became a police officer in the first place – to find and correct injustices.

Nick had a hunch that Judy was going to try something crazy, but he had no idea what. When he asked her during one of their breaks, she answered honestly that she had no idea either… but that she had to do something. It was just a matter of figuring out what. He could tell the lapine was pondering this conundrum when her foot twitched and rapidly tapped the floor before she caught herself.

In the meantime, they both did their duty as usual. On the morning of the Mayor's celebration, they carpooled with Wolfard, Delgato and the IT department all in one Z-242, and presented themselves as professional detectives alongside their fellow officers in full uniforms. The Mayor's wooden stage had been erected in Savannah Central's town square, with hundreds of seats and reception tables set up by the time the police staff arrived. Almost a third of the seats were already taken by members of the public, who had apparently arrived ahead of time to attend.

The mayoral staff had already been working for hours, and Nick couldn't help but study the contingent. The first thing that caught his eye upon arrival was a giraffe hanging red embroidery over the upper sections of the stand. Then his gaze followed a fellow fox and coyote zipping about delivering materials, memos and relaying information to the other workers.

Thankfully the fox – also a red with a silver morph – was a fellow tod, and looked too busy to come and bother him. Nick sometimes recalled his mother talking about some long-lost grandparent having silver fur, but he hadn't had the pleasure of seeing such a relative in person. And he didn't want to spend too much time thinking about his relatives; as an image of a certain older tod came up momentarily before Nick cleared it from his mind.

There was also a porcupine sitting in the front row, with several other journalists ready with their clipboards. Some were already snapping photos.

Gilesby was talking with a possum and a jackal, both similarly dressed. Despite their species being completely different, they composed themselves in a similar manner to the mayor. Nick quickly deduced they were members of the Zootopian Council; or at the very least, high-level governors. He was awfully tempted to slide into the conversation, but he was here as a representative of the ZPD, and so swallowed the temptation and followed Judy over to the other officers who had already arrived.

Wolfard, Rhinowitz, Delgato and several other officers nodded in their direction as they arrived, and the grey wolf passed them a couple of memos to look at. The rodents from their IT department stood on the stage's edge so they were at least somewhat at eye level with the other officers.

'Looks like we don't really have to say or do anything, except stand around and look pretty,' Wolfard muttered in a bored manner.

As Nick and Judy studied the memo, they saw that "ZPD address: Mayor Gilesby" being the only mention of the ZPD. Their section only lasted half an hour.

'That's it?' Nick wondered out loud, while looking around. 'And where's the old chief? There're no other buffaloes in our precinct I'm aware of.'

Delgato shrugged. 'Bogo somehow wormed out of it.' The lion scanned the mayoral workers. 'And looks like they've already got the bull covered, anyway.'

Nick followed his gaze to see a large bull, almost as big as Bogo, hauling the remaining tables around over his shoulder.

'Huh.' He shifted over and nudged Judy's shoulder. 'Check it out, Carrots – think that guy could be related to our illustrious boss? I could swear he shot me the same scowl.'

When the rabbit didn't immediately answer, he frowned down at her worriedly. The doe was looking at the staff just like he was, but it was like she was staring straight through them.

'Uh… Earth to Judy?'

'Wh-what?'

He leaned down to look her in the eye, his whiskers twitching.

'You okay? Still thinking about what happened on the weekend?'

She glanced away timidly. 'You can see right through me, huh?'

He chuckled. 'It wouldn't take a genius to figure something's up. Normally those big ears hear things, you know?'

She sighed reluctantly. 'I guess I haven't gotten over it yet. I just feel like… I should be doing something.'

'From what we know… that's not going to be easy. Or quick.' Nick started counting his digits. 'On one paw… there're those online forums I mentioned way back when. Then there's Clawhauser giving us pep talks, like yesterday.'

Judy gave him a small smile. 'What about you?'

Nick raised a brow. 'Me?'

'Yeah, the handsome and brilliant fox you keep talking about! Surely "he-who-knows-everyone-in-Zootopia" can come up with something.'

Nick scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, uncertain whether he should be flattered or nervous, as Judy continued to watch him expectantly.

'Well?'

'Gimme a minute.'

Judy shrugged and glanced around the venue, and her eyes fell on the mayor.

'What if we appealed to Gilesby?'

Nick bore his teeth uncomfortably as if listening to the scraping of a chalkboard.

'Not bad in theory, but in my experience, getting too personal with a governor or politician of any kind leads to disaster. I'm pretty sure you of all mammals, know this, Carrots.'

Judy glanced away for a moment. 'Yeah, but that was then, this is now.'

The fox tightened his brow as he tried to think up an example.

'...You ever had a childhood hero that you always looked up to – like from a movie or story you loved growing up? That was also a real person?'

Judy tilted her head for a moment in puzzled, before she nodded for him to continue.

'Well let me tell you, I've had several like that. But sooner or later, whether meeting them in person or just listening around, the idealised version of that person just shatters, and you wonder why you looked up to them in the first place.'

Judy continued to frown as she glanced over at Gilesby.

'How is that relevant? I mean, I think he's a good mayor, but nothing like a hero or anything.'

Nick let his shoulders sag with a sigh.

