Chapter Text
I'm getting the HELL out of here!
She sprinted on the wooden bridge just as it had almost fully extended over the dark, gaping hole below that would have been filled with colorful plastic balls if things were normal. But nothing about this was normal, especially considering the fact that she was in danger right then.
She didn't need to look back to know that it had given chase. The thing's talons scratched and scraped against the floor while her footsteps echoed on the wooden bridge as she scrambled down it, trying to move quickly without tripping and falling off. She had never meant to anger that bird, but now it was far too late to take it back. It was livid, it was coming for her, and she knew she'd be pecked half to death if she stuck around. She had to get out of the room and go elsewhere. Where to, she didn't know for sure. Anywhere was fine, especially anywhere that wasn't somewhere this thing could peck her to death for stealing its egg.
Right, then forward, then left...she ran down those directions and, thanks to the pace she was keeping, managed to reach the other side of the bridge and the ball pit in no time flat. As soon as she jumped off of the bridge and onto the walkway in front of her, she sprinted to the right, making a break for the doorway that would lead to the playroom and to the rest of the building. She didn't know where to go after that. The exit, maybe? But she couldn't just leave her siblings behind! She still hadn't found them!
I'll worry about them later! She compromised in her thoughts hurriedly. Right now, I need to worry about my OWN life!
So she ran, the bright lights of the playroom in plain sight. She knew she was close, only a few more feet and she'd be through the door!
Just a little...
...further...
"Ggh!"
Her foot collided with something on the floor she hadn't seen, and she let out a sound of surprise as she lost her balance and tumbled to the floor. She winced in pain when she landed hard on a pile of wood beneath her. Giving it a glance, she realized she had tripped over the wooden barricades she had removed earlier.
Damn it! I should've remembered those were there!
She tried to get back to her feet, but her right leg had somehow gotten positioned awkwardly between one of the boards when she had landed. She couldn't even tell how she had managed to get it stuck, but what was more important to her was the fact that she had gotten stuck at all.
No no no! Not now! Please not now!
She struggled, trying to get herself loose, but the barricades were heavier than she thought they had been when she had torn them off with the hammer earlier. The hammer would've been so nice to have- why did she have to put it down before she entered into the room? At least if she kept it, she'd have a blunt object to hit the bird with!
She heard the scratching steps of the thing's talons, getting closer by the second. Time was running out. She kicked her leg furiously, trying her hardest to get it unstuck so she could get back to her feet, but her progress was heavily impeded by the fact that she could barely even see what position her foot was in to begin with.
Her mind racing, she looked back to see the bird much closer than before. It had already crossed the bridge and now it was almost upon her; she knew she only had seconds before it would reach her. As she strained her neck looking back at it, she saw the thing's beak open wide, poised to screech, peck, or bite...she didn't know which one it would try, but she knew she had to free herself before it could get the chance.
She strained her neck, trying to look beyond her peripheral vision, and she finally managed to see what position she was stuck in. Angling her leg, she pulled as hard as she could.
The wooden board on top of her leg clattered to the floor as she got her leg out from under it, finally free of the weight.
Getting back onto her knees hurriedly, she looked up just in time to see two big, round eyes boring into her.
And then she screamed.
This was going to suck.
Rebecca had never really wanted to actually go to this place. She hadn't even considered it at all after the last time she had seen the front entrance from the outside. It was a kindergarten, after all. It was made for the entertainment and schooling of her little brother and sister, but not for her. She had college to get through, and as far as she was concerned, what happened in this kindergarten wasn't really her business.
That was the way she thought before today.
But now things were much, much, much different.
And it was all her mother's fault.
Why? Because her mom couldn't be bothered to do even the simplest of things that would ensure her kids were cared for.
Rebecca remembered that ever since her dad left, it was like her mother had hardly a care in the world anymore when it came to Rebecca and her younger siblings. Expecting even the bare minimum from her would require nothing short of a miracle.
Such a lack of care put Rebecca in the unfortunate position of having to grow up really, really fast. Rebecca had been forced to babysit and teach her younger siblings all that she could, which was difficult enough considering she was still learning. Her little brother and sister certainly didn't make things easier for her. Rebecca did love her younger siblings, she couldn't deny that, but having to put up with their antics wasn't her favorite thing in the world. Far from it.
Part of her wished she had a mother who would've bothered to do what she was supposed to do. Part of her wanted to stick it to her mom for her selfish behavior. But it wasn't like she could just get on the phone and call child protective services. Her mom may have been neglectful, but she hid her neglect well, behind an all-too fake smile reserved only for the authorities, and never for her own kids.
And even if Rebecca managed to get her mom arrested, the negative consequences of that outcome outweighed the positives. If her mom was thrown behind bars for negligence Rebecca knew that she and her younger siblings would lose the house and be put into foster care, and that was the absolute last thing Rebecca wanted to have happen. She had heard horror stories about the foster homes in her town, and there was no way she was going to subject herself to that, much less her younger siblings who didn't deserve it.
So she put up with it, and had to be the guardian in place of her mom for the sake of Claire and Jack. It was difficult, but she was so fond of them that she had learned to roll with the punches.
Surprisingly enough, however, there was one thing her mom was always tasked to do and did actually do, against all usual logic: driving Rebecca's younger siblings to school. It had to be that way, since Rebecca didn't have a license and her younger siblings were far too susceptible to getting lost. And sending Jack and Claire was the only way her mom could get rid of her kids for several hours of the day, which Rebecca knew her mom longed above all else.
Rebecca was the exception; she always took her bike to college or wherever else, so she never needed her mom to drive her anywhere. That left her mom to have to take the younger kids and make sure they were dropped off at the kindergarten safely. Then, their mother would come back to pick them up at the scheduled time they would be released.
That had been the arrangement for a long, long while.
Rebecca should've known it wasn't meant to last.
Rebecca had arrived home and rolled her bike into the garage expecting it to be an afternoon like any other, but then she came in to see her mother glowering at her the instant she stepped through the doorway.
And then...
"Mom? Where are Claire and Jack?"
"Still at that kindergarten, probably."
"Still? Mom, you're supposed to go pick them up!"
"I did go to pick them up. But you know what happened? They never came out! Two hours I sat there waiting for them and they kept me waiting!"
"They...they what? Well...something must have happened. Didn't you at least go inside to check on them?"
"Go inside? After that little loudmouth and the attitude-riddled pansy decided to waste my time for...what, the thousandth time?! Pah! As if!"
"What the hell do you mean, 'as if'? You can't just leave them there!"
"Hell yes, I can. If they're gonna mess with me like they own my life and hide inside that place just to try and make my life even more miserable, then let them! They won't be laughing when they see that I won't be coming back for them! Maybe the two little brats will go wander out and get lost, and then I can finally be rid of the worst two things in my life once and for all!"
"How can you say that...? How can you SAY that?! They're your kids!"
"...Not anymore, they aren't."
"No...no, no, NO! What's wrong with you, mom?! Why can't you just be bothered to be there for them?!"
"What's the point anymore? I'm at my limit. If you care so much about them, then go get the little brats yourself...I'm done caring about this lost cause I once thought of as a family."
All of that was the reason why Rebecca had been forced to drag her bike back out of the garage and pedal all the way to the very spot she found herself standing in right now: the walkway right in front of the very kindergarten that her siblings had not come out of.
Banban's Kindergarten.
Rebecca had never went inside the building before. There was never a reason to do so, as Rebecca was far past kindergarten age. It was (had been) her mom's job to pick up her siblings, anyway, so there had never been a need for Rebecca to enter.
But now it was clear as day that Rebecca couldn't depend on her mom for anything anymore...not even this. So if anyone was going to go inside and get Claire and Jack out of there, it was Rebecca herself.
Ugh...mom, you're...you're so... Rebecca thought bitterly, hatred for her mother swelling up inside her. Her mom had not been great for so long, but callously abandoning Claire and Jack and refusing to even so much as go inside and ask the kindergarten staff what was going on? That was the last straw.
And all because her mom had given up. Given up on them, given up on her. Given up on everything related to them.
Rebecca sighed out loud. She was so tired of her mother. So, so tired.
Out of all of the mothers in the world, why did she have to be stuck with her?
Day had turned to night by the time Rebecca had pedaled up to the kindergarten. The moon was full and shining with light, and the stars were glittering high above. The front lawn outside the kindergarten was quite dark, with the only source of light coming from behind the glass front doors of the building. The nearby, impossible to spot crickets were making a racket all over the front lawn.
Rebecca guessed that her siblings had been left at the kindergarten for many hours past when they were supposed to leave. They hadn't come out all this time. In fact, according to Rebecca's mother, she hadn't even seen anyone entering or exiting the building.
This worried Rebecca the slightest bit, but she didn't care as much about that as she much as she did about just making sure she could get her siblings out of there. She was annoyed that they hadn't come out of the place at all. She couldn't even figure out why. Sure, they could be a bit mischevious, but they never went out of their way to cause trouble like this.
Rebecca's only guess was that their failure to come out was because they had lost track of time. Wouldn't be the first time, either. Maybe they had decided to play hide and seek and got really into it. She could only guess...at least, until she tracked them down and made them explain themselves.
Rebecca mulled over what she would say to them when she found them as she approached the front doors of the kindergarten. Gripping the glass doors, she pulled them open and stepped inside, entering this strange kindergarten for the first time ever in her life.
She let go of the handles as she stepped indoors, hearing them shut behind her as she looked ahead at the entrance. The front lawn outside had been relatively dark, yet noisy because of the crickets. But the inside was the opposite: bright fluorescent lights illuminated the inside of the building, and except for the soft humming of the lights, it was quite silent.
Rebecca found herself in what looked to be a lobby of some kind. It was reasonably spacious, with plenty of floor space to walk around in. The paneled wooden floors shined underneath the gaze of the lights, and the walls were a stark white color. Four two-seater benches with fabric covering formed a seating area in the center of the room, and to the right was the front desk.
Nobody was sitting behind the front desk.
In fact, nobody was there in the room at all.
So this is what it looks like on the inside. Rebecca thought as she glanced around the room. Sure isn't anything like the kindergarten I went to when I was as young as Jack and Claire. But...where are the employees? You'd think someone would be manning the front desk...
She took a step into the room, and when her eyes looked around the room again, they were immediately drawn to the most eye-catching sight in the room, which was drawn on the left wall.
Oh, wait a second...is that...?
Rebecca walked over, the sound of her footsteps echoing off the floor of the strangely silent room as she approached it, getting right in front of it to get a closer look.
It was a mural, and a rather simplistic one at that. Just from a quick glance, Rebecca knew the art style wasn't any kind of art that would've passed the art class she took back in high school. But it did made sense to have such a simplistic and cartoony artstyle. After all, this was a kindergarten that little kids would be running around in. It didn't exactly need eloquent artwork all over the place. All it needed to be was simple, and easy to understand.
Rebecca could mostly tell what she was looking at, so the art did the job it was meant to do.
The mural depicted a lineup of six hand-drawn creatures, each one as bizarre as the last. Though they looked quite different from one another, they all shared cartoony, googly-looking eyes and had visible black marker outlines around them.
Actually, different didn't really describe it well enough, in Rebecca's personal opinion. Honestly, this was the strangest assortment of creatures she had ever seen.
The creature in the center of the lineup caught her eye first, being the only one out of the six that she recognized in any sort of way. This wasn't because she had any personal knowledge of this character, though, because she had never went to the kindergarten. She only vaguely knew, from looking at the sign on the front of the building and at newspaper advertisements, that this was Banban, the mascot and namesake of the kindergarten.
He was a tall and red humanoid figure, his arms strangely round and legs somewhat skinny. His oddly jellybean-shaped head had two party hats on it, each one covered in different-colored stripes. The hats were seemingly attached to...horns? Did this thing have horns or just strange stumps on the top of its head? The drawing was too simple for Rebecca to tell.
But with this creature's wide, toothless mouth spread in a grin and its tongue lolling out of its mouth like it was a panting dog, Rebecca honestly thought this kindergarten mascot looked dopey and stupid. It was probably recognizable to all the kids- after all, it was easy to understand, and a pretty simple design overall- but that didn't change the fact that, to Rebecca, it looked like a resident of a funny farm.
Then there were the other five, which Rebecca hadn't seen or known of before now.
Another humanoid creature stood to the left of Banban. It looked almost like a carbon copy of him, except white and without its tongue lolling out. It had a pink bow on its head, nearby its...ears? Horns? Rebecca couldn't tell what. But with the presence of the bow, she could tell that this creature was meant to be female. The creature's eyes were looking over at Banban, who was looking back at that same creature.
Well, this one's just uncreative. It's like they said 'why don't we just make Banban again but a girl this time, that's totally original'. Rebecca thought, rolling her eyes.
To the left of the white one was one of the silliest cartoon creatures Rebecca thought she had ever seen. It was taller than Banban or his white copy were on the mural, but it had no accessories this time. It was just...green. Big and green. Its body was wide, its hands were like giant green mittens and were even bigger than its torso, and its skimpy legs looked too small to support its body. Its oval-shaped head had two big eyes and a giant grinning mouth full of tiny white dots- teeth.
Wow. I thought Banban's smile looked dopey, but this thing's a strong contender. Rebecca thought. No thoughts, head empty, probably. And what's with this thing's body? Its legs look way too small, and its arms and hands look stupidly big. This thing's so odd. What is it even supposed to be? I mean, guess it looks right for a kindergarten but...meh.
To Banban's right was a creature which, for the first time, Rebecca was able to distinguish as an actual animal: a bird. It was definitely no bird she had ever seen, though. Its body was pink, its wings were purple, and its beak and legs were both yellow. Beyond that, there wasn't much else to say.
Alright, so we've got generic bird here. Inoffensive, I guess, but definitely doesn't leave much to my imagination. Next.
To the bird's right was...was...what even was it? It was easily the smallest creature on the mural. It was a periwinkle color. It had no neck at all, and its head and torso looked practically the same. Its two eyes stared off to the right, and its mouth was curved into a smile, which had two large teeth poking out on top. Its arms and legs were smaller than Banban's, but were also just about as thick.
Okay, I know I thought this about most of the characters before, but...seriously, what is this creature supposed to be? A weird caveman? A yeti? An orc? I can't even tell...well, at least it doesn't look nearly as dopey as Banban or the big green thing.
Rebecca turned her eyes on the final creature depicted on the mural, which was to the right of the periwinkle thing. It was completely orange and almost as tall as Banban, with a head shaped like a mop and a single eye in the middle. It appeared to have long tentacles: four serving as legs, and two on either side of it serving as arms, raised in the air.
Huh, so what's this last thing? A squid? An octopus? I can't even tell...well, it at least looks a little creative. Not that bad.
It was only after looking thoroughly at the mural that Rebecca realized something. She was wasting her time. She had come here to get in, find her siblings, and get out, not to gawk at the simplistic wall art. Rebecca sighed and shook her head, then turned away from the mural on the wall and looked back at the room.
The lobby, she realized, was very silent and empty. She had been expecting to hear anything- the nearby chatter of employees, the screams and yells of playing children- but neither was present. The lobby was silent, the front desk was empty, and there were no sounds from neighboring rooms that Rebecca could hear from where she was.
What's...with this place? It's way quieter than I thought it'd be...are the kids sleeping or something? Rebecca wondered. Well, if they are, then that would explain why Jack and Claire never left to get picked up. But even still...why didn't one of the employees wake them up? Where even are the employees, anyway?
"...Hello?" Rebecca called, using her voice for the first time since she had entered the room.
...
...No response. Her voice echoed a bit, but that was as much of a reply as she was granted in this weirdly empty room.
Rebecca sighed. Guess I'll have to look a bit harder to find Jack and Claire. I don't know where they are or what they're doing, but whatever's going on here, it sure is quiet...better keep looking.
Rebecca's eyes swiveled the room quickly again and caught sight of a shoe rack in the corner, to the left of the mural. Feeling curious, she walked over and took a look. Various kids shoes, mostly sneakers, were set on top of the rack. She scanned the shelves, and then she saw something that caught her eye: a pair of yellow sneakers she knew belonged to Jack, and pink sneakers that belonged to Claire.
It's Jack and Claire's shoes. They've definitely been in here, that's for sure. Rebecca thought. They must've had to take off their shoes when they entered.
Rebecca moved away from the shoe rack and stepped across the room. She stepped past even more wall art, this time of hot air balloons, and went up to one of the doors in the room.
Right across from her was a yellow door, labeled by the wall art as the 'Creativity Area'. Next to the door was a single small red button. Since the door had no handles, Rebecca could see she had to press the button to open the door. Reaching out, she pressed the button with a single finger.
She flinched a little when met with a loud beep, and when she waited for a second afterwards to see if anything would change, the door didn't open up.
Locked. She thought. Why is the door locked? Well, whatever. Guess I have to find another a way to open this door.
Rebecca stepped away from the yellow door and walked to the left, coming up to a blue door that was also closed tight. However, instead of a button, this one had a keycard reader set into the wall to the left. Above the reader was a yellow square symbol depicting a wrench and screwdriver.
Is this some kind of employee room? Then that means technically I'm not supposed to be going in here... Rebecca thought. Then she shrugged. But when has that ever stopped me before? There's not even any employees around anyways. All that matters is finding Jack and Claire. If the employees get mad at me for searching in employee rooms, then they can be that way. I don't care.
She leaned down and examined the keycard reader. A blue light was glowing just above the slot.
Needs a keycard. Don't have one. Maybe there's one in this room?
Rebecca turned and looked back at the lobby again. There was always the front desk.
The front desk is an employee only desk. Maybe they have keycards in the drawers back there.
Rebecca walked away from the blue door and stepped silently across the room, then walked around the lengthy front desk to look at it from the opposite side. Sure enough, sitting on the front desk was a dark blue card with a single light blue stripe.
Jackpot. Rebecca thought, and she reached for the keycard and picked it up. Then she walked back over to the keycard reader, positioned the keycard correctly, and swiped it.
Instead of the loud beep of denial from the yellow door, Rebecca heard a much more soft and cheery-sounding beep from the keycard reader. The light changed from blue to green, and seconds later, there was a click. The blue doors slid open, opening up the room beyond.
Rebecca stepped into the room to see a small storage closet, which was mostly empty save for a pile of cardboard boxes stacked in one corner of the room and a smaller pile in a corner opposite. Rebecca looked quickly, but one glance told her that Jack or Claire weren't anywhere in here.
Sighing, Rebecca let her gaze go to the cardboard boxes on the floor. Maybe the kids were hiding in the boxes? She had had to pull Jack out of a giant cardboard box after he had climbed into one before, so she knew he had no qualms about doing so. But when she stepped over to the pile, it was not the boxes that caught her eye. It was a piece of paper.
Raising an eyebrow, Rebecca reached down and grabbed the paper between her fingers, then lifted it up to eye level...before giving a small gasp of recognition.
Most of the paper was taken up by large messy handwriting, clearly written by someone with only a grasp over how to write words.
Dear Becka and Mommy,
I am hiding in a room
But I have to fight the monster
It is the only chance to make Claire like me :(
Rebecca snorted at first when she read the this. She recognized the sloppy writing and the way the word 'Becca' was used. This was from Jack. Rebecca knew this not just because her younger brother had said her nickname (and misspelled it, as usual. It was Becca, not Becka), but also because it referenced Claire as well.
...but what was all this about a supposed monster?
Moving her eyes down a bit, Rebecca viewed the bottom half of the paper, which depicted an extremely crude drawing. An angry-looking stick with an arrow pointing to it saying 'Me' was standing to the left, holding a knife. To the right, drawn in red colored pencil, was a strange picture of a bird that had an arrow pointing to it saying 'Monster'. Behind the monster was a small stick figure head with black hair and heart-shaped eyes, with an arrow pointing to it saying 'Claire'.
This was drawn by Jack for sure. Still has that goofy stick figure art style. Rebecca thought, thinking over this. But what is he talking about? What 'monster?' He and Claire didn't get into trouble...did they? Rebecca thought it over. Wait, why am I taking this seriously? This is Jack I'm thinking about. He has a crazy imagination. He was probably playing some game with Claire to try and make her not be angry at him anymore.
Rebecca knew from experience that this was how their siblings were. Claire, who was older than Jack by about half a year, had always been a bit more headstrong and standoffish. Jack, by contrast, was more childlike and naive. Jack had always wanted to play with Claire back at home, and while Claire had usually accepted, Rebecca knew that Claire could get pretty mad if her favorite toys were broken, and once she was mad, she would hold grudges for a long, LONG while. Rebecca suspected that Jack must've broken one of Claire's dolls while they were at the kindergarten and was trying to play with her to make it up to her.
Guess I can appreciate the little tyke's effort, but there's no way Claire's gonna forgive him over a silly game. She likes holding grudges for a while. Rebecca thought, rolling her eyes. But his imagination sure is something else...why is the 'monster' a big bird? Did Jack develop a fear of birds or something?
Rebecca shrugged it off. She didn't know about Jack sometimes. As she lifted the paper away from her eyes, it occurred to her how strange it was that this note from Jack would be in this employee room, of all places.
Did Jack seriously go and hide in an employees only room? Must've gotten put in time out for that one. Rebecca thought. I bet it wasn't even worth it, considering he did it all for Claire, who doesn't easily forgive...eh, who knows. I'll ask them both once I find them and drag them home.
Rebecca folded the paper and pushed it into her jacket pocket, then turned her attention back to the boxes, only to see an even smaller slip of paper lying there.
Huh. Guess this was underneath Jack's note. She thought. What is it, another drawing from home?
She snatched the thin paper and held it up, only to see not a drawing, but a hastily-scribbled, very small note.
5207
Rebecca gave it a look for a second. What's this? Some kind of code? She thought. Well, dunno what that's for, but I might as well keep it. Might be useful later. She put the tiny slip of paper into her jacket pocket as well, then stood back up straight and turned her attention back to the room at large. She saw a grey door with a black lightning bolt symbol near it, but this door didn't have a handle, a button, or a keycard reader. Must be electrical. No way is Jack or Claire in there. Rebecca turned away from the door and walked back out to the lobby.
As soon as she arrived back in the room she started in, however, Rebecca realized that she was still making no progress towards finding the kids. Sure, the shoes on the rack and the crude note were evidence enough that Jack and Claire were in the kindergarten somewhere, but there was still no sign of where they, or anyone else, had gone.
She fished the slip of paper back out of her pocket and looked back at it. The string of numbers seemed like some kind of code, and so far, it was really all Rebecca had to work off of. But she was still confused over what the numbers were really for, and she felt frustration building up as she turned to paper over in her fingers.
Make sure to punch in code when kids arrive for BAFD
This hastily-scrawled message was, as it turned on, on the other side of the slip of paper. Rebecca stared at it for a second. Make sure to punch in code...so this IS a code...but what for? She thought. And what's 'BAFD'? Must be some wack employee acronym...even so, at least I know this is a code for sure now. And apparently it needs to be punched in. Punched into what?
Rebecca looked back at the room. Codes were usually punched into machinery, like number pads, so she looked at the walls, wondering if she had missed such a pad. But there was no number pad on any of the walls.
She did notice, however, the computers situated on the front desk, and that made an idea click inside her.
Wait a second...what if this code is meant to be put into those computers? They've got numbers on the keyboards. Rebecca deliberated. Might be a stretch, but it's all I've got to work of off. Worth a shot.
Rebecca walked back behind the front desk and bent over one of the computers situated there. The screen was black and offline. Rebecca reached out and pressed the power button on the computer monitor.
...
...Nothing happened.
Feeling a sense of frustration, Rebecca punched the button a few more times, applying a little extra force for good measure. No dice. She looked at the other computer and pressed its power button as well. Nothing.
Why won't these things turn on? Rebecca thought. Are they even plugged in? Kneeling down, Rebecca took a peek underneath the front desk. There was an outlet under there, but sure enough, there were no cords plugged into it. Oh, they actually aren't plugged in. Weird. What kind of staff don't keep the computers plugged in? Guess I need to find a power cord or something...if there's even one nearby.
Rebecca stood back up straight and pondered where to go next. She had already looked in this room and the supply closet. Nothing. Was it in electrical? Hopefully not, since she didn't have any clear way of accessing the room.
She turned and looked back at the wall behind the front desk. There were the multicolored words reading 'Banban's Kindergarten', same as ever, alongside a smaller word drawn to the left reading 'Cafeteria'.
Wait...
Rebecca looked off to the left and saw an opening in the wall, which lead into another room beyond the lobby.
Wait, there's another room here. Duh. How did I not notice that before? Rebecca thought. She walked past the front desk and was almost about to head right into the cafeteria. That was, until she saw big cartoony eyes drawn on the wall nearby.
Rebecca quickly looked off to the left. On the wall right next to the entryway to the cafeteria was another large drawing. The big green guy on the mural was drawn here, even bigger than before. But this time, there was a quote.
Jumbo Josh Says:
'Eat vegetables and fruits to become strong. LIKE ME!'
Rebecca snorted. So that was the name of the dopey big green guy on the mural. Jumbo Josh. Well, he certainly was big, that was for sure. Not to mention the fact that the character was clearly made to promote to younger kids the idea of healthy eating by having a cartoon character say it would make them strong.
This really is a Kindergarten after all. They've even got the corny cartoon character quotes. What's not to love? Rebecca thought sarcastically. I bet Jack loves this place. Claire probably does, too. Maybe those two didn't come home because they loved it here and wanted to stay overnight. If so, they're silly. But also, no. Once I find them, I'm definitely telling them not to try to have sleepovers in these kinds of places.
Rebecca moved past the drawing of Jumbo Josh and moved onward to the cafeteria. The walls switched from plain white to shiny grey and black tiles. The cafeteria itself was quite barebones. No food racks or anything. Just three tables of red, blue, and green with a couple of vending machines sitting against the back wall. Moving between the tables, Rebecca briefly glanced at the vending machine. She had almost wanted something to drink, but it only took her one look to see that both vending machines were completely empty. Slightly disappointed, Rebecca turned her head and saw yet another drawing on the wall. This time, the orange character was depicted.
Stinger Flynn Says:
'Having this many arms allows me to help a lot more people!'
So the orange thing's name was Stinger Flynn. Stinger Flynn.
Ohhh, I get it now. It's a jellyfish. Rebecca realized. Why else would they use the word 'stinger' unless that was the case? Although I'm pretty sure jellyfish don't have a big round eye in the middle of their heads...eh, but whatever. It's a cartoon character, shouldn't be expecting realism.
Rebecca glanced over the drawing before turning back. She had given the cafeteria a quick glance, but the tables had nothing lying on them and the vending machines were empty. It didn't seem like anything of use was here. Rebecca sighed and stepped back across the cafeteria, feeling her footsteps against the shiny wooden floor.
And then feeling her left foot tromp on something round and squishy.
"GAH!" Rebecca yelped audibly as she stumbled from the unexpectedness of the round surface, and she began to fall forward. She would have hit the ground, but her reflexes jumped into action fast enough to allow her to grab the edge of one of the nearby tables, stopping her fall.
Startled and slightly irritated, Rebecca straightened up and looked down at the floor. A squishy red ball had been sitting on the floor right beneath her and she hadn't even noticed.
"Stupid thing..." She muttered, and she got payback against the toy by giving the ball a good kick. The ball squeaked and rolled across the floor, bouncing off the wall and coming to a stop right nearby the blue table, prodding a white cord wrapped up on the floor.
Wait, what?
Rebecca went over and realized that she had completely missed something. Lying underneath the other side of the blue cafeteria table was a white cord, wrapped up and laying there on the paneled wood. Rebecca knelt down and picked it up. It took her all of a single second to notice the three-pronged plug.
Oh. A power cord! Exactly what I was looking for. Rebecca thought. Well, lucky me. I almost walked right past this thing.
Standing back up straight, Rebecca took the power cord with her as she walked back into the lobby. Stepping back behind the desk, she unraveled the power cord and pushed the plug side of the cord into the outlet underneath the desk. Fingering the other end of the cord in her other hand, she took it and plugged it into the computer that was closest to her.
As soon as she did, the computer suddenly gave off a beep, and the screen flickered to life, whiteness glowing from the monitor. Shortly afterwards, text appeared onscreen. Rebecca had been expecting to see a normal computer desktop, but instead, the screen displayed a simple window to input commands.
Input Command/Code Below.
(_)
Well, it was simplistic, but that just made it easy for Rebecca to wrap her head around it. She fished into her jacket pocket again and got out the code. Giving it a quick look, she reached over, putting her fingers on the keyboard, and began to type.
Input Command/Code Below.
5207_
Processing...
...
...
...
...Code accepted.
Unlocking Creativity Area entryway door...
Opening Creativity Area entryway door...
It worked! Rebecca thought, and she looked over as soon as she heard the clicking noise. With a rumble, the yellow doors to the Creativity Area slid open, finally granting passage into the rest of the Kindergarten. About time. Now I can finally get in there and find out where Jack and Claire are hiding out. Wherever they are, they sure are being quiet about it. Must be asleep. Or trying to be sneaky. Either one.
Rebecca left the desk and computer behind and stepped over to the newly-opened entryway. Ahead was a long hallway, with two large windows and doorways on either side and a big doorway off at the far end of the hallway. Stepping into the hallway, Rebecca heard her footsteps continue to echo as she moved. Now that she was inside the actual kindergarten itself, Rebecca finally used her voice again.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" She called, raising her voice. "Anybody working here? I'm here to pick up my kids!"
She waited for a response as she stepped slowly down the hallway.
"...Hello? Claire? Jack? Wherever you are, can you please come out? It's way past time for you both to go home and Mom isn't going to come get you herself this time!"
She spoke a little louder then and once again waited for a response. She half-expected to hear a children's yell of 'Coming!' or some sign that anyone was here.
Instead, the silence of the hallway around her only seemed to grow denser.
Rebecca sighed. Those two are really going to make me turn the place upside down trying to find them, huh? Well, I normally wouldn't even want to, but...Mom sure isn't going to bust her ass trying to get the kids home, so there's no if, and, or but about this. I'd better keep looking.
Rebecca let this goal settle deeper into her mind and focused her attention back on the hallway in front of her. The white walls, the paneled wooden floor, the fluorescent white lights buzzing softly...
...the flicker of pink disappearing around a corner...
Rebecca snapped to attention and looked right in front of her, gazing down the hallway in a startled manner. Nothing was there. She was alone. But...she could've sworn that in her peripheral vision, she had seen a flicker of movement...
"...Hello? Is someone there?" Rebecca called, hoping this meant she was finally about to encounter someone. A kid, maybe, or an employee. "Claire? Jack? If you're hiding from me, please, come out already! This is getting old!"
The silence in the hall was as ever-present as before.
Rebecca stepped forward, and for the first time, she felt uneasy. She looked off to her right and saw a huge window, which looked into the room beyond. However, the room was extremely dark, so much so that nothing was discernible through the glass. Rebecca turned her attention to the big window on her right, and the room on the other side was lit up, so she could see inside. It looked to be a kindergarten classroom, based on the way small tables with colorful chairs were scattered around the place. A whiteboard was placed on the back wall and a metal desk with a computer was shoved back into the left corner.
Stepping around the large pane of glass, Rebecca interestedly made her way into the classroom. She figured this seemed like the type of room kids would be in, including Jack and Claire, but the room was as devoid of people as all of the previous ones. Rebecca's eyes glanced around the room to make sure nobody was standing in a corner. Nothing. She doubly made sure by quickly glancing at the tables to see if anyone was hiding underneath them. Nada.
Her eyes then focused on the whiteboard, and she raised her eyebrows when she saw the scribbled message displayed on the board:
Please don't let this be the en
The message had the remnants of a 'd' at the end of the word 'end' but it seemed whoever had written this on the board had been interrupted in the middle of doing so.
Well, this is weird. This doesn't seem like a message teachers would be writing on the board...unless they're crazy. Rebecca thought. Did something actually happen here? Is that why nobody's around? Rebecca grimaced. No, no, there's a good explanation for all this. Nothing could have went wrong, right? Maybe some rowdy kid just drew that message up there for fun and the teacher forgot to erase it...that has to be it.
Rebecca turned away from the board and looked off to her left. Another large mural, this one depicting none other than Banban himself, still with the dopey tongue-lolling smile.
Banban Says:
"Sharing is caring! Your pancreas is mine!"
Rebecca let out the loudest snort she had let out the entire time she was there, and for a moment she quite forgot her creeping feeling of unease over where everyone was. Really? They had the main guy going 'Your pancreas is mine' on the wall drawings? What was with this place, writing stupidly weird messages on the wall like that? And wouldn't the staff have to explain to the children what a pancreas was if the kids asked what Banban was talking about? It made absolutely no sense to Rebecca.
Damn, I'm starting to think Mom dumping Jack and Claire at this place every day was a bad idea. Rebecca thought. But she did complain a lot that this was the only kindergarten she could afford to send the kids to...geez, our money situation must've been bad if a place like THIS is the best we can send Jack and Claire to.
Turning away from the drawing, Rebecca walked through the room and got closer to the teacher's desk. Except for a piece of paper on the desk and the offline computer, the desk was spacious and empty. On the wall right next to the desk was a small grey door, closed shut and blocking access to something.
Curious, Rebecca got closer. This door had a keycard reader right by it, too, except the light glowing above the slot was yellow, not blue. Rebecca experimentally took out the blue keycard from before and swiped it, only to see the light momentarily turn red and for a loud 'beep' of denial to confirm to her that the keycard hadn't been accepted.
Don't have the right keycard for this one, I guess. She thought. Alright, guess I'll have to keep an eye out for a yellow keycard. Until then, I'd better look elsewhere.
Rebecca turned and walked away from the closet, stepping across the classroom and going back out the doorway.
As soon as she exited, the first thing she saw was the entryway to the very dark room across from the classroom. Walking up to the doorway, Rebecca tried to squint through the darkness, but she couldn't tell what was inside the room. She looked away and scanned the wall nearby for a light switch, then quickly spotted a lever on the wall on the right labeled as 'Light Control'. She gripped the lever, which was down on the 'OFF' setting, and tried to lift it up to the 'ON' setting...only for the lever to resist her grip.
Confused, she looked again and saw a keycard slot underneath the lever, with small words written next to it saying 'Swipe card to unlock lever'. Oh, it needs to be unlocked. Must be to stop kids from trying to play with the switch. Rebecca thought as she fished out the blue keycard and swiped it through the slot. The blue light next to the reader turned green, and Rebecca tried lifting the lever up again. This time, it moved, and Rebecca was able to lift the lever up to the 'ON' setting.
Immediately, rows and rows of circular overhead lights snapped on, one row after another, and the room beyond was flooded with bright light.
It was a huge playroom, by the looks of things. It was much wider than the previous rooms and the ceiling was higher than any ceiling before. Every inch of the walls was painted over, showing drawings of grassy fields with trees, flowers, and butterflies. The floor was made out of those green plush mats Rebecca had seen when she was younger, trying to resemble grass. A long strip of blue mats resembled a river, which a plastic log had been tilted over as a makeship bridge. At one end of the blue mat strip was a red plastic rowboat, as big as a regular rowboat normally was as it laid against the wall. The room had several plastic trees standing around, devoid of leaves as they stood unmoving in the wide playroom. Three park benches were situated in the corner. At the other side of the 'river' was what looked to be the playground part of the room, complete with swings, two seesaws, a small monkey bars set, and even one of those giant wooden play structures Rebecca always saw at the various town parks, complete with green slides.
Okay, come on. This is a playroom, so if there's anywhere Claire and Jack might be, it's here! Rebecca thought hopefully.
"Hey! Claire! Jack! Are you in here? Why were the lights turned off?" Rebecca called, once again trying to gain some sort of response from any nearby people. But, as with all of her previous attempts at calling for her siblings, she was once again met with dead silence. Rebecca sighed deeply. "Okay, if you two are hiding from me to try and play a prank on me, this isn't funny. I'm coming in to look for you both, and once I find you, you're both going to be in a huge amount of trouble! With me. Not with, uh...mom."
Rebecca hoped saying this would motivate her siblings to come out faster, but still, no voice replied back to her. Rubbing the back of her head anxiously, Rebecca made good on her promise and started to walk through the room, keeping her eyes trained on her surroundings. She still didn't see anyone...yet. As she made it closer to the opposite side of the room, she saw a sight in the corner that caught her attention much more than anything else in the kindergarten had before.
A strange statue was situated on a patch of purple carpet in the corner, depicting a pink and purple bird sitting down idly, its eyes closed and its head tilted upwards while its beak hung open. Rebecca, raising an eyebrow, took a step closer to the statue. As she looked it over, something occurred to her.
Wait a sec...this weird statue is a statue of the pink bird on the mural in the lobby. Rebecca thought. Wow. So the kindergarten staff wasn't satisfied with drawing cartoon characters on the walls, apparently...now they're out here making life-sized versions as well.
Rebecca craned her neck, examining the finer details of the statue. She couldn't tell what it was made of. Taking her eyes off the statue briefly, Rebecca turned her attention to the back wall and saw a message in a playful font written neatly on the wall behind the statue:
Opila Bird Mission!
Opila has been playing all day and has settled down for a nap...but she's unbelievably hungry! Find six eggs and feed them to her to win a prize!
Rebecca thought for a moment. Huh. Must be some kind of activity for little kids to do. She thought. But why would I need to find eggs right now? I need to focus on looking for Jack and Claire.
She turned away from the statue and the mission drawn on the wall, looking off to her left to see a new sight. To her left was a doorway, with words written above stating: 'Ball Pit'. However, this doorway had also been blocked by a series of wooden boards, preventing anyone from going through. A sign had been nailed to the middle of the boards, reading:
Ball Pit closed temporarily
Out of order
Do not enter
When she read this sign and realized that it was the entryway to some sort of ball pit, something clicked inside of her mind, though Rebecca couldn't immediately tell why this was.
Huh...a ball pit. Something feels...familiar about this. I swear I heard something about a ball pit before... Rebecca pondered.
And then it hit her, and the memory surfaced before she was even ready.
"So what are you and Jack going to do at that kindergarten place today?"
"Well, the lady at the desk said today there would be a 'fun event'. I dunno what, but Allie said they'd be opening the ball pit today and we'd all get to play in it. It sounds fun to me, so I'm going to try it out for sure!"
"Oh, is that it? Well, then have fun. Try not to let Jack bury himself at the bottom of the ball pit, alright?"
"I promise I won't. Bye, Becca!"
That's it! Rebecca realized. Claire and Jack were getting all hyped up over the ball pit! If there's anywhere they might be, it's in there! But... Rebecca glanced at the 'Ball pit closed' sign again. ...It's closed as of right now...but then again, since when has that ever stopped Jack? Or Claire, either? They go into areas they're not allowed to go into all the time. They might still be back there.
"Hey! Jack! Claire! Are you in the ball pit?" Rebecca hollered, yelling close to the boarded-up entryway as she could. She got no response, as usual, but she hadn't really expected one this time. Those two still aren't responding, huh? Hmm. Maybe I'm wasting my time thinking they're in the ball pit...but I should still check! It's really the only damn lead I have at this point. Now, how the hell am I going to bust down those boards blocking the way?
Rebecca looked back at the wall, at the mission that apparently offered some sort of prize for completion.
Huh...what if this 'prize' is something I can use to get access to the ball pit? Rebecca thought. Definitely one hell of a shot in the dark, but...not like I know what else I'm meant to do to find Claire and Jack. Might as well give it a shot. If it turns out to be a waste of time, I can always just try something else.
Rebecca glanced back at the mission drawing and reread the instructions again. So, I need to find six eggs and feed them to this statue to get the prize...that's weird. Why would they want kids to feed eggs to a statue? Well, this is some goofy-ass kindergarten, so I guess there's no real point trying to make sense of it. Time to find these eggs.
Rebecca turned and glanced back at the boarded-up entryway to the ballpit. She was almost about to turn away from it, but as she did, she caught a glimpse of something blue lying on the floor. Stopping halfway through turning away, she looked back. A round egg-shaped object was lying right in front of the blocked doorway.
Oh. There's one right here. Rebecca thought, and she picked up the egg. Well, at least I know what these eggs look like now. That'll make this a bit easier.
Rebecca turned away like she meant to and began to search. She doubted the eggs were anywhere outside of this large playroom, so she kept her search confined to that one single room. She walked all around the room, checking behind objects and walking onto the play structure to make sure there weren't any eggs up there.
As the minutes passed, Rebecca found identical egg after identical egg. One was sitting rather precariously on the wooden railing of the play structure, and Rebecca swiped it, mildly surprised that the egg hadn't rolled off the railing and fell to the floor below. She checked further up the play structure and found another egg at the top of the green plastic slide.
"Oh. Whoops." Rebecca muttered, as she went to grab the egg and accidentally nudged it, causing the blue object to go rolling down the slide audibly. Geez, what an annoying place to put an egg. She thought as she stepped down the ramps and off the play structure, going down to the bottom of the green tube slide, where the egg had rolled to a stop at the bottom. She grabbed it and fit it into her jacket pocket, where the other two eggs she had found were safely stored.
She checked around the room further and found a fourth egg lying still on one of the seats of the picnic tables situated in the corner. As she made to step away from the tables, a piece of paper lying on another one of the tables caught her eye, and she grabbed it.
The word 'paper' turned out to be the wrong word to use, as the thin object was more like a colorful plastic card. Stuck on the card were two star-shaped stickers, with words above and below the stickers reading:
Bring-A-Friend Day Stickers!
Caution: Peel slowly to avoid tearing the stickers.
Rebecca gave it an idle look before setting the card down on the table again without bothering to peel the stickers. The stickers were for the kids, not for her, and she didn't have any uses for stickers anyways. She did notice that the stickers were 'Bring-A-Friend Day' stickers, and that piqued her interest.
Hmm. So if stuff like that's laying around, today must be 'Bring-a-Friend Day.' Rebecca deliberated in her mind. That must've been the special event Claire mentioned before she left for the kindergarten. But then...why is this place so quiet and empty? If today was a special event day, surely there'd be tons of kids running around and screaming their lungs out, right?
Rebecca let the question linger in her mind as she continued her search. A fifth egg turned out to be lying inside the fake red rowboat, and Rebecca picked up that one, too. The sixth and final egg she needed was leaning against the fake logs that had been put there as a makeshift bridge over the blue mat river. She swiped the egg and turned it around in her fingers.
There. That's six. Now to just drop them into that statue's mouth and I'll get that prize...whatever it is.
Rebecca walked back across the room and over to the pink bird statue. As Rebecca held up one of the eggs, she looked back at the drawing of the mission instructions. It said to feed them to 'Opila'...so was that the name of this bird? Not a name I've ever heard before, Rebecca thought, as she held the blue egg up to the statue's beak and dropped it in. The egg was sucked into the statue's mouth and disappeared inside.
Rebecca followed up with the remaining eggs. Two eggs in...three eggs in...four eggs in...five eggs...
...and then, when she pulled the sixth egg out of her pocket, she looked back at the statue...and was perplexed to see the statue's beak closed. Then, without warning, the beak opened again and a thin yellow object slid out of the statue's gullet and dropped out of the beak, clattering to the floor.
Rebecca knelt down and picked up the fallen object. It was a yellow keycard.
Oh. She thought confusedly, and she looked back at the statue's beak. It had closed up again. That's...weird. I didn't even get to the put the sixth egg in. It just...gave me the prize? Is this keycard the prize? Must be...but why would they be giving this as a prize in some activity for little kids? What do they expect kids to do with it? This place just keeps making less and less sense...
Rebecca stood back up. Well, at least I can use this. I remember that keycard slot near that door behind the desk in the classroom had a yellow light above it...maybe this will unlock that door.
Glancing one final time at the statue's closed eyes and beak, Rebecca turned away. She put the blue egg into her pocket, not sure what she would use it for but keeping it on her without much conscious thought. She walked back across the playroom, heading across the hallway and back into the classroom. When she stepped around the teacher's desk and swiped the yellow keycard through the slot this time, she was greeted with the same beep of confirmation that she had heard whenever a keycard had worked. Seconds later, the grey door opened with a loud squeak.
Behind the door was a very small closet, with several white shelves stocked with tons of small toys. Rebecca's eyes scanned the shelves, looking past wooden blocks, toy cars and trucks, and several plush dolls. And there, on the bottom shelf, was something she had been hoping to see. A metal hammer, lying on its side next to a crumpled up slip of paper.
Here we go! Rebecca thought, grabbing the hammer and turning it over to give it a look. The hammer's got the crowbar end. I can use this to pull off those boards. Then I can get inside and see if Claire and Jack are hiding in there. And if the staff comes and accuses me of breaking and entering...yeah, don't care.
Rebecca then sideeyed the crumpled up slip of paper, and she became curious again. She grabbed it and uncrumpled it to reveal a neatly written message through all the creases.
Distraction at 1
...
...what? What does that mean? 'Distraction at 1'...were the staff planning some kind of party and needed to keep the kids distracted? Maybe, but...this note isn't very specific.
Rebecca paused.
Aw, who the hell cares. It probably doesn't matter. Important thing is that I've got a tool to rip those boards off and finally find those two. And once I do, I'm getting out of here.
She turned away from the closet and made her way back across the hall and into the playroom. She stepped past the pink bird statue and stood in front of the boards blocking the door. Turning the hammer over, she made the crowbar end face in front of her before she put it in position. 3, 2, 1, and pull. She yanked the hammer towards as the crowbar end dug into one of the boards, and seconds later, the board and the nails stuck into it was dislodged from the wall, hitting the floor with the clunking sound of wood. Rebecca, satisfied to see this, repeated the process with each of the remaining boards until they were all lying in a pile in front of the doorway, which was finally open.
Alright! Now to get in there.
Rebecca stepped forwards, carefully making sure not to stumble over the pile of fallen wood at her feet as she walked through the doorway. When she entered, she had been expecting to come upon a sizable pit full of colored balls, and to maybe even see her siblings sleeping in the pile.
But when she found herself on a walkway with a railing on her left, she had not expected to look to her left and a see a huge, dark, and gaping hole completely devoid of anything in it. There were no colored balls, playing or sleeping children...nothing. It was just a giant empty hole.
No wonder it's out of order...I don't know what I expected. Rebecca said. Well, that scratches any chance of Claire or Jack being in here...unless they're in that hole, but... Rebecca looked down into the darkness below. ...doesn't look like anything's down there at all. Geez...guess this really was a waste of time. So much for finding the kids in here.
She turned her head back up and stared across the chasm. There was a walkway on the other side of the pit, and from this distance, Rebecca could distinguish multiple drawings on the back wall, and...a black doorway to the right, shrouded in semidarkness.
Wait...another doorway? Maybe...maybe Jack and Claire are back there? Rebecca pondered. She sighed. Damn. At this point, I'm really grasping for straws. Wherever Jack and Claire are hiding, they're definitely doing a good job at it...but... Rebecca stared back across the chasm. Her eyes lingered at the black door.
Should she...?
...
You know what? I don't have anything better to do tonight, and I'm sure as hell not going back home without my siblings in tow. Might as well give it a look.
Rebecca stepped down the walkway and made her way over to where the metal fence had a gap in it. She gave the chasm a quick look, but saw nothing. No ladder, no bridge, no unseen path. Turning her head to the right, she saw a series of buttons set into the wall, each with their own keycard slot.
Call Lift
Activate Lift
Emergency Stop
Rebecca, seeing the options presented to her, decided to call the lift and see if she could get herself across the chasm. She swiped her keycard through the reader next to the 'Call Lift' button, and when the light turned green and beeped, she put her hand against the red button and pushed it.
She heard a whirr of machinery above and looked up. From a hole in the ceiling, she watched as a seat, hanging by a metal rod sticking out of the ceiling, slowly moved downwards. It reminded her of pictures of ski lifts she had seen when she had searched up skiing last winter (she had been interested in doing it, but was never able to due to her mother's refusal to pay for it.)
When the moving seat lowered itself to be about level with the edge of the floor, it came to a stop, seemingly waiting for Rebecca to climb on. Rebecca moved closer to the lift, almost ready to step on...but she faltered for a moment and looked down at the dark hole below.
She was, admittedly, a bit afraid she might fall into that hole. She didn't know if there would be any way out if she did, or if she would be able to come out of that without getting injured.
No, no...it's fine. Stop being paranoid. She told herself slightly irritably. As long as I'm not a god damn idiot who decides to leap off the lift, I shouldn't fall in.
Assuaging her fears, she turned and sat down slowly on the moving seat. Glancing at the black padded material, she was relieved to see a seatbelt, and she quickly pulled it over herself and stuck the end into the buckle, making sure it was firmly in place. She felt a bit more at ease knowing there was at least a seatbelt there to keep her in place. Looking back over at the wall buttons, she reached over. She had to stretch a bit, but she fit the keycard into the slot of the 'Activate Lift' button and slid it. Then, when it beeped and turned green, she pressed the button and laid back against the cushion behind her.
Almost immediately, the lift began to move. As it started to do so, Rebecca idly stared back at the wall and noticed a drawing she hadn't even noticed before, having been too busy staring over the dark hole below. It was a drawing of the pink bird on the mural from before, except its eyes were closed in a manner that made it look happy.
Opila Bird Says:
"Laughter is the best medicine, so let out as many laughs as you can! And if you really want to feel better, then make sure to SMILE!"
"Sorry to disappoint you, wall art, but I'm not laughing or smiling until I find my brother and sister..." Rebecca muttered, mostly to herself, as she turned her eyes away from the art of Opila Bird and focused back on the lift.
This turned out to be a small mistake, as Rebecca felt her unease over falling return to her when she looked down into the dark hole below again. She knew she was being stupid about it and then she was secure as long as she sat still and didn't take off the seatbelt, but still, her imagination made her feel a bit unnerved.
The lift moved slowly, making the short journey across feel much longer to Rebecca than it actually was. It took a minute that felt more like a year before the lift came to a stop right in front of the gap in the railing, allowing her to step onto the walkway at the other side of the chasm.
