Twotopia - Chapter 2: The Big Meltdown

Story by Silverwolf626 on SoFurry

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Chapter two is up and ready! I don't want to put much in the comments as I don't want to spoil anything story wise. Enjoy!


Nick's ear pointed toward the window that was currently blanketed over. Small flashes and the sound of subtle booms could be heard along with sirens blasting in the distance. His eyes half open, he gave the window more direct attention, hearing yet another boom in the distance. Judy moaned as Nick's hand slipped away, rubbing his eyes he dangled his feet from the bed and leapt off into an empty pizza box. Parting a portion of the blanket and curtain, he saw plumes of smoke rising in the distance along with the flicker of flames. The vision surprised him, really waking him up.

"Uhh, Carrots?"

"Mmm." Judy moaned, not wanting to get up.

"Caaaarrrots. Get up, off your fluffy tail and look at this." He insisted. Rolling over Judy rubbed her eyes.

"Nick? What is it?" She asked. Nick didn't respond, instead waited for her to get up and come over and see. Peering out the window Judy was aghast at what she saw. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers."

"Tundratown? Or no, wait Sahara? I don't get it. What could have blown up?"

"The fans! This is horrible. If those fans fail it'll be a disaster. Tundratown's people need the area to stay cool, they'll fry without it." Judy urged. No sooner she spoke, her phone started ringing from the night stand next to Nick's. Snatching it up, it was Clawhauser calling and answered right away. "This is Hopps."

"Judy! Oh my gosh! Do you see what's going on!?"

"Yeah, we can see it."

"We?"

"Me and Nick, we're watching from the window."

"Ooooooohhhh! Judy, that's so adorable."

"Ben." Judy sighed folding her ears back, blushing.

"Right right right, ok listen. We're calling everyone in at 9AM tomorrow. You gotta be there, I'll bet ya anything the chief will let you lead this one."

"9, yeah we can swing that. But why are we waiting? We should be there to check it out now." Judy insisted, Nick clasped her shoulder and shook his head.

"Yeeaaah, well see. We can't do anything till the fires are put out and the building is deemed structurally sound to investigate safely."

"Oh, right."

"Soooooo." Clawhauser trailed off, as Judy waited a moment in confusion.

"So?"

"Come on, Judy. Details! Was he treating you nice? Did it hurt when-"

"Gotta go Ben, night!" Judy swiftly retorted cutting off the call. With a heavy sigh, she placed the phone down as Nick sat on the bed.

"There's nothing we can do till morning."

"I know. I'm just worried. Who could do that?" She sulked while Nick scooped up her hands.

"We'll find out, together." He assured her. Judy cracked a little smile and climbed onto the bed, straddling his legs. "We'll head in, track this guy or guys down. You bring em to justice and we live up to your little Bunnyburrow born dream. Making this world a better place."

"Promise?" She asked, pressing her nose up against his.

"Promise." Nick replied in a soft and reassuring tone. The two closed their eyes as Judy leaned in, stealing a series of soft kisses from Nick. Running his hands up her back, he pulled her in just a bit tighter as they rolled into the bed. Judy broke free of his lips and nestled her head into his neck. Moaning with pleasure, she ran her fingers through the fur on his chest.

"I'm glad you're here, Nick. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Mmm, probably parking duty, probably a lot of parking duty." Judy smiled and lightly jabbed Nick's side. "Ow." They both laughed as they cuddled up close to sleep.

Everyone sat quietly in the bull pen as Bogo walked in, dropping a fat stack of papers onto the podium. Putting on his glasses he sighed and looked over his crew, including Judy and Nick.

"Well then, you all know why you're here." He began, clearing his throat. "Last night at approximately 3:43AM there was an unlawful entry into the cooling/heating walls overseeing Tundratown and Sahara Square. An explosive device was set off, causing a chain reaction event that moderately damaged the heating systems, but severely damaged the coolers; thankfully no fatalities to report. Cameras in the area have been blacked out, so we do not know who the perpetrator was. The only lead we have is a potential new criminal element in town." Bogo continued, passing out a picture of a cheetah to the group. "We believe his name is Oshu. I've spoken with officers from Predaton, they confirm that he has moved operations out of town. He's working with a partner as well, this one unfortunately we have no intelligence on."

