Chapter 27:

.

.

Walking around the barren rooms, Carmelita followed the incoming light to the catwalk railings and the ladder going down below. Judy and Jack, small enough, had already started on their way down, Skye awkwardly squeezing herself through. Nick and Carmelita though… -It was Sly who showed what Ash meant by it being easier going down. Vaulting over the top of the safety cage around the top of the ladder, he limbered down the outside before letting his legs dangle beyond the edge and into the void. A swing forward, they touched the rungs of the ladder, allowing him to work his paws down to the bottom of the cage and then across onto the ladder propper.

Carmelita followed him as Nick cautiously gave a look at the drop below. -It wasn't a bottomless pit, thankfully, but still enough of a way down to the next level to really, really, really hurt. And beyond the grille flooring of the next layer was the one after that, the one after that, going all the way down… The humming of fans and machinery echoing their way up, at least covering the sound of their descent.

But still… "-This is going to take forever."

"At least gravity is on our side," Judy cut in.

"Easy for you to say," Nick snarked, watching on as Carm half hung on the outside of the cage, feet trying to reach the ladder, an easily skull breaking fall behind her should she slip. The fox sighed. "After this, should I complain to ZOOSHA or the equal access folks?"

"If there is an after this," Carmelita said, making the connection to the ladder propper, "be my guest to do both."

"But that takes extra paperwork," Nick sighed, taking a breath in and working his way over, slowly finding his way down to repeat the manoeuvre.

"-And mammals ask me why I prefer my side of things," Sly said, reaching the next level down and moving towards the next ladder.

"I'm preferring it to," Nick said, as Judy gave a look to Carm.

"Can you control your raccoon, I think he's a bad influence on my fox."

"You're no fun," the raccoon whined, gaining a small smirk from Nick.

"Yeah, no fun."

Judy just raised an eyebrow and gestured to the pair before making her way through the next hatch, Skye following as Sly reached their level. He paused, frowning. "Point still stands though, they could have put in a lift."

"Then we'd all complain that it's broken," Skye sighed, shifting her right elbow up and worming her left down through the hole. "It's not for access, it's a ventilation shaft, the only time they expected anyone to use this was once every six months or something, having a polecat walk up and down to make sure no birds were nesting or… ARGGHHH…" She grit her teeth as she squeezed through, head and then outstretched right arm descending down.

"Still…" Sly said. "You said this was something cutting edge or something, you'd think they'd put in a lift rather than just expecting a ferret to go up and down unclogging pipes. At least make it so a mouse or a rhino or a giraffe could all do it as well -I thought that was your thing, Zootopians."

"It's the thing we want you to think," Nick said, getting down to his level as Carmelita worked her way over the railings for her next descent down. "Worked so far! Besides, this was all built decades before I was born." He glanced up and down.

Sly nodded. "Yeah, for… -whatever it is."

Nick paused, looking at him. "Wait, you weren't there when we figured it out, were you?"

"Nope," Sly said. "And I didn't get the memo either."

"This," Skye filled in. "Is a vent shaft for the ZHCFR, the Zootopian Helium Cooled Fast Reactor Project. -Use other peoples nuclear waste in a special reactor to make extra heat for Sahara square and breed new nuclear fuel. Export more of our hydropower… Something, something, people got mad, the ocean heat exchangers got more efficient, protests, it never got turned on, closed up and abandoned."

"And Rattigan purchased it," Sly remarked. "The perfect secret villain base."

"Oh no," Nick said, taking a breath in as he walked over to follow Carmelita. "There was an exchange between whose job it was to check on everything once every six months, and Rattigan was able to make both departments think it was the other's job."

Sly gave an amused chuckle. "I'm sure that was an old favourite at the supervillain meetups he went to."

"There's super villain meetups?"

"Well, I like to think there are," Sly shrugged, watching as Nick swung down below and reached the ladder, following after. "Not that I was ever invited."

"Can you blame them?"

"No."

