Another long chappie for you.
Enjoy!
Chapter 37: Haven
They walked on for what seemed like hours to Sora. All he could think about was finding a nice soft bed, or piece of rubble, whichever he came across first, and sleep. He could feel his eyes getting heavier and heavier, and his legs were straining more than usual. That whole chase scene with the giant killer machine stripped Sora of whatever strength and energy he had left, and since he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, that wasn't very good. That's what he needed now: sleep. Let the big bad wolf come and carry him away to his lair, torture him with ghosts or bake him into one of grandma's cookies – he didn't care.
But sleep just made Sora think of Roxas, who still wasn't answering when he called.
But thinking of his Nobody made things worse, so he put Roxas as far from his mind as possible (metaphorically, of course). It probably wasn't the best thing to do, but 7 was leading them on the longest goose chase of their lives, that Sora just didn't want to care anymore. Care about how much he'd upset Roxas, how much he'd upset Kairi and Mia and even Dan by running away and landing them in this horrible place. He didn't want to care that he felt bad for never wanting to have come through and left 9 and the others to handle the monsters by themselves. He didn't want to care about where Riku, Donald and Goofy were, if King Mickey was looking for them, how many people were worried, and he really didn't want to care … what Stefan must be going through –
Wait. What?
Sora broke out of his train of thoughts and blinked in confusion. I think I just fell asleep while walking there … Where the heck did that thought come from … Who …
Sora shook his head, his copper spikes swaying slightly. Sleep!
It was getting late now and the Sun had just set. He hoped that whatever haven 7 was leading them to be close. Before, while walking, when Sora had just begun to wonder where the Heartless were and why they hadn't bothered them in all of … one hour, a group of the same spider half-machines bombarded them whist turning a corner. The four teenagers were surprised to find just how much of a strong fighter 7 was. As if her battle with the Cat Beats wasn't proof enough for them, the way she jumped and dodged and leaped and sliced through the Heartless with her spear was so effortless you'd think she had been doing it her whole life.
Then Sora took some time to think about it and realised she has been fighting her whole life.
This went on for a half hour or so more, with Sora's thoughts taking a turn from crazy, then to strange and spontaneous down to just plain ridiculous, when finally at long last a tall structure began to materialise in the distance.
They were approaching a mansion of some sort, with more statues aligning the path like back at the Fortress. This mansion was just smaller than the Cathedral, but still held the same air of magnificence. Made of grey and brown limestone the house stretched up to two or three levels – it was hard to tell. But once they got close enough the group were able to clearly see that the building was an old library.
Sora stared at it for a while before whispering to himself, "They always manage to find the most beautiful and out-in-the-open places for their secret hideouts, don't they?"
7 led the group down the long pathway and through the garden into the side of the building. There, in the wall, was yet another hole just like the one back in the Fortress.
"Through here," She instructed before leading them though and into the library. Here, everyone had to stop to catch their breaths. Stacked high in random piles the size of sky scrapers were millions and millions of books. Old globes, surprisingly dust free sat clustered on benches and chairs and just above their heads magnificent celestial devises hung from the ceiling and over their heads, moving softly with the aid of an invisible wind. The entire room was bathed in a warm candle light.
"Wow …" Sora heard Kairi utter beside him, and he turned to her. She was staring up above them at the detailed constructions of planets and stars, never tearing her gaze away. "Who knew that out of a world so destroyed could come things so …"
"Amazing." Sora finished for her. He smiled, "Yeah, I know."
Up ahead the group noticed 9 stop in front of a large painting on the wall that was cracking and tearing at the edges. The image depicted a building much like the one they were in surrounded by acres of long green grass, wild flowers and tall oak trees with a cloudless blue sky hanging overhead.
He gestured to the painting, looking at 5 and 7. "Is this what it used to look like?"
Everyone joined him by the picture. 5 stepped forward. "I don't know. Probably. There are many other paintings and photographs like this back at the Fortress …"
9 kept looking forward almost hypnotised. "It's so beautiful …"
"Keep up!" An echo sounded from further into the room, and all turned to see 7 waving the over down the hall.
The group wondered down the seemingly endless piles of books until they reached another door leading into a much smaller one that was littered with papers, spyglasses, strange jars filled with unholy substances no one wanted to contemplate too long, and a very large desk and swivel chair smack bang in the middle of the mess.
"What's in here?" Mia wondered, standing on her toes to try and see over a tall tack of books. 7 did not answer, but simple smiled and moved to the left. Taking 9's light staff, created of the pole 2 used as a walking stick and an old light bulb they found on the way there, she shined it over to one of the glasses. Everyone was silent for a moment, waiting in suspense, when suddenly a flash of light gleamed, only for a moment, before something blue shuffled around the jar and poked its head out.
