Darkness on the Edge of Town

**"Darkness on the Edge of Town"**is the fifteenth episode of *Rewritten* and the 15th episode overall.

It was published on October 7, 2017.

In the episode, Eileen Irenic continues to hunt for the mole within the Toon Resistance. Meanwhile, terrible discoveries are uncovered on the northern borders of Toontown.

## The Episode

===Polar Place===

=Present Day=

Slate Oldman crossed his arms and stared at the wall built at the end of Polar Place. This would be the most logical location for a Cog Headquarters, the same with Pajama Place. Both streets ended in a dead-end, similar to Oak Street. Slate Oldman had tried to break the barrier at Polar Place, but for whatever reason the wall was stronger and not as worn by the moisture of the Gardens. The citizens of Pajama Place were of course lazy and did not even try to break down their wall. Slate could understand why Toons would be apprehensive; releasing more Cogs into Toontown was not what anyone wanted.

It was the early morning. The Cogs were lowering on the street, their tiny rotors atop their heads descending into their robotic bodies. Slate considered engaging a few of them in battle, but turned his attention back to the wall. The fog that surrounded Toontown, hiding it from its enemies, swirled atop the pinnacle of the wall. As Slate looked above, something emerged from the fog.

It was a Cog, an Ambulance Chaser.

Slate was taken aback and could only stare. Did the Cogs always arrive through that fog? He could not remember...

Another one.

Another.

Four.

Six.

Nine.

Twenty.

Fifty.

Hundreds of Lawbot Cogs poured through the fog. Slate gaped. He could hear other Toons raising the alarm, calling the Toon Resistance.

A knock was heard beyond the wall. Slate swallowed.

Another knock, harder.

Slate ducked behind a mailbox as the wall broke apart, splintering as bricks gave way. The Cogs began marching down Polar Place in a symmetrical procession.

Slate, usually composed and courageous in the face of the Cogs, found himself cowering behind the mailbox, heart hammering vehemently in his chest.

So many, he thought. Too many.

Slate peered around the corner and gaped at the gargantuan tunnel that had been unveiled. The words "Lawbot HQ" were scrawled atop in an identical pattern to the archway on Oak Street.

They're here, Slate thought in terror.

===Toontown Central===

Eileen Irenic nearly squealed. The new Cattlelog was offering that vase she liked at 90% off! It was essentially free. Eileen had marveled at its intricate, beautiful details in the last Cattlelog, but had been less enthused about the price. Eileen now snatched up the phone and rang Clarabelle.

"Clarabelle's Cattelog," the familiar voice said in her usual sing-song tone. "This is Clarabelle Cow at your service."

"Clarabelle, it's Eileen."

A feigned gasp.

"*Eileen!* Oh, how are you dearie? Did you get the new Cattlelog? Of course you did, that's why you're calling. Did you see the vase?"

"I did!" Eileen said excitedly. "I would like to order one."

A click.

"Absolutely," Clarabelle said. "I'm glad you are still interested in them."

"They're beautiful," Eileen said, looking at the picture again. Its design was a mural of Toons of all species uniting hands around the gazebo in Toontown Central. Gags were etched around the base and rim. The words "Toons of the World Unite" were draped in elaborate calligraphy around the circumference of the vase. Eileen thought it was remarkably symbolic of unity and prosperity in the new Toontown.

"I agree," Clarabelle said. "I have rung you up for one Toons of the World Vase. Is there anything else?"

"No, that's all, Clarabelle."

Eileen pulled the phone away from her ear, but Clarabelle jumped in.

"*Dreadful* news from the Brrrgh and Dreamland," she tsked. Eileen's hand froze.

"Oh?" she said stupidly.

Another ersatz gasp.

"You mean...you mean you *haven't* heard? My, my, Madam Mayor. I must fill you in."

"Must you..." Eileen grumbled.

Ignoring her, Clarabelle plowed on.

"Apparently the Cashbots and Lawbots have headquarters of their own."

A dramatic pause.

"Yes, that's right. They burst out of their tunnels today. Polar Place for the Lawbots and Pajama Place for the Cashbots. They're swarming the streets, alright."

