Stuck within Playtime Co

by Gale-Dragon

After waking up in a strange abandoned toy factory, Stratos and Tri-Klops have to work together to navigate their way inside to find a way to get out. But the more they explore, the more they find out that they're not the only ones stuck inside Playtime Co.

1. Chapter 1 part 1

Stuck within Playtime Co. Chapter 1 Part 1: Working Together.

~}I{~

Awareness slowly came to the two figures lying on the oddly cold ground.

One was ( imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F% . %2Fheman%2Fimages%2F3%2F3d% %2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20111102213301&tbnid=FWIf2BIXQAtZpM&vet=12ahUKEwilv-61nrWDAxUblIkEHaMTCdQQMygAegQIARBa..i&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F% .com%2Fwiki%2FTri-Klops&docid=gZsNj6MQaExGSM&w=845&h=475&q=he-man%20and%20the%20masters%20of%20the%20universe%20(2002%20tv%20series)%20Tri-klops&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwilv-61nrWDAxUblIkEHaMTCdQQMygAegQIARBa) (It's easier to copy/past the pictures of both of them). This is Tri-Klops, a Hoard Warrior who works under Skeletor.

While the other ( imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F% . %2Fheman%2Fimages%2Fd%2Fd5% %2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20111102202243&tbnid=_7z3hfPTw1A5uM&vet=12ahUKEwipgI6dnrWDAxXqk4kEHZhBCzIQMygAegQIARBW..i&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F% .com%2Fwiki%2FStratos&docid=o1M31dE-72yr1M&w=450&h=474&q=he-man%20and%20the%20masters%20of%20the%20universe%20(2002%20tv%20series)%20Stratos%20description&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwipgI6dnrWDAxXqk4kEHZhBCzIQMygAegQIARBW). This is Stratos, one of the Heroic Warriors of Eternia.

Both groaned as they slowly moved to a sitting position as they rubbed their heads. The moment they noticed each other, they leapt to their feet, ready to attack as soon as they saw a reason to. But their rather 'strange' environment took their attention off each other rather quickly.

"Where... Are we?" Stratos asked as he stared at the mural of a big, fuzzy, blue creature with long limbs, wide eyes, and a red smile. In front of the mural was a worn white semi-circular desk. There were two openings on the wall the back wall, one opening on each side of the desk. The tiles on the ground were a worn white colour with scattered primary-coloured triangles.

Tri-Klops looked around before he stated, "Some kind of... Strange structure..." He turned to look behind him to see the glass doors leading to the outside. Tri-Klops walked up to the tinted glass and tapped on it. He looked through the glass when he stated, "Hm, we must've gotten teleported here during our battle... Wherever here is..."

Stratos placed a hand on the glass when he commented, "Glass? Is this place... Important or have a lot of money?"

Both men looked back at the immediate area, seeing how... Neglected the place appeared to be...

"Maybe at one point, but not anymore," Tri-Klops commented flatly before his attention was back on the glass door. He attempted to open the door-like structure, but it was securely locked. Annoyed, Tri-Klops switched his 'Eye' to red and prepared to blast the door until his visor started sparking. Growling at his visor's attempt to warn him of the possible malfunction, Tri-Klops switched to his blue 'Eye' and tried again. The same sparking happened. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the 'three-eyed' man switched to his regular 'Eye' when he stated bitterly, "Damn, looks like blasting our way out isn't an option..."

Stratos glared at the other when he stated with a slight growl, "Even if you disregard the price of the glass, breaking it the way you were planning will cause the shards to fly everywhere and these are quite sharp and potentially dangerous." He couldn't help but glance at all the glass doors, wondering why anyone would use so much glass for a mere entrance to a structure.

Tri-Klops let out a low hum before he stated, "Good to know for future reference." He glanced at the other before he commented, "Do you have any idea on how to get out of this place? At least with breaking out..."

Stratos shrugged when he suggested, "Maybe we can find a key to the doors or a spell to open them?" He looked at the semi-circular counter when he added bitterly, "And we might have to work together to get out..."

Tri-Klops growled when he scoffed, "Of course, a Heroic Warrior would suggest that." He huffed as he folded his arms when he got out, "But not like there's much of an option..."

The two glanced at each other before they jinxed, "Just this once!" They then moved to inspect the semi-circular counter. Stratos noticed a green device that looked attached to a crystal box mounted on the wall. The Avian walked over to the thing, noting how much dust was covering it.

Tri-Klops picked up a dusty green rectangular plastic thing with two odd circles inside that was labelled 'Closing'. He looked the thing over before looking at the device that Stratos was looking at. Tri-Klops noticed how the colour of the device matched the rectangle's before he said, "I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but appears that this rectangle goes with that device."

Stratos shrugged his shoulders when he said, "One way to find out." He took a step back as the other inserted the rectangle into the device.

It went in, it activated the device, and then the black crystal box lit up. An image of a hand that looked identical to the hand of the blue creature in the mural behind the semi-circular counter appeared and the voice of a man was heard saying, "Hi, my name is Laith Pierre."

Both men took a step back from the device at the sudden voice.

The voice from the crystal box continued, "And I'm the head of Innovation here at the Playtime Co. Toy Factory. If you're seeing this, then you're trespassing."

This gave Stratos and Tri-Klops a pause in their movements.

The voice, Laith, continued speaking, "Yeah, we play this little tape on a loop whenever we close the factory for the day."

Both of the Warriors glanced at each other at this line as Laith Peirre's voice continued from the crystal box, "So, Trespasser, just to make you aware. While we pride ourselves primarily on our high-quality toys and excellent child care, we also pride ourselves on our security. For example, this facility is full of hidden motion triggers, which once set off will turn on the factory's emergency alarms and directly contact the authorities. And that's one of the more 'Tamed' aspects of our security system."

Both Stratos and Tri-Klops looked at each other, wondering if the other was thinking the same thing.

The voice of Laith Pierre continued speaking, "No spoilers, so you've got my warning. It's not too late to turn around. I just hope that you're certain whatever you're doing is worth it." The crystal box was quiet for a few seconds before it started repeating the same lines from the beginning.

The two men walked away from the strange device when Stratos asked, "If what this Laith Pierre recording is telling us is true then... Should we wait for these authorities to arrive and let us out?"

Tri-Klops placed a hand on his chin when he stated, "Depends if we set off one of these 'hidden motion triggers' or not..." He looked around until he finally spotted something familiar over the semi-circular counter, near the ceiling. Tri-Klops scoffed when he stated, "Not really 'hidden', but if it gets us out of this... Toy factory. I'm not complaining too much."

Stratos followed the villain's gaze until he saw what he meant. He rubbed his beard when he commented, "Smaller than your Doom Seekers, but if they work the same..."

Tri-Klops waved a hand in front of the Security camera when he said loudly, "Hey! If you're watching us, then could you let us out?" He pointed at the glass doors to emphasise what he meant, "We're not here for anything, so can you just let us out?"

There wasn't any response from the security camera. The only noise was Laith Peire's voice from the crystal box.

Stratos let his arms fall to his side when he said, "So now we wait. For either the people here to let us out or the authorities."

Tri-Klops clicked his tongue before he said, "I don't care which, long as we get out." He looked at the Avian when he stated, "If these authorities do show up, you explain what happened and don't pull any funny stuff."

