So, the last chapter was a hit, for the most part! Glad you all liked my anti-jokes—they seemed to be a bigger hit than the 7-8-9 fluff. XD

On that note, 4 and 6 will get some time as a couple (or whatever they think of themselves as) in this chapter, as Pi is moving right along with her plan and going after the twins. 6 will….. Not be cool with this.

(Barn Owl Girl, I've tossed in an homage to 10. I'm sure you'll know it when you see it. ;D)

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In A Rush

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4 woke quickly from a dreamless sleep. She rarely dreamed anymore, let alone in color—say for an occasional traumatizing memory from days long past. Given that her unconsciousness was usually just a black void of unknowingness, she always woke up in the morning faster than her twin. In fact, as she sat up in bed and looked down at 3, still asleep beside her, it didn't look like he would be up any time soon.

Sunlight was streaming down into the globe, through the holes in the roof above; but it was impossible to tell the time. Instead, 4 looked to the open pocket watch against the corner of the shelf they slept in. It read 7:42 in the morning, which struck her as odd. They almost never slept later than 6:00. She wondered what had kept her asleep for so long.

She sat back and took a deep, full breath of the cool morning air. It was invigorating, but had a slow, sort of lazy feeling to it. Perhaps everyone else was also still asleep. And then she remembered. Several of the adults had been taking charges last night. No doubt they were still sleeping deeply, or very hung-over this morning. No wonder it felt so still and lazy.

Today was probably going to be declared a day off. For everyone.

The idea of a day off was as exciting as it was a little unsettling. 4 supposed that she and her twin could certainly do with a day away from their voluntarily deep studies. If their adopted parents were feeling sick today, she and her brother could look after 10 for a few hours; it had been days since they had spent any real time with her. Oh! And her heart fluttered a bit when she thought that she and 6 could maybe take a walk together, just the two of them. Maybe she would even muster the nerve to kiss him on the cheek afterwards. He would love that so much.

This day off was going to be simply terrific. And she couldn't stand to waste another half-a-second of it sitting in bed. As she jumped out from under the blanket and her feet hit the floor, the sudden movement was enough to make 3 stir a little. Slowly, reluctantly, he began to open his eyes.

"Jeez, 4, what's the rush?" he said slowly, his bleary-eyed flickering almost impossible to understand.

"We've got a big day ahead of us," she announced cheerily, feeling wider awake than ever. "Best to get it started now. We've wasted too much time already. All the others are probably still sleeping, but I'll bet that 1 and 2 and 10 are awake. Let's go say hi!"

"And no one else? What time did you say it was?"

"Half past seven in the morning."

3 bolted upright, looking surprised. "Already? How'd we sleep that long?"

"Dunno. But hey, worse things have happened. It's kind of nice, not being the first people up, not being the ones who have to greet everyone else. Today, we're the ones people will say good morning to first!"

3 smiled at his sister and nodded his head. "Oh yeah. I guess you're right, that will be nice. So, why's today such a big day, as opposed to any other day?"

To this, 4 crossed her arms disapprovingly. "Dad and 5 came in here yesterday, looking for a magnet. I think they all got drunk last night."

3 giggled boyishly. "Probably all except the old geezers, right?"

"3! You shouldn't talk about 1 and 2 like that! It's disrespectful. 2 looked after us before we had anyone else. And 1 is… Not as bad as he used to be."

"But, 4—"

"Butts are for sitting on. And you've sat on yours long enough. Come on, let's go."

"Okay, okay, fine…" he grumbled as he finally climbed out of bed. "Why are you so excited about everyone being drunk, anyway?"

"I am not excited about everyone being drunk. I'm excited because this could be a pretty good day to get out of the study for a while, while they all need looking after."

"I don't want to be anyone's babysitter! If everyone's too out of it to do anything, I say that we go out alone, for a change—with no parents or uncles to tell us what to do."

"I was thinking the same thing," 4 agreed, and then sighed kind of sadly. "If we were older, we could go anywhere we wanted without anybody telling us what to do…"

"Huh. That is true, I guess. We'd be taller, as well—we could climb up the shelves all by ourselves, if we wanted."

"We'd be able to do all kinds of stuff on our own."

The twins shared a knowing look, and they smiled at each other. Suddenly, they knew exactly what they wanted for their next birthday. As an afterthought that zoomed to the front of her mind, 4 realized that if she were older, she and 6 would be closer in age. Then maybe their relationship could go somewhere. As if he could sense who she was thinking about, 3 perked up with an idea of his own.