Or two somethings.
The lights flashed again, this time coming from both sides of the jar as two identical Stitchpunks moved out from behind it and into the light. To the four teenagers they were possibly the cutest dolls out of the bunch they'd met yet. They were both small and looked even younger than 6, with striped blue bods over their heads that travelled down their backs. Their skin was also a striped material, made of light blue and white stripes, with a light brown yet of hands and feet. The one on the left had the number 3 printed on the left side of his chest, and the one on the right the number 4. Sora noticed that neither of them held the same trait of zippers or buttons down their torsos like the others.
3 and 4 gave huge smiles that seemed to light up their entire face and dashed up to 5 and 7 so fast it looked like their feet weren't even touch the ground.
4 gave 7 a big hug, making her chuckle and embrace him back just as tightly, and 5 laughed in glee, possibly the first time since they'd met him, as 3 crashed into him.
"They've been here," 5 said in a relieved tone of voice, "This whole time?" They all joined together in a group hug and 4 grinned when 5 patted him on the head.
Kairi grinned brightly at the show of affection and leaned into Sora, "Naww … They're so cute!" Sora grinned back and nodded.
9's eyes widened with shock, and he smiled at the new little Stitchpunks. "Twins?"
9's excited exclamation seemed to startle 3 and 4, and the kids each hid behind 7 and 5. 7 looked back at them and smiled slightly, reassuring them that it was ok and they each moved out an inch.
"They've been hiding here. Lost in the past ..." 7 trailed off when 3 and 4 crawled out from their hiding spots and curiously approached the five newcomers. Their eyes blinked and flashed as they passed over 9, Sora, Kairi, Mia and Dan's bodies. 3 dashed up to the two girls, taking an interest in their hair. He first touched and flipped Kairi's intrigued by the colour, and then did the same with Mia, intrigued by the long length. The girl giggled as he skipped around them with a big smile, poking their shoulders and cheeks, eyes shining with childlike curiosity.
3 did the same with the boys, bouncing over to each one of them and grabbing different parts of their bodies. First he ran over to Dan and stared at the black metal atop his cranium, poking it, wiping his hand over it like he was giving it a polish, and lastly knocking on the metal, so that it made a chiming sound and caused the guardian to wince. The boy then ran over to Sora and lifted his arm up and nudged his leg with his foot, interested with the change of colour all over Sora's body. He played with the hinges of the keyblade master's foot and fingers while he giggled, all the while his eyes flashing like mad. It reminded Sora of someone taking photos.
7 smiled at the group as both boys surrounded 9, lifting his arms in the air, kicking his foot out from under him to check the hinges, and poking him in the armpit, causing 9 to wince and everyone else to laugh.
"They're cataloguing." She explained, gesturing to the little Stitchpunks flashing eyes. She smile and stared fondly as they dashed around and around 9, almost like they were dancing. "They like you,"
9 looked up at her awkwardly before 3 grabbed a hold of his large zipper lining his torso and pulled it down, causing him to gasp and recoil. 3 and 4 recoiled also, feeling that they'd done something wrong or made the older Stitchpunk uncomfortable. That is, until 9's light staff caught their attention. 9, sensing their curiosity in it, gently held it out for the boys to look at. They stared at the pale orange light for a moment for unscrewing it off of the pole and began to snap photos of it, sometimes fighting over who got to hold the light bulb next, tracing the smooth surface and tapping the glass.
"We need your help," 7's voice froze both little Stitchpunks in their tracks and stared at the girl. 7 stepped forward, her voice grave. "We … awakened something –"
9 stopped her, holding an arm up. "No," he shook his head slowly before looking at 3 and 4 sadly, pointing to himself. "I awakened something. Something … something terrible."
3 and 4 visibly shrunk at the use of the negative word. They turned to each other and chattered feverishly, their eyes blinking into the others before looking back at the group questioningly.
9 shifted his weight and leant of his staff. "Um, well it was … big … really big. And …"
"Hell-bent on destroying any and all signs of life?" Dan offered, leaning forward.
9 looked at him and flushed, staring at the ground and rubbing his arm nervously. "Uh, yeah."
3 and 4 turned to each other and chattered silently again, their eyes blinking father than usual. All of a sudden they stopped, turned and dashed over to the middle of the room, beckoning for the others to follow. Everyone shared a glance before shrugging and doing as they were told.