Stratos replied with almost a deadpan tone, "Have you done anything here that they should know about?"

Tri-Klops paused at that, realising that the other was technically right. He glanced at the Avian with a scowl before he folded his arms and moved until he was at the front desk. The three-eyed man found an old chair behind the desk and decided to use it while they waited for the door to open.

Stratos moved towards the open doorway on the right side of the 'room' and leaned against the right side of the opening in the wall labelled 'Gift Shop.'

After a few minutes of nothing but the crystal box playing the audio, the two started becoming a little antsy. Tri-Klops was tapping a random pattern on the desk while Stratos was shifting from one side of the doorway to the other and then sat on a crate that was just lying on the ground.

The Avian let out a breath before he dug into a pouch on his right side and pulled out a blue 12-hole Ocarina (1). Tri-Klops noticed and gave the other a quizzical look. Stratos glanced over to the other as he held up the instrument and asked, "You don't mind if I play this, right?"

Tri-Klops gave an uncaring wave when he said nonchalantly, "Go right ahead. I don't care." He thumbed the crystal box when he added, "Besides, anything is better than that ongoing thing."

That was a fair point...

Tri-Klops then asked in more of a curious tone as he pointed at the Ocarina, "Do you normally have that on you or did you just decide to bring it along before the battle?"

Stratos moved the ocarina so it was in a playing position as he said, "I guess you could say it's a little of both." He gave the instrument a quick look over when he added, "Skeletor didn't exactly attack during a good time, and some of us were helping with other things."

Tri-Klops was about to say something but paused when he realised that the attack was planned for when the Heroic Warriors would've been scattered. He just placed his elbow on the desk and propped his chin on his palm, avoiding eye contact with the Avian.

Stratos scowled for a few seconds before he brought the ocarina's windway to his lips, holding the instrument in the proper position, and started playing. The sound from the instrument echoed off the walls and through the air vents.

'He's not bad,' Tri-Klops thought as he listened to the Avian playing the clay instrument.

}{

The music from the Ocarina flowed through the air vents with ease, smoothly echoing off the metal as it continued to flow whimsically along the twisted path the flow of air took it.

The pleasant sound soon filled the factory, for all who waited in the darkness to hear.

~}I{ 30 Minutes Later }I{~

Stratos stopped playing as he looked at the glass door.

Tri-Klops was quick to realise that the music stopped and looked over at the Avian when he asked, "Something wrong?"

Stratos's gaze didn't leave the door when he said, "No one seems to be coming..." He thumbed the crystal box when he reminded, "That Laith Peirre fellow claimed that the security system would summon the authorities if triggered, and whoever is manning these smaller, mounted seekers should know that we're here."

Tri-Klops belatedly realised that the other was right as he looked at the security camera and stated, "So that means that either the security system isn't working and no one is working those seekers, or someone is watching but doesn't want us leaving for some reason." His attention was on the glass doors when he asked, "But if it's the latter, then why?"

The two glanced at each other. Somewhat wondered the same thing of 'And why us?'

Suddenly there was a noise that came from the open passage on the left side of the area. It sounded like a cackle of electricity.

Both men's attention was now on the direction where they heard the sound. From what they could see, there was a closed door with a coloured code pad on the wall next to it. The two looked at each other before they shrugged and went to investigate. Stratos tucked his Ocarina in the pouch as they walked down the hallway on the left, labelled 'Security'.

As they walked into the passage, they passed a poster on the right wall that read "Poppy wants to Play" and had an image of the upper half of a human girl's face with bright red hair that was tied in high pigtails with a blue bow each and her big blue eyes were staring back at whoever looked at the poster.

Tri-Klops cringed at the creepy poster as he walked by as Stratos wondered what the poster was about.

When they came to the door, Tri-Klops tested the door before his attention was on the pad with colourful buttons next to it.

Stratos looked at the pad when he commented, "Odd kind of keypad..." He then tapped on a random coloured button, it lit up. The Avian let out a hum before he pressed three more buttons. There was an error sound before the lights on the pressed buttons went out.

"So a four digit pin is needed to open this door," Tri-Klops concluded before he added as he tapped the corner of the pad, "If the lights mean anything, I'm pretty sure it indicates that the colours can only be used once."

Stratos looked over both the door and the pad before he asked, "But where did the noise come from?"

As if on cue, the static sound emitted from behind the door.

Both looked through the tinted glass door to see the security office. The monitors looked like a wall of squared crystal lights to the two.

Tri-Klops pulled away from the door when he commented with a bit of a mocking tone, "Does that answer your question?"

Stratos took a step back when he said as he wrapped his left hand over his lower chest, letting the wing on that arm droop, and resting his right arm on top of his left, with the wing for that arm still being kept folded, "It did, but it felt a little too well timed..." He nodded his head up at the security camera in the upper left corner of the hallway.

Tri-Klops let out a low hum before he stated, "I hate to admit it, but you do have a point..." He looked at the colour-code pad when he added, "And we're going to have to find the code to get in... Aren't we?"

Stratos looked back down the hallway they came in to see the lobby and the mirrored hallway on the opposite wall when he suggested, "Maybe there's a hint to it somewhere in the immediate area."

Tri-Klops huffed before he said, "Well, not like we have much else to do." Then walked back into the main lobby. That was when he noticed a sealed doorway behind the wall with the mural of the blue creature. As Stratos walked into the main lobby, Tri-Klops went to investigate the metal door. The Hoard Warrior hopped over the weird metal obstruction before he made his way to the metal door. What Tri-Klops couldn't miss was the panel above the metal door that had a bright blue left-hand print that was glowing. 'That's... Pretty weird…' The three-eyed man thought as he wondered if that handprint was a hint to open the door or a weird trigger.

Meanwhile, Stratos investigated the hallway on the right wall of the main lobby. He came to the tinted glass door at the end of the hallway. The Avian was able to push this door open without any issues. Stratos cautiously looked inside the room. The Heroic Warrior took a step into the room when he thought, 'A shop?' He looked around the new area, seeing nothing but tables, shelves, and a lot of toys. Stratos kept looking until he came to what looked like a check-out counter and saw a bloodied green robot toy.

The Heroic Warrior paused when he saw the bloodied toy. He carefully picked the little robot and looked it over with a concerned look. Stratos almost jumped out of his skin when the three-eyed man walked in with an annoyed grumble.

Tri-Klops spotted the Heroic Warrior holding the toy and asked, "What do you have there?"

Stratos held up the bloodied toy when he said wearily, "I'm not sure... It looks like this toy was bleeding at one point..."

Tri-Klops moved to the other, took the toy, and looked it over. In a creeped out tone, the Hoard Warrior said, "I... Think you're right... It... It does appeared to have bled at one point..." He held up his right hand, coated in dried blood, and brought it to his nose and sniffed it. Tri-Klops cringed when he moved his hand away from his face and put the robot toy back on the counter when he said in disgust, "Urg! This is blood! Gross!" He was quick to wipe his bloodied hand on the counter to get the stuff off.

Stratos cringed at the volume and the words. He couldn't help but look at the dried blood on the counter when he stated, "And it looks like it's been here a long while..."

