Rook had spent most of his morning contemplating his actions from the previous night. While his outburst against his friend was unwarranted, his logic was sound. He had eventually decided he would go around and have a petition signed to ban Glen from being a resident of the town. It would be within the town rules, it did not take any violence into anybody's hands, and it would get that cog out of town. For the life of him, the horse could not figure out why Billy would so stringently defend, not just a cog, but a Glad Hander. After all, if anybody had a reason to hate a Glad Hander, it would be Billy. With his clipboard and papers in hand, Rook set out on the town to begin collecting signatures. He would have to be careful about how he worded his pitch. He did not wish to send a violent mob towards anybody, and if he wasn't careful all it took was one Toon to cause trouble. Three hours until he opened his bar for the day, he wanted to have at least one-hundred signatures before then. His first stop would be the Toonstone Headquarters. As the only official government building in Toonstone, it was a hotbed for Toon activity. It was where Toontasks were assigned, and other legislative decisions were brought to a town vote. Entering the building, the stallion smirked at how busy it was already. In the lobby there were at least fifteen Toons seated patiently waiting to see an HQ officer. Another dozen or so were working. If he was quick enough he could easily hit a quarter of his goal in short order. Walking over to a purple bear, Rook feigned surprise at seeing the fellow Toon, as if he had dropped by completely on a whim. "Hey, is that Master Picklethrobber I see? Isn't it a small town, seeing you here! Wait, now is that Joanna Cola? Egghead? Wow, what a surprise seeing all of you here so early in the morning!"

"Good morning, Mr. Chess." An older teal rabbit nodded, before taking notice of Rook's clipboard. "Are you here to collect signatures?"

"Ah, Egghead. You're always the sharpest stick in the bunch, aren't you? I actually was here to discuss a potential legislation with the Toon officers. I guess I would need some signatures though. I don't want to bother you all though. I know you all have things to do and probably don't want to listen to me blab on and on about the problem facing the town."

Standing up, the older bunny shook his head. "Nonsense, Rook. I don't think anybody here would be opposed to hearing from you. You're always doing what is the best interest of us all, Heck, you saved us from that dang invasion! Well, you and Billy of course!"

Nodding along, most of the other Toons were in agreement. The white horse was a monumental figure in the small community. Most of the town regularly stopped by the saloon for a regular drink or just to hang out with friends, as the town did not have many other leisure activities. "That's funny that you mention the invasion. Now, I don't want to send anybody into a tizzy, because I am likely overreacting. But could anybody raise their hand if they felt comfortable with a cog living in town?"

"A cog living in Toonstone? Now you're just speaking ridiculous." a brown dog barked out. "Why would we ever want a cog in town? Gosh, usually when one pops in we make sure to get them out as soon as possible. What are you asking us to sign, Rook?"

"That's a fantastic question, Joanna. Well, once again I want to preface my response by saying that I am likely overreacting. This is why I would like the town's input. Last week during the Glad Hander invasion, our good friend Sheriff Billy's daughter was captured and attacked by three cogs."

Standing up, Master glued his hands to the side of his head. "What do you mean, Rook? I saw Billy the other day and he was just fine! Has something happened to Muffin?" The younger bear was horrified as he cut off Rook's pre-planned speech.

"Now, now. Muffin is okay, everybody. No need to get yourselves worked up. Muffin, much to my surprise, was actually saved by another Glad Hander. He came in and fought the other cogs off until Billy could arrive and stomp them out. Well, Billy wasn't sure why that cog saved her, but I guess it hit him pretty hard in the heart. Now, I am not a father, so I cannot begin to understand how he must have felt. Apparently that cog was beaten up pretty badly and out of the kindness of his heart, Billy decided to take the cog back home to recuperate. Understandable given the situation. However, things have changed. As many of you may have become aware, our good friend Rubber Duck has suffered a great tragedy. His son, Geoduck, was taken from us two nights ago." This caused more panic among the Toons in the HQ, as many had been unaware of the young Toon's death.

"Hold on. So what do these two things have to do with each other?" Egghead inquired.

