Author's Notes: The fourth part of Being One Of Us and the big reveal about what exactly Zero is! Also in this part 10 delves deep into his self-lotheing. And again, I use statire to express the veiws of the "1-haters". 10 and Tzarina's realationship is established, and this will grow to become very important in the future. We get to met a few of those lovable Beasts has guarding his fortress. We see 9 already making himself a leader. Part five will feature a battle!
Part IV: Torment from the Past
The burlap savor found himself the the browns and whites of the Workshop. He quickly realized he was in the dream world when he noticed the fuzzy shape of the Toy Maker in the distance. He paced in a very troubled way, almost like his was searching for something. The human spoke, but his language was muffled and turned into a moan by the distortion in the dream. 9 noticed there were no Stitchpunk in the room. That must have been what he lost! Almost at the instanst he remembered Zero, she appeared before him.
"Zero, what happened to you?" 9 asked, "You knew 1, he's never told me about you - but you and him were close, weren't you?"
"Like father and daughter" Zero answered, but something was strange, she lost all her charming energy and she sounded just as deathly as she looked
"I think I can feel it - that love. For some reason I feel to you like I how feel to 3 and 4, like I need to protect you," 9 thought out loud, "But with far more freice intensity. I'm feeling fear for your safety, and myself too"
"You're experancing what 1's forgotten" The sick child's voice said, "You are feeling exactly what he felt. You're inside him. But something's went wrong with what I'm trying to give him in his dreams"
"So you do exist," 9 said taking a cautious step toward the girl, "But not like me. Like how 5 and the others existed at the Memorial."
"Yes, but something wicked is stirring the spirits," Zero answered, some of her brightness coming back to tiny white body, "He's seeing and feeling exactly how he did in his memories, but all he wants when he's awake is to dream and see me. He's making himself sick, 9."
"2 said he hardly moves anymore."
"This isn't what I wanted!" Zero sobbed putting her small arms around 9's torso, "I just wanted him to remember me, but he's becoming trapped!"
"It's okay," 9 tried to comfort the prototype Stitchpunk by putting a copper hand on her head
"Don't let him be trapped in my memory! Don't be trapped!" She begged while the dream started to fade and bend
"Zero, wait! Are you dead? Why can't he remember?" 9 felt her body start to
materialize, he deperately clawed at her smokey remains, "Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero!"
"9! 9! Get up! It's okay!" 2's voice boomed through the dream world
9 opened his optics to see 2 frimly clutching his shoulders. 2's face remained concerned for a few moments, then it softened upon realizing he woke up. 9 leaned up in the bed of scrap fabric holding his forehead.
"Zero?" 2 asked, his voice shaking, "How do you know about Zero?"
"She did exist, didn't she?" 9 exclaimed
"Yes, but you aren't supposed to know about her. Before this whole problem with the dreams, I was the only one who knew," 2 said, "1 loved her so much, just like a father would. I loved her too, but 1 was so protective of her. He scarcely let me close."
"What happened to her?" 9 asked
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"What did she tell you in your dream?" 2 swiftly changed the subject
"She told me that all 1 wanted to do was stay in the dream world with her, and don't let him be trapped in it." 9 said
"No." 2 rasped pushing himself off the bed, "She's giving us a warning, an urgant warning. 1's gotten too attached to his dream world. He could be sucked in perminently!"
9 pushed himself up, realizing 2 was dead serious with what he was saying. 2 limped toward the door leading a hall.
"You need to warn him," 2 said
9 fallowed 2 down the hall that lead to the bucket elivator when the pair halted suddenly. They nearly ran into 10, who was pacing the halls aimlessly.
"What are you two doing out of bed?" 10 demanded
"1!" 9 said clutching the elder's shoulders
"That's not my name!" 10 crowed
"Yes it is. You'll always be 1," 2 told him trying to put a comforting hand on 10's boney back
"Yes, I'll always be 1. The frist Stitchpunk born," 10 breathed lowering his head to his chest
"That's it, enough with this '10' nonsence. I want good old 1 back," 2 smiled
"Yes, 1. 1, the most flawed of all Stitchpunk! 1, barer of all evil human traits! 1, the fascist monster! 1, the lonely! 1, the murder! 1, the hated!" Hollared 10 as he started to claw at his own body, "No! I don't want to be 1! Nobody ever loved 1, I didn't deserve it. Who would ever want a beast as ruthless as I was?"
2 took a few steps away as the leader worked himself up. 9 approached him.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You can't change who you are," 9 stiffened, longing to take back that final statement
"What do you wan't?" 10 snapped shaking his head in denial
"I want to warn you. About Zero -"
10's optics opened fully. He poised himself agressivly.
"How do you know about her?"
"That's not important. You need to stop clinging to your dreams, or you're going to be sucked into them."
"No! It's a far more joyfull place in my dreams, rather than this dismal reality. Zero was the only one who ever loved me!"
"And where's Zero now, 1?" 2 questioned, "She's not here, you can't live in the past."
"I can! I shall! I'm going to sleep," He snapped turning toward the elivator
"Stop! You'll be consumed!" 9 begged
10 only scoffed and cranked the elivator up to his bedroom. 9 watched him dissapear up into the dark tower, just like he'd dissapear into his memories if he didn't do something.
"He's gone," 9 told 2
"You can still save him," 2 said, "If Zero was able to contact you through sleep tonight, she can still contact you from the dream world again. Her spirit can't be in two places at once. If you hurry and go to sleep, you and 10 will be in the same dream. That's when you can save him."
2 let his chipper nature shine through the dire moment. He laughed to himself and jibed:
"Just don't stress too much that you can't sleep"
9 was atop the wooden table in the workshop again. The Toy Maker wasn't there, nor was Zero. 9 started to become concerned. Had 1 already been consumed by his own memories? 9 couldn't bare to think he'd failed to save a friend again.
"9! Has my own fanstasy world foresaken me as well?" Crowed an aged voice
9 turned himself toward 1, who lacked all his clothing and seemed just as he had the day of his creation. 1 pointed an accusing claw at him.
"This was once a place of escape for me, the only place of happiness and safty I could run too. And yet you think you are permited to ruin this for me too?"
"I don't want to ruin anything for you," 9 said stepping up to him, "I want to help you. Zero spoke to me. She told me herself. Please, don't get yourself lost in here. You're needed in the real world."
"The real world doesn't need me! Zero needs me here," 1 insisted
"This isn't real, 1! Zero is gone!" 9 shouted grabbing 1 by the sholders
"I don't care!" 1 swiped at the other with a claw, but 9 pulled away before he was cut, "This is real enough for me!"
"1 . . . " Called a thin childish voice
1 smirked and twisted around to face Zero. She stood on the other end of the table, the end close to the closed window. 9 felt something sinister about the white Stitchpunk, as if it wasn't Zero herself but only a hallow body.
"Zero," 1 answered with a hauntingly happy smile, he took a few steps toward her
"1," Called her empty voice again
The canvas Stitchpunk continued to draw closer. 9 couldn't help but to stare.
"1, play with me. Play with me,"
"No, 1," 9 whispered, but the elder ignored
"You'll stay with me forever, right?"
"No!" 9 yelled yanking at 1's arm, "That's not Zero!"
"No, 9! You have no idea what it feels like to be hated! Why would I go back there?" 1 roared while struggling with the burlap doll
"Because we love you. We need you!"
"No you don't! You hate me, and I'm worthless! Don't try to fool yourself," The elder managed to drag 9 a step foreword
"You're fooling yourself! Don't do this!"
"Stay with me," Called the distorted voice of Zero
"Yes! I'll stay with you!" 1 cried breaking free, "Forever!"
An echo of his voice boomed and resonated throughout the dream.
"FOREVER!"
1 flinched. The window behind Zero slammed open, the shutters hitting her and her form dissapeared into a white smoke. Behind the window was a swirling mass of white, like the funnel of a twister. The setting was almost gone and all that was, was the white abyss. 1 stood trembling at the sight as the white turned into a black hole that started to swallow up the objects in the Workshop.
The elder was knocked off his feet by the pull. He let out a shrill squeak for help and felt something grip his wrist. It was 9. The savor clutched 1's wrist as he held on to the edge of the table.
"Don't let me go," 1 begged, his eyes huge with fear
"I won't! Don't be sucked in!" 9 yelled
"Where's Zero?" He stuttered
"She's gone!"
"No!" 1 felt himself slip
"Yes she is! You have to accept that!"
"But I loved her."
"I know, but you have to let it go."
1 looked down into the hungry black hole he created. That monster wasn't Zero. It never will be. He'd made a mistake wanting to stay in the past. He turned back up at 9 who was struggling to pull him back. But there was nothing 9 could do.
