raVen speaks:

So this chapter is literally the 'calm before the storm'. And sorry for the lateness with the post, as I had some work that had to be done. Thanks, once again, for all the reviewers, and all those who read these.

Stay tuned for episode 6, and enjoy!

Chapter 6

© by raVen

Editor: Kenjaje

Stitch coughed and used his bottom set of arms to lift the branch that was pinning him down off of him. He pushed himself up with his upper pair and let the branch drop… he stumbled around a little, his sense of balance shot to hell. He leaned against a tree with an 'Ooooh…' and shook his head.

"Stitch!" came Lilo's call as she pushed through the leaves and bushes. She saw him leaning against a tree and ran closer with a gasp.

"You're okay!" she said and grasped him in a hug.

"Yah… miga Stitch...!" he managed to get out. Lilo let go and looked him over. He was a little covered in dust but there were no visible injuries.

"What… happened?" he asked and held his head, which slowly stopped spinning.

"6-2-8 did something… I don't know; he just blew you off…"

"Ehh… is 6-2-8 power…"

"Jumba never said what his power was… except that his function was to destroy rogue experiments, or something. Let's go."

"Gabba bakka-dooka?" Stitch asked as they moved back to the clearing.

"Hm… we'll have to ask Jumba why." They both stopped when they saw the clearing was empty.

"Where Jumba?"

"The tests are over, they probable went in…" Lilo said, but something felt weird… They continued on to the house and to Jumba's room… but there was no-one there.

"Jumba?" Lilo called and Stitch sniffed around.

"Not here…" he said.

"Where'd they go? Stitch?" He quickly scuttled down the stairs, his nose to the floor, he moved around the living room and into the kitchen and then back to where Lilo was waiting at the base of the stairs.

"Jumba not in house… maybe in ship."

"Why would they go to the ship? Unless-… How bad did you hurt him?" Stitch looked down at the question.

"Stitch maybe hurt very bad if 6-2-8 not move… but moved and Stitch only scratch…"

"Why'd you hit so hard? You just had to get him out of the circle…"

"Jumba say not even Stitch beat bad cousin… but new cousin can… so Stitch think new cousin stronger than Stitch-"

"So you pulled out all the stops, eh?"

"Ih… Stitch soka…"

"It's okay, I understand… but you said you only scratched him, right?"

"Yah…"

"Then why'd they go to the ship?" Lilo asked, confused and moved to the door. Stitch followed. They quickly jogged the distance to the ship in the bushes and the door was already open.

"Nooooo… what have I done?" Jumba said to himself as stood over 628's unconscious body. He had acted just in the nick-of-time… any longer and 628 might have died, or have been locked in a semi-conscious brain-dead sleep for the rest of his existence. They were in the same small room that birthed 628, and 628 was on the table, several tubing attached to his face once more. Jumba moved to the observation room, and rummaged through his drawers to bring forth a hand-held device that looked much like a metal-detector. He connected it remotely to the monitoring station and walked back to 628. He turned on the device, and it emanated a red laser-screen on one side. Jumba held it above 628's head, and slowly moved it down his body, and back to the top. There was a quick beep from the observation room, and Jumba turned off the device, eagerly moving to scan the results.
"Jumba?" Lilo called as they walked through the antechamber.

"Eh-eh!" Stitch said and jabbed a claw at the door to the back. They hurried in and saw Jumba deep in concentration.

"Jumba?"

"BAAAH!" he yelled and jumped up. He saw the two of them standing there. He relaxed and wiped his forehead.

"Do not be sneaking up on me like that!"

"Sorry! We were just wondering where you went… where's 6-2-8…" Jumba pointed through the window with a stern face. Lilo frowned and Stitch gazed between her face and the window. Lilo ran around to the other room and gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth.

"6-2-8! What happened!" she yelled and ran to the table, standing on her toes to try and get a better look; then got on the chair near it. She was tall enough now to slightly raise her head above 628. She frowned at the tubing and wondered why he was lying so still. She wanted to touch him but hesitated, afraid she might hurt him.

"Jumba! What's wrong with him?" she yelled. Stitch had also entered but he had jumped onto the table itself and was sitting on the edge at the feet, staring with a concerned and guilty expression at 628.

"He is be suffering minor brain-damage after what being doing to 6-2-6… Will being okay…" Jumba assured her. Lilo breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to stare at 628.

"What happened?" she asked loudly.

"… Not being sure…" Jumba replied and quickly read something.

"Seems that as 6-2-8's power being telekinesis, that meaning moving objects with mind, and as he never being used power before, be over-exerting ability, and be injuring brain… Hopefully will not being happening again… only first time-effect, and symptoms not seem to be too severe." Lilo nodded, understanding somewhat. Stitch was looking even more relieved, though, as he realized that it was not because of him that his cousin was in this condition.

