Heaven Found

**"Heaven Found"**is the seventeenth episode of *Rewritten* and the 17th episode overall. It is the first episode of the two-part season finale.

It was published on November 25, 2017.

In the episode, the Final Battle rages between the Cogs and the left-behind Toons during the final days of Exodus. In the present, Eileen Irenic and Constance Miller fight to outwit the Cos by finding the two people who knew the most about Dr. Molecule: Alice Carver and Bradley. In the past, Alice Carver and Bradley Wolfe struggle to survive as they face a decade of imprisonment and torture in Chipper Acres.

## The Episode

=====Toontown Central=====

==Three Years Ago==

=During Exodus=

Professor Prepostera gazed at the empty Playground. Toon bodies still littered the hillside, though the color of the Playground had been restored when Dr. Nimbus' memory rain reversed the climate change and destroyed all the Cog buildings. Prepostera could not move all the bodies on his own, and he was too sickened to do so. Occasionally the Cogs came back for them, carried them away. The dead. The fallen. Those that couldn't escape.

Though Prepostera himself didn't escape. He was still stuck here. Almost a year had passed since the Toons had escaped to Fantasyland, but Prepostera had been designated to stay behind.

With Dr. Cumulo Nimbus.

But he was dead. Laura Ingalls had confirmed that.

Poor Laura, wandering in sadness around her estate with Ash Ingalls in tow. They would likely never see Pete again.

The Cogs would never leave Toontown.

Prepostera sat on the stoop of the Schoolhouse and held a vial tight in his hand. It was the leftover memory serum that Dr. Nimbus injected into the rainclouds.

It was Prepostera's last resort. He hadn't told anybody, but he had the power to egress Toontown and flee to Fantasyland. He could join his friends. All he had to do was drink the contents of the vial and activate his own transport hole.

Today, more than most days, Prepostera was tempted to tip the vial down his throat. But he remembered Laura and Ash. Cumulo and Pete. The Toons in Fantasyland. They were all counting on him.

He had to find a way to stop the Cogs.

===Journal of Bradley Wolfe===

==7 Years Ago==

It has been nearly a month since I've held this journal in my hand and so much has happened. I'll try to recount it the best I can, for my sake and for Alice's. She hasn't written in her diary very much lately. I think even Adam knows he has overstepped himself.

About a month ago, we attempted to escape again. We've been trapped here for years now. Four years for me. I look at those words and still cannot comprehend how it is so. If it weren't for Alice, I surely would have been lost. At least when we are imprisoned together we can talk, play games, think outside the box, entertain ourselves, and hope together. But a month ago an opportunity presented itself and we had to take it.

Adam ordered the Cogs to clean our cage. He said it smelled and he wanted it kept pristine. Alice begged him to let us bathe, for we haven't had the proper opportunity since our initial capture. Adam actually agreed! He gave the Cogs orders to take us to the river and be prepared to attack us if we tried to escape. And then he himself stayed behind in the shed to experiment and plan. There are more Cogs than ever before, and Alice and I have been memorizing their names and arsenals so that we can one day fight against them. I think Adam means to bring the Cogs to greater Toontown and that will be the end. That will be the apocalypse. I wish I could warn Mayor Mickey Elias, or whoever has since succeeded him. But I cannot.

The next morning, the Cogs came into the bunker and told us to stand and remove our clothing. We did so quickly, having nothing left to hide from one another. A Flunky handed us one bar of soap each and a tube of shampoo which we were to share. Surprisingly, he also presented us each with a toothbrush and toothpaste, which he said was a permanent addition to our personal objects. This alone made us reconsider our plan, but we reminded ourselves silently that if we succeeded, we needn't ever concern ourselves with want of toiletries ever again. The Cogs led us upstairs into the shed, where Molecule was bent over his work. As we passed, he placed a hand over his writing, as if to shield us from his plots. I was unable to read anything on the papers, nor did any of the pictures make much sense to me. Alice walked ahead of me and kept her back straight and gaze forward as we emerged in the light of Chipper Acres.

Everything was the same as when we last saw it during our first escape attempt four years ago. Except the Cogs. They line themselves on either side of the river in terrifying rows, like battalions and phalanxes of war. Alice stumbled when she saw this unmistakeable sight, but the Cogs forced her forward. Molecule called out "You have 10 minutes."

Alice and I stepped into the water and bathed ourselves quickly. The Cogs watched us intently. All of them, hundreds. We kept waiting for them to avert their gaze so we could swim through the current into the forest, where we could run. We knew the Cogs were averse to water, and thus could not follow us through the river. But they maintained their gaze. And Alice and I started to lose hope. Alice sunk herself underwater to rinse the shampoo from her head, and the Cogs all instinctively looked at me.

I thought for a moment they would attack and dropped to my knees, leaving only my head exposed. Their gaze followed. When Alice reemerged from the water, the Cogs looked back at her, but some kept their eyes on me as before. I softly took Alice's head and dumped her underwater. She resisted only for a second but thankfully had held her breath. The Cogs all looked at me.

They could not see her.

She was undetectable.

Cogs cannot see through water.

When Alice came back up, I had already found two thick reeds on the riverbank and stuck one in my mouth and one in hers. I whispered "they can't see us when we're underwater."

We saw our chance and dove underneath the surface, using the reeds to breathe the air. I heard the Cogs raise the alarm, having lost the two people they were supposed to oversee. Alice and I let go of the river's bottom and floated south, following the current. My head bumped the riverbank and I spun around, feeling Alice's paw. We held on to each other as the river carried us. I kept my eyes closed and could not see where we were, but when the water got colder I surmised we were in the forest.

And that was when our journey ended.

I was heaved from the water by none other than Molecule himself, using strength I would never have assumed he had. He slammed me on the bank and punched me in the face. I tasted blood. Cogs surrounded me and carried me back to the shed. I heard Alice's screams and resistance. I was dumped on the doorstep and held down. Alice was dropped next to me. Molecule started screaming at us, telling us we were ungrateful, that we would regret this, that he was trying to be a good host and giving us so much. And I, having spent four years without a proper shower or brushing my teeth, felt almost guilty. I was clean for the first time, I would brush my teeth for the first time in four years, but now he would surely strip us of our food, water, and bedpan again.

Then Alice started yelling back at him. Alice called him a monster, a tyrant, and a disgrace to society. She called him a fox.

Adam said nothing. His face twitched, and I think Alice struck a nerve. I don't know which insult did it, though the fox certainly would have tipped me over the edge if anyone had uttered such an expletive to me. He then looked sympathetically at me.

"I understand now," he said. "This was your idea. You corrupted Bradley, my friend. You led him along with your fruitless plan. Alice...Alice..."

She shrunk away as he caressed her snout.

"Let us go," she said. "Please."

"Take her back inside," Adam said to the Cogs. They snatched her and dragged her back to the trapdoor. I called out to her and she started crying.

"Go," she mouthed. I shook my head. There was no where to go.

I have never felt more powerless, more incapable. To be completely under the control of someone else is a horribly heart-crushing sensation. I would never wish it upon anyone. My laff plummeted in that moment, as I watched Alice, my friend, taken back to her prison.

I turned back to Molecule, who was sneering. He then looked at me and sighed. He almost smiled.

"I'm sorry for what she did," Molecule said. "It won't happen again. She needs to be reminded how much I love her."

"No," I said instinctively. "Leave her alone."

Molecule ignored me.

"Keep an eye on him," he said to his Cogs. "He sleeps out here with you. Keep him chained."

Chained?

I tried to run again, but the Cogs held me tight. They wrapped a horrid metal collar around my neck and bolted the other end to the side of the shed. If I were to run, I would surely decapitate myself. Or else choke. I sunk to the grass and cried again. I think I yelled into the night, screaming for help. A Cog smashed my head, and I blacked out.

*Later,* I awoke. I was still outside, and I reckoned several days had passed. The Cogs flanks had shifted substantially, and it was sunset. I sat against the wooden shed and drew my knees to my chest. I inched out of the shade so I could sit in the setting sun. It felt good against my pale skin. I remember when I was a vibrant red. Now I am a pastel sort of scarlet. I haven't seen my face in a mirror in four years. I should have looked into the reflection of the water when Alice and I were bathing.

I heard the trapdoor close and I pressed my ear to the bottom of the shed so that maybe I could hear what was happening below. Several minutes later, I didn't have to strain to listen, for a earshattering scream erupted from below. It was Alice. I screamed for her, banging my fists against the door of the shed, begging Molecule to stop. I shouted at the Cogs, begging *them* to help me, to turn against their master, to disobey. But they seemed incapable of understanding the concept.

This continued for weeks. Every night, Adam would go down into the trapdoor. And Alice would scream.

I think I know what Adam was doing.

I hope I'm wrong.

But I doubt it.

Alice refuses to talk about it. She is scarred.

Eventually I had enough. Even though sleeping outside under watch of the Cogs was a world better than underground in darkness, I missed Alice and I could not stand by while she suffered. Better together than separate. I went down to the river to drink, as the Cogs habitually let me do. If I ever jumped in, however, the Cogs promised to electrocute me. I don't doubt they would. As hellish as my life has become, I do not want to end it. I will continue to fight for freedom, and for Alice's.

I drank from the river and stood and stretched. And then I shoved a Cog called a Quack into it. I did this purposefully. I knew it was the only Quack model that Molecule had, and thus irreplaceable. He would be furious, and thus punish me.

I was right. Adam was irate. He castigated me for my careless actions and once again threatened to kill me. He said he was sparing me only out of our friendship, which I cannot stress enough as being one-sided. He shed a tear as he thought of how ungrateful I was. I only stood in silence. Adam cast me into the bunker and told me to think about what I had done.

