To Save Us All
chapter 14~
"We're outside?" asked 9, his tone sounding like an excited puppy.
"Yes." said 1, still searching for something in the colorful sky.
"I need to see, 8, could you let me down?" 9 said, tapping 8 gently on the head to get his attention.
8 nodded, making 9 almost lose his balance again before slipping off, landing somewhat gracefully in the basket.
9 looked around into the sky, the glorious sunset, the ground so far below...
"Amazing." 9 said to himself, staring in awe especially at the sunset, which always deserved attention. It was as if an artist had spilled some paints onto the canvas of the sky and called it art. It was art. It was beautiful. Like 7...
"Almost done." whispered 5 gently to 6, who's optics still hadn't opened.
"Hurts." was all the poor little guy could say.
"I know." said 5, threading the last stitch, "And guess what?"
"What?" asked 6, being cute.
"It's over." said 5 as he finshed the last thread and cut off the excess thread with his portable scissors. 6 smiled as 5 helped him up, very gently because the wound may still hurt. 6 flexed himself, twisting around to test the stitches 5 repaired him with.
"It fits!" cried 6, flinging himself onto the nervous inventor for a glomping hug. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." said 5 with a smile.
9 smiled and came over to them. 6 stopped smiling and looked madly around.
"Here. See's us. Trying to hide..." he mumbled, nervously clutching his key. Then, with sudden energy, "Over there! Look!"
9 spun his head around and saw it: the Winged Beast, swerving behind a building just too late for 9's quick reaction. He mustered his courage: if they defeated this thing once they could do it again.
5 looked on in shock, "What was that?"
"Take out your weapon, " said 9, looking around himself to find something- anything- he could somehow incapacitate the Beast with.
1 looked to 8, "Your's too, 8."
5 and 8 now had their weapons out, 5's being the lauching invention he had most likely made himself, and 8's being the huge blade he had bound together with a huge nail to make a handle.
9 caught a glimpse of the beast flying- much faster than them- out from another crumpled building and turning to head for them. 9 thought quickly. An almost-blinding flash of light shocked his not adjusted optics and when 9 looked to the source, he saw the mirror hanging from 5's pack. The mirror.
"5. Give me your mirror." he said, extending his arms out as the beast flew nearer.
5 took off his pack and flung out the mirror to 9, who instantly calculated the angle and placed the mirror in the sunlight not hidden by the balloon, causing a blinding flash of light to race to the beast's hateful red eyes in less than half a second. The beast cringed in midair, forgetting it was flying, and blindly shot it's weapon to the balloon, hitting the basket and knocking everyone off- balance. 1 flew into the air, his staff flying as well, and by some miracle, 9 managed to grab the end of the staff, along with 1.
1 was now dangling by his staff, held by 9, held by-
There was no 7. Not yet.
9's head hurt from all this time confusion.
"Help!" 9 cried, willing himself to hold on just a second longer.
8 and 5 rushed over to help 9 pull 1 back over the basket- giving the Winged Beast a chance to get to them unguarded. It came at them with fierce aggretion and hate, but not willing to give it's surprise attack away by shreiking.
The balloon came above a building then, a foot from it's flat roof, just as the Winged beast knocked it's weight into the flying machine. Every stitchpunk went flying that time, even 8, but only one screamed. 6. His injury had ripped open again, only part of it. It didn't look too painful -it never did- but by the way 6 was screaming it really hurt. Really hurt.
8 and 1 landed on the far side of the building's roof, 5 and 6 in the middle, and 9 on some higher raised platform above them, hidden from the beast.
The Winged Beast flew on, righting itself, letting itself shriek in triumph. The balloon had been messed up: the fire still going but the balloon's cloth emptying of air. It lay in a heap- the basket overturned, the cloth in a sad pile, and the fire miraculously touching nothing but the oil and still burning.
9 got up, trying to find everyone before the Beast came back. He saw 5- over by 6 again, rushing him to safety- behind a brick wall. 1 had run off before 5 and 6. 9 would have sighed if he still had control over time and could prolong the moment. 1 wasn't ready to sacrifice himself just yet. 9 understood.
8 had stopped running when he heard the Beast's shreik, turning to face it, pulling his armor over his face and bring his arm behind him to reach the blade...
9 knew what 8 was doing, as he had seen it all before, but things weren't exactly the same now, and anything could go wrong. 9 held his useless breath and stared as yet again everything seemed to move in slow motion.
8 flung the blade from his hand, his swift and precisional movement making 9 smile, yet he knew not why. The blade drove itself into the Winged Beast's fan, and sparks flew as the beast failed: it's main flight power malfunctioning. 9 shook his head slowly, as if not beliving it. 8, a small (compared to humans) ragdoll, soft and vulnerable, had just taken down a terrifying creature- again. They were so powerful when united.
