Notes:
Hiya lovelies! TAP here! And boy have I missed you guys.
"Oh, look, the ghost came back." Wakko put down a newspaper and took off his reading glasses.
Wha-
"We're no longer in the void!" Dot squeaked in excitement.
Stop! Let me talk to the readers!
The Warners shared a look and shrugged. "Okaaaaaay."
Finals are done! I'm free!!! Now I just gotta get a job and work until next year...sigh.
Anyways! I've missed ya and writing and Bendy! I don't ever wanna miss a Friday again. It was the worst. I missed your comments so much.
"So, look forward to when TAP abandons all of us again?" Yakko asked.
I don't what to hear that from you.
Thank Mercowe for agreeing to be my Beta reader. Go check out their story too. Mercowe is a great writer (Even if it isn't a Bendy story) and show some love!
You guys are the best! Enjoy the show!
"See ya in the story guys." Yakko waved.
"I hope we can eat this time. I'm starving. Can we get a pizza first?" Wakko complained.
"Hey, think you could let me kiss Bendy, TAP? Please! Please? Please!" Dot begged.
Get out of my notes! Go to the story dangit! Leave!
~~~
The four waited six days with no word from the insane trio. They had a long sit down and the brothers explained almost everything to the performers. They were still hesitant when it came to Wilson. They didn't say his name, nor the dangerous conspiracies around those issues, but they couldn't lie about the accident that took the owl's life or the fire. They left the ink illness and these events as separate entities to the pair. Boris wasn't exactly sure why Bendy wanted it this way, but he didn't argue it. Boris guessed it was to protect the fox and cat from being targeted like Bendy and he were.
The group had gotten some clothes to disguise him and Bendy during the day. They helped the performers out on their acts during the days. In the evenings, if they could find an instrument to borrow, they would get a dancing show going with Boris playing and Bendy leading people in to start. Finley was tickled with how much they were able to pull in on those couple of evenings. The brothers only had one other close call with a cop when someone complained about the music and shouting, and had a copper sent. The guy had been suspicious, but Finley was able to charm him away. As the days continued Bendy became more anxious. He wondered if the Warners were ever going to get back to them. Maybe they should go to the tower and check? They almost had enough for tickets and rooms in Toon Town now, so it almost didn't matter. Sure, he'd give up on some things he was going to miss, but it wasn't the end of the world. Why was he so bent outta shape here? It was the night of the sixth day and he was a ball of nerves.
Finley leaned back and counted the dough they had made with an easy smile. Sammy fiddled with his fingers and looked very tired. Boris looked like he was about to fall asleep, leaning against a wall. Finley let out a whistle. "I think two more days o' this will have you boys set."
"That's great," Boris muttered, half asleep. Finley gave the wolf an amused smirk. Bendy sighed. Finally.
"Oh, hey, your check in with the doc is tomorrow, isn't it?" Sammy suddenly muttered. His ears dropped. "It might be bad news."
"Or it could be great news!" Finely said.
Ah, Bendy thought, that could be why he was a wreck. He hadn't had another pain attack since that night. The most he'd felt was a twinge once in a while and just as he braced himself for the pain it would vanish. He could almost believe it had all been a bad dream and that he was perfectly healthy. He wasn't so optimistic or ridiculous. Something was wrong with him and if the crow doctor could figure it out, then all the power to him.
"Ya think, Finley?" Sammy asked.
"Well, people say you should hope for the best, right?" Finley raised a brow thoughtfully at the cat.
"Yeah, and prepare for the worst," Sammy added with a small tilt of his head, his ears falling to the side of his head.
***
Bendy sighed as Dr. Boo motioned for him to sit. The doctor adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. The tilt of his beak seemed grim. Bendy couldn't help the chills running up his spine, or the dread sinking in his stomach. Boris sat in the other chair in the corner of the room. Dr. Boo looked in between the two of them and pulled a clipboard up to his thick glasses. "I'll be honest with you. I have never seen something like this before. You have baffled the lab and myself. I was wondering if we could get another sample for further study."
Bendy blinked. His bro looked just as perplexed. He frowned. "It's not like I can cough up more on command, doc."
"Right, right." He waved a wing like he was shooing the thought away.
"So, what shocked everyone?" Boris asked.
"Well, this substance is exactly like you said. It's ink," the crow explained. Bendy grimaced. "But, it's not just ink either." The crow sounded mystified.
"Huh?" Bendy felt his head tilt and his shoulders drop an inch. What did that mean?