"I'm guessing on that note they've heard of it," Mia piped in. A head the twins had led them over to a book, towering almost ten feet above their head. 4 jumped up of a jar he used as a stool and handed a page over to his brother who turned it over, having to run to the other side to do so.
4 thought for a moment before jumping up on his toes and pointing over to an old black and white newspaper clipping, the picture and inscription almost faded.
The group leaned forward, startled, and without thinking they all shouted, "That's it!"
The twins nodded vigorously and pointed over to another clipping on the next page. This one depicted two men. The first was an old man with balding white hair and a lab coat, seeming to be a scientist. The next was a military looking man, with glasses and a pic covered blazer. They were both standing on either side of a much less intimidating version of the machine, shaking hands. Both were smiling.
"There it is again," Kairi whispered, leaning in toward the picture. Everyone followed.
The headline of the paper read:
AMAZING NEW INVENTION
Glorious leader promises progress through technology – Lead Scientist Creates 'BRAIN'.
All stared at the picture in confusion and tried to read some of what the article may have said, but the words were too faded to even try. When they all stared at 3 and 4 for more of an explanation all 3 did was steer his brother over to possibly the only blank wall in that whole library. 4 froze, going stiff, and his eyes began to flash brighter and faster than before. Sora was suddenly reminded of an old film projector. Words began to flash on the wall, and, after some time, images. A voice also began to echo through the room, slightly startling everyone into wondering where it was coming from, when, suddenly they realised with a fright, that 4 had his mouth hanging wide open and the sound was coming right out of him.
Everyone, though slightly creped out if they must admit, turned their attention back to the screen and as the video rolled out like an old film. The image that appeared in black and white first was of a man in a military uniform, whom everyone recognised from the photo, standing at the back of a car and waving to a street filled with a roaring crowd, cheering and flashing pictures. A narrator's enthusiastic voice boomed through the room,
"Today the Chancellor presented the latest advancement of technological wizardry to the public."
The scene changed to the man standing on a stage in a giant hall, smiling closed lipped at a room full of reporters and camera crews. With a wave of his arm, the camera shifted over to where the Chancellor was pointing and the machine thundered into view, raising up with all its many armed glory.
"Comrades!" The narrator bellowed, "Today dawns a new area." The machine was shown again, this time just the BRAIN, it's eye skimming around the room as it was being attached to it's many arms.
"Let us praise this new technology!" The machine rose up into the air, towering over the audience in magnificence. "Welcome to the age of The Machine!"
Everyone stared at the film in horror, the images reflecting in their eyes as the film created a montage of different scenes. "It will create new machines in its image!" The video showed the BRAIN's many arm's working vigorously to create more of itself, prototypes and others.
"Machines of PEACE ..."
Dan couldn't help but snort at the narrator's confident tone when he said that last part.
"... That will assure a glorious new era of wealth and prosperity of the state!" Images of menacing looking machines that walked on two legs marched through the streets, before the scene cut abruptly and an image of one of the machines turning to the camera and pointing its large gun at it replaced it. A newspaper article flashed on the screen with a large headline printed in bold:
'WAR DECLARED'
Still images from an old camera now flashed one by one, the first with the giant two legged gun machines marching deviously along side men in the army, and the next was of the soldiers fighting in the trenches, their bodies blurred at they rushed to fight in battle, with the machines behind them firing bullet upon bullet. It then changed to an image of a lone machine, it's back turned to the camera and firing upon an empty land. Smoke rose from burning tanks and cars in the distance, and the most chilling aspect of the picture that made Kairi and Mia step back into Sora and Dan, was the human hand lying at the bottom left of the lens, covered in mud and blood.
A new head title appeared:
'MACHINES TURN AGAINST US!'
A new narrator took over from the last one. This voice was female, and sounded like it was coming from a news report. It held no trace of the confidence and glee of the former.
"Residents are advised to pause for a public address ..."
An image of the Scientist popped up now on screen, of the old man standing in front of his invention and trying desperately to fight off reporters. An audio of gun shots and people screaming played over the image, and a new newspaper headline appeared:
'SCIENTIST ENEMY OF THE STATE'
Chancellor Denounces Machine Inventor - "Traitor has led us astray"
9 stared at the image of the Scientist. The old man looked at least ten years older than he did in previous pictures, but he didn't think age had anything to do with it. The old man's eyes were wide and dark rimmed, his posture hunched. His mouth was open in a frozen plea and he had one hand out toward the camera, and the other over the machine as if trying to reason with the public that his machine really was intended for good. There was another image of the Chancellor in the corner, face contorted with rage.
