Chapter Text
MeTag entered the room.
3GS looked up from his paperwork. “MeTag, hello.”
MeTag placed a paper on his desk.
“What's this?”
He grabbed it. It was a newspaper. Cobs had been subscribed to the newspaper, rather than watching the news on TV. He had still been subscribed when he died, so now the papers went to 3GS. MeTag usually delivered the papers to his desk.
“Inanimate Insanity Season 4 goes up in flames after the host, Fan, was struck by an unknown force. Reporters claim that the attack was from none other than Poppy, a new contestant on the show. However, Poppy denies all claims, stating he was simply struck by lightning. The previous host of Inanimate Insanity, MePhone 4's, whereabouts are still unknown.”
“O-oh. MePhone really up and vanished, didn't he?” 3GS placed the paper on the desk. “Poppy...The picture showed they were a corn cob. You don't think they're blaming them without evidence, just because of Cobs, do you?”
MeTag shrugged.
“Hm...I wonder how MePhone is doing. I hope none of this is bringing anything up for him. MeTag, can you unsubscribe from the paper? I'll just watch the news.”
MeTag saluted.
“That's all. You may leave.”
MeTag left. 3GS turned in the chair, turning on one of the monitors behind him. Inanimate Insanity, season 1, started playing. 3GS flipped the channel to the news. Currently, the newsman was interviewing Test Tube, who 3GS swore was green last he saw her. She was now a sparkling periwinkle.
“Is Fan doing alright,” asked the tie. “And how has the show been affected by this happening?”
Test Tube wiped some tears from her eyes. “I-I'm sure he's fine. And the show will keep going. It's what he'd want.”
“Do you think Poppy did this?”
Her voice grew slightly shaky. “I...don't know. We don't have any proof. I don't trust them, but we can't just go around pointing fingers. That's what got us into this mess, anyway.”
“Where is Poppy? Do you think I can interview them?”
“They ran off. I don't know where they are, but they haven't been back for a bit. I don't think they want to talk to anyone right now. C-can you leave, please?”
“Of course.”
3GS turned it off. “He'd take this horribly. But I can't just leave him in the dark about this. These are the people he cares about. What do I do?” He sighed and tossed the remote on the desk. “I promised to make Meeple better, and I can't even say anything to my younger brother.” He rested a hand on his face, leaning back in the chair. “Running a business is hard, isn't it?”
A feminine voice spoke behind him. “It doesn't have to be.”
3GS quickly turned the chair back to face the door. A blue number, representing an one, stood by his desk. She had three eyes on the left side of her face, all of them a paled yellow. She had a single arm as well, also on her left. A purple gradient like crystal looked like it had been slowly creeping up her arm. She simply smiled, a hint of unpleasantness hidden behind her cheerful demeanor.
“Wh-? How did you g-get in here?” 3GS stood, opening a drawer. He knew where Cobs kept the knives. He hoped he wouldn't need to, but he would use it to defend himself from the intruder.
“I have my ways.” She slid over to his desk, resting her arm against the counter. “Say, you have something bothering you, don't you? I can deal with that.”
“Who are you?”
“I'm One, and I'm here to help!”
“Help?”
“Yep. You're just getting over the whole Cobs thing, right?”
“How do you know about Cobs?”
She twirled her hand in a circle. “I've been keeping an eye on you.” She blinked, the extra eyes following afterwards.
3GS placed a hand in the drawer.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” She appeared behind him, then kicked the drawer shut, crushing his hand in the process.
He screamed. “Gh...What do you...want?”
“I told you, I want to help! You know aaaaall that trouble Cobs caused? The pain? The...” She poked the impact point of his crack. She applied a bit of pressure to it, making it crack a little more. “Cracks? Don't you wish you could just undo it all? Get rid of everything he'd done?”
“That would kill me, wouldn't it?”
“You're right, if I decided to erase him from existence. But I meant about what you're doing here, right now. I have to admit, it's impressive!” She opened the drawer, freeing his hand. She floated around his seat, grabbing the back of the chair with her hand and turning him towards the monitors.
He rubbed his hand.
She turned on the screens, each displaying something 3GS had done. She leaned close to his seat. “You've done so many great things, MePhone 3GS! You've saved the legacy of Meeple! But...”
The screens glitched into a towering shadow of Cobs, with a dead MePad sitting on the ground in front of him. Poppy appeared on screen, nervously following a smaller shadow of Cobs. Fan in his hospital bed appeared clearly on one of the monitors.
“With some new...conspiracies popping up, that could risk everything! Think about it. Cobs was a horrible, horrible person! And all his problems will come back to bite him eventually, wouldn't it? And with everyone thinking Poppy and Cobs could be connected, and them causing Fan to nearly die, all of that...”
The screens shut off at once, showing 3GS alone in his chair.
