Chapter 3: Downtime

"Shadow People? Canary you can't be serious," Red Butler said skeptically as he folded his arms.

"I know what I saw." Canary Yellow insisted. "There were people in the cafeteria, and a very tall man in the hallway wearing a hat...and another one upstairs in Rainbows office."

"And another one in the bathroom? Or was it coming out of a closet?"

"Please stop teasing me!" Canary was on the verge of tears. She squinted her eyes shut and tilted her head to the ground. She had encountered Red on their way to the gate the following morning and felt that he would be the more level headed of the Color Kids to understand and help her reason with what happened the night before. Red actually stopped pressing her. He had never seen Canary in such a state. Even when she had been imprisoned all those years ago, Canary never lost her sunny disposition. For something to have bothered her this much it must have been bad.

"I'm sorry. I took it too far," Red pushed his hands into his pockets. He looked up when he saw Rainbow Brite riding on Starlite approach them. "Good morning Rainbow, Starlite!"

Canary looked up. "Rainbow?"

Starlite stopped next to the two Color Kids. "And a wonderful good morning to you both," Starlite nickered. "Canary? Whats wrong?"

Rainbow slid off Starlites back. "What is it Canary?"

When Canary couldn't seem to find the words, Red spoke up for her. "She saw something weird in the factory last night, and it scared her."

Rainbow grew concerned. "Something weird? Like what?"

Canary took in a deep breath. "Shadow People. Like darkness given people shapes. They were sitting in the cafeteria and one was in the hallway. When I went outside all the lights in the factory were on and there was one standing in your office Rainbow."

"Hmm...when I first came to the factory it was run by mainly Shadow People. The Umbrella Man said that he would leave a few of his people behind to help with the transition, but I never saw any of them, so I just assumed he took them with him. Maybe they were here all along but couldn't be seen because we have been letting the light in and Red has been fixing all of the lights."

Canary was only slightly comforted by this. "But what do they want Rainbow?"

"I don't know. I would like to speak with of them though and find out whats going on. Maybe if we left a sign up?"

Red huffed. "I've been all over the dark corners of the Factory and no one has appeared to me. Why Canary and not me?"

Rainbow chuckled. "I think they know that if they surprised you, you would want to start a fight."

"Hey...That's mean to say even if its true."

Canary sniffled and dabbed her eyes. She felt better with Rainbow there.

Rainbow Brite gave Canary a napkin to dry her eyes with. "But until we get to the bottom of this, we will go ahead and make a new rule that anyone that is there late will need a buddy with them. We haven't started up a proper night shift with Moonglow yet, but as we get the CCPP and the SSF online, her time will come. Until then, buddy up."

"Yes Rainbow" both Red and Canary said in unison.

Rainbow Brite climbed back up on Starlites back and tapped her Color Belt for a rainbow to run on. "I probably won't be back to the Factory until this afternoon, I have a few places to bring color to first. Tell everyone about the buddy rule, and if you see another Shadow Person, tell them that I want to speak with them. See you!" Starlite jumped up onto the waiting rainbow and began running across the sky.

Red and Canary watched her go. Canary took in a deep breath. "Thank you Red."

"Don't mention it. Heh, if anything I'm going to stay late tonight and go on a ghost hunt!" Red suddenly grinned. "Yeah! All of us can go on a ghost hunt after production is done tonight! We can turn all the lights off and grab flashlights and go through the factory!"

"That sounds quite dangerous even if we aren't looking for ghosts…" Canary said softly.

"Come on, you can dress it up as an excuse on what to do if the power goes out."

"Hmm…" Canary did like that idea. "Okay, power out training first, and then see who wants to go on a ghost hunt second."

"If the Shadow People are there, one of us is bound to find them with the lights off," Red led the way to the Guard Shack happily. "This is going to be fun! After you."

Canary stepped past Red Butler and through the gate leading to the Rainbow Factory.

The entire day, the ghost hunt was the only thing anyone could talk about. A fair amount of the Sprites opted out leaving the Color Kids and their assistant Sprites. Canary didn't want to think of the safety issues concerning several dozens of creatures roaming around the plant in the dark. The Rainbow Factory nurse Ferafly, a lovely butterfly and ferret hybrid from the Isle of Wuz, stayed behind in the very likely event that someone got hurt. When Rainbow Brite returned to the Factory in the afternoon, she heard about the proposed ghost hunt (and safety training) from Twink, and agreed to stay on with everyone. Starlite and Skydancer had the run of the property outside and promised to keep an eye on the windows in case any more strange figures appeared.

