Sorry that this chapter is so late. I got tied up working on another project and everything just got in the way. But I finished it and I'm glad I did.
This is chapter eleven, I think, am I right? Well, just remember that Elias comes over to Hogarth's house to warn Dean and Annie about Mansley. I nearly forgot when I started typing this chapter.
The nightmare scene, the nightmare that Hogarth has. That's actually a nightmare I had two weeks ago. I thought I'd throw it in just to shake things up, you know. Plus, I thought I'd make it more engaging if the twins had voices in the nightmare. Hey, my story, my rules.
Well, I hope you enjoy this half-assed chapter that is this. I promise to make chapter twelve more exciting.
Friday arrived on a quiet note.
Hogarth looked out his bedroom window, as though trying to see past the forest. Since his day with Elias, Hogarth pondered how he should explain it to his mother and Dean. After thinking about it all through the school day yesterday, Hogarth came up to his parents and told them about Elias coming over. He didn't say he was a secret agent, just introduced him as a new friend, which in the case he was. He was hoping that he would be able to explain everything to them as rationally as possible.
The sky was a dusty blue with traces of dark orange with tints of gold. The leaves on the trees were on the ground, leaving every tree bare. He checked his watch. It was almost close to dinnertime. Should he have specified what time Elias should come? Dinner with a secret agent? He could just see the awkwardness between them spread out before them as he attempted to ask Elias to pass the peas. He'd hate having him look at him while he was eating.
"When do you think he's coming?," asked 5.
"I'm not sure," replied Hogarth, eyes focused on the road.
3 and 4 sidled over to Hogarth and gazed out the window. 4 pressed her hand against the glass, optics drifting from the road to the trees and back.
"I hope he comes soon," uttered 9, walking toward the window. He stood beside the twins as he kept his gaze on the road.
"Well, until he comes," said Hogarth, "I've got a lot of questions I want to ask him."
"Such as?," muttered 5.
"Such as...," repeated Hogarth, taxing his mind, "such as...his plan for finding Mansley. And that reminds me. All this time we all thought he was dead, and now that I know he's alive... I can just see their face when Elias tells them."
"It'll be hard revealing it to them," said 5, "but it's something important they should know. And that way, they can be prepared for when they confront him."
"You're right about that," quipped Hogarth.
"What else do you want to ask him?," said 9, turning around.
Hogarth paused. "Well, there is this one question, and I don't know if he'll agree to it or not."
"What is it?," said 5.
"It's," winced Hogarth, "it's...it's whether or not you two can travel between worlds."
At that, the stitchpunks gave him confused glances. Even the twins spun around, stitched brows raised.
"Could you explain?," said 5.
"It's like in my comic books," replied Hogarth, "where a character can travel to other worlds with a machine. And I'm wondering if that's actually possible with this portal Mansley had built." He sucked in a breath between clenched teeth. "If...if that'll mean you all can come back and forth when you want."
The way he looked at the stitchpunks, trying to convince them, it only made them more confused than they were.
9 stepped up, lightstaff clenched at his side.
"I understand where this is coming from," he said, placing a tiny hand on Hogarth's knee, "I also wonder if that's possible, but what if it isn't?"
"What if it is?," insisted Hogarth. "Don't you guys want to be able to come back whenever you want?"
"Of course we do, Hogarth," retorted 9.
"Then have a little faith, guys," said Hogarth. "Who knows if it might be possible."
9 shrugged.
"Hogarth!," called Annie from downstairs. "Dinner!"
"Coming!," shouted Hogarth. He looked back at the stitchpunks. "I don't know if he's coming or not, but if he is..." He shrugged and shook his head. Standing up, he glanced at the shelf, at the box where the talisman was safely hidden. He briefly wondered about bringing the talisman with him to show Elias. No, no, maybe after Dean and Annie got to know him a little better.
Hogarth made the way downstairs. Upon entering the dining room, his mother had the table already set.
"Hey, honey," said Annie, "when is your friend coming?"
"Uh," muttered Hogarth, as he sat down, "I think he's just running late."
"I hope he's not too late," retorted Annie.
Dean traipsed in holding a bowl of macaroni salad.
The doorbell rang.