"Science has turned its sinister hands against us!" Images of the machines chasing innocent humans through the streets flashed on the wall, with the same audio as before playing over it.
"People of our mighty state, JOIN ME IN REPELLING THE IRON FIST OF THE MACHINE!"
The video slowly morphed from battle scenes to an image of an innocent looking street, deserted and destroyed by the machines, all signs of life extinguished. The video flashed once before ending.
4's eyes flashed a while longer before dimming. He closed his mouth and leaned back into his twin brother, trying to clear his head of the sudden dizziness.
The room was silent. So silent, that a pin could have dripped and it would have rang through their ears. Everyone was still and staring at the back wall with wide eyes and either their mouths hanging open, or feeling too shocked for them to hang open.
For several minutes nobody spoke until Dan finally broke the silence, seeming to sum up everything all in that room were feeling: "Damn."
9 stepped forward almost in a trance and stared at the wall, then at 3 and 4, then down to the ground. "But …" He muttered. Even though his voice was soft it still managed to echo in the large room. "The .. the thing that woke it … that machine," He suddenly spun around and addressed the twins, "I-it was round!" The Stitchpunk created the shape with his hands. "A round Talisman, or something. Round and … a-a-and i-imprinted with strange shapes!"
The twins shared a glance before turning to each other for another silent conversation. After a few seconds of chatter, they both turned to 9 and innocently shrugged, stating they had no clue what he was talking about.
Sora stepped forward, "Are you talking about that thing you found? The thing 6 had drawn all over the room?"
"6?" Kairi, Mia and Dan all whispered dryly over Sora's shoulder.
The Keyblader Master turned back and whispered, "I'll explain later."
5 tilted his head, "That strange object with the weird symbols and everything?"
9 nodded. Spotting a quill lying on the floor, 9 picked up the pen and walked over to the book sitting upright against the desk and began to draw a circle. "Th-the shapes corresponded," he divided the circle into three sectors. "It fit perfectly … into the machine. Uh … the BRAIN …" 9 then went on to filling in the details, the strange symbols within each sector. "As if it were made for it …"
Once 9 finished his drawing, alarms went off in 7's head. "I recognise it now!" She ran forward and placed a hand over the drawing. "He was always studying them …"
"We need to see him." 9 turned back to the group, face determined. "We need to see if we can get more out of him about what this thing really is –"
"What?" 7 gasped, spinning at 9 and staring at him as if she'd never seen anything like him. "Go back? You want to go back to 1?"
"There's a 1, too?" Mia whispered ridiculously to herself.
9 looked at 7 in the eye, "We have to, 7. If there is a way to stop this thing then –"
7 cut him off again, "And you think 6 will know?"
"There's a chance –"
"And what do you think 1 will do to us once we get there, hm? We all go back there so that he can, what? Lock us up away again while this nightmare awakens?"
This time 5 stepped forward, pleading, "7, please, I-I think 9 has a point …"
7 didn't listen, but began pacing the room, weighing down what 9 had just suggested. Never – never – in her days had she considered going back to the Fortress and living under 1's rule again. The very idea made her feel sick and disgusted.
The four teenagers stepped forward. "I don't even know what 9's talking about, but even a chance at understanding this thing better than we do know sounds better than trying to fight it with the information we do have. Which, by the way, isn't much." Dan was the first to speak.
Mia stepped forward next, "I agree. United we are the stronger we are. I learnt that the hard way, and I don't want you lot to go down the same path."
"Maybe there's some way we can talk 1 into joining us fight this thing …" Kairi tried.
7 shook her head and stopped pacing. "No. You don't know him – there is no way he'll ever do that. This is our problem, we deal with it."
Sora stepped forward. He was about to shove his foot right down his oesophagus, but this time he was aware of it. "Your problem." Sora said, and everyone turned to him in surprise. "Don't mean to sound rude miss, but it is your problem, not ours."
"Sora," Kairi hissed, "What are you doing?"
Sora simply waved her off and continued. "You see, my friends and I, we aren't from here exactly. You wanted to know why we have weird names, 5, well here it is. We weren't born here like you guys, 6, 8 and 1 were."
All the Stitchpunks in the room stared at Sora in confusion and shock, not believing what he was saying. "We are actually from a place very far away from here. Another world. It's different, a lot different, and this place is just as scary to us than it is to you guys. Possibly more. We don't even look like this!" Sora pointed to himself and waved a hand over his body. "This form, this place, looks like a Halloween decoration. What we really look like is big. Much bigger than this. We actually look like those humans in the video we just watched. Like the Scientist. Not a doll, a … Stitchpunk, but human. Humans who don't belong here – who got stuck here because I decided to go and do something stupid. We don't need to be here – we don't even want to be here."
