Back at the house, Nick gently lowered Phase onto the couch as Psych gathered up a few supplies from downstairs. He dug into his pockets, noting how empty they were and scoffed. 
“Figures, they mugged him whoever they were. Why even bother, this kid’s got pennies on him compared to some of the other rich bastards around.” Nick pondered. Psych finally returned, setting a medical kit down near the couch and shoving Nick aside. 
“Let me have a look at him.” 
“K.” Nick consented. Psych checked the cub’s head and noted a rather large gash near the back that had caked in blood. Opening up the kit, he took a few antiseptic wipes and started to clean the area. Eventually enough dried blood fell away that he had a clear view of the cut. Taking a needle and thread, he stitched it shut and gave it a few more wipes with the cloth to clean up after. Finishing off the head, he lifted up the cub’s shirt and checked him over for any other scrapes or scratches. Psych could tell right away he was well underweight; his skinny form only suffered a shallow scratch on the shoulder. He cleaned it off and carried on, examining him thoroughly and pulling his shirt back down. “He ok?” 
“Should be.” Psych concluded. 
“Psych!” Aiden called from the bedroom. “This thing is giving me a weird error message, I’m trying to get on the police databanks.” 
“I’ll be right there.” Psych called back. “You’ll find some extra blankets in the closet, go ahead and toss one on him but, try to stay nearby in case he wakes up. He’s likely concussed, shouldn’t be asleep right now until we can assess him properly, alright?” 
“Got it, thanks.” Nick agreed. 
“I had to tell Barone, you’re paying for his medical needs and food out of pocket.” 
“I know, I heard you in the car.” 
“Just reminding you.” Psych stated, rising up to his feet. “He wants him back out there as soon as possible, and after you’re going to tell me why you give a damn about his health in the first place.” 
“Yeah yeah.” Nick brushed off, taking a seat near the foot of the couch. Picking the remote off the table, he turned on the TV and started watching the news while Psych went to help Aiden on the computer. 

After an hour or so, Phase began to stir awake, unaware of where he was or how he got there. The first thing to hit him was the somewhat musty smell of the blanket over him, followed closely by the reporter talking on TV. 
“Wha.” He mumbled, picking himself up a bit he immediately flinched and grasped the back of his head. “Oh god damn, that hurts.” He moaned. Nick was half asleep, but the sudden scuffle of the cub’s feet brought him back to life. 
“Mmm, huh? Oh hey, you’re up.” Nick said, giving a quick stretch. “Feelin ok?” 
“My head, it feels like it’s a million pounds.” Phase complained, holding the side of his head. 
“Yeah, you took a nasty hit there. We found you outside Luscious Lynx, stone cold in a bush.” 
“Luscious Lynx.” He thought for a moment. 
“Yeah, what were you doing out there? Did you get mugged?” Nick whispered. 
“Wait, where am I?” He exclaimed, looking around more thoroughly. 
“You’re at Barone’s place. I had Aiden and Dad bring you back here.” 
“I’m at... I’M AT BARONES!?” 
“Keep it down out there!” Psych bellowed from the bedroom. 
“Relax Phase.” Nick tried to sooth him but Phase scurried off the couch and nearly took the table out with him, scrambling to the floor. “Phase! Stop it!” 
“No no, Nick! Listen. Something big is happening, something huge! I gotta see Mr. Barone right away!” 
“It’s the middle of the night, he’s probably asleep.” Nick tried to argue. 
“Please, this is big! Really big!” Phase plead. 
“What the hell is going on?” Psych questioned, revealing his topless self as he scratched at the three massive scars on his belly. “Some of us are trying to sleep.” 
“You, you’re Psych right? One of Barone’s generals?” Phase rushed over. 
“Yes.” Psych sighed. 
“Sir, I have a major leak to report to you and Mr. Barone.” Phase stated. Psych started paying the young cub a little more attention and folded his arms. 
“I’m listening.” 
“Jackson Savannah has just sold the location of Scout’s safe house to the Makai family for four thousand bucks! They’re gonna move on him before morning and they don’t plan on taking him alive!” 
“What!?” Psych gasped. “How did you find this out!?” 
“He’s a cheetah in Pantheria I was doing a delivery to; he had the message on his phone! He’s been double dealing the Barone family, selling off info about us to the Makai gang. The Makai plan on moving in to take him out. Nick and Patrick told me they were going to Luscious Lynx so I headed there as soon as I found out, when Jackson figured out I knew, he started hunting me down, that fucking cheetah. I don’t even know when he caught up to me, it’s all fuzzy up till now.”
“What’s a Makai family?” Nick questioned. 
