"Cut! Cut!" Quentin took off his square-framed glasses and threw them to the ground, stepping on them with a loud crunch. "The line is "Cobby, I'm in love with you, but my parents have told me I have to kill you!" then you pull out the silver dagger and stab him. How difficult can it be?" exasperated, the black cat took off his beret and frisbee'd it out of sight. "Whatever, let's just call it a day. Everybody go home, or wherever you cretins go when you're not under my control." Quentin quickly walked off the set leaving the remaining Toons to their own devices.
Quickly before the director could change his mind, most of the actors and crew had quickly escaped back to the locker rooms, or out of the front entrance of the studio. Boxer, still soaking in that they were wrapping up the movie had started walking around the studio. Just a few weeks earlier he had come here with a dream and had miraculously been given an opportunity to star in what appeared to be a blockbuster movie. Caramel had consistently told him how well he was doing, after a rough period at the beginning when he struggled with a few things. Since Hog's disappearance a week and a half prior, things had gone so much more smoothly without having to worry about losing his spot. He really had Tyler to thank for all of this. Speaking of which, when was the last time him and Tyler spoke? It was about a week and a half ago, the weekend that Hog went missing. Pulling out his whisper device he held it to his ear and listened to it ring. After a few moments a voice hesitantly answered. "Uh, hello...?"
"Hey, Tyler! This is Boxer! I was just calling to check in on you. Haven't heard from you in a while? Everything okay?" Boxer twiddled his fingers and spoke confused at his agent's somewhat concerned tone.
"Um. Yup. Totally, man. Everything is a-ok! Nothing to worry about on my end!" Tyler spoke with an anxiousness that Boxer rarely heard from the monkey.
Boxer rubbed his chin as he pushed open the door to the entrance and out onto the Melodyland street. "Doesn't sound like you're okay. Just tell me what's up. I mean you are my agent after all. You got me the best job I've ever had. If you're in trouble, just tell me and I'll do what I can. I owe you."
"Um, alright. Well you have to promise not to get mad at me, do you promise?" Tyler's tone went from one of anxiety to one of almost anger and defensiveness. "You have to promise me, man."
"Yeah, yeah. I promise. What's going on, buddy?" becoming increasingly concerned, Boxer agreed to his friend's plea.
A few more moments of silence passed before Tyler spoke again. "Actually, it might just be better if you came over. Do you still have the card I gave you? It has instructions to my pad. Come stop by as soon as you can. Come alone, and make sure you're not followed." before Boxer could speak again, Tyler hung up. The purple dog could feel something welling up inside of him, a pit of emptiness and anxiety as worries raced through his mind. What could Tyler possibly have done? Why would he need Boxer to show up alone? pulling out the card he combed over it until he found the address. Putting the coordinates into his teleporter, he jumped into the black hole and disappeared into the black.
After a stressful night where sleep was almost an afterthought, Wacky woke up the next day groggy and stressed. It was going to be a long day of investigating. They had the list of every known cat within Cog Nation was going to be tedious. Not to mention the very real possibility that the perpetrator was from outside of Cog Nation. he was hoping that wasn't the case. Plus, what if this was a set up? It all seemed too convenient that there was a paw print in the ash. With how this evil Toon had disguised their work, this would pose quite the challenge if his intuition was incorrect. Skipping his morning coffee, the yellow monkey set off to the hotel where his newest investigator would be staying. Wacky had known Kuma for a few years. The white bear had been a considerable help in helping him as he began the process of becoming mayor, clearing background checks and things like that. Now he was one of the mayor's top trusted detectives. As the yellow monkey walked down the Cog Nation streets he received numerous glares. Some cogs would cross the street at notice of him approaching. It was a tense atmosphere and Wacky wanted no further part of it.
