"Hey Jamal, heard you got promoted! Do you wanna head out to the bar? I know a place that has this great cognac! It's supposed to really hit after a productive day at the office!" the short, chubby Flunky stood at Jamal's cubicle, twirling his tie.
The exhausted Backstabber smiled at his friend and shook his head. "No thanks, Matt. I think I've had enough fun for one day. I just kind of want to go home and catch up on "Cogs and Robbers." I'm three episodes behind and I know that Andy over there is going to spoil it for me if I don't watch it soon. I'm free Friday, how about we hit up Andrea and Maxine and see if they want to go? We can have a whole night!"
"Oh... Andrea?" the short bald cog looked across the room to the tall, skinny, loan shark. "I mean... yeah! I'm sure that would be fun!" Matt stopped twirling his tie and walked into his friend's cubicle. "I know this isn't really proper office protocol but I find Andrea to be quite a handsome cog. Do you think maybe you could ask her? I get a bit nervous around her."
Jamal slapped his friend's back and laughed. "You got it, buddy. When we get there though you're on your own? She's never going to see how great you are if you don't put yourself out there! You could wear that new suit you got for Pro-Labor Day? You slay in that my man. Anyways, I'm gonna try to get a head start. I want to beat Andy out. He's been eyeing me all day and I keep finding excuses to get out of talking to him." the two friends laughed. "Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a safe, productive night!" Jamal grabbed his suit jacket and made his way down the stairs to the office lobby. Since the Toon Wars had ended two years ago, life for cogs had become much higher quality. All productivity was not centered around manufacturing, fighting, or anti-Toons. In fact, the Toons had even introduced several quality of life upgrades for cogs. Jamal had never known how much television could be until he watched "Breaking Sad." Seeing a Toon become a king-pin in the underground gag scene was exhilarating. Now Jamal spent most of his free time watching TV. he didn't mind though. After years of constant mind-numbing work, it was nice to relax a bit. As the sharp backstabber stepped out into the surprisingly blue sky, he smiled. Without all of the factories, the Cog Nation atmosphere had cleared up nicely. He remembered the first time he saw the sun. It had been pure magic. He had never imagined it would be something he'd get to see in his lifetime. As he quickly walked down Gear Golfway, he whistled a tune. Tonight was going to be fantastic!
After stopping at the store to pick up a six-pack of oil, Jamal finally made it back to his cog-villa. With his new raise he was finally going to be able to afford an upgrade. Maybe somewhere downtown closer to work so the commute wasn't so long. Pulling a key out of his pocket he slid it into the door and rustled it around. As he began to push open the door he was interrupted by a light pounding sound coming from inside. Stepping back, the hesitant cog looked around the hallway for signs of other beings. Shrugging he shook his head and walked inside. It wasn't uncommon for some work to be done on other rooms. Once Jamal was inside, he immediately recognized something was wrong. His favorite chair was slightly ajar. He liked to keep it at a seventy-four degree angle in relation to the TV. It gave him the best viewing opportunity. If that wasn't enough, one of his framed pictures of himself meeting the former VP was knocked over and there were small shards of glass on the ground. "Those workers really need to be more considerate of the cogs actually living here." he seethed to himself. Walking into the kitchen he grabbed a broom and started walking back into the living room. As he began to sweep another sound called out to him from the pitch black hallway down near the other side of the living room. Standing up nervously, Jamal wielded his brook handle so it stuck straight out. "H-Hello? Is there somebody in here? This cog-villa is occupied! My name is Jamal! If you have entered the wrong residence, I will not mind, but please just exit quietly! I do not wish to harm you!"
