Mable: I meant to post this on Sunday, but time got away from me. I was close to being on time, though, so I'll blame life and pretend like I'm still on schedule. XD Anyway, I don't own 9. Enjoy!

Our Inner Beasts

Chapter Twenty-One: Time Ticks Down

With a grunt, Eight continued to roll the small birdcage into the Cathedral. Seven, Five, and Nine followed behind him, carrying other things that they collected on their scouting mission. The others were already waiting inside for when they arrived in the Cathedral. The second that Eight stopped and tilted the birdcage upright, One approached with a scrutinizing gaze.

"This is it? It doesn't even have a door," the leader pointed out with little hope in his voice.

"It's the only other birdcage in the immediate area," Seven explained, looking less than impressed at One's disregard of their hard work. "We can't very well get the one out of the factory."

One still didn't seem convinced, so Five volunteered. "We brought some wire. It shouldn't be too hard to make a replacement door," the healer suggested. Two smiled and gave a nod of agreement before wandering over to him.

"I can get started on that, unless you and the others would like to join me?" Two offered to the group. His optics were wide with a glint of inspiration. If anyone could get this birdcage in a working state, it would be him, and the others knew that.

"Sure! I think we can get this into workable condition," Five assured as he followed his mentor to the workshop. The twins followed them away, leaving the remaining Stitchpunks, save Six who was still in the bucket lift, standing where they were.

"So, what exactly is this plan?" One questioned as he looked between Nine and Seven. "We can't keep it in a birdcage forever, and that's only if we are able to get it in the birdcage originally. You two must have further ideas."

"We will," Nine promised. Though it was less his and Seven's ideas and more of a random cluster of ideas contributed by all the Stitchpunks. "This is just a temporary solution. When it comes, we'll have to subdue it."

"A birdcage is only justified. After all, it keeps one in its factory for our kind," Seven pointed out with a slight coldness at the thought. The mere thought of the machine being there right now, being unstoppable, was unbearable. "It will be like us so this should work well enough… What comes after will come when it may." She considered immediate execution, but shrugged it off, knowing the others would disagree.

"But One is right, Sev. We do need a continuing plan," Nine admitted as he looked back and forth between the two. "Depending on its behavior, maybe we can get it to give us information. That's- Alright, I know that's not at the top of everyone's list." Both One and Seven looked at him skeptically. "But it is an opportunity that we may never get again. This machine could tell us more than we could ever figure out on our own!"

One and Seven sent each other odd looks. One seemed confused and Seven seemed concerned, but they said nothing against Nine's suggestion. "But that's… The least of our issues," Nine admitted. "We have more important things to worry about before then… Like how we're planning to fight the Machine."

"Here's a plan; We jump it," Eight volunteered to the group. He had turned away from the birdcage and was now merely standing, holding onto it. "We wait by the doorway and once it gets far enough inside, we all rush it at once, knock it out, and put it in the birdcage." He brushed his hands together before crossing his arms, "Problem solved." For a few moments, the other three didn't react.

"I can barely believe it, but Eight, that could possibly work," One admitted, both surprised and proud that Eight concocted a simple, but efficient idea. "We could strike when the iron is hot. Block its escape."

"The further we can get it into the Cathedral, and the further from its machine body, the more time we have to subdue it," Seven agreed. She then gave a thoughtful hum. "But how could we knock it unconscious? We can't just strike it on the head and hope it goes down- as much as I would prefer that."

"With this," Eight continued and snatched off his magnet, presenting it to the group.

"A magnet?" Nine asked in confusion, seemingly not understanding.

"If Two uses this to put us under to work on us-," Eight began.

"-And we certainly know what you use it for, so you would be the best to tell us about it," Seven butted in with a small smirk. One frowned at the joke and the truth it held.

"If Two uses this," Eight clarified again more firmly, "then we can use this. What's the chance that it's used a magnet before? This thing's only gonna be a Stitchpunk for a day. It'll not have a tolerance."

"Again, you are absolutely correct," One praised. He then scoffed with a slightly smug smile, "It seems all that time with Four is finally starting to rub off on you. Thank her when you can." He didn't notice it, but the guard briefly had an almost embarrassed look, but it seemed less about One's praise and more about his mention of Four. Especially after what One had been suggesting before.

