Intro To Existing Again

Waking

He remembered the other two MePhones. Or well, he sort of remembered them. His memories had grown fuzzy and unclear over his time in the storage room. He recalled that they were his brothers, and that they were obliterated by spears, but other than that, and a few experiences he had recorded, he didn't really have anything.

"Cat got your tongue, huh?" The woman smiled patiently at him. "That's okay, I understand how overwhelming this probably is."

He slowly sat up. His joints felt stiff, and the way he moved felt painful and unnatural. He didn't remember movement being like this.

"You may be wondering where you are and why you're here. I am Test Tube, and this is my laboratory. I took you from Meeple Headquarters, and now you're here. I have repaired nearly all of your damage, and have even waterproofed you completely. Also, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about that crack on your face. I'm currently unable to get my hands on a replacement for your screen."

"Re...paired..." MePhone3GS' voice sounded distorted and glitchy. He didn't like that.

"You're probably very confused right now, which makes sense. You've been unconscious for an awful long time."
"How long?"

"Well, I don't have an exact answer but I'd say at least... seven years? Eight?"

"EIGHT?"

MePhone3GS immediately regretted shouting like that, but he couldn't control it. How else would someone react to the fact they had been comatose for nearly a decade?

"Possibly," Test Tube stated. "Jarring, I know. Now, MePhone3GS, correct? I need to explain to you where you are."

He didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything, really. He just nodded weakly at Test Tube. Not knowing where on earth he was other than a laboratory was stressful.

"My laboratory is constructed on Inanimate Island, inside of Hotel OJ."

"...Island... Hotel..?" MePhone3GS didn't recognize the names of these locations. Were they new? Had he been dead long enough for people to not only discover a new island, but construct civilization on it?

"Long story short, I know a guy named OJ, and he won a competition show, so he used the prize money to build a hotel. That show is over now, and the former contestants live in this hotel. Which, now that I'm saying that, it sounds really sad."

"Were you on the show?" MePhone3GS asked, not even thinking about it. He assumed that since Test Tube apparently lived in Hotel OJ, she would've been on this competition show.

...

What was a competition show?

"I was!" Test Tube smiled. MePhone3GS was slightly surprised at how she shifted her tone from so professional to so casual and cheery. "I was on the second and third seasons."

"And... there's... a hotel." He mumbled, not to anyone in particular. He was just processing the information he was given. Processing things felt slower than usual. He was so tired. Why was everything so achy? "I wanna sleep..."

"Really? You just woke up."

"I'm tired."

Test Tube closed her eyes and nodded.

"Let's get you a hotel room," She walked over to the bed MePhone3GS was on. "Would you like to come with me? Or would you like to stay here? I can bring you your key if you want."

MePhone3GS was put off slightly. He had options. Why did he have options? When was the last time he had a choice in his actions? Surely it was something like choosing which snack he'd get as a reward for completing a task. That felt a million years in the past.

"Um, I..." Why was he talking like that? He sounded dumb. "I think... I'll stay here."

Test Tube nodded and smiled before walking to the door.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," She told him. "Feel free to get up and look around. Just make sure to follow the Science Rules!"
She pointed to a poster on the wall, then left, leaving MePhone3GS alone with his thoughts.

He looked at the poster Test Tube had pointed to. It had a short list of weird rules on it. Easy enough to follow. He wasn't an idiot. He'd conformed to much longer, much more complicated lists of rules before.

As much as the bed in this lab was comfortable, he thought that he should probably try to get up and move. Laying around like this was inefficient.

He hauled himself out of bed, only for his knees to lock up, causing him to nearly topple over. He was barely able to catch himself on the curtain set up beside the bed.

Oh right. He hadn't walked or even stood upright in years. He couldn't even describe how weird and unnatural it felt. He felt so... disconnected from his own body.

Still, he needed to walk. He knew how to do that. He surely still remembered how to do that. What idiot would forget how to walk? It was a basic skill that he'd known since the moment he was built.

...

How was he supposed to do this again?