Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 1:

You throw. I’ll drop right after. He’ll be stunned enough from the throw that he can’t easily miss it.

A yellow dog by the name of McKinley Star and a blue crocodile by the name of Roggie worked together on the last floor of the Sellbot building they were in, working to destroy the cogs that faced them. There was only a telemarketer left, and they were both determined.

Their attack sequence went perfectly; the telemarketer began to internally implode, before falling apart in an explosion of oil and gears. Soon, Roggie and McKinley found themselves back out onto the street, and the drab Cog building soon fell apart and revealed the bright store that had once occupied Tenor Terrace of Minnie’s Melodyland.

“Good job, mate! Thanks for the help!” McKinley gleefully shouted at his companion. Roggie, who’d opened his shticker book in preparation to take him back to the playground, looked up suddenly. He didn’t know what to say.

“Oh..! Um…” Roggie mumbled a bit, unsure. Then he straightened up a bit and said, “Yeah. Uh… you too. I mean you did a good job too. And thanks, thanks for helping out!” God, he hoped that didn’t come out weird.

McKinley only smiled as he pulled out a black hole and warped out of sight, leaving Roggie frozen.

Roggie the crocodile felt himself to be somewhat of a loner.

Sure, he had some friends and all, but he could never exactly bring himself to socialize with other toons. In fact, that was his biggest pitfall as a toon; toons relied on each other. They could never achieve what they’ve achieved without teamwork. And Roggie understood that, of course, and worked tirelessly and determined to keep his fellow toons safe.

But something about him just wasn’t quite right. He never felt as though he belonged.

It was partially because of the teasing. Everyone he came across pointed it out; Roggie was abnormally tall. And lanky, too. In fact, other toons had stopped calling him by his name and just started calling him “The Tall Guy” or “Tall Boy,” or any variation of that. Of course, it was all in good fun. And Roggie knew that. But he couldn’t help but feel hurt, sometimes, when people pointed out his stature.

As he reopened his shticker book, he sighed. He needed more gags, and the sun was setting. He’d have to go home soon.

And so, Roggie threw down a black hole and warped to his estate, where his doodle Cagney was waiting for him. Roggie smiled at the sight of his little friend. Cagney seemed to be the only thing in the whole of Toontown that loved Roggie unconditionally, and here he was now, begging for a scratch. Roggie sat amongst his trees, watching the sunset, while he stroked Cagney under his chin.

Reaching into his shirt pocket, Roggie pulled out a little gear. He had been tasked to retrieve a gear from a cog, and he realized he’d have to give it to him tomorrow. Roggie studied the little thing, turning it this way and that, watching the colors of the sunset gleaming on the shiny metal.

This was another reason Roggie was considered to be an outcast: his interest in Cogs. All his life, he and the others were taught that Cogs were not friendly; they were cruel, mean, and boring, and that was how they had always been, and that was how they would be forever. And since joining the constant war against them, he learned truly why he’d been taught like that. Cogs were merciless. And it was up to everyone to stop them.

Though sometimes, Roggie liked to imagine things about Cogs. Did they have feelings? Did they go home every night to an estate like his, and did they take pleasure in keeping pets, like doodles? Did they feel love?

That was yet another issue with Roggie. Most days, he’d spot at least one couple of toons cuddling and showing tons of PDA. Other toons loved that. It made them happy, seeing the love people shared for one another. And his friends were always talking about the toon girls, talking about how cute and lovely they all were.

But Roggie didn’t see that. He had female toon friends, but he just didn’t see them the way others did. Frankly, Roggie had no idea what was wrong with him. And he hated it.

Now, Roggie slipped the gear back into his pocket, and retired to bed. It would be a long day tomorrow.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Roggie promptly rose from bed, fed Cagney, and set off to the playground. He needed to turn in that cog gear.

Arriving at the HQ, he quickly approached one of the officers.

“Heya, Roggie! You got the cog gear?” She said cheerfully, taking it in her hand.

“Yeah,” Roggie said. “Wasn’t so bad. It’s from a telemarketer.”

“That’s great! And just what we needed, too. Thanks for your hard work, tall guy. You really tower over them cogs. Now you’ve got 2 more Laff points! Look at you!” Roggie smiled, though inside he was screaming.

“Thank you so much, miss,” He said, feigning a happy mood. “What’s my next task?”

“Oh, aye,” She muttered, her cheery demeanor turning business-like. “We’ve got a couple of cog buildings this side of town. Mind clearing them out for me?” She clicked a few words onto her computer, before printing out a slip of paper and handing it to the crocodile.

“Gladly,” Roggie mumbled, taking the slip and stuffing it into his pocket. “Thanks again.”

Boy, that sucked. He said to himself, staring down at the ground. You really tower over them cogs. Literally, sure, but figuratively?

Due to his height, some toons saw Roggie as a sort of intimidating toon, who was never scared of anything. Quite the opposite, actually. Roggie always felt insecure, scared even, about things no one ever imagined him to be scared of. He got chills down his spine whenever he got into a fight, even if it was a fight with a mere flunky.

Roggie was so lost in thought that he hadn’t even noticed that he’d left the playground and was now walking up the streets of Baritone Boulevard. This was a good place to defeat some buildings. He’d been staring down at the ground so long, however, that he hadn’t even noticed what lay ahead on his path.

“Oof!” He yelped, bumping into something hard. “Oh-! I-I-I’m so sorry, I wasn’t-!”

“Watch where you’re going, croc,” The thing Roggie had bumped into was none other than a cog. A Name Dropper. She snarled at him sourly, before ejecting her propellers. Roggie stood there, stunned. But the Name Dropper hadn’t taken off just yet, because Roggie was standing in her way. “MOVE IT!” She bellowed, taking her hands and shoving the toon aside.

Roggie yelped as his head collided with something hard, and soon he felt himself black out. When he came to a few seconds later, he found his vision going double. He was sprawled out in a little room, but the street lay out before him. That’s when he realized. He had been shoved into a cog building.

“No! NO!” Roggie shouted, struggling to stand up. But it was too late. The elevator doors closed, and began to take him up, up, up. And Roggie had no gags to protect him.

What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?!?!?! Roggie tried to pry the elevator doors open, but they didn’t budge. He tried to break them down instead, but they held strong. He knew it would only be a matter of time before they would open up and he had to battle.

But suddenly, as though a secret door opened, a panel on the ceiling of the elevator caught Roggie’s eye. It was loose; It revealed a crack of what might lie above the elevator.

So as quick as could be, Roggie tore the panel off and slipped through the crack, just as the elevator arrived at the first floor.

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Ding!

All heads turned two the elevator. A glad hander and another telemarketer were chatting amongst each other, when the elevator marked its presence.

Both straightened up and adjusted their ties. An elevator could either bring along another cog or a toon. They’ve have to be prepared for either one.

Though when it opened, there appeared to be nothing inside at all.

“There’s nothing in there.” The glad hander pondered aloud. The telemarketer was equally confused.

“Perhaps someone sent one here by accident?” The telemarketer turned to his fellow cog. But the glad hander was gone, and was now standing at the door of the elevator. “Hey! Where are you going?”

The glad hander said nothing as he looked into the elevator. Though it was truly empty. There was nothing inside. Nothing… except a single jelly bean. He picked it up, and shriveled with disgust.

“Toons,” He muttered. “Always up to their little tricks.” The two walked away from the elevator, continuing their chat.

Unbeknownst to them, Roggie was hunched over on the other side of the elevator’s ceiling, cursing to himself for letting a jelly bean drop into the main compartment. He looked around the elevator chute, and noticed a vent, leading to what appeared to be a system of ventilation tunnels.

Roggie gently pushed the grate of the tunnel, and stealthily moved throughout the tunnels. The two cogs below him didn’t suspect a thing, until Roggie stupidly hit his head on the low ceiling of the vent.

The conversation below halted.
“What was that?” The telemarketer muttered, looking around. The glad hander was now overcome with suspicion.

“Someone’s in here, friend,” He growled, staring about all over the room. “Someone- no doubt a toon- has gotten in here. We just gotta find ‘em now.”

Friend… so they do have friends. Roggie thought to himself, smiling a bit. But that smile faded away as he heard the glad hander speak into an intercom.

“WILL ALL COGS IN THE BUILDING PLEASE COME TO THE FIRST FLOOR.” Suddenly, Roggie could hear the elevator moving again. He took the noise as an opportunity to move throughout the ventilation system, and came across a duct looking directly into the first floor, where countless cogs had come to gather. Roggie didn’t realize it at first, but he soon judged that by the amount of cogs and the presence of some very distinguished, high-level cogs, he had no doubt entered a 5 story building. The idea terrified him.

“Everyone, there’s someone in here. We heard something banging about somewhere in the building, and we found a jelly bean inside the elevator with no one in it,” The telemarketer started his tangent. The cogs murmured quietly amongst each other, nodding. “We all best be on the lookout for whoever’s around.”

“The elevator’s missing a ceiling tile!” One Name Dropper piped up. The other cogs nodded and agreed. “Maybe the toon’s got into the ceiling.”

“Or maybe their in the floor,” A Two-Face mused.

“Wherever they are, we’ve gotta look out.” The glad hander said firmly. “If it’s a toon, they can’t stay here forever. But even then, they’re probably hiding right now. Waiting.”

“Suppose the toon stays overnight,” A different Two-Face piqued. “What do we do then?”

The cogs were silenced for a moment, then began to argue about who would stay overnight. Cogs of the same type, fighting with each other! What a sight for Roggie’s eyes. Suddenly, a voice spoke up.