"Species, anything?" Judy perked up.

"I recall saying, no intelligence." He reaffirmed. "I'm sure you'll have noticed that Wolford is not in attendance today again. He's been working undercover now for a few weeks as a street racer. On our last contact with him, he was picked up by Oshu so more information will be coming soon. In the mean time, we need to run an investigation into the destruction of the cooling towers and since the structure is compromised and weight is an issue, Hopps, Wilde, you two are on interior detail. Fangmeyer, Grizolli, you'll back them up, sweep the area around the ground and make sure no one enters the building while they're there. Mchorn, Higgins, Snarlof, I need the three of you to work Tundratown. Things might get a bit chaotic with the fans down. Delgato you're with me, we'll be addressing the media and afterward covering Sahara Square, dismissed."

"Awesome, this ougtta be great!" Judy cheered. Nick extended his hand for Judy to slap and with no hesitation she did so with a cheer. Grizzoli and Fangmeyer took the case file and swung back to Judy and Nick.

"So, we're on team Hopps huh?" Grizzoli quipped, shaking out his mane.

"Great to have ya on board!" Judy beamed, leaping onto the table to shake Grizzoli and Fangmeyers hand.

"Does this cities star cop even know us by name?" Fangmeyer joked.

"Jason, come on." She brushed off. "And Matt, good to see ya." She nodded to Grizzoli.

"Well, shall we head out Carrots?" Nick requested with a less than subtle stretch.

"Sure, Matt you driving?"

"Yeah, for the best to keep this howler off the road." Grizzoli joked, nudging Fangmeyers side.

"Ha, ha. Least us wolves got it where it-"

"Boys!" Bogo interjected loudly. "Get to work! Evidence is time sensitive so get moving!"

"Sir!" The four of them saluted and bolted for the door.

Arriving at the wall, the sight before them was rather breathtaking. Judy bounded out of the car alongside Nick and surveyed the damage. The wall was literally peeling down, the iron exterior blackened from hours of fires burning within. Pieces of fan blades big and small were everywhere as fire crews worked to clean up the wreckage. The whole area stunk, a mix of burning plastics and mildew, the once snowy and cold ground was turning soggy and slushy already.

"Judy!" Jason called out. "I'm gonna check in with the fire crews and take a look at some of the debris. Matt, you got them covered?"

"Yep, go ahead bud."

"Alright."

"Come on Judy, Nick, let's go." Matt advised heading toward the wall. Judy was looking over the case file, not particularly attentive to the direction they were going.

"Hmm, it says here they found the door key pads still intact. Whoever it was, they entered through Sahara Square and exited here." Judy pondered aloud.

"So we'll start at the exit point and work our way back." Nick suggested.

"Just what I was thinking."

"I'll see if I can pull any prints off the handle or keypad." Matt Grizzoli suggested. "You two be careful, this isn't exactly a safe assignment, even for featherweights like you."

"Relax chops, we got this." Nick joked, heading up the stairs to the door.

"Don't get in the habit of calling me that." Matt poked right back.

"No promises." Nick shrugged off with his usual smile. Stepping inside, they scaled the small stairway and passed through the second door. It was a sight to behold, metal twisted and burnt, huge gears and pipelines twisted and warped all around. The area stunk of smoldering iron and melted plastics. Worse yet the bridge that would have taken them across was mangled, leaving a good twenty foot gap to traverse. "Huh." Nick pondered, looking up to see one strip of piping still fairly intact. "Thinking what I'm thinking Carrots?" Judy smiled with eager approval.

"Oh yeah." Nick cupped his hands as Judy was boosted up with a good leap toward the pipe. She dangled there for a moment, giving it a good tug to check for stability. "It's good!" Nick primed himself up and leapt, catching her feet she begun to swing, vaulting Nick over the gap as Judy flipped and mounted atop the pipe. With one good leap she aimed herself for Nick's arms and flopped right in them. "Tag team of awesomeness."

"Got that right." Nick chuckled letting her down. "Come on; let's see if we can find where the bomb was set off." The bridge was creaking and whining as they walked but seemed to remain in fair shape. Passing through the next door and entering the second corridor, Nick and Judy immediately covered their noses. "Jeez!"

