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A/N: Welcome to Slash of Life. This is just the first story out of ten that will appear in this volume. The rest will be updated... probably every week if given time. I hope you enjoy the first story.

The New Kid in Town

By J. Sabo

The roar of a moving van echoed through the highway. The moving van careened around other cars just trying to get to where it was going. A highway exit was coming up, and the moving van merged into the lane of that exit. It roared up the exit ramp and continued on its way. The driver drove along, watching the signs. He was delighted to see that he was heading in the right direction.

The driver, an adult ferret with grey fur, wearing oil stained sleeveless shirt along with dirty jeans and shoes, yawned with fatigue. His eyes were heavy and his sleep was waning from yesterday. His long drive would be worth it however. Just over the hill he could see his destination.

The ferret was relieved to see a small town in his sights. He can finally stop driving after what seemed like forever. He knew his family in the van would be glad to see this too.

To the right of the ferret on the passenger seat there was a female ferret with purple fur, wearing a yellow shirt with black pants. He shook the purple ferret awake. "Shirna," he said. "Wake up, we're here."

Shirna the Ferret stirred before finally rising from lying on the side of the door. She moaned and stretched before she slowly opened her eyes. She saw the town in the distance and cracked a smile. "What time is it?" Shirna asked.

"It is--" the ferret looked at the time on the dashboard. "Seven in the morning."

Shirna stared dreamily at the small town as they reached closer towards it. "It's good to be back home," she stated. "I'm glad your mother talked us into moving back, Slim."

Slim the Ferret agreed. "I'll be much happier when I sleep for a day." Slim said. "I've been driving since left."

"Yes, and thank you, my love." Shirna said. "I would've gotten us lost." Shirna reached for Slim's hands, wrapping her fingers in his. She could feel Slim's wedding ring. She could also feel the little ridges of the inscription on his ring. "Once we get to the house I'll have Slash start helping me unload the van, and as for you, you can sleep."

"We'll need to grab the bed first." Slim chuckled. "No way am I sitting on any uncomfortable floor."

"Anything for you, my love." Shirna replied.

"Is Slash up?" Slim asked, turning the wheel, turning the car.

Shirna looked in the backseat and spotted their son, Slash, fast asleep. He was a white furred ferret with a distinct black stripe running from the top of his head down his left eye. Shirna saw Slash resting his head up against the window, mouth wide open, snoring, and drool dripping from his open mouth and staining the van window. "Slash," Shirna said, reaching for Slash and shaking him softly. "Slash, wakey wakey, we're here."

When Slash wouldn't wake up, Shirna shook a little harder. When this didn't work, she turned to her husband.

"Don't worry," Slim smiled. Suddenly Slim slammed on the brakes. The van jerked, surprising Shirna as she held on to the door handle. In the backseat, Slash was vaulted forwards. The jerk of the van woke Slash up instantly.

Eyes widened from the jerk, Slash spoke, "Huh, yes, what--I was listening..." Slash rambled. "What's going on?"

"We're here, Slash." Slim pointed out to the town, now closer. "Our hometown,"

Slash inched up on his seat, looking out the window. He could see the town coming closer to them. He didn't see why it was called a small town. There was so much that Slash could see just from where they were. He could see a looming clock tower rising above the town, a golden domed building that was clearly bigger than the others around it; a building that what Slash could make out was a mall, or what looked like one, and so many other interesting things that didn't necessarily gave the vibe of 'small town.'

"This is it?" Slash asked.

"Yeah," Slim replied. "I know it's not much, but we grew up here. There's plenty of stuff to do."

"No kidding," Slash said enthusiastically. "You guys didn't tell me that Big Ben had a twin here! When you guys said small town I was expecting some kind of Hills Have Eyes town."

"To us, it is a small town." Shirna exclaimed.

Slim added, "After twenty plus years the town got boring."

Slash didn't know what that meant. "What do you mean it got boring?" he asked. "You have a mall! Are you telling me you guys didn't hang out at the mall?"

"Of course we did." Shirna said again. "But, I guess, we grew out of it."

The van pulled into the town limits. They passed by the town sign. Slash saw the black letters plastered on the sign said, "Lampoon Town." Kind of an odd name for a town, don't you think? All that Slash knew that he moved from the town he was born in and traveled hours upon hours to a small town that doesn't have the small town vibe.

Slash wasn't viewing his current change of scenery as a bad thing. It was new, there's that... But Slash wasn't going to get all moody like the cliché kids who move to a new town he watches in movies. He didn't blame his parents, he didn't see his last home as the better home--he didn't like it anyways. This could all be fun, he thought.

When they entered the town, the Ferrets were met with a main street that looked like it was plucked out of an old painting. The main street stretched far and on each side of the street there were businesses galore. Slash pushed his head up against the window and gawked at them all. He could see video game stores, floral stores, little diners, and others too.

The van took a turn, leading them away from Main Street up towards the suburbs. After passing the town library, the business building view gave way to rows and rows of houses. Slash figured this was the suburbs.

"Golly," Slash exclaimed. "Everything about this town is like from fifties America--I LOVE IT!"

All the houses, all lined up shoulder to shoulder, looked exactly the same. Everything from the height to the number of windows on the houses was the same. Heck, even the flowers at each end of the mailbox were the same. While Slash took in the dullness of the suburbs, he tried to find their new home.

"What number are we in this place?" Slash asked.

The van turned into one of the houses' driveways. "This one." Slim stated. The number on the house was 0228.

Slash stepped out of the moving van, taking the opportunity to stretch his legs. He groaned as his bones cracked. "That hits the spot!" Slash said. He then walked up to the front door, half expecting it to open automatically. "Grandma actually owns this house?" he asked.

Slim and Shirna walked up to the door. Slim had with him the key. He unlocked the door and opened it. "Yes, Grandma owns it." Slim explained. "She was nice enough to let us live in it."

"Nice indeed..." Slash commented.

The inside of the house was as if somebody was already living there. There was furniture, the carpet was clean, and, when Slash went into the kitchen to inspect the fridge, it was full. "Are you sure this is the house?" Slash asked, not too convinced this was where they were supposed to be.

"Oh yeah," Slim said, walking up to one of the couches in the living room and placing his hand on it, taking in all the memories of that couch. "This is it."

It was a nice place: the kitchen was sparkling clean, the air smelled of Hawaiian Punch, Slash ran to the backdoor to see the backyard, which was nice with a few added tweaks, and it had a basement and an upstairs! To Slash, that was a cool bonus. If there was a bedroom in the basement he called it.

"Now hold on," Slash said, confused. "Did you guys know about the furniture being here when we got here?"

Shirna and Slim shrugged. "We figured Grandma would've taken them all to the farm." Shirna answered.

"What does that mean for our furniture?" Slash asked.

After a moment's thought, Slim answered, "I'm sure the basement could use them." Slim went over to one of the couches and sat down. He rested his head down on the arm of the couch and closed his eyes. Immediately he fell asleep.

