Zootopia - the Rabbiting ch.15

Chapter 15: Be Prepared
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There was at least one thing that Nicholas Wilde wasn't, and that was a fool. He was sly, well mannered, a smooth talker and (as supported by his mother at least) handsome to a fault. He knew that the guys who were holding Judy hostage were going to be armed and plentiful; otherwise they wouldn't have bought an entire crack house, full of blank spots and ambush-worthy locations.
However, if there was another thing that Nicholas wasn't, it's an action hero. While he indisputably would go trough hell itself to make sure Judy or anyone else that he held close was safe, he also understood he was by no means a John Hambo or Clint Eequswood. Judy was often the one who'd handle those situations, he on the other hand had the skill of suavity, to get under a perp’s skin and know the inner workings of the street, because he'd knew it in and out. But now that Judy was missing, he would have to take a few steps that were a bit out of his character, and to do that; he would need some extra hands and some firepower to level the playing field.

When it came to obtaining said firepower, he was currently sitting inside Flash's car, which was parked outside an old car workshop. Munching on some fries, the vulpine eyed the building before him. It looked like an old, almost rundown workshop on the surface, but Nick knew from past experiences that it was also Freddy's gun shop and a chop shop on the side. Finishing his snack, Nick got out of the car and made his way towards the building. Fishing trough the pockets of his suit, he then pulled out an old key and stuck into the door, and after some twisting and turning, the door clicked open to the fox great surprise.

“Huh, guess he never bothered to change the locks,” Nick commented as he opened the door and stepped inside.

Inside, his nostrils were quickly assaulted with the smells of gasoline, car paint, rubber and car oil, making him slightly woozy and bringing him a strange sense of nostalgia from the days he regularly visited this joint. His ears also registered what sounded like loud rock music coming from the right, which brought a smile to his face, as it could only mean one thing. Following the sound he soon came across a small radio that rested on a tool tray, which stood next to a sports car with it's hood popped open. A reddish-brown bushy tail was sticking out of it, which promoted Nick to smirk and lean against a nearby stack of tires. The owner of said body parts, a female squirrel in dark blue overalls and a grey kepi, straightened herself and grabbed the lid of the hood before slamming it down. It was difficult to pin point her age, given that squirrels always looked younger than they actually was, but Nick knew that she was approximately 22. Clearly unaware of the foxes presence, the squirrel pulled up a small monkey wrench from the tool kit and began to sing ad-libbed sections of the song playing on the radio, just as it was approaching it's end.

“Life is an open road,
It's the best story never told,
It's an endless sky; it's the deepest sea
Life is an open road to me
Life is an open road to ME!!!”

As the song ended, the squirrel girl bowed to a imaginative audience, even blowing a few kisses in it's imagined direction, only to go as stiff as a board when she heard actual clapping coming from behind. Turning around, she dropped her wrench as she saw Nick applauding her slowly.

“I see you still haven't given up on your music-career,” Nick murmured. “Still wearing those cute overalls too~”

“NICKY!!!” She yelled out as she ran across the car, jumped off its roof and straight into Nick's chest with all the swiftness her body allowed. The hug only lasted for a few short moments though as Nick was just as swiftly slapped across the face. “Where have ya been, ya chowdahead! Ya know I missed yiz mush!“

“Oh come on Chewy, I was kinda busy you know.” Nick responded, rubbing his cheek while the squirrel did a fancy black flip as she landed on the cars roof again, giving him grumpy look.

“Humph, likely story ya igit, you just forgot about me! Admit it! And it's not Chewy, it's Barbara!” She muttered and to looked away with her arms crossed, right before looking over her shoulder and in the snap of a second changed her expression and flashed him a grin. “Calm your liver, Nicky. I know yiz’ve been a busy boy. I’ve seen yiz driving that fancy cruiser of yours. Yiz SO gotta tell me what type of engine that baby runs on.”

Nick let out a chuckle and waved his hand casually. For as long as he known the squirrel, she had always been crazy for cars or engines, not to mention old school rock’n roll and street racing.
Sliding off the car, she approached Nick with a mischievous look and grabbed his hand, in a gesture that seemed a little more than just friendly.

