Chapter Text
"…with today marking the 11th day of the climate wall outage, Mayor Packard has announced a shelter in place warning, to keep roads clear during the upcoming winter storm. Emergency services will be limited, so plan ahead on heat, food, and water. ZNN will continue coverage later tonight, at 9."
Judy turned off the TV in her office, tapping her pencil against her desk. She and Nick had been tasked with finding out the who and why- and in the last 11 days, came no closer outside of a pen discarded at the crime scene. IC. Gold lettering. Inner Circle. All caps. All she knew was that it was a social club for the city’s elite, and that getting in would be a journey in itself. Her partner (and husband of almost 6 years at this point) Nick Wilde, still had connections from his time as a suave conman. She banked on him knowing someone that could get them in there.
“Hey Carrots,” Nick said as he entered the room. Despite the freezing cold outside, he remained nonchalant as ever. “Back from the break room. Got you a coffee.”
“Thanks, Slick.” She held it to try and warm her paws up. The heating was on, but not exactly the greatest. “Question.”
“Answer.”
She gave him a playful glare as she rolled her eyes. “Do you know any way we could get into the Inner Circle?”
He furrowed his brow. “In what way? Legal, or… the fun way?”
“Legal, we’re just doing some basic investigation.”
“Fair enough. I was hoping for the fun way.” He kicked the door to their office shut. “What’s the plan, Detective Hopps?”
“I’m… still trying to figure that out.” She swiveled in her chair, looking at the wall with all their photos on it. A selfie taken not long after the Nighthowler case, a clipping from a newspaper article about them foiling a bank heist plot, a picture from their wedding day back in 2019…
“Maybe I’m overthinking it. We could just, I dunno, walk right in. I mean, look at all we’ve accomplished. That has to count for something, right?”
“Never know until you try.”
“Then lets try.”
“You never fail to get the blood pumping. I swear.” He pulled his chair next to hers and sat down, looking at her computer screen. She chuckled quietly and looked at their website. The next event was…
“This Friday. At 10pm. We can just… walk up to the front door and do our thing.”
“Yeah, maybe we can have a few drinks, a Michelin star meal, and a few more drinks before we start our investigation…”
“Nick! This is serious.”
“Hey, I’m not passing up the opportunity to drink multi-thousand dollar whiskey.”
“Maybe after, but not before. The last time we went out-”
“God, don’t remind me.” Nick glanced at the clock. 5pm. “Well, I think we should head home and look at some fancy getup. If our wedding taught me anything- you look really good in a dress.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” They hung silent for a moment, looking at each other before finally clocking out and leaving. Getting in their car, Judy started the engine and flicked the radio to some pop station.
“You hear Bogo’s thinking of retiring from commissioner?” Nick asked.
“What? No. When?”
“Next year. I mean, that’s what he said last year, so… not really holding him to it this time around.”
“Nick, the day we stop seeing him involved in law enforcement is the day he’s lowered into the ground. And even then I think his ghost would just walk into work like nothing happened.” Nick chuckled, and looked at her.
“Do you ever think about when you’re gonna call it?”
“No. I’m gonna keep trying until I either keel over dead or someone stops me. I mean, do you think about retiring?”
“Yeah, maybe when I’m 50 we’ll be sipping mai tais in a villa in the Maldives. Like on our honeymoon.”
“You really liked that bungalow, didn’t you?”
“C’mon, nice weather, the ocean, what wasn’t there to like?”
“Mosquitoes.”
“Okay, besides that?”
“That’s all I can think of.”
“O-ho-kay.” Reaching their apartment building, Nick scrolled his phone as they trudged inside. The snow was up to their knees- comparatively to other mammals, it wasn’t that deep, but to them and ones smaller, it was a nightmare. And there was always more, even if it melted somewhat quickly. In places like the Sahara, temperatures hovered around the 20s and 30s, plummeting sharply into the negatives in Tundratown. In the city center, it had been around 20°F for the last week, which Judy and Nick had finally started getting used to. Judy gave the building’s maintenance guy, a bundled up zebra currently running a snowblower down the sidewalk a wave as she and Nick walked inside. Their apartment was much larger than Judy’s tiny coffin of an apartment she stayed in years ago- this one actually had two bedrooms (they used the other one for storage and hobby stuff), two bathrooms, and a living room with a kitchen. Tossing their keys into the bowl next to the door, the two of them sunk into the couch and turned the TV on.
“-expect up to another six inches of snow tonight-”
“-Ava Kahn, CEO of the Kronos Private Security firm, announced a deal to embolster ZPD numbers in all districts during the current crisis. Mayor Packard had this to say-” Judy turned the TV down, standing. The footage cut to the mayor giving a short speech in his office, which Nick sneered at before changing the channel.
“Ever since he was elected, he’s been trying to make this happen… I’m getting some ulterior motives here.” Nick said as he made air quotes.
