Chapter 13

Drastic Measures

June 13th, Wednesday, 6:41 pm

Nick and Judy's dinner that night was very quiet. Judy had asked him exactly what had happened, as she knew he went back for something more than a lost item. Her husband had talked about the information he'd gotten from the wolf guard, but it was clear he was holding something back. They had both taken recording pens of their own, and she had fully expected him to use it. She was convinced he had heard something he'd wished he hadn't.

It became even less bearable as Nick simply stared into space during their dinner. She had long since finished her plate, but Nick still fiddled with his food. She gently touched his arm, and he flinched.

'Nick… seriously, talk to me. I know you were up to something, and I don't know why you're not telling me.'

The fox turned to her and his mouth opened for a moment, but he clenched shut. Despite that, Judy continued.

'I don't know if this is a fox thing, like you have to protect me from something. I know you used that pen of yours. Tell me, honestly – did it have anything that could be useful to us?'

Nick's answer was oddly subdued. 'Only if you care about Grenn's MO, which is pretty much the same as Gilesby's.'

'Then what's bothering you? I've only seen you like this a couple of times, and…'

Judy trailed off as her memories of Nick flashed through her head. The two instances that came to mind were breaking up the wolf fight all those years ago… and when they found out she was pregnant. But there was only one way a recording could have scared him like that.

'Grenn… he knew you planted it in there, didn't he?'

Nick squirmed, then nodded solemnly.

'Do you still have it?'

The tod reluctantly fished the pen out of his pocket. As she reached for it, he grasped her paw and passed it to her.

'Do me a favour, Carrots… don't listen to it. Nothing good will come of it.'

Judy frowned as she studied the pen, but meeting Nick's gaze, she relented and pressed the black button.

'Did he threaten you?' Judy asked as Nick relaxed a little. 'Is this like that story about the forums? Or that woodchuck at the carnival?'

Her husband shook his head. 'Worse – he threatened you. I thought I had it covered pretty well, but he had seen through me the whole time.' He fixed with her with a concerned gaze, and Judy detected terror in his eyes. 'He's bad news.'

'What… exactly did he say?'

Nick leaned forward and ran a paw down his face. 'To sum it up – he said we should do what we've been told, or else.'

Judy studied him for several seconds, before reaching out and stroking his arm.

'We've been through worse.'

'I… don't know, Judy…'

As she tried to picture what Nick had gone through listening to that recording, her ears drooped as she realised just how much Nick had already done for her in the span of a week. His previously vibrant fur had dulled, and there were the signs of bags under his eyes.

'I'm sorry, Nick. You've done so much for me already. I didn't want you to suffer for me like this…'

Nick closed his eyes and sighed. 'I made a promise, didn't I?'

Judy slowly nodded, and they sat back in contemplative silence for a minute or two.

'…We're running out of time,' Nick said. 'And our options aren't looking so hot. The only obvious one left is this "Gabs" Finnick talked about.'

'And the other?' Judy said apprehensively, already knowing where this was headed.

'There's a reason that info Cal had might come in handy… but I hope we don't have to use it.'

June 14th, Thursday, 8:38 am

Breeze Healthcare Specialists was not a clinic Nick and Judy would have taken a second look at; not without Finnick's advice. The clinic still had not responded to their previous online enquiry. After looking through the roster, they quickly pegged "Gabrielle Banner" as the one Finnick was talking about. Judy and Nick were on the couch as they looked up the info. Most importantly, Judy requested Claire at the front desk. When asked why, Judy had said a "friend" recommended her.

The hold music did little to calm her nerves, but it wasn't long before they heard a friendly female voice on the other end.

'Breezecare; this is Claire speaking.'

'Oh! Hi Claire,' Judy smiled as she spoke, 'My name's Judy Hopps. I made an enquiry a few days ago–'

'Ah! Yes, I thought I'd heard that name somewhere before,' Claire said. 'I apologise, but Dr. Banner can't, er, address your issue…'

Nick was listening in, and gave his wife a thoughtful frown. Claire didn't sound very sure the moment Dr. Banner was mentioned – not to mention how quickly she remembered their enquiry.

'Are you… sure? My husband and I are running out of time.'

'Huh? What do you mean?' Claire sounded concerned.

'Well… our Doctor had said my pregnancy is far enough along that getting an abortion will no longer be safe… and that deadline is tomorrow.'

Claire was silent, long enough for Judy to clearly hear the conversations and calls the nearby receptionists were having.

'I'm… so sorry!' Claire's voice was suddenly loud and obnoxious. 'I'm afraid I cannot take your call any further today. Have a great day!'

'Wh–'

The disconnection beeps were all that was left. They both stared at Judy's mobile phone in disbelief.

