Wakko slumped over as he padded up each step slowly. He was simply worn out from the day's events. From the fiasco they had faced early that morning to the overwhelming air Plotz's visit had clouded the house and its occupants with, Wakko just wanted to go to bed and escape the bad feelings festering inside of him.
He looked down at Yakko, who was sitting at the dinning room table and waved to him that he'd "be up in a sec." Yakko had been sitting in that seat since Bugs trudged upstairs fifteen minutes ago. He could tell he had been hurt when Dot insisted that she didn't need to be tucked in, since it has been routine for him to do so for as long as Wakko could remember, and noticed that he had sunk down in his seat even further when Bugs insisted he'd check on her.
But that wasn't the only thing troubling his brother. Heck, it wasn't the only thing bothering himself, either. He reached the top of the stairs and headed for his room, but stopped when Bugs quietly clicked the door to Dot's room shut and smiled at him.
"Hey, doc. You turning in early, too?"
"I guess. Is Dot okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine. Just fell asleep in fact," Bugs said. "How are you doing?" Wakko looked down at his hands and picked at his gloves.
"Fine. Just a little tired."
"I think we all are after today," Bugs, seeing Wakko become more downtrodden, sat down on the small bench against the wall and patted the cushion next to him. Wakko pulled himself up onto the seat and looked at the rabbit, not knowing what to expect. He really didn't want to talk about what had happened- especially with someone who wasn't family. Bugs had done a lot for them, he didn't deny that, but he usually left dissecting his feelings to Yakko and Dot.
"Look doc, I just gave this spiel to your sister but it's important you hear it, too. I'm sure what happened at dinner must have freaked you out a bit, and I'll admit that the whole situation is wearing on me too, but I promise everything's gonna be OK. Bosko's a pretty messed up toon, but he's not gonna get to us."
Wakko nodded before looking back down at his hands.
"You don't seemed too convinced." Bugs said.
"I don't know. I guess not," Wakko sighed. "Things haven't really been going our way lately."
"What do you mean? You're all safe and you got your sister back. I'd say that you three got out of this pretty unscathed compared to a lot of people."
"Yeah, but it's not that simple," Wakko said. "It's a long story..." he added when Bugs cocked an eyebrow at him.
"I'm all ears, you know." Bugs gave a small smile and tugged on one of his ears.
"I've noticed," he paused. Bugs did seem to care about what he had to say and, since both siblings seemed a little out of it at the moment, it couldn't hurt say some of what was on his mind. Yakko always said bottling everything up did more harm than good, and maybe it could help Bugs fix the rut they were in. "Well, me and Yakko sorta got chased on the way to the bus station before we found you."
"What? By who?"
"We were at this convenient store in Toontown and the cashier chased after us when he saw Yakko's name on his credit card. Our cousin Heather found us and said that he was a part of some guy's gang, and I think the toons that chased us to the bus were apart of it, too."
"What was his name?" Bugs asked.
"I don't know. I just remember Heather saying he was some creep who killed our grandfather awhile back. It was all really messed up." Wakko shrugged.
"I'd say..." Bugs muttered. He looked like he was about to say something else but seemed to decide against it. Wakko heard someone come up the stairs and looked to see a still slightly discouraged Yakko shuffling towards them. He perked up a bit at seeing Wakko, but still lacked the spring in his step that usually came off with his easy-going and energetic demeanor.
"Hey, Yakko." Bugs said.
"Hey. See you in the morning." Yakko said before going into their room.
"Well, I guess that's our signal to hit the hay. See you tomorrow, kid." Bugs patted his shoulder and retreated into his own room. Wakko got up and opened their bedroom door to find his brother laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Nothing," Yakko looked over at him. "What were you and Bugs just talking about?"
"He wanted to see how I was doing after he finished talking to Dot."
"What'd he say about her?"
"She's fine."
"What about you?"
"Fine," Wakko sat on his bed and stared at his brother. He saw that Yakko still wore a reserved look and it was starting to bother him at this point. "Though you don't seem too great."
"Well I don't know, Wak. Everything's so messed up right now," Yakko sat up. "I mean, that Bosko guy's after our heads, Dot's freaked out, and a rabbit is trying to take charge of our 'herd'."
"I wouldn't say that he is. Not really." Wakko said.
"No? He's been picking at our feelings and stuff since we got here, and all of a sudden he thinks that he needs to be there for you and Dot instead of me."
"Yakko, he's not trying to replace you-"
"I know, but I'm worried about her. Why wouldn't she talk to me about what was wrong like she always has?"
