CHAPTER 7
Once they were inside his work room, the scientist placed his hand on his desk and let 2 climb off. As soon as the stitchpunk was on the hard wood piece of furniture the man withdrew his hand and place it at his side.
2 looked up at him. "What did you want to show me, sir?" he asked, curiously.
Without a word the scientist walked over to a file cabinet and rummaged through it for a moment. He took out a folder and walked over to the desk, setting it down and opening it up. "This." he said, pointing a wrinkled finger at the papers.
2 walked onto the paper and took a good look at the blue prints. He saw a stitchpunk design on it. But this one didn't look a thing like the ones used for himself and the other eight. It was very very different than the one used to create 1.
2 looked up at him. "Who is this?"The scientist smiled tiredly. "This will be my final creation," he explained to him.
"Your final?" 2 looked up at him. "The ninth?"
The scientist nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "After he is born I will..."
2 knew what he was referring to. '"'m sorry," he said, looking away sadly.
"Don't apologize." the man sighed. "This is just how it has to be."
2 looked apologetically at the man then back at the blue prints. Suddenly something came to him. "Sir, do you have 1's blue prints?"
"Yes," the scientist went got got the file without even asking why the stitchpunk wanted to look at them. He carried it the desk and set it down so 2 could see it. The stitchpunk looked at it, turning the pages, his expression thoughtful.
"So he was the prototype?"
"Yes," the scientist looked at the blueprints. "I didn't have much of an idea in mind when I designed him. I just wanted to see if it could actually work."
"So once he came to life and you noticed the flaws in the design you began to change it?"
He nodded.
It seemed a little cruel somehow. 1's design had always looked different and carried a lot of flaws. 2 turned the page. He studied the design, frowning. "How much running time will he have?"
The scientist leaned his arms on the desk. "It depends on what he chooses to do with himself." he looked at 2. "You look rather worn out yourself. What have you been doing since I sent you out?"
2 smiled tiredly. "Maybe things." he responded and looked back at the design. "As for my older brother; he's actually not doing much in the physical form. He became our leader and spends most of his time in the church.."
"Oh... I see." the man blinked then shook his head. "Why don't you explain the picture you showed me?" he asked, changing the subject.
2 nodded and began his story.
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When morning came 7 climbed down from the rock she'd been sitting on the entire night and went over to wake her companions. She hadn't slept at all and was feeling a bit worn out but pushed the fatigue aside. She would rest when this was all over.
5 had actually woken up earlier. He was busy searching his pack for anything that might make the burn on 1's arm less of a problem. He'd noticed the fabric around the mark was stiff and messed up. No wonder if hurt so much.
1 was still out of it, laying on his side on the ground and letting out small, feeble moans. He didn't sound like the pompous leader when he was like that. He sounded like a helpless child. 7 shot him a sympathetic look before turning her attention to 5. "Has he woken at all since last night?"
5 shook his head. "He's been out of it the entire time." he looked over at 1. "I think that's a good idea. If he stays in recharge he won't feel anything."
"Well he can't stay that way," 7 told him, resting her spear against a tree. "We have to get moving. I hate to wake him but if we linger here we run the risk of being caught."
5 nodded. "I know but what can we do?"
"We'll just have to wake him up." she sighed. "Hopefully he will have more energy."
5 nodded. "I hope so too." he looked back at 1. "Though I don't really want to wake him.."
7 nodded. "I know." she headed over to where the elder lay. "I'll do it."
The female stitchpunk went over to him and knelt down. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a shake. "1," she said. "1, wake up. It's time to get moving."
1 moaned softly the unshuttered his optics. He looked drowsily up at her. "Wha...?"
"Get up, 1," she said, standing. "We have to be going."
He nodded and slowly got onto his hands and knees. She could tell he was still in a lot of pain by the way he kept wincing with each movement. She felt bad for waking him but she didn't have a choice and both she and him knew it. He seemed to be having a hard time standing though and looked like he needed soemone to help him.
"Let me help you," she said, offering her hand.
He smacked it away. "Don't touch me," he snapped irritably. "I can do it myself. I might be a prototype but that doesn't make me an invalid."
"Okay!" she exclaimed, feeling hurt and annoyed. Yes, he had been though a bad ordeal but that didn't mean he had to be so snippy. She'd only wanted to help, he didn't have to act like she wnated to rip him apart.
1 nodded and began to brush himself off, only to wince when his hands touched his damaged body. He dropped his arms and looked at her. "Let's just get out of here." he glanced back at the bunker and shuddered. "This place makes me ill."
