Zootopia: Blind Faith

[Proto Triose]

Chief Bogo stared at them the whole time they were walking in, so Nick took his time to sit next to Judy. When they were finally settled, Bogo moved his hand and pushed Judy's paws away from his desktop. "Unfortunately, there's a new case." He moved a red file in front of him and tapped his hoof against it a few times before continuing. "We need the best on this one." When Nick leaned forward to reach for the file, his hand was quickly smacked away. "It's very sensitive, and very high profile. Unfortunately, our best are you two." He pointed back and forth between the two of them.

"Your praise is, as always, very uplifting, sir."

"Shut it, Wilde. I'm not in the mood. Should never have accepted you into this task force." Bogo glared at him, then grudgingly sighed. "But you have proved yourself. Have either of you heard of Chesmu "Raghorn" Buck?" He raised an eyebrow, apparently awaiting a legitimate answer.

Nick's eyes fell on the wrapper of a familiar protein bar in the chief's trash can. He held his paw face up, pointing at the wrapper. "Raghorn Buck. Back to Basics Buck?" Bogo leaned over to look what he was pointing at, then returned his gaze to them.

"Impressive. Not because you did your research. Because I'm impressed you can put a two piece puzzle together correctly." Bogo pulled a picture out of the file, sliding it toward them upside down. He kept a finger on it for a moment. "Hope you both have the stomachs for this."

Nick snatched it from Judy at those words before she could see it. He knew she could handle it, but the chief never warned them of anything like that. Turning it over, his ears drooped right along with his tail sticking out the back of the chair. If he could turn ashen, he certainly would have. Still, Judy needed to see it. He turned the image toward her.

A bloodied, almost unrecognizable body hung from a meat hook, wrapped in a tarp. The photo didn't show the floor, but it could be assumed what was down there. No doubt other pictures in that file detailed the scene more closely. From what Nick could tell, it looked like a fancy apartment, or an office of some kind. Most likely Buck's own. Immediately, he wondered how the killer had gotten in. Had they killed him elsewhere, took his keys and brought him back? In that case, wouldn't someone have been there? A night guard, a butler? Then were they in on it?

"Buck went missing a few days ago. It wasn't out of the ordinary, until now. We're fairly certain it's the work of a serial killer that just sprung up. A few more low priority missing persons reports were filed over the past few months, but we didn't think anything of it until," he spread out more of the pictures on his desk. Nick held a hand up to his eyes, taking a deep breath before looking. There were a number of other animals in various gruesome positions and levels of butchery. "Someone posted every one of these up on Furbook."

Bogo looked pointedly between the two of them. "You're gonna like this part even less. The name on the poster is all we have. Bloodmouth." His eyes remained on Nick, gauging his reaction.

Nick sat up straighter at that name and jerked his head toward Judy, wide eyed.

"You see one of the other reasons we chose you and Wilde, then." He put an arm on the desk, leaning forward threateningly. "When you take it - and I know you will, Hopps - this is to be a no-media case until it's solved." He accentuated the statement by jabbing at the counter with a thud. "Do I make myself clear, Officers?"

Nick nodded. As Judy looked at the pictures, he cleared his throat and held up a paw.

"What is it, Wilde?"

"Sir. What's the other reason?"

"What?" Bogo sounded irritated, but Nick pressed anyway.

"The other reason you chose us?"

Bogo turned away from looking at him and focused on Judy. He knew who made the end decisions with these two. "You'll see when you get to the scene."

This was more than just a case - it was the perfect way to prove himself, to all of the citizens of Zootopia. To clear his name! He felt bad, that kind of thought with such a horrible thing in front of him, but they would be dealing with cases like this from time to time. Apparently a lot more often than even that. The only way to keep sane through them would be lighter-side thoughts, and of course being himself. He watched Judy, though, resisting the urge to hug and comfort her after having to look at all those pictures. He would leave this one up to her, as usual. Where she went, he would go without question.

[Dynax]

Judy made a face when Nick snatched the file before she could open it up, her ears twitching with mild annoyance. They both knew that she could handle whatever was in that file. She had seen pictures of murders before, and in the Academy they had both received training to toughen them up to the visions of gruesome scenes. She did not appreciate Nick trying to protect her here, especially in front of Chief Bogo. But she didn't say anything--now was not the appropriate time to scold him. However, Nick's reaction to whatever was in the case file made her blink in surprise. His eyes widened imperceptibly, his ears flicked back. She could see his hands stiffen on the edges of the file, and she knew then whatever was in there was going to be worse than anything she had ever seen.


She was right. He turned the file towards her and she placed a paw over her mouth in silent horror and the images. A big white-tailed buck, or what was left of him strung up by a meat hook. Most of the body had been savagely skinned, exposing the raw, red flesh, but the head remaind intact, mostly recognizable although the tongue was lolling out and the eyes long glazed over. Meathooks like the one showed here were long outlawed, and the last time she had seen even remotely like this had been crude, highly censored diagram in a textbook passage that was describing how predators used to butcher prey in the stone age. To see it in reality, and to actually see a new hook was as grotesque as it was gruesome. The worst thing, is that hunks of flesh had been torn from the shoulder, and the high res image suggested the work of claws and teeth. She felt her lunch rebel against her guts but she swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain professional even as the outrage bubbled up in her heart and threatened to spread to every corner of her body.


This was the most hideous crime she had ever heard of--ever seen. Someone actually eating people in this day and age, and spreading the pictures around to strike terror into the hearts of Prey? Just as bad would be the effect on the Predators. So soon after the Savage Conspiracy, tensions were high and fears were tender. This--animal, this Bloodmouth was just picking off where mammals like Bellweather started, and the thought made her blood boil.


