Archive of Our Own

     "Tha Spine! Tha Spine!" Rabbit shouted as he burst into H.O.W. "Emergency! Emergency!!!" The Spine looked up at his brother. He was hunched over as Mr. Reed adjusted the screws and rivets on his back. Rabbit was flapping his arms and running around like a headless chicken, but The Spine and Mr. Reed didn't seem surprised by Rabbit's antics. Matt however, who had been standing near-by, was a different story. He was still new to all the chaos that ensued within the Walter manner and couldn't tell the difference between a real emergency and Rabbit being... well... Rabbit.

"What is it Rabbit?!" Matt was begging to panic, "a fire? A flood? A temporal rift caused by a blue matter leak that will destroy man-kind as we know it?!?!?!?!" The Spine and Mr. Reed just rolled their eyes. Those weren't emergencies.

"This is worse! Much worse!" Rabbit's miss-matched photo receptors were wide with panic. "Sh-sh-she...i-i-it... th-th-they..." he could barely get two words out.

"They? The Walter girls? Is one of them hurt?" Michael asked. The Spine stiffened and drew himself up to his full height.

"Is it miss Brianna?" He asked, a hint of distress in his voice.

"What? Brianna's hurt?!?!?!" Rabbit exclaimed, "W-where is she? What are we d-d-doing here? Let's g-go help her!"

"No Rabbit, what were you going to tell us? What's the emergency?" Michael asked, attempting to restore sanity to the room.

"W-what? Oh, yeah! They're g-g-gone!" Rabbit blurted, once more in a tizzy.

"The Walter girls?" Matt questioned.

"N-no!" if Rabbit had any hair, he would have been pulling it out. "M-my g-g-GOGGLES!!!!!" he screamed removing his hat, "s-s-see!!!" He pointed his top hat where his goggles usually were. Sure enough they were missing.

"Oh," The Spine said nonchalantly. Matt gave a long sigh of relief and Mr. Reed patted The Spine on the back, telling him to bend down so he could continue.

"That's not really an emergency Rabbit," Michael said matter-of-factly.

"Y-Y-YES IT I-IS!!!!!!" Rabbit insisted. He was suddenly on his knees, "you's gotta help me guys!" He looked on the verge of (oily) tears.

"Alright Rabbit, we'll help you," The Spine sighed. Rabbit was jubilant at his brother's response "Where did you see them last?"

"W-well, I h-had them in the music room during yesterday's p-practice."

"We'll start there then!" Michael lead them down halls, up stairs and through walls. (This is the Walter manner after all!) They had finally reached the music room where the 'bots would rehearse their music. They went in and found Steve Negrete fiddling with a new piece of sound equipment. He looked up and nodded his head in greeting.

"Great, you're here!" Steve exclaimed, "I need your help."

"And w-we need your help Steve! Have y-you seen my g-g-goggles?" Rabbit asked hopefully.

"Huh? Uh, no Rabbit, Sorry. You guys here to rehearse?"

"N-N-NO!!!! WE'RE L-L-LOOKING FOR MY G-GOGGLES!"

"He's going crazy looking for them," Matt explained, "you sure you haven't seen them?"

"Nope, I've been trying to fix this all morning. Will you give me a hand Matt? I think I've figured out a way to double the sound quality during a live show! But I can't seem to get the percussion levels right."

"Sure Steve! Oh, you don't mind do you Rabbit?"

"N-no, go ah-h-head Matt." Matt stayed in the music room as the others left to continue their search.

"Where to next Rabbit?"

"W-well, I had them when I went on the roof after rehearsing."

"How'd you get on the roof?"

"C-c'mon and I'll show you!" The three of them took the elevator to the top floor where they went into the library. Rabbit went to a dusty corner and opened a small door that The Spine and Michael had never noticed. They headed up a stair well that led to a small ladder leading to a small hatch, which opened to the roof. The three of them climbed out onto the roof and looked out over the manner grounds.

"Nu-uh!" shouted a voice from behind them. They turned to find Hatchworth in a heated debate with a panda. "I'm so glad you're here Michael! please tell this panda that five dollars is a perfectly fair price for bat meat!"

"Wait, what?????" Michael inquired.

"I'm trying to sell him this bat meat but we can't agree on a price!"

"Well... uh-"

"Have y-you seen my goggles Hatchy?"

"No. Michael!!!!" Hatchworth wined to the exasperated human.

"You stay here Michael, we'll keep looking," The Spine said as he and Rabbit made their way down the ladder.

"Wait guys!" Michael called as they shut the hatch. "Great."

"Michael!" 

     The two automatons went back to the elevator; The Spine pressed the button that would take them to the first floor.  Rabbit brooded the whole time in the elevator and as they walked into the living room.  The two brothers sat in silence on the plush red sofa.

"Can you remeber anywhere else Rabbit?" The Spine asked the slumped over automaton.  Rabbit just let out a puff of steam in reply.  "Hmm.  Your steam is looking a little thin, would you like some water?"

"I g-guess."

"I'll got get some from the kitchen then." The Spine got up and was about to make his way there, when Rabbit suddenly jumped up.  

"I've got it! I left them in the kitchen last night when I went to-" he cut himself off. His brother looked at him quizzicly, "tooooo... g-g-get some water..." The Spine glared at him, dissbelieving.  Rabbit took of into the other room, followed by his brother.  Rabbit rummaged through cuboards and drawers while The Spine filled two glasses with water.  "Where are they, where are they?" Rabbit began to panic. The Spine looked away from Rabbit, his photo receptors settling on something behind the toaster.  He walked across the room and picked up Rabbit's goggles from behind the toaster. 

"Ahem," The Spine cleared his throat to get his brother's attention, "To get a drink of water huh?" He tossed the goggles to Rabbit who was blushing. "You're sick, Rabbit. That's just-" he was interupted by the sound of books falling and turned to see Brianna picking up books off the floor. "Just sick," he stated before going to help Brianna with her books. Rabbit put his goggles back on his hat and waited for The Spine and Brianna to leave.

"Don't l-listen to him Jenny," he said stroking the toaster, "It's n-not sick." He picked up the toaster and began pessing his metal lips to the stainless steel apliance for several minutes.

"Rabbit!?"

"Oh-uuuhh... hi Paige."