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!"
Cosette's fingertips were just out of reach, and Lou was abruptly tossed near the entrance of the recycling bin. He was losing his grip on the belt, slowly inching towards an incinerator as he held on for dear life. His leg got stuck, and he violently shook it around until he was able to tug it out. His pants were severely ripped upon impact. Meanwhile, Cosette had caught up to him and grabbed his arm firmly, pulling him vigorously back onto the belt. She then dragged him away as fast as her little legs would carry her, the two of them now running in the opposite direction, towards the ladder. This time they hurried up the ladder, not giving the robotic hands another chance to capture them.
Finally, they made it upstairs. Cosette rushed over to Lou and held onto his arm, helping him stand up. "A-Are you okay?" She asked, a look of concern on her face. "I...I think so," panted Lou. He looked down at his shredded clothes, now in a much worse condition than they were before. But Lou couldn't dwell on it now. He took Cosette by the hand, and they ran to the back of the room, where a row of boxes was neatly aligned.
"I don't believe it," Cosette breathed. "They're STILL here." Still? Thought Lou. Cosette slowly made her way over to the boxes, picking out the supplies she needed, including a small bottle of super adhesive. Lou was about to question just WHY she needed glue of all things, but before he had the chance, Cosette had grabbed his arm and proceeded to run back down the ladder. "Let's get the heck outta here!" She suggested. As they ran, Cosette's coat and shirt rode up, and Lou got another glimpse of her serial number.
Later on, the two of them were seated on a rock near the drone, catching their breath. Cosette stood up and headed toward the back of the vehicle, storing her supplies in the back. As she glanced over to poor Lou, sitting there with his suit in shambles, she felt a pang of sadness. She took a deep breath and sat down next to him, pulling her knees up to her chest and twiddling her thumbs. "Lou, I have a confession to make," she started, closing her eyes. "I'm..." She paused. "I'm a prototype." She looked away, expecting Lou to be upset with her. But instead, he approached, taking her hands in his and gazing longingly into her eyes. "Cosette," he replied, his voice soft-spoken. "I know."
"You...what?" Cosette was astonished by his reaction. "How do you know that?"
"When we were camping together in the park, I noticed your serial number. I have one, too." He lifted his tattered suit to reveal his own serial number, which was also on his lower back, just like Cosette's. "We prototypes need to stick together." He pushed a lock of her threaded hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes. They shared a tender moment, but it was quickly ended when Lou caught sight of his clothes again. He pulled away and sighed.
"But look at me now. What child is going to want me, looking like THIS?" Cosette straightened out his collar and gave him a sympathetic look. "There's a doll for every child and a child for every doll," said Cosette.
"Sometimes I wonder," Lou went on, looking doubtful. Cosette placed a hand on his shoulder. "And what about you?" Asked Lou. "You mentioned you don't have a child. It makes much more sense now that I know you have the same fate as I."
"Lou, I don't have a child because I don't WANT one," Cosette answered, a hint of resentment in her voice. "But please, trust me. A collector will be happy to take you in." She took Lou by the hand and led him back to her drone, seating herself in the drivers' position. He sat behind her, a melancholy expression on his countenance as he gazed over the horizon. Could he really trust her word? What if the rumors were true, and prototypes could never have an owner in the Big World? What if Cosette solely used him as a means to an end?
The silver-haired pilot turned her attention to Louis, her orange eyes shining brightly as she gazed into his. She pressed down on her accelerator and took off for the skies at a rapid pace, the wind blowing through their hair.
They soared high above a lake over a bustling city. The luminescent lights shone brightly in the night empyrean, reflecting upon the miniature ripples permeating the body of water below. A zephyr ruffled their hair as they dipped through clouds, between buildings, and over bridges. They glided through a park, dodging a series of colorful rose-bushes. Lou managed to pick a red rose, which he would then hand to Cosette. With a smitten gaze, she took the flower and conscientiously placed it behind her ear. The silver-haired prototype placed her hands up in the air, the two of them transitorily hovering in the night sky while the drone dipped down. Gravity caught up with the duo of dolls as they fell, landing prosperously back into the drone in their respective seats. The conveyance zipped in between more buildings, doing a series of artifices, such as a front-flip, side-way maneuver, and a subdued corkscrew. Cosette turned to face Louis. Her gaze met his, and she found herself lost in his sapphire-colored irises. Albeit his once extravagant suit was torn, his hair was a tousled mess, and his cravat was miscolored...he was beautiful. This time, she was sure of it. He was smiling right back at her as they soared through the air. She lifted her free hand from the steering wheel and took his hand in hers as they plunged through a residential area. They soon landed smoothly behind one of the houses.
Lou held Cosette's hand as he helped her out of the vehicle. They ambulated over to the entrance of the building. Lou's little heart was pounding harder and harder in his chest with each step. Thoughts raced through his mind. Was this where he belonged, or would he never be accepted and loved due to the sheer fact he was a prototype? Would he determinately be taken in by someone, or was he doomed to remain in solitary confinement for all eternity? As the two of them walked contiguously, Lou turned to Cosette. Despite his lack of cognizance of what the future would bring, he had hope. All of this was possible because of Cosette. His heart fluttered as he took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. She returned his gaze. "Cosette," he began, taking a deep breath. "In all the time I spent in the Institute of Perfection, it was my job to ascertain the other dolls were flawless. But I never truly thought any of them reached perfection." He brushed a lock of her threaded hair abaft her ear and gave her a genuine smile. "Until I met you."
Cosette felt her eyes well up with tears, and she leaned in close. She shut her eyes and...
Suddenly, the dolls were captured by a cryptic pair of hands!