The other pictures were just as bad. Butchered mammals, all prey, had been strung up or laid out with clear bite marks and claw slashes ripping through their rent flesh. The screenshots from Furbook had no commentary beyond the name of the poster--the Bloodmouth. She met Nick's worried gaze with her own when Bogo said the name aloud.


At the Chief's growled commands, she nodded. A no-media case? That was going to be difficult, as reporters had no doubt gotten a hold of the story by now, but what the buffalo meant was that she and Nick were not to talk directly to the media. And the command did make sense, in the context of a serial killer, where publicity would be the first priority.


"Crystal clear, sir," she said in affirmative. She was a little disconcerted by the suggestion that she and Nick had been chosen for ulterior reasons beyond their ability to solve the case at hand, and was irritated with the Chief for not simply stating why. It was a stupid power trip that almost every superior she'd ever had indulged in, but knowing the pattern didn't make it any less annoying to an already impatient Rabbit.


At the very least, she though, looking at Nick, that the solving of this high profile case with Nick at it's helm should do something to help balance out his Fox's reputation and the public fear of Predators. She would make sure something came out of this that was good.


"We'll take the case," she said, taking the case file in both hands. "We'll catch this Bloodmouth no matter what it takes."


**


Normally they would have been off shift by now, but the urgency of the case and the freshness of the crime scene drove Judy and Nick to get to it as soon as possible after the meeting. By the time they arrived, the sky was blue black with night, although the city lights and the floodlights around the scene made things sharply bright and painful. They parked the car outside the swanky apartment complex that Buck had once lived in, but to her disgust she saw there was also a van waiting for them: Channel 13 News. And worst of all, O'Riley himself, a squat skunk was sitting on a booster box with his micorphone as cops milled in the background of his shot.


"We'll just sneak by him," she grunted to Nick as they got out of the car. They were small enough to pass more or less unnoticed and by the time one of the Skunk's staff spotted the brush of Nick's tail they had already entered the building and were on the way up to the penthouse apartment, flashing their badges to bypass security before entering the scene.


Forensics was finishing up. The body had been removed for the formal autopsy, but the bloodsplatters were still everywhere, drying dark and rusty on the fine carpet, wood finishes and fancy furniture. It stank of old blood and metal, but people were not so much gathered around the nasty meat hook as they were around one aspect of the crime scene--a small pawprint, red and bloody smeared on the once pristine walls.


The pawprint of a fox.

[Proto Triose]

Nick took his time circling the crime scene, being careful to keep his tail lifted and off the floor. The last thing he needed was blood in his fur, not to mention the disgusting reporter outside. And he didn't mean disgusting because of his scent, though that would certainly be part of it. "The news is going to have a field day with this." He remarked, crouching down to look closely at the larger concentration of blood, then around at the walls. "I might be wrong, but it looks to me like he didn't even struggle. He tried to flee," Nick indicated the multiple locations of blood spatter, pointing toward the ceiling in some places. His finger traced the wall splatters as they got lower in location. "But collapsed somewhere over there. Sedative maybe?" He looked to Judy for her opinion, but his eyes fell on the wall behind her.


"Just can't keep my ears up today." He pointed behind her, at the wall. "You think that's what Bogo was talking about when he said we'd see? Like we foxes don't have a bad enough reputation out there already, it had to be a fox." Nick grabbed some gloves off a forensics table set up nearby, pulling them on and going over to look at the print more closely. "On the plus side, it's much smaller. Different species of fox, so there's no way they can tie this to me." Taking a step back, he sighed. Perhaps this was the time to tell her.


"Carrots, I have some bad news, and some worse news that I think I should share with you." He looked over at what Judy was doing, his tail swishing a couple times. "The bad news is, this is quickly beginning to come together with a thought I had earlier, when you mentioned someone from my past. When we were talking about ..." looking around, he thought twice about mentioning they were already talking about the Bloodmouth earlier in the day, then this happened; it would all seem far too coincidental, and if it ever got out. Nick shuddered at the thought. "You know, our conversation. I know someone that we might be able to talk to. She knew a lot of people in the underworld, more than even I did.
She was somewhat a celebrity, for her opinions and views. Played to the people, riled them up, that sort of thing. She wasn't the type to ever go through with anything extreme, but she might know someone who would. Here's the worse news. She and I ... well ..."


At Judy's questioning look, he sighed and put his fingers to his eyes. "We were partners, for a while. In a different way than you and I are." He quickly amended, holding both paws up to stall the verbal scolding he knew would be coming. "Partners in the way that getting paid is the only glue keeping you together. We parted on rather bad terms."


Judy put he hands on her hips, her ears dropped only slightly in irritation. This was just getting worse and worse. "How bad of terms are we talking?" She asked him, not too happily.


Nick cleared his throat, "Uh." He stuck his head up a little further, looking left and right. He didn't want to meet her gaze when he said this next part, but he owed her at least that much, so he brought his eyes back to hers. "You remember the skunk butt rug?"


"Oh God, Nick. No."


"No, no! Not like that." Judy sighed in relief, but he kept going. "Worse than that. Probably about ten times worse than that." He made a so-so motion with his hand. "Roughly ten times. Give or take. I may have. Accidentally. Kind of, but not really on purpose. Got her thrown in jail. For twenty years, if I remember the court case well enough. I," he trailed off, "don't really," laughing very falsely, kind of a 'heh-heh' to cover up the look Judy was giving him now. "Remember?" He finished pathetically.

