Bugsnapped! by Matt Bermann ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 January, 1996. Okkay, welcome to my newest story, "Bugsnapped!" In most of my stories, I assume/will assume that Bugs is Buster's father. However, in this story it is not essential to the plot, so if you want Bugs to be Buster's dad, then he is. If not, he isn't. It doesn't matter in this story. Bugs was always one of my favorite characters, he didn't get nearly enough screen time on TTA, so he plays big in my stories. Be on the lookout for loads of gratuitously stolen material from several shows, and quite a few movies, as well as some direct quotes, or nearly direct quotes, from TTA itself, as well as Animaniacs. Please, please, please email me at: Eddie@iprolink.co.nz and tell me what you think! It doesn't matter how small the comment may seem, write me! I appreciate all constructive criticism. And no, "Curl up and die" is not constructive! Be on the lookout for my other stories, "Something old, something new, something borrowed, someone blue" and "A rabbit out of time" (Both of which you can get from HKUriah's homepage at ) The first twenty people to write and list all the different movies and TV shows that I got the quotes - and situations - from will win.. umm, a chocolate fish! Remember, some are more hidden than others... Well, enjoy the story, and remember.. WRITE ME AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Oh, it has been pointed out to me that Porky visited reality in 1940, in the film, "You Oughta be in pictures". Also, there is the Roger Rabbit view of reality and toons, but I want you to banish both those ideas from your head right now! If you have NO idea why I am mentioning reality and toons, don't worry about it yet, just remember what I said. Thanks to: Warner Bros. for producing a great show. Buster, Babs, and Bugs Bunny, for being a great source of quotes. Tress MacNeille's voice, for being the stuff dreams are made of. WB legal, for not exiling me to Mars (yet!) Maximum respect to all other TTA fanfiction writers! And all you people out there who write me and give help. Thanks! HKUriah, for being so supportive, as always. **** HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY **** If you have comments on this story ***E-Mail*** them to me. Don't just post them to alt.tv.tiny-toon, as my news server doesn't get many of the posts there. ***E-Mail*** please! Eddie@Iprolink.co.nz ************************************* Pre-story quote: "The pen is truly mightier than the sword. Especially if it's poison tipped. But I could still have Shakespeare in a fight." - Yours truly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Buster, Babs, Plucky, Hamton, Fifi and Shirley sat at their usual table in the cafeteria, eating, and making small talk. "Did you see that new show last night?" asked Babs. "Yeah, it was, like, way cool, Babs," replied Shirley. "Oui, and zat John, what an 'unk!" added Fifi. "Are you gonna eat that last bit of pie, Plucky?" asked Hamton. "Yeah, Ham. I'll sell it to you for a dollar, though," replied Plucky. "You can't be serious, Plucky!" Buster exclaimed, "He can buy a whole pie for a dollar at the cafeteria shop!" "Yeah, but my pie has edible contents," said Plucky. "He's got a point, Buster," agreed Hamton. "Well, Diz doesn't seem to mind school pies," Buster said, pointing at Dizzy, who was sitting at a table by himself, demolishing pies with his usual gusto. "Dizzy would eat the whole cafeteria, if you gave him half a chance," said Plucky. "He's got a point, Buster," agreed Hamton. "Oh yeah? Let's put that theory to the test!" Buster said, starting to get agitated. "Let's do!" said Plucky. "He's got a point, Bu-" said Hamton, before being interrupted. "WOULD YOU SHUT UP, HAMTON?!" shouted Plucky and Buster in unison. Buster and Plucky stood, with their faces pressed up against each other. Suddenly, the PA speaker crackled, and Bugs started talking. "Isn't that always the way?" asked Plucky. Bugs started his announcement. "Afternoon, all. I have good news for ya all. Next week, dere will be a party to celebrate de end of da school term. Fundraising activities will begin tomorrow. Buster and Babs Bunny, report to de Staffroom immediately. Dat's all, folks!" Professor Taz entered the cafeteria, and stood staring at all the food for a moment. He managed to remember why he was here, and walked over to Dizzy. Plucky noticed, and wondered what Taz and Dizzy were talking about. The two devils stood, and left the cafeteria. Plucky scratched his chin, and thought no more about it. He returned his attention to the rising tension of his own table. Buster looked over at Babs with a concerned look on his face, and she returned it. Before either of them could say anything though, Plucky started humming the funeral march. Patting Buster on the back, and said, "Nice knowing you, kiddo. See you in the next life, eh?" "Shut up, Plucky. It's probably just some misunderstanding," said Buster. "Yeah, that's what it will be, a misunderstanding," said Babs, getting up. She sounded unconvinced. "Why would Bugs be mad at us?" asked Buster. "Well, you did drop that REALLY big anvil on Professer Sam, and sticking those matches in Professor Taz's feet wasn't nice, either," said Hamton. Buster and Babs walked out of the cafeteria. "Zere goes a couple of brave toons, no?" said Fifi. "Yeah. I, like, wonder what Bugs wants with them, y'know?" asked Shirley. * * * * * * * * * * * * The two bunnies stood in front of the staffroom door, staring up at it's ominous form. "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," said Babs. "Well, let's get it over with," said Buster. They approached the door, and it opened, seemingly of its own accord. The two bunnies gulped. "After you," said Babs, pushing Buster forward. "Thanks, I think." They walked inside. All of the professors at the school were there, sitting around a table, with the exception of Taz, who was talking to Dizzy in a corner of the room. "This must be pretty serious," thought Buster, "I wonder what Babs is thinking." "I wanna go home!" thought Babs. Babs was the first to speak, obviously nervous. "OhhiBugsBusterandIheardtheannouncementandwethoughtwewouldco meseewhatit'sabout." Bugs stood up. "Oh, hiya, kids. Come in, come in. We need yer help with something." "You need our HELP?" asked Babs. Buster let out a sigh of relief, which he quickly disguised as a cough. "Yeah, we need ya to come up with some ideas for fundraising for next week's party. We need major moolah, or we can't have de party, and we don't wanna have to cancel it." "We awlready had a bwainstowming session, but awl we could come up with is anvil dwopping competitions, boulder juggwing, and things wike that." said Elmer. "Dizzy no like boulders!" piped up Dizzy, from the corner of the room. Taz scowled at him. "Thomeone thuggethted a thoccer match, but-" said Daffy. "Eccachkupkekupke, matches? Eccachkupkekupkephhhht, pain!" shouted Taz. He started spinning, and smashed through a nearby wall. Dizzy scratched his head, and slowly walked over to Buster and Babs. "Ooooooookay. Well, ya kids got any ideas?" asked Bugs. "Hmm. Not off the top of my head," said Buster. "Sorry, can't think of anything at the mo, give us a night to sleep on it. We'll come back tomorrow lunchtime and tell you what we come up with," said Babs. "OK kids, that's great. Ask yer friends, dey may have some ideas," said Bugs. The two bunnies left the room. "Hey, how about a soccer match with a different kind of ball. An anvil, that is," said Foghorn. * * * * * * * * * * * * The two bunnies arrived back at the cafeteria, to see their friends still sitting at the table. They walked over and sat down. "That was quick," said Plucky, "what is it? Shot at dawn?" "Hung, drawn, and quartered?" asked Hamton. "Lethal injection?" asked Plucky. "Electric chair?" "Thrown into a river with a concrete vest?" "Detention at Elmyra's house?" "Dinner with Quayle?" "Strung up by the ears?" "Lassie reruns?" "Lost in Space reruns?" "NEW episodes of Lost in Space?" "Twenty six hour John Woo film marathon?" "Twenty six hours of Dr. Quinn?" "The Disney channel?" "Catering service at Dizzy's family reunion?" "Anything involving David Hasslehoff?" "Anything involving leotards?" "A double episode of Melrose Place?" "Plan nine from outer space?" "Taz's dentist duty?" "Study hall?" "Guest spot on Donahue?" "Hosting Donahue?" "Monty's rent-a-friend duty?" "Dinner with Sandy Witch?" "A starring role in Bunnyhoma?" "Babysitting Sneezer?" "Hosting tours of Wackyland?" "Cleaning Acme Loo with a toothbrush?" "Cleaning Acme Loo without a toothbrush?" "You're on Acme Acres most wanted?" "Getting a payback for all the anvils you guys drop on us?" "You've been adopted by Elmyra?" "You're the entertainment at Cooper de Ville's birthday party?" "You're the food at Cooper de Ville's birthday party?" "You're the furniture at Cooper de Ville's birthday party?" "You're the presents at Cooper de Ville's birthday party?" "You're being exported?" "You're being deported?" "What's left? No, it couldn't be... KP duty??" "No," said Buster, "We didn't do anything wrong. Bugs and the other professors just called us there to try to come up with fundraising ideas for the party." "Oh," replied Plucky. He took out a coin, and flipped it to Hamton. "Darn. I was hoping it would be Bunnyhoma. Oh well, Ham, looks like you win the bet." "Listen," said Babs, starting to get annoyed, "We have to come up with a good fundraising idea by tomorrow or the party is off!" "Ze party? Off? Zey can't do zat to us!" said Fifi. "Well, we had better start thinking, then!" said Hamton. "Right. Did any of the professors come up with anything?" asked Plucky. "No, just the usual stuff. Anvils, boulders, things like that," replied Buster. "We need something original," said Babs. "Yeah, like, a carnival, or some junk," said Shirley. "That's not a bad idea! But it would probably cost too much to set up," said Babs. "Yeah, we need something cheaper," said Plucky. "For once, Plucky is right," said Babs. "I know! 