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Chapter 2
Tuesday, 8:18 a.m. Baffled travelers coming to Wildcat City were scratching their heads over why our city didn't have a single McDonald's left, considering that was their go-to place to stop to go to the restroom instead of gas stations. They found themselves having to settle for a Subway or Burger King in the event they didn't wish to choose the city's own contribution of fast food, Maximum Mighty Melt, or M3 for short. The Gunsquad was continuing to get themselves acquainted with Mystery, Inc., which we learned for the first time was actually founded by Daphne's father (who also paid for the Mystery Machine if I'm not mistaken).
When you look at the history of "Cripto's army" (all those canon characters who came to life, whether by Cripto or someone else), it's common knowledge that many of them signed contracts stating that they would not behave as they did, especially if they were a villain. This was to bind them to a promise Cripto had them make so that they would fit into society much better. This is why you don't see Tom and Jerry fighting one another as they did on the silver screen and small screen, and also why you don't see the Looney Tunes cast fighting with one another, Roger Rabbit being hyperactive, or Zeke the Big Bad Wolf terrorizing those pigs. Shaggy and Scooby-Doo signed a contract stating they would not overeat or try to talk their way out of doing things, so that Fred, Velma, and Daphne wouldn't have to bribe them with Scooby Snacks. (The duo still ate their fair share of those things.) Signing these contracts did make the folks all seem out of character, but most of them would tell you it was part of their acting gig.
"You must have super high metabolism if you can that much and still stay thin," Andrew told Shaggy.
"You could say that," said Shaggy, "but the Cat of Steel and the tiger of purity made us promise we would not be gluttons. Nor can we attempt to chicken out of anything."
"That way, we don't have to try to bribe you two all the time by asking if you'd do it for a Scooby Snack," Daphne put in, "but sometimes, you might still be rewarded with one for doing it."
"Duly noted."
"Yeah!" Scooby added.
We were giving them a tour of our office while having to clarify to them that we were not regular police officers. "We are by definition what is known as 'freelance police,'" I said. "In other words, though we have the ability to do things regular officers do, such as make arrests and write tickets, we mainly function as an independent group specializing in detective work, although we can do other things as well. Hope that helps."
"So when the police need extra help, they come to you?" Fred asked.
"Exactly."
Changing the subject, Velma put in, "By the way, sir have you been able to figure out what that mysterious buzzing noise was?"
"Not yet." I shook my head. "All we do know is that it produces an irritating low pitch denoted at B-flat, or A-sharp if you want to think of it that way. It almost sounds like an electric shaver. Music's not my thing, but I can read notes on a staff."
Our ears perked up when the sound started all over again. "Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed. "There it is!"
We listened to it for a bit, and then Fred commented, "And you're sure you do not know where it's coming from or what's causing it?"
"Not right now, we don't," I said, "but with the help of the G-52s' expert inventor and technical genius, Techno Tiger, or T2 for short, we might just be able to figure that out."
9:10 a.m. We introduced the gang to T2, who had several noise detectors for each of the five detectives (including Scooby), and the detectors used T2's typical color code. "They're flashing purple right now to show you that they work," he said. "As you get closer to the sound, the colors go in reverse order of the rainbow, skipping over indigo, so it's going to go blue, green, yellow, orange, and finally red. When you see it flashing red, you know you've found the spot."
"Great, then let's get going!" Fred announced. Scooby gulped, but reminded himself to be brave.
10:00 a.m., sharp. Our search employing the use of T2's noise detectors led us on what seemed like a wild goose chase, because it seemed to be taking us all over the city. By using trial and error, we figured out the correct way to go, although we did take a bit of a pause because Fred had to pull up to a gasoline pump to refuel the Mystery Machine. I went ahead and filled up my motorcycle since it was also running low on fuel, and while staying with reason, Shaggy did buy sodas for everybody (as well as a map of Wildcat City to help Fred figure out where to drive).
"What did you end up paying?" Velma asked.
"The sodas were, like, 79 cents a pop, plus tax, and it was $1.59 for the map."
"Not bad prices given the inflation rates today."
"Like, not bad at all."
10:27 a.m. The lights were flashing orange as we got closer and closer to the streets that led to the Forbidden Zone. "I was afraid of this," Daphne exclaimed. "We are getting close to the Forbidden Zone."
"Like, you had to announce that!" Shaggy gulped.
"Don't be a chicken, you two; remember what you promised," Fred reminded them.
"I know, but, like, I'm liable to end up chicken even if I don't run away! Know what I mean?"
"Uh, no. Not really."
"Never mind, then."
When the lights flashed red, we came to a stop. "Well, this is the place, all right," I said. "This has to be where the noise is coming from."
"Where? Where?" Scooby barked. "I don't see nothin'!"
