Hullo my droplets! It's serious buisness time! Another chapter is here for you to read! I'm sorry to inform you all that two of my stories, Stitchpunks, Battery Not Included and The First Snows will have to be on temporary hiatus for awhile. Note I say temporary. These stories are in no way discontinued. I've been transferred to a new school and need time to adjust. Also, I'm sort of drained after finishing three major multi-chapters (MKA, Eternal, and Savior). So read, enjoy, and review!

~Cel

Chapter Fourteen: I See The Truth

They didn't have to walk far to find the others. 5 led them to a tall brick wall. He stopped and tapped at it with his knuckle. A large butcher knife preceded the stitchpunk who held it out in front of him. As soon 8 as saw that it was only the three young ragdolls, he lowered his sword and held out his hand, beckoning for the others to follow him. They did as 8 led them to a small, rubble-filled corner where the rest of the coven were waiting, well out of the sights of the Machines. A sigh of relief reached them, as 2 hobbled out from the shadows to greet his friends. The twins raced past him, their pale faces alit with smiles. They ran up to 5, 9 and 7, throwing their arms around them and embracing them tightly.

The only problem now was this – where were the stitchpunks going to hide now? The cabin was completely destroyed. The twins, however, took the lead. They both went from one adult to another, tugging lightly on their hands and pointing into the Emptiness. The others agreed to follow and the twins started to guide the group towards the citadel tower as the dawn began to creep over the distant mountains. They kept turning around and waving the rest of their curious coven on, beckoning them to follow, scurrying in front of them quickly.

Finally, they reached a large, crumbling building. The stitchpunks followed 3 and 4 as they scurried across the large courtyard towards it. Towering stone statues of angels stood eerily over them, desolate and silent. Their stone wings were crumbling, their faces deteriorating sadly. 6, who was lingering behind, looking curiously at everything, suddenly stopped walking, and bent down. He wrapped his delicate fingers around the stiff stem of what used to be a flower. He lifted it to his eyes, examining it curiously. The remnants of bright red and orange were still evident upon the delicate and withered petals.

"Pretty." 6 said softly to himself. Suddenly, the flower was snatched away from him by a much larger hand. 6 jumped with a gasp and looked up at 8, who was glowering down at him and crushing the flower easily between four strong, brass fingers. He threw the crushed pieces down at 6's feet.

"Move!" He commanded in a dark voice. 6 hung his head sadly and quickly walked by, catching up with the others and not making any eye contact. The twins turned once more and waved the others on. They finally reached the building. They walked up to it, smiling. 7 smiled as well, her eyes lighting up as soon as she saw the building.

"You two are brilliant!" She cried out in a delighted whisper, coming to the twins and patting their backs. They both beamed up at her. 7 then took the lead, and led them around to the other side of the library. She looked warily over her shoulder, and then rounded a corner. The eight others followed her. She was standing beside a hole that seemed to have been blown in the side of the building. The twins shared a delighted glance, flickered to one another, and then darted into the hole. 7 waved the others forward, and they entered the opening as well. 9 walked through it, straightened, and looked up, blinking.

Giant stacks of torn, tattered, stained books loomed over the nine ragdolls. Bookcases leaned against one another limply and silently. Shattered globes stood on desks, and delicate celestial devices stood on the window sills – whatever was left of them, anyway. It appeared that some sort of Machine, in the early days of the war, had invaded this place and wreaked havoc upon it and any human that had attempted to hide within it. It seemed that they had entered some sort of ancient library or bookstore. 9 looked down to see the twins happily romping around the center of the library, their faces alit with recognition.

"It's like they've been here before." 9 said softly, mostly to himself as he watched them. 7, however, heard him, and answered.

"They have, and so have I. This is where we went when we first detached ourselves from the Cathedral. However, the Beast found us about a day after we left, and we had to relocate to the library you've been to." She explained to him. 9 nodded, still looking curiously around. The twins, who had run behind a bookshelf, were frantically waving and flickering to 9 around the corner, telling him to come to them. He began to walk over to them, the others following the twins as well.

As he rounded the corner, he saw that it was some sort of small clearing in the middle of the rubble. 3 approached 6 and the striped stitchpunk gasped happily as 3 handed him what he carried in his hands – a tiny tray of jet ink, which was, surprisingly, still wet, and a blank piece of parchment, the edges slightly singed.