I crawled back inside next to Alice, who was disheveled and gaunt. She looked worse than I could have imagined. I thought maybe Adam was starving her, but she admitted to having no appetite. Her shirt was torn, and so I gave her mine.

I fed her dinner and assessed her for injuries. She is bruised on her arms and legs. She stopped me before I could inspect any further. She told me to write down our escape attempt in my journal so that one day someone may find it and learn what Molecule has done to us. And so here I am finishing this entry as the lantern's light begins to extinguish. Alice has fallen asleep and I can see her chest rising and falling underneath the cot's covers. She sleeps with her hands folded over her stomach, as if in her coffin.

And I suppose, we are.

*BW*

===Journal of Bradley Wolfe===

*Never Recovered*

I think I love her. She has seen so much and experienced such tragedy, but she remains strong. She still finds time to laugh and smile, and to see the positives. She hasn't given up hope. We've grown so close over these years and without one another surely would have suffered quickly. I think we boost each other's laff, and keep each other sane.

I can't hide this entry in the mattress, for Alice could access it and I'd be embarrassed. Or heartbroken. I don't know. I don't think there is ever a suitable time to confess feelings for your fellow captive. If the feeling isn't mutual, I think it would be more awkward than anything.

I have not had to deal with the stress of a teenager since my kidnapping. Now I am an adult, and so is Alice. Should we not experience love as adults do?

I don't know.

I just don't know.

*BW*

===Diary of Alice Carver===

Thank the stars for Bradley. He has been so supportive of me during these past few months. I haven't felt much like speaking, and I know the silence must have been unbearable for him. Silence was my greatest enemy during my first year here and I feel guilty for having inflicted it on him. But Bradley said he completely understands, and that I do not have to apologize. He showed me a poem he wrote in his journal, that even Molecule lauded. I don't think Molecule noticed the underlying message cleverly hidden in an acrostic--that is taking the first initial of each line. While Molecule thought Bradley was extolling his intellect and recognizing him as our natural leader or some garbage, the acrostic read "BITE ME." It's a small victory, but I haven't laughed in months. I think back to those dark months when I could feel my laff teetering on sadness, but I always thought of Bradley. Sometimes I'd smile, once or twice I laughed. Today I rolled on the metal floor laughing hysterically, clutching my sides. The bruises have healed, and Molecule has not been back.

*Later*. Until today, I guess. He just came in while I was finishing my entry. I had to shove the journal under the mattress. I hoped sincerely I had not miscounted my weekdays and that Molecule was coming to collect our journals. He was not, thankfully.

Molecule asked me if I ever dreamt of being a mother.

I was taken aback of course. I had never even considered it during my captivity. Have I ever dreamt that?

I told him I suppose once I did, when all the little girls in class played house and would pretend to have children. We were stupid then and had no idea what children entailed. We didn't know they could be snatched in the night by deranged sociopaths.

Molecule grinned wickedly, or he just grinned. I don't know--his face always looks evil. And then he left. Bradley was confused. I was too. I don't know what that was about--but I'm afraid.

*Alice Carver*

===Journal of Dr. Adam Molecule===

Alice, my love! She has inspired me so much and I regale in her beauty. I have not been to see her alone since Bradley has returned to the cage. I'm not sure how to feel about this. On one paw, I want her. But I also do not want Bradley there...I could have him removed but I also do not appreciate the screams which always accompanied my visits.

I have decided instead to focus on my Cogs. Mayor Flippy has ordered thousands for Toontown, and the delivery was a success. He asked me for a few Quacks, but Bradley saw to it that none would ever survive. Damn his carelessness. I liked the Quack. He was funny.

The Cogs have begun to become commonplace in Toontown, and my spirits have brightened. Finally, the mechanical world I have dreamed of! The Toons will laud me for the great intelligence and inventor I am! I won't have to be in isolation forever. Bradley, Alice, and I can return to Toontown. Once they cooperate of course.

I am patient, as ever.

And clever.

I think I know how to get Alice to love me unconditionally. I have seen it before in movies and again and again in books. What bonds all marriages and strengthens romantic relationships?

Children!

Alice and I must have a baby at once. I asked her about it today and she said she once dreamt of being a mother. Why can't dreams be realized for her now?

The only downside is that ducks and monkeys do not mix biologically. I have done research at Toontown's library. There is no way for species to interbreed. There have been no reported cases in all of Toontown's history. I have thus submitted an application to the University of Cervidium to access their library. It was a strenuous activity; I had to hijack their network and submit the application tangentially. The Kingdom of Cervidium will now know we exist down here, that Toontown exists. Soon, the Cogs will spread to the former kingdoms.

And once the University grants me access to the library, I will find a way for Alice to bear my child.

*Dr. Adam Molecule*

===Journal of Bradley Wolfe===

==4 Years Ago==

So much is happening beyond our prison and we can't see any of it! We asked Molecule for a newspaper, and had to belaud him for hours before he acquiesced. This is what we know:

-The Cogs are everywhere...all over Toontown. Toons are *buying* them! They don't know how dreadful they are, how horrible they can be. Alice and I failed--we could never warn them.

-The climates of all the neighborhoods have drastically shifted and a crisis is now on Toontown's hands. Alice and I knew the arrival of the Cogs would bring with them the end of the world.

-Cogs attack Toons everyday; there's a whole section devoted to it in the newspaper.

-A dog named Flippy Flopper is the new Mayor, having succeeded Mickey Elias. He is the one who brought the Cogs to Toontown and thus he is hated by some.

-Adam Molecule is named as the creator of the Cogs, but cannot be reached for comment.

-We scoured the paper from front to back. There is no mention of us. We have been forgotten. We looked at the obituaries, but saw no one we knew.

It is as if life has gone on without us. We don't know what's next, but if Cogs are attacking Toons, deaths are sure to follow.

The paper said that the Toon Council are devising an emergency response, but I doubt it will have any effect on Alice and I. We are, forever, trapped.

No one is coming for us.

Everyone has stopped looking.

===Diary of Alice Carver===

Adam went out tonight. And so we staged our third escape attempt. You, the invisible soul inside this journal, should know that because I am writing here and not in a successful best-selling novel titled *My Strife* that we failed. But this was time was different.

Once Adam left the shed for the night, I faked ill. The Cogs came down in a torrent, all looking not concerned but scared. I think they know that Molecule would kill them if we died. Bradley began screaming that I needed air, I needed sunlight, that it's the darkness. He called it the Disease of the Dark and that it festers when in cold, dark climates. The Cogs fell for it and took me from the cage. Bradley stayed behind, which was part of the plan. If Bradley were to come with me, they'd suspect something. Once outside, I pretended to collapse. I gasped for water, and the Cogs led me to the river. They refused to let me near the water itself. They instead got a cup from the shed and shoveled some out for me. I drank it and then spat it back up, gasping that my throat was closing. I needed to scream. They actually let me scream until my voice gave out. Then I stood up and looked around wildly. I pretended I was insane, though I suppose I am, and I ran back to the shed. I closed and locked the door. The Cogs now knew something was up. I searched in vain throughout the shed for my transport hole, which was taken from me upon my arrival here. I figured Adam would want to study it, or use it for his Cogs, so it must be here. But I couldn't find it.

Then I heard his voice. Adam's.

He said "what are you all doing out here? Did you get locked out?"

"She locked the door!" a Telemarketer said. "She's trying to escape!"

I put everything back neatly and got cozy in Adam's cot. The door burst open, and I could hear audible sighs of relief.

"Alice," Adam said gently. "Wake up."

I feigned a graceful return to consciousness.

"Oh, hello," I said. "What are you doing down here?"

Then I looked around and "remembered."

"Oh, my head," I said. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't affect your trip."

"Not at all, my love," Adam said, and kissed my cheek. I held back my vomit. I noticed he was carrying a book from the library, stolen, or checked out. I guess I don't know. Maybe he has a library card. He *is* famous in Toontown now.

"You should go back to your room," Adam said, as if my prison could be called a room. "I'm glad to see you're still here."

"Me too," I said. "I feel so much better already. What's that book you have there?"

Adam laughed slightly. He kissed my forehead. Again, bile surged to the top of my throat.

"Just something that will unite you, me, and Bradley forever. Now get some rest."

I stole a glance at the cover--*The Diary of War.* By the Diary Pig?

I went back to the cage and willingly locked myself inside. Bradley shook his head. We had failed.

But all things considered, this was probably the most successful escape attempt. We have the same privileges as before, and we've learned something. The transport holes are gone, and Molecule has something else diabolical planned. Something that is supposed to draw the three of us closer. I hope for our sakes Adam fails. And that it has nothing to do with War.

Good night,

*Alice Carver*

===The Journal of Dr. Adam Molecule===

What a day!

I cannot believe how ignorant Flippy is. Toon Hall has a Flunky to do odd jobs for the Council members; FL0039 is its serial number. And it *overheard* in yesterday's Council meeting that the Council intends to use the Emergency Portal as a last resort. I couldn't remember what the Emergency Portal was so I went to the library today. I used my fake ID and library card to gain entry. Even though everyone knows who I am and are of course grateful for the Cogs, I don't want celebrity status. Sometimes I just want to go to the library and be myself, you know? I perused the shelves for about an hour looking for information on the Portal. Of course there wasn't much information on it. One book just said it was to be used in the most dire of situations, such as an invasion from the foxes of Vulpus, or a cataclysmic disease. It was developed by Dr. Cumulo Nimbus on order of Mayor Mickey Elias. Hmm. I decided I would have to wait until sundown and break into Toon Hall to get more information. I fear that this Emergency Portal could be used to vacuum the Cogs away or something.

I broke into Toon Hall after the last of the workers left. It turned out to be pretty easy, having a Flunky on the inside. FL0039 got me into the laboratory in the basement, where Dr. Nimbus conducted all of his research. What a facility! I wish I had something like that. So much state-of-the-art equipment. Perhaps I can go down there in the future and use some of the tools to perfect the Cogs.