Shaking his head slowly, Rook closed his eyes. "Let me finish please. So, at the scene of the crime it was determined that the likely aggressor was a Glad Hander. This just days after a massive invasion of Glad Handers attacked our small town. Please let me be very clear where I say that the cog that Billy rescued was not involved in this crime. However, with everything that has happened I am quite skeptical of everything. The first Toon killed by a cog in Toontown in four years, and they were a resident of Toonstone? It seems a bit strange to me, I must say. Well, Billy, in his eternal... kindness, has decided to take in the cog and wanted him to live among us!"

There were gasps from the crowd as they spoke among themselves, chattering of anxieties and fears. Eventually, one of the Toon Officers came from around their desk and placed his hand on the horse's back. "Rook, you think that this cog may end up being dangerous, and they are living in the sheriff's home?"

"Yes, Wanda. There is a good chance that the cog himself may be perfectly fine. However, we can never know. What if something happens? What if the cogs come looking for him? What if he has a tracking device? We don't know. Now, I love Billy, he is one of my best friends! But... But, I think his judgement is being clouded by what has happened and now looking forward to what could happen. I do not personally feel that any Toon community should be accepting cogs among them, but certainly not this one. I would like to bring this to a town vote to expel the cog from becoming a resident of the town."

Murmurs delighted Rook as he knew that the idea was worthwhile enough to warrant further thought from the Toons. How could anybody go against him? It was a bullet-proof plan. As he walked over to hand the clipboard to his first signer, he was stopped by the HQ Officer who spoke up and brought further discussion to the matter. "Well, wait a minute Rook. This cog, you said that he was living in Billy's home?"

"Not only living there, but intends to stay there as far as I know. It's unlike anything I've ever heard of before." Rook responded, frustrated as his plan was being disrupted.

"Why would a cog do something like that?" A red cat close to Muffin's age asked skeptically. "It all just seems a bit funny to me. I mean, I don't know if you heard about that Toon in Toontown who is dating a cog? There really hasn't been anything about that I've heard that has caused any issues. Maybe this Glad Hander is similar? If he saved Muffin, why should we assume he is good? Why would someone do that just to harm them later?"

The tide was beginning to turn against Rook, as a wave of agreement to the teen Toon was building up the frustration inside of him. "Hold on a minute. Do you hear what you're saying? This is a cog, living in town! The same kind who just invaded! The same kind who killed Geoduck! How can anybody accept this?"

Wanda rubbed the stallion's back, speaking in a hushed tone. "Rook. I know that you are in a lot of pain with everything that has happened. We are all hurt by Geoduck's passing. But just like there are Toons who work with the cogs to undermine our silliness, we must give the benefit of the doubt to this cog, no? Is it fair to judge somebody based on the actions of their peers, rather than their own? If Billy is placing his confidence in this Glad Hander, I will trust his judgement. You two are best friends. I'm a little disappointed that you're letting this come between the two of you. How about this? I will expedite the process to bring the vote to the town, but with a caveat. I want this cog to have an opportunity to speak for himself and give his reasoning. I believe that is fair. If the the town decides to expel them, then we will. But I do not wish to make a rash decision that undermines an elected official."

"I can't believe this! I just can't believe this!" Clenching the wooden board in both hands, Rook snapped it in half and slammed it on the floor. "I hope all of you remember this when you see Rubber. When you're giving your condolences for his dead son, I hope you remember this." Without another word, the steed galloped out of the building, leaving behind twenty-seven other very confused Toons.

Billy had ended up spending the first few hours of his work morning at home while he waited for the doctor to show up. Muffin and Glen had decided to keep their minds occupied by playing video games. As Billy was technically working, he had to keep himself ready. Everybody in Town had his number and could easily reach him. He had requested one of the HQ officers to put up a sign on his door that he would be in late and that they would need to call him. As he waited through another slow morning, he was aroused from his boredom by a knock at the door. Slinking over to the window, the monkey hid against the wall and peeked outside. He didn't like the feeling of paranoia that had overtaken him the last few days, and there was nothing more than he would like than for it to end. Much to his relief, outside was a tall, purple cat adorned in a party hat and fuzzy eyebrow glasses. "Hey, guys. I believe the doctor is here."

Pausing their game, Muffin leapt from the couch and ran over to the door, yanking it open before Billy could make his way over. The Toon's appearance was not what the blue cat was expecting from a doctor. "Um, good morning? Can I help you?"

"Good morning! My name is Doctor Matzoh! I think I may have come to the wrong house, I was looking for a Mr. Billy?" Jogging over, the orange monkey slid in front of the door and stuck out his arm.

