Greetings everyone.
A new chapter is here, majorly thanks to the everlasting support and help from TheoreticallyEva. Her kindness and magical editing skills have saved this story more than once. Thank you. Thank you a million times. I have learned so much from you.
Talking about the story itself, I have an announcement to make. After I publish chapter 46, the story will go on a hiatus for several months. I will be working on a novel, and I have a deadline to meet. Still, I'll try to put in a few words here and there. I'm sorry for leaving you without any updates for such a period of time, but I am trying to make a major change in my life - becoming a real author.
My additional thanks to Cimar, for his help in tailoring parts of this chapter.
Also, the new character that appears in this chapter belongs to Deadly Shr1mp.
As always, I am deeply grateful for all of your reviews and words of appreciation. You are all helping me move forward.
Chapter 45
Judy left her apartment and walked out of the building into the dark streets. The local lamp posts offered little to no light, but that was of no concern for the bunny. In her case, the darker, the better. Therefore, she headed to a nearby alley, which was nestled between two brick apartment blocks. It was almost completely shrouded in darkness. Judy steeled her nerves for what she hoped would happen and entered the alley. She tried her best to look as nonchalant as possible but couldn't help being cautious. Her ears were fully erect, scanning the area for the tiniest, strange sounds. The doe was almost at the exit on the other end, about to let out a disappointed sigh, when a massive silhouette blocked the light coming from the street in front of her.
Her nose twitched, and the muscles under her skin tensed in anticipation. Judy stopped in the darkness of the alley, squinting her eyes in an attempt to assess the mammal in front of her. Her lack of night vision wasn't helping.
The figure started walking towards her, and at the same time, Judy began backing away.
"Who are you?" she asked.
No answer.
"What do you want from me?" Once more, she tried to make the mammal speak.
Again, silence.
Without any other words, Judy took a fighting stance. The huge figure didn't waste time lunging forward.
"Jackie!" the doe yelled and dropped to the ground.
There was a faint click from the end of the alley from which Judy had entered.
In an instant, right when the doe shouted, the massive figure dropped to a knee, putting up both arms in front of its head, in a horizontal block. Judy heard a swish when the tranquilizer dart fired by the cheetah's rifle flew over her head. However, it was followed by a metallic clink. The projectile bounced off the attacker's arms, clattering harmlessly on the ground.
The bunny officer didn't have time to be surprised, as the dark figure rose up and, once again, pressed forward. Judy rolled back just as a massive fist smashed into the ground where she was a second ago. The mammal didn't stop at that and swiftly stepped forward to launch another strike.
Then, he suddenly dropped to one knee. It was Marcus, who appeared behind the assassin and stomped on the back of the mammal's leg. Taking advantage of the opening, the tiger quickly wrapped his arms around the opponent's neck in a rear naked choke. Even in that position, bent on one knee, the mammal was of the same height as the police feline, which said a lot about their opponent's size. The darkly clad assassin reached back for Marcus' face, and the striped feline tilted his head back to avoid getting his face peeled off. His opponent used that moment to grab one of the tiger's paws and pulled it upward with great strength, breaking the hold. Marcus replied with pulling back his other arm and delivering a fast elbow strike to the assassin's spine. This managed to open his grip on the tiger's paw, but it was far from stopping the huge figure. The mammal swiftly turned around, and while Marcus quickly stepped back to get out of range, he miscalculated the size of his opponent's arm. It moved towards him in a blur and managed to grab him by the ankle.
"Shit…" the tiger murmured before he was yanked up by his leg and thrown over the assassin's shoulder. He landed on the dirty ground and rolled to immediately spring up to his hindpaws.
During their short spar, Jackie had caught up and now stood on Marcus' right side while Judy positioned herself on the left.
"Okay, what now?" the cheetah asked, her rifle ready to fire another shot. "We rush… Err..." She briefly sniffed the air. "Him or her, I can't tell with this scent masking thing."
"We act with caution," Marcus growled back.
Before she could get a more elaborate answer, their opponent turned to a rectangular trash container by the alley's wall. The mammal grabbed the heavy object on both sides and lifted it with a grunt. In the next moment, the assassin spun towards them, hurling the huge metal projectile in their direction.
