UglyDolls 2 (Fan Project)

Chapter 6: The Factory

Cosette and Lou continued to soar through the sky on her drone, evening falling upon the two of them. The sun would soon set over the horizon as they navigated their way in and out of the clouds. Eventually, Lou pointed forward at a tall building with quadruple chimneys sticking out of the top, steam coming out of them. "There it is!" Exclaimed Louis as the two of them were closing in on the building.

Cosette landed her drone elegantly near the back of the factory, and she and Lou climbed off as soon as they were able to. The silver-haired doll's eyes lit up with amazement as she studied her new surroundings. "This is it," the pilot whispered to herself. She walked ahead of Lou, but the prototype doll followed closely behind.

"I'm going in!" Announced Cosette, a confident look on her face. "Wait here." Lou stopped her in her tracks, shaking his finger at her in a manner of disapproval. "Oh, no, you don't," he retorted. "You're not going in THERE alone. It's dangerous."

"Oh, come on," said Cosette, giving him a sarcastic chuckle. "You know me. I can handle myself just fine." "You won't last FIVE minutes in there on your own," Lou teased. Cosette smiled at him knowingly as he took her by the hand. "Come on, Cosette. I know this place like the back of my hands." Without further ado, the two of them dashed inside the building, entering through a small aperture in one of the walls.

Inside, the factory was massive. Conveyor belts were displayed all across the vicinity, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Atop them were brand-new doll bases, stitched together and moved around to different locations by various mechanical hands. If the dolls were flawless, they would be sent through a large tube and teleported below, where they would end up in the town of Imperfection. But if they were blemished, damaged, or misshapen, they would be sent straight to the recycling bin.

From where they were standing, Cosette and Lou could make out a ladder in the near distance. "The supply room is on the upper floor," whispered Lou. "If we can just maneuver through these conveyor belts, it'll be a breeze." Cosette nodded as she hurried up ahead. At first, she dodged her way through the obstacles. But suddenly, something hooked on to the back of her trench coat, and she was hoisted up in the air by one of the factory gears. "Ahh!" She cried out, desperately struggling to loosen the grasp. The cogwheels spun her round and round. "Cosette!" Lou looked around him and spotted a discarded doll part, which he picked up. He squinted his eyes and held up his hands as though he was aiming for something. He then tossed the projectile at the gears where Cosette was, and it landed in between two of them. The gears jammed, and they stopped moving. His movement graceful and fluid, Louis hopped up onto the gadgetry, climbing them until he caught up with Cosette. He slipped his fingers between the gears and her neck and freed her. She thanked him, and the two of them climbed back down again.

They darted for the ladder, doing their best to avoid any obstacles this time. They soon arrived at the ladder, and Cosette hoisted herself upward, beginning to climb it. While she stabilized herself, Lou watched as a yellow toy from the set "Doll Type Number 14" set off a red buzzer and was immediately discarded into the recycling bin. He shuddered at the thought, hopping up onto the ladder after his fellow companion. The structure creaked in an unsettling manner, and Cosette let out a nervous "whoa" as the ladder wobbled beneath her feet. She stopped climbing for a second, taking a deep breath before continuing upward. They climbed until they were about halfway up to the top.

All of a sudden, a large, mechanical hand reached over their way, grabbing Lou tightly. The prototype screamed as it yanked him aggressively off the ladder, pulling him back down onto the conveyer belt. Cosette whipped her head around in a heartbeat and gasped loudly. "Lou!" She cried. Loosening her tight grip on the ladder, she jumped down onto the belt. As the mechanical hand was pulling Lou further and further back onto the belt, Cosette chased after him. She had to dart in and out of other robotic hands, ensuring one of them didn't grab her as well. She slipped in between them, ran around them, and ducked under them until she finally caught up. Lou was being navigated closer and closer to the recycling bit, unable to free himself from the mechanical hand's grip. "Lou!" Cosette repeated, reaching out for his hand. "Take my hand!"