Chapter 16: And They're Multiplying
Nick drove them to a hotel to get to know the rabbit better.
"Why are we here?" the green rabbit asked.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Thought we would go to your place. Why waste money on a hotel?"
"Fine."
When they arrived at his place, he saw Mr. Big's polar bears waiting there for them.
"Who are they?" the rabbit said which was loud enough for the bears to hear.
That was when he recognized the rabbit wasn't Judy. If the bears were smart, they wouldn't show their allegiance either. He thought that the police were involved enough that if the green rabbit suddenly disappeared, he would be in trouble. His heart was pounding as he thought of a way to explain the situation.
"We're here to play poker," Kevin said. "Nick, it was your turn to host poker night."
"Oh right, things have been so busy lately. I forgot." Nick tried his best to play along.
"Are you sure that's not because of the hundred that you lost last week?" Raymond said.
"You got lucky," Nick said.
"What about me?" the green rabbit asked. "I thought we were going to spend some quality time together."
"Sorry, I did promise them poker. Can't turn that down, Judy," Nick said.
"They matter to you more than me?"
"Poker night is a sacred tradition," Nick lied. "You can play too if you want."
"I've never played poker. Teach me?"
"Fine." Nick wanted to preserve the act in front of the bears at the very least.
They headed inside. Not that he cared much about poker, but they had enough spare cash around to make it work. It was a low-stakes game just to pass the time. And he thought they would leave after just one round.
The rabbit that pretended to be Judy became increasingly agitated since Nick wasn't paying attention to her at all. "Do you even care about me?"
"The world doesn't revolve around you, sorry," Nick said. "I'll raise." He focused on the game once more. Even though it was low stakes, it was a matter of pride for him to win. Initially, he thought the bears would just play a quick round before deciding to leave, but they lingered for so long.
There wasn't much of a point to the charade from his point of view, but at least, he wasn't alone with the green rabbit. It was delaying an unpleasant confrontation but delaying it, nonetheless. The bears dictated what happened, and he had to go along with it (while wasting precious time that he could be doing something.)
The bears only left at midnight, keeping him company even through supper. The rabbit pretending to be Judy failed to hide her aggravation.
"Finally," she exclaimed.
"Actually, I've decided that you're not Judy. You can stop trying to fool me," Nick said.
"And why is that?"
"I don't need to justify myself to you."
"Fuck you then, I'll find someone that believes me."
"Good luck." Nick watched the rabbit leave in a huff. It was far too late to visit Mr. Big but he supposed that he should stop by as soon as he had time. Tomorrow after work sounded like a perfect opportunity.
*****
Despite the overwhelming number of complaints from the rabbits that claimed to be Judy, Chief Bogo retained his position, claiming that those were all plots designed to make it harder to save Judy. Not that anyone could disagree given the claims that the Judys made. There were still more Judys arriving with the last one just thirty minutes ago.
A few even took the unusual route of blaming him as the reason she was captured. To drive the division further, they even had access to Judy's social media accounts. A password and maybe a code sent to an account was all it took to take control of Judy's online presence.
Nick wholly expected Chief Bogo to order him to wait by the precinct and continue a task that he took of his own volition, sorting out who is the real Judy. At least, of ones who would accept him. He instantly dismissed the idea that Judy would harbor such hatred against him so someone else had to process them. With any luck, some of the rabbits would be a match to someone they had on file.
"Fangmeyer, Wilde – keep watch at Precinct Five. As you're aware, the latest stunt they're pulling is sending multiple rabbits to claim as if they were Judy Hopps."
They left for Precinct Five immediately. Nick learned upon arrival that five rabbits arrived through the night and received officers to keep them safe. He tried to treat the incoming Judys as he had the day before, but it was too emotionally draining especially since he knew there were so many more rabbits that he didn't see yet. Every single one came with emotionally charged stories and claims. The incoming rabbits were less than understanding of his needs.
He tried to process one of those rabbits as a regular officer, but they were emotionally manipulative so that he couldn't do that. In the end, they took up parking duty to pass the time since Nick thought it would be better to meet all the rabbits claiming to be Judy all at once. Only one time worked for everyone given the different shifts the officers took. They scheduled the meeting for eight at night. If he were lucky, one of them would be the obvious pick.
When it was eight at night, there were over thirty rabbits by that time. Every single one had unrealistic colors, so it was evident that someone dyed their fur. Although, one seemed to have successfully washed the dye off revealing its natural grey color. He had thought of just calling everything off and getting to know that one personally, but that would be playing right into their paws. It was also plausible that the real one wasn't among them.
He decided to give the rabbits a number and randomly draw one to talk to. It was the most neutral method that came to mind.
***
The raccoon was driving them towards his home.
"So, what's your name?" Judy asked.
"Ritchie Ringtail," the raccoon said. "Why did you pick me?"
