Zootopia: Secrets And Deception

Chapter 26. Response

It seemed like hours before Judy had stopped screaming, the dose that she was given had finally worn off.
"N-Nick....." She moaned weakly, her body was in shock and wouldn't stop shaking from her nerves. Nicks' eyes were red and dry from watching in horror as she writhed in pain right in front of him, knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"Yes.....carrots?" He whimpered, blinking a few times from dehydration.
"If we don't.....don't make it out, I.....*ngh*.....I just want you to know....." She began to say as she teared up a little.
"Judy, save your strength....." He replied softly.
"I love you.....Nick, I love you....." She said before going limp.
"I love you too, carrots.....carrots?" Nick replied but got no response, and saw that she was like a chained up ragdoll. "Jeremiah!" Nick shouted and caught his attention!
"Black, check her vitals." Jeremiah demanded calmly. Black walked over and put one of his hands on her throat, the other hand on her wrist and applied pressure with his thumb.
"Heart rate is a little fast, but that is a normal reaction to the venom." Black said, and then scanned her for any irregularities in her brain activity, and all functions with her organs. "All vital signs and scans are normal. She just blacked out from exhaustion and shock." He said to Jeremiah.
"Good. We don't want to lose them, not yet anyway. We're not done with them, keep a close eye on them until I get back. I'm going to have a quick chat with Jake about what he wishes to do with them, including Charlie." Jeremiah explain and began to slither out of the room.
"Don't you mean Mr. impatient? Always saying he doesn't have time for anything." Black replied in a joking tone and crossed his arms.
"Yes, exactly who I mean." He replied before he closed the door and locked it behind him. Charlie was propped up against the wall and his was still restrained. Nick was still lying face down on the floor in front of Judy and tried to get up, but was pushed back down.
"Make another move, and I'll put a bullet in your skull." Black said as he pulled the hammer back on his gun, and pushed it against the back of Nicks' head! Then holstered it and walked over to Charlie to check his restraints.
"I'll get you out of here, Judy. I promise." Nick whispered so Black wouldn't hear him.

Just then, Jeremiah came back into the room, and behind him were some of his men carrying the box and key, then placed them inside briefcase. They were ready to move out and initiate the final step to their plan!
"It seems that Jake has no further use for three prisoners, but I was able to talk him into making an exception.....for just two!" Jeremiah said grimly. "So, I need to wake Judy up for this." He added as he got in close to her, and signaled one of his men to hand him another vile! Nicks' eyes widened and he began to grow tense, which caught Jeremiahs' attention. "Don't worry, Nickolas? It's just adrenaline." He said as he drove the needle in her neck, and backed up. Almost instantly she was awake and wide eyed, almost like she had too many double shots of coffee. "Good, you're awake. Excellent! Now we can get down to business. My partner only wants two out of the three of you, and I'm making you choose, Judy!" Jeremiah said as Black dragged Charlie over and placed him on his knees, then picked up nick and set him in the same position right next to Charlie. They were both facing her in a way that was set up like an execution! "Judy, you hold both their lives in the palm of your hand, so you get to choose. Who lives, and who dies?" Jeremiah said as Black walked behind them, and put the barrel of his gun against the back of Nicks' head!
"No.....Please?" She pleaded as her tears began to flow down her face.
"Choose! Or I will choose for you!" Jeremiah demanded as a smirk crossed his face.
"We don't have time for this, Jeremiah! Just plug one and get the others in the helicopter." Jake interrupted as he walked into the room towards the briefcase. It was the perfect distraction for Charlie to break his restraints, and knock the gun from Blacks' hand! He then drew his sword and lunged at Charlie, but he blocked the attack, took the sword, and drop kicked him across the room! Charlie then cut Nicks' restraints and turned back around to face Black, who drew his other sword.
"Round two, Isaac?" Charlie said in a taunting manner.
"I told you never to call me that!" Isaac shouted and both lunged at each other and exchanged parries, blocks, and cuts in different ways. Nick then picked up the gun and shot the pipes to weaken them that she was restrained to, and caught her so she wouldn't lose her balance.
"Stop them from escaping!" Jake yelled as lots of his minions charged into the room. Charlie and Isaac were in a fight to the death before more joined in, forcing both Charlie and Isaac to retreat a few steps before advancing in a different part of the room. Nick knocked shot a few with however many bullets were left in the clip, before he picked up one of the pipes that restrained both of them. Judy picked up the other, and swung it hard like a pro baseball player swinging for the right hit.
"Ugh! I don't have time for this!" Jake shouted as he pulled out his weapon, and aimed it at Judy! Charlie noticed this, and he pushed Isaac back before throwing the sword at him! But he ducked and the sword struck the door lock which shut the door completely. Everyone was locked inside this unending war in the room, and Jake took aim again and fired! But it missed its target, and struck a pipe that neither Nick nor Judy have been restrained to. A pipe that held flammable gas and erupted, knocking Judy and in opposite directions! Nick was thrown into the table that held the torturous tools and equipment for them, but Judy was thrown in the air and hit the wall hard with a loud *Thud!*, before collapsing on the ground. The room was ignited and filling up with smoke, and the flames caused a pipe above them to explode as well, and dropped a large part of the ceiling on Jake who was trying to find a way out. The flames cut off Jeremiah from Nick and Judy, as well as Charlie and Blacks fight as the flames cut right in between them. They both stared at each other, like they knew what they were thinking, and knew that it was a fight for another time. But when that part of the roof collapsed, it opened a hole big enough for a helicopter to fly above, and drop the ladder for Jeremiah to escape!
"Black! Get the case!" Jeremiah ordered over the roaring flames as he moved his body in between each ladder step, and began to climb. Black then moved towards the case that was sitting on the floor, right in front of the part of the roof that fell on Jake. As he picked up the case.....
"Wait! B-Black.....*ngh*.....s-save me!" Jake screamed as he reached out towards him through the rubble. He looked down upon the otter still trapped, and noticed that the roof had broken his back and legs, while some of the rebar had pierced into his body! He was bleeding out as he looked at him. Black then knelt down and looked at Jake in his eyes that were full of fear and death.
"Like you said, I don't have time for this!" Black said and drew his weapon, and fired point blank!
"Bring me the case! This place is going to collapse!" Jeremiah shouted as he reached the top of the ladder, and slithered inside the cabin. Black made his way towards the ladder, and grabbed it, but took a second to look back at Charlie.
"Until next time, White!" is all he said, as the helicopter pulled the ladder up, and flew towards the city.
"You cut the loose end, right?" Jeremiah asked as he looked over at Black, who had just finished climbing the ladder, and sat right across from him. He looked up at Jeremiah and made a motion at his head with his hand, which looked like he had a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
"Good, I've had enough of his incompetence that if he survived, I would've pushed him out of this helicopter. And what of Charlie?" Jeremiah asked suddenly.
"Don't worry, I've got an agent waiting for them outside." Black replied as he gripped the case a little tighter.
"Just him, I still need the other two." Jeremiah added as Black told him over his coms, and they remained silent as the sun began to rise, and devour the night once again.