A/N: The Scientist gave half of his Creativity to the Fabrication Machine. He gave the other half to 6. This is just kind of an insight on what happened when 6... when he... *bursts into tears* Just read. This starts with a flashback, just so none of you are confused. Mostly movie canon, no slash. You guys know the drill...
Also, while writing this, I started wondering: does Shane Acker ever come through and read through the 9 fandom just to see how much people love this movie? That's what I would do if I made a movie as good as 9... Okay, on with the story!
I Know Your Source
The Scientist took another deep breath to steady his hand as he finished the last of the stitching. Sitting back in his chair, he gently picked up his newest creation, admiring his work for just a moment. Smiling slightly, he picked up a pen and dipped it in a small jar of ink. Turning his creation over in his hand, he carefully drew a number on the striped fabric.
6
The Scientist gently set 6 down before standing up and walking across the room to a small desk. He unlocked the top desk drawer and took out a small, circular object with strange symbols carved into it. He stood staring at it for a moment, but he was shaken out of his trance by the sound of small footsteps behind him.
"Hello, 5," he said without turning around.
"How did you know it was me?" came 5's quiet voice.
"Because," said the Scientist, turning around, "you walk much quieter than the others." He bent over and held his hand out, letting 5 clamber on.
"Would you like to see your new brother?" asked the Scientist. 5's eyes lit up, and he nodded. Smiling, the Scientist strode back across the room and lowered his hand above the work bench, allowing 5 to hop off and take a look at the soon-to-be newest member of the family.
"His name is 6, right?" asked 5 as he knelt down next to the younger stitchpunk. The Scientist nodded. 5 gently picked up 6's limp hand, looking at the ink pen nib fingers. He gently laid the hand back down. After another moment, he gently ruffled 6's hair, which was made from yarn.
"Why are his eyes different sizes?" asked 5, looking up at the Scientist.
"Because this eye-" He held up a spare optic, which was the same size as the smaller one. "-wasn't compatible with this one." He pointed to the smaller optic.
"So... if his eyes were the same size... he wouldn't be able to see?" asked 5.
The Scientist nodded. "Either that, or he would only be able to see out of one eye."
"Wow... I can't imagine only having one eye..." muttered 5.
The Scientist smiled before reaching across his work bench and grabbing a handful of rope. He loosely tied the rope around 6's wrists. He then lifted the limp body and, using the ropes, tied him up so that he was hanging by his arms inside of a strange machine. 5 gulped.
The Scientist placed the small circular object – the talisman – into a device on the edge of the machine; he then picked up a piece of head gear and placed it on his own head.
"Wait... what are you going to do?" asked 5 nervously.
The Scientist looked at 5 and smiled. "I would suggest taking a few steps back."
5 did as he was told and got out of the way. The Scientist then turned back to the machine and the lifeless stitchpunk. He activated something, and the talisman started to glow green, along with the head set. The green light grew too bright, and 5 looked away.
Suddenly, the light stopped. 5 opened his eyes after a moment and saw the Scientist taking off the head gear. He slowly reached out and untied 6, gently resting him in his hands. 5 quickly climbed up onto the Scientist's shoulder so that he could see what was happening.
For a moment, nothing happened. The little stitchpunk wasn't moving. However, after a full minute of waiting... he blinked. Then slowly, slowly, he sat up.
"Hello, 6," said the Scientist, his voice full of love. "Welcome home..."
6 looked around as if confused. He looked down at his hands, studying them for a while. He then looked up at the Scientist and 5, his head tilted slightly to the side.
"Can you speak?" asked 5 quietly.
6 looked at him for a moment before smiling, opening his mouth, and saying one word: "Sound..."
5 smiled and slowly slid down the Scientist's arm until he reached the hand that 6 was still sitting on. He offered his hands, and 6 gratefully took them. 5 pulled the shaky stitchpunk to his feet, only then realizing how small 6 really was; he was about the same height as the twins. The Scientist moved his hand so that it was right above the work desk, allowing 5 and 6 to step off.
"W-who are you...?" 6 asked 5.
"I'm your brother," said 5, smiling.
6 smiled and looked around. His eyes landed on the talisman. "Source..."
Before 5 could ask what he meant by that, the Scientist spoke up. "5, why don't you go tell the others that 6 is awake."
"O-okay..." said 5, a bit unsure. He slowly turned and hopped off the table, running out of the room to go tell the others.