Now that was something they could agree on. "Let's get moving then."
They started off.
The going was slow, due to 1's damaged state. He seemed to be having a hard time walking but whenever he was offered help he stubbornly refused it, preferring to deal with the problem than accept a helping hand.
7 felt a little irritated, partly from lack of sleep and mostly from his behavior. She knew he had been through a bad ordeal but did he have so much pride that he couldn't accept the help from others? It would make things a lot easier for himself and them if he would just let them.
They hadn't gotten far when 1 suddenly stopped in his tracks. 5 and 7 didn't notice and walked into him, knocking him over. "Hey!" he yelled, hitting the ground with them landing on top of him. "Get off me!"
The other two quickly complied. 1 shot up as the others copied his action. 7 gave him a look. "Why did you stop?"
He looked at her. "I just remembered something."
"What?" she asked.
"We have to go back."
"Go back?" she exclaimed, staring at him in shock. "Have you lost your mind?" She'd think he would never want to see that place again as long as he lived. What was going on here? Had he developed Stockholm Syndrome or something? "We can't go back"
1 looked away. It wasn't like he wanted to return either but they had to. "I... there's something we need to retrieve."
"What?" she looked him over. Aside from a broken belt buckle she didn't see anything missing from him even though he was heavily damaged. "What could we possibly have to go back for?"
He refused to look at her. Was he embarrassed? "1?"
"They took something out of me," he replied, absently rubbing his chest. "We have to go back for it."
"Can't we just have 2 replace it when we get back?"
"No," he replied. "I need it and there are no other pieces like it."
5 and 7 looked at each other. What could they have taken from him and why was 1 so embarrassed about it? All they could figure was that it was important.
"So let me guess," 7 said. "You want me and 5 to go back and get it for you?"
"No," he replied. "You wouldn't know what to look for." he started back the way they came. "I have to go with you."
7 couldn't believe this. 1 was in no condition to do any such thing. "No," she said, shaking her head. "You're not going back in there. You can wait for us and we'll go find it. Just tell us what it is and we'll get it."
"No, it's not that simple," he said. "I have to go too." the older stitchpunk began to head back but 7 grabbed his arm. "1..."
1 jerked away from her, just as always. "No!" he stated fiercly. "I have to get this myself."
He wasn't making sense. Had they messed up his processor too? 7 started feeling very worried. 1 was talking in circles. What if he really had developed Stockholm Syndrome and felt he had to return to his captors? Did he think they needed him or something? Was he just making up the entire story as an excuse?
She grabbed his arm again. "You can't!"
He yelped and pulled away, staring at her with an odd expression on his face. "Don't touch me!"
She stared at him. "1..."
"Just don't touch me!" he yelled, looking hysterical. "I don't want you laying your hands on any part of me! Understand?"
"I...I'm sorry." Now she knew he wasn't going to go back. No matter what he said. Not after the way he had just reacted. Returning would just tip him over the edge. If he tried to return she'd be forced to stop him with any means possible, even if it meant knocking him out and tying him up."I won't touch you anymore."
He calmed down. "Good. Now we should be heading back. This is very important."
"1," 7 said, carefully. "You shouldn't be going back there. Not after what happened and in your condition. What would you do if you got caught?"
He looked at her. He'd already thought about that. "That is why you and 5 are coming with me to make sure that doesn't happen."
Oh, he wanted them to be his bodyguards. 7 wasn't sure how she felt about that but at least it would be better than him going in by himself, though she still didn't want him going in at all.
1 looked at her intently. He knew what she was thinking and couldn't really blame her. If he had a choice he wouldn't bother going back in, he didn't want to go back in, but he didn't have a choice. The part was what his creator had called 'the key" he didn't know exactly what it did but he'd been told to make sure the part stayed with him.
He remembered another key, a key hanging around 6's neck. He always wondered if the two keys might be connected somehow but he didn't bother thinking about it a lot when he was in the church. He didn't need to because both keys were safely in one place.
But unlike 6's key, this one helped him function, or so he guessed. Yet another disadvantage to being the prototype. Since that was so 5 and 7 wouldn't know what it looked like. They didn't have the part.
Describing it was out of the question. It was bad enough 16 had taken it when she was playing her little games with him. If only he hadn't showed such special interest in that part, maybe she would have put it back.
