Chapter 2

A Clean Break

By the time Wendy got home from the golf course the sun had receded away and the moon and its stars had taken their place in the night sky. The night should have been quiet, especially since the estates were located in areas without background music. It wasn't quiet however, and music could be heard. The disturbance came from none other than Wendy's house, and the music was the result of her mother's knitting club getting together for a party.

The backyard had all sorts of games rented. There was a cannon to shoot Toons out of so they could hit targets on the ground. There were picnic tables full of snacks. There were trampolines and a bouncy castle. In short, everything that made for a great Toony party and a big mess for Wendy to clean up in the morning.

Wendy did her best to not call attention to herself as she pushed through the crowd of older Toons partying outside. She was small, so she could run through most of their legs without anyone taking notice. When she made it in the house she sighed in relief, only to notice that there were even more Toons inside! They were dancing, drinking punch, and throwing ping pong balls into her mother's giant vase. That would be yet another thing that Wendy would have to clean up.

Knowing she would have a full day tomorrow, Wendy decided to go to her room to try to get some sleep. It would be difficult to sleep with all the blaring music and shouting crowds, but she would try her best. As she went down the hall she tripped on a ball of yarn, and a pink cat hissed at her.

"You almost ruined my afghan!" The cat scolded her.

"Sorry, ma'am," Wendy whispered a quick apology before scurrying off.

Wendy soon realized that there were many Toons in the hallway sewing and knitting, which meant there was yarn everywhere. She would have to be very careful to not step on anything. Wendy carefully tiptoed past every strand of yarn and every spool of thread as she gradually made her way to the sanctuary of her room.

She finally made it to her bedroom after all that finagling, only to see two Toons were already there. A female pig and a male crocodile were pulling the thread from her blanket; unraveling the whole thing!

"What are you doing!?" Wendy shrieked in horror.

"We needed more blue yarn," The crocodile replied unapologetically, "This is perfect."

The pair of unruly Toons then left, each carrying an armload of what used to be Wendy's blanket. She wanted to cry. That was one of the few things her mother had actually made for her. One of the few nice things her mother ever did for her. She wanted to just break down, but she was too drained, so Wendy just sat on her bare mattress and sulked.

She looked up at the stars as she tried to go to sleep. The music was still thrumming through her ears like an angry fly, and the shouts and curses of the partygoers were penetrating the shielding of her bedroom door and infiltrating her sanctuary. She tried to distract herself with thoughts of the golf game, only to be assaulted by the image of the Cog that almost found her.

For some reason she still had vague images of a green Cog inside her mind. One that wore a head mirror and a blue suit. She didn't know the name of every type of Cog, but she was pretty sure what she was imagining was a Lawbot of some sort.

Of course the real monsters in Wendy's life were her parents and their rowdy friends. She knew tomorrow she would wake up to her mother yelling at her to clean up the mess she didn't even have a part in making, and then her brother would pawn off their baby sister to her again. She couldn't even have one day where she wasn't at the mercy of their whims, hard as she tried.

This day had started out so well, but had ended in disaster. Wendy just knew tomorrow would be even worse.

The next day Frank walked over to Wendy's house to see how she was doing. He knew her parents got annoyed that he came over so much, but he also knew he was a dog and they were cats, so he could handle himself against them if it ever came to that. For today, he just wanted to see if Wendy wanted to work a jigsaw puzzle with him.

When he got to the Moggytom/Leo residence he was surprised by the mess. There were stains on their white house and garbage in the grass. If Wendy hadn't dealt with this yet it meant the inside of the house must have been a disaster. Knowing he was probably walking into a powder keg, Frank gingerly stepped up to the door and went inside.

Just as expected, Wendy was fishing ping pong balls out of the giant vase in the living room and putting them into an infinity sack for safe keeping. Sophie had drank too much punch the previous night and was nursing a headache while sitting in her favorite chair. Leo was nowhere to be found, and Tom could be heard in the background shouting at the crying baby.

