9: Sentient 0

A fanfic inspired by the film "9" by Shane Acker

Written by Snodin

ACT I: Buried Treasure

"3, 4! Wait up!"

The twins were moving too far ahead of 7 and 9, as the four surviving Stitchpunks traveled through the old neighborhood once occupied by humans, now a barren wasteland. The twins, 3 and 4, were all too eager to catalogue any and everything from discarded shoes on the street curb to crumbled buildings, their camera lens eyes flickering with every observation. None of this information mattered, it was all just an act of curiosity.

Their "parents," on the other hand, were more focused on gathering goods such as nuts, bolts, and other scraps that were lying around, in hopes of using them as tools for a new home, a place that they could truly call their own. So far, they had recovered a large screwdriver, string, and barbed wire- all were saddled onto 9's makeshift backpack of burlap. Unlike him, 7 was as cautious as ever, wielding both a bird skull-helmet and a spear made of a razorblade and thin pole. She leapt from object to object, ready to pounce on anything that looked hostile. Only there were no war-beasts left, they were all gone, wiped out in the aftermath of The B.R.A.I.N.'s total destruction.

But you couldn't convince 7 of that.

In response to 9's plea to the twins, 7 called back to him from atop a crashed car. "You're the one trailing, 9."

"I'm not trailing, I'm just… taking my time."

"The more ground we cover, the better. We can't stay in one place, there could be spies."

9 sighed, time and time again he tried to tell her that the war was over. But it was no use, her inner warrior was itching for a fight, no matter what. And so he walked on without argument.

Meanwhile, the youngsters of the family were now half a block ahead. They stopped only to observe the remains of a deceased human- a skeleton clad in body armor from the war. He had been shot down, pulverized from the waist. To a human, it would have been a gruesome sight, but to 3 and 4 it was just another opportunity to catalogue.

3 ran over to the fractured skull to observe to damage to the helmet, while 4 began to dig into the pockets of the worn blouse under shattered armor. He/she managed to pull out a black and white photo of the man's family- a wife and two children. 4 was pleased with this find, and smiled widely. This attracted the other twin, who rushed in and tried to pull the photo away. Like any rivaling siblings, they engaged in a game of Tug-O-War over the photo, until the wind picked up and forced it out of their hands.

Still entranced by the photo, the twins raced after it as it tumbled in the wind, until it slipped through the cracks of an ancient sewer way. They hung over the edge of the pit, hesitant to fall in after their prize. But then, 3 turned to 4 with eyes flashing, as though challenging its sibling to go in first. 4 flashed its eyes back, declining and counter-challenging.

"4? 3?" called out 7 in the distance.

Her voice alarmed them, but 3 was particularly stunned as its grip on the muddy ground caused it to slip. In an instant, the little Stitchpunk had fallen into the abyss, as 4 looked on in sheer horror. In desperation, it flashed its eyes to catch sight of 3's landing, but its eye light just wasn't strong enough.

7 had finally caught up with 4, and was quick to notice its deeply saddened face. "What happened?"

All 4 could do was point downward into the sewer way. 7 confirmed with a small, "No…"

Not all was lost. 3 did indeed fall down very far into an underground world, but landed rather softly, since its body was made mostly of wool and cotton anyway. It was only briefly stunned, but soon regained its composure and began to catalogue the rusty walls of the lead pipe. There was moss or lycan surrounding it, and a small stream of muddy water mixed with filth under it. 3 wasn't the least bit frightened, more like intrigued. If only 4 were here to capture this moment!

"3! …3, can you hear me!" echoed a familiar voice from above. It was 7, now united with 9 and 4. "3, if you can hear me, blink your eyes!"

3 blinked as brightly as it could, but only a sliver of that light reached the surface. It was enough for 4 to confirm that the twin was still alive.

"Hang on, 3!" called 9. "We'll get you out of there!"

3 smiled and blinked back, but uncertainty was quick to capture its heart. How were they going to recover it, if there was no other way but to fall? And if they did fall, how could they fall back to the surface? It seemed there was no other choice but to move on, into the cave-like pipe, to find an alternate exit. And so, it began its journey, alone.

"There's gotta be an exit somewhere," guessed 7 as she began a frantic search for the sewer's safest opening.

"I'm guessing the ocean?"

7 scowled, "That's not funny, 9."