"Phew." She breathed as she unbuckled her seatbelt and quickly stepped onto the flat purple floor below. She decided it would be dumb to think about the whole lift now that it was over, and she chose to move instead, walking over to the black doorway she had seen before. On the wall nearby was the drawings Rebecca had spied at the other side of the hole, except now she could discern what was being depicted here. It was the same six cartoon characters shown on the mural in the lobby. There was Banban, Jumbo Josh, Opila Bird, Stinger Flynn...and also the Banban lookalike and the small periwinkle one that Rebecca still didn't know the names of. However, unlike with the mural, all six drawings of the characters were devoid of color, being nothing more than black marker outlines drawn on the wall. Below the marker outlines were words drawn huge and in bold:
You made it to the other side of the ballpit!
Want to collect a free prize? Then complete this game!
Can you remember what colors Banban and his friends were?
Rebecca raised an eyebrow, then looked back at the marker outlines. Below each individual marker outline was a glowing button, each one a bright red color. Walking over to the buttons, Rebecca gave the one below the outline of Jumbo Josh an experimental push. The button sunk into the wall and pushed itself back out, then changed color, turning yellow. She pushed it again and it turned pink.
Oh, I see. I've got to make all the buttons match the colors of all those cartoon characters to complete this thing. Rebecca thought. This seems pretty simple to me. I think I can remember something as small as what colors those cartoon characters were. Let's see...Banban was red, so I'll leave his button alone. His lookalike...she was white, wasn't she? Okay...and then Josh was green, I definitely remember that. Hard not to remember that big green guy on the wall art. Opila is pink, I know that for sure after seeing that art on the wall at the other side of the pit. And then...the small one is a blue color, and...and Stinger Flynn was orange. Okay, got it.
Rebecca began pushing the various wall buttons time and time again, until each one matched the color she was looking for. The one below the Banban lookalike took several presses to become white, as did the button below Jumbo Josh in order to become green. Two presses made the button below Opila pink, and three presses made the button below the small one blue. Rebecca moved further down the walkway, moving over to the Stinger Flynn button...only to pause when she heard a crumpling noise at her feet.
Pausing momentarily to look down, she noticed her pink running shoes had trodden on another piece of paper, lying in the middle of the floor. Stepping off of it, she bent down and picked it up. Her eyes were a little bit disoriented to be met with a note that looked like a mess of color, with each sentence written in a different color for some inexplicable reason. The handwriting was messy, and she had to look closer to make it out, but she could tell what was being said:
I alone
I want to play with the hole bird but everyone left me :(
They have a party without me
Miss Mason was here
She saw me but then she was gone
I am scared because hole is big and loud and friends scream in it
But it is okay
Because bird is funny
This was where the note ended, but Rebecca read it a second time before she thought about it. Out of all the little scraps of paper and things she had seen so far, this was the strangest one to her. It was definitely written by a kid here at the kindergarten, but she knew it couldn't be Jack or Claire, because neither of them had handwriting nearly as messy as the author of this note.
Plus, they don't write every sentence in a different color for whatever reason. Rebecca added, still unsure what the point was behind that.
Whoever this child was, though, they sure had a lot to say. Apparently they had been left alone and wanted to play with some sort of 'hole bird' but had been left behind by the other kids. Apparently they were having some kind of party.
This 'Miss Mason' must be a teacher. Rebecca thought as she stared down at the scribbled name on the paper. So there were adults here after all. Makes it even weirder than I still can't seem to find anybody around this place...and whoever this adult was, why did she leave when she saw the kid? Are the kindergarten staff seriously that careless? And then there's the whole 'friends scream in it' line...scream for what? Excitement? Fear? And what the heck is this bird the kid's writing about? Did some kid bring his pet to bring-a-friend day? Guess that would technically qualify as a friend...
Rebecca looked over the note again, then gently dropped it and let it flutter to the floor again. She wasn't sure what might have happened here, but apparently there was some kind of 'party' going on. This made Rebecca sure that her siblings or some other kids had to be here in the building, and she just hadn't succeeded in finding them yet. After all, if there was a party going on, and notes lying around, kids had to be here.
That's something I'll investigate later, though. For now, I need to get this door open. Rebecca thought, and she walked to the Stinger Flynn button like she had planned and began pushing it.
When she successfully made it orange, all six buttons turned green, and Rebecca jumped when a sudden jingle played from the nearby loudspeaker, confirming she had completed the color-changing game.
When she heard a squeak to her right, though, she immediately turned her head, hoping the door would lead into some kind of room where she could hopefully find her missing siblings. She moved closer...
...and was met with a small closet, nearly as small as the one behind the teacher's desk, and with many shelves in it. No prizes were displayed this time, and the shelves were, for the most part, completely empty. All that was there was an orange keycard lying on the shelf in the middle.
Aw, really? After all that suspense, it's just another damn closet? I'm wasting my time like nobody's business out here... Rebecca thought. Guess it's back to square one...although I may as well grab that keycard. Who knows what doors I might be able to open with it.
She reached over and swiped the orange keycard, tucking it safely into her jacket pocket.
Creak...
"Huh?" Rebecca thought, as she heard the sound that indicated the lift was moving. She turned away from the closet and began to look back at the gaping pit nearby. That's weird. I don't remember activating the-
...the...
...who is THAT?
When Rebecca had turned her attention back across the room, she saw something she hadn't been expecting to see. A shadowy figure, too far away for Rebecca to make out, was perched on top of the lift positioned at the other end of the chasm.
"...Hello? Is someone there?" Rebecca called, a bit startled to see something on the lift.
The lift began to move forwards, going from the darkness into the range of the glowing lights hanging above, and...
"What the-?!"
Perched atop the lift was none other than the statue of the pink bird named Opila that Rebecca had seen in the playroom. It was no longer sitting still with its eyes closed- the statue's eyes were now wide open, showing large black pupils staring straight at Rebecca. The bird's yellow talons were gripping the top of the moving seat as it slowly moved closer to the other end of the ball pit.
What the fuck is that what the fuck is that what the fuck is that?! Rebecca thought, her mind suddenly going much faster than it had before. No, no, this is insane, there's no way I'm seeing a pink bird statue riding the lift...
Rebecca felt frozen to the spot as she watched the lift move right up to the edge of the railing. The pink bird was standing right there, keeping its eyes trained on her. And them, all hope that it was just some sort of statue vanished in an instant. When the lift moved over to the gap in the railing, the bird's neck moved slowly, its head constantly turned in Rebecca's direction, its eyes never losing sight of her.
Oh shit that's not a statue, that is NOT a goddamn statue!
Rebecca didn't have the foggiest idea what was happening. There was a literal life-sized pink bird riding the lift coming over to the side of the room she was on. She had no idea how it was here, or what it wanted, and she definitely didn't know if it was coming in peace or not.
Feeling a bit frantic, Rebecca turned her head and looked back at the wall next to her, trying to see if there was anything nearby that could help her. Sure enough, there was a button on the wall with a keycard slot and an orange light next to it. Small words drawn on the wall next to it read:
In case of the need for a failsafe
Press button to extend bridge
Note: Bridge will not extend if lift is in motion
Bridge?! Rebecca thought. Uh, okay, I can definitely try that, but...do I need to?! I still don't even know how there's a giant bird here or what it wants with me! But you know what? Better safe than sorry!
Rebecca quickly rifled through her jacket pocket and found the orange keycard she had pocketed. As she hastily pulled her arm out of the pocket, she felt it nudge a round object on the inside, and the sixth blue egg rolled out of Rebecca's pocket. Rebecca barely had time to realize she had accidentally pushed it out before it had dropped to the floor. The egg didn't break when it hit the floor, but...
...it did make one very loud, very easy-to hear THUNK.
The pink bird that was perched on top of the moving seat's eyes moved (much to Rebecca's shock), and the eyes looked down at the egg that had clattered to the ground. And even despite how far away it was, Rebecca could see its big black irises growing wider and wider.
And then its beak opened.
"SCREEEEEEEEEE!"
The pink bird screeched, and it screeched to high heaven, louder than any bird Rebecca had ever seen or known, and its screech echoed throughout the entire room, and Rebecca recoiled from the surprise of seeing the strange pink bird finally open its mouth.
And, above all, its screech filled her with terror.
She knew screeches like the one this bird was making. She had once been over to a friend's house with Jack and Claire, and the friend had owned a chicken that always seemed to be strutting around the yard, pecking at nothing in particular in the dirt and occasionally giving them the sideways eyeball. It usually didn't bother them, and if any of them approached it, it would always just trot away.
But once during that visit, Jack had wandered over to the chicken's henhouse it was staying in and had found one of its eggs. And he, being the exciteable and incautious boy he was, had picked up that very egg without conscious thought. The chicken, who was more observant than any of them thought, had seen its egg grabbed almost as soon as Jack grabbed it.
And the screech it had made was comparable to the screech this pink bird was making right now.
Rebecca now knew that type of screech. The screech was not a friendly greeting of any kind. Nothing about it consisted of good feelings. It was a screech of pure and unadulterated anger. Anger from the bird over its egg being taken.
And Rebecca, seeing the size of this bird, knew that that was a very, VERY bad thing.
Fuck, that was not a friendly scream, that was NOT a friendly scream! Okay, no more wondering whether the bird is friendly or not, it one hundred percent hates me and I need to get out of here RIGHT THE HELL NOW!
Rebecca scrambled to pick up the egg and put it back into her jacket pocket, unaware that the action seemed to make the pink bird angrier as the lift came to a stop and the pink bird practically leapt off of its perch and came bolting down the walkway. Then Rebecca used the orange keycard, swiped it in the reader on the wall, and slammed her fist into the button.
There was a whirr of machinery, and the two moving seats began to be withdrawn, moving back upwards into the ceiling. At the same time, a wide yet small crack opened on the left wall, and Rebecca watched as a wooden bridge, flat in shape, extended out of the wall. It didn't go straight across, however; instead, it seemed to go right, then forward, then left before it reached the other side of the ball pit.
Rebecca watched it all move into position, knowing it was her only chance of escape, and she looked back.
The pink bird's talons were trotting rapidly across the ground and is it began to close the distance.
It was almost on her. She knew she had to get running RIGHT NOW or she was going to be this bird's next meal.
I'm getting the HELL out of here!
She sprinted on the wooden bridge just as it had almost fully extended over the dark, gaping hole below that would have been filled with color balls if things were normal. But nothing about this was normal. Her life was in danger.
She didn't need to look back to know that it had given chase. The thing's talons scratched and scraped against the wood while the footsteps of her pink running shoes echoed as she scrambled down the bridge. She had never meant to anger the thing, but now it was far too late. It was coming for her and she knew she had to run. Where to, she didn't know. Anywhere was fine. Anywhere that wasn't where this thing could peck at her for stealing its egg.
Right, then forward, then left...she ran down those directions and, thanks to the pace she was keeping, managed to reach the other side of the ball pit in no time flat. Jumping off of the flat bridge, she sprinted down to the right, down the walkway and towards the doorway that would lead to the playroom and to the rest of the building. She didn't know where to go after that. The exit, maybe? But she couldn't just leave those two behind! She still hadn't found them!
Ugh, I'll worry about them later! Right now, I need to worry about my OWN life!
She ran, and she could see the bright lights of the playroom in sight, and she knew she was close, only a few more feet and she'd be through the door-
"AAAGH!"
She felt her foot collide with something on the floor and she let out a yell of surprise as she lost her balance. Tumbling to the floor, she cried out in pain as she landed hard on a pile of wood. Giving it a glance, she realized she had tripped over the wooden barricades she had removed earlier.
Damn it! I should've remembered those were there!
She tried to get back to her feet, but she with the way she had landed, her right leg was positioned awkwardly between several of the boards. She couldn't even tell how she had managed to get it stuck, but what was more important to her was the fact that she had gotten stuck at all.
No no no! Not now! Please not now!
She struggled, trying to get herself loose, but the barricades were heavier than she had realized when she had removed them with the hammer earlier. She heard the scratching steps of the thing's talons getting closer and she struggled harder, frantic to get back to her feet, but she could barely even see what position she was in.
Her mind racing, she looked back to see the thing rapidly getting closer, having already crossed the bridge too. The thing was almost upon her; she knew it was only a matter of seconds as she saw the thing's beak open wide, to screech, peck, or bite...she didn't know which one, but any of them was possible.
She looked back down at her situation and finally realized what position she was stuck in. Angling her leg, she pulled harder than before and finally freed herself.
Getting back onto her knees, she looked up just in time to see two big, round eyes boring into her.
And then she screamed.
Rebecca realized in a matter of seconds that the pink bird was about to attack. She couldn't run away or dodge in time, not when she was only barely about to get to her feet. She knew she had to act fast, and act fast she did. Shoving her hand back into her jacket pocket, she stuck out the egg, holding her arm outstretched the egg in hand.
The pink bird, which had its head raised, on the verge of striking...stopped.
It froze in place, its eyes staring down at the egg Rebecca was holding out. Maybe it hadn't expected Rebecca to hold it out like that; Rebecca didn't know. All she knew was that this thing hesitating was giving her the chance to finally say something.
"STOP!" She screamed desperately, and the pink bird visibly recoiled from the shout. Without stopping for breathing room, Rebecca rapidly spoke, not pausing in between words or stopping for sentence breaks. "Listen I know you're super angry and ready to peck me to death but I swear to god I didn't mean to take your egg I was trying to complete the puzzle thingy and I had no idea you were alive absolutely no idea at all and PLEASE just take your egg back I swear to god I do not want any trouble at all I just came here to FIND MY SIBLINGS!"
Rebecca stopped at that one last shout. Breathing hard, she looked up at the pink bird standing above at her. It was still frozen in the exact same position as before after recoiling from the initial shout. It hadn't even moved. It just stood there, staring Rebecca down, noiselessly...
And then it blinked.
"...What did you say?"
...No. No way.
Did that thing's beak just...open?
"...What?" Rebecca stuttered, unsure if she was hearing things or not.
"You heard me! Could you please repeat yourself?"
Rebecca saw the thing's beak move. It definitely did just move.
The bird was talking. Actually talking.
Half-convinced that she had gone insane from the running and tripping over the boards, Rebecca said, without pausing to consider it, the very first thing that came to her mind.
"You can TALK?!"
Chapter 2
Notes:
Here's the second chapter! Wanted to finally see what Opila Bird was going to be like? Well, here you are.
Enjoy!
Chapter Text
"You can TALK?!"
That was the first thing Rebecca was absolutely floored by. Things had suddenly and inexplicably taken a turn, from the mysterious to the terrifying to the downright unexpected.
Here she was, having spent the past hour exploring this strangely empty kindergarten to find her siblings, and so much had already occurred in the span of a few short minutes. She had come here to find Jack and Claire, or some kids, or the staff, or literally anyone that could point her in the right direction. But while she hadn't found anybody that was human, she had found someone that wasn't human.
At first she had thought it was just a statue. Some silly-looking life-size replica of one of the cartoon characters, made to act as decoration. But then it turned out this she was wrong. And then what had happened afterwards had been something she wouldn't have ever expected to see.
Pink bird appears and rides the lift over to her position? Check.
Pink bird cranes its neck and moves its eyes, confirming that it is, indeed, alive? Check.
Pink bird sees its egg taken and goes absolutely ballistic, then chases Rebecca down in a fit of anger? Double check.
Pink bird sees Rebecca plead with it and then...TALKS?!
Check, apparently.
Rebecca was still in disbelief. She almost felt like this had to be a dream. Big pink birds didn't form complete sentences. She was having a silly nightmare, and she'd wake up in her bed and find out her siblings were still there and go back to her normal life and-
"Well, heck yeah, I can talk! And here I was thinkin' all the people in here knew that!"
Rebecca blinked. The bird was talking again. It was definitely talking.
Without saying another word, Rebecca reached up, grabbed her check, and pinched it.
Ow. Rebecca thought as she felt the minor pain from the pinch. She had not woken up as a result of the pain. Wait...that didn't work? Ah, crap...so this IS real. But...how?
"I...didn't know...?" Rebecca mumbled numbly.
"Oh, ya didn't? Well, whatever, guess some people didn't get the darn memo. Anyways, that's besides the point!" The bird said, and it rapidly shook its head. "What was all that you were saying before? Somethin' about your siblings?"
"Well...I...uh...came here. For them."
"You did? Well, why didn't you say so? And why'd you take my darn egg? Gimme that!" The pink bird thrusted its head forwards, and Rebecca flinched, but rather than attacking her, it simply grabbed the blue egg she was holding out in its beak. Then it tilted its head back and let the egg go into its throat. "There! All of them are safe. Now! You said earlier you didn't mean to take my egg. Is that true?"
"...yes?" Rebecca stuttered.
The bird blinked. "You don't seem to be lying...alright, then I guess I got all mad for nothing! Oh, well...well, I swear to the love of birds that I've never seen you around here before! And what's weirder is that everyone else is nowhere in sight, and yet you're around..." The bird sighed. "This is weird."
"You're...telling me." Rebecca said, making a face.
"I sure am, aren't I?" The bird said, and it clucked out a bit of a chuckle before frowning again. "Alright, that's it! I don't know what's going on here or who you are, but I'm getting to the bottom of this! You!" She pointed her beak at Rebecca. "C'mon! On your feet!"
Rebecca paused, then nodded slowly and put one foot down, then the other before she rose to full height.
"Good! You can still walk just fine." The bird said, nodding. "Alrighty, follow me! We're sitting down and having a talk about all this, pal." The bird stepped forwards, then ambled around Rebecca and walked into the playroom.
Rebecca turned and watched it go, momentarily transfixed. Her brain was still trying to make sense of all this.
Okay, okay, this...this isn't some kind of dream. I know that much. Rebecca thought. The pink bird is real. It's really in front of me and talking to me. And it wants to have a chat. Wow. This really is a weird kindergarten... She sighed out loud. Okay, you know what? I don't know if this is a hallucination or me losing my mind or what, but at least I have something- someONE to talk to. Might as well find out more.
Rebecca willed her legs to move again, and she stepped into the playroom, following the pink bird. As she entered, she noticed that the sitting statue from before was gone, which confirmed to her that A: it hadn't been a statue, and B: the bird she fed the eggs to was the same bird she was following right now. The bird trotted over to a random spot on the grassy floor mats, then suddenly took a seat, its pink feathers resting against the floor.
"Come on and sit!" The bird said, opening its beak to talk again.
Still feeling hesitant over trusting the bird that had just attacked her, but wanting desperately to figure out what was going on, Rebecca walked over and lowered herself to the ground, crossing her legs and sitting a few feet across from the pink bird.
"Alright! So! Questions! I got a lot of 'em, and I'm certain you do, too." The pink bird said, nodding its head. "So, me first! Let me start by asking...who the heck are you?"
"Oh! Well...I'm Rebecca." Rebecca introduced, and even though she was talking to a strange pink bird, she tried her best to pretend that she was talking to a normal human person. "Or...just Becca. My siblings call me 'Becca' all the time, so...you can use that name too, if you want."
"Hmm...okay, I got it! So, Becca, next question! What're you doing here?"
"Well...I'm looking for my siblings." Rebecca said slowly. "My little sister and brother. They go to this kindergarten. Do you...happen to know them? They're named Jack and Claire."
The bird seemed to think for a moment. "Hmmmm...well, a ton of kids go to the daycare, so I'm afraid that doesn't quite ring a bell with me. But if they were here, then what're you doing here looking for them?"
"They...missed the pick up time." Rebecca continued. "Usually they're supposed to leave this kindergarten at around three P.M. But when my mom swung by to pick them up, they didn't come out of the building. So she just...drove home."
"She drove home? You mean your mom didn't even go inside and ask for her kids?" The bird said, somewhat incredulously. "Well, that's just irresponsible!"
"Yeah...yeah, I know. I...don't want to talk much more about her, though." Rebecca said, shaking her head. "All you really need to know is that I came home from school and my mom said my siblings hadn't come out to be picked up, and she told me that if I really cared about them, I should go get them...so here I am."
"Aaah. Gotcha." The pink bird said, nodding. "Well, I'm not sure where they are, if that's what you're wondering...or where everyone else is, really." The pink bird's neck turned as its head gazed around the room.
"So there were others here?"
"I mean, yeah!" The pink bird replied, turning its neck back around to face Rebecca. "Whole crowd of them today! Me and my pals had our work cut out for us, that's for sure..."
Rebecca thought about that. So there was a bunch of kids playing in this place. That just leaves the question of why they still aren't around here.
"...Your...pals? Wait, wait, question." Rebecca said, cutting in quickly. "You're...Opila Bird, right? That pink bird I kept seeing on the wall drawings?"
"That's me! So you know my name already, huh? Then again, our names are plastered all over the walls, so I guess it's no surprise!" Opila confirmed, nodding her feathery head again.
"Okay, but...how? How are you...an actual living bird?" Rebecca asked, her mind still reeling over that one boggling fact.
"Huh? I mean...I just am? I've never had anybody ask why I exist before." Opila said, tilting her head. "I've always thought I was a natural creature of the Earth! No more, no less."
"Oh." Rebecca replied, thinking that over. "Well, uh...hate to break it to you, but I don't think any birds like you exist in the outside world."
"They don't? Now that's strange...the staff said there were TONS of birds out there like me..." Opila mumbled, narrowing her eyes in thought. "Huh. Does that mean I'm one of a kind? If so, guess the others are one of a kind, too..."
"...Others?" Rebecca questioned. She had heard Opila mention these other people before, although only now had she chosen to question it. Part of her did suspect what Opila was talking about.
"Yeah, others! I'm surprised you're asking me this. How can you know me but not any of the others? I mean, Banban's got his name plastered on the front of the building, as far as I know! And Josh is pretty popular with the kids, and Flynn and Fiddles get around this place a lot, and Banbaleena's always being a teacher to all the new kids that come in..."
"Huh? Wait...you mentioned Banban? And the big green guy named Josh and Flynn, that weird orange jellyfish? No, wait...they're ALSO alive?! As in, real living, breathing creatures?"
Opila gave Rebecca a look. "...Yeah? I'm still surprised you're asking me this. I thought us being alive was common knowledge 'round these parts."
"Not for ME! This is the first time I've ever been in this place!" Rebecca yelled, raising her voice a little bit. "I didn't even know this place had creatures like you as mascots, let alone as actual, living and moving beings!"
"Well...ya know now, don't ya?" Opila said, blinking.
"...I mean, yes, but that's..." Rebecca stammered, and her sentence trailed off. Weird? Unnatural? Rare as heck? She could've used any of those descriptive words. Instead, she closed her eyes and brushed it all out of her head before opening her eyes back up and speaking again. "...Okay. So...if your friends are really living beings, then where are they?"
"Hmm...dunno!" Opila chirped, and she glanced around the room again. "In fact, I don't even know why I was sitting in this playroom when I woke up! Last I remember, I was looking over the darn ball pit."
"Last you remember...?" Rebecca repeated. "Wait, wait, slow down. Opila, do you...know what happened here? Why is this place so empty?"
Opila made a face and turned her head down to the ground as if thinking over a response. "Huh. I can't say for sure, but...here, since you're an outsider and not a regular visitor of this Kindergarten, you're probably out of the loop. I'll tell ya what's been going on recently and what I know, and hopefully that'll put you at ease, alright?"
"Um...okay." Rebecca accepted.
"Okay, so! Me and my other friends all just sorta live at this kindergarten. Every day, those human staff people let some kids in here, and they go around, we play with them, help them do some activities, keep them entertained for a while...and then, towards the end of the day, the staff says on the loudspeaker that the kids have to go and then they all file on out. Then the next day, the kids come on back and me and my pals repeat the process. You got that so far?"
"Mmm-hmm...go on."
"Okay! So, me and my friends heard some days ago that the staff was gearing up for some sort of special event. Bring-A-Friend Day, from what I heard. Banban went to find out and he gave us all the scoop. Apparently, the people running this place wanted to get some more attention focused on it, so they decided they'd do a special event day where kids can bring their friends, play some fun games, party hard...all that good stuff! Whew, I remember me and the others were all super excited for it. We were sure it was gonna be fun."
"So what happened?"
"Well, at first it actually was pretty darn fun! Me and the others were waiting near the front entrance, and then the staff people pull open the front doors, and in floods this BIG crowd of kids!" Opila said, a reminiscent gleam in her eye as she talked. "And I mean big! It was more than double the amount of kids me and my pals interact with on a regular basis! And so the kids started running around everywhere, and I got to work and started playing with them, and the others did the same, and the staff were nearby watching us, making sure everything was fine, keeping an eye on things and all that."
"Okay...sounds perfectly fine so far." Rebecca said, nodding. "But if this place was so packed, then why is it so empty in here now?"
"Hold your horses, lady, I'm gettin' to that!" Opila said, rolling her eyes. "So, after about an hour or so, the staff go walking over to this doorway in the playroom, saying it was time for the main event. From what Banban was telling us, the biggest thing the people in charge were setting up was this huge ball pit for the kids to play in. Something about using the ball pit to give kids the most fun possible so they'd want to come back to this place after the day was over...whatever the reason was. Anyway, me and my pals go ambling over and stand next to the crowd of kids standing at the ready, and then staff cut the big old ribbon blocking the doorway. Once they do, all those kids go running in! Me and the others followed behind, and we come in and see all the little kids diving into that ball pit, swimming in colored balls, throwing the balls at each other, playing like crazy...it was a chaotic sight, that's for darn sure!"
"Okay. And then...did you go into the ball pit, too?"
Opila shook her head. "Nah, I didn't really wanna get buried underneath all those colored balls. I just stood on the walkways and kept a eye on the kids. I remember Banban and Banbaleena were doing the same thing. I could tell Josh wanted to go diving into the pit, but he realized he might flatten the kids so he stayed back. Not Fiddles, though!" Opila let out a laugh. "That little tyke dove in and started going at it! You should've seen it...man, never seen the kids laughing so much as they were that time. Probably Fiddles' best moment ever."
"I'm sorry, uh...who's Fiddles?"
Opila paused and her smile disappeared. "Uh...Captain Fiddles? Small blue kid? Got those two big old teeth? Bit of a rambunctious one?"
"Wait...oh, do you mean that small little character standing next to you on the mural?" Rebecca asked, remembering the existence of that blue creature, although she has never found out his name.
"That's the one!" Opila said, nodding. "So yeah, he was goin' at it, and Flynn was hanging off the railing and occasionally playing with the kids by lifting them out of pool and dipping them back in...it was all a pretty fun time!"
"Okay, okay...so far, this all sounds like casual fun and like absolutely nothing went wrong. When's the 'but' going to come in?" Rebecca asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, come on. I saw that ball pit, and you did, too. It's completely empty. Not a colored ball in sight."
"Yeah, yeah, that...well...it was about ten minutes after the kids were playing in the ball pit that something...really crazy happened." Opila said. "Although I'm not really sure what. I remember I was looking down at the ball pit, seeing the kids swimming in it...and then there was some sort of loud snapping sound? And then the colored balls started falling, and all of the sudden all the kids were screaming, and the staff were yelling stuff out, and..." Opila scrunched up her face. "...ugh. My head...I'm having a lot of trouble remembering this, somehow..."
"Uh...hey, you don't have to push yourself if it's giving you headaches..." Rebecca advised, raising an eyebrow.
"No, no, I'm alright. It's just...I remember the moment the balls fell, and the screaming started, I heard this loud CRASH!" Opila said, suddenly raising the volume of her voice as she spoke. "It was super loud! And then the moment I heard it, my vision started getting all blurry...and my mind was getting all sleepy and stuff...and then..." Opila paused.
"...And...then?" Rebecca questioned, a bit desperate to hear more.
"...nothing at all! I blacked out." Opila said suddenly, straightened up where she sat. "Next thing I know, I'm sitting down alone in the playroom, I go into the ball pit room again, and not only do I see it completely empty and everyone gone...I see you, at the other side, pressing a bunch of colored buttons on the walls! At first I was just curious, so I took the lift and was coming over to talk...but then I saw that egg roll out of your pocket and I thought you were a no-good egg stealer!" Opila frowned in annoyance as she recounted it. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still not happy you did that!"
"H-Hey, don't be like that! I told you, I picked up that egg for a puzzle." Rebecca explained. "The wall art said I needed to find and feed you six eggs to get the prize, so that's what I did. I wasn't able to feed you the sixth egg, though, because you vomited up that keycard before I could put it in. So I just...pocketed the egg. I didn't think you were alive, and I didn't know you were going to chase me, thinking I was trying to hurt your unborn babies or something!"
"Still can't fathom how ya didn't know I was alive! But then again, you said you've never been here, so maybe everything here is a surprise to you." Opila replied.
"To put it simply, yes. Definitely." Rebecca confirmed, rolling her eyes.
"Anyway...yep, that's about all I remember." Opila said, finishing what she recounting. "Couldn't tell you why the others aren't here or why the kids and staff ain't here, either. 'Cause I don't know much more on that front than you seem to do!"
"Huh..." Rebecca muttered as she begin to consider everything Opila Bird had told her. So there had been a big crowd of kids today, and the Banban cartoon characters, who were apparently actual living creatures (Rebecca was still trying hard to process that fact) had been there as well, and the staff too. And then everyone was in the ball pit when the balls fell, the kids were screaming, and now all of the sudden the pit of devoid of balls. "Thinking about it...it sounds like the ball pit must've...collapsed." Saying that word made Rebeca feel a bit on edge. "Oh, god, if it did, what happened to Jack and Claire?! God, I really hope those two weren't in there when it collapsed..."
"Hey, hey, calm down!" Opila interrupted, shaking her head. "I'm sure your little brother and sister are fine. I mean, now that you mention the ball pit possibly collapsing, I definitely kind of think that must've been what happened...but you saw that hole where the ball pit once was! Nobody was inside it, remember?"
"Oh...yeah." Rebecca said, nodding along to Opila's words. "So that means that anyone who had to have fallen into it is somewhere else now...along with the staff and all your friends, Opila."
"That sure seems to be it! Which means I've got to track 'em down and figure out what the heck happened after I passed on out!" Opila squawked. "Hey, Becca. How much of this place have ya seen so far?"
"Uh...well, I've checked the lobby, the cafeteria, that storage room next to the lobby, the classroom, this room, and the ball pit." Rebecca listed, counting each one off of her fingers. "Haven't found hide or hair of anyone yet. Except you, Opila."
"Huh, really?! Geez, so that means there's not many rooms left of this level to check...only other places anyone might be in are the two office rooms! Alright, then I'm checking those two places. Gotta see if I can find anyone." Opila stood up on her talons and looked down at Rebecca. "What about you?"
Rebecca thought about it, and then she stood up just as quickly. "Hey." She said. "If you're going to search for everyone else, I'm coming too. I still need to find my siblings and there's no way I'm leaving without them."
Opila's eyes widened. "Woah! Ya sure seem determined there...so I'm guessing your little brother and sister mean a lot to you?"
"More than anything you can think of, if you can believe that." Rebecca said determinedly, nodding at Opila.
Opila stared at Rebecca for a moment, then slightly tilted her head downwards as if to spend a few seconds thinking it over. Shortly afterwards, the pink bird lifted her head back up and gave a slow nod. "Ya know what? I can tell how determined you are to do this just by lookin' at you...alright, then, how about this...why don't we just go look for them together?" Opila offered. "Two pairs of eyes are better at searching than one, ya know. Besides, it'd be nice to have someone new to talk to while I'm lookin' around for my old friends. So let's work together!"
"Yeah...yeah, that makes sense. That way you can find your friends, I can find my siblings, and we can both walk out of this with everything back to normal." Rebecca decided.
"Pretty much! I'll be honest, I'm kinda worried something went horribly wrong, especially knowing the ball pit collapsed...but hey, we aren't getting answers by just sitting around here! C'mon, let's get looking!" Opila said, giving Rebecca a look. "You said you haven't checked the offices yet, right? So they might be in there! Let's go and look!"
"Right." Rebecca agreed. She realized now that things were really taking an odd turn. Not only had she found out about the collapse of the ball pit and the fact that her siblings were gone from the ball pit, meaning they were probably still alive. She also now had a companion, albeit one she could have never pictured joining her in trying to find her siblings. If I told myself from the past that this is what I'm going to end up doing, she'd think I was crazy. Rebecca thought idly. Well, no use dwelling on that. Right now, I guess I'm about to get searching with a big pink bird in tow...still can't believe the cartoon mascots of this place are real beings. I really need to get used to that fact.
Opila turned on her feet and led the way. Rebecca got walking, keeping a steady pace behind Opila as they exited the playroom and entered back into the hallway. This time, they found their way down towards the other end of the hall, where Rebecca could already see two more doors within sight. But even as she and Opila approached them, her eyes glanced to the left and right as she saw two new drawings on the walls.
Banbaleena Says:
"Kindness is free, so sprinkle it everywhere!"
Captain Fiddles Says:
"Oooga Booga! Booga Oooga!"
"Hey...so those are the other two members of your group that I didn't know the names of." Rebecca commented as she and Opila passed the wall art by.
"Yep! That's Banbaleena and Captain Fiddles, right there as cute little wall art." Opila said, nodding. "Sometimes I wonder who drew all those pictures of me and my friends on the walls. I kinda like how they drew us, and I think the kids like it, too."
"Yeah, they probably would...anyway, what's with Banbaleena and Captain Fiddles, anyway?"
"Well, Banbaleena is Banban's girlfriend! That's kinda why they look so much alike and have similar names." Opila mentioned as they neared the doorway to the left and the doorway at the end of the hall. "And Captain Fiddles is a little kid monkey."
"Fiddles is a...monkey?" Rebecca questioned. "Wow, really? I didn't know. I couldn't tell what animal he was by the wall art."
Opila gave a little jerk of her wings that seemed like a shrug. "Eh, you're not the first person to get confused over it. But at least now you know! Me and the others ended up finding out from the staff, anyways. They say he's a monkey, so that's just what he is."
"Mmm." Rebecca said, and she dropped the conversation by walking over the purple door on the left. She examined the keycard reader and saw that had a purple light. "Opila, got a problem. This door needs a purple keycard and I don't have one of those."
"Eh? Oh, did ya say purple keycard?" Opila asked. Then the pink bird reared her head back. Rebecca wasn't sure what Opila was doing at first, but then she watched as the bird suddenly moved her head back down and coughed loudly. A purple keycard shot out of Opila's mouth and clattered to the floor noisely.
"...Oh. You just...have the keycard in your stomach...?" Rebecca stuttered, making a face. "Then again, you had the yellow keycard in there, too. I found out earlier when you spat it out after I finished the egg puzzle."
"Huh! I was wondering why I didn't just spit out the yellow keycard. I was pretty sure I swallowed it before I swallowed the purple one. But now I see why!" Opila replied, ruffling her feathers a bit after having just spat out something. "Anyways, yeah, there's the purple keycard."
Rebecca gave Opila a look. "Uh...do you mind explaining why you store your keycards in your stomach?"
Opila gave another jerk of her head. "Just a convenient storage space for me. All I really have, seeing as I don't got pockets like you do."
"Uh-huh. Well, at least we can check this room properly now." Rebecca said, and she picked up the purple keycard and was quick to slide it through the slot. The light on the reader turned green and gave the cheery beep again, and the purple doors slid open, allowing entry.
The moment the doors opened, Rebecca could already tell that the room was empty. Still, she went inside, just to make sure. Sure enough, the small seating areas to the left and right had nobody sitting at them, and nobody was manning the four computers behind the long desk at the other end of the room.
"Huh! Empty." Opila commented as she poked her head into the room. "Well, guess that's one room checked off the list real darn quick."
"Mmm." Rebecca said, as she walked over to the long desk. "Just let me check for anything interesting real quick." Rebecca said this knowing that there might be something to find in here, even if nobody was in it. She had realized through finding all the scattered notes around the area that if she looked hard enough, she might be able to find little traces of the people who were once here, which would (hopefully) give her clues on what happened to them, and more importantly, where they were now.
Her thinking rewarded her, as she found a small little card on the edge of the desk. Giving it an interested glance, she swiped it and held it up. "Oh, hey...it's a boarding pass."
"A boarding pass? Let me see." Opila said, and she trotted over and craned her neck, looking over Rebecca's shoulder.
"It says it's for somebody called 'Weverly Mason'." Rebecca read, glancing down at the name printed on the card.
Opila perked up. "Oh! I didn't know Weverly was planning on flying somewhere."
"You know her?"
"Heck yeah, I do. She's a part of the staff working here at the kindergarten." Opila mentioned. "She's mostly a nice gal. Although she never mentioned she was planning on flying somewhere, so...I wonder why she has a boarding pass in here."
"Beats me. I haven't even met her." Rebecca said, as she placed the boarding pass back on the desk.
"Well, we might find her soon! Chances are, she went with the others when she went...wherever it is that she and the others went." Opila replied. "C'mon, there's another room I wanna check!"
They left the room they were in behind, and this time they focused on the orange door at the end of the hallway. As Rebecca reached into her jacket pocket and got the orange keycard out, she secretly felt glad that she didn't need to have Opila vomit out the keycard this time. She swiped it through the reader, and like with the purple door, the orange door came sliding open.
"Heelllloooo?" Opila called as she went strutting into the room, turning her neck from side to side. Rebecca followed her, entering a spacious office with a desk and computer, a large tv mounted onto the wall, some boxes piled in the corner, and two yellow chairs, both of which had been tipped over. "Hmm! Nobody here. I was almost hoping we could find Uthman."
"Uthman...?" Rebecca asked.
"Yeah! He's like or manager or something, so he's more or less in charge of some stuff around here. Shame he's not here! I was almost hoping."
"Wait..." Rebecca paused and glanced around the room. There were no other doorways leading out of the room, and this led Rebecca to a new realization. "...that's it? This is really the last room in the building and we still haven't found them?! Dang it!" Rebecca sighed. "I feel like we've checked everywhere by this point! Where could Jack and Claire be?"
"Jack? Claire?" Opila questioned, turning her head to look at Rebecca.
"My siblings' names." Rebecca explained within a few short words, even as she felt anxious about the whole situation. She was now sure she had seen every single room in the building, save for the electrical room, but she highly doubted anyone was back there due to the lack of a way to open the door. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. "But now how are we supposed to find them? Did they leave the building or something?"
"Hmm. Well, did ya see anyone leaving the building?" Opila asked, tilting her head.
"Well, no. And apparently my mom didn't either, when she drove by this place. She said as much when I came home and talked to her."
"Then I'm pretty sure they didn't leave the building! Me and the others aren't supposed to leave this place, anyways, so...that means they're still here somewhere!"
"But where?! We've checked in every room! Nothing!"
Opila made a face. "No, no, not everywhere! There's still places to check! In fact, I think it's pretty obvious where all the kids, staff, and all my friends went, if we can be sure they didn't leave the building."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "Alright, then, since you're so sure...where?"
"Hmmm..." Was the only response Opila gave at first, and the bird tilted her neck back and forth, not taking her eyes off of Rebecca. Rebecca almost felt like the bird was silently judging her. Eventually, Opila opened up her beak again and said: "...technically, I'm really not supposed to tell or show anyone what I'm 'bout to show you, but oh well. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I'll let you in on it."
"Huh?" Rebecca said, giving Opila a look. "What do you mean, let me in? Let me in on what?"
Opila clicked her beak. "Well, it's...no, no, it's better if I just show you!" The pink bird turned her body and trotted over to the desk, then walked behind it and looked back at Rebecca. "Come over here and look at this."
Rebecca, curious as to what Opila was trying to do, went over to the desk herself and walked right behind it like Opila had. Opila crouched down and jabbed her beak in the direction of the underside of the desk. Rebecca, who was starting to understand what Opila was trying to say, knelt down herself and tilted her head, getting a look underneath the desk.
A keycard reader was attached to the side of the underside of the desk, emitting a small orange light.
"Huh?! There's...another keycard reader underneath here!" Rebecca exclaimed.
"Yep! Kept nice and hidden under Mr. Uthman's desk, so normal people have never actually seen it...'till today, that is." Opila explained.
"Okay, so...why would it need to be hidden? What does it do?"
"You'll see! Swipe it with that orange keycard you've got."
"Uh...alright." Rebecca accepted. She was unsure where this was going, but the fact that there was a keycard reader hidden underneath the desk of this Uthman guy did catch her interest. Seeing as the reader had been put in a place where nobody would be able to see it, Rebecca found herself feeling almost certain that it was put there to hide...whatever it is that it activated.
Getting on her hands and knees, Rebecca crawled closer so she could properly reach her arm over to the keycard reader, with Opila straightening up and stepping aside so Rebecca could have enough room to move into the right space. She was only just getting into position when she felt her left hand, which she had been putting down, collide with something plasticky instead of something wooden.
Looking down in confusion, Rebecca lifted her arm to see a white card lying on the floor. Her attention momentarily sidetracked, she picked up the card and turned it over to look at it.
"Hey, wait...this is another boarding pass."
"Say what? The keycard reader isn't a boarding pass." Opila replied confusedly.
"Not that! Look!" Rebecca turned herself around and held out the boarding pass, showing it to Opila.
"Oh! Keen eye ya got there. I didn't even notice that lying underneath the desk." Opila responded, and the bird tilted her head forwards, her eyes focusing on the little card so she could read it. Almost immediately, the bird's eyes widened with recognition. "Hey, wait a second! This boarding pass is for Mr. Uthman!"
"It is?" Rebecca stammered, and she held the pass back over where she was so she could see for herself. Sure enough, there was no mistaking the fact that the name 'Uthman Adam' had been printed on the boarding pass. "Oh. It is."
"That's weird...Mr. Uthman has a boarding pass, too? Like Weverly?" Opila recounted, the bird scrunching up her face in befuddlement. "So they were both plannin' on flying out somewhere."
"Yeah. Do you have any idea why?" Rebecca asked.
"Not a clue! Neither of them even mentioned this to any of us." Opila denied, shaking her head. "It's weird that they'd even consider wanting to fly out somewhere, considering they have this entire kindergarten to keep running and jobs here they have to do...I'm making a mental note to bug those two about it when we find them. In the meantime, let's get to doing that. Go on, swipe the keycard already."
Rebecca nodded, but even as she fingered the orange keycard and moved it into position in the reader's slot, she felt oddly suspicious over what she was learning. So a guy named Uthman and a girl named Weverly, who both worked there, had been planning on flying somewhere. This turned out to be odd to Opila, who said they normally wouldn't even try since they had jobs at the kindergarten, and that piece of information made Rebecca suspicious.
Why would they be planning on leaving town if they have work to do here? That's strange. Rebecca thought as she moved her arm downwards, swiping the keycard through the slot and watching the reader turn green.
"There ya go! Now, look." Opila said, and she jabbed her beak towards something out of sight.
Rebecca crawled back out from underneath the desk, got onto her feet, and looked in the direction Opila had pointed her beak towards.
"Whoa!"
This was Rebecca's reaction when she saw what was happening. On the other side of the room from the desk, the floor was suddenly beginning to move downwards. The boxes stacked in that part of the room shook slightly as they moved with the floor beneath them, and Rebecca slowly inched forwards as she saw the part of the floor that had once been in place sinking downwards, revealing darkness underneath the floorboards. Rebecca leaned slightly over the edge that had now been created by the gap in the floor, only to see the wooden platform still sinking downwards and disappearing down into the darkness below.
"The floor! It's just...going down into the ground!" Rebecca stuttered. "But...but why?"
"Just wait!" Opila answered, trotting over to Rebecca's side and keeping her large eyes focused on the dark gap in the floor, seemingly waiting for something.
Rebecca gave Opila a sideways glance, then stood there and waited silently too, though she had scarcely an idea of what she was waiting for. The floor over at the part of the room they were looking towards had just...went down and disappeared into some unseen darkness below. The fact that there was unseen darkness below at all instead of dirt or gravel put Rebecca on edge. Something was going on here, but she wasn't sure what.
It took less than a minute before Rebecca realized that some sort of bright light was beginning to shine into the room from the darkness below. And then, rising up from the floor where they had once been nothing but paneled wood, there was a platform. It was red in coloration and made entirely of metal. It was surrounded by grey railings on all sides, and in the center, a circular lamp sticking up from a pole illuminated the lift and the surrounding room with bright white light. The lift rose until it was level with the rest of the wooden floor. Then, with a loud squeaking noise, the two metal gates at the front of the lift tilted open, as if inviting Rebecca and Opila to step onto the lift.
"Surprise! It's a lift." Opila said, turning back to look at Rebecca.
"A lift? But how is something like this here?" Rebecca asked, confused over how a lift was rising out of the floor at all.
"It's to get us down to the lower floors!"
"L-...there are lower floors? You mean this place has more floors to it than just one?!"
Opila nodded her feathery head. "Thaaattt's right! There's actually an entire set of floors below this place, buried underground. They're meant to be secret and for company employees' eyes only, buuuutttt seeing as we really need to find the people we're looking for, I'm pretty sure we'll need to check down in the lower floors! It's the only place I can really imagine any of the others being in."
Rebecca was reeling. So much for the strangeness over finding out Opila Bird and all the silly-looking characters on the mural were somehow alive and walking around. Now the whole deal was going a step further and revealing that there was an entire set of underground floors hidden beneath the kindergarten.
Can this whole situation get any stranger...? Rebecca wondered in disbelief as she willed herself to speak again. "But how?! Why?! Why would an ordinary kindergarten that wants to babysit little kids have underground floors that are kept hidden from anyone but employees?!"
"Well, for starters, this pretty much isn't an ordinary kindergarten." Opila admit, clicking her beak. "Or at least, that's what I've heard some of my friends say. And yeah, there's a whole bunch of stuff below us. I guess the people working here were hiding a lot more from the outside world than just me and my friends if they made all these underground floors."
"Well, no shit, Sherlock! Most kindergartens don't have underground floors at all!"
"Hey! Language, missy!" Opila cut in, giving Rebecca a dirty look. "This may be a weird kindergarten by your standards, but it's still a kindergarten! You better not use those bad words 'round here!"
Rebecca sighed. "Okay, fine, sorry. But how do you expect me to react at hearing all this stuff when I didn't even think I'd find any of this? I just...I thought finding my siblings would be way easier than this! I thought I'd just have to pop in, grab 'em, and pop back out. But now I have to go to some underground part of this place just to track them down..."
"Well, surprise, then. Now c'mon! We're not getting anywhere by just standing here and gawking at the lift." Opila said, and the pink bird did a small hop from her position and landed on the center of the lift, then looked back at Rebecca. "Hop on! We've got a ways to go, so we better get moving!"
Rebecca stared for a moment. Then she let out a groan. "Oh, alright, I'm coming. I'm not going home without my little brother and sister, so if this is where I have to go to find them, it's not like I have much of a choice." She stepped across the paneled wood and leapt forwards a small distance, getting onto the lift right next to where Opila was standing.
"That's the spirit! Now scan your keycard on the reader over there and we'll be on our way." Opila responded, and she turned her head and jabbed her beak in another direction. Rebecca looked over to see a keycard reader mounted to the side of the metal railing surrounding the lift. Nodding, she went over and swiped the orange keycard through the keycard reader. The light turned green and gave the same beep of confirmation.
A second later, there was another squeak of moving metal as the metal gates closed back up again. Rebecca heard the sounds of unseen machinery, and with a small jolt, the lift began moving again, slowly descending into the darkness below.
Rebecca leaned up against the side of the railing and waited, still wondering where she would arrive when the lift reached its destination. Opila trotted over, her talons clanking on the metal as she stood by Rebecca's side, staring off into the darkness around them at nothing in particular.
When the white lights of the office above could no longer be seen, and the space around them was completely and utterly black, Rebecca spoke again.
"So...what's down on the lower floors, anyways?" She asked. If she was being forced to travel down underground to find her Jack and Claire, she figured she should at least try to find out what she was getting herself into.
"Whole bunch of stuff! Can't really describe it all to you right now. There's a ton of stuff down here and I'd be talking all day." Opila replied, her eyes moving to glance at Rebecca as she spoke. "Honestly, we're probably in for quite the search! But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. And maybe we'll find someone you or I know as soon as we get down there, and they can point us in the right direction! Maybe Banban, or Fiddles, or Flynn, or...or..." Opila Bird suddenly stared back off into the distance, and she ruffled her feathers and got an odd look of pleasure on her face. "...or even her." Opila giggled.
"...Her?" Rebecca questioned. She assumed Opila had to be talking about one of the characters on the mural, but the only other one Rebecca knew was female was Banbaleena. Was Opila somehow talking about her? But if so...what was with that look on her face? Why did she look so...giddy? "Who are you-?"
CLUNK! SLAM!
This was roughly the sound Rebecca heard, and she felt the lift around her get jostled. Startled by the sudden movement, she looked around her, wondering what she had just heard. It took her a second to realize that the lift had stopped moving.
"Eh? Hey, what gives?" Opila squawked in confusion, and the bird trotted around the lift and looked over the edges.
"Uh...is the lift supposed to stop like this?" Rebecca asked, giving Opila a look of concern.
"Heck no, it's not! Weird...usually these things work just fine. Guess something must've gotten broken." Opila leaned a little further over the side of the metal railing, squinting down into the darkness below. "Can't tell what, though. I don't know anything about how this machinery stuff works."
"Well, now what? If the lift doesn't get moving, we'll be stuck here."
Opila stopped looking over the edge of the lift and trotted back over to Rebecca, looking a bit cross. "How am I supposed to know? I didn't build this thing. And I can't tell if there's any way to fix it, either, so we might have to-"
"Gggggggrrrrrrhhhhh..."
Both of them froze as a loud sound, something between a groan and a moan, permeated the crushing darkness around the lift.
"What was that?!" Rebecca shouted, looking hurriedly around them into the surrounding blackness but not seeing a thing.
"Wait a sec...that voice..." Opila Bird muttered, clicking her beak and stopping for a moment.
And then a new, much harsher sound suddenly assaulted their senses.
BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!
Rebecca yelled as the startlingly loud beeping suddenly brought an unanticipated shift from what the silent darkness had brought before. Opila squawked in alarm and whipped her head around, on high alert. The circular lamp illuminating the lift suddenly began flashing, changing color in time with the loud beeping, from red to white and back again.
