Chapter Twelve: The Reveal

Zootopia – Central Park

The morning sun shone down on the Stranger's back as they walked towards the high-rise that overlooked Central Park. Ignoring the peals of laughter and chatter from the animals around them, the Stranger was focused on their task. Their paw gripped around the handle of the briefcase, as they strode towards the glass doors of the building.

The Stranger was in deep thought until they were snapped back to the present when they bumped into an animal. After muttering their apologies, the Stranger continued their way. With each step that they took, their heart started to beat faster and faster. Sweat started to roll down their face, as their breath became shakier and shakier. Once the Stranger reached the glass doors, they opened it and was greeted by the cool breeze that the air conditioning provided.

As soon as the Stranger stepped inside, they immediately moved to their left, out of the way of the pedestrians who followed them inside. The Stranger turned around, and placed a left paw on the pillar, attempting to control their shaking breathing, while their right paw had a firm grip around the handle of the briefcase. This job was important, they knew, as it could go one of two ways: the destruction of the Silver Clan, or the destruction of the Zootopian Police Force, and eventually Zootopia itself.

The Stranger nodded to themselves and stood up straighter. After a few minutes of gaining their composure, they turned around, straightened their tie, and walked towards the front desk in the lobby.

An elderly female bear with glasses perched on her nose was focused on her work and didn't hear the Stranger approach her. The Stranger waited for a few minutes and spoke, "Excuse me?"

The female bear looked up and saw a smartly dressed animal looking back at her. She gave a tired smile and spoke, "How can I help you, dear?"

The Stranger nodded their head. "I've got an appointment with Mr. Livingston. Donovan Livingston, I believe?"

The bear nodded her head and spoke, "I'm sorry, dear. Mr. Livingston's out today. Would you like to reschedule?"

The animal shook their head. "Mr. Livingston told me that I could go upstairs and wait for him in his office. Can I do that?"

The bear immediately shook her head. "It's against policy, dear. I'm afraid, I can't allow that."

The Stranger gave a sad smile and nodded their head. "Thank you. I appreciate all of your help." They started to turn around and walk away, until a thought struck them. The Stranger stopped in their tracks, and put on a winning grin, before turning around. "But the problem is, I need to give this paperwork to Mr. Livingston. He represents my boss' firm and…" the Stranger chuckled softly, "The trial is in several days, and Mr. Livingston needs these now." The animal raised the briefcase as shook it slightly as to emphasize the point.

The bear hesitated. Finally, she nodded her head and turned around in her chair, "Hang on a minute, dear." She stood up and slowly walked towards the door that was behind her desk. She opened it and stepped inside.

Even though it was several minutes that passed, it felt like hours to the Stranger. They started to pace back and forth impatiently, as they continued to look at their watch. They knew that they were several hours early but wanted to get this job over with it. Finally, the squeaky hinges caused the Stranger's ears to perk up, and he turned around. Behind the elderly bear, was a lion, in a security guard uniform. The Stranger smiled and took a step forward, while their eyes looked the lion up and down. He was wearing the standard security guard outfit, in dark blue and a black tie. Around his hip was a belt that had a taser and pepper spray attached to it. A squeal was heard, and the security guard immediately adjusted his walkie-talkie, and nodded at the Stranger.

The bear picked up a white card with red letters on it. Clearly visible was the word, "VISITOR" and the bear handed it to the Stranger. "You can go to his office, it's on the eighth floor, west wing." She spoke. This card will allow you access to the elevator, and Steve, here, will keep an eye on you.

The lion nodded his head at the mention of his name. The Stranger gave a disarming smile, grabbed the card and nodded their head. "You've helped me so much, thank you." The animal spun around with the card and started to walk towards the elevator. Steve the lion started to follow, their paw resting softly on the taser that was on their belt.

The Stranger pressed the button on the elevator and looked at the security guard. They smiled, but Steve didn't return the smile. Rather, Steve kept his eyes directly forward at the elevator doors. The doors opened with a ding, signaling the elevator's arrival, and the Stranger stepped inside, with the lion in tow. Once they arrived in the elevator, the Stranger saw a slot for the card, and started to swipe it. They failed several times, before Steve rolled his eyes, grabbed the card, flipped it around and swiped it. A green light flashed, and Steve spoke, his deep voice rumbling through the elevator "Eighth floor?"

"Yes please, thank you."

The lion nodded his head and pushed the button. As the doors closed, the Stranger smiled to themselves. The plan was going off without a hitch.

Silence reigned between the two animals, except for the music that wafted through the speakers of the elevator. The Stranger cleared their throats, looked at Steve and spoke, "Did you catch the game the other day? That was a nail biter, that one."

Steve grunted, but gave no response. The Stranger shrugged their shoulders and looked back at the clear, silvery elevator doors. As soon as they reached the eighth floor, the doors opened, and the Stranger almost jumped with delight. In front of them was a crowd of animals, waiting to get on the elevator. At the sight of the Stranger and Steve, the animals parted ways, providing a pathway through the small group. The Stranger smiled politely, and after targeting an inattentive animal in the back of the group, they started to walk towards them. As they did, their eyes scanned the animal, a female feline, dressed in a black skirt, white buttoned-down shirt and a black jacket. But clipped to the bottom of her jacket, within easy reach, was another key card.

Oh honey… the Stranger thought to themselves. You must be new.

Keeping their attention to their right the Stranger bumped into the cat, with their left shoulder. The animal gave a squeak of surprise, as she felt a rough body hit her. But the Stranger was quick and efficient. With their left paw, they grabbed the key card off her jacket, and immediately hid it within the sleeves of their suit. The Stranger mumbled their apologies as the cat glared at them. The Stranger turned around, and after assuring that the key card was still nestled safely in their sleeves, continued their way.

The Stranger and Steve finally reached Donovan Livingston's office. At the sight of the door, the Stranger turned around and looked at the lion. They held up the briefcase and spoke, "I'm good here, I don't need you anymore. These documents are for Livingston's eyes only."

The lion grunted and shook their head, but the Stranger pressed on. "What am I going to do, Steve? There are animals everywhere on this floor. All I'm going to do is just slip these papers underneath the door… but these papers, they're need to know, and you don't… need." The Stranger smiled a bit, hoping that the lion would leave.

Several seconds passed, and Steve grunted again, but nodded. "Alright, don't do anything stupid. You know your way back down?"

The Stranger nodded their heads, and after thanking the lion, the animal turned around and placed the briefcase on the floor. They pretended to open the lid, but as they did, they turned immediately around and saw that Steve had disappeared. Instead of standing up and making a beeline to the elevator, the Stranger spent a few minutes, pretending to gather the papers within the case.

Finally, the Stranger closed the briefcase, stood up, turned around and walked towards the elevator. They pressed the button, and the elevator doors opened within a second. The Stranger exhaled softly, not believing their luck. They stepped inside, turned around and pulled out the key card that they had taken from the cat, and swiped it. As soon as they did, they clicked on the fifteenth floor, knowing that it would take them to the vantage point that they wanted

The elevator moved, taking the Stranger with it. Within a few seconds, the doors opened, and the Stranger was greeted to a vast empty space, used for construction. The Stranger smiled to themselves and was glad that the intelligence that they had gathered about the building was accurate.

They moved out of the elevator, and after it closed, the Stranger immediately walked to the center of the room, turned right and went towards the open window. They looked out through the window and saw that they had a clear view of Central Park. The Stranger smiled to themselves as they watched animals mill below them. In plain sight…. Just what the Boss wanted.

The Stranger looked down below the windowsill and recognized their rifle case. They shook their heads. How'd Bogo get this up here? They chuckled to themselves. I'll have to ask him.