"Oh, come on!" Slash complained. "We just got here and all you wanna do is sleep?"

Shirna walked over to Slash placed her hand on his back. "You do know he's been driving since we left, right?" she asked.

"Yeah... but who's going to help you unload the van?" Slash asked.

Shirna just looked at Slash. She didn't say anything, but her look said, Who else would it be? That's when Slash realized who. "Oh..." he plainly said.

Why do we have so much junk!? That was the thought running through Slash's mind as he lifted a heavy box from the back of the moving van. He sometimes wondered if his mother was a hoarder. Half of the stuff in this van was hers! But here he was lifting all the stuff that had 'Mom's Stuff' written on it. Why didn't he tell her to get her own junk?

"Careful with that, Slash." Shirna said, watching Slash intently. "That's all my candle stuff. If you drop it, and if any of it breaks, I break you."

_That's why..._Slash was terrified of his mother. He loved her but feared her more than anything in the world. So Slash handled the box with the utmost care.

Heaving the heavy box towards the front door, Slash found a place to put it. He proceeded to place it on the ground but his hand slipped and the box fell to the ground, and hard. Slash could hear the sound of breaking glass and metal ring in the box. It was loud enough to get Shirna's attention.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing..." Slash responded quickly. He shoved the box in the corner of the room, underneath a few other boxes. "Absolutely nothing."

Shirna arrived inside moments later, shutting the door behind her. "Talk about hard work, huh?" she sarcastically asked her son.

From the time they opened the back of the moving van and started moving boxes to the inside, Slash only saw his mother move about three boxes. He's been moving almost all of it! "Oh yeah," Slash responded with tired arms and weak knees. "Hard work..." Slash looked around for one of the items he brought in first: a red cooler. He could use one of the bottled waters stored inside the cooler. "Where'd I put that stupid thing?" Slash asked looking around for it.

Shirna watched Slash search for the cooler, giggling. The cooler was right under Slash's nose--literally. Slash was sitting on top of it. "I wonder where..." said Shirna.

A knock came from the door gaining Shirna's attention. She took her eyes off of Slash and answered the door. When she opened it she was met with a rather familiar sight. At the door was a silver furred female cat with rather large glasses, wearing a white dress complete with a white blazer, and a pink ribbon around her neck to top off her attire. After processing whom it was, Shirna gained a large grin across her face. "Bonita Gato?" Shirna asked.

"Welcome back home, Shirna!" Bonita Gato replied. She opened her arms wide expecting a hug. She got one.

Shirna wrapped her arms around Bonita in a loving hug. "Oh my goodness!" she gleefully said. "I can't believe the first person I'd see first is you!"

"Si," Bonita exclaimed. "Well, Gomez and I decided, after all we've been through here that we weren't going to give up on it."

"So are you still living in that old shack of yours?"

Bonita laughed. "No, not at all," she pointed to the house next to Shirna's. "We live right next door to you, in fact."

"Hmm. Imagine that." Shirna thought it was fate. After being away for so many years that she would be reunited with her dear friend from years past.

"Oh, I have to introduce to you my children," Bonita called out two names: Dux and Kit. Beckoning the call, a dog and a cat came to Bonita. Bonita first went to the dog, obviously taller than her, brown fur, yellow gloves, and one big grin that could melt the heart of even the coldest person. "This is my son, Dux." she introduced.

Dux Dog held out his hand and shook Shirna's rigorously. "It's so nice to meet you, Mrs. Ferret!" Dux said happily.

Bonita then went to the cat. The cat had white fur with patches of black spots on top of her head and around her tail; she was petite, no bigger than Slash's height by Shirna's comparison, and a distinct fluff of fur around her chest. "This is my daughter, Kit." Bonita introduced lastly.

Kit the Cat held out her hand and shook Shirna's. "It's a pleasure, ma'am." Kit said.

Shirna took one glance at Kit and said, "She looks just like Gomez."

"I get that a lot, ma'am." Kit replied.

Shirna returned to glance to Bonita. "Well, since we're introducing entire families, I guess I should do the same." Shirna called Slash over to the door. After a grunt from him, Slash reluctantly walked to the door. "Bonita, Dux, Kit, this is my son, Slash." She said with one arm around Slash's shoulder.

These kids, Dux Dog and Kit the Cat, as Slash gazed on them, were different. Not different as in bad. But different as in new. They looked so much friendlier, more welcoming, than the other kids back where he came from. He approached them with confidence. He wasn't going to do the whole shy deal. Wasn't his game.

"Hey there, fellas." Slash said to Dux and Kit. "It's nice to meet ya."

Slash got his first greeting from Dux. But Dux snuck it up on Slash. Two long arms wrapped around Slash's body and lifted him up. It took him a while but Slash finally processed this as a hug from Dux. From Dux's hug Slash could see his tail wagging speedily.

"It's so nice to have a new face in Lampoon Town." He heard Dux say.

Though Dux's hug was welcoming and nice, it was also taut. Slash could feel air escaping his lungs. "I bet you don't get much newbies around here, huh?" he said with little gasps.

"You have no idea." Kit responded, nudging Dux to release Slash. Dux did as Kit wanted.

Slash wiggled his arms around, loosening them up from Dux's hug. He went to Kit and he opened his arms. A confused look was what he got from Kit. "What? Aren't you gonna hug me too?" Slash asked.

"First off," Kit explained. "I just met you, and I don't hug people I just met."

Dux intervened, "Come on, Kit," he said. "People you just met are just friends yet to be."

Kit sometimes hated Dux's 'friendship' advice. But, maybe he was right. Kit looked up at the ferret, only a little taller than she was, and rolled her eyes with a sigh. Giving in to Dux's advice, and Slash's expectation, she opened her arms. Slash dove in and hugged Kit. Kit didn't give much enthusiasm into the hug.

"Not much of a hug." Dux observed. He opened his arms wide and wrapped them around both Slash and Kit. He then lifted them up above the ground, Slash and Kit's feet dangling.

Slash was amazed by Dux's strength. "Now that's a hug!" Slash said, face pressed up against Kit's.

All Kit did was groan and roll her eyes.

The mothers watched as their children were already bonding. Shirna then felt rude for not inviting Bonita in. "Do you want to come in, Bonita?" she asked her. "I'll wake up Slim and he could make some iced tea for us. We can sit down and catch up. We have a lot to catch up on."

"Are you sure?" Bonita asked. "I don't want to intrude on anything. I mean you are in the middle of unpacking."

"No, no, no, it's perfectly fine," replied Shirna. "I can make time from unpacking to spend time with an old friend. My best friend."

"Well," Bonita said with a smile. "If you insist." She walked inside but stopped. She turned back to Dux and Kit. "Kids, why don't you show Slash around? This could be perfect opportunity to get to know each other a little better."

