The recording studio was a much more intimate place for watching an impending disaster but Willy had stabbed out the screen on that television a few weeks prior. With Toki and Abigail missing, a new television was not on the CFO's list of important issues so it remained broken. This meant that like everyone else not invited to the Mordhaus War Room, Dick was forced into the Murderhall to witness Dethklok's first concert since the incident. Instead of cocaine and Pro Tools, his companions were two scientists and a large force of Dethklok's finest window washers and gardeners.
On the screen, Nathan addressed the crowd and received a lackluster response. Grumbles of discontent echoed through the Murderhall. And then Nathan introduced Toki on guitar. What followed was a room wide gasp of horror as Toki's hologram flickered several times and then failed. The crowd's chants for Toki drowned out all other sounds.
The scientists paled and immediately fled the room, but for what purpose Dick couldn't imagine because the damage was already done. He gaped at the ferocity of the crowd's response.
"What are they doing? Are they burning—are they pulling down the statue!?"
His cell phone began to ring. With furrowed brows Dick reached into his pants pocket and pulled it out for a look. emBlocked/em? He raised a hand to indicate he was going to take the call and a Klokateer lowered the volume of the television to a barely audible whisper of "We want Toki back!"
"Dick Knubbler," he said into the phone. As he listened to the response, his eyes flared red. "With Crystal Mountain? Uh-huh, yeah, I'm watching but I'm just the engineer. Just the engineer, okay. I'm not the producer anymore, babe. Yep, you guys fired me; don't tell me you forgot."
One eye remained on the screen as his other roamed carelessly about the room and its sea of hooded occupants.
"Oh, acting producer now? 'Cause your girl-wonder got snatched and Charles isn't answering the phone?" He paused just long enough to hear half a response and then continued, raising his voice to new nasally heights to be heard. "Charles has been on board, okay, he's been on board this entire time. He's been doing everything he can to find Toki and Abigail. The man's stressed out. He doesn't have time to talk to you. I don't have time to talk to you, okay?"
With one eye zoomed in on the screen, Dick registered that Nathan was addressing the crowd. Both eyes immediately focused on the singer and Dick realized, practically ignoring the idiot on the phone, that Nathan was declaring something to the world. There was a gentle whirring as his robotic eyes computed and translated Nathan Explosion's lips flawlessly: Toki! We're coming to save you!
"Uh-huh, well you know Dethklok. You know how they are. But hey, it looks like Nathan and the rest of the boys are gonna be cooperating now. They'll get Toki and your producer back and everything will be back to normal. Okay? Okay."
With a hiss of annoyance, Dick ended the call and jammed the phone back into his pocket. He folded his arms as a Klokateer restored the volume on the television.
"You, with the remote," Dick said. "Let Charles know that the label is still demanding answers."
"Right away."
As the Klokateer departed, Dick and the remaining Gears could all only watch the rioting stadium of fans in helpless silence and hope for the best.