"So, Cat brings him here and we ambush," Nine clarified. He then looked to Seven. "You saw him before he left, right? When did he say he was coming back?"

"…He didn't," Seven admitted. She had woken early in the morning to see him off. During this, they had said little, save Cat promising that he would return by nightfall. It concerned her now just as much as it had concerned her while she watched him sprint away. "But he said he would be back before tonight. Maybe then he'll have word on the Machine's progress."

The moment of silence was ended abruptly by Six's quiet voice. "It won't be long now… It doesn't take long," he insisted as he peered out of the bucket lift. They knew he meant the machine, perhaps in creating, and decided to not ask and instead assume that the artist's assumption was correct.

"We need to prepare ourselves…" One exhaled tiredly and rubbed his head. "It seems I have no choice… Eight!" Eight straightened and looked to the leader. "Eight, get my blade. If I must fight, then so be it." Eight nodded and headed to the bucket lift. Six scrambled around him as to not be taken into the Sanctuary with him, then watched as the guard slowly raised.

"You… have a weapon?" Nine was absolutely baffled. One sent him a weary look. "I thought you let Eight fight for you." The younger then realized that this could possibly be taken offensively. "Physically, I mean, because he's your guard." Either One wasn't going to be offended or Nine covered himself, as he explained without an issue.

"I do. Eight crafted me a weapon during our first year here. I never needed to use it, of course, but now… If we are all armed, then we will be able to deal with this this mechanical doppelganger all the sooner." One didn't sound as confident as Nine would've expected.

"That's right. If we work together as a unit, then it won't be able to fight back," Nine encouraged the leader. This might have slightly raised One's confidence, but Nine felt empty in saying the words. He had a feeling that it couldn't be that simple. There was no way it could be that simple.

He hadn't thought that his creator would become so invested in the idea of becoming a Stitchpunk. Though Cat started to wonder if it was just the ability to escape the factory that had the superior machine so enthralled. The Fabrication Machine loathed the factory just as much as it took possession of it. It was brought here reluctantly, secured in without its control, and seeing Cat's success in a body transfer had only inspired it to take its chance to escape. Even now it worked on the metal endoskeleton.

Cat knew that it would make a more perfect body, and that somewhat frightened him. Not for his own sake, but for the others, and hesitantly for his creator. It wouldn't complete detach itself without a way back into its massive original form, so once he was out he could never let him go back inside. Cat couldn't let this get out of hand or chaos would ensue. As it was, he was balancing on a tightrope where everything had to be perfectly balanced. The Stitchpunks were alive, his creator was awake, and he had both sides trusting him.

One wrong move could destroy this all. This was Cat's only option if he wanted to keep the life he had.

The factory was hotter than he expected it to be. This body responded to the heat with slight discomfort and sluggishness, but it wasn't that bad. What was worse was his general lack of things to do. Normally, Cat would be content relaxing, but his body would allow him to rest. His creator's work no longer soothed him; he no longer felt safe under the large, red optic. Mostly because he feared that the Machine would see through his guise. All he would have to see is worry and he would know everything.

Surprisingly, the Machine had made no attempt to create more beasts or wake others. He seemingly was more determined to make his own body and escape. He didn't even care about the Stitchpunks; Cat saying he would hunt them was enough to entirely satisfy him. He wanted to see the world he had created first and foremost; he started to cut into a piece of pale burlap.

By this rate, he was bound to be finished sooner than Cat had been. That frightened Cat even more as he knew, unlike himself, his creator would create a fully sustainable body. Once it was ready it would be fully integrated. He could only hope the Stitchpunks could foresee this.

Cat didn't know if he could fight his creator, so he could only hope that the Stitchpunks could.

Three and Four acted young, but they weren't ignorant. After all they had learned, they knew of the danger that would soon be upon them. While they originally stuck alongside Seven, who seemed to be spending much of her time on edge and worried, Four eventually decided to leave her twins' side. Instead, she headed to go see Eight, who was working on his weapons. He had them sprawled out around his post in the throne room, and occasionally grabbed one to work on it.

