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.

2. Chapter 1 part 2

Stuck Within Playtime Co. Chapter 1 Part 2: A Tight Squeeze.

~}I{~

Unlike the previous locations they have been in so far, this new area had this odd mixture of lit around the structures and unlit around the ceiling. But other than that, this area had some weird structures...

The bulk of the space on the ground was taken up by a large machine that was split into three sections. The first was a large blue cylinder section with what looked like red lips and teeth. The second section was a large red box with blue lines that made it look like some kind of wrapped present. The third section looked very much like a yellow slug for some reason. There were three large glass tubs that have conveyor belts feeding toy parts into them with large levers on the side.

Tri-Klops stared at the trio of odd machines when he wondered out loud, "Is this supposed to be this Make-A-Friend machine?" He tilted his head to the side when he asked, "So what kind of 'Friend' is this machine supposed to make?"

Stratos stood in front of the information board when he said, "According to this... It makes toys... I think..."

Tri-Klops moved over to the Heroic Warrior when he asked, "What do you mean?" He looked at the information board and saw a block of small blurry lines. Tri-Klops clicked his tongue in aggravation.

"I'll read it out loud for you," Stratos said as he moved to look at the top of the board again.

Tri-Klops begrudgingly got out, "Thanks..." He glanced at the Heroic Warrior as he wondered why the other was acting so... Accommodating regarding the Horde Warrior's reading difficulty…

Stratos read the sign out loud, "Make-A-Friend, 1960... Our founder, Elliot Ludwig, was a visionary. He set the stage for all of Playtime Co.'s greatest feats. Yet of all the amazing things that he has created, the Make-A-Friend machine is one of the most creative, impressive, and advanced. It is solely responsible for nearly every Playtime Co. toy sold on the market to this day. All it needs is to be fed the proper parts, and it will then paint, assemble, and do a quality inspection of the toy all on its own. Gone is the need for complex sorting or back-breaking labour. This machine can do all that… And more!..." Once he finished, he looked at the Horde Warrior.

Tri-Klops thought about those words before he finally said, "Okay, so, it makes toys..." He looked at the bizarre looking machines when he commented, "But I see what you mean by 'you think' part..." Tri-Klops looked at the other when he asked, "It's the 'fed the proper parts' line that stood out, huh?"

Stratos nodded when he said, "Correct, the wording of that sounded strange," He looked at the three giant tubs of toy parts when he added, "It would've been better to have used 'given' rather than 'fed' and added 'of the toys' after 'parts'. Sure it would've been a longer sentence, but it wouldn't be so off putting."

Tri-Klops clicked his tongue in annoyance as he looked at the vats before looking at the Make-A-Friend machine and saying, "I hate to say this, but you do have a point... Why use that wording specifically to describe this thing."

Stratos hummed before he suggested, "Maybe they had a limited amount of words or space to use."

Tri-Klops frowned when he stated in annoyance, "It sounds like you're reaching."

Stratos shrugged when he said, "Not like we can ask anyone about it." He looked around the area and noticed something odd... At least odd considering that they've been seeing it all over the places here. Stratos pointed up at a very narrow edge right under a walkway above the only door in the room when he asked, "Is that another one of those tapes for the crystal boxes? It's pink this time."

Tri-Klops looked where the Avian was pointing to and barely saw the pink tape against the orange wall it was precariously perched against on the narrow edge. He was surprised when he got out, "What the? Why the hell would anyone put one of those there? And how?!" That was when he noticed that there were a bunch of giant building blocks blocking a sealed doorway. Tri-Klops clicked his tongue when he grumbled, "Those are going to be a pain to move..."

Stratos couldn't help but agree with the statement before he looked around for another pathway, only to see none. There was a flight of stairs on the side of the wall where the tanks full of toy parts were that lead up to a walkway above. Stratos hummed when he said, "Well, at least there is a path to go... Though I'm not sure where it leads."

Tri-Klops noticed the stairs when he commented, "As long as there is a possibility of a way out of this place, who cares." He started walking over to it and noticed a rather large poster with a hand of an adult holding the hand of a child and the words 'Fostering Happiness' in yellow on a blue splotch to make it readable, and a red star with white word inside that read 'Adopt an orphan TODAY!'

Tri-Klops stared at the poster a little longer than he would've liked, not even bothering with trying to read the super small text in a white box at the bottom. Not only were the words too small for the Horde Warrior but it was also bunched too close together, making it look like blurry squiggles in a white box to him. Tri-Klops clicked his tongue in annoyance before he climbed the staircase.

After walking up four flights of stairs, the Horde Warrior found the corresponding crystal box to the tape the Avian found at the top of the staircase. Tri-Klops quickly called out to the other by saying, "Hey, over here!"

Stratos appeared a second later by the edge of the railing. He carefully landed on the bannister when he stated, "This place is weirdly big but oddly narrow."

Tri-Klops looked past the Avian and saw what he meant. Lots of machinery taking up space and not enough room to move, even in the air. He thumbed the crystal box when he stated, "So I've noticed, but let's see if the tape has anything useful on it."

Stratos nodded before he moved to insert the tape into the VHS, the two moving to do so.

The crystal box's screen lit up before settling on some weird distorted image of a hand and voices emitted from the speakers of the device.

Interviewer: "So, Stella, what made you want to work for Playtime Co.?"

A woman's voice emitted from the crystal box, presumably this Stella, when she said, "Playing with toys when I was young was so magical. I could go straight from my bedroom floor to anywhere in the world. It was such a great feeling."

The two Warriors couldn't help but think, 'How does that relate to the question?'

Stella's voice continued speaking, "And... Being able to work in a toy factory... somewhere that can provide kids with that same excitement... That's a pretty great feeling too!"