“Why’s that?”
“See- I talked to Honey the other day-”
“Ohhh boy, what’d she have to say?” Judy had an amused grin on her face. Honey was one of Nick’s oldest friends, and a bit of a nut. Well, sort of. After everything involving Lionheart and Bellwether, even Judy was a bit convinced on her anti-government stance and ideas. All this prejudice, division… sometimes it felt like every mayor they’ve had since Bellwether found a way to stir the pot. And don’t even get her started on the president.
“I don’t know, I zoned out.” Nick smirked. “Kidding, but she pointed it out to me. A private security firm that is held accountable to no one suddenly gets a push to be meshed with the ZPD…”
“Uhuh…?” Judy nodded along.
“Initial vote fails, and then suddenly the climate walls either fail or are locked to snow settings.” He shrugged, giving her a wide eyed look that said “Honey could be right.”
“Okay, first- that sounds insane, second, it sounds insane enough to be true. But why?”
“Well, it beats me Carrots. I didn’t think too much of it until about… now-ish.”
“Have you talked to anyone else about it?”
“I mean, who would listen? It sounds stupid. By the way- you dumped the lemonade all over.”Judy’s eyes darted downwards. She’d been so preoccupied with going down the rabbit hole that she zoned out while pouring their drinks.
“Oh for f- come on.” She set the empty jug down, shaking her head. “Can you grab me a towel?”
“Of course.” Nick went to grab one which left her time to think again. Sure, it was just a conspiracy, but what Honey told Nick wasn’t out there like her usual rants- instead, it left her wondering. If the ZPD was in fact being infiltrated- who could they trust? They had friends like Vincent, Milburn, Delgato, Grizzoli, Wolfard, Fangmeyer, Pennington, and Warren, but who’s to say they knew or would believe in what was going on? The Inner Circle pen found at the scene left no doubt in her mind they connected into this too somehow, but just how deep did it go? She shifted her gaze out the window, looking at the flashing red emergency lights of the climate wall in the distance. Whatever was going on was much more dangerous than she could have thought- and the worst feeling she had was that they were utterly alone in this investigation. A towel over her shoulder and a pat on her butt snapped her out of her trance. She looked at Nick, flustered.
“You looked out of it. Thought I’d bring you back in.”
“Well, you certainly know how…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m just… thinking. I don’t know what we’re walking into but it feels sinister, almost.”
“Yeah, rich people usually are.”
“Okay, besides that.” Nick began wiping up the mess as she began to pace back and forth in the kitchen. “I was just thinking about what Honey told you because for… whatever reason, I feel like she’s on the money with this.”
“Heh. Honey on the Money.” She didn’t laugh. “No? Okay.”
“I’m gonna start looking into the connection between Mayor Packard and that Ava Kahn gal- see if either of them have ties to the Inner Circle, and if either of them are at that party on Friday, then we can try to find evidence there. I do want to level with you about something, though.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t trust anyone outside of, y’know, our friends.”
“Wow, being on the streets finally taught you a lesson, huh?” No laugh. Again. “I’ll- I’ll knock that off.” Judy broke and cracked a smile. She couldn’t stay stern forever around him.
“Sly fox. Lets rent you a suit.”
“Y’know, I had this dream where I was a spy once, like in a Jack Savage flick? I was so cool, taking out bad guys pew pew style-” He mimics finger guns. “-in a fancy suit and everything. Who knows, maybe I can live that dream.”
“...I think living a Jack Savage movie is probably the last thing I’d want after the Nighthowler case, Nick.”
“Crashing a train was enough for you?”
“Oh yeah. Do you know how much paperwork I had to do while you went to the academy? Too much!” She said in a joking tone as she pulled him into a big hug. She was doing a mediocre job at hiding it, but she was worried. And holding him, feeling his warmth and hearing his heart as she pressed her head against his chest was just what she needed right now.
“I love you.”
“I love you too Carrots. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Together. We’ll talk to the others at work tomorrow.”
The next morning, the couple walked into work, heading through the office. Most of their coworkers still didn’t really respect or appreciate them- McHorn sneered at them as he walked by, muttering something under his breath.
“Yeah, fuck you too, buddy.” Nick flipped him off, then flipped off Snarlov and Swinton who had been staring at them since they walked in. They continued to walk to the briefing room Judy booked. They did have friends within the ZPD, but only about 12 (twelve, yes) actual friends within the precinct in the almost decade they’d worked there. Judy knocked on the door since she couldn’t reach the handle, as Detective Robin Vincent, a German Shepherd, opened it.
“Hey. You two make it here okay?” He asked as he blew into his cup of coffee.
“Ehh… our car didn’t warm up until we got here, we almost spun out about two or three times…” Nick trailed off.
“And the ice froze our window wipers.” Judy tagged on.