"Oh, uh, you see, the properties of the substance are made of ink, the chemical make-up and so forth, but it's also like blood. There is DNA and cells and so forth. At first the lab thought it was contaminated, but the more they looked, the more astounded they became. It wasn't mixed, it wasn't like blood got into the sample. It was the sample!" He sounded excited. The boys shared a confused look. "See here. The cells were still functioning like they were a part of a system, like they weren't removed from a host. The reactions they were going through were miraculous. They found the sample was acting as a component in the breakdown of tissues, but it's very complex. It was very systematic in its processes, far more than a virus. We still have to consider," he paused and seemed to change his mind. "But it seemed to also store the basic units of the samples we introduced it to after it dissolved them," The doctor said, seeming to become lost in thought.
"Doc, you lost us," Bendy said, stopping the crow from continuing. The crow froze for an awkward beat, then tilted the clipboard.
"Ah. I'm sorry. I got carried away." He flicked through some papers on the board before putting it down and looking at Bendy directly. "Bottom line is, we have never seen anything like this before and it's astounding. It's, well, I'd like to think of it as living ink. It feeds and has a system of doing things. Because of this, I don't know how in the world to help you, young man." Bendy's shoulders dropped in defeat. "But, I am sending in our discoveries into the Global Board of Medical Research. I am very glad you came in. This...ink illness could change the field of medical practice in its entirety. Not a virus or bacteria or a parasite. At least not one I have ever witnessed before. Yet, it is some form of microorganism."
"Uh," Boris muttered. "And that means?"
"It means that this could be very bad for everyone if we don't find a way to combat this sickness." The doctor adjusted his glasses. "It could be devastating."
"Do you know how it spreads?" Bendy asks. The doctor shrugged.
"The lab is trying with rats, but it doesn't act like a virus. We infect them and nothing happens. We check their systems, any samples we collect and they're clean. It's like the disease refuses them instead of any act of the immune system. It refuses to stick to their systems. It'll take a while for us to figure out how this is reacting to certain individuals and completely bypassing others. The good news is it seems to 'stick' with very few subjects.You did say there have been other cases?" Dr. Boo tugged on his hood.
"We heard about them, but we don't know any of them," Boris said.
"Ah." The crow tilted his head, making his glasses gleam in the room's light. "I see. And the person that told you about this, do you have contact with him?"
"No. There's no way to reach him," Bendy said in a low tone. His face was blank.
"That's too bad. Is there anyone else that may be considering this? Anyone I can ask questions and discuss this with?" The crow asked. The boys grew nervous, sitting stiffly and not looking at him directly. "Please? I want to find a way to help you Mr. Bendy."
"There is someone," Boris said.
"Boris." Bendy gave him a warning look. The wolf ignored it.
"He lives in Toon Town. He was a friend of the person that knew about the ink illness." Boris rushed.
"Boris, don't." Bendy started to get up.
"Dr. Oddswell," Boris chirped quickly. The doctor froze a second time. Bendy sighed in defeat. Could they not keep a secret for more than two weeks?
"Did you say Dr. Oddswell? As in Ryan Oddswell?" he chirped.
"Yeah," Boris said, perking one ear in question. "Do you know him?"
The crow hesitated and adjusted his glasses nervously. "Let's just say I know of him. Interesting. I can assume he is someone you plan to see?"
"That's right," Bendy said, his mouth pulled down in annoyance. "What of it?"
The crow scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Bendy. "That's my personal address. If he is willing, I would like for him to send a letter. I want to know all there is about this sickness."
Bendy glanced at the paper before stuffing it into his pocket. "Ya' know, the last guy that handed me a note to deliver isn't exactly on my good side."
The doctor bowed his head so that his hood nearly covered his huge glasses. "I only have the best of intentions, I assure you, sir."
"Uh huh," Bendy muttered and stood up. "Well, if that's all ya got, we'll be headin' out."
"I am truly sorry I couldn't be of more help. There is just not enough information yet," Dr. Boo said. Bendy waved his words off and headed to the door.
Boris stopped and turned to the doctor. "Sorry about my brother, and thanks anyway. We hope you guys can find something." Boris nodded in farewell and hurried to catch up to Bendy.
Bendy walked out to the waiting area to spot where Finley and Sammy sat. When they noticed the demon, they stood up.
"Well, how'd it go?" Finley asked.
"He knew about as much as a week ago," Bendy stated flatly.
"Oh." Finley's smile dropped. "Sorry to hear that pal."
Once again Bendy waved it off. "Forget 'bout it. We're burning daylight. We might as well do something productive."
"Sounds like a plan to me," a voice right behind Bendy said. Bendy squeaked and jumped away. He spun around on his heel and there was Wakko grinning at him.