"That must be your friend," said Annie. "Could you get the door?"
"Sure, Mom," said Hogarth.
He stood up and traipsed over to the front door. Unlocking the locks, he swung the door open, greeting him was none other than Elias.
"Hogarth," said Elias, eyes boring down into him.
Before Hogarth could say anything, Annie came walking up to them.
"Hi," she said, "you must be Hogarth's friend." Behind her smile and bright eyes, she was skeptical about this new guest.
"Hello," replied Elias, "I'm Elias Wolfe, I'm sure Hogarth's told you all about me."
"He didn't tell us much, just that you were a new friend." Annie's smile loosened slightly, but kept her composure as to not be rude. Hogarth winced. "Come in, come in," she said, stepping aside, "we were just about to have dinner. I hope you don't mind."
"Don't mind if I do," said Elias, taking off his coat.
"Here," said Annie, "let me take your coat."
"Thank you." Elias took off his hat and placed it on the coat rack.
Hogarth, while making his way back to the dinner table, observed how Elias' hair was darker than Dean's. Ignoring that, he took a seat and watched Elias walk over to the chair across from Dean's. At least he would be right next to him. Dean took a seat, keeping his eyes on Elias. It wasn't exactly a look of disgust, more like a look of deep questioning. While Elias wasn't looking at him, but Dean could feel his gaze on him, like he were being seen through a looking glass.
"So," said Annie, sitting down, "Mr. Wolfe—"
"Please," interrupted Elias politely, "call me Elias."
"Elias," said Annie concretely, "tell me about yourself. I don't remember seeing you in town."
"I came here from D.C.," said Elias, serving himself macaroni salad. He laid eyes on Hogarth. "Could you pass the grilled chicken?"
"Sure," said Hogarth. He reached over the table, picked up the plate of grilled chicken and handed them to Elias.
"Thank you," said Elias.
"You're from D.C.?," quipped Dean, while cutting up his chicken.
"Yes," replied Elias.
"How do you like Rockwell so far?," asked Annie.
"It's...quaint," retorted Elias. "It's everything I was told."
"Ah yeah?," said Dean.
"Yes, you see, I..."
God, please let me live through this, thought Hogarth. He glanced at the ceiling, wondering what the stitchpunks might be up to. He was glad they weren't here, but he won see he'd brought one of them over to ease the tension. Perhaps after dinner he'll bring one of them downstairs.
Dinner was filled with conversation, most of it being questions directed at Elias on how he liked Rockwell. The man answered their questions, careful not reveal his status as a special agent. It seemed like he was saving that till last. At least that's what Hogarth thought. After dinner was finished along with dessert, Elias made his move.
"There's a reason why I'm here."
"Oh?," said Annie, holding the empty plates.
"Yes," said Elias, "a reason Hogarth forgot to mention." He sent the boy a piercing stare, which got Hogarth wincing and looking away.
"And what's that?," said Dean.
"Let's talk about this in the living room," piped Hogarth, standing up. "Shall we?"
Elias arched a brow, quizzical. He lead Elias and Dean to the living room. Annie joined them shortly after clearing away the dishes. Once everyone was present, the conversation started.
"You see," began Elias, "I'm a special agent."
Dean raised a brow.
"I was sent here by the general to keep an eye on Hogarth," said Elias. The next question had to be asked carefully and without raising alarm, but he doubt they'd take this news calmly. "Do you remember a... Kent Mansley?"
"Yeah," replied Dean, voice drenched in muted rage, "we knew 'em."
"What Dean is trying to say is...," said Annie.
"He's not dead," said Elias firmly. His eyes reflected the same seriousness in his voice.
Dean's anger was replaced with sudden fear. Sudden fear that Kent might hunt them down and kill him and Annie and Hogarth.
"He's telling the truth," spoke Hogarth. "I didn't think he was alive."
"I thought he was executed," said Annie.
"He escaped," said Elias. He breathed in and turned to Hogarth. Looking back at Dean and Annie. "I'm also here for another reason."
"And what reason is that?," queried Dean.
Elias looked at Hogarth. "Care to show us?"
The boy knew what he meant and rose from his seat.
"He knows," he said to his parents, "I'll go get them."
