Chapter Text
You look around for a minute before Catnap jumps up into the window above, bullying his way through door next. Like he likes to do.
“Psst.” Doey looks around the corner and waves for the three of you to follow him. You look at the pile built up in front of you, then peek into the rooms on either side while Catnap just bulldozes his way through. Doey seems to notice your wondering eyes though.
“Interrogation Rooms,” he sighs, annoyed and angry. Like he'd rather not be speaking about this at all, a bit reluctantly. “They’d question us here after watching us. Those of us who could speak at all. I always answered.”
You frown, wilting a bit. DogDay and Catnap grumble, annoyed.
Metal shelves crash loudly against the floor as Catnap knocks them over, it doesn't drown out Doey's next words.
“But I never gave ‘em an answer they liked,” Doey finishes, giggling.
Good for him…?
Catnap moves down the hall, you glancing at the doors passing by with vague curiosity. But you don’t need to go in them, and Catnap just knocks more metal blockades down instead of finding a way around them.
“Hey,” Doey calls, sticking his head out of a room. He ducks inside once your eyes connect. Catnap follows him grumpily, and he waits for you in the room. He doesn’t wait long before going right through the bars, you jolting when his hat of all things breaks the bars.
What… What is that hat made of? Can he soften and toughen up any part of his body at will? Is his hat part of his body?
Do you actually want an answer to any of these questions? Absolutely not.
You shake your head, putting it out of your mind as you use the Grabpack to pull the broken bars out of the door.
“There’s some nasty falls in this place, but I can get you across. Oh yes, definitely,” Doey giggles, then is silent for a minute. His tone grows colder. “But do you need the help with your… ‘Friend’ there?”
You pause, looking through the bars in concern.
“Hurry now!” Doey chirps, back to happy again. You pause for another moment, watching him make a bridge. But then you just pull the rest of the bars off, Catnap prowling through. He stops at the edge himself, eyeing Doey.
You pat his side, and he gets moving again. You cringe a little at the wet sound Doey makes, but try to put it out of your mind by looking around.
Another cavern, with very large gaps between the rocks. Catnap probably wouldn’t be able to make these jumps, not with carrying all of you around. Even if he is letting DogDay drag himself at the moment, but that doesn’t last long. He still grunts when he has to jump down, letting DogDay drop again as soon as he’s back on solid ground.
Doey appears again, take the shape of a circular platform between two rocks.
“So… have you seen Poppy anywhere? Ollie said she was around… somewhere,” Doey asks, honestly not sounding all too enthused.
“Not since we’ve split up at the lift,” you answer, a bit disappointed.
You were hoping you’d get some kind of update about what happened, you hope everyone comes around soon. You don’t like that you were split up again, especially not after just being reunited.
“Hm. Ollie also said we can trust… your friends there..” Doey trails off, sounding like he really doubts that. His voice softens though, a little bit quieter. “I really hope that’s true.”
Catnap grumbles, a little bit of a growl that’s muffled by having to hold DogDay by the scruff again. Something that the dog looks like he’s getting sick of too. You think it just looks kind of funny, and would laugh about if you were in literally any other situation than this one.
“We have a truce going,” DogDay grumbles, making you raise an eyebrow. Doey just hums, sounding just as doubtful as before.
Catnap just about runs through the caverns, but holds off on actually doing so for your sake. Which you appreciate, since you’re still trying to ignore the pain signals your body would really like you not to with ever jolt and movement from the cat.
But finally you’re in a room, you’re not sure which one but you already don’t like the look of it. Doey stands by a crack in the wall, inspecting it for a moment before sliding through it.
“There’s a safe place up ahead, it’s not too far from here,” Doey tells you, and you nod with a hum. You glance at the crack in the wall, then the door that is very closed and doesn’t budge when Catnap pushes against it. “Right. You can’t fit through here. Hmm… Hey pal, lets see if we can’t get these doors open. You check out there, I’ll look back here!”
