To Save Us All
chapter 21~
9 finally understood.
Finally.
6 had finally come through and explained it all. All he needed was a quiet place, time, and the threat of a terrifying monster to do it.
Each stitchpunk had a purpose, but different than what he originally thought. It turns out that whatever was supposed to happen, would happen. Stitchpunks may get killed in this fight for life. G's family was made to fight the creature, and 9's family to keep the savior out of danger until he confronted the BRAIN. 9 knew what he had to do, and it made him feel like a brave hero, but knowing eight stitchpunks had been made to keep him safe, he also felt like a damsel in distress.
9 sat next to 5 on the book bench, in the desk room. Even though 5 was his best friend, 9 didn't want to talk much. Unluckily, 5 did. 9 could tell 5 was nervous about the whole thing. Who wouldn't be? The preservation of life on Earth was in their hands. Anything could go wrong if they didn't do one thing right.
"Don't worry, 9, we'll protect you." said 5 nervously, putting a hand on 9's shoulder. The way he said it made 9 think 5 was trying to reassure himself rather than 9.
"5." said 9, annoyed. This was the sixteenth time someone tried to comfort him before they set off for the Factory. "This thing won't be so hard to beat with everyone else already going after it. It's not like the BRAIN knows I'm the one it wants."
"Yeah I know... but uh... 9?" asked 5, gripping his top button and looking nervously at the feet.
"Yes?"
"How are we going to do this?" asked 5, looking up to 9, the question he already stated still playing around in his optics, dancing actively as the thought continued to grow.
How were they going to do this?
9 knew this whole thing was planned out. It had already happened. That's how 6 knew about this, because he had traveled in time. He must have. Now it was a matter of doing what your instincts told you. They had each done something that stayed with 6, and that he had traveled in the past to warn them about. Each had done something that was their purpose, and had helped defeat the creature, they just had to put the pieces together.
"It's all planned out. Whatever happens, happens." said 9, sadly. What if someone's purpose was to die? 6 had said 9 was the most important one after all, maybe 6 didn't think anyone's death would hurt 9. But it would. It would hurt so much more than anyone could comprehend.
"Why do you think 6 can do that?" said 5, asking questions 9 had thought about ever since he had first understood what F meant by "reverse time". 9 frowned as the questions 5 asked seemed like reminders to keep asking them, "How can he travel in time? Why should he? Why should you?"
"We're different. I'm not sure why. I think it has to do with the soul. The human soul." said 9.
"What do you mean?" asked 5, sitting up, attempting to understand.
"Well, I learned a lot from 3 and 4 about humans, back in the future when everyone was dead." - 5 looked to his feet again- "They showed and taught me that humans were unique to Earth, different from all the other living creatures. Humans were different, too. They thought about things, and used 'collective learning' to survive. They didn't adapt to harsh climates like other animals, but instead would take the animals furs to survive in cold and stay in shade to survive in heat. They evolved differently. They had the ability to understand and learn and communicate through language. They had an ability no other animal had. They could epress themselves through art. But because of this, I think it blocked out something that all other animals do have."
"What's that?" said 5, looking back up at 9.
"The sixth sense." said 9, "it's the ability to sense the future, and to read minds, to sense what others are feeling or thinking."
"Like 6." said 5, smiling.
"I think that sense that was hidden from the human mind, blinded by the ability to communicate and express themselves. I think it was 6's part of the soul. I think he's the sixth sense of the Scientist." 9 said.
5 looked to his feet again, thinking about that theory.
"9!" 7 called suddenly from outside the desk room, "B wants to show you something! Come here!"
"Come on." said 9, getting up from the book he and 5 had been sitting on.
The two friends stepped out of the desk room and into the larger one, and followed 7 down a tunnel leading to the main hallway.
"What is it? What does he want to show me?" asked 9, now being pulled by 7's hand. 5 lagged behind, smiling as if he knew the surprise already. When the steps leading to another room showed up, 7 bowed dramatically as if 9 was royalty and let 9 go up first. 9 rolled his optics and smiled, walking up the set that lead to the main hallway, and the front entrance of the art museum. 9 walked up into the hallway, almost right into a cloth covered machine.
Everyone surrounded it, E and B being the closest to the... whatever it was... and the others smiling, waving, or trying to peek under the cloth, stopped by H or 8.
