Brownie had been ecstatic when Skids let him use the Roadster. Brownie never got to drive, and even though the C.U.M office was just a short drive down to Lullaby Lane, the opportunistic rodent had flown so fast that the more conservative orange monkey in the passenger's seat had nearly had a heart attack by the time they finally reached their destination. As the Ranger pulled up to the building, he looked around, flabbergasted. "Hey man, wasn't it supposed to be around here? I don't see any detective agencies. Not even a donut shop or anything. Are we in the right place? Hmm, maybe you confused Lullaby Lane with Punchline Place? We could hit Toontown Central, I'll drive!"

Holding his churning stomach, the nauseated chimp leapt out of the car before the wild driver could yank him along any further. "No, no. We're in the right place. You're just not looking the right way. It is actually quite brilliant. Just follow me."

The chubby Toons walked up the purple staircase and Brownie scratched his head as he read the above sign. "Boring Inc. Your home for the least exciting products in Toontown. Um, are you sure we are in the right place?'

"The subtle act of deception, friend. When you work in the detective agency as long as we have, you understand that giving away too much information is a death sentence for your cases. If we just put up a sign that said C.U.M, how would that look? Everybody would know what we were, and it would give away our positions. By camouflaging ourselves as a business that no Toon would ever want to attend, we don't have to worry about anybody knowing about us!"

"I mean, I guess that makes sense. But how do you guys get work if nobody knows you exist? Do you guys do work for other agencies or something?" Brownie was still thrown off as the pair entered the front door and stepped into what appeared to be a normal office. Once inside, the mouse leapt backwards and pointed to a pair of desks that were adorned by a Downsizer and a Mr. Hollywood. "There's cogs in here! They knew we were coming!" Reaching into his gag pouch, Brownie yanked out a storm cloud and sent it over the Downsizer, creating a downpour and drenching the android. After no affect, the Ranger began to panic. "Okay, try a little pie!" Tossing three cream pies point blank into the downsizer's face. Who had stood up to block himself, still had no effect. "Okay, what is going on here? No Downsizer could withstand all of that!"

The brown-suited cog jiggled with mirth as he reached up and grabbed the sides of his head. Soon the Mr. Hollywood, and The Orange joined in, all gleefully chuckling at the mouse's unsurety. Much to the mouse's surprise, the Downsizer and Mr. Hollywood both removed their heads, revealing a pair of Toons underneath. Instead of short-circuiting, malfunctioning wires and gears, instead there was a green dog, and a yellow deer. "Sorry about that buddy. Just checking out the new suits. You have to really get into the mind of a cog, and cogs love nothing more than mindless paperwork. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work on me, I'm just bored." The chubby green dog had a strange accent that Brownie had never heard before.

"Ye be correct. Tis nothing but a rubbish if ya ask me old chap." The yellow deer finished typing on their computer, before standing up and hugging The Orange. "What brings you around. You realize you really cocked-up and decided to come back?"

"I'm starting to feel that way old friend. But I'm actually here for work! This here is my supervisor, Brownie." The short orange monkey motioned to the green mouse who waved awkwardly at the Toons still adorned in cog disguises. "I have been assigned a special mission, and it just so happens that we had some work for you nincompoops."

Brownie cleared his throat as the two other Toons eyed him excitedly, further justifying his assumption that the detectives weren't doing well financially. "Um, well, yes. However, first I had a few questions if you don't mind. It's going to bother me if I don't get this off my mind now."

The green dog shrugged and lifted the still-dripping cog head. "Ah, you must be talking about these. Quite brilliant, aren't they? Still working on the voice modulators to better fit in, but I think we should have that done in a few months. Should make it quite easy for getting into Cog Headquarters with no issues."

"Wow, that is quite advanced. I don't think I've ever seen a cog suit with a head before. Sure, would make C.F.O battles much easier to sneak into." Shaking his head, Brownie tried to get back on track. "Well anyways, that answers one question. My other question was actually about your accents. I've never heard anything like it, especially his." The green rodent pointed to the yellow deer who doubled backwards in confusion.

"Ay, what's wrong with me accent. I'm a proud citizen of Ye Old Toontown. Blimey, has this bloke never been there? Best pubs in the Tooniverse, I'd bet fifty quid, I would." The deer ducked as the green dog threw a crumpled-up piece of paper at him.

The Orange wrapped his arm around Brownie and turned him to face the green dog. "Hey, I haven't finished introducing you guys." He spoke with an uncomfortable tone, nervously laughing and unable to disguise his anxiety. "So, this handsome fella right here is The Lime. He is our technological expert. All of our disguises, technology, and all of that good stuff comes from that giant brain."

Pointing to his cranium, the hound smeared a wide grin on his face. "Hey, mama gave me a big head, better fill it up with a big brain!"