"What's happening?! Why is there an alarm trying to blow out our eardrums?!" Rebecca yelled over the beeping noises, on the verge of putting her hands over her eyes to block out the noise.
"Wait a minute! I've heard this alarm before!" Opila shouted, tilting her head upwards as she seemed to realize something. "This alarm goes off whenever the lift is enduring too much weight and is on the verge of collapsing!"
"Collapsing-?!"
"Yes, yes, collapsing! But what the squawk is weighing down the lift?! Neither of us are heavy enough to cause it to break!"
The answer was given to them almost as soon as Opila asked the question.
Rebecca screamed as the lift shook violently, almost losing her balance in the process. Opila screeched, taken off guard by the shaking and stumbling a little. Rebecca whipped her head all around, trying desperately to find any sort of sign of what was going on.
Then she finally saw the source.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT IS THAT?!" She screamed, pointing her finger towards the source, and Opila turned her head quickly to look as well.
A giant green hand, mitten-like in shape, had slammed itself onto the side of the lift, presumably having caused the violent shaking in the process. It was curved around the metal, maintaining a tight hold as the arm from which the hand came extended out of the darkness below the lift.
"H-Hey! That's-!" Opila squawked, a shine of recognition appearing in her round eyes. But she didn't have the chance to finish speaking before she screeched again as another giant green hand rose up, slamming itself onto the lift as well and causing yet another small burst of violent shaking. Rebecca screamed as well, holding onto the side of the lift, inwardly fearing that the whole thing might completely collapse and send her and Opila careening down into the darkness below them.
And then, through the loud and constant beeping of the alarm, she heard the voice again.
"Gggggggaah! Whew! Finally made it up!"
Rebecca looked over in surprise as a huge head rose up to join the hands that had gotten ahold of the lift, and now huge eyes were staring right at them...huge eyes connected to an oval-shaped head with a mouth of small, rounded teeth.
It was the green character on the mural.
Jumbo Josh.
Rebecca wanted to make some sort of yell of recognition, but Opila did it for her.
"JOSH?!" Opila Bird screeched, her eyes almost popping out of her skull.
"Oh! Hey there, Opila! Hey there, person I've never seen before!" The big green guy, Jumbo Josh, guffawed, raising an arm to give a small wave before he set it back down on the side of the lift, causing another bout of shaking that once again made Rebecca and Opila stumble. "Good to see ya!"
"WHAT THE SQUAWK ARE YOU DOING, JOSH?! WHY ARE YOU HANGING ON TO THE SIDE OF THE SQUAWKING LIFT?!" Opila Bird screeched, going berserk over the appearance of the big green creature.
"I saw the lift going up and I wanted to see where it was heading, so I climbed on up! Took me a whole lotta effort but here I am!" Jumbo Josh replied, his voice discernible even through the continuous sounds of the alarm. "Where ya guys going? Can I come, too? And who's the girl you're with, Opila?"
"JOSH WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO WHAT BANBAN AND FLYNN TOLD YOU ABOUT CLIMBING LIFTS?! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT! YOU'RE TOO HEAVY!" Opila bird screamed, shaking her head rapidly. "CLIMB OFF! CLIMB OFF NOW BEFORE THE LIFT COLLAPSES AND TAKES US WITH IT!"
Josh tilted his head, and his wide grin faltered a bit in confusion. "What? Opila, speak up! I can't hear ya over the beeping!"
"I SAID YOU'RE TOO HEAVY! CLIMB OFF THE LIFT!"
Josh scrunched up his face, trying to listen. "WHAT DID YA SAY?!" He asked loudly.
Opila rose her screeching voice even louder, and the mixture of the screeching and loud alarm finally coerced Rebecca into putting her hands over her ears. Even with them over her ears, though, she could still hear Opila.
"I SAID YOU'RE TOO HEAV- WAAAAAUUUGGGGHH!"
"What the-?! GAAAAH!"
"WOAH! AAAGH!"
A mixture of three different shouts of surprise rang out as the lift suddenly tilted sideways, finally losing its battle against the weight of the big green creature holding on to the side of it. Rebecca screamed, and she attempted to grab on to the metal railing right before she lost her balance- only for her hand to wave uselessly, grasping nothing but air.
She felt herself flying through the air, and she knew at once that she was falling. She screamed, her brain going a million miles per hour as the rush of overbearing stimuli plagued her, from the burst of fear and terror coming from falling to the sounds of Opila's screeching and Josh's rumbling yell as they, too, fell down.
And down, down they went, into the waiting darkness below, down towards the site of a whole new adventure...
Chapter 3
Notes:
Hey everyone! Taken a little longer this time, but chapter 3 is up! This time, we're properly getting into the Garten of Banban 2 stuff.
Enjoy!
Chapter Text
Rebecca felt herself lying on something soft when she came to. Grumbling and slowly getting herself to wake up, she lifted her eyes open to see pink feathers obscuring the entirety of her vision.
Momentarily befuddled by waking up to such a sight, she opened her eyes fully and stood all the way up.
As it had turned out, she had woken up to find that she had been lying on Opila Bird, who was laying on the ground, knocked unconscious.
"Oh, crap! Opila!" Rebecca exclaimed, and she knelt down and lightly shook the feathery bird on the floor. "Hey, wake up!"
"SCREEEEE!" Came a sudden cry as Opila's huge eyes shot open, and she opened her beak and screeched. Rebecca jumped back, startled by the pink bird's sudden awakening. She hadn't expected Opila to react in such a way. "What's going on?! Where am I?!" Opila squawked as she raised herself onto her talons and whipped around to face Rebecca. Her confused expression vanished when she caught sight of her. "Oh. Oh! Rebecca, it's you!"
"Yeah, it's me...uh, sorry if I woke you up super abruptly, but I just woke up and found myself lying on top of you." Rebecca admit, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "You were out of it and I was trying to see if you were okay."
"Out of it?! Oh, yeah...I was out of it." Opila said, realizing that slowly as she clicked her beak. "Well, thanks for checking up on me, I guess! Good to know you care about lil ol' me."
"Heh heh...well, when I see anyone unconscious, my natural urge is to check on them. I do it whenever I wake my siblings up in the mornings."
"I see, I see. Hmm...wait, so...we fell unconscious! And that was because of the fall, wasn't it..."
Rebecca glanced back at up at the ceiling above. It was all darkness up there. "Yeah, seems like it. But...hey, we're alive. Somehow."
"Yeah, we sure are...although I dunno how! The floor's solid metal!" Opila replied, and she tapped the metal floor beneath them with a single talon. "We should've been floor pancakes! Unless..." Opila looked at herself and ruffled her feathers a bit. "Ohhh, I get it! Hey, Becca, I think my feathers might've cushioned my fall."
"Oh...I guess that makes sense." Rebecca agreed. "And, uh...I think they cushioned my fall, too, seeing as I landed on top of you and I'm still alive."
"That also makes sense! Gee, you're...kinda lucky you fell right on top of me, then. Who knows if you'd be alive if you hadn't."
"Yeah..." Rebecca looked Opila in the eye. "Hey, uh...I know we're both alive, but...are you alright? No broken bones or anything?"
"Doesn't feel like it! I feel pretty okay, all things considered." Opila said, nodding. "How about you?"
Rebecca briefly looked herself over. "I...don't feel any pain. I think I'm okay, too."
"That's good! Whew, I half-thought we were done for when Josh made the entire lift collapse like that." Opila Bird squawked. Five seconds of silence passed. Then Opila Bird's eyes instantly became bloodshot. "Wait, where's-?!" The pink bird rapidly turned around and screeched loudly as she looked in a certain direction. "ACK!"
Rebecca turned too, and she was surprised to see what Opila was looking at.
In the entire craziness of falling, losing consciousness, waking back up, and checking up on each other, Rebecca had completely forgotten about the surprise appearance of Jumbo Josh. But now she remembered, as she now saw what had happened to him.
Jumbo Josh was lying face first on the metal floor several feet away from Rebecca and Opila. The red metal lift he had accidentally upended with his own weight now lay on top of him. He wasn't moving or speaking.
"JOSH! HEY!" Opila Bird yelled, and she quickly trotted over and pecked the side of Josh's neck. "Are you okay?! C'mon, wake up!"
"Urrrrggghhh..." Came a muffled moan from the big green guy, confirming that he was awake, albeit somewhat out of it. "The lift's...weighing me down...somebody get it off..."
"Huh?! Okay, okay, I'm on it!" Opila squawked, and she ran back over to Rebecca and prodded the girl's arm with her feathery head. "Becca, come on! I'm gonna need your help here!"
"Uh...I...alright, I guess." Rebecca agreed. She was a bit hesitant to help the very guy who had made the lift collapse to begin with, but he had seemed friendly before he had caused the lift to break, and Opila wanted to get him out from underneath the broken lift lying on top of him.
Stepping over quickly, Rebecca went around to the side of Jumbo Josh and gripped the metal railing of the red metal platform, then began to pull. She struggled for a moment, but the lift shortly began to move, and she pulled it more, more, and more...and then stepped back as the lift slid off of Josh's body and clattered to the floor with the clanging of metal.
"Got it!" Rebecca called.
Opila pecked the side of Josh's neck again. "C'mon, Josh, get up! We got the lift off of you! You're tough enough to get up, aren't you?!"
Josh didn't reply at first. Then Rebecca watched as he raised one of his giant green arms and put it onto the ground. Then the other. Then with a small grunt, Josh hoisted himself up, onto his feet.
"Whew! Thanks for getting that off me, Opila. Faceplanting onto the ground and having that thing fall on me SUCKED, ya know?" Jumbo Josh said, turning to speak to them with a grin back on his face.
"I can tell as much. You, uh...feeling alright?" Opila asked, tilting her head.
Jumbo Josh stared down at himself. "Eh! Feel a little wonky and sore n' stuff, but ey, it's nothing I can't handle! Ya know a fall bigger than that one would be needed to take down ME!" Josh lightly slapped his chest and grinned wider.
"Okay! Good." Opila replied. She stared for a moment. Then she raced forwards and started pecking every inch of Josh she could reach.
"Yow! Hey! What's the deal? What'd I do?" Josh sputtered, his grin fading as he winced from the pecking and tried to push Opila off of him.
"You- are- such- a- big- dumb- idiot- you- could- have- gotten- us- KILLED!" Opila Bird screeched furiously, pecking Josh with each word she said. "You- are- not- supposed- to- climb- up- the- squawking- LIFT!"
"Hey, c'mon, don't be mad! I was just trying to see where it was going and I didn' want to wait for it to come back!"
"If- that- happens- then- you- do- NOT- climb- up- the- LIFT- you- big-"
"Opila, c'mon! I know I made the lift collapse 'n stuff, and that's pretty darn bad, but you're alive, aren't ya?"
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT YA OVERGROWN MORON!" Opila Bird screeched, stopping her barrage of pecks and glaring at Josh. "Don't ya remember what Banban and Flynn told you about this?"
Josh paused. Then he sighed. "...don't go climbing up the side of lifts." He recounted.
"Ex-ACTLY! You wait for the lift to come back down and then ride it! Ya don't go scaling it like you're a monkey going up a tree!"
"Alright, alright...I'm really sorry." Josh said, looking apologetic. He rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I was being pretty reckless there...I hope you can forgive me."
Opila gave one final squawk of fury...then sighed and calmed down at once. "Yeah, I forgive ya, ya lunkhead. I'm done being angry at you, because holy squawk, I'm glad you're here. Where even were you? I woke up in my playroom and went to the ball pit and everyone was gone!"
"Well, I was..." Jumbo Josh began, holding out his arms. His eyes flicked for a moment, and he looked at Rebecca, who had been watching the exchange silently and with mild amusement the whole time. "Hey, slow it on down for a sec, Opila. Aren't you gonna introduce me to your friend?"
"Eh? Oh, right!" Opila said, nodding, and she stepped over behind Rebecca. Rebecca felt her backside prodded by Opila's beak and she stepped forwards, going more towards the lumbering green guy in front of her. "C'mon, introduce yourself!" Opila said, giving Rebecca a nod.
"Well, uh...hi there, Jumbo Josh." Rebecca greeted. "I'm Rebecca. But you can call me Becca, too, if that works better for you."
"Becca, eh? Nice to meet ya! And it looks like ya already know who I am!" Jumbo Josh replied, grinning again. "And you're a human like all the staff and kids are! Neat! What'cha doing down here?"
"Well, I came here looking for my siblings. There's this small rambunctious little kid named Jack, about this high-" Rebecca held up her hand below herself. "-and there's Claire. She's a little older than him, has black hair. Have you seen them?"
"Hmmmm...hey, did ya say...Jack?" Josh replied, and his big grin suddenly lengthened. "Hey, I know a kid named Jack!"
"You do?!" Rebecca exclaimed, feeling excited to finally be talking to something that had seen her siblings.
"Yeah! He kept climbing up me so he could ride on my shoulders. Little tyke!" Josh recounted, letting out a guffaw.
Rebecca grinned. "That's Jack, alright. Sounds like exactly the thing he would do. Have you seen him? Or Claire?"
"...Sorry, I don't think I have." Josh replied, shaking his head. "I kinda haven't left this room! Sorta just woke up here and started tryin' to climb the lift immediately after."
"...Oh." Rebecca replied, feeling disappointed. "Well, at least you saw him." Finally, one of these cartoon characters knows one of my siblings. Now I'm getting somewhere, even if he doesn't know where Jack or Claire are...
"Hey, wait! 'Woke up'? What do ya mean by that?" Opila interrupted, trotting a few steps forward.
"I mean what I meant! I went and woke up here." Josh repeated, looking towards Opila.
"Yeah, but like...how? Do you got a clue what happened back at the ball pit upstairs?"
Josh scrunched up his face in thought. "Hmm...I was gonna ask you the same thing, Opila. But, uh...if you're wondering what the deal was, guess I'll tell ya what I remember if that helps any. Don't think I got the full story, but I definitely remember some of the stuff."
"Fine, fine...storytime again, I guess." Opila said, rolling her eyes and clicking her beak.
Rebecca just stared. It sounded to her like this big green guy was preparing to give off another information dump, so she made sure to pay full attention. She wanted more details of what had happened back at the ball pit. Maybe he saw what happened to Jack when the ball pit collapsed. Rebecca theorized, hoping that her thoughts were correct.
"Okay, so...hey, wait. Opila, does ya new pal there know about Bring-A-Friend day at all? And how we play with kids, and the big ol' ball pit, and-"
"Yeah, yeah, I already told her all about it." Opila replied. "She knows about the ball pit and the kids going into it and us watching. Skip all that hooey and get to the important stuff!"
"Alright, alright...mostly I just remember I was looking down into the ball pit, and darn, fighting the urge to jump in was gettin' to be hard as heck! Seein' all those kids having fun was just giving me a huge urge to join 'em! And I was almost thinkin' about doing it, too...but then I heard a big crash! And then..." Josh paused.
"And then...?" Opila Bird asked, tilting her head.
"...Yeah, my memory ain't goin' much farther than that point." Josh sighed, shrugging. "Next I knew was that I was waking up right down here in front of the lift! I was pretty darn confused, too, so I thought I'd hop on the lift and head back up, see if you or anyone else was still at the ball pit. But the whole lift started moving up before I could even hop on! And then...well, ya already know the rest."
"That's...it?" Rebecca said, frowning. "Come on, isn't there anything more?"
"Sorry...'fraid I don't remember much else. I was just watchin' the kids, and the second I heard the crash my memory stops giving me the deets." Josh responded, shaking his oval head left and right.
Rebecca put her hands in her hair, almost tempted to pull her hair out in frustration. She'd met two whole members of the somehow real cartoon family so far, and neither of them could tell her if her siblings were safe or not! She was already growing more anxious with every passing minute, and knowing she had spent time unconscious made her feel worse. She had spent so much time already when her siblings could be anywhere, getting further and further away and probably walking right into trouble.
Opila noticed what Rebecca was doing. "Hey, hey, Becca, stay calm!" She squawked. "I know you're super worried about your little brother and sister, but I'm sure they're fine! We'll find them soon!"
Jumbo Josh looked concerned. "Oh, yeah...you're looking for your siblings. That's what ya said, huh? What the heck happened, anyway? Normally the kids are supposed to go home once the partying is all over."
"That's the thing! My siblings didn't, and apparently, neither did anyone else!" Rebecca said, opening her mouth to shout. "The damn ball pit collapsed, Jumbo Josh! It freakin' collapsed and now the kids and staff are nowhere to be found! My mom didn't see anybody leaving the building, and I've already searched the ENTIRE floor above! There is nobody up there! All me and Opila have figured out is that they're somewhere down here, but that doesn't put me at ease! They could be anywhere and not knowing where freaking stresses me out!"
"Stay calm, Becca!" Opila Bird cut in, giving Rebecca a light peck on the shoulder. The small bit of pain did momentarily break Rebecca out of the tirade.
"W-What?! The ball pit collapsed?!" Josh sputtered in disbelief. "Oh, holy heck! Are the kids okay?!"
"We don't know, Josh! We- well, mostly Rebecca, but me as well- have been searching the entire floor upstairs for them! But there's not many signs they were there at all...plus, the ball pit's just a giant hole now."
"Eh? So nobody's upstairs?"
"No one. I'm pretty sure of that." Rebecca confirmed, frowning solemnly.
"And nobody went and walked out the building?"
"As far as we know? Nobody." Opila Bird said, shaking her head. "Definitely not any of the others. You know we're not allowed to leave the building."
"Yeah, I know that...well, then they gotta be-"
"Down here, yes, we already figured that out ourselves, Josh." Opila finished. "That's why we called the elevator in the first place."
"Oh! Uh...neat!" Josh replied, nodding his head. He glanced at Rebecca. "Hey, wait a sec. That friend...is she one of those employee people?"
"No...?" Opila replied, tilting her head.
"Wait, I kinda thought we weren't supposed to be showing people any floors under the one at the top." Josh said, rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't the staff say all that?"
Opila rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, they did, but she was adamant about coming along! She really wants to find her brother and sister, and by giving her one look I could tell she wasn't taking no for an answer. So I invited her along."
"Huh. Guess I can understand that. I just hope you ain't gonna get in trouble for this." Josh responded shrugging.
"So what? If the staff get all mad cause I helped an older sister find her little brother and sister, then they can eat it for all I care! It felt right to let her come, and we always do what's right! After all, we gotta set a good example for the kids."
"Hmm. That's super true!" Jumbo Josh said, brightening a bit. "Yeah, okay, then. It's all good."
"Great! Now, then, Josh. Another question. Do you know where any of the others are?" Opila asked, clicking her beak.
"Nope! Haven't went outside this room we're standing around in. And apparently they're not upstairs, based on what you two were sayin'?"
"I only found Opila up there, so...no." Rebecca answered.
"Then they're definitely off on this level somewhere! Or...deeper, maybe. I dunno." Josh responded, shrugging.
"Great! That's all we needed to know. C'mon, Rebecca, we gotta get moving. There's a ton of stuff to see down on these levels and it'd be good if we started looking now!" Opila squawked, about-facing Rebecca and nodding her feathery head.
"Right." Rebecca agreed, eager to get back on track. The talk with Jumbo Josh hadn't assuaged her fears in the slightest, and now she was even more concerned about finding her siblings, and soon.
"H-Hey, wait a second! You guys are going already?" Josh stuttered, tilting his head. "Well, uh...ya said you were off to find...?"
"Literally everyone else." Opila finished, clicking her beak and looking back at Josh a little impatiently. "As in, all the kids, all the staff, Banban and the others, AND Rebecca's siblings."
"Then lemme come along!" Josh said, lifting his head. "Ya don't just think I wanna sit here and feel stupid while the kids and our friends are missing, do ya? If they're down here somewhere, then I gotta make sure they're okay!"
"Oh! Ya wanna come with? Well...eh, I dunno about that..." Opila Bird said a little hesitantly, tilting her head.
Rebecca noticed the hesitant quality in the pink bird's voice, and she waved Opila down. "Oh, don't be like that. He seems earnest about it. Just let him tag along. Means more eyes on the lookout."
"H-Hey, I didn't mean he couldn't come! I just don't want Josh doing more lunkhead things while we're searching. Like climbing more lifts, maybe!" Opila gave Josh a dirty look.
"Lay off, Opila! I'm not gonna do it again, okay? I've learned my darn lesson." Josh said earnestly, frowning. "Besides, the others are my pals just as much as they're yours! If there's one thing I know I need to make sure of, it's that both them and the kids are okay!"
"...Alright, alright, ya big hoot, come on." Opila Bird squawked, relenting.
"YEAH! Now that's what I like to hear." Josh exclaimed, grinning widely again. He stepped over to Opila and Rebecca's side and looked down at Rebecca. Rebecca looked up at Josh and it occurred to her that he was definitely a bit taller than she was. And she could tell those giant arms weren't just for show. He could probably flatten her if he so chose...even so, she saw how good-hearted he was when he grinned wider and said: "And you're Rebecca, right? If you're looking for your siblings, then I'll do whatever I can do to help ya out! Opila's cool with ya, so I am as well!"
"...Yeah. Thanks." Rebecca said slowly, nodding her head and turning slightly away. She wasn't showing it much, but she was glad that she had some help finding her siblings, even if the help was coming from two cartoony creatures her past self would never have believed was real. "So where do we start?"
"Easy! Orange door, twelve o'clock." Jumbo Josh pointed out, and Rebecca watched as he pointed the way, lifting a big green hand and gesturing towards an orange door. While most of the metal room was empty, the door was the one thing it had going for it. But Rebecca had to admit that if the exit was the only exciting thing about the room, then the room was as boring as linoleum flooring.
Didn't matter though. She didn't plan on staying in the room anyways. She had to get moving.
"Alright, then let's get moving! I'll lead, you two keep pace." Opila Bird said, nodding her feathery head. She began to trot again, going first and heading up to the orange door. "We're gonna need to open the door first, though."
"Got the keycard right here." Rebecca answered immediately, reaching into her pocket and fishing out the orange keycard again. She walked up, Jumbo Josh lumbering behind her as she swiped the keycard through the slot in the nearby reader. With a beep of confirmation and a light turning from orange to green, the doors slid right open.
Ahead was a grey hallway, lit up by white lights and leading up to another orange door. Opila lead the way as she said she would, and Rebecca entered the hallway and followed. Josh ducked underneath the doorway and kept pace as best as he could, his heavy footsteps a constant reminder to Rebecca that he was behind them. They made their way up to the doorway at the opposite end of the hallway, and another scan of Rebecca's orange keycard allowed the door to slide open.
And then they stepped into the next room.
"...Oh my god." Rebecca stuttered as she followed Opila down another short hallway and into the room, then looked up to see the sight before her.
The room was massive. Rebecca and her two companions were standing on a metal bridge sticking out from one end of the room, suspended where it was by thick metal rods coming from the ceiling. All around them were huge walls with tons and tons of dark, empty windows. It was like staring at the walls of skyscrapers. Across from the metal platform they were on were three more platforms, one to the left, one to the right, and another one dead ahead. All three other platforms were also suspended by metal rods, and each platform led the way into another hallway or doorway, where more areas seemed to be. The four metal platforms were all separated by a large chasm of empty space between them all. Rebecca stepped forwards, her mouth dry, and glanced over the edge. She couldn't see the bottom. She looked above her. She couldn't see the top, either. There way no way of knowing how tall the room even was.
"Alrighty, here we are at the bridge crossing! Or the Hub, as Banban calls it." Opila said, looking back at Rebecca and Josh. "From here this entire floor consists of three large sectors, each split into tons of different rooms."
"Whew. Gonna be a ton of rooms to look in." Josh commented. He looked across the chasm towards the three other areas. "Where do we start?"
"How...how are neither of you concerned about this? This room is just...why does a room like this even EXIST in a kindergarten?!" Rebecca sputtered as she kept glancing around at the huge skyscraper-like walls surrounding the entire area. "I was expecting something tamer! This is just...just..."
Opila gave Rebecca a look. "Uh...should we be concerned? We never really thought much about this area being weird. It just is the way it is."
"Yeah! Sure it's big and it's got a big ol' chasm, but it's as much of a part of this place down here as anywhere else is." Josh commented, nodding his head.
Rebecca realized that those two weren't even perturbed by any of this because they were used to it. It almost seemed to her that they were saying they lived down here. But it still irked Rebecca, who was on guard at seeing such a foreboding place beneath what was supposed to be a friendly-looking kindergarten. Metal platforms suspended by rods...a huge chasm...tons of windows on the walls that stretched both up and down into darkness...
All of it made Rebecca feel alarmed over what could possibly be down in this place. What things could possibly have been hidden?
The question was on her lips the moment she thought of all this.
"What kind of screwed-up industrial nightmare of a kindergarten is this, anyway?"
Opila and Josh exchanged looks and both gave shrugs.
"Dunno what to tell ya, Becca." Josh replied. "If it makes ya feel any better, the staff people said the kids were never supposed to see what was down here."
"Oh, yeah, because that statement definitely doesn't give this whole place any more sinister undertones than it already has at first glance."
"Oh, enough about it. Yeah, the place is big and dark, but how does that matter right now? Come on, I thought we were focusing on finding everyone!" Opila squawked impatiently.
Rebecca sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I guess I just have to...somehow...accept that this place looks like this and get back to focusing on finding my siblings."
"So, uh...back to what I was asking earlier. Which way do we go?" Josh questioned, looking out over the chasm again. "We got three entire directions to take, and who knows which one is the right way?"
"Hmm..." Opila mumbled, and her head looked from side to side as she looked at the different sectors across the chasm. Rebecca knew she didn't know where to go, and she could tell Josh didn't have any idea where to start, so she left the decision up to Opila.
While she waited for the pink bird to give her piece, Rebecca glanced at the room around her again. She looked back at the area she and the others had come from, and she noticed a sign hanging in front of the entryway reading 'Outer Sector'.
Huh...that's what the kindergarten floors above are called? The Outer Sector? Rebecca thought. Weird. Then again, if this is some sort of weird underground facility, then of course they'd think of the kindergarten above as just another sector...
She looked back at the other three areas across the chasm and noticed that they had signs hanging in front of them, too. The one to the left was labeled as the 'Medical Sector'. The one dead ahead was apparently the 'Testing Sector.' The one to the right had a sign reading: 'Comms Sector.'
As she considered these areas, Opila finally turned around and opened her beak to speak again.
"Okay, gave it some thought...and I think it'd be a good idea if we went to the Comms Sector first!" Opila Bird stated, clicking her beak. "It's got the security room and the employee work room and all that! Not only is there a decent chance that we'll find someone over there, but we can also see if we can use those cameras the staff are always using! If we do, we could get a view of everywhere else on the floor and find out where the others are!"
"Huh! That ain't a half-bad idea!" Josh agreed, grinning his agreement.
"Well, it sounds like you know what you're doing when you say all that, so...sure. You know this place better than I do, anyway." Rebecca admit, shrugging. She glanced at the area again. "But, uh...how do we get over there? There's kind of a gaping hole between us and there."
"We're gonna need to extend the bridge! It's how ya get from sector to sector on these floors." Opila explained, and she walked over towards a metal mechanism extending out of the floor. It had a keycard reader and a small set of buttons shaped like arrows, each one pointing in a different direction.
Rebecca walked over to it and inspected the reader. "It needs a pink keycard. I don't have one of those. Where are we supposed to-"
"Found it!" Jumbo Josh suddenly called out, and Rebecca turned to see the big green guy leaning over something on the corner of the platform. She walked over and saw two items lying on the floor: the very pink keycard she needed, paired with a piece of slightly crumpled paper.
"Well that was easy. Why's there just a random keycard lying to the wayside?" Opila wondered audibly, looking confused.
"Dunno, but whoever dropped it here sure did make things convenient for us." Jumbo Josh said, and he picked up the pink keycard in his giant hand and began to walk over to the reader on the bridge.
Rebecca would have joined him and Opila in trying to operate the bridge, but she found herself distracted by the piece of paper. She remembered telling herself earlier to look out for any kind of notes that would clue her in to what went on in this place and where her siblings might be. Wondering what might be on this particular sheet of paper, she grabbed it and held it up to read it.
This is it.
After all the things we've done down here, the missteps we took, and the mistakes we made...it's all come back to bite us. All because of one big accident.
I came running down here, but everyone's gone by now. And after what happened, the abyss isn't behaving how it was before. The whispers down there are back...and they're getting louder. Once or twice I even swore I saw a face looking up at me...
But that's all wrong. We were told everything thrown into the abyss is gone forever.
I guess that was just a trick, too.
If anyone is reading this, please, get out of this place now. I don't know if it's safe anymore, but I don't think it'll be the same. Still, what we did here shouldn't be seen by anyone. It should never get a place in history. It should be forgotten.
Please. Turn back.
For your own safety.
None of what she read on the paper made her feel at ease. It all heightened just how alert she was over this place and what might be here.
She could already tell that the presence of a secret underground facility was cause for suspicion. But now she was hearing more of what went on down here. Mistakes were made, apparently, and the people down here had made something that had to be forgotten...
...and, worst of all, there was some kind of abyss below, and a face was looking up from it.
Immediately, Rebecca looked away from the paper and peered down into the darkness far below the metal platform. Despite what the paper said, she didn't hear any sort of whispers emanating from the chasm, and she certainly couldn't see any faces looking up at her. What the author of this note had described just wasn't there.
But absence of evidence wasn't evidence of absence. Rebecca still felt uneasy over what this note was saying, and she still was wary over what could possibly have been done down here. She figured that it was something very bad, if the fact that the facility was being hidden like this was any indication. And the presence of the cartoon characters on the wall walking around and living as real creatures? That was an even bigger indicator of something going on down in the facility.
What kind of people are doing things down here? How did they bring those cartoon characters to life? And...why are they trying to hide it all away? She thought.
She was unsure about most of it.
But she knew one thing she was sure of, and that was that she wasn't backing down.
If her siblings really were down here, then Rebecca could only imagine the strange, unusual, and even horrifying things they were being exposed to. She felt concerned for Claire and Jack, and her resolve to track them down doubled.
She didn't care that the note was telling her to leave. Her siblings were one of the reasons she still got out of bed in the morning, and she would go into the strange walls of this underground place if it meant finally finding them.
"Hey, Rebecca! We got the bridge to work! Get over here!"
Rebecca was interrupted from thinking when she heard Opila call for her, and she turned back to the others, who were waving her over. Opila and Josh had swiped the keycard they had found through the reader on the mechanism, and they already seemed to have pressed the button to extend the bridge.
"Coming." Rebecca said, and she walked over to them. She only just got next to where they were when she heard the whirr of machinery. She saw a long metal platform begin to extend out of the platform below them, getting longer and longer overtime, until it extended all the way over the chasm and touched the platform dead ahead. Lights lining the bridge snapped on, illuminating the walkway.
"We got the bridge in workin' order. Still working good!" Josh explained as Opila tilted her neck and tapped the right arrow button with her beak. The arrow glowed green, and the extended metal bridge moved again, this time shifting to the right and turning until the bridge touched the platform on the right. As soon as the bridge stopped moving, two lights on either side of the Comms Sector snapped on, and the doorway into the area was illuminated with yellow light.
"Bingo! Bridge's in place. Now let's get going to the Comms Sector!" Opila Bird stated, and she led the way as she did before, hopping onto the metal platform.
Rebecca followed the pink bird, but she was careful not to fall off the bridge as she did. The bridge had no guard rails, so she knew she could slip off if she wasn't careful. She felt a bit more on edge when Josh stepped onto the bridge as well and walked behind her, but the bridge remained in place, not giving any signs of strain. It seemed the bridge was sturdy enough to support the weight of all three of them at once.
Once they were across the bridge, the platform leading up to the doorway into the Sector did have guard rails, unlike the bridge. Rebecca gripped one of the rails, even though there was no need for it, then let go and kept following Opila as the trio ambled through the doorway.
Ahead was a room with white wooden floors and a staircase off to the left, leading up to a balcony above where there was a pink door. On the back wall below were three tables, tipped over onto their sides, while on the wall behind the tables, somebody had written:
The Spider is real
Rebecca gave it a glance, feeling a bit unnerved by such messages scrawled onto the wall. "Hey, uh...what's with that writing on the wall?" She asked the others.
Opila and Josh looked at the writing on the wall and glanced at each other.
"Eh. Seems like some crazy person drawing on the wall to me." Opila squawked, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, same. I think we can, uh...ignore that. Yeah." Josh said, half-stuttering the second half of the sentence.
Rebecca picked up on the minor stutter at the end of Josh's sentence. Both that and the glance the two of them had given each other made her suspicious.
There's more to the story. She realized. But, still wanting to focus on finding her siblings, she decided not to pursue the subject. It simply wasn't her business.
At least, for now it wasn't.
"So do we just...go up the stairs?" Rebecca asked, placing a foot on the bottommost step.
"Seeing as the main communications hub is in the room at the top of the steps, yeah, that's the idea." Opila answered, trotting past Rebecca again and going up the stairs, her talons clicking against the wood. Rebecca followed after the pink bird, glancing to the left at the wall art as they passed, which had a drawing of one of Stinger Flynn's tentacles and was going on about stairs being good exercise. Perhaps they were, but Rebecca couldn't focus on that. She felt too uneasy inside.
For some reason, she had a feeling she was being watched.
Rebecca tried to ignore the feeling as she reached the top of the stairs and approached the pink door alongside Opila. Josh ascended the stairs after them.
"Pink keycard reader! I got it." Josh called. The pink keycard was in his hand again as he swiped it through the reader next to the pink door. With a beep and a light coloration change, the doors into the room beyond slid open.
As the trio entered, Rebecca finally found herself coming into another room that at least appeared like it belonged in a kindergarten. No more strange skyscraper-esque walls; the floors were white wood like the previous room, the walls and ceiling were a calming periwinkle color, and there was even a large wall in front of them reading 'Banban's Kindergarten' in a similar manner to the wall in the front lobby.
The wall the words were on was rounded, and there were areas on both sides of that part of the wall. To the left, Rebecca saw a short hallway with several more doors, and even a sectioned-off area with chairs, a conference table, and a television screen mounted onto the wall.
To the right was the more interesting sight: an entire work area, featuring a bunch of desks, with some red and some blue. A wavy orange stripe decorated the wall next to this area of the room. There were more doors on this wall, including a green one further off and a small black one in the back corner, and there was writing on the wall adjacent to the door Rebecca and the others had entered through. On the wall opposite of the many desks was...oh, another mural. Rebecca could see the silly art of the Banban mascots standing alongside each other from this distance.
Wait...were there more than six characters on the mural over there?
"Here we are! The good ol' Comms place!" Jumbo Josh said, grinning as he stepped by Rebecca.
"Yep! Where all the communicating stuff across the entire floor goes on." Opila added, opening her beak to talk as she looked around the room. When her eyes fell on the vacant set of desks, her face fell a bit. "Nobody here, though! Darn. I thought at least one person would be at their desk."
"Then they're probably in one of the nearby rooms. There's a lot of doors near us." Rebecca pointed out, glancing at all the possible doors to enter around the room.
"Yeah! Becca's got the right idea!" Josh added, nodding his great big head. "Maybe somebody's in one of those rooms!"
"Eh...maybe! I'm just a bit disappointed. Thought we'd run into one of the staff by now, but nope!" Opila muttered, shaking her feathery head. "How long is it gonna be before we find somebody?"
DING DONG...
The entire group was startled to hear some type of ringing sound emanate through the area. Rebecca had no idea why she was hearing such a sound, but Opila and Josh seemed to know.
"Hey! That's the intercom turnin' on!" Josh commented, looking up at a speaker sticking out of the wall above the 'Banban's Kindergarten' wall letters.
Opila almost made as if she was going to say something, and Rebecca wanted to say something about it, too. But they were cut off by a new voice, one which emanated from every single speaker in the room that was a part of the intercom.
"Hey! You there! I can see you on the cameras!"
Rebecca's head whirled to face the intercom speaker once she heard this voice. The voice sounded like some sort of young man, who sounded tired but relieved as his voice sounded out the speakers.
"Who's there?" Rebecca asked, raising her voice.
"Oh, good, you're speaking back to me...you have no idea how happy I am to see you!" The man on the intercom said, sounding even more relieved. "And...wait, is that Opila Bird and Jumbo Josh with you?"
"That's me!" Opila squawked, looking up at the speaker.
"Yep! The one and only." Jumbo Josh replied, waving his big green arm at something. Rebecca turned her head to see Josh looked towards a white camera sticking out of one of the nearby walls.
"Oh, good! I was wondering where those two were. Along with everyone else, for that matter..." The man on the intercom said, sighing.
"So who the heck are ya? Some kinda employee?" Opila Bird asked, tilting her head towards one of the cameras.
"Yeah, I am. The name's, uh...Devin. Yeah, that's my name." The man on the intercom replied. "I do work as part of the staff of the kindergarten, as a matter of a fact. And...oh, man, I'm so glad I managed to find somebody. I really thought this was the end of me..."
"The end of you? What do you mean?" Rebecca asked. She was glad she had finally, finally encountered an actual human in this underground place, but she was also on edge after hearing the things the man had been saying so far. Whatever was going on with him, it didn't seem to be good.
"Well, I heard this tremendous crash from somewhere above and I thought I heard tons of footsteps...so I thought something must have went terribly wrong." Devin answered over the intercom. "I started to look around to see where everyone had gone, and I walked into the security room at the left side of the communications hub to check it for any people...but when I went inside, the door closed behind me and I don't have the keycard needed to open it back up! I've just been stuck in here ever since..."
"Ya got stuck in the security room?" Josh asked, tilting his head.
"Yeah! It seems to need a light blue keycard to open...but I don't have one. I was never given any kind of that keycard by management. I really need help getting out of here! I hope you can help me out, Opila, Josh...and, uh...who are you, miss? I don't think I've ever seen you in this place before."
"I'm Rebecca." Rebecca answered at once, providing her name. "My two younger siblings are enrolled here at the kindergarten and they missed the pick up time, so I'm here to find them. I met Opila and Josh on the way and we've been working together to find not just my siblings, but also the other kids, the staff, and the other members of Josh and Opila's friend group."
"Oh...is that so? Well, that does sound like quite the situation. I'd definitely be happy to help you three. In fact, I...I think I know, based on what I've seen on these cameras, where all the kids and staff went."
"You do?!" Rebecca exclaimed, her face brightening.
"Ya mean it?!" Josh sputtered in sudden excitement.
"You're serious?!" Opila squawked loudly, suddenly hyped.
"Y-Yeah! I've been stuck in here for a bit now, but I did end up seeing the kids and staff on these cameras here. I actually saw the very room they all ran into, and I think they're still hiding in that room now..."
"Which room?!" Rebecca demanded, stepping closer to the nearest camera. She felt hope fueling her. She was finally getting proper directions, from someone who knew where her children were exactly...it sounded amazing to her.
"I'm afraid I don't know the name of the room itself, and the cameras don't say the room names...but I'm pretty sure I know the way one has to go to get to that room!" Devin answered. "I'd be happy to join you three and guide you in that direction! But...but I can't help you if I'm stuck in the security room like this! You've got to get me out of this room!"
"Don't say another word! You've got it!" Opila said, nodding her feathery head.
"Yeah, what Opila said!" Josh agreed, nodding along with her.
"Mmm-hmm!" Opila paused. "Hey, wait a second, Devin! You said you know where the kids and staff went roughly, right?"
"Yeah?" Devin confirmed over the intercom.
"What about the others? Where's Banbaleena and Fiddles? Or Flynn? Or even Banban? And have you seen Seline or Toadster anywhere around? We could use their help as well!"
Rebecca looked at Opila Bird, feeling perplexed at what the bird was saying. She knew most of the names Opila was bringing up, but...who were Seline and Toadster?
"I...I'm sorry, but I haven't seen any of them." Devin replied on the intercom, an apologetic tone in his voice.
"WHAT?! You haven't?! Not even one of them?" Opila yelped, looking surprised.
"Yeah, c'mon! You've gotta have seen at least one of our old pals, right?" Josh asked, almost seeming to plead.
"I'm really sorry, but I haven't. I've been searching the cameras, but none of your friends are on any of them. I don't know where they are." Devin replied, his voice lower. "I just know where the kids and staff are. Although, I...I don't know why they're hiding. Do any of you know?"
"From what Opila and Josh told me, the ball pit collapsed, and now everyone seems to have rushed down here." Rebecca answered.
"Collapsed?! Oh, geez, that sounds really awful. Well...I can, uh, see all the kids on the cameras in the room they're hiding in and none of them seem injured. Neither do the staff hiding with them. I hope that eases your concerns."
Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad to hear that nobody seemed to be hurt. She hoped Jack and Claire were safe and were with the other people who were hiding. "Yeah. Thanks for telling us this. We'll get you out of there, okay?"
"Yeah, count on it, bud! And then we'll all go and find the others as a team!" Josh suggested, grinning.
"Mmm-hmm!" Opila agreed, clicking her beak.
"Y-Yeah! That sounds, um...super great!" Devin replied over the intercom. "But first, please just get me out of here..."
"We will. Promise." Rebecca said, intending to keep said promise. If this guy was going to help them find Jack and Claire, then she decided she would help him however she could. "So you said you needed a light blue keycard to open the door of the room?"
"That's right. But, uh...if I recall correctly, only maintenance workers held the light blue keycard, so they could have access to maintenance rooms and the like." Devin responded affirmatively. "I think there should be extra light blue keycards down in the maintenance warehouse, so you're going to have to go and look in there to find one."
Opila suddenly craned her neck and looked across the room. Rebecca followed Opila's eyes and saw that she was looking off at a green door on the right side of the room.
"Hey, Devin! Got an issue! The door to the maintenance room is also locked, this time by green keycard! And I'm pretty sure none of us has one of those." Opila reported.
"Y-Yeah...I figured that might be an issue. I can't open any keycard doors from here, sadly...but you should be able to find a green keycard somewhere here!" Devin said over the intercom. "Green keycards were generally held by most staff members. Now, I'm unsure where those types of keycards might be located exactly, but...I can open the door to the break room from here, and I figure that's as good a place to start looking as any."
The trio heard a sound of a door opening, and they all turned to see a door to their left sliding open.
"There! I opened it for you. See if you can find anything useful in there!" Devin continued.
"Thanks, Devin!" Rebecca called, and she heard the other two also saying their thanks, but she didn't stop to listen, as she was already moving in the direction of the break room. Hearing another human and knowing that she had a possible way directly to her siblings had heartened her, and now she felt like a girl on a mission. She would get that light blue keycard as quickly as she could, and she didn't want anything to stop her.
She stepped through the doorway and entered the room. The break room was a wide room with small tables and chairs to sit at, vending machines, and larger tables pushed up against the walls that had a coffee maker and a birthday cake inside a plastic container. The words 'Happy Birthday' had been painted on the wall behind the tables.
Seems like somebody celebrated their birthday in here recently. Rebecca thought as she began to glance around the room, keeping her eyes peeled for any green keycards.
"Ooh! Josh, look, they got cake!" Opila screeched excitedly as she came trotting into the room, and she ran up to the birthday cake interestedly.
"Nah, not feeling it, Opila. Cakes ain't so healthy, y'know?" Josh politely refused, shaking his head. "But I guess you can pig out if ya want."
Opila gave the cake a long glance. "Aw...you know what? Actually, I'll save this for later! Once we find everyone and get things back to normal, I'll invite everyone to eat cake together! Ooh, and we'll have a fun little party to make up for the ball pit collapsing!"
"Now that sounds good!" Josh replied approvingly.
Rebecca couldn't help but smile at their fun little idea. She liked the idea of having a celebration party- of course, that would be on the table only after she got finished having a strict talking-to with her siblings over how much they made her worry about them, but...still, it was a solid idea.
Rebecca walked over to the tables, and it was then that something caught her eye. She saw something white lying on the table. Feeling curious, she walked over to give it a closer look.
And then she exclaimed in excitement at what it was.
"Oh, hell yes! I love these things!"
That exclamation got the attention of her two companions, who walked over to see what she was excited about.
"What's gotten you so happy?" Opila asked interestedly.
"Look!" Rebecca said, and she turned and showed them what she had been looking at: a white mechanical flying drone, paired up with a black remote consisting of tons of different buttons and knobs. "It's a drone!"
"Oh, hey, a drone! Didn't know there was one lyin' around the break room." Josh voiced, giving it an eager glance. "Let's take it for a spin!"
"You read my mind!" Rebecca agreed. She very much liked drones. Her second cousin had once given her one for her seventh birthday as a gift, and from the moment she had unboxed it, she had taken it out to the backyard to screw around with it. That had been one of her favorite childhood memories: a black remote control in her hands as she steered the drone around the trees, scaring the squirrels off the branches and shooting it through the leaves.
"Huh? Wait, I thought we were going to-" Opila began, but Rebecca was already running out of the room, Josh on her heels as they went back into the lobby where there was plenty of space.
Rebecca set the white drone carefully on the floor at the center of the room and raised the remote control. She fingered the switch on the side and set it to on, then slowly twisted one of the knobs. She watched in satisfaction as the drone rose a few feet into the air, then hovered around in midair, its four tiny propellers keeping it in the same position.
"Awesome! We got it in the air!" Josh commented, a big grin on his face as he stood by Rebecca's side, both of them just as excited.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you two doing?" Opila Bird said, rushing over and clicking her beak impatiently. "I thought we were supposed to be-"
DING, DONG...
The intercom turned on again, and Devin's voice buzzed out of the speakers.
"Oh, hey, you got your hands on one of the company drones. Ah, I love those good old things." Devin voiced in a casual tone. "I used to have one of my own, but I lost it a couple weeks ago. Ran out of battery while it was hovering over the abyss. Haven't seen it since."
"So the company has drones? That's pretty sweet! I used to use these things all the time when I was younger." Rebecca admit as she fiddled with the knobs, making the drone fly left, then right, then forward and backward.
"They're some good toys, gotta admit! Although I didn't think the company was gonna use 'em for their work 'n stuff." said Jumbo Josh.
"Me neither, actually, but they turned out to be very useful machines for the line of work we do down here." Devin said over the intercom. "Maintenance workers especially loved to make use of them. With them, you could reach high places, grab things that fell into the abyss, remotely activate nearby mechanisms...all sorts of things. They're like the best friends of the maintenance workers...or so I've, uh, heard."
Rebecca paused, momentarily forgetting about the drone. 'Line of work'? She frowned. "Hey, uh...question. What kind of work do you and the other staff members do down here, anyway? And why is it in some secret underground facility under the kindergarten?"
"Uh...well, uh, look, I was just paid to come and work here. My job was never really to, uh, question any of it." Devin answered, a little hastily at that. "As for my job...I really just came to supervise the kids. Not much more to it than, uh...than that."
Rebecca paused to consider that answer, then chose to give a shrug. "Fair enough, I guess." She begrudgingly admit, even though she felt like the workers should be questioning more thoroughly what kind of work they were being tasked to do if it involved underground facilities below children's places.
"Y'know...sometimes I do think some of the work the people do here is weird. I don't know how to describe it, though..." Opila said, looking thoughtful over it.
"Me neither. It's some weird kinda stuff, though, no denyin' that." Josh added, nodding his head.
"...so! The drone!" Devin carried on. "It's actually quite good that you found one. It'll probably be pretty useful in helping us deal with this little conundrum."
"Really? How so?" Rebecca asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, that's right, I haven't mentioned what it'd be useful for. You three. Uh, step over to those desks over there. Please."
Rebecca just nodded slightly and walked over so that she was standing near the desks. Josh and Opila, seeming okay with it, did the same. From where Rebecca was now, she now had a good look at a series of drawings made on the wall. These, however, weren't cartoony illustrations like some of the previous artwork. It was instead work instructions and some sort of gauge.
Notice:
For those punching in to start scheduled work hours, please keep in mind that you are meant to punch in from lowest to greatest. Please wait until every employee with a lower score than you has punched in before you punch in yourself.
-Management
Next to the notice on the wall was the gauge, which consisted of a color gradient. The top was red, then faded into white, which faded into blue. Four names were labeled on each color, each with a number next to their name. One employee had a yellow smiley face next to their name, while another had a red spiky sad face next to their name.
Customer Registration Recap Board
Red
Drew: 4
Weverly: 22 (Good job, Weverly!)
HH: 12
Joan: 3 (You can do better, Joan!)
Blue
Rachel: 6
Maysam: 10
Shayver: 7
Rahul: 9
"Man...what is all of this?" Rebecca asked, gazing up at it with confusion over what its purpose was.
"I dunno! I never really pay much attention to the complex employee stuff. You know anything at all, Opila?" Josh asked, giving the bird a side-eye.
"Eh, well...something about worker scores? And coming in earlier and later and stuff? I never really paid much attention to that stuff either..." Opila said, shaking her head.
DING DONG...
"Oh! I see you've all started to look at the customer registration recap board." Devin said over the intercom. "Hmm...hey. Hey! I...I just remembered! You three! Do you see that small black door in the corner over there?"
Rebecca glanced over at the same small black door that she had, indeed, noticed earlier. "Uh, yeah, we see it. What about it?"
"That's the storage closet for this room in particular. I'm bringing it up because I think the communications center workers stored some of their more important belongings in there. And I think that may very well include green keycards."
"Oh! Well, that sounds dang promising, then." Opila replied.
"Yeah, sure does! How do we get in there, ey?" Josh questioned, looking curious.
"Hmm...if my memory serves me correctly, that particular closet only opens when the system detects that every communications center worker has punched in." Devin recounted, speaking slowly and thoughtfully.
"Alright, then we'll get every single employee punched in if we have to. But how's that going to work?" Rebecca inquired.
"Good question...oh! Well, firstly, I think you should get the punch in system online. From what I'm seeing here on the system screens in this security room, it's currently offline."
"Uh, alright. And how do I do that?"
"Do you see a black panel with a screen on it on the wall? It should be right next to the board."