Without saying a word, Frank went over and started helping Wendy scoop out ping pong balls. He knew he could just leave, but he also knew Wendy couldn't, and right now she needed his help. She looked up to see Frank assisting in her cleanup efforts, and she sniffed back tears as she smiled gratefully. She didn't need to say thank you. As far as Frank was concerned she already said it.

...

It took several hours to clean up the trashed house, and every now and then Wendy would have to stop in order to help Tom take care of the baby. Sophie Moggytom eventually passed out again, and Leo would walk in every now and then to see the two kids cleaning. Rather than help them out however he would mostly just stand there and stare, and then eventually go back outside to sit in his lawn chair.

While Frank was cleaning up some trash outside he picked up a random piece of paper to throw in the infinity garbage bag. When he looked at it however he couldn't help but stare. It was a travel poster for The Brrrgh, the coldest place in all of Toontown. Frank had heard good things about The Brrrgh. It had the world's smallest fishing hole, which made it great for fish bingo players. It was a place where the citizens were super cheerful and the snowflakes could restore Laff energy. Not to mention ice skating. It was the only place in all of Toontown for ice skating. All that ice and snow also made everything look clean, which Frank knew was something Wendy needed right now.

The idea grew stronger in Frank's head the more he thought about it. Wendy needed a vacation. A way to restore her Laff. A way to get away from her nasty ungrateful family. A way to relax again.

Wendy walked up to him, picking up trash with a pointy stick and shoving it into the infinity bags. The bags worked on the same principle as the teleportation holes used to get from one playground to another. Frank had a teleport hole, but it only went to Goofy's Speedway and the golf course since that was where he spent most of his time.

One piece of trash after another disappeared forever into the null void as Wendy softly hummed and worked. She was in the zone at the moment, but that concentration was soon broken when she accidentally bumped into Frank. Frank silently laughed at his friend's aloofness, and then showed her the poster he had picked up off the ground.

"Um, yes, it's a nice poster," Wendy replied, not understanding what he was trying to say, "Um...I guess you can keep it if you want. Whoever had it isn't coming back for it, and it would look nice above your bed at the orphanage."

Frank facepalmed, and then shoved the poster at her insistently while pointing to the lettering above the scenery.

"Come...visit...The Brrrgh," Wendy read off slowly, "Oh! Are you going to The Brrrgh? Oh, well, I hope you enjoy your trip there. Bring me back some pictures for my schtickerbook."

Frank looked at her with a face that just screamed 'Really? You're still not getting this?'. Wendy scrunched up her eyebrows in thought and tried to figure out what her friend could possibly be trying to say to her. Finally a light bulb appeared above her head and she instantly got it.

"Oh! You want to take me to The Brrrgh?" Wendy asked with dawning comprehension.

Frank nodded vigorously.

"Um, well, that's very generous of you, but..." Wendy fiddled with her skirt and avoided eye contact as she spoke, "...I've never been beyond Donald's Dock. I've heard that the Cogs in The Brrrgh are incredibly powerful, and that the Toons there are all warriors that infiltrate Cog controlled buildings like they're nothing. What if someone asked us to help? My Laff is only 15, and I don't carry so much as a cupcake for protection. You're no better off than I, so why should we risk it?"

Frank just smirked at her and pointed to the poster again, this time showing happy Toons ice skating around an igloo.

"It does look like fun..." Wendy had to admit, "But my parents would never allow me to go on such a long and crazy adventure."

Frank's answer was simply to jab a thumb at the window, where Sophie Moggytom could be seen snoozing away in her favorite armchair. He then pointed to Leo, who was staring up at clouds like usual. Then he gave Wendy a sideways smile, as if to say 'What they don't know won't hurt them'.

Wendy smiled, but it was a small uncomfortable smile. She could feel her Laff energy rising already with anticipation, but she felt so unsure of herself. If Frank left it wouldn't matter. The caretakers understood he was getting older and didn't hold him back, but Wendy's family needed their favorite punching bag and babysitter right where she would be the most useful.

