After the smaller group left the utility room, they saw the larger group in the hallway, which made them turn to them. "Glad to see all of you are doing alright," DogDay said.
As the smaller group approached the larger group, Bobby BearHug looked at Michelle. "How are your arms?" she asked.
Michelle held her arms out a bit and looked at them. "The phantom pain did come back, but it wasn't as bad as last time..." she said before holding her right arm. "And I also felt some slight pain when we found the Pressure Hand in the boilers."
Bubba Bubbaphant looked down with somber eyes. "I apologize on my behalf; I wish I could've reduced the pain your prosthetics gave you," he said.
Michelle shook her head. "It's alright; there's so much one person can do," she said before smiling at Bubba Bubbaphant. "I'm just glad to have arms."
Bubba Bubbaphant remained silent and nodded; CraftyCorn looked at Michelle. "Did anything else happen?" she asked.
Michelle's smile faltered before looking down with a slight frown. "Well... while we were inside the boilers, we found a cassette tape involving Poppy and the Prototype," she said. "He was the one who locked her inside that case..."
Some of the group frowned a bit as Michelle trembled. "After hearing her screams and cries at the end..." she said before looking at them with angry eyes. "We need to kill that bastard once and for all."
The group remained silent. "I'm not a hundred percent sure what was on that tape you found, but I can say we're not the first to try and take out the Prototype," Giblet said, which made the others look at him. "Everyone who tries has failed."
Michelle looked at Giblet. "He's so juiced up on that pink stuff," he continued.
Hoppy Hopscotch looked at Giblet. "You mean the Poppy Gel; how strong is that stuff?" she asked.
Giblet looked down, and his ears drooped. "It's so powerful that you could cut him in half, and he'd just put himself back together," he said. "But everyone has a weakness, and Playtime... they did all kinds of studies... poking him with needles and making spreadsheets."
Michelle looked at the groups. "If that's the case, then we're stepping in the right direction if we can find more information on the Negation Compound," she said.
KickinChicken looked at Michelle, confused. "The what compound?" he asked.
Matthew held his right hand out before the folded piece of paper emerged from it. Matthew unfolded the paper before holding it out to the larger group. "While the search party was traversing through a room filled with giant roots, we found a lab report," he said.
Some of the larger group looked at the paper. "Not only did it explain what the Poppy Gel does to plants, but it also tells us that they were in the process of making a formula to negate it," Matthew continued.
After the note went back inside Matthew's body, PickyPiggy placed her hoof against her chin. "If we had that in our hands, it could weaken the Prototype if he came in contact with it," she said.
Giblet looked at the note with his ears perked up before humming. "Then, we'll need to find more documents about this Negation Compound," he said before walking forward, which made Chum Chompkins follow. "This way."
The groups followed the duo before they turned to the right and went through the opening with a red door frame. After the group turned right, they stood before the large yellow door; Michelle looked at Giblet. "Is this it?" she asked.
Giblet nodded. "All of their science is through here," he said.
Chum Chompkins opened his mouth and dug his hand inside before pulling a drill out of it. Chum Chompkins placed the drill on a panel before pulling the trigger, which made it drill on the panel and opened the door.
After Chum Chompkins put the drill back inside his mouth, he made worried noises, which made Giblet look at him. "C'mon! How many times have we been talking about taking this guy out?" he asked rhetorically before the group walked forward. "This is our chance."
Michelle crossed her arms. "Everything happens for a reason," she said.
Giblet slightly smiled at Michelle as the group turned left. "See? I knew you'd get me, Misha," he said.
When the large red door opened, Michelle looked at the stairs with boxes covering the upper part. "The search party will take the stairs; the rest of you should follow Giblet," she said.
The smaller toys made sad 'Aww' noises while PJ Pug-A-Pillar whined a bit, and Pianosaurus made sad music-like noises. Michelle gently smiled and petted PJ Pug-A-Pillar's and Pianosaurus's heads. "Don't worry, we'll reunite with you guys again; I promise," she said.
Most of the smaller toys said 'OK' before following the larger Smiling Critters. The Mini Huggies and Mini Kissy Missy looked at Huggy Wuggy with sad chirps, which made him look at them.