The three watched Hogarth walk up the stairs. The boy returned moments later with the four stitchpunks. 9 and 5 were perched on his shoulders while 3 and 4 were gingerly held in his hands. He held out his hands over the table, the twins jumped off while 9 and 5 slid down his arms and stepped onto the table. 9's optics locked with Elias'. The zippered stitchpunk showed no fear towards the man, just restraint wonder.
"You see," said Elias to Annie and Dean, "I'm here because Kent is here. Not in town, but in the fallout shelter. The one he tried to tell you about. I was in the forest the other day, watching from afar. I saw one of Mansley's soldiers go in...with a deer. I'm pretty sure they were going to turn it into a machine like they did the Ursa."
"Sorry," said Hogarth, smiling uncomfortably, "I had to tell him."
Dean quickly nodded before turning to face Elias.
"Anyways," said Elias, "the reason I'm telling you all this is because I plan on calling the general to come here."
Annie touched a hand to her heart.
"Now," uttered Elias, "I haven't thought of a plan yet, but I'm getting to that, I'm just not sure how to go about it. Mansley has the blueprints to make those machines. He also has the same blueprints to the portal. The portal that brought them here." He pointed a finger at the stitchpunks.
Dean's brow furrowed. "I thought they came here through the—"
"The portal," began Elias, "opened other doors in their world." He took a breath. "Doors as simple as a river, or any other body of water."
"So," said Annie, straightening, "this portal?"
"Mansley stole the blueprint to build this portal," said Elias, "for the mere reason that he wasn't believed about the Giant. All this to convince the general that he was right. He wants to prove that other life forms exist. Not just other life forms, but other worlds."
"Which is why these four are here," said Dean. He laid eyes on the four stitchpunks. The way everyone looked at them made them feel like they were on display.
"I've got a question," chirped Hogarth.
"Sure," said Elias.
Hogarth paused. "If we find the portal," he said evenly, trying to sound as calm as possible, "is there a way for them to come back to my world and so forth?"
Elias held in a breath. The way he looked let the boy know that he had an answer contradictory to what he was hoping.
"I believe," said Elias, "that when we find the machine, that it should be dismantled." He sighed. "It's too dangerous to have it running."
Hogarth's face fell. 9 drifted away from his friends and approached the boy.
"I know you'd want that to be possible," he said, "I do, too." He paused. "But...you have to think about what's right for our world, and not just ours but yours, too." 9 gripped his lightstaff reflexively. He didn't want to say it, but he needed to. Or he thought he needed to because that's what everyone was expecting. He looked at Elias. "Can't there be another way? A way we can alternate between worlds, like Hogarth suggested?"
"I wish there was a way to make it fair for all of you," responded Elias, "for you to visit our world freely. But the fact is, with this machine existing, and the wrong person finds it, who knows what dangers lie ahead." He took a breath. "It's best that this gateway is destroyed."
There was a deep pause.
"So," said Dean, "there is a way for the stitchpunks to get home...but it'll come at a price. Sever the linchpin that connects their world to ours."
That hit a soft spot in Hogarth. He didn't want to say goodbye to the stitchpunks, but it was important that they go home. He recalled that conversation he had with 9 in the junkyard. He made it clear that he and 5 and the twins needed to return to their own home and world. Their world needed them, and it was selfish to keep the stitchpunks from returning home. What if they didn't have this chance again? If the portal becomes destroyed before retuning the stitchpunks to their world, all would be lost. It was those fun times that hindered Hogarth from seeing the reality. He wanted to keep them in this world, but he needed to return them to their world.
Without the Giant in his life, he projected everything onto the stitchpunks. But it certainty couldn't be easy for four small sentient ragdolls. The Giant saved his town and is traveling the globe helping others in need. 9, 5 and the twins had a world to protect and it wasn't right keeping them here.
Hogarth breathed a sigh.
Elias stood up. "Well," he said, "thank you for having me here, but it's time for me to go."
"Oh, it was our pleasure," said Annie.
"It was nice having you over," said Dean, standing up.
He and Annie saw him out the door.
"Thanks again," said Elias while putting his coat on. He grabbed his hat, placing it on. Annie opened the front door for him.
"We were glad to have you over," said Annie.