It wasn't like Wendy never rebelled. She painted the house white, the color of her fur, just because she knew the lack of color was untoony and made them look bad. She even managed their piggy bank's jellybeans and would often tell them they didn't have enough funds for things they could obviously afford. She fought back in her own silent way, but to be so blatant as to leave for an entire afternoon without telling them...that was a lot to ask of her.

"Do you think we can get back before dark?" Wendy asked tentatively.

Frank just shrugged nonchalantly, as if to say 'Who cares?'

Wendy bit her lower lip apprehensively, but then looked back up at Frank with eyes that shone with childlike desire. Life was short, and she just wanted one day where she could have fun in a strange and wonderful land. A place without growling stinky adults telling her she couldn't do anything.

"Alright," Wendy whispered cautiously, "I'm in."

When the pair of Toons made it to The Brrrgh they were surprised to find it totally deserted. It was cold, much colder than any place Wendy had ever been to, but everything sparkled like diamonds and there was a certain peace to the area that made her feel good. Frank was right. Everything was clean, powdery, and free. The ice rink was also available since there was no one in the playground.

Frank ran ahead of Wendy to start skating, only to realize he was in his bare feet and wouldn't be able to maintain his balance. He slipped and fell into the fishing hole, where he froze into an ice cube on the spot. Wendy could still hear his teeth chatter beneath the ice as she lifted him out of the water, and when she broke his icy coffin against the ground he started shivering like there was no tomorrow.

"Well, that was a bust," Wendy sighed disappointedly.

Frank shook his head even as he shivered, and then pointed to his feet.

"But where are we going to get ice skates?" Wendy asked, "I don't have any jellybeans."

Frank then pulled out his own pouch of jellybeans, and Wendy smiled, knowing that he meant he would cover for her to get a pair too. Wendy offered her hand to help Frank, but she couldn't pull him all the way up since she was so much smaller than him. The lanky dog still managed to get up with what little help Wendy could offer, and together they decided to try to find a store that sold ice skates.

"We came through Walrus Way..." Wendy pondered out loud, "And we didn't see any shops for what we needed. So, our best options would either be on Sleet Street or Polar Place. Which way do you think we should go, Frank?"

Frank just shrugged, so Wendy had to make the decision herself. When confronted with difficult options, she did what any good Toon would do...

"Eeny, Meeny, Minnie, Moe..." Wendy went back and forth with her fingers as she pointed to each tunnel, "Catch a Flunky by the toe. If he hollers make him pay, 50 Cogbucks every day. My mama told me to pick the very best one and you...are...it! Polar Place."

Frank nodded in agreement, and the duo ran toward the tunnel for Polar Place. So many warning signs around tunnels were practical jokes that said 'Watch Out! Made You Look!', so it was little surprise that they paid no attention to the warning sign in front of this particular tunnel. If they had they might have known that at the end of this street was a place that every Toon dreaded...Lawbot HQ.

About 20 minutes later, Wendy and Frank had to admit to each other that they were lost. They had found many buildings, including many that had gone grey due to a Cog takeover, but no place seemed to sell ice skating supplies. At least, none of them that were still run by Toons. The pair had decided to turn back around to go down Sleet Street, but they could no longer find their way back to the tunnel. They were lost, and worse yet, the place was crawling with Cogs.

Every time they saw a tall imposing metallic creature the Toons would hide behind a frozen mailbox or a pine tree in the hopes of evading the ghastly fiends. Every one of them looked so surly, so evil, so...untoony.

"What do we do?" Wendy squeaked quietly as she and Frank found themselves hiding behind a pillar, "They're hideous, and I heard from Father that Cogs will actually capture Toons and...*gulp*...erase them."