Rebecca examined the wall and spotted what Devin was talking about. "Yeah, I see it. What do I do with it?"
"You know how I said the drone would be useful? This is one of those cases. Move your drone so that it's facing that particular panel."
Rebecca looked down at her remote control and fiddled with the knobs again. She steered the drone over to where she and the others were standing. Opila and Josh watched as she moved the drone so it was hovering right next to the wall panel. "Okay, now what?"
"There should be a green button on your remote control. Press that."
Rebecca glanced at the controls and saw a green button placed amongst the series of buttons on the control. She pressed it and watched as a green wave of light suddenly shot out of a tiny machine underneath the drone she had not seen before. The wave of light hit the panel and then disappeared. Seconds later, the screen suddenly lit up, and now it was as green as the light had been.
"You've done it. It says on these screens that the punch-in system is back online. You should be able to punch in all the various employees now. I'm pretty sure every desk has a keycard reader built into it. You should be able to use the pink keycard to scan each reader, as I'm pretty sure the pink keycard were used in the punching-in process."
"Oh, ya mean like this?" Josh questioned, and he walked over to one of the desks. Rebecca craned her neck and saw a reader with a pink light literally built into the desk space. Unlike most other readers, which had to be swiped, she saw Josh push the keycard into a slot this time around...
...only for the light to momentarily turn red and for a beep of rejection to sound.
"Aw, what? It didn't even work." Josh said, making a face.
"I don't think that was supposed to be the desk that's meant to be punched in first, ya lunkhead." Opila commented, gazing at the board and back at the desks.
"Hmm. Hey, Devin, any insight into what order we should be punching in these employees?" Rebecca asked.
"Well...my memory is a bit fuzzy when it comes to the process, especially considering I don't actually participate in the process myself. But I think I was briefed on it before..." Devin articulated. "From what I recall, management had started to allow workers with good scores to punch in later than those with worse scores. Scores were calculated based on your routinely employee performance. Do well, and it would rise. Don't do well, and it would fall. The higher your performance score, the later you were allowed to punch in. From what I remember, the whole point of the process was to encourage workers with low scores to both come in earlier and to perform better. Naturally, this meant that the person with the lowest score would be punching in first, and then the person with the next-lowest score, and so on, so forth. But they also set it so that you can't punch in until everyone with a lower score had already punched in."
"Wait just a minute! What if somebody with a higher score gets there to work and somebody with a lower score hasn't even punched in yet?" Opila questioned, gazing up at the speaker with her round eyes.
"...yeah, that was kind of the issue with the whole system." Devin admit. "It was set up so that workers could only ever punch in the perfect order, with the assumption that nobody would ever be late. This meant that if you got there to work and somebody with a lower score had yet to punch in, you wouldn't even be able to start working and start earning revenue until those with lower scores finally did come to punch in. This meant that those who came early were actually punished for their can-do attitude by having to stand around and wait until those with lower scores finally showed up."
"That's stupid, though. Not to mention unfair. People shouldn't be punished for coming in early." Rebecca commented, frowning with distaste.
"That was exactly the thought process of a majority of the people who used the system." Devin explained. "Yeah, truth be told, the system wasn't very well-liked by anybody. But management insisted on keeping it, so...here it stays."
"Huh. That does suck. Guess I'm glad I ain't an employee." Josh admit, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah...I can see where you might be coming from." Devin said through the intercom. "Anyway, that's how it works. To get everyone punched in, you should punch in at the desks with the lowest score first and go in order from lowest to highest until each and every workspace has been punched in. Do that, and I'm certain the storage closet door will open right up."
The intercom turned off, and the others turned to face each other.
"Alright! We got the instructions. Let's do this!" Josh said, raising the pink keycard.
"Now hold on just a second! We can't just rush in headfirst into this. We could end up messing up the order over and over again for hours!" Opila cut in, shaking her head.
"Okay, then what's your idea?" Rebecca asked.
"Hmm...I think one of us should keep an eye on the board so they always know the scores." Opila decided, turning to face the board. "And somebody else should listen to the numbers being said by the one looking at the board and then punch in at the correct desks one after another."
"Alright, so...who's doin' what?" Jumbo Josh questioned.
"...Oh, gimme that." Opila said, and she trotted up to Josh and swiped the pink keycard, holding it in her beak. "Josh, you can remember numbers, can't you? You should go up to the board and tell me the numbers from lowest to highest and what desk each one will be at. I can swipe them just fine."
"Uh...okay, then. I guess I don't really mind what part of the whole deal I gotta do." Josh agreed casually. He walked near the registration board as Opila inched closer to the rows of red and blue desks.
"You just stand back and watch, Rebecca! Josh and I got this covered." Opila assured Rebecca, giving her a friendly nod.
"Uh...alright. You two hop to it, then. I'll just...wait." Rebecca agreed. She didn't know whether to be relieved or frustrated. On the one hand, not being able to help with a process that would bring them a step closer towards finding Jack and Claire did slightly annoy her. On the other, she figured Josh and Opila could handle it, and she wanted a bit of a break anyway.
So she stepped back, deciding to leave the two of them to it while she walked around the room and saw what there was to see. She could already hear Josh calling out the first number and what desk it was at when she started to walk away. As she strolled away from her two companions, her eyes drifted back to the drone, which was still hovering in midair near where it had scanned the wall to activate the punch-in system.
Whoops. Almost forgot. She thought, and she held up her remote control and steered the drone away from the wall. She wasn't sure where to put it, so she simply maneuvered it until it was near the circular wall with the 'Banban's Kindergarten' letters on it. She made the drone slowly lower itself to the ground, and no sooner had the drone touched down onto the wood than she had switched the drone off using the remote. The drone's four propellers stopped spinning and whirring, and the toy now sat silently in the middle of the floor.
There we go. Rebecca thought. Wish I could've put the drone in a better position, but I guess it doesn't really matter so long as it's on the ground and powered down.
Rebecca put the remote control into her jacket pocket, figuring she could use it again later if she needed a drone for something else. She didn't know what else in the facility might require the use of a drone, but from what Devin had said, it seemed the drones down here were multi-purpose, so she could only imagine what else she might have to use a drone for if the need to use one ever arose again.
With the drone taken care of, Rebecca decided not was the time to wander away from Opila Bird and Jumbo Josh. Being able to go off on her own like this did give her a chance to do something she had been meaning to do, but had not been able to do because of the whole situation: looking at the new mural off on the far wall at the right side of the room.
She approached it, getting close enough to see the art properly. Her eyes saw art on the ground as well and she glanced down to see a black arrow drawn on the floor, leading up to the art, with black text reading:
Meet the Family
So the Banban group is something like a family. Rebecca thought as she turned her attention back to the mural.
The mural was very similar to the one she had seen upstairs. The six characters she had seen drawn on the wall were back again: Banban, Banbaleena, Jumbo Josh, Opila Bird, Captain Fiddles, and Stinger Flynn. It occurred to Rebecca how odd it was to be thinking of those names as if they were fictional when they turned out to be the names of real, living beings. Heck, two of them were literally in the room with her right then, solving the punch-in situation.
But Rebecca hadn't been drawn to this mural because of what she already knew was part of it. What had drawn her back to it was the new stuff.
Two new characters, drawn in the exact same art style as the six from before, were now apart of the gathering of cartoony characters.
One was on the left, next to Jumbo Josh. It was entirely yellow, with a long neck ending in a head with a cheerful grin and two eyestalks with an eyeball sticking out of each stalk. The character had a large round shell on their back. Rebecca knew it to be a shell because of how it was drawn: with a large spiral swirl. She could tell that it was a snail.
As she looked at this character's art, it was then that she realized that this mural had yet another difference from the mural upstairs.
The characters were named.
Indeed, there was text floating either underneath or over the head of each individual character. The text was always the same color as the character it was describing, and the text read off the respective name of each character. In the snail's case, there was a name in yellow that read:
Slow Seline
Huh. Definitely wasn't a snail character before. But now there just...is? On this mural specifically but not the one upstairs? Rebecca thought. Slow Seline, huh? Seline...so the snail's a girl? Well, okay.
Rebecca walked to her right to get a look at the other new character drawn on the mural. It was a brownish-grey, with a round body and a belly of an even lighter color than the rest of its body. It had a pair of arms and legs that were about the same size. One arm was held down while the other was raised in a kind of cheery wave. The character's head was mostly taken up by a massive grin with large white teeth, although it on also had two reasonably big eyes. On one part of its head was a small black hat, and on the character's chest was a yellow star. A badge.
The brownish-grey text below the character read:
Sheriff Toadster
So this is the other new one. Sheriff Toadster...so they even had a whole sheriff character. Hmm. Rebecca thought. He's got a weirdly huge grin, though. And those teeth are definitely thicker than his arms.
Considering the toad for a moment, she looked back at the rest of the mural. Despite the new additions, it held the same vibe as the mural upstairs. Tons of cartoony beings, all with wide eyes and most of them with smiling faces. Each and every one of them looked happy, as if they belonged there. The light from the lamp above illuminating the mural gave off that effect in an even stronger manner.
Rebecca looked further to the left and glanced at the snail again, as well as...
...as well as...
...as...
Rebecca stopped in her tracks and turned further to the left. As it turned out, the left side of the mural...didn't end with Slow Seline.
She felt her legs moving as she walked over to the left side of the mural again, at something she had entirely missed.
A third character.
She hadn't even noticed this character before, but now she did. But this character...
What...is this thing? She thought, grimacing as she looked at it.
Almost every character on the mural before looked bright and happy, like they were right were they were meant to be. They were all standing right next to each other, tightly knit, like a real family.
But this character stood apart from the rest of them, off to the side. It was entirely blue. Its arms were incredibly long, and its legs looked similarly as long. It had no hands or feet; it arms and legs ended in tapered points. It had not two, but three eyes on its face, all three of them trained on the group nearby it. It had a single white-grey party hat sitting on top of its head.
But by far the worst part of it was its mouth. Every other character on the mural, save for Opila and Stinger Flynn, was smiling. But even though Opila wasn't appearing to smile and Stinger Flynn had no mouth to smile with, Rebecca could still look at their art and tell they were happy. But this thing's mouth was not curved into a smile, or a grin, or even an impassive expression. It was instead wide and oval-shaped, and almost as big as its entire body. And fitted into the entire oval of a mouth it had were tons of small teeth, each tooth a sharp triangle poking out of the thing's mouth.
Rebecca found herself staring at it, even though part of her wanted to look away. This thing...she didn't even have a name to call it or think of it as. Unlike all the other characters on the mural, this one hadn't even been graced with text saying what its name was. There was no nameplate above or below it. Rebecca stepped back a little, only to come to the realization that the light was also against this thing. While the light was wide enough and bright enough to illuminate all the rest of the characters, it did not reach whatever this blue thing was, and the blue creature instead stood in semidarkness.
This thing. This strange blue monster.
It didn't look the least bit happy.
Rebecca didn't know how she was able to tell. Maybe it was the wide open mouth of pointed teeth, or the odd stance it stood in, or the darkness it was cast in, or the fact that it was so separated from everything else.
But something about it told her that whatever it was...
...it wasn't happy.
Not like the other characters on the mural were.
"Hey, Rebecca, we got all the employees punched in! We...we..."
Rebecca heard Josh's voice right next to her, but did not turn to look. She knew the big green guy was standing right next to her, staring at the mural as well. And at the blue monster.
"Alright, you two, there was a green keycard in the closet and I grabbed it! Now let's go into that maintenance warehouse and...and..."
Opila was there too. Rebecca heard the clatter as a keycard fell out of her beak and hit the floor. She too was staring at the mural.
Rebecca just stood there. She was absorbed, transfixed, by this blue monster. She didn't know what emotions to feel over it. It was horrifying, but she couldn't feel disgusted about it. It looked unnatural, but she didn't have any urge to avert her eyes.
Above all, it looked unfriendly. The way it looked and stood...it just felt like it was something bad.
Rebecca, had she seen anything else like this, would have hated to look at it. She would have thought it some twisted nightmare thing some random person had thought up on a whim, and she wouldn't have paid it any mind.
But this thing.
With how it was separated, cast in darkness, and left without a nameplate...
It was strange.
Not to mention the fact that Rebecca knew, after what she had seen, that this thing existed for real somewhere.
Rebecca couldn't tell what to feel about it.
Revulsion...
...or...
...Pity.
Rebecca still didn't speak, but she glanced at her sides to see what Opila and Josh were both displaying about this blue thing.
They were both wearing what seemed to be identical expressions of distaste and dislike on their faces...at least, that was what a first glance told Rebecca.
But she was more observant than that. She could tell more feelings were underlying. Especially considering the slight sadness in Josh's face and the small bits of exhaustion in Opila's eyes.
Rebecca willed herself to speak up again. She almost asked 'What is it?'
Instead, she asked:
"Who is this?"
Opila and Josh both started very slightly. It seems as if they had both momentarily forgotten that Rebecca had been standing there. They both looked over at the human standing next to them. Neither of them replied right away, but Rebecca already knew they wouldn't. Not after the expressions she had seen them wearing.
After a small bit of silence, Josh finally took the initiative. "Trouble." He said shortly.
"A pest." Opila mumbled slowly, her eyes narrowing by the slightest fraction.
"...I meant its name." Rebecca clarified, even though what Josh and Opila had already said spoke volumes about what this thing was.
Josh let out a deep sigh. "Nabnab. His name's Nabnab."
Rebecca processed that name. Nabnab. Something about it felt funny to her, but it took her a few seconds of thinking before she realized what the joke was.
It was Banban's name...but spelled backwards.
This made Rebecca feel three things: exasperation at such an unoriginal name being given to a character, a further stab of pity that such a character was given such a name, and a bizarre desire to laugh at the joke the name was clearly trying to make.
Neither of these three feelings won out. Instead, Rebecca spoke in a very calm and even tone.
"You both just called him trouble. A pest. What did he did do wrong?"
"...A whole lotta things." Josh responded, netting Rebecca a much faster reply this time. "He's...well...the thing about him is that..."
"No. No, no, stop right there." Opila cut in suddenly, giving Josh a look. "We're not talking about him. We've got the keycard we needed. We're moving on."
Josh gave Opila a searching look but did not protest. He turned away from the mural. Opila bent down and snatched up the fallen keycard in her beak again, then trotted over to join Jumbo Josh.
Rebecca stared at the mural for only a little longer before she moved to join them. Her mind refocused back on her missing siblings and the progress she and her companions were making in finding everyone, and she tried to make her mind forget about the thing named Nabnab and just focus back on the goal, on the reason she was here at all.
Opila scanned the green keycard through the slot of the reader, above which read the word 'Maintenance'. With a beep of acceptance, the green doors slid open, allowing the group passage.
DING DONG...
"Sweet! Good job, all three of you." Devin congratulated them over the intercom, his voice not seeming to indicate that he knew something was off. "Now you've got access to the maintenance room! Remember, you're on the lookout for a light blue keycard, so keep your eyes peeled for one of those when you go down there. Good luck, and thank you again for helping me out."
Josh and Opila, who had turned their heads towards the speaker Devin's voice was coming out of, simply nodded. Their faces looked reasonably cheery again, but something told Rebecca they were still thinking about what had just went on. The pink bird and big green guy both walked forwards, heading into the room beyond.
Rebecca hesitated for a second. Her eyes almost looked back at the mural, but only this time did she feel any reluctance to look back at it.
"Uh...hey, are you alright?" Came Devin's voice over the intercom.
"Huh? Oh. Sorry." Rebecca apologized, having not known that Devin was still speaking through the intercom. "You're welcome, Devin. I promise me and the others will get you out of that security room."
"And I'm so happy to hear that. Thank you." Devin thanked. "Oh, and...again, good luck."
Chapter Text
Rebecca walked through the doorway ahead of her, following the lead of Opila and Josh towards the room they were heading towards: the maintenance warehouse. There, they could get a light blue keycard, get the employee Devin out of the room he was trapped in, and find the room the children and employees were hiding in.
When Rebecca entered the room beyond, she found herself seeing purplish-blue walls as she stood on the uppermost landing of a staircase. The stairs headed downwards to a middle landing and then downwards again to the room at the bottom of the stairs.
Rebecca saw blue in her peripheral vision and turned her head to the right...only for her to pause as she once again saw the appearance of Nabnab, the blue creature on the mural in the previous room. Like all of the characters upstairs, he was saying a quote.
Nabnab Says:
"It's okay to have no friends and be miserable like me!"
Rebecca stared, her eyes rereading the oddly sarcastic-sounding quote. At least, she assumed it was sarcasm.
It might not be sarcasm, but...who would find it okay having no friends and being alone? Rebecca thought. Nabnab certainly doesn't look happy to be alone...
But she didn't dwell on how this thing might feel any longer. She hadn't even met him yet, so she knew her musings and assumptions could be disproven if she were ever to come across Nabnab. But from the way Josh and Opila acted when she mentioned him to them, Rebecca assumed that he was a sore subject, as well as something those two were hoping not to encounter.
She instead continued, stepping down the stairs. Josh and Opila had completely ignored Nabnab's wall quote and had already tromped down the stairs to the middle landing, where the brownish-gray toad from the mural was saying his own quote.
Sheriff Toadster Says:
"Treat others how you would like to be treated! With respect!"
"Heh, always nice seein' all the wall quotes 'n stuff." Josh said, in conversation with Opila as Rebecca descended the stairs down to the landing they were standing on. "Gotta say, Toadster's is a saying I pretty much agree with."
"Well, ya know how he is. Always the gentleman and such! When he wasn't focused on being bad cop, that is." Opila squawked, nodding her feathery head. Rebacca inwardly wondered where the green keycard had gone. "Makes me wonder what he's been up to while Bring-A-Friend Day was in a full swing upstairs."
"Wait, what does that mean? Wasn't this Toadster guy there?" Rebecca asked.
"Nope! The only ones the staff brought up for the event was me, Josh, Banban, Banbaleena, Fiddles, and Flynn. The rest of the group had to stay downstairs." Opila recounted.
"Yeah. Weird of 'em to do that. I wonder why they didn't let Seline or Toadster get in on the fun? The kids would've loved them just as much as they love us." Josh commented, scratching his head.
"Eh, who knows. Always a different reason every time. Probably just trying to give themselves a smaller amount of things to manage or something..." Opila replied, and she stepped down the stairs again. Josh followed behind, the stairs creaking audibly from the strain of supporting him.
Rebecca walked to keep up with the others, but she found herself wondering what Josh and Opila had been wondering. She had seen upstairs that the mural didn't feature Seline, Toadster, or Nabnab. In fact, Rebecca hadn't even known of their existence until she had seen them on the mural down in the level she was on.
It's like they just erased those three from existence on the floor above...but why would they? Rebecca wondered.
When the group reached the bottom landing, there was a third wall quote depicted, this time of Slow Seline, the yellow snail from the wall art.
Slow Seline Says:
"I may be slow, but I'm quick to help anyone in need!"
"Huh. Wouldn't be a snail if there wasn't some kind of remark about its speed." Rebecca said out loud, before she could stop herself.
"Well, not like it doesn't relate to Seline! She's definitely not as fast as the rest of us...well, some of the time, anyway. But we love her all the same!" Opila said.
Some of the time? Rebecca questioned in her thoughts.
"'Course we do! Seline's a sweetheart and a half. Pretty hard not to appreciate her when she appreciates us." Josh said, and Rebecca noticed Josh's grin widen.
"Anyway! It'd be good to find her, along with literally anyone else down here, so let's get going. Maintenance warehouse is just behind us." Opila stated, and she turned on her feet and strutted up past the staircase. At the opposite side of the room from Seline's wall quote was another door, and next to it, a keycard slot with a green light above it.
Rebecca maintained a steady pace behind Opila, Josh doing the same, as the pink-purple bird trotted up and opened her mouth. Rebecca saw the green keycard slide out of Opila's mouth until it was in a position where Opila could hold it in her beak.
Oh, so that's where the keycard went. Completely forgot that Opila's insides are a convenient storage space for keycards. Rebecca thought as Opila tilted her head downwards and swiped the keycard through the reader.
The green doors slid open, as per usual when the keycards were scanned in, and the group stepped into the room beyond.
Rebecca could tell right away that they were in the maintenance warehouse just from one detail of the room alone: the shelves. The room was filled with rows and rows of metal shelving units, acting as tons of makeshift walls inside of the room. The room itself was very lengthy; Rebecca could only see the opposite wall off in the distance, and it wasn't easy to see through all the metal shelves blocking her way. The room was bright in the middle but dark at the sides, due to the fact that the lights above had only been placed in a straight line from one end to the room to the other.
"Holy...that's...a ton of shelves." Rebecca stated blankly.
"Sure is. From what I heard from the random snatches of employee talk, they decided to make this one room the one actual storage area of the entire floor, so they sort of cramed all of the shelves in here halfhazardly." Opila mentioned.
"Yeah. It's like a darn maze in there! I remember last time I was in here, I kept runnin' into dead ends." Josh recalled, frowning.
Opila gave Josh a look. "That's 'cause ya didn't follow the directions of the arrows on the floor, dingus."
"Hey, that's not fair! Those arrows are more confusing than you all act like they are!"
"Uh...anyway. Where are we supposed to find this light blue keycard? This room looks massive." Rebecca said, gazing down at all of the shelves. "Then again, all of these shelves are...completely empty. Which is kind of ridiculous. Why get all of these shelves and not use them?"
"I dunno myself. They store stuff in here all the darn time but then they take it out just as quickly. Guess they keep needing resources." Opila guessed, tilting her head. "In any case, I do think there's one room in here that would have the light blue keycards. There's a tool closet in the back where they keep the carts they use to move the big boxes around. I'm pretty sure they keep the light blue keycards in there."
Rebecca nodded. "Sounds straightforward to me." Rebecca peered back at the shelves, then looked to her left and right. On the walls near the entrance of the room, she saw yet another painted set of instructions, this one a blue sign seemingly directed towards maintenance workers.
Reminder to all Maintenance Workers
Follow the rules of the warehouse for your own safety!
1. You are required to work in groups no smaller than two. Never enter the warehouse alone. If you absolutely must go in but you are by yourself, please find someone to bring with you before entering.
2. Carry flashlights at all times, as some parts of the warehouse are dimly lit and workers must be able to see in order to avoid bumping into maintenance equipment, supplies, or the shelves. If you do not have a flashlight, you can find one in the equipment room.
3. Please take care to avoid the spider at all times. Do not approach or try to communicate with the spider. If the spider directly confronts you, make as much noise as possible and keep back from the spider until help arrives. Recommended noises to make are screaming, foot stomping, and hitting nearby shelves (please take care not to push the shelves, or else they may tip over.)
- Management
Rebecca was...appalled, to say the least.
These instructions communicated nothing less to her than the fact that the warehouse was inherently a dangerous room to be in. Not only did the rules say not to be alone and to carry a light source, but they even mentioned...the spider.
What the heck is 'the spider'? Rebecca thought, befuddled and wary. And why is this place letting something like that be in this warehouse, where it can...attack people, apparently?! Yeesh...who in their right mind would work in a place like this? Ugh...anyway, that is very, very bad.
"Opila? Josh?" Rebecca spoke up, causing her two companions to quit talking with each other and look towards her. "What's 'the spider'?"
Rebecca was a bit taken aback to see the exact same expressions of distaste she had seen earlier reappear on the faces of both of her companions.
"Somethin' that, if it knows what's good for it, won't come out and try to attack us." Opila said, clicking her beak and narrowing her eyes.
"So ya read the rules of this room, huh? Well, ya don't need to worry. You ain't alone 'long as you're with us!" Josh said, and he replaced his distasteful expression with a semi-convincing grin of reassurance. "If anything tries jumpin' out at us, I can get 'em out, easy peasy."
"Uh...okay, I guess I trust you with that." Rebecca agreed, nodding. She didn't see any reason not to trust Josh with it, considering his size and the amount of muscle he clearly had as part of his body.
"Hey, don't forget about me! I got a mean peck!" Opila squawked, ruffling her feathers and clicking her beak again.
"Yeah, I didn't forget about ya, Opila. You'll be a help as well." Josh said, turning around and reassuring the pink bird. "Now c'mon, you two, let's get walkin'. We're gettin' close to the light blue keycard, I can feel it."
"Yeah, yeah, let's go. Just...don't bump into any of the shelves, will ya, Josh?"
"I know, Opila, I know...let's just go!"
Opila and Josh ended up taking the lead again, and Rebecca trailed behind, following the lead of the others she was with, as per usual. She usually liked to take the lead in situations like these, but she knew that she had no real knowledge of the rooms of this place or where to go, unlike Opila or Josh. Having them in front also meant anything that jumped out at them would deal with Josh first, which was the preferred outcome, considering he had become the de facto muscle of the group. Rebecca was sure he could get anything off their backs, including...the spider.
What...IS this spider thing, anyway? Rebecca questioned yet again, this time isolating the question to her own thoughts. Apparently Josh and Opila don't seem to want to grace me with a description of it. Rebecca considered that detail, and another detail jumped to her mind. Wait. Wait a minute. Those looks on their faces...they gave those same exact looks when we were talking about Nabnab earlier. Does that mean...Nabnab is the spider? Wait, but that doesn't make sense. He doesn't look much like a spider at all. He definitely didn't have eight legs or eight eyes, so-
Rebecca's train of thought was interrupted as she stopped short. Her focus on her train of thought had caused her to not pay attention to where she was going, and she had been a moment away from running smack-dab into one of the metal shelves. Rebecca made sure to make a mental note that she had to pay attention where she was going, especially in a creepy dark warehouse like this one.
She stepped away from the shelf she had almost run into it and kept her focus on following Opila Bird and Jumbo Josh, neither of whom had noticed the fact that Rebecca had almost collided with something. She kept pace with them as she had before, something she didn't find too hard, as Opila wasn't going any faster than a trot, and Josh was going just as slowly, his eyes occasionally flickering to look at the nearby shelves. He seemed to be taking Opila's order to heart, and he was now consciously avoiding any sort of direct contact with the shelves. Rebecca couldn't blame Opila for making Josh do so, as the rules made it clear that A: the shelves could be pushed over, and B: it would be very bad if that happened. And while Josh's physical strength would work to the group's advantage if they were attacked, it would almost definitely work to their disadvantage if his strength caused the shelves to collapse onto them.
As the three of them navigated the shelves, Rebecca learned that the shelves really did act as a sort of maze, just as Josh had said. The group had to keep going left or right and moving past whole rows of shelves to keep making progress towards the other end of the room. There was always an arrow painted onto the floor in between each row of shelves, although they varied in color, being either blue or pink. Rebecca momentarily looked off to see which directions some of the arrows led in, only to see a pink arrow pointing in the direction of a dead end.
Seriously? Why would they paint arrows on the floor and have them lead towards dead ends instead of paths closer to the exits? Rebecca thought incredulously. That just...completely defeats the purpose of the arrows. Stuff like that is meant to PREVENT people from getting lost, not help them get lost even more...
Thankfully, it seemed that Opila knew how not to get lost in between the shelves, as she navigated the group onto the correct paths without ever hitting a dead end. Rebecca, knowing that Opila lived down in this facility, could only guess that she had been down in the warehouse before and knew her way around.
Having a guide in this regard benefited the group, and Rebecca was glad when they stepped around another row of shelves and finally reached the brightly-lit other end of the room, where there were no shelves in the way at all. Instead, there was a wide space with plenty of room to walk around. To the left, various black wooden chairs and a small table with a projector faced a blank whiteboard connected to the wall. To the right were several forklifts, which were standing parallel to each other and had been parked right underneath the stairs. Indeed, their were stairs, which went up to a balcony with a single black door up at the center. At ground level, a cyan-colored door waited right across from the group.
To the right of the cyan door was more wall art, painted in the same childish art style as the wall murals. It seemed to be a notice that workers should remember to protect themselves, and it was advising any and all workers to put on a hard hat and a high-vis vest before getting to work- by showing Banbaleena and Jumbo Josh wearing both items as they smiled and looked down at each other.
Rebecca heard a laugh, and turned her head to see Josh chuckling pleasurably as he viewed the wall art.
"Heh! I just can't help but feel pretty good about myself anytime I see myself painted on the walls. I'm glad they're using me to promote safety! Safety's pretty dang important." Josh stated, nodding his head.
"Hey, do you...?" Rebecca began, a question on her mind.
"Nah." Josh replied, immediately picking up on what she meant to ask. "I don't actually do any work in this warehouse. They just drew me wearing the hard hat and vest cause...cause maybe they thought it was a funny idea, I guess. And that it'd be good encouragement for the workers."
"True. Although honestly, I got to say that havin' you in a warehouse would be a double-edged sword." Opila commented as she trotted closer to the cyan door. "You could handle all the heavy lifting easily, but you'd also bring in a constant risk of knocking things over by accident."
Josh chuckled, his grin faltering a bit. "Yeah, I'm working on that part, Opila...doesn't matter too much anyway, though. Not like the staff are ever gonna let me pitch in."
"So you'd help out if they let you?" Rebecca asked.
"'Course I would!" Josh said, and he raised his arm slightly, lifting his thumb to give a thumbs-up sign. "I mean, I didn't grow big and strong just to be a show-off, y'know. As Flynn would say, 'Strength is best used when you're helping others.'"
"Eh!" Came a grunt, and Rebecca looked over to see Opila pressing her beak against a round red button positioned nearby the cyan door. The doors slid open, and light illuminated the room beyond. "Got it open! This is the tool closet I was telling you 'bout, Becca. I'm pretty sure there'll be a light blue keycard in..." Opila Bird trailed off as she stepped into the room. Rebecca moved interestedly after her, yet she only had to step through the doorway before she saw Opila squawk and go over to several carts on the right side of the room. Stepping beside the carts, the pink bird leaned her head down and plucked something off of the ground, then turned and showed it to Rebecca, holding it tight in her beak.
It was a light blue keycard, the very one they had been looking for.
"Yes! There really was one in here!" Rebecca said, glad to see that they had actually found what they came to find. She couldn't help her excitement due to the fact that she knew what the light blue keycard would lead to: her finally finding her siblings again.
"Told ya!" Opila said, grinning as she stepped around Rebecca and looked up at Josh, who had walked over to see what the commotion was. "We got the keycard, Josh!"
"Alright! Now we can head back to the comms place and get that security room open. And then that Devin guy can help us find the kids and staff!" Josh recounted, nodding his head quickly and eagerly.
"You don't need to tell us, Josh, we know what this is for! Now c'mon, let's get back there already! The sooner we get Devin out of that room, the better!"
Rebecca was completely inclined to agree, and she was already turning back towards the exit door when a flash of blue stopped her. She turned to the right, catching sight of two empty tables standing near the wall, and...
She sighed.
Why is it that I've seen this guy's face three times already?
It was yet another drawing of Nabnab, depicting him from the waist up as all three of his eyes were trained forwards on the room, his long arms still arched upwards like before. Rebecca noticed that whoever had drawn the art had the nerve to write a small word right next to Nabnab:
Boo!
Oh, wow, so scary. So scary that it almost makes me wonder why they'd draw something like this on the wall of the closet. Rebecca thought, rolling her eyes. Not to mention that this is the third time I've seen art of this guy who just so happens to be someone Josh and Opila don't like for whatever reason...all of this art and yet I haven't even met the real thing.
Indeed, she hadn't. And it was only now that Rebecca began to wonder what this 'Nabnab' guy was like. She had seen Opila Bird and Jumbo Josh in the flesh already, and she could only imagine what Nabnab would look like if she ran into him. She tried to picture the blue creature, his wide and toothy mouth gaping in her direction, and she cringed a little. Even though she hadn't been afraid of this thing all three times she had seen it drawn on the wall, she had to admit to herself that it would be weird seeing it face-to-face. Not to mention bad, if Nabnab was anything as bad as Opila and Josh seemed to believe he was.
Well, who knows? Rebecca thought, shrugging as she turned away from the wall art and moving to step out the doorway. Not going to know for sure unless we meet him someh-
Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick...
That was when she heard it.
A steady rhythm of tapping sounds.
Her thoughts disturbed once again, she focused more of her attention on the sounds. It was coming from outside the room. She stepped out, only to be greeted by the sight of Josh and Opila, frozen in place in the middle of conversation. They were no longer chatting; instead, their eyes immediately moved, looking off in the direction of the other end of the warehouse.
"...What's that sound?" Rebecca asked as she drew near her companions, but she was met with the sight of a big green hand moving close to her face.
"Ssssh." Josh shushed, turning his head upwards towards the ceiling. He paused for a moment. "Opila..."
"Ya don't have to say it. I...recognize that sound." Opila Bird said, and her voice was suddenly quieter than before, and much more on the serious side of things. "It's...it's him."
Rebecca saw the slightest shake of the big green hand that was near her. "What's he doing here, though...?" Josh whispered questioningly.
"Doesn't matter. What matters is that he's here." Opila moved her left talon, widening her stance a little as she kept looking up at the ceiling. "...Rebecca. Stay behind us."
"Huh? What're you guys-?" Rebecca asked. She was taken aback by the arrival of yet another change in Opila and Josh's demeanor, and the answer as to why was creeping up on her as the group spoke.
"Not now. No time to explain it. Just...stay back. Let Josh and I handle this." Opila Bird squawked, ruffling her feathers a little.
"If he attacks, I'll keep him busy while you two get out of here. Got it?" Josh whispered, glancing back at the others.
"Yeah." Opila confirmed, nodding.
"Wait, but..." Rebecca muttered. She once again recognized the expression of dislike on Opila and Josh's faces, and she knew at once what the deal was. Words were on the tip of her tongue about it, but even if she had thought of something to say- which she hadn't- it didn't matter by that point.
"There you two are. Finally."
A new voice sounded throughout the warehouse, sounding out alongside the continuous tapping sounds that were still as present as before.
And then Rebecca finally saw it.
Four legs, ending in points, devoid of hands...were clinging to the ceiling above as he moved in their direction. He was hanging from the ceiling above, his arms and legs somehow keeping him attached to the ceiling even as he moved closer. His form moved beyond the final row of shelves in the warehouse, and without delay, all four limbs disconnected themselves from the ceiling.
Right in front of the group, a blue shape dropped to the floor. His legs all planted firmly on the ground right before he landed, and as soon as he was on the ground, he straightened up. His back legs remained on the ground while he rose his arms and ascended into a standing position. Then he turned to look at them.
A wide mouth, with an entire circle of pointy white teeth.
A large pink tongue, visible inside the large hole that made up his mouth.
A grey and white party hat set atop the side of his head.
Three eyes, all of them slightly narrowed as he faced them down.
There he was. The one Rebecca had seen on the walls. The one Josh and Opila seemed to hold so much animosity for.
Nabnab.
"Took me ages to catch up with you two and your new friend." The blue creature- no, the blue spider. Rebecca, seeing how Nabnab had clung to the ceiling, finally understood how he could be seen as a spider. The blue spider was opening and closing his mouth to speak to them as he took a few small steps towards them. "And now-"
"What are you doing here, Nabnab?" Opila cut in, clicking her beak much more forcefully as she glared at him. "Why couldn't you leave us well enough alone?"
Nabnab's eyes, interestingly enough, seemed to widen. Rebecca had not expected such a reaction. She had been expecting a harsher glare or some sort of taunt, based on what she had heard about Nabnab, but he looked...surprised.
"Ugh...and this is already a perfect example of why I don't normally approach you two or the others for these things. Whatever. Too late now." Nabnab sighed, sounding exasperated. "Listen, I know you two hate me to hell and back, but can you please put that aside for a moment? I need you to-"
"Put it aside? Oh, no. We ain't putting it aside, not after all the trouble you've caused." Josh grunted, and his fists shook a bit again.
Nabnab sighed again. "Just put it aside for one moment, will you?!" He said impatiently. "I didn't come here to cause trouble!"
"Riiiggghhhttt, because you expect us to believe that, with your track record in mind." Opila growled, rolling her eyes.
"I'm not lying, Opila!" Nabnab said, waving an arm at his side frustratedly. "I don't want trouble! I just want to know what's going on!"
Josh lifted his head a bit and gave Nabnab a look. "What do ya mean?"
"I mean I need...I don't know, SOME kind of explanation for what's been happening! I mean, I knew Bring-A-Friend Day was going on upstairs, but...what's going on?! I hear a huge crash upstairs, tons of people are suddenly running down the halls, and all of the sudden, I see you two walking towards the Comms Sector with some human I've never seen before in tow! What happened? What was that crash I heard upstairs? And who's this human that's with you both?"
"Wait, you mean you don't know? You don't know the ball pit collapsed even though it seems like YOUR handiwork?" Opila brought up.
Nabnab's eyes widened again. "What? The ball pit collapsed? That was what that crashing sound was? Yeah, alright, that is serious. Are the kids okay?"
Opila squawked loudly at this. "Are the kids okay?! Are the kids okay?! You're asking that?! Oh, that is rich, coming from you, you jerk!"
The ends of Nabnab's arms curled in slightly, displaying what seemed to be a form of fist clenching. "How many times do I have to tell you two that I've never wanted to terrorize kids?! They're fine unless they go out of their way to bother me! My whole problem is with...anyway, that's not the point!" Nabnab took another step forwards, brimming with frustration. "I do genuinely want to know if the kids are okay! Can you at least tell me that?!"
Opila narrowed her eyes at Nabnab, and Josh did the same. Rebecca watched it all with a blank expression of surprise. She was a bit taken aback to see Opila and Josh behaving they way they were right then. Before now, she hadn't properly seen how they acted when they weren't being friendly towards someone. But now? To say that their change in behavior was a complete one-eighty would be an understatement. Alongside that, Rebecca was still reeling from coming face to face with Nabnab at all. She wasn't sure what to think anymore.
Nabnab's three eyes narrowed themselves and stared right back at Opila and Josh, and for a few moments, a dislike-imbued staring contest was all that was allowed to persist inside the warehouse.
Thankfully, it seemed that the three members of the Banban family had infinite patience, and it wasn't any longer than a minute before one of them gave in. It was Josh that relaxed his glare, sighed quietly, and began to speak again.
"Alright, alright...if it'll get ya to stop bugging us, I guess I'll tell ya what ya want to know." Josh agreed begrudgingly, seeming to do it more out of a desire to get Nabnab out of their way then a desire to actually thoughtfully inform Nabnab. "Long story short, the ball pit collapsed, the kids, staff, and some of our friends all came down here into the facility, and we're trying to find them."
Nabnab paused, seeming to consider Josh's words. "...so that's why you two are down here." He said slowly, turning his gaze downwards as he took it all in. When he turned his gaze back upwards, however, Rebecca found Nabnab's eyes pointed in her direction this time. "But what about that girl? What's she doing with you two? I know all the familiar faces in this place, and I can say for sure that she's not one of them."
"She's Rebecca. She came here to go lookin' for her siblings who went missing alongside everybody else who was there during Bring-A-Friend Day. Opila and I figured we'd bring her along while we look for everyone."
"And," Opila continued without warning, stepping slightly past Josh. "If ya know what's good for ya, you'll stay away from her and any other human in this place. That goes especially the kids."
This sentence seemed to set off Nabnab's temper again. "Would you quit it with 'you better not hurt the kids' talk? I already told you, I'm not going to-"
"Sure, ya told us ya wouldn't harm kids, but you're thick if ya think that means anything." Opila cut in, shaking her head.
"Stop acting as if I'm a liar! I'm not-"
"Quit it, Nabnab." Josh joined in, and the brief calmness he had worn when informing Nabnab of the situation evaporated in an instant as the big green creature went back to wearing the same expression as Opila. "We know what you're like, and we can be sure that anytime you say you won't do something, you don't mean what you say. What ya did before is proof enough of that."
And, in a single second, Nabnab's frustration peaked.
"WOULD YOU STOP SAYING THAT?! IT'S-"
And then three voices exploded at the same time. Rebecca suddenly found herself a spectator of an entire shouting match between her two companions and the new arrival in their midst. Opila, Josh, and Nabnab were now firmly embroiled in a loud two-against-one argument.
"YOU CAN'T JUST GO ACTING LIKE YOU DID NOTHING WRONG WHEN THE PROOF OF HOW MUCH OF A MONSTER YOU ARE IS PRACTICALLY IN THE PUDDING AND-"
"IF YOU EVEN CARED ABOUT THE FACTS YOU'D KNOW THAT I HAD A GOOD REASON FOR-"
"WE AIN'T TAKING CHANCES! WHO KNOWS WHO ELSE YOU'RE GOING TO GO AFTER IF WE DROP OUR GUARD FOR EVEN A-"
Rebecca winced as the three voices assaulted her eardrums, and already she was ready for the shouting to stop. Opila and Josh getting into a loud argument with Nabnab was definitely not something they needed to deal with right now, especially when their main priority was to find the kids. But her two companions seemed dead set on arguing with Nabnab, who they kept insisting he had done something wrong and was out to terrorize and even harm them.
However, something about it didn't make sense to Rebecca. They talked about Nabnab as if he was some malicious evil that attacked anything that moved, yet so far the only attack Nabnab had given them was the verbal kind, and he had only resorted to shouting after being pressured by Opila and Josh. And despite his less-than-savory appearance, Nabnab hadn't made any moves to attack them yet.
In fact, Nabnab had been asking them about the kids. He had heard the crash upstairs, and he seemed genuinely concerned about the children...
Rebecca had the feeling that something was going on here, and she wouldn't figure out what it was unless she put a stop to the shouting match.
It was beginning to hurt her ears, anyways, so she was ready to get them to end it.
"STOP!" She shouted, and she ran out from behind Opila and Josh and stood between them and Nabnab, shouting as loudly as she could to see if she could overcome the others' voices.
Thankfully, it worked- the three shouting voices went dead silent immediately. Nabnab recoiled, while Opila and Josh froze with their mouths hanging open.
"That's enough. All this shouting isn't getting us anywhere!" She said, a hint of frustration seeping into her tone.
Opila and Josh didn't respond right away. Josh, however, did turn his head downwards and start to take deep breaths. It was then that Rebecca saw it: a green vein was throbbing inside the green giant's head. Rebecca made a face when she saw it. What was that about? Was Josh really getting that angry?
Thankfully, as Jumbo Josh breathed in and out, trying to calm himself down, the vein that was throbbing in his temple slowly started to recede, and the harshness in Josh's face with it.
Opila, meanwhile, was standing stock still, her beak hanging open. She didn't look like she had any idea how to proceed after Rebecca had yelled at her.
"Look." Rebecca said, putting a hand to her forehead and rubbing it irritably. "I am missing out on some essential context here, so...explain. What was it he did-" She pointed behind her, at Nabnab, who was still standing there silently. "-that was so awful that you had to shout loudly enough to kill my ears?"
"He...no, no, it doesn't matter! All that matters is that he has to get out!" Opila squawked, finally beginning to speak again.
"We're not forcing anyone out of here until you tell me what he did wrong!" Rebecca demanded, more forcefully than before. "I'm not taking any sides until I know what he did!"
"Look, we...we don't like to talk about. Sore subject." Josh mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. His anger seemed to have completely faded by then. "Just let us deal with it. We can-"
"Oh no. No, no, no no no. I let you guys deal with it, and look what happened. A three-way shouting match." Rebecca refused, shaking her head. "If we're going to get through anything here, it's not by yelling our lungs out. What we need- what I need now is answers. So tell me what he did!"
Opila and Josh didn't respond. They were both staring, looking conflicted with themselves, but neither of them opened their mouths to say anything.
Rebecca stood there, waiting for some kind of response, but none came. She became more and more frustrated with the second. What was with these two? Why couldn't they just tell her what was going on? She didn't like being kept in the dark about these things.
She was reminded forcibly of her mother, who loved to not mention things to her unless she pressed for answers. This meant that Rebecca usually found things out last-minute.
She clenched her fists.
"You know what? Fine. Fine! If you two won't bother to tell me anything, then I'm going to find out for myself." Rebecca stated, standing up a bit straighter. She turned a bit, glancing back at Nabnab. "Nabnab. That's your name, right? I need to talk to you. Alone."
This statement immediately ellicited reactions from everyone. Nabnab just stood there and blinked, his three eyes blinking one after another. Meanwhile, Opila and Josh visibly recoiled.
"WHAT?" Opila screeched, her eyes wide. "No! You can't go talking to him alone! Don't you know what he'll do to you?!"
"Exactly. I don't know what he'll do to me, and neither of you will tell me, so I'm finding out for myself." Rebecca replied.
"You can't just go talkin' to him alone! The only reason he hadn't pounced on you yet is because we've been keepin' him away from you!" Josh sputtered, shaking his head wildly.
"Oh yeah? Wanna explain why he hasn't attacked me despite me having my back turned to him for the past minute?" Rebecca countered, using a fact she had only just realized- despite the fact that she had stood in between her companions and the spider, despite the fact that she had openly presented her backside to who was supposedly this dangerous predator, Nabnab had made no moves towards her the entire time.
Josh recoiled a bit again, and he seemed unable to think of a response. Not Opila, though.
"You...you must've just surprised him into doing nothing for the past minute! That doesn't mean anything!" She argued, ruffling her feathers stubbornly. "Listen, he's dangerous! He'll eat ya for breakfast if you're alone with him! Besides, why talk to him? He's got nothing to say that's worth your time!"
"Hey! Don't you-!" Nabnab started, and his blank expression started to transition into annoyance again.
But Rebecca put a hand up, signaling to him that he should quiet down. She had no idea if he would even care, but to her slight surprise, the spider went quiet the second she put her hand up.
"Opila, Josh...you've been good to me so far. I appreciate you both, especially for helping me...but I do not appreciate you two trying to keep secrets from me." Rebecca said, pointing a finger at them both. "So I'm going to talk to Nabnab alone, and maybe then we can actually get somewhere. I want to hear his side of the story."
"But let us-!" Josh began.
"No. I need to talk to him alone." Rebecca insisted firmly. "If you two are there, you'll just find something to get mad about, and then you'll end up having a second shouting match. I'm doing this by myself."
"But he's just going to-!" Opila squawked, trying to protest.
"If you two are so worried about him attacking, then you can go a good ten or more feet away from us and keep watch." Rebecca said, nodding. "And you know what? If he really does attack me, then you two have my full permission to attack him back to get him off of me. Got it?"
Her two companions stood there, speechless. Their mouths were still hanging open in shock.
"I'll take that as a yes." Rebecca continued, not waiting for a response. "So please, go over there." She pointed across the room, over to the open doorway to the tool closet. "And do not come over here until I say you can. I will be going over here." She walked over to Nabnab, and for the first time, got in close proximity with him. Part of her was expecting some kind of attack right away, but the spider was still just staring at her, blinking. "And talk to him. I'd better not hear you two trying to chime in!"
And once again, without waiting for a response, she walked over to where the first fork in the roads formed by the walls of shelves was and went down the path opposite of the blue arrow, going around a corner and to the dead end. She figured this would make for a good spot to talk without being watched or overhead by her companions.
She wasn't sure if Nabnab would follow, but sure enough, she heard the tick tick tick tick sounds of his legs as he went after her. She watched through the gaps in the shelves as he scuttled over to her on all fours, before lifting himself back up into a standing position again.
"So." She said, and even though part of herself was uneasy about it, she was able to keep a straight face in front of the spider.
"...So." Nabnab said, his three eyes gazing at her. "...Hey, um...I really appreciate what you did back there. Thanks for...getting those two to stop shouting at me. I didn't want to shout at them, but they just-"
"I know, I saw." Rebecca replied, nodding. "Besides, the shouting was getting to me as much as it was probably getting to you."
"I don't doubt that..." Nabnab said, turning his gaze away for a moment, then looking back. "Also...thank you for wanting to hear my side of the story. It's...strange." He looked up at the ceiling. "Nobody's...ever asked me for my side of the story before."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "Nobody? Not a single person?"
"No." The spider replied, shaking his head. "Would you believe it if I said the staff and my f- my old friends love to jump to conclusions."
"Somehow, I'm starting to believe that." Rebecca admit, shrugging a bit. "So."
"Yeah...so. You want answers about why they're getting so angry at me. And frankly, I'd love to give you some answers, especially considering those two won't tell you. Also...don't worry about me attacking you, or...anything. Listen, despite what those two love to parrot endlessly..." Nabnab glared through the gaps in the shelves in the direction of Opila and Josh. "...I don't just go around assaulting whoever I see."
"I hope you're honest. About the not attacking me thing, I mean."
"I promise I am. I mean...you're the first person who's cared enough to ask me what happened, so I really have no reason to attack you at all."
"I'm glad."
"Yeah..." Nabnab closed his eyes, sighed, and reopened them. "...hey, uh...before I start saying anything...can I ask who you are? And maybe get an answer from you, and not...the others?"
"Don't see why not." Rebecca agreed, knowing an introduction from herself would work better. "I'm Rebecca, as you probably already know. Although everyone- including Opila and Josh now- calls me Becca. Feel free to do the same."
"Okay...I'll keep that in mind. So...you're here looking for your siblings? That's what Opila and Josh said, isn't it?"
"Yeah, and they're right about that. My little brother and sister didn't leave the kindergarten, so I came here looking for them. Apparently they were here when the ballpit upstairs collapsed, and now they've fled down here somewhere...so I'm trying to find them."
"You are, huh? I really respect that, to be honest..." Nabnab admit. "...hey, in any case, what're their names?"
"Well, there's Jack. He's my wild little brother, can't keep him still for a while...and then there's Claire, his older sister and my younger sister." Rebecca recounted.
And then came a reaction Rebecca hadn't been expecting: Nabnab stepped back a bit, his eyes wide and astonished.
"Wait...you're...you're Claire's older sister?" Nabnab said in amazement.
Rebecca froze, her mouth flying open in. "You know her?" She responded, blindsided by this revelation.
"Y-Yeah! I do...I actually met her down in this warehouse." Nabnab continued, nodding quickly.
"You did?!" Rebecca sputtered. Out of all things, she hadn't been expecting Nabnab to have seen one of her siblings, but she definitely wasn't complaining about finding out that he had- this was great. Any leads towards where Jack and Claire were were exactly what Rebecca knew she needed. "Oh, thank god! What happened while she was here? Where'd she go? Was she alright? Explain!"
