Sack of the Sellbots

**"Sack of the Sellbots"**is the twelfth episode of *Rewritten* and the 12th episode overall.

It was published on September 7, 2017.

In the episode, the Toon Resistance assembles a team and storms Sellbot Headquarters to rescue the abducted Detective Lima Benn and Dr. Kilo Byte from the clutches of a dastardly new foe: the Sellbot Vice President.

## The Episode

=====Oak Street=====

==Present Day==

Eileen looked around in discomfort. Eight fat Cold Callers with Toon heads stared back at her in the crepuscular light of the rising sun. It was strange, to see the ugly Cog bodies adorned with the kind and determined faces of her hand-selected Toon Resistance team, the first ever infiltration of Cog Headquarters.

Eileen had not slept at all. All night, she thought of strategies and tactics she could use to ensure the safe recovery of Dr. Byte and Lima Benn. But a feeling kept creeping in, tunneling to her heart; this was what Generals do. This was what Toon ancestors did in the War Chambers of the Kingdoms. Orchestrated invasions, moves, espionage, spies...

What had Dr. Molecule brought to Toontown? At what point would this be considered a War?

Piggy Pie reached out with a Cog arm and squeezed Eileen's shoulder. Eileen should have felt comforted, but she cringed. The cold steel against her metal shoulder was not soothing at all.

Eileen turned her attention back to her team, to whom she had just disclosed the plan. Before noon, with luck, and hope, both hostages would be safely back in their homes. Including Eileen, the team of nine consisted of Violet Vance, Doctor Smith, Piggy Pie, Dr. Hyla Sensitive, Constance Miller, a blue monkey named Tori Dorrance, an orange rabbit named Puddles, and a red horse named Horace Calves. Tori, Puddles, and Horace were three of Eileen's favorite members of the Toon Resistance. Tori had quickly befriended Piggy Pie when they met at one of the weekly meetings and now she trained with Piggy Pie and her friends. Naturally, she had ascended the ranks with ease, her gags now at near-peaked. Horace was pure muscle, and one of the strongest among the Resistance. Puddles possessed swiftness and cunning, as well as an interest in Sellbots. To Eileen, it was an easy choice to assemble this team. She had wanted Clerk Clara to come along, but Clara had said her place was in the Gag Shop and spent the night packing all the Gags the team would need, evenly distributing the different tracks among the nine. She made sure to give Piggy Pie extra trap, her specialty, and Doctor more drop and Violet more toonup.

Eileen pulled her Toon arm out of the metal Cog arm and padded the front pocket of the Cog suit, making sure her gag pack was still there. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward toward the enormous grey archway, the words denoting Sellbot Headquarters emblazoned above her.

"Let's go," she said.

The eight followed, their metallic bodies clanging noisily. Everyone walked clumsily, having never walked as a Cog before. Eileen saw in her periphery that Horace was trying to run, or at least go faster than the pace they were relegated to. It was no use.

The darkness of the tunnel enveloped them.

"They're here," Lima said, her voice quiet. Dr. Byte swallowed hard as the Cogs came back into the chamber. The Sellbot leader, the Vice President, stared up at them. He was flanked by a dozen Mr. Hollywoods. The Vice President grinned wickedly and lifted his titanic hand to the cage door. Without touching anything, the cage door sprung open.

"Ready?" Dr. Byte whispered. Lima tipped her head in what was supposed to be a nod. They knew this was their one chance to delay until the Toon Resistance arrived. The Cogs wanted them for something, something bad, and Dr. Byte had no idea what. But the Cogs needed them alive, and they needed them healthy. Or at least intact.

The Vice President stuck his sharp metal finger inside the cage to grab them. Dr. Byte lunged forward and slapped his paw against the Vice President's finger. He instantly howled, as blood burst from his sliced palm. Before the Vice President could recoil, Lima did the same, though she accidentally hit her wrist.

"CLOSE THE CAGE!" a Mr. Hollywood cried. The Vice President did so quickly, roaring in frustration.

"Power it down," he said to no one in particular. The cage door closed with a clang and Dr. Byte sighed in relief. The Mr. Hollywoods boarded the elevator, first in a group of eight, then a group of four. The Vice President rounded on the Toons.

"You better not try that again," he said, his voice deep and sinister. "Or else."

