Old Production // Inanimate Insanity AU Fanfic. (ON HOLD)

Lock It Up - 🧪

🧪Test Tube🧪

The halls seemed to echo forever, hard to tell when one sound stopped and another jumped at you again. Footsteps almost sounded like clattering, like dropping your phone onto the bathroom-tiled floor, or something falling off a shelf and shattering on a conveniently-placed desk. It was almost scary how the sound could drown out almost anything. Almost.

Thoughts flood the glass's head as she paces around in the hall outside the large metallic door. It was too bright for her to think. "Okay," she thought to herself. "Just think. 1, 2, 3.. keep counting. Keep calm."

Why did she come here again? She didn't do it often, so it had to be important, right? It must be. "You'd set a word... say the word, remember your reasoning. Something to do with... with something! Think, goddammit, think!.. Magic! Magic.." She stood still for a second to take a breath and collect her memories of the past half hour, before reaching for the door.

"This is it. I'm gonna open it. I'm going to. You can do this. Don't think. Just say and respond. 1... 2... 3." She carefully opens up the door, looking into the slightly dimmer room before her. The shelves either side shimmer in the setting sun, almost blocking her view entirely. She carefully comes inside, putting her hands behind her back as to appear more stable and in-charge of the situation. She walks a few steps, hoping to be heard or noticed.

The object at the desk was nothing short of intimidating, she knew that. She would even admit to being afraid of him at some points, but that's normal. A lot of things frighten her, along with other people. "The only thing to fear is fear itself", but that seemed like a self-doubt paradox itself to her and she did her best to avoid that.

The man had yet to look up from all of the paperwork scattered across his desk.
Unevenly.
It made her almost uncomfortable to see it all flung around misorganised like that. You'd think a businessman like him would at least sort it out himself. She'd gladly do it for him, she'd gladly get it sorted so she doesn't have to worry anymore, but he didn't care a bit.

But she was losing her train of thought. If one more thing distracted her, she thought, she'd forget why she came here again. "Magic. Remember. Magic."

"Sir?" She shivers internally a little from talking out loud at the moment, but not much else she could do about it. The Boss looks up at her through his furrowed brows, a rested but harsh look on his face. She pushed her hands together behind her back to prevent them from shaking.
"Something has come up and we'd like you to know about it?"

"Ah, Test Tube. My best engineer, best inventor, my... second-in-command?" The praise is given out in a sickeningly sweet tone, and a painted smile, before it drips off the core's face again.
"What have I told you seven times about coming into my office unannounced?"
She pulls one hand up as unconscious motion as she corrects him. "You've told me six times, sir-"
"What have I told you!?" The yelling cutting her off causes her hands to go behind her back, although pushing them together didn't do anything special at this point.
"I'll allow it."
Test Tube sighs as he speaks quieter again.
"What did you need? Are you here to give up another weapon?"

"No, sir. It's about the... gifted subject on the negative floor. The one you're trying to absorb the energy from?"

He raises an eyebrow, placing down the papers in his hand. "What about her?"

"It seemed like she's been stopping our machines from getting any sort of readings or answers from her. We tried hooking up two absorber tubes to her but we've gained nothing. Not even any energy.. or magic.. or whatever we're calling it."

"And it took the scientists five days to figure that out?" He laughs. Not in an evil maniacal way, but nowhere near light-hearted. His reaction could be taken either way.

"Yes, sir.. what do you suggest we do?"

"Keep it on her. If she's focusing all her energy on stopping us, she has to give in eventually. Plus, no use taking it off now. Hell, double the input, put in four tubes if you have to. We are taking that magic whether she likes it or not. Keep in on for a good few more days... We'll say three more days. Then we'll come up with alternate solutions."

"Of course, sir. Would you like me to leave and do that now?"

"One more thing." He rests his elbows on the desk, making a motion common in business villains, she thinks.
"That MePhone you wanted to try and repair. 3GS. Is that going good?"

"You... you mean the progress?" She hasn't been working on that project for a while. She worries that she's been found out. "Don't panic. Just breathe. Just think. 1, 2-"

"Why don't you let your work partner work on it as well? You could double the progress, and then you can move on to that task I set for you a week ago?" She could physically feel the passive-agressivity in that question. She despises his use of threats, but also can't help but admire it.

"Of course, sir."

"Perfect, I'm sure you two will do great things with it.. mostly you."

"....Yeah. Mostly me."

"Well? Get to it, then." He waves her off. She turns and leaves him with his messy stack of work and letters to step outside the room again. She gently closes the door, making a mental note. "Keep it on. Keep it on. Keep it on..."
She quickly zips down the hall, toward the staircase leading seemingly infinitely up and down from where she stands. She begins the descent down, looking into one of the mirrors at the end. "...Oh, golly. Your badge was uneven the whole time??" She quickly straightens the branded badge before continuing down.

She'd had a lot to do today, but just one task left until she could do her own thing.