"Thought so," Nick said, reaching the next level down. Giving himself a stretch or two he scratched the side of his head. "Still, secret base, no-one looking, old diggers and stuff stored away and access to the back caves of the Nocturnal District and access hatches to the surface… -And big spaces to try and bring back Clockwerk in. -His episode on the villain version of DENS would be a fan favourite."

"Please," Sly scoffed, paw out and listing off. "Sky Fortress, Voodoo temple, Tropical Island… VOLCANO BASE…"

"Shhhh," Judy said, turning back to them. "We're on a secret infiltration mission mammals."

Nick nodded, only for Sly to cut in. "And how far below are the villains?"

"Two-hundred and sixty metres," Carm responded. "Plus who knows how many winding corridors, vents, etcetera…"

"See, no harm, no foul," Sly smirked, the mammals limbering up to the next set of ladders down. "Besides, we're still far less noticeable than a lift."

"There isn't a lift," Judy said.

"And if there was one, we would just not use it because…"

"Because… Stealth, secret mission…" Judy said in a hissed whisper. She turned to Jack. "Help me out here."

He thought for a second or two. "No, lift."

"Wrong person…" She looked to Carm, only for her ears to go down. "Let me guess…"

"Lift," the vixen said, vaulting her legs over the next cage, hanging over the dangerous drop and letting her feet dangle over the fall before they wrapped onto the next rung, hooking on as she held herself steady, working to make contact with her paws.

"It would also mean you guys could bring down the heavy forces," Sly said.

"Just having a bigger ladder could do that," Nick added. "But alas, the cost cutters at the edge of their scientific field thought it best to leave servicing this thing to the walking tubes."

"You mean mammals like fishers, polecats, squirrels who make up most of the experienced steeplejacks even today?" Skye pointed out from below.

"Ahem," Sly said, going over the edge of the cage, seeing as Carmelita was out of the way.

"-And raccoons," Skye added.

"Thank you."

"Showing it was an honour after all," the vixen smirked.

The thief shrugged. "Thank-you."

"I suppose it was," Nick remarked, looking down at Skye. "The technology of the future, the atom, all serviced by 'The Tubes'. -No wonder everyone chose to hate it." Nick said, following Sly in going over.

"Proving my point afterall," the raccoon said. "You're supposed to do better, Zootopia."

"Like anyone else is any better," Nick groaned. "Have a ferret clean out your particle accelerator one time or something, -boom. Mammals say it'll create a black hole and destroy the earth."

"Wait, hang on a sec?" Reaching the bottom of the ladder, Sly pulled out his Binocucom, tuning in as Bentley came on line.

"Sly?"

"Hey, just a status check thing, seeing if it's working."

"So far so good."

"Also, whole debate about the ethics of making this so only ferrets and stuff could climb up and clean it… -Is it true they got a ferret to clean out a particle accelerator one time?"

One of the turtle's eyebrows raised slowly. "Yes… -A young cleaner at Furmi Lab and, coincidentally, another Felicia."

"The more you know. Did she have an interest in black holes or anything, or…"

"Wrong particle accelerator."

"Gotcha. -Her being a ferret didn't cause all that then. As I said, do better Zootopia."

"I also don't know what form of debate this is taking, or whether this will add nuance or not, but most articles did mention they required her to wear a diaper for the duration of the process."

Sly paused. "I assume there's either a very good reason, or a very dumb reason for that."

"-It was probably a lot cheaper and a lot less embarrassing than what would happen if she was cut short three miles into her four mile crawl."

"Right," Sly said, "Thanks for the heads up." he pulled his Binocucom down and looked around. The smaller mammals had already descended to the next level down, Carm just about finishing her swing over and Nick just about starting. "You got all that?"

"Enough to work it out," Nick said. "Next time, put it on speaker."

"-I'll put that on the dev list for the next version."

"You'll ask your turtle friend to."

"It annoys me how right you are," the raccoon said, making his way over and vaulting the cage.

"Do better… -Whatever nationality you are," Nick smirked, Sly rolling his eyes.

