Chapter-o 11-o

"I knew your name… because…" Kattus said, his mind racing.

This is insane! Kattus thought. I'm talking to Woody in Toy Story!

But that wasn't the only thing on Kattus' mind, though meeting one of his favorite Disney characters was rather intriguing.

If we didn't know about these other 'worlds' back on Earth, Kattus thought. Then maybe the toys don't know about other worlds either. I should probably keep that whole 'I'm from another world' thing silent until I know for sure what they're already aware of; don't want them to think I'm crazy if I want their help finding Claire.

"Hello!" Woody called into Kattus' ear, startling him out of his thoughts. "Earth to new toy!"

"Sorry," Kattus said. "Wait! Where's my Keyblade?"

"Your key-what?" Woody asked, looking like he was starting to think Kattus was crazy after all.

"It's—it's my weapon—"

"Oh, I get it!" Woody laughed. "You must be one of those newfangled action figures, just like the 'space ranger!'"

"Uh, sure," Kattus agreed. Then, remembering Claire, he said "Wait! Have you seen a girl around here named Claire?"

"Oh, come on!" Woody sarcastically wailed. "You come with a weapon and a girl! Andy just got the whole Christmas package when his parents bought you, didn't he?"

Unable to help himself any longer, Kattus yelled "I'm not a toy!" over Woody's rambling.

"That's it, I'm through!" Woody exasperated. "You're just like Buzz bite-year over there in the corner, trying to fix his 'space ship' packaging!"

Woody jerked his thumb over his shoulder as he made his way to the edge of Andy's bed and jumped down.

"Hey Buzz, I found a playmate for you! You both think you're real!" the consternated cowboy called in the direction he had pointed before disappearing under the bed. "Come on, guys! We've got to call a staff meeting about these new toys!"

"Buzz Lightyear?" Kattus said excitedly, looking in the direction Woody had just pointed. Rushing eagerly over to the side of the bed, Kattus stopped himself just in time to avoid falling over the edge. What had looked like a mild drop from before was now a teetering, cushiony skyscraper. "Wait, how am I supposed to get down if I'm six inches tall?"

Woody didn't seem to have had a problem with getting down, but then again, he actually was a toy, and could probably handle such jumps with relative ease. Kattus, still human despite his diminutive size in this world, would have to try a different approach.

Spying the bedpost, Kattus raced over with a leap and a bound on the springy surface of Andy's bed and grabbed ahold of the wooden frame, spinning around it as he slid down to the floor like a fireman down his emergency pole.

"I'll have to try that again before I leave," Kattus said to himself when he touched down on the hardwood floor, adrenaline pumping from the rapid travel. "But first things first…"

Seeing Buzz Lightyear again off in his corner of the room where a gaggle of the other toys were admiring his repair work on the box he had come in, all ignoring Woody's call for a 'staff meeting,' Kattus raced over to see his favorite Disney character in real life.

"…and with another bonding strip, this cardboard-ium alloy should be ready for interstellar travel at warp speeds in not time!" explained the intrepid space ranger, applying another piece of scotch tape to his badly torn cardboard spaceship-style package. "There we are, good as new!"

"Wow, Mr. Buzz," said Rex, the memorable gentle giant and plastic green tyrannosaur. "Where are you gonna fly to?"

"Wherever I can pick up my signal from Star Command again, and after that, who knows?" Buzz explained, eyeing his newly repaired 'spaceship' with pride. "I'll most likely be sent on yet another mission to track down and foil the plot of the evil emperor Zurg!"

"Hey, need a copilot?" asked Ham, the plastic pink piggy bank.

"No can do talking swine," Buzz replied, sliding into his spaceship and pushing what Kattus could only assume were supposed to be buttons on this inside. "Star Command operatives only inside the space vehicle."

This must be pretty early in the movie, Kattus surmised. Buzz just arrived, and still thinks he's a real space ranger!

"Now everyone, please stand back for the launch," Buzz announced. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

"1…

"1…

"1…!"

Buzz suddenly opened his eyes from where he'd had them shut tight, probably in preparation for the thrust he expected to rattle through the ship during takeoff.

"I don't understand it!" Buzz suddenly said, popping out of the packaging and checking the pieces of cardboard that were supposed to be rockets. "Why won't she fly?"

"Maybe your mechanic skills ain't as fine as your fancy flying," remarked Mr. Potato Head, the walking, talking spud.

"Impossible," replied Buzz, inspecting the ship thoroughly. "I got top marks for my mechanic skills during the training simulation at Star Command."

"Maybe you're out of fuel," Kattus shouted, from the back of the crowd of toys, having made his way over to where they were admiring Buzz's handiwork.

"That's it!" exclaimed Buzz having a eureka moment. "Who said that? They obviously know something about spaceflight!"

"I did," Kattus called out again, and the toys moved to the side to get a better view of their newcomer. "Hey everybody, it's great to meet all of you! I'm a big fan."

"No you're not," said Rex, confused. "You look more like one of those new action figures to me!"

"No, you idiot!" scolded Mr. Potato Head. "He means he's a fan of us. Now me, I can understand—but why would he be a fan you of you guys?"

"Never mind that now tuberous root man," Buzz said happily, walking up to Kattus. "You, humanoid, you suggested that my ship was out of fuel—do you know where I could get any?"

"Um, I guess I could help you find some," Kattus chuckled, thinking that with Buzz's way of imaginary thinking all he would have to do is pick up some random supplies from around Andy's room and call it fuel. "But first, I really need to be looking for a girl. Have any of you seen a girl around here? Named Claire?"

"Doesn't ring a bell," Rex apologized.

"Ooh, a sweetheart accessory," mused Ham.

"She's not; she's my friend's little sister," Kattus explained. "She was kidnapped, and my friends and I are looking for her."

"A kidnapping?" Buzz gasped. "This sounds like the work of the evil emperor Zurg! If I only had some fuel for my space ship, I could use it to fly around this alien world you strange life forms call 'Andy's Room' and help this humanoid here locate the kidnapped Claire!"

"You'd really help me look for her? 'Cause that'd be much awesome," Kattus said thankfully. "With your guys knowledge of this world—I mean, Andy's Room—we should be able to locate her in no time! If she's here, of course…"

"Of course!" Buzz smiled. "A space ranger's sworn duty is to serve and protect. But still, I need my rocket fuel; I'll help you look for this Claire as soon as I can locate some fuel!"

"We'll help you look for some fuel," chimed in the other toys, eager to join in the new toy's space fantasies.

I was afraid he'd say that, Kattus thought. If Buzz wants fuel before he'll help me look, then I'll have to find something that'll actually make his spaceship fly!

. . .