Jackie's ears flattened against her head, her eyes wide. "I say we scram!" she squealed in a weak voice. The three friends scattered, Judy flattening herself on the wall while Jackie ducked to the ground, and Marcus doing the same as Judy on the opposite wall. The metal container flew over Jackie's head and landed sideways with a loud clang, partially blocking the passage and almost squashing the bunny and the tiger in the process. Jackie quickly got up from the ground and lifted her tranq rifle, turning on the flashlight attached to it.
The beam of light landed square on the assassin's face, and the cheetah stifled a gasp.
She saw a black leather mask that hid the lower part of the face behind a zipper, as well as the left eye behind what resembled an eyepatch, all kept in place by metal studs. The uncovered right eye was staring at her with irritation.
The girl stared for a second too long, as the mammal's massive paw snatched the gun from her grasp and threw it far into the darkness. In the next moment, Judy landed with both hindpaws on the assassin's face, landing her trademark flying double kick. It was enough to jerk the mammal's head back a bit, but too little to knock out. That's when Marcus came in, slamming his shoulder into their opponent's stomach and following it with a powerful uppercut that made the assassin stagger backwards.
The three friends lined up against the massive mammal.
"You are under arrest for assaulting a police officer and possible participation in an organized criminal group," Judy announced with a strong voice. She didn't fool herself with the thought that the assassin would come willingly, but by saying this, they could later honestly state that the mammal resisted arrest.
Looking at the figure before them, when it shook its massive head and planted both hindpaws firmly on the ground, the assassin clearly intended to resist. Then, the mammal relaxed their body and took a new stance, which caused Marcus to narrow his eyes.
"That's new…" he muttered.
"What's wrong?" Judy inquired, not certain what he meant, as she had no night vision and Jackie's sight in darkness was rather poor. The tiger was now the eyes of the team.
"Never seen a fighting style like this," he replied while observing their opponent's movements. The mammal had both paws opened and relaxed, placing the right one over the upper right part of the chest while the other hung loosely over the middle of the lower abdomen.
Marcus stepped forward. "You two stay back, I'll handle this."
"I won't argue," Judy replied. "I'm almost blind in this darkness."
"I can see a bit, but not too much," Jackie joined the doe's words.
The tiger nodded and closed in on the huge mammal.
Since the assassin wasn't attacking, Marcus decided to advance and sent a quick left jab to measure his opponent's reaction. To his surprise, the massive mammal swiftly grabbed the tiger's wrist with the left paw. The assassin swiftly stepped forward, placing the right hindpaw behind Marcus', and got low on both legs, driving the right shoulder under the tiger's armpit, only to push up and forward in a fluid motion, sending the striped feline stumbling backwards.
Marcus was quick to recover and lunged forward before his enemy could correct the stance. He attacked with his left paw, but it was swiftly deflected to the side while the assassin tried to step in again and use the left arm. The tiger was faster this time and smacked the arm away. He then quickly moved both paws to reach for the huge mammal's face but was interrupted when the assassin's paws returned and snaked around his wrists from outside to swiftly force Marcus' arms apart. The masked mammal's paws then shot up together to attack the striped predator's chin with open palms. That move was stopped when Marcus jerked his head forward and headbutted his opponent in the face. He followed it with a kick to the groin, which was avoided by a quick spin and step back. The massive mammal moved with fluidity and agility that seemed impossible for someone of this size.
"Oi! Coal face!" Jackie's sudden shout made them both pause. In the next moment, Marcus ducked to the side to avoid a rabbit projectile that cut the air and landed squarely on the assassin's stomach with both hindpaws. "Bullseye!" the cheetah whooped with satisfaction, to the huge mammal's groan. Combining the power of Judy's legs and the spotted feline's throw gave quite a satisfying result.
The mammal staggered a step back, but it was immediately followed by a deep growl. The assassin's paw reached into the pocket of the coat and returned, gripping a round object. Seeing this, Marcus launched himself forward to snatch Judy from the ground and quickly retreated before shoving her behind his back.
