Wakko took off his hat and rubbed a dirty hand over his greasy hair. Even though they had only been traveling through Burbank for several hours, he was becoming increasingly frustrated with their progress- or lack thereof, in this case. Of course the one time he actually wanted to run into the creeps who took his sister they were nowhere to be found.
"Haven't we already been down this street?" Wakko asked as they slowly trudged behind a row of overgrown trees.
"No, I don't think so- wait, never mind. There's the fire hydrant Daffy threw up on yesterday." Yakko said.
"How would you know which one it was? We've been past dozens- I say- dozens of them in the last hour alone." Foghorn said.
"Because not all of Daffy's lunch made it onto the hydrant." Wakko saw Yakko shudder and look down at the crusty stain on his pant leg.
"I can barely remember what I ate for dinner, let alone something like that." Foghorn scratched the back of his head.
"Consider it a form of PTSD then." Yakko said.
"I said I was sorry." Daffy huffed. "And it's not my fault you bought moldy pork rinds without telling me." he pointed at Foghorn.
"And it's not his fault you still ate them even after the boy pointed out the green fuzz on them." Foghorn replied. Wakko rolled his eyes when Daffy let out an indignant "hmph!" beside him.
"You're the one who's always eating the weird stuff out of the garbage!" Daffy added.
"Have we gone down that street?" Wakko, ignoring the duck, pointed to a street sign on the other side of the road.
"I don't know, maybe." Yakko shrugged.
"It's worth a shot to go and see. I know there's a street around here somewhere that goes to Toontown- I say- Toontown and that could be it for all we know," Foghorn said. "I'd imagine that's a likely place for toons to be, especially ones like Smokey. The border between Toontown and Burbank has never been a good place to hang around."
"Or it's yet another dead end like everything else we've tried." Daffy added.
"That's the spirit." Yakko said flatly.
"I'm sure we'll find something to go off of." Foghorn said.
"You've been saying that every time we get a new idea and every time you've been wrong." Wakko sighed.
"Wakko." Yakko chided.
"No, the kid's right. This is pointless." Daffy groaned.
"Then what do you s'pose we do?" Foghron crossed his arms.
"I don't know, but anything is better than going in circles for hours!" Daffy said as a faint sound of thunder echoed off in the distance. They stopped and looked up at the sky.
A mass of gray clouds that had moved in about a half an hour ago casted a dark shadow over the area. Wakko leaned back against a tree and looked down at the blades of grass swaying in the breeze. He sighed, crossing his arms and squeezing them against his body.
He missed Bugs, he missed his sister, and he missed his seemingly faraway life in the water tower. Bugs's house was nice, even though it lacked the familiarity Wakko was used to feeling in the tower, but at this point, even the crumby cardboard shack behind that sketchy Chinese restaurant or Heather's shabby apartment would do as long as his family was together. Suddenly, a thought came to Wakko that made his droopy eyelids shoot open.
Heather.
Wakko jumped up and tugged on Yakko's sleeve so fast and with so much force that he almost knocked his brother down. His breathing became faster and a silly grin appeared on his face.
"What the-"
"I know how we can find them!" Wakko said loudly.
"Shhh- what do you think you're doing, boy, you're louder than a-"
"Hold on, Foghorn," said Daffy as he turned to Wakko. "What are you thinking?"
"Heather!"
"Heather- what about her?" Yakko asked with a confused look.
"She said she used to date that rat who works at that convenient store, you know, the one who works for Smokey. Maybe she knows where their hideout is then!" Wakko said quickly. A large grin appeared on Yakko's face.
"You're right, Wak! I can't believe we didn't come up with that yesterday!"
"Wait, you're related to one of those crooks?" Daffy asked.
"No, just someone who dated a crook." Wakko said.
"Then how do you know we can trust her?" Foghorn raised an eyebrow.
"She's the one who brought us to the bus station and the one who saved us from Smokey's guys twice. That and her ex screwed her over pretty badly. I doubt she'd ever want anything to do with them ever again." Yakko said.
"I don't know..." Daffy said apprehensively.
"It's a long shot, but it's the best thing we've got. She's the only real lead we have." Wakko said.
