[ PROJECT: OBJECT MENTALITY ]

• CHAPTER 5 •

[ It had been about.. half an hour, since the whole ordeal between Knife and Test Tube. The vibe of the room had swapped from curious or tired, to painfully, awkwardly, quiet. Mic was not sure if she could handle this, it shook her to her core, thinking of what she had seen right before her eyes.
Test Tube was not normal, surely not. That fierce flame in her eyes as she brutally used a serum on Knife. It felt inhumane.

The cold tiled floor was beginning to ache her feet, and her hand stung from the cold air in the room brushing against her open wound that had a sloppy number eight carved into it.
Microphone felt like a disgusting lab rat in a testing cage, surrounded by people she knew, yet felt so distant from. It was uncomfortable. It only made her mind go even quieter, to make it worse.
She wanted to hold her head and yell, to beg for mercy from the crazed psychopath that was Test Tube. Nothing would work though, and she knew that quite well, from what she'd seen.

Even then, Microphone would take any chance to kneel and just pray to anyone to listen to her desperate calls.

"You.. look stressed." Microphone recognised the voice quite well, it was her. "Oh- yeah yeah, I'm all good!" Microphone tried to comfort Suitcase and assure that she was fine, but Suitcase clearly did not buy it.
"You have been standing in place for ten minutes.. not to mention the overwhelm on your face."
"Well- so what? You would be pretty glum too, wouldn't you?" Mic hugged herself, giving Suitcase a doleful look. "I- I am, of course I would be." Suitcase looked back at Microphone with a similar, gloomy expression. "Mic, I'm right here, and it's not like you have anyone else to talk to from the looks of it.. it's best we stay together, you know?" Suitcase tried to force a hopeful smile, but it felt really fake.
"..I guess." Microphone sighed lowly.

Mic slowly gave Suitcase a growing, sincere smile of appreciation, but it quickly changed to a look of anxiousness when she noticed Test Tube walking to the middle of the room. Suitcase read her face like an open book, and scurried behind Microphone while eyeing the scientist.
"I think that is.. everyone." Test Tube said, clasping her hands together as she looked at everyone with her bubbly grin. It was as though she had completely forgotten what she did earlier. "Once you all have settled into the potion's effects and abilities, I will return shortly." Test Tube turned her back to the subjects, making her way to the door.
"Also.. try, to not misbehave. I have made it clear that will not be welcome. And I am watching you lot." She finished, opening the door with a code. She walked out, and the door closed right behind her.

"EuGH.. those potion drink thinga-majigs were weird." Fan shook his head with a sickly look. "Yeesh. I can tell." Paintbrush nodded, looking at him in a concerned way. It was quiet again. For a minute or two (that's at least what it felt like to Mic..), it had been a deafening silence that allowed Microphone's worries take over again as her mind wandered.
What did Test Tube even mean by settling into the potion's effects and abilities? What was this stuff going to do to them? She had a drink of something green, oh no, no no no. Well..
Maybe it was a good thing? She would get super hearing? The ability to fix this quietness? What if it only made things worse? Whatever it was, Microphone could only hope it would not torture her as much as she had already been from what she witnessed.

"Do you guys think Test Tube has lost it? Surely I'm not the only one." Yang chuckled. Cheesy grumbled. "I mean.. it feels kinda mean, but you're not wrong. I don't think Test Tube would do this if she hadn't gone m-"
"Stop.." Fan interjected, with a sulk. "She- I- you all probably stressed her out is all." He tried to justify her actions, which made Yang begin to laugh. "Fan, get a grip. She's gone coockoo!" Yang said through his laughing. Microphone began wishing the silence would come back.

"You don't know that! Test Tube always has good morals and purposes for everything she does, and it's wrong for you to-" Fan felt a hand on his wrist, and he turned around to see Paintbrush, who gave him a small shake of the head. Fan opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He gave up and slouched over, growing silent.
"Test Tube doesn't plan on letting us out anytime soon. Something feels really wrong.." Cheesy rubbed the back of his head, while Paintbrush gave them a glance. "You're only noticing this now?" They asked. Cheesy shrugged. "I mean.. not like in.. well- ..it felt suspicious at first, but now? Yeah."