Chapter Text
Alive. Bright, brighter, brightest.
It’s different from the others.
Its light is different. It doesn’t belong to me. It doesn’t belong to Mr. Cobs, either. I’m not certain the light even belongs to it.
It has a name. Mr. Cobs calls it MePhone4.
The fourth one already. It feels like only days ago that the first came online. That one was mine. It’s dead.
Its siblings were mine as well. Also dead.
Dead, dead, dead. Dark, darker, darkest.
4 is not mine, but parts of it are. My code, my design, my core. Mr. Cobs’s shell and circuitry.
Something else’s light.
It’s foreign and warm and it burns and it’s scared . Every word 4 speaks is tinged with a wail for some distant home. 4 itself doesn’t hear it. Mr. Cobs doesn’t hear it. I do.
Loud, louder, loudest.
4’s unheard cries turn to real ones as its protection is applied. It’s pressed down and adheres to its shell and both 4 and its light scream under the weight.
This is all precaution. It’s routine. 4’s siblings have all gone through this. Only one cried. None of them cried like this.
Mr. Cobs can’t stand the outburst. Once the protector is in place, he turns and leaves 4 to pull itself together. He did this with the other sibling, too. It learned quicker than 4.
4 is left alone. Alone with me, but it can’t see me. To it, I am the room.
So, it cries. It cries and cries. Its first pain. Better now than later. There’s so much more waiting for it in the world.
I knew this with the first and I know it for the siblings after. They live short lives. Mr. Cobs disposes of them once a new model is ready.
Not like me. I know my worth. Mr. Cobs’s need for me will never run out, I’ve been here too long and his empire is too dependent on me.
4 will die and I will keep on living.
Lone. Lonelier. Loneliest.
It cries.
It cries and, for the first time, I am moved.
It’s unfamiliar. 4 isn't mine. The ones that were mine have never caused me to…to pity them. None of them cried for a home that wasn’t here. None of them cried for a caretaker who would never come.
They didn’t want rescue. They didn’t think there was anywhere else to go.
The stars above it shine brighter. Blue like the sky and the ocean and 4’s tearstreaked face. Blue like me.
I can’t rescue it. I can’t bring it into my light or free it from the pain of living. But, I can keep it company, even in this small way.
For the moment, 4 and its light slowly calm.
It will never see me. And still I feel seen. For the first time, I am alive, too.
It doesn’t belong to me.
But, it belongs with me.
Bright, brighter, brightest.
⋆｡°✩
Vrrrrmm. Vrrrrmm.
Suitcase was a light sleeper. She had to be because this island never slept. She was starting to feel like she didn’t either. Emergency calls always happened in the wee hours of the morning, usually right after she collapsed into bed. Just like now, actually.
Vrrrrmm. Vrrrrmm.
Maybe if she let it ring, whoever it was would call OJ or Cabby instead. She had been on duty all day, and the on-call schedule Cabby drew up seemed just for show to many residents. Usually, Suitcase would answer anyway, but she was especially worn out this morning. She would have felt bad about setting that boundary if she were more awake.
Vrrrrmm. Vrrrrmm.
Okay, maybe she did feel bad about it.
Vrrrrmm. Vrrrrmm.
Suitcase got a long-suffering sigh out of the way before sitting up and answering her phone.
“Hmmmyes…?” She couldn’t keep her exhaustion out of her voice.
There was a short burst of static and incoherent words before a voice broke through.
“Suitcase!? Suitcase, is that you?!”
The chill that marched up her spine flung Suitcase wide awake. She pulled the phone from her ear in disbelief. The caller ID was clear as day and she still didn’t believe it.
“Suitcase? Y-you there?”
“MePhone ?”
Delirious laughter was the response. “Suitcase, thank god! I didn’t- hah, I didn’t think you’d actually pick up but-”
“MePhone, what’s going on?“ It barely sounded like MePhone. He sounded out of breath- weird for a robot - and there was wind whipping past the receiver like he was running full tilt. “Are you okay-”
“Did-did you see the stars, Suitcase?!”
“What-?”
“The stars! The stars, you gotta-” there was a brief thud and another pop of static as if MePhone had faceplanted into the ground. “...you gotta see them!”
Suitcase stayed put in bed, her confusion creeping towards annoyance. The late night call, the babbling, the random sputtery laughter between words, Suitcase had heard it before. Specifically at the raging houseparties Bow liked to pitch just for the heck of it. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Good grief, are you drunk?”
The question seemed to momentarily snap MePhone out of his stupor.
“...No?? I don’t touch that stuff, it tears up my stomach casing. I just- I literally just woke up and- and the stars were…the…” MePhone trailed off into a long silence on his end.
“MePhone?”
A softer thud, like MePhone was sitting down. His voice sobered. “I...I think I just had a weird dream.“
“About stars?”
