CHAPTER 3
1 was rudely awakened from his recharge state by someone grabbing his arm and yanking him roughly to his feet.
"All right, wakey wakey, old man, the boss wants to speak with you now." a voice, different from 15 and 16's said. "Are you ready?"
1 didn't even get time to answer before he was pulled out of the room and made to walk down another hall.
Or rather halls. He was taken down one hall and then another, moving left and right as if he was in a maze. He tried to remember the exact route in case he managed to escape but the strange winding design left him disoriented. He wasn't even sure he was in the same building anymore.
At one point he had to go down a set of stairs. Of course it wasn't human stairs because those would be way too big and would have required hopping. These had to have been built later by the current inhabitents, who were much smaller. While he was trying to make his way down carefully by probbing for the next step with his foot the person leading him gave him an impatient shove and he lost his balance and fell. Since his hands were tied he could grab onto anything to stop himself and he fell heavily down the final three steps. He hit the floor with a thump, landing awkwardly on his side.
He moaned when he was grabbed by the arm and forced to stand. "All right, let's keep moving. You'll have time to sleep later."
Sleep? He wans't sleeping! But he didn't say anything though. It wouldn't do him any good.
His caotire led him further down the hall then brought him into another room. He was taken inside then led to a chair and forced to sit down. His hands were untied briefly so his arms could be pulled around it then they were tied again. But now his ankles were tied too so he couldn't use them either. They were making sure he was completely immobile. When his captore was finished he moved away and the older stitchpunk heard the person leave the room and shut the door behind him.
1 was alone once more.
Or was he?
He heard a scraping sound somewhere else in the room. "H-hello?" he called out. "I-is anyone there?"
No response.
Even the thing had stopped moving.
"Hello?" he shouted again, panicking. What was going on? What was in here with him? A beast? Had they left him with a beast? "Who's there? Answer me!"
Still silence.
He turend his head, trying to hear that sound again. He didn't know what had made it the first time or if he'd really heard anything at all. If he had he wished to hear it again. Just to be sure he wasn't going crazy.
There!
The sound happened again. A scraping as if two bits of metal were running over each other. What was that? What was making that noise? There it was again, close!
He heard the sound of a lighter clicking and felt the warmth of a flame on his face. A hand touched his cheek and turned his head from side to side.
"So this is the very first one created." a deep voice said. It sounded unimpressed. "You don't look like much. But looks don't mean anything, it's what's inside that counts and I intend to learn what that is."
"W-who are you?" 1 stammered.
He was struck in the face. "I will be asking the questions here, old man!" the speaker growled. "You just keep yout mouth shut until I tell you to speak, understand?"
1 didn't reply. He merely lowered his head and tried to think. The whole right side of his face hurt.
The speaker grabbed his chin and made him look up. 1 couldn't see who it was because of the blindfold but he sense the person was standing right in front of him and felt the heat from the other stitchpunks face. "Here's how it's going to go," his captor said. "I have questions and you have answers. With each question you answer correctly I won't hurt you. But if you don't answer or give me the answer I want I will be forced to use force and I'm sure you don't want that, now do you?" he continued before 1 could reply. "Now why don't we get down to business now that you know what is going to happen and how it's going to go down. Nod your head if you understand?"
1 did so. He understood all right.
"Good."
The speaker let go of his face and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let us begin then."
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7 sensed trouble before she even saw it.
"Hold it, 5!" she ordered, putting out her arm, preventing him from moving forward.
"What is it, 7?" he asked, looking at her.
"We're not alone," she replied, her eyes searching the wastelands before them. "We're being watched."
"Watched?" he asked, "By who?"
She pulled down her skullmet. "We're about to find out."
And just as she said this a beast burst out of the rubble and lunged at them. 5 yelped and scrambled out of the way while 7 ran toward it, raising her spear to deal a hefy blow to its face. The beast roared at her, swiping at her body wth its long metal claws. She jumped out of the way and ran around the side. As she did she noticed something glinting in the sunlight near a pile of wood. She glanced away briefly, spotting a figure ducking behind the pile then turned her full attention to her current enemy.
While 5 ran from the beast, trying to put an arrow in his crossbow 7 chased it from behind. She managed to get close enough to jump on its back then she quickly climbed up to its head and lopped it off at the neck. Instantly the machine stopped functioning and plopped uselessly to the ground.
"5!" she called to her companion. "are you all right?"
He looked back at her. "I'm fine," he said.
"Good," she replied. "Stay there." then she took off in a different direction.
"7!" 5 called after her but she ignored him.