“Here’s hoping it lets up.” Rob lifted his cup in the air for a toast, taking a sip- and quickly pulling it away from his mouth. “Agh, fuck. Not cool enough yet.”
Closing the door behind them, Judy climbed up onto the podium, overlooking the officers she trusted most. She cleared her throat, and spoke.
“Hey- Hey, everyone!”
The chatter in the room stopped as they turned to face her.
“Nick and I have an idea- a really, really stupid idea that hinges entirely on gut instinct and luck, but an idea nonetheless.”
“Right, go on then.” Said Sergeant Leah Milburn, a tundra wolf. She leaned back in her seat- despite her rank, she was rather laid back in comparison to most other sergeants in the precinct.
“Okay, so…” Judy paused, trying to think of the most rational way to explain what her and Nick discussed. “...we think that due to a string of coincidences and events surrounding both the merger between Kronos and the ZPD, and the climate walls, that there may be more to what’s going on than we thought.” Silence. Then a snicker. Dick Grizzoli brought everyone’s eyes to himself.
“Sorry, you weren’t kidding. That does make you sound insane. What, you a conspiracy theorist now, Hopps?”
“It doesn’t hurt to be skeptical.” Javier Delgato chimed in. “I don’t know if you heard, but Detective Oates got pulled off his investigation on the climate wall at Precinct 3. Kronos guys just got stationed there this morning.”
“Yeah, Dick, stop living up to your namesake.” Rob turned in his chair to look at Grizzoli.
“Pfft, fuck you, Vincent! My mom didn’t know I was gonna be one!” The two shared a chuckle before shifting their attention back up front. Judy looked to Delgato again.
“Oates got pulled off the case?”
“Yep. Closed it. He texted me and said that those Kronos mooks took control of it.” Judy’s pupils shrunk a bit.
“Ooookay, I guess that all but confirms they're involved in this somehow, then.” A smaller paw shot up- a rabbit, James Warren- a young transplant from the Bunnyburrow Sheriff’s Office who managed to be put in the same precinct as his hero.
“James, you don’t have to raise your paw. You can just ask.”
“Uh, Detective Hopps- are you worried about having them close your case too? They’ve been lurking around here all morning, I thought I heard a few of them talking about you…” Now she felt sick.
“They what?”
“I didn’t catch what they said, but… I’d be on the lookout, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant Warren. Any further questions from anyone?”
Mikuláš Bača, a Slovak Cuvac, leaned forward in his chair. “Let's say they do shut you down- what are you going to do?”
“I think you know the answer to that, Bača.”
“Of course- ‘Nothing Stops the Hopps’.” He said with a smirk. Judy facepalmed. It’s energy she would’ve appreciated any other time, but she felt threatened by the Kronos officers just outside the door.
“Pennington? Fangmeyer, Wolfard, Cla- where’s Clawhauser?” Judy scanned the room. She felt stupid for not noticing his absence.
“He’s late.” Nate Johnson said. The coati was on his phone the whole time. “My car… got stuck in the driveway- a plow came right after I finished shovelling. El-oh-el.” He read out Benjamin’s text.
“Okay, uhh… can you fill him in on what’s going on?” Judy asked him. Nate nodded in response as he got to messaging Clawhauser back.
“Hey, Hopps- if this blows up, we’ve got your back.” Wolfard gave her a smile and a thumbs up, only to be met with Grizzoli being a dick again.
“We? Like, French Oui? Nintendo Wii?”
“Oh my God, Grizzoli, can you be serious for like, 5 seconds?” Fangmeyer smacked him in the back of the head as she got up and stretched, yawning. “We’re in like, ‘lose our jobs’ mode because these guys can’t handle us sticking our noses where they actually do belong.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.” Rob said before taking another test sip of his coffee. He flinched again. Still too hot. He shook his head as he looked at Nick, who was standing at the foot of the podium. “You’re pretty quiet, Wilde. It’s not like you.”
“Can I be honest to you guys about something?” He looked a bit nervous, eyes constantly glancing towards the door.. “For once, I know, you don’t have to heckle me, but- I’m… anxious. I don’t know what their motivation is, but when I was a con on the streets- I knew that there were some individuals who were willing to kill to keep their secrets. Organizations, the mob, whoever- but this? They’re right here with us. In this building. I just hope we don’t, y’know, actually get killed. Getting our case closed is just a minor setback in comparison. You know how Judy is.”
“I’m standing right here, Nick.” She playfully punched his arm.
“I know. Nothing Stops the Hopps.” He said, a hint of earnestness in his words. It annoyed him a bit too, but he had to admit the saying was kind of cute. “Since you guys are seeing how, I dunno, stupid it’s getting out there, I want to ask you something equally as stupid. You don’t have to have to say yes to this, buuut…” Nick swallowed hard. “Lets say that, if it comes down to it-”
Judy shook her head and quickly took charge. “The ZPD as we know it is compromised. We’ve been dancing around it, but we need to be prepared to continue this investigation with or without Chief Czajkowski’s approval.”