Huggy Wuggy knelt and petted the Mini Huggies' and Mini Kissy Missy's heads with a low purr. "Go with big group," he said.
The Mini Huggies and the Mini Kissy Missy stared at Huggy Wuggy before nodding and following the larger group before the door closed.
As Huggy Wuggy stood up, Mommy Long Legs grinned at him. "Look at you, acting like a father figure to the mini Huggies; how adorable," she said.
Huggy Wuggy growled at Mommy Long Legs. "Shut up," he said, which made her giggle.
Michelle looked at the stairs. "C'mon, let's head this way," she said, which made the others nod before approaching them.
After Michelle climbed the lower part of the stairs, she went through the gap before reaching the top; after the others caught up, they looked around before walking forward.
When Michelle turned her head to the left, she noticed a crack in the glass before twisting the knob, retracting the red hand inside her arm, and the Pressure Hand appeared.
Michelle aimed her right arm at the glass before the Pressure Hand shot from her wrist and touched the glass. As the pressure gauge went up, larger cracks started forming on the glass.
When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, shattering the glass in the process before the pieces fell to the ground.
Kevin went through the opening and cleared the glass on the ground before holding his hand out to Michelle, which made her smile and place her left hand in his. "Thank you," she said before going through the opening with his help.
As Jack got on the frame of the opening, he started losing his balance before falling forward with a yelp.
Before Jack hit the ground, Katelynn's tail wrapped around him, which left him suspended in the air a bit. "Careful now, we don't want glass all over you," she said as she went through the opening before placing him on the clear part of the ground by his feet.
Jack looked at Katelynn with a slight blush as she unwrapped her tail. "Uh, thank you..." he said, lowly.
Katelynn smiled and gave Jack a thumbs-up. "Anytime," she said.
Kevin cleared his throat, which made Jack flinch a bit. "We shouldn't keep the others waiting; let's move," he said.
Jack quickly nodded before walking forward, which made Katelynn look at Kevin with an angry pout before walking forward.
As the others went through the opening, Michelle placed her hand against Kevin's arm, which made him glance at her. "Go easy on him, Kev; he's not like the assholes from Playcare," she said, lowly.
Kevin stared at Michelle before sighing a bit. "That's true..." he said, lowly, before the group walked forward.
Soon after, the group was near two tanks: the left one with yellow lines in the upper part and the right one with green lines on the lower part.
Michelle examined the tanks with a hum. "The tanks call for different amounts," she said before looking at the left tank with small sparks coming from the lever area. "Unfortunately, there's one broken lever."
Matthew approached the lever near the right tank and gently touched it with his finger before it broke and fell to the floor, which made some of the group look at it. "Make that two..." he said, lowly.
Michelle sighed. "Well, that's just great..." she said, lowly, before approaching the right tank. "I guess we'll go by trial and error."
When Michelle was close to the tank, she aimed her right arm at the green handprint. The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the green handprint before the pressure gauge went up.
When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, which made the Red Smoke inside the tank go up before it started going down quickly.
Michelle looked at the tank, surprised. "This one is quicker than the one in the plant lab," she said before looking at the other tank. "Then that one needs to be done first."
Michelle quickly approached the left tank and aimed her right arm at the green handprint. The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the green handprint before the pressure gauge went up.
When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, which made the Red Smoke inside the tank go up.
When Michelle was close to the other tank, she noticed it was under the green lines before aiming her right arm at the green handprint. The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the green handprint before the pressure gauge went up.
When the pressure gauge was in the yellow, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, which made the Red Smoke inside the tank go up before going down quickly.
The contents in the left tank were between the yellow lines, which lit the cable. Soon after, the other tank was between the green lines, which lit the cable up and opened the door.
Matthew placed his hand on the right side of the door frame before looking at the others. "Go on ahead; I'll hold the door in case it closes," he said.
The others nodded before they quickly entered the small room; after Matthew entered the room and pulled his hand away, the door behind the group closed.
The group looked at the door. "All we can do now is move forward," Michelle said before approaching the door near the glass.