You sigh, slumping a bit. Catnap unceremoniously drops DogDay, who lands with an “oomph,” and starts looking around himself. Poe ruffles, then drops down despite you trying to catch him.
You watch him run around, then growl and shriek over an object when he finds what he was looking for. Some kind of… lever, it looks like. DogDay picks it up, letting the bird calm down again.
“Thank you,” DogDay says, Poe ruffling again before climbing onto him.
“Can this help?” Doey asks, making you blink and look around. You just about scream and fall again when he throws something that lands with thud, and just about go through with the scream when it’s a bloody DogDay mini.
WHY WOULD THAT HELP?!
Apparently he meant the lever, but why did he have to throw the dead toy too? You’re just about ready to actually cry again.
DogDay looks very unamused with the display, but picks up the lever anyways.
DogDay grunts as he lifts himself up enough to set the levers into place, and you look at the chains connected to them. You need one more lever, which you’re guessing is hiding around here somewhere.
Catnap prowls up the set of red stairs to the top level, stalking around the walk ways until you find somewhere the lever might be.
“Is that you in there?” Doey asks, as you pass through one of the rooms.
“Yes,” you call back.
“Find anything yet?”
“No,” you pout, the room empty. Catnap moves on, going for the other room.
That one does have some kind of locker with a keypad in it, which is probably where the last lever is! For some reason. You’ll just have to get it open.
You eye the whiteboard to the side, looking over what’s written in it for some clue. Disregarding the note about not drawing on the whiteboard, which has a drawing of Doey on it. Maybe it’s the colors of the towers, that seems par for the course for this damn company.
“DogDay, what’s the numbers on the towers?” You ask, since the dog is waiting for you both down there. He gives you the numbers, and you spend a second thinking about it before trying the numbers. The first one you try doesn’t work, so you try again.
3021.
Success!
You take the lever, Catnap pushing you back onto his back for the ride down.
DogDay puts the lever in place, you using the Grabpack to help him put the hooks into place and shoving the levers down to open the door. It works! Even if Catnap has to bully them open a little more to actually fit through.
“Over here!” Doey calls, ducking into another room behind more piles of debris. Catnap grumbles, picking up DogDay again to climb over it with an irritated huff.
“I’m sure we’re almost there,” you whisper, petting his neck. Catnap huffs again, but then purrs.
It doesn’t take too long to catch up with Doey, who’s looking over something. He turns as soon as you enter though, looking at all of you again.
“Our generator’s in a pretty bad state, so we try to keep the power off in here. I’ll turn it on for you, though. It’ll open a door downstairs,” Doey grins, and you grin back at him.
“Thanks.”
“Of course.” Doey sounds soft when he says it.
He points down the hole beside him, and Catnap jumps down. It’s immediately cramped, and he has to shove two shelves that fell back upright to get some room. DogDay jumps down afterwards, glancing around warily. Doey gives you a battery as soon as you turn a corner, and you plug it in.
There’s another maze, much to your exasperation, which is missing gears you’ll have to find. Once you start looking, there’s not too hard to find. Especially with the minis coming out to scatter and look too, and they very noisily announce when they find them. They’re very helpful, even if Artemis gives you a mini heart attack chasing down a stray sound she hears. Which turns out to be a mouse she splits with Apollo.
Okay, ignoring that. Moving on.
“Should be a straight from here, bud!” Doey calls, a bit muffled by the noise of the gears. “I- uh… should probably go turn off our defenses for you, huh.”
…You almost didn’t hear that part. But Catnap does, and he bristles.
“Guess I’ll see you inside?” Doey giggles. You grimace, but then take a deep breath. You pat Catnap, and he gets going again. Out of the maze and through the door that just opened up.
…Is Doey just going to keep that on? He said his generator’s in a bad state, now that you’re through he could probably just turn it off again.
Well, whatever.
One way is blocked, so you go the other way first before Catnap has to climb over it. This looks like the right direction anyways. Even if Catnap still has to right some more knocked over shelves.