Rob chuckled. “Like in the nighthowler case? You gonna crash a train again, Hopps?”
“I sure hope not. My hearing is still messed up from that explosion. But that’s besides the point-”
“Yeah, okay, as long as I get some of your mom’s pie.” Grizzoli said, his arms folded. Francine turned to look at him.
“...that’s it? Pie?” She was bewildered.
“Hey, you missed work that day, when her parents came and brought a shit ton of baked goods.” Dick replied.
“To be fair, love, it was really good pie.” Leah licked her teeth. “Snooze you lose, or summet like that. The blueberry pie was espe-”
“Ohhhhh, fuuuck, the blueberry.” Dick was lost in his thoughts, trying to remember the taste. Judy looked at Nick and smiled slightly. They seemed on board. Spirits were high.
“...mate, please don’t sound like you're gonna orgasm when we’re talking about pie.”
“Heh, Dick’s a piefucker!” Wolfard pointed at him with both paws, looking at Nate to elicit a laugh. He got one.
“Shut up, Wolfard! You’re lucky I don’t just wring you out, right here, right now!” Vincent looked between them, then to Judy, making a finger gun with his right paw and sliding the “barrel” into his mouth. Sometimes she felt like she was back in high school again. Grizzoli often made sure of that.
“Okay guys, I’m glad spirits are high but that’s enough talking about having intercourse with my mom’s pies, please. I just want a show of paws- who’s with us?” Everyone. Judy couldn’t help but smile. Francine grew a smirk on her face.
“What if we didn’t tell Ben?” She said deviously.
“Dude, that’d be so mean! He’d be clueless on this! Nate’s keeping him informed, right Nate?” Wolfard looked at Nate, who was still on his phone.
“He’s telling me about a date he went on last week. I’m pretty sure he’s driving. I’m gonna tell him to keep both paws on the wheel-” Nate was soon cut off by Fangmeyer.
“Anyone wanna come pull him over with me?” She asked.
“Nooo, c’mon guys, we can’t just do that to him.” Wolfard protested. Judy figured her and Nick could leave them to their devices, as they slunk away.
“That went well, Carrots. You’re infectious.”
“I know, I know, all it took was me promising pie- actually, I didn’t even do that. They just did that under the assumption they’d be getting some.” They began to walk back to their office.
“Lest we forgot they were talking about Dick-”
“Ahhhhp. No. We left that in the briefing room…” Just as quickly as the positive energy entered her system, it was gone.
“You okay?” Nick put a paw on her shoulder.
“Yeah, no- yeah I’m fine. That meeting helped, I just… I don’t know what to do with these guys hanging around here now. I didn’t sleep last night.”
“I noticed.”
“You heard what Javier said, they’re stopping all investigations. What if we’re next? Actually, not even if, we probably are.” Nick shrugged in response.
“Like I said- I know it won’t stop you. I have my reservations, but…”
“But what?”
“I feel like we’ve been talking in circles. We’re both worried. It’s a big deal, and these guys are just getting in the way of stopping the city from freezing over. I think you and I should try and find who’s all connected to this ‘Inner Circle’, so we have more leads when we get to that party on Friday.”
“In person or on the computer?”
“It’s warmer in here.” Nick shrugged
“Of course, Slick. Knew you’d say that.”
Friday came. Hours upon hours of searching lead them to several key figures. Judy looked at her notes, names and businesses. “Archibald Ademar Mitford III… Ava Kahn, Julia Hackett, Alejandro Reyes, Kelsey McQuillan, Tor Lindquist. Can you remember those?” She turned to Nick as he looked in the mirror, struggling to tie his tie. As far as Judy knew, this was the second time she’d ever seen him wear one- and she was smitten. “Here, lemme help.” She stepped in front of him, muttering instructions to herself, as she gave his tie one last pull. “If you don’t mind me saying… you look particularly handsome tonight.”
“And you look stunning. That dress looks good on you.” He smiled at her as she did a twirl, stopping to face herself in the mirror. She backed up, as he put his paws on her shoulders. “Look at us. High society material. A conman and a country bumpkin. They’re never gonna know what hit ‘em, Carrots.”
“You gonna have a few drinks when we get there? Considering, y’know, their liquor shelf probably costs more than our entire salary?”
“Oh yeah. You gonna join me? Been a minute since you’ve brought out Tipsy Hopps.”
“Pleeeease do not remind me of that night. And, no, one of us has gotta keep our heads screwed on. As much as I’d like to.” They continued to look in the mirror, both of them looking at each other’s reflections before finally turning and looking at each other. Sure, they’d had nights out, but usually someone from work, Finnick, or Honey was with them. It had been quite some time since it was just the two of them doing something together.
