Wasteland was quiet that night, some might say unusually quiet. However, in Bog Easy, Ghost Ian was breezing through Blot Alley, thinking it was one of the nicest evenings he'd ever seen. A faint chill in the air, fog, the occasional faint howl from the wind; he landed on the ground and sighed in contentment. It was just right.
Suddenly, a yelp came from up ahead. The ghost was about to go see what it was when a Spatter ran around a nearby street corner, then scampered up and tried to hide behind Ghost Ian, shaking and whimpering like a scared puppy.
"What's got you all shook up, little fella?" Almost right after he asked, another Spatter emerged from the alley. Before Ian could take a closer look, the Spatter turned with a vicious hiss. Normally, the ghost wouldn't have been unnerved, except for one thing: unlike the others, the creature's eyes were an eerie shade of red.
The other Spatter yelped in fright and hid its face in its hands as the red-eyed one hissed again and charged. Ghost Ian grabbed the friendly Spatter and zoomed up to a higher level. The strange one slid to a stop, garbling in confusion. After a few moments, it wandered off. Ghost Ian stared after it, then glanced at the uncomprehending Spatter.
"I got a bad feelin' about this, kid."
The next morning, Mickey woke up to find that several of the bunny children had invited themselves in during the night and were snuggled all around him, snoozing peacefully. One was even curled up on his head. He sighed, but couldn't help chuckling. Almost right away, the bunny on his head was peeking down at him with a bright smile.
"Hi, Unca Mickey! Can y' play now?"
As soon as he spoke, the other kids jumped awake and began squeaking excited greetings as they bounced up and down. Mickey laughed as he sat up, relieved to find that the aches and fatigue from yesterday were almost gone.
"Okay, okay, I'm up."
Oswald opened the bedroom door. "Mornin', Mick!" He gave a chuckle at the bunny kids. "Heh, looks like you attracted some little visitors." He walked over to the bed. "How ya feelin'?"
The bunny kids all looked at Mickey, their small faces full of concern. "Is Unca Mickey sick?" one asked.
Mickey stretched his back and smiled at the bunny. "Nah, I'm fine now. Just had a run in with a crazy machine yesterday."
The bunny kids' ears pricked and their eyes grew wide and excited as they began spouting eager questions.
"How big was it?"
"Was it scary?"
"Did ya whomp it? Huh? Did ya?"
"He sure did," said Oswald. "By the way, pancakes are ready."
"Pancakes!" one of the Bunny Kids exclaimed, hopping toward the hallway.
"No, me first!" shouted another one, and before long, all the bunnies were racing downstairs to get their breakfast.
"You doin' all right?" Oswald asked once they were alone.
Mickey nodded as he stood. "A little stiff, but yeah, I'm okay."
Just then, Ortensia called up the stairs. "Oswald, Mickey! Gus is here. He says it's important!"
The two hurried downstairs to where Gus was waiting.
"Ah, there you two are!" Gus exclaimed. "The Mad Doctor needs to talk to you two as soon as possible!"
"Really? What is it? Did he find somethin' out?" Oswald asked.
Gus nodded, looking nervous. "Something happened in Blot Alley last night, but I'm not sure what."
Oswald gulped, but before he could say anything, Mickey stepped forward, a worried look on his face. "It didn't go after someone else, did it?"
Gus shook his head. "No, nothing like that. The Mad Doctor says Ghost Ian saw something and you both should know about it right away. He's waiting for you at his lab."
"Alright, let's go," Oswald said. Mickey nodded in agreement. However, before they could reach the door, Ortensia grabbed one of Oswald's ears and pulled him back so that his lips were planted against hers. Mickey almost crashed into Oswald when the rabbit suddenly froze.
After a couple moments, Ortensia finally pulled away and smiled. "You weren't leaving without a goodbye kiss, were you, hunnybunny?" she purred.
"I-I..." Hearts began bubbling around Oswald's head as he wobbled and leaned against the wall, a bit dazed and confused from the sudden kiss. "Ha-hah..." he giggled goofily.
Mickey snorted and pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh, then reached over to give Oswald a nudge. "C'mon, hunnybunny."