"Woah, woah, woah, cool it! Although, seeing as she is your younger sister, I guess I understand your excitement..." Nabnab responded, holding up his arms defensively. "Look, since you asked what I did that was so bad and what happened when I saw Claire, well...let me...start from the beginning. If that's alright with you."
Rebecca stared, then stepped back. "You know what? Start anywhere you like. I don't care. I'm just really glad to finally be getting to the bottom of this."
"Okay. So...the beginning. I guess the beginning beginning is where I should start...alright." Nabnab said, and he raised an arm up to his mouth. Rebecca heard a strange sound that sounded vaguely like a throat being cleared, although it was much louder than normal and sounded more...scratchy? Was that the right way to put it?
"It all began when I was created."
"Honestly, the beginning of my life was pretty strange to me...waking up in an empty room with a door I could open, seeing the way my body looked, seeing the strange thing sticking out of the corner of the wall...I was confused."
"But then that thing in the corner started to talk. I heard a voice. There were these voices all the time. Staff people, I found out later, who were talking to me through a loudspeaker. I found out that was what that was called later."
"I was in that room for a little while. The people in there kept telling me to do things, and I just did them...but eventually, they must have been satisfied or something, because...the door opened."
"These people in white lab coats came in and told me to follow them. I did as they told. We went down this long red hallway, and they made me stand on this platform that went downwards..."
"...and then I was lowered into this room with tons of doorways in it, and I saw...others coming out of the doorways."
"That's where I met them. All of them."
"Banban. Banbaleena. Jumbo Josh. Opila Bird. Captain Fiddles. Stinger Flynn. Slow Seline. Sheriff Toadster. They were all there, and I got to meet them for the first time."
"The staff people left us all in there, and I talked to them for a while. I learned my name- Nabnab. I learned just how friendly and welcoming they all were- they started treating me like an old friend they second they locked eyes with me. They told me I was a new member of their family, or gang, or friend group, or...well, they all had different names for it, but they said I'd be joining it. They said we'd be kindergarten mascots- we'd entertain and watch kids, and teach them life lessons so they could grow to be great adults."
"I knew what friends were by then. Ever since I woke up in that room, it was like my mind kept getting clearer- I could think straighter, think of stuff easier, and I knew way more than I did before. So I was really happy all of the sudden, to be there with them. It felt nice to have friends."
"So we all were there with each other for a while, and they...they were all just so nice to me. Banbaleena, teaching me english and math. Josh, sharing his vegetables with me. Opila and Flynn, talking to me like I mattered. Fiddles, who'd want me to play with him. Seline, asking how I felt. Toadster, saying he'd like out for me and everyone else..."
"...and Banban, patting me on the shoulder and laughing whenever someone told a joke. It made me want to laugh too. It was contagious."
"Eventually, we were all separated from each other, and I had to go back to my room, but we all got to meet up again in that same room every single day after that. It made me all so happy. Made me want to sleep as fast as possible so I could wake up and do it all over again..."
"Okay, so...so far this sounds really sweet and nice, but...the others definitely aren't treating you very nicely anymore." Rebecca commented. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, listening to Nabnab's story. "What happened?"
Nabnab sighed, and his expression began to twist into anger again. "What happened? The staff happened, that's what."
"The staff stopped being decent to me after the first couple of days. Suddenly they were being short with me- ordering me around, telling me what to do, and refusing me pretty harshly if I asked to see any of the others. And whenever I saw any of those lab coat people walking around, they'd stare at me like I was some kind of menace and walk away as fast as they could. I didn't understand any of it. What had I done to them to make them be this way to me?"
"Thankfully, the others were still on my side. I told them how the staff were being, and they all stood up for me. They said that they'd be here for me, even if the staff were treating me like jerks. I was able to smile then. I told myself that even if the employees weren't giving me the time of day, at least I'd get by if my friends did."
"But as time passed, things...got worse."
"It started out okay. We weren't kept in our rooms as much anymore- we could roam around the place as much as we wanted, and go wherever we wanted to that wasn't blocked off. It let me explore for a while. Let me see all the places in this...facility, I think they called it."
"But one day, I was waiting for a while in my room, only to never have the staff come in and tell me I'd be meeting with the rest of my friends."
"I was so confused. They couldn't have forgotten, could they? I woke up that next day and went to go find someone to see if they'd explain, but...but the staff kept avoiding me. Kept ducking into rooms and locking them so I couldn't follow them and ask them for answers. And whenever I tried to go to one of my friends' rooms, the door was always closed. I knocked, but no one ever responded to me."
"I wasn't sure what was going on, so I snuck around. Tried to investigate. Tried to figure out why the staff were avoiding me, why my friends weren't meeting with me."
"Eventually...I found it."
"I overheard two staff members talking one day, and that's when I found out."
"I had been made to be a 'reject.' The staff were being told to mistreat me, to be harsh and unforgiving to me, to avoid me if they could. And me mingling with my friends...apparently that was just to give me enough time to know who they were, before they'd separate me from them and make me an outcast."
"At the time, I didn't know what the words 'reject' or 'outcast' meant. But what I heard confused me. People were being told to treat me horribly? I didn't understand. What did I do wrong?"
"I tried looking for my friends. I wanted answers. But I couldn't ever meet with them face to face- the staff kept forcing me away from them, saying how they were busy and how I was meant to leave them alone."
Rebecca noticed that Nabnab was trembling, his eyes closed tightly.
"The days passed. Everything got worse. I was locked in my room for long periods of time. Whenever I explored, the staff would make fun of me. They'd call me a hideous freak, say I was a waste of effort and resources. Sometimes they'd get physical- shove me around just to see my body flop to the ground, and then laugh afterwards."
"I didn't understand. I couldn't understand. What had I done wrong?"
"It...all came to a head one day."
"I was crawling around on the ceiling of the warehouse we're in, trying to find someone to talk to- maybe one of my friends. I also just wanted some peace. I was getting tired of the staff being so horrible to me, and refusing to let me talk to or even catch sight of any of my friends. But I heard voices...there were two staff members below me, next to the shelves, talking to each other. About the place. About the others."
"...about me."
"Hey, speaking of Banban's gang, seen the spider around anywhere?"
"Nope, nowhere, and thank goodness for that. That thing was a mistake from day one. It gives me the creeps, honestly. What was management thinking? Did they want to scare the children?"
"I dunno, man, but I don't care. At least they got their priorities straight, getting that stupid-looking, big-mouthed freak away from the characters that actually matter."
"...Any idea why they keep telling us to make fun of the spider? To antagonize him and bully him and push him around and whatnot?"
"No clue, part of some company initiative to make him an outcast or whatever. But hey, I'm not complaining. Frank got the promotion yesterday instead of me, and...urgh, that damn grin on that smug bastard's face...so yeah, feels good to vent my frustration on some goofy clay spider. They made him be someone to get pushed and shoved, so hell if I'm not gonna take the opportunity to push him and shove him however I want."
"Ditto, man, ditto. They keep telling us that we can't let Nabnab see the others, too. Any idea why?"
"Tryin' to make him a lonely son of a gun or whatever. Say it'll build the 'character' they wanna see. Makes sense to me, though. He's already a freak, so may as well make sure he doesn't get any friends he can try to make into freaks."
"Mmm."
Nabnab hung on the ceiling, staring down at them, trembling. Why were they saying those things? He wasn't a freak. He wasn't! He was just...he was just...
...his mouth and teeth and eyes were natural, right? They were fine to have, right?
Nothing was wrong with him. Nothing at all.
These men had to just be horrible people if they were trying to mock him for it all.
"Say, any word on the roster update thing?"
"Yeah, management sent a memo day before yesterday. 'Parently they're scrapping him from the kindergarten roster. Bad idea from the start, they said. And man, I could not agree more."
"Scrapping? Oh, so he's not going to be there for the grand opening? Or for bring-a-friend day?"
"Nope. He's staying down here while the ones who wouldn't scare kids half to death are getting sent up there. And let me put it to you straight, Joe- I seen this spider myself, yeah? And boy is he nothing if not a creepy-" Nabnab heard another word but he didn't understand what it meant. A mother...what was that other part...? "I swear he'd give kids mini heart attacks if they clapped eyes with him. Makes sense they got rid of him."
"Yeah, yeah, I agree...what do you think they'll do with him now?"
"Dunno, man, but if I were in charge, I'd burn that thing in the nearest incinerator. Some ugly mug of a spider ain't nothing burnin' flames can't put right. And then I'd get people to scrub off all the damn artwork of him on this floor. Seriously, who's idea was it to paint him sayin' 'Boo' in the tool closet? I got a few choice words for 'em, and ain't none of them are nice."
"What about that counterpart spider, though? They gonna do something about the female him?"
"Hey, if we're getting rid of one, may as well trash both, right? They're born the same, may as well die the same, too. Not like anyone here would ever miss 'em."
That was enough.
"S-STOP IT!"
Nabnab let himself uncling from the ceiling, and he dropped down into the maze of shelves below, landing on all fours right in front of the two workers. He rose into standing position and glared at them.
"Well, well, well, speak of the devil and he'll appear." One of them said- the one with the fouler mouth. "What's your deal, three-eyes? Come here to get shoved a bit more?"
"Stop it...stop saying those things about me! About HER!" Nabnab shouted, shaking his head wildly. "I'm NOT a freak! I'm not! Stop calling me one!"
"Huh, does he seriously not know he's a freak? Even he should know, shouldn't he?" The other employee commented.
"True, thought he was dumber than that. But hey, he got a big mouth to talk with, so maybe he ain't completely braindead. Though honestly, he's gonna give the big green guy a run for his money."
"Stop it! Just stop! I'm NOT A FREAK! I'M NOT A FREAK!" Nabnab shouted at them.
But one of them just laughed, and the other was smirking, enjoying himself.
"Damn, he's funny when he's whining like a preschooler who got his candy taken." The foul-mouthed one laughed.
"Y'know, I got an idea of how we can make this funnier. Watch this." The other one, the smirking one, said.
"What are you doing?!" Nabnab sputtered, and he took a step back.
The employee raced forwards, arms held forwards- and shoved Nabnab.
"O-OW!" Nabnab grunted as he tripped backwards, hitting the rough floor beneath him. He felt a clunk and looked around- his party hat had rolled off of his head.
And the workers were laughing, holding their guts and bending over.
"OH, MAN that was priceless!" The foul-mouthed one laughed. "You saw how he fell right? Ugh, peak comedy! I never thought workin' at this creepy place would ever be worth it, but look now!"
"Silver lining, Quentin- silver lining." The other one said, and Nabnab saw him wipe something...tears? Of laughter?
"Silver lining, alright! Oh, man...so good to finally show the useless big mouth man where he stands on the totem pole, ain't that right, Joe?"
They laughed riotously again.
Nabnab's world slowed down. Time itself slowed just to emphasize the ringing laughter, now haunting Nabnab- the sounds traveled through his eyes, into his covered-up ear canals, in echoed in his brain.
He was being treated like a joke. Like he didn't belong. Like all that he was created for was to be somebody else's punching bag.
Was this really why he was created? Why he had been born? To be bullied? To be a reject, an outcast...whatever those two words meant?
But why? Why was he created for this?
He didn't think he'd ever understand.
He'd never get why he couldn't just be treated by the staff the same way his friends treated him.
He'd never get why they isolated him, trapped him in his room for hours on end, talking to himself, laying on the floor, hopelessly alone.
He'd never get why they took her away from him, saying she needed some time to herself but never returning her. Why her, when she was the one who mattered so much to him?
But there was one thing he did get.
He understood that he hated it.
All of it.
He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to be bullied. He didn't want to be whatever being a reject or an outcast meant.
And yet these two stood here, content to push him around as much as they pleased.
Was he just going to let them do this? Take another beating, and accept that this was what his life was?
No.
He wouldn't.
He wouldn't!
HE WOULDN'T!
Nabnab's vision faded, and he felt his eyes roll back into his head.
"My memory stops when I felt my eyes roll back into my head." Nabnab whispered, his gaze turned downwards. He had went into a sitting position by now, too- although unconsciously. "The next time I woke up, I was back in my room, laying down...and I was covered in bruises."
"Bruises...?" Rebecca whispered back. She was almost reduced to speechless by what she was hearing.
"I had a gap in my memory- I couldn't remember how'd I got there, or why I was so badly beaten. So I went outside my room, even though I was in pain- I had to find out what happened. So I went back to where it all started. To the meeting room...and the others were there.
"So I came in to talk to them. I was about to say I was so glad to see them again. I was about to ask if they knew what had happened while I was out. I was about to try and catch up."
Nabnab opened his eyes, and he shook a bit again.
"They turned on me."
Nabnab didn't know how long he'd been in the corner.
One moment he had walked into the meeting room, and the others were there, gathered in a circle. They had turned to see him.
The next, he was in the corner.
He felt his body shaking. He was trembling all over, goosebumps erupting from his blue skin. His party hat wobbled precariously, threatening to fall off his head.
His hearing senses were being assaulted.
They were yelling at him.
Banbaleena, Opila, Flynn, Toadster...
They were all yelling at him.
He couldn't hear what they were saying, not even if he had been listening properly. It was a tangle of loud voices, a tornado of enraged sentences and lines that he only occasionally caught snippets of...
...but he got the gist.
He had attacked the man. He had senselessly attacked an employee.
The man was badly hurt- covered in bite marks all over.
He was alive, but barely stable.
His friend had ran for help and had arrived with the security team, Banban and the others coming with them to see what was going on.
Banban's gang had seen Nabnab, his eyes white as he thrashed senselessly while he was escorted away, chains and bindings around his legs.
Nabnab failed to understand.
He had attacked the man? But he didn't remember doing that, he would never do that, he was sure he would've remembered doing that...
...but why else would everyone be so angry?
Well...not everyone.
The others were there. They weren't yelling. But whenever Nabnab glanced at them, they...they didn't seem like they were doing well.
Josh was leaning against the wall, his head turned away from the scene. Nabnab couldn't see the green giant's face. A vein was throbbing on the back of Josh's head.
Fiddles was in the corner in the opposite side of the room. He was curled up, watching the argument unfold. He was trembling too. Nabnab knew the sounds were stressing him out. He almost wanted to comfort him. But would Fiddles even want him to?
Seline was just standing there, her face lowered, her eyes trained at the floor, her eye stalks drooping- she wasn't looking in the direction of the argument.
Eventually they all backed off. It seemed they had no more to say.
Something wet trickled down Nabnab's face.
...what was this?
...what was this wet stuff on his face?
...was it coming from his eyes?
...why were his eyes leaking water?
...why were they doing it more now?
He wiped it out of his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself. He looked back up.
Banban was standing there. Nabnab felt a bit glad. Maybe Banban would stick up for him. He'd understand, surely, he'd ask Nabnab what had happened and Nabnab could tell them he didn't remember at-
"Get out."
Banban's voice was cold. There wasn't fury or anguish there like with the others, but...
...this was worse.
...somehow this was much worse.
"...w-what?" Nabnab stammered, and he spoke for the first time. His voice was weak. Tiny. Small.
"Get. Out."
"...B-Banban...?"
"Out. Now." Banban repeated. He turned away. "I never want to see you again."
Nabnab couldn't believe it. Never again? But...but why? Why were they doing this? He hadn't attacked someone! He...he hadn't meant to hurt anyone! He didn't even remember doing it!
But now Nabnab felt himself being grabbed. Sheriff Toadster had a hold of Nabnab's arms and was pinning them behind his back.
"Tch. Bet you wish the queen would pass judgement on you instead. But sometimes...I have to take matters into my own hands." The sheriff stated, and Nabnab winced as the toad's grip tightened.
Nabnab felt himself being forced forwards- forced towards the doorway he had entered through- Banban's entryway.
He yelled in pain as he was shoved roughly from behind, and he fell through the doorway and faceplanted on the other side. He heard the clunk of his party hat falling off again.
"Goodbye forever, criminal."
Nabnab turned just in time to see the red doors slam shut, blocking access into the room.
"...N-No...w-wait...please...you have to...to listen to me..." Nabnab mumbled, trembling again. "I...I d-didn't mean to...I couldn't have...I never wanted to...please don't..."
He crawled backwards, away from the door. He curled in on himself.
"I-I'm...I-I'm sorry..." He whispered.
The water returned to his eyes.
He missed her.
He missed his partner so much.
It was then that he finally understood.
He understood what it meant, to be a reject. An outcast.
What was happening now was what those two words meant.
He curled in tighter.
"I'm...s-s-sorry..."
Chapter Text
"And that's why...why Josh and Opila hate me so much."
"I..."
Nabnab had finished up telling Rebecca his entire life up until then, and now she was in shock from everything she had heard.
When she had first discovered that the creatures she had seen on the mural were living beings that were walking around the kindergarten and entertaining children, she hadn't believed it. It was an insane thing to even think could be real. After all, it meant it was possible to bring anything to life with...whatever had allowed Opila, Josh, Nabnab, and the others to live.
But now Rebecca found herself discovering so much more that she had never thought she'd discover: a whole story behind it all, of how Nabnab had come to be, how he'd been friends with the other creatures, how harsh treatment drove things to the breaking point...and finally, she had been given an answer as to why Opila and Josh treated the spider with utter contempt.
He had hurt someone. Badly, apparently.
"...You...badly injured somebody? That guy who was treating like you garbage, right?" Rebecca said, finding that the surprise from everything she had found out was making her speak lower than ever before.
Nabnab sighed, his three eyes blinking as he gave the floor a melancholic stare. "...They say I did. But I don't remember doing anything like that. As I told you, I was just getting angry at those workers who were insulting me, and before I knew it, I was out cold...next thing I knew, I woke up locked in my room, with nothing to show that something had happened except the bruises all over me."
"That's really where your memory stops?"
Nabnab closed his eyes, seemingly in focus. "...I remember I felt my eyes rolling back into my head, but after that happened, I passed out. I don't remember attacking those two workers, but all of the staff and every single friend I once had keep insisting that that's what I did." Nabnab shuddered. "I don't know how I can't remember it, though..."
"Maybe you blocked it out of your mind. Repressed it, or something." Rebecca suggested, trying to make sense of what Nabnab was saying.
"That might be it...I can't think of any other reason I wouldn't remember it. I can't deny that it must have happened, otherwise, everyone wouldn't...wouldn't hate me so much."
Rebecca paused for a second, taking it all in. "So that's what happened. You unconsciously did something horrible, and now Banban and all of your other friends hate you for it."
"Mmm." Nabnab affirmed, nodding his head.
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Who's your partner?" Rebecca found herself asking, remembering that particular snatch of Nabnab's story.
"Nabnaleena. You don't know of her?" Nabnab said, giving Rebecca a confused look.
"Huh? Wait...you mean there's a character here that looks like you, but female? Like Banban and Banbaleena?" Rebecca questioned.
"When you put it that way, yeah, I guess so." Nabnab agreed, shrugging. "Nabnaleena was...is special to me. The staff brought her into my room one day, and she stayed in there with me for the days that followed. And...she means a lot to me. She was the closest friend I ever had. She was the only one who stuck with me after...after everything."
"What happened to her, though? Why isn't she with you?"
Nabnab sighed. "I don't know. I woke up in my room one day and she was gone. I searched around, but couldn't find her." The blue spider shuddered again, his spindly arms clenching again. "No doubt the staff have been separating her from me as well, like they did with all of my old friends. And if they've been telling her that I'm some horrible monster, I..." He paused. "...what if she starts hating me, too? Then I'll really be all alone..." Nabnab closed his eyes and shuddered again. "I-I don't want to be alone..."
Rebecca gazed at the spider openly, and the scraps of pity she had felt from seeing Nabnab on the mural before suddenly intensified. "Man...you've been through the wringer." She said, unsure of what to say but trying to find the right words to comfort him. "Hey, uh...I'm really sorry that you went through all of that. That all sounds like hell on earth. And I'm sorry you don't have friends anymore." Rebecca paused. "...I know how you feel."
Nabnab's head snapped up, gazing at her in surprise. "You do?"
Rebecca let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, I do. At school, I was always a loner...had some friends once or twice, but we grew apart really quickly...honestly, the only longtime friends I've ever had were my siblings, but that's...that's different, y'know."
"...Oh." Nabnab mumbled. He looks taken aback. He gazed at the floor again and looked back at Rebecca. "Well, I...I'm sorry, but...I guess I'm glad that at least you understand how I feel."
"Somewhat, yeah. And don't apologize, okay?" Rebecca replied, and she grinned in spite of everything. "I'm tough! I've always made it through just fine without friends. Honestly, long as I have Claire and Jack, I have a reason to keep going. They're the best things I have in my life."
"...You came all the way down here to find them, didn't you?"
Rebecca nodded. "Hell yeah, I did. No way am I going to leave them at this place alone." Her grin slowly faded. "Especially considering what I've seen down here so far. This kindergarten...it's hiding something big, isn't it?"
Nabnab shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it is. I've never really strived to investigate why my home is the way it is. Every day's mostly just a fight to survive...for me, anyway."
"Yeah." Rebecca replied, gazing at Nabnab sincerely. "Hey, uh...another thing. You mentioned before that you know my little sister, Claire. Did you meet her down here? And if so...how?"
Nabnab actually let out a tiny laugh at that, and his melancholic stare started to recede.
"I'm glad you asked. Honestly, besides Nabnaleena and you...she's the only one that ever reached out to me."
Nabnab scuttled along the ceiling of the maintenance warehouse, crawling on the ceiling in the same back and forth paths he normally went down. Not that there were any paths on the ceiling. It only felt like there were paths- Nabnab had been in this warehouse so much over the past weeks that navigating it now had become second nature to him.
He had come in there to hide after...well, strange things had started to happen. First, that loud crash from upstairs had scared the living daylights out of him, and he had nearly fallen and faceplanted into the ground in surprise. The sound of the crash had stressed him out, and he had almost felt light-headed...but he had managed to keep himself awake, as his curiosity over what had gone on took control.
And then he had seen it- huge crowds of people running into the hub, and frantically trying to move the bridge towards specific sectors before running towards those sectors. Nabnab had observed them from the shadows and was surprised to see that they were in a full panic, as if they were in danger. They had all ran to the testing sector, and Nabnab had even scuttled after them to follow them...only to lose track of them when he encountered a locked door.
He wasn't sure what was going on, but he figured it would be best not to make himself a target right then- no doubt something had gone wrong, and the last thing he needed was to be turned into a scapegoat by the kindergarten employees for the thousandth time.
So he stayed in the maintenance warehouse, hiding away. It was really the only place he could call home anymore. He had his room, but it felt nothing like a safe haven anymore. If he stayed in there, the staff would lock him in and he'd be stuck in there doing nothing for a day...maybe longer than a day, even. And though everywhere else in the kindergarten was explorable, it wasn't exactly safe. He knew that if he went anywhere else, he ran the risk of being spotted and undergoing even more harassment.
Nabnab sighed as he scuttled along. He wouldn't risk it. If he could avoid being heckled by the toolboxes that worked on the staff team, he would. And avoiding his old friends was necessary, too. Banbaleena and Opila would give him earfuls, Banban, Josh, and Flynn would just coldly shoo him away, and the last thing he needed was to be kicked around the curb by that sheriff again. The sheriff was nice to his friends, but towards his enemies, he was a menace- one Nabnab had unfortunately experienced firsthand, and more than once at that.
Not even Fiddles and Seline, the nicest members of the group, were giving him the time of day. He'd sometimes spot them at the end of a corridor or at the other side of a room, but they were gone the moment they spotted him. Fiddles always climbed away as fast as he could, and even despite Nabnab's climbing abilities, the child monkey was far too agile for Nabnab to keep up with him. As for Seline, catching up to her was downright impossible. She could just speed away in an instant, and Nabnab was nowhere near fast enough to catch up to her. Nobody was, really.
Maybe the queen would be nice to him? Nabnab pondered this as he scuttled around the ceiling again, but he decided against it. Firstly, the queen lived a floor or two below where he was, and it'd be quite the trek just to get to the kingdom she lived in. And even once he got there, it would be impossible to reach the throne room- the sheriff guarded it almost constantly, and Nabnab stood no chance against Toadster in a fight- he was too strong. Not that Nabnab even wanted to get into fights, because if he did, he'd be just as bad as everyone said he was.
And plus, going down to where the queen was gave the added risk of encountering him...and Nabnab had heard enough about that maniac to know that encountering him was an even worse idea than encountering the sheriff.
So Nabnab scuttled on the ceiling of the maintenance warehouse alone, not truly content to be doing so but willing himself to accept it, knowing it was one of the few things he had full permission to do anymore. So he went at it, around and around...
...until he heard something.
Snapping his three eyes over to the direction of the sound, Nabnab became aware of the faraway sound of footsteps towards the entrance to the room, which were getting slightly louder every second.
Nabnab grimaced. Must be another employee. Maybe they were checking in the warehouse for something or trying to get some more supplies. Or maybe it was related to the tremendous crash upstairs, which Nabnab still was in the dark about.
Nabnab froze as he hung from the ceiling.
...He'd eavesdropped on the workers coming into the room before. After that day, he'd been careful to keep himself hidden, no matter what nasty things anyone who came in said about him. He had managed to make it work, and had stopped himself from losing his temper at any employees making awful remarks about him, but there had been some close calls for sure.
Either way, eavesdropping was a familiar process to him. Maybe if he did the same with whoever was in here now, he could find out more about the crash that had happened upstairs.
It was risky, but he wanted to see if he could get answers. And as long as he kept out of sight, he'd be fine.
So he scuttled along, heading in the direction of the entrance. He maneuvered himself to one of the far walls and began clinging to it instead of the ceiling, allowing him to be partially concealed behind the rows of shelves lined up over there.
As he climbed over to where the entrance was, he peered through the gaps in the shelves, trying to get a better view. Sure enough, somebody was standing over at the entrance to the room.
Nabnab gazed at them...and then froze.
Wait.
...was that a child?
There was no mistaking it. It was a child.
He could tell because the human standing there was smaller than all of the fully grown humans who worked at the place. Nabnab was a bit taken aback to see a child here. He had never seen a child in person before, having only ever seen them in photos. But what was a child doing here?
Nabnab adjusted his position a bit, squinting a bit to examine the finer details of the child. She had shoulder-length black hair and light skin. She was wearing a white shirt and a frilly pink overalls dress. Her shoes in particular caught Nabnab's eye- black sneakers that looked dilapidated and worn out, like they had been in use for several years without ever being cleaned or repaired. There were no holes in the shoes, but they did look dusty and scuffed.
Nabnab's curiosity expanded as he examined the child from afar. What was a child doing down here? Not only was this his first time laying eyes on a young human, but he also couldn't understand why she was in here. This was an employee area, meant for maintenance workers only. What would a child who was too young to be an employee be doing in the room?
Just as Nabnab was pondering this, he froze as he heard a voice.
"This room's so big...hello? Is anyone in here?"
The girl was speaking now, and moving her head around, gazing at the high shelves arranged in a mazelike fashion.
Nabnab, wary of the fact that she was looking around, tried to scuttle a bit further behind the shelves. He heard the soft noises of his limbs touching the wall.
He hoped the child hadn't heard that.
The girl snapped her head in the direction of the shelves Nabnab was hiding behind.
"Hello? Is anyone there? I heard noises..."
Oh. She did hear that.
Nabnab froze, unsure of what to do. He had maneuvered into a position where, despite the gaps in the shelves, he couldn't be spotted. But he had made noise, and now the little girl was aware that something was there.
He could try to move away-but he would make more noise if he did that and possibly expose himself.
He could stay still- but if the girl came over and looked closely through the shelves, she'd definitely see a giant blue spider clinging to the wall.
What could he do?
Nabnab stayed still, pondering his options.
He was still a bit apprehensive about being seen...what if he came out, his appearance scared the child, and she screamed? If she screamed, the employees might come running, and then he'd be in for even more abuse. Except probably much worse than before...
...Wait. She couldn't see him from where he was...
...what if he...?
"...Go away." He mumbled, his voice more of a whisper than he had intended it to be. He hadn't really prepared to say anything.
Despite how quiet he said it, the girl perked up when she heard his voice. Nabnab had to give it to her, she had good hearing.
"Oh...hello." She greeted. Nabnab could still see her, and was amazed that she didn't even look nervous at all. She seemed more curious than anything else. "Who are you?"
"...An outcast." Nabnab murmured, because that was the first thing that came to his mind.
'Outcast'...
He knew he'd always hate that word.
"Outcast?" The girl repeated, tilting her head as she stepped a bit closer to the shelves Nabnab was hiding behind. "Why are you an outcast?"
"...Stuff happened. My friends hate me. And now I'm hiding here all alone." Nabnab muttered softly, ruefully even. He tried to sound gruff, hoping that maybe he could intimidate the child into going- but he barely tried to sound gruff at all, as he felt uncomfortable with it. And the child didn't seem intimidated by his voice in the slightest.
"What happened to make your friends hate you?" The little girl asked.
"...I..." Nabnab muttered, unsure of how to respond at first. He decided he'd speak from the heart. "...I messed up. I sort of...did something without knowing I did it. I did something really bad. And now all of my friends hate me. So I'm hiding. I don't want them to find me."
"Oh." The girl replied, looking a little surprised. She took another step forwards. "Are you sad that you messed up?"
Nabnab let out a dry, humorless chuckle that barely lasted a second. "Sad? More than that...I'm hopeless."
"...Wanna talk about it?" The little girl suddenly offered.
Nabnab, taken aback by the proposition, nearly lost his grip on the wall out of pure shock. "...I shouldn't come out."
"Why not? It's okay. I won't be bad to you." The little girl said, rocking on her feet. "I promise I'll listen to you."
Nabnab froze, the words reaching into his heart. He felt a bit warmer suddenly. Someone...someone wanted to listen to him. It was almost too good to be true.
But he knew what he was. He wasn't like the little girl. He was different. If she saw him...
"But...I'm not like you." Nabnab argued weakly as he stayed hidden behind the shelves. "If I come out, you'll be scared of me...and then you'll run away and I'll be all alone again."
But the little girl gazed at the place where Nabnab was hiding. "Why? Are you a monster?"
For a moment, Nabnab felt words failing his throat. "...I...I am now. That's why you can't see me. You'll be scared."
But, to his surprise, the little girl shook her head. "Nuh-uh. I'm not scared of monsters."
Nabnab gazed at her in amazement. "...You aren't?" He murmured, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
The little girl shook her head. "Nope. Not anymore. I used to have a closet monster, but I told it I wasn't scared of it, and it went away. Monsters aren't scary. I promise I won't be scared of you."
Nabnab considered her words. Was she really not going to be afraid of him? Would she actually stay and hear him out?
He was a bit scared of what could happen, and a part of himself argued he should just scuttle away now before she could see him.
But a much stronger part of himself took hold. He could take the risk. Maybe he could finally meet someone who wouldn't force him away just because of how he looked and what others said he did.
Nabnab, shaking a bit, decided he'd have to take the leap.
Nerves biting at him, he slowly scuttled up the wall, coming out from behind the shelves and revealing his entire self to the little girl.
Nabnab expected anything to happen by that point. Maybe the little girl was bluffing and would be scared of him, and scream and run away. Maybe she'd make fun of him like all the employees. Maybe she'd tell him to go away, and he would, and then he'd be back to being absolutely, hopelessly alone...
But the little girl went wide eyed with amazement as she saw him, her eyes lighting up with something different: recognition.
"Wait...I know you. You're the blue thing on the walls." The little girl said, gazing at him in wonder. "I asked the staff about you but they said they couldn't tell me who you were because you were mean."
Nabnab sighed, still trembling as he gripped the wall and gazed at her. "Yeah...they say that kinda stuff about me..."
"I think they're lying."
Nabnab faltered. "H-Huh?"
The little girl continued. "They have to be lying. You're not mean at all. You're just sad and alone, aren't you? That's why you were hiding. You're scared I would hate you."
She was stating a fact, not answering a question, and she was completely right as well.
"...I am. Sad and alone, I mean. But nobody else thinks that." Nabnab mumbled, still a bit in disbelief that he was managing to show himself to and talk to a child without anything bad happening. "They think I'm a...a...a monster."
"Then they're wrong. You're not a monster. You're nice." The little girl said, but without abrasiveness. She said it clearly and plainly, as if it was an obvious fact.
"...Thank you. I just...I wish everyone else said that too." Nabnab sighed. "I wish I hadn't messed up so bad..."
The little girl gazed at him for a moment. "Do you wanna come here and talk about it?" And, without waiting for his answer, she sat down. Crossing her legs, she lowered herself onto the floor and patted the ground next to her.
Nabnab stared, amazed and surprised.
She was inviting him to come over. To come near her. To sit down next to her.
He begin to tremble with nerves again.
"...But what if I hurt you?" He stammered.
The girl shook her head. "It's okay. I trust you."
Nabnab stared at her for a moment longer.
Then he made his way towards her. Scuttling onto the ceiling, he positioned himself just above a spot several feet away from the girl and let go, dropping down to the floor.
The sound of him hitting the floor was loud, but the girl didn't even flinch. She just looked at him, her expression a soft one that Nabnab hadn't seen on someone's face in so long.
Slowly, he scuttled over until he was near her. He shifted his body, going into a sitting position and sitting down near the girl.
"There you go." The girl said, nodding at him. "See? This isn't so bad. And you aren't trying to hurt me at all."
"...Yeah. I...I just..." Nabnab stammered, eyes trained on the floor. "...Thank you."
"You're welcome." The little girl said, nodding. "Oh, and by the way...my name's Claire. It's nice to meet you."
Nabnab's eyes widened a bit. Then he attempted a smile. "Okay. It's nice to meet you too...Claire."
"...So, um..." Claire said, and she folded her hands politely over her skirt and gazed at Nabnab. "...Were you friends with Banban and the other ones before?"
Nabnab nodded his head. "Uh-huh. Really good friends. They used to be the bestest friends I ever had. But now they hate me."
"Why?"
"I...I hurt someone."
"Why'd you hurt someone?" Claire asked, but more curiously than anything else.
Nabnab looked down at the floor again, shuddering a bit. "I...It was an accident. I mean, I think it was...I don't know. I didn't want to hurt anybody. I just sort of...passed out and woke up to find everyone saying I hurt someone..."
"So you don't remember doing it?" Claire asked, tilting her head.
"No...but I had to have done it, or else nobody would be so mad. So it's done. And now, I'm...I'm an outcast." Nabnab murmured, melancholy eating away at him again.
"Hmm...okay. So...it was an accident. And you're really sorry for it." Claire inferred.
"Of course I'm sorry for it. I wish things could be different..."
"Maybe you should apologize to your friends. Maybe if you told them you didn't mean to and you told them everything else, you'd be friends with them again."
Nabnab sighed. "I-I wish it was that simple, but...they won't listen to me. They never do. The staff have them believing every lie they've told about me, and now they won't even give me a chance. I don't think I'll ever get to be friends with them again..."
"Oh..." Claire mumbled. "Well...maybe you just need to find the right time to tell them. Maybe then?"
Nabnab looked at Claire, a focused gaze meeting her eyes. "I...hope such a time comes. Even though they've rejected me, I...I miss them. I'm so lonely without them. I...I'll keep trying to make things right. And maybe one day it'll work..."
"One day it has to. I'm sure of it." Claire affirmed, giving the spider a confident nod. "And even if they don't want to be your friends ever again...I'll be your friend."
Nabnab gasped, and he recoiled a bit, staring at Claire fully and completely now. "You'd...?"
"Yeah. I'd be your friend. You need a friend, don't you?"
Nabnab couldn't help it anymore.
Being finally offered a genuine hand of friendship, after everything...
It was too much.
He felt the water return to his eyes. 'Crying', he knew it was called. He had learned the word after the staff used it while making fun of him.
He couldn't hold it back anymore. He put his hands to his eyes, sobbing as he felt tears trickle down his face. A tear from his upper eye splashed down into his lower eyes, but Nabnab didn't care that his vision was being obscured...
...He had a friend. After so long without his old friends, without her...he had a friend.
He was so happy. So, so happy.
He heard Claire make a noise of surprise at his sobbing. For the first time, she seemed surprised. And before Nabnab knew it, she put her hand on his arm.
Just the touch alone calmed him down a bit. Wiping the tears out of his blurry eyes, he gazed at her, at the one person who was going to be his friend...the first child he had ever met.
"It's okay. Don't cry." Claire said, trying to be reassuring.
But for Nabnab, such reassurances were super effective. His crying completely died away, replaced by the first fully bright expression he had ever worn in so long.
"Claire...I..." He began, and he had no idea what to say next, yet the words were already rising to his mouth.
Until his shining moment finally came to an end.
"CLAIRE! CLAAAIIIRREE! WHERE ARE YOU?"
A man's voice came echoing through the room, emanating from the entry doorway into the maintenance warehouse.
Claire gasped as she looked over at the doorway. "Oh. It's Mr. Rall...I guess the grown-ups are looking for me." She stood up and looked at Nabnab. "I'm sorry. I've got to go now. They'll freak out if I don't come back."
Nabnab didn't even protest- he was so happy that he felt almost anything would fly with him now. "That's...that's okay." He said with a slight bit of hesitation. "I'm sure they're worried about you."
"Yeah. Oh...and I've got to make sure Jack's okay, too." Claire said, and for the first time, Nabnab noticed a small bit of sourness to Claire's tone.
"Who's Jack?" He asked curiously.
"My little brother. He's weird and...annoying, sometimes. But he's my brother." Claire mumbled, and she sounded simultaneously miffed and appreciative about her brother. "I want to go check on him. I hope Ms. Mason is watching him like she said she would. He does weird stuff when nobody's watching him."
"Oh." Nabnab stuttered, unsure of what to say. "Well...then you go check on him. I'm sure you've got him and others that you need to see..."
Claire perked up and turned around to face him. "I won't forget about you, though. I know I have to go, but...I'm still your friend, okay, Nabnab? I promise I'll come see you again the first chance I get."
Nabnab nodded, his right arm adjusting his party hat a bit. "I'll...be counting the seconds." He said, not untruthfully either.
Claire actually giggled at that, and she smiled at him. "Me too." She said surprisingly honestly. "Well, I'd better go now. Bye, Nabnab."
"...Stay safe, okay, Claire?" Nabnab responded, beaming at her as she began to turn away.
"I promise I will. Bye!" Claire said, nodding at Nabnab one last time.
And Nabnab watched as she sped away, running out of the maintenance warehouse with a shout of 'coming!'
He knew he was a bit sad inside that she was leaving, but he couldn't bring himself to let that sadness control him. He was so happy he finally had a friend again. Even just one friend was more than he had had for a long while, ever since Nabnaleena had left the picture...
Instead, he decided that maybe it was time he try to be a bit more positive.
After all, he finally had a friend again.
He finally had a new reason to keep on going...
"So that's how I met her." Nabnab concluded, and the melancholy he had been suffering under had finally faded, replaced by a wistful, grateful expression. "You're her sister, huh? I just want to say...your little sis is the sweetest person I've ever met. She's the only one who gave me a chance, and now I finally have a friend again...just one, but..."
"Nah. Not just one." Rebecca cut in suddenly, straightening her posture where she sat. "Two. You're counting me in that number, right?"
Nabnab blinked in surprise. "W-Wait...you want to be my friend as well?" He blinked a bit more, then turned away a bit. "Wow, I...I didn't...I thought you'd be exasperated with me for telling my whole life story."
"Not at all! I'm glad I'm finally getting told all of this. And come on, any friend of my little sister is a friend of mine as well."
Nabnab looked back at Rebecca. "Wait...you believe me? You believe that I actually did meet your little sister?"
"Without a doubt. You mentioned how she told you that she got over her fear of monsters by telling the monster she wasn't scared...and that's completely true!" Rebecca clarified, grinning. "I woke up in the middle of the night to just see her standing there chewing the closet out. She started sleeping a lot better after she did that, too. And since you know that detail, there's no way you can be lying. You really did meet my little sister..." Rebecca sighed , although this time it was a pleased sigh. "...I'm glad she made a friend."
Nabnab stared at Rebecca, taking in her words. Then he perked up. "...A friend? Singular?"
Rebecca felt her smile disappear. "Yeah...she doesn't really have any friends. Well, besides me and Jack, but that's not the same."
"What? How? She's such a sweet person. People should be lining up to make friends with someone like her!"
"Well, truth be told, she's always kind of been standoffish and confrontational with other kids. She got bullied in preschool and I don't think she's ever moved past it. But she HAS always gotten along well with animals." Rebecca recounted, nodding to herself. "We went to a family friend's farm once, and she got an entire crowd of sheep to follow her around! Man, you should've seen it."
Nabnab let out a few laughs, his mouth grinning at that. "Really? Yeah, I do wish I could've seen that...sounds like an interesting thing to see."
"Anyway...so. To summarize...you sort of unintentionally badly injured some dingbat worker, all of your friends started to hate you for it, and you met my little sister and made friends with her." Rebecca said, counting off her fingers as she listed it all.
Nabnab nodded. "Yeah, that's the short of it."
"Mmm-hmm...thanks a lot for telling me all of this. This changes a lot of things, but...one thing this doesn't change is my goal." Rebecca got to her feet and stood firmly, grinning with conviction. "It's been nice hearing about all of this, but I think it's time I got moving again. I still need to find my siblings and get out of this place with them by my side. I can't even think about resting until that's done!"
"Yeah, talking about Claire reminded me of what you said you came down here to do." Nabnab responded, looking up at her. Rebecca saw Nabnab stand up, his bottommost legs straightening out as he stood up. Rebecca noticed that Nabnab was only slightly taller than her- she had to angle her head a tiny bit upwards to look him in the eye, but they were near eye level. "And I'm coming with you."
"Oh. I was...actually about to ask if you were willing to come with."
"Is that even a question? After everything I've told you, and after knowing the first friend I've made in so long might be in a bad spot, I've got to find her. I want to make sure she's okay just as much as you do!" Nabnab then paused, flinching a bit. "Well, maybe not as much as you do, but-"
"No, no, I get it. You're just as worried about her as I am. And I'd never be okay with separating Claire from the first real friend she's made that isn't family- so it's settled! Let's find her and Jack together!"
Nabnab started out by nodding quickly, only to abruptly paused mid-nod, his eyes widening. "Wait, on...on second thought...we've got a problem." Nabnab pointed his right arm a bit, and Rebecca looked behind her. Josh and Opila were still waiting there- based on how they were turned more towards each other, they had been talking to each other the whole time, although Rebecca could see them both taking moments to glance at her and Nabnab. "Opila and Josh, they...they won't like this."
"After the way they've been acting towards you? Yeah, I definitely think they're going to be more than a little unhappy about me bringing you along..." Rebecca said, frowning. "I'll talk to them."
"Talk to them? U-Uh...no offense, but...I've learned from experience that getting my old friends to listen is really hard..."
"Hell if I care. I'll make them listen." Rebecca affirmed firmly, glancing back at Nabnab. "I know now that you're nowhere near as guilty as they say, and that what they've been saying about you isn't the least bit true. They're just jumping to conclusions based on what they heard that you did. But even though you couldn't get them to listen, maybe I can."
"I hope you've got a shot, but it won't be easy...from what I've found out, the staff have fed tons of lies to them about me to get them to hate me." Nabnab mentioned, rubbing the side of his face with one arm. "Honestly, them hating me starting from a misunderstanding is what makes me hope I can make friends with them again...but they've got a whole lot of misunderstandings when it comes to me. I don't even know how we can get them to believe that they've all been wrong."
"We'll see what we can do. And if they put up a fight, I'll just make sure you come anyway. C'mon." Rebecca gestured to Nabnab to follow her, and Nabnab nodded and dropped back into his crawling position. Rebecca walked back through the maze of shelves towards the area where Opila and Josh were standing, the blue spider scuttling after her.
"Rebecca, finally! You took forever talking to him...me and Josh were thinking we'd have to go over there and break it up." Opila sqwuaked, the pink bird tilting her head to look at Rebecca as she approached.
Josh turned as well, his large eyes surveying Rebecca and Nabnab. "So...did he tell ya what he did?"
"Yeah. He told me all about it." Rebecca answered, her voice calm.
"Well, I just hope he hasn't been lying to you! Anyway, now that you're done talking to him, it's time he got out of here." Opila stated, clicking her beak readily.
"No." Rebecca cut in immediately, shaking her head.
Opila stopped, her beak hanging open a bit. "...What?"
"No!" Rebecca repeated, louder this time. "I've talked things out with him, and..." She turned back, watching Nabnab get back into a standing position and stand behind her, looking a bit anxious. "...I've learned a lot about him. And I've decided he's coming with us."
Rebecca figured she would rip off the bandaid right away and just come out and say it. She was sure Opila and Josh would start yelling and protesting at what she had just said, so she was...
...not surprised at all to see that their reactions were exactly what she thought they'd be.
"WHAT?! No, no, no no no, you're crazy!" Opila squawked, recoiling in shock. Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait, wait, I get it! He's been making you think he's Mr. Nice Guy, huh?! Well, don't let him trick you! We know what he did and what he'll keep doing if we let him go where he wants!"
"Yeah! I dunno why you suddenly want him with us, but there's no way we can let him tag along! He'll just...he'll..." Josh argued, gritting his teeth.
"No, he won't." Rebecca stated, and it was a statement so firm and cold that Opila and Josh went silent. Seeing it as an opening to explain further, Rebecca continued further. "I've learned everything. And listen up." She stepped forwards, looking Opila and Josh directly in the eyes. "I don't know what the staff have been telling you about him, but it's lies! All of it! They're just trying to make Nabnab an outcast...and they succeeded! Making you two and all of your other friends hate him was exactly what they wanted! You played right into their hands!"
"Played into their hands...?" Josh mumbled, his face conflicted. "...Well..."
"N-No way! That's...the staff take care of us! They wouldn't lie to us! And besides...that doesn't change what Nabnab did!" Opila argued, her stance still as firm as ever despite Josh's hesitance. "You can't deny what he did! Josh and I both saw the guy he attacked! How badly he was hurt! Even if the staff are making us hate him, they've got a darn good reason to be doing so!"
"Oh yeah, I'm sure the toolboxes working here were so damn pleased that Nabnab finally did something that gave them a never-ending supply of ammunition to use on him." Rebecca responded, rolling her eyes. "Well, let me tell you the truth! That guy Nabnab attacked was a piece of garbage! He kept making out how Nabnab was a waste of space! He taunted Nabnab and pushed him around for kicks and giggles! He even supported the idea of having both him AND Nabnaleena thrown in a furnace and burnt to death! Maybe he shouldn't have been badly injured, but he was still a horrible person, to Nabnab especially!"
Rebecca took another step and pointed at Josh and Opila. "So DON'T act like that guy was some hapless bystander!"
Opila and Josh actually looked surprised at what Rebecca was telling them. Their mouths were both hanging open as they seemingly were trying to process what they had been told.
Figures- of course nobody told them any of this. And the one person who TRIED to...well... Rebecca thought, and she glanced back at Nabnab.
"O-Oh...oh yeah? Well, what's the name of the employee who did all of that, huh? Did Nabnab even tell you that?" Opila said, narrowing her eyes again.
"Quentin." Rebecca answered. She had heard Nabnab mention the employee's name when he had been recounting the story to her.
At this, Josh actually took a step back in alarm. "No...THAT guy? That piece of work who keeps running his mouth when the kids aren't around?" Rebecca saw Josh's left hand suddenly curl into a fist. "Ugh...the things that guy said about some of us..."
"Wait, this employee guy...you know him?" Opila stuttered, turning back to gawk at Josh.
"Wish I didn't." Josh admit solemnly. "Never had a conversation with 'im before- and I honestly don't want to, after seeing what he's like- but I've heard plenty of the things he likes to say when he thinks nobody's listening."
"You...you heard him talking trash about us?!" Opila squawked, and she actually looked a bit angered now.
"I sure did. I know what Flynn likes to say, but I'm not as dense and airheaded as you guys think! I can pay attention to stuff happening near me, y'know!"
"Well, you're not exactly consistent about doing that...anyway, that's not the point!" Opila turned back towards Rebecca. "Alright, alright...let's say that the staff really did do all of this to make us hate Nabnab, and that the guy he attacked was a terrible person. I STILL don't see why that's any justification for attacking him!"
"It isn't, and you won't hear me trying to argue that it is." Rebecca admit. "As much as that guy sounds like a complete dipwad, nobody deserves to be mauled like that. But you know what? Nabnab never did it with any malicious intent. In fact, he wasn't all there when he did do it."
"...Wasn't all there?" Josh stuttered, and once again he displayed hesitance.
"What do you mean by that?" Opila asked, cocking her head a bit.
Rebecca sighed. "I could just tell you, but...I think maybe you should hear it from the mouth of Nabnab himself. He knows about all this better than I do." Rebecca looked back at Nabnab, who suddenly looked anxious to be put on the spot. "Tell them, Nabnab. It's about time you finally get a chance to explain yourself."
"...Alright." Nabnab said, and his anxiousness was replaced by a more resigned yet determined look. Rebecca stepped aside as Nabnab moved past her, facing Opila and Josh head-on. "Opila...Josh...I know the staff have told you so many awful things about me. I'm not sure what, really, but...I've eavesdropped on enough staff conversations to get a pretty good picture. And I just want to say...none of it is true."
The blue spider spread out his upper arms as he continued. "I've never hated you guys, or anyone else in our friend group. I've never wanted to hurt anyone. I've never talked bad about people, especially not children. All of that is just...it's not me. It never came from my mouth. I never said or did any of it." Nabnab gazed down at the floor, sincerity and slight melancholy painting his face. "I know you may not believe me, but...please. I promise with all of my heart that I never said or did any of what you've heard. I know me saying that isn't nearly enough, but...I just want you both to know that I've never once hated either of you, or any of the others."