"How can we contact you?," asked Dean.
Elias hesitated. "If you want to see me again, look for me in the docks."
"We will," said Hogarth, traipsing up to him. He had 9 perched on his shoulder, and the twins and 5 in his cupped hands.
"Well," said Elias, tipping his hat, "I'll be going now. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," said Annie and Dean almost at the same time.
"Wait," called out Hogarth, "any news on the Giant?"
"Later, later," replied Elias, not looking over his shoulder.
Elias turned around and walked into the dark. He made a turn to the left. Annie shut the door. Dean let out a much needed sigh.
"What's the matter?," queried Annie.
"I couldn't stand the way he kept looking at me," replied Dean.
"I know, right?," commented Hogarth.
"Every time he looks at I think he sees everything I've done," quipped 5.
"Tell me about it," said Dean.
"He didn't seem that bad," said Annie.
Hogarth raised a brow.
"You're kidding, right, Mom?," he said convincingly.
Annie turned around. "I know he's not trusting of any of us," she said, "but I understand where's coming from."
"You think he mistrusts us?," quipped Dean.
"Yes," replied Annie.
Hogarth cocked his head. "9 was just telling me the other day," he began, "that you don't know who to trust until you trust them."
9 smiled shyly. "It's true," he said. In Hogarth's cupped hands, 3 and 4 smiled and nodded their heads.
"Well, they are right," said Annie insightfully, raising a brow, "and we don't know if Elias will trust us until we trust him."
Dean jumped in. "Are you sure you're not saying he's cuter than me?" His brow furrowed.
Annie shook her head. "No," she quoth, "you know you're the only man for me."
"You're too good to me." Dean's arms snaked around Annie's waist. Their lips met.
"Bleh," gagged Hogarth, he glimpsed at the stitchpunks. "Dinner and a show."
9 chuckled.
Hogarth opened the front door to his house. Stepping inside he noticed that the room looked different. He knew that the furniture was the same, but what set him off was the eery quietness. He called out for his mother, then for Dean. He reached in his coat until he remembered that he didn't have them with him. He paced into the room.
Then, he appeared.
"Hello, Hogarth," sneered Kent Mansley.
Kent's glare was as he remembered. Blue eyes menacing but with a psychotic snare. Red hair as quaffed as the last time he saw him. He was still wearing the same green suit and trench coat he had on the last he saw him. Kent Mansley was here in the flesh. Hogarth felt the ground beneath him shake, or was he the one that shook?
"Thought you'd seen the last of me, huh?," said Mansely. "Well, you were wrong. I'm alive and well and here to finish what I should have started."
Hogarth raised a brow.
He looked past Mansley and that's when he saw it.
His mother, Dean, both of them on the floor, blood pouring from their throats. Hogarth's eyes bulged in horror. He saw a glint and he noticed the knife Mansley unsheathed. Its blade reflected in the faint light. Hogarth's heart thumped at a supernatural rate. Dizziness clamped its claws into his skull.
"Ooh and look what I found," said Mansley. He pulled out a glass jar from his coat pocket. In it were the four stitchpunks. 9, 5, 3 and 4.
"Give them back!," roared Hogarth, reaching for the jar.
Mansley held the jar over his head. He kicked Hogarth in the gut, sending him falling for the floor. The boy coughed, gasping lungfuls of air. He looked up at the jar. The stitchpunks knocked at the jar with their tiny hands. They were scared.
"Guys," croaked Hogarth. He made an effort to stand up but the pain recoiled in his stomach, too weak to move.
"Look what else I found," said Mansley. He dropped the blood-soaked knife and dug into his pocket. He pulled out the talisman. Hogarth's eyes widened.
"Give it back; it's theirs," shouted Hogarth, standing up. He still felt dizzy, but he kept his composure. He reached for the talisman but Mansley moved it out of the way. He balled his fist—the one that the talisman—and punched Hogarth in the face. Hogarth stumbled back, touching a hand to his cheek. An overwhelming pain engulfed Hogarth's jaw. He readjusted his jaw, feeling things roll around in his mouth. He spat out three teeth, blood dripping from his mouth. He glanced at Mansley.