Tri-Klops continued to wipe his hand until he was satisfied that the blood was off before he commented, "Blah! Either this place was abandoned for a long time or something else is going on here." He looked around the shop when he added, "But it's more likely to be both..."

Stratos had to agree. But something struck the Avian as odd when he asked in suspicion, "Is this place really abandon?" When asked what he meant by the other, Stratos explained, "There's power keeping the lights and electronics on, for one." The Avian looked at the Hoard Warrior when he added, "If this place had been abandoned for as long as it looks, then wouldn't the power stop working without any maintenance?"

Tri-Klops placed a hand on his chin when he commented, "You have a point..."

There was an odd repetitive sound coming from above the two. Both looked up to see an odd machine treking along a circular route of the oral structure near the ceiling.

Tri-Klops tilted his head to the side when he commented, "What in Eternia is that supposed to be?"

"Given the other items here, I guess that it's some kind of toy," Stratos suggested with a shrug. That was when he noticed the odd colour combination of the toy parts. The first section was green, the second was pink, the third was yellow, and the last was red. Stratos moved so he could see the door in the other hallway, more specifically, the pad with the coloured buttons next to that door, wondering if it was a coincidence or not.

Tri-Klops couldn't help but stare at the Avian when he asked, "What's got your tail feathers in a twist?" He walked over to the other so could at least try to figure out what the other was doing.

Stratos glanced up at the odd vehicle toy still chugging away when he said, "The colour pattern on that toy looks a little too similar to the colours on the code pad to the room we wanted to get into." His attention was back on the parallel hallway when he added, "It's making me wonder if that's the pattern sequence to that door."

Tri-Klops couldn't help but scoff in annoyance when he got out, "You have got to be kidding." He pointed at the circling toy above their heads when he stated in a matter of fact tone, "That is both out in the open and too obscure! Not a chance that could be the code we need."

Stratos seemed to glare at the other when he stated, "I don't see you coming up with anything better. Plus what is there to lose by testing this theory out?"

Tri-Klops folded his arms when he huffed out, "Hmph, fine, but only so we can prove you wrong."

And with that, the two treked back to the door with the colour-coded pad. Stratos pressed the corresponding buttons in the same order as the pattern on the vertical toy in the little store-like area. Green, pink, yellow, and red. The pad made a digital high pitch beep and the door next to the pad slid open.

Both men stared at the open door for a few seconds in complete silence. Tri-Klops face-palmed as Stratos gave him an 'I was right' look. The Hoard Warrior held up an index finger when he grumbled out in annoyance, "Don't say it! Just don't say it!"

Stratos only gave a satisfying smirk as he took a step into this new room. It had a few chairs on the left side of the room while the right wall was covered with the crystal box screens. There was a control panel under the monitors with two movable chairs propped in front of them. There was a small table near the chairs. On the wall parallel to the door was some sort of storage cupboard that also used a glass screen. On the right of the storage was another crystal box like the one that played the Laithe Peirre tape but was blue. On the left of the storage cupboard was a small desk with a tape that matched the colour of the crystal box and a computer on top of it.

Stratos moved further inside the Security room to get a better look at the strange device behind the glass storage cupboard. Whatever it was, Was at an angle where you couldn't get a good look at it other than it looked like some sort of device that could be strapped to one's back. 'What is that thing?' Stratos wondered as he noticed the blue tape on the desk.

As Tri-Klops walked in, looking around to see what was there, Stratos picked up the tape and then looked at the device of the matching colour. "Another tape?" The Hoard Warrior asked when he saw what the Avian was doing.

Stratos turned to the other as he nodded and said, "Yes, and we have another crystal box too."

The two looked at each other for a few seconds before the Avian inserted the tape into the blue device. The tape started playing immediately as the TV screen lit up.

(Poppy Playtime: Grab-Pack instructions video (FOUND IN GAME FILES)).

"Grab-Pack?" Tri-Klops questioned when the video ended.

Stratos couldn't help but comment, "Uh... Is that thing... Safe to use with active electricity circuits? Also..."

Tri-Klops cringed when he added, "Yeah, I know I work for Skeletor and all, but even we have our own etiquette in regards to 'workplace safety'. So if this toy factory didn't seem to care about workers' safety..." He looked at the Avian when he asked, "What in Eternia was going on in this place?"

Neither had any answer to give as the glass storage opened, revealing a Grab-Pack with just a blue left hand. The two stared at the device before the Avian pulled the thing out of the odd storage space. After looking over the thing, Tri-Klops realised that the 'hand' to the Grab-Pack matched the hand print on the wall behind the mural and suggested that this thing could open that door.

"Hm, worth a shot," Stratos stated as he tried to put the Grab-Pack on, but the thing wasn't designed for individuals with wings to wear.

So Tri-Klops would be the one to wear and use the Grab-Pack. He was able to put it on without any issues. However...

Tri-Klops looked himself over when he commented flatly, "I look completely ridiculous..."

Stratos bit back a chuckle when he admitted, "A little. Just make sure you don't aim the thing at me."

Tri-Klops tested the Grab-Packs 'hand' on a nearby toy that looked to be a cross between a cat and a bee. Grabbing onto it and pulling it towards him with relative ease, even if it took him a few tries to do so and the pushback shifted him a little but it was manageable. Tri-Klops hummed before he said, "Despite the size, it's oddly easy to use even if it takes a few tries to get use to." He shifted a bit as he got used to holding this new weight when he added, "It might take some getting used to wearing this thing, but it's manageable at least. It could be less bulky though."

Stratos kept behind Tri-Klops as they left the security office. The Hoard Warrior led the Avian to where he found the metal door. Tri-Klops launched the blue Grab-Pack hand to hit the blue handprint over the door and held it there as he and the other watched a blue bar appear over the handprint. Once the bar filled up from one end to the other, the metal door slid open.

Tri-Klops smirked over the fact he was right as he walked through the door. Stratos followed, feeling a little uneasy about the narrow hallway. The Avian didn't like spaces where he couldn't freely move his wings. It was more instinctual dislike than actual fear. Stratos was a creature of the air and had a basic primal need to always have his wings ready to use, so being in areas where he couldn't use his wings always made him uneasy. There was a sign on the second support arch that read 'Welcome to'.

When they came end of the hallway and walked into this new area, the only light that came into the area came in through the glass windows on the ceiling. The first thing the two men's eyes were drawn to was a towering, fuzzy blue statue of a plush toy.

The statue was probably (and most likely) twice the height of the two men with the bulk of that height being the legs with arms nearly as long as its whole body. Big red lips that were propped in a big smile. Glass eyes that had a white base and the 'eyes' being black. Yellow velcro-like palms with the left arm dangling at its side while the right arm was posed in a friendly wave. Yellow feet. This statue was standing in the middle of a platform which was positioned precisely in the centre of this new circular area. There were huge building blocks behind the massive statue that spelt out 'HUGGY', and packaged toys that looked like the statue were scattered around the platform. A decent-sized sign board was mounted in front of the statue. Hanging over the statue was a sign that read 'Playtime Co.', the apparent name of this toy factory. And the area was spacious with a high ceiling, which relieved Stratos a bit.