"Exactly. Now, our delusional friend over here is The Lemon. He's a bit of a goofball, but he is a brilliant manipulator. Fifteen minutes and he could have you believing that he is you, and you are Barnacle Bessie. Unfortunately. he's a big believer that he's from some fictional town. Just ignore him. Right, Lemon?" The yellow deer stroked his antlers and nodded furiously.

"Yup. Yup. That be just a joke, Everything is hunky-dory, a-okay. Just having a bit of fun at your expense mate." All three Toons seemed a bit hesitant, however Brownie didn't care enough to dig in further. They were here for a job, and he would stick to it for now. Although his curiosity was piqued. He would need to hire his own private detectives to follow them. A detective following a detective, the idea made him chuckle.

The Toons continued their small talk for a while, going over the diagnostics of what would be being done, the lead Ranger taking charge eventually to gain confidence in deciding on this new team. They would need to be trustworthy, and exceptionally good. He couldn't stomach sending in amateurs into what could be the most dangerous situation of their lives. Once he had interviewed them on their past experiences, their abilities, and their expected pay, the green mouse spit on his hand and stuck it out in a show of excitement. "So, would you guys be able to start right away?"

The Orange jittered excitedly at the prospects, a chance to get back in the game with his old partners, bringing down the bad guys? It was a dream come true! "I think it sounds like a deal!" The Lemon and The Lime both stuck their hands out, creating a weird triangular handshake. "So, when do we get to meet the rest of our team? They sound like great Toons!"

Deputy Skids was not the kind of Toon to act on foot. However, Brownie had been quite excited about taking the roadster, and the older Ranger could never turn down a friend. As he strolled down the surprisingly warm pavement of Donald's Dreamland, drenched in a darkened pool of shadows. It was times like this he was glad to be barefoot, although the second he stepped foot in The Brrrgh he would immediately regret that decision. After pulling up some records, he had managed to find one Stinky Cheeseman, a nineteen-year-old high school dropout who was currently living at an estate provided by his parents. It was amazing what one could find with a simple search on Toonbook. It was just another reason he was glad he didn't have social media. Turning off of the commercial zone, off into the Dreamland Suburbs, Skids smiled as he passed the illuminated homes, peacefully going about their days. He figured it would be strange to live in a world of constant nighttime, but the longer he was here, the more he came to appreciate it. After several minutes of confusion, Skids began to get agitated as he struggled to find the correct address. "Hey man, are you good?"

Behind him, Skids turned to face a red dog, likely in his early twenties. "Ah, yes. I am actually looking for Snoring Street, and I forgot my GPS in my car. Would you happen to know where that is?"

"Oh weird, dude. I was actually just heading that way myself. Just come with me, and I'll get you where you're going." Skids, appreciative of the assistance, nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, I've probably got some jellybeans somewhere. One second." Reaching into his pocket, the lime green dog sighed, realizing that he left them in his ranger uniform, which he had chose not to wear while doing investigative work. The risk of being discovered or frightening off a potential lead wasn't worth what he would gain from his authority. "Er, well, I'll have to take a raincheck on that. I'm sorry."

The red dog shrugged. "It's no worries, dude. Money is just a means of controlling someone anyways, it is all an allusion meant to defer us from reaching the true meaning of life and fulfilling our dreams of happiness."

The Ranger tried not to laugh at the younger dog's idealism as someone who had been crushed by the weight of the darkness the world had to offer. However, he would just take this opportunity. The pair walked silently, with Skids trailing just lightly as to not stay in stride and feel obligated to make eye contact or speak with the helper, after a short walk the intersection signs made their appearance, much to the delight of Deputy. "Cool, Snoring Street. Didn't realize I was that close." Scratching his head, the dog tried to play off the ridiculousness of getting lost so near to his destination. "Cool, now I just need to hunt down the right house." Deciding to push his luck a bit further, Skids pulled out a small piece of paper which he had written the address on and handed it to the other Toon. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where this is, would you?"

"Hmm. Let me take a look." Nabbing the document, the red dog scoured over the letters and numbers scribed. Immediately the hound's demeanor shifted to a more apprehensive tone. "Dude, why are you looking for this place? There something important there or something?"

"Um. I was just going to see a friend. Why, do you happen to know the Toon that lives there? I'm not here to cause any trouble or anything." Deputy was never the greatest actor when it came to communicating with a younger generation. Although he was only thirty-three, even someone like Brownie who was six years his junior felt like speaking a different language sometimes. "Come on, be a dawg and help a dog out. If you don't know, I'll find it eventually and it's no big deal."