'Ah, that's how,' the two Warriors thought at the same time.

Stella's voice continued speaking, "Sometimes though- I really, really,wish I could go back. To being a kid, I mean. And it's weird... Cause adults are just kids, but older."

Tri-Klops and Stratos had matching expressions that read, 'Meh, that can be true in some way.'

Stella's voice continued speaking, "I don't think anyone ever really feels like an adult? But your body just gets older... And older... And then you die."

Stratos and Tri-Klops glanced at each other with expressions that asked the other if they heard that as well.

Stella's voice continued with a quick, "Poof!"

As the recorded voice laughed, the two Warriors couldn't help but think that this somehow got dark rather quickly.

Stella's voice continued speaking, "Human bodies just can't stay young forever. There's thing though! Like some trees that can stay alive even while being WAY older than a person. I mean...The oldest people to ever live are STILL younger than these! So I guess everyone is always young relative to something...Right?"

The voice of the interviewer came back by saying in a slightly weirded out tone, "Alright, I think we're getting a little off track..."

with that the tape ended.

Tri-Klops made a circular motion with his right index finger around his right ear when he commented, "Sounds like most of her gears haven't been maintained, if you know what I mean."

Stratos's lips pressed into a line before he said, "As much as I want to think that this Stella is an alternative thinker… I'm going to have to admit that her mind felt like it was somewhere else..."

Tri-Klops let out a scoff when he folded his arms and stated, "You are too 'nice' sometimes." He thumbed the crystal box when he added, "That lady seemed to have some strange issues that have nothing to do with the task at hand, or for anything that might be needed for a toy factory."

Stratos walked away to see what was on this bannister when he replied, "I'm not disagreeing with you, but sometimes there can be an alternative solution or reasons to somethings." He looked at the strange arrangement of the Electrical Pillars and walkways when he added, "Though I can't say that it would be a good idea to have that kind of thinking in this kind of environment,"

Tri-Klops looked over to see the same thing the Heroic Warrior was when he commented, "I see what you mean," He looked at the Avian when he asked, "But if things were like this when the factory was open..."

Stratos let out a low hum as he placed a hand on his chin when he said thoughtfully, "This layout isn't exactly practical for everyday use, even for flying individuals." He looked at the section of the pathway that was missing when he added, "Not to mention rather dangerous if one were to misstep."

Tri-Klops folded his arms when he commented, "Given what we already know, I doubt Playtime Co. cared about the workers getting hurt."

Stratos grumbled out, "Fair point."

The two trekked back down to ground-level.

Stratos glanced at the 'Fostering Happiness' poster before he noticed the archway that was originally blocked by giant building blocks were... Not there anymore...

The Avian tapped on the Grab pack to get the Horde Warrior's attention. When Tri-Klops looked at the Heroic Warrior, he too noticed the now unobscured doorway. The two stared at the sealed door for a few seconds longer before the Horde Warrior got out, "How did?! When did?!"

Stratos's lips Pressed into an uneasy line when he commented, "I would assume it happened when we were on the bannister above," He took a step back when he added in an unnerved tone, "I don't know what magic is being used or how they're being used about us knowing, but it's clear that SOMEONE is making sure we go the path they want."

Tri-Klops growled in annoyance and uneasiness when he said, "You're right and I don't know what I hate more...This stupid runaround or the fact that I don't know why!" He folded his arms as he stared at the doorway.

Stratos folded his arms in that odd manner with his left wing drooping when he stated, "I'm going to say both." He glanced at the Horde Warrior when he added, "Given what we've found so far and how we've found them, someone wants us to follow a particular path to do something for them."

Tri-Klops growled when he got out, "So we either need to find a way out or find this would-be puppet master,"

Stratos reluctantly nodded as they went to investigate the doorway. Of course, it was closed but there was a scanning device that had a Particular sentence over it.

"Nobody Leaves Without a Toy?" Tri-Klops read the large printed words in confusion.

Stratos looked at the image of a cat with bumblebee wings and antennae on the small monitor before he mused, "I guess if we want to leave, we're going to need a toy to put in this thing." He looked over at the Make-A-Friend machine when he added, "Not sure if we need two or one, but perhaps we can make one of the pre-programed toys here with that thing."

Tri-Klops let out an annoyed huff when he grumbled, "Do we have a choice..."

The two walked back over to the signboard to find the control panel to the Make-A-Friend machine next to it. Things would've been easy if it weren't for the fact that the screen lit up with the words 'Needs power' in red.

"That figures." Tri-Klops got out in annoyance. He folded his arms when he asked, not expecting an answer, "So how do we get power to this thing?" Tri-Klops looked up at the Make-A-Friend machine when he mused, "Or is the correct term is 'these things'? Is it one machine or three connected as one?"

Stratos placed a hand on his chin when he said thoughtfully, "Not sure about the Make-A-Friend, but I think the Electrical Pillars on the walkway above connect to the Power we need."

Tri-Klops let out a grunt when he commented, "Of course, it would be out of the way." He ran a hand over his head when he grumbled, "That is poorly planned out if it was like that when the factory was open..."

Stratos had to agree as they headed back up. The Horde Warrior took the stairs as the Heroic Warrior flew up to take a look at this Electrical Pillar Puzzle. From what the pattern of these have been so far, the Avian knew that the Anchor points needed to be connected while in contact with the Electrical Pillars. Stratos placed a hand on his chin as he had an idea of how to solve this puzzle, but the major issue was the missing flooring.

Tri-Klops let out an annoyed huff as he made it to the top, wishing that the trip was more efficient. Then he came to the gap in the flooring. The Horde Warrior looked at the space above the walkway. 'Hm, this looks too narrow for him to fly,' Tri-Klops thought critically before he noticed a handle on the other side of the space gap… Same kind of handle on the stuff that needed the Grab-Pack to use...