"Are we done?" Judy asked, paws on hips. "We need to get serious here. We're fast approaching his base, we can't be joking around a level or two above him."

"How many levels are left?" Sly asked, defensively.

Carm answered. "Judging by how many have passed, the rough height of each, the depth of the facility… -Twenty two to go.."

"And we've done…" the bunny began, her ears going down. "-Four, so far."

Sly dropped down beside her. "Okay, I promise, I'll get serious when we're down to level five."

"Fine by me," Carmelita grunted.

Judy just sighed, turning to Nick and giving him an expectant look. "-Okay," he said. "I'll be better than them."

"Good."

"I'll go serious mode when I reach level six. Ranger scout honour."

.


.

Mr Fox held his breath as he worked in the lock-pick, teeth grit, eyes closed, tail held still and motionless on the ground… -Which he knew wasn't true because it was no longer attached to him, but that was what he would do and, quite disturbingly, he was pretty sure he at least felt some…

His ears shot up with the sound of a click, his wife and nephew leaning in closer. "Is that a good sound?" Felicity asked.

Holding his breath Mr Fox looked up. "I may have to cheat here and say it is both."

"That isn't cheating," Kris said.

"Good to know, though it now feels less… -I'd wave my paws here but they are in use. -The good news is that I have the final tumbler up and ready. The bad news is that my final pin has snapped, and everything is on edge. I let it slip, everything could collapse, and without a third paw to go in and twist a non-existent new pin…"

Mrs Fox began reaching down into her, pulling out a small fur pin and handing it over, trying to reach around.

"Okay, okay getting there, it needs to be steadier…" he said, watching it waver a bit, until Kris' paw came in from the other side and held against it. "Okay, in slowly, in slowly, I can feel… Up a bit, down, left -Stop!" The room was silent for a moment. "And turn…"

It slowly moved around, a click echoing out into the room before the steel bars swung open, Mr Fox immediately enveloped by his wife's paws. "I knew you could do it," she said, shaking as she gripped him tight and he held her back.

"Dearest," he said breathlessly, "my only regret is that I could not have sped this up."

"Don't worry yourself…" She sniffed, pausing as he got up and held onto Kris too.

"You did good, nephew."

"I did the best I could. And looking back I think it was more than good enough."

"That's great and all," Mrs Fox agreed, nodding. "But now what? They still have William, they still have Rowan. What about Ash?"

"Ash should have got out at least, and now I can lead you two out to him and…"

"We're not leaving them behind," the two said in unison.

Mr Fox stepped back. "Do not worry about that, I'll…"

"I'm not leaving you behind either," Kris and Mrs Fox said together, before she turned down to him and followed on. "Kris will be going up to follow Ash, I'll be going after the rest of our family with you."

Mrs Fox moved to speak only to be cut off by her nephew. "That is not part of the non-verbal agreement."

She looked down at him. "Kris…"

"I faced off against the worst mammal I know in the world and came out on top, I handled her, I can handle this. Besides, you can't make me not." She moved to speak only for him to hold her paw, cutting her off. "I know you want to protect me, after all I've been through, after all I've suffered. And I know I've been hurt, these things have not made me stronger. But I've learnt how much pain I can take and how I can hold out against it. I can take the heat here, and I will be there to pick up my father and my cousin. Anyway, it does help that I now know karate and kung fu."

"He makes a valid argument," Mr Fox said, his wife taking a breath out and nodding. "And in any case, he is a member of this family, is he not. Fantastic elements and all?"

"Very well," she sighed, turning back to the cells. "Fake them up, then we move."

It didn't take them long to grab bits and pieces of debris and refuse from around the room and make the assorted shapes of three additional figures sleeping under the covers. Steel cage doors pushed shut, the trio held themselves next to the heavy one to the outside corridor, ears held aloft and listening before they exited out, rushing from cover to cover.

"What's the plan?" Felicity asked, Mr Fox turning to Kris.

"Do you know the route to where they took you and your father?"