"Oh wow!" The pipelines that were running the coolant had spilled chemicals everywhere. "This is dangerous; we need a hazard team in here asap."

"Look!" Nick pointed up, noting an area above where metal had blossomed out like a flower. "The coolant left streaks all the way down and I'll bet ya anything that's where the blast went off."

"Ugh, Nick that smell, it's so bad."

"Yeah, maybe we better not stick around." Nick agreed. Judy was about ready to turn back until she gave the area a little more attention. Breaking out her phone, she activated the camera and zoomed in. It wasn't the clearest of pictures, but she could just make out the remnants of a corridor within the exploded area.

"Nick."

"What?"

"That guy who hit us before, he was a cheetah right?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"No way a cheetah could fit in that corridor, whoever this guy is partnered with is likely the one who made the bomb and brought it in." Judy theorized.

"Smaller animal then, racoon, fox or."

"A weasel." They both concluded looking to each other.

"Looks like we're looking up Duke Weaselton again." Nick grinned. A look that quickly melted away as the creek of metal below began to howl.

"Run!" Judy shouted as the two rushed through the door. Making their way across the bridge, Nick boosted Judy back up to the pipe once again. Nick leapt up and took hold of her feet as she swung him across. As Judy mounted the pipe gave way and snapped, just snatching the end in time as she cried out.

"Judy!" Nick cried out. Regaining control, she struggled to hold on as the clamber of metal crashing from the other room grew ever louder. Climbing up she managed the strength to toss herself over to a larger pipe. It almost gave her the slip, but climbing on top she balanced herself out and walked along it toward Nick. "That's it Carrots, good job baby."

"Here I come, Nick!" She called out, aiming toward his arms as she leapt.

"Gotcha-AH!" He cried out, just as Judy landed in his arms, the remainder of the bridge he was on gave way. Nick reacted quickly, grasping the iron mesh bridge with one hand, while holding onto Judy with the other. Nick looked to be in quite a lot of pain, groaning and grunting trying to hold on to her. Judy gave him relief, immediately beginning to scale the bridge as a makeshift ladder. Nick followed suit, grunting and groaning with each pull. Reaching the top, Judy struggled to open the door and leap in.

"Come on Nick, hurry!" She pleaded. He seemed to be really struggling so Judy offered up her hand. Nick clasped it as she pulled him through the door and on top of her into the entryway. Taking a moment to catch their breath as the sound of metal clamored and collapsed in the room before them. "Nick, you ok?" She almost whimpered, her ears folded back. Nick sat himself and leaned on the doorway with Judy in his lap as she rubbed his shoulders.

"Yeah, just peachy. Phew, was never much of a heavy metal fan." Judy fastened her lips on Nick's as he finished his little joke and pressed her head against his.

"Nick please, what happened? I can tell when you're hurt." She insisted.

"Judy!! Nick!!" A voice called from outside. Judy leapt off his lap and helped Nick to his feet as he cringed and hissed, grasping his chest. "Judy! Nick!" Matt called once more entering inside. "You guys ok!? Nick are you hurt!?"

"Nothing more ice packs won't fix." Nick assured him.

"We're ok." Judy threw in as well.

"Let's get clear of this place, come on." Grizzoli insisted, guiding them outside.

"Hey! They're alright! Woo!!" Jason cheered. "Find anything in there?"

"Not much." Judy informed him, taking a seat in the melting snow.

"Yeah, thinking most of the evidence was destroyed in the explosion." Nick explained.

"But!" Judy interjected, withdrawing her phone. "The explosive was set off in a rather tight corridor, way too tight for a cheetah to get into."

"Didn't Bogo say something about Oshu having a partner?" Matt inquired.

"Bingo." Judy pointed out.

"Gonna check in with an old movie store friend of mine." Nick smiled. "Got a hunch that if it wasn't the weasel himself, he'll know who this mystery guy is." He explained trying to get to his feet though he staggered and fell back down. Judy took hold of him and stroked his back.

"Nick, what's wrong bud?" Jason asked sympathetically.

"Don't worry about it. Just sore from the accident and banging around on the metal in there didn't help either."

"We're going to a doctor, Nick." Judy sternly stated.

