Chapter 3:
Deep Sleep:
Superman was looking around. He then sees something dragging Lois and Jimmy and attempts to go after them, but the thing breathes some sort of red smoke on Superman...
...
Lois and Jimmy find themselves in a strange place. "I bet this never happens to Wonder Woman's pals," says Jimmy.
"That's not what Steve Trevor tells me," says Lois, "let's go!"
"What is this place," asks Jimmy.
"If I have to guess, this is where the garbage goes," says Lois, "let's go before we're compacted!"
...
Superman finds himself in a destroyed Metropolis. "No..."
"Oh, yes," says Luthor, as he appears with Prankster, Parasite, Metallo, Zod, Jax-Ur, Brainiac, Livewire, and Manheim.
"Did you do this," asks Superman.
"That's the best part," says Luthor, "we didn't have to... you destroyed the city you've sworn to protect!"
Superman was horrified as his enemies laughed... except Brainiac, he just smirked...
...
While Jimmy and Lois were going through a dangerous obstacle course, including mysterious red smoke. "Did you see that," asks Jimmy.
"You mean the bottom half of a giant purple animal," asks Lois, "no."
"Me neither," says Jimmy.
They both lied. They then went through a vent.
...
Now, this room has furniture and a TV. Lois plays a tape. "Alright, Ms. Harper, please explain the situation."
"Well, like any night, all the children were getting to sleep. It was peaceful, quiet. CatNap had the red smoke in the room. Then, suddenly, there's this scream. Nightmares happen, I know, but this... I mean, dilated pupils and quivering lips? The way her eyes darted around the room? And I swear, her hand in mine, it felt like her blood was boiling beneath her skin... she saw something too, something horrible! She- I-I'm sorry, I don't mean to..."
"Ms. Harper, we'll provide the very best care we can offer; you have my word. But this is important. Did Marie happen to describe what she saw?"
"Yes, a monster she said, said that it was... colorless... Gosh, I could hear her poor little heart pounding. For her, it was right there! A-And her movements, they were so wild! Arms flailin', legs kickin'... I-I wanted to talk to her. See how she's doin'. I just... I really need to hear her voice right now."
"That would not be advised, Ms. Harper. There are many concerns we must address at this time. But vitals show normal, and we'll continue to monitor. She'll be okay."
Ms. Harper then freaked out, demanding to see Marie.
Lois and Jimmy then continue and find a cardboard cutout. "Bubba Bubbaphant," asks Lois.
"What," asks Jimmy.
"From an old TV show called the Smiling Critters," says Lois, "that's where creepy toy #3, CatNap came from... the purple animal... we should be on guard!"
Jimmy presses the button and after some talks about memories, they heard screaming. "Let's move on," says Jimmy.
A phone rings. Lois answers. "Hello," asks Lois.
"Hey... Hey, can you hear me? You guys look kinda lost. I don't want you to die- so, I'm gonna help you! Check this out. Look at the tube thing on the back wall. Ready?" A battery falls out of it. "You can use that battery to open the door." They do so.
"Who is this," asks Lois.
"My name's Ollie. I know you guys are probably mad at Poppy for not letting you escape, but she needs your friend. We need him. With his help, we can save a lot of people."
"Where is Superman," asks Lois.
"Recovering from CatNap's trick," says Ollie, "Playcare is straight ahead. It's the home of CatNap... one of the 'Smiling Critters'. There used to be... eight of them? I think? Now, it's just him. Playcare is his church, his hunting ground, whatever he wants it to be. You better get moving quickly... We'll keep in touch." He then hangs up.
"Great," says Lois.
...
Lois and Jimmy find a cardboard of Kickin' Chicken and it talks about going outside and gets scared.
...
Superman wakes up. "That was one heck of a nightmare," says Superman.
"It was the worst kind." It was an elephant-like creature.
"Bubba Bubbaphant," says Superman, "I watched your show when I was a kid!"
"Listen to me," says Bubba, "you have to help us! My friends are all gone! I saw him kill CraftyCorn, Hoppy, Kickin' Chicken, Bobby, he just took DogDay! That monster must be..." Something then grabs Bubba and kills him.
Superman runs, but sees the killer is gone. He then sees the remains of the other dead Smiling Critters. Superman then sees something else. It looked like some sort of shrine, made out of dead toys.
...
Lois and Jimmy took a ride to Playcare. "Nice place," says Jimmy.
Lois gets a call from Ollie. "Cool place, right," asks Ollie, "the kids used to live here. Now look at it. Anyways... do you see the statue in the middle of the room? Take the stairs that go under it. There's a really cool room in there that powers literally ALL of Playcare!"