“I’ll take care of it.” The Cogs turned to see a Mover-and-Shaker, tall and distinguished, with his curled mustache combed neatly against his face. He was the only Mover-and-Shaker in the entire building. The glad hander raised an eyebrow at him.

“You?” He questioned. “You want to stay overnight?”

“I’ll manage,” The mover-and-shaker said quietly, yet determined. “I’ve’nt got much to go home to, anyway. I’ll take care of the office.” No cog seemed to object.

“Alright then. You’ll stay overnight. Hopefully we’ll have caught the little toon by then.”

Chapter Text

Hours had passed, and Roggie still lay curled in the ventilation system, too scared to move, too scared to come out of his little cave. The cogs were now swarming the building, their surveillance heightened; He could hear them prodding at the missing elevator tile, wondering to themselves. Yet Roggie stayed hidden.

Finally, he heard the noise in the building die down. He creeped back up to the duct, and watched as countless cogs began to leave for home (wherever home might be for a cog). The lone mover & shaker stood at the door, seeing all his colleagues out. It seemed that the evening was settling down, and the lone cog was to begin the night shift.

Finally, the last cog had left the building, and the mover & shaker remained. He stretched a bit, before walking around the first floor. Roggie watched him intently.

The cog strode about the building, his head held up high. Roggie could see now, naturally, why he was among the most feared Cogs by other toons, but not in the way you might think. He was tall, taller than Roggie; he was thin, and his jet black hair and mustache were neat and defined. He walked as though nothing bothered him, as though he were the king of the world.

Though that mover & shaker was anything but that.

He sat down on a chair and blankly stared at the floor. This wasn’t anything unlike what he experienced back at Sellbot HQ; the greyness was still there, as was the businesslike atmosphere. And so was the loneliness. This mover & shaker was probably the loneliest cog in the universe, though loneliness was nothing new for any cog. They worked together, of course, but they weren’t meant to feel empathy, or loneliness. They weren’t meant to seek comfort in each other. But comfort was desperately what this mover & shaker wanted.

And a name, too. All cogs were known by a code of numbers and letters, depending on their type. This mover & shaker in particular was known as S5-8-12. He was the 12th of all Level 8 mover & shakers. But he secretly wished, he wished that he could have a name like the toons did. Naturally, the usual names of toons disgusted him, due to their silly nature; he despised seeing their names, like “Glitter Twinklesocks,” or “Ziggy Stardust” or names like that. Though sometimes he saw Toons with simpler names. Real sounding names. This mover & shaker liked those names.

And so, he sometimes secretly called himself “John.” It wasn’t anything special, nor was it known by the other cogs. But late at night, John thought to himself, I’m not S5-8-12. I’m John. John, John, John. That’s me. It instilled a sense of peace, within him.

Now, John was on his feet again, and began to pace around again. Roggie still watched him intently. Then, John did something that Roggie had never, ever, not in his years of fighting, seen a cog do. Or rather, heard a cog do.

John began to whistle. It was a quiet, soft little whistle. But it was whistling nonetheless. He was whistling some tune as he paced around, not exactly caring much for the missing toon. Roggie, unbeknownst to him, was smiling. He suppressed a giggle. John wasn’t a bad whistler at all.

Somehow, hearing him whistle, Roggie took another look at the cog. He had a different perspective this time, and saw how well put together this cog was. How formal, yet jovial he seemed. How beautiful he was… Roggie leaned down onto the vent covering the duct, to get a better look at this cog.

Suddenly, the vent broke loose of its screws, and out tumbled Roggie! He yelped a bit, before he and the vent crashed onto the floor. The impact was hard enough to knock Roggie completely out, while the cog whipped around and looked down at the sight before him.

John was silent for a moment. So there WAS a toon in the building! He thought to himself, smirking at the unconscious blue crocodile that lay before him. John had already pulled out his half-windsor, prepared to capture the toon.

But something stopped him. Something within him told John that he shouldn’t throw the tie. He huffed and put it back in his suit pocket, before approaching the crocodile. John had never been this close to a toon before, but he wasn’t afraid. In fact, he was more intrigued than he was afraid. He pulled the vent off the toon.

John was kneeling now, studying the crocodile. He admired the croc’s features; Tall, pretty, with blue, shiny scales, and dressed in a simple striped shirt and tan shorts. John found him to be intriguing.

“You’re a pretty fellow, aren’t you?” John murmured, careful not to wake the poor thing. Unfortunately, the croc was just waking. John watched in amusement as he opened his eyes, looked around, and froze in fear.

Roggie’s lip quivered. There, right in front of him, was the mover & shaker. A level 8 mover & shaker. He was frozen, paralyzed. He knew that one of these could take him out in a moment, and he had no way of protecting himself. But the smile on this cog wasn’t that of the usual mover & shakers. It wasn’t evil. It was… sincere?

John got even closer to the crocodile’s face, looking him down in the eyes. How strange, He thought, This toon doesn’t attack me. He just lays there, in fear! It was all quite amusing, really.

“Why don’t you attack, boy?” John whispered. The crocodile just stared, as though not hearing him. “Why are you afraid?”

Roggie swallowed. He was scared, but he was also… intrigued? He didn’t know what it was. But something deep within him was attracted to the tall cog.

“You intrigue me…” John murmured, smiling again and standing up. Roggie simply curled into a ball. He was in no position to fight this cog. He’d simply have to face his fate, of being tortured, and becoming dead with misery. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the cog to attack.

But suddenly, Roggie felt something grab him. He let out a yelp as he was lifted off the ground, and was now in the arms of the mover & shaker, who smiled down at him. The cog held Roggie in his arms as he walked outside of the building, and stepped into the night. Roggie was rigid with fear, though the cog was strangely warm…

“Run home, lad,” The cog murmured to him, setting him down on the street. Roggie simply looked at him in awe. “Should you find me again, you can call me John. Though the others will know me as S5-8-12.” Roggie stared into the eyes of the cog, who was beginning to stand up and head back into the building.

“Wait!” He called out. “I’m Roggie…” His voice trailed off as John walked back into the building, disappearing. Roggie sighed in defeat. And he was so kind, too…

But unbeknownst to him, John heard Roggie call out. Roggie… He thought to himself, smiling and straightening his tie. That’s a nice name. I’ll find him again.

Chapter Text

Roggie stumbled on homewards. He could’ve just pulled out a black hole and warped now, but it was the dead of night and he was still afraid. Besides, it was better to take the long way home and think about what everything that just happened.

That’s got to have been the weirdest interaction I’ve ever had… Roggie thought to himself. He was walking towards the playground now. Why’d that cog not battle me? Why’d he bring me outside? And most importantly… Roggie cringed a bit, thinking about it.

Why’d he call me pretty?

Lack of self-confidence was one way to put it. But Roggie simply didn’t know why that cog- or JOHN, rather- called him pretty. He didn’t quite know what to make of it, either. Part of him wanted to be disgusted. He was a COG, after all- Cogs and Toons could never get along. Or… could they? The other part of Roggie was… happy? He couldn’t place the feeling. All he knew was that something about John was different than any other cog he’d faced. And these feelings were unlike any other Roggie ever experienced.

He was approaching the playground tunnel now. He quickly darted through it, to find it completely empty. Of course, Roggie thought. It’s midnight. Everyone’s at home sleeping. He sighed, pulled out a black hole, and set for home.

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John flopped back down onto his chair, sighing. Only now had he realized the consequences of his actions. If they found out that he let Roggie go, they’d deem him unsuitable for work and take him back to the HQ, where he would either have his hard-drive wiped clean, or he’d be destroyed completely. Both were terrifying options. And the fact that they kept security cameras in each building didn’t help at all. John rubbed his temples, staring at the floor.

Then again, the security cameras weren’t checked all that often. In fact, most times the footage collected from them was completely neglected, and thrown out by the end of the week. That could save John. He’d just tell the others that he didn’t see or hear any toon in the building, and that the toon must’ve escaped. That should cover for him.

But there were other consequences, too… suppose he’d just blown his cover to a toon? The only opportunity for toons to learn a cog’s name was after that cog had exploded. Their serial codes were printed on the back of their necks, usually covered by their suits. But usually toons didn’t take the time to find the name of the cog they’d just defeated. Besides, each cog was unique: once a cog died, their code would never be used again. There really was no point in learning a cog’s name. But now that one toon knew the name of a live cog… that could lead to potential problems.

Finally, John turned his thoughts to Roggie. The blue crocodile, that pretty thing. Why John was so intrigued by him, he had no idea. But something about him seemed different. And John was dying to see the crocodile again. Roggie… He thought. John cracked a smile to himself.

It was still the dead of night outside. John, seeing no reason to stay awake any longer, curled onto the chair and fell asleep.

“You intrigue me…” John murmured, smiling again and standing up.

He scooped up the crocodile and gently carried him outside, placing him down on the street. He watched the croc run home. But just as he was turning to head back inside the building, he heard a scream…

John ran to find that a group of minglers had Roggie cornered, and hopelessly watched as they tortured the poor toon beyond his belief. Roggie fell limp on the street, and John ran to him…

“NOOOO!”

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Roggie found himself curled on the street, one laff point away from dying. He shuddered, tears streaming down his face, as he prepared for the coming pain that would be the four sneering minglers, ready to torture him.

But suddenly he heard shouting, and then he saw the face of John, that mover & shaker…

“Oh Roggie…” He whispered, scooping up the trembling crocodile in his arms.

