Mikey's nap had gone well into the night. He finally awoke around five the next morning. He'd slept for twelve full hours yet he still felt exhausted. He spent most of his morning playing on his Gameboy Color. Then he worked on Toby for a little while. He decided to skip breakfast, not feeling very hungry anyway.

When he reactivated Toby, the AI pointed out how late in the day it already was. "Have you even eaten yet today?" Toby asked.

"Not yet," Mikey admitted. "I haven't been that hungry, though."

"You still need to eat something," Toby pointed out. "And you need to stop cooping yourself up in here all the time. Once I'm in my body, I'm gonna drag you around everywhere and force you to socialize."

"How did you become so extroverted?" Mikey wondered aloud.

"Human interaction is important," Toby said. "I know that much and that's enough to convince me that you need more of it. Listen, it's almost time for lunch. Go to the cafeteria and eat or I won't stop bugging you about it."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "So bossy," he muttered.

"I swear I'm going to turn you into an extrovert if it's the last thing I do," Toby vowed.

"That's not really something you can change so easily, but if you do manage it, I'll have the lab guys upgrade your body to have lasers."

"Oh, it's on now!" Toby said excitedly. "Hope you're ready to become the most popular guy underground!"

Mikey regretted going to the cafeteria for lunch. He sat at a table by himself as usual. He looked around and noticed that Arin was also sitting alone.

That's really weird, Mikey thought. Where's Jon or Natalie? He's usually chatting away with them.

It was almost unnatural to see Arin alone, and he almost considered joining him until Arin suddenly left his food at the table. Mikey was just noticing that Arin held one of those strange devices from Aperture when he realized that he was approaching Amelia and Wheatley in line. More regret seeped into him.

Arin held Wheatley in the air with some unseen force—Maybe with magnetic force? Mikey wondered—and carried the construct back to his table. Mikey's table was just close enough so that he could hear them talking.

"Soon I won't need to be carried around," Wheatley was saying. "I can't wait to be able to walk around wherever and whenever I want!"

"You know this is going to completely change your life, right?" Arin asked with a grin. "Are you ready for that?"

"Of course I am!" Wheatley exclaimed. "I'm ready for anything! I'll be able to eat, right?"

"Yeah, you'll be able to eat and drink and pretty much do whatever a human can do. Aside from using a toilet, that is. You won't have a need for that."

"Ugh! Is it almost done?!" Wheatley seemed to have not heard the last part of what Arin said. "It's got to be almost done, right?! I hate waiting!"

"It's just not ready yet," Arin said as Amelia came up to the table with Nate in tow. "There are still a few details to iron out, but I promise it will be done soon."

"Listen to Arin, Wheatley," Amelia said as she sat down. "You don't want to be walking around in a faulty body."

"But we want him to have the real human experience, don't we?" Arin said with a grin.

Nate sat down with them and they talked about how his arm was doing. Nate praised Doug for his handiwork and Wheatley immediately got annoyed with this. He complained about how everyone seemed to see no wrong in Doug. Mikey was finding Wheatley more annoying every time the bot spoke.

Nate mentioned how Doug had helped him in Aperture, and Wheatley started going on about how livid GLaDOS probably was and how she would kill them if she saw them again. This seemed to make Amelia slightly uncomfortable. Mikey watched as she fidgeted in her seat. Then she suddenly turned to Arin and asked if she could talk to him in private. Mikey's stomach twisted as he watched her and Arin walk off to the side of the room where he couldn't hear. He wished he could've gotten closer to catch what she was saying to him, but he wouldn't be able to sneak over without getting caught.

He watched them carefully as they spoke. Amelia seemed uncertain as she appeared to be asking Arin something. Arin looked slightly troubled by what she was asking, and Mikey almost started grinding his teeth from the anxiety that was rising in him. What on earth could she be asking him that would give him that reaction?!

Their conversation was brief but it ended with Amelia giving him a hug that made Mikey yearn to be Arin at that moment. They returned to the table and Wheatley started to pester them about what they'd been talking about. Mikey silently agreed with Wheatley, wanting to know what had just happened. Arin wouldn't give away any hints, though.

"Oh, Arin!" Amelia suddenly said. "I also wanted to ask you if you want to hang out tonight."

"Sure. I didn't have anything planned tonight."

Mikey looked down at the table and ran a hand through his scruffy hair as Jon finally showed up to their table. I shouldn't have come, he thought. I should've stayed back at my apartment. I wish I wasn't here. I wish I was Arin so I could get hugged like that and have friends and— He tried his best to shake off this last thought. He didn't wish he could be Arin. Arin just put him in a bad mood all the time.

Mikey finished up what little food he'd gotten and hurried out of the cafeteria back to his apartment.