The sky was Gray as they drove.
Poppy sat in the back, scrolling through files on a cracked tablet. Catnap stared out the passenger window, his reflection faintly following him in the glass. Dogday's paws gripped the wheel tighter every mile.
None of them spoke for a long time.
Finally, Poppy broke the silence.
"The lab is beneath the original Playtime Co. headquarters. Deep. Hidden. The elevator to it was sealed after Project Reverb collapsed."
"How do we open it?" Dogday asked.
Poppy tapped her tablet. "We'll need a keycard. One that belonged to the head researcher... and I know where it is."
They reached the outskirts of the old factory by dusk.
Weeds had overtaken the building. Rust choked the metal signs. It felt like the place had been holding its breath, waiting for them to return.
Inside, shadows crept through broken halls.
"This way," Poppy whispered, leading them through a service tunnel lit only by their flashlights.
In an old office, buried under a pile of dust-covered reports, they found it—a cracked security badge marked Dr. A. Renson.
The name meant nothing to Catnap. But the photo on the card?
The man was standing beside a very young Catnap.
His heart pounded. "Why don't I remember any of this?" he asked.
Poppy looked at him. "Because they didn't want you to."
Dogday stepped beside him. "You were part of it, weren't you? Reverb."
Catnap slowly nodded. "Looks like it."
Downstairs, they found the elevator.
The keycard beeped...
...a loud clunk echoed through the shaft...
...and the doors creaked open.
Inside was a glowing button labelled "Reverb Core".
"This is it," Poppy said. "Everything started here."
They stepped in.
The doors shut.
And the elevator began to descend.
YOU ARE READING
The Silent Paw and The Gentle Bark
RomanceIn the quiet corners of the whimsical Playtime Co. factory, Catnap, a sleek and mysterious cat, and Dogday, an energetic and loyal dog, share an unbreakable bond. Best friends for as long as they can remember, the two are inseparable-exploring, play...
