"Do you know where all the new objects came from?" Coiny asked while kicking a Bubbly Pop can down the sidewalk.
"Hmm?"
"You know, the ones that entered last night with Pencil. Golf Ball clearly didn't ask them to come, and I don't think Pencil did either."
"Oh, that!" Needle realized. "I remember seeing Pen making a few phone calls while Pencil was out. Could explain why Eraser, Blocky, and Snowball were there. As for Leafy's bunch, I really don't know."
Coiny kicked the can especially hard, sending it straight into an open sewer drain. "Darn. Anyways, I'm glad Snowball is here. He's a cool guy."
Needle scoffed, "Yeah right. Did you see how he treated Golf Ball yesterday? Not to mention- Wait, you meant 'cool' as in a literal sense, didn't you?"
"Heh, good one. But honestly, Snowball's a good guy. He just doesn't like to be called weak, or feel bossed around...or really anything that involves demoralizing his self-confidence."
Yeah, like accepting to go out on a date with him then having lunch with someone else, Needle thought to herself. She wondered if Snowball was still bitter about that.
"Anyways, what did GB ask for? Scientific parts?" Coiny's gaze fell onto a new discarded drink can—tucked away behind a storefront.
She shook the thoughts from her head. "I think so. Do you know where we can find any?"
"Now that you mention it," the copper cent said, "I think I might know a place."
<=======>
"Remind me to never take one of your suggestions again."
A few blocks of walking later, the pair arrived in the shadow of that one skyscraper that she was all too familiar with—Yoyleberries United. Her insides twisted into a pretzel.
"Come on," he reasoned, "it can't be that bad! I mean, it's Yoyleberries freaking United! There's got to be, like, a gazillion science-y things in there!"
Needle scowled. "It's an office building, not a science museum. Plus, don't you remember how much I hate this place?"
He stared at her with a blank expression, as if considering the consequences of such an action for the first time. However, Coiny's flashy smile quickly came back. "If I remember correctly," he replied in a smart-aleck voice, "it's your dad that you have a problem with. Not this building."
"And what difference does that make?"
"Dunno. If you want, you could wait out here and I'll go inside for a quick peek," Coiny negotiated.
Needle sighed. As much as she hated Mr. Needy and the business empire he had built, an ember of curiosity still burned within her. There was so much that she simply did not know about the company, be it from not wanting to know or her father never telling her. Mostly the latter. In his words, 'A young lady has no use in learning the intricacies of business.' Needle had never even stepped foot into the corporate HQ, nonetheless visit the office of Mr. Needy.
"No," she reconsidered, "I'm coming with you."
"Whatever you say, Miss Needy- er, Needle." Coiny opened the door, making a big show of it like a hotel valet. "Lead the way."
To her surprise, the inside was still fully powered. But it was evident that the objects who once came and went had left in a panic. Documents and file folders blanketed the floor in such abundance that Needle couldn't take a single step without crushing a Cease and Desist or tax return with her feet. A handset had been left disconnected from its seat; it beeped annoyingly. A mug had shattered in the middle of the reception room—its contents soaked into the sea of legal papers.
Just one issue—there were no bodies.
Coiny coughed, clearing his throat. "Do you think they were eaten? Or..."
A shiver went down her back. "Hopefully not. I think there were a few vans in the back. Maybe they got away?" she hypothesized.
"An entire office building?"
"Let's try not to think about that."
He nodded. "I agree. Dead stuff is usually bad. Anyways, I'm gonna begin searching for stuff. You can...do whatever you want I guess."
Needle sat down on a nearby ottoman and watched as Coiny hopscotched his way across the floor, jumping over the shattered mug in one swift motion. Once on the other side of the room, he began rummaging through the reception desk, occasionally throwing away a wad of paper or more legal documents.
"Garbage...garbage...garbage..." he mumbled. "Not garbage! Hey Needle, did you know that there's a minifridge in here? And it's loaded with goodies!"
"There is?" she replied, "What's inside?"
Coiny dug into the snack bar. "Let me see...there's some bottled water, yoyleberry juice, Bubbly Pop, OK Cola, and... oh my mint! Score!"
Needle's eyes lit up. "What did you find?"
He stood up, showing off two red bottles in his hands. "They have Dr. Fizz! Do you realize how rare these things are around here?"
She sunk back into her chair, grumbling, "I was never allowed to have carbonated drinks growing up."
"Oh, that's sad." Coiny frowned. "Well, now's as good a time as ever to get addicted to this stuff. Think quick!"
