How could such a simple object and a slider make him display such a varying array of emotions?
It wouldn't be so bad, Buzz mused to himself as he flopped down under Bonnie's bed that afternoon, but he tended to black out during his time as his alter egos. He didn't remember anything from his Demo mode, and he certainly remembered even less about his Spanish mode. But the other toys made sure, over the weeks following, to fill him in - and some of the incidents they related made Buzz cringe in both bashfulness and horror.
But nothing was more horrifying initially, after learning he could be reprogrammed, than knowing he could be switched over in less than a minute by anyone who was aware of just where to look - and he was usually conscious when that took place.
The first time his switchover happened with Lotso, it had been a less than pleasant experience – he had basically been violently constrained and had his back panel unscrewed and ripped open. As someone who didn't promote violence (not even on his home planet), it was terrifying for the space toy, something he'd never admitted out loud to anyone.
Then there was the second time, which unusually, he didn't remember anything about, as that had been achieved when he was in his evil Demo phase and he was switched straight to into the underlying Spanish mode. But he understood he'd seduced Jessie, spoken in Spanish and rescued her from the rubble at the dump site. He'd come around to her flinging herself at him and kissing him on the cheek several times in an eager fashion. The thought still made him blush, but at the same time he wondered if the initial insight into his Spanish mode was what had endeared her to him after so many years together.
It was funny, actually, he thought. None of the other toys seemed particularly worried about his Spanish mode. It was always Jessie who brought it up now.
He regressed to a few days after they had escaped the incinerator, and Jessie had clicked the play button on Bonnie's stereo while he had been talking to Totoro. His alternative self had jolted into action, making him lapse into some kind of jerky dance motion across the room.
Buzz still had no idea how she'd gotten hold of the Spanish tape in the first place. But after the dance was done and everyone had left the area, he'd been sure to retrieve it, and had hidden it on the very top shelf of the bookcase. He realised quickly that everything Spanish orientated was a trigger now, and was careful as possible to avoid anything associated with it where he could.
Jessie seemed to be insistent on him changing into that other persona. The third time, she crept up on him. Buzz had been on the desk, sifting through the contents of a trinket box for a roll of bonding strip. Jessie jumped on him with a giggle as he was bending over the box. Before he could protest, Jessie had popped the panel open with a quick, deft pull, and Buzz jumped as high as a space shuttle at the feeling.
"Wha-!" Jessie!" Buzz turned his head to see the cowgirl, who slipped off his back and eyed the compartment visible to her. "Don't do that!" He scolded her, glancing over his shoulder at his now open compartment with a frown.
"I haven't ever seen your back panel open, Buzz." Jessie fidgeted as he turned back around to face her full on. "A-a-and….I don't have anything like that."
Buzz twisted his neck again, trying to see what was in the panel behind him, but only succeeded in turning in a three hundred and sixty degree circle. "Well, if it helps, it appears I can't see what's in my panel when it's open either," he chuckled.
Jessie gave a little smile, walking around to his side to peep into the open section. "Well, there's two batteries, a red slider switch, and a little hole as well." She paused. "I don't see how Woody and the others could have changed you into Spanish mode though. I don't see a button for it."
"I think the manual Woody had said something about inserting a pin into the hole to activate it." Buzz explained to the curious cowgirl doll.
"Oh. That's all it was?" Jessie asked. She walked around behind Buzz, reaching out with both hands to push the heavy compartment door up to close it, much to Buzz's relief.
There was an audible click, and then Jessie spoke up again. "You have rather a lot of junk in your trunk, Buzz. You have the batteries, and the switches, and the wings….I wouldn't want to carry that around on my back all day."
"I guess you get used to it," Buzz shrugged. "The wings aren't that heavy, and the batteries aren't either, unless they're both new and full of unused cells." He paused and then added, "How did you manage to get the compartment open so easy though? I thought there were supposed to be two screws holding it in place."
"Oh?" Jessie leaned forward and inspected the panel closer before coming to her conclusion. "I don't see any screws. I guess when Woody and the others got your back panel open at Sunnyside to change you back to normal; they forgot to replace the screws." She thought for a moment. "Hey, I know! Bonnie's Dad. He'll have some screws that'll fit, I bet. Wanna go find the toolbox?"
Buzz shrugged and followed Jessie as she grabbed his hand and tugged him after her. "Sure, why not? We can see if he has bonding strip down there while we're at it…"
Buzz grinned to himself, shaking his head at the memory of Jessie finding the correct size accessories to fit into the shoulder area of his spacesuit. It had taken some time to actually locate the right size screws, but her small fingers easily tinkered with the silver pieces of metal, slotting them both into place before tightening them gently with the small red screwdriver they'd found too.
Of course, after that, things started to become more pleasant. Like the fourth time.
Jessie had settled herself on his lap one afternoon while was staring off into space, quite literally. He'd jumped as she sat down, but recovered as her fingers began to trace his buttons. "Buzz? I was wondering…" Jessie began, giving him a coy look.
"Hmm?" Buzz wrapped his arms around her waist gently, meeting her gaze.
"What do your buttons sound like in Spanish?" Jessie asked.
"I have no idea. I imagine the same, but the phrases in Spanish, perhaps?" Buzz quirked an eyebrow and Jessie laughed prettily, before pouting a little at him. Buzz shivered. She knew he couldn't resist her when she was like that.
