Chapter Text
The Night Howler disaster is three years behind the city of Zootopia, its conspirators locked up for the rest of their lives. The heroes that brought those events to a close became celebrities for a while, but eventually, the city moved on from that dark time, and the novelty of the first rabbit and fox duo on the Zootopia Police Force wore off.
Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde settled into their role as partners, learning more and more about each other. Sometimes, their partnership was tested, but they weathered these challenges, and in so doing grew closer than ever. Perhaps of little surprise to many, this closeness resulted in them becoming Bonded.
As for their role in the ZPD? They rose up the ranks, becoming detectives in their first undercover case, and eventually reaching Sergeant rank. Their detective skills in cracking not one, but several high-profile cases have put them on the map.
Little did they know that their skills would soon be put to the test in a way that crosses the boundaries of reality…
******
Precinct One
It was early morning. The lobby was nearly deserted. A single wolf opened the main doors. He looked left and right, as if making sure the coast was clear, before stepping inside. Breathing a sigh of relief, he headed forward towards the bullpen.
Letting out a sigh of relief, the wolf was sure he was safe. But before he could take more than a dozen steps, a large pair of paws seized hold of him.
“Oh, come on!” Wolfard yelped, turning himself as much as he could towards the large tigress that had grabbed him.
“It’s for your own good,” Officer Fangmeyer said.
“I hate needles!” Wolfard whimpered as he was pulled away. As the protesting wolf was led into the medic’s office, the door opened again, and this time a fox and bunny duo stepped inside.
It was the usual morning routine for Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde – walk into Precinct One, greet and banter with Clawhauser, make their way into the bullpen, and sit and wait for Bogo to turn up to pass out assignments.
“Okay, so I got a new one for you,” Nick said as the pair took their seats.
“Here we go, the master jokester at work,” Judy replied. “Okay, Nick: hit me with it.”
“Okay, so… cast your imagination back to the Cretaceous.”
“Going old-school with this one, are we?”
“A pack of utahraptors is waging a war on the deinonychus pack. They're losing badly, so they hope to get a missile launching pad from a weapons dealer. They go and find a T-Rex and ask to buy one. ‘Sorry, can't help you’, the T-Rex says. ‘Why not?’ the lead utahraptor asks. ‘Well, I'm a small arms dealer,’ the T-Rex replies.”
Nick barked out a laugh. Judy let out a reluctant chuckle of her own.
“Nick, that joke’s terrible,” she replied.
“Got you to laugh even a little, so I’d say that’s a win,” Nick smirked.
“You’re lucky I love you. I don’t think I could stand these awful jokes otherwise.”
“You mean you didn’t bond with me because of my impeccable comedic prowess?”
“Ten-hut!” Officer Higgins called, drawing everybody’s attention to the front. The usual chanting and thumping of desks ensued from the other ZPD officers.
“Alright… enough…” Bogo said as he took to the lectern. The clamour died down and Bogo put on his reading glasses so he could read the clipboard he had carried in with him.
“We have a few items on the docket today,” he said. “First: the annual anti-Night Howler inoculations. I don’t think I need to remind you why this inoculation is important, and that all predators here have to take it. Yes, that meant you as well, Wolfard. Trying to sneak by won’t work. Let that be a warning.”
Everyone turned to face the wolf officer sat at the back, who let out a slight, pathetic whimper.
“All predator officers are to report straight to the medic’s office as soon as we are finished here,” Bogo continued on. “Next: last night, in the Docklands area, unusual power outages were reported.”
“Sir, isn’t it up to the electrical board to investigate that?” Nick raised a paw. “I mean… I know the area pretty well. It’s run down. Wouldn’t shock me if it’s just the old infrastructure giving up.”
“For once, you are right, Wilde. But they are convinced that it isn’t due to-”
“Their neglect of that part of town?” Nick interrupted.
“Shut your mouth, Wilde!” Bogo responded. “As I was saying, they don’t believe it’s due to an infrastructure fault, rather that somebody is siphoning electricity from the area. If that is the case, there is a crime being committed, a pretty big one. Hopps! Wilde!” Bogo turned to the fox and bunny. “This is your case. I’ve made sure the ZPD medic takes Wilde first so you two can get going.”
“Yes, sir,” Nick and Judy chanted in unison, standing up, saluting, and then making their way out of the bullpen.
******
Nick and Judy had parked their cruiser in an alley off from the main road through the Docklands. As expected, the area was deserted, with only the occasional vehicle hoping to use the only through road as a shortcut to other places passing through. Before they arrived, they had stopped off at Snarlbucks to pick up coffee – there was no telling how long this investigation was going to take, especially if it did turn out as Nick had offered earlier: an infrastructure problem. Still, the extra energy couldn’t hurt.
Nick and Judy were on foot. They had found themselves on a road with a bridge rising up a short distance away. To the left was a disused factory, and further up was a round warehouse with several broken windows.
“Been a while since we’ve been here,” Nick said.