The Scientist waited until 5 was gone before turning back to 6. He slid a piece of paper in front of him. "Try drawing what you see."
6 nodded and dipped his fingers into the small jar of ink and turned to the paper. He started out by drawing a single line with his left hand. That one line seemed to open up the gateway, and he began drawing with both hands, creating a shaky sketch of the talisman.
"6..." The striped stitchpunk looked up from his drawing, and his eyes widened when he saw the Scientist holding a key. He held it out, and 6 took it. "Happy Birthday."
6 examined the key carefully, turning it over a couple times, taking notice of the words "Our Last..." inscribed into the side. He didn't ask what it unlocked, because he didn't really want to know. He carefully hung the key around his neck, making the decision to guard it with his life. It was a gift, after all...
The Scientist watched as 6 went back to drawing. This was the first time any of his creations hadn't gotten an entire soul. 6 wasn't missing much, but it still made a difference. The Scientist sighed a bit, remembering how he had brought his machine to life with his intelligence. But intelligence hadn't been enough; the machine also needed just a small piece of real soul to fully function. So he gave the machine a bit of his creativity.
That was before he'd had any inkling of the monster it would become. That was before the war, before the stitchpunks. Before he'd decided that the rest of his creativity should be given away to a much smaller, much more harmless candidate. This one would be different than the others. He would see things that the others can't, and for this reason he would never be able to truly fit in. There was one word that the Scientist thought best described him:
Peculiar.
6 stood paralyzed in fear as the Fabrication Machine dropped 5's lifeless body, the burnt remains of his eye patch still smoldering. Holding tightly onto his key, he looked up at the machine's eye. For just a moment, he saw a ghostly figure that looked just like 5 appear in the eye.
"They're trapped..." he gasped out, his eyes wide with fear.
Suddenly, he felt 7 grab his arm and start to pull him away. He had no choice but to run if he wanted to avoid falling over.
"To the bridge!" he heard 1 shout. The others were running too, and it wasn't until they were on the bridge that 6 realized what they were trying to do. They were trying to lure the Machine onto the bridge. The bridge was too weak to support it, and, looking down at the chasm below, 6 saw that the Machine wouldn't survive the fall. Neither would the talisman.
"No! They're trapped!" he shouted, yanking his arm free of 7's grasp. He turned to face the Machine, but 9 grabbed him and started to pull him backwards. "They're trapped! They're trapped inside!"
"6, come on!" exclaimed 9, pulling 6 backwards.
"Get off the bridge!" exclaimed 7 as she grabbed 6's other arm, helping 9 pull him away.
6 felt himself being dragged by the arms across the bridge, but he kept his eyes focused on the Machine. It made it to the center of the bridge, the weakest part. 6 yelped as the Machine raised one of it's claw-like hands and swung out at them, trying to grab them. It missed, but it hit the already strained bridge. The entire structure shook, and 6, 7, and 9 all fell to the ground. The bridge gave way beneath the Machine, and it started to fall. However, just before it fell completely, it reached out and grabbed onto one single steady support beam, stopping it's fall. 7 stood up and started to wrench away the support with her weapon. 6 saw this and struggled to his feet.
"No! Stop!" he shouted as he ran towards her. "You mustn't destroy it!"
"Get away, 6!" exclaimed 7.
6 felt 9 grab his arm, and he whipped around to face him. "You mustn't destroy it!" he repeated frantically, grabbing 9's shoulders. "Don't destroy it! They're trapped! They're trapped! They're inside! They're inside!"
9's eyes widened, and 6 saw that he finally understood. However, it was too late. 7 finally managed to wrench away the nail that was holding the support, and the Machine started to fall. Before he even knew what he was doing, 6 yanked his key off of his neck and shoved it into 9's hands, which in turn shoved 9 backwards a few steps.
The bridge gave way beneath 6's feet. The piece of wood he was standing on lurched up into the air, and as he started to fall, a large metal hand clamped firmly around his waist. He felt himself falling with the Machine for a moment before suddenly being jerked to a stop. 6 whimpered a bit as the jolt nearly gave him whiplash. Looking around, he saw that the Machine was still holding on to the collapsed bridge, and was currently pinned to the side of the chasm that the bridge spanned. Looking up, he saw that the other end of the bridge was also collapsing. He saw 7 and 9 run the other way, towards solid ground.
As soon as they were back on solid ground, 9 and 7 ran back to the edge. He felt himself being lifted up by the Machine. He didn't have much time. "Go back!" he shouted to them. "To the first room! He'll show you! The Source..."