As Wacky arrived at the hotel, he walked through the revolving glass door to enter the lobby. It was still quite early and aside from a few employees, not another soul. "Good afternoon, could you please help me. I'm searching for room two-fourteen?" the yellow monkey inquired to a Tightwad who was handling a computer at the front. Immediately the green-tinted cog started to back away before pointing to an elevator across the room, not saying another word. Nodding, Wacky smiled as friendly as he could and continued over to the elevator. Fortunately cogs had mostly adopted a similar language to Toons, likely due to their creator being a Toon, and so reading the numbers wasn't too difficult. A light ding premeditated the elevator doors opening and the mayor stepped inside and pushed the button for the second floor. An oddly enjoyable music began to play as he tapped his foot, humming along. He knew he was getting older now, what Toon under forty enjoyed elevator music? Another ding rung out and the doors opened. The hallway with the rooms was quite narrow and the carpeting was beginning to show wear. It was clear this hotel was likely not one of the nicer ones in Cog Nation, which made sense as most Toons wouldn't have sufficient capital to translate into Cog Bucks for something nicer. "Lets see. Two-twelve. Two-thirteen. Ah, here we go. Two-fourteen." reaching out he knocked on the door and waited a few seconds. A light rustling from inside the room set off his senses. Knocking one more time, he called out. "Hey, Kuma? You awake in there? You said to be here a few minutes ago, I was running a bit late." more time passed with no response.
Reaching out, Wacky pulled on the handle of the door and surprisingly it was unlocked. Pushing open the door slowly, he called out one more time. "Hey Kuma, I'm coming in. If you're naked you better put something on because I don't want to stand out here any more. It smells like cog oil." Wacky's apprehension was immediately validated as he entered. Furniture was strewn around, as if there had been a struggle. Rushing inside, Wacky saw the unconscious body of one white bear, laying on the floor. "Kuma!" the yellow monkey screamed and ran over. A loud noise caught his ear. Turning across the room he saw a figure in the still emerging twilight begin to flee. "Hey, stop there!" the figure was most certainly a cat. With almost ninja like qualities, the cat hopped through the room and flew through an open window, sliding down a gutter and into the darkness. Wacky was conflicted. He had most certainly saw the culprit, but now his friend was potentially in danger. He had to act, and he had to act now.
Boxer had never been in this area of Minnie's Melodyland. It was certainly a lot sketchier than anywhere he had been, and unlike anything he'd ever seen in Toontown. Most of the estates were worn down, broken windows, boarded up, spray-painted. Uncomfortably speed walking through the neighborhood, he could feel the respite from the sun giving way to the nerve-wrecking darkness. Fortunately it didn't appear there were many other Toons around. The few that were had most stuck to themselves or even walked away from Boxer. He had assumed everybody felt similar to him. His teleporter had malfunctioned and taken him about six blocks down from where he was supposed to be. Using the card he was given as reference he counted down the numbers on each house until it finally landed on the number he was looking for. Tyler's house was quite different than Boxer had expected. The monkey agent had given off an allure of the extraordinaire and certainly had a hint of someone who would live in a mansion. However, it was just a normal estate. It was a bit worn down, but compared to the rest of the estates it was certainly in better shape. Opening a small gate, he walked down a cobblestone pathway and heard the rampant barking of a doodle from inside of the house. Boxer didn't really care for doodles. He found them to be a quite annoying, but he hopefully wouldn't be here very long. As he got closer he noticed that the lights weren't on, or were so dimly lit it couldn't be seen from the outside. Reaching out, his soft gloved fist pounded lightly on the wooden door. This increased the rambunctiousness of the doodle. After a few seconds, Boxer called out. "Hey Tyler, it's Boxer. You in there?"
From the second floor, a small window revealed a tiny ray of light as a curtain was pulled away and quickly reverted back. The light thumping of feet running down stairs predated the yelling. "Shut up, Banana! Its just a guest! Get out of here!" the yelping continued before a loud squeal rung through the air and then quickly stopped. The sound of what seemed like fifteen locks being undone caused Boxer to worry a bit. Anxiously waiting, he watched as the door peeled open and the familiar face peeked through. "Boxer. Are you alone? Were you followed?"
"It's just me, Tyler. I don't even know who would follow me here. Just open the door. I'm worried about you." Boxer crossed his arms and tilted his head back in frustration. An idea was finally beginning to form in Boxer's mind. Tyler must have gotten in trouble with a director or a client and was probably laying low to avoid getting a beating. Maybe he owed someone money and they knew Boxer was his client. "If you needed money you could have let me know."