"Do you suppose it's coming from under the ground?" Velma asked me.
"It's possible," I said. "The man that was our main nemesis for many years, Alfred Coats Bendraqi, used to hide things under the ground in this part of town all the time. People made assumptions it was against the law to go here even though it never was, and that's why it's called the Forbidden Zone."
"Is is, like, true that everything that disappeared was eventually found?" Shaggy asked.
"Some things have yet to be found, Shaggy, but I'd estimate about 9 times out of 10, it was found in the end."
"Groovy. Now, like, let's figure out what's causing that noise."
"Put your digging skills to work, Scooby," Fred suggested.
"All right!" Given it was a naturally dirty place, Scooby had no problems digging in the dirt, although he did it in such a way that the rest of us had to hide behind the Mystery Machine. "It's a good thing I parked Fireball on this side of the van," I said.
"Who or what is Fireball?" Daphne asked.
"That's my nickname for my motorcycle."
"Oh. Sorry."
The barking we heard following a loud thump indicated that the dog had struck paydirt. We ran back to the spot and noticed a piece of machinery familiar to the Gunsquad, but not to Mystery, Inc. Then we watched one of T2's recall pods land near the spot.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed. "We're under attack!"
"Fear not, Shaggy; he's in the process of rehabilitation," I assured my new friend as the pod opened. Indeed, it was Bendraqi himself, although wearing handcuffs, in order to show he was obeying orders from the law.
"But, like, you're his enemy!" Shaggy exclaimed again.
"In one respect, I am," said Bendraqi, "but in another respect, I'm losing my touch. I will forever live with the guilt of building the things I built because of all that has happened lately. But I'm not here to fight the tiger in black. I'm here on order to destroy all my EP-2900 Model robots."
"Robots?!" Scooby exclaimed, gulping again. "Oh, no!"
"The ones that can act without your prompting?" Velma mentioned.
"Those are the ones. I'm under orders to destroy them all, with the help of my enemies and their allies. I do plan to complete rehab and serve good in the end, but the guilt will stay forever, and people will still try to kill me."
"That's what happens when you're a villain," I said. "However, the kids and their dog here are the group you know as Mystery, Inc."
"Oh, yes; I used to see you on TV all the time. Anyways, let's get this over with."
"Right. Here, I'll get this off you." I took a key and unlocked Bendraqi's handcuffs, placing them back in the recall pod. The pod made its way back to the prison, and Bendraqi proceeded to investigate the spot Scooby had hit. We also learned that the percentage of all of the EP-2900 robots that had been destroyed, not counting the one we saw here, was now 100%, but it was 100% in just the USA. Other countries still had robots going about, and the foreign G-52s and allies were doing their best to get their percentage rates up to 100%. (The lowest percentage as of now was 75%, but that was over in Afghanistan.)
"So this old robot of yours was making the buzzing noise, huh?" Velma spoke up.
"I'm afraid so," Bendraqi replied. "When it makes the noise it is making now, it means it is running out of power. The ones still mocking about found ways to go on unlimited power because their AI is, alarmingly, getting better and better all the time. But no matter how advanced they become, your greatest weapon is what the robots hate the most: music."
"Music?" Scooby perked up, proceeding to humorously sing a sped-up a capella version of "Changing Keys" (an old but very famous song used as the theme tune for "Wheel of Fortune").
"Like I said before, what a ham!" Velma commented. "What's he singing, though?"
"The classic 1980s 'Wheel of Fortune' theme," I replied.
"'Wheel of Fortune?' Oh, right. The television show."
"And what a great show that is."
"We like that show, too; don't we, Scoob?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Scooby smiled.
"So how do we shut the noise off?" Fred asked Bendraqi.
"You'll have to just wait for it; I didn't get that far." After about 20 to 30 more seconds, the noise finally came to a stop. Scooby breathed a sigh of relief, thankful the noise was finished.
10:48 a.m. We had worked hard with the other G-52s to dig the remains of the robot up so that Bendraqi could have it sent to the proper place for scrap metal, being careful not to lose Daphne, given her reputation for being danger prone. She managed to keep her footing, but she did trip while helping us.
"You all right?" I asked.
"I tripped over something!" she answered.
We digged over what Daphne tripped over and couldn't believe what we saw...
TO BE CONTINUED
-----------------------------------------
Chapter 2
Tuesday, 8:18 a.m. Baffled travelers coming to Wildcat City were scratching their heads over why our city didn't have a single McDonald's left, considering that was their go-to place to stop to go to the restroom instead of gas stations. They found themselves having to settle for a Subway or Burger King in the event they didn't wish to choose the city's own contribution of fast food, Maximum Mighty Melt, or M3 for short. The Gunsquad was continuing to get themselves acquainted with Mystery, Inc., which we learned for the first time was actually founded by Daphne's father (who also paid for the Mystery Machine if I'm not mistaken).
