Into Darkness

Dawn

When the contestants awoke, nothing was clear and everyone was sore.

They were all in what looked like... a break room? A living room, a- oh, no one knew, god, it was too soon to figure anything out. Head's all fuzzy, you understand.

The first thing Microphone noticed was the muffled yelling. It was special yelling, because only she could hear it. Wherever she was, and however she got here, her partner in crime hadn't arrived with her.
Grunting, Microphone winced as she sat up, dragging a tingly mitten across her drowsy face. She glanced around, absentmindedly moving her hand down to wipe a string of dried drool off her cheek.
The others were starting to come to, save for Test Tube and Suitcase, who were already awake and chatting quietly. Microphone, out of habit, pretended she couldn't make out their words.

"It just doesn't feel real! How could Mephone make something so... wrong?" Test Tube shivered and drummed her fingers on the carpeted floor, her eyes flicking back and forth as she tried to process everything running through her mind.
Before Suitcase could offer a word, Test Tube continued. "A-and what if Mephone didn't even make it? What if this isn't a challenge? Is Cobbs punishing us for stealing that battery? Are the star-dwellers trying to get back their-"
Test Tube gasped.
"The egg! I had- I don't have it! Ohh, jeepers, I can't- I don't-...!"
Suitcase grimaced, both at the mention of their little MeCloud adventure, and at Test Tube's increasing hyperactivity.
"H-hey now", she began, "There's no need to work ourselves up..! Maybe.. maybe we just need the others to wake up for this all to be explained, you know? Mephone likes his.. disembodied voices, after all."

A recently-awake Knife snorted from several feet away. "Likes the sound of them, more like."
Suitcase jolted in surprise and turned to smile weakly at Knife as a sort of greeting, as well as... Microphone. She frowned.
Microphone's apathetic wave went ignored and Suitcase turned back to Test Tube, who had seemingly regained her senses.

"I'm... okay, okay." Test Tube started to stand up and glance around warily. "First things first, we don't SEEM to be too affected by... outside substances, so let's just wake the others up to save time."
Knife, at that, immediately elbowed Baseball, who let out a startled yelp. "Done", the bored-looking tool announced.
Test Tube opened her mouth to protest, but stopped as she saw Lightbulb already stretching and yawning as she pulled herself awake.
"Alright, slightly less difficult than I had assumed it would be."
Lightbulb groggily smirked at Test Tube and lazily scratched the side of her head as she sat up. "Takin' me for a heavy sleeper, Tube? You should know that nothing about me is too heavy."
Test Tube blinked and frowned. "I would have a better response if I knew what you meant by that, but for the time being, it'd be helpful if we both focused on our current situation."
Lightbulb groaned and rolled her eyes. "Uuuuuugh, gimme a break, I've been awake for, like, a whole second."
In response, Suitcase huffed and stood up.
"Well, not all of us are so lucky! Come revel in our isolation and misery, I'm tired of soaking it all up."
"Yes, come revel!", Test Tube cheerfully agreed. "The sooner we come to terms with our situation, the sooner we can escape it and put it behind us."
"Isolation. Funny you should mention that," Baseball droned apathetically. Nobody paid him any mind.

Microphone finally spoke up.
"Where are we?"
"Aha! The question of the hour! The big one! Let's think!" Test Tube stopped and snapped her fingers. "Actually, no, let's look! Touch! Smell! Listen!"
"Dibs on taste!" Lightbulb offered excitedly.
Microphone had a feeling that listening wasn't going to do them much good. She couldn't explain why, of course, so she decided to redirect the group's attention.
"Why don't we try that walkie-talkie?"
The contestants, with the exception of Baseball, all turned to look at where Microphone was pointing.
On a coffee table in front of the couch, an otherwise-unassuming walkie-talkie sat patiently. Not literally, of course. The walkie-talkie was inanimate and regular-sized. This is an important thing to note, considering the circumstances.