'I wonder..."Tri-Klops wondered before he shot the red hand at the handle. Once the line was secure, the Horde Warrior tugged on the line. The next thing he knew, a floor panel was pulled out from its spot and moved securely into place and filling the hole in the walkway. Tri-Klops stared at the completed path when he mused in annoyance, "Why the hell would they make a flooring like this?"

The Horde Warrior tested the floor before he cautiously walked across. The floor held easily enough.

Stratos looked up at the sound of metal sliding and saw the whole thing. The Avian couldn't help but comment as the Horde Warrior walked over, "Seems like this area was designed to only allow Grab-Pack users to access."

Tri-Klops huffed out in annoyance, "Apparently, but still rather unreasonable construction-wise." He looked over the Electrical Pillar Puzzle when he added, "Any idea on this one?"

Stratos glanced at the first Electrical Pillar when he stated, "I have a rough idea, but..." He points at the gap between the walkway when he adds, "That is posing a major problem."

Tri-Klops looked over the path and understood what the Avian was talking about. The Grab-Pack had a limited amount of cord and the walkway with the gap is more than the max length. At least until the Horde Warrior noticed a handle on one side of the gap.

Tri-Klops tested his theory out, and realised that he was right. Except for the fact that he pulled the section from the other side. The Horde Warrior couldn't help but growl out, "Of course, this can't be easy."

Stratos had to agree when he said, "I can't understand the practicality of this."

Tri-Klops scoffed when he got out, "What practicality?"

"Exactly," Stratos retorted dryly.

That caught the Horde Warrior off-guard.

It took a minute or so to manoeuvre everything in place and then completed the circuit. A crackling ball of static followed a wire to the power panel of the Make-A-Friend. The two watched this happen in confusion.

"That was… Weird..." Stratos got out as he watched the red 'Needs power' switched to a green 'Power On' from where he stood as he and the other leaned against the railing to watch.

Tri-Klops had to agree with the Arian. He then reluctantly asked, "Do you mind with..."

Stratos agreed before both got into some more comfortable positions for the Avian to get a good grip on the Grab-Pack. They practically glided down as Stratos kept their path.

Once both had their feets on the ground, they moved to turn the Make-A-Friend machine on.

The thing sprang to life with a loud toot of a kettle horn. Both the Horde and Heroic Warriors had to cover their ears at this.

"Ouch! Why did that have to be so loud?" Tri-Klops questioned after the sound decibels lowered greatly.

Stratos removed his hands from hisears and looked at the Make-A-Friend machine. He couldn't help but be a little weirded out by the now opened pair of eyes on each of the main bodies of the Make-A-Friend, With the middle one looking directly at the two.

'Creepy,' Stratos thought in uneasiness when he saw those eyes.

Tri-Klops looked over the machine when he asked, "So...How does this thing make the toys?"

Stratos glanced at the three glass containers in the front conveyor belt, including the broken one they came through, when he commented, "The signboard said that it needs toy parts to work, so..." He pointed at the levers to dispense the toy pieces on the containers.

Tri-Klops clicked his tongue in annoyance when he stated, "Was this factory built on the dependence of the Grab-Pack or something?" Before he went to use the Grab-Pack to pull those levers down to get the toy parts that were needed.

Stratos couldn't help but mused, "Probably both if you want my opinion." He couldn't help but glance at the centre section of the Make-A-Friend and was unsettled by the fact that the eyes WERE following Tri-Klops. 'What the hell?' Stratos thought as he tried to settle himself down.

The Horde Warrior was oddly fascinated by the process of the toy making, even if he couldn't see inside the Make-A-Friend, which was doing exactly as advertised. Tri-Klops had to let out an impressive whistle before he said, "This thing is amazing! It would be perfect if it made weapons rather than toys."

Stratos moved towards the end of the production line when he said uneasily, "If you plan on possibly recreating this thing... Don't add the eyes to it..."

Tri-Klops paused in his trail on the toy, thinking that it was odd that the other didn't comment on the weapon part of his sentence, when he asked, "What do you mean?" He then looked at the eyes of the Make-A-Friend and realised that the ones of the red middle section were on him. The Horde Warrior moved away from the conveyor belt, watching the middle section, and was creeped out that it was following him. "What the...?" Tri-Klops got out in uneasiness before he logically deduced, "The thing must have a Grab-Pack tracker or something, maybe to amuse the workers,"

Stratos snatched the bee-cat hybrid toy off the conveyor belt when he stated with a shudder, "Not very amusing if you ask me..." He then made his way to the closed door with the toy in hand.

"Agreed..." Tri-Klops got out before he followed the Avian.

Stratos placed the cat bee toy into the scanner and Tri-Klops watched the device work. Once the scanner approved that toy, the door opened.

Tri-Klops folded his arms when he stated, "Not exactly efficient or practical... Makes you wonder how badly this place was managed when it was open?"

Stratos let out a low hum before he commented, "Agreed," He looked down the now open path and was quick to note how it wasn't completely lit.

Tri-Klops realised the same thing when he got out in annoyance, "Oh, of course." He clicked his tongue when he added, "But at least it's because of the age of this place rather than the design... I hope..."

Stratos's lips pressed into a line before he got out uneasily, "I somehow get the feeling that something's going to jump out at us if we go in,"

Tri-Klops couldn't help but ask flatly, "Are you being paranoid or is it that the claustrophobia talking?"

Stratos let out an annoyed huff when he stated as he wrapped his arms around his chest as he kept his wings folded, "The pathway is narrower than I would like, but it's not that bad. And I told you that I don't have claustrophobia."

Tri-Klops let out a low hum when he stated dryly, "So you say." He then took a step into the hallway. The Heroic Warrior begrudgingly followed, keeping his arms in that odd position.

