A/N:
To 'Shannon23' – Mackenzie was human once and was a bully to Talia as a kid before they went to different schools; he only became half toon a year ago when R.J experimented on him. He still has a family and his brother is human, but still a bully. Sorry if I confused you XD
Once again, thanks for the epic reviews!
*3rd Person POV* (because there's too much going on to look at one person)
Nurse and Dr. Scratchansniff sat in the psychiatrist office, staring blankly at the wall. How had things come to this? It had been bad enough working on the boy but now Talia too… it was getting too much for them. Sometimes they wished they could just strap into the machine and make themselves forget. They'd listened to the story R.J had told her. It was sickening. The girl was lucky to remember how to breathe. But what choice did they have? Go along with the madness, or face the same fate themselves. There was no escape.
"Where is she now?" Nurse asked, shattering the silence.
"In zer Vaiting Room still." He answered bitterly, "He vanted to put her through zer Animator before his meeting…"
"And the boy?" her voice was strained.
"Containment." He hesitated, "It doesn't look like he'll last ze night…"
She chewed her lip anxiously, "You know it won't be long before the toons come looking for her and walk right into his hands. He's killing two birds with one arrow."
He flinched at her choice of words, "Zer iz nothing ve can do now. Vat's done iz done."
"Well I'm not standing for it anymore!" she cried, getting to her feet, "We've put up with this for too long and for what? No, Doctor, there is something we can do! It may be too late to help the boy but it isn't too late to put things right for that girl and her family. Haven't we done enough damage? Haven't we watched for too long?"
"You know vat vill happen if ve try to go against him; ve'll be the next subjects -"
"I don't care! This is wrong and you know it! I'm not going to sit and watch this happen; you can help me if you've got the sense."
She glared at him as he resumed frozen in his seat. Really she knew that there was not much either of them could do, but she felt like it had been a long time coming for some resisting. They'd had no idea how unstable the boy was becoming and now that the CEO wished to repeat the act was mentally tormenting. The guilt was eating at her soul; enough was enough. They'd sat by and watched R.J ruin that poor boy and she'd be damned if she allowed him to ruin another life. However, Scratchansniff didn't move, his own fears overpowering him. Knowing his silent answer, she turned to head towards the door. However, she was cut short and gasped in surprise at the three familiar faces standing in the way, two of them wide eyed and breathing heavily at the sight of her.
"Helloooo Nurse!" they chanted, to which the girl rolled her eyes.
Scratchansniff leapt out of his seat at the sight of the Warner's, "Vat… How…?"
"A man of many words, Scratchy, as always." Yakko mused.
"Did you miss us?" Dot asked.
Wakko jumped into Nurse's arms and wrapped his arms around her neck to deliver a kiss on her cheek, "We missed you!"
"How long have you been here?" Scratchansniff asked nervously, wringing his hands.
"Long enough," Yakko folded his arms knowingly and winked at Nurse, "You know the steamed up attitude works very well on you."
"But… how did you get in without alerting security?" Nurse asked, prizing Wakko from her person.
The three glanced at each other and then back at the adults with a look that said, 'are you serious?'. In fact it had been more then easy to get inside. It had been fun reacting their old tricks of sliding through vents and avoiding guards by, ironically, walking directly behind them. Memories had come flooding back and with them a familiar route to the Doctors office. Old habits die hard.
"We were in the neighborhood and thought we'd drop in for a visit to our favorite p-psychiatrist." Dot explained, but then her tone turned icy, "Or ex-favorite! What were you thinking working for that loon?"
"Easy sister-sib; you had your reasons, right Doc?" Yakko said with a little warning.
He paled, "You don't understand zer position ve're in, vee had no choice! I'm sorry, but zere is nothing I can do now…"
"That's not true," Wakko shook his head, "You're standing and talking, that's doing something."
Ignoring this comment, Nurse turned to glare at Scratchansniff, "You can do nothing if you're that much of a coward but I'm going to try and set things right!"
"Hey I like this new attitude!" Yakko smirked, "But do you mind if we interrupt? We're looking for Talia; from what we've heard the pair of you are a little more than acquaintances."
Dot arched an eyebrow at the doctor, "You don't have much luck with patients do you, Scratchy? Why not consider a career change?"