"She's just upset. We were all pretty upset and-"
"But she always talks to me or you about things like this!"
"Yakko, quiet down or you'll wake Dot up!" Wakko walked over and sat down next to his brother, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. "I guess the whole thing is a little weird, but Bugs is just trying to help her."
"I know, but she has us. I would think that her own brothers are good enough." Yakko muttered.
"We are good enough, but it's probably good that she has someone else to go to. It's nothing against us." he watched on as Yakko pursed his lips and picked at his gloves. It was one of the few quirks they shared, and it showed especially when they were nervous or uncomfortable. Mom always said they'd end up with no fingers on their gloves some day, and he was pretty sure either he or Yakko would need a new pair by the end of this week alone.
"I guess you're right," Yakko finally said. "Sorry for freaking out a bit there."
"It's fine." Wakko yawned. Yakko looked up at the clock on the wall.
"It's getting pretty late. I think I'm gonna go to sleep."
"Me too. G'night." Wakko nodded. He layed down on his bed and turned off the lamp.
"Goodnight." Yakko rolled over and shifted his gaze towards the wall.
Yakko's mind was moving in a thousand directions and he couldn't fall asleep. For once, Wakko was being the rational one and he was overreacting. His brother was right. Beyond them, Dot never had the same support from adults he had at her age, and it was good that she was meeting new people. He really didn't mind that it was Bugs she was going to in particular. The rabbit seemed to care about her and was doing his best to help them, and he seemed to care about him and Wakko, too. He was just sad that he wasn't the only person anymore (minus Wakko, of course) that Dot could turn to when she was faced with something as it was yet another reminder that she was growing up.
He knew that more people would enter her life as she got older, and while he wanted her to make as many friendships as she could, it still meant that she would become less of his and Wakko's as the years went on. Of course she would always be their baby sister, but he knew things changed with age. Heck, nothing had ever stayed the same for him.
It seemed like his life had become progressively harder for him with each of his birthdays, and had only gotten better after they landed their contract with Warner Brothers.
His Aunt had died shortly before his fourth birthday, and his Grandmother had died a month or two before his eighth. His worst birthday was undoubtedly his ninth. A few days after his birthday, their parents had gone out on their first date night after Dot had been born. They had hired a sitter for the evening, yet still called the house every 20 minutes or so to check on the three of them. He had said goodnight to them the last time they called before leaving the restaurant. He didn't know they had been hit by a drunk driver on their way home until the next morning.
He could still remember every detail on the face of the officer who told him about the accident. But even worse, he could remember every horrible tear and sob that came from Wakko when the officer told them their parents weren't coming back.
No kid should ever have to lose one parent, but to lose two was beyond devastating. Wakko remembered some things about them, but Dot had no idea what they even looked like other than the pictures she had seen of them. She could pick out their faces, sure, but she'd never know how far Dad's smile could spread across his face or how beautiful Mom's eyes were when they shimmered. No, all she knew was that horrible woman at that horrible orphanage.
As much as he hated to admit it, the state had to send them to an orphanage. All of their relatives were dead or in jail, and they would have been on the street if they hadn't gone to live at the Pleasant Street Orphanage in Toontown.
Sometimes he wondered if street life would have been a better option. Everything about that place was awful. The food was awful. The people who worked there were awful. The conditions overall were awful. Not to mention, the state almost succeeded in separating them multiple times.
The only happy times he could recall were the field trips they went on with a charity called "Happy Hearts," when they and the other orphans would go on a day trip every month. It was the only time he was able to escape the drabness of the orphanage. As it turned out, these trips would even be the ticket out of their misery altogether.
Several years earlier...
The monkey exhibit had always been the most exciting part of the orphans' trip whenever they went to the Los Angeles Zoo. Although Yakko preferred the bird exhibit, the monkeys would go on to become his favorite after the day Wakko decided to go against multiple signs' warnings (and Yakko's constant threats) to not antagonize the animals.
"Wakko, don't get too close. I'm not jumping in to grab you if a monkey pulls you in there." a ten-year-old Yakko told Wakko, who was bouncing on his tail so much that it was almost too dizzying to watch. Ignoring him, Wakko bounced closer and waved at one of the monkeys behind the rope barrier.
Yakko shook his head and moved toward the enclosure with Dot clinging tightly to his hand. If one Warner was going to get abducted by monkeys, the rest might as well join him.
"Look! That one has a banana!" Dot tugged at his shirt and pointed. Wakko continued to bounce in front of them like he did every other time they visited the monkeys. Yakko suppressed a laugh when one of Wakko's friends, a duck named Tuggy, landed flat out on his tail feathers after trying to mimic his excited movements.