Before Boxer could continue, he was quickly ripped inside before Tyler slammed the door behind them. Shoving locks back into place and taking one last look outside and drawing the curtains over the windows near the door. Inside of the house was... well it was pretty normal. No extravagant furniture or anything. Certainly not what Boxer expected either. "I don't need money. Just- ugh. Just. I don't know what to do, Boxer. I messed up, and I messed up badly. I don't know what to do, man. I think I'm going to need your help with this. But first, you have to SWEAR you won't tell anyone."
Tyler's continued desperation and required validation of secrecy was driving the purple dog towards a near panic attack. "I already said I would. Dude, you saved my career. I wouldn't be where I'm out without everything you've done. I'll do anything I can for you."
"Well I'm glad we're on the same page then." taking a deep breath, Tyler closed his eyes and looked to the sky. "Okay, follow me." the white monkey swung his arm in a full motion, indicating for Boxer to follow him. The pair made their way through the barely furnished home, through the kitchen to a door. "It's down here in the basement."
"It? What do you mean by it? You have to tell me what's going on." becoming frustrated, Boxer was beginning to show his agitation. Tyler sighed and pulled open the basement door. "I think it will be easier if you see it with your own two eyes."
"Edward! Edward! Answer the cog damn phone!" Wacky continued pacing the small motel room, holding his whisper device to his ear. The yellow monkey had decided not to give chase, as he couldn't take the risk that something bad had happened to Kuma, whom he had propped up and was breathing. He had just witnessed the killer. It was certainly a cat. The figure couldn't be anything else. Whoever they were, they knew who Kuma was and where to find him. Finally the clicking of an answer alerted Wacky that he had reached the Big Wig.
"Wacky, why are you calling me this early in the morning? I was just finishing breakfast. Can't things wait? The investigation isn't going anywhere." Edward yawned as he finished the sentence.
"You'd be wrong. I just witnessed the killer. He just escaped from the Penny Pincher: Discount Motel. I came to get Kuma and I found him unconscious and a cat jumped out of the window. I wasn't able to give chase. I need you to call an emergency order. Close off the borders to Cog Nation. Don't let anybody in or out of the city. Block any teleportation. I need you to get squads of cogs together to look out for any cat. Any cat seen walking around needs to be stopped and apprehended. We can't take any chances!"
There were a few moments of silence before Edward was able to comprehend what he had heard. "Wait, how the hell did he know where Kuma was? There were only a small handful of us who even know who he is."
"Listen I don't know but we're wasting time. I'm going to call a medical crew and I'll be over right away. Make sure you watch your back, we don't know who this cat is and it seems like they're not taking any chances. If you have any security on duty, make sure to stay close to them. This cat is dangerous, and they are quick." hanging up, Wacky ran over to the bear who had fidgeted a bit and groaned.
Holding up his hand to his head, Kuma slid himself up more. As his blurred vision became clear a bright yellow monkey came into view. "Wacky, wh-what are you doing here?"
"Kuma! Kuma! Thank cog you're okay!" the mayor ran and knelt by his friend. "What the heck happened?"
"What do you mean? How did you even get in here? Did I leave the door unlocked?" the bear seemed unsure of anything that had just occurred. "Why am I here on the ground? Did I fall asleep? How long have you been here?"
Slapping his hand to his face, Wacky sighed. "You didn't see them? It was the killer, man! They were here! I came in and they were here!"
This seemed to bring a jolt of energy to Kuma. "Wait, the killer was here! Did you see them! What did they look like?"
"I don't know. It was dark. They slipped out the window and took off." Wacky slid down dejectedly. "I let them right through my fingers. I called Edward and let him know what's going on. They're locking down the city. At least you're okay. They must have gotten in and got to you before you saw them. But how did they know you were here? Did you talk to anyone?"
"No, just you, Edward, a few assistants and that's it. There were like eight of us that knew I'd be here. Someone must have let it slip somewhere or the killer was listening in. I don't know what else it could be." Kuma pounded his fist into the bed, frustrated. "I can't believe I almost let that slimeball get me. I'm really glad you showed up, Wacky."
Unable to focus on Kuma's words, Wacky was already in thought. "There were like eight of us..." Wacky whispered to himself. "What else could it be..."