"How old are you," asks Lois.
"I can give you a key down there," says Ollie.
Jimmy finds signs that explain about each Smiling Critter.
"Let's go," says Lois.
...
Now they're in that room under the statues. "Found the key," says Jimmy, "let's go!"
They get another call from Ollie. "Where does this key go," asks Lois.
"Head back out and you should find a door just to the left of the cable car you took to get down here," says Ollie.
...
"Welcome to the Gas Production Zone," says Ollie, "the beating heart of the whole evil Playcare system. All that gas you see coming from the machine is made right here in the factory. It's called 'The Red Smoke'. Right now, it's headed off to the right. We need to make that red smoke go left instead. That's how we can get to him. The machine will probably have a few dumb safeguards for you to work around, but I think you guys can do it."
...
After they manage to get the job done, with help from Jimmy's new Grabpack 2.0...
"Someone killed the power," says Ollie, "okay, I sent you another key. It's under the statue. Use that key to get into Home Sweet Home. Then once you're inside, find the building's backup generator. Good luck."
...
Superman finds Playcare and he starts searching. The effects of the red smoke messed with his super senses, but he wasn't going to let that stop him.
...
Lois and Jimmy enter Home Sweet Home. Jimmy opens a door, and the room is full of red smoke. "Let's hope we can hold our breaths," says Lois. The two go through...
...
"Well, so far, nothing's happened," says Jimmy.
Then a TV was on and an even scarier version of Huggy Wuggy came out and attacked them...
...
Lois and Jimmy wake up. "What... was that," asks Jimmy.
"CatNap," says Lois.
"Hey, look," says Jimmy, "two gas masks!"
"They could be helpful," says Lois.
...
Lois and Jimmy then continue through Home Sweet Home. Lois then plays a tape about Subject #1322. There was also a kid asking about Kevin. "When you see him again, he will never have been better."
"That was the Toyman's voice," says Jimmy.
"Wait, what was he doing with Kevin..." Lois then had a horrifying thought, but she hoped she was wrong.
They then started moving but stopped when they saw CatNap walking by. "He's taller than I thought," says Jimmy.
They then continued moving, saw Kissy Missy sitting in a bed, looking at a picture. They snuck past her.
...
They then found a cardboard cutout of PickyPiggy. Jimmy presses the button and PickyPiggy talks about eating food and her friends and makes a creepy suggestion.
...
Lois and Jimmy finally get to the backup generator, and they get to work...
...
Lois and Jimmy exit the Home Sweet Home, but something attacks them. It was Kissy Missy. "No, no," says Poppy, "let go! They didn't do anything wrong!" She then turns around and looks at Lois and Jimmy. "We're actually here to help. This place makes her tense... I'm glad that Ollie could get you this far. He's the reason we found you at all." The two then start walking.
"Can we trust them," asks Jimmy.
"I don't think we have much choice," says Lois, "in case you forgot, there's a giant purple cat on the loose in this place! Let's go!"
"Looks like the train crash hurt us all," says Poppy, "where's Superman?"
"I think CatNap separated us from him," says Lois.
"You guys have been through so much," says Poppy, "you deserve an explanation. Come on." Lois and Jimmy then follow the two. Poppy then activates a switch, and it reveals an elevator that the four go on. "Listen... I'm not your enemy, but I can't let you guys leave. What's happening down here is bigger than all of us. And I need your super friend... he is how we can get our revenge on those monsters who've tortured you... who've tortured us. They didn't act alone. They're disciples of the original: The Prototype." The four then reached their floor. "Do the honors?" Lois and Jimmy then take a look.
"Creepy," says Jimmy.
"Not exactly a romantic view, is it," asks Poppy.
"What," asks Jimmy.
"Nothing," says Poppy. Lois and Jimmy get back on. "The Prototype knows we're coming by now. You guys try to escape, he'll kill you before you ever reach that front door. He's the reason I was trapped in that God-awful case for so long! You have... no idea the things he's done! Let me help you kill him! But we're going to need Superman! Only he has the power! Then we can save everyone. We've ALL seen what he's capable of. He killed Huggy, he killed Mommy, he's perfect for this..."
"Superman usually finds us," says Lois.
"I had a Superman signal watch... but when I opened your case, you kind of broke it," says Jimmy.
"Sorry," says Poppy, "Catnap is coming. He's the final obstacle the Prototype has placed against us. We can't stay here. Keep yourselves safe... Ollie will call you." Poppy and Kissy Missy then leave.
