Michelle lay on an open field full of poppy flowers and a blue sky. Michelle winced a bit before slowly opening her eyes; she looked at the blue sky. "Where... am I?" she asked herself.
Michelle slowly sat up. "Where are the others?" she asked herself before standing up. "Where are Katie and Kevin?" Michelle heard footsteps, which made her freeze up before turning her head to the back.
Michelle was shocked to see an adult man with short black hair and brown eyes, and a woman with long brown hair in a braid and hazel eyes wearing lab coats standing on the field. "Who... are you?" she asked. The duo smiled. "It's not your time, Misha," they said.
Michelle was shocked and turned to the duo. "Hang on, how do you know—" a large gust started blowing, which made her cover her face with her arms.
Michelle tried looking at the duo as a light started shining behind them. "You'll know your answers in the Labs..." they said before the light engulfed the area.
Soon after, Michelle, with her hair undone and bandages wrapped around her head and a blanket covering her body, saw a metal roof. This room... she thought.
Michelle slowly turned her head to the right and saw Kevin lying his head and arms on the metal bed. "Ke... vin..." she said, lowly.
Kevin flinched a bit before raising his head and looking at Michelle. "Misha," he said before standing up. "You're awake..." Michelle winced a bit. "What's wrong?" Kevin asked; she looked at him. "Wa... ter..." she said, lowly.
Kevin turned his head to the back and spotted Michelle's bag on the shelf with a black hair tie and a small black brush next to it. "Matthew did mention you had a few water bottles in your bag," he said before approaching it. "I'm glad he thought ahead of this."
When Kevin was close to Michelle's bag, he unzipped it before opening it. After Kevin pulled a water bottle out of the bag, he zipped it before approaching Michelle.
When Kevin was close to Michelle, he untwisted the cap before placing it on the metal table. Kevin placed his hand under Michelle's head before gently lifting her. "Here..." he said as he carefully brought the bottle's mouth to hers.
As Kevin tilted the water bottle a bit, Michelle started drinking from it. Michelle flinched a bit and started coughing, which caused Kevin to quickly stop. "Easy, easy..." he said. "You have to go slow..." When Michelle stopped coughing, Kevin helped her drink the water.
Soon after, Kevin stopped pouring and pulled the water bottle away before gently laying Michelle's head back on the table. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Michelle sighed a bit. "Better..." she said, lowly.
Kevin nodded as he grabbed the bottle cap and twisted it back on the water bottle before stretching his arms to Michelle's bag and unzipping it. After Kevin placed the water bottle back in the bag and zipped it, Michelle looked at the roof. "How long was I out?" she asked.
Kevin remained silent as he retracted his arms before looking down. "For almost a month..." he said; Michelle was shocked. "A month?!" she shouted.
As Michelle quickly sat up, she felt her head pulse, which made her flinch in pain and close her eyes with gritted teeth. "Ah! My head..." she said. As Michelle placed her right hand against her head, she felt something hard, which made her freeze up.
As Michelle opened her eyes and held her right arm out, she saw the Omni-Hand connected to a yellow mechanical prosthetic on her lower arm.
Link to the pic: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.turbosquid.com%2F3d-models%2F3d-mechanical-prosthetic-arm-2159241&psig=AOvVaw34XlvSUkHhIRkrHr5abHC_&ust=1749061812658000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCJiQwJzx1Y0DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
(Picture it something like this, but with a GrabPack style)
Michelle turned to her left arm before holding it out, which revealed the blue hand connected to a yellow mechanical prosthetic on her lower arm. Michelle moved the blue hand's and the Omni-Hand's fingers. "This is..." she said, lowly.
Kevin nodded. "We had to take parts from the GrabPack you wore to make your prosthetic arms..." he said. Michelle nodded. "I see..." she said, lowly.
Michelle looked at the blanket covering her chest before lifting it a bit. Soon after, Michelle covered her chest with the blanket before deadpanning at Kevin. "Is there a reason why I'm only wearing undergarments under this blanket?" she asked.
Kevin flinched with a blush before turning away. "Uh, yes, a very good reason," he said. "Your clothes were covered in blood, so Bobby undressed you and put that blanket over you. She told the male toys to never lift it or we'll have hell to pay."
