It felt like the destruction of The Machine took place years ago. 9 often came back to the Scientist's home to look through his things. There were endless things for him, 7, 3, and 4 to do now but often they were lost in what to do next. Didn't the Scientist leave some clues of what to do next?

This time 3 and 4 came along to help. That's what he told them to do, anyway, but they seemed to enjoy other tasks. They often still catalogued and were more curious now with the new green stuff growing from the ground than he'd ever seen them. 7 claimed that they were always this curious from the start.

He turned some pages in a book he looked at several times before hand. Nothing new stood out to him. He heard 3 and 4 click their eyes for several minutes. What were they looking at now? 9 didn't turn until they grabbed his hand and lead him to a leather bound book he's never seen before. They pointed to a passage that dated from before 1 was even created! The word they were pointing at was Zero.

"Is there another one like us?" He wondered aloud. Where was this 0 the whole time they were fighting? "Do you know 0?"

3 and 4 shook their heads and encouraged him to read the passage.

It read: She is still, perhaps, one of the greatest creations. Zero was the inspiration for the rest of my creations. I modified Zero as needed before she disappeared one night with little explanation. I do not know of Zero's whereabouts but I hope her mission is just as successful as 1 through 9. It's too bad she wasn't able to meet any of my creations. Maybe she'll come around like she usually does. I hope and pray she will be okay.

"Zero…" 9 said the name aloud. It felt strange on his tongue. They had to find her!

The three of them walked back to their newly found home near where they released the souls of 8, 6, 5, 2, and 1. It wasn't much, there were a few rooms and some curtains that were put up haphazardly and a few other things to make it semi safe.

Soon after they arrived home 7 peeked from the curtain that separated her room from the hall. "Guys," she whispered, "come look at this."

3 and 4 were the first ones who snaked their way in to the room. 9 followed them but kept close to the doorway. On 7's bed was a stitchpunk that looked like them but it was stitched badly in many areas. Unlike 9, this one had many flaws.

The Twins looked up at 7 curiously before flipping it over. On it's back was the number 0. It seemed almost too easy to find her.

"Where did you find her?" He asked.

"She was wandering blindly and kept calling out different names. Names I've never heard of. When I approached she tried attacking me but for some reason she was weak." 7 watched as the Twins went to work checking on the mechanics inside of her. "How did you know it was a girl?" She never looked at him.

"I went back to the Scientist's house and 3 and 4 found a journal he kept. In one of the entries he said there was another. She's the first one of us."

She looked dumbfounded. "Does that mean there are more of us?"

9 opened his mouth to answer but they were distracted by a groaning sound. "What…what are you doing?" She shouted. The sudden outburst made the Twins hide behind them.

She was looking around, panicking. 9 walked over to her and grabbed her wrists so that she would stop moving around to look at him. "It's okay. We're friendly."

The longer he looked at her the more he realized how young she looked. Granted, they didn't age. How could they age? But even her eyes looked young.

"Old Man?" She looked into his eyes.

Behind him 7 giggled.

"No…you aren't him…" She finally concluded.

"I'm 9." He explained.

"Nine…" She repeated slowly. Some light bulb turned on in her head. "I'm Cero."

9 tilted his head. "Cero?"

She nodded. "Yep. Cero. It's easier to say than Zero for some people…which reminds me…I have to get back and…" As soon as 0 stood everyone could see why she staggered so much, her leg was torn.

"At least let us patch you up." 7 insisted. 0 seemed much more comfortable knowing there was another female in the group. 9 started to notice some similarities between the two; 7 and 0 both had angular faces and smaller eyes and mouth. They both had some bones hanging from somewhere, 7 preferred wearing hers near her head while 0 had hers hanging from her neck. Their bodies were a lot smaller too, but 0's could be from being the first stitchpunk made. She must not have been small at first because there was a lot of stitching around her body or perhaps she just injured herself too often.

9 noticed other similarities such as she was the same height as the Twins and like him she had a zipper on her belly instead of something else to hold everything inside. Her hands reminded him of 1. Were there other similarities he wasn't catching?

"Now try walking on it." 7 instructed. 0 walked around the bed.

"Thanks." She said.

3 and 4 felt comfortable enough with 7 there to scurry over and check out 0. 0 laughed. "Okay I get it now."

"Get what?" 7 sat on her bed.

"I knew the Scientist for a time. Their curiosity and childishness stem from apart of him, doesn't it? You all do." She allowed them to open up her zipper and check her mechanics. Their eyes clicked in quick vibrations that still memorized 9. "I used to call him 'Old Man.'" She turned the Twins around to look at their back. "3 and 4…" She looked up at 7 who showed her back. "7…and 9. Where's 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8?"

The room suddenly grew tense and solemn. 0 didn't need an answer. "I see. That's too bad. And the Talisman?"

"Hidden." 9 answered.

"Is the Machine still shut down?"

7 answered, "Destroyed."

"I will have to hear your stories another time. I have to find my friends." She started walking outside. Everyone followed.

"There are more of us?" 9 sounded hopeful, the hopefulness in his voice even caught him slightly off guard. He's never heard himself like this.

"Not exactly. We are the only one of our kind. I was able to keep a few humans safe and just outside of the noxious gas that poisoned the city in a place called Haven. But due to some wind and storms and beasts I can't seem to find Haven again." The sun was going down now.

The Twins looked at each other, the clicking of their eyes told everybody they were asking each other questions. 7 spoke up as if she were their voice, "What beasts?" By the looks on the Twins' faces that wasn't the question they wanted answered.

"Well you guys know the vegetation of this land is slowly returning. So are the animals and they're mistaking us as either playthings or food."

"Well there's no point in wandering out in the dark. When it's light out again we'll help you find these human friends of yours."

0 smiled at the hospitality. "Thank you."

The Twins smiled, grabbed both of her hands and led her inside. 0 laughed and allowed them to lead her. 7 leaned in close to 9. It made him tense up a bit, not from being uncomfortable, it was for a different reason he couldn't explain.

"Do you think we can really trust her?" She asked. The question surprised him since it was her that invited 0 to stay.

"It's better than what we have been doing." 9 put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll give us some less dangerous adventure."

7 couldn't help but chuckle. "You can see a silver lining in everything, can't you?" 7 was still uneasy about 0 but he couldn't figure out any other reason except that her instincts told her not to. 9 trusted her instincts more than anything. Finally she walked inside and turned on the lights.