She ran to where she'd seen the glint of light but by the time she reached it whoever it had been was gone. She swore out of frustration and slammed her spearblade into the ground.
"7! what is it!" 5 called to her.
"Nothing," she replied, turning and heading back to him. "It was notihng."
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"First off why don't you tell me your name?" the speaker began his interrogation.
His name? Why was this guy asking him who he was? Surely he already knew the answer to that, seeing as his name was written on his back for all to see.
"Oh, come now," the speaker said, pacing in front of him. "Surely you can tell me your own name."
"What's with this foolishness?" 1 blurted out. "You already-"
A punch to the face shut him up. "Wrong answer, old man!"
1 grunted, his face feeling like it was on fire. Was this guy crazy?
"Let's try this again," the speaker said. "Your name?"
This time he answered correctly. "1. My name is 1."
"All right then, 1," the speaker said. "let us continue. Give me the total number of stitchpunks living in your sanctuary."
Why did he want to know that? Was he planning on attacking it? Was this some kind of military interrogation or something? No that didn't make sense. They'd already captured the leader so they couldn't be doing it to get to him.
"Are you deaf, old man? How many?"
He didn't answer and recieved another blow to the had that might have knocked him off if he hadn't been tied to the chair.
"Is it really that hard to give me a number? I already captured the king so I don't need anything from the rest of your little band. Now give me a number."
"Eight. There's eight."
"Good." that was a relief. No blow this time. "Let's continue then. Is 2 your brother?"
This time he answered right away. "Yes." they were considered brothers.
"Do you have a set of twins?"
"Yes."
"Are you the leader?"
"Yes."
"Are you self appointed or were you elected?"
This question gave him pause. He didn't know how to answer that question. He couldn't answer it because he didn't know.
"Are you chosing to ignore the question?" the voice was impatient.
"No, I-"
A punch in the stomach.
He gasped and slumped over, moaning.
His interrogator grabbed his shoulder and forced him to sit back up. "The answer to that question is you are self appointed. Nobody would ever elect an old tirent like you as a leader unless they were threatened!"
"No!" 1 protested. "That's not true!"
"But it is true and you know it!" the speaker let him go and he slumped forward once more. "Let's move on then."
1 continued to slump over, moaning.
"Sit up or I'll make you."
1 did so, not wanting to be hit again.
"All right that we have the little questions out of the way it's time to start on a more serious topic. When you were brought to life did your creator say anything to you?"
"What?"
"I'm sure you understood the question the first time."
"What kind of things to do you mean?"
"Anything, anything important? Did he tell you how he brought you to life? Did he explain to you anything about the machine? Did he show you blue prints?"
"Blueprints?"
"Thats right. Blueprints."
"I don't understand what you mean?"
"The answer is simple, old man, Evey creation he made had blue prints. You did, I did, the machine did. Now why don't you just tell me about the blue prints?"
1 was silent. He thought back to the day of his creation. He hadn't like being tied up or held and had jumped out of the scientists hands as soon as he'd been taken down. He had spent a little time looking the place over but nothing had interested him enough for him to bother studying it. He'd climbed down from the scientists desk and walked around the room, giving it a quick once over. He did remember seeing some blue prints but he hadn't paid much attention to them, thinking they weren't very important.
He'd also noticed the scientist watching him intently. Maybe he should have asked the man about them before he'd been shooed out of the building but it never crossed his mind.
"Well? Blueprints."
"I never looked at the blue prints."
Another blow to the face. "You liar!"
"I'm not lying!"
Hands on his shoulders. "Don't play dumb with me! I know you saw them! Now tell me what was on them!"
"I never saw them!" 1 told him.
"Stop lying! He had to have shown them to you! They always do!"
Why was this guy so interested in blueprints anyway? What could the inner workings of him and his comrades or the machine tell him? It didn't make any sense unless...
Unless he wanted to use the blueprints for something?
But that didn't make sense. Not from what 15 and 16 had talked about. They wanted something valuable. Those blue pritns weren't very valuable unless you were a machanic or someone who built machines.
"He didn't show me anything," 1 responded. "he didn't tell me anything."
Something hot rested against the fabric on his arm. He cried out and jerked away from it. Had this guy shoved a match at him? It sure felt like it.
"I'll get you to talk one way or another, old man." the speaker was right in his face again. "Now tell where where those blue prints are or I'll burn your arm off!"
"I don't know!"
"Wrong answer!"
The fire rested against his arm again.
1 started screaming.
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"I think we're getting close," 7 said, stopping to get a look around.
