"Then what happened? What? What?"

Mickey grinned at the group of bunny children, who were all quivering with anticipation as they watched him with pricked ears and wide, eager eyes.

"Then, just when we thought it was done..." he said, holding his hands in front of him like claws. "RARGH!"

He lunged forward, making the bunnies squeal in fear and delight, a few of the youngest ones curling up into balls.

"The dragon bot burst out of the lava, its tail whipping out two huge sawblades whirrin' so fast, we could barely see 'em! And then—"

"Your uncle screamed and hid while I finished the job with my trusty remote!" Oswald cut in.

Mickey turned and glared at him. "Excuse me, but I think I was yellin' at you to get your tail out of the way before it sliced your ears off."

"Funny, that's not how I recall it," Oswald said, smirking. "You were the one that nearly got your scrawny tail cut off."

Mickey snorted. "Considerin' I had to run right under the thing, I was lucky it wasn't my head."

Oswald smirked. "And whose luck do you have to thank for that, I wonder?"

Mickey rolled his eyes, then smirked as well. "Say, did I ever show you kids those pictures of your dad when that ghost pranked us at the Lonesome Manor?"

Oswald's face went red. "You said there wasn't any film in the camera!"

Just then, Gus warped in, much to Oswald's obvious relief. "Oh, there you two are!" the gremlin said. "I was just talking to Jamface on Mean Street and he's heard something."

Mickey stood and stretched his back. "Well, sorry, kids," he said, grinning at them, "but I guess we gotta go do some investigatin'."

The bunnies all drooped in disappointment, but nodded obediently.

Oswald smiled at them and patted the nearest one on the head. "Why don't you all go see if Moody's got any stories?" The bunnies oohed and raced off toward the other side of OsTown.

Oswald and Mickey then headed to Mean Street, making their way toward the Windmill on the outskirts of Mean Street, where Jamface had taken up residence. As they passed through Mean Street, most of the residents either waved or said a few words of greeting as usual, but some of them edged away at their approach and either smiled nervously or avoided eye contact.

Oswald frowned as Mickey looked around in confusion. "Wonder what they're all edgy about?" Mickey muttered to himself.

Raucous, all-too-familiar laughter burst out nearby. "What? Ya ain't figured it out?"

Oswald and Mickey cringed, then turned as Big Bad Pete lumbered up from Town Hall, smirking.

"Oh, brother, what's he want?" Oswald grumbled as Mickey frowned. Pete's smirk grew even wider as he reached down and gave the mouse's arm a hard pinch.

"Ouch!" Mickey snapped as a few drips of ink rose from it. "Hey, what's th' big idea?!"

Pete snorted. "Hah! A lil' birdie been singin' around here, see? Sayin' there's weird stuff goin' on. And ya think folks ain't heard about your lil'... er... problem?" Mickey glared at him as Pete narrowed his eyes with a nasty grin. "N' we all know what that meant last time..." The mouse's face dropped and Pete guffawed again. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he said, sarcastically apologetic. "I seem t' have hit a nerve!"

Mickey's fists clenched, small ink drops beginning to rise from him. "Stop it."

"Lay off, Pete," Oswald said, stepping in front of Mickey.

The heavyset toon sneered. "Aww, ain't that cute? Our fearless leader stickin' up for his Blot buddy."

"I'm warnin' ya, Pete," Oswald growled, balling up his fists.

Pete laughed again. "Or else what?"

"Or else I'll put a dent in that stupid grin of yours. Hope ya have a good dentist."

Pete snorted but still took a step back, just to be safe. "Huh! Still lettin' the big guys pick your fights for ya, mouse? Not so big now, though."

Oswald took a step toward him. "Oh, I'll show ya a fight—" However, before he could make a move, he felt a tug on his arm.

"Forget about it, Oswald," Mickey told him, squinting angrily at Pete. "Let's just get goin'. We're wastin' time." Mickey then turned and walked on as Pete laughed again.

"Oh, sure! Don' let all us normal folks hold ya back, Mr. Bigshot Hero!"

Immediately after that, Mickey heard a loud "YOWWWW!" followed by a thud that shook the ground. He stopped and whirled around to see Pete jittering on the ground, sparks jumping off him, while Oswald pocketed his remote.

"Right. Let's be on our way then," Oswald said, walking over to Mickey with a slight smirk. Mickey couldn't help returning it, but remained silent as they continued on.

Soon, a French-accented voice rang out. "Ah! Mickey, Oswald, zere you are!"

