Chapter 9 - There's Still Work To Do

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Nick slowly opened his eyes. The morning sunlight charged through the window, lighting and warming the whole room, aiming directly at the couch he lay on. He could hear Judy humming from somewhere in the room. He smiled to himself. Their day yesterday was the best he had ever had by far. Finally getting home from the hospital, having dinner together, Nick telling the whole story of what happened to him, and their evening walk. The fox took notice of every animal that gave a dirty or fearful look, or avoided crossing paths with him on the street entirely. But he never cared. It was hard to do so when he had Judy next to him. She loved him for who he was, whether everyone saw him as a monster or not. The trip felt far too short despite how far they went, and very frequently, Judy asked if they should turn back anytime Nick slowed down or nearly tripped, reassuring her each time he was fine and could go the distance. After they traveled over six blocks away, he conceded after his side started to hurt from hopping on one foot and the use of crutches.

Suddenly, a scent hit his nose. A very familiar one… pancakes. And coffee. That sweet smell of caffeine and maple syrup made his smile brighter. He turned his head slightly, and saw Judy hard at work with breakfast in the kitchen. The doe looked like she had been ready for the day hours ago, with her clean, pink flannel shirt (sleeves rolled up) and blue jeans. She had a smile on her face as well, almost in a bouncy mood. This… this has to be a dream, right?

Nick slid his paw out from under the blanket. Still numb, still metal. He sighed in disappointment, and clenched and opened the hand, listening to the quiet sounds of the titanium alloy parts rubbing against each other as it glistened in the sun. The fox set his paw down, looking back to Judy. She seems so happy and free-spirited. The rabbit looked over to the fox, and her contagious smile seemed to make the room even brighter.

"Morning, Nick!" she called from the kitchen.

Nick couldn't help but smile back at her. He slid the blanket off his chest and sat up, wearing a white tank top and Hakuna Matata-themed pajama pants. Judy always giggled at those. "Hey, Carrots." The fox the yawned and stretched his arms. He then scratched his side and smacked his lips. "Whatcha making?" he asked.

"Breakfast," she replied with a smirk.

"Ooh, breakfast, huh? I do say, that sounds exquisite," Nick said with a goofy, Furrench accent, drawing a giggle out of Judy. "Smells like… pancakes?" He took a big sniff. "And coffee?"

"Glad to see your sense of smell still works right," she replied with a giddy smile. "And they're almost done, too."

Nick leaned over and picked up the crutches he left at the end of the couch. With their help, he stood up with ease. This action filled Nick with a sense of pride. He looked down at his feet, feeling more like himself again. He then looked up and saw a fresh pair of clothes for him on the back of the chair. The fox instead picked up his Pawaiian shirt off the end of the couch and put it on, unbuttoned. 'Ah, I'll get them later.' he thought to himself as he quickly moved to the table where Judy was setting out a plate of pancakes, along with a red cup of coffee for Nick, almost as red as his own fur.

"You are recovering fast," she said to him excitedly. "That's the fastest I've seen you move in a while."

Nick carefully sat down at the table, placing his crutches carefully against the chair. "Thanks for digging those out for me. I really do appreciate it," he said to her with a sincere smile.

"Anything for my sly fox," she replied with a smile as well. "Besides, I've gotta get you back on duty somehow."

They both laughed as each took a few pancakes. "Ooh, blueberries?' Nick asked with enthusiasm.

"Of course," she replied with a smile.

"You're the best, Carrots. Really." He quickly picked up the fork and took a bite of the blueberry pancake. Judy could see that she had done well with the pancakes, judging by the look of satisfaction on the fox's face. She was also impressed with how easily Nick took the utensil and used it with precision. But after that first bite, the dexterity decreased. He had trouble doing the pencil technique, and it pained Judy to watch his frustration with it until he resorted to holding it in a fist or dragging the slices through the syrup without the fork and eating that way.

Nick was annoyed that he had to try to relearn something he had been taught at a young age how to do. And his frustration troubled Judy, but she wasn't quite sure how to comfort him that way. Unsure of what to do, the doe took a blueberry and balanced it on her forehead. "Hey Nick, look," she said to him.

He looked up and smiled, watching the cross-eyed rabbit with the blueberry on her head. She carefully took another, and placed it on top of the one she already had; now balancing two at once. Nick's smile turned into a chuckle. "How much practice did that take?" he asked.