Catching the bottle in midair, she popped open the lid and dribbled a small amount of the dark brown liquid into her mouth. The excruciatingly sweet syrup was nothing like the mild flavours she had been used to in water or yoyleberry juices. The tanginess forced her face to pucker. Even the fizziness—which she had expected from having sparkling water—was an entirely different sensation when combined with the explosion on her taste buds. Like a million tiny thorns poking at her oral cavity.
"That was..." Needle swallowed. "That was something."
Coiny beamed. "Amazing, right? If we didn't have to get the dumb components for Golf Ball, I would take the entire stock here! Say, how about I get all the Dr. Fizz, and you can grab whatever we might find in here?"
"Yeah that was, um, great!" she nervously chuckled. Then, mumbling to herself, "Please never give me this stuff again."
"Nice! I'll stay down here for a while and you can start heading upstairs. We'll meet up at the front door in 15 minutes."
"Sounds good!" Needle gave him a thumbs up, then tossed the bottle into the nearest trash bin the moment Coiny turned his back.
Wishing that Coiny would not notice her Dr. Fizz-free, Needle dashed over to the elevators. They were located in a sort of "elevator tunnel", with two rows of four flanking either side of a wide corridor. At the end of the hallway was another set of doors; a grand total of nine elevators. Old fashioned floor indicators were placed above each doorway—the kind with a scale and a needle (the other kind) that would point at the floor number the elevator car was at. They were all enveloped in decorative carvings of birds, foliage, and yoyleberry branches. The elevator doors were marked with art deco patterns. Lines crisscrossed the metal surface, forging a mesmerizing pattern on every panel. And, as with all things at Yoyleberry United, the only materials present were gold and marble, polished so finely Needle could see her reflection on every wall, ceiling, and floor.
She was about to ask where the elevator buttons were when a laser scanner activated from underneath one of the bird carvings. A red beam traced her outline from head to tip. Then, with a ping noise, the scanner turned off and the first elevator on the left opened its doors.
From a hidden speaker, a robotic voice said, "Welcome back, Mr. Needy."
Top-notch security, Needle contemplated, yet it can't seem to distinguish between me and him.
She walked into the car and it automatically started to climb.
<=======>
"So how did things go?" Coiny asked whilst enjoying a bottle of his favourite beverage. Out of the 14 that she had seen him lug out, 4 had already gone missing.
"It was fine, I suppose," she answered in a drained tone, "found all of this stuff that I don't know the use for." She showed him the stuff she had found in Mr. Needy's office. Two computer chips, encased in a heavy-duty plastic casing. "They seemed important to me."
"Hmm, anything else? You sound pretty tired," Coiny pointed out.
"Yeah..." Needle rubbed the back of her head, "You know, this was the first time I've ever visited my father's office, and I only managed to do it because he's dead."
He stopped drinking the soda. "D-did you see his body?"
"No, but I just know that he's gone. He was really into movies about honour and valour and the whole 'going down with the ship' stuff. And I-" her voice faltered.
"Gosh, I... I really don't know what to say," Coiny stammered, "do you need some space?"
Needle gave a wavering smile. "It's-it's okay. We were never the closest of family, clearly. But he was my dad, and now," she sighed, "I don't even have a family."
"I can be your family," Coiny offered, then stopped himself. "Wait, no, that came out wrong. You know what I mean. Like a friend family, or whatever people call it these days."
Needle giggled. "That really means a lot. Thanks."
"No problem." He squinted at something far away. "Hey Needle, what that barreling towards us from over there?"
"Huh? Oh, you're right! They are coming for u- AH!"
Teardrop skidded to a halt, only a centimetre from hitting Needle. Her face was locked into a look of fear, panic, and annoyance. Her limbs were doing a furious dance of gestures, waving, and pointing.
"TD!?" Needle yelled.
The water droplet nodded at the mention of her name, then continued with her seizure-like motion. Specifically, she was pointing at another dot on the horizon that was moving towards them. Her expression read, Please help me I'm about to die!
Coiny scratched his head. "Do you two know each other?"
"We met two days ago at a park, but that's not important." Needle pointed at the dot—now a blob. "That's important." Teardrop nodded in agreement.
"Well, what's the problem, small blue droplet?" he asked.
"About that... Teardrop can't talk," Needle clarified. "Do you have any paper on you?"
"Why would I have that?"
She grumbled, "Great. I guess we'll just have to rely on first impressions."
Seconds later, the figure had found his way to Needle, Coiny, and Teardrop—who was now sheltering behind the metal medallion. He was a featureless tan block, albeit much thinner than Blocky. More of a slab, really. His arms were reached out far in front of him as if he was trying to catch something running away from him.