"Spots! Get behind me!" he roared.
Jackie didn't argue and followed his order right away, just as their opponent pulled out a pin from the object and threw it in their direction. As soon as it touched the ground, it spewed large amounts of smoke, filling up the narrow alley in no time. Jackie and Judy covered their mouths, coughing. Marcus reacted instinctively, and his paw reached to his belt, only to return holding a pawgun. He used his other paw to locate both girls behind him and, without playing gentlemammal, the tiger scooped one after another into his arm and backed away from the irritating cloud. He kept the firearm aimed in front of him, ready to neutralize any threat that might appear from the smoke.
After a few long moments of nothing, Marcus relaxed a bit.
"I guess he's gone." Just to be sure, he sniffed the air. Apart from the faint trace of the assassin's scent remains amidst the smoke, the tiger didn't sense anything else.
His words seemed to be proven right when the air cleared up, revealing an empty alley.
Marcus put the girls back on the ground, and Judy immediately reached for her pocket. Her paw returned holding a smartphone, and she swiftly pulled up a certain app. Then, she showed a smirk. "Yup, the Trojan Horse is on its way."
The other two mammals leaned down to look at the moving dot on a map.
"Hah, good job on planting that tracker, Stripes!" Jackie slapped the scarred tiger on the back.
Marcus let out a sigh. "This ain't a picnic, Spotters. That guy was dangerous."
The cheetah opened her mouth, but Judy was first to speak." That's why we're glad to have you here. Thank you." The doe showed him a bright smile. "We couldn't have done it without you."
"Save your breath," he chastised her. "We've just stepped on the dragon's tail." He put away his gun. "Now comes the real hassle." The tiger indicated the tracking app.
Jackie craned her neck to see the screen better. "Well, if things go well, we'll simply know where they are holed in."
"Worst case scenario," Judy tapped the phone with her finger, "we'll call for backup. Now, let's see where our giant is heading."
.
.
Judy had a brief flashback of sitting in Mr. Big's limo with Nick during the Night Howler case, squashed between two bears. Now, it wasn't up to such a scale, but still… With Marcus on one side and Jackie on the other, the doe was reminded of just how much size difference there is between mammals. In the backseat of a cab, the three officers were following the signal from the tracing app. The driver gave them an odd look when they started giving him new directions every once in a while, but after Marcus glared at him, he eagerly focused on the road. Not that there was much happening there. They were stuck in the evening traffic. It was a much slower method for moving, but it drew far less attention. Two large predators with a comparatively small prey? They were sticking out like a sore thumb. Not something they needed while trailing an assassin.
"I'm still surprised that you know mammals who have these kinds of gadgets, Hoppsy." Jackie said from her seat while craning her neck to see the screen of Judy's phone. Earlier, she dropped off her rifle back at Judy's apartment. It was already risky for her to smuggle it out of the precinct, and she didn't want to share how she did it. If she were to lose it during the unofficial assassin hunt… Bogo would be beyond livid.
"It's nothing special, really. You simply need to know who has contact with such mammals." Judy replied, eyes fixed on the dot on the digital map. "And Weaselton happens to be an errand boy for many shady figures. Of course, given that he's never let on any important information, he is basically worthless as a court witness. Still," she tapped the screen with one finger, "he knows where to get a few toys."
Marcus sighed from his seat. "Hopefully not a piece of junk. These types tend to use cheap stuff. If-"
His phone vibrated.
The tiger took it out and frowned, seeing an unknown number. His thumb rejected the call. "If we are to find the-"
The phone vibrated again, the same number. This time, both girls turned to look at him.
Marcus slightly narrowed his eyes and ultimately decided to tap the green icon.
"Hello?" he muttered cautiously to the phone.
A soft female voice resounded from the speaker. "Hello, am I speaking to Mr. Marcus Strigg?"
This caused the tiger to frown. "Who is this?"
"I'm sorry, sir. My name is Helen Jules, and I am calling you from the Zootopia General Hospital. Your number has been written down as an emergency contact for Felix Strigg. Are you a relative?"