**NOTE:** By the way, they've asked for order and structure in the form of Cog leaders, so I have allowed them to create one leader for each sect. So far the Cashbots have chosen a Chief Financial Officer, or CFO. I just need to design a suit for it. I think it should be bigger, you know? I'll work on it. **END NOTE.**

I found all the research on the Emergency Portal and copied it. I stole a copy of*The Diary of War* from the library so I could hide the papers in it without being detected. I then returned to Chipper Acres via teleportation.

And what do you know, I find all my Cogs clustered outside the door, pounding on it and screaming inside. I thought they were so stupid and got locked out, but I should think better of my creations. It was nothing so trifling. Apparently they thought Alice was trying to escape, but she's learned her lesson. This future mother-to-be was only ill and was trying to rest in my bed. As I sit here now writing my journal, the covers still smell like her.

I have read all there is on the Emergency Portal. It is something more revolutionary than anything I could have dreamt. Get this:

The Emergency Portal is a way to evacuate *all the Toons from Toontown to another realm*. WHAT! I must meet Dr. Cumulo Nimbus. The man is a genius. The research journal shows in elaborate detail how this is possible, though I cannot understand most of it. I don't think I would want to. The world to which they go is known as a "human plane" and is finite in space. It physically transports the bodies of Toons to a dimension where the biology can be rewritten to become whatever a human is. From the pictures, they look hideous. But then the Toons would live their lives without memory of their former selves. The human plane is called Fantasyland, which sounds whimsical. The place itself was designed by Professor Patrick Prepostera, who based it on childhood stories. Seriously, all of this sounds so fascinating. If all the Toons leave Toontown, they cannot be harmed by whatever force threatens them.

But that means the Toons feel threatened by the Cogs, which is not the point. Cogs and Toons are supposed to live in harmony. I don't understand why the Cogs continue to attack Toons, but I think...

Sorry I thought I heard something in the bunker, but both Alice and Bradley are asleep.

I think this Portal will be good for me. I have been thinking about it all night. There are inconsistencies in behavior with Alice and Bradley. I think Bradley struggles to be my undying friend because he yearns for friends back home. I do not know what it is like to have multiple friends, so I cannot relate to Bradley on this front. It would be best to eliminate them. But I also do not want my Cogs to kill Bradley's friends. Something tells me that would backfire.

But what if the friends were gone forever?

What if all the Toons were gone forever?

What if only Bradley, Alice, and I remain in Toontown? The three of us, plus the Cogs? The Cogs could rise as the dominant species and overtake Toontown. The neighborhoods would lose their obnoxious vibrancy of colors and instead adopt the much more suitable monochromatic grey. The town would be reorganized into the first Cog Nation. An economic powerhouse for sure, we could reestablish contact with the Kingdoms. Surely the War is over and they have far more superior technology. I have yet to hear back from the University of Cervidium--I hope my application went through.

I yearn for this now. I want this more than anything. I want Cog Nation, I want four distinct Cog Headquarters in the four corners of Toontown. The leaders I mentioned earlier can reside there. Tomorrow, I'll give this command to my Cogs.

I will enact the Emergency Portal. I will make the Cogs so difficult, so evil, so diabolical that the Toons will have no choice but to flee.

The climate change may have been a mistake--who knew factory pollution could be so terrible?--but whatever happens next is by my command.

I cannot wait for morning, for the beginning of a new era.

The rise of the Cog Nation.

*Dr. A.M.*

===Memo from Dr. Adam Molecule to ALL COGS===

ATTN: Memo:

To: All Cogs

From: Dr. Adam Molecule, the Creator

It is now decreed that all Cogs will attempt to harm, attack, and kill Toons. Do so in the name of your future Cog Nation, your new home. Take over Toon buildings using the designs previously used for Operation Sever. As reward, I shall build you Headquarters and assign leaders. Good luck.

===Memo from Dr. Adam Molecule to ALL COGS===

ATTN: Memo:

To: All Cogs

From: Dr. Adam Molecule, the Creator

It has come to my attention that the Toon Council has decided to implement a full-scale evacuation from Toontown to the North. We must stop them. Intensify your attacks.

===Memo from Dr. Adam Molecule to ALL COGS===

ATTN: Memo:

To: All Cogs

From: Dr. Adam Molecule, the Creator

Invade the Playgrounds. Cut the transport system. Take all buildings. Kill as many as you can.

===Chipper Acres===

=The Day of Exodus=

Bradley and Alice huddled together in their cell.

Whatever was happening in Toontown, it was bad.

Every night, Molecule would dictate a memo to the Cogs, about attacking and murdering Toons and invading neighborhoods and playgrounds. Bradley and Alice were too terrified to think about what that could mean for Toontown.

Suddenly their captor went from being an insane psychopathic loner with a penchant for electronics to being the duck solely responsible for what must be the end of life in Toontown.

Cog Nation would rise on the ruins of the former town.

And Bradley and Alice would be the aristocracy, the royalty, friends of the mighty ruler Dr. Molecule. What would that make him? President? King? Emperor?

Adam could hardly contain his excitement around them, always telling them that life was going to get so much better for them. They need only wait.

Bradley was sick of waiting, sick of imprisonment. 7 years of hell. 9 for Alice. Half her life, a third of his.

"We have to run," Alice whispered. Bradley nodded.

"I know."

"We might die," Alice said. "The Cogs..."

"We might escape," Bradley said. "The Emergency Portal can take us too."

Alice nodded.

"Should we take our journals?"

"I don't think so," Bradley said. "We'll want them if we have to come back."

"Okay," Alice said. "I'm ready."

"Me too."

They waited.

The trapdoor opened several minutes later and Adam Molecule dropped in, looking exhilarated.

"It's time!" he said. "Want to see the rain?"

Both Bradley and Alice stared. Rain?

"Come come!" Adam said, unlocking the cage and clambering out of the hole. Alice and Bradley followed tentatively. When they emerged in the shed, Adam was already outside, jumping in happiness next to his Cogs. Bradley had never seen Adam so...well, happy. He smiled sometimes, but Bradley had long assumed that there was something wrong with his laff and that prevented him from experiencing emotions. Today, Adam looked positively giddy as he stared at the sky.

Bradley saw Alice pocket a screwdriver. Bradley wished he had done the same but he was already over the threshold and outside in full view of the Cogs. They were all over the field, divided by sect. The Cashbots and Lawbots were on the other side of the river, looking skyward. The Sellbot and Bossbots surrounded Molecule. Looking around, Bradley was disheartened to see no way of escaping.

"Look," Alice said in awe. Bradley turned to look at the sky. It was grey and thick with clouds. Water poured from them over the trees and on the neighborhoods of Toontown. Lightning struck somewhere far away, maybe Toontown Central. It was raining in Toontown.

But the rain was not reaching Chipper Acres.

"What does the rain do?" Bradley asked Molecule, who was dancing with a Cold Caller.

"The rain wipes the memories of the Toons," Molecule explained, "and transports them to a realm beyond Toontown."

"Where?" Alice asked, her eyes wide in amazement. Her purple fur bristled in the heavy winds.

"Somewhere far far away," Molecule said pensively. "It's impossible to reach otherwise. And they'll never come back! I'm seeing to that now."

"What do you mean?" Bradley asked, feeling a pit in his stomach. If all the Toons are leaving Toontown...there would be no one to rescue Bradley and Alice.

"Professor Pete Ingalls, Dr. Cumulo Nimbus, and Professor Patrick Prepostera. They are the three architects of the Emergency Portal, and by the end of the day, they'll all be dead. Without them, the Toons can never return."

"No..." Alice said. "Why?"

"Maybe they'll survive," Bradley said.

"Not likely," Molecule said. "Nimbus and Ingalls are already dead."

"NO!" Alice screamed. She pulled the screwdriver from her pocket and plunged it into Molecule's chest. He cried out, and a flurry of Cog attacks hit Alice. She collapsed at once, her head bent over her body. She had gone sad.

"ALICE!" Bradley yelled and ran to her side. She collapsed on the grass. Bradley kissed Alice and held her close. She gasped as her laff was restored. But it was still weak.

"Please let us go," Bradley said to Molecule, who was watching them angrily. He removed the screwdriver from his chest and allowed a Cog to bandage his wound.

"I did this *for you*," Molecule said. "The Portal was enacted because I wanted us to be the only three people left in Toontown. All of this--" he moved his arm in an arc, "was for YOU!"

"We didn't want this," Bradley said. "We didn't want Toons to be hurt, to be wrenched from their homes. They're going to die in exile without ever knowing they left."

"Meanwhile," Molecule interrupted, raising his voice over Bradley's, "The Cogs will rise to become the most powerful species to ever grace the continent. We shall reestablish connections with the Kingdoms of Vulpus, Cervidium, Scuridiae..."

"You want War?" Alice muttered. Adam's eyes lowered. He knelt next to her. Bradley tried to pull her away, but Adam clutched her arm.

"The Cogs could defeat anything in War. They are superior to Toons in every way. I wish you'd see that. I wish you'd both see how marvelous these creations are. In two years, the Cogs have eradicated the Toons from Toontown! There are none left but us."

A Cog cleared his throat.

"Creator, sir, your Excellency..."

Bradley rolled his eyes at the slew of bogus titles.

"Yes, MS0394?"

The Mover & Shaker clasped his hands.

"Several Toons did not successfully egress Toontown. It appears that when in their sad state, Toons cannot leave. Their portals are deactivated. Emerging in the Fantasyland world, they would be dead."

Molecule thought for a moment.

"Have the Cogs in the Playgrounds kill any Toons that survived. There must be no survivors."

"Why can't you let them live?" Alice asked.

