4's Abduction
Stranger in the Dark
Little 4 awoke to darkness. Her mind was a scramble of mismatched memories and burred visions. The last clear memory she could recall was reaching out to her brother by the shores of the lake. She felt the force of his hand, but could not grasp it. No matter how much they screamed or how fast her optics flickered no one came to her rescue. Then she was enveloped by the water. She went back into her memory bank to search through the images she had taken in hopes to piece together what happened. But the images of murky water and the flashed of ripples were what she recalled most; then the silhouette of several faces surrounding her; before darkness ensued. She wondered if somehow she was back with the others and pawed around in the shadows that surrounded her. If they were at a camp 3 wouldn't be too far away. They were never too far apart. Her little brass fingers felt around to find the ground beneath her was soft and consisted of a multitude of fibers woven and interwoven together to create soft bedding for her. Her eyes flickered in the darkness, hoping the flash would illuminate her surroundings.
The images that were revealed to her were the glares of dark metal walls that surrounded her. No windows or cracks to let sun or moonlight in to scare away the shadows. The space was vast, and the beneath her appeared to be some sort of quilt or woven blanket. But there was no one else in this strange place. Neither her father figure 9, her mother guardian 7, and worse no 3. In the barren wasteland those were the only signs of life she had known after the great battle against the BRAIN. But then again, who were the silhouettes she had in her memory? Were they real? Or were they the product of a frightened mind looking for hope through the ordeal. She had considered the event at the lake to be a dream, as her cloth skin and frame were still dry, though it failed to explain how she ended up in such a place.
She forced herself up to her feet and ventured through the darkness for a way out, though it was difficult to navigate by single flash images. She ended up relying on her sense of touch to move around. The eerie silence frightened her.
"I see thou hast awakened my child." A voice suddenly whispered in the darkness.
4 jumped in fright and stumbled on the unstable fabric terrain. She landed on her back on the soft ground but quickly scrambled to get back up and look around. Her eyes soon spotted in the distance, or what seemed to be a distance, was a small glowing light that neared her. The air around the tiny glow was steadily growing thick with an unusual substance. If the fabric dolls had a sense of smell they would identify the fragrance of aromatic incense that filled the empty chamber.
She flicked her eyes to make out the figure of a tall being, the frame of which was not too unfamiliar with her own. Was it 9?
In the dim light the shadowy figure set down a small plate of ceramic that held the smoldering light, "Come hither little one. Do not be frightened." The voice was gentle and calm in the darkness. Yet the smaller Stitchpunk was wary. It was neither 9, 7, nor her brother. This was a most unexpected find. For once she was glad of the darkness, for she snuck around where she sensed the stranger was by the tiny light in hopes to get a better look without being seen. The stranger in the dark had a similar design. She caught glimpses of metal hands like hers, stitches on the arms and legs, and a large patch across the chest and abdomen. But the face was still concealed in the shadows. Slowly she inched closer.
"I see that ye is troubled, but know that you are safe and I mean no ill." The stranger said softly.
4 wanted to ask where she was, but could not utter the sound. Instead she inched closer to the only other presence in the room. When she was closer to the light she felt copper fingers reach out through the darkness and touch her hood. She flinched, but did not move away.
"If thou hast any sound or use of voice, speak to me." the stranger then asked.
With the hand still on her hood she shook her head.
The tiny light nearly vanished under its own fuel. The stranger pulled her hand from the small doll, reached out to the light and tapped at the plate. The light quickly came back from beneath a layer of ash.
4 shifted closer to the light, and the stranger, who laid a gentle hand back on her head.
"Night has fallen through yonder walls, and in a mask of darkness the moon hides her face." The stranger said to answer her unspoken question.
4 soon found herself slipping closer to the stranger, finding comfort in the presence of the other conscious being. "What is thy name little one?" she soon heard the voice say to her. In response she reached a hand out to the plate where the light rested. Lightly, she tapped a careful finger the plate four times.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Four? Is that your name?"
She nodded her head grimly and leaned in closely against the visitor who gently stroked her back and hood.
"I am called E." The stranger replied. "And like you little sister, we are the few living beings, in this dormant land." E encouraged 4 to curl up beside her and their tiny light. "Now sleep little one. For the search for truth will arise with the morning sun. Till then, rest."
Now we know 4 is safe, for now...
I don't own 9 or the Shakespearean quotes you see.
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