Michelle unzipped her bag before digging into her right pocket. "You're not seriously going along with this, are you?" Poppy asked. Michelle pulled her Swiss Army knife out and stared at it. "I'm not seeing any other options on the table," she said before placing it in her bag.
Kevin growled as Michelle rummaged through her bag. "Of course, there are other options!" he shouted as he slammed his fist in his other hand. "We barge into that bastard's lab and rescue Suzy?!"
Michelle placed a few items in her jacket pockets. "That's too risky; if anyone other than me goes there, he might kill her on the spot," she said. Kevin froze as Michelle stood up. "I'm not taking that risk; I'm going to No Man's Land on my own," she continued.
DogDay looked at Michelle, concerned. "Aren't you scared that something will happen to you?" he asked. Michelle turned to the group. "Of course I'm scared; it's my life that's at risk," she said.
Kevin approached Michelle and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Then why do it?!" he shouted. "Why are you risking your life if you know you could die from it?!" Michelle sternly looked at Kevin. "Because I want to live a life with no regrets," she said.
Kevin's eyes widened. "What..." he said, lowly. Michelle looked at Kevin. "When you and Katie were turned into toys, I regretted that I couldn't do more to help find both of you," she said. "That guilt ate me up my whole life..."
Michelle looked at the other toys. "Now that I've found you two again and all the other toys... I wasn't going to make the same mistake again," she continued.
Michelle dug into her left jacket pocket and pulled out two beaded bracelets: one red and the other pink. "I managed to grab these while your stuff was in boxes when the workers weren't looking," she said.
Kevin stared at beaded bracelets with wide eyes as Michelle grabbed one of his wrists and placed them in his hand. "This whole ordeal is giving me a second chance at fixing my regrets," she said before smiling at him. "And if I die after all of this with no regrets... then I can die happy."
Kevin stared at Michelle, shocked as she pulled away. "You said there was a shortcut to No Man's Land through the Infirmary, right?" she asked.
Matthew looked down and nodded. "There is..." he said. "It's a giant hole in the wall that leads to the Sewer Access; you can't miss it."
Michelle nodded. "Then that's where I'll go," she said. "If I don't come back... keep my group safe." Matthew nodded as Michelle walked toward the Infirmary. Kevin stared at the bracelets as dough tears fell from his eyes before he collapsed to his knees.
Jack frowned and approached Kevin before placing his hand on his arm. "Kevin..." he said, lowly. Kevin closed his hands and covered his face with them. "The Doctor already has my sister... I don't want him to take her too..." he said, lowly.
Matthew frowned as he approached the duo and kneeled. "She's smart, Kevin... you know her well enough that she won't go down that easily," he said. Kevin turned his head to Matthew before laying his head against his shoulder while Jack held his arm.
Soon after, the trio fused into Doey before standing up and holding the bracelets in his hands. DogDay approached Doey and placed his hand on his shoulder before looking at the Infirmary. "Be careful, Misha..." he said, lowly.
As Michelle walked into the Infirmary, a few toys looked at her. "Where are you going?" a mini CraftyCorn asked.
Michelle bit her lip and continued walking as she spotted the large hole. "Big Sis," she turned to the back and saw Bunzo Bunny looking at her with worried eyes. "What's happening in the main room?"
Michelle took a deep breath and exhaled before kneeling to Bunzo Bunny. "Your Big Sis is going somewhere for a little while..." she said. "I need you to stay in Safe Haven."
Bunzo Bunny examined Michelle. "But you don't have your GrabPack with you," he said. Michelle frowned a bit and looked away, which scared Bunzo Bunny. "At least let me go with you," he continued.
Michelle quickly shook her head. "I can't do that..." she said before gently smiling at Bunzo Bunny. "I need you to protect the smaller toys; they're not as brave as you are."
Bunzo Bunny stared at Michelle as tears pricked his eyes before hugging her, which surprised her. "Please don't die on me..." he said, lowly.
Michelle frowned a bit as she wrapped her arms around Bunzo Bunny and gently petted his back. "I'll... I'll try..." she said, lowly.
When Michelle let go of Bunzo Bunny, he turned away and wiped his face before walking away. Michelle stood up and turned to the hole before entering it.
As Michelle walked on the pathway, she looked at her hands and noticed they were shaking. Michelle took a deep breath and exhaled before putting them in her pockets. "No regrets..." she said, lowly, before she continued walking.
Soon after, Michelle entered the Sewers and turned her head to the right. "I probably should've asked what direction, but I can figure it out," she said. "Angel," Michelle jumped a bit and turned her head to the left.