After Michelle opened the door, she looked around before stepping out of the room and holding it. As some of the group went through the door, Huggy Wuggy slammed his arm against the glass, shattering it, before he and the larger toys went through it.
After Michelle closed the door, she walked forward and looked around. "Hey there," a male voice said.
The group looked up and spotted Giblet standing on the console with one of his feet standing on a button near the microphone, with Chum Chompkins and the larger group near him. "Should be a way to get that door open," he continued.
Giblet looked at Chum Chompkins. "Hey, Chum, any ideas what to do?" he asked.
Chum Chompkins shook his head while making humming noises, which made Giblet sigh a bit. Michelle looked up and noticed a platform with handles hanging above the ground on the left side. "That platform probably has a part in it," she said.
Soon after, Michelle spotted a tank with red lines near the top on a higher platform. "So does that tank," she continued before looking at the plug on the pulling mechanism and a handle at the top. "Along with that plug."
As Michelle approached the handle on the roof, she spotted a valve, which made her nod. "I know what we need to do," she said before looking at the group. "We need the tank, the valve, and the plug working at the same time."
Michelle pointed at the platform before moving toward the ledge on the right side. "That will make the platform move to the other side and, in turn, power the area up as well," she continued.
Giblet huffed a bit. "That's gonna take a while," he said.
Mommy Long Legs looked at the larger group. "If my little Misha were to do it alone, it would take time; however, she has us to work with," she said.
Giblet looked at Mommy Long Legs, surprised. "In that case, I'll take care of the tank," Michelle said before looking at the group. "One person will have to take care of the valve while another will have to hold the plug mechanism in place."
The group nodded as Michelle aimed her left arm at the handle above her. The blue hand shot from Michelle's wrist and grabbed the handle before she pulled herself up.
When Michelle was near the handle, she looked at the upper floor before swinging herself toward it.
As Michelle stood properly, Kevin's hands grabbed the platform before he pulled himself up. "Might as well tag along with you," he said before standing up. "Someone's gotta pull the lever for you."
Michelle smiled at Kevin. "If that's your way of spending more time with me, I don't mind the company," she said.
Kevin chuckled a bit as the couple walked forward. "That obvious, huh?" he asked rhetorically.
Giblet stared at the couple. "It was very obvious, lover boy; even we could see the intent," he said, which made some of the smaller toys giggle a bit.
Kevin glared at Giblet with a slight growl and raised his left arm while holding his third finger up. "Hey, fuck you!!" he shouted. "Also, it was a rhetorical question!"
Michelle placed her hand against Kevin's arm, which made him look at her. "Hey now, not in front of the smaller toys," she said.
Kevin stared at Michelle before sighing and lowering his arm. "My bad..." he said, lowly, before they approached the tank.
When Jack was close to the mechanism, he shot his arm toward its handle and grabbed it before he started pulling on it. Soon after, the mechanism plugged into a different machine, which turned the light green.
CatNap approached the valve and carefully turned it until it stopped, which turned the other light green. Michelle looked at the green handprint and aimed her right hand at it.
The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the green handprint before the pressure gauge went up. When the pressure gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand to her wrist, pushing the Red Smoke inside the tank up.
Kevin grabbed the lever before pulling it down, which stopped the Red Smoke inside the tank between the red lines and made the platform move forward. "Yeah, now we're cookin'," Giblet said.
Michelle looked at Giblet. "Say, Giblet," she said, which made him look in her direction. "There's something I've been meaning to ask."
Giblet nodded. "Shoot," he said.
Michelle crossed her arms. "Hypothetically, when the Prototype is dead, what do you plan on doing next?" she asked.
Giblet froze a bit. "Well, uh..." he said before looking away. "I haven't put much thought into that, if I'm honest."
Michelle smiled. "Well, if you still don't have a clue after it's all over, you could always join my group and leave this place," she said.
Giblet and Chum Chompkins looked at Michelle, shocked. "Leave this place?" he asked.
Soon after, the valve started spinning backward, which made the platform stop halfway. "Yeah," Michelle said as she looked at Kevin. "I told Kev about this a while back, but..."
