Warning: the following chapter may contain some very sad scenes, but also some heartwarming scenes as well.

Atomic Puppet: New Adventures Volume 2

Atomic Bells

Mega City Ontario, August 8th, 2006

A regular/profitable day at Comics Man for Wolf Bell who'd just made another sale.

"Thank you, man. Enjoy your mint condition Beacon comic, and have an ARH-WOOOOOO afternoon man," Wolf said to his customer.

"Um, okay," said the customer before leaving.

With another sale made and no other potential customers in sight, Wolf leaned back on his chair, put his bare feet up on the counter, "due to being raised by wolfs he's developed a thing against wearing shoes whenever possible", grabbed one of his favourite comics and started to read.

A few minutes into his comic, Wolf heard the phone ringing.

"Comics Man," Wolf greeted upon picking up the phone. "We've got good comics man."

"Hi Wolf," said the person on the other end of the phone, "this is Jacob Stevens. I'm the lawyer of your younger brother Richard. We met at his wedding three years ago."

"Oh yeah, I remember you, man. What's up?"

"Well um… you see… well…"

"Well, what man? What's going on?"

"Ugh I don't quite know how to say this, but um… Richard and his wife, Marisa, are dead."

"Ugh, Wolf? You still there?

"No, no, noooooooooooooooooooooowl!"

"Yes I'm sorry but Richard and Marisa are dead. Gone and never coming back."

"What?"

"Yeah they died in a car crash last night," Jacob explained. "Their funeral's happening a week from now in Austin, Texas, "where Marisa was born and raised". I'll be there to pay my respects to them, as well as go over their will after the funeral. I'll see you there."

Though before he could hang up, Wolf had one other thing he needed to know, "Wait, hold up man. There's one more thing I need to know."

"Yeah?" Jacob asked.

"What about Pauline man. You know, Richard and Marisa's daughter. Is she all right?"

"You mean the little pink haired girl? Don't worry she's alive and uninjured. Yeah was at home under the care of some babysitter at the time of the accident. We'll have someone come to pick her up, take her to the funeral, and look after her till we can find her a permanent legal guardian. That'll be one of the things we'll be discussing when I read over your brother's will. Anyway, I need to get going, just wanted to let you know about the deaths of your brother and sister-in-law. I'll see next week, oh and sorry for your losses. I'm out."

Leaving Wolf alone to contemplate what had just happened.

"Ri… Ri… Richard's dead," it felt like Wolf was shooting himself in the chest when he said those words. Richard and Wolf had always been close, despite not seeing each other much since the former was born three years after latter went off travelling. Nonetheless, the two Bell bros managed to form a strong bond as Wolf would visit during holidays, birthdays, and events that were extremely important to Richard, including all of his graduations, his bachelor party, his wedding, the day he became a father; Wolf even helped Richard prepare for when the latter proposed to Marisa.

Richard, in turn, would be as supportive of his older brother as the latter was of him. Richard would visit his brother during important moments such as the grand opening of Comics Man, anniversaries of the comic book store, and all those comic conventions that Wolf loved so much. Yep, the two brothers, even when they lived in separate countries, shared an extremely close bond to one another; unlike their older brother, George William the fourth, who hated both of his brothers, who in turn hated him. This made Richard's death hurt Wolf even more sense, to Wolf, he'd pretty much lost his only brother; not to mention the closest thing he had to a sister. Yeah, Wolf had also gotten along great with his sister-in-law. She had no problem accepting him into her life even though he was raised by wolves, had attended events important to Wolf alongside her boyfriend, turned husband, Richard. Now they were gone. Gone to the grave. With Wolf and Richards' parents having passed away a few years ago, that left Wolf's older brother and toddler niece as his last living relative.

Depressed, Wolf began preparing for the trip to while howling sadly, "arh-woooooooooooooo."

Austin Texas, August 15th

It had been a week since the tragedy had happened, now it was time for everyone to say their final farewells to Richard and Marisa Bell. Friends of both the Bells and Johnsons, "Marisa's maiden name", were attending the funeral, as well as members from both families; though sadly it was just Wolf, his older brother George, and Pauline since both families were small and had each lost a handful of members over the years. A lot of higher-ups from Ding-Dong Corp and other associates of the company, (which included Jacob Stevens), were also attending for different reasons such as how many of them missed their deceased CEO, while others, (unfortunately), treated this as just business.