But before they could take one step into the darkness, a familiar giant, fuzzy blue statue stepped into the light. Only it wasn't a statue nor was the smile full of razor-sharp teeth were friendly,

Both Stratos and Tri-Klops retreated from the monster when the Horde Warrior got out in horror, "What the fucking hell?! Is that the missing statue?!"

The two kept their distance from the threat when Stratos practically shouted, "So THAT'S what felt off about the statue!"

Huggy Wuggy let out a low growl as he continued his advance towards the two Warriors. The door then resealed itself as soon as the giant monster walked past it, because, of course, it did.

Tri-Klops fired hands of the Grab-Pack, to use it as some type of attack. But it didn't have any effect on the strange monster much to the Horde Warrior's growing dismay, fear, and horror.

Stratos took to the air and tried to land a few aerial kicks on the monster. Those did seem to have some effect, but that didn't last for long...

Huggy Wuggy managed to catch Stratos by the ankle with a low growl. The monster let out a small "Raow!" before he drew the struggling Avian in, and chomped into him with a sickening crack.

"Shit! Stratos!" Tri-Klops exclaimed in absolute terror. Those feelings only magnified when he watched the monster drop what remained of the Avian's body, which landed on the ground with a thump as blood splattered out of the large gaping wounds. Tri-Klops was petrified at what he witnessed, unable to move!

Yeah, sure Skeletor and his fellow Horde Warriors have threatened to kill the Heroic Warriors several times, but they all knew that they wouldn't follow through on those unless it was Skeletor killing He-man and King Randor... Everyone else would be enslaved... Alive...

Tri-Klops realised too late that Huggy Wuggy was on top of him, and then he too met the same fate.

}{

It's too early to die.

Get up.

}{

Both Stratos and Tri-Klops gasped as their consciousness came back at full force. They looked around to figure out where they were and make some sense on what the actual hell had just happened?

They were standing next to the closed doorway, the sounds of the Make-A-Friend machine filled the air, and there was no living Huggy Wuggy statue trying to kill them...

Stratos looked down at the Cat-Bee toy in his hands before looking at the toy scanner, which was empty, "What?" The Avian got out, more than a little disoriented and confused.

Tri-Klops let out a shaky breath when he asked in uneasiness, "Were we...? And by...?" He swallowed the lump in his throat before he got out in disbelief, "You!" Tri-Klops ran a hand over his face when he continued, "I think I'm losing my mind!"

Stratos stared at the sealed door he could've sworn was open when he got out in a disbelieving tone, "Unless you saw the Huggy Wuggy statue coming after us..."

The moment those words sank into Tri-Klops mind, he shuddered in horror and uneasiness. The Horde Warrior couldn't help but get out as he shook, "What the hell had just happened?!"

Stratos hugged the Cat-Bee toy close to his chest unconsciously when he said, not completely understanding the situation, "I-I don't know... But whatever it was... It... There has to be some dark magic involved!" He was shaking.

Both looked at the door and silently agreed to try to find another path to use... Problem was there was no other way out... At least one that was able to open...

Tri-Klops leaned against the part of the conveyor belt that was under a solid glass section when he summarised bitterly, "Okay, so our current path is blocked by a monster, who posed as a statue earlier, that is also willing to kill us if it catches us..."

Stratos, who was perched on the Quality-check part of the Make-A-Friend machine, still holding the Cat-Bee toy when he mused, "I... I know I wasn't being serious about Huggy Wuggy walking earlier, but the fact that it was... How come it didn't attack us there? In fact, it sort of helped us get here,"

Tri-Klops looked up at the Avian when he stated in realisation, "You're right! That thing did have a perfect chance to kill us in that round area." He placed a hand on his chin when he wondered out loud, "So why help us then but attack us here?"

Stratos looked over at the sealed door with the toy scanner and then glanced where the conveyor belt for the Make-A-Friend machine supposedly ended at a sealed door that had the symbol that meant 'Do Not Enter' and 'Not a walkway'. He bit his lips before he commented, "It is rather counter intuitive, but... Is there a reason for it?"

Tri-Klops shrugged when he said, "I don't know, but maybe we can constrain it long enough to get through the pathway..."

"With what?" Stratos unwillingly countered as he looked around the area.

Tri-Klops clicked his tongue in annoyance when he got out bitterly, "Good point..." He glanced at the stairs before an idea came to his mind and stated, "I can lure him to the bannister and you can bring me down. It should take enough time for us to get farther away from it before it realises this."

Stratos pressed his lips in a line before he said uneasily, "We can try that..."

Tri-Klops looked up at the Avian when he got out in annoyance, "What? Do you have a better idea?"

Stratos shook his head when he replied, "No... I guess I'm still feeling the... Effects of before..."

Tri-Klops looked away at this, folding his arms stiffly as he hunched slightly. That image of the Avian's mutilated body was still fresh in his mind. The Horde Warrior didn't want to see that again.

Still... They didn't have much of a choice.

As Stratos placed the Cat-Bee into the toy scanner, Tri-Klops told him, "Make sure you're ready to act when I get it upstairs." The Avian glanced at the Horde Warrior and nodded.

The scanner approved of the toy, the door opened, and the two walked through. Like last time, Huggy Wuggy appeared out of the darkness with that smile full of sharp teeth.

The two Warriors put their plan into motion right away, but there was a major snag that appeared immediately... The stairway was blocked by a barrier that was NOT there Before the door opened.

"The hell?!" Tri-Klops got out in horror when he realised that his plan had been unknowingly sabotaged. Then Huggy Wuggy got him.

"Tri-Klops!" Stratos exclaimed before he tried to dive bomb the fuzzy blue monster, before the monster got him too.