"You!"
"Hiya! It's been awhile." Wakko waved.
"Oh, look it's the Warners," Boris said calmly as he came in. "Hello again."
"Don't just greet them like old friends Boris." Bendy frowned.
"Why not?" Boris shrugged. "They're helping us out."
Bendy pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"Yeah, why not greet us like good ol' pals?" Yakko asked leaning on Bendy's head. The demon flinched and swatted him away. Yakko jumped back, chuckling.
"Because I never want to be friends with psychos like you," he snapped.
"How about a boyfriend?" Dot popped up in his arms and leaned forward suggestively with puckered lips.
"Eeeegh!" Bendy cringed away and ducked behind Finley. "Nonononononono! Gross!" Dot pouted.
"Wowie. It's the Warners, Sammy," Finley said. He was somewhere between entertained and nervous.
"Y-y-y-yeah." Sammy seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but here at this moment.
"I guess you guys are here because you have something for us," Boris said.
"Yeah, we got fuzzy-wuzzy to spill the beans." Dot shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Where is he?" Bendy demanded.
"Eeehhh." Yakko shared a smirk with his siblings. "Around."
***
"PLEASE LOCK ME UP!! DON'T LET THEM NEAR ME! I'M A GOOD BOY! I'M BIPPY THE DANCING BEAR, HAHAHAHA!!" The officer sighed as he led the bear into the van. Another victim of the Warner's 'pranks' and now the poor guy had a long road to recovery. He had rushed in and confessed to a list of muggings and robberies. Station was completely thrown. He also confessed to being part of the theft ring and how the 'demons' were coming for them. The officer sighed. Now he had to drive this nut job to the asylum and miss his chance to introduce himself to those cute detectives that had rolled into town. He had been trying to ask them out to drinks all week, but it always seemed they were busy. What rotten luck.
***
The Warners snickered.
"Ya didn't kill him, did you?" Bendy feared the answer.
"What? Of course not!" Dot waved a hand in dismissal. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. "He's just gone on holiday. He'll come back someday." She leaned around Finley to see Bendy again. "But is that really what we want to talk about, hottie?"
Bendy grimaced. "You know where they are. Tell us and you can consider your favor taken care of." He shook his head. "And we won't have to see each other ever again."
"Can't do that boss. This is the highest kudos story for Animanics on this site," Yakko said.
"We can't just leave it alone," Wakko added.
"Besides, that wouldn't be any fun. Oh and!" Dot winked. "You and I have to create our ship."
"Uh." Finley looked at Bendy in confusion. "Did you understand any of that?"
"Not a single word," Bendy said as an annoyed scowl crossed his face.
"What ship? Are you sailing somewhere Bendy?" Sammy leaned over to ask quietly.
"Is he ever!" Dot appeared in the middle of the men.
"Ah!" All three cried out in shock and jumped back.
"No! I'm not!" Bendy huffed.
"Excuse me." The beautiful nurse approached. "You are disturbing other families. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to quiet down or to please leave."
Wakko and Yakko turned to her with hearts in their eyes. "Hellloooooooo, nurse!" they both said and hopped up on either side of her. The Warner boys planted a kiss on her either of her cheeks before laughing and running out the door. The nurse blinked and tried to comprehend what just happened to her. Bendy's jaw dropped. Did they just—?
"Ugh boys." Dot rolled her eyes and made to follow them, then suddenly turned around and looped an arm through Bendy's. "C'mon, handsome! We've got bad guys to catch."
"Wait a—ugh!" Bendy tried to protest, but the small Warner yanked him off his feet with surprising strength.
"Wait for us!" Finley cried as he, Boris, and Sammy rushed to keep up.
***
The two relaxed against the bar, sipping their fizz wizzes and watching the other patrons make fools of themselves. The man smirked as his brother held back snickers and hid behind his drink. The two had been here a little under a week and they were having a tough time finding the brats. He had been surprised and pleased to see the wanted posters of the two scattered throughout the city. He thought it would be cake to find the boys in the big house and then take care of business. Sadly, that wasn't the case. These two were proving to be trickier than he thought. After hanging around the station and local cop hang outs, the two hunters had pieced together that the targets had come in over a stolen bag and fled when they realized that they were wanted. The slick schmucks had given the cops a run for a life time and had disappeared.
The hunters had come up dry. It had taken them a while to try and figure out what to do after that. Finally, they figured that they could try and find the pack and lure the two out. If they had gone to the police instead of leaving the town, then that most likely meant that there was something important in the bag. Maybe it was all their cash, though only an idiot would keep all they had in one place.
