The Toon Patrol - Dizzy's story

[Kilo the Weasel]

Yep! Sorry for worryin' ya ^w^''

[psychoangel51402]

Ho ho ho! My Christmas present to those who care! Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 3
I was surprised when the cops let me just walk out the door an’ head for the road. Smart Guy hadn’t been lyin’ about that, anyway. However, since my bike was back at the crash site an’, even if it were salvageable I couldn’t afford a new tire. I had ta walk all the way home. By the time I’d got back ta my little shack, I was practically crawlin’. “Rough day?” ‘Stanley’ asked gently.
“You have no idea,” I groaned.
“What happened?” Squirt asked.
“Don’t wanna talk about it,” I said, draggin’ out a room divider from behind the wardrobe an’ grabbin’ my nightgown (some Toons have no problem changin’ in front of their household Toon friends, simply ‘cause nearly everythin’ in Toontown has eyes anyway so they’re used to it. I know I don’t exactly come across as a shy gal, but I was one of those who’d never gotten used to it, probably ‘cause I didn’t grow up in Toontown).
“That bad, huh?” Remy remarked.
“Worse,” I replied from behind the divider.
“What happened to your bike?” asked Vinca, who, like the other flowers, could see the front ‘yard’ from the window box.
I came out from behind the divider wearin’ my nightgown an’ tossed my clothes on the floor. “ You don’t wanna know.”
Remy growled, frustrated. “Are you going to tell us anything?”
“No,” I said wearily, collapsin’ on my bed. “Not until I get twenty winks. Preferably eighty.”
But when I lay down ta sleep, I found I was too worried – about Shorty an’ Annie an’ what ta do. It musta been four o’clock in the mornin’ by the time I fell asleep. It was a light sleep, an’ restless, plagued by nightmares. I relived the crash, saw Shorty’s pale face with blood tricklin’ down, saw April cryin’. The sun was only halfway up when I awoke. I got outta bed an’ went to the front window. I watched the Seven Dwarves march down the street, singin’,
“Heigh ho, heigh ho,
It’s off to work we go!”
I sighed an’ rubbed my eyes. Good for you, I thought.
I went to the sink. Squirt yawned an’ blinked groggily. “What? Oh, Diz. You’re up early.”
“Mmm-hmm,” I replied absentmindedly.
I washed my face. As I dried off with a towel, I caught sight of my reflection in the cracked surface of the mirror. I stared at it. What have I done? I wondered. An’ what am I gonna do now?
I sighed again. Well, first things first, I s’pose.
I had ta make a withdrawal from the bank. All the money I’d been savin’ for Brooklyn would hafta go to repairs for my bike, but before I could get the parts I would hafta swap the ‘real’ money I’d earned for Toon money, since it was a Toon bike. So I set out hoofin’ it for the bank.
When I got within visual distance of the bank, I saw three police cars parked out front, all with the red revolvin’ lights on. I don’t know why, but I broke into a run, which for me, with my embarrassin’ly short legs an’ widespread footpaws, was more like fast-paced bouncin’. As I got closer I saw one of the cars was no regular police car. It was a Dodge Humpback , an’ it had a fancy insignia with the words “Toon Patrol” on the side. I think I groaned aloud.
Arrivin’ at the scene, I saw a bunch of rubberneckers an’ reporters gawkin’ an’ hollerin’ questions on front of the police line. There was probably six cops there, interviewin’ employees an’ witnesses. I stood in the back, cranin’ my neck ta see if I could tell what was goin’ on, but I was too short ta see higher than anyone’s waist. Then I heard an unfortunately familiar voice with a distinct Brooklyn accent. I pushed my way through the crowd, followin’ it. It wasn’t long before I spotted Smart Guy an’ his Hispanic crony. They were standin’ on the other side of the police line, out of reach of the reporters snappin’ pictures an’ bawlin’ out questions. Smart Guy was holdin’ up his paws for silence. “look, all we know is that some Toon with a gun came in, held up the teller, an’ made off with the dough. Nobody was hurt, nothin’ was wrecked, but he cleaned out the joint anyway. Rest insured, though – the Toon Patrol is one the case. We’ll get this cleaned up in no time.”
He cocked his head an’ adjusted his suit, grinnin’ as reporters snapped pictures. I felt like I was gonna hurl. Every penny I’d saved had been in that bank. Now I was flat broke. I vanished into the crowd before the other weasels spotted me an’ headed for home, not knowin’ what else ta do.