"Hey, Doc, we're here!" Oswald called out as they entered.
To their surprise, Ghost Ian was floating in the air near the Mad Doctor. Even more surprising, and a little unsettling, was the fact that he looked worried. It took a lot to unnerve a ghost.
"Ah, Oswald, Mickey," the Mad Doctor said, turning from Ghost Ian. "Good... there's some news I believe may pertain to our, er, problem."
Mickey frowned uneasily. "What? Did something happen?"
The Mad Doctor looked at Ghost Ian and gestured forward. The ghost floated forward, fiddling with his hat. "Well, boss, last night I was doin' my rounds in Blot Alley. Was pretty quiet, but nothin' seemed too outta the ordinary. Then..." He gulped before continuing. "Well, I seen this Spatter."
Mickey cocked his head. "Don't ya see Spatters all the time?"
Ghost Ian nodded, turning his hat over and over. "Well, sure, but this one... it weren't one a' mine." The ghost glanced around the room, as if worried someone would hear, then floated a little closer. "They were scared of it, boss."
"Huh... that's weird," said Mickey.
"What about those scans ya did, Doc? Did anything turn up?" Oswald asked.
The Mad Doctor moved to a screen and switched it on. A grid of Wasteland appeared, with a few red blips blinking on it. "As you can see," he said. "Some destructive activity has turned up, and it appears to be in the same area where Ghost Ian spotted the unusual Spatter. So far I can only conclude that it seems much more aggressive than normal, but I would have to run tests on the Spatter itself in order to learn more."
"Well, sounds like we're goin' Spatter huntin'!" Oswald declared, grabbing a net with a long handle.
Ghost Ian replaced his hat and nodded before turning to Mickey. "Well, just make sure t' watch yourself, boss," he said. "Those guys still don't like ya too much."
Mickey nodded, looking sheepish. "Right," he said.
They emerged from the projector into the gloomy streets and alleyways of Blot Alley. A faint breeze blew through the eerily empty streets. It was always a bit unsettling visiting here, but they bravely pressed onward, net and Paintbrush in hand.
"Strange... there don't seem to be any Blotlings around," Oswald commented as they walked down the dimly lit streets.
Mickey glanced around, frowning thoughtfully. "Ghost Ian said somethin' about 'em bein' scared... Maybe they're hidin'."
"Hidin' from one little rebel Spatter?" Oswald said as they glanced around.
Suddenly, Mickey felt a strange ache in his head and stopped, wincing slightly as he raised a hand to it.
Oswald stopped and turned around. "Mick? You all right?"
"Yeah..." Mickey said, rubbing his forehead as ink drops rose from him. "I think so."
Just then, they both heard a gurgling snarl from a short distance away, followed by frightened yelps.
"That must be it!" Oswald exclaimed, rushing in the direction of the commotion with the giant net in hand. Mickey tightened his grip on the brush and ran toward the noise as well, ignoring his nagging headache. They turned a corner into a dark alley just as three Blotlings raced out, babbling frantically.
"Whoa!" Mickey exclaimed as the Spatters nearly ran them over in their rush to get away. Close behind them was another Spatter, which was snarling viciously as its red eyes flared. It lunged toward them, eliciting a yelp from Oswald and Mickey as they narrowly hopped out of the way.
"Yikes, that's definitely one nasty Spatter," Oswald said.
The Spatter responded by whirling around and lunging again, slashing its clawed fingers.
"Look out!" Mickey yelled, leaping out of the way.
Oswald dodged once again, then called toward Mickey. "Use Paint on it!"
The mouse nodded and whistled, drawing the Spatter's attention before shooting a spray of Paint. The Spatter stumbled back, snarling as it rubbed at its eyes. Mickey quickly took the advantage and shot more Paint. The creature began stumbling a bit, letting out drowsy growls.
"I think he's calming down!" Mickey called, edging closer.
"Good!" Oswald called back, moving in his direction. As Mickey shot more Paint, Oswald inched closer and raised the net. "And... gotcha!" He slammed the net down over the Spatter and scooped it up. "Now, we just need somethin' to carry him in."
