Chapter Text
"Wait until Ken gets here."
"Well, then tell pretty boy to hurry up."
"Yeah, space boy's getting antsy."
"Ken!"
Buzz couldn't see anything. The coarse, straw-like sack that covered his head blinded him. The close stitching of the sack's thread made the air stifling, proving difficult for him to breathe. His senses were dulled from his extra efforts to suck in air and he could barely discern who was talking around him. Yet, he could not miss the fact that he was in trouble.
"Relax, Stretch!" A new voice entered the room. "I'm coming. Is he in good?"
"Nice and tight."
"Excellent."
Suddenly, an intense beam of light shinned on Buzz as the sack was removed swiftly from his head. He gasped for fresh air heavily, his senses returning to him in a rush. Squinting against the lamp above him, the Space Ranger glanced around to gain his bearings. He was in some sort of library, but other than where he was the rest of the room was dark. When he tried to stand, however, his body would not obey him.
Looking down, Buzz noticed he sat in a Lego-crafted seat. His ankles were each bound securely against its front legs by thick pipe cleaners. He quickly guessed his wrists were tied similarly behind the chair's back rest. Realizing the seriousness of his situation, Buzz immediately began to struggle fiercely against his bindings.
As he fought to free himself, the space toy remembered what got him into his position in the first place. He was caught spying on the Butterfly Room toys when he heard them call his friends dispensable and useless. His chest suddenly tightened in worry. Had they hurt his friends in response to his eavesdropping? Were they in the same situation as he? He didn't want to imagine it, especially when Jessie's face abruptly appeared in his mind's eye.
He thrashed about harder, but the pipe cleaners held him firmly. For a moment, he caught sight of a group of toys standing beyond the lamp's light, watching him.
"Let go of me you cowards!" Buzz commanded furiously. "I demand to talk to Lotso!"
One of his captors moved forward and as the light hit him, Buzz could see it was the fashion junkie himself, Ken. He glowered at the doll and received only a smug grin in return.
"Zip it Buck Rogers." Ken replied, his grin turning into a sneer. "You don't talk to Lotso until we say you ca-"
"Ken?"
A deep voice provoked everyone in the room to turn to the library door. Faintly lit but still visible, Lotso himself surveyed the scene before him with confused eyes. The room remained silent as the daycare leader slowly entered.
"What's going on here?" The bear questioned. "Why is this toy tied up?"
Buzz felt slightly relieved the situation began to turn in his favor. He held his determined expression and impatiently waited for Ken's answer.
"He…he got out, Lotso." Ken replied, his voice sounding perplexed.
"Got out?" Lotso's eyebrows shot up as he contemplated Ken's words. "No, no, no, no."
The strawberry-scented bear limped hastily over to Buzz, giving his second-in-command a light push as he passed. The space ranger watched as Lotso began to untie his wrists.
"This isn't how we treat our guests." Lotso lectured. "There ya go. I'm so sorry."
Silently accepting the apology, Buzz reached down to free his legs. His previous fears about his friends faded at Lotso's disappointment in Ken and the other's actions. Apparently, the bear had neither knowledge nor association with them on the occurrence. Calming himself down a bit, Buzz eventually brought up why he left the Caterpillar Room.
"Lotso, there's been a mistake." He commented as he stood, straightening his posture.
"A mistake?" The bear repeated with concern.
"The kids in the Caterpillar Room are not age appropriate for me and my friends." He answered in an official tone. "We respectfully request a transfer to the Butterfly Room."
He needed to make sure the others no longer suffered the rough handling they dealt with that day. The children were too young and too naïve. As Mr. Potatohead had said several hundred times before, he was a toy for kids who were ages three and up. As he remembered the day's playtime, he inwardly winced. Rex's tail was roughly pulled off, Hamm was stuffed to the brim, and most of Jessie's beautiful red hair was dyed sea-green. He needed to do this right.
"Well, wish granted!" Lotso exclaimed happily.
"But Lotso!" Ken cried.
"Hush now, Kenny." Lotso silenced the doll's outburst. "This toy's shown initiative and leadership. Why, I say we found ourselves a keeper. Hear that everyone? We got ourselves a keeper!"
The satisfaction Buzz began to feel paralleled the cheers that erupted from the toys around him. He smiled, elated everything worked out.
"We're calling you up to the big leagues, son." Lotso continued, wrapping a stuffed arm around the Space Ranger's shoulders. "From now on, you'll have anything you want."
"Excellent!" Buzz cheered. "I'll go tell my friends."
Lotso abruptly held him back.
"Whoa, whoa. Hold on there, boss." The bear stopped and turned to face him fully. "Those Caterpillar kids need someone to play with."
Buzz's excitement quickly began to recede. Wait, they expected only him? He mentioned his friends, though, so why were they suddenly out of the picture?
"But my friends don't belong in there." The space toy reiterated his reasoning from before.
A big arm of fluff wrapped around his shoulders again, yet, this time, Lotso's grip was firmer and rougher. He took Buzz aside a bit and spoke softly.
