A/N: I'm super happy everyone seemed to like the new character and world, or at least were interested in seeing more! And now that all the pieces are in place, it's time to ramp up the action as we progress through the puppeteer's mind.

I have NO idea how this chapter is only 4k words with how much goes on in it. Buckle up for a wild ride! Thank you to the betas!


Frazie raced down the conveyor leading back to the worker sector, leaping over wooden limbs and materials along the way.

The puppet production floor was the same as she'd left it - perhaps a little less stressed, but still clearly unhappy with their job. Well, if Frazie had any say in it, they wouldn't have to work much longer.

"Alright, people! Break time!" Frazie shouted once she arrived, clapping her hands.

She'd hoped to at least get a reaction, if not a rousing cry of approval, but no one seemed to heed her. Wooden and stuffed workers alike remained at their stations, tunnel-visioning their tasks. The only thing she'd accomplished was startling Molly again. "Eep! W-what's going on?!"

"We're shutting this place down," Frazie replied, stepping up to the production line. "Turns out that Pepper has no intention of listening to any of our complaints. So if you guys want anything to change around here... we're going to have to make her listen."

Still, the workers didn't budge. From down the belt, the puppet in a top-hat chuckled, amused. "It is a good idea, missus. There is just one flaw."

"That being?"

"These." The marionette tilted his head up while he worked, gesturing to the strings above him. The same ones that poked out from every doll. "If they let us step away from work, believe me, we would."

Frazie's eyes trailed up the threads, which eventually disappeared into nothingness. "They're not even attached to anything."

"But they are impossible to ignore, nonetheless."

"We'll just see about that." Frazie studied his strings, dangling just overhead. How did they even stay there, held up by thin air? Reaching out, Frazie gathered them all in her fists and gave them a sudden, sharp tug.

They gave. Frazie's eyes went wide as they yanked free, bringing with them a cacophony of surprised shouts seemingly from nowhere.

Suddenly, bodies rained from above. Frazie jumped back as a bunch of Censors tumbled down around the marionette, each one looking a bit more wooden than usual. Their jaws set apart from the rest of their faces, each segment of their finger visible, they looked just like the puppets they'd been guiding. Their bodies clacked while they rubbed their heads, grumbling.

"No?"

"No!"

"No-"

A loud thump rocked the floor as one poor Censor got crushed by a late arrival. What appeared to be a squat dummy pushed itself up with a creak, placing its hands on its head to twist it back into place.

Frazie had never seen an enemy like it before, and yet, its shape seemed familiar. It just had a trim suit instead of a glass dome, and little fists instead of tentacles. But the more she glanced at it, the harder it was to look away. And that's when it hit her.

Obsessions were back, with a new coat of paint. Joy.

So these guys were keeping the puppets working, somehow hiding in plain sight and only visible once they'd been yanked down. Understandably, they weren't too happy with being jostled loose. While the hatted marionette looked down in awe at his now-freed arms, Frazie braced herself against the rising puppeteers, each one squabbling and glaring her way.

Taking initiative, Frazie leapt over the Censors to target the big boy, knowing he had to go first before its attention-stealing powers let her focus elsewhere. The little lawyers weren't having it, though, jumping up high between them to bat her back down with their stamps.

Gritting her teeth, Frazie flipped back to her feet... then pulled out a Confusion grenade. These guys hadn't changed up their tactics any, but she had some new tricks up her sleeve.

"Get out of the way!" she called to the hatted puppet, tossing the live explosive right at the nearby Obsession.

"Eh?" Still in awe of his newfound freedom, the marionette looked over just in time to see the primed question mark plink in the middle of the enemy crowd. Startled, his first act of his own free will was to dive out of the way of the ensuing explosion.

Direct hit. The Censors and Obsession wobbled to and fro, all caught in the disorienting haze. Unable to tell ally from foe, they started swinging aimlessly, the Obsession growling while it tried to fend off its smaller coworkers.

Frazie couldn't help but giggle. It seemed the Censors were also drawn to attack their bulky ally... or they really, really had a grudge against him. Either way, Frazie didn't even have to lift a finger while the goons turned on each other.