There were five locked metal doors, with two being locked behind the Grab-Pack hand panels. However, one had just the blue hand panel while the other had a blue and a red hand panel. The other three had no indicators as to how they could be opened. Those three were marked with signs that read from left to right; Testing, Innovation, and Theater. The door with the two hand panels had no sign, same with the door with just one hand panned. There was a door with yellow glass on the left of the one hand panned door that had the sign that read 'Power' over it.

"This is... Weird," Tri-Klops commented as he moved closer to the signboard in front of the fuzzy statue.

Stratos stretched his arms and wings before he flapped them to get a little off the ground. He then flew towards the ceiling, avoiding the lights and bannisters while he did, to look at the glass windows and their basic structure.

"Hey! What is this sign supposed to tell us!" Tri-Klops called up to the Avian with a wave.

Stratos looked down at the Hoard Warrior with a confused look before he descended and landed smoothly next to the other. The Avian looked at the sign and read the words out loud, "Huggy Wuggy, 1984... Playtime Co. has created hundreds of distinct toys, but none connected to people more than that of Huggy Wuggy. Our founder, Elliot Ludwig, aimed to create a toy which could hug you forever! As is always true, Playtime Co.'s '4-step progress to creating the most lifelike toys,' was a success! With a bit of string and polyester, our lovable, blue pal Huggy Wuggy has gone on to be Playtime Co.'s most popular and best-selling try so far!" Stratos let out a low hum before he commented, "This sounds like it's a brief history of the toy this statue depicts..."

Tri-Klops looked up at the weird statue when he grumbled, "I thought as much..."

Stratos tilted his head to the side slightly as he glanced at the Hoard Warrior. He didn't understand why the other wanted him to confirm his thoughts.

Tri-Klops noticed the button and asked, "What's this supposed to do?" He then pressed it before Stratos could protest.

The signboard then started singing a song from hidden speakers with a happily, cheerful tone, "His name is Huggy, Huggy Wuggy. When he hugs you, he'll never stop (supposedly Huggy Wuggy making a silly laugh). Your friend Huggy, Huggy Wuggy. He'll squeeze you until you pop. [A pop sound effect]."

Tri-Klops and Stratos glanced at each other after the song ended. Both silently agreed that the 'song' was both weird and a little creepy.

Tri-Klops let out a weary cough before he said, "Uh, Well, that was..."

Stratos shook his head when he said, "Yes, I don't understand why that was approved. Especially if it was for children..."

Tri-Klops folded his arms when he commented, "Evil-Lin might get a kick out of it, but..." He shuttered a bit before he added, "Too chipper and goofy on the surface..."

Stratos let out a low hum in uneasiness as he looked around the immediate area and said, "There's a story behind that, but I'm not in any hurry to read that."

Tri-Klops was quick to agree with that with a "Same." His attention was on the metal door with the single blue hand panel and walked over to it. The Hoard Warrior launched the Grab-Pack's only hand at the panel.

As Stratos walked over to the doors as both he and Tri-Klops watched as a static orb followed the wire connecting the blue hand panel to the power room as it cackled with every movement. Neither door opened and there was a sound of a lightbulb breaking heard from the 'power' room.

Neither said anything until they heard a soft jangling sound like the sound of metal hitting something else metal. "What's that?" Stratos asked as he and the other looked around the area, with the Avian avoiding the hand of the Grab-Pack as the Hoard Warrior moved.

"Maybe one of the other doors got unlocked?" Tri-Klops suggested as he started moving to the door labelled 'Testing', somewhat banging on the closed door with both the Grab-Pack and his own arms. when nothing happened he moved to the next door, the one labelled 'Innovation'.

Stratos stood in front of the Power door, looking around while listening to the uninterrupted jingling noise. To the Avian, it didn't sound like it was coming from ground level... 'Above?' Stratos thought before he looked up and there he saw something that was certainly NOT there when he last looked up at the fuzzy statue.

There, in the giant's waving hand was a swaying yellow key with a triangle bow (the part that you hold). More than unnerved, and a little creeped out, Stratos called out to the Hoard Warrior, "Uh, Tri-Klops, do you remember if the... Statue was holding anything?" His gaze never left where the key swayed nor did it break from Huggy Wuggy's face.

Tri-Klops growled as he slammed a fist against the door to the door labelled 'cafeteria'. He then snapped as he moved to the door that needed two Grab-Pack hands to open, "No! And unless you somehow went blind without realising it, you should've seen that too!"

Stratos could feel the uneasiness bubble in his gut before he got out almost hesitantly, "Then... How did the statue... How is it holding an item now?"

Tri-Klops walked over to the Avian when he asked in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Stratos moved his right arm up to chest level and pointed his index finger towards the fuzzy statue's waving hand with an uneasy twist of his lips. When Tri-Klops looked up, he saw what made the Avian's questions make sense. Now both were unnerved by this one fact.

The key wasn't there before but now it was for no logical reason.

Stratos bit his lips before he spread his wings and took off from the ground and flew over to the the hand that stuck in a permanent wave. He hovered there for a few seconds, his wings flapping to keep him in the air. Stratos slowly reached a hand out to the swaying key and carefully took it off the odd mount. The Avian's also kept an eye on the statue's face. Stratos couldn't help but feel that something was off about this fuzzy structure... The Heroic Warrior knew it but couldn't put his wing on what.

"Either you come down yourself or I'm using the Grab-Pack to yank you down," Tri-Klops stated in an annoyed tone as he shifted So he was ready to follow through on his threat.

The sudden voice snapped Stratos out of his little one-sided staring contest before he looked at the Hoard Warrior. He gave the blue statue one last look before he slowly descended back to the ground and mumbled an apology. Once his feet touched the ground, he walked over to the door with the 'Power' sign and used the newly acquired key to unlock the yellowed glassed door.

Tri-Klops followed the Avian when he said in an uneased tone, "I get it, it's weird and creepy. But you staring at it doesn't help."

They entered the power room, passing through a rather poorly lit, narrow passage way, much to Stratos's already building uneasiness, and had to open the door tabled 'staff only'. When they entered the power room they could see that it had more light but was so in limited areas. The light over a poster of a pink Huggy Wuggy character was directly under alight and, thankfully, the light spread out enough so neither were walking through this room blind. They could see one of the electrical pillars from the Grab-Pack training video, a wall that had some sort of generator behind a cage. There was a red dinosaur toy in the corner near the wall that was missing its legs, neck, and was...

"Please tell me that this toy isn't also covered in blood," Tri-Klops got out wearily, even if he seemed to already know the answer.

Stratos took a few steps towards the poster, away from the toy, when he said, "Apparently so..." That was when he saw that the room continued on the other side of the metal wall with another electrical pillars, a sealed compartment with hand prints in different colours plastered on it and a brick wall. Stratos couldn't help but feel that something was a little off about the brick wall... Something on the bricks, maybe? The Avian needed a closer look.

Tri-Klops peered past the corner and saw what he was looking for and moved to it. He lookedat the closed panel with the coloured hand prints and glanced at the oversized hand of the Grab-Pack. was it really that simple? Tri-Klops launched the blue hand at the panel, making sure it stuck security to it, before retracting it and revealing the button pulsing with electricity. "Knew it!" The Hoard Warrior got out in pride before he launched the blue hand at the button. It stuck, and now the hand and the wiring glowed as the electricity surged through it. Tri-Klops could feel the tingling feeling from that electrification through the Grab-Pack. But he's been hit by much worse, so this surge was nothing more than a poor attempt at tickling the Hoard Warrior.