Roggie jolted out of his dream, sweat flooding down his face and body. He was relieved to find that he was just in his bed, and that the sunshine was streaming through the curtains. He arose quickly, and warped back to the playground.

He needed to find John again.

Chapter Text

“Comin’ through! Scuse me! Sorry!” Roggie was flying today. He zipped through the crowds of toons that were gathered in the playground, paying no mind to the dirty looks it earned him. He didn’t bother to stop at the headquarters. He simply made a dash for the street tunnel, with only one motive in his mind: to find John.

Roggie sprinted through, and found himself on the streets of the melodyland. Drat… where was it again? He wondered to himself, looking around. He kept walking, on and on, before he suddenly had a moment of deja vu. He remembered. This particular fire hydrant was the one he saw when he bumped into that name dropper.

Roggie turned round, and there it was: the 5-story sellbot building. It had to be the one, the one he was pushed into.

Though now, Roggie didn’t know what to do. Should he risk going in? Going into a 5-story building alone was essentially suicide, and there was a chance that John wasn’t even in there. Perhaps he was making his shifts around the streets, or perhaps- Roggie didn’t want to think about this- he had been mercilessly destroyed in battle before Roggie could make it. He hoped that wasn’t the case.

“You going in?” Roggie jumped, hearing a voice behind him. He turned around and looked down, seeing a short deer peering up at him. The deer flashed him a grin, while Roggie stood silently for longer than he should’ve.

“Um…” Roggie mumbled, unsure of what to say. The little deer looked up at him expectantly. “You know, I was, but… I-I just realized I don’t have gags!” Roggie lied quickly.

“Oh that’s alright! You can just go grab some and come back,” The deer chirped. “Here, let me see your schticker book.” She grabbed Roggie’s book, and wrote her name into it. Lia Padfoot, it read. Roggie nodded feverently, though evidently anxious. He really didn’t want to do this, but Lia would be waiting for him now, and it would be wrong to bail out on her.

“Alright,” He said at last, pulling out a black hole. “I’ll be right ba-”

Suddenly, John walked out of the building. Roggie could tell it was him, because upon seeing the crocodile, the cog froze in his tracks, staring at the crocodile. John’s eyes darted from Roggie, to Lia, to the building, and back to Roggie, who was frozen, black hole hanging from his hand. Lia, noticing Roggie’s shock, looked behind her to see… a mover and shaker strolling robotically down the street.

“Everything okay?” She tentatively asked the crocodile, who snapped his gaze back to Lia. She had a hint of concern in her eyes. Roggie stayed silent, before throwing down the black hole.

“Yeah, I’m alright. I’ll be right back.” Roggie finally jumped into the hole, warping back to the playground.

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Earlier that day, John awoke in the building to the light of dawn, streaming in through the windows of the building. Stretching and adjusting his tie, he sat and waited. Upon hearing the elevator begin to move again, John ran a hand through his hair and waited.

The lie was effortless. That was a skill John had, to lie easily and without causing suspicion. For all he told was that, in his 8 or so hours of staying overnight, he’d not heard a sound; the toon probably escaped into the night, or maybe there wasn’t a toon at all, perhaps it was just another cog banging around.

So naturally, John expected to see Roggie out in the streets again. Just not as quickly as it actually happened.

He watched Roggie warp through the black hole out of the corner of his eye. That deer he was with was standing at the door, waiting for him. John could guess that much. But would Roggie be back? John didn’t really know what to do now.

After a mental debate, John decided his best course of action would be to slip back into the building and watch from the window. And if he saw Roggie coming, he’d slip right back out and wait for him.
Through the window of the sellbot building, he watched as the deer opened her little book- for the life of him, John could never remember what they were called- and wrote something in it. Soon enough, two other toons appeared by her side, and they stood and waited. John knew they were waiting for Roggie. But suddenly, a third toon appeared. It wasn’t Roggie, but they had all gone into the elevator together. They really abandoned Roggie, huh? John thought to himself. Ah, no matter. It’s better this way anyway. Huffing to himself, John quietly slunk out of the building before the elevator doors closed.

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Lia didn’t necessarily abandon Roggie. In fact, Roggie was thrilled when, while in transit to the streets, she messaged him that a fourth had joined them and they’d all be going in without him. It’s alright, something came up for me anyway. Roggie messaged back.

So Roggie sprinted back to the building. The doors were closed now, and knowing John was back out on the streets, it was only a matter of time. Looking around, he saw Name Droppers, Telemarketers, and the occasional Two-Face. But he didn’t see any mover and shakers.

Roggie sighed, walking up and down the streets. There were other toons roaming about, though none were engaging in battle at the moment. This was good; this meant that no one had tried to pick a fight with John yet. At least, Roggie hoped so…

Suddenly, he saw John turn round the corner! As before, the cog froze upon seeing Roggie, standing there. Toon and Cog locked eyes, and stood paralyzed, not knowing exactly what to do.

Roggie’s eyes darted to a nearby alleyway, and after making sure no one was watching, he ducked into it. Moments later, John followed.

“So we meet again.”

Chapter Text

Roggie was never one to show his emotions much. That’s what made him isolated in the first place, really. He never got overly excited, not emotionally sad.  And if he did, he wouldn’t express it too much. Like the time he had been mocked by some toon, yet again, for his height. He didn’t say anything, didn’t fight; he just glared at that toon. He had gone through this in his head before going out to meet John. He told himself that he wouldn’t immediately go weak in front of the cog. That could be dangerous, and Roggie didn’t fully trust this cog yet. He had no way of knowing if this cog would turn on him. So Roggie vowed to himself that he wouldn’t be too eager just yet.

Though when he saw John, standing there, he couldn’t do anything about the giant, goofy grin that spread across his face. Wow. There goes my plans, He thought to himself. But something about John’s grin made his worries wash away. There was a couple of moments of awkward silence, of cog and toon, staring at each other.

“I didn’t… I mean this is…” Roggie tried to say, but his voice wavered so much he could barely get anything out. John chuckled a little bit, leaning on the alley wall.

“It’s good to see you again, Roggie.” He spoke softly. Again, Roggie felt himself go weak. John was always so confident and put together, and he was just… not.

“Y-you remembered my name?” Roggie blurted out. John raised an eyebrow at him, chuckling some more, before Roggie embarrassedly went on. “I mean I remembered your name. Not your coggy name, but the one you told me. You know? Not the numbers and letters. The… The regular-sounding name. You’re John. Right? I just yelled my name out but I thought you were already in the building when I yelled it so I didn’t think you would remember my name. But you did! And- And I remembered your name! So… that’s good, right?” Roggie looked down at his feet, realizing he had rambled on for quite a while. Oops. “It’s good to see you again too, John.”

“I’d ask to walk with you down the streets, but given our circumstances…” John started, then trailing off. He glanced sourly at the streets. There were still cogs walking up and down, the occasional toon darting past. Roggie nodded.

“We could just sit here and talk?” Roggie suggested. John smiled, before sliding down the alley wall, landing with a bump on the ground. Roggie did the same, though on the opposite side of the wall.

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“They said that to you? You’re joking.” John exclaimed, incredulous. Roggie had been telling him about how he was constantly teased because of how tall he was.

“Yeah. It’s not like I don’t know that already, too. But people always bring it up,” Roggie muttered, his arms wrapped around his knees. John looked down at the alley floor, picking at a stone.

“I was under the impression that toons were always overly nice to each other,” John said, mostly to himself. He gazed curiously at Roggie, who shook his head.

“I guess I can see why you’d think that,” Roggie replied. “But that’s really only if you’re not a misfit. If you’re not weird… I don’t think people mean to be hurtful, but they just tease others without realizing it hurts sometimes.” There was a bit of silence that followed Roggie’s words. Neither cog nor toon knew what to say.

“I don’t think you’re weird, Roggie,” John said at last. “You are taller than most toons I’ve seen before. But that doesn’t make you weird, not in the slightest.” John smiled softly at the crocodile, who looked sheepishly down to the ground. John decided to continue. “Other cogs think I’m a bit strange too, you know. I think it’s because…” John trailed off, thinking for a moment. Roggie watched him closely. “Well… I think I’m a bit of a dreamer. Maybe too much of a dreamer, for my own sake anyway.” He ended. Roggie, somehow touched, scooted ever-so-slightly closer to John.

“There’s no sin in being a dreamer,” Roggie suggested. John looked down, but nodded a bit. “Why do they think that’s weird?”

“It’s just not the way a cog should be, I guess,” John mumbled. “We’re told to stay in line, to keep our heads down, and we’re told that nothing can ever change. Especially this dynamic with toons.” John turned his gaze wistfully towards Roggie. “But… why does it have to be like this? Why are toons and cogs always at war? It’s bizarre, frankly. Why can’t we be like this, like you and me? We’re just talking to each other, there’s no hostility involved…” John trailed off.

I could talk to you forever. I want to live in a world where you and I could be together. I want to be with you, Roggie. I don’t want to fight anymore. I want to spend time with you and not have to hide, Roggie. I want to live in a world where toons and cogs could live together in harmony, where toons and cogs could love one another... These thoughts flowed through John’s mind as he looked at the blue crocodile, who was gazing back at him. But he couldn’t say these things. Not yet.

“I just wish things could change, that’s all.” John finally declared. Roggie nodded understandingly.

“Me too,” Roggie whispered.

Neither cog nor toon knew how much time had passed, but eventually they could both see the sun was setting, and John’s pager went off, asking him to report back to sellbot HQ.

“Tomorrow, same place and time?” John said to Roggie. Roggie nodded eagerly, as John stood up and prepared to eject his propellers. But before he did, he placed a hand on Roggie’s shoulder. “It was good talking to you, Roggie. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Roggie, for the first time, was looking up-- John was a few inches taller than he was.