Whatever it was, it was big enough for maybe four stitchpunks. The thing looked like a box, hallowed out by the looks of the dent in the top.
"What is it?" asked 9, taking hold of the fabric and readying to pull.
"See for yourself, my boy." said B, wiping oil from his hands with the fabric covering his invention.
9 yanked the cloth off of the mystery invention and saw to his great surprise that he knew what it was.
It was a toy car, obviously modified to actually work. The hood had been removed and an actual battery engine of sorts was placed inside snugly. To wires protruded from the engine, and were sticking out, available to the passenger. The seats in the front that could have been originally plastic were now covered in fluffy cloth. The doors didn't open but it didn't matter anyways, you could just jump over them. It was a black convertable.
If this thing ran correctly and fast enough, B might have saved more than one life.
"Do you like it?" asked B, starting to rambling on about his invention, 9 understanding every word. C, D, and the twins began to catalog it. "It's called a 'car', humans used to ride in these when the streets were'nt fillied with debri and bodies..."
"Hey, I remember something like this!" said 9, looking the thing up and down. "When I first woke up, I went outside to find 2 and I saw this... Only it was huge and... there were people inside..."
The room quieted as they all realized what seeing 'people' meant. Dead people.
"Well, it works. That's what's important." said E, smiling and trying to push images out of his head. "We don't have time to test her out, but I'm sure she'll hold up."
After successfully driving the car up near the front entrance, everyone gathered around for a meeting in what they called the Lobby.
The stitchpunks discussed possiblities of what could happen, and the seemingly innocent ones were told to keep fighting no matter what.
There were disagreements, but they would work them out with reason, and whoever's idea was the most logical and productive was the one they would go with.
Everyone had a say. No one was crazy, mute, or shy in this meeting.
No one was left out.
Because everyone had a purpose.
The stitchpunks had decided on a battle strategy after about thirty minutes.
1, the twins, 5, and 6 would go with 9 in the Balloon, to the factory. 7 and 8 would take the ground route, in the Car. G's family would spread out and look for any sign of the monster, C and D with 7 and 8 and the others staying at the art museum, their home.
B taught 8 and 7 how to drive, showing 7 the steering wheel and 8 the ignition- which was the connection of the two wires in front of the passenger seat, where 8 would sit.
Since E was staying behind to help defeat the monster when it came, 5 gave him his crossbow. He trusted him to use it well.
It was for E's purpose, after all...
F and 6 hugged as tight as they could, whispering things in their heads that no one could hear but them.
7 sat hand in hand with 9 on a book, spending what could be the last few minutes they had with each other.
"7?" asked 9, resting his head on her's, hiding his face, wanting it all to be over already so he could make sure she was safe.
"What is it, 9?" she asked, gentle and curious.
"I'm scared," he admitted. "But I know I shouldn't be-"
"9. Stop." said 7, moving so she could look him in the optics. "Being scared is not a bad thing. Fear is fear. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Why not?"
"Being scared means your smart. If you tried to hide your fear, you would be a coward. I would know. I used to hide my fear."
"But 7, I'm not scared for myself." said 9, taking both of her hands, "I'm scared of loosing everyone- again."
"9, no one is going to-"
"I mean starting over." said 9, "You won't remember me when I go back. No one will. And I'll have to start over. Making 1 my friend instead of my enemy, making G trust me. Making you love me."
7 smiled sympathetically and kissed him again, making 9's soul glow slightly within the protective case.
"9. It's already happened. It's happened twice for you now. I'm meant to love you. It's already happened."
"But what if-"
"No if's." she said with a smile. Then, getting up and calling to everyone else who was saying their last 'what if's'. "Let's go everyone, better to get a head start!"
8 jumped in the car and started the ignition, bringing the wires together. C and D hopped in the two back seats, hugging each other in nervousness.
"You'll be fine, 9." said 7, kissing his cheek once before running after 8, who has already starting to drive. 7 flipped gracefully into it, landing in a sitting position in the front seat and taking the wheel. She knocked down her skullmet, ready for battle.
9 touched his cheek gently where she had kissed it.
"I love you." he said, though with 7's increasing distance he knew she couldn't hear him.