The cage plunged. Dr. Byte and Lima clung on to each other as the cage dropped dramatically toward the ground. Without touching anything, no switch, no lever, nothing, the Vice President stopped the descent. Then, bit by bit, it rose back to the top.

The message was clear: the Sellbots were in control. And soon, whatever was planned for the captives, hell would become reality.

The walk was arduous. Doctor's paws ached as the procession marched through the Sellbot tunnel. At first, it was all downhill, ameliorating the trip. But then it suddenly became a sharp incline. This was truly laborious and taxing. Doctor looked at Piggy Pie, who looked increasingly exhausted. Eileen and the horse Horace were at the front of the pack, walking in step so easily. How?

The tunnel was dark, black on all sides, lit by several large lamps.

After probably half an hour, the tunnel banked sharply to the right and then left, and then finally, at last, came the opening. The bright light of Toontown had been left behind. Ahead was a dismal cloudy sky and exactly what Eileen had described: a desolate wasteland of sadness.

Sellbot Headquarters was smaller than Doctor expected. As soon as they stepped out of the tunnel, the ground dropped into an enormous pit of coal. The ground was made of soot and ash. All around, piled high in mounds that circled the center of the headquarters, was coal. It was clearly the main purpose and export of the Sellbots, their main industry. The air was thick with smog and Doctor coughed loudly. Cranes and bulldozers worked around the pit and beyond the coal piles. Oil spurted from hoses and drenched the ground. Constance gagged and lifted her metal foot from an oil puddle. To the far right of the headquarters was another enormous tunnel similar to the one from which they had just emerged. The word "FACTORY" screamed back at them. Beyond, on the horizon, smoke poured into the sky. Said factory must be busy. Doing what, Doctor was scared to think.

Directly ahead, looming above the headquarters, and clearly the epicenter of the operation, were Sellbot Towers. The name was printed neatly above the door. Four skyscrapers in ascent.

"Come on," Eileen said, and led the way around the pit. Surprisingly, the Cogs working paid the Toons no heed. Their disguises were working. The convoy marched in a line toward the entrance to the tallest tower.

Doctor held his breath as Eileen opened the door. Piggy Pie bit her lip. One by one, they entered the tower.

Constance was last in. The metal door clanged shut behind them.

Dr. Byte and Lima huddled together as the tenth group of Cogs entered the chamber and received a promotion from the Vice President. Every time the declaration was signed, the Vice President would glare at his prisoners, still irate at their stunt earlier that morning. At one point, he dropped the cage again for the delight of the Two-Faces recently promoted to Minglers. Despair was beginning to set in for Dr. Byte.

Where was the Toon Resistance?

Piggy Pie gasped for breath. She had been holding it in since they walked in the door. But the door had shut and nothing had happened. The Toons were still Cogs, laffs still high. The nine stood on a platform overlooking a bustling lobby. Cogs were milling about, heading off to other offices or hallways, some just chatting with their colleagues. A circular reception desk was at the bottom of the stairs before them. Eileen marched down them, and the other eight followed. A line was leading from the desk, and Cogs were placing their ID badges on scanners. Piggy Pie realized the lobby was shaped something like a V; stairs from the front entrance led down to the lobby and an equally tall staircase was opposite the entrance, leading up to a large elevator, much larger than the elevators into Cog buildings. Corridors branched off the lobby.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Violet asked.

"Good question," Constance said, looking around the lobby with narrowed eyes. Eileen got in line at the reception desk and Horace and Puddles followed her.

"Where would the hostages be?" Piggy Pie asked Doctor. Doctor thought for a moment.

"Probably with one of the bosses here."

"Who's the top dog here?" Tori mused.

An intercom crackled, and Puddles jumped. A strangely feminine voice came over the loud speaker.

"Would the following Cogs please report to the Vice President's office for promotion: TM5290, TM9023, TM3921, TM3922, TM8887, TM9987, TM3924, and TM3923."

Eight Telemarketers in the crowd broke away from their compatriots and ascended the staircase to the enormous elevator. They boarded it in unison, and the large doors shut with a grinding sound, screeching across the lobby.

"I would wager the Vice President is the top dog," Horace muttered.

"We need to get in that elevator," Doctor said.

As Eileen wait in line, Doctor and Piggy Pie walked up to the elevator. Smiling out of habit at the elevator attendant (another Cold Caller), they got inside. Piggy Pie scanned the elevator for buttons, but there were none.

The Cold Caller stepped in between the elevator doors and cleared his throat.