The animal knelt and unlocked the case with their key and opened the lid. Their eyes met the familiar sight of the rifle, and after checking to make sure they had everything, the Stranger closed the case. They stood back up, looked at the park and checked the time.

10:45 am.

The Stranger nodded their heads and sat down on the windowsill, watching the animals below them. They reached in their pocket and pulled out their phone. After pressing a number, the line started to ring. After a few seconds, an animal on the other line picked up. As soon as the Stranger heard the click, they spoke, "I'm here."

"Good." Bogo responded. "Remember the plan, stick to the plan, and this will be all over."

"What's the status on Nick?" they asked.

Bogo grunted. "He's still off the force. Even though Snow returned the diamond, I know that Wilde was there with her."

"So how do I get Nick to this park? What's the status on him?"

"Stick to the plan. He hasn't come back yet, even though Jennifer Snow returned the diamond. She says that she was alone, but I know that Wilde was with her." Bogo was silent, then continued, "Wilde can't resist. He knows that we're understaffed, especially with the deaths of Wolfgard and Rizzoli, along with the imprisonment of Fey. Not to mention that Hornigold's out. The only officers that are available will be Snow, and where Snow goes, Wilde will follow. I will make sure of it."

The Stranger nodded to themselves and hung up the phone. As soon as they did, they pressed another number and waited.

"What?" That was the Leader.

"I'm here."
A small chuckle erupted from the Leader's lips, causing goosebumps to rise on the Stranger's body. "Good. That's good. My men are already on the ground. Wait until 11:15 and make the call. Make sure that Nick's there and kill him. Make sure he is dead!"

The Leader took a deep breath and continued, "Nicholas Wilde has found the diamond."

The Stranger wisely was silent, as the Leader continued "So our money is gone. My whole plan is ruined. So please, kill him. And must I remind you that it will be you that will be dead if you don't complete the job."

"How'd he find it?"

"I don't know!" The Leader roared with fury. "I called the animals who were supposed th make the sell and guess who picked up the phone? Nicholas Wilde!" The Stranger cursed loudly. "Nicholas Wilde!"

The animal cleared their throat and spoke, "It will be done, Boss. But if I may interject, three animals? Isn't that overkill?"

"I didn't ask you for your opinion!" The Leader snapped. "That fox has been a thorn in my side, and I want to destroy him here and now!" The Leader paused for a second before continuing, "Besides, three gunmen will cause more chaos. That's what we need. Chaos."

"As you…"

The Stranger was cutoff when the Leader hung up the phone. They shook their head sadly and placed it back in their pocket. Finally, after looking down at the park below, they sat down on the windowsill and watched the animals laugh and play.

Now all they had to do was to wait.

/

Zootopia – Outside ZPD

Jennifer Snow took a bite of her sandwich, and as soon as she did, part of the filling of the sandwich flew out of the end and fell, hitting the brown paper bag on her lap. Through chewing, the fox groaned to herself, placed the sandwich down and opened it. She picked up the discarded ingredients and started to remake her lunch. When she was done, she picked up her sandwich again and started to munch on it, happy that her hunger is finally satisfied.

It's been a wild several days, she thought to herself, shaking her head. That's a lie. This whole partnership with Nick was a rollercoaster.

She sat on the bench, overlooking the green grass of the small park that was next to the ZPD. Out in the distance, she could see a group of uniformed kids playing soccer, with their parents cheering on the sidelines. As she watched, she quickly munched on her lunch, but found herself thinking of all the events that happened between them in their partnership.

Everything from the arsonist to the child molester and finally ending with their conversation in the apartment raced through her mind. She was putting the last bite in her mouth, when her thought rested on the kiss.

Her lips tingled as she replayed the event in her mind, and the vixen smiled softly to herself. She loved it when Nick had made the first move. But as soon as she thought of the kiss, Snow immediately scoffed to herself. We need to be friends… Nothing more. The vixen shook her head and started to crumple her sandwich bag and place it back into her brown paper bag when her phone rang. Snow pulled out her phone and quickly looked at the Caller-ID, and after seeing who it was, she sighed to herself. The job's never done.

The vixen wiped her mouth with a napkin that she pulled out from the paper bag, cleared her throat and pressed "answer."

"This is Snow. What do you have for me Clawhauser?"

"Dead body, on the beach of a river in Rainforest District. You need to access it via the Monkey Trail. According to the hikers who found him, the body's a little less than half a mile from where you start." The fat cheetah spoke. "We have a patrolman on scene, and CSI's are on their way. You need to get there now."

"Thanks Clawsie."

"Should I call Nick?" Clawhauser asked.

Snow shook her head, then realized that the fat cheetah couldn't see her. "Er, Clawhauser… Nick's not with the force anymore, remember?"

There was no response from Clawhouser for a few seconds. Finally, he spoke, his voice tinged with sadness. "That's right. I keep forgetting."

The vixen smiled. "It's alright, Clawsie. Please show me en route."

As soon as Snow said that sentence, she moved the phone away from her ear and placed it back into her pocket. She grabbed the paper bag from her lap, stood up and crumbled it in her paws. The vixen turned to her right, walked a couple of steps and threw it in the trashcan before heading towards the parking lot. Once she arrived at her car, she immediately went to the trunk. After opening her trunk, the vixen grabbed a pair of waterproof boots and swapped it out with her normal ZPD shoes. Finally, Snow pulled out a poncho, and an umbrella. After rechecking that she had everything, the officer closed the trunk and moved to the driver's seat. She got in, tossed her items on the passenger seat, started her car and drove towards the Rainforest District.

Upon arriving at the parking lot for the trail, she saw another police car, and parked her vehicle next to it. Rain splashed against her windshield, and Snow shook her head. Seems like it's raining harder than usual…That with the body in the water… that's not good.

The vixen looked to her right and grabbed the poncho, and immediately put it on. After picking up her umbrella, Snow opened the door to her car, then opened the protective gear, the raindrops hitting against the plastic umbrella hard. The vixen stepped out, and after placing her umbrella on her right shoulder, she closed her car and locked it. Snow looked towards the entrance of the trail and nodded her head. Here we go.

After what seemed like a long time of nearly slipping, falling and generally making a fool of herself because of the muddy trail, Snow reached the bank of the river. It was already tied off, and other than the patrol unit that was on scene, another familiar animal was present. At the sight of her, Snow smiled and took a step forward, calling her name in greeting. "Abby!"

The wombat turned around and peered through her giant spectacles. "Jennifer! How are you doing on this, well… wet day?"

"Not too bad. I'm not complaining at all. Say, Abby… what are you doing out here? You've been showing up at crime scenes more and more lately."

Abby shrugged. "The usual guy is sick, so I have to replace him. I think he has pneumonia." She sighed. "Terrible business, pneumonia is… he's in the hospital."

Snow nodded her head with understanding. She looked over at the body on the sandy shore. "Who's that?"

The wombat didn't hear her. "I had this niece; her name was Lydia. She got pneumonia and was stuck in the hospital for several days, doncha know?"

Oh no… Snow thought to herself. "Abby, please."

"Yeah, it was touch and go for the first two days." She shook her head. "In fact, the doctors had come in to see mah family and they said…" The wombat immediately stopped her. She looked at Snow sheepishly and smiled. "I did it again, didn't I?"

Snow chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Abby." After the wombat returned her smile, the arctic vixen pointed at the dead body and repeated her question.

Abby shrugged. "Don't know yet. I just got here. Thought it would be good to wait for ya."

"Thanks." The vixen reached into her poncho and pulled out white latex gloves and put them on her paws. "Let's see what, or rather, who we have, here."