“Yeah, last time I was here was when I found you under that bridge,” Judy pointed it out to Nick.
“I remember. Was the best apology I’ve ever gotten. Still, my poor tail…” He stroked at the appendage in mock hurt.
Judy went to playfully punch Nick’s arm. He leaned away from her, wincing slightly.
“Oof, please don’t…” Nick pleaded, rubbing his arm. “Nurse Catchett was really rough with that inoculation this morning.”
“Aww, does the fox want me to kiss it all better?” Judy teased him.
“Well, they do say bunny kisses make everything better, but maybe later,” Nick replied, lifting his coffee to take a sip. Judy followed suit.
“So… where should we start?” Judy asked.
“Hmm…” Nick paused for thought. “Maybe we can start with that warehouse over there,” he indicated to the building with the rounded roof.
“Any particular reason?” Judy asked. “I mean, since you know this area so well.”
“Well, it’s a long story, and maybe I’ll tell you about it later, but I once wanted to do something with it. Never happened anyway.”
“Okay. That warehouse it is,” Judy nodded. “Let’s go, partner.”
The pair started towards their chosen building, wading through the overgrown grass. At its front, the warehouse had a giant shutter, as well as two doors – one on each side.
“Look…” Nick pointed to the ground in front. Judy followed with her eyes. The ground had clearly been disturbed. Nick looked around for further clues. He approached one of the side doors, which had been boarded up with planks nailed into the frame.
“You think we can get these off so we can get inside?” Judy asked.
Nick gripped one of the planks and pulled. It didn’t make much effort for him to rip it from the door frame.
“Nails have rusted through,” Nick remarked, depositing the plank to the ground. He pulled at another plank, and it came off as easily as the first. Soon, he had removed all the planks obstructing the door.
“After you?” Nick pushed the door open, stepping aside to let Judy through.
“Such a gentlemammal,” Judy chuckled as she stepped into the warehouse. Nick followed her in. They were inside a corridor with brick walls covered in dirt and dust, with stairs leading up to another level, and a door at the other end.
Judy’s ears pricked upright.
“You hear something?” Nick asked.
“Yeah…” Judy replied. “I… don’t know what it is. Something… electrical, maybe?”
Nick perked his ears up, hoping to catch what Judy was hearing. His hearing was good, but nowhere near the level of a bunny. Still, he could definitely hear something like a whine of some description, as well as what sounded like crackling reminiscent of a Jacob’s Ladder.
“Let’s take a look,” Nick said. Judy nodded in affirmation, and took the lead down the corridor, with Nick following her. They came to a door, and Judy creaked it open. Light spilled from the doorway. Blinking from the sudden light, Judy looked for its source. In the middle of the warehouse was a giant machine with an elevated platform with what looked like two large, ringed rods pointing towards it.
“There, look,” Judy pointed.
“Guess we know what’s causing the power drain,” Nick said.
“We need to shut it down, and find out who built this… and just what it’s for.”
Judy opened the door further and slipped through. Nick followed her. They ducked behind some stacked crates and peered over, looking for any sign of the mammal responsible for the machine.
A maned wolf dressed in a white coat stood in front of a panel covered with dials, buttons and screens. He seemed completely focused on the machine, and therefore totally unaware that he was being watched.
“What’s our play?” Nick asked.
“We don’t know if he’s armed,” Judy replied. “So, I say… split up. You take the left and I’ll take the right.”
“Roger that.”
The pair split up, circling around and approaching the maned wolf, who was still paying them no mind. Nick caught Judy’s eye, she nodded, and the pair drew their tranq pistols.
“ZPD, paws where we can see them!” Judy shouted, standing upright. The maned wolf spun to face her. He stared at her for a moment, before turning around, right into Nick’s path.
“I wouldn’t, buddy,” Nick raised his tranq pistol.
“You’ve been stealing electricity from the grid and causing power cuts,” Judy stepped forward, reaching for the cuffs in her belt. “Whatever it is you’re trying to do, you need to shut it down. Now.”
“You can’t just shut it down!” the maned wolf barked. “You have no idea what this machine is, what it does, or how it even works.”
“Looks like some mad science experiment to me,” Nick piped up.
“How rude of you!” the maned wolf retorted. “This isn’t some ‘mad science experiment’, as you so eloquently put it! You have no idea how useful that will be!”
“You have no idea how much trouble you’re in,” Judy stepped forward. “Now… how do we shut it down?”
“I told you, you can’t!”
“Sounds like we’ll just have to start pressing buttons until one works,” Nick suggested. “Do you want the honour, or shall I try?”
“Be my guest,” Judy said. “I’ll read this guy his rights.”
“You… n… no… w… wait!” the maned wolf stuttered nervously as Nick stepped towards the machine. He reached the control panel and stretched his fingers out.
“Ooh, I wonder what this button does,” Nick’s finger hovered over the panel. “What do you think? Should I press it and find out?”