Shapes… strange, moving shapes … Then a white creature… small white creature walks from the darkness. There is an amazing air of determined resolve about him… but also the air of a great burden… his fur moved with the strong wind… and then fire. There were flames… flames from where the creature came. And then… in front of the creature appeared a large and dark figure… a monster… the dark monster charged at the little white creature… Lookout! No, wait… The little creature has raised his hand… and the black figure had stopped in its tracks. It was floating slightly off the ground…

"I'm sorry." The words of the little creature penetrated the eerie, gloomy atmosphere that surrounded them… and as the little white creature turned its hand around, and formed a fist, the larger creature screamed in agony… it was horrible… terrible… it's shriek tore through the darkness… and everything faded… then there were people… many people, lying on the ground… They didn't move… their faces were white… they were strewn about over the endless dark floor like sticks that were dropped from some very high place… and in the distant darkness… a figure walked, bearing forward… a small white creature… its face twisted into a smile…

628 slowly became aware of his surroundings… a beeping… and he opened his eyes. Frowning and blinking, he soon sat up and rubbed his head. There was a dull throb to the right side of his head making him close his right eye instinctively.

"Anghh…" he groaned and looked around. It was dark, but he recognized the room as the one he was in before… whenever that was. He looked around and noticed he was lying on a platform. He moved to climb down from the platform… but his lower hands wouldn't respond… He looked down and stared in shock. They were gone! He lifted his upper hands and glanced around franticly, but… they were gone! He lowered his arms and frowned once more… there was an odd sensation… it was weird; he could still feel his lower arms, but they weren't there… he lift his arms once more and tried to push outwards with the lower set, and they emerged from his sides. His expression twisted and grew exceedingly unpleasant till the arms were completely out. He sat still for a few moments… Now that was an uncomfortable experience… feeling bones and cartilage move around inside you was not something funny…it made his stomach churn and sent shivers down his spine. But he was curious how he'd done it… Just like Stitch did. He pulled in the lower arms… but that didn't seem to work… they had somehow locked in place. Frowning a bit more as he concentrated, he could pop out the arms from whatever joint or socket they locked into and then pull them in… With a sickening sound, he did so, and pulled the arms in, once more experiencing that sickening feeling… he was sure he'd get used to it, and wanted to experiment with moving about with them inside his body. He moved to the edge of the table, and jumped down, losing his balance, and falling backwards… yes, now that the extra weight was centered to his back, his centre of gravity was off. He got down on all fours and started to move, but this made him somewhat uncomfortable. It placed a strain on his back now that his limbs were in. Instead, he got up on two legs, and walked around some… he liked it! He didn't have to look up at everything and he didn't have to focus on coordinating so many limbs to the right places either! Okay… at least he didn't have to look up at the really low stuff anymore… but he still pretty much looked up at everything else… He wondered what to do… would Jumba have had him stay here? Or would it be okay to look around a bit? He decided that the ship was still okay, but outside was off-limits.

Outside.

Suddenly, the events of what had happened with Stitch came flooding in and his jaw dropped. In his anger, he had somehow hurled Stitch out of the circle… no, not just out of the circle… he had hurled him right into the native plant-life! He could be seriously hurt! He nervously rubbed his palms together and looked around. Deciding, he quickly ran from the room, through the observation room and into the large computer room with the large screen… It was mostly dark. He aimed for the door leading to the outside, but noticed a light up front… it was coming from the stairs leading to the cockpit above… And there were some voices… He quickly made his way up there and noticed Jumba sitting in the pilot's chair, staring at a screen above him that had various figures on it. Jumba had an amused grin on his face.

"Nikishta?" 628 said and Jumba gasped, quickly turning off the TV.

"Am working!" he said, grabbing a nearby spanner and quickly turning to the stairs. He noticed 628.

"Huh-? 628! Ah you are finally being awake!" Jumba said and laughed, coming around to pick the little creature up.

"How be feeling?"

"Hanitokka..."

"Hah! I'm surprised! Was only supposed to be gaining consciousness tomorrow… come we must be testing-"

"Shiona tikotto nanikko oukataka Sta-Stitch?"

"Wha-6-2-6? Heheh! He is being fine! Taking more than hurling at inanimate objects to be hurting 6-2-6," Jumba said proudly.

"Iondotta kiaro shienjestikka…?"

"Why, that was your power, 6-2-8… you having ability to control objects with mind… very powerful indeed!" They had walked down the stairs and into the observation room.

"It is also being good thing that had not been directly handling 6-2-6…"

"Hatto?" 628 questioned as they walked into the other room. Jumba placed 628 on the table once more.