"No, Zero! I don't want to stay with you!" 1 screamed into the pit, "I must live in the present, without you!"
And the two Stitchpunk were suddenly free from the sucking black abyss. They were thrown back onto the table of the Workshop. The dream ended.
2 heard a frim knock at the door of his sleeping den. He glanced over to the window to find that the sky was starting to change color, but the sun wasn't up yet. 2 stood up, popped a few bones in his back, and opened the door
10 was on the other side. He wasn't wareing his costume. He hadn't even bothered to get dressed when he woke up.
"You know what this is about," 10 spoke first with slight hostility, "I must know what happened to Zero."
"It's about time I told you," 2 sighed, then limped ahead of the Stitchpunk elder toward the exit of the Sanctuary, "I'd made a mistake not telling you what happened. I apologize for putting you through Hell and back trying to keep it a secrect."
The Emptiness slept. Not even the smallest Beast stirred. The only movement was the pair of old rag dolls and the sun that slowly made itself vissable. 10's head lagged at the building as they passed the Workshop. The place of his brith made him believe for a short moment that perhaps his friend still lived, but he knew that couldn't be true. 2 halted at a large, dusky clearing a few Stitchpunk-lengths away from the Workshop's block. 10 looked around the area. It was covered in dust. He felt a somewhat oppressive feeling in the area.
"I know you hate people poking around in your gears, 1," 2 started, half-expecting 10 to correct him on his name, but the canvas Stitchpunk did not, "But it must be done to spark your memories, to bring them back where you can see them."
10 sat down, somewhat submissivly, on a brass bullet casing. 2 walked behind him and carefully untied the extra tuft of canvas at the top of his head. The old inventor pushed the fabric off just enough so that the skull was exposed. 10 cringed, feeling the cap of his skull lifted. He hated gore, even if he didn't see it. Luckily 2 was experianced enough so that he felt no pain. During this, 2 spoke in a calm tone.
"Yes, Zero indeed existed. Though her tragic life was very short," 2 told his old friend, "Most of us were created in a little less than a week; The Toy Maker only spent a day on Zero. She was a quick test, a prototype without a soul."
"No soul? That makes her a machine!" 10 jolted, almost causing 2 to touch her inner-mechanics, "A Beast! But why was she not evil, like the Fabrication Machine?"
"Zero didn't have a motive to hurt anyone. Zero was innocent," 2 answered cautiously putting his hands closer to 10's head
"Where is she?" 10 rasped at length
"Oh 1, I think it would be easier if you saw it for youself."
2 crossed a white wire in 10's head. It sparked for a split second and 10's eyes shut. 10 sat limply. Behind his closed shutters played a long-forgotten memory.
"Comon 1, wake up!" Came Zero's squeak, along with a bat to the face
1's eyes opened slowly. His attachment to Zero seemed to dissapear when she awoke him from naps. He snarled and pushed himself so he sat on his rump.
"What?"
"Comon, let's go!" She begged tugging on one of his belt straps
"Go where, what is it? I thought you were going to let me get a decent nap today," 1 said sleepily
"Zero wants to go outside," 2 answered stepping beside the child
"O-outside?" 1 swallowed hard, "Outside to that endless expance of choas, fire and noise? The humans are all up in a fury about something, running about, attacking one another with their fire-and-metal sticks! Something tiny and weak as us out there? No! I forbid it! You can go out and get yourself killed, but Zero is staying with me"
"Not everything in the world is out to get you, 1," 2 said, "The humans are atleast five blocks away. Zero and I just want to take a quick look around."
"Please 1, pleeeease!" Zero begged rubbing her head on his chest, "I promice to let you nap after. Just a few minuets! Please with sugar on top?"
"I'm not about to leave you alone, but there's no detouring either of you once you want to do something," 1 huffed standing on his feet, "Very well. Does the Toy Maker know?"
"Sometimes it's better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission," 2 reasponed
"2, you provide me with so many unnessisary migranes and ulcers," 1 moaned rubbing his brow with his claws
The trio of Stitchpunk squeezed themselves out of a tiny mousehole and the base of the Workshop. 1 was having the most troubling getting through, being the biggest. He was still struggling to make his way out when 2, fallowed by Zero, trotted out into the vacant street.
"Isn't it beautifull?" 2 said
1 popped himself out of the hole and took a place in-between the two. He moved his gaze around. The buildings were crumbling with bullet holes. The road was well-trodden with dirty shoes. On a few walls were large red flags, all of them crossed with spray paint with "RESIST" written on them. The sent of carrion lingered.
"I don't like it here. It's frightening. We should go back in!" 1 wailed turning around
But Zero and 2 only ventured deeper into the human world. 1 fallowed skittishly, scraping his claws aganst eachother.
"Don't be such a baby," 2 told him limping up the street, uncomfortably close to were the humans noises were coming from, "Where's your sence of adventure?"
"There's a difference between adventure and pure stupidity!" 1 retorted noticed that 2, with Zero holding his claw, had walked into a dusky clearing in the street
"Look at this" 2 exclaimed picking up a brass bullet casing
Zero let her tiny hands graze the object as 2 observed it.
"That's quite enough!" 1 snapped after glancing back at the Workshop slightly over a block away, he scrambled up to them, "Enough 'adventuring'. We leave right now!"
"Aw, comon. You're no fu-"
Zero's whine was cut off by human shreiks echoing from the street ahead. The trio of Stitchpunk flung their heads up and saw a paniced stampede of humans thundering right toward them. While the other two flead, 1 found himself frozen in the middle of the street, trembling slightly as he watched the mass of feet and dust close in on them. He turned, half-scrambling in the dirt for a moment, and fled after 2 and Zero.
1 quickly made his way to the front of the dolls, being the fastest. 2 wasn't too far behind him. Zero had no sence of direction and just knew to stay ahead of the thunder behind her. She tried to grab onto someone ahead of her, but 1 and 2 were too far up the street. The crushing human feet drew closer to the dolls.
"We need to get out of the street!" 2 yelled
Zero felt her body impact the ground. She lie still as the ground started to trembling under the oblivious mob of humans.
"That house, hide under those stairs!" 2 hollared, he and 1 made a sharp turn for the house
Zero pushed herself up but flopped onto the street again. She felt something stinging on her back. She tried to get up again but something tugged the fabric on her back. She felt a sharp nail had impailed her skin. The stampede was rushing nearer. It was nearly deafening.
"1!" Zero shreiked in terror
1 swiftly turned toward the cry. Zero was trapped on the ground. He saw the black mass of humans within meters of her, like a massive thunderhead of noise and dust. He turned so sharply his feet scraped marks in the stone street.
"Zero!" He howled, but the storm of humans blew over her
1 froze, the line of humans forbiding him to draw closer. His eyes scanned the blurr of legs for Zero's white body, but all he saw was the black dust. 2 noticed his friend was no longer fallowing and saw the canvas Stitchpunk frozen as the mob of humans passed within inches of him.
The humans passed, and 1 saw a lump of white, turned grey by the dust covering it. He sprinted toward it. A broken white doll lie in the center of the street. Her back was snapped and she was decapited. He let out a wordless cry and collapsed to his knees by Zero. He put a claw under her chin and whispered for her to get up, but her trampled body did not reaspond. She was clearly dead, but 1 didn't see that yet. He attempted desperatly to wake her up.
"1! Look out!" 2 screamed trying fruitlessly to reach him
1 flung his head up and saw a few human stragglers running at him. He didn't flinch when they boomed close. There was a crunch as the pale doll was caught on the front of a human foot. 2 watched the elder loll across the street. 1's head slamed into a car tire. 2, knowing there was no help for Zero, rushed immediatly to 1.
2 dragged the Stitchpunk up the stairs of the Workshop. A thin trail of oil leaked from 1's head. The Toy Maker, who had put down the twin dolls he'd given life just seconds eariler, turned sharply after hearing a thud at the door.
2 had collapsed in exgaustion. He lied beside 1, his chest rising and falling rapidly. As the Toy Maker rushed to his creations, he noticed one was missing.
"We just wanted to see what was outside," 2 wheezed, "Zero was killed. 1 needs immediate care."
The Toy Maker lifted the two Stitchpunk and placed them carefully on the workbench. Two blue, child-like Stitchpunk curiously drew near to them. The Toy Maker shooed them away with a hand and lifted 1. The oil was draining from his forehead, it was repaired with a single stitch. 2 and the twins drew close.
1 twitched and opened his eyes slowly. He suddenly lept from the Toy Maker's hand and cowered behind a book. 2 tried to coax him out but 1 had no memory of who he was.
