Title: His mission
After The BRAIN is destroyed, the world begins to settle once more, everything heals and life begins to grow. One of the fallen gets a second chance to revive what was lost in battle. But can he succeed?
I Still Own Nothing!
_-_-_Part 8: Alive_-_-_
5 groaned. His head felt like it was going to explode. Moving a hand up, he pressed it against his head and rubbed softly. He didn't know what could have possible hit him hard enough for him to be in such pain right now.
Sitting up he had to lean on his free arm otherwise he might have fallen over. His optic was still shut tight as he shook his head as if to try to shake the pain away. After a few moments he finally opened his eye and looked around.
He was back inside of the cathedral, and lying on what looked like a makeshift bed in the corner of the burnt down room. He blinked and noticed the cylinder which was next to the 'bed'. It was still intact but had deep dents and minor damage to the straps with a few tears here and there.
He suddenly remembered what had happened and he felt as if his gears had stopped working. He skimmed over the room quickly, trying to find 1's body. He used himself as a shield to protect the other from harm. 5 didn't care if he himself got hurt. He already had defects, a few more wouldn't hurt. But if 1's body was injured then it could prevent him from being revived.
Looking farther around the room he thought he spotted the others body and got up to try and see. His legs were still wobbly from the trauma of the falling stones and he fell to his knees in front of the bed. Grasping his hip he lifted his hand to see the tear that he got from tripping over the fallen body. From what had just happened the tear had gotten bigger and he could see into his inner workings.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his back and he turned around to see what was touching him. And he was surprised to see 7 kneeling beside him, a hand on his back to support him.
"7?!" What are you doing here?" He gasped and looked at her before she helped to pull him into a standing position before putting him to sit on the bed.
"6 came to us…he said 1 sent him because you needed help…which felt a little weird if you know what I mean." She said as she moved to get some sewing equipment from the cylinder.
"6 coming to get you and talking without cryptic messages or 1 sending him…" He asked as he reached for the needle and thread to sew his hip up. Thinking about what he just said he looked to the other. "Did…1 really send 6 for help…for me?"
7 nodded and moved to check on the twins, who he had just noticed were sleeping on a pile of soft material close by. "Looks like it…that's why I said it was weird. 1 would never do anything like this…maybe he really just wants to be brought back."
5 knew that couldn't have been it. 1 thought being brought back was unnatural. There was no way he would have sent for help in that situation unless he actually worried over him. He couldn't ponder his thoughts much longer as 3 stirred in his sleep before his optics clicked open. Looking to 5 he got up and moved to him; eyes flickering as he examined his wound.
Chuckling 5 put his hand on the others shoulder and pat it softly. "I'm ok…" He smiled and watched as 4 started to blink as she woke up and ran to him; examining him as her brother had done just moments before.
"They were the ones who found you. When I got here they were standing near the pile of rocks you were under. I'm guessing that after 6 was sent out they knew something was wrong. I think they were trying to uncover you, but some of the rocks were too heavy for them to lift on their own." She said moving away so she could move the things that the twins were sleeping on.
He looked down at the two older stitchpunks and blinked, it was just now that he noticed that they were covered somewhat with mud and dirt. Smiling at the two he rubbed their heads. "Thank you…both of you" He said and chuckled as they looked to each other before hugging him. Content that the other was indeed alright, they soon ran off to leave 5 and 7 alone. The concern of the two made 5 remember the other soul. "Where is 6 anyway?"
Shrugging 7 moved to sit next to 5 as he started to sew himself up. "Not sure…He was with me as I came from the other building but after that he seemed to disappear…"
5 understood. Knowing the artist would most likely be tracing some pictures somewhere like how he found him when he first arrived. He looked down and away as he pulled the needle through the frayed and open burlap, wincing every time that he had to drive the needle in. He would never really get used to doing this to himself. Usually 2 sewed up any damage to his burlap skin, and his mentor had a way of helping him that made it pain free. He had no idea how he did but it was always the same.
7 watched 5 as he fixed himself and put a hand onto his shoulder as he worked. 5 paused a moment and looked into her optics. Giving her a weak smile she nodded and got up. He was happy that she was here, if it wasn't for her, he would probably still be under all that broken rubble.
After he finished he stood up, using the bed to support him as he moved his leg around to make sure there wouldn't be any weak spots around the newly repaired material. Moving to the cylinder he opened it and put the needle away.
"9 is still at the old building?" he asked before moving back to the other.
"Yeah…He stayed behind. He said that with the others coming back he would have to arrange more space for everyone…" Smiling she looked at 5 and covered her mouth as if she was telling a secret. "…I think he just didn't want to deal with 1 yet."