"More than I care to admit," she replied, carefully placing a third one on the tower. She continued stacking very carefully until she had a tower of six blueberries resting on her forehead. Nick could barely hold back his laughter as he watched the cross-eyed rabbit. She moved her paws further away from the blueberries and held them out as if she was balancing on a tightrope, holding as still as possible.

Nick's laugh turned into a devious smirk as he stood up and leaned over the table. His muzzle was close to Judy's, and her attention shifted from the blueberries to the fox. "Um, Nick, what are you-"

The fox quickly licked the bunny's forehead and swiped all the berries into his mouth, leaving Judy stunned and flustered. She stared at him with wide eyes while he smiled in amusement, knowing he successfully embarrassed the doe. Snapping out of her frozen state, she brushed the small spot of fox saliva off her forehead, still visibly blushing.

Nick started to laugh. "Oh, Carrots, you're such a joy," Nick said to her, still smiling uncontrollably.

Despite how disconcerted she was, Judy still found herself giggling at the fox's antics. "Sly fox," she said with a smile.

"Dumb bunny," Nick replied. They both laughed and continued eating their breakfast.

After a couple minutes, Judy's phone started vibrating and ringing. She picked it up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Judy. It's Wolford," he said, sounding like he had a smile on his face.

"Oh, hey Will!" she replied in a chipper voice, which caught Nick's attention as he stuffed a pancake bite in his mouth. "How's everything at the precinct?"

"It's going good," he replied, seeming to have picked up on Judy's hyper character. "How's Nick doing? Is he moving around better?"

"Yeah, much better. I got him some crutches, and he's recovering rapidly. You wanna talk to him?"

"Not right now," he deadpanned. "Bogo needs to see both of you at the precinct."

"Wait, why? I thought we had a few weeks' leave." Judy's expression changed to concern, and Nick looked intrigued in spite of how little he could hear the wolf on the other side.

"You do. But a patrol team found something, and Bogo says you and Wilde need to see it ASAP. It's tied into your previous case with Ridley."

"What'd they find?"

Wolford was now talking with someone else, but Judy could not hear who. All that came through the line was Will's short responses to the other mammal. A few seconds later, the wolf spoke to her again. "New plan, meet me at the crime scene. I'll text you the address. See you soon."

"Alright. See ya." The line went dead, and she set the phone down.

"What was that about?" Nick asked with a mouthful of pancakes before swallowing.

"Wolford says Bogo has something he wants us to see today."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. He didn't say much." Judy's phone vibrated, and as she had guessed, it was the address. "You know this place?" she asked him, showing him her phone.

Nick leaned in closer. "1268 Firefox Lane? It's a plain old house in Tundratown. Not much to it." He took the last bite of his pancake.

"Will mentioned Ridley when he called. Not sure what it's about."

"Ridley the ferret? The one that went missing like two weeks ago?"

"Uh-huh."

Nick looked very intrigued. "Well, only one way to find out." He got up from the stool with the crutches and started walking towards the chair where his clothes were. "C'mon, let's go see what they need us for."

"Wait, Nick, I can go by myself," she protested, leaving her chair and approaching the fox. "You should stay and rest."

"He said he needed both of us, right?" Nick asked.

Judy was mildly caught off-guard by his question, especially since he didn't bat an eye at her rebuke. "Y-yeah, but..."

"Then we're going," he said firmly as he buttoned up his shirt. He turned and saw her concern. "Look, I know you're worried about me, but I'm not a helpless kit, okay?"

Judy wanted to argue, thinking that Nick should just stay here and rest, but from the sound of Wolford's voice, it was urgent. "Alright..." She took a deep breath and went to work on cleaning up the kitchen while Nick got himself dressed. As tempting as it was to help him out, she knew he wouldn't like her trying to dress him. The rabbit looked at the address from Wolford again, unable to ignore the daunting feeling of bad news she felt coming.

"1268 Firefox Lane," Judy announced as she pulled over behind another police cruiser. This house was practically in the middle of Tundratown, and had been updated more recently. The entire snowy yard had police tape around it and even a few barriers blocking the streets. There were two other cruisers at the site with the lights on, plus the one Judy parked behind. The house was up for sale until the realtors came with a couple interested buyers only to find a horrific sight right through the front door.

Judy and Nick both unbuckled their seat belts as Wolford walked up to the vehicle. "Hey!" she said to him in an excited tone as she stepped out.

