It hurt. 2 had done the best he could, but even with 2's tender handiwork, an occasional residual change would race up through the severed wiring and send fiery little shocks all through 5's frame. The damage to his left socket was shorting out his right optic, making what was left of his vision unfocussed and either too-bright or too-dark. He couldn't stand without tipping over, he couldn't speak without stuttering and slurring and, oh heaven, the pain. Like the whole left side of his head was driven through with red-hot spikes. He lay on the wadded-up tablecloth 2 had set up for him, stiff as an iron strut, fingers clenching and unclenching rhythmically. Somewhere far away in his mind, 5 could hear the others shifting around in their sleep. 2 had spent at least two hours poring over the gaping wound while the Twins hovered anxiously. Eventually, the elder had pronounced that while he could not repair the mangled socket, he could fix the wiring so that it wouldn't be constantly shooting sparks... When he had the right supplies, lighting, and time to go about a delicate procedure without fear of being crushed, shot, burned, or dismembered, that is.

"I'm so sorry, my boy." He had murmured, stroking 5's forehead. "So, so sorry. I wish I could fix you now, and I swear I will the moment I have what I need. Just hold on a little while longer for me and I'll fix everything for you. I'll even fashion a patch for you, lad." He'd said with a wan smile. "You'll look quite dashing. Very roguish." 5 had actually laughed a little at that. The concept of beauty and attractiveness was new to him, but he was pretty sure it wasn't a trait he possessed, even with two eyes.

Two had stayed up with him a while longer after sending the Twins to go get some rest, but 2 had never been as hardy as the rest of them. The day had taken a lot out of the older creature and 5 had, despite his slurred speech and painful spasms, eventually convinced 2 to try and sleep. 2 had protested that he wasn't tired, but had dropped out like a light the moment he lay down at the foot of 5's tablecloth bed, leaving 5 alone with his thoughts and the damnable agony.

The creature called 1 snorted in his sleep and rolled over, the sudden noise making 5 stiffen and arch his spine slightly as another wave of renegade electricity wreaked havoc all down his wiring. He whimpered and wadded up the fabric beneath him in shaking fingers. He could barely move, and they were all so very small in comparison to the Big People and the metal Beasts. The Beasts were hard and sharp and killed indiscriminately, while 5's kind was soft and weak. If they couldn't be fast and cunning, they would all die.

At the moment, 5 wasn't even fully mobile or coherent, much less quick and cunning.

5 wanted his friends to live. They would have to leave him.

The prospect of being alone again frightened him, but he had to be brave. For 2 and the Twins and for these new creatures; 1, 8, 7, and 6. He would tell them to go on without him, that he would only slow them down. It would hurt 2, but it was for the best.

5 started to shake. He was hurting and now he was scared. One half of him knew that the right thing to do would to make the others leave him behind, but the other half was utterly paralyzed with terror. He didn't want to be alone again, not like before… what was that noise?

5 froze mid-tremble. He had heard the tiniest clicking noise and the barest rustling of cloth, not far from where he lay. He wanted to scream, but his voice-box seemed to have jammed for all the use it was to him. The noise was heard again, closer this time. Unable to turn his head or raise the alarm, 5 lay still, feeling as though he was going to snap in two.

"Poor thing, so sorry, so sorry…"

If he could have, 5 would have leapt right out of his burlap at the whisper that had sounded right next to him.

"Oh, it must hurt. How awful it is. So, so sorry."

The voice sounded so sad. Through the haze of terror and pain, 5 realized he knew that voice. It was one of the new ones. Was it… 6?

A blurry outline of something black and white leaned into 5's field of vision. There was an odd tuft on the top of what 5 thought was the creature's head. It was 6.

5 relaxed as much as he could, lulled by 6's murmurings.

"I saw what happened, it was awful. I was scared, didn't want to see you hurt." Pointy, clicking fingers wound themselves around 5's right hand. "Not enough of us already. Didn't want you to die. No, too, too awful for you to die. Little ones said to me, they told me you were kind. You seem kind.
I think you are kind." 6 touched 5's undamaged cheek softly. "So few are kind."

It was perhaps the strangest thing that had even happened in5's short life. This complete stranger petting him and comforting him in his own odd way even as the rumble of machines and gas bombs growled in the far distance.

"Will you live?"

"Uh?" 5 had not been expecting the question. The shape of 6 shifted very close to him and spoke a little louder, right into 5's face.

"Will you live?" The whisper was so earnest, 5 forced himself to answer.

"Dunno. Y-you all hafff… hafta leave me h-herrree." Forming the words was a struggle, and they came out sounding odd, but 6 seemed to have understood. Even with his blurred vision, 5 could see 6's mismatched optics grow wide.

"No!" 6 yelped, cringing when he realized he'd been a lot louder than he intended. "No." repeated, whispering this time. "You would die, no no no, we mustn't leave you. Too cruel, too awful." 6 darted out of 5's view, but less than a second later 5 felt fingers wind around his upper arm and something bony press up against his right side. "Won't leave you. You are too kind to leave, little ones said so."

Oh, as if 5 needed this new hurt. The other creature sounded so sad, 5's kind heart nearly broke at the sound. Still, he figured it was the right thing to do to at least try and explain why he must be abandoned. Poor 6 wouldn't understand if 5 didn't explain personally.

"Yoou haft-ta. T-too dangerous oouut-t-t therrrre for me. I'll slow you all down. You mussst leave me here. I'll be okay."

"No." 6 clutched his arm uncomfortably tight and buried his tufted head in 5's shoulder.

"I want y-you to. I wannnt you all to l-livvve."

"Don't be stupid." 6 snapped. "Not enough of us, not enough kind persons. Won't leave you. Shant."

"B-but-"

"Shant."

And then there was silence. After about five minutes, 5 was certain 6 had fallen asleep. When the sting had momentarily dulled, he experimentally tried to extricate his arm from 6's grip, but the other creature might as well as stitched himself to 5's arm. There was simply no way 5 was getting his limb back before morning.

The contact wasn't too bad, though. 5 had only ever been in very close contact with the Twins and 2, but this strange new creature holding on to him was almost… nice. Yes, it felt nice.

Nice enough to distract him from the twinging and smarting of his injured body, apparently. He actually felt less stiff, more… relaxed. The soreness was there, as were the random bursts of electricity, but the feeling of something soft and caring pressed up against his side overpowered the pain. Now he was mostly tired. Exhausted, really.

5 slept.