Instead she'd teased him with it, holding it away from him and grinning when he'd begged her to put it back. She'd enjoyed watching his expression turn desperate. Enjoyed hiding that key in her seam and kissing him when he didn't want to be kissed. He shook his head, scattering the thought.
"1?" 7 spoke again, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked at her. "Why can't you just let 5 and I go back and search for it? Do you really have to go back?"
He nodded. "Yes," he replied, his voice sharper than he intended. '"I do."
7 sighed. "All right," she said. "Then we'll go back."
He sighed in relief. "Good."
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As 2 unfolded his story he noticed the scientist's tired face grow evern more weary. He obviously wasn't happy about anything he was hearing. When 2 finished the man took off his glasses and rubbed his face, sighing tiredly.
"Sir," 2 began. "Do you know who might have created these others? I know your intended number was nine so where would the other ones we encountered come from?"
The man sighed and took out another set of blue prints. He set them on the desk and let 2 get a good look at them. At first the stitchpunk thought he was looking at another blueprint for 1 but as he stared at it he realized this stitchpunk's design had been slightly modified. His hands and feet looked more like the others and his optics, while squinted and designed the same as 1's, had one distinct difference. He had lights in the back of them.
2 looked at the man. "What is this?"
"It was a better design for 1," the man explained. "1 was the prototype as we know. After I finished designing the rest of you I wanted to try making a better body for him..."
"You mean a replacement body?" he asked. "In case his current one wore out?"
The scientist nodded. "Yes, but a copy of the blue prints for this design was stolen."
"Stolen?"
He nodded agaim. "I think it was my apprentice."
"I didn't think you had one," 2 replied. "I thought he died during the war."
"It is likely that he is dead now." the scientist looked down at the blue prints. "but he took a copy of this design without my permission. I know what he used it for.."
"You think he made more?"
The scientist nodded. "And most likely used this design for his first one."
2 frowned. "So there is someone that looks like 1 out there..." he looked back at the blue prints. "I wonder..."
The scientist gave him a curious look. "What is it?"
2 looked at him. "Do you have any blue prints for the machine?"
The question startled the man but he nodded. He went back to the file cabinet and searched for them as 2 stared down at the modified design for 1. His bad feeling was beginning to grow stronger.
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Nobody was very enthusiastic about going back, especially 1. 7 didn't want to return so soon either. She had planned to after 1 was safely back home and in the care of 2 who could repair him but of course 1's sudden need to head back for his missing part had changed all of that.
When 1 rested his eyes on the building she saw him visibly shudder. He really didn't want to go back in but he had to. He shuttered his optics and took a deep breath, doing his best to ignore the pain in his body from all the beatings he'd taken. He sighed it out and looked at the others. They were waiting.
He nodded and headed down the hill without a word.
7 followed, worried and still annoyed. She still didn't think he should be doing this. He was in no condition for it but he wans't changing his mind. Curse that stubborn personality!
Something came to her. "Wait!"
He stopped and looked back at her. "What now?"
"I don't think we should go in right now," she stated.
"Why is that?" he demanded.
"It's still light," she replied, pointing at the sky. "If we try to get in now they'll see us. Do you want that?"
He paused, letting that sink in. She was right. It wouldn't be a good idea to go in now. He could just imagine the outcome. He nodded, walking over to her. "Yes, a wise descition."
7 smiled. Good. he was listening for once.
They headed back into the trees.
5 looked over at the female stitchpunk. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he asked.
She nodded. "While we wait we can decide what to do to keep 1 from going back inside."
The one eyed stitchpunk shot her a startled look. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"He can't go back in there," she stated. "Do you see all that damage? What if we get caught while we're down there? Things would get worse and I don't want him to go through anymore of that. If he does it could kill him."
5 nodded. "You're right but try explaining that to him," he said.
"He won't listen, you know that," she told him. "He insists he needs to get it himself."
Her comrade looked thoughtful. "Maybe there's a reason," he mused.
"Like what?"
"Well he is the prototype," 5 explained. "Maybe this part is soemehing he was given that none of us have so he has to find it," he shrugged. 'That might explain why he said we wouldn't know what the look for."
The female stitchpunk thought that over then nodded. "It does make some sense." she said thoughtfully. "But I still don't think he should go down there."
5 agreed. "You're right about that but what can we do? If the part is that unique and he is the only person who knows what it looks like we don't have any choice."
"No," she consented. "We don't..." she looked at 1 who was leaning against a tree trunk. He already looked worn out and she figured he'd probably want to go back to sleep until dark. "But that doesn't mean we can't look..."