"Hold on, I know you! You're..." Coiny snapped his fingers a few times. "Woody! We used to play basketball after school! How's it going, buddy?"
Woody regarded Coiny in a fashion most objects wouldn't when meeting an old friend. He pushed him aside and continued to chase after TD, who had now backed away from Coiny's shielding.
"Stop it!" Needle grabbed him by the arm, restricting his movement.
Woody looked at her with big, empty eyes. "Waah?"
"I don't know what that means, but chasing others without their consent is probably illegal! And if that isn't, it's morally wrong and you should not do it."
"Yeah, Woody. Needle is right," Coiny confirmed. "Also, can you not talk anymore?"
"Waah..." he replied in a softer, apologetic tone.
Noticing the moment of calm, Teardrop walked back to where they were, then proceeded to punch Woody squarely in the face.
"That was slightly uncalled for," Needle noted.
"So, Woody and Teardrop, do you want to come back with us?" Coiny asked.
Teardrop nodded and Woody let out an agreeable sounding "waah".
<=======>
The sun had begun to set by the time they arrived back at the entrance to Golf Ball's factory. From the rays of the setting sun, the clouds ignited in a palette of reds, pinks, and oranges. On the opposite end of the sun, twilight's first stars twinkled out from their sleep. In the middle, an ombre from an inky indigo to a fiery crimson spanned the skies of Yoyle City. A peaceful harbour in ravaging seas. A tranquil island in a turbulent world.
"That walk felt a lot longer than I remember it from this morning," Coiny said between breaths.
"Yoyle City does that to you sometimes. Distances here never feel consistent. Plus, you have been carrying around half a dozen bottles of soda around," Needle joked.
"I've carried," he corrected, "I drank them all back when we were near Stupid Pets. Just get GB to open the door for us so I can take a break."
Needle pulled out the communication device Golf Ball had handed out that morning. "Hey GB, it's Needle and Coiny. Along with some other objects."
The sport globule's voice came in. "Wowzers did it take you guys a long time. Everyone else came back ages ago. Also, what did you say at the end there?"
"We found two more objects while searching for your stuff."
"Things are really filling up here," she sighed. "But if you insist. I'll get the door open."
Learning from their mistake the first time, Needle and Coiny avoided standing on the metal square on the ground while it was opening. Moments later, they had arrived back where they started earlier that day.
"Welcome back!" Golf Ball announced, her eye twitching sporadically. "I'd take it that you have stuff for me?"
"Here you go." Needle handed her the chips.
GB set them down on the ground in front of her, looking over every detail of the parts. Her eyes began to light up. "This is incredible! Where did you find this?"
"Uh, Yoyleberries United? What's so special about some computer chips?"
"I knew that old man was hiding things from me," Golf Ball spat. "To answer your question. These chips are, in fact, the latest generation of mind-reading technology. One encodes the data, the other decodes it." She pointed at each one as she spoke about it. "My, with this, I can finally build that MMR I've been planning for for years!"
"You're welcome, I suppose. Also, meet Teardrop and Woody. We bumped into them on our way back," Needle introduced.
"I really can't right now. There's science to be done! As for you guys, the restaurant quartet has set up a small dining hall in the back. Go grab something to eat."
She gestured towards a buffet-style table next to the guest room Needle had stayed in the night prior—now packed with portable stoves and kitchen appliances. A small line had formed in front of the table, with Ice Cube passing around diner trays that were perched precariously on her head to the hungry objects waiting for a fill of good ol' junk food. Coiny waved at her with a plate of golden fries as he met her gaze. There were also a few new objects nearby she had never met: a very large yellow sponge and a very small grey rock.
"You're not shooing us away?" she asked, focusing back on Golf Ball.
"I was going to," the dimpled ball admitted, "but the discovery of this changes everything! I'll tolerate your guy's presence for a little longer, on the rule that you guys don't disrupt my research."
"Golf Ball?" TB interrupted. "You'd better come take a look at this."
"Later, TB. Can't you see I'm busy right now?"
"...Oh okay. But when you have time, please come take a look. It's urgent."
Over by the computer console, Tennis Ball was looking at some images on the large screens hanging from the ceiling. The scenes ranged from security feeds to spreadsheets to minesweeper. On one of the screens, a red recording dot and the words "Telescope Feed" blinked. The image displayed a large, dark mass that looked nothing like the planets Needle had learned about in school.
It looked a lot more like the intergalactic space stations she had seen in sci-fi movies.