“Don’t get into any trouble,” Roggie murmured back to John, who chuckled.

“I won’t, I promise,” John said softly, before his propellers whirred to life. As he began to lift into the sky, he yelled back down. “Goodbye!” Roggie grinned and waved back to his companion in the sky.

That night, Roggie skipped home. He was so happy, he could hardly stop smiling so much. When he came home, old Cagney was waiting for him, tail wagging. Roggie, still high from so much glee, played with his doodle for quite some time.

But then, before he went to bed, Roggie whispered into Cagney’s little ear.

“I think I’ve got a crush, Cags. His name’s John, and he’s super nice. He’s good-looking too.” Cagney simply wagged his tail.

Chapter Text

2 weeks had passed since that first conversation, and John and Roggie had been meeting in the alleyway most days since then. The same street, the same time. Most times, John liked to mess around. He’d pretend to be a normal cog, marching robotically up and down the streets. Then, once he saw Roggie standing by the alleyway, he’d suddenly break into a sprint and scare the soul out of the crocodile. John would laugh for a bit, and they’d both walk into the alleyway together.

Sometimes, John would be flying and land right in the alleyway. Those were days when there were too many cogs out on the streets for him to subtly walk into the alleyway. Roggie would always be there, waiting for him. They’d talk for hours on end, or sometimes a few minutes, but each day they’d learn more and more and more about each other. 

Some days, they’d have funny debates:

“Roggie, I’m sorry. But that is simply NOT how golf works.”

“How would you know?! Do you cogs play golf too???”

“What do you think we do on our vacations?”

“I dunno? Work????”

“VACATIONS, Roggie. As in, times where we DON’T work.”

Other days, they’d talk about ways of changing the system they lived in:

“You think we could start a revolt?”

“How many would be willing though?” Roggie thought that through. Maybe some toons would be willing to change the system, but definitely not those in power. “I doubt too many on my side. A lot of toons REALLY hate cogs.”

“Same. I guess things will just be like they are,” John mumbled. “I do remember reading about revolutions in my study periods, however…”

“Like what?” Roggie was intrigued.

“Well, way back before humans went extinct, there were revolutions of all sorts. Revolutions of cities and towns-they were called colonies- breaking free from much larger empires. Revolutions of the poor and destitute overthrowing their rich and powerful leaders,” John explained. “But I have never read anything like what we would have to pull off. Two kinds of people, typically hating each other, overthrowing their leaders so there would be no more hate.”

“Wait a minute…” Roggie said suddenly. “Actually, I remember a human story from a very long time ago. It was about two people, both coming from different families, or neighborhoods, I forgot- but their homes hated each other. But those two people fell in love, and in doing so ended the feud between their homes. Something like that.” Roggie looked at John, before looking back down at his lap and blushing a bit. “But of course, that was over a million years ago. Things have changed a lot. An entire species went extinct, and now we’re here.”

One day, though, John’s pager began to scream. Roggie noticed how his expression turned panicked for a second.

“What’s that for?” Roggie asked. John bristled, then turned to answer him.

“That buzzer goes off when we’ve got an invasion to do.” He said, before looking back apprehensively towards the screen. Roggie leaned over and looked too, and soon, the icon of a Two-Face appeared on the screen. John breathed a sigh of relief.

“Just a Two-Face invasion. That’s good,” He said, before relaxing again. “That means I’ve got the rest of the day off.” John suddenly sprang to his feet. 

“Roggie, have you ever seen an invasion from up above before?” He asked the crocodile, who also stood. 

“Can’t say that I have,” Roggie chuckled. “It’s illegal to go up on the rooftops, you know.” John laughed out loud, to Roggie’s confusion.

“It is also illegal for us to be doing this, and yet here we are,” John mused. “C’mon, don’t you want to live a little? It’s a real pretty sight up there,” John held his hand out, his propellers whirring to life. “Will you come with me?” Roggie looked at his hand, apprehensive. But a little feeling inside him told him that things would be alright. So the blue crocodile took the cog’s hand, and suddenly Roggie felt his feet leave the ground.

“WOAH!” Roggie yelped, clinging onto John’s arm. He looked up at John’s face, who was smiling amusedly. They began to travel high up, the street getting smaller beneath them, until John cruised over the rooftops and landed onto one with a great view of the street. Roggie still held onto John’s arm. But when he noticed, he quickly let go of it, looking down to the ground and blushing. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, Roggie,” John said, creeping up to the edge of the roof. Roggie followed close behind, until they were both standing with the street below them. The Two-Faces were marching robotically up and down the street, while some toons skittered in and out. Then, the fights began. Toons of all kinds joined forces and began to battle the cogs. 

A terrible feeling came over Roggie. The service he partook in, all this fighting of cogs… none of it was for the greater good. It was murder. John could sense Roggie’s dismay, so he took the crocodile’s hand.

“I suppose life has a greater meaning once you see things all around, doesn’t it?” John murmured, almost to himself. Roggie could barely speak. He just nodded, still too shocked to say anything. John kept going. “I see it now too. The lives we’ve known look much different now, looking at it from this rooftop. But there’s something else you can see up here, if you’d like to.”

“I would like to,” Roggie croaked. “I don’t wanna look at this for long.” John nodded, smiling softly, before turning his gaze towards the horizon.

“Look away from the street then,” John said. “Look right in front of you.” Roggie did as he was told, and his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. The sun, though not quite setting yet, was sending golden rays through the clouds, making them shine all different ways. It was truly a beautiful scene.

“Thank you, John.” 

“For what?”

“For all of this, I mean.”

“I don’t control the sun.”

“But you found it. You found the sun and the way it shone beautifully when all I could see was the war down below.”

“War?”

“You can’t call it anything else, really. It’s war.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Roggie and John stayed on the rooftop for hours, it seemed, watching the sun sink below the horizon… When it seemed that the streets had cleared off for the night, John took Roggie back down to the ground. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” John said, before stepping back and preparing to take off again. But before he could do anything, Roggie ran up and hugged him. John was in a state of shock for a moment. Cogs never, ever, ever hugged one another. John had never been hugged in his entire life, and he knew that any other cog would be absolutely disgusted by just the thought of it. But somehow, he felt good. He felt really good. He could feel his arms curl around Roggie’s body, hugging him back. It wasn’t like anything John had felt before.

When they had separated, Roggie had a goofy grin on his face. John could see the tint of red on his cheek, and felt his own face begin to warm.

“Goodnight, John.”

“Goodnight, Roggie.”

But suddenly…

“HEY! COG!”

Lia Padfoot, the deer Roggie had known before, was standing there. And before Roggie or John could do anything, she threw a whole cream pie at John’s chest. 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 8:

WHAP!!! That was the sound of the cream pie, hitting John square in the chest and sending him flying backwards.

“OOF!” John grunted.

“JOHN!” Roggie screamed.

“ROGGIE?!” Lia hollered.

“LIA?!?!” Roggie yelled back.

“WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING?!” Lia threw her hands up in confusion.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT JOHN?!?!”

“WHO’S JOHN???”

John lay on the street, completely stunned out of his mind. He’d been hit before, but only during his training. It was always a blunt shock, followed by an electrifying pain inside him. And he had only been hit by cupcakes in training. This was a whole cream pie, and he lay there, fearing the worst.

“John! Please tell me you’re okay!” Roggie ran to his side, looking up and down his body, terrified for the cog. Lia was looking on, getting more and more confused every second.

But suddenly, John started to laugh.

Now it was Roggie’s turn to be confused. He and Lia watched on, dumbfounded, as John sat up, clutching his stomach and laughing hysterically. Little did they know, John was just as confused as they were. As his laughter began to die down a bit, he turned and looked at both of the toons, and then down at his maintenance light. It shone a perfect, bright shade of green.

“No way,” Lia began, shaking her head. “No way! That’s only a level 8 and my cream pies are ORGANIC!!!” Her voice got louder and louder with frustration and confusion. “What the hell kind of cog are you?!”

“I wish I knew,” John said, standing up and brushing himself off. In doing so, though, Lia armed herself with another cream pie, getting into an aggressive stance.

“Don’t you move any closer, cog. We could do this all night.”

“WAIT!” Roggie yelled, getting in between Lia and John. “Lia, put your gags down!” Lia gave him an incredulous look. “He’s….. He’s with me.”

“He’s with you??? Roggie, HAVE YOU GONE INSANE?!?!” The short deer shouted, refusing to put down her gags.

“Just put down your gags, please!” Roggie pleaded. “He won’t hurt you! He’s not like the others!” Lia still didn’t look convinced, but she slowly began to lower her arm, glaring daggers into John’s eyes. Suddenly, her ears pricked up. John and Roggie heard the noise too. It was a night watch toon, coming around the corner to patrol the streets.

Before Lia could protest, Roggie clamped a hand over her mouth, grabbed her arm, and dragged her into the alleyway. John followed close behind, and all three tumbled into the narrow alleyway, escaping the vigil of the night watch.

“We’ve just been hanging out, that’s all.” Roggie said. 10 minutes had passed, and Lia was sitting against the wall while Roggie and John went on explaining everything that she had seen. Her expression was a mix of shock and anger and intrigue. Roggie couldn’t tell if that was a bad thing or a good thing.

“This is illegal, Roggie.” Lia finally spoke slowly. Roggie grimaced a bit, looking down at his feet.

“I know,” He whispered. John lay a hand on his shoulder, which only made Lia look more disgusted.

