*Chapter 4: Something Really Stinks*

The next day, Rem had nearly forgotten all her worries and concerns about Buddy and was almost skipping around the lot like a giddy little girl. At least until she came upon the Administration Building where the sounds of quite a loud argument were taking place.

"Eh, I'm tellin' ya, Plotz; Somethin' ain't right here!"

"Please, be a little understanding, Miss Squirrel. We're under a lot of pressure here."

"Pressure! Bah! Has it once occurred to ya that maybe you should give those New York suits a call yourself?!"

"Well...no, but..."

"Feh! I'm gonna need a whole gallon of Pepto Bismal."

Rem watched silently and listened intently as Slappy marched right off the lot, past a very bemused Ralph and Junior. The teen narrowed her eyes a little and started to think. Wasn't there a TV special that her peers were involved with a while back that had Buddy in it? She turned and headed straight for the film archives again, managing to dodge the other employees before getting to the one she knew she could talk to in confidence.

"Hey."

"Anybody follow you in?"

"Nope. And I need a copy of this TV special; The Warner Brothers 65th-"

"Be right back."

Rem awkwardly glanced at the floor, wondering if the cloned albino mouse understood instantly what she was requesting. A few seconds later, Roman returned with a video disc inside a white envelope.

"Take it somewhere you can watch it alone." he whispered harshly at the teen.

"Right. Take care of yourself."

"Uh-huh."

xxxxxx

Rem stole away to a spare studio that she knew would have a connected TV set and DVD player. More importantly, vacant. Wasting no time, she popped the disc into the player and hit the 'Play' button. In the first few minutes, Rem could see why her peers weren't very fond of Liza Minnelli. She finally hit the 'Fast Forward' button so she could get through the opening number.

After streaming through the first half of the 65th Anniversary Special, it had Rem's full attention. She concentrated hard on every second of the second half, and her eyes furiously narrowed when the mysterious hooded man turned out to be none other than Buddy, who was out for revenge. When the teen got towards the end, she was a bit surprised to see the toon boy seemingly and fully relent when the Warner Siblings recognized him on his talents and getting them started in the first place while speaking at the podium. At least until he got blown up by the very bomb he put in place for the Warners, and flattened by a two-ton mallet. And then, after another musical number, it ended, leaving Rem quite perplexed.

...okay, what am I missing here? It was almost like they sorta made up or something.

The more Rem thought about things, taking the special's ending into context along with it, she came to a conclusion that made her more than worried.

...is it possible that that last bit might have sent him over the edge, and it's just building, and building...

She needn't be reminded of what happened when she had bottled up her own rage until it finally exploded in the Hollywood Hills...

Suddenly, her phone went off, and with the ringer being on full blast, it nearly made Rem jump into the ceiling.

"...hullo?" she stammered into the receiver.

"Hey, where are ya?" Wakko's voice replied. "It's 1:30."

"Oh that's right, we're playing a board of Monopoly." Rem remembered. "Alright, I'll be right there." Then she became serious. "I'm still the friggin' cannon, ya got that?!"

"Of course!" Wakko replied suavely.

After disconnecting the line, Rem quietly retrieved the video disc from the player and took off.

xxxxxx

Another rainstorm was gathering in the horizon when Rem returned to the Water Tower. She met with her three peers who were waiting for her at the Tower albeit impatiently.

"Sorry I'm late." she huffed. I-"

"Well howdy, y'all!"

The Warner Quartet looked over towards the studio's front gate and found Sakko Warner coming in rather excitedly. Rem blinked a little confusedly.

"...Um, are we having an extra player?" she asked, sounding bemused and trying to be polite simultaneously.

"Unless if you want a cheater." Yakko remarked dryly and distastefully.

"Guess what, cousins?!" Sakko declared. "You'll never guess who Ah got a telephone call from!"

"The IRS?" Dot said sweetly.

"Naw, Silly! Ol' Buddy! What a surprise it was that he still remembers me! An' after all these years!"

"That makes two of us." Wakko muttered under his breath.

While the cousins where conversing back and forth, Rem silently and closely observed and scrutinized Sakko's body language from the moment Buddy's name left his mustachioed maw. Already, she could sense that the toon was very tense despite his liveliness. Almost as if he was under some kind of pressure or distress. Something in Rem's conscience nagged at her with full force that Sakko's appearance was a little too convenient and he wasn't particularly there for pleasantries. This suggestion burned into her brain, compelling her to get to the bottom of her suspicions.

"Rem, darlin'." Sakko greeted warmly. "Have ya met Buddy?"

"Oh sure." Rem replied pleasantly.

"Though Ah must say, we actually only made one short together, heh-heh. As a matter of fact, Miss Rem; would'ja like to see the film with me?"

Rem narrowed her eyes a little as she felt Yakko's irritation and defensiveness starting to erupt into the already tense atmosphere.

...and there it is.

"Actually, if you don't mind..." the teen replied frankly, taking full command of the situation. "...I'd like to go on a brief stroll with you."

Sakko's eyes sparkled.

"Really?!" he sighed.

"Just briefly." Rem said, with more firmness in her tone.

"Okay."

Hearts began floating out of Sakko's while the teen's peers had disconcerting expressions. Particularly Yakko.

"Rem..." he began.