'ow about a zeatrical production?" asked Fifi. "A what?" asked Plucky. "A play," replied Fifi. "Yeah! That's a great idea!" said Buster. "This... is so.... brilliant!" said Babs, wiping tears of joy from her eyes. "Babs, don't start that one again, PLEASE!" said Plucky. "Yeah, Coop's only just got over it," agreed Buster. "The megacam is still recovering, too," added Plucky. "We'll write, direct, and produce our very own play! What an idea!" said Babs, jumping up on the table. Hamton jumped up on the table, too. Babs glared at him. "You get back in your seat this instant, mister." "But I have a great idea. Listen to this, it's a killer. A sitcom kinda thing, with me as the star, Buster as the kooky next door neighbour, Babs as the confrontational friend, and Plucky as the balding social reject. We could call it... I know! Swinefeld!" said Hamton. "Nah, it'd never work," said Buster. "Yeah, who'd watch something like that?" agreed Babs. "Yeah, and me, a social reject? Methinks not!" added Plucky. "Why not? It wouldn't be much of an acting stretch..." said Babs, "But I definately ain't kooky, though." Everyone else looked at her with half-closed eyes. "What?" * * * * * * * * * * * * The next day, the two bunnies went back to the staffroom, where the professors were waiting. "So, did ya have any luck coming up with an idea?" asked Bugs. "Yeah, we sure did. We are going to.." said Buster. "Write..." added Babs. "Direct..." added Buster. "Produce.." added Babs. "And star, in our very own play!" said Buster, completing the sentence. "Hmm. Not a bad one, dat. Whos 'we'?" asked Bugs. "Well, it's me, Buster, Hamton, Plucky, Fifi, Shirley, Fowlmouth, Furrball, and, oh yeah, all you guys," said Babs. "Hey, that's gweat!" said Elmer. "Uth? Thtar in a play? Wow..." said Sylvester. "I dunno, guys," said Bugs, "when would dis play be, um, played?" "Saturday night," said Babs. "B..b..b..but that only gives us f..f..f..five days," sad Porky. "A play in five days? That would take some doing. A miracle, that is," said Foghorn. "And it'd hafta be a good one. It's gonna take a lot of money for dis party," said Bugs. Babs whirled around, and emerged George Foreman in complete boxing get-up. "I might be an old timer, but I can still pull in the crowds!" "But you aren't old, Babs," said Buster. "Shut up, kid. It's plot progression," said Babs. POW! CRASH! "Uhh.. okay, Babsh. Whatever you shay.." said Buster, before passing out. He fell to the ground, followed by his teeth. "OK, Babs. Ya can do it," said Bugs. "Woohoo! I'll tell Buster the good news!" said Babs, returning to her usual self. "Well, ya had better wait till he wakes up," said Bugs. "OK, thanks, Bugs!" said Babs. "Hey, Babs, send a copy of the script when ya are done writing it," "Will do, boss." * * * * * * * * * * * * The script was eventually decided on. The play starred Buster, as a priest. Babs, as the choir leader. Hamton, Shirley, Fifi, Furrball, and, erm, Fowlmouth as choir singers. Bugs as a very rich snob, Daffy as a ghost, Porky as an anonymous character, Foghorn as a tree, Taz as Homer Simpson, Sylvester as the church cat, Furrball as the church cat's cat, and Plucky as, er, Batduck. Wile E. and Calamity were the lighting team, and Bookworm was in charge of sound. Rehearsals were held throughout the week, much to the annoyance of Yosemite Sam, who was TRYING to teach classes. Babs exerted dictator style control over the proceedings, ordering everyone around with reckless abandon. Several 'accidents', as Plucky liked to call them, occured involving Babs and 16 ton weights that somehow managed to become suspended above the stage by thin wispy wires. Despite Plucky's efforts, Babs survived until the end of the week, and everyone was ready for the play. The night of the play arrived, but Bugs was nowhere to be found. Babs went to his changing room to find him, muttering something about unreliable talent. * * * * * * * * * * * * Inside the changing room, Bugs was getting ready. Suddenly, the door burst open. A strange looking character carrying a bag walked in. He slammed the door shut. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the famous Bugs Bunny." "Ehh, what's up, doc? Whaddya want?" The stranger took a step forward, and held the bunny-sized bag up. "I hope ya ain't gonna try to catch me in dat ting. Everyone knows that a stupid bag like dat won't hold me." "Yes, but those are cartoon bags. This bag is special. It's Real," said the stranger. He jumped at Bugs, and threw the bag over him. He quickly tied a piece of rope around the top, and slung it over his shoulder. Bugs yawned. Suddenly, he realized that he couldn't get out. "Hey, what's going on here? Dis ain't right." "Oh, but it is!" said the stranger, laughing. A strange yellow circle appeared on the floor. Then, Babs opened the door. "What the heck is this? Who are you? Where's your backstage pass?" she asked. Bugs spoke, his voice muffled from inside the bag. "Babs! Get help!" "Bugs?" she asked. "Yes. It's your precious Bugs, alright. Here, take this," said the stranger. He threw a crumpled up piece of paper at her. Then, he dived into the yellow circle, and was gone. The circle disappeared, and Babs ran back towards the stage. * * * * * * * * * * * * "Buster! Buster! Bugs is gone!" she shouted. "What?" Buster asked, astonished. "Someguybrokeintohischangingroomandtookhiminthiswierdbagt hroughthiswierdyellow circleandthentheydisappearedandhegavemethisnote," said Babs. "Whoa, hold it. Slow down a bit," said Buster. Plucky walked up, dressed as Batduck. "Hey, what's up?" "Some guy broke into Bugs' changing room and took him in this wierd bag through a wierd yellow circle, and then they both disappeared, and he gave me this note." She handed Buster the note. "C'mon," he said, "Let's get everyone else." They walked over to the other side of the stage, where everyone else was waiting in the wings. Buster stood up on a box, and held up his hands. "Hey! Attention, please! Someone has taken Bugs." With that, there was silence. "He gave Babs this note." He began reading. "To all the other toons, I have taken your Bugs Bunny. I am holding him hostage. I-" "We'll be alright, as long as he doesn't ask for a ransom," interrupted Plucky. "I will release him on payment of one million dollars," continued Buster. "Oh, great. Well, if heth in Acme Acreth, we'll find him," said Daffy. "There is no point searching, as I am not holding him in Acme Acres. I am holding him outside your considerable reach. I am holding him in Reality," said Buster. "D'oh!" said Taz, still in character. "I will return him to your Tooniverse upon payment of the ransom. I expect the million to be left in a bag, by the Wackyland bridge, within 48 hours," continued Buster. "This looks like a job for, mmm, Batduck!" said Plucky. "No it doesn't. THIS looks like a job for Batduck!" said Babs, pointing to a mop. "Well, we need a plan," said Buster. "I believe I may have a potential plan," said Wile E., stepping forward. "Well, what ith it?" asked Daffy. "Allow me to explain. Reality is a concept studied for many years by toon scholars. Some doubt it's existance, while others say that Reality is responsible for the Tooniverse's creation. That is not important now. I have been studying the Reality Theory for some years now as a, well, hobby. I have noticed similarities between some estimated aspects of the Reality, and our own Tooniverse." "How does that help us?" said Babs. "Well, it is mostly theoretical, but I believe that travel between the Tooniverse and Reality is a possibility, assuming that Reality actually exists. There is no way to prove or disprove it's actual existance, so for our purposes, we shall simply assume that it exists. By conducting the ion-sectra-particle waves present in the atmosphere into a compact sphere, a rift in the Tooniverse should be created, allowing passage to Reality. It should be possible to create a compact, personal unit to acheive this. Actually, it IS possible, if this kidnapper is from Reality. If he can do it, we can too." "That's great! Can you make some of these things then?" "Probably. There are one or two things to note, though, that I feel obliged to tell you before you attempt passage to Reality. The first is, although, theoretically, passage TO Reality is entirely feasible, as I have not studied Reality physics, I cannot guarantee that a return passage will be possible." "What are you saying? That we can go, but we might not be able to get back?" asked Buster. "Well, to be frank, yes. The second point is, if you arrive in Reality safely, there is no way to predict if you will retain your corporeal form." "Eh?" said Babs. "Yeah, eh?" added Buster. "In laymen's terms, if you get there, you might not make it as toons. If not, you will probably assume the form of life that exists there. On the plus side, I can almost guarantee that you will be restored to full toondom on your return." "'Almost' guarantee? Great," said Buster. "It's them 'almosts' that'll kill you," added Babs. * * * * * * * * * * * * The next day, Wile E. and Calamity arrived at the Looniversity, clutching five belts. A meeting was called in the Staffroom, and Wile E. made his presentation. "These belts allow penetration of the sectra barrier between ourselves and Reality. They have variable power controls, and these must be utilized to safely complete the journey to Reality. A full- strength sphere must be created initially to weaken the barrier, but after 2 seconds, this must be reduced to two thirds power, otherwise a permanent hole will be created in the barrier, and parts of Reality and toondom will combine, eventually eliminating both. In theory. I have constructed five belts, as the time factor prevented me from creating more. This allows for an excursion party of four, and a spare belt to allow Bugs to return safely. However, there may be a problem." "What KIND of problem?" said Plucky. "Dizzy no like problem!" "Well, if my theory about the switch affecting one's corporeal form, then it is most likely that Bugs is no longer a toon. Identifying him will be difficult, to say the least, if at all possible. There is also another problem." "Why am I not surprised?" asked Babs. "The presence of a toon in Reality, or vice versa, could have severe consequences. If my other theories about Reality are correct, then by nature, toons cannot exist in Reality, and Real lifeforms cannot exist in the Tooniverse. A third problem therefore presents itself. Since energy cannot be created or destroyed, within a defined Tooniverse, then a toon leaving the Tooniverse, with all the energy contained within said toon, would cause an imbalance. The lack of energy would be treated as a vaccum, being filled by other energy. But since the energy used to fill the vaccum came from somewhere else, another vaccum would be created. The rate of this event would gradually build up, converting the energy into heat. If left for long enough, this heat would eventually become to great for life to continue in the Tooniverse." "So, what you are saying, is that if we do nothing, we're finished. If we go to Reality, but don't make it, we're finished. If we go to Reality, make it, but can't find Bugs, we're finished. If, however, we go to Reality, make it, find Bugs, but can't get back, we are, in fact, finished," said Plucky. "To put it in laymen's terms, you cannot stay in Reality for any extended period of time. Short excursions are acceptable, but longer stays could have dire consequences for both Reality and the Tooniverse. Make it quick," replied Wile E. "Do you still have those worry balls I gave you last Christmas, Babs?" asked Buster. "Yeah, why?" "I think I am gonna need them." "Time IS of the essence here, so I suggest that an excursion party be formed and sent out immediately," said Wile E. "Yeah. Well, I'm going," said Buster. "Me