"Don't worry, mother dearest!" Dux answered. "We'll give Slash the grand tour!"

"Yeah," replied Kit. "The whole town will know of Slash's presence by the end of the day."

"Gracias," Bonita said. The door then closed behind her.

It was just Slash and Dux and Kit now. Slash didn't know making friends would've been this easy. He didn't even need to try. "So, what do we got on my grand tour?" Slash finally asked.

Dux grinned, his tail wagging feverishly. "Oh do we have something for you!" he said excitedly. "We're gonna take you to the mall, the park, the town hall--oh, oh, the clock tower--" Dux kept listing things off. All the things he said were things that small towns didn't have. It intrigued Slash even more.

"Oh yeah," Kit said sarcastically. "We're going to have lots of fun."

"Well then, my new friends," Slash said, gesturing them onwards. "Lead the way."

And lead they did. First they walked down the suburbs. Dux named everyone who lived in each house they passed by. He also mentioned what the inside of their houses looked like. Slash didn't need to ask to know that Dux was friends with everyone in town. How else would he know how the inside of peoples' houses looked like unless he'd been inside? Well, Slash was glad he was getting a tour from the town's best friend.

They made it out of the suburbs and entered Main Street and the business part of the town. Slash was excited to get to go down Main Street. This long road was like the spine of the entire town. Without it, Slash figured, nothing would function in Lampoon Town.

Dux's tail was wagging. He was just as excited to introduce Main Street as much as Slash was to walk down it. "Over there you can see the Lincoln Library," Dux pointed out the beautiful library. "Oh, and Greasy's Diner over there!" he pointed to a little diner that was part of one big building that had pictures of Elvis Presley, the three Marx brothers, and the movie Grease.

"Remind me to go in there later." Slash mentioned. "I love old timey themed restaurants."

While Dux was excitedly mentioning all the buildings on Main Street, Slash couldn't help but notice Kit. She was being awfully quiet. He kind of got the feel that she didn't want to be here that much. Well, Slash couldn't let her creepy silence stop her from being part of the fun he and Dux were having.

"Hey, Dux," Slash said getting Dux's attention. "Why don't we let Kit show us one of her favorite spots to hang out?"

Dux smiled, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "That sounds great!" he and Slash looked at Kit. She looked at them with confusion. "Kit, why don't we show him Molly's floral stand?" Dux asked her.

Kit shrugged and sighed. "I don't see why not," she said. "Maybe we can get Molly a new customer."

Slash scratched his chin comically. "Hmm... flowers... they do smell pretty." He laughed.

Returning the comedy, Kit held her hands together and said with a high voice, "Aww, did you figure that out by yourself?"

"I did actually," Slash retorted back. "Come on Kit, you and I can pick some daisies and we can stick them in our hair. Oh, we'll look so pretty. All the boys will be looking at us."

Slash could see that he was getting on Kit's nerves. However, he did see a small smile appear on Kit's lips. He must be doing something right to make her smile. Or she's just smile out of pure frustration. Either way, he's doing a good job, he thought.

Dux nudged Slash, saying, "You're gonna like Molly Mongoose. She's sweet and kind just like the flowers she sells."

"I already love her!" Slash said. "Bring me to her!"

Kit was the one who was leading this time. "This way, you two dupes." She said, gesturing them to follow her.

Slash was confused with what Kit had said. What was a dupe? He leaned to Dux and whispered, "Dux, what is a dupe?"

Dux could only shrug. "I don't know." He answered. "But that's what Kit calls me. And she loves me. So I think it's a good thing."

Slash felt so honored that Kit was including him in her everyday vocabulary. "Aww, Kit," he said comically again. "I knew I was a charmer, but I didn't think you'd love me that fast."

"Dream on, Ferret." Kit said without turning back.

This felt right. Slash hasn't made friends like this so fast before. And if he did, he didn't blend in with them as good as he did with Dux and Kit. This move was for the best! he thought recalling a statement from his dad. For a second, Slash was actually worried.

Branching off from Main Street, towards the shopping district, there were other roads that held other gems of Lampoon Town. One of which was a crudely wooden stand--one you would see at a farmer's market selling fruits--with a sign that said 'Molly's Homegrown Flowers' painted in colorful paint. There was also beautifully painted flowers on the sign. The painted flowers looked so lifelike that passersby would've mistaken it as an actual photo.

At the stand was a golden furred mongoose. She was short. She wore a white dress with sunflowers decorations scattered around the dress. On top of her head she wore a straw hat to keep the sun from glaring down on her. Her name was Molly.

"There she is," said Kit as she led Dux and Slash towards the flower stand. She stopped and turned to Slash. "Now, be nice to her. She's extremely sensitive, ever since the first grade. So don't, well, criticize or anything. Okay?"

Slash laughed. "I never criticize. Mainly because everything flies over my head." he said.

"I can see that." Kit retorted. "Well, let's go meet her."

They walked up to the stand. As soon as Molly saw Kit she was overcome with joy. A big grin came across her face. "Kit, hello," she said softly. "Oh, nice to see you too, Dux."

Kit rested her elbow on the stand. "Hi, Molly," she greeted. "How's the business today."

Molly fell silent for a second. Her mouth was open but no words came out. Finally she spoke, "Well... slow... as usual."

How could an awesome flower stand be slow? Slash looked at it and was amazed by how much TLC was put into it. He didn't know if Molly did it herself but she sure did a fine job keeping it hers. Slash made his decision; he reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of change, and walked up to Molly.

"Madame, I will be your customer." He said with a British accent.

Molly wasn't very open with strangers. In fact, they scared her. But she was running a business. She needed to put her fear aside for the benefits of profit. "You... you will?" she asked.

Offering her the handful of change, a dollar fifty by Molly's count, Slash said to her, "Give me your best flower that's a dollar fifty."

Her prices varied from flower to flower: five dollars for a mix-and-match, ten dollars for a bouquet, your life for Audrey 2; what could she give Slash that was worth a dollar fifty? Coming to a decision, Molly plucked a daffodil from the stand and gave it to Slash. "Thank you for your purchase, mister--?"

"Slash the Ferret, Mol," Slash reached for Molly's hand and shook it. "I'm the new kid in town."

"I thought you were," Molly silently said. "I've never seen you around here before."

"You'll be seeing more of me, that's for sure." Slash handed the daffodil to Kit. "For you, m'lady." He told her, acting charmingly as he could.

It unsettled Kit. Then Molly said, "Aww." That didn't help much either. She wanted to shove the flower in Slash's face for that kind of embarrassment but she dare not do it in front of Molly. Molly worked hard on planting these flowers; it would be an insult to throw the flower in Slash's face. Reluctantly, Kit simply said, "Thanks..." and put the flower between her ear. Her cheeks blushed a shade of pink, crossing her arms and pouting her lip.