"The blow to the head must have given him immesia," Said the Toy Maker, "I think it's best if he never remembers his poor friend."
10's narrow optics fluttered open. 2 was sitting nearby. 10's head was closed and back to normal. The sun was only a few inches higher in the sky, nearing the point were it would be covered in the smog clouds.
Without a word, 10 stood up and walked into the center of the dusky street. On the ground was a shard of wood with a sharp, rusty nail sticking out of one end. Impailed on the nail was a white shread of fabric. On the fabric was a fragment of a black ink number: 0. Zero's body was gone. He lifted her number from the ground. The sun was blocked by the black cloud.
He squeezed the white silk tight and collapsed to his knees. Why hadn't he protected her? If it wern't for his cowardice she'd still be alive! He'd failed once again.
2 approached the Stitchpunk king, whose breathing was starting to shutter uncontrolably. 2 placed a claw on his back and started to stroke him, attempting to comfort his leader.
"It's not your fault," 2 whispered
No, 10 thought, What could I have done against a pack of humans? Those careless monsters. They've left us with nothing, even taking away our family.
10 swallowed the knot in his throat and stood up straight. 2 began to make his way back toward the Sanctuary. 10 stared down at Zero's number, poundering what he should do with it. Finally, he tied the white silk around his neck like a scarf so that the black number hung down over his heart.
For all to see, 10 thought as he made his way to the Sanctuary, A symbol of wrong the human race had done.
The sun was on its way down below the sea of human ruins. The Sanctuary was starting to come into shadow while, wondering in the halls, two pairs of bright white beams shown. The michevious sisters were on their second viset to the Sanctuary. Likely they wanted to play another trick on the Stitchpunk elder, but they were suddenly brought to a halt after stumbling upon two other Hybrids.
"Nip, Tuk?" Tzarina questioned
"What are you doing out here?" Sparks added, his voice squeaking in question, "Did the Stitchpunk bring you in too?"
"No, they must have just been exploreing in here. If they were discovered by that pompous Stitchpunk leader, I'm sure we would have heard him making a fuss about it," Tzarina reasoned
"What are you two doing way out here anyway? I'm sure Negative doesn't like you two sticking your noses into everything!" Sparks scolded
"Negative! The Fabricator must be all over him for loosing track of us" Tzarina looked down at the sisters, who only looked like they were half listening, "Nip, Tuk! I need you two to go back to the Factory and tell Negative where Sparks and me are. And that soon I will be coming back with the Stitchpunk, 2!"
"W-wait, T-t-t-t-Tzarina! I thought we'd become friends with the Stitchpunk," Squeaked the grey Hybird
"Friends? What? Did you think they would just welcome a machine like you so redily? Unlikely!" Tzarina yowled and lifted a heavy paw, "I have been given a mission and I'm not about to forget why I was sent. I'll complete my task soon. Once I catch 2 alone . . . !"
Her speach turned into a nasty roar as she swung her paw toward Sparks. The grey doll ducked out of the way and her claws impacted a stone statue, shattering it to dust.
The sky and smog was turned breifly red as the sun basked in its final minuets that day. The blackened Factory was bathed in the angry light.
"Good news, my master!" Negative spoke bowing with his face to the ground
The enomous machine turned himself, half-way, toward his ambastor.
"It had better be, or it will be your neck," Mumbled the massive machinical voice
"I have the locations of -5 and -9. They are at a large stone building, tall, with a bell tower. They are being held with the Sitchpunk, captive, I'm afraid," Negative dictated
Before the Fabricator could give his Hybrid slave an order, they were interupted by a dark brown doll with a metal mask strolling right inbetween them.
"So, -1, I see y'all is still hanging around this old dump," BleachFace scoffed
"I see you've wised up and joined us," Negative said with a smirk
"Wrong-O, old timer. I'm just here to get my eye fixed," BleachFace said waving his claw in front of his ex-leader's face tauntingly
"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that our healer isn't in the vacinity. He's being held captive by the Stitchpunk savages," Negative bit back in false politeness
"Now there's one thing I gotta agree with you on, twigy. That avian warrior was a bi-"
"Stitchpunk 7?" The huge machine's voice interjected
"The white one that could fight?" BleachFace mummured
"Enough, I want both of you out!"
The Machine pulled his body up high and let out a mechanized roar to summon a Beast, a Beast whose purpose was to kidnap Stitchpunk.
5 and 9 had given themselves time to get reaquainted while they sat upon the front steps of the Sanctuary, watching as the sky above turned from red to purple to blue. 5 was allowed to confide in his friend his suspisions in 10's leadership capabilities. It turned out that 9 shared his same concerns. White dapples of stars started to show up in the dark blue sky. 9 decided to pour out his own concerns at that moment.
"I remember just a few weeks ago I would be at the Memorial right now, trying to speak with you and the others," 9 said
"Talking to us?" 5 questioned turning the good half of his face to him, "But we were dead."
"I know, but I remember getting a response. A really warm wind would blow me and I remember the sky used to get so gold," 9 took a breath before adding, "But I heard your voice."
"I don't remember ever talking to you," 5 said rubbing the back of his head akwardly, "I just remember going into the clouds and then I was awake in the Clearing, alive again."
"Oh, well, that's too bad that you can't remember," 9 looked at his best friend, "I had so many questions I wanted to ask you."
9 turned his head up at the night sky, 5 fallowed.
"I guess we aren't ment to know."
A few stories above them sat another pair of converating dolls. This pair was rather strange, it consisted of the Sanctuary king and the tzarina of Beasts. 10 sat on some stone molding a few meters above the main cathedral. The molding was thick and dotted with pillars and gargoles. It was something of a walkway. A number of fallen wood raftors made the stairs to the ground. Tzarina was right beside the canvas elder, sitting with paws tucked under her like a cat.
" . . . Humans are evil," Tzarina snarled hatefully
"Fat, greedy, pigs. And dead, as they should be," 10 added stroking the white scarf on his neck
"Dead indeed. And what have they willed to us?" She spat
"Nothing. They left us nothing," He reasponded
"Why must we right their wrongs?" Both spoke simultainiously
10 and Tzarina finally looked eachother in the eye after voicing the exact same opinion. The moment didn't last when the other Hybrid let himself into the group. Sparks sat himself down shly, closer to Tzarina than to 10.
"You know, I want alive when the humans were," He said, "I've experianced their cruelty all too well"
10 tilted his head to the gray doll, while Tzarina quickly swung around at him.
"I was created by the State when a body of a Stitchpunk was found - I only know it as 'Zero . . . '"
10 clutched the silk number hanging over his chest tightly and only watched Sparks more intently, his interest having been perked.
"The Chancellor was fasinated by this, er - 'new techknology'. So, he ordered for one of his own to be created," Sparks shurged, "I guess he probably wanted to use me to squeeze into enemy hide-outs."
Sparks rubbed the back of his head before reluctantly continueing.
"After power was put into me they seemed surprized I had a mind of my own. Fasinated, they decided to continue their studies - using me as a live subject. I was brutally abused, experimented on and totured. They played with my brain - my head! Inside! Rearrange what's inside! Inside! Inside! - until eventually - Continue the test! If it struggles sidate it! - eventually - It appears to be having an adverse reaction. Continue the test! We're loosing it! Continue! It's starting to convulse! Sidate it! Continue! Test! Failure! Loosing it. Loosing it. It isn't responding. Vital signs are gone. We've lost it. Make another! - I was killed by the abuse. After, my body was just tossed aside."
Sparks looked at Tzarina, who glared at him and sat uneasily. 10 stared him in the eye, his brow wrinkled. Sparks winced at the old Stitchpunk staring at him.
"If you were destroyed by the humans, then how are you here talking to me now?" 10 questioned firmly
"Oh that. Well, I was found in a garbage dump and reassembled by -"
Sparks picked up a low growl from the black doll beside him.
"Er - By a friend," Sparks finished after a pause, "Humans are terrable creatures. I'm glad they're all dead."
Tzarina let out a curt huff and stood up. She left the pair to sit alone, and walked down the stone walkway, coming upon several turns as it weaved into a subsection of the cathedral. The molding came to an end and she glided down to the cobblestone hall below. She continued her stroll behind a corner and saw the elderly, inventor Stitchpunk exit a mousehole in the wall.
"Hello, Tzarina" 2 called walking toward her as he held a handful of human rubbish, "My! I haven't noticed until I came close how lovely your mane looks as it runs down to your tail. Whoever made you must have been quite talented"
2 was all alone. No other Stitchpunk was around to defend him. The black doll sneered with her silver fangs. She was caught off-guard by the sound of footfall coming form up the hall. 2 wouldn't be alone for long. When the black-and-white Stitchpunk entered the hall Tzarina hastily unsheathed her claws and pounced on 2.