"Please exit the elevator. This is for promoted Cogs only."

Piggy Pie and Doctor shuffled out.

"Sorry," Doctor murmured. The Cog cast them a look.

"We have to have promotions to board the elevator," Piggy Pie reported to the group. Eileen was now nearing the front of the line and looked frantic. Dr. Sensitive quickly jumped in behind her.

"How do we get promotions?" Tori asked in exasperation. "We're not exactly Cogs of the Year."

Piggy Pie shook her head.

"We should get in line at the very least," Constance said, looking at a group of Glad Handers that just entered, another group of eight.

The nine now stood in a line at the reception desk. Eileen was only one Cog away from being at the desk. Dr. Sensitive whispered something in her ear.

"Next," the receptionist, a Mingler, said. Eileen stepped forward and removed the ID badge from her chest. She dropped it on the scanner, which glowed green.

"Wait over there," the receptionist said, handing Eileen a metal stamp.

The process repeated for all of them, and soon all had a metal stamp with their fake Cog ID number it. Dr. Sensitive had smartly and accurately predicted that they might need ID numbers in Sellbot Headquarters.

"What do we wait for?" Violet asked. Eileen shrugged.

"Probably a promotion. We can only hope."

"Patience pays," Constance said.

The group idled in the corner as more and more Cogs entered the lobby. Piggy Pie wondered if this was the standard crowd or if today was a special day or something. She leaned against the wall and listened to Eileen and Constance talk.

"I don't understand how the Cogs just happened to take Dr. Byte. I don't believe it."

"Eileen..."

"No, Constance, I'm serious. Lima might have been circumstantial. She's on Oak Street, she was outside, she might have just been the easy prey. But Dr. Byte? They went *to his estate*. They *knew* he was important to us. He is a threat to them and they knew and they took him."

"What are you getting at?" Constance asked, looking concerned.

Eileen chewed her tongue.

"I think we might have a mole."

The intercom crackled again and the feminine voice returned, interrupting all of their conversations.

"Would the following Cogs please report to the Vice President's office for promotion: GH1000, GH1001, GH1002, GH1003, GH1004, GH1008, GH1010, and GH1011."

The eight Glad Handers from earlier boarded the elevator and disappeared.

"They cut us in line," Horace grumbled.

Dr. Sensitive crossed her arms.

"I hope they didn't skip us because they know something's up."

Piggy Pie furrowed her eyebrows.

"There's nine of us," she said. "And that elevator only takes eight."

The group got silent.

"Oh," Eileen said.

"What do we do?"

"I'll stay behind," Puddles said, almost instantly. "To be honest I'm too scared to go."

Eileen gently grabbed Puddles' arm.

"We all are. Are you sure you want to stay?"

"I'm sure," Puddles said, weakly smiling.

Puddles got back in line, swiped her ID, and officially checked out. She returned her metal stamp and with one final wave at the team, egressed the lobby. Almost immediately came the intercom woman.

"Would the following Cogs please report to the Vice President's office for promotion: CC0001, CC0002, CC0003, CC0004, CC0005, CC0006, CC0008, and CC0009."

"That's us," Dr. Sensitive said and led the way toward the elevator. This time, the Cold Caller posted at the door did not give them any issue as they boarded. The eight fit cozily, and probably could have squeezed Puddles if no one was looking. Cameras, however, bore into them. The Cold Caller just watched as the mammoth doors slid shut. With a jolt, the elevator rose.

The Vice President yawned in boredom as the eleventh group of Cogs flew away, no longer Glad Handers, as Mover and Shakers. A Mr. Hollywood entered the chamber and clicked his watch.

"Another group coming up. Cold Callers. Apparently long overdue for a promotion. They have thousands of merits."

The Vice President rolled his eyes.

"Idiots. Send them in."

The doors split open after several minutes. Breeze rippled through the Cog suits. They were outside.

Eileen stepped forward and the others followed. A Mr. Hollywood was directly before them, standing on the edge of a platform. He lifted his arms and pointed in opposite directions.

"Four that way, four this way."

Eileen fought the urge to say "thank you." She walked to the right with Piggy Pie, Violet, and Horace. Doctor, Constance, Tori, and Dr. Sensitive went left. They walked around the platform toward two identical ramps leading down to a landing where...

Eileen recoiled. She couldn't help it. She wasn't expecting this.

