Author's Note: AND HERE IT IS, THE LONGEST AND MOST DRAMATIC CHAPTER YET

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Chapter 10

Rabbit held his laser steady, pointing right into Professor's center.

It had started to rain now, and drops of water splashed across the pavement outside. Distant thunder rumbled.

Professor's face was strange now. There was anger, of course, and amusement- but there was also something else. Rabbit couldn't tell what it was- but it was definitely there.

Was it confusion...?

"You're bluffing." Professor spat, mouth twisting.

Was it... could it be sadness? Anger? But no; that didn't seem to fit. Rabbit's head tilted.

Professor shook his head. "You can't do it. You're too weak."

And suddenly, it hit him. Rabbit knew what he was looking at.

It was disappointment.

Why would he be disappointed? Rabbit wondered. What... what could this mean?

"ARE YOU GOING TO SHOOT?!" Professor shouted, anger flushing his cheeks.

"Yes."

"HA!" Professor sneered. "Don't make me laugh. You couldn't do it before."

Rabbit took a deep breath. "Y-y-you're going to hurt my friends. I can't let you. I p-p-promised."

"When my escorts came after you!" Professor reminded him. "Your friends were in danger! THEN you didn't-!"

"P-p-people CHANGE!" Rabbit cried. "Go away! LEAVE! All I want are my friends- that's it, that's enough!" His voice grew desperate. "I WANT MY FRIENDS BACK!"

"People change?" Professor said. Then, louder- "People CHANGE?! YOU ARE NOT A PERSON!"

Rabbit clenched his teeth. "I'M HUMAN!"

"YOU ARE AN AUTOMATON-"

Then Rabbit shouted, and it shook his entire body- "I'M HUMAAAAAN!"

An ear-shattering clap of thunder sounded, accompanied by a bolt of lightning.

"My men will kill your friends."

"N-n-ot if you're gone." Rabbit said, voice trembling. "They just want to get paid. If you're gone, they're gone."

"You WOULDN'T!" Professor seethed. He drew his gun. "YOU CAN'T! YOU'RE JUST A MACHINE!"

"P-p-put that gun away-"

"JUST A MACHINE! JUST A MACHINE!"

"I said PUT THAT G-G-GUN AWAY!"

Professor shook his head wildly, finger tightening on the trigger. "JUST A-"

Rabbit fired.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzz-

The blue light was blinding, burning-hot as it blazed into the professor-

Professor was pushed back, back, back until Rabbit couldn't see him through the monstrous azure glow.

Rabbit shook convulsively as it continued-

started crying-

trembled harder-

and then he was closing his eyes, praying for it to be over, to be over, to be over, please be over, please be over-

Please be over-

And then his prayers were answered.

Just... not in the way he might have wished.

The laser, not having been used to such an extent for years, had become rusty. Clogged.

Unstable.

KA-BOOM

A huge, fiery explosion at its barrel.

Rabbit was thrown backwards, engulfed in a ball of flames. He landed on the ground, scraping to a stop, and was still.

Perfectly still.

Deathly still. Eyes closed. Mouth open.

When the smoke cleared, Spine saw- and a scream bubbled from his lips.

A chunk was missing from Rabbit's chest.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Spine cried, dragging himself to his feet. He stumbled, ran forward, barely able to see through the oil in his eyes- sobbing- "RABBIT! RABBIT!"

He fell to his knees at Rabbit's side. Put his hands on his shoulder, shook him. "Rabbit- Rabbit, please- hey! Hey!"

Rabbit was unresponsive. Not a single tick sounded from within him.

"Noooooooo." Spine moaned, grabbing him and burying his head in his chest. His shoulders shook. "Rabbit- Rabbit-"

He remembered Rabbit. Lively, laughing Rabbit. Sad, heartbroken Rabbit.

An incredible pain squeezed his heart and he gasped, a moan slipping from his lips. It felt like the earth was shaking.

All he wanted was to see Rabbit smile again. To tell him that it was alright. That was it. But now he knew that he never would, and that their mission had been over from the minute it had started.

Spine squeezed the lifeless metal body a little tighter. The leathery smell of Rabbit's jacket made him shudder in agony.

