I'm sorry this chapter is so late. I've fallen so far behind. I really got my work cut out for me. Anyways, enough of that, let's begin with chapter sixteen.
I know last time I said the Giant was going to have more speaking roles, but I just can't help myself when I get to that part. I'm never sure if I should have him articulate properly, or speak in few words. He got his memories back after the bump on his head was fixed. He's bound to remember where he came from.
This chapter marks the reunion of the stitchpunks at long last. They were incarcerated this whole time. How bout that?
The next chapter will be where the Giant gets more speaking roles. I promise. I mean it this time. Hopefully then, we'll get to know more important things about him.
Hogarth followed Mansley down a long hallway. Lights on the ceiling dispersed the gloom. There weren't any guards standing by on watch. That's something Hogarth found very unprofessional. He was basically a criminal to Mansley's cohorts. Lack of guards was like leaving a pot on a stove unattended.
They came across a steel door. It wasn't enormous but average size. Mansley opened the door, it creaked as it did. Hogarth winced at the sound.
"After you," said Mansley.
Hogarth raised a brow and stepped inside. By the dim light from the ceiling, he could see a set of stairs leading down. Hogarth traipsed down the steps. Mansley followed suit, closing the door behind him. As he listened to his footsteps, Hogarth wondered where the general might be. Was he here in this room? Or somewhere else?
He saw a faint light in the dark. He could see a structure up ahead.
"Keep moving," hissed Mansley.
Hogarth rolled his eyes, and kept walking.
The room was more expansive than he imagined. The structure he saw took up an entire wall. It was circular. There was a lever placed before the structure. It didn't take Hogarth long to figure out this was the portal. It looked great in his opinion. He never would've thought he'd be seeing it in person. From what Elias told him, the portal was ten times better than he expected.
People in white coats stood about. Some with clipboards and pens. Two of them were seated at a long table, busily writing down notes. To his left, Hogarth saw a long shelf placed over the table the scientists were sitting at. On that shelf were a set of jars, about six of them. He could discern some objects locked inside. He couldn't quite see them from where he was standing.
Footfalls echoed behind him, but Hogarth didn't need to turn around to know that they were guards.
"Backup?," he quipped.
Mansley shrugged. "Criminal mastermind's got to have his entourage."
"Hmph." Standing next to him, Hogarth realized he was the same height as Mansley now.
A man in a white coat came walking toward them, or more specifically, to Mansley.
"Sir," he said to Mansley, "we are ready to begin."
"Thank you, Cafferty," said Mansley.
Cafferty nodded, and walked back with the others.
"Sir," said another voice. Hogarth looked and saw to his right a guard, holding a rope. It looked unbelievable long, he had to admit.
"Dufford," said Mansley walking up to him. "Got everything ready?"
"We do, sir," said Dufford, "we've made you a longer rope. I'm not sure how long you plan on exploring over there."
"As long as it takes," said Mansley, taking the rope, "to find riches in that crap town."
Hogarth rolled his eyes.
Mansley looked over his shoulder. "Make sure he doesn't do anything," he said to the guards, "and if he does, you know what to do."
The guards gave him salutes, and then, stood, pointing their rifles at him. Hogarth shrugged. So far, this wasn't so bad. He didn't see any other guards aside from the ones standing behind him and the one attending Mansley. He wondered where the others were. Perhaps they were keeping watch on the general and his troops. Where did he lock them up in? Were they in another room? One similar to this one? Was it far or close? Hogarth wished he didn't have these guards watching his every move, or he would've fought them already.
Mansely tied the rope around his waist, tightening it to make sure it didn't fall off. The guard picked up the rope, then one of the coat-wearing scientists sidled over and grabbed another end of the rope. All that was left was turn the machine on.
The scientists at the table stood up and traipsed over to the portal. The lever looked light enough for one person to pull, although in this case, a machine like this required a lot of care.
Hogarth peeked over at the jars on the shelf. He could've sworn he saw movement inside one of them. It was in the third one. Whatever it was, it was alive. He hoped those jars had air holes on the lid. His attention turned over to the scientists. They grabbed hold of the lever and pulled. Electricity crackled around the portal. Hogarth watched. There was a ball of white coalescing. Then the light erupted brilliantly. The light brushed the surface of the jars on the shelf, prompting Hogarth to squint. He could make out silhouettes in the jars. They were small, save for one being bigger than the other four. They reminded him of the stitchpunks. Could they be 9's friends? Mansley did say that he brought them back. And he had them here, trapped. Wherever the general was, it would have to wait. Getting the stitchpunks out was his main priority.
