Trial of the Lawbots

**"Trial of the Lawbots"**is the tenth episode of *Justice* and the 28th episode overall.

It was published on August 31, 2018, following a four-week hiatus.

In the episode, the most sensational trial in Toontown's history gets underway. Meanwhile, the Toons are finally able to launch an expedition to explore the Bay of Toontown.

## The Episode

===Oak Street===

=Present Day=

After dawn, Eileen and Constance visited Judge Lalla McIntosh in her Oak Street office. The night before, they had faxed her a copy of the Lawbot court summons. Now they stood before McIntosh’s desk, watching her pore over paperwork and law books. She had one thin pamphlet on Cog law.

Eileen lamented the idea of going to trial over Clarabelle, especially when there were so many other pressing issues that desperately needed attention, such as the Togs and Doctor and the hunt for Bossbot Headquarters. The vases that needed to be found and destroyed. The raiding of Clarabelle’s home and studio. Attacking the Cogs. They didn’t have time to stand in a courtroom and *argue*.

“I’m not sure we have much of a choice,” McIntosh said. “The Cogs have made it clear that no Toon can represent Clarabelle’s prosecution, which means they’ll assign a low-level Cog to serve as public prosecution to ensure Clarabelle is set free. Or at least acquitted. They need their ally.”

“Why are they even honoring our trial?” Constance asked. “It seems like they could just keep her in HQ and everything would be fine.”

“Clarabelle cannot survive in headquarters,” Eileen said. “Her laff.”

“Well,” McIntosh said. “She can be sad. She probably is sad. The Cogs don’t need her happy. They don’t know what that means. But I would wager to say that the other Cog types—not the Lawbots—are on the side of throwing the case out and keeping Clarabelle around. The Lawbots, however, want a trial. The idea of a Toon vs. Cog trial wets their appetites. It’s a chance for the legal teams to show their own superiority over the Toons.”

“Lawbots are an isolated sect…” Eileen muttered, which was true. Bossbots were the leaders, Sellbots were the expendables, Cashbots were imperative to the Cog economy, but Lawbots had no chance of promotion to Bossbot, which was apparently a huge deal for them. Everyone wanted to climb the corporate ladder, but not Lawbots.

“If,” Constance said, “we were even able to get inside the courtroom for an extended period, we’d need protective gear like the Cog suits. But we can’t wear Cog suits because the Cogs need to know we’re Toons.”

“Hmm,” Eileen said. “I’ll ask Hyla to design a type of suit we can wear that isn’t a Cog suit. Something to keep our laff safe.”

“You could always disguise yourselves as the Cog’s prosecution,” Judge McIntosh suggested.

Eileen cocked her head at the thought. It was a possibility, but too risky. It would require the disguised Toons to live in the HQ. Only Mata Hairy was crazy enough to do it. And she was no legal expert.

“Why do you think,” the Judge pondered, “the Cogs are keeping Clarabelle anyway? She’s served her role. She can’t do us any more deception. She’s been exposed.”

“I think the Cogs are too dumb to notice,” Constance said.

“Or they have something else up their sleeve,” Eileen said, hating the game of cat and mouse. Cog and Toon.

Judge McIntosh removed her little glasses and sighed.

“I can’t be of much help,” she said. “Even if the Cogs let a Toon prosecute Clarabelle, I’m not your Toon.”

“Nonsense,” Constance said. “You’re the most sage legal expert in Toontown.”

“That may be true,” the Judge replied, “but that’s in Toon law. Our law. Not Cog law. The Cogs don’t recognize our laws. They’re going to be basing their entire case off the laws of Cog Nation. You’ll need a Cog law expert.”

Eileen stared despairingly.

“Where are we going to find a Cog law expert?”

The Judge grinned. “I know someone. He doesn’t advertise how much he knows because he may be castigated for being so curious. He knows all the Cog laws. He was a former student of mine. He’s an excellent attorney. I’ll refer you to him. His name is Atticus Lynch.”