"And what else can we do at this point? I doubt we'll find them if we keep going like this." Yakko added.
"Fine, I guess you're right. We'll try to find her," Daffy conceded. "Where does she live?"
"Cameron district in Toontown." Yakko said.
"Alright then, you boys stay here and we'll go find her-" Foghorn started.
"What? What do you mean stay here?" Wakko said loudly, earning a "shush" from the two adults in front of him.
"Quiet, we don't need anymore attention, now do we?" Foghorn hushed. "Look, I just don't think it would be a good idea to send you boys into Toontown right now, since every nook and cranny there seems to be stuffed with those damned rats."
"So? You're letting us look for them now, and most of the times we've run into them have been out here, so how is going into Toontown any different? A rat's a rat no matter where you find it." Yakko huffed.
"You don't even know where she lives exactly!" Wakko added, pleased to see that his brother was on the same page as him.
"I hate to say it, but they're right," Daffy said. "We'll need them if we want to get this chick to help us."
"Well, aren't you all wishy-washy today?" Foghorn turned towards Daffy. "First you don't want to do any of this at all and now you're helping them dig- I say- dig themselves' a deeper hole!"
"They're making a valid argument! And everyone's gonna be screwed if we don't do something soon, so we might as well get moving." Daffy said, his lips pulled into a tight line.
"I know, I know," Foghorn sighed. "I just don't want to see you boys getting hurt."
"We know, and we appreciate that, but Daffy's right. If we don't do something soon things are only going to get worse." Yakko said.
"Alright, fine. Just be careful," Foghorn said and took a deep breath. "Now, you gonna show us where this cousin of your's is?"
"After you." a rat chuckled and held open a large metal door. He shoved Bugs forward and laughed when he tripped over the threshold and fell. Dot cringed when she heard him crash onto the dirty floor.
"Don't mess him up anymore than he already is," Tango shook his head. "That's the boss's job, now get him up."
The rat grabbed Bugs by the shoulders and yanked him up. He let out a small groan and glared at Tango as he was roughly pushed forward. The rat who had kept a firm and painful grip on Dot since leaving the cell nudged her. She followed Bugs and Tango into a dark room with a single white screen and a large camera sitting in the middle of it.
Smokey and several other toons who stood near the screen turned around when they heard them come into the room. Dot gulped when she saw Pete standing with his arms crossed next to Bosko, Oswald, and Gonzo. Great, another toon she had to worry about.
"Hey Bosko, looks like your best friend is here," Pete laughed when he caught Bosko's scowl. When he saw Dot, he leaned down in front of her and chuckled, sending a wave of stinky breath curling over her face. "Aw and look at this, he brought the cute widdle girl with him. How you doin' sweetheart?" he cooed. Dot stayed quiet and glared at him, making him laugh even more.
"How are our guests of honor liking their stay here? Does everything meet your standards?" Smokey stepped forward and looked between her and Bugs. Neither of them spoke up. "Not much in the mood for a conversation again, I see. Don't worry, we'll fix that."
He reached out toward Dot but stopped when Bugs yelled out.
"Don't!" Bugs growled through a scratchy voice.
"There he is, I knew he wouldn't stay quiet for long," Smokey said. "But what's up with your voice?"
"It's a side effect from the anesthesia shots we gave him." one of the rats said.
"I thought I told you to fix all of that stuff." Smokey frowned.
"We tried, but the lab-" Tango started.
Dot flinched when a giant light suddenly glowed over her and a small buzzing sound reached her ears. She looked at Gonzo through the light and watched him fiddle with the large camera pointing at the screen.
"Never mind, we'll talk about that later." Smokey turned to Gonzo with a glare.
"We're ready to roll, boss." Gonzo said.
"What do you mean 'ready to roll'?" Bugs raised an eyebrow.
"When was the last time you were on air live, Looney?"
"What do you mean?" Bugs asked.
"He means people are gonna see you on the TV at the same time you're filming, dumbass." one of the smaller rats snorted.
"He knows what that means, he just wanted to know- oh never mind..." Tango sighed and shook his head. Gonzo looked up at Bugs as he readjusted the camera beside him.
