18:00

43 : Secret

Test Tube looked down at the limp body below her. She could feel his breathing against her arms and through the cloth held against his mouth. It felt subtle compared to its previous state, but she could feel it. If it weren't for that, she would've thought she killed him.

She gingerly set Trophy onto the grass below, the relief of his weight coming off of her immediately setting in. The sight of him lying down unconscious felt oddly familiar, in an unsettling way. She ignored the feeling that sunk into her gut, looking away.

Had he come here before without her noticing? He found her new entrance quicker than anyone should be able to. Had the hotel tried to send scouts over? That'd be one explanation to Knife and Trophy's sudden appearance. But why would the hotel pair them of all people together?

Test Tube shook her head. She wouldn't know any of this, she didn't have any way of knowing what the hell the hotel was conjuring up. Whatever it was, it couldn't be too coordinated if this was what they sent over.

In slight paranoia, she looked back over at her base. Unsurprisingly enough, nobody was there, but it didn't hurt to be cautious. She should've locked it before coming out to do this, and scolded herself for not doing so.

She looked back over to Trophy, who was obviously still laying on the grass. She kneeled next to him, trying to find any clue as to why he had been sent over. Besides for the handle he had taken off and the new scars along his arms, there wasn't much noteworthy.

...Or maybe not.

Her eyes nearly skimmed over it, but she spotted something traced along his face. She reached towards it, grabbing the thin wired piece.

Upon being taken off, Test Tube could see it was some sort of mouthpiece. A communication device of some sort, not one with a ginormous range but a communication device nonetheless. It made sense, she did swear she had heard him talking.

She equipped the piece, sliding it onto the side of her vial. She didn't dare to say anything, though she listened intently. Unfortunately, all she could hear was radio static. Whoever was on the other side must've been wise enough to shut it off.

She groaned, but it wasn't that big of a problem. There wasn't much she could do if she did happen to contact somebody else anyways. She stuffed the communication device into her coat's pocket, just in case.

Her hand hit a familiar weapon in her pocket as she did. Ah, right. She nearly forgot she had grabbed a gun to bring along in panic. Technically, it had been helpful, but not with Trophy particularly.

To make space for the headpiece, she pulled the weapon out, replacing it with the aforementioned device. This time, she stared at the weapon instead.

She hadn't been fully paying attention to what she grabbed. All she had been looking for was a long range weapon. In her haste, she had barely realized the model she had grabbed. This model in particular was pink, and almost looked like a toy gun in that fashion.

She had made it as a remodel of another gun, of which she was almost certain was stolen and/or destroyed by now. Though she had to say, it was much more useful than its ancestor. Instant evaporation was much nicer than simple incapacitation. More dangerous, but she knew how to use her tools well.

Taking out Knife hadn't been a problem thanks to her choice of weapon, even if it was mostly luck. She had been more hesitant to kill Trophy, however. She couldn't quite recall if he had ever been added to the Revival Center again or not, and she didn't want to take any risks. Speaking of which...

Her head once again turned back to the unconscious body. Nothing had changed, though that was to be expected. She had done too much to turn back now, so she'd just have to go through with this. Besides, it didn't exactly hurt to have spare parts along.