6. Tipsy and the Devil behind the Calls

Out at an abandoned factory on the edge of town, Lapinette's personal security detail Tipsy, Fitzy and Mitzy rounded a corner. "There he is," murmured Tipsy. "I knew it would be him - and I knew he'd be here." Fitzy was taken aback. "I'm blabbergasted. He looks rather devilish." Mitzy scoffed. "I don't believe in the devil." The Devil had his back to them, and he stood up to his waist in a sea of blood. Tipsy drew her edged weapon and hissed. "The devil's real enough. There he is. Beelzebub himself."  The Devil's lips curled. "Personally in person, little female rabbit. Some call me that. I prefer Lucifer." He looked askance at their weapons. "You cannot harm me. I am a supernatural phenomenon." Mitzy growled. "You've been causing a lot of trouble, you fiend." "A fiend indeed. And I'll cause more," said the Devil. He drew his Hellish lips back in a sneer. He stirred blood with his finger and painted an upside down cross on one of the wooden beams. "Now it's a crossbeam. Ha ha ha." He laughed a sinister laugh. Tipsy made the sign of a cross with her edged weapon. "Stop making annoying calls," she snarled. The Devil laughed. "Don't be silly small rabbit. I have enormous resources. I'll make as many calls as I like. All day all year. I'll wear you all down. Until you join with me." "Pipe down, Hobknocker," said Tipsy, "I'll send the Wabbit after you." For the first time, the Devil looked perturbed. "The Wabbit?" He began to fade. "We'll see about that." But he was frowning. He faded until only the frown remained and the frown spoke. "I have a score to settle with that lagomorph."

5. The Wabbit and the Big, Big Tower.

The Wabbit knew all about the Superga events. He was monitoring the signals and picked up a flash. It was instantaneous but he was able to ping it. The address was a telecommunications tower on the edge of town. "Let's go," he yelled. "Bring truck, bring guns!" Lapinette took the driving seat and Wabsworth dived in the back. In 30 minutes, they were at the site. It was a lonely location where no-one ever went. Just a field, and a tower and the hovering stars. Wabsworth started to climb. "What am I looking for?" The Wabbit started after him. "A device, we'll know it when we see it." Lapinette remained by the truck and shouted directions. "The dish to your right, Wabsworth." Wabsworth scrabbled around. "It's a device. It's buried." Lapinette replied immediately. "Kin you unbury it?" The Wabbit was nearly there. "Hang on Wabsworth, I can see an edge." He pulled at a strange box. "It's in two bits, like a jigsaw," shouted Wabsworth. Together they uncoupled it and pushed the pieces in their fur. Despite the ladders and lattice framework, it was a little precarious. A piece slipped away from the Wabbit and clanged its way down the tower. It bounced once, twice, three times - before Lapinette dived and caught it. What it was exactly, no-one knew. She clutched it close. "I have the thing." By the time Wabsworth and the Wabbit were at the foot of the tower, the box was safely stowed in the truck. Lapinette poked it with screwdriver. It flashed once then spoke. "You'll never ever find me." Lapinette smiled a grim smile. "Don't count your eggs and your chickens."

4. The Tipsy, Fitzy and Mitzy Intercept

Lapinette's personal guard were allocated the task of finding the photo decrypter but what they found was a robocall device. It was sending out nonstop signals from the bell tower at the Basilica. "It's not so high, I'll take it down," said Tipsy. She plucked an edged weapon from her frock and clenched it between her teeth. Then she began the ascent of the tower. "There she goes," said Fitzy. "Trouper!" said Mitzy. They both laughed. Tipsy slashed at the strange device. It bleeped and the photo signals became visible. "Gotcha," said Tipsy. but the machine fought back with electric shocks. "Fudge!" said Tipsy. She changed her position on the tower. "Need a helping paw?" asked Fitzy. Tipsy thought about it. "Yup," she said finally. Fitzy scrambled up and got a grip of Tipsy. Then Mitzy did the same. She grabbed on to Fitzy. They swayed around like a drunken concertina. "It's gonna self destruct," yelled Tipsy. "Sheeps' shiblets!" shouted Fitzy. "Jump!" yelled Tipsy. "Mother trucker!" yelled Mitzy as she let go and dropped. Together they slid down and lay in a heap. They had cuts and bruises and frocks were tattered. "Jerk water!" cussed Fitzy and put her paws over her ears. With a loud bang the device detonated. Stonework fell around their shoulders. Some time elapsed. "What do we tell the Wabbit?" said Mitzy. "I'll kick his corn nuts!" shouted Tipsy. Fitzy giggled. Mitzy snickered. "And then?" Tipsy thought about it. "Let's find the key device on our own." Tipsy paused. "I think I know where it is and who has it." Fitzy fished in what remained of her frock for her automatic. "We'll get that loompity frigstick!"

