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Chapter Text

Judy hated waiting in the cab of Unit 1’s carrier. She’d gotten tired of the fact that a mammal of her size could only see the dashboard, and of how uncomfortable it felt being pushed back into a seat sized for mammals many times her size. Clawhauser had suggested – unironically – getting a booster seat for Judy to sit in, but Judy had quickly vetoed the idea. Frith only knew what Nick would say if he’d gotten wind of the proposal.

Anyway, the seat itself wasn’t the problem right now. It was the fact that despite having its lights and siren on, the carrier wasn’t moving an inch in the bumper-to-bumper Sahara Square traffic.

So Judy tried to pass the time by getting info on the perps Division 2 had been sent to deal with. “So what’s the deal with the Inner Wild Front anyway?”

Behind the wheel, Clawhauser shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you everything. All I know is they think civilized life is wrong, but I don’t really know what they say about why.”

“I’m not surprised – even they can’t figure it out.” Captain Bogo chimed in through the radio. “The IWF’s a decentralized movement – no two factions are alike. The only thing they can agree on is that ‘the system’ is so corrupt that we should just give up and go back to our wild ways. But they can’t agree on why that is or what to do about it. Some of them want to just sit and wait until we drop Pax Zootopia and start eating each other again. Others can’t wait that long.”

“But why Mystic Springs Oasis?” said Clawhauser. “From what I hear, they’re all about ‘back to nature.’”

“Who knows?” said Bogo. “Maybe he thinks they’re not ‘back to nature’ enough, or maybe he’s got a grudge against the place.”

Judy’s nose twitched. “How does one mammal’s grudge factor into the IWF’s agenda?”

“With terrorist groups, it’s not unusual for their agenda to change at the drop of a hat,” said Bogo. “With decentralized groups like the IWF, it’s not so surprising that one random idiot goes on a rampage for the hell of it, using the IWF flag as an excuse.”

Lee’s voice broke through the radio, her voice edged with impatience. “Hylander’s already engaged the suspect. How long will it be before Unit 1 gets here?”

“We’re not that far from you,” said Clawhauser. “We just need to get through this traffic.”

“Well, hurry,” Lee shouted into her command car’s receiver. Hylander was having his fair share of problems dealing with the Ushii UL-45 Hareacles H21 that the IWF terrorist had stolen from the Climate Wall Refurbishment Project.

Now Hylander in Unit 2 and the tree pangolin in the stolen Labor were grappling next to the wall of Mystic Springs Oasis.

“Can’t I use my revolver cannon?” grunted Hylander as Unit 2 took a step back.

“Not until you can get him into the open,” said Lee. “Street’s too narrow.”

“Confound it,” the hyrax grumbled. “I’m not so good with close-quarters – that’s Hopps’ forte.”

“Well, Hopps isn’t here,” Lee growled. “Just get this lunatic out of here and relocate things to Sahel Creek Park – they’ve already evacuated there.”

“I’m trying, ma’am, I’m trying!” Hylander tried charging the Hareacles.

Like the Bullfrog – which came from the same company – the Hareacles was a squat, bipedal machine with three-fingered hands and no real head. Unlike the Bullfrog, however, the Hareacles had an-all metal cockpit with a small viewport – most of the pilot’s vision came from cameras – and the forearms were slim, and connected to shoulders with holes cut into them to reduce weight.

Now, this Hareacles, painted fluorescent green, grabbed Unit 2 and began engaging in a shoving match with it.

“Hylander, your footing,” Lee shouted. “Adjust your unit’s footing!”

Hylander hadn’t properly braced his Labor for the shoving match, and the Ingrowl fell backward through the crumbling wall behind it.

“Ribbons,” Lee seethed.

“Can’t you take Dune Street?” said Bogo through the radio.

“T-too narrow, sir,” said Clawhauser. “And I don’t think I could make that tight a turn.”

“Right, Unit 1, deck-up.”

“What, now, sir?” Clawhauser spluttered.

“Now, Clawhauser,” said Bogo. “Hopps can walk the rest of the way.”

“Wouldn’t City Hall get mad at us?” Nick’s voice butted in. “More than usual?”

“It’ll be worse if we don’t put that thing down,” said Bogo. “Now, get to it!”

“Y-yes, sir,” stammered Clawhauser.

Judy immediately dashed into Robin, and Clawhauser began raising the payload bay.

Behind the carrier, Nick backed his command car onto the sidewalk, making sure his lights and siren were still on, and spoke through his car’s loudspeakers. “Can I ask you folks to please move along? It’s just that if my friend here stepped on you, it’d mean a lot of paperwork for us.”

Many of the mammals on the sidewalk ducked into nearby buildings as Unit 1 stepped off the trailer and began tiptoeing around pedestrians and cars onto Dune Street while Nick’s command car cleared a path in front of it.

“Alright, let’s have some room, mammals,” said Nick through his loudspeakers. “You over there, I’m pretty sure now’s not a good time for group selfies.”

As two zebras, a bison, and a wildebeest got out of the road, glaring at Nick as the wildebeest lowered his selfie stick, Judy couldn’t help but wonder what possessed mammals to take selfies in front of dangerous situations involving Labors.

Nick kept shouting. “That’s it. Clear the way. Defer! Defer! Defer to the Lord High Labor Executioner! Give the bunny some room for those big feet of hers.”

“I resent that,” said Judy.

“Not your big feet, Robin’s.”

Judy scowled. “Very funny.”

Nick made no indication he was taking this any more seriously. “Hey, I’d say you’re doing alright. With catlike tread, upon your prey you steal-“

“What have I said about Gilbear and Sowllivan songs?” Judy snapped.

Judy couldn’t see Nick’s smirk, but she could practically hear it. “You said you’d had enough HMS Pinafur songs. This was The Pirates of Pawzance.”

The sound of Captain Bogo clearing his throat cut off Judy’s retort. “Are you two aware that you both have your loudspeakers on?”

Judy bit her tongue, making a mental note to have a word with Joanna about Robin’s external sound systems.

It wasn’t long before Unit 1 made it to Mystic Springs Oasis’ outer wall. Now the Hareacles was inside the building’s courtyard, slamming Unit 2 face-first into one of the buildings, ripping it open.

Nick pulled his command car up beside Lee’s before poking his head out of the top hatch. “Why isn’t Blunderbuss fighting back?”

“I can’t reach him,” Lee explained. “I think he’s unconscious.”

“I’ll take care of him,” said Judy, pulling out Robin’s stun stick.

“Gimme a sec,” said Nick, patching his receiver to his loudspeakers. “Hey, you in the Hareacles! Can’t we talk about this?”

“No,” barked the pangolin in the Hareacles.

“Let’s be real for a second,” said Nick. “What’s this place ever done to you?”

“They’re a bunch of sellouts!” yelled the pangolin. “This city needs to burn. I’ll start with them!”

“Honey isn’t catching this fly, Nick,” said Judy, making Robin step into the courtyard through the hole in the wall. “Time for vinegar.” The rabbit switched on her loudspeakers. “Step out of your Labor now or… or… or…”

[OST]

Judy had noticed a zebra, a hippo, and a bear fleeing the scuffle. But it was what Judy didn’t see that caught her attention.

“C-Captain Bogo,” she stammered into her comms system.

“What is it, Hopps?”

“W-we’ve got streakers on the scene!”

“Streakers? What the hell are you talking about?”

“There are naked mammals – running all over the premises.” Judy was now seeing mammals of various species milling about the courtyard, all stark naked.

“She means MSO members, sir,” said Nick. “Carrots, Mystic Springs Oasis is a naturalist club; they think clothes are unnatural.”

“But-but isn’t this indecent exposure?” said Judy.

“MSO falls under a legal loophole,” said Bogo. “Forget about the naked animals. Just take that Labor down.”

“Y-yes, sir,” said Judy, switching her loudspeakers back on. “Attention hair-naked- Hareacles pilot! Cease and disrobe- desist! Open your cockpit- er, hatch and come out with your paws up or we’ll have to use fuzz- force!”

Nick rolled his eyes. No way was she that sheltered…

Just then, the fox noticed a nude peccary frantically running into the part of the building where the Hareacles had rammed Unit 2’s head into the second floor.

“Hang on, we’ve got a straggler,” Nick reported into his radio. “I’ll get him out.”

Nick then got out of the car and dashed into the building after the peccary, following him into a room right below where Unit 2’s head and torso lay. The room’s walls were lined with shelves containing colored vials and beakers.

Nick tried to grab the porcine by the hand. “If you haven’t noticed, there’s a Labor that could-“

“No way,” said the peccary, pulling his hoof back. “I gotta make sure my experiment’s safe.”

Just then, a naked yak with impressively long head-fur strolled in, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around him.

“Aw, Carl,” he chuckled. “You haven’t been doing that stuff again, have ya?”

“Aw, gimme a break, Yax,” the peccary moaned.

“Uh, listen, you guys,” said Nick, gesturing to the window where Unit 2’s abdomen and legs blocked the view. “We have to go-“

At that moment, the Hareacles’s speakers sounded out. “Take another step and you end up like your friend here!”

