After the group left the utility room, the others looked at them. "Glad to see all of you are doing alright," DogDay said. Bobby BearHug looked at Michelle. "How are your arms?" she asked.
Michelle looked at her right arm. "The phantom pain did come back, but it wasn't as bad as last time..." she said. "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." CraftyCorn looked at Michelle. "Did anything else happen?" she asked.
Michelle's smile faltered before looking down. "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 the 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 an angry face. "We need to kill this bastard once and for all."
The groups remained silent. "I'm not a hundred percent sure what the tape you found had, 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. "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.
A piece of paper emerged from Matthew's hand before holding it out to the larger group, which made them look at it. "While the search party was traversing through a room filled with giant roots, there was a note that a possible Negation Compound was being created," he said.
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 hummed. "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 room on the right; after they went through the double red doors, they saw a yellow door. Michelle looked at Giblet. "Is this it?" she asked; he 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 drilling it, which opened the yellow doors.
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 they walked forward. "This is our chance."
Michelle crossed her arms. "Everything happens for a reason," she said; Giblet turned his head to her. "See? I knew you'd get me, Misha," he said.
When the red door opened, Michelle looked at the stairs. "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 the mini Kissy Missy looked at Huggy Wuggy with sad chirps; he petted their heads with a low purr. "Go with group," he said. The Mini Huggies and the Mini Kissy Missy stared at Huggy Wuggy before nodding and following the larger group.
After the red door closed, Mommy Long Legs grinned at Huggy Wuggy. "Look at you, acting like a father figure to the mini Huggies; how adorable," she said; he growled at her. "Shut up," he said.
Michelle looked at the stairs. "C'mon, let's head this way," she said; the others nodded before approaching the stairs. Michelle went through the gap before reaching the other side; after the others caught up, they looked around before walking forward.
When Michelle looked at the glass, she noticed a crack in it before twisting the knob, which made the red hand retract into her arm, and the Pressure Hand appeared, before aiming at the glass.
The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the glass; as the gauge went up, larger cracks appeared. When the gauge was in the red, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand, shattering the glass and falling 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, Kev," 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," Katelynn 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; she smiled. "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.
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; Michelle examined them 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 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 before the Pressure Hand shot from her wrist and touched it.
The pressure gauge went up until it was in the red; Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand, which made the contents 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 before the Pressure Hand shot from her wrist.
When the Pressure Hand touched the green handprint, the pressure gauge went up until it was in the red; Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand, which made the contents inside the tank go up.
When Michelle was close to the other tank, she noticed it was between the green lines, before aiming at the green handprint. The Pressure Hand shot from Michelle's wrist and touched the green handprint before the gauge went up.
When the gauge was in the yellow, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand, which made the contents in the tank go up before going down quickly.
When the contents in the left tank were between the yellow lines, which lit the cable; when the other tank was between the green lines, the cable lit up, which 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.
As the others quickly entered, Matthew entered before the door closed; they looked at the door. "All we can do now is move forward," Michelle said before approaching the door.
After Michelle opened the door, she looked around before holding it; as some of the toys went through the door and walked forward, Huggy Wuggy punched 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," 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."
Giblet looked at Chum Chompkins. "Hey, Chum, any ideas what to do?" he asked; he shook his head while making humming noises. Michelle looked up and noticed a platform with handles hanging above. "That platform probably has a part in it," she said.
Soon after, Michelle spotted a tank on a higher platform. "So does that tank," she continued before looking at the handle on the other side with a plug on it. "Along with that contraption."
As Michelle walked toward the platform, 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 contraption working at the same time."
Michelle pointed at the platform before moving it to the other 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 contraption in place."
The group nodded as Michelle looked at the handle above the platform and aimed her left arm. The blue hand shot from Michelle's wrist and grabbed the handle before she pulled herself up and swung herself onto the platform.
As Michelle walked forward, Kevin's hands grabbed the platform before he pulled himself up. "Might as well tag along with you; someone's gotta pull the lever for you," he said.
Michelle smiled at Kevin. "If that's your way of spending more time with me, I don't mind the company," she said; he chuckled a bit as they 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 held 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 other 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 contraption, he shot toward the handle before he started pulling it a bit; soon after, it was inside the machine, which turned the light green.
CatNap approached the valve and carefully turned it until it stopped, which turned the other light green. Michelle aimed her right hand at the green handprint before the Pressure Hand shot from her wrist and touched it.
The pressure gauge went up until it was in the red; soon after, Michelle retracted the Pressure Hand, shooting the contents inside the tank up.
Kevin grabbed the lever before pulling it down, which stopped the contents inside the tank and made the platform move forward. "Yeah, now we're cookin'," Giblet said.
Michelle looked at Giblet. "Say, Giblet," she said, which made Giblet 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 when I was in one of the Doctor's rooms, 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 was starting to 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.
Mommy Long Legs held the handle Jack was holding before tapping his shoulder, which made him let go with a sigh before bowing his head, which made her smile and nod. "You guys should live the lives that were taken away from you, not this," Michelle 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. "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. "Well, uh..." he said before noticing the contents inside the tank were below the red lines. "Oh, look, the tank is under the red lines."
Michelle flinched and looked at the tank. "Shit, is it? That's my bad," she said before 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, as 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—" 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, which made the contents inside the tank go up. "But yeah... I can see it now..."
Bobby BearHug looked down with somber eyes and crossed her arms. "Hey, Giblet..." she said, which made Giblet look at 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, 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 said.
Bobby BearHug looked down, trembling a bit, and tears pricking her eyes. "I just... couldn't forgive them..." she continued.
The others remained silent and looked down; Giblet frowned a bit with his ears drooping before approaching Bobby BearHug and placing his hand against her leg. "It's alright, Bobby," he said.
Bobby BearHug looked at Giblet. "You already know my motto: 'Everything's a tragedy until it's meant to be,'" he said.
When Giblet looked forward, he noticed the platform was near the other side. "But now... I think we've got something going on," he continued before glancing at the couple as they talked.
Soon after, Michelle smiled, which made Giblet smile. "Especially with the Angel of Hope on our side," he said. 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; Mommy Long Legs let go of the contraption as they jumped down.
Michelle aimed her left arm at one of the handles before the blue hand shot from her wrist and grabbed it; most of the larger toys climbed up as she pulled herself up.
Mommy Long Legs grabbed Yarnaby and pulled him up before setting him near the others; she held her other hand under Michelle before she let go, which made her catch her.
After Mommy Long Legs placed Michelle near the door, she approached the scanner before placing her left hand on it, which activated it.
After the scanner finished, the door opened. "We'll see you guys on the other side," Giblet said; Michelle nodded before the group walked forward.