"I can retrace it, yes."

Mrs Fox leant in. "Is it the same place he'd be now?"

"I strongly doubt that."

"In that case then," Mr Fox said, "to the air vents."

He turned a different way, the group rushing along, place to place, carefully retracing the same path Mr Fox and Ash had moved along previously. Around a corner and…

-A sudden paw up and backpedal, Mr Fox pushed his family back before bringing up an index finger. Leaning out again, he saw two guards looking over at the way up to the exit vent. He'd slid the cover back on when he returned and removed the ladder. Still, there had been marks and scents that could not be covered up, something the mammals in front were arguing about.

"Is nothing," one of the bears exclaimed, paw sliding down on his head.

"Something smells different," the other insisted, claw up in front of his nose. "Dust on air, fur, I…" He leant forward and pushed up into the grate, pushing it away from its mounting and up.

"What, you think mammals got inside?"

"Why not?" he asked. "I hear we have urban explorers before, I…"

"The way up has motion sensors and cameras, so I heard," the other waved off. "What else could it be?"

The more concerned bear shrugged. "Just something."

"Something?"

"Something," he said. "I trusting my gut here."

The more dismissive one waved his paw. "You overthinking things, you just nervous that things are this so far along, this is naturally time for ZPD to bust in or something."

"No, I…" he groaned, before pausing. His nose gave a short sniff, then another, "You smell that?"

"I… Something," he said, the two walking along the corridor, turning the corner and looking around. A distinctive scent was almost certainly in the air, both of them leaning into a crack in the wall, trying to get a sniff. -It was far too narrow to get a look in or do a feel with their claws, the only thing they knew was that a faint smell was wafting out…

"Garlic?"

"Da, garlic," one said, leaning in. Another inhale and he looked over. "You think from the kitchens?"

"No, I think it is from my interlopers trying to mask scent," he scoffed.

"Da, but I seen canned food and stuff being mixed up. We not have anything with garlic or…"

"Maybe cook wants variety?"

"You know which cook you talking about," the other huffed.

"Well, what you think it is, unless my interlopers?"

"Just… Weird stuff in old building," the other said, waving things off. "This, your interloper, just old air giving phantom scents."

"Fair," his companion groaned. "Fair. -What weirdest phantom scent your brain ever fill in anyway…"

Together they began walking off, the bear who'd dismissed that anything was wrong talking on about how he'd been walking around at night and sworn that someone was cooking fried eggs in diesel fuel with a mixed in dosage of toothpaste, only for him to go outside and whatever his brain had been autofilling in to make that revealing its non-existence to him. The bear who'd first called them to the odd vent agreed, giving his own tale about how he had thought he heard and smelt a wine and cheese party going on downstairs one night, only to find nothing there, before they were cut off by the closing of a heavy metal door.

-Slipping in around a corner having looped around the commotion, Mr Fox waved his wife and nephew on to where he'd stashed the ladder. "What can I say?" he asked, holding up a bud of garlic, one of the cloves pulled out and used as an olfactory distraction. "Ruling out the presence of Mephitidae nosferatu and drawing off overly observant polar bear guards." He looked around. "Seriously, what can I say, I'm requesting some backup here."

"All the more reason for me to make sure we're well stocked," Mrs Fox said, grabbing the ladder and taking it over, smiling as Mr Fox gave her a double whistle and two tongue clicks. They got the ladder in place and climbed up it, leaving the vent hatch open to once again make it look like a replacement that had started but never been finished off. -Which, now this thing was known to some of the guards, was far less likely to survive scrutiny but they would take what they had got.

"Okay," Kris said, breathing in and out before looking to Mr Fox. "Which way to them?"

Mr Fox looked one way, pointing his muzzle into the still present if diminished breeze. "That direction is the way Ash and I went…"

"So, this way?" Mrs Fox said, pointing in the other.

"Not necessarily…" Mr Fox began. Looking left and right, pondering their route. "In all honesty, I'm regretting not studying a map of the vent network in the fan room."