"We should ask 6 to come with us. I'll bet he'd have fun spending some time with us… You," he said with a shrug. But he didn't seem to mind.

"Go figure, I was thinking the same thing, just now," she agreed with a smile. "Hm… I wonder where he is this morning?"

3 looked around and realized that she was right. Having no room of his own, 6 slept in the globe with them. And since Pi had come to them, he had been sleeping in front of the entrance like a faithful guard dog—no one could come in or out of the globe without his knowing it. He had seemed very concerned about something, but he hadn't told them much about it. All they had really discerned from him was that something was up with Pi, and that they shouldn't go near her.

But there was no sign of him. Where could he have gone all by himself, so early in the morning?

"That is unusual," 3 flickered slowly as he stood up. "And he sleeps late 'cause he never sleeps well."

As 4 considered the various reasons why 6's absence was unusual, it dawned on her to be just a little nervous. "3, do you think it's okay to be in here alone?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't it be? We're in here alone all the time."

"I know, but… Without 6 to keep us safe… What are we to do without him?"

"How's 6 to keep us safe? He doesn't do much, you know."

"I know, but… Who's going to guard us now?"

Kind of annoyed with how silly his sister was being, 3 marched over to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"You're so dumb sometimes, 4. I'm your twin brother. You've always got me to take care of you," he said stoutly.

"I thought you didn't want to be anyone's babysitter."

"I don't, but you're different. You're my little sister—my twin sister."

"Little by, like, five minutes."

"Who cares? I can't let anything bad happen to you. What kind of big brother would that make me?"

"My, my, what an exceptional big brother."

The twins looked up with a start at the unfamiliar voice and saw Pi, standing just outside the shelf where they slept.

"I never had a big brother to take care of me," she continued. "I used to have an older sister… But she never really cared what I was up to."

4 was a little scared, and skittered behind her brother for shelter. Even though he was also a little scared, 3 stood his ground, resolutely shielding his sister from the stranger.

"We, uh, didn't hear you come in," he said.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Hey, are you two afraid of me?"

"6 said not to go near you. And dad said so, too."

"Well, maybe your stripey friend is just stupid and doesn't know what he's talking about."

"6 isn't stupid!" 4 said defensively from behind her fortress. "He just sees things differently from the rest of us. And sometimes, it means that he sees things for what they really are."

"Uh-huh… Say, how do the two of you feel about magic?"

3 was intrigued at once. "You mean, like, pulling rabbits out of hats, and card tricks and stuff like that, or… like, wicked witch magic?"

"1 calls that sort of stuff dark science," 4 added, shrinking back behind her twin for safety. "He says to leave that stuff alone. He says its evil."

"And how would he know that?" Pi asked, and advanced inside the shelf. "Who's to say what is and isn't evil in this world? It's all a matter of opinion. People who would use magic for good wouldn't think of themselves as evil, now would they? Maybe they just see things a little differently. It isn't right of 1 to decide that for you. I think the two of you should decide that for yourselves, and your choice isn't anyone's business."

The twins were silent for a moment, soaking up her reasoning. On the surface, it seemed to make sense. Even the long-dead Chancellor of the ruined city, for instance—the things he had done were evil, it was a plain fact for all to see. But in his own mind, he must have fancied himself as logical, progressive, forward-thinking, and concerned with the welfare of his State. Maybe it had never occurred to him that the things he was doing were wrong.

But at the same time, Pi's reasoning seemed just that—wrong. Very wrong.

"At any rate," she continued after a pause, "I was talking about sleight of hand, street magic—like this."

She leaned forward and reached her fingers inside 3's hood, just behind his ear. He flinched, startled that she was suddenly so close. But when she pulled her hand back, a small pebble had materialized in her palm.

"Now what was this doing back there? What else are you hiding in that hood of yours?" she teased, giving him a friendly smile.

In spite of everything, easily-distracted 3 was delighted. His wide eyes lit up with wonder, and he applauded Pi's trick. Surely, there was a simple explanation for it, but who cared? It was magic. Even 4 lightened up a little bit, though she didn't lower her guard like her brother had.

"I can show you some more, if you want," she offered sweetly. "I've seen some stuff lying around in here I can use. Come on." She led the way out of the shelf and into the rest of the globe, prompting 3 to run right after her. But 4 grabbed him by the arm and held him back.