"Glad you could make it, Hopps," he replied in a formal tone. He looked up and saw Nick climbing out if the vehicle with the crutches under his shoulders. "Wilde," he greeted. Judy was about to go to the other side of the vehicle to help him out, but Nick had already started closing the door by the time she could move. She remained where she was so that she didn't come off as overprotective to Nick.

Wolford looked down at Judy noticed her forehead looked a little odd. "What's up with your forehead, Hopps?" he asked.

Judy remembered what Nick did earlier that morning and started blushing under her fur again. "My wha... oh, I, um..."

"She spat in her fur," Nick said with a grin as he closed the door.

"NICK!" she yelled, quickly turning around and scowling at him. She started to walk around the vehicle, looking ready to knock the lights out of the poor fox.

"Ah-ah!" Nick said, holding up his paw and stopping Judy in her tracks. "Don't hit the crippled mammal."

"Oh my... I can't believe you just said that!"

"Gosh, you two act like a married couple," Wolford said, smiling and rolling his eyes at them.

"Ah, I'm just playing, Carrots," Nick started to walk to the other side of the vehicle. Judy rolled her eyes and huffed. The fox looked up at the wolf. "So, what is it you want us to see, Will?" he asked.

"It's… not pretty," the wolf replied somberly. With a gesture of his paw, he started walking, and the fox and rabbit followed close behind up the neatly shoveled sidewalk. The outside of the house didn't look too bad. It was well built for the weather it would endear, and taken good care of for however many years it had been standing. Judy continued observing the house as they approached it, wondering what they would find inside that Bogo and Wolford needed them to see so badly.

As soon as Judy walked it, a wave of a repulsive scent invaded her nose; a scent of dried blood and decaying flesh. She gasped and placed her paws over her mouth in horror, stepping closer to Nick. Nick would've put his arm around her, but the crutches made it difficult, as well as the fact that he was shocked himself. Nick was less shaken than Judy was, but even his stomach turned upon seeing it. "My God…" he whispered to himself.

In the open living room was nothing but a small mammal in a chair. The animal was torn and bloodied, appearing as though a savage tiger had ripped it apart or a grenade exploded right next to it. Bruises covered its muzzle, and the ends of its mouth dripped with blood, clearly devoid of life, and the floor had blood spread all over the room, with a small puddle right under his left arm. The mammal's whole left arm was torn up, and the forearm was a divide between bare, ripped tendons and the steel bone and paw. The metal paw looked exactly like Nick's. To everyone, it seemed like something out of a horror movie. There were a couple other mammals around gathering evidence, and they seemed to be unmoved by it. They were likely trained, but this was easily the most horrific thing Judy had ever seen.

"Carrots, you okay?" Nick asked her as she seemed to start stumbling.

"Y-yeah…" she stammered, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm fine. Is this… Ridley? The ferret?"

"Sadly, yes," came a Furrench-accented voice. It was one of the CSI agents. He was a brown and black-furred wolverine with the 'ZPD Forensics' t-shirt on. The upper-left fang on his muzzle was broken off, leaving a noticeable scar. He walked over to Nick and Judy. "Senestran d'EntreMonde, CSI Forensics in Tundratown," he announced. "You can call me Sen for short."

Judy immediately restored her hard-working officer attitude. "Officer Judy Hopps." They each shook paws. "And this is Nick Wilde." Senestran shook his metal paw as well with little hesitation, prompting an odd look from the fox.

"Nice to meet you both," he replied with a small nod. And with a small hand gesture, he walked back over to the deceased ferret, with the fox and rabbit following close behind. The wolverine knelt down next to the ferret, studying the bloody arm and the metal that molded with it.

"W-what happened to him?" Judy asked, still feeling a bit choked up, trying not to look directly at his arm. Nick was also looking a bit pale.

"Well… we're not one hundred percent sure," the wolverine admitted. "Could've been the blood loss, the horrendous transformation he's gone through, or perhaps something else was damaged, like the spinal cord or the heart, but we won't know anything for sure until we do a full autopsy."

"How long ago did this happen?" Nick asked.

"He's been dead about forty-eight to sixty hours. You can tell by the stiffness of the muscles and the foul odor of decomposing cells and dried bl-"

"P-please, don't explain…" Judy held up her hand and quivered, trying not to gag.