'The long and short of it is: there's a certain barrier that should be kept between governors and the citizenry. Otherwise that might lead to them playing favourites, and focusing too much on individuals rather than the whole city.' He paused for a moment. 'Within reason, though. I mean, I wouldn't want a creepy recluse as a mayor.'

Judy snorted with amusement, before she glanced over at the mayor once again.

'I still think it's worth a shot, though.'

Nick paused before talking again. 'I'm not saying it's a bad idea. Just don't expect it to go as smoothly as it would in your head.' His eyes brightened as they shifted over to a certain figure presiding over the mayor's meeting. 'Hooowever… We might have a better chance asking Linnalo first.'

Judy paused to study the weasel, who was standing by the mayor in a punctual manner. 'That could work…'

Their discussion was interrupted as the officers around them began to form a queue behind them. Knowing that they were going on stage by order of size standing close to the front, they quickly got in behind the mice as the giraffe coordinator began to direct them to their seats at the front. While they had been talking, the public had filled out any vacant seats still remaining.

The central lectern was moved into position by the fox and coyote attendants, as well as a wooden mini-step ladder. Mayor Gilesby thanked the two before ascending the steps. He paused to allow the journalists a flash of photography, and placed a clipboard down – tapping the microphone as the crowd fell silent.

'First of all, thank you for taking time out of your day to attend the Unification Celebration. I hope you can all see me, but seeing that I'm a hamster, there's only so much a lectern and stepladder can do for me.'

There were some scattered chuckles in the audience.

'Most of you are likely aware of this wonderful city's history–all started by predators and prey who wished for change. They created a small settlement together, and began setting up lines of communication as their relationship became less eaters-and-eaten, and instead partners in building something greater. Going back further – thousands of years, even – our settlement was a waterhole, where mammals congregated for a joint purpose, and leaving each other in peace, if only temporarily.

'My family has been in the Zootopian council for generations. My great-great-grandfather, Sir Aldrich Gilesby, was one of the first rodents involved in the city's governing body. He also assisted with expanding the city's financial sector, propping up the banks to deliver the necessary financial services to support the ever-growing population.

'As I want to highlight the unique talents I might have as a hamster, I wish to extend this recognition to every mammal species that has joined this great city. That is the purpose of this Unification Celebration, to celebrate you, me – all of us!'

There was a round of applause, and the hamster bowed humbly before he flipped over a page on his clipboard.

'I have many exceptional mammals to go through today. Starting with my own assistant, Lucas Linnalo.'

As Gilesby stepped aside, the weasel nervously came up to the microphone and cleared his throat. The weasel gave a short spiel on how he's tried to help the city, and then one after the other Gilesby brought in other mammals, most being too large to stand next to him. They listened to architects, artists, musicians, financial planners and many other professionals of all shapes and sizes.

It wasn't long before it was the ZPD's turn.

'And of course, the large and not-so-large officers that keep our city safe day and night, whether out on the streets or within their office, the Zootopian Police Department! Please, come on up.'

The giraffe from earlier directed the IT department up first, and all the officers filed up in an organised fashion, guided into three rows. Nick and Judy were down in front with the rodents, Wolfard and other medium-sized mammals in the middle, with Francine and other large mammals at the back.

As the mayor began to talk of the ZPD's advances since his electoral term started, Nick picked up on Judy glancing at the mayor's lectern – and especially the microphone – many times as the hamster spoke. As the rabbit began to fidget a little, he fought the urge to reach out and grab her paw, conscious of the periodic camera snapping for every mammal that went on stage.

Just keep it cool, Carrots. Don't do anything flashy and dramatic, even if you believe it's the right thing. It's part of the reason I love you, but right now…?

Thankfully she didn't do anything more than that. As her fidgeting eased off, he relaxed and scanned the crowd, as he had somewhat tuned out listening to the mayor's speech.

It was then Nick noticed more of the audience in the back – evidently, there were not enough seats, even though he counted several hundred. Like the rest of Zootopia, they were of all shapes and sizes, and all were looking at Gilesby with a mixture of concern, fascination, and approval. As Nick studied them more closely, however, there was one that stood out. The tod's body reflexively tensed, and he felt some of his arm fur stand on end.

The mammal was rather small, but their yellow eyes were glowing daggers in their direction, in sharp contrast to everyone else in the audience.

He was able to rationalise it away somewhat – no government can be universally popular, after all. However, he couldn't help but study the mammal; getting an odd sense of déjà vu.

As Nick focused his gaze, and allowed his perception to adjust to the shade in the distance, it looked like a skunk at first. The mammal was wearing a brown hoodie, and had a white strip of fur running down his forehead.

Nick couldn't shake off the feeling that he'd seen someone like that before. As he ran through the enormous list of mammals' faces he kept in his head, he recalled the time he and Judy had infiltrated the Cliffside Asylum and ended up locked in one of the cells.

That's what he is! Honey badger… though darker fur than that doctor, I guess.

As the mayor got down from the lectern and started calling out officers to receive awards, he followed the badger's gaze trailing the mayor.

Okay, there's unpopular, and then there's that… What's up with that guy?

'Detective Wilde?'

He flinched slightly as he felt Judy prod his side.

'Huh?'

He felt many eyes on him, especially the mayor watching him expectantly.

'An award? Me? Really?'

