Disclaimer: I don't own 9.

Author's note: I'm so sorry for such a long wait, but I was having some depressing life problems and I just couldn't get myself to write (my art flourished in its place though). Hopefully getting this up and hearing from my awesome readers will get me going again, so this was kind of forced, not so impressive, but I've learned by now that you guys will love anything I have to offer, as long as it means the story is still alive.

For those who haven't been keeping track, 9 has been in the hospital for about four weeks now.


Short by 9 Marbles

Chapter 11: Batteries not included


"What?"

9 expected 5 to overreact; it's what 5 did for…just about everything. What he didn't expect was for 5 to leap out of his chair and glomp 2. "When did you find out? This is great! You're so lucky 2…"

9 was confused. Of course, there wasn't a day he wasn't, but this time his heart stung with pain."What do you mean you're leaving?"

2 pushed 5 off of him, a sad, warm smile coming to his face. "I've been excused from the hospital. I'm going home."

9 could feel his stomach turn, knowing the worse was coming. "You'll come back though, right?"

"Perhaps to visit, but not to stay…at least I hope not. I've been here a long time 9, and I have a family waiting on me." 2 reached for him, but 9 backed away, his breath coming fast.

"What about us? What are we going to do without you?" 9 searched the old wrinkled face for an answer, but found none.

2 held his gaze, at a loss for what to tell him. "I…I don't know."

"You can't leave us. 7's going to kill 1 the moment you leave. Who's going to calm 5 down when he has a panic attack, or stop the twins and 7 from causing trouble? And no one else can understand 6. And…and I need you." 9 was shaking, and had trouble keeping his voice from becoming a gurgled mess.

"There's nothing I can do," 2 shook his head sadly, "The decision has already been made. I leave next Friday."

9 pushed past them, running out of the door. 5 almost went after him, but 2 stopped him short. "Let him be."

5 looked at 2, then back at the empty doorway, wishing 9 could understand how this was something to be thankful for.


9 had to say that this was an unexpected surprise, and that was saying something, considering the bomb that 2 dropped on hm.

He couldn't see a thing, and he had the most peculiar feeling of being upside down. What was the worst, was that he could hear the others.

"Well…this is an…odd predicament." Commented 5 distractedly. He was probably wiggling about, trying to figure out which way was which and what exactly was holding them up, just like what 9 was currently doing.

"No duh Sherlock," Came a sharp retort from 7, somewhere on 9's far right.

"Noooo! The voices in my head are back!" Well, it went without saying who that was.

"Shut up, you nincompoop. It's US." 9 winced, not liking the prospect of how close 1's voice was to the back of his head.

"…But I don't know an Us."

1 let out a pathetic whine from the mental torture, and hissed to himself, "I already put up with this at breakfast…but now in my SLEEP?"


9 shook his head with a groan, his vision spinning around dizzily, as if he had spent all night hanging upside down. The sleep meds weren't helping much either.

He turned to look at his shiny blue clock, as he did every morning, and started to get up when his hand brushed against something unexpected.

He stared at the bear, having to take a minute to remember he now shared his bed with the toy. "Keys…" 9 whispered to himself as he fiddled with the t-shirt, "I don't know what that means but…" he pulled the zipper down and readjusted the metal device inside. "Maybe if we turned you right side up?"


9 had to say that this was much more preferable over last night. Not that he was enjoying the situation, but it was much better than being upside down, and he could see everyone despite the fact that they were still standing in a patch of darkness.

"Well, At least this is an improvement over last night." 2 scrunched his face up, trying to see the distant distorted city that waited beyond the darkness.

"Still confused as hell though. Wonder what happened." 5 commented with a shrug.

1 gave 9 a questioning glare, and the amnesia patient sheepishly turned his gaze elsewhere, making 1 even more suspicious then before.

The exchange hadn't been missed by 7. "Don't you even start. This isn't his fault."

"You don't find it curious at all that none of these changes occurred until after HE—" 1 pointed accusingly at 9, "showed up? How do you explain that!"

"You can't prove anything, you crazy fool! It probably would have still happened even if he didn't come here!" 7 screamed back.

8 straitened himself up, watching the exchange carefully.

9 completely ignored it, far too used to their bickering by now and instead took a good look at the…nothingness. That was when he realized that 6 was doing something rather odd. "6…where did that come from?"

Everyone turned to stare at 6, who was cheerfully drawing with a quill on a piece of parchment.

He froze and blinked down at the paper, his eyebrows pulled together in thought. "I don't know. I wanted ink, and ink came."

They were all silent, starring at the paper that shouldn't have existed, until 7 finally put two and two together. "Duh! This is a dream. We can probably control things here."

5 scrunched up his face in concentration, then reopened his eyes."Nope, not working. No field of cows in sight."

1 looked around in thought, a sudden idea coming to mind. "I wonder…"

Suddenly the darkness shifted, color and shapes coming into focus, as if someone had just readjusted the light level on a screen.

"O..okay, what was that?" 9 swiveled around, taking in the room that had formed around them, only stopping at the sight of a stain glass window.

1 frowned, kicking up the dust that coated the floor."Not exactly what I had in mind, but it proves my theory. We can only work within the preexisting realm."

9, 5, and 7 blinked at him, and exclaimed simultaneously, "What?"