Why are so many of these things tipped over? Who kept knocking the shelves over?
Also, this kitchen is gross and gives off major butcher’s shop vibes. Especially with the weird hanging bags, which you’re not going to call body bags. Even if they looks like they can be, you’re going to convince yourself they’re not. Because that’s far too morbid, and you’re going to tell yourself this company didn’t go that far.
They’re probably something else, something more reasonable. You've just got a hyperactive imagination, that's all.
There’s a fridge or something blocking the way forward, which is weirdly wrapped in chains for some reason. There’s something there you can pull it up with, but the lever’s missing again.
DogDay and the minis separate from you again to look around the kitchen, and you jump when DogDay yells. Like he’d be spitting curses if he would allow himself too. The minis with him shriek too.
“What-?!” You squeak.
A mini Toullie scrambles out of the hallway, then runs when Catnap hisses. DogDay comes out, looking more than disgruntled, with a lever.
“Are.. you okay?” You ask, leaning forward a bit more.
“I’m fine, Sunshine,” DogDay sighs, sounding more annoyed than anything else. You nod, him setting the lever in place. Catnap hooks the chain to the fridge, DogDay pulling the lever.
“Where’s the minis?” You ask, and they come out just a moment later. Catnap pauses for a little bit to let the four climb back on, Baba, Artemis, and Apollo slipping back into your bag while Poe settles on his head.
You look around the hallway, wondering where everything is. Catnap follows it down, only to grunt when a pink arm reaches out and tugs him towards a crack in the wall. You know he only follows the insistent tugging because he wants to, and it's a tight squeeze that makes you think he regrets doing so.
“In here,” Poppy whispers, to your surprise. “Quickly!”
Catnap and DogDay squeeze further in, a little confused. Poppy hushes the three of you before you can ask though, and a noise quickly draws your attention back towards where you just came from.
Kissy.. doesn’t look good. One of her arms is even in a sling, held against her torso. It looks almost torn off, and one of her eyes is now half closed. She’s missing some fur above it.
Your eyes widen a bit at the shadow darkening the door. Strange clawed hands or… or legs settling on the ground as whatever it is pauses for a moment. More then come to view as it moves forwards, then passed the door.
What..?
“Through the showers. We should be able to make it into the Safe Haven from there,” Poppy whispers, her and Kissy leading the three of you.
“Who was that?” You whisper, leaning over to Catnap’s ear.
“The Prototype,” DogDay whispers back, the two looking at you. Your face scrunches, worried.
“He will not hurt you,” Catnap assures, purring and looking completely sure of that. DogDay doesn’t look certain, and Poppy’s not convinced. You’re not sure who to believe.
Kissy and Poppy pause for a moment, looking around. Poppy looks back at Kissy, then you.
“When I say so, we go,” Poppy demands, then watches something through a hole in the wall again. “Go!”
Kissy slips through, DogDay following, then Catnap at a rather leisurely pace. He really doesn’t seem worried about the current events, and that makes you relax a little bit as you look around.
You spot a Mommy Long Legs cutout as you follow the two, then glance at the various mini Critters hanging out in.. the showers you guess. Is this.. like an employee lockers or breakroom or something?
You gasp, perking up when you see everyone’s waiting here for you too. Mommy, PJ, Bunzo, and the mini Huggies. Or most of them by the looks of it. Stitches is here, resting with the other mini Huggies clinging to PJ with Bunzo.
Where’s Huggy?
The little minis out here are sitting far away from the group, who perk up when they spot you too. They’re immediately getting up to follow you, Mommy stretching to hover over you and eye you. She doesn't look pleased with what she finds, you can tell. You try to ignore the look as much as you can.
There’s some drawings on the walls here too, and you look at them curiously.
Doors in front of you open, Kissy slipping through and the rest of you following behind her.
This must be Safe Haven.
“Hurry! Close it!”