She stepped underneath the tape and walked towards the body with the wombat in tow. Upon arriving there, Snow shook her head. She had seen floaters in her years on the force, but still was not used to it. The body was faced first into the sand and was stripped naked. Snow squatted down, her analytical eyes scanning the victim. He was purple and bloated, but even though it was clear that the victim had been in the water, the process of decomposition just started. She looked back at Abby, who was peering over her shoulder. "How cold's the water?" She asked, gesturing towards the river with her head.

"Cold enough." Abby spoke. "It seems to have preserved him pretty well."

Snow nodded her head, then looked back at the body. It was a strange scene. For one, the body was naked. For another, the clear smooth skin was visible as there were no traces of fur, as if someone purposefully shaved him before the dump, Snow thought to herself as she continued to look up and down the body.

As Abby looked over her shoulder, Snow ran her gloved paws over the skin, and sighed to herself. Finally, the vixen stood up and after folding her arms, realized that a nagging feeling was bugging her. There's something off about him.

Snow looked over the body one more time, and finally spotted it. Down and above his bottom, was a stump, where a tail used to be. After noticing that detail, the vixen squatted again and peered closer. It's a perfect cut…

Someone had shaved his fur, and then cut his tail, a clear attempt to hide his identity. Snow shook her head and smiled. Fingerprints never lie.

At that thought, she moved near the victim's head, and picked up the arm, stiff with rigor mortis, and peered underneath his paws. She was awarded with the vision of scar tissue. Someone burned them off. What the heck? Snow stood up surprised.

She looked at Abby and spoke, "Fur's been shaved. No tail and no fingerprints. Someone's going through a lot of trouble."

The wombat spoke, worry on her face. "Dental?"

Snow squatted down and inched closer. She moved the side of the victim's mouth, and shined her flashlight on him, revealing gums. The fox looked back and shook her head. "What's going on, Abby?" She asked, standing back up.

The wombat shrugged. "One way to find out. We've gotta flip him over."

Snow nodded and moved around to the other side of the body. She grabbed the victim's chest and started to pull, while Abby helped her by pushing from the other side. After a second of grunting, the two women were able to flip the victim over.

Snow gasped. The body was in worse shape than she originally thought. There were deep cuts on the both of his legs, along with another cut in his shoulder. A huge bruise was evident on the side of his face, but what sold it all was the gunshot wound at the temple of his head. Another nagging sensation tugged at Snow and she stared at the body, reaching into her memory, trying to place his face.

Instead, the vixen shook her head and looked at the wombat. "Can you tell me what kind of animal he is?" Snow asked. "I mean, with him like this…"

The wombat swallowed nervously. "I can look over him right now, but there's not much to work on. I mean, I can bring out a device that's kinda like an X-Ray and get his skeletal structure and tell you what kind of animal he is."

"Can you do that?"

"Sure can, Snow." Abby responded. She turned around and spoke to another CSI that was nearby. "Hey, Darnell! Can I borrow the Beast?"

"The beast?" Snow asked.

"Not the best. It's the beast." Abby corrected her. "It's a handheld X-Ray, that looks like a tablet. It's not concise in what kind of specie it'll tell me, but it'll get the job done."

Darnell nodded and reached inside his jacket. He pulled out a black square, and Snow watched as the wombat take it from him. She turned it on and got to work, first standing over the dead animal's head, and slowly making her way down.

Instead of watching her friend work, the vixen turned around and walked towards the river. Ignoring the rain pelting against her poncho, mixed with the sound of the rushing water, Snow attempted to come up with a theory of how the body was dumped. If they were in the water this long, maybe they were weighted down? She turned around and looked back at Abby. The wombat was already at the animal's chest, the light from the tablet doing the work. Snow called out, "Do you see any bruising around his ankles or legs?"

Abby turned around and looked down. She spent a few minutes and then finally shook her head. "Not at the legs, no." Abby called back. "But there were signs at the wrist. He was bound."

Snow turned back to the river. So, he wasn't weighted down… which means he was dumped further up the river. That makes sense, because the river in the Rainforest District were miles long, and it would take them forever to even find the dumping point, even if they could find it. Snow sighed and placed her paws on her hips.

"Got it!" Abby spoke up. At the sound of her voice, Snow turned around and walked towards the wombat. "What specie is he?"

"Like I said, the Beast isn't concise, though it does help narrow down the species list. This animal came from the Panthera Family."

"And who's in that family?"

"Oh you know, the usual… Leopards, Tigers, Lions, Jaguars, Panthers."

As soon as Abby answered, the nagging feeling became more apparent in her gut. Suddenly the memory of her in Abby's office, looking over a picture, hit her like a lightning bolt, causing Snow to gasp with shock. Abby glanced at her quickly. "What's wrong? Do you know him?"

"I…" Snow stammered. "I think so." She looked closely at the face. Add some fur… a mane and clean up his face… The result she got from her imagination matched with her memory.

"Snow?" Abby tried again. "Who's he?"

The vixen spun around and grabbed the wombat, dragging her away, and out of earshot. After making sure that the noise of the river mixed with the rain covered her voice, Snow spoke, "This is not good… Not good at all." She started to pace, her paw on her forehead as she tried to decide what to do. Inside of her, conflict enraged as she wanted to protect her friend, but at the same time, her sense of duty told her that justice needed to be served.

"Snow!" Abby was nearly yelling. "Who is he?"

"Abby!" Snow stopped, throwing her paws out with exasperation. "Don't you recognize him?"

"No! That's why I've been askin'!"

The vixen looked back towards the fallen body. "That…" she sighed with frustration, knowing that Nick has a lot of explaining to do. "That's Duke Matthews."

/

Zootopia- Central Park

11:45 am.

The Stranger looked up from their watch and nodded to themselves. It's go time, they thought to themselves. They knelt on the ground and opened the rifle case. As soon as it was opened, the Stranger pulled out their cellphone and texted a number. When the message was sent, the Stranger started to assemble their rifle.

A few minutes later, a dinging noise was heard from their phone, and the Stranger pulled it out. It was a response from Bogo, which merely read, "He's on his way."

The Stranger nodded to themselves again for the umpteenth time and stood up. As soon as they did, anxiety erupted from the pits of their stomach as they pictured the fox stepping in the view of their scope. The Stranger took a deep breath and turned around, resting the rifle on the windowsill, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

/

Zootopia – Nick Wilde's Trailer

Nicholas Wilde picked up the last scrap of paper that was on the ground. He sighed sadly to himself, as it was the last report of the crime scene at the Zassy Zebra. The fox shook his head and placed it in the large brown box that was on the counter in his kitchen. As soon as he placed it in the box, guilt weighed heavily on his heart. Even though his trip to Judy's grave, and his conversations with both Bonnie Hopps and Jennifer Snow went well, he still felt the pangs of guilt in his heart, and the vulpine knew that it was something he would have to work through.

Wilde pulled out his phone and checked the time.

11:07 am

He sighed again, knowing that Bonnie's conversation with him helped him jump start his ability to move on, and Snow allowed him to make headway, but this was something he had to do by himself. The vulpine knew that if he had held onto everything from Judy's case, he would go back down into the rabbit hole.

And I don't want to do that again, not when I've finally come back out

Nick looked back into the box and saw Judy's face. The vulpine took a deep breath and exhaled. By the book. By the book.

With that in mind, the fox grabbed the large box, turned around and walked through the front door of his trailer. After he stepped down onto the concrete, he made a beeline towards his Mustang, where the trunk was already opened. Once at the car, Nick placed the box inside, and closed the trunk, knowing that he would have to take it to the ZPD and be prepared to close the chapter of his life.

