When the lift reached the bottom, the trio saw a room with shelves and a mini Hoppy Hopscotch on the other side, which made her and Simon Smoke look around. "Is this...?" she asked.
Katelynn smiled and nodded. "This is the shipping room in Safe Haven," she said.
The mini Hoppy Hopscotch turned to the trio as Michelle and Katelynn got off the lift before they had happy eyes. "You're back!" he shouted before running toward them.
When the mini Hoppy Hopscotch was close to the trio, Michelle knelt before him. "How did it go?" he asked.
Michelle smiled as she held the Omni-Hand out. "The Doctor is no more, and we have the Omni-Hand," she said.
The mini Hoppy Hopscotch had happy eyes and clapped his hands. "This is wonderful news; we have to tell Doey and the others," he said.
Michelle glanced to the left and spotted a purple VHS tape on a shelf before looking at the mini Hoppy Hopscotch. "Why don't you go on ahead with Katie..." she said before standing up. "There's something I'd like to see."
When Michelle turned her head to Katelynn, she nodded and held her right hand out to the mini Hoppy Hopscotch. "C'mon, little one, let's tell the others about Big Sister's accomplishment," she said.
The mini Hoppy Hopscotch nodded as he placed his hand in Katelynn's before they approached the pathway on the right. Michelle smiled and waved, which made the mini Hoppy Hopscotch wave back until they were out of sight.
Michelle lowered her hand and looked at the fenced gate. "Now to get that tape," she said before approaching it.
After Michelle opened the gate, she twisted the knob, switching from the Omni-Hand to the purple hand, before approaching the jump pad.
When Michelle stood on the jump pad, she aimed at it and pulled the right trigger, launching herself in the air and landing on the shelves before walking forward. When Michelle was on the other side, she jumped down and landed on the ground.
After Michelle stood properly, she looked at the shelf and spotted the note, which made her pick it up and look at it. "On felted feet and with bated breath; sleep draws ever near," she read. "Over paths turning clear; but I am not afraid of death... for we have already met..."
Michelle placed the note back on the shelf with a sweatdrop. "That's kind of a creepy poem..." she said, lowly.
Michelle looked at the other shelf and spotted the tape before approaching it and picking it up. "Time to see what you have," she said before approaching the jump pad.
When Michelle stood on the jump pad, she aimed at it and pulled the right trigger, launching herself over the fence and landing on the ground. After Michelle stood properly, she looked at the TV with a purple VHS player under it before approaching it.
After Michelle placed the tape inside the player, she looked at the TV as it booted up. Soon after, Michelle heard humming coming from the TV until she heard something in the background. "That you, kid?" Rich asked.
"Yeah... yeah; it's me," a young man said.
"Don't lurk out there; it's weird," Rich said. "Just come on in; being early isn't a crime."
Michelle heard the door close and footsteps in the background until she heard someone take a seat. "You know why I asked you here, right?" Rich asked.
Michelle heard the young man sigh. "Why are we doing this dance again, boss?" he asked.
"Because you were reported, and all reports for my people come back to me," Rich said. "Look, I'm not here to place blame; just tell me your side of this. So, what happened?"
Michelle heard the young man groan. "This guy, Rod, he works the line. One of those twitchy mooks with the side eye," he said. "And this guy, Rod, he saw me drop a box he and his boys filled; kinda irked 'em."
Michelle crossed her arms. "I think he was joking; that's probably how he meant it, but he dropped some lines about me 'disappearing'," the young man continued. "He and the other guys laughed."
Michelle heard the young man sigh. "I was... having a bad day, so I... I yelled at him a bit. About him, about the company... about everything, really," he said.
Michelle stared at the screen. "And where were you when this happened?" Rich asked.
"The... factory floor," the young man said.
Michelle heard Rich dryly chuckle a bit. "Great," he said.
"Look, I... I don't mean to keep causing you trouble, Rich," the young man said. "You're good to me, to all of us. But the company isn't good to you. Or to Rod or me, or anyone."
Michelle was concerned. "Leith says Playtime is better than ever, but profits aren't people. And the profit margins betray just how on edge everyone is," the young man continued. "Hell, anywhere else, I'd have probably LIKED Rod."
The young man sounded frantic. "But because he said it like that, and with all the rumors... I-I just don't know if I can take it anymore," the young man said. "And it feels wrong that no one says anything as loud as they should!"
Michelle frowned a bit and looked down. Yeah... that sounds about right... she thought.
"Look... I get it; this company is far from angelic," Rich said. "Trust me, I know that, and you shouldn't ignore it. But there are smarter ways to go about what you did."
