As Suzy opened the door, the trio entered a hallway with two knocked-over shelves and boxes covering the middle; Michelle looked around. "What is this place?" she asked.
Kevin sighed. "This area has multiple interrogation rooms," he said.
Michelle looked at Kevin. "They'd question us here after watching us... at least the ones that can speak, anyway," he continued.
Suzy smiled at Kevin. "I remember you saying that you answered them, Big Brother, but it was an answer they never liked," she said before giggling.
Kevin chuckled a bit. "Yeah, that's true..." he said in a low voice.
Suzy looked at the knocked-over shelves before squeezing through the tight spots. After Suzy was on the other side, she looked at the duo while waving her arm. "C'mon!" she shouted.
Kevin looked at the door on the right. "We're coming; just stay put," he said before approaching it.
The dough arm on Kevin's back grabbed the doorknob and twisted it before opening the door. After Kevin entered the room with a railroad track in the center and a closed shutter, he spotted a makeshift ramp over a destroyed window.
Kevin looked at Michelle as the dough arm let go of the doorknob. "You probably have questions about me, don't you?" he asked before approaching the ramp.
Michelle looked at Kevin with a slight smile as he climbed the ramp. "Straight to the point, huh?" she asked.
Kevin looked around the interrogation room before going down a different ramp. "Well, it has been a few years since we've seen each other, and... since it's from you, I don't mind answering them," he said before approaching the door while the dough arm on his back grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.
After Kevin opened the door and the dough arm let go of the doorknob, Suzy smiled at him and waved, which made him smile a bit. As the duo walked forward, Michelle looked at Kevin. "I guess the first question I could start with would be your appearance," she said.
Kevin looked at Michelle with a raised brow. "What's there to question?" he asked.
Michelle looked down and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well... when DogDay mentioned you were part of Doey... I was kind of expecting to see him, not... you..." she said.
Kevin hummed. "Well, technically I am Doey, but... I'm also not him..." he said, which made Michelle look at him. "I guess you could say I'm one of his consciences."
Michelle tilted her head. "One of his consciences?" she asked.
Kevin nodded. "Two other people and I were made into Doey," he said. "I guess those bastards wanted a challenge and decided to make a toy with three bodies inhabiting it."
Michelle looked at Kevin. "Who are the other two?" she asked.
Kevin looked at Michelle. "The first one was an eight-year-old kid named Jack," he said. "Apparently, there was this... accident... that happened during his tour, and he fell into a vat machine filled with hot dough."
Michelle frowned. "That's awful..." she said in a low voice.
Kevin looked down and nodded. "Yeah..." he said in a low voice. "Twisted as this company is, I'm... glad that he's still here..."
Michelle smiled on the inside. Despite your appearance, past and present, you're still a good older brother... one of the many reasons why I like you... she thought.
Michelle looked at Kevin. "Who's the other conscience?" she asked.
Kevin looked at Michelle. "An older kid named Matthew," he said.
Michelle placed her finger on her chin while humming. "Matthew..." she said in a low voice.
When Michelle remembered, she was shocked and looked at Kevin. "You mean the one from Playcare who read The Adventures of the Word Wizard to us?" she asked.
Kevin nodded. "Yep, the very same," he said.
As Suzy opened the door, she spotted a yellow VHS tape on a shelf inside the room before entering and approaching it. As Kevin entered the room, Suzy picked up the tape and held it out. "Look, Big Brother! I found something!" she shouted.
Kevin hummed a bit and grabbed the tape with the dough arm on his back. "Nice find, half-pint," he said before holding it out to Michelle. "You can hold onto this."
Michelle nodded and grabbed the tape as the siblings left the room and turned right. As Kevin opened the door, the siblings saw a hole in the wall, which made them crouch under it and crawl forward. "Surely that question wasn't the only one you had," he said before they stood up properly.
As Suzy walked forward, Michelle was humming a bit before looking at Kevin. "Well... how did you figure out it was me down here and not some former employee?" she asked.
Kevin flinched a bit and turned his head away with a sweatdrop, which made Michelle look at him with stern eyes. "Kevin," she said.
