A/N: For the sake of clarity, pretend any songs from this story were made in 1998.
Last Chapter: Kevin hummed a bit as he finished eating his mini cookie. In a place like this, it won't be easy to make her smile, he thought, before he came up with something. Unless...
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Soon after, Kevin grinned a bit before looking at Michelle. "Hey, sorry about the whole... cookie thing," he said.
Michelle sighed a bit. "It's fine," she said as she held the mini cookie in her mouth before closing the bag. "But next time, don't shove food in my face again."
Kevin chuckled a bit. "Right, right..." he said before pointing at Michelle as she unzipped her backpack and placed the bag of cookies inside it. "But hey... I know how to turn that sour expression of yours into a sweet one..."
After Michelle zipped her backpack and finished eating her mini cookie, she deadpanned at Kevin. "Oh yeah, what's that?" she asked.
Kevin grinned. "Angsty heartbreak songs," he said.
Michelle groaned and covered her face before looking down. "Kevin, no..." she said.
Kevin laughed a bit. "Kevin, yes," he said before stretching his arm toward the center.
Near the soccer net, Kevin grabbed a guitar lying against the wall before retracting his arm. Michelle glanced at the guitar in Kevin's hands, surprised, as he stood up. "You found that?" she asked.
Kevin played the strings a bit before making adjustments. "Back in Home Sweet Home... it was more for entertaining the smaller toys, but... it'll definitely bring your mood up," he said before turning his head to Michelle. "Especially if you start it for us."
Michelle blushed and looked away. "I'm not singing..." she said in a low voice. "It's been so long, and... it's so embarrassing..."
Kevin finished making adjustments before approaching the center of the main room. "Well, if you're not gonna start it, I will," he said.
Link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc582A3dt8s
When Kevin stood in the center, he took a deep breath and exhaled before he started playing the guitar, which made the toys in the main room look at him.
Kevin smiled. "Can't believe that I haven't figured out by now; every time I call you up, all you do is let me down," he sang.
Jack, Suzy, and Bunzo Bunny smiled as they and some of the smaller toys gathered around Kevin and started dancing a bit. "Should've known there was nothing about us I could change; every time we try to be friends, it always ends the same," he sang.
When Michelle looked at the group, she noticed Kevin's smile. "But when I try to remember... all the pain that we've been through..." he sang. "Something in me says, 'Whatever'... and it brings me back to you..."
Michelle smiled a bit as Kevin started playing the guitar lightly. "My stupid heart don't know; I've tried to let you go so many times before," he sang. "Then wound up at your door, my stupid heart; too late, already on my way."
A dough arm sprouted out of Kevin's back as he placed it against his chest. "If we go down in flames... again, then you can blame my stupid heart, heart, heart," he sang as he pounded his chest.
Jack smiled. "Whoo, whoo!" he sang.
Kevin played the guitar as some of the toys danced while other toys, including Miss Delight and PJ Pug-A-Pillar, were swaying their heads to the music. "OK!" they sang. "OK!"
Michelle smiled and slightly tapped her right foot. "You can blame my stupid heart-heart heart-heart," Kevin sang.
Suzy smiled. "Whoo, whoo!" she sang.
The group that was dancing was happy. "OK!" they sang. "OK!"
Kevin smiled. "You can blame my stupid heart!" he sang.
Michelle stood up. "Every now and then I get inside of my head; try to leave your texts unread, but I wind up here instead," she sang, which made the group in the center look at her, shocked.
Michelle smiled as she approached the group in the center. "I should've bit my tongue while we were still ahead; I always had to be right, 'til we had nothing left," she sang.
Kevin smiled as Michelle faced him. "But when I try to remember... all the pain that we've been through..." she sang.
Suzy stared at the duo while the rest of the group was happy and dancing to the music as they playfully revolved around one another. "Something in me says, 'Whatever'... and it brings me back to you..." Michelle sang.
Soon after, Michelle faced the smaller toys while Kevin lightly played the guitar. "My stupid heart don't know; I've tried to let you go so many times before," they sang. "Then wound up at your door, my stupid heart; too late, already on my way."
Michelle and Kevin leaned their backs against one another and placed their hands against their chests. "If we go down in flames... again, then you can blame my stupid heart, heart, heart," they sang as they pounded their chests.
Jack smiled. "Whoo, whoo!" he sang.
Kevin played the guitar while Michelle danced with the smaller toys. "OK!" they sang. "OK!"
Bunzo Bunny played his cymbals a bit as Kevin held Michelle's hand with his free hand before spinning her around a bit. "You can blame my stupid heart-heart heart-heart," they sang.
As the smaller toys sang in the background, Kevin smiled. "I've tried to let you go; so many times before," he sang while Michelle sang a melodic tune while holding her hand out. "You can blame my stupid heart-heart heart-heart."
Michelle and Kevin playfully revolved around one another. "Too late, already on my way," they sang. "If we go down in flames... again, then you can blame my stupid heart."
Soon after, Michelle and Kevin faced one another. "Too late, already on my way..." she sang.