too. You coming, Plucky?" said Babs. "Hmm. Yeah, why not. It's something to put on my resume," said Plucky. Might I suggest that the fourth member of your team be a person of considerable strength, to provide physical force to the situation," said Wile E. "Alright, but who?" said Buster. "Any volunteers?" added Babs. "Me go!" said Taz. "Any OTHER volunteers?" asked Plucky. Dizzy finished eating a pizza roll, and burped loudly. "Is that a volunteer I hear?" asked Plucky. "Huh?" asked Dizzy, a confused look on his face. "Well, so much for advice and experience. Oh well, Diz it is then," said Buster. "Excellent," said Wile E., "the belts will only allow passage during certain phases of the day, when the conditions are correct. This," he said, pointing to a timer on the belts, "will show you exactly when you can transport." The foursome put the belts on. Babs looked down at hers. "So, we can go in 25 minutes, then?" "Yes, that is correct." "Tell us the truth. Are these things gonna work?" asked Plucky. "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!" said Wile E., "Just do it, you'll see if they work or not." "Well, Buster," said Plucky, taking off his belt, "It seems that my rare tropical disease is flaring up again. I guess you will have to go without me. It comes and it goes, and it's coming, so I'm going." "No, it comes and it goes, you're coming, and we're going!" said Babs, slamming the belt back onto the duck. "Well, you can't blame a guy for trying." * * * * * * * * * * * * "Well, there are two minutes until you can go. You can use the belts to communicate directly with me, via this unit here," said Wile E., holding up a box. "Cool. Well, let's get ready to go," said Babs. "OK, everyone, stand back!" said Buster. The other toons moved back, leaving the foursome standing at the end of the room. Suddenly, the belts started beeping. Buster checked the belt he was carrying, to make sure it was working. Sure enough, it was. "Well, looks like it's time to go!" said Buster. He pressed the button on his belt. A yellow circle appeared below him, and he fell into it. "I don't want to do this..." said Plucky. "Geez. Why don't you just get Real, duck?" said Babs. She pressed his button, and he disappeared through a yellow circle. "Well, I'll be off now. Ciao!" she said, pressing her button. "C'mon, Diz." "Huh? Oh," said Dizzy. He pressed his button, and they both disappeared. * * * * * * * * * * * * Jonathan's room, which WAS dark, suddenly became illuminated, a bright yellow. He woke up. "What the?" He saw four yellow circles on his ceiling. Suddenly, four people dropped out through them, three boys and a girl, and the circles were gone. He reached over, and switched on a lamp. Buster was the first to stand up. He was facing away from the silent form of Jonathan, and didn't notice him. He reached up to scratch his ears, and, they weren't there! "What the hell?" He looked down at Babs, Plucky and Dizzy. But they weren't there. In their place, were three humans. "Who are you? What have you done with Babs?" The girl looked up. "What do you mean? I'm Babs! Why.. Hey! Who are you?" "Whaddya mean, who am I? I'm Buster!" "No you ain't!" said Plucky, "You ain't a rabbit!" Buster and Babs turned to look at him. "Who are you then?" "Plucky, of course, you stupid kids!" Then, he noticed something. No beak. "AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!" he shouted. "Shaddup. Dizzy head hurt," said Dizzy, rubbing his head. "Who are you?" said the other three. Jonathan found his voice. "Hate to interrupt, but WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING IN MY BEDROOM?!" They all turned to face him. "Who are you?" Jonathan slapped his face. * * * * * * * * * * * * After some heated discussion, everyone found out who everyone else was, with the exception of Jonathan. He didn't know who the hell anyone was. "C'mon. Let's go to the living room," he said. The five walked out of the bedroom into the hall, and Jon flicked on the light. Buster looked over at Babs. "I know this is out of character, but, Heeeeeelllloooooo, Nurse!" "Don't get fresh, pink boy!" she replied. They all arrived in the lounge. Jon sat down, and the four others stood in front of him, in a line. Jon looked up at the line of people. There was Buster, a blonde guy, he was roughly six feet tall. There was Babs, a redhead, who was slightly shorter than Buster. They looked sort of similar. Then, there was Plucky. He was a short, fat kid, with a messy mop of black hair. Then, there was Dizzy. He was sort of half-black, but Jon had NO idea what country he came from. He was slightly taller than the others, and looked older. He didn't say much, and what he did say didn't make much sense. They all looked about 15, maybe 16, with the exception of Dizzy, who looked about 14, and whose face was covered in stubble. Jon himself was 14, just about to turn 15. "Wierd names you guys have. Where exactly did you come from, and how did you end up in my bedroom?" "Do you think we should tell him?" said Buster. "Well, it couldn't hurt. We are going to need some Real help to find Bugs, after all," said Babs. "What are you talking about?" asked Jon. "You ever hear of Bugs Bunny, Jon?" asked Buster. "Of course, everyone has. He's a bit of a legend, you know. Why?" "Have you ever heard of Tiny Toons?" asked Babs. "Well, yeah, I have seen one or two episodes, WHY?" "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Buster Bunny," said Buster. "And I'm Babs Bunny," said Babs. "No relation!" they said in unison. "I'm Plucky Duck, and this is..." said Plucky. "Huh?" said Dizzy. "Dizzy. This is Dizzy," said Plucky, placing his hand on the devil's shoulder. "Oh," said Dizzy. Jon burst out laughing. "You can't be serious! You can't expect me to believe that? Who are you really?" "Really. I am Buster Bunny," said Buster. "Prove it," said Jon. "OK," said Babs, "How's this for proof?" She span around quickly, and fell over, dizzy from spinning. "Hey, what gives?" she asked. "Hmm. Maybe we should talk to Wile E. about this," said Plucky. "Yeah," agreed Buster. "I can't help but think one thing," said Babs. "What's that?" asked Buster. "Reality bites," she replied. "Damn straight," said Plucky, scratching his face. "Well, lets see if I can get this belt working," he said. He looked down, and for the first time, saw what he was wearing. He wore denim jeans, leather boots, the belt, and a red sweater. He looked at his hands. The gloves were still there. He looked over at the others. They were wearing similar stuff, but without the gloves, which made sense. He took off the belt, sat down, and started looking at it. The timer said 289 minutes. That meant that they had less than 5 hours to find Bugs, and get back. He saw the big red button, but didn't press that. He knew what that one did. He found a smaller green button. He pressed it. * * * * * * * * * * * * Wile E. and the others sat in the staffroom, waiting. Suddenly, the box started beeping. He pressed a button on it, and it folded out to a 72 inch TV set. A picture of some human appeared. "Wile E.!" it said, "Boy, am I glad to see you!" He looked puzzled. "Who are you?" The human slapped his face. "Our trip to Reality was a complete success, but there were some surprises waiting for us, Wile E." Another human walked into view. It looked into the camera. "Ooh! TV! Dizzy like TV!" it said. "Dizzy?" asked Wile E. "Hello," said Dizzy, waving. "Well, it seems that my predictions were correct. You have adopted the form of the native lifeforms in Reality. Buster? Or is it Plucky?" "It's Buster. Plucky's short and ugly, look," He reached over, and grabbed Plucky. Plucky was not impressed. "Well," said Wile E., stifling a laugh, "Why did you call? Is there a problem?" "Well, yes. We need you to convince this guy here," said Buster, pulling Jon into view, "that we are in fact toons, and not some wierdos trying to break into his house." Jon didn't look impressed. "So, you've got a belt that plays cartoons, eh? That doesn't prove a thing." "Jon, this is Wile E. Wile E., this is Jon," said Buster. "Hello there, Jon," said Wile E. Jon didn't say anything. "Buster, why don't you simply do a wild take to prove you are a toon?" said Wile E. "Babs tried her quick change, but she can't do it. It seems that being in Reality is bad news for wild takes." "Hmm. Give me a minute with that one," Wile E. replied. He stood up, and walked over to a blackboard, that was behind him. He did some calculations, drew some diagrams, and scratched his head a lot. Then, he returned to the box. "Buster, I believe that by making a few minor modifications to your belt, you will be able to create a temporary sectra forcefield that will create a leigon, a dent, if you will, in the sectra barrier, and give you your toon identity and abilities for a short while. Although, this will drain a lot of energy from the belt, and will take about 30 minutes to recharge. Don't do it within 30 minutes of transport, or you won't make it." "OK, what do I have to do?" "Alright. First of all, detach the face panel from the buckle. Be careful not to sever the blue wire, or we will lose contact with you." "Alright, I have it off." "Right. Now, there is a small circuit board with green, yellow, and blue wires coming from it. Sever the yellow one and the green one, and connect the green one to the yellow socket. Connect the yellow with the green socket." "OK, done." "Now, we need to make a switch. Get something that will conduct electricity." "Jon, do you have something that will do that?" asked Buster. "Well, I have some aluminium foil that would do the job." "Good. Go get it," said Buster. Jon left, and returned with a square of foil. He handed it to Buster. "Right, now fold that into a rectangle. Make two small tears in one end, and put the two wires into either tear. Tear the foil in half, and connect the other half to the orange socket at the other end of the circuit board. Replace the face cover, making sure to leave a small amount of the foil exposed at either side." "OK, done." "Now, listen carefully. You should test that belt first, before modifying the other belts. To activate the field, just touch both pieces of foil at the same time whilst standing on the ground. When the circuit is grounded, it will overload the sectra particle containment capacitor, and will create a temporary field. Once this field has been established, then you should return to your toon identity, and have your full toon abilities. Due to the transmissionary state of the sectra barrier, the field should move wherever the belt moves. I have no idea how long the field will last, I would say at a guess, anywhere between one and three minutes." "OK, thanks. I'll test it, and get back to you later on." "Alright, but remember, it will take half an hour at least to recharge. If you attempt to use it again before that time has elapsed, then nothing will happen. Remember that, if you are using it for