Senestran took a breath, realizing his small error, and continued. "Most importantly, we know that he was killed, and moved here afterwards. We know that whoever did this had not done it here." He pointed to a faint, red trail on the hardwood floor. He got up and beckoned them to follow. The stains of blood were spread wide across the hallway, and Judy did her best to not step on the markings, tip-toeing and clinging to the wall. Nick looked down at the stains as he nervously hopped on them, trying to make long strides with the crutches. They went out back into the snowy yard, and the wolverine started to swipe away the snow, revealing the rest of the crimson trail, consisting of spots and lines.

"The streaks lead to the fence, and we found the lock torn off," the wolverine continued. "Not unlocked, not cut through, but completely ripped off." He then led them to the fence, but Nick took a bit longer to get there due to the deep snow and his crutches. Judy walked by his side to ensure he didn't fall. Senestran pointed at the fence's edge. The dark, slightly rotted wood of the fence created a contrast with the spot the lock had been attached to. Judy grazed her paw over the spot, taking note of the holes in it. Senestran picked the lock out of the snow and showed it to the fox and rabbit. "It was held with screws, and it wasn't casually removed. Whoever did it, or whoever was involved, had to have been a large mammal, certainly a predator, like a lion, tiger, maybe even a burly wolf."

"Let me see it," Nick asked the wolverine. He handed the lock to him, and the fox took a very close look as he leaned against the fence. He took note of the deformities that were on the edges; three on the top, one on the bottom, with small cracks down the center of each groove from the stretching of the metal. He held it up to his ear and tapped it with his other metal paw. 'Steel' he concluded in his head. He then looked at the fence. He noticed the scathed wood right where the bolt was and matched it with the grooves on the lock. Judy simply watched, knowing he was on to something.

"What mammals have the sharp claws and strength to do this?" he asked. "This lock is steel. Even bodybuilding tigers would have trouble deforming steel like this. Look." The wolverine looked intrigued. He took the lock and saw the same grooves Nick mentioned. The fox continued to speak. "This wasn't a large mammal… I think I know who did this."

Judy's eyes widened. "The raccoon… Rick!" she whispered.

"What raccoon?" Senestran asked.

With a deep breath, the fox responded. "Rick Wilkins a raccoon with an advanced prosthetic arm, and is our prime suspect for my capture. All we know is he's responsible for this," Nick held up his paw as it glistened from the dull sunlight. "I fought him the day I went missing, and he had a metal arm, a strong one. He threw me around like a ragdoll, then choked me unconscious with the one arm."

The wolverine put a paw under his chin. "And you think he's done this too?" he asked.

"Between the lock and the fact that he dropped off a mutilated body with similar transformations as my own… it's either him or someone who helps with the dirty work," Nick replied confidently. The wolverine nodded, seeming satisfied with this new information.

Just then, Nick's phone vibrated. He pulled the phone out of his back pocket and read the text. Senestran placed the lock in an evidence bag as he waited for them to finish.

"Hello, Nicholas. Are you able to come to my office for another checkup today at 4:00?"

-Dr. Doyle

Judy looked over and read the text as well. Nick glanced at the doe and said, "Doyle wants to see us at four today."

"Already? This soon?" she asked.

The fox shrugged. "I guess."

The rabbit sighed. "Alright. Tell him we'll be there." Nick nodded again and began to tap away the message. Judy turned back to the wolverine. "Thank you for bringing us here. We'll be sure to update our case files with this info."

"No problem, Ms. Hopps," Senestran replied as he stood up and shook her paw. "Let me know if you guys need anything else."

"Sure thing… Senestran, was it?" Nick asked. The wolverine simply nodded. Nick responded with a thumbs-up. The fox took the crutches back into his paws and began to hop back to the car with Judy at his side. He turned and waved to Senestran one last time. "See you later, boss," he called out. The wolverine replied with a salute as he headed back inside the house.

As they made their way back to the vehicle, Judy tried to stand close, but not too close. And she kept glancing up at him and down at his feet, very carefully watching him to make sure he didn't slip and fall. Nick could detect this behavior from a mile away. Tempting as it was, the fox said nothing and continued walking. When they got into the car and shut the doors, Judy sighed loudly. It wasn't a sigh of exhaustion or frustration, but confusion. Like she was trying to say 'what are we going to do?'

"You okay?" Nick asked with concern, setting his crutches in the back seat.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied as she started the car. "He said four o'clock, right?"

"Uhh, yeah." The fox looked at the clock on the radio. "Seems we got some time to kill, so what do you want to do?"