Nabnab looked them in the eyes again. "Of course, there is the one thing I know in my heart that I did...attacking that employee. I won't try to excuse any of that. Regardless of how awful he was towards me, violence wasn't and shouldn't ever be the answer to something like that. What I say to this is not me trying to avoid responsibility, but me trying to clear the air on why it even happened..."
Nabnab looked at the floor again. "To tell the truth...I never even thought about doing it. He was saying all of those things, and I was all frustrated and angry, and...and that's when my memory stops, when I blacked out. I don't remember attacking him, I don't remember hurting him, I don't remember thrashing in chains as I was carried off. I don't remember any of it. But never once did I think that I wanted to attack the guy. Of course, I did, and I know I did...but I don't know why."
Nabnab put his arms up to the sides of his head. "I don't know whether I repressed it, or whether I lost control to some other side of me, but...whatever made me go and do that...it wasn't me. Or at least, not fully me..."
He looked Opila and Josh in the eyes again. "But even so...I said I wouldn't try to avoid taking responsibility for my actions. So I'll say now...I'm...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for all of that. I'm sorry that you both, and everyone else, had to live thinking someone you knew went dangerous and started attacking people. I'm sorry that that guy had to go through so much pain...I still don't like him, but...nobody deserves that. Nobody."
"So...there you go. And now...I don't know if either of you will accept me again. Maybe not. But what matters most to me is something else."
Nabnab stepped forwards. "Right now, a little girl and so many other kids are somewhere down here, hiding away, afraid...and I made friends with one of them. A child who reached a hand out to me even after everything. And what I want now, more than anything, is to track down that child and make sure she's safe and okay. Rebecca's trying to get that done, too, so I want to come and help. Our goals are the same, so I just think maybe we should work together."
"And even if you both still hate me...I ask you both to look past all that's happened. I want to put everything aside for a bit, so we can work together to make sure all of the children are safe. We'll never get to them if we keep arguing, and getting stuck in the past...so please. All I ask is that you let me come with...and that we find the kids together. You can hate me in silence while we do it. That's okay with me. Just please..."
Nabnab closed his eyes and hung his head. "Let me do this for all of you, as a way of showing that I want to make things right."
Silence followed this. Rebecca stood by, watching apprehensively as Nabnab continued to hang his head, while Opila and Josh stared and looked on. Rebecca glanced at them, trying to see their reactions, but couldn't discern much more than blank shock so far. They both had their mouths hanging open and had went stock still.
Josh was the first to speak. The big green giant suddenly closed his mouth and began to hang his head, too, looking thoroughly regretful.
"...I knew it." Josh mumbled. "All this time, something never felt right, harassing you like this...I always felt like something was wrong with how I was acting to ya. But...but I kept telling myself that I had to do it. That you had gone too far and couldn't be treated as if you hadn't done anything. And look where thinkin' that way got me...the staff were all wrong. You're not a heartless jerk. You wouldn't have apologized if you were. And all this time, I didn't stop to let you explain things..." Josh groaned, putting a hand to his face. "...I really am a lunkhead."
"NO!" Opila shouted suddenly, feathers ruffling as she broke out of her stupor. "Don't say that, Josh! I'm...I'm the lunkhead here!"
Josh and Nabnab both looked over at her, stunned at what they were hearing.
"I'm so...so darn stupid...all this time I kept thinking you were a no-good, human-attacking monster...but...but you regret what you did, and you didn't even mean to do it." Opila turned her head towards Nabnab, full of sorrow. "I don't even know how you don't remember doing it, but just the look on your face when you say that tells me everything. You do care after all...the staff are liars! LIARS!" She screeched, causing everyone around her to flinch. "How could they do this?! Making me think one of my own friends is a horrible creature?! Yet I believed them...believed them, just because they smiled and promised us they had our best interests at heart. So I took their bait! I took it... and right after I swore I'd never doubt you, Nabnab..."
Opila hung her head, even lower than Nabnab and Josh had done it.
"...some friend I am..." She squawked pitifully.
"Opila...I..." Nabnab stammered, blinking.
"No! Don't apologize anymore! You don't need to..." Opila squawked, shaking her head and continuing to stare at the floor.
Josh sighed. He patted Opila's back with one hand, looking down at Nabnab seriously. "To be honest, at first I didn't know if you were actually tryin' to make things right, but...Rebecca's vouching for you, and I can't mistake your sincerity for anything else. I believe ya. And I think bird girl here does, too." He managed a smile as he, with somewhat surprising gentleness, stroked Opila's back.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..." Opila kept squawking under her breath.
"So...I think I can speak for me and her both when I say that...we're really sorry. And we're okay with you coming to help find the kids, and the others while we're goin' at it." Josh continued, his gaze softening. "You gotta care an awful lot if you're tryin' this hard to make sure the kids are okay, and I'd be an even bigger idiot if I let that care waste to nothin'. So since you really do mean it...come along."
"Y-Yeah...YEAH! The four of us, teaming up to find everyone...that's how it's gotta be! I just know it!" Opila said, straightening up suddenly and nodding furiously. "That's what we'll do! And Nabnab, we'll talk to everyone else as well! Everybody should know that you're trying to change, and everybody should be willing to give you the chance! I know me and Josh are going to..." She smiled at Nabnab, tilting her head.
Nabnab looked overcome with emotion, trembling again...but out of happiness instead of anguish. His party hat was wobbling on his head precariously, yet he didn't seem to notice.
"Y-You...you guys..." Nabnab mumbled, and Rebecca swore she could see tears begin to develop in his eyes. Nabnab quickly wiped his eyes and composed himself before he could begin crying. "I've...I've been dreaming of this day...for so long...hoping and wishing that I'd be heard...and...a-and..."
"Well, ya know what? I'd say it's 'bout time you got yourself heard." Josh said, a trademark grin on his face as he walked over, patting Nabnab's back with his great hand. "'Specially since Opila and I both have been doing this to ya for so long. We gotta turn things around."
"Yeah! All the way around! One-eighty! No more torment! And no more taking the staff's word on anything! No way am I being played like a fiddle ever again!" Opila stated firmly, and she trotted over and poked Nabnab's side gently. "Consider yourself back in the friend zone, Nabnab!"
Nabnab trembled a bit more, yet he was smiling a smile so sunny that Rebecca thought it was comparable to the one he had adopted while talking about Claire.
"Y-Yeah...I'll...I'll do my best never to let you guys down again." Nabnab said, nodding slowly.
"Alright!" Rebecca cut in, clapping her hands together and getting the abrupt attention of her three companions. "Now that you three have finally pulled yourselves together, it's time we go and see Devin!"
"Oh, yeah...we've been taking a while 'n be a half in here. I can only bet he's confused why we're takin' so long." Josh commented, chuckling.
"Well, he won't have to wait any longer! We've got the card, he's got the location of the kids and staff, and together, we're gonna make everything alright again!" Opila said, nodding quickly.
"I...look forward to it." Nabnab added, seeming unable to speak confidently in the midst of his shock over being accepted again. And yet, it was undoubtable, at least to Rebecca, that he hadn't been this happy in a while.
"Then let's get going!" Rebecca said, glad to finally be getting back on track. While she was glad to have Nabnab at least partially redeemed and back with Josh and Opila, she couldn't deny that a lot of time had been eaten up trying to get it all sorted out, and she was still partially worried that something had changed during the time they had spent away from Devin.
Still, she was sure that what she had just managed to do was a solid step forwards, and her confidence in succeeding with her goal felt much surer now.
So she turned around...only for her smile to slightly fade when she realized that she would have to go back through the confusing maze of empty shelves to leave the warehouse.
"Uh...Opila, can you lead the way back out? I'm not testing my luck with that maze on my own." Rebecca said, turning back to her companions and addressing the pink bird.
And yet it was Nabnab who answered. "Actually, let me lead you all out. I know this room like the back of my hand, so I've got the route back out memorized."
"He's got me there." Opila admit, ruffling her feathers. "He probably does know this room better than me."
"Yeah, can't argue with that." Josh added, shrugging.
"Me neither, honestly. Lead the way, Nabnab." Rebecca said, nudging her head towards the shelf maze.
"Right! So then, from here, you go this way! And then..." Nabnab began, and he dropped onto all fours and began scuttling down the path, leading the way back out of the warehouse. Rebecca wasted no more time in following after him, Opila and Josh hurrying after her (and, in Josh's case, carefully ensuring he didn't run into any of the shelves and cause them to topple.)
With the keycard they needed safely tucked inside Opila, and with hostilties finally ended between Opila, Josh, and Nabnab, Rebecca and her three companions walked as quickly as they could back towards the communication center, first by finding the exit to the maintenance warehouse, then tromping up the stairs and back to the main area of the comms center.
As Opila and Josh led the way back into the room, Rebecca stopped short when she heard the scuttling of Nabnab suddenly stop right behind her.
She turned, and saw that the spider had gotten upright again and was staring at the mural quote Rebecca had seen before, the same one she had seen earlier while heading down to the maintenance warehouse.
She could see the expression on Nabnab's face. Despite the many good things that had just happened, he still seemed a bit dejected to see his mural quote in all of its twisted glory.
Rebecca stepped over to him, opting to face the wall quote alongside him.
"...You didn't ever say that, did you?" She said, in reference to the quote's saying of how it was okay to have no friends and be miserable.
Nabnab sighed and looked down again. "Not a single time. Actually, none of us ever said the quote before it was put on the wall. The staff just put them there and was done with it."
"...But?"
Nabnab glanced at Rebecca. "After everything I've told you, do you really think I'd ever say this...?"
"Nope."
"Mmm." Nabnab looked back at the wall quote, his eyes trained on the drawing of himself. "The truth is...it's not really okay to have no friends and be alone. Maybe there's a few people out there who can deal with that just fine...but not me. I was miserable, I didn't have one friend, and no way would I ever say that that was okay. It... it just wasn't."
"Yeah." Rebecca replied shortly.
Nabnab was silent for a moment. "...Everyone else got to have nice, fitting quotes. Everyone else got treated just fine. Everyone else was allowed to be happy." He closed his eyes again. "...why was I the only one they ever hated?"
Another period of silence. Rebecca paused, frowning as she considered Nabnab's words.
"Y'know...maybe that's something we can find out for ourselves." She suggested. "I'm curious, too. They went to a lot of effort just to paint a picture of you as some friendless, aggressive loner. I want to know why they bothered."
"...Me too." Nabnab mumbled. "Me too..."
And without another word, the spider dropped back down to four legs and scuttled past, Rebecca stepping aside to allow him room to get by her.
As Nabnab followed Josh and Opila into the room, Rebecca paused.
She glanced one last time at Nabnab's wall quote before she followed the others.
She entered back into the comms center main room to see Opila leading the other two around the bend, and she picked up her pace, falling in step behind Josh and Opila. She stepped past the powered down drone, still sitting on the floor in the same position she had left it in.
The pink bird ahead of them led them over to the left side of the area, near the break room. There, to the right, was a blue set of doors with a blue keycard reader set right next to it. The sign above read:
Security Office
"Alright, Devin! I know we've taken our time, but we have the keycard! We're getting you out of there!" Opila said, and the pink bird stepped a bit back from the door and began hacking a bit. Rebecca and the others watched as Opila coughed up the keycard, the rectangular item clattering to the floor in front of them.
Rebecca snatched it up, holding it between her fingers as she looked back at the security office doors.
Strangely enough, there had been no response to Opila's comment. In fact, Rebecca suddenly found it odd that Devin hadn't talked to them over the intercom again after they re-entered the room.
"...Hey, Devin, you in there?" She called quizzically.
...
...The group waited, but there was no answer.
"Huh...why's he so quiet in there?" Josh questioned, making a face of confusion.
"He probably fell asleep while waiting for us." Opila guessed dismissively. "I don't blame him! With how long we took, I sure would've done the same if I were him."
"Maybe...but if he really was all freaked out about being stuck in here, wouldn't he have stayed awake until he got freed?" Nabnab wondered.
"We don't know the guy well enough, so it's hard to say. Either way, he's in for one heck of a wake up call." Rebecca stated, and she raised the hand holding the keycard up to the reader.
With a single swipe, the light turned green.
A second later, the blue doors slid open, allowing them entry into the room.
"Alright, Devin, time to wake up! We're...we're..." Rebecca began, as she strolled directly into the room...and went into a stunned silence.
The security office was empty.
Well, not empty per se- obviously it was a furnished room. There was a large number of boxes piled in one corner, and a single desk with two rows of television screens sitting on top of it, each black and turned off. A single white lightbulb buzzed overhead.
...And nobody was there.
"W- H- w-what?!" Rebecca sputtered, completely taken aback by this.
"Hey, what's the stuttering for? Is something w-" Opila squawked quizzically, stepping past Rebecca...only to gawk at the empty room as well. "-what in the HECK?!"
Nabnab stuck his head around Rebecca, and stared blankly at the empty room as well. "...Okay, what?"
"Guys, you're confusin' me with all of this-" Josh began, edging into the room himself, a slightly difficult task due to his size. But he made it in, and gawked as well. "-Hey! What the-!?"
"There's...nobody here." Rebecca said, blinking several times.
"But...but...he said he was in the security office!" Opila sputtered confusedly. "Devin said he was trapped in here! But he's not even in here!"
"...Okay, I'm confused as heck right now." Josh mumbled, rubbing the side of his head in bewilderment.
"Wait, wait, wait, are you saying this Devin guy made you three go on a wild goose chase to get a keycard and open this room...for nothing? Because he's not even HERE?" Nabnab questioned, squinting.
Rebecca shook herself out of her stupor. "This was not what I was expecting, but...okay! So...either Devin lied to us, or he somehow found a way out of the room while we were gone."
"I mean, maybe, but how could he?" Josh wondered, making a face. "The door's the only darn exit in this room, and I'm pretty sure the guy said he didn't have the keycard he needed. Otherwise, he wouldn' have had us get one for him to begin with."
"So...he WAS lying?" Opila said, making a similar face to Josh's. "Wait, wait, unless...unless maybe somebody else who had the right keycard came and got him?"
"Well, if that's what this is, then that guy's really something for deciding not to let any of us know." Rebecca stated, frowning. "He could've at least tracked us down and told us..."
"Y'know, there could be any number of reasons for this, but the most we can really say is that he's definitely not here, wherever he is." Nabnab commented, shrugging.
Rebecca groaned exasperatedly and grit her teeth. "Great. Great! What a load of help he is, not sticking around after he promised us he'd help us find all the kids and staff..."
"You said it. I thought he had more tact than that! Hmph." Opila grumbled, clicking her beak irritably.
Josh stepped past them, and Rebecca glanced at the green giant as he bent over the desk, eyes trained on the monitors.
"Huh, y'know...he ain't here, but all the security stuff still is." Josh mentioned, turning back to look at the others. "We could turn on the cameras and see if we can check the one that he said had all the kids and staff hidin' in it."
Rebecca paused as she heard the idea, and she felt her sour mood dissipating immediately. "Hey, we could! Honestly, if I can even get a glimpse of Claire and Jack, I'll say the trouble we went through was worth it."
"Hey, don't forget about me. You wouldn't have found me if you hadn't went down to the warehouse." Nabnab brought up, leaning into Rebecca's sight and staring at her.
"...Good point. That was probably the one good thing that came out of that. One of two, if we can see Claire and Jack and everyone else on the cameras." Rebecca stepped past the members of her group, walking up to the security desk and leaning over it herself, her eyes searching the devices for any sign of a power button.
Quick as a wink, she found a red power button imbedded into the side of the keyboard. Without hesitation, she reached out and pressed the button, pushing it into the keyboard.
...
The monitors stayed as deactivated as ever.
"Huh? Oh, no...let me guess..." Rebecca muttered, and she knelt down, checking underneath the desk.
Yep, she knew it.
No power cord.
"Ooooffff course..." She sighed. It could never be as easy as just turning it on and getting it on the first time, could it? She stood back up, looking back at Opila, Josh, and Nabnab. "There's no power cord."
"Wait, there isn't?" Opila questioned, once again making a face. "Weird. Why wouldn't there be a cord plugging the devices n' stuff into the wall?"
"Once again, like with Devin not being here, there could be any number of reasons...let's just focus here. We need to find a power cord somewhere around here, don't we?" Nabnab inferred.
"Well, that is what I had to do when I had to plug in a computer in the lobby upstairs." Rebecca mentioned, nodding along to Nabnab's way of thinking.
"The computer in the lobby was unplugged, too, huh?" Josh said, frowning. "I'm with Opila on this one. That's weird. Can't imagine the staff removing the power cords for stuff for no reason at all."
"I'm just gonna guess that they had a reason for it and leave it at that for now. We'd better try and find a power cord." Rebecca glanced around the room. "Hmm...where would we find one of those, though?"
The group paused for a moment, thinking it over.
"No clue! I guess we're just gonna have to look around." Opila decided suddenly, and a nod from both Josh and Nabnab confirmed that they thought the same way as her.
"Okay, then...do we just search the whole comms sector or something?" Rebecca asked.
"Probably our best bet." Josh agreed, nodding again.
"I say we split up and look in every room we can. The more of us there is searching everywhere, the faster we can find any power cords that might be lying around." Nabnab suggested, slightly raising one of his hands.
"Sounds like a plan." Rebecca accepted. She paused for a moment to glance around herself, looking at the pile of boxes in the corner. "I'll search in here."
"Okay! I'll take these two and look around the other rooms near us." Opila responded, nudging her head towards Josh and Nabnab.
"I'll look under the desks near the punch-in station. Could be something there." Nabnab added, nodding.
"It's settled, then!" Josh finished, grinning. "Oh, and, if anyone finds a power cord, call for the rest of us, got it?"
"'Course!"
"Sure."
"Got it."
"Then let's go!"
"Yeah, let's-" Opila suddenly paused. "Wait, wait, hang on. I need to do something." She turned, facing a direction where no one was in front of her, and retched loudly. Out came all of the keycards she had stored inside, clattering to the floor in front of her.
"W-Woah! Uh...didn't know you had those in you." Nabnab said, blinking and staring at the keycards on the floor.
"My stomach makes a convenient storage space! But, uh...I felt a slight stomachache, so I'm having them outside of me for the time being." Opila explained, ruffling a bit and recovering from the act of vomiting. She looked towards Rebecca. "Hey, could you carry them for a bit? You do have pockets on that jacket of yours."
"Huh? Oh, uh, okay." Rebecca agreed. She bent down, and picked up the surprisingly dry keycards- it seemed being inside Opila hadn't made them wet at all. She took the keycards and shoved them into her jacket pockets, storing them for later use.
"Owe you one! Anyway...let's go!" Opila continued, turning back to Josh.
"Uh...right! Yeah!" Josh spoke, breaking his stare and snapping back to the task at hand.
Josh turned around and walked out of the security office, disappearing through the door frame. Opila trotted after him, leaving the room as well. Rebecca turned away just as Nabnab scuttled out of the room as well, leaving her to focus on trying to search the room she was in for any signs of a power cord.
Those boxes in the corner look like they'd store power cords. Why else would they be in here? Rebecca decided in her thoughts, walking over to the haphazardly piled group of cardboard boxes.
She began searching, her fingers feeling the plain material as she pushed aside the flaps of the boxes to peer into the contents of each one. The first one, directly on top of the pile, was empty. The second box had a few keycards in them- more blue keycards, easily seen by the blue strip on each one. The third box had a small pile of drone remotes left inside.
Rebecca started to remove boxes from the pile, putting them aside so she could open the boxes beneath them. As she searched, the boxes she searched got progressively more full of different things. Walkie-talkies, unfinished keycard slots, even a phone which seemed to be out of juice, as it failed to turn on when Rebecca pressed the power button. But though she found one or two boxes that had a few cables strewn inside, it only took five seconds of looking at them to see that they weren't power cables.
Eventually she exhausted the entire pile, and was forced to conclude that there just wasn't any power cord inside any of the boxes. Disappointed that her search had so far been fruitless, she threw the boxes back on top of each other and hastily reformed the pile back to what it had looked like before and stepped away.
That was a bust...guess it'd be too easy if what I needed was right in the room with me. Rebecca thought. That covers this room. I guess I could go check on the others and see if they've had any luck...
They probably hadn't, Rebecca admit to herself, since none of them had called out to her or returned to the security office yet, but she figured that she might as well help them search and see if they could find a power cord anywhere. Rebecca knew there was a chance they might not find a cord at all, and that she'd have to accept that she wouldn't get a glimpse of Claire and Jack after all and would have to resort to going right back to physically searching the place, hoping to find wherever they were.
But she hoped it wouldn't come to that. She wanted a glimpse, even the tiniest glimpse, of her younger siblings. It had already been hours upon hours since she had seen them, and though their faces were still burned into her memory, she knew she wouldn't be satisfied until she saw them for real. And to appease that wish, even just seeing them on a camera for a second would be enough for her.
So she turned away from the boxes, swiveling around to give the room one last look before she left- and something caught her eye.
A crumpled piece of paper, laying on the floor a few inches away from the desk in the corner.
Oh. A note. How did me and the others miss that when we came in? Rebecca wondered, turning towards the piece of paper on the ground. Maybe it's another drawing from Jack? Although if he somehow ended up in this room, I have a LOT of questions...
She stepped over to the piece of paper on the ground. She bent over and grasped it with her fingers, lifting it up to read it for herself. A few tidy lines of neatly-written words lied on the center of the page.
If you read this fast enough, you might be able to react in time.
I plan to sneak up behind you and hit you right over the head while you're occupied with reading this note.
:)
"What?!"
GONG!
Rebecca's world exploded into pain before she had any time to realize it was coming.
Small white lights popped in front of her eyes, eyes that she had scrunched up as they watered in painful agony.
The back of her head pounded with pain so intense she felt it had just been cut in two.
She had screamed, had attempted to make the noise after the rush of pain had come out of nowhere- but her ears rang so loudly that for a moment she could not hear much of anything.
And then her hearing returned to her, and the pain subsided a small fraction, enough for her to bear opening her eyes.
Her vision was unbearably blurry, as if she had just lost half of her eyesight, and only then did she realize she was lying on the ground. She vaguely remembered falling to the floor, but it was hard to remember- the pain had taken priority in that moment.
"Ggh...hggh...nggh..." She mumbled, her words clumsily tumbling out of her mouth as she attempted to bring her brain back to reality- a task she suddenly found extremely difficult. The pain her head was feeling was so intense that it was as if she had been dumbstruck. She could barely think straight.
The pain slowly continued to subside every second, but it remained as intense as ever, and Rebecca still couldn't get her mind to think straight again.
She rolled a bit, her eyes glancing forwards randomly, and what small impulse remained demanded she look, and try to see what happened.
She looked over, turning her head just enough so she could see completely behind herself.
There was a red figure standing there.
Her mind reeling, Rebecca tried once again to get her mind straight. It worked a bit better this time, and her vision started to clear a slight amount. The pain and dizziness were still there, but she felt a bit more aware.
She focused on the figure standing there.
And she realized who it was.
A red humanoid being, with strangely round arms and somewhat skinny legs.
A round hed with two striped party hats set where horns would be.
A mouth that was wide open, with a tongue lolling out of it.
A metal pan, clutched loosely in his right hand.
It was the mascot and namesake of the entire kindergarten.
Banban.
"...W-What...?" She mumbled, completely bewildered despite the pain and dizziness still taking up most of her headspace.
"That makes three birds with one stone!"
Rebecca froze.
That voice.
She knew that voice.
"So now...let's see...I get all of the keycards you've collected, I get exactly the specimen I was looking for, AND, to top it all off, I won't have to deal with that thing down there now. It's all working out exactly as I hoped it would."
"Y-You're..." She stammered, her voice growing stronger.
"Surprise! It's me...'Devin', as I told you my name was." Banban said, waving his arms a bit as he continued to speak and stand over Rebecca. "Suffice to say, that name was fake."
"You...but...but why...but how...?"
"I've got to say, getting this done was a lot more difficult than I anticipated." Banban continued on, ignoring Rebecca's senseless mumbling as he took a step, crossing his arms and gazing at the wall in thought. "With Opila, Josh, and even him at your side, I didn't know how I'd reach you when you had the three of them keeping you safe." Banban turned back towards her, the grin on his face widening a bit. "But, lo and behold, I didn't have to think of a new plan at all. You separated from them, split up from them...and all it took was some voicework and the keycard I found to get the three of them out of my way, leaving the path to you completely open." Banban leaned to the side. "And it's all thanks to you...I have to hand it to you for doing most of the work for me in making sure you were unguarded."
"You...you little..."
"Now then, I can finally do what I've really needed to do for so long. It's about time, too...I wasn't sure I'd last much longer against it..." Banban mentioned, striding a bit as he talked.
Rebecca didn't even understand most of what Banban was talking about, but one thing did make sense to her- he had snuck up behind her and hit her while her back was turned, and somehow, he had managed to get past Opila, Josh, and Nabnab in order to do it.
She didn't know what he wanted with her, but she didn't want to stick around and find out.
Desperate to escape, she focused on her arms and legs again and get back to her feet. She turned over a bit, trying to get back onto her knees.
But her head was still pounding, and the dizziness overcoming her was getting worse and worse with each passing moment.
She groaned as her knees failed to support her, and she sunk back down to the ground, unable to muster the mental acuity to get up.
She slowly turned her head again, looking back at Banban. He was gazing at her and her attempts to get back up.
"What's with you? Oh, come on, don't be so dramatic...I didn't hit you that hard." Banban commented, giving her a quizzical look.
"You...you son of a..." Rebecca tried again, and in her frustration, she once again tried to get onto her knees.
But she dropped to the floor with another groan, still unable to muster the strength to get back up.
Banban gave her a look, seemingly impressed beyond his will. "Hmm. I guess I did hit you that hard...I suppose I don't know my own strength after all." The red creature's smile returned a bit, and he put his arms behind his back. "Well, it doesn't really matter. I need you unconscious anyways, and based on how you're acting right now, I don't think you'll be able to keep yourself awake much longer."
"Piece...of..." Rebecca muttered, an insult brewing in her throat- but her mind was getting less and less focused, and the dizziness was penetrating even more corners of her mind. Banban was right- she didn't think she could keep herself conscious much longer.
"C'mon now, quit wasting your energy...not that you really have much left of it by now." Banban said, tilting his head. "I think it's about time you took a little nap. You'd do good with one. I have a surgery to get you ready for, after all, and time's wasting the longer I talk."
"Sur...gery?"
Banban's smile disappeared at that, something Rebecca hadn't been expecting. "Oh, before you collapse...I do want to say that I'm sorry about this. I'm sorry it has to be you. But, y'know...desperate times call for measures like these. I'm all out of options. This is my one ticket out of what I'm going through, and I really do need to take it..."
Rebecca tried to respond, but her vision was fading. She could barely cling onto consciousness anymore. She groaned again, her strength leaving her, her vision continuing to fade to black.
As her vision became almost completely dark, she could barely see Banban stepping towards her, and could only just catch onto one last sentence before she went unconscious.
"With this, I'll finally have the thing I need to satisfy those horrible urges of mine...
...normalcy is finally within my grasp again."
And then she was out.
Chapter 6
Notes:
Hey, everybody! Welcome, finally, to Chapter 6! Been a while but it's here!
Here, you'll get to meet the characters I had perhaps the best time writing out of anyone so far, except for maybe Nabnab...
Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The first thing she heard when she begin to wake up was ringing.
Her ears were ringing- making that abysmal sound that she had never much liked hearing.
Wincing at the sudden rush of unwelcome noise, Rebecca began to open her eyes.
Once again, her surroundings were a blur, as her eyes began to readjust to her new surroundings. She saw a lot of blue and black in front of her, but it was too blurry to make out much more.
What color caught her eye the most was what seemed to be some kind of mass of a darker shade of periwinkle right in front of her...
Rebecca closed her eyes, trying to give them a small rest while she slowly returned to full consciousness.
She became aware of the pain again- thankfully, it was quite dull by now, having become a minor headache compared to the skull-splitting agony she had felt before going unconscious before.
The ear ringing came to a stop, and she became much more acutely aware of her senses again.
Then she heard it.
"...Oooga...?"
Rebecca's eyes snapped open.
Two eyes were meeting her own.
"GAAAH!" She screamed, sitting bolt upright from her position and moving back.
"OOOGA!" Came a response, and the eyes moved back. The eyes were connected to a short periwinkle creature that stumbled backwards in response to her abrupt awakening.
Seeing this, Rebecca froze. Her nerves had jumped to high alert just from the sudden shock of finding the creature right in front of her face, but something gave her pause.
This pause finally brought Rebecca back to reality. Gasping slightly, Rebecca looked around.
She was sitting down on the floor of an unfamiliar room. She turned herself around, giving her a good view of the dark blue blanket she was sitting on.
No, not just sitting...she had been laying on it before the shock of seeing eyes looking back at her stimulated her into sitting up.
Then she looked back at the rest of the area she was in. She was in the corner of a room awash with blue light, a single solitary light fixture on the ceiling being the source of it. The room was cluttered, with hospital stretchers and stacked crates lined against some of the walls. There were three sets of black doors, one behind her, one to the left, and one to the right, the first being closed while the other two were covered in boards. Right across the room from where Rebecca was seeing was a big opening with no wall present, although all that could be seen was darkness beyond the opening.
"Wait...this room...how did I...?" Rebecca stuttered, momentarily confused- until she paused, her memory catching up with her. "-Banban! He...he did this..."
"...Oooga?"
Rebecca flinched, and only then did she remember what had been standing in front of her. She quickly glanced back at it, intent on backing away further...until she got a good look at it.
The creature that had been staring into her eyes was quite small, the top of its head only coming up to her waist. It was a periwinkle color, with short limbs and a mouth with two small fangs sticking upward out of it...
Wait.
I've seen this before!
She had seen this character before, heard the others talking about it, even seen his wall quote.
But what was his name? Rebecca racked her brains, trying to recall the name that she had so easily forgotten after the turbulent events earlier had distracted her.
"Are you...Captain Fiddles?" Rebecca asked finally, keeping her voice even and calm. She figured that, with her track record so far, and with what Josh had said about him, that Fiddles would be good.
Captain Fiddles looked back at her, eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. The mention of his own name seemed to gratify him, and he looked even more interested as he took a step closer to Rebecca, looking directly at her without breaking eye contact.
"Oooga! Booga!" The periwinkle monkey finally replied, nodding its head in the affirmative to Rebecca's question.
"Holy heck...another member of the family." Rebecca mumbled, surprised that she had run into yet another one of the kindergarten creatures so suddenly after awakening. "Wait, wait, what happened?! How'd you get here?! And..." She stared around at the room again. "...where is here?"
Fiddles stared back at her for a moment, then spoke again.
"Oooga! Booga, oooga booga...oooga oooga!" The child monkey began, waving his hands as he talked.
Rebecca gave the creature a blank stare, becoming more conscious of the fact that Fiddles was making a bunch of monkey noises instead of speaking English like Josh, Opila, and Nabnab had.
He's...just making monkey noises? I guess the wall quote I saw upstairs wasn't lying about the way he talked. Rebecca thought. Oh, no...please don't tell me there's a language barrier and that he can't speak English.
"I can't understand you. Can you say it in a language I can understand?" Rebecca replied, cutting in while Fiddles continued to ramble.
Fiddles stopped talking immediately, pausing to give Rebecca yet another blank stare before slumping where he stood, a look of defeat in his eyes. "Oooga..." He mumbled, shaking his head.
"Ah. So there is a language barrier here. Perfect." Rebecca sighed, shaking her head as well. "Apparently you can understand me just fine though, right?"
Fiddles nodded, giving Rebecca an apologetic look.
"So you can understand English. You just can't speak it?"
Fiddles nodded again.
"Huh...well, that's not a problem I thought I'd be facing down here in some kindergarten with a dopey red devil as its mascot..." Rebecca paused for a moment. Then something hit her. She gasped. "Banban! He knocked me out! He must've put me down here! Out of all things..."
Fiddles recoiled a bit, looking concerned at what Rebecca was saying.
Rebecca put a hand to the side of her head. She felt bewildered- so far, all of the members of the Banban family she had met were good to her, including Fiddles, who she had only met right then. And yet, the mascot of the place itself had to go and knock her unconscious.
She cringed, remembering the horrible pain she had went through after being hit. This confused her, too, though- was getting wacked by a pan really that painful? Admittedly, she had never been hit over the head by a frying pan, but she never thought it would hurt that much.
...or maybe Banban was just different.
He did say he didn't know his own strength...
Now that the what of the scenario had been cleared, Rebecca immediately switched to think about the why of it all. Why had Banban suddenly decided to run up behind her, hit her over the head, and drop her off in this creepy room?
She thought about it again, trying to remember what the red devil had been saying shortly before she had fallen unconscious. She quickly found that it was hard to completely recall- she had been more than a little out of it while hovering between staying awake and collapsing, so her memory came out more fuzzy than anything else.
She could recall snatches, though...something about lasting longer? Urges? Getting normalcy?
And a surgery to boot...
A SURGERY?!
Rebecca gasped louder than she had before, making an exclamation so abrupt and vocalized that Fiddles openly recoiled. She quickly looked down at herself, glancing quickly at what inches of her skin were exposed, trying to look for stitch marks to show that she had been through any kind of a surgery.
There didn't seem to be any such marks, but Rebecca wasn't convinced. In fact, she was worried, because she knew that if there were any surgery marks on her, then there's only be one place they'd be.
Quick as a wink, she unzipped her white jacket and threw it on the floor beside her, looking at the tank top she wore and down at her arms and shoulders. They also looked fine.
Fiddles was still nearby, looking down curiously at the jacket laying on the floor, but Rebecca ignored him. There was still one last area to check...
She stood up, turned away from Fiddles, and lifted up the tank top to look down at her midriff.
"Oh, thank god..."
There were no stitch marks anywhere on her front. In fact, Rebecca realized that she felt no pain or strange feelings over her body at all.
It seemed no such surgery had been done at her while she had been asleep.
She sighed in relief, taking a breath and letting her nerves fade. She was glad that she hadn't had any of her organs ripped out while she had been asleep. At least, she assumed they would have been ripped out- she didn't have any inkling of an idea what kind of surgery Banban had been talking about, but she could only assume it involved some sort of organ extraction. Why else would it be a surgery?
Rebecca turned back around, looking back at Captain Fiddles. She snorted, snickering when she saw what he had been up to.
The periwinkle monkey was wearing her jacket, looking down at himself as the jacket fell over his shoulders. It was a bit too big for one of his size, and slightly draped over the floor behind him. Despite this, Fiddles seemed to look pleased about wearing it.
"Pfft...couldn't resist the urge to try my jacket on, could you?" Rebecca snickered, feeling a bit better to see something funny after her momentary panic seconds before.
"Booga..." Fiddles replied sheepishly, looking a bit apologetic as he rubbed the back of his head.
Rebecca laughed again. She had not laughed like this in a while. It felt nice.
"You're silly, Fiddles. But, uh...can I have it back, please?"
Fiddles nodded, and immediately slid the jacket off of his shoulders, holding it out towards her. Rebecca snatched it up, turning it over in her hands.
"Ugh, shouldn't have thrown this on the floor like that...who knows how dirty I could've gotten it." She openly chastised herself, as she flipped the jacket around, seeing a familiar phrase on the back...
"Happy birthday, Bec-ka!"
"C'mon, Jack, I told you, it's Becca, not...oh. Woah. Is this a jacket?"
"Mmm-hmm. Jack and I got it from our friend Bobby yesterday. He said his older brother gave it to him after he stopped wearing it, and he said he didn't want it, so he gave it to us. We thought it'd be something we could give you for your birthday, Becca. I hope you like it."
"Yeah! Happy birthday, big sis!"
"Aw, you two...honestly, I can't see why Bobby's big brother got rid of this. This is a nice jacket. I've always wanted a white jacket like this."
"Put it on, Bec-ka, put it on! I wanna see you wear it!"
"Ah hah hah, okay, okay! Give me a second, Jack...there, it's on. How do I look?"
"It's nice. I think it really suits you, Becca."
"Yeah! Is it soft, too?"
"Uh...fairly soft, I guess? Although...I feel like it's missing something. But what could it...wait. Wait, wait, give me a second! I have an idea."
"...hey, why are you taking the jacket off, big sis?"
"You'll see. Hold on, let me just grab this, and...put something down here..."
"...Becca, that's a permanent marker...are you going to draw on your jacket?"
"No, no, I wouldn't want to doodle on this. I'm going to write something on it! I think a message'll add a bit of that flair I want to have."
"Um...okay, sure! But what you gonna write?"
"Heh...y'know, I've got the perfect idea. I'll have it say..."
Take that, society!
It was an odd message for Rebecca to have written on the back of the jacket Claire and Jack had gifted to her, and she knew it. But she could hardly care less. In her opinion, it was a phrase that perfectly embodied how she felt about the world she lived in.
Society was a mess, always one-upping her and putting her around nutheaded bullies and nasty rumor-spreading hacks, ignorant passerby and the occasional heckler...so she felt that the jacket should always be a sign that she wanted to tell society to eat it.
And she smiled, reading the message on the back of the jacket again as the memory of how she got it resurfaced.
It was the only gift she had gotten on her birthday, but that was above and beyond every single other time- she had never gotten a gift on her birthday before. Her mother always said buying gifts was a waste of her money, Claire and Jack had no spending money at all, and what few friends Rebecca had ever had never bothered to try to get her a gift.
So although it was the only gift she had ever received on her birthday, that just made her cherish it even more.
Best birthday ever.
She slipped it back onto her shoulders, zipping it back up while getting back into feeling the comfortable fabric around her arms and torso.
"Okay! So...I definitely didn't think I'd be running into you so suddenly, Fiddles." Rebecca began, launching back into conversation once her jacket was back on her. "I've heard a bit about you, though. Josh and Opila had some stuff to say."
"Booga?" Fiddles questioned, tilting his head.
"Yeah, I know them." Rebecca replied, hazarding a guess that Fiddles was wondering how she knew the pink bird and green giant. "I met them on my way into this place. I've, uh, actually been going through this place with them, trying to find my missing siblings. Apparently there was an accident during some kind of Bring-A-Friend day where the ballpit collapsed. Do you know anything about that?"
Fiddles flinched, his eyes wide. Then he looked away, his face scrunching up with sad confusion. "O-Oooga..."
Rebecca frowned. It was hard to really tell what Fiddles was saying at all with the language barrier there, so she decided she'd have to communicate through another way. "Uh...hey, I'll just ask you yes or no questions, and you nod or shake your head in response. Can you do that?"
Fiddles looked back at her, his face a bit brighter as he nodded at her.
"Okay! So, I talked with Opila and Josh, and they said they were there at the ballpit, and so were you. They said there was this huge crash and they passed out, then woke up to find themselves somewhere else without knowing how they got there. Did the same thing happen to you?"
Fiddles blinked in surprise, then nodded his head.
"I figured as much. Uh...did you wake up here, by any chance?"
Fiddles shook his head.
"Okay. Um...I can't believe this might be an option now, but did Banban take you here at all?"
Fiddles stared for a moment. Then he shook his head again.
"Oh. Okay, guess you're luckier than me, then. So...why are you- wait, wait, don't answer that. That's not a yes or no question." Rebecca paused again. She was curious how Fiddles had ended up in this room if it wasn't the room he had woken up in and he hadn't been kidnapped by Banban like she had been; however, she knew yes or no questions wouldn't be able to break the ice, and there was no way of getting a concrete answer with the language barrier in place.
Fiddles gave her an apologetic look. "Oooga..." He mumbled, twiddling his tiny thumbs.
Rebecca could see that he was trying to apologize for not being able to tell her, and she smiled and shook her head. "No, no, it's fine. For now, let's just say that it doesn't matter. What does matter is that we get out of here. Well- that I get out of here, but I'd guess that you don't want to stay here, either. Am I right?"
"Booga." Fiddles replied, shaking his head again.
"I'm right! Okay, then...let's get out of this room. I really need to get back to the others." Rebecca stood up, contemplating the situation again. "Geez, I don't know even know how Banban managed to sneak past them and knock me out like that. He said he gotten them out of the way, but he really wasn't specific...something to do with a keycard?" Rebecca considered that word. Then her eyes widened. "Wait- oh no-" She quickly put her hands in her jacket pockets and scrounged around.
Fiddles tilted his head. "Oooga?"
Rebecca, feeling the emptiness of her jacket pockets, grimaced. "Oh, great! That tongue-lolling demon swiped all the keycards! There goes my only keys to gaining entry into anywhere in this whole place...unless maybe Opila still has one of them."
But Rebecca looked at her surroundings again, and she grimaced once more. "Ugh, I don't even know where this is! The others probably don't even know where to start looking for me- they'll never find me at this rate. And this just wastes even more time I could be spending finding Claire and Jack! Great...just great!"
Rebecca felt her right arm get poked, and looked down to see Fiddles giving her a look of concern. "Booga oooga?" He rambled.
Rebecca sighed. "Sorry. It's just...that stupid Banban guy has really made things more difficult by deciding to knock me out and drag me here. I don't even know how long I've been out for! Claire and Jack could be anywhere in this place by now! As if I hadn't already wasted a ton of time trying to sort out the Nabnab situation..."
Fiddles perked up, his eyes wider. "Oooga?!"
Rebecca flinched, and she remembered right away that Nabnab was a sore subject. "Oh- uh- well, Fiddles, I don't think I can really explain this all to you right now, but, uh...I met with Nabnab earlier, and it turns out that he's a pretty good guy. He made friends with my little sister and he even made amends with Josh and Opila. He started helping me find them, too. I don't know if you can take my word for it, but, uh..."
But Fiddles was open-mouthed, looking strangely awed by what she was saying. "Booga...?" He said, and Rebecca could hear the hopefulness in his tone.
"Huh? Wait, okay, correct me if I'm wrong here- do you believe me?"
Fiddles nodded his head quickly. "Booga!"
Rebecca blinked. "Oh. Well, that was quick. I thought everyone here was convinced that Nabnab was bad, and I thought for sure that would include you."
Fiddles recoiled. "Booga?! Oooga, booga, oooga!" He said, shaking his head wildly.
"Okay, okay, not you! Huh...so did you always think he was innocent, or something?"
"Oooga! Oooga!" Fiddles responded, nodding more quickly than ever.
Rebecca gave the child monkey a surprised look. She hadn't been expecting to run into a Banban mascot that didn't think Nabnab was horrible. After hearing Nabnab's story, Rebecca had assumed everyone else in the group hated him- an assumption she had good cause to believe, based on Josh and Opila's behavior and the fact that Nabnab had lamented about his lack of friends more than once. So to find someone in the group who seemed to think he had always been good, even after what happened, was surprising to her.
It was a good surprise, though. She was glad she wasn't going to have another situation where she had to explain everything just to get someone to stop giving Nabnab the cold shoulder. She had been anticipating having repeat performances of that since she and the others had yet to run into most of the other creatures in the place, so it was good to know she wasn't in for one- yet, anyway.
Anyway...escaping. That was the more immediate concern.
"Okay, okay, I really need to stop getting sidetracked...we need to get out of here, now. If Banban comes back, I don't even want to think about what he'll try to do." Rebecca said, grimacing. "Is there a way out of here, Fiddles? Do you know?"
Fiddles tilted his head, then turned and bounded over to the section of the room with an open wall. He raised his arm, pointing at a keycard reader set into the wall next to it.
"Okay...there's an exit if we can activate that keycard reader?" Rebecca asked.
"Booga." Fiddles said, nodding.
"I'm guessing you don't have the keycard we need, though. Or else you wouldn't be stuck down here to begin with."
Fiddles slumped his shoulders. "Booga..." He shook his head.
"Okay...and even if I did have the right keycard for this one, I don't have it anymore. Thanks a lot, Banban..." Rebecca grumbled. "You think maybe there's a keycard in this room somewhere?"
Fiddles shrugged. "Oooga."
"Well, it's still worth a look. C'mon."
Rebecca walked over to the nearest pile of boxes, which she assumed would be where she would find any possible keycards, and began searching.
Fiddles pitched in, too- Rebecca could see the child monkey open up a box and look through it in her peripheral vision, and she was a bit glad. Even if Banban had gotten her separated from Opila, Josh, and Nabnab, she at least still had someone with her to help her out.
But despite the help, the search for a keycard started out the same as the last search Rebecca had conducted. Despite looking in every box, and despite the various supplies inside (most of them medical supplies like bandages, gauze, cutting and dissecting tools, and portable light fixtures), no keycard was found inside any of them.
"None in these boxes. Let's try another pile." Rebecca said, about to stand up.
"Oooga!" Came a sudden cry from her left, and she turned to see Fiddles waving his arm, peering down into a box.
"Found something?" Rebecca asked, hoping it was a keycard.
"Booga." Fiddles replied, and he reached down into the box and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper.
"Oh. Another note. Well, better than nothing, I guess...can I see that?"
Fiddles nodded and held it out to her. Rebecca took it, flipping the piece of paper over.
This note, however, turned out to be much different from the previous ones.
Right away, Rebecca could see she was looking at some sort of document. This wasn't a hastily written note or a drawing from Jack- instead, it was a typed out, structured file, printed onto the paper. Rebecca, interested to see an actual document from the job side of the kindergarten, moved slightly towards the blue light in the center of the room so she could see it better.
Case Update Report
Case #: 6
Case Type: 2
Update: 1
Genome(s): Human, Givanium
Alias: The Devil
Summary:
The procedure on Case 6 has been a success. Case 6 is now fully stable, and, as predicted, has shown the ability to perform tasks necessary for organic beings to survive, such as eating and drinking. Although there is a lack of any biological necessity for the case or other cases to do so, it is nonetheless promising to see it still remember such functions completely correctly.
A new development has also emerged. Unlike previous cases using humans as the primary genome, the Case recalls no memories or events belonging to the original genome donor and has thus started to develop its own unique identity. It seems the modifications performed on the genome have provided exactly the results hoped for. The case also keeps a comparable level of intelligence to the original donor, as well as the capability to speak English fluently.
Another change has also been observed. Previous cases started out slightly aggressive and temperamental, but developed the intended personality through daily injections of new GV solutions. Case 6, however, was given a more developed GV solution from the beginning in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the previous' cases initial behavior. This initiative proved to be a success, as Case 6 is interestingly docile and cooperative albeit very confused about the circumstances behind being locked up and tested on time and time again.
It seems the new genetical modifications applied to recent solutions have allowed us to properly tame and modify the cases as needed. This is a significant development, and will no doubt allow us to make each and every case become exactly the character they were intended to become.
Case is not ready for presentation, but may soon be.
...
...
Well, this was more confusing than Rebecca thought.
She re-read the document again, trying to actually understand what it was saying. Fiddles remained nearby, standing patiently at her side while she perused the document.
So there's cases down here...and they've got these reports on them, too. Plus, it seems they're being tested on...okay, wow. As if having an underground area below the kindergarten wasn't bad enough, it's also some testing ground? This just gets worse and worse the more I find out.
These cases seem to be living things, though, because this says it tried to eat and drink, so...hey. That alias...'The Devil'...wait, is this paper talking about Banban? Huh...well, it would make sense if it was. So does that mean these 'cases' are the kindergarten mascots I've been running into? Does that mean Josh, Opila, and Nabnab are cases too? And Fiddles as well?
...Actually, this sort of makes sense, in a weird way. This whole time, I've been wondering how Banban and all these other mascots are actual living creatures. I think I understand now. They were made down here. They must've been. But it seems like it was complicated, getting it done...genomes? Solutions? Genetics? And 'GV'...Givanium?
Rebecca made a face, leaning away from the paper slightly. What IS any of this bull? I don't get it...is all of this stuff how they made these creatures real? And what the heck is 'Givanium'?
Ugh...nevermind, I'll ask the others when I find them again. In the meantime, this paper does at least tell me some stuff. Seems Banban was being tested on by to staff. That lines up with what Nabnab was saying about holding chambers and whatnot. They probably needed them to keep the mascots in one place so they could do the tests.
But...okay, what's this? 'Docile and cooperative'? How in the hell is Banban docile or cooperative in any way? He sure didn't seem to be either of those things when he attacked me with a frying pan. This just doesn't make any sense.
Rebecca turned her head, glancing down at Fiddles briefly. She couldn't really ask Fiddles for answers, since the language barrier prevented her from learning anything. She decided that she'd keep what she'd learned to herself for now, and press for more when she found the others.
Rebecca dropped the piece of paper back into the box Fiddles found it in. "Nothing important. Besides, we're looking for a keycard, right?"
Fiddles glanced at the box. "Oooga, oooga." He said acceptingly, shrugging before turning and bounding off towards the other side of the room.
Rebecca, looking over in the direction the child monkey was running, saw a metal cabinet in the corner of the side of the room she was looking towards.
Oh, that might have something. She thought, and she began to walk in that same direction.
But Fiddles, who was in the lead, only got within a few feet of the cabinet before he suddenly stopped and looked down. "Oooga...? Booga!" He turned, waved his right arm at Rebecca, and bent down at the spot he stood at.
"Huh? What's up?" Rebecca questioned, confused as to why Fiddles had stopped before even reaching the cabinet they were going to look inside.
Fiddles picked something up with his other hand and turned, facing Rebecca and holding the object up to the light.
A keycard with a yellow stripe.
"Oh! Wait, it was just...on the floor over there?"
"Booga!" Fiddles bounded over to her, placing the keycard into her outstretched hand.
"Okay, I'm glad. There actually was a keycard down here. Guess that devil didn't check all of his bases." Rebecca smiled. "Either way, now that we've got this, let's go. I really don't want to be in here anymore."
Rebecca, holding the keycard in her fingers, looked back towards the keycard reader Fiddles had pointed out earlier and moved closer to it. With a single motion, she swiped it through the slot.
...
The keycard reader flickered, briefly showing a yellow light on the otherwise dimmed out part of the reader that displayed light. Then the reader turned off.
"What the-? Oh, come on! We get the keycard, and now the reader isn't working properly? This is just stupid."
Rebecca tried to swipe it again, but the keycard reader gave no response this time. It seemed as if it had ceased to function.