}{

More lives are at risk than just yours.

Get up.

}{

Both Stratos and Tri-Klops gasped as their consciousness came back at full force.

Yet again, they were at the moment before the Cat-Bee toy was put into the scanner.

Tri-Klops practically hustled over to the stairway as soon as he could as Stratos watched in uneasiness. The Horde Warrior was flabbergasted when he saw that the stair path was obscured. Tri-Klops let out a growl when he practically shouted, "What the hell is going on with this place?!"

Stratos clenched the toy close as he glanced at the sealed door on the conveyor belt of the Make-A-Friend machine. His attention was back on the Horde Warrior when he heard him kicking the metal pole supporting the stairs in anger.

"What the hell is the point of all this fucking shit?!" Tri-Klops snapped in anger. He then leaned against the large glass container full of toy parts as he tried to catch his breath and calm down.

Stratos took a step towards the other when he asked, "Did you... Get it all out?"

Tri-Klops ran a hand over his face when he grumbled, "Yeah... I did..." He let out a breath before he asked, "How're you feeling about this shit?"

Stratos's lips pressed in a line when he got out, "About as well as you are..."

Tri-Klops let out a low hum when he got out, "Could've fooled me..."

Stratos looked away when he stated softly, "Individuals can react differently to different events... I'm... Better with the 'cool down' and the 'keeping calm' part of a reaction, so to speak "

Tri-Klops had no rebuttal to that, nor was he sure that he wanted to. He looked around the area again before he asked dryly, "So... Does that mean that we're stuck here or something?"

Stratos let out a hum before he looked at the door Huggy Wuggy was behind and stated thoughtfully, "I don't think that's the case... Not with how much we were pushed here..."

Tri-Klops couldn't help but get out, "True..." He pushed himself off the glass container when he asked in annoyance, "What's the goal of whoever is pushing us around this place?"

Stratos tilted his head to the side when he questioned, "Are you asking me that or thinking out loud?"

Tri-Klops let out an annoyed grunt when he stated dryly, "Whichever gives me an answer to this skit."

Stratos looked down at the Cat-Bee toy in his hands when he grumbled out, "I don't think we're going to get an answer to that anytime soon..." He moved to lean against the conveyor belt as the Horde Warrior sat on the steps of the stairs when he added, "Even on cross dimensional standards, this place is weird (1)."

In an unsure manner, Tri-Klops managed to get out, "How... How often has this happened to you to have..." He waved his hands a bit to emphasise his next words, "Standards for this kind of shit?!" The Horde Warrior held up a hand as he pinched the bridge of his nose and stated, "On second thought, don't answer that!"

Stratos waited for the other to settle before he stated, "It's not an easy thing to explain nor the whole "Travelling" part of it." He let out a breath when he added as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I won't go into too much detail, but there's always some kind of idea on what the 'base structure' is." Stratos placed a hand on his chin when he mused, "I guess the best way to describe it is how the culture varies from village to village."

Tri-Klops let out a low hum before he stated, "I'm not entirely sure about that description, but I can somewhat understand the meaning." He turned to look at the sealed doorway that leads to Huggy Wuggy and said, "And I can see why you commented about this place being weird, even with those facts in mind..."

Stratos followed the other's gaze when he stated, "True, and I can't help but wonder how much of what happened is because of someone's manipulation or if it's one of the 'Norms' of this dimension,"

Tri-Klops's attention was on the Avian when he asked in disbelief, "You're not suggesting that that monster is 'Normal' for this place?"

Stratos shook his head when he said, "The Huggy Wuggy, I don't think so, everything else... That's another story."

Tri-Klops had to admit that it did make sense, but there was one nagging thing, The Horde Warrior bit his lips when he asked the other, "Did you... Did you... See two lines of texts after that monster got us?"

Stratos shrank when he admitted, "Yes, I... Wasn't sure if you saw them too..."

Things were quiet for a while before they tried to find another way out, again, They even tried to backtrack through the conveyor belt they came in through, but that was still active…

Stratos let out a sigh before he hopped down and told the Horde Warrior, "This is getting ridiculous. It's like the environment wants us to go to Huggy."

Tri-Klops let out a small growl before he stated dryly, "You mean someone is making sure we go to that thing."

The Avian had no rebuttal to that. He glanced at the sealed door on the conveyor belt when he stated carefully. "Maybe, but... If they're somehow controlling the environment, then perhaps it's not just towards that Huggy thing they want us to go," He walked over to the other side of the area, and Tri-Klops followed in confusion. Stratos tapped the frame of the sealed door with all the 'do not enter' sighs when he stated, "Both times after Huggy emerged from that main door, this one opened... And I don't think it's a coincidence."

Tri-Klops looked at the metal door when he got out in confusion, "How were you able to notice that while being attacked?"

Stratos tapped the side of his head when he explained, "The majority of Avians' spatial awareness are heightened while we're flying. So I just... Saw the open door in my peripheral vision while I was in the air."

Tri-Klops folded his arms when he snapped, "And you didn't say anything about it?"

"While being attacked?" Stratos retorted dryly.

Tri-Klops had no rebuttal to that.

Stratos let out a sigh when he added, "Besides, by the time I noticed that it was open... You were too far away from it..." He looked away at those last words.

Tri-Klops clicked his tongue when he grumbled, "How noble..." He glanced away when he mumbled, "I guess I should be thankful though..."

They both looked at the door they knew Huggy Wuggy was behind.

Well, not like they had much of a choice, so they agreed to rush to the conveyor belt door as soon as Huggy Wuggy emerged from the darkness. And they did.

Tri-Klops entered first and Stratos went in afterwards. They moved as fast as they could through the narrow passage. The sudden slide down the path almost stopped their hearts and threw them off balance, but they caught themselves as they continued moving forward. Of course, they freaked when Huggy Wuggy somehow managed to charge towards them from the way they were heading, and then they were got.