Four approached Eight hesitantly. She knew how difficult it would be to have a discussion when she couldn't speak and feared the guard would become impatient. Yet, still, she approached him, nervously tugging at her hood as she did so. The guard looked up from his work and nodded in acknowledgement before continuing to sharpen the blade in his hand.

Four timidly padded over and sat down beside him. It was this action that caught Eight's attention and he looked to her out of the corner of his optics.

"Something on your mind?" Eight inquired, as if he didn't know what worry was plaguing her and the rest of the Sanctuary.

With a meek nod, Four tried to explain through hand gestures, expression, and flickers. She made a fearful face, she pointed around the room, she shook her head in despair; Eight may not have understood, but he was watching just as intently as ever. He was struggling to understand. The event ended with Four dropping her head into her own hands.

Before, back at the Library, the twins had studied the horror stories about the Machine. They knew how the war between it and the humans went and how one-sided it became. They knew how massively outnumbered and outsized they would be if the Machine decided to simply charge the Cathedral. There would be loss and she, nor her twin, was ready for such a high amount of loss.

It was now that Eight gave an audible exhale. He started to lean over to set his weapon down while Four peeked at him through her fingers. As upset as she was, she couldn't suppress her curiosity towards the larger male. He sat upwards again and scooted closer to her smaller frame. Then he reached out and wrapped an arm around her upper back, pulling her close to him.

"Hey, don't worry about it…" Eight started to coax and Four turned to look upwards at him. Her optics were wide and interested in his new, affectionate side of the guard. He gave a twitch of a smile as he patted her opposite shoulder. "We've got luck on our side. It's gonna be our size and in our body, we've got the home front advantage, and we're going to outnumber it… Unless it doesn't come alone." A tinge of concern passed his face and he looked out across the throne room, as though briefly considering going and telling someone.

Four tilted her head curiously and Eight returned to looking at her again. "It's just coming with Cat. There's no need to get all wrapped up about it yet. We're all gonna handle this," Eight insisted with the smile returning. "I'm gonna protect you. That's my job, right?"

Four's reaction was immediate. She spread her arms and eagerly hugged onto Eight's front. She desperately clung to him, pressing into his front, and tried to show that she was both thankful and in need of his reassurance. Normally, she wouldn't dare do something so bold. After all, not only did he not return her feelings but she was supposedly trying to prove her maturity to him. This was nothing but a step backwards.

Yet Eight's reaction wasn't expected. Instead of just awkwardly standing there or, heaven forbid, shoving her away, he responded differently. He put his arms fully around her smaller form, completely engulfing her in his strong grasp, and held her tightly to his chest. She gave a silent gasp and felt her grip slightly loosening out of shock. She didn't expect him to hug back.

"We're going to take care of you. You and Three- I'll make sure you're both safe. It'll have to get through me first," Eight promised the small female. Four reacted by abruptly yanking her upper body back and shaking her head. Her optics were still filled with worry as she timidly patted his arm. She wanted him to come out of this safe too; it wasn't just her sister and she that she was worried about.

"Me?" Eight guessed, seeming a little surprised at her worry. His smile returned with a more playful tinge to it. "Don't go worrying about me, I was born to fight. No machine wobbling around in a punk body is taking me down anytime soon. Cat didn't." He got a slight smirk as he pointed this out and Four's smile returned. "That's what I'm looking for," Eight coaxed as he brought his hand forward to tap lightly under her chin, still playfully. She tried to brush him off with a giggling flickering of her optics.

"I need to get these weapons done. You go find your twin and tell her everything I told you; might make her feel better too," Eight suggested as he released the scholar. Four gave an eager nod, stood, waved, and began to scurry off to find the other female. Eight chuckled and lifted his knife again to keep working.

It was a good thing she left; he was starting to get a little warm. He couldn't have that happening.

He knew it was obsessive, but Five had been sitting in the watchtower for the last hour waiting. He occasionally looked through the spyglass before pulling back to distract himself with other things. He just couldn't help but feel a frantic need to keep an eye out just in case. After all, they were running out of time. With a sigh, he set his harpoon aside and stood. After stretching his back, he wandered to the spyglass and climbed onto the stand to peer through. He hummed as he quickly scanned the Emptiness.