'And why not?' Gilesby said with a smile. 'Attaining the detective rank in less than three years – with no prior police experience – is something to be commended. And, I believe part of that can be attributed to your abilities as a fox.'

'Ah! Well… thank you, sir.'

Nick smiled and waved at the crowd, and did his best to not let the camera flashes blind him, and there was a round of applause as the mayor passed the fancy laminated document up to him. He turned and waved some more.

'Thank you, you're too kind! I'm on the job Monday to Friday! Feel free to pop in for an autog–'

A scrunched-paper ball hit him in the ear, and he scratched at it irritably while shooting the thrower an annoyed scowl. The polar bear culprit immediately tucked his arms behind his back conspicuously.

Andersen!

This got a number of chuckles from the crowd however, and seeing Gilesby's subtle amusement he waved a goodbye to the crowd and returned to his position beside Judy. He kept his voice low, which went unnoticed by the crowd under Gilesby's surprisingly powerful voice.

'How come you didn't get one, Carrots?'

'Uh… Nick?' She whispered.

'Yes, sweetheart?'

She poked him in the elbow, this time with the cardboard corner of her own award, to which he could only grin sheepishly.

'And I'm the distracted one?' She placed a paw on her hip. 'Just what is so interesting about the crowd, anyway?'

With that, Nick's attention immediately rebounded back to the shaded trees in the back. However, the honey badger was nowhere to be seen. In his place, there were two large, round boars with prominent tusks; contrasted well against the bright pavement behind. Almost as soon as he figured this out, the intimidating swine slipped out of sight into the city streets.

'Helloooo? Earth to Nick?'

'…I think I might understand that "police sense" you guys often talk about.'

Judy tipped her head at him, trying to follow his gaze.

'I don't see anything. And I didn't really notice anything the whole way through.'

'Well, nice to know my night vision works during the daytime too.'

'Ohhh.'

He grinned fondly and pinched one of her ears playfully. 'I'll tell you later. Just need to wait for Francine's turn.'

'Alright, slick. Just no more showing off, okay?'

Nick couldn't help but smirk down at her, as some of the crowd, particularly some of the womenfolk, were still watching him with interest.

'No promises.'

Another hour later, after the Mayor's speeches were concluded, Nick and Judy managed to speak to Linnalo for a minute at the end of the presentation, and were able to get his personal details before the busy weasel rushed off after Gilesby for another meeting.

All the officers began heading back to the precinct in their respective vehicles. For Nick and Judy, Delgato was driving, and Hamish had asked for the front seat – which meant Brie was able to squeeze into the back without any effort. The seat belt proved a bit more stifling, though, as there were less provisions for rodents in the front seat compared to the back.

Hamish had been chattering about the mayor almost non-stop since they took off, with Delgato patiently listening and Brie cutting in with stern interjections. Much of it was gushing praise of the mayor's new policies and whatnot. Thankfully, the comparatively enormous front seat made so the cream-furred hamster's voice didn't carry too far back.

Judy folded her arms as she gazed at Nick expectantly. 'So… care to enlighten me on your "police tingle"?'

Wolfard's ears perked along with an amused sneer.

'Tingle? Are you guys for real?'

'Police "Sense"!' Nick hissed insistently. 'But yeah, I should probably explain…'

'You felt it too, huh?'

They both glanced up at the wolf in surprise, but Nick clicked his tongue after a moment's thought.

'I guess it'd make sense for you to see it.'

'See what?' Judy said impatiently. 'Just spit it out already.'

'There was a… honey badger, watching the mayor. Creepily.'

Judy frowned with concern. 'Define "creepily".'

'"Scarily" is the word I'd use,' Wolfard continued. 'That kid has major gripes with the mayor, it seems.'

'Did you recognise him?' Nick asked.

Wolfard leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. 'Hard to say. If we looked through the database, it might jog my memory… but no. Not off the top of my head.'

'Wait…' Judy lowered her voice. 'Just how scary are we talking? "Murderer" scary?'

Nick and Wolfard exchanged a worried glance. 'It wouldn't be the first time a mayor had extreme opposition.'

'We do have a direct line to Council Security,' Judy said. 'We could tip them off.'

'Sure,' Wolfard said hesitantly, 'but we need to get some proof before thinking about that.'

'What about those boars?'

Both Judy and Wolfard frowned at him.

'What boars?'

Nick paused as he studied Wolfard for a moment.

'Just after I had my… show, I saw two of them where the honey badger was.'

'Oh… them?' Wolfard perked up. 'They work for Council security.'

'Huh?'

Wolfard grimaced uncomfortably. 'Yeahhh… those guys are weird. They hardly ever leave Council premises. Are you sure they were boars? Big tusks and everything?'

'It was dark, but yeah, I definitely remember those tusks.'

The large canine frowned to himself and glanced out the window. 'Weird… Why would they be here? Just for one irate honey badger? That doesn't really add up.'

'Well… The badger guy was gone when I saw them.'

'They might already be on to him, then, if he intends to attack the mayor,' Judy suggested.

'There's probably no harm in checking, though.'

Wolfard grunted irritably. 'Too bad for me, I can only raid my desk for a few things, then I need to get straight back out on patrol. What about you two?'

Judy grabbed her phone for a moment. 'We don't really have anything on this afternoon. Just a few reports and other paperwork to clean up. I could drop a line for you,' she glanced at Nick, 'after you've looked up this honey badger of yours.'