'Finnick… did he really think this would work?' Nick wondered miserably.

However, a couple of minutes later, Judy's phone received another call from an unknown number. Normally, she'd be quick to dismiss it as a telemarketer or scam of some sort, but the timing felt a little too convenient. She allowed herself to hope as she answered it; Nick also watched with bated breath.

'…Hello?'

'Judy?' She immediately recognised Claire. 'Sorry about that; I had to get away from the front desk.'

'What's going on?' Judy asked with a mixture of bewilderment and relief. 'Are you not allowed to talk about these things on public lines?'

'…Yes, as much as I hate to admit it.'

Judy paused, and could tell Claire was outside the building on her mobile from the sounds of cars.

'Can you speak freely now?'

'Yes, I can. And I'm sorry we couldn't accept your initial request. But our public lines are…'

'Let me guess – under constant surveillance by the government?'

Claire's silence answered her question.

'We've been doing some investigating ourselves, so on some level we can understand why you're not allowed to talk to us. But we need help, and one of our friends believes Dr. Banner is our best chance.'

'…That would make sense. I don't know anything about her old friends, but Dr. Banner isn't one to share her history with anyone. Not even her secretary.' She sighed. 'And I thought gazelles were supposed to be social.'

'So can we see her? Today?'

Claire was silent again, and after a minute of thought, she exhaled.

'The only way it's going to happen is if you show up on our doorstep. Gabby will deny you if she knows you're coming in advance.'

Judy's eyes widened.

'So… what? We just force our way in?'

'That's the only way I know – it's happened before. But I can't promise that she'll help…'

'Is there no one else? Is she really the only one that might be able to help us?'

'As far as I know… yes. But she's not too forthcoming about that information, even when I ask. It's a terrible situation for everyone involved.'

Judy could hear the frustration in Claire's voice.

'We'll figure something out. When should we arrive?'

'Honestly? It's better you don't tell me. Gabby is probably going to get on my case about having an early tea break, so it's better if I don't know when you two are coming. As for her appointments, she's booked from midday until closing. So you should come sooner rather than later.'

Both Nick and Judy let out a sigh of relief.

'Thank you, Claire. This means a lot to us.'

'Don't thank me yet,' Claire said guardedly. 'You might end up worse off than you were before. That's happened before, too.'

Despite her bravado, Judy couldn't deny the butterflies in her stomach. 'We'll… take our chances.'

'I'm working all day, so come see me. I'm the only zebra on duty, so you'll spot me right away.'

'Alright, Claire – until then.'

'Until then.'

As Judy hung up, she exhaled. Nick watched her expectantly.

'So we're in?'

'For now…' She eyed him worriedly. 'But Claire's opinion of Dr. Banner is so similar to Finnick's that it's scary.'

Nick gripped his paws as he tipped his head forward thoughtfully. 'Between Bogo, Grenn, and Dr. Banner… there are some scary prey in this city.'

Judy pulled a comforting smile. 'What about yours truly?'

'Ohh… the scary bunny, huh?' Nick managed a grin. 'The kind of fear you induce is one I couldn't live without, fluff.'

As Judy studied his expression, her ears gradually reddened. 'I'll… take that as a compliment, slick.'

After another pause, they both exhaled.

'Should we get ready?'

Judy nodded. '…Yeah. We need to at least try.'

June 14th, Thursday, 9:11 am

The sky-blue building, upon first glance, was no more assuming than the other private clinics Nick and Judy had already visited. However, against the bright oranges as well as the warmer climate in Sahara Square, it felt fresh and welcoming. As they drew closer, the metal sheen lining its walls was freshly cleaned, and the automatic glass doors echoed the council building in terms of its modern design. There were only two floors, though the misty air made it difficult to see too high up. They did spot solar panels even higher up, but it seemed as though they were positioned almost like an antenna to catch the most sunlight. It seemed that some of the mist from the clashing fronts of Tundratown and Sahara Square seeped into the surrounding here.

The presentation was as pristine and welcoming as it could be, but as the fox and rabbit stood before the building, the atmosphere was anything but. They were convinced this was going to be bad; they just didn't know how bad.

Judy mustered her courage first and pulled Nick forward by his loose tie. Internally, Nick hoped wearing his favourite outfit would have eased his nerves at least a little, but he barely registered it now. He might as well have been in a prison getup.

As they passed through the doors, they braced themselves for the onslaught of glances their way. However, of the half-dozen or so guests, only one or two of them paid them mind. They all seemed too preoccupied with their own problems to concern themselves with other patients.

It wasn't too busy at the front, and they quickly spotted the zebra receptionist with her striped mane standing out against the other receptionists. Claire was on the phone, but her eyes lit up with recognition as she spotted them approaching.