He looked to the portal. The light pulsated pearlescent colors, as though promising a utopia behind them. But Hogarth knew that was not the case.
Behind him, were the guards with their rifles pointed to him. Another one was holding the rope along with the scientists. Mansley gave his rope a good tug before facing the portal. Surely an interruption would delay his voyage to the stitchpunks' world. Hogarth thought on what to do to create a distraction.
Then he got it.
Stretching his arms, he let out a yawn, darting his eyes.
"Sure am tired," he exhaled, "mind if I take a quick—SNOOZE?" He elbowed the guard that stood to his left. He stumbled over, and Hogarth grabbed his rifle.
"Hey!," shouted the other one.
Hogarth hit him in the face with the butt of the rifle before the man could do anything. The other guard was about to pounce on him when Hogarth struck him across the face with his own rifle.
"Stop him!," hollered Mansley.
The remaining guard dropped the rope and charge toward Hogarth. Hogarth meanwhile dodged the guard and sprinted toward the scientists. He smacked the first one across the face with the rifle. The other one tried to grab at his arm, but Hogarth kicked him in the stomach. The third one was knocked out by a sucker punch inflicted by Hogarth.
Mansley stood, teeth bared. He glanced over at the jars on the shelf.
"Don't even think about it," said Hogarth, pointing the rifle at him.
Mansley chortled. "You wouldn't dare."
"Wanna try me?," rasped Hogarth, finger on the trigger.
"Go ahead, shoot me," spat Mansley, "prove you have the balls to shoot me, but you know what, you'll be no better than the Giant."
Hogarth's heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. The crease in his forehead loosened. He all of a sudden saw himself in the Giant. He was about to lower the rifle when Mansley lunged at him. Hogarth ducked and rolled away. Mansley fell to the floor. Hogarth looked down and remembered the rope. He dropped the rifle, grabbed the rope, and lassoed it around his arms.
"You bastard!," he choked out, looking over his shoulder.
"And what does that make you?," retorted Hogarth. He tied the rope around his wrists. He then moved down and tied the rope around his ankles. With that done, Hogarth stood up, leaving Mansley writhing and trying to get out of the ropes.
Hogarth charged toward the desk, jumped on it, and clasped his hands on the shelf. He laid eyes on the jar. They were just as he sketched in his sketchbook. 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8. They were here, alive. By the way 6 looked at him, it showed that they've spent an unknown amount of time here.
"I'm here to help you," he said, grabbing the jar that 7 was in. He twisted the lid and opened it, setting it down on the shelf. "I know your friends." He gingerly picked her out of the jar. "9, 5, 3, and 4. I know them. They're safe." He put the jar down and held 7 in his cupped hands.
"Thank you for saving them," said 7. Her voice was low-pitched and sultry. She smiled.
"I'm going to get you guys out of here," he said. He opened each jar one by one. He looked over his shoulder and saw Mansley struggling with the ropes. The scientists were still on the floor, recovering from those blows. With no time to waste, he grabbed the stitchpunks, held them to his chest, and leaped off the table. Hogarth ran to the stairs. A guard tried to grab him. Hogarth kicked him in the head, knocking him out and continued his way up the stairs. Hogarth opened the door and sprinted out.
"Guards!," Mansley called from within the room.
Hogarth looked over his shoulder. The light coming from the portal still shone from the dark within. He didn't know how long it took, he just needed to get out of here before any more of Mansley's guards catch him.
The Giant stopped walking when Elias gave him the signal. He bent down on one knee, lowering his hands to let his passengers get off. Elias scanned the area as soon as he stepped off the Giant's hand. After a careful inspection, Elias turned to Dean.
"All clear," he said. He then looked before him, at the snowy ground. "We're here."
"The shelter," uttered Dean, looking down at the ground. 5 and 9, on Elias' shoulders, looked back at him with restrained determination.
Elias glanced over his shoulder to regard the other soldiers. The mayor stayed behind, but the sergeant followed the rest of his men.
"Are we all going to go in?," asked Michael.
"No," replied Elias. "You're all going to stay here. I can't risk getting you all pummeled if we run into one of Mansley's cronies."
Dean stepped forward.
"Let me join you," he offered. "I can help. I may not have army training, but I can hold my own in a fight."