The employees tensed at the name. Of course they knew that the toons would be looking for her, it was part of R.J's plan. That way he'd have his new test subject along with the toons to exterminate once and for all. They wondered where the others were, but knowing the Warner's they had come alone and chose to make things up as they went along. But that was most likely going to get them in danger, as if they weren't already. But how could he explain what had happened to Talia? To do that would go against R.J and that terrified Scratchansniff to no end. What he was considering, as would be his job, to call security and alert the CEO. But he couldn't. Nurse was right, enough damage had been caused, but there was still no way of reversing it per say.
"Earth to Scratchy!" Wakko mused, jumping up and waving his hands before the doctors eyes.
He flinched, "Itz too late for her! Zere is nothing ve can do now! I'm sorry…"
"What a load of phooey!" Dot snapped, "She's probably waiting for us right now."
Yakko gave the man an expectant gaze, "Being toons, we know bad guys when we see them; I hate to break it to you, Scratchy, but you're no villain." He pointed to fingers out like a child would if they were playing pretend that they had a gun in hand, he winked playfully, "Now hand over the girl and nobody gets hurt."
Nurse shook her head in disgust at Scratchansniff's hesitance, "I'll take you there."
"Please do…" Wakko swooned.
Scratchansniff clenched his fists, to hell with this! This job had taken away almost every bit of his humanity, it was time he started regaining it, "Fine! Let's go… but… but you von't like vat you see…"
The Warner's looked around the infamous Waiting Room with uneased curiosity. On the way through the halls, the toons had hidden inside of Wakko's gag-bag while Scratchansniff carried it. He and Nurse skimmed anxiously through the corridors praying that they wouldn't get stopped along the way. Thankfully, they had only come across one security guard which was satisfied with a flash of an ID card and went on his way. Now inside, the bag was opened, releasing the toons which took one look at the older looking machine with glee. They mockingly rushed to flatten themselves against the Animator and brushed their faces against the metal. They didn't think to wonder why it was still warm from recent use.
"Mommy, Daddy!" they chanted at the machine that brought them to life so long ago.
"Enough viv the monkey-jokes." Scratchansniff snapped.
"Do you mind, this is a touching family reunion." Yakko retorted, but then he noticed the second, newer machine, "And this must be our third uncle twice removed?"
"The Deactivator." Nurse explained with a heavy heart, "It's what makes people forget so that the CEO can fill the subjects mind with whatever he sees fit…"
"I'm afraid zat Talia has already fallen victim to it… I varned you, itz too late for her."
Dot waved her hand passively, "Pfft, enough with the drama, you'll get your Oscar soon enough."
Wakko twitched his ears at a sound from behind him, he turned and pointed towards a shape huddled in the farthest corner of the room, "Hey guys, look!"
They rushed over to the figure and found themselves hesitating from the sight. They knew that face anywhere. Of course it was Talia; but she'd changed. She sat in the corner of the room, knees pulled up to her chest and an empty gaze in her bloodshot eyes that were weighed down from dark shadows. They looked like glass, like a doll. She didn't notice them walking in, and when the Warner's tried to touch her, she didn't even flinch. Leftover rust and dark stains covered her arms and legs, parts of her auburn hair were singed and if they hadn't been in such shock, the toons would probably make some quip about her losing a fight with a blowtorch. Nurse swallowed thickly and felt her anger pulsate through her while the psychiatrist was haunted by memories of Mackenzie in a similar position along with the grotesque images of the toons experimentations.
"Hey kiddo, anyone home?" Yakko asked, giving her shoulder a shake.
She didn't move, she didn't even look up, "I've got secrets…" she whispered.
"And we've got a time limit." He smirked, "How about telling secrets on the way out of here?"
"Secrets, I've got to keep secrets… You're my secrets… The man told me secrets are in my head… Secrets will hurt me if I leave…"
Dot leant forward so that she was at eyelevel and made her tone light, "You remember us, right kid? Don't say we're back to square one again?"
Wakko clasped his hands together and adopted a hurt expression, "But you remember me, don't you? How could you forget your long-lost fiancé!"
"Oh dry up, this isn't a soap-opera!" Dot snapped.
"Well it was worth a go…" he muttered, noting Talia's lack of movement he turned to the adults, "What's wrong with her?"
"The CEO made her forget everything about herself;" Nurse explained, "He's altered her mind so much that she's convinced that everything she see's apart from him isn't real." She quivered in anger, "It makes her easier to control for the experiments."
