7 wasn't too far behind 9 when they left. Until she was positioned perfectly he was alone to protect 0. The young stitchpunk cowered behind him, her hand was on his shoulders and he was sure she kept trying to say something but without her voice box it was impossible to know what it was.
Nightmare wasn't alone like they thought. He had a burly guard with him. It looked like 8. But it didn't make a sound. Its mouth was stitched shut.
"I'll let you handle this, K8." Nightmare said. "But don't kill 0. I want that pleasure." He started to walk away. The direction he was walking in there were two silhouettes. Their hunched bodies looked like 2 and 6.
When 9's focus shifted K8 attacked with only half of a scissor. 9 blocked the attack with his knife.
He couldn't push back K8. 9 was pushed back and he stumbled into a rock. Before the large stitchpunk could take off his head 9 ducked and stabbed him in the belly. K8 didn't seem to take notice. He backhanded 9 away. 9's head hit the ground, stunning him, his head didn't clear until K8 lifted him up by the loose burlap on his chest just above the zipper. The only protection 9 had was gone. The damage that was delt to K8 only left a huge hole that exposed the wires.
K8 held the sharp end of a scissor to his neck.
Where was 7?
A whizzing sounded by his head and caught K8 in the head. 9 was dropped while the big stitchpunk stumbled backward. 9 reached in and pulled out the wires, deactivating the body. He watched K8 fall back with a thud. The wires hung lifeless in his hand.
Moments later 7 ran up with 0. Immediately 9 started to inspect 0. 7 probably did the same thing but he had to be sure. "What is wrong with you?" He finally yelled. "Why did you come out here alone?"
7 walked to the body and pulled out her spear.
0 looked down and made a shrug motion with her shoulders.
"We're glad you're okay," 7 told her. "But why would you come here alone?"
She bit her lip as hard as she could. 0 grabbed their hands and slowly lead them back home. She always had a hard time communicating since she lost her voice box. Sometimes 3 and 4 could translate easier and sometimes it was easier for her to write out what she thought. Unlike 3 and 4 she wasn't made to project anything.
The Twins ran out, their pleased and relieved faces made apparent by the sun's bright hands. They nearly tackled her but she stopped them before that could happen. The three started clicking to each other, talking in their secret language. How hard was it for 0 to learn that language?
4 caught 9's attention by pulling on his and 7's hands and he turned and projected a movie at the wall. It wasn't a movie it was a home video that they've never seen before. There was a woman dressed much like the scientist sitting in a chair. Because of the black and white image it was hard to tell what color it used to be but they could tell she had light hair and extremely dark eyes that nearly blended in with the pupils.
"Alright I think I have it. Maggie, if you are watching this then the experiment was an obvious success and you should NEVER keep this talisman on hand. I worked a great deal to keep you safe from harm."
The image turned to some pictures of the mirror talisman and it's uses.
"I created this from a magic-science called Alchemy. The mirror holds the spirits and the front of it releases them. How many spirits it can hold is an unknown fact. I created it to keep you safe from the evil we've somehow surrounded ourselves with. It only sucks out the evil in people's souls', however, what is left behind is a coward or a shell of a body. As long as you have no evil intentions, my Maggie, it will never harm you. But you should NEVER release the souls into the world. Instead I want you to throw it out. I have left you a Cat Beast that the talisman should attach to. The creature is made by my own hands and has parts of my mind. It'll know to keep it away. And, Maggie, choose your friends carefully." The woman had a sad look on her face. A tear streaked down from her eyes. "And remember that I love you, okay? Nobody will ever harm you like that again." There was even a date stamped in the corner of the "screen." The date was a time when the Machine was still being created. Who was this woman?
0 caught 4 quickly with 3.
Maggie was the name that the Scientist often connected with 0's name. They were the same person at one time.
"So you released the soul." 9 said slowly. When 0 nodded he continued, "And you felt responsible."
0 nodded again.
7 hugged her. "Oh dear," she whispered, "this isn't just your burden."
0 pushed her away and nodded and clicked furiously.
"It isn't just your burden," 7 repeated, "It is all of ours. He's threatening all of us and when that happens it becomes all of our burdens not just yours."
9 folded his arms and thought back to the burly stitchpunk and the other figures he saw. They looked exactly like 8 and 6 and 2. Was this Nightmare really able to bring back their friends? If that were the case why didn't they remember him? Why did they attack him and 0? If 8 really did meet 0 he wouldn't have attacked her.
0 tugged on his arm forcing him to snap out of his thoughts. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. She wanted to be comforted. 9 Slowly pat her back.
"We'll fix this problem, 0. It won't be a problem soon.