[Dynax]

"Hmmm..." Judy murmured, looking at the traces of blood and where they led, staring at the fox print on the wall. Her heart sank. Their first serial killer, and it's a Fox. "You might be right. If whoever left this pawprint was indeed the murderer, then a sedative is likely. A fox of this size wouldn't be able to kill a full grown Deer without a considerable struggle. No murder weapon has been found and if the bite marks on the pictures are any indication, the killer might have actually murdered him with their claws and teeth alone...we'll have to see what the autopsy says.


"I don't think Bogo meant that the case could die to you directly, Nick," Judy tried to comfort her partner. "But I do think he's assuming that as a Fox, you'll have...you know," she winced, "People whom you might be able to talk to that the other officers won't have," she said lamely. It was a terrible thing to say, and a gross assumption. However, neither she nor Bogo could deny that Nick had been a shady grifter, and while he'd never been arrested he had dangled precariously right above the pit where serious criminals resided. And of course, Nick had always been proud and quick to mention the fact that he did know just about everyone. It wasn't too far a stretch to consider that aside from a healthy helping of petty thieves, he might know some truly dangerous mammals as well.


When he swished his tail nervously, she frowned slightly as she listened to him carefully. The longer he spoke the worse it got, although when he hovered on talking about this vixen, she wondered in alarm if they had possibly been romantically involved. The sudden thought struck her like a slap. It was an idea she found immediately shying away from and for the first time in her life she felt something like territoriality. It evaporated almost as soon as it had come. It would be utterly insane for her to have imagined that Nick had never been in a relationship with someone before. He was thirty two years old. But since he never talked about such things, it was difficult for her to imagine. Thankfully it turned out to be nothing more than another hustling partner, but she unworthily cringed at herself at the relief she felt.


However, when he finished she slapped a paw to here forehead in something like exasperation. "Twenty years of prison! Nick, she's probably going want to take a bite out of your neck if we approach her!" Judy sighed. But it was clear it had to be done. She frowned, doing the math quickly. Nick was thirty two. Assuming that this vixen was around the same age as him, she had probably been put away when she was around twelve or thirteen! So the crime had to have been first degree murder.


"What happened?" she asked, her voice full of concern, he ears drooping slightly. "D-did she even do it?" She knew to ask now, because Nick's scams had all been dubiously legal--but still legal. She couldn't even picture him getting involved in something that would end in murder. She just couldn't. And she knew that when Foxes or other mammals with terrible species wide reputations were involved, the justice wasn't always carried out.




 

[Proto Triose]

His paw went involuntarily to his neck when she stated that, but he forced it down to remove the gloves he'd been wearing. He grabbed one of the fingers and shot it at one of the forensic teams, grinning at the gesture they made toward him. "What happened? Well, that's a rather long story." He looked around for some way out, anything, hedging around the question as much as possible. "It was a basic Drop and Switch, to start with. Things just got a little out of hand." He held up two fingers, pointing at her. "Was she there when it happened? Yes, yes she was." He just about had nowhere else to go with it, and couldn't avoid telling her the full story. He was saved, however, by the most unlikely of sources.


A camera flash went off behind him, and he whipped around in time to see Will O'Riley sticking his head through the door, a ferret over his shoulder snapping pictures with his camera. "Officer Wilde! Officer Hopps! A moment of your time!" The ferret slithered his way in past the police that came barreling up the stairs behind them, taking pictures rapidly and dodging Nick's grabs.


"Get out of here, O'Riley! This is a closed crime scene!" Nick practically parked, baring his teeth in frustration.


"Why were you put on this case? Is it because of the Bloodmouth? Earlier reports have told us that the bat you arrested prior mentioned a connection between you and someone of that name. Is it the same Bloodmouth committing these crimes, and if so, do you not feel like you're unfit to be on the case because of personal history?" Will grabbed the doorframe, dropping his mic as the police began wrenching him away from the doorway. "Do you think you'll be able to do the type of work expected of you if this Bloodmouth ends up being a relative, as the bat implied?!"


"That is not what he implied and you know it, O'Riley!" Nick finally gave up on the ferret, letting Judy - who was much quicker, and so better suited to ferret grabbing - take care of him. He about opened his mouth, but closed it before he could say more. "There's nothing to say to the media. This case is currently under investigation. Please escort him out." He turned around, crossing his arms, his tail practically bristling, even if he did keep it in check just barely.


"Uh, Wilde. Hopps." Another police officer, close behind the ones dragging O'Riley down the stairs, came up with his cell phone out and turned sideways. A very small amount of noise was emanating from it. "We have a problem. I think you should see this."


--------


Back at the police station, Bogo turned the power off on his TV, putting his head in his hands. Almost immediately, the phone started blowing up as line after line started flashing with callers. Of course the damn skunk had a camera on him. Of course he was broadcasting it live. Nick and Judy had handled it as well as they could have, considering the circumstances. His only real victory here was that the only things the officers had said were about O'Riley not being allowed there, and about his butchering of the quote to try and make his troops look bad.


Bogo reached over and pressed the intercom button, taking the first call. "This is Chief Bogo."


"Chief Bogo! Thrush Limburg, KOZI 104. Is it true what O'Riley said, do you feel like you made a mistake assigning -"


"Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are our best officers. I would not have assigned either of them if I didn't have full faith in them and their ability to get this done, and close this case fast." He hung up on the media representative, pressing the next call button. Even as he did, the prior one lit back up and he sighed. "Yes, Chief Bogo."


"Chief, Fairly Mayweather, Channel 9. Nick Wilde -"


Bogo slammed his hand on the desk, making a loud boom. "Is a perfectly capable and fully decorated police officer. I put the best we have on this case, and yes - I stand behind my decision. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are. the. best. No more comment." He hung up again. Again the light turned on, but before he could press it, the door to his office flew open. A naked molerat with a little field mouse came bustling into his office.