===Alto Avenue===

Atticus Lynch practiced out of his own apartment above the Tenor Times Newspaper. A nondescript sign pointed potential clients upward to his flat. Constance and Eileen climbed what was essentially a fire escape to the landing. Eileen triple checked the address that Judge McIntosh wrote down just to ensure she wasn’t making a mistake.

“This is it,” Eileen said to a skeptical-looking Constance. They knocked on the door.

A tall lanky tan dog answered the door. He was wearing glasses and a sweater vest, complete with a pocket watch. His dress was definitely old-fashioned, but the most remarkable feature about him was his face. It was sincere and kind, a simple and warm smile resting beneath his snout.

“Madam Mayors,” he said. “How may I help?”

The next two hours were spent diligently going over the details of the case with Atticus, who had readily agreed to do everything in his power to convict Clarabelle and return her to Toon custody. Doing so was going to be an extreme uphill battle.

First, Atticus would be unable to prepare a case unless the Toons could serve on the prosecution team.

Once the Toons were able to assemble a case to prosecute Clarabelle, they would need to have Toons on the jury, which was currently banned as well. Without a clear Toon majority, it would be a surefire Cog victory.

*If* the Toons could ensure conviction, they would need to negotiate with the Cogs to have Clarabelle released into Toon custody.

And that was just the basics. Each step would be rife with its own challenges and tribulations. Trials within the trial. And all the while, Eileen would have to oversee the discovery of Bossbot Headquarters, general Cog battles, and the curing of the Togs.

It was too much.

“Atticus…” Constance said, pacing. Eileen realized she was grinding her teeth as she drowned in her own thoughts. She took a deep breath and listened. “What if we submitted a formal request?”

“Formal requests to assemble your own prosecution team have to go through the Lawbot and Bossbot chains of command, which could take weeks. The Trial’s opening sessions are going to begin in two days. We need to get in there now.”

“So we can’t get in by bureaucratic means,” Eileen said.

“Yeah,” Atticus said, ever an expert on the Cog laws. “We can’t just hope the Cogs give in to their own rules and loopholes. We have to ram them with some Toon Resistance attack.”

“Yeah?” Constance said with a snort. “If we attack them, they won’t let us in their courtroom.”

“Not what I meant,” Atticus said, tapping a pencil against his head. “I think we should storm the District Attorney’s office. They oversee the Public Prosecution division. As in the current District Attorney will choose who will prosecute Clarabelle. If we can get in there and…”

“What?” Eileen quipped. “Blow the DA to Kingdom Come? Talking will be no use.”

“I don’t really know what we could do either,” Atticus said. “Can Dr. Byte hack something or other?”

Eileen looked at Constance.

“Could he?”

Eileen wanted to slam her head against the table. They were going to hedge their entire case on a chance that maybe storming an office with which they were wildly unfamiliar would provide them with a miracle and they could prosecute Clarabelle to the full extent of laws they didn’t even follow.

Great.

The takeover of Toontown by the Cogs and the rise of Cog Nation had been so sudden and so instantaneous that Eileen was still reeling from it. Toontown still looked and felt like Toontown, speckled with grey here and there. And the Toons were independent and free more or less. But the Cogs treated them like they were all traitors. Because no one was following the rigid laws of Cog Nation.

Atticus got up to answer the ringing phone. Constance and Eileen just sighed at each other.

“This sucks,” Eileen said.

“I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to say to Clarabelle when we convict her ass.”

Eileen groaned.

“If we even get the chance.”

Atticus came back into the room, holding the phone, the cord dangling on the floor leading into the kitchen.

“Uh,” he said. “Constance, it’s for you.”

Constance blinked. “For me?”

“Yeah,” Atticus said. “Sorry…I don’t know who it is. She said her name is Mata and that it’s urgent.”

Constance strode across the living room while angrily muttering, “Why. Am. I. Not. Surprised.”

She snatched the receiver.

“Mata? How could you possibly know I was here?”

Eileen watched as Constance listened carefully to whatever Mata was saying. The creepy orange monkey evidently was psychic or had a GPS tracker lodged in Constance’s fur. But at this point, no one questioned Mata Hairy. She was an asset to the Toon Resistance and was declaratively on their side.