Whatever the reason being, a deep sorrow filled the graveyard as the eulogy was given.

"Richard and Marisa Bell were a wonderful match. CEO of a highly successful corporation, and Head Accountant of that same business. The two of them were both caring, dedicated people, with a love for those close to them as well business it became no surprise that when meeting in college they discovered what they loved most was each other. This love made them stronger people, allowing them to create many great accomplishments, both in the organization they worked for, and most importantly, the child they sired. May their spirits rest in peace knowing that what they've created, (both through physical and manual labour), will continue to grow and flourish as the heavens continue to shine brightly. Amen."

"Amen."

With this being said, the bodies were buried and a moment of silence was given to the deceased couple before everyone went inside the funeral home. Well almost everyone, one little girl with hot pink hair, who wore a black dress and an extremely sad look on her face, chose to stay behind to be with her parents for a little longer. Unbeknownst to the toddler, someone else, who wore a messy black suit, also stood by to watch her say her final goodbyes.

"Bu… bu… bu…" the young Pauline attempted to say. This was the hardest thing someone could ever do, especially someone at her age. "Bye-bye, mommy. Bu… bye-bye da… Waaaaah."

Wolf immediately went over to his crying niece, knelt down, and held her tight in order to comfort her. Pauline, in turn, wrapped her little arms around her uncle, continuing to cry tell they eventually went inside.

"WHAT DO YEAH MEAN YOU'RE NOT GETTING INVOLVED MAN?!" An hour after Wolf had taken Pauline inside, he'd gone to talk to his older brother about the fate of their niece. Jacob, who'd been talking to George at the time that Wolf showed up, revealed that a few bits of Richard and Marisa's will had somehow been lost. This included who would be Pauline's legal guardian in the event of her parents' death, ownership of Richard's prized car, and who would become the new CEO of Ding-Dong Corp. This made Wolf more set on having this discussion since concerned Pauline's future. Unfortunately, and unsurprising, George refused to give any sort of support towards his niece which infuriated Wolf, causing him to scream furiously in the middle of the funeral home, drawing some unwanted attention towards the two brothers.

Before things could escalate, George shoved Wolf into the nearest men's washroom where the former replied to his brother's outburst.

"I don't want any part of this. I already got enough on my plate with me having to take over the company and all-"

"I thought the part of Richard's will that says who inherits Ding-Dong Corp was lost, man?" Wolf asked suspiciously.

"I already spoke with the board, and they agree that given the recent circumstances, and since I was already COO, "Second in command of the company", not to mention my extensive background in business, I'm the best choice for the job. Besides I now own over ninety shares of the company," George explained. "I convinced Richard years ago to hand them over to me if something were to happen to him. It's all in his will as Jacob told me before you came over and started howling like the animal you are. And if you're wondering how I managed to get Richard to hand those shares over to me, well let's just say that with enough effort on my part, I can persuade anyone to do anything."

Still puzzled Wolf asked, "Uh isn't that something we'll probably learn tomorrow when Jacob reads Richard and Marisa's will man?"

"He already knew what was on it so I convinced him to just tell me what I inherited now, then he can send it to me back in New York, as well as any paperwork I need to fill out for said inheritance. That way I can head on back tonight. No point in staying any longer than I need to," George answered.

"But what about Pauline man? She's our niece. We're the only family she has left."

"Look I gotta million dollar company to run. I don't have time to raise some whiny little brat who'll try to take the company from me when they're older. Uh-uh, that kid's on her own."

"This is the lowest thing you've done man," Wolf said, furry radiating through his eyes.

"Yeah well unlike you I'm rich so who gives a fuck."

Taking a look at his watch, George decided that enough was enough, "Any who I gotta get going. It was good to see you again little brother. Hope we don't do it again anytime soon," he said before walking out of the washroom, leaving his brother to growl angrily.