“Carrots, I don’t think I’d mind calling in tomorrow.” He said with a smirk as he stepped back from the mirror. “I mean, if the Zuber takes any longer to get here then it might actually be tomorrow.”
“10 more minutes. I think we should make our way down, don’t want the guy driving off without us.” She glanced at her phone, instinctively trying to put it in a pocket as it grazed her leg and slipped onto the floor. “Oh, crackers- where’s my bag…” She dug around the living room, pulling a purple handbag out. It was a nice lavender shade- vaguely similar to the color of her dress. She packed her essentials inside; Phone, two pairs of handcuffs, lipstick, gum, her sidearm, their keys, and her wallet. “Okay! We should be good to go. Need me to carry anything?” Nick shot his hands into his pockets, sticking his tongue out.
“Phone. Wallet. I think that’s all I need.”
“You travel light.”
“I’m quick on my feet.”
“Uhuh.” Judy said with a hint of mocking doubt in her voice. “I’ll choose to believe that.” She slipped her coat on and linked arms with him as they began to walk out the door and towards the elevator.
Roughly an hour later, their Zuber stopped at the base of a luxury apartment building. Judy stepped out after Nick opened the door for her. “Thank you! Drive safe!” She waved at the driver as Nick closed the door and they began to make their way inside. The lobby was made from black marble with gold accents, built with a sleek modern design. A chandelier made of glass cylinders hung in the center, as they walked to the private elevator. A guard stood at a podium by the buttons.
“Names?”
“Nick and Judy Wilde. We’re with the ZPD. Here on police business.”
“Okay. Let me check…” the oryx reached for his earpiece. “Sir? We have ZPD here. They say they’re here on business.” They couldn’t hear, but the guard nodded a few times. “Yes sir. Yes sir. Okay. I’ll let them up.” He clicked the button as the elevator doors open. “Enjoy the party. Sir Mitford will greet you at the entrance.” The elevator interior had an art deco design made of gold.
“Wow, no expenses spared in this building.” Nick said, taking in the design on the wall. A golden ouroboros, with the letters “IC” inside it, and a crown, was placed on top of the rest of the geometric patterns. “...that doesn’t scream ‘evil’ to you, right?”
“It’s the crown.” Judy said in a deadpan tone.
“It’s the crown, yeah.” Nick said at roughly the same time she did. The elevator stopped with a ding, as they were greeted by a deer who appeared to be in his mid 60s. He wore a classy tail-coat suit, and had a tie with an admittedly garish looking print of the British flag on it.
“Oh Heavens, when Oscar told me there were ZPD coming, I will admit, I was not expecting it to be you.” He put his hoof over his heart.
“Wilde and Hopps, or uh, Wilde and Wilde, that’s us! Heh.” Judy chuckled nervously, feeling incredibly out of her element. “I hope we aren’t interrupting much.”
“Interrupt?” Mitford said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Mrs. Wilde, if I may be honest… compared to the Bullingdon Club back in Britain, these sods are painfully boring. All business, barely any drinking- worst of all, they don’t even do dinner! That’s the entire point of- Calm down, Archie, calm down…” Mitford inhaled through his nose, shaking his head. Nick and Judy looked at him with awkward smiles. “Right, yes, this way. Sorry for my outburst, very uncouth of me.”
Leading them out of the entrance hall, Mitford gestured towards the rest of the penthouse. Local politicians, executives, CEOs, actors, and music producers were among the high class guests in attendance. Mitford pointed at a group of three talking- a porcupine, a Leonberger dog, and a Polar Bear talked amongst themselves. “That porcupine is Kelsey McQuillan- he made a fortune on pulling cryptocurrency rugpulls, just don’t tell him I told you that. The canine is Ava Kahn, CEO of-”
“Kronos Security?” Judy asked rhetorically.
“Ah. Yes, of course you’d probably know of her, my mistake. Yes, her. And that bear fellow is Tor Lindquist, CEO and lead engineer at Nidavellir Industries, they make cutting edge robotics, drones, whatever they send off to foreign wars. Him and Ms. Kahn have been incredibly buddy-buddy our last few gatherings here.” Nick raised an eyebrow. Looking to Judy for confirmation on whatever it is he was planning to do.
“You said Ms? As in she’s single?” He asked, getting a sly look on his face as Judy facepalmed. He was a charmer, and she frequently let him use that to his advantage during questionings.
“Yes- are you two swingers or something?
…forgive me, that was a deeply personal question.” Mitford looked at the glass of wine in his hand. “Usually I only ask that after the 4th or 5th glass, I’m only on number two…”
“Errr, yeah! Yeah we, uh, we are. I don’t mind if Nicky fools around every so often.” Judy chimed in to try and salvage the (very) stupid situation Nick had gotten them into. “He’s such a horndog, isn’t that right?” She cringed and put her arms up as if to ask him “are you stupid?” To which the answer was “yes”.