"You're gonna look into the camera and say 'That's right, Smokey.' when he gives you the signal, alright? Nothing more, nothing less," Gonzo said. "And make sure to put a little 'umph' into it. People like that."
"Why, it's not like I'm going to change anyone's mind about him." Bugs said.
"You might. As much as I hate to admit it, you have some influence in this town," Bosko stepped forward. "And besides, it puts a smile on my face to see you squirm."
"It puts a smile onto my face when lunatics like you see reason and crawl back to the dingy hole you came out of, but sadly l but I don't see that happening any time soon, either." Bugs said dryly. Dot resisted the urge to cringe when a cold look washed over Smokey's face and he moved next to her.
"Don't get smart, Looney. And don't even think about saying something like that on air." he said. Bugs shook his head and snorted.
"Whatever, doc. Though one question- don't you think that airing an 'ad' or whatever this is on TV is a bit much? You know, cliche?"
"Don't push me." Smokey growled and clamped a heavy hand down on Dot's shoulder. She bit down on her lip and stared at Bugs as he glared at Smokey with his lips pursed and nostrils flared out. Dot expected him to retaliate but he stayed silent. "That's what I thought. And we're toons. It'd be stupid for us not to use the entertainment industry as 'an outlet for communication between toons and humans,' as you once put it."
"You remember me saying that?" Bugs raised an eyebrow. "I don't even remember me saying that."
"It was at a press conference years ago, and it was one of your most gag-worthy moments. How could I forget? Seeing how much you like kissing the humans' asses made me hate you more." Smokey dropped his hand to his side and went to stand in front of the screen. Dot rolled her shoulder, relieved to have the pressure gone.
"You ready Smokey?" Gonzo said and looked into the camera.
"As always." he replied.
The lights dimmed down and the room became quiet. The rat behind Dot kept a firm grip on her arm and seemed fully engrossed in Smokey, obviously eager to hear what he had to say. Even Dot had to admit that she was curious to hear what was going to come out of the rat's mouth.
She watched Gonzo count down to one on his fingers before a small red light appeared on the camera. Smokey put on a yellow, hollow grin and looked into the camera directly before speaking up.
"I'm sure you're wondering why we've interrupted your regularly scheduled programming this evening, but don't worry, we won't take much of your time. I've told you our beliefs and goals on many occasions, so tonight I thought I'd introduce to you several notable toons who support our cause, and who encourage you to do the same."
Pete hobbled towards Smokey and stood in front of the camera with a twisted, almost goofy grin. He stepped beside him and and Gonzo moved the camera onto his chubby features.
Dot watched Pete as he spoke but couldn't focus on what he was saying. She was too busy looking at Bugs, trying to get a sense of what he was thinking, even though he wasn't making eye contact with her.
She prayed that he wouldn't say anything, or that if he did it wouldn't do anything to help Smokey. But at the same time, she knew that Smokey's threats weren't to be taken lightly. Dot watched one of the rats motion at Bugs for him to be brought forward and gulped.
She suddenly felt someone grab her around the waist and hold her tightly against his chest with one arm firmly restraining her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bosko's face looming over her.
Her heart began to race even faster and she bit down harder on her lip when she saw a syringe filled with black liquid in his other hand. She looked up at Bugs and felt her stomach drop when a brief flash of panic and fear streaked across his face once he finally looked at her. Tango removed his shackles and shoved him towards Smokey, who grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in front of the camera.
"And here's one of our biggest supporters, the one and only Bugs Bunny," Smokey said. Bugs quickly composed himself and looked at the rat with an emotionless stare. "Wouldn't you agree that more toons should join us, Bugs? That we're what Toontown needs?"
Dot held her breath when Bosko tightened his grip around her and raised the syringe against her neck. Bugs kept his steady, conflicted gaze on them and finally responded after a moment of tense silence.
"That's right, Smokey." he said with a strained voice and a small, forced smile that didn't quiet meet his eyes.
Dot looked down and let out a quiet sigh. All she could hope for at this point was that no one would believe him.
The camera panned away from Bugs and Tango quickly put the shackles back on his wrists and restrained him. Bosko loosened his grip on Dot and handed her back to the rat who originally had her.