“It really is nice to see you again though… Really missed your sexy butt, and me likey what your time in cop-school have done to your arms…!” She said and gave his forearm a playful squeeze, which made Nick feel a little uncomfortable. “You want something to drink or… something to nibble on? I got a few grinders and tonics down back.”

Nick gave of a nervous laughter. Back in the day when she had been a teenager, Barbara's little crush on him had been cute, but now it seemed like it had mutated into something far more… Alarming.

“Ehehehe…! As delicious as that sounds Chew- I mean Barbara, I actually came here to see Freddy,” Nick said as he gently removed the girl’s hands from his arm, noticing an expression of slight disappointment in her face. "If he’s at home that is."

Barbara emitted a frustrated groan, which was an expected reaction on Nick's part. Barbara had worked for Freddy since she was 17, and had during her time there earned a reputation of being easy, which had lead to the coyote at one time famously referring to her as "chew toy", which in turn had prompted the squirrel to nearly chew the coyote's face off. This was the reason why she was called "Chewy".

“Yeah, that bozo is here; he’s down in the cellar.” Barbara said and went over to a mini fridge, popping it open and pulling out a soda bottle fit for her size. “That igit also told me that yiz bagged his ride, if yiz know what’s good for ya yiz’ll make sure that beauty isn’t busted, right?”

“Of course Barb… Listen, while I talk to Freddy, how about you go and fix up the ride I got outside.” Nick said, dangling the car keys in front of her nose. “It belongs to Flash, so I think you already know what's under the hood.”

Hearing that, Barbara squealed in delight and grabbed the keys.

“No-suh Nicky! Ooooh, I’ve been dying to see what makes that beauty tick!”

Watching her scurry off with the keys, Nick exhaled in relief. He felt like he could've used a cold shower, but there was no time for that, so he made his way down to the basement. Once there, he found his path blocked by a fairly large metallic door. The fox knocked several times on it and placed his left ear at it. Hearing the approach of footsteps, he pulled back as several locks clicked in place and the door opened. Standing in the doorway, Freddy wore a simple white wife beater and some torn jeans, his fur in a mess and with a black pair of shades covering his eyes. Staring at Nick, the coyote pulled his upper lip back and gave the fox a disdainful look.

“What ya wan’ya babblin’ brook? Ya already took ma’stuff and ma’Andrew Marr, had to take a soddin’Andy McNab and then had Chewy chew my lords and peers fer that” He muttered, and Nick felt the smell of liquor coming from the guys mouth. “So make it fast, I’ve got a bad bend over…”

“I need some help, Fred; a friend of mine is in trouble.” Nick muttered, not wishing to say it was Judy.

Hearing that made Freddy raise his eyebrow as he then leaned against the side of the door, lowering his shades enough to showcase his red eyes.

“And why should I care? Yer a bottle so got to yer gareth gates for help. Why come to me ya Charlie Ronce,” Freddy spat out. While the fox mentally tried to keep calm, he then spotted a glimmer in Freddy’s eyes as his brain was putting together a picture or what he thought was the full picture. “Wait…Don’ tell me…Cheese and Rice! Yer not with those cozzer’s are ya?!”

“Humph, I see someone’s a pretty clever type.” Nick said, huffing as he crossed his hands, while tilting his head to the side “Yeah, I currently have issues with my buddies in the ZPD, so this is off the books. That’s why I’m here, so are you going to help me or not?”

“Mmmm…that depends Nicky. First, do you have any dosh on you, and second, will this come back to bite me in the arse?” Freddy asked while he casually inspected his claws. “I don’ care what you’re cloankilty fer or what coat hanger you’ve done, I just care that I don’t end up in the rusty nail.”

Rolling his eyes, Nick then dug into his suits inner pocket and produced a rolled up wad of bills that he pushed into the coyote's open hand. Inspecting the wad, the coyote quickly pocketed it away.

“You’ll get that, and your car back by the end of it.” Nick said, then before Freddy could say another word he added: “But I can't give you the merchandise back Freddy, so you'll just have to settle with not having your name mentioned once all of this is done.”

“Hrm…If ya cocoa Empire, c’mon step inside my lollipop, want a pint of mellor?” Freddy asked, leading Nick inside the room.