Elias glimpsed at him. He wasn't sure if bringing him along was the right idea, but Dean was making himself clear and his insistence was evident. And rejecting his offer would only worsen things.
"Let him come," said 9, glancing up at him, "we can use all the help we can get."
5 gave him a quick nod, to better convince Elias. The man raised an eyebrow quizzically. In the end, he knew he had to let him.
"Alright," said Elias, "you can come." He turned around. "Let me just get this opened." He walked up to the door, which was several yards away from where they were standing.
"Are you sure?," asked Annie, clasping his shoulder.
"I have to go with him," he said, turning to look at his wife. "If Mansley does something to Hogarth, he's gonna answer to me."
Annie bit her lip.
"Alright," she said in resolve, "go. Just be careful."
"I'll be back," said Dean.
"It's open," said Elias, standing up.
"I have to go," retorted Dean. He pecked Annie's cheek. "I'll find him."
"Please," said Annie.
"Wait," uttered Michael, traipsing up to him. In his cupped hands, the twins flickered their optics.
"What is it?," quipped Dean.
Michael held them up at arm's length. "I think they want to come with you," he explained, "that's what I think they're saying." He glimpsed at the hooded twins. "Is it?"
The twins glanced over their shoulders and nodded at Michael.
"What do you say?," asked Michael. Dean pondered it carefully.
"Alright," said Dean. He held out his hands for the twins and the stitchpunks gingerly stepped onto his palms, bidding Michael farewell. Michael smiled and nodded.
Dean broke away from him and Annie and trudged in the snow towards Elias. He looked down. The entrance was open. It resembled the ones on submarines.
"After you," said Elias, giving him a tiny nod.
Dean saw there was a ladder. Easier to get in. He looked over at the others, then laid eyes on the Giant.
"Hogarth is in trouble," he said, "Elias and I are going to find him. I need you to stay here and protect everyone. Do you promise to keep them safe?"
"YES," said the Giant.
"Promise?"
"I PROMISE."
Dean turned around and made his way down the ladder; on his shoulders, the twins waved goodbye to the Giant. Elias, about to go down, looked at the sergeant and said, "If we don't come back, send help."
"Will do," said the sergeant.
Elias grabbed hold of the ladder and climbed down. Keeping his head down, he watched Dean, wondering how deep this ladder took them. He glanced up; the entrance seemed to get further and further as he descended. He could see traces of pale orange and gold from the setting sun. He didn't care how long this search took; finding Hogarth was the important plan.
"We made it" said Dean. Elias heard his feet touch the floor with a faint thud.
Elias jumped off. He looked up. The entrance let in light from outside, but how long would that light last? Keeping that in mind, he gripped his rifle, and turned toward the dim corridor.
"This is the shelter," remarked Elias, eyes surveying the walls, the ceilings, and the floors.
"Yeah, it is," uttered Dean.
"Let's move," said Elias.
The two strolled down the hall. The further they walked, the farther the light from outside faded. It didn't matter, but the hallways weren't that dark. Dean rummaged in his pockets, hoping to find a lighter. He felt a wadded-up receipt, a paper clip, a coin and a button that fell off one of his jackets. There was nothing to be done, so he looked ahead and continued walking.
They came across a bent. Dean looked at the left, then at the right. There was darkness in both paths, each one might lead to their demise or salvation. If they chose wrong, they might end up falling inside a trap.
"Should we split up?," asked Dean.
Elias shook his head in disagreement.
"That would put us in more danger," he said, glancing up at the ceiling. His eyes darted from the left to the right. "We'll head down the right," he whispered. On his shoulders, 9 and 5 looked in the direction he looked.
"Let's hope no one wants to get us," said Dean.
3 and 4 flickered in response, which the two men took as an "agreed."
They slunk down the path, unsure of what awaited them. Surely someone might be waiting for them. If there were, Elias and Dean would most likely get captured. Wherever Mansley had Hogarth, he was going to find him. Nothing Mansley threatened him would impede him. With Elias on his side, he might not even have to fight him.
"9," whispered Elias, "could you shed some light in here?"
"Sure," said 9 quietly. He twisted his lightbulb deeper into his staff until it hit the battery and his staff lit up, chasing away the dark.
"Okay," said Dean, "at least we can see better."
5 held on to Elias' coat collar, fear coursing through him.
"How deep does this shelter go?," asked 9.
