3. The Wabbit and the Change of Plan

Wabsworth the Wabbit’s android double liked the Metro. He had already pressed three buttons and as he pushed his ticket through the machine it made a satisfying sound. So he hopped on the escalator and let his sensitive ears measure how far behind him his follower was. "I’ll bet the Hit Rabit doesn’t have a valid ticket," thought Wabsworth and he sneered an enormous sneer at such deceit. He so enjoyed the Metro and was just giving himself an electronic pat on the back when something stopped him in his tracks. Wabsworth was aghast. "Oh no, the plan’s gone wrong!" he thought as he saw the Wabbit coming up the stairs towards him. But the Wabbit signalled to him, put a paw to his lips, did several things with his head and winked. Wabsworth hadn’t a clue what the Wabbit meant so he processed this data again. "Wink means a trick and I’m supposed to know," he thought. The Wabbit smiled and nodded his head and flipped his ears. Wabsworth winked and continued to think. "One jerk up means he knows that Hit Rabit is there," he reasoned. "And a jerk down means carry on down the escalators." So Wabsworth started to hop faster and the Wabbit turned and began to lope down the stairs with enormous speed. Wabsworth didn’t think the Hit Rabit had seen the Wabbit, because his follower had been too busy avoiding his fare. So Wabsworth smiled to himself and thought of a private revenge on the Hit Rabit. "We’ll make him pay double for this affront," he murmured.

2. Wabsworth thinks like the Wabbit

Wabsworth the Wabbit’s android double made it to the Metro without incident and the Hit Rabit followed. "No problems so far," said Wabsworth to himself. "All is going according to plan." But Via Nizza at the railway station end was fur-raising enough on its own and as Wabsworth hopped past signs of urban change that were not in his data banks, he postponed his plan to nod amicably to passers-by. "I need to update the Wabbit on socio-economic matters," he thought. But the big Metro logo was both welcoming and reassuring and Wabsworth paused at the top of the steps to make sure the Hit Rabit knew exactly where he was going. He wondered what kind of weapon the Hit Rabit used, because he his sensors didn’t indicate anything at all and he found that slightly creepy. "Perhaps he’s going to hypnotise me with his menacing eyes," thought Wabsworth and then he giggled, because he was an android and he couldn’t possibly be hypnotised. Wabsworth found it difficult to acknowledge that he wasn’t really the Wabbit. In most respects he felt like the Wabbit and was therefore drawn to do the things the Wabbit would do. This made him want to break the rules. Left to his own devices, he would have preferred to hide behind something, then kick the Hit Rabit onto the railway track as he went past and shout something rude. But he thought better of it, rummaged in his fur for his weekly ticket and hopped on down the steps. "This would be the wrong day to meet a ticket inspector," he thought.

1. Wabsworth, the Wabbit's Double

Wabsworth, the Wabbit's double, hopped purposefully around Piazza Carlo Felice in the hope of being obtrusive - yet not obtrusive enough to arouse suspicion. He felt he was succeeding because some people smiled, some grimaced and some looked straight through him as if he didn't exist. "It must be my super glasses," he thought. Even though Wabsworth was an android, he had particular likes and he was especially fond of his pair of blue glasses. He wondered where the Wabbit had found them. "He came across them in some specialist shop in a far-off land," he murmured as he hopped forth at an ambling pace. He was just allowing himself an android smile when he suddenly felt his fur prickle as he sensed an unwelcome presence. Wabsworth wondered whether the Hit Rabit had taken the bait, so avoiding glancing back, he quickened his pace and headed towards the railway station and the Via Nizza. He had been instructed to lead the Hit Rabit a merry dance, so he zig-zagged in and out of the porticos and pretended to look in the many interesting display cabinets in the arches. "I'll have another look at a future date when things aren't so pressing," he decided and he sped onwards at a fair hop. On his way, Wabsworth wondered many things and he wondered if he wondered too much for an android. He wondered if the Hit Rabit wasn't from out of town. He wondered if maybe he'd been double booked. "I wonder if he needs glasses," wondered Wabsworth.