“NO!” the maned wolf yelled.
“That sure sounds like ‘press it’ to me,” Nick jammed his finger against the button.
“Okay, mister, while my partner does that, I’m placing you under arrest for theft of public utilities and construction of a potentially-dangerous device. You have the right to remain silent…”
The warehouse suddenly shook violently. The noise the machine emitted reached a fever pitch.
“Uh, maybe I shouldn’t have pressed that button after all,” Nick backed away from the control panel as it began to spark.
“You don’t know what you’ve done!” the maned wolf protested, trying to resist.
The shaking of the machine had caused the rods to misalign just as they fired energy beams towards the platform. They struck the ground just in front of it, a ball of blinding light exploding from the point of impact.
None of them could do anything more than cover their eyes before the giant flare consumed them.
******
All Judy could do was blink the spots out of her eyes as the light died down. She felt something cold and hard against the back of her body and realised she was on the ground. She got to her feet as her vision started to come back. It took her a moment to realise she wasn’t in the warehouse any more. She was in a side alley in the heart of the city. She had no clue as to how she had gotten there. Maybe the maned wolf had dumped her after whatever happened to the machine.
“Nick?” She called out tentatively, looking around, ears raised. There was no response. She stumbled out of the alley, eyes swivelling in search of her partner.
She couldn’t put her finger on it, but Judy could sense something was wrong. As she moved out into the street, she stepped on something crunchy. Stopping for a moment, she looked down at what she had trodden on. It was a crumpled newspaper, a copy of the Zootopia Times. She bent down and picked it up, intending to dispose of it in the nearest bin. But as she took it over, her eyes caught the front-page headline.
FUTURE OF PREDATORS IN ZOOTOPIA CALLED INTO QUESTION
Judy stopped. What did this mean? It made no sense. She unfolded the paper and began reading.
A mandatory quarantine and a possible mandate of already widely-in-use Tame Collars are being discussed as possible solutions to the ongoing savagery crisis, while some are calling for more extreme solutions.
Judy could feel the blood draining from her ears as she read on.
Zootopia Mayor Dawn Bellwether has reassured the public that her office will do whatever it takes to quell growing unrest. Bellwether, who has been in office for three years since the discovery of Lionheart’s attempts at hiding the savagery of predators from the public, has announced that she will be chairing a special meeting later this week to discuss potential avenues. While her office declined to comment on what these avenues are, sources close to the Mayor’s office have given insight into several potential routes, including a mandatory quarantine of predators who have been in contact with those afflicted by savagery, changing the law to make predators wearing Tame Collars compulsory as a condition for continued residency in Zootopia, or even potential relocation to a currently-disused part of the city, away from prey mammals.
This wasn’t right. It wasn’t possible. It was as if Judy had stepped into a world where Bellwether had won. What had that machine done to her? Was she having a hallucination of some kind? Would she wake up on that warehouse floor at any moment, ego bruised but otherwise fine?
She carried on reading.
Meanwhile, measures are currently being introduced that will see the removal of all remaining predator personnel from the employ of the emergency services, including the Zootopia Police Department. In a statement, Chief Bogo said: “This is not what I wanted for my work force, mammals I have been honoured to serve alongside for the past decade. I will continue to fight for them as long as I am able to.”
She shook her head. It wasn’t possible. Her eyes scanned the paper, catching sight of one more oddity.
It was an advertisement for a documentary to be broadcast on TV.
LYNXLEY: A family torn apart by savagery and controversy. Learn the truth behind the fall of the family famed for the creation of the Climate Wall and the founding of Zootopia as we know it. Watch on ZBS, Tuesday, 9/10 9PM.
The radio at her belt crackled, startling her from her thoughts.
“Herdington to Hopps,” an unfamiliar male voice spoke. “Status on the tracking of our subject?”
“Subject?” Judy repeated. Nevertheless, she knew she had to answer whoever was on the other end. “This is Officer Hopps. I, uh… got a little sidetracked.”
She hoped that Herdington would supply her with information on whoever it was she was supposed to be investigating.
Luckily, Herdington obliged her.
“Don’t get distracted when that no-good fox is out there,” he replied. “Wilde’s up to no good. We just need to find out what it is so we can bring him in.”
Judy let out a relieved sigh. If it was Nick they were after, then hopefully they could figure out just what was going on and undo whatever had happened.
A thought crossed her mind. This world was similar to her own, yet so different. But what if it was only her who had been brought to this place, which was looking more and more like a dystopian hell hole the longer she observed it? A glance at a sign attached to a lamppost reaffirmed her fears.
If you come into contact with a savage predator, or suspect one is in the process of becoming so, please dial the emergency line at 555-1048-009. Muzzles are compulsory for all predators who have come into contact with an afflicted predator as per the Savagery Restraining Act.
Judy’s blood ran cold upon reading that. She knew why the predators were going savage. Why had that all been undone?
For better or for ill, she had to find Nick, and fast.