Soon after, Michelle saw CatNap step out of the shadows, which made her sigh. "Oh, it's just you..." she said, lowly. CatNap approached Michelle. "Whatever you're doing isn't a good idea," he said.
Michelle sighed. "It's not like I have much of a choice; either I do what he says or he kills Suzy," she said. CatNap stared at Michelle. "The Doctor isn't a man of his word," he said. "If you step into his lab... he'll do things much worse than killing you."
Michelle remained silent before looking down. "Yeah... I kinda figured that out already," she said. Soon after, Michelle looked at CatNap, determined. "And that leads to a task I'm giving to you," she continued. "Are you up to it?"
CatNap lowered his head. "If it's to help you, Angel... I'll gladly do it," he said. Michelle smiled a bit. "I figured as much," she said as she became serious before approaching CatNap and whispering into his ear.
...
...
...
Inside a small room, Michelle entered and looked around; soon after, she spotted a lift and approached it. When Michelle was on the lift, the gate closed before it started going up.
When the lift reached the top and the gate opened, Michelle got off it and went through an opening. Michelle looked at the bridge with a bunch of dirty water in the center. "This must be some wastewater plant..." she said before crossing the bridge.
When Michelle reached the end of the bridge, she saw a note on the table, which made her pick it up. Michelle read the note. "It's a report on Matthew..." she said, lowly. "While not as strong or as smart as the others, his charisma makes up for it..."
As Michelle read the note, she frowned a bit. "And he blames himself that he couldn't save his family from an accident... I feel so bad for him..." she continued.
When Michelle looked at the bottom of the letter, she saw Stella's comment, which made her grit her teeth and crumble the paper. "That bitch..." she said, lowly, before tossing the note away.
When Michelle glanced to the right, she saw a dark green VHS tape on a shelf, which made her approach it.
As Michelle grabbed the tape, she saw the text '1322 Report: Kevin' on it. "Kevin..." she said, lowly, before walking on the other side. Soon after, Michelle saw a TV with a dark green VHS player under it, which made her approach it.
After Michelle inserted the tape, she looked at the TV. "After a brief... interruption, we've successfully extracted Subject 1322. Specifically, 1322B, from Home Sweet Home," the scientist said.
Michelle stared at the TV. "Before said interruption, I attempted to detail the subject's condition. And over the suitability of one 'Kevin Barnes' in relation to 'Project: Doey'," the scientist continued.
Michelle crossed her arms. "The 'neural abnormalities' noted in Dr. Newman's report are detailed in connection to behavioral issues demonstrated within Playcare," the scientist said.
The scientist sighed. "Trouble getting along with most people, aggressive and often confrontational social tendencies, and an otherwise combative nature clearly relay that Kevin is, put simply, a problem child," he continued.
Michelle gritted her teeth. "What friends he DOES have, he's reported to have attacked in moments of... intense play," the scientist said.
Michelle heard pages flipping. "These tendencies raise concerns. The subject excels in all physical tests. Reflexes, reaction time, and mental fortitude all tested well above average in Game Station examinations," the scientist continued.
Michelle gripped her arms. "So, in spite of said concerns, in Dr. Sawyer's eyes, Kevin is ideal for the project," the scientist said.
Michelle heard more pages flipping. "However, if his use in this particular experiment is to move forward, we need to ensure we're not creating a time bomb just as we've begun stabilizing the Project," the scientist continued.
Michelle looked down. "If we're to create an experiment that can fulfill multiple assigned roles, we can't allow a single consciousness to throw the others off..." the scientist said.
The scientist sounded anxious. "Even a single misregulation of emotions means we have nine hundred pounds of dough that can shift however it pleases, and can turn on even those it trusts, simply because it was overwhelmed by a stray feeling..." he continued.
Michelle heard the scientist sigh. "Regardless, Sawyer's word is law, and Subjects 1322A and C are to be gathered for processing first thing tomorrow morning..." he said. "Thus, all we can do is plan our safeguards accordingly... yes, that's ALL we can do..."
When the TV turned off, Michelle remained silent before glaring at the TV. Michelle grabbed the back of the TV before throwing it on the ground with a shout.
Michelle looked at the TV as she tried to catch her breath. "If you fuckers had actually cared about them, they would've known about his autism," she said. When Michelle looked forward, she saw a Doey cutout before approaching it.
When Michelle was close to the cutout, she pressed the button. "Hiya there, I'm Doey. I can be anything you... knead," it said before giggling.
Michelle giggled a bit. "Still adorable as always..." she said before looking down. "Please give me strength for what I'm about to do..." Michelle turned her head to the right and saw a door before approaching it.