Nick nodded with satisfaction. 'Sounds like a plan, fluff.'

As usual, Nick's attempts to get on top of his backed-up paperwork took its toll, and before long he found himself peeking into the ZPD database in between his work forms. He first began searching for honey badgers with criminal records under forty. After studying the dozen results, he saw none that matched the individual he'd spotted. He also thanked the stars that there weren't too many honey badgers with criminal records, or the ZPD would have a harder time.

He then removed the criminal record filter, and the list multiplied to over 300. He grimaced, a little intimidated, but continued to pore over the list. One thing he noticed was that the yellow eyes he saw were rather uncommon among honey badgers.

Since he had seen the figure in the shade, he managed to narrow the entire list down to three possible suspects. He sat back in his seat to take a satisfied, deep breath.

'All done?'

Judy turned around to study the three profile photos, clicking her tongue self-consciously. 'How did I miss him?'

'The virtues of being a fox, Carrots.'

She smiled at him with amusement. '…I'll take your word for it.'

Nick sent the profiles over to Judy's computer, and she then looked up the number for Council security, as well as the Crime Stoppers unit on their end to follow up if necessary.

The fox then attempted to resume his previous work, but resigned to keeping an ear out as she rang the correct extension.

'Hello? Council Security?'

Nick couldn't hear the other side very well, but he picked up on the general tone. Whoever was there was… straightforward.

'Really? You've already identified him? Good to know, thanks.'

Judy hung up, glancing at her husband, somewhat impressed.

'They already know who he is. Yellow eyes, brown hoodie, everything. But… they wouldn't tell me his name.'

'Really?' Nick raised his brow. 'I guess they're pretty competent up there. Not that they help us with our job that much. So… what are they doing about it?'

'Keeping him monitored, but he hasn't done anything blatantly illegal or anything. At least they'll make sure he has no access to weapons.' She huffed a little. 'The operator could've stood to be a bit nicer, though. Why is a guy like him answering the phone?'

As Judy turned her seat around to resume her work, Nick couldn't shake off an unsettling feeling.

I dunno, Judy… In a place like Zootopia, mammals don't need weapons to be dangerous.

The following day was unremarkable; albeit busy. As a result, Judy didn't manage to contact Linnalo; the few times she managed to get a minute away from the desk, the phone was engaged. It seemed the weasel was even busier than they thought. She eventually sent him a text asking him to call her back.

Nick also attempted to keep in the loop with Council security about the honey badger – but they were so unwilling to share information that he couldn't even get a name to confirm his suspicions. This especially rubbed Judy the wrong way, as it was possible the suspect could be a danger to more than just the mayor.

They nevertheless sent Nick's findings off to Clawhauser and Bogo, and until that Thursday afternoon, their work went on as normal. However, there was a sense of unease between Nick and Judy, since Council security had made it clear they cannot pursue the matter on their end without Council approval.

During lunch on Thursday, they passed by Clawhauser's booth on the way back to the office when the microphone began beeping. Judy's ears stiffened curiously as she heard Mchorn's deep voice from the other side.

'Clawhauser. We have a… situation at the Dolores boutique, south Central branch.'

'Situation?' Clawhauser furrowed his brow. 'You're gonna have to explain, McHorn.'

'There's a honey badger that seems beat up making a scene in the entrance… and isn't letting anyone come out. At first, I thought he just wanted medical help. But now… I suspect a 10-49.'

'A… 10-49?!'

Clawhauser was on the verge of freaking out, but kept his voice low enough for only Nick and Judy to hear.

'Is that the Rodentia branch?'

'…Affirmative.' McHorn sounded frustrated. 'He's got a crowbar now. I'm gonna try and stall him.'

By now, Nick and Judy were pressed up against the desk listening to every word. The Rodentia branch was close to Little Rodentia; as such, the small clothing store was designed for mammals of a squirrel's size. A honey badger was about the upper limit.

Clawhauser glanced at the pair fearfully.

'I'm sorry to put you guys on this, but…'

'We're way ahead of you, Clawhauser.'

Nick and Judy exchanged a single nod before dashing to the equipment lockers, while Clawhauser alerted the area to provide backup. They kept their radios switched on; several other officers were already on their way.

The thick clouds present that afternoon brought a morbid pall to the normally vibrant city streets. However, this didn't slow Nick down, as he took the Z-242 and booked it with the police siren blaring all the way down Savannah Central's streets. Judy kept the radio and listened for any updates on the situation; McHorn was attempting to talk the badger down, but it seemed the perpetrator was more focused on blocking all exits and bringing the hostages into line.

Once they arrived in the small parking lot, they saw Delgato and Wolfard scouting around the building, with McHorn on the megaphone, speaking as calmly and rationally as possible.

'What are your demands? All of us here would rather this not get any messier.'

Nick spotted an imposing figure, just short enough to fit through the automatic doors, slapping a crowbar in one paw.

'I… told… you! I want the Mayor!'

It was clear the kid – probably in his twenties, judging by his voice – was agitated. Nick could also spot many mammals lined against the walls, some cowering and covering their families protectively.

'He's on his way… If you can just release the others–'

'No one's going anywhere until the mayor does what I say! So don't waste my time.'