“Roggie, this isn’t RIGHT. If you were caught hanging out with that cog--”

“John.” John said, his brow furrowed. Lia huffed, and continued.

“If you were caught hanging out with JOHN, you’d be in really big trouble!” She exclaimed. “Only a few toons have done what you’ve done, and no one knows what happened to them when they were caught. You know that! And look at what they’ve done to us,” She vented. “They’re the ENEMY, Roggie! They’re fighting us and making us miserable, and you have the nerve to BEFRIEND one of them??? How could you betray your own kind?! You’re a traitor!!!!” At that remark, John sprang up and towered over Lia.

“Do NOT call him a traitor. DO NOT call him that!” John threatened the deer.

“John, stop it!” Roggie demanded.

“What else am I supposed to call him?! He’s hanging out with you and making the war effort seem like a JOKE!” Lia spat back at him. John was seething with rage, and reached into his pocket for his half windsor.

“I’M WARNING YOU, TOON!”

“BOTH OF YOU STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!” Roggie screamed as loud as he could. Lia and John both turned their heads to Roggie, surprised. Roggie was breathing hard, his fists curled into tight balls. John was in shock. He had never heard Roggie scream like that.

“I’m sorry,” John mumbled, moving away from Lia, and putting his tie back into his pocket. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t…” He trailed off, sinking down onto the ground.

“No, it’s my fault. This is a lot to take in.” Lia said, running a hand through her head. “First things first,” She gestured towards John, “How the hell were you completely fine after being hit with a whole cream pie?!”

“That’s also on my mind,” Roggie said, looking at John expectantly. John sighed, not knowing what to say.

“I think…” He started. He shook his head, thinking about how stupid it sounded, but went on anyway. “I think I’m spending so much time with you, Roggie, that it’s somehow rubbing off on my electronics. I’m developing a sort of resistance to that stuff, I think. That’s all I can think of to explain it.” John looked up at both toons. Roggie had a look of absolute fascination, while Lia looked even more terrified.

“That is really bad for us.” Lia said.

“I can see why. If the VP knew that this could happen…” John trailed off. Everyone knew what he was thinking.

“Guys,” Roggie murmured. “We’ve got to stay cool about this. Lia, please don’t tell anyone. Can you promise me that?” Lia looked at him and sighed. “Please???”

“Alright, I promise I won’t tell anyone about this,” She said. “But what you guys are doing is really dangerous.”

“We know,” John said. “We’re doing our best not to get caught.”

“Thank you, Lia.” Roggie mumbled. Lia stood up, smoothing out her shirt and looking at the both of them.

“Well, you are right about something,” She said. “This war’s been going on for so long. I hardly remember why we’re fighting it sometimes,” She turned and looked to the sky. “It’s getting late. We should be going.” The others nodded in agreement.

John extended his propellers again and took off into the night sky, waving at the both of them.

“Roggie,” Lia said, before putting down a black hole. “This is more than friendship, isn’t it?” Roggie froze. “It’s alright if it is, I was just curious.”

“I… I think it is. I’d like it to be,” Roggie whispered. “But you’re right, it’s super dangerous. That even more than just being friends.” Lia sighed.

“Stay safe, Roggie.” She said, before warping back to her estate.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 9:

Roggie and John, still perplexed by John’s newfound resistance to gags that would otherwise decimate him, decided to hold an experiment. Roggie was both excited and nervous about it. He was excited because he and John would get to see how much they had rubbed off on one another, and if they had truly become resistant to their attacks.

He was nervous because John would be coming to his estate for this to happen. 

Logically, it’d be pretty alarming for a cog to fly into a toon’s estate. In fact, the cogs didn’t even know where toon estates were. Seeing a cog flying overhead and into an estate would cause a massive panic among the toons, and Roggie and John didn’t want that. So, John would have to use Roggie’s method of transport: Black Holes.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” John muttered. They met back in the alleyway, preparing to teleport. 

“It should. You just gotta jump in, wait a bit, and then it’ll boost you back out. It’s kinda fun, actually,” Roggie said, taking a black hole and throwing it down to the ground. “You go first, and I’ll come after you. Sound good?”

“Uh…” John said, staring down at the hole apprehensively. Roggie peered curiously at his face. “Do you think we could go together?” Roggie was a bit taken aback at that. “Actually, it’s okay, I can just--”

“No, wait,” Roggie said. He picked up the little black hole, pulled and stretched it as far as he could, and threw the much wider hole back onto the ground. “Take my hands, John.”  John did as he was told, a slight blush coming to his face. “On the count of three, jump in with me. Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Alright. One, Two, THREE!” John tried his very best to mimic Roggie’s smooth hop. As the both of them slipped in, John panicked a little, as the two were engulfed with darkness. 

“Roggie, what’s happening?!” John said, unknowingly scooting up a lot closer to the crocodile and trying to find his companion.

“It’s okay John, this is normal. See? The hole’s opened up again!” Sure enough, the dark space became flooded with light, and John felt himself and Roggie get pushed up through the opening and land on their feet. 

John now looked around his new surroundings. He was in a lovely, green place, bordered by a cobblestone wall. A little stream ran through the land, and a lovely little home sat on a hill next to the stream.

“You live here?” John whispered in awe. He was still standing very close to Roggie, holding his hands. 

“All toons get a little estate like this,” Roggie said, looking around. “It’s pretty nice.”

“It’s beautiful.” John whispered, looking down at Roggie’s face. Roggie looked up at John’s face, smiling a little. Their faces were both so close…

Suddenly, Roggie blushed, realizing how close he was standing to John. He backed away quickly, looking down at the ground in embarrassment. “We should probably get to testing,” He set his gag bag on the ground and began to take out various gags; There were cream pies, fruit pies, fire hoses, squirt guns, seltzer bottles, marbles, rakes, and various other types of gags.  

“How much did all that cost you?” John looked on, chuckling. Roggie shrugged, a carefree smile on his face. 

“They all cost the same. One jellybean each. It’s never super expensive,” He said. “Did you bring your stuff?” John nodded, and took out his tie to place amongst the gags. “That’s it?”

“Remember, my type does a lot of stomping attacks,” John said. “I was thinking of stealing some of the other sellbots’ equipment, but I decided not to.”

“Alright,” said Roggie. “You can test me first.” 

“Wait, what? How about you test me first?”

“No, you can try it on me first!”

“What if I accidentally hurt you?”

The two went back and forth like that for quite some time, until John brought up that they both knew for sure that a whole cream pie wouldn’t affect him, and therefore he should be the one to go first. So Roggie stood back a few feet from where John was standing, and picked up a cream pie. 

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

Roggie threw the cream pie with all the force he could muster. Just like the night before, it hit him in the chest and he flew backwards into the mattress they had set up to cushion their fall. And just like last time, John began to laugh hysterically.

“HOW DO YOU FEEL?” Roggie yelled. 

“I FEEL GREAT!” John yelled back. “IT TICKLES A LOT!” He sprung back on his feet, a big smile on his face. “Back in testing, the cupcakes they’d throw at us would make us feel this electrifying pain. It was awful. But now it only tickles!” He peered down at his maintenance light, which was still glowing a bright green. 

“Alright, so whole cream pies don’t affect you in the slightest, it looks like,” Roggie said. “How about squirt gags? They don’t deal as much damage as throws, but let’s try.”

John spent the next 15 minutes getting doused, battered, trapped and tripped, and he swore that he couldn’t feel a bit of pain. His maintenance light remained green as ever. 

“There’s got to be stronger gags than these, right?” John said, brushing a banana skin from the bottom of his shoe. Roggie nodded.

“There’s more, yeah. But I have to reach certain qualifications in order to get them,” He said. “Well anyway, it’s time for you to try on me now!” John nodded briskly, gathering his tie.

“Stand there,” John instructed, pointing a few feet in front of him. Roggie did as he was told, a little nervous about what was to come. “Well Roggie, your toonlike ways have rubbed off on me. Let’s see if my coglike ways have rubbed off on you…” And with that, John began to stomp on the ground. Though it was rather light, Roggie could feel the ground vibrating beneath him. It rose to a stronger tremor, and Roggie found himself losing his balance. John nearly stopped, fearing that he would get hurt.

Instead, when Roggie fell, he began to laugh. The shaking ground felt a bit like a trampoline, and as Roggie bounced around, he was filled with quite a bit of joy. 

“How was that?” John said, relieved that Roggie didn’t seem to be feeling any pain.

“It felt like I was on a trampoline!” Roggie giggled, hopping back on his feet. “C’mon, you’ve gotta have more than that!” 

“If you insist,” John chuckled, stomping his feet again. Roggie, like John did, would spend the next minutes getting tossed around, getting the half-windsor thrown at him, and being mind-stormed. 

“Is that all you got?” Roggie teased. He was feeling completely fine after the fact. 

“I have one more, but I’m not gonna use it right now. I think it’s too strong. It’s the strongest move I have.” John said. 

“What’s it like?”

“It’s like Tremor and Shake. It’s called a Quake. The Earthquake, the strongest of them all.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 10:

So John and Roggie had figured out this strange resistance they had acquired, and they continued to meet up where they always had. This new resistance had its pros because Roggie knew that there would now be a lower chance of John getting destroyed in battle. Not that John had been engaging in battle lately-- he was avoiding it at all costs. 

But of course, there were cons too. If anyone else were to find out that this was happening, especially John and Roggie’s higher-ups, they could use it to their advantage and escalate the conflict between toons and cogs. That was a terrifying thought that stuck with them, always.