Before long, the Obsession was in pieces, fading away. By the time the Censors started to realize what they'd done, Frazie leapt in to easily finish off the weakened foes with a single slamming strike from above.

The freed puppet looked up from the ground, watching its possessors poof out of existence. He suddenly found a hand in front of his face as Frazie stooped down to offer him some help up. "Are the strings still a problem?" she asked, smirking.

Grinning right back at his savior, he took her hand and stood, completely of his own volition. "No... no, I do not think they will be."


One by one, Frazie yanked the workers' strings and pulled their controllers into the open. Not every fight went as easily - sometimes she took some damage, sometimes she got the upper hand and thrashed them - but eventually, the factory floor was filled with freed toys.

None of them seemed sure what to do about it. They muttered and whispered amongst themselves, fearful it was only temporary, or pondering what their first act should be.

Though the atmosphere was unsure, there was one thing that was certain: they were all happy to finally stretch their legs again.

"I-I haven't been allowed to so much as frown for years!" Molly exclaimed, patting her face again and again, her etched-in grin finally drooping downwards. "Ooo hoo hoo, I'm so relieved I could just cry...!"

"Save the waterworks until later," Frazie interjected. "If we can't get Pepper to listen to us, things will go right back to where they were."

"She is right," the hatted puppet agreed. "Plus, we do not actually have tear ducts," he continued, tapping her big button eye.

The doll recoiled from his touch, rubbing her glossy eyeball. "I-it's the thought that counts, Jacque...!"

Frazie chuckled, but knew there was still more work to be done. "Listen... we've put a dent in the factory, but it's still chugging along with or without you guys." There was still a load of prepared materials going down the line - it'd be a long while before Pepper and Sally noticed anything worth fretting about. "If we really want their attention... we need to completely shut this place down. Any ideas?"

Jacque stroked his chin, thinking. He finally pointed up into the distance. "Perhaps there?"

Frazie followed his finger, glancing towards a wide glass booth set in the ceiling high above. "I believe that is the control room," he explained. "If there is anything that will grind things to a halt, it is certainly there."

"E-even if there is, it's not like we can just walk in...!" Molly protested, waving a plush hand. "There's no way u-up!"

Perhaps not for a regular person. But Frazie simply hummed as she ran her eyes across the rest of the conveyor system. Some belts shot up diagonally, carting things higher and higher. If she rode a few to the higher reaches, hopped across some gears, and fit in some Levitation... yeah, she might just be able to make it.

It'd put her acrobatics to the test, though. But if anything... she looked forward to the challenge.

"I'll get up there," Frazie boldly claimed, patting her shawl. "Trust me."

"B-but-...!"

Jacque put an arm over Molly's chest, stepping in to interrupt. "Very well. Do not worry about us in the meantime. We will find a way to cross over to Pepper's desk and rendezvous with you there."

Molly didn't look even half as bold, but finally, she sighed and nodded. "Y-yeah... we'll get everyone over there. Just be careful, please...?"

"Then you two are in charge," Frazie said. Their roles decided, Frazie sprinted off towards the nearest conveyor out of there. "See you in a bit!"

The duo of dolls watched her go, silently sending their well wishes as she rode off across the room. "D-do you think she can actually get up there?" Molly wondered aloud.

"Quite possibly," Jacque answered, hopeful. "She is made of some pretty strong stuff."

"Like plastic?"

"Perhaps."


Frazie huffed with each step, climbing the constantly moving incline. Sure, she could just sit still and let the conveyor gradually carry her to the top, but she was in a rush.

Talk about an uphill workout. By now, the desk the puppets worked at was far below, looking more like proper doll size from this distance. Even Pepper and Sally, in their giant glory, looked a lot less imposing. At least Frazie was close to the top now, where a loading platform awaited. She could catch her breath there, prepare for the rest of the trek...

But were things ever that easy?

Up ahead, a Heavy Censor forced itself from a circular portal. Frazie just rolled her eyes, ready to vault over it and leave the buffoon behind.

The Censor had other plans. Frazie's eyes narrowed suspiciously when it turned away from her... then bugged out when it looked back, hoisting a massive puppet head up like a boulder.