A gigantic Cog. A leviathan. He was monstrous, horrendously titanic. A skeletal Cog with large bug-eyes concealed in what looked like binoculars, wires coiling down its body, drenched in an ugly purple tweed suit. Its legs sprouted from the bottom of the gear-shaped body, connecting to a corner of a large mobile machine with two treaded wheels. An undercarriage had two fat doors sealed shut, for now. The Cog boss bore no nametag, but this was obviously the Vice President. The Vice President of the Sellbots. His head was two-faced, like the similar Sellbot Cog. On one side was a gleaming smile, the other a vicious frown. It couldn't smile at both of them, and Eileen had the misfortune of being on the side of the frown. It waved its arms in welcome. But Eileen did not feel welcome. If she was scared before, she was petrified now. She was shaking. The two groups of four lined up before the Vice President in even rows, facing one of the undercarriage doors.

"Good morning!" the Vice President boomed. "Congratulations on your promotion!"

Eileen glanced down the line; Piggy Pie, Violet, and Horace were staring up at him.

"Soon, you will shed your Cold Caller title and assume the new role of Telemarketer. As thus, you will be responsible for reaching out to other communities and advertising the Cog line."

Eileen shuddered. Other communities? What other communities? Toontown was alone at the southern edge of the continent. Surely the Cogs were not sending messages north? To the Kingdoms? The thought was terrifying.

Contact mustn't be reestablished.

"Before we get you squared away," the VP boomed, "give a hello to our guests, the Toons."

Eileen's eyes snapped back to the VP, horrified to realize their ploy was up, but the Vice President was looking elsewhere, to the left. Eileen followed his gaze, over to the elevator door. Suspended high above it, before a large clock, was a wrought iron cage. And inside, trembling in fear, with cuts on their paws, were the captives. Lima Benn and Kilo Byte.

"Oh no..." Piggy Pie muttered. Eileen swallowed and steeled herself to look forward, at the VP.

"Why are they here?" Constance asked loudly from the other side of the VP. He whipped his head to glare at her, the frowny side flipping to match his anger.

"None of your business, *Cold Caller*."

Constance clapped her mouth shut.

"Anyways, as of now you have been promoted to fully-fledged Telemarketers! You can pick up your new suits at the Factory Offices. Go! And make that sale!"

Seeing no better opportunity than the present, Eileen raised an arm.

"NOW!"

All eight slapped the cog meter indicators on the front of their suits. The metal collapsed in on itself, as the suit magnetized, pulling the pieces off the Toons. Their gag packs fell in front of them and before the VP could even blink, the Toons were armed and ready, their Cog suits having melted away.

"TOONS!" the VP shouted. "ATTACK!"

Eileen glanced at the elevator door, awaiting the arrival of an army of Sellbots. A door clapped open.

"Oh," Violet said.

Eileen turned and saw that the undercarriage of the Vice President had opened and Cogs were streaming out of it, having been condensed inside. A Mr. Hollywood soon towered over them.

"On my go!" Constance was shouting from the other side. Eileen heard a birthday cake soar through the air and make contact with a Cog. On her own side, Horace was coordinating a lure and drop attack. Piggy Pie and Violet were selecting their gags. Eileen locked eyes with the Mr. Hollywood.

Bring it on.

Kilo Byte watched with excitement as the Toons pummeled the Cogs. The VP kept shouting orders at the Cogs, but the Toons were defeating them with aplomb. Lima's injured paw was tucked in her shirt, her other wrapped around the wall of the cage.

On the left side of the battle, Constance Miller and her group were working on their last Cog, a Glad Hander. Easy. With a final round of fire hoses, the Toons were victorious.

"Yeah!" a blue monkey cried. The Vice President shook and his head spun around.

Then the cage dropped.

Kilo and Lima screamed as they prepared for another plunge to the ground, but it only dropped slightly. The Vice President looked at the cage in confusion.

"It's weakening him," Kilo said. "The attack weakened him. He can't control the cage anymore."

The second battle finished and Kilo braced as the cage fell again.

Piggy Pie danced in joy as they finished the battle against the VP. Above the door, the cage containing Kilo and Lima was dropping.

Doctor ran over and hugged Piggy Pie. The battle was won!

The VP angrily swiped at the ground and those closest to him, Horace and Tori, leapt out of the way. His head spun around and he started to move.

"No!" Kilo shouted from the cage. "Don't let him get away."