Rainbow Brite never really had many good experiences with anything shadowy in the past, the Umbrella Man was the closest she had come to a pleasant conversation with one. The first enemy she ever vanquished had been an entity called the King of Shadows, yet she had a distinct feeling that the Umbrella Man was a different kind of Shadow Person altogether. Still, she was in charge of the Rainbow Factory now and it would be rude to neglect the older employees if they were indeed still here.

Night finally came and the bulk of the workforce went home, leaving Rainbow and the Color Kids with the entire Factory to themselves. The atmosphere was cheerful, almost like a sleepover. Canary had gathered everyone in the cafeteria and stood ready with a projector and screen. Once everyone was seated, Canary began her presentation. "Thank you everyone for coming to my first Safety Meeting."

"I thought we were ghost hunting," Patty O'Green called out.

"The ghost hunt will take place after the meeting. I promise this won't be long," Canary said softly, yet with conviction. She glanced to Rainbow who gave her a thumbs up to continue. "Sparks, if you could get the lights?"

Sparks, Canary Yellows assistant Sprite, turned off half the lights in the cafeteria, then returned and turned on the projector. The first image to show was a map of the ground floor of the Factory, including production areas, storage, and office areas. Canary used a long stick to point to several locations marked as doors. "There will be times when the Factory must be evacuated or the production areas must be cleared out. So its very important to know where the exits are and to practice drills with your departments and teams. These instructions are the same whether the emergency is a power out, a fire, or a gas leak. In the event of a fire or gas leak, every department has an assigned emergency exit. Its important to make sure these exits are clear at all times. Do not park pallets of product in front of them, or stacks of boxes, or tables. It doesn't matter how easily you think they can be moved, in an emergency every last microsecond counts. Once you are outside, each department has a designated meeting area," the slide changed to another diagram of the Factory grounds with color coded numbers inside circles. "Once you and your workers have reached your designated meeting area, take a roll call, then get on the radio and let everyone else know if you are missing anyone. Sometimes you may have workers that are in another department, or have gone to the bathroom, and they get mixed in with another group. Encourage them to speak with the supervisors and then get on the radio to let their department know they are safe and out of the building.

"In the event of a power outage, we do not want workers wandering around in the dark. If the power out is less than an half an hour, then it should be okay for everyone to stay put. If the power outage is more than an hour, then make sure everyone has enough flashlights and is able to leave the production areas safely. Workers should meet in the cafeteria and again a roll call taken to make sure everyone is accounted for safely. Do not light candles as a source of light as there might also be a gas leak in conjunction with the power out. If you are missing anyone, let the Safety, Quality, or Maintenance teams know, and we will keep an eye out as we secure the Factory." Canary set her pointer stick down. "Any questions?"

There was a bit of muffled conversation, but no real questions.

"Okay then," Canary picked up a box of brand new metal flashlights and several packs of D cell batteries. "Rainbow?"

Rainbow stood up and went to the front. "Alright everyone, first a few rules before we start. Stay together in groups, and only go in the common areas of the Factory. Do not go into production areas. The Factory will be dark and the production areas are dangerous even with all the lights on. Please respect everyone's office spaces. If the doors are locked do not force them open. If you do encounter any Shadow People, then try to be polite and tell them we are only trying to make contact."

While Rainbow went over the rules, Canary passed out the flashlights and batteries. Soon everyone was geared up and ready to go. Shy Violet came prepared with a bulky VHS camcorder and a tape recorder, while Indigo had a few color crystals she claimed would be good for communicating with spirits. When Canary finished she turned off the cafeteria lights and everyone began making spooky sounds. It was the most fun they had as a group in a long time. "Alright everyone, lights out! Be careful and meet back here in two hours!" The Color Kids paired up and scattered in all directions. Red and Lala Orange paired off and went one way, Shy Violet and Indigo teamed up to hold a séance somewhere, Patty and Buddy Blue went to go test their resolve against their own fears and the darkness, which left Rainbow Brite and Canary Yellow.