She ignored what Smokey was saying and kept her gaze on Bugs, who leaned against a concrete pole and rubbed a hand over his face. She hung her head and looked at the floor. Finally, Smokey finished speaking and the lights went back up. He muttered something to Pete and Gonzo before sauntering over to Bugs and Dot once again.
"That wasn't exactly what I was looking for, Looney." he said.
"Sorry, I guess I was off my game today." Bugs shrugged. Smokey leaned down and pulled Bugs up by the ears. Dot looked back and forth between the two and swallowed.
"Next time you decide to pull something like that-"
The door burst open and a toon ran into the room. Smokey dropped Bugs and turned toward the panting toon, who Dot thought looked no older than Yakko. He leaned up toward Smokey and whispered into his ear.
"Took you long enough," Smokey responded. He motioned for Gonzo and Pete to follow him and looked back at Bugs. "We'll finish this later. Put them back in their cells."
"Wait, I need to talk to you about something-" Bosko started but Smokey waved him off.
"We'll talk after." he strode out of the room, leaving Bosko with his arms crossed and his mouth pulled into a thin line.
Dot tried to look back at Bugs but tripped and fell when the rat behind her pushed her toward the door. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up, roughly shoving her when she was back on her feet.
"C'mon sweetheart, we don't got all day."
"Are you sure this is her building?" Foghorn asked. Wakko peered across the street as the sun came up and shone a deep, golden light onto the worn brownstone.
"I'm pretty sure. It's the only building that looks familiar. Well, that one kinda does, too-" Wakko shrugged.
"Wakko!" Daffy said.
"Hey, it's been a while since we've been here! Besides, we were too busy running from a bunch of bad guys to stop and take in the scenery." Wakko said.
"Number one rule in life is to always keep an eye on your surroundings, boy. You never know- I say- never know when it'll can come in handy to know where you are."
"I thought you said the number one rule in life is to never try the peach cobbler at a buffet-"
"Different situation, Daffy, different situation. Though remember that too, boys. I don't know why, but it's always dry when it's not home cooked." Foghorn tisked.
"I'll think of that the next time I'm at a Golden Corral," Yakko rolled his eyes. "But in other news, I'm about 90 percent sure that this is it so we might as well go inside."
"There's still that ten percent of uncertainty though." Daffy shook his head.
"Ehh, I'll risk it." Yakko responded.
"I'm assuming you've forgotten the apartment number too." Foghorn said as he held the door open.
"No, it's apartment 18," Wakko said and shrugged at the skeptical looks Foghorn and Daffy sent him. "I guess I spent so much time malleting that door that I just remember it."
"Why were you doing that?" Daffy raised an eyebrow.
"He thought it would be a good idea to try a new malleting technique on Heather's door that he read in a toon theory book." Yakko smirked.
"But I didn't leave any marks!"
"Yeah yeah, we'll see about that. Now lead the way, brother sib." Yakko swept his arms towards the elevator.
Wakko pressed the elevator button and took a deep breath when the dull metal doors opened with a ding. What if Heather had been caught when she brought them to the bus station, or in the time since? What if she was hurt, or worse? She was the only family member they had left who wasn't in jail or dead, after all, and it would kill him if they lost her right after they met.
Feeling ashamed that he hadn't thought of these things earlier, Wakko pulled at his gloves after pressing the button for the third floor, hoping they would end up in the right part of the building.
The door opened and he stepped out. Looking at the numbers on the doors as they walked down the hall, Wakko's heartbeat sped up when he saw a tarnished brass 18 sticking out against a metal door.
"Keep your mallet in your hammerspace this time, Wak." Yakko said as he approached the apartment. He rapt his fist on the door three times and stepped back. Nothing. He tried again but still no one answered.
"Heather, it's us- your cousins." Yakko said against the door.
"I don't think she's home." Foghorn sighed. Suddenly, the door creaked opened a crack and he saw an eye peering out at them.
"Yakko? Wakko?"
"Hey, Heather!" Wakko smiled and let out a sigh of relief.