The car sped around the corner, and they were gone. 5 walked up to 9, who was still staring after her.
"Come on, 9." said 5 gently, somehow knowing how much it hurt. He always knew.
9 turned with 5, going down in the tunnel back to the hallway with the weird paintings.
"Let's do this." said 9, following his guide.
They reached the roof just in time to see 7 and 8 already far off in the distance, searching for any signs of the monster.
1 was waiting for the Balloon to fill up with enough air so he could step inside without getting his feet entangled in the fabric.
"Not her purpose." said 6, laughing. 9 raised an eyebrow and walked over to him, glad they still had at least thirty more minutes before they had to worry.
6 was looking down the side of the building, waving to F, who had been fitted with a makeshift sheild and spear, not made too well by a hurrying 7, and was walking around awkwardly, not sure how to use it. 6 shook his head but smiled. F heard his thoughts and looked up, folding her arms and tapping her foot jokingly, as if she could ever be mad at 6.
"You said her purpose was To Know It." said 9, smiling down at the scene, talking to 6. "Does that mean what I think it does?"
6 turned to face 9 and looked directly into his optics. After a moment of taking that literally and searching his head for what he thought, 6 nodded grimly. He turned back to F.
"So she Knows what's going to happen." said 9, turning back to F as well, watching her fall over herself as the sheild caught a ray of sunlight and she blinded herself, tripping over a rock.
6 laughed before replying. "Always."
"And do we win?" asked 9, studying 6's reaction.
6 was silent.
"What direction are we going, 9?" asked 5, holding 4 up to the steering nail of the Balloon because 4 was too weak to carry 5.
9 looked up from his hands and pointed halfheartedly in the general direction of the factory.
5 shrugged and told 4 to pull the nail West so they would move East. 9 leaned against the basket and let himself slide down, his burlap striking some friction as he did, causing a dull heat on 9's back.
6 walked over to 9 and knelt down to put a hand on his shoulder.
"Soul's don't die." he said, his optics warm and understanding as 9 looked into them. 9 smiled and nodded, understanding this wasn't a time for mourning something that didn't happen yet, and possibly never would.
Hopefully.
"You never answered my question." said 9, getting up and trying yet again to get an answer.
"Doesn't need to be answered." said 6, walking over to help 1 search the ground beneath them, "Already happened."
That wasn't good enough.
"OK, you guys. You know what to do." said G, putting up his hood and unfolding his pocketknife until the longest knife poked out. E and H nodded, and B and A mumbled a yes. "Hide as close as you feel necessary, and attack only when you see an opening on it's armor, like we discussed. Understand?"
"No." said F, who had been watching the sky. "Not my purpose."
G sighed. "Yes F, we know. You've said this many times. But we still don't understand, so your gonna have to try and be clearer or we'll be forced to keep you with that heavy sheild and spear."
"Know it." she said, squinting at the sky. G narrowed his optics at her, his lips pressing into a very thin line.
"Yes, F, we know." he said, pronouncing each word carefully, containing himself, "You've already-"
"Know where it is! Hide for now!" she said, whispering as she pointed, taking off toward a crumbled building, her springed feet making her just as fast as G, if not faster.
Everyone stared in shock for several seconds except for G, who knew every second counted.
"Well you heard her! Hide!" he said as he dragged E with him, making E almost drop 5's invention. A and B shared a glance before running off together, straight for another crumbled building.
G ran as fast as the wind could take him, his rubber-soled feet making the softest padding sound opposed to E's clanking. G spotted a gutter pipe and made for it, dodging under it, and bringing E with him, just as he began to hear the noise F had warned them to hide from.
A clanking, rythmitic droning was looming into the small courtyard of the art museum. Every step the monster took generated a horrible metal grinding sound, along with a thud of it's claws hitting the concrete and dirt.
He hoped A and B made it to wherever they hid, because the monster was coming.
It would only be another few seconds before it rounded the corner.
A/N: Okey dokey, little children, here comes the BIG MONSTER! Stay tuned for more action and adventure next chapter!
OK, all joking aside, how'd you like it?
And chapter 22, there will be some... well I can't really say so just ... be warned. M'Kay?
Maybe gore and sadness and... can't... say.
*splodes*
Kk! R&R my readers! ^^