Clawhauser came panting right behind them, holding his belt up with one hand and leaning on the door, breathless. "I'm sorry sir. I'm sorry. I told them you were. Really busy. With. The news and all."
Bogo frowned, looking down at the molerat. He wasn't frowning at who it was - this all just seemed entirely too familiar. He didn't like it.


"A moment of your time, Chief. In a way, it's -about- the news."


Bogo grunted, looking to Clawhauser. "Close the door. And get someone to answer these calls. The only answers I want going out are "Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps are the best officers we have," and "No further comment." Got that, Cheetah?"


"Yes. Sir." Clawhauser half saluted and turned, closing the door behind him as he tried to recover his breath.


"Gloria." Bogo stood, putting his hands behind his back. "You know I always have time for you. I must say your appearances of late have been less and less frequent, unless something huge is about to happen. You don't have bad news for me, do you?"

[Dynax]

Judy frowned. She never liked it when Nick kept things from her, even though it was normally his right to be private about his past if he chose to be. But this was a crime scene, and the questions she was asking were directly related to the task at hand, and his evasion only served to make her more nervous about what the answers would eventually be, and made her start wondering, unreasonably, if maybe he didn't trust her. Of course, that was surely very silly and this was probably all very difficult for him to talk about...but they were cops. They had to get to the bottom of this. His callback to their press conference 101 did not mollify her, but at the same time even as she opened her mouth she realized that it would be inappropriate to push the matter here, friend and partner or no. Her jaw clicked shut when the door slammed open to reveal the Skunk and a Weasel photographer.


The Weasel scurried around the crime scene as quickly as he was careful, snapping pictures like a mad mammal.


"What--no!" Judy spluttered before her voice hardened and became as commanding as it could ever be. "Neither of you are authorized to be here. I'm going--to--have--" her words were punctuated by attempts to seize the Weasel, "--ask--you--to--leave!" She finally managed to get a hold of the Weasel and firmly direct him back to where his boss was being dragged away. Judy had to make a huge effort not to wrinkle her nose in disgust at O'Riley's allegations. Of all the ridiculous lies...


When Elena, the forensics officer present--a big brawny tiger--offered up her cell phone to show Judy whatever it was, Judy actually cringed. The camera, since it was obviously on O'Riley's person jangled and shook, but the damage was done. The grisly scene and the officer's frenzied attempts to remove the reporters made them all look like fools. But the worst thing was O'Riley's allegations had been heard by every idiot who had the bad taste to tune into Channel thirteen. She groaned and pressed a paw to her forehead.


Once the dust settled and every last detail of the scene recorded, Judy put her writing pad away and placed her hands tiredly on her hips.


"Nick, I think we're done here. Forensics is going to finish up in a second and we need to get this report back to the Chief before we go home."


**


"Chief Bogo," Gloria said, scrambling up the chair with an agility that belied her age and species. Her assistant followed. "As always, your time and kindness are much appreciated. It is good to hear your voice again." she straightened up. "Bad things are always happening, Chief Bogo. This business with the Bloodmouth I predict can only get nastier. But my news about the news is largely regarding your two Officers Hopps and Wilde. Before you start to worry, allow me to explain," she said, holding up a tiny paw. "I've been in news for a long time. Longer than even you've been on the force. I'm getting old, Chief Bogo, and while there is a part of me that wishes to rest and spend more time with my grandchildren, I can't abide this disgusting smear campaign that is threatening the reputation of the ZPD, you personally, and of course the heroic duo, namely the Fox. Officer Hopps is immediately sympathetic to the crowds. She is the perfect headline, you know this--young, optimistic, good hearted and just naive enough while being effective to capture the heart of the city. Her partner, on the other hand, despite his commendable and excellent performance the past year is a Fox, and rumored to be an ex-con at that.


"I would like to set the record straight with a story of my own, and take a little time to interview them and get the truth out to the people of Zootopia. I might be an old Rat, but I've never been one to stew in the attitudes of the past. I would like to do my part to help things change."

[Proto Triose]

Bono considered for a moment Gloria's words, turning to look out over the city from his window. The peaceful looking skyline, the towers, towering trees, and low bergs of each individual section of the city. It was a beautiful sight that covered a deeper darkness that couldn't be seen on the surface. The chief inhaled deeply, and turned back to Gloria. "I don't see any harm in permitting you an interview with them. You were always the more honest of those sewage shined reporters knocking at my doors at all hours. Sometimes to my disgruntlement, on more occasion than one."


He pulled his chair out, lowering his weight into it with a creak from the hinges. "I'm not sure when they're going to be back, with having to clean up and fight through swarms of ... we'll call them your kin." He folded his hands on the desktop. She knew, no doubt, what he was talking of. The live broadcast would already be in the ears of every civilian, from the lowest carp to the most powerful lion. He was just glad the new mayor was a lot more levelheaded. "I can take your information and relay it to them to set up a time. You let me know, and I'll make sure they -make- time for you. Just leave the information with Clawhauser on your way out." Bogo put his glasses on, going back to the paperwork piled on his desk as Gloria made her way out of the office with a satisfied nod.


The intercom on his desk chimed, and his secretary's voice came on the speaker. "Sir?"


"What is it, Shepard?"


"I hate to bother you, but line one."


"Another media reporter? Tell them I'll address their concerns later."


"Yes, sir. But line one. It's the mayor, sir."


There was silence from Bogo until he removed his glasses and folded them, taking a calming breath. "I'll take it immediately. Thank you, Shepard."


--------


"I think you're right." Nick took one last look around. "I guess the cat's out of the bag anyway." When Elena looked at him with perked ears, Nick held up a hand in apology. "Sorry, Elena. Just a saying." He started for the door, holding it open for Judy to go through before him. "We'll have to face the music one way or the other. I swear sometimes these people don't sleep."