"How do you know?" 5 asked her.
She pointed ahead. 'There aren't many buildings left and the footprints don't go on for much longer, unless the wind covered them."
5 looked around. Indeed she was right. There weren't many buildings left and the foot prints did seem to be vanishing. "We'd better keep moving."
She nodded. "Let's go then." she climbed down the short hill with 5 following close behind.
They hadn't gotten very far when she heard something heavy fall off to their right.
"What was that?" 5 asked.
"Let;'s find out," she said, already running toward the source of the sound.
She ran up a wall as if her feet were stuck to it and jumped over the other side. 5 heard a yelp then a thud as if a weight had fallen on something. He heard the sound of a scuffle then silence.
"7?" he called out worriedly. "7?"
"It's okay!" she called to him. "I got it!"
5 ran toward her. "What was it?"
7 came out from behind the wall, lugging something. "See for yourself," she said, throwing it to the ground.
5 stared. It was another stitchpunk. This one was green colored and look female. He saw a large 17 painted on her back. "Another one?" he asked, sounding surrpised.
"Yes," 7 replied, nodding. "and she's been following us." she kicked 17 onto her back.
The other female glared at her defiantly. "You won't get away with this!" she yelled, smirking to free herself from the wire 7 had tied around her wrists.
"I think I am," 7 said, knealing down beside her and slamming her spear blade into the ground by the female's head. "Now why don't you answer some questions, seeing as you won't be going anywhere any time soon."
17 glared at her defiantly. "You can't make me talk!" she shouted. "Go ahead and do your worst but you won't learn anything from me, you bleach blond bimbo!"
7 glared at her, ignoring the insult. "You will tell us what you know or you will lose your head," she growled. "and don't think I'm bluffy because I never bluff about these things."
"You don't scare me." 17 hissed. "Nothing you can do to me will ever make me tattle on my comrades."
"Well then I guess you're just going to have to be the one who pays for what they did," 7 stated, her face darkening. "Because I don't take too kindly to people who go kidnapping people I swore to protect."
17 smirked at her. "Why do you care so much for an old relic?" she asked. "Do you have a thing for him or something?"
7 ignored the stab. "He is our leader and I won't stand back and let others take him away." she gripped her spear hard, the servos in her hand whining in protest. "Not after all he's done for us."
5 stared at 7, surprised by her words. 7 had never really cared much for 1 and his rules or did she? Was she bluffing now or was these her true feelings?
"Done for you?" 17 mocked her. "Sure, but you're not going to learn anthing from me, seeing as you already know enough already. Yes, we took him but I'm not going to tell you why so why don't you just kill me now?"
7 glared at her. "So you admit you and your comrades took 1 then?" she asked.
"Of course we did," the other female comfirmed. "You already know that, honey. So why bother asking me?"
"Just wanted to make sure." 7 stood. "What you all did is unforgiveable. I might not know why you took him but I intend to find out one way or another and if you won't tell me I'll have to ask THEM!"
"Good luck with that, Snow White," 17 taunted. "You're just asking for trouble."
"Oh? and how is that?"
"You'll see," 17 responded, laughing.
7 looked at 5. He stared back, unable to say anything about the female's comments. But he looked worried and she couldn't blame him. Something in 17's voice had hinted at a problem and 7 didn't like what that problem was. They would have a very hard time getting 1 back.
7 looked back at 17. The female was smiling. "You'll never get him back," she stated. "Don't bother trying. If you do you'll just be in over your pretty little white head."
7 gripped her spear tighter. "We'll see about that."
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A blow to the head had knocked 1 unconscious. For the moment he slumped in the chair, his head down and his breathing shallow. But that didn't last long. The stitchpunk interrogating him rested that flame against his arm, bringing him back to the real world. He gasped in pain, sitting up straight.
He was grabbed by the ponytail and his head was yanked backward.
"I'm growing impatient, old man," the other stitchpunk growled. "This can all stop if you just give me the information I want."
"I don't know where any blue prints are!" 1 insisted. If he had he would have told him by then just to get him to stop. His right arm was already blackened enough.
"You're more stubborn than you look, old man." the speaker growled. lettting him go. "Fine if you want to be that way I'll just give you more time to think of your answers. Maybe some time left in solitary will help jog your memory."
The door opened and someone came in. 1 was untied from the chair and yanked to his feet. He cried out when his burned arm was jerked but the person didn't seem to care. He was half walked, half drug out of the room and back to his cell where he was thrown to the floor. Before he could get up the door slammed shut and he heard a lock slide into place.