"I'm happy we got teamed up," Canary said softly. "I was worried you weren't going to believe me."

"Of course I believe you Canary. You're my best friend, I know you never lie to me," Rainbow held Canary's hand for a moment to comfort her. "So where should we start?"

"I was thinking the office areas, since I saw the one standing in the window of your office, but first I want to try the cafeteria since I saw so many just sitting in here."

"Sounds good," Rainbow turned on the flashlight and led the way with Canary, Spark, and Twink right behind her.

Red and Lala started off by exploring the common areas, places like hiring offices and waiting room, then the record room which held row after row of filing cabinets for various papers, instruction manuals, warranties, and receipts for various aspects of the industry. Red Butler was on high alert with his Sprite Romeo. Oj, Lala's Sprite, held tightly to Lala's dress, while Lala herself could have cared less about roaming around in the dark. "Red Dear, why did you bring me to such a dark and dusty corner? We could have gone anywhere in the Factory, like my office."

"I'm looking for ghosts Lala, there's nothing scary in your office."

"I beg to differ, have you seen our abysmal sales lately? They're terrifying."

Red sighed. "Lala, please be serious."

"I am serious. There are much more amusing things I could be doing in the dark with my boyfriend. Instead I'm in this dusty records room getting my hair messed up."

"Is that the only reason you came with me? I don't have time to be playing kissy-face with you right now. This is important to me."

"Don't have…" Lala's expression hardened. "Well this is rich coming from you! You're cheating on me aren't you? Just admit it!"

Red turned the flashlight on her. "Lala keep your voice down, and no I'm not cheating on you. You will always be my girl, my only girl. Who would I even cheat on you with?"

Lala smirked, and folded her arms as if she had him right where she wanted him. "Shy Violet."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. I can see why you want her. She's demure, and has that innocent look down. I suppose you just can't handle a woman like me."

Red Butler rolled his eyes. "For the sake of the Colors Lala, I'm not cheating on you with Violet. We work together, that's it. She's IT and I do the mechanical work. There's a whole new addition of the Factory going up soon and we are going to be working together a lot more. But I promise, promise you that I don't feel anything for Violet," he reached out and took Lala's hand and pulled her in for a hug. "You are the only one for me Lala..."

Lala touched her nose to his. "This ghost hunt is really important to you?"

"Yes."

She let go of him and turned on her flashlight. "Then I'll go along, just this once."

"Thank you Lala," Red held her hand as they continued searching the records room. They swept their flashlight beams around and kept an eye on the darker corners of the room. Lala passed by a row of cabinets and thought she saw something on the ground out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned and shone her light on it, there was nothing to be found. "Did you see anything?"

"I thought I did...but it was just my imagination. Thats the terrible thing about looking for these so-called 'Shadow People' now everyone is going to be panicking over their own shadows and reflections," Lala sighed and moved on.

Further in the common areas, Shy Violet and Indigo had set up in the museum area at the main entryway. This was by far the creepiest room in the dark, with its nonsensical models of rainbows, prisms and of course that massive mock-up of an eyeball that in the dark looked like a prop from a B horror movie. Violet set up a tripod for the camera and pointed it at one of the displays, then turned it on. "Okay Indigo, the camera is running."

Indigo sat down at one of the tables, then pulled out her crystals and began to arrange them on the tables surface. "Ready," Indigo hit the "record" button on the tape recorder, then sat with her eyes closed. She called out in a clear voice. "Are there any spirits here tonight?" she waited for a moment and looked down at her crystals. "If there are any spirits here tonight, could you please come forward and state your name? We are not here to harm. We only wish to communicate," she waited another moment before asking the next question. "Are there any spirits here that wish to make themselves known?"

Violet started to walk around the room with another hand held tape recorder and external microphone. When she had heard the Color Kids were going on a ghost hunt after work, she had run all the way back to the Color Castle to get her supplies. She had been waiting for an opportunity to try out her equipment and Indigo was more than happy to use her talents to attempt a séance.

