The Breaking Point

[1] Cracking [1]

.............

"gAH-!"

Nickel's laughter echoes in her ears as she stares up at him. He'd popped out from under the dining table to scare her. Test Tube lets a sigh escape her lips.

"Hahah! You should've seen your face!" The armless coin rolls back to laugh harder. The science vial pushes herself to her feet. She glanced back at her spilled acid on the floor. That's going to be a pain to clean up.

"... hilarious."

"C'mon, you gotta admit, that was a good one. I mean... the way you fell over-" Nickel bursts into more frenzied laughter. It echoes painfully in her ears, an obnoxious sound. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Contain yourself, Test Tube. Today is not a day for violence.

.............

"Woah, calm down, Testy. It's not that big of a deal. I mean, it's just a plant."

"A plant I've been meticulously caring for and studying for months now! It's not just a plant!" She feels the angry tears welling up as she kneels down, attempting to salvage the plant in its shattered pot. Knife leans over her, an incredulous look on his face.

"Why were you keeping it up here, anyway? Seems irresponsible." He scoffs, arms crossing. Test Tube looks up at him with a glare before taking a deep breath. Contain yourself, Test Tube. Today is not a day for violence.

"This type of plant needs lots of natural sunlight. My emulator is down right now so I had to bring it up here to get it sufficiently fed." She cradles the slowly wilting plant in her hands. She'd gotten attached to this one. She named it Constantine.

Knife just rolls his eyes with a shrug. He turns on his heel and walks away without another word.

.............

Today has been awful.

Test Tube was not having a good day.

It's been incident after incident after incident. She was sure that one more thing and she'd—

"Oh, Mic! I never asked but I just remembered this last night and have been meaning to ask you!" Suitcase's high voice sings. Test Tube watches as the baggage skip over to Microphone. She can barely contain her scowl.

"Huh? Oh, what's up?" "Well, how did you get up to Cobs' spaceship anyway? And how did you get down?" Test Tube swears her nonexistent heart stopped. She feels her eye twitch as she stiffens.

"Huh? Oh- uh- th- that? That was... um... it... I... uh... s- snuck onto Test Tube's rocket. I know, not a great thing to do, but I just... wanted to help out! Y- yeah..."

That's it.

She can't take tonight anymore. Everything is too much. They're all too loud. Their voices all blend together into white noise as the rage builds.

Test Tube slams her hands down on the table, standing up. She doesn't care about the looks given to her. She ignores Paper's worried questioning. She ignores everyone. She ignores the painfully guilty expression on Microphone's face as she storms out of the living room.

.............

The wet grass crunches under her feet. The moon shines overhead. What's left of the telescope- her telescope- is covered in a layer of dew. The Paralyscope is leaned against it.

Test Tube leans on the stand for the telescope, staring up at the moon. She remembers nights when she and Fan would sit and look at the stars, talking about this and that. They haven't had a night like that in a long time, where they chatted and laughed together. Where they would debate the existence of aliens. Test Tube feels stupid about her claim of alien life not existing, looking back on it.

She's snapped out of her fond reminiscing as she hears footsteps behind her. She turns and sees the one face she didn't want to see right now. She sees the face of the person who stole her equipment from her, who stole her chance to redeem herself from her, who stole her very life from her.

Microphone.

"... hhhey, Test Tube..!" She smiles awkwardly. It quickly fades, however, as she continues. "... I'm- I'm sorry, I know you... we're almost there, you could've won, and I... I took that chance from you."

"Yes. You did." Mic visibly tenses at the scientist's tone, cold enough to freeze hell over. The former rockstar opens her mouth to speak but is cut off.

"Why did you lie to them?" Test Tube turns her body to face Mic, to see the shock in her eyes. "I know you didn't sneak onto my rocket. If you did, you'd know damn well that it wasn't Cobs up there. Why did you lie to them? Why do you keep lying?"

Microphone is stunned. Test Tube's eyes stare into her. The silence is heavy. The tension is suffocating, filling their lungs and closing their throats. Finally, Mic begins to speak.

"... it- it's because I'm scared. I... did bad things, and I just- I don't want them to know that! I'm finally getting better, I'm-"

"Killing me, paralyzing my best friend, and causing terror to an innocent community is getting better?" Test Tube's hand tightens into a fist as her eyes narrow. The taller of the two sputter before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"No- okay, I know I've done awful things and I've made mistakes, but I'm really trying. You don't have to forgive me, I wouldn't forgive me either, but... please, just hear me out." She waves her hands as she speaks.

"Nothing you say will justify what you did."

"I know that, I'm just-"

"You're making excuses. You hurt me, you hurt my friend, you hurt so many beings, you—"

"It was Taco, not me!"

The two froze as the words hung in the air. It was too late to back down. It's now or never.

"... Taco and I were working together. She gave me advice and directions to... to win. She had me go up to do that so I could win."

So she could win.

So she could win.

Isn't that hilarious? So she could win.

The other words meld together. Test Tube can't discern them apart and she doesn't care. All she sees is Fan's paralyzed body. All she can see is the terror on the Shimmers' faces when she died.

"... so you did all that... to win..?"

"No! Well, yes, but- it's- it's not what you think! It's- I can explain!"

No.

There's no explanation.

Test Tube feels her hands wrap around something cold. She doesn't quite process what it is, but it's heavy in her grasp.

Perfect.

Perfect? For what?—

"T- Test Tube? What are you—"

* CLANG! *

"..."

She's sniffling and shaking on the ground now. She isn't conscious. Test Tube drops the Paralyscope.

"... oh. Oh my gosh- oooh my goodness-"

She collapses onto her knees beside Mic. She places two fingers on her power button.

...

... she's alive. Good, she's alive. Okay, what to do now? What is there to do? Test Tube looks around.

Forest? No, that would be dumb. She'd wake up and find her way back to the hotel and tell everyone. That won't work.

Hotel? No, then people would know she hurt Mic. That would get her in trouble. She can't do that.

Lake?... that's literally murder, no way.

Cave? She'd be found eventually and that would cause even more trouble.

Vending machine?...

...

That works.

.............

[Word count: 1225]