After several minutes, Constance hung up. The bottom of her lips were beginning to turn up in a sly grin.

“So,” she said. “Turns out we may have a bit of a solution.”

Eileen felt her heart flutter. Atticus was watching with wide eyes.

“Mata—Atticus, Mata is our Cashbot HQ spy. She’s bizarre, to say the least. Don’t ask how she got your phone number. Mata learned from a troop of Robber Barons that apparently the main electrical hub of the Cogs is located beneath Cashbot Headquarters. Like right underneath the railroad tracks. She calls it the electrical terminus. She was unable to find the entrance to it through any of the Mints…”

“I don’t get how this is a solution,” Eileen said. “We already knocked out their power. Who cares if there’s a big shiny lightbulb under the railroad tracks?”

“Wait,” Constance said gently. “The CFO keeps a key to the terminus on his person and it’s the only one. The only way into the terminus is through his Vault.”

“A key on the CFO’s person? It must be huge,” Atticus said.

“Oh,” Constance said. “Good point. Not a literal key. A technological key. Like a password. It’s always changing so the current CFO is the only person trusted to hold onto it. If we defeat the CFO, we can get the key and access the terminus.”

“And what would we have Dr. Byte do with it?” Eileen asked, already knowing that he would the person they would get the key for.

“Hack the Lawbot jury pool,” Constance said excitedly. “And change it so Toons recorded in the last census are eligible to be picked for jury duty.”

Atticus whistled. “Well,” he said. “Ain’t that grand.”

“Clever monkey,” Eileen whispered.

Now, they had a plan.

===The Docks===

=That Night=

Barnacle Barbara stretched out in her armchair and listened to the rolling waves just outside her window. She loved everything about her neighborhood and was thrilled to have the chance to serve it. She cranked open her window to allow the salt of the sea to calm her even more. She wanted to sleep soundly tonight.

Evidently, someone did not, because the phone rang. She considered letting it ring to voicemail, but ultimately something drew her to answer the blasted device.

“Barbara,” she said with a yawn.

“Sorry to disturb you at home, Barbara,” a familiar voice said. It was the Lighthouse caretaker, Bodie Currituck. He was extremely old and had taken care of the famous Toontown Lighthouse for 45 years. Before that he helped his father for 20. The aging white duck was renowned throughout the neighborhood. Without him, the Lighthouse would not safely guide the fisher boats back to shore. The Bay of Toontown was full of sharp crags and the entire Bay was encaged by rocks bordering on mountains. The Lighthouse ensured that anyone could find their way back to Toontown through the thick fog.

“What is it, Tuck?” Barbara asked.

“Fog is clearing,” Currituck said a bit distantly. Barbara imagined him squinting through his fat black telescope atop the Lighthouse. “It’s lifting from the Bay.”

Barbara sharply inhaled.

“How soon?”

“Tomorrow,” Currituck said. “The ships can finally sail into the Bay and explore that crag.”

Barbara lowered the phone.

They may finally be able to find Bossbot HQ and bring those Toons home.

===Lawbot Headquarters===

=The Next Morning=

Eileen was not optimistic. The District Attorney’s office had only been stormed a few times before, and never with any lasting result. Usually the goal was to destabilize the Lawbots but most of the time the lawyers in the office would just walk away from the attacking Toons. Evidently the Lawbots felt no need to protect their legal books and legislation drafts.

Unlike the Sellbots and Cashbots protecting their industry and economy.

So storming the DA office today to get a permit to allow Atticus Lynch to be the prosecution against Clarabelle seemed like a waste of time, especially when the expedition to search for Bossbot Headquarters at the crag was to begin later in the day.

Perhaps storming was the wrong word, Eileen thought, looking at Atticus, Kilo, and Piggy Pie, who were ahead of her ascending the stairs to the District Attorney’s lobby. They just wanted to see the District Attorney.

The night before, Horace Calves walked Eileen and the team through the intricacies of the DA Offices. The District Attorney’s office was on the top floor of one of the two skyscrapers in Lawbot Headquarters, and the only Cogs they would have to worry about were the paralegals wandering by each elevator lobby. There would be four elevators that the Toons would have to fight their way into.