'… Okay, I've got you booked in for Thursday the 21st at 10 am. Have a great day!'

As the pair came up to the white counter, the Zebra's gaze immediately shot to Judy and her waistline. Her eyes fell sympathetically.

'I'm so sorry you're in this position…'

'There isn't much you can do about it though, right?' Nick said with a wave of his paw. 'Zootopia wouldn't let you educate anyone about this.'

'… You would be right.'

Judy looked around nervously. 'Is Dr. Banner in?'

'She is,' Claire nodded, 'and if you're going to do this, now would be a good time.' She pointed to their right, up a single flight of marble stairs. 'At the top of the stairs, take a left; her office will be at the end, and will have her name on it.'

After they both studied the staircase for a moment, Nick and Judy exchanged a nod.

'Do you have any suggestions on how to… deal with her?' Nick asked.

'Plead your case,' Claire said with a frown, 'and pray she's in a good mood. If this friend of yours is legit, I'd drop their name. I'll catch up with you, but you need to go in yourselves first, or she'll use protocol against me.'

'How's that–' Judy started, but shook her head. 'Ugh. I'll take what we can get.'

Claire inclined her head respectfully.

'Good luck, you two. You'll need it.'

The fox and rabbit took off, only now earning some annoyed glances from apparently skipping the wait time. Claire immediately picked up the phone and dialled Gabby's extension.

After a few seconds, there was an answer.

'What is it, Claire? There better not be more last-minute appointments today.'

'Yeah, Gabby – about that. You're about to get a couple of visitors.'

Gabby fell silent, to the point where Claire wasn't sure if she was annoyed or not.

'What did I do this time? I already gave them that damn report.'

'It's not the Council. But they know you, somehow.'

'…Interesting…'

There was a faint knocking in Gabby's office, and Claire hung up, just after she heard Gabby groaned to herself.

Nick and Judy could hear Gabby's voice before they reached the door. The voice sounded… familiar, somehow, even though they were sure they'd never seen this doctor before.

They tensed up after Nick knocked, hearing high-heel footsteps approaching. There was a brief pause before the door opened, and they looked up at the blond-haired gazelle frowning through her glasses while angling her gaze down at them.

'I'm sorry, but you'll have to go through the front–'

Then her eyes widened ever so slightly as she peered at Judy. After a second, she attempted to shut the door, but Nick and Judy were faster.

The two pushed against the door with fervor the doctor was not prepared for, and slipped inside just. Gabby glared at them both.

'Just what do you think you're doing? You can't just barge in here without an appointment.'

'Well, you didn't give us much choice,' Nick rebutted, 'as our initial enquiry wasn't even answered. We tried to contact this clinic on Sunday the 9th – isn't two calendar days your standard response time?'

The gazelle was surprised, given her incredulous stare. As far as they were aware, that information wasn't publicly available. However, it only lasted for a moment, as she shook her head immediately after.

'That doesn't mean you can just–'

Her frown deepened as she heard hoofed footsteps rapidly approaching, and the door opened once more as Claire came in.

'Great. More visitors. Should I have bought a cake?'

'Gabby, this is no laughing matter,' Claire chastised as she stood beside Nick. 'They clearly need help.'

'Indeed – if they think they can get away with barging into my office unannounced.'

Judy cleared her throat. 'We're standing right here, you know.'

'And that is the problem.'

Claire stomped one foot and pointed it at Judy's belly over Nick's head. 'Listen, doctor. Judy here is far enough along that they have to decide whether to have an abortion by tomorrow. At least hear them out!'

Gabby was silent for a moment, as her frown softened while she studied Judy and Nick further.

'Is this true?'

They both nodded.

'Our regular GP is Doctor Franklin,' Judy explained, 'and his diagnosis last Friday was that I was one week pregnant.'

Gabby slowly turned towards her desk as she frowned in concentration. She stole a glance at Judy once more, while Claire gently guided them to the two medium-sized patient chairs in front of the desk.

'European rabbit… Hm… yes, yes…'

The gazelle quickly sat down, leaning forward as she placed her hands on her desk.

'It seems your doctor knows his craft, as is expected from one assigned to ZPD detectives. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, I presume?'

'You've heard of us?' Judy said nervously.

'Let's just say my family are fans of yours.' With that, Gabby leaned back and clasped her forehead. 'And now… you're in this position too… fate can be cruel, indeed.' She cleared her throat, raising her head as her frown returned. 'I also assume that the good panther recommended you get an abortion?'

Nick grimaced uncomfortably. 'That's true, but–'

'But what? It seems you two still have not made up your mind, despite the obvious reasons for such a recommendation.' Her mouth tightened in displeasure. 'Or would you have me remind you of them?'