The ramp behind them shrunk back into the wall and the VP began to climb out of the pit using the remaining ramp. He rolled toward the elevator door, now partially blocked by the cage. The eight sprinted up the ramp and surrounded the VP with the same two groups of four.

The VP looked down at them with interest and frustration.

"Fine," he said. "If that's how we're going to play."

The undercarriage reopened and where Piggy Pie expected to see more Cogs, a new creation ambled out.

Skeletal Cogs. They looked like the head of the VP, a mangled combination of metal resembling a head.

"Skelecogs," Piggy Pie blurted in a hurry.

The Cogs lined up in a row of four and glared menacingly at the Toons. Violet gulped. Horace dug his foot into the ground, preparing a throw attack.

"Stand back," Eileen said and pulled her wedding cake out of her gag pouch. The Cogs eyed it with disinterest.

"Lure them," Piggy Pie said to Horace. He used his presentation.

But it didn't work. Horace stared in disbelief. Piggy Pie opened her mouth to say something, but Eileen had already selected her attack. She lobbed the wedding cake toward the Cogs. It broke in four pieces and soared into the air. As it neared the Cogs, they all swerved. Piggy Pie could only watch in shock as the Cogs dodged a second attack.

Horace's arms dropped to his side. Piggy Pie saw Violet slump. This wave of Cogs would not be so easy.

Kilo held his breath as the battle raged on. The cage had dropped to the point where it was level with the VP's head. Every time a line of Cogs fell dead, the VP would swivel its head so that its hollow eyes could bore into Kilo and Lima.

At first, Kilo was confused why no Cogs were coming to the rescue. He assumed the sky would be full of Cogs coming to the aid of the VP. Until two thoughts crossed his mind.

First, the VP would be incapable of hosting a hive of Cogs in his underbelly. So the Cogs must have a teleportation mechanism similar to the Transport Network. And the Cogs that were spilling out were those answering the call to arms. The so-called Skelecogs were not more menacing or more powerful; they were incomplete. No more Sellbots were willing to come help. So the Factory was sending unfinished Cogs in a last-ditch attempt to score victory over the Toons.

Which brought Kilo to the second thought: why weren't all Sellbots interested in saving the VP? Because they did not value their leaders the same way Toons did. The VP was not revered. Perhaps respected to an extent, but the Cogs were cutthroat in their own society. Many Sellbots yearned to be the Vice President. And what quicker way than to let the incumbent fall? Maybe Sellbots would arrive at the end of the battle, too late to save their leader, victim of a tragic attack from the Toons.

So be it, Kilo thought. The fall of this VP would weaken the Sellbots, even temporarily. And Lima and Kilo would be free, spared from whatever cruel fate had been awaiting them that morning.

The last Skelecog was shorter than the ones previous. Its eyes were cemented in an ugly pink socket. One of them hung loose from a detached wire. Certainly not the cream of the crop. Constance Miller prepared her Gag Box for a 1-Ton Weight attack. Tori, Dr. Sensitive, and Doctor were ready too. Simultaneously, they pressed their buttons and four big weights slammed over the head of the Skelecog, crushing it. Behind its corpse, the VP twitched and the cage containing Lima and Kilo dropped further. Almost instantly, Eileen's side finished and the cage fell against the ground.

Constance, Eileen, and Doctor rushed toward it. But to their dismay, the cage was locked.

The VP shrieked.

"I'm not through yet," he bellowed. With one sudden, blistering swipe, the VP smacked his hand against the nearest Toon: Tori. The blow struck Tori across the side. She flew over the edge of the platform and rolled down the ramp, crumpling at the bottom. Constance rushed to Tori, who was assessing her wounds.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just my laff."

The VP then jumped. Everyone watched in surprise as the gigantic body of the VP actually left the ground and slammed back toward it. The landing caused a shockwave through the chamber. All eight Toons fell over and felt their laffs decrease. As they scrambled back to their feet, the VP removed a gear from its underbelly and tossed it toward Doctor, who was hit in the face. Another gear narrowly missed Dr. Sensitive.

"HYLA!" Kilo screamed from the cage.

Constance looked around the chamber desperately for some way to defeat the VP, but she was at a loss. What were they going to do?

Eileen tugged at the lock on the cage, but there wasn't even a keyhole or anything. Lima was frantically trying to explain something, but her words were coming out too fast and were incomprehensible. Eileen tried to pry information out of Kilo, but he was too busy yelling to see if Hyla was okay.