The Wabbit & the mid-adventure Café

"Just a quick coffee before you start work, you two," said Lapinette and she produced coffees in special cups. "I don't have to do anything except lie low," said the Wabbit. "It's Wabsworth that's doing all the work by attracting attention to himself." "I'll start by walking down Via Nizza and nodding amicably to passers by," said Wabsworth, "and then I shall go down in the metro and press all the buttons on all the machines." "I have to see that," said the Wabbit. "You're forbidden, remember?" said Lapinette. "I could hide," said the Wabbit. "Probably you'll hop straight into the hit Rabit and he'll nail you there and then," said Lapinette. "Not if I nail him first," grinned the Wabbit and he felt in his fur for his automatic." "That's not the plan, just play the part," said Lapinette. "Do you have my automatic, Wabsworth?" asked the Wabbit, who found himself empty-pawed. "I have it," said Lapinette. "Don't you think I should be armed and dangerous?" moaned the Wabbit. "No, just stay here under cover and make coffee," said Lapinette, who was now in desperate need of a coffee. "Well how exactly will you dispose of the hit Rabit?" continued the Wabbit. "Is he to be cast from a tall building or pushed in the path of an express train?" "Neither!" snapped Lapinette. "Oh, how disappointing," said Wabsworth. "Because we need information," explained Lapinette. "Well, I need to play a bigger role," said the Wabbit suddenly. "Relax Wabbit, you're supposed to be on holiday," said Lapinette. "Tell me about it," sighed the Wabbit.

8. The Wabbit and the Four Protocols

The Wabbit and his android double met briefly in a repertory cinema where the Wabbit sometimes hid out. "I can’t keep calling you Android," said the Wabbit. "Robot calls me Wabsworth," said android Wabbit. "OK. Wabsworth it is," stated the Wabbit. "Now what are our protocols?" "Well the first is that obviously we musn’t go round together," said Wabsworth. "Oh drat!" said the Wabbit who had been looking forward to a good conversation with himself. "And the second protocol is that we musn’t exchange coats," said Wabsworth. "Do you know, I never thought of that," said the Wabbit with a malicious glint in his eye. "You Commander, should conform to the third protocol which is to avoid attracting attention." The Wabbit hadn’t a clue how he would manage that one. "Noted!" he said quietly. "Conversely, I will do my best to be seen around and about," muttered Wabsworth. "Are you sure we can’t exchange coats?" asked the Wabbit. "That would defeat the object," replied Wabsworth. "Which is?" said the Wabbit. "To lure the Agent's hit Rabit into making an error and then to eliminate him." "You might get hurt," said the Wabbit. "I’m an android," said Wabsworth, "and can only be damaged." "All the same," said the Wabbit, "you’re a valuable asset." "Oh do you think so?" said Wabsworth with glee. "Yes of course," said the Wabbit. "You’re a credit to the Service and also you have my coat." "Perhaps we could have an aperitivo together after it’s all over," laughed Wabsworth. "That’s the Fourth Protocol," grinned the Wabbit.  

7. The Wabbit meets his Double

Ghost Bunny released the Wabbit and took him to an abandoned café in a little known location south of Turin. "Don’t worry Wabbit. All will be explained." she whispered. "I certainly hope so," said the Wabbit, who was secretly enjoying posing as his long lost cousin.  "Ah there you are Wabbit," said Skratch the Cat. "I expect you’re wondering what this is all about." "I’m just a cousin and don’t know much," said the Wabbit with a shrug. “We had to bring you back from Rome without alerting the wicked Agents of Rabit," said Skratch. "The Agents have placed a price upon your head and hired an out-of-town hit Rabit to despatch you without further ado." "Well," said the Wabbit. "I hope the price was right." "A King’s ransom," said Skratch, "and thats why we arranged this double to throw them off the scent." The Wabbit looked at his double. "Nice coat," said the Wabbit. "I’m afraid we had to give him your spare one,"  said Skratch. "And we programmed him to be just like you," said Robot with a smile. "Programmed?" shouted the Wabbit. "You mean this Wabbit double is an android!" "I’m the Wabbit’s double," announced the android Wabbit. "Be quiet you!" said the Wabbit. "Quiet is, as quiet does," said the android Wabbit annoyingly. "Are you sure about his circuitry?" sighed the Wabbit, hopping up and down. "He's got a state-of-the-art positronic memory." said Robot. "Oh really," said the Wabbit with exasperation and he addressed the android Wabbit sternly. "OK, Mr Bunny. Do you have a plan?" "I’m the Wabbit’s stubble," replied the android Wabbit. "He’ll do!" said the Wabbit. 