Tri-Klops kept the blue hand connected to the electrical button as he moved to wrap the Grab-Pack's wire around the first electrical pillar. He passed by Stratos, who was walking to the brick wall, but he continued on his task. As soon as he touched the Grab-Pack's wire around the 2nd electrical pillar, the circuit was completed and the lights became brighter. The Grab-Pack hand immediately retracted as soon as the puzzle was complete. This satisfied Tri-Klops as he looked around the newly lit room, which was when he noticed that the Avian wasn't in sight.

At the brick wall, Stratos ran his fingers over the carving in the bricks. He found two different carvings in this brick wall that weren't completely visible from a distance but close up... Stratos traced the first carving, which seemed to resemble an elongated claw. He tilted his head as he moved to the other carving. This one was an entire word... Stratos traced each of the letters when he thought, 'W... O... N... D... E... R... F... U... L... Wonderful? Why would someone carve that on the wall?' Confusion was quickly replaced by uneasiness when he saw the blood splatter on the right corner of the brick wall. Stratos couldn't help but wonder if someone was murdered here.

Tri-Klops came down the path, trying to figure out what had the other's attention, when he saw the blood spatter. He quickly paused at the sight with a cringe. Tri-Klops got the Avian's attention by asking, "Do you think something... Bad happened here?"

Stratos's wings seemed to puff at the sudden voice as he jumped slightly. Normally, this would amuse Tri-Klops but given the circumstances... Stratos folded his arms with his wings pressing against his body this time when he got out in uneasiness, "Given how much blood we've found so far..." He shuttered before he added, "For a so-called 'Toy factory' it hasn't been any type of fun at all..."

This sparked a thought in Tri-Klops's mind before he asked, "Come to think of it... Have you ever heard of this Playtime Co. or any of the toys it made?"

Stratos shook his head when he said, "No, today's the first time I've heard the name... Same with that Huggy Wuggy toy..."

"Same here..." Tri-Klops admitted before he somewhat waved the 'arm' of the Grub pack when he added, "Not to mention this thing is pretty weird... In both design and in practicality."

Stratos's lips pressed in a line when he commented, "Given the visual instruction... I don't think whoever created it, or this Playtime Co., cared about the safty of their workers... At all..."

Tri-Klops bit his lips before he got out, "Again, I work under Skeletor, but... As harsh as he can sometimes be..." He let out an uneasy hum when he added, "He at least makes sure we're not... Harmed in ways that aren't our fault or from him..."

This didn't seem to help Stratos at all. Both agreed that they needed to get out of here.

They made their way back, passing the poster, but both stopped to read the... Oddity written on it…

"Kissy Missy wants you to Remember:

Do: Be kind to others, show up on time, NOT hide behind doors to scare Laith Pierre.

Don't: stay past 8:00 PM, misuse company time, Tamper with machinery, Enter the 'Innovation' wing without authorisation."

Both men stared at the poster a little longer than either wanted to admit, but it was odd.

Tri-Klops couldn't help but ask, "Why is this one in the 'Do' section?" as he tapped on the 'Not hide behind doors to scare Laith Pierre' line. He then added, "The way it's worded, it should be in the 'Don't' section."

Stratos scanned the 'Don't' sections when he commented, "Maybe whoever made this poster didn't think it was a serious 'Don't' or thought it would be humorous… But if you want my opinion, it doesn't seem to fit with the others in that category."

Tri-Klops gave the Avian a confused look when he commented, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Stratos looked at the Hoard Warrior in confusion when he asked, "Didn't you read the entire poster?"

Tri-Klops was quick to snap, "Of course, I did!" He looked away when he commented, "But if we're comparing notes on this... Can you explain the 'fits in' part you mentioned?"

Stratos raised a brow but his visor covered that from being seen by the other. He then glanced at the poster when he said, "Well, for one, they're all in capital lettering."

Tri-Klops let out a low hum before he commented, "You have a point."

Stratos then added, "And not letting the regular employees stay past 9 pm implies that the tiger-ups wanted everyone out by then for some reason."

Tri-Klops nodded when he said, "You have a point... Did the people managing this factory have something that they didn't want the regular staff to know about or something?"

Stratos let out a hum when he stated, "Probably... And the 'Don't' tamper with the machinery from the 'Innovative' wing feels more of a threat than anything."

Tri-Klops placed a hand on his chin when he commented, "I'll admit that it is a rather odd way to make a threat... But putting it where everyone can see it would be effective."

Stratos let out another hum before he commented, "True." He then suddenly stated, "And Tri-Klops..."

"What?" was the Hoard Warrior's response.

That was when Stratos asked, "How long have you had trouble reading small print and words that aren't at eye level?" The way he asked it was as if he were asking any other question.

Of course, Tri-Klops was taken aback by this. And, of course, his first response was that of denial. He then growled out, "What the hell made you think that crap?!"

Stratos pointed at the red 'Don't' when he explained, "You seemed fine with reading the text above this, but you didn't seem able to read the text under it." He then thumbed in the direction of the door they came in when he added, "You were able to read the words on the Grub pack tutorial, but couldn't read the words on the plaque in front of the statue." The Avian let his arms drop to his side when he explained, "The text on the tutorial was average size and at eye level while the text on the plaque was somewhat at eye level but were on the smaller size. When I add these facts together, it tells me you have a reading difficulty."

Tri-Klops was completely stunned at this.

That was when Stratos wrapped his arms around his lower chest, tucking his wings close to his body when he stated, "I'm not going to berate you for it and I'm not going to tell anyone about it if that's what you wish, but don't pretend that it isn't there."

Tri-Kops looked away when he grumbled self-consciously, "I can read, but... You're right about me having... Problems with small texts and wording that aren't directly in my line of sight…"

Stratos didn't move as he looked at the other from the corner of his eyes. He let out a soft breath before he said calmly, "At least now you can start finding alternatives that work for you. It might take some time though."

Tri-Klops was quiet for a good while before he finally said softly, "I'll... Keep that in mind..." He then looked at the title of the poster when he commented, "Um... Above the 'Remember' part... Does it say Kissy Missy?"

Stratos nodded when he said, "It does. I'm guessing that's the name of this pink Huggy Wuggy."

Tri-Klops tilted his head to the side as he stared at the pink cartoon character when he commented, "Okay, so I did read that right... But did they really call that toy Kissy Missy just because it's a pink variation of an existing toy?"

Stratos shrugged his shoulders when he replied, "I don't get it either aside from it being rather uncreative and stereotyping the perspective of a major group of potential customers."

Tri-Klops's attention was now on the Avian. After a few seconds, he finally asked, "Where did that come from?"

"Experience," Stratos replied almost immediately in a flat tone. The Hoard Warrior wasn't sure how to respond to that nor did he want to know the story behind that.

The two decided to head out of the Power room to test the door with the single hand print panel. As they opened the door that leads into the narrow passage, they noticed something past the opened glass door on the opposite end that freaked both of them out.

They slowly made their way through the passage, neither breaking their gaze at the Vacant space. Even when they were back in the dome area. However, the undeniable evidence that the platform in the middle of the room was vacant of everything but the Oversized building blocks was too much to ignore.