"I've never been down here before," said Dean.
"Neither have I," quipped Elias.
"But no matter," replied Dean, "we're going to find Hogarth, and Mansley."
"I sure hope he isn't close—"
A noise echoed in the dark.
"What was that?," queried Dean, head turning both ways.
"I don't know," muttered 5.
9 shined his lightstaff up ahead. There was a path that led to the left and in front of them, a steel door.
"I think it came from over there," remarked Elias.
"Let's see," said Dean.
The two approached the door steadily. With his rifle pointed at the door, Elias carefully walked to not make any noise. 9's lightstaff dispersed the dark, the stitchpunk himself filled with nerves but drowned it out. Elias grabbed hold of the handle, turning it up and down. It was locked.
"Locked," uttered Elias.
"What if we opened it?," asked Dean.
Elias quirked an eyebrow.
"Got any suggestions?," he retorted.
"You have a bobby pin?," said Dean. Elias' glare deepened. "Okay," Dean scratched the back of his neck, "how about a knife?"
"I'll have to che—"
A loud rapping from inside the door halted their conversation, alerting them to turn to the door. There were people inside. Probably prisoners of Mansley's.
"Who do you think is in there?," queried Dean, eyes wide.
"You mean how many?," corrected Elias.
5 shrugged and glimpsed back at the door. Wincing, he could hear more than one knock coming from that door. However many people were locked in there would be sorted out later once they get the door opened.
"Hang on," said Elias, backing away.
"What are you doing?," questioned Dean.
"Tell them to back away from the door," remarked Elias, rifled held to his chest.
Dean wanted to question it, but he sidled over to the door and yelled, "Get back! We're going to open the door!"
The pounding on the door receded and soon it wasn't audible. Elias backed up a little more and readied himself. Dean crept away from the door himself and watched; the twins covered their mouths behind their hands. Elias pulled the trigger and shot at the keyhole. He heard a click and that was when he knew he'd unlocked it. Dean traipsed back to the door and grabbed the handle and pulled it down. It swung open.
"Did it work?," muttered 5, opening his optic.
"Look," said 9.
Once it was opened, he looked inside. Elias crept up to the open door and 9 shined his lightstaff into the dark. What they saw made their hearts drop.
A man, an older man, came up to them, clasping Elias by the shoulders. 9 crawled behind Elias' neck, gripping his lightstaff. 5 climbed up to the top of the man's head, never taking his optic off the man who was staring at them with wild eyes.
Elias looked this man closely. This man reeked of alcohol, unwashed hair, sweat and there was the lingering scent of gasoline. The man wore a faded tan coat over a gray sweater. He donned on black pants, brown boots and a red hat on his head, tufts of his salt-and-pepper hair showed underneath.
"Who are you?," asked Elias. The older man found it difficult to form words.
"He," the man croaked. His voice sounded like floorboards shattering. "The man...came from a portal of light—"
Mansley, thought Elias.
"H-He came," croaked the man, shaking from the fear, "he came...found my other comrades. Said he—would take us...someplace better. Promised us a better life, freedom." His shaking became worse. "But...we have been in here ever since. Doesn't let us leave." His fingers clamped deeper into Elias' shoulders, as though the man were an illusion and would disappear.
Elias let out a breath. He looked past the old man and caught a glimpse of the other people inside. All of them were severely disheveled, their clothes ragged and unkempt. Fear in their eyes. The type of fear one had when they weren't sure if they were going to live or die. It was evident that they thought they were in line for an execution. Elias had to ease their troubles.
Elias felt with his free hand and brushed 9's back. He gingerly plucked him and held him up for the old man to see.
"This," said Elias; 9 looked back at him like he were about to be traded, "this creature came from the same world you came from. He and his friend here," he motioned toward 5, "are the last hope to your world. Return to your world with them, but not until we find the rest of the five who are missing."
The old man observed 9 with burning interest. 9 on the other hand felt uneasy, like he were being examined through an x-ray. He clutched his lightstaff reflexively. When Elias pulled his arm away it was a relief to the zippered stitchpunk. He was placed back on his shoulder.
"What that man told you was a lie," said Elias, "he's not going to set any of you free." He threw his voice for the others inside to hear. "He only cares about power and his own gain. He doesn't care a lick about you or what you want and need. He's not worth it." He clutched his rifle. "Help me find him and overthrow him. I'll return you to your world along with them." He tapped his shoulder, referring to the stitchpunks perched on top.