}{

EXP 1006.

Isn't he wonderful?

}{

Both Stratos and Tri-Klops gasped as their consciousness came back at full force. When they realised what happened and where they were, they both let out an annoyed groan and growl of frustration.

"How the fucking hell did that thing get in front of us?! It was behind us!?" Tri-Klops got out in complete irritation.

Stratos took a couple of calming deep breaths before he told the other, "I have two theories, but you're going to hate it."

Tri-Klopf couldn't help but growl out as he started passing back and forth, "Try me! I don't think I can hate this situation more than I already do!"

Stratos leaned against the sealed door with the Cat-Bee try in hand when he stated, "There's either more than one of those giant Huggys or it knows the layout..."

Tri-Klops paused to let those words sink in before he folded his arms and growled out, "You're right. I hate those more, but it does make sense... Sickening enough," He then placed a hand on his chin before he mused, "And that would explain the latest block of words we just saw,"

Stratos glanced to the side as he recalled the word 'Wonderful' carved into the brick wall. He couldn't help but mumble, "But... What is this Exp1006? And why is he 'wonderful'?"

Tri-Klops was watching the other when he replied in an unsure tone, "Beats me, but it has to mean something, right?" He let out a sigh before he got out in annoyance, "I really hope it's not going to take us getting, You know, at every turn before we get out of that,"

Stratos was quiet for a bit before he said softly, "Let me go in first..." The Horde warrior was confused until the Heroic warrior explained, "I have a better spatial awareness than you do, so... I think I can get us out of that without getting caught as often..."

Tri-Klops didn't say anything for a bit before saying, "Well, let's see how it goes before we try anything else." He folded his arms before he slid in cheekily, "You sure you're going to be fine with your Claustrophobia?"

Stratos scoffed in annoyance when he retorted, "I DON'T have claustrophobia!"

Tri-Klops only replied with a satisfied 'humph' and a smirk.

So they tried again, but this time, Stratos went into the conveyor belt pathway with Tri-Klops following close behind. When the Huggy Wuggy appeared in front of them, Stratos yanked Tri-Klops down a pathway the Horde warrior didn't notice by the wrist.

The whole damn run was a twisted maze, literally!

There were a couple of sharp turns and sudden drops, but they were able to keep a good distance from Huggy Wuggy. The sudden sides were rather heart-stopping, but they managed to keep ahead of the monster. Both couldn't help but notice all the words written on the walls of the maze, all in different colours and in different kinds of writing material. Since the two warriors couldn't stop to read any of them, those became part of the scenery they Passed with only the ones repeated over and over standing out to them... 'Get out!, 'Turn Back!' and 'Danger!'

Well, they couldn't exactly 'turn back' or 'get out', but they already knew they were in 'danger'.

So they continued moving, until a metal door suddenly closed on them. The door had a yellow triangle sign with an examination mark in the centre, the words 'Do Not Enter' right under that, and an image of a person with a red circle with a line across it on top of it.

Stratos nearly ran into the door, thus causing Tri-Klops to nearly run into him. Now they were trapped between a rock and a monster.

Both turned to see Huggy Wuggy slowly moving towards them with low growls emitting from his throat. Just as the blue creature was within almost in its arm's reach of the warriors the door suddenly opened.

Stratos grabbed Tri-Klops by the wrist again before they bolted, with the master uncomfortably close behind them. There were more words written on the walls, but those weren't their priority. Escaping was.

The current path didn't have a lot of sharp turns, in fact, it was rather curvy... At least until the two warriors came to a rather long, slippery drop. Of which, nearly stopped their hearts and threw off their balance.

They were practically thrown out of that maze because of that slope. Then the path behind them was sealed shut by yet another door. The two warriors looked forward to see that their path was blocked, but not completely.

Before Tri-Klops could figure out what was going on. Stratos took a strong hold of the Grab-Pack and flew over the obstruction and moved to land on the narrow walkway belowIt was a careful landing, but certainly not a graceful one... Tri-Klops fell forward and Stratos took a tumble down the walkway.

They both just layed there, on the cold metal path, catching their breaths as the adrenalin slowly calmed down. After a solid minute, both slowly moved into sitting positions.

Tri-Klops leaned against the Grab-Pack as his breathing levelled out. The Horde warrior couldn't help but notice how... Ruffled and dishevelled the Avian's wings were. At first, Tri-Klops wondered what happened since they were fine before they entered the maze, but when he thought about all the sharp turns and drops, he realised how often the Avian's wings had to have been hitting the walls during the chase. 'Then he flew us here...' Tri-Klops thought as it slowly dawned on him that the Heroic warrior's wings had to have been hurting the whole time.

Stratos tried to fix the important feathers, but his wings were too tender and throbbing to work with. So he settled on checking his feathers to make sure that they weren't too damaged. Luckily, there was nothing serious.

"Hey," Tri-Klops got out, getting the Avian's attention, before he asked softly, "Are you... Are you okay? Your wings..." He timidly pointed at the Avian's wings.

Stratos gently preened the feathers he could when he replied, "I'm okay... Nothing more than some ruffled feathers and some residual pain... But I won't be able to fly for a while..." The Avian finally noticed the environment when he got out, "What in Eternia?"

Tri-Klops then looked around and understood the other's reaction.

The entire enormous area of criss-crossing conveyor belts transporting boxes of many sizes and the pitch-black void that felt bottomless. There were a few walkways that broke up some of the empty air.

The two slowly stood up and looked around as Tri-Klops questioned out loud, "Are we... Still in the Playtime Co. factory?"