“One of Barone’s last “Hold outs”. Allesandro Barone bought and paid for the loyalty of other crime families out here, but a few stuck it out.”
“And they’re really dangerous. They’re a pack of coyotes and they dry hump explosives and heavy weapons.” Phase threw in.
“Then we should move, now.” Nick stated. 
“Agreed. Aiden! Gear up and get my stun gloves. I’ll get dressed and speak with Barone right away.”

Psych led the way with Aiden, Nick and Phase behind him up to Barone’s bedroom. Knocking on Barone’s bedroom door repeatedly, he eventually got out of bed and swung it open rather angrily. 
“What the hell is the meaning of this!?” Barone growled. 
“Raphael, we have an emergency.” Psych informed him. 
“It damn well better be.” Barone wiped at his eyes, as Vanessa walked closer to the door, the blankets wrapped over her body. 
“Phase, come here. Tell him what you told me.” Psych ushered the little cub forward. 
“If you woke me up because of your son’s little pet project-“ 
“Master Barone sir!” Phase announced and bowed. “Sir, I saw on Jackson Savannah’s phone that he has just sold Scout’s safe house location to the Makai family for four thousand bucks, they’re going to hit it and they don’t plan on leaving him alive.” 
“What!? No, that’s Nikolai’s right hand wolf!” Vanessa cried out. 
“Yes I know, Petrov is quite fond of Mr. Howlett, he’s our primary informant for the Lunar District and Fairways.” Barone noted. 
“Please sir, I’ve been working for Scout too. I don’t want him to die. I tried to report it to Nick, he told me he’d be at the strip club so I went right away. When Jackson found out, he attacked me.” Phase carried on, keeping his head low. 
“Raise that muzzle of yours fox.” Barone ordered. Phase slowly lifted his head, his feet trembling at the sight of the topless tiger. “You’ve done a significant favor to me by bringing this to my attention. For that, you have my thanks. Go back to Psych’s room and rest, feel free to grab a hot meal from the kitchen if you like, you’ve earned it.” 
“Thank you sir. Thank you so much!” Phase bowed. 
“Psych?” 
“I’m on it.” 
“Get Nikolai on it too, tell him to load up. Get Scout out of there, alive!” Barone ordered.
“Right! Nick, Aiden, let’s go!” Psych announced, leading the way back down the hall.

Aiden tailed behind Nikolai’s truck as they drove through the darkened streets of Lunar District. The tall tree’s decorating the roads seemed to veil the houses and strip malls, giving them a rather somber and secretive feel. Turning onto Oakwood drive, Psych and Aiden were slack-jawed. Two vans were parked outside, firing at Scout’s house as fire started to well up inside. Nikolai revved up and lined the first van up for a perfect T-bone. 
“Take this you son of a bitch!” He bellowed, plowing into the van, sending it up and over onto its side and nearly into the second van. Nikolai leapt out with a machine gun and started firing on the pack of coyotes, dressed in black with red tail bands. Swerving onto the side of the road, Aiden leapt out and drew his gun, rushing over to Nikolai’s side. Psych and Nick rushed out, greeted by one of the coyotes charging at them with a pair of hunting knives. Psych withdrew the blades of his stun gloves and jammed them into the coyote’s chest and electrocuted him. 
“Nicky, come on, let’s go.” Psych ordered, yanking the blood soaked blades out of his victim. Rushing to the back gate, the two of them forced it open while Niko and Aiden kept the bulk of the coyotes distracted at the front of the house. Shooting out the lock, Nick entered the house from the rear with Psych right behind him. Trusting his old cop instincts he started to canvas the room, sweeping with the gun for any movement. 
“Scout? Scout it’s us!” He called, but no one responded. Walking through the small kitchen, they peered into the living room just as one of the coyotes broke in.
“They’re in here! Gun the fucker’s down!” He shouted. Nick opened fire and dropped the coyote dead on the ground at the door. Bullets started to ring through the windows and open door, ricocheting off the oven and fridge. Nick shot a few rounds blind outside, catching a lucky hit on one of them coming in by taking out his leg. Clouds of smoke started to billow down the hall, peering down Nick and Psych could see the flames beginning to devour the bedroom at the end. To the left was the doorway leading down to the basement. Nick gave a quick nod to his father and rushed down the staircase, gun ready to take out anyone in his way. Jason was laid out on the ground in the basement. A nasty cut on the back of his head. Nick kept his gun primed and leaned down, checking for a pulse. Psych finally followed behind to check on his son and spotted the wolf on the ground. 
“He dead?” 
“No, got a heartbeat.” Nick confirmed. Bursting through the basement window came yet another coyote. Nick and Psych rolled away and Nick fired a few rounds at the offending canine but missed. Psych however deployed the taser heads from his stun gun and nailed the coyote straight in the neck. Down and incapacitated; Psych followed it up with three hard blows to the back of his head and left him unconscious before dumping the cartridge. 