Wakko seemed to feel bad that his friend couldn't keep up and stopped bouncing to help Tuggy up. More people crowded into the exhibit, and Wakko was elbow to elbow with many of the other kids from the orphanage. But that did nothing to discourage him from making the best use of his time with the monkeys.
His smile widened when one of the larger monkeys moved closer to the edge of the enclosure and started licking himself and picking bugs out of his fur. Wakko mimicked the monkey's stance and began copying its movements so perfectly that several of the humans and toons around him turned their attention away from the animals and onto him.
Yakko chuckled when the monkey stopped mid-lick to watch Wakko, who immediately did the same back. The monkey started bouncing around and making noises, which Wakko almost flawlessly mirrored back. More people stopped to stare at the scene, and Dot, who Yakko noticed was laughing harder than she had in weeks, let go of his hand and joined Wakko. Although she was not as perfectly in tune with the movements as Wakko was, Dot was still keeping up pretty well for a four year old. Shrugging his shoulders, Yakko stepped up next to his sibs and joined in on their fun.
Soon, a small crowd gathered around them and watched on as they moved practically in sync with the monkeys. They had apparently been more entertaining for the visitors to watch, since the crowd continued to look on and roar with laughter as they bounced around even after the monkeys had moved to the other side of their cage.
After they finished their "act" with a grand finale of Yakko chucking bananas and throwing them into the crowd, the Warners sat down on a bench next to the enclosure and dove into a bag of peanuts Yakko had bought with the meager spending money they were given for the day. He gulped down several peanuts to help satisfy the loud gurgling in his stomach, as show business was strenuous, after all.
"Save some for the rest of us, Wak." Yakko chided when Wakko took giant handful after giant handful of peanuts. His brother had a large appetite for a seven year old, and he sure as heck wasn't about to suffer because of it. While Yakko always made sure his sibs had enough to eat plus a little extra, he liked to enjoy a treat every now and then, too.
Just as he was about to shove his hand inside the bag, and tall man in Bermuda shorts and a white polo shirt approached them. A blonde haired woman and two equally sandy haired girls stood behind him.
"I know I'm not supposed to work on one of my rare days off, but I couldn't help but notice you three over by the monkey cage," he said with a smile. "Hi, I'm Eric Johnson, a producer at Warner Brothers Studios."
"But we're the Warner brothers!" a confused Wakko said through a mouthful of peanuts.
"And the Warner sister!" Dot added in an indignant tone. Yakko shook his head at his siblings.
Although he had seen many Warner Bros. movies when he was younger, Wakko was always too antsy to sit through their movie nights past the five minute mark and Dot was too young to remember. They rarely watched TV at the orphanage, let alone movies, and Yakko thought that although it was a bit sad they didn't know about one of the biggest studios in the industry, their reaction to meeting a Hollywood big shot was slightly amusing.
"Sorry, they're not very big movie goers," Yakko said. "I'm Yakko Warner, and these are my sibs, Wakko and Dot." Wakko gave him a little wave and Dot shot him a small smile.
"It's okay, we might be able to use that bit later... and I like the names. Very fitting," Eric chuckled. "Anyway, you three did a pretty good job at showing up those monkeys. I haven't seen talent like that in toons your age in a while."
"Thanks, it was nothing really." Yakko smiled. He wasn't one to brag, but even he had to admit that the Warners had some of the most impressive- if not the best- toon talents in the orphanage.
"I'd love to set up an audition for you three to see what else you can do. Where are your parents so I can give them my card?" Eric asked, ignoring the impatient tapping of his wife's foot behind him.
"Our parents are- um... we're on a field trip with our orphanage." Yakko said uncomfortably as the grins on his sibling's faces faded.
"Oh- well, I'm sorry. Is there anyone else I could talk to?" Eric said, scratching the back of his head.
"Sure, one of the ladies that takes care of us is over there," Yakko pointed at a large hippo and got down from the bench, his brother and sister following suit. "We'll take you to meet her."
If anyone had told Yakko that he and his siblings would ever be something other than miserable dishwashers in the orphanage's bleak kitchen, he'd have told them that one too many screws were loose in their head. But to his astonishment, the state let the Warners sign on with Warner Brothers without putting up any fight. As that woman put it, letting the studio take them would "free up three more beds for other brats" and before Yakko knew it, he and his sibs had contracts with one of the biggest studios in Hollywood.
They were finally able to leave their own little slice of hell in the past.
