In Playcare, the cable car circled the area before stopping. When the cable car door opened, some kids started running out of it in joy. Soon after, a young Michelle stepped out of the cable car holding her Doey toy close to her chest.
The male caretaker crouched to Michelle's level with a smile. "Everything will be alright, Misha," he said. Michelle glanced at the male caretaker. "If anything bad happens, find a Miss Delight or an employee, and they'll contact us," he continued.
Michelle looked down and nodded. "We'll see you in a few hours," the male caretaker said before entering the cable car. As Michelle walked forward, she looked around. Why build this place underground? It's so weird... she thought.
Michelle heard crying, which surprised her and made her turn her head to the right. Michelle spotted a young Katelynn crying in the distance, which made her slowly approach her.
When Michelle was close, she looked at Katelynn. "Hey... are you alright...?" she asked. Katelynn looked at Michelle as she sniffled. "N-No... I-I..." she said, lowly, before she started crying again. "I lost my Big Brother!!"
Michelle frowned as Katelynn continued crying and sniffling before kneeling to her level. "I-It'll be OK..." she said, lowly. "I-I can help you find your Big Brother." Katelynn stopped crying before glancing at Michelle. "R-Really...?" she asked.
Michelle gently smiled and nodded, which made Katelynn hug her tightly. Michelle looked at Katelynn, surprised. "Thank you..." she said, lowly.
After Katelynn let go, Michelle stood up and held her hand out, which made her take it. As the duo started walking, Michelle looked at Katelynn. "What does your brother look like?" she asked.
Katelynn held her free hand above her head. "He's taller than me, and he's got spiky brown hair..." she said before looking at Michelle. "And I think he's the same age as you..."
Michelle hummed a bit. "Katie!!" the voice shocked the duo as they looked around. "Where are you?!" Katelynn pointed to the left. "That's Big Brother?!" she shouted. Michelle looked at Katelynn. "Hold onto my hand," she said. Katelynn nodded before the duo started sprinting.
Near the Counselor's Office, Kevin frantically looked around in panic and worry. "Where are you, Katie?!" he shouted. Kevin looked down and started hyperventilating a bit. What if... I don't ever get to see her again...? he thought.
"Big Brother!" Kevin froze and turned his head to the back. Kevin's eyes widened when he saw the duo approaching him, with Katelynn waving. Tears pricked Kevin's eyes. "Katie..." he said, lowly, before sprinting toward the duo.
Michelle let go of Katelynn's hand before she sprinted toward Kevin. "Big Brother!" she shouted. Soon after, the siblings held each other in a tight embrace. Kevin trembled. "I was so worried that something terrible happened to you..." he said, lowly.
Soon after, Kevin held Katelynn's shoulders and kneeled. "Never leave my sight again... understand?" he asked. Katelynn nodded. "I'm sorry, Big Brother..." she said, lowly.
Kevin smiled a bit before looking at Michelle; she stared at him before looking away. Kevin stood up and held Katelynn's hand before approaching Michelle. "You're the one who found my sister?" he asked.
Michelle remained silent and nodded. "Thank you for finding her," Kevin said. Kevin examined Michelle. "I don't think I've seen you before; what's your name?" he asked.
Before Michelle opened her mouth, the trio heard a voice. "Hey, look, it's a new person," they turned to the back and saw a small group of boys with devious grins. A red-haired boy with freckles approached Michelle. "And it looks like it's a puny little girl," he said.
The red-haired boy eyed the Doey toy in Michelle's right arm. "And look at this, she's got a dolly," he continued before snatching it from her arms. "Yoink!" Michelle's eyes widened. "Hey! Give that back?!" she shouted before reaching for her Doey toy.
However, the red-haired kid tossed the Doey toy to a black-haired kid, which made him catch it. "Aw, is the little girl gonna cry?" he asked in a mock tone before mocking a crying face. "Wah, wah, wah..."
The other two kids laughed as tears pricked Michelle's eyes before reaching for her Doey toy again. However, the black-haired kid tossed the Doey toy to the blonde-haired kid, which made him catch it and laughed.
The blonde-haired kid stared at the Doey toy. "Hey guys... how do you think she'll react if we smash the thing?" he asked, which made Michelle's eyes widen.
Unbeknownst to the group, Kevin punched the blonde-haired kid's face, which made him release the Doey toy. Soon after, Kevin grabbed the Doey toy and glared at the three boys. "You assholes better leave her alone before I knock your teeth; got it?!" he shouted.
Michelle stared at Kevin in awe. "So cool..." she said, lowly. The other two approached the blonde-haired kid in panic before they looked at Kevin. "Whatever, she can keep the stupid doll," the red-haired kid said before they ran away.