Outside, rain exploded as the bright blue sky slowly began enveloped with gray clouds. Flashes of lightning and thunder had just as quickly came. Jamal always hated storms. They reminded him of a particularly traumatic experience he had when he had ventured into Toontown on accident many years ago. Reaching for a light switch, Jamal flicked it into the on position, but nothing happened. Flipping up and down a few more times, Jamal sighed. Now the power was out? Whoever was supposed to be doing maintenance here was clearly not very good at their job. Not an issue though, Jamal kept candles in the bathroom... down the hallway. Taking a deep breath, the backstabber clenched his wooden broom handle and slow tiptoed. His black, leather shoes buried themselves into the soft, woolen carpet, muffling his steps for any potential intruders. Once he reached the hallway he quickly place his back against the wall. Sliding his way with successive step after successive step he didn't make a single sound. While his breath was captured, his gears were cranking at maximum capacity. Finally he had reached the bathroom. Reaching his arm around the wall he flipped the switch on, and to his surprise a bright yellow light seamlessly filled the room. Taking a sigh of relief, Jamal stepped inside and closed the door. Walking over to a cabinet, he pulled open the wooden door and smiled. "Burnt oil or Tie Food... Hmm. Let's go Burnt Oil tonight." grabbing a thick black candle, Jamal placed it on the counter and pulled a lighter from nearby. Lighting the candle he wafted the delicious aroma around the room. Well if he didn't have electricity, at least things would smell good. Stepping out of the bathroom into the now dimly lit hallway, Jamal turned off the light and continued back to what he had originally started. In his other hand he continued gripping the broom. Stepping out of the hallway, he stopped. In front of him was a shadowy figure. The light of the candle was enough to recognize that this was not a cog. This was a Toon! Why was a Toon in here though? "Excuse me. Can I help you?"
"Yes you can, Jamal. I see that you have been very critical of my work..." the deep, haunting voice spoke calmly.
"Your work? I'm just a level five, Mr. I do not do reviews or anything of the sort. I am simply a message writer! If you had a bad review, I would recommend following protocol and speaking with your immediate supervisor!" Jamal stepped back. His voice trembled as the figure took a step forward. Jamal had little knowledge of Toons, aside from the few he had seen in movies. It was certainly not enough to distinctly identify one in this kind of lighting.
The shadow began to giggle the most horrendous laughter Jamal had ever heard. The evil crackling sent chills up Jamal's spine. "Oh, Jamal. You know exactly what I am talking about." the figure lifted his arm and in his head was the disembodied head of a Flunky.
"Matt! That's Matt!" realizing the suddenness of the situation, Jamal dropped his broom and began to run towards the front door. As he reached the handle, he began to turn desperately, yet the door would not cooperate. No matter how hard he pulled or budged nothing happened. Behind him he could see the shadow approaching. A white glove eventually reached out and scrunched up his shirt, pulling him down to the ground. "No! Why are you doing this! Please. I have done nothing wrong! I promise I won't tell anybody!"
"You are right... You won't tell anybody anything. Ever again." the last thing Jamal ever saw was the birthday cake being pressed into his face. The mystery shadow dusted off their hands and smiled. That was one last problem they were going to have to worry about. They hated snitches. This cog had already interfered with their bigger plans. Now Toontown would be aware of them. Why those fools cared was beyond them though. The cogs were and always would be the enemy. Looking around the room, the figure conjured up an even easier way of destroying the evidence. Walking over to where the now-dead backstabber had placed his six pack of oil down, he grabbed the plastic rings and shot his way back over. An idea was forming in their brilliant mind. Near the pieces of Jamal that scattered the room sat a small lit candle. "Burnt-Oil. Well I guess that's a great idea!" the shadow laughed. Turning the candle up-side down, they watched as the flames began to engulf the carpet. Pouring open a can of oil, they began to spill it around the carpet, tossing the empty cans carelessly around, Strewing oil into the starving flames, the fire roared higher and higher. "You should have let me do what I was going to do. You've just doomed the entire villa, Jamal." with one last laugh, the shadow slipped out of a nearby window and whisked away into the cover of the night.
Boxer hardly slept the previous night. His own agent. Just saying that made him feel like a superstar. Fortunately for the purple dog, he was off today so he could immediately meet and hopefully start getting some golden opportunities. After all, who better to understand a struggling artist than a struggling agent? They both had a lot of incentive to try and succeed. It was basically a match made in heaven. Boxer had worn his nicest bow-tie and top-hat. He wanted to look as spiffy as possible. What if this Tyler guy had already found him a job? He hoped it was a movie, but a TV show would be acceptable, too! As he made his way down Alto Avenue, for the first time since he had arrived in Toontown, Boxer finally didn't feel alone. The constant sense of dread that had been dragging down his laff. Tyler had asked him to meet near the "Sound of Music and Aoogahs" a very well known recording studio. When Boxer had heard, it had certainly piqued his interest. He had never been a singer, but who was he to turn down an opportunity at fame? Finally arriving at his destination, the tall dog nodded and smiled. Just a few feet in front of him was the door to success. Before he could reach out and grab the handle a voice called out from behind him with a thick accent that Boxer had never heard before. "Ah, so you must be that Boxa fella I been hearin' about."
