Archive of Our Own

“Clever fox,” Judy praised when Mr. Manchas agreed and closed the door to undo the chain. But then Judy’s ears twitched right as items clattered onto the floor. When nothing else happened, Judy took a hesitant step forward as they heard him groaning and shouting in pain. “Mr. Manchas?” she called out, pressing the door open to reveal Manchas on all fours, twitching and struggling against unseen hands.

“Buddy?”

“Are you…okay?” Judy asked, and at her words, Manchas stopped struggling and turned toward them, his movements feeling like he was stacking them as his pupils turned into slits. A growl rumbled out of Manchas as he took a couple of steps toward them, teeth bared, and not a single spark of recognition in those eyes. “Run! Run!” she yelled, turning away from Manchas while shoving Nick as she went. As they ran, Judy couldn’t help but flinch at the sound of Manchas running into his door before growling once more and launching at them.

Following Nick’s lead, they both glanced back toward the hidden jaguar as they ran across the rope bridge. “What is wrong with him?” Nick yelled as he looked forward once more when Manchas was in the air.

“I don’t know!” Judy cried out as the creak and twang of Mancha’s landing on the bridge hit her ear. But then they were being launched into the air, and Judy couldn’t help but scream. Stumbling back onto the bridge that rocked underfoot from Manchas’s run. Slowing down at the end of the bridge, Judy looked around frantically, trying to figure out an escape plan, when she looked over the edge. She knew they wouldn’t beat the jaguar in a footrace.

Neither she nor Nick were fast runners normally. But taking into account that Manchas appeared to be savage now as well, well, their odds dropped drastically. If they couldn’t beat him in a normal footrace, they had no chance now. It was a risk, as she looked over the edge to see the barely visible branching root down below the canopy.

But it was either hope they find something running along the streets or jump into the unknown.

Taking the risk, she grabbed onto the rope and began pulling herself up. “Jump!” she ordered as she threw herself over and saw Nick following her lead. As they cleared the ropes, she heard the resounding clang of the street sign hitting rock when Manchas landed on it when he took the lunge for them. Looking down both ways the root went, Judy rushed toward Nick’s sprawled body when she could barely make out the shadow of Manchas coming toward them. “Come on!” She grabbed Nick’s paw and pulled him up before dragging him away.

Nick could only gasp when he glanced back to see Manchas landing on the mossy root where Judy had been standing previously. Running down the root, Judy’s eyes flicked all over, trying to find something that would help them.

Seeing a hollowed-out log up ahead, Judy’s brow furrowed in determination. Tapping Nick’s arm as they ran, she pointed out the log and got a nod in response. Diving into the hollowed log, Judy followed after him, ears twitching as she went. Manchas roared into their ears as he slammed into the opening, wood creaking and cracking under the dress as he swiped at them.

Even as she looked ahead determined, it felt like her heart was in her throat.

Gnashing her teeth together, Judy’s ear twitched as she looked back to seeManchas pulling himself out of the log to jump on top. “Head down!” she yelled, shoving Nick’s head down as she did so, while he just grunted in response.

Right as he did so, Manchas’s claws came slamming down, showering them in splinters and chunks of wood with a reverberating growl. Manchas shoved his head through the new opening while Nick shouted in alarm, panting heavily as he looked up in terror before Judy pulled him forward once more.

Grabbing her radio as they crawled through, Judy brought it to her mouth. “Officer Hopps to Dispatch. Dispatch, do you copy?!” Judy demanded when they got no response immediately. “Clawhauser!” she yelled right when a click came through, indicating a connection. Another growl came through as Manchas’s claws punched through the wood once more in front of them. “Listen to me. We have a 10-91! Jaguar gone savage!” she reported, slipping as they exited the log. “Vine and Tuh-junja!”

“It’s ‘Tuh-hunga’!” Nick shouted as he looked back at both her and Manchas.

“Whoa!” Judy exclaimed, eyes wide as she slipped on a patch of wet moss. The hand holding the radio flung out as Nick reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her upright once more while the radio fell from her grip.

“Okay, we’re sending backup! Hopps? Hopps!” Clawhauser shouted, his words drawn out as the radio fell to the jungle floor after he heard more growls over the radio.

“There!” Judy called, pointing out the sky trams as the lights broke through the foliage. “Head for the sky trams!” she clarified once they burst out of the jungle. Glancing back, she saw Manchas was quickly gaining on them, more growls leaving him, and she could only gasp in response as she evaded his claws. As Manchas lunged toward her once more, Judy lunged toward the lamppost, grabbing it with both paws. She spun around it before letting go as Manchas went past her.

Sliding across the slick wood, Judy gasped as she scrambled to grab something to stop her slide. As she went over the side, Judy couldn’t help but shout in alarm, panting heavily as she dangled by one paw. Grabbing the ledge with her other paw, Judy began pulling herself up while Nick reached the tram cart.

“Get in!” Nick said, turning to look at where he thought Judy had been. “Carrots?” he called out as he tried figuring out where she had gone as the tram slowly, but steadily, continued. “Carrots!” he shouted in alarm at finding her clawing her way back onto the platform, one paw raised to wave him onto the cart.

“Go!” she shouted, getting further up onto the platform while Manchas stalked closer to Nick.

“No!” he shouted in alarm when he was forced to let the tram go or be forced to dangle from it hundreds of feet off the ground.

As Manchas lunged toward him, Judy yelled as she leapt into action—the clicks of handcuffs locking echoed in her ears while Manchas roared as he fell onto the platform. While Nick stood out of reach, Judy wasn’t, and Manchas seemed to realize that. As he turned toward Judy, she couldn’t help but gasp as she moved to run, only for her feet to slip along the slick wood. Falling onto her back, Judy scrambled back while Manchas growled before lunging toward her.