So it came to no surprise that John was terrified when he recieved a message from the VP, asking to meet with him at Sellbot HQ.

At the VP’s office, he trembled slightly, fidgeting with his sleeves. The VP, far more gargantuan than him, paced around slowly.

“S5-8-12,” He began. John shuddered. He had completely forgotten about his code name since he spent so much time with Roggie, away from the other cogs.

“S5-8-12, you’ve always been a good one,” The VP continued. “You’ve been loyal, diligent, hard working… yet I’m reading through your log and it seems your activity has decreased a great amount. Why is that?” John shifted uncomfortably. He was terrified that this would be the end. He couldn’t figure out what to say to that.

“Well… uhm…” He began, thinking of an excuse. “I’ve been… doing research.”

“Research?”

“Yes…” John continued. “I’m studying toons more in depth. I’m trying to see exactly what makes them strong, what makes them powerful.” And technically, it was true. He had that afternoon of running trials with Roggie, after all.

“Have you found anything new?” The VP peered at him curiously now. John took a shaky breath, then spoke.

“Well, I’ve found that some toons are…” John trailed off. He was struggling to think of something. He really was. “Some toons have developed a resistance to cog attacks.” DRAT!!! He thought to himself. Why did I say that?! What have I done?!?!

“Really!” The VP looked pleased with John’s answer. “Well, that certainly explains some things. I commend you, S5-8-12, for making this discovery!” His voice boomed. John smiled nervously, though inside he was screaming with guilt and regret.

“Perhaps if you keep studying these toons you’ve run into, we can make use of that,” The VP said, pacing again. “For your efforts to the cog’s cause, I give you a promotion. You are no longer S5-8-12, but S5-9-12. A level 9 cog! You should be very proud of yourself.” 

John was absolutely not proud of himself.

“You know the drill by now,” The VP continued, printing a slip of paper from a little machine and handing it to John. “Head down to the factories. They’ll get you all set up to be a level 9.”

So John left the office, staring down at the floor in absolute terror. What have I done, Roggie? What have I done???

The VP watched as John left the building. Though he was genuinely proud of the mover and shaker, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of suspicion. He picked up a telephone sitting on his desk and dialed in a number.

“VP to headquarters,” The VP spoke when the other end picked up. “I need some surveillance on S5-9-12.”

Roggie, meanwhile, was waiting in the alleyway as always. It had been nearly a month since he and John had been hanging out, and everyday without fail, John would be there. So today, when John didn’t show up, he became very worried very fast.

He shifted around nervously, glancing from side to side. Any minute now, he should be here , he kept telling himself for the last half an hour. It was getting to be later and later, and Roggie was growing more nervous with each passing minute.

He was beginning to panic. 

When he finally couldn’t bear it, he stood up and threw a black hole down to take him to Daisy Gardens. He wasn’t exactly thinking straight, but he thought perhaps he could find John back at Sellbot HQ. 

So he ran towards the headquarters and looked around when he arrived there. Long ago, he would’ve found this to be a pretty gross place-- which it still was, a little bit, but now Roggie had a bit of an appreciation for the sleek doors and buildings, the vast interlocking pipes and shafts that surrounded the place. No doubt about it, all that time he spent with John was rubbing off on him. 

Roggie, still without a plan, wandered into the factory entrance. Toons stood idly by, waiting to form groups with people. As soon as he arrived, he was approached by multiple toons, asking if he wanted to head in and fight some cogs. Roggie declined all of their offers. Though he was met with stares, he couldn’t lose focus on his mission.

But then, a stroke of luck. Roggie wasn’t sure he believed much in luck, but boy he was lucky this time around. Because soon enough, John himself came around the corner. He knew it was him, because the second the cog caught sight of the toon, he froze, staring at him. 

“JOHN!” Roggie shouted, without thinking at all. He instantly realized his mistake, as the cog tensed in fear, and he heard the murmurs of confusion from the toons behind him. Roggie was petrified. He didn’t know what to do. He only ran off, running past cogs that were marching up and down the place, and then hiding behind some piping.

John, on the other hand, turned around and walked in Roggie’s direction, being careful not to draw attention to himself. Then, when he was sure he was out of the sight of the toons and other cogs, he broke into a run towards Roggie.

“Roggie, what are you doing here?” John whispered, crouching behind the piping. 

“I… You didn’t come to the alley. I got scared. I wanted to find you.” Roggie admitted. John sighed, looking down at the floor.

“I know… I’m sorry. I couldn’t figure out how to let you know,” John mumbled. “The VP called me in. He wanted to speak to me.” Roggie nodded, staring up into John’s eyes… then, he caught sight of his clothes.

“Are these… new?” Roggie muttered, examining John’s suit. It was noticeably cleaner and brighter than his old one, and the cuffs were styled differently. John smiled a little.

“Yeah. I got promoted,” John said. “I'm level 9 now. They gave me a new suit and did some adjustments on my electronics.”

“It looks great. You look great,” Roggie murmured, once again looking into John’s eyes. 

“Thank you, Roggie.” John softly replied, meeting Roggie’s gaze.

John’s eyes, John’s eyes filled with brilliance and a little sparkle… John’s eyes that met his own, that sent his heart tumbling in his chest… It felt like Roggie could get lost in his eyes forever…

“So, what did the VP want to talk about?” Roggie broke the silence, sitting down on the floor, waiting to hear John’s humorous take on a dull work story.

Instead, John tensed up. His eyes lost that sparkle that was there moments before. He stared down at the floor again, visibly dismayed. 

“Uh…” He mumbled.

“...John?” Roggie whispered, getting concerned. The cog looked away, as if in a battle with himself. “John, what’s wrong?”

John’s fists were curling back and forth. He couldn’t lie to Roggie. He had to tell him the truth.

“The VP noticed I wasn’t doing much. He wanted to question me, ask me what I had been up to…” John trailed off, terrified to look his dear Roggie in the eyes…

“I did something awful, Roggie…” John wanted to go on, but suddenly both of them heard a clang and a shout. They looked around the piping to see four cogs and four toons, furiously engaged in a battle. These days, the sight of battle sickened Roggie and John to their stomachs.

“Come on. Let’s go to my place, John.” Roggie threw down a black hole for the both of them to go through, and they quickly warped away from the Sellbot HQ.

But they did not go unnoticed. 

A Name Dropper was peering at the two of them from behind a wall, analyzing them. When she saw them warp, she pulled out a small cellphone.

“This is S3-6-48 to Sellbot HQ. I’ve found the target and am in pursuit.” And with that, she ejected her propellers and took to the sky.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 11: 

“You… you told him?”

“More or less, yes.” 

“But how haven’t you been punished?” Roggie’s face was inscrutable. John couldn’t tell if he was angry, or sad, or worried, or maybe all of it together.

“Well, all the VP knows is that some toons have developed a resistance to cog attacks. He doesn’t know that I know this because of the time I’ve spent with you, Roggie. Even so…” John trailed off.

“I messed up big time, Roggie. I really messed it all up.”

Roggie stared down at the ground, hard. He could hear Lia’s warning voice in the back of his head, combined with his own anxious thoughts. It was overwhelming. It was as though all of his thoughts were choking him.

“No,” Roggie whispered. 

“No?”

“No, you haven’t messed it up,” Roggie stood up and started pacing. “You haven’t messed it up because things are going to be alright. Because we can figure this out. Things are going to be perfect.”

“What?”

“They will be!” Roggie shouted. “You’ll see. The VP only knows that much. The toons don’t know anything except for Lia. Things will be fine.”

“Roggie…”

“We’ll run away. That’s what we’ll do. We’ll leave this place, we’ll leave the war behind, we’ll leave the cogs and the toons behind. We’ll find somewhere that we can be together without anyone to tell us we can’t. Maybe it’ll be out in the woods! Who knows? But they won’t miss us! No, they would hardly notice we’ve gone missing. And if they ever do, they wouldn’t have any way to track us down.” Roggie’s voice was getting louder and shakier with each word he spoke. 

“Roggie!” John kept trying to get him to stop.

“AND WE’LL BE HAPPY! WE’LL LIVE OUT OUR LIVES AND THEN DIE SOMEDAY AND THEN IF ANYONE EVER FINDS OUR REMAINS, IT’LL SHOW THE WORLD THAT COGS AND TOONS DON’T NEED TO FIGHT! IT’LL SHOW EM THAT COGS AND TOONS CAN LIVE TOGETHER AND LOVE TOGETHER AND LIVE IN HARMONY!!!” Roggie couldn’t stop the words that came out of his mouth. “WE DON’T NEED A VP! WE DON’T NEED A MAYOR! WE DON’T NEED THEM!”

John watched as Roggie bent over, taking deep, shuddering breaths. He walked up to the crocodile.

“Roggie…” He tried again. Roggie looked up at John, tears brimming his eyes.

“Why can’t they just let us be, John?” He finally broke down, as John slipped his arms around him. He held the sobbing toon like that for what seemed like hours on end. 

Roggie couldn’t believe it. Somehow, what he had been taught his whole life was only now beginning to sting him. What started out like a sort of game, illegally sneaking away to spend time with a cog, turned into a need that Roggie just couldn’t replenish the way he had been doing. 

As he pressed his face into John’s chest, he kept saying the same thing to himself over and over again: Why? Why can’t things be alright? Why does this have to be the way it is?  

“I love you, Roggie,” He heard John whisper. “I love you very much, dear.” 

If not for their most unfortunate circumstances, Roggie would’ve been elated to hear those words right now. Even so, his choked sobs paused for a moment as he stared back into John’s eyes, a warmth spreading through his chest. 

