Chapter Text
[Chapter One]
Somewhere in downtown Zootopia...
"Unfortunately, the perpetrator has managed to hack in Officer Wilde's account so perfectly that we can't trace anything back to the source," the tall, angry sheep remarked, leaning up against the array of electronics across the wall, "and we're pretty stuck." He glanced back at his fellow officers in the Zootopia Police Department. Their eyes all focused on the large images holographically projected up into the air above them, seeing the real Officer Wilde passed out in the middle of a massive black chair. Everyone's face showed as clear as crystal their grim, frustrated feelings.
All manner of wires stuck out of the helmet-like device enclosed around Nick Wilde's head. Saliva dripped out of his mouth while the massive air vents around the room blew at his fur. Judy noticed for the first time how Nick's paws laid down upon a box crammed with various gears, pulleys, and other metallic odds-n-ends.
"Officer Baach," Judy Hopps said, tapping the tip of her eyeglasses to focus on a specific batch of text, "is there really no way to get a lock on the faker's signal?" She flashed back to how she hadn't even enjoyed seeing the 'Internal Affairs' member come onto the team in the first place, even teasing him about the family connection to the famous composer. Yet the sheep's quick action, only walking into the police station room to grab another coffee, may have saved her boyfriend from having his mind completely taken over. Thank goodness!
"I'm afraid that we're stuck in a helpless chase from location to location, with various nodes popping up and then disappearing," Baach replied, concentrating on the glowing map as he waved an arm above. He let out an angry sigh. "I hate to say this, but it's the truth. If we got a lock on the signals, then I could just spike the perpetrator back."
Judy sighed as well. "It's probably just some nasty little kid with a helium voice and pizza face acne, right? Getting his jollies trolling a cop in whatever game Wilde jacked in to play, damn it?" I'm not quite able to reach through the internet and strangle this troll yet, but he's going to get, at least, the migraine of his life!
"You know what the solution probably is?" Seth Stoutwell suddenly piped up as he walked behind Judy.
"I could do more if I had a bit more time," Baach murmured, stretching his gloves for a moment and rubbing the various sensors covering them.
"I think we have to hurry," Seth remarked, leaning over and flicking a set of switches on the wall besides him. The raccoon clicked on a gadget on the side of his hat; a glowing green monocle slide over his right eye. "And... yep, we have little choice."
"Honestly, I already know what the solution you're going to offer is, Seth," Judy said. She reached up with her paws and clutched both of her ears. "I also know that I don't like it." Yet that doesn't matter.
Reaching up for yet another mental interface device, Seth lingered with a paw over the helmet-like electronics on the shelf. He sucked in a deep breath before he began, "You don't have to do anything yourself. Anyone can... I can..."
"No!" Judy suddenly flipped her body over and tapped a footpaw against the cold, hard floor. "I'm the one jacking into the game after him!" Officers Fangmeyer, Clawhauser, and others blankly stared at her, none of them feeling sure how to respond. "It's not just that it's him, come on, I'm also the best gamer in this whole station."
"If you defeat the troll in this level, or even manage to stall him for a while, I'm positive that I can bounce both of you out of the system without much trouble," Baach interjected, twisting his head as he looked through various holographic materials, "but... well..."
"But what?" Judy asked.
"Do you even know what game Officer Wilde was playing before he got hacked?"
"No," the rabbit murmured, bracing herself.
"Judy!" Seth let out, coming up to his colleague and putting a paw on her shoulder. The rabbit looked up at his concerned expression. "I know you're the best of the best. You've surfed more lava plumes, leveled more zombies, raced more roadsters, and more than all of us combined." He stopped for a moment. When she tried not to blush, the raccoon went on. "That doesn't change the fact that the troll took Nick's game to the negatron-zone."
A chorus of shocked noises went off among the various mammals watching the scene. ZPD officer after ZPD officer had their mouths open. Judy, for her part, tried to steel herself and show no worry. I have to be strong. For Nick... I must.
"Crossing into the negatron-zone means, as I think you already all know," Officer Baach chimed in, "if you lose in the game, you lose for real."
"Indeed," Seth said. He sucked in a very deep breath. "It also means, damn it, that even as we watch you and try to help, all communications will get blocked. Not hearing a word from us as you're playing, Judy, it's too risky."
"I'm ready," Judy declared, reaching up with a paw to side Seth's off of her shoulder. I can handle anything this little punk throws at me. I'm sure. "Jack me in. Now."
A few minutes later...
