Sunday morning: Back at Merry Maker Studios, Mr. Merrimacker was waiting impatiently in his office. Randy came in with his report. “Any luck?” Mr. Merrimacker asked him. “Um...no sir. We haven’t found them yet.” Randy replied. “Did you ask all the toons?” the boss asked. “Well, yeah” said Randy. “I asked Tom and Jerry, Wile E. Coyote, the Pink Panther, they didn’t say a word”. *facepalm* “You idiot!” Merrimacker yelled. “You know they’re under contract not to talk! Now get back in there and find someone who actually knows where they are!”. “Yes, sir!” Randy said as he left. Then his secretary paged him. “Mr. Merrimacker, congressman Whitmore is on Line 2.”. “This better be good,” he said as he picked up the phone. “Hello, Mr. Merry Maker?”. “It’s Merrimacker!” he said. “Whatever," said Whitmore. "Listen, some of the guys in Washington have reviewed your cartoon ban proposal and we’ve decided give it a trial run starting Monday morning.”. Mr. Merrimacker smirked. “Excellent.”. “If everything goes well, we will bring it to committee,” said Whitmore. “We’ll keep in touch.”. “I’m looking forward to it,” Merrimacker said. As he hung up the phone, he stood in front of a big window overseeing the studio lot. “It’s all coming together.”.

	Back in South Jersey, the toons were  having breakfast. Wesley, Cody, and Shannon were in the kitchen while Flash, Mitzi, and Steve were in the living room. Vera was in the upstairs bathroom taking a shower. Wesley was on his cell phone. “You didn’t tell’em where we are, did you? Good. No, we’re still in New Jersey. Southern New Jersey. No, Kenny doesn’t know yet. Don’t worry, we’ll tell him. Alright; if anything happens let us know. Alright. Bye.”. “What’s going on?” asked Shannon. “Scooby Doo just called me,” said Wesley. “The guys at the studio found out we left. Merrimacker’s been interrogating toons since late last night.”. “Did they find out what else he’s been up to?” Shannon asked. “I’m afraid not,” Wesley said. “All they heard was something about Tuesday morning.”. Just then, Kenny came downstairs yawning. “Good morning, Kenny,” said Shannon. “Did ya sleep well?” “Kinda,” said Kenny in a sleepy voice. “Hey what’s that smell? Is something burning?” “Oh, Cody was attacked by a fire demon last night,” said Shannon. “It’s okay dude,” said Cody. “After I killed it I used it’s power to light the stove. Here you go.” Cody handed Kenny a plate of burnt pancakes, bacon, and eggs. “Uh...thanks,” he said. Kenny took his breakfast into the living room where he joined the others. “Hey, let ask guys something,” he said. “If you guys were in Hollywood this whole time, how come you weren’t in any cartoon shows?”. The toons paused for a second. Flash responded. “Uh...well...thing is...we were never picked to be on a show.” “Oh, don’t get us wrong,” said Wesley. “We auditioned for a lot of shows. Animaniacs, Taz-Mania, Bonkers, The Simpsons, you name it.” “So what’s the problem?” Kenny asked. “The problem is we were told that we weren’t talented enough,” said Flash. “Yeah, so we were sent to the portion of the toon world where all the rejects go,” said Shannon. Wesley jumped in. “Basically we just hang out with a bunch of characters who aren’t famous anymore; and it’s a pretty big section.” Kenny reassured them. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you guys have talents no one has seen before.” All of a sudden there came a loud scream from upstairs. Vera angrily stormed out of the bathroom, marched downstairs, and stood outside the living room wearing nothing but a towel on her head. “ALRIGHT! WHO SHUT OFF THE HOT WATER?!” she shouted. Everyone stared at her naked body. “What?” said Vera. “That...wasn’t what I had in mind,” said Kenny. “I...think I’ll check on the water heater,” said Cody. “Take your time,” Kenny said.

	Kenny spent the rest of the day getting to know the gang individually. First he spent some time with Wesley. They went into the backyard to throw the football around. “Okay, go long!” Kenny shouted as he threw the ball. Wesley went deep, but he missed. The ball hit him on the head as he skidded on the ground. “I’m okay!” Wesley said as birds circled around his head. After a couple of failed attempts, Kenny realized why Wesley never was picked to be in a football cartoon. “Maybe we should try something else,” Kenny suggested. “Good idea,” said Wesley. He pulled a basketball out from his pouch. “How ‘bout a little one on one, then?” They headed towards the front of the house where an old backboard was hanging above the garage. “Think I can dunk that?” Wesley asked. “Go for it,” said Kenny. Wesley charged for the net and leaped into the air; but he went a little too far up. He slammed into the backboard,  fell flat on his back, the ball hit him in the face, and the backboard fell on top of him. Kenny stood there watching the comical yet sad display. “I knew I should’ve played sports as a kid,” he said to himself. Kenny helped Wesley up from the ground. “Sorry about that,” Kenny said. “What are you sorry for?” Wesley asked as he shook the debris from his head. “If I was more of a jock when I was younger, you’d be better at sports. I guess I created you from my own experiences.” “No worries there, Ken,” said Wesley. “As long as I keep trying and don’t give up, I’ll find me something I’m good at. That’s what’s so great about being a kangaroo, I always bounce back; to coin a phrase.”

