Derek had never felt the way he had as he dragged his aching body home. His stomach, like a black hole, sucked in any trace of emotion. His best friends had sold him out to the Toontown Rangers, likely to escape punishment for their actions. How could two Toons that he had known for so long do something so... cold? They had always talked about how they would die for each other, and suddenly they were setting him up in an ambush. He was lucky that green dog had gone easy on him, although it still didn't make it hurt less. On top of that, his wrist hurt from the injury and follow up stitches. He was really going to have to work to hide the bandages from his mom who would rightfully have questions. Opening the door, he was blasted with a mouth-watering fragrance. "Hey honey, you're home! I'm finishing up dinner. Why don't you go get ready and come grab a plate!"
The purple monkey always struggled to stay frustrated when his mother cooked. There was a reason she was so highly regarded in her field, and yet he could feel nothing as he started ascending the staircase to his room. "Sure mom. I just need to do a few things."
"Alright! Also, if you see your brother, tell him to come down to! I was thinking we could all sit down together tonight. It's been a while since we've all got to have dinner together. Maybe we can watch a movie or something?" The eager chimp called out from the kitchen, knowing her two sons had seemed off recently and looking for an opportunity to brighten the mood.
"Alright, mom!" Trying to sound more upbeat, Derek called back from the top of the staircase. Trudging along to his room, the purple ape dragged himself over to his desk in the corner of the room. The wooden desk was small, only having one attached drawer and enough room for someone to sprawl out while their arms flung off the sides. Resting his head on the table, the chimp allowed all of his thoughts and frustrations to flood his mind once again. Anxiety swelled up inside of him, as it felt like all of the blood was being drained from his body. Flipping between moods like colored lights at a rave, the monkey felt the full crux of negative Toon emotions. It wasn't healthy for Toons to stay in a bad mood for too long as it could lead to laff decreasing and greening themselves. As he only had forty-six laff, Derek could feel his color sapping rapidly. "Ugh, this is so stupid. Why do I even need stupid friends like that? I don't need anybody. Screw this, they're the ones who got me into Sugar in the first place!" Pounding his fist on the rickety old desk, the force caused the small drawer to lightly creak open.
Inside of the desk, the brightness of white reflected back into his eyes. Pulling open the drawer, Derek reeled when he realized that he still had a large doggy bag filled with powdered sugar. Conflicted, the monkey closed the drawer. "I don't need it anymore." Pulling out his whisper device, he opened his contacts and dialed his girlfriend's number. After a few seconds of ringing, a heavy-breathing voice answered hastily. "Uhm. Uh, hello?"
Caught off guard for a second, Derek withdrew a bit before speaking. "Hey, babe. It's me. I'm sorry to call you so late, but I'm having a rough night and I really need to see you. Is it okay if I come over?"
"Derek? I'm really sorry you're having a bad night, but I'm a little busy right now…" The feminine voice on the other side had to suck in air between words, causing further worry from the ape.
"Hey, Layla, are you okay? You sound like you've been running or something. What's going on?" Derek's voice was a mix of different worries. Layla never worked out or really did any kind of physical labor, so it was strange to hear her struggling for air.
In the background, a deeper voice could be lightly heard. "Hey, are you done? I still haven't finished yet."
Heart jumping into his throat, and then plummeting back down into his stomach where it landed in the endless abyss that had been drilled by the dismissal by his friends, Derek couldn't believe what he heard. "Who the heck was that?"
"W-what? I'm not sure what you're talking about! Anyways, I need to go. We'll talk tomorrow at school! Bye!" Quickly hanging up the phone, Layla left her tattered boyfriend with only an empty ringtone which stung his ears.
In a sporadic moment of anger, Derek turned and launched his whisper device which collided with the wall, splintering into many small pieces. Fully broken, the chimp fell to his knees, and then on his side. Fully allowing the burning tears to escape, the monkey choked out half-spoken words as he tried to curse everybody and everything that had brought him to this point in his life. Crawling over to his desk, the emotionally battered Toon reached up and yanked the drawer from its holding place. White knuckling the small bag, Derek unzipped the container and gulped. He needed an escape from the pain, and while he had told himself that he was done with it, he didn't see any way out. This would be the last time; he had told himself as he leaned his head back with mouth agape. Like a waterfall, the powder consistently piled into the chimp's mouth. Stopping only to swallow, the ape in just a short minute had devoured the entire bag. Suddenly he felt amazing. The hole in his soul seemed to have been patched, and his laff meter was overclocking, growing rapidly until it was well over a hundred laff. "Ha-ha-ha. Why do I need any of them? I have myself and you, Sugar. You're all I need because I don't need them anymore!"
"Breaking news out of Toontown Central! On the scene is Rhea Porter, with this important update!" Jack swung around in his chair in the diner, dropping his elbows down on the bar and staring up at the TV, like every other Toon in the restaurant. Trying to blend in, he had to disguise his true feelings as he knew exactly what was going to happen.
"Thanks, Jerry. I'm standing outside the house of Mayor Slappy McQuack who just hours ago was found deceased in his Summer home." Collective gasps and tears broke out amongst the diners and restaurant crew as they listened to the report unfold. "Rangers on the scene would not provide much information, as the crime is being investigated, however early reports show the death as a poisoning. This does not appear to be an accident or a suicide. We have reached out to Mayor Slappy's mayoral opponent Flippy Doggenbottom for comment but have not heard back at this time. This is truly a test for the entire world of Toons, as the thirty-four year old was running for his third term."