“Well, err… good luck? I’ll… be elsewhere if you have any other questions, just be warned I won’t have answers to everyone’s marital status. Ta!” Mitford walked away, looking slightly uncomfortable.
“Oh my GOD, Nick, you botched that!” She whispered loudly through clenched teeth.
“I didn’t know how to be subtle about it this time! I just heard ‘miss’ and my mouth worked before my brain did!” He smacked his temple, as if trying to kickstart his brain.
“Usually it’s the other way around! You’re getting sloppy!”
“I know!” He was stifling back a laugh. Her annoyance gave way to a small smile back at him. “I’ll make it up to you by getting some info out of her. I hope. What’re you gonna do?”
“Do some digging, see if there isn’t any offices I can’t break into or conversations I can’t overhear…” Her eyes darted around the penthouse. “Good luck, okay? Meet me back here in… I dunno, 30 minutes?”
“Sounds like a plan, Fluff. Stay safe. Love you.”
“Love you too.” The two broke off, Nick walking in the direction of the now alone Ava Kahn, and Judy beginning to scour the penthouse for anywhere she thought might have evidence. Approaching Ava, Nick straightened up his tie, and slid his ring off of his finger, tucking it into his coat pocket. Here goes nothing, he thought.
“Hey there, darling, you’re looking a bit alone tonight.” He leaned on the bar next to her. “Mind if a fox buys you a drink?”
“Oh? And who are you?” Ava said in her thick German accent as she looked him up and down. His upfront mannerisms and charm were working.
“Nicholas Wilde. But you can call me Nicky if you’d like.”
She made some kind of noise as she shook her head and smiled at him, looking back at him with interest. “I think I’ve seen you on the news a few times… hero cop, a real charmer, it seems.”
“Firsthand experience works everytime.” He smirked at her. A server walked past with a tray loaded with cocktails, as Nick smoothly and effortlessly slid two off the trail, and into his paws. He passed the second one to Ava, and took a sip.
“I take it you’ve heard of the deal between my company and the ZPD by now, no?” She asked as she stirred the contents of her glass around with a straw. “The storms and whatnot, you and your officers are so overwhelmed by trying to keep everything civilized…”
“I was wondering about that, actually, since, y’know… how much are we getting in terms of backup?”
“Around 3,000 of my men have been dispatched to help with relief efforts, and protecting the climate wall and its systems to prevent any further sabotage.” She stated, her flirtatious tone having shifted back to business. “It feels good to have that weight lifted off your shoulders, no?”
“You had no idea how relieved I was when I saw them in the station the other day.” Lie. “It was as if we knew we could finally catch a break.” Another lie. Ava smirked with satisfaction.
“My company prides itself on hiring those willing to help, former police officers, security guards… Did you know we’re one of the largest hiring forces for veterans around the globe?”
“No, I actually didn’t know that. Glad you’re helping them out.” Ava bowed in response.
“It’s the least I could do for them. My father served in the National People’s Army back during the Cold War… we lived in East Germany, I remember the walls coming down when I was… 7, I think. After the reunification, he was in the Bundeswehr for a few months, but… being a soldier was something he missed. So, after we moved to America, he founded Kahn Security. When he passed away about a decade ago, I stepped in and rebranded it to Kronos; mainly because I thought it sounded cool-”
“Honest.” Nick said with a shrug before he took another sip of his drink. “Sorry, continue.”
“-I thought it sounded cool. More modern, more… reliable.”
“Well… I agree.”
“Do you smoke, Nicky?”
“Socially. Why?”
“Would you like to share a cigarette?”
“Sure. Is there like, an outdoor space?”
“Over there.” She pointed. “I just need to find my bag- my lighter and cigarettes are in it. I’ll meet you out there.” Nick nodded and walked towards the glass door, stepping onto the heated wood flooring of the balcony. He forgot his cocktail on the counter, something Ava took quick notice of as she walked away from the bar, and towards a wolf and pig sitting on a nearby couch.
Judy was wandering around, trying not to get stepped on. She’d searched a couple rooms, finding nothing- no papers, no documents, no files. As far as she knew- this place was a dead end in terms of physical evidence. “I guess they anticipated people being snoopy like me…” She poked her head into an open door. A guest bedroom. The bed was messy. “...don’t wanna know what went on in here, actually.” She exhaled in disappointment as she closed the door, hanging her head. “Think, Judy, think. If you were sensitive information, where would you be…?” Her foot thumped on the floor in frustration, as she paced, and quickly walked into a pillar. It didn’t help her already annoyed mood, and she muttered something under her breath, deciding that it might be better to call it on the search and regroup with Nick. If nothing else, she’d like to take advantage of being at a high class party again. The Zootennial Gala was a once in a lifetime event, and she was going to ask him for a dance but a much more important task fell upon them, and even then, that was a decade ago. It wasn’t often she could dance with him in a fancy dress like a princess, their wedding being the main exception, as it was incredibly uncommon for either of them to have the time, money, or even status to appear at an event like this. Right now, though- with no leads, no one willing to answer any questions, or any conversations that weren’t about stocks, sports, or sexual encounters… she could really go for one of the many dances they’ve missed over the years, and maybe a drink. And a snack. Actually, maybe even a full meal. She hadn’t eaten today, mostly because she had forgotten to eat out of excitement for the night’s events.