“Nah, I’m good.”

As they stepped inside, the fox couldn’t help but to cringe. He himself was never much of a neat freak, but compared to Freddy’s place, Nick's apartment was practically sterile-clean. The room had all sorts of trash thrown around; empty liquor bottles, old ammo crates, discarded ammo clips, old pizza boxes and other garbage littered the floor, an old record player in the corner was playing some kind of rockabilly cheese, and the walls were decorated with tattered Elvis-posters. "No wonder Barb wouldn't respond to his early courting attempts", Nick thought. Frankly, he was surprised that the female squirrel hadn't reported this room as a contaminated area.

Passing by a coffee table, Freddy grabbed a half-empty beer bottle and took a few gulps from it, as they went further and arrived in another, darkened room. The coyote flipped the lights on, and exposed a sight that nearly made Nick's jaw drop; all three walls of the room was covered with rows and rows of guns in all the conceivable shapes, sizes and calibers. Looking back at Freddy, Nick couldn’t think of anything to say for a few seconds, before finally swallowing and speaking up.

“What… No tanks or naval mines?” He asked which promoted Freddy to laugh and take another sip.

“I doubt you have any fluffy bunny fer that gate, so Kate Carney won’t give me one.” Freddy murmured, as he made his way inside the room with Nick following after him. “An judging by the fiber of your fabric, I doubt you can even afford yerself anything heavy, and I doubt you can go to the fish tank.”

Freddy wasn’t wrong on that part, but then again Nick wasn’t about to start a frickin’ war or anything. Going trough the rows and looking through the content like shelves at Toys R Us, the vulpine then stopped to grab a Glock 17, two 1911 MC Operators, one SG 552 Commando, one FN Scar-H and finally a SPAS-12. Putting the weapons on the table before Freddy, Nick looked on in silence as the coyote flashed a smirk and began to produce the ammo for said weapons, and then changed his expression to a cockier one once he was done.

“You want the stuff gift-wrapped?” He asked, crossing his fingers together while looking at Nick from underneath his forehead.

“No, but I wouldn't mind some flash bangs if you got some lying around.” Nick murmured, as he popped a clip into the SG and checked the sights. “And some smoke grenades just in case.”

“Left crate got plenty of them smoky sons of bitches.” Freddy replied as he reclined back on his couch while eyeing the fox. “So, how did your nun and habit got herself captured?”

“What makes you think it was her?” Nick asked, as he dug trough the crate. “You act like I don't have many friends, Freddy.”

“Nicky, you can drop tellin' me Porkies.” Freddy replied, removing his shades and rubbing his eyes “Let's be honest, amon' yer number of gates, ya have only a handful, the most likely being Chewy and Finnick. Last time I checked, Chewy could hold 'er own, and Finn usually can break some scotch pegs, despite him not looking like he can.”

This time Nick didn’t even bother to answer as he placed a couple of grenades on the table and handing the coyote another wad of cash. In return he was handed a duffel bag with which to pack all of his buying's.

“Shabba ranks gate this will fund my eventual Shawshank redemption, pleasure doing business with ya.” The coyote murmured, as he watched Nick pack the guns and head off. “Spanish Waiter Nicky, be sure not to brow bread, I’ll even weaver fer ya~”

Looking back, the fox smiled.

“Why Freddy, I never knew you cared about so much about wittle ol’me, I’m touched!” Nick gave a fake exclamation of surprise and even bowed to the coyote.

“Oh piss off you strawberry split, just if you a corpse covered in roy hudd, Chewy will just pipe her eyes out.” The coyote murmured while rolling his eyes “That ocean pearl never got over her crush fer ya~”

Hearing that, Nick gave off a faint sigh and went up the stairs. Back at the workshop, he saw that Barbara was already digging trough Flash’s engine. Approaching her, the vulpine cleared his throat to get the squirrel's attention, which made her get from underneath the hood, her chocolate brown eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

“Nick, this car is simply wicked! The engine is the balls!” She added, clearly wanting to return to it. “Can I keep it for a while? I’ll be sure to give it back to Flash in prime condition, even if it is your d-tech!”