"Ah, hello, Doctor. I am Billy. I'm sorry about that, this is my daughter Muffin." Inviting the cat inside, he quickly closed the door behind her. "Very smart of you to wear a disguise here. You can never be too careful."

Matzoh looked at the monkey confused. "Um, this is how I normally dress..."

Embarrassed, Billy looked over to Muffin for help. "Thank you so much for stopping by, Doctor. Let me introduce you to the sweetest being you'll ever meet!" Muffin was surprised to see that the Toon was around her age, and was already quite accomplished. "This is Glen!"

The Glad Hander smiled gently and waved to the purple cat, who had already begun to make examinations. "Hmm. A Glad Hander, this might be a bit of a challenge." Turning to Muffin and Billy she rubbed her chin. "I don't know how much you guys know about cog biology, but each "species" has their own unique set up. Due to the physical, and programming differences between them, they all have slightly different makeups. Glad Handers for some reason, at least in my experience, have a more complicated one. It isn't anything I would worry about if everything you've told me is true. But, I just want you all to know that if something goes wrong I am not liable."

"I just appreciate that you are here to help me, Doctor." Glen was excited to finally be back to normal and be able to live a fuller life. "I only hope I can someday repay your kindness and hospitality."

"Gosh, you're just like Mark! What a total sweetheart. Lucky girl." Matzoh elbowed muffin who immediately turned red. "You don't need to thank me, Glen! First things first. We're going to need a place where you can lay out fully and comfortably. Preferably a bed, but we can use the floor if that is needed. I will also need absolute focus, so I will be working alone. I cannot have any distractions. As I am working with very small components, even a slight mess up could have catastrophic effects. That means no loud noises, no sudden movements, or anything like that. Glen will need to shut down while I complete the maintenance. Is that okay with everybody?"

The trio all nodded in agreement. Muffin raised her hand, quickly being selected by the purple cat. "Um, yes Muffin?"

Clearing her throat, Muffin began to voice her concerns. "Doctor, Glen also has a broken health light. I'm a bit worried about that too. Is that something you could correct as well?"

"No need to worry there. I am quite prepared, I brought extra bulbs and everything. Health Indicators are one of the easiest fixes, and one I see most often." Matzoh lifted her gargantuan medical bag and patted it lightly. "No need to worry guys, I'm going to take good care of him."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Doctor. But you said you have worked on cogs before. I've never heard of a Toon who worked on cogs before. Were you previously in the Anti-Toon alliance or something? I'm just a bit confused about how you gained your experience." Billy inquired, a bit skeptical of the cat's knowledge.

"Ah, understandable concern, Mr. Billy. When I say I have worked on cogs, it generally has not been for the purpose of rehabilitation but rather research. I've always been quite interested in how cogs tick, per lack of a better word. I believe that all cogs are capable of being good, and I am a part of a team who researches them to see if we can maybe start developing a new line of "positive cogs." It is still in early development, and due to the nature of our work it is quite difficult to get funding. Most cogs I have worked on were ones who were destroyed during battles and able to be captured. It isn't ideal, but if it is what we have to do."

Glen bit his lip. "Doctor. What happened to the cogs when you were finished working on them. Have you ever released them back to Cog Nation?"

Matzoh swayed back and forth, rubbing her hands together anxiously. "Well... No. Unfortunately when it comes to switching a cog to become "good" hasn't been successful, the recent realization that cogs are capable of having more complex emotions has really driven us. Actually, the reason I took this call was because of how unusual it is. You're only the second cog I have actually encountered with these complexities. I would love to see how your programming differs from other cogs. What was done differently, you know? I feel like if I can figure it out it will be the catalyst we need to really turn things around. Maybe we don't need to be enemies with cogs. Although that could be a long road, with years if not decades of work."

"That's very interesting, Doctor. Listen, if you can get these cogs off our backs, I'll do whatever it takes." Putting on his hat, Billy began walking towards the front door. "I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to get going. Muffin, remember what I told you guys. You three be safe and I wish you luck Doctor, and Glen! Keep me updated!" Closing the door, Billy began the short walk over to his office. Glen's life was now in the doctor's hands. Whatever happened, he could at least absolve himself of any guilt if something went wrong. Now all he had to worry about was the other brewing problem. One that was likely to be a lot worse.