'We're heard them plenty of times,' Nick objected tiredly. 'And if you're going to say the same thing, don't bother.'

Gabby and Claire raised their brows at him before Judy continued, adopting a gentler tone.

'Please, Doctor Banner – we've sought the advice of every doctor we could see in the past week. Some were… more professional about it than others, but their advice was always the same.'

'They all recommended abortion?' Gabby confirmed as Judy nodded. 'Then why are you still seeking more advice? Are you under the impression mine will be different?'

Nick met her gaze. 'A friend of ours told us about you – he thinks you are our best chance, if we choose not to abort.'

Gabby eyed him suspiciously.

'And what friend would that be?'

Nick and Judy exchanged a short glance.

'Finnick. A fennec fox.' Nick glanced away for a moment. 'He's… never told me his last name.'

Claire gave Gabby a questioning glance, but the gazelle simply stared at her desk for several seconds.

'That little foulmouth…'

'Is he wrong?' Judy asked boldly.

Gabby's expression fell to the point where Judy and Nick's bravado slowly faded.

'Right.. wrong… none of that matters. Only Zootopia gets to decide in the end.'

Nick glanced at his wife with concern.

'So… what do we do? We need your help.'

Gabby took a deep breath, her sympathetic gaze somehow scarier than her frown. She picked up one of her pencils, and started twirling it unconsciously.

'Let me make it perfectly clear what my "help" would entail. First…' She shot the zebra in the corner a quick glance. 'It is quite possible that my secretary here will be fired after our meeting today.'

As Nick and Judy turned their heads to look at Claire, the zebra froze, but otherwise didn't react.

'I've warned you many times, Claire. Perhaps it's time you listened.'

'But...!' Judy protested, turning back to the doctor. 'All we're doing is talking!'

Gabby nodded. 'Exactly.'

Judy slowly sunk into her chair.

'So…' Nick said breathlessly. 'If you were to help us…'

Gabby closed her eyes serenely. 'Yes... let's imagine what would happen. You should know that the Zootopian Council requires a monthly report from me. The objective in me providing this report is specifically to make sure I don't help predator-prey couples such as yourself. And they verify this information themselves, far more regularly than every month.

'So let's say I do somehow help you… best case scenario? All twenty-or-so specialists, not to mention the desk staff, will get a fortnight's notice before the clinic is shut down. Some of them may somehow continue their work, but in most scenarios, none of them will be permitted to operate in Zootopia again.'

Nick and Judy stared at her in disbelief.

'And that's ignoring the fact that many of our facilities here cannot be found elsewhere in Zootopia. I'm hardly the only specialist here. Many mammals rely on these facilities, especially if we're the only source of treatment, regardless of how rare the illnesses we deal with are.'

'I would think Zootopia would prioritise its medical services,' Judy objected, 'considering how many mammals live here. Are you saying Gilesby would jeopardise mammals' general health over a predator-prey pregnancy?'

Gabby scowled grimly, her knuckles whitened over gripping the pencil.

'I'm not saying he would. I'm saying he already has.'

Judy and Nick were shocked into silence for several seconds, but Gabby continued.

'And I haven't even told you the best part. Even if I wanted to help you – I can't. I don't have the technology here to give you any more than your Franklin would.'

After Nick and Judy remained staring at the floor for several seconds, Judy slowly spoke up.

'Wait… technology "here"? What do you–'

Gabby shook her head vehemently, averting her gaze. 'I'm sorry, but there's no point in continuing this discussion any further. I cannot provide you the assistance you need. No doctor in Zootopia can. I'm going to have to ask you to leave.'

Nick stood up in his seat.

'But–!'

'Don't make me repeat myself.'

Nick, and then Judy, glanced at Claire in the corner pleadingly, but the zebra sadly shook her head.

Gabby continued to avert her eyes as she sat at her desk. After a long, tense, silence, Nick and Judy reluctantly hopped off their chairs and headed for the door, their ears and tails collectively drooping.

As Claire moved to follow them, Gabby's voice cut the air.

'Not you, Claire. We need to have a talk.'

Claire stopped next to the door, leaning down towards the pair as the fox reached for the handle.

'I'm so sorry… But I'll try and get her to reconsider.'

Even as she said that, they felt very little confidence from it. Nevertheless, Nick and Judy nodded thankfully as they slipped out of the office.

As the door closed behind them, Gabby and Claire's raised voices faded into the background as they were rooted to the spot. They had both been warned, and had thus braced themselves… but it still hurt. Nick could only stare at the blank wall in front of them.

Judy slowly stood next to her husband and grasped his paw, and he slowly gripped hers back.

'How much stock should we put in her claims?' She managed to say. 'No doctor in Zootopia can help us… I can't believe that…'

Nick drew in a long breath before exhaling. 'Our only lead now… is Ethan Hodge.' He looked Judy in the eye. 'We need to see Bogo…' He continued guiltily, 'and I don't think you're going to like it.'