Lois then gets a call from Ollie. "Hello," asks Lois.
"Hey, hey... it's me again," says Ollie, "it seems like Poppy explained everything now. And she turned on the Dome's backup power! Now the plan here is pretty simple- we need to restore power to the gas production zone. First, go back to the Home Sweet Home building you were just in. You should be able to find a big power cord somewhere around the porch. Grab it and plug it in underneath the statue." They find the cord and Jimmy uses his grab pack to grab it They then plugged it in. "Awesome, look at that! Remember the generator that you turned on inside of Home Sweet Home? Well, that was a backup generator for just that building. And every building should have one! Now you've just taken Home Sweet Home's backup power and routed it here. We're already halfway done! Hmmm, but where to go next... everywhere is pretty dangerous around here. That playhouse especially. Yuck! So... our best bet is probably the school. Catnap usually leaves that place alone. Sending you the key now!" Lois grabs the key.
...
Superman was still searching for Lois and Jimmy. He found some sort of large pillow. Looked like something an animal would sleep in. He then finds some pictures of CraftyCorn. They looked like the kind of pictures you'd take if you were a stalker. "Looks like he had another reason for taking her life," says Superman, unamused, "rejection." He then flies off, not knowing that CatNap was watching him.
...
Lois and Jimmy enter the school. "Okay, make this quick," says Ollie, "turn on the generator, leave, and plug the school's power cord into the center. Be careful in there, I don't think I can connect to you on that side of the dome. And you guys won't be alone. There's someone else in there too. They're not your-"
"This is Miss Delight speaking. Please excuse the interruption. Students- remain in your seat until the bell has rung. And no going in the halls without a hall pass!"
"Great, an evil teacher," says Jimmy, "as if kids didn't disrespect teachers enough."
As Lois and Jimmy walk through the halls, they saw Miss Delight walking by.
"Wait, I don't know who you two are," says Miss Delight, over the intercom again, "Barb says you're intruders. CatNap wouldn't like that you're here... you should leave... For your own safety." Lois and Jimmy go through the vents. They then return to the classroom. "You're not good listeners, are you? You're a lot like the other humans in that way. I wonder if your screams will sound like theirs too... I look forward to finding out." Lois and Jimmy then get the power going, but Miss Delight comes and breaks it with her weapon. The two then start running and Miss Delight chases after them.
"Did you see her face," asks Jimmy.
"You call that a face," asks Lois.
During the chase, Superman comes. "First, I catch you two playing with toys, now you're going back to school? Don't you think it's time you grew up?"
"You're all getting detention," says Miss Delight, but when she hits Superman with her weapon, it breaks. "Barb!"
"You're funny," says Superman. He then breaks Miss Delight. "And I used to respect my teachers."
...
Lois and Jimmy tell Superman everything that Poppy has told them, and Superman told them about how CatNap killed the Smiling Critters.
"CatNap sounds like one bad cat," says Jimmy.
"Well, let's go," says Superman.
...
Jimmy finds a cardboard cutout of Hoppy that talks about going to the moon and being obsessed with it.
"Over there," says Superman, seeing a familiar sight, "I saw that shrine earlier!"
"And there's CatNap, bowing to it," says Lois, "that's his dedication to the Prototype!"
"Let's go before he makes a human sacrifice," says Jimmy.
...
"Now, where are we," asks Lois.
"Looks like the Playhouse," says Superman.
"Didn't Ollie warn us about that," asks Jimmy.
As they walked, they heard a chuckle. Then a little creature that looks like a ruined CatNap doll came crawling in. It tried to attack, but Superman zaps it with his heat vision. "Be on your toes," says Superman.
They kept moving and more ruined critters came and Superman zaps each of them with his heat vision. "What are these things," asks Jimmy.
"I guess after killing his friends, Catnap decided to make replacements," says Lois.
"No wonder Ollie didn't like this place," says Jimmy, "is there anything that isn't trying to kill us?"
"Well, Poppy isn't," says Lois, "in fact, she seems to like you."
"I guess," says Jimmy, "but she looks like a little girl and she's plastic."
"Over here," says Superman.
...
Now they're in some kind of prison. "Why would a playhouse have a jail," asks Lois.
"Why would cute, cuddly things try to kill us," asks Jimmy.
"Good point," says Lois.
"You..." They look and see DogDay, without his legs, and hanging on chains. "You're Poppy's angels. Come to save us. Nothing left to save, not here... You're in Catnap's home, angels. Their home. A million pairs of eyes are on you now. Watching, waiting, hungry. They want nothing more than to crawl beneath your skin and eat away at you bit by little bit- fill what feels empty inside themselves. That... thing... CatNap. The Prototype is his God, and this is what he does to heretics. These little toys follow CatNap to avoid that very fate- and in return, they are fed."