Kevin huffed a bit. "Stupid jerks..." he said, lowly, before looking at Michelle. Kevin approached Michelle and held her Doey toy out to her. "Here," he said. Michelle quickly grabbed her Doey toy and wrapped it around her arms. "Thank you..." she said.
Kevin rubbed the back of his neck and looked away with a slight blush. "It was nothing... those jerks always do that to the new people; it really pisses me off," he said. Katelynn approached Michelle. "Are you OK, Big Sister?" she asked.
The duo looked at Katelynn, surprised. "Big Sister?" they asked. Katelynn smiled and nodded. "She's super kind and caring to me, hence Big Sister," she said.
Michelle stared at Katelynn before looking away with a blush. "I... was never called that before..." she said, lowly. Kevin sighed a bit. "Well, if Katie's already calling you that, I guess you're not as bad as the kids from the different orphanage," he said.
Kevin looked at Michelle and held his hand out, which made her look at it. "The names Kevin... Kevin Barnes," he said. "And the little girl beside you is my younger sister, Katelynn Barnes."
Michelle looked at Kevin's hand before placing her hand in his. "Michelle Mercia... but... the people in my orphanage call me Misha," she said.
Kevin hummed a bit. "Misha... I like the nickname," he said as they shook hands. "If you stick with me and my sister, no jerk is gonna bother you or your doll again." Michelle stared at Kevin with awe before smiling. "Thank you..." she said.
...
...
...
On the lift, the toys stared at the vault-like hatch, concerned or scared. Michelle stared at the vault-like hatch, distraught, with tears pricking her eyes. "Mommy... Huggy... Kissy..." she said, lowly.
Dogday looked down with somber eyes. "There's... nothing we can do..." he said, lowly, before pressing a button on the lift. Soon after, the lift started going down. "For now... let's hope those three took your advice to heart, Misha..." DogDay continued.
Michelle looked down before nodding. "Yeah... let's hope so..." she said, lowly. Poppy looked down and gritted her teeth. "I can't..." she said, lowly, which made the group look at her. "I can't leave them like this."
Poppy turned to Michelle. "Listen, Michelle, you and your group go on ahead; don't wait for me," she continued. Michelle was shocked. "Are you nuts? You're gonna go up there by yourself?" she asked.
Poppy was determined. "I'm not going to leave them behind, and I won't sacrifice my plan. Not because of..." Poppy closed her eyes a bit and placed her hand against her chest. "Because of me," she continued. Michelle was worried. "Poppy..." she said, lowly.
Poppy opened her eyes and looked at Michelle. "Just... be careful," she said. "Down here, it's... it's not like anything you've seen above." Michelle was concerned. "It's not trying to hide what it is," Poppy continued. "It's Hell... and Playtime wanted it to be..."
Soon after, the lift reached the bottom. "But there are allies down here... Ollie, the larger Smiling Critters, and even... your friends..." Poppy said. "You have to get to them."
When the gate opened, the toys got off the lift; before Michelle got off, she turned her head to Poppy. "Be careful up there," she said. Poppy nodded as Michelle got off it before she pressed a button on the console.
As the lift started going up, Poppy looked at Michelle. "There's still time to save the orphans. Follow the Red Smoke! And look out for—" steam cut her off before she went higher.
Michelle was shocked. "Orphans," she said before looking at CatNap. "They're still alive?" CatNap nodded. "THE FALSE GOD HAS THEM IN THE LABS WITH HIM..." he said.
Michelle covered her mouth a bit. "This changes everything..." she said, lowly. "She also mentioned a plan; is it a way to free them?" DogDay looked forward. "We can figure that out later; for now, we should head to Safe Haven," he said.
The others nodded as they walked forward. Michelle shivered a bit and rubbed her arms. "Are you OK, Big Sis?" Bunzo Bunny asked. Michelle looked around. "I-I'm fine..." she said. "It's just a lot colder than I expected."
Miss Delight looked at Michelle. "Did you bring a jacket or a long-sleeved shirt with you?" she asked. Michelle quickly nodded. "I-In my bag... I should have a black jacket in there..." she said before undoing the straps.
After Michelle placed the GrabPack on the ground, she approached her bag and unzipped it. Soon after, Michelle grabbed her jacket and quickly put it on before partially zipping it. Michelle sighed a bit. "That's much better..." she said, lowly.
CatNap carefully grabbed Michelle's GrabPack before holding it out. "HERE..." he said. Michelle smiled at CatNap. "Thanks, bud," she said before getting the straps on.
After CatNap let go, Michelle made adjustments. "Now then, let's see what we're working with in this room," she continued before looking at the stairs and approaching them.