6 happily took these from 3 and set them on the floor. 9 watched as he sat on his knees and carefully dipped his eight long, delicate nib fingers into the tray of ink. He shook some of the excess ink back into the tray, and turned to the paper. He set his hands down upon it, and began to draw, very quickly. 9 walked over to him, and kneeled beside him while he drew. He watched curiously as a picture formed itself onto the parchment.

"What is it?" 9 asked softly, looking more closely at the picture, which appeared to be finished. It was some sort of animal, snarling and evil. Towering above the animal, was a sinister-looking face, a human, it seemed. 6 looked up at him, brows raised. He held up one hand, his fingers wide, extending it towards 9. 9 looked down at the hand, and raised his own, tentatively placing it in 6's. His long fingers closed around 9's hand, and he guided it to the face above the animal.

"The Dark One." 6 told him softly, nodding. 9 gasped in realization and recognition as he looked at the face, then the animal more closely

"That's the Machine beast! The thing that fixed the Machine!" He cried. 1, 7, 5 and 2 rushed over at this cry, looking at 6's drawing as well. 9 pointed to the animal, which was, in fact not an animal, but indeed the Spine Machine, inscribed on the paper.

"He says that he," his copper finger trailed up to the human's face, "is the 'Dark One.'"

"The Dark One?" 1 scoffed, and 7 threw him an irritable glance.

"6, do you know anything about this?" 9 asked the banded prophet patiently. He nodded, still looking up at 9 with wide eyes, still sitting on his knees.

"Enemy to the Source." He said softly.

"Enemy to the Scientist?" 9 asked. 6 nodded once more, as if patiently waiting for the others to understand it all.

"Enemy to the Source." He repeated, softer this time. 9 shared glances with 1, 7, 2 and 5, who were just as perplexed as he was.

"The Scientist once said something about a colleague of his, if I'm recalling correctly," 2 said, looking deeply thoughtful.

"Do you think it's the Dark One?" 5 asked him, brow pulling towards the stitching of his eye patch in worry.

"I'm not sure." 2 replied, shaking his head. There was a sudden clicking behind them and they turned to see the twins flashing at them, pointing frantically and excitedly. 9 got to his feet and faced them.

"What is it?" He asked them. The twins then turned, and grasped a newspaper, holding it up to 9. He bent down to examine it, reading every other word or so…

"The great Scientist of our time has disappeared," the headline proclaimed. "He is presumed dead until further notice, while famed colleague creates rival Machine."

Underneath it, there was a large picture of a grizzled, old man, standing at a podium and talking triumphantly to a cheering crowd in triumph. He bore a strong resemblance to 1. Next to him was the Spine Machine, standing proud, much different-looking than now. Much to 9's surprise, 7 slapped her forehead, looking amazed.

"Of course! They found this years ago! Why didn't I remember it?" She exclaimed, bending next to 9 and peering at the newspaper as well. Together, they read the quotes of the Dark One.

"My colleague and I have recently broken our bonds. While he wishes to keep his Machine secret, I wish to help us prosper, and so, I create my own Machine, capable of stealth, tracking, sensors, everything a weapon of war could be. It also has a power source of my own design, only I and itself know its weakness. It has the ability to learn and evolve, and even fix broken Machines it finds on the battlefield. Together, our great country can someday take power of the world."

"That's why you didn't remember, 7," 9 said, surfacing. "Look at how different it looks."

7 nodded silently, still staring at the paper. Suddenly, the twins tapped 9 on the shoulder. He turned to face them.

"They need to show you something else." 7 explained to him as he looked down at the two small ragdolls. They nodded in unison, and then 4 turned to face the wooden, oak back of the bookcase. He took a deep breath, heard only by his twin and closed his eyes. He opened them again, looking directly at the bookcase. Two bright lights protruded from his eyes.

"The Fabrication Machine," a picture of the Machine showed on the newsreel, while a male and female announcer made the broadcast, "has been shut down until further notice, for it has created deadly weapons that have turned against our country. It has been concealed away for its and our own good.