The Toon sitting next to Jack, a light-red elderly horse looked towards the pig with tears in her eyes. "Oh what has this world come to. Who could do such a terrible thing to such a wonderful Toon?"
Chuckling inside, Jack knew the full truth. Just several hours prior he had slipped into the McQuack household and slipped the sigh-anide into the duck's coffee before he had awaken, with the help of one Roxy McQuack. Everything was going to plan. He had taken out the mayor, and Roxy had "discovered" the body at an opportune time. "Just terrible." Jack responded emotionlessly. Turning back to watch the TV, making sure they unspun the story as he requested.
"Officials with the Toontown Council have confirmed that Mayor McQuack's daughter Roxy will be immediately sworn in as emergency Mayor until a full election can be completed. The twenty-two year old had recently begun operating as the understudy for the still-young Mayor, and many had projected that she would eventually he his choice as a replacement. In a grizzly twist of fate, that has come to fruition, under the worst circumstances. We will keep you updated as we learn more, back to you Jerry." Even the reporter on the scene seemed to be losing her composure near the end, visibly shaking and voice cracking with each word.
"Thank you, Rhea. Truly an awful tragedy. Mayor McQuack, dead at thirty-four." The white bear turned to face another camera, with a stern look on his face. "We apologize for this sudden interruption, but we have gotten word that new Mayor, Roxy McQuack is having a press conference. We will take you to the scene from Toontown Headquarters."
On a makeshift podium stood a burgundy-colored dog, dressed in a formal dress, and with a stern but sad look on her face. Flashes from the numerous press cameras illuminated the already brightly lit press conference room. Flanked by several security guards, the dog spoke quickly and firmly. "Toontown. As many of you may already be aware, this morning I found my father, Mayor McQuack, dead. I am here to report that there is a primary suspect in the case." Holding up a "wanted" ad, the dog pointed to the paper which clearly showed a black pig – a rarity in Toontown. "My father had been blackmailed by known criminal Jack Penne also known by his criminal name Captain Jack. It is unfortunate to hear about these allegations as my father was such a kind-hearted and gentle soul who would never harm a fly. We are unsure now why he has decided to do such a heinous crime, but I assure you that I will not rest until him, and his cronies, are all brought to justice. For the time being, I will be taking over as Mayor of Toontown, but don't let that take away from the upcoming election. I am here in a temporary capacity unless I am elected on my own accord. I hope that these events will not hamper all Toons eagerness to partake in this upcoming election. If you have any tips on Captain Jack, please report to the local Toon HQ, or the Toontown Rangers." Stepping off the podium with a myriad of voices shouting questions, Roxy had just dug a dagger into Jack's back.
Immediately every Toon in the diner looked at the swine cautiously. Many backing up, pulling out their whisper devices, and one younger duck taking a picture. "What the Hell are you all looking at? You have a problem with me, I'll give you a reason!" The black hog had been turned against by his cunning partner. Why Roxy had decided to do so was beyond him, but he knew that his pork was roasted unless he could escape somehow. It was one thing to be accused of a murder, but the Mayor? There was no way he could hide. Rangers would be sniffing every corner of Toontown. The cogs may accept him as a fugitive, but it would be risky. He was going to have to think on his feet.
"It's him! The killer!" The horse who had been sitting next to Jack screamed out, causing a widespread panic as Toons ran like headless chickens around the restaurant, eventually fleeing. In the midst of the chaos, Jack had covered himself with a large jacket and broke free from the diner. He had remembered something that Roxy had told him. Something about a top-secret Scientoonsts experiment that would potentially lead to time travel. Unfortunately for him, it was located within the Halls of the Mayor's office, which would now be the most heavily guarded building in the world right now.
Pulling out his whisper device, he cracked it in half and tossed it into a nearby garbage can. There was no chance that he could take of somebody tracking him. Due to his extensive knowledge of the backstreets and underground tunnels below Toontown Central, the Toon was able to maneuver unseen through the city, eventually making it to the Toontown Central Playground. As he had assumed, it was flooded with Rangers, as well as other Toons who came to pay respects to their fallen leader. He was going to have to get in very carefully…
The Kumquat had assembled his group of fruit detectives quickly upon hearing the news of Mayor McQuack's murder. The chubby cat had nearly fainted when he heard the news. In hid mind all he could focus on was how he had failed to report his findings to a higher official regarding Jack, and now somebody was dead because of it. However now, he had to lead. His younger cohorts were relying on him. Marking up his intensity, the feline paced back and forth in front of the trio of ready detectives. "Well, fellas. I'm sure you've already heard. No point wasting time explaining things. Jack is on the run and we need to find him."
"What about Roxy McQuack? Surely she must be involved in this. They were together at her house just days before Slappy's death, talking about some nefarious plans. Shouldn't we alert the Rangers? After all, if we had let them know then maybe this never would have happened." The Orange bit his lip and crossed his arms, frustrated by his friend's lack of action previously.
"You are right that this likely wouldn't have happened if we had acted, but maybe it would have. We had no solid evidence, and even if we did maybe Roxy ends up dead too. We can't worry about that now. We still cannot prove that Jack and Roxy did this together, and right now I don't think the Rangers are going to take information like that lightly. I don't think we are getting that dog until we capture Jack and make that pig squeal." The Kumquat turned away and placed his hands on his hips. "Now, the time I have spent studying this criminal indicates he will do whatever he can to survive. He'll sell out, kill, or anything else his cruel and twisted mind can convince itself of for one more day of freedom. He is going to do something drastic, and I think we need to take that into account.