When they were half way down the stairs, Nick stopped her on the stair above him, suddenly embracing her with a paw on the back of her head. He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Thank you for not pressing the story. I'll tell you every detail later, I promise. It's just something I don't want anyone else to hear, considering. That part of my life is over. The media doesn't need to hear that, especially as hearsay from the mouth of another cop." It felt good to hug her, and originally he'd been using it so he could whisper about it in her ear, but he held on a moment longer than was entirely necessary before putting her down and putting a paw between her ears.


Then he took out his sunglasses, gave her a sly smile and winked before putting them on. "Off to report to Chief Greeting Cards. You're going to write the report up, right Carrots? Fox handwriting? Not the best. I think it's better if you do it. Besides, all those product inventory lists in, what was it again. I don't remember. Podunk? You've got plenty of practice, I'm sure."


Stopping at the door to the fancy apartment complex, with just his feet showing to the media outside, he took a deep breath in the way Judy showed him on how she was always so cool and collected when facing this kind of swarm. Then stepped to the side after a pause and bowed, gesturing with a hand to the doorway. "I believe it was ladies first?"

[Dynax]

Halfway down the stairs Nick slithered in front of her, and embraced her. She was a little surprised by the gesture, but his touch was familiar, welcome. In the past she would have tensed up instinctively, out of surprise more than anything, but sometimes it was as though her personal space parameters didn't even register Nick as another body. She hugged him back, even as he whispered in her ear.


"Nick..." she started, her voice gentle as her heart warmed at his confidence. "I understand. And thank you," she added, gripping him tighter. "Your stories will always be safe with me."


He placed his slender paw between her ears, the rough pads of his fingers and palm firm and comforting against her head. From anyone else the gesture might have been patronizing, but so would have the sobriquet "Carrots". With him, these things were special, and she didn't begrudge him them. She offered him a quirk of a smile before starting again down the stairs.




"You and I both know you know the name of my town so I'll pardon you for a bad joke since it's been a long night," Judy said. She would have preferred to report to Bogo herself, but she had the strangest feeling that Nick in particular needed that meeting with the Chief himself. While she was the senior officer, for the most part they acted as equal peers and for what it was worth, her handwriting was a little better.


 

Their quiet moment was immediately seized and gutted by the hordes of excited, exhausted reporters, desperate for a scrap of story to bring back to their masters. Judy suppressed a groan but was unable to contain a sigh. "Ever the gentlemammal," she huffed at him with a wry grin before jerking her head in a 'come on' motion and stepping outside into the swarm.


She soldiered through the crowd, doing her best to ignore forest of microphones thrust in her face and the flash of hot lights. Despite the howls, she and Nick managed to make it to the police car, and finally to the station without further dramatic incident. Once they arrived at the station, she said, "Right then. I'll get these reports filed. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast, usual place? Be sure to eat tomorrow, I think it's going to be a long day," she added. She faltered for a moment, wondering if she should hug Nick goodbye. In the end, she decided against it for reasons she couldn't explain even to herself, and then trotted past the empty reception desk--Clawhauser had probably just gone home, the graveyard shift had just settled herself, a reindeer named Candi-to her office space.


It didn't take her long to file the reports. She almost wished for coffee, but if she'd had any she would have been wired the reset of the night. Stifling a yawn, she prepared the reports, turned them in and waited for Nick. She could have caught the bus home, but she always preferred to catch it with him, even if they didn't talk much on the way to their respective apartments. They would part ways at the third stop, but this ritual was one she would leave unbroken.


She briefly found herself entertaining the idea of how much easier it would be if they lived in the same place, but squashed it down.

[Proto Triose]

She could hear Nick, loud and joking as always, leaving the chief's office shortly after. He had changed into his favorite style of clothes, a button-up shirt and slacks. He had a sucker in his mouth - where he got that, who could say? He made his way over to where Judy was waiting, holding on to the end of the sucker sticking out of his mouth. Popping it out, he held it out to her, and shrugged when she held up her paws and pushed his hand away. "At least this news isn't so bad."


Tugging a piece of paper out of his pocket, folded in quarters, he held it out to her. "Got clearance to go to the jail and talk to my old friend tomorrow." He held the paper over her head so she had to hop to get it. When she finally grabbed it and gave him that look of annoyance she always did, he popped the sucker back in his mouth. "You're just cute when you do that." He knew full well she didn't like other races calling her cute. When she didn't say anything about it, he adjusted his tie, removing the sucker once more - he didn't know what to say to her not responding, seeing as he really did think it was cute. He was hoping he could have written it off after she got indignant with him, but when she didn't, he was forced to change the subject. "One bit of stormy weather, though. You remember that blind reporter?" He moved the sucker in a circle, thinking. "Gloria something. What?" He asked at a disbelieving look. "I didn't have a lot of time for TV when I was younger." His ears twitched at the next part, "Or money -for- a TV, for that matter.


The chief wants us to meet with her. Insists enough to make it a priority to call her on this number." A business card appeared in his hand when he flicked his wrist toward her. An old slight of hand trick that he still used from time to time to this day. "She wants to interview with us." He said over his shoulder as he started walking toward the bus stop. If they didn't get going, they would miss it.


--------


The bus ride home was as uneventful as always, with Nick sitting on the outside almost protectively of his partner. He always rode in the outside seat; he liked to tell her it was because he was worried she'd bounce around and start talking to everyone on the bus, and his days were already long enough as it was. As the brakes squealed to a stop a block from her house, Nick put a paw on her leg, looking over and down at her. "This is your stop."