something important!" "OK, Wile E." "Using the field will cut off communications, so I will have to terminate the connection. If you don't call us, we'll call you." Shirley walked into the picture. She looked at Wile E., then looked at the camera on the box, back at Wile E., and back at the camera. "Geek me out," she said. Wile E. pushed her out of the picture. "Well, contact us again if you have any problems." "OK, bye. Thanks again!" The picture of Wile E. disappeared. Buster picked up the belt, and put it back on. "Right, here comes your proof," he took a deep breath. He reached down slowly, and put a hand on one of the switches. Then, very slowly, he reached down towards the second. "Good luck, Buster," said Babs. He touched the second switch. Instantly, a blue sphere surrounded him. Slowly, this faded. Buster was still in human form, but he was glowing blue. Slowly, he began to change back into Buster Bunny instead of Buster Human. After a few seconds, the blue glow faded, leaving the familiar sight of Buster Bunny standing in the middle of the room. He turned to face Jon, and said, "Get ready for some proof!" He did a huge wild take. His jaw dropped to the ground, his tongue rolled out three feet, and his eyes grew to the size of beachballs. His ears stood straight up, with masses of steam pouring out through them. His face became entirely eyes. "I hope he doesn't get stuck like that..." said Plucky. "Don't worry, Plucky. He LISTENED in Bugs' wild takes class, unlike a certain duck not a million miles away from me..." said Babs. Buster's head changed into a foghorn, and blasted Jon off his feet. Slowly, he recovered from the wild take. "Ahh, it feels good to be a TOON again!" An anvil dropped on him. "Well, it DID feel good..." he whimpered. The anvil disappeared. Jon could barely believe his eyes. "You ARE Buster Bunny! Wow!" "That's right. Hey, guys, pass me your belts!" he said. The others took off their belts and put them on a table. Buster set about them at super speed, modifying them in seconds. He pulled a large roll of foil out of his pocket, and made the switches. He put the belts back together. "Ta-da!" Suddenly, he doubled over in pain. "Buster?" asked Babs. He started to glow white. A white sphere surrounded him, and slowly disappeared. Buster the human was left on his knees, panting for breath. He slowly got to his feet. "Boy, when Wile E. said temporary, he meant it!" * * * * * * * * * * * * "And we have to save him, or the Tooniverse is doomed!" said Babs, after explaining the situation to Jon. "We've got Wile E. working back at Acme Loo on his theories, to help us, but we need a Real person's help in this. We need to find Bugs within four and a half hours, otherwise we're all stuck here until the next window back home, and who knows how long that will be. If we are gone too long, the Tooniverse will overheat and be destoyed. If we can't find Bugs within four and a half hours, we will have to go back and pay the ransom. But we cannot afford it, so I don't know how we will get the money," said Buster. "Yeah, and if we were gonna just pay the ransom, we wouldn't have bothered coming here. How can you humans stand living here?" asked Plucky. "You get used to it after a while. What's it like to be a toon?" "A LOT better than this," said Plucky, "but you don't have anvils falling on your head every few seconds.. that is a plus point here.." "Hey! We are wasting time here! We need to find Bugs, and fast!" said Babs. "Yeah, but how can we find him if we don't know what he looks like?" said Plucky. "Well, Babs, did you see what the kidnapper looked like?" said Jon. "Yeah, I got a look at his face. Why?" "Well, at the local library we keep details of everyone, including photos. If we can find the kidnapper, we can find Bugs." "Good idea! But he was a toon when I saw him, so I don't know what he will look like here," said Babs. "Well, it's worth a shot," said Buster. "Yeah, the only problem is that the library is closed, and it is twenty miles from here. We could go in my mom's car, but I don't know how to drive," said Jon. Babs stepped forward. "Problem solved. No one drives like me." "Fortunately," said Plucky, "otherwise, being a pedestrian would be a very dangerous occupation." "Plucky!" said Babs. "What? It's a term of endearment!" * * * * * * * * * * * * The car skidded to a stop outside the library, with smoke pouring from the tires. Babs calmly opened the door, and stepped out. Everyone else jumped out as quickly as possible. Plucky was on his knees, kissing the asphalt. Buster leaned on a telephone pole, gasping for breath. Dizzy simply stood there, looking as dumbfounded as ever. Jon walked up to Babs. "Hey, ou have to remember, it is MUCH easier to die here, you know!" "Whaddya mean? I was in COMPLETE control the entire time!" "Oh, so you decided that sliding down that embankment upside down was the scenic route?" said Plucky, his tongue dripping with sarcasm. "And that it's customary to swap bumpers with extremely large trucks?" added Buster. "And driving on the right side of the road is merely a suggested option?" "And driving under 80 mph is illegal?" "And lane markings are just there for beginners?" "And honking at a car will enable you to pass through it?" "And, since you spent most of the time off the road, the road rules don't actually apply?" "And the brake pedal is wired to a large bomb?" "And the handbrake doesn't work if you are moving?" "And having all four wheels on the ground would make the car blow up?" "Alright, alright. So maybe the car trip didn't go as well as planned," said Babs, starting to get annoyed. "Babs, it didn't go ANYTHING LIKE what we planned. We're lucky we made it at all," said Buster. "Well, we did. So shut up, or I'll punch you in the gut." "Well, we're here, but how do we get inside?" said Jon. "Hmm," said Babs. "Hmm," said Buster. "Hmm," said Plucky. "Huh?" said Dizzy. "I know!" said Babs, "We can get Diz here to smash a hole in the wall, and just walk right in!" "Aha!" said Buster. "Aha!" said Plucky. "Aha!" said Jon. "Huh?" said Dizzy. "It's time for some toon action, Diz!" said Buster. He reached across, and pressed the two switches on Dizzy's belt. He stepped back. Dizzy was surrounded by a purple sphere, and it faded away to leave the Tasmanian Devil standing, looking as confused as ever. He looked down at himself. "Dizzy like Dizzy! Dizzy like Dizzy!" he said. "Right, Diz, old buddy, here's the plan. Smash through the wall. You comprehend?" said Plucky. "Yeah, yeah, smash wall, uh huh," said Dizzy. He started spinning, and smashed through the wall with relative ease. When the dust cleared, he was standing on the other side. "Ta-da!" "Great job, Dizzy!" said Buster. "All in a day's work, yeah, yeah," said Dizzy. He made his way to the comics section, and returned a few moments later with an armful of comics. The others stepped into the library, which, fortunately, was pretty much isolated from the rest of the town, so hopefully no one noticed their breaking and entering. They made their way to the records section. Dizzy sat down with his comics, and started leafing through them. The others started looking through the record books. Suddenly, Dizzy jumped up. "Dizzy hate pain! Dizzy haaate pain!" he shouted. He was surrounded by a white sphere, and when it disappeared, he was left as Dizzy the human again. He looked down at himself. "Darn." * * * * * * * * * * * * Bugs looked up from the chair where he was bound and gagged, to where the light had come on. It was the first light he had seen since, well, he had lost track of time. He wasn't really sure how long it had been. A figure appeared in the upstairs window where the light was. Bugs instantly recognized the figure, it was his kidnapper. He made his way down the stairs, and flipped a switch. A spotlight appeared over Bugs. He walked over to the bound star, leaving his own face still in shadow. "Well, do you like your accommodations? I apologize for the dampness, but I am only holding you here temporarily." "Mmmph! MMMMPH!" said Bugs, unable to speak because of the gag. "Ahh. Bugs Bunny left speechless. A sight to behold!" He stepped around behind Bugs, and undid the gag. It dropped to the floor. "Who are ya? Whaddya want with me?" asked Bugs. "You really have no idea, do you? I have planned this event for years. I executed my carefully orchestrated plan to perfection. If my predictions are correct, your toon assosciates should have entered Reality by now, and be beginning the futile search for you. Of course, they will not find you in time." "What are ya gonna do, kill me? Good luck, mac!" The stranger started laughing maniacally. "Kill you? No, no, no, my dear Bugs. That would ruin everything. The first step of my plan is to ransom you to your toon friends. Once they have given up, and paid the ransom, I will ransom you to the Warner Bros. execs on this side of the wall. After they have both paid, then, well, let's just wait and see, shall we?" "Is that what ya are after, money?" "Of course not. The money means nothing to me. I could ransom you for one dollar, or a billion dollars, it doesn't matter. What is important, is that a ransom is paid. That shows that they are still interested, that they still care. That ensures the dagger of treachery will strike keenly." "What da sam hill are ya talking about?" "Alright, Bugs. You win. I will tell you what is in store for you. After all, the anticipation is almost as good as the event. After both ransoms are paid, you will take a journey. You will leave this place. You will be sent to a place where nightmares are reality. A place where angels fear to tread, a place of misery, suffering, and pain. An eternal prison. And you will be joined by the spawn of your kind. The Creations." "De Creations? Dey don't exist!" said Bugs, a surprised expression on his face. "Oh, but they do." "Dey are here? And ya know about dem?" "Oh yes. They are here. They have been here for quite some time, Bugs. Executive policy, you see. Deny everything. We have known about The Creations for a long time, Bugs. Longer than you think. We have known about them since long before your birth, long before you were even an idea. Oh yes, they are here, Bugs." "But dey are just a myth! A legend! Dere is no proof dat dey exist!" "Of course not, you fool! You think that we would let proof of their existence leak out to cause panic in both of our realities? No, Bugs. That cannot be. We must destroy the Creations, and you are our bait. The Creations do not know who created them. All they know is that they are spawned from toons. They have no way of telling the differences between Reality and Toonity. To them, it does not matter. We must destoy them, and you are our weapon, our doomsday device. Doomsday is here, and you are our shield." "But why de ransom?" "The Creations are a threat to both of us. They are created from toons. If we ransom you to Warner Bros., and don't return you, it will