The Stars Are Projectors

Alone Down There

Everything was so dark. Oh so painfully dark. Just as he processed the darkness, 3GS gasped, air filling his metal lungs for the first time in ages. His eyes shot open and darted around the room. He was still in the small dark storage room. The same one he had been locked in for who knows how long by now.

"Thank goodness you're awake." 3GS turned to see the source of the voice he was very much familiar with. It was Mecintosh, on a shelf right next to him.
"I-.. I see you're here too..." It felt strange to speak again, especially with his voice having a slight tinge of sound glitching that 3GS hated.

"Yeah... Last time you were up was when that 4 model found us here..." Hearing this information made 3GS' mind race. 3GS had no memory of waking up before now. His last memories being when he was first locked up in this cramped room, which he would rather not recall right now.

"How long ago was that?" 3GS finally asked.
"I am not sure.. my internal clock isn't accurate anymore. It could have been months ago, maybe even years." Any small hint of hope about possibly being rescued from the storage room, or even anyone else knowing he was in there, left 3GS. The now familiar silence fell upon the room.

He didn't want to stay longer, he couldn't stay longer. It was probably going to be useless like the many times before, but he had to try again, he couldn't sit there and live with himself knowing he didn't at least try.
3GS wobbled standing up. He hated that such a simple task, like standing, felt like a struggle. Then again he couldn't remember the last time he stood up.

It was slow and agonizing, learning to walk again and making it to the door. 3GS knew Mecintosh was watching his every move, but that wasn't important right now. When 3GS got close, the unthinkable happened. The door opened. 3GS felt like crying so many tears from just a small glimpse of the hallway outside.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mecintosh suddenly asked, stopping 3GS right in his tracks.
"Where would you even go? You and I both know he won't be happy seeing you just walking about."
3GS had to take a moment to process Mecintosh's words. The Idea of having to even see him again made 3GS panic, but should he let that fear consume him so bad that he lets the one chance of escaping leave him?

"I.... I have to at least try." 3GS turned back to the door.
"Alright... Good luck." Mecintosh said warmly as 3Gs finally left his supposive eternal prison. The halls were structurally similar but also much different now. It was so quiet, and empty. What happened while he was in that closet? 3GS had to put that thought to the side for now. He had to get to one of the airships as soon as possible. Yet he still found himself with Mecintosh's words played on loop in his mind. Where would he go? The question plagued his mind, but he knew there had to be someplace where he would be welcomed. There just had to be.

3GS finally made it to the large airdock right behind Meeple Headquarters. There were still some ships docked, but no way to tell if any were fueled up and ready for immediate flight. That wasn't going to stop 3GS as he made his way to one of the small solo ships. It had been so long since he had to pilot any of the airships, but it shouldn't be too hard to get a hang of again right? It just had to be.

He made it over to the ship's helm, and with surprisingly no struggle, the ship powered on. 3GS thanked whatever deity had to have been watching over him for this stroke of luck. There was no turning back now. He was escaping, after so long he was getting out. It almost didn't feel real. As the airship sailed off into the night sky 3GS' mind looped back once again to Mecintosh's words. It was going to be tough, but there just had to be somewhere he can go to.