"Well… powers being untrained; unfocussed. Being good have handled air around you and not 6-2-6 directly, or might have seriously caused damage!"

"Hatto anotodda..." 628 said again, frowning. Jumba sighed, looked around, and found a bunch of small metal containers on the floor by the door. He held it up on his hand.

"Okay, 6-2-8. Be making object move…"

"Ehh… hanitokka…" he said and tried to remember what he had done earlier that day. He drew back his arm, and thrust it at Jumba, sending a wave of telekinetic energy moving through the air. Not only did it knock the container of Jumba's hand, but it almost knocked Jumba off his feet! He laughed and picked up the container after he regained his balance.

"Good, but trying to be picking up object, and lifting it off hand…" Jumba said once again. 628 frowned, and tried to do so. But the container just slightly moved a little backwards.

"Hm… okay, picture self picking up object in mind…" Jumba said and looked at the container. 628 tilted head, and nodded. He pictured himself taking the object… and he did so; he lift his hand and made a grabbing motion. Immediately, a massive force seemed to slam into the canister from all sides, crushing it into a near paper-thin plate of metal. At seeing this, he flinched and pulled back his hand. Jumba also gaped. He took the former, now flat, container and held it between two fingers.

"Seeing what I mean… could have been 6-2-6…" 628 gasped and put his paws over his mouth. That would not have been a pretty sight. Jumba shook his head and threw the flat piece of metal away, and moved to get the hand-held device of earlier. He activated it, and connected it to the terminal once more. He walked back to 628.

"Be laying down… will only take second." 628 lied down, and Jumba ran the scanner over him again. It left behind a ticklish, tingling sensation, and he giggled. Jumba gave him a weird look and shook his head, moving back to the observation room after the beep sounded. 628 assumed he could follow, and he got off the table and walked back to Jumba. Jumba checked a few settings on the screen and shrugged.

"Bah, be looking fine to me!" There was a loud growl and Jumba looked down at 628, who was looking down at his stomach uncomfortably.

"Oh my! Have not being eating since released from tank!" Jumba said.

"Be coming, time to be having first meal!"

As they exited the plane, 628 immediately noticed the massive change in surroundings… everything was dark, to begin with, and also much, much more quieter… some creature, or insect, or animal was making a constant chirping/creaking noise somewhere… and there were little lights that filled the sky… and the sun had become less bright, and rounder… and white… or that was a completely different celestial entity.

"Is being the earth's moon… err, the moon." Jumba was used to calling Turo's moons by their names when he introduced them to the new experiments… but this wasn't Turo, was it?

"Hattonna-da?" 628 asked and pointed a claw at the stars.

"Those are being suns of other systems… or 'stars'."

"Aah…" But another growl of his stomach reminded them of what they were doing, and they moved on through the bushes, back to the house.

"Now… remember little girl?" 628 nodded.

"She has bigger sister… and bigger sister not supposed to be knowing about you…"

"Hatcha?"

"See… Lilo be given job to be finding true places for all of evil-genius experiments… but this be mostly pre-600 model experiments, who are primarily hormone and instinct-driven… Bigger sister agreeing with idea, so long as be doing it before dark, and be doing it quickly, so no extra experiments around house… Nani be having problem with earth-currency until recent climbing of proverbial ladder representing occupancy."

628 nodded, understanding somewhat.

"So, be holding on here, for to be seeing where bigger earth girl is…" 628 nodded again, and Jumba went into the house. He took this moment to check if his bottom set of arms were still there, and he could feel them, tucked away somewhere near his back.

Soon enough, Jumba had appeared once more, and waved the white experiment to come in. The house was dark, and it was very quiet… 628 wondered where everyone was and followed Jumba to the kitchen. Jumba placed several plastic bowls into a device that lit up when he pressed a few buttons on it. 628 found the device was giving off some sort of wave… non-harmful to living material, at least from where he was standing… but Jumba also seemed unaffected, so it must only be on the inside then. When he took out the bowl, 628's antennae immediately picked up that the bowls were much warmer than they were before Jumba put them inside. Jumba placed a second bowl into the device, and when he took it out, it had once more heated up. So 628 assumed this device's function was to heat things up using the waves emitted from it. Jumba lift him to a chair near the table where he placed the bowls on. 628 sniffed, finding that they were giving off fragrant aromas… that made his stomach growl and his mouth water. Jumba waited for his reaction. He looked into the bowls, and found two pieces of previously cooked meat in one, and some white, mashed stuff in the other. There were also three metallic utensils on the table next to them… 628 gave Jumba an odd look. Was this another test? He picked up the fork…

-Hm… several sharp points, placed an even distance away from each other… this is meant to pierce something, and hold on to it.- He lift the knife.