That was it. That was all he had time to say. He took one last look at the others, at 9 holding his key, and then he looked at the sky. This was the last time he would see the sun.
What a beautiful day to die... he thought to himself as he turned his head to face the Machine. As the Machine activated the talisman, 6 took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There was a bright flash of green, a sharp pain, and then it all went dark.
The Machine examined the striped stitchpunk in his hands. This one wasn't screaming or struggling like the other one. The stitchpunk turned to face him, and he activated the talisman. The Machine knew what to do with the body of this one...
The Machine watched as the soul was sucked out of the tiny body. It was strange; this one didn't convulse like the other ones. It was almost as if this soul had never really been completely attached to the body in the first place.
The soul and the body were now completely separated; however, his eye widened when he took a look at the soul that he had just captured. He was too stunned to throw the body back at the other stitchpunks. Instead, he let it slip out of his hand and fall into the deep chasm below.
I know your Source...
9 slowly entered the Scientist's workshop, holding 6's key in his hands. He looked down at it again, turning it over. That was when something on the key caught his eye. Inscribed down one side of the key were the words: "Our Last..."
9 shook his head. Slowly, he walked into the workshop. Papers were scattered everywhere, covering the floor. How was he supposed to know what he was looking for...?
Stopping at the nearest piece of paper, 9 saw that it was a drawing of the Fabrication Machine. He shivered a bit, knowing that that machine had killed so many of them already. Looking away, he saw the body of the Scientist. Lying on top of one of his hands was a sketch of a stitchpunk. Taking a closer look, 9 saw that it was a diagram of himself. He slowly reached for the picture, but a gust of wind from outside blew the window open and blew the paper away. That was when he saw what had been under the paper.
A small wooden box with a tag was clutched in the hand of the Scientist. The tag had the number nine drawn on it. 9 carefully slid the box out of the Scientist's hand and tried to open the top.
It was locked. Bending over a bit, 9 saw a key hole. Slowly, he slid 6's key into the key slot. It fit perfectly. He turned it and a hidden lock clicked. Pulling the key out, 9 opened the top of the box. The first thing he saw was a mirror with the word "Hope" inscribed on the bottom. 9's eyes widened and he looked at the key again.
"Our Last Hope..."
Looking up again, 9 saw himself in the mirror. "Our last hope..." he whispered. He then looked down at what the box contained. Inside was a strange device, and in the center of it was what looked like a spare stitchpunk optic. Slowly, a round screen rose up and covered the optic, and a hologram was projected, showing the Scientist.
Greetings, 9...
6 looked around nervously. Everything was dark, and the only light came from a faint green glow. Looking down at himself, he saw that it was actually him who was glowing. He was green and practically transparent.
"H-hello...?" he timidly called out into the darkness. After a moment, he saw another faint green light. Slowly, it got larger and closer until he could make out what it was. It was another stitchpunk.
"6... it got you too...?" came a voice. 6's eyes widened when he recognized it. It was 5. Without hesitation, 6 rushed forward and hugged him.
"Shh, it's okay," whispered 5 as he rubbed 6's back, trying to stop his trembling.
"B-b-but we're t-trapped..." 6 gulped out.
Suddenly, another voice called out from the darkness. "5? Who was it?"
"It was 6," 5 called over his shoulder. 6 opened his eyes and saw 2 walking up to them. He stepped away from 5 and went and hugged 2.
"I know 6, I know," whispered 2. "I know it's scary..."
"I t-tried to t-t-tell them... 9 u-understood... He... he'll help us..." muttered 6. After a few minutes, he took a step back and looked at the other two stitchpunks. That was when he noticed something strange. "Why are you glowing brighter...?"
2 and 5 looked at each other and then at 6. It was true; they were glowing bright green and were only slightly transparent. 6's glow was so faint that they could barely see him in comparison. They had no idea why 6's glow was so weak, so they could only shrug.
6 looked around. "Where's 8?"
"Over this way..." said 2, gesturing back towards the way they came from. He started to walk back off into the darkness. 5 put his hand on 6's shoulder, and they both walked after 2.
Walking felt really strange. It felt like the ground was uneven, and it made him stumble. He looked at 5 and saw that he wasn't having any trouble walking at all.
After a moment, they reached an area that wasn't as dark. It was lit by an eerie red glow. Looking around, 6 saw that the red light was coming from a large red circle above them.