“Let’s get him out of here.” 
“Ugh.” Jason moaned, grasping the back of his head. “What happened?” 
“Scout, easy.” Nick soothed, taking a paw over his shoulder. Psych took the other and reassured his grip. “Let’s go.” Carrying him upstairs the majority of the gunfire had stopped. Stepping out through the front door, Aiden and Niko lowered their guns but Niko rushed over to help carry Scout to the van. Sirens were blasting in the distance, swiftly approaching the sight of the gun fight and fire and they needed to get out of there. 
“Come James, come now.” Niko insisted, guiding him into the back of the truck. “Aiden, see if you can lead police away. My truck is badly damaged, I cannot speed.” 
“You got it.” Aiden agreed. 
“On it.” Psych agreed. 
“No Psych, stay with him!” Aiden pointed to Jason. “You gotta keep him stable, I got this covered.” Psych seemed hesitant at first but Nick rushed to Aiden’s side. 
“I got his back dad, go!” Nick insisted, leaping into Aiden’s passenger seat. Psych leapt into the truck to help keep Jason stable as the two split up to head home. 

Nick and Aiden were swiftly met by an array of cruisers giving chase. Traveling down the main road, Aiden had two cruises in his sights straight up ahead. In a rather cunning move, he veered to the shoulder and quickly shot back across the road, narrowly missing two trees and driving up on the sidewalk to get passed. One of the cruisers spun around and gave chase while the other carried on toward the house fire. 
“We got a tail.” Nick noted, peering out the back window. 
“No shit. See if you can shoot out the tires.” Aiden suggested. Nick was already loading a fresh clip into his gun. He leaned out the window and did his best to steady his arm and fired on the tires. A few sparks flickered off the bumper, it took him two good shots to hit the tire. Although he lost a little control, his tire remained mainly intact. 
“Shoot! Yeah, he’s healing.” 
“Take him out then.” Aiden suggested. 
“I’ve got enough blood on my paws Aiden, I’m not about to add a cop to the list.” Nick whispered. Peering out the window, Nick could see a set of power lines up ahead. A shot rang out behind him, feeling the bullet graze over his head. “Yikes! Alright buddy, you’re making this a lot easier for me.” Nick Snarled. Braving another glance, he took aim and fired at the lines and in a rather luminous display of sparks, the lines severed and fell right behind Aiden’s car, shooting up a plume of sparks across the road. The damage forced the cruiser off to the shoulder and into a fire hydrant. Rupturing it burst water into the air and all over the cruiser. Aiden gave Nick a quick high five as they drove off and escaped, but the officer grasping his head slowly stepped out of the car. He was a somewhat slim cheetah, a bit of pudge around the belly but in fairly good shape. 
“Clawhauser... Clawhauser, come in! Are you still in pursuit?” The radio called. Ben took hold of his radio from his collar and answered. 
“Nah, they knocked me off the road.” 
“Are you ok!? Do you need medical help? Who was it? Did you get confirmation?” 
“I saw him for a second and, while I’m not 100% sure Mariah. I think it was him.” Ben breathed. 
“Darn it! I’ll send Ryder to pick you up Ben. Just sit tight.” 
“10-4.” 

The next morning, Barone called a meeting for many of his staff. Set at the front of his desk, he took the gathering in a rather casual fashion. Vanessa and her cheetahs were in attendance along with Niko and Scout. Shea set beside Baxter, the two guzzling tall glasses of orange juice. Psych had brought Nick, Aiden, Phase, Patrick and Finnick as Barone cleared his throat to begin the meeting. 
“We’re all here then.” 
“Sir.” The four leads replied. 
“Good. Scout, how are you feeling? Are you ok?” Barone asked in a surprisingly empathetic tone. 
“I’m ok sir, hell of a headache but I’ll manage.” Jason bowed. 
“Good. Allister Makai has stepped over the line in a very big way. It’s time to work these mongrels over and bring them to their knees. They need to learn you either work for me, or suffer the consequences.” 
“Agreed.” Niko proudly touted. 
“Can’t wait to kill that fucking coyote.” Vanessa joined in. 
“Indeed. And it’s thanks to this young pup we found out about Jackson Savannah’s betrayal.” Barone nodded to Phase. “Step forward fox.” 
“Sir?” Phase nervously smiled. 
“Consider this something of a promotion. You’ll no longer report to Scout, but to Psych. Scout and Niko will have their paws full dealing with the Makai’s. Psych, think you can manage the kit?” 
“Of course sir.” Psych agreed. 
