Alright, no more F-Series...*sniff* I miss them already! But they're not gone forever. Not only do they 1. Come back, 2. Get their own side story, but 6 and F6 have themselves a little secret!

CHAPTER 9: PREPARATIONS

9 awoke to 7 violently shaking him awake.

"9! 9 get up! The F's are gone!"

9 got up calmly, stretched, and rubbed his optic.

"I know 7, I know they're gone." Was all he said.

7 grabbed his chin so that she could turn his face. His optics met hers immediately.

"9, I don't think you're hearing me. The F's are GONE!"

9 took her hand from his chin and held it in his hand tightly.

"7, I know they are gone. I will explain it when everyone's awake."

"Everyone is awake...we were all waiting for you."

7's words were much quieter, and she sounded like a small girl that hadn't gotten her way, and this greatly surprised 9. He had never seen 7 show so much emotion, and as far as he knew she only acted like this around him.

"Then I'll go clear everything up now."

The two went from the sleeping area- which was now a little smaller since the F-series took the supplies that belonged to themp- over to the table. Dylan held 9 up in front of everyone else so that 9 could explain. Except for 6, everyone seemed to wear faces of either sadness or confusion, and in 1's case, anger. Dylan seemed to be the most upset, which made sense since the F-series had been created from his soul, and without them around he probably felt very empty.

"Everyone." 9 spoke with the voice of a leader, of a person with knowledge and understanding.

"You have all clearly realized that the others are no longer with us, but do not worry. They needed to find their own path, just like we did. We hadn't stayed as a full family right from the start, and the others most likely felt like they were living in our shadows, since they were just based off of us. They need to learn that they are unique, and different. The only way to do that, was for them to leave. But they will come back, you need to believe that. They will come back when we need them, and then they will be here to stay. We still have a job to do, and we won't be able to stop the O.V.E.R.M.I.N.D. by just standing around. We need to get to Vegas, and we need to get there fast, so let's move!"

No one gave any objections, instead the group split up to gather supplies and discuss plans. Dylan put 9 down on the table so that he could gather some supplies for himself, which consisted of a few maps, the papers from the note board, and his pack. 9 hadn't really taken notice of Dylan's pack before. From what he could tell it was packed with food, water, medical supplies, and extra clothing. 9 had obviously realized that Dylan did not carry any sort of weapon, and he didn't know how he felt about that. He also didn't know why he seemed to care so much about Dylan not having a weapon, or why it bothered him.

So many things he did not know.

Dylan had brought 2 and 5 with him to find some type of transportation that the group could use. Dylan had explained that even though he would not have been legal age to drive, he still knew how. Also, he expected there to be little to no traffic. Most of the cars and trucks seemed destroyed beyond repair, and Dylan didn't want to venture too far from the exit of the tunnel, which was disguised as a sewer grate. Just when he thought there wouldn't be anything to find, he saw an old garage that seemed mostly in tact. After breaking down the door with minimal effort, Dylan explored the garage. His face brightened when his eyes fell on it. In near mint condition- at least compared to the rest of the vehicles- sat a motorbike. Dylan was not familiar with motorbikes, but he knew he could drive it. Dylan told 2 and 5 that he would need a few tools and scrap, along with some gasoline. The small group got to work immediately. (Yeah, who doesn't want to drive a motorcycle through the desert to Vegas in a post-apocalyptic world?)

9 had begun to realize that whenever he got to thinking for too long of a period something always interrupted his thought, so he wasn't surprised when he felt a tap on his shoulder to attain his attention. He was surprised, however, when he saw that it was 6.

"Very good speech, you said all the right words, although some were not true."

9's face went from surprise to confusion.

"What do you mean by not true?"

6's face showed that the answer was not good.

"You said they would come back, which is true...partially."

9 was getting nervous, his voice rose, shaking 6 a little by the shoulders.

"Just spit it out 6! What do you mean?"

6's face shifted to a combination of fear and sadness.

"They won't all be coming back."