But was he prepared for that? I… I can't do this, Judy. I feel like I'm shutting you out.

The image of Jennifer Snow entered his mind, and Nick's heart felt lighter. Maybe this was the only way to move on. He replayed the kiss in his mind, and even felt the pain in his paw when Snow smacked it. The vulpine smiled stupidly to himself. Judy would want me to be happy… but that was a stupid move I made… I shouldn't have done that. Guilt overcame his heart, and the fox sighed with sadness. Why is moving on so hard?

He looked back at the car and temptation overcame him. For a split second, he wanted to pull his keys out and unlock the car, take the box out and bring it back into the trailer. He wanted to dump the contents of the box and hang every single shred of evidence back up in his closet. As soon as that thought entered his mind, Nick quashed it immediately and shook his head. I'm going to do it by the book. Like Snow says…. A thought struck him immediately and the fox groaned to himself. How can I do that if I'm not on the force anymore?

Instead, Nick turned around and started to walk back to his trailer. When he stepped inside, he grabbed a boot that he used to keep the door open and closed it. The fox sighed to himself and shook his head. Now I need a job.

He grabbed his laptop that was on the counter of the kitchen and opened it. A half an hour had passed before the fox closed it. He shook his head and muttered to himself. "What can I do? Being an officer is all I've known."

The vulpine immediately looked at his phone and spoke out loud as an image of Finnick crossed his mind. "Well, not necessarily." He stood up and walked towards the device, and after grabbing it, he started to dial a number.

As soon as he did, Judy's voice echoed in his mind Promise me you won't go back.

Wilde groaned and looked up at the ceiling of the trailer. He threw his paws up in exasperation and spoke, "What do you want me to do Judy? I'm not a cop anymore. Being a cop and a hustler, is all I've known. Tell me, Judy! If I can't be a cop, I need to go back to the only fox I know how to be." He shook his head and continued, "Bogo's behind your death, somehow, Judy. He owes me an explanation and won't give it to me." He scoffed. "I can't work for him."

You're the best officer I've ever seen.

"But that doesn't erase the fact that I quit." Nick shook his head. He was silent for a few seconds, staring at the phone in his paw. "In fact, Judy… or whatever Divine Being is up there, if you give me a miracle or… even a sign that I should go back to Bogo and the force, let me know now."

There was no answer, and Wilde scoffed to himself. "I must be going crazy." He muttered as he dialed Finnick's phone number. He was about to put in the last digit of the sequence, when the cellphone rang.

Nick jumped with surprise and looked at the caller's-ID. He did a double take and looked up at the ceiling. He pictured Judy in the heavens, her arms folded and a smirk on her face. The fox shook his head, looked back down at the phone and spoke with a normal voice. "Well, hallelujah!"

He pressed answer and spoke, "What do you want, Bogo?"

"Wilde…" the Chief started.

"If you're calling to give me an explanation, now would be a perfect time to hear it," Nick interrupted. "Otherwise you can bugger off!"

"Wilde." Bogo paused. "You're right. I do have some explaining to do, but now is not the time."

Nick scoffed. "Then why are you calling? Judy was my best friend, Chief… and I had a former officer point out that you… you, were behind this. Tell me."

"I'll explain everything, I promise, Wilde. I can't do it right now. You're needed."

"I'm needed? Why? You've got the entire ZPD at your disposable. In case you didn't know, I quit."

"Because we're understaffed, Wilde! Get your head out of your ass and please come back to us. We have three officers dead, one in prison and several more wounded and cannot work. We need you back in the field. I need you." There was a small pause, before Bogo continued "Wilde, someone's called that there's a disturbance happening in Central Park. I need you to go check it out. After you do that, I will explain everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Nick was silent for a couple of seconds, his inner turmoil clashing against each other. Finally, his desire to protect and serve won out, and the vulpine nodded to himself. "I'm on my way."

"Good." With that, Bogo hung up the phone. As soon as Nick placed the phone in his pocket, the fox shook his head. A gut warning told him that something was wrong, but the fox shook his head. Whatever it was, at least he would hear from the mouth of Bogo, why Judy was killed.

He pushed the trailer door open and not bothering to lock it, Nick made a beeline to his car. He immediately started the engine, and opened the glovebox, and pulled out his spare gun. The fox then put his car in reverse and turned around, before roaring towards Central Park.

/

Zootopia – Rainforest District

When I get to him… I'm going to be rational. I won't be aggressive. Sure… I may want to kill him, but that's a bad idea, Jennifer Snow thought to herself as she pushed the branch out of her face. Rain pelted against her poncho as the vixen trudged up the trail, that led back to the parking lot and her car.

Nick said he had nothing to do with this… Do I believe him? Snow hesitated for a few minutes. She stopped in her tracks and stood up straighter, attempting to breathe easier. The vixen then though back to her conversation with him.

I had nothing to do with Duke… Nothing at all. Nick's voice echoed through her mind. Snow shook her head. If she believed him and evidence turned up to the contrary, she didn't know what she'd do.

And we've been through hell together, Nick. Please be honest with me.

Snow continued her trek up the small trail. After several minutes, she finally reached the parking lot and got to her car. She immediately opened the driver's side door and got into it, before closing it. As soon as she sat down, her phone rang. Pulling it out, Snow answered it, "This is Snow."

"Hey, Jennifer!" It was Abby. "I did my quick preliminary inspection." She spoke over the noise of the rushing wind. "But I gotta have to turn it over to the Medical Examiner who'll tell me more. But, Jennifer… you gotta know that I took a scan of the body and it showed me some bruising underneath the skin. I'm sending you the pictures of the results now."

As soon as Abby said those words, Snow heard her phone ding. She moved the phone away and opened the text message from the wombat. Three sets of pictures appeared, and the vixen looked through them quickly.

"Remember, these are all assumptions. It'll be better when the M.E does an autopsy. But before we get to the bruises, we've got no DNA… well really, we've got no evidence about who did this."

"Well, we know that Duke's been shot. It's clear from the gaping hole in the side of his head!" Snow spoke, exasperation in her voice. "Can't you start with that?"

"I already did," Abby protested. "But it's hard to see in the rain, Jennifer! There's no exit wound, so the bullet's still in his brain."

"Good, give it to the M.E. and have them fish it out. What about the bruises."

"First…" Abby hesitated. "I gotta ask you something."

"Spit it out, Abby."

"Did Nick have something to do with this?"

Snow was silent for a couple of minutes. She looked outside her car window and watched as the rain hit the asphalt of the road. Finally, she sighed and spoke, "I don't know that answer, Abby."

"Well, if he did have something to do with this, then he, or whoever did this, is covering their tracks well. Except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"The bruises. They appear on both of his shoulders, and they're green. That means it couldn't have happened more than a week ago."

"Nick saw him longer before than that…" Snow muttered to herself. "Maybe someone was with him and didn't dump the body until it was clear? But why would they do that?"

Not catching any of that, Abby continued "And it's big. I mean, they're huge, Jennifer! That would mean someone of great strength would drag this lion away. I know Nick's strong, but not that strong."

Snow nodded her head to herself. "So, what kind of animal could do that?"

Abby didn't hesitate to answer. "I'd need to do some more investigating, but I'd say bear."

A bear… Snow thought to herself. "Okay, Abby. Thanks for your help. Give the body to the M.E and get back to me on anything you find."

"Will do, Jennifer!"

"And Abby?"

"Yeah?"

"Do not under any circumstances tell anyone else about this investigation. I need to talk to Nick, and you need to tell me, and only me, what's happened to him."