Nick could only stare in horror as Judy struggled to pull herself away from danger, as Manchas’s claws landed in their target. Unlike Nick, who was saved by a limited chain length that stopped Manchas from reaching him, Judy didn’t have that. Instead, she was on slippery ground within reach of his claws. She couldn’t help but scream in pain as the claws dug through her, tearing down to her leg and clipping her foot. Judy could only pant as she looked up at Manchas, heart racing as the rain poured against her, mingling with blood before pooling beneath her.

As he stood above her, Judy gnashed her teeth together and kicked Manchas’s jaw as hard as she could, pain racing through her body at the movement and at how it connected. Manchas stumbled in surprise, but it gave Nick the opening he needed to rush forward and drag Judy to safety.

At the sudden movement, Judy couldn’t help but scream at how it jarred and pulled at the gashes in her body. Nick could only gnash his teeth in response, hating that he was causing her pain but knowing he couldn’t let her die at Manchas’s paw. He pulled and pulled until they left the platform, and he could lay her on the ground, head propped by a moss-covered rock. “Y-you…ne-need to-to fi-nd…Ch-Chie-f Bo-Bogo,” Judy gasped out, paw pressed across the gashes.

“I can’t-” Nick stumbled over his words as he knelt beside her, scrambling to pull out the handkerchief he always carried and pressing it down as well, earning a hiccuped gasp from Judy.

“Y-you ne-eed to,” she keened out. “Fo-for Manchas…for m-e…please,” she gasped out, weakly waving one paw at him.

“Okay, okay. I’ll go,” Nick promised, getting a shaky grin in response from Judy. Pressing down onto the cloth once more, Nick sent Judy a strong look, one that showed he wanted her to stay put, before he took off, trying to make his way to where he thought the ZPD would arrive. Though he couldn’t help but wonder if they had a way to track gear, like the radio, and would therefore go to someplace completely different, and cursed under his breath as he looked around the intersection of Vine and Tujunga. Seeing the knocked-over sign, Nick couldn’t help but freeze, it felt like he couldn’t move. Almost as if his limbs had been made of concrete instead of flesh and blood.

But he couldn’t focus on that.

He needed to find them.

Needed to find the officers that they heard Clawhauser would send their way. And, hopefully, one would know how to give First Aid, or that Paramedics would’ve been brought along at the news of a savage jaguar. As he looked around, he thought he saw a light and went over to the bridge and looked over.

He couldn’t help but curse as he took the jump once more.

Somehow, the jump was even more terrifying than when they had a savage jaguar chasing them. The last time he did daring jumps, he had been young and trying to figure himself out before he found his partner and they began their hustle. It had been dangerous with little gain. So instead, he avoided situations that would require these big, dangerous jumps.

But he couldn’t avoid it now.

Not that he wanted to.

While Judy had tricked him into helping her solve the case, he had to admire her passion and determination. It clearly meant something to her to solve Emmitt’s case. And from what they’ve seen, he wants it solved too, since it clearly posed a danger to everyone. He didn’t want to become the next one to fall savage and hurt people.

But more importantly, he didn’t want Judy to die.

He couldn’t have that on his conscience.

Nick may be a con artist, but he wouldn’t ever risk someone’s life.

Landing on a moss-covered root just next to the road, Nick slipped and rolled down onto the road, grunting while barely hearing the cars screeching to a halt around him, headlights all directed at him. Pushing himself upright, he couldn’t help but squint at the lights and barely made out figures getting out of the cars, covered in red and blue from the flashing lights.

A buffalo soon stepped toward Nick and kneeled down. Nick could barely make out their expression, but the officer seemed to be examining him. “What’s going on? Where are you running from?” he asked after a moment, and Nick could only take a deep breath.

“Judy sent me to get Chief Bogo. Is he here?” Nick asked, wanting to make sure he followed Judy’s wishes.

“I am. Where is Officer Hopps?” he demanded, the only indication of his concern being his harsh tone and narrowed eyes.

“She saved my life by cuffing the savage jaguar chasing us, but got hurt. She couldn’t move, so we need to hurry. They’re both on the sky tram platform!” Nick explained, getting alarmed looks from the group, before Chief Bogo nodded, and they all climbed back into the cars. Sitting in the cruiser, Nick was shocked. All over the dashboard was equipment used by the cops, along with a radio and computer. But before he could look too closely, the Chief was flooring it with the other cruisers close behind him, their sirens blaring through the rain while their lights colored the dark foliage red and blue. In what felt like forever, but also instantly, they were on the road leading to the platform. Before the door even finished opening, Nick was bolting out, barely hearing Bogo’s shout.

It had finally stopped raining.

Nick hadn’t even noticed while he ran, jumped, and slid that it had stopped. Just that he had to catch those slowly growing lights speeding down the road. “Wait!” Bogo shouted, one hoof outstretched like he could catch and stop Nick from hurtling toward danger. But nothing was going to stop Nick from getting to his unwilling partner.

Just because he didn’t want to work with her didn’t mean he was going to leave her to die.

No matter how aggravating he found her.

“There’s no time! That savage jaguar might be trying to get to her!” Nick shouted, and while none of them seemed to believe that the jaguar was ‘savage,’ at the reminder about Judy being hurt, they did pick up the pace.

Because no matter what, an officer was down and needed help.

That was what banded them together.

No matter how annoying, or strange, or even haughty an officer may be, they will always stand together and protect their own. Judy may have stepped on several toes and caused a ruckus on her first day, but they knew she meant well. No matter how pushy she may have been.

But then they all watched as Nick skidded to a stop at an empty platform, and they looked around, confused. “W-what? Where are they?” Nick gasped out, running to where he had left her. “Judy! Carrots!” he shouted, paws cupped around his maw, trying to project his voice farther.

Nick felt more than heard as Bogo made his way over to where Nick stood and looked down.

There, pooled in the dents and knots like a neon sign, was blood.

And it was streaked toward the road.

Bogo couldn’t help how his expression fell and turned thunderous, turning to look at the men and women behind him waiting for orders. And he knew they knew something was up with his face on how they shifted. Though no doubt the more smell-sensitive of the bunch smelled the blood before he saw it.