Tri-Klops rubbed the glass of his main visor eye before he asked the Avian in uneasiness, "Um, I'm not sure if I need to do some maintenance on my visor or something but... Is that weird statue..."

Stratos shook his head when he said, "No, it's gone alright..." He couldn't prevent a shutter of uneasiness when he added, "I have no idea how such a huge thing could just disappear like that."

Tri-Klops scowled as he looked around the immediate area and stated, "Unless someone unlocked one of the doors and hauled the thing out..." He aimed and then fired the Grab-Packs hand at the platform. It hit with a solid thud. Tri-Klops clicked his tongue before he stated, "Okay, that theory's out.

Stratos waved a hand at where the Huggy Wuggy once stood when he got out in a somewhat frantic tone, "If you're going to suggest that the statue walked out by its own will while we were in the Power room..."

Tri-Klops scoffed when he stated, "Oh, come on, I was going to say that someone here is trying to scare us." He smirked when he added smugly, "And it seems to be working on you."

With an irritated look, Stratos then pointed at the Hoard Warrior when he snapped, "There is no way this shit isn't affecting you as well! You saw all the dried blood and like hell, this is some sort of elaborate prank!"

Tri-Klops's bravado faded at these words as he looked at the platform's vacant space. He couldn't help but say, "Okay, you have a point..." The Hoard Warrior then looked back at the Avian when he stated, "But in all seriousness, how did the damn thing disappear on us like that?"

Stratos folded his arms in that same way that kept his wings close but out as he shifted in uneasiness. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he said, "Unless the statue was on a teleportation circle or seal or someone used a teleportation spell... I don't see how anyone could move it, especially without making any noise..."

The two stared at each other with their uneasiness on clear display. Something was certainly NOT right here in this factory.

However, since the two had no choice but to continue on their journey to find a way out…

The blue Grab-Pack hand landed on the single panel with the blue handprint and the little blue bar moved from left to right. The moment the bar hit the right side of the screen, the metal door blocking the way opened up with only a swish of the air. with their path unobstructed, they walked through the doorway and into another hallway. It wasn't as narrow as the last hallway they trekked through, at least twice the width and height. There was a round sign over the first support structure of the hall that read 'Make-A-Friend'. They could see that the doorway at the opposite end looked blocked, but they had to explore to see if there were any other ways out, so that's what they did.

The two walked on and passed the first support structure. They could see two doors just past the second support structure, one on each side of the walls, but that wasn't the only thing they saw.

"Is that?" Stratos got out when he saw a familiar long, fuzzy blue arm slink into the door on the left.

Tri-Klops rushed ahead when he shouted, "Hey! Enough with the annoying scare tactics!" He got to the door the arm slipped back into, and threw it open to shout at the person behind it, only to see nothing but darkness and light at the end of yet another narrow hallway. "What the? Where did the person?" Tri-Klops got out in bewilderment as he took a step back.

Stratos peered into the hallway, not liking how narrow and dark it was or the fact that there wasn't a soul to be seen. His lips twisted into an uneasy frown when he said, "Apparently whoever is keeping us here knows a good teleportation spell..."

Tri-Klops growled before he said, "Seems like it. Sadistic bastard." He then walked into the hallway.

Stratos noticed the other door and thickly tested it out. It was locked, no surprise there. There was a plaque that read 'stairway' and then someone wrote on in black ink 'to Hell'. Stratos raised a brow before he, unwillingly, followed the Hoard Warrior.

Aside from a pipe suddenly spouting steam that made both of them jump out of their skins, it was an easy trek through. It didn't even take a couple of seconds before they were in front of another door with a painting of Huggy Wuggy in a hard hat and holding a hammer. Tri-Klops opened the door and walked in. Stratos was relieved that the new area had a good amount of wing room.

This was a simple room that didn't have much in it. There was a staircase with another crystal box next to the base. The crystal box had a yellow VHS Player under it. A sliding door with no handle. There was a stack of boxes under the staircase next to the closed sliding door. And a huge box on the right of the door the duo just came in from. Looking up showed that the stairs connected to a bannister above that led somewhere.

The two looked at each other before Stratos pointed at the stairs and then the bannister. Tri-Klops nodded as he looked at the base of the stairs and headed there. The Avian spread his wings and flew up to the bannister. As the Hoard Warrior climbed the stairs, the Heroic Warrior carefully contorted his entire body to land on the bannister without hitting the metal wires holding it up or the railing. Stratos walked through the doorway in the wall to see a new area. The Avian surveyed the environment as he moved until he was standing in front of a control panel of some sort. One that had four indents init with the colours red, blue, yellow, and green over the cube indents. The indents had odd ridges raised in the middle of them. The Avian looked at the poster on the right wall with an image of a smiling Huggy Wuggy with his right hand on his hip and the left up with his punter extended and words in different colours and levels.

The words closest to the top were yellow on a blue background that read 'Huggy says'. the words in the middle, and next to the toy, were red on a yellow background that read, 'Remember to take Breaks!' And the text on the bottom of the poster were white on a red background, but they were so small that it was hard to read what they said. Stratos had to move closer to read them and they read 'Breaks longer than 10 minutes are not permitted'. The Avian was a little taken aback by the subliminal and Vail threat in almost plain view.

Tri-Klops walked in to see the other reading the poster and asked, "What does it say?"

Strato turned to the three-eyed man when he told the other what it said, and when he got to what the small print said, the other had the same reaction the Avian did. Stratos nodded when he stated, "That was what I thought too..." He then looked at the area below when he added, "Doesn't seem like it was a good place to work when it was active."

"Apparently..." Tri-Klops stated dryly as he looked at the area too.

This was the definition of a storage area. Shelves packed full of toys and boxes, even the ones that were laying on their side. There was a convaire belt right in the middle of the area, splitting the right and left arm. A claw that looked like it belonged in a claw machine game hung right in front of the panel. At the end of the conveyor belt was a metal door locked by two Grab-Pack hand panels, the left was blue while the right was red. Above the locked door was a ledge with some sort of box. The ground below was littered with old toys, both complete and in parts.

"What a mess," Tri-Klops commented as he looked over the area in disgust. He then noticed a cube that had alternating glowing blue stripes sitting right in front of a broken section of the yellow railing. Tri-Klops glanced at the panel with the indents and saw the one with the blue table. This placement seemed a little odd. Since he couldn't exactly bend down to pick the cube up, he used the Grab-Pack to get it. Tri-Klops took the cube off the hand and placed it in the indent under the blue table. The cube fits in it perfectly as it glows brighter.

The two looked at each other when they realised that this was a little too convenient.

"It seems someone wants to make sure we get to where they want us to go," Tri-Klops commented softly as he subtly nodded his head towards the locked door.

Stratos had to agree when he stated, "Seems like it, but why?" They glanced at the panel for a few seconds before the Avian added softly, "Should we play along?"

Tri-Klops hummed before he said, "Not like we have a choice... Neither of us have weapons that can break us out of here..." He looked down over the edge of the railing to see a couple of boxes directly underneath before he asked the other, "I probably already know the answer to this but... Is this a safe height to jump down from?"