Eileen felt sick. She hadn't read the morning memo yet.

"Thank you, Clarabelle," Eileen said and hung up. She sunk in her desk chair and gazed around the Mayoral office. Two more headquarters...and they were still hard at work infiltrating the first. Who knew what lay in store in the other headquarters?

But where was Bossbot Headquarters?

Clan Destine told Pete that Ash Ingalls was taken by the Bossbots. Most likely to their headquarters. If other Toons lived, that's where they'd be too. Eileen's children and husband could be there.

With hope, she thought.

Eileen sent out an order to the Toon Resistance to look for Bossbot Headquarters. If the other three were found in the three corners of Toontown, logically the Bossbot equivalent would be found beyond the Docks.

With luck, they'd locate it before Operation Sever got out of hand.

Eileen turned her attention to the memos on her desk. She quickly skimmed the one about the Cog headquarters; she already knew most of the information thanks to Clarabelle. She read the overnight report from the Toon Resistance members that invaded the Factory. They reported heightened security, odd for the timing. They suggested someone knew they were coming.

Eileen pushed her chair back so that she could pace her office.

She kept getting the same feeling. That someone on the inside was funneling information to the Cogs. A mole. She first had the thought after Dr. Byte's kidnapping. Someone must have told the Cogs he was significant to the Toon Resistance operation. And then Soggy. Soggy was an accident. Eileen hadn't thought about it at the time; she was so wrapped up in other work. But Eileen herself was supposed to be on Elm Street at the same time as Soggy's kidnapping. Eileen, however, got holed up at the office.

What if Eileen was the target? Soggy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cogs couldn't distinguish between species. At least Eileen was pretty sure of that. Molecule never seemed to care much for the difference of species. He was a cold-blooded maniac, but not a specist.

And then the individual missions. Invade this headquarters, capture this Cog, take back this building. So many times Toons reported the Cogs were alert, ready, as if someone had warned them the Toons were coming. Did the Cogs have a hypervigilant watch system or was a Toon working against them?

Eileen turned over names in her head. She quickly ruled out the Toon Resistance members on payroll--the Dozen as she called them. Piggy Pie, Doctor, Tori, Horace...they were all too loyal. She eliminated Constance and Professor Pete. She briefly considered the Clark family, but knew they were too numerous and too close to be traitors. She grabbed a notepad and wrote down Dr. Sensitive and Dr. Byte. It hurt a little to do it, but they could have been lying about not being at the Final Battle. Maybe they had been taken by the Cogs and brainwashed.

She also wrote the name of that creepy mortician, Sepulchra Rigor. And Clan Destine, his name just recovered by a tactful Doctor. She wrote Clarabelle Cow and Vidalia VaVoom. Puddles from the first attack on the Sellbot Vice President. Flippy. Her receptionist. The Toon Council. Dozens of others.

Eileen's head began to hurt and she took an aspirin. She stared with intent at the list she had created, now over two pages long. She hated herself for making it. How could she look at these Toons the same way now, with all these suspicions hanging over her?

Eileen sat back at her desk and lifted the second page from the overnight report. The Toons had attached a memo they had recovered from the Foreman's desk. Eileen skimmed it, detecting the usual buzzwords. Operation Sever, laff, difficulties, delays, please advise...

Her eyes stopped. She moved them slowly to the left side of the page, where something very different had been printed. Her pulse quickening, she went back to the top and read it thoroughly.

"Attn: Memo: To: The Chairman. From: The Sellbot Vice President. CC: The Sellbot Factory Foreman. Difficulties continue in interpreting laff. Site viable, but not yet operational. Delays. Operation Sever nearing completion. Toons continue to disrupt work at the Factory and Sellbot headquarters. Help requested. Source confirmed Toon efforts. Current subjects standard and stable with minor exception; vitals disrupted in Flim Flam. Please advise."

Eileen's mouth was dry. There was an inordinate amount of information in this memo. They mentioned a site again, but for what? What were they planning? That they considered Operation Sever near completion was frightening in itself; the Toons were no where close to cracking the code.

And then there was mention of "source." A source. An informant? The mole Eileen had been dreading existed? She stole a glance at her list again, the names screaming for absolution.