Then he stopped and stared.

And he stared.

And he couldn't breathe.

Overwhelming panic overtook him when he noticed Cat coming back to the Cathedral. Not because of Cat himself, but because he wasn't alone. Following Cat was a figure that was partially hidden under a thick cloak of stitched machine banners. He watched it follow behind Cat, moving slower and methodically with each step, and Five knew there was no mistake.

It was the Fabrication Machine's Stitchpunk body.

Grabbing his harpoon and nothing else, not even his quiver, Five sprung into the lift and quickly lowered himself into the Sanctuary. "It's coming!" he cried out in a frantic panic and sprinted down the steps into the throne room. Eight and One's heads both shot upwards while Nine spun around.

"What?!" Nine cried in shock. Five grabbed him by the arm.

"I saw it! Cat- Cat's bringing it here! Right now!" It seemed like the other Stitchpunks just appeared in the room at this time. All of them looked horrified.

"No, it can't be…" One began quietly, pressing back into his throne and clawing at the arm rests. "How could it have finished so quickly?!"

"I don't know, but it's there!" Five was starting to truly panic and began to hyperventilate. Seven put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Five, breathe, calm down. We knew it was coming," Seven convinced him. She was amazed in her own ability to keep calm under such stress. "How far away are they?"

"N-Not far… Maybe ten minutes. They aren't going fast," Five managed to calm down enough to explain rationally. "We don't even have time to finish the- Oh, Two!" His face contorted to fear. "Two's still down there alone! We have to warn him!" He turned to hurry to the bucket lift when Nine called after him.

"Wait! We don't have time to pull the lift back up; we'll come down with you!" He grabbed his Lightstaff and hurried to the lift. Seven followed and soon Eight was starting to approach as well. He only paused to look back at One.

"Boss, you don't need to come down. Stay here with the twins and keep 'em safe," Eight suggested and gestured over towards the two Stitchpunks. One looked over and was about to agree, but then noticed Six boarding the lift. Something about seeing Six so willing to go, even when he didn't have a weapon, made One realize that he didn't have a choice. He wanted to stay behind, but couldn't justify doing it.

"What leader won't accompany his own fellowship into battle? Hand me my blade, Eight. I am coming with you," One announced in the most dramatic tone that he could muster. He honestly forced this tone to cover his own dread instead of for prestige, but Eight looked impressed regardless. He handed One the smaller blade and accompanied him to the lift. Unsurprisingly, the twins followed as well.

Somehow, the eight managed to squeeze into the lift all at once and Eight labored to lower it into the Cathedral. Five was obviously anxious the entire time; wringing his hands and nervously trying to pace in the small area he had. This was stopped by Six grabbing his arm and giving him a reassuring look. Five exhaled and silently put an arm around the striped male's back in a brotherly fashion. This gave Nine a reason to smile and he briefly was distracted by his own endearment. For a moment, he could ignore the growing dread.

It wasn't until the lift reached the bottom that Nine was hit with the finality of it all. They were completely out of time. There was no more time to wait or prepare; this was the end of the line. As Five sprinted down to the workshop, Seven and Eight moved to hide by the doors. Nine stepped out while One and the others stayed in the lift to wait. Though before Nine could get far, Six reached over the edge of the lift and took Nine's shoulder in his grasp.

"Be careful…" Six quietly requested. Worry marred his face and his mismatched optics showed it clearly.

Nine gave him a strained smile back, "I will…" Then, after patting Six's hand, he pulled away and started to go find a place to wait it out. There were so close to stopping the disaster that he had set into motion. If all went well, they would be safe again. If they failed…

Nine didn't even want to imagine what Six could've seen.

Mable: This is it. Time to see if they can finally, efficiently, stop the danger that has been looming over them since Nine brought the Talisman out of the Scientist's Workshop. This is their last chance to change the course of time… The next chapter will, hopefully, be posted on Sunday, but may come a few days afterwards. I hope you enjoyed!