Stratos looked around when he replied, "We have to be..." He then noticed a wall with a giant Poppy flower painted on it with a single walkway going into the centre of the image.

Tri-Klops noticed the giant poppy flower before he commented dryly, "Do you think that that's where our puppet master wants us to go?"

"Most likely," Stratos retorted dryly as he looked over the walkway, more specifically, where the path lead. He let out a sigh before he added, "And it is..."

Tri-Kirps reluctantly had to agree. He glanced at the Avian when he asked, "Shall we continue?"

Stratos nodded when he stated, "Yes, but would it be okay if we took our time?"

Tri-Klops readily agreed to that before they started on their path, slowly. The Horde Warrior did notice the Heroic Warrior limping slightly, but didn't say anything, figuring that it was most likely from the tumble.

As they walked the narrow path, they came across a black tape laying at an intersection that split the walkway into two paths.

Stratos picked up the tape as Tri-Klops commented as he folded his arms, "If a tape is here, then there has to be a crystal box to play it." He looked around while adding, "Since the crystal boxes are the same colour as the tapes... It's going to be a pain to find..."

Stratos looked at the path to the left and saw that it led right to the poppy mural. He looked to the right and just barely saw the slight discolouration of the crystal box in the distance. Stratos made a 'follow me' motion when he stated, "A little, but I can see that it's over here."

Tri-Klops had to wonder how good the Avian's vision was if he could see the different shades of black at a distance. But he followed anyway.

The two walked the narrow walkway until they came to the black crystal box. The Avian slid the black tape into the player, and the crystal box lit up. An image of an elongated claw appeared on the screen as the audio played as such.

Unknown Adult Male's Voice: "Final Log. In relation: 1-0-0-6; The Prototype'. coordination and cooperation is evidently within his skill set, as well as the skill set of all other experiments of this type. Though still missing, today's events are no doubt in relation to him."

There was some sort of banging in the background of the audio that gradually got louder as the video continued.

Unknown Adult Male: "His absence was a flaw in the scientific process, which should have under no circumstances been left unaccounted for. That's why I'm making this log: so that the same mistake won't be made twice."

Screams started mixing in with the pounding in the background noise of the video, which was unnerving the two warriors.

Unknown Adult Male: "Any future experiments will need to be contained and disposed of in a secure location."

There was a loud bang heard in the background noise of the video.

Unknown Adult male: "I'm not worried about myself. One breakthrough and I'll be back! We must forge onwards in the name of science, whether those who are beneath us understand it or not!"

The pounding was even louder and then the sounds of hurried and heavy footsteps could be heard.

Unknown Adult male: "End of-"

The video then suddenly cuts out.

Everything was eerily silent for 30 seconds before Tri-Klops slowly got out, "Unh- What the hell was THAT about?"

Stratos's lips pressed into a line when he unwillingly replied, "Nothing to do with toys, that's for sure," He wrapped his arms around his lower chest as his wings kept close to his body when he added, "But that makes it stranger that this was found here... And also...'' The Avian couldn't help but compare the image on the video to the carving on the brick wall. It unnerved Stratos a bit, making him wonder if this 'Prototype' had a hand in why there was so much blood splattered around.

Tri-Klops noticed how Stratos was shivering, almost shaking. The Horde warrior was not good with these 'delicate' things, but he tried his best to be compassionate when he asked, "Uh, do you want to... Um, rest for a bit?" He was quick to say as if he didn't really care, "I mean, after that chase and a tumble, you must be tired."

Stratus wasn't sure what to make of this... Behaviour before he said in an unsure tone, "Um... Thanks... I think..." He took a deep breath before he pulled the 12-Hole ocarina out of the pouch.

Tri-Klops couldn't help but wonder how that instrument was still in one piece after all that had happened. But he opted to keep quiet as he watched the Avian move the ocarina into the proper playing position. The Horde warrior leaned against the high railing on the walkway as the sound of the ocarina started filling the air.

Because of the vastly open space, the music was completely unobstructed as it flowed out of the instrument.

A metal door slowly moved open part of the way and Huggy Wuggy just managed to squeeze through the narrow opening before it slid back closed. The creature let out a low growl before he realised that there was music playing. Nice, relaxing, and soothing music. The menacing smile slowly failed away as Huggy Wuggy listened to the music. The sharp teeth were tucked away as a curious expression took over the creature's face.

Where was that music coming from?

Huggy Wuggy looked around as he tried to pinpoint the origin of the sound. He managed to figure out the direction it was coming from as he peered over the messed up obstruction on the conveyor belt he was on to get a better idea of where he was and where he should go to find the music. Huggy Wuggy saw that there was a narrow walkway directly below and carefully lowered himself onto it. He then followed the path. As he did, the music grew louder, telling the creature that he was going in the right direction.

That was when Huggy Wuggy spotted the two he was chasing, with one of them playing some kind of weird flute-like instrument. He tilted his head to the side as he slowly made his way over to the split in the walkway. Huggy Wuggy started walking on the left path before he paused and thought about the situation.

One of them was playing the instrument, and would get spooked if they saw him, especially after he chased them down in the conveyor maze. But Huggy Wuggy wanted to get closer to hear the music better. He looked over the path and saw that the walkway had four unobstructed turns in it.

Seeing that the two hadn't noticed him yet, Huggy Wuggy quietly crept down the path until the 2nd turn, where he could see the two while being able to hear the music. He quietly sat down at the turn, tucking his knees under his chin and wrapping his arms around his legs. Huggy Wuggy just sat there and listened.

Neither of the warriors noticed the unexpected visitor as Stratos kept playing his ocarina.

}{

In the darkness, a computer monitor lit up in a blue light. The next thing to happen was a series of black texts appearing.