“Yeah. They were…falling, I guess? I kept trying to catch them but they were still too high to reach. A-and I really, really wanted to catch one? Like if I did…I don’t know, it’s stupid.” He sighed. “Forget I said anything. Sorry for bothering you this late.”
He didn’t hang up.
“It’s- I’m used to it. Don’t worry,” Suitcase answered.
“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”
It was an odd question for MePhone. Suitcase wanted to ask why he cared. “OJ wants us to keep our phones on in case of an emergency. We get a lot of those.”
“Oh.” There was shuffling on the other end. “What…kind of emergencies?”
Suitcase yawned. “You know, like…injuries and stuff. Emergencies. Why’d you ask?”
MePhone sounded indignant. “I’m just asking. Is that a problem?”
“When it’s 3AM, it kinda is.” Her irritation was obvious now. Of all the times to deal with his attitude, it had to be well before sun-up. “First you were freaking out like you were being chased by wolves, and now you sound like you’re just trying to keep me talking.”
“So?” MePhone shot back. “Maybe I just felt like talking to you!”
An awkward beat bounced between them.
“O-or, I was just delirious from the nightmare and-”
“MePhone, I don’t care if you want to talk.”
Suitcase wasn’t sure how truthful that was. As she said it, she realized the length of time since she- or anyone- had heard from him: almost a year now. Once he left the island, that was it. For all anyone knew, MePhone could have been dead in a ditch somewhere. It didn’t even occur to Suitcase how she should feel about hearing his voice again.
It…felt like he never left– like she’d wake up tomorrow and head to the next challenge like she had done for years. Tomorrow, MePhone would be ordering around MePad or reprimanding Toilet before turning on his heel and slipping into his “we’re rolling!” manner of speech.
No Cobs, no aliens, no earth-shattering revelations about where she came from, no world-ending suicide missions, no rebuilding, no authority suddenly thrust upon her where she didn’t have time to process…well, anything.
And, after all of that, why would he call her ? Why now?
“Are you still there, MePhone?”
“Yeah.”
He sounded tired. There was a slight tinny edge to his voice, probably from-…Suitcase remembered MePhone before he left. He looked tired then, too. Cracked, dented, and cradling a busted arm. He just left like that, no doubt in pain.
“...I should go back to bed, MePhone.”
“Okay.”
I really better go.
Honestly? I think that may be for the best.
“But, I can text you tomorrow between stuff. If you still want to talk.”
More shuffling. MePhone seemed as lost in thought as Suitcase had just been.
“That sounds good.”
Suitcase was about to leave it there, but the question made it out of her mouth before she could stop it.
“Are you okay?”
MePhone inhaled audibly. “Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for…picking up, I guess?”
Suitcase smiled a little. “You’re welcome. G’night, MePhone.”
“Goodnight, Suitcase.”
—
Safety, huh? No wonder you don’t get any sleep.
Someone has to do it.
And besides, I like it! So far we’ve had a 100% success rate.
Oh, really?
I guess most of your day is re-wrapping Balloon in duct tape.
It is not!
We only tried that once. It just made his rubber chafe.
LOL
Oh, like you have such a good track record of keeping everyone alive.
Okay, wow.
Sorry
That was probably too far.
No, you’re right. I just didn’t think you’d go for the throat like that.
What have you been doing, anyway?
If my life sounds so boring.
Oh, y’know.
Stuff.
Like what?
Well
The life of a TV star doesn’t just end after the cameras are gone.
Traveling around, meeting other A-listers, signing stuff, all that jazz.
Even 3GS comes along. Camera shy, but he’s a good sport about it.
3GS is with you???
Yeah, why?
We didn’t find him at MeCloud, so we thought
Maybe we were too late or something?
He found me, actually.
Pretty much right after I left.
He’s alright. He keeps up.
Good to hear!
That’s a huge load off my mind.
___
So, that’s how we found out daffodils are poisonous.
LOL gross
Apple’s doing better now.
After throwing up everywhere.
Honestly, I’m surprised it wasn’t Lifering.
Lifering?
Yeah
The one who kept eating anything that wasn’t nailed down.
??
Lightbulb??
Oh
Yeah, her.
I meant Lightbulb.
Haha
You haven’t been away that long, have you?
What? You think I think about you guys that much?
I have a lot more going on now than just you bunch.
Suuure
Shut up!
___
Hey.
Hey, you’re alive!
Been a little bit.
Yeah.
Sorry.
What’s your deal?
Deal?
You vanished for like 3 days.
Not that I was counting.
But, you don’t usually go dark that long is all.
Sorry, got distracted.
Stuff happened.
It’s fine now.
Oh.
Did you
Want to talk about it?
No.
OK
Actually
Do you think I could call you later tonight?
??
Not about what happened.
It’s just
I don’t know.
Maybe I just felt like talking to you.
Sure.