Though impossible to spot under the stripes, Marcus went pale in an instant. "My… son…"
"I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but your son has been in a car accident, along with his mother. They have been rolled into the ICU and are in an induced coma. They…"
The following words were completely unintelligible for the striped predator, as his mind switched off all thinking processes, focusing only on one.
His family was hurt.
"...ir? Sir?" The female's voice brought him back to reality.
"Y-Yes?" He gripped the phone tighter, regaining his focus.
"We need to perform some medical procedures, but we would require written consent. Can you get to the hospital as soon as possible?"
"Immediately," he replied with a sharp voice and ended the call. Then he turned his head to his friends. "Sorry, I must-"
Judy simply placed a paw on his knee, nodding solemnly. "Go." Bunny ears were very sensitive. He didn't need to explain.
Jackie didn't get to hear the conversation, but it wasn't necessary. Marcus' face expressed all that was necessary. "Good luck." It was a rare case, to hear her say something so seriously.
The tiger hesitated for the briefest of moments, remembering where exactly his fellow officers were heading.
But Judy was already telling the driver to stop before turning back to him. "Go," she insisted, "they need you, and we'll be careful."
He stayed still for just a second longer. "Sorry." The striped feline jumped out of the door.
.
.
Nick finally calmed down enough to sit on the couch, with his heartbeat steady and under control. *What a letdown… What if I were holding her hand… or Judy's?* He shivered at the mere thought. Entirely uninvited, his imagination combined the sound of breaking bones and Judy's face contorted in agony.
"Nicky."
His mother's calm voice pulled him toward reality. The fox tentatively turned his gaze to Vivian. She was sitting next to him, giving him some personal space, and holding one of his paws. When he wanted to withdraw, she gently squeezed his fingers.
"I'm not afraid of you," the vixen reassured him, instinctively answering the chilling void in his heart. She didn't ask, but understood what was going on. It didn't take much to figure out.
Still, he leaned down to hide his face with his free paw. "I'm sorry… Just… When it comes to Judy…" Nick paused, searching his vocabulary for proper words.
"I know." Vivian nodded tersely. "We can act impulsively when it comes to the ones we love. I was like that, too."
This made Nick look at her with a mixture of surprise and curiosity on his face.
Letting out the faintest of sighs, Vivian went on. "See, at the time, I really thought I was in love with your father. We would do crazy things together, and I was happy to do whatever made us close. In my childishness, I thought that was what it meant to be in love. But I was wrong, so wrong." She now used both paws to hold one of his. "Nicholas, it is perfectly normal for you to act on impulse, irrationally, around Judy, for I can see that your feelings are genuine. If you need solid proof for that, and not just my words, think back to what you told me. You refused to attack her in your savage state."
Nick winced briefly at the memory, but nodded solemnly.
"Nicky… I saw the savage mammals in their holding rooms, launching themselves even at their family members. But not you." The vixen reached out to caress his cheek with one paw. "You have a very strong heart, my son. Which is why I truly believe that things will work out in the end. Judy is a girl that can see through the dirty wrapping mammals are trapped in, sometimes by others, and notice the heart beneath." Her thumb brushed his cheek, and a warm smile adorned her face. "Have more faith in her, Nicky."
Nick blinked at his mother.
Then, without even thinking about saying anything, he moved to wrap her in a tight hug.
.
.
Leaving the cab behind them, and saying goodbye to the somewhat confused driver, the two females switched to travel on their feet, using a nonchalant I'm-only-passing-by-nothing-to-see-here walk.
As they ambled down the street, their eyes were glued to the screen of the phone. The dot was very close, moving at a slow pace. Apparently, the assassin was using the alleyways as much as possible. It was understandable, given that someone of such stature would definitely draw attention.
Judy was also pondering where the mammal was heading. So far, they had passed numerous places that could be a good hiding spot. At the moment, the dot on her screen was blinking right next to the building on the other side of the street. The doe's eyes went up, scanning the front of the building, all the way to the top. It was an office of some sort. Not one of the ridiculously tall skyscrapers, but still a modern one, and quite impressive. Her gaze stopped at the plaque next to the glass front door.
