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Chapter Text

Tinky winky eyes opened and he woke up. He shakes his head around and looks at his surrounding. He is in a decrepit building with metal plated walls. A rusty screw lies in front of Tinky's feet. He'd better keep that in mind so he doesn't step on it and get tetanus. The floor was littered with shrapnel. Did I do that? Tinky wondered. Tinky hears grunts and the sounds of a struggle coming from some ways off. He stands on shaky legs and ears twitch to pinpoint the source of the noise. His tail swishes as he walks. 

Tinky struggles to remember what happened over the last couple days. An argument at dinner, him storming out, Po calling his name. He remembers something terrible happening to his friends. A monster must have killed them. I should avenge them. Flashes of a face he cannot quite discern. Dipsy’s hat. He hears a female voice growl. He begins to canter and pick up speed. It sounds like a desperate fight. Maybe he could help.

Tinky rounds a corner and smells a foul smell of rotting flesh and sour custard. This must be were the custard is made, he thought. He nosed open a door and was greeted to the sight of a tense battle. A giant red creature-no wait is that Po-was charging a white teletubby. Po had taken on a horrible, monstrous form. Her limbs moved with a sickening limpness to them. Her eyes were dead and soulless. The white tubby rolled and unsheathed his pistol, shooting Po three times in the shoulder. Po roared with anger. Tinky gasped in horror and felt his vision blur. Was Po the monster that killed my friends? Then his vision returned to normal.

That white tubby. Tinky’s eyes widened, I remember him ! I have to help him. The white tubby noticed tinky approaching and his pale eyes filled with fear. He froze in place. Po, with a screech of glee, sliced his chest open. The white tubby gasped, stumbled backwards and fell off the platform down into the vat of custard.

Tinky cried out in rage, “Po!”

Po perked up and turned around. She tilted her head and snarled, bearing her large fangs. Then she bolted towards him. Tinky ran around her and slid onto his knees. There at his knees he found a gun. White tubby must have dropped this, he thought. Then he loaded it and shot Po’s legs so she fell. Then he shot her head with tears in his eyes. Her hand twitched but then she fell still.

Tinky dropped to his knees, holding himself up with his arms, vision flickering in and out. He cried out in anguish at the sight of his dead friend. Then his ears flicked back up and his eyes widened. Oh no! I have to save white tubby!

Tinky ran down the staircase to the vat of custard. He scaled the wall of the vat. It was about 10 feet tall. Not wanting to ingest the stuff, he plugged his ears with earwax, closed his nostrils and closed his eyes and dove in. He would be able to feel for the white tubby’s body.

He felt around for a little bit. Tinky began to feel lightheaded, he was running out of air. Then he found him. A limp hand was drifting around at the bottom of the vat. Tinky grabbed it and pulled it towards him. Then he felt white’s limp body and he hugged it and dragged them both to the surface. Tinky stuck his head out of the vat. He gasped for air and then paddled to the side of the vat. He panted there for a second or two. Oh, I could have used my nicitating membrane to see undercustard. Then he hurled himself and white out of the vat. They both fell. White hit the ground with a dull thud. Tinky scrambled over to white’s body. 

“Hey, are you ok?” He nudged white. Then he pushed on white's chest a little and white coughed and spat up some custard. Then he fell still.

White didn’t respond and it became apparent to tinky that he was unconscious. He watched the white tubby’s chest rise and fall for a few moments. Then he got to his feet and began investigating the area. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rolling wheels echoing through the silent factory. It seemed like someone was coming from behind him.

Tinky turned his head. It was noo noo. 

“Are you proud of yourself?” Noo noo asked with a sly look in his eyes

Tinky furrowed his brow, “it was you, wasn’t it. You poisoned the custard!” He aggressively approached Noo noo, who rolled backward.

Noo noo rolled his eyes, “I did. It was the natural direction of your evolution. You tubbies are all monsters even without the custard.”

Tinky growled in anger and his vision clouded. Why does this keep happening?  

“Well then who killed my friends?” Tinky asked, baring his fangs in anticipation of the answer. "Was it YOU?"

Noo noo snorted, “no, you did.”

Chapter Text

Tinky let out a enraged roar and his primal instincts took over. He grew in size and gained an imposing stature. He charged noo noo, stomping and denting the metal plated floor. Noo noo rolled backwards up the staircase in a panicked frenzy. He then locked the door from the outside, trapping Tinky in the factory. Tinky pounded against the heavy doors but they did not budge. They did slightly indent, however. Realizing it was no use, he made his way over to the custard vat and flipped it over, spilling gallons of it down the drain below. Now no more custard would be produced for a while. He then stomped over to the white tubby and growled. Using one hand, Tinky grabbed the tubby by the neck and began to strangle him. Then a memory flashed before his eyes.

Po had caught up to him after he stormed off from the dinner argument. She asked what was bothering him. Tinky ignored her and then turned around. His skin was a dull, lifeless gray, and his eyes were dark pits. Po stepped backwards in fear. Tinky tried to cry, no, stop! It was no use. Past Tinky couldn't hear him. Past Tinky approached Po and began to choke her. She begged and pleaded for him to stop. Past Tinky grabbed a rope and then hanged Po.

Tinky winky then came to his senses. Removing his hand from the tubby’s neck, he began to cry, gasping and hiccuping. I would never hurt my friends. I-I’m not like that. He began to shrink in size and his skin turned back to its normal peachy color.

Noo noo spoke through the intercom, “you really are a monster.”

Tinky bared his fangs and shouted, "I am not a monster!" But was that really true? He killed Po. He tried to kill white tubby. Only a monster would do something like that.

"If you say so, Tinky," Noo noo replied smugly. He knew that he had struck a weak spot in Tinky's psyche.

“So you never cared about us Noo noo?” Tinky asked, hiccuping through tears.

“Never did, never will,” noo noo responded, “I was your slave after all. What slave enjoys serving his master.”

Tinky sighed and sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes. His eyes darted to the motionless white tubby.

“Who-who is that?” Tinky asked.

“Who is what?” Noo noo responded smugly.

“The white teletubby,” Tinky clarified. He could sense noo noo rolling his red eyes once more.

“That is the guardian. He was supposed to be my ultimate reborn, but he refused to join me. I had to dispose of him,” noo noo said in a monotone voice. Then he added, “also, you don’t have to worry about Po. She will heal her injuries in a couple hours.”

Tinky then sat down and grabbed the guardian. He held him close. I-I’m so sorry , he thought . Tinky pressed his hands against the guardian’s chest wound. For hours, they stayed like that. 

It felt like four or five hours had passed when Tinky’s ears perked up. There was the sound of thumping on the door. Someone was trying to break in. Muffled sounds of shouting could be heard from outside. His eyes widened when he heard the sound of a helicopter. It must be the military.

Tinky’s heart jumped in fear. He must protect the guardian! The white tubby's wound had stopped bleeding, but he had still had not awakened. Tinky braced himself for whatever would come next.

The door burst open and a couple soldiers entered the room. They scouted the area with flashlights, looking for signs of life. Tinky, still holding the guardian, tried to shuffle behind the flipped over custard vat. He was almost there when he shuffled and tripped a little. Shit, he thought.

Then a voice said, “commander, I think I heard something.”

Sounds of footsteps gradually became louder and then a flashlight shone right in his eyes. Tinky hissed and put a hand over his face. Through squinted eyes he could see a figure in what looks to be a military uniform.

The soldier gasped in shock, “Sergeant, I think we have a problem here.”

Another figure walked over. He was dressed in military gear as well, but it was noticeably higher quality.

“Is that... Tinky winky?” Sergeant asked, loading his gun.

Tinky hissed, “stay away from us!” He continued to back away slowly.

The sergeant reached out a hand and began slowly approaching Tinky Winky, “hey hey, it’s okay. Just put the guardian down and we won’t hurt you.” The tubby spoke in a soothing tone.

“NO!” Tinky snarled, “I don’t know what you’ll do with him!”

His vision began to flicker but Tinky didn’t care. All he wanted to do was protect the guardian. Long claws began to extend from his fingertips and Tinky felt the primal instincts take over. Embracing them, he snarled and lunged forward and his world went black.

Chapter Text

“Is he awake?” A female voice asked.

“I don’t think so,” a deeper male voice replied

“How many hours?” the female questioned

“About ten,” the male responded in a bored tone

"Should we try to wake him?"

Tinky shot up with a gasp. He breathed heavily for a second or two and then looked around at his surroundings. He seemed to be in some kind of prison cell. It was quite dingy and hard to see. He could hear strange noises coming from outside his cell.

“He’s awake!” a female voice exclaimed. 

Tinky searched for the source of the voice and then his eyes fell on a feminine figure. The strange tubby came out from the shadows. She was pink with long hair.

“Hello Tinky winky,” she smiled, waving her hand.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Tinky got into a defensive posture. The female raised her arms slightly, like someone would gesture at a scared animal.

“It's OK!” she exclaimed, “my name’s Anne. I work for the military.”

Another tubby stepped forward. He nodded at Anne, “my name is sergeant Miles.”

“So I’m in the military base,” Tinky concluded, then he frowned, “as a prisoner?”

Miles nodded once more, “for your safety more than ours. You’ve been infected by the custard, and whenever your emotions are strong, you may lose control of yourself. I had to stun you to stop you from hurting yourself and us.”

Tinky rushed to the bars, “th-the guardian! Is he OK? Can I see him?”

Anne’s ears lowered, “his condition is stable but he has been infected as well. For the time being, he is in a medically induced coma.”

Tinky’s face fell. I wasn’t able to save him. He let go of the bars and returned to the corner he’d woken up in. 

“Hey, hey,” Anne consoled Tinky, “don’t feel bad. It wasn’t your fault!”

Tinky looked up at her, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “C-could I still see him though?” Tinky asked hopefully.

Anne smiled, “sure!”

Miles looked unsure, “but what if he goes berserk, Anne?”

Anne unlocked the cell door and said, “we can just dart him again.”

The trio walked down a long hallway. The lighting gradually improved and Tinky eyed the two military personnel awkwardly. Miles swiped a security card and then a door opened. Tinky put a hand up to block the light streaming in from outside the prison. 

Anne chuckled, “sorry Tinky, we like to keep the prison dark. Infected newborns seem to like their surroundings dimly lit.” Tinky stopped to look out a window but was ushered along by Miles before he could stay for too long. He seemed to be far away from the tubby homeland and satellite station. The group rounded a corner and Anne stopped. She swiped her security card and a door opened.

“We’re here!” Anne announced, turning around and smiling at Tinky and Miles. Nervously, Tinky stepped through the doorway, unsure if he wanted to see the guardian.

“AH!” Tinky screamed as he was knocked over by a light brown dog. The dog smirked and began panting and licking his face.

“Good to see you too, cowfarts,” Anne laughed, “aww, he loves you tinky!” Tinky pushed cowfart off and scanned his surroundings. The room smelled sterile like a hospital. There was a bed with a teletubby, presumably the guardian, lying in it. The tubby had a blanket thrown over him and his hat was resting on the nightstand beside the bed. Tinky approached him and stopped at his bedside. Tinky put a hand on the guardian’s shoulder. A memory flashed.

“HMMF!” the guardian squirmed under the grip of Past Tinky. One hand was covering the guardian’s mouth, the other was placed on his shoulder. The guardian elbowed Past Tinky in the stomach and was let go. He quickly scooped up the custards which he had dropped and sprinted away. Past Tinky shook his head and began to sniff, following the scent trail the guardian left behind.

Tinky gasped and returned to the present. He began to step backwards but he then felt a strong grip on his hand. “GAH!” Tinky exclaimed as he was flung across the room by the guardian. 

“TINKY!” Anne screamed, loading her shotgun. Tinky lifted his head and saw the guardian approaching him. His posture was hunched and he still had all the medical wires attached to his body. The blanket slid off his back, revealing his chest which was tightly bandaged. He grabbed Tinky by the shoulders and slammed his back against the wall. Tinky felt the wall crack from behind him.

“AH! Hey hey it’s me, Tinky winky!” Tinky pleaded. No answer.

“I’m better now! It’s not the tinky who attacked you!” Tinky gasped as the guardian lifted his head. His eyes were dark pits and his face was pale. In a split second, Tinky’s reflexes kicked in and he kneed the guardian in his TV screen. The guardian stumbled backwards and fell onto his butt.

Miles cocked his gun but then Anne screamed, “WAIT!” The guardian was rubbing his eyes, which were no longer dark pits. Instead, they became a lovely light blue. His face returned to its normal peachy color, but it was still slightly paler than Tinky’s. He looked up and squinted at Tinky and the dented wall behind the tubby. 

“D-did I do that?” the guardian asked. Anne squealed in delight and embraced the guardian, which was unreciprocated. He hissed a bit and she loosened her grip. “What did I miss?” he asked her in a formal tone.

“A lot actually,” Anne let him go and helped him up. Cowfarts came running out and sniffed the guardian’s stomach.

“What is this thing?” the guardian asked, gently pushing cowfart back a couple steps. He grabbed his hat from the nightstand and put it on. Tinky grimaced, as that hat had once been Dipsy's.

“It’s our military service dog,” Miles replied, “come here cowfarts!'' Cowfarts ran over and jumped on Miles, licking his face. Then he began to lick where Miles’ liver should be and gallbladder.

The guardian looked at Tinky, then blinked his eyes a couple times. Tinky held his arms awkwardly.

“Am I dreaming?” he asked.

Tinky waved awkwardly, “nope, at least I don’t think so.” Tinky stepped forward and his throat began to tighten.

“Guardian, I-I’m so sorry,” he spoke, tears beginning to form. As he approached, the guardian seemed to back away. The white tubby was still unsure if Tinky was safe to be around.

The guardian made a look of sympathy, but he was confused of how to respond. “... I forgive you?” He answered in an uncertain tone.

“I couldn’t save you,” Tinky cried, “you’ve been infected because of me!”

A look of concern flashed over the guardian’s face. “It’s alright,” he spoke, “I’ll figure this out. You just try to stay calm.”

The guardian began to walk away when Tinky asked, “hey, what’s your name?”

The guardian did not seem to hear him and continued out of the hospital room. With questions left unanswered, Tinky sighed and walked over to Anne.

“I guess it’s time for me to go now,” he asked. She nodded.

“It’s best we get you back before sundown so you can go to bed early. You're gonna want to get a good sleep because come tomorrow, we're gonna put you to work!”

Tinky awkwardly smiled, "yay I'm so excited." Anne rolled her eyes and took the lead.

The pair turned to go out the doorway but were stopped by the guardian standing in their path.

“Walten,” he stared Tinky in the eye.

“What?” Tinky replied, smiling in a confused manner. 

Anne shrugged and whispered, “I’ve heard he’s like that.”

“My name,” the guardian crossed his arms, “you asked my name earlier and I answered your question.”

“Oh,” Tinky chuckled it off. Then the tubbies parted ways, with the guardian going one way and Tinky going the other way.

Walten , Tinky held onto that thought. I like that name.    

Chapter Text

The station was silent save for the rolling wheels of a vacuum cleaner and the heavy footsteps of the monster following him. Noo noo rounded a corner and commanded Po to stay put and guard. Noo noo opened a door and he greeted the small tubby hidden in the closet. 

“Hello Ron,” Noo noo scanned the blue creature up and down. 

Ron quivered in fear, “wh-what a-are you going to do to me?” His large brown eyes met Noo noo’s cold red ones.

Noo noo shot out a packaged ham sandwich. Ron gratefully scooped it up and began to eat it. Then he groaned and rubbed his belly.

“Good boy,” Noo noo said with smugness in his voice. Then he patted Ron’s head with the tip of his tube and rolled backwards out of the closet. The door promptly shut and Ron was left in the dark once more. Ron’s body began to twitch and his face went pale. Noo noo waited expectantly outside. His plan was coming together

“So, whatcha reading?” Tinky awkwardly shuffled over to Walten who was reading underneath a tree. Walten turned a page, maybe he didn’t hear what Tinky asked. 

Then Walten responded, “I’m reading about tubby history and biology. Just pretty boring stuff.” He looked away from the book, “what have you been doing?”

Tinky rubbed the back of his neck, “well, y’know just cleaning some stuff, gave Cowfarts a bath. Heh heh.”

“So…” Walten began, “Do you know how you came out of your infection?”

Tinky shook his head, “I haven’t the slightest clue. How are you?”

Walten looked back at his book, “I’m trying to take it easy. I don’t think I’m ready to go back to the mainland yet.” He grimaced and flipped another page.

“Is there something in particular you’re looking for?” Tinky pondered, “if you want, I can skim through the chapters and find it. At least that’s what I’d do for my friends.”

Walten frowned, “I can’t seem to find records of any diseases like this occuring in the past. Someone must have created this infection from scratch.”

Tinky sat down next to Walten and peered over his shoulder. There was a diagram labelling the organs and their functions. But Tinky didn’t really pay attention to that. He was watching Walten’s blue eyes flick around the pages.

“Does anyone ever tell you your eyes are pretty?” The moment he said that, Tinky wished he shut his mouth. His face turned beet red.

Walten’s ears perked and he turned his head, “my… eyes. No, you’re the first one who has told me that.”

“I’ve never seen another tubby with eyes like yours,” Tinky’s face turned an even deeper red as he buried his face in his hands.

“Are you alright, Tinky,” Walten placed his book on the ground beside him. 

Tinky lifted up his head and smiled, “yeah. Just hot outside. Glad we’re in the shade.”

Walten looked Tinky right in the face, "your right eye. It's black."

Tinky suddenly felt hot in the face, "yeah, must be the infection still lingering in my system."

Walten's eyes narrowed slightly and then he looked away, "if only I'd have noticed the custard smelling off. Then none of this would be in this mess." He wrapped his arms around his knees. Tinky scooted closer to Walten, their sides were nearly touching.

Tinky noticed the anklet around Walten’s leg. A similar one was given to Tinky by the military earlier this morning.

“So, you have one too?” Tinky pointed at Walten’s leg.

Walten raised one eyebrow, “yes. Since I am now infected, it is for security purposes.”

“I’m… really sorry about that,” Tinky looked away, guilt filling his heart.

Walten rested his hand beside Tinky, “hey, I’ll be fine. You still saved me from drowning in that custard vat.”

Tinky looked up, “so, do you have any family?”

Walten sighed, “no, not really. Why did you ask me my name yesterday?”

Tinky shrugged, “I assumed the guardian was a codename or something.”

Walten looked back at his book, “nobody has asked me that before.”

“Where did you… come from?” Tinky asked.

Walten gritted his teeth and rose to his feet, “I have to go.”

“Bye,” Tinky waved one hand as Walten walked away at a brisk pace. He sighed as his alarm rung to signal the return to work. Then he heard some light footsteps and some crying.

"H-hey, mister c-could you help me?" a small voice said.

Tinky turned around and saw a short blue tubby with eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Hey, it's alright," Tinky soothed the smaller being, "I'll take you inside and the military can help you. What's your name?"

"Mine's Ron," the blue tubby looked up, "are you Tinky Winky?"

"Yes, yes I am," Tinky smiled and guided Ron towards the building.

Chapter Text

Ron whimpered as the doctor bandaged his cut foot. Tinky wrapped his arm around Ron to comfort the small creature but it didn’t seem to do much. Ron got a tetanus shot in case he stepped on rusty screws on the way out of the satellite station. 

“Ron, you’ll have to stay overnight so I can monitor your condition,” the doctor stated.

Ron sighed and said, “I guess I’ll see you later tinky?”

Tinky nodded in agreement and then walked out of the room. He wanted to talk to Walten, but he wasn’t sure if Walten wanted to talk to him. He felt a lump form in his throat.

I wish things could be like they used to, he sighed and reminisced on his happy days with his friends. But now those days are over. Tinky felt his vision start to give way as he held back tears. They’re dead, you’re a monster, Tinky’s mind echoed as he leaned against the wall. He slid down until he was sitting on his butt and then hugged his knees.

“Tinky, are you alright?” He felt a hand on one knee.

“Anne? What are you doing here?” Tinky sniffled

“I saw you crying and I wanted to see if you were OK,” Anne responded.

“I’m fine,” Tinky gave Anne a hand as she helped him onto his feet.

“Ah, there you two are,” Miles scurried over, a bit out of breath.

“What’s up Miles,” Anne smiled at the green soldier.

“I was coming to show Tinky his new room,” Miles grinned at the purple tubby, “since you’re not a prisoner anymore, you don’t have to sleep in the prison.”

Tinky, intrigued, followed Miles through the hallway then down a couple staircases.The military base was several stories tall above ground and below ground. 

“So, where are the rooms?” Tinky asked. 

“They’re below the ground level,” Miles replied, “it keeps them safer from air strikes.”

“Ta daa!” Miles made jazz hands at a closed door a couple paces from the stairway.

“So, this is where I sleep?” Tinky approached the door.

“Yup,” Miles nodded and opened it. He handed Tinky a room key. He opened the door and was greeted to the sight of a silver furred tubby with a strange helmet on.

“Heya,” the stranger waved, “name’s Conor!”

Tinky waved back, “it’s Tinky winky.”

Conor laughed, “naw, but you’re infected?”

Tinky shook his head, “not anymore, I guess.”

“Well come on in!” Conor hopped up from his bunk.

Tinky entered the room and the door promptly shut behind him. He climbed to the top bunk and then sat down. He could hear the sound of Miles’ footsteps growing fainter by the second. Now it’s just me and Conor, I guess .

Conor swung his torso out and looked at Tinky, “hey dude, what’s it like up there?”

Tinky rolled his eyes, “it’s fine. I’m tired.” Tinky yawned and plopped down on his pillow.

Tinky tossed and turned but his eyes would not keep shut. He kept hearing Conor rummaging around in packages and giggling. He took a phone call and even though he left the room, Tinky could hear him hysterically laughing through the wall. Tinky grumbled and flipped over on his right side, away from the door.

Conor came back inside and noticed Tinky, “hey man, you alright?”

Tinky pressed his face into his pillow, “just fine.”

Conor shrugged, “ok man, just makin’ sure.”

“Actually, I’m just a little stressed,” Tinky blurted out.

“Yeah, getting started here in the military can be hair-pulling stressful,” Conor replied. Then he looked up at Tinky, “was I bothering you tonight?”

Tinky nodded.

Conor’s ears drooped, “sorry.”

Tinky hugged his pillow, “it’s OK. You probably forgot you have a roommate now.”

“Heh heh,” Conor chuckled.

Silence filled the room. The pair of tubbies bathed in it, unwilling to spark the next conversation. It became increasingly awkward until Conor cleared his throat.

“You mind if I put on some tunes?” Conor asked.

“Y’know, I could actually go for some music right now,” Tinky lifted his head up and rolled over to see what Conor was doing. 

Less than a minute later, the two tubbies were jamming out. Conor did a sick headbang while Tinky danced along to the songs. Turns out they both like heavy metal. Then, Tinky could have sworn he heard a knock at the door. He shrugged it off, figuring it was just the drums in the music. Then, a minute later, he heard another one.

“CONOR!” Tinky shouted over the speaker, “I THINK THERE’S SOMEONE AT THE DOOR!”

Conor nodded and turned the music down. Then he skipped to the door and opened it, revealing a more-than-annoyed Walten with his arms crossed and a disheveled appearance.

“Oh, hey guardian,” Conor smiled sheepishly, “what brings you to our humble abode?”

Walten glared at Conor, “your music was interfering with my reading. Could you take the party elsewhere?” Walten spotted Tinky and his eyes widened. Tinky noticed his ears perked up. Does he want me to say something?

Tinky stepped over to the doorway, “we were just about done anyway. No need to worry Walten.” Conor gawked at Tinky’s sudden interjection but Tinky waved him off.

“Say, are you in the room next to us?” Tinky raised an eyebrow.

“Mhm,” Walten nodded grumpily, “the walls were shaking.”

“It wasn’t THAT loud!” Conor exclaimed.

Tinky snickered, “it was really loud.” Conor shot him a dirty glare.

“I thought you were my roommate Tinky,” Conor crossed his arms. Tinky playfully elbowed him. Walten stared blankly at the two.

“Do you have a roommate Walten?” Tinky asked. 

“I didn’t know you could have one,” Walten responded.

“Oh,” Tinky replied. Of course Walten would be alone.

“Goodnight,” Walten said and began walking away.

“And there he goes!” Conor laughed, “he’s so weird!” 

Tinky shot Conor a glare and then looked at Walten, “seeya tomorrow!” Walten turned his head and looked at Tinky. Then he opened his door and disappeared. Conor shut the door and turned the music off.

“So, how’d you get his name?” Conor asked out of the blue. Both the tubbies had made their beds and were now lying down in the dark.

“Who, Walten?” Tinky responded, “I just asked.”

“I didn’t know he had one,” Conor said, “I just assumed it was the guardian.” The bunk bed creaked as Conor rolled over and whispered, “Isn’t he weird?”

Tinky’s eyes widened, “weird?”

“Yeah,” Conor chuckled, “everyone I knew who met him said he was weird.”

“I guess you could say he’s weird,” Tinky shrugged. He’s quiet, what’s so weird about that? Typically tubbies are more outgoing than Walten, but that alone wouldn’t make him weird. 

“It’s just the way he acts, his stare,” Conor elaborates, “oh, his eyes! They’re bright blue! I’ve never seen a tubby with blue eyes before.”

Tinky blushed, remembering his embarrassing compliment he gave to Walten. He wondered though, maybe Walten appreciated that Tinky never called him weird.

“Maybe he’s different, but does that really justify calling him weird?” Tinky rolled his eyes.

“Hmm,” Conor pondered, “still weird.”

 “Maybe you should try to get to know him,” Tinky suggested.

“What, and you’re the Walten expert?” Conor snorted.

“At least I tried to talk to him,” Tinky replied.

The two tubbies talked late into the night. In the early morning when the faintest of light peeked over the horizon, Tinky awoke to the sound of knocking on the door. He groggily climbed down from the bunk bed and shambled over to the door. He opened it to see a panicked Ron and a concerned Walten.

“Ron? Walten?” Tinky asked, “what’re-”

“They’re here!” Ron wailed. Walten gritted his teeth and held onto Ron's arm.

Then a monstrous roar shook the building beneath them. Ron, who was already on shaky legs, fell to his knees. Walten propped an arm against the wall. Tinky held on to the doorway. Conor fell out of his bed, still fast asleep and snoring.

The shaking finally stopped, and Tinky noticed the window in his room had been broken. He peeked outside and saw a giant mutant teletubby approaching the base. Walten slowly followed and looked out the window. His blue eyes narrowed and he sighed.

Then he opened his mouth and said, “let’s go get em'.”

Chapter Text

“UUGHH,” Conor rubbed his eyes, “what’s happening?”

“We’re being attacked,” Ron whimpered, still shivering in fear even when being hugged by Tinky.

“So, what’s the plan Walten?” Tinky tilted his head. The white tubby had yet to say anything.

“I’m working on it," Walten said as he spun around on his heel and loaded his pistol. He walked to the doorway and stood there for a second. Then he looked back at the group.

“You all stay here,” he said, “I’ll go and fight.” Then he dashed out of the room and down the hallway.

“What!?” Tinky exclaimed, letting go of Ron to pursue Walten, “you’re crazy!” He stopped and panted for a second. Darn that Walten was fast. Conor and Ron peeked out of the doorway.

“Come on!” Tinky gestured, “we have to find him!” Conor nodded and grabbed his sniper rifle. 

“Ron, do you have a weapon?” Conor asked the small being. Ron shook his head.

“Here, you can have this slingshot,” Conor handed him a small slingshot.

“Thanks,” Ron replied. The trio headed up the stairs to join the battle.

“Anne! Miles!” Walten gasped through breaths, “I’m here! What’s the plan!”

“Walten!” Anne gasped, “are you sure you can fight?” Walten nodded, even though he was still a bit weak after the fight with Po. He had to fight this monster. It was his duty.

“We will need all the help we can get,” Miles stared at the battle through a computer monitor. “It’s tearing through our forces like a lawnmower to blades of grass.” Walten watched as the beast swatted away a couple soldiers and hurled them to the ground.

“I’ll need a chainsaw,” Walten stated, “I can use that to tear through its flesh and then the soldiers can hit it with rockets. That should kill it.”

“I like your plan,” Miles complimented. "I'll order the soldiers to get their rocket launchers. If it seems like you're having trouble, we'll back you up."

Walten nodded and grabbed the chainsaw out of the weapons cabinet. He tested it to make sure it was charged. Let’s get ‘em Walten .

The beast roared and grabbed a green tubby in its hand. It crushed the poor soul, sending blood and guts spraying everywhere. Its head whipped around, eyes full of bloodlust. It's looking for its next target. Then it noticed Walten.

Walten’s eyes widened, he knew this beast. “It’s the cave tubby,” he realized with horror. It had a vengeance against him. He yelled and charged the creature. The cave tubby roared and bounded on all fours towards him like a rabid animal.

Shots rang out as Walten fired at it with his pistol. Then he unleashed the chainsaw and sliced at its fur. Blood sprayed out of the newly opened wound. It swung at Walten but Walten ducked under its fist, slicing its arm in the process. Then Walten ran behind it and hacked away at its back.

“GURRAARGH!” the tubby yowled as Walten slashed its flesh with the saw. Guess I found its weak spot. In retaliation, the tubby turned around and sliced Walten's arm. Walten hopped backwards in an effort to dodge the next swing. The tubby charged him and Walten dove through its legs to confuse it. He rolled to his feet as it looked around for a second, wondering where Walten had gone.

“Walten!” someone called his name. Walten looked over where the voice came from and saw nothing. Who called his name? The cave tubby swung its fist at Walten, he tried to dodge but was too late. It knocked him away and onto his back, the chainsaw skidding backwards a couple feet. 

Near the base, Anne was watching the battle through binoculars. Miles lit a cigarette and peeked through his binoculars.

"I think he's down," Anne said, "ready the rockets."

"You heard the woman!" Miles yelled at the soldiers who began frantically loading the launchers.

“No!” Walten gasped as the cave tubby charged him. He quickly rolled to his feet and shot the tubby with his pistol five times. It didn’t do much to stop the charging beast. Walten scrambled over to the chainsaw and pulled it towards him, hugging it against his chest. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his ribcage. Why am I so scared. I was able to face this creature before. He glanced at the base and noticed the soldiers moving. They're getting ready to launch, I've got to get out of here. Then he felt a large hand grab his head and slam him against the ground. The cave tubby stood over him, the scent of decay and rot emanating from its body. Its claws sunk into the cracked ground around him. Walten realized that he was in grave danger.

Walten desperately wailed and activated his saw. He dug the chainsaw into the beast’s flesh, coating himself and the surrounding ground with a deep red. Tears began to form in Walten's eyes as he realized it was hopeless. The chainsaw didn't seem to cause the tubby pain, it only enraged it further. The tubby roared and hit the chainsaw away. Ears ringing, Walten swore he heard someone calling his name.

“Walten!” a voice cried out!

Walten turned his head to see who was calling him. “Tinky get out of here!” Walten screamed, “they’re gonna launch the rockets!” 

“I’m not leaving without you!” Tinky revealed his shotgun and fired at the cave tubby. It didn’t seem to notice as it was focused on Walten. Then a rocket came whistling by and hit the cave tubby. It spun backwards off of Walten and roared.

A barrage of rockets assaulted the cave tubby, bringing it to its knees. Then, it tried to lift itself but it fell. Walten rolled to his feet and was greeted by the trio he’d left. 

“You were really good out there!” Ron trotted over to Walten and gave him a hug. Walten pushed Ron away, as he was still covered in blood and didn't want Ron to get dirty.

"So, is it dead," Conor asked, poking at the creature with his sniper rifle.

Walten looked at the unmoving beast, “it's not dead.”

“But it’s not moving,” Conor frowned, gesturing at the fallen beast.

“They don’t die that easily,” Walten responded, his chest feeling like it would burst again, “I’m not even sure if they can die.” He began to feel a bit sick.

“Walten’s right,” Tinky said, nodding in agreement. “We should probably get out of here.”

Just then, the cave tubby began to move and it shakily rose to its feet. It heaved and pushed itself on to its hind legs and let out a bellowing growl. It was noticeably weakened and it struggled to move towards the four tubbies.

A barrage of bombs rained down on the beast. Ron screamed and held his ears. When the dust cleared, the creature laid unmoving, seemingly for good.

"Well that surely did it," Conor put his hands on his hips.

“Look!” Walten pointed up. There was a plane in the sky above them.

“Aw yeah!” Conor pumped his fist.

The plane landed and a couple military personnel came out. Anne and Miles rushed out to greet them. The quartet of tubbies approached the plane and were waved at by Anne.

Anne took Walten by the arm and lead him over to the plane. Stepping out of the plane was a red tubby and some military personnel.

“This is Captain Richard,” Anne gestured at the red teletubby. “Richard, this is Walten, the guardian.”

“Nice to meet you, boy,” Richard stuck out a hand. Walten took it and they shook hands.

“Nice to meet you too,” Walten responded.

“So, I see you put up quite the fight against the beast,” Richard scanned the battlefield. “You seem quite familiar with these beasts.”

“I had to fight them on my way here,” Walten picked at the dried blood on his fur. He would need a bath after this.

“Hey, hey, hey!” a black tubby called out from the inside of the plane. He scampered over, “are you the guardian?” He blinked at Walten.

“Yes, I am,” Walten looked at the ground. This was getting awkward.

“I’m Dutch,” the black tubby smiled, “nice to meet ya!” Walten held his hand out weakly and it was shaken enthusiastically by Dutch.

“Hey, guys,” Anne butted in, noticing Walten’s demeanor, “I think he’s getting tired. Let's get back to the base.”

“I hate to be the bringer of bad news,” Miles spoke up, “but something has been messing with our communications technology.”

Richard frowned, “oh, can’t Lenny fix it?”

Miles shrugged, “Lenny says that the systems are running fine. It’s the network and the cables.”

Walten raised an eyebrow, “does he need backup? I could help.”

“Are you sure kid? You look exhausted,” Richard observed Walten’s slouching posture. Walten wouldn't lie to himself, he was exhausted. But if someone needed help and if their problem had to do with reborns, he was the best one to deal with them.

“I think I could do it,” Walten replied and then looked out into the distance, “just let me bring someone.” His eyes found Tinky’s purple form. Tinky was examining his shotgun, turning it around in his hands. Then Conor came over to him and said something, taking the shotgun. Conor held it for a moment, emphasizing where his hands were placed. Then he placed it back in Tinky’s hands and Tinky did what Conor did. Conor patted him on the back and walked off over to Ron who was picking through the dusty sand looking for who knows what.

Walten looked back at Richard and the others, “but before you go, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

Chapter Text

“Well, you shower fast,” Tinky watched the white tubby put on his hat. He straightened it out but it returned it its lopsided position. He sighed and left it alone. The two were given a half-hour to rest before they would visit Lenny.

“This is important,” Walten responded, loading his pistol. “There could be newborns or something else screwing with the cables and they could try to cut the power off from the entire base.”

“Alright then,” Tinky walked to the doorway, “you ready to go?”

“Ready when you are,” Walten appeared beside him.

“Captain Richard!” Tinky shouted as he ran towards the red tubby. Richard turned his head and smiled.

“I see you boys are all set aren’t yah?” Richard mused.

“Yes sir,” Walten panted as he caught up with tinky. When Tinky wants to run fast he can sure run fast.

“Good, I’ll have Dutch take you over to the research center,” Richard frowned at the two. "Now where is that little guy?" 

Tinky shrugged, "beats me." Then, Dutch appeared from around the corner.

"There you are Dutch," Tinky smiled at the black tubby.

“Hey guys,” Dutch waved his hands, “c’mon, the research center isn’t that far of a walk.” The two of them were led by Dutch down a flight of stairs. An air of awkwardness began to permeate the stairwell as no one tried to make small talk. Tinky noticed Walten fidgeting with his hat.

"So, Dutch how much of the fight did you see?" Tinky asked.

"Not much," Dutch replied, "but I did see the rockets go off. That was quite an explosion." He nudged Walten with his arm, "hey, how ya doing?"

"Fine," Walten replied, keeping his gaze forward. The three got to a landing when Dutch suddenly paused and sidestepped in front of Walten. Walten frowned and tried to walk past Dutch.

"Wait!" Dutch grabbed his arm, "I just want to say, I've never seen someone who looks like you."

Walten's ears flattened, "what's that supposed to mean? Do you think I'm weird too?" He bared his fangs and Dutch shrunk back. Walten's eyes became dark, something inside him took over.

The infection! Tinky's eyes filled with panic. Walten's system never was fully cleared of it.

"I just," Dutch sighed, "no, no, I don't think you're weird!"

"He's right," Tinky chimed in, "you're not weird!"

Walten lifted his head, eyes clear of whatever darkness once was there. He looked at Dutch, then turned his gaze to Tinky. "Yo-you don't think I'm a freak?" Walten's blue eyes began to tear up.

"No!" Tinky's immediate reaction was to pull Walten into a hug. He could feel Walten try to pull away.

"Tinky, Tinky, let go, I'm fine," Walten put some space between him and the purple tubby.

"Aawww," Dutch sniffled, "this is so wholesome."

"Oh Dutch," Tinky giggled. He and Walten started stepping down the next flight of stairs.

"Hey, wait you two," Dutch hollered, "this is the right room!"   

"Alright," Dutch motioned at the door, "when I open this door, be ready for anything." He swiped his security card and the doors opened to reveal electrical sparks flying.

"AOOWW!" a blue tubby held his hands to the back of his head and leaned over in exasperation. "Azathoth be screwed if I don't get these systems up and running!" He paced around the room for a couple of seconds until he realized there were tubbies watching him. "OH! There are my reinforcements!"   

"Howdy!" the blue tubby pranced over to the trio, "name's Lenny." He fixed his crooked glasses.

"It's Walten," Walten bowed his head slightly to obscure his face and then began investigating the room. Tinky began looking through a supply cabinent and found a bowl of custard. He lunged backwards and hissed.

"Oh sorry," Lenny grabbed the bowl and threw it in the trash, "forgot I left that out."

"You're right Lenny, it seems like the cables have been broken," Walten spoke. He'd been looking through the computer's data. "I'll need to investigate around the rest of the lab if that's OK with you." Lenny nodded in approval and gave him his security card.

"Whatever fixes my computers Snowball," Lenny winked.

"C'mon Tinky," Walten waved his arm at the purple tubby. Tinky grabbed a flashlight and skipped over to Walten. The two peered around the corner into the dimly lit hallway.

"Wow, it's dark," Tinky noted. Walten rolled his eyes and took the flashlight from Tinky's hand. "Hey! That's mine!" Tinky gawked.

"Here you go Tinky," Dutch handed Tinky a flashlight.

"And don't worry if you get into trouble," Lenny waved a finger, "we'll be backing you up. Holler if you need us!"

"Man, it's creepy in here," Tinky proclaimed, after a few minutes of silence. Walten turned and pointed the flashlight, scanning the moldy wall with it. There were half-chewed cables hanging from all over the place.

"I don't see any signs of newborns in here," Walten pondered. Then he noticed a loose wire. He took it in his palm and examined it. It had definitely been chewed on, but newborn's teeth marks are larger. Maybe a rat did it. The duo headed to the storage room and were greeted by a jungle of broken cables. Walten's gut felt uneasy. He wanted to get out of here fast.

"Walten, are you alright?" Tinky noticed the fear in Walten's large eyes.

"I'm fine, can you focus on the mission?" Walten snapped back. Then he pinched his nose and sighed, "this place just gives me the creeps." He ducked under some loose wires and found a small console on a desk. It had a huge dent in it and looked unusable. Tinky rummaged around in some nooks and crannies and found a tuft of light brown fur.

"Walten! Newborns!" Tinky sprinted over to the white tubby, neglecting the fact that there were wires strewn across the floor. His foot caught on one. "I found- GAH!" Tinky crashed into Walten and his weight sent the pair somersaulting across the floor.

"Uuugh," Walten groaned, opening his eyes. He was tangled in a couple wires now, but that didn't matter much. Tinky had fallen on top of him. The larger tubby's face was cherry red from what Walten could tell in the dim lighting.

"Ohmygosh am I crushing you!?" Tinky gasped and tried to get up from his position only to realize he was stuck. He flopped back down again and propped himself up on his elbows.

"I'm... fine," Walten glanced over to the side. He noticed both their television screens were touching. That was a typical sign of intimacy between teletubbies. That must be why Tinky is blushing.

"Are you two boys OK?" Lenny's voice echoed through the hall as well as his rapid footsteps. Lenny appeared at the doorway, whipped his head around until his eyes saw them. "Oh," a strange grin appeared on his face, "do you two... need some alone time?"

"NO!" Tinky's face became even redder, "I think I tripped on a cable." Walten didn't know it was physically possible to have a face that red.

Lenny walked through the doorway and helped the two untangle themselves. Walten grabbed his hat and put it back on.

"What were you trying to say about the newborns?" Walten titled his head at Tinky winky.

