Chapter

Woody stared sadly at the closed grate.

“Good going, Woody. I thought they’d never leave,” said the Prospector.

Woody didn’t respond. Instead, he wandered over to the TV to watch the end of the Woody’s Roundup episode that was still playing. The TV Woody was singing, and the song trickled through the grate, where Buzz paused to listen for a moment before turning away with a sigh.

On the TV screen, a shy little boy was pushed onto the stage. He slowly approached TV Woody. Then the boy hugged TV Woody with all his might.

Woody looked down at the sole of his boot. He scratched away the new paint until the name ANDY showed through. He shook his head with a sigh and then stood up. “What am I doing?” he asked himself. Then he ran past the Roundup gang, heading straight for the vent.

“Buzz!” he called. “Wait!”

“Woody? Where are you going?” asked the Prospector nervously.

“You’re right, Prospector. I can’t stop Andy from growing up, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

“No!” said the Prospector with a gasp.

But Woody had already lifted the grate. “Buzz!” he yelled.

Inside the vent, both Buzzes turned. “Yes?” they asked.

“I’m coming with you!” shouted Woody. Andy’s toys let out a cheer. Woody began to climb into the vent, but then stopped. He had an idea.

“Wait,” said Woody. “I’ll be back in just a second.” He turned on his boot heel and ran back into Al’s apartment. “Hey, you guys!” he called to the Roundup gang. “Come with me!”

“What?” asked Jessie in surprise.

“Andy will play with all of us, I know it,” said Woody.

“Woody, I—I don’t know…I…,” Jessie stammered.

“Wouldn’t you give anything just to have one more day with Emily?” asked Woody. Jessie didn’t know what to say. “C’mon, Jessie. This is what it’s all about—to make a child happy. And you know it!” He turned to Bullseye. “Bullseye? Are you with me?”

Bullseye eagerly licked Woody’s face.

“Good boy. Prospector, how about you?” Woody turned to the Prospector’s box—but it was empty.

Suddenly, the toys heard a sharp clang. They spun around to see that the Prospector had slammed the grate shut and was using his plastic pick to tighten the screws.

Jessie gasped. “Prospector?”

“You’re out of your box!” said Woody.

“I tried reasoning with you, Woody,” said the Prospector, “but you keep forcing me to take extreme measures.” He finished tightening the screws and walked back to his box. He stopped at the TV remote and slammed his pick down on the Power button, turning off the Woody’s Roundup episode.

“Wait a minute!” said Woody, a realization dawning on him. “You turned on the TV last night, not Jessie!”

“Look, we have an eternity to spend together in the museum,” replied the Prospector. “Let’s not start off by pointing fingers, shall we?”

“Prospector! This isn’t fair,” said Jessie.

“Fair?” asked the Prospector, raising his voice. “I’ll tell you what’s not fair: spending a lifetime on a dime-store shelf, watching every other toy be sold. Well, finally my waiting has paid off, and no hand-me-down cowboy doll is gonna mess it up for me now!” The Prospector flung his box into the special packing case.

Woody ran to the vent, pulling on the grate. “Buzz! Help! Guys!” he called.

“It’s too late, Woody,” said the Prospector. “That silly Buzz Lightweight can’t help you.”

“His name is Buzz Lightyear!” shouted Woody, struggling to open the grate.

“Whatever,” said the Prospector. “I always hated those upstart space toys.” He jumped into his box and closed the lid.

Bullseye joined Woody at the grate just as Andy’s toys appeared on the other side. They all struggled to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“It’s stuck,” said Woody. “What do we do?”

The two Buzzes began pulling on the grate. “Should I use my head?” offered Rex.

Suddenly, the lock on Al’s apartment door began to rattle.

“It’s Al!” cried Woody. Jessie and Bullseye jumped into their cases as the door creaked open. Woody had no choice but to fall limply to the floor.

Al burst into the apartment. “I’m gonna be late,” he mumbled as he gathered up the Roundup toys and put them in the green suitcase before grabbing it and heading back out the door.

