When the larger toys returned to Safe Haven, Michelle approached Pianosaurus and petted his head, which caused him to make a low, humming-like noise. "Thanks for keeping my jacket safe, buddy," she said before she stopped petting his head. "But I'm gonna need it back."
Pianosaurus made hum-like noises and leaned up, which made Michelle unwrap the jacket sleeves around his neck before holding it in her arm. After Michelle undid the GrabPack's straps and placed it and the tape on the ground, she put her jacket on and partially zipped it.
Michelle grabbed the GrabPack before putting it on and adjusting the straps. Michelle picked up the brown VHS tape and examined it with a hum. "I think I remember seeing a TV in the infirmary; I can use that to watch this..." she said.
Michelle heard growling, which surprised her, before turning her head to the back. Michelle saw PJ Pug-A-Pillar, with the metal canister wrapped around him, and Yarnaby with his mouth open, growling at one another, while the smaller toys somewhat close to them were trembling.
Michelle put the tape in her right jacket pocket before quickly approaching the duo. "Hey, no; don't fight in here," she said before standing in between them. "You two aren't the only toys in here; you're scaring the smaller ones."
The duo looked at Michelle before they stopped growling, which made the smaller toys sigh in relief. Michelle looked at Yarnaby as he closed his mouth. "How did this even happen?" she asked. "And no biting either."
Yarnaby let out a low growl before approaching PJ Pug-A-Pillar and staring at the metal canister wrapped around him. Michelle looked at the metal canister before looking at PJ Pug-A-Pillar. "Did you take that canister away from Yarnaby?" she asked.
PJ Pug-A-Pillar looked down before he moved to the side a bit and mimicked snoring. "So you took it from him while he was asleep?" Michelle asked.
PJ Pug-A-Pillar nodded before mimicking a choking motion and turning to his side, playing dead. "Because you were worried that Yarnaby would choke on himself with the canister in his mouth?" Michelle asked.
PJ Pug-A-Pillar looked at Michelle and barked in approval, which made her hum. "I see..." she said in a low voice before looking at Yarnaby. "I get why you were upset about that, Yarnaby, but PJ was just looking out for you so you don't harm yourself."
Yarnaby looked down with a low, soft growl; Michelle approached PJ Pug-A-Pillar and held the bottom part of the canister. "May I have this?" she asked.
PJ Pug-A-Pillar barked as he unwrapped himself from the canister. "Thank you," Michelle said before holding it out to Yarnaby. "And I think this belongs to you."
Yarnaby opened his mouth and carefully grabbed the canister before lying inside the tent and dropping the canister near his arm. Michelle smiled a bit as Yarnaby closed his mouth. "Good boy..." she said as she petted his head, which made him purr.
As Michelle stared at Yarnaby, she frowned a bit and looked down before she stopped petting him. Yarnaby looked at Michelle and tilted his head, which made her sigh. "I'm going back there and getting that Omni-Hand," she said.
Michelle looked at Yarnaby. "And if things go the way I think they'll go, I'll... probably have to kill the Doctor..." she continued before looking down with a slight frown. "I'm not sure if you still have loyalty to him, but..."
Yarnaby stared at Michelle before laying his head against her chest, which made her look at him as he purred. Michelle stared at Yarnaby before smiling and petting his head. "Thank you for that reassurance..." she said.
After Yarnaby pulled away, Michelle stood up. "I'll be back with that important item," she said before approaching the infirmary hallway.
After Michelle was out of sight, Yarnaby looked down and lay his head on the ground with a low whimper. PJ Pug-A-Pillar stared at Yarnaby before reaching him and rubbing his cheek against his. Yarnaby stared at PJ Pug-A-Pillar before purring a bit.
As Michelle entered the infirmary, she dug her hand into her right jacket pocket before pulling the tape out of it. "Now to find that TV..." she said before looking around.
Soon after, Michelle spotted the TV with a brown VHS player under it. "There you are," she continued before approaching it.
When Michelle was close to the TV, she inserted the tape into the player before looking at it. Soon after, the screen booted up before Michelle heard a whistle coming from it. "Long way down... so this is what we have to work with?" the man asked.
"Do you believe it's doable, Mr. Silva?" Eddie asked.
"Sure... yeah, it's doable..." Mr. Silva said.
"Good... remember our timetable here is tight. If there's anything you need from me, do not hesitate to—" Mr. Silva interrupted Eddie. "Actually... I've got something I want to talk to you about; it's important."