This time, however, he didn't ask her the usual "You gonna be alright, little bunny?" so she could respond with a quip of her own. This time, he got up and started for the bus doors with her, taking the two steps and waiting at the bottom. Once she was off, he slapped the bus side hard enough to let the driver know he wasn't getting back on, and the bus slowly picked up speed as its lights dwindled.


He walked in silence beside her, hands in his pockets, clearly deep in thought. Finally, he spoke up, still not looking at her. His voice had a note of playfulness in it, but she couldn't see his eyes, so she couldn't be sure. "You know how much easier this would be if we just got a place together? Bet we could afford a nice place. Your salary after busting that Savage case. Me living in the nice house you could afford on the salary you make after busting that Savage case." He flicked the sucker's stem at a trash can, where it hit the rim but fell in. Nick held up a paw in victory. "Two points!" Was he quickly changing the subject, or was it just a joke?

[Dynax]

Judy hopped, indignantly, to snatch the paper out of his hand and tuck it away. Her mouth twisted at his commentary of cuteness and she decided to leave it at that, letting her annoyed silence speak for itself and waiting for him to do what passed for tactful in him and changed the subject. At the announcement of stormy weather, her ears perked up. She must have made a face when he indicated he didn't know who Gloria Burrows was, and inwardly cringed at the follow up. She really only knew who Gloria Burrows was growing up because her mother had occasionally watched her and indicated that she "had interesting things to say, even if she is a bit on the...er...progressive side of things." Judy, who did not own a TV with cable--she had recently upgraded to a laptop and streamed her news from ZBN.com--was aware of Burrows largely because she'd seen her articles not long after arriving in Zootopia, and even though the Naked Mole Rat did not come to them directly after the Savage Conspiracy, she had written about it with remarkable accuracy.


But even so, at the suggestion of another interview, Judy was a little wary. She followed after Nick through the revolving doors and out into the night. "It would be a good opportunity to set the record straight with someone whose reputation is one grounded in making sure the facts get to the people," she said as they stepped up onto the bus. "We'll have to fit it in somehow. Tomorrow's going to be tough, but the longer we delay the worse it'll be...." she tapped her foot pensively even as they continued the bus ride in silence.


Once they got to their stop, Judy was all prepared to quip back with Nick with his usual comment, but instead he surprised her by following her off the bus. She didn't ask him immediately, instead looking at him with a question in her eyes. They walked in silence for a short time, and she, curious to see what he had to say allowed him to break the silence first. His tone was light, but she couldn't get a good look at his eyes from her vantage point, and she felt almost as though she had been struck at the thought.


"We both cracked that case," she said automatically before anything else coherent managed to tumble from her mouth. "A-are you serious?" she stammered, her voice breathier than she would have liked it to be. "No, Nick, don't just try to change the subject," she protested as they came up to the door of her apartment complex. She'd moved out of the Pangolin Apartment she'd originally lived in when first arriving in Zootopia--primarily for one reason: she wanted to be able to have people over. Namely, she wanted to be able to have Nick over from time to time, and as her friend circle had grown, she'd become more and more embarrassed of the dirty closet she called home. Being frugal and responsible with her money was a necessity and there was a certain romance to the terrible studio apartment with loud neighbors upon first arriving. But practicality in the end won out and with the bonus she received from the Savage Conspiracy, she had been able to afford moving to a better apartment. Still a one-bedroom, but this one had tiny kitchen and a tiny bathroom to go with it. Rent in the city was expensive.


The thought of living with Nick was a heady one. It was true that they spent most of their waking time together. What was another few hours? And of course they would be able to afford a more comfortable place for less money. But that was just the superficial aspect, the business aspect. The truth of the matter was that Judy couldn't say she didn't like the idea. She had roomates back at the Academy, but this was entirely different. Different, and new. Of course, animals close in species but different often shared rooms provided they were in the same size grouping, but Predators and Prey almost never did. It was largely unheard of. That part didn't bother her, she was more distracted by the idea of getting to know a different dimension of Nick that had been closed off to her, something she couldn't say she wasn't curious about.

[Proto Triose]

Nick stopped with her outside her door, or at least the door to the apartments. A light drizzle had picked up, though nothing too severe. It just made him look up at the sky for a moment. "Well, we don't have to talk about it now, of course. It's just a thought. It would make it a lot easier to get to work. A lot easier on the wallet. Plus," he wanted to say 'plus I wouldn't be opposed to living with you.' Or 'it would feel much like everything was how it was supposed to be,' but he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Plus, I would ..." But what else could he say that wouldn't sound completely out of the blue?

"I wanted to make sure you got home alright." Smooth, Nick. "This whole thing with the murdered prey, some crazy pred out there killing for fun or enjoyment, and worse," he forced a shudder, pretending like this next thing was far worse than a serial killer, "reporters and media representatives around every corner."

He turned to leave, stopped with his head down against the rain. He turned back and put his arms around her, put his muzzle on her head. He didn't say anything for a moment until he let her go. "Thanks again. For everything. I'll see you in the morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed. I mean you will be. I'll need a coffee first. Partner." He saluted her, smiled as brightly as a wet fox could, and made his way down the street. It was a ways to his apartment, but he needed the time anyway. This whole case was getting to him; too much of his past being dredged up in only a few days.

--------

The next morning found Nick pulling up back at Judy's place with a police cruiser. He'd already gone to the precinct, signed one out, -and- gotten them both their respective StarBucks drinks of choice, with the little green logo and a deer wearing sunglasses on it. He had them, a piece of carrot cake, and a small bin of raspberries sitting on the hood of the car.

