The next day, Hello Nurse and Scratchansniff decided to meet at the studio. Dr. Magenta had taken the taser back to Acme Labs to analyze the sample that had gotten stuck on it. He had told them it would take a few days for any results, especially with such a strange and unpredictable material as the unknown blue crystal. So the ex-nurse and the psychiatrist decided to do some investigation work before Scratchansniff's shirt started.
Except, they couldn't.
When they returned the next day after the Ralph incident, the studio gate had been blocked by police cars and officers milling about. Employees, actors, and executives alike were furious about being unable to get to work on time and were trying to get in. Both Hello Nurse and Scratchansniff were forced to park their cars a couple blocks from the studio in order to even get to the gate. There was a line of cars a mile long trying to enter the studio and blocking the road in.
Hello Nurse caught up with Scratchansniff, who was standing across from the commotion at the front gate, "What's going on?"
"Well, someone called the police." Scratchansniff said plainly.
Hello Nurse rolled her eyes, "I can see that. Do you think someone saw one of those creatures and called the police?"
Scratchansniff rubbed his chin, deep in thought, "We've tried asking the police to investigate, but they never found anything. Or they didn't believe us. Oh, something big must have happened if they actually showed up this time!" He started fidgeting nervously, "I tried speaking with the officers there, but they said they couldn't reveal any details about what happened."
Hello Nurse started to think. She pulled out her cell phone and started typing, "You know, nothing stays a secret this day and age."
"You're looking for what's going on?" Scratchansniff asked.
Hello Nurse nodded as she scrolled the results for "Warner Brothers police investigation". The first couple articles that came up answered their question immediately.
"CEO of Warner Brothers Nora Norita missing: last seen leaving her office at the studio. Police reports say the only sign of her was massive damage to her car. Investigation continues as the police close down Warner Brothers to gather more leads."
"Ms. Norita is missing?!" Scratchansniff asked, panicking, "Oh no! Oh goodness! Those monsters! They must have...!" He trailed off, biting his nails in anguish.
"It must be." Hello Nurse confirmed, "But... Why would her car be damaged? What kind of damage?"
She read further. Some reports said the car was found in the side of a sound stage with airbags deployed. Others claimed the front appeared to have been hit with a sledgehammer several times. The damage reports were conflicting, but they all agreed on one thing: Nora was nowhere to be found.
"This is horrible!" Scratchansniff cried, "Now what is the studio going to do? Who's going to hire a new psychiatrist?! We're all doomed!"
Hello Nurse put her phone away, "No, we're not. We need to look into this ourselves." She started walking back to her car. Scratchansniff followed like a lost puppy.
"But how?" He asked, "We can't get into the studio! How can we investigate?"
"Easy." Hello Nurse replied, smiling, "We speak to the toons of Warner Brothers."
Scratchansniff looked at her confused, "The toons? But what can they help with?"
"Brian said the creatures are half-toons, right? Maybe a full toon working at Warner Brothers when the first incident happened would know something."
"Well, that's only an assumption. We don't know what they are!"
Hello Nurse took out a pad of paper and pen and started writing down names, "Let's split up. Most of the toons working around that time still live here in Burbank." She ripped the paper she was writing on in half and gave it to Scratchansniff, "You look for them and see what they know, we'll meet back up here at 4:00 pm sharp."
Scratchansniff seemed a little shocked at Hello Nurse's control of the situation, but he nodded and smiled, "I'll do what I can."
They parted ways, heading off to find their toony targets.
Hello Nurse's first stop was a park in Burbank. On the edge of the park was a quaint little forest. Once she had parked her car, she headed straight for the forest, towards a large oak tree. The oak tree was decorated with a pleasant little door and various flower arrangements. Despite the welcoming atmosphere, there was a mat at the door. Instead of reading "welcome", it read "GO AWAY" in angry red letters.
Hello Nurse decided to knock on the door anyways, despite the warning. There was no answer. She knocked again. Silence.
Perhaps she's out...
Hello Nurse decided to turn and leave, just as the door opened. Standing in all her hunched-over, old lady glory was ex-toon star Slappy Squirrel. She regarded the blonde woman with annoyance.
"Whatever you're selling, I don't want it!" She snarled.
Hello Nurse smiled, trying to appear friendly, "I'm sorry to disturb you, Ms. Squirrel. I'm Hello Nurse. I used to work at Warner Brothers as the studio nurse."
Slappy squinted, scratching her chin, "You sure you ain't that chick who works at the all you can eat buffet down the street?"
"What? No! I know you don't remember me, but I need your help. You worked at Warner Brothers for a time, right?"
"Dollface, I haven't worked at that dang studio in over twenty years. And thank goodness for that. Hated the place."
"If you don't mind me asking, do you know anything about the half-toons?"
Slappy's eyes widened for a moment, her expression changing to one of surprise rather than annoyance. She hesitated, searching for something to say.
Hello Nurse glared, "You do know something, don't you?"
"I-" Slappy started. She glanced around before suddenly grabbing Hello Nurse and pulling her into the tree. Hello Nurse yelped as she was snatched and came face to face with Slappy, staring her down with bloodshot eyes.
"If you knew what was good for that pretty little airhead of yours," she snarled, "You'd stop poking around dangerous things like this."
Hello Nurse shook. Even though she was an old lady, Slappy was still a toon: unpredictable, powerful, and incredibly dangerous when she wanted to be, "Wh-what do you mean?!"
"I mean," Slappy said, letting her go, "Whatever is going on at the studio could get you all killed if you keep it up with that curiosity!"
Hello Nurse stood up as much as she could in the cramped squirrel-sized space, "What do you know? Tell me!"