"I would have to agree," 10 answered the glitchy Hybrid, "Humans have become true monsters in their final days."
"You know, I find something strange," Sparks' voice hightened with thought, "Isn't strange how all of us are connected somehow? The Toy Maker created Zero and both of us were created to be like her. I just thought it was weird how we were all realated, almost like -"
"We're family?" 10 finished
The convertation was cut short by the sound of 6 yelping. Immediatly, 10 pushed himself to his feet and sprinted toward the sound of the cry, Sparks fallowing directly behind. They found 6 on the ground. He was either knocked down or fell over himself.
"S-She attacked him!" 6's voice stressed in fear, "She took 2 away!"
"Tzarina?" Sparks gasped, "Oh no," He whispered remembering that menacing promice she made to him that sunset
"Where did she head?" 10 demanded
6 pointed a shaking nib toward the front enterance. 10 was the frist to reach the front steps, with Sparks and 6 only seconds behind. 9 and 5 took a quick glace away from the Emptiness to horizon to look at the trio. A small black figure, with a dull brown figure lolling over its back, was heading toward the three tall smong-towers.
10's slanted eyes widened upon seeing a white doll running after them. For moment he truely believed it was Zero and in that time his legs started to send him after the white doll. His pace lagged after realizing it was 7 chasing the kidnapper, but he quickly continued to push himself after her. He didn't want her hurt. He didn't want to fail to protect someone ever again!
The elderly, canvas Stitchpunk soon was behind 7. However, 10 wasn't as graceful on the ruins as she, and his ankle collapsed sending him falling sideways onto the white warrior. 7's spear was knocked out of her hands and was left at the top of the rubble hill. The white and tan dolls tumbled down a sharp incline of metal scraps and onto the flat concrete below.
"Get off me, you bone-bag!" 7 snapped pushing a palm into 10's stomach, "You let her get away!"
7's hand flattened the squeaker inside him and when 10 was nudged away it let out a shrill call. The noise caused a pile of junk to shift. The junk pile was in actuality a Beast! The Glutton Beast had long, squat toad-like legs. Its head was wide and at five high-set eyes. There was a tube coming from the back of its jaw that lead into a vaccum cleaner bag that made up it's belly. The Glutton kept its spot but stared down at the dolls.
7 reached for her spear but her hands grasped nothing. 10 turned to start to flee. The Beast's wide jaws parted. A high-pitched hum accompanyed a powerful suction leading into the Glutton's mouth.
6 had just pulled himself above the rubble pile and made a surprized gasp when he saw 7 and 10 get sucked into the Glutton's mouth. The striped doll kept himself frozen as the machine hopped away toward the Factory and out of sight.
"6!" Called 9's voice
9, with 5, 8 and the twins behind him ran to 6's side.
"They were eaten! 7 and 10! It ran to the Machine!" 6 shouted
"A Beast?" 5 stuttered tilting his head
"Standing here won't get them back. We need to fallow that Beast and Tzarina!" 9 ordered as his troop fallowed after him
As 9 and the remaining, uncaptured Stitchpunk sprinted toward the Factory looming in the orange distance, they didn't notice the small, grey Hybrid secretly fallowing.
The Glutton made long hops toward the Factory, landing with a metalic thud every time he landed. It was dark and hot within his belly. 7 was freicly struggling to excape. The warrior slammed herself into the bag. She even tared at it with her hands, but the fabric was far too strong to be broken by her dull fingertips. 10 sat on one end of the machine's stomach. He hand his arms around his knees and his head hung limp. 10 was starting to get sea-sick from the Beast's movement, but his most of his sulking came from the fact that he had failed to protect 7.
7, after slamming herself against the bag, noticed the somber, elderly leader. She approached him angrily.
"What are you doing?" She snapped
"I'm sorry 7, I was only trying to keep you safe," 10 mummured, his head still hanging
"And again that's ended us trapped in a prison", 7 stated helping him to his feet, "Help me break out of here."
"There's nothing we can do," He moaned sulkingly
"Coward!' 7 hollared striking him in the face with a hand
10 fell back but caught himself on the wall of the Beast's stomach with his gold claw, causing a tiny hole to be ripped.
"We're doomed, accept it," 10 stated
7 let out an exasperated sigh and dropped into a sitting position. 10's words finally penitrated her. She hugged her knees and hid her head. Her will was finally broken.
7 felt something glare into her eyes for a moment. Her optics blinked open and she saw a tiny shaft of moonlight shining from behind 10. The white moonlight was coming from three tiny holes where 10's claws had been.
"10," 7 whispered in rising hope, "Your claws"
"What of them?" 10 asked lifting his head
"They're sharp,"
"And?"
"You can claw us out of here!" 7 said in a sudden burst of excitment, pointing a finger toward the tare in the bag, "Look!"
10 looked at the tiny holes. He extended his fingers and dug them into the tare. The mussels in his thin arms tightened as he struggled to slice the hole bigger. The hole, dispite his struggle, refused to grow much bigger.
"I can't!" 10 breathed
"Yes you can. Fight it, 10! Pretend it's 9," She egged him on, knowing his distain for the brulap doll
The elder's swipes became more violent and he started to batter the fabric with the claws on his feet. 7 thought she saw him try to bite it a few times. While 10 battled with the Glutton's belly, the small beam of moonlight grew into an ever-growing rippiling pool. The hole was finally big enough for them to jump through. The Sanctuary king and the white warrior stood close to the hole, watching the ground go by in a starting-stopping motion as the Beast hopped.
"Well done for your frist fight," 7 said in a surprizingly sincere tone as she rested a palm on 10's shoulder, "You could have been a good warrior. How'd it feel?"
"Truthfully," 10 started as his narrow eyes looked at her, "I had a diabolical sence of joy"
The two dolls jumped out of the Beast's body and rolled across the dust and into a trench. Once they pushed themselves back up, they found the Glutton didn't appear to notice their absence and his hops dissapeared into the distance. The pair of Stitchpunk climbed up and saw the front of the big, black factory rocketing into the air only a few hundred meters away. While 7 heard 10 gulp loudly, she noticed Tzarina, with a struggling 2 flung over her back, sprint down into the Factory's front enterance.
"Let's get her!" 7 growled taking a step and snatching 10's elbow
"No," 10 hissed pulling away
"What? I just saw you beat up the inside of that machine real good. Trust me, you'll be fine!" She said, "Or are you still a sniviling, little coward?"
"Sometimes it is the cowards who surive," 10 whispered then turned away from her and hid behind a pile of sandbags
7's face screwed up in anger - 10 never changed! She snatched a pointed shard of shrapnel, pulled the skull over her face and entered the Factory.
Meanwhile 9's group approached Factory. The group had several close calls with Seekers and Skouts, but they hadn't been spotted. They stopped behind a depleated barrel of oil. 9 felt his stomach clentch upon realizing the Fabricator was running out of energy sources.
"Okay guys, listen; the Machine is getting hungry. That means it probably want to get our souls more desperatly now. So be extra careful and don't let yourself get caught by any machine," 9 felt something tap his shoulder, he turned and saw 8, this what strange because the big doll rarely had anything to say, "What is it, 8?"
"I'm going to get 1," 8 said gruffly
"No 8, don't be foolish, stay with us," 5 said with a hint of bitterness in his voice
"No, he'll be okay. Go on 8," 9 said nodding his head at the big doll
8 pushed himself out of a crouching position and started to run toward an area with deep trenches. 9 opened his mouth to give the next order but he was interupted by a bass humming. 9, 5 and 6 shifted their gazes around to find the source of the jazzy tune, and the twins clutched each other neveriously. 5 thought he saw a white-tipped tail slide across a pile of sandbags. He silently pointed 9 in that direction. The tail, along with metal ears, slid by a broken human jeep. 9 noticed it frist and started to approach it.
"What is it?" He whispered to himself
9 peeked behind the jeep but saw nothing. He didn't notice the dark brown doll swing down behind his friends. BleachFace hung himself upside-down with his tail curled around a chunk of metal sticking out of the rubble pile. The four that still hid behind the pile turned suddenly upon hearing BleachFace pull his sythe out.
"Ya'll look lost," Jeered the cat-like doll slamming the butt of his weapon into the back of 5's head
As 5 slammed to the ground. 6 and the twins became spooked and began to run. 9 launched himself at BleachFace as he trotted gracefully behind them. 9 tried to grab him but the cat slid right out his way, leaving 9 on the ground with arms full of nothing but air.