Judy glanced back at the door one last time. 'What other choice do we have?'

Gabby gave Claire one long, hard look as soon as Nick and Judy were out of the room.

'You have just dumped a pile of shit onto my plate, Claire. Don't you understand the position you've put me in?'

Claire couldn't help but notice the gazelle continue to fiddle with the pencil. She'd never seen her superior so agitated.

'We are medical professionals, Gabby. We have a duty of care to all patients, and I'm tired of the Council forcing us to violate something so fundamental to our work.'

'Upstanding moral codes can only get you so far in this world,' Gabby retorted. 'I don't expect you to fully understand.'

She frowned and fell silent again.

'Listen. I don't want to fire you, but sooner or later the Council will come knocking on our doors again. If not me, then they will take it upon them themselves to call you in, which will be marginally less pleasant than dealing with me. Consider this a warning.'

Claire frowned, and the defiance in her eyes didn't instil confidence in Gabby's message.

'You can't do this forever. And if Zootopia won't let us do our jobs, then it can go to hell.'

'Try saying that again after you've been stripped of your qualifications with nowhere left to go.'

Claire's expression for a moment, but the zebra squared her shoulders and stormed out.

Gabby was left in the silent office with nothing but her thoughts.

I can't do this forever.

She continued to tighten her grip as her thoughts continued to wander. The only sound apparent to her was that of a pencil snapping.

On their way to the ZPD, Nick and Judy remained in one of the edge seats on the lower level, out of the way. After passing Central station, most of the other passengers filed out, leaving their carriage rather empty. Nick then took the opportunity to get his phone out with the temporary silence.

As Judy watched him, it didn't take her long to figure out who he was calling.

'He did warn us, I guess…'

Nick nodded grimly as he raised the phone to his ear. After nearly a minute, there was disjointed crackling before Finnick finally answered.

'Nick? If yer calling me, that means…'

There was a tense silence before Nick inclined his head.

'Yeah. It was bad.' He sighed. 'You did give us a heads-up, I guess.'

'…Damn. Maybe I shouldn't've mentioned it.'

Nick paused introspectively. 'It doesn't matter now.'

'What're you gonna do now?'

'Something drastic.'

'Oh? Care to elaborate, wise guy?'

'Well, I visited Bellwether in prison. And I fully intend to go back. I told you about Ethan Hodge, right?'

'The honey badger that snapped?'

'I need to find him.'

Judy stared at her husband as Finnick was silent for several seconds.

'As in… just like old times?'

Nick tightened his muzzle before he nodded.

'Yeah.'

'I dunno, man. Breaking into some warehouse is one thing. But a government building…'

'If there was any other option, I would consider it. But I've lost enough sleep over this – I can't think of any other leads.'

'…'

'Unless you have another?'

Finnick gave an incensed growl before letting the air out.

'No, I don't. When's this thing happening, anyway?'

Nick paused thoughtfully. If Finnick was asking, he was probably going to help in some way. It wouldn't be the first time they got "lucky" with prospective marks in their dubious past.

'Today. Probably after lunch, when the sun starts to go down.'

'Hm… do you want me to tag along? I assume Judes can't, for obvious reasons.'

'I need to go through the boss first. And… it's best if I don't bring anyone along.'

'Mhm. You really think he'll go for it?'

'If he doesn't, that's not going to stop me.'

Finnick let out a snort that almost seemed… approving.

'Don't you dare get yourself killed, 'kay? Who would Judes and I make fun of every Friday?'

'No need to worry – your verbal punching bag isn't going anywhere.'

Nick hung up the phone, but it wasn't until a few seconds later that Judy was glaring daggers at him.

'"Get yourself killed?" What in the world are you planning, Nick?'

The tod frowned determinedly but kept it trained out the window. 'If you have other ideas, I'm all ears, Carrots. But if you really want to hear it… I'd rather wait until we've seen Bogo. He'll be even harder to convince than you.'

Bogo frowned, even tipping his head and shaking it to clear any ear obstructions.

'I must have misheard you, Wilde. I thought you said "Break into the Council prison."'

'I prefer the term "sneaking,"' Nick said while doing the quote gesture "–but you get the point.'

Bogo shared a terse look with Judy, who was in as much disbelief as he was.

'You can't be serious, Wilde.'

Judy slowly nodded, as she couldn't tear her worried stare away.

'There's… got to be another way! I can't let you go by yourself into that hornet's nest…'

Nick gave her a firm look. 'You coming with me is out of the question, Carrots.'

Bogo sighed heavily. 'As is your proposal in and of itself. And all for this… Ethan Hodge?'