"But…"

"Please, Abby. This would mean a lot."

Abby sighed. "I trust you, Snow. You'll hear from me."

Snow beamed. "Thanks Abby!" She hung up the phone and tossed it on the passenger seat. As soon as the device hit the chair, the vixen started the engine. She was ready to leave the dismal biodome.

As Snow drove towards the heart of Zootopia, frustration started to mount up. But with each building frustration, Snow started to bury her feelings deeper and deeper. She was willing to give Nick another chance, but the vixen shook her head, he's starting to run out of chances.

"But what if he's telling the truth?" Snow muttered to herself. "What kind of partner would that make me?"

She shook her head, knowing that the only thing she had to hold on was the promise that the two foxes had for each other, and that was to be honest. Snow hoped that Nick would remember the promise that was made several days ago and honor it.

The vixen was deep in thought that she didn't hear her phone ring. It rang two more times before she snapped back to reality and picked up the phone. After clicking answer, the officer pressed the speaker button and balanced the phone on her leg. "This is Snow."

As Snow listened to the voice on the other line, her heart started to race, and her breathing became shallower. Fear and anxiety clashed against each other in her soul as she listened to the caller. But as the caller was speaking, their voice slowly started to dim into the background as she remembered that night with Charlie. No… Not again…

A horn blared, snapping Snow back to the present, and she jerked the steering wheel to the right, straightening her car. A semi-truck blared past, and Snow started to focus on the road again, attempting to control her shaky breath. The caller was still speaking.

"Where?" she demanded, cutting the speaker's voice off.

As soon as the vixen received the location, she pressed on the gas pedal. The engine roared louder, as Snow raced towards the metropolitan city of Zootopia.

/

Zootopia – Central Park

"Where is he…" The Stranger muttered to themselves, as they looked through the scope of their rifle. It was 12:05 pm and he hadn't showed up yet. The Stranger slowly moved their rifle away from their face and looked down towards the park, and watched the animals walk around. They knew that if more animals showed up, and the Stranger pulled the job, there would be no way for them to escape. They would surely be caught, and several months of hard work would have gone down the drain. The Stranger exhaled nervously, as a bead of sweat appeared on their face. They could always postpone the job to a different day, but it would be hard, impossible even, for Nick to make a return to Central Park.

Not only that, but the Stranger would face their boss' wrath, and they certainly wanted to stay alive, for the sake of Bogo. The Stranger sighed and moved the rifle up to their face and looked through the scope again.

They scanned over the small pond that was in the center of the park. Many adults and children walked on the sidewalks around the pond. Across the pond, a large green field, big enough to have several soccer matches happening at the same time, laid. Several goal posts lined the end of the fields. Something appeared in the corner of the Stranger's vision through the scope, and they moved to get a better view. It was a blue and yellow kite, flying in the breeze. The Stranger followed the string of the kite down to its owners and was greeted with a father and his cub, holding the reel and making sure that the kite was staying steady.

The Stranger sighed to themselves and moved the rifle away. They shook their head and muttered, "Why Central Park… Why? There's way too many animals here."

A flash of orange caught their sharp vision and the Stranger looked down to their right and saw a familiar vulpine walking across the field. Bingo.

They immediately knelt and brought the rifle up to their face, the scope zooming in on their target. The Stranger watched as Nick looked around the field, confusion evident on his face, as he spoke in the phone. They watched as the vulpine's demeanor changed from one of confused to anger. Suddenly, Nick was yelling at the phone, and then he hung up, putting it in his pocket.

No… Don't turn around…

Nick turned around and started to walk back to the parking lot. But he immediately stopped and through the scope, the Stranger saw him sigh, turn around and the Stranger froze momentarily, thinking that the fox had seen them.

Nick was looking at the building, but nothing flashed across his face that was cause for alarm. Instead, the vulpine turned around and started to walk towards the lake on the left side of the building. The Stranger followed their target with their rifle as they watched Nick get to a bench in front of the lake and sit down. After he sat down, the fox raised a right paw and balanced it on his left leg and folded his hands on his head. He smiled blissfully and closed his eyes, as the sun streamed down on his face.

The moment of bliss caused the Stranger to faulter. They loosened the finger around the trigger as they watched the fox. Guilt started to build up inside of them, as they knew that one movement of the rifle would kill him once and for all. For a moment, the Stranger pondered cancelling the job and alerting the fox somehow, but they knew that in doing so, they would destroy all the work that they had done.

A gunshot noise was heard, and the Stranger looked back through the scope. As soon as the gunshot was heard, Nick had immediately jumped off the bench and hurried towards a tree, facing the building. The Stranger moved their rifle down towards the ground and saw three animals, dressed in black and all in ski-masks shooting at the tree. Right on time.

They brought the rifle back up to the tree and saw Nick peer around the tree. As soon as they did, one animal shot their pistol, causing the fox to scramble back.

Come one… Give me the shot… Give me the shot…

Nick was behind the tree for what seemed like several hours. But when he finally jumped out, his gun in hand, the Stranger almost missed the opportunity. Instinct and muscle memory from years of training kicked in and the Stranger moved the crosshair from the scope down from his head and down to the fleshy part of his side. They breathed slowly and pulled the trigger.

The bullet seemed to travel in slow motion, and it whizzed from the fifteenth floor of their vantage point and smashed through Nick's skin. From their vantage point, and over the screaming of fear, the Stranger could hear a yelp of pain that emitted from Nick.

There was no time to waste. The Stranger moved away from the fox and took aim at one of the animals. Instead of shooting at the body, they raised up the crosshairs and took aim at the skull. Within a few seconds, all three animals were dead on the ground, blood pouring out in the dirt.

The Stranger exhaled heavily, releasing the rush of adrenaline, and brought up the rifle. They looked through the scope and saw that Nick was not moving. Worry over came them, but then they started to calm down, when they saw his body twitch. They were instructed by Bogo, not to kill him, and was provided with a laced bullet that would put him in a deep sleep.

The Stranger smiled. Sleep well.

They heard the sirens of ambulances and police officers getting closer and closer with each passing second, and the Stranger nodded their heads. Bogo had kept to the plan, by having extra patrolmen near the park. Now they would get Nick and transport him to the closest hospital.

The Stranger took the scope off the rifle and placed it in the case. As soon as they did, they pulled out their phone and pressed a number. After placing it on speaker, the Stranger got back to work on putting their weapon away.

Without bothering to say hello, The Leader spoke, "Is it done?"

"He's dead."

"Good. That's a thorn removed. And the other gunmen?"

The Stranger shook their head. "Nick got them all. All of them are down."

As soon as they said the sentence, the Stranger popped their head from below the windowsill and saw that the EMT had arrived on scene and was loading Nick into the ambulance.

The Leader snarled. "You didn't help them?"

The Stranger scoffed. "They certainly weren't helping me. They were in my line of sight the whole time. When Nick got them all, he was more exposed. I ended him. That's what matters right? You wanted the fox gone, and he's gone."

The Leader was silent. Finally, they spoke, "You're right. But don't ever talk back to me like that ever again. Now… we move onto the final phase."

The Stranger was surprised. "The final phase? What's the final phase?"

"You don't need to know until the day of, because I'll have need of you." The Leader chuckled. "Just know that by this time, next week, the Silver Clan will control the government and the police!"

With that sentence, the Leader hung up the phone and the Stranger immediately closed the case. They picked it up, turned around and started to make a beeline towards the elevator. They pressed the button and the doors opened, but they immediately got second thoughts. Ignoring the opened door, the Stranger turned around and walked to their right. They made their way down the hallway and after finding a door, they opened it. It revealed it to be stairs.