After much debate of whether or not to use brute force or diplomatic means, they decided on being civil first and using gags if necessary. Eileen herself had never been inside either of the Lawbot Towers, but today she’d have the honor. Apparently, Eileen realized, looking at a sign outside the enormous Lawbot Tower One doors, Toons were allowed inside, so long as they came for legal matters and not…

“Maliciousness,” Piggy Pie read with a snort. “We’re not the ones bringing malice.”

Us versus them, Eileen nearly said aloud.

“After you,” Atticus said, holding the door for the rest of the group.

The lobby was a spacious atrium with ugly brown floors and matching tan walls. Four elevator shafts were implanted on the back wall. One of them, the furthest on the right, was an express elevator that would rocket its occupants to the top of Lawbot Tower One, right to the District Attorney. But that one was off-limits to Toons, and a surly Cog guarded its entrance.

If they wanted to destroy the District Attorney, that would be the elevator to take and they could easily fight off the guard. But they wanted to be diplomatic with the DA. They wanted to talk to the DA.

Eileen could hardly believe they were almost about to have a peace summit with the *Cogs*.

Instead the Toons boarded one of the other standard elevators.

“Floor?” the elevator porter, a Bottom Feeder, asked. He was wearing a ridiculous round hat that said “Elevator” on it.

“Uh,” Atticus said, looking at the others for help.

“Top floor,” Kilo said.

The Bottom Feeder blinked at them.

“I’m sorry,” he said politely. *Politely?* “The Tower is broken into four sections with elevators only local to that section. To progress to higher floors, you’ll need to move up through the sky lobbies.”

“Then Sky Lobby 1,” Piggy Pie said, pointing at one of the larger gold buttons. The Bottom Feeder jammed a stubby metal finger into the button and the elevator began to climb. Obnoxious jazz music fizzled softly in the background.

“Did you know,” the Bottom Feeder droned, “that the Lawbot Towers are the tallest structures in Cog  Nation, about forty floors higher than the apex of the tallest of the Sellbot Towers?”

Kilo clucked his tongue.

“I did not know that.”

Eileen stared in disbelief at the almost friendly Bottom Feeder rattling off fun facts about the glorious new world the Cogs built for themselves. Truthfully, Eileen had never even thought about how high Lawbot Towers were. They were almost identical, across the headquarters from each other. The one they were in now contained the District Attorney’s office, as well as general law offices and perhaps even Lawbot residences. Its twin was home to the Chief Justice’s chambers and the court system. That’s where Clarabelle would stand trial. She was probably being housed in that tower as well, assuming she wasn’t safely hidden at Bossbot Headquarters.

“Sky Lobby 1,” the Bottom Feeder announced and the doors split open. Eileen frowned in distaste at the identical lobby as downstairs. The one exception was the glass windows surrounding the entire perimeter. They strode together across the lobby to the second set of elevators. Cogs were milling around it, most of them waiting for the next elevator to arrive.

“Get ready to fight,” Kilo muttered. Eileen placed a paw upon her gag pouch.

But when they got in line behind the group of Cogs, none of them reacted.

It was at this moment that Eileen had to critically think about what was happening.

The Cogs here didn’t seem to care about the Toons. The Lawbots had always been a bit different, but Eileen didn’t think it was a Cog *type* thing as much as it was a change in value. Some sort of shift. The Cogs had stopped actively trying to murder Toons after Molecule died. The collapse of Operation Sever had hindered their desire to covert Toons too. They published the Edict declaring themselves the supreme species in the region, considered the town of Toontown to be under the jurisdiction of a greater Cog Nation, and had made no attempt to free the 27 Togs beneath Toon HQ. It was almost as if the Cogs tried a series of plots, failed at most of them, and stepped back content with what they had. As if they were tired of coordinating anymore.

The Cogs acted as if the Toons were visitors of Lawbot Tower One. The last time the Toons were here was right after Operation Sever during the blackout. The Toons that fought in the offices that day reported Lawbots as being hostile and aggressive, which made sense considering the Toons had taken their light and foiled the plans of their Sellbot counterparts.

