The warehouse doors groaned open with a shriek that echoed through the night. Serena and BJ stepped inside cautiously, their footsteps crunching on shattered glass and loose screws scattered across the concrete floor. Rusted machines towered over them, some half-dismantled, others whirring faintly as though they still clung to life. Broken conveyor belts stretched into the darkness, hanging wires sparking like dying fireflies. BJ shoved his hands into his pockets, putting on a cocky grin to mask his unease. "Well, this is cozy. I'd give it, oh, a zero out of ten for décor. No minibar, no disco ball."
Serena shot him a glare. "Shut up, BJ. Something feels wrong here..."
A hollow clang echoed in the rafters. Both of them froze. The sound repeated, irregular, like something pacing above them. Serena tightened her grip on Raymond's blaster. "You think it's rats?" BJ whispered.
"Those are not rats," Serena muttered.
Tension sparked between them, frustration from the journey bubbling to the surface. "You're always so tense," BJ snapped. "Maybe if you stopped bossing me around, we wouldn't end up in dumps like this!"
Serena whipped around, eyes flashing. "Oh, so it's my fault we're risking our necks for your precious robot hero? You'd be rusting in a ditch if it wasn't for me!"
The argument crescendoed, their voices bouncing off the walls until CLANG! The floor beneath them shuddered. A trapdoor gave way, and with twin screams, they plummeted into a monstrous machine. Sparks exploded around them as gears whirred and electricity arced across metal panels. Serena and BJ thrashed inside the cage of wires, the smell of ozone filling the air. Then, with a final violent surge. ZAP! The world went dark. When their vision cleared, the machine had spat them out, leaving them lying on the floor, smoke curling from their clothes. BJ groaned. "That was... not my idea of fun." But Serena wasn't listening. Her eyes widened in horror. From the humming machine, eight shadows peeled away from the walls. They rose slowly, unnaturally tall, their limbs stretching and twitching in ways that defied reason. Hollow eyes glowed faintly, their forms rippling like oil on water. Each figure mirrored fragments of Serena and BJ's silhouettes, but twisted, distorted, wrong. The shadows swayed, their whispers like the grinding of rusted gears. The warehouse suddenly seemed smaller, the air heavier. Serena clutched BJ's arm without realizing it. "What... what are they?" BJ stammered, his bravado gone.
The figures only tilted their heads in eerie unison, inching closer, their mouths opening in silent screams. The hum of the machine deepened, resonating like a heartbeat, as though it was proud of what it had birthed. Serena's pulse pounded in her ears. She tightened her grip on the blaster, lifting it with trembling hands. "BJ..." she whispered. "I think... they're us." The shadows froze, their glowing eyes flaring brighter. The warehouse lights flickered once... twice... then died.
The warehouse lights sputtered, buzzing like angry hornets before snapping back to life. Serena blinked against the harsh glare, and gasped. Standing before her and BJ weren't shadowy monsters anymore but four pairs of clones, each twisted into bizarre versions of themselves. The first pair swaggered forward, Serena's double snapping gum with a raunchy grin.
"Name's Shaquana, bitch. Don't wear it out." She adjusted her hoop earrings that materialized out of thin air and gave the original Serena the stink-eye.
Beside her, BJ's clone, sporting a sideways cap and a gold chain welded to his chest sneered. "Yo, they call me DJ Rusty Nuts. What's up, fool?!"
The two didn't even look at Serena and BJ. Instead, they immediately started arguing with each other. "Man, you walkin' around here like you own the place, your breath smell like gasoline!"
"Gasoline smells expensive, dumbass! You smell like burnt circuit board and regret!" They shoved each other while cackling.
Before Serena could process that nightmare, the second pair slinked out of the light. Serena's clone, in smoky eyeliner and a velvet dress, purred: "Mmm... call me Velour." She ran her hand along her own arm, eyes half-lidded.
Beside her, BJ's double, sleek, polished chrome, and speaking in a deep, sultry tone—smirked. "I'm Machismo-3000... and baby, I was built to please."
The two immediately turned to each other. Velour leaned close, tracing her clone-BJ's jawline. "So shiny... so strong..."
Machismo-3000 winked. "Oh, sugar... I'd let you oil my gears any day."
They melted into an obnoxiously loud make-out session, causing BJ to gag and Serena to cover her face. Then came the third pair. No explanation, no drama, just two cats. A Serena-cat, gray with big amber eyes, padded forward and meowed proudly. "Mrrrow. Name's Whiskerena."
A BJ-cat, orange with greasy fur, hissed. "They call me Claw-J. Don't touch me, human." The cats immediately started batting at a dangling wire, completely ignoring everyone else.