The Lemon rubbed his antlers anxiously and looked around at the other three. "Well that just makes him super dangerous. But how does that help us stop him? For all we know he's halfway to Cog Nation to make some kind of amnesty agreement with the cogs?"
Shaking his head, The Kumquat put on a disagreeing smile. "A thought I had considered, however you are thinking of something too simple. Jack would not be completely free of hiding at that point. While Anti-Toons are accepted into Cog Nation, they are under heavy supervision and usually have to work quite tedious and long-hour-jobs. This is a Toon who has always been in charge, I don't think he'd like to be bossed around. No, I think his only escape is to do something about his warrant. He'd need to convince Roxy somehow to pull it. I think he's likely going to head there and "convince" her to release him of his suspicion. I think we need to head to the Mayor's Office."
"I don't know, The Kumquat. There is a lot of Rangers there probably, they'd catch him immediately. Plus, Roxy probably has her own security team twenty-four seven. Maybe we should look into other avenues." The Lime added, the green dog gaining some nods from his two fellow subordinates.
"Unfortunately, I have to agree with The Lime. There must be some other potential leads." The Orange grimly stated, knowing that they were in the hands of a mad Toon who was not afraid to take lives and had the benefit of a head start. "If you were a dangerous criminal who had the entire world looking for him, what would you do?"
The Kumquat tilted his head and rubbed his chin. "I'd have to make a big threat, something that would capture the attention of all Toontown. Something that would affect all Toons. Something like… The Silly Meter?"
The three other Toons jaws dropped at the mention. "You don't think he would be crazy enough to mess with it, do you?" The Lemon could feel his skin turning cold and clammy as he thought about the dangerous possibilities that a Toon like Jack could use it for with bad intentions. "Even Scientoonsts still don't fully understand it!"
"Exactly why I think it would be a perfect target. If not that, well I'm sure something there. I don't know a lot about it, but I've heard that the Mayor has funded a lot of very secretive projects. If Jack was that close to things, he might be aware of something that we are not keen to. We would-be best-off heading there to be sure. Rangers or not, we can't trust them to know Jack like we do. This is our responsibility. Now, you all have five minutes to get ready. After that, we're heading to Toontown Central.
Crawling on his arms through the disgusting sewers under Toontown Central, the black pig held his breath as to not ingest the putrid smell. Drenched in a liquid that he hoped to never have to identify, the desperate criminal plunged through. He had never had to go through the sewers before, but he had his henchmen do so and designed maps incase of an emergency. His foresight had been well appreciated by himself as he had a straight shot to under the Mayor's Office. There was a singular Toonhole cover that was in an outdoor walkway between the Scientoonsts Building, and The Mayor's Office. Locating his exit with a rusted, slimy ladder, the swine began the quick ascent to the top. Peeking through the small holes, he ensured that there was nobody directly overhead. Gently pushing the heavy metal circle up and away, Jack pushed his head up and out of the horrendous hole he had been in. Surprisingly there was nobody in this area, as likely nobody was allowed in and security had been guarding the entrances. Slipping out, the black pig ripped off his jacket and tossed it aside to rid himself mostly of the layer of filth that had bult up on him. Such a strong smell would be easily identified if somebody was around. "Idiots." He whispered to himself as he walked over into the unlocked back door of the Scientoonsts Building.
Inside, a loud whirring sound blared from the Silly Meter, Toontown's most mysterious and joyful device. Blocked off lightly with ropes and barriers, Jack wandered over and began investigating the machine. An evil grin began to rise on his face as a new idea began to form. Why would he need to search out some secret experiment, when he had access to a potential world-destroying weapon. The Toon was well aware of the effects that overjoyed Toons had due to his sale of dangerous Powdered Sugar. All it would take was a little malfunction that blasted Toontown with an overdose of silliness and all Hell would break loose. Ducking down underneath the rope, the hog began investigating and searching for a way to let loose. "Step away from the Silly Meter, Jack!"
"What the Hell?" Jack spun in a circle and realized that in all four corners of the room, coming out of the shadows, were other Toons dressed in all black. Immediately recognizing the orange cat, Jack squinted and reached into his pocket for his knife, wiggling his fingers and readying himself for an attack. "Ah, if it isn't my old friend, Kumquat."
"It's THE Kumquat to you, punk." The Lemon vvehed out, his voice cracking as his fear began to show. "We're here to stop you, you murderer!"
The foursome continued to close in on the dangerous swine from all angles, ensuring that if he attempted to make a run for it that he would meet resistance. "Give it up, Jack. You've been caught. Drop the knife and we'll maybe go easy on you. Not that greasy bacon such as yourself deserves the benefit of any leniency." The Kumquat began pulling out a pair of handcuffs and jingling them around. "Now, are you still going to try and fight, or will you just give in like a real man?"
As The Kumquat spoke, the entrance door to the room was opened and an orange monkey in a long white lab coat strolled in, face buried In his clipboard and humming to himself, ignorant of the proceedings in the room, the Scientoonst began making his way over towards the Silly Meter. Finally breaking the silence, The Lime screamed out to the chimp. "Watch out, Captain Jack is right here!"
"Wait, what?" The monkey looked up and eyes widened as he was nearly face to face with a black pig brandishing a knife just inches from his chest. "Oh, my! Oh, my! What is going on here?" Being turned around by his shoulder, the monkey felt the sharp point of the criminal's knife digging into his back. "Who are all of you?"