"If there is anyone here that wishes to communicate, then please give us a sign," Indigo asked. She looked back down at her special Color Crystals to see if any changes had been made. They had been specially selected for not only the purity of their color, but also their ability to contain the emotional properties of each color. Indigo glanced up to check on Violets location, then froze, her eyes wide. Violet noticed the stunned expression on her friends features and followed her gaze.

In the distant hall, a shadow moved.

It was huge, like Canary had said, roughly the shape and size of a large man, it glided smoothly just over the floor. Indigo stood up from her seat quietly and glanced quickly at Violet. Violet quickly turned and grabbed the camera off the tripod. "Its a full-body apparition!" Violet whispered excitedly. "Lets go!" Indigo left her crystals behind and followed Violet as she ran to catch up with the shadow. "Mr Shadow! Mr Shadow! Can I ask you a few questions?"

The shadow began to drift up the hallway faster, as if leading them somewhere.

Further up the hall Rainbow and Canary had been sitting in the dark in the cafeteria, waiting to see if any shadows showed up at the tables or investigating the way the moonlight would hit the trees outside that could make it look like there were people sitting down. They were about the give up and go investigate upstairs when they heard Violet shouting in the hall. Rainbow was the first to look out into the dark hall. "What is going on out here?"

Canary was right behind Rainbow as they stepped into the hall, they turned on their flashlights and swept the beams back and forth searching for the source of all the noise. Canary froze when she saw the dark shadow at the end of the hall with burning white eyes and a large hat. It came gliding toward them rapidly, just like the night before. Canary felt her knees grow weak in terror and she dropped to the floor. It was real. Part of her had been hoping that she had been making it up, that it was just lack of sleep and an overactive mind, but here it was clear as day now. Canary screamed and grabbed Rainbow Brites arm. "Rainbow! Save me!"

Rainbow turned to face the shadow man, her hand hovering over her Color Belt. She had wanted to make peaceful contact with the Shadow People, but this one didn't seem to be very peaceful itself. Before Rainbow could react, Red Butler burst out of a room further down the hall and bodily tackled the shadow, which then broke into three pieces and collapsed to the floor in a heap. Violet came running around the corner and up the hall with her bulky camera and Indigo in tow. Red Butler picked himself up from the floor while Lala peeked out of the doorway. "Just as I thought," Red looked down at the "shadow" which was nothing more than a pile of giggling fabric on the floor.

Red pulled away the fabric to reveal Patty O'Green, Buddy Blue, Champ and Lucky in a pile and laughing. The "shadow man" had been nothing more than two Color Kids and their Sprites in a trench coat with their flashlights being used for glowing eyes. Buddy Blue had a pair of roller skates on that helped create the gliding effect. Patty was laughing uncontrollably. "Oh man! You should have see the look on your faces! Hahaha! It was great! 'Rainbow! Save me!' Canary, you are a riot!"

Buddy picked himself up from the floor. "Nice tackle Red."

Lala and Indigo began to laugh as well, the good humor cutting through the tension of the evening. Violet was disappointed that she had missed her chance to catch a real ghost to study, but had to agree the costume had been pretty good for what they had on hand. Rainbow even smiled a bit, she should have expected as much from her friends. They could never stay serious long, and she should have know Patty would try to pull something like this. The only one who wasn't laughing was Canary Yellow. Canary was crying.

Patty stopped laughing when she noticed Canary wiping tears from her eyes. Seeing a Color Kid cry was rare, seeing Canary cry was unheard of. "Hey, it was a bad joke. I didn't scare you that bad did I?"

Canary stood up and glared at Patty, then turned and began running up the hall away from everyone else. She wasn't scared, she was heartbroken. She had come to her friends with real fears and concerns and they made fun of her for it. This was the last place she wanted to be now. Rainbow looked up as Canary ran off into the dark, leaving her flashlight behind. "Wait!"

Patty stood up from the floor and started to clean up the costume. "It wasn't that bad was it?"

Rainbow sighed. "I think you hurt her feelings. Okay everyone, ghost hunt is over. Pack up and lets go home. If the Shadow People are here, maybe they will make themselves known another way."

"What about Canary?" Indigo asked.

Rainbow looked up the darkened hall where Canary had run. "I'll go get her. But Patty, you should apologize to her when she gets back home. And I mean a real apology."

"Yes Rainbow, I will."