-Serrated edge, sharpened… obviously used to cut with, and made for meat, too, due to the serrated edge.- And then he lift the spoon. He stared, and stared at this, till his brain figured it out.

-It has a concave surface, where you would place round objects, or a liquid, to lift and carry…-

He looked at Jumba again, who lowered his head some in expectancy. 628 shrugged and lift one of the pieces of the meat, sniffing on it. It smelled so delicious, and due to the watering of his mouth, he figure that's where it would go. He opened up and placed the whole thing in his mouth. He moved his jaw a bit, and found his teeth sticking into it… and every time the meat went near his throat, he would automatically swallow… but the meat was too big… so he started chewing on it, biting it and crushing it into smaller pieces till he could swallow part of it. His eyes stretched and he looked down, feeling an odd sensation travel down his body again. Similar to when he had swallowed those fluids earlier. He chewed more, and swallowed, till the entire piece of meat was gone. He smacked his lips and stared excitedly at the next piece. Jumba laughed softly and shook his head.

"Don't be getting used to it. Will become fat, and fat is bad for movement." He said softly. 628 nodded and tackled the next piece of meat, but decided to cut it using the knife, to make it easier to chew… he held the meat in place with his paw, and made sawing motions… but that got his paw dirty! He looked at the brown sauce on it, and licked it clean. He grabbed the fork and imbedded it into the meat, and almost through the table.

"Shhhh!" Jumba said, and 628 cut the meat a little slower, as if it was what was making the noise. Soon, he had four smaller pieces, and ate these with much more ease. Then came the white mashed stuff. He definitely didn't want that on his hands… so he used the fork once again… but it didn't work so well, as the smaller particles would slip through the fork's teeth. So, that's what the last, concave utensil was for! He scooped up some mash potatoes with the spoon and lobbed it into his mouth. He chewed a few times, but realized the mash was already fine enough to swallow. And so he proceeded to scoop, lob and swallow, till half the bowl was empty… the hungry feeling was gone now, and was replaced by a bloated one, and an urge to close his eyes and lie down. He placed the spoon on the table, and sat back on the chair, rubbing his tummy. Jumba smiled and removed the bowl, placing the remaining mash in the fridge, and the empty one in the sink.

"Come…" Jumba said and motioned for 628 to follow him. He had a start as he found Stitch sitting in the doorway, slightly sleepy-eyed.

"6-2-6? Why not asleep?"

"Ju makka jizza…" he mumbled. Jumba made a 'duh' face. Well, with ears like that, and hearing like that, anyone would make a noise.

"6-2-6, be showing 6-2-8 place to sleep in little girl's room…" Jumba said. Stitch scratched his back and smacked his mouth, staring at 628 as if the words still had to settle in.

"Ih…" he said after a few seconds and waved for 628 to follow him. Jumba nodded when the white experiment looked at him and waved him on. 628 followed Stitch up the stairs. Jumba locked the front door and moved after them, up to his room. Stitch waited till 628 was with him on the elevator, then pressed the button. The lift rose noiselessly, and Stitch pointed to his bed next to the window.

"Fooka ju ikata…" he mumbled, and 628 glanced at his bed to be. Sleep… he wondered if it'll be difficult to do that… Stitch got onto Lilo's bed, and got under the covers next to her, with his back to her.

"Nokta choota…" he mumbled and 628 nodded in return. He walked to below the bed and climbed up the wall onto Stitch's bed. He lied down and covering himself with the little blanket. The bed didn't look like much, but it was surprisingly soft and comfortable, as well as the pillow… 628 turned around twice, and found it more relaxing to stare into the room, than out the window, and thought about everything that has happened so far in his life… a burst of excitement ran through him… if his first day was like this, he really looked forward to the rest of this being alive thing.

And while wondering how one actually goes about sleeping, he quickly drifted off to his first nightmare-free dreams.

raVen speaks:

A nice, calm chapter for once… and forgive the next chapter, please. It's going to be boring, as I'm outlining some of my plotline in the beginning. But, then again, the big battle scene is in there too… so, it's a mix of boring and exciting.

Ecliptic:
I copy/pasted your name this time. Sorry for the inconvenience. Stay tune for the next chapter!

Ri2:
Not wind-balls… and yeah, it's only his first day of being conscious, so it'd be the first time he felt hunger. Thanks for the review!

x636:
Thanks for the… uhm, encouraging words. Stay tuned!

Kila:
I rock? But you don't want to talk to me? I don't get it. Thanks for the review, anyway and stay tuned for the next chapter!

Thanks to everyone who read, but didn't have time to review… 'didn't have time' can be substituted with 'was to lazy' xD

And extra thanks to those who did review! I'll give you all a special cameo-appearance somewhere in the story. Contact me for details.

-raVen