He screamed, doubling over with Rabbit in his arms. Tears spilled from his eyes.

The rain-soaked coat draped over his long, arched back shimmered in silvery lamplight.

"Rabbit!" He cried brokenheartedly. "Rabbit, wake up!"

Spine bit his lip, trembling so hard that he could hear his electronics creak.

The grief was overtaking him now, the grief and the terrible love.

"RABBIT, PLEASE!"

When there was no response, Spine's breath shortened to small gasps. His head was spinning. He... he had failed.

He closed his eyes as he laid Rabbit down on the ground.

Leaned over and kissed Rabbit on the forehead with lead-stained lips.

Tenderly. With great care, though inside he was shattering.

Paige, a few yards away, was frozen. Staring. Uncomprehending.

It couldn't be. It couldn't be that the gears she'd seen, gleaming and living under the laboratory lights, were now stilled forever. It couldn't be.

Yet Rabbit had told her to carry on, to keep going- which worked just fine in theory. But in real life, in the dark, when the night was cold and the shaking didn't stop, it seemed impossible.

Now her hope was leaving her like the oil pouring down her cheeks, and her eyesight seemed to swim and fade.

She remembered what she'd said, in that moment under the spikes. When they both thought they were done for.

I'm going to miss you.

Her hand clenched into a fist, and she could almost feel Rabbit's within it. Remembered his words.

Close your eyes.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Saw Rabbit's body in her mind.

Paige wept bitterly, wrapping her arms around herself. As though she was falling apart She wept for the only true friend she had had in years- for his life, his courage. For the love he'd had for them all.

It had led to his downfall, but he had saved them.

The men around them had started to stir, a bit uncomfortable, a bit embarrassed. They'd obviously never been in a situation like this.

Hatchworth noticed. Hatchworth, after all, was a practical mind, and he pushed aside the dreadful burning inside him to focus. Felt the weight of the bag slung across him. He had to focus. He had to wait for his chance.

And now, he'd found it.

Hatchworth turned to the man pointing a gun at him.

"Please." he pleaded. His voice was hoarse. "I'm begging you. Let me fix him. Let me try."

The man's head tilted.

"PLEASE!" Hatchworth begged. "You can go raid the lab. He's not going to pay you now. Professor is dead!"

The man seemed to think it over for a little.

Hatchworth held his breath...

And then a short nod.

The gun lowered, along with all the others'. Through his mask, the man spoke. Said something unexpected.

"Good luck."

And all at once they all melted into the shadows, slinking back down into the subway .

Instantly, Hatchworth was running.

"Hatchworth?" Spine croaked, turning- but then Hatchworth was pushing him aside, kneeling in front of Rabbit.

"Brianna! Paige!" he called. "You've worked in labs, right?"

They nodded.

"HELP me!"

They stumbled, struggling to stand, and half-dragged themselves over to him.

Hatchworth opened his bag, spreading the materials over the pavement.

"Alright." he said fiercely. "Check the blue matter core. Temperature regulators. Steam chambers. Balance calibrators."

"Steam chambers cracked!"

"Balance calibrators loose."

"Temperature low."

Hatchworth shook his head. "But what about the core?"

"Processors cracked!"

"Eyes intact-"

"THE CORE!" Hatchworth shouted.

With shaking, fumbling hands, Paige grabbed a screwdriver. Eyes narrowing in concentration, she pried open a metal flap...

Brianna grabbed her sister's hands, steadying them.

They both wrenched one last time, pulling with all their strength- there was a pop-

And Paige gasped.

Her eyes widened. Could it be?

"Blue matter core... intact?" she breathed.

Electricity shot through Hatchworth's wiring.

Intact.

The word spread through him, making his head spin. But no- he had to keep his focus. He nodded.

"Lead?"

"Half-full. Tank cracked."

"Oil?"

"Intact!"

Paige was stuttering now. "Th-the m-m-memory chip! What about the memory ch-chip?"

"Only one way to find out." Hatchworth said. He opened his arm, drawing a wire out from a spool. Then, he opened Rabbit's mouth and plugged it into the back of his throat. Adjusted a few dials along the inside of his arm.

"Come on, come on...!" he muttered. Then, to the Walter girls- "It's not working. Something's gone wrong!"