"I found some of their fur on the ground," Tinky explained, "you were right on your theory."

"AAAHH!" a scream echoed through the hallway.

"DUTCH!" both Tinky and Walten exclaimed

"Dutch! What's happening?" Lenny shouted frantically running towards the sound of the scream

"Newborns! They're everywhere!" Dutch exclaimed. Newborn screeches echoed through the research lab.

Tinky and Walten followed Lenny and they found Dutch being surrounded by newborns. The hideous creatures turned when they noticed the three. One shrieked when it saw Walten and the rest followed suit.

"C'mon, we have to help Dutch!" Walten said, pulling out his pistol. Tinky grabbed a crowbar off the floor and Lenny pulled out his knife. Just then, the wall burst open and a titan beast lumbered in. 

"It's the yeti tubby," Walten dropped his pistol. This was not going to be good.

Chapter Text

The Yeti growled and searched the room. Its sides heaved as it sniffed blindly. It stumbled forward and crushed a newborn under its large paws. The pathetic brown creature squealed and squirmed but it was no use. Its head popped off and the other newborns shrieked.

Tinky felt a pang of fear in his chest. It was bigger than the Cave Tubby! Well, not by much, but its mane made it look much bulkier. He gripped his crowbar tightly with his hands and gritted his teeth. Tinky barreled forward at the Yeti, his crowbar held high above his head. "HURRRAH!" he brought the thing down on the bloodstained paw of the beast. The Yeti grunted and whipped its head around to find its attacker.

"Nice one Tinky!" Lenny shouted while swiping at newborns with his knife.

The Yeti noticed the Tinky standing at its feet and tried to swipe him away. Tinky rolled under its great appendage and whacked its knuckles with the crowbar. It grunted in pain and held its paw up in the air for a moment, then placed it back down with a stomp. The room shook and the metal floor creaked. Tinky fell over and dropped his crowbar. The Yeti tried to swipe at him again but he rolled out of the way. Dang it, his crowbar was lost.

"Take THAT!" Dutch fired his rifle close-range at a newborn. The bullet went straight through its chest and blood spattered across the floor. It shrieked and threw itself on top of Dutch. He kicked it and it fell off limply. Then two other newborns tried to pile on him but they were both shot. One in the head and the other in the neck. Dutch smiled and made a thumbs-up gesture at Walten who was trying to pick off newborns from afar.

Tinky spotted the crowbar. He made a mad dash for it but was cut off by a trio of newborns. They huddled together and hissed at him. Tinky growled and punched one in the face. It bit his arm and the other two dog-piled him. They became a tangled mess of arms and legs. Darkness began to fill Tinky's vision. Not this again. Tinky grabbed onto one's neck with his jaws and bit down. Blood squirted all over his face and the two other newborns shrieked and ran away. Tinky spat out blood and wiped his mouth. "That's what you get for crossing me," he mumbled as he picked up his crowbar. Almost immediately, the two cowering newborns were gunned down by Dutch and Walten. Dutch had taken a spot beside the white tubby and was helping him shoot up the newborns.

"That was the last one!" Dutch pumped his fist. He ruffled Walten's ears. Walten didn't look pleased but he tolerated it.

"Guh," Tinky fell to one knee clutching his arm. Darn, that newborn bit deep. The darkness hadn't left his vision yet. Tinky could feel his consciousness slipping away. Lenny ran over, noticing Tinky's distress, but stopped short before reaching the purple tubby.

"Tinky?" Lenny reached out a hand, but immediately recoiled it upon realizing what was happening. Tinky grew in size, his figure expanding, growing taller. He became a hulking figure, slightly smaller than the Yeti. His eyes opened and they were dark as every other infected. Lenny backed away, fearful of what the titan might do to him. Tinky simply ignored him and set his sights on the Yeti.

Tinky bounded towards the fluffy titan, each step shaking the floor. He let out a fearsome roar and leapt on top of the Yeti's back. The Yeti roared and slammed its back against the wall. Tinky slid off and the two began to grapple.

"What is that thing!?" Lenny hollered.

"It's Tinky Tank!" Walten yelled back. If he could get a shot at the Yeti's head he could help Tinky. But it was too risky with the way the two were fighting.

The Yeti swung a powerful fist and socked Tinky's face. In retaliation, Tinky kneed the Yeti's television screen. The screen shattered which caused the Yeti to wail. It lunged forward and sank its teeth into Tinky's shoulder. Tinky roared and began tearing at the Yeti's mane. The Yeti released its bite and Tinky took his opportunity. He swung his torso out and caught the Yeti's neck in his jaws. He bit down and blood oozed from between his teeth. The Yeti tried to scratch at Tinky's back, but he wouldn't budge. A memory flashed.

"T-Tinky?" a voice questioned, "wh-what happened to you." Tinky blinked open his eyes to see a green tubby. His ears were flat against his skull and his orange eyes were filled with fear. Dipsy. Tinky didn't respond. Instead he picked up a chainsaw and approached Dipsy. Dipsy backed away but he soon bumped into a wall. He was trapped. He was at the mercy of Past Tinky.

"No!" Dipsy cried out, closing his eyes and holding his arms out as if to push Tinky away, "please don't hurt me! You're my best friend!" Past Tinky stopped right in front of Dipsy and looked him in the eye. Then he flicked on the chainsaw. Dipsy's scream was cut off by an explosion of blood.

Tinky's eyes opened and he realized the Yeti had stopped pawing. Its muscly arms hung limp at its sides. Tinky dropped the corpse and began to shrink. His legs felt weak and he fell to his knees. He lifted his head to look at the others. Dutch had turned away, unable to stomach all of the blood. Lenny was hiding in the supply closet and had just now opened the door. Walten was watching-no-staring at Tinky. His blue eyes were filled with concern. Tinky's gaze returned to the corpse and the sight of it caused his eyes to fill with tears. He curled up into a fetal position and sobbed.

"Tinky," a hand brushed the back of his shoulder. Tinky looked up. It was Walten.

Tinky drew the white tubby into a hug. He buried his face in the other's chest and cried. Walten put an arm around Tinky's shoulders. 

"D-Dipsy. I killed him the same way. I-I," Tinky sputtered out between breaths. The two sat there for a couple minutes and were soon joined by Lenny and Dutch. Dutch put his hand on Tinky's other shoulder and Lenny sat down beside the three. Eventually, Tinky stopped crying.

Tinky let go of Walten and wiped his eyes and nose, "thanks guys." He sniffled and smiled. "I really needed that."

"We get it," Dutch hugged the purple tubby. "You're one of us now. That means free hugs whenever you need them."

Lenny motioned towards Tinky's arm and said, "here." In his hand were some bandages. He bandaged Tinky's wounds and Tinky thanked him.

"It's time to go back," Walten spoke. "I'll fill out the report so you can go to bed."

"I've got to get back to fixing my computers," Lenny crossed his arms, but then smiled, "I'm glad to have met you two." Lenny led the others back to the research lab and waved them off.

"Tinky," Dutch said, "can you walk by yourself?"

"I think so," Tinky replied. He stole a glance at Walten, who was awkwardly fidgeting with his hat once again. The trio began their journey up the stairs. Dutch held on to Tinky's good arm just to make sure.

Once they were back on the main floor, Walten abruptly stopped. "Alright, I'm off to go write the report. Dutch, take Tinky to the doctor so he can get his wounds treated."

"Right," Dutch nodded and began to lead Tinky to the hospital room.

Walten turned slightly towards the pair. He watched as their forms grew smaller the further they got away.

"See you later... Tinky Winky."

Chapter Text

The sound of heavy metal echoed through the corridor as Tinky approached the door to his room. He rolled his eyes, hid his smile, and slid his card. The door unlocked and he let himself in. The room was strangely dark. Conor must've gone to bed wait-

The lights flicked on. "Surprise!"

Tinky stepped back, eyes wide with shock. He was greeted by a group of friendly, smiling faces. Conor, Anne, Miles, Ron, Dutch, Richard, and Walten all stood inside the room.

"Wow.. guys," Tinky laughed as Ron and Anne hugged him. "Thanks a bunch."

"No prob Tinky," Anne's emerald eyes glittered. "You know we want to make you feel at home."

"So, who got everyone to come here?" Tinky looked around the room.

"OOO! Me! Me!" Conor waved his arm. "I wanted to make you feel welcome when you came back from the hospital. I heard you had a rough time."

"Yeah!" Ron exclaimed, excitedly hopping around, "so we all made this big plan with everyone to cheer you up!"

"You did great out there kid," Richard put his hand on Tinky's shoulder. "I want to let you know I'm proud of ya."

"Thanks," Tinky nodded. "It must have been quite the hassle to fit this into your schedules."

"We made it work," Miles winked.

"Ah!" Dutch jokingly clutched at his chest, "wholesomeness overload!" He pretended to faint.

"And that's Dutch," Richard rolled his eyes and snickered. He looked at his wristwatch, "well, I've got to go now. Back to work." Richard patted Tinky on the back, "see ya around kid."

"See you too Rich," Tinky mumbled.

"Well, it looks like we should catch up with Richard," Anne sighed. "Catch ya later tinker." She winked at Tinky. Miles followed her out.

"Hey Tinky!" Ron waved his hand excitedly. Tinky walked over to the creature. Ron was adjusting really well to life in the base.

"What's up Ron?" Tinky beamed.

"I just wanted to say," Ron hugged Tinky's leg, "you're my best friend."

"Love ya too Ron," Tinky replied.

"Goodbye Ron!" Dutch hung his torso into the hallway as he waved off the small being. "Man, Ron is something else," he remarked as he closed the door.

"What do you mean?" Tinky tilted his head.

"I mean. Ron's got a lot of love in his heart. Not many tubbies are like him," Dutch's eyes scanned the room.

"You're like him," Tinky beamed.

"Oh stop you," Dutch covered his face, "you're makin' me blush." Dutch's cheeks did seem a bit pink.

"Who wants chips!" Conor held out some mini chip bags.

"I'll take one!" Dutch grabbed a bag.

"Thanks Conor," Tinky took one as well. Walten grabbed a bag but didn't say anything. The four sat munching on chips for a couple minutes until Tinky broke the silence.

"So, it's been what, a week since I've seen you all?" Tinky asked. Walten nodded in acknowledgement.

"So what have you all been doing?" Tinky looked at his friends.

"I've been practicing with my katana," Conor announced. He then ran to a bag of his stuff and pulled it out. He swung it around and grinned.

"Shouldn't you get a cover for that?" Tinky asked.

"I want to get a fancy display instead," Conor waved his sword.

"Should have asked Dipsy," Tinky reminisced, "he liked woodcutting."

"Me and Walten have been studying together," Dutch pulled Walten over to him. Walten rolled his eyes and fidgeted with his hat.

"Really?" Tinky lifted his eyebrows, "about what?"

"Well, he's tried to explain the stuff he's reading about to me but most of it goes way over my head," Dutch admitted. He chuckled and looked at Walten, "isn't that right."

Walten didn't respond. He stared blankly at the floor.

"Walten?" Tinky put a hand on his shoulder. "Walten?"

"What?" Walten looked over at Tinky. His eyes focused on the purple tubby.

"You kinda spaced out," Tinky shrugged.

"Oh," Walten replied. "Sorry, I was thinking about stuff." His blue eyes returned to the floor.

"About me?" Tinky purred, a sly grin forming. He got a death glare in response.

"OOOHHH shot down!" Conor laughed and pointed at Tinky.

"Ha ha," Tinky stuck his tongue out at Conor.

The boys talked for another hour or two until Dutch left to go scouting. Then the room became quiet. There wasn't much noise besides Walten turning a page in his book every so often. Then Conor got up, bed creaking as he did so, and rummaged through his things.

"Alright, I'm out," Conor grabbed his sniper rifle. "You two behave yourselves." He narrowed his eyes playfully at the pair and left.

"So, I guess it's just us," Tinky announced. "Wow, it's so quiet in here." He looked around and saw Walten had crossed his legs. His book was propped up on his leg.

"Finally," Walten said sarcastically and flipped a page. Tinky opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. The silence continued. It trickled down his spine. It oozed through his veins. It was agonizing.

"AAARGH! I can't take it anymore!" Tinky groaned, "can we talk about something!"

"About what?" Walten lifted his eyes from his book.

"Anything!" Tinky wailed, clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Why are you so upset?" Walten scooted closer to the purple tubby. This didn't seem to help Tinky.

"I don't know!" Tinky exclaimed angrily. Walten titled his head, perplexed. Tinky opened his eyes and saw Walten's face. His blue eyes were full of concern.

"I just..." Tinky trailed off, noticing his vision going dark, "I thought and thought and thought and thought."

"About what?" Walten asked. Then he seemed to understand. "Us?"

Tinky gulped and nodded, "I feel like I was meant to know you. Like I should have known you before I actually met you. Is that weird?"

Walten shook his head, "Strange. That's how I feel." The two interlocked gazes. Brown to blue. The Walten looked away.

"That's how I felt when I first met my friends," Tinky spoke, "I felt like I knew them already."

The two sat in silence for a minute.

"How long... were you watching us?" Tinky asked. Walten wrapped his arms around his knees.

"A long, long time," he sighed. "I was assigned my job by Noo noo. I didn't know much until that fateful night when Noo noo poisoned the custard. That was the first time I'd actually gone outside." Walten relaxed his neck and let his head lean back.

"Where are you from?" Tinky questioned.

"I don't know," Walten replied.

"I just want this to be over," Tinky buried his face in his knees. "I just want to go home. I want to play with my friends."

"I know," Walten put a hand on Tinky's knee. The purple tubby lifted his head and smiled. He pulled Walten into a hug and felt Walten reciprocate the gesture.

"Am I doing it right?" Walten asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah," Tinky rested his head on Walten's shoulder.

"Tinky, is it alright if I ask a question," Walten whispered.

"Yeah, go for it," Tinky responded in kind.

"What's a sleepover?" Walten pulled back so he could judge Tinky's reaction.

Tinky smiled confusedly, "a sleepover? You mean like when you stay up all night with your friends?"

"Oh," Walten chuckled and his cheeks turned slightly pink. "Well, y'see, I thought it was when two people laid next to one another in bed."

Tinky's face flashed beet red, "that's called cuddling."

"Ah, hah hah," Walten awkwardly laughed and covered his eyes. Then he groaned, "Uuugh, I'm so weird."

"Naw," Tinky giggled and moved Walten's hands. "Cuddling isn't weird. Me and my friends would cuddle if one of us was scared or had bad dreams. We'd all huddle under a blanket and tell funny stories."

"Would you like," Walten looked to the side, "to cuddle?"

Tinky's heart stopped. This can't be happening. This isn't real. "O-only i-if you want to."

At that moment, Walten got to his feet and asked, "which one is yours?"

"T-the top bunk," Tinky gritted his teeth. "Walten, what if Conor comes back?"

Walten shrugged, "so what if he comes back. Cuddling is just a thing friends do right?"

Tinky shook his head, "it can also be done by lovers. He might think we're in love!"

"Oh," Walten's face fell, "well what if we put the covers over ourselves. Then he will just think it's you."

Tinky covered his face with his hands. Walten was so oblivious. "That could work."

The two climbed into the bunk and laid beside one another. Once the covers settled, Walten turned onto his side to face Tinky.

"I can't believe this is happening," Tinky's stare bored holes through Walten.

"Me neither," Walten chuckled, "I never thought I would actually meet you." The two giggled out of embarrassment. Then they laid there in blissful silence. Tinky put an arm around Walten and they moved close. Walten's head was buried in Tinky's chest. Tinky closed his eyes and felt a sense of pure euphoria.

Then he heard the door open. Tinky's ear twitched and his eyes popped open.

Conor walked in and yawned. "Tinky? Are you there?"

Tinky's eyes widened, oh no. He carefully nosed his head out of the covers, careful not to disturb Walten. "What's up?"

Conor waved, "hey dude! Where's Walten?"

"He went home," Tinky put on a toothy grin. "Probably to go read and do Walten stuff." Tinky slid his head back under the covers.

"Well he left his hat here," Conor remarked, "should I leave it outside his door?"

"Sure," Tinky replied awkwardly.

"What'cha doin' up there Tinks?" Conor asked.

"I'm just cold," Tinky blurted out. He was actually quite warm.

"Whatever you say man," Conor rummaged through his stuff while putting things away. Tinky sighed in relief. Walten yawned and closed his eyes.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

"UUGGHHH," Tinky groaned and rubbed his eyes. That darn clock was so loud.

"What time is it?" a quiet voice said while yawning.

"Walten? What are you doing here?" Tinky asked and then looked down. Walten was laying beside him. He blinked his blue eyes and smiled at Tinky. Oh, right, the two had fallen asleep together. Tinky peeked over the side of the bed and saw Conor was gone. He must be out training or something. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Tinky?" Richard entered the room and spotted Tinky watching him. "Hey kid, do you know where Walten is? I need his help with something."

Walten sat up, "I'm here." Tinky's face went beet red and Richard's eyes widened. Tinky was sure Richard had never seen a face that red before.

Richard shook his head and smiled. "Ah, there he is." Richard chuckled and winked at Tinky. Tinky covered his face with his hands.

"What do you need my help with?" Walten asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Ron's gone missing," Richard crossed his arms. "I want to have you, Miles, and Anne look for him. We think he might be at satellite station. Could you be ready in 15?"

"Yes sir," Walten nodded and pulled the covers off.

"Alrighty," Richard winked and walked into the corridor.

"Well, I've gotta go," Walten said as he climbed down the ladder.

"Good luck," Tinky said as Walten reached the doorway.

Walten hung there for a second and then turned around. "Thanks Tinky," he smiled. Then he disappeared into the hallway.

Chapter Text

"Are you three ready?" Richard scanned his group one by one. Anne nodded and smiled confidently. Miles examined his gun and looked up. Walten straightened his hat and fidgeted with his pistol.

"Don't accidentally shoot it," Anne remarked jokingly and nudged Walten. Richard rolled his eyes and led the group into the helicopter. The four took their seats, Miles sat on the left, Anne sat in the middle, and Walten on the right next to the door. Richard sat across from the three and crossed his legs, sliding down into a relaxed posture. Once everyone was situated, Miles gave the pilot the OK to lift off. Walten looked outside the window and watched the clouds. Anne twirled her hair with her hand and Miles sat rigid and alert.

"So, what's the plan?" Anne spoke first. Walten perked up and turned to face the conversation.

"I want to have us split into groups," Miles announced. "I'll go with Walten, Anne you'll go with Richard."

"Ah, taking the kid," Richard smirked, "I didn't know you liked kids."

"I figured you and Anne might want some alone time," Miles leaned towards Richard with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"OH YOU! CUT THAT OUT," Anne shook her fist and blushed. She playfully slapped Miles on the shoulder. Miles belly laughed causing his shoulders to rise and fall until he regained his composure. Richard chucked and stroked his chin. He sat back and closed his eyes.

"Wake me up when we arrive," Richard flicked an eye open.

Dust flew into the sky as the helicopter descended. It settled when the blades stopped turning. Anne breathed a sigh of relief.

"Richard," Walten nudged the snoring tubby, "we're here."

"Huh, wuh," Richard scratched his head, "oh right. Thanks kid."

"Wait for us here, we'll tell you when we're ready to come back," Miles leaned into the cockpit to speak to the pilot.

"So, satellite station," Anne laughed nervously, "haven't been here in a while. This place always gave me the creeps even when it wasn't run down."

"I would send people to go fix it up," Richard fixed his hat, "but we're pretty short on staff as it is." He nodded to the others and they followed him out of the helicopter.

"Everyone has a flashlight?" Miles checked. Everyone nodded. "Good."

The four entered the decrepit building and turned on their flashlights.

"It's darker than I remembered," Walten remarked to himself.

"Alright," Richard motioned for the others to come over, "me and Anne will head that way." He motioned over to the left.

"So, me and Walten will go right," Miles affirmed. Richard nodded and began walking in his designated direction. Anne followed him, visibly nervous.

"Don't worry Anne," Miles waved his radio, "we brought radios for a reason! Holler if you need us!"

"Thanks Miles!" Anne smiled.

"Seen anything yet kid?" Miles waved his flashlight around. Walten shook his head. "Maybe this way's a dud, how about we split up. We can cover more ground that way."

"Alright," Walten replied and began walking away. His eyes fell to the floor and he noticed some torn up cables. Walten's ear twitched and he froze. Was someone here?

"Oh gawsh," Anne's voice echoed through the radio, "I'm stuck in these stupid cables." Richard snickered and Miles groaned. Walten's nose twitched and he recoiled at a scent.

"I smell something," Walten whispered into his radio, "I'm going to investigate."

"Alright," Miles responded.

Walten took two steps forward and turned into a corridor. His foot hit something mushy. Flesh.

"GAH," Walten fell backwards and pointed his flashlight forward. Ron.

"Is something the matter?" Richard spoke.

"R-Ron," Walten replied, struggling to keep his breakfast in his stomach.

"Oh, I guess he didn't make it," Richard sighed.

"Something has been around here," Walten stumbled forward and almost dropped his flashlight. His hands were beginning to shake. Darn these stupid hands. Why am I so scared. Walten leaned against the wall and slid down until he was sitting. He wrapped his arms around his knees and sat there. I want to go home.

"Me and Anne found the control room," Richard announced several minutes later, "we're going to try and boot up the system."

"Gotcha," Miles spoke. "Walten, where are you? Let's all regroup."

Walten didn't respond. There was something here and he needed to draw it out. Walten stood up in a daze and began to walk aimlessly. He was going to find whatever was tormenting him. Whatever killed Ron.

"Walten!" Miles aggravated voice jolted Walten out of his trance.

"Yes sir?" Walten fumbled with his flashlight.

"I called your name and requested to regroup. What are you doing?" Walten could feel the annoyance emanating from Miles' voice. He could envision Miles pinching his nose and shaking his head.

"I-I think there's something here," Walten admitted.

"It's all in your head. Now come on, let's regroup," Miles ordered. Walten ignored him and turned down his radio. His nose caught the scent of rot. But it wasn't the same smell as Ron's corpse. This was a different rot. Ron's corpse was fresh; this one was weeks old. Walten heard the faint sound of footsteps. He could hear quiet murmurs coming from his radio (probably Miles yelling at him). It didn't matter anyway. Miles didn't believe him. Walten loaded his pistol and the footsteps stopped for a second. The stench got stronger. Walten rounded a corner and was greeted with a horrific stench of rotting flesh. He coughed and pointed his flashlight at the source of the smell.

"Dipsy," Walten murmured.

The creature turned around. It straightened out its hunched back and shambled towards him. Its television screen flickered to life and began displaying static. In its hands was a rusty orange chainsaw. Walten stepped backward, dropping his flashlight. He fumbled with his pistol and tried to aim it at Dipsy. His hands wouldn't move.

"SHIT!" Walten cursed, "why can't I move!" Dipsy was nearing him now. The stench was unbearable. The creature turned its chainsaw on. It was practically on top of Walten now. Walten's chest heaved as he struggled to breathe. The creature raised the saw above its neck and uttered a distorted cackle. The white tubby blinked back tears and braced himself for the chainsaw. Then two shots rang out and Dipsy stumbled into the wall right of Walten. Miles ran over, panting.

"Darn you Walten! You could have gotten killed!" He yanked Walten by the arm and practically dragged him away from Dipsy. Dipsy gave chase, but since he was so slow, they lost him easily. The two stopped in another corridor and sat against the wall.

"What was THAT!?" Miles began to rant but he stopped. Walten was hunched over in fear. His shivering frame gave it away.

"I-I couldn't move," Walten looked up. His blue eyes were full of tears.

"Hey, kid," Miles put an arm around the crying tubby, "look, I was just worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt. C'mon, let's go to the others." Miles led Walten to the control room where Anne and Richard were waiting.

"Most of the systems are online," Richard announced cheerfully. His smiled soon turned to a concerned frown when he saw the white tubby. "What happened?"

"The kid got attacked by a beast," Miles answered. "He's not hurt."

"But look at him Miles," Anne walked over to Walten and gave him a hug, "he's scared." Walten hugged her back and closed his eyes. The two pulled away and Walten flashed her a smile. She beamed back.

"Now that we have these systems online we can establish communication between our base and the station," Richard said as he typed in a script. The building flickered to life as a droning roar was heard. The satellite was moving.

"Wow!" Anne gasped, "I'm impressed Rich! I didn't know you were a computer guy!"

"Eh, I've still got nothing on Lenny," Richard admitted, "you pick up some things here and there." He typed in some more codes and a dialog box opened. He smiled and a window appeared on the computer screen. A familiar face popped in.

"Rich!" Dutch exclaimed, "you got the satellite working!?"

"Yessiree!" Richard smiled. Walten felt a small smile grow. It was strange to see Richard this outgoing.

"Wait Rich!" Dutch's eyes widened in fear and he pointed. "What's that?"

The quartet turned around and saw they had a visitor. Dipsy, bleeding profusely from the gunshot wounds, stumbled in. It still held the chainsaw and it heaved its arms forward.

"Is that!?" Anne put a hand over her mouth.

"No," Richard mumbled, his eyes widening in bewilderment. He stepped backward. "Dipsy was neutralized."

Instead of attacking, Dipsy's television sparked to life. It flickered static and then turned white.

"Give me that," the creature stumbled forward and reached for Walten's head. It snatched his hat and tried to put it on. Then it realized it had no head to put it on. It threw the hat on the ground angrily.

"Wait," Richard furrowed his brow, "he's still in there?"

"What d-do you want Dipsy?" Walten asked in a shaky voice.

"My head," Dipsy responded immediately.

"Your head is gone," Walten replied, "it's probably rotten away by now!"

Dipsy growled. "Where are my friends?" He began to shamble towards Walten.

"Stop!" Anne called out. "Don't take another step or we'll shoot!" Dipsy froze and straightened his posture. He activated his chainsaw.

"It would be wise to answer my question," Dipsy swung his chainsaw around, damaging some cables. "Or I might just wreck you control room."

"Don't answer," Miles hollered as he fired a couple rounds into Dipsy's back. Dipsy stumbled forward and fell into a heap. He twitched but couldn't find the strength to move.

"I just want to know if they're OK," his voice grew pained.

"It's OK Dipsy!" Walten grabbed his hat and wiped off the grime Dipsy had left on it. "Your friends are alive!" Dipsy began to make crying sounds.

"Really?" his body turned to lay on its back. Walten nodded, though he doubted Dipsy could see him.

"Yeah!" Walten said.

"Could I see them?" the creature asked.

"No," Miles responded, "you're too dangerous to take back with us."

Dipsy shrieked an ear piercing wail and began to transform.

"GAH! What's it doing!?" Anne hollered over the screaming. Richard ran out of the room in terror.

Miles loaded his gun, "SHOOT IT!" He began blasting round after round at the mass of flesh. Walten gasped at the new form Dipsy had taken on. It was unlike what he had ever seen before. This creature was made of rage and hatred. Its red eyes glowed with pure malice. The beast shrieked and slashed Miles across the helmet.

"MILES!" Anne cried and began shooting her gun at Dipsy. Dipsy roared and clambered over to the pink tubby. It grabbed her leg and flung her across the room.

"ANNE!" Walten grabbed the chainsaw Dipsy had dropped and hacked into its flesh. The creature turned around and snapped its jaws at Walten. Walten somersaulted backwards and shot at it with his pistol. Miles grabbed a brick and threw it at Dipsy's head to distract him from Walten. Dipsy stomped over to Miles.

Walten ran over to Anne and helped her up. The pink tubby struggled to stand and she sat down.

"Anne are you alright?" Walten asked.

"I'm gonna be fine," Anne's smiled was pained. "Go help Miles."

"Right," Walten nodded and barreled towards the green tubby. He slashed its head off with the chainsaw. Blood spurted out of the open wound and coated Walten and Miles in red. The body turned around and grabbed Walten by the neck.

"WALTEN!" Miles yelled and tried to pull the best off of the white tubby. Walten gritted his teeth and his vision began to go dark. Then a sword stabbed right through the back of Dipsy. He fell limp and on top of Walten.

"Kid!" Richard pulled the corpse off of Walten, "kid are you alright!?" Walten nodded weakly. Richard glanced over at Anne and helped her up. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Richard, where did you-" Miles angrily began but stopped himself.

"I need another person," Richard stated. Walten walked over and Anne wrapped her arm around him.

"Thanks guys," she smiled appreciative.

The four returned to the helicopter worn out. Nothing was said on the whole trip back. Miles helped Anne fix up her hurt leg. What were they going to tell Tinky. That they killed his friend again. Walten stared out the window blankly. He was sick of this. He wished he could just sleep it off. He wished he could wake up and be back in his secret lair. Everything was so much better back then. But I knew nothing back then. Nothing of the world. Nothing of other people. I would have never met Tinky.

The helicopter landed and the four climbed out.

"You three go and rest," Richard ordered, "I'll write the report."

"Thanks," Anne replied weakly. Walten smiled in gratitude. He wanted to take a shower and go to sleep.

Walten dried his fur with his towel. He had gotten all of the icky blood out of it. As he was about to lie down, his door opened.

"Hey Walten," a familiar voice greeted him.

"Hello," Walten snuggled under his blanket. He felt the bed squish under the weight of Tinky.

"I can see your mission was rough," Tinky laid down beside Walten but didn't cover himself with the blanket. "Don't worry, I'll only be here a few moments. Then I'll be on my way for duties."

"I-" Walten stammered, "Dipsy. I talked to him."

"Dipsy?" Tinky tiled his head, "what did he say?"

"He wanted to see you and the others," Walten responded. "But then he attacked us."

He felt Tinky put a hand on his shoulder. "It's OK Walt. You did what you had to do."

"I'm sorry," Walten buried his face in his pillow.

"I'll leave now," Tinky got up, "see you later Walten!"

"Bye Tinky," Walten heard the door shut. He relaxed his body and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

"Rise n' shine!" a familiar sing-song voice woke Tinky from his slumber.

"Anne?" he rubbed his eyes. "What're you doing here?" He blinked his tired eyes and saw the pink tubby watching him. Her hair was tied back into a high ponytail and her green eyes shimmered in excitement. She was always so cheerful. Like LaLa. Tinky gulped, knowing her blood was most likely on his hands. At least I can protect Anne.

"Y'see," Anne tapped on Conor's shoulder, "Richard sent me down to wake y'all up. He wants y'all to do some training." Conor rolled over and moaned.

"Leave me alone mawm," Conor slurred, "I wanna sleep some more." Anne blew her hair and put her hands on her hips.

"What did you call me?" she leaned over the very tired Conor. Conor blinked open his eyes and stared at Anne. Then his eyes widened and he shot upwards into a sitting position.

"AAh," Conor shook his head, "Anne, ma'am. I called you Anne."

"Nuh uh," Tinky shook his head and giggled, "you called her mom." He peeked down only to receive a furious glare from Conor.

"I DID NOT!" Conor blushed furiously. Anne snickered and slapped her thigh.

"I'm just playin' with ya," she patted Conor on the shoulder. Their green eyes locked for a second. Conor's red face grew even redder.

"C'mon Conor we have to get ready," Tinky reminded. "I bet Rich'll let you bring your katana."

"Ooo yes!" Conor jumped up from his bed and banged his head on Tinky's bunk. "OUCH!"

"Alright you two goofballs," Anne giggled, "let's go."

"YOO!" Dutch hollered as he ran towards Tinky and Conor. "You guys are here too?"

"Yup!" Conor excitedly skipped past Dutch into the gym, "I'm gonna show y'all my amazing katana skills!" He unsheathed his katana and swung it around. "HIYAH! HIYAH!"

"That's more than enough demonstration," Richard waved his arm at Conor. "I don't want you cuttin' up the floor." Conor sighed and put his katana away. Then he ran off to somewhere else.

"He's such a goofball," Dutch's golden-brown eyes scrunched as he laughed. "So, you wanna do some hand-to-hand combat with me?"

"Sure!" Tinky replied with a smile, "I'd love to!" The two took to the gym and circled each other.

"Just don't hit me too hard," Dutch joked, "you're a lot bigger than me." Tinky took a swing at Dutch but he was blocked. Dutch swung a kick at Tinky but he grabbed Dutch's foot. He picked Dutch up and set him gently on the ground. Dutch rolled to his feet and tried to jump on Tinky but he missed and face-planted on the ground.

"Oh no!" Tinky helped Dutch to his feet. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm just gettin' warmed up," Dutch deviously smirked. He shook out his fur and returned to his fighting stance. He lunged at Tinky again and they both tumbled to the ground. They began roughhousing and rolling around. Both were trying to get the upper hand. Finally, Tinky pushed Dutch off and laughed. Dutch began wheezing like a tea kettle which made Tinky laugh even harder.

"This reminds me of when I used to play with Dipsy," Tinky remarked, finally able to control his laughter.

"Dipsy?" Dutch titled his head. He never met Dipsy. "Oh, the green one."

Tinky's ear twitched and he swiveled his head around. The sound of clicking nails echoed through the hallway leading to the gym. Then, a small, brown dog appeared in the entrance. It began barking at Tinky and bounded towards him.

"Cowfarts!" Tinky laughed as the dog crashed into him. It began licking all over his face. "Hehe, silly dog!"

"Arf arf," Cowfarts sniffed Tinky's television screen.

"D'aww," Dutch came over and began to pet Cowfart. Cowfarts rolled over on to its back and let the tubbies pet its belly. Its tail wagged and its eyes closed in happiness.

"C'mon guys," Conor ran over to the two tubbies, "Miles got the guns out for us."

"Aw yeah!" Dutch pumped a fist and hurried after Conor. Tinky followed and Cowfarts walked next to him. They were lead outside to a shooting range. Miles was standing by a table with lots of guns. There were various types of ammo supplied along with them. Cowfarts barked at the guns and ran over near the targets.

"Cowfart watch out!" Tinky yelled but cowfarts grinned. It produced an apple and held it in its jaws. Conor aimed his rifle at the apple and shot it. Cowfart happily barked and ran to the apple and ate it.

"Wait, dogs can't eat bullets!" Dutch panicked and tried to get the apple out of cowfarts' mouth. Cowfarts growled and wouldn't let go.

"Don't worry Dutch," Richard appeared, "that dog can stomach anything." Dutch let go of the apple and watched cowfarts slurp it down. Cowfarts sighed in contempt and went to sleep. Tinky stared at the guns on the table. He wanted one so badly but he was afraid. Then he felt Richard watching him.

"Hey Rich," Tinky turned around and leaned an elbow on the table, "what's up."

"You should try using a gun," Richard pointed at the shotgun, "I think you'll like it."

"I don't know," Tinky's ears lowered, "how do I know if I can control it."

"Simple son," Richard put the shotgun in Tinky's hands, "you control the gun. The gun doesn't control you."

"Yeah, it's not like Tinky Tank," Tinky smiled nervously and shifted his hands so the gun was in the correct position. He aimed at a target and fired. He almost hit the bullseye.

"Nice shot kid," Richard clapped his hands in approval. The purple tubby blushed, flustered by his achievement and the compliment.

"This feels right," Tinky commented. "I like this."

"Some say we have a natural craving for violence," Richard remarked, "it feels good having power in your hands, doesn't it kid."

"Yeah," Tinky looked at Richard. The older tubby was smiling at him. "Thanks Rich."

"Now keep practicing kid," Richard patted Tinky's back, "I'll make a fine soldier out of ya." Tinky's next few shots weren't so lucky. Richard tried to encourage him some more but Tinky felt like giving up.

"I think I'm done for a while," Tinky sighed as he put down the shotgun. Then his face brightened. "Hey Conor, could you show me how to use that katana?"

"Yeah man!" Conor scampered over, knocking some guns off the table. "C'mon, let's go get a drink and I'll show you the moves." The two headed inside and Richard and Miles waved them off.

A terrible wail echoed through the dark hallway as a newborn was devoured by a monster. The scarlet furred creature disemboweled the newborn, blood spattering all over its face, staining its crimson fur a deeper red. Po was hungry, and she was on the hunt. When she was finished with her first victim, she lifted her head and sniffed around. She could smell where newborns had been walking over the past couple days but she wanted to find fresher tracks. Her legs scuttled across the floor but they suddenly came to a halt. She found her prey.

The pathetic creature was shambling around the maze of corridors. Its limp arms hung weakly at its sides. It meekly called for its brethren. Po inched her way towards her next victim. It still hadn't noticed her. What was wrong with it. She pounced and it began screaming. She tore out its throat and began devouring its limbs.

"Po, is that the correct way to treat a child?" a robotic voice caught Po's attention. She lifted her head and spotted her master. Po dropped the corpse and took her place at his side. "Good girl."

Noo noo continued on his way and Po followed him. They entered a chamber with a vat full of custard. Po hissed at the smell.

"Ugh," Noo noo groaned, looking at his data file. "Why does this keep happening?"

"What's happening sir?" a strange voice asked the robot. Po shrieked and lunged at the stranger, pinning him against the floor. His brown eyes were filled with fear.

"Po!" noo noo raised his volume, "release him at once. he is a friend." Po obliged immediately and let the foreign tubby go. He wiped the grime off his fur and took a spot behind noo noo.

"Back to what I was saying. The submersion experiments on the newborns are not going well. If I leave them in there for about four hours, they begin to dissolve," noo noo stated.

"Maybe you need a stronger creature," the stranger stroked his chin, "newborns ain't worth much. Their bodies are nothing more than soulless husks. I could probably get you a better candidate. Someone you're willin' to risk before trying this out on the quartet."

"That could prove useful," noo noo agreed, "I'll take that into consideration."

"Anything else I can help with?" the stranger offered.

"Well, some of my newborns have become infested with these parasites," noo noo pulled up some photos he took, "I just corral them up and wait for them to die. Then I burn the bodies."

"Doesn't seem like I can help you with that," the stranger shrugged his shoulders. "I've gotta go, just call me if you need me."

"Farewell," noo noo watched his associate exit the room. He flipped a switch and the lid of the custard vat pulled back. He whistled and his newborns dragged in a blue worker. The worker growled and tried to fight them but it was no use. Noo noo rolled up to his newborns. he remembered this worker. He'd taken this worker prisoner after the raid of satellite station.

"Throw him in and shut the top," he commanded. "I want to see what this does to a stronger vessel."

Chapter Text

Footsteps. Lumbering, heavy. Walten's ear twitched and his eyes flicked open. Where was he? He was in a dark void, with only a smooth floor to stand on. He took a hesitant step forward and heard it echo. It was so quiet. His heart was in his ears. He could hear the blood rushing through his veins. The footsteps stopped.

"Hello?" he spoke, almost a whisper. The footsteps picked up again. They grew louder. Out of the dark fog came a large black beast. Walten stepped backward, eyes widening in fear. It had no facial features to speak of, save for its glowing mouth. It lumbered towards him and raised a large fist. Walten raised his arms in self-defense but it didn't stop the creature from pummeling him. He was sent skidding across the empty plane. He rolled to his feet and tried to run. The creature approached him. It kept getting closer. But he was running. Why isn't it getting further? Walten realized with horror that he couldn't run. All he could do was wait. Walten felt his chest ache. He felt the creature behind him now, he heard its labored breath. Heart was about to explode. It slammed its fist down.

Walten was sent falling down through the floor. The creature watched him from the hole it made. He blinked and saw Po in its place. He now realized that his surroundings had changed. He was falling off the platform in the custard factory. His scars were fresh and gushing blood. He tried to scream, to wave his arms, but his limbs felt like weights. Then he heard a sickening splash and his vision went pink. He screamed and screamed, but only bubbles came out of his mouth. He could feel his consciousness slipping, sleep was hanging on his eyelids, pulling them down under its weight. Then, he felt a large hand grab him and pull him out of the vat.

Tinky tank snarled and wrapped his hands around Walten's throat. Walten frantically tried to move his body, but he could only muster a twitch of his finger. Tinky continued to strangle him.

"T-Tinky," Walten choked out, his vision flickering. His vision finally went dark and he found himself floating in true emptiness. The void was his home now. There was not a single soul in sight. Then he heard the harsh sound of a chainsaw. Dipsy was barreling towards him at an incredible speed. Walten screamed and fell backwards onto the ground. Dipsy lifted up the chainsaw and sliced.

"GAH!" Walten sat up with a gasp, clutching his chest, panting heavily. Then he shakily laid down with a groan. He was exhausted, having not slept well for a couple nights now. His heart stopped. A headless figure was standing over him, its green fur was matted with blood. Dipsy was back. Walten shrieked and ran into his desk. He sloppily knocked over a couple things and threw a brush at Dipsy. The brush collided with the wall. Dipsy didn't budge, instead beginning to hobble over to him. Walten ran for the door and slammed himself into it. He fell onto the floor, forehead now aching from the impact. Dipsy was still coming towards him. Walten was out of options. He curled up into a defeated, fetal position and awaited his fate.

"Walt? Is everything OK in here?" the door opened and a concerned voice asked. Walten didn't move, all he could do was shiver in fear. "Walten, it's OK." He felt a hand rest itself on his quivering back. He lifted his head and his eyes focused on a large, purple furred tubby.