Michelle stared at the screen. "I'm listening," Eddie said.
"The Warrenbach company... my company... we've built a lot for you over the years, and believe me, we've always been accommodating," Mr. Silva said. "We just did the work you paid us to do..."
"And your point here is...?" Eddie asked.
"I don't like what I'm supposed to be building here," Mr. Silva said. "Look, the Game Station? Whatever, it'll be fun for the kids. Underground Production Plants? Sure, maximize production. Makes a kind of sense; as much as any of this is, I suppose..."
Michelle crossed her arms. "But THIS... what in the world would a toy company need with a prison?" Mr. Silva asked. "When my people were building Playcare, all Mr. Ludwig could talk about was how much good it could do."
Michelle heard Mr. Silva sound concerned. "And all you needed was a look at the man to know he believed every word of it..." he said.
Michelle looked down. "I need to hear that this is still the same company. If we're going to make this thing for you, then I need that assurance," Mr. Silva continued. "It's a game... something for the kids... anything! Mr. Ritterman?"
Michelle looked at the screen. "Let me give you a bit of history, friend," Eddie said. "In 1972, you signed a contract. A legally binding piece of paper that says whatever is asked of you, you do it. We asked, you did..."
Michelle stared at the TV, concerned. "In 1990, you signed another, a renewal," Eddie continued. "In it, had you bothered at all to read it, you'd have found a small clause."
Michelle heard steps coming from the TV. "'Any and all directives will be accomplished in the appropriate time, and with appropriate compensation should the project be completed to satisfaction.'" Eddie said.
Multiple steps came from the TV. "Your name rests at the bottom of that document, and I remember because it was the ugliest bit of cursive I've ever seen," Eddie continued. "So now you do the work, because we've given you a directive."
"M-Mr. Ritterman, w-we're near the—" Eddie interrupted Mr. Silva. "Yes. Yes, we are; ALL of us are... on a ledge."
Michelle uncomfortably stared at the TV. "Great things are coming... great things that will someday make a lot of people very happy," Eddie continued. "But to do so, to make that dream real, we need this... otherwise there's a place we'll all fall... together."
Michelle heard steps going backward from the TV. "I'm a businessman, Mr. Silva... and I don't like to get angry," Eddie said. "I get paid to see that things get done. And this, like everything else, will get done..."
When the TV turned off, Michelle looked away with a frown. To think that the other company had concerns about this as well... she thought. If Ludwig were still alive and saw all of this... he'd be rolling in his grave...
Unbeknownst to Michelle, a figure stood near the infirmary hallway. "Big Sister," a young female voice said, which surprised her.
When Michelle turned her head to the source, she saw Katelynn looking at her with her tail wagging a bit. "Are you planning on going out there again?" she asked.
Michelle nodded and glanced at the TV. "I was gonna head out after watching that... video..." she said before looking at Katelynn. "So we can finally stop the Doctor's antics and get the Omni-Hand."
Katelynn approached Michelle with sparkles in her eyes while her tail wagged faster. "Do you think I can come with you?" she asked, which surprised her.
"Hold it," a male voice said, which surprised Katelynn and made Michelle look behind her.
When Katelynn turned around, she saw Doey in the hallway, which made her groan and place her hand over her eyes. "Oh boy..." she said in a low voice before it moved down her face.
Doey approached the duo and looked at Katelynn. "Were you asking Misha if you could go with her?" he asked.
Katelynn crossed her arms. "Maybe I was; are you gonna stop me?" she asked.
Doey smiled. "Actually, we were gonna ask if we could go with Misha, too," he said, which surprised Katelynn.
Michelle looked at Doey. "What reason would you want to come with me?" she asked.
Doey looked at Michelle. "Well, after what happened with Bubba's gadget, the parts inside the generator aren't doing so well," he said.
Michelle hummed. "So you plan to scavenge for generator parts while coming with me?" she asked.
Doey nodded. "That's correct," he said before smiling. "Plus, Kevin wants to protect his new girlfriend."
Michelle was shocked as Doey's face suddenly shifted to a blushing, angry expression. "Shut up, Jack!" he shouted.
Michelle looked at Doey as he calmed himself down. "And how do you know that kind of information?" she asked.
Doey looked at Michelle. "Let's just say one sibling couldn't keep quiet about discovering the other sibling's relationship and wound up telling the others," he said, which made Katelynn flinch.