'We don't even know how he is mentally,' Judy continued, 'which means he might… you know…'

Nick tried to smile at her encouragingly. 'If he's constantly clawing at the walls and wailing, I'll know not to poke my nose in.'

'How are you even going to get in there? If the Council won't let us in to see him, then they'll never give us access to building plans or anything like that! Grenn knows about you, right?'

That silenced Nick for a moment. He opened his jaw for a rebuttal, but shut it just as quickly.

Bogo cleared his throat loudly.

'Before the two of you go any further with this… Wilde.' His brow creased even further. 'What you're proposing is grounds for suspension, even dismissal from the ZPD entirely. What are you thinking, bringing this information to me?'

Nick sat up straight and took a breath before looking Bogo straight in the eye.

'Because, rain or shine, you were there since I started, just like Judy. You've overseen our work in the ZPD long enough to know that if I was to do something… illegal, it would only be for the best of intentions. I consider the ZPD like a second family to me.'

Bogo, along with Judy, stared at him in surprise, but the fox continued.

'Unless one of you has a better plan… I have to do this.' He glanced at his wife once more. 'We're out of time, and options.' He turned back to Bogo. 'And if I was going to do this, regardless of the law, I thought you deserved to know. Both of you.'

Bogo's jaw tightened as he emitted a long, low growl.

'You really know how to push my buttons, Wilde. I've been badgering the Council about Ethan Hodge ever since you asked. Frankly, if our positions were swapped, I would likely do the same thing.' He closed his eyes and sighed. 'During that time, if I had a better suggestion, I would have offered it.'

Judy continued to search for another way, desperate to keep Nick out of harm's way. But she was hitting a mental brick wall every time.

Bogo leaned back and swung around in his chair to look through the window. His voice was oddly subdued.

'As the chief of police, you know I cannot condone this course of action. Nor can I protect you from any criminal charges that will likely head your way if you are caught. And the ZPD will have no choice but to terminate your employment. Therefore, as the chief of police, I would be obligated to stop you.'

Judy perked up in alarm, but Nick studied Bogo's back incredulously.

'Sir?'

'That said… if you were to pursue such a course of action, I could only stop you if there was evidence of illegal activity from you at the time. I would naturally assume you would seek some ZPD inside information on the security of that building. Therefore, I would forbid you from meeting a certain hamster in our IT department, who may or may not have been granted security clearance to Council building plans. He, in turn, would be forbidden from supplying you with said plans… if the reason given was to break into a Council prison.'

Judy, in that moment, couldn't decide who she was angrier with. Her right foot tensed up as it tapped against empty air.

Nick, on the other paw, slowly smiled with relief.

'Chief…'

Judy eventually sighed as she swallowed her ire for the moment. Everything Nick had said was true, as much as it frustrated her.

'Thank you. This means a lot to us… Even if it does tick me off a bit.'

Then, Bogo spun around with a look of unbridled fury as he slammed a fist on his desk.

'Absurd! Such an appalling suggestion! You call yourselves ZPD detectives?!'

Judy froze with momentary panic, but seeing Nick's smile widen immediately quelled it.

'You better show yourselves out, or would you rather me do the honours?!'

Nick hopped off his chair with one final salute.

'With pleasure, sir.'

Mildly confused, Judy followed her husband out. Before she could sort her thoughts, the nearby elevator opened, with Johnson and Delgato grimacing as they stepped out, evidently overhearing Bogo's outburst.

'Just what did you two–?'

Seeing Nick's smirk and Judy's confusion, they quickly raised their brows knowingly.

'Ah… the Chief's got quite the temper, huh?' Delgato said casually.

'Yep…' Johnson muttered evasively. 'Wouldn't surprise me if you two were going to be suspended after that blunder. I'd watch your backs.'

'Yeah…' Nick replied in the same manner. 'We'll have to keep our heads low for a while.'

The lions stood aside to let them into the elevator. Judy continued to stew in her worried thoughts as Nick hit the "B1" button, and the elevator began travelling down.

June 14th, Thursday, 10:45 am

Finnick's scowl was etched into his forehead as he drove his van through the side streets of Sahara Square bordering on Tundratown. Over the many years of driving the old vehicle, he had learned to swallow his indignation at a time like this; he knew all too well the dangers of driving while under the effects of high emotion and alcohol alike.

Still, he couldn't shake off the unsettling notion that something rotten was going on. Ever since Nick and Judy had told him they weren't legally married immediately brought up some red flags. The examples of stranger couples he'd already mentioned to them honestly were only scratching the surface, yet a good pair of working mammals like them were singled out.

Just doesn't sit right with me…

Then there was the fact that Gabby refused to help them. He'd known her long enough to have an inkling as to why, but he couldn't let this go without getting some answers.