Dean raised a brow, not sure if what he was hearing was true or not. He looked back at the old man, and glimpsed inside the dark room. They were all terrified but convinced by Elias' words. Doubt filled their heads, but what they heard told them otherwise. Their illusion of salvation was shattering and neither wanted to let go. But they had to to see the reality.
"What he's saying is true," uttered Dean, jumping into conversation. "He's not going help you, any of you. I may not know him personally, but I know what he's capable of. He's not here to send you into the outside world. If he did, he would've done it already."
The refugees inside the room looked at each other, murmurs whispered amongst them. They were weighing out what Dean and Elias had to offer. Their unknown amount of time confined to that room let the two know that they were unsure but willing to give it a shot. It was the only shot they had.
3 and 4 flickered their optics. The refugees, despite not understanding what they were saying, watched in fear and awe at the same time. Dean watched them, brow raised. He tried to do what Hogarth did, find a speech pattern. Their flickering was hard for him to understand, but he made an effort. Concentrating, he watched for a pattern.
Slowly, it came to him.
"They're saying," spoke Dean, raising his voice, "that the needs of many outweigh the needs of one."
4 turned to Dean and gave him a smile. The man in turned smiled as well. Elias, at a loss for words, took in consideration the twin stitchpunks' declaration and looked back at the crowd.
"Anybody who believes in what we've told them," spoke Elias, "follow me and my friends. We'll track down Mansley and take him down."
A man in the crowd broke away from the throng. His face smeared in dirt, clothes ragged and unwashed, and a look that sent chills down one's spine.
"I'll join," he said, voice cracking.
"So will I," said another man, his dirty blond hair a ragged mess.
Dean watched on as more and more agreed to join them.
"Then we have no time lose," said Elias. He gripped his rifle. "Follow us."
Elias and Dean marched on, behind them their army trailed close by. 9 looked over his shoulder, optics blinking. He wasn't sure if they were staring at him or not, the stitchpunk knew that things were going to change. As soon as they found Mansley, Hogarth, and the portal, things will be better for all of them. The crowd thumped down a set of stairs. They came down on another fork in the road. The left path and the right led either way, whether it was to the portal or to Mansley. 9 shined his lightstaff to the left; a long corridor could be seen beyond the doorway. An echo could be heard, and then two figures appeared, and they laid eyes on the throng.
"Intruders!," yelled one of the figures. A closer look indicated that these were one of Mansley's guards. They both had rifles, black uniforms and masks. Two against a whole crowd. This could be interesting.
"Take us to your boss!," shouted Elias.
"I'm afraid that's not going to happen!," shouted the masked guard back.
The second guard clicked his rifle, ready to shoot when Elias shot at him straight in the chest. The guard fell over; the other guard bent down to help him. Another bullet went through the other man's arm and he went down. Blood dripped from the wound. Without anything to lose, Elias charged toward the doorway, careful to step over the wounded guards, and his throng of followers were close behind.
"How much longer till we find Hogarth?," asked 5, "And Mansley?"
"I don't know," replied Dean, "but when we do we'll stop Mansley and send you all home. I don't want to—"
A scream tore the ambience, echoing off the walls, being heard by every person. The crowd stopped, staying still to listen again. It sounded like it came from the path up ahead. If there was someone screaming, then that meant they were closer than they'd expected. Elias took one step forward, eyes alert, unblinking. He heard the scream again, and so did the rest of the crowd.
3 and 4 flickered their optics to Dean, hoping he would provide an answer.
"Hear that?," whispered Elias.
"Sounded a lot like—"
"LET GO OF ME, YOU JERK!"
Dean's eyes protruded.
"Hogarth!," uttered Dean. He broke away from the crowd and ran into the dark.
"Dean!," hooted Elias. He followed him behind him the crowd followed after him and Dean.
The shouts became more audible as he reached a left hand corner. Looking in, he saw Hogarth struggling with two guards.
"Hogarth!," shouted Dean.
One of the masked guards ignored Hogarth and turned to the crowd. He pointed his rifle, but before he could shoot Elias shot him straight in the forehead. The guard went down, making Hogarth step away from him. The guard behind him was about to lunge at him when Hogarth elbowed him in the stomach. He pulled his rifle away and hit him in the head with it.
"Nice one," said Dean, approaching him.
"Thanks," said Hogarth, dropping the rifle.