Kevin nervously chuckled. "Well, uh... there's a bit of a story to that..." he said in a low voice.
(Flashback Begins)
Inside a small room, a larger version of Doey was examining a long silver box with a handle on the right side. "I'm not sure how long the generator will last..." he said in a low voice.
"Doey," the female voice said, which surprised Doey.
When Doey turned his head to the large door, he saw Bobby BearHug, Bubba Bubbaphant, and KickinChicken near it. "Ah, it's you three," he said.
Doey noticed something and looked at the trio, concerned. "Wait, where is DogDay?" he asked.
Bobby BearHug looked at Doey. "He's fine..." she said. "We've got a lot to report about."
Doey looked at the door before nodding. "Alright, come inside and tell me your report," he said, which made the trio nod.
Suzy sat inside a makeshift tent with a bored sigh. "It's so boring here..." she said in a low voice.
When Suzy looked forward, she saw Bubba Bubbaphant look around and quickly enter the room before the door closed behind him.
Suzy tilted her head. "What's that about?" she asked herself before standing up and quietly approaching the door. "Must be something important if the generator room's door is closed..."
When Suzy was close to the door, she quietly squeezed her head through the bottom of it. When Suzy's head was on the other side, she looked at the group. "I see... this human sounds very unique if she's able to befriend crazy toys like Huggy, Mommy, and CatNap," he said. "Where is she now?"
Bobby BearHug looked at Doey. "As we speak, she and her group should be heading to the prison along with DogDay and... Poppy..." she said.
Doey froze. "Poppy... and you're certain it was her?" he asked.
Bubba Bubbaphant crossed his arms. "I can't think of another living Poppy Playtime doll," he said.
Doey hummed and nodded. "Thank you for your report," he said.
KickinChicken thought of something and looked at Doey. "Hang on," he said.
Doey looked at KickinChicken as he approached him. "Who's currently... in control right now?" he asked.
Doey raised his brow. "You're speaking with Matthew," he said.
KickinChicken nodded and held his right hand out next to his mouth. "Would it be possible if I talked to Kev?" he asked in a low voice.
Doey was confused. "Uh... sure, one moment," he said before closing his eyes.
Doey's body shifted a bit before sternly looking at KickinChicken. "What do you want?" he asked.
KickinChicken had mischievous eyes as he placed his hand on Doey's shoulder before leaning close to him. "I heard I was your favorite Smiling Critter," he said.
Doey's eyes widened. "I find it very touching that—" before KickinChicken could finish his sentence, he wrapped his hand around his neck, which made him yelp.
The duo looked at Doey, shocked as KickinChicken choked. "Doey!" they shouted.
Doey glared at KickinChicken. "Who the hell told you that...?" he asked.
KickinChicken looked at Doey and placed his hands on his arm. "I, urk..." he said while his throat gurgled.
Doey angrily looked at KickinChicken. "Give me an answer, Bird Brain!!" he shouted.
KickinChicken had panicked eyes. "The... human..." he said with a raspy voice.
Doey froze and let go of KickinChicken's neck, which made him collapse to his knees and gasp for air. The duo quickly approached KickinChicken as he placed his hand against his throat while coughing. "What the hell, man..." he said weakly.
Doey looked at KickinChicken with a slight frown. "Sorry, I—" his face suddenly shifted to a serious expression before looking at the duo. "Tell me more about the human."
Bubba Bubbaphant looked at Doey. "We already told you about—" he was interrupted when he shook his head. "Not that... what did she look like?"
Bobby BearHug looked at Doey. "Well, she's definitely young; maybe seventeen or eighteen," she said. "She has long black hair in a braid and wears a black tank top, blue jeans, and purple and white sneakers."
Doey looked at Bobby BearHug. "Was she wearing a purple beaded bracelet with white beads that said, 'BFF K&K'?" he asked.
Bobby BearHug stared at Doey before nodding. "Yes, she was... on her right wrist," she said.
Doey froze with widened eyes. "Misha..." he said in a low voice.