Molecule frowned.

"Toons don't think the way I do. And the way I think is the correct way, I am sure of that. How else do you explain my genius?"

"How do you explain Dr. Nimbus's?" Bradley fired back. Molecule thought about it for a few seconds, then shrugged the dissension away.

"I think it's time I fixed the two of you," he said.

"Fix us?" Alice gasped.

Molecule turned to Bradley.

"I thought at first you were resisting our friendship because you missed your friends at home, but now I can see it is because your mind aligns too closely with that of the Toons. You must instead think more like me and my Cogs."

Bradley stared. Molecule beckoned to a Penny Pincher on the other side of the river. It flew over, landing directly in front of its master.

"Has Operation Sever been successful in the Cog buildings?"

"No, sir."

Molecule frowned. He looked into Bradley's eyes.

"I bet I can do it right this time."

Bradley swallowed hard. There was something clinical in Molecule's eyes.

"Bring him inside," Molecule said. "Put Bradley on the counter. Sedate him."

"NO!" Alice screamed.

"LET ME GO!" Bradley shouted as the Cogs pinned his arms to his sides and dragged him back into the shed. Molecule swept the counter clean and the Cogs dropped Bradley on top. Alice was strapped into a chair against the wall, where she could watch. Bradley tried to reassure her with his eyes, but he felt despair in every part of his being.

Bradley saw Molecule lean down to look at Alice.

"I know you're scared for your friend," Molecule said. "He'll be okay. I don't want him harmed either. But once this procedure is done, he'll be better. I promise."

"What are you going to do to us?" Alice croaked.

Molecule kissed her on the lips. She didn't move. He scowled.

"I know you don't love me now," he said. "But you will. Right now, you can't. Because you're a monkey. And I'm a duck. But once you're a duck, you'll love me unconditionally."

"What?" Alice gasped. "Once I'm..."

"Sedate them," Molecule ordered.

A needle was stabbed in Bradley's neck.

He faded into blackness.

Alice opened her eyes, the sedation wearing off. It must have been hours. She tried to stand, but the restraints that bound her to the chair were sturdy. She blinked in the dim light, and squinted at the figure in front of her. There were no Cogs in the cabin.

Dr. Molecule was leaning over Bradley, who was still sprawled on the counter. His arm hung limply over the side. Dr. Molecule was making an incision in Bradley's head.

"Stop," Alice said in a raspy voice. She cleared her throat and said it again, louder.

"Stop."

Dr. Molecule turned and smiled.

"Hello, Alice. You woke up earlier than I expected. It's not your turn yet. Go back to sleep."

"You should sleep too," Alice said. "Aren't you tired?"

"Not at all," Molecule said. "Exodus was a success. All the Toons are gone, but we're still here. The Cogs have taken over Toontown. For the most part."

"Most part?" Alice said, desperate to keep Molecule in conversation and away from Bradley's head.

Molecule sighed and tossed the scalpel back onto the counter. Bradley's eyes were still closed, but now his temple was bleeding.

"Apparently the rain Nimbus sent fried all my Cog buildings, and all my Cogs. I've lost thousands of Cogs, and all the buildings have been restored to their ugly Toon color. It'll take me a long time to rebuild. But...hopefully the factory will be up and running again soon."

"There's a factory?" Alice asked. "Where?"

"Go to sleep, Alice."

Alice swallowed and wished for water.

"May I have some water, please?" Alice asked.

"No," Molecule said. "Not before your surgery."

"What are you going to do?" Alice asked, her heart sinking and pounding fast. "What surgery?"

Molecule stepped back from the counter and wiped his brow. He looked at Alice as if she was a burden.

"I'll get another sedative." He walked behind the counter and rummaged in the cabinet. Alice diverted her gaze to look at Bradley. She gasped.

His skin was ruined. The color was draining out of his legs and arms. His face, his beautiful red face, was darkening.

"Adam..." Alice said slowly. "Adam! Look! Bradley! Something's wrong."

Adam whirled around and exhaled.

"SD0002!" Molecule shouted. He kicked open the door and screamed outside. "SD0002!"

A Spin Doctor flew over and landed on the doorstep.

"What's happening?" Molecule asked, desperately gesturing at Bradley.

"Save him!" Alice said, to both the Cog and Molecule. They may be her captors, but they were the only chance Bradley had.

"Sedate her," Adam said and handed the Cog a syringe. Alice was injected as she heard the Cog say,

"His skin is blanched...you have to stop the operation before he dies."

Bradley opened his eyes. He saw the wooden planks of the ceiling of the shed and remembered where he was. The nightmare he was enduring. Undergoing an operation from a mad scientist. The stuff of movies, of horror novels. But this was real life. He was going to die.

"Good morning," Adam Molecule said with a smug smile. He was propped up on the counter on his elbows. Bradley wanted to shrink away, but he held himself still. What if he moved and ripped open his spleen or something?

"What did you do to me?" Bradley asked.

Molecule sighed.

"Nothing with any effect. It appears I failed. Again."

Molecule slapped his hand on the counter. Bradley looked over in the corner and saw Alice asleep in her chair. Daylight strewn through the window.

"I don't understand it," Molecule said. "I continuously fail with this conversions...it shouldn't be difficult. What am I missing?"

"Laff," Bradley said. "Happiness. Emotion. Love. The stuff you can never understand."

He tilted his head to look directly at Molecule, his abductor.

"You're sad aren't you? You went sad years and years ago. Your laff is completely depleted."

Molecule stuck his tongue in his cheek and stood.

"You can get up now."

"You will always fail," Bradley said, feeling courage surging to the surface. There was no one to save him now. No Toons left in Toontown. Just him and Alice with this monster. "The love and happiness of Toons will always triumph over the hate and darkness of the Cogs."

"Shut up," Molecule said. "Get up. Sit on the cot. Now."

Bradley sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the counter. Molecule was washing his hands in a basin at the end of the counter. Bradley looked outside and saw hundreds of Cogs in the fields. Still no hope of escape. If he were to run, they'd bring him back. And he felt too weak to run. The operation had left him extremely tired.

"What did you do to me, Adam? Please tell me."

Molecule pointed at the cot. Bradley sauntered over to it and sat. Molecule handcuffed him to the rail.

"I made an incision in your head to reach the Toonity part of the brain, the part that makes you inherently a Toon."

"Laff makes us inherently Toons," Bradley said.

Molecule rolled his eyes.

"Science is always wrong on that score."

*I doubt it*, Bradley thought.

"It didn't work," Molecule said. He scratched his arms. "I'm sorry about your skin."

Bradley looked down. He stood in horror. His legs! His legs were nearly white. All the pigment had gone out of them. And his arms...his torso...it was lighter, paler than his face. It was like being shaded in an ombre. Bradley's legs buckled and he fell back on the cot. He didn't even realize that Molecule had placed Alice on the counter. His operating table.

"If you stay quiet, I'll leave you awake," Molecule said and laid out a series of knives. He then hung up a diagram of monkey and duck biology. He opened the door and beckoned to another Spin Doctor.

"Did you get the parts?"

Parts?

The Spin Doctor nodded and held out a box. Molecule glanced inside and closed the door, setting the box on the counter. He cut off all of Alice's clothing. The shirt was the one Bradley had given her after that month of hell, years ago. Now it lay in tatters on the floor.

Molecule studied Alice's face and then reached into a box and removed a...what was that? Bradley leaned forward, and then shot back.

It was a beak.

Molecule was dead serious.

He was going to cut Alice apart and then stitch her back together as a duck so he could have children with her, so that they could have ducklings. This was the most twisted, the most sick, the most horrific mortifying thing Bradley had experienced.

He began to fight against the handcuffs.

"NO! NO! Leave her alone! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

He stood and knocked Molecule aside. He grabbed Alice and pulled her close, feeling the cot flip over behind him, his arm still attached.

The Cogs were swarming outside as Molecule cried out.

"WAKE UP! ALICE! WAKE UP! RUN! YOU HAVE TO RUN! HE'S GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Alice stirred. Bradley slammed his fist against Molecule's face as he tried to regain control of the cabin. Blood splattered. Bradley felt liberated.

And then a sharp pinch in the back of his neck, another syringe.

Then darkness.

===Hours Later===

Alice blinked.

She could hear her breathing, slow and stertorous.

Was she dying?

She felt like she was dying.

Or that she would like to.

Her ears were ringing. She could smell blood.

Bradley was strapped in the chair she was bound to earlier. He was out cold, probably sedated. How much anesthesia did Molecule have?

Where was he?

Alice lifted her head, and felt a horrible pain in her nose and cheeks. She lifted her hand and felt her skin. She trembled.

Scars, from fresh cuts.

Alice turned to look in the glass window. It was dark outside and she could see her reflection easier. Her face looked horrible. There were deep gashes in her cheeks, and her nose seemed broken. Her ears were split in half. How could she still hear?

"Bradley," Alice said aloud to test her hearing. She sounded as clear as she had hoped. Bradley was still sleeping.

Alice looked down. A white sheet had been laid over her body, as if she was in the morgue. Alice inspected her arms, hoping against deformed skin pigmentation. Everything looked normal there.

What was he trying to do? Alice asked herself. Was he actually trying to make her a duck? That was impossible. Surely he knew that.

Alice inspected the rest of her body, her legs, her torso, her hands, and back. Then she looked at her feet.

And recoiled.

They were webbed. She touched her toe, which was numb. Molecule had sewn additional skin onto her feet to make webbed toes, like his.

Alice turned and vomited on the floor. She did so twice, thrice, four times. She was so scared to look anywhere else.

She lifted the sheet with one motion and let it fall on the floor, covering the vomit. Maybe Molecule would slip on it and die.

Alice looked.

And screamed. And screamed and screamed. She started crying and shrieking, the noise jolting Bradley from his sleep.