When Michelle was close to a door, she spotted a battery socket. "There's a battery around here somewhere..." she said, lowly, before looking around. Soon after, Michelle spotted a handle on the roof before pulling the left trigger.
The blue hand grabbed the handle. "Now to sprint forward," Michelle said before sprinting forward. Soon after, Michelle jumped and swung herself to the other side.
After Michelle let go of the handle and landed on the box, she spotted the battery behind a busted fence. "There you are," she said before pulling the right trigger. The purple hand grabbed the battery before retracting back.
Michelle got off the box and sprinted toward the stairs. When Michelle was close to the battery socket, she placed the battery inside, which powered the blue hand scanner. Michelle pulled the left trigger, launching the blue hand and touching the scanner.
As Michelle looked at the wall, she saw an eye painted in blood, which concerned her. "Who is that...?" she asked, lowly. Soon after, the scanner finished, which opened the door. "C'mon, let's move," Michelle said, which made the toys nod.
As the group went through the door, they saw a hallway; Michelle looked to the left and saw a door slightly open, which made her approach it.
As Michelle opened the door, she spotted a note on the desk before approaching it and picking it up. "Did you find anything?" Miss Delight asked.
Michelle crumpled the paper. "Oh, just a note saying that the right pressure conditions make the Red Smoke combustible," she said before tossing it. "That would've been really nice to know."
After Michelle left the room, the group approached the door before them. After Michelle opened the door, they entered a pathway before walking forward.
Bunzo Bunny looked at Michelle. "Hey, Big Sis," he said, which made her look at him. "About Kevin and Katelynn... what were they like when they were human?"
Michelle smiled. "Katie is a real sweetheart..." she said. "A pure and innocent little girl who has a bit of her brother's temper."
Michelle held her hands a bit. "Speaking of her brother... Kevin may come off as hot-tempered and rude, but he's a good guy once you get to know him," she continued. Bunzo Bunny tilted his head. "How old are they?" he asked.
Michelle was thinking. "Well... Kevin and I are about the same age, so he should be seventeen too," she said. "As for Katie..." Michelle petted Bunzo Bunny's head. "She would be the same age as you," she continued. "And knowing her for so long, she'll like you."
Bunzo Bunny smiled as they reached the end of the pathway. Michelle spotted a crate before pulling both triggers. Both hands grabbed the crate before pulling away, which revealed a hole in the corner.
After both hands released the crate, Michelle examined the hole with a hum. "It seems like the smaller toys and I, along with PJ and Miss Delight, can fit through this," she said.
Michelle looked at DogDay and CatNap. "You two, however..." she said, lowly. DogDay looked at the large hole on the right side. "We'll take an alternate path; this should hopefully lead us back to you," he said.
Michelle nodded. "Stay safe out there, you two," she said. The duo nodded as Michelle and the smaller toys started crawling through the hole before they entered the large hole. As the duo walked, CatNap looked at DogDay. "YOU DON'T TRUST ME, DO YOU...?" he asked.
DogDay turned his head to CatNap before looking forward. "If I'm frank, I don't," he said. "You followed the Prototype like a loyal shepherd, and now you follow Misha just like that; I find it pretty hard to buy... especially if you keep calling him a 'False God'..."
CatNap looked forward. "HE SAVED MY LIFE WHEN I WAS HUMAN..." he said. "IF I CALL HIM ANY LOWER, IT WOULD MAKE ME ARROGANT..."
DogDay remained silent. "THE ANGEL SAVED MY LIFE EVEN THOUGH I WAS HER ENEMY..." CatNap continued. "NO HARM WILL COME TO HER... I SWEAR..."
DogDay sternly looked at CatNap. "And if you do harm her, what then?" he asked. CatNap looked at DogDay. "THEN YOU MAY TAKE MY HEAD AS PENANCE..." he said. DogDay was shocked. "DOES THAT SOUND FAIR...?" CatNap asked.
DogDay remained silent before looking away. "There's no need to go that far..." he said, which made CatNap tilt his head. "I'll take your word that you won't hurt Misha, Theo..."
CatNap chuckled. "I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT NAME IN A LONG TIME..." he said. "THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING, ARTHUR..." DogDay remained silent and crossed his arms. Soon after, the duo saw the group in the distance.
Michelle spotted the duo as they approached and turned her head to them. "Hey, you two," she said. "Did something happen?"
CatNap looked at Michelle. "NOTHING FOR YOU TO WORRY ABOUT, ANGEL..." he said. DogDay nodded in agreement. "We should keep going," he said; Michelle nodded as the group walked forward.