“Good. I’m putting you and Aiden in charge of intel gathering. I want tabs on everything, the dogs, the cops, all of it. You have plenty of paws on board, let your son handle the street work with his crew, you and Aiden manage the internet.” Barone instructed. 
“Sounds good sir!” Psych smiled. 
“Nick.” Barone turned sharply to him. “That’s more than a few times now you’ve impressed me. First Howard Llane, the airport job and the intuition you exercised in rescuing Phase. On top of that, Aiden you’ve showcased again and again your versatility as an effective driver and hacker. Here.” He smiled, tossing an envelope to him and Aiden. “I reward those who do good work for me, that’s exactly what you’ve done. I’m looking forward to seeing your future exploits in my organization.” 
“Thank you sir, thank you very much.” Nick politely bowed. 
“Thank you sir.” Aiden joined in. 
“Niko, you’re in charge of bringing down the Makai’s. I want Allister’s head at my feet before the end of July, is that clear?” 
“Yes sir.” Niko saluted. 
“Vanessa, I think you know what I want. Hunt down Jackson Savannah, bring him in. Rip everything out of him you can, then kill him for his betrayal.” Barone ordered. 
“With pleasure.” Vanessa smiled. 
“Shea, Baxter. We need improved weapons for dealing with the cops. Nick and Aiden’s cunning saved their hides last night, but I want more secure methods of dealing with police.” 
“Aye boss, ya know I wouldna turn ya down fer nothing but, weapons be this ringtails specialty.” Shea gestured to Bryan. 
“Think you can handle it Baxter?” 
“Sure, right after the room stops spinning.” Bryan moaned. Niko laughed and crossed his arms shaking his head. 
“Serves you right, should know better than to challenge the old coyote to a drinking contest.” 
“Never.. Again.” Baxter agreed. 
“I might book a little time in the garage as well. My stun gloves are a little dated, I need to revamp them.” Psych threw in. 
“To say the least.” Aiden snickered. 
“Ha-ha-ha.” 
“As for me.” Barone smiled, rising from his desk. “I have a small errand to run and, a dinner for everyone to organize tonight.” 
“Oh?” Psych perked up. 
“I’m heading to Auburn-Fang Academy to pick up Max. His final exams were yesterday and he’s coming home tonight.” 
“Yeah!” Vanessa, Niko, Shea and Psych all cheered. 
“I’m greatly looking forward to it.” Barone smiled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “It’s a good school but I miss my son very much. I’m looking forward to having him back home again.” 
“Can’t wait to see how much he’s grown.” Psych chuckled. 
“I haven’t told him about you, I know you like surprises so I’ll send you a text when we’re on the way.” 
“Fantastic.”
“Alright, we have a lot of work ahead of us; set to it.” 
“Right!” 

Psych found his way out to the garage to find Bryan, Shea and two other coyotes hard at work within. They were working on repairing a red sports car parked within. The garage had ample supplies, three lifts, multiple rolling tool racks, a paint spraying machine with a section cornered off with curtains for doing just that. A few spotty work benches and power tools hung up on the wall in escalating sizes and shapes. Psych set his stun gloves down on one of the work benches and gave them a quick look over, there was blood stains on both that needed to be washed off. 
“Perfect.” Psych complained, heading toward the tool rack, he spotted a few degreasers on the shelf that might do the trick in cleaning off the blades. Aiden found his way down into the garage as well and hung out by the door, his pair of stun gloves in his paws. Psych worked rigorously to clean the blades off, tossing the rag he was using in the trash, he finally noticed Aiden. “Shouldn’t you be on the jam cams?” 
“I figured you might want a few pointers for your gloves.” Aiden suggested. 
“No thanks.” Psych dismissed, picking up a thin flathead screwdriver he turned the gloves over and started opening up the panel within. After getting the last screw out, he received a light shock and shook out his paw. “Shit.” 
“Few fried circuits in there.” Aiden noted. 
“One or two probably.” Aiden slid a stool up to the work bench and leaned on it, watching his mentor struggle with the wiring. “You come to watch me fight with this?” 
“Just wondering if the teacher will listen to the student for once.” 
“Why would I do that?” Psych smiled, carrying on with his work. Aiden slapped on his own gloves and strapped them in good and tight. Tapping Psych’s shoulder he aimed the gloves toward an empty wall and pressed the release switch in his palm. The blades fired out at an incredible speed, digging into the wall. Psych stood a little wide eyed at first while a smug Aiden threw up his brow. “Hmm, congratulations. You just threw away your weapon.” Psych smiled right back. Aiden gave a flat and rather unimpressed stair as he went to retrieve his blades. 