The man opened the jar. Hogarth looked where he had the talisman. With his other hand he grabbed all four of the stitchpunks, fighting with all their might to free themselves. Hogarth noticed how the talisman looked like it was embedded into his palm. His eyes protruded as he realized what was about to happen.
"Save us, Hogarth!," shouted 9, tiny hands clawing into Mansley's skin.
"Don't you hurt them!," hollered Hogarth.
He stood up and charged at Mansley. Another kick knocked Hogarth off his feet.
"Hogarth!," shouted 5.
Hogarth made the effort to turn his head. 5 was reaching out for him. The boy wanted no more than to free them from Kent. He stood up and a stitch shot up his side. Dropping to his knees, he watched helplessly as Kent pressed the talisman with his thumb.
"Hogarth!," shouted a new voice. He looked up. He craned his neck, eyes squinting. That voice came from 4. He never imagined he'd be hearing her voice. Her voice sounded melodic and warbled. She sounded scared. He looked at her brother. 3 gaped at the talisman, now fully activated and ready to siphon their souls out.
"Help us, Hogarth!," cried 3, pupils wide. His voice held a low pitch with a deep tenor. Not baritone. Not like an adult's. Like a teenage boy's voice. He sounded just as scared as his sister, and like 9 and 5.
"Don't!," shouted Hogarth, raising his arms in the air.
A green light engulfed the room, causing Hogarth to shield his face with his arms. The screams of the four stitchpunks knifed their way into his ears. Hogarth covered his ears, squeezing into a ball. He opened his eyes again, watching the lifeless stitchpunks fall to the floor. Their optics stared vacantly into space, their mouths gaping open, like dark caverns. Kent's chuckle resonated in the room. Hogarth glanced at him.
"It's not too late, Hogarth," he said condescendingly. The talisman in his palm glowed green, electricity crackling around it. "You can join them." His eyes were menacing, more mean than before.
As Hogarth spun around, he made the effort to stand, but could only manage to stagger while holding a hand to the spot where Mansley kicked him. He was moving, but he felt like he wasn't going anywhere. Pain shot though his body. The hallway seemed to grow narrower and longer. The door seemed to drift further and further away.
Hogarth glanced over his shoulder. Kent walked up to him calmly, a smug grin on his face. He held out his palm, the talisman glowing.
"Say goodbye, Hogarth," he said.
The talisman was at full power and Hogarth was cornered. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get anywhere. He looked from the talisman and the door and back. Hogarth lost his balance, landing on his hands and knees. The talisman was pointed at him, and it happened. This must be what the stitchpunks felt: being sucked through an ethereal drain. His body feeling weak, and he could feel every fiber of his being slowly dissipate. It was like he was sand falling through an hourglass.
With what little voice he had, of all the names he shouted, he shouted Elias Wolfe's.
Hogarth awoke with a start, sitting upright. He quietly gasped in air, eyes wide. His heart thumped madly against his chest like a drum. The head rush mitigated as soon as he calmed down. He took the time to note that he was regaining his sense of individuality, finding he can breathe, think and feel. The foundation of the nightmare was as if he was melded with someone else's thoughts not his own.
"Hogarth?," spoke 9. Hogarth turned to look at him. He, and the twins and 5, were on the nightstand, worried looks plastered on their faces.
"Are you okay?," asked 5 quietly.
It took Hogarth a few moments to regain the ability to speak.
"I," he exhaled, "I had the worst nightmare."
5 glanced at 9, who in turn, shrugged. He emerged from behind the alarm clock and hopped off the table, landing on the bed. He climbed on to Hogarth's knee.
"What did you...see in this...nightmare?," he asked. He'd been through this with 6 in the past, surely this would just be as straightforward.
"I..." Hogarth saw every image like it were branded into his retina. "I saw Mansley."
At that second, 9 hopped off the nightstand, and scurried over to Hogarth's side.
"Go on," he said encouragingly.
"I, well, I saw him in my house," said Hogarth, "and he killed Mom and Dean." He wished he didn't have to tell them the next thing he dreamt. "And you were all in the dream."
Their faces blanched. 3 and 4 were the last ones to emerge from behind the picture frame and sidled over to the edge of the nightstand. Hogarth laid eyes on them.