"I wasn't joking," he shrugged. "Don't sewers lead to oceans?"

"…Or rivers," hoped 7. "If we're lucky, there's an opening at the old bridge. But that's miles away…"

Feeling insecure, 4 tugged at 7's rope-belt. The female guardian patted it on the shoulder in reassurance. "Don't worry, 4, we'll get your sister back."

"…3's a girl?"

7's lens eyes narrowed at 9's naiveté; of course the twins were female! 7 was sure of it. "Come on," she ordered; "we're heading for the bridge."

3 wasn't heading for the bridge, it was simply following a path that led to many forks and twists on the way. Eventually, it came to a new opening with a screwed-in shaft. But with its size, 3 easily squeezed through. This was an air shaft it traveled into, and once again it fell into another pit. But this time, the walls were not so narrow; this was a truly large hallway. …But to what?

Still undeterred by the creepy silence and darkness, 3 pressed on until it could find a clear doorway to the outside world. But that would have taken a very long walk indeed, especially for one so small.

3 walked and walked, until the hallway revealed sealed doors and dust-covered pictures on the walls. Had it stumbled upon an ancient bunker of some kind? An underground hideout for the humans, perhaps? Whatever it was, it made for some fine cataloging.

In truth, this was just one of many secret government hideouts, used by the Chancellor and his most trusted men, used to safeguard everything from documents to riches that only a human could appreciate. It was mankind's last resort, should supplies and resources in the outside world run out. There was no documentation of this underground base, and so for 3, this was a rare and truly interesting find.

All of the doors were locked tight, save for one. Through this one, 3 peered curiously. In the small room behind the door, all was still quiet and still. And very, very dark. The lights on the ceiling were shot out, possibly from gunfire. There were bullet holes on the walls too- clearly, some kind of battle took place here. Perhaps the machines were attacking as their armies advanced in the war's turning point- or perhaps the last humans fought over this place in a mad panic. The only clear evidence of humans being here was a torn skeleton in the far left corner by the doorway. What were they fighting against, 3 wondered? Machines? Each other? Just how desperate was the situation?

But then, a new object caught its lens eyes: on the farthest end of the room, cemented into the wall, was the doorway of a giant safe. The very kind of safe used in banks, observed 3. Yes, surely this is where the humans kept the last of their treasures. And unlike most of the room, the safe door was perfectly in tact. Perhaps the treasure was still in there, waiting to be hatched. 3 approached fearlessly.

But as the little Stitchpunk drew closer to the safe, new skeletons appeared through the darkness. They were both inhuman- long in the snout, like an animal's. They were lying down in defeat, each in front of an end of the safe door, as if they were guarding it. Within their eye sockets, there were orbs not unlike those of 3's own. Surely, these were war-beasts.

As 3 approached one of them cautiously, its eyes flickered around the beast's skull. Most of it was in tact, while its bottom jaw was steel. Its right eyeball was detached and dangling by its socket. There was a small crack in its forehead, indicating an injury. …Was it dead?

Then suddenly, a memory file opened in 3's subconscious; this skull was familiar! Its eye lenses dilated to open the file by means of an old-fashioned movie:

"With the success of our new Feline Sentient program, (image of Cat-Beast)

"Our scientists are quick to release their latest progenies: Project Canine Sentient. (image of scientists unveiling a Dog-Beast, one looking exactly like the damaged one in the present)

"These super-efficient guard-dogs come equipped with automatic voice commands- ("Halt! Intruder!")

"-jaws of a Doberman Pincer, and twice as deadly! (A Dog-Beast mauling a stuffed dummy as an example to its onlookers, shaking it to pieces)

"-and with its own secret weapon, a gattling gun for disabling enemies, indefinitely. (DogBeast revleals the barrel of a gattling gun from inside its mouth, uncoiling it and firing at a bulleye- RAT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT!)

"Our canine sentients will safeguard your most valuable assets, from goods to children. Expect these perfect guardians to arrive in a home near you!" (Dog-Beasts are lined up at doorways within a seemingly never-ending hallway, indicating that their line would be duplicated endlessly)

With the end of the transmission, 3 became much more intrigued by this newfound discovery- a Dog-Beast, in almost perfect condition! Who cared about human treasure? This was in of itself a truly great discovery! How it wished the others were here to see it!

Then, its voice rumbled.

TBC