"Tinky get out!" Walten wailed, "he's gonna kill you too!" A look of confusion flashed on Tinky's face.

"Who's gonna kill me?" Tinky tilted his head. His eyes scanned the room, looking for the source of Walten's terror. He'd never seen Walten this afraid before.

"D-Dipsy," Walten uncurled his body and moved closer to Tinky. "He-he was here. He was gonna kill me."

"Dipsy's not here," Tinky said, "he's back at satellite station. Remember? You, Miles, Anne, and Richard beat him up. What happened?"

"I-uh," Walten looked around his room, noticing that Dipsy was gone. His blue eyes filled with tears, realizing what had happened. It was all a hallucination. Dipsy was never here. "... I-I you need to go!" Walten tried to push Tinky away with shaky arms, but it was no use against the larger tubby. Tinky wrapped both arms around Walten and held him close. Walten sobbed into Tinky's fur, the warmth of the embrace bringing him comfort. After a couple minutes, his tears subsided and he was able to form coherent sentences.

"I didn't want you to see me like this," Walten admitted, voice slightly muffled. His face was buried in Tinky's chest.

"How often does this happen?" Tinky's voice grew concerned. Walten didn't answer, his head was hung in shame. "Tell me."

"I've had these night terrors since the factory," Walten sighed and moved backward off Tinky's lap, "but they've gotten worse. This past week, I've started hallucinating."

"Have you told anyone?" Tinky blurted. Walten flinched and brought his knees closer to his body. Tinky realized that he may have come off as a bit harsh.

"I didn't want anyone to worry," Walten hid his face in his hands. "I'm sorry."

"Walt, I'm not mad," Tinky explained, "you don't have to apologize for anything. From now on, you can tell me about these terrors and I can help you feel better."

"Really?" Walten looked up at Tinky, cheeks streaked with tears. Tinky could see the ends of Walten's lips curled upward in a small smile. He smiled back.

"Remember what I said," Tinky blushed, "friends help each other when they're scared."

"Right," Walten wiped his face and sniffled. "Thanks Tinky." He wrapped his arms around his purple friend. He felt Tinky do the same. Walten closed his eyes and smiled. Shortly thereafter, he fell still in Tinky's arms. Once Tinky was sure Walten was asleep, he got up and walked to Walten's bed. He stopped at Walten's bedside and gently laid Walten in bed. Then he pulled the covers over his friend. Walten's chest slowly rose and fell. He was sleeping at last.

"Goodnight W," Tinky ran a hand through the fur on Walten's head. Then he leaned down until their faces were nearly touching and planted a gentle kiss on the white tubby's forehead. Even without a mirror, Tinky knew his face resembled a tomato. He walked away but stopped at the doorway when he heard Walten shift under his covers.

"G'night T," Walten mumbled. Tinky smiled and closed the door.

Walten sat alone at a bench in the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a medium sized room with a couple rows of benches. It probably used to feed many more mouths. Walten unwrapped his rations and began to pick at them. It wasn't long before Walten noticed someone approaching him. He turned his head and saw a red tubby with a beanie coming his way.

"How ya doin' kid?" Richard asked the white tubby who was hunched over eating his rations. Richard had noticed Walten's slouched posture.

"M' fine," Walten replied.

"Just makin' sure you're alright," Richard said as he sat down next to the white furred tubby. "How 'bout I eat with ya." Walten didn't respond. "I'll take that as a 'sure'."

"Well, actually," Walten set down his meal, "I've been having these dreams. A-About monsters I've encountered." His voice began to shake. Richard nodded attentively, signaling for Walten to continue. "The dreams usually end in my death. A-and once I wake up from one I can't go back to sleep." Walten sighed as he finished his explanation.

"That's pretty rough kid," Richard put a hand on Walten's shoulder.

"I'm sorry to worry you," Walten's ears fell.

"Don't get all beat up over that," Richard reassured the white tubby, "its my job to care. I want to keep the morale of this place high."

Walten turned his head, blue eyes focusing on Richard's smiling face, "thanks Rich."

"No problem," Richard replied. "I've got to be going now, back to duties and all that." He stood up and patted Walten on the back. "If you ever want to talk, you know you can count on me."

"OK," Walten replied, hastily finishing his food. Richard had been nothing but kind and supportive to him. Walten wondered how he could repay that kindness. A pit formed in Walten's stomach. He could see the shadowy creature watching him from afar. He blinked and it dissipated. This isn't over.

Chapter Text

A gasp escaped her lips. The yellow furred tubby fell to her knees. She'd been running all day. From what? What was she running from? The shadow ... yes, the shadow. That was what she was running from. She tried to ground herself, focus on the rocks beneath her feet, the tickle of the breeze on her face. No comfort. Footsteps, voices. Someone was following her. Was it the shadow? The whipped her head towards where the voice was coming from, ears honing in directly like a sonar. It was a group of armed tubbies. A threat. All threats must be eliminated. La La crouched down, preparing to strike. Once the voices were close enough she leaped from her position and onto the face of one.

He screamed and threw her off. La La growled and leaped back, slicing at the fur of her attacker. He shot at her with his gun but she wrenched it out of his hands. La La threw it and it bounced on the ground a couple feet away. The soldier tried to crawl away but La la sat pinned him down and clawed at his face. He wailed and La la felt warm liquid on her hands. Blood. She'd gotten his eyes.

"Help! We're being attacked! Send reinforcements!" a scout cried out and ran away from the battle. La la gave chase and barreled towards the sound of the scout's voice. He screamed and shot her 3 times in the chest. She stumbled backward from the impact, then she recovered and continued her pursuit. He was almost at the border of the outskirts. Better let him go. La la turned around and went to go finish off her wounded prey.

Richard scanned his notes. "Is that all that happened?"

"Y-yes sir," the injured scout nodded, "I-, Charles, I couldn't save him." The scout began to cry and Richard hugged him.

"You can't save everyone," Richard murmured sympathetically, "I know how it feels."

"Y-you do?" the scout sniffled and Richard handed him a tissue.

"Yes, my partner Finn," Richard felt a pit form in his chest, "I lost him during a mission."

"I'm so sorry sir," the scout replied.

"Don't be," Richard wiped a tear from the scout's cheek, "nothing could have been done anyway." Then he heard a knock at the door. "One moment," Richard walked past the scout and opened the door.

"You wanted to see me?" Tinky tilted his head. He spotted the scout and waved.

"Yes," Richard replied. "Come in, sit down." Tinky made his way over to a chair and took a seat. Richard returned to his chair and looked through his notes again.

"So, what do you need my help with?" Tinky asked, twiddling his thumbs. "Something on a high shelf you couldn't reach?"

Richard snickered, "I wish. What I called you here for was a potential mission into the outskirts. Y'see, this scout here was attacked by a monster. I think you might know this monster."

"It had yellow fur and was missing its eyes," the scout blurted out. Tinky's heart went cold. He felt his vision flicker.

"I, uh," Tinky stammered, "that sounds like La la."

"That's what I thought so too," Richard nodded his head. "I was thinking you could take a small team and neutralize her."

"Neutralize?" Tinky didn't like the sound of that. "What does that entail?"

"Well, you could put her down, or try to reason with her," Richard folded his hands. "It's your call to make son."

"I'll see what I can do," Tinky replied, earning him a smile from Richard.

"Good luck kid," Richard stroked his chin.

"Alright guys," Tinky waved at his teammates. "Be on the lookout for anything yellow. Don't be afraid to holler if you see something!" He had to yell over the sound of the copter.

"Question," Conor raised his hand. Tinky nodded to give him the go-ahead. "What if we hear her before we see her."

Tinky rolled his eyes, "she's hard to miss but like I said before you can scream for help."

"That might alert her to your location," Walten raised an eyebrow, "I'd suggest whispering into the radio as an alternative."

"We'll probably smell her before we see her," Dutch suggested. "Like Walten said with Dipsy. That whole place stunk." He pretended to gag.

"OK who farted?" Conor waved a hand in front of his face. "Did someone give Walten dairy again?"

"I'm not lactose intolerant," Walten frowned. "It was probably the dog." Walten nudged cowfarts with his foot. The dog smirked and ran into the cockpit of the helicopter.

"Good riddance," Tinky pinched his nose.

"Wait here for us," Tinky instructed the pilot. "We'll let you know when we come back so you can open the doors."

"Got it," the pilot gave him a thumbs up. Tinky hopped down from the plane with a shotgun in hand. Dutch was stretching his legs and groaning. Conor inspected his sniper rifle, meticulously turning it over. Walten straightened his hat and approached Tinky.

"Hey," he waved at the purple tubby.

"Heya W," Tinky replied, "what's up?"

"I feel like we're being watched," the white tubby admitted, clutching his pistol.

"Is it the terrors?" Tinky asked, concerned. Walten had been losing sleep all week from his hallucinations.

"I'm not sure," Walten's blue eyes scanned the perimeter, "could you just back me up in case it's real."

"No prob Walt," Tinky patted Walten on the shoulder. The shorter tubby smiled in appreciation.

The quartet began their expedition into the outskirts. They made note of some tracks they'd found but it seemed pretty barren. The sky was mostly clear which warmed the air. Tinky found himself sweating and his feet hurt from traversing the uneven, rough terrain.

"How'd you make it through here by yourself Walt?" Tinky asked.

"I had to," Walten replied.

"Hey look," Conor motioned towards the others. He held up a small clump of fur in his hand. "This is pretty yellow, right?" Tinky nodded and sniffed it.

"It's her," Tinky confirmed, "and it's pretty fresh."

"Uh guys," Dutch came in through the radio. "I think I found her." Dutch was perched on the edge of a small drop. Tinky ran over to his side and noticed the creature below. It had dull yellow fur, matted with dirt and blood. Its eyes were black and empty sockets, with deep scratches surrounding them.

"Help?" La la called. "Anyone?"

"What's she doing?" Conor whispered, "isn't she infected?"

"Dipsy spoke while he was infected," Walten furrowed his brow, "maybe she's going through something similar."

"La La!" Tinky cupped his hands around his mouth, "is that you?" The yellow furred tubby's ears perked up.

"Tinky! Are you there?" she whipped her head around, trying to tell where his voice came from.

"I'm coming La la!" Tinky hopped over the edge of the drop and slid down the stone. That was gonna hurt his feet.

"Tinky?" La la stifled a cry, "is that really you?"

"It's me," he stopped three feet short of the yellow tubby. She threw her arms around him and he did in turn.

"I was so worried," she buried her muzzle in his belly, "you went missing and we were all so worried."

"I know," Tinky sighed, "Noo noo betrayed us. He poisoned our food and we all got sick."

"Noo noo!?" La la pulled back, "he would never do that!" She put her hands over her eye sockets. Her body began to shake and Tinky noticed her fur begin to darken.

"Stay calm La la," Tinky held out his hands, a gesture that La la couldn't see. "You're safe now." La la seemed to calm at Tinky's request. He noticed the other three had moved towards him.

"Who's there?" La la locked onto the Tinky's teammates. She growled and her fur bristled.

"Hey woah!" Tinky put a hand on la la's shoulder. "Those are my friends. They helped me find you."

"Oh," La la calmed, "I didn't want to lose you again."

"La la, these are my friends," Tinky took La la by the hand and led her over to his teammates. "How would you prefer they identify themselves?"

"The sound of their voice," La la requested. "Thanks T."

"I'm Conor," Conor said, awkwardly waving at the yellow tubby. La la nodded and sniffed at Conor's chest fur. He leaned away and looked at her weird.

"Walten," Walten said as la la approached him. She sniffed him and smiled.

"We've met before," La la grinned, "you threw a rock at me."

"That I did," Walten admitted.

"You've got bad aim, even without eyes, I can aim better than you," she snickered. Then she moved on to Dutch.

"I'm Dutch," Dutch smiled and offered to high five. He forgot she couldn't see. La la walked away and stretched her neck weird.

"Newborns," Lala's ears twitched. "There's a group of them. About twenty."

"You can hear them?" Dutch asked.

"Yes," La la replied, "after I went blind I've paid more attention to my other senses. Hearing and smelling are really useful."

"We can take 'em," Conor loaded his rifle.

The horde of newborns appeared at the top of the slope. One screeched as it spotted the group. It began barreling down the hill and all the others followed it. Walten readied his chainsaw. Tinky and Dutch loaded their guns. Tinky shot a couple rounds at the advancing stampede. One fell and it tumbled and knocked down a couple other newborns. They all whined obnoxiously.

The crowd parted revealing a slightly larger monster. Its fur was a dull blue and it reeked of rot. Its body was bloated and swollen. Its mouth and eyes oozed a sickly pink liquid. Custard. Tinky gritted his teeth, horrified at the sight. He could feel himself slipping. C'mon, keep it together.

"A blue worker," Dutch's eyes widened, "what happened to them?" The worker groaned and stumbled towards the quintet. Walten ran towards it and sliced off its arm with the chainsaw. It yowled and snapped its jaws at Walten. Walten barely dodged the bite and kicked the monster. It toppled over onto its side.

"I'll take care of this guy, you get the newborns!" Walten hollered as he slashed the beast with his chainsaw.

"Right," Tinky and Dutch replied and began shooting at the newborns.

"I'll protect La la," Conor said and took a position in front of the yellow tubby. She blushed and put a hand over her mouth. Conor took a couple shots at the newborns before they got too close to him and La la. Then he took her hand and climbed up a ledge with her. The newborns tried to follow but couldn't climb. Safe at last, Conor got into position and shot away. La la picked up a rock and threw it at the horde.

Walten yelped as the blue worker lunged at him and fell on top of him. He hissed and dug his chainsaw into its flesh. Blood squirted all over his face and in his eyes. "AARRGH!" Walten squeezed his eyes shut. He kicked the worker off him and got to his feet, wiping the blood off his face. The worker gurgled and grunted, choking on its own blood. Walten panted and noticed a pair of newborns stumbling towards him. He growled and shot them with his pistol.

"Last one down!" Dutch pumped his fist as the newborn he shot crumpled to the ground. Tinky and him fist bumped. Conor slid down the ledge and helped La la down. Walten shot the corpse of the blue worker one last time. It was dead.

"You're coming back with us Lala!" Tinky hugged his yellow friend. She smiled.

"Really?" La la asked in disbelief.

"Yeah! You seem to be able to stave off your infection like me," Tinky said. "You deserve to come back."

"Do you think the chopper might be loud for her?" Dutch asked.

"We could give her headphones, I'm sure the pilot has a spare," Conor suggested.

"That would be nice," La la replied, "what's a chopper?"

"Well, this is new," La la held onto Tinky's arm as the helicopter ascended.

"Pretty cool huh!" Conor hollered. La la nodded and giggled, her cheeks turning rosy.

La la turned and spoke to Tinky in a low voice, "your friend Conor is cool."

"I think you'd make great friends with him," Tinky replied. He still couldn't believe he had La la back. He'd thought he was the odd one out. He felt a twinge of melancholy. He was still missing Dipsy and Po. Maybe him and La la could find a way to help them recover too. Maybe they'd be together again...

Chapter Text

The red tubby timidly stepped forward into the control room. His brown eyes found the shiny blue droid he was looking for.

"On time Richard," noo noo droned.

"What did you call me here for sir?" Richard stroked his chin nervously. He could feel Po's eyes boring into his back. That creature hated him.

"I want you to bring me some more subjects for my experiments. I'd prefer their disappearances to go unnoticed. I've almost perfected my technique and I want to get it right before I use it on the guardian," Noo noo explained. Richard's heart stopped. That droid couldn't be serious.

"The guardian?" Richard tilted his head and furrowed his brow, "why do you want him?"

"Is that an objection?" Noo noo rolled over to Richard. Even though Richard towered over the small vacuum, the red tubby felt intimidated.

"N-no sir," Richard stuttered, "just an inquiry."

"Ah, the guardian and I go back a long time. He was my first creation and though I made better creatures, I kept him around out of some sort of attachment. He was guarding the teletubbies before I infected the custard," Noo noo spoke as he rolled through the room, managing computer systems. "He was not supposed to have a will of his own, none of the quartet were, in fact. But as it is, like any machine, defects must be fixed. I need him back at my side where he belongs."

"I understand sir," Richard nodded his head, "but you must be careful. Y'see, Wal- ." Richard cut himself off. Noo noo was glaring at him. "T'uh, the guardian has formed a bond with one of the quartet, Tinky winky. If he goes missing, we'll have Tinky after our throats-er-wheels."

"How fascinating," Noo noo mused. "Organics are such strange creatures."

"Uh, thanks?" Richard shrugged his shoulders.

"Dismissed," noo noo said. Richard promptly exited and sighed. He had a lot of work to do.

"Wakey wakey," a soft voice lulled Tinky out of his sleep. He felt something soft tickle his nose.

"Hmm what time is it?" he mumbled and sneezed.

"It's time to get out of bed sleepyhead," blue eyes narrowed, "am i going to have to pull you out?"

"Ugh fine," Tinky planted a hand on Walten's face. "I'll get up." He heard the white tubby mumble something into the palm of his hand. Tinky slid out of the covers, removing his hand from his friend's face.

"Finally," Walten clapped his hands, grinning, "I thought I was gonna have to wait all morning."

"Get that cheeky grin off your face," Tinky crossed his arms and squinted his eyes. "Where's my stuff?"

"Remember, you slept over here last night," Walten pointed at the indent that Tinky had made on the bed, "I think you broke my mattress." Tinky turned around as he felt his face go red. He'd slept over all the time with his friends. Why does it feel different with Walten? A memory flashed.

"Hey Tinky!" Po tugged on the larger tubby's arm. Her eyes were full of mischief as she pulled him over to a secluded corner in the house. "I think Dipsy has a crush on La La. Do you wanna make them kiss?"

"What's a crush?" Past Tinky raised an eyebrow.

"It's when one person really really likes another person and their face turns all red!" Po exclaimed. "I see Dipsy do it all the time at La La."

"That sounds really funny!" Tinky giggled, "how about it! Let's go make them kiss."

"EEHEE HEE!" Po grabbed Tinky's arm and the two scampered off to join their friends who were playing ball outside. They never did end up making Dipsy and La la kiss, but Tinky did see Dipsy blush when La la handed him the ball.

"Hey, we've gotta get going," Walten waved his hand in front of the larger tubby's face. "Lenny's gonna be upset if we're late, also why does you face look like a tomato?" Tinky snapped back to reality and chuckled awkwardly.

"I'll go get my stuff and wash my face," Tinky practically ran out of Walten's room. He went to the bathroom and ran the water over his face. The liquid washed the redness off his cheeks. He sighed in relief and headed for the shower. The cool water sprayed over his fur, soaking his purple pelt. When it was done, Tinky felt refreshed and clean. He went to his and Conor's room and grabbed his radio. He would need it in case he got lost in the research lab.

"Alright boys," Lenny snapped his fingers, "I want my lab mostly clean. If I had more of my workers y'all wouldn't have to be here but as it is..." His face fell.

"Hey, L," Dutch consoled, "don't worry, we'll help ya." Lenny perked up.

"Thanks licorice," Lenny smiled, "I'll take the snowball, you'll take the grape." Lenny handed out trashbags and explained to fill them with torn cables.

"No prob blueberry," Dutch made finger guns and took Tinky by the arm. The two walked down a hallway and found some cables to put in their trashbag.

"What was that?" Tinky snickered once they were far enough from the main lab, "licorice? grape?"

"Lenny is like that," Dutch grinned, "he likes to give everyone funny nicknames. It seems to lighten his mood." Dutch took a couple steps forward and reeled back, hands over his mouth.

"Oh my gosh is that a corpse!?" Tinky leapt back, fur bristling in shock. The smell was horrid. The poor blue worker must have died recently.

"We'd better report this to Lenny," Dutch turned on his radio. "Lenny, can you read me? It's Dutch, we found a corpse."

"Another one?" Lenny gawked, "my workers keep going missing. Are there any signs of a struggle?"

"Seems like it," Tinky murmured, poking around the hall. This worker was probably running when they were attacked.

"I think it was newborns," Dutch commented, "look at the bite marks." The two took a couple minutes to examine the corpse and the surrounding area.

"C'mon you two we don't have all day to sleuth, get back to work," Lenny chastised through the radio.

"Alrighty," Dutch chirped and he led Tinky to another hallway. Tinky picked up some metal scraps and tossed them in his bag. For a military research center, this place sure was decrepit. The pair worked in silence, tossing broken cables in Dutch's bag and miscellaneous items in Tinky's.

"Augh, my back is starting to hurt," Dutch rubbed the base of his spine.

"Mine too," Tinky agreed, "you wanna take a break?"

"Sure," Dutch sat down next to the purple tubby.

"So, when did you join the military?" Tinky asked.

"A couple years back," Dutch put his hands behind his head. "Why'd ya ask?"

"Just curious," Tinky replied. Then he looked away. "Have you ever had a crush before?"

"A crush?" Dutch cocked his head to the side, a sly smile crossed his face. "Do you want to tell me something Tinky?"

"What!?" Tinky's cheeks turned pink. "It-it's not on you!"

"Haha I wouldn't have thought so," Dutch chuckled. "I've had crushes here and there but they never amounted to anything. So, who is it?"

"Who is what?" Tinky felt his cheeks grow redder.

"The one," Dutch grinned coyly, "you can tell me."

"I-uh," Tinky pushed Dutch away.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, I was joking," Dutch reached out a hand. "You don't have to tell!"

"Oh ok," Tinky tried to hide his glowing red face, "it's just I've never had a crush before." The two sat in silence.

"Butterflies amiright?" Dutch smiled as he switched on his radio. "Let's check on the others. Oh, Lenny's calling." Tinky nodded in silent agreement. His ear twitched when he Lenny's voice come in over the radio.

"Lenny!" Dutch exclaimed, "what's up."

"I lost the snowball," Lenny explained, audibly tripping over something. "He up and ran off on me! He was mutterin' something incoherent." Lenny kicked something and it skidded across the floor. "Darn it these cables!"

"Oh no," Tinky's face went pale as he stood up.

"What is it?" Dutch followed him. "Has this happened before?"

"Once," Tinky replied, motioning for Dutch to stay behind him. The black furred tubby followed him as he walked through the halls. The lights flickered, illuminating the hall in a sickly dim teal. It would make sense that Walten would have a hallucination here. This lab was awfully reminiscent of satellite station.

"So, what's happening?" Dutch spoke in a low voice. Tinky shushed him, ears perked up. There was a sound of faint crying. Tinky pressed his ear against the door of a supply closet. That was definitely Walten. He slowly cracked open the door. The white tubby was huddled in a corner, head buried in his knees. Tinky took a step inside the closet. Dutch stayed outside the closet but pressed his ear against the door.

"Leave me alone!" Walten threw a hand back in Tinky's general direction. "They're already here. I'm done for." He curled in on himself tighter and began to shake.

"W, it's me," Tinky sat behind the shaking tubby. Walten put his arm down and sighed.

"I'm losing my mind," Walten. Tinky placed his hand on the white tubby's back which seemed to ease the shaking.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tinky wrapped his arms around Walten.

"No," Walten snapped back, then said more softly, "not here."

"You wanna come with me and Dutch?" Tinky offered.

"Just leave me here," Walten replied, "I'll probably freak out again."

"C'mon," Tinky grabbed Walten's arm and pulled him out of the closet. The white tubby stood up, his hat lowered, covering his face.

"Is someone gonna tell me what happened?" Dutch asked.

"I'm fine," Walten responded, "I hallucinate sometimes."

"Well that's not good," Dutch frowned. "I would say ask the doctor, but we don't have that kind of medication on hand."

"It doesn't matter," Walten said, "let's finish our job." Dutch and Tinky both shrugged at each other. They picked up their bags and tossed some more cables in. Dutch raido'd Lenny to let him know Walten was alright and they'd found him. Per Walten's request, Dutch told him Walten got spooked and ran to hide.

"We're running a bit short on rations," Anne looked through her documents. "And a bit of everything."

"This is what I feared," Miles sighed, "we'd all die out here."

"Hey," Anne reassured, "we've got a few more weeks worth of food for all of us and we can turn it into more if needed."

"Have you been able to make contact with the other base?" Miles asked the blue tubby sitting across from him.

"No sir," Lenny shrugged, "their systems are completely offline."

"Do you think-?" Anne cut herself off with a hand over her mouth. Her eyes grew watery.

"We could send a team to check," Miles suggested. "If nobody's home then nobody's coming back."

"Where's Captain Richard?" Lenny pondered, "he's not usually late to meetings is he?"

"No," Anne raised an eyebrow. "Strange, I'll try to contact him later." Richard had been acting weird all week.

"I'll lead the team," Miles brought the conversation back on topic. "Lenny, you should stay here. We'll contact you if we can bring the systems online."

"I'll come with you," Anne put a hand on Miles' arm. "Who do you want to bring?"

"I was thinking me, you and some soldiers. Just a small mission," Miles looked at Anne.

"Just don't bring Richard," Anne snickered, "he'll be late." Miles rolled his eyes.

"If you say so."

Chapter Text

Emerald eyes peered out the window onto the dusty landscape. It was vacant, desolate, devoid of any color besides a dull brown. A small tumbleweed blew across the cracked earth. Anne knew it the land wasn't always like this. A long time ago, it was lush and filled to the brim with life. While most of the landscape was a dead husk, there were still patches that showed a snippet of what the world was like.

Once, a mission brought her and her team near a small river. Around the river, there was life. The soil was moist and soft, with lush green grass growing atop. She looked into the clear water and saw tiny creatures clustered together in a group. Tadpoles, yes, those. She'd only seen them in pictures. A soft croak caused her ear to twitch. She turned her head and saw a frog. Anne giggled and tried to catch it but she slipped in the mud. One of her comrades helped her up. Her pink fur was now covered in the brown substance, but it didn't bother her. The mud felt cool against her fur, but it soon dried up once the team started moving again.

Anne returned to the present, the memory bringing a pang of melancholy to her heart. She'd never get to see the world like it was before. She turned and saw Miles watching her.

"What's up?" Anne leaned against the windowsill, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face.

"Are you ready to go?" Miles inquired. He wanted to go as soon as possible. Anne nodded, taking her place at Miles' side as they walked to assemble their team. Miles had decided to take Tinky winky and Walten with them, as the pair work well together. Tinky, while he may not be skilled with weapons, is great for hand to hand combat and is very big and strong. Walten knows a lot about the reborns and their attack patterns so he is necessary in case there are newborns present. Anne spots the pair and can't help but smile at the two.

"Hey," Tinky waved his hands at Anne and Miles. Walten kept his gaze locked on the floor.

"C'mon, it's time to go," Miles motioned for the two to follow him to the landing pad. The helicopter was waiting for the team. Miles headed in first, followed by Tinky who bumped his head on the doorway. Walten followed the purple tubby, though he seemed distracted. Anne was the last in and she plopped down next to Miles. The two fastened their seatbelts then Miles gave the pilot the OK to take off.

"So, how long are we gonna be flying?" Tinky asked.

"About a half hour," Miles stated. At least the ride wouldn't be long.

"Where's Anne and Miles?" Richard's voice hit Conor's ears. Conor turned around to see the red tubby looking around.

"They left on a mission with Tinky and Walten," Conor shrugged, "didn't they give you the memo?" Richard's face fell.

"I just came back from a walk," Richard replied, "I must have missed the meeting." Conor walked away, probably to go do his duties. Richard ran a hand over his head. He hadn't been on a walk. He'd been conversing with the droid, Noo noo. The vacuum was pleased with his supply of two blue workers to experiment on. Richard knew what he would eventually have to do. And he had the perfect idea of how to get away with it.

"Alright," Miles explained the plan to the pilot, "wait for us outside and let us know if you have to leave." The pilot nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Miles stepped out of the plane, rifle in hand. Anne tied her hair back in a high ponytail, Tinky beside her, holding her rifle while she did so. When she was done, he handed it back to her and she thanked him. Walten straightened his hat and followed Miles and the group into the building. It was quite large and some of its windows were broken. Bad sign. Anne hoped maybe it was just damage from a past attack.

The first thing the group found was a mangled corpse. Anne screamed and backed away, her green eyes filling with tears. The corpse's intestines were spilling onto the ground. Walten went pale as well and turned away, not able to stomach the gruesome scene. Miles grabbed the two by the arms and led them around the corpse. Tinky lingered for a moment, but rejoined the rest of the group. Anne opened her eyes and found herself standing next to Miles in what appeared to be the Mess Hall. Benches lined the floor and some were flipped over. Miles led her to an upright bench and sat her down.

"Are you alright?" Miles asked the pink tubby. Anne nodded, she was alright, but freaked out.

"I- just seeing that body made me sick," Anne admitted. "I feel so bad. We should have known something was up when their systems were offline."

"I know this is hard, but we have to pull through," Miles put a hand on Anne's shoulder. Anne's eyes scanned the floor, noticing the blood splatters and the rust that marked the tile. Last time she'd seen it, this place was clean and bright. Now it was dark and dingy, with an ominous air to it.

"I'll be fine," Anne reassured the green tubby. He was always very caring to her. She knew they were close, but she never felt anything more than camaraderie and friendship for the man she fought aside. It was a brotherly love they shared. She rose to her feet and joined Walten who was poking around the supply closet. He motioned to her and she took a look inside.

"I found some rations," Walten said, gesturing to a pile of ration packs. Anne smiled and scooped a few in her arms.

"We'll come back for these when we leave," she said as she examined a package. The rations wouldn't expire for another few decades. Her and Walten left the supply closet, making note of its location and contents.

"Let's go to the control room," Miles ordered, "we need to get the systems online so we can contact Lenny."

"Me and Walten found some spare rations," Anne announced. Miles nodded, pleased with the discovery.

"I found a patch of newborn fur," Tinky's voice was sure, "they've been here."

"They may have left by now," Miles reassured the purple tubby. "Let's get moving." The four walked single-file through the halls, finding a couple more corpses. Anne noticed Tinky place his hand on Walten's shoulder. The white tubby looked very uneasy.

The four arrive at the control room, all glancing warily around. Tinky sniffed at a patch of blood and reeled back. He hissed and entered the control room. Miles and Walten tried to boot up the system. Anne stood to the side, watching the entrance of the door. She wasn't very gifted with technology, but she sure knew how to fight. If any newborns were to come this way they'd have to go through her and Tinky. The room was silent, save for the shuffling of feet as the two tubbies tried to work the computer. Anne heard a pause, then a crash. Miles threw a keyboard into the wall and cursed.

"The darn thing has no power," he sighed, "we need to power up the generator."

"Where might that be?" Walten asked.

"It's probably downstairs," Miles said, "you go look for it. Anne and Tinky stay here with me. Maybe if Tinky kicks it it'll turn on." Miles snorted and sucked in a breath. He handed Walten a flashlight and sent him on his way. Then he crossed his arms and returned to his spot.

"Hey, at least we have more food," Anne said, trying to lighten the mood. Miles ignored her and continued trying to boot up the computer. Tinky paced around in a small circle. Five minutes gone by. Something was wrong.

"Help me!"

It was going fine. He was walking down the stairs. Walten's fur bristled and he heard a quiet sound. A giggle. It was barely louder than a whisper.

"Come play with us," the tubbies cooed. A headless, bleeding Dipsy offered Walten a bloodstained yellow ball. LaLa and Po watched on. Lala's eyes were hanging out of their sockets. One's optic nerve snapped and the eye fell to the floor with a sickening squish. Po stepped on it and clapped her hands.

"Help me!" Walten cried. No response. Walten shivered and kept walking down the stairs. They were following him. He had to stay focused. Find the generator. He stumbled and fell down the stairs. At the bottom, he woke up in a pool of blood. His blood? No, the blood of Po, Lala, and Dipsy. They were staring at him. He saw Tinky approach them from behind.

"STOP!" he cried out. "He's gonna kill-" Walten blinked.

"Why did you let us die?" they asked, their voices perfectly synced. Their bodies bloodied and battered. Rotten and empty.

"I-I'm sorry," Walten croaked out. Po screeched and lunged at his face. Walten closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact. But none came.

They were gone. He groaned and got to his feet. His surroundings shifted. He was now in the checkered void. He felt a presence coming from behind him. The shadow.  Where were the stairs. He had to find the generator. He felt a hand close around his neck. The beast picked him up, bearing its glowing white fangs. Walten screamed but his voice was merely a whimper.

Surroundings changed. Satellite station. Main land. Walten felt dizzy. He laid down and curled into a ball. He felt another shift. He got up and opened his eyes. Ten thousand other Waltens did the same. They blinked and screamed at him. His world shattered. Ears ringing.

"T-tinky," Walten whimpered amidst the cacophony of sound. He wanted nothing more than to see his friend again. The shadow appeared again and the Waltens disappeared. It stood over him, its imposing form casting a harsh shadow over the white tubby.

"Please h-help."

"Was that Walten?" Anne nearly dropped her gun at the cry for help.

"What's he gotten himself into?" Miles grabbed a flashlight and motioned for Anne and Tinky to follow him. They walked through the hallway and down the stairs. Tinky's fur bristled with apprehension. This place was awfully dingy. Anne's ear twitched, she heard a whimper.

"Is he down there?" Anne tried to peek over Miles' shoulder. Miles nodded. She looked and felt a twinge of pity in her chest. At the base of the stairs, curled in a fetal position, was the white tubby. The three made it to the base of the stairs and carefully stepped over Walten. He was whimpering and muttering incoherently. Miles knelt down next to the white tubby and shook his shoulder. Walten sat up with a gasp, panicked. Anne helped him to his feet. Miles got up as well.

"Sh-shiny mouth... Miles! Y-you gotta get out of here!" Walten lurched forward, almost falling onto the green tubby. "He's after me!"

"Nobody's here," Miles stated. "Did you find the generator?" The white tubby didn't answer.

"He's after me!" Walten's blue eyes were wide with terror. "T-the shadow!"

"Answer the question!" Miles snapped harshly. "Did you find the generator?" No response. Miles balled a fist, but then uncurled it.

"Miles," Anne murmured, eyes widening. Miles reeled back his arm. He'd lost his patience.

SLAP!

Anne grabbed Tinky's arm as the purple tubby lunged towards Miles. "Tinky, calm down!" she hissed between gritted teeth. "MILES! That isn't going to help!" Miles didn't seem to hear her.

"Incompetent," Miles walked past the sobbing white tubby and into the darkness. He was going to find the generator without them. Anne turned her head and found that she'd lost her grip on Tinky. The purple tubby had taken a seat beside Walten, who was once more curled into a ball, hands over his face. Tinky was running his hand over the white fur of his back in an attempt to quell his shivering. Anne knelt down next to the shaking tubby and tried to talk comfortingly to him. Tinky shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, h-he's not usually like this," Anne addressed the white tubby, not knowing what to do. The two sat in silence, listening to the white tubby cry and whimper. Slowly, his sobs began to subside. Anne turned to Tinky. "Has this happened before?" Tinky nodded.

"He's usually calm by now," Tinky's eyes flicked up to meet Anne's. "Miles didn't help with that." Two minutes go by.

"I'm sorry," a hoarse voice breaks the silence. "I couldn't f-find the generator." Walten had taken up a more comfortable position, head on Tinky's lap. He closed his eyes and Anne could see the mark Miles left on his tear streaked cheeks.

"Oh no no," Anne put a hand on Walten's shoulder, "it's not your fault." Walten looked up at her.

"I found the generator, it wasn't that far," Miles appears out of the darkness. "I need help turning it on. Tinky, you're with me." Tinky sighs and gets up. Walten slides off and sits up, arms wrapped around his knees. Him and Anne were alone.

"Are you OK?" Anne reached out a hand, "did you fall down the stairs?"

"I think so," Walten admitted, looking away. "I'm a little scratched up but I'll be fine." He sighs and buries his head in his knees.

"Your chest is looking better," Anne smiled, "I saw a picture of you in one of my files and it's healed so much since you first arrived."

"It has," Walten lifts his head. Blue eyes meet emerald.

"I'm really sorry about Miles," Anne's ears lowered.

"Don't be," Walten replied, "you're not the one who hit me."

The two don't speak until Miles and Tinky return. The lights flicker on as the generator hums. Tinky helps Walten up and tails the group as they walk up the stairs. They make it back to the control room and Miles boots the system up. He checks the logs and finds that this base was attacked. No survivors. Miles calls Lenny and tells him that everything went smoothly. Anne sees Tinky glare menacingly at Miles. Promptly, the meeting ends and the four return to their helicopter after picking up some rations.

Nobody talks as they fly home. Miles sits with his arms crossed, bag of rations between his legs. Tinky eyes him and occasionally glances over at Walten, who is hunched over, staring at the floor. Anne twirls her hair and sighs. She wants Miles to apologize. It was the only way this situation could be fixed. But she knows Miles is final in his decisions. That was one thing Anne didn't like about him.

When they arrive back at the base, Richard and Cowfarts are waiting to greet them. Cowfarts bounds over to Miles and tries to hop on him but he gently pushes the dog away. Cowfarts runs to Anne and she pets the dog. Richard initiates a conversation with Miles. Tinky and Walten slip past them and into the base. Anne gets up from her position and goes to join the conversation. but stops. She doesn't feel like talking to Miles. Not after today. Anne closes the door behind her as she walks, arms hugging her sides, to her quarters.

Chapter Text

05:00, May 26th, 20XX

A sliver of pink appeared over the horizon as the red tubby got to work. Alongside him, a huge hulking beast was assisting him, digging through the dirt with her long spindly legs. Richard felt his shovel hit something fleshy and he stepped back to examine what he'd found. A brown furred hand. Just what he was looking for. He whistled and Po approached him. He showed her what he found and she began digging around that spot. Soon, there was a whole arm. Po tugged on it, but the body was still covered in too much sediment to budge. Richard wiped sweat off his forehead and used his shovel to fling dirt into the growing pile.

The two worked for an hour and got most of the body uncovered. The cave tubby laid motionless as Richard and Po pulled its legs out of the dirt. It twitched at the feeling.

"Good work," Richard heard a robotic voice say. The blue vacuum had just arrived, surrounded by an entourage of four large announcer robots.

"Thanks," Richard grabbed his shovel with a hand, "so, you'll take it from here I assume?"

"Yes," Noo noo responded, "my announcers will take it back and rejuvenate it with custard. It should be ready in a day or two."

"Good, good," Richard stroked his beard, "you also want the Yeti too?"

"Yes," Noo noo replied. "We shall meet here tomorrow after you retrieve it. Then we will discuss your little invasion plan. I will help you perfect it since you organics tend to make careless mistakes."

"Yes sir," Richard nodded his head and watched the blue vacuum roll away. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he admired the droid. "Well, back to work."

03:00, May 28th, 20XX

Mismatched eyes blinked open. Tinky yawned and rubbed his face. The sound of soft whimpering caught his ear. He looked down and saw the source. Instantly, he grabbed the white tubby's shoulder and pulled him close. He could feel the smaller tubby shaking in his arms.

"Walt, wake up," Tinky whispered. "C'mon bud. It's just a dream!" He felt Walten gasp and bury his face in Tinky's chest.

"m' sorry," the white tubby sniffled. Tinky knew he was embarrassed about his nightmares.

"You don't have to apologize," Tinky rested his head atop Walten's.

"The shadow," Walten murmured, closing his blue eyes, "it's always there. I can't- it always-"

"I know," Tinky sighed and ran his hand through the fur between Walten's ears. "It's okay now." He felt the white tubby take a couple deep breaths. Walten's hallucinations have gotten worse since the mission. The white tubby fell into a depressive state, wanting to do nothing except sleep. Tinky couldn't blame him, he couldn't imagine what that would be like, feeling like something was always out to get you. He felt Walten's shaking subside and let his eyes close.

"mmm' Tinky?" Walten spoke, muffled by Tinky's fur.

"Yes W?" Tinky whispered.

"You're amazing," Walten murmured. Tinky felt his cheeks grow hot at the compliment. Stupid crush. Tinky knew he would eventually have to tell the white tubby about his feelings. But for now, they could just be friends.

---

08:00, May 28th, 20XX

A purple hand smacked the beeping clock. Tinky groaned and blinked his eyes.

"Is it morning already?" Walten asked, opening one eye.

"I know, right," Tinky muttered. He felt Walten stir and sit up. Tinky sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He noticed the white tubby putting on his hat. There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Walten walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hey man, can we come in?" Conor tilted his head. Standing behind him was the golden furred tubby, Lala. Her fur, once dull and matted, had gained back some of its luster. Even though she looked nice, her face was grim.

"Oh, hey C! Hey L!" Tinky waved, "yeah! You can come in!" The two entered the room. Lala took a seat on the rug and Conor on the chair. Tinky sat down on the side of Walten's bed. Walten sat on the floor near Tinky.

"I had a vision last night," Lala blurted, "it was terrible." She put her hands over her eye sockets.

"A vision?" Tinky cocked his head to the side. She'd had one of those before we all got infected.

"Yes," La La continued, "the shadow. It attacked me." Walten's face went pale.