Outside, the Hareacles banged its fist on Unit 2’s back for emphasis, which caused the room’s ceiling to collapse. Jars of fluid smashed all around the three mammals inside.

“Nick!” Judy gasped. “Nick, are you there? Come in, Nick!”

A voice coughed on the other end. “I-I’m alright, Carrots. I guess the room didn’t collapse all the way. We’re a bit banged up, but nothing serious.”

Judy sighed in relief. “Just get out of- ah!”

Robin dodged an attempt by the Hareacles to tackle it, then pointed the stun stick at it in defiance.

“He’s not giving up,” said Judy. “You know your Labors. Where do I stick him?”

“Oh, you needn’t worry, Carrots!” Nick’s voice suddenly became off-kilter. “No matter how thick the armor, you have but to pierce it!”

“What?”

“Wilde, could you answer Hopps’ question?” Bogo growled through the radio.

“Nick, is that you?” Judy wasn’t sure what was going on.

“Oh, sure!” That was Nick’s voice, but it didn’t sound like Nick. “Nicholas Wilde – do not forget this name!”

Judy became concerned. “Uh, Nick? You didn’t get hit on the head, did you?”

Then a new, cheerful voice broke in. “Oh, your fox friend’s alright. I think the fumes from Carl’s ‘experiments’ just made him kinda wonky.”

“What th- who is this?” Bogo demanded. “What’s going on?!”

“Oh, my name’s Yax. I’m with the club,” the new voice chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll get your friend outta here.”

“Please do,” sighed Bogo. “Lee, back Hopps up.”

“Understood sir,” said Lee from her command car.

“Oh, I’m fine, Cap’n,” said Nick. “I’m gonna scrub these fumes from the face of the earth!”

Judy made Robin take a few steps back as she turned on her loudspeaker. “Please, sir, stop and think about what you’re doing. This isn’t right!”

“I should’ve been the one to fill your dark soul with RIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!” Nick’s voice squawked in.

“Shut up!” yelled the pangolin. “These mammals have lied to us all, promising a return to nature. They deserve to suffer!”

“Hopps, what are you doing?!” snapped Lee.

“I’m buying time for Nick and the others to get out,” said Judy.

“If the suspect has time to move, he could attack another part of the building,” Lee noted.

“You won’t trick me,” said the pangolin. “I’m willing to die for my freedom.”

“No one has to die here!” Judy pulled her machine forward, yanking the Hareacles away from the building and into the center of the courtyard.

“You’re taking too long,” said Lee. “Get behind him and use the stun-stick.”

“I have to get behind him, first.” Judy dodged a swipe from the Hareacles as she backed up.

“HADOUKEN! SONIC BOOM!” Nick’s voice yelled.

“You don’t have to rough up the Labor,” said Lee. “Just get behind him.”

“I’m trying,” Judy seethed as she dodged another swipe.

“Well, try harder,” Lee growled.

Judy caught a glimpse of a yak behind the Hareacles, having slung Nick over his shoulder and dragging a groggy peccary out by the hand.

“Ah, Carrots,” Nick piped up, holding up a tomato. “Shall I give you this pear?”

“Hang on.” Judy discarded the stun stick and caught one of the Hareacles’ punches and promptly flung the terrorist’s Labor over Robin’s shoulder, sending it back out the hole in the courtyard wall.

“Hopps, what-“

“I’m relocating the conflict,” said Judy. “I can still lure him to Sahel Creek Park.”

“Hopps, you don’t need this,” Lee snapped. “Just finish him!”

“Die before even seeing your precious moon, GX!” the drugged Nick’s voice slipped in.

“Lee, give Hopps room to breathe,” ordered Bogo. “Hopps, just put an end to this.”

“Roger,” Judy growled as she picked up Robin’s stun stick, put it back behind her shield, and climbed back over the ruined wall to where the Hareacles was getting back up.

Before the pangolin could brace his stolen Labor, Judy launched Robin at it, giving her opponent a clothesline that sent it skittering down the block toward Sahel Creek Park. Judy promptly dashed past it and skidded to a halt in the park itself.

“Is this range safe for firearms?” she asked.

“It should be, but-“

“Good.”

Judy dropped her baton and drew Robin’s revolver cannon as the metal firing visor slid over Robin’s Plexiglas visor.

“Hopps, what are you doing?!” Lee hissed.

“If I take out his legs, I can get up close and use the stun-stick,” Judy explained.

“You stand a better chance up close,” Lee groaned.

“VOL-TEK-KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-“

“Would someone please shut off Wilde’s mic?!” yelled Bogo.

“No need to, sir,” piped up Beaverbrook. “I think he broke it just then.”

Before the Hareacles could get up, Judy fired three shots. One missed its mark and went straight into the ground. The other two ripped through the Hareacles’ legs, and the Labor collapsed, hydraulic fluid spewing from its knees.

“Okay,” Judy sighed as Robin picked up its stun-stick and nonchalantly walked up to the prostrate Labor, inserting the stun stick into its back.

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Judy huffed.

Chapter Text

“At any rate,” said Lee. “It’s beyond obvious that Officer Hopps conducted herself in an improper and unprofessional manner yesterday.”

“Captain.” Judy gave a sidelong glare at the opossum before turning back to Captain Bogo. “I took down the bad guy; that’s my job.”

Behind the two, Captain Polecatsky quietly sipped some coffee at her desk, taking in the sight of Bogo sitting behind his, nervously glancing from one to the other of his subordinates.

Lee’s prehensile tail was writhing behind her like a giant pink worm, and Judy’s foot was beginning to thump.

“She inflicted more damage than was necessary to the rogue Labor,” said Lee.

“I figured it’d be easier to pin him down and stick him if I took out his legs first,” said Judy. “And last I checked, I don’t have to do the Labors any favours.”

“You’re supposed to handle the situation in a clinical and efficient manner,” Lee growled, dropping any pretense of talking to Bogo as she turned to face Judy. “You should be limiting damage on all fronts – including to the enemy Labor.”

“That pangolin was ready to kill innocent bystanders,” Judy squeaked. “I couldn’t play nice with him!”

“So instead you gave him more time to potentially endanger said bystanders,” Lee hissed.

“But he wasn’t going after those bystanders – he was going after me,” Judy snapped. “I figured as long as he was focused on me, he wouldn’t endanger civilians!”

Lee’s tail was a pink blur. Judy’s foot-thumping now had the rhythm of a machine gun.

“So instead you inflicted needles damage to the Hareacles and created more property damage by moving the fight to Sahel Creek Park,” Lee barked.

“The mammals at Mystic Springs hadn’t all evacuated!” Judy threw up her hands. “What’s more important- innocent lives, or real estate values and your precious Hareacles?!”

“Seeing as you’ve given Unit 1 a pet name, I hardly think you’re in a position to-“

“SHUT IT! BOTH OF YOU!” The office shook as Bogo slammed his hooves on his desk. The rabbit and the opossum turned to their Captain.

“I don’t know what this bad blood is about, and honestly, I don’t care!” growled Bogo, looming over his subordinates. “Now Wilde’s already recovered, and Hylander’s returning to active duty tomorrow, so hopefully you won’t have to rely on each other again.”

Judy sighed in relief.

“That said!” Bogo pointedly interrupted Judy’s thoughts. “This sort of situation could happen again, so whatever problems you have with each other, you deal with them, and you deal with them now. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir,” the two officers droned.

“Dismissed.”

Judy left the room first.

“And Lee…” Bogo stopped the opossum as she passed through the door. “I’d appreciate it if you were more flexible out there. You’re the Division’s second-in-command – I shouldn’t have to remind you that respect is a two-way street.”

“Yes, sir,” Lee murmured as she left the room.

As Lee closed the door behind her, Bogo sighed and studied the ceiling – his new favorite pastime since arriving at SV2.

“I’m guessing this is what you meant by ‘the headaches never end,’” piped up Captain Polecatsky.

“Maybe I was being too generous,” Bogo huffed.

“I wish I could help you here,” said Polecatsky. “But you know more about those two than I do.”

[OST1]

Bogo shifted to studying his desk, then got up and opened the filing cabinet near the window. “Maybe this’ll help,” he said, handing the skunk a file. “This is Lee’s file. I’ve got Hopps’. Try reading it aloud and see what you think.”

“Alright,” said Polecatsky. “Virginia Lee Foxape. Age 25. Species: Didelphis virginiana. Born in Podunk in Deerbrooke County, Dulima.”

“Judith Laverne Hopps. Age 24 – about half a year younger than Lee. Species: Oryctolagus cuniculus,” Bogo read from a similar file. “Born in Bunnyburrow, Shimonia.”

“Not much here about Lee’s childhood.” Polecatsky’s brow creased as she looked over Lee’s file. “Got a scholarship to Zootopia Technical Institute – a special scholarship for low-income students. Majored in robotics.”

“Had a knack for getting into trouble as a child. Captain of her high school varsity girl’s softball team for a while.” Bogo sighed as he saw the next section of Judy’s file. “But she resigned in protest after her school turned down her request to establish a girl’s baseball team. Majored in criminal justice at Bunnyburrow Community College.”