Bradley started shouting, crying, calling for her.

The two of them clamoring, shouting, wishing and wanting nothing more than to be done with this nightmare, to be far away, to be with the Toons, gone forever.

Hope depleted.

Nothing left.

Alice had never felt lower.

===Three Years Later===

=The Final Battle=

"Alice," Bradley said. "ALICE!"

Alice awoke, leaning against Bradley on the cot. Molecule had let them occupy the shed in his absence. He was overseeing construction of Bossbot Headquarters.

"The Toons," Bradley said, a smile on his face, the first smile in months. Years? "The Toons are coming!"

"What?" Alice asked. "Why?"

"I don't know," Bradley said. "I think they tracked the Cogs to here. To Molecule. They're going to kill him! We're going to be free."

"I don't think..."

And then shouts.

The cries of animals.

Toons.

Bradley and Alice froze as they listened. They looked out the window of the shed. Dozens of Toons, maybe a couple hundred, were streaming across the fields, toward the lines of Cogs.

Lately, Bradley and Alice had noticed a change in the Cogs. Something they couldn't well detect, but it seemed that the Cogs were less likely to attack. Maybe they needed to be provoked first. Or they needed to be formally in battle, but they weren't as ruthless as they once were.

Alice began crying tears of joy.

"Let's go. Before Adam gets back."

Bradley and Alice looked around the cabin once more, hoping to never see it again. Then, they joined the Toons outside.

Bradley held the pie in his hand. It was called a gag. Professor Patrick Prepostera was showing him how to use it in a tent set up on the edge of the field. The battle was raging outside, but Prepostera had seen Alice and Bradley emerge from the shed, and came to their aid.

"It's quite simple. Just engage a Cog in battle and throw. Or use one of these squirt gags. Because you're using weak gags, I suggest partnering up with one of the other Toons here."

"Thank you," Bradley said simply. He looked over at Alice, who was being trained by a red cat.

"What's your name?" Professor Prepostera asked, his deep blue horse eyes gazing thoughtfully at him. "You never said."

Bradley's mind whirled. He didn't feel right using the name 'Bradley.' It was the name assigned to him at birth, the name he used through his childhood, and his hell. But the person he was died the day Alice was operated on. Three years ago, Bradley and Alice ceased to exist. The Toon Patrol never found them, never looked for them. Toontown had let them down.

"Clan," Bradley said. "Clan Destine."

They had been kept secret, Clan thought. And thus they remain secret.

Prepostera nodded.

"And your friend?"

"It's not important," Alice said. "We just want to see the Cogs defeated. What can we do to help?"

"Stay close to us," the red cat said. "Patrick and I will be your guides. My name is Laura."

"What were you two doing out here?" Prepostera asked. "Who lives in that shed?"

"Dr. Molecule," Alice said. "He'll be back soon. You have to kill him. Or I will."

The menacing tone with which she said it should have alarmed Bradley, but it didn't. He felt the same way. He had thought about killing Molecule a thousand times.

"You both ready?" Prepostera asked, heaving his gag pack onto his shoulder.

Alice and Bradley both nodded. Laura outstretched her arm to a purple cat in the corner, who was loading blue boxes with red buttons into his own backpack.

"Ash, let's go."

Alice and Bradley followed Prepostera, Laura, and the cat named Ash out of the tent and into battle.

===Days Later===

The carnage was widespread. The Battle was an awful spectacle. Molecule was here too. Every day, the Toons would fight the Cogs, and there would be victories. But there would also be bloodshed. The Cogs would kill when Molecule ordered them to.

But the Toons were not fighting for their lives. They were fighting for Toontown, for their loved ones beyond the realm of space.

Prepostera dug his hoof into the ground and aimed a birthday cake at a Legal Eagle.

For Nimbus.

He dropped a safe on a Micromanager.

For Professor Pete.

He laid a trap for a Number Cruncher.

For Toontown.

Dozens of Cog battles were being initiated, but with every Cog death came another from the sky. They came in endless streams, all on Molecule's command.

The duck himself seemed untouchable. He would transport around the clearing, an advantage no one else shared because Chipper Acres was off the transport grid. They would never have known to come here until Laura and Ash Ingalls had tracked a group of Cogs who flew north of the Docks.

And here the Toons would make their stand.

"HELP!" Flim Flam, a cyan dog, called from the opposite side of the river. Prepostera watched as Laura and Ash joined her. Herb Clark, having finished his own battle, rushed to Flim's aid. Molecule was watching the scene from his perch on the doorstep of his shed. He was looking at the purple monkey with the scars and the red dog with lighter arms and legs. They were fighting a low-level Pencil Pusher with first-level gags. Though struggling, they were ultimately succeeding.

Prepostera did not know who they were, but they greatly upset Molecule. He was watching them with sadness and anger.

"Prepare to be raided," a fat Corporate Raider said to Prepostera, which snapped him back to attention. The Bossbot waited for Prepostera to make his first move, a product of the Etiquette Algorithm Dr. Kilo Byte had so cleverly designed. The only thing that could overpower it was the direct order of Dr. Molecule.

Prepostera lobbed a cream pie at the Cog, which was enough to destroy it. Prepostera waited for another Cog to dare to fight. He cast a glance at the shed, where Molecule was being protected by a wave of Cogs. He was speaking to them.

Suddenly, all the Cogs stood to attention, and stopped fighting. Cog attacks ceased to fly. Prepostera reached into his backpack for a toonup in case he should need it. He looked over at the monkey and dog, who were now running away from the shed with alacrity.

"NO! HERB!"

Prepostera whirled around. Flim Flam was standing over Herb's body, which had just been punctured with a large syringe filled with green liquid. A Cog had delivered the blow. The syringe had been stabbed directly into Herb's laff. He was writhing on the ground. A Cog stepped forward and injected all of the liquid into Herb's laff. Flim Flam attempted to fight the Cog, but it threw her aside. Another one came up behind her and injected her own laff.

"RUN! RUN! ALL OF YOU!" the purple monkey was shrieking.

Dr. Molecule was now moving across the field, directing Cogs. He pointed to several Toons specifically. Prepostera watched as more and more Toons were stabbed. A dozen. Two.

A total of thirteen Cogs came up to Prepostera. Defying the Etiquette Algorithm because Dr. Molecule ordered it.

Damn it.

Prepostera prepared himself for one last battle. He thought back on the three years of loneliness he endured, of the time spent trying to find a way to defeat the Cogs.

Bless Dr. Byte and Dr. Sensitive, without whom they would never have found the gags.

The Cogs were now inundating the field. Hundreds. Too many. There was no way the Toons would win. They could transport away...but...

"ASH! NO!"

Prepostera turned to see Bossbots carrying Ash away into the sky. A few others were suffering similar fates. And a few corpses too. What did the Cogs need with all these Toons?

Laura whirled around and ran to help Prepostera.

"Patrick, they have Ash."

"I know," he said. "I'm sorry."

"We can't win."

Prepostera said nothing. He dropped a piano on a Big Wig.

"What are those syringes?" Laura yelled over the din of war.

"I don't know," Prepostera said. "What do you think?"

Laura gasped.

"Herb. Look."

Prepostera averted his gaze to look at the former trolley depot clerk. He was standing next to a Cog, but wasn't fighting the Cog. He was fighting a Toon. Herb had been converted to the Cog's side.

"Oh no..." Prepostera said, seeing Flim Flam acting similarly. "They're...changing us."

"How?" Laura asked in horror.

Prepostera caught something in the corner of his eye and quickly spun. It was Dr. Molecule, approaching.

Laura Ingalls blew up three Big Cheeses with TNT. One of the survivors blasted her backward with a horrific attack. She fell over in sadness.

"LAURA!"

"Don't let them convert me," she murmured. "Tell Pete I love him."

A Big Cheese whacked her over the head with a golf club. She fell dead.

Prepostera looked at the six Cogs remaining before him. Molecule was gaining. He knew who he was. If Prepostera died, the Toons would never return from Exodus.

Prepostera was out of gags.

A Cog stepped forward and shoved a syringe into Prepostera's heart.

If Prepostera were to become a minion of the Cogs, they would have the advantage of all of his knowledge and experience. They would know how to prevent Exodus from ever reversing, they would know how to undo the Etiquette Algorithm, they would know how the gags work...

He was out of time.

But not out of options.

Prepostera dug the vial out of his pocket. There was no time for hesitation. He tipped the vial down his throat.

The world instantly went fuzzy. He could feel his memories draining one by one. All the information the Cogs would have needed would soon be gone. They would never have it. Could never access it. His eyes slowly traveled over the battlefield. Someone had to go to Fantasyland. It couldn't be Prepostera. He needed to stay here in case whatever process the Cogs were inflicting could be reversed. He would owe it to Laura to save Ash. Laura would have been the best option to send to Fantasyland, but she was dead now. Ash was gone too. Dr. Byte wasn't here; Prepostera would have to trust he and Dr. Sensitive would find a way to contact the Toons in Fantasyland. But who was Prepostera going to send to Fantasyland? Who could get Pete?

The dog.

Clan. He was standing so close. He could make it. Clan turned and saw Prepostera. The old professor stared back.

"Pete," he mouthed. The dog looked confused. Prepostera hoped that Clan would remember and go find Pete as soon as he arrived in Fantasyland.

Then a series of Downsizers attacked the purple monkey, but she dodged. And on the second wave, they attacked Molecule by accident. Hope soared in Prepostera's changing heart as Molecule fell backward. Dead?

Prepostera on instinct drew his transport hole. His memories were almost entirely gone now. What was it he had to do?

Oh yes.

Clan.

He threw his transport hole with all his might at the dog, whose back was turned. The hole consumed him, and he disappeared.

Professor Patrick Prepostera ceased to exist.