She unlocked the door and pulled them inside so quickly that he had to lean against the door frame to recover from the dizziness that washed over him. He hopped out of the way with a yelp when she slammed the door shut. Yakko stumbled backward when she turned around and almost took him out with one of the two long crutches she had under her arms.
"It's nice to see you again, but what the hell are you two doing here? Don't you know that this place is crawling with Smokey's boys?" she said.
"We need your help. We're here with Foghorn and Daffy, and-" Yakko started but was cut off by Heather.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, they're right outside." Wakko pointed to the door. Her eyes widened and she quickly threw the door open to find Daffy and Foghorn causally standing in front of it.
"How do you do, Miss?" Foghorn smiled.
"Hey." Daffy waved nonchalantly. She looked back at Yakko and Wakko with a raised eyebrow.
"We'll explain in a moment." Yakko shrugged. She nodded her head and shut her hanging jaw.
"Please come in," she said with a still shocked expression. She stepped back and they walked into the apartment. "Feel free to sit down, and sorry if it's a bit messy in here. I haven't had much company over the past few weeks."
"Don't worry about it. It's very... quaint." Daffy offered as he took a seat on the sofa covered in weeks old newspapers. He shuddered when he picked up a black banana peel off of the cushion and tossed it onto the floor.
Wakko sat down between Yakko and Foghorn and took a look around at the apartment that appeared drastically different from what he remembered. Trash was piled up on the kitchen table and counters, and there were several gaping holes in the thin walls. One of the windows was boarded up with a piece of plywood, and several new padlocks adorned the front door and windows.
Heather locked the many locks on the door and hobbled over to them. She limped past the battered coffee table and collapsed in the torn recliner between the two sofas with a grunt and a pained look on her face.
"Are you OK?" Yakko asked.
"Yeah, yeah, just need to get used to these things. They make you want to just rip your arms off."
"What happened?" Wakko said.
"I ran into some of Smokey's guys on the way home from the studio a week or two ago. They thought you might be with me and they chased me down. I would have been fine if I hadn't tripped over that stupid curb when I was running back here. Broke my leg in two places."
"Did you get away?" Wakko asked.
"I'm sitting here aren't I? Though those assholes managed to break in right after you left. I don't think they took anything and it happened when I was out of town for the weekend, but it sure as hell creeped me out," she sighed. "I'm glad to see you're all still in one piece. I thought they had gotten you for sure after they chased you out of Bugs Bunny's house."
"How'd you know about that?" Yakko raised an eyebrow.
"It's been all over the news and in every paper. No one knows what happened to you guys. Some guy even told a TV reporter that he found your body in a park the other night, Foghorn."
"Well I'll be damned, no one told me I was dead." he snorted.
"I believed it until now. Once I saw Bugs on TV with Smokey, I was sure you were all dead or locked up in the sewer."
"Wait, back up," Daffy sprung forward. "You said Bugs was on TV with Smokey?"
"Yeah, just last night. I was watching Baywatch and Smokey came on all of a sudden. He went on with his usual rhetoric crap for a minute and then Bugs came on and said he agreed with what he was saying." Heather said.
"What? He would never- I say- never do that!" Foghorn boomed angrily.
"He did, and all of Toontown saw it." Heather said.
"Smokey must have forced him to do it." Yakko crossed his arms.
"At least we know he's alive." Daffy added as he gazed at the coffee table.
"Wait, if he's still OK that must mean Dot is, too!" Wakko jolted up.
"You still haven't found your sister?" Heather asked.
"No we did, but the rats took her and Bugs after we got chased out of his house," Wakko said quickly. "So if he's there and alive then she must be, too!"
"We don't know that-" Foghorn started.
"Wakko has a point. Do you really think Bugs would go along with Smokey unless there was some sort of ultimatum involved? If someone else wasn't at risk?" Yakko said as he sat on the edge of his seat. "I'm not saying that this is definitely the case, but there's a good possibility Wakko's right."
"Yeah, but it still doesn't change the fact that they're locked up with a bunch of lunatics." Heather shook her head.
"That's why we came to you, actually," Yakko started. "We need help finding their hideout."
"Me?" She poked herself in the chest.