"Yeah, we heard ya saw somethin' suspicious?" said Oswald.

"Ah, yes!" the gremlin said. "Well, you zee, I was in Bog Easy to get some parts for ze Windmill and zere were Spatters running around! Zey have never left Blot Alley before, and ze residents cannot explain it."

Mickey frowned. "Spatters, huh...?"

"Did they seem... more aggressive than usual?" Oswald asked.

"Err... I'm afraid I'm not sure," Jamface said, looking sheepish. "I only saw them from a distance."

"In other words, you got scared and left," Gus said, smirking. Mickey and Oswald snickered as Jamface glared.

"Well, guess we better check out Bog Easy," Oswald said.

"Right," Mickey replied, then smiled. "Bet Donald'll have plenty to say about whatever's goin' on."

Oswald smirked. "I bet."

As they followed Animatronic Donald's 'directions' through the backstreets of Bog Easy, they noted how eerily quiet it was, the only sound being the echoing of their footsteps. It was a bit unnerving, to say the least, as if something could jump out of the shadows at any moment.

Mickey suddenly let out a loud squeak of fright as something yanked his tail. Then, hearing Oswald's chuckling next to him, Mickey let out an irritated huff and rolled his eyes. "Can we focus here?"

"Sure thing, Squeaky Toy." Oswald snickered.

"At least my tail doesn't fall off when ya pull it," he said, raising a brow.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

"Oh, sure," Mickey said casually, clearly trying not to laugh. "I've always wanted to misplace my foot and hop around on one leg all day."

Oswald held up a finger. "Actually, detachment is a pretty useful ability. For example..." Oswald detached one of his ears and whacked Mickey in the head with it.

"Ouch! Hey!"

The rabbit merely snickered in response, prompting a sigh of annoyance from the mouse.

"Y'know, we still got a job to do," Mickey said, rubbing the sore spot.

Just then, a loud growling sound interrupted them. They barely glanced up in time as a vicious Spatter dove at them from the roof, baring its teeth.

"Watch out!" Mickey yelled as he yanked Oswald out of the way, the Spatter narrowly missing them both. They immediately pulled out their individual weapons and assumed fighting stances.

"Try an' get a shot! I'll distract 'im!" Mickey exclaimed before racing around to the Spatter's other side and spraying some Paint. "Hey, ugly! Over here!"

The Spatter turned toward Mickey and charged at him wildly. As Mickey dodged, Oswald fired off a number of electric sparks at it. However, the Spatter was too quick and none of Oswald's attacks made contact, save for one stray spark that accidentally hit a different target.

The mouse yelped as his fur frizzed up with static. "Ouch! Hey, watch it!"

Oswald couldn't help but snort at him. "Sorry, this thing's too quick!"

Brushing the static off, Mickey leapt over the Spatter to dodge another attack. Then, thinking quickly, he Thinned out the patch of street the Spatter was standing on and immediately Painted it back in, leaving the Spatter with one foot stuck in the ground.

Before they could celebrate, however, a hissing sound came from behind them. Mickey whirled around to meet the glazing red eyes of four more Spatters.

"Yipes!" he yelped as he leaped back. "Os, look out! There's more of 'em!"

Three of the Spatters charged at him, and Mickey was quickly too preoccupied to say any more. He heard a zapping sound and smiled grimly; Oswald must have taken out the other one. He turned his attention back to the remaining three and kept dodging as he shot Paint to slow them down.

Suddenly, one Spatter veered sharply to the left. Mickey knocked back the other two and whirled around to counteract. Unfortunately, this proved too much of a push for his still-recovering body and he stumbled. With a hiss, the Spatter lunged and its claws slashed out.

"AGH!" The brush clattered to the ground as Mickey staggered backward and fell, clutching a hand to his side.

"Mickey!" Oswald immediately leaped over to cover him. He unleashed a forcefield of energy around them, stunning the remaining Spatters. Gus zoomed over to help Mickey as Oswald stood firm in front of them, glaring at the remaining Spatters as they began twitching wildly and garbling. After a few moments, they flopped down on their faces.

Oswald let out a sigh of relief, then turned. "You all right there, soldier?"

Mickey grunted as he started to stand, still holding his side. "I... I think so..."

Oswald hooked his arms under Mickey's to help him up. Once he was standing, Oswald lifted Mickey's hand from the spot and frowned as he examined the deep wound that was dripping black ink.

"Yikes, he got ya pretty good."

