Chapter 9: The Red Curtain
Telemarketer 118-7 glanced over to Roxy McSocks, who was tucked under the arm of their captor, Big Cheese 099-5. She had gone limp, but her barely audible whimpers assured that she was still conscious at least. He too had given up struggling and stared glumly ahead as Bossbot Headquarters steadily loomed closer.
Seven had already tried demanding that 099-5 tell them why they were headed to Bossbot, instead of Lawbot or even Sellbot, but the Big Cheese had remained stubbornly silent, leaving him to assume that he either knew and was not telling them, or he did not. The Sellbot found neither particularly comforting.
At last 099-5 landed on the Launch pad. Seven was not surprised to see the Bossbot Master, Wilson Big Cheese waiting for them.
"Here they are as ordered, sir," 099-5 said throwing the pair at the archaic Big Cheese's feet.
He smirked. "118-7, Roxy McSocks, welcome."
Seven got shakily to his feet. "W-what do you want from us?"
Instead of replying, he pulled his mobile from his breast pocket and dialled in a number. "Five, this is Wilson Cheese. Head on down to the machine and start it up."
"What machine? What are you talking about?"
The Master smirked down at him as he closed his mobile with a snap. And then it rang. He looked surprised and glanced at the caller ID before answering. "Yes, VP, what-?"
A loud angry noise erupted from the mobile phone, causing the Bossbot to flinch and pull it away from his audio receptor.
"How did you-?"
Another loud angry noise.
"I see."
A quieter yet no less angry noise.
He smirked. "Please do. We'll be waiting in the Main Experiment Area."
The VP sounded shocked at that. But whatever he was in the middle of saying was cut off by the Master closing his mobile and putting back in his pocket. He glared at 099-5. "You were spotted."
099-5 looked chagrined. "Whoops."
"But no matter, I believe I can use this outcome to suit my purposes. Seize these two and follow me."
Roxy McSocks began to shake with fright when she recognised where they were being taken. Ahead lay the red curtain that countless Toons and Flunkies had been hauled through, never to be leave alive or in one piece, so the stories told. Having thought she had escaped this fate once before she had thought that she had seen and heard the last of it. But how cruelly the threads of fate had twisted.
The red curtain was pulled aside and the monstrosity that lay behind it was revealed. In the centre of the large open room was a single, yet huge machine consisting of three separate capsules. There was a light above each one, currently red, and several cables from the outer capsules fed into the middle one. She could not see clearly from this angle, but there seemed to be a power generator behind it, for she could hear it humming.
A small team of about ten Corporate Raiders were carrying boxes to the machine and pouring the contents into small compartments at the back, above the generator.
A few feet away from the machine, and connected to it by yet more cables was a console. Another Big Cheese was standing over it, examining the read out.
"829-5," said the Master. "What's the status?"
"It'll take another few minutes before the machine has finished the start up process, Master," 829-5 replied.
He nodded. "I'm expecting a guest, the Vice President to be precise."
829-5's eyebrows shot up at the name.
"Will we be ready to go by or before then?"
"Yes, Master."
"Good." He turned to Seven and Roxy. "In the meantime I suppose it can't hurt to explain what all this is."
The two exchanged frightened looks.
"This machine is a Hybrid manufacturer. The pod on the left scans the information of a Cog, and the other scans that of a Toon. The information is combined and a Hybrid is born," here he gestured towards the middle capsule. "All of the Hybrids so far have been born insane, savage and uncontrollable monsters, resulting, unfortunately in the deaths of many Cogs and Toons."
". . . Or in one piece."
Roxy's eyes widened. "Th-they ripped them apart, didn't they?"
"Indeed. I programmed the machine to equip the Hybrids with extendable claws which are capable of ripping through metal."
Seven was appalled. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"The Hybrids are to be my attack force. Part Toon to yield immunity to Gags and part Cog to yield loyalty to the Cogs. I gave them claws for hurting Toons, but not with the intention to kill. In the face of such an opponent, the Toons will surrender, and victory shall finally be ours."
"But you just said they were savage, insane, uncontrollable monsters."
Wilson Cheese smirked. "I'm hoping you two will fix that."
