Within Their Nature - Part I

The worst time in the life of Nicholas P. Wilde

The black-and-silver police car zoomed past the parked civilian ones on the main street of Zootopia's Downtown. Its sirens were blaring with an otherworldly caterwaul in the night. Behind the steering wheel, Officer Judy Hopps wasn't even blinking, focusing at the fleeing car in front of them, straining her large purple eyes. She, like all other bunnies, was not built for night-time activities. On the other hand, her partner sitting next to her was quite the nocturnal one.
- Floor it, Carrots! – Officer Nick Wilde shouted over the moans of the siren and the car's throaty engine. His fingers were grasping at the dashboard, not in fear but in excitement, he almost seemed to be an inch away from jumping through the windshield. Nick was a fox and even in the depths of night, he could see everything with crystal clarity. Had he been the better driver, he would have taken the wheel, but even he had to admit Judy was a natural.
- They're getting away! – Judy said, her foot slamming down the accelerator – Not this time, I won't let them!
It has been more than a year since she and Nick became partners, a sort of dream team within Zootopia's Police Department. Over the last couple of months, they have made quite a name for themselves, both of them being the first of their species in ZPD. Yet, even after more than a year, old memories were still coming back to haunt them: the Night Howler conspiracy was far from being solved.
Even after the fall of Bellwether and the curing of the missing predators, new incidents were cropping up. Judy and Nick, along with some more experienced officers, were leading the investigation. In most cases, all they found were leads long gone cold or the occasional small shipment of Night Howler extract. In some other cases, as it was happening now, they were in hot pursuit of a large shipment, and maybe someone who could finally provide some answers.
The police car jumped, temporarily overcoming gravity with the high speed it took hill up. It crashed back to the tarmac with a screech. They were gaining on the fleeing black van.
- Get your tranq gun ready, I'm pulling them over. – Judy said.
- Aye-aye, ma'am. – Nick responded with a grin. He was always amazed at the tough determination of his partner. Yes, Judy was a bunny, but she was smart and fierce and stubborn as a mule. Calling a mule stubborn would be, of course, something Judy would never approve of. Nick couldn't help but smile at the thought.
The black van turned at an almost impossible angle. For a fraction of a second, it seemed as if it were tumbling over, but it didn't. It was heavy, loaded to the boot, now it was fact. Judy, her small triangular nose twitching in excitement, yanked at the steering wheel, mimicking the maneuver. This almost sent Nick flying, the fox looked at his partner with utter bewilderment in his emerald green eyes.
- Hey, watch it! – he howled.
- Look. – Judy was making the car decelerate and Nick immediately knew why she was doing so. The black van rolled into an old, abandoned factory building.
- Ah, the old steel mill. – Nick said in recognition – It's been closed down for years. They always say it'll be demolished the next year. They keep saying it for the past ten years.
Judy pressed down the brake, making the police car stop in its tracks. Her small paw grabbed the CB's microphone.
- Hopps to Headquarters. Hopps to Headquarters. In pursuit of suspects of a possible Code four-two-oh. We're engaging them in the old steel mill. We request backup.
- Have you really memorized all those codes? – Nick said with a sly grin as they jumped out of the car, tranq gun armed and ready.
- This is not the time, Nick. – Judy said, tense with excitement and fear. She and Nick both saw two large figures hurrying away from the van.
The two officers reached the van with small, cautious steps. Nick silently pulled a lock-picking kit from his pocket (where he got it from and how he was keeping it hiding in plain sight at ZPD was something Judy didn't want to know). The fox made quick work of the van's large back doors and bowed theatrically as its two wings opened.
- Presto!
The two looked inside and a shiver ran over both of them immediately. It was not the sight, after all, it was only a couple dozen crates, neatly stacked atop each other. No, it was the smell. One of the vials containing Night Howler extract must have broken, its smell invading their sensitive noses. It was a fresh, new batch of brew, potent and dangerous. Nick and Judy have come across the substance multiple times in the past couple of months. Even in its airborne form, Night Howler extract was known to have effects on mammals. It made their skin crawl, stirring some ancient instincts buried deep under countless generations of civilization.
- Jackpot. – Judy said finally, closing the van's doors. Her large ears twitched, turning toward the source of a sound. Something was moving in the unlit corridors.
- I'll get them. – Nick said. His better nocturnal eyesight already enabled him to see shadowy figures moving away from them, slowly to avoid detection.
- I'll take the other corridor. – Judy nodded.
- The old pincer grip maneuver?
- You betcha!
And off she went. Nick himself didn't hesitate too. He moved silently, in the knowledge that he could see his foes while they probably couldn't see him. Sometimes, being a sly fox had its advantages after all.
He ambled closer, step by step, his tranq gun pointing toward a shadow figure in the dark. Three more steps. Two more steps. One more step. Wait… Something was not right. It was all too silent suddenly. An ominous silence was pressing at his ear drums. He saw a shadow figure disappear into a side corridor he didn't even suspect it was there. Then he smelled something that sent a shiver down his spine, a sharp, chemical odor, the one you have to smell only once to never forget it anymore: cordite.
- Judy! – he shouted and in the next instant, the world around him blossomed into a rose of fire and deafening sound. The explosion picked him up and threw him out of a window. He hit the ground hard, rolling over the unkempt grass, his paws shielding his eyes from the splinters of glass and wood and metal flying everywhere. His whole body was a bundle of pain, his ears ringing, his eyes red and watery with the smoke.
He didn't know how much time has passed till he heard the caterwaul of police sirens. He was lying on the ground even as he saw others from the ZPD running around. His whole world was a blur and he only knew he needed to get himself feel and think clear again. Someone picked him up, he felt the large paws of a grizzly bear under him. The grizzly officer took him to an ambulance wagon and laid him on a stretcher.
- Where's… where's…? – he mumbled. He tried to sit up, but someone pushed him back. The gray-furred face of Dr. Marlene Schaefer hobbled into his view.
- It's alright, Officer. – the old Alsatian said, her paws assembling a syringe with years of routine.
- Doc, where's Judy… Officer Hopps? – Nick said, mustering the strength to sit up. The world became blurry again but he got a grip on himself. His eyes finally focused on the face of the physician treating him, and the expression on that face was enough alone to clench his heart in icy talons.
- I'm sorry, Officer. She… she didn't make it.