Rubbing his eyes as the memory fizzled into the back of his mind, Yakko sat up and went over to the mahogany bookcase in the corner of the room. Figuring that his insomnia had already set in for the night, he picked up a book and settled back down on his bed. As the night drawled on, Yakko buried any lingering thoughts in the back of his mind and poured over the pages of the book until the sun's rays trickled in through the window.
"Pass the salt, Oswald." Bosko muttered and took a bite out of his soggy tuna sandwich. He watched as another group of toons walked into the "cafeteria," which was really just a room with a few tables and a fridge, and looked back down at the beans on his plate.
"You're gonna go into cardiac arrest or something if you put anymore salt on those fries." Oswald said.
"If you could even call these fries... the salt is the only thing that makes them edible."
"Hey, it still beats the crap at Clampett," Oswald said, staring at the toons who has just sat down at the next table. "Look's like Smokey just reaped in another crop of recruits."
Bosko looked over and watched on as they horsed around. One was nudging the toon next to him with his elbow while another was holding a hat out of the shortest toon's reach, and they were all laughing and smiling. Bosko was surprised to see how young they looked compared to the gruff toons around them.
"Could those kids be any louder?" he huffed.
"Leave 'em alone, Bosko. They're new."
"Yeah, and all the new guys are acting like this- they don't care. The recruits Smokey's bringing in here are getting younger and younger, and stupider and stupider. If we don't teach them how to act, things won't end well for them."
"What do you mean?" Oswald asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean if they don't get their act together, they'll screw up a job or something and we could lose our heads because of it," said Bosko. "I don't want to get in trouble because some moron kid isn't taking shit seriously."
"Ahh. For a second there I thought you actually wanted to help them, but that would be very uncharacteristic of you," Oswald chuckled. "Wait, turn around. Gonzo just came in and it looks like he's looking for something. Knowing our luck, it's us."
"You don't know that. It could be the idiots next to us." Bosko muttered.
"Nah, he's after us. He's always after us," Oswald rubbed a hand over his face as Gonzo walked closer to where they were sitting. "You know, all I ask for is one day off- just one."
"Hey, boys." Gonzo said as he stopped next to the table.
"Gonzo." They nodded. The boys next to them grew louder and rowdier and a piece of bread flew from one of their hands, hitting Bosko in the back of the head. He shot up and glared at them.
"Hey! Did you throw this at me?" he yelled. The toons stopped and looked up at him.
"Yeah, but I wasn't aiming at you. You just got in my way." one of the boys chuckled.
"Got in your way? I'm all the way over here, kid."
"Kid?" said one of the boys. "I ain't no kid! I-"
"All right, both of you can it. Just sit down at your own tables and stop throwing food," Gonzo stared down the boys. "or you can get the hell out of here and go back on the streets. Your choice," The boys immediately sat down and began eating in a much quieter huddle. "You gonna thank me?" Gonzo shot a false smile at Bosko.
"Hmph."
"Whatever. Now you've met some of the new recruits, at least."
"Yeah, and I'm getting sick of them. It's like these idiots are multiplying every day. " Oswald said.
"That's too bad for you then, 'cause I just picked up another batch this morning. I'm pretty sure those kids were in it, too." Gonzo said.
"Who were they working for before?" Oswald asked.
"No one. They volunteered to join," said Gonzo, swiping a fallen piece of tuna from Oswald's plate and plucking it into his mouth. "We picked them up downtown after a raid."
"We found a few after getting the rest of Fat Tony's boys the other day," Oswald added. "What Smokey's doing seems to be working, 'cause a ton of people are joining without even being a part of gangs or anything."
"Well, word's getting around fast," said Gonzo. "Most of the toons walking in here really believe in what Smokey's saying. They really think he can change Toontown."
"Don't you?" Bosko sneered.
"Of course I do! Why do you think I've invested so much in this guy? He's the only toon who's trying to give us little toons a chance, you know?" said Gonzo. "Most of Toontown hasn't worked in cartoons since the '50s or never got in them to begin with, and that shows around here. If you're not a big shot or haven't had a gig in years, you're nothing more than dirt under those stars' feet, and I'm damn well tired of it. Smokey's our only chance at getting us an equal shot in Toontown."
"You're not the only one thinking like that. The past few announcements Smokey's made on the radio have gotten a lot of attention. Who knew he had enough power to interrupt radio broadcasts and tell people about his plans, and who knew they would all listen." Oswald said.
"Word's been getting out around town besides the radio broadcasts," said Bosko. "I'm surprised the press hasn't covered more of him. Some stuff's in the paper, but not as much as I would have thought."