Michelle looked at the screen as the young man sighed. "I know... I'm sorry," the young man said.
"Hey... no matter what the executives say, no matter the looks you get, just know that I'VE got your back, kid," Rich said. "Shipping is a family; we look out for each other. That's the way it is now."
Michelle stared at the screen. "So don't fight, don't shout; just come talk to ME from now on, OK?" Rich continued. "I don't want another report on my desk like this one. I fight for you; ALL of you. And I'm in a position where I can do so."
Michelle heard the young man sound baffled. "I, uh... thanks, Rich," he said. "It's... It's good to know not EVERYONE here is terrible to us."
Michelle heard Rich chuckle. "Not everyone, kid; not everyone..." he said before the TV turned off.
Michelle stared at the TV before smiling a bit. "Good for you, Rich," she said before looking at the pathway and approaching it.
When Michelle turned left, she saw multiple bedframes and crates with Doey Dough on them covering the opening. "Well, I'm not going through there..." she said, lowly.
Michelle turned her head to the right and spotted a makeshift ramp near the open vent before approaching it. After Michelle climbed the ramp to the top, she crouched to the vent. "I shouldn't keep them waiting," she said before she started crawling.
Michelle turned left and jumped down the hole before landing at the bottom; she turned her head to the left and spotted the opening inside a tent before approaching it.
After Michelle got out of the vent, she stood up and stretched her arms. "That entire trip was tiresome..." she said, lowly.
Unbeknownst to Michelle, Bunzo Bunny sprinted toward her. "Big Sis Misha!" he shouted before leaping forward.
Michelle looked at Bunzo Bunny, surprised, and quickly held her hands out before catching him, which made her hit the ground on her butt. "Welcome back!" he shouted.
Michelle giggled a bit and petted Bunzo Bunny's head. "Good to be back," she said.
The Mini Huggies approached the duo with happy chirps before wrapping their arms around Michelle with purrs, which made her smile at them. "I missed you guys, too," she continued.
Huggy Wuggy, Kissy Missy, CatNap, Pianosaurus, Mommy Long Legs, Miss Delight, and Yarnaby approached the small group while PJ Pug-A-Pillar lowered himself to the tent. "Welcome back to Safe Haven, Miss Misha," Miss Delight said while PJ Pug-A-Pillar happily barked.
Michelle smiled at the group as Yarnaby and Pianosaurus approached her. "Good to be back," she said as she petted their heads, which made Yarnaby purr and Pianosaurus make hum-like noises.
After Bunzo Bunny and the Mini Huggies let go and stepped out of the tent, and Yarnaby and Pianosaurus backed away, Michelle stood up and looked at the group. "How are preparations?" she asked.
CatNap looked at Michelle. "They're all going according to plan," he said, lowly.
Michelle nodded. "That's good to hear..." she said, lowly.
Huggy Wuggy and Kissy Missy looked at Michelle. "Showtime?" they asked.
Michelle shook her head. "Not yet... once I give the signal, that's when we'll begin," she said. "Where can I find Poppy and Doey?"
Mommy Long Legs pointed to the open generator room. "You'll find them in the generator room, my little Misha," she said.
Michelle nodded. "Let the others know that it'll start soon," she said.
The larger group nodded. "Right," they said before separating.
After Yarnaby and Pianosaurus walked forward, Bunzo Bunny looked at Michelle, concerned. "Big Sis?" he asked while the Mini Huggies let out worried chirps.
Michelle looked at the smaller group before smiling and kneeling. "Hey, everything's going to be alright; I promise," she said. "You guys tell the smaller toys we'll be moving soon."
Bunzo Bunny and the Mini Huggies stared at Michelle before smiling a bit and nodding. After Bunzo Bunny and the Mini Huggies walked forward, Michelle stood properly and got out of the tent before looking at the generator room's door.
Michelle took a deep breath before exhaling. "Let's do this," she said before approaching the generator room's door.
When Michelle was close to the opening, she saw Poppy and Doey talking to one another. Michelle entered the room and knocked on the wall, which made the duo look at her. "I hope I'm not intruding," she said.
Doey smiled. "Misha!" he shouted before approaching Michelle.
When Doey was close to Michelle, he hugged her. "I'm so glad you're back," he said.
Michelle chuckled a bit and hugged Doey back. "Likewise..." she said.
After the generator door closed, Poppy approached the duo. "Michelle," she said, which made them look at her. "Do you have it?"
After Doey let Michelle go, she twisted the knob, switching from the purple hand to the Omni-Hand. "The Omni-Hand is in my possession," she said.
Poppy smiled. "That's great!" she shouted. "And the Doctor..."