Rainbow Brite picked up Canary Yellows flashlight from the floor and went up the hall in search of her best friend.

Canary went through door after door and hall after hall, never thinking about where she was running. Only that she wanted to get away from the hallway with her so-called "friends" in it. Yes she had been scared, and yes seeing that horrible shadow costume had brought back memories of the previous night that had frightened her so much. This place was starting to get to her. She had been trying so hard to do her job right, to look after her friends safety and still make the best rainbows they could. And in return all she got were dirty looks and exhausted sighs as another one of her friends rolled their eyes at the procedures and rules that had been put into place for their safety.

Canary leaned against a wall and had herself a good cry that had been a long time coming. Yes Rainbow cared, but lately it seemed she was the only one who cared, and even then she had to play the part of an even-headed meditator on more than one occasion. When the tears and sobs had finally run their course, Canary cleaned her eyes and only now looked around to see where she had ended up.

It was one of the production areas, she knew that by the smell alone. Which area was she in though? This place was really dark with all the lights out, maybe she could get some emergency lighting in here at some point? She felt naked without her safety equipment, and now felt doubly foolish that she had left without her flashlight. Canary began to suspect that maybe she had overreacted just a bit. She took a step with her hands out in front of her. Her tear-filled eyes adjusted to the dark now and she could see that it wasn't as bad as she first thought. There was a faint light coming from somewhere up ahead and around the corner. Canary followed it and peeked around the corner. Familiar machinery could be made out in the dark and she now knew where she was.

It was the main processing room, and she was in the middle of all those complex glass pipes and gauges. Of course she would have ended up in Pattys department. Canary had always found this room a little creepy and it looked even creepier in this strange light with no colors flowing through them. Where was the light coming from anyway? She stepped into the room, moving slowly and carefully to avoid hitting her head on anything or tripping over something on the floor. She looked from side to side until she found the source of the light. It was the box at the far end of the room, the one containing the Fire. Rainbow had told them the Fire was a powerful magical object, and that it had to stay in the box. The Umbrella Man had stressed this. Usually it was locked up tight when the days production was over but not now. Light was seeping out from the cracks around the forward round porthole-like door. The gyroscope it sat in was still. Maybe everyone was so excited about the "ghost hunt" that they didn't lock up properly. Looks like it would be Canary to the rescue yet again.

Canary stepped further into the room, looking ahead at the bright seams of glowing white light at the edges of the porthole-like circle. It reminded her of the phases of the moon, or a solar eclipse. She heard whispers around her, and Canary turned to see if anyone had followed her this deep into the Factory. With her back to the Fire, the room was still empty, dark, and with glass tubes running like ghostly vapors vanishing into the distance. She still heard the whispers, Canary searched the darkness for the source, then felt something grab her ankle.

Canary looked down at the floor and saw several black glossy hands reaching up for her from the green tiles. Black faces pushed through, their mouths open and hungry, hollow eyes that were somehow darker than the air around them fixed on Canary. The hands grabbed her ankles, calves, one reached high enough to grasp the back pocket of her work pants, before she could scream another hand closed over her mouth, it smelled and tasted like grave dirt, putrid and foul. Her heart raced as she screamed behind the hand, panic overcame her as the hands began pulling her toward the floor and backward to the Fire.

The room brightened as something behind her opened the porthole wider, exposing more of the Fire to the open air. Canary could feel its heat on her back. The hands held her in place and she felt her energy begin to drain away. Her color...the Fire was taking her color! She fought against the hands, against the sneering hungry faces in the floor, but it was becoming hopeless. Her cheerfulness was being drained away, leaving behind feelings of dread and anxiety. They closed in from all angles, more shadows rose from the floor, their faces and bodies rising from the green tiles, reaching for her, holding her up to the light of the Fire, waiting to feed upon her.

A rainbow suddenly cut through the room, ripping through the shadows holding Canary. Canary dropped to the floor and felt the hard tiles bite into her knees and hands as the rainbow closed around her protectively. But then the rainbow began to thin in the light of the Fire. The Fire began to draw the positive energy from the rainbow just as it had done with Canary. Canary looked up as Rainbow Brite ran into the room, holding her hand before her to shield herself from the burning light of the spilling out of the box.

