As the expensive black car pulled into the studio gate, employees stopped to watch it drive by. Mr. Plotz was still going on about his travels to his captive audience when he noticed that they had arrived.
"Goodness, the studio's hardly changed since I was last here!" He exclaimed, "Hmm... Did we ever find out what happened to Ralph? He went missing back when I was still running the joint."
Hello Nurse cringed. Scratchansniff looked at the floor. Pesto kept his mouth shut. Brian glanced at them both, then stared at Plotz.
"It's... A long story." He said, "It's best if we discuss it in private."
The car pulled up to the studio executive office. As the group got out of the vehicle and entered the building, Mr. Plotz was hounded by employees, mostly other executives trying to get him up to speed on what was happening. He was overwhelmed and eventually screamed out.
"Quiet!!" He glared at all of the employees harassing him, momentarily looking like his old self, "I will be speaking to my close friends here about the studio. You're just going to have to schedule an appointment with my secreta-!" He caught himself and looked around the room at a random person before pointing at a man in a business suit, "You! You're my new secretary!"
The man was immediately drowned in a crowd of worried employees, demanding they schedule an appointment with Mr. Plotz. This left the group to take the elevator to the top floor.
"My my, people sure seem tense these days!" Plotz spoke, completely oblivious as to why everyone was stressed.
Once the elevator reached the top, they stepped out into the CEO's office. Plotz waddled over to the desk and sat down. He invited the others to grab a seat and sit across from them.
"So what's this issue that's been going on?" Plotz asked, looking genuinely curious, "If I'm going to be running this studio again, I need to have all these problems fixed."
Scratchansniff, Hello Nurse, Pesto, and Brian all exchanged awkward glances. None of them seemed sure as to who should fill Plotz in. Eventually, Hello Nurse broke the silence.
"Well you see, it all started when Ralph disappeared..."
Hello Nurse began to tell Mr. Plotz all about the disappearances of the studio employees. She went into detail about the half-toons and her encounter with one that looked much like Ralph. A worried glare from Brian signaled for her to keep quiet about their recent discovery of the imprisoned toons and the Warners' involvement. Thus she omitted it and simply filled him in on the disappearances and the half-toons.
Plotz seemed truly disturbed, "And you're sure this isn't some elaborate prank?"
"No sir," Hello Nurse clarified, "It's been happening for nearly two decades now."
"We have reason to suspect that the previous CEO, Ms. Norita may have fallen victim to the half-toons." Brian elaborated, "Which is why we require your help to investigate a... Couple of suspect places."
Pesto looked like he wanted to say something, but he surprisingly kept his mouth shut. His feathers were still ruffled to maximum height as he started down Mr. Plotz. Hello Nurse tried to pet him to calm him down, but he was having none of it.
Plotz rubbed his head, "I was not expecting to come back to something this nightmarish. And not a single executive was doing anything to put a stop to it?"
They all shook their heads.
"Ms. Norita believed it to be rumors," Scratchansniff explained, "But just yesterday, she went missing and her car was found smashed to pieces. We desperately need some help."
Plotz listened for a moment. He genuinely seemed worried by the news, "Then I'll do all there is I can to help. We need to solve this right awa-"
He was interrupted as the phone on his desk suddenly rang. Plotz picked it up and answered.
"Warner Brothers CEO Thaddeus Plotz, speaking. Who is this?"
He paused. His calm look suddenly morphed to one of dread. He was silent as the person on the other line spoke.
"I... Yes Miss" He said, "I understand. I-... But... Do I have no other choice?"
He was silent again. Pesto's feathers ruffled even higher as he gave an angry cooing sound. Hello Nurse gripped the chair. Perhaps it was the pigeon vibrating angrily on her lap, or the twisted feeling in her gut, but something was terribly wrong.
Plotz was silent for a long time while while he listened on the phone. Finally, he spoke, "I... I understand. I'm sorry for the confusio-" He took the phone from his ear, staring at it in shock. It appeared that whoever was on the other line had hung up on him.
"Is everything okay, Mr. Plotz?" Asked Scratchansniff.
Plotz put the phone back on the receiver before he turned back to group. His cheerful demeanor had changed before their very eyes. He was grave, upset, and very, very angry.
And it was all directed at them.
"You lie directly to my face on my very first day back as the boss of this studio?" Plotz demanded, raising his voice.
Scratchansniff gasped, "Lie?! Sir! Everything we're telling you is true!"
"That was one of my fellow executives..." Plotz explained, glaring at Scratchansniff, "She said you've been causing nothing but trouble for them, spreading these horrible rumors." He gestured to Brian accusingly, "And hiring this hack fraud to push more of these lies?"
"Mr. Plotz, I believe you misunderstand-" Brian tried to defend himself.
"No, I understand perfectly!" Plotz cut him off, slamming his fists against the table, "You've outstayed your welcome here at this studio. I have no choice but to take action to ensure this studio's reputation stays afloat." He pointed to Scratchansniff, "Dr. Otto Scratchansniff, you are hereby fired and banned from Warner Brothers Studios!"
Scratchansniff yelped, "W-what?!"
