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 nodded as Michelle unwrapped the jacket sleeves from his neck. After Michelle undid the straps and placed the tape on the ground, she put her jacket on and partially zipped it.
After Michelle put her GrabPack on and made adjustments, she picked the tape up and examined it. "I think I remember seeing a TV in the Infirmary where I can play it..." she said. Michelle heard growling, which surprised her and made her look at the back.
Michelle saw PJ Pug-A-Pillar, with the metal canister wrapped around him, and Yarnaby growling at one another. Michelle quickly approached 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."
Michelle looked at Yarnaby. "How did this even happen?" she asked. "And no biting either." Yarnaby let out a low gruff before approaching PJ Pug-A-Pillar and staring at the metal canister.
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 mimicking snoring. "So you took it from him while he was asleep?" Michelle asked.
PJ Pug-A-Pillar nodded as he mimicked a choking motion before 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 barked in approval, which made Michelle hum. "I see..." she said 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 nodded 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 laying 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. As Michelle stared at Yarnaby, she frowned a bit and looked down.
Yarnaby looked at Michelle and tilted his head, which made her sigh. "I'm going back there and getting that Omni-Hand," she said before looking at him. "And if things go that way... I'll have to more than likely kill the Doctor... 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 smiled a bit as she petted Yarnaby's 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. As Michelle left the main room, 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 looked at the tape. "Now to find that TV..." she said before looking around.
Soon after, Michelle spotted the TV with an orange 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, Michelle heard a whistle. "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. We just did the work you paid us to do..." Mr. Silva said. "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 was 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. So now you do the work, because we've given you a directive," Eddie continued.
"M-Mr. Ritterman, w-we're near the—" Eddie interrupted Mr. Silva. "Yes. Yes, we are; ALL of us are... on a ledge."
Michelle felt uncomfortable. "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. "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. 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...
A figure stood behind Michelle. "Big Sister," she turned to the back and saw Katelynn looking at her with her tail wagging. "Are you planning on going out there again?"
Michelle nodded and looked at the TV. "I was gonna head out after watching that... video... so we can finally stop the Doctor's antics and get the Omni-Hand," she said. Katelynn smiled. "Do you think I can come with you?" she asked, which surprised Michelle.
"Hold it," the duo turned to the back and saw Doey. Katelynn groaned and placed her hand over her face. "Oh boy..." she said, lowly. Doey 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," he said. 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 surprised as Doey's face shifted to an angry expression and blushing. "Shut up, Jack!" he shouted.
Michelle looked at Doey. "And how do you know that?" she asked. Doey looked at Michelle. "Let's just say one sibling couldn't keep quiet about discovering the other sibling's relationship and told the others," he said.
Michelle deadpanned Katelynn, which made her nervously giggle and place her hands together. "My bad..." she said, lowly.
Michelle sighed. "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; Katie smiled. "Count me in!" she shouted. Michelle smiled a bit. "Alright, let's head through the Sewer Access," she said before approaching the hole. The toys nodded as they followed Michelle.
...
...
...
After Michelle opened the door, the trio entered No Man's Land. "Things will probably work out differently since I was the Doctor's prisoner, so expect some puzzles," she said.
The trio walked forward. "And with Yarnaby on our side now, he may send Nightmare Critters to stop us," Doey said.
Michelle nodded. "Very true..." she said before humming. "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 approached the cart on the tracks, which made the duo follow behind her. "Well, their names are good starters; I don't want to call them creatures," she said.
Michelle crossed her arms. "I remember DogDay called the 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 dragon named Simon Smoke, a frog named Icky Licky, and an alligator named Allister Gator," she continued.
Michelle sweatdropped. "Seriously? Half of those names sound like human names," she said. "At least the company was a little more creative when making the Smiling Critters' names..."
When the trio was close to the cart, Michelle pulled the left trigger, launching the blue hand and grabbing the handle. "Doey, follow the tracks and see where this cart goes," she continued.
Michelle looked at Katelynn. "Katie, follow Doey while having my hand on my shoulder; you're gonna be my eyes," she said. Katie 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. Katie and Michelle started following Doey, 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. "I believe we're reaching an endpoint soon," he said.
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. Katie tilted her head. "What did that do anyway?" she asked.
As Michelle looked around, she saw an electric pole on a moving cart with the red barricade before it open. "It unlocked that pole's barricade," she said.
Michelle looked at the other electric pole and saw that the yellow barricade was closed. "And if we move that pole the same way we did with that cart, it'll unlock that yellow barricade," she continued.
Michelle looked at Doey. "The remaining two don't look as 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 caves.
The duo approached the electric pole near the red barricade before Michelle pulled the left trigger, launching the blue hand and grabbing the handle. "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; one more to go, and then we can connect them through the wires," Michelle said.
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 arm to the handle before pulling it to 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 looked at the duo with a gentle smile. 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 arm to 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 twisted the knob, switching from the orange hand to the red hand. "Now to connect the poles and power that door up," she said before approaching the power outlet at the back.
When Michelle was close, she pulled the right trigger, launching the red hand and touching the outlet, which lit the cables.
After Michelle wrapped the cables around the poles, she aimed at the input unit near the door before pulling the left trigger, launching the blue hand, and touching it, which opened the door. "That'll do it," she said as the GrabPack's hands retracted.
Katelynn wrapped her arms around Michelle and lifted her in the air, which made her panic a bit. "Awesome job, Big Sister!" she shouted. Michelle nervously giggled. "Thanks, but please warn me before you do that," she said.
Katelynn giggled. "Sorry," she said before placing Michelle down. Michelle looked at Doey. "Doey, we got the door open," she said. Doey looked at the duo. "I'm coming," he said before approaching them; when he was close, they went through the door.
As the trio walked forward, Katelynn spotted the toy corpses on the ground, which made her frown a bit. "Poor little guys..." she said, lowly. Doey looked at Katelynn and petted her head. "At least they're at a better place..." he said.
Katelynn nodded as they continued walking. When the trio was close to the crane, Michelle aimed at the chain before pulling the right trigger. The red hand grabbed the chain. "Now for some distance..." Michelle said before stepping back.
Soon after, Michelle sprinted forward before jumping and swinging herself to the other side. As Michelle made the red hand let go of the chain and land on the ground, it came undone, and the hook was hanging.
When Michelle looked at the duo, they stretched themselves to the other side before they walked forward. Soon after, the trio stood before the door; Michelle stared at it, slightly uncomfortable.
Doey looked at Michelle, concerned. "Misha?" he asked. Michelle took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'll be fine..." she said before looking at the hand scanners. "Let's get whatever shows up over with."
Michelle aimed both hands at the scanners before pulling the triggers, launching both hands at them. When the scanners finished, Michelle retracted the GrabPack's hands as the cables lit up.
As the door opened a bit, the trio heard roaring, which shocked them. A yellow and black furred cat-like arm and black claws grabbed the door, which made Doey stand before 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 antennas, and multiple scars on its body, growling at them with razor-sharp teeth.
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.
Doey held Cat-Bee in place as it moved forward; he was sliding on the ground a bit, which made him grunt a bit. "She's a lot stronger than I thought," he said.
Katelynn was concerned. "What now?" she asked. Michelle turned her head to the left and saw a yellow gate start opening. "Now we run?!" she shouted before sprinting toward it.
As Katelynn followed behind Michelle, Doey slammed Cat-Bee to the ground before following them. Cat-Bee slowly got up and roared before sprinting toward the trio.