“Ya fuck up my garage.” Shea called out from underneath the infernious. “I fuck up yer face.” 
“Damn it Shea, hold on to the line or it’s gonna-“ Bryan bellowed, as an audible pop came from underneath. “Blow... Thanks dog breath.” 
“Aye, shut yer gob ya ringtail bastard.” 
“What are you working on under there?” Aiden asked, yanking the last blade out of the wall. 
“Something for when things get really rough on the road.” Bryan answered, rolling out from under car, dusting off his paws. “Or if you wanna amputate a few rhino legs.” 
 
Pulling up alongside the school, Barone stepped out of his limo and waited on the side of the road along with several other parents. Many were already greeting their children, scooping them up for hugs or loading suitcases and trunks into their cars. A young white tiger with verdant green eyes, dressed in a grey and white uniform came rushing down the hill to the road, his duffle bag and suitcase trailing behind him. Raphael grew a toothy grin seeing his son rush for the car and opened up his arms with a soft laugh. 
“My son!” He exclaimed. 
“Dad!” Max cried out, leaping into his father’s arms, dropping his bags on the ground. “I missed you so much!” 
“I missed you too, oh! It’s so good to see you again.” Raphael laughed heartily, setting his son down, he began stroking his head. “My gosh just look at you. I dropped you off last you were easily half a foot smaller.” 
“Come on.” Max scoffed, chuckling as his father playfully measured him. 
“Hahaha, I’m so proud of you. So, let’s see that report card.” Raphael insisted, raising a brow. “Huh, how’d you do this year?” 
“Way better in math, thanks to Mia. She’s been tutoring me after school and before pra- Um, rest.” 
“Pra-um? What’s pra-um? Short for practice? Oh well look at that.” Raphael smiled. “95% in math, 92% in science, 89 in social and 90 in language arts. Max, I’m impressed!” 
“Thanks!” He bashfully smiled, kicking a pebble on the sidewalk. The driver briefly stepped in to grab Max’s bag and suitcase and opened up the trunk to dump them off. “I would have gotten higher in social but, they focused so much on geography and I’m not really good at that.” 
“Oh come now.” Raphael brushed off. “You did fine, these are great marks son. Now, about this practice. This isn’t hockey again, is it?” 
“Well..” 
“Max, we talked about this.” 
“I don’t like football dad, it’s so boring. All you do is memorize plays.” Max protested. 
“Uh huh. And you don’t do that in Hockey?” Raphael countered. “Such a grunt sport, I can’t understand your interest in it.” 
“Max!!” A young lioness called, dressed in a brown and white uniform and skirt. She giggled adjusting the Hyena Gomez bag on her shoulder. “Hey Maxy, you heading home now too?” 
“Yep. Oh! Dad, this is Mia Saren. Mia, this is my dad.” 
“Pleasure to meet you, young lady.” Raphael greeted, shaking paws with the young lioness. “I understand you’ve been helping my son with his math homework.” 
“Yep, he’s hopeless without me.” She giggled, playfully punching Max’s arm. “But really, he learns fast. Hey, did you know I aced the final? Did you see the score I got Max? Huh? Didja?” She all but gloated. Max sighed, shaking his head with a big smile. 
“First in the class.” 
“First in the class baby, ho yeah!” She cheered. “You still came in fourth though so not bad, Maxy. Looking forward to heading home?” 
“Yep! Got lots of family to catch up with.” 
“Cool, Just sucks, I don’t get to rest when I get home.” 
“Why?” Max asked. 
“Dad called and told me, we’re packing. He got a new job.” 
“Oh, so. You’re not coming to school next year?” Max seemed quite worried as he asked. 
“I don’t know. I don’t see why I wouldn’t be. We’re moving from Auburn Lake to Zootopia so it’s like, basically the same drive to drop me off here.” She surmised. 
“Oh, cool! Well you have my number, right?” 
“Of course!” Mia jumped with joy, pulling Max in for a kiss on the cheek. “Keep practicing, can’t wait to see you play next year.” 
“Thanks, yeah, can’t wait to see you too.” 
“Nice meeting you Mr. Barone!” Mia bowed politely. “Bye Max! I’ll text you tonight after we’re done packing!” She called as she ran back to her parents. 
“Bye! Talk to you then!” Max called back. Turning around to his father who was chuckling and looking at Max with a rather smug look. The young cub scoffed and playfully shoved him. “Knock it off!” 
“Hahahahaha! Come on, let’s get going. I have a little surprise for you when we get back.” 

Pulling into the driveway, Vanessa, Shea and Nikolai were already waiting along with a few of the house staff. Max couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, seeing his family waiting for him when he got home. Just as the car stopped, Max popped open the door and charged for them, scooped up by Vanessa first for a massive hug as she spun the young tiger in her arms. 