Upon closer inspection, Nick could see rips and a large hole in the badger's shirt, with dried blood coating the ring around one in the side. However, there didn't seem to be any seeping wounds at the moment. Still, Nick noted it as he prepared to take over from McHorn.

'What's the situation?' Judy called out as they approached the Rhino.

'He's been there for only ten minutes and the kid's already got the whole store under his thumb. It seems he was attacked before this, unless he inflicted those puncture wounds upon himself, which I doubt.'

'Can Delgato or Wolfard get in there?'

McHorn shook his head. 'Take a look – it can barely fit the badger in there. If anyone can, it's…'

He hesitated as he lowered his head to look them in the eye, before glancing back at the badger, who was watching them intently. But his meaning was clear.

'How long until the mayor gets here?'

The rhino's jaw tightened. 'Hard to say – Delgato spoke to his assistant, and he's apparently in Tundratown. Even if he dropped everything, it would take at least another fifteen minutes to get here. And I can't start making promises at the risk of pissing this badger off, if you know what I mean.'

Nick nodded calmly. 'Understood.' He turned so only his back was visible to the badger, giving Judy a couple of hand signals – this time simple enough for her to understand within a second. She nodded, doubling back to their car as she traced a path around to join the others looking for a way in. Nick felt a sharp pang of dread run through his chest.

Be careful, Carrots.

He cleared his throat as he mentally braced himself, reaching up towards McHorn.

'Time to put my… silver tongue to the test.'

His attempted smirk fell flat, unable to mask his concern at both the civilians, along with Judy, being put in danger. Nevertheless, McHorn nodded and handed him the megaphone, and Nick approached the entrance.

'Who are you!?'

'I'm sorry for us to meet like this, but… we met recently. I'm Nick Wilde.'

The badger squinted, his yellow eyes glaring at him dismissively.

'You're the fox officer, huh? Where's the mayor?'

'He's on his way, but we're unsure of when he'll be here. Last I heard, he was in Tundratown.'

The badger ground his teeth in frustration, but otherwise did nothing.

'In the meantime, I want to understand some things. Can I ask you some questions?'

The badger looked up for a moment, before dropping his gaze. 'I'm not going to answer. None of you government types can be trusted.'

Despite his words, he spotted hesitation in those yellow eyes. And as he studied the face a bit more, he was able to narrow down who this kid was.

'What happened to you? You look like you could use some medical attention.'

'…'

Nick paused for a few seconds, deciding to push a bit harder.

'Would… boars be involved?'

The badger's eyes widened.

'How do you know about them? You're with them, aren't you?!'

Nick shook his head slowly.

'I just want to understand. I've been wondering about them, myself.'

This seemed to calm the badger somewhat, who glanced away, as if debating something internally.

'Can I at least ask your name? Just your first name?'

'… Ethan.'

Ethan Hodge.

Nick now knew which of the three badgers he was looking at. However, he had to avoid saying too much, or the badger would get agitated again.

'Thanks, Ethan. Can you tell me how you got those injuries?'

'Why do you care?'

Despite the barbed retort, Nick managed a relaxed smile. 'I need to figure out what first aid you'll need once you've gotten what you want.'

Judy swiftly made her way around the edges of the parking lot, using the trees, bins and chairs as cover. Nick was keeping the badger distracted, and she needed to get inside to see just how dangerous the situation was. At the very least, there was no sign of the badger having a gun.

She joined Delgato, who quickly led her to an external chute that seemingly led down into the building's basement. She took a quick peek and her nose twitched, with her face scrunching up on instinct. It was obvious there were still dirty clothes at the bottom.

'I can't even fit in the side door,' the lion officer said, tipping his head to the small doorway next to the chute. 'It's barred anyway, and I don't know if it's a good idea to break it down.'

'True enough.' Judy checked her equipment belt, and she had a universal police lockpick. The store didn't have very advanced security tech, so it was likely any doors below wouldn't be a problem to get through quietly.

She took a deep breath. 'Wish me luck.'

With a nod from Delgato, Judy held her nose and jumped down the chute, straightening her body as she slid down. She drifted down the smooth metal slide for a few seconds, a slight gust brushing past her ears, until she landed in a pile with a soft thump. She made sure to keep her nose plugged as she looked around the dimly lit basement.

Keeping her footsteps light, she crept out of the laundry bin and made her way to the nearby stairs, marked by lines of light coming through a door on the floor above. Keeping her head down, she gently pushed the door. It wasn't locked, but something on the other side was blocking the door. She pushed a bit harder, but it was not going to be a silent breach.

Not wanting to risk triggering some sort of sound signal, she searched the room for another way up. She quickly brainstormed what kind of facilities a clothing store would have, and a conveyor belt came to mind. And this wasn't just a clothing store, but also provided dry-cleaning services. Why else would they have a laundry chute?

She looked around, and for a moment wished Nick was with her, for he would spot something in this darkness in an instant. Then she stopped to listen; the honey badger above was yelling loud enough for anyone outside the building to hear him. As such, she heard his booming voice through the cracks of the blocked door, but also from somewhere else.

The rabbit honed in on the second sound source, and found what she was looking for: a metal rack half-filled with complete dry cleaning in the corner of the room, currently powered off. As she got closer, there was a single glint of light that reflected off the packaging.