Alice saw the Downsizers raise their arms, ready to deliver another blow. Not to me, she thought angrily.

Twelve years of torment and hell passed before her eyes. She rolled out of the way, leapt to her feet, and grabbed Molecule by the shoulders. She slammed him to the ground, in time for thirty pink slips to cut into him. She watched as his eyes went wide.

"You're beautiful..." he muttered.

And Dr. Adam Molecule spoke no more.

The Downsizers all stood in shock. Then, one by one, they flew away.

Alice stood and watched. All the Cogs, sensing their Creator's death, retreated. With them, they took their newly-created Togs. Alice counted twenty-six in all. Including Professor Prepostera, the kind horse who rescued them from bondage. Without really knowing it.

Bradley!

Alice turned around, looking for her friend and companion. But she couldn't find him. The only people left were the bodies. The hundreds of Toons who died in the so-called Final Battle. The ones who Molecule ordered killed.

Alice looked back at the body. His eyes were still open, and he looked as boyish as ever.

"To hell with you," Alice said and spat on his face. She then kicked him over and over again. Overheard, she heard a Cog rotor. She looked up in terror and saw a Cold Caller descending in the field. She darted for the shed and hid in the doorway.

It suddenly struck her that once again she was alone in Chipper Acres. The Cogs could easily come back and imprison her. That's all they knew. Adam Molecule was the Creator, and Alice Carver and Bradley Wolfe were the prisoners. Life in Chipper Acres had always been consistent on that front.

Alice wanted to know where Bradley was more than anything. She wanted to talk to him about what had just happened, bask in their freedom together. She wanted to talk about what happens next. Would the Toons return from Exodus? Could they? Or was Professor Prepostera turning into a Tog the end of that?

The Cold Caller had landed in the field. He looked around in confusion, and approached Molecule's body. He cried out in a Coglike way and quickly flew away.

Alice's heart began to hammer.

What if the Cogs could find a way to resurrect him? What if they came back for his body and took it for experimentation or some sick mausoleum?

Not if she could stop it.

Alice took a butcher knife from the shed and ran down to the riverbank. She savagely attacked Molecule with the knife and carved out his heart. She held the blackened organ in her hand and then pushed Molecule into the river. His body moved a fraction with the current before being pinned against the bank.

The Cogs would never be able to see him while he was submerged. And over time, his body will erode. And become nothing.

Alice smiled at the thought. She looked back at the heart in her hand. She'd better keep it.

Alice stood and surveyed the landscape again. Her mind kept spinning. The Cogs did not know she survived. But surely they would look for her? And if they found her, they'd take her back to Chipper Acres. Or lock her in another tower somewhere. She knew that Molecule had successfully built four headquarters for each of the Cog sects in the four corners of Toontown. She knew there was a railroad that connected the four together. She knew she did not stand a chance of survival if she was ever taken there.

The Cogs would need to think she was dead.

Alice walked around the battlefield for the next hour and examined corpses. Finally, she found a purple monkey. A woman. Alice dragged her body back to the shed. She dropped the poor woman into the bunker, a place Alice would never want to see again. But Alice nonetheless crawled down and found the wallet from her youth. The one with the butterflies and the library card. The only vestige of her old life. She placed it in the back pocket of the woman. Alice removed the woman's own identification. Her name was Geneva George.

Alice considered taking the journals that she and Bradley had filled, but ultimately decided the bad memories should burn.

"Where did I put those matches?" Alice said to herself as she climbed out of the bunker for the final time, looking for the box she dropped earlier when she considered torching the shed. The only thing that stopped her was the possibility of the Cogs harnessing the fire to use it as an advantage, or else burn the whole forest down and kill the Toons accidentally.

Alice found the box outside, and lit the entire thing on fire. She dropped it into the bunker. She took a can of gasoline from outside and sprayed it into the bunker. Finally, she closed the trapdoor. The bunker was set ablaze, but the metal ceiling protected the wooden shed above.

Alice placed the oriental rug over the trapdoor and set the cot on top. It now looked as Molecule would have left it. But if the Cogs were to come looking, they'd find a dead monkey body in the bunker and assume that Alice was dead. And if the Toon Patrol found it, they would assume the same. And she could live the rest of her life in peace. She could be Geneva George. They could swap. She would never have to talk about Molecule again, or recount her story to anyone. Alice Carver would remain a cold case forever. As for Clan...well Alice couldn't worry about him right now. As much as she loved him, she couldn't fathom where he could be.

Alice found a wooden box in Molecule's belongings and placed his heart inside.

Just like Snow White, she mused.

Alice paused to collect herself. She went over everything in her head. She had hidden Molecule from the Cogs, cut out his heart so that he could never be resurrected, locked a corpse in the bunker and set it on fire so the Cogs and Toons would think Alice was dead, and maybe that Molecule killed her. Clan was missing...she'd have to look for him. All the survivors of the Final Battle were now Togs and thus could not be trusted.

The Toons were still not back.

And Alice had no way of leaving Chipper Acres.

This was the most disturbing for Alice, as she wanted desperately to leave. She already knew there were no transport holes in the shed. But all of the corpses had one.

Removing a transport from a dead body turned out to be fairly simple, as there was nothing keeping that hole there anymore. Alice pictured the Brrrgh in her head, and jumped into the hole.

For the first time in twelve years, she found herself beyond Chipper Acres.

Alice Carver was free.

===One Month Later===

=The Return from Exodus=

Clan Destine skyrocketed upward. A torrent of gray and black surrounded him, but it was not as scary as when he was falling. Clan looked at his hands, as they were called, and his long fingers. They were shrinking, growing hair. Red hair.

The pale red hair to which he had grown accustomed over the past three years. The sky opened above him and Clan soared out of the ground. He saw the bright blue Toon sky before landing on his paws.

Clan gasped in delight in the resplendent air of Toontown Central. Not only was he back from Fantasyland, back in Toontown with thousands of Toons, but the Cogs were likely defeated, Dr. Molecule was dead, and he was seeing Toontown Central for the first time in ten years.

And Alice was here somewhere.

But the Cogs probably were too. There was no way they all got defeated at the Final Battle. Not with people becoming Togs.

Clan looked around in fear. What if Togs were here now? And they could see him? And they recognized him? And they told the Cogs? And then the Cogs came and killed him? What if Molecule was actually still alive? Or he was resurrected? What if...what if Alice was a Tog?

Clan backed into the tunnel of Punchline Place and watched from the shadows. Professor Pete made a speech and explained Fantasyland and Exodus. He asked if anyone had seen Professor Prepostera, and Clan felt a pang in his heart. Prepostera was a Tog.

Then a cyan dog took the bullhorn. He was met with clamorous jeers. Apparently he was the Mayor, named Flippy, and the one who brought the Cogs to Toontown's public.

It's not his fault, Clan thought. He was deceived, as so many of you were, by the devil himself. Flippy was eventually unseated. He resigned his office and slunk away.

By the end of his resignation, a new Mayor had been elected by public acclamation. Her name was Eileen Irenic. Clan decided he had heard enough, and stepped backward into tunnel so he could run back to Chipper Acres and find Alice.

===Chipper Acres===

Clan opened the trapdoor, which resulted in an enormous plume of smoke. Clan gasped and dropped the door so it slapped shut.

Fire? In the bunker?

Clan searched desperately for signs of Alice. He flipped through the journal Dr. Molecule had left on the counter. Clan was surprised the Cogs hadn't come for it. A page was missing at the back. Strange.

Maybe the Cogs took it. Or Alice.

Clan approached the door of the shed. A scrap of paper was wedged in the window glass. A phone number. Clan recognized the handwriting as Alice's. He pocketed it. There was no phone in the shed.

Clan stepped outside and looked around the clearing. All the bodies were gone, the dead and the gone. Clan walked along the shore of the river. A piece of paper was crumpled and stuck in the mud. He smoothed it out on his light red knee. His eyes widened in recognition. It was the missing journal page. The Cogs must have dropped it. Clan folded it a few times and stuck it in his pocket with the phone number.

Something in his periphery made him turn.

As Clan peered over the edge of the bank and saw the disfigured face of Dr. Molecule, he felt tears well in his eyes. He was really dead. Clan's eyes traveled down to Molecule's chest cavity, where a gaping hole had been carved. His heart was gone.

Praise be, Clan gasped. He was free.

Overwhelmed, Clan cried in happiness.

===Toontown Central===

"Thank you for calling Toontown Regal Cinema. This is Geneva, how may I assist you?"

Clan felt a lump in his throat.

"Alice...?" he whispered.

A small gasp.

"Bradley?"

"Where are you?" Clan said quickly.

"Loopy Lane. I love you."

"I'm coming."

===Loopy Lane===

She was in her office. She wore heavy makeup to disguise the scars on her face. She had dyed her fur to make it a darker purple. But she was still Alice.

Clan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. She was crying.

"You're back," she whispered.

"We all are," Clan said. "All the Toons."

"I know," she said, wiping away her tears. "I saw the clouds over the Playground."

Clan told her about Flippy and Eileen Irenic. And everything that had happened to him in Fantasyland. He left out the part about Professor Pete. She would be upset that he did that. They were supposed to be lying low.

"Do they know about the Togs?" Alice asked. "You didn't tell them did you?"

"Of course not," Clan said. "And no, they don't know."

"We can't trust anyone," Alice said. "Any of them out there can be converted. I don't know if the Cogs know how to convert Toons themselves."

"I don't think they do," Clan said. "Molecule was the one who knew what he was doing. Without him, Operation Sever is a bust."

"You say that," Alice said, "but I won't put anything past the Cogs. They're clever. And hell bent on destroying us."

"Alice..."

"Don't call me that."

Clan swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Alice said. "I'm sorry too. Call me Geneva."