Mickey rifled through his pockets. "Actually, I think I've got a sketch for that." He unfolded a stack of sketches and flipped through them. "A-ha! Here it is." He held out a sketch and blasted it with Paint, popping a small pet carrier into existence.
"Perfect!" said Oswald.
Mickey opened the carrier door. "All right, try n' get him in here..."
"On it," Oswald responded, dragging the net and Spatter across the ground and into the cage. Once the Spatter was in, he quickly pulled the net out as Mickey simultaneously shut the door to the cage.
"Got him!" Mickey exclaimed in triumph.
Oswald grinned. "Now to deliver him to the Doc!"
Mickey knelt down to get a closer look at the rogue Spatter; its growling had reduced to irritated grunts as it sulked in the cage, glaring at them. "Hmm... that's funny," he said. "He's calmer, but I don't think he's turned friendly."
"Really?" Oswald knelt down to take a look for himself. "Huh. Maybe the Doc can find out why."
As they made their way back through Bog Easy to the projector, the growling, red-eyed Spatter drew more than a few double takes, but Mickey noticed some looks directed at him. He glanced at the ink rising from his body and smiled slightly. "Guess I'm not the only one who got used to not drippin'."
They soon arrived back at the lab, Spatter in tow.
"We got him, Doc!" Oswald exclaimed.
The Mad Doctor turned around. "Excellent!" He snatched up the cage and examined the Spatter inside. It bristled and growled at him in response. "Hmm... interesting. Curious behavior he's exhibiting, though it's difficult to conclude exactly what the cause is..." A sly smile crept onto the Mad Doctor's face. "Yes... Perhaps a dissection could give us some valuable information..."
The Spatter instantly went bonkers in response, banging against the sides of the cage and snarling like a wild animal.
"Whoa!" said Oswald, taking a step back.
Mickey grabbed the brush from his tail and moved up to the cage, pointing it at the door. "Some Paint oughta calm 'im down. I'm just gonna need a clear shot."
The Mad Doctor flexed his hand, then quickly opened the door. However, before Mickey could shoot any Paint, the Spatter lunged out, knocking him down.
"Mickey!" Gus exclaimed as Oswald ran forward. The Spatter looked up at them and hissed viciously before charging toward them, swiping its claws at Oswald.
"Ah!" Oswald yelled as the claws raked his arm.
Mickey leaped to his feet, the ink almost churning from his body as he yelled furiously. "STOP IT!"
The Spatter froze, then turned toward him and cocked its head. Mickey's eyes widened and he stared in shock, the ink beginning to drip slower. The Spatter began to growl softly, but at that moment, a bolt of electricity hit it. Its eyes bugged as it jolted and garbled for a few moments, then flopped to the ground. Everyone looked at the Mad Doctor, who was standing nearby with a familiar remote in his hand.
"Oh, Oswald, I forgot to tell you: your remote is ready," he said, looking slightly sheepish.
Oswald rubbed the scratch on his arm. "Ya couldn't have mentioned that earlier?" The Mad Doctor merely shrugged and handed the remote to him. Oswald took it with a sigh. "Now can you please examine this thing before it goes nuts again?" He motioned to the knocked-out Spatter.
The Mad Doctor nodded and cracked his knuckles. "Right away," he said with an evil chuckle; it was a habit he'd never really gotten over. He pulled a lever, and a mechanical hand descended from the ceiling. It picked up the Spatter and set it down on the lab table as the Mad Doctor pulled down the X-ray machine.
"Oswald, you okay?" Mickey asked worriedly as he walked over to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Oswald responded, rubbing his arm.
"Let me see that," insisted Mickey.
"It's just a little cut. No big deal," Oswald lied.
Still, Mickey forced Oswald to remove his hand from the wound so that he could examine it. The mouse then frowned and quickly grabbed the brush again, touching the tip to the gash. "Here, hold still."
Oswald's eyes widened as a soft blue glow slowly flowed from the brush to his arm, surrounding the wound. Small beads of sweat began to form on Mickey's forehead and he took a deep breath, squinting even harder. Oswald and Gus watched in amazement as the gash slowly closed.