“Start a grid search. Get a sample of this blood and get a rush on the labs. We have a missing and injured officer,” Bogo ordered, watching as the other officers who didn’t have good noses tensed, their expressions turning dark.

Nick couldn’t help but continue looking around even as the officers around them began spreading out, while one came forward with a bag full of items to no doubt gather evidence.

But even so, Nick noticed out of the corner of his eye how some officers were reaching for their cuffs.

As if he had done this.

“We’re going to need you to come with us, sir,” Bogo said, finally turning toward Nick, his expression dark as if he was already assigning blame.

“W-what?” Nick asked, stepping back and hearing a clatter. Turning toward it, he saw that it was Judy’s carrot pen. Swiping it up, Nick turned toward Bogo and the others who had taken steps forward.

“You were the last person to see Officer Hopps. We need to ask a few-” Bogo began, and Nick stepped back, paw clutching the pen tight to his chest.

“You think I did this!” Nick accused, his free paw pointing at Bogo. “You think I hurt Judy and what…made her disappear? She may have strong-armed me into helping, but I haven’t done anything to her!” Nick shouted.

“It is just routine-” Bogo tried again, but several predators’ hackles were raised as they stared him down.

“Make this easier for all of us and just turn yourself in,” a tiger growled, eyes narrowed while taking a step forward.

“Officer Fangmeyer!” Bogo scolded, turning to look at the officer in question. As both men looked at each other, one disappointed while the other agitated, Nick took his chance. Bolting down the cliff, Nick couldn’t help but huff in annoyance at once more making a dangerous mad dash through the jungle.

Shouts and growls echoed through the forest, and Nick knew that several officers were going to be chasing after him.

He needed to get somewhere they wouldn’t find him, and soon. But also, he was going to need help finding Judy and figuring out what just happened to her and their savage jaguar. He just knew, based on how that Fangmeyer fella acted, they all believed him to be the guilty party. Most likely believing Nick tricked the rookie bunny into trusting him before attacking. Though he couldn’t help but wonder how they thought he either got a savage jaguar to attack them both or got Judy to say that instead of her ‘true’ attacker.

He learned early on that the animals of Zootopia were going to see him as crafty and shifty, not giving him any leeway. Though Nick also had to admit, after that meeting with Mr. Big, that he wanted to believe in Judy’s naive belief of what Zootopia was supposed to be.

In what it could be with Judy pushing away stereotypes to see the animals themselves for who they were and not what animal they happened to be. The ZPD definitely needed to take a page out of her book in this instance as they chased him through the jungle.

At the thought of Mr. Big, Nick cursed to himself.

He really didn’t want to, but at this moment, Mr. Big was his best bet, and escaping and figuring out who took Judy and maybe what the hell had happened to Manchas and Otterton.

Because, clearly, something made them go crazy.

Well.

If there was one good thing about the life he’s lived, it’s the fact that he knows every route to evade surveillance or cops.

Diving through the foliage, he slides to the road while the officers chasing him curse as they struggle to get through the vines and branches. Rushing down the road, puddles splashing his pants, he entered the tunnel, huffing and panting as he booked it for the right maintenance tunnels. To find the one that would put him on the path toward Tundratown.

As he reached the end, he noticed some maintenance uniforms and took one with a grin. Slipping it on, he exited onto the main road and started walking toward Tundratown, though he kept an eye out the whole way.

Putting on his most charming smile, he waved an incoming car down. Coming up to the window of the car, he noted that it was a pig with a little piglet in the back who couldn’t be more than 4 years old. “Hi, thank you so much for stopping. I was just wondering if you were by any chance heading toward Tundratown. I’m supposed to be going there by 6, but my car broke down, and obviously the mechanics aren’t going to be doing anything about that until 8 minimum,” he said with a chuckle and shake of his head, instantly getting an understanding nod from the pig.

“Oh, don’t I know it. I was lucky my wife was able to come pick me up, but I hated interrupting her me time. With her on her trip, I’d hate to have to go through that,” he answered with a shake of his head. But then he was waving a hoof, and a click sounded. “Come on in. I won’t be going to Tundratown, but there’s a train stop on my way that heads straight to Tundratown. I can drop ya off at it,” he offered, and Nick smiled.

“That would be great, thank you,” Nick said, sliding into the passenger seat. Once he was buckled, the pig took off. “I have to ask, what are you two doing up so early?” he asked, glancing back at the piglet that seemed to be asleep.

“Oh, I work on the other side of the district, basically, so I need to leave now to make it on time. When I lived near my work, I only had to be up half an hour before I needed to leave. But, oh, I’m sure you’re familiar with how bad traffic is here. My shift starts at 7, and leaving at 6 risks you being caught in rush hour. Decided might as well leave earlier and get coffee. Helps that the daycare opens early for parents like me,” he explained with a sigh while Nick nodded along.

“Oh, I know it. Got stuck for two hours once. Boss was mighty angry,” Nick replied, getting a snort from the pig.

“I bet,” he agreed.

In no time at all, it felt like they were pulling up to the train station, and Nick grinned once more at the pig as he slipped out of the car. “Thanks again. You saved me big time,” Nick said with a nod.

“No problem! Good luck,” the pig called out when Nick stepped back before pulling off with a wave. Once the pig was out of sight, Nick bolted toward the train, but instead of getting inside, he darted around the building and made his way to another tunnel that was blocked off.

It was an old tunnel, gated and boarded up to keep animals out. But there was a small part that was broken off that Nick managed to slide through. From there, it was going to be a long walk, but Nick had to be grateful that it would at least put him near Mr. Big’s home.

Stopping outside the gates to Mr. Big’s house, watching as the polar bear standing guard stared him down. Though Nick just knew that while the bear’s attention was on him, he knew everything going on around him. Nick just couldn’t help but pause and pull out the carrot pen. As he stared at it, he ran a thumb lightly over the button and speaker. He really hoped she had recorded something with this to help them find her.