The Beast crashed, sending 8 flying, like he had been a bowling pin getting struck by a bowling ball, and skidded to the edge of the roof: catching his hand on a shingle as dangling above the ground- about twenty feet below. Miles for the stitchpunks. The beast continued to skid until it rammed into what once could have been an air conditioner, smashing the rusted fragile metal heap and sending red and orange bits everywhere. 8 tried to pull his weight back over the roof, but even he was no match for his wieght.
9 heard 1 scream, and he took off, knowing he couldn't help 8 just yet because 1 seemed to be in more danger. He flew past 8, who was still struggling and didn't look the least bit hurt that 9 wasn't helping him first. That was true courage, letting another be saved before you.
9 dashed in the direction of the scream, behind the air conditioner- where 9 could see the beast still recovering from the crash. 1 was hiding behind a small jagged piece of rust, shaking and clutching his staff, obviously trying to keep hisself silent. The beast hadn't noticed him yet. 9 would have sighed in relief had he not been hiding himself, now perched behind another air conditioner.
9 looked all around, not knowing what to do except somehow save 1 and get him out of there before the beast could find him. He noticed several things before he got his idea. One, one entire wall of this building was slanting downward to the ground, creating an easy escape. Two, 5 had finished sewing up 6 for the second time, and the two were now near one of the air conditioners near the bottom of the slant. The one with one of it's walls ripped open. This exposed a high powered fan, and electrical wires. Just like old times.
6 looked his way, as if 9 had called to him. 9 took a moment to drop his jaw and really contemplate if 6 could read minds or not.
9 saw 6 nod. This was getting weird.
6 turned to 5 and seemed to converse with him, telling him something that made 5 look from the beast and back behind him to the fan and electrical wire. Good, so 6 was taking care of the fan.
But 1 was still in danger. 9 needed to provide a distraction. 9 put no backup plan behind his first thought, because the beast had just revealed 1's hiding place. 9 jumped from behind the air conditioner, sprinted to 1 making all the noise he possibly could, and dove into the elder, sending them both over the side of the wall, the slanted one.
The beast seemed too stunned to move for a second, and when it went after 1 and 9, sliding down the wall.
But it was too late: 7 had gotten to the party. 1 and 9 continued while 7 ran up the wall, her feet so swift and her movements so fluid it looked as if she was defying the laws of physics. She swung her blade down onto the beast's neck, missing when the beast's arm shot up and caught the blade. The beast continued to skid down, 7 ran after it.
1 and 9 landed on a piece of jutting out wood while 7 took care of the beast, thrashing her weapon terrifyingly but somehow organized, swift and skilled. Her body flipped and ducked, her knees and feet obeying her smart commands, and her arm bringing down the blade countless times.
9 didn't want to take his gaze off his 7, but he had to see where 5 and 6 where. They were waving frantically below, still on the slanted wall, now feet from the air conditioner, and holding the electrical wire to somewhere behind the fan. 9 knew what they were signaling. The fan was ready.
"7!" 9 called, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice, though his voice actually came from his chest, near his mouth but not quite.
7 spun in mid air, and brought her spear once again on the beast, hearing 9 but unable to respond yet. When the beast was recovering, 7 took the tenth of the second to unlock her knees, and she skidding down to the piece of wood jutting from the slanted wall, and into 9's arms.
"Yeah?" she said breathlessly. Was that a smile on her face? 9 couldn't tell, she had her skullmet on.
"W-we uh-" 9 began, smiling dumbly.
1 rolled his optics, cleared his throat.
"The fan." 9 managed to say, pointing to where 5 and 6 were now jumping and shouting, trying to get attention "Get it to the fan."
7 nodded and jumped out of 9's arms, dashing back to the beast. 9 shook his head, coming back to the real world. He looked back to 5 and 6, who continued to jump frantically until 6 suddenly looked 9's way, nodding. 9 saw 6 turn to 5 and say something. 5 raised his eyebrow and took a step back, but got up and looked to 9. 9 waved nervously, wondering what 6 had said.
"9, look." said 1, pointing above them, to where 7 and the beast we're still fighting. 9 watched with bated breath, optics trying to keep up with 7's speed. She flew and flew at the beast, yet she seemed to lose no energy. Finally, 9 saw 7's face light up in midair, and she landed gracefully, skidding down towards the fan.
"5! The fan!" she yelled, about ten feet from the fan now, and going too fast for 9's liking. The beast simply followed, going after it's prime target- the weapon. 9 didn't turn to see what 5 and 6 would do, only keeping his stare for 7, who was gaining speed...
1 was staring in shock beside 9, and was slowly shaking his head, as if trying to say 7 was insane, but his mouth not being able to form the words.
5 and 6 pluged the fan in- 9 heard- and 7 was now only five feet from the whirring blades.
"Get out of there." 9 muttered, his hands tightening into anxious fists. But 7 wouldn't listen to his silent plea, she was going as close as she could.