Slappy turned away from her, "All I know is that even I don't wanna face whoever's been making those half-toon freak shows. And you shouldn't either, toots. They have no mercy for anyone."
Hello Nurse could hear the bile in Slappy's voice. She despised whoever was behind the creation of the half-toons. Something had happened to her that the half-toons were responsible for.
"Slappy?" Hello Nurse asked carefully, "Where is your nephew Skippy?"
A look of rage flashed across Slappy's face before returning to her look of annoyance. "Look blondie. Why don't you go stick your nose in someone else's business?" She approached Hello Nurse and started pushing her to the door.
"Wait wait!" Hello Nurse frantically tried to dig her heels into the carpet to stop the squirrel from pushing her out, "I want to help you Ms. Squirrel!"
"You can start by helping yourself!" The elderly squirrel growled. She pushed Hello Nurse out the door, hard enough that she face planted in the dirt. Slappy slammed the door behind her.
Hello Nurse coughed and dusted off her face. She stood up and tried to clean her clothes of the dirt and grass stains. She sighed in annoyance. She had clearly hit a nerve with Slappy by mentioning her nephew.
But it was clear that Slappy knew something. And it was somehow connected to Skippy. Perhaps if she could find Skippy, she could solve the mystery of the half-toons. But she wouldn't get any further with the grouchy old woman today. She'd have to move on to someone else. Hello Nurse picked herself up, trying to fix her clothes and hair.
But I can't help but wonder... What happened to poor Skippy if the half-toons are involved?
Scratchansniff wandered the streets of Burbank, looking at the birds flying around in the sky. He seemed to be searching for specific kinds of birds. When he saw a pigeon, he tried to speak to it, only to be sorely disappointed when the pigeons cooed and flew away.
He groaned in annoyance and sat down on a nearby bench. Pigeons landed around him, cooing and pecking the ground. He stared at them in annoyance. He wasn't sure how he would find a toon pigeon in this mess of lookalike pigeons. He stared at the paper Hello Nurse had given him. The first suspects were listed: The Goodfeathers, Bobby, Pesto, and or Squit.
Scratchansniff watched the pigeons peck around him. Suddenly, they all scattered as a harsh New York accented voice cut through them.
"Ay! I'm walkin' here!"
A purple headed pigeon landed in front of Scratchansniff. It yelled a few more obscenities at the other pigeons as they flew away.
"Get outta here!" the pigeon screeched, "This is Goodfeathers territory!"
"Goodfeathers!" Scratchansniff exclaimed, "Ah! You must be Pesto! I believe we've spoken before about your anger issues?"
Pesto turned and glared at him, "Anger issues? Who says I gots anger issues? I'm a perfectly level headed bird I tells ya!" He said this with a psychotically angry scowl on his tiny bird face.
"I uh... Never mind that," Scratchansniff quickly changed the subject before Pesto could get angrier at him, "Listen, is there anyway I can speak to the rest of the Goodfeathers as well?"
Pesto held his wings out, gesturing at himself, "You're lookin' at 'em!"
Scratchansniff cocked an eyebrow, "What about Bobby and Squit?"
"I ain't seen 'em since the Goodfeathers broke up. I'm its sole member! Godpigeon Pesto!"
"Even the Godpigeon?"
"The Godpigeon kicked the bucket decades ago! That's when we broke up. I ain't gotta clue where those punks at!"
"Were they not some of your best pals?"
"Well! I-! Uhhh..."
Pesto stopped screaming for just a moment and began speaking in a normal tone; something very unlike him, "Listen, doc. I don't know what happened to those punks. They just stopped showing up one day. I went out one night with my girl and when I went to meet up with the boys the next day, their lousy, lazy birdbrain selves weren't there! They up and split-ski'd on me!"
Scratchansniff nodded as he listened to Pesto's story, "Tell me Pesto, do you think it has anything to do with the half-toon abominations at Warner Brothers?"
Pesto raised an eyebrow, "The half-toons? You mean those monsters I keep hearing the humans talk about?"
"Exactly those. Do you know approximately when you and your pals erm... Split-ski'd?"
"1999." Pesto answered, hardly hesitating.
Scratchansniff nodded again. Bobby and Squit disappeared around the same time the half-toons began appearing. The way Pesto acted as if he wasn't bothered by his friends leaving when he clearly was bothered made Scratchansniff think something was afoul. Could Bobby and Squit be involved with the disappearances? Or worse...
Could they have been kidnapped by the ones truly responsible?
Scratchansniff stood up, "Thank you so much Pesto. You've been a big help."
"Hey! Hold up doc!" Pesto yelled, flying up to stare the psychiatrist in the eyes, "What's it to ya anyways? Ain't those monsters just rumors anyways?"
"I'm afraid not." Scratchansniff answered. He explained to the pigeon what had been happening at the studio. The loud-mouthed Pesto was surprisingly quiet as he listened. When Scratchansniff finished, Pesto thought for a moment.
He seemed surprisingly upset by the thought, "Doc, you think my pals really coulda got in trouble?"
"I mean..." Scratchansniff answered slowly, "Whoever or whatever is responsible for the creatures seems only to target humans on the studio lot. But it is entirely possible they coulda got in trouble."
Pesto's rage suddenly returned in full force, "That's it! If I find whoever's done this, I'll-! I'll-! I'll make 'em pay, Goodfeathers style!"
"Pesto it is appreciated, but-" Scratchansniff tried to insist.
Pesto cut him off, "Forget about shakin' me off, doc! I'm gonna find these half-toon freaks and beat 'em to a pulp! And you're gonna help me!"
Scratchansniff sighed. It seemed he wouldn't be able to get rid of the anger prone pigeon no matter how hard he tried. He decided to simply accept it as Pesto flew beside him, shouting expletives about the half-toons the whole way.