Grip tightening, he stalked over to the gate and stared up at the polar bear. “I need to speak with Mr. Big…this is urgent,” Nick said, watching as one brow raised questioningly before the bear tilted his head down and to the side to whisper into a mic.

“Go away,” the bear replied, waving a paw after listening to the reply, presumably.

“No. I-I need Mr. Big’s help. It’s about Judy,” he said, grimacing as he asked for help. This made the bear pause and repeat the information. It was barely a second after he finished speaking that he lowered the chain and let him through. The door opened before he even reached it, revealing Raymond looking serious as ever.

Raymond huffed as he let Nick in before leading him toward Mr. Big’s office. “What’s this I hear about Judy?” Mr. Big asked as Koslov turned his chair around, one paw twisting in the air.

“We went to talk with Manchas and…he went savage, Mr. Big. He chased us, and Judy got hurt after securing him to a post. When I got back from getting back up, she and Manchas were gone, and the police thought I did it. I managed to slip away with this. But I need your help,” Nick said, holding up the pen, getting an indecipherable look from Mr. Big.

“What is on it?” Mr. Big asked, leaning forward.

“I haven’t played it yet,” Nick admitted, and Mr. Big hummed in response.

“So you don’t even know if it will be helpful,” he said, and Nick shook his head, teeth gnashed together.

“No. But I need your help figuring out what’s happening. Clearly, whatever’s happening is affecting you too,” Nick retorted, earning a huff and bared teeth from the shrew in response. Mr. Big had to admit that Nick was right there. Already two people working directly for him, while a relative of one of his bears has gone savage with no explanation.

“Why do you care, Wilde?” Mr. Big asked, teeth bared, still as if he knew something Nick didn’t.

“We’re…partners,” he said slowly, the word foreign to him outside of Finnick and their world of crime. “I don’t abandon partners in the middle of a job,” he said, watching as Mr. Big hummed once more before nodding. One paw gestured toward him, down at the pen hanging at his side.

“Play it,” Mr. Big ordered, and Nick stepped forward as he raised the pen and thumbed the button.

Immediately, they heard growling, the sound of pressurized air releasing, and a thump before howling. Right before the recording ended, they could just barely make out a ‘Boss’ before it cut off with a gasp. “Those howls sounded like wolves. They must have taken Manchas and Judy,” Nick said, watching as Mr. Big nodded agreement.

“I would say so. Koslov, contact your cousin. We need to see what happened on those traffic cameras,” Mr. Big said, getting a nod from Koslov, who then pulled out his phone to message his cousin. “I’m not doing this for you, Wilde. This is for Judy,” Mr. Big said, one finger pointed threateningly at Nick. “You’ll be reporting everything to Raymond. You won’t get another chance.”

Nick fumbled to catch the flip phone Koslov threw his way before slipping both the pen and phone into his pocket. “I’m aware,” Nick said with a nod before following Raymond out once more. Instead of separating, though, Raymond took him to a car and drove all the way to the Department of Transportation headquarters in Tundratown.

It was only as he met with Koslov’s cousin that Raymond left him alone, not without a snarl while pointing at Nick, the phone in his pocket, and at himself.

Message clear.

Nick just nodded hesitantly.

Instead, he just followed the cousin into the building until they reached his desk. There, the polar bear sat down while Nick stood to the side and watched as he pulled up the traffic cameras. “Where?” he asked, and Nick couldn’t help but startle. During most, if not all, of his interactions with Mr. Big, he’s only heard one or two of the polar bears employed by him speak. Granted, this was a cousin of a polar bear, but it still held true to Nick.

“Vine and Tujunga,” Nick replied, watching as the polar bear began clicking and typing until the traffic cameras for that stretch of road were pulled up.

Watching the recording, Nick couldn’t help but feel unsettled. Actively running from the savage jaguar had been jarring, watching it was just as harrowing, he thought.

But needs must.

They watched as Judy lost her radio and their arrival at the sky tram platform. Nick wished he could look away from the moment Judy got hurt, but he couldn’t. It was like his limbs were made of cement, with how they refused to move as Manchas’s claws dug into Judy’s body before sliding down and causing even more damage. But then Nick’s form was rushing toward her before rushing off.

And almost as soon as he left, a van was coming into frame with a pair of timber wolves jumping out of the back with net guns in hand. Judy looked extremely weak, but managed to pull out her pen while the two netted Manchas before howling. When they saw her, one stepped forward, one paw to his ear, talking, while kneeling down next to Judy, his other paw extended to press against the wound. It was around then that Judy seemed to lose consciousness, and the pen rolled away into the bushes.

Seeing the wolf’s alarm soothed some part of Nick, but nothing would help as he watched the one scoop her up while his partner and the driver put Manchas in the back. All the while, the one holding Judy got in front, soon joined by the driver after they shut the back door, and they were off.

The cousin easily kept track of them. The moment when they weren’t at what would be expected after the tunnel, he seemed to know the exact maintenance tunnel someone would use when they were being shady and found them exiting on a different path.

There, they followed the van heading to an abandoned hospital on a waterfall cliff. Waiting at the entrance seemed to be a team of wolves with a honey badger in scrubs, with another honey badger and a gazelle in scrubs beside them, to most likely help. All too soon, it became chaos, and Nick couldn’t see what was happening due to how far the traffic camera was from the entrance. But he could bet the honey badger had taken charge in caring for Judy since they soon seemed to disappear inside while the wolves dealt with transferring Manchas, who appeared to be sedated since he wasn’t seemingly moving the whole time.

“Well, now we just need to figure out how to get inside,” Nick mumbled to himself, even as he pulled out the phone that had been given to him to text Raymond what he found. “Easy peasy,” he muttered, wondering if he was going to have to go in by himself or if Mr. Big would have a plan.

Though Nick was certain that if Mr. Big had a plan, it wouldn't be something he liked.

No, it would most likely be a risky thing that would put him in danger.

Maybe he should be making his own plan.

Yeah.

If nothing else, for his own sanity.