“After getting her degree, she got a job at a construction firm building a new dam near Podunk. Piloted construction Labors at first. There was a few IWF attacks on the site, so the Dulima Provincial Police and the security company watching the dam site jointly purchased a police-modded Tigersyo and the DPP recruited Lee so she could pilot it. She managed to take down a few Labor-criminals before being promoted to Sergeant so she could train other pilots guarding the project. Then, she accepted a transfer to your new Division and was promoted to Lieutenant.” Polecatsky took a sip of her water after reading the paragraph.

“Submitted twelve applications to the ZPD – the first when she was nine years old.” Bogo groaned and shook his head. “All of them were turned down. Shortly after the first Zeeplabor task force was started, she took a course in Labor piloting, and gained experience working with a Bumpacrop – the hell? – on her’s family farm. Then, she applied again to the ZPD, and got accepted this time, getting the third-highest score in PLAT history.”

“Not so different when you think about it,” said Polecatsky. “Come to think of it, it’s like Gnuton’s Third Law.”

“What?” Bogo raised an eyebrow.

“Gnuton’s Third Law?” the skunk ventured. “’Every action has an equal and opposite reaction’?”

“Wouldn’t go that far,” Bogo grunted. “Question is, what do I do about this?”

A bold red, lagomorph-scaled convertible pulled up to the small SV2 parking lot. A young white hare leapt out of the car, and made her way around the building to the open hangar doors. Once in the hangar, the hare took in the sight of the two Ingrowls.

“Mmmm,” she mused as she looked up at Unit 2. “Getting some wear out of you, I see.”

“Ms. Inaba?”

The hare’s nose twitched as she turned to face Judy Hopps. “Have we met before?”

“You remember me?” said Judy. “B-BATE a few years ago? I was there with my Dad?”

“Oh.” Saeko Inaba smiled as her ears perked up. “The Tigersyo video.”

“Yeah.” Judy puffed out her chest as she gestured to Robin. “If it weren’t for that video, I wouldn’t be piloting that thing.”

Inaba’s jaw dropped. “You’re a Forward for one of these?”

Judy nodded proudly.

The hare’s face pulled up into a grin. “That’s incredible!”

“Hang on.” The two lagomorphs turned to see Nick Wilde walking up to them, carrying his fishing pole. “You know each other?”

“Well, we only met once,” Judy murmured, as Inaba shuffled away slightly from the fox.

“Well, I never met you,” said Nick, turning to Inaba. “And I worked for your Dad’s company.

Saeko Inaba’s father was President and CEO of Inaba Heavy Industries – one of the top Labor manufacturers in the country, and the maker of the AV-45 Ingrowl. Saeko worked for the company as well.

“Oh?” Saeko tilted her head. “Where did you work?”

“Labor R&D – That’s why they sent me the recruitment package.” Nick shrugged. “How’d you two meet?”

“Oh, it was at B-BATE,” said Judy.

“B-BATE?” Now it was Nick’s turn to tilt his head.

“The Bunnyburrow Biannual Agricultural Technologies Exposition?” said Judy. “Anyway, I was there with my Dad and I saw this promo video from IHI showing a police-modded Tigersyo in action. I asked Ms. Inaba about it-“

“Please call me Saeko,” the hare giggled.

“I asked Saeko about it, and she told me a few things about the opportunities for small mammals as Zeeplabor pilots. She even gave me a sneak peek at some specs for a new model – one that would eventually become the Ingrowl. Long story short, that’s when I decided I’d join the force through SV2.”

“Phew!” Nick chuckled. “Maybe you would make a good industrial spy.”

Saeko didn’t seem to have noticed Nick’s remark as she turned to Judy. “Never thought I’d see you here,” she chuckled. “Putting the 45 through its paces, I see.”

“Mmm-hm!” said Judy, puffing out her chest again. “So what brings you here?”

“Oh, I’m just going over some of your recent deployment records with your Captain – have to see how the new models are performing.” The hare began to move away from the pair. “You’ll probably get a performance survey once I’m done. Bye!”

Nick shook his head as he looked at the hare bounding up the steps towards the offices. “Saeko Inaba… You’re a real high roller, Carrots.”

After leaving Judy, Nick made for one of his usual fishing spots amidst the riprap. All the Animazon Rule-mandated work had been done before his recovery, so he was glad to have dodged that bullet, even if his run-in with chemicals of dubious legality had given him a bizarre crazing for mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Suddenly the fox’s ears perked up as he picked up the sound of panting above him. He turned around and glanced up to see Judy and Lee glaring daggers at one another. Clearly, the two had both just been jogging.

“You… didn’t… have… to go faster… than me,” Lee growled between pants.

“Well… you seemed… pretty keen… to keep up with me,” Judy retorted, panting as well.

“That… that sort of competitiveness… is not helping you on the job.” The opossum glared at Judy.

“Because I’m a ‘loose cannon,’ right?” Judy returned the glare. “’Can’t be trusted to operate a six-ton Labor’? ‘Poses a threat not just to herself, but to officers and civilians around her’?!”

Lee’s brow rose before she resumed scowling at Judy. “Eavesdropping on superiors’ conversations is unbecoming, Officer.”

Judy’s foot began to thump. “Just what is your problem with me?!”

“Your temperament,” Lee said nonchalantly. “I thought I made that clear.”

“I get the job done,” said Judy. “That’s all that matters.”

“Uh, ladies…” Nick was getting nervous.

“Yes, but you make a lot of mess doing it.” Lee continued staring Judy down. “Sooner or later, you’re going to cause damage that won’t be so easily forgiven.”

“Really?” said Judy, her ears rising, but flopping ever-so-slightly. “Well, how do I know you’re not the impatient one?”

Lee’s eyebrow twitched. “What are you saying?”

“I think you want the glory,” said Judy, smirking as she placed her hands on her hips. “I think you can’t stand the fact that your assigned Labor has had only one takedown – and it was before you got here.”

Nick grimaced.

“I see.” Lee tilted her head down, her eyes just visible behind a furrowed brow. “Well, since professionalism’s obviously gone out the window, I think you’re an egomaniac with a hero complex who pilots Labors to feel bigger than everyone else for a change.”

Nick’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

“So I shouldn’t even be here? Is that it?” Judy seethed, her voice white-hot as she clenched her teeth and fists.

“Basically.” Lee was unfazed. “In fact, I think it’s high time someone taught you a lesson in what piloting a Zeeplabor really means.”

“Oh?” Judy raised her head and crossed her arms. “What did you have in mind?”

Lee smirked, her brow still creased.

Nick gulped, praying he was still stoned.

“A sparring match?” Captain Bogo sputtered. “In Labors?!”

“Yes, sir,” said Lee. The possum had come into the Captains’ office just as Saeko Inaba was leaving.

Bogo pinched his brow as he sat back in his chair. “Why?”

“I think the practice would help hone our skills better,” said Lee.

“That’s what simulators are for,” said Bogo.

“With respect, sir, simulators are still catching up to the Ingrowl, and they can only go so far.” Lee’s face remained neutral. “You said I should help guide the Division out of this rough period. This is my way of doing that.”

“Lee, this-“

“I think it’s a great idea!” the door to the office opened, and Saeko Inaba strolled in, ears perked up, a hyperactive, bucktoothed smile etched on her face.

Bogo snorted. Had that hare been listening in? “Why?”

“More action means more movement data for the pilots.” Inaba glanced from Lee to Bogo. “It’d be a real growth opportunity for the Ingrowls and their pilots. The company would be thrilled to get that extra data, and I’m sure Bureau Chief Buckminster would, too.”

The mention of Buckminster made Bogo’s ear twitch. I.H.I. had that stupid elk’s ear, and Inaba and Bogo both knew it.

“Alright,” Bogo sighed. “But I set the rules. I’ll talk with Chief Mechanic Campanario and we can set a date.”

Lee nodded. “Understood, sir.”

Nick buried his head in his hands. “Carrots, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but are you insane?!”

“What?” said Judy as she closed the fridge door. “Bogo okayed it yesterday, didn’t he?”

Bogo had indeed set the ground rules for the match, which had been set in four days time, in the big field behind the SV2 building. Bogo and Campanario had upped the stakes somewhat by promising the winner a two-week exemption from the Animazon Rule, while the loser would be subject to a ‘forfeit lottery,’ in which the punishment would be drawn at random from a number of ideas submitted by Division 2. Lee and Judy had readily agreed to these conditions.

Now Judy smiled as she imagined Lee doing the forfeit she’d suggested – filling in for Judy’s Animazon Rule exemption.

“Yeah, but I keep thinking Lee’s got something up her sleeve,” said Nick. “Lee’s not the kind of mammal to make a bet like this – not unless she knew ahead of time she was going to win.”

“Or maybe she’s just cocky,” said Judy, taking a sip of her orange juice. “And what could she even have up her sleeve? The Ingrowls are almost identical.” The rabbit raised the key drive on her lanyard for emphasis. “If anything she’ll be at a disadvantage because I’ve got my own data – she’ll either have to use Hylander’s data or a blank key drive.”

“Still, I’m not taking any chances,” said Nick. “I might-“

Just then, Hylander strode into the Ready Room, with Beaverbrook close behind.

