Cupcake had never been inside of a helicopter before. She had been inside of an airplane one before.. so she was hopeful this would go better than that. Gripping a small handlebar next to her, she felt her jumbled stomach tossing and turning as the aircraft his regular turbulence. With her were seven of Toontown's most elite fighters. She had come up with the plan in conjunction with Reessess and other leaders to hopefully make one last assault on Cog Nation. Other than the nausea, she was feeling surprisingly calm as she watched out a window and gazed upon the scenery below. They were well out of Toontown, flying over a barren wasteland of brown that was known as Cog Nation. It amazed her that anybody could live in such a place. No color, no trees, no.. anything really. Just roofs of buildings, like cog homes or something. Grabbing a small link around her neck, she pulled up a small golden heart-shaped locket. Mark had gotten for her before she left as a good luck charm. Opening it, she looked upon the microscopic portrait inside. Mark had found a picture of Cupcake when she was still just a baby, with Flippy holding her on his lap. He was making a silly face to try and stop her from crying. Her arms and legs were straight up in the air. Closing the small metal flap, she kissed the golden exterior and let it flow back to her neck.
The Rangers surrounding Cupcake were not messing around. Each was outfitted with the most high-tech Anti-Cog armor that Scientoonsts could create. Colorful, flashy metal with silly designs. Helmets similar to those a baseball player would wear, with some additional padding and a face-mask. Some were polishing their armor, while others joked among themselves. None of them had any sense of worry. Fighting cogs to them was just another day at the office. "Good afternoon fliers. We will be reaching our destination in about ten minutes. Please make sure that you have your seat belts on because we do expect a rough landing as we descend into Cog Nation. Thank you."
"Okay everybody. You heard the pilot." Cupcake stood up one last time and focused on each individual for a few seconds. "I just want to quickly run over the plan one last time so there is no confusion. We have gotten some information where the Chief Operating Officer is currently working out of. Some bog standard business office. To ensure that we are able to do some, four units led by our highest ranking Rangers will be distracting the rank and file cogs by causing havoc. Destroying factories, plants, or other important manufacturing or cog resources. This will give us the best opportunity to face the least resistance. Once we're inside we will make our way to the top and take out the boss. From there, it will be simpler than a Toontown Central Trolley Game. Does everyone understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" the Rangers yelled in unison.
Cupcake smiled and nodded. "Good luck everyone." taking her seat she watched as the ground below started to approach as the helicopter begun landing procedure. The pilot wasn't kidding about the rocky landing. Cogs did not have use for roads, so flattening the landscape wasn't a necessity for them. This made trying to make a steady landing challenging, but soon enough they were on the ground. Pulling open the door, Cupcake watched as the rest of her unit, armed with their Laugh-O-Matics jumped out, heads don as the propellers continued to whirl overhead. Cupcake was almost knocked over from the force of the wind, but managed to keep her center of gravity by ducking down and waddling away. Once everybody was off, she nodded to the pilot who took off, leaving the eight toons all alone in this destitute wasteland.
They group had to land quite a distance away, as to best be assured that nobody was aware of their arrival. After the last surprise attack had gone awry, likely due to a tip-off from the Anti-Toons or In-Sells. It was going to be at least two miles. The more footsteps the group left behind them, the more their worries began to grow. The realization that they were completely alone was hitting them. Fortunately, that also meant that there were no cogs or any signs of resistance. Aside from a few quiet comments, the group stayed silent, none of them wanting to be the ones who diverted their position to the enemy. After about fifteen minutes, the destination was coming into view. Several gray skyscrapers towered over smaller buildings and fog spewing factories. The office that they wanted though was not going to be so noticeable. Instead it was a simple, sixteen story building with a large brown triangle. What it meant, nobody knew, but it certainly helped. Another benefit to the armor was that it could change colors, which the Toons made into a dull gray, allowing their steely metal exterior to blend in better with the surprisingly lively cog city.
"Who knew the cogs were this.. similar?" a chubby red cat with thick black glasses looked around admirably. "It's a shame they all have to die."
This received a small chuckle from the remaining fighters. They had received no attention from passing Name Droppers or Loan Sharks who were so focused on their own personal goals that any oddity would be difficult to stand out. Pulling out a crudely drawn crayon map, Cupcake pointed everybody down a large street. "Looks like it's just a few minutes down here and we will be there."
As they walked, a rumbling from underneath Cupcake's armor echoed out, before the pink cat quickly reached in and pulled out her device, crouching over to avoid detection, she gasped at the message from Reessess. "Hey, bad news. Appears this most recent batch of Laugh-O-Matics are a dud. Not sure if this was another slip-in from the Anti-Toons, but just be careful before using them. Anyways, we have planed the TNT boxes in the factory are waiting on your word to get things started. Let's blow these metal monstrosities to bits!" Cupcake stomped her foot frustrated. This was supposed to be their ace in the hole. She didn't want to risk anything, but she also didn't want unnecessary worry. They would wait until they were out of sight to test them out.
"Cupcake, is that what we're looking for?" a white crocodile named Lenny pointed to an ordinary looking building. It was actually quite brilliant, aside from a small brown triangle hanging over the entrance, it looked no different than any other building. Who would look here? Creeping behind a back alley, the Toons found a back door which had been reported. Unfortunately they would be starting on the first floor and had to make their way up via elevator, which would mean bypassing any security or notice. Because if anybody knew they were there? It could spell certain trouble. Creeping inside of the building, the eight Toons were in a small dark hallway which led to a singular door. Taking the lead, Cupcake put a finger to her lips and quietly tiptoed along. Grabbing the handle slowly. Cupcake pushed open the door just enough to get a good view of the room. Much to her surprise, it was just a simple office lobby. There were a few chairs around a small table covered with cog magazines. There was a long, marble desk where a Mingler sat, typing at a computer, a headset covering their head. The cog was speaking about something but she couldn't seem to make it out. Closing the door, she reported what she saw.
"Doesn't look they know we're here. Pretty normal goings out there. Amazing that the head of the cogs would be.. here? Anyways, looks like a Mingler is hanging out at reception right in front of the elevator. Does anybody have any ideas?" Cupcake inquired.
A very short pig named Eloise snorted and nodded. "Don't worry about them, I got this." in no-time the pig had quietly opened the door and dodged around various objects, keeping out of sight. Shortly after she was behind the cog. Taking a deep breath, she wrapped the cog's head in her arms, and made a swift jerking motion. With her intense strength, it was enough to tear the circuits apart and the cog slowly powered down. Tossing a thumbs up, she monitored the room as the remaining Toons stepped into the room, commenting on the fearful pig's sly actions.
"Okay everyone, we still have a long way to go. Follow me." Cupcake pushed a button, and watched as the numerical sign above the elevator slowly ticked down, as a light whirring sound buzzed. Each Toon clung to their gag of choice. Nobody knowing what would be on the other side. Finally the sound of the elevator stopping and a quiet dinging alerted them of their transportation to what could easily be their final breaths. Each toon inhaled slowly as the metal doors slid open and welcomed them to their fate..