Scariest of all was Flim Flam. The specific mention of her name. Flim Flam was a shopkeeper in Melodyland, on Tenor Terrace. She sold flutes. She was a flautist. A sweet woman who was unfortunately left behind in the Exodus.

As far as Eileen knew, Flim Flam had never ventured into Sellbot Headquarters. She was not an active member of the Toon Resistance. In fact...

Eileen removed the membership binder from her bookshelf and quickly flipped through the records. She inhaled. Flim Flam was not a registered member of the Toon Resistance at all.

Was Flim Flam the mole? It seemed unlikely, but all these circumstances warranted an investigation.

Eileen phoned Constance Miller and asked her to meet on Tenor Terrace.

Taking the memo with her, Eileen disappeared in her transport hole.

===Flippy's Estate===

Former Mayor Flippy Flopper tossed another book on top of the completed pile. In his months in self-imposed exile, he had read every single book in his household. He read the Cattlelogs word-by-word, sometimes twice. He read the manual for the fireplace. He recarpeted the floor with the same exact color and material. Boredom consumed him from the inside. He longed to be back in office, where he felt important and of use. Now he was a nobody.

Well, he was the somebody who brought the Cogs to Toontown.

Guilt was the only emotion Flippy felt now, besides boredom. He dreamt of reversing time and telling Molecule to get lost. He would see the Quack Cog's beady eyes, full of evil. Flippy would reach out to turn off the Cogs forever, and then Molecule's face would fill his vision and laugh. Flippy would wake covered in sweat, screaming.

Flippy's motivation had dissolved. He saw no point in leaving the house or even leaving his bed. He served no purpose anymore. No one wanted to talk to him. No one cared for his two terms as Mayor. For his expertise.

He wouldn't be surprised if they removed his Mayoral portrait from the Gallery of Mayors. He was a stain on Toontown's history.

Completely worthless.

Why should he leave the house?

Who would care?

What was the point?

No reason.

No one.

Nothing.

===Tenor Terrace===

Constance Miller was astonished when she read the memo.

"It can't be Flim Flam," she said. "She's a sweet old flute woman."

"A flautist," Eileen said. "And perfectly capable."

"I don't see how," Constance said. "She lives alone. She runs an unpopular shop. A shop literally dedicated to shirts for flute-lovers. She isn't in the Toon Resistance, so how can she know any information?"

"We'll just ask her a few questions," Eileen said. "Can you take the lead?"

"Sure," Constance said and rapped three times on the door of Flowery Flute Fleeces. After a few moments, Flim Flam opened the door.

She was a tall, slender dog with aqua-colored fur. The edges were beginning to turn grey. She, like the other survivors of the Final Battle, seemed much older since the return from Exodus.

"Madam Mayor," Flim Flam said monotonously. "What a surprise."

"May we come in?" Eileen asked. Flim Flam stepped aside and and held the door as Constance and Eileen filed inside.

"Please, sit."

Flim Flam fetched a tray of tea from her kitchen and served her guests. She sat opposite them, rigid in a chair.

"How can I help?"

Constance cleared her throat.

"We wanted to ask you about the Final Battle."

Flim Flam cringed.

"Oh," she gasped.

"Okay," Eileen said gently. "How about before? Before Exodus. Why were you left behind?"

Flim Flam swallowed. Her paw trembled.

"I was attacked," she said. "I never made it to the Playground."

"Who attacked you?" Constance asked.

Flim Flam's eyes traveled in circles over the room, as if the answers were engraved on the moulding.

"I don't remember," she said.

"A Cog?" Eileen pressed.

"I don't know," Flim Flam said.

Odd, Eileen thought. One would know if a Toon attacked versus a Cog. Most likely it was a Cog.

"So you went sad?" Constance asked.

"Yes," Flim Flam said. "It was terrible. Dark. Scary. Alone."

Eileen and Constance nodded.

"What happened at the Final Battle?"

Flim Flam shook her head violently.

"No...no..." she muttered. "Too horrible. I...can't."

"Please," Constance pleaded.