“Heh, how about this Barb, you can have the car if you'll let me to use your phone to make a call” Nick said, as the squirrel brightened up more and pulled up her phone from the pocket of her overall and handed it to Nick. “Thanks hun,” he said and tried to take it out of her hand, only to find some resistance in the girl's grip. Nick met her look, and then found himself intensely reminded of Freddy's words, as she suddenly moved so close to him that her nose nearly touched his.

"I always repay a favor Nick," she whispered teasingly. "Keep that in mind for the next time you come by." She then let go of her phone, giggled and then returned to inspecting Flash's car while Nick stood there stunned for a few seconds.

"Holy matrimony…!" He mumbled and then speedily dialed a number on the pink-colored phone, hoping he’d get a response.
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Sitting in his van, Finnick was sucking on his fifth cigarette while tapping his foot somewhat impatiently. He hadn’t gotten any calls from Judy since the attack on the safe house, and that was almost a day ago. Sure, he understood that the thing must’ve been a considerable blow to the young officer, but it still would have been nice if she had at least reported back to him and said how things were going, especially when it came to freeing Nick. Mentally cursing under his breath, Finnick pulled out the cigarette and was about to grab a fresh one when his phone suddenly started ringing. The fennec dropped the package, cursed and pulled out his phone, only to see an unknown number on it. Raising his eyebrow, he then pushed “reply”.

“Oi, who the hell is this?! If this is another telemarketer so help me I’ll crash my van trough your damn office!” The fennec exclaimed angrily. “And once I've rammed your damn office, I'm gonna give your wife something to hang her towels on-“

“Finn it’s me, chill,” a familiar voice responded, making the fennec nearly drop his phone.

“Nick? Wait, did Judy get ya out?!” Finnick asked trying to hold back a wave of joy and relief, which quickly vanished as Nick began to explain the situation to him. “… She’s what?! Wait, if’s she’s missing…Then where are you calling from?”

Listening to his friend's further explanations, Finnick’s eyes grew wider and wider, and his mouth started to silently mutter the words "you", "are", "shitting" and "me". And once Nick were finished, the fennec took a deep breath to try and calm himself.

“Nick, for all the time I've known you, you have pulled some insane crap, but this takes the goddamn cake! Are you out of your damn mind?! Do you even realize what trouble this will get ya into?!” He yelled into the phone, before groaning and rubbing his temples. “Ugh…! Wait, you know where she is? Hm.. Uh-huh? All right, where are ya then? Mmmm… Okay, I know the place; I’ll be over in an hour.”

Hanging up, Finnick let out a long and deep sigh and rested his aching head against the wheel. If this were any other day, the fennec would have probably said 'fuck it' and not have bothered with saving Nick's tail. But that was THEN, and NOW was the situation, which included the fact that the bunny was in trouble, which prompted him to let out another sigh, before starting his van and then drive off to pick up Nick.
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Sitting inside of Finnick’s van, Nick look out of the passenger window until the fennec spoke up.

“Please tell me you have a plan and not just guns.” He muttered, looking back at his friend “Because if you say “we're gonna wing it” so help me I'll tie you to the front end of my van and use you as a battering ram.”

“Relax Fin, I got a plan, and it's so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it Nick Jr, but we need to pick up one more persona before we do our assault.” Nick murmured, and then looked back at Finnick. “Sorry for dragging you into this, man.”

“Save it, if someone’s going to be helping you out of a jam, might as well be me," Finnick said and pulled up another fresh smoke. "So who’s this other clown we need to pick up?”

“Her name is Honey, and she's a forensic scientist at the ZPD. She's a bit of a recluse though, so I had to ask Midnight for an address.” Nick said, reaching into his suit's inner pocket and handing Finnick a slip of paper.

“Midnight?! How the hell did you get him to cooperate?!” Finnick asked, nearly choking on his cigarette.

“Lets just say, I gave him an offer he couldn't refuse~” Nick murmured, fluttering his eyelashes at Finnick, which made his friend roll his eyes.

“Right… You know Nick, one of these days, that dumb luck of yours will end.” Finnick stated while looking at the slip of paper “…. You sure this is the right address? Don’t recall any houses in that neighborhood.”