Michelle crossed her arms. "He won't be bothering us ever again; I made sure of it," she said.
Poppy was shocked before tears pricked her eyes. "You have no idea what this means! It's... it's everything!" she shouted.
Poppy approached Michelle. "You've done what none of us ever could," she said.
Michelle tilted her head a bit. "Something not even the bigger toys could do?" she asked.
Doey smiled and nodded as he wrapped his arm around Michelle, which made her look at him. "You've given them hope," he said. "That hope is more valuable than you think."
Michelle stared at Doey before smiling. "Now with the Doctor out of the picture, it should've gotten the Prototype's attention," Poppy said.
The duo looked at Poppy as she turned away and walked forward a bit. "He'll be scared; he knows he's losing now, and the orphans are all he has," she continued. "Now it's time to get to the foundation; make everything right."
Doey shook his head and unwrapped his arm from Michelle before looking at Poppy. "Look, we need to talk about this; we shouldn't—" he was interrupted when the lights started flickering, which made them look up.
Doey annoyingly sighed and rubbed his eyes before looking at the lights. "Just give it a second..." he said, lowly.
When the lights were back on, the phone started ringing, which surprised the trio. Michelle grabbed the phone off one of the GrabPack's hooks and held it out. "Ollie, you there? What's—" Ollie interrupted Poppy. "He's outside!!"
The trio stared at the phone, surprised. "Ollie?" Poppy asked.
"He's OUTSIDE!!" Ollie shouted.
Michelle realized it and stared at the phone, mortified. "Wait, 'he' as in..." she said.
Poppy was terrified and looked away. "Oh no..." she said, lowly, before looking at Doey. "Y-You need to distract him, Doey! Please, keep him away from here!!"
Doey was shocked and pointed at the generator. "Without the generator—" Poppy interrupted him. "I know, but he can't get in here; not now... just buy us some time."
Poppy approached the duo. "You'll have to fix the generator, Michelle," she continued. "Work quickly; you won't have a lot of time."
Doey looked at Poppy. "But I—" she held his left hand, which made him stop. "Trust us, Doey; trust me..."
Doey remained silent before looking at Michelle; she smiled at him before nodding. Doey looked forward before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath; after he exhaled, Kevin split from him, which surprised the others. "Kevin?" they asked.
Kevin pointed at Doey. "You two deal with him," he said before pointing at himself. "I'm sticking with Misha; take Katie for backup."
Doey looked at Kevin. "Are you certain?" he asked.
Kevin nodded before looking at Michelle. "She's gonna need a second hand for the generator and for placing the explosives," he said before placing his hand against his chest. "And I'll be her second hand."
Doey stared at Kevin as the generator room's door opened before nodding. "Just get the generator working... please..." he said before sprinting away.
Poppy approached the opening. "I-I'll try to gather the others. Ollie, if you can hear me, work with these two," she said.
The couple looked at the phone. "Aye aye, cap'n," Ollie said.
When Michelle looked at Poppy, she turned to her to her. "You can do this," she said before the generator room's door closed.
The couple turned to the generator and approached it. "You heard her; now let's get to it," Ollie said. "First, you'll want to open the access panel on the generator; there's an Omni-Hand scanner on the left side that'll open it."
Michelle aimed the Omni-Hand at the scanner. "Leave it to me," she said before pulling the right trigger.
The Omni-Hand shot forward and touched the scanner, activating it; after it finished, the second Omni-Hand charge went dark. Kevin grabbed the handle and opened the panel. "Whenever you're ready, flip the breaker switch," Ollie said.
Michelle hung the phone on one of the GrabPack's hooks. "But be aware, while it's down, so are Safe Haven's defenses. Meaning whatever's out there has NOTHING keeping it there; we'll have to be quick," Ollie continued.
Michelle turned to the back and saw a square device and a circular device on top of a shelf before aiming at them and pulling both triggers. Both hands shot forward and grabbed the devices' handles; after they retracted, Michelle turned to Kevin. "Let's do it," she said.
Kevin nodded before grabbing the handle and pulling it down, which powered it down. "Grab an external resistor; attach it to the capacitor bank," Ollie said.
Michelle aimed the external resistor at the circular hole before pulling the right trigger, launching the Omni-Hand and placing it inside before retracting. "Good. Now, use the Omni-Hand to override the generator's chipset protocols so we can yank out the busted surge protector; it's the blue light," Ollie continued.
Michelle aimed at the scanner inside the generator and pulled the right trigger again, launching the Omni-Hand and touching it.
After the scanner finished, Kevin grabbed the busted surge protector's handle before pulling it out. "Nice, now put in the new one," Ollie said.