Hello Nurse stood to her feet, knocking Pesto on the floor, "Sir, you can't do that!! Scratchansniff has been nothing but loyal to this studio!"
"Oh really?" Plotz challenged, "Then you're fired too, Ms. Nurse!"
Hello Nurse raised an eyebrow, "I... I don't work here anymore?"
"Then you're also banned from the premises!" Plotz then turned to Brian, pointing an accusing finger at him, "And you! If I catch you snooping around this studio again, I'll have you arrested for trespassing!"
Brian said nothing. Only glared angrily at Plotz.
"From now on, you are all banned from this studio permanently!" Plotz yelled. He pressed an intercom button on his desk and screamed into it, "Security!! I need someone to escort these hooligans out of my office!"
"Mr. Plotz sir, you don't understand!" Hello Nurse managed to cut into his yelling, "We're trying to protect innocent people! If you get rid of us, you're just going to-!"
She was cut off suddenly as studio security guards arrived off the elevator and grabbed them all. They all tried to fight with them and yell at Plotz about how wrong he was, but it was to no avail. The security guards forced them into the elevator, out of the office, and off the studio premises against their will.
"And if you don't want us to call the police," said one of the guards, "Get walkin', away from this studio."
The guards turned and left the group. Pesto suddenly began screaming expletives at them as they left, as well as insulting Mr. Plotz and the whole of Warner Brothers Studios.
"I can't believe that! That! That ugly son of a-!" Pesto started.
"There's no sense in getting angry over this." Scratchansniff interrupted him calmly, "I mean, it was bound to happen after all. Nora didn't believe us either."
"No." Hello Nurse suddenly said. She glared daggers at the studio gate before her, "He believed us to begin with, but then when he received that phone call..."
Brian nodded, "One begins to question just who was on the other line. And just how they managed to convince Mr. Plotz to throw us out."
"I say, we go through with raiding that underground lair!" Pesto shouted, "Who's that fat cat to tell us what to do anyways?! I'm not backin' down when my buddies are in danger!"
"That's a fair point," Scratchansniff agreed, "But it's going to be much more difficult if we're not allowed on the studio premises anymore. What should we do?"
"We wait until nightfall." Brian said, "By then, most of the employees and Mr. Plotz himself will likely be gone. We would only have to contend with the night guards and other overnight staff."
"We can also use that time to put together a more solid plan." Hello Nurse added, "If we can just get proof of what the Warners are up to, then we'll be able to save everyone in the studio."
Scratchansniff gave a tired groan, "I have a feeling that is going to be very hard."
Dot sat quietly reading a magazine alone in the Warners' underground lab. As she flipped through the pages, she heard her brothers angrily arguing down the hall. The arguing approached closer until they were in the room, shouting at each other.
"You lost the scent!!" Yakko shouted, "Now that rat with wings is going to reveal all our plans!"
"I'm sorry!" Wakko yelled back, "I can't track a scent when I'm hungry!"
"YOU'RE ALWAYS HUNGRY!!"
"YOU'RE ALWAYS MEAN!!"
"Ladies! Ladies! You're both hungry and mean!" Dot appeared between them, stopping their argument, "What even are you arguing about?"
Yakko turned and glared at her, "Oh like you wouldn't know. You didn't lose that idiot Pesto last night! He wound up discovering our toon prisoners and escaping! Wakko and I tried to track him down but then this bumbling garbage disposal with legs tracked a half eaten hot dog in a trash can instead!"
"How many times do I got to say I'm sorry?!" Wakko cried.
"Pesto?" Dot asked, "Oh! Don't worry about him. I took care of him."
Yakko stared at her in shock, "You did? How?"
"Just a little thing I do. No need to worry yourself with it!"
Wakko blew a raspberry at Yakko, "You got mad at me for nothing!"
Yakko made a face back at Wakko, which just devolved into them making stupid faces at each other instead of arguing. Dot sighed and put her magazine away.
"By the way, your stupid specimen's been yelling at me from the other room." She said, "She wouldn't shut up so I had to shock her."
"Ah, yes, Nora's stitches." Yakko said, "I never finished them." He pointed at Wakko and gestured for him to follow, "Wakko, come with me. I'll need assistance."
"Only if I can have some Warnerium to snack on!" Wakko replied, following behind him.
They both went to the other room while Dot continued to read her magazine. In the adjacent room, Nora was still strapped to the table, the stitch connecting her human and toon leg still very much open and bleeding. Her hair was standing on end, a work of Dot's electric powers.
Yakko called in a sing-song voice, "Oh Nora sweetheart! We're back!"
Nora seemed to have fallen asleep and jolted awake upon hearing Yakko. She sat up as much as her restraints would allow and glared daggers at them, "You...! You left me here for nearly twelve hours?!"
"Oh pipe down." Yakko snarled back at her, "I'm not particularly happy either. I just spent all night trying to catch a pigeon."
"Instead we just caught a hot dog." Wakko added.
"You're not helping."
"Sorry."
"Anyways..." Yakko continued, addressing Nora again, "We've kept you waiting long enough. Let's finish up that last stitch, shall we?"