“Maxy!! Welcome home baby!” 
“Vanessa! I’m so glad to see you!” Max said, muffled in her shoulder. Setting him down, he was scooped up by Nikolai. 
“There’s my young friend, come here you!” 
“Niko! Bear hug time!!” Max called out, squeezing the big bear tight. Niko offered up one, just as tight and gave a hearty laugh setting him down. 
“Welcome home, Max. It’s wonderful to see you again.” 
“There’s tha young rascal huh! Get yer ass here boy!” Shea insisted, getting one more good hug from Max. “By god look at ye, sproutin like a weed. Yer a spittin image o ya father boyo.” 
“Thanks Shea! Great to see you again! Think you can teach me a few tricks on how to tune up a car? I wanna learn so I can have my own for High School.” 
“That’s a bit of a ways away.” Raphael cut in. “Let’s get you through grade 7 first, huh?” 
“Yes dad.” Max playfully submitted. “Hey Eric, Tommy!” he greeted the two wolves before waving to the hyena behind them. “Hi Florence!” 
“Hello young master!” 
“Come now, we have a surprise for you inside.” Raphael insisted, ushering him to the front door. 
“Alright alright, I’m comin I’m comin.” Max stepped inside and gave the room a quick look over, only to realize who was sitting on the stairs. His jaw slacked; at a loss for words he was sure he was seeing a pair of ghosts. “S-s-s-Psych!? Aiden!?” The young tiger all but cried out. 
“Hello Maxy, welcome home.” Psych smiled warmly, bracing for the inevitable. Max came charging at him and wrapped up Psych tight in his arms. Giving a quick huff, Psych returned the favor, clasping the boy tight in his. 
“Oh my god. I thought. I heard you were dead.” Max seemed to start crying. 
“Hey, I’m alright.” Psych said, patting the cub’s back. “It was razor close, thanks to my son and the doctors in Zootopia, I’m alive.” 
“Your son? Aiden?” Max glanced up, relieving himself of Psych’s grasp, he leapt into Aiden’s arms for a hug. “Thank you for saving him.” 
“Wasn’t me.” Aiden quickly laughed. “But hey, it’s great to see you again kid. Been too long.” 
“I missed you, both of you.” Max wiped at his eyes. “Dad told me you were going to say hi to mom for me. Guess you didn’t get the chance huh?” Max chuckled. 
“Not yet, but I promise, I will.” Psych nodded. 
“Max, Psych has brought his family with him as well. Why don’t you go visit them for a bit and we’ll get your stuff back into your room.” 
“Alright! Sounds cool!” Max happily agreed. 
“Meet with us on the patio in about oh, 20 minutes? We’re going to have a barbeque tonight in your honor.” Raphael announced. 
“Oh I love barbeques! Please tell me we’re having-“ 
“Salmon steaks, yes I bought a few extra just for you.”
“Yes!! Woot! Alright come on Psych, let’s go meet your crew.” Max chuckled. Psych lead the way into Patrick, Finnick and Bryans room where Nick and Phase were already there, chatting away. The room was a lot like Psych’s, minus it being a bit more messy. A few dishes on the table and a gaming console rigged up to the TV instead of a computer. “Whoa, jeez Psych, how many kits didja have?” Max questioned. 
“One too many.” Psych quipped, as everyone rose up to give Max their attention.
“Heya kid.” Patrick eagerly greeted, stealing away the cub’s paw. “Nice to meet ya, Patrick Frost.” Each of them seemed to line up to greet him.
“Max Barone, nice to meet you.” 
“Ahem, what would your father want you to say?” Psych corrected. 
“Oh gosh. Maximus, Allesandro Barone.” He announced in a mockingly regal manner. 
“Finnick Fennec, nice to meet ya.” 
“Bryan Baxter.” 
“Phase.” 
“Phase?” Max pondered. 
“Yeah, I don’t have a name.” Phase shrugged off. “But cool to meet someone around here who isn’t twice my age.” He chuckled. 
“Haha, cool. And you’re.” Max extended his paw. 
“Wilde, Nick Wilde.” Nick greeted warmly. 
“That’s my son, my biological son.” Psych informed Max. Glancing back and forth between them, he reaffirmed the connection. 
“Oh, OH I see it! You’re dad is awesome, he was teaching me how to hack police cameras when I was five.”
“Yeah, best not to brag about that to your dad.” Psych reminded him. 
“Too late.” 
“Oh for fuck sake.” Psych stammered. 
“They needed someone around here good with computers. Although dad’s in his office is kind of a piece.” Max thought for a moment. “Did you upgrade his?” 
