"The Others"

Prologue

19 looked over the horizon, then back at the rock, then at the horizon again. He looked then again at the rock. "The Emptiness? How true is that, eh 11?" he looked back at his scouting partner.

His partner shook his head, "That factory looks like it was recently used," he pointed out to 19. "He has a point," he heard another say. 11 and 19 turned their backs to the rock to the voice.

"Most of the rubble out her is fairly new, it wasn't here last time I was out this far scouting. Though, I wasn't here that long out here when a beast chased me off," 12 said as she climbed up from the rocks from the high point.

12 had a leather body, steel optic in her eye sockets, she held a small spear with her thin but strong fingers of copper. She had lost her left arm to a Cat-Beast whilst on her scouting mission out into The Emptiness. Luckily, 11 was there with her to scare off the beast. She still was able to utilize her spear with one arm.

"Where's 13?" 11 asked the old warrior 12. "R-right here, captain!" 13 called out as she struggled to climb the rocks. Her cowl fell in front of her face as she put half of her body onto the top of the small hill they were on.

13 struggled to get her other half onto the top. "Hang on, I-I'll be there in just one s-second!" she exclaimed and threw her legs over the rocks. 12 lent her a hand, 13 took it happily and stood up to meet the others.

13 was smaller than the others, except the twins and the youngest, just by a few centimeters at most. She wore a long cowl along with a small cloak, she had a light brownish burlap body with copper optics along with her think mix of copper and steel in her fingers. She had a small bow slung over her shoulder with about four arrows in the quiver 11 gifted to her for her first scouting mission.

19 was tall, one of the tallest of the group's entirety, and he had a burlap body with small leather straps around his chest. His right optic was covered by a bandage from when a Hound-Beast caught slashed at him from the shadows in the old Sewers. He utilized a large blade fashioned from an old kitchen knife.

The group looked over the rock at the old battlefield. Ruined machines and old strange machines with skeletons covered in dust filled the area for miles. "It's even worse here," 13 said when she saw the sight. 11 put his hand on her shoulder, "I know, 13, it reminds you of…him. But we have to move on, the Safe-Haven was overrun. There was nothing we could do, we were lucky enough to even get out," 11 told her.

13 had a flashback of the attack many weeks ago…

"14! 18! Where are you" 13 shouted over the roaring flames burning all around her. The winter breeze came in through the window but melted away almost instantly. 17 ran through the burning debris and tugged on her shoulder, "We have to get out of here! This place is going to burn us before this entire place falls apart!" he told her and tried to pull her away from the fire.

But 13 wouldn't listen to him.

"I'm not leaving without them!" she yelled and shoved him away. "14! 18! Come on, where are you!" she continued to yell over the flames, desperately hoping the twins would appear soon. 15 waited and waited but his patience ran out when he heard a loud roar. "13," he hollered to her and started looking around frantically, "we can't stay here! We have to go- "15 was cut off by the sound of large claws clamoring against the wooden debris.

He turned around and his mechanical heart started beating spastically as the shadow of the beast loomed over him. "13, GET DOWN NOW!" he shouted and grabbed 13 and threw her into a small area safe from the flames but she hit her head against a broken wooden pole. As he turned back around there was a blue flash that lit up the burning house.

The next time 13 opened her optics and stood up, the house was silent and still. The fire had died and the frozen winter took over, freezing the interior. She looked around for 15, he was nowhere to be found. Not even a single trace of him. "15! 15!" she called after him.

She waited for a response but only heard the hissing winter wind.

"13!"

She shot around to 11 running through the ruins along with 12. "Where have you been?! We've been worried sick when you didn't come back to camp!" 12 told her and hugged her with one arm. "It's good to see you're okay, when no one showed up back at camp we got worried!" 11 exclaimed, "we tried to get inside and look for you but the fire was too much for us to handle, so we had to wait until the fire died down."

13 looked around the old debris, the house used to be their home. They were built there, made there, and practically grew up there. 13 had fond memories of The Doctor playing with her as she ran around with the others.

"13, get back here," The Doctor called out and searched for her. 13 hid behind a music box along with 14 and 18. The twins' green and purple burlap with yellow stripes all around their tiny bodies didn't help them hide. Especially their flashing optics when they communicate with each other.

"Twins, 13, where are you? Come out of hiding!" The Doctor said cheerfully. His voice sounded tired, he looked like he was barely able to stay awake. He wore an old scholar's uniform with a one of the jackets the rebels wear. His hair was mahogany brown, short, and messy. He was young, about his mid-twenties or so.

His eyes were a mix of hazel and light emerald green, 13 along with the twins would draw his eyes whilst they worked and proudly show him.

13 peeked over the music box along with the twins who stayed close together at all costs. "Ready?" she asked the twins. They flashed their optics in response. "Yes." She nodded but as soon as she got ready to move the music box was pulled out into the open.

"Ha, found you guys!" The Doctor said as he cupped the twins and 13 into his hand. The twins scurried around in his hand, 13 started climbing his arm. She hopped from his sleeve to his shirt pocket and poked her head out.

The Doctor chuckled as he brought his hand up to the pocket so that the twins could join 13. Once they all got comfortable, they looked up at The Doctor smiling and cheerful. He laughed and rubbed them on the head.

"You have great potential, my little ones," he told them, "Be good-no, be better than us." He looked out the window at the snow covered deserted streets and ruins. Tanks and fallen soldiers piled the streets, some were even atop fallen machines that they managed to bring down. There were even some makeshift campfires out in the distance, rebel and military soldiers roamed around making their daily patrols.

"I hope you make something of the world," he said and stared out the window, looking at the sun setting in the west.

"Because we destroyed it."

13 was shot back to reality, "Our home is gone…" she told the others. 11 walked over to a burnt music box, he took one of his arrows from his quiver and used it to pry it open. He reached down inside and started tampering with the gears.

"Remember what he told you, 13," 11 said as he brought up a silver crescent moon. He walked over to crank and gestured for 12 to help him. 12 patted 13 on the back then walked over to the crank. 11 and 12 started to turn the crank.

Out of the music came, a simple song started playing. There was elegancy to the song, beauty and sorrow as well.

The Doctor's words rang in her head.

"You have great potential, my little ones, be good-no, be better than us."