6. The Wabbit sings in his Cell

Locked in the Old Abandoned Garage, the Wabbit hopped around to see what he could see. But the Wabbit had an acute sense of paranoia which sometimes gave him an edge. And the more the Wabbit hopped, the more paranoid he became. "I'm having an Extreme Vacation," he thought, "and that’s very fishy indeed." He started to reckon the odds and the odds looked wild. This brought the Wabbit a sense of calm. "It's all a set-up," mused the Wabbit with a smile and he picked up a  guitar that had been left in a corner. "They showed me the instruments so I’d better play," he decided. The Wabbit strummed, picked out a few notes and began to sing the blues. "I took me a mystery tour, it was the road to hell. Took me a mystery tour, it was the road to hell." The Wabbit stopped, thought for a moment, then continued. "Now I’m a sad and lonely Wabbit," he sang, "stuck in an old prison cell." The Wabbit strummed and tried to figure things out. He wondered if anyone was listening, but he’d played for sympathy and nothing had happened. So he shuffled up the rhythm and ground out something heavier. "Wabbit please don’t go! Oh Wabbit please don’t go!" he yelled. "Down to Torino. Oh Wabbit please don’t go!" His voice echoed in the empty garage and melted into a silence that seemed to last forever. Then the Wabbit heard whispering. "Pssst. Pssst Wabbit!" He looked round and spotted  Ghost Bunny hiding behind a pile of old discs. “Eek, a ghost!” shouted the Wabbit. “Oh stop it Wabbit, I’ve come to get you out of here," breathed Ghost Bunny.

5. The Wabbit is Captured

The Wabbit made for the river as planned, then slipped into a place he knew at the rear of the Old Abandoned Hospital. But he wasn't quick enough or wily enough because no sooner had he arrived than he found himself surrounded by Snail, Franco and Skratch the Cat Burglar. "You thought you'd trick us?" said Skratch. "You can't outwit the Three Amigos," said Snail. "He looks just like the Wabbit. It's uncanny," said Franco. "That's because I am the Wabbit, Franco," shouted the Wabbit. "No," said Franco. "You're just a silly old pretend Wabbit." "Franco!" gasped the Wabbit. "You're on a charge!" "He's too formal for the Wabbit," said Franco. "It's definitely not him." "We'll interrogate him," said Snail. "Find out what he's up to." "I'm not up to anything!" yelled the Wabbit. "The names of all your contacts," said Snail, "and be quick about it because we haven't got all day." "Now look," said the Wabbit, "I can prove who I am." "Go ahead," said Skratch. "It was me who had you locked up several times," said the Wabbit. "Everyone knows that," said Skratch. "Snail, I took you round the city showing you my haunts," said the Wabbit. "Common knowledge," said Snail." "Franco, what about the old base of the Free Wabbits of Turin?" "It's in all the guide books," said Franco. The Wabbit looked around his three friends, sniffed and twitched his nose several times as if he was smelling a rat. Then the Wabbit had an idea. "OK, I'm not the Wabbit," he said. "Who are you?" asked Skratch. sternly. "I'm the long lost cousin of the Wabbit," grinned the Wabbit. "Take him away and show him the instruments," said Skratch.

4. The Wabbit gets Rumbled

The Wabbit didn’t know what to do about being home when he ought to be on vacation.  He supposed that he would creep around until the bus went back to Rome and no-one would be any the wiser. But his worst fears were realised when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Hey you!" It was the voice of Skratch the Cat Burglar. "Stop! We want a word with you!" he yelled.  The Wabbit cringed mightily and paused to think about all the explaining he would have to do and how embarrassing it was going to be. And then he did the first thing that came in to his head. He gave a weak smile and a little wave and started to hop quickly away. The Wabbit also knew it wasn’t going to end there because, as he hopped faster, Skratch started to chase him. "Imposter! Stop imposter!" cried Skatch. The Wabbit thought if he could make it to the river, he could hide until the crisis was over. Then he would double back round the block, rejoin the bus and return to Rome. But Skratch was relentless and he continued to shout. "Interloper! Fiend! You can’t go around pretending to be the Wabbit!" "I am the Wabbit," shouted the Wabbit feebly, but Skratch ignored him. "We’ll make you spill the beans, you fraud. You may as well give up! Surrender now and take your just deserts."  As the Wabbit started to lope, he knew he should really stop and explain. But something inside wouldn’t let him. It was the same something inside that wondered whether he enjoyed getting into these scrapes. "I’ll never go on a Mystery Tour again," thought the Wabbit.