Dux was finding this funny. Never has he seen Kit so frustrated before. Well, he has--and it didn't end well for the guy frustrating her. Dux was surprised that Kit wasn't kicking Slash's shins into next week. Maybe she liked Slash as much as he did.

While on that though, Dux's nose caught the smell of something. Acting with a mind of its own, Dux's nose shot up in the air and sniffed, pinpointing the location of the smell. He recognized the smell, and his belly rumbled. "Hmm," he said delightfully. "Dad must be making lunch!"

Hearing Dux, Kit remembered what their father told them. "That's right, Dad is making enchiladas for lunch today." She was amazed by Dux's nose; it could smell lunch from all the way here. "Is it almost done?"

Sniffing the air, Dux replied, "Give or take five minutes."

"Then we should probably start heading back now." Kit turned to Molly with a smile. "Thanks, Molly. Oh, and I'll let you know when I have my next slumber party, cool?" she said.

"Okay, thank you, Kit." Molly replied. "It was nice to meet you, Slash." She said turning to Slash.

"No, no, the pleasure is all mine, flower child." Slash responded. He then turned and joined Dux and Kit.

"Hey, Slash," Dux said. "Do you want to join us for lunch?"

"You know I do, Dux ole' buddy, ole' pal." Slash said without missing a beat. "Thanks."

Dux wrapped his big arm around Slash's shoulder and walked with him. "You're gonna love Dad's enchiladas!" he explained. "They're the best ever!"

Kit was taken aback by Dux's invite. "Hold on, hold on!" she demanded. "You can't just invite him over for lunch!"

Quite confused, Dux asked, "Why not?" Slash asked the same question.

"We just met him!" retorted Kit.

"All the more reason we invite him for lunch." Dux responded. "Slash is new, and he deserves some hospitality."

Slash was grateful for Dux's kindness. It was as if he was some kind of kindness god. Slash responded to his kindness by wrapping his arm around Dux's shoulder and said, "I love this guy!"

Dux saw the discomfort on Kit's face. That discomfort was common; luckily he was there to ease it. "Dad won't mind, Kit." He said. "Plus, you know how much he likes visitors."

That was true, Kit thought. It didn't take long for Kit to give in. Dux was giving her his puppy-dog eyes. Those eyes never failed to make Kit a sucker. She sighed and finally answered, "Fine, but he better not eat all of the food!"

Slash snapped his fingers and pointed at Kit. "No promises." He told her. "Take me home, fellas!"

Thank goodness he was following Dux and Kit back to the suburbs. Slash would've gotten lost if it was just himself. He tried to remember the way from the suburbs into town. He mentally mapped out Lampoon Town by what Dux and Kit showed him today. High percent chance I won't remember it, Slash thought. But at least I tried.

Before they knew it, Slash, Dux and Kit were at their houses. Slash wondered if he should stop by and tell his parents he'll be eating lunch with Dux and Kit. Nah, I'm just right next door. He thought shrugging off the idea. He followed Dux and Kit up to their house door, following them inside.

Slash liked the inside of their house. There were little homemade knickknacks scattered around. Family portraits hung on the wall, some with Dux and some without him. Above the fireplace there was a current family portrait, Dux, Kit, Bonita, and another cat with light orange fur with darker orange stripes wearing nice dress clothes.

Slash went to the portrait and observed it. "Is this your dad?" Slash asked looking at the orange cat with a large grin across his face.

"Yeah," Kit answered. "That's our dad, Gomez,"

"Greatest guy alive!" Dux answered.

"Happy family." Slash said.

"You bet it is." Kit said proudly.

The three then heard rustling in the kitchen. They made their way to the kitchen to find a neatly made table, table clothed and plates and silverware place at each seat, and the man of the house, Gomez, at the stove. He was dancing in place, placing oven mitts on his hands and opening the oven.

Before he reached into the oven, Gomez turned and was delighted to see his children there in the kitchen. "Dux, Kit," he said with a big grin. "You are just in time! Who's this?" he had noticed Slash behind them.

"Dad, this is Slash the Ferret." Dux announced.

Gomez found a similarity in Slash. He felt like he'd seen him before. He went up to Slash and scanned him closely. Finally, he figured it out. "Ah, you must be Shirna's kid." He said.

"Yeah!" Slash said, astonished. "How'd you figure that out?"

"You look just like her."

"I get that a lot." Slash said scratching the back of his head.

A beep sounded through the kitchen. Like a ringing bell calling kids in for lunch, Dux jumped to his seat at the table. He sat eagerly for the food to be put on the table, tail wagging feverishly. "Is it done, Dad?" he asked with drool escaping his hungry mouth.

Recognizing the beep, Gomez realized that it wasn't the oven timer going off. It was coming from the basement. Frantically he took off the oven mitts and the apron, tossing them to the table.

"Kit, sweetie, can you get the enchiladas out?" he asked Kit. "I gotta stop the machine downstairs." And with that Gomez sped around the kitchen towards the basement door and slamming it shut.

While Kit placed the mitts on her hands and went to the oven, Slash took a seat next to Dux, curious on what that was. "Machine?" he asked. "He's not talking about like the kind of machine that rises against us and goes back in time right?"

Pulling out the glass pan of steaming enchiladas, Kit placed it on the table. She heard all that Slash asked, but cared little for it. "No," she simply said. "Our dad is an inventor. He builds a bunch of stuff for companies and sells it."

"That's pretty cool." Slash said.

A loud boom came from the basement, shaking the entire house. While Dux and Kit weren't really fazed by this, Slash started to panic. First jumping from his chair, he ducked under the table, shaking frightfully. "Oh jeeze, I didn't do! I'm innocent this time! I swear!" he said incoherently.

Dux and Kit looked at this pathetic sight with confusion. "Uh... Slash?" Dux bent his head under the table getting Slash's attention. Slash looked genuinely scared, and guilty. "Are you okay?"

Kit also looked under the table and was taken aback by Slash's sudden fear. "Calm down, Slash," she told him. "That happens a lot more than what you think. It's pretty common."

Slash opened his eyes, seeing his two new friends staring at him uneasily. Quickly he regained his cool composure and crawled out from under the table. "Well," he squeaked. He deepened his voice back to its regular tone. "If it's common I don't have anything to worry about."

"Worry? You freaked out." Kit commented on Slash's pathetic display.

"What?" Slash retorted. "No, that was all just a gimmick. I'm keeping you guys on your toes."

"Hmmhmm." Kit plainly said.

She reached for a fork and plucked out her share of the enchiladas. Slash and Dux did the same. When they were eating, the basement door swung open and a puff of black smoke emerged quickly escaping through an open window. Gomez emerged from the smoke, waving his arm clearing the smoke from his face. He was coughing and his fur was burnt, and some bits were still on fire. In his other hand was a small square device.

Gomez took a seat at the table breathing heavily. "Woo, that could've been disastrous! I'm glad I lined the basement with Cold War bunker metals." he placed the device on the table.