Since the clothes were designed for small mammals, it wasn't hard for her to squeeze through without brushing against the packaging. Since the store wasn't too big, the rack only went up in one direction. She could hear Nick's voice as well as the badgers as she shuffled carefully up the rubber ground padding.

Judy soon saw into a better-lit area, spotting several mammals sitting against the wall. It seems the shock of the situation had worn off, but most of them still looked very tense, with a couple of children still clinging to their parents. She spotted a few rabbits among them; that would make it easier for her to remain undetected, since honey badgers relied on their sense of smell rather than hearing or sight.

One of the rabbit kits' eyes lit as he spotted Judy crouched down, but she quickly pressed a finger to her lips, and the boy quickly got the message. Many of the mammals soon spotted her after that – many with relief, and in the kits' case, excitement, but she remained where she was until the rest of the mammals in view spotted her as well.

Some of the adults sent similar signals to others along the wall as Judy finally emerged and made sure to keep the sales racks between her and the honey badger.

If this was any other mammal of the same size, she would not hesitate to jump them right then and there. However, honey badgers were… slippery, to say the least. There was a chance he would shrug off anything she could throw at him and then go for one of the kits with those claws. If she could get him out of the building, the larger police officers would be a big help. As of right now, she could only count on Nick to back her up.

As she continued listening, she almost didn't want to subdue him. Something about this felt… off, somehow. Even some of the hostages periodically glanced at the badger's wounds sympathetically.

Judy managed to get within ten metres of the badger, but there was no more cover for her to get closer out the front half of the store. She resolved to wait for her chance, as Nick continued to do his job.

'… Like I said, I'm not telling you anything,' Ethan said. 'Where's the mayor?'

Nick quickly flipped out his phone to check the time. 2:43.

If the mayor really left as soon as he should have, then he'll be getting here in less than two minutes.

The longer Nick listened to Ethan, the more the tod was convinced the mayor's arrival would actually make things worse. He raised his megaphone again.

'Listen, Ethan. He's going to be here soon, but… if he does, how do you see this going? If those boars show up again–'

'I don't care!' Ethan yelled back. 'I'm calling him out, and I'm sick of running from him!'

Running?!

'Please, Ethan! What do you mean, running? What has Gilesby done to you?'

The badger glared at him, but his gaze softened somewhat as he studied Nick a little more.

'You… said you were Nick Wilde, right?'

'Yeah.'

Ethan paused, as if trying to remember something. Then, he clenched his eyes shut miserably.

'…Two of my friends are dead because of him.'

Nick fell silent and lowered the megaphone. For several seconds, many odd occurrences in the past week started to make sense, albeit with a couple leaps in logic – the first being that Ethan was the same age as a young lion he'd seen recently. He was going to bank on this coincidence to finally get Ethan to open up, but if he was wrong…

He raised his megaphone once more.

'One of them… wouldn't happen to be Gregory Sunride, would it?'

Ethan stared at the fox long enough for the crowbar to fall to his side.

'How… do you know…?' He raised his crowbar again and tensed while baring his teeth threateningly. 'You had something to do with–'

'He's alive, Ethan. The ZPD took him in last Saturday morning. He… wasn't in a good way, but he is alive. I was called in to talk to him.'

Ethan continued to grip the bar, but he stared down at the floor, regret slowly creeping down his muzzle.

'…It's alright, Ethan. Just put that crowbar down, and the ZPD can protect you from… whoever those boars are.'

Ethan stood still, staring Nick in the eye, and Nick didn't flinch. He meant what he said, even if the mayor likely had strong objections.

When it looked like Ethan would finally relent, the badger suddenly scowled past Nick, tensing up and raising his weapon. Nick looked around, realising too late he had focused to the point of being blind to his surroundings.

The megaphone was snatched out of his paw, with a large boar dressed in a military uniform shouting in a cold, gravelly voice. It was an intimidating navy blue outfit, padded with a Kevlar vest.

'Ethan Hodge – we have the place surrounded! Come out with your hands up!'

'Wh-what are you doing!?' Nick hissed as he instinctively grabbed at the megaphone, to no avail. 'There are hostages in there!'

Several figures shuffled in from the sides; all wearing uniforms. Most of them were boars, but there were several wolves as well; some of which Nick vaguely recognised.

Ethan gripped his crowbar even harder as he glowered at the lead boar; which Nick pegged as the commander.

'Where's the mayor, pig?!'

'He's not coming,' the commander said shortly. 'There's no point resisting any longer.'

Nick continued to stare at the commander in disbelief.

Is he escalating this on purpose? You do not try to intimidate a honey badger! Even kids know that.

There was a long, tense pause as the boar and badger stared each other down.

'Well, then…' Ethan said icily as he shifted a foot. 'Maybe I can change your mind.'

Panic shot through Judy as she saw the situation make a turn for the worst. As soon as one of those boars came into view, Ethan growled heavily. It was almost like that wolf case years ago…

'Maybe I can change your mind.'

Up until now, Judy wasn't sure whether she should attack or let Nick take him in. If those boars hadn't shown up, she would have gone for the latter.

But the badger had turned towards the nearest hostage; a pair of squirrels, mother and daughter. There was a crazed look in his yellow eyes. The boars and wolves outside were too large to even get in the building; it was up to her.