Turning around, Boxer was face to face with the strangest Toon he had ever seen. A bright pink monkey with long and unkempt fur. He was wearing a baggy plaid long-sleeve shirt and skinny black shorts. His eyes were covered with cheap sunglasses and he was chewing on a toothpick. "Um, are you Tyler?"
"Am I Tyler? Who else would I be, man? Ain't no other Tyler around here? You see a Tyler around here?" throwing his arms up mockingly, the pink monkey chuckled and threw them back down. "Ah come on bud, I jus' be messin' wit you a bit. Ain't nohin' you know. Bustin' ya chops and all that. Nice ta meet ya. I'm Tyler, your new agent." the monkey stuck out his hand. Boxer hesitated for a second and extended his arm, clenching the ungloved hand. "Thanks fuh meetin' me out here. I'd go inside buts I'm not allowed in on accounts of I owe them jellybeans. Told them I'd pay them back once I got on ma feet but they ain't goin' for it ya know?"
Tyler's dialect was a bit difficult for Boxer to follow. While he was getting the basic gist, he didn't want to risk offending his new manager minutes after meeting. "Haha, yeah." Boxer responded, unsure of what to say. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you. Stephen told me a lot of great things about you!"
"Ya know it. Steve, love him, but he's a bit uptight for my likin'. Always has been. I move out to Funny Farms and he decides he wants to head to Melodyland. Ain't nothin' wrong wit it ya know, but just a bit sad he'd such a square." Tyler laughed uproariously. "So, uh, tell me about you, Boxa. What kind of stuff you good at. You an actor? Singer? Spill the jellybeans, you're bustin' my bananas here."
"Well, I would say acting is my best skill. I've always wanted to be an actor. But I'm up for anything!" Boxer grinned, daydreaming himself holding up a prestigious acting award at the Toony's.
Stroking his chin, the pink monkey closed his eyes. "How bout' ya show me a bit of what ya got. Hit me wit a few lines. Wanna see what I'm workin' wit here, ya know?"
"Um, sure. What do you want me to act? Like is there anything specific?" Boxer stood confused at the request he had been given.
"Nah. Just do whateva comes best to you. I'm ya manager, not your director. I jus' need to see something so we can see where we gonna want to start." Tyler used his fingers to make a small rectangle and closed in on his right eye. "Now... Action!"
Boxer thought for a moment. He'd never been asked to just act on the spot before. He decided to pull out a scene from "The Toonman Show" his favorite movie. Taking a breath, the purple dog stood confidently. "Billy! You've been my best friend for twenty years! What kind of nonsense are you talking about! Your life is perfect! Why would you ever want to leave Prank City! It has everything a Toon could ever want. Who knows what is on the other side of these borders! Maybe there's cogs! You can't leave, Billy!" stopping, Boxer waited anxiously as the monkey stared at him emotionless.
"Ah. I see why you need an agent. Oof, not to bust ya chops, Boxa but that was not da best actin' I ever saw. Now it ain't bad. But I think you would be best off doing adult entertoonment with them kind of skills. Now ain't no shame in that. We all gots ta do what we got ta do. Pays pretty well too. What ya think?" Tyler walked and placed his arm around Boxer's shoulder.
"I am NOT doing that. First off, I have a family. What if they found out I was doing stuff like that? Anyways, I am an actor. I just wasn't warmed up! You had me do that out of the blue! Just wait until you see me with some practice!" Boxer spoke strongly, unsure if even he could believe his own words.
Surprisingly though, Tyler seemed to accept what he said. "Ya right. Ain't fair to judge a Toon when he ain't have the chance to prepare. I apologize for that. Although the adult stuff is still on da table if you ever interested. I got a director who needs a new star for his film "Back Door Mutts.""
"No. No. Please, just stop with that okay? I'm not doing that. Don't you have anything more respectable? A movie that needs a side-character? A TV pilot? Heck, a commercial would be fine!" Boxer pinched the bridge his nose in frustration.
"Actually... Now dat you mention it. I think I do got an opportunity for us here. Now, I ain't exactly on good terms with da guy, but he will come around. He won't let no pettiness get in da way of creating art. He's a small film director. had a few good runs in Funny Farms independent scene. Came out here a few weeks ago himself. I say we go drop by and see what he's up to."