"I'm the one who is going to carve you open if you don't shut up, Toon. Now, tell me how to turn this thing on!" Jack growled angrily.
The Kumquat held up his hand, stopping his subordinates from making any sudden movements. "Don't do something stupid, Jack. You're endangering yourself just as much as everyone else. Are you really willing to harm innocent Toons just to escape your crime? You're despicable!" The orange cat had never felt such anger and hatred for a Toon. It was one thing when Jack was getting into gang fights with other criminals, but now he was going to risk unknown consequences? "Let the monkey go, now!"
The monkey adjusted his collar and cleared his throat. "I have a name. I am Dr. Surlee! You all haven't told me who you are!" Being cut off, he could feel the sharp tip break his skin, causing immense pain as blood began dripping down the ape's back.
"We're a private detective agency going by the name of the Citrus Uber Mob. You're currently in the grasp of Toontown's most notorious criminal. Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here, friend." The Orange spoke calmly to his orange monkey counterpart. "Just stay calm. He can't hurt you without hurting himself."
"Yes, please do not allow him to turn on The Silly Meter. He has bad ideas! He is dangerous!" The Lime flapped his ears rapidly as he tap-danced in place, frustrated by his inability to stop Jack. "We'll get you out of here!"
The intelligent Toon was no stranger to strange situations. Although a death threat was something he never thought that he would be a part of. He wasn't going to be able to fight back with his fists, so he would have to use his brain. Looking blankly at The Kumquat, he spoke loudly so that everybody could hear him, with a subtleness of cunning in hopes C.U.M would catch on. "So, you are Captain Jack, I presume." He didn't need confirmation for the rhetorical question, as the chimp continued. "We don't know the full capacities of the Silly Meter and messing with it could lead to a lot of trouble for everybody. However, us Scientoonsts have been working on something else, and I am willing to compromise with you for my life. Does that sound acceptable?"
Jack scanned the room, looking for any signs of a trap. "What is this "deal" monkey?
"Well, it is still early on, but we believe that there may be a way of transporting between different universes. We could try sending you through, and nobody would ever be able to find you. However, you have to know that coming back will be impossible, and if you harm anybody, myself included, it will be impossible for me to send you. Do we have a deal?" Surlee spoke with an unsurety. Not only was his life on the line, but he was now potentially going to see his life's work in action.
"Different universe? What are you talking about, Doctor?" The Lemon's jaw had nearly fell to the floor when he heard the ridiculous offer. "Besides, he is a killer! He needs to be brought to justice!"
Winking at the quartet of detectives, Surlee tried to remain calm and explain to the best of his ability. "It is just a working theory, but it is something we have worked on for many years. When Mayor Slappy McQuack originally ran against Flippy Doggenbottom, you guys remember that right?" The Toons all nodded, with the exception of Jack who tightened his grip on the knife handle. "Well, if so, you remember how close it was. Down to a couple of votes. There was a lot of silliness and excitement, and when the results were announced there was a bit of a tizzy in Toontown. Well, afterwards we noticed The Silly Meter had gone into overdrive and was causing a lot of issues in Toontown.
The Kumquat shrugged and sighed. "Yes, we are all adults here. Can you get on with it already? We have a criminal to catch."
"Just let me finish, please." Surlee inhaled. "Well, one of the side affects was what appeared to be a small tear in the quantum physics of the universe. Or in simpler terms, a wormhole to another universe momentarily opened. It closed shortly afterwards, but since then we have been searching for a way to transport to that other universe. Who knows what we could learn from them? They may have technologies beyond our comprehension. We wished to study how things differed. Did cogs still invade Toontown? How had things changed? Well, for the last eleven years we have researched numerous ways without success, until recently…"
"Recently? You mean that you were actually able to figure out going between universes? I'm sorry to be skeptical but that sounds a bit ludicrous even more someone like me to believe, Doctor." The Orange covered his mouth with his hand, in awe of what he had just heard, not allowing himself to believe the possibility.
The Lemon and The Lime had dropped to their knees from pure shock. If this was true, they could be sending a known criminal off to a new world where he could cause untold damage, not to mention the insanity of everything. Surlee pulled himself lightly off the knife and pointed to a door off to the side. "It is down there. I will warn you that it has been untested and may be dangerous. Going through could lead to unknown consequences. If this is the only way out of this, then I am willing to try." Winking again to The Kumquat, Surlee tried to signal that he believed that it was a dud and that it would capture Jack inside where he could be locked in until Rangers could come and arrest him. "So, shall we try?"
Not sure of what the wink meant; The Kumquat knew he had to trust in the doctor. "Very well… Fruits, stand down." All stepping back and clearing a path for Surlee and Jack. Keeping his weapon on the monkey's pig, the pig began to walk forward slowly behind his captive.
"Any funny moves and this monkey dies. Got it?" Jack whispered to the foursome. Through the door the pair went. In the next room was a carnival of different machines, devices, and other mechanical equipment. The sounds and colors were normally exhilarating, but now they were nothing but a distraction for the Toons who made their way through the electronic jungle to a giant, unassuming metal box. The box was plugged in with many various cords and was fitted with a basic looking pinpad device. "Is this it, ape?"
"This is it." Surlee confirmed. Behind the pair, the detectives had slowly followed behind so they could be witness to whatever was going to happen. "I will remind you one more time. We don't know what will happen. You might never be able to return."