The trio looked at Doey as he placed his hands on his head. "Doey?" they asked.
The red hand on Doey's midsection started pulling on itself; soon after, the red and blue dough pulled off him, which made the others look at it.
Doey stared at the red and blue dough as it started shifting. Soon after, Kevin formed before standing up and turning to Doey. "I know that human; she's my friend," he said.
Doey stared at Kevin before he started smiling. "You mean the pretty girl?" he asked.
Kevin groaned. "I don't have time for your dumb antics, Jack; I have to find her," he said.
Suzy smiled and entered the room through the crack in the door. "You're gonna go exploring?" she asked, which made the others turn to her, shocked. "I wanna come with you!"
Kevin quickly shook his head. "Absolutely not! I'm not taking you with me; it's dangerous!" he shouted.
Suzy whined and angrily looked at Kevin. "That's not fair! You always let Big Brother Jack go on scavenging hunts!" she shouted. "I wanna go too!!"
Kevin growled. "No means no!!" he shouted.
Suzy angrily pouted at Kevin before black slime tears fell from her eyes, which made the others flinch. Suzy started crying and lay on the ground. "You're so mean!" she shouted before she slammed her fists and tail on the ground. "I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go!!"
Kevin looked away and crossed his arms; Doey looked at him before approaching him. "Kevin..." he said in a low voice.
Kevin turned his head to Doey. "Listen... I get that you're very protective of Suzy, especially since she's your, you know..." he continued.
Kevin remained silent and looked down. "But I think you should take her with you," Doey said.
Kevin glared at Doey. "Are you nuts?! I'm not doing it; she's not ready to go outside Safe Haven!" he shouted.
Doey looked at Kevin. "You don't know that unless you give her a chance..." he said. "We let Jack lead a group on his own, and he turned out fine."
Doey's mouth shifted to a smile. "And we found a lot of supplies too," he said.
Doey shook his head before looking at Kevin. "The point is... if you want her to help Safe Haven... you'll have to show her the ropes outside as well," he continued.
Kevin looked down before glancing at Suzy as she cried on the ground. Kevin groaned as he approached Suzy and knelt. "Alright, you can come with me," he said.
Suzy smiled at Kevin. "Really?" she asked.
Kevin held one finger out. "Under one condition," he said. "You stick with me, got it?"
Suzy got up and quickly nodded. "Okie dokie, Big Brother!" she shouted.
Kevin smiled a bit before standing up and turning his head to Doey and the trio. "I'm gonna take Hoppy, Piggy, and Crafty with me," he said.
Doey nodded. "Very well; be careful out there," he said.
Kevin nodded before looking at Suzy. "C'mon, half-pint; let's gather the others," he said, which made her quickly nod as the door opened behind the duo before they left the room.
(Flashback Ends)
Michelle deadpanned at Kevin. "Did you actually choke Kickin' just because he knew he was your favorite Smiling Critter?" she asked.
Kevin angrily looked at Michelle. "Well, what was I supposed to do when he said that?! The only ones I told about that were you and—" he stopped himself before looking down with a frown. "And her..."
Michelle looked at Kevin, concerned, until they heard a loud crash in a small room, which startled him.
Kevin held Michelle close, which surprised her, and another dough arm sprouted out of his back before he got into a fighting stance and looked around, growling with his fangs out.
When Kevin looked forward, he saw Suzy standing beside the knocked-over shelves next to a giant hole before she looked at him. "Sorry, Big Brother; something was covering the bigger hole, so I moved these shelves," she said.
Kevin sighed a bit and got out of the fighting stance while the dough arms on his back retracted inside him. "It's fine... but next time, warn me before you do that," he said.
Suzy nodded as she went through the hole; Michelle looked at Kevin. "Still not a fan of loud noises, huh?" she asked.
Kevin sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, yeah..." he said before approaching the hole.
After Kevin was on the other side, Suzy approached the door on the right side and entered it. "Do you... have any new triggers that I should be aware of?" Michelle asked. "I mean... is something like that possible? I'm aware that you... think differently than others."
Kevin dryly chuckled. "That's a sweet way of saying I have autism," he said.