“John…” He managed to sputter out, “I love you too.”

They held each other there, in Roggie’s estate. There were no words. Roggie’s tears still flowed a little. In that moment, John stretched out his hand and wiped the crocodile’s cheek dry. 

How could one’s heart feel so full, yet so broken at the same time?

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next,” John murmured, “But I promise that I will be by your side every step of the way. Whether the future holds promise, or despair.”

“Heh…” Roggie whispered. “I thought it was the toon’s job to look on the bright side.” 

“You’d be surprised,” John murmured. 

They laughed and laughed, a sense of ease washing over them. The setting sun made them glow. 

“We’ve got each other, and that’s all that we need right now,” Roggie whispered, his eyes glinting in the sunlight. His hand moved to John’s chest, John’s hands on his chest…

As their lips touched for the first time ever, they were no longer aware of anything around them. It was just them right there in that moment. Cog and Toon. Toon and Cog. 

They weren’t aware of the set of electronic eyes that watched them from afar. 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 12:

John flew in the air, headed back to Sellbot HQ. The wind was whistling and his propellers were whirring, but other than that it was silent. Which he appreciated, especially tonight. It gave him time to think over everything he and Roggie had spoken about.

They made a plan to escape.

It was rather simple: John would retreat back to his quarters. There, he would begin to pack the few things that he had in his possession that he would need-- Cogs all had charging ports that had been recently upgraded to harness solar energy, and they were easily transported. It was perfect to bring along with him. 

He would have to steal some oil and spare gears from the factories. That was a big sin for cogs. All of them needed to share their resources, and stealing was an act of pure blasphemy. But John didn’t care for the other cogs anymore. He would have little problem doing the deed.

Roggie, meanwhile, would pack his things too. After thinking it over, he decided that Cagney was going with him and John. He couldn’t just leave the poor doodle behind. Besides, suspicion would arise if he returned Cagney to the petstore and then be nowhere to be found.

Once Roggie and John had everything ready, they would both meet on Oak street at midnight. This was the tricky part. They needed to duck into an alleyway and stay out of sight. Roggie would then call Cagney through his black hole, and when the doodle leapt out Roggie would grab him and take John’s hand, and John would eject his propellers and they would all take to the skies, off to find somewhere beyond Toontown and beyond the land of Cogs.

The plan was as perfect as they could make it. And yet, things went wrong.

The sun was rising when John made it back to sellbot HQ. He quickly retired to his own base, knowing things would be alright and that he would soon be with Roggie that night.

But the moment he saw the Vice President standing there, with his strongest cogs at his side, seemingly waiting for his arrival, he knew something had gone terribly wrong.

“Identification, please.” A Mr. Hollywood approached John. It seemed that other high-level cogs were doing the same to all the other cogs. But even so, John panicked.

They were looking for him. John took a single step backwards, the fear evident in his face. He saw the raised eyebrow of the Mr. Hollywood. He saw the VP glaring in his direction.

“GET HIM!” The VP roared, pointing a single finger at John. 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 13:

Lia Padfoot was beginning to think less and less of John and Roggie. The worry still sat in the back of her mind about them, of course. What they were doing was highly illegal on both sides. 

But some time had passed and it seemed that they both had things under control. 

That is, until today. 

She was watching a battle from the sides, wondering if she should get involved. She had only a few gags and it looked like the other toons were winning, so she was about to head off until she heard a distant thumping. 

The cogs and toons all stopped and looked towards the source of the noise, just as confused as Lia.

Suddenly, they watched as a lone Mover-And-Shaker cog sprinted round the corner, a look of wild desperation in his eyes. Soon after, some high-level Sellbots rounded the corner. The other toons murmured in confusion. This wasn’t an invasion, was it? 

Lia immediately realized who the lone cog was. But before she could call out to John, she heard the other toons scream in fear. She looked behind, and her ears drooped in shock. 

Toons all around her were throwing down black holes and running in panic. 

The VP was charging down the streets of Toontown. 

Roggie was at his estate, packing away his things in a small back. Tonight was the night he was going to flee the world he had been raised in, the only world he knew. 

He looked at his estate, made with colorful wood and surrounded by flowers. It all sickened Roggie. How could he have thought this world was perfect?

He was scared, to be honest. He didn’t know what the future had in store for him and John. But there was no future at all if they stayed here. No future worth living, anyway. 

So he continued to pack his things, when he suddenly received a message. He furrowed his brow. Who could be messaging him right now?

Lia: ROGGIE GET TO TOONTOWN CENTRAL NOW

Lia: JOHN IS IN TROUBLE. YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME. THE VP HAS COME ONTO THE STREETS. 

All at once, the blood in Roggie’s body ran ice cold. The VP? On the streets?? JOHN IN TROUBLE????

He frantically threw down a black hole for toontown central and warped on through. 

When he arrived at the playground, he was taken aback at the mess before his eyes. 

Some of the most elite-level Toons were frantically crowding the gag shop, getting whatever they could get their hands on. 

Other lower level Toons were huddled together. Some were crying. 

And the HQ was broadcasting the same message, over and over: VP HAS BEEN SPOTTED ON THE STREETS. ARM YOURSELVES AND STAY SAFE. 

Roggie ran to the nearest toon and asked, “Where’s the VP?”

“Over on Punchline Place,” the toon answered. Roggie didn’t even have time to thank him. He sprinted towards the tunnel leading to the street. 

“Hey, you need to stay in the playground-” A Toon tried to stop Roggie, but he had burst through the tunnel already. 

Stepping out on the road, he frantically ran and ran until he heard the sound of Toons getting ready for battle got louder. He arrived upon some elite toons getting ready to take on the VP, wherever he was. But Roggie ran right past them, to the confusion of those toons. 

He finally spotted the robot behemoth in a culdesac. 

Mayor Flippy was there too, along with a group of other elite toons, all ready to fight the VP. 

“No need to worry, old mayor,” The VP sneered. “I’m not here to fight you. I’m here to get rid of a little snag in my plans.”

And there, in the corner of two buildings, was John. He was slumped against the wall, his maintenance light orange. 

Roggie was overcome with grief. It had all gone so terribly wrong. He couldn’t stop his legs, nor his voice, at that point. 

The VP raised his arm, gears in hand. 

“NOOO!” Roggie screamed, and he did something to make everyone at the scene, Toons and Cogs and VP alike, gasp and shake their heads in confusion. 

Roggie sprinted up to John and threw his body over him. 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 14: 

The silence was absolutely deafening. 

If anyone knew what to do, no one was doing it. That was absolutely certain. Including Roggie. He didn’t know what to do.

He only remained frozen, his body curled over the half-conscious cog beneath him. He heard nothing but the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest. 

“What in the world…” He heard the robotic voice of the VP behind him. Roggie slowly turned his head, and saw the VP staring back at him in disgust.

“TOONS! ATTACK!” Suddenly, as though a stick of dynamite exploded, Mayor Flippy roared out and the elite toons began to charge forward, whole cream pies in hand, taking out the other cogs nearby. Roggie watched as pies and gears flew about the street.

This was unlike any battle Roggie or John had ever been in. This was complete chaos. Roggie could barely take his eyes off the sight, until he heard the faint voice of John underneath him.

“Roggie…” He whispered. At that, tears pricked the edges of Roggie’s eyes. His hand came to John’s cheek.

“You’re going to be alright, John,” Roggie whispered. John’s eyes were about half-open, struggling to focus.

“I screwed it up… I’m sorry Roggie.” He whimpered. 

“It’s not your fault,” Roggie said. “None of this is. John, none of this is our fault.” Neither one of them paid much attention to the battle that raged on behind them. “It’s just like you said, yeah? Whatever the future holds for us, we’ll be on each other’s side, yeah?” 

Though John struggled to look at Roggie, the moment he caught a clear glimpse of him, he could feel a sort of warmth in his chest. It felt good. It felt really good. It spread from his chest, down his sides, all through his arms and legs and into his face. 

Roggie gasped softly. “John… your light!”

John’s maintenance light shined a bright, beautiful green. 

He felt infinitely stronger now. He felt so very strong! He took Roggie’s face in his hands and kissed him hard. And he began to rise to his feet.

“The promise I made to you is one I will not break, Roggie. I’ll keep it to the very last second,” John mused. “Thank you. For everything.”

“Of course, John. I love you.” Roggie murmured. He leaned into the cog’s side, his head on his chest…

Suddenly, two voices arose amongst the chaos in front of them.

“You’re sick. You’re an absolute monster,” Mayor Flippy growled. “You would dare to string along one of our own to further your regime?! You’ll pay for this!”

“Whatever are you talking about?!” The VP roared. “I had no business in whatever we just saw! This was a set up! An act! You’re the one who took advantage of a cog!” 

“An ACT?!?! What, you think I’d stoop as low as you?!” Mayor Flippy retaliated. “Now, we know it’d do a great amount of good if you got rid of that cog!”

“Get rid of your toon, first! Get rid of that…” But then, the VP trailed off. He was staring dumbfounded at John and Roggie. Mayor Flippy was about to say something else, but he too fell silent.

In fact, all the toons and cogs stopped fighting to see what had become of the crocodile and the mover-and-shaker.

“You’re not getting rid of either of us.” 

John, his strength rejuvenated and his maintenance light green, stood tall and strong. Roggie stood tall and strong right beside him, holding his hand. 

“You’re not getting rid of us by force. We are choosing to leave. This is no life that interests the both of us. So let us leave in peace.” John spoke slowly and confidently. For a while, no one knew what to say.