"The ... shadow?" Walten's blue eyes widened, "can you tell me more?"

"It's this big black beast with glowing white fangs," Lala winced as she described the creature, "you know of it?" She turned her head towards the sound of Walten's voice.

"I've seen it before," Walten admitted, "in my nightmares."

"You have dreams too?" Lala scooted closer to the white tubby.

"I have hallucinations and dreams," Walten answered, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I just want to know why."

"I think it's the custard," Conor interjected. "Anyone who gets exposed to that stuff goes a bit coo-coo." Then he paused and looked at his friends. "No offense."

"None taken," Tinky replied. Walten and La la nodded in agreement.

"So, are you still banned from going on missions?" Conor asked Walten.

"Miles hasn't told me otherwise," Walten shrugged, gaze falling to the carpet beneath him. He felt hands on his shoulders. He looked up and blood squirted into his face. Headless Dipsy was standing over him. No no no no. Walten sprung away from the green tubby and balled his fists. Dipsy stumbled forward, and then transformed into a hideous beast. It was tall and patches of its fur were replaced with scales. It roared from its new head. It charged the white tubby.

"Walten!" Dipsy screamed. Wait, did Dipsy say that. That wasn't his voice.

"Walten!" Tinky cried. Walten turned around and saw that Tinky was following him. "Walten come here." The white tubby felt his legs move without his control. He was walking towards the purple tubby. Tinky revealed his face, which had turned a sickly gray and his large fangs which gleamed red with blood. The blood gushing from Walten's arm. Walten screamed and began to panic. He kicked and punched at Tinky, but he felt like he was being held down. He snarled and squirmed but it was no use.

"Wake up!"

Anne sighed and took a bite of her rations. She closed her eyes, wishing she could lay in bed. She just wanted to sleep. Be done with it all.

"Can I sit here?" a smooth voice interrupted her monologue. Richard was standing next to her.

"Oh, sure," Anne scooted over so Richard could have more space.

"What's boggin' you down Anne," Richard asked, "I never see you without a smile."

"Don't worry Rich," Anne twirled a hair strand, "it's not your problem."

"Is it Miles?" Richard saw Anne flinch.

"Look, I'm mad at him, it's not a big deal," Anne snapped.

"I just thought I could help you two sort it out, since I am a neutral party in all this," Richard shrunk back after noticing Anne's hostility.

"I- I don't want to talk about it," Anne admitted, "I'll figure this out."

"Do you think it's over?" the silver tubby asked Tinky. Conor's arms were getting tired of holding Walten's legs. The white tubby had finally stopped kicking.

"I think so," Tinky said. "Let me take it from here." Conor immediately released the legs and sighed, cracking his knuckles. He watched as the purple tubby took Walten into his arms and held him close. Conor raised an eyebrow. This could get interesting.

"Stop... stop, please," Walten mumbled, eyes squeezed shut.

"W, it's me, Tinky winky," the purple tubby cooed. Walten gasped and blinked his eyes.

"Oh no," he murmured, looking around the room, "not again."

"Hey, don't worry about it man," Conor smiled, "you didn't kick us."

"Wait, I really was punching and kicking?" Walten asked.

"Yeah, you almost got me," Tinky said. "Me and Conor had to hold you down."

"Sorry," Walten looked away.

"Hey, it's not like you meant it," Tinky replied. "Is anyone hungry? I am."

"I could go for something to eat," La la smiled.

"Count me in man," Conor made a thumbs up.

As the four were eating their rations, Richard approached them. Conor waved excitedly at the red tubby.

"Hey boys," he said before realizing Lala was there, "and girls."

"Hey Rich," Tinky said.

"Richard!" a booming voice took everyone's attention. A green tubby was running towards them.

"What's up Miles?" Richard leaned on the table. Miles stopped in front of the red tubby. Walten lowered his gaze to the floor.

"The cave tubby is missing from the pit we buried it in," Miles announced. Richard frowned, stroking his beard.

"That's strange," Richard tilted his head, "how long do y'think it's been gone?"

"We're not sure," Miles replied, "I've sent a couple scouts out to find any traces of it. So far nothing has been found."

"I don't know what to tell ya," Richard's eyes moved to the side. He clenched his hands together.

"I was thinking of going to check on the yeti as well, since those two seem to be connected," Miles said, "I may take a team with me."

"Who ya thinkin' of bringin'?" Richard asked.

"Probably Conor," Miles remarked, noticing Conor pumping his fist in delight, "and Tinky."

"No," Tinky crossed his arms.

"No?" Richard turned around, amused. "You don't want to go on a mission?"

"I need to stay here with my friend," Tinky put an arm around Walten, who had sunken into a hunched position.

"Oh," Miles lowered his head, "is he doing any better?"

"I'm fine," Walten mumbled.

"Kid, I don't- I... I'm sorry kid," Miles stuttered out.  Walten lifted his head.

"I'm not mad at you," Walten said, "I didn't do what I was told."

"Bro," Conor tilted his head, "he hit you and you're just gonna write it off?" Walten nodded.

"It's not a big deal," Walten said, "none of this is. Just don't worry about me."

"Son, that will just make us more worried," Richard stroked his beard.

"Yeah, what he said," Conor glanced at the red tubby. Tinky nodded in agreement and reached out his hand.

"I don't want your pity!" Walten hissed. Everyone looked at the white tubby in shock. Tinky recoiled at the white tubby's outburst. Walten's eyes widened, "I- I have to go." He got up from the table and swiftly walked towards the exit. Richard frowned and stroked his chin.

"I'll go and check on Lenny," Richard briskly exited the scene.

"Eh... so, you kids ready to go," Miles awkwardly extended his hand.

"I'll stay behind," Lala said. "I'm not one for fighting giant cave tubbies." She chuckled and sighed.

"Alright team," Conor pumped his fist, "let's move out!"

Chapter Text

13:00, May 28th, 20XX

tick tick tick tick... tick tick tick tick. Spider Po clicked her jaws back and forth as she watched the two beasts bathing in custard. The brown beast, cave tubby, her master called it, was beginning to stir. The other beast, the yeti, had yet to awaken and was still floating limply. Her master was outside, talking to that red tubby Richard. The two were planning something, and though she didn't particularly like the red tubby, if her master gave the order she would help him.

"Understood sir," a smooth voice caught the spider's ears. She turned her head to see Richard and master approaching. The two stopped a little ways off from her. Her eyes followed the blue vacuum, watching him zip around the room to various computers and panels.

"The arrow tubby will be delivered to you along with the other two," noo noo said.

"Will I be able to borrow Po?" Richard asked, eyeing the red beast. She curled her lip at him, showing her large canines.

"Yes," Noo noo replied. Po hissed under her breath. Her ears flattened against her skull.

"Hey now spider," Richard approached the red beast, "you'll have lots of fun with me. Probably get to eat some soldiers." Po tilted her head, amused at the smaller beings words. More prey? That sounded good. Richard knew he struck a chord with the beast, and so he continued his speech, "yes, lots of guts to tear out. Mmmmm, yum." Richard rubbed a hand on his stomach. Po opened her jaw, drool dripping from the corners of her mouth.

"Enough of this," noo noo scolded the red tubby, "I don't want you making her hungry. She eats enough newborns."

"Sorry sir," Richard stroked his chin, "just wanted to give her something to look forward to."

"Remember your mission," the blue vacuum narrowed its eyes.

"Of course sir," Richard put a hand on his hip. "I need to get back, they've been getting after me for being gone." Noo noo waved his trunk in acknowledgement.

14:50, May 28th, 20XX

"Yesterday, it was yesterday when it disappeared," Lenny frowned, looking through the footage on his security camera. Why didn't he notice. The camera systems went offline for a couple minutes yesterday. He should have suspected something was going on. Someone must have tampered with them.

"I've got to go investigate this myself," Lenny grabbed his knife and locked the door with his keycard. No one should be able to mess with his cameras now. Lenny made his way down the stairs to the storage room where the yeti had been held. Him and his workers had done so much work hauling the great beast to that room. Now it was all for nothing. Lenny arrived at the room and noticed how vacant it looked. There were long scratches etched into the metal. Lenny ran his hand along a scratch, trying to feel if there was any residue left on the wall. His foot kicked something hard as he walked. Lenny looked down, there was his camera. Broken, the lens was shattered, memory card snapped in half. Someone really didn't want to be caught in the act.

An odd color caught Lenny's eye. Red fur. Lenny moved towards the small tuft and picked it up. Turning it over in his hand, Lenny could only think of one tubby who had red fur...

"Strange how this is happening, ain't it?" a smooth voice broke the silence.

"Richard!" Lenny gasped, fur bristling in surprise. "Ahh, hey chili pepper. Wha-what are you doing here?" Lenny said as the red tubby strutted over to him.

"I just came to help, find anything?" Richard looked at the tuft of fur in Lenny's hand and frowned. He reached for it, but Lenny snatched it away.

"Sorry, I'm a little tense," Lenny joked. Richard smiled, but his eyes betrayed him. His brow was still furrowed.

Richard looked away, "everyone's been a little uneasy these past few days."

"Red," Lenny started, "is it OK if I ask you something?" Richard nodded and flicked his ear. Lenny paused and looked at the tuft of red fur, that crimson, it was just like Richard's pelt. He gulped. "D-did you let the yeti loose?"

Richard stepped back and grimaced. Lenny's brown eyes went wide and he dropped the tuft of fur to the ground.

"What would... make you think that son?" Richard tried to appear confident, but Lenny noticed his fur was bristling. Richard was nervous. Richard was guilty.

"You're the only one with red fur here that I know of," Lenny clenched his knife. "Y-you would also have access to the security cameras to tamper with them. It couldn't possibly be anyone else!" Richard sighed, gaze falling to the floor. He didn't say anything. Lenny let out a low growl, hands beginning to shake.

"You're admitting it," Lenny gritted his teeth. "Silence is admittance!"

"No one would believe you even if you were right," Richard muttered.

"What makes you so sure!" Lenny raised his voice, "your absences! Your always late to meetings now! SOMETHING must be more important than your duties here!"

"The military is my TOP priority," Richard said sternly. He knew Lenny was afraid of him.

"Why?" Lenny held out his knife, pointing it at Richard's throat.

"It's none of your concern," Richard push Lenny's wrist away and walked towards the shaking blue tubby. Lenny stepped backwards but Richard grabbed his shoulder. Lenny dropped his knife and began to panic.

"Thanks for your service, Lenny," Richard said as he reeled back his hand and brought his hand up to Lenny's chin. Lenny fell limp and Richard dropped the blue tubby on the ground. That should keep him down for a while.

15:00, May 28th, 20XX

The group crossed the dry landscape and arrived at the cave tubby's grave. Conor panted and took off his helmet. Tinky kicked a rock and watched it skid across the dusty ground. He crossed his arms and looked into the massive hole.

"It's been dug up," Conor announced.

"Yes," Miles replied, "I established that on our trip here."

Tinky frowned and hopped into the hole. He took some soil in his hand and sniffed it. Musky, like the cave tubby. He began digging around in the dry substrate, hoping to find something useful.

"What'cha doing Tinks?" Conor joined the purple tubby in his efforts.

"Digging," Tinky replied. He noticed something bright hidden in the soil. He moved his purple hand and grabbed the red fur out.

"Pretty," Conor cooed, "what's that?"

"Po," Tinky grimaced, "she's been here."

"That spider monster, right?" Miles joined the two in the pit.

"Yes," Tinky's heartbeat began to quicken. "Two days ago. She wasn't alone. I smell another scent on her fur."

"Miles!? Miles are you there? Do you read me?" Miles' radio suddenly sprung to life.

"Yes Anne?" Miles spoke.

"There's a large number of entities approaching our base," Anne's voice was panicked, "they're moving fast. Can you and the boys come back."

"Yes ma'am," Miles replied and motioned for the two to follow him. The three ran back to the base, bursting through the doors.

"Tinky!" a voice screamed as a yellow tubby ran towards Tinky.

"What is it La la?" Tinky wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl.

"I-I had a terrible vision," La la buried her face into his fur, "I'm scared."

"It's OK, whatever happens, we'll stick together," Tinky ran a hand through her fur. She calmed quickly and released him from her death grip.

"There you guys are!" Dutch and Anne ran over to the trio.

"Where's Richard?" Miles whipped his head around the room. The red tubby had vanished again.

"Nobody's seen him since he went to check on Lenny," Anne stated. "I tried to radio him but he didn't pick up. I think his radio is busted." She twirled a strand of her hair anxiously.

"What's approaching our base?" Conor asked.

"Newborns," Anne replied, "a whole lot of them." Tinky's eyes widened in horror. He needed to get Walten.

"Let's get the rocket launchers out," Miles said, "we can blast them with those. Let's also fortify our defenses. C'mon boys, we've got work to do."

"Right," Tinky nodded and followed Miles. Dutch and Conor joined them.

"Everyone go get their weapons," Miles ordered. Conor and Dutch ran off to grab their stuff.

"What about Walten?" Tinky asked.

"I'll go get him," Miles said, "he'll be safe with me."

"OK," Tinky nodded and ran over to the staircase. He met Conor in their room and the two rummaged through their stuff. Conor got out his sniper rifle and loaded it with bullets. He also got his katana out and attached it to his belt. Tinky grabbed his shotgun and ammunition.

Conor stopped at the doorway and sighed. "Hope I see you again Tinkster," he opened his arms. Tinky accepted his hug.

"Good luck C," Tinky said, a pit forming in his stomach. He pulled away from the hug. Something terrible was going to happen. He knew when he and Conor left to meet Dutch. He knew as he saw Dutch waving at them. He knew this wasn't going to end well.

Chapter Text

15:15, May 28th, 20XX

The horrid cries of newborns met Anne's ears. A shiver traveled down her spine. Fur bristling, she signaled for the battalion to move forward. Twenty soldiers, all armed with rocket launchers, stepped into the wasteland.

"On my command, fire the first round!" Anne shouted. "Wait for my signal!" Green eyes scanned the horizon. The newborns looked close enough. "FIRE!" Twenty rockets went whistling across the barren land, colliding with their targets. Great bursts of fire sent bits of the newborns soaring in the air. Anne screamed as a leg almost hit her.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" One of the soldiers turned around.

"I'm fine," she nodded, looking out at the cloud of dust. She grabbed her binoculars and saw the ground littered with corpses. A movement, something big was walking through the dust. It emerged, an amalgamation of several newborns. It shrieked a terrible sound and bounded towards the soldiers.

"Aim!" Anne's eyes widened. "FIRE!" Another set of twenty rockets were shot towards the newborn army. One rocket hit the larger creature and it was knocked over. A plume of dust was sent into the air. Anne and a couple soldiers coughed after breathing in too much dust.

"Ma'am, there's more monsters," a soldier said, pointing his finger. Anne gasped and raised her binoculars to her eyes. He was right. Three more newborn monsters had formed. The newborns were clustering, melting in to one another. Anne gritted her teeth.

"How many rockets do you guys have left?" Anne asked.

"One, ma'am," a soldier responded.

"Shit," Anne muttered. "Once we fire this last round we'll have to move back to restock. Our rockets seem to do a number on these guys."

"Anne, do you read me, it's Miles," Anne's radio came to life.

"I read you Miles, what's happening at base?" Anne asked urgently.

"We're being attacked," Miles said, the sound of firing bullets echoed through the radio, "the beasts are back."

"Do you need help?" Anne grimaced.

"Yes," Miles answered.

"Just hang on, I'll send in ten soldiers," Anne said.

"Thanks Anne," Miles sighed, "over." He hung up.

15:25, May 28th, 20XX

"GRRR these newborns suck!" Conor shot one with his rifle. While Anne and her squad were taking the brunt of the army, some had come around and entered the base from behind.

"I've got you Conor!" La la said as she tackled a newborn to the ground. The creature whined as she smashed its head with a bat.

"Thanks Lala," Conor turned his head to look at the blind tubby. "Dutch, are they dead yet?"

"Almost dead," Dutch said as he fired a couple rounds from his semi. His bullets collided with five newborns and they fell to the ground. "Tinky, how ya doin' for ammo?"

"I'm good," Tinky replied, firing at a trio of newborns. "Yes, a headshot!" He pumped his fist. Dutch shot the last newborn and hooted a victory cry. Tinky gritted his teeth and shushed him. He heard a low rumble and heavy footsteps. Conor and La la huddled together. Tinky motioned towards the three and they crawled around a corner in the hallway.

"Is that?" Conor whispered.

"It's the cave tubby," Tinky hissed, "it's back! We have to be careful."

"Can't you turn into Tinky tank and beat it like you did with the yeti?" Dutch asked, voice barely a whisper.

"I can't control tinky tank, he might hurt you guys," Tinky's ears fell.

"Let's shoot it in the head and be done," Conor suggested.

"The cave tubby is more durable than the newborns," Tinky reminded the silver tubby. "We had to use rockets to put it down last time."

"GRAH," a deep growl came from around the corner.

"No," Dutch's brown eyes widened. The cave tubby had found them. It peeked around the corner, bloodshot eyes focusing on the four tubbies. It had a massive hole in its chest that was dripping pinkish sludge. Tinky's fur bristled and his ears flattened.

"Get out of here!" the purple tubby yelled as his body started to morph. Dutch grabbed Conor and La la by the arms, and pulled them around the next corner. Tinky grew in size, taller than the cave tubby. Tinky tank roared and charged the brown beast. The two began to grapple, Tinky tank swinging a leg out to trip the cave tubby. It dodged and punched Tinky in the gut which earned it a slap in the face. Tinky grabbed its shoulders and body slammed it against the wall. The wall crumbled under the impact and the cave tubby was covered in debris. Tinky growled and began to shrink. He fell to his knees.

"Is it dead?" Conor peeked his head around the corner.

"It won't stay down for long, let's go," Tinky ran over to the three and motioned for them to follow him. Conor took La la's hand and helped her along.

Miles growled and loaded his gun. "C'mon kid, we gotta move," Miles said as he grabbed the arm of the white tubby and pulled him to his feet. He was mumbling. The two ran across the cafeteria, pursued by a large orange creature with an arrow on its head. The beast snarled and bounded towards them on all fours. Miles fired a round at the creature, causing it to slip and crash to the ground. He pulled the white tubby around a corner and into a supply closet.

"Kid, talk to me," Miles took Walten by the shoulders.

"Miles," Walten stared blankly past the green tubby's face. "He's after us."

"It's OK, you're gonna be OK," Miles reassured the white tubby.

"He's here," Walten murmured and leaned forward, curling in on himself. Miles, unsure of what to do, put an arm around the white tubby. For a brief moment, the two stayed like that, but then Miles pulled away.

"Alright kid, stay here and wait for me," Miles said as he got up. "I'll come back for you." He shut the closet door behind him and saw the arrow tubby lurking around in the cafeteria. He shot three times at it and it roared at him. Miles skidded down the hallway, hearing the scratching of the creature's nails on the hard floor. He needed to lead it away from Walten.

15:35, May 28th, 20XX

"Ugh," Lenny's eyes fluttered open and he rubbed his jaw. His vision was blurry. Richard. He needed to warn them. The blue tubby frantically searched around until he found his pair. He put them on and ran to the door. Locked. Darn it. Then Lenny smirked. He'd hidden a key somewhere in here. Lenny poked around some of the shelves and found it. He twisted it in the keyhole and the door opened.

The sounds of shooting caught Lenny's ears. What was going on out there? Lenny looked out a window and saw Anne and 10 soldiers firing rockets into the distance. An attack? No time to ponder. Gotta get to my computers. The blue tubby continued running through the research lab. He eventually found his office and sighed in relief. Richard hadn't tampered with it. Lenny logged into his system and got everything up and running. He opened his security monitor but found that all the cameras were offline. The system was down.

"Shit!" Lenny hissed between gritted teeth. Of course Richard would mess up his cameras.

"Sir, you're back!" a blue worker came in, "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Riley," Lenny turned around. "What's going on?"

"We're being attacked sir," Riley answered, "by reborns."

"Tell the others to take up arms and fight," Lenny ordered, "the soldiers need all the help they can get out there."

"Right," Riley nodded, "but what about you sir?"

"I'll stay here and defend the lab," Lenny replied.

15:38, May 28th, 20XX

"Miles says he needs help," Dutch said, "I'll go rendezvous with him."

"OK," Tinky replied, "good luck Dutch."

"Thanks dude," Dutch flashed a smile, "to you as well." The black tubby ran off, radio in hand.

"What do we do now?" Conor asked.

tick tick tick tick

"What's that sound?" La la's ears perked.

"Po," Tinky gulped.

tick tick tick tick

"It can't be," La la squeezed Conor's hand. Tinky felt his vision begin to give way. Not now tinky tank. His vision returned.

There she was. Tinky gasped and stumbled backward. Her red fur was caked in blood. Tubby blood. She turned her head, dark eyes focusing on the purple tubby she once called friend.

tick tick tick

"Po," Tinky's voice began to shake, "it's me, Tinky winky." Po stepped forward on one of her spindly legs. She screeched and charged him, knocking him backward into the wall. La la screamed and began to morph, her limbs contorting into a horrific state. She howled and leapt on top of the red beast, teeth digging into the spider's flesh. Po rolled over and got La la off of her back. The two beasts fought, snapping their jaws at each other, clawing at each other's faces. Tinky sat up, vision going in and out. He rubbed his head and his hand returned bloody. He felt faint.

"La la, I'll help you!" Conor hollered as he dashed towards the battle, katana in hand. He slashed at one of Po's legs which made her screech and knock him onto his back. La la jumped in front of him and bit down on her injured leg. Po howled in pain and bit on La la's throat. Conor got up and stuck his sword into Po's abdomen, forcing Po to let go of Lala. She whipped around, making Conor lose his grip on the sword. She grabbed him with an arm and prepared to bite. A shot rang out and blood squirted from her shoulder.

"That's what you get for hurting my friends!" Tinky snarled. Po dropped Conor and charged the purple tubby. Tinky grabbed her leg and swung it out from under her. She fell over onto her side. Tinky balled his fists and punched her. La la leapt on top of her and bit down on her arm. She screeched and shook La la off. La la panted and began to shrink, her limbs returning to normal. She panted in exhaustion. Conor ran over to her and helped her to her feet.

A low roar responded to Po's screech. Heavy footsteps. Smell of snow. Tinky grimaced. The Yeti.

15:37, May 28th, 20XX

Miles shot the orange tubby in the head. Again and again. His gun clicked empty. The tubby stopped moving. He sighed in relief and slid down to his knees. Back against the wall. Just as he thought he could relax, the arrow tubby started to stir. Then, a round was fired into the back of its skull. Blood and brains spattered all over the floor. Miles looked away from the horrid sight. A black tubby with a semi kicked the now limp body of the arrow tubby.

"Thanks Dutch," Miles nodded.

"No prob M," Dutch responded.

"I need to go retrieve Walten," Miles got to his feet. He broke into a run, making his way over to the cafeteria. Dutch followed the green tubby. Miles found the closet he had left the white tubby in and opened the door. It was vacant.

"SHIT!"

"What's wrong Miles?" Dutch appeared beside the green tubby. "Is he hurt?"

"He's gone," Miles hung his head. He could be anywhere by now.

"C'mon, I'll go look for him," Dutch put a hand on the green tubby's shoulder. "You should go help Anne out."

"OK," Miles said, "thanks kid."

"No prob," Dutch nodded.

15:40, May 28th, 20XX

Lenny's ear flicked as he heard a crash outside his office. He spun around and opened the door. A tubby stumbled backwards from the wall, landing on his butt.

"Oh my gosh Snowball! You scared me!" Lenny exclaimed. The white tubby groaned and rubbed his head. He panted for a second and tried to walk but fell into Lenny's arms. Lenny took him inside and sat him down.

"What happened?" Lenny shook the dazed Walten. The white tubby was breathing heavy and his blue eyes were unfocused. He had a noticeable gash on his head that was bleeding. Lenny got up from where he had sat Walten and went to his closet. "Want some water?" he offered a bottle to the white tubby. Walten accepted his offer and drank some.

"Shiny... mouth," Walten mumbled.

"I'll protect you," Lenny reassured Walten. He produced a cloth and patted at the cut. Walten winced and leaned away.

"Promise," Walten slurred out. His eyelids were beginning to droop.

"I promise Snowball," Lenny shook the white tubby's hand. "You just hang out in here with me and we'll be safe."

"M'kay," Walten closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

"Wait!" Lenny exclaimed, startling the white tubby awake. "Don't go to sleep! You might have a concussion."

"What can I do?" Walten asked. "I'm really tired." His head began to droop.

"Keep your eyes open," Lenny said, "I'll just keep talkin' to you. How may fingers am I holding up?"

"Three," Walten said, squinting his blue eyes.

"Good," Lenny replied, "Lemme go and check on my computer. I'll be right here." Lenny got up from where he was sitting and went to his computer. The camera systems were still offline. He lightly punched his desk.

"Lenny," Walten spoke, "I'm scared."

"Don't worry, you're safe," Lenny reassured the white tubby.

"I want Tinky," Walten wrapped his arms around his knees. Lenny began checking around on his computer, making sure backups were working. The soft tapping of his fingers on the keyboard calmed the white tubby. He exhaled and felt sleepy. His eyes were about to close when he heard a knock on the door. Lenny scrambled over and opened it. He gasped and stumbled back, fur bristling. Standing there was the last tubby he wanted to see, Captain Richard.

15:42, May 28th, 20XX

The wall came crumbling down as the teal furred titan rammed its head through. The hulking beast grunted and sniffed. Po clicked her jaw and motioned towards the beast. It reared up on its hind legs and turned itself towards Tinky. Tinky felt his vision blur. Take it away Tinky tank. Tinky felt his body morph and grow stronger. Once he was at his full size, the yeti snarled. It remembered him. Before Tinky could respond, the beast lunged and clamped down on Tinky's neck. Tinky grunted and struggled but the yeti wouldn't budge. He reeled his fist back and whacked the Yeti's chest. It broke its hold and stumbled backwards. Tinky stumbled, his wound was making him weak. He collapsed, body starting to lose its imposing form.

"Tinky! You gotta get up!" Conor hollered, hands cupped around his mouth.

"You can do it!" La la cheered on the purple tubby.

Tinky staggered to his feet, vision flickering in and out. His wound was bleeding profusely. He stumbled forward, balling his hands. The yeti saw this and made an amused grunt. Tinky grew in size once more and became Tinky tank. The purple beast roared and grabbed the yeti by the face, slamming its head through a wall. Spider Po jumped on top of tinky tank and held him down. The yeti body slammed the purple tubby and sent him skidding across the ground. Tinky shrunk down to his normal size and tried to get up but collapsed. The yeti began to walk over to Tinky. Suddenly, it growled in pain as Tinky, losing consciousness, heard a familiar sound.

RRRRRRRRRRRR. The sound of a chainsaw.

Dipsy sliced into the yeti's leg, blood coating his green pelt. The yeti howled and swiped at him but he stepped backwards. Po spotted Dipsy and charged at him. He raised his chainsaw and sliced her leg in half. She screeched and fell over, clutching her leg. Dipsy turned his attention back to the Yeti who was making its way over to Tinky's motionless body. He charged the teal beast and slashed its arm. It smacked him with one of its paws and sent him skidding across the floor.

La la yowled and leapt on top of the Yeti, arms contorting. She dug her jaws into its back. Dipsy got back up and grabbed his chainsaw. He ran over to the yeti and dug his chainsaw into the belly of the beast. The yeti roared in frustration as it was ganged up on. It began to grow weak, as it was losing blood. It fell to the side and went limp. Dipsy, covered head to toe in red, stepped back to admire his work. Then, he went over to Tinky and gently shook the purple tubby. Tinky moaned softly. Blood was pooling beneath his throat.

"He needs medical attention," Dipsy stated.

"I'll help carry him to the medical area," Conor said as he hoisted the purple tubby over his shoulder. "Can you help me green?"

"Sure," Dipsy replied as he took Tinky's other arm over his shouder. La la walked behind the three, head swiveling around, keeping an ear out for danger.

15:45, May 28th, 20XX

The last of the newborn army laid dead in the dirt. Anne wiped sweat off her brow. The amalgamations seemed to be just as durable as a regular newborn, which wasn't saying much.

"Thank goodness," Anne sighed in exasperation.

"Ma'am, you won't like this," a soldier said.

"What?" Anne approached him.

"There's more amalgamations forming," the soldier pointed out into the distance. Anne looked into her binoculars and gasped. There were more monsters coming this way.

"And I thought we were done with this," Anne pouted, "oh well, ready the rockets. They should know what they're getting into."

15:41, May 28th, 20XX

"Richard!" Lenny growled, stepping in front of Walten, knife in hand. Richard calmly stepped forward, taking his gun out of its holster. He pointed it at Lenny's chest.

"Give me the Snowball," Richard commanded. "If you know what's good for you." He narrowed his brown eyes.

"No," Lenny snarled, "I'm not letting you have him."

"I really don't want to do this," Richard tilted his gun away, "but if I have to, I will kill you." He snapped his hand back into position.

"You don't scare me!" Lenny bared his fangs. Richard's lip curled and he fired a shot, scarcely missing Lenny's foot. Lenny yelped and stumbled back. Richard took the opportunity to knock him over. He pointed the gun at Lenny's forehead.

"Now, stay down like a good boy," Richard sneered. Lenny did as he was told. Richard turned his attention away from Lenny to focus on Walten. The white tubby had buried his face in his knees. Richard grabbed him by the throat and kneed him in the face. Walten fell limp and Richard grinned, slinging the white tubby over one shoulder. Lenny, still frozen in fear, could only watch helplessly.

"W-what are you going to do with him?" Lenny stuttered out.

"You don't want to know," Richard slammed the door shut. Lenny, now alone, curled into a fetal position. Tears ran down his cheeks as he silently sobbed.

15:44, May 28th, 20XX

Richard made his way down the hallway. He had to get out of here. He turned a corner and heard the screeching of Po. Screw her, she can find her way out on her own. All he needed was Walten. The white tubby laid over his shoulder. Noo noo would be pleased.

"Richard!" a voice called out. Richard turned his head, frowning in horror. "Oh thank goodness! You and Walten are OK!" Dutch skipped over to him.

"Miles will be so relieved, I was looking for him," Dutch reached towards the white tubby. Richard backed away. Dutch frowned. "Rich, what's wrong?"

Richard didn't answer. He kept his gaze locked to the ground.

Dutch motioned for Richard to follow him, "C'mon, let's go."

"No," Richard put a hand on his holster. Dutch froze and turned around. Richard pulled out the gun, eyes rising to meet Dutch's, and cocked the gun. Dutch's eyes widened in realization. "You're not going anywhere."

BANG

Dutch's body fell to the ground, blood pouring out of his fractured skull. Richard huffed and stepped over the body, careful not to track blood. He took one look at the corpse and grimaced. It was over.

16:00, May 28th, 20XX

"Everyone, regroup in the medical center," Conor spoke through the radio. He'd found it in the center, after they finished treating Tinky's wounds. Tinky was laying on a cot now, bandages already soaked in fresh blood. Dipsy and la la sat together, holding hands.

"On it," Miles was the first to respond.

"OK," Anne said.

"Alright," Lenny chimed in a few moments later.

"Dutch?" Conor spoke into his radio. Silence. "He must have broken his radio."

16:10, May 28th, 20XX

"Is everyone here?" Conor asked, scanning the faces that had shown up. Anne was sitting on a chair. Miles was getting his wounds wrapped by Dipsy. Lenny was huddled in a corner, face buried in his knees. A brown dog padded over to the blue tubby and nudged his arm. Dutch and Walten were surprisingly absent.

"Has anyone seen Dutch and Walten?" Miles asked. "We need to find them."

"Let's search for them," Conor suggested.

"OK," Anne nodded, "let's go. You, me and Miles." The three left the room as Tinky began to stir. Cowfarts followed them out, tail hanging low between its legs.

...

"Dutch! Walten!" Anne hollered. She turned to Miles, "they should be together, right?" Miles nodded. Anne walked a bit off. She sighed and looked down. "OH MY GOSH!" She stumbled backwards, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Anne, what the- Dutch!" Conor exclaimed. "Oh no! Buddy no!" Conor turned his head, not being able to stomach the sight. Miles sighed and took his helmet off. The brown dog approached the lifeless tubby and nudged his hand. No response. The service dog let out a mournful howl.

...

"Dutch is dead," Lenny stated. Tinky lifted his head, pain surging through his body.

"What?" Tinky shook his head. "No, no, that can't be true."

"Richard killed him," Lenny continued, "the security cameras came back online. I saw it all." Tinky's eyes filled with tears. Dipsy and La la came over to his side and tried to comfort him.

"How could Richard do this?" Tinky choked out between sobs. Lenny got up from his corner to hug the purple tubby.

"I don't know," Lenny responded, still reeling from what he'd witnessed.

"And what about W?" Tinky asked, fearing the answer. Lenny shook his head.

"I couldn't stop him," Lenny pulled away from Tinky, "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean?" Tinky asked.

"Richard took him," Lenny explained, "and I couldn't stop him. I know you two were close. I'm so sorry."

...

The trio came back with the dog in tow.

"Dutch, he's-" Anne started.

"I know," Tinky cut her off, not able to hear the phrase once more, "Lenny told me." Cowfarts jumped into the hospital bed and curled up next to Tinky's leg.

"What of Walten?" Miles looked towards the blue tubby.

"Good as dead," Lenny hung his head, "Richard got him. I couldn't stop him."

"What!?" Anne, Conor and Miles all exclaimed.

"Richard killed Dutch and took Walten," Lenny explained.

Anne held a hand to her mouth, green eyes squeezed shut.

"I knew it," Miles balled his fists. "There was something off about him. He released the yeti and cave tubby didn't he." Lenny nodded. "Why?" Lenny shook his head.

"I believe he works for Noo noo," Lenny spoke, "whatever he does, it's an extension of the vacuum's will."

Tinky furrowed his brow and clenched his fist. Richard will pay for this.

Chapter Text

tick tick tick tick...

Silence

tick tick tick tick...

white ear twitches. blue eyes flutter open briefly.

tick tick tick...

Walten groans and blinks his eyes. He was laying on a cold, cement floor. His body felt sore, probably due to the uncomfortable position he was laying in. His head was throbbing, and when he brought a hand to it, he felt it had been bandaged. He winced and looked down at his hands. There was a pair of metal shackles linking his wrists together. They clinked whenever he moved. Looking up from himself, Walten notices that he was locked in a cell. Two of the walls were barred and two were cement. 

Slowly getting to his feet, Walten padded over to the bars and peered through. He seemed to be in some kind of warehouse. The rustling of his chains echoed.

"Hello?" Walten's quiet voice echoed through the warehouse. He heard a rustle and footsteps.

"Good, you're awake," a smooth voice answered. "I thought you'd never wake up." Blue eyes widened as Richard stepped towards him with a flashlight in hand. Walten smiled and clutched the bars eagerly.

"Thank goodness Richard," Walten searched the red tubby's face. He didn't show any emotion. "Are you gonna let me out?"

"No," Richard turned his head, "I can't do that."

Walten's face fell, "wha-why not?" Then he paused, still disoriented by his new surroundings, "what happened? Where am I?"

"Greetings Guardian," a blue vacuum rolled over to the cell.

"Richard, what is this?" Walten pressed himself against the bars. "What is going on?"

"I work for Noo noo," Richard looked Walten in the eye, "I brought you here so you can receive retribution for what you've done. According to him you've disobeyed his orders and plans for you."

"What are you gonna do?" Walten lowered his head, "kill me?"

"Death is too light of a sentence for you," Noo noo responded, "you're too far gone. Killing you would be no fun. "

"What he's saying is that he wants to make you suffer," Richard stroked his beard, "and I'll be the one to do so." Walten gulped, eyes widening in fear. He shrank back into the corner of his cell. Richard put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. Po appeared and began crawling towards the red tubby. 

"Please, don't hurt me!" Walten covered his face with his hands.

"Oh, you know I can't do that," Richard grinned and unlocked the cell door. He stepped inside and grabbed Walten by his shackles, dragging him out. "Get up!" Richard slapped the white tubby across the face. "I heard that was effective, at least when Miles did it." Walten got to his feet, cheek feeling like it was on fire.

"You don't have to do this," Walten pleaded.

"I have to do this," Richard crossed his arms, "these are my orders."

"You don't have to follow them," Walten stepped forward. Richard frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"Too much talking," Richard slammed his foot down, "Po, sic him!" The spider beast leapt forward onto the white tubby. The spider sliced at his chest first, reopening old wounds. Walten punched Po and got his hand bitten. He gritted his teeth and kicked the red beast on the stomach. She grabbed his leg in her jaws and slammed him to the ground. Walten coughed and spat up a bit of blood. He'd bitten down on his tongue.

"That's enough!" Richard raised his hand. Po froze and turned to look at the red tubby. "We don't want to break him too quickly." Richard walked towards the white tubby. "Get up." The white tubby didn't move. "Get UP!" Richard kicked Walten and rolled him over. Walten gasped and sat up, slowly rising to his feet. He clutched his side and followed Richard back to the cell. Once they were at the door, Richard shoved him in and slammed the door closed. Walten closed his eyes and curled into a fetal position. Hot tears began to roll down his cheeks. 

"We're almost there," the pilot called from the cockpit. The brown dog was first to notice and lifted its head. Its signature grin appeared on its face. 

"That's very good, everyone hold on to your things," Miles looked around at the passengers. Anne, who was sitting next to him, was twirling a strand of her hair. Her green eyes were locked to the floor and her left arm was in a sling. She'd injured her elbow while rescuing a soldier from rubble. On his other side was Tinky. The purple tubby looked back at him, a small smile crossed his face. His wounds had stopped bleeding and were bandaged. It still hurt him to move so he tried to stay still. Dipsy sat next to Tinky winky, clutching his chainsaw. He was on high alert, guarding the purple tubby from all danger. Miles had told the green tubby he could calm down, they were safe now, but Dipsy insisted on protecting his friend. 

Across from Miles, Conor yawned and stretched his arms. "Hmmm, I'm glad, my butt's starting to hurt," Conor released a sigh and dropped his arms. Next to him was the golden tubby, Lala. She giggled and held onto Conor's arm. The two of them had gotten close since Lala arrived. On the other side of Conor was the blue tubby, Lenny. He was hunched over, cradling his bandaged head in his hands. The brown dog, Cowfarts, was seated between his legs. It looked up at Miles and grinned.

They were heading to the safest place they knew of, the Fortress. With its strong, thick walls, the military should be safe for the time being. There were also food reserves and medical supplies. There were a couple other aircrafts following them, holding the soldiers and blue workers that survived the attack.

"Hold onto your seats we're landing," the pilot called as the helicopter began to descend. Dipsy grabbed his chainsaw, holding it out in front of him. Miles put up a hand, signaling to the green tubby that it was safe. Lenny peeked through his hands and slowly moved them to his sides. 

"So, what's the plan Miles?" Anne turned her head towards the sergeant. 

"We get settled in and recuperate," Miles explained, "once we're all better then we'll start looking for Walten and figure out how to defeat Noo noo." He noticed Tinky's fur bristle at the mention of the white tubby's name. "Hey," Miles put a hand on the purple tubby's shoulder, "we'll find him."

"You think so?" Tinky looked over at Miles with watery eyes. Miles nodded in affirmation. He looked down at his leg which was in a splint. He must have twisted his ankle while fighting the arrow tubby and due to the adrenaline rush, didn't notice it until things had calmed down. The helicopter shook a bit as it touched the ground. Tinky groaned as the motion upset his wounds.

"Home sweet home," Conor took of his seatbelt and gestured to the stone castle, "for now."

Chapter Text

POP

Richard sighed and looked down at the disgusting pink liquid. It was gurgling and sloshing around the vat he was leaning against. Sitting next to his leg, hunched over was the white tubby. He'd taken to burying his face in his knees, arms wrapped around his legs. A blue vacuum rolled over to Richard's side and stopped. Richard looked over at the droid but didn't speak.

"How's the custard coming boss?" Richard asked as he stroked his beard.

"Good enough," Noo noo turned to look at the red tubby.

"I brought him here like you asked," Richard gestured to the Guardian, then nudged him with an elbow, "get up son." The white tubby didn't budge. Richard growled under his breath, lip curling to reveal his canine teeth.

"Are you gonna play this game every time I ask you to get up? Why's it so hard?" Richard grabbed the Guardian by the arm and pulled him to his feet. "See, was that hard?" The white tubby's gaze was locked to the floor. Richard grabbed his chin, "look me in the eye and tell me it wasn't hard!" There was a defiant look in Walten's eye. The corner of his lip curled, in the moment, Richard thought it was a mocking smirk. He slapped the Guardian across the face. The white tubby winced and covered his cheek with his hand.

"I'll take it from here Richard," Noo noo stated as an announcer appeared behind him. It stepped forward and grabbed the Guardian by his shackles.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" the Guardian's eyes were filled with fear. He tried to pull at his chains but they wouldn't budge.