Michelle looked at Kevin. "And my jacket?" she asked. Kevin looked down. "They had to cut it off you so they could get to your arms," he said. Michelle sighed. "Aw man... and I liked that jacket too..." she said. Kevin frowned a bit. "Sorry..." he said, lowly.
Michelle shook her head. "It's fine... they needed to get to my arms, so they had no other choice," she said before smiling at Kevin. "And besides, I can always get a new one once we're out of this place."
Kevin froze and turned his head to Michelle. "Are you saying...?" he asked. Michelle looked at Kevin, determined. "Once we deal with the Prototype, I'm going to get all of you and the orphans out of here and show you the real sky," she said.
Kevin stared at Michelle before smiling. "That sounds nice..." he said. Michelle smiled. "Now, uh..." she said before pointing to the door. "Could you step out of the room for a moment? I'd like to put some clothes on."
Kevin blushed and quickly nodded. "Yep, I can do that," he said before sprinting toward the door. "I'll be outside." As Kevin left the room, Michelle smiled. "What a gentleman," she said before getting off the metal bed while holding the blanket.
When Michelle approached her bag, she held her right hand out with a slight frown. "Did the debris destroy my bracelet?" she asked herself before looking down. "I'd like to hope it's still intact, but that's wishful thinking..."
Michelle looked at her bag before unzipping it; as she looked through her bag, she noticed a large plastic bag inside and a smaller plastic bag tied and tucked in a hidden spot. "I'm gonna go on a limb and say that was Bobby's doing..." she said.
Michelle dropped the blanket before rummaging through her bag. "Ladies gotta stick together in certain situations..." she continued. Kevin waited by the door with crossed arms. "You can come back in the room, Kevin," Michelle said.
Kevin turned his head to the door before approaching it. As Kevin entered the room, he saw Michelle wearing a purple tank top and black jeans, kneeling on her left knee and attempting to tie her shoe before approaching her. "Do you need help?" he asked.
Michelle stared at her shoelaces. "I'd like to attempt it first..." she said. As Michelle attempted to tie a loop on her shoelace, it came undone, which made her sigh. "Well, that's just great..." she said, lowly.
Kevin knelt before Michelle and grabbed her shoelaces. "It's fine..." he said as he tied a knot. "You tried at least..." After Kevin tied Michelle's right shoe, she held her left shoe out.
After Kevin finished tying Michelle's shoe, he stood properly. "There we go..." he said. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Michelle stood properly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, well... if you don't mind..." she said before holding part of her hair out. "Could you help with my hair?" Kevin smiled a bit and nodded. "Sure..." he said.
After Kevin undid Michelle's head bandages, he grabbed the black brush before brushing her hair. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever seen your hair like this before; you always had it in a braid," he continued.
Michelle thought about it. "Yeah, you're right..." she said before glancing at Kevin. "If you don't know how to do it, I don't mind if you put my hair in a ponytail."
Kevin smiled. "Nah, you're good..." he said as dough arms sprout out of his back. "Back then, Katie wanted her hair like yours, so I've practiced doing braids on her hair." Michelle smiled. "Well, aren't you a good older brother..." she said.
Kevin separated Michelle's hair into three different parts before overlaying them. When Kevin finished, he grabbed the hair tie before tying it on the endpoint of Michelle's hair. "There we go; it's like it never came undone," he said as his dough arms retracted.
Michelle held part of her braid out with a smile. "Thank you very much," she said before letting go and looking at Kevin. "Surely there's something I can do to repay you."
Kevin grinned a bit and gently placed his finger under Michelle's chin. "There's only one form of payment I'll take," he said before closing his eyes and pressing his mouth against her lips, which made her close her eyes and reciprocate.
After a few minutes had passed, the couple pulled away. "Your debt is paid in full," Kevin said; Michelle giggled. "Good to hear..." she said.
Michelle looked at her hands. "Now, to figure out how these things work..." she said before holding her left arm out. "It can't be as simple as aim and shoot with my mind, right?" The blue hand shot off from Michelle's wrist, which baffled the couple as it hit the wall.