arouse anger. We will leave evidence that other animation companies took you. The legal wrangles will occupy all the resources of the companies, and they will be so busy defending themselves from the legal onslaught of Warner legal, that they will all stop producing cartoons. Of course, Toonity cannot exist if cartoons are no longer produced. If toons no longer exist, then no more Creations will be made." "Ya can't do dat to us! Ya have no right!" "Oh, that doesn't matter. It is survival of the fittest, and, well, I am afraid that is us. We cannot allow Reality to be destroyed, so we offer Toonity as a sacrifice. When Toonity is gone, we will be safe." He took out a gun, and put it at Bugs' head. "And you will begin the revolution." "Dat gun can't kill me, I'm a toon!" said Bugs. "Oh yes. You don't know, do you?" he started laughing. He retreated back further into the shadows. He came back a few moments later, and thrust a mirror into the light. Bugs saw himself for the first time, and nearly screamed. He was human. "Who.. who are ya?" said Bugs, staring at his reflection. The stranger lit a cigarette. "Who I am is not important," he took a long puff from the cigarette, and exhaled a large cloud of smoke into the light. "Ya are a coward. Show yer face, if ya dare. If ya don't, it just means dat ya know I will escape, and come looking for ya." The stranger started laughing. "Well, if it matters that much to you, I will gladly oblige." He took a step forward, put his hands on the armrests of the chair, and thrust his face forward until it was five inches from Bugs' face. He was an old man, with a wrinkled face, and grey hair. He was wearing a suit, and a full length trenchcoat. Bugs knew he had seen the face somewhere before. "What, you don't remember me?" said the stranger, "I am Jack Spader. I created you." "Oh, no ya didn't!" "Oh, sure, I might not have dreamed you up, but I was the one who drew the very first animation frame of your first cartoon. I still have the original cel. Shortly after that first cartoon, we noticed a strange black blob in the background of one of your cartoon shorts. We didn't know it then, but that blob was an experiment. The first Creation. It was shortly after we created the Warners, so we assumed it was related in some way to them. We queried the brass about it, but they denied having anything to do with it, and told us to leave it there. Slowly, as time passed, we noticed that the blobs were multiplying. I decided to sneak into the company records, and found a file on 'Operation Creation'. They had known about the Creations for years. They had made them, as an experiment. I was discovered, and promptly fired. I joined the CIA 15 years later, and have been studying the habits of Creations ever since. They remained dormant up until 3 months ago, when they became active. They have a genocidal hatred of humans and toons, and as such, must be destroyed by any means possible. You are our means. "We will lure them to the toon hell, the hades of animation. They will be trapped there, unable to escape. If that doesn't work, we will have do destoy Toonity." * * * * * * * * * * * * Babs stood up. "I've found him! That is the guy!" "What's his name?" asked Buster. "It says here, James Jackson," replied Babs. "Well, let's find this James Jackson then!" said Buster. "Hold on a minute," said Plucky, "doesn't this seem a mite too easy to you? Surely if this guy was going to kidnap Bugs, he would have got rid of his records, so we couldn't find him." "Or altered them, so we wouldn't find him," said Jon. "Dizzy hate records!" "Well, how can we check?" said Buster. "Well, they have computers here, connected to the Internet. We can use them," said Jon. "The whaternet?" said Plucky. "The Internet. I don't have the time to explain the concept right now. But, the FBI keeps detailed records of everyone, from the day they are born. They don't like people to know that, but I know my way round the 'Net, and I hacked my way in," said Jon, rubbing his knuckles against his shirt. "Look, I don't know what the heck you are talking about, but if it helps us find this kidnapper guy, then do it!" said Babs. They ran round to the computer area, and Jon flicked one of the computers on. He logged in, and began feverishly clicking the mouse and typing at an incredible rate. The others watched with amazement. Before long, Jon spoke. "Aha! Here it is, James Jackson, aka Jack Spader. A CIA agent for the last 15 years, he used to work for... Warner Bros." "Warner Bros.? You mean that they are here too?" said Plucky. "Of course! How else do you think that the cartoons are animated?" "I thought they did it all in Acme Acres..." "Anyway, he lives in 145 State Ave. That isn't far from here," "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Babs. "Dizzy hate car!" * * * * * * * * * * * * They arrived at 145 State Avenue, all looking slightly sick, with the exception of Babs, who looked relatively calm. "I think I'm gonna barf!" said Plucky. "You ain't the only one!" said Buster, looking equally queasy. "Look, if you two don't shut up about my driving, I'll rip out your lungs and use them as airbags!" "Gee, don't have a cow, Babs," said Plucky. They snuck up to the house. It was obviously empty, and also locked. "How are we gonna get in? We can't let Dizzy do it, that would make too much noise," said Buster. Plucky stepped forward. "Leave this to me," he said, touching the switches on his belt. A green sphere surrounded him, and Plucky Duck emerged. "This looks like a job for.." he said, starting to spin, "Hudson Duck!" He stopped spinning, and stood there, wearing a trenchcoat and black hat. He stepped forward, towards the door. "Gimme a hairpin, Babs." She obliged. "Hairpins. Don't leave your Tooniverse without them." Plucky pushed the hairpin into the lock, and jiggled it about a bit. Click! He pushed the door open, and a beeping sound was heard. He ran in the direction of the beeping. There was a small panel on the wall, with 10 buttons on it, each marked with a number from 1 to 0. "Hmm. A security system. Looks like I'll have to circumvent it," He took out a large hammer, and smashed the panel into itty bitty pieces. Buster stepped up, and looked over Plucky's shoulder. "What did you do?" "I circumvented it," Plucky replied. "Alright, lets search the place," said Babs, "keep an eye out for anything suspicious." They searched the house for a few minutes. Buster went upstairs, into the bedroom. He opened the closet, and found a trenchcoat. He lifted it up, and underneath it was a gun in a shoulder holster. He took the holster, looked at it for a moment, and put it on. He put the trenchcoat on over the top to conceal the gun. At that moment, Babs walked in. Buster spun around, drew the gun, and pointed it at her. "Hasta la vista, Bunny," he said, with a grin on his face. "What are you doing with that thing? Get rid of it!" she said. "Nah, I figure that we might need it," He reached into the cupboard and pulled out a hat, and put it on. He looked like Hudson Duck. "Well, just keep it in that holster!" "Dizzy found something!" shouted Dizzy. The two of them ran downstairs. Dizzy was holding a file, marked "Operation Kidnap Bugs And Ransom Him Back To The Toons For A Million Dollars". "Do you think that's it?" said Plucky, still dressed as Hudson D. "Hey, nice threads, Buster!" "Well, DUH!" said Babs. "Do you think it's a fake, like the records at the library?" said Buster. "I doubt it," said Jon, "Jack never planned for us to find his real identity, so I doubt that he had planned for us to find this." Suddenly, Plucky was surrounded by the familiar white sphere. A few seconds later, it was gone, as was Plucky Duck. Plucky the Human was left on the ground, panting. "Wow.. that makes an anvil on the head feel GOOD!" * * * * * * * * * * * * "Well," said Jack, "By now, they should be making their way to Canada to find the residence of a James Jackson." "Dey are too smart to fall for dat," said Bugs, "with any luck, dey will come here any time now." "Ahh, but there are two things I have on my side; luck, and time. Both, elements critical to the success of this plan. You see, in order to penetrate through to Reality from the Tooniverse, they would have had to come via the sectra barrier that seperates the two. That can only be traversed during a point of low focus, a window. These windows occur at random times, and the next one is in," Jack said, looking at his watch, "just over two and a half hours. You see, even if they are on the right track, it will take time. Time is the universal currency, the one constant that exists everywhere. And, I'm afraid your friends are just about bankrupt." * * * * * * * * * * * * "Well," said Jon, closing the file, "it doesn't say where Bugs is being kept. BUT, it refers to the main plan file, which is being kept at the local CIA headquarters. And, guess what address IS in the file?" "Well, let's go!" said Babs. "Dizzy haaate car!" * * * * * * * * * * * * They pulled up outside the building, and peered in through the door. There was a guard posted just inside the door. "There's no way that guard will let us past!" said Plucky. Babs touched the switches on her belt. She was surrounded by a pink sphere, which faded, and left Babs Bunny standing before them. "This looks like a job for.." she said, spinning around, "Babs Bunnawalskioversmith!" "Oh NO!" said Buster, "Not that AGAIN?!" Plucky slapped his face. "Is that a disaster in your pocket, or are you just trying to kill us?" Babs did not look impressed. She was wearing her Thirteensomething get-up, complete with red wig and lipstick. She sauntered through the door. "Hiya, handsome!" she said to the guard, a fat, balding guy, with food stains down the front of his uniform. "Ooh, hello there," said the guard. She noticed that he sounded a lot like Flint, her audition partner from Thirteensomething. "Could you give me a hand with something, big boy?" "Sure, what is it?" "Look at this map, and point something out, will you?" She produced a HUGE piece of paper, that touched the ceiling, despite still being folded. The others took this as their cue. They sneaked past the guard, and through the wooden door at the other end of the room. They waited for Babs. Babs saw that the others had made it, so decided to escape herself. She pointed out the window. "Oh no! A donut truck has overturned!" she said, pointing melodramatically. The guard looked out the window. He ran out the door, shouting "Where, where?" Babs whirled back to her usual clothes, and ran through the door. "Sssssswish!" she said, looking very smug. Geez. What an egomaniac!" said Plucky. Babs glared at him. "Look who's talking, duck." "Who, moi?" he replied. "Shut up, you two. Let's just get to the records office, and get out of here! The sooner the better!" said Buster. Fortunately for them, the place was pretty much deserted, due to the late hour. They eventually found the records