Volkov & Associates
Her ears tensed up, nose twitching anxiously. "That's right… He mentioned being a lawyer." She typed the name in her Zoogle search.
"Who?" Jackie leaned down to see the screen better.
"It's him." Judy tapped the phone with her finger. "And this is the place." Then she motioned the cheetah to follow her in a casual stroll again.
Jackie walked, making little steps to match her pace to the doe's. "Okay, so what now? We don't know if it's their main base, a safehouse, or whatever."
"We'll call someone who might know more." With that said, the bunny typed a number.
After a few signals, a familiar voice answered. "Pawthorne."
"You said that you wanted information about a certain wolf."
There was a brief silence on the other end. "Officer Hopps?" The agent's voice became much more focused.
"I am currently in front of an office building with Volkov's name on it."
The fox let out a sigh. "His law firm? Forget it. I tried to get in there, but there's no chance of getting a warrant. The bastard is an expert in covering his tracks."
This was a slight surprise to Judy. However, she wasn't stepping back. "I have a lead that connects him to-"
"Hoppsy!" Jackie hissed in her ear.
The doe turned her head just in time to see a massive figure lumbering into the building through the main door. "Forget the lead. How about a probable cause?"
"What?"
"We're going in." Judy replied, directing her steps towards the building.
"What?! Forget it! Stay put!" the fox barked into the phone. "You need at least a SWAT team for that!"
Part of her mind knew that his reasoning made sense. Still… "If we don't act now, we'll miss our only lead!"
"Hop-"
She hung up. The bunny had had it with scarce trails and dead ends, whether with this case or Bellwether. She wasn't going to let this chance slip. Also, Judy had the agent riled up enough to count on his intervention. And if it didn't turn out to be their hideout… Well, they'd worry about that later.
Jackie, who'd been listening to the conversation from the side, looked at the building again. "Soo, I take it that we're going in?"
Judy nodded, a glint in her eye. "Oh yes."
.
.
The hospital was crowded.
With mammals of all ages and species, sick and healthy, doctors, patients, nurses, and family members. Marcus burst through the door, scanning the hall to find the closest person from the hospital's staff. Locking on a young giraffe nurse, the tiger jumped forward to grab her arm.
"ICU!" he exclaimed right in her face.
When the initial shock dispersed, the female pointed wordlessly at one of the corridors. Not wasting a second, Marcus bolted in the suggested direction. The signs, which he passed with blurring speed, guided him towards the desired location. Almost crashing into several mammals on the way, the tiger dodged and jumped to get there as soon as possible. A nurse station with the 'Intensive Care' sign came into his view.
Marcus skidded to a halt by it, his massive paws slamming on the top.
"My son!" he wheezed with the remains of his breath.
"Sir!" A female in a nurse's uniform sent lightning at him with her glare.
That gaze somewhat cooled him down. He took a moment to regain some air before nodding apologetically to the mouse. "I'm sorry, it's just…"
She raised her little paw to stop him. "I understand." The nurse dispersed the storm in her eyes. "Name?"
The tiger was grateful for her calm and firmness. She certainly had to be of great help to distressed family members. "Strigg, Felix. Double 'g'."
The rodent nurse turned to her miniature computer and tapped at the keyboard for a second. Her forehead formed a frown. "Strigg?"
Marcus felt an uncomfortable chill. "Yes…"
"I'm sorry, but we don't have any patient with that name."
It took only two seconds for realization to hit him like a freight truck. "Shit…"
The tiger officer pivoted and bolted back to where he came from.
.
.
The bunny/cheetah duo casually walked through the glass door and entered a spacious lobby. It was a typical place for any business building - lots of empty space, a few armchairs or couches spread around, and a big reception area with a receptionist and a guard.
Doing a quick visual scan of the area, the females searched for the familiar sight of-
"Jackie!" Judy hissed at her friend, nodding towards a corridor. There, the cheetah caught a glimpse of a massive leg disappearing behind a distant door.