BleachFace continued the marry chase after the striped doll and the twins. 3 and 4 slammed to a halt, almost falling into a thick, muddy river that was once a trench. 9 was right after the brown Hybrid, with 5 lagging behind. 9 lept to grab BleachFace but the Hybrid jumped up and escaped into a rubbish mound. 9 was about the persue him when he heard a cry from 6.
6 slipped off the edge of the river and slashed into its soupy depths. 9, 5 and the twins watched the thick water roll by tensely. A dark blob appeared underwater, moments later a wet mop of hair bobbed to the surface. The striped doll was a meter away from his friends. The group screamed for him but 6 was soon distracted by a bright, inviting blue glow downstream.
9, 5 and the twins stiffened seeing 6 starting to pattle toward a floating blue orb downstream. The striped doll's eyes seemed blank as he stared up into the light. As he swam closer he noticed four red glows underwater. Rows of webbed spines rose from the water behind the orb.
"Across the stones!" 9 yelled upon realizing there was some kind of machine in the water
9 lept across a row of stones sicking from the thick river. He sprinted after the striped doll's bobbing head.
"Swim away, 6!" 9's voice strianed
6 heard the shriek and tried to tred the water. He saw a white head attached the to blue light on the wire float the surface. There was a plastic troodon skull replica with four red eyes within feet of him. The skull had a long, metal underbite with rows of long, curved teeth. 6's felt a chill upon seeing the Underbite's long, serpintine body swiftly cut through the water toward him.
"6!" Yelped one of his friends from the shore
The striped doll turned himself away and frantically tried to paddle against the current. The Underbite's long body swayed toward him, her jaws opened wide. 6 glanced back and saw rows of needle-like teeth above and below.
5 wrapped his arms around his eye, then he heard a high pitched squeal from the machine. 5 looked and saw the Underbite's head slam underwater, but she had missed 6. A dark brown cat-like doll had jumped on her pale head. The sea monster reared her body up, exposing a prehensile, bone arm and a hook-hand, to try and fling BeachFace away, but the cat stayed frimly on her head. While the Underbite squirmed in the water, 6 was dragged up the muddy shore by the twins.
"She a real nice gal, ain't she!" BleachFace remarked, "Pretty useless on land through"
9 watched, unsure if he should leave the Hybrid alone, while the water serpent tried to buck her attacker away. BleachFace snatched the long wire attatched to the blue lure and yanked to the left. She flopped into the air furiously. There was a clank as the machine's head impacted a soild branch of piping jutting from the muddy banks. Underbite let out a defeated groan before she fell down, creating a mushroom cloud of sullied water.
9 couldn't see BleachFace. He felt a pang of fear thinking maybe the doll was trapped underwater with the beast. The burlap doll jumped seeing a dark figure leap above the trench shore. 9 barely had time to think as BleachFace swiped at 6 and the twins with his sythe. 3, 4 and 6 sprinted away from the cat in the direction of the Factory. BlechFace chuckled with the thrill of chase but hadn't noticed the two remaining Stitchpunk on his tail
BleachFace yowled feeling something pull his tail. He looked back at 9 iratly. 9 jumped back to dodge the sythe and landed on his back, all the while groping at his lightbulb staff. BleachFace's pupils dilated, his eyes being stung by a bright flash. The burlap savor waved the light on his staff at BleachFace. The cat hissed, while covering his sensitive machine eyes. The dark brown doll fled with an angry caterwaul.
"I knew machines hate light" 9 breathed after fending away the Hybrid
"Oh no" 5 mummured looking at the Factory only a few hundred meters away, "I can't see 6 or the twins"
"I can't either," 9 motioned with his head, "We need to go after them. Fallow me!"
10 had sweezed himself into a hiding place between two rows of sandbags. The elder shivered. He didn't know what to do next. He was unprotected and so close to the machines. 10's gut wrenched thinking about having to experience the painful process of being devoured by the Machine once more.
"Don't be scared, small one," A lovely female voice sang
10's strieghtened alertly. His narrow eyes sifted.
"Don't be scared, I'm here," Came the voice again
The white-cloaked leader's ticker pounded on his chest. He wasn't exactly sure what to think. He answered very quietly.
"Hello?"
"I see you, small one. Don't be frightened, I'm here to care," A cream-colored figure slid in front of 10
10 saw a Stitchpunk female before him. She was a soft cream with long, black silk for hair. She was covered in a gray-brown dress. The dress hung far beyond her feet, so she seemed to float as she drew close to him. The Stitchpunk was lovely, but 10 could feel distrust. It wasn't only the distrust, something told him there he was in danger - it was a feeling he felt before, but he couldn't recall when.
"A-Are you wounded, you arms appear rather limp" The old doll took a look at her face and noticed a brown vegil over her mouth
"You may call me Cream, little doll. Please come out, please come out. I want to talk to you, little one," Answered Cream
The fair doll backed away from the sandbags. 10 fallowed her cautiously. He found her eyes unsettling so he kept his distance.
"I know which one you are little doll. You're the Stitchpunk 1"
"It's 10," He corrected, staring into her bright eyes
"No, you know who you are," She said as 10 came closer, "You're 1. The fristborn. The leader. The protector."
10 was soothed by the voice. He didn't want to look away. He hardly noticed something black starting to curl around his legs. While the siren sang for him, his body was enveloped by a long black tail. He didn't notice the constriction until Cream's motherly voice transformed into a harsh, metallic croon.
"Yes, you're 1 - the barer of evil human traits! The murderer! The coward! And the failure!" Cream's body rose away to reveal a white snake head made from a porcline shard
The elder's reality came back to him in a flash. His body was being squeezed by a big black snake body. The torso of the body had four long arms with needle fingers. Attached to the neck and cobra hood was a shard of porcline with two fangs. A black tounge flitted in and out over his body. Cream was only a puppet attached to the New Seamstress's head. New Seamstress had massive, shining, red eyes.
"No! No!" 10 realized that bad feeling he had when he saw Cream, "It's you!"
"You silly, little fool," She hissed mockingly, "Old and weak and alone again, I always knew you were the easiest target. Go on, squirm and struggle all you want, but you cannot escape it! I can see into you like a window, 1, you're a failure. You're doomed to die all alone"
"No! I won't let that happen!" 10 retorted fearfully as her tounge grazed him
"Fat, greedy pig!" She spat, "Tyranical, murderous fascist! Stupid, ignorant waste! You're worng. You'll always be worng."
"It's not true!" He howled, each word was like a barb into the chest
"It is true, little one, but it will be okay. Hush, little one," New Seamstress purred lovingly, stroking the fightened Stitchpunk's face with a claw, "Just relax, little fool. Just look into my eyes."
10 looked up into her huge glinting orbs. He felt soothed once more. His struggled waned and he started to become lathargic.
"I can make it all go away. Look into my eyes. Look, little fool," New Seamstess purred, her big, red eyes glittering invitingly
10 found the coils gone and the next moment he was on his back in the dirt. New Seamstress yowled furiously. 10 saw the Stitchpunk puppet she used to lure him in drop to the ground by him. He looked up and saw 8 wrestling with the siren's head. She flung herself violently but 8 has a strong hold on her head. Seamstress let out a painfull scream as the Stitchpunk thrust a fist into one of her beautiful eyes. 8 was ripped away with a needle hand. The black snake machine slithered away toward the Factory, screaming.
"I'm gratefull, 8" 10 said as he was helped to his feet
The hisses of the Seamstress still echoed in 10's mind.
"8," 10 breathed, "Do you think the others have forgiven me?"
"Yes," 8 answered at length
"Truely?"
8 shurged, then asked, "What do we do now?"
"We shall enter the Factory," 10 tried to make his voice sound bold, "The others are in there. We need to be there to protect them."
9, and 5 scittered out from behind the oil barrel after the Seeker's light pool moved on. The Factory's massiveness was only a few yards away. The enterance was tantalizingly close, but soon their hearts sank seeing a pair of Skouts stalk in to patrol the opening. 9 lead his unnerved best friend behind a chunk of sharpnel.
"I think we can sneak around these guys" He whispered
The two Stitchpunk made it nearly half-way to the enterance before 5's misgivings caused him to walked more briskly, putting himself ahead of 9. 9 was behind him for a few short moments, when 5 heard him yelp shrilly. One of the Skouts snatched the burlap doll in his rat jaws, and was stumbling away. 9's cries were distorted because the Skout was shaking him violently. 5 bent to snatch a stick from the ground.
The tiny machines were programmed to shake prey until it was dead, and that was just the thing on the mind of the second Skout. His razor break grazed 5's elbow, but missed. The stick smashed into his face hard, and the Skout rolled across the ground. The one-eyed doll sprinted toward his friend.