office. Babs' jaw hit the ground. "This place is HUGE!" she said, putting her jaw back into place. "Well, let's spread out. We'll find it quicker that way." Babs gasped, and fell to her knees. The familiar white sphere appeared, and slowly faded. Babs the human looked up. "Ooh. That's a pain that's gonna linger," she said, rubbing her neck. "You alright, Babs?" asked Buster. "Yeah, I'll be fine," she replied, getting to her feet. "Right. Let's go then!" said Buster. They spread out, and began shuffling through the mountains of files. After a while, Plucky piped up, "This stuff is pure GOLD! I could sell this to every magazine on the planet!" "Plucky, no," said Buster. "Why not? We would be swimming in moolah, covered in cash, plastered with dough! We'd be financially secure! The social elite would accept us! We-" "Plucky, no," said Buster, starting to get annoyed. "We could take over the world!" said Plucky. "Oh no. You've been hanging around with those darn mice for too long. Forget it, we are here to find Bugs, and that's all." "Oh, come on. Just let me keep ONE," Plucky whined. "NO!" shouted everyone else. Plucky held up a file. "The truth about UFO's" "Alright, but at least let me read this one," he said. "NO!" shouted Buster. He ran up to Plucky, grabbed the file, and threw it as hard as he could, down to the other end of the hall. It skidded to a halt by a pair of feet. The guard's feet. The guard stepped forward, and pulled out a large nightstick. "Well. Some intrudereses. Alright, you lot are coming with me." Buster looked over at Babs, and back at the guard. The guard had a surprised look on his face, and rightly so. Before him, stood five kids, one was looking through the old UFO files, one was messing round on a computer, one was trying to eat a desk (!), and the other two stood in the middle of the hall, staring at him. Dizzy realized that he couldn't eat the desk in human form, no matter how hard he tried. Buster looked over at Dizzy, then Jon, then Plucky, then Babs, then back at the guard. He had a sheepish grin on his face. "Ah. Officer, this might not look that productive, but we are actually cataloging the files, and-" The guard took another step forward, and brandished his nightstick. "And," continued Buster, "we were just leaving. RUN!" They scattered, and the guard ran after Babs, swinging his nightstick. She ran round a corner, and the guard smashed into a vertical file. Files flew everywhere, and one hit Plucky slap-bang in the centre of the face. He pulled it off, and looked at it. "Operation Toon: an overview". He shouted, "Eureka! I have always wanted to say that... Hey guys, I think that I've found what we're looking for!" "Good, Plucky. Get back to the car," shouted Buster. Buster had an idea. He ran up to Babs, and ran along with her. "Hey, Babs. Next turn we come to, run off to the side, and go back to the car. I'll take care of this idiot." "OK, Buster," said Babs, "but you be careful." He pulled out the gun. "Yes ma'am." Babs darted off to the left, and Buster turned. He fired a shot slightly above the guard's head. The guard ducked. Buster carried on running. The guard decided that Buster was more dangerous than Babs, so he ran after Buster. The others ran out of the building, and went to the car to wait for Buster. Buster, meanwhile, was running up some stairs, with the guard in pursuit. He sprinted up flight after flight, until he came to the top story. The thirty second floor. He opened the door, and ran out. He was on the roof. Perfect. The guard emerged from the doorway several minutes later, puffing and panting. He walked forward. Buster put the gun back into the holster. The guard grinned, and rushed him with the nightstick. Buster, however, knew that is what the guard would do, and he was prepared. He ducked out of the way, and started running over to the other side of the roof. He jumped off the side of the building, and started a perfect swan dive. The guard ran to the edge of the building, and looked down at the falling Buster. Buster reached down for his belt. "I sure hope that this is recharged..." he thought to himself. He touched the switches, and was surrounded by the blue sphere. He hit the ground. SPLAT! He got up, and blew into his thumb to re-inflate himself. He noticed that he was still wearing the trenchcoat and hat. He ran round to the car, where everyone was waiting. "Hiya, guys. I took care of the guard." "I heard a gunshot. You didn't...." said Babs. "No, I didn't. But we had better get outta here PDQ, cause he will be here in a few minutes." "Right," said Babs, "buckle up!" "Oh dear," said Dizzy. They all hopped in the car, and it took off (literally). They stopped a few miles down the road, and Plucky pulled out the file. "Right. Thanks to me, we have this!" he said, looking very smug. "Right. And thanks to me, you're about to get THIS!" said Babs, holding up a fist. "I think it is time to make an important lifestyle choice. I think I will shut up," said Plucky, looking nervous. "I respect your descision," said Babs, "now gimme that file." He handed it to her. She opened it up, and started reading it. After a few seconds, she slammed it shut, and thrust it into Buster's hands. "Read the second paragraph," she said. Buster read it, and his eyes bugged out of his head. "I don't believe it! They can't do that to him!" "What? Whaaat?" asked Plucky. Buster read the report out loud. "Background: Early in 1916, an experiment in a new form of warfare was conducted by Dr. Aubman, to use against the Germans in the war effort. Dr. Aubman believed that there was an alternate reality, a different Universe, that could be utilized in warfare. He created the PBX-303, nicknamed 'The Creation', but had no way of bringing it to our reality. The war was won in 1918, and the experiment was all but forgotten. "But, in the early 1930's, the US congress conscripted Dr. Johnson to continue the experiments where Dr. Aubman had left off, due to increasing fears that the Germans were again plotting to attack France. Dr. Johnson approached Warner Bros. animation, and offered them US$2 million to partake in the experiment. They agreed, and the first Creation was transferred into an early Bugs Bunny cartoon. "It was only there in one frame, but that proved that the Creations could be given physical form in our reality. However, the Creations proved impossible to control, and the experiment was soon abandoned. The US resorted to more conventional means of warfare, until the development of the A-bomb. However, the Creations continued to spread, and mutate. In 1953, Dr. Johnson, after dubbing this alternate reality the Toonity, managed to create a special prison in it where the Creations could be held. Unfortunately, while he was able to imprison the Creations, Dr. Johnson did not survive the process. Upon creating the prison, he mysteriously vanished. It is belived that the discharge of energy that was used to create the prison vaporized him. No trace of his body has ever been found. Feeling then that further tampering with the Toonity was too dangerous, all funding was cut, the experiments were stopped, and all research halted until 1994, when experiments were conducted by the PLXT to investigate the possiblity of traveling between the two realities. "Mission orders: As of late, the Creations have become active once again. An agent will be equipped with the RID, (reality-inversion- device, see notes enclosed) and sent to infiltrate the Toonity. An important toon will be captured, and brought to reality. This toon will be stored in the warehouse, for 48 hours (see enclosed map) before being brought to headquarters for transferral to the prison. A flare device will be sent through also, to attract the Creations. When they attempt to devour the toon, they will become trapped in the prison, unable to escape. "Mission orders authorized as of this date, January 11, 1996. Authorization code, 1987X300IL3." "Wow, that's pretty heavy," said Plucky. "Dizzy hate 1987X300IL3!" "We have to save him!" said Babs, "Gimme a look at that map." Buster reached into the file, and pulled the map out. Babs looked at it for a moment, and passed it to Jon. "What am I doing? I don't know where anything is here!" Buster was suddenly surrounded by the white sphere, which was ignored by the others. They were used to it now. Buster shook his head. "That REALLY gives me a headache." "Wow.. that warehouse is REALLY far from here.. Even with Babs', er, 'creative' driving, it's still going to take us an hour to get there," said Jon. Buster looked at his belt. There was two hours, ten minutes left until the window. "C'mon then! Let's get this baby on the road!" "And, knowing Babs, straight off it again.." added Plucky. Babs scowled at him. "Ha ha, just kidding.." he sheepishly added. * * * * * * * * * * * * About ten minutes later, when the car was making (very) rapid process down a highway, the belts started beeping. Buster took his off, and looked at it. The green button was flashing, so he pressed it. Wile E. appeared. "Oh, hi, Wile E.," said Buster. "How are things going? Are the belts functioning correctly?" "Yeah, they do good work. But that modification I made doesn't last long at all," he said. "I'm not surprised. The sectra containment capacator inside the belt was not designed to create a prolonged field, it was designed to create a strong one for a few seconds to allow travel between here and Reality. How are things going? Have you found Bugs yet?" "No, not yet, but we have a pretty good idea where he is. We're on our way now." Plucky leaned over Buster's shoulder, and kicked everyone else in the back seat doing so. "We should have bought a better driver with us.. This could permanently affect my physique." "And so could this, Plucky," said Babs, holding up a fist. "Well, I must insist that you hurry in your task. The temperature here is already rising," said Wile E. Daffy walked behind him, wearing a beach shirt, sombrero and shades. He was sipping a soda through a straw. "Yeah, but at leatht it'th letting me work on my tan," he said. "Yes, well," said Wile E., "as I was saying, the temperature here is rising, and it will continue to rise at a geometric rate. The entire Tooniverse will be too hot to support life within 24 hours. You must come back within that time, and you must bring Bugs." Montana Max walked past, pushing an ice-cream cart. "ICE CREAM! GET YOUR ICECREAM! Heh heh, this is a real money spinner," he said, grinning. "Well, we are going as fast as we can. Since there isn't anything we can do till we get there, I might as well bring you up to date." "What do you mean?" asked Wile E. "Tell me. Have you ever heard of The Creations?" "Of course. Legend has it that they were created from toons many years ago, a mix of toon and another lifeform, but most people doubt their existance, including me." "Well, not only do they exist, they are the reason that Bugs was kidnapped." "What? How can that