"Really, it's fine. I just need to catch my breath."

"Fine. You can catch your breath after we report in to Bogo." Grizzoli agreed. "And afterward, I'm driving you to the hospital."

"Ugh." Nick sighed. "Hate hospitals."

"Too bad. You don't get yourself checked out; I'll give the paramedics a reason to pick you up." He snickered. "Come on, Jason. We've done all we can. Get the evidence in the trunk and let's get back to the station."

"Come on, Nick. Nice and easy." Judy took care getting him to his feet. It took him a few paces and some long breaths but Nick was walking normally to the car.

Nick found himself planted on a hospital bed in a private room, wearing only the bottom half of his uniform. The doctor opened the door, a young lioness and smiled at the two of them.

"Officer Judy Hopps! An honor indeed, and Nick Wilde yes?" She greeted.

"Yep." Nick half-heartedly smiled.

"Honor's all mine, miss?"

"Dr. Lani Dawson. Pleasure." She smiled, shaking Judy's hand. "Alright Nick, your X-rays came back mostly fine. You do seem to have a very slight fracture on your third rib here, but these are fairly common and often times you don't feel much pain from those types of injury. You do have some damage to your pectoral major and latissimus dorsal muscle though. Nothing too serious, maybe a mild sprain. You need to take it easy for a few days, no heavy lifting."

"Is that why he was struggling in the cooling tower?" Judy asked.

"Likely yes. I just want to see one more thing." She insisted, taking hold of Nick's arm. "I'm gonna lift this arm up Nick, I want you to tell me when it hurts, and be honest."

"Alright." He submitted. The doctor just raised his arm to about shoulder level before Nick flinched. "Right there."

"Yeah, ok that's good." She said softly before turning to a clipboard on the desk nearby to write briefly. "Alright. Likely just a mild sprain, his range of motion seems unaffected. I'll advise the chief of your condition here and let him decide what to do. Do you feel confident returning to duty, Nick?"

"Course." He smiled.

"Excellent. Just be careful. Sprains can quickly turn into tears if you get reckless out there." She cautioned. Judy smiled and rubbed Nick's back. The Dr smiled, glancing back and forth between them. "I'm sensing a relationship here."

"Off the record." Judy winced.

"I saw nothing, Miss Hopps. I don't know your department's policy on workplace romances, but I'll turn a blind eye this once to be safe." She winked.

"Thanks."

"Of course. Officers, have a nice day. Be safe." Dr. Dawson bowed before leaving the room.

"Alright, let's get back at it." Nick insisted. Grabbing his shirt he slid it back on and flinched as his left arm went through. He reached to button it up, but Judy took hold.

"Nick, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Carrots relax. That fuzzy head of yours keeps forgetting I grew up on the streets. You learn to walk off the small stuff like scratches and scrapes."

"I know, I just worry about you." She confessed. Nick took hold of her hands as she fastened the last button and pulled her in close.

"Yeah, I gathered that." He whispered, kissing her. "Don't worry Carrots. I've been in this city for 32 years, I can handle myself."

"Alright tough guy." She snickered, playfully pushing him back. "We should check in." Grabbing her radio. "Dispatch this is Hopps checking in, over."

"Judy! I mean, this is dispatch. Talk to me bunny buddy!"

"Ben." She sighed with a shy laugh. "We're ready to leave the hospital, cleared for duty. Where do you need us to go?"

"One moment."

Judy and Nick waited through the awkward silence before hearing her phone buzz.

"Oh, it's the Chief." Judy swiped and put it on speaker phone. "This is Hopps."

"Judy, excellent. What's Nick's condition?"

"Just a little sprain chief, but I'm good to go." Nick spoke up.

"Nick? Well, maybe you should rest and let Judy handle this one solo."

"I got it chief, don't worry." Nick assured him.

"I see Miss Hopps attitude is rubbing off on you. Fine, we examined some of the wreckage Grizzoli and Fangmeyer brought back and found traces of a rather common explosive, fennerite. You mentioned in the report that you believe a smaller mammal is likely the culprit?"

"Yeah, the shaft was too narrow for a cheetah to fit." Judy acknowledged.

"We were going to question Duke Weaselton about it." Nick threw in.