It would be better for everyone. Nodding to the cousin, Nick made his way out of the building, texting Raymond as he went. As he got outside, Raymond was waiting, a hard look on his face as he huffed at Nick but nodded along as they got into the car once more. Giving him the address, Raymond was soon taking off toward the abandoned hospital.

As they got closer, Raymond turned off their headlights and pulled off the road. There, they made their way to the bridge, and when they saw the wolves standing guard, Nick couldn’t help but sigh. As he glanced at Raymond, though, the polar bear huffed before pulling his jacket off, and jerked his head toward the facility before making his way deeper into the forest.

As Nick took that as the okay to hide, loud, rumbling growls filled the air, instantly putting the wolves on edge. With growls and roars getting louder along with the sound of destruction, the wolves jumped into action.

They all rushed toward the forest, leaving the bridge and entrance empty.

“Thank you, Raymond,” Nick whispered before rushing across the bridge and slipping along the side, afraid of what could happen should he try the front. Looking around, his eyes followed the stream of water up to the spout sticking out of the building. Nick couldn’t help but whisper a prayer that it would actually have a way inside and began the climb.

By the time he managed to slip into the hospital, the bottom half of his legs were soaking wet once more. Nick couldn’t help but grumble as he pushed the manhole up, glancing around warily before pulling himself up. “Now, where are you, carrots?” Nick mumbled, stalking through the halls, only floodlights and equipment brought in shone any lights throughout the halls. It casted an eerie glow across the hall, and creeping shadows climbed the very walls around him. Nick’s eyes followed each shadow, every flicker of light, and whisper of noise. His shoulders tensed as he went, phone out and photos of every incriminating thing filling its memory.

Most of the doors lining the hall were open in some form, but then there was one that was closed. Stopping in front of it, Nick hesitated.

Unsure about what he’d find behind it.

But he had to.

He needed to find Judy to prove he was innocent.

But also, he needed to make sure she lived.

Pushing the door open, Nick was confused. The room was dark, the only lights coming from monitors, x-ray displays, and scattered electronics. But then, at the other end of the room was another door with a window. While Nick couldn’t see much through the window, he did see light.

Proper lights.

As in, the original lights put in that hall were on.

How?

Creeping forward, Nick pressed an ear to the door in the hopes of hearing if anyone was on the other side. When he didn’t hear anything, he pushed the door open and looked around, confused at the locked cells. They were like prison cells, but instead, they had glass doors with small holes cut out in a line along the bottom. He couldn’t help but stare in confusion. His eyes were drawn to the doors and the red dots all along until one with a green dot.

Inside each one was an animal that had gone savage if he had to guess.

Especially since he found Emmitt and Manchas, who were both savage. The rest were acting in similar ways, prowling their cells and growling.

He found thirteen other animals along with Emmitt and Manchas.

But no Judy.

She had to be somewhere inside. She had to be.

Looking at the open door, Nick couldn’t help but creep forward, wondering morbidly if they were going to put Judy in there if they healed her to keep her from talking or if they were just going to let her die. However, as he looked around it, he heard the mechanical door opposite of where he came from whirring to life. He couldn’t help how his ears twitched while his shoulders tensed.

Diving onto the floor, Nick pressed against the lip at the bottom to be out of view and watched as Mayor Lionheart walked into the room, talking with a short honey badger in a labcoat. “Enough! I don’t want excuses, Doctor, I want answers,” Lionheart demanded, teeth bared to show his annoyance as he looked down at the honey badger. Pulling out the phone once more, Nick began recording the conversation, having the feeling that this would be important.

“Mayor Lionheart, please. We’re doing everything we can,” the honey badger said. Lionheart bent over, forcing the doctor to take a step back to be able to look at him.

“Really? ‘Cause I’ve got a dozen and a half animals here who’ve gone off the rails crazy, and you can’t tell me why! Now I’d call that awfully far from ‘doing everything’!” Lionheart yelled.

“Sir, it may be time to consider their biology,” she said, and Nick couldn’t help how his brow furrowed at that in suspicion.

“What? What do you mean ‘biology’?” he demanded, now confused as well as angry, his hackles raised at her response.

“The only animals going savage are predators. We cannot keep it a secret, we need to come forward!” she argued.

Lionheart visibly pretended to think, paw raised to press a finger to his lips. “Hmm, great idea. Tell the public. And how do you think they’re gonna feel about their mayor,” he gestures to himself aggressively, leaning down to get closer to her face, “who is a lion? I’ll be ruined!” he shouted, snarling as he breathed heavily.

“Well, what does Chief Bogo say?” she asked, looking a bit anxious herself.

“Chief Bogo doesn’t know. And we are going to keep it that way,” Lionheart snarled, getting a hesitant nod from the honey badger. Taking several deep breaths to calm down, Lionheart knew he needed to ask about Judy, the bunny he personally assigned to Zootopia. While Lionheart was many things, he did take initiatives seriously, and the bunny had proved herself in the academy. Hearing what state she was in was concerning. Especially since he now had to figure out what to do going forward. “Now…what about Hopps?” Lionheart said after a bit.

“The surgery seemed to go well. But she did lose approximately 12 milliliters of blood, but Larry was able to get us her match, so we were able to do a transfusion. The biggest gash, going from her side down her leg, needed 14 stitches, while the others needed 6, 4, and 3 stitches, respectively. We’re currently letting them breathe to see how they do. She’s currently heavily sedated, but I am worried about the effects of losing that much blood. We won’t know anything until we take her off sedation,” she explained, claws tapping restlessly against the clipboard in her hand.

“W-what do you mean? What effects?” he demanded, arms crossed while his tail twitched behind him.

“The most likely symptoms will be exhaustion and muscle fatigue. Those would require strict bed rest and diet for at least a couple of weeks, maybe more. But we don’t know if or how long her brain went without oxygen. It can be anything from amnesia, learning disabilities, affected motor functions or coordination, mental confusion, loss of judgment, or decreased attention span. Or anything. We just don’t know if she went without oxygen to her brain or for how long. But also, the brain is a mystery, Mayor Lionheart. We just don’t know enough about it to be able to guess what we’ll be dealing with,” she explained, watching as Lionheart sighed.