“Never thought I’d see a duel in this day and age,” the hyrax chuckled. “Labors instead of pistols, sabers or rapiers!”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Duel?”

“Naturally.” Hylander places his hands on his hips. “This is an affair of honor, isn’t it? And I take it you’ll be Hopps’ second?”

Nick’s ears drooped. “Second what?”

Hylander chuckled with patronizing amusement. “You’re a philistine, Wilde. In dueling, the seconds act as representatives of the principals – that is to say, of Hopps and Lieutenant Fox-ape.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “It’s a practice sparring match, Blunderbuss.”

“Oh?” said Hylander. “I was under the impression that Hopps offended the Lieutenant, so she threw down the gauntlet and Hopps accepted.”

“She offended me,” Judy piped up, prompting Nick to bury his head in his paws.

“Hmm…” Hylander adjusted his glasses. “Part of the role of seconds is to dissuade any unnecessary violence, but you seem committed to this.”

“Yes, I am.” Judy’s tone was firm.

Nick tilted his head at Hylander. “Did Lee put you up to this ‘second’ thing?”

“I offered to act as the Lieutenant’s second, and she raised no objection.”

“Of course…” Nick rolled his eyes and began to shuffle Judy out of the Ready Room. “Well, could you just let me do my ‘second’ thing and talk to my ‘principal’ for a sec?”

Once they were out, Nick closed the door behind him before turning to Judy.

“I was going to say that I’ve got a pal who can get us something we need, and I think you do too,” he explained. “I’ll need you to talk to Joanna.”

“I can’t ask for special favors from the mechanics,” Judy protested.

“It’s not a special favor. It’s part of their jobs to make it easier to pilot Labors. We’re just going ask her to tweak Robin’s OS a bit – it’s the sort of thing you’d probably ask for anyway after a deployment.”

“Okay…” said Judy. “But what’s your friend going to provide?”

“I’ll have to wait and see if he’ll agree,” sighed Nick. “Still, couldn’t you two have settled this with Checkers or something?”

That night, after Division 2 went off duty, Nick and Judy found themselves on a street full of warehouses near the SV2 building.

As they waited, Judy was reminded again of how little she really knew about Nick. Who were they supposed to meet tonight? Some black-market Labor parts dealer?

Finally, Judy’s ears perked as she recognized the van that had picked Nick up after the Okavango Road deployment.

“Is that it?” she said, trying to mask the fear in her voice.

“Mmm-hm.” Nick waved to the van as it pulled up to the curb.

The van’s windows were so high that Judy couldn’t see the driver.

“You’re here early,” Nick chimed as he looked up to the passenger-side window.

“I wanna get this over wit’ quick,” came a baritone voice from inside the van. A chill ran down Judy’s spine as the image of an enormous sneering bear or big cat popped into her head.”

“Well, did you get it?” said Nick.

“Come ‘round the back,” the baritone grunted.

Judy and Nick came to the back of the van. The doors swung open, revealing a tiny fennec in a black polo shirt with a red stripe running down the right-hand side, impatience running across his amber eyes. Judy craned her neck to see where the driver was; there was no sign of him from where she was standing.

Meanwhile Nick casually clambered into the van and looked at the massive barrel sitting in the back. The barrel had to be as wide as Judy was tall, not counting her ears, and taller than she was with them.

The red fox nodded approvingly at the cargo. “Mmm! Nice work.”

“This had better be worth it, Nick.” Judy was flabbergasted to hear the baritone voice from earlier emanating from the fennec’s muzzle. “I had a helluva time gettin’ this thing in here.”

Still a bit stunned by the fennec’s voice, Judy clambered into the van to get a better look at the label on the side of the barrel. “What are we going to do with a barrel full of grease?”

“Trust me on this, Carrots,” said Nick. “If I’m right, this should even the odds.”

[OST2]

Eventually, the day of the ‘Duel’ – no matter how hard Nick and Bogo tried, Hylander wouldn’t quit using that word – had come. It was an overcast, windy day. Some of the spectators began to worry about a rainout, but due to shift scheduling, this was the only day within the next month that the match could conceivably happen.

To no one’s surprise, Judy had brought Unit 1 out to the big field. However, Nick couldn’t help but notice that Lee had decided to use Unit 3; he and Judy had expected her to bring out Unit 2. Nick didn’t know what advantage Division 2’s ‘relief Labor’ would give to the opossum, but Robin’s upgrades would hopefully make up for it. Something about Unit 3’s bulbous forehead and slim visor made it look sinister as it strode into the field.

Both Units 1 and 3 were equipped with training weapons for the match; they were carrying pellet guns, but they were loaded with paintballs instead of tranquilizer pellets. Additionally, the electromagnetic batons were replaced with inflatable training sticks. Judy’s stick and paintballs were colored red while Lee’s were pale blue.

Captain Bogo had decided to keep things fair by having there be a panel of judges. Saeko Inaba had offered to be on this committee, but Bogo had already settled on himself, Captain Polecatsky, and Chief Mechanic Campanario.

Now Bogo stood between the two Ingrowls. An assortment of randomly placed orange barrels surrounded the Labors. An oval of blue barrels marked the boundaries of the field.

“Now these are the rules,” Bogo spoke through a megaphone to the two combatants. “Whoever can pin the other Labor down for ten seconds, or render the other Labor inoperable as dictated by us judges, is the winner.

“Each of these barrels…” Bogo placed his manual hoof on one of the orange barrels. “…represents a civilian, a car, or anything else that could potentially cause a lawsuit. If either of you touches or damages one of these barrels, that’s a penalty. If the fight leaves the ring marked by the blue barrels, that’s a penalty as well. Three penalties in total, and you lose. You strike a blow that could harm the pilot, you lose. Any questions?”

No response from either Judy or Lee.

“Alright…” Bogo ambled off to join his fellow judges behind a folding table a safe distance away. Also watching the battle were Saeko Inaba, both Divisions of SV2, and a handful of mechanics.

“Hey, McTachy,” said Lieutenant Marvin Sanderson of Division 1. “Who’s your money on?”

“I dunno,” said Officer Spike McTachy, an echidna in Division 1. “We’ve never seen Ingrowls go up against something with a Zeeplabor’s reflexes. Either way, this’ll be interesting.”

“We’ve never seen that opossum in action.” muttered Division 1 Officer Wanda Hickory. “But my money’s on the bunny – she’s too crazy for anyone to predict.”

“Don’t count on it,” said Sanderson, his tail twitching. “Lee’s more experienced. She’s got this.”

Nick took a deep breath behind the gossiping Division 1 officers.

Saeko Inaba’s grin was on the verge of splitting her face open, she was so excited.

Behind the judges’ table, Bogo raised his megaphone. “Three! Two! One! GO!”

Chapter Text

“GO!” Bogo repeated. Had Lee and Judy not heard him?

Unit 3 had jolted briefly, but had now returned to a neutral pose. Unit 1 had stood still the entire time. Bogo wished he could see what was going on with the two pilots, but he could only see the Ingrowls’ impassive, mouthplated, visored faces.

Inside Unit 3, Lee clenched her teeth. Why wasn’t Hopps taking the initiative?!

In Unit 1, Judy sighed in relief. She and Nick had both figured Lee would wait for Judy to slip up. Therefore, they figured the best plan was to make the opossum come to Judy rather than the other way around.

Among the bystanders, Nick kept his eye on Unit 3, smirking a little at how Lee had obviously been caught flat-pawed, but he didn’t know how the marsupial would react to Judy’s inaction.

Bogo was beginning to wonder if this match was going to be an even bigger waste of time and energy than he thought when suddenly, Saeko Inaba jumped up and grabbed his megaphone out of his hooves.

“Come on, let’s see some action!” the hare yelled.

Bogo glared at Inaba and snatched the megaphone back.

Judy had evidently thrown the plan to the wind, for she bent Robin down and charged toward Unit 3.

Lee was quick to react. She had already raised Unit 3’s cockpit to the upper position, and flicked a switch on her Labor’s control panel. Parts of her Ingrowl’s head began to open up as short antennae extended from the forehead and ‘cheek guards.’

In Robin’s cockpit, Judy’s monitors suddenly changed to static. Disoriented, she wound up making Unit 1 slam into Unit 3. Her tackle had connected, but not true. Her left shoulder slid off Unit 3’s abdomen, and Robin tumbled to the ground, flattening a barrel under its chest like an empty beer can. Unit 3 stumbled a little from the impact, but adjusted its footing and avoided falling over.

“Hopps – penalty,” Bogo’s voice came over the two Labors’ comms systems.

“Hold it right there!” Nick clambered onto the folding table. “I call shenanigans. The ECM pod is cheating!” At least now he knew why Lee had opted for Unit 3.

Inside her machine, Lee grimaced. How had Hopps closed the distance so fast?! “We should be prepared for anything in the field, sir,” she explained through Unit 3’s loudspeakers.

Bogo turned to Captain Polecatsky on his right. “Thoughts?”

The spotted skunk leaned on the table and tented her fingers. “I’ve not known Labor-criminals to use that kind of sophisticated equipment; then again, I’ve not known them to use firearms either.”