Andy’s toys watched in horror as Woody was taken away. “Quick! To the elevator!” cried Buzz. The toys raced down the duct, both Buzzes leading the way.

“Hurry, I can hear it coming!” called Buzz. The toys rounded a corner and then stopped in their tracks.

Riding on top of the ascending elevator was Zurg. “So we meet again, Buzz Lightyear,” he growled when he saw Buzz. The elevator came to a stop.

“It’s Zurg!” yelled Rex. “Watch out, he’s got an ion blaster!”

Zurg fired at New Buzz, who jumped into action. He leaped over Zurg and landed on top of the elevator. Then he aimed his laser at Zurg and fired.

“Ahhh!” cried Zurg. He continued firing his ion blaster at New Buzz, who moved swiftly to avoid the assault. The pair were engaged in heated combat as the elevator began to descend again.

“Quick, get on!” Buzz called to the rest of the toys. They jumped onto the elevator roof, where Buzz spotted the emergency panel.

“The emergency hatch! Come on!” Buzz shouted. He ran to the panel, motioning to the other toys to follow him.

Meanwhile, New Buzz continued to battle Zurg. Pop! Pop! Pop! Zurg fired his ion blaster—which really shot out Ping-Pong balls. New Buzz took cover behind a generator box, where he found several metal washers. He hurled them at Zurg, hitting him in the face.

“Ahhh!” Zurg cried. He grabbed New Buzz by the throat and began to bang his head against a metal fixture. Then Zurg lifted New Buzz over his head, spun him around, and threw him to the ground. New Buzz lay flat on his back as Zurg approached him menacingly.

“Surrender, Buzz Lightyear. I have won!” boomed Zurg.

“I’ll never give in. You killed my father,” said New Buzz.

“No, Buzz. I am your father,” said Zurg.

“No-o-o!” screamed New Buzz.

Rex scrambled down from the top of the elevator and ran up behind Zurg. “Buzz, you could have defeated Zurg all along. You just need to believe in yourself!” said Rex.

Zurg raised his blaster to New Buzz’s head. “Prepare to die!” shouted Zurg.

“Ahh, I can’t look,” said Rex, covering his eyes. As the dinosaur turned away, his tail hit Zurg, knocking him off balance. Zurg teetered on the edge of the elevator and then fell, plunging into the darkness.

“No-o-o!” yelled Zurg.

Rex peered down into the elevator shaft. “I did it! I finally defeated Zurg!”

New Buzz looked down after Zurg. “Father!”

Meanwhile, Buzz and the other toys had managed to slide the elevator’s emergency panel open. Inside the elevator, Al stood impatiently with his green suitcase.

While the others held on to his rear end, Slinky lowered himself into the elevator and dangled behind Al. He unlocked Al’s case and spotted Woody. As the elevator reached the lobby, Slinky began to pull Woody out of the case. But then the Prospector appeared and pulled Woody back in just as Al stepped out.

Overextended, Slinky sprang back into the elevator—and the other toys came crashing down on top of him. They all ran after Al, but he got into his car and drove off before they could reach him.

“How are we gonna get him now?” asked Rex.

Then they spotted an idling Pizza Planet truck.

“Go, go, go!” Buzz shouted, rushing the toys to the truck. He stopped when he noticed New Buzz chasing a ball as it sailed through the air. “Are you coming?” he asked.

New Buzz caught the ball and then threw it back where it came from. “No,” he replied. “I have a lot of catching up to do with my dad.”

Buzz looked up to see the ball hit Zurg right in the head. But Zurg wasn’t fazed. “Good throw, son. Go long, Buzzy,” Zurg called to New Buzz. Then he raised his ion blaster and fired another ball.

“Oh, you’re a great dad!” New Buzz shouted as he chased after the ball. “Yippee!”

Buzz gave New Buzz a Space Ranger salute. “Farewell,” he said, then raced to join his friends.