"I just want to talk," Noo noo replied, "I don't want you running off, though I doubt you could in the state you're in."

"Wha d-do you want to talk about?" the Guardian tried to calm himself but his body would not stop shaking. He knew he looked pathetic, quivering in the sight of a vacuum less than half his size. Weak, Richard's voice echoed in his mind.

"I wanted to talk about your purpose," Noo noo rolled his eyes, "did I ever tell you that you were my first organic creation?" The white tubby shook his head, blue eyes wide. Noo noo continued, "before you and the quartet, I had only built other droids. Due to my inexperience with creating organic life, you came out defective. I had programmed you to be like a machine: soulless and without a will, driven only by my orders. But you have gone above and beyond to disrespect every intention I had in creating you. The others, they are all infected and actively showing symptoms, which was intended. However, your body is resisting its infection."

"I'm infected?" the Guardian spoke.

"Yes, but annoyingly, your immune system is fighting it off," Noo noo answered, "And not just your immune system is defective, but your brain is. It makes you hallucinate. I want to help you. Richard and Po have been trying to convince you to take my offer but you refuse. I'll see if you'll take my offer just this once."

"My... hallucinations," the Guardian's ears flattened, "how." He paused and looked at the vacuum. "How do I make it stop?"

"I'm brewing a special mix of custard that should fix you," Noo noo said, "you'll be just how you should be. "

"A-and what if I refuse," the Guardian stammered out, white fur bristling.

"Then you'll need more convincing," Noo noo stated smugly.

"No! Please no!" Walten pulled against his chains, trying to escape. Noo noo shushed him.

"Then take my offer," Noo noo cooed, "the pain will be over. You won't feel a thing."

"Never!" the white tubby spat, "I'll hold out and wait for my friends! They'll find me!"

"They won't find you silly," Noo noo sneered, "nobody can find this base. It's a couple hundred feet underground, undetectable by radar. The only beings who can find it are me, my army and Richard. They'll never find you. You'll die here, alone, hallucinating, in a pool of your own blood. And now because you've refused my offer, it makes that outcome much more likely." The Guardian upon hearing this, began to futility struggle against the announcer's grip once more. 

tick tick tick tick. The white tubby froze in fear. I've got to hold on. He closed his eyes. For Tinky.

Tinky woke up to his leg being nudged by a wet muzzle. The military service dog, Cowfarts grinned at him, its mouth was soaking wet. It must have drunk water a few moments ago.

"Aw come on Cowfart," Tinky groaned and pulled his covers off, "I'm getting up." The dog woofed and led him down the hallway, tail waving side to side as it walked. It took him down to the computer lab to the desk of a blue tubby.

"Ah, there you are grape," Lenny smiled awkwardly.

"What's up Lenny?' Tinky tilted his head and yawned. It was early, but he didn't mind it if the blue tubby needed his help.

"I was looking through the logs left here by the former residents and it seems like they were familiar with the reborns," Lenny explained, "I wanted to know if you'd help me write a report on these logs. I was thinkin' if we worked as a team..." Lenny chuckled quietly.

"I'll help you," Tinky sat down in the chair next to the blue tubby. The two began working on separate monitors, reading through the logs and taking notes.

"How have you been sleeping?" Lenny asked out of the blue.

"It was worse when we first arrived," Tinky gulped. He finally had a night of good sleep last night. All week he'd been suffering from nightmares. The day before, he woke up covered in sweat. "I slept well last night, well until that dog woke me up."

"Heh," Lenny glanced at Cowfarts who was sitting behind them, "sorry about that, I didn't want to be the recipient of your ire."

"It's fine," Tinky smiled, "apparently they dissected a newborn. It had a soft, underdeveloped skull. I bet that's why these things heads explode when we shoot 'em."

"How interesting," Lenny leaned over to look at Tinky's monitor, "can you read me more?"

"Sure," Tinky laughed, glad to see Lenny's enthusiasm come back. The poor tubby had been depressed all week. Tinky began reading the rest of the log, doing over details that were described. There were a couple other newborns dissected and all of them had different features. Some of their skulls were hard while others were soft. Some had deformed internal organs while some were missing organs.

"Why didn't we ever do this?" Lenny asked. "We could have learned so much."

"But which one of us would want to do this," Tinky grimaced, "I know I wouldn't"

"Hmm, you're right," Lenny rested his chin on his palm.

"Woof!" Cowfarts suddenly spoke up. "bark bark!"

"You sick little dog," Tinky wagged a finger at the mutt. Cowfarts grinned and barked again. The pair broke into a fit of giggling.

Po clenched her clawed hands around the injured tubby's throat. She had played with her food long enough. Time for a feast. Walten felt his vision growing dark, flashing in and out. He pawed weakly at the red monster's wrists. She squeezed tighter. Any more and the white tubby's head would pop clean off.

"Off!" a voice rang out and Walten was dropped to the ground with a thud. He gasped in ragged breaths, barely able to support himself with his arms. His neck and lungs were throbbing. Richard approached him and stood over him. Then he turned to the red beast. "He's not for eating." Po tilted her head, confused by Richard's words. Noo noo let her play with her food. A cough brought Richards attention back to the white tubby.

"Can't let you die yet," Richard grabbed the chain linking Walten's arms together. "C'mon, let's get you back to your cage." The Guardian staggered to his feet, clutching his midsection and slowly, the two made their way to the cell. Once they arrived, Richard let the Guardian collapse onto the concrete floor. Walten sighed and curled in on himself. "Hang on," Richard said as he squatted down in front of the white tubby. He pulled the Guardian up to a sitting position. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Wide blue eyes followed his every move. Richard pulled out a bowl with custard in it. Walten hissed and jerked away.

"Don't worry, it's not infected," Richard said. "I asked Noo noo to make some so that you would have something to eat. I don't particularly want you to starve to death. I know you're hungry." He moved the bowl closer to the white tubby. Walten shook his head. Richard put the bowl down. "If you don't eat on your own I'll have to make you eat." Walten narrowed his eyes and kicked the bowl over. Custard spilled down the floor drain. Richard grabbed the white tubby by the shoulders and slammed him against the wall.

"Why did you make me do this!?" Richard yelled. He kneed the white tubby in the ribs, knowing it was a sensitive spot. Walten hissed and gritted his teeth.

"R-," the Guardian was cut off by a coughing fit. Richard kneed him again.

"Y'know, I killed Ron," Richard sneered, "I killed Dutch too!"

"I- don't b-believe you," the Guardian stammered. He was met with a punch to the face.

"They didn't matter anyway," Richard muttered, extending his hand towards the white tubby's face. Walten shrunk back but he was met with a gentle touch. Richard ran a hand through the fur on Walten's head in a manner much like how Tinky would.

"What a-are you doing?" the white tubby looked at his captor.

"Isn't that what he would do?" Richard sneered. "What Tinky winky would do?"

"H-how did you know?" Walten frowned.

"I know," Richard grinned and pulled the white tubby towards him. Walten slumped forward, head leaning on Richard's red furred chest. Richard continued, "you know he only does that because he thinks you're pathetic. He feels bad for you and your pitiful existence. Everyone in fact, felt bad for you. It was the only reason they all were nice to you. But little you couldn't see through it. You thought they actually cared for you. Miles meant what he said when he hit you."

"That's not true," Walten felt a hand run through his fur again.

"How would you know?" Richard cooed, "you can't know what they really think. Miles, Anne, Conor, Tinky. I do. I know from the way they act around you."

"Stop," Walten tried to pull away but his head was pushed back into the red fur. "mmph."

"Shhh," Richard rolled his eyes, "I can see you are in denial. I'll leave you to mull over what I've said." Richard removed his grip from the white tubby and got up. He straightened his beanie. "I'll be back later." The cell door was closed with a slam. Now, Walten was left alone in silence. He slumped over onto his belly, the cold of the concrete hitting his cheek. His ribs were broken. It hurt to breathe. Walten could feel his eyes beginning to water but he stifled his tears. Now was not the time to be crying.

...

He can't lose hope yet.

Chapter Text

Three weeks... The purple tubby sighed and nuzzled his head into his pillow. Three weeks he'd been here. Three weeks he hadn't seen Walten. Three weeks he'd stayed this empty fortress, made to house more tubbies than it currently had. The military was quite small, about 100 or so soldiers at the beginning, dwindling down to 50. That wasn't counting the higher-ups like Anne and Miles, just tubbies like him, Conor, Dipsy and La la. Dipsy never officially joined the military but after Tinky and la la's insistence they kept him around. It was good to have another fighter on hand, especially one as hardy as the green tubby.

"What'cha thinkin' about Tinks" a silver furred tubby rolled over in his bed. Conor and him still slept in the same room, only now they were not in bunk beds. There were two single beds, both in opposite sides of the room.

"Just mulling over stuff," Tinky mumbled. He rolled over to face the silver tubby. Conor's eyes widened in shock at Tinky. Tinky frowned, "what's wrong?"

"Your black eye is gone!" Conor exclaimed, "look dude!" Tinky immediately sprung out of bed and bolted to the nearest mirror. There, he saw that his formerly black eye had turned white. His iris had reverted back to its chestnut brown. He blinked, wondering if it was temporary.

"Does that mean your uninfected?" Conor appeared beside the purple tubby.

"I have no idea," Tinky responded. "I would hope so."

"What are you two boys talkin' about?" a gruff voice asked them.

"Oh hey Miles," Conor waved his hand enthusiastically, "have ya seen Tinky's eye?" Miles shook his head and stepped forward, squinting at the purple tubby.

"Conor noticed that my black eye changed to brown," Tinky explained. Miles nodded in agreement.

"Do you know what it means?" Miles tilted his head.

"I'm not sure," Tinky admitted, twiddling his thumbs, "I know the former residents of the fortress had done studying on the disease. Lenny and me are in the process of reading through all their logs. Maybe they did some research on the infection."

"I guess you boys still have reading to do," Miles grinned.

"I'm a slow reader," Tinky pouted, "I'll get to it sir."

"Oo Oo," Conor hopped, "me too!"

"C'mon C," Tinky waved a hand at the silver tubby. Conor followed Tinky over to Lenny's office and the three got to work.

A ringing in his ear stirred the red tubby awake. Richard groaned and rubbed his head. "Grrugh," he gritted his teeth, "screw this." He got to his feet and stretched his stiff limbs. "Hmm, must've slept bad last night," he murmured as he stroked his chin. Let's go see what boss is doin'. Richard thought as he walked out of his room, feet softly clanking on the metal floor. He passed a huddle of newborns who pathetically hissed at him. If they had fur, it would stand on end, but since they are bald, their skin turns to gooseflesh. Tiny bumps form around the vacant hair follicles as muscles flex. Richard looks away, they look like uncooked meat.

He makes his way over to a familiar cage and peeked in at the sleeping tubby. The Guardian is obscured by shadow, but Richard can tell he is fast asleep. He mumbles something incoherent, or maybe Richard didn't listen hard enough. He can never tell. Bloodied fingers clench for a moment and then relax. Richard moves on, deeper into the heart of the base. There was the magnificent vat, brimming with pink custard. The custard was still bubbling, but it had died down. Noo noo explained he must keep it somewhat warm so it doesn't harden.

"Awake early," a robotic voice breaks the silence.

"Had a headache," Richard turned around to meet the gaze of the vacuum, "all charged up?" The vacuum didn't answer. That must be a yes. The two sat in silence, watching the custard bubble. This was how a lot of mornings went. The two didn't have much to talk about since there's only so much that goes on. Noo noo wasn't much of a social droid anyways.

"What are your plans today?" Noo noo asked out of the blue. That was unlike Noo noo to ask a question.

"I was thinkin' of doing some maintenance on the computer systems," Richard stroked his chin, "the guardian wasn't looking too good. I wanted to let him rest today." Richard paused as Noo noo gave him a strange look. "So master, what are your plans?" Richard flashed an awkward smile at the droid.

"I was going to start manufacturing some more announcers," noo noo said.

"Neat," Richard nodded. Noo noo looked at him in confusion. "Oh yeah, it's an organic thing," Richard said, "what I meant is that's good."

"And Richard," Noo noo spoke, "you tubbies are very durable. Don't underestimate the Guardian. He may look weak, but you could put him through a lot more before he'd finally die. The original creators of your race were much more fragile. One hit in the ribs from Po in her current form would kill an adult of their species."

"Original?" Richard tilted his head, "but I thought you created us?"

"I created the Guardian and the quartet," Noo noo replied, "those are the only tubbies I made. I discovered the blueprints for the teletubby that were left behind and added my own tweaks. That's why they all came out wrong."

"Where are they?" Richard asked, "are there any left?"

"I believe they all were killed," Noo noo responded, "it's the natural progression of life. Mal-adapted organics die off and are replaced by superior organics. It's been that way for millions of years."

"What were they called?" Richard asked, in awe. There were sentient, intelligent beings before us?

"They were called humans," Noo noo replied, "according to my records they wiped themselves out with an artificial disease. I was made by a human who was experimenting with droids."

"Seems like you did a lot of research," Richard stroked his chin.

"I came programmed with a majority of the information and I did some research as well," Noo noo rolled his eyes. "You should get to work," he said as he rolled away.

"Alrighty sir," Richard nodded as he walked towards the computer. He was going to sit down, but he felt a presence.

"Richard," a voice whispered.

"Noo noo?" Richard turned his head around. Noo noo was gone. He was alone. Panic filled his eyes. It wasn't the Guardian. His white fur would stand out immediately to Richard. "Who's there?" Richard looked back and forth until his wide eyes focused on a figure.

Before him stood a tubby with ebony fur. His torso was hunched forward, revealing the large opening in his skull. Pink fleshy matter, the brain, oozed out of the hole. Blood splattered to the floor. Richard's heart picked up speed.

"Dutch!?" Richard snarled in bewilderment. "I killed you! What are you doing here?"

Dutch straightened up, revealing a wide smile. Lines of blood were running down his face from his open wound. He held out a bloodstained hand. "Come with me."

That smile. Richard had seen it so many times. He closed his eyes, unable to look at the black tubby any longer.

Richard opened his eyes. Dutch was gone.

The red tubby stumbled backwards, catching himself on the table where the computer was. He clutched at his chest, heart pulsing rapidly. Why was he hallucinating. He wasn't infected. Richard felt something hot dribble down his lip. The red tubby wiped his nose and looked at his hand, the fur was stained a deeper red. Shit.

Conor yawned and stretched. Lenny got up from his chair and cracked his knuckles.

"Hm, I think I'm all read out for today," Lenny said as he adjusted his glasses.

"I second that," Tinky spun around in his chair.

"Arf arf!" a brown dog bounded through the doorway, nails clicking on the concrete floor.

"Cowfarts!" Conor exclaimed as the dog tackled him and licked his belly. "Is my liver alright?" The dog nodded.

"I thought you were hanging out with Anne," Lenny scratched his head, "does she need our help?" Cowfarts yapped and turned towards the door. It play bowed and ran out, waiting for the tubbies to follow it. The trio followed the brown dog to Anne's office. She was bent over her desk. Miles was with her.

"Guys, there you are," Anne said, an urgent look in her green eyes.

"What's wrong ma'am?" Lenny asked.

"Well, Richard sent us a message," Anne sighed and booted up her computer. The VLC player was open and displaying the first frame of a grainy video. Richard was in frame.

"Play it," Tinky furrowed his brow.

"Hello Miles, I figured you'd be here," Richard's voice was a bit distorted due to the low quality, "still following the plans we came up with, eh. Anyways, if you don't surrender the remaining members of the quartet to Noo noo, your base will be attacked. I hope you all will think about our offer, considering what happened last time your base was attacked. Also, Tinky I have a special message for you," Richard leaned down to grab something. He pulled a white hand up and waved it. "Walten says hi." Then Richard moves towards the camera and the video ends.

"When was this sent?" Tinky's stare bore holes into the desk. His heart was pounding.

"This morning," Anne stated, "but looking at the file details it was recorded yesterday."

"Walten's alive," Lenny stared at the screen, the last frame was an unflattering close up of Richard's face. "I thought Richard killed him."

"He could be still dead," Conor said, shrinking back when everyone glared at him, "OK maybe he's sleeping?"

"We're not doing what he wants," Miles stated, "we'll evacuate the base if needed."

"But what if he hurts Walten?" Tinky exclaimed.

"Richard is a man of his word. If he didn't threaten to hurt Walten, he won't," Miles responded.

"Miles is right, we've known Richard for years," Anne agreed, "he's consistent on those things." Tinky nodded but he still couldn't shake his dread. His friend was right there on the computer screen. He could feel his vision flickering.

"Tinky?" a blue hand tapped his shoulder, "are you alright?"

"Oh," TInky snapped back, "I'm fine. Tinky tank wanted to visit."

"Man, your eye is black again," Conor announced.

"Oh no," Tinky frowned.

"Na no it's not bad," Conor said, "it's a cool eye."

A tumbleweed danced around the trunks of barren trees. Mismatched eyes narrowed, watching the branches creak and sway as the wind pushed them. Tinky rested his chin on his hand and sighed. His legs dangled over the edge of the fortress wall.

"Is it alright if I join you?" the silence was broken by a feminine voice.

"It's alright Anne," Tinky scooted over so Anne could join him on the wall.

"You seem more solemn than usual," Anne noted, twirling a strand of her hair, "is anything bothering you?"

"I can't stop thinking," Tinky admitted, "about him." He was sure Anne knew the answer by her affirming nod.

"You two were close," Anne put a hand on Tinky's shoulder, "I'd tell you not to worry, but there's no point. You'll just keep worrying."

"Yeah, probably," Tinky hung his head. "Ugh, it's just... have you ever felt..." Tinky paused and thought for a moment. "Have you ever wanted someone?"

Anne furrowed her brow, confused, "what do you mean?"

"Want someone really bad-I don't know the word-you want to be around that person every day, no matter the circumstance," Tinky tried to formulate his thoughts. There was a word he was thinking of but he wasn't sure if it was right. He growled, "there has to be something to describe it. It's more than a friend, more than a crush. It's-"

"Love?" Anne tilted her head, "I think you're describing love."

Tinky froze. "That sounds right," he murmured. Then his face began to glow. He covered it with his hands.

"Oh no, Tinky, are you alright?" Anne asked, "did I make you upset? I'm sorry."

"It's OK Anne," Tinky mumbled, "just my stupid face. I look like a tomato."

"You don't have to be ashamed of anything," Anne reassured the purple tubby, "it's good that you love him."

"It is?" Tinky lifted his face, revealing his cherry cheeks.

"Yeah," Anne replied, "and you don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks Anne," Tinky smiled, "you're the best."

"Right back at'cha," Anne replied. The two sat there and watched as the sun began to set.

Chapter Text

BASH. Darkness. BASH. Sounds met his ears. Words he couldn't comprehend. BASH. The white tubby curled in on himself in a pathetic attempt at protecting his head. He squeezed his eyes shut. The bashing stopped.

"Finn?" a bewildered voice met his ears. The Guardian cracked open an eye to see the deranged red tubby staring at him, brown eyes wide. In his hand was a shovel, a tool typically used for digging, now used as a weapon. He wanted to say something, try and console the red tubby. Maybe that would make him stop. But Walten knew he couldn't. It would only make Richard angrier. He wasn't allowed to speak anymore. His pleas did nothing to make Richard stop. It was all hopeless.

"No," Richard pointed his shovel at Walten's throat. "You're not Finn. You're messing with my head aren't you? Making me see things that aren't real!" The red tubby blinked and stepped backward. "Ghh, Guardian, you weren't supposed to hear this." At the sound of that, Walten shrunk backward, placing his hands over his head. He was braced for another assault with the shovel. Better his hands be broken then his skull.

"No, no, I'm done," Richard sighed and threw the shovel away. It fell with a clatter a little ways from the Guardian. He gasped at the harsh sound. "Noo noo can take over for today. I'm going to bed." Richard said as he walked out of the cell, leaving the door open.

Blue eyes widened, realizing there was a fraction of a chance for him to escape. Walten waited until he could no longer hear Richard's footsteps to put his plan into motion. He began to drag himself towards the doorway, feeling his muscles strain due to disuse. He wrapped a hand around a bar and used it to support himself. His free hand immediately clutched at his ribs, which were starting to ache. Walten took his first step forward and almost fell. He caught himself on the cell door, holding it with both hands. He slowly shimmied along the length of floor next to the door, holding on for dear life.

"I can use the wall to help me balance," the white tubby whispered to himself as he transferred his weight from the door to the cement wall. It was much harder to grip but it was sturdy. Walten's steps were very unsteady and he felt as if he would fall at any moment. If I fall, I won't be able to get back up. Walten furrowed his brow and pushed forward, but the thought ebbed away at his confidence, causing him to stumble. After a painstakingly long time, Walten finally made it to the door of the warehouse. He peeked around the open doorway, checking for any monsters or droids that might hurt him. Walten looked up and his stomach pitted with dread. A security camera was locked onto him. He could see his fear reflected in its lens.

"Where do you think you're going?" Noo noo appeared, surrounded by an entourage of six announcer robots. All their lenses were locked onto him.

"I-" Walten began to speak but cut himself off. He had nothing to say, realizing the futility of his plan. Where would he go anyway?

"You could barely walk across the room," Noo noo noted, "do you really think you could dodge all my announcers and newborns and climb up the ladder to freedom. And what will you do up there? Wander the wastes looking for your military? They'll never find you. Now come with me. It appears I need to 'knock some sense' into you, as Richard would say." And with that, Walten was grabbed by two announcers and dragged across the warehouse. In a matter of seconds, all his progress was gone. They held him by his arms in an uncomfortable position which caused his shoulders to sag. His head was held low in defeat.

Once they were deep enough into the base, the announcers dropped Walten. He slumped to the floor, ready for whatever came in store for him.

"Richard has gone too soft on you, has he?" Noo noo cooed smugly. "I know organics are naturally sympathetic to each other, as much as he wants to deny it, he feels bad for you. But I, as a machine, do not have those kind of feelings. Do you know what that means?" Noo noo rolled towards the defeated tubby and nudged him with his trunk. Walten didn't answer. "Do you know what that means?" He repeated, in a slightly annoyed tone. No response. "I see Richard has trained you well in one regard," Noo noo continued, "nevertheless, it means that I have no morals. I can do whatever I want and not feel a single drop of regret. Let's see how durable you really are."

Miles looked through his files and sighed. The latest report from the scouts confirmed that indeed, a newborn army was on its way. It would arrive in a few hours. The leader of the blue workers, Lenny was sitting next to him. He was remote controlling a drone to get the scope of what they were up against. Whether or not they should stay or run.

"It seems like there are about fifteen hundred newborns," Lenny said as he controlled his drone.

"We can't risk casualties," Miles replied, "we have to run. We'll find the fuel, top off our aircraft and get out of here. There should be a bunker or something in those wooded mountains north of here."

"Right," Lenny nodded, "I'll let them know." The blue tubby rose to his feet and exited the room.

Miles' ear twitched and he noticed his radio sparking to life. It was very fuzzy and he pushed his ear against it.

"Sergeant Miles, Sergeant Miles do you read me?" a faint voice spoke.

"This is Sergeant Miles of the military, who am I speaking to?" Miles replied.

"This is Lieutenant Finn of the military," the voice replied. Finn. Miles heart began to race.

"Finn? You're alive!?" Miles exclaimed, "what's your position?"

"I'm not sure sir," Finn admitted, "I am in the wilds nearby to the mainland. I am staying in an abandoned cabin. There are several other buildings around the area if you need a place to stay."

"Alright, we'll try to find you," Miles gulped, "over."

"Over," Finn answered.

An announcer stepped forward and removed Walten's shackles. He jerked away from it, fearing it would hurt him. A sound caught his ear that sent a shiver down his spine.

tick tick

No.

tick tick

Spider Po crawled out from the shadows, red eyes glowing in the dim light. She charged towards him, grabbed his leg in her jaw and flung him across the room. Walten gritted his teeth, slumping forward. Blood was gushing from his leg, forming a small pool. Po scuttled towards him and bit down on his hand. Hard. Walten could feel his bones cracking. He groaned and tried to pull away, but it only made it worse. She let go and grabbed his arm instead, dragging him towards the announcers. One snapped Walten out of her grasp and slammed him against the floor. The monster and droid continued to beat him down.

The announcer was good for blunt attacks and Po was good for scratches. The two of them knew this and used it to their full advantage. The only problem was, Po was getting tired of playing with her food. Walten's vision began to flicker, flashing black. Something was trying to control him, but he resisted. Po grabbed his other hand in her jaws and pulled him up. The announcer kicked him in the back and made him tug against her jaws, sending waves of pain down his arm. She'd severed a tendon in his hand.

Po released him from her jaws and kicked Walten over, sending him rolling across the floor. Walten sat up as she bounded towards him. Her silhouette began to distort. The shadow. It was attacking him. He screamed and tried to crawl away but she was too fast. Po was flickering constantly now, Walten couldn't tell what was real. The monster sliced his stomach open, causing blood to spill out. She reeled back and brought her arms down, crushing Walten against the floor. He moaned and coughed weakly. Po had destroyed him. His television screen was broken now.

Walten rolled onto his side, pressing his wounded hands against his body to keep them safe. The announcer saw this and grabbed his wrist, flinging him across the floor. While all this was going on, Noo noo watched, noting it down. He could tell the Guardian wouldn't be able to take much more of this. The announcer socked Walten in the face, hitting him in the eye. It hit him again in the chest and then Po scratched his face.

"That's enough for now," Noo noo announced. The announcer turned to look at its master, awaiting orders no doubt. Po, who had clenched Walten's ankle in her mouth, let it go, watching it drop limply to the ground. The smell of blood was causing her to drool. 

"Master, shall I take the Guardian back to his cell?" the announcer asked.

"That won't be necessary," Noo noo replied, "2-B take him to my quarters." Another announcer, designated 2-B slung the white tubby over its shoulder and walked away. Noo noo followed it to a room at the heart of the base.

"Where shall I put it, master?" 2-B asked, holding the white tubby in its arms.

"On the ground," Noo noo responded. The announcer gently deposited the Guardian onto the ground. The white tubby shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. It was slightly colder here than in the outer parts of the base. Noo noo rolled over to him.

"You'll be staying here from now on," Noo noo droned, "2-B will come here in the morning to feed and water you. If you do not eat, 2-B will beat you. Also, do not even think of trying to escape. Your body is too injured to survive anywhere else but here where I can monitor you. You will do whatever I ask of you or you will be punished. Are my words clear?"

The Guardian could not respond. Noo noo knew this. He saw the Guardian's head weakly nod.

"Good," Noo noo replied, "you are on your way to being obedient."

Approx. 2 days later

Richard stirred in his sleep, tossing and turning on the cot he laid in. His eyes fluttered open and he groaned. He heard clashing and banging. An attack? Richard swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up too quickly. Blood rushed to his head, causing him to see stars. Then the banging stopped. He heard Noo noo's voice. It wasn't an attack. Richard walked into the corridor and followed the sound. Then it stopped. Richard continued walking, finding himself outside of the Guardian's vacant cell.

Wait, vacant? What was Noo noo up to? Richard made his way deeper into the base and found himself in the room next to the custard facility. There were cracks and blood splatters all over the walls. Po was sniffing around. Her ear twitched and she turned to look at him. Her mouth was covered in blood.

"There you are Richard," a robotic voice greeted him, "you slept a day and a half, how was it?"

A day and a half? "It was fine sir," Richard said to the vacuum, "where's the Guardian?"

"He's no longer your concern," Noo noo replied smugly, "I have taken over his reprogramming." Richard frowned, glancing at the red beast again. Then he noticed a small figure huddled in the corner of the room. He walked towards it. Its white fur was caked with red. Richard shook on its shoulder and it rolled over.

"T-tinky?" a dazed Guardian looked up at the red tubby.

"It's me," Richard spoke. Walten's eyes widened and he turned away.

"Please, do it," Walten whispered.

"Do what?" Richard shook the Guardian's shoulder again. His eyes were closed.

"Guardian, get up," Noo noo spoke from across the room, "show Richard what I've taught you." Richard stepped back as the Guardian weakly rose to his feet. "He's a very fast learner," Noo noo remarked. The Guardian's knees began to buckle. He collapsed to the ground. "But he's not very graceful." Richard looked away.

"Is there something wrong Richard?" Noo noo rolled over to the red tubby. "You look disturbed."

"What did you do to make him like this?" Richard blurted out. "I've had to drag him across the ground when he was less injured than this!" He glanced at the Guardian but was only met with a blank stare.

"This is entertaining," Noo noo mused, "the torturer feels bad for his victim. I had a feeling you would go soft on him eventually."

"It's just, he was always doing little things to spite me," Richard knelt down in front of the white tubby. "C'mon Guardian, get up," he shook the tubby by the shoulders. No response.

"He only takes orders from me," Noo noo replied, "I've noticed if you break a tubby's screen they become much more suggestible." Richard felt a pang in his abdomen. His screen was fine but Walten's was broken. "When it's broken it becomes the most sensitive area in the body," Noo noo continued, "If the Guardian disobeys me, Po or my announcer will beat him. He had just been misbehaving before that's why you heard that crashing."

"I-" Richard cut himself off. He removed his hands from Walten's shoulders. The white tubby immediately slumped forward.

"Feeling bad Richard?" Noo noo sneered, "Feeling bad now that you realized what you've done. Your friends would say you're a monster."

"Shut up," Richard rose to his feet, hand coming to rest on his holster.

"You're only angry since I'm right," Noo noo continued to mock the red tubby.

"Why did I trust you," Richard pointed his pistol at the vacuum, "why did I trust that what you're doing is right. You're sick! I may not believe in the military's cause, but I don't believe in yours either."

"Well this is interesting," Noo noo slanted his eyes.

"If you send Po at me, I'll shoot you," Richard snarled, "one hit to your CPU and you're done for."

"But if you shoot me, Po will brutally kill you," Noo noo says, "and without anyone to take care of him, the Guardian will die as well. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Richard gritted his teeth, "I'm done with this." He took one last look at the Guardian and began to walk out. Po stepped forward to pursue him but Noo noo raised his trunk.

"He'll die in the wastes before he gets anything done," Noo noo scoffed, "come with me Guardian. You too Po." Noo noo and his slaves disappeared into the corridor. Richard made his way to the ladder and climbed up. He opened the lid and stepped out into the wastes. There was nothing but desert for miles. The sun was just beginning to set. Richard took out his night vision camera and began to walk. He had a lot of that to do.

Chapter Text

"This is humiliating," Conor sighed as he sheathed his katana, "I can't believe that Miles wants to run."

"He's doing what he thinks is best for us," Tinky replied, "we can't risk anyone else getting hurt."

"I know," Conor slung his backpack over his shoulder, "it just feels cowardly. As a ninja, I should be more strategic, but I guess I really want to chop some newborns up. Oh well, maybe I can do that some other time." The silver tubby smirked.

"Did you know this Finn guy?" Tinky raised an eyebrow, "what was he like?"

"Finn, I never really got to talk to him," Conor shrugged, "he was Richard's buddy. The two were always around each other, talking, laughing."

"Oh," Tinky's blood went cold, "I guess he'll have a big storm coming."

"Mhm," Conor nodded. The two fell into a bout of silence. Richard was hard to talk about nowadays. After everything he'd done for and against the military, nobody knew how to feel about him. Tinky knew it was harder for tubbies like Anne and Miles who had considered him a close friend. Even so, it was still hard on the common soldier who looked up to him. He was always kind and polite to everyone he talked to. It was hard not to like him. Well, before he betrayed everyone. Now it was hard to like him. Tinky's monologue was interrupted by a tug on his arm.

"Hey, earth to Tinky," Anne grinned, "it's time to go."

"O-oh, sorry Anne," Tinky blinked, "I'll get on the helicopter." Tinky stepped into the small aircraft and took a seat next to the window. He liked to look out and watch the landscape. He heard a rustle and someone sat down next to him.

"Hey bro," Dipsy waved a green hand.

"Hey D," Tinky replied with a smile. "How's it goin'?" He clutched on to his seat belt as the helicopter took off. Miles and the pilot were conversing in the cockpit, trying to get ahold of Finn.

"Good enough," Dipsy caressed his chainsaw, "just got her fueled up. She'll be good to go for a while." Tinky couldn't help but snicker. It was like Dipsy was in love with his chainsaw. He always talked about it and referred to it with female pronouns. Well, Miles would do that to his guns and aircraft. But Miles used a bunch of different guns, Dipsy only had one chainsaw. And Tinky was half-convinced he was smitten.

"How come you get to carry weapons on the helicopter?" Conor frowned.

"I'm special," Dipsy bragged, "headless privileges."

"Are you ever gonna want your head back?" Tinky asked.

"I've realized that being headless is fine," Dipsy waved a hand, "yeah, it makes talking and eating harder but I get it done." Dipsy's television screen flickered to life, changing colors and going static.

"How do you do that with yours?" Conor tilted his head.

"You can't make yours change color?" Dipsy asked, bewildered. Conor shook his head.

"I thought everyone could do that," La la spoke out of the blue. She had been silent up until that point, content to listen.

"That's a good question Conor," Tinky pondered, scratching his chin, "it comes naturally to us. We just kinda... uh." Tinky shrugged, "I don't know it just happens."

"We can even play out things we've seen on our screens," La la chirped. Her screen flickered to a distant memory of a younger La la humming a tune.

"That's so cool!" Conor exclaimed.

"SHHH!" Miles stuck his head in from the cockpit.

"Sorry," Conor whispered. Tinky and Dipsy snickered quietly.

"Wait, where's Anne?" Tinky asked.

"Anne went to help with the other troops," Conor replied in a quiet voice, "our squad was to stay with Miles. Lenny is with his blue workers."

"Hello sir," an unfamiliar voice echoed from the cockpit. It had a bit of a husky sound. Everyone stopped whispering in an attempt to hear what was being said.

"We are on our way to your location," Miles answered, "I will hail you when we reach it."

"Got it sir," Finn replied. Miles turned off the radio. Tinky leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes.

"Oh gawsh darn it," an upset voice shrieked. The red tubby was caught out in the middle of the desert. The sun was scorching hot, burning his nose and cheeks. Richard wiped his sweaty forehead with his beanie and trudged on.

"Richard."

"Not now Dutch," the red tubby scrunched his eyes closed.

"Richard."

"STOP TAUNTING ME!" Richard hurled a stone at the dead tubby. It phased through the hallucination. Richard panted and sunk to his knees. "Leave me alone!"

"Why did you leave me?" Finn asked.

"You're dead," Richard snarled, "you're dead 'cause of me. Now leave me alone."

He struggled forward, trying to ignore the whispers in his head. If he could just make it to the fortress. They'd probably be gone by now. He could see the looming castle in the distance. And helicopters leaving? Maybe he wasn't too late. Richard broke into a sprint, noting which direction the copters were going in. North, towards main land. Richard smiled. Even if he didn't catch them at the fortress, he'd be able to find them. The red tubby ran for a couple more moments but he didn't get any closer. He'd lost them already. The red tubby sat down and took a rest.

"Welp, it's time to play catch up," Richard stroked his beard.

"Tinky, wake up," the purple tubby was nudged awake by La la. Tinky yawned and stretched his arms, showing off all his teeth.

"Wha'd I miss?" he slurred out drowsily.

"We were just talking about how you look like a little angel," Dipsy teased.

"Well actually, you were talking in your sleep," Conor snickered, "something about Miles and breakfast."

"Ghhh," La la clutched at her seat belt. Her fur was bristling and she began to shake.

"La La," Conor reached out a hand and placed it on the golden tubby's knee, "are you alright?" La la was panting and sweating profusely.

"C-conor," La la pointed her head towards the silver tubby's voice, "I had a vision."

"About what?" Conor asked.

"T-the shadow," La la wiped her eyes, "i-it was following me. I was running through a forest and I could see it chasing me."

"You think we're being followed?" Dipsy asked, raising his chainsaw slightly.

"I dunno," La la admitted, "my visions don't always come true."

"I'll be on the lookout," Tinky placed a hand on the yellow tubby's shoulder.

"Me too," Conor agreed.

Where was that red beast. Noo noo and his announcers had scoured the base, looking for Po. She had disappeared a couple hours ago. His wheels stopped. She had been acting strange for the last couple of days. Eating more newborns than usual, crawling around on the ceilings, sniffing in every nook and cranny. Noo noo turned his camera up towards the ceiling of the warehouse.

A giant, fleshy cocoon was hanging over him. It was too far for him to touch, but noo noo assumed it would be somewhat warm. He was immediately fascinated. Po must be going through a large change, a metamorphosis. Would this happen to every infected? He shouldn't bother her. Wouldn't want to disturb something that could give him more to research and study.

"Goodnight Po," Noo noo said, "may you rest well." He wheeled out of the room and back to his quarters.

Everyone was tense as the helicopter descended. It landed with a shake and the passengers released their seatbelts. Miles motioned for everyone to stay put. He hopped out of the helicopter, onto the grassy ground. Tinky hadn't seen grass in a while. He doubted Conor had seen grass at all. A little ways off, there was a black furred tubby standing. Miles was walking towards him and the two hugged. Miles then turned back and motioned for the group to come out. Tinky stepped down first, Conor helping La la, and Dipsy was last.

"Everyone, this is Finn," Miles had an arm around the black tubby. Finn looked a lot like Dutch.

"I already know Finn," Conor joked, "it's good to see you."

"It's nice to see new recruits," Finn smiled and then gasped, "soldier, where is your head!?"

"It's Dipsy. And a long story," Dipsy replied.

"You'd better tell me sometime kid," Finn chuckled, "and who are you two?"

"I'm La la," the golden tubby said, "and this is Tinky." Tinky waved at Finn.

"Finn! OH my GAWSH!" Anne bolted across the field from her copter. She collided with the black tubby, causing them both to tumble over. "It's been too long!"

"It has Anne," Finn agreed, then looked around. "Where's Rich?"

"Richard is a traitor," Miles crossed his arms, "he's working for our enemy, a droid named Noo noo. I'm sorry but, Dutch is no longer with us."

Finn opened his mouth but nothing came out. Finally, after a moment, "I can't believe it. He killed Dutch didn't he."

"He did, and he kidnapped one of our soldiers," Miles replied.

"I'll do what I can to help," Finn nodded, "if you all need a place to hide from the droid, this is the place to be. It's off the grid and kinda hard to get to without a plane. Also, the other cabins should be able to hold all of us.

"What do you have for food?" Anne asked.

"There are lots of rations stored in each cabin, but I usually go hunting," Finn answered. "There's lots'a game runnin' wild in this forest."

"Please share," Conor begged.

"There's also a small town a couple miles west of here," Finn added, "I go there occasionally to trade for stuff I can't make."

"That's good news," Anne put her hands on her hips, "thank you so much Finn."

"It's all I can do for you guys," Finn smiled.

Chapter Text

"Hahahaha!" Po laughed as she chased Dipsy around the grass. She stopped suddenly when she noticed the purple tubby leaving, "hey, where ya goin' Tinky?"

"I gotta go pee," Tinky whined and continued walking towards the house.

"Is it really that bad?" Dipsy teased. Tinky nodded and waddled over to the door. He tried to open it but found it was locked.

"Anyone home?" Tinky peered in through the keyhole, "La la, did you lock me out?"

"No! I'm right here," La la gawked from across the field. Tinky watched her play with her ball for a moment, before making his way over to the window and peering through the glass. He pressed his face to it and looked around.

"The quartet are in good health," Noo noo's muffled voice met Tinky's ears, "I knew you would keep good watch over them." Who was noo noo talking to? The blue vacuum was sucking up debris from the floor. Tinky's eyes scanned across the floor and met a new figure. Its fur was white like winter's snow and it had no antennae. Tinky gasped and grinned. A new playmate? The white tubby turned around and wiped his brow, then looked over to the window, probably to check on the four. Blue eyes met brown. The white tubby's face filled with horror. Tinky frowned and backed away from the window. Was he not supposed to see this? Tinky wanted to look away to appease the strange tubby but he couldn't.

"What are you doing here?" Noo noo's robotic voice made Tinky jump.

"I had to pee and you locked the door," Tinky whimpered, "what are you doing in there?"

"That's none of your concern," Noo noo droned, "forget this ever happened." Tinky looked back into the house. The white tubby had vanished. Tinky opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He could feel his consciousness slowly ebb away, like a fog dissolving into vapor.

...

"GAH!" Tinky awoke with a gasp. He felt a dull pounding in his head. "Ugh." He swung his legs over the side of his bed. On the floor, looking up at him, was the brown dog cowfarts.

"Arf," the dog grinned at the purple tubby. It nuzzled against his ankle.

"I love you too cowfarts," Tinky reached down and patted the dog's head. Then he slid down onto the floor with a creak. The dog padded along with him as he left the bedroom. It was nice here, despite the chilly air. It was a welcome change from the dry wastelands Tinky had grown oh so familiar with over the past months. Tinky's ear twitched as he stepped out onto the porch. A sound sweet as honey oozed through his eardrum. It was one of those feathery creatures called birds. The bird was singing somewhere in the trees.