Rainbow Brite had one hand on the Color Belt and the other up to protect her eyes. "Are you okay Canary?"

Canary grit her teeth. "Took you long enough!"

Rainbow paused for a moment as she looked at her dearest friend. That was not the Canary Yellow she remembered. "I came as quickly as I could," Rainbow then turned her attention to the Fire and the partially opened porthole. The more of her rainbow that she tried to build up to defend against it, the more the Fire consumed. She had to close the cover, which meant getting closer than she wanted to. Canary scrambled away and hid behind a machine as Rainbow pressed closer to the gyroscope and the box containing the Fire. The Fire, sensing the power of goodness and light inherent within Rainbow Brite, began to pulse, sending out concussive waves that both repelled and also shook Rainbow to her very core. The first pulse that hit her rattled her on a deep level, it made her doubt, causing her to falter for a moment. The next pulse was a little stronger, this one told her she wasn't good enough, that she and hers would fade away in peoples hearts and minds.

She pressed on, now dropping her hand that was shielding her eyes. Rainbow could see the fire plainly now, it resembled a crystal sphere with many facets, each one shining with their own color and emotion. She looked upon and into it, and felt it look into her. "Not another princess cartoon." "Noisy and repetitive, unimaginative. Is this what we are trying to teach our girls to be? Pretty little color princesses riding around on horses?" "Not in keeping with todays feminist standards." "Rainbow Brite is Hallmarks newest attempt to cash in on merchandise sales targeting little girls." "A flying horse? Really?" "Just another eighty-five minute commercial to sell toys."

Rainbow rested her hand on the cover and began to push it shut. The Fire pulsed once more and Rainbow felt it course through her. This time it carried the hundreds of voices and their words to her heart. She slammed the cover shut and fell backward to the floor, looking up at the ceiling and breathing deeply. She could see the shadows up there, some retreating back into their hiding places, some of them looking down at her curiously before vanishing. Canary came out of hiding and sat down at Rainbow Brites side. "Are you okay?"

For a long moment, Rainbow Brite lay on the floor, her hands folded over her stomach and covering the Color Belt protectively. She had an important job to do. She brought color to the world. But this wasn't the only world she existed in. She had suspected that on some level but now the Fire had proven it. In other worlds she wasn't real. Magic wasn't real. And she was hated because of this. She never saw herself as a role model, she just did what she felt was right.

"Rainbow?"

"I'm fine Canary. I'm just thinking. Are you okay?"

"Yes. Thank you for saving me."

Rainbow closed her eyes and nodded. "Canary?"

"I'm here."

"Am I doing the right thing?" Rainbow looked to her best friend. She had never known what doubt was before, she had never known insecurity, she had never known fear. But now she did. Her eyes had been opened, in more ways than one.

"I think we are. I think we are doing the best we can after being given what we have." Even in the dark, Canary could tell that there was something wrong with Rainbow Brites appearance. Only now that the shadows had cleared out did Canary see the moonlight coming in through the upper windows. Rainbow turned and looked at Canary, her expression no longer kind and hopeful, but hard and determined. "Rainbow?"

"I'm not a pretty princess. I work hard, harder than most. I don't just sit back and ride my horse all day, I work. I have a job, I have a whole goddamn factory to run. And I'm going to be the best Manager this place has ever had!" she curled her hands into fists. "I'll prove to everyone...I'll show everyone that I'm not-"

Canary suddenly hugged her. "We should go home. Forget this place, just...go home."

Rainbow Brite calmed down. "I can't go home, not yet. I'm not done yet. I…"

Canary let go, then stood up and helped Rainbow stand up as well. "Then I'll stay here with you. I won't go until you go. Whatever you decide to do, I'll be right there."

Rainbow nodded. "Thank you Canary," her smile returned, but that edge was still there. "Lets go to my office, we have some planning to do," she looked over her shoulder at the room and all of its glass pipes. "This whole mess. It obsolete. We're going to make bigger and better rainbows, and bring color to more and more people. So much color everyone will be tired of it all. They'll be bombarded by so much color they will paint their homes grey to find relief from it."

Canary giggled, but felt her giggles fade when she figured out what was different about her best friend.

Rainbow Brites formerly blue eyes had turned blood red.