He sighed, and took another drink. It had taken forever to find the right scum corner where the underbelly of the city existed, and even longer than that to find out about the big theft ring that had started up this year. He was still annoyed with how hard it was to find information on them. Still, in the end they got what they wanted and it was fun to beat those idiots to a pulp and dump the pathetic pile in the trash.
They had a shipping deal with another ring in a city up north. They stored their goods in two locations. Stolen things were in a hidden basement of a research lab and traded thing were in a prop warehouse at the edge of the studio lot.
They were going to get the lab tonight. The man drained the rest of his drink. The carbonated drink tickled his tongue and throat as it went down. He knew it was a stupidly thin chance those two would go that far for a stupid pack, but it was literally their only clue. Even if they had skipped town after that, maybe it would have a clue as to where they were headed. He really hated grabbing at straws like this. If the trail went cold he and his brother would have no choice but to go to their boss for help and he was pretty sure if they did, he wouldn't be leaving with all his limbs attached.
"Would you like another sir?" the bartender asked.
"Sure. Another fizz wizz. Chocolate this time," he responded. The guy made his drink and backed off to see to other costumers. The man glanced out the window. The sun was slowly making its way down the sky. Once it was dark the two would make their move.
"Hey, bro!" His partner got his attention.
"mmh?" He hummed and looked up.
The other nodded, indicating for him to look out on the floor. He turned just in time to see a tipsy patsy slip and kiss the hardwood floor with a heavy thud. Everyone that witnessed it burst into laughter. The man glanced at the mischievous and pleased smirk on his brother's face.
"Sweet berries, bro. How did you set that up?" he laughed.
His brother winked. "Just thought the moron needed to take a trip."
***
"UGH!" Ringtail moaned. "This is hopeless!"
"Oh, come now, Ringtail. It hasn't even been a week and you're giving up?" Featherworth organized the stack of paper at the desk across from her partner's.
"We literally have no leads," she groaned and dropped her head to her desk.
"This city is only a fraction of the size of home," Featherworth pointed out.
"Yeah, but we would know where to go and who to talk to there. We would be able to find some leads," Ringtail bemoaned. "The idiots here let them slip away so easy with no way to track them."
Featherworth sighed. She had to admit the report on the boys' escape from the station and authorities was impressive for them and very embarrassing for the station. Those two were right in front of them for stars' sake! On top of that, they had failed to secure any information like where the two were staying or any connections they had in the city.
Simply put, the officers here were very reluctant and embarrassed to share any information about the boys with them. Luckily, it seemed the news hadn't caught wind of the station's blunder.
"Maybe if we get better wanted posters. The ones that are out aren't completely accurate. Then, if we go and ask around the train station again or the shopping district," Featherworth suggested. Ringtail scowled and suddenly flipped the stacks of papers on her borrowed desk, sending paper flying in every direction. Featherworth's beak dropped in surprise. There was a long pause of silence only pierced through by the fluttering of pages and the whirl of a desk fan. Ringtail and Featherworth stared at each other. "D-did you just toss and scatter all those reports?"
"What do you think?" Ringtail said flatly.
"That's...." Joan paused. "That's going to take at least an hour to organize all of that again."
Ringtail shrugged uncaringly and a dark smirk crossed her face. "It's just as useful as wandering around places we have been a hundred times this week."
"You." Joan narrowed her eyes. "You." She couldn't find the right words.
Ringtail lifted her chin in challenge. "Yes?"
"You just." Joan leaned over and reached on the side of the desk to the pile of waded up paper in the garbage can.
"Do you have something to say, Featherface?" Ringtail narrowed her eyes.
"You are such a—." Joan chucked the paper at the raccoon. The sad projectile fluttered and bounced off her shoulder. "Furbrain!"
Rachel's face darkened. "Did you just throw garbage at me?"
"What do you think?" Joan snarked.
Ringtail picked up the metal fan on her desk and looked at it. "It looks like...." She stepped around her desk and looked Joan in the eye with a deadly glint in her own eyes and a smirk. With a flick of the wrist, she turned the fan on Joan's desk. Before the crow could do anything her stacks of documents took to the air. "You have a big old mess."
"You know this means war, Fluffy Bandit," Joan declared.
When Officer Jones stepped into the office to give the visiting detectives a notice for their late lunchbreak, as requested, she stepped into a scene of chaos. Documents and wadded up paper balls were flying everywhere. The two detectives were ducking behind their desks, chucking the wads back and forth and the raccoon had a fan that sent every scrap near her in the air. They were laughing and bantering back and forth as they destroyed all the carefully filed paperwork.