Stratos looked over the edge to gauge the height for himself when he stated, "Hm, it doesn't seem like we're that far off the ground for someone with flight capabilities, but I'm not sure it's safe for a non-flyer. Especially with extra weight." He looked at the boxes directly below before he added, "Plus we don't know what's in those, so I don't recommend using them for a cushion to land on."

Tri-Klops clicked his tongue when he commented sourly, "Figured as much..." He thought back to the sealed door without a handle from where they entered. They could've used that but there was no way to open it from the side they were on. Tri-Klops then looked at the Avian when he asked, "Think you can help me down?"

Stratos looked at the Hoard Warrior when he said, "If it was just you, not a problem, but with the Grab-Pack..." He shrugged when he added, "Well, lets see."

And with that, Stratos flapped his wings to hover above where they were standing before grabbing ahold of the Grab-Pack securely and slowly hoisting the other up. The Avian carefully descended to the lower level, avoiding any hazards as he placed Tri-Klops on the ground before he landed on top of the convaire belt. Stratos took a deep breath before he said, "Okay, not as heavy as I thought, but I don't think I'll be able to carry you any long distances with the Grab-Pack on. Not because of the weight but because of how the structure and shape of it catches the air."

Tri-Klops nodded when he said," I figured that would be the case." He shifted the Grab-Pack a bit when he added, "This thing is pretty bulky even if it's not heavy..." The Hoard Warrior folded his arms when he stated thoughtfully, "Which is probably more of a design flaw than anything." He looked around the immediate area before he added, "Shall we start searching?"

With that, the two started locating the glowing cubes.

Tri-Klops was quick to locate the metal sliding door, coloured hand prints decorated where the handle was. Remembering the covered panned in the power room and the hand prints next to where he found the blue cube, the Hoard Warrior had a good hunch that these were more likely than not to be indicators to use the Grab-Pack. So that's what Tri-Klops did, making sure it was secure before he started retracting the line. He ended up having to pull it so the door would slide open. Once it was, the Hoard Warrior peered inside to see the area he and the Avian were in before moving up to the bannister above. 'This should make things easier for me at least and I don't have to ask him to carry me up,' Tri-Klops thought before he moved back into the storage area to look for the glowing cubes needed.

As Stratos looked for one of the coloured cubes, he couldn't help but note how much inventory was still present inside this place. Like, no one bothered to clear it all out after the factory closed... He walked behind a shelf on the left side of the area and found the red cube sitting on a shelf and an aged yellow rectangle that matched the attachment to the nearby crystal box. Stratos took both items as he noticed that the path he would've taken was blocked by a fallen shelf. So the Avian backtracked out the same way he came in.

Tri-Klops found the glowing yellow cube near an overturned truly that had dried blood caked inside. 'What the hell happened here?' He thought in uneasiness as he collected the yellow cube with the Grab-Pack. The Hoard Warrior then found the glowing green cube on the top of a shelf, which he used the Grab-Pack to get. He couldn't help but think, 'At least I'm getting better at using this.'

The two Warriors met in front of the opened sliding metal door with the objects in hand. When Stratos held up the VHS tape, Tri-Klops motioned his head towards the crystal box. They both nodded before they headed to thecrystal box and inserted the tape. The screen lit up with an image of of the claw in the other room and the audio started playing.

"Avery's voice: Ugh, Rich, where are they keeping the Huggy boxes?

Rich's voice: *scoffs* I don't know, I couldn't tell you, Avery! Remember when maintenance last did a sweep of this Place?

Avery: No.

Rich: Exactly! Nobody in this stupid company knows what they're doing. I swear, I haven't seen a single box in its place since they started flooding the storehouse with orphanage junk.

Avery: Right...

Rich: I get it, it's a nice program and all, on-brand, but *sigh*. It's just hard to be happy when manufacturing is on OUR NECKS about it, 'cause we can't find the stupid Huggy boxes!

Avery: Rich...

Rich: *sight* You're right... You're right... It's... It's for the orphans... just wish there were less boxes. Anything less would be more abidable. Is-is that even a word? Abidable."

With that, the tape ended.

Things were quiet for a few seconds.

"That was..." Stratos got out in an unsure tone.

Tri-Klops was quick to state, "Interesting, Sort of..." He looked at the Avian when he asked, "I know you said you've never heard of Playtime Co., but surely you've heard of a toy company helping orphans, right?"

Stratos wrapped his arms at his lower chest, letting the wing pointing down droop as the one facing up laid against his arms, as he thought about that fact. He let out a thoughtful hum before he said, "I don't think I have, but..." The Avian glanced at the Hoard Warrior when he added as he waved his right hand out, "I don't know everything that happens in Eternia, even if it is a 'good' thing."

Tri-Kops clicked his tongue in annoyance at those words.

"However..." Stratos commented as he moved to inspect the yellow device and the crystal box. As he did, he asked the other, "Have you ever seen this kind of technology or magic before?"

Tri-Klops looked at the objects in question when he replied, "Not really. I have seen some similar stuff but compared to these, this is more compact..." He glanced at the yellow device when he added, "But the playback function is quite inconvenient." Tri-Klops looked at the Avian when he asked, "I take it you have a theory to all this?"

Stratos looked at the Hoard Warrior and nodded when he explained, "I do... I think we got transported to another dimension rather than someplace on Eternia during our battle, somehow."

Tri-Klops raised his right index finger to protest that claim but paused when he thought over the facts and objects that they had come across so far. As much as he hated to admit it, the Avian's theory made some logical sense. Tri-Klops then placed his extended hand on his chin when he commented, "Okay, not sure on the technical aspects of the whole dimensional travel, but you might have a point..." He looked at the other when he asked, "So, how did you come to that theory?"

Stratos seemed to avoid the Hoard Warrior's gaze when he stated, "Experience. But that would take too long to explain. (2)"

Tri-Klops looked unsure about this... 'New information' when he got out in that same tone, "Oh... Kay... I won't ask, but..." He waved his hand when he shook his head and said, "You know what, let's get out of this place first and then come back to that."

"Good idea," Stratos mumbled before he looked at the bannister above and asked, "Shall we continue on our 'path'?"

As Tri-Klops walked towards the stairs, he asked in a slightly bitter tone, "Do we have a choice?" He then ascended the stairs when he added, "You walking or flying up?"

Stratos let out a sigh before he flew ahead and landed carefully on the bannister, avoiding the metal cables yet again. He then walked towards the panel before freezing in place when he saw something 'strange' in one of the conveyors on the upper wall. 'Is that?!' Stratos thought in bewilderment, but before he could take another look the opening suddenly closed. Erasing any evidence of someone else being there, or rather, something.

"What was that sound?" Tri-Klops asked as he passed by the paralyzed Avian and then started placing the glowing coloured cubes in their corresponding location.

Stratos hurried over to the panel and whispered to the other in a serious tone, "Don't make any obvious reactions, but we're being watched by another party."

"What?" Tri-Klops whispered back at the other holding out his coloured cube to put in place.

Stratos slid the glowing-coloured cube into its spot when he whispered, ignoring the sounds of something turning on, "That sound you heard earlier was one of those metal doors closing." He subtly moved his wing to point at the square he saw closing just a few seconds ago.

The claw above started moving towards the darkened box on the parallel ledge.

Tri-Klops let out a low growl, which was thankfully covered up by the noise of the machinery, before he asked the other in a hushed tone, "Just what is the goal for whoever is stringing us along?"