Shrugging, Jack pushed the Scientoonst aside and grabbed the door's handle. "Whatever. I'll take my chances." Pulling open the door, the short swine sauntered inside and closed the door behind him. From the nearly soundproof room his carrying yell could be heard. "Hit the button, fools!"
Wandering over, The Kumquat placed his hand on Surlee's shoulder. "Great job capturing him, Doctor. He can't get out can he?"
"No he cannot. Although, this is a prime opportunity to test our theory on somebody who isn't a loss to society if they were to… well if something bad happened. Please, allow me this opportunity to see what happens." Surlee had forgotten the plan, intrigued by the possibilities of the greatest scientific discovery in the history of Toontown.
"Doctor, you're not really going to do it, are you? You'd be helping a criminal escape! You can't do this!" The Lime pleaded with the monkey to no avail.
Ignoring the quartet of Toons, the intelligent Scientoonst began typing numbers into the pinpad. "I'm sorry but I may never get this chance again. If we fail, you can still make your arrest. But if this works and is proven safe? Well, there is no reason that we couldn't try it again, right?" Before he could be stopped, the monkey had finished his computations. Almost immediately a loud charging sound began to emanate from the large box. A wave of concentrated silly energy began to fill the chamber. The black pig began to erupt with laughter, almost to the point of torturous pain from his chuckling. Falling to his knees, the swine crawled over, tears in his eyes and giggling outrageously he pounded on the door, begging for an escape from the happy misery. The box began to shake, nearly knocking the Toons outside on their backs as they struggled to stay upright. Then it happened. Inside, a lightning shape bolt of light began to appear inside. Widening itself, what appeared to be a black portal continued opening "Oh my goodness, is that it?"
All Toons could do nothing but look wonderous as what started as a small hole had begun encompassing the entire inside of the box. In just several moments it had begun swallowing the black pig and after a few minutes he was gone. Frantically hurrying back to the pin pad, Surlee began typing rapidly until the machine had been turned off. The Kumquat grabbed the monkey and threw him against the wall. "You idiot! What have you done!"
"Me? Well, I have just proven that Toons can travel between universes…"
Deputy Skids, alongside Jade had brainstormed the best ways to take advantage of Brownie's meeting with one of Jack's top Toons. Eventually they had decided that the mouse would be equipped with a small camera that could record everything, and that they could use this to make a bigger arrest, and with good luck maybe get more information about the facilities used and plans so they could make further arrangements. "Do you think this will work? I don't think someone is just going to give up all of this vital information to a stranger." The pink duck began to doubt her plan as they set up their monitors in Jade's office. "Besides, this is Brownie we're talking about. He's going to be alone with that crocodile and will be in a tight spot. He's going to be outnumbered if Akinari turns on him."
"Don't worry, Sheriff. Brownie is a goofball, but he doesn't mess around when it comes to things like this. He's the one who caught her in the first place after Dummi and Stinky let the ruse out. If thing go downhill, we will figure it out. Just trust him, please" The lime green dog put on a headset and sat down in front of the computer. "Alright, it looks like we are set-up." Handing a headset to Jade, he cleared his throat and began speaking into the microphone. "Hey, Brownie. Can you hear me?"
"Huh, it sounds like a dying doodle is screaming into my earpiece. Skids, can you hear me?" Chuckling at his joke, he knew that Skids was likely reeling from the roast. "Just kidding, I can hear you guys. How does everything look from my end." The camera had been set up inside of the mouse's hat. The wireless camera had been inserted by Skids himself and had worked quite well. Due to the rodent's short stature, it made getting things at a somewhat normal eye-level. "Alright, we're heading over to the meeting spot."
The pink crocodile that was holding Brownie's hand sighed. "Yup, we're heading over. I'm pretty sure I'm screwed, but maybe I'll be surprised by this oaf."
Brownie winked and stuck his tongue out. "Playful teasing already? Aw, you must really like me!" The green mouse had to hop back to avoid a fist coming for his shoulder. "Woah, we have a feisty one down here guys!"
"Can you two just go and get this over with? I don't have all day you know." Jade hissed out.
"Yeah you do. I've never seen you not working since we met. Do you even eat?" Brownie clapped back at the duck, gathering a snicker from Skids. "Alright. We're here. I don't see anybody though."
Deputy was fooling with the tool that allowed him to zoom in and out, excited by the simple technology. "This is incredible guys. I can see the pimple on Akinari's neck if you zoom in far enough!" As he scrolled up and down with his mouse, his partner reached over and slapped his hand to deter him from further shenanigans. "Argh, sorry."
Jade began monitoring the screen and began giving commands. "Alright, well when she gets there Akinari is going to explain her absence. Don't speak too much. I'm sure these scoundrels will give up something if given long enough."
"I'm not a scoundrel, geez. Why are you all such the judgmental types? A Toon has to do whatever she has to do to get by." After a bit more bickering, the duo on the ground hushed as they saw a hulking purple bear come into view. Elbowing the crocodile, Brownie pushed Akinari to speak. "Hey, Molly. Good to see you!"
"Yup. I'm here. Surprised to see you made it, too." The tall bear looked down at the short, chubby mouse and raised an eyebrow. "This is your boyfriend?"
Clearing her throat, Akinari held up hers and Brownie's connected hands. "This is him!" Reaching into her pocket with her free hand, she grabbed a large jellybean bank stuffed to the brim with the Toon currency. "I'm sorry for missing the meeting last night. Brownie here had a bit of a hospital scare and I needed to go see him. But if you count all of that up, you'll see I exceeded my goals."