She returned to the main living space and went straight for the buffet table, getting herself some grilled asparagus, a scoop of potato salad (she didn’t trust it because it was room tempurature, but most of the good food was taken), and some broccoli, grabbing a pre-poured glass of wine. As her gaze shifted around the room, she found Nick- passed out on a couch. She smiled as she put a piece of salmon on her plate for him, and made her way over.
“Heyyy, foxy, you hungry?” She sat next to him, forking an asparagus into her mouth. “Drink too much? It’s only been 30 minutes.” She put another asparagus into her mouth, setting her wine glass on a nearby table. “Nick? You awake?” He snored, loudly. His mouth was wet with his own spit, and she tried to shake him awake to no success. “Nick. Wake up.” She was in panic mode, trying one more time- his eyes opened, just barely, and quickly shuttered close. She turned and reached into her bag for her phone to call an ambulance, and her eyes landed on her drink, which was a tad darker, and fizzing. “Shit.” She didn’t feel her phone, either, and someone sat beside her. Turning to face them, she was greeted by Snarlov. His paw was inside his jacket pocket, and she felt something hard press into her back. She quickly turned back to look at Nick.
“Hopps.” He had a thick Russian accent.
“Snarlov…?”
“You’ve been a real thorn in our sides lately. Just make this easy, and drink from your glass. We don’t have to cause a scene.”
“What… what are you..?” She kept looking at Nick, not wanting to believe that one of her coworkers was holding her at gun point.
“Hopps, that is Glock 17 chambered in 9 millimeter pressed against your back. One shot and it severs spine, destroys intestines, and you bleed out and die very painful death. If you take drink from glass, you go to sleep, and that’s it.” He made a gesture with his other paw, as Swinton sat next to Nick. “Regrettably you will no longer be alive, but… eh, you were always runt of department.”
She kept staring forward, her eyes looking into Swinton’s for any sort of relief or sympathy- and she found none. “Just drink it and get it over with Hopps.”
“I won’t.” She said as Snarlov hung the glass in front of her face. Snarlov chuckled and shook his head.
“I understand.” Snarlov said coldly.
She exhaled deeply out of her nose, and threw her head back, hitting him in the muzzle, as he fell backwards and his gun discharged into the ceiling. He yelled out, trying to quickly pull his gun out of his jacket as the crowd around them began to disperse. “сука!” He shouted as Judy sprang off of the couch, as Swinton stepped after her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Snarlov lining up a shot, and quickly roundhouse kicked his arm, his gun discharging again, this time hitting Swinton in the arm.
“Fuck, Snarlov!” She fell backwards, as Snarlov’s gun clattered onto the floor and slid away. Snarlov’s eyes darted between her and his gun, as he started to scramble across the floor for his pistol, giving her enough time to reach into her bag for hers. She lined up her shot, and hit him in the legs and ass with tiny, low caliber bullets- to him, they felt like bee stings.
“AGH! YOU FUCKING-” She flicked the empty magazine out of her pistol, and with a running start, dropkicked him even further across the smooth stone floor. Looking back towards the couch, she saw Swinton getting back onto her feet, and with no back-up mags left within reach, tossed her sidearm at her. It hit her square in the forehead with a loud “clink”, and knocked her back down. She bolted over to the couch, searching through her bag for something, anything to try and keep them down and out, but not dead. Swinton reached for a radio in her coat pocket.
“Officer Swinton to all ZPD officers- Hopps and Wilde have gone rogue! We have a 10-85 on the top floor of- OOFGH!” Judy kicked her radio out of her hand, and then kicked her in the head, which hit the stone floor with a thwack. With partygoers fleeing, she ran back to her bag, and pulled out the handcuffs.
“Nick, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride…” she said, partially out of breath. She cuffed his right wrist to her left, grabbing his paw, as she started to drag him out of the party. She swiped her sidearm off the floor, putting a new magazine in, as she made her way to the elevators.
In the penthouse, Snarlov shook himself awake, getting back to his feet. “SWINTON! WE MUST GET AFTER HER!”
Swinton’s eyes rolled forward, and she sat upright. “She kicked my radio- we have backup coming.”
“Lets save them trouble, yes? CUT THEM OFF!” Snarlov and Swinton raced to the elevators, just as the one Judy and Nick were in closed its doors.