Frank just patted her gloved hand to comfort her, and looked around again to see if they could find any powerful Toons to protect them. He heard that Ubers and High Laff Toons frequented The Brrrgh because it was a great place for them to train. He just wished some of those Toons would come their way now.

"We have to make a break for it," Wendy whispered, "I think the coast is clear."

Frank nodded, and together they made their way out of their hiding place. They walked down the snowy street for a few feet, but then Wendy bumped into something hard and looked up to see what it was. Looking down at her with a malicious scowl was a Cog! It had a sickly white face, wore a blue suit, and had glistening sharp fangs. It looked like some sort of ghoul come to suck the Laff right out of them.

Wendy had seen these Cogs before, but she couldn't remember what they were called. Blood banks? No. Blood drivers? No, that sounded ridiculous.

"I'm surprised you found me. I'm very mobile," The Cog said in a creepy robotic monotone before pulling a long red roll of tape.

"AAAHH!" Wendy screamed, and she and Frank took off running.

The Toons tried to put as much distance between them and the Cog as possible, and the one thing they blessedly had on their side was that Cogs were very slow due to how heavy they were. The phantom Cog ran after them, well more like power-walked after them, but it wasn't able to catch up. Every now and then Wendy would look behind her to see if the Cog was still there, and of course it always was. She looked to see how Frank was holding up, only to find he wasn't beside her anymore. They had been separated!

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Wendy cried out in panic.

She was so intent on losing the pursuing Cog that she didn't even look where she was going. She turned around one curve in the street after another, and soon she was lost completely. Still the Cog continued to give chase. Wendy was sure she would be saddened, captured, depressed, erased! Just as all hope seemed lost however, she saw a tunnel up ahead. She sprinted for the tunnel with the last bit of energy she had left, and when she came out the other side she looked around to see a giant statue and some sort of gathering place for Cogs.

"Oh no..." Wendy whispered.

She saw the Cog that had been chasing her enter the tunnel, and saw that she was surrounded on all sides by even more Cogs that had not yet seen her. There was only one staircase where nobody was looking, so she took a chance and ran up it; hoping it led to an exit. When she made it up the stairs she was inside the building, and she had to stop and take a look at this strange new location.

"What is this place?" Wendy whispered to herself.

She found herself in a giant building, bigger than anything she had ever seen. The floors were perfectly polished, large gilded books lined the walls, and the ceiling seemed to go on forever. It took her breath away. Everything was so organized, so shiny, so...perfect. For a moment she just stared, but then at the sound of footsteps remembered why she ran in here in the first place. The monster Cog was right behind her!

She turned around, but it wasn't the same Cog staring down at her. This one was purple and had a pointy head. He looked surprised, and then angry. Wendy gulped, wondering how strong the Cog must be to take over a building this massive.

"Hey, guys!" The new Cog shouted, "There's a Toon in the DA's office! Prepare to attack!"

"DA's office?" Wendy muttered softly even as she backed away from the Cog, "You mean this is...Lawbot HQ?"

"Hey, my Toon!" The first Cog hollered, "You can't sadden her, Patrick! This is my job!"

"Go away, Drake!" The new Cog snapped, "You let a Toon in here. I bet the Chief Justice demotes you back to Bottom Feeder!"

"Still sounds better than your job, Backstabber!" The first Cog retorted.

Wendy used this temporary argument to her advantage and ran away. The arguing Cogs were blocking the front entrance, so the only thing she could do was run further into the building.

She wanted to cry as she went down hallway after hallway and couldn't find a way out. Every time she heard cog footsteps she hid behind a bookshelf or under a rug. For some reason her teleport hole wasn't working in this building. Then she remembered. Of course it wasn't. She only knew how to teleport back to playgrounds, but there was no playground here. This place belonged to Cogs, and they never did anything fun or Toony. She had to find a window or something to sneak out of. She only hoped Frank hadn't also found himself in this awful place.