The Stranger closed the door behind them and started to go down the stairs. As they hurried down towards the lobby, the phone rang. They pulled it out and only said, "Yeah?"

"Nick will live. Apparently, it was a clean shot, a flesh wound." Bogo spoke. "He's out, though."

"That's good." The Stranger spoke as they hurried down the stairs. "Where is he being taken?"

"Faith Memorial Hospital."

"And you'll tell him?"

"Yes. Everything."

The Stranger nodded their head, smiling broadly. "That's good. I hate to cut you off, but I'm in a hurry. I'll see you later?"

"Yes."

With that, Bogo hung up the phone, and the Stranger continued their way down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom floor, they saw the key slot. Pulling it out, the Stranger swiped the key card and the door unlocked with a ding. They immediately opened the door and looked around the lobby. It was deserted, and the Stranger hurried through the building. Finally, after reaching the glass doors, the Stranger threw them open. The afternoon sun did nothing to alleviate the fear of being caught, and instead of crossing the park, the Stranger immediately turned to their right and walked down the sidewalk. Once they passed another building, they turned to their right again and pulled out their car keys.

The car chirped as the Stranger unlocked it. They pressed the trunk button and it opened. The Stranger pushed it all the way up and loaded the case into their vehicle. They closed the trunk and got into the driver seat. They placed the key in the ignition and started the car. As soon as the car started, the Stranger placed their paws on the steering wheel and gripped it tightly until their knuckles turned white. Finally, they took a deep breath, and drove towards Faith Memorial Hospital.

/

Zootopia – Faith Memorial Hospital

"There's a disturbance in Central Park."

"There's no one here!" Nicholas Wilde yelled at the phone. "You owe me an explanation now!"

There was silence from the other end, when Bogo hung up. The fox shook his head with disgust and placed the phone back into his pocket. He turned around and started to walk back to the parking lot, but as soon as he did, he stopped. An idea formed in his mind, and Nick smiled to himself. The vulpine turned back and headed to the bench that was overlooking the pond.

As soon as he reached the bench, the fox smiled. It was the same bench that he and Judy would sit down for lunch whenever they were near Central Park. The fox nodded his head and moved around to sit down. As soon as he did, he raised his right leg and placed it on his left, leaned backwards and closed his eyes, as the sun streamed down on his face.

A gunshot noise was heard, causing animals around him to scream. Nick's eyes shot open and the fox looked to his left. As soon as he did, he saw three animals dressed in black and wearing ski-masks advancing towards him, all holding pistols. They were shooting towards him, and thankfully, missing.

Nick sprang off the bench and ran towards the nearest tree, a strong oak. He pulled out his spare pistol from his ankle holster and cocked it. The fox took a deep breath, turned around and immediately jumped back behind cover.

"Disturbance in Central Park?" Nick cursed. Anger overcame him. Bogo had some explaining to do. But first, he needed to figure out a way how to get out of this. The fox shook his head, as he heard the bark of the tree splinter, as the bullet crashed through it. He watched as the animals run away from him and realized that the shooters were gunning only for him. Maybe if he died, they would leave the other animals alone?

Nick sighed heavily to himself and shook his head. The first animal that popped in his mind was of the arctic vixen. I'm so sorry, Snow… I'm sorry.

The second animal was of Judy, and Nick gave a small smile. At least this way, he could see her again. He was ready to move on, but at the same time, Nick knew he wanted to be with her. The vulpine took a deep breath and moved out from the cover of the tree.

Another gunshot was heard, and he felt pain flash through the left side of his body. Nick fell backwards onto the ground groaning, his spare pistol falling out of his paw. Immediately, he could feel his breathing become shallower and shallower, as the world slowly started to dim. So, is this what Judy saw? He thought to himself. I should have been there for you, Judy…

The world went black.

There was a bad taste in his mouth and Nick woke up smacking his lips. His side felt tight, and the fox placed his paw down on it, involuntarily. His paw made contact with the bandage and accidentally hit the injury, causing him to groan audibly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a familiar voice was heard. Nick looked to his left and saw Jennifer Snow sitting in her chair, a cup of coffee in one paw and a book on her lap.

Nick chuckled with joy at the sight of his friend sitting across from him. Then realization struck him as the vulpine looked around. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Wilde. You got shot."

"I got shot." Nick spoke. After Snow nodded her head, the vulpine attempted to look down at his shoulder, where a scar was being shown from the bullet wound from the first time he was shot. He chuckled to himself, causing Snow to raise her eyebrow. "I need to stop getting shot."

Snow nodded her head. "And punching the wall, the car, and anything else you did before you met me." She smiled softly. "You just need to stop getting hurt. One of these days, I'm going to have to lock you in a padded room."

Nick chuckled again. "I'd like to see you try, Snow." He smiled at her partner and spoke, "What're you doing here? I'd thought you'd be chasing bad guys?"

Snow sighed and shook her head. "Got the call from Clawhauser that you'd been shot." She hesitated, her inner turmoil battling each other. Should I ask him now? Deciding not to, she continued, "The case that I'm working on is with Abby. Can't do much yet. Still waiting to hear from her on the results."

"And you're here."

Snow nodded. "And I'm here. I'm your partner, so of course, I'm here."

Silence reigned the two conversationalists, then Nick spoke up, "Snow… About what happened the other day, I just wanted to apologize. It was a wrong move on my part, and…. I hope that it doesn't impede with our friendship."

"Nick… I,"

"Snow." Wilde shook his head. "We were both vulnerable and I wasn't thinking. I know that we played it off, but… I think this is a conversation that we need to have."

"Don't worry about it, Nick." Snow responded. "I accepted your apology. I agree that it was a mistake, but not only on your part, but on mine as well. But the fact of the matter is that we've gone through hell together, and you think that a kiss will hurt our relationship?" She chuckled. "If anything, it only strengthens it."

Nick smiled; his emerald eyes glowing. "Then, I'd say we need to start kissing more?"

"Nick…" Snow started, her voice giving a warning growl. Her response caused Nick to laugh out loud. As soon as he did, it died off as the fox clutched his side, groaning with pain. Snow smiled, and spoke "To be fair, I walked into that. But the reality is, Nick… I don't want to get involved with anyone from work. I did that once and…" Snow's voice cracked with pain. "I don't want to make that mistake again."

Nick nodded his head slowly, but Snow continued, "You're a great guy, Nick and I see that. But I think that we both have a lot of bumps we need to get over before… I mean, if we ever dated."

Snow paused, then continued, "I'm not going to lie, Nick. I enjoyed it when you kissed me. I thought it was courageous and very stupid, in a charming sort of way. But I don't think you and I will ever work out."

Nick smiled. "Alright, to being friends then?"

Wow… he took that in stride. "Friends."

As soon as the vixen uttered the last word, Nick continued and spoke, "Now, I need to figure out what Bogo knows about the Silver Clan. Who is the Silver Clan and why they're doing this?" Nick shook his head, "We have Fey's word, but that's about it."

"Nick… Just be careful when you talk to Bogo. Do you really want to go down that hole?"

Nick nodded. "I need to know, Snow. Why did Bogo kill Judy? Why did he not want me to be involved?"

Snow shrugged. "I don't know, Nick. But the fact of the matter is that you need to keep your emotions in check. Listen to him." When she spoke, she heard the door open, and Nick speak, anger in his voice. "Well, speak of the devil."