When you look at the history of "Cripto's army" (all those canon characters who came to life, whether by Cripto or someone else), it's common knowledge that many of them signed contracts stating that they would not behave as they did, especially if they were a villain. This was to bind them to a promise Cripto had them make so that they would fit into society much better. This is why you don't see Tom and Jerry fighting one another as they did on the silver screen and small screen, and also why you don't see the Looney Tunes cast fighting with one another, Roger Rabbit being hyperactive, or Zeke the Big Bad Wolf terrorizing those pigs. Shaggy and Scooby-Doo signed a contract stating they would not overeat or try to talk their way out of doing things, so that Fred, Velma, and Daphne wouldn't have to bribe them with Scooby Snacks. (The duo still ate their fair share of those things.) Signing these contracts did make the folks all seem out of character, but most of them would tell you it was part of their acting gig.
"You must have super high metabolism if you can that much and still stay thin," Andrew told Shaggy.
"You could say that," said Shaggy, "but the Cat of Steel and the tiger of purity made us promise we would not be gluttons. Nor can we attempt to chicken out of anything."
"That way, we don't have to try to bribe you two all the time by asking if you'd do it for a Scooby Snack," Daphne put in, "but sometimes, you might still be rewarded with one for doing it."
"Duly noted."
"Yeah!" Scooby added.
We were giving them a tour of our office while having to clarify to them that we were not regular police officers. "We are by definition what is known as 'freelance police,'" I said. "In other words, though we have the ability to do things regular officers do, such as make arrests and write tickets, we mainly function as an independent group specializing in detective work, although we can do other things as well. Hope that helps."
"So when the police need extra help, they come to you?" Fred asked.
"Exactly."
Changing the subject, Velma put in, "By the way, sir have you been able to figure out what that mysterious buzzing noise was?"
"Not yet." I shook my head. "All we do know is that it produces an irritating low pitch denoted at B-flat, or A-sharp if you want to think of it that way. It almost sounds like an electric shaver. Music's not my thing, but I can read notes on a staff."
Our ears perked up when the sound started all over again. "Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed. "There it is!"
We listened to it for a bit, and then Fred commented, "And you're sure you do not know where it's coming from or what's causing it?"
"Not right now, we don't," I said, "but with the help of the G-52s' expert inventor and technical genius, Techno Tiger, or T2 for short, we might just be able to figure that out."
9:10 a.m. We introduced the gang to T2, who had several noise detectors for each of the five detectives (including Scooby), and the detectors used T2's typical color code. "They're flashing purple right now to show you that they work," he said. "As you get closer to the sound, the colors go in reverse order of the rainbow, skipping over indigo, so it's going to go blue, green, yellow, orange, and finally red. When you see it flashing red, you know you've found the spot."
"Great, then let's get going!" Fred announced. Scooby gulped, but reminded himself to be brave.
10:00 a.m., sharp. Our search employing the use of T2's noise detectors led us on what seemed like a wild goose chase, because it seemed to be taking us all over the city. By using trial and error, we figured out the correct way to go, although we did take a bit of a pause because Fred had to pull up to a gasoline pump to refuel the Mystery Machine. I went ahead and filled up my motorcycle since it was also running low on fuel, and while staying with reason, Shaggy did buy sodas for everybody (as well as a map of Wildcat City to help Fred figure out where to drive).
"What did you end up paying?" Velma asked.
"The sodas were, like, 79 cents a pop, plus tax, and it was $1.59 for the map."
"Not bad prices given the inflation rates today."
"Like, not bad at all."
10:27 a.m. The lights were flashing orange as we got closer and closer to the streets that led to the Forbidden Zone. "I was afraid of this," Daphne exclaimed. "We are getting close to the Forbidden Zone."
"Like, you had to announce that!" Shaggy gulped.
"Don't be a chicken, you two; remember what you promised," Fred reminded them.
"I know, but, like, I'm liable to end up chicken even if I don't run away! Know what I mean?"
"Uh, no. Not really."
"Never mind, then."
When the lights flashed red, we came to a stop. "Well, this is the place, all right," I said. "This has to be where the noise is coming from."
"Where? Where?" Scooby barked. "I don't see nothin'!"
"Do you suppose it's coming from under the ground?" Velma asked me.
"It's possible," I said. "The man that was our main nemesis for many years, Alfred Coats Bendraqi, used to hide things under the ground in this part of town all the time. People made assumptions it was against the law to go here even though it never was, and that's why it's called the Forbidden Zone."
"Is is, like, true that everything that disappeared was eventually found?" Shaggy asked.
"Some things have yet to be found, Shaggy, but I'd estimate about 9 times out of 10, it was found in the end."