Dean looked at the boy's shoulders. That's when he noticed the small creatures holding on to him. There was a black-and-white striped one with black tufts of yarn hair. Another one who was bigger and wider than the others, and he saw the number eight written on its right arm. There was another one with pale tannish fabric. He spotted another one with white fabric and a rope around its waist. And the last one was the shortest. He had a metal plate on the back of its head, and what looked like a vest with a shoelace tied in a perfect bow.
"7!," shouted 5.
"5?," uttered 7, turning around. She held on to Hogarth's shirt collar. She spotted the twins on Dean's shoulders. "3! 4!"
3 and 4 waved to her, optics flickering.
Elias stepped in between Dean and Hogarth. "We can get reacquainted later," he retorted, "right now we need to find Mansley."
"I know where he is," piped Hogarth, "I just escaped him. Come on."
Hogarth was about to lead them when he heard more voices resonate from the very path the came from. 9 shined his lightstaff in the dark and saw a shadow against the wall. The shadow was huge, and it reminded them of someone they've seen before. Then they saw the shadow's owner. Kent Mansley.
"Well, well, well," he said, blue eyes glowering into the crowd, "look what the cat dragged in." He noticed Elias in the crowd, and his glare deepened. "Elias Wolfe," he uttered, "my sworn enemy."
"Mansley," said Elias with a calmness that could impede a mountain.
"You just have to come showing off and play the hero, don't you?," spat Mansley.
"I was always better than you ever were," replied Elias, lips unsmiling.
"And now you're here to rub it in yet again," remarked Mansley with faux annoyance.
"Tell me where the general is," barked Elias, "where are you hiding him?"
"Like I'm gonna tell," said Mansley smoothly.
Elias clenched his jaw, gray eyes piercing into his like a raging hurricane.
"Hogarth," said Elias, he plucked 9 and 5 from his shoulders and held out his palm, "take them with you, and find the portal. I'll deal with Mansley myself and force the answer out of him."
"You sure you don't need any help?," offered Dean. 3 and 4 gave Elias worried glances.
"I'm sure," quipped Elias, he turned around, looking the crowd in the eyes. "All of you, follow my friends, they'll take you back to your world."
Mansely's face was as red as a tomato. A vein popped in his forehead.
"After me," said Hogarth, "come on."
He and Dean ran; the crowd followed after them. Once the last two refugees were gone, it was just Elias and Mansley. The redhead watched them go, his plans foiled once again. He looked back at Elias, whose aura gave off a predatory kind of allure.
Mansley smirked. Despite seeing everything fall apart, he was looking forward to this.
Hogarth made a right turn, eyes wide as saucers. His mind raced as he tried to retrace his steps. With Dean with him and all nine stitchpunks reunited, it was a close save. They had their crowd with them. On the way, two of them attacked three guards and stole their rifles. With their weapons, they pointed them, ready to attack any new guards that came out of nowhere. Since those three were taken down, none had shown up. Hogarth didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but he had to be on his guard.
"Hogarth," whispered Dean, "are you sure you know the way?"
"I'm positive," replied Hogarth. He plucked 7 out of his shoulder and held her in his palm. "How long have you been down here?"
"Too long," responded 7. "He had us locked away in those jars. We watched him turn that machine on and go inside."
"How many times did he do this?," asked Dean.
"About three," replied Hogarth, "he was about to go inside when I attacked his scientist helpers." He hugged a breath. "Let's just hope it's still on."
He charged through the corridors, his footsteps overshadowed by the crowd's. He looked to his right, something catching his attention. It was a door. A steel one. There couldn't have been anything interesting about it, but to Hogarth, this was a sign.
"That door," he cheeped, stopping. "Mansley locked me in there." He pointed at it. "So that means..." He pointed at the long hallway before him. "That way!"
Hogarth ran and the others followed him. Adrenaline pumped in Hogarth's entire being, sweat dampening his forehead, chest, everywhere, making him feel colder despite the long-sleeved sweater he had on.
"We're almost there," he uttered with a huff. His heart pounded like a drum. He could hear his ears ringing.
Thank goodness for the lights on the ceiling, there was no need for 9 to have his lightstaff on, so he turned it off. He kept an watchful eye for any guards that might pounce on them.
Hogarth saw the door to the lab still opened.
"That's where the portal is," he said, pointing.
"Let's see if it's still opened," remarked Dean.