Bogo then turned to Chief Mechanic Campanario on his left. The spectral bat just shrugged.

“The penalty stands,” the buffalo finally said into his walkie-talkie. “But no more use of the ECM – got that?”

“Yes, sir,” said Lee.

[OST1]

Judy had finished getting up. Lee took a step back. Robin sprang at Unit 3 again, but this time Lee took out Unit 3’s pellet gun. But to the opossum’s amazement, she wasn’t quick enough on the draw, and Unit 1 delivered a clothesline to Unit 3, sending it sprawling to the ground.

Lee had to dodge two barrels as she fell, and a third as she got up. She pointed the pellet gun at Unit 1, but once again Judy closed the distance in the blink of an eye, using the shield on Robin’s left arm to swat the gun out of Unit 3’s hand.

Lee wasn’t sure what was going on. Unit 1’s movements were fluid and controlled, as if it were an actual mammal.

In Robin’s cockpit, Judy’s focus was laser-like. She swung again and again at Unit 3, forcing it to back up further and further.

“Wow,” murmured Clawhauser.

“She’s good,” Lieutenant Sanderson admitted. “She’s not giving Lee any room to breathe.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen a Labor move that fast before,” muttered Captain Polecatsky.

“Come on, Lieutenant!” pleaded Hylander before turning to Beaverbrook. “Come on, Beaverbrook, show some support!”

“Uh…” Beaverbrook, caught off-guard, adjusted his glasses. “Uh, ‘One! Two! One-two-three! We! Are! All for Lee!” The beaver did a half-hearted fist-pump, then hung his head. “Ah, woodchips. That was terrible!”

Nick smirked. Judy had this in the bag.

All Lee could do was continue to either dodge blows or deflect them with Unit 3’s shield, waiting for an opening to turn things around. However, before one could come, Bogo’s voice came over her comms system.

“Lee, you’re out of bounds. That’s a penalty.”

“What?” Lee examined her surroundings. Two blue barrels were to either side of Unit 3. Lee had been so focused on holding Judy’s onslaught back that she’d backed her Ingrowl out of the boundaries the two barrels marked.

Judy raised her cockpit and made Robin take a few steps back so Lee could re-enter the boundaries. The rabbit had obviously been taking smirking lessons from Wilde. “And I’m the careless one?”

Lee’s brow furrowed. Her grip on Unit 3’s controls tightened. Her breathing and heartbeat quickened.

No. That little upstart would not win. Lee had said she’d show her what it meant to pilot a giant robot and she meant it.

For a second, Judy was actually worried Lee was injured. But then Lee’s voice came through Unit 3’s loudspeakers.

“Hopps…” Lee panted. “You… have no idea… what you’re up against.”

Suddenly, Unit 3 bent its arms and tilted its head up, as if it were screaming at the sky.

[OST2]

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

The spectacle shook Judy enough that she made Robin take a few steps back.

“INGROWL KNUCKLE!” Lee shrilled.

Judy had time to utter a quick “what” before Unit 3 delivered a punch to Unit 1’s head.

Nick’s jaw dropped, as did nearly everyone else’s.

“Ingrowls don’t respond to voice commands,” said Wanda Hickory, tilting her head. “…do they?”

“CALAMITY BLADE!” Lee yelled, pulling out Unit 3’s inflatable stun-stick substitute from under her machine’s shield.

“What is she doing?!” sputtered Captain Polecatsky.

“Embarrassing me to no end,” deadpanned Captain Bogo, silently kissing the idea of a mentally balanced Division goodbye.

Judy backed up carefully and unsheathed her own inflatable baton. What was going on here?!

“CHESSS-TOH!” Lee yelled, swinging her baton at Robin’s midsection. Judy parried with her rod, and began to back off. Gone were the surgical, calculated movements Lee had shown earlier. Now they were replaced with something raw and unrelenting.

“Well that flipped in a hurry,” muttered Spike McTachy.

“For the love of Zotz, those aren’t swords!” moaned Chief Mechanic Campanario as Judy continued to parry Lee’s attacks.

“ONE! TWO! ONE-TWO-THREE! WE! ARE! ALL FOR LEE!” barked Hylander. Beaverbook took a step back from the hyrax, stunned by his own ramshackle chant.

Judy swung her machine to the left, hoping to get around and ‘insert’ the baton into Unit 3’s batteries. However Lee caught on, and used her shield to deflect the rod away.

But this led Judy to find another opening. She took advantage of Lee’s distraction and delivered a kick to Unit 3’s leg, upsetting its balance. Judy then dealt a blow to Unit 3’s back with her free arm, sending her opponent tumbling forward. Robin then charged forward to administer a decisive blow to the batteries.

However, Lee spun Unit 3 around as she fell, dropping her baton and landing on its hands. With another primal scream, Lee made Unit 3 swing around and kick Robin’s baton out of its grasp.

Judy backed up, drew Robin’s pellet gun and fired two shots. However, Lee saw what Robin was doing and dodged. One paintball missed, but the other splattered over the lightbar on top of Unit 3’s left shoulder.

“That’d take out some armour,” observed Campanario. “But the inner mechanics would be grazed at worst. Still, another hit there and that arm’d be useless.”

While Unit 3 still wasn’t as fast as the somehow-faster Unit 1, it still got close enough to Robin that Judy had no choice but to discard her pellet gun and resort to another round of hand-to-hand combat. This time, the rabbit was ready for the opossum. She kept her hands up and used her shield to deflect a blow from Unit 3 before grabbing it by the midsection. Judy would have forced the other machine down, but Lee planted Unit 3’s feet into the ground and pushed into Judy, knocking both Ingrowls down like dominoes.

“We should’ve charged admission,” chuckled a pig mechanic.

Judy was down, but not out. She tried to grapple with Unit 3, hoping to roll both Zeeplabors over so she could pin it down, but she noticed there were orange barrels to either side of her and relented. Lee took advantage of Judy’s confusion and managed to stand back up. Robin did the same and stepped away from the two barrels.

“INAZUMA ROUNDHOUSE KICK!” Lee yelled, swinging Unit 3’s leg around.

But to the opossum’s surprise, the grey bunny was once again faster to react. Robin took a step back, and in one swift movement, caught Unit 3’s leg as it closed in.

Judy then redirected the leg’s momentum, swinging Robin’s left arm around to catch the back of Unit 3’s neck and forcing it to the ground. Judy clenched her teeth as she tried to hold the machine down.

Now it was Lee’s turn to mount an attempted comeback. She’d noticed an object in the grass in front of her; the pellet gun that Unit 3 had dropped earlier in the fight. Thinking quickly, Lee lurched her Ingrowl forward, grabbing the gun in Unit 3’s hands and swinging the weapon toward Robin. Robin abandoned the attempted pin to grab at the gun, and both Labors writhed in the grass to gain control of the weapon.

Three shots were let wild in the scuffle before Bogo’s irate voice broke over the combatants’ comms systems.

“THIS MATCH IS OVER! YOU’RE BOTH PENALIZED! KNOCK IT OFF!”

“What?!”

Judy and Lee looked over to where the spectators were and realized what had happened.

All three of the pale blue paintballs fired in the struggle over the pellet gun had splattered over the area. Lieutenant Sanderson and several of the mechanics had been knocked to the ground by one. Clawhauser had taken the brunt of the second one, and now looked like a giant feline blueberry as he blinked in confusion. Hylander had escaped the deluge by taking cover behind the cheetah’s girth. Nick and Beaverbrook hadn’t been so lucky; enough of the second shot had gone their way to knock the fox onto his back and the beaver onto his belly. Bogo had realized what was going on in time to see the third shot coming, and had tipped over the folding table for cover, protecting Polecatsky and Campanario. However, being the largest of the judges, the buffalo hadn’t ducked down behind the table fast enough, and now the right side of his face was pale blue.

“I repeat,” Bogo growled into his walkie-talkie as the two Ingrowls got to their feet. “That’s penalty number three – this match is over!”

“Three, sir?” said Lee in an almost unnervingly calm voice after her earlier outbursts. “Counting this, Hopps and I only have two each.”

“I said three penalties in total would lead to an automatic loss.” Bogo glared at Unit 3. “Once when Hopps hit that barrel, once when you went out of bounds, and once when you both opened fire on bystanders.”

“Wait, the penalties were counting against both of us?!” sputtered Judy.

“In the field, public safety doesn’t give a damn about who breaks what,” said Bogo. “It’s not enough for you to avoid damage – your jobs require you to make sure the other Labor doesn’t wreck anything either.”

Nick cleaned some of the paint from his face with some uprooted weeds before glaring up at Bogo. “Why didn’t you tell us?!”

Bogo returned the glare. “In our line of work, I shouldn’t have to.”

After everyone returned to the hangar to examine the Ingrowls or wash off the paint – which thankfully was biodegradable – Lee mulled over the events of the sparing match as she looked up at Unit 1.

Judy’s movements had been elastic and graceful, as if Lee were fighting an eel – and how had that rabbit been able to move the Ingrowl so fast?! Any faster and Judy might as well paint Unit 1 red and start donning a mask for no good reason.