"In the dream," he said, "you two talked."
The twins blinked their optics bemusedly. 3 and 4 looked at each other before looking at Hogarth. Their optics flickered. Surprisingly, Hogarth understood what they were saying.
"What did you two sound like?," he translated, eyebrow raised. "You," he pointed at 3, "your voice sounded like a typical teenager's voice." He looked over at 4. "And your voice sounded a little high-pitched, but not in an annoying tone. It was actually pleasing to listen to. I guess it would be if you're not screaming." He added, shoulders slumped.
Putting that aside, 9 asked, "What else did you see?"
"The talisman," retorted Hogarth, facing the zippered stitchpunk. "Mansley had the talisman." He held out his hand, with the other he pointed at his palm. "He had the talisman embedded into his hand." He looked at his palm, imagining the talisman in his own hand. That kind of power would be gratifying until it takes control of you. "He had it, and used it to take your souls...and mine." He closed his eyes.
9 dropped his lightstaff on the mattress and climbed up to the boy's leg. He stood beside 5 and looked Hogarth in the eye.
"Mansley won't do anything he'll regret," he said. "You want to know why?"
Hogarth opened his eyes.
"Because Mansley is a coward," he said firmly. "He's been dreaming of the day to get his revenge on you. He's been waiting, planning, preparing and now that the day has come...he can't do anything."
Hogarth seemed to speak, but he shook his head and looked away. 9 glanced at 5. The one-eyed stitchpunk thought about what to say. A minute later he looked over at Hogarth.
"You want to know why we think he's a coward?," said 5. Hogarth opened his eyes, landing on 5. To the stitchpunks' surprise, he was curious to find out.
"Because he's afraid of you," said 9 before 5 could continue speaking.
Hogarth raised a brow, a smile tugging at his face. Now that they had his full attention, the stitchpunks opted to continue.
"He's afraid of you," said 5, "because you're capable of doing things he can't even manage to pull off."
"Kent is an opportunist," quipped 9. "If anything, he's unfocused, incoherent, and not very prepared. What he's doing is to compensate for the fact that he's incapable of accomplishing anything. He can't accept that he lost. All of this, having others do his dirty work proves that he's nothing. He's not a leader, not a savior; just another human being with no real talent or aspirations. He's grasping at anything to justify that he's nothing."
"That's exactly why he's doing this," said 5.
3 and 4 jumped onto the bed, optics flickering. Hogarth looked at them. He didn't need to wrack his brains to understand them this time.
'Mansley hides behind a mask of confidence to veil his cowardice,' said 3. 'The reality that he is nothing cripples him to change. He is a slave to the old-world customs and his mind is incapable of grasping the idea of a better world. One that is open to integration and equality.'
'Him creating this portal is out of desperation,' said 4, 'to impress the general, a one last chance to regain his former status. He doesn't want to accept that he's going to end up alone, forgotten, and unavenged. And that is exactly what he is afraid of happening. Nobody remembering him.'
The twins raised good points in Mansley's search of power. Even without voices they spoke louder than a raving crowd.
"You two are right," said Hogarth.
9 slid off the boy's knee, grabbing his lightstaff.
"So now you see why you shouldn't be afraid of him?," he said.
"Yeah," the boy said, his smile growing wider, "I do."
5 climbed down Hogarth's leg and traipsed over to 9 and the twins.
"Kent isn't worth thinking about," spoke 5, "if it makes it any better, he's probably worse off than any other criminal who look like innocents compared to him."
"Heh, when you put it that way that does make it better." Hogarth settled in, ready to go back to sleep. The four stitchpunks made their way to the nightstand. "Thanks for reassuring me about this."
"You're welcome," said 9.
Hogarth yawned. "G'night, guys—and girl." He added to 4.
'Goodnight,' she flickered to him with a smile. Dean and his mother were right; these were their voices. And he was glad to hear them.
Hogarth finally fell asleep, ready to face the oncoming adventure that laid ahead.
Damn, that nightmare was intense. Sheesh! O_o Sure glad it was only a dream. But yeah, I plan on having Mansley appear soon. Not in the next chapter, but maybe in the one after it. Or the one after that one. Whichever comes first.