Slash looked at the device with intrigue. The device had strange wires coming out of it and three bulbs at the end of it. "What is that thing, Mr. Gato?" he asked.

Gomez brushed off the ash from his suit and returned his attention to the device. "This here, Slash, is the key! The most important part of my invention!" he explained. He saw Slash reach for it and inspect it. "But, my invention will wait. Your mother will kill me if she finds me looking like I tried to climb down the chimney. I am going to go take a shower." Gomez then pushed himself from the table and walked away. "Make sure you save me some food."

Slash inspected the device and he came up with a way to best describe Gomez. "Your dad is like a mad scientist--and I love it!" he shouted with delight.

"That's one way to put it." Kit said. It almost sounded like she was agreeing with Slash.

Losing interest with the tiny device, Slash placed it behind him on the counter next to the trash bin.

The three continued to eat their lunch. It wasn't all silence however. Slash made sure that there was none of it. He asked them the usual questions, the kind you would ask upon meeting someone: what's your favorite color, your favorite hobbies, even favorite bedtime stories. Dux was quick to answer every question Slash asked. Kit needed a little nudge or two but she joined in on the conversation. Their conversation went on until they found their plates empty. Slash helped Dux and Kit with picking up the table and the cleaning.

"Okay, okay," Kit said with a lighter tone than she was having before. "Enough about us--what about you?"

"Me?" Slash asked.

"Well yeah," Dux said. "What can you tell us about you?"

It was like a cloud had come in and placed itself over Slash. Slash didn't seem too keen in saying anything. But he still kept a smile. "Why do you want to know anything about me?" he asked still keeping his cheery disposition. "There's nothing interesting about me."

"I don't believe in that," Dux replied, cleaning the plates in water filled sink. "There's something that makes us all interesting."

Slash was next to Dux, pushing all the trash from the plates into the bin. He heard a metallic clang go in the bin, but passed it off as something brushing against trash from days previous. "I don't think there is anything interesting about me." Slash pressed on. "I'm just your average ordinary guy."

"Okay, let's ask another question," Kit grabbed the dishes Dux had cleaned and loaded them inside the dishwasher. "Why'd you move to Lampoon Town?"

Silence came after Kit asked that question. Slash was still. His eyes stared blankly at the wall.

Looking at the motionless ferret, Kit wondered if she had pressed a button she wasn't supposed to press. Slash was just standing there, hanging above the trash bin, like a mannequin. Now it was getting weird.

Luckily, Dux dropping a plastic cup on the ground snapped Slash back to reality. He blinked several times as if he had just woken from a deep sleep. He turned to Dux and Kit acting as if nothing happened. "I'm sorry, did you ask me something?"

It was probably best not to ask again, Kit figured. "No, what, no..." she played along. "Slash, could you do me a favor and take the trash to the trashcans outside, please?"

Nodding, Slash tied up the bag from the bin and swung it around his shoulder. "Anything for you, doll." He winked and walked to the front door.

Kit returned her attention to the dishwasher. But the dishwasher was full. She was doing this to conceal her blushing cheeks. "Stupid... flirting..." she mumbled under her breath. Once she figured her rosy cheeks had faded she brought her face out. Leaving the dishwasher, Kit returned to the table and noticed something was amiss. "Uh, Dux, where's the part for Dad's invention?"

Dux didn't know. "Slash the was last one who had it." he answered.

Taking out the trash Slash felt a bump hit his back from the bag every time he walked. What was that? Was it that metal clang he heard from earlier? As soon as he dumped the bag into the trashcans the sooner he wouldn't have to worry about it. And as if some prayer from the heavens was answered a trash truck with the company logo, 'TrashIt Wastes,' came rolling up to the mailbox. Slash hurried to get rid of the bag. He handed the bag off to one of the drivers and the driver threw it in the back of the truck. They drove off.

Slash done good. He done good. His good deed was done for the day. He turned back towards the door only to meet face with Kit. "I took out the trash, mon capitan!" he said with a salute.

"Great--do you know what you did with the part for my dad's invention?" Kit asked.

"Yeah, I put it on the table right next to the--" Slash just realized what that metal clang in the bin was, and what the bump in the bag was.

"Next to the..." Kit gestured for more.

Slash swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. Ah, why did you screw up!? You had one job!!! Might was well come clean, he figured. "Next... to the... trash bin..." Slash said nervously.

Kit checked near the trash bin. It wasn't there. Then she added two and two together and pieced it all. A mélange expression of fear and anger came to her face. "Are you telling me that the device that my dad needs for his invention is in the trash?!" she heard the roar of the trash truck engine in the distance. "And now it's heading towards the dump!!!"

Slash grinned weakly and cowered. "Yes..." he said.

If Dux hadn't heard all of that from inside and come out Kit would've wrapped her fingers around Slash's neck. "Slash, Dad needs that part." Dux explained. "He needs it for his invention."

"Our dad gets paid a lot of money to make those doodads of his. No device, no invention--no invention, no money!" Kit further explained.

That was the trouble with Slash. One little thing he had to do and he couldn't even do it right. It was one thing if he didn't do a simple task correctly, but now he's putting his newfound friend's livelihood at stake. Oh the guilt burned in his gut.

But all wasn't lost. One thing that Slash does is keep the optimism alive. "Guys, don't worry, I'll fix this." He finally spoke with confidence. His mind was quickly conjuring ways to fix his problem.

"How?" asked Kit. "You don't really look like the inventing type our dad is."

His mind figured out a way to fix this. "I got a plan," Slash said poking his finger at his head. Slash explained the plan to Dux and Kit. They listened to him: Dux was on board, Kit however was very skeptical.

Next thing any of them knew, or would have ever predicted, they were inside metal trashcans. They had ran from Dux and Kit's house a few houses over, beating the trash truck before it got to that house's trash. They sat quietly in the cans waiting for the truck to come to them.

"This is perhaps the most cartoonish idea I've ever been a part of." Kit said rudely.

"Kit, this is going to work." Slash said from his can, the lid comically mimicking mouth movements. "Old Looney Tunes logic won't fail me, not this time."

While Kit didn't like it, what choice did she or Dux have? It's not like they could go to the dump and ask to rummage in the trash looking for it. She wanted to ask how Dux felt about this, then she heard digging sounds coming from his can. "Dux, are you eating the trash again?!" she asked angrily.

"Uh..." Dux's mouth was full. "No..."

"Guys, shhh." Slash demanded. The truck's roaring engine was coming towards them. "Okay, when they throw us in there, we gotta be quick and find that device."

The truck stopped at the trashcans. The driver took no prejudice in grabbing all three of them and dumping it all into the back of the truck. He didn't even nudge when he heard Dux's yelp. With this house done, the driver went back to the truck and drove off.