Flim Flam took a shaky sip of tea and clasped her hands together. She remained silent. Eileen sighed. Something was very off about Flim Flam. She couldn't determine what.

"Flim," Eileen said as gently as she could, "we really need you to tell us what happened at the Battle. No one wants to talk about it, but...something happened out there....and we can't help you unless you tell us."

Flim Flam's eyes widened.

"Nothing happened," she said quickly.

"Constance," Eileen said, having had enough dodging of questions, "can you show her the memo?"

"Certainly."

Constance reached into her bag for the memo, but suddenly doubled back, laughing. Water dripped from her face.

"I hit my squirting flower by accident," she said, giggling. Eileen began laughing too. She looked at Flim Flam, who wasn't even smiling.

Eileen's face fell.

What if...

"We recovered this memo from the Sellbot Factory," Constance said, reaching over to hand it to Flim Flam. She took it gingerly and read it in the light. While her head was bent, Eileen reached into her own gag pouch and withdrew a water pistol. She aimed it at Constance and fired.

Appreciating the joke, Constance laughed.

"What was that for?"

Eileen didn't answer. She fired at Flim Flam.

No response. Water droplets trickled off her face, but the corners of her mouth did not even twitch. No smile, no laughter.

"What was that for?" Flim Flam mimicked, but it sounded almost angry. She dabbed at her mouth. Flim Flam held the wet memo in her hand. Eileen could see the ink running.

"I think we best go," Eileen said, feeling a swell of dread. She retrieved the damp memorandum and ushered Constance out the door.

"What was that about?" she asked when they were on the street. Eileen pulled her friend away from the building. She could feel Flim Flam's eyes boring into them from the window.

"Who does she act like?" Eileen asked.

"What?"

"Who does she act like?" Eileen repeated verbatim. "When she speaks, who does she remind you of?"

Constance thought for a moment.

"Herb Clark and some of the others left behind. They're all traumatized."

"No," Eileen said. "Not traumatized. Brainwashed. Come on."

Eileen jumped into her transport hole. Constance followed.

===Gardens Gag Shop===

Constance and Eileen burst through the door. Peaches Clark jumped from her stool.

"Madam Mayor! Constance? Is everything alright?"

Wordlessly, Eileen aimed her water pistol at Herb, who blinked at it. She fired.

The same reaction. No smile, no laughter.

Constance squirted her flower at Peaches, who giggled nervously. Eileen approached the counter, where Herb was staring at her.

"What was it like being left behind?" she asked. Peaches yelped. Herb blinked.

"I went sad," he said.

"What was that like?" Eileen asked. "What was it like to be sad?"

"Dark," Herb said. "Scary. Alone."

Constance took a sharp intake of breath. The same words used by Flim Flam.

"Him too," Eileen said and left the Gag Shop. Constance, still confused, trailed the Mayor.

Peaches Clark stared in disillusionment as the door slammed shut.

Eileen spun to face Constance.

"How many survived?" she demanded.

"W-what?"

"The Final Battle. When we first got back, Professor Prepostera said 200 Toons were left behind, but fewer than thirty survived the Final Battle. *How many*?"

"Um...uh..." Constance closed her eyes. "28. Including Sensitive, Byte, and Prepostera."

Eileen shook her head, the pieces flying together.

"They're not traumatized," she said again. "They're brainwashed. All twenty-six of them. Sensitive and Byte weren't there, at the Battle, so they were spared. But the others...all of them...if they weren't killed they were converted."

"Converted?" Constance asked, her eyes wide with terror.

"I think so," Eileen said. She had to hold her hands together, they were shaking so violently. "You heard Herb and Flim Flam. They gave identical answers. They're unable to talk about the Final Battle. Maybe because the Cogs convinced them not to, as it'll give away their cover. We thought we were looking for one mole, but we had twenty-six. All this time, they were working for the Cogs. Flim Flam, Herb Clark, Professor Prepostera..."

"Prepostera!" Constance cried. "He's been educating the children! These people, Eileen, they're integrated into the deepest levels of our society. We don't just trust them...we *pity* them. They were left behind and forced into an awful battle we can hardly comprehend. If what you say is the truth, they pose terrible threats to Toontown."