Roxy and 118-7 exchanged looks. "Wh-why us?" she stammered.
"All Hybrids so far have been born of parents who hate the other. I have deduced that the machine programs the offspring with the hate of their parents which they were then unable to reconcile and were driven mad. You on the other hand are in love. I believe, I am hoping, that because of this your Hybrid will one, emerge sane and two, fix the machine as it were."
"What if it doesn't work?" asked 118-7.
The Bossbot did not reply.
829-5 looked up from the console. "Master, the machine is ready."
He smiled "Excellent. Now all that's left is to wait for the Senior Vice President." All turned to the entrance, from which a steadily increasing rattling noise was emanating. And sure enough, it was the Vice President, his supports disengaged, and stooped to avoid the low ceiling. "All right, Cheesy, explain. Why did you kidnap 118-7?"
Wilson nodded to 829-5, who nodded to 099-5 as he turned back to the console. "He has fallen in love with Roxy McSocks."
The VP took a few seconds to process the information. "What!? Seven is this- hey! Stop that!"
099-5 who was pulling Roxy and 118-7 to the machine, halted.
"This is in direct violation of the Chief Justice's orders."
"One last experiment, Vice President, is all I ask. I believe these two are the key to the conundrum."
"And what if they aren't?"
"Then this will be the end of it. If they don't fix the problem, nothing will."
"All right," he sighed. "Since you put it like that." He nodded to 099-5. "Carry on."
Seven looked at his Boss, horrified. "S-sir?"
"Don't worry, Seven, you won't come to any harm on my watch."
As the Telemarketer disappeared into the machine, Wilson glanced up at the Vice President. "I'm curious as to why you are not more. . . disgusted by the news."
"This has happened once before."
The Bossbot was speechless for a full ten seconds. ". . . What?"
"He was a very young Cold Caller at the time. His hard drive was rebooted while he was still conscious," the old Cog flinched in sympathy "and his memories of the incident were erased."
"So this. . . infatuation can be fixed?"
"Yes, I'll be taking him home once you're finished with him."
"If this works, I'll need him to train his Hybrid in the ways of the Sellbot."
"Fair enough."
The outer capsule doors opened and Roxy McSocks and 118-7 stumbled out. The lights above returned to red, while the middle one switched to green. All eyes were on the middle capsule, which was humming and whirring as it constructed the Hybrid. The team of ten Corporate Raiders stood ready to spring into action but with the Senior Vice President also in the room, it was likely they would not be necessary. At last all noise ceased and the green light flicked back to red. The door opened with a hiss and the Hybrid emerged, blinking into the light. She was a small blue cat, slightly taller than Roxy, but shorter than 118-7 with black hair and dressed in a Sellbot suit.
Seven and Roxy gaped at her.
The VP stared at her with wide eyes.
"I. . . think it worked," said Wilson. "You, Hybrid. Come here."
She looked at him bemused. "Who me?"
"Yes, you."
She obeyed and looked at him in fascination.
"What do you feel when you look at them?" he asked gesturing to Seven and Roxy.
The Hybrid looked and them and said nothing as she approached.
118-7 and Roxy clung to each other in fear. "I love you, Seven," she whimpered.
"I love you too, Roxy."
The Vice President was not sure what to do. The Hybrid did not look all that threatening, in fact she looked more curious if anything.
Just as her parents were sure that this was the end for them, she smiled and hugged them both. "I hate neither Toons nor Cogs, sir," she proclaimed happily.
The Bossbot Master was at a loss for words. So were Seven and Roxy.
The VP on the other hand roared with laughter. "This is to be your attack force? Oh I can see it now, Toons on their knees, begging for mercy. Heck I would too, faced with such a terrifying opponent." He calmed himself down and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Now then, if you're quite finished."
"Yes, yes," Wilson growled. "Take him away."
"Mum! Dad!" The Hybrid cried as the VP scooped up both her parents and took them away. "No!" Tears spilled from her eyes and she fell to her knees sobbing. What was she to do now?
"What do you want done with the Hybrid, Master?" asked 829-5.
"Seize her and throw her in one of the jail cells. I'll figure out what to do with her later. As for you, you're all dismissed."