be?" "It's a long story. I'll try to give you the basics, and I'll copy it down in full for you to read when we come back. Basically, they are an experiment that some doctor did in 1916, to fight in a war. They made them from toons, to use in the fighting. But they couldn't control them, so they have taken Bugs as bait to lure them into a prison that they made in our Tooniverse." "That's incredible! You MUST copy that down, I have to read it!" "Yeah, yeah, I'll get to it." "But make sure that you do it with your own paper, and not some from Reality. If you bring the paper with you, it will remove energy from their Reality, and will eventually destroy it. OK?" "Gotcha. Well, hopefully, the next time we talk I'll be able to put Bugs on!" "OK, good luck. Bye!" "Bye." Buster switched off the belt. He couldn't change to a toon to copy the notes down for Wile E., it hadn't been long enough yet. He tried to get some sleep. The rest of the journey was uneventful. Well, as uneventful as a car ride with Babs could ever be. * * * * * * * * * * * * The car stopped in front of a warehouse, below a street lamp. And, for once, not wrapped around it. They all jumped out. "Well, Babs, that must be a new record. You only endangered our lives, what, twenty times?" said Plucky. "Actually, it was closer to thirty," added Buster. "Well, I was only counting ones that happened on the ground," said Plucky. "Ah, well, that would explain it. Although it was actually thirty one, if you count that old guy with the shopping cart." "Well, I didn't think I should, cause he was the only one that took damage in that one." "True. Although, he did bounce off the trunk, I spose that might have dented it." "Alright. Thirty one it is." "Well, what about that bus?" "What about it?" "Well, does it count as one, or fifty? There were fifty passengers on it." "Yeah, but it only endangered us once." "Yeah, but it crashed into that old folk's home. Surely that counts?" "Well, one of the old folks nearly hit our car, so alright, I'll let you have an extra one. But the bus is only one." "Does travelling faster than sound count as endangering our lives?" "Well, yeah, I suppose so." "OK, well, add an extra five on then." "Alright, that makes.. thirty eight." "Or eighty eight if you count the bus as fifty." "But does travelling at right angles with the road count?" "Well, if travelling faster than sound does, yeah, why not." "Well, I lost count of how many times that happened. It was about fifteen." "Alright, just let me tally up. I'll count the bus as one, the old folks home as one, the cart guy as one, and the other twenty. Alright, that comes to... Fifty two." By this time, Babs was shaking with rage. "I hate to interrupt your little critique of my driving ability, but WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP?" "Do you mind? We are TRYING to sort our our numerical differences here!" said Plucky. * * * * * * * * * * * * After a few minutes of arguing, they finally got around to entering the warehouse. Buster looked at his belt. Seventy five minutes. Plenty of time. He checked his gun, and made sure it was ready to go. They opened the door as quietly as possible, and crept inside. What appeared to be the ground floor was actually the first floor, with another floor buried underground beneath them. They crept up to the balcony, and looked down. There, before them, were two men. One was sitting in a chair, tied up. The other sat in a chair, next to him, smoking a cigarette. It wasn't hard to tell who was who. "Well, your time is almost up," said Jack, "and then my plan will be put into action. Once you and the Creations are gone, I can execute part two of my plan, the piece de resistance!" "What are ya talking about?" asked Bugs. "Ahh. You remember before, I said time was the universal currency? Well, it isn't the only one. Prestige is the name of the game, my good man. Prestige is the most important resource there is. More precious than gold, silver, coal, oil, and even money itself. With prestige, anything can be accomplished. And what better way is there to gain prestige, than to be the man who killed Bugs Bunny, the leader of the Creature invasion? The biggest threat to mankind in history? Simple. There is none." "What are ya talking about? I ain't leading no Creations!" "Well, the public doesn't need to know that. You see, truth is a tool. To be used, to be utilized when it suits the situation. But, unfortunately for you, in this case, it doesn't. You should feel honored. You will be always remembered. In the Toonity, you will be remembered as the brave revolutionary, the martyr who died for his cause, the domination of Reality. Here, you will be remembered as the terrorist who tried to conquer Reality with your army of Creations. And I, of course, will be remembered as the man who stopped you." "My God! Ya are insane!" Jack started laughing. "Insane? No. I simply see an opportunity, and I am poised to seize it. Opportunity knocks but once, my friend." "Opportunity knocks but once, true. But temptation leans on de doorbell. Ya aren't a hero, a messiah. Ya are just a greedy pig who wants it all. Not only dat, ya are a coward. Ya hide behind dis charade of heroism, and ya will spend de rest of ya life living a lie. Are ya capable of doing dat?" Jack seemed taken aback by Bugs' comments. He hadn't expected anything as formidable to come from a toon. He realized that Bugs was intelligent, he had a brain in that head. He thought about what Bugs had said for a moment, and Bugs noticed his hesitation. "I didn't dink ya were," said Bugs, "after all, how are ya going to be able to sleep at night knowing dat ya lied to everyone on de planet? Ya can't do dis, and ya know it." "You know, I didn't think that you were that crafty. But no. I refuse to lose this, I have planned it for too long. I know what you are trying to do to me. You are trying to plant a seed of doubt in my mind, a shadow of hesitation. But, unfortunately for you, I have no qualms about doing this." Suddenly, four colored spheres appeared on the balcony above. One was blue, one pink, one green, and one purple. "What the hell...?" said Jack. "Well, maybe we should give you some qualms about it!" said Buster. He leapt up onto the rail of the balcony, followed by Babs, Plucky, and Dizzy. They all leapt down to the ground. "But.. how did you.. how can you.. why aren't you.." "You underestimate the intelligence of toons!" said Buster, tipping his hat. He walked up to Jack, and then, lifting him off the ground by his shirt, he added, "In fact, there are a lot of things you underestimated about toons!" as he turned red with anger. He threw Jack against the far wall, ran over, and picked him up again. He threw him across the room again, and Jack skidded to a stop just in front of Bugs. Babs ran over, and untied Bugs. Bugs stood up, and joined the other toons, without saying a word. Buster knelt over Jack, and punched him in the face. And again. And again. He was in a frenzy of punching. Blood poured out from Jack's face. And then, Buster stood. He took a step back, and pulled out the gun. Babs gasped. "Don't do it, Buster!" "It's his choice, Babs," said Bugs, "But remember, Buster. You'll have to live with it for the rest of your life. Do you think you can live with that?" Buster looked over at Bugs, and back at Jack, a tortured look on his face. Fury was controlling his mind, and he tried to fight it. He gritted his teeth, and slowly reholstered the gun. Buster lifted a finger, and pointed at Jack. "Don't try to follow us." "I'm proud of ya, kid. Ya did what's right," said Bugs. Buster reached into his trenchcoat, and pulled out the spare belt. He threw it to Bugs. "Here, you'll need this." He pressed the switches on Bugs' belt. Bugs dropped to the ground, coughing. He was surrounded by a large white sphere. It slowly faded, leaving the form of Bugs Bunny lying on the ground. He slowly got to his feet. "What da heck did ya do, kid?" "Oh, just improved your appearance a mite," replied Buster, pointing to Bugs' feet. Bugs noticed the rabbit feet. "How did ya do dat?" "Just remember to thank Wile E. when we get back." Suddenly, Buster was surrounded with the white sphere, shortly followed by the other three. The spheres faded, leaving a bewildered Bugs looking at four human kids. "What da...?" "Don't ask. Could ya give me a piece of paper?" asked Buster. "Umm, ok, I spose," He whipped out a piece of paper, and handed it to Buster. "And a pen please?" He produced a pen, and gave it to Buster. "Thanks, now I can-" Suddenly, they heard a scream from behind them. They turned, and looked down at Jack. He was pointing at the far wall. A large green circle had appeared, and a mass of black blobs emerged from the hole. "The Creations! They're here! Oh my GOD! HELP ME!" shouted Jack, in a hysterical frenzy. "Umm, I hate to point out the mind-bogglingly obvious, but might I make a small suggestion? How about RUNNING FOR OUR LIVES?" said Plucky. "Good call," said Buster. They took off, with the blob in hot pursuit. Other blobs emerged from the hole. There were four in all. Plucky looked back. "THAT's the 'Army' of Creations, is it? I think our dear friend Jack has a flair for exaggeration, eh?" said Plucky. He gallantly shoved Dizzy out of his way, and started sprinting about eight times faster than everyone else. He burst through the door, and ran out to the street. Buster looked back down the corridor, and saw that Jack was running away from the Creations, but they were gaining on him. He pulled out his gun, and started firing at the Creations, but to no avail. He turned again, and continued running. Emerging from the building, he turned and signalled for Jack to follow. At that moment, one of the Creations fell into a wall, and the building started to shake. Buster looked up, and saw that a girder had been shaken loose and was dangling, ready to fall. He tried to warn Jack, but it was too late. The girder fell, and knocked Jack to the floor. "Help me!" cried Jack, his face the very embodiment of fear. Buster ran back into the building, and tried to lift the girder off Jack. He tugged, tugged, tugged as hard as he could, but the girder would not move. Meanwhile, another girder had worked it's way loose, and fell onto the electical cables below it. One of the cables fell, and landed directy on the girder that was crushing Jack. Buster was thrown back by the electic shock, through the door and out on to the street. He got to his feet and ran back to the door, but it was too late. The Creations were already on top of Jack, and Buster knew there was nothing he could do. He turned, paused for a moment, and ran. He caught up with the others, and they ran to the car, where Jon was waiting. Jon had a surprised expression on his face. "Hey, what's the rush?" he asked. They all jumped into the car, and Babs gunned the engine. "Jon, I don't think you and our new assosciates have been introduced," said Plucky, "This is Bugs Bunny. And those guys," he said, pointing to the Creations, "are certain death. Certain death, Jon. Jon, certain death." "Let's bolt, Babs!" said Buster. "You don't have to tell me twice!" she said, and slammed the gas down. The car flew into motion, screaming down the streets, with the Creations in hot pursuit. "We can't just let them run loose here!" said Jon, "They'll destroy everything!" Suddenly, Bugs' time as a toon ran out. He was left dazed and confused, and very human again. Buster checked the timer. 