"You don't gotta do this," Frazie cried out, waving her hands.

The Censor stared down at her a moment. "No," it agreed... and then rolled the head down at her like a bowling ball.

"You suck!" With an exasperated groan, Frazie let the projectile come to her. Certain death tumbled down towards her quickly, leaving her no choice but to hop on her Levitation ball at the last second and trampoline over it.

The brute had plenty more where that came from. Giant spools, other doll limbs, crates and tools... he definitely wasn't making the ascent easy. Whether the obstacles came rolling down or bounced towards her, Frazie jumped and ducked around them, slowly weaving her way up the conveyor.

Frazie rolled under an oncoming barrel, shaking her fist up the ramp. "Knock it off, you big gorilla!"

"No!"

She really had to stop trying to converse with these guys. But by now, she was close enough to let her fists do the talking.

Frazie dove the rest of the way, tossing her Shield up, hands outstretched. The Censor cried out as her reinforced body plowed into him, sending him stumbling backwards over the edge of the platform.

"NOOOOOOooooo...!" It roared all the way down, disappearing into the darkness.

Bending over to catch her breath, Frazie waved him off. "I warned you!"

Finally, a moment's rest. But getting up the conveyors had been the easy part.

Once she was ready to go, that's when the real platforming began. Spinning gears, both horizontal and vertical, leaving her dizzy as she hopped across them and rode ever higher. Jets of flame and stamping presses, meant to melt metal into bolts and press fabric flat, now repurposed to make her progress a helluva lot harder. Stray strings and poles jutting from the ceiling held wooden limbs in place, only to be used now to climb and trapeze the rest of the way.

At long last, Frazie made the final jump to the catwalk outside the control room. Taking a brief moment to celebrate her success with a whoop, she marched up to the door to let herself in.

It looked like your typical manager's office inside, wide open, carpeted, a window at the other side looking out over the entire factory. There wasn't anything there beyond a large console, filled with an array of dials, switches and levers... and one big red button that no doubt brought everything to a screeching halt.

It was a little... too wide open. And suspiciously empty.

Yeah, Frazie already knew where this was going. She sighed, flinging the door shut behind her. "Alright, come on out, guys."

Right on cue, portals popped up all around the room. Censors launched themselves out, ready for battle, a couple Obsessions popping in to take the heat for them.

And behind them all, one last large portal opened up. The room shook as a certain Heavy Censor jumped out, its glasses cracked, its body bruised, a vengeful sneer on its face. It held a massive doll arm in its mitts like a wooden club, ready to get revenge.

It jabbed a finger at her and barked its usual battle cry. "What is your problem?!" Frazie snapped back at the world's apparently most persistent Censor.

In response, the goliath picked up one of its smaller brothers and hurled it at her. She batted it out of the way with a kick, and that's when chaos broke out.

They all converged on her at once - and the worst part of all, the Obsession's spell was keeping her from dealing with them properly. Left with no choice but to target them despite the swarm around her, Frazie did her best to keep them occupied. She lobbed another Confusion bomb into the crowd around one Obsession, then launched a few Psi Blasts at any Censors unlucky enough to be between her and the other.

It bought her some breathing room at least. Half the mob was rumbling with each other, the other half a bit thinner. All the while, the Heavy Censor pursued her with relentless fury. It swung its massive makeshift weapon, forcing her to dodge out of the way while it smeared some of its kin into paste. It was too vengeful to restrain itself from hurting its allies... good for dealing with the crowd at least, but its frenzied assault kept her on her toes.

Frazie flipped backwards, careful to keep away from its weapon, trying to lure it into smashing the Obsessions to smithereens. While the confused Censors turned on one and dismantled it, the angry brute swung and flung the other one against the wall, instantly vaporizing it.

She could focus elsewhere again... but she still had a small army of lawyers and one very large, very pissed one to deal with. As much as she tried to get hits in whenever she could, it proved fruitless. Its weapon had too much reach, swinging too fast and too frequently for her to get any strikes in.

She worked on cleaning up the small fries instead, with the unintentional help of her furious friend. Between her psychic strikes and his tree stump of a club, it was soon just the two of them, staring each other down across the control room.