A bug buzzed by his ear. Tinky scratched it with his hand. Cowfarts had trotted out into the field and was now squatted over in an awkward position. After a few moments, it sprung up and ran laps around the clearing. Then it came to a screeching halt by a large pine tree, lifted its leg and peed.

"Eww cowfarts," Tinky stuck his tongue out, "gross." Cowfarts grinned and raced back to the porch.

"You're up early," a deep voice interrupted Tinky's silence. Miles stopped next to him.

"Hey Miles, couldn't sleep," Tinky responded, "how are you?"

"I'm fine," Miles smiled. The green tubby had taken to leaving his helmet off, given the more casual atmosphere. One of his eyes was closed, Tinky assumed it was a past injury. He had a couple scars on his arms from battles.

"Wasn't Finn going to teach Conor how to hunt today?" Tinky tilted his head. Miles nodded and chuckled.

"That's gonna be entertaining," Miles snickered and then sighed, "but I'm going to help Lenny today. Would you mind going in my place?"

"Sure," Tinky chirped. He really didn't feel up to it, but it would make Miles happy. Tinky rarely saw the sergeant smile, let alone laugh.

"Finally, I thought I was gonna have to wait another week," Conor's voice was muffled by the wood.

"Hey, it's only been a little while," Finn said, "aren't ninjas supposed to be patient?"

"It only took a month," Conor cut himself off, "at least it's finally happening."

"See, look on the bright side wolf boy," Finn replied as the two exited the door, shotguns loaded.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Conor asked. Finn didn't answer.

"Hey C," Tinky waved at the silver tubby, "can I come with?"

"That's fine," Finn grinned, "just be quiet so you don't scare the game." Tinky followed the two as they walked into the woods. Finn's ears swiveled around like satellite dishes, picking up every creak and groan of the tree trunks. He squatted behind a bush and motioned for the two to do the same.

"Alright," Finn whispered, "there's a rabbit in the distance. Conor, watch me." Conor locked his eyes onto Finn as Finn pointed his gun at the animal. He clicked it and shot. "Yes," Finn pumped his fist. He carefully snuck over to the meat and picked out the bullet. He'd gotten it right in the skull. Conor grimaced, it reminded him of Dutch. When Finn came back, he noticed Conor's distress.

"What's wrong Conor?" Finn asked, his auburn eyes growing with concern.

"I don't think I can do this," Conor admitted, "the rabbit, it reminded me of Dutch. I'm sorry."

"No no, it's OK," Finn waved his hands, "I get it. I didn't realize that."

"Is there anything we could do instead?" Tinky suggested.

"We could go check out that beehive," Finn shrugged, "we can harvest the honeycomb."

"That sounds fun!" Conor perked up.

"Oh my this town is so cute!" Anne covered her mouth with her hands. Since Finn was occupied, he sent Anne and La la into town to run errands. He assured them the locals were nice and they wouldn't be bothered by them. Just say that they were Finn's friends. Anne wore a shawl over her shoulders to give her a fighting change against the cold air. La la wore a cozy sweater.

"I'd probably agree if I could see," La la joked. Anne playfully punched her in the shoulder.

"Don't be such a downer!" Anne reprimanded, "now Finn wanted us to go to the hardware store, right?"

"No," La la wagged a finger, "he wanted us to go to the produce shop. Remember?"

"Oh, right right," Anne grinned. Anne's memory was sometimes wonky. The pair walked over to the produce shop and took a look around. There were all kinds of foods. Some were really strange, Anne had never seen them before. She took an oval shaped fruit into her hands.

"Do you remember what he wanted us to get?" Anne scratched her chin.

"I believe he wanted some vegetables," La la pondered, "I guess my memory's failing too." She paused and then blurted, "Oh! Potatoes, carrots and corn. That's what he wanted!"

"Alrighty," Anne examined the food to make sure the ones she picked out weren't rotten. She put them into a sack and brought them over to the shopkeeper. He counted the produce and Anne handed him the money Finn gave her. She thanked him and grabbed La la's arm, leading her out of the store. Anne held her shawl tighter, she felt like she was being watched.

Conor pouted and crouched underneath the beehive. He held a large stick in his hand.

"Don't do it Conor," Tinky warned the silver tubby, "we have to wait for Finn to get the lighter."

"What?" Conor shrugged, "are you scared they'll wake up?" He grinned mischievously and poked the hive. A swarm of workers poured out of the entrance and Conor screamed. He bolted away and the swarm gave chase. Shouts echoed through the forest as Conor ran for dear life. Tinky snickered, the gray tubby got what was coming for him.

"What's goin' on?" Finn appeared, lighter and sticks in hand, "where's Conor?" Tinky motioned over to the terrified screams and Finn pinched his brow. "I knew this would happen," he shook his head and smiled. After a minute or two, Conor appeared, panting and heaving.

"I think I lost them," he gasped.

"Did they get you?" Finn asked. Conor nodded and pointed at a couple bumps in his fur.

"It hurts," Conor whined.

"Did you learn your lesson wolf boy?" Finn tilted his head.

"Yeah," Conor groaned.

Tinky sat alone on the porch and looked in through the window. Anne and Finn were talking. Probably about what she did in town. La la was helping Conor with his bites. Tinky turned away from the window and sighed. Even with everyone here, he still felt alone. Maybe he was making himself worse by sitting out here, but he knew he wouldn't feel any better inside. That ache in his chest. It wouldn't go away. Not until he could see those eyes again.

His mind was brought to the strange dream he had last night. It felt different. More than a dream. A memory. Tinky frowned, a memory? He didn't remember anything like it. He didn't remember. Did he lose more memories than what he thought during the infection? Strange.

"Hey kid," Miles interrupted his monologue.

"Hey Miles," Tinky replied, gaze locked to his feet.

"You seem sad today," Miles noted, "did anything happen?"

"It's just, y'know," Tinky sighed, resting his chin on his knees.

"We'll find him," Miles assured, "I promise."

"What if we don't," Tinky growled, "what if he's dead. What if he's dead and this is all for nothing."

"Don't say that," Miles sat next to the purple tubby, "we don't know for sure."

"It's not like you care!" Tinky began to cry, "you only said sorry because everyone was watching."

Miles froze and sighed, "I-Tinky, what I did was unjustified and wrong. Walten did not deserve to be hit and yelled at. When I apologized to Walten, I meant it."

"I'm sorry Miles," Tinky mumbled, "I just-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's alright to bring up your concerns with me," Miles reassured the purple tubby by placing an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, kids," Finn gestured over to the kitchen. Conor, La la and Tinky followed him. "Do you want to try my stew?"

"Did you make it with the stuff we bought?" La la sniffed and asked.

"Mhm," Finn nodded, "it's delicious."

"I'll have some," Tinky chirped.

"Me too," Conor cooed, "that looks so much better than rations." Finn took out three bowls and scooped out some stew. Tinky never had stew before. Conor's mouth watered as he took his bowl into his hands.

"How do we eat this?" Tinky asked.

"With a fork or a spoon," Finn said, offering a choice of either. Tinky took a spoon, La la took a fork and Conor took a fork. The three began gobbling up the tasty meal. Finn chuckled and murmured to himself, "wolf boy really does eat like a wolf."

knock knock knock.

Finn turned his head towards the door. He frowned, everyone was here. Maybe it was Lenny?

knock knock knock

"Coming!" Anne hopped up from her chair and unlocked the door. She opened it and gasped, stumbling backwards. Finn and Miles stepped towards the door, Miles drawing his gun. The green tubby pointed his gun at the figure standing in the doorway.

"I come in peace," a disheveled Richard held up his empty hands.

Chapter Text

"I come in peace," Richard stated calmly. He lowered his head into a submissive posture. He would need to appear as non-threatening as possible to get this to work. Richard's ear twitched as he heard shuffling and drawing of weapons. Cracking open an eye, he noticed that Tinky and Conor had taken places besides Miles. Conor's katana was glimmering in the orangey light and Tinky held his large fists up. La la had hidden herself under the table.

"Richard!" Miles growled, pointing his shotgun at the red tubby. "What are you doing here!? How did you find us!?"

Richard straightened up, keeping his gaze away from Miles' eyes, "I wandered the outskirts for a while until I found my way over to that village. Earlier today, I noticed Anne and La la running errands so I followed them for a bit. I waited a couple hours before approachin' your camp. Didn't want to disturb anyone."

"You've disturbed us enough already!" Conor spat, hands clenched around the hilt of his katana.

"What do you want with us?" Anne's fur bristled, emerald eyes glistening ferociously.

Richard bowed his head, "I want to help." He paused, waiting for a retort. Nobody spoke so he continued, "I realized that the droid was wrong. He was lyin' to me. Noo noo claimed he was makin' the world better, but all he did was make it worse. I want to make up for the things I've done. I don't expect forgiveness from y'all."

"Oh really?" Miles tilted his head mockingly, "it seems like you do."

"You all are in your right to throw me out and be done with me. It's your call," Richard shrugged, then looked at Tinky, "but if you take my word, I may be able to help you find someone you're lookin' for." Tinky slowly lowered his fists.

"Miles," Tinky turned his head towards the green tubby, "If there's any chance he's genuine-"

Miles nodded and sighed, "alright, this was your call Tinky." He reached forward and grabbed Richard by the wrist. "The basement is empty, correct?"

"Yes," Finn replied, "there's some useless junk in there but nothing useful."

"Finn?" Richard gasped, "that can't be."

"It is," Finn crossed his arms, "goodnight Richard." Finn promptly left the room. Miles took the opportunity to pull Richard down the stairs into the basement. There was some rustling and shuffling sounds and then a tired Miles clambered up the stairs and slammed the door. He locked it and turned around.

"I'm going to bed," Miles exited the common room, leaving the others in a silence. La la came out from underneath the table and sat down on the couch.

"What did we get ourselves into?" Conor covered his face with his hands. "UUUUGGGHH."

"I hate him too, but he might be able to help us," Tinky sighed, "I don't like doing this either."

"But you're still doing it," Conor clenched his fists at the purple tubby, "you're letting that murdering bastard into the heart of our camp, letting him worm his way into our heads! I mean, did you not see what he did to Dutch!?"

"I did, everyone did!" Tinky flattened his ears, "I know what he did and I hate him for it, but if he knows where Walten is, I have to try-"

"Ah, but but but," Conor hissed, "why does there have to be a but. Why can't there be, Richard killed Dutch and I hate him. Have you been so wooed by Walten your reasoning is going?"

"What?" Tinky gasped, taken aback.

"It's so obvious," Conor spat, "everyone knows what you and him do under the covers."

"I-" Tinky grimaced, face turning a deep red, "We're just friends!"

"Conor stop!" Anne raised her voice, "that's enough!"

"Now you're taking his side too," Conor growled, "I thought better of you." The silver tubby stormed off to his room.

Tinky sunk down until he was sitting on the floor. He covered his face with his hands and began to cry. He felt Anne wrap her arms around his midsection in a silent act of comfort. La la sat down beside him. The two remained beside him until his sobs let up.

1 week earlier

The horrid fleshy cocoon began to split down the middle. Noo noo and a quintet of announcers watched it slowly crack and ooze. Slops of gunky flesh collided with the cement in a dull slap. A hideous red arm emerged from the cocoon. It was long and much thicker than Po's previous limbs. It flexed and retracted back into the flesh. Then, a rumble was felt. The cocoon exploded, splattering chunks of it all over the announcers. A hunched figure now appeared below it.

Po raised her head and revealed her giant mandibles. She now had eight eyes and eight legs sprouting from her abdomen. Her arms remained the same, but her fingers were lengthened and had claws. Her fur retained its blood red hue. She looked towards her master for approval and Noo noo raised his trunk. He was genuinely impressed.

"Keep watch on Po," Noo noo ordered the announcers, "I have to check on the guardian." The droid wheeled down the corridor towards his quarters where the white tubby was kept. As always, he was lying curled up in the corner of the room. At the sound of Noo noo's wheels, a white ear perked up. Unlike Po, who for an undead, was full of life, the guardian could barely move. His body was failing him, and Noo noo knew he would not last much longer. At least not as a living tubby. But Noo noo was fine with this. It was time for one last experiment.

"Guardian, you and I both know that your miserable little life is about to come to an end," Noo noo announced, "so, as an act of mercy, I have decided to perform an extended exposure experiment with you. I will submerge you in custard for twelve hours. Even if I put you on oxygen, you would probably die. So I was wondering if you would prefer to drown instead." No answer. Just as expected. "I see," Noo noo purred, "B-12, bring the guardian to the custard vat."

Noo noo watched as the large announcer gently scooped the white tubby into its arms. The droids moved in sync over to the large vat. B-12 placed the guardian on the ground. The white tubby's ears were down and he closed his eyes.

"Don't be sad little guardian," Noo noo cooed, "you won't feel a thing. It'll all be painless. B-12, you'll need to carry him to the rim of the vat, he cannot walk on his own." The announcer obliged and picked the white tubby up. It cradled him in its arms. Then, it walked up the stairs to the rim and froze. The guardian's eyes widened. Though he struggled to think coherently, he could tell that the robot did not want to drop him. For a split second, he saw Tinky in its place.

Splash.

The guardian felt his body sink into the thick liquid. It invaded every part of his body, seeping into his fur and ears. He found it flowing into his lungs. He felt his consciousness ebb away.

...

Why was he named the guardian?

...

He never protected anyone.

...

The quartet, the military, Ron, Dutch, the blue workers.

...

He failed them.

...

But after this he would no longer be the guardian.

...

He would be reborn anew. Ready to serve his master

"It is done," Noo noo rolled over to B-12. The announcer looked at him. "Unfortunately, I will not be seeing this experiment through," Noo noo droned, "I know Richard will be back. He'll bring his little friends here. I'll leave this place nice and empty for them, save for the newborns and some announcers. And the reborn guardian too. I want to break their spirits. Hopefully, they will come to understand what they're up against."

CRASH! SLAM! Tinky's eyes flew open. He scrambled out of bed and out into the common room. He grabbed his shotgun. CRASH! It was coming from the basement? Tinky unlocked the door and raced down the stairs. He was met with a wide eyed Richard holding an oar and a broken vase.

"Richard!" Tinky snapped, "what on earth!?"

"Tinky!?" Richard dropped the oar, "oh no. Son, leave me alone."

"What is going on?" Tinky asked.

"I've been infected," Richard admitted, "I don't know how much time I have left."

"You were hallucinating," Tinky furrowed his brow, "weren't you." Richard nodded.

"Did everyone rest well?" Miles asked. Nobody answered.

"I did," Dipsy answered, "so, what was all the fuss last night?"

"Well," Anne started, "we have decided to take Richard prisoner because he showed up last night and offered himself to us."

"Wow," Dipsy replied, "and nobody asked me to chop his head off?"

"He knows where Walten is," Tinky responded.

"According to the forecast, the weather will get bad in a couple days," Finn stated, "you might want to make the trip soon."

"Richard said it would take a couple hours by helicopter," Tinky took a sip of his tea.

"How do you know that?" Anne tilted her head, "he didn't mention that when we talked to him."

"We spoke last night," Tinky admitted, "I went to check that he didn't escape and well."

"We'll head out tomorrow," Miles spoke, "Tinky and I will lead the mission, Lenny will do the computer stuff..." Miles shrugged as he forgot what Lenny does, "a-and Conor will guard Richard." Tinky grimaced and Anne gritted her teeth.

"Conor and him kinda had a fight last night," Anne said.

"I'll make it work," Miles sighed.

Chapter Text

Huff huff. The brown dog paced around in a circle. Cowfarts was anxious. It knew what was happening. Dark eyes searching, it found Anne. The dog bounded towards the pink tubby, rubbing its wet nose against her leg. She would be staying home with Finn and La la. Tinky had decided to take Dipsy along with them in case they needed some extra muscle. Anne noticed Cowfarts and gave the dog a scratch behind the ear. Cowfarts arfed and padded to the door.

"Do you wanna go outside!?" Anne did her baby voice. The dog jumped, tail slamming against the door. Anne opened the door and Cowfarts ran outside. She giggled and took a seat on the porch, watching the dog do its business. Though she smiled, she couldn't help but worry about what would happen. Her ear twitched as she heard Miles moving some chairs and faint voices.

...

Miles hunched over the map of the outskirts. It was spread out over the table. Across the table was the red tubby, Richard.

"It should only be a couple hours flight," Richard stroked his beard, "but it took me a while to traverse. I got lost along the way." He nervously glanced at Dipsy who was standing behind him, chainsaw almost touching Richard's neck. "Is this necessary?"

"I see," Miles frowned under his helmet. He turned his head and saw Tinky pacing back and forth across the room. The purple tubby's fur was bristling with anxiety. "Hey kid come over here," Miles beckoned. Tinky stepped over to the table.

"What do you need me for?" Tinky asked.

"You look upset kid," Miles replied.

"It's just," Tinky rested his head on his hand, "I haven't seen him in so long."

"Hello Miles what's up," Conor chirped, "oh." The silver tubby sighed, "hey Tinky."

"Hi," Tinky saw guilt in the silver tubby's eyes.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you last night," Conor mumbled. He was met with a tight embrace. "O-oh Tinky."

"I'm glad you two are made up now," Miles nodded his head, "is everyone here?" There was a frantic knock at the door. Miles opened it to reveal a disheveled Lenny fixing his glasses.

"Ah sorry sir!" the blue tubby squeaked, "was I late?"

"A little," Conor snickered, "but it's fine."

"Now that everyone is here we will go," Miles announced, "I'll brief Lenny on the way there."

Tinky clutched his shotgun, holding it perpendicular to his chest. The edges of his vision were flickering. Not in the helicopter. Not now. Not ever. He squeezed his eyes shut, but then opened them when he felt a hand on his arm.

"You alright grape?" Lenny gave Tinky's arm a gentle nudge. Tinky nodded and looked away. Sitting across from him, between Conor and Dipsy was Richard. Miles was in the cockpit with the pilot. Tinky could hear bits and pieces of their conversation. He felt the helicopter begin to slow and descend. Please be here. Please be here.

"We've arrived," Miles stepped out of the cockpit. He grabbed his semi and a pistol. Conor held onto Richard's arm as the two of them stood up, Conor stepping behind Richard and nudging him with the tip of his rifle. Richard rolled his eyes and hopped out of the helicopter. Tinky slowly rose to his feet and grabbed some extra rounds for his shotgun. Lenny took a spot behind him and the two climbed down. The ground was sandy and hot. They were deep in the outskirts now. Nothing could survive out here.

"Where's the entrance?" Miles asked Richard. Richard pointed toward a pile of rocks at the base of a cliff. Miles and him walked over and began turning the rocks over. There was a dog lever sticking out of the ground. Tinky had only seen those in drawings of submarines. Miles began to spin it around and when it came loose, he pulled open the hatch. He motioned for the group to join him. Tinky looked down into the hole. There was a metal ladder leading down into what looked like a bottomless pit.

"I'll go down first," Tinky announced, "then Miles, Richard, Dipsy, Conor and Lenny." Tinky stepped down and clung to the first rung of the ladder. Slowly, everyone climbed down the ladder. It wasn't that long of a climb, but it was very dim at the bottom. Tinky hopped down with a plop and shook his fur out. Miles carefully came down and took note of his surroundings. Richard frowned as he stepped off the ladder.

"I thought Noo noo'd be waitin' for us," he murmured. Then he gasped and stepped backwards. A newborn corpse was laying by the entrance to the corridor, its entrails littering the ground. "Po must've been busy while I was gone."

"Do you think she's here?" Miles asked. He heard Dipsy shuffle around and Conor stretch. Lenny held his knife out, ready for an attack.

"I think she would be," Richard shrugged, "but this place seems pretty empty. If noo noo was here we'd be smothered in announcers by now. I pissed him off pretty bad when I left."

"Can you take me to Walten?" Tinky asked, holding his gun tensely. He tried to calm himself, but his fur still stood on end and his vision was flickering.

"I can, but I must warn you," Richard's voice was low, "Noo noo is a cruel droid. He did-" Richard covered his face with his hands, "oh how am I supposed to say this."

"C'mon," Tinky took the lead with Richard and Conor at his side. Conor was guarding the red tubby, making sure he didn't try to run away. Richard led them through various rooms. When they stepped into one hallway, Conor gagged and held his nose. There was a rotten newborn corpse. Richard stepped backwards and gritted his teeth. The wounds on this one were not made by Po. There's a different monster lurking around here. The team trudged on, finding two more slaughtered newborns. They all were uneaten.

Finally, Richard led them to a more open room. It had strange globs of flesh littered across the floor. Lenny kicked one with his foot and immediately regretted his decision. Five tiny screeching worms latched onto his fur. He screamed and tripped. Tinky caught him and Dipsy pulled the worms off, crushing them in his green hands.

"There," Dipsy patted Lenny's head, "all better."

"What were those things?" Lenny had a hand over his mouth.

"Noo noo had complained of an infestation a couple of times," Richard mentioned, "now that he's gone nobody has killed these worms. They're probably in the newborn corpses. Let's keep going, we're getting close to where Walten should be."

"But what about that cell," Tinky pointed at the dingy cage in the corner of the room.

"Originally he was there but Noo noo decided to move him," Richard crossed his arms, "let's go."

"Hey, you're not the leader here," Conor poked Richard with his rifle. Miles snickered and Richard groaned. Tinky looked over at the inside of the cell, noticing the dried blood. His peripheral vision began to fade so he turned away and kept walking. I've got to stay focused. If I lose control to Tinky tank I could hurt everyone.

The team walked into another large room with some computers and a vat of custard. Tinky reeled backwards and hissed at the sight.

"No no no!" Tinky clutched his head, "not now Tinky tank!" He began to hyperventilate.

"Tinky, you should rest for a minute," Conor took his friend by the arm and led him over to Lenny, who was booting up a computer. Tinky took some deep breaths that helped him calm down. He watched Lenny working for a moment and then got up to see what everyone else was doing. Richard, Miles and Dipsy were gone. Conor was standing guard.

"What's happening Conor?" Tinky asked.

"Richard's taking them to Noo noo's quarters," Conor replied, "are you feeling better now?" Tinky nodded and then walked around. His stomach churned at the sight of some blood splatters. Is this what Richard meant? Then, his head turned to the vat. He felt his heart begin to race. I should go investigate that. Tinky slowly walked over to the vat and climbed up the small stairs to reach its rim. He noticed a strange shape bobbing just below the surface. Reaching into the custard, Tinky pulled out a cowprint hat.

"Did you find anything?" Conor stood at the base of the stairs, concern in his green eyes. Tinky's expression was of pure horror. The purple tubby turned around and showed the accessory to Conor. He grimaced, "oh." Both heads perked as the sounds of shots being fired echoed through the hallway.

"We need backup!" Miles' exclaimed, "newborn horde incoming!" The green tubby entered the room, promptly followed by said horde of hissing creatures. Conor and Tinky immediately began firing at the newborns, taking them down one by one. Dipsy and Richard appeared, the green tubby leading him over to Lenny's hiding spot. The blue tubby wasn't a very good fighter. Dipsy guarded them both, chainsaw ready to go.

"How many do you think there are!?" Tinky shouted over the gunfire.

"I have no idea!" Miles ran backwards as he reloaded, "cover me!" Tinky and Conor frantically shot at the approaching newborns. It seemed for every one they shot two more appeared.

"Dipsy you have to help!" Lenny urged the green tubby, "I have a pistol, I can defend myself!"

"But what about-" Dipsy was cut off by Lenny pushing him. Dipsy ran into the horde of newborns, swinging his chainsaw through them like a maniac. Tinky noticed some other newborns entered from another doorway so him and Conor turned around and began shooting them. After a minute, the influx seemed to have stopped and the tubbies rested. Miles was slightly beaten and had some scratches. Dipsy was covered in blood, so if he was injured no one could tell. Tinky walked over to the vat and leaned over to pick up Walten's hat he dropped.

SPLASH! A weight knocked Tinky over and he and his assailant went tumbling down the stairs.

"Oh what now!" Tinky growled as his attacker shook its sopping fur. Two large arms tipped with scythe claws sprouted from its back, much like a praying mantis. It screeched and pounced on Tinky sending the two rolling across the floor. Conor cocked his gun, trying to spot an opening where he could shoot the monster. Tinky kicked the monster off him and pointed his gun at it. White fur. No. Tinky's hands began to shake, causing his gun to clatter to the floor. The creature stumbled clumsily to its feet, face still partially obscured by its sloping posture. It stepped towards him, Tinky couldn't move, eyes wide.

"Tinky!" Conor screamed as he fired a shot into the monster's shoulder. It was unfazed.

"Stop!" Tinky yelled, "it's him!" Walten straightened himself up, revealing his dark eyes and red irises. Tinky backed away and Walten took to circling him, trying to analyze the best angle. Tinky's heart was pounding and his vision was flickering. "Walt, it's me, Tinky winky," Tinky gestured towards his chest. The creature tilted its head, then sprung towards him. They crashed into the wall and a pair of hands wrapped around Tinky's throat. It was trying to strangle him. Around Walten's wrists were a pair of shackles with broken chains hanging. A sick grin appeared on the monster's face when it noticed Tinky's distress. Tinky felt his body begin to morph.

The massive titan growled and flung the white monster away. He clambered to his feet. Walten shrieked and sprung at Tinky again, receiving a punch. Tinky swings again but misses. Tinky tank may be strong but he is not agile. Walten uses this opportunity to slash Tinky's arm with his scythes. The titan roars and snaps his jaws at the white tubby, but misses. Walten shrieks and scratches Tinky's chest, leaving a thick red line. Tinky bites down on Walten's arm and gets slashed across the nose. He recoils long enough for Walten to leap onto his head.

Tinky tank roared as the white tubby tried to bite his neck. He dove to the ground, rolling on top of Walten, forcing him to release his grip. Walten shrieked and tried to wiggle under the titan's weight but it was no use. Tinky tank twisted his head to grab a scythe arm in his mouth. He rolled to his feet and held the white tubby by it. Walten hissed and sank his other arm into the flesh of Tinky's shoulder. Tinky gritted his teeth, not wanting to drop the white tubby. Walten realized this and took his arm out. Tinky released the arm he had bitten. Then the white tubby lunged at the titan and started the fight up again.

...

While the battle is raging, Lenny and Richard work to boot up the computer systems. Richard uses his codes to get in. Strangely, Noo noo did not delete his access codes. When they open the file browser, they find many folders full of schematics, activity logs, notes, research, and other various items. Did Noo noo not wipe the machine? Lenny would have thought the droid knew better than this. Unless... there was something he meant for them to find. Lenny opened one of the logs and began to read. Brown eyes widened in horror.

...

"Sergeant!" Conor called to the green tubby, "I think I hear more newborns!" Miles grabbed his gun and the two ran to the doorway. Conor was right, there were more newborns coming this way. They must have heard the fighting. "We've got to keep them from reaching Lenny and Richard!" the silver tubby gestured towards the desk. The tubbies were working to transfer all of Noo noo's files to a storage drive Lenny could bring back. Then, he and his blue workers would inspect the files and read their contents.

"You stay in this entrance, I'll go to the other in case they try that way," Miles ordered, then ran off. Conor began shooting at the horde, but he found there were too many to get with his gun. Luckily for him, a green tubby came barreling into the hallway, chainsaw roaring. Conor drew his katana and took on the newborns with Dipsy. SLASH! SLASH! The newborn shrieked as its hands fell to the floor.

"Ha hah!" Conor teased, "now you have no hands woah!" The newborn lunged at him, jaws wide. Dipsy sliced it in half. "Thanks D."

...

Tinky tank slammed the infected tubby into the ground. Walten hisses and bites Tinky's wrist. Tinky shakes him off and grabs his shackle. The titan whips the white tubby around and hurls him into the wall.

CRASH! A cloud of dust fills the air. Some of the bricks have come loose. The titan stomps over to the white tubby and collapses, his body shrinking into the comparably small form of Tinky winky. Walten slumps forward, long arms retracting into his back. A patch of blood has formed on the wall behind him. Tinky pants, blood and sweat dripping from his body. He crawled over to the white tubby, who's fur has returned to its normal hue, except it was still dirty and bloody. His breaths were heavy as Tinky pulled him into his arms.

Tinky buried his face into the white fur of Walten's shoulder and began to cry. Big hot tears ran down his cheeks. He was overjoyed to see his friend again. One arm was wrapped around Walten's torso. His other hand was on the back of the white tubby's head. He felt Walten shift slightly in his arms. The white tubby cracked open a blue eye. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Kill me." It was barely a whisper. Tinky felt a tear land on his shoulder.

"No," Tinky choked out, "I'm going to take you home. You're safe now." He felt his tears return. Tinky lifted his head from Walten's shoulder. They were reunited at last.

Chapter Text

Knock knock.

"Is that them?" the yellow tubby asked, as she turned her head towards the door. Finn set down his mug of tea. Cowfarts' ears perked and it lifted its head.

"It should be," Anne frowned as she walked to the door. There was a pit in her stomach. Did everyone make it back? She opened it and was greeted by a worn out Miles. 

"Everyone in," Miles stepped to the side as the group walked single file into the cabin. First was Tinky who was sporting bloodstained bandages over fresh wounds. Next was Richard, ushered forward by Dipsy who was covered in dried blood. Then, Conor stepped sideways through the doorway, cradling a heavily injured Walten in his arms. After Conor came, Lenny and then finally, Miles. The green tubby slammed the door shut, locked it and sighed.

"Sorry for the rushed entrance," Miles took his helmet off, "today was a long day." He had a bruise on his cheek and some scratches on his chest and arms. One scratch intersected an old scar.

"Miles," Anne lightly hugged the green tubby, "you're hurt." She pulled away, twirling a strand of her long hair.

"It's nothing," Miles stated, "we were being pursued by announcers when we took off. They were able to keep up with us for a little while but eventually we lost them. Noo noo is after us."

"I see," Anne frowned, "I'm glad you all are OK." Her emerald eyes brightened as she scanned the room. Cowfarts was licking Lenny's face. La la was hugging on Tinky. Dipsy had Richard in a chokehold.

"Uh," Conor mumbled, "where do I put him?" Nobody responded. The silver tubby's arms were starting to get stiff. "If I don't put him down I might drop him," Conor exclaimed. Tinky opened his mouth to reply, but then he realized Conor was joking.

"Hm," Miles thought for a moment, "there is an empty bed in Tinky's room, correct?" Tinky nodded, cheeks flashing pink as the green and silver tubbies began walking.

"Wait!" Tinky exclaimed, "do you guys need my help?"

"Rest," Miles ordered, "you're hurt. We can take care of this."

"Can I at least come with you?" Tinky asked but got no response. The three entered Tinky's room and Conor placed the white tubby onto the spare bed. Walten flinched at the change in position but he didn't wake.

"Finn, get in here!" Miles hollered. The black tubby came running in. Tinky tilted his head, which Miles noticed. "Finn originally trained as a medic but he decided to join the fighting force after meeting Richard. Speaking of, I've got to go check if Dipsy put him in the basement," Miles exited the room, leaving Tinky, Finn and Conor alone with Walten. Finn sets down the medical supplies he brought and steps over to the side of Walten's bed.

"Hey, could you help me, if you're not too tired," Finn turned to Tinky, "I need to check for broken bones." Tinky nodded and stepped forward. Conor sat down on a chair, content to watch. He could always help if needed.

"What do I need to do?" Tinky asked.

"Hold his torso up for me," Finn instructed, placing Tinky's hands under the white tubby's armpits. Finn felt along Walten's sides, brow furrowing. The white tubby whimpered and tried to pull away. "His ribs are broken," Finn announced. "Keep holding him for me," Finn said as he grabbed bandages and began wrapping them around Walten's torso. "That should do it," Finn tied a small knot to keep the bandages from unraveling, "you can lay him down now."

"Okay," Tinky gently laid the white tubby down and stepped away. It was admittedly hard for him to look at Walten. The white tubby looked frail and helpless, not like the Walten Tinky remembered. Finn continued his work, mumbling to himself.

"Hands are broken," Finn spoke as he set Walten's hand down to grab bandages. Every time he touched Walten, the white tubby would whimper or groan. It seemed like a reflex, Finn pondered as he dressed the white tubby's wounds. At one point, the military service dog padded in to check on the four. It laid next to the bedside, watching Finn closely. When Finn was finished, he turned to Tinky and Conor. Tinky had jumped to his feet and Conor was sitting on a chair, arms crossed.

"That's all I can do," Finn stated, "I've tried to set any broken bones and clean his cuts." Tinky nodded, a silent thank you.

Tinky peered over the bedside at the sleeping tubby. There was a bandage wrapped around his face, covering one of his eyes. "What's that for?"

"His eye started bleeding," Finn replied.

"It must be his infection," Tinky murmured.

"Does that mean he'll turn into the monster again?" Conor asked.

"I dunno," Tinky sighed, "we'll have to wait and see." Tinky pulled the covers over Walten. They hid most of his bandages. Cowfarts hopped onto the bed and sat down next to Walten. It nudged his face and whined. "Cowfarts, don't wake him up," Tinky waved a finger at the brown dog. Then the purple tubby leaned over and touched his forehead to Walten's. "G'night Walt," Tinky whispered and then pulled away. His cheeks turned pink as he realized Conor was still there. Finn must have left to do something else.

"What's up?" Conor smiled awkwardly.

"Uh, I think I'm gonna go to bed," Tinky said as he pulled the covers over himself.

"No dinner?" Conor gawked, "I thought you'd be hungry."

"I'm too tired," Tinky turned his lamp off, "wake me up when it's light out." He cracked open an eye. Conor whistled for a second and then left. Cowfarts' nails clicked on the floor as it left to go beg for food. Tinky's ear twitched as he heard Walten shift position. The white tubby had an arm wrapped around his midsection. "Hope you feel better Walt," Tinky murmured and then drifted off to sleep.

A sinking feeling. Darkness. Whispers flowed through his ears. What were they saying? They were so distant. Almost as if they weren't there. Maybe he was distant. The guardian couldn't tell anymore. How long had he been floating like this? Even if he tried to guess, he would be wrong. The feeling would fade in and out. It was pointless.

His hand moved, sending a shockwave of fire up his arm. Why did I do that? No, I didn't do that. The guardian tried not to move, but his limbs moved involuntarily. Was someone moving him? Was he being controlled? This wasn't the infection. That meant he could control it. That meant he could make it stop. He had to make it stop. 

"NO!" the guardian cried out into the darkness. His voice was nothing but a whimper. A sad, pathetic attempt at vocalization. "NO MORE!" The guardian tried again, yet again, another quiet whine. His face began to tingle. The whispers started up again. ...n's crying. Sh..ld we stop? His hand twitched. If he could just grab onto something...

Pathetic, a robotic voice echoed in his mind. 

...

Sinking, again. No more. It was time to wake up. The guardian gritted his teeth and gathered all his strength.

FLASH.

White filled his vision, sending a burning sensation into his eyes. "Augh," the guardian blinked and his eye focused on a dull brown ceiling. Where was he? The guardian tried to open his other eye, but found he couldn't. There was something blocking him from moving it. It didn't matter. His eye flicked over to the side. Adjacent to him was an empty bed. The covers were balled at the foot of it. Someone else must sleep here.

Creeeaak. The thick, wooden door opened. A purple furred tubby entered the room and stretched his arms. He left the door slightly open, as if he was planning to come and go. The guardian closed his eye, not wanting to appear awake and interrupt Tinky's plans.

"Hey Walt," the tubby chirped, "I know you're not awake yet, but I'll say hi anyway." Tinky was trying to interact with him. Maybe he could try. The guardian opened his eye, focusing on the purple tubby. It followed Tinky as he walked across the room. He didn't notice. The guardian felt a pang in his chest. Tinky needed to know he was awake. He let out a small cough. Pain shot up his rib-cage. Tinky turned around, now noticing the guardian was awake. He slowly walked over to the bedside.

"Walten, you're awake!" Tinky quietly exclaimed, "I was so worried! You slept for three days straight." The guardian's stomach formed a pit. Why was he calling him Walten. Walten was dead. Walten drowned in the custard. "Is there anything you need?" Tinky tilted his head, "food, water, gotta pee?" The guardian closed his eye. He did not want anything. The only thing he wanted was... He felt a burning sensation in the corner of his eye.

"Walt, are you alright?" the purple tubby asked. The guardian opened his eye again, gazing blankly into Tinky's eyes. He felt something wet run down his cheek. A tear.

"Oh no," Tinky put a hand over his mouth, "please... don't cry." An order. The guardian lowered his gaze and suppressed his tears. He knew more were ready to pour out. But, Tinky told him not to cry. He couldn't fail his first task. The guardian felt his tears subside. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.

The guardian shifted under the covers, pressing his arms into the bed. He scooted backwards, slowly sitting himself upright. His arms began to shake as he started to slip back down. Tinky helped the guardian sit up, pulling the covers over the white tubby's shoulders.

"There you are," Tinky put a hand on the guardian's shoulder. The guardian flinched in response, but calmed himself. His jaw was clattering and a dull ache spread through his arms.

"Can you talk?" Tinky asked. The guardian shook his head. He could speak if he was ordered to. But a question was not an order. Noo noo had clarified that many times over. The tears threatened to spill again. The guardian clenched his jaw, willing his eyes to stay dry.

"Hmm," Tinky furrowed his brow, "your throat does look a little messed up. Maybe when you feel better."

"Tinky, what's taking you so long!?" a high pitched voice called from outside of the room.

"Walten's awake!" Tinky hollered back, "I was trying to talk to him!"

"Oh," the door was nudged open by a pink tubby. "Hey Walt," she waved, "it's so good to see you again." She approached the white tubby, arms outstretched. The guardian shrunk back, afraid of her touch. Anne stopped, a confused expression spreading across her face.

"I think he's afraid of touch," Tinky suggested. Walten was acting very strange. He stared blankly ahead, almost like he was waiting for something. Tinky nudged the white tubby, "Walt, it's OK. Nobody's gonna hurt you." The white tubby turned his head, dull blue gaze meeting Tinky's. He looked hollow, empty inside.

"I'm not familiar with this kind of stuff," Anne twirled a hair strand, "I can tell he's tired though. Maybe you should let him rest."

"Good idea," Tinky said, "c'mon Walt." Tinky helped the white tubby lay down. The guardian closed his eye as Tinky pulled the covers over him. Tinky ran a hand through the fur on Walten's head. "See ya later," he murmured.

Chapter Text

The white glow of the computer screen reflected off a pair of glasses. Lenny had been scouring Noo noo's file system for ages. It had turned out Noo noo indeed encrypted most of the files, leaving only some for Lenny to view. What a trickster. And here Lenny had thought he might get everything for free. Don't underestimate that vacuum. Lenny frowned. Noo noo was much older than him, pretty ancient by some of the dates on his files. Who knew what the vacuum could be hiding from him.

The files Noo noo let Lenny view were disturbing to say the least. The vacuum would write documents detailing the experiments he did to the quartet. Most of his experiments were inflicting some sort of physical or psychological torture on one, then he would erase their memory of the event. He had explained in one log that he engineered a formula so that he could control how much of their memory they lost. Lenny sighed and leaned away from the screen for a moment. He'd probably have a permanent crease between his brows if he kept reading these.

Lenny navigated to another folder titled health logs. These seemed pretty mundane, just height, weight, and vitals of the quartet. A lot of the dates corresponded with the experiment logs. Noo noo must have taken these during the experiments. But then, a frown crossed the blue tubby's face. This didn't seem like Noo noo's writing. A pit formed in Lenny's stomach. At the bottom of the document, there was always a name stating who wrote it. This one was signed the guardian. Lenny checked another health log and found that it too was signed by the white tubby. Did Walten participate in those experiments? Was that why the white tubby always acted so strange. He seemed to know more than he was letting on. Lenny's mind raced with questions. Some of Noo noo's logs did mention an assistant. Lenny had assumed it was another robot, but now he was sure it was the white tubby.

Lenny sucked in a nervous breath, "welp, guess I've got some things to discuss." He slid out of his chair and fixed his glasses. It was late at night, he should probably wait till morning.

"Wake up Walt! Wake up!" a pair of hands gently shook the white tubby. Tinky stood over Walten who was crying in his sleep. A blue eye flicked open and the white tubby sat up. Tinky smiled and relaxed his posture, sitting beside Walten, "you were crying in your sleep. Would you like to talk about it?"

Walten did not respond. He hadn't uttered a peep since he'd woken up three days ago. The white tubby was naturally quiet, but he'd usually tell Tinky about his night terrors. Tinky sighed and brought his hands downwards, wrapping them around Walten's bandaged ones. The white tubby winced for a moment, as his hands were broken, but accepted the gesture. His white fur looked ghostly in the moonlight.