But today, the Cogs considered themselves victorious. They had established their dominion. Supposedly the hope was that Toons would coexist with the Cogs, just as inferiors. The exact role that Toons were expected to play in Cog Nation was so far unclear.

But regardless what the Cogs thought, or how comfortable they felt, they still held 31 Toons captive and were taking over their home. The home that the Toons had inherited by birthright from their ancestors, the 502 individuals who fled a War worse than anything anyone could imagine and traveled in search of a better place. And Eileen was condemned if she let the Cogs take that birthright away from her.

The next elevator came. They squeezed inside with a group of Cogs.

“Sky Lobby 2,” Piggy Pie called out to the elevator porter. They stopped at several office floors along the way, where some of the Cogs got off.

“Did you know,” the porter said, “There are 19 different train routes in Cog Nation?”

Kilo made a note in his notebook.

“Didn’t know that either.”

They progressed upward to the third and fourth sky lobbies. At these upper junctions, they went to the windows and looked down over Lawbot Headquarters, which was actually relatively small compared to the vast manufacturing complex of Sellbot Headquarters and extensive railroad grid of Cashbot Headquarters. Lawbot HQ was condensed to the courtyard, with the majority of activity occurring inside the two towers and in the bureau surrounding the courtyard. But from the fourth sky lobby, they could see the Brrrgh, Melodyland, and even Dreamland far in the distance.

Most startling was the view of the mountains. Directly north of Toontown, barring the edge of the peninsula from the rest of the continent was a range of harsh and barren mountains, snowcapped and steep and treacherous. When the settlers came down over those mountains in one of the hardest legs of their journey, they descended near the Brrrgh. One of their members, Jeannette Kinnar, an elderly duck and lifelong pacifist, froze to death on the glacier’s slopes and the mountain range was named after her. The Kinnar Mountains protected Toontown from the forces in the north. It was really the only way out of Toontown and though some had left the town over the mountains for whatever their reasons, no one had ever come from beyond them in Toontown’s history.

Eileen had never seen the mountains from above. Only from below, as an ant against the mammoth. From Sky Lobby 4, she could see the snow glistening on the peaks. She could just barely, almost, see over the mountains. Something inside her stirred when she stood on her tiptoes to see beyond. Curiosity was assailing her. She wanted to see beyond. She wanted to know what was there. What was out of reach.

She sank back to her paws.

“Shall we?” Piggy Pie said, gesturing to the only office in Sky Lobby 4: the DA’s office. This was what they came for, but Eileen was still mesmerized by the view.

“Yes,” Atticus said, finally peeling his own eyes away.

They made their way to the fogged glass doors with small black letters printed on its face: “District Attorney’s Office.” Together, they entered.

A Bloodsucker looked up at them with beady eyes from behind his desk.

“Do you have an appointment?” he asked.

“No,” Atticus said. “I guess we’re a walk-in. We’re here to see the District Attorney about the upcoming trial against Clarabelle Cow.

“You cannot see the District Attorney without an appointment,” the Bloodsucker responded immediately. “In fact, the DA is currently out of the office preparing that case. A public prosecutor has already been assigned. Good day.”

Eileen stuck her hand inside her gag pouch, ready to blast this Cog out of the window if she had to.

“Well,” Piggy Pie said cordially, “is there anyone we can talk to about the trial? It’s urgent.”

“We are entitled to at least meet with someone,” Atticus said. “As citizens of Cog Nation.”

The Bloodsucker sighed. It sounded like a vacuum cleaner malfunctioning.

“Have a seat.”

The Bloodsucker picked up the phone and began jabbering in Cogspeak.

Eileen glanced behind her at the repulsive metal couch.

“I’ll stand,” she said, “but if any of you want to sit down…”

“No,” Kilo and Piggy Pie said together. Atticus just shook his head. After a solid minute, the Bloodsucker addressed them.

“The Clerk will see you. Right this way.”