Eileen bobbed her head up and down.

"I think Soggy Bottom was converted too."

Constance's face was frozen.

"She acted differently when we picked her up," Eileen said. "I bet if we used a gag on her, she wouldn't laugh. Flim Flam and Herb...their laffs may have been altered. I don't understand why they're unemotional. I don't understand what happened to them."

Constance snapped her fingers.

"The dog. Clan Destine. He was there, wasn't he?"

Eileen shrugged. "I think so."

"Is he included in our count of 28?"

Eileen lifted her head.

"No. He isn't." Eileen hit a hand to her forehead, too hard. The next words burst out. "They don't know! *They don't know he's alive!* They didn't include him in their tally! They think he's dead. Professor Prepostera specifically told us that only those on the list were the survivors of the Final Battle. Clan Destine was not listed!"

Eileen looked around the Playground.

"We need to find him. He might know what happened that day. He might be the only person who wasn't brainwashed."

"I'll tell the Toon Resistance," Constance said. "He's a top priority."

"No," Eileen said, her eyes drifting back to the Gag Shop door. "The twenty-six traitors are the top priority. They must be apprehended. Are the old jail cells still operational?"

"In the basement?" Constance asked, thinking. "I think the locks are still sturdy."

"Perfect," Eileen said. "We can't let them get away. Herb and Flim Flam now know we're on to them. If we're not careful, the Cogs will know we're coming after their minions."

Constance and Eileen stood together in silence as the sun dipped toward the horizon over the Gardens. The breeze made them shiver, the weight of their words now crashing over their shoulders.

===The Executive Offices===

The Chairman opened the letter. It was from Flim Flam. It was two words.

"They know."

===Toon Headquarters===

After the sun had set, Constance Miller was still in her office. So far, six traitor Toons had been arrested and detained in the cells beneath the police headquarters station. The cells were transport-proof, so no one could pop in and out. All of the six, left behind and survivors of the Final Battle, insisted on their innocence. But all had been tested with gags, and none had even cracked a smile.

They acted like Cogs.

Constance re-read Adam Molecule's file. There were wild gaps of discrepancies. Timelines that didn't add up, motives that were left unanswered. Missing journal pages, inconsistent DNA from his cabin...it was all very befuddling.

Constance stuck her tongue in her cheek and let her gaze find the second file on her desk. The one she read almost every night. The one that constantly nagged at her throughout the day. The file on Alice Carver. The dead monkey found in the Adam Molecule's secret bunker, her body charred. No flesh. Completely unidentifiable if not for the library card bearing her name and the similar body dimensions.

She disappeared years ago, followed shortly thereafter by another cold case: Bradley Wolfe.

Constance stood and opened the Bradley Wolfe file and read the minimal information printed on the card.

Dog. Red. Young. Missing.

Red dog.

Constance chewed her lip.

Was it possible, somehow, that Bradley Wolfe was actually Clan Destine?

## Production

### Continuity and Story Arcs

Cashobt and Lawbot HQ emerged in this episode. Consequentially, Eileen Irenic asked the Toon Resistance to find Bossbot HQ, where Ash Ingalls and other missing Toons are suspsected of being held.

The mole that Eileen had first referred to in "Sack of the Sellbots" was revealed to be the twenty-six survivors of the Final Battle, including Professor Prepostera and Flim Flam. This discovery led to the immediate arrest of as many of them as possible. These moles are the reason why nobody told anyone that Dr. Molecule had died or any of the crucial information that would have given the Toons the upper hand in the battle against the Cogs, including why Professor Prepostera was so unhelpful when Eileen and Constance asked him for help with fighting the VP.

Flippy, after leaving office, experiences rampant loneliness and depression.

Constance reopened the Bradley Wolfe case, believing him to be Clan Destine.

## Trivia

* The episode title was stolen from an episode of *Once Upon a Time*, which in turn was named after a Bruce Springstein album. The title was chosen because of the discoveries of Lawbot and Cashbot HQ on the edges of town.
* Flim Flam was chosen to be the first discovered mole by producers going to the Toontown Rewritten Wikia and clicking "random page" until a shopkeeper appeared.