“Will go on you.” She floated in front of him. “I don't think you want that, do you? That would destroy everything. MePhone? The same thing happened to him, and look at him now. Broken, forgotten, hated, and alone. You worked so hard for all of this. I almost feel bad for you. Imagine what will happen when all this comes crumbling down. You'll be blamed for everything. Your friends and family will be in deep trouble, wouldn't they? They will be struck down because they sided with you.”
“That won't happen.”
“You think so? But people are so fast to blame anyone they can, aren't they? I should know. Once news gets out that Meeple is involved...Boop!” She jabbed his crack, causing a bit of glass to fall to the ground. “You'll lose everything. You'll be just as you were when Cobs was in charge.”
He couldn't find the words to say.
“But I can help you!” She made a paper appear in her hand, a contract pre-written in a text he did not recognize. “I want to make a deal, 3GS. I can help your legacy. I can get those reporters off your back, so you can protect everything you hold dear. And if you refuse...”
The paper fluttered down to his desk. She floated a bit higher, a blue and yellow glow surrounding her, with a mix of green. The squarish pupils on her yellow eyes glew purple. She grinned, a mad grin.
“I can make your life much, much worse. Want me to demonstrate?”
She held out a leg, and MeTag came crashing through the door. The door shut and locked. She suspended them in the air with her hand. 3GS watched in horror as MeTag deformed, cracking in silent agony. They shattered. One dropped all their little pieces on the ground, then stomped them when she landed.
“I can be a monster when I'm angry. Do you really want to see the extent of my powers, 3GS?”
“What have you done?”
“I just had to show you what happens when you deny my deal, is all.”
“What would you get from this?”
“Not sure yet! But you'll owe me when it comes, that's for sure. Go on, 3GS. Sign the contract. Unless you want to see your new MePad body destroyed next...”
3GS stared at the paper. He couldn't put them in harm's way, not again. But One would likely hurt them anyway, whenever she wanted something from him. His hand was shaking. Looking at her with unfocused vision, she resembled Cobs. The cocky attitude, the shape, even down to the way she crossed her arm behind her. The glimmer in her eyes, the yellow, all of it. She was Cobs reborn. Without thinking, he tore open the drawer and grabbed the knife. He charged her with it.
“I won't let you use me, not again!”
She avoided him. “Not this again!” She kicked him over. “You refusers and your knives! Why does everyone have these, my god!”
He stabbed her arm.
“AAAH!” She stomped his face, cracking his screen beneath the glass. One exhaled sharply, her breath shaking.
3GS tapped a hand to his screen, grey and black dripping from the crack. “C...Cobs...Why...would...you...do...this...?”
One sighed. “I might as well get rid of you now.”
Knock knock.
One froze.
Knock.
“Somebody...help...” 3GS mustered.
One created a rope and tied 3GS's hands together. She repeated with his legs. She taped his mouth shut, then teleported him into the closet. He was used to being trapped in closets, although wondered why One trapped him in his own closet rather than the one Cobs had used.
He heard the door open. A voice came, not from One. It was MePhone 5. 3GS had all the MePhones rebuilt, albeit with some minor changes. For the most part, he just scrapped the aggressive personalities some of them had, giving them their own will, and enhanced some of the later model's computers.
“There was a lot of noise,” MePhone 5 said. “Where's the MeTag that guards this room? And where's 3GS? Why are you in his place?”
One responded. “I'm an...old friend of Cobs'. 3GS had to go out for an emergency meeting. Apparently there are a lot of accusations against Meeple right now. He's working on clearing those up, so he can keep you all safe from what happened...last time.”
“And he left...you in charge?”
“Temporarily. Why? Do you have a problem with it?”
MePhone 5 stayed silent, clearly suspicious.
“What? Do you not trust me? Why were you banging on the door, anyway?”
“I...thought I heard fighting. It must've been nothing. I'll go back to work.” He left.
3GS hoped he would figure One out. One opened the closet and grabbed 3GS. She tossed him into the wall, making his screen bleed and smear.
“You idiot! You're going to pay for this. I warned what would happen if you denied my deal, didn't I? You're going to pay for this.”
She held out her arm, a glimmer of yellow, blue, and green appearing in her palm. She approached 3GS, the glimmer growing bigger and brighter until it engulfed her entire hand. She stopped inches from his face. The glimmer vanished, her hand backing from him a bit.
“Actually...I still want to have some fun. MePhone 4, right? I'll find him for you. You get to live, for now.” She carried him back to the closet. “You can stay here. Hopefully you won't be alone for a long time. Hmhmhmhm!” She dropped him and shut the door. “Have fun in there, 3GS. I'm off to go find MePhone 4. Maybe I can get one of the others to take him here...”
3GS flopped on the door, making a thud.
“What? Want pity? You wish! I never pity ANYONE who denies my deals! Good luck being alone, 3GS.”
She left, shutting the door behind her.