Just then, Captain Bogo passed by, having already wiped the paint from his face.

“Captain?” said the possum. “Just so I know, which of us lost the match?”

“Both of you.” Judging by the buffalo’s offhand tone, something was on his mind.

“I-I see…” muttered Lee. “And the forfeit lottery?”

“That’ll have to wait, Lieutenant,” Bogo sighed. “We’ve just got a notice from City Hall.”

“City Hall?”

“Storm outside’s only getting worse.” Bogo glanced at the papers in his hooves. “The Climate Control Office thinks the heavy winds are going to slip through to Little Rodentia.

Lee’s brows shot up. Zootopia’s highly sophisticated climate control systems were immensely powerful. The need to maintain and more recently replace them was one of the main reasons for the proliferation of Labors and rodent-scaled Microlabors. That said, even these systems couldn’t completely control the weather, and some phenomena occasionally ‘slipped through’ the system.

The rodent-scaled Borough of Little Rodentia in particular was highly susceptible to strong weather ‘slipping through.’ The city had acknowledged this weakness by keeping a prefabricated geodesic dome in storage that could be assembled over the Borough for this sort of emergency.

“Has something happened, sir?” said Lee.

“No, not yet,” said Bogo. “But they’re putting up the big dome to be on the safe side. Bureau Chief Buckminster and Borough Chief Brie want us there in case something goes wrong.”

“I see,” Lee sighed. “I’ll get the others ready.”

Chapter Text

The storm only grew worse as Division 2 made its way downtown.

Little Rodentia’s central location – within walking distance of Aquavitae Plaza – brought back none-too-pleasant memories of Okavango Road for the Officers. With this in mind, Captain Bogo was already in a bad mood, and that was before he had to meet with his boss, Bureau Chief Eli Buckminster.

The buffalo took a deep breathe in before squeezing his massive frame through the door to the ZPD mobile command center that had been set up just outside Little Rodentia. He’d need all the mental fortification he could get.

Officers of both the typical large standard ZPD variety and the small Little Rodentia ZPD variety were milling around the trailer. Bureau Chief Buckminster himself was talking over something with a bunch of rodents who were standing on a table. The shiny buttons and medals of the elk’s dress uniform (which he always wore) glinted in the dim fluorescent light. On the table, Bogo recognized Angela Brie, Borough Chief for Little Rodentia. Unlike Buckminster, the mouse was donning a simple rain poncho.

“All I’m saying is, is that Special Vehicles is completely at your disposal, so you don’t have anything to worry about,” said Buckminster, prompting Bogo to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

Outranking Bogo, Brie had no issue with rolling her eyes. “Well, remember, you’re just here in case of an emergency.”

It figured that Buckminster was shoveling a sales pitch down Brie’s throat. Nominally Borough Chiefs and Bureau Chiefs were of equal rank, but some wielded more power and influence than others depending on what scope their jurisdictions had. Angela Brie in particular was one of the more powerful, as the Little Rodentia ZPD was practically its own police force. In contrast, the Bureau Chief of Special Vehicles was hardly worth noticing – not to hear Buckminster say it, given how often he bragged about hobnobbing with the ZPD’s top ranks.

“Ah, Bogo!” The elk finally noticed Bogo enter. “Glad to see you could make it.”

“You ordered me here, sir,” said Bogo, struggling to keep the contempt out of his voice.

“Yes, right.” Buckminster quickly turned back to Brie. “Anyway, we’re… uh…”

“So far we’ve put up the frame and the lower cladding of the dome,” Brie explained, turning to Bogo. “The city’s got two Scorpios bringing up panels from outside and Clenchers securing them on the inside. SV3’s standing by on the interior. There’s supposed to be a third Scorpio, but they got stuck in traffic on the way here. Still, if all goes well, we’ll be done in just under an hour.”

Bogo nodded. Special Vehicles Third Section was the ZPD’s Microlabor Division, with jurisdiction over Little Rodentia.

“And the storm?” Bogo asked.

“MOAA says it’ll get really nasty in about ninety minutes,” piped a uniformed mouse officer next to Brie.

“Is your team decked up?” said Buckminster.

“It’s being taken care of now,” said Bogo.

“Well, what are you standing around here for?” Buckminster huffed, as if he weren’t the one that had asked Bogo to check in with him earlier. “Get to it.”

“Yes, sir,” Bogo quietly made his way out of the trailer.

A tiny shrew wobbled her way through the square surrounding Little Rodentia and the incomplete dome, screaming into her phone over the wind.

“No, Daddy. They’ve closed off the square. I’ll take my chances and stay in Little Rodentia ‘til it blows over. They’re puttin’ the dome up now. I’ll call you once I’m in.”

Francesca ‘Fru-Fru’ Shrewleone ambled her way against the wind; thankful she was on the leeward side of the dome.

By now, Units 1 and 2 were both decked-up, their pilots on standby. From inside Robin’s cockpit, Judy watched a city-owned Scorpio lift a prefabricated dome panel into position.

Like the Crabmammal, the Scorpio was a four-legged, insect-like machine with wheels inside its legs. The key difference though was the giant crane-arm erected at the rear end like a scorpion’s tail – hence the name. On the other side of the dome, another Scorpio was lifting panels up.

For each panel secured to the dome from the outside, Microlabors from Little Rodentia were working to secure them in place from the inside.

Meanwhile, Judy thought back to Lee’s abrupt change in personality. How had that opossum gone from Lieutenant Proper-and-Professional to Screaming Banshee in seconds?

A memory popped into her head of some of the stuff she’d seen her younger siblings watch, and some of the stuff Captain Bogo had said while dressing down Division 2 after Okavango Road.

No. Her? Lee?!

Bogo’s voice on the radio interrupted Judy’s thoughts. “We have a problem.”

“Sir?” came Hylander’s voice.

“One of the city Scorpios has broken down, and the storm’s only getting closer. We’ll need you two to help put up dome panels. But before you go, remember one thing; mammals your size can’t enter Little Rodentia without special permission. Labors in Little Rodentia are a big no-no. I don’t want to see a single Ingrowl toe over that fence.”

[OST1]

After being released from their respective trailers, Units 1 and 2 made their way to the other side of the incomplete dome.

The work was essentially the same thing the Scorpios were doing; picking up plastic panels for the dome and holding them in place, allowing the comparatively tiny, caterpillar-shaped Clencher Microlabors to secure them to the geodesic dome from the inside.

Judy found it interesting how the Clenchers looked and worked. Microlabors often had more adventurous shapes and designs as they didn’t have to worry about the square/cube law like regular Labors, and were often built for more specific tasks – like the Clencher, which was built to climb up tall surfaces. Judy had also heard of a serpentine Microlabor that inspected and repaired pipes and a firefighting Microlabor that could climb tall (by rodent standards) buildings and deploy a ladder or slide to the ground.

Half the work had been done already when the Scorpio had broken down, but Judy was still worried about the impending storm. The winds were only getting stronger, and Judy could even feel Robin sway a little around her.

Looking to her left, she noticed Hylander was getting nervous too as he carried a panel toward the dome.

“Aw, fuzz!” squeaked a Little Rodentian foremammal on the inside through the comms system. “Quick! One of you cops get over to Panel B-9 – bolts’re comin’ loose there!”

Judy made Robin dash for the afflicted panel as it rattled in the wind. She spurred Unit 1 to run faster, but it was too late. The triangular panel tore off the frame, sailing in the wind before slamming into Unit 2’s face. Judy managed to catch the panel just after the impact.

“You alright?” Judy asked Hylander, remembering the hyrax’s experience at Mystic Springs Oasis.

“Bah! I’m fine!” said Hylander.

The construction work continued, becoming more and more difficult as the panels were placed higher and the winds became stronger.

Judy and Hylander had to keep Bogo’s warning in mind as they had to lean a little over the dome in order to reach the upper parts of it.

Eventually, there was only one panel left; the one that fit over the very top. Unfortunately, this area was beyond the Ingrowl’s reach. The Scorpio’s crane could reach it, but the winds kept blowing it askew from where it was supposed to fit.

“Normally the second and third Scorpios would help keep it in place,” Borough Chief Brie explained to Bogo in the trailer.

“Can’t we get that third Scorpio there?” Bureau Chief Buckminster growled at Bogo, who braced for the inevitable blame game.

“No good,” said the mouse officer assisting Brie. “The storm created a huge pileup on the A9 and its carrier got caught in the gridlock after it. They’re still trying to pick up the pieces after that shitstorm.”

Now the winds were at gale force. Judy kept thinking of how to get the panel safely position, then noticed that the broken-down Scorpio was sitting near the police trailer, and the image of Nick fishing popped into her mind.

“Uh, Captain Bogo?” the bunny said into her receiver. “Is the broken Scorpio’s crane still working?”

“What?” Inside the trailer, Bogo raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe…”

Bogo turned to see the muskrat from the Municipal Engineering Department who was in charge of the Scorpios. “Motor systems were shot, but the crane still works, yeah.”

“What good does that do?” said Bogo, not sure whether to address Judy or the muskrat.