"Whoa..." Oswald said as he examined his arm.
Gus fluttered forward, looking confused. "How did you do that?" the gremlin asked. "I've never seen the brush do that before."
Mickey brushed the sweat from his forehead and smiled. "Well, Master Yen Sid's been showin' me how to channel my own magic into magical objects like this to enhance their powers," he said, "but I'm not used to it yet, so it takes a bit out of me."
A whirring sound caught their attention, and they turned to see the Mad Doctor pulling a lever. The mechanical hand lowered back down and picked up the Spatter, which was still out cold, and lowered it into a glass cylinder nearby. The Mad Doctor then turned to look at them, a strangely baffled look on his face. "This is much stranger than even I could have guessed, my friends. This Spatter is something I have never seen the likes of before."
The three toons glanced at each other, then looked back at the Mad Doctor.
"What do you mean?" Mickey asked. "What's the deal with him?"
The Mad Doctor frowned, fiddling with his gloves. "I'm afraid it looks like this creature was formed from the portion taken from Mickey."
"What?!" Oswald, Mickey, and Gus exclaimed.
"Not only that, but his increased aggression and speed is unnatural for a creature so small. So, I initiated an internal scan, and found this." The Mad Doctor stepped to a monitor and pressed a button; an image of the Spatter popped up on the screen. Oswald, Mickey and Gus looked at the image as the Doctor pressed another button, causing the image to become an X-ray. Several wire-like lines crisscrossed through the Spatter's body, going in and out of several circular structures.
Gus squinted at the image. "What the devil..."
The Mad Doctor crossed his arms, looking strangely serious. "This Blotling has been technologically enhanced with one of my Beetleworx."
"Whoa, it's like some sort of MechaBlot," said Oswald, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "It's like the Blotworx in reverse."
"Exactly," the Mad Doctor said. "And that is what worries me most. Only a few days ago, my blueprints for the original Beetleworx went missing."
"So someone must be makin' these things," Oswald put a hand to his chin in thought.
"But why? What could they be plannin' to do with it?" said Mickey.
"World domination, no doubt," Oswald responded, crossing his arms decidedly.
"What makes you say that?" Mickey asked.
"Isn't that what it always is?" Oswald answered with a shrug. Gus smirked grimly and nodded.
Suddenly, Mickey groaned and pressed a hand to his chest, leaning against the wall.
"Mickey?" Gus asked in a worried tone, reaching toward him.
"I'm fine," Mickey replied, trying to ignore the pain.
"Maybe ya need more rest," Oswald said. "I mean, ya did take a real beatin' yesterday."
"Oswald, I can't just sit around," Mickey said, looking anxious. "Whoever made that Spatter is probably gonna make more!"
"Relax, we'll figure this out," said Oswald.
"I can't relax! Not with that thing out there!" It came out louder than he'd intended and the others fell silent at Mickey's sudden outburst. "Sorry," Mickey said, turning and hurrying out of the lab.
Gus flew up beside Oswald. "He's taking all of this rather hard," the gremlin said, looking worried.
Oswald gave a sigh. "Yeah."
After giving the mouse a few minutes to calm down, the two of them headed out into the hall. "Mickey, you okay?" Oswald said.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, it's just..." Mickey hesitated, looking at the ground.
"What?" Oswald asked, looking concerned.
Mickey glanced at his arm as a few drops rose from it. "When I yelled at that Spatter, back in the lab," he said slowly, "I felt so mad. It was like I just wasn't myself. I could always control it before, but the way I felt just now..." A slight shudder ran through his body and he lifted a hand to his head. When he spoke again, there was a tremor in his voice. "I-I'm scared."
Gus fluttered up in front of the mouse and smiled reassuringly. "But look at what you did," he said. "You made the Spatter stop, to protect us. Even if it didn't feel like it, you were still you."
"Yeah, don't worry; whatever this thing is doin' to you, we'll stop it together!" Oswald said, giving a fist pump.
The mouse stood quietly for a moment, looking between them, then slowly smiled as the ink drops stopped. "Thanks."