“No doubt they’ll be looking for her in the morning when she doesn’t appear. How long until we can safely wake her or move her?” he asked, his fingers drumming along his arms while his hackles finally lowered.

“Moving her?” the honey badger let out a harsh laugh. “Not anytime soon, sir. I don’t want her moved unless we absolutely have to for at least 24, maybe 48 hours, just to be sure we don’t do anything permanent. As for sedation, at minimum, I’d recommend we wait until morning. Though I would prefer to keep her under longer to ensure she heals as much as possible, but that’s not as prudent as keeping her from moving,” she answered, and Lionheart nodded slowly. “Why do you ask, sir?”

“I’m worried that Chief Bogo is going to push harder into finding his missing officer when he realizes,” Lionheart answered with a shake of his head.

“Well, we should have some time before that, sir. Hopefully, we can wean her off sedation before that, and you can talk to her about this,” she replied, getting a nod from Lionheart.

Nick felt like he couldn’t breathe as he listened to them.  He barely listened as they talked about Manchas before heading out once more, discussing logistics for, and the tests to be done on Manchas, the door slamming shut behind them. Every breath felt like it was catching in his throat. His tail twitched behind him, ears perked and flicking about at the slightest noises. But he knew he couldn’t remain there.

He needed to get out there now.

Looking around, he tried to figure out a plan to get out. He could hear muffled clanking, creaks, and clunks from the room the two went into. It was only a matter of time before they came back and saw him. His eyes landed on the toilet, instantly, his mind filled with Judy’s voice giving the craziest idea. Nick just knew she’d use that as her escape plan. She was more clever than he had given her credit. Though it only came after he got one over her.

Nick couldn’t help but curse under his breath as he texted Raymond the video and pictures he took as backup, since he wasn’t sure how the phone was going to last through this impromptu swim.

Even as he took a deep breath and prepared to go in, Nick couldn’t help but wonder if he’d gone insane.

XXX

Staggering in the dark across sand and dirt to hit trees, Nick couldn’t help but be impressed and terrified by how quickly Raymond found him after his impromptu swim and dive. He honestly didn’t know where he was going to end up when he went through the pipes, yet there Raymond was, bright headlights pointed at him. Nick grimaced at the bright lights turned his way before he raised an arm in front of his eyes.

As they got into the car, Nick pulled out the burner phone and stared at it, unsurprised that it refused to turn on. He could only hope the police would take the video sent to Raymond’s own burner and maybe copy the data from the dead phone. But first, they had to get to the police and convince them to not arrest him. Or even just listen to what he had to say.

He’d honestly take just not having to deal with that Officer Fangmeyer fella.

Clearly, the tiger was convinced he was to blame for Judy’s disappearance, and maybe all these other animals’ disappearances as well. Chief Bogo seemed to be at least willing to hear him out, if only in some play to hopefully get a confession from him. Granted, the buffalo might be more hostile toward him since he did run, but he had a good reason. They clearly weren’t getting anywhere anytime soon. He wasn’t going to risk Judy…or the other animals in there.

Though he will admit that more often than not, you only run when you’re guilty of something.

That run through the jungle probably put him on a lot of officers’ lists.

Deserved, granted.

But it did complicate things.

Pulling up to the police precinct in the City Center, Nick couldn’t help but pause and wonder how many, if any, officers inside would recognize him. Either none, some, or all could know what he looks like, potentially. Nick gripped the dead phone tighter in his paw before accepting the cap from Raymond, and they slipped out of the car and made their way inside.

While walking through the lobby, Nick kept his head down, gaze on the floor, while following Raymond’s lead until they reached the reception desk. There, Nick got to listen to the officer gush over Gizelle before turning to a fellow officer and asking about Judy. Hearing the whine from the officer, Nick glanced up to see the cheetah wearing a badge that said ‘Clawhauser’ on it.

That was the man Judy had contacted. Nick also recalled from their conversation while heading from the DMV to the Tundratown Limo Service how Clawhauser was the only one to help her. Hopefully, he was willing to help Nick out as well. When Nick was certain the officer who had answered Clawhauser’s question had left, Nick stepped forward, one paw pressed against the desk’s top. “Officer Clawhauser, we need to speak to Chief Bogo. We found some information about Officer Hopp’s kidnapping that you’d be interested in,” Nick said, barely glancing toward the cheetah’s eyes before looking down once more, ears twitching as he listened to Officers and civilians walking around.

“You do? How?” Clawhauser gasped, leaning forward as if he could force them to lock eyes.

“That’s for Chief Bogo’s ears only,” he retorted, listening to the soft growl leaving Clawhauser before he grabbed the phone receiver and dialed Bogo’s extension.

“Chief, I have a person at the desk claiming to have information about Judy’s disappearance,” Clawhauser said, and it felt like any animal with good ears was instantly looking their way. Nick’s fur felt like it was standing on edge with all those stares directed their way, while Nick could barely hear Bogo’s response. But soon enough, Clawhauser was walking around the desk and gestured to follow. “This way. The Chief will see you now,” he replied, and Nick just nodded, following the cheetah closely while Raymond stayed back after handing over his burner.

They went down halls and up a flight of stairs before heading down another hall, taking several turns, before they stopped in front of a door. There, Nick finally looked up to see a name plate with Bogo’s name on it next to the door and glanced over at Clawhauser, giving the cheetah a nod of thanks before pushing the door open and closing it behind him.

Taking a deep breath, Nick made his way forward before climbing onto the chair across from Bogo and staring him down. A soft, guttural grunt left Bogo as he stared Nick down. “You dare show your face here?” Bogo demanded, a huff leaving him as he slammed his hooves down onto his desk.