Not speaking, Molly dumped out the jellybeans on the ground and began counting through them. Once she was satisfied, she scooped them back into the glass container and grunted. "Very well, fourteen-thousand. Don't miss any more meetings though. I can't guarantee that it goes well for you."
"I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't mean to take her away. I know how much she loves her job, and I just felt awful about it." Brownie spoke up, against the wishes of Jade and Skids who were tugging down the skin on their face. "Akinari is just an amazing Toon though, so I know she won't fail you again!"
"Brownie, what are you doing? You don't have any speaking lines in this role!" Skids whisper-yelled.
Turning off his earpiece, Brownie cleared his throat as Molly scanned him up and down. "You seem like a bit of a narc. Are you a cop?"
Akinari clenched the rodent's hand tightly and squeaked out. "What? That's ridiculous! I'm pretty sure I would know if my own boyfriend was a cop." Turning to Brownie she stared into his eyes. "Besides, Brownie here is one of the most Ranger-hating Toons I've ever met! Basically an Anti-Toon!"
"Yeah! In fact, I've probably spent more time in a prison than anyone else in your entire gang!" The mouse wasn't necessarily lying, as he had spent three years as a prison guard in Toontown Central's central prison. "Actually, I was talking to Aki here about seeing if maybe I could join in on your operations. I know the area really well, I have a lot of ins with different places. Heck, I could probably smuggle into the prison if you wanted me to. I was actually contacted by a rival gang but turned them down. I'm so loyal, I won't take a job that goes against my girlfriend's best interests.
"What is he doing? She's going to see right through him. See what I said, Skids? He's going to mess this whole thing up!" Jade clasped her head and groaned. "I knew it, I shouldn't have trusted you guys again! You guys can't act!"
Skids patted Jade on the back and put on a reassuring grin. "Just give him a chance, Jade. This is shaping up to be a great opportunity. Sure, it is off what we told him, but we have to trust his intuition. He needs to say whatever he needs to say to get out of this without suspicion. Heck, even better, if they let him in then we will have a mole on the inside! It is a win-win if you ask me. We already have evidence of the transaction and Molly's basically tied up now. Let's aim a little higher and see what we can reel in."
The bear looked back and forth at the two smaller Toons and contemplated. "Akinari, you've always been one of my girls. You're always on top of things, have great sales numbers, and I see a bright future for you. But just know, if either of you are lying to me, or try and undermine me somehow? Well, I'm going to kill you. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Molly." Akinari tried to remain calm, as if she didn't just confirm her life was on the line. Squeezing Brownie's hand, she pleaded internally that he would change his mind. "Although, Brownie. I don't know if you'd be up for this. I mean, we'd both be working nights and I don't know how often we'd get to see each other."
"Aw, don't worry about that babe. I'm sure Molly wouldn't mind if we worked together. Especially if I can prove that I can bring in the big beans." Turning to Molly, Brownie whipped out a pair of sunglasses and threw them on dramatically. "So, Goliath? You down for that? Give me one week and I'll outsell everybody else on your team, even including my beloved Aki. If I don't? Well, you can cut my tongue out for being a liar." Brownie had been around these types of Toons enough to know how punishments worked. He now had to bet that Molly would be willing to take him on at an almost no-lose situation. Either she would gain the top-selling dealer on her team, or she could bodily harm somebody.
Grunting, Molly turned around and put her hand up. "Fine. Follow me and I'll get you set up with some Sugar. I'm going to be on both of your butts until I see the money for this. You have a week to sell it." Craning her head around, she squinted at Akinari. "If you don't sell it all, or you try and run? Well, Akinari is going to suffer for it. We'll see how much you really love her, mouse." Cracking her neck, the bear started speeding up. "Also, call me Goliath again and I'll break your neck." Waving at the pair to follow her, she began making her way back to her headquarters with the two in tow.
Running down the hallway, hand to her mouth to prevent vomiting, the green crocodile turned horse eventually made it far away from the horrendous sight she had just witnessed. Sprinting after her, Chadwick eventually caught up, winded from all of the activity. "Hey, is everything okay? I've never seen anyone gallop like that before."
Scowling, Brussel began tearing into the horse. "That is what you guys call a Romp Room? That looked more what I imagine Hell to be like! I'm going to have to bleach my eyes after witnessing that atrocity! Books will be written about how this is the worst thing that has ever happened!" turning and burying her face into the wall, the reptile dry-heaved as she re-lived the memory. "Why is everybody doing THAT in there. That is horrendous!"
"Um, that's what the Gentleman Equestrian Club is my dude, isn't that why you're here? You even said Cotton Candy invited you. I thought maybe you were one of his special partners?" Chadwick was confused by the rejection of the handsome horse. "Well, geez. I didn't realize you weren't interested, I thought you were just shy. If you'd prefer, we have solo rooms where we can go?"
"I'm not interested in doing that with anyone, fool! I just came here because I wanted to buy some powdered sugar! Cotton Candy said he thought there would likely be someone here that would know where to go, but he said he didn't want it in the club, so he said to keep it on the low, you know. I didn't think his club would be whatever this is! Ugh, that is disgusting!"
Becoming defensive, Chadwick furrowed his brow and started turning redder. "So, you have an issue with what we do here? You hate two stallions being together? You're the disgusting one!"
