Chapter Text
*drip drip drip*
"Man, this place is really run down." Delsin commented as he, Fetch, Eugene and the toys made their way under the statue into a large room that was actually big enough to fit all of them.
"You know, maybe we could use this place like a kind of safe room, like a place to rest." Eugene suggested.
Fetch nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that could work."
Huggy, Bunzo, Candy Cat, Cat Bee and Hoppy nodded in agreement.
"That would be a good idea. There's no reason for Catnap to come down here, so it should make for a good safe space." Hoppy spoke.
Delsin nodded his head, "Alright then, glad we got that sorted out."
As they finished up the conversation, Delsin made his way to a machine in the far corner of the room, revealing a contraption inside with a wire attached to a metal hole.
Before Delsin could question it, a key suddenly slid down the wire and reached him, allowing the Conduit to grab it.
*Ring ring ring*
*Ring ring ring*
Picking up the toy phone again, Delsin heard Ollie on the other end.
"Alright, you got the key! Now you're probably wondering where it goes, right?"
"You're pretty perceptive, kid." Delsin complimented.
"Thanks. Anyways, head over to the door by the area you got off the cart and use that key to unlock it." Ollie instructed.
"Will do, Ollie. Thanks"
After Ollie ended the call, Delsin turned to the others, "Anyone want to come with or am I going solo again?"
Hoppy rose up and spoke, "I'll come with. Like I said, you'll need someone who knows this place to get around. So I'm coming with, whether you want me to or not."
Delsin nodded, "No arguements there."
"Huggy come...too." Huggy rasped as he also stood up.
Delsin nodded to Huggy, "Alright, the more the merrier."
When no one else spoke up, Delsin had his answer. "Alright guys, stay alert and be careful. Who knows what could be out there."
"Same to you, D. Stay safe." Fetch said back, concerned.
With that, Delsin, Hoppy and Huggy made their way back up the stairs, ready to get this mission started.
"Alright, this should be it." Delsin said as the trio now faced a metal door with a keyhole to unlock.
Placing the key in and turning, the door was unlocked, allowing Delsin, Hoppy and Huggy entry.
"Let's get moving. The longer we stay in the open, the more likely we are to run into Catnap." Hoppy warned.
"If Catnap show...Huggy tear to shreds!" Huggy snarled, his teeth bared.
"Okay, how about we calm down before we actively give away our location to the big purple cat?" Delsin soothed, not wanting the two toys' anger to accidentally give them away.
"Sorry." Both Hoppy and Huggy apologized.
With the way clear, the trio made their way down a series of hallways, which seemed to be old and decrepit like the rest of the place, and slowly rusting away, giving a very creepy edge.
Making their way through another entrance, they made their way to their destination, and what was in front of them made Delsin just stand still in complete and absolute shock.
A.massive machine stood in the middle of the large room, plugged in with wire and pipes on both sides, and with several other machine nearby connected to it.
But what caught Delsin's attention the most was the Red gas in one of the chambers, giving off a very spooky vibe to the place.
"Is that...?"
"Red Smoke." Huggy answered.
Hoppy clenched her fists angrily. "This is the same stuff that Playtime Co used to keep the kids under control. It not only puts people to sleep, but has a nasty side effect of causing nightmares and horrifying hallucinations. I've been a victim of those myself many, MANY times."
Delsin could only mutter, "What...the...hell?"
It was at that point Ollie called again, snapping Delsin out of his trance and making him take the call.
"Welcome to the Gas Production Zone, the beating heart for the whole evil Playcare system."
"Evil is damn right. What were the people working here thinking when they made this stuff?" Delsin angrily asked.
"You see that gas in the chamber there? It's made right here in the factory. As I'm sure you know by now, it's called the Red Smoke." Ollie stated.
Delsin sighed before asking, "Alright Ollie, what do you need us to do?"
"The smoke is currently going right, but we need it to go to the left instead. That being said, the machine probably has some dumb safeguards we'll need to work around."
Looking around, Delsin spotted battery sockets around the area. "Hmm...find some batteries, plug them in, restore the power, change the Smoke's direction. Well, it's as good of a plan as any."
"Good luck guys, I believe in you!" Ollie shouts encouragingly before ending the call.
"Alright, we spilt up around the place and look for the batteries. Sound good?" Delsin instructed.
"Yep"
"Works for me."
"Alright, let's get to work."
The trio then spilt up to find the batteries needed to get the Red Smoke machine back online.
Just a few minutes later, Delsin came back when Hoppy had called him after she had found the green battery.
He found her in another room that had been unlocked, with her pointing upward and holding a green tape in her hand.
