Stranded

Who can It be Now?-Act 6

~Match POV~

My phone is ringing.

I have the urge to roll back into bed and go back to sleep. I had the most amazing dream. It was like, Freesmart and the gang competing in Yoyleland. Pencil and Bubble were right beside me again.

Ruby and Book were talking about the competition or something. In dreams it's hard to remember audio, you know. Everyone was there except... Except Ice Cube.

Maybe that's symbolism. I dunno. Like, why am I even ranting right now? Talking about Pence-Pence makes me want to cry, and... I regret everything now. Bubble... Bubble didn't mean any harm. She was just like... What if I just demoted her?

To Bem or something.

But that's what she was talking about, right?

My phone is still ringing. Almost like an alarm. I push myself up delicately and pull it off the receiver. See! I know my goddamn terms Firey.

"Hello?" My voice is more crackly than Pop Rocks. It's blatantly obvious that I just woke up. The other line is silent for a moment, and I listen in, turning the volume up all the way. Then my ear suddenly explodes.

"Hi Match!" Their voice is high pitched, I can't quite place it, "I'm here to rescue you!" It's not Needle, Its got a different tone. I'm analyzing their voice so much I don't even catch their words.

"W-What?" I exclaim quietly, my voice cracking in the process.

"Yep, all the captives!" Is that... Is that... They wouldn't help me. I was horrible to them. But at the same time.

"Naily?" I ask quietly, and I hear a approving Mmhmm!

The first person I had talked to from the outside world in possible months... Was Naily?!

~Taco's Perspective~

Firey is ranting again. Taco feels bad about it, he just seems so anxious all the time. She is barely able to get a word in in between his dry sobs. She has to ask him about the solution. 9 letters... 9 letters?

"Firey, can you please tell me what you think?" Taco begs him, and Firey turns to look at her with defeated eyes.

"Right, right... I'm sorry." He thinks for a moment, "Maybe it's somewhere in the USB?" He looks to the drive clutched in my hand.

"The only computer in this place was... Broken by Ruby." She fidgets with it in her hands. Firey looks down.

"Really? Is that what..." He gulps, "The experiments were about?" Firey scratches the coffee table with his hand. Taco pauses for a moment, her conversation with Remote and Book didn't explain much. Either Remote was lying about the blockage, or there was no hope.

"Hiding evidence? Maybe." I eye the moldy coffee splattered on his floor. He exclaimed something about his floors not having 'Suction Carpets.'

The walls in the hotel were very thin.

"Do you think anybody has a computer in their rooms?" Taco asks, Firey thinks for a moment, his hand on his face.

Lightbulb!

Their faces light up.

"Match does!" Firey sits up and grabs Taco's hand. They rush up the 2nd building to Match's room. They decide against the elevator. When they arrive they notice a Do not Disturb sign on Needle's room.

"That wasn't there before, right?" Taco turns to him with worry plastered on her face. Firey shakes his head.

"Come on, this is probably more important." Firey knocks at Needle's door, "Needle...? Needy!" He grins at his cleverness. Faintly behind the door is... Nothing. Firey shakes at the door knob, twisting and turning. Yet to no avail.

"She might still be in there." Taco peeks through the peephole, but it's one sided, "Maybe the do not disturb sign is serious." Firey stares at her, before taking his hands off.

"Right. You're... You're probably right." He turns to Match's door, and Taco pulls out the USB. Something is brewing inside Firey's mind, but he doesn't mention it.

"Match?" He knocks on the door, and after a few seconds Match peeks through. She sighs softly before unbolting the lock.

"I should probably-"

"Match good news we-"

They pause, and motion for the other to finish. Eventually Firey continues.

"Taco got a USB from Book! You have a computer, so if you could check the file for a... For a possible code." The three walk into Match's bedroom. Its shaded to be monochrome green, like the matrix.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I have to get back to the phone." Her voice is raspy, and Firey hears muffled talking from the phone. Coiny maybe?

"Who's the person?" Taco sits at the desk. There are several monitors, it almost mirrors the laboratory's setup. What if this room was originally intended for the torturer?

"You don't have to believe me, but it's Naily." Match leaned back into her bed, "She called me this morning, and I've been, like, explaining a few things."

"Naily?! Really?" Firey scratched his head, "I guess it's possible somebody could hack into the signal. I don't really know much about computer stuff..." He puts his hand to his chin in question.

"Maybe we should ask GB about this?" He sits down on a bean bag chair next to the desk. He doesn't bother to question why a bean bag chair is in such a professional room.

"Hey! Match, put me on speaker." Naily buzzes from the other end. Match sets down the phone and presses speaker. There's a few seconds of ambient computer clicking.

"Thank goodness I tapped this line!" Naily sighs before tilting back up, "You know, people have been looking for you guys for... Ages..." She laughs nervously, Firey tilts his head, catching a bit of terror in her voice.

"Ages? A month and a half isn't really enough to file for a missing person." He squints, Taco continues messing around with the computer, before freezing.

"Uhhmm... How should I put this." Naily pauses for a moment, and Taco motions for Firey and Match to look at the computer.

"It's been a year."

~Needle's Perspective~

"Gushing, flowing, bleeding. It pours from my head like a leaky faucet. I can't ponder a thought as to why it's me, but I wonder if I can ever be free."

"..."

"Do I care at all?"

-1045 words. So this one is cool, get those theories popping. From now until the end of Act 6 i'm going to try and update daily. Something to look forward to!-