"Groovy. Now, like, let's figure out what's causing that noise."
"Put your digging skills to work, Scooby," Fred suggested.
"All right!" Given it was a naturally dirty place, Scooby had no problems digging in the dirt, although he did it in such a way that the rest of us had to hide behind the Mystery Machine. "It's a good thing I parked Fireball on this side of the van," I said.
"Who or what is Fireball?" Daphne asked.
"That's my nickname for my motorcycle."
"Oh. Sorry."
The barking we heard following a loud thump indicated that the dog had struck paydirt. We ran back to the spot and noticed a piece of machinery familiar to the Gunsquad, but not to Mystery, Inc. Then we watched one of T2's recall pods land near the spot.
"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed. "We're under attack!"
"Fear not, Shaggy; he's in the process of rehabilitation," I assured my new friend as the pod opened. Indeed, it was Bendraqi himself, although wearing handcuffs, in order to show he was obeying orders from the law.
"But, like, you're his enemy!" Shaggy exclaimed again.
"In one respect, I am," said Bendraqi, "but in another respect, I'm losing my touch. I will forever live with the guilt of building the things I built because of all that has happened lately. But I'm not here to fight the tiger in black. I'm here on order to destroy all my EP-2900 Model robots."
"Robots?!" Scooby exclaimed, gulping again. "Oh, no!"
"The ones that can act without your prompting?" Velma mentioned.
"Those are the ones. I'm under orders to destroy them all, with the help of my enemies and their allies. I do plan to complete rehab and serve good in the end, but the guilt will stay forever, and people will still try to kill me."
"That's what happens when you're a villain," I said. "However, the kids and their dog here are the group you know as Mystery, Inc."
"Oh, yes; I used to see you on TV all the time. Anyways, let's get this over with."
"Right. Here, I'll get this off you." I took a key and unlocked Bendraqi's handcuffs, placing them back in the recall pod. The pod made its way back to the prison, and Bendraqi proceeded to investigate the spot Scooby had hit. We also learned that the percentage of all of the EP-2900 robots that had been destroyed, not counting the one we saw here, was now 100%, but it was 100% in just the USA. Other countries still had robots going about, and the foreign G-52s and allies were doing their best to get their percentage rates up to 100%. (The lowest percentage as of now was 75%, but that was over in Afghanistan.)
"So this old robot of yours was making the buzzing noise, huh?" Velma spoke up.
"I'm afraid so," Bendraqi replied. "When it makes the noise it is making now, it means it is running out of power. The ones still mocking about found ways to go on unlimited power because their AI is, alarmingly, getting better and better all the time. But no matter how advanced they become, your greatest weapon is what the robots hate the most: music."
"Music?" Scooby perked up, proceeding to humorously sing a sped-up a capella version of "Changing Keys" (an old but very famous song used as the theme tune for "Wheel of Fortune").
"Like I said before, what a ham!" Velma commented. "What's he singing, though?"
"The classic 1980s 'Wheel of Fortune' theme," I replied.
"'Wheel of Fortune?' Oh, right. The television show."
"And what a great show that is."
"We like that show, too; don't we, Scoob?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Scooby smiled.
"So how do we shut the noise off?" Fred asked Bendraqi.
"You'll have to just wait for it; I didn't get that far." After about 20 to 30 more seconds, the noise finally came to a stop. Scooby breathed a sigh of relief, thankful the noise was finished.
10:48 a.m. We had worked hard with the other G-52s to dig the remains of the robot up so that Bendraqi could have it sent to the proper place for scrap metal, being careful not to lose Daphne, given her reputation for being danger prone. She managed to keep her footing, but she did trip while helping us.
"You all right?" I asked.
"I tripped over something!" she answered.
We digged over what Daphne tripped over and couldn't believe what we saw...
TO BE CONTINUED
W.C.'s D.F.'s, #5: Counterfeiters 'R' Us (Chapter 2)
Chapter 2.
WARCAT and G-52s © me and me alone
Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, etc. © Warner Bros. and everybody else who owns the rights
Zeke © Disney
Tom and Jerry © Warner Bros. and everybody else who owns the rights
Wheel of Fortune © Sony Pictures Television and everybody else who owns the rights, and created by Merv Griffin (who also wrote the song "Changing Keys")
Changing Keys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf37Dgj92QM
WARCAT and G-52s © me and me alone
Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, etc. © Warner Bros. and everybody else who owns the rights
Zeke © Disney
Tom and Jerry © Warner Bros. and everybody else who owns the rights
Wheel of Fortune © Sony Pictures Television and everybody else who owns the rights, and created by Merv Griffin (who also wrote the song "Changing Keys")
Changing Keys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf37Dgj92QM
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
Size 64 x 120px
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