"Don't bother."

"Why not?" Judy demanded.

"He's in the hospital with you. Francine found him in Tundratown badly injured and unconscious. He hasn't woken up yet."

"Whoa." Nick staggered back. "Someone really did pop the weasel."

"We know of a legal fennerite distributer in the city, over in Sahara Square. Shelly Yorik, she's a racoon. They use it in a testing facility for long range firearms and other assorted uses."

"Fennerite." Nick pondered. "Wait, that stuff can't cause an explosion like the one that took out the towers."

"How would you know that?" Bogo asked in a rather monotone voice.

"I refuse to answer that." Nick replied in the same tone.

"Figures. It was likely placed next to a cooling conduit that triggered a series of explosions."

"Huh, yeah that'd do it I guess." Nick hummed over.

"Go talk with Shelly, see who's been buying it up lately."

"Got it." Judy agreed.

Judy, Nick, Matt and Jason pulled up to a rather large facility in Sahara Square. Stepping out of the car they stood before a large grey building seemingly hubbed onto an open shooting range. The occasional sound of a gun firing along with a solid boom could be heard and was rather startling for Judy.

"Fennerite is perfectly safe!" Shelly outright stated, with the four officers looming over her. They began walking through a rather intricate production facility. "We use it for target practice, avalanche triggering, construction, mining and surveying. You name it!"

"How about blowing up the cooling towers." Judy questioned rather boldly.

"Are you accusing me of something, rabbit!? Cause I gotta warn you we have government contracts here and I don't care how famous you are, you threaten me and we'll crush that fluffy tail of yours!"

"Easy." Nick refuted. "Fennerite was used in the explosion; we just want to know if there were any buyers in the last few weeks locally."

"You want that info, you're gonna need a warrant." She insisted.

"Like this one." Judy showcased. Shelly snatched it out of her hands and mumbled reading if over. Grumbling, she handed it back and huffed.

"Fine, let's go."

"Glad to see you being so cooperative." Matt joked, smiling down at the racoon.

"Well see, I like to stay focused on my work and keeping my crew in line. We work with an explosive, so one wrong move suddenly we are in a mile deep crater." She sneered back, opening the door to her small office. Jumping onto her computer she opened up a product listing and showcased it to the four of them. "Happy?"

"Huh." Fangmeyer spoke up. "No local purchases."

"Anything stolen?" Matt questioned.

"None of your business. I've shown you my sales list, and as you can see. All purchased by cities and proper organizations."

"Ahem." Judy cleared her throat. "You mentioned that you are government funded, yes?"

"Your point?"

"Well, not that it's any of my business, I mean since you have government contracts and all, but since we do have proof that fennerite was used in the explosion that damaged a significant city structure and having any stolen would mean the security of your complex is compromised well, that'd probably mean a federal investigation needs to be done regarding your security of your installation. Now I'm sure they wouldn't shut you down for very long and the new measures would be a bit pricy and maybe even having to replace all senior staff but if we had full cooperation." Judy laughed playfully.

"Exactly, a pair of helpful officers could have likely overlooked such a small mistake if we had full cooperation but, it's fine. We'll just pass this one off to the suits, less work on our part." Nick joined in as Shelly's face began to grow ever more slack-jawed as Nick and Judy turned around.

"Wait wait wait!!" She insisted, leaping in front of them and blocking the door." Sighing she knew she was beat. "Look, we do occasionally sell to private users, off the books but it's never enough to blow up something THAT size."

"Who'd you sell it too?" Judy demanded.

"He wouldn't give his name, but he's a fox that works with Mr. Big and we can't get on his bad side. I don't know what he uses it for, and we have no intention of finding out." She submitted.

"Why would you even do that in the first place, why not come to us first!" Grizzoli demanded.

"Mr. Big and his goons threatened to blow the facility sky high if we didn't cooperate. I'm serious when I say he doesn't buy much, it's usually just a few kilograms, barely enough to make a two foot wide crater."

"When was the last purchase?" Judy spoke up.

"He was here three weeks ago."

The four of them were walking through the parking lot with Judy and Nick in the lead, heading toward the car.

"That was a slick move in there Jude." Grizzoli complimented. Nick and Judy just smiled at each other before turning around.