It was a couple of hours ‘till I got home. After explainin’ everythin’ to my anxious household friends, I flopped on my bed, feelin’ like my heart was bein’ torn in two. What am I gonna do now? I wondered for the umpteenth time.
Now I couldn’t even get my bike fixed. I buried my face in my pillow. I felt like cryin’, but I knew that wouldn’t help anythin’. After a minute I sat up an’ dug in my pocket, pullin’ out the card Smart Guy had given me. I stared at it hard. It had the same insignia as the Toon Patrol car. It read;
TOON PATROL HEADQUARTERS
555-2677
I swallowed hard, tryin’ ta make myself stop feelin’ so nauseous. I got up an’ headed for the door. “Where are you going?” Remy asked.
I took a deep breath before replyin’. “I’ve got some calls ta make. I’ll be back soon.”
There was an abandoned hotel next door ta my house. I poked my head out the door, an’ checked around to make sure no one was watchin’. The coast was clear, so I sprinted over to the hotel an’ slipped in through a broken ground-level window. There was a phone in the lobby. It’d been shut down, but I’d tapped another line an’ got it workin’ again. Slowly, I picked up the phone, the whole time still feelin’ sick ta my stomach. First thing I had ta do was ta quit my job as a newsie.
If I still had it, that is.
I dialed my boss’ number. I knew he was an early riser, so I wasn’t gonna wake him up. The phone rang once before he picked up. “Joseph Granden here,” he said.
“Boss? This is Diz,” I said nervously.”Um, I guess ya heard about what happened yesterday, huh?”
He sighed. “Yes, Diz, I did.”
“Are we fired?”
“I don’t know, Diz,” he said, sighin’ again. “I know how much you both need the money, but…well, to be frank, you committed a crime.”
“I know,” I said, ashamed. “B-but, if I ain’t fired, I gotta quit anyway. See, this guy paid for Shorty’s hospital bills, an’ he offered me a job so’s I could pay him back.”
Mr. Granden sounded relieved. “Really? Well, that’s good. I wish you luck. Your last check is in the mail.”
“Thanks, Boss, er, Mr. Granden,” I said.
“You’re welcome, Diz,” he replied. “Goodbye.”
“Bye,” I said, an’ hung up.
Despite how smoothly that’d gone. I wasn’t feelin’ any better. I knew I had no choice – I was gonna hafta take Smart Guy’s offer. I knew those guys were bad news, an’ I shouldn’t associate with ‘em. But Shorty an’ Annie were more important. I knew I’d never be able ta forgive myself if I let ‘em down again. So, with my head sayin’ ‘Stop, ya moron!’ an’ my heart sayin’ ‘Do it for the kids’, I dialed the number.
My palms got sweaty as I listened to it ring, once, twice, three times. Then there was a *cling* of someone pickin’ up an’ a voice that sounded like a dumb little kid said, “Duh, Toon Patrol Headquarters.”
I took a deep breath an’ said shakily, “Can I, uh…”
I paused an’ cleared my throat, then started again more clearly. “Can I talk to Smart Guy?”
“Once minute,” said the voice.
He musta taken the phone away from his mouth, but I could still hear him in the background. “Hey, Boss! There’s a girl on the phone who wants to talk to you!”
A voice which I recognized as the Hispanic’s said, “I’ll take this one.”
There was sounds of a minor scuffle as I heard Smarty say, “Wha- do- no- you- gimme that!”
A second later there was a *crash!*, followed by Smart Guy speaking coolly into the phone, “Yeah, this is Sergeant Smart Guy speaking.”
My stomach flopped. I had ta force myself ta speak. “Uh, yeah, uh, this is Diz, umm, ya know, from the, uh, robbery yesterday.”
I could tell he was grinnin’ as he replied, “Yeah, I remember. The biker with the cute mug. Talk ta me, sweetheart.”
I felt myself start ta shake. I fought ta keep the quiver outta my voice as I said, “I, uh…I wanna take you up on your offer. You know…ta join your patrol.”
“I knew you’d come around,” he said. “When can ya start?”
“Uh, tomorrow, I guess,” I replied. “Provided I don’t hafta go downtown or nothin’.”
“Don’t worry, doll. I got it all taken care of. Your record’s clean. The kid’s, too.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise. “Really? How?”
“That ain’t important,” he replied. “So you’ll be here tomorrow at seven?”
I took a deep breath. This decision’s gonna change your life, Dizzy. Maybe even hasten your end. Last chance ta drop out, I thought.
“Yeah,” I said after a second.
“Good,” he said, clearly satisfied. “Lemme give ya the adrest…”

A/N: adrest=address
Sorry that one's kinda short. I think the next one will be longer. Merry Christmas!