Judy first felt her paws rubbing up against something indistinct. It seemed so soft yet so bulky. She nudged herself down, taking in a deep breath. Caught in an awkward position, she scampered against everything in front of her. Am I literally trapped in a closet?
"Where," she muttered, standing up straight. "Where am I?" She looked down and saw herself standing atop a set of burlap bags with dozens of heavy, curvy things inside them. Those look like power cables... weird! "I'm in the game, right, but why am I still dressed in my cop outfit? Why aren't I at some kind of starting platform?"
Her heart raced at a sudden noise, hopping over to the side. She blinked again and again, still barely seeing a thing. She leaned up against a wall, feeling as fuzzy and soft as touching a winter coat, and slipped against a set of tubes. Quite frustrated, she then smashed her paws against the other wall.
Judy abruptly found herself falling face down upon a long grey floor. She picked herself back upwards, shaking her head. Glancing around, the rabbit noticed that four walls once around her collapsed onto the floor. Well that was... odd... was that some kind of pre-fab closet or something? She guessed that made sense. After all, with the troll's weird activities, she had to get placed into the system using a kind of 'backdoor entrance'. Still, where's the main level? Where's Nick? Where's anything?
She took in her surroundings for a while. Nothingness appeared to stretch out all around. She stepped backwards and walked up a grey, featureless wall, flipping in the air dramatically. Simulated gravity got turned down... I guess. She ran her paw alongside the edges of the wall, and beneath what seemed like grey paint thick globs of glitter stuck to her fur.
"The hell?" She stared straight upwards, frowning. I guess it's better to pop into this rather than in the middle of some level surrounded by gigantic robots, or drooling demons, or whatever else. "Nick! Hello?" She raised her voice even more. "Nick! I'm here for you!"
Suddenly, huge sets of blue fireworks went off overhead. Thick trails of sparks followed. She walked over away from the wall, eyes drinking in the scene.
"Alright, whatever's in store for me, I'm ready!" She made a fighting pose. As a torrent of loud beeps shot out, the entire floor shone brightly. She remained focused even as she took in the sharp black and green lights erupting from beneath her. "It's game time, right? Bring it!"
Loud, electronic noises came out from what seemed like everywhere. She shifted around in place, shivering at a sudden gust of chilling wind, and looked about in all directions. Someone's here? Where, though?
"What's this?" Judy tapped a footpaw angrily. "Nick? Nick, are you around?
Lights across started to flash in a repetitive fashion, clearing showing a stage coming into being. That all meant nothing, however, the moment that Judy felt a familiar paw on her back. She froze still as as statue, hardly able to breathe. Oh, thank goodness!
She flipped around and faced a fox standing under a large spotlight. Her gaze ran up from his slender fuzzy body to his slick, cream-colored suit and black necktie. His smooth, handsome face appeared as nice as ever. He looked right at her, and he winked.
"Oh, Nick, I was so worried!" Judy called out. "I got so afraid that something really bad had happened!" She began to rush over to him. "It's really you?"
"Not quite," he remarked, making a suddenly devious expression. Judy halted, body poised midair with paws out, and she glared at the weirdly thick black eyebrows that she just noticed on the fox's face. The predator's cheeked weirdly curled upward. His eyes suddenly lit with ugly green goop dripping off of the sides of his eyelids.
"The hell is this," Judy murmured, frowning. From cheek to cheek, the predator had made himself look simply grotesque. The disgusting fluid continued to ooze out of the fox's eyes. "Seriously, tell me what's going on, you idiot!"
"Call me PseudoNick," the fox said, holding up his paws over his face and wiggling them about. She glared at him as he knelt down and breathed on her. A matching green mist shot into the air from his mouth. "I could help you free the real thing and all, you little cutie." He leaned down with his body perched over hers.
Judy scrunched her face. Is this troll kidding me? Does he get what he's saying? "Be serious! You want a challenge, then you got it!"
PseudoNick's voice transformed into something more soft, sounding almost androgynous. "I'll help you if you help me first. It may be 'just a game', but this feels real enough, doesn't it?" He reached out with a paw along the tips of her ears, nudging them a few inches down. "Want to see the other ways that this can feel real?" He modulated his voice to mimic the real Nick's completely as his face returned to normal.
Judy shook with rage. She glared as PseudoNick licked his lips, and her face went red. She'd more than had enough.
"You so much as think about touching me again, and I'm kicking you into the next world, buster!" Judy threw herself down, legs poised right under PseudoNick's chest.
"Speaking of 'next world', it's time to start the game!"
"Alright!" Confidence dripped off of Judy's body as she held her paws up in front of her and raised her head up. "Give me my army, give me my battle gear, show me my car, or whatever else! Let's get dangerous!"