"It's called a hustle sweetheart." They said in unison, laughing as they turned toward the car. Grizzoli and Fangmeyer laughed as they got in.

"So what's the next step?" Fangmeyer asked.

"Mr. Big I guess." Judy suggested.

"Well." Nick hummed.

"Hmm?"

"She said a fox working for Mr. Big. Now look, without admitting anything here, I know a good portion of his crew. Aside from his hired muscle bears, he doesn't have any foxes in his tiny-tiny family."

"When was the last time you worked with him?"

"Long time ago, I know what he uses the fennerite for. Disposing of evidence for his little, mishaps. He'd send someone out with a codeword so they'd know it was for him." Nick elaborated. "A few kilograms sounds about right, but the fox part doesn't sit well with me."

"Wait." Judy interjected. "Doesn't Duke Weaselton work for him?"

"Duke was messed up, I heard." Grizzoli commented.

"Oh!" Nick exclaimed. "Wait, this is starting to make sense. What if this fox got a hold of Duke and dragged the codeword out of him."

"Big finds out." Fangmeyer joins in.

"Pop goes the weasel." Judy finished.

"Grizz, take us to the hospital again. Nick, you and Judy hang out there for a while, see if Duke comes to. We'll check back in with the chief."

"I ain't." Duke tried to speak with a cough cutting him off. "Talkin, to no one." Duke was wrapped up; bandages strapped across his chest and left leg. His arm fastened across his body and half of his face clearly swollen and bruised.

"Duke come on bud." Nick encouraged, grasping his shoulder. "For old times' sake."

"Old times' sake?! What old time sake? Like when ya had Big dangle me like a worm on a hook over the ice pit?" He argued.

"We don't want you telling us anything about him." Judy assured him. "Just the fox that dragged it out of you." Duke's one good eye widened up.

"That fox! Worthless old snake in the grass." Duke spat.

"You help us bag em, and we'll make sure a few of your more recent DVD sales get brushed off your record." Nick suggested.

"Well." Duke hummed for a moment. Turning toward the window he sighed and submitted. "What could he do at this point that ain't already been done? I'll tell ya all I know, but it ain't much. He's no stranger in town, he knows this place. Knows it good. Figurin he was born here. But he's workin with some street racer."

"Oshu?" Judy questioned.

"Dat's the guy! You gotta be careful. This fox is smart and that cheetah's nothing but bad news. They're the perfect brains and brawn combo and they're lookin to take over! If Mr. Big is getting jumpy then you know this isn't some wanna be, they're the real deal." Duke urged, nearly falling out of his bed.

"What can you tell us about the fox in particular?" Nick questioned.

"The mook had his face masked and sunglasses on, but I'd wager he's older. Maybe in his 40's or 50's even. But don't kid yourself, that sucker's no slouch. He can move and he's got lots of little toys to mess ya up with." Duke explained.

"Thanks Duke." Judy praised, patting his hand. "You just focus on resting up."

"Once you get out, find a good place to lay low and stay there. We'll give ya an all clear when we bring those two in." Nick advised as Judy lead Nick to the door.

"Hey kid." Duke called out to Nick. "Be careful."

"You too bud."

"Least we have some info on Oshu's partner now." Judy noted, walking down the hall toward the elevator.

"Yeah, a fox in his 40's or 50's who was resident here back in the day. Narrows it down." Nick sarcastically surmised, pressing the button for the elevator.

"Well how many fit that description?" Judy pondered.

"5'492." Bogo stated with Judy and Nick seated before him in his office. "Perfect."

"Wow." Judy stammered.

"Back then, Zootopia's population was a bit more balanced. 40% predator and 60% prey. But since prey was more abundant and given the upsurge in work in cities like Predaton, it's not surprising we're in the ratio we're at now."

"I always thought of Predaton as a dive." Nick stated.

"It was. But when they legalized racing and even developed tracks, it brought an upsurge in tourism. Predaton is a coastal city, as a result its fish market boomed and rural area's began growing wheat and soy for predator consumption. Much of what we get here is imported from there. Now the city is thriving and quite the haven for predators. Nearly 95% to 5% prey."