Sprout clenched her fists and barked back. "I don't care about that! I mean horses! Any horses doing that is disgusting! Actually, I don't want to see anyone doing that if I had the choice!" Preparing to pummel somebody, she remembered why she was here. She couldn't break her cover, at least not until she had gotten what she was here for. She also remembered that Warren was watching everything through a camera. That brought her a small amount of relief knowing that the old Toon had to suffer as well. "Anyways, I'm sorry." Brussel hated apologizing, especially to horses. "I've just been having a rough day and I really need some powdered sugar. Can you help me out?"
"Hmm. I guess I can accept your apologies. So, are you straight then?" The tall, skinny horse neighed out, somewhat sad he was missing an opportunity with such an attractive steed.
"What?" Taken aback, Brussel had no clue how to answer. Honestly, she had thought about that herself and frankly wasn't sure. She wasn't attracted to girls, but she didn't like guys, she liked being alone. "Um, I guess so? I'm not really sure." Was she really confiding in this stranger? Especially one who had just recently attempted to convince her to join in his ball-room activities. "I'm sorry, but if you can't help me, I guess I should probably just go." Turning to leave, the green crocodile began to slump over, acting depressed as she walked out.
True to what she had hoped, the gullible stallion had been lured in by her trap. While she was not a connoisseur of romance and attraction, she knew that somebody in that state of mind were easily manipulated. "Just hold on a second, Eyesore. I can still help you out with that…" Voice tailing off, Chadwick's tone became much more serious as he confirmed what Sprout was hoping to hear.
Returning to the dealer, Sprout did her best attempt at a smile and reached into her pocket, retrieving a jellybean bank. "So, do we do this here? I can pay in cash and I have a lot of money to spend. So, how much can I get for this?" In her hands was nearly twenty-thousand jellybeans that Sprout had been saving up to buy herself a new estate far away from her terrible horse neighbor. "I want to go crazy, if you know what I mean." Winking at the conflicted Toon, Sprout readied herself for the arrest.
"Alright, geez. Put that thing away. That isn't what anyone wants you to be whipping out here. You want some sugar? Well, you'll have to meet with my guy. Just so happens he'll be here in about fifteen minutes. Follow me somewhere private, many of the other guys would probably frown upon us if we were doing sugar, you know?" Walking Sprout down a different direction, they eventually made it to a door. Opening the door, it revealed a staircase which appeared to go to a cellar. "Follow me." Down into the dimly lit room, Brussel was surprised that it was completely empty aside from a few strange looking tables, chairs, a swing, and some other stuff she couldn't recognize. "Alright, he just messaged me and said he'll be here in two minutes." Getting closer to "Eyesore" the purple horse spoke in a quiet, sensual tone. "You know, nobody else really comes down here. It is my little secret. I know you said you were shy, but you don't need to be shy down here. You help me, and I'll get you as much Sugar as you can take." Chadwick began sliding his hand down Sprout's back again, but unfortunately this time she was not able to react quickly enough before the fiend had discovered her zipper. "Woah, what the heck is this?"
"Um. What are you talking about? I'm just an ordinary, disgusting horse, like you guys!" As the gator tried to pull away, she had not realized Chadwick had a hard grip on the zipper and had unknowingly pulled it down as she stepped away. The horse suit had come undone, slowly sulking down Sprout's body and revealing her for the green crocodile that she was.
Chadwick immediately recognized the Ranger for who she was, who had nowhere to hide. "Oh my cog… what are you doing you freak? Disguising yourself as a horse!" Realizing that he had just admitted to a Ranger that he would sell her Powdered Sugar, he suddenly flipped a switch. Swinging his fist, Chadwick nearly caught the green Toon in the face. Fortunately for Sprout, she was quite short and stubby as the fist flew over her head.
Reaching her iron jaw upwards, she managed to clench her sharp teeth on the horse's forearm, causing excruciating pain for the horse. "You're under arrest, fool! I caught you red-handed!"
"Not today…" From behind the pair of fighting Toons was a deep voice. Turning around just in time to see a fire extinguisher being swung, the only thing that Sprout could do before she was slammed on the head by the hard metal was bite down harder on her foe. Knocked unconscious, the crocodile fell to a limp pile on the ground.
"Good lord, Dean. Did you kill her?" Chadwick caressed his bleeding arm as he winced in pain, slightly concerned about the possibility of being an accessory.
Kneeling near Brussel Sprout, the thick yellow horse put two fingers on her neck. "Nope, she's still alive. She's going to have a nasty headache when she wakes up." Standing up, the attacker smacked Chadwick. "What's a Ranger doing down here? Let alone this one? How'd you not recognize her from the diner!"
Throwing his good arm up, Chadwick huffed. "She had a disguise on. I didn't know! She tried to seduce me and then said she wanted to buy some Sugar. Anyways, I had things under control." Tapping the crocodile with his foot, he looked to his friend for help. "Well, I can't just leave her here. Someone will be down eventually. What do we do?"
"Get her back in that uniform. We'll carry her out, say she did too much Sugar and we're taking them to the hospital. We'll find somewhere to dump her off and nobody sees or hears from her again." Dean reached down to grab the amazing disguise. "She shouldn't have messed with The Brotherhood."
Back in a clothing shop in The Brrrgh, a maroon rabbit watched as as his customer was being readied to be taken and likely left for dead somewhere. Picking up his whisper device, he quickly dialed for the only Toon he knew could help. "Come on, Brownie. Answer the phone…" After several rings, the bunny hung up and began cursing rapidly. "Um. Um. Alright. I know what to do." Running out of his shop and locking the door, Warren slapped down a teleportation hole and made his way to Donald's Dreamland.