"What is the meaning of this?" the old woman shrieked. Both detectives froze mid-action.
"Are you two really from Toon Town? I don't know how the agency over there handles things, but here we expect organization and discipline!" the office worker said sharply. They straightened up and looked to the older woman with shame.
"W-we're sorry ma'am. I was forcing my partner to loosen up a bit. It's my fault." Ringtail grinned, scratching the back of her head.
The officer glared at her. "Then I should report your actions to your superior."
"Then please also report me." Featherworth stepped up. "After all, this mess had to take two."
Ringtail narrowed her eyes at the crow. It was too much like Joan to jump under the bus with her. The officer seemed taken aback. "I-I." She straightened her spine stiffly. "I will be sure to do that."
"Was there any other business you had with us, Officer Jones?" Featherworth asked.
"I was simply informing you that it's your lunchbreak," she said, still stiff.
Joan nodded. "Thank you, officer."
The old woman turned, then stopped. "Oh, and we found the report the suspect filled out."
"Uh?" Ringtail's ears twitched. "What report?"
"He came in for a stolen backpack. I had him fill out a report and description of the taken items." Officer Jones said in her nasally voice.
"He did that before running out, like a bat outta hell?" Ringtail asked her muzzle scrunched up in thought.
The officer gave her a look of confusion. "No, he did it the day before all of that nonsense. I had told him to come back the day after he filled it out. I hadn't received the noticed that they were wanted criminals yet. It was the next day when we were made aware and acted."
"No one thought to inform us you had this?" Featherworth asked with an edge of annoyance in her voice.
"It had been lost in the chaos of the last couple of days. Between the thieves, the Warners, and this new development we have our hands full," she stated in the exact same uninterested tone. The detectives shared a look. This woman would be more interested in office gossip then actual work.
Ringtail offered a paw to take the report and looked it over. There wasn't much to go off. No contact information or address. Bendy kept everything short and to the point. He also mentioned money, but was vague on the amount that was stolen.
"Uh," was all Ringtail could say. Featherworth took it and looked it over.
"Is there any chance he would think you have the pack?" Featherworth asked.
"No," she answered flatly.
"You said the theft ring is targeting tourists?" Featherworth walked over to her desk. She started looking for something before sighing and shrugging at the mess that was...well, everywhere.
"Yes?" The officer furrowed her brows.
"Well then, there's that raid of the thieves storage space that's planned tonight right? If we find the pack there, then we could find a clue," Featherworth said.
The officer huffed with irritation. "We have been looking for those individuals for six months. We finally have a break to catch them. You think it's so simple to—."
"You said a bear came in and confessed to working in the ring. Did he mention the boys at all?" Ringtail said instead of asking.
"Well,...no, but he was obviously disturbed after his run in with the Warners. You can't take his statements at face value," Officer Jones said.
"Did anyone bother to ask?" Raingtail crossed her arms over her chest. Officer Jones fidgeted uncomfortably. The silence stretched on. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"You haven't dealt with a Warner victim before," Officer Jones defended weakly.
Featherworth pulled on a coat and her hat. "There you have it, then. We will be joining the raiding party tonight. Have a squad ready. We will go in as soon as we are ready." Ringtail quickly followed her partner's actions.
"Wait! What about this mess?" Officer Jones glared with at them.
"Well, we're cleaning up your mess, so the least you can do is clean up ours," Ringtail said as they passed her by and headed down the hall. The officer's face flushed with anger. Ringtail hid her smirk with the brim of her hat before disappearing out the door.
"Ready to catch some bozos?" Featherworth asked.
"Ready? I'm giddy to finally do something," Ringtail said. The two shared a smirk. This was what they were good at. "Been a while since we've been on a raid."
"Worried you're rusty?" Featherworth chuckled.
"I hit you every time I threw a paper ball. You're the one who's rusty," Ringtail said bumping her shoulder.
"Oh-hoh!" Featherworth mock laughed. "Them's fightin' words! Money goes out for that."
"The usual wager?" Ringtail grinned mischievously, holding out a paw.
Featherworth took it and shook. "You're on."
Notes:
Ready for a mad house?
"Yep!" the Warners grinned.
I don't have the chapter typed, but I will do my best to have it done by Friday. I'm goin' to a family reunion so I don't know how this is gonna work.
"Abandoning us already? Seriously?" Yakko asked. "Geez that was fast."
Shut it! I'll get it done!
"Can I kiss Bendy in the next chapter?" Dot gushed.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
See ya guys next time!
TAP out!