5 chuckled and nodded in agreement, knowing that the ninth stitchpunk and the first rarely got along. Thinking of 1 made him remember the reason he was in pain. "Is 1's body alright? I didn't get to see how it was after that thing collapsed…"
Thinking, she got up and moved around a pile of wood and came back carrying 1's lifeless body. "He was pretty banged up…but hopefully not from any new damage...I don't really remember if this damage was from now or when we laid him in the emptiness."
Looking over the body he shook his head and let out a relieved sigh. "Nothing outside of the damage from when I first found him." He said and moved to straighten out the bed so 7 could put the body down and he could get to work.
"Are you sure you want to get to working so soon?" She asked as she moved to place the body down.
"I don't know how long a soul can live on its own…If we were dead for a year…and I only came back recently…then I can't wait around…every moment I don't work might make the difference of saving him or not."
7 understood and helped to pull the cylinder close to the bed where 5 was. He thanked her before he opened it up and pulled out some spare parts to rebuild the others hand.
"I'll leave it to you then." she said and moved away. "If you need me I'll be looking for 6 and the twins just yell out if you need anything."
Waving to her he immediately set off to work, hoping he could rebuild the other before it got too dark. From the hole in the ceiling, he could see that the sky was starting to change colors. He would have to work quickly now.
_-_-_-_
5 would have only finished the others left hand by the time it finally started to get dark. Rubbing his head he knew he had to work faster but he couldn't.
He pulled away from the other and sat on the floor next to the bed, relaxing his tired optic. He wouldn't see the faint green soul appear a few yards from him.
'Just give up…can't you see that it's not going to work?'
Looking up he saw 1 and sighed. "I'm still going to try…I have to do my job."
1 stayed still for a moment before going over to the body and looking over it. 'This whole existence is unnatural. Being brought back will do nothing but burden the group. There is no point to it. Give up'
5 shook his head and got onto his knees and turned around until he was facing the bed. Pulling out the mechanics needed to reconstruct the others leg he began to work, ignoring the other. He could tell the other was upset, but he was always so good at hiding it that he never could tell how he was truly feeling.
About an hour after he started he would be at the point of sewing the new material over the new leg. 1 was silently fuming to himself. He finished a few minutes later and turned to the other.
"It's not going to be a burden…you're a part of our group, not a burden…" 5 suddenly froze. Was that why the other was so reluctant to let him help? Turning he looked at the soul and got up. "1…we need you."
'You need nothing. You already have everything figured out. I say leave the past to die, along with all of its old fools." He said coldly and turned away from him.
Getting up, 5 moved to the other and around to his front, staring the other in the eyes even though 1 never looked directly at him.
"That's it? You think you're a fool? Anyone can tell you that…9, 7 even 6 could!" he started, anytime 1 tried to move he would just cut him off. "But we need you …Ok sure…we might not need you for anything. But your one of us…You were the first of us-"
'Exactly, that's why you should forget it. I prayed for the day that I might finally fade away from this wretched world. But then you had to come…you and your foolish ideas and plans, disrupting nature and time. Well I won't stand for it!' he said and moved to his body. Looking at it he turned away. 'This body is no longer mine. Forget about it while you can, leave the old to die in peace.'
"I can't! I feel like I should let you go…but another doesn't want to see you die again." 5 didn't notice when 1 looked at him with an odd expression, he felt it too. He expected them all to feel free without him there to rule them.
1 looked away, thinking about what on earth he was going to do. Moving to 5 he reached out a hand to pat the other on his shoulder when something forced him to stop.
He gasped to himself as he looked at his outstretched hand. What was once almost a solid looking green that made up his soul was now fading. He held up both of his hands and watched as they began to fade.
5 didn't notice that but did see that the meter attached to the cylinder was beginning to glow. He rushed to it and picked it up. He looked at the dots representing the remaining souls. He saw the one closest to him and noticed it was flickering, like a candle that was about to blow out.
He looked to 1 and noticed the other was fading away and looked to the body. He was starting to panic a bit but knew he had to try and stay calm as he tried to think of how the soul was suppose to fuse with the body.
"1, you have to get into your body now!" He said and moved to the body, looking over and holding the meter in different places to see if anything worked.
'I can't…It's not natural…' he said and looked down. Staying still as his body began to fade even more. 5 watched the elder and placed the meter onto 1's physical chest for the moment. Moving to the others soul he looked at him firmly but 1 looked away.
"Don't you want to live?" he asked and placed his hands where the other's shoulders would be if they weren't fading away.
1 looked at him and seemed to be deep in thought before he looked back at him.
'Yes.'