The Bloodsucker emerged from behind the desk, the exact same height as Atticus, and glided down the far hallway. His ghostly white paint coat was a stark contrast to the dark wood walls. He rapped twice on the door at the end of the hallway, marked “CLERK” and waited for an answer. When none came, he knocked again.

“Enter,” a Cog voice said.

Eileen thought of her children to keep her laff up. The deeper they went into this tower, the harder it was to stay happy.

The Bloodsucker opened the door for them and once they were inside the Clerk’s office, closed it.

The office was quaint, and extremely tidy. The walls were made of dark mahogany and a fireplace was crackling softly. Instead of horrid metal benches, four plush green armchairs were across the matching mahogany desk of the Clerk himself: a Backstabber with purple eyes. The Clerk did not stand when they came in, since Toons were not worthy of respect Eileen guessed.

Behind the Backstabber, a stunning view of the Kinnar Mountains could be seen. The Backstabber’s hands were folded together and he eyed his visitors with skepticism.

“Sit,” he said.

Automatically, they all sat. Though it was 4 vs. 1 and they could easily kill this Cog, getting out of the Tower could very well be their demise.

“My receptionist said this is about *The Toons vs. Clarabelle Cow*. How can I assist?”

Atticus cleared his throat and leaned forward.

“Sir,” he said, which made Eileen’s insides churn. Cogs didn’t deserve titles of respect. If they wouldn’t stand in greeting, then they shouldn’t be called “sir.”

“We wish to represent the prosecution against Clarabelle Cow in lieu of a public prosecutor. As the case is, as you said, The Toons versus Clarabelle Cow, we wish to have a Toon team of representation.”

The Clerk cleared his throat. He looked behind them, to the door, as if expecting someone.

“Unfortunately, that matter is settled. A public prosecutor was assigned this morning and has already started assessing the case. Toons have no place in the courtroom.”

“We understand,” Atticus said diplomatically, “but we very much wish to have a say in this matter. Clarabelle was a resident of Toontown when her treachery began, and though she is now a citizen of Cog Nation, we still believe her crime held jurisdiction with her previous residency. After all, under Article 7 of the Cog Nation Establishment Act and Constitution Doctrine, there is a level of ambiguity in relation to the exact diction regarding what constitutes a “prior residency.” I think that is a legal loophole that should be closed at the conclusion of this trial, but for now, we wish to invoke it so that we may serve as legal representation. I would like to formally submit my own name for head of the prosecution team. I have been certified by the Cog Nation office. Here is my certificate.”

The forged document was slid across the desk as Eileen tried to wrap her head around the lingo Atticus had just spewed. The Clerk seemed impressed, or even *tickled*, by the lawyer’s gusto.

But “hmm” was his only response. He read the certificate. Then he got out of his chair and removed a book from his shelf. He read a few pages of that, taking his sweet time too.

Eileen clacked her shoes together, waiting. Piggy Pie and Kilo yawned in boredom. Finally, the Clerk closed the book and faced the Toons.

“I approve your request.”

Eileen’s mouth fell open. Piggy Pie inhaled. Kilo muttered “what.”

“Thank you,” Atticus said as if this was perfectly reasonable and understandable.

“The loophole you mentioned is present,” the Clerk said. He and Atticus proceeded to engage in a five-minute conversation of the minutiae of Cog law and the difficulty in writing a Constitution so quickly after the Edict’s publication. The Clerk began to fill out a form.

“Please present this to the Chief Justice’s administrative office on the first floor of Tower Two. Mr. Lynch, you will be due in court tomorrow for opening proceedings. Jury selection will commence shortly thereafter. We’ll have the Chief Justice’s office fax you the documents you’ll need for the case. Can you write down your fax number?”

Eileen looked at Atticus, hoping he wouldn’t freeze now. Hardly anyone in Toontown had fax machines anymore. But to her surprise, Atticus jotted down a number for the Clerk.

“Thank you very much,” Atticus said, taking the signed form. “You’ve been extremely helpful.”

“Of course,” the Clerk said.

“Um,” Eileen said, hating that the Clerk was almost kind, “if you don’t mind me asking…sir…won’t the Chief Justice be angry that Toons are on the trial? I mean, the law forbade it.”