Wendy continued to sneak from one place to another, dodging spotlights and Cogs. She even saw some Cogs that looked like nothing more than metallic skeletons, and those were perhaps the scariest of all. She needed to find a place where she could be safe.

"I can't believe Father used to fight these things," Wendy said to herself, "No wonder he's such a grouch. I wonder what Mother's excuse is then. Tee hee..."

Wendy tried to distract herself with funny thoughts in the hopes that this place wouldn't take her Laff away. She was a rank amateur; a 15 Laffer. She had no business being anywhere near this place, yet she didn't know how to get out.

Just as she was about to turn a corner, she saw a pair of Cogs coming her way. They hadn't seen her yet, but she was in the middle of the hallway. Out in the open. She would be captured! She needed a way out and fast!

Looking frantically around, Wendy found a door and prayed it wasn't locked. It opened! Yes! Wendy ran inside and shut the door behind her, hoping the Cogs didn't notice what she had done.

A few minutes earlier, Legal Eagle LE 2003-13-08-M11, more casually known as Kevin Buzzard, was working dutifully at his desk on an upcoming case involving a Micromanager suing a Pencil Pusher for not doing things her way. Kevin sighed at the litigiousness of Micromanagers. It seemed like they were always suing their coworkers and making more work for Lawbots like him.

He had already turned down two invitations to celebrate newly acquired Toon buildings. Everyone thought Kevin was a stick in the mud, and to be fair he was, but it was his prerogative if he would rather keep his spotless punctuality record as opposed to wasting time worrying about Toons and takeovers.

His phone rang, and he answered it with his standard greeting of "Kevin Buzzard. Attorney at law."

"Hey, it's Phoenix Wright!" The distorted voice on the other end slurred, "Im'a let you finish your documents, but I just wanted to let you know, you'll never *hic* get promoted if you don't get out there and...shake it up a little. Hah!"

"You sound like a Sellbot, Harry," Kevin said as he rolled his eyes, "So, how's the party? You know, the one you went to instead of helping me with our case?"

"Stupendous!" Kevin's coworker, a Big Wig named Harry Combover, shouted on the other end of the phone, "Sorry you couldn't be here. I love ya, you big ugly barping dork! Ooh, shrimp and oil cocktails! Bye-yuh!"

Kevin heard the phone being slammed on the other end, but it didn't quite hang up because he could still hear Harry making a pass at a Mingler on the other end. Blasted Sellbots. They were such a bad influence on Lawbot HQ. Almost as bad as Toons. Well, maybe not that bad, Kevin rescinded in his mind.

He went back to filing his paperwork, content to deal with the cases not quite important enough for the CJ but too important for a lesser Lawbot like a Bloodsucker or a Double Talker. He wanted to add Big Wigs to that list, especially ever since he was assigned to share case loads with Harry. He might've been a Big Wig, but he had the work ethic of a Robber Baron. Harry was content to let Kevin do everything while he slacked off, and it made Kevin feel like he was being taken advantage of.

Oh well, at least Kevin had his nice quiet office and his beautiful wooden desk. It had been given to him by a client that had stolen it from a Toon. Kevin didn't know how Cogs that went into Toontown could stand it. He had heard from colleagues that Toontown was a land with many opportunities for profit, but it just didn't seem worth it. Toons were so disorganized, so dirty, so...imperfect. No, Kevin didn't want to fight or interact with Toons at all. He preferred sitting at a desk and debating precedents in a courtroom, thank you very much.

Just as he was finishing up with the Micromanager vs. Pencil Pusher case his door suddenly opened. Odd. He wasn't expecting anyone. He looked up from his papers to see who it was, but there was no one there. Now that was odd. The door specifically opened, he was sure of it.

Kevin got out of his chair and went around the desk. At first he thought it might be the Micromanager coming to check on her case. They were so barping small it would be easy to miss one. He looked down, but it wasn't a Micromanager or even a Cog in front of him. Instead he was staring into the frightened Toony face of a little white mouse!