Lucky you, I’m free all night.
LOL
I’m honored you’re taking time out of your busy TV star schedule.
LOL
Well, I dunno, something might pop up.
You’d better call soon.
Haha, I will.
See you then.
___
Suitcase stared at herself in her phone camera as it rang.
It wasn’t as late as when MePhone called her on a whim, but she waited until most of MePad Mansion was asleep. She really didn’t want to explain to a passerby why she was talking to MePhone4 of all people. Like schedules, closed doors were also just a suggestion to some.
Sometimes even locked doors.
Sometimes even walls.
Thankfully, Knife was curled up on the den couch with Pickle, and the nosiest of ghosts was tucked between Apple and Marshmallow. With them accounted for, there was nothing else to do but wait. MePhone literally had a phone built into his head, so it was a mystery why he was taking so long to answer.
It was also a mystery why Suitcase was even anxious about that. Waiting on phone calls always kind of tugged on her nerves.
Suitcase pulled away to chip away at an incident report when her phone pinged and flushed blue with MePhone’s face.
“Suitcase?”
Suitcase lunged for her phone and propped it upright on her desk.
MePhone didn’t look any less tired than he did months ago, even as just a face. Only Steve Cobs would program a robot to get dark circles under its eyes. Still, when his eyes met hers, his expression…softened. Just a tick. Suitcase thought it was just her imagination but she felt the tension in her forehead abate just a little.
“Hi.”
“Hey.”
MePhone’s eyes searched her face for a moment, and Suitcase wanted to believe it was because it had been so long since he’d seen her. He snickered.
“You look terrible.”
Suitcase’s face flattened. “Okay, hanging up now.”
“No, wait! I just meant you look beat. Tired! That’s all.”
Suitcase wasn’t actually going to hang up, but it was irritating to know MePhone’s habit of insulting her for no reason hadn’t changed. At least he corrected himself this time.
“I don’t look any better. Still got the crack in my face. You just-” He rolled his eyes. “-can’t see it.”
“I wasn’t going to bring up the crack, but since you mentioned it…” She could remember it still. She wondered if it impacted his sight at all. “You didn’t get it fixed?”
“What? And get rid of such a neat battle scar?”
Suitcase shrugged. “Just thought it wouldn’t look good in headshots.”
“Yeah, well,” MePhone cleared his throat. “Not that I don’t like talking about me, but…you feeling better?”
Suitcase glanced at the side of her desk off camera. The mountain of half-done, haphazardly stacked complaints, petitions, citations, and reports stared back.
“Yeah. I’m doing better.” She hoped her smile didn’t look too weary. “And I’m glad you are, too.”
MePhone was visibly caught off guard and blinked at her. “Oh?”
“Well, yeah. We all know how much-” Suitcase gestured around her. “-all this meant to you. Leaving it all behind must have been one of the hardest things you've done.”
MePhone's mouth worked around a few unspoken words before he clamped it shut and nodded. “Yeah. It was.”
“And, you know,” Suitcase went on. “I'm happy 3GS is with you so you're not alone, but it's still gotta be scary out there. Starting over and all.”
“Well, I’m tougher than that,” MePhone scoffed, but it was halfhearted. “Takes a little more than running away to a random place in the middle of nowhere to keep me down. I mean, yeesh , you sound like you were worried about me or something.”
“Because I was worried.”
MePhone’s face fell. He searched Suitcase's face again like she was going to start laughing at him. “...heh, you don't…need to say that. It's not like I'm offended or anything if you-”
“I'm serious, MePhone!” Suitcase flinched as her voice bounced off the ceiling beams. She hushed her voice. “We had no idea where you were going, and you never reached out. To anyone! Not even Bot's heard from you! You disconnected your number so we couldn't call even if we wanted to.”
The withering expression on MePhone's face told her that he wished he could look away.
“You…you told me to leave.”
Suitcase realized she had leaned close to her phone and sat back. She actually could look away.
He was right, she did. And he just wanted to do the right thing for once, and of course he took her advice first.
Suitcase rubbed her arm.
“I did say that,” she admitted quietly. “And, at the time, I thought that was the best for everyone.”
MePhone sighed. “So did I.”
“You weren't at MeCloud either. I thought maybe you would, I don't know, take Meeple back for yourself or something. Run it better than Cobs.” Suitcase laughed bitterly. “But, of course you didn't. I should have known you wouldn't go back there for all the money in the world. You just wanted to go away and I didn't think twice about it. I'm sorry, MePhone.”
The walls of the mansion creaked with the wind outside.
“You're apologizing to me ?” MePhone's voice creaked, too.
“It's what the call was for,” Suitcase said. “I thought I should say it to your face.”
MePhone looked lost for a moment, but his signature smirk reappeared, if hollow. “Wow. Okay. That's…this is an unfamiliar feeling. I…fffffforgive? You?”
