Zootopia: ZPD Mysteries: Case #4: The Curse of The Pirate's Eye

Chapter 9: The Art of a Rescue

"Are you sure that tracker shows Jack is nearby?" Judy asked Skye from across the enormous empty lot down the street from the ZPD.

"I'm a hundred percent sure, Judy," Skye replied. "This is where the signal is coming from, but there's nothing around here."

The lot they stood in was muddy, covered in broken bricks and exposed wires, and framed by low, crumbling walls. The animals had to be very careful where they stepped, since there was likely to be broken glass all over the place. Small plants and bushes were growing across the lot, wrapping themselves around the rotting telephone poles like vines around a stone wall.

There was nothing there.

No bad guys, no building to hold the bad guys, not even a stray weapon or even a bad guy business card.

Nothing.

"Maybe you should double-check that tracker," Judy said.

"I've quadruple-checked it," Skye replied. "This is where Jack is. Or, at least, he was here just ten minutes ago."

Judy noticed that Nick was smirking.

"What's with the grin, Lieutenant Wilde?" Judy asked. "We've been trying to figure out where Jack is, and you've just been looking around, staring at the ground for ten minutes."

"Ladies," Nick said, "if you hadn't been bickering, you may have noticed this."

Nick pointed down at the ground.

When Judy looked, she gasped at what Nick was pointing to.

"What is that?" she asked.

"That, my fluffy bunny," Nick said, "is an entrance to the Zootopian Undercity."

The enormous, low, flat bronze hatch was carved with beautiful engravings of two ancient animals, a lion-like animal and a komodo dragon, dressed in kingly robes and riding upon the shoulders of colossal, mighty war-horses. Their swords crossed in an X as they glared at each other in fierce battle rage. The war-horses' nostrils were flared and snorted clouds of steam. In the background of the engraving was the watering hole that Zootopia was started around, where it all began in the Free Lands after Sheba Khan and John Lionheart led the exodus from Africa. Wrapped around the base of the engraving was a large banner, on which was written, "*Nos fides et sta in unity*."

"'In Faith and Unity We Stand,'" Skye recited, translating the Latin for Nick and Judy to understand.

"It's the seal of King Joseph Silverfur the Great," Nick explained. "He built this place as a refuge in case of a natural disaster, or war with Reptilica; back when Zootopia was much smaller. All the entrances were only known to a few people, Mr. Big being one of them."

"Michael Bigliozzi?" Skye asked. "That's a big name among the AIA."

"Before I worked for the ZPD," Nick explained, "Finnick and I stowed supplies for Mr. Big's various industries down here. Crooks loved to use it to hide drugs or things like that. My guess is, if the Krakens hid Jack anywhere near here, he'd be down there."

"Well, then, let's get on it!" Skye said.

She began looking for something along the edge of the hatch.

"Is there a lip or a handle or something on here?" she asked.

"No," Nick said. "It opens like this."