The squirrels immediately scrambled away, leading Ethan to shift his target to the next mammal. This happened a couple of times, but when the mammals on the opposite end began to inch towards the front door, the badger frowned before doubling back. Judy remained hidden, shifting around her current clothing rack until she heard the badger's footsteps slow down close to the front door. She peeked out long enough to study the steel-framed doors.

Those boars and the others can't help unless I get him out the door…

She eyed the badger's crowbar, and deduced that he was going to bar the door while attacking the hostages. She had a bad feeling about this – but regardless of her personal feelings, the civilians' safety came first.

Judy waited until Ethan was close enough to the door. Then, picking up speed, she sprinted forward out into the open, honing in on the badger's exposed back.

She hit him with a flying kick, with the badger's head slamming against the glass door. Unfortunately, it did not open outwards. His crowbar clattered to the ground, and Judy immediately kicked it to the side as Ethan growled and turned to her.

'Enough!' She warned, adopting a defensive stance. 'There's no point in dragging this out any longer – I don't want to hurt you.'

Ethan studied her, his gaze momentarily shifting back to the many officers outside.

'Maybe you don't,' he said, 'but they do. I… don't have a choice.'

He raised and unsheathed his claws as he advanced. Judy reflexively drew her tranquiliser and shot him in the chest. The badger didn't even flinch; pulling the projectile out and flinging it to the side.

The doe checked her equipment belt one more time, checking for her taser in particular, before Ethan lunged. She dodged to the side, delivering several punches to his chest and side while ducking under his wild swings. They had little impact; it was like punching a pillow, and he immediately swiped at her again while backing towards the front door.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Nick came up behind Ethan and stuck him with his taser. Ethan yowled painfully, immediately flailing around and hitting the weapon out of Nick's paws.

'You tricked me! You were just stalling until those bastards could show up!'

Nick opened his mouth to protest, but growled with frustration and reluctantly stood his ground.

Judy immediately leapt onto the badger's back and tried to topple him over, but he maintained his balance despite her momentum. She reached for his arms in an attempt to cuff him from behind, but his skin was slippery to the point where she couldn't get a good grip. Nick darted forward and grabbed the wrists in an attempt to help.

However, Ethan tipped forward and slammed his head into Nick's, sending the fox sprawling on the ground. Then, he twisted around and flung Judy off, and she slammed into the nearest metal rack, winding her as the clothing rack fell around her.

Dazed, she saw Nick get up slowly as Ethan picked up the crowbar. Thankfully, Nick recovered in time to duck under the badger's swing. Judy also saw several adults around her creeping forward, despite the dangerous situation. Her instinct was to warn them to stay away, but then she studied the front door once again; and an idea formed in her head.

Nick considered himself lucky; had the badger aimed his headbutt properly, the fox wouldn't even be conscious. However, for the moment, he was in trouble; he was not strong enough to wrestle the weapon out of a honey badger's paws, and firing his pistol with civilians in the area was ill-advised. On top of all that, the other weapons he had – the tranquiliser and taser – were ineffective.

However, a quick look from Judy told him she'd formed a plan, with a twitch of her nose towards the door behind him. Some other mammals gathered behind them, as if willing to assist.

With that, Nick knew that his job was to keep Ethan occupied. Judging by the way the badger fumed at him, he didn't need to say anything to keep that up.

The badger swung at him again, but the fox easily ducked and weaved out of the way. He did not retreat, instead opting to keep the badger as close to the door as possible. Judy, meanwhile, closed in from behind again.

Nick made sure Judy stayed of Ethan's sight for a few more swipes. However, he took his eyes off the badger for a split second just as the badger swung at his right foot, flipping Nick onto his side with a groan as he hit the ground.

The mustelid raised the crowbar over his head, but Judy sprung into the air and grabbed it just as he swung down, yanking the crowbar out of his paws. The badger stopped for a moment, glancing at his empty paws, before he turned on her with a frustrated growl. He immediately swiped at her, but Judy, holding the crowbar by the bent end, ducked and immediately slogged him in the stomach – with little effect. However, in the brief moment where the badger clutched at his belly, Judy quickly glanced at the other mammals that had formed up.

'Now!'

She gripped the bar horizontally and shoved it against Ethan, ramming him with all her strength. At least five other mammals backed her up and pushed on the crowbar at the same time. Sure enough, the badger slid across the floor, and Nick swung the entrance open at the ready.

As soon as they were clear of the building, the commander boar and one of the security wolves grabbed Ethan from behind, wrestling him to the ground. Despite being exhausted and wounded, the badger continued to struggle while glaring daggers at the security guards, even as they cuffed him. The mustelid was only able to resist for a few seconds before submitting.

As the adrenaline began to wear off, Nick let out a long breath, doubling over as he took a moment to recover. Judy similarly exhaled, and after a second smiled thankfully to the mammals that had backed her up.

'All of you did very well. However, we are going to have to record your names, considering what Ethan put you through–'

'That won't be necessary.'

The commander approached them while leaving his subordinates in charge of Ethan. Judy glared at him, while Nick and the others watched him warily.

'The situation wouldn't have escalated the way it did if you hadn't provoked him!' Judy pointed a finger as the security officers began to lead Ethan away, while Delgato, Wolfard and McHorn approached as well; albeit uncertain as to how to address the guards.

