Stranded in Paradise; Welcome Home [An II Au]

Nothing Left...?

Mephone flinched as Test Tube placed a chip into his back. A chip she had previously pulled out to inspect before putting it back in. "Easy, easy. You're okay." Test Tube said as she pat Mephone on the head. The phone sucked in a shaky breath and tilted himself downwards, allowing Test Tube to continue observing his inner coding and mechanisms. Pickle sat to the other side of Mephone, gently rubbing his hand to soothe him. For a moment, there was nothing but the soft hum of the lights and the sound of Test Tube working on Mephone. Pickle's brows scrunched when he saw Test Tube's saddened face. A face of realization, and a face of pure, utter defeat.

"Is...everything okay?" Pickle chimed in.

"No...Whatever Co-..HE did to Mephone, it's taken away practically...EVERYTHING on his home page. His apps, his downloads, his ability to make and receive calls. He...made him completely useless..."

Mephone let out a whimper, causing Test Tube to gasp, "T-That's not a bad thing, Mephone! I'm not saying you're useless like...in a bad way! I'm just saying...His apps are completely unrecoverable. HE must have taken extra steps to ensure Mephone didn't escape or call for help...and if that's not bad enough...without MeLife..."

"We aren't able to recover everyone." Pickle frowned.

Silence. The living room was just filled with agonizing silence. Test Tube began to put the plate back over Mephone's back, pressing it on so she made sure it was secure. "...I'm sorry..." Mephone croaked, his voice raspy and cracking from his crying. Test Tube shook her head, picking up the pink blanket from the floor and wrapping it around Mephone's body. "It's not your fault, Mephone. It's...HIS. He did this to you. HE should be the one to blame for this. For...everything." Test Tube's expression softened, a melancholic stare as she looked down at her lap. "...If we went THERE, we could probably find what I need to fix Mephone. We could take the balloons we used last time to-"

"And bring Mephone along?? You can't drag him into there. He's already had a bad experience with it TWICE. It's literally the source of all his trauma." Pickle said.

Mephone's mechanical heart was racing.

"I'm not going to bring him along! I'll just bring Fan along, he knows enough about Mee-...THERE to find what we're looking for."

Everything was just...

Coming back to him.

His breath quickened, the memories of Meeple.

Everything before.

Everything after.

The way they slowly tortured him.

And the way they broke him.

He could still hear HIS voice.

The ringing in his ears that shortly followed.

Everything he said.

It all made him feel so...

U S E L E S S.

...

He never felt happier when he died.

When he just managed to...