"I don't like this," she insisted as quietly as her flickering could allow. "They said to stay away from her."

"I don't know, 4. She seems alright. What's the worst she could do to us? Saw us in half? Come on, sis, it's harmless street magic. What are you so scared of?"

"It's not the magic, it's her. I don't want to be alone with her."

"You're not going to be alone, I'll be right here with you. Don't worry, you're safe with me. I'm your brother, and I'll keep you safe from anything you're afraid of."

She supposed that was comforting. If something bad happened, 3 would guard her with his life—and she would guard him with hers. They would be fine, no matter what, as long as they stayed together. Still a bit reluctant, she let 3 lead her by the hand after Pi.

She could be like our big sister, 3 thought optimistically as they followed her. I've never had a big sister before…

At the same time, 4 was thinking fretfully, I wish that 6 would come back. He'd know why this feels like such a bad idea…

Pi brought them to a stop before a pile of clutter on the floor. The twins had gathered these various findings before it had snowed—nuts, screws, bolts, wires, and other things the elevator might need, in case it broke down over the winter. But the same trappings could easily fit any number of sleight of hand parlor tricks. Pi stooped to pick up a long screw and a scrap of cloth. She raised the flat head of the screw to her nose and inhaled deeply, as if she were sniffing a flower.

"Ah, the sweet smell of springtime, yes?" she commented.

"Um… Not exactly," 3 answered, wondering where she would go with this.

Pi giggled. "And why ever not?"

"It's a screw," 4 pointed out helpfully.

"Oh, is it?" Pi answered, and threw the scrap of cloth over the screw. She waved her hand mysteriously over it, and then swept the cloth away.

"Presto-change-o!" she cried, revealing a splendid silk rose in place of the tarnished screw. "And now, even in the dead of winter, we can still have a bit of spring with us."

That was an amazing trick, and this time both the twins clapped for her.

"Do another one, Pi!" 3 cheered, and even 4 nodded her head vehemently. Pi smiled, and picked up a pair of similarly sized washers from the clutter.

"And what do we have here? It appears we have another set of twins in the house! 3 and 4, meet, er, Willie and Winnie, Will, Winn, say hello."

3 and 4 laughed and waved hello, while Pi imitated the imaginary voices of the twin washers carrying on a conversation.

"You know," she continued, clinking Willie and Winnie together as she spoke, "I really admire twins. You never see them apart. They're always like—"

She clashed them sharply together and all of a sudden, they were linked together.

"—Like this," she concluded, holding them up for all to see. "They're always together, joined at the hip. You can never find one without the other. And that's pretty great."

Amazed and touched, the twins applauded again. She was a wonderful magician! Where had she learned to do that?

"For my next amazing feat, I need two volunteers," she announced, undoing herself discretely and reaching into her body cavity. "How about… The two of you, there in the first row? Come on up, don't be shy."

As they came closer to her, she pulled a smooth black stone out of her body. It looked like a marble from a children's game; but in Pi's Stitchpunk hand, it was very big and heavy. And it didn't appear to be an average glass playing marble, either. It gleamed with a luster that suggested a semi-precious mineral. Maybe onyx, if they were asked to guess.

Pi held the sphere at their eye level in one hand, and waved her other hand over it.

"Gaze into the sphere of truth, and I can read your minds, your hearts, and your futures," she crooned mysteriously. Both twins leaned a little closer to the sphere and stared at it hard for a moment. To their astonishment, images actually appeared within it, as if it really were made of clear glass.

3 spoke up first, as his image came into focus. "I see… I see a throne, made of books," he said proudly.

4 had to squint to tell what her image was supposed to be; but when she figured it out, she pouted and crossed her arms, disappointed. "I see a duck."

"Interesting," Pi commented. "A confident, overachieving leader with a love of knowledge; and a quiet, peaceful creature of nature, with a love of solitude. Dear 4, what's wrong with being a duck?"

"They only come out when it rains."

"Well someone's got to be there to appreciate it. Taking your pleasure from what others take for granted—that's one of the greatest things you can do, you know."

4 supposed that was correct, and very wise. Maybe they had all been wrong about Pi, after all…

"Now that we know who you are, I shall gaze into your future, and answer any questions you want. What would you like to know?"

3 raised his hand and went on without being called on. "Will I ever find a usable copy of Homer's Odyssey? The only copies we have here have been too damaged to use."

"Your clan, Pi. Will we ever meet them?"