"There's a map?" Kris asked.

"No, which is where the majority of that regret originates from right now."

He kept on looking around, only for Kris to lead on, going in the down wind direction.

"You know where you're going?" Mr Fox asked, all three now carefully treading forward, paws as light as possible.

"No, but…" he went down and narrow as they approached a side mounted vent, Kris leaning in and looking out. "I might at least recognise some of these places." He looked back. "Had we been in the extraction network rather than the supply, things might have been easier."

They carried on, having to carefully cantilever themselves over a few pits dropping far below, curve around a few tight bends, even slip themselves up and over a few jump-ups in the metal tunnels. Most of the time enough light came in here and there for them to just about see their way. Other Times though, far enough away from a vent and with enough twists and turns to cut off any reflected light, they went by feel and touch. Paws sliding in front. Few words if any said. Less so as they entered more active areas, looking out to see storage areas, workshops where some level of manufacturing was going on, areas laid out with bunks. Finally, turning one corner, they looked out to see a large open warehouse space spread out below, stacks of old digger equipment and other machinery and supplies in place. Old mixed with new, some mammals running backwards and forwards, drones lying down ready and heavy electrical equipment being moved forward. Kris looked on, noticing a ginger furred goat directing a few mammals who were coming off a massive platform at one end, heavy lift cables in place for raising it to the surface and back. -At least that was the most logical explanation Kris could come up with.

Still… Useful, but no closer to his father, to his cousin… To…

He paused, his head tilting slightly as he saw a van coming in off of the lift, a few mammals opening it up and bringing out some supplies. A cot, milk, boxes of other baby supplies… The goat leant forward, picking up an initial small bundle before turning and walking off. Kris, eyes on, began doing his best to follow him. Thankfully at this point the airduct looped back, following the goat as it travelled along a wide open avenue of sorts, large doors, pipe installations and other gubbins on the multi level walls looming above the wide concrete floor.

They picked up the pace, passing by a large gantry crane parked halfway along the avenue, Kris doing his best to glance out where he could and make sure they were still following the goat, still…

-Following Petey his head shot left, to where no exit was present. He kept on going, faster, faster, trying to find the closest turn to carry on the chase, pushing himself around a tight corner when it came and rushing to the next open vent he could.

He froze.

"We're on an upper level." He glanced back. "Petey at least one below. We'd have to go down, I don't know if…"

"Is there any way out into the rooms?" Mrs Fox asked, Kris turning down to the vent. "It's screwed in from the other side, I don't think, I…"

"-Shhhhh…" Mr Fox cut in, paw suddenly up to his muzzle.

The pair looked to him, both their ears going up. Noise. Incoming noise. Rattling, shuffling, claw tips on metal.

"Get behind me," he said, gesturing them back as he squeezed in front. The noise increasing, the tunnels starting to vibrate, a light appearing, probing its way down the tunnel, feeling for its prey.

Down, hunkered, teeth baring up and muzzle rivenned, Mr Fox got what he could ready, ready to fight back, ready to…

The first figure turned the corner ahead and he let loose, the first chaser ducking as the one behind was hit, hard.

"¡¿-Me acabas de tirar ajo!?"

Mr Fox blinked, mostly from the torchlight currently filling his eyes, its dipping a thankful relief. And, looking forward, he saw it in Judy Hopps' paw, Carmelita behind her, Nick following, some raccoon behind… "Better than a fist," he smiled, "Three times the usefulness yet mammals will still question its obvious usefulness."

He didn't get to say much more as Judy raced up, Carm behind her practically forced along by Nick trying to reach them. "-Are you okay?" He said, voice a hushed whisper. "Ash got out, gave us the update."

"-They have my baby," Mrs Fox said. "And they still have William…"

"Don't worry," Judy said. "We can get you out, we have reinforcements prepping themselves."

"We saw the main entrance and exit shaft back there," Kris said, pointing. "We also saw baby supplies being taken in. Rowan might be on the floor below us, we're just stuck here."