She sighed and turned back to Fiddles. "Now what?"
Fiddles, without even waiting to respond, turned on his feet and bounded away, heading back towards the side of the room where he had found the keycard. He stopped over by the wall and pointed at a grey box set into the wall. "Oooga! Oooga!" He said, gesturing towards it.
"That grey box? What about it?" Rebecca asked, coming over to where Fiddles was standing. "Wait, is that a breaker?"
Fiddles nodded. "Oooga!"
Rebecca nodded back. "Oh, I see. We need to turn the power back on. Alright, that should be easy." She reached out and grabbed the tiny handle of the metal box's cover, then flipped it open. Inside was a single switch, which was flipped up to the OFF position.
This is like the light switch I used in the playroom upstairs. Should have figured. Rebecca thought, and she grabbed the switch and pulled it downwards, and into the ON position.
Immediately, the circular lights above snapped on. The slightly eerie blue light vanished, replaced by the familiar white light Rebecca had seen in many rooms before.
"That's better. I really didn't like the creepy blue light." Rebecca admit, pulling her hand away from the switch and looking back towards the keycard reader. The yellow light flickered and became solid.
"Oooga!" Fiddles exclaimed, pointing it out to her.
"Yeah, I see it. Seems turning on the power did the trick." Rebecca replied, and she and Fiddles went back over to the switch. This time, when she swiped the keycard, the light turned green like it had before.
Lights suddenly snapped on in the darkness in front of them, revealing a solid wall of blue at the other side of the chasm, which wasn't as big as Rebecca thought. Right in the middle was a circular metal beam, going both up and down.
Sticking her head out slightly over the chasm, Rebecca saw that the metal beam traveled downwards into the darkness below. Then she looked up, and saw that it connected to a rectangular red platform above, which was steadily lowering itself down.
"A lift! Great. Let's hope it takes us somewhere a bit safer than this room." Rebecca said, looking down at Captain Fiddles.
"Oooga." Fiddles seemed to agree, smiling at her.
The two of them waited, and after around ten seconds, the red platform lowered in front of them, coming to a stop when it was aligned with the white floor. The metal gate emitted a familiar squeaking sound as they opened, allowing Rebecca and Fiddles to step onto the lift.
They did, Rebecca getting on first, and Fiddles hopping onto it right afterwards. They stood side by side as Rebecca swiped her keycard into the lift's reader. Another squeak as the metal gate closed again, and the lift began to move, ascending upwards.
Rebecca glanced up, seeing an opening in the wall far above her and Fiddles.
That's the floor above. Wonder what's up there. She thought.
It would be take some seconds for the lift to reach this point, so Rebecca looked down to her right, gazing at Fiddles.
"So...does Banban...normally knock people out and put them in creepy rooms?" Rebecca asked. She was still bewildered that the mascot had done that, and since Fiddles was in his group, she thought maybe he'd know for sure what that was all about.
Fiddles, a perplexed and unsure look on his face, looked away. "Booga..." He mumbled, concern laced in his tone.
"Okay, so it's not normal for him to be like that, is what I'm getting here. Then...why did he do that?"
Fiddles looked back at her, his unsure face tightening a bit. "Oooga booga." He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders.
"So your guess is as good as mine, huh." Rebecca sighed, facing the white wall in front of her again as the lift continued to move upwards. "I wonder why he did any of that. I mean, I've already gotten used to everyone here being nice to me after meeting Josh and Opila, so it was a shock to see him just...ambush me like that." She put a hand to her head, huffing confusedly. "I really have to get to the bottom of this. Somehow."
The two of them stood in silence for a moment, letting the lift finish its ascent. The next floor slid into view as the lift came to a stop, the metal gate opening yet again.
The hallway in front of the two of them looked much friendlier to Rebecca than the previous room had. The walls were painted with a green and orange gradient, and lining them were white silhouettes of trees, hot air balloons, birds, and butterflies. The hall continued down for a distance before branching off into two paths to the left and right.
"Not a bad change in scenery. So, any way out of this-" Rebecca began, but she wasn't able to finish.
Without warning, Fiddles suddenly flinched. "Booga! OOOGA!" He suddenly yelled, alarmed. And then he took off, sprinting off the lift and down the hallway.
"Wha-? Hey! Come back!" Rebecca called, taken aback by this sudden change in behavior. She raced after Fiddles, running down the hallway some distance behind him.
Fiddles reached the end of the hallway first and made a left turn. He disappeared to the left, and only seconds later, shouted: "OOOGA!"
Rebecca flinched at the sudden scream, and she quickly rounded the corner to see what had happened.
Then she came to a stop, surprised into abruptly ending her running and standing right behind Fiddles.
Ahead of the two of them was something white and cyan-colored.
A large, pupil-less eyeball was staring back at them.
Rebecca recoiled, stepping back a bit while she tried to better process what she was seeing.
A large creature was staring emptily from a window ahead of them, seemingly from within a room that could be accessed from a door to the immediate right. The creature was much larger than the window, so only the empty white eye and the cyan-colored flesh surrounding it were visible.
"What is that?!" Rebecca exclaimed, off put to be suddenly face to face with something this huge.
Then she looked at Fiddles, and was even more concerned about the situation. The child monkey was trembling a bit from head to foot, facing the eyeless creature in front of him and refusing to take his eyes off of it.
"O-O-Oooga...?" The monkey suddenly stammered, and he began to take tentative footsteps towards the creature in front of them.
"Wait, Fiddles, stop! I don't know what this is, but I don't think-" Rebecca cut in, trying to stop Fiddles from approaching whatever it was that was in front of them.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!"
A loud, guttural sound emanated through the room, and Fiddles tripped and fell back as a large arm suddenly shot out from the open doorway, slamming into the wall it met with. The arm palmed the wall several times before suddenly coming to a rest on the floor below. The arm was so large that it easily blocked half of the hallway behind it.
The arm rested, going still and laying there on the floor. The creature the arm was connected to remained as eyeless as ever, although Rebecca knew the roar had come from it- it was alive.
"Ggh! Stay back from it!" Rebecca called, grabbing Fiddles' shoulders and pulling him away from the creature in front of them.
She could feel Fiddles shaking even harder now.
"Oooga...OOOGA! OOOOOGGGAAAA!" Fiddles suddenly called, crying out desperately towards the creature in front of them.
The creature didn't respond, continuing to glare at them with its empty eye. It didn't seem to feel like talking anymore.
"Fiddles, come on! Calm down! What's wrong?!" Rebecca asked, trying to understand what was going on. What was this thing in front of them? And why was Fiddles so distraught all of the sudden?
Fiddles finally turned around, his face sad and worried as he shook. "O-Oooga! Booga o-" He began, until his eyes wandered and gazed at something behind Rebecca. "Oooga?! OOOGA!" The child monkey tore himself out of Rebecca's grip again, this time running behind her.
"H-Hey! Fiddles!" Rebecca called, turning to see the child monkey running down the other side of the hallway, towards the corner of the hall. There were several desks gathered in that corner, as well as...a model cannon? What?!
But Fiddles only had eyes for one thing: a small green creature slumped over one of the desks, motionless.
"Oooga! B-Booga!" Fiddles cried as he pulled the green creature off of the desk and sat it down on the floor, then began to nudge and shake it desperately.
Rebecca ran over, getting a closer look. The dark green creature Fiddles was shaking around looked exactly like he did, except significantly smaller than he was. Its eyes, like the cyan one, were empty and white, devoid of pupils. Unlike the cyan one, however, this creature wasn't moving or responding to Fiddles at all. It was lifeless.
"Fiddles? What...who is this? They look like you. And why are they..." Rebecca said, questions swimming through their mind.
Fiddles stopped shaking the small green lookalike and turned back. "Oooga! Booga, oooga, booga booga, oooga booga o-"
"Fiddles, I can't understand you!" Rebecca responded, shaking her head.
Fiddles stopped, still trembling, and began to look down as if in thought. Then he glanced back once again at the dark green lookalike sitting against the table, and then at the table itself- and he perked up.
Without saying anything, he grabbed something off of the table and turned away, making rapid hand motions.
"What'd you just grab? What're- ?"
But then Fiddles turned right back towards her, and Rebecca saw what he was holding: a piece of paper, which he had written in on in green, a green colored pencil clutched between the fingers of his right hand.
On the center of the paper was a short line, in clearly-visible English.
Help! Friends need help! Help them!
"Huh? Wait, Fiddles, you can write in English?" Rebecca sputtered, surprised to see this. "Wow, uh...okay, language barrier's out of the way, then. But...your friends? Do you mean the little green guy that looks like you?"
Fiddles pulled the paper away and nodded quickly. "Booga!" Then he turned the paper back towards himself, quickly wrote another message, and showed it again.
Friends need help. They are sick. Felt bad. I tried to find a doctor to help them. Couldn't find one. Found Banban, carrying you. You can help my friends. Please help my friends.
So that was what had Fiddles freaking out. His friends were sick, and he had been trying to find a doctor to help them. He had found Rebecca, and now he was asking for her help.
Rebecca paused, surprised that this was what had Fiddles so panicked. "Okay, okay, your friends need help...Fiddles, I'm no doctor, but I'll do whatever I can for your friends. But just clear up something for me. You said friends. Are there more besides this little green guy?"
Fiddles nodded wildly and pointed over her shoulder. Rebecca looked back, seeing the empty eye of the cyan creature still staring at them.
"Wait, that's also one of your friends?"
Fiddles nodded wildly again, then wrote quickly on the paper and presented it once more.
Freckle
Rebecca stared at the singular word on the paper, perplexed. "Freckle? What about those? I thought we were talking about-"
But Fiddles shook his head, then pointed at the eyeless cyan monster, then at the word on the page.
Rebecca glanced at both the monster and the word, trying to figure out what Fiddles was trying to say. Then it clicked.
"Wait, is that that blue thing's name?"
"Oooga!" Fiddles replied, nodding quickly again.
Okay, so they have names... Rebecca thought. "What about the little green guy?"
Fiddles quickly scribbled down another name on the paper.
Frisco
"Frisco...is it just those two then, or...?"
Fiddles shook his head again, and then pointed down the hall. "Oooga! Oooga!" And without waiting for a response, he suddenly dashed down the hallway once more, still clutching the colored pencil and piece of paper.
"Hey! Wait up!" Rebecca called, racing after him. It seemed like Fiddles had more than just the two friends he had already showed her...but how many more?
Quite a few more.
Fiddles led Rebecca down the hallways of the area they were in, and into a couple of rooms on the side as well- rooms that were already open, the doors slid back to allow entry. And all around the place, Rebecca found more lookalikes of Captain Fiddles.
Besides the small green one sitting against a table and the aggressive, disturbingly large cyan one, there were several others.
A brown one, a head taller than Fiddles, who was laying unresponsive on a bed in one of the rooms next to the halls. Fiddles wrote down the brown one's name: Flora.
An orange one, slightly wider in size than Fiddles, who was sitting hunched over on a stool in the room right next to the room they had found Flora in. Fushcia.
A pink one, slightly shorter than Fiddles, who was slumped on their side against one of the walls of the hallways. Frannie.
A red one, a head shorter than Fiddles, who was laying against a pile of hospital stretchers, a pile so huge that it completely blocked off a large portion of one hallway. Freya.
Finally, Fiddles, who was so distraught by this point that he was pulling Rebecca around by her hand, took her into a room in the center of the area. The room was all over the place, and seemed multi-purpose. One corner had multiple desks with computers sitting on them, another had an empty stretcher shoved into it, and there was a blank, empty whiteboard on the wall opposite from the doorway.
But in the far left corner of the room was a hospital bed, with a yellow Fiddles lookalike laying limply against it, a black eyepatch obscuring one eye, with the other, visible eye as white and blank as every previous lookalike.
Fiddles quickly scribbled down the name and pointed to it on the piece of paper. Finnley.
"And there's a yellow one...is that all of them?" Rebecca asked, keeping her voice calmer than before in an attempt to lower Fiddles' stress.
"Oooga! Booga!" Fiddles responded, before he raised the piece of paper again and started pointing at the line asking Rebecca to help his friends.
"I know, Fiddles, I know! You've got a lot more lookalikes than I thought, is all...so can you tell me what's wrong with your friends? Why are they all slumped over and eyeless? What happened to them?"
Fiddles quivered again and started to write on the piece of paper once more, changing to the other, still blank side of the paper. He kept writing for an entire minute before showing the paper again.
Woke up here after Bring a Friend Day. I was so confused and scared. I went to see my crew but they were all so sick and they wouldn't speak much to me. I found a doctor. He said they were low on Gv, needed more. He left, he said he would get more. He never came back. I got scared so I ran to find him or maybe another doctor. But I found you instead. Can you help? Please. Please help them. Please.
Rebecca paused to think before continuing to speak to the child monkey. "Geez...well, whoever that doctor was, something tells me they're not coming back to help, or they'd be here already. So...that's what's wrong with your friends here? They're low on, uh...Gv? Is that Givanium?"
Fiddles nodded.
"What even is Givanium? That report downstairs mentioned it, and all I can really tell is that they used to make you and your friends, and the other Banban mascots too."
Givanium. Don't know much. Strange liquid thing. Doctor puts it inside my friend and they open their eyes and talk to me. But my friends aren't talking now. I'm scared.
"So that's what Givanium is? They put it inside of your friends and they come to life?"
Fiddles nodded again.
"And you think that if I put some inside of your friends, they'd be back to normal?"
"Oooga!"
"Okay, then where do I find some?"
Fiddles pointed across the room again, and Rebecca turned to see a glass container set into the wall, filled to the brim with a mysterious green liquid. Then he pointed at the wall next to it, and Rebecca took note of the wall art there.
The wall art depicted drawings of Captain Fiddles and every one of his lookalikes, each with a different facial expression. Even the cyan one was there, which confirmed to Rebecca that the eyeless creature from before was another Fiddles lookalike. She just didn't understand how it had gotten so...big.
The drawing depicted Fiddles and his crew all gathered in a circle, with lines connecting each of them to a large droplet symbol in the middle.
I see now. If I can take that Givanium stuff out of that tube and put them inside Fiddles' friends, they'll be back to normal. Rebecca thought. I may as well try, then. I know I have to look for Claire and Jack and the others as well, but...It'd be a cruddy move to turn my back on Fiddles when he needs my help.
"The tube. Gotcha. But how do I get that stuff out of the tube?" Rebecca questioned.
Fiddles moved his arm, pointing at one of the stools in the center of the room, nearby the whiteboard. An empty syringe was sitting on it, seemingly abandoned there by whoever had been in the room last.
"Okay, a syringe. Can't say that doesn't make sense after all of the hospital stuff I've been seeing in this area." Rebecca admit, as she walked over and grabbed the syringe. Then she went to the container full of Givanium. She could only assume there was some sort of way to get the liquid in and out, so she leaned to the side, inspecting the tube from all angles.
Sure enough, there was a small black slot on the lower right side of the tube, with a single, very tiny hole, only big enough for a syringe to fit in.
"Oh, I see." She said audibly, allowing Fiddles to know she had found out what she needed to do. She stuck the syringe directly into the hole, and it worked- the green liquid started to drain slowly, and the syringe began filling up at the same time.
Once the syringe was full, however, the glass tube stopped depleting. Rebecca figured she would use the rest for later injections, and she turned back to Fiddles, a syringe full of Givanium in her hand.
"Okay, uh...how much do I need to inject? The whole thing?" Rebecca asked, presenting the syringe to Fiddles.
Fiddles quickly wrote down another message on the paper again. All of it. Doctors always empty syringe when they inject us. Please hurry.
Rebecca nodded, then looked across the room towards Finnley, the yellow lookalike on the hospital bed.
Well, this one's the nearest, so may as well do him first. Rebecca rationalized, and she made her way over to Finnley, Fiddles darting past her and over to the hospital bed. The child monkey put his hands against the sides of the bed, watching her anxiously.
Rebecca lowered the syringe. She was no doctor, and had absolutely no idea where she would need to stick the syringe into. The arm? The chest? The wrist? The stomach? The heart? Wait, did these things even have hearts? Or organs? They probably had stomachs, if Opila was any indication. Did they have blood, though? If so, where would the arteries and veins be? In the same places as humans or in different places?
Oh my god, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm not even a doctor! Am I seriously about to wing this just for a chance to save Fiddles' friends? She questioned herself. You know what? Screw it. I'll just go for it. I hope this works. Rebecca told herself, and she decided she'd just inject the syringe into whatever spot her gut said was right.
The side. She'd just stick the syringe into the side of Finnley's body and hope for the best.
God, she wish she knew what she was doing. How could she be sure injecting the syringe into the side would actually get the job done?
Even so, and with anxiety biting at her, she stuck the syringe into Finnley's side carefully, then pressed the top of it to push the Givanium inside. Once it was empty, she quickly took the syringe back out.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then Finnley's body began to convulse, his chest vibrating for a second as if something was moving around inside of it.
His empty white eyes suddenly shut, eyelids falling down and closing. This sudden act alarmed Fiddles, who quickly began to yell out again.
"Oooga! Oooga!" He called, worry on his face as Finnley's eyelids stayed closed.
In that moment, Rebecca felt beside herself. Oh god oh god please tell me I got that right, please tell me I got that right, please tell me I didn't accidentally kill this thing-
And then.
"...Eh...? What's going on...?"
A gritty male voice began to sound. Finnley was mumbling slightly incoherently. And then his eyes opened a bit, as he began to sit up on the hospital bed.
"Fiddles, that you...? Heh, I must've dozed off again. My bad!" Finnley chuckled, as he rubbed his eyes.
"OOOGA!" Fiddles cried, and he climbed onto the hospital bed and tackled Finnley into a hug.
"Woah-ho! Easy, Cap, easy...hey, what're you so excited for, anyway?" Finnley turned, and then went stock still as he saw his situation. "Wait, what the heck? Why am I on this hospital bed? And who're you?"
Rebecca stared at Finnley for a few seconds, her mouth slightly agape. "...Okay, I would be really glad that worked, but...Fiddles, how is he speaking English? I thought he'd be making monkey sounds like you!"
"Oooga?" Fiddles mumbled, and he seemed to take note of the fact as he drew back from Finnley.
"Ey, what're you...?" Finnley said, making a face- first of confusion, and then of shock as he heard his voice. "Wait, I'm speaking English? I'm speaking English! When'd this happen?"
"Okay, why don't we, uh...start from the beginning. Can you stand?" Rebecca asked, trying to make sure Finnley was all in order.
"Huh? Well, lemme give it a try." Finnley pushed himself off of the hospital bed and got to his feet, Fiddles at his side. "I feel pretty alright. Are you tellin' me I'm not supposed to feel bad or somethin'?"
"No, no, it's just that Fiddles said you were sick and low on Givanium, and I'm not sure if I did that injection properly- although I think I did, if you're standing up and talking just fine."
"Low on Givanium? Injection? I, uh, don't follow." Finnley said, looking confused. "And who're you, anyway? Never seen you before."
"I'm Rebecca. I'm a friend of Fiddles. He said you needed help, and you kinda went limp, so I injected some Gv from that tube over there-" She pointed at the tube in question. "-to bring you back to life."
"Back to life? I don't remember bein' dead..."
"What's the last thing you remember, then?"
Finnley scratched the side of his head, seeming to give it a think. "Well...I was feeling a bit light-headed, so I sat down in this room to take a load off. And then I kind of dozed off, and...wait, I was dead? Like, dead dead?"
"Oooga..." Fiddles confirmed, nodding nervously and hugging Finnley again.
"Uh...hey, don't worry, Cap! I'm doin' A-okay now!" Finnley patted Fiddles on the back again. "But geez...how'd I just die like that?"
"Apparently you were low on Givanium or something? From what I can tell, you and Fiddles need that stuff to live." Rebecca mentioned.
"Ohhh, I get it now...well, thanks for the aid, Cap and his new friend! Man, I must've worried the rest of the crew sick, goin' out like that...where are they, anyway?" Finnley looked around in confusion. "Usually Flora would be fussing over me right about now..."
"Oooga? Oooga!" Fiddles said, flinching. Then he turned back to Rebecca. "Booga! Oooga booga!" He pointed anxiously at the syringe, then at the tube of Givanium, and then out the door.
Rebecca understood right away. "Right, right. If this injection worked on Finnley, it should work on all of your other friends, too. Let me fill this syringe up again."
Rebecca took the syringe back over to the tube to fill it up once more. Meanwhile, she could hear Finnley sputtering behind her.
"Hey, what's the deal? Something up with the rest of the crew, Fiddles?"
"Booga! Booga!"
"What?! They're all down and out, too? So that's why they're not here...well, then, what are we waiting for? We better go get 'em back up!"
"Oooga!"
"Your friend's gonna do that for us? Well, still really dunno who she is, but if she's gonna help us get everyone back to scratch, then I ain't complaining!"
Rebecca, who had already filled the syringe back up with more Gv, turned back to Fiddles and Finnley. Finnley was noticeably more alert than before, and Fiddles was still trembling with anxiety and nerves.
"Who next?" Rebecca asked with a hint of confidence. The success of getting Finnley back had emboldened her- surely if it worked for him, getting the rest of Fiddles' crew back would be a cinch, right?
Fiddles seemed to start thinking along the same lines as well. The child monkey's quivering suddenly eased up, replaced with a bold determination. "Oooga!" He called, and he bolted out of the room.
Rebecca dashed after him, and she could hear Finnley behind them going: "Hey! Wait up!"
Fiddles led her to the left, down to the stack of stretchers where the red one, Freya, was still slumped over.
Fiddles quickly pointed at the red lookalike, urging Rebecca to inject her next.
Rebecca nodded and moved to pick up the red creature. She was honestly a bit overwhelmed by how things were going by this point- her whole situation had been thrown from escaping that room Banban had put her in to saving Fiddles' entire crew. But she had already decided that, since Fiddles had been good to her, she would make sure not to leave the area until every last one of his friends was back to normal. In the meantime, she just hoped that Josh, Opila, and Nabnab would eventually track her down.
And, above all else, she hoped Claire and Jack could hold on a bit longer for her. It weighed on her conscience to be doing anything that wasn't turning the underground facility upside down looking for them, but as far as she was concerned, she had already committed to helping Fiddles, and she would be a piece of crap if she dropped what she was doing just to run off in search of her siblings.
So she picked up Freya. The red creature wasn't all that heavy, thankfully, and she was able to set her down on the floor gently.
Finnley made an exclamation as he saw Freya's lifeless form.
"Oh, geez, Freya! This really is serious..." Finnley said as he kneeled down next to her and looked her over. Then he looked back at Rebecca. "Well, lady, do your thing! Come on!"
"Hold your horses, I'm on it!" Rebecca replied, squinting as she held the syringe close to Freya's side and stuck it in a moment later. She squeezed every last drop of Givanium out of the syringe before taking the tool back out of the creature's body.
"Oooga! Oooga!" Fiddles began calling once Rebecca removed the syringe, trying to get a response out of Freya.
A few seconds passed.
Then.
"Ahhhhhhhh! That was a great rest!"
A spunky female voice suddenly emanated from the red creature's mouth, and Freya sat up, so abruptly in fact that Rebecca, Fiddles, and Finnley all recoiled.
"OOOGA!" Fiddles cheered, once again tackling Freya into a hug.
"Eh? Oh! Hiya, Fiddles! Sorry, I think I dozed off! I'm ready to get back to-" Freya turned and saw Rebecca kneeling at her side. "Oh! Who're you? I've never seen you before!"
"Uh, hey! I'm Rebecca. Uh, how do you feel? Good?" Rebecca asked.
Freya paused, flexing her fingers for a short moment before speaking up again. "I'm feeling pretty great! Why do you ask?"
"'Cause you were out, Freya! But this lady here gotcha right back!" Finnley joined in, moving around so Freya could see him.
"Oh, hiya, Finnley! Wait, what do you mean 'back'? I was never gone, silly!"
"Actually...you were." Rebecca admit, shaking her head.
Freya's smile, which she had been wearing since she had woken up, disappeared. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well..." Rebecca began, and she explained the situation to Freya.
"H-Huh? I died? Really? I...I had no idea...wait, but I'm not dead anymore, so...you must've saved me!" Freya closed her eyes and gave a wide smile. "Thank you so much! Wow, Fiddles, you really did manage to find a doctor!"
"Oooga! Booga!" Fiddles replied, shaking his head.
"Oh, she isn't a doctor? Then who is she?"
"As much as I'd love to tell you, we're kind of in the middle of saving the entire rest of the crew right now." Rebecca replied, and she looked at Fiddles. "I'll be back in a moment. Let me fill the syringe again!"
She stood up and ran back to the center room, hearing Freya begin to sputter and ask what had happened to the rest of the crew. Rebecca trusted Fiddles and Finnley to fill her in, so she let them handle that while she once again filled the syringe with Givanium.
When she came back out the door, Fiddles was waiting for her, two of his crew members in tow.
"Fiddles told me! You should've all told me our friends were also dead to begin with! Come on, we have to go help them, too!" Freya urged.
"That's what I have the syringe for. Fiddles, who's next?" Rebecca asked, and the child monkey once again raced ahead to lead her to another member of the crew. She followed, with the other two monkeys right on her heels.
"...Mmm...what the heck is..." Mumbled the pink monkey in a prickly female voice just as Rebecca finished injecting her with Givanium.
"OOOGA!" Another energetic hug from Fiddles.
"What the-?! Oh! Fiddles! Hey, nice to see ya...wait a sec." Frannie opened her eyes more as she rubbed Fiddles on the head, looking towards Rebecca. "Who're you? What happened?"
Rebecca once again had to explain her name and what had happened.
"What the sticks?! I dropped dead?! Well, at least I'm not dead anymore. Good on you for finding help, Fiddles! A dependable Captain as always!"
"Oooga!" Fiddles said happily, nodding along to Frannie's words.
"I'm glad you're back, Frannie! Now come on, we need your help! Everyone else is dead and we have to revive them as well!" Freya explained rapidly, jumping up and down.
"Wait, really?! Sheesh, I take a little nap and this happens?!" Frannie muttered, getting to her feet in alarm. "Kay, then let's just get to reviving already! Also...am I speaking actual words?"
"Let's get into that later, please. After all of the other crew members are alive again." Rebecca said, getting back to her feet and once again planning to head back and refill the syringe.
"Mmmm...good dream." Came a low sound in a slow male voice from the orange monkey, as it began to sit up. Rebecca had taken the monkey off of the stool to inject the Givanium, and the monkey was now laying on the floor.
"OOOGA!" Another tackle hug straight from Fiddles.
"Aw...mornin', Captain..." Fushcia said, chuckling a bit as he slowly raised his arms and pet Fiddles gently.
"How do you feel?" Rebecca asked, as she kneeled next to Fuschia.
"Oh...I feel nice now. Thank you, whoever you are...I dunno you, but you seem nice..." Fuschia replied, turning to face her and tilting his head. "...I do wonder why I'm sitting here. I fell asleep somewhere else...did a thing happen while I was asleep?"
Another explanation and introduction from Rebecca.
"Ohh...I was dead and now I'm not. Mmm." Fuschia mumbled, and he looked strangely untroubled by the information. "Well, thank you for helping me..."
"Oh my glob, this is taking forever! Fuschia, you talk so slowly! Listen, we don't have time, okay? We have to go help the others! They're also dead!" Frannie explained, waving her arms impatiently.
"They are...? Okay, we can go help, then. I'd like to help." Fuschia said, nodding slowly and standing up. "Let us go help friends."
"Hmm...? Is someone calling...? Please do forgive me, I must have fallen asleep..." The brown monkey said in a delicate female voice as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"OOOGA!"
Flora's eyes snapped open, and she made a quite emotive 'O' face right as Fiddles tackled her. "Goodness, Captain! What has come over you? I'm quite alright!"
"Hey, welcome back. Do you feel okay?" Rebecca asked as she watched Fiddles hug Flora excitedly.
"Oh? Why, whoever might you be?" Flora asked curiously, before perking up. "Ah, I'm quite sorry! I didn't mean to ignore your question! I'm feeling just fine, although...everyone, is something the matter? You all look strangely relieved."
"Well, we got a good reason to be, considering you were dead." Finnley commented, making a face.
"D-D-D...Dead? I do not understand what you mean!" Flora stammered, making that 'O' face again.
"Hold on, hold on, let me explain..." Rebecca began, as she once again launched into another explanation.
"I actually ceased to live? How dreadful...I am quite glad you saved me. Thank you very much." Flora smiled, and she patted Fiddles on the head (he was still hugging her.)
"Come on, come on!" Freya suddenly burst out urgently. "We still have to help Frisco and Freckle! Can we please hurry?"
"What?! What has happened to those two?" Flora asked, once again looking noticeably surprised.
"They also died, but we're about to help them. Come on!" Rebecca said, gesturing to Flora and the other members of the crew to follow her lead.
"Oh, poor little Frisco...how awful! Please tell me we can help him!"
"Eh, don't worry, Flora. Fiddles' friend here knows how to help us."
"Yeah! She sticks the syringe thingy into you and you're good as new!"
"Oh, is that how I was brought back? Why, I'm quite glad to hear that we have someone here to help us."
"Oooga!"
"Alright, alright, I'm all for the happy reunions, but heads up! She's about to get Frisco back!"
Rebecca was indeed about, as she had just stuck the syringe into the side of the tiny green monkey. She made sure the entire syringe was emptied out before she took it back out and shuffled a foot or so away from the green monkey.
Fiddles quickly moved past Rebecca once she drew back, picking up the little green monkey and holding them while turned towards the rest of the group, who watched with baited breath.
And then there was a tiny noise, like a young boy yawning, before the little green monkey opened his eyes.
Rebecca looked on, a bit surprised to see just how big and round Frisco's eyes were. She had to admit, he looked pretty adorable.
But her observation was quickly overtaken by the sound of the entire Fiddles crew cheering happily, and soon all of the other monkeys were pressing in upon Fiddles and Frisco, excitedly checking in on the small green monkey.
"FRISCO! YAAAYYY!"
"We got him back! Heck yeah!"
"Oh, I'm so relieved!"
"Hello, Frisco...you feel okay...?"
"The little tyke's doin' just fine, I can tell!"
"Oooga! Booga, oooga, oooga!"
Frisco, for his part, had a wide smile of joy as the other crew members celebrated his return back to life.
Rebecca couldn't help but smile as she watched the exchange. Even though she had only just met Fiddles and his crew, and even though she knew it was almost about time for a lengthy explanation to all of them over who she was, why she was there, and what she had to do...for the moment, she was content to watch them mingle. She could tell at a glance that they were close.
The crew seemed embroiled in celebrating Frisco's return, so Rebecca took the opportunity to silently leave and head back to the center room to refill the syringe. She watched as more Givanium emptied out of the container, and by now it was close to empty, with not much more of the strange liquid left in the glass container.
Rebecca returned with the syringe refilled, noticing that Fiddles and his lookalikes had still been talking with each other while she had been gone. She didn't think they had even noticed her leave and return. She decided that she didn't want to intrude, so she stood back and waited for them to finish.
Eventually, the group broke apart and seemed to focus back on the current situation as a whole.
"Ah, wait a minute! We're forgetting Freckle! Tactless of us, to celebrate without her!" Flora suddenly exclaimed.
"Yeah! Where is she, anyhow? She's gonna need reviving as well." Frannie commented, glancing around the area.
Fiddles' smile disappeared, and he looked a lot more serious all of a sudden. "O-Oooga..." He said, and he pointed a shaky hand down the hallway towards the eyeless creature peering at them through the window. It had not reacted to anything they had said while in view of it.
"Oh! Ey, there she is." Finnley said, grinning and facing towards the direction Fiddles had pointed in.
"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's help her, too!" Freya said, jumping up eagerly and making her way towards the window Freckle was staring at them behind.
Rebecca broke out of her stupor at these words. "Hey, wait a second!" She called, trying to stop Freya from getting too close- she had completely forgot to mention what was wrong with the cyan monkey.
Fiddles looked alarmed as well, but Freya seemed not to be listening. She eagerly skipped down the hall over to where Freckle was.
"Hiya, Freckle! We're here to bring you back to-" Freya began, putting her hands on her hips as she stood in front of Freckle's vision.
"RRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
The same guttural roar from before shot through the area, and there were multiple screams of alarm from the crew. Not everyone reacted in alarm, though. Fuschia simply tilted her head in calm bewilderment, Frisco made a bit of a surprised face, and Fiddles and Rebecca both grimaced, all too familiar with Freckle's current state.
"A-AH!" Freya squealed, tripping over her own feet and stumbling backwards. At the same time as the roar, the cyan arm off to the side begin to aggressively palm the wall again.
"Stay back!" Rebecca warned, racing forwards to help Freya up and bring her away from the senseless Freckle. The shaking begin to recede as Freckle calmed down. The arm sticking out of the doorway stopped palming the wall and once again came to rest on the floor beneath it, motionless as it had been before.
The rest of the crew quickly raced over as well, all of them taken off guard and on edge by the display of hostility from their former friend.
"What in the...?" Frannie stammered, sweating and looking at Freckle's empty eye with astonishment. Beside her, Finnley gritted his teeth, grimacing.
"My goodness...what has happened to Freckle?" Flora stammered, even more surprised than ever as she looked on. Frisco was riding on her shoulders, although he didn't seem scared- just surprised and curious.
"Freckle seems...wrong." Fuschia mumbled slowly, scratching his face.
"I d-don't understand...what's wrong with F-Freckle?" Freya stammered, fear lacing her voice as she gazed in horror at Freckle.
"Everyone, can we draw back from Freckle, please? We need to discuss this, and I don't think we should be near Freckle when we do." Rebecca cut in, stepping several paces away from the empty white eye that ceaselessly continued to glare ahead.
Fiddles and his crew seemed not to have a problem with this idea, and they all followed Rebecca's lead. The group made sure to put over half the hall's length between them and Freckle before speaking again.
"Okay, somebody needs to explain what's going on with Freckle, because I'm completely lost here." Frannie demanded, crossing her arms. "First we feel like crud, and then everyone except Fiddles suddenly drops dead, and then we wake up only to find Freckle behaving like a monster?! Geez!"
"Yeah, I agree. I ain't getting this." Finnley added, frowning.
"Now, now, you two. I'm sure there has to be a good reason for all of this." Flora rationalized, trying to be the mediator. She turned, and Rebecca saw that the brown monkey was looking her way. "Um...Rebecca, right? You're new to all of us. Can you tell us what has transpired?"
Rebecca sighed. She had been prepared for a conversation like this, and honestly, she wasn't sure of anything either. But her previous encounters had given her a least a little insight into things, and she figured she had to be the one to try going further into detail.
Besides, Josh, Opila, and Nabnab were still nowhere to be found. She had time.
"Okay, I guess I can try. I'll have to skim over some important details for now, but here's the stuff you should know right now. Basically, I sort of got taken to this creepy room below this area, and I found Fiddles there."
"Below? You mean that floor below this one? We aren't allowed to go down there, so we've never seen it." Freya said, piping up. "How'd you end up down there?"
"That's a story for after we fix the problem at hand. Anyway, Fiddles and I came up here, and when we found you all completely lifeless, he told me what had happened. As you already know from what I explained to you all earlier, Fiddles was in this area with the rest of you after waking up here, and that's when things began to go downhill."
"Ah, right...quite strange, that was." Flora mentioned, making a quizzical face. "I remember the rest of us were down here while Fiddles got to go up to Bring A Friend day."
"Still don't get why they wouldn't let us come. I would've given those kids the time of their lives!" Frannie cut in with a hint of a dissatisfied groan.
"Yeah, none of you got invited to the event either, huh?" Rebecca asked, remembering that Opila and Josh had never mentioned any sort of crew when they had recounted their experience at Bring A Friend day. They had only mentioned Captain Fiddles himself.
"Nah, none of us. Except Fiddles, he was the lucky one." Finnley responded, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "Staff told the rest of us we had to stay here."
"Yes, so we did. We were all doing our own things when...when..." Flora continued, and she paused and looked pained, as if she was having a headache trying to continue.
"Big sound. Huge crash came from above." Fuschia said, pointing a hand up at the ceiling.
"Ah! Right, that...it's slipping my mind for some reason." Flora said, putting a hand to her head. "Well, yes, there was this horrible crash from upstairs, and...and for some reason my memory stops there. Did any of you remember anything beyond that?"
"Nope."
"Not a thing!"
"Nothing at all."
"No..."
"Frisco?" Flora gently asked the small green monkey, glancing at him as he continued to sit on her shoulders.
Frisco shook his head, eyes still as big and innocent-looking as ever despite his clear confusion.
"I suppose none of us remembered, then...well, next thing I knew, I was in one of those rooms and I felt just so terrible inside...sick, as you said we were." Flora went on, sighing. "Fiddles came running in to check on me and he could tell I wasn't feeling well, so he said he would find a doctor and left. After that, I...passed out."
"Mmm-hmm. That tracks with what I've been telling all of you. From what Fiddles said, you were low on Givanium, which you need to survive, and you died because of it. So he had me inject you all with it, and now you're all back. But...Freckle's another story." Rebecca looked around at the empty eye still staring at them as she spoke.
"O-Oooga..." Fiddles mumbled, twiddling his thumbs anxiously.
"For some reason, something about Freckle is different." Rebecca said, frowning as she spoke. "It doesn't make much sense to me. You were all eyeless when I found you, but the rest of you were limp and lifeless. Freckle was the odd one out, though. When I approached her, her arm came through that doorway and started slamming into the wall, and she let out that same growl she just gave all of you. It's strange. Instead of being lifeless, she's behaving like she's a wild animal."
"But that's completely wrong. It really isn't like Freckle to behave like a monster." Frannie said, shaking her head.
"Frannie's right! The Freckle we know is really shy and gentle. She wouldn't growl at people or try to hit them with her arms!" Freya added earnestly.
"Quite right. An eyeless, aggressive beast...that's not what Freckle normally is in any way, shape, or form!" Flora said, frowning.
"Yeah, it's pretty darn odd. It's almost like she's a completely different person." Finnley stated, squinting at Freckle's empty eye.
And then Rebecca froze, her mind suddenly switching gears as she heard these sentences from the crew of monkeys around her.
"An eyeless, aggressive beast..."
"...like she's a completely different person."
/
/
/
That's right...THAT was where she had heard of that from.
It all made sense.
"I know what happened to her." Rebecca burst out all of the sudden, interrupting the conversation Fiddles and his crew had been having while she had been connecting the dots in her mind.
Every single one of them rapidly looked in her direction, taken off guard by her sudden declaration of knowing what had happened.
"Well, why didn't you just say so? Come on, spill the beans!" Frannie urged impatiently.
"Have you all heard of what Nabnab did to that one employee?" Rebecca asked, bringing the story in question into the spotlight.
The many shared grimaces around the group gave Rebecca her answer right away.
"Ah...yes, we've all heard of that. The news traveled to us quite fast." Flora admit, looking at the floor with a delicate look on her face. "It was quite terrible that something like that happened, but...I don't think it could have been Nabnab."
"Yeah, me neither! Nabnab's not so bad. He came around here once a long time back and he was super nice!" Freya added, nodding energetically. "I wonder why he never came back to visit again..."
"It was always pretty fishy to me. I mean, attacking an employee and badly hurting him? Doesn't seem like something Nabnab would do. He was almost too gentle with us when he met us." Frannie recounted.
"I figured you all would have heard of it." Rebecca said. She pondered for a moment whether to try and vouch for his innocence to the crew, but she figured that could wait until he was here with Josh and Opila. Fiddles and his crew already seemed to believe in his innocence, so it wasn't like there was a sense of urgency to it, anyway. "Well, long story short, Nabnab did do it...but also, he didn't. He wasn't in control when he did it."
"Wasn't in control...?" Finnley questioned, giving Rebecca a questioning stare.
"His eyes sort of rolled back into his head, and he became all aggressive out of nowhere. They had to restrain him and lead him away." Rebecca recounted, echoing parts of the story Nabnab had told her. "Think about it. Empty white eyes, violent behavior, a complete personality change from before...I think that's what's happening to Freckle here."
"Oh...that sounds right." Fuschia said, tilting his head.
"Really? Nabnab lost control of himself and exhibited similar behavior to Freckle's behavior currently? Oh my...if you're telling the truth, then there has to be some kind of relation there." Flora stated.
"Hey, how do you know so much about the whole incident, anyway?" Frannie asked, squinting at Rebecca.
"Again, that's something to explain after we deal with Freckle. But for now, yeah, I do think what happened to Nabnab before and what's happening to Freckle now is the same thing." Rebecca proposed, nodding at the group of monkeys.
"Then Freckle ain't really herself...that's kinda relieving, gotta admit. But how're we gonna get her back to normal?" Finnley inquired, glancing at Freckle and back at the others.
"Booga oooga..." Fiddles mumbled, shaking his head dejectedly.
"I...really don't know exactly how. Honestly, I don't know how Nabnab got back to normal after he was taken away by the staff. He just...did, eventually. Maybe on his own." Rebecca guessed, shrugging. "Obviously, we can't really sit around and wait for Freckle to magically change, though. We should try to do something."
"Yeah, but what would work?" Freya wondered.
"Mmm..." Frisco mumbled, making another noise as he adjusted his position a little bit.
"Hey, what about the syringe? You were injecting us with that Givanium stuff to bring us back. Maybe it'd work on Freckle, too." Frannie suggested, pointing at the syringe that Rebecca was still holding in her right hand.
"That might work, but there's a problem." Rebecca mentioned. "How am I going to get close enough to inject Freckle with Givanium when she keeps trying to attack us anytime we get close?"
"A good point. It's much too dangerous to try to give her Givanium when she won't sit still for anything." Flora agreed. "What we really need is some way to distract her, something that will get her to sit still long enough for her to be injected."
Rebecca nodded, knowing Flora was right that they'd need a distraction. Captain Fiddles and the entire rest of the crew seemed to agree, as everyone paused for a moment to think of something that would serve as a good distraction. Rebecca looked back at Freckle's empty white eye as she thought about it.
Her first inclination was a sound-based distraction, but she dismissed that right away; even if such a sound would have distracted a creature their size, Freckle was much bigger than any of them and took up the entire space behind the window. Odds are, she wouldn't care what she heard. Rebecca then considered trying to hit some spot of Freckle, but since getting close enough was already dangerous thanks to Freckle's arm lying in wait to grab them, hitting wouldn't work. Maybe throwing some sort of object? But even if they did that, Rebecca had the feeling that Freckle wouldn't care if something was thrown at her arm. It looked bulky enough that damaging it seemed out of the question without getting close enough to get grabbed it.
Then she gave the round white eye in front of her another glance, and it hit her.
She opened her mouth to blurt out the answer.
"The eye."
Rebecca froze with her mouth open. She didn't say that. Instead, Fuschia had spoken, raising one of his arms.
"The eye...?" Freya repeated, tilting her head.
"Hey, y'know, Fuschia's talking sense!" Frannie perked up, smirking and nodding. "Freckle probably wouldn't even flinch if we tried to hit her or anything, but if we threw something at her eye..."
"O-Oh...well, I cannot deny that Freckle would most definitely get distracted if she was hit in the eye, but...I can't say I approve. It feels wrong to harm her in such a way." Flora commented, frowning disapprovingly.
"Eh, we don't got a better plan. We gotta distract her somehow." Finnley commented, shaking his head. "Sides, Freckle's a tough girl. She can take it, 'long as we don't throw so hard that we take her eye out."
"Yes, yes, you're right...good on you to suggest we do so, Fuschia."
Fuschia tilted his head. "Okay." He scratched the side of his head idly and went back to giving a vacant stare, an expression he seemed to hold whenever he wasn't talking.
Rebecca closed her mouth, unsure of what to add. They had pretty much figured out what she had figured out on her own, so there was really nothing else she could say. All she could do was help them make sure the plan worked, and then be there to inject Freckle during it.
"So, anyone got anything we can throw that'll do enough damage to draw her attention, but won't hurt her very much?" Frannie asked, looking around at the group.
"Mmm. Mmm." Came a mumbling sound from Frisco, who suddenly held up a round object.
"Hmm? Oh, Frisco, when did you get this? I didn't see you pick anything up earlier." Flora said, looking at the small green monkey sitting on her shoulders. She took the round object from him and held it out. It was a yellow plastic ball, about the size of Rebecca's hand.
"Hey, that seems like it might work." Rebecca said, nodding.
"Maybe! I dunno if plastic's gonna be distracting enough, though." Freya added, shrugging her shoulders.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Here, gimme." Frannie said, and she took the plastic ball from Flora and gave Frisco a glance. "Thanks for the help, Frisco!"
Frisco smiled, his big eyes shining a bit.
Frannie then turned back towards Freckle, tossing the ball up and down a bit. Rebecca watched as the pink monkey gave her a sideways glance.
"Alright, Rebecca! You've got the syringe, don't you? Better get ready!" Frannie mentioned, grinning. "If I throw this ball and it confuses her like we hope it will, then you need to be ready to use that syringe on her before she recovers."
"Right." Rebecca said, knowing Frannie had a good point. She stepped back in Freckle's direction, nearing the window the cyan monkey was still behind. She still made sure to stay several feet back, however, and to stand more to the left so she wasn't within grabbing range of Freckle's arm.
"Okay, we'll be back here! Good luck!" Freya called, jumping cheerily and staying with the rest of the crew, who was still a safe distance away from Freckle.
"Don't mess up now!" Finnley added, a trademark smirk on his face.
"And be careful, as well!" Flora continued, nodding at them.
"Oooga!" Fiddles piped up, and Rebecca saw the periwinkle monkey give her a thumbs up, smiling encouragingly.
Rebecca couldn't help but grin. She had to admit, Fiddles was really starting to grow on her.
She turned back towards Freckle, staying where she was and holding the syringe at the ready so that she could inject the Givanium as fast as possible if Freckle was actually distracted by having that plastic ball thrown at her eye.
Frannie, meanwhile, raised her arm and prepared to throw. Rebecca watched as the pink monkey winded up...and threw the plastic ball. It sailed through the air and nailed Freckle's empty eye dead center.
The result was instantaneous.
"RRRRGGGHHHHH!" Came a roar of pain from the cyan creature, her body and arm thrashing in response. Seconds later, the arm moved, putting itself over Freckle's eye as she seemed to be trying to protect it or to inspect it for damage. This meant that her eye was unable to see anything or anyone coming.
Whatever she was doing, Rebecca saw that now was her chance.
She knew that at any second Freckle could move her arm away, so she wasted no time in dashing up to the arm and slamming the needle right into Freckle's arm, pressing down on the plunger at the same time.
The liquid shot out of the tool as fast as it could go, and it was fully out by the time Freckle seemed to realize what had happened.
"RRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" Came another growl, and Rebecca hurriedly took out the syringe and dived back. She reacted just in time- Freckle's arm swung out blindly, trying to hit whatever had just pierced it.
Rebecca breathed hard. She had hit the floor to get out of the way of Freckle's arm and it began to hurt slightly from the impact. But she was otherwise unharmed, and she got up and backed away from Freckle. She heard fast footsteps as Fiddles and his crew rushed to be by her side.
"Yeah! You got her!" Frannie cheered, smirking.
"Close shave, too...that arm would've sent you flying if you had gotten hit by it." Finnley mentioned.
"That actually scared me a bit...but you're fast! You did great!" Freya exclaimed, vibrating happily.
"Phew...can't believe I got out of that in one piece." Rebecca sighed, thankful that she had managed to act fast enough. She did not want to be turned into tofu by a feral clay monkey that was bigger than her.
"Everyone, look!" Flora cried out, pointing back at Freckle.
Rebecca quickly looked back up, taking sight of Freckle once again.
The injection hadn't seemed to have worked at first, but now Freckle's body was beginning to convulse, and she was starting to twitch and shake.
Then Freckle let out one last scream of senseless rage as her eye and arm thrashed.
Rebecca and the others stood and watched as Freckle's struggle slowly began to slow down, getting less and less desperate every second. Then her arm fell down onto the floor one final time, creating a slamming sound as she went still.
Her eyelid slowly descended, closing over her eye.
The eye itself and the body around it was beginning to get smaller, shrinking down. Rebecca watched in astonishment as Freckle steadily grew smaller. The arm that had previously been the size of the doorway started to shrink as well, receding steadily.
As the body behind the window began to shrink, Freckle's face suddenly fell downwards. There was a slam as she seemed to fall face first to the floor, and her body was now out of the window's sight. Her arm was still visible laying through the doorway, steadily shrinking.
And then, slowly, the shrinking stopped. When five seconds passed and the arm made no visible changes in size, Rebecca saw a periwinkle shape dart out of her vision.
"OOOGA!"
Fiddles was already rushing towards the doorway Freckle's arm was hanging out of, running to check on her.
Rebecca watched as the rest of the crew made similar noises of distress and alarm and started to move as well, and she moved after them, heading through the doorway and into the room inside.
The room Freckle had been inside seemed to have once been another hospital ward, like the other side rooms in the area seemed to be. However, it was completely and utterly demolished. Half of the room was torn away, the floor, walls, and ceiling that had once been there completely gone, leaving only an empty black expanse too dark for anything to be discernible. The other half of the room, while still there, was in shambles. What counters and shelves remained there were visibly dented and crushed. Rebecca guessed that Freckle's large size had caused the furniture around her to be smooshed.
Freckle herself was now laying in the middle of the floor, her legs slightly dangling over the broken edge behind her. She was facedown and unresponsive, and much smaller than before. She was still quite big, and was definitely bigger than any of them, but she was nowhere near the size she had been before.
"Freckle! Freckle! Are you okay?! Wake up!" Freya said, rushing over to join Fiddles in shaking Freckle's body.
"We must really get her out of this room! It's falling apart!" Flora pointed out, gesturing towards the dark empty expanse where the other side of the room had once been.
"Yeah, yeah, we'd better...come on, everybody, let's get her outta here!" Finnley called, and he walked over and grabbed part of Freckle's side.