“No, I think he’s still “not” running with the same machine.” 
“Probably almost as old as you.” Aiden threw in.
“Yeah, no kidding!” Max laughed. 
“So come on, Max. Tell us how school was this year; we got a little bit till the barbeque.” Psych encouraged the young tiger. 
“Sure! Hey, did you know I play hockey now? Been playing for the last two years, but dad of course doesn’t approve. But I’m really good at playing goalie, coach says I’m a natural between the pipes, I had one of the best save percentages this year out of all the schools. Also lead the team to three shutouts-“ Max carried on, regaling the group with his stories.  

Max was clinging to the side of the barbeque as Nikolai prepped the steaks. Everyone had made their way to the patio to celebrate the young tiger’s return to the house. Barone had gone all out, getting the big patio prepared for the little event. The hot tub was broiling, with Vanessa and the cheetahs inside, talking a little business. Shea had setup the goal posts and was kicking the ball back and forth with Bryan, Jason and Aiden. The four of them even tried to get creative in taking shots on the net. Psych was lending Nikolai a paw in getting the steaks prepared and the staff were rolling out the spirits and beer. The guests seemed quite happy, many with cold drinks in their hands along with Barone himself. Spinning the ice-cubes in his glass, he snuck up on his son and tickled his side. 
“AH!” 
“Gotcha.” Raphael chuckled. “That eager to eat, huh?” 
“Yep, I can’t wait! Cafeteria food blows, cept for pizza Fridays.” Max explained. Raphael chuckled and gave his son a good squeeze on the shoulder. 
“You’ll have real pizza here at home now.”
“Awesome.” Max chuckled, turning around to survey the yard. He noticed Phase was sitting alone on the steps, watching Nick, Finnick and Patrick chatting away near the shooting range. Max grabbed a beer from the cooler, only to have it swept up and replaced with a cub-cola by his father. “Worth a shot.” He chuckled. 
“Don’t try that again.” Barone lightly scolded while Max took a seat on the steps beside Phase. 
“What’s up?” Max broke the ice, opening up the bottle. 
“Nothing much. Just thinking.” 
“Oh yeah? Bout what?”
“Must be nice to live here, huh?” Phase asked, tossing up his brow. 
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Not allowed in on the big stuff of course but, it’s good.” Max tipped his head, taking a drink. “Where do you live?” 
“Wherever I want.” 
“Ok.” Max chuckled. “Does wherever you want have like an address?” 
“Nope.” Phase heaved a sigh, leaning back on the step. “Just the streets, wherever I could find a place to plant my tail.” 
“You live on the streets?” 
“Uh huh.” 
“Why, what happened? Did your parents die?” Max wondered. 
“I don’t know, never met them.” 
“Oh, so orphanage?” 
“Until I was 9. I left cause the headmaster was a dickhole.” Phase spouted out. 
“Hahahaha, nice. But you’re here now?” 
“I guess. It just doesn’t make much sense, like. I don’t know why Nick is so nice to me and stuff. Guess I’m just waiting till Barone kicks me out.” Phase thought aloud, turning away from Max for a moment. 
“Why would dad kick you out?” Max questioned, taking another drink. 
“Cause I’m just a low-life.” Phase replied, meeting the tiger eye to eye. 
“We’re all low-lifes.” Finnick cut in, making himself known to the conversation. He took a good long swig of his beer and caught his breath as it finished. “Jeez kid, you talking like we’re really that much better than ya.” 
“But you are.” Phase tried to interject. 
“Psh, shut that lip up.” Finnick brushed off. “You got some skills don’t ya? We could help ya make em better. Hell, you could end up being indispensable in the long run, stop trashin yerself cause you grew up in trash. I did too, look where I am. Hanging with my friends in this fucking amazing house, waiting to be served salmon steaks fresh off the grill.” 
“Yeah I guess.” 
“The little fox is right.” Max chimed in. “You just gotta show you’re worth keeping.” 
“Ya did a good job on that by saving Scout’s life bud. Just keep building on that and don’t slack off.” Finnick advised, giving Phase’s leg a quick swat. “Now stop being such a pouty dickhead, grab a drink and play with your friend.” 
“Hahah, alright cool.” Phase approved, rushing for the cooler. 
“Aye wee lads! Get yer arses over here, Aiden and I be setting up a game!”

Nick led the train of mammals down the hall toward their bedrooms. Pushing open the door, he let his father and Aiden in while Phase and Max took their time getting there. 
“I almost had you, that shot went right off your paws and off the post.” Phase laughed heartily. 
“Yeah, can you believe that one I made though? Right off the shed and into the net! Hahahah, Scout’s face when it went in, it was so funny!” Max carried on. 