	Later on, Kenny was talking to Mitzi. She was in her room doing a difficult Sudoku puzzle. “The thing about me is I like to go to the mall and stuff; but no one wants to hang out with me.” “Why’s that?” Kenny asked. “Well, I’m pretty smart when it comes to numbers and equations and stuff; but everyone calls me a nerd. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so smart” “What’s wrong with being smart?” Kenny asked. “Well, nothing,” Mitzi explained. “Unfortunately, being smart doesn’t make you popular. I couldn’t fit in with any of the other girls; even Babs Bunny laughed at me and called me a nerd. I still like her and all, but I’ll bet she doesn’t know the first thousand digits of Pi!” Kenny chuckled for a bit. “You know, Mitzi, you shouldn’t worry about what other people think of you. If doing math is what you like to do, you should keep doing it” “You’re right,” said Mitzi. “With my superior knowledge I can do anything. Like be a teacher or a contestant on the Price Is Right. I could totally win big on that show.” Mitzi then handed Kenny the completed puzzle. “Done!” she said. “You finished it already?” Kenny said in amazement. “I gave it to you like five minutes ago!”  “I told you I was good,” Mitzi said.

	Afterwards, Kenny got to talk with Cody. He was standing on the front lawn looking up at the sky. “Aren’t you worried that someone might see you?” asked Kenny. “Nah, I’m more worried about demons,” said Cody. “Demons?” said Kenny. “Oh, right. The demons.” “You have no idea what it’s like to be me,” said Cody. “Actually, I kinda do since I created you,” said Kenny. “A long time ago, who had a girlfriend named Gretchen. Her soul was taken by a demon, so you chased it into the pits of hell. You killed the demon, but Gretchen’s soul was lost forever. From that day forward, you dedicated your life to fighting off the supernatural.” “Yeah, that’s my life,” Cody said with a sigh. “Sorry man, I didn’t mean to give you such a dark past,” Kenny said. “I used to be into horror films a while ago and I just wanted to create someone who was cool and stuff; so I came up with you.” “Nah, it’s not your fault, dude,” said Cody. “I’ve gotten used to it. I just wish everyone wasn’t so afraid of me. Everywhere I go weird things just happen.” Just then, a flying creature came at them. “Excuse me a sec,” said Cody. He quickly pulled out his gun and shot it down. It vanished once it hit the ground. “You see what I mean?” said Cody. “These things just come out of no where!” “I can see that,” Kenny said. “You know, with my monster fighting abilities I could’ve worked with Scooby Doo; if he hadn’t filed that restraining order against me.”

	After that strange encounter, Kenny talked with Vera. She was in her room sitting by her vanity mirror. “All I ever wanted was to be a great cartoon actress. I could’ve been one of the all time greats: Betty Boop, Jessica Rabbit, that woman in all those Tex Avery cartoons. I thought with a body like this I’d be a shoe-in. *sigh* I guess I was wrong.” Kenny reassured her. “Hey, don’t let it bother you. I think you’re a very attractive fox.” Vera turned around in her chair and put her hand on Kenny’s shoulder. “Ah, you’re sweet, Ken,” Vera said.  “But I’m just a regular girl. I tried to be like all the other actresses, but it didn’t work. You know I could’ve been on Animaniacs, but they hired that mink instead; that no-talent bitch! That’s the problem with Hollywood; they’ll only hire if you’re good looking.” “You’re already good looking,” said Kenny. “And you have to act like a brainless ditz; which is something I can’t do!” Vera said in a frustrated voice. She sat back in her chair feeling depressed. “I think I know what the problem is,” said Kenny. “I think you’re afraid that no one will accept you for being you, so who tried being like everyone else. I think you’re better off just being you instead of acting like some cartoon diva.” “How can I be normal?” Vera asked. “Well for one thing, it was your snoring that kept me up last night,” said Kenny. “Okay, I admit it,” Vera said. “Sometimes I do act a little un-lady like, but still I wish I had to type of fame all the other females have.” Kenny looked a little confused. “So...you want a bunch of horny fanboys lusting after you?” he asked.  “Fame does has its downside,” said Vera. “It’s the price you pay for being this beautiful.” Kenny just watched Vera posing in front of the mirror. He did recognize her beauty, he just obsess over it like some other cartoon fans. Then she turned around and asked him; “Hey, Kenny I was wondering, what was your reason for creating me?” “I was going through puberty,” said Kenny. “It does weird things to young animators.”