All eyes were on Sora, and everyone was deadly silent again. The natives couldn't believe what they were hearing. Was this boy, this stranger with amazing skills to pull key-like swords out of thin air and create beautiful golden light with his hands saying that … he wasn't going to help them?
Sora thought back, then concluded: "No. No I don't want to be here. And I think that if you guys were in our shoes right now you'd probably say the same thing. Heck, you can say the same thing right now." He pointed at them all, then rested his gaze on 7. "Think about it. If I were to ask you if you would willingly stay in this nightmare of a world, would you even hesitate in saying 'no'? Would you?"
7 stared at Sora in silent shock. He wasn't sure, but 7's head may have moved from side to side just a fraction. "No, you wouldn't. None of you would. If I were to say to you right now that I knew a way out of this place, into a better world, you would be out the door faster then I would be. We have to be here, because we are stuck here. We don't want to be here."
3 and 4, innocent, curious little 3 and 4, looked at each other before bringing their gaze to the ground.
"Exactly the situation you people are in. You don't want to be here, you have to be here. Because this is your home, as depressing as that may sound, and you have to fight for it. Now you aren't going to do that by bickering and standing on the negative side of the road, but by standing together. Together. All of you. Because that's the only chance you have." Sora's tone softened, "You've already lost 2, do you guys really want to loose anyone else?"
5's eye filled with sadness and regret, and he too looked to the ground so that the only Stitchpunks still staring as Sora were 7 and 9.
Sora paused for a moment, thinking up the best way to phrase what he wanted to say next. "… But," He began slowly, "Just because we don't want to be here, doesn't mean we don't want to help you."
This line caused 5's and the twins' heads to shoot back up and stare at Sora with even more shock then before. "We want to help you, because we know what it's like to have your home in shambles. Me and Kairi … two years ago our home was taken over, kind of like your was, and there wasn't much we could do. But, eventually, we got it back. And do you know how we did that? By working together and fighting. Fighting for our home, for all we had felt. There were six of us. Only six. And here, altogether with all of you, there are nine. You outshine us in numbers, and with Kairi, Mia, Dan and I that is thirteen!" Sora exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. "That's way more then we had on our side! And yet, here you are, 7, refusing to stay together and fight as a team when you now quite probably have a lead as to how you can defeat this thing and take your home back, and you are letting fear of confrontation hold you back?"
This line seemed to wake 7 up. "I am not afraid of 1."
"But you're afraid that he's stronger than you?"
"No!"
"Then what? What is it, 7?"
7 growled in anger and began pacing the room again. It was a moment before she began talking again. "I chose to leave a long time ago so I didn't have to live under him and his ridiculous rules."
9 stepped forward this time and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't agree with how 1's prancing around like he's the leader either but … Sora has a point." He looked over to Sora, who smiled, then at Mia and replayed her words. "United we stand. And, also," He looked at Kairi, "I think that if we're strong enough, 1 will listen to reason."
7 spun around and looked him in the eye. "Yes, but you have only known him for, what, three days, 9?" She said. He tone was a lot softer toward him then it was toward Sora. "Me and 5, and the twins, and 2, have had to deal with him for a long time."
9 smiled at her comfortingly. "We'll find a way."
To the side, 5 nodded, "We will." He agreed. 3 and 4 nodded enthusiastically.
Sora waited a moment longer before stepping forward and walking up to 7. "So," He grinned widely. "What'll it be?"
7 stared at him for a second before turning her gaze over to the twins, then at 5, then over Kairi, Mia and Dan before finally resting it on 9, whom had just noticed he still had his hand on her shoulder and furtively removed it.
She looked at Sora again and sighed. "Fine. You are right. You are all right. No use in negativity, I get it now." She smiled up at Sora. "Now, off to go speak to 6."
Sora smiled back at her with the same enthusiasm. In the back of his head, the soft voice of his Nobody whispered, "Good job, Sorie."
I didn't really like this part in the movie, so I created an alternative, rather than what actually happened: 7 yelling at 9 and then running away.
I think that's the longest speech I've ever given Sora. Wow ...
Right. Now, I'm exhausted. Going to go off and draw.
Please review.
Also, if you want, look at this picture of Sora and 9 hiding from the machine. Only if you want. You don't have to.
http:/ / honeydripp . Deviantart . com/art/Hide-and-Seek-260068299
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