"Oh, an excellent choice of questions. Now close your eyes and count backward from ten. I will speak the magic words, and the truth will be revealed."

The twins clenched their eyes shut and began to count, unable to see the sly smirk on Pi's face. Over their counting in unison, they heard Pi whispering her magic words. They were strange-sounding and guttural, nothing like the simple abracadabra, or hocus pocus they had been expecting. By the time they had counted down to five, they felt their heads beginning to spin a little—but they were still too focused on counting to notice it entirely.

"Five… Four… Three… Two—"

"No! Wait! Stop—STOP!"

The twin's eyes flew open at the familiar voice, screaming at the top of its lungs. Instead of seeing Pi's round, adorable face, they were staring at a white back striped with bands of black, the sixth digit engraved in black ink between his shoulders.

4 breathed a great sigh of relief. 6 was back—the truth would be revealed, indeed.

He stood like a defense tower between the twins and Pi, his arms stretched out like a wall to shield his friends. They couldn't see his face, though they imagined that it must have been wild with fear for them, and maybe even… anger. Pi seemed to have jumped back and tripped over something, for she was in a very shocked-looking heap on the floor amid the other various things there. She held the onyx sphere close to her body, as if trying to protect it from 6 and his firry stare.

For a long, frightening minute, there was silence. Just long enough for it to be established—6 was in charge, here. Pi was a stranger with no business being in the globe, alone with the twins. And now she had to answer to him.

"Get out," he said finally, his tone low and gentle as always, but firm and almost commanding.

"But, but I just—"

"Get out," he repeated, his tone much shorter than before, and threatening to rise if she didn't get up and leave. Right now. Damn it.

Pi took the hint, picked herself up, and walked away toward the exit, looking confused and kind of peeved. 6 orbited the twins, keeping himself between them and her until she had gone, never taking his eyes off her. When she had finally left, he turned to face them with a sad, disappointed face.

"You… You didn't listen to me," he commented quietly. "…Why?"

4 felt sick to her mechanical stomach; she thought she might even cry. He had tried to keep them safe, but they had ignored him yet again, and walked headlong into danger they might have avoided. If only they could have trusted him this time. On her right, 3 was just as horrified with himself. And after all that talk about taking care of his little sister, keeping her safe from bad things, looking out for her when she was scared. He had put himself in harm's way and dragged her right along, even when she had tried to tell him something wasn't right. Some big brother he was.

Failures. They were complete and utter failures. But at least they were safe, now. They fell into 6's snuggly arms, burying their faces in his shoulders, and beginning to cry a little. But he put his arms around them and held them close; 4 felt his delicate fingers as they stroked the back of her head comfortingly. He felt every inch as shaken as they were.

"I was afraid," he said plainly, starting to rock them—as much for his own comfort as for theirs. "I thought I was too late. I thought she was… Taking you away."

That was an interesting way to put it—they had no idea here he thought she was trying to take them. But what did it matter anymore? She had tried to do something to them. And 6 had stopped her. He had probably just saved their lives. As awful as they felt for not listening to him, they were overwhelmingly relieved that he had come to their rescue.

"We're sorry, 6," 4 sobbed into his shoulder. "I don't' know what she did to us."

"Aw… It's okay," he said in his blank but reassuring way. "She can't come back in here. Not while I'm here. I'll keep you safe. I'll keep you safe."

4 didn't doubt that for a second. She snuggled deeper into his shoulder, feeling safer than ever; his embrace tightened around them both, but it felt like he was making a point of holding her tighter than her twin. It was the closest they had ever been, and certainly the most tender moment they had ever shared. She kind of hoped that the moment would never end…

Then 3 suddenly raised his head and said, "Hey, you guys, let's get out of here. Let's all go outside, where she can't follow us. I don't want to be in here with her anymore!"

6 nodded earnestly. "Yeah. That sounds good," he agreed, and let 3 skitter out from under his arm, toward the exit. He and 4 turned to follow the boy out, but she stopped him short.

"Thank you for coming back."

He looked at her as if she had said something ridiculous. "But… Of course I came back. You were here."

Her little heart dissolved. That was the dearest thing anyone had ever said to her. She couldn't help herself, let alone stop herself from tilting her head up and kissing him gently on the cheek. Just like she had planned.

"Don't leave us again, 6. Don't leave me again."

His googley eyes were wide with wonder, and a nervous, sheepish smile slowly spread over his face.

"…Okay. I won't."