The doe cast a brief glance at the reception desk, but the two mammals seemed to be busy with a conversation.
The two officers helped themselves to the chance and swiftly entered the corridor where the huge assassin went.
Using her sensitive ears, Judy picked up a weird buzzing sound from the area where the predator disappeared. Nudged by a gut instinct, she sped up, reaching the desired door in what was almost a dash. As she stood before them, Judy felt her heart hammering in her chest. The sign on the door suggested it was a male's restroom. But she would bet her ears that the assassin didn't come into a building with Volkov's office in it just to use the toilet. Hesitating only a moment, the doe inched the door open.
The place looked exactly like a normal restroom should look, except for one tiny detail: A hidden door in the wall that was starting to close by sliding back in place.
Without any thinking whatsoever, Judy pulled out a flashlight from her belt and rammed it in the remaining crevice between the door and the wall.
"Whoa, that was close." Jackie let out a quiet whistle. "Do you always have a flashlight on you?"
"Only when it's dark. I can't see a thing at night, so I had to find a way to compensate for it," Judy replied while trying to push the door open.
The cheetah joined her in that effort, and the mechanism soon gave in, sliding the door back into the wall. It revealed a set of stairs wide enough for an elephant, leading down. There was barely any light there.
"Okaay… Creepy dark stairs, leading to Nature knows where. Not spooky at all." The feline officer tried her best to make out anything in the scarce lighting. "Um, do we wait for the cavalry to arrive?"
Judy hesitated. Indeed, they were already getting rather deep into enemy territory. It would be a sensible thing to do to have some backup at this point.
Still… She remembered the time she tried to convince Bogo about the savage Manchas. What proof did they have this time? None.
As she started biting on her thumb, weighing their options, she was passed by a spotted figure. "Wh-"
"Well, come on!" Jackie interjected from the stairs. "Not like sitting on our butts is gonna solve anything, right? Still, if things go south, I have a little insurance to improve our chances." She patted the small of her back, and only then did Judy notice that there was something under the feline's jacket.
"Jackie, are you…" Judy hung her arms. "Bogo is going to explode, am I right?"
"Hey, what Buffalo butt doesn't see, he won't miss, okay?" With a cheeky grin, the cheetah ventured downstairs.
.
.
Once they reached the bottom, Judy used her flashlight to scan the place.
The basement offered a lot of space, if not for all the clutter. It was rectangular in shape, interspersed with several concrete columns that supported the ceiling throughout. Various wooden crates were stacked in piles, limiting the area for moving around. Dust was the main guest of the room, along with a number of cobwebs. Judy held up her paw, signalling her companion to stop.
There was no sign of the huge assassin. In fact, the bunny couldn't hear any sounds at all that would suggest anyone's presence.
Jackie ran a finger over the top of one of the crates. "Sheesh, if this is the place, they could hire someone to do the cleaning."
"I doubt that they would be that concerned about aesthetics," Judy retorted as she looked around the room.
The feline scrunched her nose. "Well, that's a bummer. If I am to be assassinated, I'd rather it be done by someone with at least basic taste."
Judy rolled her eyes at her friend's words. "Jackie, please… We're not here to comment on the fashion sense of killers." She was moving her flashlight around, trying to find anything that could prove the presence of the organization in this place.
And, right then, she found it.
"Jackie…" The feline turned her head towards the doe. The bunny held up her flashlight so that the ray of light showed a disturbing bas-relief on the cellar wall. It depicted a canine's skull without the jaw, and there was a bloody pawprint right on its frontal bone. Below it, on the left, there was an image of a slumped skeleton of some unknown animal, probably a sheep, while on the right, there was a pile of small skulls with a dagger buried in them.
Both officers eyed the picture in silence.
Judy broke it first. "Seems like we found it."
"Someone likes creepy stuff," Jackie commented on their discovery. "What is this anyway?"
"Not sure…" The bunny ran the ray of light along the edges of the relief. "It looks like it's not exactly part of the wall. Maybe some sort of a secret passage, a door?"
The feline stepped closer. "Okay, so what do we do, open it?"