3. The Wabbit and the Lamp's Message

The Wabbit was on his way home when he heard a hissing. He looked up. "That streetlight must be out of order," he thought. But with a faint flash, the light illuminated with a phosphorescent glow. "Halloween is past," said the Wabbit and he shook his head. "Wabbit!" The voice was familiar. The Wabbit struggled to place it. "It's Lamp," said the voice, "I can see you. I'm calling you from the moon." The Wabbit looked up and imagined he could see a glow on the moon. "Lamp!" he said. He looked round just in case anyone saw him talking to himself. Lamp's voice carried on. "I'm communicating with you through one of my kind." The Wabbit shrugged. He'd left Lamp on the moon because he seemed to like it but hadn't expected him to get in touch so soon. "OK Lamp. What gives?" The glow faded and brightened again. "I can't keep this up for long. Clouds you know. Interfering with communication." "Give me the gist," said the Wabbit. "I've been receiving strange calls," said Lamp. "But nothing comes of them." The Wabbit stared at the moon and tried to visualise Lamp. "Same here," he said. "I'm supposed to sort it out, but I can't find the source." The Lamp continued. "I tracked it down. It's coming from the top of the Mole Tower." The Wabbit was sceptical. "Didn't come up on our radar." The Lamp snickered. "They're photo encrypted and decrypted somewhere near Superga." The Wabbit nodded as if he knew that already. "Good info Lamp, anything you need?" "A new bulb would be nice," said Lamp, "You can send me one, they're quite light." The Wabbit laughed and the green glow flickered and died.

[See: "The Wabbit stops off at the Moon."]

2. The Wabbit's Hallowe'en Call

Nothing could interfere with the team's Hallowe'en Party and they found a particularly messy part of Pluto Park to host it. The Wabbit brought the red phone - since his new adventure was about irritating calls. He placed it with great care on a concrete block. Lapinette fluttered over the water like a dragonfly. No-one was quite sure how she did it. Wabsworth caused lightning flashes to erupt from his paws. Since he was an android it was nothing for him to organise. Skratch was late and he stood up to his knees in the murky water. "OK Wabbit. What's your Bunnyman trick this year?" The Wabbit smiled. "No trick. It's never a trick." Lapinette cackled heartily and floated back and forward. Wabsworth's lightning flashed. "Here comes the Bunnyman," he screeched. At that moment the telephone howled. The Wabbit scowled in response. "It only does that when it's important." Lapinette fluttered. "You'd better answer it then." The telephone vibrated until it was in danger of falling from the concrete block. The Wabbit lifted the receiver. They heard the sound of footsteps. "I'm coming!" said a deep voice. "Who's calling?" asked the Wabbit. "Who do you think?" shrieked the voice. "It's the Bunnyman," said the Wabbit. His voice shook. The phone spoke again. "I sent you my axe." They gaped in horror as an axe rose from behind the concrete block. Blood spattered right to left. Wabsworth lifted his paws towards the heavens. They sparked again.  The axe faded from sight and the blood disappeared. "Holography," he laughed. "But who was on the phone?" asked the Wabbit. "Not me," shrugged Wabsworth.

1. The Wabbit and the Annoying Calls

The Wabbit was quietly minding his own business. He'd stopped at a restaurant where he liked to go for lunch - undiscovered. It was a cheap place with good food, populated with students and the odd rabbit like himself. He'd have one of the main courses - and always a glass of Prosecco. He was known as Mr Prosecco, not Commander Wabbit, and that was the way he wanted to stay. He was getting to the coffee stage when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Hello Wabbit! So this is your secret lunchtime haunt?" The Wabbit grinned. "Not any more." He got up to find Lapinette a seat. "Have you eaten," he asked. "I have," she smiled. "Then perhaps I can offer you an amaro?" "Montenegro," said Lapinette. The Wabbit's wave to the waiter was cut short by the squeal of a telephone. "Aren't you going to answer that?" asked Lapinette. "They've been happening all day," said the Wabbit. "The phone rings and I answer and they hang up." The ringing stopped. Lapinette was highly amused. "And that is your next mission." The Wabbit pretended to misunderstand. "Making prank calls?" "Of course not," said Lapinette. "Locating the pranksters and eliminating them." The Wabbit giggled. "That seems harsh." Lapinette pirouetted in a manner that alarmed the waiters. "They're causing the Department a lot of wasted time." The Wabbit reached under his fur for his automatic. "I will find them. Then I will answer them." Lapinette nodded. "Gather all the resources you need. The Department is hopping mad." "How mad?" queried the Wabbit. "As mad as a bag of bees," grimaced Lapinette. 

The Wabbit and his Adventure Caffè

The Wabbit pointed to the table and Lapinette jumped in the air. "Are you sure about this Caffè, Wabbit? You said they gave you a Prosecco with ice in it." Wabsworth snorted in horror. The Wabbit laughed and rapped the table. "That was in the evening. This is kind of morning." Wabsworth guffawed. "The Wabbit has Prosecco on his cornflakes for breakfast, like it was milk." Lapinette raised her eyes in mirth. "That's where you've been sneaking off to, Wabbit. You said it was to collect La Stampa." The Wabbit looked a little embarrassed. "I did get La Stampa and a copy of La Settimana Enigmistica." Lapinette grinned. "Yes, I could smell it." Skratch was impatient. "That doesn't tell us what kind of Adventure you just had." Wabsworth echoed his sentiment. "So, what was that for a sort of Adventure?" Lapinette continued to bounce. "It's quite simple. Ideology, Representation and Reality." Wabsworth agreed but ventured that it wasn't enough. "The signs and codes were lacking. Usually there are conventions and you used none of them." The Wabbit intervened. "We used a simple first order symbolic substitution. That rendered our story comprehensible." Skratch laughed like crazy. "You can't get away with that, Wabbit. That's like saying it means anything I say it means." The Wabbit gritted his teeth. "Baudrillard would have it differently. All identities, social relations and social life itself are constructed through image appropriation - and that's what we did." Skratch bowed out at that point and smiled "That's all very well but where are our drinks?" Lapinette laughed. "There's a picture of them on the table."