Slash, Dux and Kit were covered in trash. Kit never felt so dirty in her life. She cringed as she pulled a banana peel from the top of her head. Slash was so taken aback by the smell of the trash that he gagged, holding his mouth, keeping his lunch down. Dux, on the other hand, was swimming in the trash. He rolled in it with joy. He was also finding things that truly interested him.

"You're disgusting, Dux!" Kit said, grossed out by Dux's enjoyment.

Slash held his nose as he dug through the mounds of rotting trash clumps everywhere. "C'mon, it has to be in here!" he said. "The guy just threw the bag in here like twenty minutes ago!" But the bag was nowhere to be found. Slash weaved through the trash even more.

Kit did her part, even if it revolted her greatly. "Oh I'm going to kill you for this, Slash!" she whined.

"You'll have to beat the smell of this place first!" Slash replied angrily.

Slash and Kit dug through the trash with no positive results. Dux was making great progress though. He was finding discarded toys, a few broken tennis balls, and, recognizing the color of the bag, he had found the trash bag. "Slash, Kit, I found it!" Dux yelled over the noise of the engine. He went to the bag and yanked it from under piling trash. When he managed to free it from under the trash, the bag ripped open and all of the insides pouring out of the bag, joining the collective mounds on the ground. "Oops." He said.

A speed bump bounced the back of the truck into the air. Slash, Dux and Kit and all of the trash inside with it flew into the air and dropped back down to the wastes below. Kit landed in a liquid she only hoped was rainwater. "Oh my--this isn't how I wanted my day to go!" she whined louder.

Slash peeled his face from the trash after landing on his face. "Dux, did you find the device?" he asked, brushing off the molding broccoli from his face.

"No..." Dux replied. "I think that bump pushed it underneath all of this trash again."

Suddenly the truck stopped. The engine was still going but the wheels weren't. This was queer; Dux and Kit knew there were more houses that the trash truck needed to go to. "Why has he stopped?" Dux asked.

"Maybe he needs a pee break." Slash replied.

That wasn't the case however. The back of the truck began to lift into the air, all of the trash giving in to the gravity. Slash, Dux and Kit fell and slid with the trash out of the back to the ground below. The truck then drove off once the back was emptied.

They didn't have any time to comprehend anything. Before they could even get up the ground below them started to shake, and sink. Like a drain in a sink, the trash was being sucked into the ground, with Slash, Dux and Kit with it.

Dux jumped away from the sinking hole. He managed to grab Slash and Kit and pull them to safety. They watched as the trash sunk into a mechanized hole in the ground, and it sealed back shut.

"Whoa, we almost died!" Slash said eyes wide open. "Thanks buddy."

The place the truck had dumped them off at was the last place they wanted to be. Looking around they only saw mounds and mountains of trash guarded by a barb wired fence. The sky above was no longer blue but grey and dull with ashy clouds circling around them. Kit looked around and managed to see a sign that named the place.

"The Lampoon Junkyard!?" she yelled furiously. "Great, now we're never going to find that device!"

Ever the optimist, Slash wasn't looking at the bad side of this situation. "Nonsense, Kit." He said. "Of course we're gonna find it. Think of it as a game."

Dux added his concern, "This isn't a game I would play. And besides, our trash went into that hole in the ground."

"Then that's where we start." Slash declared. He went over to the hole in the sealed hole in the ground and tried to pry it open. It wasn't giving way though. No matter what he did the hole would not open. He grunted and heaved but still nothing. "Wow, this thing is strong." He noted.

A piece of trash rolled from its mound and onto the covered hole. The hole then opened allowing the trash to drop into the nothingness below and it sealed itself once again.

Finally it occurred to Slash. "That's it!" he said. His arms dug into the nearest trash pile and he cradled an armful of trash. "Dux, Kit, grab some trash.

"Are you insane?" Kit angrily asked. "Who knows where that hole goes to? This is completely breaking all of the rules, written and unwritten!"

"Kit, rules are meant to be broken." Slash said. "I mean, I'd break the rules if it meant doing the right thing or helping out my friends. Trust me on this." He placed himself on the sealed hole.

Dux went over to Kit putting his hand on her back. "Kit, we've come this far. It'd be stupid to turn back now." He did the same thing Slash did, digging his hands into the trash and walked over to the hole.

"No, it'd be smart." Kit argued. "But it's not like Dad could make another one of those things without spending less time with us." She dug her hands into the trash on the ground and joined Slash on the hole. "Let's do this."

With the both of them on the sealed hole with him, Slash was still surprised that they were actually listening to him. No one ever listened to him--ever! A warm feeling came in Slash's gut. "Don't worry, Kit." Slash said to her. "You won't regret this."

All three of them dropped their trash onto the hole. The mechanism sensed the trash and the hole opened up. Slash, Dux and Kit were swept off their feet and fell into the hole. The hole sealed once it felt no more trash was on it.

They screamed, falling into a chamber under the Junkyard. They landed on more trash, which was surprisingly soft. The chamber under the Junkyard was illuminated by an orange fiery haze. There was limited air making it difficult to breath. Embers from flames could be seen from rising furnaces, conveyer belts feeding the furnaces clumps of trash.

Dux and Kit were horrified by this. "This is underneath the Junkyard?" Kit asked. "They've just been burning the trash for all these years?"

"That's a problem we'll have to get to later," Slash said brushing off clumps of gunk from his fur. "That device is in here somewhere." The first thing Slash did was find the way out. Luckily, if not fortunate, there was a ladder that led up to the surface. "The sooner we find it the sooner we can get out of this furnace."

Dux and Kit agreed. They followed Slash down the trash pile and onto the metal floor. Their first place to look was the conveyer belts. Perhaps the device landed on of the three conveyer belts. Slash took one, Dux another, and Kit the last one.

While Dux checked each clump, his ears opened to the sound of voices. He listened; "Hey, did you here that?" said one voice, a heavy brutish voice. "Let's go check it out."

"Uh, I don't think we're alone down here." Dux shouted.

Dux was right. Slash looked up for a moment and saw shadows approaching from behind the furnaces. And they were big shadows too. Hurrying Slash picked at each clump that passed him on the conveyer belt. The shadows were getting larger on the wall which meant that they were only getting closer. He signaled Dux and Kit to hurry it up and so they did.

Kit hurried. She was picking away at the clumps no matter how it felt. She didn't even care if there was a mysterious gunk on her hands. The only thing that mattered was getting that device back for her dad. If she didn't find it she didn't know if she could ever go back home and face her dad.

It was already too late. Kit saw the two figures the shadows belonged too. They were two large, hulking, angry looking lobsters wearing vests with a shark logo in the right of the vest. Their stalk eyes swiveled around and spotted them at the conveyer belts.

"Hey!" one of them yelled. They ran towards the conveyer belts.

"Busted!" Dux yelped.