Poor 9 was starting to become disoridented. His struggle waned as his back and neck started to sting because of the violent shaking. The Skout realesed him when 5 came up from behind, and savagely beat the skull head with the stick. While the machine, with many new cracks in his skull, groned in pain, 9 and 5 sprinted to some piping on the leading into the Factory.
The piping that once carried oil from the derreks outside was no longer in use because it was broken. They used the small rusted out hole to climb inside. 9 was frist, and started to pull himself up the vertical pipe. 5 was still on the ground when he heard the Skouts start to approach the pipe.
"Is there any way out of here, 9?" Asked 5 queitly
"There's horazonal fork the pipe above. We can get in through there" 9 answered, struggling to pull his body up the shaft
A silver Skout beak poked into the rusted out hole, shining from the pale light coming from the top of the pipe. His beak became too broad to fit in completly. The jaws were within millimeters of 5's belly. The Skouts soft chuffles turned into angry squwaks as he struggled to fit himself in the pipe.
"Faster, 9" 5 called
9 crawled further up, about half-way to the fork. 5 got himself off the ground, and away from the Skout, whose muzzle got further in every moment. The two Stitchpunk climbed further up. A bright pool of light shone at the top of the verticle piping. 9 got one hand onto the ledge of the pipe that lead into the Factory when the light from above was cut off. The other Skout's head stuck in through the top hole, and his body fallowed quickly after. 9 looked down at a terrified 5, as the Skout form below got inside, and started to swiftly claw up. The two machines came from above and below. The burlap Stitchpunk noticed a few rusty bolts sticking out of a below section of pipe.
"I'll keep the above one busy, you take those bolts out so the below pipe falls off!" 9 yelled
While 5 pushed all the bolts out, 9 smacked at the above Skout's face with a hand. 9 heard the final bolt fall down, and went back into the horazontal fork. 9 started to pull his friend into the fork, but the below Skout snatched his ankle.
There was a harsh, rusty groan from below as the pipe section fell down like a massive tree. 5's ankle was realesed as the machine was taken down with the pipe. The pair of Stitchpunk looked down, and saw the crushed pipe, and knew the machine was crushed along with it.
A white skull appeared from the top pipe, and screamed at them. 9 swiftly turned the bulb on his staff, and thrust the luminious orb at the top Skout. The machine's red slits dialated in surprize, he lost his grip on the pipe, and tumbled down.
"That'll show him!" 5 huffed, then he and 9 turned to sprinted down the metal tunnel leading into the Factory
As they ran away there were unable to notice a long, skinny, three-fingered claw groping the edge of the pipe. The Skout pulled himself up into the fork. The machine shook himself off, and let out a vengefull screech before sprinting after the Stitchpunk.
Deep within the Factory, in the red furince glow of the Fabricator's chamber, Negative, and his deputy, Slasher, were summoned by the Machine. Negative stared up, trying to keep his slits from dialating in fear. The Machine plucked a tiny device from a convater belt shelf. The device was black, and cylindical, with a red bulb at the top. At the base opposite the bulb was a long neddle-like rod with a sharp point. The device was only about the length of a doll finger. Negative noticed that Slasher had one of them stitcking out of an inlet in the back of his head. The eldest Hybrid was wondering why all his kin had an inlet back there, though he was neverious about having that needle suck into his head.
While Negative pondered the device, the Machine reached for him. Three husky, metal fingers wrapped around his skinny body, and lifted him off the ground. Negative squirmed helplessly. The Fabricator had a quick pang of satfication seeing the tiny creature sturggle, then inserted the devise into Negative's inlet. The white doll yelped, feeling the neddle pinch him.
"This attachment will allow you to better serve me," The tyrannical machine stated
As the boney Hybrid was placed back on the ground, Cat Beast entered. She pushed a rollerskate with her nose in front of the Fabricator. On the skate was a broken striped doll. Negative looked down at Dapple's body. His stomach clentched upon realizing it was he who caused the brutal slaughter. Negative was flooded with guilt knowing he destoryed the beautiful Hybrid. He looked at Slasher woefully, but was surprized to find that Slasher showed no signs of regreating the murder. It was Negative who raised Slasher as a son. Was it his teachings that lead Slasher to be so remorseless?
Cat Beast started to turn to leave, but she was snatched up by the Fabricator, and he lifted her away from the Hybrids. The beasts limbs flailed in struggle while her creator started to modify her body, just as he had when he created New Seamstress, and New Winged Beast. Cat Beast's shreeks of pain seemed to fade off when Tzarina entered, with 2 still over her back.
"Tzarina, my child!" Negative called happily
After Tzarina handed 2, who still stubornly resited, to Slasher, she was embraced by her father-figure. Negative squeezed the powerful black doll lovingly. Tzarina was less enthuisastic, but put her paws around his back to humor him. The Hybrid leader's heart sunk realizing that now that she was there, his leadership would be over.
"I brought you the Stitchpunk, 2" Tzarina reported
"Very good." Negative reasponded, aware the Machine had turned himself, and looked down at the Stitchpunk hungrily
2 was pushed toward Negative by Slasher. When he looked up, he saw the darkened shapes of the Hybrids, looking like the three smog towers in front of the Fabricator's massive red eye. The old Stitchpunk was frozen in fear as the Fabricator drew closer, but Negative put himself inbetween the two. The Machine's head sparked in confusion.
"No, I need him alive," Said the white Hybird, "Do you remember that odd energy disturbance, Zero, that I was telling you about?"
"What do you want with Zero?" 2 demanded pushing himself to his feet
"Silence!" Negative thrust his Snake Staff toward 2
The old Stitchpunk's eyes became blank, staring into the bright white eyes of the Snake Skull. The Fabricator looked on impatiently.
"What do you know about this Zero?" Negative demanded
"Zero was a prototype Stitchpunk. She was killed by being trampled by humans during the war. Her spirit is at peace now," 2 answered mindlessly
The Machine shreeched furiously, causing the lights on the Staff to go dark as Negative swung around frightenly. The massive machine pulled toward the Hybrid, his great head throwing lighting.
"It isn't a powerful source of energy, -1! You lied to me again!" The Fabricator lifted a huge arm to smite him
"No! Master! I didn't know!"
"We got intruders," BleachFace snarled upon entering, causing the Fabricator to pause
"How dare you! Speak to your leader with reaspect" Tzarina crowed turning toward the dark brown cat, "Who do you think you are?"
"That's -7, my child," Negative stated in releif that his master spared him for the moment
"He wares a false face," She scoffed, swiftly approaching BleachFace, "What are you hiding, coward?"
BleachFace lifted his sythe in defence. Tzarina paused, seeing the cat act agressivly. He changed the subject.
"I spotted the avian warrior in the Factory on my way here," He said
"Master!" Negative hissed with a low bow, "Allow me to take care of Stitchpunk 7. I just know that would prove my undieing loyalty!"
The Machine was silent for a moment. He knew 7 was a skilled warrior, and assumed Negative would be killed by her.
"Go!" The machine demanded, then turned away to work on New Cat Beast
As Negative exited, Tzarina pushed 2 into BleachFace. BleachFace grabbed the Stitchpunk's wrist frimly.
"Tie him up," Tzarina ordered glancing back at him as she exited
7 had lost track of the black Hybrid long ago and was wondering a large hall in the Factory. Her skull was pulled over her face, and she was clutching her sharp shard of steel tensely. Even while she moved her gaze around the room, she was unable to see the black-cloaked creature slithering in the dark hall. Negative loomed silently behind her, his claws and tail raised.
7's weapon was slapped out of her hand by a skinny tail. Something clutched her wrists and held them firmly behind her back. She was held up to a black cloak. She could see a pale, skinny face rested on her shoulder. At frist she thought it was 1, but then realized it was one of the red-eyed dolls. She jerked, but couldn't break free of the snake's clutches.
"I do believe I found a Stitchpunk savage wondering my halls," Rumbled a deep, silky, however, aged voice
7 jolted, but the Hybrid refused to loosen his grip. She rumbled, trying to turn her head to look him in the eye.
"Curse the silly fool who thought she could stop the unstoppable," Purred the old Hybrid, "The Age of the Machine will come once again. We machines will destory all traces of life allowed to take root in this desolate kingdom. As for you, you will give the Great Machine the vital energy to do this."
The white warrior felt the Hybrid's grip turn more lustful. His body hung over her back. She growled distgustedly.
"Once he has taken over, I will become king! I will be king of the world! All the power I could ever desire would be right in my claws," It was clear by the tone of his voice where Negative's mind was, "And I could choose any mate I desire."