“Aye, I was surprised myself, but Midnight said this info is 100% sure, so what do we have to lose?” Nick replied and returned to looking to looking outside the window. He could see dark clouds gather in the horizon, and his ears registered low rumbles of thunder. A worrisome omen if any to complete this bizarre and suspenseful day.

Staring at Nick, Finnick shook his head and patted his friend’s arm, which made Nick look back at him with surprise.

“Don’t worry ya sly bastard, we’ll get fluffers back, safe and sound. In fact, I pity the fools who think they can mess with her and get away with it.” He said in a re-assuring tone.
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The place of the address on the paper was a very desolate and borderline ancient army base located in the tropical zone. By the looks of it, the base had been established during the second Great War, but had since apparently been abandoned and left to fall apart. The hangars had long since rusted or been boarded up, several of the guard towers looked like they were about to fall over if you looked at them wrong, the wire fences had either been taken down or cut open (probably by teens who came here to party) and finally the disassembled and graffiti-covered remains of a jeep. Driving into through the open gates and parking the van in the shadow of one of the hangars, the two stepped out and looked at each other before shrugging. Nick took a deep breath and walked further into the base grounds while Finnick stayed to guard the car. The strange silence was eerie to the vulpine, and he had a hard time imagining how anyone could live here. Then again, this was Honey he was looking for.

“HONEY! HEY! ARE YA HERE GIRL?! IT’S ME, NICK!” He yelled out in the hope of getting some kind of response, but all he was met with was silence. “Dammit… Where is could she be?”

Just then, Nick’s twitched as he could have sworn he heard something move behind him, but when looking back he couldn't see anything besides junk and rusty buildings. But just as he turned and moved forward, he smacked right into a familiar, pudgy form, which made him to jump back in fright. Then just as unexpectedly his hand was grabbed and the fox found himself sailing trough the air and smacking down hard with his back to the ground, which kicked up a major cloud of dust around him. He coughed and groaned in pain, and as soon as the dust cleared, Nick saw that looming right over him was the honey badger, now dressed in a pair of loose, camouflaged pants, a green tank top that exposed her muscular arms, a bandana on her forehead and her trademark goggles covering her eyes. Judging by her expression, she was not pleased to see the fox.

“Damn…! Honey, it's just me, Nick!” The fox exclaimed as he flailed his hands and tried to get back on his feet.

“I know, just be glad that I've already taken my pills today. Now what’s the big idea, escaping like that?!” She exclaimed, glaring at him like he was a little kit who had just set his classroom on fire. “First Judy goes missing, and then you are running away?! I was worried sick damn you!”

“I know, I know and I’m sorry, but I had no other choice! Listen, I found out where Judy is and I need your help” Nick said, holding his hands in the air. “After we save her, THEN you can pound me into pancake batter!”

Looking down at Nick in silence, Honey then walked passed him. The fox blinked in confusion, then straightened himself and started following her. They soon arrived at what seemed like an entrance to some kind of underground bunker. Going down a few stairs and passing through an open vault door, Nick discovered that the interior wasn’t very big; clearly made for least four people at most. The walls were composed of thick steel-plates, and on the floor were several aluminum raceways for cables, which looked like fairly modern installations.

“So, this is your home?” Nick finally asked, as he looked around and also noticed that it looked considerably better kept than the rest of the base.

“Yeah, it’s not much but it’s home.” Honey said, welcoming Nick into one of the rooms, which looked like Honey’s. How one could tell? Well, the insane amount of sheep-related conspiracy crap decorating the walls like some kind of chaotic tapestry was a dead give away, along with a few chalk boards covered in photos and SUPER old news clippings
He also spotted three framed photographs resting on an old coffee table, the first photo depicting Honey in a military uniform of all things, only here she was a lot slimmer and flexing her biceps proudly, the mohawk still present (making Nick wonder if Honey was born with hair like that) and standing next to half a dozen other soldiers and a female fox with white fur, a pair of reading glasses and a secretary outfit with a very short skirt. The next photo depicted Honey with a male badger, both of them in their wedding clothes and Honey showcasing a pregnant stomach. The final photo was of her, two kids and her husband during what seemed to be a cruise. Hearing a soft sigh, Nick looked at Honey, who was directing a melancholic towards the third photo.