Nick couldn't clearly remember what happened immediately afterwards. He remembered jumping to his trembling feet. He needed to see, he needed to know. It took a rhino officer to pin him down, and even the rhino had some difficulties. He was finally sedated and taken to the nearest hospital. He awoke two days later, feeling like a hollow shell of his former self. A large, bunny-shaped hole was left in his heart and soul. It was over, it was all over.
The funeral was short and sad, and Nick was grateful that neither the Police, nor the politicians made it a huge media event. Judy's large, extended family, was, of course, there, as was her ZPD comrades and friends outside the Service. Even Mr. Big came, promising swift but painful judgment if he ever found out to whoever did this to his granddaughter's godmother. Nick stood silently in the first row of the crowd, feeling lonelier than he ever was in his life.
The next day, Nick arrived early at ZPD Headquarters. Although none have spoken to him, he felt dozens of eyes looking at him.
- Hey, Ben. – he said, reaching the receptionist's desk. Clawhauser, the big-bellied cheetah, usually always cheerful, was now looking at him with tearful eyes.
- Hey, Nick. – he said- How.. how's it goin'?
The fox looked at him with a scowl.
- Is the Chief in? – he asked with a growl and left after Clawhauser nodded silently.
Nick knocked on the police chief's door and entered after given admittance. He found Chief Bogo, the bulky cape buffalo behind his ample-sized desk, looking at the freshest daily reports.
- Wilde. – he said with a curt nod.
- Hey, Chief. – Nick sighed. They looked at each other in empty silence until the Chief spoke up.
- Is there anything I can do for you?
It wasn't an everyday occurrence for Bogo to say something like that. Although he cared deeply for his officers, he almost never let the mask of stern efficiency slip.
- I was thinking… - Nick muttered – Now that… I think it's time for me to move on.
- What the…? – Bogo growled, the sound coming deep from his throat.
- I want to resign, Chief. – Nick blurted out, ripping the shiny police badge off his chest and slamming it down Bogo's desk.
- Request denied. – Bogo said without even flinching.
- What? – Nick moaned – You can't force me to stay!
- As a matter of fact, I can, Wilde. – the Chief said, fighting himself to keep his calm – You're part of the Service, my Service, and I won't let you leave like this.
- Permission to speak freely, Sir?
- Granted.
- Chief, there's nothing for me here. Everything I did here, I did it for her. I did it for Judy. Now that she's… - he gulped down hard – she's gone, there's nothing left to keep me here.
- That's a huge load of baloney, Wilde! – Bogo said slowly – We all miss Hopps. I know it's even harder for you. But you're a good cop and you have proven that countless times since joining ZPD. And I need good cops.
- So what do you want me to do? – Nick said, shaking with fury and sadness.
- Go back to your case, do your utmost best to crack it. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for her memory. Make her proud!
- Chief, I…
- This conversation is over, Wilde. – Bogo stood up, his massive frame towering over the fox – Now get back to work before I bust your sorry tail back to parking duty!