The elevator continued down, as Judy tapped her foot, and checked the back of her head- she felt warmth and wetness, and followed it up her head, pulling one of Snarlov’s teeth out. Seeing her own blood made her want to pass out, but she had to persevere. She looked down at Nick- his suit was dirty from being dragged through sleet and mud on the mats at the foyer, and it had already ripped in a few places. He was still unconscious, and snoring. She tapped her foot on the floor, looking up at the floor counter. 45… 41… 37… 33…
It continued descending, stopping at the third floor. The emergency lights turned on, and the doors opened. “No, no, not now…!” The doors across from her opened up, and she was met by Snarlov and Swinton. Without so much as a word, she peppered them with a few rounds, as they put their arms up to block their faces. She ran out of the elevator, and turned right, and saw the street light pouring in from the massive glass panes that made up the windows closer to the ground. She shot at it, as it cracked and then shattered. Reaching the broken window, she looked over the edge, seeing a few cars that were covered in deep snow. It was either fall, or get shot; and she knew which option was preferable. Hoisting Nick up, she held him up in front of her, and fell backwards out of the window. Snarlov and Swinton stepped out of the elevator in time to see her fall.
“...did she just jump?” Swinton asked, brushing the blood off of her arms.
“She did, we have to get down to the str-” Snarlov was interrupted by a slew of partygoers exiting from the jammed elevators. “Fuck it, forget it, she won’t make it very far.”
On the street below, Judy groaned and rolled off of a snowbank, sliding off the car her and Nick landed on, and falling into a mess of broken glass. Better cut than dead, I guess, she thought, as she continued to drag him away from the building. Ducking into a nearby alleyway, she slumped behind a dumpster to catch her breath, and held Nick close.
It didn’t feel real.
It felt like a nightmare.
Her coworkers, her supposed “family” had just threatened, no, tried to kill her.
And she had just shot them.
Granted, they didn’t die, but… it was their truth against hers. She and Nick weren’t supposed to have been there. But neither were Snarlov and Swinton. But they had the backing of the Inner Circle, and she had no answers or credible evidence on any of their affairs. Back to square one- fuck that, she was on square zero.
The adrenaline began to wear off, and she felt the glass in her back and arms, the soreness in her legs, and the pain from Snarlov’s tooth in her scalp. And the cold.
The wind. The snow beneath her. She peered out from the corner, and saw panicked civilians, and as much as she wanted to help them, to assure them that they would be okay, she had to keep moving. The smell of her blood would give her and Nick away instantly to even the most novice officer, and the further away they were from this mess, the better. She began to walk, dragging him through the snow, hearing sirens in the distance. As much as she hurt, she needed to keep moving. For Nick. For Nick. For Nick. She repeated in her head, wincing as her shoulder buckled. She needed help, and needed help fast. Reaching into Nick’s pockets, she felt his phone, and pulled it out. Inputting his lock screen code, she looked at the time. 2:23am. If there was anyone awake at that time, it was probably Detective Vincent. She called him, and the anticipation with each ring made her feel more and more stressed. Finally, he picked up.
“Wilde? What on earth are you doing, calling me at this ungodly hour?” Judy’s lip quivered, and the tears welled in her eyes. A friendly voice.
“Vincent, it’s Judy, we just were at a party, we were investigating, Snarlov and Swinton were there and they tried to kill us and I shot at them and Nick is roofied and I- I- I don’t know what to do!” She slid down the brick wall, and cried out as her cuts and scrapes brushed against the rough rock. She could hear his bed rustling on the other end of the line.
“Shit, okay… where are you?”
“A-a few blocks south of the Goodwin Tower, in-in an alleyway…” she sniffled, trying to hold back the sobs until she was off the phone.
“I’ll be parked at the corner of 4th and Burton Avenue in 30 minutes. Do you know where that is?”
“Ye-yes!” She blurted out.
“Okay. Be careful, keep Nick warm until I can get there. And break his phone, it’s-”
“The-the first thing they track…” she shivered, teeth chattering, the snot in her nose freezing. “Th-th-thank y-you.”
“Yeah. No problem, just… try not to get caught. Be safe, Judy.” He hung up, and just like that, she was alone again. She wanted to rest, but 4th and Burton was quite a ways away. Tears fell down her face and she started to cry again as she walked.
It had been a rough week, and she was in denial, but now, there was no escaping it. For her entire tenure, her and Nick were treated like the runts, as laughing stocks, despite everything they’ve done for the ZPD, they were repaid in bullets. In the threat of death. Until tonight, she believed the ZPD could shake the corruption out, that it was just the Inner Circle calling the shots. She realized she had finally, truly opened her eyes for the first time. She crumpled into the snow, crying out loudly, more tears streaming down her face.
Her dream as she knew it, was dead.