Finally, the fourth pair crawled out. Serena's clone, hair wild and eyes spinning in different directions, giggled uncontrollably. "Heehee... I'm Serenity Gone. Do you hear the colors? They're screaming!"
Her partner, a BJ with cracked plating and a wide, twitching grin, screeched: "I AM BLOODJUICE-9, THE SINGING TOASTER!" He slammed his head into the floor and laughed like a maniac.
The warehouse filled with chaos: Shaquana and Rusty Nuts roasting each other, Velour and Machismo practically dry-humping, the cats chasing a moth, and the insane pair banging on pipes and shrieking about "the end of soup."
Originally Serena dragged her hand down her face. "Oh my god. This is hell."
BJ just pointed at Bloodjuice-9 licking the wall and said, "Okay, even I think that's too much."

Serena pressed her palms against the cold steel wall, scanning for an exit. BJ, arms crossed and thoroughly annoyed, muttered, "Great. Stuck in a haunted Chuck E. Cheese with dollar store versions of us. My dream come true."
The flickering lights above hummed, and then, with a heavy groan, a panel slid open on the far wall. A glowing console lit up, covered in buttons, dials, and flashing neon words: "PUZZLE: RHYME AND TIME." Serena tilted her head. "Looks like... a rap battle?"
Before she could suggest otherwise, Shaquana strutted forward, popping her gum. "Oh hell yeah, this my jam!" She slapped the console like it owed her money. "Watch mama work."
DJ Rusty Nuts swaggered beside her, chain clinking. "Yo, yo, back up. I'm about to drop the sickest beats in the warehouse, don't even trip."
The console boomed a beat, somewhere between hip-hop and arcade music. The screen flashed: "Round 1: Spit Fire to Unlock the Door." BJ groaned. "Oh god, this is gonna be awful."
Shaquana stepped up, grabbing the mic that materialized from the console. She leaned in and started spitting rapid-fire nonsense: "Yo, I'm Shaquana, I'm hotter than a sauna,
I'll smack ya mama then go to Tijuana! This puzzle weak, it ain't got no drama, Rusty Nuts here smell like old lasagna!"
The console buzzed happily, lights flashing green. Serena actually clapped. "That... that was surprisingly good?"
Rusty Nuts snatched the mic, puffing out his chest. "Yo, name's Rusty, the girls all lusty, I'm spittin' rhymes tight while ya circuits get crusty! You talk big game but ya flow all dusty, Shaquana so broke she be ridin' the bus, G!"
Shaquana shoved him. "EXCUSE ME?! You did NOT just diss my bus pass!"
The console dinged again, more lights glowing. A digital lock on the wall loosened. Serena's eyes widened. "Wait, they're actually... solving it."
BJ leaned against a pipe, smirking. "Great. We're saved by Hip-Hop Radio Rejects, Volume One."
The console blared again: "Round 2: Roast Battle." "Oh, this what I live for," Shaquana cackled, twirling her gum. She pointed at Rusty Nuts. "Boy, you so rusty, tetanus got tetanus!"
Rusty Nuts threw his head back laughing, then snapped back with: "Girl, your weave so fake it came with Wi-Fi!"
Serena doubled over laughing despite herself. BJ tried not to, muttering, "Don't encourage them..." but cracked when Shaquana yelled: "Your mama so greasy, she use motor oil for lotion!" The console flashed rainbow colors. "FINAL ROUND CLEARED!" With a triumphant KA-CHUNK, a panel slid open in the wall, revealing a glowing key dangling on a chain. Shaquana snatched it and held it high. "BOOM, bitch! Key to the city, courtesy of Queen Shaquana!"
Rusty Nuts dabbed, yes, dabbed while sparks flew out of his arm joints. "We the realest duo, baby!"
Serena staggered forward, wiping tears of laughter. "I... I don't know how to feel about this."
BJ muttered, "I feel like I just lost brain cells." Still, they had their first key. The path forward was open, thanks to the most unlikely heroes of all: Shaquana and DJ Rusty Nuts.

The group shuffled deeper into the warehouse, past gears grinding in the walls and flickering hazard lights. Another puzzle chamber hissed open, this one lined with velvet curtains and glowing neon hearts. A pedestal in the middle projected the words: "PUZZLE: TWO HEARTS, ONE SOLUTION."
BJ groaned immediately. "Oh, hell no. This smells like Axe body spray and bad decisions."
Serena's shoulders slumped. "I don't like the look of this at all..."