"How do you know so much about them?" Judy wondered, placing her hands on his desk.

"Mariah Kasi was my junior partner here, she trained with me. She's an amazing cop, sound judgement and a good heart. She's the chief of police there, and sadly." Bogo sighed, turning around his report and pushing it to Judy. She slowly opened it to reveal a picture of the cheetah that had attacked them. "Oshu as it turns out, is her elder brother."

"Alexander Kasi." Judy whispered.

"Went by the name Xander Kasi, a well known circuit racer in Predaton. When money started getting tight, he turned to smuggling and illegal street races. Xander got on their radar in a big way however when he killed a sheep that tried to run from a bet. Xander tracked him down and mauled him, even partially ate him. Mariah's hands were forced and she tried to bring him down, but couldn't do it. She loves her brother and passed the case off to her first sergeant."

"Wow." Nick sighed, flipping through the pages. "And the fox?"

"Aside from what you've told us, we've got nothing. I'll spend some time tonight digging through the databanks for anything on him but, aside from patrols there's little else we can do for now." Bogo advised taking his seat. "It's late, you two should head home."

"Alright." Judy said, swinging around and bouncing from the chair.

"Good work you two." Bogo complimented.

"Thanks chief." Nick saluted on the way out the door.

Nick opened the door to his apartment for Judy and let her in. Nick smiled as he headed over to the fridge and opened it up.

"Well, all out of orange juice but if you want something that isn't growing in here, I've got soda and grape juice."

"It's ok." She politely rejected, setting her vest on a hook nearby. "I should be heading back home anyway."

"Huh?" Nick perked up from the fridge.

"Delousing should be finished by now." She explained, anxiously kicking a pebble under the stove.

"Ah, right." Nick submitted leaning on the fridge door as it closed.

"I can't thank you enough for putting me up though." She nervously smiled as he walked over. "Really appreciate it."

"Well." He spoke softly, taking her hands and wrapping them around him. "You know, it doesn't have to end."

"Nick?"

"Well I mean." He playfully smiled. "You're stuff is already here, the bed's cozy. No noisy neighbors. So, here's a crazy thought. Why don't you move in with me?"

"Y-you're serious?" Judy exclaimed, folding her ears back with excitement.

"Yes, seriously." He coolly smiled. Judy leapt into his lips and gave him a good long drawn out kiss. After, he took her into his arms and cradled her in his neck. "I don't know how I woulda slept tonight if you'd gone out that door."

"Nick." She whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too, Carrots."

"I want to know who these jokers are!" Mr. Big slammed his fist on the arm of his chair.

"Right away boss." Raymond the polar bear responded, opening the door for another bear and heading out of Mr. Big's office. Frufru was cradling a little baby in her arms while another shrew was holding her hand, seated next to Mr. Big.

"Daddy, what are we gonna do!" She protested.

"Don't worry baby, daddies gonna take good care ah yah." He assured her. "Frankie, my boy. Check on the rear, make sure no one gets in."

"Got it pops." But no sooner he answered the building went dark.

"Daddy! We gotta get outta here! I'd die if anything happened to my little Judy." Frufru whimpered.

"Frankie, get her out of here." Big ordered.

"Lights out, Biggy." Psych quipped from outside the building. He and Oshu were crouching by the power box, geared up in black clothing, mask and goggles. Psych was also wearing a belt with a few tools attached along with a pair of guns.

"Through the back." Oshu whispered.

"Right." Psych agreed, approaching the back door. Opening one of his pockets, he pulled out a long and rather malleable piece of metal and slid it into the lock. After a few jiggles he turned it and opened the door. "Too easy." Sneaking up the stairs, Oshu and Psych pulled out a pair of guns. Oshu with two firearms and Psych with one normal gun and one tranquilizer gun and approached an oaken door.

"3, 2, 1." They counted down quietly in unison before bursting in. Sure enough three polar bears stood ready. Psych shot all three as they turned, the darts sending the bears to the floor.