"Secrets…" Talia nodded, "Everything is a secret that can't be told… I can't move… The man said secrets will get me… I'm a secret too, he says… Secrets hurt…" she took them by surprise as she moved her head to look at Yakko blankly, "Don't hurt me, secret…"
She'd become what she feared the most; insane. She refused to believe that anything around her was real, it was what the man had told her. The man with glasses and suit told her that everything was all in her head. Secrets, he told her, secrets that need to stay inside her head, or else they can hurt people. She didn't want to hurt people, so she'd stay where the boss man told her to. That way secrets couldn't get her, but now they were showing up and that was bad. They were going to get her, she was sure of it. But she'd been good, why were they here? What had she done wrong?
Yakko shifted uneasily. He wasn't sure how to react to this. No one had never begged him not to hurt them before. None of the Warner's knew what to do. In the end, Yakko shook himself and forced a grin.
"Cut the act, kiddo, no ones hurting you. Now get up, your sibs are waiting."
"Secrets don't have sibs… We're all secrets… Secrets should be forgotten… Forget me, Secret, and I'll forget you…"
He'd heard enough. Yakko jumped up and looked at the doctor expectantly, he was jittery but trying to resume his casual composure, "So what's the cure, Scratchy? A pill, a shot? Some shock therapy from Randy Newman music? There's something, right?"
Scratchansniff wrung his hands desperately, "I toldz you, zere iz nothing -"
"Ah don't give us that." He arched an eyebrow with strained attempt at humor, "A p-psychiatrist like you can crack open any head-case. And if it comes to that we're never short of mallets."
"Wakey-wakey!" Dot sang, saping her fingers at Talia while Wakko shone a flashlight into one of her ears while the light flickered out of the other.
"They're just secrets… Just secrets in your head that need to be hidden…" She clenched her eyes shut and covered her ears in an attempt at escape.
Nurse crouched down so that she was eyelevel with Talia. Slowly she managed to take her hands and guide her to her feet. Talia continued to silently shed tears from her glassy eyes. Although her voice was weak and barely a whisper, it still gave no emotion. She was a shell, her expression never changed its vacant form and yet the tears never stopped. Gently, Nurse started leading her towards the door. But after no more then two steps before Talia stopped and stiffened, once again showing no emotion whatsoever.
"Is the man coming to help me get rid of the secrets?" she blinked at the Animator, "He can help me, he said… That takes the secrets away, he said…"
"If you're that worried about secrets then we'll get you a diary." Yakko urged, "Let's keep it moving, okay kiddo?"
No, she wasn't allowed to go outside. It was safe in here where the boss man could tell her what was real and what wasn't. But she was learning. It hadn't been that long and already she knew that these weren't real. They were just secrets. Secrets that the man warned her about. She couldn't go with them, he said they'd hurt her if she went with them. Stay in the safe. Stay away from secrets… Talia pulled away with a sudden burst of energy and curled back into her corner, arms wrapped around her knees and clenching her eyes shut.
"Talia, you know me, ja? Vee can help you. But vee have to get out of here first." The psychiatrist muttered softly, trying to cover the unease in his voice.
Of course Scratchansniff didn't know and highly doubted if his words were true. It may have been his job to dive into the minds of troubled patients, but this was a different situation entirely. It wasn't mental problems and subconscious messages he was dealing with. This was a girl who had only one thought. That nothing was real. How was he meant to break this? Reattaching her to the Deactivator would damage her mind more and she would most likely end up like the boy. No, there wasn't anything he could think of that would help. But getting out seemed like a pretty good place to start.
"You can trust us, kiddo." Yakko said with unnatural hesitance that tasted bitter on his tongue, "It's gonna be okay. Yakko spelled backwards is okkay, you remember that, right?"
She didn't move or even glance up, "Forget me, Secret, and I'll forget you…"
He gulped and scratched his head in confusion, eyes dejected that almost made him look like a different person. The younger Warner's looked at their brother for guidance. Hadn't making a few jokes always worked? It wasn't working now. And they didn't like it one bit. Dot found herself backing away a few steps to try and distance herself from the situation while Wakko continued to look at his brother. Yakko could talk their way out of anything; surely he could yak his way around this and snap Talia out of it, right? If he just opened his mouth then she'd be scowling and telling him to shut up in no time, wouldn't she? Yakko though, didn't say anything. This was a first for him. It was like Talia had become a stranger; and he was normally good with new faces and could either gain trust or cause annoyance in seconds with them. But how do you go about talking so someone you know but is suddenly a stranger all over again? He just didn't know…
Talia looked up past the company, her eyes widened, "Are you going to stop the secrets hurting me?"
"That's right, dear."