Finnick caught several frowns of disgust from some old goats on a nearby bench as he pulled into the small carpark. As the goats redirected their frowns to the fennec fox coming out of the van's sliding door, he flipped them off just before going through the front doors. He was in no mood to put up with the likes of them.

It wasn't like he was dressed up like a delinquent, just his normal black shirt and trousers one would see in a local RSL club. He tended to fit right in to such a place, especially if there were slot machines around.

Business was picking up from the looks of things; there were at least two mammals waiting in line for each of the three or four receptionists on duty right now. He spotted Claire on the left-hand side, similarly serving an elephant.

The little fox had no problem ducking the queue underneath the larger mammals, getting to the counter without Claire or the customer noticing him.

'We do have an audiologist that works Mondays and Thursdays. I could book you in for–'

Finnick thumped the counter with his foot.

'Oy! Claire!'

The elephant stared down in surprise, then annoyance, as Claire peered over the edge.

'Finnick?!'

The elephant grumbled and shoved Finnick with her foot.

'You're holding up the line!'

Finnick ignored her as he peered vertically up at the zebra.

'Claire, is Gabs with a client?'

The receptionist shook her head. 'Not until eleven. Are you…?'

Finnick nodded shortly and strode off towards the stairs without another word. Claire watched the fennec fox in bafflement before the elephant trumpeted.

'Can we get back to me?'

Finnick went straight for the large white door, pounding on it with a backhand fist.

'Gabs! Open up!'

There was a moment of silence before he received a dry reply.

'Do you have an appointment?'

Finnick managed to reach the lower handle on the door and shove it open. The doctor was sitting at her desk, and from the open window and residual smell, it was obvious she'd been smoking.

She was staring off through the distant window, not even bothering to face her new visitor.

'… Finnegan. It seems I really should have baked a cake.'

Finnick, still scowling, dragged one of the chairs forward and jumped on it to face her.

'Just what is your problem? Why'd you have to brush Nick and Judes like that?'

Gabby finally looked at him, adopting a scowl to match his. 'And you're one to talk, giving them my name without so much as consulting me first.'

'Would ya have said yes?'

Gabby's lips tightened, but she was silent. Finnick frown deepened.

'Didn't Claire tell you–'

'I'm aware of the severity of their situation,' Gabby cut him off. 'I've already laid out the facts – I can't help them. And it was foolish of you to come here, thinking you could change my mind so easily. And you should know that them being your friends will curry no favour with me.'

Finnick could only stand there, clenching his paws while biting his lip. He began to stare at the chair beneath him, long enough for Gabby to feel a pang of remorse.

'This… wouldn't have anything to do with Rachel, would it?'

The remorse in Gabby's gaze evaporated instantly.

'Get out.'

Finnick's scowl returned as he looked up at her.

'You can't tell me what to do.'

'No…' The gazelle reached under her desk. 'But I have a "call security" button for a reason. I may hate them, but I will not hesitate to use the council guards against you… unless you leave. Wouldn't want to end up unable to help your friends, now would you?'

Finnick gripped an armrest as he leaned forward.

'Just how long are ya going to keep running from this, Gabs? Yer destroying yourself – if the cigarette smoke isn't a sign, I dunno what is.'

He didn't let her get another word in, as he pushed off the chair and leapt off, shoving the large door aside hard enough for it to slam against the inner wall.

Just as they exited the elevator at the basement level, Judy and Nick received a quick text from Clawhauser, reading "ask Hmish about "security review" when u get there. Good luck btw". Evidently, Bogo had already briefed the cheetah, or at least told him enough to understand the situation. Hopefully, the cheetah would follow Johnson and Delgato's example and keep the details under wraps.

There was only one source of light on the opposite wall, which was just beside the rodents' plethora of desks and electrical equipment. The rest of the floor contained filing cabinets that were probably as old as the ZPD itself, and dwarfed the small rodent desks by a large margin as they lined most of the walls. There were a few other cubicles with other record managers hidden behind such cabinets. The dull grey walls and black carpet immediately evoked a sense of claustrophobia in Judy, but evidently the rodents seemed at home here, if Hamish's cheerful humming on his small keyboard was any indication.

Brie, positioned at a reception of sorts just ahead, had glanced at them the moment they exited the elevator, but it was only when they approached her desk did she look up at them. The mouse's desk was so small that even Nick couldn't tell what kind of documents she was poring over. Her high voice was nevertheless meticulous and highly-strung.

'Detectives Hopps and Wilde? We don't see you two down here that often. Need us for something?'

'Well… Bogo sent us down here for a security review,' Nick began. 'It's the first time we've done it.'

The mouse fixed her glasses and studied the pair suspiciously; their casual outfits did not help their case.