Mickey winced and nodded as ink drops started to rise from his body. "I c-can patch it up, though..." He started to reach down for the brush only to have a sharp wave of pain shoot through his side. He groaned again and started to fall, but Oswald caught him.

"Easy. I don't think ya don't have the energy for that," he said. "There's a Paint Fountain just down the street, though. It ought t' take care of that. C'mon."

Mickey gave a nod and started down the street, leaning on Oswald for support.

Oswald turned to Gus, who was fluttering nearby with a concerned look. "Gus, can ya grab the brush?"

"Right away!" the gremlin said, saluting. He zoomed over and picked up the brush with both hands.

"Thanks, Gus," Oswald said as he helped Mickey over to the fountain.

"Unh..." Mickey suddenly moaned, cringing. The few ink drops rising from his body increased, making both Gus and Oswald frown with worry. Oswald quickly lifted Mickey up onto the edge of the fountain, then cupped some Paint into his hands and poured it over Mickey's wound. Mickey couldn't stop himself from wincing at the sting, but it faded as the Paint sank in and the gash closed. Letting out a sigh of relief, he sat up and gave his concerned friends a grateful smile. "Thanks." As he spoke, the ink drops stopped rising.

Oswald smiled. "Sure."

Smiling in relief, Gus flew over and handed back the brush.

"Thanks, Gus," Mickey said as he took it and flexed his arm, testing its mobility. He leaned back, stretching, but accidentally leaned too far back and lost his balance. Oswald tried to catch him, but failed, and they both fell into the Paint fountain with a splash. Gus rolled his eyes as Mickey grinned sheepishly, his teeth and round ears the only recognizable features. "Heh... well, that's one way t' stay healthy."

The blue blob that vaguely resembled a rabbit gave him an annoyed splash. Mickey grinned and returned it before they both climbed out of the fountain, shaking the Paint off their fur.

"Shall we move on now?" Gus asked, smirking slightly.

"Sure, if Captain Clumsy here doesn't keep slowin' us down," Oswald remarked as he spun his ears, sending the Paint flying off them and splatting in Mickey's face.

"Yeah, well..." the mouse said in a casual voice as he wiped the Paint off, "next time I see a crazy, rabid Spatter, I'll tell it not to slice me open."

"Speakin' of which..." Oswald glanced down the street at the still-unconscious Spatters. "We should probably get those guys off the street while they're still out."

Gus nodded as he flew forward. "I believe Sparks still has some of the glass cages the Beetleworx used," he said. "It should hold them."

Mickey placed the brush behind him, gripping it with his tail. "Okay, then, let's get 'em over there before they come to."

Oswald thought for a moment, then pulled out his remote and set up an electric force field around the unconscious Spatters. He then hid his remote in a nearby planter so that the force field would remain up.

"There, that should hold 'em in case they wake up."

"Good idea," Mickey said, grinning.

"We'll hafta hurry before the battery drains, though." Oswald then shot Mickey a playful smirk before pushing him back and running toward the hub of Bog Easy. "Race ya!"

"Oh, no, ya don't!" Mickey yelled as he took off after him, leaving an unimpressed looking Gus behind.

The gremlin sighed. "Something tells me this is going to be a very long day."

As Mickey emerged onto the boardwalk of Bog Easy, he glanced around in confusion. He could've sworn Oswald had been ahead of him. All of a sudden, something leapt off a nearby roof and pounced on his back, knocking him to the ground.

"Gotcha!"

Mickey yelped in surprise before realizing who it was, then they both laughed.

"Ahem." The two looked up to see Gus waiting patiently in front of the workshop, a slight, teasing grin on his face. "What took you?"

As they entered the workshop, Gus fluttered ahead of them to greet his fellow gremlin. "Sparks, good to see you. Do you still have those cages you were studying?"

Gremlin Sparks nodded a greeting to Mickey and Oswald as they walked up. "Yes," he said, looking slightly confused. "But what for?"

Oswald smirked slightly. "We ran into some friends on the way here," he said.

Mickey touched the faded scar on his side. "They weren't in a very good mood, either," he added.

Sparks nodded, moving toward a nearby door. "They're right in here," he said, opening it. "And I've got something to carry them with too, so once they get loaded, we can get them down there in no time."

"Here, we'll give ya a hand," Mickey said as he and Oswald walked over. Gremlin Sparks wheeled over a little trolley while they approached the glass cages.

Oswald attempted to lift one, but with little success. "Unnf... Alright, we're gonna need to lift it together," Oswald said.

"Right," Mickey agreed with a nod. Then they both bent down and got into position. "On three. One, two, three!"

