Chapter Text
For the seventy tally marks scratched into the sofa, it had been Cabby's job to gather resources. And she hadn't complained either---she did have the most storage space. As of now, she had food collected that would last her teammate and her god-knows how long.
She wheeled down the empty paths, past unfeeling displays and discarded food wrappers. Her wheels squeaked with every spin, and she didn't really realize how loud that sound is until the only other sound is the buzz of the fluorescent ceiling lights. And the clopping footsteps of another being.
She saw a flash of yellow from between shelves. The slow gait and robotic movements told her it was an employee, and she gasped and hid behind a display wall. But the employee was dead silent, save for its footsteps. It sauntered calmly in a perfect straight line, paying no mind to Cabby---who, at the moment, looked a bit like she was a part of the display.
She held her breath as it walked by, until she noticed it wasn't hostile toward her, or even noticing she was there at all. She had seen objects die to the hands of employees just like this one, with its pale, squishy skin and faceless hunger, but this one seemed peacefully mindless. Cabby wheeled toward it, suddenly fascinated. Perhaps she could gain its trust in some way. And if she domesticated this one, that meant she could domesticate more. Maybe she could protect herself with them.
She forgot all of that when the lights crashed off and its non-existent teeth sunk into her arm.
It was so strange, all it did was whip around and slam its empty face at her forearm, but she felt the exact sensation of being bit and saw scarlet blood welling at the wound. She shrieked and yanked her arm away, injuring it more, and bumping into the display wall in the process. She knocked a lamp over, right onto the employee's head, which seemed to anger it more, because it roared its catchphrase and barrelled toward her.
She backed up as fast as she could, unable to make a sharp turn and escape due to her wheels. She tried her best to snag an opening and escape, but its hand wrapped like a vice around her wrist, and the momentum yanked her to a stop and made her topple over with a deafening metal THUD. Its teeth clamped down on her steel sides, making dents, and she couldn't move no matter how hard she tried.
Eventually, she gave up trying to escape, feeling pain radiate through her body with every attempt at a bite, until suddenly there was a loud CLANK and the employee slumped over. Behind it stood a taco, with a lamp in its grasp, that they had clearly used as a blunt-force weapon. Breathing heavily, they approached Cabby, heaving her up with a grunt of effort, and gently grabbing her hand seeing the blood gushing from her arm.
"Come with me," she said. "I can lead you to safety."
Taco dragged Cabby over to a pile of bedsheets adorned with purple lights. She lifted one of the sheets to let Cabby in, and inside the fort sat a lollipop, a drop of water, a red block... and Silver?!
"Cabby?" he exclaimed incredulously. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same of you!"
"You two know each-other?" asked the lollipop. "Are you both from the other show?"
"The superior show," corrected Silver with a sneer. Lollipop scoffed and turned away.
"I thought I didn't recognize him," Taco murmured to herself. "Anyway, I'm Taco, this is Lollipop, Teardrop, and Blocky. And I guess you know Silver Spoon. What's your name?"
"Um, Cabby," she replied. Blocky and Teardrop greeted with a wave. "Nice to meet you guys."
Taco approached Cabby with a first aid kit and started patching up her wound. The medicine stung like hell, as Cabby's wound was dangerously deep, and she was only just starting to feel it due to the adrenaline. She had to hold back hisses of pain.
"You have dents, my dear," observed Silver, hands approaching the wounds in Cabby's side.
"They're fr- ach-! they're from the employee," she managed in a strained voice. "Don- don't touch them. Weirdo."
"I wasn't going to," he huffed, turning away with crossed arms.
"Cabby, did you have anybody you were teaming up with?" asked Blocky, and Cabby's stomach sunk. The food she was collecting was for her teammate. He was probably wondering where the heck she was.
"I- I did, but I totally forgot, I got so distracted," she spluttered.
"Hey, relax," said Taco, finishing up the bandages. "Just stay here for the night. I'm sure they won't mind."
Cabby's shoulders sunk, and she shifted so the pillow she was sitting on was more comfortable. The group of objects conversed amongst themselves, but she stayed quiet, just letting her mind wander. She was tired, she realized. Her chest felt scratchy. Her wheels hurt. The dents ached. Her arm stung. Soon she couldn't hear their voices anymore as her mind drifted away into a world full of paper stars.