"Reports claim it had created a single Machine of its kind before being shut down, but no sightings have been made." The video began to flicker, and the speech became distorted for a moment before returning to normal. "…former colleague…nd friend…has created a new Machine, but it has, too, turned against humanity. Efforts to repel the Machines have been futile as the number of losses amongst our soldiers, even our citizens, women and children, are on the rise. The most recent deaths among those found include…"

The lights suddenly snapped back into 4's eyes and he nearly collapsed from exhaustion, startling many of the transfixed stitchpunks. 3 held his exhausted brother erect, worriedly checking him over. 9 stared at the twins, eyes wide.

"When did they find this?" He asked aloud to the room. To his surprise, 7 bent her head, looking a bit sheepish.

"Well…they found it a few weeks after…y'know, we began to live on our own, you, me and the twins. They showed it to me, but we decided not to show it to you, because you were still very devastated, and we didn't want to upset you further." 7 said, shrugging to herself. 9 blinked, mildly surprised.

"Well…um…er, thanks." He said, unknowing of which words to use for this act of kindness. Instead, he let it drop, and focused his mind on this new information. He began to take this information apart piece by piece within his mind and put it back together, like a jigsaw puzzle someone had put together all wrong.

"The last Machine the Fabrication Machine must have created was the Beast," 9 said slowly, thinking deeply.

"It was around ever since they did shut it down. Believe me, I've been fighting it ever since I awoke myself." 2 said to 9, nodding. He furrowed his brows, now thinking about the Dark One.

"Did the Dark One create the Machine beast to rival our Scientist?" 5 asked, and 9 nodded slowly, staring at the ground.

"He wanted to create war, like Chancellor did…but it didn't say how to destroy its power source." 9 said apprehensively, beginning to pace back and forth across the floor, thinking. "If we don't know that…then we can't kill it."

"How do we find it out?" 5 asked, nervously wringing his hands together. 9 shook his head, still pacing, the only sound in the room were the others' hushed breathing and the click of his feet against the floor.

"I don't know."

"This is your plan? Just blindly rush the Machines and attempt to kill them? How many of us are you willing to sacrifice now?" 1 said disdainfully. 9 stopped pacing and stared at 1, fury and anger boiling inside of him at the old man.

"Until I breathe my last breath, nobody will be sacrificed for any reason. We need to figure out some things before we even try to fight it." He said defiantly. 1 narrowed his eyes at 9. He was being challenged…

"All I know at the moment is that we need to get the talisman back." 9 said to the entire group.

"And how are we supposed to do that, exactly?" 1 sneered. 9 was silent for a moment, and an uncomfortable silence followed.

"Language," 6 said suddenly, breaking the eerie tension. Everybody turned to look at him, and he was vibrating. He suddenly sank to his knees slowly, trembling violently. His pupils dilated and his lips moved rapidly, forming silent words. He began to run his inked fingers through his hair, his breaths sharp. It appeared he was having some sort of serious emotional fit.

5 immediately ran to 6's side, kneeling beside him. He rubbed 6's back, whispering softly and reassuringly to his friend.

"It's alright, 6. It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here." He said soothingly, but 6 didn't seem to notice him. 9 kneeled too, confused and worried about 6's state. 5 seized the banded ragdoll's wrists, stopping him from inking his hair any further. 6 succumbed, still looking extremely frightened.

"What's wrong with him? Is he okay?" 9 asked 5 worriedly, still staring at 6 with anxiety.

"He's having a vision." He replied, still rubbing 6's back. He turned to the group behind him, and addressed them, "Hurry, get him some paper."

8 lumbered off hurriedly, around a corner, and came back with a huge stack of burned, crumpling paper in his arms. He laid it in front of 6 with a grunt. 5 took 6's hands and laid them on the paper.

"Tell us, 6." 5 said to him softly. Immediately, 6's hands flew rapidly across the paper. He wasn't even looking down to see his drawing. As if he could see it in his mind, his fingers did the rest. Quickly, each individual line formed a picture. Suddenly, 6 stopped shaking and ceased his relentless drawing. He blinked, his pupils returning to normal size. He shook his head, as if trying to clear it of frightening images. He looked up at the others, who all stared down at him in bewilderment. 6 took the paper in his hands and got to his feet a bit shakily. 9 and 5 followed, watching him warily.

6 looked up at the two, and gently handed the paper to 9, giving it a small shake. 9 took the paper from 6, studying the drawing closely. It was one of the talisman, but inside of it, there was a strange box shape. 9 furrowed his brows and looked closely at it, not understanding what it was.