47 minutes. That was close. If it had been much later, Bugs would have been trapped here. "Where's that file, Babs?" asked Buster. "It's in the glove compartment," she replied, screaming the car round a ninety degree corner at ninety-five miles per hour. Buster got off the window where he had been pinned by Babs' 'creative' driving, and opened the compartment. He pulled out the file, and pressed the green button on the belt. Wile E. appeared on the belt. Buster took it off, and put it on the dash. "Hi, Buster. What can I do for you?" "Wile E., we have a problem. We need a solution, and we need it yesterday." he replied. "What's the problem? Did you get Bugs alright?" "Yeah, he's right here." "Ehhh, whats up, doc?" said Bugs. "Ahh, Bugs, it's a relief to see you again, even if you are human." Buster looked back through the window. The creations were gaining on them. "Listen, you can catch up with Bugs when we get back. We need to know how to get rid of the Creations." "What do you mean?" "I mean, they are chasing us right now, and they are gaining on us! They came through this green portal type thing, and they are devouring everything in their path!" "And what wrong with that?" said Dizzy. Bugs scowled at him. "A GREEN portal? Oh no! That is very bad news!" "What, worse than four blobs chasing you trying to kill you? It'd have to be pretty darn bad!" said Plucky. "It's much worse. The sectra barrier is like a thin film. From the information I have gathered from this end studying your transfer, a yellow portal is the metaphorical equivalent of poking a pin hole in the film, and patching it up afterwards. The green coloring of the portal is the sectra particles themselves, and that means that a tear has been made in the barrier. You have to get those Creations out of Reality, and you have to do it now!" "That is WHY we called you. You ARE the brains of this outfit, you know!" said Plucky. "Alright, look at the timer on the belt. What does it say?" "It says 35 minutes," said Buster. "Alright, we will have to hurry, we only have five minutes. Let me do some preliminary calculations here," said Wile E., clicking buttons on a calculator. He scratched his head. "Alright, this might work, but you only have four minutes to do it." "Just tell us what to do." "Alright. Get all five belts." The others handed him their belts. Buster had to get Babs' himself, as she was preoccupied with driving. "Alright, now, you must join the switches on the belts together to make a circuit, without ever touching both switches of one belt at once." Buster fidgeted with the belts for a moment. "Alright, done." "Right. You must now gain as much altitude as possible. I suggest the roof of the car. Make sure that something is touching the road, as the tires of the car do not conduct electicity. Then, just point the circle of belts at the Creations, and touch one of the switches. That should collapse the sectra barrier, repairing the hole, and, hopefully, pull the Creations back to the limbo they were stuck in. Call me if it doesn't work." The connection terminated. "Oh well, I hope this works!" said Buster. He jabbed a button on the dashboard, and the sunroof pulled back. He climbed through it, and stood on the roof of the car, with his trenchcoat flapping in the gale the movement of the car was causing. His hat blew off, and into the Creations. It was absorbed by one of them. He gulped. He tried to think of a way to ground the car. Then, he had an idea. He took off the gun holster, and tied it to the side of the car, so the gun itself was dragging along the road. He turned, and leaned into the sunroof. "Hey, Bugs. Pass me the belts, will you?" Bugs reached forward, grabbed the belts, and handed them to Buster. Buster turned back to face the creations, and held the belts out. He reached down, and touched the switch. A powerful green beam came flying out of the belts, nearly knocking Buster off his feet. He directed the beam towards the Creations. It struck them, and the whole sky flashed green. Suddenly, Buster and the others were toons again. The Creations slowed, and stopped, before glowing green, and vanishing. Babs slammed on the brakes, and Buster nearly flew off the top of the car. Fortunately, he was able to grab on with his ears. He clambered down from the roof, and stood on the road. The others got out of the car. "Buster! You did it!" said Babs. "And Babs! You didn't smash the car once!" added Plucky. "Right, that's it," said Babs. She whirled her left foot around, and kicked Plucky way, way, way, way up into the air. He flew up, and came crashing down. He left a duck-shaped hole in the road. He emerged from the hole, only to be hit by an anvil. "Sadist," said his beak, the only part of his body that wasn't under the anvil. Buster looked at the belts, and said, "Well, I think that we will be needing these." Plucky wandered over. Buster detached the belts, and the sky flashed red. Suddenly, the toons were human again. "ARGH!" shouted Plucky, "I wish this Reality would make up it's stupid mind!" "Wile E. didn't tell me doing that would make us toons again.." said Buster. "Not to worry, kiddo. We'll be goin' home soon enough anyway," said Bugs. "That reminds me! Wile E. wanted me to copy out the file for him... I guess I had better do it now," he said, and disappeared into the car. "Well, it looks like we did it, and with thirty minutes to spare!" said Babs. "Well, whadda we do for thirty minutes?" asked Bugs. "Dizzy have idea. Dizzy say we EAT!" "That's not a bad idea, Diz, my good man," said Plucky, rubbing his stomach, "It's been a while since I had any eats myself." "Let's cruise around and find an all night pizza parlour!" said Babs. After a few minutes of 'creative' cruising courtesy of Babs, they found a pizza joint. They pulled up, and Babs ordered two pizzas for them, and eight pizzas for Dizzy. They drove down to a lake to eat them, with the exception of Buster, who stayed in the car to finish off Wile E.'s notes. Soon enough, the time to leave came. "Well, goodbye, I suppose," said Jon. "How are you gonna get home?" asked Buster. "Well, I've been watching Babs, so I'll just drive myself home." "Oh oh. Is your life insurance paid up?" asked Plucky. Babs threatened him with gratuitous violence, and he took his question back. The belts started beeping. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," said Jon. "We couldn't have done it without your help, Jon. Thanks," said Buster. Babs pulled a few hairs out of her head, and dropped them into Jon's hand. They turned pink. Buster did the same, as did Bugs. Jon held up his hand, with the blue, pink, and grey hairs in it. "Thanks, this means a lot to me," he said. "Goodbye, Jon. We won't forget you," said Babs. She kissed him on the cheek. Dizzy was the first to press his button, and he was gone. Plucky followed, unusually, without a sarcastic comment. "C'mon, bright eyes. Let's go," said Babs. "OK, Babsy. I'll see you at home!" he replied. Buster and Babs were the next to go, leaving just Bugs and Jon. "Tanks for de help, kid. Remember, wherever ya go, whatever ya do, ya have tree rabbits on ya side, looking out for ya," said Bugs. He pressed the red button. The yellow circle appeared below him. "Dat's all, folks!" he said, and was gone. * * * * * * * * * * * * Daffy heard a rumbling. "What'th that?" "Sounds like a tremor. An earthquake, that is," replied Foghorn. "B..b..but why isn't the ground t..tr..tr..tr.. shaking?" asked Porky. "Maybe it's just Taz going off his diet," said Elmer. Suddenly, five yellow circles appeared on the ceiling, directly above a certain black duck. Buster, Babs, Bugs, Plucky, and Dizzy all fell through and landed in an uncerimonious heap on top of Daffy. They all slowly got up, and Buster walked over to Wile E. "Well, we made it back alright, and we are toons again, right?" "Well, yes, from the looks of you," replied Wile E. "When I put the belts back together, we all became toons again. You didn't warn us about that!" "Ahh. That could be expected. I would have thought of it, if I had longer than a minute to think about it. When you collapsed the barrier, for a brief, split second, Reality and the Tooniverse were one. That is why you became toons again." Buster turned to the others, who were mobbed by everyone else, and ecstatic greetings were flying back and forth. He turned back to Wile E. "Oh yeah, just a couple of things. First, here's those notes you wanted. Secondly, do you think you could make another one of these belts?" * * * * * * * * * * * * Jon was sitting alone in his bedroom. He had put the rabbit hairs into a special box, and was sitting, looking at them. He sighed. Suddenly, a familiar yellow circle appeared on the ceiling. Jon stared at it, wondering why it was there. Suddenly, a box fell through it. Jon picked up the box, and looked at it. It was marked "For your eyes only: Open me!". He complied, and was shocked to find a belt inside. It was beeping. He reached into the box and picked it up. He pressed the green button. A picture of Buster appeared. "Well, hello there, Jon." "Buster? You did this?" "Well, not me, Wile E. made the belt, but we decided to let you visit us from time to time. It's the least we can do, after you helped us so much." Plucky appeared on screen. "Yeah, and you can bring some of those files from the CIA with you, eh? Eh?" He was quickly silenced with an anvil. "Wile E. tells me that the next window is in 3 hours. You coming? We're having a party on Saturday night!" said Buster. "Sure! I'll be there!" The three hours couldn't go quickly enough for Jon. He packed a bag with some essentials, and stood in the middle of the room, and waited. The last minute finally ticked over, and the belt started beeping. He reached down, and pressed the red button. The yellow circle appeared, and Jon was gone. T H E E N D ----------------- Epilogue (Well, sort of...) I am writing a follow up to this story, it has a few loose threads that could do with tying up. Is it the end of the Creations? Is it the last we will see of Reality? Will the CIA try again? What about Jon? (What about Bob? :) Any other authors, feel free to continue the storyline.. but send me any stories you write. Thanks a lot! Remember, you can contact me at: eddie@iprolink.co.nz Have fun! Post story quote: "The world is a comedy for those who think, a tragedy for those who feel." (And a pain in the ass for those who work - Matt B.)