He was leaning against the door, popping a raspberry in his mouth, coffee in hand, when Hopps came out. He waved to her and pulled the bill of his hat down. He had dressed in something other than uniform, and certainly not something he usually wore. A t-shirt and jeans? "Figured this would look a lot less antagonizing, considering the person we're going to meet. What do you think, cottontail?" He did a little pose with his hands on his hips. "How does it look? Think she'll bite the face off someone so otherworldly handsome? I could sweep the rims off a car and nobody would notice in this. Could," he was quick to point out, holding up a finger. "Never would. But could."

[Dynax]

Judy was listening, her eyes big and focused as she fiddled ridiculously with her keys. Her heart skipped a little when he paused, stumbled over his words as he fished for the right thing to say. It took all of her self control not to follow up with, "Plus...what?" but she didn't remaining silent and hoping he might say...well. She had a vague idea of what she thought she wanted to hear, but for some reason she couldn't make out the words. She didn't quite sag when he instead mentioned the serial killer, or the rampant paparazzi on the prowl, but in the end she couldn't help but feel ever so slightly disappointed. About what she couldn't even properly, reasonably say.


As the rain started down, and he put his wiry arms around her, she returned the gesture as well as she could.


"Partner," she echoed back with a little quirk of a smile. However, when he turned to go the rain intensified, rattling down and doing its level best to soak the Fox as he walked away. Suddenly, Judy's heart lodged itself in her throat and she started down the steps again and raised her arm, to call him back, invite him in. But something seized her like claws, and her voice died in her throat before she could get out a sound, and by then Nick had already turned the corner, his brush disappearing from sight.


She stood there in the rain for almost a minute, ears flopped down her back before struggling with the lock and climbing up the stairs to her apartment. She slid inside, threw her keys on the nightstand and thumped her head against the wall.


Tomorrow would be a new day.


**


She woke sharply to the sound of her alarm, 5:30 sharp. As usual she was quick to rise, washing her face and neatly putting on her uniform. It was still pre-dawn, the blue-gray wash seeping in through her window, the last of the night lights winking out as the city started to wake up. Judy peered out her window and was surprised to see Nick already there in the police crusier. She blinked. She was usually the one to go get him, as he was not the morning person she was. She wondered if she should read into the gesture and decided that she ought not to.


She paused before she left. Normally she preferred to wear her uniform, but she had a niggling feeling that the day might take them places the uniform might not be so helpful. So at the last moment she packed a quick bag with an unassuming summer outfit--a pair of high waisted teal pants, a lacy white tank top and finally a red plaid shirt. It was big on her, and for good reason. The shirt had a bit of a history. She had been sick and had fallen asleep on Nick's couch one day and he'd covered her with the shirt. She'd woken up in her own apartment with it, and had never found the time to give it back, and even though it didn't smell like him as much as it used to, she had more or less laid claim to it now.


She tried not to think about what that implied and threw them in the bag.


She greeted him with raised eyebrows. She did admit to herself that the fox did seem rather effacing and harmless in the outfit. She wasn't one to be a judge of beauty in other species but foxes as much as they were regarded with distrust also were considered an elegant looking species if not outright nice looking even to others. Nick was no exception to this. But even so she said, "You know, you're the first person to make me say this ever, but I think you might be trying a little too hard, Nick. In any case, you could show up in a tuxedo and after twenty years of prison I don't know if it would make much difference. And you still have to show your badge," she waggled her finger at him. "We're not undercover...Oh! You remembered!" she said with delight as she climbed up into the car and spotted the carrot cake. "This is Franny's!" she said, recognizing the cake as one from her favorite bakery. It would have been at least five minutes out of Nick's way. She gave him a little squeeze. "My favorite." it was a sweet start to what she new was going to be a long day. "Right. Irondale Prison, here we come."

[Proto Triose]

He leaned on the hood of the car, using one paw to grab her bag for her. The paw that dangled over the side of the roof pointed, "You know, that's not a bad idea. I should wear a tuxedo from now on." He moved to put her bag in the back with his, but stopped at the color of a shirt sticking out of it. His head slowly came back into view from the back door, looking at her with a barely concealed smile and a raised eyebrow. "It looked good on you. Not that I watched you, just saying. Good choice." [size=78%]Then he just went back, put her bag down next to his, and went around to get in the car behind the wheel.[/size]



Before starting the car, he pulled the front of his shirt out to show her the sticker he had put on it, not unlike the one he'd gotten so long ago. "Got my badge, right here." With a turn of the keys, the engine roared and they were on their way.



He didn't turn on the lights this time to get where they were going faster, though any other day he probably would have. It was a large reason he didn't drive the car as often anymore. The larger part of it was Judy was headstrong and liked to be the one driving - which he honestly enjoyed. Less work for him to take care of. Nick turned on the radio as they drove.


"Nick Wilde and Judy -" kisssh "The two officers -" kissssh "- a fox print at the scene. Questions about Officer Wilde's -" Nick turned off the radio with a sigh, focusing on the road instead. It was increasingly difficult to keep up the good humor.


He took a drink of his coffee, and pulled a newspaper out from between the seats, holding it out to Judy without a word for her to read the latest from Will O'Riley. "He used a lot more brush strokes this time. He writes like Molenet painted. 'Look over here! No, over here! Wait, -this- was the point!' Very smooth misguidance, if you know what to look for." Not the most upbeat he's ever sounded, but he was trying.


---------


The car pulled up in front of a towering prison - one of Zootopia's oldest establishments. It had seen better days, but then again, newer prisons didn't get the attention this one did. Loud alarms clanged as the gate was pulled open for them after Nick flashed his fake badge (followed by fumbling with his wallet for where he pinned the real one). The guard didn't get nearly as much of a kick out of it as he himself did. "Not much of a sense of humor around here, huh Carrots? What is it with cops always being frown faced and gloomy?" It took him a minute before he reached over and wiggled one of her ears. "Except you, of course. Maybe that's why they like you us so much."