"Daddy." Frufru whimpered, stashed away within a secret chamber inside Mr. Big's office. Big had two polar bears guarding him now, waiting for the intruders to arrive. The door swung open, but revealed no one behind it. Big threw up his brow and snapped his fingers, pointing for his guards to investigate. Just as they approached, Oshu screeched and tackled one of the big bears to the ground. Psych snuck in, removing a small sphere from his pocket and tossing it at the other. A burst of light struck his eyes, sending him to the ground. As Oshu pounded away, knocking out his opponent, Psych simply walked by and darted the bear in the back of the head.

"Don't celebrate yet you filthy rats, more of my boys are on the way."

"I got that covered." Oshu smiled, walking out the door. Psych pulled out his real gun now and cocked it, aiming it straight at Mr. Big.

"You and I have unfinished business, Montador."

"I've got no business with a cowardly fox." Mr. Big refuted.

"That right?" He laughed, removing his mask and goggles. "How bout now?" Mr. Big opened his eyes, bewildered by the sight.

"Well well, finally had the cahones to come back to town?"

"It was thanks to your ratty hide I had to leave in the first place!" Psych shouted, pushing Mr.Big out of his chair with the tip of his gun. "Did you really think I'd let you get away with it!?"

"I wasn't the one who put out a hit on his own father." Big dismissed, getting back onto his feet and dusting himself off.

"That fat, drunk, piece of shit deserved it! You didn't even follow through; the drunk basturd drove himself off a cliff in the Rainforest District and all you had to say was you saw him do it!" Psych bellowed.

"We had a much more strict policy regarding police. I was just a middle guy back then, It was just business Par-" Big tried to say before getting smacked across the face by the barrel of Psychs gun.

"It's Psych now." He threatened. Mr. Big growled picking himself up and wiping his nose.

"When my boys get their hands on you, they'll be finding pieces of your sorry hide in every corner of this city!" He tried to taunt, but as he finished gunshots could be heard outside the door along with the sound of heavy bodies falling down the stairs.

"Don't count on it." Psych smiled, fixing the gun back on Mr. Big. "Any last words, Monty?"

"A little advice. Rats like you without a shred of decency or respect, will never run this town!" He shouted with a throw of his hand. Psych pulled the trigger and sent Mr. Big flying against the wall and killed him. Frufru shuddered, holding her baby and husband in the hiding place.

"Rodents like you don't deserve it." Psych retorted, spitting on the floor. Heading outside, Psych observed the stairwell filled with four bodies of dead polar bears. Tapping Oshu's arm he looked up. "You good?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "No sweat. Got what you needed?"

"Big's a corpse. With him dead, the whole rat pack will fall into disarray. Let's move." Psych lead on toward the exit. Frufru finally grew bold enough to escape from her hiding spot with Frankie. Climbing down she approached her father's body and gasped.

"Daddy! No!!" She cried, turning to her husband.

"Hush baby, hush. There's nothing we coulda done."

"Boss!!" One of the bears cried out as he entered the room.

"You! Raymond! We need to get the hell outta here!" Frankie ordered.

"But what about-" Raymond gasped, looking at Big's body. Crossing his heart he looked up. "Rest in peace boss."

"Raymond! We gotta move! I ain't staying here with those freaks around!

"Right away boss!" Raymond agreed. Scooping them up, he managed to sure his grip just in time to hear an explosion rock the house. Looking out the window, he saw Psych and Oshu escape in their black, steel framed car. Fire was spreading through the lower levels quickly and the bear Psych had knocked out was stirring awake. Taking him over his shoulder, he rushed to the emergency exit at the end of the hall and rushed down toward the exit Oshu and Psych had used to break in. A few other bears were outside, coughing and laying on the ground. Raymond tossed the one off his shoulder and held out Frankie and Frufru. "Where we gonna go?"

"Judy." Frufru spoke softly.

"Our girl's ok?" Frankie questioned urgently.

"No, I mean Hopps, Judy Hopps." Frufru insisted.

"Baby, we can't go running to the cops, we gotta rally the family together here." Frankie insisted.

"I can take her." Raymond offered. "Boss, you get the family sorted out, I'll take Frufru and Judy to the station. Maybe they'll offer her protection."

"Well." Frankie pondered a moment. "Alright, you keep her safe. That's my angel there!" He insisted as Raymond let him down. "Boys, get me a car and rally up the family."

"Come on, Frufru, let's go." Raymond insisted rushing off toward a limo as the house continued to burn.