“Oh my god, and when Bryan knocked the beer out of Shea’s paw.” 
“Hahahahaha! I’m gonna wring your tail out ringtail!” Max shouted, doing his best impression of Shea. 
“What you doing tomorrow?” Phase asked, right before the door. 
“I don’t know yet. So far nothing, just hanging out. Maybe getting my room all setup. I still have a whole suitcase to unpack.” 
“We should hang out after!” 
“That’d be cool! Ever been in a Jacuzzi before?” 
“Nope!” 
“Grab a pair of swim trunks and we’ll go for a dip tomorrow. Maybe I can get Florence to setup the net too for the pool, we could play volleyball in the water.” 
“Awesome!” 
“Ok, come on Phase.” Nick chuckled, patting the cub’s back. “We should hit the hay. Max, thanks for the blast tonight. You were right about those steaks, so perfect.” He complimented. 
“Grampa’s old recipe. He was awesome on the barbeque the way dad tells it.” 
“See you tomorrow Max!” Phase fare welled. 
“You too, Phase! Night! Night Nick! Night Psych and Aiden!” Max shouted to each of them. 
“Good night Maxy!” Psych called right back. 
“Night! Welcome home Max!” Aiden joined in. The young cub scurried down the hall and back upstairs to his room as Nick got the couch set up for Phase. 
“Had fun tonight, huh?” 
“Yeah! Was awesome! I’ve never been so full in my life and like, everything was so cool!” Phase recalled. Nick grabbed a towel from the closet and underhanded it to him. 
“Well here, hit the shower before you go to bed. You could use one that doesn’t involve rain.” Nick winked. 
“Wow, thanks!” Phase smiled. “Hey Nick?” 
“Yeah?” 
“Thanks. You know, for like. For everything.” Phase bashfully swept the ground with his foot. Nick gave his cool little smile and walked over, pulling Phase in for a quick hug. 
“Don’t worry about it. Mind your head though in the shower hey, don’t get the stitches too wet.” 
“Got it.” Phase eagerly agreed, rushing into the bathroom. Nick strolled into the bedroom, pushing passed the curtain and peering in. 
“What’s the haps paps.” 
“Nicky, come.” Psych whispered. Nick peered over his shoulder alongside Aiden. “It finally decrypted.” He carried on in a very hushed tone. 
“Jammer working?” Aiden whispered as well. 
“Of course. No cellphone signal and the landline is pulled.” Psych confirmed. “Now then, I’ve been running a little script on Barone’s holdings. Shelly Yorik is definitely working on something big in Zootopia, and she’s sharing that progress with him.” He explained, pulling up a picture of the mad scientist. “Reginald Steer-helm.” 
“The crazy guy.” 
“Reginald was fired from Predaton Pharmaceuticals for stealing chemicals and using them to create illegal drugs. At the top of his compositions is, wouldn’t you know it.” 
“Vaporizer fluid.” Nick gasped. 
“Exactly. One of his concoctions is cannabis mixed with Nighthowlers. A few other preservatives of course and flavorings. He’s mixed up a stronger batch, sent it out to Yorik whom then sells it to dealers in Zootopia.” 
“Why?” 
“Trial runs.” Aiden concluded.
“Yes.” 
“So what, is this weapon coming in the form of vape fluid? I mean come on, this is hardly a catastrophic threat. One good recall and poof, he’s off the market.” Nick tried to summarize. 
“He’s testing tolerances.” Psych corrected. “What amount makes them go savage, or just hallucinate. What could act as stabilizing agents, what could be cures.” 
“Ohhh, that makes sense.” 
“This stuff’s a real problem here in Predaton. I remember reading about it earlier today. Dealers have been trying in Zootopia, but it’s a lot harder.” Aiden threw in. 
“True. Barone has dealers all over the city, about 21 to be exact. He also uses runners to get them to customers. They pay with cash only so it’s too hard to trace. Since the dealers are suspicious, they pay runners to transport it.” 
“Like Phase.” Nick turned to his father. 
“Precisely.” Psych agreed. “Nick, you are going to be running the street part of this soon, likely taking over where Scout left off. Take down names, addresses, numbers, anything on the dealers you can but for the love of god be discrete. Bring that information to me on your phone, I’ll put it somewhere safe and wipe it out when you’re done.” 
“Got it.” 
“Aiden, you and I will pick out a new laptop. One we can mount into your car. Something we can use as a portable work station if I need to send you out to cover the boy’s backs.” 
“Yeah, good idea. Bryan and I could set that up pretty easy.”
“We need more information and patience is our friend here. Nick, carry on just like you have been. Continue swooning Barone with your antics.” 
“You got it.” Nick agreed.