A note before this story begins: 90% of this story is not canon to the Animaniacs TV series or real life history and current events. Well, the entire TV series happened how it happened, the 7 seasons, the 99 episodes, the movie, all that stuff happened…so I guess the TV series in this story will follow as much canon as I can possibly fit into this story.

Another note: One of the main characters in the story is the son of Steven Spielberg, but this character I made up completely (as far as my knowledge of his Spielberg's life goes. He has 6 children as of today). I actually don't know if Spielberg has a child with the same characteristics as my character. Also, in this story, Spielberg is the owner of the Warner Brothers Studios, rather than working at it. He also dies earlier on just to fit with plot of this story. Any fictional characters and events in this story that reflect real world people and events are purely coincidental unless stated otherwise.

Now, on with the show!

Chapter 1: A Big Inherit

Year: 1992 - April 23

"Jonathan, come here." Spielberg called out to his son. "The new episode is on." Jonathan smiled and got up from the bed in his bedroom to go join his father in the living room.

The 5-Year-Old boy struggled to make his way down the hall to the living room due to his leg brace. With his disability, it was hard to do many things, but he stilled managed. He took a seat next to his father on the couch and watched the television screen. The familiar theme and title of the Animaniacs played on the television set. The boy marveled as Steven Spielberg sat proud at his latest episode. Another day at the Warner Brothers Studios, another episode of one of his favorite cartoon projects. Once the episode was over, Spielberg turned to face the boy.

"How was it?" He asked.

"It was…awesome!" Jonathan said. "Dad, what's it like working with the Warners?"

"It's eventful and exciting. Maybe one day I can take you to the studios so you can meet them." Spielberg said. His son beamed with excitement. Spielberg then reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden key. His son stared at it with a confused look on his face.

"What's that key for, dad?" He asked. Spielberg placed it in his son's hands.

"Hold on to this key." Spielberg said. "It will become very important later in your life."

"When and why?" Jonathan asked. His father smiled.

"You'll know when." He said. "But you have to find out why."

:::::

20 Years Later - Year: 2012 - March 3

The sun shined on modern day Burbank, California, as the white car containing now 25-Year-Old Jonathan Spielberg drove toward the currently closed Warner Brothers Studios. He whistled a theme to himself as he maneuvered the controls of the car. It was hard to drive with his crutch and his disability, but like always, he managed. He pulled into the studio lot just as the workers noticed. The old studio was being repaired at the moment, as it had aged in the past 20 years.

"Finally, you showed up." One worker said. He was an older man with a mustache. "Welcome to your father's studio, Jonathan." Jonathan stepped out of the car and shook hands with the worker.

"Please, just call me Jon." Jonathan said. "Now if I'm correct, I own the entire lot now, right?"

"Yep, it's what you've inherited from your father." The worker said. "Spielberg was a brilliant man. You've got animation skills in your veins too, I bet."

"Heh heh, maybe." Jon said, smirking. "I never really expected my dad to pass this place on to me…I always thought he'd just want it to remain untouched and have it not be tampered with."

"Well your father was…extraordinary, to say the least." The worker said. "Come on, let me show you to the first warehouse. I think you'll like this one…"

The worker led Jon to the first building and opened the door. The room was very dark but a lot of stuff seemed to be in it. Jon stepped inside and flicked a light switch on the nearby wall. The room lit up in one of those one-row-of-lights-at-a-time scenarios. The room has many post-it notes covering the walls and many desks with piles of papers on them. At the other end of the room was a small desk with a green mat on it. Jon approached it and saw a name tag with the engraving of S. Spielberg on it. He saw a picture on the desk of him when he was just a kid.

"20 years ago, 1992." Jon muttered.

"What?" The worker heard him. Jon showed him the picture.

"20 years ago, 1992. My dad took this picture." He said. His younger self was giving double thumbs up and was wearing an Animaniacs t-shirt. "I loved his TV cartoons. They lit me up all the time." He set the picture back down.

"I ordered the rest of my men to not touch this room at all unless you say otherwise." The worker said. "I figured it was of sentimental value to ya."

"It is." Jon said. "It was my dad's office…and now it's mine."

"Take as much time as you need in here." The worker said. "When you're ready, come back out and I'll show ya the rest of the lot." Then he left the building. Jon smiled at the picture on his father's…no, HIS desk. He wouldn't get rid of it for any reason. Then he eyed the shirt his younger self was wearing.

'The Animaniacs…' He thought. '…that show ended when I was 11. I can't believe I actually thought the Warner siblings were real.'

:::::

"I never realized the lot was this big." Jon said as he walked around the third set of buildings.

"Ain't you ever been here before?" The worker asked.

"Once, when I was a baby, I think." Jon replied. He reached into his pocket with his one free hand and pulled out a lighter. He leaned himself and his crutch against a wall and used his other hand to grab a cigarette from his pocket. He put it in his mouth, lit it, put the lighter away, and began walking with his crutch again.

"Never thought of you as a smoker." The worker said.

"Neither did I." Jon said. "I can't help it though. It's addicting."

"You ever plan on having kids?" The worker asked.

"Huh?" Jon was a little bit surprised at the question.

"I mean like get a wife, have children, and raise a family." The worker said. "You know?"

"I never really planned on getting married." Jon said. "I never even had a girlfriend in high school, and still not in college, so I have no plans yet. As for children, I have no clue how to raise kids."