Rebecca watched as Fiddles and the rest of the crew seemed to understand immediately what Finnley was trying to do. The crew scrambled into formation, with Fiddles and Frannie getting over to the same side of Freckle as Finnley, and Fuschia, Freya, and Flora going to the other side. Frisco, who was too small to help, climbed off of Flora's shoulders to relieve her of his weight. Rebecca stepped back, and Frisco moved to her side.
The entire rest of the crew squatted down and grabbed hold of Freckle, three to each side, and lifted. They all seemed to struggle with exertion at first, Freya and Flora most of all, but they all managed to keep their hold on Freckle.
Then they moved, carrying Freckle together and stepping towards the doorway. They tilted Freckle slightly so they could fit her through, and they managed to push her body to the other side of the door.
Rebecca and Frisco moved behind the others as they kept going, carrying Freckle over to the space in front of the window before finally setting her down, lifting her into a sitting position and propping her up against the wall to the left of the window.
The crew stepped away from Freckle as soon as they were finished, all of them panting and trying to catch their breath. None of them were sweating, though- and Rebecca wasn't even sure if they could sweat. They were made of clay, so they probably didn't have any glands, if she had to guess.
"Ugh, that was hard!" Frannie muttered, straightening up.
"I know...I was really struggling there." Freya admit, hunching over and looking worn out. "I'm not built for this heavy lifting..."
"Oh, I quite forgot how strong you are, Finnley. I could tell you were holding a good portion of Freckle's weight there." Flora commented, giving the eyepatched yellow monkey a sideways look.
"Well, I've had practice, y'know!" Finnley responded, grinning triumphantly. "And c'mon, don't give me all the credit. Fuschia was doing a lot of work there, too."
"I helped." Fuschia said, a calm smile on his face. He seemed the least tired of the bunch, although he was breathing a bit harder as well. "I always help my friends."
"Mmm!" Frisco mumbled, the little green monkey waddling up to pat Fuschia's side.
Fuschia looked down, giving Frisco a content stare. "You're my bestest friend, Frisco." Fuschia leaned down, giving Frisco slow pats on the head. Frisco chirped happily, eyes closed as he enjoyed the attention.
Fiddles, meanwhile, was already back to worrying about Freckle. Rebecca made her way over to the periwinkle monkey, kneeling next to him as he shook Freckle's large arm.
"Oooga! Oooga!" Fiddles called over and over.
"Hey, it's alright, Fiddles. Just give her a second. She'll wake up in no time. I'm sure of it." Rebecca said, trying to calm Fiddles down. The truth was that she wasn't sure if the injection had worked, but she thought it better to pretend she was confident about it so Fiddles wouldn't worry as much.
Fiddles turned, staring Rebecca in the eyes before nodding his head and loosening up.
"...Hhhh..."
A soft moan sounded, and Fiddles immediately perked up and turned back towards Freckle. Freckle was the one who had moaned, and Rebecca saw her fingers begin to twitch. She was stirring.
"Hey, look! She's waking up!" Frannie called, alerting the others to the situation. Right away, Rebecca felt the other monkeys gather and press in nearby, all of them trying to get close while Freckle woke up.
"...H...uh...?" Came a soft sound from Freckle, which made Rebecca feel a bit surprised- she hadn't been expecting such a gentle noise from her.
Freckle's eyelids began to open, coming at half-mast as she regained consciousness. Rebecca felt relief as soon as she saw that there were now pupils on her eyes. She was back to normal.
"W-What...happened...?" Freckle mumbled, and Rebecca was once again surprised to hear Freckle's voice. Freckle, despite how big she was, had a voice so soft it was like a pillow turned into speech. Her voice was closest to that of a young, shy, and soft spoken girl, which reminded Rebecca of a classmate she had once had when she was in elementary school.
Fiddles' smile widened, and he looked overjoyed. Rebecca looked back at the periwinkle monkey, expecting him to once again cry out and pounce on his friend in happiness, like he had with all of the previous members of the crew.
But instead, Fiddles calmly and gingerly moved close to Freckle and wrapped his arms around her gently, the tips of his fingers barely reaching her sides.
"...Huh? Oh...awww..." Freckle said, and her pupils moved down to look at the periwinkle monkey hugging her. She smiled. "...Morning, Fiddle widdle...hee hee...sorry, I think I overslept again..."
"Freckle...how are you feeling?" Flora spoke up, her voice even gentler than before. The brown monkey leaned towards Freckle, looking her over carefully.
"Huh...? Oh, Flora...and e-everyone else, too?! Oh!" Freckle said, her voice suddenly adopting a stutter as her eyes opened all the way. "U-Um...good morning, everyone...I w-wasn't expecting you to all be here at once."
"Oh, Freckle! You're really back! We saved you!" Freya cheered, finally daring to raise her voice. She quickly joined Fiddles in hugging Freckle. "I'm so happy!"
"A-Ah! Freya...you're so full of e-energy..." Freckle stammered, but she looked gratified. "W-Wait...saved...?"
Finnley and Frannie exchanged looks.
"So she doesn't know, either! Figures. None of us had any idea what was goin' on 'till we got it explained." Finnley said, giving Frannie a look.
"Ugh, we have to explain everything again? But it's gonna take so long!" Frannie complained, rolling her eyes.
"Well, we have to get Freckle up to speed, Frannie! She needs to know as much as the rest of us!" Flora responded, shaking her head at Frannie.
"K-Know? K-Know...what? Did I m-miss something?" Freckle stammered, becoming visibly more nervous than before.
Rebecca sighed. "It's okay, everyone, let me explain everything. I've done it before, and I can do it again. In fact, now that you're all awake, I can probably get into more detail."
"More detail? Is there something else we're missing?" Flora questioned, giving Rebecca another signature surprised look.
Rebecca actively winced at that. Flora was right- there was something they were missing. More then something, in fact. Rebecca knew she would have to get into the rest of the story now, and it would take a bit to clear things with Fiddles and his crew. She hadn't been anticipating having to tell why she was here, what had happened, and what was going on now to not one, but eight different members of the Banban gang at once.
"Yeah, there's...actually a ton more to get into." Rebecca admit, grimacing. "It's going to take a bit. Ugh, I really wish the others were here...at least if they were, they could help me get things straight."
SLAM!
The entire area around them was suddenly rocked by a wave of shaking, and Rebecca audibly exclaimed and had to avoid stumbling. Others around her were not so lucky- both Freya and Fiddles tripped from the sudden shaking, falling into sitting positions.
"Geez, what was that?!" Frannie grumbled, looking around for the source of the disturbance.
"It came from over there." Fuschia called, pointing down the hall that was blocked by the same pile of hospital stretchers from before.
"Why, from the entrance to this area? Whatever could be going on over there?" Flora stammered, looking alarmed.
"H-Huh?...I-I don't understand, what's...?" Freckle stuttered, blinking in fear.
Rebecca grimaced harder, already wary of what has caused the hallway to shake so hard. Was something even worse about to find them? She had to find out.
"We need to investigate. Freckle, can you stand?" Rebecca questioned, turning back to give the large cyan monkey an inquiring look.
"Stand? O-Oh, well...I think so." Freckle said, and the cyan monkey shifted her position and rose to her feet. Rebecca stood back, seeing just how big Freckle was properly for the first time. She was almost as big as Josh had been, though she wasn't far off from his size.
"Great." Rebecca said thankfully. "Okay, so...as much as I'd like to get explain things now, we really need to go see what that was. I promise I'll explain things once I know that we're safe, alright? Now come on."
Rebecca turned away and began to move down the hall, moving down the other one instead of the one blocked by the pile of stretchers.
"Uh...do we follow her, or...?" She heard Finnley mutter.
"Eh, she knows what she's doing. I say we stick with her." Frannie responded, and Rebecca heard footsteps begin to join hers.
She heard sound of agreement from Fiddles and the rest of the crew, and soon many more pairs of feet were sounding behind her, including Freckle, whose large feet made slightly louder steps then the others.
Rebecca saw Fiddles join her side as she moved down towards the other side of the area, close to where the doorway to the center room was. She took a moment to peer into the center room, but it was untouched.
"Huh...I swear it came from over here." She muttered, confused as to why nothing seemed to be wrong. She had heard the sound coming from this way, right? Had it happened outside the area, and that was why there were no visible signs of anything happening?
"O-Oooga..." Fiddles mumbled at her side, looking all around him apprehensively.
The rest of the crew seemed similarly alert, as they began to look around themselves while they all stood nearby the doorway to the center room, trying to look for any disturbances.
Rebecca joined them, and her eyes quickly fell on a door at the end of a short white hallway, branching out from the area itself.
Hey, we haven't gone through that door yet...maybe that's the exit? And where the sound came from? She thought.
She unconsciously found herself starting to step towards the red doors she could see over there, thinking that maybe this was where the sound had come from.
She only had a few seconds to begin nearing it before the doors collapsed.
SLAM!
Out of nowhere, the two doors flew off their hinges, toppling over and clattering to the floor in front of Rebecca and the Fiddles crew. Rebecca heard tons of exclamations behind her from various members of the crew, Fiddles included.
Sticking out of the doorframe was a giant green, mitten-like hand, that had just knocked the door down with brute force.
Rebecca's heart suddenly gave a leap. That hand! That was-!
And then she heard familiar voices.
"JOSH! Ya lunkhead! You just knocked down the door! The staff are gonna eat us alive for breaking that!"
"C'mon, Opila, I did what I had to! We didn't have the keycard, and Rebecca could be in here! It was either knock it down or give up, and there's no way I'm giving up!"
"Well...the damage is already done, so we may as well just go in now."
And then Rebecca watched, her mouth hanging open, as Josh ducked through the door and into the room. Opila trotted in after him, followed by Nabnab, who was scuttling along behind them.
"HEY! GUYS!" Rebecca called, grinning and running up to them.
"What the-?!" Josh sputtered, turning away from Opila and Nabnab, who he had been giving sideways looks, and facing forwards. He perked up as soon as her saw her. "Rebecca?! You're here!"
"WHAT?! She's here?! LET ME THROUGH!" Opila squawked loudly, and she darted past Josh and came to a stop right in front of Rebecca. "Rebecca! THERE ya are! Goodness gracious, how did you even get OVER here?! WHY are you over here?! Why did you just up and leave the comms sector?! And why did ya leave me and the others trapped inside that room?! The least you could've done is told us where you were going! Geez, you gave us a fright and a HALF! You had BETTER have a good reason for disappearing like that or I swear I'm gonna-!"
"Opila, calm down! You're being a bit much." Nabnab cut in, scuttling over and standing up, then pushing Opila a bit away from Rebecca right in the middle of her chastising.
Opila paused, her beak open mid-sentence. She closed it slowly. "...Sorry." She mumbled, clicking her beak and looking away apologetically.
"But hey, this is great! We found ya, and...and..." Josh began, stepping over...and then pausing to slowly turn and gape at the crowd of monkeys behind her. "Wha- Fiddles?! And the whole crew, too?!"
"OOOGA!" Fiddles cheered, and Rebecca winced as Fiddles pushed past her and dived at Josh, tackling him around the middle to hug him.
"W-Woah ho! Hey! It's great to see you're okay, little tyke!" Josh chuckled, a goofy grin on his face as he put his large hand on Fiddles' head.
"Wait, Fiddles?! FIDDLES! You're here too!" Opila suddenly yelled, rushing over and peering down at Fiddles cheerily. Then she turned and looked towards the rest of the crew, who seemed frozen in awe. "Hey, everybody! Flora, Finnley, Frannie, Freya, Fuschia, Frisco, Freckle! Good to see ya!" Opila rushed over to the Fiddles crew as well and stood in front of them, a wide smile on her face.
"Ah! Opila! Josh! What a pleasure!" Flora said, a wide and courteous smile on her face.
"Been a bit! We were all wonderin' where you two were." Finnley added, grinning at the two of them.
"O-Opila..." Freckle stammered, but she was smiling and looked relieved to see the pink bird.
"Hi Opila! Hi hi hi hi HI!" Freya repeated, rushing over and energetically popping up in front of the pink bird.
Opila laughed. "Hee hee! You're as much of a ball of energy as ever, Freya!"
"...That's Nabnab over there." Fuschia suddenly said, leaning around Opila and Freya to point at the blue spider who was still standing beside Opila and Josh.
Nabnab, like the Fiddles crew, was hanging there with his mouth open- something that was a bit hard to discern since his mouth always seemed to be hanging open, but the prolonged period of time where he stood there gawking made it more obvious.
"O-Oh. Fiddles. And...your whole crew, too...u-um...it's been a while. A long while." Nabnab stammered, and Rebecca was a bit surprised to see him adopt some shyness towards them.
"Nabnab, yo! Good to see you're here, too!" Frannie said, giving Nabnab a wave.
"Hi, Nabnab." Fuschia said kindly, also waving.
"Mmm!" Frisco mumbled in his tiny voice, giving Nabnab a wide-eyed look.
Nabnab paused again, and Rebecca could see that the blue spider was surprised to see them addressing him so kindly. "H-Huh? Uh...h-hi." Nabnab stuttered. He gave Rebecca a sideways look. "R-Rebecca? Do you know what's going on here? They're...they're saying hi to me. They're not upset that I'm here..."
"Oh, yeah! Well, first off...I'm SO glad to see you here, Nabnab. And second off, Fiddles and his crew actually believed that you were innocent." Rebecca said, tilting her head towards the crew as she talked to Nabnab.
Nabnab's eyes widened. "T-They...t-t-they...they believed in me...? They don't...they don't think I'm a monster...?"
"Yeah, they-"
"Rebecca! Hey! Uh...great seeing ya!" Josh suddenly cut in as he pulled away from Fiddles and faced her, unintentionally interrupting the conversation between her and Nabnab in the process. "Man, you had the three of us worried, just disappearing like that...what happened? And how'd you manage to find Fiddles AND his entire crew?"
"Yeah! We leave your side for one second, come back only to see you gone, and then find you with Fiddles and his entire entourage? Just what have ya been UP to?" Opila questioned, tilting her head.
Rebecca took a breath, then gave them a humorless smile. "Oh, geez..." She muttered. She was glad that Opila, Josh, and Nabnab had finally managed to track her down, but now they were already asking questions about why she had disappeared, ended up here, and befriended Fiddles and his entire group of lookalikes while they were apart. "I don't even know where to start, to be honest..."
Well...guess now I'm in for one heck of an explanation. She thought, as she opened her mouth a second time, knowing she had a lot of gaps to fill in before things could get back on track...
Notes:
And that's the end of the chapter! I hope you all liked the adorable Captain Fiddles and all of his crew mates! I'll be honest, I didn't quite like Captain Fiddles at first, but he's really grown on me as I've been in this fandom. I actually quite like him now, and it was fun to write him!
It was also fun to write the crew as well! As you can see, they're all here, alive, AND they all have names. If you're wondering where I got the names from, well, I didn't name them. I had my own names for them originally, but then I saw some fan art!
Credit to threateningcres on twitter for the wonderful art of Fiddles and his crew, and for the cute names for each and every member! I even sort of came up with the personalities for each crew member based on how they were depicted in this art, so I've got to credit it even more for that! https://twitter.com/threateningcres/status/1692927266123088093
You may also notice that I decided to make the crew talk! I was going to have them make those 'oooga booga' noises like I was already doing with Fiddles, but I really wanted their personalities to come out, and I realized it wouldn't be much fun to write them if they were all making monkey noises that Rebecca couldn't make heads or tails of. So they talk now! Why do they talk, and why doesn't Fiddles talk? That's an explanation for next chapter- and holy moly, a LOT of explaining is due in chapter 7, that's for sure.
I'll leave it off here for now. Thanks to everyone for reading, and see you all next chapter!
Chapter 7
Notes:
Hey, everybody! Finally back with a new chapter!
Garten of Banban 6 came out recently, and that was kind of a motivation booster for me.
Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Okay, so...let's just get to explaining."
Rebecca said this as soon as everyone around her was seated. Once she and everyone else had decided an explanation was in order, they had wasted no time getting things in order.
They chose one of the rooms off to the side of the area and began dragging in chairs from the other rooms, allowing everyone a place to sit. Josh and Freckle were far too heavy for any chair to support them, however, so they had both agreed to sit on the floor.
Rebecca knew this would take some time. There were things Josh, Opila, and Nabnab didn't know, things Fiddles and his Crew didn't know, and both sides had to be in the same loop before they could get back on task.
But her main objective was to make this explanation concise without wasting tons of time that would be better dedicated to finding her siblings. Rebecca felt even worse than before now that she had to spend more time not tracking down Jack and Claire, but she didn't have a choice this time. Things had to be explained before any of them made any decisions. They couldn't just get moving and explain, as they couldn't multitask like that and anything else could jump out at them if they started wandering, so they had to be prepared.
Not explaining things until later wasn't an option, either: Opila demanded to know everything that had happened more insistently than anyone else, and the others were also interested and curious in what had happened. While both Rebecca's old and new companions had pieces of the story, they didn't have the full picture...so she was there to give them one.
It's fine. As long as you explain everything as fast as possible and don't go on random tangents, you can get this done as quickly as possible and get right back to finding Jack and Claire. Rebecca thought, telling herself what she felt she needed to know.
"I'm going to try to explain everything as fast as I possible can, so pay attention, because I don't want to have to repeat myself." Rebecca mentioned, but her pained expression made it clear that she was just saying this because she was itching to go back to the search. "Ask questions if you want, but we can't spend too much time talking about all this. Everyone got it?"
She waited, and right away she could hear plenty of noises of assent.
"Yep!"
"Uh-huh."
"Yeah, let's not drag this out..."
"I just want some kinda explanation, is all!"
"'Long as I know what I need to know, I ain't complaining."
"Okay. I'm going to begin, then. Again, I will be going as fast as I possibly can and skipping over stuff that's not important enough to bring up. Questions are fine, just not too many. Got it? Okay, then let's just get this done with."
Rebecca then began, quickly explaining to the Fiddles crew that, at some point during the Bring-A-Friend Day event happening upstairs, the ball pit had collapsed. Right away, the entire crew began to react with shock and panic, but Opila quickly shushed them and allowed Rebecca room to continue.
Then, she explained how after the collapse, supposedly everyone who had been there- all the children in attendance and the staff watching them- had went down into the lower levels.
And then, her personal reason for being here. Her two younger siblings, Claire and Jack, were in attendance when the ball pit collapsed, and supposedly went with all of the others who fled downstairs. Rebecca had come to this place to find them.
"Oh...so you're just an older sister bein' responsible for her younger siblings." Finnley repeated, tilting his head interestedly.
"Aww, how kind! I can always respect a sister looking out for the ones closest to her." Flora added, nodding approvingly.
"Uh...thank you. They just...they mean a lot to me." Rebecca said, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess it's kind of like...how all of you in the Fiddles crew probably think of each other." Rebecca stopped to consider that. "Or is that a stretch?"
"No way! You're right on the money!" Freya agreed, nodding quickly. "I like to think of all of the crew as my brothers and sisters!"
"Me too." Fuschia joined, raising one hand.
"Heh heh...oh, Fiddles, you're one lucky captain, ain't ya?" Josh began, turning his head to look at the stool next to him...only for his expression to change to confusion. "Uh...Fiddles?"
Rebecca, not expecting Josh to suddenly sound bewildered, followed his gaze. The stool Captain Fiddles had been sitting on was now vacant, with the periwinkle monkey nowhere to be found.
"Eh?! Hey, where'd Fiddles run off to?" Opila squawked, gazing at the empty space with surprise.
"Oh, dear...Fiddles? Fiddles, where are you?" Flora said, getting off of her stool and heading to the doorway into the room to call out down the hallway.
"Coming."
It took everyone in the group a few seconds. Then they froze, and Rebecca paused right alongside them.
Wait a minute. That didn't sound like...
And then Flora stepped back from the door, gaping once again as Fiddles walked into the room. His eyes were trained on the floor, and he looked strangely downcast. Clutched in one hand was an empty syringe, with the other hand carrying a couple of slightly crumpled pieces of paper.
"...Hi." Came Fiddles' voice. Everyone recoiled.
"Fiddles? You can speak English now, too?" Frannie stuttered, sliding off her stool and giving her captain a shocked stare.
"What the what?!" Opila muttered, tilting her head.
"Fiddles, when'd this happen? You weren't speaking actual sentences before now!" Josh exclaimed, jumping up and moving over to Fiddles so he could look the child monkey up and down.
Fiddles, without turning his gaze back up at the group, spoke again. "...I saw Becca use the syringe on my friends and they spoke words. So I thought, if I did it too..." And then he held up the empty syringe he had in one of his hands.
Rebecca blinked. "Wait, so...you snuck off in the middle of the conversation so you could randomly inject yourself with that givanium stuff? I didn't even notice..."
"Well, this is a, um, surprise, but...I'm quite glad! Now we can all speak fluent English!" Flora said, clapping her hands together.
"I ain't complainin', then, if that's the case! Glad to be able to speak words with ya now, tyke!" Josh guffawed, clapping Fiddles on the back.
Rebecca, however, didn't start to smile and congratulate Fiddles like the others. She was still focusing on the sad expression on his face, and the fact that he still wasn't looking at the others. She didn't understand. He had been so cheery and energetic before, but now he was acting like Nabnab before Rebecca had helped him. What had happened? The injection couldn't have done something to his personality, could it have?
"...Why does Fiddles look like that?" Came Nabnab's voice from next to her, and Rebecca could tell the spider was thinking the same things she was.
Nabnab uttered the sentence with considerable volume, which caused everyone to finally take notice of the same thing. Josh's wide grin disappeared, and Opila trotted up to his side.
"Hey, Fiddles, what's with the long face? Are you okay?" Opila asked, bending her head downwards to give Fiddles a concerned look.
Fiddles didn't offer a reply. He kept staring at the floor, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
"...C'mon, Fiddles, what's up? What's eatin' ya?" Josh joined in, patting Fiddles' head and trying to coax the child monkey into conversation.
Nothing. Fiddles still didn't say anything back.
Rebecca quickly found herself becoming worried. This was worse than she thought, if Fiddles' mood was causing him to stop talking altogether. She got up from her stool and walked over, Josh stepping aside to allow her to get in front of him. Rebecca lowered herself down onto one knee, reminding herself of the times she had talks with Claire whenever she came home and had a similar expression to Fiddles' current one.
"Fiddles, what's wrong?" Rebecca asked, looking into Fiddles' eyes even when the child monkey wouldn't do the same to her. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Rebecca waited, trying to keep her patience and see if Fiddles would respond to what she was saying.
The child monkey's eyes suddenly flicked upwards, meeting her own.
"...When I went to find the syringe, I...I found these." Fiddles mumbled, and he held out the two pieces of paper towards Rebecca.
Rebecca glanced down at the sheets with curiosity, then took them gently from Fiddles, moving them up to be right in front of her eyes. The first paper in the stack was, like the note downstairs, another case update report:
Case Update Report
Case #: 12
Case Type: 2
Update: 5
Genome(s): Human, Brachyteles hypoxanthus (Woolly Spider Monkey), Givanium
Alias: The Child Monkey
Summary:
After numerous attempts to create the ideal version of Case 12, which involved numerous changes in design, coloration, and naming, it seems the final product has finally been reached.
Case 12G has completely surpassed all other sub-cases in all presented attributes, including intelligence, agility, and imitation. Genetic modifications may very well have finally allowed these skills to reach their fullest potential.
Case 12G has also, as desired, completely transitioned into imitating the behavior of a very obedient yet playful child, which is perfect to showcase appropriate behavior to real children. Case 12G displays excellent behavior and obeys all commands given without question, while also maintaining a playful and friendly personality. Not only will this display to children the rewards of behaving well, it will also encourage them to be playful and friendly themselves, which may help fix behavioral issues with potential attendees of the kindergarten.
Case 12G, of course, is not immune to stress. It can suffer from minor to extreme levels of stress depending on the situation, just like any other case. Stress tends to spike more when seperated from the other cases and sub-cases. Unlike other cases, who display rage, irritability, and standoffishness when heavily stressed, Case 12G does not display any such behavior. Case 12G instead becomes frightened, entering into uncontrollable bouts of shaking that persist until it has been calmed. At the worst of extremes, crying has also been deciphered.
In terms of intelligence, Case 12G is capable of performing simple mathematical operations using not only shapes, but also the traditional number system. It has perfected writing and can now write messages comprehensibly and legibly. Case 12G would also be able to speak English if given the freedom to do so, but recent modifications have ensured that a mental block will persist inside the brains of all Case 12 sub-cases, preventing them from speaking any words beyond 'Oooga' and 'Booga', which they have begun to develop as their own method of communication.
In terms of agility, Case 12G shows exceptional stamina, with climbing abilities that surpass those of real primates.
Such changes are already set to be applied to all other sub-cases, and management has decided to keep all previous editions around and form them into a naval crew of sorts, in which Case 12G will be the designated captain and leader. Potential conditioning to make the other sub-cases treat Case 12 as such are already being looked into.
Despite these changes, management has decided that out of the subcases of Case 12, only Case 12G will participate in the upcoming presentation. This is to keep our current operations scaled down, at least for the time being. Management has mandated that we will focus only on six cases to start with and expand to further cases should the first six turn out to be successful.
Case is ready for presentation.
Rebecca finished reading the case update report. She could tell right away that it had a lot to unpack, but at the moment she didn't yet care what any of it meant. All she could tell was that it was just insight into Fiddles, but nothing that seemed offensive, disturbing, or meanspirited.
She looked back at Fiddles, who was still staring at her, looking as downcast as before. The rest of the group remained silent, watching the situation with mixed expressions of unsureness and hesitation.
"This doesn't seem all that bad. It just seems like details on what you can do." Rebecca said fairly. "Why does this upset you?"
But Fiddles shook his head.
"N-No, it's...it's not that. That's just...something I found. It's...the other one." Fiddles whispered, and he looked back at the floor again, not offering any more explanation.
Rebecca stared at Fiddles for a moment before looking back down at the papers, taking the case update report and slipping it underneath the other paper, allowing her to read it.
The other paper turned out to be a blank white sheet with a long note in neat handwriting, although parts of it looked like they were written in a hurry:
I…I just don't know how this happened.
One second they were all as docile and peaceful as kindergarten toddlers, and the next they were going berserk, ripping the whole place apart…
I think that loud crash might have startled them so badly that they just…lost control. I never knew they were this susceptible to their instincts.
However, eventually, they all stopped…they just stopped attacking and went limp. They came back to themselves a few minutes after that, but they're weak…the effort must have drained them of strength and givanium. I should've known they weren't yet strong enough to handle losing control like that.
They're hovering in and out of consciousness now. I've checked their givanium levels, and they're dangerously low. Their bodies aren't getting full circulation. They won't last much longer like this. But there is an exception in Case 12C, which…is displaying concerning levels of hostility. I am unsure what to think. Case 12C may yet return to her aggressive state, should this continue. I do not wish to be here when that happens.
Case 12G has arrived, as well. I found him passed out right by the entryway door. I don't know how he got here. Did someone bring him? Did he walk here and just...pass out?
He woke up eventually, and he seems no worse for wear, unlike the other subcases. But...I can tell that he is worried. He wants me to help them…but I do not think I can do so. Not now. Not anymore.
Something is happening. Something bad. A large group of staff, parents, and even children have come here. They have requested my help. From what they have explained, what we all feared might happen is finally happening. The ball pit, it's...
I must go with them. Clearly something terrible is underway inside this facility, and most or even all of it may have been caused by the ball pit's collapse.
I have decided to accompany them to the lower levels, which is where they have decided to head to. I can see the merits in this decision. Nobody's been down there in a while, and it should be a safe place to wait this entire catastrophe out…
Well. If we make it, that is.
I must leave now. I am being yelled at to come with and help them.
To anyone reading this, please, get out of here. Save yourself, before a horrible fate befalls you.
And…Case 12G. No…Fiddles. If you happen to find this note, then…
I'm sorry.
Rebecca stared down at the note for several seconds after finishing reading the note. She could definitely tell how it made Fiddles sad, though she didn't fully understand right away.
She stopped to read a few specific paragraphs again, and in her mind, she started to connect the dots.
Fiddles had said there was a doctor here in the area they were in, a doctor he had begged and pleaded to because of what was happening with his crew. Rebecca figured that this note had to be written by that doctor. But if that was the case, then...
Rebecca grimaced, gripping the paper slightly tighter.
"I get it now." She said, trying to keep her voice relatively calm. "I understand now, Fiddles...I'm sorry about him."
Fiddles looked back at her, then nodded his head slowly. "Mmm-hmm..."
"Hey, uh...what did ya get, Rebecca? The rest of us are kinda missing context here..." Josh said, speaking up to point out that fact.
"There was a doctor in this area, probably looking after Fiddles and his friends. This note is from that doctor." Rebecca explained, as she turned slightly while continuing to kneel so she could eye up Josh. "He ran away from here. He could have helped Fiddles' crew, but the staff and kids actually arrived here, and he ran off with them. He..." Rebecca sighed in slight frustration. "...he left Fiddles and his crew behind."
Everyone except Fiddles began to gape, mouths hanging open as they stood there. Rebecca could see they were all blindsided by this news.
"T-They...they left us...?" Freckle whispered, taking a step back.
"But...b-but..." Freya said in disbelief.
"Mmm..." Frisco mumbled. He was still sitting on Flora's shoulders, but now he pressed himself into her, looking depressed.
"That little..." Frannie said, gritting her teeth. "That doctor said he'd stay until we were all better again...and he just left..."
"I don't understand. Doctor was friend. Why did he go without us?" Fuschia mumbled, grabbing one of his arms.
Finnley just turned away, sighing with frustration in a similar manner to Rebecca.
"I c-can't believe this..." Flora whispered, her eyes twitching a bit. "Dr. Bill was a good friend of ours...he always watched out for us before...but he just left us behind? When we needed help the most?"
"Yeah...and with that entire container of givanium that could heal you all sitting right there." Rebecca mentioned, as that detail occurred to her and made her feel even more aggravated by it.
Josh took a few steps back, then turned away from the group as well. A familiar vein was throbbing in his green head again, and Rebecca could hear the green giant trying to take deep breaths again.
Opila was shaking, not with fear, but with anger. She clicked her beak dangerously. "And just when I thought...the staff couldn't sink...any lower..." She mumbled in a tight voice. "And these were the kinds of people I trusted...when they said Nabnab was a danger..."
Nabnab just stared at the floor solemnly. "I know how it feels to be mistreated by the staff. It's not really unusual by this point, but...it hurts. It hurts to see the people who first helped you suddenly turn their backs on you..."
Fiddles gave a small nod. "Dr. Bill w-was my favorite..." He mumbled in a shaky voice. "He g-gave us lollipops...and patted our heads...and visited us every day...and he...he left my friends...I asked him to help my friends and he said he would go get help...and he lied...he never meant to come back..." Fiddles exuded a few tears.
Nabnab, noticing the tears before anyone else, quickly scuttled over to Fiddles and patted him on the back. "There, there, Fiddles...please don't cry. It never feels nice to cry...I should know. Listen...I know being betrayed like this really hurts...but you have to stay strong, okay? We're here supporting you." Nabnab paused, then turned to look back at the rest of the group. "Um...right, everyone?"
Josh turned back towards the group, the throbbing vein already gone as he managed other grin. "'Course..."
"Don't even ask..." Opila mumbled, as she trotted over and gently nuzzled Fiddles. "It'll be okay, Fiddles..."
Wordlessly, the other members of the Fiddles crew quickly converged around their captain, hugging him or patting him as well.
Rebecca felt unsure of how to add to it at first, but then an idea occurred to her. She couldn't help but smile as she slid her jacket off her shoulders and put it around Fiddles' shoulders.
Fiddles glanced up, his downcast expression disappearing at the sight of the jacket. He let out a small giggle. "Eh heh heh...thanks, Becca..."
Rebecca was reminded of the time she shared her jacket with Jack when he got cold.
He said the same thing... She recounted, and her cheeks felt warm. Fiddles really did remind her of her younger brother sometimes...was that why she felt close to him even though she had only met him recently?
"Hey, lookin' good, Fiddles!" Josh said, letting out some laughter as he watched the monkey wear the jacket.
"It's a bit big for him...but eh, still looks cool on ya!" Opila commented, nodding her feathery head.
Rebecca grinned. "He tried on my jacket earlier, when we were downstairs...so I just thought he'd feel better if I let him do that again."
"I'm very grateful for that! Although he had some growing to do if he wants to be able to fit into it more..." Flora mentioned, eyeing up Fiddles carefully.
"Eh, we don't really grow, I don't think. Still...looks good on you, cap." Finnley complimented, flashing Fiddles a confident grin.
Fiddles smiled at them all, then slid the jacket back off his shoulders and held it out. Rebecca took it back, sliding it back over her shoulders before speaking again.
"Can we get back to explaining everything? We kind of need to get everything else covered." Rebecca mentioned.
"Y'know what? Yeah, we do, because you still haven't explained how you got over here in the first place! I mean, why did ya even come to the Medical Sector?" Opila demanded, drawing back from Fiddles and trotting over to interrogate Rebecca.
"Medical sector? So that's where this is?" Rebecca replied. She made a face as she thought about it. "Uh...which area was that, actually? I don't remember."
"It was that sector to the left when we first started movin' the bridge around." Josh answered. "This is kinda' confusing to me, though. How come you didn't know you were at the Medical Sector?"
"Because I didn't come here willingly, that's why." Rebecca said, grimacing.
"You...didn't? Then what the heck happened?" Opila said, making a face.
"You wanna know what happened? Banban happened, that's what." Rebecca said, and everyone around her stiffened. "You know, Opila, Josh...you two didn't mention that Banban is a creep who ambushes people, wacks them over the head with a frying pan, and drags them somewhere else so he can remove their organs."
Everyone stood completely still, trying to process what Rebecca was saying.
"...No way...you're lying." Opila mumbled numbly. "Banban did this to you?"
"Banban knocked you out!? And then took you here to...wait, remove organs? What the heck?!" Josh sputtered.
Nabnab's eyes narrowed, and he turned his gaze away. "Banban." He muttered bitterly.
"I d-don't understand...do y-you mean it?" Fiddles asked, tripping over his words as he spoke.
Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, I mean it." She turned in the direction of Josh, Opila, and Nabnab. "Remember when we split up and I stayed to search the security office? I found a note left by Banban saying exactly what he planned to do: run up behind me and slam me over the head. I wasn't able to react fast enough, and...well, he got me." Rebecca grimaced again, remembering the painful experience with zero pleasure. "And he started talking, saying he...needed me for something? I can't really remember, my brain was somewhere else the whole time...but I remember that he said he had a surgery to get me ready for. And while he didn't go into detail, I can only guess what his intent was by that."
"B-But that's...nuts! Banban's never done that before...he's never just, I dunno...attacked people out of the blue for random reasons!" Opila argued, completely in disbelief. "Are ya sure it was him?"
"Dead sure. I saw him." Rebecca stated firmly.
Josh put a hand to the side of his head. "Jeez...what the heck's goin' on anymore? What coulda made Banban do somethin' like that? Last time I saw him, he looked the same as usual..."
"...He didn't actually cut you open or anything, did he?" Nabnab pressed, giving Rebecca a stare of concern.
"Trust me, I was worried about that, too. But I checked. I'm fine, no stitch marks or anything." Rebecca said, nodding. "He must've left, probably to go fetch something or whatever. I think I managed to get out of there before he came back."
"Out of where?" Opila questioned.
"The room downstairs. There's kind of an area below this one." Rebecca said, gesturing down at the floor. "I found Fiddles there, too. We both managed to get the lift working, and we went up here. That's where I met his crew, and injected them with Givanium to bring them back to life. We were trying to figure out what to do next when you three showed up."
"So that's what happened...and here I thought us getting locked out of the comms sector was a coincidence..." Nabnab mused.
Rebecca paused. "You got locked out of the comms sector? How?"
"Well, it's...kinda my fault." Josh mumbled, wincing. "I went to check the stairs outside and I found a cord, so I called the others...Opila and Nabnab came runnin', but we got worried when ya didn't show up. Next thing we knew, the door into the comms sector closed!"
"Yeah...and because I vomited up all those keycards, we couldn't get in! So we sorta called out for you for five minutes or so." Opila continued. "Josh was about to pulverize the door to get through, but then it just...came open all by itself. So we rushed in and went to the security office, but you were gone!"
"So that's what happened...wait, I remember now. Banban said he made use of a keycard to get you three out of the way...that must've been what he meant." Rebecca recounted, as the mental puzzle pieces began to fit together. "Ugh...can't believe he managed to do all of that and get away with it. Although...why did you three come over to the medical sector, anyway? There's no way you could've known I was here."
"We didn't. We just...looked everywhere we had already been, just to make sure you hadn't decided to backtrack. When that failed, we thought maybe you went to another sector without us...so we picked at random and chose to go the medical sector." Nabnab explained. "We couldn't get in, though, so Josh had to...well, use brute force."
"Yeah...staff are gonna be pretty mad when they find out, but ey, I did what I had to do and it worked." Josh said determinedly. "And now we're all back together again, and with Fiddles and his crew as well."
"So, I guess that covers everything, then!" Opila finished, ruffling her feathers. "Well, I can say things make a lot more sense now."
"I get it now, too...b-but, I still don't understand...why would Banban do that?" Captain Fiddles wondered.
"None of us in the crew really know Banban that well, but it does sound unlike him to run up and knock people out." Frannie conceded, scowling. "I wonder what his problem is."
"I-I really don't like the sound of all of this...is s-something bad really happening here in the facility?" Freckle mumbled, twiddling her thumbs.
"I don't think there's any doubt that something bad is going down now. And we need to get to the bottom of it and find the kids and staff. Wait...ugh, and speaking of that, this also sucks!" Rebecca groaned, gritting her teeth. "Thanks to that stupid party hat-wearing demon, I've lost a ton of time I could've used catching up to Jack and Claire! Who even knows where they could be by this point?"
"Yeah, gotta admit, Banban's really thrown a wrench into our whole shtick of finding everybody." Opila agreed, narrowing her eyes. "The facility's huge. They could be anywhere by now!"
"That's not even to mention the multiple paths down to the floors below...the kids and staff could've used any one of them. I don't even know how we'll be able to track them down by now..." Nabnab mumbled, sighing.
Rebecca sighed too, knowing they were right. They knew this whole underground place better than she did, and the fact that it was so big made her frustrated. It was one thing to have to search such a huge place for her sister and brother, but at least she might have not been far behind them, depending on when she arrived into the kindergarten to find them. But thanks to Banban, she was now many minutes, possibly even an entire hour or more behind them, and with a huge facility to sift through to boot.
She didn't have any plans to give up and would sooner jump off a bridge then admit defeat or leave without her sister and brother, but the fact that the search for them had become so much more difficult only heightened the stress being put onto her to find them.
And now that she knew what sort of nonsense permeated every facet of the facility, she could only hope they were still safe. If there were other wack jobs like Banban running around, then she couldn't be sure that Claire and Jack would come out of everything in one piece. All she could really do was search everywhere with as much speed as was possible and hope she beat the more malicious creatures to the punch in finding her siblings.
As she ruminated over this, she noticed Fiddles put a hand to his face as he looked down, although this time he looked like he was thinking things over, just like she was. Then Fiddles perked up.
"I might have an idea." Fiddles suggested, as he turned his gaze back towards the group. He looked behind him first, at the clustered members of his crew. "Everyone, are you okay with helping Becca find her siblings and everyone else too?"
The response was instantaneous.
"Why, of course!"
"Yeah!"
"Sure thing."
"You've got my help."
"Okay!"
"Mmm!"
"I'd l-like to help, too..."
"Okay, then that means we have a lot more people now. So...I think we should split up." Fiddles said, turning back towards Rebecca and her companions. "If we send some of us one way and some of us another way, we can search more places faster and find everyone sooner!"
Rebecca considered it for a moment, then nodded. She had to agree. If Fiddles and his crew were going to help, then that gave them a large increase in the pairs of eyes looking out for her siblings, the other kids, the staff, and the other Banban family members. She could admit that it would be better to split those eyes up. They could cover more ground that way and maybe even catch up with the kids and staff before they got themselves into even deeper trouble.
"That makes sense." She said openly, as she looked back at Opila, Josh, and Nabnab. "What do you three think?"
Nabnab nodded acceptingly, while Josh grinned and said: "Sounds good to me!"
But Opila looked a bit more skeptical. She clicked her beak in consideration before replying. "Okay, that doesn't sound like a bad plan, but how are we gonna do this? Who goes where?"
Fiddles paused again, looking to be considering things even more. "I know!" He said, perking up again suddenly. He then turned around again and walked closer to his crew members. "Okay, crew. You're all great at helping each other, right?"
"Yeah, right! When we work together, we're unstoppable!" Frannie boasted, smirking.
"What she said!" Finnley agreed, and several other members of the crew nodded or smiled.
"Okay, then you can all go one way while Rebecca, Opila, Josh, and Nabnab go another way." Fiddles offered. "You could all get down to the lower levels while Rebecca and the others search up here for anyone."
"Hmm! Honestly, that sounds quite correct. We as a crew have always arrived to do as well as we can, and if we work together, we can most likely search the floors below quite quickly!" Flora added approvingly. "I support this plan!"
"Mmm!" Frisco mumbled excitedly, raising a hand.
"I like working with friends. Let's do plan." Fuschia agreed, raising a hand as well.
"Yeah!" Freya accepted, jumping up and down and raising a hand herself.
Rebecca watched in slight amusement as the rest of the Fiddles crew also raised their hands and voiced their excitement. They were all so rambunctious, and once again they reminded Rebecca of Jack when he got all hyper.
"Good! Thank you!" Fiddles thanked cheerily. He then turned and made his way over to Rebecca and the others. "I'm going to go with Rebecca."
The celebrating Fiddles crew members came to a stop, and Josh and Opila gave Fiddles questioning looks.
"Really? You're gonna tag along with us and not your own crew?" Opila questioned confusedly.
Fiddles nodded. "Uh-huh. I haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with you and Josh and Nabnab...I miss you all. And I like Becca, too...she's nice to me and wears a nice jacket. I wanna stay with you all." Fiddles then frowned and looked back at his crew. "I-I'm sorry if you're all not okay with that..."
But all of the shocked expressions on the faces of the Fiddles crew were quickly wiped away.
"No, no, I get it. Honestly, we've been hogging you recently..." Frannie admit, rubbing the back of her head.
"Except for Bring-A-Friend Day, it is true that you haven't been able to see the other family members for a while. I think it is quite alright for you to go with them." Flora accepted, a calm smile on her face.
"Mmm!" Frisco agreed, blinking slowly.
"Yeah! Fiddles is our friend, but he's their friend, too!" Freya added, raising a hand.
"W-Whatever makes you happy, Captain..." Freckle stammered, managing a meek smile.
Fuschia gave a nod, a goofy smile on his face.
Finnley grinned and held a thumbs up. "We've got things covered on our end, Captain. Just stick by the others and you'll be A-okay! After all, can't think of a better protector than Josh here."
Josh guffawed, looking pleased. "You got it! I'll make sure the little tyke doesn't get himself into any scraps or anythin'."
Rebecca watched the exchange, feeling better now that everyone was speaking so cheerily, but she still did have lingering questions on how this whole arrangement would go. She didn't expect to be splitting off from the entire Fiddles crew except Captain Fiddles, but she had to admit that it made sense to split up, either way. But she was wondering something else.
"Hey, uh...before we do any actual splitting up, where are we going to split up at all?" Rebecca questioned.
"Oh, that's easy. Testing Sector!" Finnley replied.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. That sector is the biggest sector on the whole floor! It's probably the best place to begin splitting up." Opila agreed, nodding her feathery head casually.
"That's true...I remember there being a lot of rooms over there." Nabnab mentioned, adjusting the party hat on his head. "It probably would be good to split up when we search there."
"Okay, then that settles all that! Let's get goin'! We've been talkin' for ages, anyway, so it's about time we get back on track!" Josh stated, waving an arm.
Rebecca sighed in relief. Finally, the explainations were sorted, and it was time to go back to searching for the missing kids and staff, as well as any more Banban family members. She was really glad about that; she didn't think she could take standing around in the medical sector any longer.
"So, um...who wants to lead the way?" Fiddles replied calmly.
"I got it! Everybody, march!" Opila said with a hint of a screech as she began to trot out of the side room and back in the direction of the knocked down door.
Rebecca stood aside, letting Josh step out with Fiddles in tow, and with the rest of the crew filing out one by one in a single file line. Nabnab made no move, and instead gestured towards the door and allowed Rebecca to go before him. Rebecca, giving him a smile, made her way out, with the blue spider scuttling along behind her, as they all made their way back out.
After stepping past the knocked down door and going through a tunnel, Rebecca found herself back at the hub, with the gaping abyss below and the large, skyscraper-like walls rising up in all directions...
...only for the tiniest of gasps to sound and for Josh's large hand to suddenly clamp itself over her mouth.
Rebecca flinched, not expecting to suddenly find her mouth completely covered by Josh's hand, and she looked up to find that Opila and Josh were staring urgently at her, shaking their heads. What was going on?
Rebecca turned her gaze towards Nabnab, whose three eyes were wide as he gazed up to the left. Fiddles was trembling as he stared in the same direction, and the other members in the crew were wary or terrified too, with Frisco even hiding his face by pressing it into Flora's back.
Rebecca's eyes followed their gaze.
And then she saw it.
If her mouth hadn't already been held shut by Josh's large hand, she would have gasped.
A huge thing was extending out of the abyss, nearly reaching the shadowy ceiling above. It was bigger than any of them, so big it made even Josh and Freckle look small by comparison. A gigantic, pale head, flat and round in shape, dominated the scene. It was connected to a thin neck that kept on going, extending downwards into the abyss below and disappearing into the darkness where the end of it could not be seen.
Its eyes were huge, almost to the point of looking too big for its face. Its nose was a simple, hollow crook, and its mouth was a dark, gaping shadow of a smile. The eyes, nose, and mouth were all black, empty, and stained at the edges. It looked damaged and frayed, as if it had never seen a cleaning or been repaired in a long time.
And it was staring down at the room below. And at them.
Rebecca watched, horrified and disturbed, as the face hovered there, gazing down at them but making no noise and hardly moving. It was just...there.
She turned her gaze back at Opila and Josh, who, for the first time, looked...scared. She gave them a confused look, in dire need of answers, but they both turned their heads towards her and shook them vigorously, putting their hands to their mouths and silently shushing her.
It was then that Rebecca understood why Josh was covering her mouth.
I'm not supposed to speak in front of this thing.
She understood that much, even though the sight of the horrific, frayed face was giving her goosebumps. She wanted to know what it was and why they had to stay quiet in front of it, but she couldn't ask with it hovering right there. She didn't know what would happen if it heard them speak, although by the looks on the faces of the entire group, she could tell that she really did not want to find out the answer.
So she simply nodded, letting Josh know that she understood. The green giant stared for a few moments, grimaced, and nodded back. His mittenlike hand slowly moved away from her mouth.
As soon as he did so, Rebecca made absolute sure to keep her lips shut. She breathed as faintly as she could, not wanting the face to hear her breathing, either. She gestured at the group to keep moving, and everyone obliged right away.
The bridge was already extended across the medical sector platform and the platform with the bridge controls, so it was easy for the group to tromp over it. Despite the sounds they were making crossing the bridge, the face made no sudden movements. It seemed it didn't respond to other sound effects...only speaking.
There was a moment where Rebecca felt apprehensive about not just the face, but also the idea of their entire group going right over the bridge, but once again, even with so many members and with very heavy members like Josh and Freckle, the bridge held up with no visible or audible signs of strain.
This bridge is way sturdier than I thought... Rebecca thought, as she stepped off of it with Nabnab at her heels.
It was a bit more cramped on the platform with Fiddles and all of his crew there as well, but everyone was careful to give each other enough room.
With the bridge already activated, they didn't need a keycard to operate it again. Opila simply pecked the right arrow button again, and the bridge slid to the right, extending outward a bit more until it was completely over the gap to the testing sector. The bridge made audible whirring noises and metal clunks, but once again, the face barely moved or responded.
As the bridge came to a complete stop, the lights on the sign above the entrance to the testing sector snapped on, bathing the entryway with blue light. The snapping sound was loud, so much so that Rebecca flinched and anxiously glanced at the face. But it was still hovering there, barely moving, staring down at them. Not even the loud sound of the lights coming on had disturbed it.
But if no other sound disturbed it...then why did speaking disturb it?
Rebecca didn't know, but she wanted to know. She knew she needed to ask about it as soon as they were out of this face's...range? Did it have a range? Maybe out of its earshot...wait, did it even have ears?
Rebecca put it out of her mind, and simply chose to follow Josh and Opila again, who took the lead with Fiddles and his crew carefully following behind them. Rebecca went with, Nabnab at her side. It wasn't lost on Rebecca that everyone was suddenly making an effort to not walk so loudly, although she didn't think it mattered when the face only seemed to respond to talking.
Nevertheless, they made it to the other side of the bridge, where the doorway into the testing sector was wide open. Rebecca could see the white light of the room on the other side. Everyone picked up the pace and entered the room one after another, with Rebecca and Nabnab being the last to enter.
Rebecca moved to the side and leaned against a wall as soon as she got inside, and Opila immediately pecked a button situated on the wall next to the door. The doors slid towards each other, closing off the room.
As soon as the doors were completely closed, Rebecca heard Josh and Opila exhale in relief, as if they had been holding in breaths. Rebecca sighed, having to do the same as well. Fiddles rubbed the top of his head, looking relieved, and Nabnab glanced at the door for multiple seconds before looking away.
Rebecca breathed in and out for a few more seconds, trying to regain her composure.
That...that face thing...
What was it?
What even was it?
Rebecca found the question rising to her lips.
"What was that?"
Notes:
Thanks for reading! Bit of a shorter chapter this time, but I didn't want all of you to have to wait for much longer, since you've already all been so patient.
Hopefully I can get chapter 8 up soon as well. We'll see.
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