As soon as 1 said that, a bright green light flashed around his soul. Suddenly it faded all the way out, and then came back brighter. Soon it began to do this quickly before it finally burned out into nothing.
5 made a sound and moved to where the other's soul was just standing, looking around frantically for the other.
"1…1?!" He yelled as he felt his hands shake. Looking around for the green soul he tried to tell himself that he wasn't gone, but he couldn't see anything to prove that. Beside his sudden outburst the room was completely silent. There were no sounds, no movements…no 1.
He reached up and held his head as his whole body began to shake. His mind was telling him that the other must be here somewhere and if he just gave it a minute the elder would be back. He waited for 1; he wished he would appear anything to prove he didn't fail him.
"1…you have to be here…come back….complain…call me a fool…do something!" He yelled out and gripped his head tightly.
Suddenly there was a burst of green light from the meter resting on 1's chest. It began to glow and soon that light engulfed the others body in waves until the meter began to shake violently. After a few seconds the meter fell from the other, landing on the floor as it slowly stopped moving.
5 lifted his head and looked to the bed. The light around 1's body settled and faded before there was a small groan from the fallen stitchpunk. 5 moved to the bed and stood next to it as 1's optics began to click before they opened a crack, and soon after opened fully.
The fifth stitchpunk let out a sigh of relief and helped 1 when he saw he was trying to sit up. The elder looked at him and didn't seem to be making any attempt to refuse the help. He lifted one of his hands and moved the fingers around, and then he moved to the one that was repaired by 5. Moving he found that it was just as his old one was.
"I feel…heavy…" He stated looking straight ahead, testing his optics out to see if they were functioning properly.
Letting out a dry chuckle 5 nodded. "Y-you would…wouldn't you."
1 looked at 5 and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. "You're a fool…"
5 winced at the name and looked up to the other. His expression changed as he saw the light smile that played on 1's lips and 5 laughed a bit.
At all the commotion, 7 and the twins ran into the room to see what was going on. They had been on the bottom floor and it took them quite a bit of time to get up to the other.
7 froze when she saw 1. Putting a hand up to her chest she felt the fluttering feeling of relief. She didn't have to say anything to the other and she felt mixed feelings about it, but knew that maybe she was happy. She stood there and looked at him as 5 got up and moved to her. The twins however were so curious about this event that they ran over and began to examine 1 much like they did 9 when he first appeared in front of them.
5 smiled and let out a breath. He didn't have to say anything for 7 to know how he felt. They watched 3 and 4 as they looked over 1 and did their usual process of cataloguing, laughing as the elder didn't make any movements to push them away. 5 wouldn't say anything, but 1 even appeared to enjoy the others company, even if it was just a small unnoticeable smile here and there. He knew the other wanted to live, and now he could.
_-_-_-_-_
In the morning, the five stitchpunks left the cathedral. They were ready to leave for the scientist's building with their 'new' companion. 1's leg wouldn't be as good as it was before and the twins had to find him a stick to walk with, but 7 said that they could still get back before nightfall.
5 looked around for 6, hoping to take him back with them, but he was nowhere to be found. He looked down and watched as 1, 3, 4 and 7 started to walk off. Glancing back once more he sighed.
Turning around to run after the others, he was startled when he saw the green soul of 6 standing in front of him, playing with his fingers. He looked shyly at 5 and the fifth smiled at him before leading him to the others, as they started off together.
_-_
By late afternoon they were back; Greeted by 9 who was waiting in front of the building. The ninth stitchpunk had something in his hands and moved to 1, standing in front of him while looking down.
They stayed like that for a few minutes before 9 handed the other the folded piece of material that he was holding and 1 looked at it for a moment before he realized what it was.
1 shook his head and 9 looked to him as the elder smiled and placed a hand on 9's shoulder, nodding in acceptance.
9 smiled as they all began to make their way inside. Even 6 went up ahead with the other, though he stuck by the twins for the most part.
5 stayed behind as the others began up the stairs. Looking up at the sky he smiled. He suddenly had new hope for the others. While thinking about his mentor, he joyfully ran to the others, thinking of the eventual return of 6, 8…and 2.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Part 8 done.
EDIT!!! Thanks to TaylorRose16 for pointing out a mistake in the stitchpunks numbering ^^
Long! It's over 3000 words! A lot went on in this chapter. I found that once I started to write I just couldn't stop, I had so many ideas.
Thank you to all who have ready and reviewed! Reading the comments I'm so happy that everyone who reviewed likes it so far. You guys are my inspiration while writing. Thank you so much for reading. The next chapter will be up in a few days so I hope you'll come back and read it again. Thank you so much!