"I got a wife and two kids. They can raise hell, the kids, but they're sweet." The worker said. Jon smiled.

"I bet." He continued to walk along with the worker. "If anything, one kid is easy, two is the norm, while three is a challenge."

"I bet it will be. My wife is having another." The worker said. "Those things don't always work you know."

"What do you-" Jon stopped himself. "Oh, those."

"Word of advice: If you ever get kids, teach them manners in their infant stage." The worker said. "Maybe your life won't be hell, or close to it."

"Maybe I just won't have kids…" Jon muttered to himself. The worker didn't pick up on it.

They were approaching the final building when Jon stopped near some trees. The trees were surrounding a large water tower with the Warner Brothers logo embedded on it. A ladder was connected to it that allowed them to climb, and a pulley based elevator was also connected for handicapped individuals like Jon.

"Wow, cool water tower." Jon said. The worker stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened, hoping Jon wouldn't dare think of going up by the elevator-

"Mind if I go up?" Jon asked, pointing to the elevator.

"Um…probably best if you didn't." The worker said, turning around. "It's uh…structurally unsound and unstable up there. Wouldn't want you falling and dieing."

"…it's been reinforced." Jon said. "For one thing, the pulleys tighten the support beams and the iron bars placed around them also help."

Before the worker could say another thing, Jon was already heading toward the elevator. He stepped inside and pressed the up arrow. The pulleys activated and began lifting the elevator up towards the top of the water tower.

'Oh no…this is not good.' The worker thought as he watched the elevator go up. 'If he…if he opens up the symbol…and lets THEM out…' He shrugged off the thought. 'No, he probably doesn't have the key. Spielberg hid that key years ago. Besides, those…the ones inside must be energy deprived by this point. 14 years locked up in there, those things are. They can't possibly be filled with energy…are they even alive still?' The worker was too distracted with his thoughts to notice that Jon had arrived at the top of the water tower.

Jon marveled at the lot from the top of the tower. He smiled and was about to go back down when he heard something. It sounded like…slow shuffling. He pressed his ear to the side of the water tower and listened. The shuffling was coming from inside…but what was inside? He heard small mumbles within the tower, but they were too faint to be made out into actual words. He looked around for an entrance to the tower when he saw the Warner Brothers logo. It had…hinges on it? And a door handle…was this thing a door?! What was inside? However, then something got his attention. There was a large golden padlock with chains attached to it that covered the logo. How had he not noticed this before? Whatever was inside must've been suffering…

Then Jon remembered it. The golden key he received from his now deceased father 20 years ago. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the key. It rusted with age but it seemed to still work. He took a breath, hoping he was making a good decision. He stuck the key in to the pad lock. A clicking sound was heard. The shuffling inside seemed to be slowing to a stop. He turned the key. Now it was completely silent within the water tower. Jon turned the key once more and pulled it away, putting it back in to his pocket. The padlock and chains clattered as they fell to the wooden boarded floor beneath him, making a loud banging noise. There was still a complete and utter silence from within the water tower.

"What was that?" The worker called up to the tower. He was getting suspicious.

"Nothing!" Jon called back. "I just banged my arm on the tower, nothing bad!"

He turned back to the door. The strange logo door. It seemed so familiar to him, yet strange and unsettling. He grasped the handle, taking another breath. There was still a complete silence. He began to pull. Dust shot everywhere as for the first time in 14 years, the water tower door was being opened. It slowly opened with a loud screeching sound like most old doors would do, but this sound was much more lower pitched. The door was finally all the way open as light poured in to the dark water tower. Jon couldn't make out what they were, but he saw many objects within the tower. Then he heard it.

"…h-hello?" A weak voice stuttered. Jon looked down. He saw three figures weakly sitting on the floor in the light square that the sunlight had made.

The three figures appeared to be dog/cat/rabbit hybrids of some kind, or at least that's what Jon could see them as. They all had varying heights, probably signifying age difference. The tallest one looked to be about 14 and it had on a torn pair of brown slacks. It also appeared to be male. The second one was a bit shorter than the first and appeared to be male as well, looking about 10 or 11. It had on a red, dirty baseball cap that was backwards, and it also wore a blue sweater. The last one appeared to be a female that was about 8 or 9. It had a small pink dress that was torn and dusty with patches on it, as well as a small yellow bow in its hair. They looked at Jon with weak and confused expressions on their faces, like they were left to die but were being saved by a messiah of some sort.

"Who…who are you?" Jon asked.

"We're the Warner Brothers…" The tallest one said weakly, stuttering a bit.

"And the Warner Sister." The female one said, then beginning to cough. The tallest one wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

'Whoa…' John thought. 'These guys…? What happened to them?!' He thought up many questions in his mind. Why were they so weak? Why were they here? Were they even real?! Then the most important question raced through his mind.

Who locked them in the water tower…and why?

-(End Of Chapter)-

And thus, the story begins! I've read a few things about the Warners getting out of the tower, but those stories had them all happy-go-lucky and full of energy and still as insane as ever…so I decided to change that. They couldn't have survived on their own in the tower that long, toon or not. They're weak and battered and starving and dirty and near the point of death…all because they haven't done anything for the past 14 years. Maybe Jon is their savior. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the start of this story, reviews are highly appreciated, and as always…

Stay Tuned!

~087-B