Grunting, they heaved the glass cage up and onto the trolley. Repeating the process, they loaded up all the cages and headed back to Bog Easy. To everyone's relief, the Blotlings were still out for the count.

"The remote must've fried their circuits," Gus said thoughtfully.

"We still better get these little guys off the street," Mickey said. "Even if they're fried, it might still unsettle folks."

Oswald nodded as he went over to one of the Blotlings and dragged it into one of the cages. Mickey did the same with the second Blotling while Gus took care of the third.

"That's all of 'em," Oswald said.

Mickey frowned slightly as he glanced at the cages. "What should we do with 'em?"

"Turn 'em over to the Doc?" Oswald suggested, putting a hand to his chin in though. "They're part machine, right? Maybe they have some data on their source."

"Actually, that's a pretty good idea," Mickey said, tapping his chin. "It's probably our best bet to find who's makin' em."

Oswald puffed out his chest proudly. "Thank you." To that, Mickey merely rolled his eyes.

"I can warp back to Mean Street," Gus volunteered. "The Mad Doctor has rebuilt his hoverpad, so he can come and get them."

"Alright, sounds good," said Oswald.

"Be back in a jiffy!" Gus replied, giving Oswald a salute before teleporting away.

Back at the lab, Oswald and Mickey hopped off the flying machine while the Doc pressed some controls, causing the claws to release the cages.

The Mad Doctor stepped off his hoverpad and moved to the exam table, adjusting some equipment around it. "I've extracted some data from the first Spatter, but many of the electronics were damaged. However, with this many..." He grinned over at the glass cages. "I can surely gather much more data."

The trio glanced at each other and smiled proudly, glad their work had paid off.

"Now, then..." the Mad Doctor said, cracking his knuckles. "To work!"

"Do you think it'll work?" Gus muttered as they watched.

"I sure hope so," Oswald said.

Mickey nodded, giving a sigh. "I just hope we get some hints soon. Runnin' around without knowin' what you're lookin' for is kind of exhausting."

Oswald nodded in agreement. "Well, whoever or whatever is behind this has to show up eventually, and when they do, we'll give 'em a what-for!" He held up his fist.

"You bet!" Mickey said, grinning.

Oswald glanced back over at the Mad Doctor. "Got anythin' yet, Doc?"

"Hmm..." the Doctor mumbled as he examined the X-rays of the disabled Spatters. Finally, he turned and blinked. "Ah, you're still here?"

Oswald looked at Gus, who shrugged.

"Well, good... I have some information," the Doctor continued. "Bad news first... I'm afraid the circuits are too damaged to extract a full signal, so I cannot track them to their point of origin."

Oswald and Mickey both slumped.

"What?!" Oswald whined. "After all that?"

"Do ya need us to catch a new one?" Mickey asked.

"No, not at all," the Mad Doctor replied. "With their increased aggression and damage capability, attempting to capture a live one would be far too dangerous. And there is good news. While I can't distinguish their prime point of origin, there is enough to find their secondary ones."

He pressed a button on his large console and a map of Wasteland appeared on-screen, with small dots blinking at four different locations.

"The Blotlings are being distributed through each of these areas," he said, waving a gloved hand across the map. "Clearly by generators of some sort."

Oswald put a finger to his chin in thought. "So, we need to shut those generators down."

"Exactly!" the Mad Doctor replied. "And if you can retrieve data from each of them, I can certainly use it to find the location of the main generator."

"So, they're each like a piece of the puzzle, huh?" Mickey said thoughtfully.

"But how are we gonna extract the data?" Oswald asked.

"I included data storage capability among the updates to your remote," the Mad Doctor said, looking quite proud of his foresight. "All you need do is flip that switch there and it will go into scanning mode. The information will automatically transfer here and I'll get to work decoding it."

Oswald flipped the switch on the side of his remote and a radar image appeared on the screen. "Huh, neat-o. Thanks, Doc," Oswald said, impressed.

"Yes, yes... now you'd best be on your way! No time to waste! We must find out who's behind this as soon as possible!" The Mad Doctor gave them both a push toward the door.

"Okay, we're goin', we're goin'!" Mickey said as he and Oswald hurried out, Gus following.

"Where shall we start?" the gremlin asked.

Oswald pressed some buttons on his remote, pulling up a map. "It looks like I can track the location of the generators on here. Let's start with the one in Ventureland."

"Right then, lads," Gus said, pushing up his sleeves. "Let's move."