The lobsters jumped over the trash and were within reach of them. Just then Slash intervened and stopped the lobsters dead in their tracks. "Ah gentlemen, so glad you are here to witness the show of the lifetime!" Slash announced to them.

"Show?" one of the lobsters asked. "What show?"

"Didn't you get the memo?" Slash asked. "Why the show of the Magician Magnificent!" Slash introduced himself as the Magician Magnificent, pulling out a deck of cards and a trick coin. "And with me here," he pulled Dux and Kit over to him. "Are my assistants, Top Dog and Sassy Cat."

Kit gave Slash a dirty look. "Sassy Cat!?" she yelled. "I'll show you whose sassy when this is all over!"

Ignoring her, Slash presented the lobsters the deck of cards. He said, "Pick a card, any card." The lobsters did, and they were instructed to place the cards back into the deck. "Now, I will find the card you pulled from the deck." Slash dealt with the cards expertly. After a few show-off moves, some making Kit's eyes roll, Slash pulled out two cards. "Are these your cards?"

The lobsters looked closely at the cards and both stated, "No."

Slash was certain that his trick had gone right. "Now wait a minute." He took the cards and coughed on them. Rubbing them on his chest, Slash presented the cards to the lobsters again. "Now are these your cards?"

The lobsters were astonished. Those were their cards they picked out. "Wow, how'd you do that kid?" one of them asked.

"That's not the question," Slash said putting away his deck of cards. "The real question is..." Slash pulled out his silver coin and played around with it. He then placed the coin in his hand and pressed his hands together. When he opened his hands, the coin was gone. "What happened to my coin?"

The lobsters were now pulled in. They were watching intently at Slash's hands, his moves, his tricks. "One last trick, one more!" they were pleading like children.

"Okay," Slash rubbed his hands together. "My last and greatest trick," he pulled Dux and Kit close to him, wrapping his arms around them. "I will make my assistants and I disappear!"

"WHAT!?" Kit yelled with doubt.

"Cool!" Dux had no problem with this.

The lobsters didn't have any time to comprehend the sentence Slash had said. With a snap of Slash's fingers, the lights turned off, furnace and everything. A few seconds later, everything was turned back on. The lobsters found themselves alone in the chamber. They frantically looked around for any sign of the strange Magician and his assistants. But they found nothing. "Wow, we have to tell the boss thanks for the show. That was really nice of him." one of them said.

A magician never reveals his secrets; that is a stated fact. Now, finding slipups of the tricks he performs is a different matter. The lobsters didn't see it, but Slash, Dux and Kit were making their getaway up the ladder to the exit above.

The exit to the surface was blocked by an iron lid. With the combined efforts of the three friends, they managed to lift the lid and escape. Replacing the lid back, Slash could tell that Dux and Kit no longer wanted to be there. Without saying a word, Slash led the way towards the entrance of the Junkyard.

No problems occurred and Slash, Dux and Kit made it out of the Junkyard safely and in one piece. Slash would consider this a victory, but as he looked to his friends, they weren't as joyous. Dux was sitting on the ground, back against the fence, staring at the ground. And Kit was pacing back and forth on the verge of tears.

"Guys, I know this looks bad." Slash opened his mouth only to have Kit shut it.

"Bad!?" she snapped. "Slash, there are a ton of words to describe this but bad isn't one of them. We've rolled around in trash, Dux could get sick from all the trash he's eaten, and I've stuck my hands in Lord knows what and we didn't even find that device!" Kit collapsed, joining Dux on the ground and burying her face in her arms.

"Eh, all that other stuff is true," Slash had said. "But the device, well, that's where you are wrong." Slash pulled out the device, safe in his hands.

Upon seeing this, Dux and Kit changed their moods instantly. They both jumped to their feet and gazed at the small device as if it was some gift from a higher power. "Slash, how'd you get it? You were distracting those lobsters." Dux asked.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Slash rubbed his knuckles against his chest. "Not even to his assistants."

"Yeah, still not your assistants." Kit said. She took the device from Dux and she kept it. She felt like it would be safer with her. "Now, let's get out of here and back home before Dad finds out that this is gone."

"Couldn't agree with you more." Slash stated. Without any further words, they picked up their feet and made haste away from the Junkyard back to town.

Home is where the heart is, not where the stink is. As Slash, Dux and Kit walked down the sidewalk of the suburbs they couldn't help but notice people turning away from them. They would plug their noses and gag, holding their lunch down. Even the flies, who are accustomed to the smell of odor and decay, steered clear of Slash, Dux and Kit.

It's been a very long day for them. They rightfully ignored the people steering clear of them.

At long last, after what seemed like a lifetime of walking, they had made it to Dux and Kit's house. They walked up to the door and walked in. As soon as they walked in Dux and Kit were overcome with a feeling of relief. "Finally home..." Kit said, resting her body against the wall.

Bonita had heard them come in and she came out to greet them. "Dux, Kit, where've you been all day?" she asked. Then she smelled the air; her face turned a hue of green and she held her mouth. She turned to her children and figured that they were the source of the foul order. "What have you been in? Never mind, just go take a shower you two." She gagged and returned to the kitchen.

Gomez came from the kitchen watching his wife try and control her stomach. Confused, he turned to Slash, Dux and Kit and asked, "What happened to her?"

"Don't ask..." Kit responded.

Nodding, Gomez then asked the three, "Hey, you haven't seen my device for my invention around have you? I swear I left it on the table and now I can't find it."

There was no way that they were going to explain that Slash accidently threw it away and they went on a scavenger hunt to go and find it. Slash did however make up a story to cover their butts. He grabbed the device from Kit and gave it to Gomez. "I accidently put it in my pocket when we left the house. It wasn't until we got back that I noticed it was in my pocket." He explained. "My bad."

Inspecting the device, Gomez turned to Slash and smiled. "Thank you, mi miho." He said. There was a small black trash bin next to the kitchen. Gomez to the device and chucked it into the trash.

Slash, Dux and Kit's eyes widened and their mouths dropped.

"I should've told you to throw it away." Gomez stated. "That device was the key to my invention blowing up! If I installed it back into my invention I'm half certain that our house would be blown to smithereens." He didn't notice the shocked look on their faces. "Well, back to the drawing board." He said before going back into the kitchen.

"All this time--" Kit said softly, her face slowly tightening to an angry scowl. "All this time it could've been thrown away!?"

"We rolled around in trash for nothing...?" Dux was stunned that he ate trash for no good reason.

Equally stunned just as they were, Slash however saw the bright side of this. "I wouldn't say it was for nothing." He exclaimed. "Just think about it, we had one hell of an adventure." Dux and Kit were exhumed. Their bodies ached and they stink. Slash saw this and figured it was time to let them be.

"Okay, so, I'm gonna go back home and help my parents unpack the van and everything. Would you guys like to hang out tomorrow?" he asked.

Though tired, Dux responded with a big grin, "Oh yeah, for sure!"