The couple stared at the blue hand with sweatdrops as it retracted back to Michelle's wrist. "I guess it is that simple..." she said, lowly. "Then what about switching the hands on the right side?"
Michelle looked at her right arm and noticed a knob on the upper part. "Is that it?" she asked before placing two fingers between it. When Michelle twisted the knob, the Omni-Hand retracted inside her arm before the purple hand appeared.
Michelle looked at the purple hand and moved its fingers. "So weird..." she said, lowly, before realizing something. "Hang on, the air jets that were on the GrabPack." Kevin looked at Michelle. "Bubba thought ahead of that," he said, which made her look at him.
When Kevin held his hand out, yellow shoe braces came out of it. "He wanted me to give these to you whenever you woke up," he continued. Michelle stared at the shoe braces. "What are those?" she asked.
Kevin showed the bottom part of the braces, which revealed the air jets on the bottom of them. "Think of it like the air jets that were on your GrabPack in shoe brace form," he said.
Michelle hummed. "Interesting..." she said, lowly. Kevin placed the braces on the ground. "Now then, let's get these on you," he said. Michelle nodded as she approached the shoe braces.
When Michelle was close, she placed her feet in the braces. "Bubba showed me how to make the adjustments on the braces," Kevin said before kneeling. "I'll make it quick." When Kevin twisted the knob on the right brace, it locked in place on Michelle's right shoe.
After Kevin did the same thing for the left brace, he stood properly. "Alright, that should do it," he said. Michelle looked at the braces with a hum. "Bubba went all out on this stuff, huh?" she asked.
Kevin nodded. "It took him weeks of working nonstop to make sure both your arms and the braces were perfect," he said. Michelle looked at Kevin. "He also told me that they were his greatest work," he continued.
Michelle stared at Kevin before smiling. "Then I need to thank him along with those who saved my life," she said before approaching her bag. When Michelle was close, she grabbed her bag and put it on. "Speaking of the others, was there something I missed?" she asked.
Kevin looked at Michelle. "Most of the toys are at the Mining Pit pushing away or destroying the fallen debris," he said. Michelle looked at Kevin, concerned. "Were there any...?" she asked.
Kevin shook his head. "There's been no casualties if that's what you're worried about," he said, which made Michelle sigh in relief. "Although that damn dragon doll disappeared on us; he's been gone for two weeks."
Michelle hummed. "Hopefully, we'll find him on our path to the Mining Pit," she said before approaching the door. "C'mon, let's go." Kevin nodded. "Right," he said before following Michelle.
As the couple left the room, they heard giggling, which surprised them. Kevin stood before Michelle and looked around, growling. Michelle heard something coming from the roof, which made her look up.
Michelle saw a Rabie Baby plush fall on her face, which made her let out a muffled yelp. Kevin turned to Michelle, shocked, as she placed her hands on Rabie Baby before pulling her off her face. "It's raining Nightmare Critters..." she said.
Rabie Baby looked at Michelle. "So you're this 'Boss' Simon was talking about, huh?" she asked. Michelle was surprised as Kevin approached her. "You know Simon?" she asked.
Rabie Baby looked at Michelle with happy eyes. "Yeah, I do; he spilled the tea on you and your group," she said. Rabie Baby looked at Kevin with mischievous eyes. "Even the gossip about you and your boyfriend," she continued, which made him growl with his fangs showing.
The trio heard multiple steps. "Boss, you're OK?!" Michelle turned her head to the source and saw Simon Smoke with Baba Chops, Poe, Touille, Icky Licky, Maggie Mako, and Allister Gator behind him.
The couple looked at Simon Smoke as the plush group stopped while Rabie Baby got on her shoulder. "It's good to see you as well, Simon," Michelle said before looking at the other plushies. "And you brought a few of the Nightmare Critters as well."
Simon Smoke smugly laughed. "I know, I'm pretty awesome," he said; Michelle looked at him. "How did you convince them?" she asked, which made him flinch.
Simon Smoke nervously laughed. "Well, obviously to help the group out," he said. Kevin glared at Simon Smoke as he readied his claws. "Can I eliminate them now?" he asked. Simon Smoke panicked. "Alright, alright, I lied!" he shouted.