Michelle aimed the surge protector at the square hole before pulling the left trigger, launching the blue hand. After the blue hand placed the surge protector in the square hole, the couple saw the generator power up.
As Kevin closed the panel, the couple heard Ollie take a deep breath before exhaling, which made them look at the phone. "It's done... we did it..." he said. "Good..."
When the call ended, Michelle stared at the phone with a stoic face. "Misha," Kevin said, which made her flinch a bit and look at him as he approached the door. "C'mon."
Michelle nodded. "Right," she said before following Kevin.
After the generator room's door opened and the couple left the room, they saw most of the smaller toys dancing in joy; Poppy approached them. "You did it..." she said, lowly. "I..."
Poppy looked at Michelle. "'Thank you' isn't nearly enough," she continued.
Michelle nodded. "Don't mention it," she said.
Poppy let out a relieved breath before looking at the front gate, worried. "I haven't heard anything from Doey or Katie yet; whatever happened out there..." she said.
Kevin huffed. "They'll be fine," he said. "If what she told me and the others about the events back at that bastard's lair were accurate, there's nothing to worry about."
Poppy looked at Kevin before nodding. "Yeah... yeah, you're right," she said before looking at the couple. "We shouldn't wait anymore; head for the foundation and plant the explosives. We'll meet back here once it's done."
Michelle knelt to Poppy before grabbing the phone off one of the GrabPack's hooks and holding it out. "Here, you should hold onto this in case Ollie calls again," she said.
Poppy nodded before grabbing the phone in her hands. "Good luck," she said.
Michelle nodded before standing up and looking at the infirmary. Soon after, Michelle sighed a bit as she placed her hand on her right shoulder before moving her right arm a bit, which made Kevin look at her. "Something wrong?" he asked.
Michelle moved her neck a bit. "Just my shoulders; after going through the Doctor's lair, they've been killing me..." she said.
A few of the larger toys turned their heads to the couple. "Really? Want me to give you a back rub?" Kevin asked.
Michelle sighed. "While that would be nice, it'll have to be at another time," she said before looking at Kevin. "We've got a mission to do."
Kevin nodded. "Right," he said before they approached the infirmary.
Poppy looked at the couple until they were out of sight. Good luck, you two... she thought before looking at the storage room's hallway and approaching it.
...
...
...
After passing the Sewer Access, the couple entered the small room and got on the lift; soon after, the gate closed before it went up.
When the lift reached the top and the gate opened, the couple entered the Waste Water Plant. "There are gears around this area like the ones back when we were heading to Safe Haven," Kevin said. "They're probably keeping the door locked for safety measures."
Michelle hummed and nodded as the couple crossed the bridge. "Let's gather all the gears into one area," she said.
Kevin nodded as the couple went in different directions. Michelle looked at the large gear lying against a shelf before aiming at it and pulling the right trigger, launching the Omni-Hand, and grabbing it before retracting.
Kevin grabbed the largest gear before approaching the moving gears. When Kevin was close to the first machine, he examined the empty slot. "This gear ain't gonna fit in that," he said.
Michelle approached Kevin before aiming the gear at the empty slot. "Let's give this one a try," she said before pulling the right trigger.
The Omni-Hand shot forward and placed the gear in the empty slot before retracting, which caused it to move and the gate for the second machine to open. Michelle looked at the empty slot in the second machine. "The gear you have should fit into that slot," she said.
Kevin nodded as he stretched his arms toward the machine before placing the largest gear in the empty slot, which caused it to move and the gate to the third machine to open.
Michelle looked at the small gear next to the first machine before aiming at it and pulling the left trigger, launching the blue hand and grabbing it before retracting. "The last one calls for two gears," she said.
Kevin looked inside the third machine and noticed a broken gear. "Well, that's a problem," he said before looking at the gear in the first machine and approaching it. "At least the broken one matches the first one."
Kevin stretched his arms before grabbing the middle gear and pulling it off, which closed the second gate. Kevin approached the third machine and placed the gear in the bottom slot, which caused it to move. "You're up," he said.
Michelle aimed the gear at the empty spot. "Right," she said before pulling the left trigger.
The blue hand shot forward and placed the gear in the empty spot, which unlocked the door. "Now we can move forward," Michelle continued.
Kevin nodded as the couple approached the door; after Michelle opened the door, they stepped into the rail cave. Kevin pointed to the back right. "If we follow the tracks where that Barry cart was, that should lead us to the foundation," Kevin said.
Michelle nodded and looked at Kevin. "Then let's find the charges and head there," she said, which made him nod before they sprinted toward the back.