Buzz was lost. More than lost, even: he was completely clueless not only on his body and location but on what to do to retrieve Woody.
In his mind, he saw Woody going down over and over. The bright crimson flash of blood as the bullet tore through his leg and he crashed to the ground, yelling at Buzz to run. He teared up, devastated at the thought of his lover being in harms way. Panicked though, he had fled the scene as the cop handcuffed Woody. After about fifteen minutes, hed found a mall.
He was in a big store now, tears streaming from his eyes in a surprising new reaction to sadness. His stomach grumbled as he caught a whiff of something absolutely ravishing. Following the scent, he arrived under a giant green awning, and looked up to read the Subway logo in giant block letters.
Buzz had no money, this was problem one. But the sudden cramp in his stomach was painfully unfamiliar and demanding in it's need for food. Woody and Buzz had watched Andy eat many times, of course, but never had he tasted even a morsel for himself.
He jumped in front of a respectable enough looking woman walking by. "Ma'am," he implored. "I'm new to this life and I'm starving. Do you know where I can find money to buy food at this establishment?"
She shot him a look he couldn't quite put a finger on but was full of contempt. "At a job? I'm busy, excuse me."
A job? He thought. He already had a job! He was a spaceman, and one of the best in the galaxy at that.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head vigorously. No, he wasn't a spaceman, he knew this. He was a toy.
But again, the head shake and frustration. He wasn't even a toy anymore, he was human. His head hurt at the conundrum.
Surely, he could find a job. He was a human, and most humans seemed to work. There was a whole row of humans wearing the same thing, putting items in bags. That seemed tedious, so he figured it had to be a job. He approached one of them and stepped into their little square to talk.
"Excuse me sir, you need to step behind the line like everyone else," the irate employee said. Buzz read his nametag quickly, Jeff.
"Jeff," he said, holding up his hands to show he was cool. "I just want to work one of these jobs. I need money for food."
Jeff smiled at the customer behind the counter and turned to Buzz. "Dude, you can't be in here. If you want a job I'll need you to back up and wait until I can get a manager.
"No problem, comrade," Buzz replied amicably. He backed up a few steps, standing right next to the baggage area. Trying to prove he could handle working, he began throwing items haphazardly into the bags.
Aghast, Jeff stared at him and then shook his head, ringing people up and largely ignoring Buzz.
Some time later, Buzz felt a presence behind him and a shrill, nasally voice rang from behind him.
"Jeff? Is there an issue here?"
Jeff sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Steve. This guy wanted to talk to you about a job."
Buzz stepped back and turned to the man behind him, expecting to see a large, muscular fellow worthy of running such an empire. Instead he was met with a small, scrawny being with a ludicrous sneer across his face.
"I'd like to work to make money," said Buzz, smiling at Steve in front of him. Steve only shook his head.
"Jeff," he squeaked. "I'll take him to my office. Watch the floor."
He led Buzz down a maze of hallways to a dimly lit shoebox that could only generously be called an office. He gestured for Buzz to sit, and he did excitedly. He was going to get food and save Woody! A pang hit his chest as he thought about his wounded partner, but he shook it off and resolved to stay focused.
"So," Steve said, sitting in his giant desk chair and putting a huge stick of gum in his mouth. It popped loudly, startling Buzz.
"You want a job."
"Yes," Buzz said. "I need to make money to buy some food. I was told a job is how I do that."
Steve's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "You seem weird. But we are hiring... as usual, so we can work something up." The phone on his desk rang loudly, and he held up a finger to Buzz to signal to wait. He held one back, thinking it must be a friendly gesture.
"Sharpton Superstore, this is Steve speaking... oh, hey, haven't heard from you in a minute. A new guy?" Buzz perked up excitedly. Steve already considered him the new guy! He practically had the job. "I'll keep an eye out, so many of them end up here. What's he look like?... um... I think your search has ended."
As Steve talked on the phone, his voice became a tad bit higher and more nervous as he ran through a series of "yes" and "mhmm." He glanced at Buzz, giving him a sharp look up and down before responding "Yes, exactly that." The hair on Buzz's arm pricked up, and he felt nerves in his stomach for the first time.
"Will do." Steve hung up the phone abruptly.
"Alright, freak. You're hired. You can start today. I'll go get the paperwork you need to fill out and we'll get started, okay? Wait here."
He slipped out of the door and locked it behind him.
Buzz knew this was bad. He felt a sudden urge to get out of there, and try to find food another way. This just didn't feel right. He jumped up, tugging on the door, which was locked as he thought. There were no windows, and only a tiny vent on the floor. If he'd been a toy he'd fit, and he kicked the chair in frustration.
The chair! He grabbed it, jamming it into the door handle and attempting to leverage the door open. The weak wood splintered, and he beat the chair against it until he was able to rip a jagged hole and pull through it. The hallway was empty, and he took off only to see the police officer who'd shot Woody step out from around the corner.
She pointed a strange looking weapon at him. "Hands in the air, you're under arrest for evading an officer."
Buzz whirled to run in the other direction when he felt a biting in his calf, and his whole body lit up on fire. He went down hard, unable to move his limbs as the cop put handcuffs on him too tightly and dragged him off to her car.