"Yeah, you dated a toon who's worked for Smokey. We thought he might have shown you where it is." Wakko said.
"Don't tell me you're thinking about going there and trying to break them out yourself?" Heather said wearily.
"What else can we do?" Yakko leaned forward. "It's not like the cops can help. The city's a mess and most of the force has fled or just can't handle what's going on."
"Just like you two- you're kids, for crying out loud!" she turned to Foghorn and Daffy and glared at them. "You were actually going to let them do this?" she yelled, pointing her one of her crutches at them and making both toons shrink back.
"I don't know, I haven't thought that far ahead yet!" Daffy shifted uncomfortably.
"I wasn't planning on letting them go in the hideout if we found it." Foghorn said quickly under Heather's piercing stare.
"We're going." Wakko demanded.
"What if they find you and you get stuck there?" Heather argued.
"They're going to find us soon, anyway," Yakko sighed. "The risks aren't something we haven't thought of."
"You don't-" Heather started.
"We're going whether you let us or not, so you might as well help our chances of finding them quicker by telling us where they are-" Yakko looked at Heather. "-and coming with us." he looked at Foghorn and Daffy.
"Yeah, so do you know where it is?" Wakko added, both impressed and inspired by his brother's determination. Heather slouched forward a bit and looked between them.
"Yes, I do. As much as I don't want to, I guess I'll show you." she gave in. "I don't think you we could persuade you otherwise." Foghorn cleared his throat.
"It seems like you little runts are dead set on getting your sister back yourselves," Foghorn said, reluctantly. "Now I'm not saying that you can go in with me and Daffy, but you can stay nearby in case anything goes wrong. But again, that does not- I say- does not mean you have a free ticket to waltz in and start dueling the first rat you see, you boys hear me?"
"Loud and clear." Yakko looked down at Wakko. The look on his face told him not to argue anymore, and Wakko figured that was a good idea. He didn't want to push the adults any further, no matter how short the leash they had been given was.
"I'll bring you there tonight, though you'd better be careful and listen to Foghorn and Daffy. I don't need another tragedy added to the family tree." Heather sighed. She looked up at Wakko and Yakko and a small smile pulled at her lips. "You know, you both remind me of your dad. He was one of the most stubborn toons I've ever met. Though being that way worked out for him, for the most part. It's what got him your mom. He went to the club she was a dancer at every night for months until she finally noticed him and agreed to go on a date."
"Really?" Wakko asked.
"Yeah, he wasn't one to give up." she smiled.
Wakko grinned and saw that Yakko was, too. No one ever compared them to their parents, or even talked to them about them. Either the people they met didn't know them personally or seemed to think that talking about them would make Wakko and his siblings uncomfortable. But he hung onto every small memory and piece of information he could get, and hoped that someday he would be able to put together a solid picture of who they really were.
"I really hate to ruin a family moment, but you wouldn't happen to have a bathroom, would you?" Daffy hesitantly spoke up.
"Yeah, it's right there." Heather chuckled and pointed to the door behind him.
"Thanks." Daffy got up and hurried into the bathroom. Heather picked up her crutches and carefully balanced her weight on them.
"Anyone hungry?" she asked.
"Is that even a question?" Yakko said, nodding his head towards Wakko, who was licking his lips at the thought of food.
"I'll go whip up something then." she smiled.
"I can help- I say- help you, Miss. I'm the finest mac and cheese maker in all of Southern California, if I do say so myself." Foghorn poked himself in the chest and grinned as he rocked back and forth on his feet.
"Sure, thanks. The remote's on the arm of the couch if you two want to watch something." she turned around and walked into the kitchen with Foghorn. Yakko leaned over and grabbed the remote.
"Any preferences?" he asked Wakko.
"Nah, I could care less as long as it's not the news or Disney Channel." he leaned back and stretched out, relieved to be out of harms way even if only for a moment.
He understood where the adults were coming from. It was their job to keep him and his siblings safe, but the thought of losing any of his family or friends made a chill run down his spine. So, as he laid sprawled out across Heather's stained, torn couch, Wakko decided that he'd be damned if he wasn't going to be there to help them. At the very least, if they went down, he'd go down with them.