That was when 7 could no longer take it. She flug Negative over her, and slammed him into the ground before he could get the chance to have his way. She picked her weapon off the ground and shoved it into the while doll's throat. Negative's pupils dialated, all this thoughts scattered and turned into a fear.
"Fabricator, save me!" He prayed clasping his claws over his chest
"Silence!" 7 demanded, "Tell me, what are you creatures and what are you planning! Now!"
7 was distracted by two gray shapes leaping into her face. Red eyes and sneering teeth were replaced with a jolt of orange frills. 7 was quicked sidated by the twin sister's flashing eyes. The white warrior collasped to the ground while Negative pushed himself to his feet. Nip and Tuk's sniggering was interupted by a command from their leader.
"Nip, Tuk, go find BleachFace and patrol this area of the Factory. I'll be in my throne room,"
With that, Negative and the cackling sisters sprinted in seperate directions.
6 and the Stitchpunk twins happened to be wondering in a long, gaping hall in the Factory. It used to be filled with Walkers, but the dead machines were moved, leaving a vacant hall. The hall was usually an express way for all the machines going in and out of the Factory on their assinged tasks. The machines were gone, all being ordered to patrol outside as soon as the Stitchpunk invasion was announced.
The three striped dolls had been chased away by a scary, Beast-headed doll. They had become lost. The three halted upon hearing snivling cackling from up the all. Nip and Tuk crawled down a pile of oil cans with menaical grins. The 3 and 4 already knew them and grimaced. It was time for 6 to meet the neighborhood scumbags!
"Hi boys," Tuk hissed in a mocking sing-song tone
"What do you two want?" 4 flickered
"What do we want? We aren't the ones snooping around in our house," Nip reasponded
"Well I hope you don't plan on trying to beat on us. There's three of us and two of you!" 3 clicked
The flithy sisters began to howl, and giggle uncontrolably. At first the twins were confused as to what was making them so giddy, until they noticed the orange-eyed figure crouched at the top of the oil cans. They jumped seeing BleachFace leap down after them. Nip and Tuk thrust themselves foreword, making their faces scary with long fangs and bright frills.
6 ran first, with the twins quick after him. The pattering of the three Hybrid's metal claws were right at their feet. Nip and Tuk's barks didn't frighten them nearly as much as BleachFace's pricing yowl. It was just as horrable as being chased by a Beast!
3, 4 and 6 were herded right into an empty oil barrel. They slammed into the back off the rusty metal barrel and peered outside. There was nothing in the gray and black hall outside. However, the three bullys loomed on one side of the barrel.
"Check this out!" BleachFace boasted then booted the metal container with his hind legs
6 let out a shrill cry as the barrel rolled for a few moments. It stopped at the edge of a small opening, where a steep convater belt lead into a pit of darkness. BleachFace, Nip and Tuk backed up in unison, as if in a dance. The three threw joyful grins at eachother before sprinting foreword.
A thunderous boom sounded from inside the barrel as the three Hybrids slammed into it. The barrel rocked foreword and plummeted down into the dark shaft, the poor Stitchpunk inside spinning and spinning like they were inside a twister. BleachFace and the sisters laughed as the sounds of the barrel dissapearing into an unknown place. They then left to continue the patrol.
"I remember this place," Said 9 while he and his friend walked down the big vacant hall, "This was where we entered the Factory when we were presueing Cat Beast."
9 glanced down the gray and black hall and saw something on the ground. It was 7! As he and 5 rushed in closer, they noticed she had been knocked out by something. 9 was the first to crouch down beside her. Neither of them had noticed the rat-headed Beast tapping behind them.
"7!" 9 yowled picking up her head
The rat jaws clamped shut around 9's torso. The Skout sprinted foreword and started violently shake the doll for a second time. 5 lept to his feet and went right after the Skout. Being slammed in random directions at high volicity, 9's back and neck started to trob, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. 5 tried to hold on the Skout's body but the tiny machine thrashed him from side to side. 5 tried desprately to get a hold of the machine's head but it was thrashing about too fast.
Suddenly, the Skout let out a priceing, painful squeal. A shard of metal burst through his chest and exited out, leaving a spray of sparks and oil. The raptor monster crashed to the side, dead. 9 tumbled to the ground, his entire body pulsed with needle pricks. When the pain subsided he saw that 7 has killed the Beast and 5 was already thanking her. The youngest Stitchpunk stood up and thanked 7 for saving his life. He didn't remember how many occasions 7 had done that. But he knew now was no time to be catching up on that.
"7, I think I know the way into the Machine's chamber. That's probably were Tzarina took 2! Let's go!"
Characters (In order of apperance/mentioning)
*~* Stitchpunks *~*
9 . . . To Save Us
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Stitchpunk
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Made from burlap, hands and feet molded from copper. Body held shut by a brass zipper. Normal height. Most advanced and refined of the Stitchpunk beings.
Details - Perviously defeated the Machine, now lives in peace with the other three surviving of his family, 3, 4 and 7. After enountering Tzarina, is deturmind to discover where she came from.
10 . . . To Perfect Us
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Stitchpunk
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Made from canvas, steel claws, poorly constructed. Held shut with two belt straps. Of average heigtht and skinny figure. The firstborn of the Stitchpunk beings.
Details - Once the protective self-proclaimed leader of the Stitchpunk, lost his influance quickly once 9 appeared. Upon realizing he was no longer a use to the group, killed himself to save 9. Changed his name to 10, a number recognized as a symbol of perfection, to mark his second term as Stitchpunk leader. Had a squeaker lodged in his chest that he's often humiliated by. Often haunted by self-lotheing.
2 . . . To Inspire Us
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Stitchpunk
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Made from a mix of burlap, canvas and leather put together in patches, bronze hands and worn wood feet. Held shut with a shoelace. Weakest and shortest of the Stitchpunk beings.
Details - An elder and kindy inventor and medic. Killed in part by 1's intention and a mistake of 9's. Other than 9, the only one that seems to understand 6. Knows something about "Zero".
5 . . . To Guide Us
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Stitchpunk
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Made from pale burlap with a leather eyepatch, copper hands. Held shut with two bronze buttons. Smaller than average.
Details - Reluctant student of 2's and map-maker. Killed by the Fabrication Machine. Distrusts 10, knowing his intentions in 2's murder perviously. Veiws 9 as a superior leader to 10.
8 . . . To Gaurd Us
Number Placement - Shoulder
Allegiance - The Stitchpunk
Gender - Male
Anatomy - New skin is a brownish-tawny fabric, steel-and-copper hands and feet. Large and bulky. Held together with two clips.
Details - A devoted fallower of 1.
7 . . . To Defend Us
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Stitchpunk
Gender - Female
Anatomy - Bleached canvas-like fabric skin, copper hands and feet, held shut with a blue-green button. Smaller and more nimble than the majority of the others. Large scar on back from a battle with the Cat Beast many years ago. Hates 1 for reasons not fully understood.
Details - Perviously a loner and Beast-slayer, after the defeat of the Fabrication Machine now lives with 9, her apparent mate, and 3 and 4. Still retains her independant nature. Dispises 10.
3 . . . To Teach Us
Number Placement - Chest
Allegiance - The Stitchpunk
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Made from blue, striped gardening gloves, hooded head with steel hands and wood feet. Small. Broader face, larger and hands and taller than 4.
Details - Child-like and twin of 4. More curious, outgoing and more easily hurt than his sister.
4 . . . To Define Us
Number Placement - Chest
Allegiance - The Stitchpunk
Gender - Female
Anatomy - Made from blue, striped gardening gloves, hooded head with steel hands and wood feet. Small. Smaller mouth, hands and slightly shorter than 3.
Details - Child-like and twin of 3. More cautious, rational and more shy than her brother.
0 . . . To Remember Us
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - N/A
Gender - Female
Anatomy - Made from think white silk wit ha few stray scraps and threads hanging off her. Thin aluminum hands. Big sightless eyes. Extremely weak.
Details - Playfull, but sickly and blind Stitchpunk. Created by the Scientest as a test for 1. 1 became like a father and best friend to her. Was killed after being tambled by humans during the Great War.
*~* The Machines *~*
Ant Driods
Allegiance - The Machines
Gender of Species - All Male
Anatomy - Several legs and many red eyes attatched to a single black section of its body. Slightly larger than a Stitchpunk.
Details - Created by the Machine, a quick-moving minor machine used primarily to stand look-out for the Machine or collect parts for him.
The Fabrication Machine
Allegiance - The Machines
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Massive machine with two body sections with many arms and tools attatched, one massive processor for a head with a red eye, apposable tail attached him to his Factory.