In Unit 1, Judy grinned. “I’ve got an idea…”

Admittedly, having Robin use the broken-down Scorpio as a giant fishing pole had seemed a lot better in Judy's head. The wind wasn’t helping either; as the two cranes hoisted up the final panel, Judy had a few moments where she kept thinking the panel would blow right off the cable. The meerkat operating the broken-down Scorpio’s crane was very cooperative, and Hylander in Unit 2 was also helping to keep the Scorpio steady.

“That’s it… That’s it…” muttered the meerkat. “Keep ’er steady.”

As both Ingrowls and the working Scorpio guided the panel into place, Judy thought they had it in the bag.

But then, another sudden gust blew the panel sideways, swinging it precariously to the point where Judy worried it’d blow off the hooks altogether.

No long after, someone came into the mobile command center.

“Sirs?” said Lee. “I think I might be of some help.”

[OST2]

Judy was already having doubts about her own ‘fishing pole’ idea. Seeing Lee climb up atop the working Scorpio’s crane to hold the plastic panel down onto the frame pushed that doubt into outright regret.

“I’ll be alright, sir,” Lee had assured Captain Bogo. “I’m a climbing species, and I’ll have a harness."

Sure enough, Lee had acquired a mountain climbing harness from a sporting goods store a block away.

Now she sat atop the crane arm, lashed to its tip.

“The Lieutenant has guts,” said Hylander.

Even Judy had to agree.

On top of the crane, Lee held onto the cold metal surface as best she could. The fact that her feet were built for grasping helped her stay in place, and her hardhat offered further protection. Hopefully though, she wouldn’t need it.

“Okay, that’s it,” she said into her earpiece. “Keep lowering…”

Just then, another gust whipped up. Lee’s grip intensified and she waited for it to die down before gently sliding down the cable onto the panel.

Lee resisted the temptation to look at the square around her. Climbing species or not, this was not the time to risk vertigo or acrophobia – she had no idea how susceptible she was to either.

Still, her plan seemed to be working. Lee’s weight on the panel made it somewhat steadier as it was lowered down further. By adjusting her weight, she was able to balance out the wind’s effects on the panel.

Just then, a powerful gust shot Lee’s way, and she was swept off the swinging panel. Thankfully, her harness caught her. The opossum dangled for a while, the rope grinding against the edge of the panel. She breathed heavily as she saw down the side of the dome.

“Lee!” Bogo yelled into her earpiece.

“I-I’m fine, sir,” panted Lee as she began to pull herself up. “I’ll give it another try.”

Lee successfully hoisted herself back onto the crane arm, her heart still racing.

Suddenly, another sharp gust sent Lee flying off the cable. The rope stopped her again, but she immediately heard a gut-wrenching ‘snap!’ and her blood turned to ice as she felt the pull of gravity again.

It turned out that during her earlier fall, the sharp edge of the panel had cut into the rope, weakening it.

On the ground, Judy’s heart stopped as she saw the rope break. But to her amazement, Lee quickly wrapped her prehensile tail around the cable.

Now more sure of her grip, Lee placed her hands on the top panel, digging her claws into the plastic, clenching her teeth as she swung it as hard as she could into the right alignment.

“Lower it,” she hissed into her earpiece.

Bogo’s voice was sharp with concern. “Lee, you need-“

“I said lower it!”

Sure enough, the crane began paying out cable, and Lee felt herself descending a little as the panel slid into place with a satisfying ‘clunk.’

Lee sighed as she heard the Clenchers begin securing the panel underneath her.

But in her relief, her tail’s grip on the cable lessened, and she was caught flat-pawed by the next gust, and she fell onto the rain-slick panel.

The possum dug her claws into the plastic to no avail, and the wind, coupled with her momentum, sent her tumbling off the side of the dome. A rodent-sized scream became louder and louder as Lee closed her eyes and braced for the inevitable.

Lee sensed nothing at first, but then Judy’s voice came though what sounded like a loudspeaker.

[OST3]

“Love your hair.”

“Aww,” a tiny voice squeaked. “Thank you!”

Lee opened her eyes. Softly gripping her were the massive fingers of an Ingrowl. Peering down between the fingers, Lee could see the figure of a tiny shrew glancing up at something behind her.

Turning around, Lee could see that the shrew was looking at the impassive face of Unit 1 looking down on them both.

“Are you alright, Lee?!” Bogo snapped through the opossum’s earpiece.

“I-I’m fine, sir.” Lee couldn’t quite believe what had happened either.

As soon as Lee began tumbling down the dome, Judy had rocketed away from the broken-down Scorpio, and grasped Lee as she fell, stopping her from crushing the shrew underneath. The Ingrowl had placed its free hand on the ground to stop the fall just inches above the shrew’s head.

Snapping out of her amazement, Lee turned to the rodent she’d nearly flattened. “What are you doing here? It’s not safe!”

“I-I was tryin’a get in the dome. I thought ‘cause the wind was blowin’ in the other direction…” The shrew trailed off.

Lee sighed. “Sir, we have a rodent civilian on the premises. She says she was trying to get into the dome. What do we do with her?”

“Can you walk?” Bogo asked.

“I think so.” Lee flexed her toes to be sure.

“Have Hopps escort her to the nearest entrance to the Borough. The Little Rodentia force can take care of her from there. You come right back to the trailer and get yourself checked out. Caught or not, that fall could have killed you!”

But it hadn’t.

Why?!

Chapter Text

Lee was still pondering Judy's impossible rescue as Division 2 headed back.

No matter how Lee looked at it, there was no conceivable way that Hopps could have caught her like that… and yet Lee had survived to tell the tale.

As many times as cartoons depicted giant robots saving lives by catching falling mammals, the idea of a Labor performing that feat in real life was just unthinkable. Suddenly stopping Lee's fall should have dealt her grievous, perhaps even fatal injuries. But Lee had only suffered some bruising, and that may have been from tumbling down the side of the dome before actually falling.

So why?!

A few hours after returning to the hangar, Lee remembered that her command car had been parked facing the scene of the fall. She quickly extracted the footage from its dash-cam, uploaded it onto Ready Room 2's computer, and sure enough, there it was.

In one graceful, swooping movement, Judy had enveloped Unit 1's fingers around Lee as her fall began, and gradually slowed down the fall as she came down.

Lee had to watch the footage several times – mostly in slow motion – before finally processing what had happened.

Lee stepped out of the Ready Room and wandered back into the hangar, stopping at the sound of an argument between Joanna Namakoro and Chief Mechanic Campanario in front of Unit 1.

"What's this I hear about you muckin' around with Unit 1's OS before the match without telling me?!" the bat snapped, crawling toward her subordinate.

"I wasn't mucking!" Joanna backed away from the much smaller bat, holding up her paws defensively. "Hopps wanted me to loosen the movement parameters! That's allowed!"

"You what?" Campanario was more puzzled than outraged. Lee shared her confusion.

Movement parameters defined how sensitive a Labor's OS was to the pilot's commands. Joanna was correct in saying that 'tuning' the movement parameters was allowed – in fact, most of the time, pilots requested it to make sure that the Labor responded better to them. Zeeplabor pilots in particular needed a responsive machine so that they could react properly to rapidly changing situations. 'Tightening' them made the Labor less sensitive, 'loosening' them made it more so.

But as Labors became more advanced, it was now much more common for Forwards to ask the mechanics to tighten the parameters – so that the Labor didn't flail around dangerously at the slightest nudge of a control lever.

"Well, next time let me know first," growled Campanario, who then flew up to Unit 1's open cockpit. "But what's all this grease I keep smelling up here?! What conceivable reason would you have to slather grease all over the lever and pedal joints?!"

Joanna shrugged. "I didn't put that there. I think Hopps and Wilde did that."

The grease added another layer of confusion. Coupled with the loose movement parameters, the greased-up controls should have made Unit 1 nearly uncontrollable, not insanely agile like it had been in the sparring match and the deployment at Little Rodentia.

"Not possible…" Lee muttered under her breath.

"All members of Division 2 report to the Captains' office," Bogo's voice rang out over the PA system.

Lee made her way to the office, unsure what the meeting was about. She'd already started her report of the deployment, and she knew that at least a few of the others had done the same.

On the way there, Lee overheard Hylander complaining to Beaverbrook about the now-memetic EweTube video showing the panel blowing off the dome and straight into Unit 2's face.

"By all rights, I should sue them for defamation of character!" he muttered.

"It's the internet. It'll blow over," said Beaverbrook.

Once in the office, all the members of Division 2, lined up to attention.

"Now, before this mess began," Bogo explained, pacing up and down the row of officers. "We were going to hold a 'forfeit lottery' to decide how to punish you lot for what happened in Hopps and Lee's sparring match." Bogo stopped to look down the line. "While I realize that the last deployment was… stressful, I don't think it would hurt if you all received a gentle reminder that there are consequences for misusing Labors."

Judy studied the floor. Lee summoned as much poise as she could, staring at the opposite wall.

"So I have decided," Bogo continued, "To forgo the lottery and give you a choice – either the lot of you get hit with a double-duty of Animazon Rule work under Chief Mechanic Campanario's direct supervision, or you go with the most 'relaxing' forfeit that one of you lot selected."

Lee blinked. "Which would that be, sir?"