And right on cue, Velour and Machismo-3000 glided forward. Velour was practically dripping with sensuality, her clone body swaying like every step was a runway strut. Machismo-3000 flexed unnecessarily, chrome muscles rippling, his voice a low growl that somehow made Serena's skin crawl. Velour purred, "Ahhh, destiny calls us, my metallic Adonis. Only we, the true lovers of passion and puzzle-solving..." She licked her lips dramatically. "...can unleash the second key."
Machismo-3000 tossed his hair back (even though he didn't technically have hair). "Indeed, my velvet temptress. Let us... entwine."
BJ gagged audibly. "Kill me. Right now. Put me in the trash compactor."
Serena whispered through clenched teeth, "Just... let them do it. Maybe the sooner they get it over with, the sooner we can bleach our brains."
The console lit up again: "ROUND 1: Synchronize the Touch." Four glowing panels appeared on the floor. Velour and Machismo stepped onto them immediately, locking eyes. They had to press panels together at the same time, their movements syncing perfectly. But of course, they made it... gross. Velour cooed, "Mmmm... press harder, Machismo, harder. Yes, yes, feel the rhythm of my soul."
Machismo grunted theatrically. "Ahhh, my circuits throb with desire!"
BJ slapped his forehead. "I'm gonna vomit in stereo."
Serena winced. "Why do they sound like a bad soap opera?"
The console dinged as the two pressed the final panels with a sensual flourish. Hearts exploded across the display. "ROUND 2: Whisper the Secret." The prompt projected: "One must confess desire, the other must repeat it truthfully."
Velour leaned close to Machismo, practically moaning. "I desire... to feel your oil drip upon my gears."
Machismo let out a dramatic gasp. "Ahhh, my oily goddess, your truth is my truth!"
He repeated her words verbatim, clutching his chest like it was Shakespeare. The console blared pink and gold fireworks.
Serena covered her face with her hands. "Nope. Nope. I can't. This is worse than the slime monster."
BJ hissed, "I'd rather watch my hard drive defrag for six hours."
Finally, the console announced the last stage: "FINAL ROUND: Seal with a Kiss."
Serena groaned. "Of course."
Velour practically leapt into Machismo's arms, wrapping herself around him. They kissed with the most obnoxiously loud slurping sounds imaginable, like two octopuses fighting over a Jell-O cup. The console dinged, the velvet curtains dropped, and a shiny second key floated down in a glittery heart-shaped case. Velour pulled back, gasping for air. "Mmmm, perfection."
Machismo twirled her dramatically and bowed to the originals. "You see? True passion solves all puzzles."
BJ was pale, staring at the floor. "I have seen things. Things I cannot unsee."
Serena muttered, "I need a shower. A shower with bleach." Still, they had the second key. Two down, two to go.

The group trudged into the next chamber, still recovering from the second puzzle's... trauma. The door slammed shut behind them with a hiss. This room looked different, less velvet, more scratching post. The walls were padded with rope and carpeting. Feathers dangled from strings, a giant fake fish spun lazily from the ceiling, and the faint sound of purring filled the air. BJ froze. "...Oh no."
Serena blinked. "...Oh yes."
Because out of the shadows padded Whiskerena, Serena's cat-clone, her movements sly and slinky, tail flicking. Behind her trotted Claw-J, BJ's cat counterpart, who immediately hissed and tried to climb the wall. Whiskerena stretched, licking the back of her paw. "Mmmm. The time has come, mouse."
Claw-J crouched low, eyes wide and unblinking. "Yesss... puzzle smell. We will hunt the solution!"
Serena pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of course. Cat versions of us. What's next, dog people?"
BJ muttered, "Don't jinx it."
A glowing console appeared in the center of the room, displaying: "PUZZLE: FOLLOW THE LASER. FOUR KEYS, FOUR PAWS."
A tiny red dot of light blinked onto the ground. Whiskerena immediately pounced, smacking the floor with both hands. "MINE!"
Claw-J leapt after it, knocking over a giant scratching post. "No! I SAW IT FIRST!"
The red dot zipped across the room, and both cat-clones scrambled after it, slamming into walls, climbing up curtains, batting at dangling feathers along the way. Serena sighed. "...This is gonna take a while."
BJ folded his arms. "On the bright side, at least they're not making out."
The console began flashing instructions: ROUND 1: HIT ALL FOUR PANELS. The laser darted to the four corners of the room, one at a time, each with a glowing paw-print panel. Whiskerena clawed and scratched at one until it lit up, then rolled onto her back and purred loudly. Claw-J launched himself at the second, bonked his head, hissed at the panel, then pressed it anyway. Serena whispered to BJ, "Do... do we just let them do it?"