"There must be a broken connection." Brianna said. She picked through the wires inside Rabbit, checking them one-by-one. Then- "Aha!"

"Where?"

"Look, this-"

Rabbit's eyes opened.

Spine had been tense and still until that moment, waiting by the sidelines. But now his breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened. "Rabbit-?"

But then Rabbit's mouth opened, and it wasn't Rabbit who spoke. It was a scratchy, pre-recorded tape.

"Boat rides, two cents a person! Boat rides!"

Spine's mouth opened in shock. "What?"

"Boat rides!" Rabbit said. His face was expressionless. His mouth clicked unnaturally as he spoke.

A panic rose in Spine's throat. "What- Rabbit? No- N-no-!"

Hatchworth turned to him. "Calm down, Spine, it's just the backup program!"

Spine was beyond reason. "RABBIT! NO! PLEASE, NO!"

"Boat rides, two cents a person! Boat Rides!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHhHhh!"

"Brianna, take care of him!" Hatchworth shouted.

Spine clapped his hands over his ears, eyes wide and desperate. "MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP-!"

"Boat rides-!"

Brianna whirled, slapping Spine across the face.

Spine felt no pain, but it shocked him. He lifted his hand to his cheek.

"PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!" Brianna yelled. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him angrily- "STOP THIS!"

"He's gone!" Spine cried. "He's gone, he's gone forever-"

"PULL-" slap- "YOURSELF-" slap- "TOGETHER!"

Now his pain receptors were picking up her hits, and he flinched.

"I know it hurts!" Brianna shouted. "It's supposed to! But you're going to have to STOP PANICKING!"

Spine pressed his lips together, nodding. Brianna turned, running back to the others' side.

"Boat rides, two cents a person!" Rabbit's backup program soullessly declared.

Spine felt sick at the strange voice, and the coldness of it. At the machine-like tone. Oil rose in his throat.

Hatchworth's and the girls' arms were blurs as they worked.

"Limb connection restored!"

"I'll get the chest-piece back into shape."

"Help me weld the secondary tank!"

Sparks flew. Lead was everywhere.

"Can't find any tube links- Hatchworth, what do we do?"

"Duct tape will do for now. We'll fix him completely later."

Hatchworth held his breath as he worked. Could it be? Could they fix him? He had to have faith. He had to fix.

He could only hope now, hope and work.

"Alright." Brianna said finally, pulling her hands back. "I think we've done all you can. Hatchworth, give him a jump start."

Paige took a shaky breath. "And... if this doesn't work?"

"Then it won't ever work again." Hatchworth said. His voice was hollow.

Everyone was still.

He turned a dial.

BZZZZZZSSSSSSSS

A crackling sound.

They all leaned closer...

Yet...

Silence.

"Temperature... still low."

"Lead isn't moving."

"No." Hatchworth said. His teeth clenched. "No!"

Because Rabbit was still unresponsive, just as he'd been before. Nothing had changed.

Hatchwork felt tears squeeze from his eyes. Waste of oil, he thought. He cried anyway.

Spine pushed Hatchworth aside, trying to see. To understand.

Hatchworth closed his eyes, shaking his head.

A fresh wave of sadness spread through Spine's mind.

He gently put his arms under Rabbit and lifted him up. Gazed. into the familiar face.

Saw the unfamiliar shock collar on his throat.

I should take that off. he thought numbly.

With a soft touch, he took a screwdriver and pried the collar off Rabbit's neck. It fell to the ground with a clank.

Spine looked up at the others, cradling Rabbit in his arms.

"Rabbit was kind... good. Human." He whispered. "And we can't ever forget him. Ever. You understand?"

Paige buried her face in her hands- but she nodded.

Everyone else followed.

"I... I just wish..." Spine looked down at him, bowing his head. "I just wish... we could tell him... that he-"

Rabbit's eyes flew open, glowing a brilliant green.

Every

body

froze.

Time slowed.

"Ah- ahh- ahh-" Rabbit gasped.

No one moved.

Suddenly, Rabbit's body twisted as he choked on the wire in his throat, and he rolled over- gagged as oil poured from his mouth, soaking Spine's clothes-

And all at once, everything was moving quickly, faster than it had ever been.