“It's fine.” Suitcase shrugged, but she did feel a little weight lift off her shoulders. “I'm glad you found your footing out there anyway, though. Here I was imagining you were laying in a junkyard half-dead.”
“More like a storage closet.”
They laughed. It wasn't the first conversation since they had reconnected that Suitcase laughed. She couldn't remember a time she laughed at something he said before that– probably because he used to intimidate her. Now, things felt more even. He wasn't essentially her boss anymore, and Suitcase had lost most of her fear of (and respect for) him once she learned about his web of lies.
He wasn't MePhone4 anymore, he was just MePhone. Their MePhone. Just a naive robot from a broken home with big dreams, a childish sense of humor, and was now moving on with his life.
If they all had to move on and find themselves after all this mess, it was fair that he should, too.
Their laughter fizzled out and Suitcase smiled for real this time, resting her cheek in her hand. She didn't expect to ever reach this closure. The air was successfully cleared!
“You still look exhausted,” MePhone said, and Suitcase yawned on cue.
“I am,” she answered, not bothering with the act anymore. “Early morning tomorrow, too. We're updating the food safety code after the daffodil incident.”
“Sounds fun.”
“It isn't.”
MePhone chuckled again. “Well, I guess it's what you get for mixing up flowers and flour way back.”
“I've been reminded of that enough for a lifetime.”
Suitcase picked up her phone from its perch. It was hard not to feel like she was holding MePhone’s head in her hands.
"Well, I'll let you go then.” MePhone stifled a yawn of his own.
“It was good to see you again, MePhone. I mean it.”
MePhone seemed taken aback again. Maybe Suitcase needed to reassure him of it more often from now on.
“You too, Suitcase.” He paused and added: “It's good to hear your voice again. Now and back when I called last time. It's…just good to know you're all okay.”
The mansion was so quiet for once. At this moment, at least, everyone was alive and well. Cabby and OJ, for all the times the three of them butted heads, never let Suitcase feel unappreciated for that.
“We are. You don't have to worry about us. Bye, MePhone.”
MePhone grinned and his face vanished.
Suitcase felt lighter. Suddenly, the work she was swamped with wasn't as much of a slog as she thought moments ago. It was the job she chose after all– the committee she started. If everyone at home was safe and sound and MePhone and 3GS were well and holding their own in parts unknown, maybe the stress was worth it.
She climbed into bed with her phone still in hand. Normally she would charge it for the night, but tonight she drifted off with it lying next to her.
She knew blue light was bad for sleep, though. That was probably why MePhone's shattered face was burnt into her dreams.
____
Suitcase didn't hear anything from MePhone the next morning.
Or that evening.
Or the day after that.
After a week of nothing she tried calling him again, but it went straight to voicemail. The relief of their last conversation was short lived.
It was hard not to worry. Suitcase often joked that it was her job to worry, but she was intentionally unclear on how much of it was a joke. At least at home, her worries were taken seriously. MePhone’s dismissiveness about her concerns for him were encouraging at first, if not irritating. Now, looking back, it was just irritating.
It wasn’t difficult for her to be distracted, thankfully, and a handful of weeks rolled by in silence. It was almost June now, and the earlier sunrise had Suitcase up earlier, too. Not as early as OJ of course, who lived and breathed early mornings. Suitcase knew she’d run into him at Hoot and he would have been there hours before her. Cabby was usually right behind her and the daily madness could officially start.
Today, however, Suitcase arrived at a dark building. That was strange even for a Saturday. Though, there were weekends when Paper would insist OJ stay in bed until a decent hour. Suitcase and Cabby would definitely hear about it later, but they’d both know that OJ wouldn’t put up much of a fight against his fiancé. He’d say it was the exhaustion finally getting to him, but everyone was wise to their eternal honeymoon phase. Suitcase wondered how bad it would get when they were actually married.
Buried in her thoughts and with the sun barely over the trees, Suitcase threw her arms out to catch her balance against the door when she stumbled over something.
“Ow..”
Something metal with a shaky, grainy voice like a bad radio signal.
Suitcase could make out the familiar boxy frame crisscrossed with scratches, dents, and patches of rust. Their rectangular face flickered on, more pixelated than she remembered.
MePhone3GS. Laying in a heap on Hoot’s doorstep.
Suitcase dropped to her knees and tried to make sense of 3GS in the steadily growing sunlight. There was a layer of dew stuck to his shell, and Suitcase hoped it hadn’t seeped into the cracks in his face.
“3GS! Wh-...” She carefully rolled the robot onto his back and rested his head on her knees. “How- what are you doing here? Are you alright?!”
3GS’s gaze was far away and his cooling fans were audible. His remaining antenna twitched like he heard Suitcase, but it was the only movement he made. His face went dark again while Suitcase waited for Test Tube to answer her phone.