But the VP threw his head back and cackled. 

“You think I’ll just let you go, you defective cog? I’ll have your hard drive wiped clean, you hear me?!” He roared, arming his gears to strike again.

Roggie stared out at all the toons. They were mostly focused on the other cogs, but Mayor Flippy’s expression was one of anger. He couldn’t help but remember what Lia had told him, all those months ago: Only a few toons have done what you’ve done, and no one knows what happened to them when they were caught.

But still, John remained determined. He was not afraid. 

“So be it, then.” And at that moment, John grabbed Roggie and hoisted him up in his arms.

Before Roggie could register what was happening, John was suddenly up in the air. Had he activated his propellers???

But as soon as John leapt in the air, he was coming back down again. And that’s when Roggie suddenly realized what was happening.

John’s feet hit the ground and sent an earthquake all throughout the street.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 15: 

If not for the dire situation they were in, Roggie would have found the sight before him glorious.

John’s feet sent shockwaves through the ground. They were barely visible to the eye, but Roggie could see toons and cogs toppling over as the waves ran through them. Clearly, no one was prepared for such an earthquake.

And what an earthquake it was. Even the VP, behemoth as he was, nearly toppled onto his side. The rumbling of the ground was almost deafening, and yet Roggie didn’t dare to cover his ears. 

John gave the ground one final stomp. He stood with Roggie still in his arms, panting and watching the earthquake do it’s magic. 

“We have to go. NOW.” Roggie urged John. 

“You’re right.” 

And so, John put Roggie back down on the ground and they both took off. 

“Hey! HEY!” Roggie heard Mayor Flippy yell. But he couldn’t stop. 

“You IDIOTS! GO AFTER THEM!” The VP ordered. 

John didn’t dare look behind him. He knew that the cogs and toons were starting to recover and prepare to chase them, which only made him run faster. 

Down the streets of Punchline Place they went. They ducked into an alleyway, hiding behind a building and listening to the shouts and footsteps of the other cogs and toons.

“Get Cagney.” John hissed.

“I… I don’t think we have time.” Roggie whispered back. They could hear the others searching for them. It was only a matter of time before they searched the alley. “Cagney will be safe. The pet store will take him in. They’ll take care of him.” Roggie mumbled. It seemed as though he was mostly mumbling to himself.

“Alright… then, hold on tight,” John sighed. Roggie did as he was told, hopping onto John’s back. This was the moment they were preparing for, and even though so much went wrong, it was still happening. John and Roggie were still and silent for a moment, as though saying a silent goodbye to the world they knew.

Then, John ejected his propellers. Despite their circumstances, there was a sense of excitement that sat deep in the core of John and Roggie.

 “Off we go.” 

And they were airborne. Roggie looked down at the streets as John’s propellers took them higher into the sky. The streets he once loved, the streets he once roamed, they were nothing but a warzone. And at last, Roggie could leave it all behind him.

John wasn’t focused on the ground. He was focused on the sky ahead of him, focused on keeping Roggie safe. He was focused on whatever would come next.

What lay out there, way beyond the streets? What wonders would Roggie and John find waiting for them, wherever they went? Perhaps they would find another civilization like Toontown and the land of the cogs. But perhaps that civilization would be welcoming to both of them. Perhaps it would be a land where anyone and everyone walked the same streets in peace, where there were no battles or dread, where one could love another regardless of where they came from. 

Perhaps no such civilization existed. Or, perhaps John and Roggie would create that civilization. Together.

The VP has just gotten back up from the ground. Reorienting himself, he stared around the streets to see that no one had any luck in finding the rebel toon and cog. Mayor Flippy was barking orders to other toons. He certainly didn’t have any idea where they were either.

Then suddenly, the VP saw something in the corner of his eye. It was a little black figure in the sky, floating high up and moving towards the playground. He squinted at the little figure, and immediately realized what he was looking at. Without thinking, the VP screamed, “THERE! THERE! IN THE SKY!” 

“They’ve spotted us, John!” Roggie cried out, looking down behind him. Sure enough, the crowd of cogs and toons began to run after the pair. 

The VP began to arm his gears.

“It’s okay!” John shouted. “We’ll fly over the playground! It’ll at least keep most of the cogs at bay!” In the back of his mind, though, there was the possibility that the VP would invade the playground. But John didn’t want to think about that. 

“They’re getting close!” Roggie shouted. John strained to speed up his propellers, approaching the top of the tunnel quicker and quicker. 

“We’re almost there!” John yelled. 

But they didn’t make it fast enough.

The VP raised his arm and sent a plethora of gears, while Mayor Flippy grabbed a geyser button and shot a stream of water at John and Roggie.

The cogs and toons on the ground watched as the gears hit Roggie in the back of his head, while the water blasted John right on his torso.

“Is the VP gone yet?” Meanwhile, the toons that were waiting in the playground were brimming with anxiety. So far, none of them had any idea of what was happening.

“Look! Look up there!” One toon suddenly shouted. All the toons in the playground looked up at the sky. There were gasps and screams at the sight above them.

John was only vaguely aware of the pain inside his chest. 

Lia Padfoot stared up at the sky. She couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing, even if the sight of a cog and toon together like this wasn’t new to her.

Roggie could feel his head swimming. Black spots were appearing in his vision.

John tried to keep his propellers going as best as he could, but his circuits were jamming. Every fiber in his body was telling him that he was shutting down.

He didn’t want to give up, though. He struggled on with all his might.

Roggie was barely registering anything around him. His grip on John was beginning to loosen. He looked down, and though he could barely focus his eyes, he could still see the blurred image of hundreds of toons pointing at him and John. He thought he saw Lia down among them.

He could also see that with each passing second, they were getting closer and closer to the ground.

Roggie could barely move. His muscles were heavy and his strength was fading fast.

John began to lurch forward. All the exertion was too much for him. His circuits were rapidly failing. He could no longer keep his propellers going.

With what little strength he had left, John turned around to see Roggie, half-lidded and dazed, staring right back at him.

Roggie tried to reach out, tried to ignore the ground getting closer and closer, while John let his head bump into Roggie’s chest. He felt Roggie’s hand come to his face… 

The toons in the playground watched in horror as John and Roggie crashed into the ground, a massive explosion erupting from the impact.

Chapter Text

EPILOGUE:

Toons ran up and down the streets, chattering excitedly.

Cogs marched robotically down the streets, looking for which toon to pick on.

Lia Padfoot stood on the sidewalk, watching them all. She had no interest in the dreary streets of Donald’s Dreamland. She needed some gags, anyway. So she picked up her black hole and warped to Toontown Central’s playground.

The playground was as vibrant as ever. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and toons ran around, playing and talking and laughing. Lia walked among them all, making her way to the gag shop.

She stopped about 20 feet from the entrance. She always did this lately. She would stop and look down at the path, concentrating hard. Because once one looked hard enough, they could see that there was a small patch of bricks that were slightly different than the others on the path.

They were less eroded, and a little bit shinier. They were nearly brand new. They had been laid out barely a month ago.

Lia could stare at the bricks for hours. They served as a reminder to her of what happened nearly a month ago. It still felt like yesterday that it happened. 

She remembered watching a crew of toons clean out the area. She remembered seeing a small plate of metal being examined, before being thrown into the dumpster. 

She remembered fishing out that plate of metal, to find “S5-9-12” engraved on it. She remembered storing it in her pocket and running off to her estate.

Lia remembered staring at the plate for hours, turning it this way and that. She remembered grabbing a tough piece of stone and scratching out the code. She remembered writing “JOHN” on the metal, below the scratched-out code.

Lia remembered taking the piece of metal and burying it in her yard. She remembered the anger she felt when she realized that she had nothing of Roggie’s to bury with it. The crew had taken Roggie’s remains to some unknown place, which was another thing Lia was mad about. She was right when she said that no one knew what happened to toons who hung out with cogs. 

Lia bought her gags and began to walk towards the streets, lost in thought. She hated how the other toons seemed to just carry on as though nothing happened. Mayor Flippy himself barely spoke about what happened. Sure, he had the VP to deal with, but he never bothered to explain to the other toons about John and Roggie. 

Lia rounded the corner, looking down at the ground. Punchline Place was fairly quiet today. She only saw a few cogs marching down the streets, barely pausing to look at her… 

But suddenly, she froze. Up ahead on the road was a Name Dropper cog. 

Something wasn’t right about the cog, though. Instead of marching up and down the streets like the rest, she was staring into a cul de sac. 

Lia began to slowly approach the cog, her hands subconsciously raised. She had no interest in fighting at the moment. The cog raised her head to look at the small deer, then turned back to the cul de sac.

“This was the place that they cornered that mover-and-shaker.” The cog suddenly spoke. 

“Was it?” Lia slowly replied. “I wasn’t there.” The cog turned back to look at Lia.

“I was. That’s where the VP was about to take him out ‘fore that crocodile came and all hell broke loose. What a commotion. Those bricks are still scorched, dontcha see?” 

The cog was right. A few bricks still had subtle black marks on them. They hadn’t been replaced like the ones in the playground.

Lia and the cog stood silently for a moment, staring at the bricks. Lia couldn’t think of what to say for a while. The only thing she could think of was…

“I’m Lia. Lia Padfoot,” She said. The Name Dropper turned to look at her. “What’s your name?” The cog remained silent for a while. Lia was certain that she thought she was insane for asking her that. She was about to apologize and leave, but then the Name Dropper spoke again.

“The cogs know me as S3-6-48. But if you’d like to… you can call me Anne.”