Chief Bogo strode into the room, his large frame blocking the ceiling lights, causing the room to darken. He raised a paw and spoke, cutting off any indignant cries from Nick. "I'm going to cut off any formalities, because I know that it'll seem fake." The buffalo walked towards a chair next to the arctic vixen, and continued, "I owe you an explanation. It may not be the one you want to hear, but you need to hear. I wanted to keep you in the dark, but… it didn't work out. Jennifer Snow here was supposed to keep you on the straight and narrow, but…" Bogo shrugged. "She couldn't keep you aligned.

"Did you know about this?" Nick asked.

Snow shook her head. "All he's told me was that you needed help. That's it."

"And that's the truth," Bogo continued. The Cape Buffalo moved around and sat down in the chair next to the vixen. "The Silver Clan… that's why we're here."

Nick opened his mouth to speak, but Bogo cut him off. "The Silver Clan is a terrorist organization that's been rooted in Zootopia's history for many years. The first time they've been active, was when Zootopia was founded, and they nearly destroyed the city. I'm talking about riots in the streets, predators vs prey. Animals didn't know who to trust, and the police force had their paws full. Fortunately, the police put a stop to them. They went underground and they started to plan for their next move."

Bogo shook his head. "The moves came. Many of the assassinations, bombings, fires, murders, robberies can be traced back to the Silver Clan, but we've been doing a good job at keeping it out of the press. We knew that if the press got ahold of it, the public would be in a panic. When I became Chief, I was told these things by my predecessor, and it became my responsibility to make sure that Zootopia would not fall underneath the control of the Silver Clan."

"The Silver Clan's goal is to purify the city and replace it with animals of their own ideology. However, just like any other terrorist organization, they wish to achieve their goals by fear and terror, so that when push comes to shove, they would be the only animals that the citizens could turn to." The Cape Buffalo licked his lips, and continued, "I was fortunate enough to not have the Silver Clan rise to power. When the Night Howler Incident happened," Bogo sighed, "I thought that it marked the return of the group. But I was wrong. There were no connection between Bellweather and the Silver Clan."

"But the damage has already been done," Bogo continued. "Even though you and Judy restored the peace and found the cure for those affected, the citizens of Zootopia would always wonder if the city was as safe as it appeared to be. So, I had my animals closest to me keep their eyes and ears open for any rumblings of terrorism. Fortunately, I caught a wind of the Silver Clan before they did anything. I knew that in order to find out I needed to have an undercover agent inside the Clan. Someone who would do their bidding, but still report to me."

Realization struck Nick, as he had a small flashback moment. Judy's voice echoed through his mind, I'm so sorry Nick. I… I just needed to tell you something…

This can wait!

But there's no time!

Tears started to fill Nick's eyes, and Bogo looked down on the floor sadly. "So, you understand now. Judy was supposed to be the undercover agent. That hit went wrong, and I will carry that burden for the rest of my life. Judy was a wonderful officer, and a friend, and Nick…" the Chief sighed. "I hope you can find within you something to forgive me. I know how much she meant to you."

"But why Judy?" Nick spoke, his voice tight. His paws started to ball into fists with anger.

Bogo looked down on the ground with sadness. He drummed his huge paws on his legs, took a deep breath and nodded his head. Finally, he spoke,

"What do you mean that they want to get rid of her?" Bogo bellowed. "You need to find out quickly and why!"

"Chief…" the voice on the other end of the phone spoke, "It's a smart plan. Ever since the Night Howler Incident, Judy's become the face of the Police Department. Think about it… if you were the Leader of the Silver Clan, and you wanted to clean the Police, who would you start with?"

"Wouldn't they go after someone more important, like me?"

"No… No offense, Chief… but you're not exactly in touch with the animals. Judy is. If the Silver Clan's goal is to cause chaos in the streets and the police force, then they'd hit Judy."

Bogo sighed tiredly. Being a Police Chief was hard work. He nodded his head and spoke, "Thanks, Cobra. I owe you one."

"You'll be sure to tell my parole officer?"

"Depends. Are you on the straight and narrow?"

"Yes sir. I got myself a respectable job. I'm stocking shelves at the grocery store! Doesn't pay much, but it's… it's a nice change."

Bogo smiled. "I'll tell him. Stay out of trouble now."

"Oh, you know me, Chief. Trouble always seems to follow me."

The giant Cape Buffalo chuckled and hung up the phone. But as soon as the phone went into the receiver, Bogo's entire demeanor changed. He sighed heavily and shook his head. "Bad news?" a voice spoke

Bogo looked up and nodded his head. "If Cobra's right, then… we're in a world of trouble. The Silver Clan's planning something big, and it's going to happen soon."

"Is Cobra his real name?" The animal asked. At the question, Bogo raised his eyebrow. "Alright… alright." The animal spoke. He stood up from his chair and shoved his hands into his pockets and started to pace back and forth. "But we need to get in front of this. For too long, we've been on the defensive. I think it's time we take the offense."

"What do you suggest?" Bogo asked.

The well-dressed bunny was silent for a couple of minutes. Suddenly, he smiled and turned around, facing the Chief. "We kill Judy."

"Kill her?" Bogo bellowed. "We're not going to do that! She's my best officer. She and Wilde are unstoppable!"

"Not kill her, in the traditional sense," the bunny raised his paws to stop the Chief's rage. "We make the Silver Clan think that she's dead, and then we infiltrate the group. She'll be your double agent, and she'll tell us of all of their plans."

Bogo's rage slowly seeped away as he pondered the bunny's idea. "That's risky." The Cape Buffalo shook his head. "There's a lot that could go wrong."

The bunny nodded. "Yeah, but it's better than any idea we've got." They sighed and walked back to their chair. After sitting down, they spoke, "I don't know about you, but I'm tired… so very tired of always fighting a war on their own terms. Let us fight it on our rules… on our battlefield."

Bogo sighed. "I can't."

The bunny threw his paws up in the air. "Bogo! The fate of Zootopia is in your paws. We need to take action and we need to take action now!"

The giant Cape Buffalo folded his paws together and after a couple of minutes of silence, he spoke, "Let's talk to Judy. We'll see what she has to say."

The bunny smiled "I'm glad you see it my way, Chief."

Bogo shook his head. He reached for the phone and pulled up. The buffalo placed it next to his ear and pressed a number. "Clawhauser! Is Judy in right now? Good! Send her in. I need to talk to her."

After that sentence, the buffalo hung up the phone, then reclined backwards into his chair, folding his paws together. He sighed and nodded his head, as the bunny stood up out of his chair and walked until he was next to the Chief. As the minutes passed, Bogo could hear chattering get louder and louder. Soon, the familiar voices of Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde entered the office.

"No, no, no!" Judy was saying. "It's not a felony, so you don't get two marks!"

"Are you joking, Carrots?" Wilde shot back. "He had possession and intent to distribute! That's a felony!"

"You have him on possession!" Judy's voice became clear as she opened the door. Outside, in the light, Bogo could see the bunny and the fox. "But he wasn't going to distribute. There's no evidence on that! So, you get one mark!"

Nick Wilde threw his hands up in exasperation, as Judy slyly spoke, "Don't forget that the deadline's today! By the time we clock out, you're treating me to dinner!"

Wilde shook his head. "It'll be you who'll be paying for my meal, Carrots!" He punched her shoulder playfully. "You've got called into the office, which gives me time!" With that sentence, he spun around and started to race down the stairs.

"Oy! Wilde!" Judy called out after him. "That's cheating!"

"No, it's not!" Wilde spoke gleefully. "It's during our hours! And I've got a cold case that's about to be solved!"

"Then I'm changing the rules after today!"

In his hospital bed, Nicholas Wilde closed his eyes as tears formed. One escaped and rolled down his cheek, as the memory of that specific day came rushing back to him. He opened his mouth and spoke, cutting the Chief from his story. "I remember that day…." He started, his voice cracking. "I found the robber and brought him in before my shift was over, so I…" he smiled. "I won that bet. Judy came out of your office shaken, but she… she assured me that everything was fine. I," the fox shook his head. "I should have pushed."