"Yakko..." Rem interrupted. "...Sakko wa kiken ni sarasa rete imasu... Soshite watashi wa maiku o tsukete imasu."

The elder Warner's head slightly jerked and blinked as his brain was jumpstarted by what she told him. As the gears turned, he realized the weight of her words.

"Well..." Yakko replied calmly with a shrug. "...don't that beat all."

"Sure." Rem responded with the same plainness. "Come along, Sakko."

"Oh uh, alright." Sakko stammered, as he was slightly dragged by the teen off the lot.

A bemused Wakko and Dot watched them leave until Yakko turned and started to walk towards a direction opposite of the Water Tower.

"What was that about?" Dot asked, quite perplexed.

"Come, siblings." Yakko directed. "We're heading to the sound recording studio."

"For what?" Wakko inquired.

"Oh nothin' much. Just a lil' eavesdropping."

XXXXXX

Rem and Sakko didn't stray too far from the lot. Just a good enough distance where her peers could still reach her, but away from prying eyes and ears.

"Now ain't the wather jus lovely, Rem darlin'?" Sakko swooned.

"Fantastic." Rem replied, sounding nearly uninterested.

"You wanna know somethin' about the summah rains?"

"Actually, I'd like to cut the bullschitck."

The mustachioed Warner's face went completely blank and he blinked a few times in confusion.

"Er, Ah'm not sure what you mean, darlin'..." he sputtered.

"Don't go stupid on me, Sakko Warner." Rem replied in a very stern voice. "For starters, you're nervous as all hell right now for no apparent reason. Second, that bit about you starring in a short with Buddy, is crap; I've seen all of the Warners' old stuff, including the few with you in it. You didn't show up until after Buddy got the yellow slip. Which leaves the question: why on earth would he call you to return to the studio, when you never had a working relationship?"

Sakko became very quiet and increasingly forlorn as his ears started to droop. He undoubtedly was trying to figure out an explanation to give her but could find none that wasn't a lie. Guilt then started to consume his features when it became painfully clear that there was no way to weasel himself out of this.

"...Ah think Buddy was mistaken." he said in a very low voice. "Yer a lot smarter than he gives ya credit for."

Muted fury came over the teen.

"What are you really at the studio for?" she asked in an equally low voice, trying to contain herself.

Sakko hesitated to answer at first as if he was greatly debating whether to do so or not.

"I'm waiting." Rem pressed.

"...y-yes, of course you are." Sakko stammered nervously. "Well...you see, it's like this...Buddy found me up, an...Ah agreed to ..help him with somethin'. He...wants revenge on the cousins, and Ah...Ah only agreed if he'd...leave you alone."

Rem was appalled.

"Sakko...what the fuck?!" she growled.

"Ah knew you wasn't gonna like it..." Sakko replied glumly.

"With good reason! They're your cousins for Christ sakes!"

...kinda makes me sound like a little hypocrite, but still.

"Ah, know." Sakko replied again miserably. "But ol' Buddy was...really convincin'."

"Well, just how pissed off is he? I mean, the last time he was here, it seemed like they were on amicable terms. Maybe there's just a misunderstanding that could be easily cleared up if we talked it out?"

Sakko then took on an expression of horror and panic.

"Uh, you don't understand, Rem darlin'; Buddy's nuts. Ah mean, really nuts. Why, that crazy boy's been rantin' and ravin' about takin' down the whole darn tootin' studio!"

...and there lies Slappy and Roman's suspicions.

"Why, Ah never seen a toon go that far over the edge, before." Sakko continued distressfully. "Heck, Ah don't think no one has! It's downright scary!"

In spite of her anger towards him, his words left a very sobering effect on Rem. She knew exactly what Sakko was getting at and what the results would be if it was allowed to be carried on like this. She took a deep breath and simmered out her negative feelings.

...he needs help. Just like me.

"So all that stuff about being sent by New York is just more crap." Rem calmly said aloud.

"Ah wouldn't put it past him to take those poor boys hostage." Sakko fretted.

...that's stretching it just a little.

"Why, he's even got robots from this fancy doctor man!"

Rem's face slightly paled at this.

"...what doctor?" she asked cautiously.

"Er, Doctor...Franklin, or Franken...Somthin'..." Sakko replied, scratching his head in thought.

Rem fell silent for a moment. If Buddy had been doing business with Doctor Frankeninni, then things just got a little more complicated.

...is that jackass even out of prison yet? It's been a while since I've seen him.

Yet, she still felt there was a singular chance to fix this. Maybe...just maybe, she could reach him the same way her peers reached her. There was no reason why she shouldn't try.

"C'mon, Sakko." she finally said.

"...Where are we goin'?" Sakko asked.

"Back to the studio."

Sakko began to panic.

"You...you ain't gonna go confront him...are ya?"" he stammered.

"Yup. And you're coming with me." Rem told him nonchalantly.

"Uh, Rem, darlin'. Don'tcha think that might be a bad idea?"

"I'm not scared. Are you?"

"Uh, heh-heh-heh, no ma'am."

"And I wouldn't worry..."

The teen paused for a moment to inspect her blade which made Sakko jump when she slid it out of its sheath.

"...as long as I'm toting this, those robots won't stand a chance."

With that, the pair proceeded to return to the studio.

...I know I swore that I'd never bare my fang again on the lot, but the situation might call for it.