Clan smiled. "I like it. Call me Clan."

"Your name is so silly," Geneva said and hugged Clan again. They held each other for a minute, taking the time to be grateful for each other.

"I went to Chipper Acres," Clan said. "I found your note."

Geneva started grinning.

"Did you go down to the river?"

"I saw Molecule."

"I did that."

"I assumed."

Clan paused. "Thank you."

"It was liberating," Geneva said. She reached into her desk drawer and removed a small wooden box. She unlocked it with a key around her neck and opened the latch. A tiny black heart was inside.

"Molecule's?" Clan asked in shock. Geneva nodded.

Clan still could not believe he was free, that after ten long years of torment and imprisonment, he was free. That he was able to walk out of this building and go wherever he pleased was a luxury that would take much time to get used to.

"Clan," Geneva said, "You have to remember that the Cogs will try to kill us from now until the end of our lives. We are free from Chipper Acres but we are not free from the Cogs."

Clan nodded. "What do you think we should do?"

"I've been thinking about it this past month," Geneva said. "If the Cogs find out we survived the Final Battle, they'll kill us."

Geneva told Clan about burning a body in the bunker so that the Cogs and Toons would think it's her. She explained that was where she got the name Geneva George. Thankfully, Geneva seemed to be something of a recluse and actually rather mean. She had no living family, as all had died in a Cog building.

"The Togs are walking among the Toons now. They'll never expose the battlefield because then the Toons will realize Molecule is dead. There's no chance they can ever find his body, and they'll look forever in vain for it. So we must not tell anyone about Chipper Acres, as we're the only ones who know about it. We should not interact with anyone. We have to live in isolation, like we did before."

"Together?" Clan asked.

Geneva smiled.

"I'd like that."

"Is there a place in your theatre?"

Geneva shook her head.

"Not really. I don't want to live in a hovel. Maybe we can find an apartment? Maybe jump around a bit so no one would find us?"

"Okay," Clan said. "I can do that."

"I think this is best," Geneva said. "It's the best way to keep us safe."

Clan agreed. He remembered the journal page in his pocket, but decided now was not the time to give it to Geneva. He didn't want to upset her. Not now, when they were starting off so happily.

"The Toons need to win," Clan said. "I know you don't want us to share information yet, but the Toons have to win."

"We need to think about ourselves, Clan," Geneva replied. "This is our first bout of freedom in a decade. We've never had the chance to live a normal life. This is it."

"Hiding from robots is not my idea of normal," Clan said with a smile. Geneva returned the grin.

"We'll have each other."

"Fair enough," Clan said and kissed her.

Clan and Geneva smiled at each other.

"Did you find your Aunt?" Clan asked. Geneva's face fell.

"Yes," she said. "She died eight years ago. She was in the Docks, looking for me."

"I'm so sorry," Clan said."

"Thank you," Geneva said, wiping her snout. "I just wanted to tell her I was okay."

Clan looked at Geneva hopefully. She understood.

"I don't think so, Clan. I think Molecule had your parents murdered."

Clan exhaled.

"I knew," he said.

"Doesn't make it any easier," Geneva said.

"Yeah."

Clan sighed as he held Geneva's hand.

"I love you."

"And I you."

===Eight Months Later===

=Present Day=

Constance Miller, Eileen Irenic, and Constance's deputy, Aleck, approached the Toontown Regal Cinema on Loopy Lane. With luck, they'd find an alive and well Alice Carver, masquerading as Geneva George.

Constance pushed open the door and entered an ornate lobby with a shallow crystal chandelier dangling over crimson red carpet. A ticket booth was against the wall, where a purple monkey sat with paws folded in front of her. She was staring directly at Constance.

"Welcome to Toontown Regal Cinema," she said monotonously. "Would you like to see Steamboat Willie today?"

Constance showed the monkey her badge.

"I am Chief Constance Miller of the Toon Patrol. This is Mayor Eileen Irenic and Deputy Aleck Harding. And you are Alice Carver."

The monkey blinked and let out a small laugh.

"It's nice to meet you, Chief Miller, Madam Mayor, Deputy. My name is Geneva George."

"Geneva George is dead," Constance said gently. "She was burned in a bunker in Chipper Acres, where the Final Battle occurred. I think you know that."

The monkey sighed.

"I do," she said. "Geneva did not die by fire. She died at the hands of the Cogs, but she escaped a far worse fate."

"So," Eileen said, "you are Alice?"

The monkey tipped her head.

"I am."

"And Clan Destine," Constance said, her heart beat quickening. "Is he Bradley Wolfe?"

Alice slumped.

"He is."

Constance began to cry. She launched forward and wrapped her arms around a very surprised Alice.

"Oh," she gasped. "*We found you*!"

Alice's eyes widened. She stared at Eileen and Aleck, then wept herself.

"You...carved out his heart?" Eileen said slowly. She wanted to make sure she heard that correctly.

They were standing in Alice's office behind the ticket booth. Alice herself was seated at her desk. She was rocking back and forth.

Eileen pictured the gaping hole in Molecule's chest, the...inconsistency of it. Why would the Cogs do that? Why would a Toon? But now it made sense.

Molecule was Alice Carver's abductor and the source of twelve years of perdition. If he was revived, or somehow reincarnated, Alice would never find peace. She did what she had to do.

"I carved out his heart," Alice repeated. She reached into a drawer and showed Eileen, Aleck, and Constance a wooden box which contained the black heart.

"Is it supposed to look like that?" Aleck asked.

"No," Alice said. "His laff has been at zero for more than a decade. It enabled him to carry out his treachery without ever being burdened by happiness, love, or empathy."

Over the past hour, Alice had been confirming what Eileen and Constance had been spending months figuring out. Though Alice had the information all along, it was difficult for either Constance or Eileen to be angry. Alice had been through the worst turmoil either had heard of. No one in Toontown's history had suffered more. It was a miracle Alice's laff was still high. She said it was because of Clan Destine, Bradley Wolfe. The two were in love, brought together by the strife of their situation. He was on his way to the theatre. She asked for him to be there during the questioning. It was unusual for two Toons of different species to be in love, but not impossible. It just made it implausible for them to conceive children.

Alice told Eileen, Constance, and Aleck about her life in captivity, and her multiple escape attempts with Bradley Wolfe. She told them that both kept detailed journals during their imprisonment, and that they made have survived the fire in the bunker. She told them about the Final Battle.

The Toons-turned-Cogs were real. The 26 survivors of the Final Battle were in fact converted. Alice and Bradley called them Togs. They were the mission of Operation Sever. She did not understand the science behind it. When Constance showed Alice the memos, Alice could not figure out what the Cogs were going to do next.

"Clan's here," Aleck said, looking outside the window of the theatre office.

When he entered, he looked frantic. But once he saw Alice, he visibly stilled.

"Hello, Clan," Alice said.

"Geneva," Clan said.

"If you don't mind," Alice said. "Call me Alice again."

"Okay," he said. "Can I go by Bradley again?"

Alice laughed.

"I think that was inevitable."

The two explained the reason for their aliases--they wanted to remain undercover to hide from the Cogs.

"We'll protect you," Constance promised. "I mean it this time. No harm will ever come to you again."

"The Toon Council will make it a priority to provide you with intense security," Eileen Irenic said. "If you want it."

Alice and Bradley exchanged glances.

"Okay," they said.

"We'll find you an estate," Constance said. "Do you two want to share the same house?"

"Yes," they said together.

Bradley looked at Alice.

"Did you show them the journal page?"

Alice swallowed.

"Should I?"

"Journal page?" Constance said. A look of recognition crossed her face. "You mean the one from Dr. Molecule's journal? The page missing?"

"Ah," Alice said to Bradley. "I guess I have to show them now."

"No," Bradley said intensely. "You don't have to."

Eileen looked at the couple with sympathy. What horrors they must have endured.

Alice looked up at her guests from her chair. Wordlessly, she handed Eileen and Constance the journal page, kept in another locked drawer.

Eileen read over Constance's shoulder. The front was all about the Togs, but Eileen could not find anything of interest or import. It didn't say how the conversion was possible.

Constance flipped the page over. And drew in her breath.

"Oh," she said sadly.

Eileen looked and saw a gruesome diagram depicting a duck and monkey. Eileen slowly looked at Alice's face, where scars were barely visible underneath her makeup.

"What did he do to you?" Eileen said softly. She looked at Bradley, his ombre skin. "And you?"

"He tried to make me a Tog," Bradley said. "He failed, but it ruined my skin. I still don't know how it's possible. What he did to Alice was worse."

Alice clutched Bradley's paw. She didn't speak for a moment.

"He tried to make me a duck," she said quietly.

Constance exhaled.

"He *what?"* Aleck exclaimed.

"He thought I didn't love him," Alice said, closing her eyes, "because I am a monkey. He thought if I was a duck...we could have children together."

Eileen retched. Alice looked at the ground. She was trembling.

"He sedated me. He made Bradley watch. He...tried to cut open my face to attach a beak. He tried to reshape my ears to make them anatine--duck-like. He...webbed my toes."

Alice slowly removed her shoes and revealed a terrible sight. Eileen felt like vomiting. Constance had her paw over her mouth. Aleck had sunk into a chair.

Complete silence had fallen over the room. A tear fell down Bradley's cheek.

"He...uh...he..." Alice stammered. "He realized that I was...um...not converting properly but that...he thought...well he wanted the childbearing to be possible more than anything. So he...he...mutilated me...my...."

Alice choked. She collapsed into a horrific cacophony of sobs. This continued for several minutes, and no one dared interrupt.

"Bradley," she murmured finally. "I can't. Can you..."

Bradley nodded, his hand wrapped firmly in hers.

"Molecule was trying to make it possible for her to give birth to ducklings. But he failed and ruined her chances of having children ever. Alice is barren."