"So Buzz," Jessie babbled, biting her lip, "if I got the screwdriver and took your screws out of the back panel….and then switched you to Spanish mode, and then pressed your buttons to find out what you said - and then switched you back to normal…"
Buzz hesitated. "You do know I won't remember whatever happens, right?"
"I know. It bugs me that you won't, but I'm so gosh darn curious! Please, Buzz?" Jessie looked at him with pleading eyes and Buzz found himself melting at her stare.
"Fine. The screwdriver's in the bottom drawer of Bonnie's desk."
Jessie's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really. Go get it, before I change my mind," Buzz released her from captivity on his lap with a sigh, and she disappeared with a small shriek of happiness. A few minutes later the screwdriver bounced up onto the bed beside him. Jessie hauled herself up after it a minute later and seized hold of the tool.
"Not changed your mind?" She enquired as she knelt down behind him, and Buzz shook his head.
"Not yet. Just hurry up and do it, get it over with." Internally he wasn't sure he should be letting her do this, but it made her happy and that was what mattered, right?
She didn't respond, but Buzz felt the cool metal of the screwdriver connecting with the steel screw on his left shoulder blade. A few twists later and it popped out, followed by the one on the right as Jessie repeated the action on the other shoulder blade.
She placed the screwdriver down and opened the back panel gently. He gasped a little, feeling a cool rush of air enter the compartment. She left the compartment open, and came around to the front of him. She knelt down and gently cupped his face in her hands, bestowing a sweet kiss on his lips.
"Just so you remember when you come back around from Spanish mode," she said shyly. "You ready?"
"Yeah…." Buzz murmured, inhaling her scent as she walked back around to the panel. He felt a press in the middle of his back….and then he blanked out.
It felt like forever before he woke up. When he did, he was lying flat on his front, on the floor. He twisted his head and saw Jessie straddling his back, breathing heavily.
"Jiminy Buzz. I didn't think you would put up such a fight," she gasped.
"I….I did?" Buzz rolled over as Jessie hopped off him, having shut his compartment again. "I didn't…hurt you, did I?"
Jessie shook her head. "No, but I thought you might hurt yourself!"
Buzz breathed out heavily, and inspected himself. He was all intact. "What happened?"
"Well, I switched you to Spanish mode, and I came around to sit on your lap. You started talking to me in Spanish, and I started to press your buttons. I think you quite liked it, you kept saying things to me in Spanish, and when I was done with the buttons you grabbed my hands and pressed them over your left side," she indicated the big red button. "I think you were saying something like I had stolen your heart."
"Anyway," Jessie continued, "I think you thought I was playing hard to get, as when I got up, you kept trying to pull me down into your lap again. I was trying to explain to you that I needed to switch you back, but you didn't seem to understand and were insistent that I stay put." She giggled. "Anyway I managed to get off your lap eventually – but you twisted around and grabbed me. I was trying to push you off me – and well, long story short you wrestled me to the ground and I managed to roll you over before you fell off the bed."
Buzz blushed hot red. "I wrestled you to the floor?"
Jessie laughed. "Yes, I think you thought it was a game."
"So…what did the buttons say?" Buzz asked, attempting to regain his composure.
Jessie grinned. "I have no idea. It was in Spanish, silly."
Looking back over the last six months now, as he sat under the bed that afternoon, Buzz smiled to himself. Four times he'd been switched to an alternate mode. Today would be number five.
It was the afternoon Bonnie went to Hawaii for her winter break, and the toys were in the midst of arranging the Hawaiian themed party in the room for Barbie and Ken. As part of the festivities, Buzz had been talked into going back into Spanish mode, by Jessie of course.
He waited, and at length, he heard her shout. "Hey Buzz!" shortly before she appeared next to him under the bed. The screwdriver was clutched in both her small hands, and there was a wide smile on her face. "So, let's get you set up for this." She planted herself on the floor behind Buzz.
"Okay, well Jessie, I just want you to be careful." Buzz babbled nervously, remembering their play fight from the time before. "Don't lose any of the screws, and -ow!" He flinched noticeably as Jessie undid the screws in his back.
"Oops. Sorry." Jessie apologised, pulling back for a moment and dropping the screwdriver onto the floor. Her small fingers wrestled the screws from their spaces carefully. She pulled open the back panel on Buzz's back - and stroked her fingers over the batteries for a moment.
Buzz tensed instantly. "W-w-what are you doing?" The garbled sentence hung in the air, and Jessie shifted behind him.
"You know, I could leave these screws out, put my finger in that little hole and turn you Spanish anytime I like, Buzz." She breathed onto the back of his neck and he trembled instantly.
"Uh…I g-guess you c-could."
"Not just when Barbie and Ken need a vacation…" Jessie went on, her breath in his ear turning Buzz's components to mush.
"Ummm…" he lost all ability to speak. "But you wouldn't…right?"
"Try me, Buzz. I am, after all the one holding the screwdriver." Jessie reminded him.
"You just like being in control," Buzz teased her, exhaling shakily as she shifted behind him. Jessie gave a delighted giggle and dropped a kiss onto the back of his neck, before he felt the press of her finger in his back panel.
"You're darn right, pard'ner!" was the last thing Buzz heard her say, right before he blacked out.
;)