"I don't understand." He told 6 quietly. 6 blinked, and helplessly tried to articulate it so it would make sense to his fellows who could not see.

"In the honor room. The box within the honor room." He said, pointing to the box-like shape, looking up at 9 desperately.

"The honor room? What do you mean?" 9 asked him patiently.

"The honor room, you will find there." 6 said, looking up at 9 with wide, intelligent eyes. He reached forward and gently touched 9's chest.

"Find what, 6?" 9 asked him softly.

"The answer. The answer to the Dark One you shall find there." 6 replied, nodding as if he knew that 9 understood him. 5 walked up to stand beside 9, staring at the paper he held in his hands. He pointed to the box.

"I wonder what this symbol means. He's never drawn it before." 5 asked softly. 6 looked up at him, bewildered with this whole thing.

"The honor room. The answer you shall find there." 6 told him desperately, as if his life depended on it. He took 9's hand and held it tightly, trying to make him understand, but 9 did.

"Honor room? What does that mean?" 7 asked. 9 looked up.

"7, was there anything in the place where we found answers?" 9 asked, memories running past his mind's eye in great surges. "A box or something?" He was plainly remembering the trophies and awards strewn all along it. 7 seemed to try and retrace her steps.

"I don't know…but I do think that's what 6 means by 'honor room.' The Scientist had many awards in that room. We should look."

"What?! We are rapidly running out of time, and we cannot afford to go after this idiocy while the Machines are rising again! 6 is not sane, he never has been! We must not follow this idiotic path!" 1 yelled, thumping his staff against the ground in irritation. 6 recoiled away from 1, even though he stood a few feet away, cringing as if he was a recently kicked puppy. 9 stared at him, at his hurt, heartbreaking expression. 9 felt anger boil up inside of him. How dare 1 treat 6 like he was some sort of freak? He couldn't help it, his visions and mind. He was born that way and 1 was treating poor 6 like he had no feelings at all. Unable to help his kind nature, 9 walked over to 6, who cringed as well as he approached. 9 gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We must go back to the honor room?" 9 asked 6 quietly. 6 nodded slightly, still staring at 1.

"No." 1 snarled, his fist tightening on his staff. 9 sighed, finally fully exasperated at 1. He turned to look at him in anger.

"1, this may be our only hope of finding out how to defeat the Machine beast and destroying all of the Machines!" The young soldier said firmly. "We have to take the chance."

"May I remind you of the last time you decided to take a chance?" 1 said softly, yet severely all the same, pointing at 2, who blinked.

"1, it's either we take a risk and have a chance, or none at all." 7 growled, stepping between 1 and 9. "I am not letting you lock us up again. You're treating 9 like he's the enemy here, when he's more than willing to risk his life to help us all. You're ungrateful he gives you a second chance at living, and the whole time you've known him, you don't trust him!" 7 said, her brow furrowing threateningly.

"It wasn't any of us who woke the Machine in the first place, girl." 1 answered, making a vague gesture to the group behind him. 9 blinked, his heart falling as he realized that 1 still counted him as an outsider.

"He didn't know! He thought it was doing us good. Yeah, he made a mistake, but ever since he awoke, he's been doing nothing but trying to help us." She replied. 1 and 7 had a fierce stare-down. 9, however, put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

"7, he's right, I did make a mistake." He said, voice gentle, pulling her to stand beside him instead of in front. "But 1, we need to focus on defeating the real enemy. We need to go back to the honor room." He said. 1 narrowed his eyes, and looked all around them, at each face of his coven staring up at him.

"Fine. We shall go back to the 'honor room,' and try to find this box. But I swear, if you lead us to more danger," 1 said, lifting a finger to 9, whom already knew the circumstances, nodded. Then, as 9 turned away from 1, as the others began to walk out of the library, 6 was peering up at him, eyes wide, searching his face the same way he had done before returning to life.

"You're the one to save us…the one to save us…" 6 said softly, taking 9's shoulders, and squeezing tightly. 9 didn't have one notion of what the banded stitchpunk meant by this. 6 blinked, eyes still wide, and withdrew away from the younger ragdoll, scurrying to the others, following closely behind 5. 9 blinked, staring at 6 for a fleeting moment, before walking after the others.

They didn't know of a Seeker coming back to the Fabrication Machine with the body of the Cat Beast.