"Is that..." 6 started to ask, pointing shakily up at the red circle. In the red light, he could barely see his own hand.
"The eye? Yeah..." 5 answered him.
"Who was it?" came a deep, grumbling voice from a few feet away.
"He's standing right here," said 5, gesturing to the nearly invisible stitchpunk standing next to him.
8 had to squint to see 6, but once he did, he simply said "Oh..." and then went back to pacing.
"What's wrong with him...?" 6 whispered to 5, pointing at 8.
"He's worried that 1 will get caught," 5 whispered back, shaking his head in disapproval.
6 looked at 8, who looked like he was ready to have a panic attack. "I'll calm him down..." he said. Before 5 could argue, 6 had already stumbled off towards 8.
"Uh... 8?" mumbled 6 once he was close enough to the larger stitchpunk.
8 stopped pacing and quickly looked around. 6 had to wave his flickering arms for 8 to see him. Once he saw him, however, his face regained its stoic quality. "What?"
"Y-you shouldn't be worried..." he said nervously.
"Why not?" grumbled 8, crossing his massive arms over his chest.
"They'll go back to the Source..." said 6, once again hoping that 9 had understood. "They'll help us... they'll be okay..."
"How do you know that?" snarled 8, ready to take out his frustration on the smallest of the stitchpunks.
6 gulped. "I-"
BANG!
The entire Machine shook, nearly knocking the stitchpunks inside off their feet. 2 quickly climbed over to the back of the eye and leaned against it, looking through to the outside world.
"They're shooting at the Machine!" he exclaimed. Quickly, he hopped down and ran back over to the others. "We should try and get away from the eye. If they-"
BANG!
The Machine lurched again, but this time, 6 let out a sharp cry as a fiery blast of pain ripped through his right shoulder. He collapsed, and 8 caught him and gently lowered him to the unseen ground.
"What happened?" exclaimed 5, kneeling down next to 6. The younger stitchpunk was curled up on his side, holding his shoulder, shaking to the point of convulsions.
"He just collapsed..." stammered 8.
2 quickly jumped back up and looked through the eye again. "They hit it!" he exclaimed. "They hit the Machine!"
"Where?" exclaimed 5, nearly yelling to be heard over the sounds that the Machine was making.
2 craned his neck and looked up. "Looks like the top right section."
"Right here..." moaned 6, pointing to his shoulder.
5 and 2 made eye contact with each other. "You don't think..."
"What?" asked 8 as he knelt down next to 6, who was still curled up on the ground, moaning in pain. "What's going on?"
"It's possible that 6 can have some sort of... connection to the Machine," explained 2.
"So if the Machine gets killed..." 8 didn't finish that sentence.
"W-what's going on out there?" asked 5, shaking his head.
2 turned back to the eye and looked through again. "It's stuck. I can see the others!" Suddenly, 2 recoiled from the eye, and the air heated up dramatically.
"It's using the flame-thrower!" 2 shouted over the roar of the flames. At that point, 5 also ran up to the eye. He watched in horror as the Machine blew flames at a large box full of bullets that the others had been hiding under. The bullets exploded, but miraculously missed the others. One of the bullets shot right back at the Machine and smacked into the eye. Behind them, 6 whimpered and covered his face with his hands.
Suddenly, the fire reached a large box of missiles, which promptly exploded. From their vantage point, 2 and 5 could see the shock wave throw the others out of the other end of the shelter. 5 had seen how 1 had been trying to get over a piece of wood, and his right hand gotten stuck. 5 watched 1's hand get blown to bits before smoke obstructed his vision.
2 quickly leaned over to 5 and whispered: "Don't tell 8..."
A moment later, the smoke cleared and they could see again. 9 was running up to the Machine.
"What's he doing?" exclaimed 5, pressing his hands against the eye.
"What's going on?" exclaimed 8, who was still sitting next to the trembling 6.
"9 isn't running!" exclaimed 5. "He's sacrificing himself!"
"They n-need the S-Source..." moaned 6.
Before the others could say anything, they eye closed, and 5 and 2 jumped backwards. The red light was replaced by an eerie green light. The talisman had been activated. Suddenly, 5 and 2 were thrown back away from the eye, and another soul appeared where they had been standing. 5 expected to see 9, but instead...
"1?"
1 looked around for a moment. "What the f-"
He never got that particular obscenity out of his mouth, because a blinding green light appeared right behind him and he disappeared. 5 was then sucked through the light, followed by 2. 6 was then sucked right out of 8's arms, and 8 followed right behind him. They all landed somewhere smaller yet better lit.