Before he could rush in again, Frazie let loose a barrage of Psi Blasts, determined to prevent him from closing the distance. The goon barked out a laugh as it pulled its doll arm back and swung.

The energy blasts collided with its swing... and bounced right where they came from with a shrill 'ping'. Frazie yelped, flying backwards as her own attack sent her flying across the room.

She rolled to a stop and groaned, holding her stomach. So that's what it felt like to be a Censor.

Alright, that strategy didn't work either. This guy was something else. Just as annoyed as he was now, Frazie slowly pushed herself back up and focused her Telekinesis. "Give me that!"

The Heavy Censor jolted in surprise when its weapon tried to pull itself from its grasp. Refusing to let go, it held onto the arm with both hands, groaning and straining as the two of them engaged in a tug-of-war.

Her mental strength eventually surpassed his physical. The Censor fell backward when she wrenched the limb from its grip and flipped it around. Before it could get back up again, she harnessed all her energy and swung the club with all her mental might.

Home run. The hulk squawked when she slammed her stolen weapon into it, launching it across the room. It crashed into the console, a loud 'click' reverberating around them as it slammed into the big button.

It slid back down to the floor, weakly reaching out for her, but it was futile. With one last 'no', it finally collapsed and faded away for good. Frazie huffed and puffed, letting the club clatter to the ground, crossing over to the window to see if the button had worked.

It had.

Everything slowly ground to a halt. Conveyors lay still, their packages stuck in place. Machinery whirred to a stop, the busy hum of the factory gradually dying down to an eerie stillness.

Frazie breathed a huge sigh of relief. If that didn't get Pepper's attention, she didn't know what would.

In fact... it seemed like the patient was already distracted from her work.

Across the room, Frazie spotted the workers crossing Pepper's desk, shouting and waving their hands. Now that they were free and Pepper had nothing left as an excuse to ignore them, they were making their move. The giant woman looked distressed, with Sally waving her arms in a desperate attempt to quiet them down.

They'd made it... and they were waiting on Frazie to join them. So she did. She ran out of the office, hopped the railing, and floated back down towards the desk with her thought balloon.

Let's see her try to weasel out of this now.


Frazie arrived to the outraged shouts of a crowd of ignored workers.

"Sally's had the spotlight for too long! Let one of us have a turn!"

"W-we're not your playthings! Let us feel for ourselves!"

"Less hours! More pay! Something higher than zero!"

"Restock the vending machine!"

"Y-you don't even eat! Please, be reasonable!" Pepper tried to protest, backpedaling. Her defense fell on deaf ears, the dolls drawing closer and closer to her.

"Come on!" Sally shouted, trying to calm them down. "Things were just fine, weren't they? Things were getting done! You were happy! Wasn't it great?"

The crowd channeled every Censor in existence with their response. "NO!"

Frazie shook her head, leaning against a wood block and crossing her arms. She'd let the dolls have a moment to address their long-suppressed complaints before she tackled Pepper's puppet problem. They'd earned it.

Pepper clutched her head with her free hand, unable to keep up with all the demands. "I-I don't... yes, yes, we can do that! Maybe! I don't know! Please, one at a time...! I-I can only handle so much...!" She was already at her breaking point, and it showed. With nothing to distract her, she couldn't ignore her problems any longer.

That is, at least, until Sally suddenly placed her hands over Pepper's lips. "Upupup, I'll take it from here."

Frazie gaped. There was no way Pepper could've voiced her with her mouth covered.

Sally was speaking all by herself.

Pepper looked down at her with worried eyes, but finally nodded. Clapping her hands together, Sally faced the crowd again. Pepper lowered the doll closer, letting her pace back and forth across the table, looming over them all. "Okay! Sooooo as I understand... we've got a little problem with how things are run here, hmm?"

"That is putting it lightly!" Jacque griped.

"And none of you are willing to just drop it and go back to work?"

"O-of course not!"

"I see, I see. That is a problem." Sally hummed with thought, tapping her cheek. "Pepper, get rid of them."

Frazie pushed herself off the wall. "What?!"

