It was a sunny day outside the Playtime Co. factory, and warm light filtered through the high windows of the Game Station. The orphans from Playcare had been escorted up from the daycare level for their scheduled “recreational enrichment period.” To them, it was simply playtime. To the staff, however, these bright, colorful attractions served a far more calculated purpose.

Every minigame in the Game Station was intentionally engineered to measure and shape a specific skill: strength, agility, memory, obedience, reaction time, even emotional responses. Playtime Co. needed each child to develop the capabilities required for the toy they were eventually meant to become. If a child was destined to become a strong, protective toy, they were sent repeatedly to games that pushed their physical limits. If a child was chosen for a fast, acrobatic design, they were placed into trials built around speed and precision. To the kids, it all felt like harmless fun—but their performance was constantly monitored, recorded, and compared against the “requirements” of their assigned toy model.

Despite the factory’s secret intentions, the atmosphere today felt peaceful. Some children were gathered at Statues, giggling as they tried to stay perfectly still under the watch of the glowing red light. Others ran excitedly through Musical Memory, jumping from note to note as Bunzo’s cymbals clattered overhead. A more adventurous group raced along the tracks in Wack-a-Wuggy, squealing as the tiny blue creatures popped out from the tunnels.

Scientists were supervising the kids, and Stella Greyber, the Head of Playcare and Game Station was walking around while interacting with the kids.