Simon Smoke looked away as he tapped his hands together. "The truth is... I told the other Nightmare Critters about the cookies you gave me at the Doctor's lair," he said. Michelle hummed. "I see... hunger is what drove them," she said before picking Rabie Baby up.
After Michelle placed Rabie Baby on the ground, she took her bag off before unzipping it. "Was all the stuff in my jacket pocket put in here?" she asked as she rummaged in it; Kevin nodded. "Yeah, it was," he said.
Michelle smiled a bit. "Sweet," she said before pulling out a twisted bag of cookies. After Michelle zipped her bag and put it back on, she undid the knot on the cookie bag. "There should be enough for each of you to have one," she continued.
Before Michelle did anything, she looked at her hand, concerned. Kevin noticed before grabbing the bag. "Here, I can hand them out to these little shits," he said before digging his hand inside it.
Soon after, Kevin pulled out eight cookies before kneeling and holding them out to the Nightmare Critters. "Each one of you gets one, you hear me?" he asked rhetorically.
The Nightmare Critters looked happy before approaching Kevin's hand; as Michelle looked at him, she noticed the red beaded bracelet on his left wrist, which surprised her.
After the Nightmare Critters grabbed a cookie, Kevin stood properly. "That takes care of them..." he said, lowly. Michelle looked at Kevin. "You're... wearing it?" she asked.
Kevin looked at Michelle, confused, before looking at his left wrist. "Oh yeah..." he said before bringing it close to his chest. "It brought me... a lot of luck..."
Michelle stared at Kevin before smiling a bit. "Is that so?" she asked rhetorically before looking at her right hand. "That's good to hear..."
Kevin remained silent before looking inside the cookie bag. "Huh? It seems like only one remains," he said before digging his hand inside it. Michelle hummed. "Well, as they say in French: C'est la vie," she said.
After Kevin pulled the cookie out of the bag, he held part of it in his mouth. "Well, I say to hell with that quote," he said, which made Michelle look at him.
Kevin grinned a bit before lowering his head to Michelle. "I still got part of it hanging out; why not try to take a bite?" he asked.
Michelle blushed. "Uh... I..." she said, lowly. Kevin grinned. "What's wrong; too scared?" he asked. Michelle was baffled. "Oh, now you've done it," she said.
When Michelle faced Kevin, she closed her eyes and bit into the cookie. As the cookie split in half, Kevin pulled Michelle into a kiss, which disgusted the Nightmare Critters, before they pulled away.
Michelle hummed while chewing on her cookie half. "Salty and sweet... not a bad combo..." she said before swallowing. Kevin chuckled a bit. "Oi, lovebirds," the couple looked at Maggie Mako. "D'you have any more of those sweets?"
Michelle crossed her arms. "While we do have some, we don't have a lot of it to spare..." she said. Maggie Mako looked down. "Ah, I see..." she said, lowly.
Michelle looked at the Nightmare Critters. "If any of you don't want to stick with our group, it's not too late to turn away," she said, which made them look at her. "Where we're going next... will be the most dangerous one yet."
The Nightmare Critters stared at Michelle until Allister Gator looked at her. "If we didn't want to join ya, we wouldn't be standing here in the first place," he said. Michelle was surprised. "Al is right; we wanna get out of this dump too," Icky Licky said.
Michelle looked at the other Nightmare Critters. "Is what he's saying true?" she asked. Poe nodded. "Indeed... we don't want to hide in the shadows anymore," they said. Touille crossed his arms. "Now ai can see why Simon calls you 'Boss'..." he said.
Maggie Mako was happy. "As long as I can have sweets, I'll be happy," she said. Baba Chops groaned. "So annoying..." she said, lowly; Rabie Baby giggled. "At least it won't be boring," she said.
Michelle nodded. "Very well then, you can come as well..." she said before looking at the Nightmare Critters. "So... are you guys the same age as Simon or...?" Rabie Baby stepped forward. "You want tea about us?" she asked rhetorically. "You've come to the right gal."
Rabie Baby held her hand out to the other Nightmare Critters. "Baba, Al, Poe, and I are sixteen while the rest are fifteen," she continued.
Michelle hummed. "Good to know; now, then, we should be heading to the Mining Pit," she said. The toys nodded as they left the hallway.