Judy thought for a second. "Lunch? At that sandwich place you like?"

"Works for me, Carrot-Cake." The fox winked at her.

The doe blushed under her fur as she put the car into gear and drove off.

That afternoon, Judy and Nick met up with Dr. Doyle at the hospital so he could check on Nick and make sure his body is functioning correctly and actually improving. He first had the fox do some walking exercises, then cognitive practices like using a pencil, which proved to be very frustrating to him, and X-rays and muscle scans to check up on how his body is adapting.

The meerkat looked at Nick's legs and arms through a handheld device, studying the muscles and tendons in those areas. Judy held on to Nick's paw, more so for her own comfort than his. She was very worried that there'd be something new that might make the fox's condition far worse than it already was. She looked up, and her eyes met his. Nick could see the concern in her eyes. He offered a comforting smile, and that was enough for her to return the favor. She smiled back, trying to shoot down all the negative thoughts swirling in her head. Dr. Doyle shut off the device, placed it on the desk, and picked up the clipboard to write on. After a few seconds of writing, the meerkat turned to the fox and bunny.

"Well, it seems your muscles are starting to adapt much faster," Doyle said to them. "The irritation is ceasing, and the tendons are regaining their strength. I'd assume you'll be able to walk like normal in about two weeks, maybe 18 days."

"Yes!" Nick said, clenching his hand in victory. Judy immediately hugged the fox's neck and giggled after hearing the wonderful news.

The meerkat smiled at them. "I also did some research on some of those parts we couldn't figure out last time, specifically the chip in your right cuff." He walked over to the large, spruce wood desk, picked up a small tablet, and walked back over to the two while swiping and tapping. "I asked a few of associates of mine what it could be, and I came to the conclusion that it is, in fact, a neural booster." The meerkat focused his eyes with the fox's.

"Neural booster?" Nick asked.

"Yes. What it does is amplify, and perhaps correct, the signals sent from your brain to your paws and feet in order for them to fully function right away. It's how your dexterity has restored itself as quickly as it had. In fact... I'm not certain your body will need it anymore to work right. It served its purpose well, but your body is nearly done adapting, so the chip is almost useless at this point."

Nick set his right paw under his chin, thinking hard about what the meerkat told him. "So... I don't need this thing inside me anymore?"

"Perhaps after another week or so. Just to be safe," Doyle replied.

"Works for me," Nick said to him. "I just have a bad feeling about it; like it's got a hidden program that might turn me savage or something..." Judy began to look more worried.

"Trust me, it does nothing more than regulate the signals in your nerves. You have my word, Nick," the meerkat replied with a small bow. Nick simply nodded, and Doyle returned to writing on his clipboard. "And I think that does it for today," he said. "So, I'll see you in two weeks to see how you're doing then?"

"Sure thing, Doc," Nick replied as he grabbed the crutches leaning against the wall. "Let's see if I can walk like a real fox in two weeks, okay?"

"I look forward to it," the meerkat said as he put the clipboard back on his desk. Nick stood up and walked to the door, and Judy approached Doyle.

"Thank you so much for all of your help, Dr. Doyle," she said to him with sincerity.

"Please, call me Joseph, Miss Hopps," he replied, offering a pawshake.

Judy accepted. "Fine, but you're calling me Judy from now on, 'kay?"

Joseph chuckled. "Of course." Judy chuckled as well, then turned and made her way to the door, right as Nick was rolling his eyes, clearly unamused. "Farewell, Judy," the meerkat said with a small wave as he sat down in his comfy-looking office chair.

"Bye," she replied with a wave as she and Nick left the office and closed the door. Nick immediately looked down on Judy as they made their way to the exit.

"Were you just flirting with him?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow, looking like he was ready to gag.

"What?! No! I was just being friendly!" Judy scolded, trying to keep herself quiet so no one, including the meerkat, would hear them.

"You can call me Judy from now on, 'kay?" - "Oh, of course, Judy, heu-heu." Nick teased, trying to impersonate the two of them as obnoxiously as possible. Judy rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't control her smile. "Lemme just wink all flirty-like at ya so we can- AH!"

The doe elbowed him in the side, forcing out a yelp. She still failed to hold a straight face whenever he was like this. "You're such a kit sometimes," she said to him.

"Seeing you smile makes it totally worth it, Carrots," Nick replied with a grin. "Now... what do you think about watching a movie tonight?"

"That sounds nice, Slick," she answered kindly