Author's Note: OKAY GUYS THIS IS IT. WE'RE AT THE TOP OF THE ROLLER COASTER, LOOKING DOWN. IT'S BEEN NICE KNOWING YOU. LOOK FOR PARALLELS WITH EARLIER CHAPTERS. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THE SMALL DOGS IN THE WORLD, pleASE LEAVE COMMENTS :D
ENJOY

Chapter Eight

The three of them were at the table, focusing intensely on the crudely drawn map before them. Leaning in so close that their heads almost touched.

"This," Brianna said, pointing at a square on the map, "Is the cage. Right in the main lab-space."

Hatchworth scanned the drawing. "Does Professor ever leave?"

"I've almost never actually seen him leave the lab." she replied. "He has a room where he sleeps, but it's impossible to predict when he wakes up or sleeps. If he does sleep."

"Never leaves, barely sleeps..." Spine rubbed his forehead worriedly. "What kind of guy is this?"

Brianna sighed. "A very dangerous one. We've got to be careful."

"Okay." Hatchworth said. "Now, lets think about this! How about we list of everything that could possibly go wrong?" He leaned back, pensive. "You mentioned traps and bombs. What else?"

"He'll threaten to kill Rabbit and Paige." Brianna muttered. "Of course he will."

"He might not expect you to come, though." Spine reminded her. "If we distract him, could you sneak in and free them? Or at least get Professor from behind?"

Brianna nodded.

"I imagine he's got weapons, yes?" Hatchworth said. "Or- those men that came after us?"

Brianna shook her head. "The soldiers? They're only there when he needs to do something big. Since he doesn't know we're coming, he won't call them."

"Robots?"

"I don't think he's got that many."

Hatchworth nodded, thinking it over. Looked up.

"And... if he does know we're coming?"

"Then we fight." Spine said, standing. "Nothing else we can do."

"When will we be ready, Hatchworth?"

"It's noon, right?" He looked at his watch. "I'll have everything we need ready by sunset."

Spine looked around at them. "Then we're good?"

"I sure hope so." Brianna said.

Her voice, as well as their minds, were filled with doubt.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rabbit and Paige let the silence do the talking, let their oily tears speak for them as they sat side-by-side. Hand-in-hand.

Neither of them went into sleep-mode to charge. If this was the end, then they would live every second of it. If there wasn't much time, they would savor the time they had left- no matter how bitter it was, how hard to live through. There had to be courage, there had to be hope. Always.

It seemed like hours, like days, but eventually footsteps sounded again.

Paige squeezed Rabbit's hand.

"Be strong." she whispered, and then Professor was before them.

"Your friends are on their way." he said. They couldn't see his face- he was a silhouette of darkness against the bright laboratory lights.

They didn't dare speak.

"They're coming for you." he went on. "And they will die for this. This is your last chance to save them, Rabbit. Say your weapons are mine, and I will take them. I will leave you and your friends alone."

"Never." Rabbit whispered. Then louder, defiantly- "N-n-never."

"You don't have to do this!" Paige interrupted. She knew it was futile, but she had to try. "You can't win."

"Oh, but I can." Professor replied. "And I will. You will watch me win. I will break you. I will break you both."

Rabbit touched the back of her arm, silently sending a warning. Paige understood and was silent.

Professor turned just a little, and they saw his expression. A frozen smile and cold, unfocused eyes. He gazed into a neverending distance. It was worse than his angry moods, much worse. Here, truly, was his madness. His lack of feeling. It was in the blankness of his face, in the ice of his eyes.

He opened the cell door.

"Stand up."

With one last squeeze of each other's hands, they stood. Arms at their sides.

Professor walked forward slowly, the button that controlled their collars in his hand. They noticed he had also brought a mass of chains, and they scraped along the floor as he went.

"Back to back."