"Pretty much."
The two clones eventually lit up all four panels, though not without fighting each other halfway through. Whiskerena hissed, "You hogged the laser, furball!"
Claw-J puffed up, tail twitching. "Did NOT. You just don't have the reflexes!"
BJ groaned. "Why are they us, but... cats?"
Serena muttered, "Because this warehouse hates us."
The console dinged. ROUND 2: BRING THE TOY TO THE CENTER. A giant dangling cat toy, a feather on a stick, descended from the ceiling. Whiskerena froze, pupils dilating. "Feather..."
Claw-J crouched low, wiggling his butt. "...MUST. DESTROY."
They leapt at the toy simultaneously, wrestling midair. Whiskerena smacked Claw-J across the face, Claw-J bit her sleeve, they tumbled across the floor, claws swiping everywhere. Meanwhile, the console timer ticked down. Serena yelled, "Just drag it to the middle already!"
Whiskerena paused mid-fight, looked at her, then meowed pitifully. "...But it's fun."
BJ snapped, "If you don't finish, we're all stuck here forever, furbrains!"
That finally motivated them. With lots of scratching, biting, and dramatic hisses, they dragged the feather toy to the center pedestal. It lit up in neon green. ROUND 3: CATCH THE MOUSE.
A trap door opened. Out popped a small robotic mouse that zipped around the room with a squeaky laugh. "EEEEEK!" it squealed.
Whiskerena and Claw-J lost their minds. They bolted after it, climbing up walls, knocking over furniture, tangling themselves in wires. Whiskerena dove headfirst into a cardboard box, only her legs sticking out. Claw-J got stuck in the rafters, howling like a banshee. Serena covered her face. "This is embarrassing."
BJ was laughing despite himself. "No, this is amazing. Look at that idiot stuck in the box!"
After a ridiculous chase sequence, complete with Whiskerena flipping over a scratching post and Claw-J somehow drinking from a random water bowl, they finally pinned the robo-mouse. It squeaked in defeat and exploded into confetti.
The console flashed: SUCCESS. A third glowing key floated down from the ceiling, landing softly in Whiskerena's lap. She batted at it lazily, then curled up in the corner to nap. Claw-J dragged his tail along the floor, purring smugly. "Victory is ours, nyahhh."
BJ sighed. "I hate how he sounds like me."
Serena picked up the third key, muttering, "One more to go. I'm not sure I can survive another clone."
BJ glanced nervously at the next door, which flickered with strobe lights and echoed with distant maniacal laughter. "...Yeah, something tells me the worst is yet to come."

The group shuffled into the last chamber. Unlike the cat-padded room, this place was a nightmare factory, rusted walls, dripping pipes, flickering red lights. The floor was slick with something dark, and the air smelled like metal. Serena's stomach dropped. "Oh no... I don't like this."
BJ squinted. "Yeah, uh... I think this room hates us."
Out of the shadows, they emerged. Serenity, a twisted reflection of Serena, pale skin smeared with lipstick like warpaint, eyes twitching with glee, her voice a singsong whisper.
She dragged a broken mirror shard across her palm, grinning as if it were a toy. And beside her lurched BLOODJUICE-9, BJ's nightmare double. His plating was dented and spattered, his screen flickering with cryptic symbols and random bursts of static laughter. His voice modulator glitched every other word, switching between calm monotone and guttural screaming.
Serenity cooed, "Ohhh, look at them... the boring ones. The safe ones. Shall we play a game, brother?"
BLOODJUICE-9 twitched, then slammed his head into the wall, leaving a dent. "YES. PUZZLES. YES. BLOOD PUZZLES. KEYS INSIDE THE BONES."
BJ whispered to Serena, "...I hate him. I hate him so much."
The console lit up: FINAL PUZZLE: BALANCE THE MADNESS. PUT THE MASKS IN ORDER.
Four grotesque masks rose from the floor: Comedy, Tragedy, Rage, and Emptiness. Each glowed faintly, shifting colors.
The challenge: place them on the wall in the correct order, according to a hidden pattern. But every time the originals tried, Serenity and BLOODJUICE-9 interfered, laughing, switching masks, licking them (why??), or smashing them against the floor.
Serena growled, "Would you stop licking the props?!"
Serenity tilted her head 90 degrees, eyes wide. "But the mask tastes like... fear."
BJ shouted at BLOODJUICE-9, "Quit bashing your head against the wall and help!"
BLOODJUICE-9 screeched, then immediately grabbed the "Rage" mask and wore it backwards, running in circles.
The console timer ticked down. Serena snapped. "We're never gonna finish at this rate!"
