Part 41: Ep. 29: Quit Embarrassing Yourself

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: Last time on MySims Agents: Someone stole the engine right out of Gabby's car, and it's up to Special Agent Sam to find out who!


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Sam is supposed to be looking for footprints. So, of course, he comes over here, taps into the fenergy vent, and starts moving old tires around. Hey, there's a chest on top of that shipping container! The chest turns out to contain wall paint. Sam is underwhelmed.



Might as well do some work. Sam whips out his magnifying glass and picks up the thief's trail. He's backtracked the trail to the beginning--losing it by a pile of metal crates that don't retain footprints--and is double-checking the forward trail when DOOP DOOP DOOP



What is it with these people and pigs?



Sam follows the tracks around the side of the shipping container and finds splats of blackish stuff on the ground.



A few feet later, the tracks and the oil splatters both come to an abrupt end. Where could the thief have gone? Where could the engine have gone? Were they removed from the junkyard with a crane?



Looking around for evidence of trespassers, Sam fixates on these little green seedlings. Gabby doesn't seem the farming type... Sam is on his way back to the entrance when AOOOOGA



We've done a good job of matching agent to mission, here. Be proud of yourselves. Sam leaves the junkyard and catches Gabby at the entrance.

: Any ideas who could be in your junkyard?



But that... we just... hey, what's going on back there?



Sam goes to talk to the woman who is... supervising.

: What are you up to here?



: She didn't add "... creep", but I sure heard "... creep".

The lady with cat ears ditches Sam and goes to yell at the woman with the shovel instead. Sam patiently waits his turn.

: What are you up to?



A likely story. As if Morcucorp was going to come all the way out here just to plant seeds! Sam whips out the F-Space Manipulator and cracks open that suspicious crate, determined to get to the bottom of what they're really doing here.



... oh.

But wait!

: Brandi and Esma planted seeds in the junkyard, which means they had opportunity to steal the engine.



Sam's on to you now!!

: Esma's plants were in the junkyard. What does she have to say about that?

Sam considers for a moment, then pulls out the notebook again.

: Now I know at least one person was in the junkyard. I'll check with Gabby to see what he thinks.

Sam heads back to the junkyard, pausing to confer with Buddy.

: What do you think about this junkyard, Buddy?

: It's great! Crumpled paper and trash are particularly difficult to sketch, so I'm getting good practice!

Newly edified, Sam catches up with Gabby.

: I found some footprints in the junkyard.





: Yup. To open the hood you need the remote, so I reckon the varmint took that too. It's usually in the green cabinet over in Gabby's shack.

Gabby runs off to kick Barney in the shins again. Sam pulls out his notebook once again.

: Did the thief really take the car remote from Gabby's cabinet? I should check.

And, as usual, he's heading that direction when RING RING RING RING ELMIRAPHONE



Sam considers the team that he sent. A tiny cubical wolf, a ridiculous athlete with the world's worst combover, and a lady with a fetish for paperwork... he tells Elmira to have them stamp books and puts his phone away.



Out comes the notebook again.

: Gabby's cabinet is locked! I'll need to pick the lock to find out if the thief took the car remote.

Or, you know, ask Gabby for the key, but we all know Sam isn't going to bother. Time to try out the Techno-Tool and the lockpicking minigame!



The fancy electro-techno-master key thing on the left needs to be pushed through the tumblers and into the slot on the right. It can only be moved left and right. Similarly, the blue tumblers can only move left and right, while the gold tumblers can only move up and down; we have to clear a path for the master key.



Pretty simple. Sam opens the now-unlocked cabinet.

: The remote control is right here. Whoever opend the car hood must have forced it open some other way.

Sam closes the cabinet and, once again, takes out his notebook.

: Is it possible to force open the hood of the car without the remote? I'll close it and find out.

But first, since we're outside the junkyard anyway...

: Why were your plants in Gabby's junkyard?

Esma is not happy to be questioned.

: Why, for the official Morcucorp Beautification Project, of course!

: "... creep."







Esma storms off to yell at Brandi some more, leaving an embarrassed Sam to his own devices. Sam hides behind his notebook.

: It seems Esma and Brandi have a good alibi. The junkyard footprints aren't theirs.

So let's go see how, uh, force-able the car's hood is. Sam goes back into the junkyard and shuts the hood.

: Okay, now if I give it a good shake with my F-Space Manipulator, I can try to open it.



Sam shakes the car for all he's worth... but even with his fancy tool he's not strong enough to get the hood open. What can he possibly say to save face?



Dun dun dunnnnnn!


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: Next time on MySims Agents: Oh my gosh, pal! Who could have done it? A yeti? A dinosaur! ... Dogwood?


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Concept Art: Esma and Brandi
by Ben Seto