[Kilo the Weasel]

She lost her bike, all her cash, an' now she's workin' with a guy she barely stands. Poor Diz.
BTW, thankies so much for updatin' the fic!! I thought you were quitin' the whole thing!
Can't wait for the next one!

[psychoangel51402]

no, i ain't quittin' on Dizzy! i just don't get a lot of typing time. i'll try to get the next one up sooner!

[Kilo the Weasel]

Yayz! *happily jumps around*

[psychoangel51402]

glad ur happy...now VOTE!!!

[Kilo the Weasel]

I did!! I voted for love it! ^w^

[psychoangel51402]

thank u!!!

[Weasel Freak]

Awesome chapter! *Bounces up and down, wondering what'll happen next*

[psychoangel51402]

i could tell u...or u could wait 'til i get it typed up (which may not be 'til after the New Year, or I may get it later tonight)

[Weasel Freak]

*Waits excitedly* 83

[psychoangel51402]

all right, one more chapter before i go to he-...i mean, my father's house for a week. once again, sorry it's kinda short. this time, for sure, the next chapter really WILL be longer, at least a little bit. Enjoy.

Chapter 4
I got up at the crack of dawn the next mornin’. My new workplace was all the way on the other side of town, an’ I didn’t wanna be late on the first day. I (somewhat sadly) left my newsie hat at home. I wasn't exactly gonna be needin' it anymore.
I was in the main town by 6:45. As I passed the First National Bank of Toontown, I got an idea. I still had a little Toon cash left…
After makin’ a withdrawal, I went to the bakery an’ bought a dozen doughnuts. As I was on my way out, it struck me that I was tryin’ to impress the guys who’d arrested me yesterday. Yeah, good luck with that, Dizzy, I thought.
When I reached the Toon Patrol station, I was pretty impressed. It was a one-level buildin’ with a garage attached. The whole thing looked bran’-new, a year old or less. There was a sign on the door that said ‘open’, so I went in. I found myself in the front part of the buildin’. It was a pretty typical police office. There were two wooden desks, each with a typewriter, a phone, an’ your general run-of-the-mill office supplies. There were a few file cabinets, too. There were two doors in the back, a door on my right, an’ another door on my left. The office looked abandoned, but I could hear rough laughter comin’ from the door on my right, which had a sign on it that said ‘Employees Only’. Suddenly feelin’ kinda timid, I tapped lightly on the door. It swung open a little, an’ I poked my head in. It was like an employee lounge, with a pool table, radio, a small kitchen with a bar, stools, sink, an’ mini refrigerator, a couch, coffee table, radio, another phone on the wall, an’ a few dull pink armchairs. It was kinda dimly lit, with unpapered walls. Cigarette butts littered the floor, which was wood with a big, thick, gold-embroidered red rug coverin’ most of it. Oh, an' there was another door on the back wall, which I knew by its position that it lead to the garage. The gang was all there - the smoker was playin’ pool with the Hispanic guy while the insane one an’ the idiot looked on. Smart Guy was reclinin’ on the couch, his bespatted footpaws propped up on the coffee table, watchin’ ‘em with a bored expression on his face. None of ‘em noticed me. I cleared my throat. Instantly all activity ceased as all of ‘em snapped their heads ‘round ta stare at me. Now, doubtlessly I don’t really strike you as a shy kinda gal, but for some reason I suddenly felt bashful. “Um…hi,” I said. “Um, I brought you guys some doughnuts.”
I held out the box ta show them. The smoker an’ the Hispanic guy raised their eyebrows at each other. A grin spread slowly across Smart Guy’s face. He got up, spreadin’ his paws wide. “There ya are, sweetheart! Glad ta see ya found the place okay. Put those on the table an’ let me show ya around.”
For some reason I was reluctant ta step into the room, but I did. I set the doughnuts on the table as ordered an’ turned ta follow Smart Guy. Ta my surprise, he put his arm around my shoulders, all chummy-like. I did not like that one bit, lemme tell ya, but I decided I’d better not react. “Ya haven’t been properly inproduced to the boys yet, have ya?” he asked. “Allow me.”
He indicated each in turn. “That’s Wheezy over by the pool table,” he began.