“I dare. I actually found who took Judy. They also took all the other missing mammals that were mentioned in the news. Here,” he said, tossing Raymond’s phone first to Bogo before pulling out his own ruined burner. “This was the phone I used, but it got waterlogged when I had to make my escape. I texted this phone the video and photos I took,” Nick explained at Bogo’s incredulous look. However, the buffalo finally calmed down enough to sit and grab the phones, opening them quickly before tapping through the photos and playing the video.

Nick barely listened to the audio, instead, focusing on Bogo’s reaction throughout the video. Once the video reached its end, Nick leaned forward while Bogo slammed the phone down, a guttural sound leaving him as he looked anywhere besides the phone or Nick. “So?” Nick asked, prompting the buffalo to look at him finally, getting a huff in response.

“We were wrong about you. My apologies. But now you need to stay here while we go raid this abandoned hospital,” Bogo said, and Nick grunted as he shook his head while moving to stand in front of Bogo.

“No. No can do. I’m joining you. I need to see Judy with my own eyes,” Nick retorted, glaring up at Bogo, who sighed in response.

“You’re just as stubborn as she is,” Bogo muttered to himself, but as he glanced down at Nick, he knew the fox heard based on the smirk he had. “I cannot allow a civilian to join. Your safety is our priority, and a raid and rescue are far from safe,” Bogo replied.

“Well, that’s too bad. See, either you take me with you, or I’ll just make my way there again. As you saw in the Rainforest District, I can avoid being caught. Better yet, I’ll make it known some of your officers treated me like a criminal when I was a victim as well,” Nick countered, and Bogo sighed, one hoof slapped his face before sliding down.

“Alright. But you are staying in the shop until we’ve cleared the place,” Bogo countered, getting a satisfied smirk in response from Nick.

“Fine by me,” Nick agreed.

XXX

When the call came over that everything was clear, Nick didn’t hesitate and ran after the paramedics on scene to where Judy was being held, while one followed the officers meant to transfer the savage mammals. He barely heard Lionheart’s protests to Bogo as they went past, while the doctor gave what she could to them. Sliding into the makeshift hospital room, Nick rushed over to Judy’s side, letting out a sigh as the steady beeps from the machine pierced through the static in his ears.

The medical jargon being spouted by the two mostly flew over Nick’s head. But he did understand a couple of things. He knew Judy had gotten over a couple dozen stitches for what Manchas had done, lost a lot of blood, and was currently sedated in essentially a pseudo-coma to let her heal.

He also knew they were hesitant to move her, but she needed to be placed in an actual hospital in case something happened. Not a pleasant thought, but realistic. Based on everything he’s heard, they needed to be cautious, as anything could still happen to her. Not to mention, trying to figure out what happened with the other locked-up mammals.

Nick didn’t know much else, but he definitely knew this was bigger than any of them. He just hoped Judy would wake up to see it.

And maybe prove everyone else wrong about her as well.

She certainly proved him wrong.

Now they just needed to see it themselves. If that chase had gone differently, Nick was absolutely certain she would have found these mammals herself, no doubt having some connection he didn’t know about because, of course, she would. With how the world treated her, she needed to be creative.

The two paramedics seem to finish their conversation as they move Judy onto a stretcher and roll her out of the room. Nick rushed to follow them, getting second looks from several officers before they finally got outside, where the few remaining officers stood at attention as Judy was rolled by. As Nick waited by the ambulance for the paramedics to load her up, Nick couldn’t help but look back at the officers staring at them before looking over at Bogo, who nodded to him before looking at Lionheart as he pleaded his case once more.

Nick could admit he felt a bit bad for the lion. Clearly, he had started out with good intentions, but with every mammal that went savage, something had to give, and while he clearly still worried about his people, he also became worried about how they’d perceive him. But only a small part of him felt bad. The Mayor should have gone to Chief Bogo the moment multiple mammals went savage.

When he got the okay, he jumped in back with Judy and one of the paramedics before the doors slammed shut behind them.

Judy just better wake up sooner rather than later so that she could solve what happened. Because clearly, in his opinion, she was the best cop the ZPD had since she jump-started finding the missing animals. No doubt she could find the cause as well. While Nick felt like he should contact Mr. Big, he knew Raymond would have alerted the shrew for him. And no doubt the moment Judy was settled in a room, he’d send a gift to her before offering her assistance once more.

Truly, Nick was amazed at how she managed to slide into Mr. Big’s good graces so quickly. Guess she had something right about treating people nicely if that was the result. Though that might just be a Judy thing. But he was willing to give it a go.

As long as she woke up.

He just needed her to wake up.

XXX

Seeing a waiting room filled with several officers, the Police Chief, a fox, an otter, and a rabbit holding a young rabbit close, the antelope just sighed. No doubt the officers will want to be assured about their fellow officers’ health, while the Chief would want to know the damage to put into a case. The fox and otter, he honestly had no clue what to expect, but he hoped the rabbit was actually family of Judy Hopps. As it was, he had to deal with two officers sitting outside her room 24/7, ensuring no one tried getting to her once it hit the news that an officer investigating was hospitalized, which led to them finding the missing mammals.

They’re just lucky that at the moment, no one was stupid enough to try anything. Though as it was, there was apparently already another attack from a savage mammal. He hoped they figured out what’s causing it sooner rather than later. As he entered the waiting room, all their eyes turned to him. “Family of Judy Hopps,” he called out, watching as the rabbit picked up their child and came over to him along with the fox and the Chief, while the other officers stood restlessly where they had sat.

“Yes? How is she? I’m her mother, Bonnie,” the rabbit asked, her child fiddling with the collar of her pink plaid shirt, her ears down as if expecting horrible news.

“Your daughter is going to pull through, Mrs. Hopps. The care she received prior to getting here is impressive. She has a total of 27 stitches, we found along with a cut on her foot that just needed to be wrapped. However, she also has bruising along the left side of her body, along with a hairline fracture on her leg. We’ll be keeping her here for at least a week for observation to see how she heals, but to also make sure no infections take hold or for that hairline fracture to get worse. But otherwise, we’re happy to see that she was taken care of so fast. I’d estimate that her recovery will take about a month,” he explained with a nod, getting a relieved sigh from Bonnie while her ears perked up.

