Zootopia: The Visitor

Friendship Can Be Deadly

[Judy]

I don't think any of us really enjoyed our food for the remainder of our time at Semani Garden, and we were a little short on words. Our vigor wasn't diminished, though. Or at least, mine wasn't. I was more than confident that we would succeed. After all, we had Ivan with us, and he knew full well what we were jumping into. I was glad that he had offered to help us again, although I knew Nick and Luke didn't fully approve, but what exactly were we supposed to do without him? A rabbit, fox, and an inter-dimensional outcast in an adolescent wolf body. Alone, I wasn't sure we would've stood a chance.

As soon as it had gotten dark, we left for Tundra Town, returning once more to the place where everything had started. Ivan had offered to take us in his black van again, and we figured that his vehicle would be somewhat better qualified for the stealth required in this particular situation than our massive police cruiser. Nick and I remained in our uniforms, however. Last time, we had come to rescue a friend. This time, we would be there on behalf of the city, and everyone who lived in it. It was all up to us, so no pressure, right? But it was all or nothing that night, so we were ready.

After going over the plan a few times, we knew each of our parts to play in it and exactly what we were going to do. The ZIA was going to have to answer for a lot of things once we were done. I just hoped they wouldn't see us coming. It was a gamble, but it was one we couldn't afford to fold out of. That night was going to mean the difference between tranquility and city-wide chaos. Needless to say, the stakes were somewhat lofty, but things always seemed to have a way of working out for me and Nick, and it was probably safe to say that we had been through worse before.

As we approached our destination I looked at our little trio of underdogs preparing to dismount the vehicle. Luke sat across from me, nervously biting at one of his claws and periodically taking deep breaths. Nick was sitting next to me and, as always was calm, although obviously not looking forward to what we were about to do. I had my paw over my badge as I rested my back against the side of the van, just trying to keep in mind what we were doing it for.

"We're almost there," announced Ivan from the front as we rode. "Remember that their security will be tighter this time, so you'll need to be careful and stay quiet. Make sure you take the central canal. I can't track you while you're down there, so if you get lost in that pipe system, there's no telling where you'll end up."

"Understood. We'll be careful," I replied.

He chuckled. "I apologize in advance for whatever you might find down there. If there was any other way to go about it, I would go with that, but this seems to be the best option, and all three of you are just small enough to fit in those shafts."

"Is it worse than being flushed down a toilet?" Nick asked.

Ivan turned, giving a confused look. "Um... no, I guess? I don't-"

"Then I think we'll be fine," Nick concluded. "How much longer?"

"Coming up on it now," he answered, bringing the van to a gradual stop.

Once the vehicle was no longer moving, I stood up to open the door.

"You know the drill," Ivan reminded us as we began filing out of the back of his van. "Enter through the pipes, keep a low profile, and come up through the hatch near the main building. We'll continue from there."

I nodded in acknowledgment and hopped out after the other two before me.

We watched as Ivan drove off to find a spot where he could sit and help us navigate without drawing attention.

We were on a quiet road surrounded by pine trees where the snow was coming down ever so gently. There was one street lamp nearby, giving us dim light around the place where we stood and then gradually fading into blackness against the forest around us.