Hall 17

43 : Metal

Test Tube sighed, looking at the test's summary. Or, well, what there was of the summary so far. The gemory was taking unreasonably long to test on, and so far it was nothing new. Yes, she now knew what made it shine that electric blue shade, but what about what was inside? What made those visions go through an object's head every time they came in contact with it?

She rolled her shoulders, checking the time. Oh, she had pulled an all nighter, of course she was more irritable than usual. On the night after the trip as well. Maybe she should just wait until tomorrow, she was tired.

No, she shook that thought away immediately. She couldn't waste any time, she didn't know how much longer she had left until she'd have to leave. They knew what she had done, and she couldn't stay for much longer. If she went to sleep, she may as well be admitting to having a death wish. Not that she did, of course.

She went back to the analysis, her mind kept on checking it. The anticipation felt like it was killing her. Right now, they were analyzing the elements inside the gem. Nice, that would be useful to know in the future, especially for safety precautions and such.

Maybe she was checking it too often, and that's why it felt like it was taking exhaustingly long. A watched pot never boils, after all. She took a step back, keeping the phrase in mind. Science was one of her biggest interests, but it felt like a drag sometimes. She sat back, listening to the quiet mechanics doing their job.

...She heard something. She listened a bit closer. It sounded like metal, as if part of the machine had fallen onto the floor. Was there a problem with the test? She looked closer, but it seemed to be running normally, but she heard that sound of metal again, making her unsure. It was a familiar noise, but not in a comforting way. It irked her as she tried to find out where it was coming from.

Where had she heard this before? She was tempted to stop the test to listen closer, but she knew better than to. Instead, she searched her memory for where she recognized it from.

Trophy. It was the same sound that had echoed through the laboratory's halls when he had broken into it. And now, someone else was trying to get through. This quickly? Test Tube thought she'd have at least a day, but apparently not.

There was no time to think about it though. She unlocked the door behind her, walking into the next room. She grabbed a wooden baseball bat off the wall before walking out, not bothering to lock it behind her. She did, however, lock every other door behind her instead.

The banging sound got louder and louder with every door, something that was familiar with Test Tube already. Eventually, she realized she was in the room they'd enter next. Great. She walked close to the door, but not close enough to get hit by it once it opened.

It shook again, and the sound of metal falling onto the tiled ground beneath filled her ears one last time. With one swift motion, the door swung open. Test Tube didn't even look at who it was, swinging the bat as soon as she saw the door move.

A hit, accompanied by some screaming. She looked down to see who it was. Apple was laid beneath her, with her head dented inwards and a hammer in her loose grip. A mixture of blood and juice flowed from the twitching body's wound. There was no way she'd be alive after a hit like that, not directly to the head at least. Oh well, it's not like she'd feel much. She barely had a brain to damage anyways.

Test Tube looked up to see where the screaming was from. There were two other objects, and neither of them did she want to see. Marshmallow was frozen in place, her face distorted in fear. Paintbrush stood next to her, looking as if they might begin to run any second. Based on what had just happened, they would. Test Tube couldn't let that happen though.