"Right," agreed 5.
Before they could go in, five guards on either side appeared from both directions. They pointed their machine guns at them, prompting them to stop.
"Stop right there!," said the tallest of them.
In the crowd, the rifle-wielding men stepped forward and shot at the tall guard as well as shooting two more on the right.
"Let's get moving," retorted the man with the rifle. He had a five o'clock shadow, lines under his eyes that stripped him of any remaining attraction he had left and tangled auburn hair matted with dirt.
The remaining three guards were taken down by four of the refugees. With them taken care of they followed the rest of the crowd.
"Are you guys ready to go home?," asked Hogarth the stitchpunks.
"Definitely," said 9 with a smile.
6 smiled and nodded.
'We'll never forget you,' said 3, smiling.
'Me neither,' agreed 4.
"Okay," said Hogarth.
They entered through the doorway.
Hogarth saw that the scientists he attacked were still working on the portal. To his surprise, the portal was still opened. But from what he saw it looked like they were going to turn it off.
"Stop!," shouted Hogarth, thumping down the stairs. "You can't turn it off!"
Dean followed him, wary of the scientist, as he didn't know what their intentions were. He didn't know if they were on Mansley's side or not. He wasn't going to let his guard down.
The refugees filed in in a neat line. The ones with the rifles held them up, ready to shoot any one of them down. The scientists in turn moved away from the desks and held their hands up.
"Wait," said one of the scientists. Hogarth recognized him. He was Dufford.
"What do you want?," queried Dean, raising a brow.
"Please," said Dufford, "hear us out. We didn't want any of this; Mansley captured us and brought us against our will."
Hogarth glimpsed at 9, quirking an eyebrow. The zippered stitchpunk shrugged, not sure what to say to make this moment better.
"Listen," reiterated Dufford, "we don't have much time. With every activation requires a sum of recharge. It'll take days for it to recharge and after..." He heaved a breath, a trickle of sweat running down the side of his face. It was obvious this hustling was making him more apprehensive with each second.
Hogarth stepped up.
"I know what we would should do," he said, he looked down at the stitchpunks, "but you might not like it."
9's face fell. He forced a nod and told him, "Do it."
Hogarth smile and turned around. "Everyone," he said, throwing his voice across to be heard, "listen up. We don't have much time to keep the portal opened, so all of you have to go in now."
A deep silence envelope the lab.
"Thank you," said one of the refugees, the one with the rifle. Then he turned to the crowd and said, "Come on, let's get back to our world."
Hogarth nodded at him and watched him go. Behind him the rest of the crowd followed him. Dean and Hogarth watched. The last three refugees turned and waved to Hogarth and Dean. The two waved back, both had smiles on their faces. 3 and 4 waved to them as well, for they knew that they would be seeing them again soon. When the last one entered the portal, Dufford strutted up to the portal and pulled the lever. The machine turned off, the white hurricane of light dissipated. There was nothing now.
A set of footsteps were heard overhead. Everyone looked up and saw Elias and with him was Mansley. The redhead had a bruise under his right eye, blood dripping down his mouth. By the way Elias was holding him, Mansley was handcuffed, and Elias held him to keep him from trying to escape.
"I got him to tell me where he locked the general up," he announced. He shoved Mansley in front of him and poked his back with his rifle, forcing him to walk down the steps. "Keep your eye on him. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere." He sprinted away, off to save the general.
Mansley reached the bottom step, and as soon as he did he was forced to kneel on the ground. He glanced up to scientists giving him disapproval looks. Being dead was better than having to face their scorn. Hogarth watched him, a smile on his face. He glanced over at 9 and 5. He gave them a thumbsup. 9 returned the gesture, giving him a nod.
"Oh," said Dean, "by the way, once we get outta here, there's someone up there waiting to see you."
"Yeah?," quipped Hogarth. "Who?"
"Wait until you get out and see for yourself," retorted Dean, winking.
Hogarth smirked.
I know that this may seem out of character, but I never intended to have Hogarth fighting anyone. Okay, hear me out, I know Hogarth is older and all, but he didn't come across as a fighter to me. I know we all remember him as that smart, goofy kid who befriended the Giant, but he's a teenager now in this story, so it's either you fight back or surrender. Plus, I'm pretty sure Dean taught him how to fight. Maybe. ^v^
This story is not yet over, so stay tuned for chapter seventeen. You're going to love it, I just know it!