Michelle deadpanned at Katelynn, which made her nervously giggle with a sweatdrop before placing her hands together. "My bad..." she said in a low voice.
Michelle looked down with a sigh. "The past is the past," she said before looking at the duo. "We worry about right now, and that means getting the Omni-Hand and gathering parts for the generator; you two up for it?"
Doey smiled a bit and nodded. "Of course," he said.
Katelynn smiled and raised her right arm. "Count me in!" she shouted.
Michelle smiled a bit and turned around. "Alright, let's head through the Sewer Access," she said, which made the duo nod before they approached the giant wormhole.
...
...
...
After Michelle pushed the door open, the trio entered the rail cave. "Things will probably work out differently since I was the Doctor's prisoner, so expect some puzzles," she said, which made the duo nod.
The trio walked toward the left. "And with Yarnaby on our side now, he may send Nightmare Critters to stop us," Doey said.
Michelle nodded. "Very true..." she said before placing her hand on her chin with a hum. "Speaking of the Nightmare Critters, I know little to nothing about them. I heard they tried to make a TV series about it, but it only had one episode."
As Michelle looked around, she saw a Barry cart with a human corpse inside it in the distance. "What kind of stuff do you want to know about them?" Doey asked.
Michelle grabbed the arm cannon's handles before approaching the Barry cart, which made the duo follow behind her. "Well, their names are good starters; I don't want to keep calling them creatures," she said.
Michelle turned her head to Doey. "I remember DogDay calling that bat Nightmare Critter Rabie Baby back at the prison's entrance, but I have no idea about the other seven," she continued.
Katelynn smiled. "Those are easy!" she shouted.
Katelynn held her fingers out a bit as she counted. "There's the black sheep named Baba Chops, a crow named Poe, a rat named Touille, a shark named Maggie Mako, a red dragon named Simon Smoke, a frog named Icky Licky, and an alligator named Allister Gator," she continued.
Michelle looked at Katelynn with a sweatdrop. "Seriously? Most of those names sound like human names," she said before looking forward. "At least the company was a little more creative when making the Smiling Critters' names..."
When the trio was close to the Bary cart, Michelle aimed the left arm cannon at the handle before pulling the trigger, launching the blue hand and grabbing it. "Doey, follow the tracks and see where this cart goes," she continued.
Michelle looked at Katelynn. "Katie, follow Doey while your hand is on my shoulder; you're gonna be my eyes," she said.
Katelynn smiled and nodded. "You got it, Big Sister!" she shouted as she placed her hand on Michelle's shoulder.
Doey looked at the tracks before following them; Katelynn and Michelle started following him, which pulled the cart in the process.
When Doey looked forward, he saw an electric box in the distance with a stopping platform and a red light emitting from it before turning his head to the duo. "I believe we're reaching an endpoint soon," he said, which made them nod.
Soon after, the trio walked past the electric box until the cart was over it, which changed the light on it from red to green. After the blue hand retracted back to Michelle, Katelynn looked at the Barry cart and tilted her head. "What did that do anyway?" she asked.
As Michelle looked around, she spotted an electric pole in a minecart with the red barricade in front of it open. "It unlocked that pole's barricade," she said.
Michelle looked at the other electric pole in a minecart and noticed that the yellow barricade in front of it was closed. "And if we move that minecart the same way we did with that Barry cart, it'll open that yellow barricade," she continued.
Michelle looked at Doey. "The remaining two don't look complex, so you can gather parts for the generator while Katie and I can take care of the puzzle," she said.
Doey nodded. "Very well..." he said before walking away and looking around the area.
The duo approached the electric pole near the red barricade before Michelle aimed the left arm cannon at the handle and pulled the trigger, launching the blue hand and grabbing it. "It'll be the same thing, but this time you follow the tracks, Katie," she said.
Katelynn nodded as she placed her hand on Michelle's shoulder before they moved forward, which pulled the cart in the process.
As Doey gathered metal scraps, he looked at the duo as they reached the electric box, which changed the light from red to green and opened the yellow barricade. "Nice job," Michelle said as the blue hand retracted back to her. "One more to go, and then we can use them to power that gate up."
Katelynn looked at Michelle. "Could I do it this time?" she asked.
Michelle smiled at Katelynn. "Sure, but don't go overboard," she said.