The claw gripped the box and hoisted it back to its start.

Stratos whispered back, "No clue, but whatever it is, it seems important to them."

The claw dropped the box, which turned out to be a glass case. The case landed on the Conveyor belt with a crash, destroying the glass. Yet the item inside was undamaged. A red Grab-Pack hand.

The two Warriors looked over the edge of the railing to stare at the oversized hand. Both were quiet for a few seconds, letting the machinery also quiet down.

Tri-Klops glanced at the other when he asked, "Shall we head down to attach that?"

"I have a better idea," Stratos said before he flew up and over to the red hand. He hovered over the item as he carefully picked it up and then flew back to where the other stood. The Avian held up the oversized hand when he asked, "Let's try to attach it and see if it works."

Tri-Klops nodded and then the two attached the second hand to the Grab-Pack. Once they heard an affirming click, the Avian took a step back and the red hand stayed in place. "I still look ridiculous..." Tri-Klops grumbled before he tested out the red hand. It worked. The Hoard Warrior let out a low hum before he stated as the red hand retracted when he did, "The connection seems fine."

Stratos folded his arms in that odd manner when he commented, "Convenient, given that it was literally snapped on..."

Tri-Klops had to agree with that. He then had a thought before he trekked back down the stairs.

Stratos followed in confusion when he asked, "Where are you going?"

When his feet touched the ground, Tri-Klops looked up at the Avian and replied, "Don't you remember that there was a door in that oval room that needed two Grab-Pack hands?" The Heroic Warrior nodded in response. Tri-Kops then added, "I want to check it out for anything useful before we try the door in there." He indicated the storeroom on the other side of the wall.

Stratos shrugged when he said, "Fair enough, but..." He looked at the hallway as he walked down the Stairs and added in a slightly discomforted tone, "Do some of the hallways have to be so narrow?"

Tri-Klops looked over his shoulder with a smirk as he stopped in front of the doorway and asked in somewhat of a mocking tone, "Not a fan of tight spaces?"

Stratos glared at the other when he almost hissed out, "I tend to dislike areas where I can't freely move my wings, any winged being can tell you that."

Tri-Klops let out a thoughtful hum before he commented, "So it's more biological dislike than personal." Then walked into the hallway.

Stratos hovered outside the hallway, still not liking the lack of space in it, before finally walking into it.

After they exited the dark, narrow hallway, they immediately tried to backtrack to the circular area. keyword Tried.

"Of course," Both Stratos and Tri-Klops got out in annoyance as they stared at the shutter that blocked their path in the room that used to have the Huggy Wuggy statue.

The Avian then added as he did that odd arm folding, "Seems like whoever is watching us wants us to only go forward."

"Apparently," Tri-Klops deadpanned in annoyance. He turned around and trekked back to the narrow hallway when he added bitterly, "Let's get that over with."

Stratos bit his lips in uneasiness before he followed the other, still not liking the cramped space.

When they were back in the storage area, Tri-Klops launched the blue and red Grab-Pack hands at the respective panels. As soon as the load bar travelled from one side of the panel screen to the other, the metal door opened with a wroth.

"Urg! Another narrow passage," Stratos groaned out in a tone that was a mixture of annoyance and uneasiness when he saw how narrow the new, dimly lit pathway was.

Tri-Klops let out an amused hum before he commented, "Glad I'm not you." He then hopped onto the conveyor belt and walked into the new path.

Stratos glared at the Hoard Warrior with an annoyed growl. He let out a huff before taking a deep breath as he followed the other into the new pathway. Stratos carefully walked through the path, still not trilled about the tight space and even less so when he suddenly slid down a slippery section of the path, until he met up with the Hoard Warrior. The forward path was blocked by a metal door. He stared at the obstruction for a few seconds before he said as he placed his hands on his hips, "I'm going to assume we're going to have to figure out how to open that." He made an annoyed grunt when he felt his wings brushing against the walls of the enclosed space.

Tri-Klops growled when he commented in annoyance, "Given the pattern so far, you're probably right." He looked around the immediate area before he added, "Given the space, it shouldn't be too hard to find and solve."

Stratos backed away from the other to avoid any unwanted collisions as he too looked around. That was when he noticed another pathway with an electrical pillar. Stratos stared at that for a few seconds before he said as he pointed a finger at the out-of-place object, "Found part of the puzzle, but we might have to explore for the rest."

Tri-Kops let out an annoyed sigh before he stated, "Of course..." That was when he noticed a blue power source button on the left wall. "Another down..." The Hoard Warrior grumbled.

After two minutes of searching, they found all the parts of the puzzle that would hopefully open the current door. It wasn't too hard to find, but the reason it took an extra minute was that the tight space made it tricky for the two to move without colliding with each other. But now they had a new problem... Figuring out the puzzle.

Tri-Klops was grumbling about not having enough wire on the Grab-Pack while Stratos was going over the layout of the puzzle.

The Avian snapped his fingers in realisation, an idea sparking in his mind. He quickly told the Hoard Warrior how to complete the puzzle.

Tri-Klops was skeptical, but he didn't have any better plan and the other did seem to have a knack for puzzle-solving. Stratos showed the other what he needed to do.

Tri-Klops connected the red Grab-Pack hand to the second circuit button, then walked over to the electrical pillar, made sure the Grab-Pack's wire connected with it, located the first circuit button, connected the other Grab-Pack hand to it, and the circuit was completed. The arms immediately retracted once this was done. The door slid open and the floor started moving in the direction the door was.

Stratos just barely kept his balance while Tri-Klops almost hit the walls. Both made startled gasps at this. When they managed to balance on the moving floor, Tri-Klops got out, "Now we really don't have a choice in direction."

Stratos couldn't help but reply, "Apparently so."

The next thing that happened was a blaring noise sounding and a red light flashing. Of course, this startled the two Warriors, nearly causing them to topple over due to the floor still moving with them on it. Then toy parts started falling on the conveyor belt from above and from the open areas in the walls. And, of course, the toy parts also fell on the two as they moved.

Soon enough, there was a light at the end of the red-light passage. Since the floor was moving the two towards the light, they didn't see much of an issue. At least until Tri-Klops was launched into the new area, who landed on the tile with a loud thud. Stratos, on the other hand, instinctually spread his wings the moment he was in the air to catch the wind.

"Ow..." Tri-Klops got out as he slowly got back to his feet. He could feel the tingling stings from the pain he got for his rather ungraceful landing. The Hoard Warrior gently rubbed the spots with the most stinging to soothe them. When he heard snickering from above, he looked Up to see exactly what he expected.

Stratos gracefully touched down when he snickered out, "You landed like a fish on a boat."

Tri-Klops scoffed before he stated, "I didn't expect to get launched like that." He then looked around the new area when he questioned in confusion, "Where exactly are we this time?"

The first thing Stratos looked at was the massive sigh over some kind of weird contraption. He read the words out loud, "Make-A-Friend? What's that suppose to mean?"

~}I{~

To be continued.

~}I{~

1… This is more of a headcannon I have with Stratos. He just strikes me as someone who would play the Ocarina during his downtime.

2… I'm being a bit cheeky by referencing some stories that I have planned that involve a little cross-dimensional travel with the He-Man series.

~}I{~