"Lima," Eileen said urgently, moving sideways to avoid a shower of tiny gears raining from the Vice President. "Where is the key?"

"No key," Lima panted. "It's like...like...telepathic."

Eileen tried to make sense of it.

"The VP controls the lock?"

Lima nodded fervently.

"Okay," Eileen said, her mind churning, "we need to break the link."

Eileen looked back up at the VP. He was enormous. Moving him was near-impossible. And even if he left the chamber itself, the link was still active. They needed to destroy him. But how? Could they just lob gags at him and hope for the best? Everything they were trying seemed to be impervious to him. This was a whole new type of Cog. So many unknown factors.

The VP's undercarriage door opened and Tori and Horace together threw cream pies into it. The VP raised his arm to retaliate, but he suddenly swayed as if losing his balance and collapsed onto himself. His head cocked to the side and his eyes closed rapidly. His arms fell limp at his side. Doctor stared in curiosity and gently threw a pie at him. The VP slid back with ease. Eileen walked up to the VP and pressed her arms against him to push, but touching him shocked her skin and she felt her laff droop.

"He can be stunned," Piggy Pie observed. Hyla Sensitive threw another pie at the VP's chest and he slid back again. Eileen walked around the undercarriage and looked behind the VP. If they kept throwing pies, they could push him off the edge of the landing strip. And he would fall. Eileen hurried down the ramp to the landing strip and gingerly looked over the edge.

She whistled. It was a dizzying drop into dense smog below. There was no way the VP could survive that fall. No one could.

Eileen excitedly ran back to the Toons, who seemed to be putting the same plan together in their heads.

"The VP can be pushed off the cliff. Once stunned, he moves easily. Does everyone have enough pies?"

Everyone nodded eagerly. As they got ready to throw, however, the VP woke up.

"ARGH!" he yelled and spun around, sending gears flying off all parts of his body. Everyone was hit, Horace the hardest. He backflipped onto the hard, metal ground and cried out. The undercarriage door flapped open and Hyla tossed a pie into the machinery. Instantly, the VP conked out again.

"NOW!" Constance cried.

Piggy Pie, Doctor, Violet, Tori, Horace, and Hyla tossed the first wave of pies, propelling the VP down the first half of the first ramp. Constance and Eileen threw another set, and the VP slid onto the middle landing where the first battle had commenced. Kilo and Lima cheered them on.

The VP woke up again and jumped. Not expecting this, Eileen struggled to think of a way to avoid it and suffered the consequences, losing more laff. Piggy Pie and Doctor seemed unscathed, as they had jumped at the same time.

Clever.

The VP was knocked unconscious and successfully pushed to the landing strip. But when he awoke, he seemed to understand what was happening. He let out a bonechilling cry that rattled Eileen to her core. He spun around at dizzying speed, allowing his body to become undone in a desperate attempt to thwart the Toon plot. It was impossible to avoid the gears and debris; Eileen felt herself hit repeatedly. There was nothing to hide behind. Through the turmoil, Eileen saw the VP leap.

"JU--!" Eileen began, but it was too late. The VP came crashing down and more laff drained from the team.

"VIOLET!" Piggy Pie's voice rang out.

"Is she okay?" Tori cried. Horace's gruff voice sounded somewhere nearby. Eileen heard the wheels of the VP turning. Her heart dropped. He was gliding back to the top of the ramp. Eileen surged forward, amongst the rain of gears. The undercarriage door was open. With determined effort, Eileen hurled a pie into the opening. The VP stopped immediately. The rain ceased, and the Toons were spared a minute to breathe. Silence was thick around them.

Violet was lying on the ground, clutching her heart.

"It's turning green," Piggy Pie said as she knelt next to her friend, pulling down the neck of Violet's shirt. "She's almost sad."

"Keep her out of harm's way," Constance said, oblivious to the irony of the statement. The other Toons threw more pies at the VP, who hadn't made it too far. The attacks pushed him to the precipice of the cliff.

Just a few more, Eileen thought. She raised her arm to throw another pie, when the VP's eyes snapped open.