“Thank you for the update, if we could get copies of the reports tonight, that would be appreciated,” Chief Bogo said, and the antelope just nodded agreement.

“Of course, Chief Bogo. I’ll have our nurses get on that right away,” he agreed and made his way back, telling the nurses their orders before letting them know that when they could to take Ms. Hopps’ family back to her room.

“I don’t think I recognize you,” Bonnie said, turning to Nick, who froze while Bogo turned to tell the officers standing around the news.

“Oh, uh,” Nick began, forcing his hands into his pockets as he stared at Judy’s mom, while one of her younger sisters stared him down intently. “She, uh, she asked for my help just this past day to help solve a missing otter case,” Nick said at last, watching as Bonnie nodded slowly, a small smile on her lips.

“You know, when she first joined the academy, Stu and I couldn’t believe it. We were terrified…I mean, we still are, this just proves it, but seeing all of you here with me, waiting for news, it…it means more than you could know. While we worry, and wish she hadn’t taken this job, we are proud of her. I think I understand why she chose this job. Thank you for helping her. And thank you for saving her,” Bonnie said, reaching over to pat Nick’s arm with one paw. “If there’s anyone to trust to have her back and keep her safe, it’s you,” she added on, turning around and heading back to her seat, talking with Mrs. Otterton briefly and sharing a hug with her before pulling out her phone and making a call, no doubt to her husband, Stu, Nick thought.

Though he was stuck on unintentionally getting Bonnie’s praise—and maybe blessing?—to being Judy’s partner at work. He’s not sure where she had gotten that idea, but at this point, he was a bit terrified to tell her the truth. So instead, he just nodded and meandered toward Chief Bogo, who just huffed before having an officer take his statement for everything that happened since Judy first came to him.

From there, time just seemed to pass by in a blur. He did the interview, got a hug from Mrs. Otterton as she was leaving to go visit her still savage husband, before watching Bonnie head back with Bogo to see Judy. The only times he left that waiting room were to get something to eat or drink or go to the restroom.

But then Bonnie was coming back and pulling him toward Judy’s room, where he joined her in a silent watch.

The next day, the moment Bonnie stepped out to go pick up her husband, though, Judy stirred awake as if she was waiting for her mom to leave. “N-Nick?” Judy croaked out, squinting at the ceiling before turning her head to the side to see Nick sitting in a chair in her room.

“Carrots!” Nick exclaimed, a grin growing even as he grabbed her water.

“W-what—?” she began, but he just cut her off, pressing a button as he handed the small plastic cup over.

“Not yet,” was all he said and soon, the doctor and nurse were entering the room and going over everything with Judy before leaving them alone to alert the Chief that Judy had woken up and passed their cognitive tests.

“Nick,” Judy said, leveling a look his way when she finished the water. Nick just sighed and explained everything that happened, handing over the case file that Bogo had left for him since it was clear that Judy would want to read everything that was discovered herself to try understanding what happened. As he talked, he pointed to various photos that were littered throughout the file, letting her look at each one intently, a frown growing at the puddle of smeared blood on the platform before turning to the lab photos. While her frown grew, Nick knew it wasn’t because of what happened to her.

No.

That was the frown she wore the last time they came to a confusing question.

That was her ‘I have a mystery to solve’ frown.

He could sympathize. He needed this mystery solved as well.

“What were you going to talk to Mr. Big about, Otterton?” Judy mumbled, staring at the photo of Emmitt Otterton.

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it?

What was he going to tell Mr. Big? And did it have anything to do with why animals were going savage?

“Whatcha looking at there, Jud the dude?” Stu asked when he walked in behind Bonnie, another child in his hands, as he stared at Judy looking at some photos intently.

“Just the case I was working on,” Judy replied, setting the photos down to look at her parents with a weak smile.

“Oh?” Bonnie asked, climbing into a seat beside Judy to look at the file, eyes brightening at the photo of Emmitt eating a pawsicle. “Mr. Otterton! He went missing?” Bonnie asked, looking over at Judy who shared a confused look with Nick.

“Yes, but we found him…how do you know him, mom?” Judy asked, earning a laugh and wave of a paw from Bonnie.

“He helped us out when we lost our first supplier for seed. He was in town to pick up some flowers and heard us talking. Apparently he’s a part of a florist group, and he asked them if they knew any company. And Paul from Flora & Fauna—you should know him, Judy, you did help him out by stopping that robber, he called to say how proud we should be of you—got us in contact with a new supplier. Even got us a great deal to get new shipments of the Night howlers your dad uses,” she explained with a laugh and Judy couldn’t help how her head snapped to look at Stu.

“Night howlers?” she demanded.

“Oh yeah, Gideon got us to use that name instead since Midnicampum holicithias is such a mouthful. It’s the flowers we plant around the crops to keep the bugs away. But I’ve been wary of letting the kids around it considering what happened to your Uncle Terry,” Stu explained and Judy’s eyes were wide, mouth parted as everything began to come together.

“What happened to Uncle Terry?”

“When he and Bonnie were younger he ate one and went completely crazy. Took a sizable divot out of your mother’s arm,” he explained.

“He went savage,” she muttered, earning startled looks from her parents while Nick stared at her, realizing what she was at the same time. “That must have been when Emmitt Otterton was going to tell Mr. Big. As a florist he’d know of them and the dangers they pose! And if there’s suddenly an increase in demand or theft of them, it would be cause for concern. Especially if he made the connection of that increase to the mammals going savage and disappearing!” Judy shouted, getting a wide-eyed nod from Nick.f “Get Chief Bogo, I have a lead!” Judy shouted, watching with a grin as Nick nodded before scrambling out of his chair.

Even as her parents wondered what she could possibly mean and the officers outside her door shared a look, Judy had a good feeling.

She just knew this was going to be the key to finding out who was behind the animals going savage.