Nick pulled up next to an armored vehicle, putting the car in park. Getting out of the car, he leaned both arms on the hood and whistled at the impressive vehicle next to them. "How would you like to drive that bad boy into a gun fight? How long do you think it would last?" He realized then that Judy was already leaving him behind, and he ran to catch up, though he slowed down near the front, looking up at all the barred windows. He heard a loud clang of a cell door, and followed Judy inside.


It was cool in the reception room, and his nose started twitching immediately at the smell of coffee - even poorly brewed. "I assume this is free?" He raised his voice even as he went ahead and filled his cup from their breakfast, adding very little sweetener and just a touch of powdered creamer. It was some synthetic, as most of the bovines in the population wouldn't hear of actual milk just for coffee. Nick didn't know if he wanted that swirling around in his drink anyway, even if the city had toyed with the idea before.


As he came up to the desk with Judy and the rhino manning the counter, he heard his bunny talking as fast as she usually did, with a lot of legal fluff and everything. The rhino was clearly not paying much attention, so Nick put the paperwork on the counter, reached over, and flicked the antenna to the TV that was blaring Squeal of Fortune. Static filled the room immediately, and the rhino snorted at him in irritation. Nick pointed down at where Judy was. "I believe, and I could be wrong, but I believe you should be paying attention to your superiors. That right, Judes? You're above him in rank, last I checked," He never looked away from the rhinos beady eyes, though he smiled slyly. "Aren't you, Officer Hopps?"

[Dynax]

"Don't compare this hack to Monet even as a joke," Judy said in disgust, looking over the article through a mouthful of carrot cake. She blazed through the article, and immediately regretted it. She needed to be cool and calm for when they went to the prison to deal with Nick's contact. She knew that prisoners could smell fear or anger and she also knew they would probably be heckled by the inmates simply because of who and what they were already.  "Back where I'm from we call this lying." She could sense the falter in Nick's demeanor and frowned. "Don't let this garbage get to you, Nick," she said, her voice encouraging. "They'll all see what you're really like and capable of soon enough. And with the way O'Riley writes, there's no way he's not getting sued for libel at some point."


**


Judy's demeanor had heated into something that was almost ferocious. As soon as the car stopped she was out, striding towards the doors of Irondale prison with firm purpose, her ears stiff, her back straight and her expression as neutral as it could be. She was happy to be the one striding up to the desk and while Nick refilled his coffee she laid out the forms for the Rhino's perusal. However, either because it was early or he simply didn't care, the Rhino was merely nodding along to her words without looking at her. She was starting to get annoyed, but before she addressed the issue, Nick did, and handily.


"My partner has a point," Judy said raising a brow at the Rhino. "We need to see this prisoner immediately for the sake of a high stakes case that needs to be addressed. I trust you can help us?" there was a bit of a threat in her tone and the Rhino, finally hearing something other than mindless chatter scanned the paperwork and grunted,


"Cellblock C, last cell on the right."


**


Judy stared down at the row of cells on both sides as the door clanged open to allow them both inside. She took a deep breath. This was actually her first time visiting a prison like this. Jails were one thing, but this was on a whole new level. Hardened killers were behind bars here, and even worse than that. She straightened her shoulders, and whispered to Nick, "Ignore them," and started to walk.


The sight of the bunny officer and her fox companion immediately drew howls of derision from the inmates.


"You're in the wrong neighborhood, little bunny!" a wolf said, licking his chops dramatically.


 "You're so cute I could just eat you up!"


"Hey! Fox! **censor** traitor!" yowled a skinny vixen from behind her cell bars.


"Well aren't these the most tender little cops you've ever seen! Bogo's losing his edge if he's sending the likes of them to us..."


Judy grit her teeth and utterly ignored the calls, counting the cells. Finally, they arrived at the end of the corridor...and were staring at an empty cell.


"She's not here," she said in disbelief.

[Proto Triose]

Nick had stopped at the cell to the one that had called him traitor, sipping on his coffee idly, his tail languidly making swishes across the floor. He didn't say anything, simply stared into the cell before looking left and right. He walked out of sight of that particular cell, then walked backward to look into it again. "Sorry. Thought I left my freedom back here." A paw swiped at him, but he didn't move, letting it graze through the air right near his nose. "My mistake. Must have left it in the field outside." He tipped his coffee cup to the prisoner, receiving a growl and more curses. He was tempted to go back and taunt them more, but what Judy said made his ears turn toward her, followed shortly by his head.


He came up beside her, looking into the empty cell that had a broken lightbulb in it - they clearly didn't replace it unless a prisoner was going to be held there. Nick doubted they would even then. Fishing his phone out of his pocket and flicking on the flashlight. He immediately turned it off when he saw his name written on the wall, as he didn't feel like looking at more, and tucked the phone in his back pocket. "Well, this place is maximum security. I don't like to think what it could mean, but maybe they just moved her?" The unspoken part of that was the implication of 'maybe she wasn't so harmless as I thought.'


"Maybe he got the cell block wrong. He was rather distracted." He was about to tell Judy they should head back and find out where they moved her, when he heard the sound of a pair of hooves hitting the floor and a familiar voice call out to them.


"Is that Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde? It's been so long, dears. Are you here to see me?"


Nick's ears immediately went back against his head, stepping just a couple cells down. "Well I'll be a canned ... something." He turned his head to look at Judy, coming up alongside him. He moved his tail out her way just in time before she stepped on it. He knew that voice would distract her and bring all sorts of memories back. "Ex-mayor Bellwether."