"Aye, Cap'n," the Corporate Raiders replied and began to shuffle away.
She looked at 099-5 with fright, then movement caught her eye and she looked beyond him, to the entrance. The Big Cheese noticed and followed her gaze, as the cry of "Avast!" went up, to see a red bear tearing across the distance towards the Bossbot Master, blitzing past the lumbering Raiders.
"M-Master! A Toon!"
"Hang on, kid!" Mercedes called, seizing Wilson Cheese and throwing him towards the machine.
"What in the-!" He stumbled, regained his footing and looked up in time to see a wide-eyed 829-5 being hurled at him and was forced back into the capsule from the impact. Before he could recover, the capsule door hissed shut. "No!" he yelped, banging on the door. "Stop her!"
Mercedes pointed the console. "You hit that button when I get in, all right, then you hit that one, comprende?"
The Hybrid nodded.
"Good girl." She ran over to the empty capsule and got in. The Hybrid hit the button and the door closed. She hit the other and the machine began the scanning process.
829-5 got unsteadily to his knees and shook his head. "Seize that Hybrid and stop the machine!" he bellowed even though 099-5 and the team Corporate Raiders had already been doing so and were almost upon her.
"Uh oh." The Hybrid unsheathed her claws and swiped through the console's base. The screen went dead as it toppled to the floor.
"No!" 829-5 gasped. There was no stopping the machine now.
The Hybrid dodged 099-5's dive, kicking him in the knee to help him on the way down and easily evaded the Raiders attempts. Clearly they were not used to dealing with a Hybrid as agile as she was.
Both capsules hissed open. Mercedes shot out of hers like a bat out of hell, seizing ahold of the Hybrid's hand as she passed. "Come on, kid, we've got to go."
"Master? Are you all right?" asked 829-5 as the Bossbot emerged.
Wilson adjusted his suit. "Yes, I'm fi-" he registered the destroyed console. "No!"
The Corporate Raiders had already begun assembling before the machine, ready to apprehend the Master's Hybrid, but they were nervous. The previous Hybrids, though savage and insane, were only half Flunky and never half bear.
Above the middle capsule, the green light switched to red and the doors hissed open. The Hybrid, a tall red bear with hair that faded to yellow emerged into the light, grimacing. She took one look at them and attacked, her face contorting in rage.
099-5 who had wisely stayed back in case their was trouble, bolted for the comm device.
"This is 099-5 in the Main Experiment Area. All Bossbots in the vicinity are to drop what they are doing and report here immediately! Repeat any and all Bossbots in the immediate vicinity of Maintenance and Repair report immediately!" And then as an afterthought. "That includes the CEO!"
The Chief Executive Officer looked up from his newspaper at the announcement, intrigued. If 099-5 had referred to him by name something serious must be happening. He folded his newspaper up and headed down to Maintenance and Repair. He wondered if perhaps his father was there also, which would explain the tone of the announcement. The thought worried him and he picked up the pace.
The Hybrid's claws scythed through the Corporate Raiders' metal skins with alarming ease. They stumbled back with cries of "Yaargh!", clutching their chests as oil seeped out of their wounds.
"Me oil!"
But the Hybrid seemed confused, for instead of finishing them off completely, she cast her gaze wildly around the room before spotting 829-5 and her father and advanced on them.
829-5 put himself between the Hybrid and the Master. She paused, momentarily surprised by his decision then attacked. Instinctively, he raised his arm to block the attack and watched in horror as she sliced his arm off at the elbow, like a cucumber. Sparks shot out of the end. She followed up with another strike, but he was pulled to one side and out of harms way by Wilson Cheese. The Corporate Raiders had used their reprieve to regroup. Several of them rushed at her and rugby tackled her to the ground.
"Get off!" she snarled.
Wilson was stunned. "She can talk. . . ?"
The Hybrid threw them off but was tackled to the ground again by the remaining Raiders.
829-5 tugged on his arm. "Master, we should leave."
"I want that Hybrid alive, you hear me?"
The Corporate Raiders stared at him as if he was insane. "Cap'n?"
"You heard me."
"Aye Cap-" the Hybrid threw them off and lunged at her father.