'I'm going to have to verify that.'

They waited nervously as the mouse flicked through her emails, but it only took a second for her to find what she was looking for.

'Huh. Bogo only just sent through that request. How very strange.'

Judy let out an awkward chuckle. 'Well, the Chief has been swamped lately…'

Brie studied the email further for another few seconds, before shrugging her shoulders. 'Hmph. I'm surprised he would still care about this. The Council does a good job of monitoring its own performance. Anyway…'

She swung in her chair toward the oblivious hamster behind her.

'Oy! Ham! These two need some info.'

The hamster obliviously continued to type what Nick guessed was command lines into his computer. Then he spotted tiny buds in the hamster's ears.

Brie hisssed impatiently as she stood up. She walked over to the hamster and tapped him on the shoulder sharply. As the rodent turned to look at her quizzically, she pointed up at Nick and Judy.

The hamster took his earbuds out and beckoned them over. The only place the two could go was next to the wall right beside Hamish's desk, but it was still too small for them to see anything.

'Securityreview? WeonlydidonewhenIfirststarted. What'sthedeal?'

Nick blinked and frowned.

'Uh… Sorry, I didn't quite catch that.'

Judy managed a smirk from the corner of her mouth.

I guess I can do something after all…

'Well… the deal is that Bogo had apparently put this off for long enough. And we had some free time, so he figured we might as well do it.'

Hamish blinked thoughtfully for a split second before smiling. 'WelliftheChiefsaysso! Howmanybuildings?'

'Just the prison block, please.'

'Yougotit!'

Nick continued to frown, sticking a finger in one of his ears, earning an elbow in the rib from Judy.

'Here'sthemostrecentfloorplan.'

He was about to turn his screen, but he looked up at them again. Neither of them could make out any details on his screen. 'Uh…howaboutIsendittoyourworkemail?'

Judy nodded. 'That'll work. We should have access on our phones.'

'Itmighttakeaminute.'

After exactly one minute, Nick and Judy heard dings from their phones, and they opened up the email and the attached diagram.

'Whoa,' was Nick's response. The diagram showed several levels of cells, camera positions and their viewing ranges. 'You've been hoarding a gold mine, you know that?'

'Really?' Hamish spun his head around in excitement. 'Gold! Thetradingpricehadjustgoneup! Tellmewhere–'

Judy frowned and cleared her throat. 'Never mind that, Hamish.' She took another look at the diagram. 'This is plenty, though. Thank you.'

'Isitenough?' The hamster seemed to instantly forget about the gold prospect.

'Well, do you have any info about the guard schedules?' Nick said. 'There might be some dead periods that'll need more attention from them.'

Hamish nodded, and after a few seconds of clicking, he sent them another document with the guard's roster for the coming two weeks. Nick grinned and nodded thankfully.

'Thisstillfeelskindasudden,' Hamish muttered. 'When'sthisreviewdue, anyway?'

Judy paused thoughtfully. 'You know, Bogo didn't even give us a deadline. But if we need any further info, we'll let you know.'

Hamish smiled again. 'Anytime!'

He plugged his earphones back in and went back to typing out commands.

As the pair waved goodbye to Brie, the mouse simply waved at them half-heartedly while poring over her documents.

'That was almost too easy,' Nick said as they summoned the elevator.

Judy's ears fell worriedly. Their next step was to go through the police gear and find Nick an inconspicuous outfit, along with anything they had back home. This was one time she wished his fur didn't stand out so much.

Once the doors had closed, Nick reached for the ground floor button, but Judy stopped him with a swift hug around the middle.

'Carrots?'

Her forehead was pressed into his chest, and her words came out as a whisper.

'Are you really going to do this?'

Nick stood there for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and pressing his chin between her ears.

'It's the only lead we've got left.'

'I know…' Judy slowly shook her head while still pressed against him. 'I just feel so useless. I should have thought of something else by now.'

Nick smiled and stroked her ear. 'You expect too much of yourself, you know that, Carrots?' He touched her belly lightly with his other paw. 'You have to take care of someone else now – there's no use beating yourself up over it.'

'But that means I can't take care of you like I should.'

Nick leaned his head back and cupped her cheek, bringing her gaze up to his.

'You've done a great job up to this point. Why do you think I married you?'

That elicited an embarrassed chuckle from Judy, even if it got her choked up.

'You're too slick for your own good, sometimes…'

She took another breath and pried herself away. 'Alright.' She looked up at him firmly. 'Just make sure you come back, okay? Like Finnick said, I won't forgive you if you get yourself caught out there.'

Nick smirked confidently as he raised his phone. 'Relax. It might have been a long time ago, but both of us have snuck into places more heavily guarded than this.'