The beast shrieked as the fan whirred on, not being able to see into the darkness of the air conditioner like the stitchpunks. It only knew the sound, and the pale stitchpunk going toward it. If she could do it, the beast certainly could.
9 dared not turn his head as 7, a determined look on her face, plunged her spear into the wall she was falling off of and let go, launching herself above the air conditioner at the last possible second, her feet just nearly missing the top of the mangled box, her arms spread by her sides like wings. She was a graceful bird, gliding peacefully through the air, the look of pure fun and endurance mixed on her face. She enjoyed action and daring: she lived for it.
The beast shreiked as it realized it's fatal mistake, trying to do some sort of somersault in attempts to avoid the blades of the high powered fan. It wasn't so lucky. The fan blew it to smitherines, sending bits of metal flying everywhere, and making everyone flich. Even those who had seen it all before. Even 9 and 6.
The two time travelers locked in a stare as 7 landed, gracefully on both of her feet, skidding down to where the slanted wall met the ground. 9 smiled down at her, went to retreive her spear, and skidding down to meet her. She smiled as he gave her the spear, but frowned as she looked over his shoulder.
"There will be more. We'd better get moving." she said, moving to go climb the slant again, to help 6 down. The artist seemed to be not willing to slide down with 5, and nobody but 9 knew why.
"8. He's still up-" 9 began, starting to climb the slant again, but a hand on his shoulder and a nod in the direction of the roof made 9 stop. He turned to face what 7 was telling him to look at.
8 was standing on top of the roof, having witnessed the whole thing it seemed, clutching his blade with a frightful look on his face.
"8!" called 1 from below, having skidded awkwardly down as well as everyone else but 6 and 5. 6 ran up the slope, tripping and sliding a little bit, and hugged his arms around the big guy when they met. 8 raised a confused eyebrow and placed and awkward hand on 6's back, patting softly.
6 took 8's arm and pulled him down the slope, sliding gleefully, leaving 5 all alone to slide by himself. 5 positioned himself to slide by sitting down, but 9 stopped him as he had a thought.
"5! The Balloon!" called 9 up to 5, who looked up from his hands and nodded, getting back up to climb the slope and get to the roof. 9 started to climb after him, just in case he needed assistance. The slope as hard to climb, so 9 was surprised 6 could make it up so fast only slipping once or twice. 9 slipped many times, causing everyone but 1 to laugh. 1 did smile, though.
9 reached the top, and gave a comedic bow to the stitchpunks below, before following 5 to the Balloon.
It looked the same as when they left it, except the fire had burnt out. The basket still lay overturned on the roof, and the blanket still in a sad pile covering parts of the basket, the fire out but the gas still smelling strong. And the heat still there.
As 9 and 5 walked to it, 5 coughed nervously. 9 looked to him.
"What?" he asked, prodding but not lethally.
"Just..." 5 tried to make himself muster up the courage to release whatever he had to say, "I... 6."
"I 6?" asked 9, trying not to laugh and ruin the joke.
"No..." mumbled 5, not even seeing a joke at all. 5's right hand met his elbow, "Just... nevermind."
"OK." said 9, coming to examine the Balloon. It seemed perfectly flyable.
5 spoke up again.
"I mean..." he tried, "He told me about... What you and 7... did."
"Did?" asked 9, trying to let this conversation slide but trying to keep his cool.
"Yeah..." said 5, "And I... Well... I guess I have a few questions..."
"About what?" said 9, "I honestly don't know what your taking about."
"He said he drew a picture for you. He said you felt strange but happy. And he liked that you were happy. He said you haven't been happy in a long time... And that 7 makes you happy..."
"Well... yeah, she does, but I still don't- OH!" said 9, understanding what 5 was getting at. The picture with him and 7... doing something...
"Yeah," said 5, looking like he wished he hadn't brought up the subject at all, waving his hand toward the Balloon.
9 waited for the inventor to say something, but nothing else came, so 9 tried again. His curiosity was getting easier to control, but he thought he could break this time.
"What did you want to ask?" said 9 casually as he came over to help 5 fold up the balloon section of the air craft.
5 hesitated, then blurted it out in a confused but curious question.
"How did it feel?" he asked, not daring to look 9 in the optics.
9 smiled, had 6 told 5 they had actually done that... deed?
"I wouldn't know, having never done it in my life." said 9, the smile and light mood effecting 5 in a similar way. The inventor perked up.
"Really?" he asked, putting down his work and smiling at 9.
"Well... Not yet anyways..." said 9. Why would 6 tell 5 they had already done that. 7 and 9 hadn't even kissed yet! Not even told each other the way they feel. They both were nervous.
"Well, do you... want to?" asked 5, laying out the balloon again, the work almost done.
9 thought about it. He didn't even know what it was called, but he knew that's exactly what he wanted to do with 7 when they were that alone, intertwined within each other's embrace. 9 felt a spark of heat fly up his spine from his lower back.
"Yes." said 9, meaning it with every fiber of his being, "I do."