The next day

Inside a massive room sat a small crowd of people including Wolf, and Pauline Bell, (who was sleeping on her uncle's lap). The crowd were all sitting down as they faced Jacob Stevens who sat behind a fancy looking desk that faced the crowd of people before him. The lawyer had been reading over the final testimony of Richard and Marisa Bell to everyone in the crowd, all of whom had inherited something from the now deceased couple. At the moment, Jacob was reading over the last bit of the will.

"And finally, to Rudolph Mintenberg, my roommate from my college, I Richard Bell, leave to you my deluxe massage chair with a built-in video game station that you can play anywhere. I received this as a wedding present, though sadly, I never had the time to use it. However, I know how much free time you have and know that you'll be able to put it to use. Hope this helps in your fight against boredom."

"Oh, goodie, goodie, goodie," Rudolph said cheerfully.

Getting up from his seat, Rudolph made his way towards the front of the room where his chair sat, (right beside where Jacob sat), taking what was now rightfully his.

"Okay, now there's one final thing we need to discuss," Jacob announced to the audience in front of him. "As you are all aware, bits of Richard and Marisa's will, (somehow), vanished without a clue. Among those things include who would become the new CEO of Ding-Dong Corp, ownership of Richard's prized car, a McLaren F1, and legal custody over the couples' daughter Pauline Bell. Fortunately, thanks to George the first issue, (the one involving Ding-Dong Corp), has already been taken care, leaving us to decide who will become Pauline's legal guardian and who will get the car. So, are there any takers for Pauline?"

The room went silent for a few moments till Wolf spoke up, "I'll do, it man. I mean I'm her father's brother, and beside from that, I'm her last living relative who isn't a complete douche bag."

Jacob quickly thought about this for a moment before reaching over to grab a few papers from one corner of his desk, putting them right in front of him. Turning his attention back to the crowd, Jacob responded, "Okay that seems fair to me. Are there any objections to this?"

When no objected, Jacob spoke again, "Very well, it's settled. Wolf, come here fill out these papers here and you will officially be Pauline's legal guardian. As for the car, well I'll speak to a judge and get his opinion on how to settle the issue. Anyone who wants the car, let me know now and I'll let you all know when a decision is made. All right that's it."

And with that said, Wolf immediately went over and filled out all the legal documents that Jacob presented to him. He then went back to the hotel room that Pauline was staying in with her babysitter, (who agreed to look after the toddler till an official guardian could be arranged), and took her back to her parents' house in New York so that they could collect all of Pauline's belongings. Once packing was dealt with, Wolf took his niece back to Mega City, Ontario, Canada, where the comic guy filled out all the necessary paperwork to make Pauline an official Canadian citizen.

Nearly one year later…

It had been a rough year for Pauline, but thanks her uncle Wolf's efforts, the little girl had slowly adjusted to her new life in a comic book store in Mega City.

Today, despite her parents not being there with her, was a great day for Pauline being as it was her third birthday. Wolf had decided to throw a party for his, now, three-year-old niece in order to help her make some friends her age. So far the party was going smoothly; balloons, fun games, (including a Captain Atomic piñata), awesome presents, pin the cuffs on the villain, and a birthday cake with Princess War Tickle on it. Best of all, Pauline was having lots of fun with all the other kids invited, especially with a brown-haired, freckled boy named Joey Felt.

Eventually, the party had to end since it was getting late and all the kids had to go home. So now Wolf was waiting by the front door as he watched Pauline talk to Joey and the boy's parents. When Pauline walked back to her uncle she had a huge grin on her face.

"Wuncle Woof," Pauline said. She was only three so she couldn't pronounce Uncle or Wolf yet. "Joey's mommy and daddy said I could come over to their place sometime and play with Joey. Is that okay?"

Wolf felt extremely happy to hear this. Despite all everything that had happened just a year ago, Pauline's life was turning a positive corner that would lead to a bright future; and somehow Wolf knew that this Joey kid was linked to it.

"Of course man," Wolf said in response to his nieces' request.

Somehow the grin Pauline's face actually managed to get even bigger.

"YES! Thank you Wuncle Woof. Thank you!" Pauline said while hugging her uncle's legs tightly before running back over to tell the Felts the good news.

As he watched his niece tell the Felts the good news, Wolf began to softly/happily howl to himself.

"Yep arh-wooo man. Arh-wooo."