'That is none of your concern,' the boar said matter-of-factly, 'but I do thank you and Detective Wilde for your assistance, regardless.'

McHorn cleared his throat. 'I'm sorry, but may we have your name? I am uncertain as to how to address you.'

The boar's beady eyes twinkled for a moment. 'You can address me as Commander Grenn.'

'Right…' Wolfard said slowly, also watching Ethan. 'And what about him? We need to take him in; I can think of several criminal charges off the top of my head that we need to address.'

'We'll take care of that,' Grenn said. 'This particular criminal will be taken in by us Razorbacks.'

Nick's ears twitched. Razorbacks, huh?

Judy huffed. 'That's not–'

Nick put a paw on her shoulder and shook his head.

'This… isn't the time, Carrots.'

Judy stiffened for a moment, but relaxed. Nick was in no way done with the boars, or Commander Grenn; but it would not be resolved here. Especially since he could see a familiar police cruiser, as well as an adorned sedan pulling up in the carpark.

'Hopps! Wilde!' Bogo made a beeline for them and his other officers as soon as he emerged from the car.

'Sir!' They answered and stood straight.

'Are you injured?'

They all stared at him incredulously for a moment, before Nick and Judy looked over themselves.

'Some bruises here and there,' Judy said as she looked up at Bogo, 'but nothing serious.'

Bogo nodded slowly before he fixed Grenn with a suspicious glare.

'Care to explain what happened here, Commander?'

The boar's gaze darted between the civilians present as well as the other officers. 'There is a better time to ask such questions…'

'Is there?' Bogo's nostrils flared as he pointed at his officers and the other civilians, who were already being interviewed by the boars and wolves. 'When my officers put themselves at risk to resolve a situation that you have a hand in creating, I think I'm well within my right to ask why. I'm not letting you take the suspect out of police hands without a proper explanation, Commander.'

'Chief Bogo, please…' A familiar voice emanated from the ground, with the Commander and Chief gazing down at the approaching hamster. 'There's no need for this to become unpleasant. Council security and the police should work together.'

'So you were coming…' Nick muttered in a veiled snarl, loaded with enough venom to draw everyone's gaze. 'Why did Grenn say otherwise, resulting in a rampaging badger?'

Gilesby's gaze widened in surprise, before fixing the commander with a scowl. 'Commander Grenn, what is the meaning of this?'

There was a long, tense pause as their questioning gazes collectively fell on the boar. However, the commander was unmoved in his response.

'Sir, this was a matter of homeland security.' His gaze shifted to the officers once again; the civilians had been led away to be interviewed already. 'I'm taking this terrorist into custody for the purposes of a preventative detention order; ZSI Act, Division 135.' The boar gave both Bogo and the mayor a hard look. 'I'm sure you both know what that means; and why I cannot say more.'

Bogo remained where he was, his anger displaced by disbelief. Gilesby paused thoughtfully, before finally glancing over at Nick and Judy with concern.

'Regardless of what you think of this, Chief Bogo, perhaps you should attend to your officers? It looks like they have been through quite an ordeal.'

Bogo huffed indignantly. 'Fine, but I'm not leaving without more information – so don't. Go. Anywhere.'

Grenn nodded calmly, as did Gilesby, and Bogo ushered his officers closer to his cruiser.

'I'm afraid this is a matter between the mayor and I. All of you can go home.'

All of them stared at him uncertainly.

'Are you sure, sir?' Delgato said with concern, glancing at the civilians out of the corner of his eye. 'Can they be trusted with civilians?'

'That's why I'm staying,' Bogo said shortly, 'but they are professionals, despite some actions today saying otherwise…'

Nick was still watching Gilesby and Grenn suspiciously, but at that moment he cleared his throat.

'Sir, can I request sick leave for a full examination tomorrow?'

'Huh?' Judy tested her arms and stomped her feet lightly. 'I feel fine, Nick. We don't need a whole day.'

Bogo and Nick fixed gazes for several seconds before the bull acquiesced.

'I see. Granted – I'll send through a request to Doctor Franklin of Central hospital. He has one or two appointments tomorrow, so it shouldn't be a problem – I'll let you know if it is by 9am tomorrow morning. Don't bother arriving until then.'

'Thank you, sir.'

Judy couldn't help but fixate on both of them, as if something had passed between them that she couldn't place her finger on.

As the other officers reluctantly returned to their respective vehicles after a brief goodbye, and the Chief began to supervise the civilians, she spoke up as she followed Nick back to their Z-242.

'Something I should know, Nick?'

The tod tried to give her a comforting smile, but his eyes betrayed a degree of anxiety.

'Well… you know, we both got thrown around a lot. It wouldn't surprise me if there was some internal bruising or whatever. Better to be safe than sorry, right?'

Judy narrowed her eyes at him; Nick was avoiding eye contact. However, she shrugged after a moment; it never hurt to get a thorough medical examination after fighting a honey badger.

'I guess…'

'Just trust me on this, Carrots,' Nick continued. 'During that whole spat with Ethan, I got a weird hunch… I just want to make sure I'm not worrying over nothing.'

Judy couldn't help studying Nick's back as he went to join Wolfard and the others. His ears were folded back, and his shoulders were tight with anxiety.

Then why do I feel like you're worrying yourself to death over me?