Kevin smiled. "If we go down in flames... again, then you can blame my stupid heart," he sang before he stopped playing the guitar.
As the duo tried to catch their breath, the smaller toys cheered. "That was awesome!" a mini DogDay shouted.
Michelle looked at the smaller toys. "And the singing was incredible..." a mini CatNap said.
As Michelle looked at the happy, smaller toys, she smiled and chuckled, which made Kevin smile at her while the dough arm on his back retracted inside him. "There's that smile," he said, which made her look at him. "You look better with one."
Michelle blushed a bit and looked away. "I-Is that so..." she said before looking down. "Then... I should be thanking you."
Kevin tilted his head. "For what?" he asked.
Michelle looked at Kevin. "You didn't have to do all of this, and yet, you did it anyway," she said before looking at her right ankle and moving her foot a bit. "Plus, the dancing helped with my ankle; it doesn't hurt as much anymore."
Michelle smiled at Kevin. "You're a really good friend," she continued.
Kevin stared at Michelle before looking away with a slight blush and rubbing the back of his head. "It's nothing... I just hate it when you're upset..." he said, which made her giggle a bit.
Unbeknownst to the group, Suzy stared at Michelle with widened eyes before turning away and placing her hand against her head. Jack turned his head to Suzy and noticed her expression, which made him look at her, worried. "Suzy?" he asked.
Suzy flinched when she saw the shadows of two children: a larger kid sitting on the ground singing and a smaller kid lying their head on their lap, in her head, before she screamed.
The group turned to Suzy as she collapsed on the ground, clenching her hands against her head with black slime tears falling from her eyes, which made the duo's eyes widen. "Suzy!" they shouted before they sprinted toward her.
Kevin dropped the guitar and knelt next to Suzy as she cried. "It hurts so much!" she shouted.
Kevin panicked and shook his head. "No, no, no, not again!" he shouted before turning his head to Jack. "Get Matthew here now!!"
Jack quickly nodded before sprinting toward the infirmary's hallway. While the smaller toys were scared, Bunzo Bunny approached Michelle and held her hand, worried. "Is she gonna be alright?" he asked.
When Bunzo Bunny looked at Michelle, she stared in horror as Suzy cried. "It hurts!!" she shouted.
Tears pricked Michelle's eyes before she covered her mouth with her free hand. "I-I don't know... Katie..." she said in a low voice.
Soon after, Matthew and Jack, along with some of the larger Smiling Critters, came out of the infirmary's hallway. "Where is she?" Matthew asked.
Kevin looked at Matthew. "Over here!" he shouted.
Matthew quickly approached Kevin and knelt before Suzy, before picking her up and gently embracing her. "Hey, it's OK..." he said in a low voice as he made circles against her back. "You're OK, Suzy..."
Suzy trembled and laid her head on Matthew's shoulder. "It hurts..." she said in a low voice.
Matthew stood up and turned to Bobby BearHug before holding Suzy out. "Bobby, take Suzy to Medic," he said.
Bobby BearHug nodded. "Right," she said as she took Suzy out of Matthew's hands and held her close. "C'mon, Suzy; let's get you to Medic..."
Before Bobby BearHug entered the infirmary's hallway, Jack looked at her. "Can I come with you?" he asked.
Bobby BearHug looked at Jack before nodding. "Of course..." she said before walking toward the infirmary's hallway, which made him follow behind her.
When the trio was out of sight, Matthew looked at CraftyCorn, PickyPiggy, Bubba Bubbaphant, and DogDay. "The rest of you take care of the smaller toys," he said.
The Smiling Critters nodded. "Right," they said.
While PickyPiggy, Bubba Bubbaphant, and DogDay guided the smaller toys away from the center, CraftyCorn approached Michelle and Bunzo Bunny before kneeling. "Come along, little one," she said.
Bunzo Bunny looked at Michelle, concerned. "But Big Sis..." he said in a low voice.
Michelle pulled her hand away from her mouth and took a deep breath before shakily exhaling. Michelle crouched to Bunzo Bunny's level before gently smiling. "I'll be OK... go with Crafty," she said.
Bunzo Bunny stared at Michelle, worried, before nodding and letting go of her hand. Soon after, Bunzo Bunny placed his hand in CraftyCorn's hoof. "She'll be OK..." she said before standing up. "Let's get going..."
Bunzo Bunny nodded as the duo walked away; as Michelle stood up, Matthew looked at Kevin. "How did this happen?" he asked.
Kevin stood up and glared at Matthew. "How the hell should I know?! It just... happened suddenly; don't accuse me of something I didn't do!!" he shouted.
Matthew remained calm and held his hands up. "I wasn't accusing you; I want to get to the bottom of this just as much as you do," he said.
Kevin growled a bit and looked down as Matthew lowered his hands. "Was your name ever mentioned?" he asked.
Kevin shook his head. "No, it wasn't!" he shouted before looking at Matthew. "Everyone in here knows that if we split, they call me Doey, so it didn't happen! All we did was sing!!"
Michelle realized something before her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both hands. "Has something like that happened before?" Matthew asked.