3. The Wabbit on the Mystery Bus

The Wabbit had only just settled back and started his puzzle magazine, when the coach took off at breakneck speed. Soon it was hurtling along the motorway, past cars and lorries and other coaches. It was so quick that the coach shook from side to side and the Wabbit found it hard to grip the carrot aperitivo that had mysteriously appeared on a small table beside him. Faster and faster went the coach. Trees and bridges and pylons and telegraph poles flashed past the window as it sped through tiny hamlets, then villages, then towns and finally the outskirts of several big cities. "Phew," thought the Wabbit. "This is more than I bargained for." The Wabbit soothed his neves by insisting to himself that this was indeed a mystery tour and mystery was the whole point. But he had an uncanny feeling that he wasn’t going anywhere scenic. Then the coach zoomed through industrial areas full of factories and depots and the Wabbit looked with interest at some areas of urban dereliction. "Mmm," said the Wabbit, "perhaps we're on an archaeological excursion," and he felt in his fur for his archaeological tool kit, which contained small instruments and brushes. But the Wabbit had left it in his other coat and he had to be content with a crack hammer and chisel which somehow had fallen out the tool roll. But the coach rolled on and on and it didn’t stop until it reached the centre of the city. The Wabbit looked out with horror. "Oh no, I’m home in Turin!”  he groaned.

2. The Wabbit boards the Mystery Tour

The Wabbit dragged his case across the coach park, muttering as he went. He had gone to Rome for his vacation but he thought it would be nice to see somewhere else. So he was duly cheered when he noticed a large touring bus looking for business. "Mystery Tour!" he said with delight. "and no chance of mishaps on anything so old-fashioned." The Wabbit looked all around and there didn't seem to be anyone else about. The coach park was deserted and devoid of any passengers whatsoever. "Tuesday is a quiet day," he thought. "The bus won’t be overbooked. Perhaps it will take me to the seaside or to a nice wood with a babbling brook." The Wabbit was calm for a moment as he thought a little longer and his head whirled with ideas about where the mystery bus would take him. "Maybe it will head for a fairy-tale castle or a grotto or caves in the mountains or a spa with bubbling healthy waters," he mused. The Wabbit was running out of ideas for his destination but he thought it would spoil the fun if he asked. So he scanned the bus again. It really was so very quiet that he found it puzzling, but the Wabbit decided to be positive. "I’ll have plenty of room to stretch my paws," he said to himself. “I’ll do some puzzles in La Settimana Enigmistica magazine and relax completely." The Wabbit hopped over to the newsagent and hopped back quickly but there was no need to rush because the bus was still quiet. So he hopped on board, paid for his ticket and settled back to enjoy his trip ...

1. The Wabbit thinks about a Vacation

"What shall we do now?" asked the Wabbit. "Whatever you want, it’s your vacation," said Lapinette. "I don’t like vacations," grumbled the Wabbit. "It’s not true, you love vacations," replied Lapinette. The Wabbit stamped his rear leg for a while and ground his teeth. "Well, every time I go on a vacation, something happens and it turns into an adventure," he said. "That doesn’t sound too awful," said Lapinette smiling. "Then there's the packing," said the Wabbit, "and I always forget something really important." "Like what?" asked Lapinette. "Like my miniature set of hex socket keys," said the Wabbit. "Why would you need them on vacation?" asked Lapinette. "On a previous holiday," murmured the Wabbit, "I was locked in a filing cabinet. If I hadn’t forgotten my keys I would have got out more quickly." Lapinette knew better than to ask how the Wabbit had become locked in a filing cabinet. "I suppose that was an adventure!" she said. "It was rather a good one in the end," said the Wabbit feeling quite cheered. "There was lots to read and I found out some interesting stuff." Lapinette inclined her head enquiringly. "Like an old manual about things you can build in a shed," said the Wabbit. Lapinette sighed with relief. "So can we go to the gallery now?" she asked.  "I’ve quite forgotten what’s on," smiled the Wabbit. "but the building is much more interesting than anything in it." "Do you remember you hopped into an exhibit in the Modern Art Museum and smashed it," said Lapinette. The Wabbit grinned. "No-one knew the difference anyway," he chortled.