Carmelita nodded, looking back. "We traced your path and scents here, but it was a long journey. In any case, I'm afraid rescuing your family is a secondary priority…"

"Pardon me?" Mrs Fox began.

"Believe me, I wish to save them too," Carmelita cut in. "But with what Rattigan is trying to do, throwing a spanner in his works is the top priority. Besides, your brother in law is likely being made to help out with those works, no?"

"I suppose," Mrs Fox said. Only to be cut off from a voice behind, one none of the fox family were familiar with.

"If the baby is just below, I can retrieve him," the raccoon said. "Bring him back here, you three know the way back out?"

Mr Fox nodded in the affirmative.

"Right," he said, coming up. "Sly by the way."

"Sly with a capital S?" Mr Fox asked.

"Usually, yes," the grey and black mammal replied, tilting his head a little.

"Though sometimes specifically," Mr Fox noted, looking over to Carmelita.

The vixen ignored him as Sly brought out his cane and tapped out the insides of the nuts holding the vent in place. His mood souring, he moved to the side of the wall, finding a much more flexible bit of metal. Pulling it back, taking his hat off and slipping it in, he began fiddling about with some stuff before handing a pair of bulky binoculars over to Carmelita. "Give Bentley the full updates. I took some pictures of the lift and loading bays, he'll probably have some use for those, relay them."

"Sí."

She began doing that as she already started what was unsaid, guiding the fox family and the rest of her troupe away from Sly as he did his work. The raccoon turned, whispering something into the patriarch's ears as they moved, giving a wink to his wife and nephew before doing their work alone. They had soon pulled themselves to the rear, bumping, to their surprise, into an armed up Skye and Jack.

"While I'd expect some favours from a family friend, this is a bit more than expected," Mrs Fox said to the swift vixen and they turned a corner.

"I think everything has turned out that way," the vixen sighed, holding herself tight against the wall. They all pulled themselves in, Sly skittering around, paws going to cover ears. The others followed, the raccoon gesturing for his Binocucom to return. He looked into it, smiling. "So, uh, any chance of a false fire alarm?"

He handed it back, waiting for a few seconds, before…

-The bell ring was most notably muffled but Sly took what he had and tapped his cane down, a seemingly much louder bang echoing out before a burst of cloud and dust hit them. A few seconds later the bell stopped, a few angry words filtering up from below about whether they were expected to do a fire drill or not.

Sly just led them on to where they'd been, the walls of the vent caved up, the grill dented and bent. And still in place.

Sly crawled forward again, the others cautiously following him as he leant forward and began working the crook of his cane into one of the cracks. Working it back, forth, back…

There was a creak, before the whole vent shook and detached, falling down and sliding the various mammals forwards, fast.

Sly shot out in a combat roll and was already standing up as Mr Fox jumped out to be next to him, the other mammals dumping out into a pile before getting to their feet, shaking off the dirt and looking forward.

All eyes going back to an air vent that would be notably hard, if not impossible to crawl back into.

Sly just glanced over at Mr Fox and shrugged, gesturing to Carm and the others. "I think they know."

"I think they do," Mr Fox agreed, pausing to nod at Kris and a quite visibly annoyed if begrudgingly grateful Mrs Fox.

Carm, rolling her eyes as she stood up, shook the dirt off her and gave Sly and irritated look. "It's a good thing we have far bigger fish to fry right now," she said, looking around. The room they were in wasn't used for much, only storage, and from the sounds of works going on outside it didn't seem like they'd alerted the enemy.

-Yet.

Shock pistol ready, Carm took point as she led them away from the massive central hallway and towards a door to a narrower side corridor. "Those with weapons, take point. Those with sniffers and scents, lead us on and follow every order we give you, got it?"

Mrs Fox and Kris nodded in affirmation, Carmelita levelling her gaze on Mr Fox… Who smiled… She grunted before shaking it off. Back to the door, she burst through, covering left then right before leading the group of mammals on.