Domino had only walked down about three blocks before he reached his destination. An ordinary bright red estate much like hundreds of other ones along the way. The feelings of guilt and frustration had bubbled to a point where he could no longer contain it, and he needed to talk to somebody about the pain he felt. Walking up to the door, he exhaled and reached up. Knocking lightly, almost so quietly nobody could hear, he waited. After a few seconds passed he turned and started to walk away. In the front yard a pink doodle had been sleeping, before realizing there was a visitor and yelping loudly. This seemed to catch the attention of somebody inside, because moments later the front door was pried open and a hardly visible eyeball peaked through the small gap. "What are you doing here?" A Toonager's voice quietly inquired to Domino who had stopped and turned around.
Making his way back up the paved sidewalk, the chimp scratched his head. Domino had never been very articulate when it came to talking to girls, or really anybody, but who else could understand what he was going through. "I'm sorry to show up like this, I don't know what else to do though. Do you have a few minutes?"
"Um, I guess. Although don't you have some friends or what about your brother?" The voice spoke softly, and skeptically. However upon seeing the monkey's distraught face, the Toon inside opened the door.
"Thanks, Ella." Following the deer inside of the house, the pair of young Toons walked up the stairs to the second floor where Ella's bedroom was. It was Domino's first time inside of a girl's bedroom and much to his surprise it wasn't very different than his. It had a bed, some desks and shelves, a dresser, posters on the wall, and even a video game console was attached to a TV. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Domino looked up at the doe who decided to stay standing. "So, um, how have you been?"
Biting her lip, Ella looked towards the door. "Okay, I guess. My parents were pretty mad when they found out what happened. I mean, they were worried too. But once I was released from the hospital they really gave it to me. I haven't felt well enough to go back to school. Physically, I'm fine, but mentally? I don't know. What if everybody knows what happened? I don't want to deal with that."
Domino realized that the deer must be feeling an even more painful burden than he was, after all she had almost died. "I'm sorry about that. I guess that makes two of us, because I skipped school today too."
"Wait, what happened? I thought you didn't end up doing any Sugar?" Ella spoke concerned and confused.
"Not me. My brother. Derek has been acting really weird lately. Earlier today I tried talking to him about it, and he punched me in the face!" Showing the mark where his brother had slugged him, he rubbed it gently as it was still a tad sore. "I think he's still doing Sugar, and I'm worried about what will happen to him. Plus, I still feel awful about what happened with you…" Looking down to avert his eyes from the deer, he spoke in a hushed tone. "I should have done more to stop them, Ella. I'm so, so, sorry."
Taking a seat next to the purple chimp, Ella placed her hand on his thigh and craned her head to get a better look into his eyes. "Domino, you don't have to apologize for anything. It was my fault for being an idiot and listening to Gummi. I don't even know why I was dating him."
Lifting his head up, Domino perked his ears lightly. "Wait, did you say was dating? What happened?"
"I broke up with him of course. Like, he just ditched me there when I needed him the most. Plus, I never really thought about it until then how weird it was to be dating someone his age. Anyways, me and him are through." Pausing and taking her own turn to look down, Ella's face turned red. "Besides, you're the one who saved me. I never got the chance to save you for that."
"Well, it was the right thing to do. I don't think anybody else at school knows what happened. Just us." Domino leaned back and looked up, with Ella's hand on his thigh he had completely lost track of his thoughts and his stomach felt fuzzy. "I guess it would just be our secret then."
With almost no hesitation, Ella put her other hand on Domino's side and leaned closely into him. "I guess this will be our secret too, wont it?" Closing her eyes she began kissing the chimp, who in a burst of excitement gave into his desires and locked lips with the deer. For one, passionate moment, the two had nothing to stress, fear, or worry about. Pulling away, the two looked at each other silently. Ella began to giggle, which soon caught up to Domino. The next few hours, the Toons had switched between playing video games, talking, and occasionally kissing.
Once it had gotten closer to dark, Domino noticed the clock. "Oh, crap. I guess I should probably get back home." Leaning in he kissed Ella one last time. "Today was magical."
"I guess you're right. My parents will be home soon and if they found out I had a boy over, they'd probably tear my antlers off." Blushing again, Ella stood up and rubbed her foot into the ground anxiously. "I had a lot of fun today, Domino. Thanks for coming and cheering me up."
"Hee-hee, you're welcome. So, maybe we can do this again soon?" Throwing the question out there, Domino waited patiently for the rejection to come slamming back into him. Much to his surprise though, Ella could only smile and nod.
Hugging the monkey, she buried her head into his chest. "Maybe I'll go back to school tomorrow and we can see each other then? Maybe as boyfriend and girlfriend?" Domino felt his heart drop into his stomach. Adrenaline crashed through his body like a burst dam. "Anyways, you should be going. I'll walk you out."
After saying goodbye to Ella, Domino waited until he had walked a block and was out of sight. Pumping his fists and jumping up and down, the ape was a picture of happiness. He had to tell his brother! Even though they were still fighting, he couldn't contain this excitement. As he pulled out his whisper device, he noticed he had twelve missed messages from his mom. As he opened and began scrolling through them, the once exuberant chimp's face had slowly turned to a frown, and then panic. Before he could read them all, Domino pocketed the device and began sprinting to the Donald's Dreamland Hospital for the second time in a week.