The days seemed to drag on towards infinity. Nick refused to take a new partner, working alone at solving the newest Night Howler case. The cheerful, sly grin that was so characteristic of him was gone. He became silent and lonely, but also determined up to the point of obsession to solve the Night Howler cases. He knew something lurked in the background, something that was right under his nose, yet he couldn't figure it out. It was like something made of dust, you can never touch it because as you do, the grains slip away, past your fingers.
Two weeks after Judy's funeral, Nick has finished his shift and was getting ready to go home. He felt tired beyond belief. His physical injuries were only a painful memory now, but unseen scars were still freshly etched into his soul. He left his small office only to find Clawhauser standing in front of the door.
- Hey, Nick.
- Ben. – the fox nodded.
- I was thinking… you know… we never really had time to talk about…
- I'm not in the mood, Ben.
- Listen, Nick. We care about you. – the cheetah sounded so miserable, his voice broke through Nick's barrier of self-exile – I know how you feel. Judy was more than a friend for us. Let us help you, Nick.
He beckoned with his head toward the end of the corridor, where Nick spotted a couple of figures. Finnick, Flash, and even Chief Bogo was there, waiting for them. Nick felt overwhelmed with emotion. He invited his friends to his apartment where he rummaged through the kitchen drawer to find an unopened bottle. He grabbed some shot glasses and sat down at the table with his friends.
- Fermented carrot juice. – he said with a sad smile – I wanted to give this to her for her birthday. I don't think she'd mind…
He opened the bottle and poured a shot for each. The others left him raise his glass as the first: it was his time, after all.
- To Judy. – Nick said, and the others followed suit. They drank to the memory of a lost friend. When he was sure nobody could hear it, the fox silently added: - The only good thing that happened to me in my entire life.

Writing reports was never Nick's thing. Paperwork was always his personal bogeyman, he found it boring, and boredom made him annoyed beyond belief. He was twirling a pencil between his fingers for a good fifteen minutes now when he heard the ruckus outside. Roars, yells and sounds of struggle invaded his ears. He jumped to his feet. Something was wrong, and by the sound of it, very wrong.
It took him mere seconds to find himself in the aula of ZPD Headquarters, and he found something akin to a stampede there.
- Hey, Tusko, what's all this commotion? – he shouted over the ruckus. Next to him, the large bull elephant who could see over the heads of the crowd looked at him in utter shock.
- They're arresting Howlington. – he said, his eyes wide – And Polar McChill. And… I think that's Rudy Antlers too.
Nick couldn't believe his ears. He knew these three, all of Zootopia's finest did. They were top-tier cops, veterans, and role models for many.
- What in the blue…? – he whispered. He tried to wriggle himself nearer, but the larger animals stood like a living wall before him. The arrested were shouting curses at those who – although Nick couldn't see it – had them in pawcuffs. Onlooking cops were eyeing the scene discussing it loudly, or, like the fox, were too stunned to say a word.
- Allright, settle down, there's nothing to see here! – came the booming voice of Chief Bogo and his towering form cleared a way though his officers. Some were starting to ask questions, but a stern look made them reconsider. Bogo made his way through the crowd until he spotted Nick.
- Wilde, come with me.
Now everybody was looking at Nick. He himself was puzzled and more than a bit unsettled. Will he too get arrested? It didn't seem like it, at least Bogo didn't send at least a rhino to subdue him. So he followed the police chief, too confused to make a sound. He finally found his voice after they've cleared the crowd.
- Chief, what's this all about?
Bogo didn't answer. He led Nick to a small recreation room, basically a broom closet with a battered-up couch and a coffee machine on a rickety table.
- Wait here, Wilde. – the Chief finally said. He closed the door behind him as he left, leaving a rather confused Nick behind.
The fox sighed deeply, trying to set his thoughts straight. He has heard stories of fellow ZPD officers being arrested for some crime, but it was the first time he has ever witnessed it. Was he also a suspect? If yes, why wasn't he arrested? If not, why was he ordered to stay behind and not being allowed to know what was unfolding out there.
He finally settled down on the moth-eaten couch and closed his eyes. He knew something was terribly wrong, all his instincts were throwing alert signals at him. For a brief moment, he felt the same panic the night the explosion happened. No, no, no, it's not the time to think about that night, he scolded himself mentally. Then he heard the door opening with a creak and opened his eyes.
On the doorstep, looking rather disheveled and wearing raggedy civilian clothing, stood Judy.

Written by: thefirstfleet (David Metlesits)

Notes:
- Part one of my Zootopia fanfic. I kinda went overboard and the first part is really dark. I had to do it like this, you'll see.
- Code 420 means "illegal drugs" if I'm not utterly mistaken
- Judy and Nick have been a team for more than a year. What happens here will echo thorugh the story.