"Master!" 829-5 yelped and hauled her off before she could do him any real harm. The Bossbot got his remaining arm partially hacked off for his trouble. He watched in horror as the Hybrid began to lay into the old Cog, hacking through his left shoulder, most of his left arm and the left side of his head as he trembled on his knees, covering his head with both arms, even though that was doing nothing to protect him.
"Pa!" the CEO cried in alarm as he emerged from the entrance followed by a horde of Bossbots.
"Roscoe," the Master whimpered as the Hybrid looked up at him and froze in shock.
The young Boss glared down at her and whipped out his golf club.
"Don't kill her."
He cracked the golf club over her head and she crumpled to the floor, unconscious. "Pa. What happened? What is that? And what is all this?"
"A Hybrid," he mumbled. "Your sister," and then passed out.
"Pa!" He scooped him up and hugged him.
829-5 looked around at the Hybrid unconscious on the floor. "I suppose we had better get her properly restrained." Then around at the equally confused horde of Bossbots.
"Help the injured up to Maintenance and alert the Skelecogs."
The Bossbots stepped to it.
"Chief, as acting Director in your father's absence, allow me to explain what all this is."
The CEO glanced down at the unconscious Wilson Cheese then nodded. "Okay, explain away."
Mercedes Paw and Roxy and Seven's Hybrid hotfooted down the same corridor that Daisey, Firebolt and Twilight had also traversed. Ahead was the Senior Vice President, his second pair of eyes locked on theirs. Even though they were fast catching he had neither increased nor decreased his speed since spotting them.
"Come on, we can make it," Mercedes encouraged.
The Vice President came to a halt and spun around to face them to calmly watch their approach with his main pair of eyes.
"Miss Paw!" Roxy McSocks cried, struggling to break free of the giant Sellbot's grasp.
"Hang on, Roxy," the red bear called back. She had followed the Vice President or rather the Vice President had allowed her to follow him through the tunnels to Bossbot Headquarters so she was aware that only a Cog Boss could operate the lift the VP was currently sitting on. He began to descend into the floor.
"No!" She grit her teeth and pushed herself to go faster.
This was their one chance to catch up to him. If they lost him now, he would raise the security of Sellbot HQ and it would be a nightmare trying to get in.
The VP disappeared from view.
"Come on kid, not much further. The lift still has to close up again before he's lost us."
But fortune was not on their side. The gap between the lift and the floor closed just as they reached it. In the split second before it did, Mercedes glimpsed the Vice President smirking up at them. "NO!" She kicked the lift in frustration then slumped in defeat.
"Wh-what do we now?" the Hybrid whimpered, beginning to cry again.
The red Toon hugged her and ruffled her hair. "We get out, we go home and we wait. For something."
"How?"
She pulled out a black hole and threw it on the ground. "It's too hot to leave through the entrance, Bossbot Headquarters will have to remain undiscovered another day." They held hands and jumped in.
118-7 struggled as the Factory Foreman strapped him down to the operating table.
"Wh-what are you going to do me?"
"Analyse his hard drive, Foreman. I want to see if the same program that was in that Cold Caller is active in him."
The Foreman nodded. "Yes, sir."
Roxy McSocks struggled in the grasp of Sellbot Second-in-Command, Mr Hollywood 717-3. "No! Leave him alone!"
"Quiet, Toon," 717-3 hissed and squeezed her shoulder until she did.
"Here we go, sir, I've found it," the Foreman announced and pointed at the monitor he was standing before.
"Can we get more information about it? Last time our technology wasn't as good as it is now." He glanced briefly at 717-3 who frowned back, wondering why he had.
"One moment." There was a brief pause, filled by the sound of the Foreman typing something into the computer. "Oooh. That's interesting."
"What?" chorused the VP, the Second-in-Command and 118-7.
"According to this, the program was installed into his hard drive during his construction and his been in a dormant state until it was activated."
"What!?" The VP and 717-3 shouted in unison.
"That's-" the Cog Boss began.
"How is that possible?"
The Foreman scratched his 'chin'. "Well. . . a Toon with sufficient knowledge could have reprogrammed the Factories to include this program on the hard drives of all the Cogs it constructs. How long ago this was done, I do not know."