That was all that he needed. Slash made his way to the door and left Dux and Kit's house. He didn't get very far when Kit called out his name. Slash stopped and comically turned to face Kit standing at the open door. "Yes, Kit?" he asked.

"I have to apologize." Kit said sadly.

Slash's head went askew.

"My attitude was unacceptable. I was sour, rude, negative and..."

"Kit, Kit, you don't have to apologize." Slash claimed.

"But I do. You didn't deserve my criticisms or anything like that. I should've been more polite and kinder to you. I guess I just don't know how to make a good first impression." Kit's cheeks blushed and she rolled her foot across the ground.

"I do appreciate it, Kit. And apology, though no need for it, is accepted." Slash said. "I guess I made a quite annoying and irritating first impression. So I'm sorry if I got on your nerves."

"Well, your irritating impression led to one of the most exciting days Dux and I have had in while..." Kit said smiling. "So I guess I should thank you for that."

After a brief silence, Slash held out his hand to Kit. "Hello, my name is Slash the Ferret and I'm the new kid in town."

Playing along, Kit shook Slash's hand. "I'm Kit the Cat, and I'm more than happy to be your friend." The two smiled at each other.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Slash asked.

"Definitely." Kit responded.

Slash bid his goodbye to Kit and walked to the fence that separated Dux and Kit's house from his new house. He made an attempt to jump over the fence and, as cool as he wanted to look, failed. His foot got caught on the fence and Slash landed on his face. Quickly recovering, Slash hopped to his feet and walked to his front door.

Kit watched this all, never taking her eyes away from Slash. Dux joined Kit at the door, watching Slash then turning his eyes to Kit. He saw something in her face that he found curious.

"Were you looking at his butt?" he asked unsubtlety.

Kit's entire face went red. "What? NO!"

"You were looking at his butt! You were looking at his butt!" Dux sang.

Kit quickly put an end to that song by grabbing Dux's muzzle and shutting it. "You ever utter anything like that again and I'll make sure the 'cat got your tongue' saying becomes real, got it?" she threatened her brother.

Dux nodded with a smile. He knew Kit wouldn't do anything like that to him. At least he hoped not.

Kit released Dux and they went inside.

Slash entered his new house. With his back against the door, Slash sighed with relief. "I can't believe that was a good day." he said to himself. "I haven't had a good day in forever." He walked into the living room where he found Slim still sleeping on the couch, snoring away. He found Shirna unpacking a few of her things and placing them on bookshelves.

Shirna saw Slash coming in. "'Bout time you came home." She teased.

"I decided to go on an adventure." Slash explained.

"So did you reinvent yourself like you said you were going to do?" Shirna then asked. "Did you change anything at all?"

Slash took a moment to answer. It was like he was thinking of the right answer. Then he figured that there was no right answer. He simply answered, "No."

Shirna looked at Slash with a judging frown, as if she was a member of a jury duty. But then she smiled at Slash. "That's my boy."

"Here, let me help you." Slash dug into one of the open boxes and helped his mother put things away. He followed his mother's orders and directions on where she wanted the items to go to.

"And then he pulled a coin from behind Williams' ear!" the lobsters were called up from the furnace area up to the main offices. They were being interviewed within one of many office spaces by a tan female kangaroo wearing a neon green safety vest over her black and white sweater. The kangaroo wasn't amused by the lobsters' explanation. "You just had to see it, Osha." Lobster Joe went on.

Osha the Kangaroo continued to rub her temples, a migraine appearing. "Okay, I need to clarify this..." she said. "When you two were doing your rounds in the furnace, all without your PPE of all things, this "magician" and his assistants, the ones in the pictures," she gestured to a couple of screenshots she pulled from security cameras. "They just disappeared--just like that?"

"Yes, and it was magical!" Lobster Williams stated.

Practically slamming her head on the table, Osha groaned. She ran her hand down her face. "Okay, I'm going to let the fact that you two weren't wearing the appropriate PPE slide for now, but next time it could be your jobs." She went on. "I'll be back once I talk to the boss."

"Oh tell him thank you for the show!" the lobsters said.

Osha could see why they were hired. It wasn't for their brains, that's for sure. The kangaroo left the office, pictures in her arms, and she walked down a long hallway. Most of the employees she walked by wore uniforms with a shark logo in the right section of their shirts and underneath that logo it said 'Loan Shark Industries'. Osha made her way pass her fellow employees until she reached a door marked "Loan Shark, CEO". Osha knocked and she was allowed to go in.

Inside, the office, massive compared to the other offices, was offputtingly dark; the only light was coming from the large glass window. The owner of this office sat in a large chair staring out the window, watching the construction below. The Junkyard, still operating as Lampoon Town's primary dump, was being wiped out by bulldozers pushing trash into larger mechanical holes in the ground that led to the furnaces below.

Osha coughed. "Mr. Loan Shark?" she saw the chair swivel around, revealing a black hued shark wearing a sharp suit and wide toothy grin.

Loan Shark saw the straight postured kangaroo and he welcomed her. "Ms. Osha, please come in," he said.

Osha closed the door behind her and approached Loan Shark's desk. She was about to address him of the events that happened earlier but she was cut off.

"It must be nice to be back home, yes?" Loan Shark asked her.

Forcing out a chuckle, Osha shrugged. "Yeah, sure... fifteen years is a long time..." she cleared her throat and said, "Mr. Loan Shark, we must talk about the intruders--the ones found in the furnace. Turns out they're just some kids from Lampoon Town." She presented Loan Shark with the pictures. "We've identified them as Dux Dog and Kit the Cat, the children fro your favorite inventor."

"Gomez--ah yes, I should really pay him a visit some time." Loan Shark replied.

"I can set that up for you right away, sir," Osha quickly replied. She went on, "Then the third... it's the Ferrets' kid," Osha showed Loan Shark the picture of the ferret in the furnace. His distinct stripe made him easily recognizable to Loan Shark. "It's him."

Loan Shark stared deeply at the picture of the ferret. His grin grew wider and wider, showing more rows of teeth.

"I can call local law enforcement and have them charged with trespassing. Just say the word," Osha said.

"No, no," Loan Shark folded the picture of the ferret and stashed it in his coat pocket. "Things are going according to plan. Leave the poor kid to his newfound friends. They're no use to us yet. But patience, Ms. Osha, things are about to get interesting." Loan Shark turned his back to Osha, facing the window, arms behind his back.

"What do you mean? Is this the "big" project you've been addressing?" Osha tried to fathom.

A heavy duty truck and trailer came rolling into the Junkyard bringing with it poles and equipment use to drill into the earth. Loan Shark watched with silent glee. "It's been a long time coming," he whispered. "A... long... time... coming..."

SEEYA LATER FELLAS!

A/N: How'd you like it? Slash is a pretty cool ferret if you ask me. And whom is this Loan Shark guy? Stay tuned to the other stories to find out.