Judy shook her head. Bravery and recklessness might be closely related, but she didn't consider them synonyms. "Let's call for backup." She reached for her phone, but saw it had no signal. Her nose twitched slightly, and she turned to her companion. "What about yours?
Jackie held up her device. "Dead. Maybe they're jamming it somehow."
Clicking her tongue, the doe eyed the relief again. Having a thought, she raised her phone to take a photograph. The light flashed, and suddenly the eyes of the skull blazed red, making the females jump.
"What is life's greatest illusion?" asked a deep, distorted voice from the relief.
Judy eyed the lights with caution. "Okay… I'm guessing that... it's some sort of a password. And who knows what kind of answer they expect."
Jackie shrugged, using the smile that Judy began categorizing as a joyful mask. "I'd answer that with 'getting a boyfriend'," the cheetah huffed, earning a stifled snort from the bunny.
"Seriously, you-"
"Innocence, my brother," said a calm voice behind them, and both females spun around instantly. And seeing who was now in front of them, Jackie's paws automatically reached for her back, and her paw returned holding a tranquilizer gun.
An elderly wolf with a walking cane and an eyepatch was blocking the way to the stairs.
Judy clenched her fists as she stared at the canine. She didn't sense it before in the diner, but right now, the predator was emanating a heavy, murderous aura that could make smaller and weaker-willed mammals shake in fear. And he was just standing there, with both paws on a cane.
Judy felt burdened with pressure, and her instincts were screaming at her to run, but she stood her ground. And there was one more thing she didn't like about this situation – the wolf's 'aura' felt uncomfortably similar to that of Nick's at the bank, though much more oppressing. The doe swallowed before speaking. "We meet again," she stated, making sure that her voice was steady and confident.
The canine shook his head with a disappointed look on his face. "And I have told you to stay away," he let out a small sigh. "Why do kids these days never listen?"
"You do know that you sound like a grandpa right now?" Jackie replied, and Judy realized from the slight quiver in her voice that the cheetah also felt the tension from the wolf's presence.
The doe narrowed her eyes. "It's over, Volkov, Pink Plushie, or whoever you are. The ZIA knows about this place now, and you're in big trouble."
However, her threat seemed to have no effect on the one-eyed predator. The wolf took a step forward. "Am I?"
Judy gritted her teeth, with all her mind hoping that his calm was a bluff. "Alexander Volkov, you are under arrest," the doe stated in a determined voice, not taking her eyes off the wolf.
"And it's two versus one, so you're kinda at a disadvantage here," Jackie added, aiming her weapon at the predator's chest.
At that moment, they heard a silent metallic hiss behind them. Jackie peeked over her shoulder and saw the strange door open swiftly, revealing a brightly lit corridor and another mammal, dressed in a black tank top and cargo camo pants. He was without doubt a predator, the bared fangs being an obvious clue, but not like anyone the cheetah had ever seen.
He had a muscular build with broad arms and legs, while being slightly shorter than her. His fur was thick and white, with several black spots here and there, similar to those she had. Jackie also noticed that his ears resembled those of an arctic fox, but his muzzle was a bit broader and shorter than a fox should have. She couldn't make out whether he was a canine or feline, as he seemed to possess traits typical for both. He was also staring at her intensely with a pair of piercing sapphire eyes.
But what really caught Jackie's attention were the two curved swords, which the predator brandished with unsettling ease.
She turned around to face the new threat, placing herself back-to-back with Judy. Or rather, due to the height difference, back-to-thigh.
"Ohh, boy… are we in trouble…" she muttered, her sense of humor failing to support her this time.
Not waiting for any further revelations, the cheetah fired her weapon.
And then went slack-jawed.
Judy couldn't believe her eyes.
Jackie faced a similar problem. The dart hit the predator square in the chest. What was wrong with the picture was the fact that he was still standing. He even raised one of the blades and held it in his jaw while his free paw yanked the empty capsule from his torso and tossed it to the ground. He then took the weapon back and let out a low growl.
Jackie slowly lowered her gun and stole a glance at her partner. They shared a thought that they vocalised at the same moment.
"Crap…"