"Could all Cogs have this program?"
"Yes. All except you, that is, and the other Cog Bosses since you were all programmed from scratch."
"This is a matter that should be looked into. In the mean time, I want you to delete the program and then just to be on the safe side, reboot 118-7's hard drive while he is still conscious to reformat it back to the way it was before this program was activated."
"No!" 118-7 cried and renewed his struggles.
The Foreman nodded. "Yes, sir." He pulled a cable from the computer over to 118-7, unbuttoned his suit jacket and shirt, lifted the metal plate that covered the Telemarketer's inner workings and plugged the cable into his hard drive.
"Let him go," Roxy sobbed. "Y-you can't."
"We can and we will," 717-3 sneered and thus did not catch the VP looking at him curiously.
"Program deleted sir," the Foreman reported then initiated the reboot sequence.
Seven stopped squirming and arched his back, his fists clenched tight, his limbs shaking and his mouth open in a silent scream. Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp.
"Seven," Roxy whimpered, her ears drooping.
The Sellbot was still for a moment, until his eyes flickered open. He glanced down at the straps tying him down and then at the Vice President. "Sir, I politely request that I be unrestrained."
The VP smiled; that sounded like the old 118-7. He nodded to the Foreman who unbuckled the restraints and helped him to his feet.
"Well, 118-7. How do you feel about this Toon?"
He looked her dispassionately, approached her, tilted her chin up and kissed her. Roxy shuddered; it was so. . . cold. "Nothing. I feel nothing."
"Prove it!" 717-3 snapped.
He smiled up at the Mr Hollywood. "Certainly, sir." Then pulled out his Rolodex and selected a blank card. Without a second thought, he threw it at her.
Roxy cringed and fresh tears began to spill from her eyes.
"Won't you fight back?"
She shook her head.
"Why not?"
"Because," she sniffed. "I love you."
He laughed, a hollow laugh that could not be faked. "Still? That 118-7 is dead. It amuses me that you shed tears for he who no longer exists."
Seven threw another card and again Roxy cringed, choking out a sob.
"This is your last chance to get in a shot. I won't even dodge."
Again she shook her head. "No." She sniffed again. "I won't do it."
He stared at her coldly. "So be it." Then threw the last card. She yelped and slumped in 717-3's grasp, unconscious.
"118-7, your mission is henceforth terminated, understood?"
Seven nodded. "Yes, sir. Understood."
The Second-in-Command picked up the Toon and tucked her under one arm.
"As for her. . ."
Mercedes Paw watched the Hybrid stuff her face with the cream pie she had given her, arms folded on the table. She sighed. The poor little thing was out of place. Half Cog, half Toon? Who did she belong with? The sound of the phone ringing drew her out of her musings.
The Hybrid stopped eating and looked around for the source of the noise.
"It's only the phone. Wait here, I'll see what's up." She went out into the hall and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Mercedes Paw?"
"Speaking."
"This is Doctor Foster. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Roxy McSocks has just been admitted to the Hospital."
"Oh no. How is she?"
"Well she's regained consciousness, but I don't understand it. She was attacked by a Cog, but she's acting like her heart has been broken."
"I'll be there right away." She put the phone down and stared at it for a few seconds, before sighing and heading back into the kitchen. "Kid. We're going to the Hospital to see your Mum."
The Hybrid brighten. "Mum's back?"
Mercedes shook her head. "No, dear, that's not good. The Doctor told me she's a real mess."
The Hybrid just looked confused.
She sighed. "Nevermind. You'll see what I mean."
Mercedes Paw sniffed, wiped a tear from her eye and continued stroking Roxy McSock's hair. The blue cat was asleep, her head in the red bear's lap, exhausted from having cried until she could shed no more tears, and wailed until she had lost her voice.
"Miss Paw?"
She looked across to the Hybrid who perched on her stool, hugging her knees and staring into space. "Yeah, Sal, what is it?" Although they were unable to get out of her what had happened to make her so grief stricken, the blue Toon had managed to choke out a name.
"When will Mum get better?"
She looked back at Roxy. "I don't know."