	That evening, the gang sat down for dinner. Flash greeted Kenny as he entered the kitchen. “I hope you don’t mind having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner since the stove’s on the fritz,” he said. “It’s cool,” said Kenny as he sat at the table. “And don’t worry; we’ve got plenty to last for the week,” said Shannon. She opened the cabinet and found that all the peanut butter jars were empty. “Steve! Did you eat all the peanut butter?!” she shouted. Out in the tree in the backyard, Steve was sitting on a branch patting his big belly. “*buuuuuuurrrrrrrrrppppppppppp!* Ah, crunchy, my favorite,” he said contently.  Kenny looked at Steve through the kitchen window. “Did I ever tell you guys I really liked peanut butter as a kid?” he asked. “We kinda picked up that,” said Shannon. Everyone sat around the table eating dinner. Then suddenly, they heard a rumbling noise from the basement. The whole house shook. “What was that?” Kenny asked. Cody got up and walked towards the basement door holding his sword. “Uh, guys? Remember earlier when I went to fix the water heater?” he said. “Yeah,” they responded rather nervously. “Well...it was down there,” said Cody. “What...was down there?” asked Kenny. The basement door flew open and a giant worm, similar to the one in Beetlejuice, popped out. “That was!” Cody said. Everyone screamed and ran frantically around the house. Cody grabbed his sword and chased after the worm. “Don’t worry dudes! I got it!” he said. Cody ran after the worm until he had it cornered in the living room. Meanwhile Steve was looking out from the roof of the house when he saw a police car pull up. He ran inside to warn everyone. “Hey, guys! The cops are here!” he yelled. Everyone gasped as they completely stopped in their tracks. “I hope it’s not the guys from the studio,” said Flash. There was a knock on the front door. Kenny went to answer it. “I’ll take care of it,” he told the gang. “Just stay out of sight and keep that damn thing quiet!” Kenny opened the door where there were two cops standing there. “Evening officers. Is there a problem?” “We’ve been receiving some complaints about strange noises coming from this house,” one of the officers said. “What kind of noises?” asked Kenny. A loud roar and some crashing sounds came from the living room. “Those noises,” the other officer said. Thinking quickly, Kenny came up with an excuse. “Oh, uh, that’s the TV,” he said. “I just bought one of those big flat screens and one of those Hi-Def sound systems. You know that new HD DVD that’s coming out? Yeah, that’s gonna be around for a while. And, uh, I invited some of my friends over to watch a movie and I had it turned up too loud.” He turned his head calling to the others. “Hey, guys! Can you turn it down please?!” he yelled. The toons put their hands on the worm’s mouth keeping it from making noise. “There, we took care of it,” said Kenny. “Well...okay,” the first officer said.. “Just try to keep the noise down. Have a good evening.” The officers turned around and left. “I’m tellin’ you there’s something about that house,” the second officer said. “It’s just a guy throwing a loud party. How weird can it be?” said the first officer. As the police car pulled away, Kenny gave his friends the all clear. Cody swiped his sword at the giant worm as it disappeared through a hole in the living room floor. “And don’t let me catch you here again!” he said. Wesley got a rug to cover up the hole. Kenny surveyed the damage to the house. “Don’t worry, Kenny. We’ll get this cleaned up,” Flash said.  “Cody, if this weird stuff keeps happening, you’re sleeping outside!” he said. “As if anybody can sleep after that,” said Mitzi.

	Back at Merry Maker Studios, Mr. Merrimacker was in one of the buildings that held a very large machine. There were a group of scientists working on it. “Is it ready yet?” he asked one of the technicians. “We’ll have it up and running by tomorrow, sir,” the technician said. “Good,” said Merrimacker. “Don’t forget to contact the other studios and make sure they’re linked up by Tuesday morning.” Then the two big entrance doors opened up and a stake body truck carrying a load of 55-gallon drums drove in. The barrels had  “Hazardous Material” stickers on them. As the drums were being unloaded, one of the techs accidentally dropped one and its liquid contents spilled on the floor. “Hey! Careful with that!” Merrimacker yelled as he stepped back from the spill. “What are trying to do?! Kill me?!” “Sorry sir. We’ll get this cleaned up,” one the techs said. “Idiots!” he grumbled to himself. As he walked back to his office, Randy and another guard ran up to him. “Mr. Merry Maker!” Randy called. “It’s Merrimacker!” he said rather annoyed. “Sorry,” said Randy. “We found this security footage from LAX. You really need to see this.” He handed Merrimacker the video tape. “This better be good,” he said. In his office, Merrimacker put the tape in the VCR and watched it. “This was taken Friday afternoon,” Randy said. The other guard pointed to the blurs of light on the screen. “And there we see the toons sneaking through the terminal and out towards the runway where that plane is taking off,” he said. “Now we got ‘em!” said Merrimacker. “Find out where that plane was headed.” “We already have, sir,” said the other guard. “It was bound for Philadelphia. We also have a list of all the passengers on board. Kenny Derrickson was one of them.” Mr. Merrimacker still couldn’t figure out where he heard that name before; but he had to know. “Get a team together. You’re headed east to bring back those toons! And leave Mr. Derrickson a little surprise when you get there.” “Yes, sir!” the guards said. As they left, Mr. Merrimacker sat in his chair grinning evilly. “It won’t be long now!”

To Be Continued...