Atticus looked at Eileen in confusion. Why ask that question?

Yeah, why Eileen?

The Clerk leaned back in his chair and spun a bit.

“I suppose he’d be angry a loophole in the law was present, but that’s bound to happen. But you made an excellent argument and it was hard for me to refuse. Besides, any ire he will have will rain on this department and I am being promoted effective tomorrow morning. I’ll actually be working on the Clarabelle Cow case myself.”

“Promoted?” Piggy Pie asked. “You’re going to be a Legal Eagle?”

“Yes,” the Clerk said. “Working in Tower Two is the ultimate honor.”

“Thank you again,” Atticus said, who was probably very eager to get out of the building with the permit before the Clerk changed his mind.

“Thank you,” Piggy Pie said.

“Thanks,” Eileen murmured.

The Clerk just bowed his head.

The Chief Justice’s office accepted the request without question. They took the form, processed it, and asked for Atticus’s fax number again. They inquired who else would serve on the counsel, and Atticus named Constance Miller, Aleck Harding, Eileen Irenic, and Judge McIntosh as political and legal advisors.

The four returned to the Brrrgh in a state of complete and utter disbelief.

It worked.

The Toons had walked in to the heart of Lawbot Headquarters, never used a single gag, were not attacked once, and managed to get their way. Atticus had worked a true miracle. The Clerk didn’t even seem to notice or care that he had just screwed over his entire cohort of Cogs. The Chief Justice would probably be livid in court tomorrow.

But it didn’t matter because the Toons would actually be able to *be* in court tomorrow!

Eileen went with the others to Toon Hall in Toontown Central to report their day to the rest of the Toon Resistance and Constance.

“Hyla!” Kilo called as he hurried across the Toon Hall lobby. She was sitting outside Constance’s office chatting with Aleck.

Eileen went right to Constance herself and exploded with the events of the day. She was stunned.

“Hey,” Kilo said to Eileen, “Hyla is almost done with those suits you asked for yesterday. We can wear them into court tomorrow.”

“Hyla, you’re incredible,” Eileen said breathlessly. Hyla just tipped her pink head.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent preparing for the second stage of their plan: the attack on the Cashbots and the hacking of the electrical terminus to allow Toons in the jury selection process. Eight of the Toon Resistance’s best would go to the CFO’s office tomorrow as opening trials commenced. Atticus, Constance, Aleck, and Eileen would have to be in court and thus Piggy Pie and Horace Calves were put in charge of launching the offensive against the CFO with Dr. Byte in tow to hack the terminus.

With an ounce of luck from today, tomorrow would be just as fruitful and the case against Clarabelle would finally turn in their favor.

===Bay of Toontown===

=That Evening=

The fog was clearing more by the hour. The boat was moving steadily across the water. The captain was none other than Barnacle Barbara herself, steering using the guidance of an antique compass.

“Southeast,” she muttered to herself, adjusting the course.

The small fishing boat carried three passengers: Barbara, Pete Ingalls, and Bradley Wolfe. Bradley and Pete were under the firm belief that if Ash was alive, he was being kept in Bossbot Headquarters. And finally, after days of delay, they were able to explore the Bay clearly.

The Bay was almost always covered in thick and impassable fog. But that was okay because fishermen didn’t need to go far to get their bounty. Fish flocked to the harbor. The crag in question was a generally unexplored area of the Bay because of the sharp rocks and omnipresence of fog.

This evening, the fog would be thin enough to navigate.

“I can see the tunnels,” Pete said, dangling his head over the side to look underwater. “We’re heading in the right direction. They’re turning southeast.”

“Full steam ahead,” Barbara said and increased the speed of the boat.

“Have you explored much of the Bay?” Bradley asked.

“Eh,” Barbara said. “Most of us Dockers have. But the currents are softer in the west, so that’s where we go. One time I went to the perimeter, to the rocks. My boat almost got torn to shreds. I had to turn back.”

“Hey,” Pete said. “Didn’t a whale get through the rocks once? Like a century ago?”

Barbara began laughing.