Details - His processor was built by the creator of the Stitchpunk and his massive body added on so her may create war-machines. The cause of the exermination of life. Killed by 9. Created Stitchpunk beings of his own to eliminate the original nine, however his main motivation is something unknown. Rules Negative and in turn, the rest of the hybirds, with fear and intimidation. Unknowingly desires love about all things.
The Skouts
Allegiance - The Machines
Gender of Species - All Male
Anatomy - Rat skull head, raptor-like body with springs in legs. Long whiplash tail. Highly aposable fingers. Stitchpunk-sized. Fairly inteligent and programed with pack mentality. Shakes victems until dead.
Details - Created by the Machine. Fast, nimble but very fragile. Used to collect items and patrol boarders.
The Cat Beast
Allegiance - The Machines
Gender - Female
Anatomy - Long monkey-like legs, cat skull head with one lightbulb eye to see at night and spiked back. Two-and-a-half Stitchpunk heights.
Details - Created by the Machine. Nimble and powerful but uninteligent. Enjoys toying with her pray. Killed by 7 but salvaged by the Machine. Currently being redesigned.
The Cackle Beast
Allegiance - The Machines
Gender of Species - All Male accept the Matriarch
Anatomy - Six extremely long legs with fingers of variable sizes. Hump-backed bady with a spotted hyena skin draped over it. Possium skull head with rubber ears. Fishing hook at end of tail. Almost two Stitchpunk heights.
Details - Created by the Machine. Similar programming as Cat Beast. Usually in packs with a ruling Matriarch.
The Glutton Beast
Allegiance - The Machines
Gender - Male
Anatomy - A large, swat, toad-like machine with a wide head and five, highset eyes. Large, wide-spread fingers designed to absorb shock. A tube in his mouth connects to his belly, made from the bag of a vaccum cleaner. Has several tiny, pointed teeth. Roughly a meter tall.
Details - Created by the Machine. Designed to capature Stitchpunk my sucking them into its belly. Similar programming as Seamstress.
Underbite
Allegiance - The Machines
Gender - Female
Anatomy - A long serpintine body with two arms. One are is a plastic dinsoaur bone replica forelimb, the other is a long chain with a hook. Has two webbed fins under its arms. Also has a tail and dorsal fin. Head is a plastic troadon skull with four eyes and an underbite made form metal, with long angler-fish like teeth. Has a lure with a shining blue light on the top of her head.
Details - Created by the Machine. Patroling, swimming machine, used in the polluted river that runs past the front of the Factory. While she lures pray in stealthfully, she's also a powerful fighting machine. Very slow on land.
New Seamstress
Allegiance - The Machines
Gender - Female
Anatomy - A long, black fabric covered serpintine body with two arms. Two arms are made from a human forearm and her hands are made of needles. Long neck with a cobra-shaped hood that can hide her true face. Her face is made from a white shard of procline. Has huge, shining red eyes that can hypnotize. Two pointed fangs. A Stitchpunk dummy nicknamed "Cream" is atatched to the top of her head.
Details - Created by the Machine. Made swifter and more powefull than her pervious form. Seamstress is the only machine, other than the Fabricator himself, that can comminuate with dolls directly.
*~* Machine-Stitchpunk Hybrids *~*
Negative (-1) . . . The Innocent
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Machine
Gender - Male
Anatomy - White leather skin, frail steel claws, bone tail with stinger, needle fangs. Held shut with two buckles in an "X" across the chest. Red slitted eyes. Shorter and scrawnier than 1.
Details - Created by the Machine to be the leader of the others of his kin. Skittish and very weak but self-loving and irritable. Worships the Machine like a god, fallowing him blindly. However often regreats the bad things he's been forced to do. The only hybird to speak directly to the Machine.
Tzarina (-9) . . . The Understanding
Number Placement - Chest
Allegiance - The Machine
Gender - Female
Anatomy - Made from a black purse with fur trim. Fur runs down head like a mane, over chest and down back going into a long tail. Zipper runs down the back of her head. Heavy paws with razor blade retractable claws. Red eyes and soild silver fangs.
Details - Created by the Machine as a soilder and heir to Negative if he should die. Deeply reaspects elders for their apparent "wisom". Hostile and pig-headed but cannot fight the almost motherly side inside her. Heavy claws make her attacks ineffective on foes that are too fast to be hit. Holds romantic feelings for Sparks that she doesn't comprehend.
Sparks (-5) . . . The Healer
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Machine
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Majorly a tough gray fabric with patches and stitches. Many stitches along his face and a "Y" insision on his chest. Black metal claws and a white electrical plug for a tail. Shorter than Tzarina and skinny. Red eyes. Exploded patches of wires stitcking out of a wound in his head.
Details - Created by the Machine to recharge himself and bring machines to life. Sparks is submissive and jumpy. He tries to please everyone and tends to be friendly to those who show kindness to him. The wires often glitch causing Sparks to convulse and scream something from his memories - usually something unuseful. Wants to be in a realationship with Tzarina. Desires to become friends with the Stitchpunk.
Cicatrix (-2) . . . The Strong
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Machine
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Dirty pale burlap skin covered in several patches and stitches. Smallest of all the hybirds and Stitchpunk. Plump. Four heavy arms modled after the Machines', two other apendages sticking from shoulders for welding. No tail, wire-cutter teeth.
Details - Created by the Machine soley for laybor. Able to lift things three-times his weight but his health is fading fast. Peacefull and is fasinated by nature. Mauled by Slasher and lost his voice, his current fate is unknown.
Slasher (-8) . . . The Loyal
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Machine
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Made from a red pin cusion. Has stripes of black tar drawn on him. Rows a neddles rising form head, back, shoulders and jaws. Tall and skinny. Medical needle tail, red eyes and huge needle fangs.
Details - Created by the Machine as an enforcer of Negative. Dense and misguided by Negative. Enjoys tormenting the "lower" dolls, being Cicatrix, Sparks, Dapple, Nip and Tuk.
Dapple (-6) . . . The Seeing
Number Placement - Back
Allegiance - The Machine
Gender - Female
Anatomy - Made from a wool black-and-blue striped sweater. Patch of white fur on head as hair. Frail hooks for fingers. Long tail with the head of a paintbrush at the end.
Details - Created by the Machine to design beasts. Speaks in a slow soft voice. Loves all of her kin, even Negative and Slasher who abuse her. Has dreams for a "family". Takes punishment without fighting back, even if she's undeserving. Ordered to death by Negative and killed by Slasher. Taken to the Machine to be "repaired".
BleachFace (-7) . . . The Independant
Number Placement - Chest
Allegiance - None
Gender - Male
Anatomy - Tall, lithe and dark brown with a long tail that is tipped with white. Tall collar around neck and swift copper claws. Face is stained with bleach. Wheres a dark metal cat-like mask to hide his face. Red eyes with yellow stained glass, making them appear orange.
Details - Ran away from the rest of the hybrids for an unknown reason. Calls Human-City, "the City" and claims that it all belongs to him. Navigates ruins with ease and enjoys picking fights and playing mind games. Has a strong sence if independance. Doesn't want to reveal his true face and will freicely defend himself if he feels threatened to take off his mask.
Nip (-3) . . . The Loving
Number Placement - Chest
Allegiance - The Machine
Gender - Female
Anatomy - Head and body made from gray denium, arms and legs made from the same material. Green camo cape and hood, bright orange inside. Black and silver claws. Pocket swen into belly. Boarder face and more heavyset than Tuk. Red eyes. No tail, small fangs.
Details - Created by the Machine as a worker. Enjoys picking on anything smaller or apparently weaker than herself. Loves the company of her sister but dosn't realize it until she's alone. The leader of the sisters.
Tuk (-4) . . . The Careing
Number Placement - Chest
Allegiance - The Machine
Gender - Female
Anatomy - Head and body made from gray demium, arms and legs made from same material. Turquoise camo cape and good, bright orange inside. Black and silver claws. Pocket sewn onto belly. Skinner than Nip and has unfocused eyes as a result of being beaned on the head too much by her sister. Red eyes. No tail, small fangs.
Details - Created by the Machine as a worker. Enjoys fallowing Nip around. More friendly than her sister but still enjoys her wicked ways. A little slower because of being hit on the head too much. More submissive than Nip.
*~* Others *~*
The Toy Maker
A scientest and ex-toy maker hired by the State to create the Machine. The Machine was taken away from the Toy Maker before he was able to complete testing on it. Only after the Machine went mad with power did he create the nine Stitchpunk creatures to continue life on the dead Earth. Died after bringing 9 to life.