"Guess it's time for traumatizing tapes, part...I don't remember, I lost count." Delsin snarked as he placed the tape in the VCR.
Thankfully, it was only another Grabpack tutorial, showing a new Grabpack prototype, now with extended wire length, the ability to swap hands on a whim, including a new purple hand, and that it came with air jets to help prevent falling injuries, though it did show a graphic part about how not all floors were safe to land on...with it showing the simulated dummy landing on a pile of spikes.
"Alright, looks promising. Didn't need the spike showing, though." Delsin spoke.
After grabbing the new Grabpack and with some help getting the hands sorted out from Hoppy, Delsin was good and ready to go, complete with his new Grabpack prototype.
Upon leaving the room, Huggy called out, "Find something?"
"Yeah, brand new Grabpack with air jets and swappable hands!" Delsin shouted back.
Huggy let out an interested growl as he made his way over.
"Can...Huggy see?"
"Sure, why not?" At Huggy's request, Delsin activated the mechanism that then swapped his Green Hand with a purple hand, which intrigued Huggy.
Delsin then looked up and spotted another door above him, then looking down at a purple hand symbol on the floor below it, he smirked.
"You two might want to stand back." Delsin warned, making Hoppy and Huggy back off.
With the two toys out of harm's way, Delsin fired the purple hand down on the symbol, sending him flying into the air, shouting "Whooooohoooo!"
Landing on the platform by the door, Delsin looked down at Hoppy and Huggy, "Oh yeah, I'm loving this new one!"
With that done, Delsin turned to the door before shouting, "I'll see where this goes. Hopefully, not somewhere dangerous."
"Hopefully?" Hoppy exclaimed.
"Well, you never know" Delsin snarked back before making way through the door.
Continuing his way, Delsin found himself in an area filled with machines all around.
"Wow, pretty high tech for something from the 90s" Delsin spoke.
Making his way down a staircase, Delsin used the purple hand again to reach high platforms, avoiding massive gaps.
He then reached a point where he found himself staring at a large pool of red liquid, same color as the gas on the chamber.
"Yeah, something tells me I DON'T want to take a swim in there."
Using the Grabpack, Delsin managed to maneuver around a small platform to hop his way around the red pool and over a gate into the next area, which had another complicated puzzle.
After solving it and resupplying the power to the machine (and almost banging his head against a wall in frustration), Delsin was able to make his way around back to the Gas Production Zone, where Hoppy and Huggy were waiting for him.
"You okay, Delsin?" Hoppy asked.
"I'm fine, nothing really dangerous, aside from nearly going fir a dip in a giant pool of red liquid, but aside from that? Nah, I'm good." Delsin assured.
"Then...get machine...working again." Huggy stated as he made his way to the Gas machine before pressing the big orange button on the console.
The machine then began to work its magic, transferring the gas into the middle tank.
But suddenly, the machine stopped and the lights went out, plunging the entire room in darkness, forcing Delsin to activate his Concrete powers to create some light.
*Ring ring ring*
*Ring ring ring*
Pulling out the phone, Delsin asked, "Ollie, what happened?!"
"Oh no! Someone killed the power!"
"Are you kidding me?" Delsin shouted in exasperation.
"I'll give you a guess of who likely did it." Hoppy snarled.
"Catnap" Huggy growled.
"Guess he doesn't want us messing his smoke machine." Delsin stated.
"Okay, I've sent you guys another key. It's back under the statue, use that to get into Home Sweet Home!" Ollie instructed.
"Wait what? Why there?" Hoppy questioned.
"It's where the building's backup generator is. Find it and get the backup power up. Good luck you guys, and watch out for Catnap!" Ollie replied before the call ended.
Right as it did, Eugene's voice came over the earpiece, "Delsin, why did the power go out?"
"Looks like Catnap cut the power when we tried to redirect the Red Smoke from the right to the left." Delsin responded.
"Oh, well that's just great! Now what do we do?" Fetch asked, annoyed.
"Hoppy, Huggy and I are coming back to another key to get into Home Sweet Home to activate the backup generator, then we can continue on." Delsin reassured.
"Good luck, but remember, Catnap is always stalking around here. So keep looking over your shoulder." Candy Cat warned.
"Bee careful, guys!" Cat Bee nervously punned.
"Thanks, you guys. We'll be over soon."
With the call over, the trio headed back to the statue to get Ollie's key and make their way into Home Sweet Home to find that backup generator, while also remembering who they're up against currently.
After all, cats loved the thrill of the hunt, and Delsin knew that Catnap was likely nearby, waiting to make his move.