Katelynn smiled as she stretched her right arm to the handle before pulling it toward the electric box, which changed the light from red to green. Michelle smiled and petted Katelynn's head. "Good job," she said, which made her giggle.
Doey gently smiled at the duo. You know you can always join them, Matthew said in his head.
Doey spotted a piece of metal scrap in the distance before stretching his left arm toward it and grabbing it. Nah... I'll separate if something bad happens, Kevin said in his head before retracting his arm and storing it inside him.
Michelle let go of the left arm cannon's handle before twisting the knob, switching from the orange hand to the red hand. "Now to connect the poles and power that gate up," she said before approaching the power socket at the back.
When Michelle was close to the power socket, she grabbed the left arm cannon's handle before aiming the right arm cannon at it and pulling the trigger.
The red hand shot forward and touched the power socket, which lit the cable, before Michelle approached the closest pole and wrapped it around it.
After Michelle wrapped the cable around the other pole, she aimed the left arm cannon at the input socket near the gate before pulling the trigger.
The blue hand shot forward and touched the input socket, which opened the gate. "That'll do it," Michelle said as the GrabPack's hands retracted back to her.
Katelynn wrapped her arms around Michelle and lifted her in the air while her tail wagged, which made her panic a bit. "Awesome job, Big Sister!" she shouted.
Michelle looked at Katelynn with a nervous giggle. "Thanks, but please warn me before you do that," she said.
Katelynn giggled. "Sorry," she said before placing Michelle on the ground.
Michelle looked at Doey. "Doey, we got the gate open," she said.
Doey looked at the duo. "I'm coming," he said before approaching them.
When Doey was close to the duo, they went through the opening; as they walked forward, Katelynn spotted the toy corpses on the ground, which made her frown a bit. "Poor little guys..." she said in a low voice.
Doey looked at Katelynn and petted her head. "At least they're in a better place..." he said.
Katelynn remained silent and nodded as the trio turned left; when they were close to the crane, Michelle aimed the right arm cannon at the chain before pulling the trigger.
The red hand shot forward and grabbed the chain. "Now for some distance..." Michelle said before stepping back.
When Michelle was near the cave wall, she sprinted forward before jumping and swinging forward. Soon after, Michelle pulled the trigger, which made the red hand retract back to her, and the air jets activated.
As Michelle landed on the ground, the chain came undone before the hook was hanging; she looked at the duo as they stretched their arms and grabbed the metal pillar before swinging themselves forward.
After the duo let go of the metal pillar and landed on the ground, they caught up to Michelle before walking forward; soon after, they stood before the large gate.
Michelle uncomfortably stared at the large gate, which made Doey and Katelynn look at her, concerned. "Misha?" he asked.
Michelle closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling. "I'll be fine..." she said before looking at the hand scanners. "Let's get whatever shows up over with."
Michelle aimed the arm cannons at the scanners before pulling the triggers; both hands shot forward and touched them, activating them.
When the scanners finished, the GrabPack's hands retracted back to Michelle as the cables near the gate lit up. As the gate doors opened a bit, the trio heard roaring on the other side, which shocked them and made them step back.
A yellow-and-black-furred, cat-like arm and black claws grabbed the right gate door, which made Doey stand in front of Michelle and glare at it.
Soon after, the trio saw a larger version of Cat-Bee with blood in its mouth and a vertical segment line on its jaw, torn-up bee wings and partially missing antennae, and multiple scars on its body, growling at them with razor-sharp teeth.
Link to the image: tumblr.com/yarnabythegoodboy/799604478844239872/fan-art-for-under-the-plushy-surface-a
(Art belongs to yarnabythegoodboy on Tumblr)
Michelle's face went pale. "Is that... Cat-Bee?" she asked.
Doey growled a bit. "Should've known that Yarnaby wasn't his only pet..." he said.
Cat-Bee roared at the trio before charging toward them. Before Cat-Bee got too close to the trio, Doey quickly wrapped his arms around her, which made her struggle.
As Cat-Bee moved forward a bit, Doey was sliding on the ground a bit, which made him grunt. "She's a lot stronger than I thought," he said.
Katelynn stared at Cat-Bee, worried. "What now?" she asked.
Michelle turned her head to the left and saw a large yellow gate start opening up. "Now we run!" she shouted before sprinting toward it.
As Katelynn followed Michelle, Doey slammed Cat-Bee to the ground hard before letting go and following them. Cat-Bee slowly got up and roared at the trio before sprinting toward them.