Hatchworth ripped the wires from him. "Rabbit! Rabbit, can you hear me? Rabbit!"

Spine held his breath.

Rabbit suddenly looked up, straight into Spine's eyes. A moment's pause.

"Th... the Spine?" he wheezed.

Spine's world stopped.

"Rabbit?"

Before he could say anything else, Rabbit's chest heaved and he made a dreadful noise again. Oil gushed from his mouth, and his hand grabbed onto Spine's coat.

When he had finished, and his shuddering gasps finally slowed, he looked around and swallowed.

"Spine." he said softly. And then it hit him, the whole of what had happened. He let a wail fall from his lips, and then he threw himself forward, throwing his arms around Spine's neck. "SPINE!"

Spine grunted under the weight, tipping sideways a little. But he still held on, clutching Rabbit with all his might.

Rabbit buried his head in Spine's jacket, breathing in the familiar scent. Spine could hear his muffled cries.

"The Spine!" he wept. "The Spine, I th-th-thought that I would n-n-never see you again! I thought I was d-d-dead!"

"Me too." Spine replied, voice trembling with emotion. He closed his eyes, laying his head on Rabbit's hat. "Oh Rabbit, me too."

Rabbit remained against the familiar, soft fabric of Spine's coat. A warm feeling bloomed from his heart, spreading through him- there was nothing that could hurt him now. He was safe. Safe...

But all of a sudden he remembered, and his heart dropped. A fresh wave of sadness.

With great effort he pulled himself away, and forced himself to look.

Professor's body laid nearby, smoking a little.

"I... I did that." Rabbit said. He bowed his head, turning a little to the side. "I k-k-killed him."

"It's okay Rabbit!" Spine insisted. "You had to!"

Rabbit's eyes lit with a frantic sadness, and he looked back up at Spine. His hands curled into the folds of Spine's clothes.

And then all the doubts that he'd had before came creeping back, all the worries, all the feelings that had haunted him.

"He w-w-w-wanted my weapons." he whispered sadly. "He wanted me to use them... and I d-d-did. He b-b-b-broke me-"

"That's nonsense, Rabbit!" Spine said. "You did it to save us-"

"But is that really all I'm GOOD for?!" Rabbit cried, shaking his head. "Am I just a machine? Weapons to be used?"

Spine looked down at Rabbit with care and tenderness, brushing the tears away with careful hands. But as he did, he realized that all the things he'd told Rabbit before, when Rabbit had approached him under the starlight... all those things were no longer enough.

Not enough to heal Rabbit's broken heart.

Not enough to smother the pain.

And so Spine answered him, answered in the only way he knew how.

He took Rabbit's face in his hands, and Rabbit looked up at him with wide, sad eyes.

"Rabbit," Spine said gently, "No matter what the professor says- what anyone says- you are conscious, and you are alive. Your weapons don't matter. You are good." Rabbit started to cry again, silent tears. Spine went on- "Because you are worth more than the sum of your parts, more than even you could imagine. And that's what makes you human."

"Human?" Rabbit whispered.

"He's right."

They all turned, startled.

The voice-?

Professor.

He had not moved, but that had been his voice.

Spine stood slowly, helping Rabbit up. Together with everyone else, they walked cautiously to the professor's side.

Professor saw their faces and chuckled a little.

"You're all so stiff." he said. "Do I look like I'm going anywhere?"

Spine glanced around at the others, then back at Professor.

"What do you mean... I'm right?" he said warily.

Professor gave a sigh. "My mind is clear now, clearer than it's been for years. I have Rabbit's laser to thank for that- dying really brings out the sanity, you know?"

He coughed, and his lips shone with blood.

"But yes, Rabbit," he continued, "Spine is right. You are not only good for your weapons. In fact, I never wanted your weapons at all."

Rabbit blinked, shocked. "Wh... what?"

"That's right." he confessed. "I never intended to get weapons, or to kill anyone- not at first. Well... this requires some explanation. I was a young scientist, only beginning to work, when the War struck. Before I could react, or escape... my wife and daughter were murdered."