Kevin glared at Matthew. "Of course not!!" he shouted. "That was the first time I've seen her freak out after singing a song, and I don't know why it happened!"
Michelle trembled, and tears fell from her eyes before she pulled her hands away from her mouth. "It's my fault..." she said in a low voice.
The duo looked at Michelle, surprised. "How is this your fault?" Matthew asked.
Michelle turned her head to the duo. "Kevin's name isn't the only trigger... my singing is a trigger too..." she said.
Kevin stared at Michelle before he realized it, which made him freeze up. "Wait... you're not referring to..." he said in a low voice.
Michelle slowly nodded, which made Kevin growl and place his hand against his head. "Damn it! Why did that not occur to me?!" he shouted.
Soon after, Kevin punched the ground hard, which cracked it, startling the smaller toys around them before the larger Smiling Critters covered them.
Dark teal dough tears fell from Kevin's eyes as he placed his hands against his head. "This is all my fault again; I'm a fucking idiot!!" he shouted, which made Michelle's eyes widen.
Soon after, Michelle clenched her fists and sternly looked at Kevin. "That's enough!!" she shouted.
Kevin froze, and he slowly looked at Michelle. "You're not an idiot; you didn't know my singing could trigger her," she said. "None of this is your fault."
Matthew nodded. "Misha's right; no one could have predicted that there could be more than one trigger," he said before looking at Kevin. "Don't be hard on yourself, Kevin..."
Kevin remained silent and looked down before collapsing to his knees, trembling. Michelle quickly approached Kevin and wrapped her arms around his neck, which made him wrap his arms around her slightly tighter.
Matthew stared at the duo before turning to the infirmary's hallway. "I'll give you two some time alone; I'm gonna head to the Infirmary..." he said before walking forward.
After Matthew was out of sight, Kevin looked down as dark teal dough tears landed on the ground. "Why is it that when I try to do something good... something like this happens? It's not fair..." he said in a low voice.
Michelle shushed Kevin and stroked her hand against his back in circles. "I know, Kev... I know..." she said in a low voice. "This world is an inherently unfair place for people like us..."
After the duo pulled away, Michelle held Kevin's hand in both of hers. "C'mon... we shouldn't keep her waiting," she continued, which made him slowly nod and stand up before the duo approached the infirmary's hallway.
...
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...
In a dark, makeshift lab, multiple mechanical bodies with TVs for heads showing the Doctor's eye, robotic arms, and digitigrade legs wearing torn lab coats were working on the computers around the area.
One of the Doctor's mechanical bodies was typing on the computers in the center. Soon after, the Doctor heard metal clanking, which made him sigh a bit.
The Doctor turned to the back and saw metal arachnid-like legs in the light and a yellow glowing eye in the shadows. "Back from your hunt, 1006," he said.
The Prototype stared at the Doctor. "Your suggestions have failed to produce the results I'm after. Have I made an error in allowing your survival?" he asked.
The Doctor shook his head. "Of course not. We just need more time to perfect the—" he was interrupted when the Prototype sternly looked at him. "Time? Time is precisely what we do not have... especially since that human arrived out of nowhere..."
The Doctor sternly looked at the Prototype. "Then I suggest you find some more. That, or give me Labs access. At least with the two of us—" he was interrupted when he tapped his legs. "That is out of the question. You will stay put."
The Doctor sighed. "Fine, but you have no staff, virtually no test subjects; it's hardly ideal conditions," he said. "Even when this place was fully operational, we were beating our heads against this. You can't expect to do it on your own so quickly."
The Prototype sternly looked at the Doctor. "The situation necessitates it be done quickly," he said.
The Doctor looked at the Prototype. "I'm just giving you the facts, and the fact is we need more time, or this isn't going to work," he said.
The Doctor looked away, annoyed. "I can only be reactive up here, and that annoying germ isn't making things easier," he continued.
The Prototype grabbed the Doctor with his right hand, revealing a yellow, blue, and red conical puffy elbow-length sleeve, before lifting him and slamming him against the wall. The Prototype's eye leaned toward the Doctor's screen. "Then of what use are you?" he asked.
The Doctor chuckled before looking at the Prototype. "You know I'm still your best shot at cracking that secret," he said. "If I weren't, you would have already killed me."
The Prototype stared at the Doctor before pulling his head away and letting go of him, which made him drop to the ground. "A sound observation. Yes, you have made yourself useful," he said before stepping back a bit. "Provide me more options; I will try again."
The Doctor stood up and nodded. "Of course," he said.
The Prototype glared at the Doctor. "But... if you are stalling or worse..." he said. "Remember, your usefulness is the only reason you were not stripped for meat and spare parts."
As the Prototype walked away, the Doctor groaned and placed his hand over the screen. "That annoying germ... she's the reason for this mess; I need to deal with her first," he said.
As the Doctor looked through the security cameras, he saw Hoppy Hopscotch and KickinChicken carrying supplies. The Doctor looked at the computers and saw two files on the screen: one for Kevin and one for Katelynn.
The Doctor hummed and looked at the security footage. "I might have a way to get her out of the picture..." he said in a low voice before chuckling deviously.