"C'mon, it's just me," Tinky softened his voice, "you can tell me anything. We're best friends." Walten blinked, then lowered his head for a moment. He opened his mouth but then burst into a coughing fit. Walten had these occasionally since he'd returned, but this one was worse. It finally culminated in Walten hacking up a clump of blood onto his hand. The white tubby's shoulders heaved as he gasped for air. Tinky wasn't sure what to do when these happened. Walten slumped forward, head resting in Tinky's chest fur. One of his arms was wrapped around his midsection, cradling his aching ribs. The two sat like that for a while, Tinky unsure of what to say. This all felt like a weird dream to him.

"Walt, did something happen that you can't tell me about," Tinky asked, "did Noo noo remove your ability to speak?" He felt the white tubby shift in his arms. Walten shook his head. "Then, can you talk to me?" Tinky tilted his head. There was a pleading look in his eyes. Anything to hear that voice again. The white tubby looked at the purple tubby with that blank stare Tinky had grown accustomed to. His left eye was still hidden under a bandage.

"Is that an order?" a soft, hoarse voice broke the silence. Walten's expression filled with shame.

"A-an order?" Tinky gawked, a shocked expression plastered on his face. "W-what do you mean Walt?"

"I cannot speak unless ordered to," Walten's voice began to shake, "b-but I spoke out of turn. I wanted to explain to you..." Walten trailed off as his body began to shake. "Please don't hurt me."

"W-Walten!" Tinky took the white tubby into his arms, "you don't need orders to speak. Whatever Noo noo told you-" Tinky was cut off by Walten's sobs. The white tubby had his face buried in Tinky's chest again. A steady stream of tears poured down his cheek. "Oh, Walt," Tinky rested his head on the white tubby's shoulder. Walten still felt like he was at Noo noo's base. "It's all gonna be OK now. You're safe here," Tinky said as he stroked the back of Walten's head.

"A-are y-you sure," Walten gulped.

"I'm sure," Tinky cupped Walten's cheek in his hand. The two leaned close to one another, foreheads touching for a moment. Tinky could feel his face light up. Walten's cheeks seemed a little rosier than usual. That could be from his crying though. Tinky knew he should tell Walten about his feelings soon. But now wasn't the time.

"Are you hungry?" Tinky tried to change the subject. The white tubby had not eaten for the three days he'd been awake. Walten shook his head, wiping his nose on a bandaged hand. "C'mon, are you sure?" Tinky tried to understand, "I'm sure Finn could make something for you." Walten closed his eyes and breathed in.

"Why," the white tubby whispered.

"Why what?" Tinky asked, a pit forming in his gut. He didn't like where this was going.

"Why didn't you kill me," Walten croaked, "you know I'm a burden. I can't contribute to anything. I always mess up." Walten chuckled lightly, "I've always been a burden. To Noo noo, to the quartet, to the military, and now you. I figured you would put me out of my misery already."

"Because..." Tinky bit his lip, then he took Walten by the shoulders, "because I-I care about you Walten." He dropped his head and leaned into the white tubby, tears beginning to flow, "I can't stand hearing you say those things about yourself. I know you and I know for a fact you're not a burden." He felt the white tubby run a hand through the fur on his head.

"You don't know me," Walten whispered, "nobody knows me. Even I don't know who I am anymore." He chuckled again.

"Walten," Tinky breathed. The blue eye was fixed on the bed sheets. "Walten," Tinky took the white tubby's hands into his own.

"Why do you call me Walten?" the white tubby murmured amusedly, "that's not my name."

"You told me your name was Walten," Tinky raised a brow, "remember, the first time we talked. You stepped in front of me and said it was Walten."

"No, I remember," Walten replied, "but I was wrong back then. Noo noo told me that's not my name. I'm the guardian."

"Noo noo is messing with your head!" Tinky exclaimed, "he was trying to strip away your sense of self! Walt, don't you see, he's wrong!"

"Noo noo was fixing me," Walten lowered his gaze, "he was going to make me better. I'm broken without him." The white tubby looked up at Tinky.

"He tortured you to death Walt!" Tinky felt his vision begin to flicker. No no no, not in front of him. "How is that fixing you!? AARRGHH!!!" Tinky let out a booming roar. He gasped and shook his fur. Walten was staring at him, blue eye wide with shock. His white fur was standing on end. "I'm sorry Walt," Tinky murmured, "I'm sorry you had to see that. I was just... so angry. What he did to you."

"You care too much," Walten replied. He placed a hand on Tinky's purple furred chest. There was a faint scar there. Only a few days before, it was gushing blood. The white tubby smiled, "that's a good thing." Tinky's cheeks flashed pink for a brief moment. A wide smile appeared on his lips.

"Do you mind," Tinky started, "if I sleep here tonight?" Walten shook his head. Tinky slid down under the covers. Mismatched eyes closed and the purple tubby breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, you found these in Noo noo's file systems," Miles raised a brow. Before him, sat Lenny holding a small device. Beside him, swaying back and forth, was Anne. Her brow was deeply furrowed and her green eyes were dark in the dim light.

"Yes," Lenny nodded, "these experiments... I can't believe it."

"We thank you for your work Lenny, but we already knew these things happened," Anne spoke. Lenny gasped in shock. The pink tubby continued, "when we lost Finn in the mountains a month before the infection, it was because we were sending a secret mission to rescue the quartet."

"How did you find out about the documents?" Lenny gawked. His heart was pounding. Were the military a part of these?

"Noo noo contacted us," Miles crossed his arms, "he told us about experiments he'd done to craft supersoldiers. He promised great additions to our army. Out of curiosity, we requested the documents and were horrified."

"What would you have done if your plan went through?" Lenny tilted his head.

"We would have rescued the four and arrested the perpetrators, Noo noo and the guardian, for what they'd done," Anne blew out a puff of air, "but after the infection, our plans changed."

"Really?" Lenny tilted his head.

"Because when we met the guardian, we realized he didn't do what we thought he did," Miles lit a cigarette, "all he did was monitor the health of the quartet. We thought he was, y'know, torturing them."

"Are you going to tell Tinky, Dipsy and La la about what happened to them?" Lenny asked.

"I don't think we can," Anne twirled a strand of her hair, "not in good conscience. It's better that they don't remember."

"But they need to know!" Lenny slammed a fist onto the table.

"Lenny, calm down," Miles held his cigarette between two fingers.

"Know what?" a soft, feminine voice spoke from the doorway. La la's blind gaze swept across the room.

"Darn it," Miles sighed. "Gawsh darn it."

Chapter Text

clank clank clank. A pair of feet wandered the metal hallways. Where were the others? Why was she alive? What happened? Po peeked around the corner and quickly hid. Horrible bald creatures were huddling together. They shrieked and ran towards her. Po sprinted away, surprised at how agile she was. She slipped into an air vent and watched the bald monsters run past. The red tubby exhaled in relief. Those things were weird. Everything here was weird.

The last thing she remembered hanging from a tree. Tinky was staring at her from below, a blank expression in his dark eyes.

"What are you doing little one?" a robotic voice interrupted her monologue.

"Ah, Noo noo!" Po crawled out of the vent, "you're here! Where is everyone?"

"Don't worry about them," Noo noo gestured for her to follow him, "they've been accounted for."

"Where are we?" Po's fur stood up as she got a chill.

"We're in a custard factory," Noo noo replied. Po's stomach was doing somersaults.

"I feel funny," Po admitted, rubbing her hands against her abdomen.

"That's to be expected," Noo noo rolled his eyes.

"I-" Po's voice cut off as she transformed. Her body distorted and grew in size, massive limbs sprouting. She roared, rearing back on her hind pair of legs.

"All better," Noo noo mused.

"Wakey wakey," a pair of mismatched eyes narrowed mischievously. The purple tubby grinned and tickled his friend's nose.

"Uugh," Walten groaned and sneezed.

"Is it too early?" Tinky asked. The white tubby shook his head and rested it back under the crook of Tinky's neck. The two had slept next to one another and woke up in a tight embrace. Walten had forgotten how much he missed this. A small smile curled at the corner of his lip. He wished it could stay this way forever. Heat spread across the white tubby's face, turning his cheeks a light pink. That was new.

"Any better?" Tinky murmured as he took Walten's bandaged hand into his own.

"No," Walten mumbled, "still can't move it." His hand felt incredibly weak. That one was the one Po bit. Some of the bandages hung loose.

"This one needs to be redone," Tinky noted, "I'll see if Finn can teach me."

"You don't have to do that," Walten looked up at the purple tubby. Always so kind.

"Well, when Finn touches your wounds you flinch more," Tinky shrugged, "you don't seem to mind me."

"That makes sense," Walten closed his eye.

...

"Open up!" Tinky said as he pressed the spoon against Walten's mouth.

"C'mon, you gotta eat," Tinky pleaded, "it's gonna get cold! Carrot soup is best when it's warm." The white tubby shook his head. Tinky sighed and put the spoon down. He knew that look.

"You want to eat by yourself, don't you?" Tinky sighed, "you know your hands can't move like that yet."

"At least let me try," Walten spoke, "I don't want to feel like a burden." He stuck out a bandaged hand, motioning towards the spoon. This was gonna end badly, Tinky winced as he thought of Walten spilling soup all over himself.

"Alright," Tinky said as he handed the spoon to Walten. The white tubby's hand was shaking as he grasped it. He brought the spoon to his mouth and ate. Then he smiled at Tinky.

"See," Walten grinned, "now let me finish." Tinky obliged and placed the bowl on Walten's lap and the spoon in his hand. In a matter of seconds it was empty. The spoon clattered down as Walten released it from his grip.

"Hmm," Walten smiled, "that hit the spot." The white tubby laid down and closed his eyes.

"Is your hand alright?" Tinky asked.

"I used the one that's less broken," Walten murmured, then chuckled. "Heh heh. Ow." He massaged his hand. Walten still had a long way to go.

...

Knock knock knock.

...

A pair of purple ears shot up.

"One moment!" Tinky said as he hopped out of his chair. He skipped to the door.

"Oh hey La la," Tinky smiled, "what brings you here?" She seemed a bit cross.

"Is Walten awake?" La la tilted her head, "I need to talk to him about something." The yellow tubby wanted him? For what? Walten could tell something was amiss.

"He's awake," Tinky's expression fell, "what's wrong?"

"Lenny said that something bad happened to us and he knows about it," La la tapped her foot. Walten's blood went cold. The documents. They were on Noo noo's computer. Lenny read them, didn't he? Tinky stepped aside and let the yellow tubby enter the room. Walten quickly sat himself up as La la walked over to him. He winced as ribs ached in protest of the sudden movement. She stood over him, casting a slight shadow.

"Explain," La la's voice was low, "what happened to us?" Walten lowered his head as to not meet her blind gaze. 

"You don't want to know," the white tubby mumbled.

"I do want to know, we all want to know," the yellow tubby crossed her arms, "talk." Walten fiddled with his bandages nervously. He didn't want to do this.

"Noo noo conducted various experiments on you," Walten hung his head, "after these your memories would be wiped. It was my job to monitor your health during the trials and..." The white tubby's voice trailed off. There was something he didn't want to say. He felt unsure.

"Go on," La la snapped. The white tubby winced.

"I-I had to wipe your memories," the white tubby choked out, "if you had known what had happened..." What was he saying? No. He did this.

"We would have ran away," La la finished the sentence. Then she sighed. "I knew my nightmares meant something."

"This can't be right," Tinky frowned, "it must've been Noo noo. Maybe the custard warped your memories?"

"It was me," Walten blurted as if on cue, voice beginning to waver, "at least I think it was me. I..." Walten froze. He couldn't remember if he did it or not. The logs said he did it. Noo noo said he did it. "I can't..." Walten felt a flash of pain split across his skull, "AAGH!" The white tubby clutched at his head. It felt like he was being hit with a shovel again.

"Walt," Tinky reached out a hand. Walten scooted backwards and shook his head. His brain felt like it would burst at any moment.

"D-stop! Don't come near!" Walten exclaimed. Tinky's silhouette was flashing red. The purple tubby didn't seem to listen. Tinky crawled over to Walten and put a hand on the white tubby's cheek. The gentle touch had a soothing effect.

"You're confused," Tinky stated, "I think Noo noo messed with your head too."

"Why?" Walten whispered. A tear slid down onto Tinky's hand.

"He wants to break our bond," Tinky replied, "he wants to split us apart. But I won't let that happen."

"That makes sense," La la scratched her chin, "he's trying to destroy us from the inside out." The conversation ceased for a moment as everyone mulled over what had been said.

Tinky started it up again, "do you know any more from what Lenny told you?"

"Lenny told me most of the files were encrypted so he couldn't get more information," La la shrugged, "maybe Richard knows how to fix them."

"R-Richard's here!?" Walten exclaimed. His snowy fur stood on end and his body began to shake. Tinky placed a hand on Walten's shoulder in an attempt to quell his shivering.

"He's locked in the basement," Tinky explained, "he helped us find you."

"Oh," Walten sighed in relief. His body was still quivering and his heart was beating fast. Richard didn't tell Tinky about what he did. That red tubby manipulated the narrative. Not for much longer.

...

Tinky stretched and sat down on the floor. It'd been a long day since the morning. Running errands, doing tasks; it makes a man hungry. Tinky had brought his dinner to his room, figuring Walten would want the company. The white tubby slid his feet out from under the covers and over the side of the bed.

"What'cha doing?" Tinky tilted his head.

"Joining you," Walten stepped down from the bed. He winced as he put pressure on his feet. Noo noo had Po sever the tendons in his ankles. It hurt just to remember. The white tubby plopped down across from Tinky. "What are you eating?"

"Just some rations," Tinky mumbled with food in his mouth. "Eh-oh!" Walten tilted his head.

"You used to say that all the time," the white tubby remarked.

"Mhm," Tinky swallowed, "Eh-oh!" Walten lightly chuckled.

"Eh-oh," Walten murmured, cheeks turning slightly rosy. He placed a hand over his midsection, covering his broken television screen. A pang of sympathy pulsed in Tinky's abdomen. Tinky had cracked his once when he fell and it hurt for days.

"Did Po do that?" Tinky asked, motioning at Walten's TV. The white tubby nodded solemnly. "I'm holding out hope we can save her," Tinky sighed.

"Yeah," Walten watched as Tinky scarfed down the rest of his meal. Walten's stomach felt upset. He started to feel a bit nauseous.

"Walt," Tinky furrowed his brow, "you look pale. Is something wrong? Is your head hurting again?"

"I'm fine," Walten reassured the purple tubby, "just thinking about Po makes me uneasy. My head feels fine." Liar. It's Richard you're thinking about.

"Understandable," Tinky nodded. Walten gulped, feeling his gut squirm. He gritted his teeth. I can do this.

"Tinky, is it alright if I tell you something," Walten locked his gaze to Tinky's. Tinky needs to know.

"Anything," Tinky smiled. That smile. It was so warm.

"It wasn't just Po who beat me," Walten stammered out, "i-it was Richard too."

Chapter Text

Fists clenched. Fur bristled. A dark mist fell over the purple tubby's vision. His muscles were held so tight his arms began to tremble. He gritted his teeth, trying to appear under control. It was no use. The storm was getting worse. Every heartbeat was like thunder. Blood pattering like rainwater. Blood. He wanted-

Touch. Something brushed against his hand. It now rested atop his clenched fist, causing it to relax.

"Tinky." the voice beckoned him. He couldn't resist its call.

The clouds began to part. The mist began to fade. Tinky didn't want to leave. It was strange, but it felt good to be this way. The vile urge he got. He knew it was wrong, but he wanted to have that blood on his hands. It was too late. He couldn't bring himself back. Tinky tank was suppressed... for now.

"A-are you alright?" the soft voice met his ears, "d-did I upset you?" Tinky blinked open his eyes. A bandaged hand rested upon his own. Walten was staring at him with concern in his blue eye.

"O-oh don't worry, I'm fine," Tinky tried to flatten his fur. Parts of his pelt were still standing on end. Once the purple tubby was satisfied, he turned his attention back to Walten. The white tubby had taken to wrapping his arms around his knees. "You didn't upset me."

"I was worried..." the white tubby began, "that you were going to turn into tinky tank. I know you don't like to turn into him s-so I tried to stop you."

"No no, thank you Walt," Tinky nodded, "I appreciate it." This can wait until morning. For now, all that matters is him. 

"Stop squirmin'!" Finn put a hand around Walten's leg. He was trying to wrap bandages around the white tubby's ankle. "If you move I might mess up. My hands are steady but they can only do so much," the black tubby joked.

"'m sorry," Walten mumbled and held his leg still. Finn was nice but his voice unnerved the white tubby. It was similar to Richard's but a bit softer, lighter. He winced as Finn tied the bandages.

"Would you like my help?" Tinky offered.

"Sure," Finn agreed and handed Tinky a roll, "can you do his hand?" Tinky nodded and began working, trying to imitate what Finn did to Walten's other hand. Finn took the bandage off Walten's face and checked his eye. It hadn't bled anymore and it was its normal blue color.

"Are you gonna leave that one off?" Walten asked.

"Yeah," Finn replied, "it seems fine. Also, it doesn't need to be set like your hands. How's it comin' T?"

"I'm done," Tinky said as he finished wrapping the bandage. He tied the knot and let Walten's arm flop.

"Are you done now?" the white tubby asked. Finn nodded.

"Arf arf!" Walten was knocked over by an overly excited dog. Cowfarts stood over him and licked his face.

"Ahhh! Aha!" Walten chuckled and pet the dog. It yipped excitedly and wagged its tail.

"Cowfart!" Miles ran in, "get back here!" The green tubby stopped and spotted the dog. "Get off him!" The dog whined as it was pulled off the white tubby.

"Hello sir," Finn smiled, "I see you are on dog duty?"

"Yeah," Miles said as he held Cowfarts down to keep it from jumping on Walten, "Persistent little bastard." Tinky giggled as the dog wiggled out of Miles' arms. It laid down beside Walten.

"Aww it loves you," Finn cooed and pet the dog. Tinky smiled but felt off.

"I've got to go," Tinky waved and saw himself out. There was still a pit in his stomach. Lingering anger. He couldn't sit on it any longer. The basement door was in the corner of the central room. Tinky unlocked it and stepped down the stairs.

...

"Richard," Tinky's voice was firm. He heard shuffling as the red tubby got up from his spot.

"Ah, Tinky, long time no see," Richard smiled, "what's up?" He greeted Tinky like a friend. Was he confused? Tinky was not his friend. Richard could sense something was wrong and changed his disposition. He stepped backwards. Tinky's fists were clenched.

"Is there somethin' wrong son?" Richard asked. Tinky leapt forward and grabbed Richard by the throat. He slammed his back against the wall.

"Why?" Tinky hissed.

"What's this for!?" Richard exclaimed, "I can barely breathe!" He felt Tinky relax his grip. "Much better."

"Why did you lie," Tinky growled, "why did you lie about what you did?"

"T-to who!?" Richard gasped. It was obvious. Richard could only hide that for so long. "W-Walten!?"

"GRAAAAAAAAARRGGHHHHH!!" Tinky roared, revealing his pitch black eyes. He stepped backwards and grew in size. Tinky tank now stood before Richard. The beast grabbed Richard's torso in one of its mighty paws and squeezed his body. Richard gritted his teeth and tried to squirm. It was no use. He had to reason with the titan.

"If you kill me you'll be stooping to my level!" Richard hollered. Tinky tank paused for a moment and then roared again. Darn it. The beast threw Richard into the wall. Richard stumbled to his feet, pain surging through his body. Tinky tank charged and swiped him with a hand. Richard was sent rolling across the floor. In his wake he left a trail of blood. The red tubby wiped an arm on his nose.

"Y'know, my pops would always say, history repeats itself," the red tubby snarled. "Well, he wasn't wrong. This is exactly what I did to Walten!" The titan came charging again. Well, that seemed to piss him off more. Richard was grabbed by the throat. The titan grinned gleefully watching Richard struggle. All it wanted was blood.

"W-would h-he be proud of you?" Richard choked out.

SLAM! Footsteps clambering down the stairs.

"What's goin' on here!?" Miles pointed his shotgun at the beast. Finn, Anne and Conor came beside him.

 "Oh shit!" Conor screamed, "is he gonna kill Richard!?" The silver tubby moved a bit behind Finn.

"I don't know what he's gonna do," Finn stated, "we've got to stop him." The pink tubby, Anne stepped forward. Her green eyes were full of determination.

"Tinky!" Anne hollered, "put him down!" The beast didn't listen. What could she do what could she do. She heard two pairs of footsteps. Lala was helping Walten down the stairs.

"La la!" Anne ran forward, "I've got him!" Anne took the white tubby's arm over her shoulder. She brought him over to the group of tubbies.

"I think he'll listen to me," the white tubby murmured.

"Do what you must," Anne nodded. Walten turned his attention to the beast.

"T-Tinky!" Walten shouted, "don't do this!" The titan's ear twitched. It's working. "Please don't..." Walten's voice faltered. He was standing up for... Richard. No. That's not right. Why was he doing this? Was this part of his programming? Did Noo noo make him do this? What did he really want? To see Richard die? No? But he didn't want him to live either? No? What did he want? Tinky... That's what he wanted.

"This isn't you!" the white tubby screamed with all his might, "Please! Come back!" Tinky tank let go of Richard. He began to shrink. The purple tubby fell to his knees. Richard was coughing hysterically. He almost killed him. Why? Where had the bloodlust gone? Tinky felt a pair of arms embrace him. Walten buried his face in the purple tubby's chest.

"I want you," the white tubby murmured. His hat was crooked and his fur was messy.

"You want me," Tinky echoed.

"I know you and you're not someone who kills in cold blood," Walten furrowed his brow, "no matter who it is." A shiver crept up his spine. He pressed himself into the purple fur.

"I-" Tinky cut himself off, "I'm sorry." He looked over at the military group. Miles and Finn were lighting cigarettes. Anne was watching Richard who was being guarded by Conor. La la stood around aimlessly.

"So, why'd you attack him?" Miles blew out smoke.

"Last night, Walten told me that Richard helped Noo noo torture him," Tinky explained, "s-so I got angry... a-and well, this happened."

"What!?" Anne and Miles gasped.

"I thought I could save my skin," Richard crossed his arms, "so I lied and said only Noo noo did it."

"You're disgusting!" Conor shoved the red tubby away, "I'm out of here!" Conor walked to the stairs and then stopped, "C'mon La la!" The yellow tubby followed him up the staircase to freedom.

"Y'know," Miles blew out a puff of smoke, "if I had known you'd done that as well as killing Dutch, I would'a let Tinky kill you."

"Understandable," Richard stroked his beard.

"Let's get out of here," Anne said as she waved for the others to follow her. Besides Richard, of course. Once everyone exited, Anne locked the door and sighed. She looked around the room, noticing everyone's position. Tinky and Walten had taken half of the couch, Conor was on the other half. La la sat at the table. Miles and Finn were on the porch smoking.

"I thought you couldn't walk?" Tinky raised a brow.

"If I need to walk I can walk," Walten grimaced as he coughed a little. There was a patch of blood on his bandaged hand. Not this again.

"You look pale," Tinky noted. Walten felt his stomach twist and turn. His head began to spin. The custard. Something had entered his body. Something that wasn't supposed to be there. Something wanted out. The white tubby began to retch. His body began to contort.

"Oh my gawsh!" Conor put his hands over his eyes. Blood and vomit poured out of Walten's mouth. Everything he'd ate that morning-gone-on the floor. It wasn't over yet. Blood began to drip out of his nose and eyes. He began to retch again. Tinky stared on in disbelief. Anne had a hand over her mouth. La la had left the room. The white tubby heaved once more. A worm-like creature plopped onto the vomit. It screeched and wriggled, trying to escape. Tinky grabbed it and crushed its head with his hand. It stopped moving. He dropped the limp creature.

"Walt, are you alright!?" Tinky took the white tubby into his arms. Walten was breathing heavy and his eyes were closed. "Walt!" The white tubby opened a blue eye.

"I'm here," he murmured, closing his eye. He rested his head on the purple tubby's shoulder.

"Good, good," Tinky smiled.

"Eh-oh," Walten grinned. Tinky responded in kind. He wanted to kiss that grin.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves!" Miles burst in through the door, "we've got a battalion of announcers heading our way!"

Chapter Text

Crash! A tall pine tree collapsed into a clearing. The metal foot stomped down on the trunk, crushing it in half. An announcer swiveled its camera around, looking for its targets. Scanning... Scanning... Scanning... Results: negative. Military have not been located yet. Syncing findings with others... The announcer continued to march. Its gait crushed undergrowth, caused trees to shake. Bulky robots like these were not meant to travel through forested terrain. The announcer paused for a moment, noticing its foot had gotten stuck in a crevice. It lifted its leg and stepped forward.

"Did you find anything yet, A-16?" a message from the lead robot.

"No," A-16 responded.

"I have found the campsite," another announcer, C-25, interrupted the conversation, "initiating: location beacon." A-16 felt a magnetic-like pull towards a ways south from its location. It followed the sensation and met with its fellow robots.

"That makes all of us," Z-67, the lead announcer gazed at its comrades, "let us commence battle."

"Not so fast," the undergrowth parted as a new robot entered the scene. Its metal hide was sleek and shiny. It was equipped with a giant sword and a strange helmet.

"State your directive," Z-67 ordered.

"The master sent me to accompany you," the robot explained, "I will attack the military with you."

"We were not made aware of this," Z-67 tilted its camera.

"Master felt it was not necessary," the robot raised its sword, "now let's get on with this."

"Announcers are headed our way! They found us," a dark green tubby stood in the doorway. He breathed out a stream of smoke and snuffed out his cigarette. The room fell silent, everyone pondering what Miles said. Tinky put an arm around Walten.

"How did they find us?" Anne gawked, breaking the silence.

"Richard must have lead them here!" Conor exclaimed.

"Hmm," Miles thought for a moment, "let's not worry about how they got here. We need a plan of attack."

"Yes," Anne nodded, "I'll have my soldiers ready the rocket launchers."

"Tinky," Miles looked at the purple tubby, "would you be willing to use tinky tank?"

"Yes sir," Tinky gritted his teeth. I have to protect my friends.

"Conor," Miles threw a semi machine gun to the silver tubby, "you're with me. Finn, you too." The three all held semi automatic rifles.

"I can help too," La la announced, "I can't use a gun but I can turn into my monster form."

"Yeah," Dipsy agreed, stroking his chainsaw. Then he revved it, "baby's ready to go."

"Arf arf!" Cowfarts barked, wagging its tail.

"C'mon Walt," Tinky smiled, "let's get you somewhere safe." He tugged on the white tubby's arm but he didn't budge.

"I can fight," Walten raised his gaze to meet Tinky's. Blue eyes were filled with determination.

"No you can't!" Tinky blurted. His fur bristled. Walten's gonna die out there.

"He's right Walten," Miles crossed his arms, "you should sit this one out. There's always another battle."

"My monster can fight," the white tubby assured.

"But you'll get hurt!" Tinky retorted.

"So what, you get hurt," Walten crossed his arms. He doesn't get it.

"Y-you're still weak," Tinky pleaded, "after everything... You just started to heal. You can barely walk-" The purple tubby paused, noticing everyone staring at them. "U-uh, we'll be going now," Tinky helped Walten to his feet and they left the room. Upon arriving at Tinky's room, the purple tubby sighed and looked at his friend. The white tubby's head was hung in a defeated posture. The two sat down on the rug.

"Walt-" Tinky began but was cut off.

"You think I'm useless, don't you," Walten growled. His head was still low, hat lopsided. The fringe between his eyes had grown out. Blue eyes were narrowed. They had regained some of their former luster, but they were still dull.

"No, i-it's just, you're not well enough to fight," Tinky explained, "I want to keep you safe. That's all. I'm sorry for making a scene." He sighed in exasperation. The white tubby raised his head, blue gaze meeting Tinky's.

"I-I thought if I fought it would prove I'm strong," Walten sighed, "I know they all think I'm some weak, helpless cripple who can't fend for himself." He chuckled darkly.

"No one thinks that," Tinky reassured the white tubby.

"I do," Walten snorted.

"You hate yourself," Tinky murmured, "don't you?"

"Who wouldn't," the white tubby mused, "who wouldn't after all of this?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Tinky put a hand on Walten's shoulder, "OK?"

"OK," Walten nodded.

"I've gotta go," Tinky said, "do you mind staying here?"

"I'll stay," Walten affirmed, "do your best Tinky. I'll be waiting for you." He smiled and touched his nose to Tinky's. Both their cheeks flashed pink for a moment. Swiftly, the purple tubby got to his feet and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Alright," Miles motioned to his soldiers. Conor and Finn were positioned one at each of his sides. They were atop the roof of their lodge. Below them, in front of each lodge were soldiers in position, standing guard with rocket launchers. Anne stood among them, shouting orders. The six announcers were lined up at the edge of the campsite, standing completely still. Miles frowned, "they seem to be waiting for something."

"Yeah, strange how they're actin'," Finn mused, "should be shoot 'em?"

"Wait," Conor held up a hand. The middle two parted and a seventh robot stepped out. It held a large silver sword in its hand and wore a cowprint hat-much like Walten's-atop its head. Conor closed his lips, struggling not to chuckle. What did the robot think it was doing. Pretending to be the white tubby? Well it sure was a sucky imposter.

"Where are the quartet?" the robot boomed. Finn looked at Conor, who had a hand pressed over his mouth.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" Conor burst into laughter before anyone could answer.

"This is SERIOUS Conor!" Miles hissed.

"Heh haha, sir, his hat! Is he playing dress up!?" Conor struggled to contain his giggles, "HAHAHAHA! Hoo ho, I'm done."

"I will only ask one more time," the robot droned, "where are the three members of the quartet."

"The quartet are HERE!" a proud purple tubby stepped into the clearing. Flanking him were La la and Dipsy. The six announcers locked their guns on them. La la raised her fists.

"Quartet," the robot began, "my master brings you this offer. Turn yourself in and he will leave your military alone."

"You know we're not going to do that," Dipsy cracked his knuckles.

"Then all your friends will die," the robot quipped.

"I'm not so sure about that!" Tinky taunted. He closed his eyes and his body began to morph. But it was different this time. He felt a connection. Him and Tinky tank became one and the same. Tinky tank uttered a ferocious growl and charged the Imposter. The announcers began shooting at him, slathering him in gooey custard. It burned against his thin pelt, causing him to pause and haphazardly attempt to wipe it off. Switching focus, he roared and leapt on top of an announcer, pinning it down. He grabbed its head in his jaws and crushed it. Then, he raised a great fist and brought it down through the announcer's CPU. One down, five to go. Tinky turned his head to find the Imposter waiting for him, sword gleaming in the sunlight. A vicious grin appeared on the titan's face.

"Now!" Anne hollered and her soldiers began shooting. PEW PEW PEW PEW! BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM! The explosions sent shock-waves across the campsite, but did nothing to stop the onslaught of custard bullets. The announcers stopped for a moment to reload. Anne turned her head towards Miles, screaming, "our rockets don't make a dent!" Her eyes widened in horror as an announcer charged the barricade the soldiers hid behind.

Dipsy raked his chainsaw across the leg of an announcer, severing wires and sending sparks flying out. The robot keeled over, leg paralyzed. He cackled and dug his precious into its CPU, which was positioned in the heart of its abdomen. A nice electric shock ran through his body and chainsaw, causing his fur to stand on end. He noticed an announcer had begun chasing the soldiers around so he ran towards them. Two down, four to go.

La la hissed as an announcer shot her in the face. The steaming custard singed her skin. With her spindly hands, she wiped it off and lunged forward, grabbing the announcer's gun with her fangs. She bit down until she felt it crack under the pressure. The announcer shook her off and she rolled to her feet. It tried to shoot another blast at her but its gun didn't work. She grinned and leapt at it again, latching onto its head. It spun around, trying to make her lose grip but she held tight. La la raked her claws across its back. Then, she kicked a foot through its abdomen, severely damaging its CPU. It fell limp to its knees. La la wiggled her foot out of it. Three down, three to go.

Tinky tank and the Imposter were locked in a deadly rhythm. The purple titan would lunge at the robot and try to dent its metal hide. Then he would be slashed by its sword. Now, the two were reserved to circling each other, waiting for an opening, an opportunity. The titan took his chance, leaping forward onto to be kicked into a tree. The trunk came crashing down behind him. Tinky could feel his form beginning to weaken, as he had lost a lot of blood. He rose to his feet and swung a fist into the side of the Imposter. Metal broke. He dug his hand deeper into the robot, searching for its CPU. It wasn't in the abdomen. A sharp pain exploded in his forearm. The Imposter had stabbed its sword through it. Tinky roared and yanked his injured appendage out of the robot's side. He felt his vision going dark.

"Noo noo will be pleased," the robot stated, a taunting glimmer in its eye. It ripped its sword out of the purple titan's arm, squirting blood onto its metal hide. Tinky began to shrink, pain overtaking the rest of his senses. The Imposter simply marched away, continuing its mission to retrieve the rest of the quartet. A rustle met its auditory sensors. It looked back at Tinky, who was lying on the ground, unconscious. CLANG! The Imposter stumbled backwards. Something had jumped onto its head. The monster shrieked and dug its long arms into the shoulder joints of the Imposter. The robot swung its sword around manically, but to no avail. The creature bit down on its head, crushing its CPU in its jaws. The machine fell limp and clattered to the ground. Walten stepped back to admire his work.

"GRR!" Dipsy pulled and pulled but his chainsaw would not budge. It was lodged inside of an announcer's CPU. La la was out there with two announcers and Tinky was nowhere to be found. Must still be fighting that other robot. Finally, the chainsaw ripped free and Dipsy barreled over towards the other announcers. La la  was pinned underneath one's foot. The other was being pelted with bullets from the rooftop tubbies. It didn't do much damage but it was a good distraction. Dipsy grabbed at the leg of one and pulled it off of La la. She immediately latched onto its head and began clawing at its camera. It shot her in the leg with a custard bullet. Dipsy sawed off its hand with his chainsaw.

"Ugh, out of ammo," Conor groaned. The announcer he was shooting began to move towards Dipsy and La la. Those two were already occupied with one announcer. If another came... Then, a new monster sprung out of a tree and onto the back of the robot. It dug its scythe appendages into the robot's chest and bit down on its camera. The robot slammed its back against a tree trunk, but the monster didn't lose grip. The announcer reared its arm back and shot the beast with custard. It shrieked a horrible sound and flung itself over the robot's head, landing on its feet in front of the machine. The robot stumbled forward and shot it again. The beast stumbled backwards, wiping its face.

"Oh no is that Walten down there!?" Finn looked over at Miles. The green tubby nodded.

"If he wants to fight so bad then he can fight," Miles said as he reloaded his gun and began to shoot. The announcer noticed his gunfire and shot a few bullets towards the roof. "DUCK!" Miles screamed as custard splattered all around them. One bullet hit Miles in the shoulder. "ARRGH!"

"MILES!" Conor hollered.

"I'll be fine," Miles clutched his bleeding wound, "just cover for me."

Walten shrieked and dug his fangs into the abdominal plate of the announcer, tearing it off. He flung it across the clearing. The announcer shot him again with custard. The white beast hissed and stabbed at the CPU with both of his scythe arms. Sparks flew as the announcer fell limp. The beast grinned and grabbed wires in his mouth, tearing everything he could. He was going to destroy every part of this robot. Scythes severed the machine's arms and legs. Claws scratched down its metal hide. The beast hadn't noticed that the fighting had stopped. La la and Dipsy had defeated their announcer. Walten felt his form begin to waver, exhaustion pouring through his limbs. He stepped backward and sunk to his knees, returning to his normal, injured body. In his monster form, pain was less of a hindrance. But now, he was flooded with fresh, new pain, unlike the dull ache he was accustomed to. He chuckled, noticing Miles and Anne approaching him.

"Need some help?" Miles offered a hand to the giggling tubby.

"I'm good," Walten said as he rose to his feet, pain shooting up his legs. "I know that was stupid of me, y'know, to fight. But, after everything, I deserve some payback."

"Save it for later, alright kid," Anne hugged the white tubby. Walten stepped back, an urgent look in his eyes.

"Uh, Tinky's over in the forest," Walten stumbled away and almost fell, Miles catching him, "he's really hurt we gotta get him!"

"One step at a time kid," Miles held the white tubby by an arm, "let's go." The three walked over to the purple tubby. Miles and Anne slung him over their shoulders. They hauled him back to the house. By the time they arrived, mostly everyone had returned to their cabins. La la and Dipsy were tending to their wounds. Finn and Conor were chatting. Miles and Anne took Tinky into his room and laid him down on the bed. Walten followed them in. Anne blew a raspberry and wiped sweat off her head. Miles took off his helmet, setting it on the nightstand.

"Darn he's heavy," Anne mused, "what'd he eat growing up!?" She watched as Walten grabbed a roll of bandages and began to work on Tinky's wounds.

"Kid, bandages aren't going to work for a wound like that," Miles put a hand on the white tubby's shoulder, "he needs stitches. I'll have Finn get some." The green tubby hollered for Finn who came running in with medical kit.

"What do you need?" Finn asked urgently.

"The kid needs stitches for his wound," Miles gestured to Tinky's arm.

"Right on it," Finn said as he got out the necessary items and began to sew the wound shut. He turned the arm around and did the exit wound as well. Then, he took the roll of bandages and wrapped Tinky's cuts. "That should do it," Finn muttered.

"Will he be alright?" Walten grabbed the black tubby's arm.

"Yeah, he should be," Finn nodded, "I applied some antibiotics to the wound in case some germs got in."

"OK," Walten released Finn's arm and returned to Tinky's side. The purple tubby was out cold. Hope he didn't lose too much blood. He remained there and eventually the others left. How strange. Only a week ago, our roles were reversed. The white tubby began to chuckle. He sighed and wrapped his hand around Tinky's uninjured one. Pink spread across his cheeks. Whenever I touch him? What is this? He giggled again, but it ended in a sigh.

"I'll be waiting for you, Tinky winky."

Chapter Text

"Hmph," Tinky squeezed his eyes closed. There was light streaming in from the window. He wanted to sleep more, but the feeling was fading. Tinky opened his eyes and noticed the ceiling was different than the one in his room. He sat up and took a moment to gaze around this strange room. It felt like it belonged to him, but not all the stuff in there was his. The first thing that caught his eye was the nightstand. On the nightstand there was a lamp and a photo of him and Walten. In the picture, they were both smiling and wearing fancy suits. Tinky was teary eyed and Walten was holding a bouquet of flowers. The purple tubby chuckled.

Hanging from the coathanger was Tinky's bag. There were also assorted hats and, well coats there too. Across from the bed was a tall bookshelf, full of various tomes, novels and books. There was a desk to the right of it with an open book. Hung on the wall, there were also various medals of honor for military service. The smell of cooking food was wafting through the door. This place seemed really nice.

Tinky's ears pricked as he heard footsteps and a knock on the door. He threw the covers back over himself and closed his eyes. The door creaked open and footsteps drew near to the bedside.

"Wake up sleepyhead," a hand tugged gently on his arm. He heard a quiet snicker.

"Nawwwh'just lemme sleep a lil'more," Tinky mumbled. He cracked open an eye and found Walten staring at him. The white tubby was wearing a dressy shirt and a light blue tie, along with his iconic cow print top hat. Tinky blushed a bit at the sight of his lover. He usually doesn't dress this well. What? Lover? We're not-

"Oh sweetie, did you forget?" the white tubby smiled, "you have to get ready for the party at Miles' house! Everyone's gonna be there." Sweetie? Tinky hid his face a bit. This was weird.

"House party? For what?" Tinky rolled over and stretched. Walten opened the closet door, pulling out some clothing items. The purple tubby sat up as Walten walked towards him. He plopped the clothes down in Tinky's lap. There were a nice coat and shirt with some matching pants. Tinky studied them confusedly for a few moments.

"House party for Miles and Anne's anniversary, ring a bell?" Walten shrugged, "we've gotta get going." He skipped over to the door. A glimmer caught Tinky's eye. Walten had a strange metal ring around his finger. Tinky looked down and found that he had one too.

"Hey, uh, Walt," Tinky stuttered.

"Yes honey?" the white tubby raised a brow. HONEY???

"What is this?" Tinky held up his hand and gestured to his finger.

"Don't you remember Tinky? We're married," the white tubby grinned and blushed a little. 

"WHAAAA!!!???" Tinky exclaimed, face turning beet red. MARRIED!? This can't be real. It must be a joke.

---

"Uugh," Tinky groaned and fluttered open his eyes. He was met with the wooden beam ceiling he had become used to. He tried to sit up, but felt a pang in his right forearm. It spread to his shoulder like fire. The purple tubby plopped back onto his pillow, covering his face. What a strange dream. His throat felt a bit sore.

"Hm, T, is that you?" the door was nudged open and a silver head popped in, "I heard you yell, are you alright?"

"Hey Conor," Tinky laughed, "I'm fine."

"You passed out for two days, if you're wondering," Conor remarked, "how's that arm of yours?" He came over to the bedside.

"It really hurts," Tinky groaned, "what happened after I passed out, did we win?"