But there was nothing she could do. Wordlessly, Pepper reached out with her massive arm, slamming it down on the table. With one decisive sweep, she flung the entire crowd of dolls away, sending them screaming towards the edge.

"No!" Frazie reached out with her hand, with her mind, but neither could stop the workers from flying off the desk. Sure, they weren't real... but her heart shattered seeing them all wiped out so cruelly.

Or so she thought.

Listening closer, she could hear the faint sounds of straining from over the edge. "Do not worry, Frazie!" Jacque's voice called out, his wooden fingers poking over the tabletop. "I caught us! We're hanging on!"

A throng of agreeing voices from over the edge filled her with relief. Except one. "I-I'm not!" Molly cried. "I'm slipp- AHHHHHHHH!"

The puppets cried out as Molly's scream grew quieter and quieter. "Egads, she is a goner!"

A second later, a distant voice called out. "A-actually, I'm fine! I'm really soft! The fall didn't hurt!"

"It is like I can still hear her voice...!"

Taking a grateful breath, Frazie raced towards the edge to help pull them up. "Hang in there, I'm coming!"

"Oh, no you don't."

The table shook as Pepper's arm slammed down once more, cutting Frazie off from the workers. Sally leaned in close and giggled at her, all while Pepper watched over them with a blank face. "What's wrong?" Sally taunted. "I thought you wanted a word with us. Well, let's talk, silly! Pepper, take her somewhere we can have a nice, private chat."

Nodding quietly, Pepper's fist unfurled, lunging for Frazie. Before she knew what was going on, it closed around her, shrouding her in darkness.

"Hey!" Frazie tried to pry her fingers open, but it was no use. She definitely wasn't going to use excessive force to shove the poor woman's hand open, either. All she could do was wait.

She didn't have to wait long. The hand opened again... but to Frazie's surprise, the duo was nowhere to be seen. Pepper and Sally, no, the entire factory had vanished, replaced with a stage floating in the void. All that remained was Frazie, the planks beneath her feet, and a large red curtain stretched out ahead of her.

And also Pepper, now alone and back to normal size, kneeling down in front of it.

"Pepper!" The dolls might've been on their own for now, but Frazie could at least try and snap some sense into Pepper now that Sally was gone. Frazie ran to help, her feet pounding the wood with each step.

But before she made it, Pepper's arms started to lift of their own volition.

Now closer, Frazie could see the strings attached to Pepper, gradually lifting up and taking her with them. Her eyes fluttered open while she rose, slowly focusing on Frazie. "Oh! What's going on? Where's Sally?"

"Right here!"

The curtain slid open. Frazie's heart sunk straight down to her shoes as the stage quaked, a shadow looming over her.

Pepper might have shrunk down... but Sally hadn't.

The gargantuan doll's upper half was all she could see, looming out from backstage. One hand held Pepper aloft by strings... the puppeteer now the puppet, and vice versa. Her other hand jabbed at Frazie, the doll's smile suddenly a lot more sinister.

"You've made a real mess of things, ya know that?" Sally snapped, her voice still light and playful even with its underlying malice. "But that's fine! We can get things running again, get everyone back under their strings... but you, you have to go. Sorry!"

Somehow, Frazie didn't think she felt all that bad. Standing her ground, Frazie fired back. "The only one who has to go is you! How can you not see what you're doing to her? This is outrageous!"

"Is it?" Sally feigned ignorance as she pulled Pepper in close. "But look, she's so happy! Aren'tcha?"

To Frazie's horror, the woman nodded wholeheartedly. "Yes! We're fine! So... please, just go!"

Frazie looked down at the floor, thinking... and then stomped her foot. This wasn't about getting a lousy screwdriver anymore. This couldn't be allowed to go on. "I'm sorry, Pepper." She dashed forward, already looking for a good place to attack. "This is for your own good!"

"No, wait! Stop!"

"It's okay!" Sally soothed her former owner with a laugh, free arm reaching out to intercept her opponent. "I'll get rid of her. Then you and I can play together again... forever."


Shout out to the world's most persistent Censor, they were a real one. But now there's bigger threats to deal with... really, really big threats. The stage is set, and it's time for the real puppet show to begin.