2 helpfully explained, "He means no cow fields, because it doesn't logically fit in with what is already here. That probably also means no deleting gravity and floating away." He turned to look at the stain glass window 9 was still staring at, "How strange. Normal dreams aren't so restricting. "

"Since when has this ever been a normal dream?" 5 scoffed.

"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm going to check this place out!" 7 dashed off, a skip to her step as she disappeared through an entrance, 3 and 4 taking after her.

1 rolled his eyes and grumbled, deciding that if they did happen to return, he wanted a nice quiet spot to retreat to, far, far away from the others. 8 of course, followed right behind.

5 opened his mouth to say something, but at a look from 2, he shut it and slowly snuck out. 6 was left forgotten in his corner.

"I haven't gotten to speak to you much lately." 2 walked over to 9, who didn't turn away from the window.

"yeah…" 9 ducked his head in embarrassment. Really, he had been avoiding 2 since the announcement.

2 pat him on the shoulder, "Everything will turn out fine in the end."

9 sighed, "I know. I've been talking to The Toymaker about…this."

"That's good." The room was silent as they struggled to think of something else to say.

9 finely looked at the elder and asked, "Do you think we'll still see you here, after you leave?"

"It's hard to say. I hope so. That would be smashing. Like our own secret meeting every night."

Unable to resist, 9 laughed, "Yeah…that would be….smashing."


Friday came too fast for 9's liking.

They had the cafeteria to themselves so that they could give 2 a proper good-bye party, and Dr. Robertson had even bought a cake for them.

Which unfortunately confused 6, who was swaying back and forth singing, "Happy birthday to you…happy birthday to you….!"

1 paused in scraping the thick layer of icing off his cake slice and glared. "It's not his birthday."

"Shh…let him celebrate." 2 berated cheerfully. He no longer donned his uniform, but a brown vest over a white button down shirt and a brand new pair of blue jeans his relatives had sent for him.

1 turned to him, a look of outrage on his face. "But it's not your birthday."

The other residents' put a finger to their mouths and simultaneously let out a loud, "Shhhh!"

"Oh for crying out loud…I don't have to endure this ludicrousness." 1 stood in a huff and made for the door.

2 was quicker though and blocked his path, thrusting his cane out playfully. "Unguard!"

1 was not amused. "…No."

2 pouted, "Come now, 1, It's my last day. For old time's sakes?"

"I am not going to make a fool of myself." 1 made to walk around him .

2 leapt back in front of 1 and pushed him back with his cane. "Please? Consider it a birthday present."

1's eyebrows pulled down with his lips as he shouted, "For the last time, it's not your birthday!"

"My un-birthday then," 2 gleefully chirped.

1 slammed his head into his hand and mumbled something not understandable. Finely he looked up, and clanked his cane against 2's. "Just because I'm probably never going to see that goofy face of yours again."

2 aimed for 1's side and he blocked it with his cane. "Aww, I didn't think you'd miss me that much."

1 broke away and made his own thrust, their canes clacking together again in a block, "I won't. I'll finely be able to see strait without your ugliness ruining my vision."

The other patients watched intensively as the play sword fight made its way to the center of the room, the sharp clattering of wood against wood and banter the only sounds audible.

"Oh? Well at least I won't have to listen to your constant bickering." 2 swung his cane low.

1 jumped over it, spun, and then blocked another oncoming hit. "And I won't have to listen to you say "Smashing" every five damn minuets."

"I do not!" 2 raised his cane to bop his opponent on the head.

1 barely dodged it by ducking. "Do too." Both were painting by then, and there motions were a lot slower.

2 swung again, but didn't even come close to 1's cane. "Well, yo mamma so fat…small objects orbit her."

1 paused and raised an eyebrow in question.

2 shrugged apologetically, "I ran out of comebacks." He jumped backwards to avoid a swing, but he landed oddly on his leg and it buckled under his weight, causing his face to distort in pain. "Time…out. My blasted leg…"

1 relaxed out of his stance and plopped heavily into a chair. "This… is why we stopped jumping around… like drunk lemurs."

"Well, thank you. I really appreciate it." 2 took his own seat back, propping his leg up on the chair across from him.

1 snorted, but he couldn't stop the little smile on his face once he had turned away.

The door swung open and Dr. Robertson peered in. "Your ride is here." He gave an odd look at the sight of 1 and 2 panting, but didn't question them.

2 held up a hand to give him a minute. "Let me say good bye to everyone, just one more time."

The doctor nodded in understanding, and stepped back out into the hallway to wait.

To 9's surprise, 2 walked up to him first and pulled out a card form the pocket of his vest. On it were some phone numbers, an E-mail address and-

9 looked up quickly, waiting for an explanation.

2 just smiled back, "I'm no longer the patient of room 2. So I thought it would be appropriate for you to have my real name." Then he pulled him close for a hug and whispered, "This isn't the end. We will see each other again, I promise." He pulled away and gave a wink, Turning just in time to catch the twins.

9 looked back down at the piece of paper, where a name was written: Albert Rockwell .


Author's note: I'm dying here guys! Anything specific you want to see happen? (And yes, I'm working on that awesome scar idea!) The more support I get for an extended amount of time, the longer and faster the chaps come. Don't be afraid to step up, I'm quite a yacker when it comes to stories and love talking to you guys!