"Ask Officer Wilde." The slightest hint of a grin appeared on Bogo's face. "He submitted it."

Division 2's attention soon turned to Nick. The fox merely grinned and shuffled nervously.

"Nick…?!" Judy raised an accusatory eyebrow at her partner.

Nick chuckled nervously. "Well… We could get out of uniform at least."

[OST1]

"If anyone behind me is staring at my butt," Judy yelled. "I'd like to remind them that my legs, which can kick really hard, are attached to it!"

The grey doe had successfully covered her bare front with her ears and hands, but she was now realizing she'd left her rear flank unguarded.

Lee was glad she had her prehensile tail to wrap around her rear, freeing her arms to cover her chest as the two women exited the ladies' changing rooms at Mystic Springs Oasis.

Mercifully, a giant tarpaulin had been hung over the hole in the wall created during the Hareacles' rampage, so the only mammals that could peer at them were Naturalists, who seemed eerily uninterested in looking at their private parts. Still, the experience was discomforting for the pair.

"I'm gonna garrote that fox with his own tail," Lee heard Judy mutter.

"You didn't have to go through with this," said the opossum.

"No, but I figure this is better than extra work with Campanario breathing down my neck."

The two shuddered.

Just then, out came Joanna Namakoro, hands nervously pressed against her crotch.

"I wish I had bigger hands…" she murmured.

"What?" said Judy. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just that the, uh… hardware for female hyenas is a little bit different than for other species." Joanna's ears lowered submissively. "My Mom always said it was no big deal, but I… I never really hung around that many other hyenas, so I always found it kinda embarrassing."

"Oh…" Judy glanced around, then noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "I don't think it'll be a problem here." She gestured to where a binturong woman was drying herself off, indifferent to her full frontal nudity.

"Oh…" Joanna nervously took her hands off her groin. "That's gotta be the first time I've seen one of those that wasn't on a hyena."

"What are you doing here anyway?" said Lee.

"Chief wanted to pay me back for adjusting your OS without telling her." The hyena glared at Judy.

"Sorry, Joanna…" Judy groaned. "I'll make it up to you."

"Let's just get this over with…" Lee sighed, and the three women slowly made their way into the courtyard.

Were it not for the tarpaulins covering holes in the wall and one of the buildings, and the odd divot in the grass, you'd think nothing had changed since the Hareacles' rampage. Blissfully naked mammals went about their business, swimming in the Pleasure Pool, playing volleyball, or engaging in other activities.

"Oh, hi!" An ermine walked up to the trio. "You must be new here!"

"Uh, yeah…" Judy wasn't sure whether to be comforted or unnerved by the fact that the mustelid wasn't looking at their… sensitive areas.

"Cool!" The ermine made his way to the gentlemammals' changeroom. "Hope you have a good time!"

No one else seemed to be looking at the three in a perverted way. Nonetheless, Lee's eyes kept flickering between all the naturalists.

"Hey, look!" Joanna gestured to one of the volleyball courts. There was Nick, Hylander, Clawhauser, and Beaverbrook, all enjoying themselves, seeming completely ignorant of their nakedness. From the look of it, Clawhauser and Beaverbrook's team was winning handily.

Judy and Lee instinctively averted their eyes.

"Should we-"

"No," Judy and Lee chorused, interrupting Joanna.

"They'd never let us hear the end of it," said Judy.

Just then, Lee noticed a small, vacant, kidney-shaped swimming pool tucked behind a small hedge. Ideally suited to avoid attention.

"Quiet pool at two o'clock," she whispered to her compatriots, before seeing a grey blur suddenly shoot by her, and in a flash, all of Judy Hopps from the shoulders down was submerged in the pool.

Lee had heard bunnies were fast – thanks in part to their metabolism – but Judy then had seemed as fast as… as…

In another flash, the pieces fit together for Lee.

Back in the sparring match, Lee had assumed that it was Unit 1's modifications that had made it so fast. But she had ruled it out when she remembered that the Ingrowl's base speed was in fact quite fast – it was the tight default movement parameters in its OS that restrained it.

The lowered parameters and greased-up controls for Unit 1 now made sense. Most of the time, tuning the movement parameters was done so that the pilot could keep up with the Labor. But for Judy Hopps and her insane bunny metabolism and reflexes, it was necessary to make Unit 1's parameters looser than the default settings so that it could keep up with her.

Lee gaped before shaking it off and slipping into the pool. Did Judy actually have some kind of innate talent? No. Animals weren't just born good Labor pilots.

"Gyah…" muttered Judy, pulling the lower part of her drooped ears out of the water. "It's always kinda weird having your ears dip in like that."

With Judy's ears lifted up, Lee got a better look at her naked form. The possum's brow raised as she realized that underneath her uniform, even with fur covering her, the bunny was slightly, but noticeably, on the muscular side.

"Hopps…" said Lee, "Do you… work out?"

"Yeah…?" Judy's nose wiggled.

Lee averted her eyes as the insides of her ears began to redden.

Before the rabbit could inquire why Lee had asked, there were quite a few splashes as Joanna tried to make her way into the pool. The closest the hyena could come to submerging her whole torso was if she almost lay down. This pool was obviously made for smaller mammals like Judy and Lee.

"Sorry, gals," said Joanna. "Pool's too shallow. I'll try the mud pits. Wish me luck!"

The hyena ambled off, leaving Judy and Lee sitting in the small pool. For a while, they sat there, eyes occasionally flitting toward one another.

[OST2]

"Lee…" Judy began at last. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" Lee raised an eyebrow.

"Do you…" Judy clenched her teeth in discomfort. "…watch giant robot cartoons?"

"Why do you ask?" Lee tried to disguise her displeasure.

"It's just that back in the sparring match, you were kinda…" Judy measured her words. "… calling your attack names like on those super robot shows."

Terror seeped across Lee's face. "That was out loud?!"

Judy stared at Lee. How did she not know that?! "It was on your loudspeakers."

Lee stared at Judy, then submerged her body up to her chin in the pool. "Just kill me now…" she muttered.

"Is… is that why you work with Zeeplabors?" said Judy, meekly.

Lee sank even lower.

"It's okay if it is," Judy assured. "I mean, I've wanted to be a cop since I was a kit. I shouldn't judge."

Lee stared up at Judy. Was Hopps… eating crow? The possum poked her head out of the water. "Why?"

"Why what?" Judy tilted her head.

"Why did you want to be a cop?" There was no hint of judgment in Lee's voice.

Judy shrugged. "To make the world a better place. That's all there is to it."

Lee stared a little longer at Judy, then sighed. Judy couldn't tell what that meant.

Just then, a volleyball sailed over their heads and plopped into the water.

"Hang on, I'll get it!" Clawhauser's voice sounded from behind and soon enough, the cheetah rounded the hedge near the pool. "Oh hey, you guys!"

"Hi…?" said Judy.

"What's takin' you- oh!" Nick Wilde suddenly came around the hedge. "Carrots! I'd thought you two were still 'Naturalizing'!"

Lee returned to submerging her body up to her muzzle in the water. Judy soon joined her.

"Hey, you two wanna join in?" said Clawhauser, fishing the volleyball out of the pool.

"No thank you," Lee and Judy chorused.

"What, so going at each other in giant robots doesn't even faze you," said Nick, giving his trademark smirk. "But a friendly game of naturalist volleyball does? I thought you were made of sterner stuff, Carrots!"

Judy suddenly stood up, thoughts of modesty banished from her mind. "We'll see about that," she huffed, snatching the ball from Clawhauser's paw.

Lee stared after Judy as she sauntered off with Nick and Clawhauser.

Clearly, dealing with Judy was going to be a tricky prospect, but at least it wasn't completely hopeless.

All the same, if she was to bring Judy in line, Lee would have to be firm but encouraging, and above all maintain her own sense of discipline. After all, it was bad enough that Judy was a loose cannon; the last thing Lee needed was to sink to her level.

Lee sank into the pool until her ears were all that poked above the surface. How on earth had she forgotten to switch her loudspeakers off?!

"Epic! Absolutely epic! I swear, that rabbit could make a Labor dance the ballet!"

"You really think she's that good?"

"If she could catch that possum without injuring her, I'd say she is! No doubt about it, Unit 221 and its pilot will be our sample for Operation Crucible!"

"But the high-ups haven't approved Operation Crucible, Mr. Bright."

"Oh, they will… Just you wait. They will…"

THIS IS AN AU, BUT IN TEN YEARS, WHO KNOWS…?

[OST-PV]

NEXT TIME:

Judy: "Whoa! This must be a big one!"

Nick: "Why?"

Judy: "Buckminster wants both us and Division 1 on the trail of this truck!"

Polecatsky: "Apparently there's something special about the Labor it's carrying..."

Bogo: "I don't like this... HQ's keeping something from us."

Nick: "Okay, what kind of Labor is- Oh no...!"

Beaverbrook: "Woodchips...!"

Hylander: "Why don't we have that kind of firepower?!"

Duke Weaselton: "What did I to ta deserve this?!"

Judy: "On the next Zeeplabor: 'The Belabored Bootlegger'! Target: Locked on!"