Art Of The Journalist
Playtime Co. J always thought that this company was too good to be true. After all, who would willingly take in lost kids and orphans just like that? But now was the time to test out that theory. Because he is gonna go on one of their tours and sneak around the whole facility. The tour itself was nothing special, normal ol' entrance and lobby, warehouses, conveyors, and the make-a-friend. Seeing how toys are made is something that he is not looking for, so after seeing the big vat of clay or rubber or whatever that the guide was talking about, he decided to excuse himself to the bathroom. He wasn't quite out of the woods yet, since the guide had made an employee follow him to the bathroom.
"Hey... Uh... This might take a while, the chicken curry that I had this morning is just running straight through me, so you oughta' get back to the tour, eh?" J didn't think this would work, because if push comes to shove then he could knock someone around, he's quite the tall fellah after all. And he isn't one to always go the pacifist route. But somehow, the guy believed it and just walked away, huh. Anyway, J started to walk around the employees only area with something that he snuck into his backpack, a clipboard and a pencil. And then tried to find his way to anywhere else.
He saw a signs that led him to somewhere called "Game Station" Where here, he finally saw all of the children. Just playing around, playing the games here. What actually caught his eye, is the big ass pink spider. He recognized the colorful character as Mommy Long Legs, but why was she here, walking and talking with the children? And why was she massive? He saw the Huggy Wuggy statue, back in the main entrance but this was moving, and not like an animatronic, this thing moved fluidly, like it was alive. He had to get some pictures, pulling out his camera, he snapped a few photos. But on that last one, it would seem that she noticed him, and started to walk towards him.
"Excuse me, but who are YOU?" Mommy backed J into a corner, her dead and soulless eyes peered straight through him, but he straightened himself out and gave his best corporate smile.
"Yes, sorry, excuse me, Madam. But some fine young gentlemen wanted to play the game over there, the musical one? They are having some trouble and may need some help." Licking boots back in the workforce really pays of, because you can act like the perfect submissive lackey.
"Really now?" Mommy Long Legs quickly walked forward to the vague general direction that J had pointed, while he quickly walked to what looked like a cartoonish looking train and train station. This would probably get him to a lower level of the factory. One where only the employees with a higher clearance could see. He could see that there were quite a lot of employees getting on the train and he was gonna hitch a ride. Going to one of the carriages filled with boxes and hiding out, was not a new idea to J, so he knew to get comfortable and wait till the train gets to its destination.
After a few hours, the train stops and he quickly gets off and follows some employees to a sort of tram system with "Elliot's Express" in bog yellow letters. After waiting for it to go and come back, he then got on and hears the voice of he eventually sees a scene before him that he never thought he would see, but was hoping that he could. Playcare. Where he can see lots of children running around with large anthropomorphic animals. Which have a resemblance to the Smiling Critters Cartoon. He could also see a couple of adults walking to what looked like a courthouse. Right, he remembered that adults could come and adopt kids here, so he decided to wander around the place like he was looking for a kid to adopt. When he saw the orange dog walking towards him. J recognized the cocker spaniel as the leader of the Smiling Critters, Dogday.
"Hey, there, Mister. Are you perhaps lost? You're wandering around the children's area." A bright sounding voice came out of Dogdays' unmoving mouth.
"Oh, you know, just looking around, the courthouse just gets so stuffy, you know?" J didn't know how to act here, since he didn't know the first thing when it came to children.
"Are you here to adopt one of the kids?" Dogday said while tilting his head to one side. J didn't know why but there was just something that compelled him to trust the little puppy.
"No. I'm here to expose Playtime Co." J said so nonchalantly, but it seemed that Dogday believed him, because he looked behind him where the kids were running towards the school building.
"Find Catnap, he'll help you. You can find him in Home Sweet Home." Dogday whispered close to him as he ran off towards the school building and met with the kids.
J quickly ran off and went to the unassuming house that had a sign that said "Home Sweet Home". Quickly, J entered it and looked around as he smelled a scent of lavender everywhere. After a while of wandering around, he finally came face to face with this massive creature of purple. He didn't have much resemblance to Catnap from the show.