Bosko was honestly a bit shocked by how quickly Smokey's influence had spread throughout Toontown. It had only been a few days since their last meeting and already they had captured a half a dozen mob bosses and destroyed the empires they had carefully built over the years. Not to mention, hundreds of supporters had come to join Smokey, and most of the toons from other gangs had come over to their side completely willingly. Their movement was no longer just a good idea. It was turning into action, and that excited Bosko.
"Crap, there's Fritz." Gonzo groaned.
"What's so bad about him?" Oswald asked.
"Smokey usually sends him to find me when he wants me for something. But I just wanted a few minutes or so to myself... I've been going since sunrise."
"We all do, but vacation days apparently aren't a thing around here." Oswald said as Fritz came up to the table. "If we weren't escaped convicts I'd be making a few calls to fix that." he chuckled.
"Hey Gonzo, the boss-"
"-wants me, yeah, yeah. I figured." Gonzo finished.
"He's with a bunch of recruits Tango just brought in. And he said he wanted to see you two." Fritz nodded to Bosko and Oswald.
"Well, there goes the rest of our day off." Oswald sighed. They got up and followed Fritz out of the room. After moving through a string of hallways, Fritz stopped to fish through his hammerspace in front of the large doors that opened to the room with the ink.
Bosko got a little queasy thinking of the room as he stood there. Smokey hadn't inked too many people since Mugsy and Rocky arrived, yet the smell of it still stayed with him. But business was business, and Smokey sure as hell knew what he was doing to keep it going.
"What's taking so long, Fritz? Smokey never lets new recruits in there." Gonzo gestured to the ink room.
"I forgot he wanted me to give you something... I think it's- here it is," the rat pulled a manila folder out of his hammerspace and handed it to Gonzo. "It's some files he wanted you to look over."
"Alright, can we get going now?" Bosko said testily.
"Sure, sure. The recruits are down here." Fritz said, pointing at the door down the hall.
"We know where the recruiting room is, dumbass." Gonzo muttered just loud enough for Fritz to hear it. The rat turned and scowled at him, but didn't respond and kept walking.
He held open the door for them and closed it just at the right moment for the heavy slabs of metal to get caught on Gonzo's tail, who had been the last one to enter. A long trail of swears came from Gonzo as he yanked his tail out from between the doors, and Bosko had to bite down on his tongue to keep from laughing. The fox was already mad at him, and there really was no point in fueling his anger right now. He could save the jokes for later as Smokey would surely want to get to business right away.
"There they are," Smokey greeted them. He stood in front of a large group of toons, who mostly wore ragged or dirty clothing, and jerked his head for them to join him. "Everyone, this is Gonzo. I'm sure you know who these two are." he gestured to them. Bosko nodded at the toons before Smokey started talking again.
"Now that introductions have been made, let's discuss a few things," Smokey continued. "I'm sure a lot of you haven't led an easy life by any means, and for those of you who have had some 'luck,' as you might call it, I commend you for joining our cause. You're here because you see the injustices in Toontown, and like the rest of us, you're damn well tired of it," several of the toons in front of him grunted in agreement.
"Certain toons have made it so humans see us as nothing more than a joke, and have made a name out of themselves by piggy-backing on that misconception. And trust me when I say it is a misconception, because a toon should not be judged by his ability to chuck a pie or blow up another toon with dynamite. No, a toon should be valued by his morals and who he is as an individual, not by who he is on some Hollywood screen," a few "damn straight" and "hell yeahs" rang out over the crowd.
"By joining us, you're becoming a part of the revolution that will squash these misconceptions and start a new society that allows every toon to thrive, regardless of his talents. By joining, you have become a catalyst of change. Our time here together will hopefully be brief, because I feel that this change is coming quickly."
The toons erupted in applause when Smokey finished. Even Bosko was surprised by how well-spoken Smoky had been, as he usually spoke like the rough gangster he was. Bosko knew he usually talked to new recruits when they first arrived, but he hadn't heard the speech until this point.
"He must have one hell of a speech writer." Oswald muttered. After Smokey told the toons to clear out of the room, he approached Bosko, Oswald, and Gonzo.
"Nice to see that you could make it. I was hoping Fritz would be able to find you, since he can barely do anything else right. Don't know why I put up with him," he muttered. "Anyway, I have a few more assignments for you two."
"What are they?" Bosko asked.
"Nothing huge, just some raids. Though we've been getting some good leads lately and I'm hoping we can gain more progress." Smokey handed Bosko a folder.
"You've been expanding quite nicely, I'd say." Bosko said as a crowd of recruits filed through the door.
"The more numbers the better," Smokey said, scanning the room. "But I'm hoping to- wait, what's that?"