Michelle looked away with a frown. "Sorry, I... I didn't mean to insult you if I have..." she said in a low voice.
Kevin looked at Michelle before looking down. "Gentle voices," he said, which made her look at him. "It started after I became Doey... those damn scientists..."
Kevin's body started bubbling a bit, which surprised Michelle. "The gentle voices lie..." he said in a low voice.
Michelle looked at Kevin, concerned, before looking at his shoulder; as she reached for it, she was hesitant. Soon after, Michelle was determined and quickly shook her head before firmly placing her hand against Kevin's shoulder. "Hey, it's OK," she said.
Kevin's body stopped bubbling before he looked at Michelle. "You're OK now; there's no need to get angry when they aren't here anymore," she continued.
Kevin stared at Michelle before looking away. "Thanks..." he said in a low voice.
Michelle smiled and patted Kevin's shoulder. "No problem, bud; it's what friends are for," she said.
Kevin smiled a bit as Suzy opened the door on the right side. "Hey, Big Brother," she said, which made the duo look at her. "There's a hole in the wall that was covered by a small crate, but I moved it out of the way."
Kevin approached Suzy. "Nice job," he said before entering the room. "Let's see what's in that other room."
After the siblings went through the hole, the trio saw a room with a TV and a yellow VHS player under it on top of a desk. Michelle held the tape up. "We found the TV that goes with the tape," she said.
Suzy smiled and looked at Michelle, bouncing. "Oh! Can I put the tape in there? Pretty please...?" she asked.
Michelle looked at Suzy with a slight giggle. "Very well, just be careful with it," she said as she held the tape out.
Suzy giggled as she carefully grabbed the tape before putting it in the player. The trio looked at the TV as it booted up. "Got another one over here!" a young man shouted.
Michelle looked at the TV with a slight frown. "This... must be the aftermath of the Theater Incident..." she said in a low voice.
Kevin stared at the TV with a stoic face. "Jeez... hard to imagine how the company will tuck all this under the rug," an Irishman said.
"Not our problem," a woman said.
"Three here!" an older man shouted.
"How many is that now?" the Irishman asked.
"Fifty-eight, so far," the woman said.
"Another one over here!" a man in the background shouted.
"Fifty-nine," the woman said with a sigh.
"Where's that investigator? Campbell, Lockehart— whatever his name is," the Irishman said.
"Poking around somewhere; don't know. You ask me, the culprit's obvious," the woman said. "Just needs to be spelled out plain and clear for the bigwigs."
"You think?" the Irishman asked.
"Yeah," the woman said. "Rotten eggs come from rotten chickens, ya know? Can't get more rotten a chicken than him."
"I don't know, just seems too careless that a guy so smart wouldn't cover his ass," the Irishman said. "I mean, if the investigator finds evidence of this being his fault..."
The trio heard the woman chuckle. "Hope Boxy's still hungry," she said.
"Got another!" a young man shouted.
"Sixty," the woman said.
"Right, and are we just stuffing the experiments back where they came from?" the Irishman asked. "Acting like all this didn't happen? Wool over the eyes?"
Michelle was concerned. "Because I can guarantee it won't be so easy to toss a new coat of paint over sixty visitors dead," the Irishman continued. "Or the dozens of Resource Extraction Specialists we've got swimming in the bellies of those things."
The trio stared at the TV. "I'm sure that's taken care of already... but I hear there's plans. Something big; somewhere to put them," the woman said. "With any luck, that means stuff like this and people like him will be the thing of the past."
"Six more over here!" a man on the right side shouted.
When the TV turned off, Michelle looked down. "I had a feeling there were a lot of casualties when I saw it in the news, but this..." she said in a low voice.
A dough arm sprouted out of Kevin's back before he pierced the TV with it, which made the duo look at him, surprised. Kevin glared at the destroyed TV as he pulled his dough arm out of it. "We should keep moving," he said as he destroyed the door behind them.
After the dough arm on Kevin's back retracted inside him, the duo left the room; Michelle glanced at him, concerned. Kevin... she thought.