They did as he said, and then he was snapping cuffs on them, on their wrists and their ankles and necks, binding them in chains. Once he had done this, he grabbed them by one of the chains segments and pulled. Unable to keep their balance, they fell over, and he dragged them to the crushing-machine. Shackled them under it so they were lying under the spikes, with Rabbit facing out and Paige towards the wall.

That was how he left them as he went to prepare.

They could feel each other trembling, and then Rabbit could hear Paige crying- not loudly, but with small gasps and coughs. Swallowed sobs.

"I'm really starting to hate this thing." he said, glancing up at the spikes.

No response.

"P-p-paige." He choked out. "Hey."

Her head turned slightly.

"If w-w-we survive this, I'll g-g-get Hatchworth to make you s-s-some oil tea."

"Oil tea?" she asked, curious. "...What's that?"

"Well, it's n-n-not really tea." Rabbit admitted, "It's just oil in mugs. But we p-p-pretend it's tea. With little tea bags and everything."

Paige giggled through her tears. "That's silly.."

"And boy, wait 'till you t-t-t-taste Hatchworth's oil soup. Now that's fantastic!"

That made her laugh. In fact, Paige felt strangely calm- but that worried her, and she shivered.

"Rabbit, what's going to happen to us? To them?"

"I don't know. I really don't."

"Well..." she stammered. "I was just thinking- that if they all die... then there's truly no one left on the outside, is there? No one left to help us."

Rabbit felt worry squeeze his chest, and he swallowed. He knew where the sentence was going. He knew.

"If that happens, then... wouldn't be better if I just shut down?" Her voice trembled. "You too. Both of us? Together-?"

"Don't you talk like that." Rabbit warned, remembering what he'd been told long ago. What he hadn't understood until later, much later. He moved his hand as far back as he could, until he felt hers- "What good are you as a tin can in a closet? Nothing is more precious than consciousness."

"But I can't do this, Rabbit." She was crying again. "I can't live like this. Not when I've finally become conscious. I don't want to be cold again."

Now Rabbit was crying too, oil making black streaks down his face. "Don't you d-d-d-dare, Paige!" he sobbed. "Don't you dare kill yourself! I haven't known you long, but I know you're f-f-f-full of courage. Remember? You p-p-pressed that alarm button. That takes real bravery. You've got to keep going, even if I d-d-die." He bit his lip. "Please, Paige. You've got to p-p-p-promise."

"I- I can't-!"

"Please!"

Paige gritted her teeth.

"Fine! I won't!"

A short silence.

"I... I'm s-sorry." Rabbit stuttered, ashamed. "I made a promise too, actually. A promise I couldn't keep."

Paige heard the pain in his voice, and closed her eyes. "I don't know what you promised, and I won't pry. But if I keep my promise, you've got to keep yours. Okay?"

She felt him nod, and smiled through her sadness.

One last question popped into her mind.

"Hey, Rabbit?" she asked. "How... how do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How do you keep saying no to him? When he asks for your weapons?"

"I don't know, Paige." he replied. "And honestly, it scares m-m-me a little sometimes." He paused to think. "Because it makes me feel like a machine. But d-d-deep down, I know that it's a human thing too. And we are human, Paige. N-n-never doubt that."

"I know." Paige murmured. "I... I think I know what you mean."

"So I guess that's your answer." Rabbit concluded. "I do it because it keeps me human. I can't stand the thought that people could die because of me."

"Yes." Paige said. Laughed a little. "Yes. We're human now, aren't we? Right now?"

"Of course." Rabbit answered. He grinned. "C-c-can't you feel it? The blood in your v-v-veins? Your skin?"

And for just a moment, they felt it. Their lead ran red. Their metal was warm and delicate.

They couldn't see one another but their hands met, fitting each other like gears on the same living machine.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Six beings, standing far apart. Waiting.

One struggling to keep feelings inside, one struggling to let them out.

One in fear of courage, and one in fear of fear.

One determined to fix, and one determined to break.

And the world spun on, turning like clockwork, equally covered in soothing light and gentle darkness as the night advanced.