"A-are we-" 5 started to ask.
"Inside the talisman," 1 finished for him, standing up.
The others sat up and looked around. There were strange symbols on the dome-shaped walls that were glowing green. The top of the talisman was still open, and just as it was starting to close, one more shapeless glowing green figure dropped in. It landed in the center of the circle that the five of them made. It just floated there for a moment, but as soon as the talisman closed, the green shape lunged.
It slammed right into 6's fading form. The force of the impact threw him back against the wall, and for a moment, the others could see nothing but a bright green shapeless figure. After a minute, the blinding green light disappeared, and the others saw 6, sitting slumped against the wall, his eyes closed, not moving. Even though he looked lifeless, he was now glowing just like the others, and they could now clearly see him.
5 quickly rushed forward and gently shook 6's shoulders. "6? 6, can you hear me...?"
6 didn't move; but finally, finally, he blinked his eyes open and started to glow a bit brighter. 5 breathed a sigh of relief.
"6, what happened?" asked 2, stepping forward.
6 smiled weakly. "I got my Source back..."
Even though he had no idea what 6 meant, 5 still leaned forward and hugged him again.
"So what do we do now?" asked 1, just now noticing that his hand had returned.
"We wait..." said 6.
They waited for what seemed like hours. The symbols on the walls weren't glowing as bright, but they were still glowing. Suddenly, a glowing symbol on the top of the talisman appeared, then another one. 6 smiled as the last one appeared, and the talisman started shaking. There was a sharp jolt as the talisman hit the ground, and then the top popped open.
6 stood up and looked at 8. "We'll go first," he said. 8 nodded and stepped directly under the bright green light coming from the open roof. Slowly, he started to float up towards the green light. Once he reached it, it disappeared.
Once he disappeared, 6 stepped under the light. He raised up into the light faster than 8. A moment later, he found himself standing on solid ground. Turning around, he saw 9, 7, 3, and 4. Smiling, he waved at the others. The twins happily waved back, and 7 and 9 returned the wave too.
Looking around, 6 saw that they were standing in front of 5's grave marker. 6 grabbed 8's hand and led him the other way, knowing exactly what to do. They reached 8's marker next, and 6 gestured for him to stay there before walking to his own marker.
Once he reached the piece of fabric with the number six drawn on it, he stopped. He saw that 9 had hung his key on the grave. Tilting his head to the side, he looked at the two words engraved on the key.
"Our Last..."
"Hope..." 6 mouthed out, looking at his key. He smiled and looked back across the graves, watching as 2, 5, and then 1 all emerged from the talisman. They all made their way to their individual grave markers just as they started to burn.
6 watched as his grave marker was consumed with flames. When it was completely consumed, he felt himself start to rise up into the air, leaving a trail of green smoke behind him. Looking around, he saw the others start to rise too. He watched as the ground got further and further away, and the shape of his body became less distinct. The others got closer, and his soul merged with theirs.
"See you guys later..." he whispered to the others, so quiet that he figured none of them heard. They all flew up into the clouds as one single soul. Once they reached the clouds, the green light grew to blinding. There was a rumble of thunder, and 6 heard the others saying goodbye. He didn't say goodbye, though, because he knew that they would see each other again.
The green light died down and everything turned to darkness. The rain started seconds later...
One Hour Later
Near the smoking remains of the Fabrication Machine's factory, a crossbow lay discarded. About a hundred feet away from the crossbow lay a cylinder-shaped hat. A broken, battered metal hand picked up the hat at the same time that a hand made of wood and copper picked up the crossbow.
At the bottom of a nearby chasm, a small, striped body lay among the rubble of a wooden and metal bridge. Two sets of feet approached this body. The larger one was pale, and the smaller one was made of burlap and leather, and was limping. They stopped when they reached the small body. The smaller one bent down and gently shook the shoulder of the striped body.
An inky hand reached up and grabbed his arm.
A/N: THEY'RE ALIVE! Okay, writing this kinda takes away the pain of 5 and 6's deaths in the movie. And that part at the end... oh how I wish that was at the end of the credits!
The whole thing with the "Our Last Hope" comes from the deleted scenes, which can be found on YouTube if you choose to watch them. But if you've already seen them and are getting annoyed about me rambling about this... GOOD FOR YOU!
If you have any questions, ask them in a review. See ya!