Spine bowed his head. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be." Professor interrupted. "It was not your fault- it was because of a small group of very evil people. But I didn't realize this at the time, and chalked up their deaths as the responsibility of the human race. I lost all faith in humanity, decided that everyone was evil." His breath was growing labored now, but he still continued. "So, I decided... that I would find good- and that if it wasn't in humans, then I would find it in artificial intelligences. Automatons."

"But- but you weren't d-d-doing that!" Rabbit pointed out.

"At first I was." Professor said. "I would take the robots, tell them that I wanted their weapons for murder. Threatened them when they refused. But they always said yes, eventually, and I grew disenchanted. I went insane slowly, started to torture them. Eventually, started..." he took a deep breath- "killing. Even when they said no. I became a shadow of my former self. Everything is a blur since then- and then the pain from your laser woke me up, and I am dying."

"But why?" Hatchworth said. "How could that happen?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Professor responded. He smiled a little, and there was sadness in it. "But I am glad that I'm awake, and I thank you. And... I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Paige echoed hollowly.

Professor nodded. "I know it means nothing, but I am. I just have say it. So that you'll never lose faith in humanity. And yourselves- another kind of human, but human all the same. Never doubt that."

"I... I forgive you." Rabbit said. He gave a wobbly smile. "It wasn't your fault."

Brianna sighed. "I suppose I do too."

Paige nodded in agreement.

Now the Professor was smiling, and the grin was sincere.

"Then there might be hope for us yet..." His voice trailed off, and his eyes closed.

He moved no more.

"What was his name?" Hatchworth whispered.

Spine looked up at him. "He didn't say."

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Rabbit's face crumbled. He whirled and squeezed Spine tight, grabbed his arm-

CRACK

Spine's arm hung limply by his side.

"Goddammit, Rabbit." Spine said sternly, and then they were laughing, and then they were crying, crying together as the rain washed away their pain.

And in the dim lamplight, their metal looked smooth and round, softened by the shadows.

They almost looked... human.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were doing some last repairs on Rabbit before they went home. The sky was lightening- the night was over, and the rain had diminished to a drizzle.

"I think that's it." Hatchworth said, wrapping his tools. "We'll finish at home, Rabbit, but you can move around now!"

"How do you feel?" Paige said tenatively.

"Pretty g-g-good!" Rabbit said, smiling as he wiggled his fingers. He looked up at Paige. "Hey, Paige... I just wanted to say that-"

Paige caught him in a tight embrace. "We're okay. Everything is okay now, Rabbit." Tears of relief gathered in her eyes. "We're free!"

"We're free." Rabbit echoed. The happiness struck him and he giggled, leaping to his feet and taking Paige's hands. He lifted her, swinging her around- "We're free, we're free!" They spun, and Paige's hair fluttered in her face.

Once Rabbit set her down they looked into each other's eyes, giddy with joy. Hugged each other again with tremendous force, nestling into each others arms.

"Hey- careful, Rabbit!" Hatchworth complained. "You'll crush each other to death! Paige! Hey!"

The peals of laughter reached Spine and Brianna's ears. They looked up.

"Ugh, it's so sweet." Brianna joked, sticking her tongue out. "It's making me sick!"

Spine grinned, holding his arms out. "Shall we?"

Brianna shook her head, scoffing indignantly. "Not on your life!"

Spine put his arms down- but then Brianna was hugging him anyway, grinning, and he chuckled.

After a while, she pulled away. Spine looked to her.

"Say," he said, "If you have nowhere else to go... would you like to come live with us?"

"With you?"

"We're thinking of starting a band." Spine sheepishly explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "Or... something like that. I mean, if you want to."

"I'll give it some thought." Brianna said. "I just wish I could remember..."

All of a sudden, Brianna stumbled forward. She gasped.

"Brianna! What's wrong?" Paige said worriedly, running forward and grabbing her by the shoulder.

Brianna held her head, staring fixedly forward. Then, she looked up.

"I remember." she breathed. "I remember what we were doing when he caught us."

Everyone was paying attention now.

Paige's eyes widened. "What? What was it?"

They all looked to her in wonder.

"We..." Brianna concentrated. "It... It was Peter Walter the Fifth."

She looked up.

"He wanted to see you."