This new voice was soothing, but had sneering undertones to it. They span around to see the CEO himself, one hand reaching behind him to shut the door; the other hand clamped over the Warner sisters mouth who was struggling in his grip. Her legs flailed aimlessly as he walked towards the Animator, hands clawing wildly at his.
Yakko's fists clenched. A bad guy, finally something he knew how to handle, "You know there's better ways of picking up girls. No wonder you're single."
Wakko started growling warningly and scraping a foot along the floor as if preparing for a charge. Scratchansniff stepped in front of the pair defensively while Nurse took position before Talia. R.J simply looked on at them with an amused expression.
"Put her down." Scratchansniff ordered, "Zis stops now."
"It's a little late to start growing a spine, Otto." He tilted his head to get view of Talia, "Shall I get rid of the secrets for you, dear?"
Before she could answer, R.J slammed his free hand on the control panel, forcing the Animator to hum into activation. He slammed Dot roughly down onto a platform where instantly two metallic pincers gripped around her wrists and ankles, slowly starting to drag her into the depths of the machine. Wakko couldn't hold back any longer and pounced, grabbing handfuls of the CEO's suit and shaking with anger. Yakko wrestled with the machinery, grunting as he struggled to free his sister while the psychiatrist manned the controls in an attempt to stop the machine.
R.J grabbed the toon by the ears and hoisted him away, letting him dangle in mid-attack before throwing him like a doll to the side. Recovering from the daze, he pulled out his gag-bag and began searching for his mallet, an anvil, anything that could prove useful. A hand swooped down and tore the bag from his grasp and he watched in panic as the bag was thrown into the machine. Yakko made a forced comment about how 'this is what he called an iron grip' but it was lost in his attempts to fight the machinery away. All of a sudden a new set of claws shot out and suspended him in the air while another roped around his brother.
"My hero's…" Dot muttered, masking her fear in sarcasm.
"Quite." R.J nodded, shoving Scratchansniff to the ground and flicking a switch and standing back to admire the work, "Ladies first."
Nurse lunged and tried to pull R.J from the controls, but it was too late. Dot just had time to gasp before she vanished into the darkness of the machine. Her cries of pain and terror were like daggers slicing on their eardrums, Yakko prayed that it was just her being a drama-queen again. After all, toons didn't get hurt, not often anyway and definitely not to this extent… could they? All of a sudden everything fell deathly quiet. On the other side of the machine, a thin and rumpled scrap of paper slid out from a slot that looked a little like a scanner. It drifted through the air and landed at Talia's feet. Her eyes traced it carefully.
It looked a little singed and fragile. It was small enough to fit comfortably in a hand and was blank apart from a simple doodle in the center. It looked like a stick-figure with a skirt and gloves, the only detailed part was the head with was shaded and held a flower scribbled in at the top. Just a doodle, a little sketch that looked pretty basic. The only thing that made it fascinating was that the figure was moving. It jumped on the spot, waving its arms in desperation. Suddenly it seemed to notice itself, looking in disbelief at its body and feeling its face in confusion. Talia blinked those vacant eyes as R.J overpowered Nurse and picked up the scrap. He admired it with a twisted smile and held it up for all to see. Wakko struggled harder in anger, tongue clenched in his teeth from the concentration. Yakko however was dumbstruck at the sight of his sister reduced back to nothing but a scribble. Taking a breath, he did the only thing he could think of at the time.
"You're looking a little flat there, sis." He said, voice but a whisper.
Nurse struggled to get the psychiatrist to his feet, but the fall had sent an unbearable pain through his side and it became a battle to even sit up. R.J fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a lighter, making the flame dance tauntingly. At the sight of it, Dot pressed herself against the corner of the page, mouth moving in rapid elaboration but no sound coming out. He held the flame closer to the page, enjoying the sight of the brothers struggling uselessly. He glanced at Talia.
"There we go, dear, secrets won't be able to hurt you when I'm done."
A/N:
To quote the song 'Secrets' by 'The Pierces': Gotta secret, can you keep it? Swear this one you'll save, better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave. If I show you then I know you won't tell what I said, cuz two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.
Oh shit… I tried to make this tense and troubling as possible while keeping the characters as in character as possible. It was weird writing third person here, but it felt right as there was so much to think about for each person. It was hard writing for Yakko the most in this, I hope I did them all justice. Please let me know so I can improve if needed.
So will Dot get burned? Will the boys have the same fate? Will Talia snap out of it? Until next time! XD