Instead of some kind of powerful tune beginning to play and lights going on around her, Judy heard smooth, soft electronic music starting. The edges of the stage lit up as well, instead, and large, bright bubbles floated into the air every inch around her. This is... interesting.
"Everybody's having a good night, tonight?" the fox suddenly asked, jumping onto another part of the stage away from the bunny. Cheers erupted around them. As PseudoNick leaned back, taking in the sea of noise, Judy sped over to the tip of the platform.
"What the hell kind of wacky game is this?" Judy called out. More fireworks went off far above as a bunch of thickly-proportioned antelope dancers, dressed as if rainbows vomited all over their bodies, appeared behind her.
"SingStar 3000," the fox declared. He narrowed his eyes as he giggled. "You say: 'Let's get dangerous'? I say: 'Let's get fabulous'!"
"Are you kidding me!" Judy screamed. After the fox rapidly shook his head 'no', the rabbit rubbed her paws against her cheeks as she closed her eyes. "Are you seriously... you really... you dragged me, the number one gamer in all of the police... to a stupid..." She opened her eyes again and awkwardly coughed. "Singing contest?"
"Exactly, you cutie," the fox replied.
"Heaven help me," Judy whispered. She took a moment to stare out at the massive crowds around what she realized was her performance stage. The bunny saw hundreds upon hundreds of mammals of all shapes, sizes, and colors beneath them, all gazing at the platform as they bounced up and down.
Her eyes grew wider as she noticed even more strange creatures, big and small, from jumbles of spheres haphazardly stuck together to antelope-sized water balloons to what seemed like walking, talking trees. She started to pant, feeling totally confused. They're cheering for what? What the hell is going on? I guess we're about to start.
Beneath their platform, a band slowly built up the chill background music. PseudoNick wiggled from side to side, humming happily. Judy stepped backwards and watched as some kind of tall, thin plastic screen lifted up, out of nowhere. It hovered in the air above them, and the screen flashed a green and black checkered background.
"Hey, whoever you are," Judy mumbled, "I deserve answers." The fox seemed totally overcome by the crowd's cheers. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, blushing all the while. "I'm not really interested in wasting my time with a damn singing competition."
"So... much... love..." PseudoNick moaned, shivering a bit at the bottom of his legs.
"Enough!" Judy hopped over and stood right in front of PseudoNick, poising herself between him and the crowd. "Screw your stupid game! Tell me where the hell is the real Nick!"
"Up, and to the right!" PseudoNick gleefully replied, pointing a paw into the massive audience. He smiled, looking less devious and more drunk on the loving sensations.
Judy rushed over to the edge of the platform, trying her best not to fall off as she leaned over. Her eyes scanned the distance of the crowd. "Where— what are you—"
"Next to the pile of stallions on the upper right side, compared to us. Doesn't he look happy?"
The bunny's heart just about skipped a beat as she spied the real Nick sitting atop a tall bison's shoulders. A nearby stallion's hooves tapped against the paws of her dazed boyfriend, the horse doing an impromptu kind of drum solo almost. Gigantic smiles dripped across the faces of all three mammals. Flat, brainwashed expressions? Damn it!
"I'm coming! I've already got the rest of the ZPD helping me outside of the game! Don't worry!" Judy shouted over. She could barely hear herself, though, from the noise of the crowd.
"Here, this will help!"
Judy blinked. She saw a short, stubby microphone hovering in the air in front of her. She thought about having it right up against her mouth, and it immediately swung over. She coughed, and it wiggled from side to side. Wait... how am I...
"It's SingStar, you adorable little thing," PseudoNick murmured, standing over the rabbit yet again, "the microphones are thought controlled." Before she could respond, the fox moved over to a gigantic white circle in about the middle of the platform right besides the audience. It lit up with some kind of green energy, and he lifted himself up a few feet.
"Nick! Try to listen through the mind-manipulation! This is Judy, and I'm here to help!" She turned from facing the audience over to PsuedoNick."What's going on? Level with me, you idiot!" Judy braced the microphone in the air, ready to smack it upon the fox's head.
"What the hell does it look like?" PseudoNick laughed, and Judy found herself hovered upwards as well. She saw her microphone and the screen flutter over directly in front of her. "We're facing off! We're playing the game!"
"Facing off, right." She repeated. She angrily slapped her paws against her sides. It could have been anything else. A racing competition? Fighting? Puzzles? No, this damn loser wants us to belt out a few boring tunes! Oh, come on!