"None of us do, I agree. Which is why, for the good of our community, we ask the newer toys, the stronger ones, to take on the hardships some of us can't bear anymore."
"Well, I guess that makes sense." Buzz commented after a contemplative moment, understanding Lotso's explanation.
It was still not an excuse to leave his friends. When Woody left, he became their unspoken leader, the one who would ensure they stayed together. He couldn't help but feel he failed that task already. The cowboy had been an integral piece to their family, having strong connections and understandings with each of them. Buzz knew he had to fill that hole as much as he could before they could fall apart any further. He needed all of them, especially Jessie, whom he knew would fade quickly if the abandonment cycle continued. He would keep them together, if not for his sake, then mainly for hers.
"But I can't accept." Buzz announced, his expression leaving no room for doubt. "We're a family. We stay together."
He should have known then and there something was amiss about the bear standing next to him. After the Space Ranger's declaration, Lotso's joyful expression dropped into one of dissatisfaction. Buzz furrowed his brow as the bear stood taller.
"A family man, huh?" Lotso mused indifferently. "I understand. Put him back in the time out chair!"
Before Buzz realized what happened, a large baby doll grabbed him from behind and hoisted him into the air. Arms pinned to his sides, the space toy flailed his legs about, trying to loosen the doll's grip on him. Soon enough, he found himself sitting in the Lego chair once again, held down tightly. His phantom heart began to race.
He had been set up.
"Bring in the bookworm." Lotso commanded softly, standing unsympathetically against his cane as he watched the scene unfold.
Ken whistled loudly, suddenly more excited about the situation. Among the books to his left, Buzz heard shuffling and movement as a voice hummed quizzically.
"Ah! Here it is!" A voice chimed.
A little caterpillar toy emerged from between two books, the small flashlight in his left arm revealing his bright green color and his bulky black glasses. He carried a thin booklet in his other arm.
"It was filed under "Lightyear." The bookworm commented, tossing the booklet on the ground at Lotso's feet before turning away without a care.
Lotso bent down and grabbed the booklet, giving Buzz a menacing glance as he straightened again. He casually turned to the first page. The Space Ranger began to struggle again, but froze when he read the booklet's cover. Buzz Lightyear Manual Guide.
Fear pierced his chest as the truth became clear to him. They planned to make him theirs, whether he liked it or not. Lotso wanted to break his will easily and swiftly without resistance, a method he seemed to have used several times before on other unfortunate toys. Buzz's breathing rapidly quickened with dread and anxiety.
"Let's see here…accessories, maintenance, oh, here we go!" Lotso made sure to enunciate his words. "Remove screws to access battery compartment."
Two more pairs of hands seized Buzz's shoulders and pushed him toward the floor, exposing his battery compartment. He jerked his body against their overpowering strength.
"What are you doing?" He cried, his voice strained. "Stop! Let go of me!"
A screwdriver removed the screws in his back with a brutal speed. They were ripped out of him, clattering onto the floor. The hands then wrenched open the door to his battery compartment. He yelled as searing pain erupted throughout his back at the rough treatment, the resulting throbs making it harder for him to resist. He continued to try, though, his attempts growing more and more desperate. He didn't want to know what they planned to do.
"To return your Buzz Lightyear to its original factory settings…" Lotso began again, but to Buzz, the world immediately slowed down.
They were going to reset him. No! They couldn't! Not after everything he went through to get to this point! His body grew numb as his mind raced.
Memories flashed before him like images. His awakening, his discovery, his friendship with Woody, his adventures with the others, his meeting Jessie… Jessie. Her image lingered longer than the others. No other toy compared to her. Her exuberance, her brightness, her smile, everything unique about her, both enlivened and captivated him. He never understood how her presence alone could render him speechless. No one else had ever made him feel so much all at once. He treasured every moment he got to spend with her. His greatest flaw but his most powerful strength.
But Lotso, Lotso wanted him to lose everything, including her. The bear wanted to throw away all his precious memories, emotions, and beliefs. He would have to start all over again, return to the deluded version of himself that woke up as a Space Ranger on Andy's bed over a decade ago. He shut his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth as he wildly searched his mind for any ideas to free himself. He was failing.
"No!" He knew his distress would go unheeded, but he couldn't help but plea for them to stop.
"…slide the switch from play…" Lotso smirked as he finished the line. "…to demo."
The images rewound, fast-forwarded, paused, stopped, and played all at once. He saw his best friend smirk at him, care obvious on his features. He saw his family standing closely together, loving smiles etched on their faces. He saw Jessie beaming at him, her green eyes shimmering and her face illuminated perfectly by the sun.
"No…"
He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her hand and feel the softness of her braid between his fingers. He wanted to hold her close and never let go. To finally tell her what he had been too afraid to admit for so long. He tried to imprint her image into every part of his being so he could not forget. To never lose her.
"…no…"
Darkness swiftly consumed the images and rushed into every corner of his mind. He tried to find them again, but only shadows prevailed. His phantom heart wept painfully. He lost his family. He lost her.
"…NO!"