The Wabbit and the Quiet Birthday

It was the Wabbit’s birthday and he crept out early for some peace and quiet. To fool everyone, he took Franco’s jeep instead of his own and he was merrily bowling along singing a favourite song, when his radio crackled. "Sweet Wabbit, Happy Birthday! Where are you?" said Lapinette. "Bowling merrily along," said the Wabbit. "Lovely," said Lapinette, "do have fun. Don’t forget your official function and to pick up your cloak from the laundry." The Wabbit’s ears stood on end and he felt in his fur for the ticket. For a moment all was quiet and the Wabbit sniffed the sea breeze. Suddenly another voice broke in. "Commander, someone’s stolen my jeep," said Franco. "I have it Franco," said the Wabbit. "That’s a relief on your birthday Sir," said Franco and he signed off. The Wabbit was just about to turn on his FM radio when the handset crackled again. "Wabbit, happy birthday," said Puma. "It’s about my adventures, I need to play a bigger role," "Later Puma," said the Wabbit and turned up the dial to hear Fabio Treves on Wablantis Radio. But the music stopped and another voice cut in. "Happy birthday," said Snail. “I was wondering whether you have my screwdriver kit." "In the shed," said the Wabbit and he turned Wablantis up higher. But his handset crackled yet again. "Woooooh!" said a ghostly voice. "Oh hello Ghost Bunny. What can I do for you?" "Enjoying your birthday?" asked Ghost Bunny. "Yes, I’m out for a quiet drive," said the Wabbit. "I made a radio request for you," said Ghost Bunny, "and they’re playing it now." The Wabbit turned the radio up full blast. It was BB King singing Happy Birthday Blues and the Wabbit grinned with all of his 28 teeth and sang along.

The Wabbit's after-adventure Discussion

The gang gathered at the Railway Arch Café and Snail was, as usual, the last to arrive. The Wabbit knew this had nothing to do with being slow. It was all about making an entrance. "How’s your belly off for slime?" he said to Snail, just to bring him down to earth. "Excellent," said Snail. "I see you’re whatever size is normal for you today." So the Wabbit gave up trying to get the better of Snail and asked everyone what sort of adventure they thought they'd had. "It was rather Low Budget," said Lapinette with a smile, because she thought that might annoy the Wabbit - and then she dug him in the ribs so that he knew to be annoyed. "That’s not of itself a genre," said the Wabbit. "It's more of an approach." Robot chimed in with an electronic yet resonant voice. "It was a low budget, science fiction remake with contemporary references," he said.  "Oh all that football stuff," said Snail.  "That football stuff as you call it, was perfect," said Robot. "And it was a reminder of the days when football was more than over-strategised set pieces executed by automatons." There was a long silence because everyone knew Robot was right. Lapinette changed the subject. "Wabbit you didn’t fulfil your part of the deal with the Swarm," she said. "Oh but I did," said the Wabbit. "The Swarm now has all the football data from 1871." "Just statistics?" asked Lapinette. "And damned lies," quoted the Wabbit gleefully.

6. The Wabbit and the Holodeck Suite

The Wabbit's hour of shrunkennness was up. Suddenly he found himself normalised but in a most unfamiliar location and looking directly at Robot. The Wabbit could say just one word. "Where?" he uttered in a voice that began as a squeak and ended as a roar. "Don't worry Wabbit. Have you got the data?" said Robot. "I certainly have and you've no idea what a pesky task it was," grumbled the Wabbit. Robot took the ceramic memory stack and inserted it into a port in his front. "So where is this?" said the Wabbit again in a more affable tone. "This is the Holodeck suite," replied Robot as if there had always been one. "How did it get here," asked the Wabbit. "I requisitioned it," said Robot. The Wabbit slapped a paw to his forehead. "Who signed?" he said simply. "Lapinette, Commander," "Oh good," said the Wabbit and he smiled and clapped his paws. "At least it wasn't me." Robot remained silent as he wrote data to his memory and then he nodded sagely. "Excellent data. Now I can begin work on the problem in hand." The Wabbit did not care to admit that he neither knew what the data was nor was he sure of the exact nature of the problem in hand. "Yes," he said, "that will sort the matter out entirely." "The Agents of Rabit will rue the day that I asked for this data," said Robot. "Of course," said the Wabbit and he looked all around. "Who's that woman?" he asked finally. "I really don't know," said Robot, "she came with the Holodeck." "Well, where did you get the Holodeck?" murmured the Wabbit." "e-Bay," said Robot.