The smoker took the cigarette outta his mouth, blew out a cloud of smoke, an’ nodded ta me, lookin’ like he couldn’t possibly care any less. Smart Guy continued. “An’ Greasy.”
The Hispanic guy grinned lasciviously at me, wigglin’ his eyebrows. “Hola, mamacita!" he said in what I think he imagined ta be a suave tone.
“Stupid,” Smart Guy went on before I could retort, indicatin’ the idiot.
He waved, chucklin’, the smile on his face somethin’ akin ta admiration. “Duh, hi!”
“An’ Psycho,” Smart Guy said, indicatin’ the insane one.
He giggled insanely. “Hiiiiii-iiiiiii!” he said in a high-pitched, singsong voice.
I tried hard not ta look completely creeped-out. Fortunately, none of ‘em seemed ta notice. “An’ of course me you already know,” Smart Guy finished. “As for the place, ya saw the office, an’ this is the ‘employee lounge’. My office is behind the main office, and so is the interrogation room, and the holdin' cells are on the other side of the main office. Other than the garage, that’s it. Any questions?”
I thought for a minute ta make sure I wasn’t forgettin’ nothin’. Before I could come up with somethin’, Stupid blurted out, “Can I have a doughnut now?”
Smart Guy rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”
“Ho boy!” Stupid chortled, helpin’ himself to a chocolate-covered with sprinkles.
As the other three moved in for their share, Smart Guy looked ta me. “Now, there’s just one thing before I hire ya.”
My stomach flopped. I knew there had ta be a catch. Smart Guy sensed my discomfort an’ gave me what was meant ta be a reassurin’ smile. “Don’t worry, doll,” he said silkily, givin’ me a squeeze (which only made me more nervous). “It’s no big deal. We just gotta get the Judge’s appraival. He’ll be here any minute.”
“The judge?” I repeated, not at all likin’ the sound of that.
“Yeah, our boss,” Smart Guy replied.
The door burst open suddenly. I jumped, bumpin’ inta Smart Guy. A human was standin’ in the doorway. He was the freakiest human I ever saw. He was dressed all in black, includin’ his cape an’ hat. He wore round spectacles an’ carried a black cane capped with a silver skull. He looked ta be about sixty, I dunno (I ain’t very good at guessin’ the ages of humans. Most Toons ain’t).
“This is it?” he boomed, starin’ at me critically.
I tried hard not ta cringe. If he didn’t like me, the whole thing was gonna go down the tubes. “You made me come all the way down here just so you could show off your girlfriend?” he went on.
I bristled. “I ain’t his – ”
Smart Guy cut me off, takin’ his arm offa my shoulders an’ sayin’, “No, Judge, this is Dizzy, the one I was tellin’ you about. She wants ta work on our patrol. Diz, this is Judge Doom, our boss.”
I swallowed an’ extended a paw for him ta shake. “P-pleased ta meet ya, your Honor, uh, s-sir.”
I was surprised when he actually shook my paw an’ smiled at me. His attitude seemed friendly, but for some reason his words sent a chill down my spine. “We’ll see, ‘Diz’. We’ll see.”
He turned back ta Smart Guy. I looked down at my paw an’ was not really all that surprised ta see it incased in solid ice, complete with icicles hangin’ down. I looked up again sharply when Doom began ta speak. “I don’t care if Miss ‘Diz’ joins your patrol, as long as you get your job done. If she interferes with that, you will both be fired. That goes for all of you.”
Here he looked straight at Greasy, who averted his eyes kinda to the side, lookin’ pleased with himself, like a schoolboy accused of puttin’ a tack on the teacher’s chair. ”Am I making myself clear?” Doom finished.
Smart Guy grinned. “As a crystal, Boss. Right, boys?”
“Si.”
“Hee hee hee!”
“Duh, yeah, Boss.”
Wheeze cough hack cough wheeze.
“Good,” said Doom.
Then he turned on his heel an’ left. I sighed, now knowin’ whether I was relieved that I got the job…or dismayed.

A/N: appraival - a mix of appraisal and approval

[Weasel Freak]

Wuv it! ^^

[psychoangel51402]

okay, heads-up, i made a slight change in that last chapter. silly me forgot to mention where the cells and the interrogation room were located in the station. oops. *^_^* so i changed it. plz forgive me. i'll post a map of how i envision the station soon.

[psychoangel51402]

okay, here is a pic of the station as i picture it:

you'll probably hafta enlarge it to read my teeny writing.