"I met Bubba," says Superman, "and found CatNap's... photos."
"CatNap never accepted that CraftyCorn only saw him as a friend and when she had enough of his stalking... We tried to fight it," says DogDay, "the Prototype's control. I'm... the last of the Smiling Critters."
"Y'know, when I was a kid, I watched the show," says Superman, "you were my favorite."
"That's nice," says Dogday, "but you need to get out of this place. You need to live. You and Poppy can fix this, end this madness, the torment, the- Oh no... OH NO! Leave me, please. Just go!... RUN!" The Ruined Critters climb into DogDay and takes control of him. Superman had to fight back against DogDay. This is a case where Superman doesn't want to hurt him because it's not his fault. DogDay is being used.
"Superman, we should just escape," says Lois, "there's nothing you can do for him!"
"I promise, I will take CatNap down," says Superman.
He then grabs a wall and traps DogDay behind it. He then leaves with Lois and Jimmy.
...
Jimmy finds a cardboard cutout of DogDay, talking about fetching and warning the listener to leave.
...
They get another call from Ollie. "Hey, are you alright," asks Ollie, "no ouchies or lost body parts?"
"Seriously, how old are you," asks Lois.
"I'm really glad you guys are okay," says Ollie, "I don't want to lose any more friends to this place. Hey... did you see the shrine? CatNap made it for the Prototype. See, before CatNap turned into... CatNap, I guess there was some pretty serious accident. He almost died but... they say that the Prototype saved his life, giving up his own freedom in the process. In CatNap's eyes, the Prototype is a superhero and has saved this place. So, CatNap treats him like a God, killing anyone that opposes him."
"That's crazy," says Lois, "Superman has saved me countless times and you don't see me feeding a dog to a bunch of mini-zombies!"
"If you thought that shrine was terrifying," says Ollie, "just wait until you see the real thing. Anyways, we're really close to the end. I sent you a new key. You're going to the councilor's office instead. It's not idea... but it should have enough juice. If you can get that generator going and plug it in... I think we'll be done. And keep your eyes open for CatNap. Every shadow and every flickering light is a hiding spot. He always stalks his prey first. He'll take away anything you have to defend yourself. And when you're at your most vulnerable... he'll kill you. CatNap lives for the hunt. Good luck, talk soon."
...
Superman, Lois, and Jimmy return to the school. "Let's get to work," says Superman.
Lois plays a video about some sort of warning and there was a message about the Hour of Joy. Superman looks through a window and sees Bunzo. He falls to the ground and gets snatched by CatNap.
The three then find the Counciler's office.
Lois plays another video. "Why do you keep playing those videos," asks Jimmy.
"They have useful information," says Lois, "why do you keep pressing buttons on the cardboard cutouts?"
"Good point," says Jimmy.
"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Hartmann? Come on in! Please, have a seat! How was your ride down?"
"It was nothing like we were expecting," says Mr. Hartmann, "Mr. Ludwig's speech was... well, it just confirms for us that you're the orphanage we wanna go through."
"It's truly a magical place. I felt right at home the second I entered. You open that door the first time and you just know; you're never going to leave... Kind of like finding a home as a child, and always thinking of it when you want to feel comforted. I understand you want to give Jeremy that home."
"Yes, and we would like to adopt," says Mrs. Hartmann"
"Amazing! You'll be perfect for-... Oh..."
"W-What?"
"Well, it appears there's... been complications."
"What kind of complications," asks Mrs. Hartmann.
"I don't know. Uhm... the form, says... 'testing'."
"What does that mean," asks Mrs. Hartmann.
"Miss Greyber, we deserve a better explanation than that, don't you think?"
"You're in charge of all this, how can you not know?"
"I don't... I'm sorry." And the video ends.
"What kind of place is this," asks Jimmy.
"What do they mean," asks Superman.
"I-I have a theory," says Lois, "Jimmy, remember that video we saw about a Subject #1322?"
"Yeah," asks Jimmy.
"What if... what if these monsters... were all people," asks Lois, "think about it! Poppy has way too much personality to just be some kind of AI!"
"That would explain a lot," says Superman. He then thought about the ones he's killed. He thought he was just destroying toy monsters. He didn't think of...
...
The three walk. Jimmy presses a button on a CraftyCorn cardboard cutout, and it was asking for red.
Lois finds a third gas mask and gives it to Superman. "You might need it," says Lois.