As Matthew was turning the valve, Michelle looked at the larger group. "Once the Prototype is dealt with, I plan on taking everyone, including Poppy and Kissy, to the outside and show you the real sky with your own eyes," she continued.
The larger group stared at Michelle, shocked. "I know that it's a bit of a long shot, but none of you guys deserve to be in a place like this," she said.
Jack's arm started tiring out, which made him struggle a bit. "To constantly fight for survival or to starve yourself to death or go on a cannibalistic path; you guys were once humans too," Michelle continued.
Katelynn stretched her arm toward the handle and grabbed it before tapping Jack's shoulder with her tail, which made him let go of it with a sigh.
Michelle looked at Giblet with sincere eyes as Jack bowed his head to Katelynn, which made her smile and wag her tail a bit. "You guys should live the lives that were taken away from you, not this," she said.
Michelle placed her hand against her chest. "And if I can help in some way to make you guys happier... that would be the greatest joy of all time," she continued.
Giblet stared at Michelle, amazed, while Chum Chompkins had bright eyes before making humming noises, which made him nod. "You said it, bud... now I can see where her other title comes from," he said.
Michelle looked at Giblet, confused. "What other title?" she asked.
Giblet flinched a bit and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, uh..." he said before noticing the Red Smoke inside the tank was below the red lines and pointing at it. "Hey, the Red Smoke inside that tank is under the red lines."
Michelle flinched before she and Kevin looked at the tank. "Shit, is it? That's my bad," she said before approaching it and aiming her right arm at the green handprint.
Giblet sighed in relief as the Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the green handprint before he moved his foot away from the button. "That was close..." he said, lowly.
Bobby BearHug approached the console. "Now you see why other people call her 'The Angel of Hope', huh?" she asked.
Giblet flinched and looked at Bobby BearHug. "How do you—" he stopped midsentence when she rubbed the back of her head. "I overheard your conversation with CatNap; sorry if that was rude..."
Giblet sighed a bit. "It's fine..." he said before looking at Michelle as she retracted the Pressure Hand, pushing the Red Smoke inside the tank up before Kevin pulled the lever, which made it stop. "But yeah... I can see it now..."
Bobby BearHug stared at Giblet before looking down with somber eyes and crossing her arms. "Hey, Giblet..." she said, which made him turn to her. "About what happened during the Hour of Joy... I'm sorry..."
Bobby BearHug remembered her past self, trying to stand up and look around while attempting to speak, before collapsing onto the floor, which made her grip her arms a bit. "I was so engulfed in my rage over what the scientists did to me, even before the Hour of Joy happened..." she continued.
Bobby BearHug trembled with tears pricking her eyes. "I just... couldn't forgive them..." she said, lowly.
The others remained silent and looked down; Giblet frowned a bit with his ears drooping before approaching the edge of the console. When Giblet was close to Bobby BearHug, he placed his hand against her leg. "It's alright, Bobby," he said.
Bobby BearHug stopped trembling and looked at Giblet. "You already know my motto: 'Everything's a tragedy until it's meant to be,'" he continued.
When Giblet looked forward, he noticed the platform was near the other side. "But now... I think we've got something going on," he said before the group glanced at the couple as they talked.
Soon after, the group saw Michelle smile, which made Giblet smile. "Especially with the Angel of Hope on our side," he continued.
When the platform was on the side, the area powered up. Giblet approached the microphone before pressing the button with his foot. "Nice going; all you gotta do now is hit the scanner," he said.
Michelle nodded before the couple approached the ledge; Katelynn let go of the mechanism as they jumped down.
Michelle aimed her left arm at one of the handles on the platform before the blue hand shot from her wrist and grabbed it; most of the group climbed the ledge near the door as she pulled herself up.
Mommy Long Legs grabbed Yarnaby and pulled him up before setting him near the others. Soon after, Mommy Long Legs held her other hand under Michelle, which made her let go before she caught her.
After Mommy Long Legs placed Michelle near the door, she approached the blue hand scanner before placing her left hand against it, which activated it. After the blue hand scanner finished, the door opened. "We'll see you guys on the other side," Giblet said.
Michelle nodded as she pulled her hand away from the blue hand scanner. "Right," she said as the group went through the opening before the door closed behind them.