"Figured that your species received the same judgmental attitudes that a fox would." Judy wasn't about to tell him the other reason was that she envisioned that she stood a good chance at overpowering the raccoon if it came to it.
The architecture of the Nocturnal District was unsettling. Of all the places that he could live, he lived in a house with a stylized garbage can for an entrance. If anything was an eyesore, that was. Despite its exterior appearance, it wasn't dirty but just by going inside, she felt unclean. It led to a really cramped space with four rooms.
She wondered why he lived here but elected not to offend her chosen guard.
"Where can I sleep?" Judy asked. "It's been a long day."
"Just sleep on the bed. There's only one." Ritchie pointed to the only bed in the rather tiny room.
Judy jumped on the bed to sleep. From what her nose told her; three mammals slept here regularly in addition to just the raccoon. Rather than confront the raccoon now, she decided to sleep since if he had ill intent, he would've attempted it by now or so she figured.
A terrifying scream nearby jolted Judy awake. Her attempts to tune them out proved fruitless, so she got up.
Three mammals were watching a horror flick. The raccoon, a skunk, and an opossum. Judy debated on telling them to tone it down so she could try sleeping again. After debating for a moment, Judy decided on eating something. Normal food might become a rarity.
"Is there anything to eat?" Judy said.
Ritchie pointed to the fridge in the corner of the room.
"So, who is she?" the opossum asked.
"A rabbit that might be Judy Hopps. We're unsure at the moment," Ritchie said.
"I am Judy Hopps, and you two are?" Judy insisted on setting the record straight.
"You haven't introduced us again? Are you ashamed of us?" the skunk said. "It happens to anyone that you bring home. What was your plan? Have her leave before we return?"
"She's not my girlfriend," Ritchie said.
"Never said she was."
"Anyway, the pissed-off skunk is Thomas, and the opossum is Chase Shorttail."
Judy failed to hold back a laugh. The opossum's name sounded so ridiculous.
"Yea, yea, laugh it up," the opossum said.
"Sorry," she said.
"Anyway, it's time for us to sleep."
"About that," Ritchie said. "Don't wander off. I don't want you to be captured because of it. Stay within the house."
"Can I have a cell phone to use?" Judy asked.
"Sure." Ritchie gave Judy his cell phone.
She figured it wouldn't hurt trying to talk to her parents or Nick once more to try to persuade him that she was the real Judy. The first call went nowhere since she figured that her parents chose a new phone number or upgraded their phones. Next, she tried calling her siblings, "Erica? It's me, Judy."
"I don't want to deal with it. You aren't the first Judy that tried to call. I can't live with the guilt if I made the wrong choice."
"I understand." Judy hung up instead of insisting that she was the real one.
Her call with Nick went directly to voice mail. She decided not to leave any. Next, she tried to leverage her social media accounts – something that she should've thought of sooner. To her dismay, apparently, her captors managed to obtain access and started using them already. Well, the rabbits they gave the accounts to.
The internet was having a go at speculating on which Judy Hopps was the real one too. One of them already washed the dye off her fur and could claim Judy Hopps in form. It wasn't like she was the only grey rabbit with purple eyes in existence, so that shouldn't have been a surprise. As much as that enraged her, she decided that she should be happy that she was free, and hopefully thwarted the otter's plans.
****
Later that day, she attended a "who's the real Judy Hopps" meeting at the precinct where they gathered all the Judys that were willing to show up. Apparently, there were over thirty rabbits by now. It was sheer insanity. At least, Nick decided the green rabbit from yesterday wasn't her.
Nick suggested something absurd – interviewing each Judy for ten minutes each. That alone would take several hours and maybe multiple days.
At first, she waited for her turn, but then when her turn came, she had a better plan.
"So, I've decided that I'm not dealing with this. Fiction is more compelling than reality, so whatever," Judy said when it was her turn to talk to Nick. "To win, they just need to tell the most convincing lie. Let's go, Ritchie."
"Wouldn't the real Judy stay?" Ritchie asked.
"For what purpose? Humiliate myself and possibly lose because lies are more convincing than truth? Reality is boring. Just need time to return my voice and the dye to fade. The captors even went the extra mile somehow by taking control of my social media accounts. A Muzzlebook account isn't the first thing that comes to mind when proving that you are who you are. Wonder if it would've made a difference."
"But you get to talk to Nick."
"Yes, talk to the dumb fox who failed to recognize the real Judy twice. Certainly, the third time is the charm. Just give me a few days for everything to return to normal. Not in a rush to claim the mantle of Judy, more interested in staying safe. So, let's go, we're out of here." She had some parting words for Nick, "Stop holding these meetings, you could find yourself a rabbit if that's what you really want. There's no need to pretend." She sniffed the fox disdainfully.
Her words had some effect since Nick decided to cancel the event. A few of the rabbits seemed rather desperate with their complaints.
"Recapturing me won't be that easy," Judy said to herself as she walked out of the precinct with Ritchie.