They read as follows… 'Signal Lost on EXP 1170'. 'Searching Signal for EXP 1170', 'Unable to find EXP 1170', 'EXP 1170 is no Longer Viable', and 'Deleting Control Protocol for EXP 1170'.

The computer then had the text 'Deletion Completed', before it turned itself off. Then the room was back in darkness.

}{

Tri-Klops honestly was impressed with the Avian's ocarina playing, not that he would admit that out loud. It made him wonder how long the other has been playing the instrument.

The music came to an end as Stratos slowly removed his lips from the ocarina and let out a soft breath.

Things were quiet for a few seconds before the sounds of happy clapping was heard

Both warriors stared at one another for exactly five seconds before they slowly turned towards the sounds of the clapping. That was when they saw Huggy Wuggy, sitting in their only path back, and clapping happily with a smile on his face. He then paused when he realised that attention was on him.

The three stared at each other for who knows how long before Stratos asked the Horde warrior, "Uh... Are you seeing?..."

Tri-Klops slowly nodded when he got out in shock, "Uhh, if you're seeing the Huggy Wuggy applauding your playing... Yeah... I am..."

Huggy Wuggy tilted his head to the side in confusion, as if he didn't know why those two were reacting the way they were.

Stratos waved his left hand wearily in a 'hi' manner at the blue creature.

Almost childishly, Huggy Wuggy waves back.

Tri-Klops couldn't help but mumble to the Avian, "Okaaay, this is kind of weird..."

Stratos had to agree with that before he said, "Either this is a completely different Huggy or something triggered a personality change…"

Tri-Klops folded his arms when he inquired, "If it is the latter, what could that trigger be?"

Realisation dawned on the two warriors as their attention slowly moved to the ocarina in the Arian's right hand. They stared at the instrument before looking at Huggy Wuggy and then back on the ocarina.

Stratos was rather dumbfounded when Tri-Klops got out in annoyance as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Don't say it! Just! Just don't say it!"

Huggy Wuggy seemed confused about their reactions.

}{

At the moment, the rest of theHeroic warriors were trying to connect with Stratos via their communicators. So far, no real success...

At least until a thought came to them.

}{

It was quite the strange turnaround to Stratos and Tri-Klops... This Huggy Wuggy didn't seem to remember chasing them through the conveyor maze at all, or trying to kill them... In fact, this Huggy Wuggy was rather friendly and child-like.

NOT something either warrior expected to happen, but they're not going to complain.

It didn't take long before the new trio arrived at the poppy mural and were greeted with a rather... Creepy sight...

Easily a dozen mutilated toys were dangling by their necks by some kind of string and words were scribbled over the mural in three different colours but only the three lines in yellow were visible. Them reading 'Run', 'Go Back', and 'Turn Around'. When they got closer the words in red could be read. Those read, 'No', 'Stop', 'Danger', and 'Run'. The dark blue words couldn't be read on the dark red paint of the poppy mural. There were arrows pointing away from the door in the centre of the mural, all in either red, yellow, or dark blue.

Tri-Klops couldn't help but comment dryly, "How welcoming... Even the entrance to Beastman's Zoo is more pleasant,"

Stratos cringed at the strung up toys when he replied uneasily, "I'll take your word for it," Huggy Wuggy somewhat hugged the Avian with a whimper. The Heroic warrior let out a deep breath before he added, "Still, not like we can do what the writings wants..."

Tri-Klops frowned when he grumbled, "True..." He reached out to open the door, which opened with a soft creek. The Horde warrior peered into the new Pathway in confusion.

Yes, it was also narrow, but it was oddly nicer. Homey wallpaper, white ceiling, neat wooden floors, and dimly lit with wall lamps further in.

Tri-Klops let out a hum as he took a step into the hallway when he stated, "It's a bit of a tight fit, but I think we can continue... Hopefully out of here..." He walked in, his footsteps creaking with each step on the floorboards.

Stratos was the next to go in. It was clear he didn't like how narrow the pathway was, but he was keeping his wings close to his Wuggy was the last to enter, keeping his head low to avoid hitting the ceiling.

They all walked down the oddly long hallway until they came to a room with a couple of throw pillows, a dividing wall that needed to be walked around, and a wardrobe that was blocking a door for some strange reason. Oddly homey, but weird...

Their only way forward was a brown double doored path. That was opened to a room filled with comfortable looking pillows, a spinning soft pink light playing some kind of music box, and in the centre was a glass case with a ghostly pale doll wearing a puffy blue dress, had a mass of curly/wavy red hair that was styled in a pair of high pigtails on the side of her head. There was a soft red mist also inside the case with the doll, which also had her eyes closed. The way the room was designed, one would think that the doll was the centrepiece of the place.

Recognising the hair, Stratos commented, "Wasn't there a poster at the start of our journey that had that hairstyle that had the words 'Poppy wants to Play'?" He pointed at the doll when he asked.

Tri-Klops placed a hand on his chin when he mused, "I think you're right, so does that mean that the doll is called 'Poppy'?"

Stratos shrugged when he said, "That would be my best guess..."

Huggy Wuggy looked over the doll in the glass case in curiosity. The strange thing looked weirdly familiar to the blue creature. But why? Figuring that he needed to hold the doll to remember, Huggy Wuggy moved a hand out and opened the glass case.

Before Stratos and Tri-Klops knew it, the entire room was filled with the red mist.

All three in the room suddenly got dizzy before the lights went out and the music stopped playing. Before consciousness left Stratos,Tri-Klops, and Huggy Wuggy they heard a feminine voice say in surprise, "You opened my case?"

Then the two warriors and the blue creature were unconscious as the red mist hovered in the air.

~}I{~

To be continued.

~}I{~

1… Again, I'm referencing some crossovers with the He-Man franchise that I have yet to write.

~}I{~