“Your kids look adorable,” Nick said and looked back at the image.

“Yeah… They were sweet,” Honey whispered.

“W-Where are they now?” Nick asked before he could stop himself, looking back at Honey from the corner of her eyes and seeing that the badger was changing her clothes. He quickly looked away, though he did spot a tattoo on Honeys back that seemed to say, “Don’t blink at death.”

“At a much better place, Nick,” Honey replied, slipping on a new t-shirt and a jacket over it. “Better than I could give them anyway.”

Nick blinked, but then just gave off a simple nod as he watched Honey adjust her clothes. The two left the bunker in silence and started making their way back to the van.

"Is that an ice-cream truck?" Honey asked in disbelief as soon as she noticed the vehicle, her eyes widening as they got fixed on the giant pawsicle on its roof. "Oh my God, it is an ice-cream truck! And who's that little guy?"

"That's Finnick, an old friend of mine. And don't worry about the ride, it's a lot smoother than it looks," Nick replied and waved at Finnick, who at first looked very bored, but as he got a good look at the one accompanying the fox, suddenly seemed to turn uncharacteristically ecstatic. As the two approached, the fennec moved over to the passenger seat and opened the door for Honey.

“If you allow me, miss~” He said, flashing a playboy-like grin, which made Honey blink a few times and then giggle, all the while Nick rolled his eyes.

“Oh my, how gentlemanly~” She murmured and gently petted Finnick on the head before stepping into the car. “And such a cutie~”

Waving his eyebrows at her, Finnick then closed the door behind her. As the fennec turned, he was met with an un-amused Nick.

"Really Finn? You're gonna make me sit in the back?" He asked while tapping his foot in annoyance. "I'm supposed to be leading this assault, what gives?"

The fennec gave the fox a tired look.

"Tell you what Nick, if you grow a pair of breasts, and I might feel more inclined to let you ride shotgun next time."

Leaving Nick with a stunned look, Finnick walked over to the drivers seat and got in.

"Talk about gender-based discrimination…!" The red fox muttered and climbed into the back of the van. During the ride he gave Honey a quick explanation as to where Judy was held, or least where he theorized where she was, plus the basics of his plan.
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Upon arriving at the needed address, which was located in a desolate part of the desert zone, the trio caught sight of a five-story apartment complex; it's windows dark and boarded up, betraying no sign of life within.
This whole area, deceivingly named the Green Spot, had once been a lively and decent neighborhood, but after the relaying of several underground pipes that had initially provided it with much needed irrigation, pretty much all the inhabitants had been forced to relocate and leave this place to be taken back by the desert.

Looking at his friends, Nick unzipped the duffel bag and grabbed the SG and Glock 17. Finnick grabbed the SPAS 12 and one of the Operators, while Honey picked the SCAR and the second operator. They then proceeded to check their guns and divide the ammo clips and flash bangs among themselves.

“You sure this is the place, Nicky?” Honey asked, looking around. “I don't see any footprints or tire tracks… Any chance that you got fed a bogus tip?”

"I don't think so, at least not after the deal I made with Midnight," Nick muttered and looked at the complex through the car window. "Besides, this place is perfect for keeping a low profile. There isn’t any neighbor for at least a mile, the whole location is pretty inconspicuous, and the winds constantly sweep any tracks away. If I had kidnapped anyone, this would be a good place to keep them."

"Yeah, but a whole complex? Any place with a soundproof basement would've been fine," Finnick said while shaking his head. "Certainly would've been cheaper than buying a dump like this off a leech like Midnight."

"It's certainly big, which gives the bad guys more places to jump out from. It also makes it more difficult to find Judy," Honey added.

“Which is why we need to be careful, cause if they smell trouble, we're not gonna have many options. So… Just stay safe guys, okay? I have no idea how many of them there is.”

“Don’t worry about us Slick, just follow your own advice,” Finnick said, right before cocking his shotgun.

“Let’s teach these assholes a lesson,” Honey exclaimed and shook her fist while baring her fangs.

And with that they stepped out of the van and headed towards the building.
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