“Yes, the residents of the Docks called him Ahab. That’s why so many Toons in the Docks are named Ahab. Like Ahab Ishmael. My controversial predecessor.”

“Whatever happened to Ahab the whale?”

“Oh,” Barbara said while sucking in her cheeks. “He died rather quickly. The water in the Bay is not as salty as the ocean water beyond it. And we couldn’t exactly throw it over the rocks. It’s a miracle the beast even got in to begin with.”

The journey took about ten minutes. They kept following the tunnels, the map, and the compass.

“It’s approaching,” Barbara said. “Look for Cogs I guess.”

Bradley and Pete squinted through the fog. Abstract shapes appeared through it, sharp shapes. The crag.

Brown jags sprung up from the Bay, a treacherous cliff of rock. Bradley craned his neck to see how high it went. Barbara turned the boat so they wouldn’t collide. Pete looked over the edge again.

“The tunnels go straight into the rocks.”

Bradley swallowed hard and looked up. The fog was dissipating quickly now, drifting away to reveal black towers. Tall dark towers. And around them, swirling through the air like locusts, were Cogs wearing brown suits.

Bossbots.

The three stared in awe as the size and magnitude of the feature became apparent. It wasn’t just a collection of rocks. It was an island. With an entire city based upon it. This was where the Bossbots hid away their secret headquarters, in the protective shroud of the Bay’s fog, away from prying eyes and suspicious Toons. Not even the most senior residents of the Docks suspected the harmless crag to be the location of the Chairman and the CEO and whatever other horrors lay within.

Bradley looked at Pete, who looked determined. It may seem daunting, but they found it.

At long last, Bossbot Headquarters had been found.

## Production

### Continuity and Story Arcs

Before the trial against Clarabelle Cow could begin, the Toons needed to assemble a Toon prosecution team. The plan following that is to land Toons on the jury and convict Clarabelle.

Cog Nation, proclaimed in "Edicts of War," has offically taken root on the peninsula.

Bossbot Headquarters was finally discovered, having been built on an isolated crag in the Bay of Toontown.

In previous episodes ("Doctor Who?", "Voice to the Chorus," etc.), it was said that 500 Toons settled Toontown. However, in this episode, Eileen mentioned that 502 fled the Kingdoms. One of them died on the mountains bordering Toontown.

### References

Ahab the Whale is a reference to *Moby Dick*.

Bodie Currituck, keeper of the lighthouse in the Docks, is named after Bodie and Currituck lighthouses in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

## Trivia

* The title of this episode refers to the Lawbots and the pending trial of Clarabelle Cow. Unlike the previous episodes in this miniseries ("Sack of the Sellbots" and "Crash of the Cashbots"), there is no major battle within the Cog HQ. Instead, the Toons diplomatically enter Lawbot Tower One and receive a permit to have a Toon prosecution team.
* The towers in Lawbot HQ are based on the former World Trade Center, including the interior design and inclusion of the sky lobbies. The purpose of sky lobbies, popular today in skyscrapers, is to reduce the load on elevators. People attempting to access the tower's upper floors proceed to their designated sky lobby and then use local elevators to travel specifically to their floor.
* Judge McIntosh's first name, Lalla, is supposed to sound like law-la.
* Atticus Lynch is based on Atticus Finch, a main character in *To Kill a Mockingbird*.
* Originally, Atticus was going to be on Clarabelle's side and defend her in the trial. This idea was later deemed improbable since the Cogs would want the Lawbots to represent her defense.
* The Kinnar Mountains to the north of Toontown are named after Jeanette Kinnar, one of the Toons who fled from the north to settle Toontown. She never made it and the mountains were named in her honor. Kinnar is named after Jeanette Rankin (whose last name can be rearranged to spell Kinnar).
	+ Rankin was a congresswoman from Montana who was elected to serve in the US House of Representatives in 1916 and 1940. Both times, she was in office when Congress was called on to vote on the US entry to World Wars I and II. She voted no each time. She is the only person to vote no on both wars, and the only person to vote against entry to World War II.
	+ She famously said "As a woman I can't go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else either."