Unfortunately, the unrelatability had sparked a response in the stoner that Skids had hoped to avoid.
"Sounds like something a narc would say! Get bent!" The red dog began to flee, sprinting as fast as his long legs could take him. Caught by surprise, it was several seconds before the Ranger fully realized what was going on. This red dog matched the description of Gummi, one of the other participants at the party that Domino had told him about. He was likely connected to Stinky and realized what was happening. While Gummi had gotten a head start, Deputy didn't fear. As a one-time sprinter, he knew that he could easily catch up, and the false sense of security may actually lead to the red dog dropping his fears and bringing Skids directly to the target inadvertently. Once Gummi was nearly out of sight was when Deputy took his charge. Stretching forward and rubbing his legs, prowling like an enemy ready to strike his prey, he darted off down the pavement. The pounding of his feet on the hard ground was the only sound in the otherwise silent suburb. There was not another Toon in sight as the lime green dog nearly took flight from his speed.

Gummi was not what one would consider in shape. While he had a thin frame, and long legs, he did not have the same intensity or athletic ability as his pursuer. He was going to have to try something else. Even the large gap between them seemed like a mere inconvenience for the green dog. Who was he, and why did he need to find Stinky? Something seemed wrong, and if he went there, it would lead to trouble. But what choice did he have? That narc would end up there one way or another, he had to warn Stinky. Ending up outside of the lime green building, all Gummi could imagine was the same-colored dog who was chasing him. Catching his breath lightly as he jogged up the stairs, he made no effort to make a warning presence before barreling inside. "Stinky! Stinky, you in here man?"

Laying on the couch upside down, a yellow rabbit cursed to himself as he mashed buttons on his game controller. "Dude, you're early. You can come watch me get my ass beat here, these online dudes are cheating and it's really irking me." Not noticing his friend glide over, Gummi slapped the controller from his friend's hands.

"Dude, who cares about that. There's some dog, real old guy, he's looking for your house! I think he might be a cop or something, we gotta ditch, man!" Gummi rubbed his beck and looked back towards the front door.

"Wait, what are you talking about. This better just be a prank bro, I can't have any cops coming around. My parents would freak out like they always do and probably cut off my allowance!" Flipping up, the pair crawled over to a side window and peeked from behind the curtains. Sure enough, Deputy Skids was slowly making his way up the sidewalk, confident he had pinned the pair inside and could strategize. "How do you know he's coming here? Just looks like some dude out for a walk?"

Shaking his head, Gummi tried to suck in as much air as possible to recover from his heightened experience. "Nah, I'm not messing around here. I'm over here with a fat bag of powdered sugar and this boomer looking dude looks lost. I go and offer to help him out, trying to be a good Samaritan or whatever. Well, he starts telling me where he's going and its your place, man. He even had the address written down!"

Breathing quicker and in a panic, Stinky began to rub his hands together. By now, Skids was standing on the front step and speaking into a whisper device. "Bro, that isn't like Ella's dad or something? Maybe he's just pissed about what happened and she split on us."

"Nah man, I think Ella's dad is a bear. The dude was acting pretty sus, too. He is definitely like a cop or something. We need to yet out while we can, maybe we can sneak out the back." Gummi could feel chills run through his body, his blood draining and flooding his head. "Ugh, this is so stupid!"

"Shut up man, let's just go before he comes up here." The pair of young Toons tiptoed through the house, adamant on a sneaky escape. "Alright, we can go out the back and through the gate. We take off separate ways. He can't chase both of us. Meet up at Lenny's and we'll figure something out." The hare, who just minutes ago had been living in a dream world, was now trapped in a nightmare. "Hey, do you have any of that powdered sugar? It might help a bit here."

Grinning, Gummi rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a medium-sized bag of the finely-ground sweet drug. "Dude, you're freakin' smart. No wonder you're not allowed back at that stupid school. You'd make them all look like idiots." Grabbing a spoon, the red dog shoved it into the plastic bag and scooped out a heaping size of the illegal substance. "Bottoms up." Sliding the spoon into his mouth, Gummi immediately felt the affect. Eyes dilated, hands shaking, and jacked to the brim with energy, the canine let out a sharp "woo" sound and tossed the rest over to his friend.

Following suit, Stinky licked the metal utensil clean after a similarly large spoonful. "Who needs medicine, when you have the spoonful of sugar?" Shaking himself rapidly, the repugnant rabbit clapped his hands and readied himself. "Alright man, I'll open the door and we make a run for it. I haven't heard him so he's probably still outside talking to his boomer friends."

"Good idea, man. Okay, on three." Gummi whispered.

"Wait, like, ON three? So, when you say three, we go? Or like, is it three then go?" Stinky pondered, quickly dodging a slap from his friend. "Okay, okay, I'll just follow you."

Breathing heavily, Gummi closed his eyes. "One. Two… Three!" Yanking open the door, the red dog charged forward about two feet before slamming into the sturdy figure of the Ranger they had been hoping to escape.

Putting his hands on his hips, Deputy Skids clicked his tongue in disapproval. "You guys probably didn't realize how loudly you're yelling. I figured I'd stop by to see if you're both okay, why don't I just come on inside…"