"I'm J. Dogday told me to come to you. I'm here to expose Playtime Co." J said to Catnap, to which the giant and lanky creature nodded, before gesturing to him that he should follow him. J complied and led him to an empty room with no furniture. Catnap then looked up to present a collar around his neck with a large lock on it. J quickly understood that Catnap wanted this collar off and grabbed his lockpicking kit from his backpack. After a couple of minutes, J eventually got the lock open and got the collar off, when Catnap rubbed his neck gently.
"Thank you." A voice, barely a whisper came out of Catnap. Catnap then closed his eyes and started to rub his face all over J's arm.
"Thanks for the affection, but now we gotta expose Playtime." j said as he lightly patted Catnap's head and Catnap backed away from J.
"There are some documents nearby, It can help you destroy Playtime." Catnap said as he walked away and gestured J to follow him. J followed Catnap back outside and to the courthouse, which Catnap tells him is the counselor's office. The employees which were there had tried to stop Catnap and J from entering, but Catnap only growled at them which made them back off. Quickly, Catnap led J to a room which was labelled "Head of Playcare" And busted open the door. The room had no one inside of it, but looking around, J had found documents pertaining to the Smiling Critters and other toys, this experiment was named the Bigger Bodies Initiative. With Catnap's and the rest of the Smiling Critters as help, they were all able to strong arm the rest of the Leith Pierre, Dr. Harley Sawyer, and the rest of the employees to let J go....
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"Playtime Co. Thought to be a truly altruistic corporation, was now exposed by an anonymous journalist, that they were doing many experiments on the children that they were taking. Many of the people that knew of these experiments are now incarcerated, including-" J changes the channel to another news station. "Elton John is now visiting all of the recovering toys at the hospital which they are staying at and recovering." The reporter said as video footage was shown where outside of the hospital, Elton John was shaking hands and hugging many of the BBI toys and toys which were once children. J holds a small smile, wishing he was there.
"Would you all like for me to sing?" Elton asked to the massive crowd colorful toys in front of him. To which he got a resounding yes from basically all of them. Including the hospital staff and the news crew that were there.
"Alright, come on up here, boys, I know just the song." Elton John said to the band that was with him as he sat down on a piano. When he and the band stated playing, the toys, staff, and news crew all applauded.
"You could never know what it's like. Your blood, like winter, freezes just like ice. And there's a cold, lonely light that shines from you. You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use. And did you think this fool could never win? Well, look at me, I'm a-comin' back again. I got a taste of love in a simple way. And if you need to know while I'm still standin', you just fade away."
The toys who knew the lyrics of the song, sang along. While the rest simply danced.
"Don't you know, I'm still standin' better than I ever did? Lookin' like a true survivor, feelin' like a little kid. And I'm still standin' after all this time. Pickin' up the pieces of my life without you on my mind. I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah) I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah)"
An overwhelming sense of happiness came over J, which finally gave him the drive to go over to the hospital and meet the souls that he saved.
"Once, I never coulda hoped to win. You're startin' down the road, leavin' me again. The threats you made were meant to cut me down. And if our love was just a circus, you'd be a clown by now. You know, I'm still standin' better than I ever did. Lookin' like a true survivor, feelin' like a little kid. And I'm still standin' after all this time. Pickin' up the pieces of my life without you on my mind. I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah) I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah)"
A lot of the animal like critters had roared, meowed, roared, or any other animal noise while in the instrumental section, which made Elton John chuckle a little bit.
"Don't you know that I'm still standin' better than I ever did? Lookin' like a true survivor, feelin' like a little kid. And I'm still standin' after all this time. Pickin' up the pieces of my life without you on my mind. I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah) I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah) I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah) I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah) I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah) I'm still standin' (Yeah, yeah, yeah)"
Elton John finished up his song to the massive applause to the everyone present. J had gotten there just as Elton John left, and Dogday and Catnap immediately noticed him.
"Aww, J, you just missed him! And didn't you say that you didn't want to talk to us?" Dogday said confused.
"I usually never hang around with people I find while out and about, being a journalist. But I wanted to make an exception for you guys." J said which Dogday and Catnap accepted and went to the other critters and toys.