21 is humming softly as she polish her helm in the library. She felt someone looking at her. She looks around the room, but saw no one. 5 touch one of his buttons as he looks at her.
"You are wild and brave 21. I wish I can be that way." whisper 5 as he moves closer.
"Who is there? Come out! 3, 4 is that you?" said 21 as she looks around her.
She hears no answer and does not see anyone but she remains alert after she thought she heard something. After being ambushed, captured and had to be rescued two days in a row is enough for her.
"I said come out!" Barks 21.
5 come out of the shadows on her left with his hands up in the air. She lowers her weapon. 5 smiles apolitically at her. She put her weapon down beside her.
"Thank you for choosing me to dance with you."
"No problem, I thought you may like to be my partner. You are a good dancer yourself."
5 and 21 move closer to each other with out realizing it. Suddenly they hear running footsteps. Both stitchpunks arm themselves. The twins comes flying into the room and crash into 5 and 21. The wind is knocked out of them and crash into a heap. 4 is the first to recover.
"Everyone ok?!" 4 flickered.
Her answer was moans. She and her brother catalog the dazed looks on 5, and 21's face. 5's and 21's eyes' pupils dilate. 21 gently push 3 and 4 away from her. She notices an object in 3's hands: Taylor's handmade sterling silver pendent. 21 grab the pendent from 3's hands and start looking it over.
"21 is upset. We brought an object to her." Flickers 3
"Maybe, she had seen it before." Reply 4.
"Where the chain?" ask 21.
"Chain?" ask the twins
"Metal links that human wear around their necks." Said 21.
4 remember where the chain is and takes 21 to it. 21 looks at the chain and saw that the little jump ring was broken. 21 sobs as she holds the little jump ring in her hands. 5 tries to comfort her.
"It's just a piece of metal, 21." Said 5.
"Just a piece of metal?! 5, this is the only thing I have left of Taylor, and a same bit of a memory of what life was like before my tribe was killed, before I had to live on my own!"
"2 can fix it!" said 5.
The twins nod. 21 is trembling with sadness and anger but trying to control herself and not lash out at the twins. The twins did not mean any harm.
"All right, I hope 2 is not busy with anything. I forget where the workshop is. Can you take me there?" ask 21.
5 smiles and starts to lead her towards 2's workshop.
***
A tired and wounded 66 is walking his tired, wounded runner. 66 is looking for Taylor's corpse, his marker that he is two and a half miles from home. He spots the corpse's long brown hair waving in the wind.
"Maybe we can rest for a while here. I got to rest my legs." Said 66.
He guides the runner to the body and lies down in Taylor's left cupped hand.
"You would have made a good trade: 21's hand and her power to control the pendent if you hadn't given the remaining part of your soul to the pendent!" scowls 66.
***
Flash back
66 is riding his runner, looking for Taylor and 21. He spots the human 70 yards away. She is taking off her necklace and holds it in front of her oval face. Green and white light come out of her mouth and eyes. The light went into the pendent. The body hits the ground with a thud as the pendent and chain falls.
"Taylor!! NO!!" cries 21.
She runs over to Taylor's face and discovers her eyes are open. Her dead eyes look back her. Suddenly, 21 gather the pendent and chain and make a run for it. The hunt begin, and the runner chases after her. As the runner gets closer to its prey, the stones on the pendent starts to glow. When it was a few feet from it's prey, the pendent spits out a bright shot of light and energy out at the runner.
End of flash back
***
What was that light and energy? Was that Taylor's soul? What other powers does the pendent have and can anyone use it besides 21? Theses questions are racing through 66's head. He must recover 21and the pendent.
"You may be safe now, but I will find you and take you with me. I will get you one-eye!" Says 66 as he gets up.
It's starting to get dark and he knows there are machines that are prowling the land will try to kill him and his runner if they don't make it back to base. He gets off the cold hand and mounts his now rested runner.
They run over the land and they work as a team to try to get home safely. The warehouse ahead is growing by the second. Machines and other stitchpunks rush to get out of their way. 75 is there to greet him.
"Where is 21 and 44?" 75 ask.
66 dismount and look at her.
"I found 21, but she had company. But, I did mange to get her away from them but they rescue her." He replies.
"Was 44 with them? How many you saw?"
"Yes, she helped them rescue 21 and they have the runner. I saw four other stitch punks but they appear to be from a different tribe."
"We will find them easily and we will defeat them."
"How?! They could be anywhere!"
"We will use Sliphers."
"The bat scouts?! Are you crazy?! Have you seen their talons?!"
"I have and calm down. I already hand picked eight Sliphers and let them loose."
"You WHAT?!"
"You need to rest. You seem tired"
"I am not tired. I am ups-"
WHAM!
75 sucker punch him in the face and he is out like a light. The tribe looks at their leader. She is gently rubbing her hand.
"Take him to my chambers. I will see if I can get 21 off his mind."
***
Meanwhile
5 and 21 is talking in the watch tower.
"Enjoying the view?" ask 5.
21 is staring out at the sky. There are shapes in the clouds.
"Yes. It's lovely."
"It's not a pretty as you."
She blushes and looks at 5. He smiles at her. His smile is so warm and bright, like a ray of sun shine. She places a hand on his chest and smiles at him.
"You are a sweet and very kind soul."
"You are too. You are – what is that?"
5 thought he saw 3 dark specks that are slowly starting to grow bigger. 5 run towards the telescope to see what the things are. The three creatures are bat like, have electric blue eyes, huge razor sharp looking talons and black or brown cloth wings. All three of them are heading towards the tower!
"I must warn the others." Thought 5.
He runs towards the stair case, grabbed 21's wrist along the way and towing her along behind him.
"Why we running, 5?" asked 21 as they ran.
"Machines!" said 5.
***
The Sliphers saw the tower and flies towards it. They spot two stitchpunks in the tower: one brown and one white, heading towards the exit of the tower. The prey is getting away! The Sliphers quicken their pace. Two start assaulting the tower with their talons while the third tries to block the exit with its talons. The exit is now half blocked.
***
7 is near the watch tower staircase when she hears a weird, high pitch screech. The noise startles her for two seconds before she regain her poster. The sound repeated followed by a scream that 7 knows too well.
"I am coming 5! Hold on! Where are you?" shouts 7.
"21 and I are in the tower! One of the beasts' claws in front of the doorway. The other beasts are ripping the tower apart to get to us! Hurry!" cries 5.