Jennifer Snow looked with concern at her friend, as Bogo's voice rumbled, "She wouldn't have told you, Wilde. I made her promise."

Wilde didn't respond, causing Bogo to continue with his story.

Judy shook her head as Nick laughed with response. The bunny turned around and stepped inside the office. Seeing another animal standing next to Bogo, she immediately straightened and spoke, "You wanted to see me, Chief?"

Before Bogo opened his mouth to speak, the animal looked at Judy quizzically. "What was that all about?"

Judy chuckled. "My partner and I have a competition on who can bring in the most arrests in a month. So far, I'm winning, but…" she glanced nervously at the clock and spoke, "I'm running out of time. Whatever you've got to say, Bogo, can you make it quick?"

Bogo sighed and spoke. "Judy… I need you to take a seat."

Judy's smile disappeared as she heard her boss' tone. The bunny obeyed and stepped forward, sitting down in the chair. Bogo opened his mouth and started to speak. As he did, Judy's facial expression changed, from concern to surprise.

When he was done, Hopps glanced at the table, her breathing shallow and ragged. "So… they want to kill me?"

Bogo nodded. "The more chaos that they can cause, the more power they can gain."

Judy sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

The bunny next to Bogo jumped in. "That's where I come in. I know of a lowlife who's in jail who could…" he paused, searching for the right sentence, "Kill you." As Judy's eyes shot up to meet the bunny, he quickly continued, "But you wouldn't die. I will personally train him to hit you in a spot where you'll live. The bullet'll be laced with a drug that'll make you seem dead. Then we take you away, you heal, and you go in contact with the Silver Clan. But..."

"I'll be a double agent." Judy finished. "You want me to tell you what's happening in the group."

Bogo nodded. "That's right, Hopps. The thing that's going for us is the fact that the group members never met each other. They don't know each other's identities. So, when you're a double agent, they'll still think that you're dead."

Judy took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to process the information. Finally, she nodded her head. "I'll do it."

Bogo arched his eyebrows with surprise. "Are you sure, Hopps? There's a lot of risks involved in this."

Judy's eyes met the Chief, and the giant Cape Buffalo could not help but feel pride in his soul as her eyes steeled with determination. "I said, I'll do it. When can I and Nick get started?"

Bogo's smile disappeared. "Nick can never know, Judy. It'll be too dangerous."

"You mean… I can't…"

"You can't. It's too risky."

"But… It's Nick, Chief! At least let me tell him! If something goes wrong, I want to give him an explanation!"

"NO!" Bogo bellowed! "It'll be a dangerous job, and the less animals who know, the better!" The buffalo took a deep breath and spoke, "You'll be protecting Nick."

Judy's face became forlorn, which caused the Chief to feel for her. He opened his mouth to speak, but the bunny next to him spoke first. "You need to realize, honey, that if everything goes well, and we stop the Silver Clan, you can never come back from the dead. You'll have to go somewhere else, live a new life."

Tears formed in Judy's eyes as she struggled with her inner turmoil. The bunny shuddered again and looked towards the door. She quickly wiped her eyes and looked back at the Chief. "I need to protect Zootopia. This is my job."

Jennifer Snow's mouth dropped open when realization struck her. She looked at the vulpine in the hospital bed, who was shaking with fury. Finally, Nick exploded

"Wait… are you telling me that the hit was organized?" he growled. He started to rise out of bed, but then pain flared in his side and the fox crashed back down groaning. "You and your friend put Judy in the worst possible scenario!" he yelled. "You got her killed!"

"And that'll be a burden I will always carry." Bogo sniffed. Nick was surprised to see the Cape Buffalo's eyes mist up. "When the time came, my friend planted his man into the Silver Clan and volunteered for the hit. But…" the Chief shook his head. "Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the pressure, maybe he wasn't prepared. But he misjudged and missed."

Nick closed his eyes, tears rolling down his face. Oh Judy…. I'm so sorry… The memory of the night rushed back to him, as he felt her in his arms.

Nick shuddered with sadness, more than fury. "Where is he?"

"Dead." Bogo spoke, causing the fox to open his eyes quickly. "He couldn't live with the guilt of screwing the job, so he hung himself in his cell."

There was more to the story, Nick could tell, but he decided not to ask. Instead, he was silent, and allowed Bogo to continue, "With Judy gone… we had to do something, so my friend volunteered to go undercover within the Clan."

"What did he find out?" Snow interjected, giving Nick some time to process the thought.

"Nothing much. Except the Clan was forming plans to throw the ZPD in chaos. The Clan thinks that if we are disorganized, they can sneak past through our defenses and start taking over the government. But the problem was that they realized that Judy was not the only face of the ZPD. You were as well. So…" Bogo shrugged. "We needed to take you out of the picture to see what their final plan was."

Nick scoffed. "And you didn't think to ask me first?"

"Would you have said yes?"

"I guess we'll never know." Nick shot back.

Bogo ignored the response and continued, "Now with you gone, my friend should be able to get the rest of the plans and together, we'd be able to stop them and get justice for all the animals that they hurt…. For Judy."

Nick shook his head. "But I've got a problem with your story, Chief."

The buffalo looked at the fox, his eyebrow raised inquisitively. "It wasn't the Silver Clan who killed Judy. It was you." His voice cracked with fury and pain.

Bogo slowly nodded his head. "Like I said, Wilde. It's a burden I'll always carry." He folded his paws together and continued. "Do you think that I don't regret making that decision?" He shook his head sadly. "I've always wanted to go back into the past and change it. I wish that I would have smacked some sense into myself, because not only did I lose a good officer, I lost a friend."

"Not only that, Bogo." Nick shook his head. "You lost me."

Bogo nodded his head knowingly. Several seconds of silence passed between the two animals, except for a noise that was emitted from Jennifer Snow slurping her coffee. Ignoring the arctic vixen, the Chief continued, "I'm not the type of animal who does this, Wilde. I usually make my decisions and I stick with it because I know that any decision, I make in my position would benefit Zootopia. But… I hope that you find within you to forgive me. I'm really, sorry, Nick. I truly am."

As he spoke, Nick listened to his voice, and was surprise to find sincerity laced within it. The fox sighed, and was silent, his mind racing. Finally, a knock was heard on the door, and Bogo nodded his head as he looked towards the door. "And in full transparency, I wanted you to meet someone.

The door opened and the Stranger walked inside the room, adjusting their suit and tie. They placed down the briefcase and took their sunglasses off their nose. After folding it and placing it in his pocket, the animal didn't move. Instead they stood there, looking at the fox.

Nick looked the animal up and down. It was obvious that he was a bunny, and that he was taller than his species. His fur was light gray, but it complimented his blue eyes. Not only was he standing straight, and perfectly still, the bunny carried an aura of authority with him into the room. But what stood out the most was the markings on his face, and Nick had never seen them on a bunny before. There were black stripes on his ears and his cheeks, and he opened his mouth to speak.

Nick beat him. "So, you're the one who shot me?"

The bunny nodded his head. "So sorry about that, mate." His accent was unlike what Nick has ever heard. "But" he smiled cockily "If I wanted to kill you, I'd wouldn't have missed."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… So, who're you?"

"The name's Savage. Special Agent Jack Savage."

A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you all are staying healthy in these trying times! School's hectic as usual, but it is not stopping me from writing! Although, the next few months will be busy. Stay healthy and I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Feel free to leave a review, and thank you for sticking with me!