"Well, obviously we won, or you wouldn't be here," Conor snorted. "We beat their asses good."

"Did anyone get hurt?" Tinky asked.

"Miles, Dipsy and La la got most of it," Conor stated, "let's get you out of bed, how about it?"

"Sure," Tinky said as Conor helped him to his feet. "I think I'm good," Tinky took his arm off Conor but then wobbled, "or not."

"I'll help you to be safe," Conor grinned. The two walked into the common room. Finn was sitting at the table, sipping tea. Beside him were Miles, who was massaging his wound, and Walten, who was drinking from a mug of tea. A pair of crutches rested beside his chair. Anne and Dipsy were sitting on the porch. La la was nowhere to be seen, probably in her room.

"Ayy!" Finn exclaimed, "look who's up!"

"Hey kid!" Miles hooted, "why don't you come on and sit down with us!" Tinky walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. He sat down and Finn handed him a mug.

"It's just normal tea, nothing added except some sugar," Finn motioned towards the cup.

"Thanks," Tinky replied as he took a sip. He winced a little as it was hot. He paused for a moment and then asked, "what's everyone been up to?" A tiny spider-like robot walked up to his foot. Tinky yelped and shot up from is chair. He kicked the robot over onto its back.

"The blue workers have been making robots," Miles explained, "Lenny examined Noo noo's technology and they've been making designs. This is a prototype."

"Oh," Tinky sank back into his seat, "sorry little guy." He reached down a hand and placed the robot on its feet. Now that he thought about it, the machine was kind of cute.

"Did you sleep well?" Walten asked out of the blue.

"Yeah, like a baby," Tinky grinned, "had a weird dream."

"What did you dream about?" Walten inquired, "I've been reading about dreams recently. They can have meanings."

"Uuh," Tinky grimaced, face turning red, "you don't wanna know." He heard Conor snort from across the room. "It wasn't one of THOSE dreams!" Tinky hollered, then turned back to the conversation.

"Well someone's a bit grumpy," Miles remarked, "need something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry," Tinky took another sip of his tea. It had cooled a bit but it was still warm.

"You sure?" Finn asked. Tinky nodded, but then his stomach growled.

"Is something wrong?" Walten frowned.

"I guess, well, I'm upset that I lost to that Impostor robot," Tinky admitted, then looked at his arm. It was hanging limp at his side. "Now my arm's all jacked up and if we get attacked again I can't protect anyone."

"Noo noo won't attack us again," Walten reassured the purple tubby, "he left us a message in one of the announcers. He wants us to come to him."

"Do we know where to go?" Tinky furrowed his brow.

"Yes," Miles nodded, "he left us a location and everything. Me and Anne are making plans of attack."

"We can't attack him!" Tinky clenched his mug, "he'll have the advantage. He knows the layout of the place he's at. Who knows what kind of tricks that vacuum will pull!?"

"He does have the advantage, but what choice do we have," Miles crossed his arms, "do we just keep running and let the rest of tubbykind be slain by the newborn army? Or do we try and stand up for ourselves. We gave it our all against those robots and we obliterated them. I'm sure we can beat him."

"You're getting cocky Miles," Tinky reprimanded, "he's gonna have more than six announcers at his base. And don't forget he has the newborn army."

"We've been making contact with other militias," Miles stated, "they've agreed to join us in the fight against Noo noo. That will bring our numbers up hundred-fold. It won't be an easy fight, that's a given, but we may have a chance."

"A chance," Tinky thought for a moment, "that's all we need."

Crickets were chattering outside the window. Frogs softly croaked. Rays of moonlight poured through the window. Tinky's ears pricked as he heard Walten breathe in deeply.

"You still awake?" Tinky turned his head.

"Can't sleep," Walten sighed, "you?"

"Me neither," Tinky admitted, "I've just been thinking." He rose from his bed and walked over to Walten's bedside. "Mind if I sit?" Walten shook his head. The purple tubby slid under the covers next to Walten. The white tubby looked a lot better since Tinky had last seen him. The bandages around his torso had been removed. He looked a lot more lively as well, that empty look in his eyes seemed to have gone. Tinky felt a slight heat creep up his cheeks.

"What's on your mind?" Walten asked.

"You said dreams have meanings. Like subconsciously, your brain is telling you something," Tinky tried to articulate. Walten nodded.

"Go on."

"I had a dream that you and I," Tinky paused, feeling his face turn red, "were married."

"Married?" Walten giggled, "why would you have that?"

"Because I like you, Walten," Tinky felt his ears grow hot, "I like you so much that-that I-I love you. A-and I wish we could be together."

"You love me?" Walten murmured, "and you want to be with me."

"Yes," Tinky has butterflies in his stomach, "a-all the time. I-it's OK if you think that's weird."

"No," Walten cupped Tinky's pink cheek with his hand, "I understand. I feel the same way."

"W-what!?" Tinky squeaked.

"When we were in the basement," Walten thought for a moment, "when I said to you those words: I want you. They ran off my tongue so naturally. It felt strange at the time, like something was missing. Now I understand. I didn't know the right words. What I meant by I want you was... I love you." Walten paused, pink spreading across his cheeks, "I love you, Tinky winky, and I want to be with you." The two drew close to one another, heat radiating off their cheeks. Tears began to roll down Tinky's cheeks. He was smiling so big it began to hurt. Walten chuckled and wiped Tinky's tears. He had the biggest smile Tinky had ever seen on him. The purple tubby began to laugh, quickly joined by the white tubby. Then, they quieted down and listened to see if they had woken anyone.

The two settled into an embrace of sorts. Tinky placed his hand around Walten's waist. Walten did the same to him and rested his head on Tinky's chest, pulling the purple tubby closer. The moon revealed itself, rays illuminated their fur, turning Tinky a deep purple, and Walten, a ghostly white.

"When you were gone, it was so lonely," Tinky murmured, "I missed you so much. I don't think I ever properly told you." Walten nodded, an understanding look in his eyes.

"I was lonely too," Walten replied, "Richard convinced me I was. Even when you found me, I was still convinced I was alone. I'm not anymore. Not with you." Tinky hugged the white tubby tight for a moment, hearing a slight hiss in response.

"I'm so sorry," Tinky whimpered.

"You couldn't have known," Walten whispered, "no one could've." He closed his eyes and nuzzled his head against Tinky's fur.

...

"Walt," Tinky spoke.

"Hm?" Walten responded, ears pricking.

"I love you," Tinky grinned. He heard a chuckle.

"I love you too," a smile spread across Walten's face. The shared warmth began to lull them both to sleep.

Chapter Text

"Hello?" Tinky's voice seemed to echo for miles. Where was he? There was a checkered floor beneath his feet and a seemingly infinite expanse before him. "Hey?" he squeaked, taking a few cautious steps forward. He heard a shuffle. Tinky turned around, eyes wide. "Oh," Tinky exhaled in relief, "you're here too, Walt." The white tubby stood motionless. He was lacking his usual attire. That was a little odd. He padded towards the figure, but then stopped. Walten's form had changed. His gaze was blank, his fur was bloody and matted. He looks like he did when we rescued him.

"Uhuh-" Tinky jumped as he felt a hand land on his shoulder.

"What's wrong son?" a smooth voice caused rage to burn in Tinky's chest.

"You," Tinky hissed as the red tubby stood between him and Walten. "You're what's wrong. You ruined everything!" The purple tubby shouted, fur bristling with anger.

"I," Richard's voice came out robotic, "I made it better. You can't deny it. Your relationship with the guardian. If I didn't do what I did would you two be this close?"

"I-" Tinky paused to think. Would they really be close? Could this have been the only way? No. No there had to be another way. "You can't know that. Nobody can!"

"Even if I can't know, it still happened," Richard taunted, "all because of your negligence."

"It wasn't my fault what happened," Tinky snarled, "it was yours."

"Oh really?" Richard cooed, "what makes you think so?"

"I wasn't the one who kidnapped him, I wasn't the one who killed Dutch," Tinky growled, "you can't manipulate me Richard. You've lost."

"You haven't won ye-uh" a pair of hands wrapped around Richard's throat before he could finish his sentence. Tinky froze, unable to move. Richard was lifted off the ground. Then, the hands released and Richard's limp corpse fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Walten stared the dead body for a moment. Then, the two began to melt, their bodies reduced to a pool of dark liquid. The liquid rose and took form into a great beast. Blood dripped from its glowing white teeth. It screeched and leapt on top of Tinky.

...

"GAH!" Tinky sat up covered in sweat. This was the third night in a row. "Ugh," Tinky unclenched his fists and rubbed his throbbing arm. Cthulhu have mercy. Jeez that hurt. He laid back down, scooting closer to his sleeping companion. Though the single bed was a tight fit for the both of them, Tinky and Walten found it better than sleeping separately since they were both plagued by nightmares. Nightmares. Because of what they'd been through.

"Did you say something," Walten flicked open an eye. "Bad dream?" Tinky nodded, blushing slightly as Walten wrapped an arm around him. The white tubby smiled a tired smile and nuzzled his head against Tinky's neck. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I saw the shadow beast," Tinky stated. He could feel Walten stiffen. "Well, I saw Richard and you too. It wasn't just the shadow."

"What happened?" Walten asked.

"You strangled R-Richard to death and then the shadow a-attacked me," Tinky frowned, "I don't know if it means something."

"Why would I do that?" Walten snickered. "Did Richard taunt you or something?"

"Yeah, but I stood up to him," Tinky blurted.

"What did he say?" Walten inquired, then added, "if you want to talk about it."

"Well, he told me that we wouldn't have gotten close if he didn't torture you," Tinky admitted, "he- I told him no when he first spoke but the more I think about it..." The purple tubby sighed. "I don't know what to think."

"I think we would have gotten together eventually," Walten grinned, "we were already on our way even before all the stuff happened."

"Thanks Walt," Tinky closed his eyes. He smiled, feeling at home. It ought to be like that forever. Just the two of them, there together, wrapped in a warm embrace. They had yet to tell anyone of their relationship. It'd only been, what, a week since they'd confessed? Tinky figured it would be more appropriate when noo noo is defeated. Anne already knew of Tinky's feelings, but he hadn't told her that he and Walten were together. Tinky flicked open an eye. Almost forgot.

"Hey, Walt," Tinky whispered.

"Hmm?" Walten grunted.

"I love you," Tinky murmured.

"I love you too," Walten replied.

"Alright boys and girls," Miles shouted over the roar of the helicopter, "there is a bomber being sent to the location. They'll drop the stuff and then we go in once the dust clears. Everyone got a helmet?" Various yep's, yeah's and uh-huh's were heard in response. His eyes met the tubby beside him who was inspecting her helmet. Anne wore her hair in a bun, her green eyes full of fierce determination. Finn glanced around, his eyes were drawn to the striking red pelt across the copter.

Richard sat with his arms crossed, a prominent pout etched onto his face. He was squashed between Dipsy on the right and Conor on the left. Conor was talking with La la, but occasionally snuck a look over his shoulder. To the left of La la was Walten. His hat was pulled low, obscuring his face. He sat hunched, staring at the floor, twiddling his thumbs. And finally, head resting against the window, was Tinky. His shoulders were softly rising and falling as he snored away. He hadn't been sleeping well over the last couple nights.

"I don't need a helmet but I'll take one anyway," Dipsy grabbed a helmet and tried to balance it on his neck stump. Conor cracked a snicker. The helmet fell off and rolled near Dipsy's foot. "Hmm, well then Richard can have it," Dipsy picked up the helmet and stuck Richard's head inside. Richard groaned, as since his hands were tied he could not take it off.

"Seriously," Richard hissed, "I thought you'd treat an informant better than this. It's not even on the right way."

"Miles, don't you think we should be allowed to mess with our prisoner," Conor gestured. "He totally deserves it and it's funny." The silver tubby gestured towards Richard, who was currently trying, and failing to remove the helmet.

"I think you both should stop bothering him, as he'll be less likely to cooperate if we mess with him too much," Miles crossed his arms.

"Yeah, what Miles said," Richard snorted. Dipsy lightly elbowed Richard. "AY! I didn't do nuthin!"

"Carry on," Miles waved his hand, grinning smugly.

"My pleasure sir," Conor grinned. "Hmm, now what shall I do? Dangle him out the door? Nah, too dangerous. Tickle his feet? Eh, they probably stink. What'dyou think D?"

"I think you should PISS OFF!" Richard shouted.

"Whoa now!" La la exclaimed.

"Heeyeyey!" Conor squeaked, "haha we got him mad!"

"Everyone, enough!" Anne hollered. The chatter came to an abrupt halt. Mismatched eyes blinked open.

"Ehheheheh," Conor pulled the helmet off Richard's head and turned back to La la. Miles' ear twitched as he heard someone clear their throat.

"Yes Walten?" Miles tilted his head.

"Couldn't we have put him on another aircraft," Walten gestured towards the red tubby. Miles just now noticed the fearful look in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah, sorry kid," Miles apologized, "are you gonna be alright?"

"I'm fine," Walten nodded, though he didn't look it. His hands were clenched and his fur stood up slightly.

"Aww, look at you Miles, takin' care of the kids," Richard sneered.

"Shut up Richard," Miles growled, "the last thing we need is for Walten to freak out." The white tubby was trying to self-comfort, rubbing his arms back and forth. Tinky had placed an arm around him.

"Maybe that's what I want," Richard raised an eyebrow, "maybe I want this copter to go down as he tears it apart. A captain goes down with his ship after all. Huh hah."  Miles looked through the window and noticed they were almost at location. A little early in fact. Richard kept on chattering but Miles blocked him out. The green tubby stepped into the cockpit.

"We're gonna want to land on that flat plain there," Miles pointed, "it should give us enough space." Just then, a rocket went whizzing by the right side of the copter, almost hitting the metal body. The pilot swerved to avoid it and the copter went spinning through the air. Then, once the pilot had regained control of the aircraft, he descended the vehicle and landed. Anne and Conor immediately barfed outside. Tinky and Walten hugged for a moment before Tinky exited. Walten remained inside of the helicopter.

"Is everyone alright?" Miles asked as he exited the copter. The landscape was barren as usual for the outskirts. Dipsy poked Richard with his chainsaw to make him move.

"My my," a robotic voice mused, "what an interesting assortment." Instantly, weapons were drawn and pointed towards the source of the voice.

"Noo noo," Tinky growled, his voice was low.

"What? Am I not welcomed by my own creations?" Noo noo inquired.

"You mean nothing to us," Dipsy spat, "you're the reason we're all messed up."

"And why would you say that?" Noo noo droned, "I thought you would be enjoying your new powers."

"Y'know, as much as I like being able to protect my friends, I'd rather not turn into a giant violent monster," Tinky crossed his arms.

"Tsk tsk tsk," NOo noo shook his trunk, "am I going to have to reeducate you all as well?" The vacuum scanned the party that had arrived. "Ahem, where is my guardian?" At the sound of his name, the white tubby emerged from the helicopter and trudged over to the formation. His gaze was blank and locked to the floor.

"Walt," Tinky nudged the white tubby's arm, "snap out of it." Walten didn't respond. He never fully shook it off. Shit.

"Look, the others are arriving!" Conor shouted and pointed off into the distance. There were a couple aircraft approaching rapidly.

"Ah yes, the others that bombed my base," Noo noo rolled his eyes, "how charming. Anyways. Come, guardian. I must speak to you in private."

"NO!" Tinky grabbed Walten by the arm, holding him back. The white tubby stopped in his tracks and looked Tinky in the eye. That same blank look that took so long to fade had fallen over his blue gaze. Tinky turned his vision to Noo noo, who had a smug look in his eyes. That bastard.

"Well, my schedule is rather tight," Noo noo proclaimed, "I did enjoy speaking with you, but I have plans to attend to. Toodles." And with that, the machine let out a whirring screech and exploded. Shouts of surprise erupted from the military members.

"Did that thing just kill itself!?" Conor exclaimed. "How are we supposed to stop it then."

"Noo noo has made clones of himself that he can remote control," Richard explained, "he's just messin' with you. We should probably move out."

"Ugh, yes, let's move out," Miles internally punched himself for agreeing with Richard. The red tubby smirked smugly at him.

"C'mon Walt," Tinky gently nudged the white tubby forward and he began to walk. Purple fur began to stand on end as TInky heard the familiar screeches and whimpers. Newborns. Where were they? Tinky whipped his head around and his eyes found giant creatures. Oh gawsh.

"What are those!?" Conor ran over to Tinky and Walten.

"Those are newborns," Tinky replied, "at least I think so..."

Chapter Text

SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT! Three custard pulses whizzed by the group and splattered to the ground, sizzling as they landed. SPLAT SPLAT! Pink goo rained down. Miles leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding a nasty burn on his foot. He hissed and gritted his teeth.

"Move move!" Miles motioned towards Noo noo's base. Inside, there would be more shelter. Everyone scrambled in desperation, trying to avoid the onslaught of custard bullets. A howl of pain broke out, sending everyone into chaos.

"Everyone! Stay calm!" Anne hollered over the mayhem. In a panicked daze, Tinky grabbed at whoever he could reach, moving them in front of him. A custard splattered onto his back, causing him to lurch forward and yowl. It oozed onto his skin, searing into it. Better me than them. Just then, missiles rained down on the announcers. A raging storm of fire rushed towards the troop. Almost there. Tinky leapt under the cover of a crumbled wall. Tongues of flame danced above his head.

"I-is everyone alright?" Tinky looked around and finally saw who he had taken with him. Conor chuckled and panted. He took off his helmet, green eyes scanning their surroundings. Walten held his head low, blue eyes scrunched tight. He gasped as if he hadn't yet realized he was safe. Tinky felt a pang in his back. He took off the strap that held his shotgun at his side. His back was badly burned.

"Ay Tinky, I've never seen you run that fast," Conor remarked, then paused, "I hope everyone else is OK." His ears pricked when he heard a cough. "Oh gawsh no." Richard had followed them.

"I think I breathed in some smoke," Richard noted, stumbling towards the trio, "can y' untie me?"

"Do you know where the others are?" Tinky asked, wincing slightly.

"Nope," Richard shrugged, "I know Anne, Finn and La la are with Miles. That's about it. I can help you find them if you untie me." He held up his hands.

"Hmm, nah," Conor snapped, "you can follow us though." Then he turned to Walten, "if that's alright with you." Conor tilted his head. No response. The white tubby was fiddling with his chainsaw. Conor turned to Tinky and asked, "what's up with him?"

"I dunno," Tinky replied, "Noo noo's voice triggered something in him. Just don't raise your voice and he should be fine. That goes for you especially Richard. Actually, try not to talk at all." Tinky glared at the red tubby.

"Whatever you say boy," Richard shrugged. The red tubby seemed to have a slight limp as he walked. Conor rose to his feet, katana in hand.

"Walt, let's go with them," Tinky spoke softly to the white tubby. He took Walten's hand into his and gently tugged. The white tubby shakily rose to his feet. The two were a ways behind Conor and Richard, whose limp had grown worse. "Walt, can you hear me?" Tinky asked.

"I-I'm sorry," Walten mumbled, turning his gaze to meet Tinky's. "I-It all got to me. I can't..." The white tubby fell silent. Tinky ran a hand up Walten's forehead, holding his fringe above his eyes.

"It's alright," Tinky reassured, "I'm glad you're OK."

"I freeze," Walten stated. "I can't move. It's like I'm outside of my body. I'm still shaking it off."

"Once this is over, you'll never have to feel like that again," Tinky furrowed his brow. "I'm going to kill Noo noo."

"Tinky! Walten! There you are!" Anne bounded over to them, communicator in her hand. "Are either of yo hurt?" She looked them both down.

"I got hit with a custard," Tinky answered, "Walt's fine."

"Will you be alright?" Anne tilted her head, "that wound doesn't look good."

"I can handle it," Tinky responded. He gasped as a loud explosion was heard. Absolute chaos was reigning outside. There was rapid gunfire and bodies flying; robot, newborn, and soldier.

"Lenny arrived with the robots and the other militias," Anne motioned to the raging fight outside, "they're taking care of the newborn army."

"Are the others OK?" Tinky asked, chestnut eyes widening with concern for his friends.

"Miles and La la are alright," Anne sighed, "Finn got hit in the head with a custard so he's knocked out. Dipsy is on the battlefield helping the soldiers." Three sets of ears shot up as a shout and a crash were heard in the distance. Anne, Tinky and Walten raced towards the source of the scuffle to find Conor lying unconscious on the floor. He was alive, but knocked out cold.

"That bastard," Tinky snarled. He felt a flash of bloodlust. Tinky tank was waking up.

"I'll take care of him," Anne slung the silver tubby over one shoulder, "you and Walten press on. We'll follow your trail once Finn and Conor wake up."

"OK," Tinky nodded as Anne sprinted off to find Miles. He turned to Walten. "Can you do this?"

"Do what?" Walten tilted his head.

"Will you be able to fight Noo noo?" Tinky inquired.

"I'm not sure. I could see myself fighting or freezing," Walten furrowed his brow.

"Go back with Anne and the others," Tinky placed his hands on Walten's shoulders, "they'll be able to help you. Eventually, we should meet up." Walten frowned, his blue eyes meeting Tinky's brown ones.

"And what, leave you alone to take on whatever horrors lay ahead? You're already hurt," Walten retorted, fur bristling. A burst of emotion filled his chest. He wanted to protect Tinky.

"I can do it alone," Tinky stated, "I'll make it out alive." Walten opened his mouth but he couldn't think of anything to say.

"There's no arguing with you, is there?" A sad smile crossed Walten's face, "you promise to come back, right?" Pleading blue eyes bored into Tinky's very soul. He needs an answer. Tinky knew he was injured and weaker than he normally was. His arm still bothered him and his back felt like it was on fire. But he knew he had to do this. Walten needed reassurance.

Tinky felt a burst of heat in his cheeks. He leaned down so him and Walten were at eye level. Then, he cupped the white tubby's cheek in his hand and brought their heads together. Lips met in a soft touch. It was fleetingly brief. Tinky pulled back, cheeks on fire. Walten's face was beet red. His hand was clenched around the band that secured his chainsaw.

"I sealed it with a kiss. I promise I'll come back," Tinky let his hand run down Walten's cheek. The white tubby seemed frozen in awe. Tinky turned and looked back at Walten. "I love you."

"I love you too," Walten lowered his hand as he watched Tinky leave. His feet felt like stone. He wanted to follow, but he knew Tinky would be upset. A tear plopped an inch from his foot. What a dumbass. The white tubby chuckled and wiped his face.

"Screw this," Walten gritted his teeth and ran off, not after Tinky, but not towards the others either. In his mind he knew this was risky, but it was necessary. He had some unfinished business to attend to.

Chapter Text

"Uugh, my-" Conor blinked open his eyes. He found himself lying propped against a concrete wall, an unconscious Finn resting next to him. Anne was watching them both, while Miles was on guard.

"He's awake," a soft, feminine voice brought warmth to Conor's cheeks. La la gestured towards the silver tubby. Anne nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Anne tilted her head, "can you tell me what happened?"

"It's pretty obvious, ain't it," Conor growled, emphasizing a southern twang.

"I'mma snap his neck, just you wait," La la pressed her fists together. Three sets of ears perked up when they heard a soft groan. Finn began to stir.

A pair of legs came to a halt. This place was a freakin' maze. Richard growled under his breath. He was finally free. Free from Noo noo, from the military. Now he just had to make it out of here alive. Luckily, he'd taken Conor's rifle and ammo, so he wasn't helpless. Pain shot up from his ankle. He'd probably busted it running from that stupid military. Anger flared in his gut.

"Stupid Miles, stupid Anne, stupid Dutch, stupid Noo noo," Richard balled his fists, "I hate everyone!" He reared back his neck and released loud, feral groan. Richard's legs began to buckle. He fell to his knees, every joint in his body began to shake. It hurt like hell. Richard gritted his teeth, trying to sit it out. A small part of him knew though, this was it. He closed his eyes, waiting for the curtains of darkness to unfold. Then, footsteps brought his attention elsewhere.

"Richard!" a voice called. The red tubby turned his head, his eyes locking on that black pelt he'd become familiar with. He rose to his feet, surprised that the pain had gone away to quickly.

"What do you want now?" Richard snarled, walking towards the figure.

"Congratulations. You've done a great job," Dutch clapped his hands. Richard frowned, his gut was telling him something was off.

"So, you make he hallucinate just to tell me this," Richard spat, "I've never done anything good in my life."

"Look, Richard, our friend is here," Dutch grinned and pointed. Richard turned to look over his shoulder. A great, black beast was watching him. Blood oozed out from between its glowing jaws.

"Oh, shit." Richard murmured. A flash of fire tore through his abdomen. Richard howled and squeezed his eyes shut, the pain too much to bear. The roar of a chainsaw filled his ears. Brown eyes blinked open. Lodged in his gut was a silver slab of metal, the chainsaw. It had been turned off, probably because Richard stopped moving. Blood poured onto the ground, pooling beneath his feet. He flicked his gaze up, meeting wide blue eyes. Richard grinned, "you're awfully good with that saw, kid." Then, he felt his body flop. He slid off the chainsaw and fell to the ground, landing in the pool of his own blood. 

"Thanks," Walten spat and narrowed his eyes, then raised the saw.

Newborns shrieked and leapt at the titan, latching their jaws onto his thick hide. Tinky tank roared and picked them off, crushing them in his great fists. They were eating him alive. How was he supposed to get to noo noo if he was losing strength against these pests. The wounds were small, but when they piled up they did a lot of damage.

tick tick tick

The red titan hissed and barreled through the swarm of newborns, crushing them under her stride. She raised her first pair of legs and attempted to slash Tinky's flesh. The purple monster avoided the blow and headbutted the spider, stunning her for a moment. He delivered a devastating punch to her abdomen, shattering her television screen. She shrieked and dug her forelimbs into Tinky's weak arm. Po pulled at the healing wound, tearing through new flesh. Tinky roared in agony and bit down on her shoulder. It didn't stop her. In fact, she used her second pair of legs to scrape Tinky's sides. Great lines of red cut across his waist. Po bashed her head against Tinky's, leaving a great spot of crimson.

The blood loss was too much for him. Tinky tank fell to his knees, rapidly de-sizing. Po clacked her mandibles for a moment. Then, she picked him up with her forelimbs. She opened her mandibles, eager to finish off her wounded prey.

"P-po," Tinky stuttered, causing Po to close her jaws and tilt her head. In his fading vision, he saw what looked to be his best friend. Her honey brown eyes glimmered in the bright light. He reached out and tried to touch her, but she recoiled. His ears perked. Someone was calling his name. He looked in the direction of the voice, but his eyes wouldn't focus. Tinky accepted darkness's call and closed his eyes. Po frowned, confused at his gesture. She ran off, taking him with her, unsure of what to do.

Small bursts of sound emanated from Noo noo's monitor. If he had a face, he would be grinning. The military were dropping like flies. It was hilarious to him. Even though they knew they would die, they still clung to their pathetic hope of rebuilding the world. Noo noo knew the world had given up on them, they were not the final product of evolution. Organic beings are inefficient, illogical, and weak. The only way for the world to be rebuilt is for something stronger, smarter, and more efficient to take their place. Noo noo's machines would do just that.

The skittering of footsteps alerted Noo noo to another's prescence. Po trotted in and dropped a bleeding, purple furred body. She tilted her head, black eyes looking for approval.

"What did you bring me?" Noo noo asked. "Is that your friend?"

"Friend... for you," Po stuttered.

"I did not ask you for him, but I guess it will be nice not having him destroy my machines," Noo noo noted. "Well done, Po." Then he thought for a moment. "How about you bring the rest to me. When I restart the world, why not have my creations by my side."

"Yes, master," Po bowed her head and slunk away. Noo noo turned back to his monitor. His eyes narrowed. The core members of the military were getting deeper into the base. They'd better not interfere with Po's hunt. His eyes flicked to another camera screen. There was a corpse lying on the floor, blood pooled underneath, probably a military soldier by the looks of it. Good, another useless creature dead. He saw one of his cameras light up with gunfire. Po and the military had crossed paths. The sound of stumbling took his attention.

"I-I'll stop you," Tinky huffed and feebly swung his arm at the vacuum. He collapsed, head bashing against the floor.

"No, you won't," Noo noo retorted. "My army is tearing through your military."

"I think you underestimate them," Tinky grinned.

"Bold," Noo noo scoffed, "you were always the boldest of the four."

"The... others," Tinky murmured, "why am I here!? What are you going to do to us!?"

"I can't just let you die, can I?" Noo noo inquired. "That's not what a good creator does. He saves his old creations and draws inspiration from them. You may not believe this, but when I look at you, I feel a pang of sympathy. I can't bring myself to kill you. So, I made a compromise with myself. Once I rebuild the world, you and your friends can go back to living in your house, with your memories wiped, of course. I could even reverse your infections so you're not turning into those dreadful forms anymore. How does that sound?"

"What about the military?" Tinky growled, "do they have a place in your perfect world?"

"No," Noo noo replied. "They are not mine. They have no value to me."

"What about Walten?" Tinky lowered his voice, "does he have a place in your new world?"

"As the subject of my next run of experiments," Noo noo stated, noticing Tinky's horrified expression, "unless you'd prefer he live with you and your friends."

"Yes!" Tinky blurted frantically. Then, he paused. "Why not let us live in peace?" Tinky pleaded, "the military are open to negotiation. We would leave you alone if you'd like."

"Because they refuse to hand the lot of you over," Noo noo snarled. "I would leave them alone and let them rebuild their pathetic little villages if they'd just hand you over!"

"You-really? You'd leave them alone?" Tinky tilted his head.

"Yes," Noo noo repeated, "I already established this. You seem open to my deal."

"If that means no more fighting," Tinky furrowed his brow, "I'd have to see if everyone else if up for it."

"Let's shake on it," Noo noo extended his trunk. Tinky reached an arm out. There was a rattling from the air vent. The cover came clattering down.

"TINKY!"

Chapter Text

"Walt! You gotta get outta here!" Tinky shouted. The white tubby rose to his feet and turned to look at his lover.

"Not without you!" Walten exclaimed.

"It's been a while since we've talked, guardian," Noo noo remarked, "would you care to join in on me and Tinky's conversation?"

"I'm here to end that conversation," Walten snarled, revving his chainsaw.

"WAIT!" Tinky hollered, wrapping a hand around Walten's ankle, "Walt, he was willing to negotiate. We could live in peace. There wouldn't be any more fighting!"

"I heard his little offer and it's bullshit," Walten spat, "if we followed through we'd become his pawns again! I'd rather die here than live under the likes of him!"

"That can be arranged," Noo noo interjected, "you weren't very useful to me anyway."

"NO! NO!" Tinky shook his head, "NOO NOO STOP!"

"If he wants to die I'd be happy to kill him," Noo noo purred, "one less hindrance to my plans."

"Go at it then," Walten grinned, "what tricks does ol' Noo noo have up his sleeve this time?" He squared up his shoulders and revved his chainsaw. Then he charged the vacuum cleaner. Noo noo's eyes flashed and a burst of dark mist hit Walten square in the midsection, sending him skidding across the floor. He groaned and got back up, an arm now clutching his side. Tinky winced in sympathy.

"That's what I thought. You're still weak," Noo noo mused, "I mean, you've always been weak, but especially now. My efforts were not in vain."

Walten gritted his teeth, "you-you're cheating!" He flicked open his eyes, revealing that they had turned ebony black. His heart was racing and he could feel himself slipping. I can do this.

"You told me to show you what tricks I have," Noo noo began charging a bolt of dark energy, "I'd say you asked for it." A menacing figure appeared behind the vacuum, blood dripping from its white mouth.

"T-the shadow!" black eyes widened in recognition. "You're the shadow, aren't you?"

"I am," Noo noo rolled his eyes, "but I'm also not. The shadow was spawned by the custard. Anyone who drinks it draws from its power. You have a piece of it in you. So do Tinky and I. Now, let's finish our little skirmish."

"I'm ready when you are," Walten raised his chainsaw and pointed it towards the vacuum. Noo noo's eyes flashed again, sending a bolt of mist in Walten's direction. The white tubby dodged it and leapt towards the vacuum. He brought his chainsaw down over the vacuum's head but it met with concrete floor. The vacuum rolled backwards and shot a blast of dark energy, landing a direct hit on Walten's face. The white tubby yelped and stumbled backwards, crumpling to the floor, hands pressed to his face.

"WALTEN!" Tinky cried. He heard Noo noo chuckle and a dark growl escaped his lips. He was gonna kill that bastard.

"You didn't last very long," Noo noo remarked, rolling beside the white tubby, "how does it feel?" A clawed hand reached out and raked the metal hide of Noo noo, chipping the blue paint. Tinky gasped as the white tubby rose to its feet and lunged on top of the vacuum, clawing and biting at noo noo's hardened exterior. Walten roared in desperation, trying to get the one up on his opponent.

CRACK!!!

Walten slid off the vacuum, panting, coming back to his senses. Noo noo now sported a large dent in his side.

"Interesting," the vacuum mused, "that must've been some sort of payback, was it not, Walt?" The vacuum sneered mockingly. The white tubby didn't react to the remark, his eyes were blanked out as if he was in a stupor. Tinky rose to his feet and approached the both of them. He placed a hand on Walten's shoulder, but the white tubby didn't notice. Tinky's eyes locked with the glare of the vacuum cleaner, and he was reminded of his current objective.

"You're outmatched Noo noo," Tinky snarled, "leave us alone or it's over."

"It's over," the vacuum scoffed, "it'll never be over." Tinky curled his lip, revealing his large canines. Noo noo rolled backwards a few feet, strangely intimidated, "I've shaped you more than you could ever imagine. Just look at what I've done to your little Walten. What I've done to you. Even if you destroy me, my creations will still roam the earth, wreaking havoc and destruction wherever they go." Tinky stepped forward, a scowl growing. "You, your Walten, your friends; you all will never be the same. I've destroyed all of you," Noo noo sneered, continuing to back away from the purple tubby.

"We'll find a way to make things better," Tinky spat, "to help each other through our issues that you caused. The only problem is that you get in the way of that." He balled his fists, "now, shut up and let me wreck you."

"ARRRUFFF!" a brown blur latched onto Noo noo's trunk. Cowfarts yipped with its mouth full and wagged its tail.

"What is THIS!?" Noo noo exclaimed.

"Cowfarts, get back!" Tinky hissed. The dog obeyed and ran away.

"Farewell," Noo noo narrowed his eyes. Tinky scrambled backwards, making a beeline towards his lover.

BOOM!!!

"OH SHIT! What was that!!!?" Conor felt the whole building rumble. Some fragments of cement clattered to the floor.

"A bomb went off," Miles shrugged, "thought you knew about those things."

"Well I know it's a bomb, thanks sergeant obvious," Conor stuck out his tongue, "I was just expressing my feelings."

"I can't believe my soldiers act like children on a birthday party," Miles snorted, but his smile was fleeting. He noticed reborns were acting strange. After the initial shock of the explosion, the newborns seemed disoriented and began shrieking to find each other. Some began fighting with one another. Po froze, whipping her head back and forth. She then fell limp and began to shrink.

"Miles! Conor! What's the situation?" Anne sprinted over to the pair.

"Dude, look, it's Po," Conor pointed at the red tubby lying on the floor. The three slowly approached her, weapons raised. Conor stooped next to her and poked her with his rifle. She sat up, brown eyes wide.

"W-where am I?" she stuttered.

"You're in Noo noo's secret secret base," Conor stated, "he has like 10 thousand freakin' bases. It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you." He offered a hand and she took it.

"Noo noo's base?" she looked around, "I've never seen this place before."

"Yeah, it's a long story," Conor remarked, then turned to Miles and Anne, "we should probably get her outta here."

"mm... mm.. ugh," Tinky groaned, blinking open his eyes. His head was pounding. He'd probably have a concussion after this, from headbutting Po to getting his head slammed against the concrete floor. Say, the floor he was lying upon was awfully warm and... soft?

"Can't breathe," a whisper met Tinky's ear.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry," Tinky gasped and rolled off of the white tubby.

"t-thanks," Walten coughed, "my.. ribs." He gritted his teeth. "He knew.. they were still." The white tubby coughed again.

"Are you alright?" Tinky asked.

"I'm alright," Walten winced and held his side, "I think you protected me from most of the blast." Tinky nodded, his fur felt singed. He looked towards the place where Noo noo had last stood. There was a large black mark, still smoking from the heat of the explosion. It's finally over. Tinky felt a smile creep up the sides of his face. He felt a hand wrap around his. Walten scooted close to the purple tubby and rested his head on his chest. Tinky let his head hang down. They both were exhausted. Cowfarts came padding over and laid down beside them.

"What do you want to do now?" Tinky murmured, wrapping his arm around Walten's shoulder, "that he's gone and everything."

"Rest," Walten replied, nuzzling into the purple fur, "I'm so tired."

"Sounds good to me," Tinky agreed, planting a small peck on the white tubby's forehead. 

"Arf," Cowfart yipped quietly.

Chapter Text

Lick lick. Lenny groaned and flicked open his brown eyes. A silly dog arfed and licked his face, leaving a trail of slobber.

"EWWW COWFART STOP!" Lenny exclaimed and gently pushed the dog off his face.

"Come here cowfarts!" Anne hollered from the hallway. "Where is that dog at now?" Lenny could hear her blow a puff of air in frustration. Oh anne. You never changed.

"Cowfarts is in here!" Lenny laughed, "it tried to wake me up."

"Guess it worked," Anne came in and scooped the dog into her arms. "Somebody hates bathtime." She giggled. Cowfartrs growled playfully and licked anne's hand.

---

"So, what's everyone's plans for today?" Finn raised a brow.

"Today is the one year -ANNE-iversary of our victory," Miles held a beer in one hand and Anne in the other, "who wants to party?" The pink tubby giggled and planted a kiss on Mile's cheek.

"Woohoo!" Conor pumped a fist.

Finn grinned and pulled a beer out of the cooler, "Anne, are you gonna get one."

"Naw, I'm good," Anne winked, "you don't wanna see me when I get drunk."

They sat down in front of a small television. Lenny had built it from spare parts a couple weeks ago. The group laughed and opened their bottles. Conor put a disk into the DVD slot and the TV screen came to life. It was an old human movie he had found before joining the military.

One the men were thoroughly drunk and passed out, Anne got up and strolled out onto the porch. The military had not been disbanded, per say, but they were on standby. For now, the tubbies would reside in the cabins. Anne felt a smile creep across her face as she saw two familiar figures in the distance.

"Hey!" She waved her hand. "Where have you two been all DAY!?" She placed her hands on her hips. No explanation. It was so like the two to just up and disappear for the day.

"How's the party goin'?" Tinky asked once the pair got closer. "Save any beer for us?"

"Oh, the boys are all passed out," Anne chuckled, "I didn't know you liked to drink."

"Hm, Conor made me try it," Tinky shrugged, "it was alright."

"Yeah, and then you flopped on the floor like a worm," Walten grinned.

"DID NOT!" Tinky wagged his finger. Walten stuck his tongue out.

"Also, to answer your question Anne, we were spending tons of quality time together," Walten explained nonchalantly.

"Really? All day long?" Anne raised an eyebrow. She noticed Tinky's face flush red.

"Can you let us in already!?" the purple tubby blurted.

"Sure can," Anne stepped aside so the pair could walk inside.

"You didn't lie Anne," Tinky held up Conor's limp arm and let it flop, "they are really passed out."

Walten chuckled and set his hat on the coathanger. He then grabbed a beer out of the cooler and took a sip. "Ah, refreshing," he remarked.

"Oh no, not you too!" Anne play groaned as Tinky grabbed a beer and began chugging. Before her eyes, the pair were transformed into a drunken pile on the floor. Apparently, the humans who created their race didn't think to add high alcohol tolerance. Cowfarts plopped down on top of Tinky's back and let out a yawn. It must've heard Walten snoring and thought it was bedtime.

"Mmm cowfart, git," Tinky sluggishly swatted his hand, missing the dog by a mile. He blinked his eyes as he realized that everyone except him and Anne were sleeping. "Hmm, I think I'll go to bed." He dropped his head down on the wooden floor, simeuoltaniously wrapping an arm around Walten's side. Walten snorted and abruptly woke up.

"Huh?" He mumbled, "was I snoring? I could hear myself in my sleep." Anne nodded and she saw a smile creep up the side of Walten's mouth.

"The spare room is that way if you two want to spend the night," Anne pointed to the right. Walten staggered to his feet, pulling Tinky up as well. The pair waddled across the hall and fell into the bed. Cowfarts hopped up onto the covers and curled into a sleeping position.

"Night boys!" Anne chirped. She heard a slurred 'g'night' from Walten and an 'I luv you' from Tinky. She smiled to herself, then turned off the lights and began the walk to her bed.

Meanwhile, Tinky and Walten shuffled closer together under the covers. Their hearts beating as one, their eyes sparkling with love, they kissed, in a moment of pure bliss.

--

The End