Eileen's mouth fell open. Constance shook her head. Aleck covered his face with his paws.

No one spoke.

The gravity of the atrocities Bradley and Alice had experienced were too great. It was nearly impossible for Eileen to comprehend how evil Dr. Molecule had become. The Cogs had done horrible things to Toontown, but hearing this account from Alice and Bradley...

She thought of Irene and Constantine, and how they were about the same age as Alice and Bradley when they were kidnapped. Would they have survived that turmoil?

Eileen's laff dropped in sadness. She let it fall.

Then, stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around Alice and Bradley. So that they would know someone somewhere loved them.

Professor Pete sighed at the stack of ungraded spelling quizzes on his old desk. Prepostera's arrest meant that the schoolhouse was officially without a teacher. He pulled the papers toward him and began to check spelling.

He was about done with the fifteenth quiz when the schoolhouse door opened and in walked...

Clan Destine.

Professor Pete jumped to his feet. Clan raised his paws as if in surrender.

"Hello, Pete."

"You," Pete gasped. "Please! Don't go."

"I'm not trying to run," Clan said. "I've done enough of that. I'm here because I feel like I owe this to you. This meeting. I've been..."

"Enigmatic."

"Yes," Clan said, with almost a chuckle.

"Where's Ash?" Pete asked, excited and scared at the same time.

"I don't know truthfully," Clan said. "He was taken by the Bossbots at the Final Battle. I saw them lift him off the ground. Laura ran after him, but he was gone. She helped Prepostera fight the Cogs until they killed her."

Clan sighed.

"My guess is that the Cogs took Ash to Bossbot HQ, where he was either killed, experimented on, or converted into a Tog. Because he was so young and full of vitality, I think he may have survived any experiments. Or else he's being kept prisoner. I don't know. But he helped Alice and I, so I want to find him too. I'll help you."

"You will?" Pete felt his heart soar with hope.

"I will," Clan vowed. He stuck out his paw. "Let's shake on it."

"Thank you, Clan!"

"It's Bradley," the dog said. "Bradley Wolfe."

===The Executive Suites===

The Chairman growled in frustration. The Togs had been unmasked. There had been twenty-six as a result of the Final Battle, and one converted by the Sellbots.

The Chairman analyzed the profile in front of him.

Soggy Bottom, horse.

She, plus the twenty-six, were now all imprisoned beneath Toon Headquarters in Toontown Central. Their transports had been revoked, and the Cogs were completely incapable of finding where Toontown Central was. It was as if their maps had been wiped of its existence.

The Chairman looked up. The Sellbot Vice President, Cashbot Chief Financial Officer, Lawbot Chief Justice, and Bossbot Chief Executive Officer were all awaiting orders.

"Enact Operation Sever," the Chairman said to the Sellbot VP. "Use the pre-determined site."

"What are those coordinates?" the VP asked. The Chairman read from his memo. N3 E1 SSE9."

The VP nodded.

"It was the Creator's vision," the Chairman said, "to have Toontown become Cog Nation. For that to occur, all the Toons need to become Cogs, or else no longer coexist. Killing Toons has become exceedingly difficult, and thus we must use Operation Sever as a last resort to fulfill the mission."

"Operation Sever is now pointless," the VP said. "We have no more Toon subjects to convert. I have been unable to acquire any more through usual means. The cage in my office has been in disuse since Soggy Bottom. The Toons are getting stronger. They fight off every Cog I send onto the streets."

"Perhaps," the CEO said, "we should shut down the Togs and postpone Operation Sever until we can understand how to implement it."

"We cannot postpone," the Chairman grumbled.

"But sir," the VP plead, "there is no living prototype to use."

A brief silence followed. The CFO lifted his cash-register-shaped head.

"We have one. The one they called Ash."

## Production

### Promotion

On November 21, 2017, producers released the finale trailer. The video is to the right.

The trailer depicts several scenes and characters from the first season, including Dr. Molecule, Alice Carver and Clan Destine, Doctor and Piggy Pie running in tandem, Eileen Irenic raising her voice in the Toon Resistance salute, and Piggy Pie fighting the Sellbot Vice President. The trailer also includes foreshadowing for the finale. The trailer is set to the song *Game of Survival* by Ruelle, the same song used in the trailer for the first season of *Thirteen Reasons Why*. The penultimate image depicted with the words "Storytime Presents" superimposed is from ToonFest 2017 when the carousel was sped up to an alarming speed.

### Continuity and Story Arcs

During Exodus, Professor Prepostera had the power to leave Toontown and join the Toons in Fantasyland. Doing so, however, would render it impossible for the Toons to return. This was a last resort, and one Prepostera did not want to use.

Through their captivity and mutual torment, Alice Carver and Bradley Wolfe eventually fall in love.

The Quack Cog from "Genesis" was destroyed by Bradley Wolfe. As it was the only one in existence, Molecule was unable to build another, thus explaining why it is not a current Cog type.

Dr. Molecule submitted an application using a hijacked network to access the library of the University of Cervidium. This is the first time contact with the former Kingdoms is established ("Into the Fire").

Molecule learned of the Emergency Portal by breaking into Toon Hall using a Flunky on the inside. He then used it to his advantage, ensuring it happened so that he, Bradley, and Alice would be the last people in Toontown. He subsequently ordered his Cogs to take over all Toon buildings, kill Toons, and invade the Playgrounds. This made it so that the only option left was the Emergency Portal.

It is said that Professor Prepostera based Fantasyland on childhood stories.

Exodus is witnessed from Chipper Acres, where the rain does not reach. Alice and Bradley both realize that the departure of the Toons means a lifetime of imprisonment and once again stage an attempt to escape, though it is quickly thwarted.

Molecule believes that Bradley dislikes him because he doesn't think like a Cog. Molecule likewise believes Alice doesn't love him because she is not a duck. To rectify this, Molecule conducts two gruesome operations on his captives. Both fail. Bradley's skin is blanched, thus giving him his signature fur tones. Alice, however, is rendered barren, psychologically scarred, and permanently mutilated.

During the Final Battle, Alice and Bradley were liberated by Professor Prepostera and Laura and Ash Ingalls. They were trained to use gags, and engaged in battle with the Cogs. It was here that Bradley adopted his alias Clan Destine, feeling as if his old self was dead.

Toons at the Final Battle were injected with serum that turned them into Togs.

Professor Prepostera was injected with serum and knew his life as a Toon was almost up. He wanted to use the emergency transport left to him to send someone to Fantasyland to save them and also so they could find Professor Pete. With luck, the Toons could then return from Exodus. As Laura and Ash were gone and Dr. Byte and Dr. Sensitive were absent, Prepostera elected to send Clan Destine.

Alice Carver ultimately killed Dr. Molecule when she used his Cog attacks against him. His last words were "you're beautiful," in reference to either Alice or his Cogs.

Alice lost Bradley and did not know where he went, not knowing Prepostera had sent him to Fantasyland. She was scared the Cogs were going to come back and imprison her again, or find a way to resurrect Molecule. She decided to cut out his heart, as seen in "Evil Incarnate (Part 2)." She then submerged his body in the water so the Cogs could never find him. Scared the Cogs would realize she was alive and come looking for her, Alice found a dead purple monkey and burned the body in the bunker, setting the entire thing ablaze. She left her own identification on the corpse so that the Toons and Cogs will both think Alice was dead. Alice then adopted the name of the corpse, Geneva George.

Upon Clan's return to Toontown in "Irenic," he witnessed Flippy's fall from power and Eileen's ascension to the Mayorship. He then went to Chipper Acres, where he found the missing page from Dr. Molecule's journal. He reunited with Alice/Geneva in Toontown Central. They learn that their families are dead, and decide to hide from the Cogs and the Toons in order to save themselves. Though they knew about the Togs, they didn't know who to trust and were terrified that they would inadvertently reveal themselves to the Cogs.

Constance Miller unmasks Geneva George and Clan Destine as Alice Carver and Bradley Wolfe and they confirm the theory about the Togs. They are given extensive protection, and Constance personally apologized for not finding them. Geneva and Clan shed their monikers and go by their birth names again.

Professor Pete and Clan Destine are reunited; Clan/Bradley vows to help Pete find his son, Ash.

The Chairman orders the enactment of Operation Sever, stating it is the only way to ensure Cog Nation is achieved. To do so, the CFO suggests using a living prototype--Ash Ingalls. Thus, Ash Ingalls is still alive.

### References

Cog Nation is mentioned for the first time, being the ultimate goal of Dr. Molecule.

It has been hinted in episodes previously that the fox Kingdom of Vulpus was a terrible government. Alice Carver calls Dr. Molecule a fox, which is considered a severe insult in Toontown.

*The Diary of War* is referenced again, last mentioned in "Doctor Who?"

The Kingdoms of Vulpus and Cervidium are mentioned again. For the first time, Scuridiae is mentioned.

When Alice puts Molecule's heart in the wooden box, she likens it to *Snow White and the Seven Dwarves*.

## Trivia

* The title of this episode, as well as its sequel, are named after the two-part season finale of Season 9 of *Doctor Who,*called "Heaven Sent" and "Hell Bent." Producers also thought about those who died in the Final Battle, depicted in this episode, were finding heaven.
* Producers were struggling to figure out how to convey the events of Alice and Bradley's captivity, because they didn't want to write a bunch of incoherent narratives. They really liked the epistolary format from Clandestine and used it again, putting all the details of the captivity in journals.
* With only three of eight main characters appearing in this episode, it is tied with "Darkness on the Edge of Town" for having the lowest percentage of main characters present in a first season episode.
* At 14,453 words, this was the longest episode of Storytime, until surpassed by "They Came From the North" by only 11 words.
	+ It ultimately is the sixth longest episode.