"NO!" he yelled. And jumped. Eileen and Piggy Pie acted at the same time, rushing to Violet and tossing her into the air, running on sheer adrenaline. Violet escaped the attack. The gear rain came next, and Piggy Pie and Doctor threw themselves over Violet to ensure the attacks did not get to her. If Violet went sad here...would the automatic teleportation kick in? It did in the lobby for the fourteen teenaged Toons who first entered Sellbot Towers, but what about up here? In the domain of the Vice President of the Sellbots? Today was not the day to find out.

"BACK AWAY!" the VP cried. The backside of the undercarriage was inaccessible, so Doctor and Horace were attempting to stun the VP through the front door, but it refused to open. The VP threw an enormous gear from his own stomach at Hyla, who ducked, only allowing it to slam into the pelvis of Tori. Tori doubled over in pain and sadness. Constance hastened to her and slung her arm in front of Tori defensively. The next gear sliced Constance's arm.

Eileen ran forward, arm raised. The undercarriage door opened and Eileen threw the pie.

It missed, and three fat gears rocketed out of the door in its stead, all three pummeling Eileen's head. Everything went black as Eileen fell to the ground. Seven shouting Toon voices surrounded her, penetrating the most sensitive nerves of Eileen's ears. The VP continued to fight back, jumping and throwing and screaming.

"NO! NO!"

"Throw it!"

"Get him!"

"NOW!"

Eileen opened her eyes. Piggy Pie threw a cream pie at the VP, who had just slumped as Doctor and Horace together jammed the gears of the undercarriage at the most opportune moment. Piggy Pie's gag hit the VP square in the chest and he rolled backward. As he opened his eyes, the colossal body tipped. The entire machine listed over the edge. The VP swung his arms in an attempt to regain balance, but it was too late. The Sellbot leader was falling over the cliff.

Eileen and Constance reached the edge first and looked down as the VP's final shrieks echoed into the abyss, his body disappearing into the smog.

And then the quiet. Eileen's ears were still ringing. She turned around and counted eight Toons. Everyone had survived the battle.

A small click echoed through the chamber, and the cage door fell open.

Hyla sprinted back up the ramps toward the door and into the arms of Kilo Byte, who had sunk to his knees in liberation. Lima staggered out of the cage, smiling in joy.

"You did it," Kilo said breathlessly. Lima threw her arms around everyone in turn. Slowly, every Toon reached the doorway of the VP's chambers.

"We are indebted to you," Lima said. "Thank you."

"We have to go now," Constance said. "The Cogs might come back."

"And I'll need to speak to both of you," Eileen said. "Tell us everything you heard while in that cage."

Lima and Kilo's faces darkened. They nodded.

"Our teleports work," Tori said, whipping out her transport hole. One by one, the Toons egressed the chamber and spirited back to the Playground.

===The Executive Offices===

The Chairman narrowed his eyes and scowled. The VP suit would be expensive to recover. The actual VP himself was expendable and the Chairman had already selected a replacement. That "heroic" Toon rescue had certainly ruined the Chairman's plans to continue the Creator's work.

"What should we tell the VP?" the Bossbot CEO asked the Chairman from across the table. The Chairman frowned.

"Continue their operation as usual."

The Sellbots had failed, but they needed to continue just in case of success. In the meantime, the Chairman would have to find another way of finishing what the Creator started. He turned his attention back to the television monitor, where video of the new VP's appointment ceremony being aired. Still images of the Toons attacking the VP were plastered around the wall of the meeting room.

The Chairman locked his metal hands together.

"Game on."

## Production

### Continuity and Story Arcs

The first ever Vice President battle commenced in this episode, mirroring the game's version.

Eileen first brought up the possibility of there being a mole within the Toon Resistance, mostly because the Cogs knew the importance of Dr. Byte.

The Chairman viewed the downfall of the VP and ordered the Sellbots to continue their operation, most likely whatever was in store for Lima Benn and Kilo Byte.

### References

The War is referenced numerous times, including the War Chambers of the Kingdoms and the fact that Toontown lies south of the former Kingdoms.

## Trivia

* The original title for this episode was "Storm," but producers changed it to "Sack of the Sellbots" to fit in with the template for a future series of episodes that have similar titles.
* Tori Dorrance and Horace Calves were introduced due to popular demand.
* Puddles was originally added to the episode so that she could die in the VP battle to highlight the danger of the event, but ultimately was kept only to make the group number more believable; the Toons wouldn't know that only eight could board the elevator.
* Horace's last name is Calves because of his Toontown character having thick legs.
* Tori's last name is Dorrance, a reference to her real-life character's last name.