...
As the three pick up the battery, CatNap comes and attacks and breaks Superman's gasmask...
...
"Find the flower. Find the flower. This isn't a place you come back from. Do you have any idea what you're doing? Do you know what's happened here? Do you know who we once were? Do you see why we have to end this? Do you even know what's real? No, you don't."
...
Superman wakes up from that hallucination. He looks and sees Lois and Jimmy are gone. He then finds Lois' phone, ringing and answers it. "LEAVE PLAYCARE, OR I'M COMING FOR YOU."
"How'bout this," says Superman, "let my friends go, or I'm coming for you!"
...
Superman's back outside. He gets a call from Ollie. "Something's gone wrong," says Ollie, "grab the cord from the Counciler's office and plug it in underneath the statue!"
"I don't have time for that," says Superman, "CatNap has Lois and Jimmy!"
"We need to reach 100% in order to beat CatNap," says Ollie.
"Fine," says Superman. He then does so, and another key appears.
...
"Okay, that should be enough power," says Ollie, "now take that huge battery to the Gas Production Zone. So, we can get out of here! It's the door by the cable car."
"Before I leave, I still plan to take down CatNap," says Superman.
...
Superman gets to the Gas Production Zone and finds Lois and Jimmy tied up. He then plugs in the battery and just as he was about to untie Lois and Jimmy, CatNap appears. "Look what the cat dragged in," says Superman. CatNap then fills the room with his red smoke, and it makes him look like an undead skeletal creature. Superman then flies to the air and CatNap climbs up a wall.
...
Superman then finds a video and plays it, and it talks about the Prototype.
"I... possess... a question," says the Prototype, with different voices.
"Go ahead," says a voice that sounds like the Toyman.
"Do you... feel... anything?"
"This question referring to what, exactly?"
"You stick us. Beat us. Tear at flesh. Do you feel it?"
"There is a secret inside you, 1006. Valuable beyond all measure. I can cut and prod and burn at it, and I get closer with each session... so speak, or don't. Fight, or give in. Regardless, I learn something new about you every day..." The voice laughs. "It excites me!"
"Thank you," says the Prototype.
"You... thank me?"
"Absolutely. I learn something new about you every day." The message ends.
"The Prototype can mimic voices," asks Superman.
Superman then walks and is faced with CatNap. CatNap tries to attack, but Superman fights back. Superman then thinks about how CatNap was once a person and is reluctant about destroying him, but CatNap is not so reluctant and continues to try to kill Superman. Superman then decides he has no choice. As CatNap's about to attack, Superman grabs his head and breaks CatNap's neck. Superman then looks at the dead body and feels bad about this. Then the Prototype's claw comes and grabs CatNap and leaves. Superman tries to follow the claw, but it's gone.
...
Superman gets back down and sees Poppy and Kissy Missy untying Lois and Jimmy.
"That cat's a real creep," says Lois.
"CraftyCorn would've agreed," says Poppy.
"Poppy, it's time we get some answers," says Superman.
"You're right," says Poppy, "you deserve to know the truth. This... this is your answer." It's a tape. "We called it 'the Hour of Joy'." Poppy plays the tape.
Superman, Lois, and Jimmy then see what happened. It shows Huggy Wuggy, Kissy Missy, Mommy Longlegs, CatNap, Boxy Boo, and an army of Miss Delights killing people.
Kissy Missy looks down and Lois comforts her.
"I remember hearing every moment of it," says Poppy, "it went on so long... so agonizingly long. They tried to hide, to run, anything to stay alive... I remember their cries: 'What's going on?' 'Why is this happening?' 'What are those things?' Senseless slaughter, that's all it really was. They killed everyone. The guilty, the innocent, didn't matter. All that death... it didn't fix anything. And then, once it was all over, they dragged those corpses down below where they'd never be found. And they... ate the bodies... to stay alive. The Prototype has to die. For this. For everything.
...
Superman, Lois, Jimmy, and Poppy got on this elevator. Kissy Missy had to remain behind. "Alright," says Poppy, "once we hit the ground, we need to be cautious, there's something-"
"Just one thing," says Superman, "the man who made these monsters... did he have a name?"
"Harley Sawyer," says Poppy.
Superman then uses his heat vision to make an image. "Did you look like this?"
"That's him," says Poppy.
Superman, Lois, and Jimmy were horrified, because, Harley Sawyer, the man who made the monsters, is their enemy, the Toyman!
They then hear something attack Kissy Missy. Poppy was worried. Superman flies up to check on her...
To Be Continued