That's when Serenity stepped closer, crouching low, her eyes glassy. She whispered: "Here's a hint... you must wear the masks yourselves. Feel them. Let them whisper the order."
Against their better judgment, Serena and BJ each grabbed one. Serena put on the Tragedy mask, and was instantly flooded with visions of her failures, her fears, her betrayals. She stumbled, gasping. BJ tried the Comedy mask, and suddenly couldn't stop laughing like a lunatic, tears streaming down his face. The clones cackled in unison. "YESSSS! NOW YOU SEE!" But as the masks glowed, the order became clear: Comedy → Tragedy → Rage → Emptiness. The balance of madness itself.
BJ ripped off his mask, still giggling hysterically. "S-Serena, put them up before I lose my actual brain!"
Serena shoved the masks into place with shaking hands. The wall pulsed, then split open, revealing the fourth key. The room went dead silent. Serenity and BLOODJUICE-9 stopped laughing. Their smiles froze. Then, slowly, they backed into the shadows. Serenity whispered, "We'll see you again... when you're finally broken."
BLOODJUICE-9 screamed static until his body fizzled into smoke.
The console went dark. BJ collapsed to the floor, panting. "...Never. Ever. Speak of this again."
Serena clutched the key, pale and sweating. "...Agreed."

The chamber door hissed open, revealing the grandest room yet. A massive puzzle lay in the center: a colossal mechanical brain, pulsing with neon lights and gears, wires coiling in every direction. The final piece, a gleaming antenna was perched atop, guarded by a rotating gauntlet of platforms, laser beams, and... of course... a few overly enthusiastic clones. BJ groaned, cracking his knuckles. "Well... here goes nothing."
Serena gave him a sharp look. "Focus. We can do this, for Raymond."
Shaquana and DJ Rusty Nuts flanked them, each ready to assist. Shaquana muttered, "I've never actually wanted a clone to stab me... but today feels like that day."
The cat clones, Whiskerena and Claw-J, immediately leapt onto the rotating platforms, swatting at laser sensors and batting dangling wires out of the way. One of the platforms wobbled violently, and Claw-J yowled. "My balance! My dignity!"
Velour and Machismo-3000 pranced into position like they were on some robotic fashion runway, theatrically pressing buttons and dramatically flexing. "Observe, mere mortals! We shall clear the path with style!"
Serena muttered, "Style isn't gonna stop these lasers."
BJ snorted. "Yeah, but it's entertaining."
The group worked in chaotic harmony. BJ calculated timing for the spinning platforms. Serena used her wrench to redirect a few lasers. Shaquana and DJ Rusty Nuts pulled levers with precision. Meanwhile, Whiskerena and Claw-J chased stray floating gears like it was a game of cat-and-mouse. Velour leaned over, dramatically blowing hair aside while Machismo-3000 caught falling bolts mid-air like a goddamn acrobat. "Almost there..." Serena panted. "Just one more rotation and—"
A rogue laser nearly roasted Claw-J, but Whiskerena slid under, swiping it away with a triumphant flick of her tail. BJ dove, using a hoverboard platform they'd jury-rigged, reaching the antenna piece just as the mechanical brain shifted. Sparks flew, panels clicked, and the room vibrated. BJ held the antenna aloft. "Got it! One for Raymond!"
Serena ran over, hugging him. "We... actually did it."
Velour and Machismo-3000 posed dramatically beside the piece. "Victory is ours... in every sense of the word," Machismo-3000 said, flexing.
The clones looked at each other, then slowly, one by one, began to nod. Whiskerena and Claw-J purred their approval and jumped into a side portal shimmering blue. Velour twirled, Machismo-3000 bowed, Shaquana winked, and DJ Rusty Nuts gave a mock salute. Serena sighed, bittersweet. "Goodbye, everyone... thank you for helping us."
BJ clutched the antenna piece and gave a small grin. "We survived... mostly intact. And we didn't get murdered by our own clones."
A soft glow surrounded the room as the clone projections vanished one by one, leaving only Serena and BJ standing among the scattered puzzle remnants. Serena brushed her hair back, her hands trembling slightly. "Raymond... we're coming. All of you."
BJ placed a hand on her shoulder. "And this time... we'll get the rest. No more clones, no more puzzles... well, maybe a few more. But mostly just Raymond." They shared a brief smile, taking a moment to breathe. The antenna piece hummed faintly in BJ's hands, like it recognized them, like it was one step closer to being whole again. The warehouse door swung open. Outside, the sun was rising. Their journey wasn't over yet, but for the first time in what felt like forever, they were ready.