"It's simple!" PseudoNick pointed over at the screen. Judy blinked once more, staring, and text started to crawl from the bottom upwards.
{Welcome to Karaoke Central! Population: You!}
{You have to complete two songs. Try your hardest, and remember that the crowd is here for a show. They want to have fun, and they really are on your side. Don't let them down!}
{Upon the completion of the first song, you'll have the opportunity to welcome one lucky audience member to the stage for the 'Encore'. Pull out all the stops, and you'll get a nice surprise. Complete the 'Encore' correctly, and you'll have the opportunity to send a player back home. Should you fail, Player One has requested your presence in his backstage dressing room with the rose petals placed along your legs.}
"Not likely!" Judy shouted. She threw her head back over at PseudoNick, who made a melodramatically pained face.
{You don't have much time. The crowd looks pretty restless.}
{Please select your song menu:}
==] Best of Arena Rock [==
==] Best of Power Pop [==
==] Best of Synth Pop [==
"Uhhhhh..." Judy muttered, feeling herself start to shiver from her footpaws to her ears. No! Don't panic! I have to be strong! I have to get Nick! "Officers of the ZPD don't give up." She smiled, putting on a determined expression. "We never give up."
"I think you have less than a minute before we start," the fox commented, rubbing a paw against his suit. He put on a seductive face, kissing the air.
"I pick— uh— 'Best of Synth Pop'!" The screen flickered, and a group of songs popped up.
“Oh, hold on a moment!” PseudoNick called out. “Forget about the full twenty-five song listing!” He walked over a bit closer to the rabbit. She flipped around, poised to smack the fox right in the chest. He held out his paws in front of his hips, making a bemused face. “I’m making a very strong recommendation. Just that. Nothing more.”
“Recommendation,” she repeated. She felt determination pooling up inside of her, ready to fight the insipid troll if she had to.
“How about the one from those sexy, charming Duran Duran boys?” he asked.
“I’ll—” She paused, suddenly feeling confused. Is this a trick? Or is it something else? After all, it’s just like any other song, is it? She glared at him, and he simply made a smug, almost seductive grin back. “I suppose I might go for it. Is it a catchy song? Is it not too complicated, not with too much of a vocal range?”
"I promise you two things,” PseudoNick said through his pointy, suddenly monstrous teeth. “First, it’s a simple song that’s not really that different than the current top 40. Second, it’s as catchy as a nursery rhyme and it swings like a gate.”
Would it make a difference if I picked a different tune? Judy took a deep breath. It might make him mad, but it probably wouldn't accomplish much. I should stop jerking around and just get started with the actual gameplay right now.
“Clock is ticking,” PseudoNick commented. “The crowd is getting restless.”
As if on cue, Judy heard, “We want the show! We want the show! The show!” Hooves, paws, claws, and other things clapped in anticipation.
“I pick,” she said, and she sighed, “Hungry Like the Wolf!”
A bright flash seemed to cover everything. Judy wiggled in place, feeling tingles popping up all over her body. When she came too, she looked around with her mouth wide open. She was in one of those suggestive waitress outfits— the ones that she had seen trashy mammals wearing while patrolling the red-light district.
"Both cliche and misogynistic," Judy said, stepping over to the middle of the stage as she slid her paws upon her frilly skirt, "I wonder if you—" She reached up and touched her chest. "Yep, this get-up has the little ruby hearts on the nipples too." I should have known.
{SONG SELECTED!}
{Title: Hungry Like The Wolf}
{Group: Duran Duran}
{Album: Rio}
{Original Singer(s): Simon Le Bun}
{*Please note the color transitions*}
She shivered as she saw the stage begin to transform: Images of sandy beaches, ripping ocean currents with sparkly blue water, tall white huts, long, fluffy beach towels, and other things that she'd see in a fashion magazine or travel catalog popped up all around her. Should I feel better that a rabbit originally sang this? Ugh, it's probably as slick as oil and as slutty as the cover of a teen magazine!
Judy appeared to stand inside of a massive dome, noticing a picturesque sky filled with puffy clouds. She sighed while hearing girly giggling and clicks like that of a hundred fashion photographers going off high above her. “I have a very, very bad feeling about this,” she moaned, tugging against her ears.
Judy heard a deep, long growl behind her. She hardly wanted to move, even as a bouncy, peppy synthesizer beat got started from the band's part of the stage. She heard panting noises behind her as the beat got louder and even poppier.
"Wolfie's ready for his duet," growled a deep voice, "and he's plenty hungry, too." She heard an awful chuckling. Oh, Nick, what did we get ourselves into?