4's Abduction
Part 8
Not Just A Pretty Face
"But E said we can trust them." 'B' said to her sister. They stood a little distance away so their guests couldn't overhear their conversation.
"She's never even met these… people." 'A' stated, "We don't know where they come from or even WHO made them. We shouldn't trust them until we know for certain."
"She said that there were others like us that needed to be found. And we did." 'B' protested nervously, rubbing her ungloved hands against each other and held close to her frame.
'A' sighed and folded her arms across her chest. The extra folds of fabric made her look like a right-side-up bat. In her mind she thought over what their other sister said before they left for their patrol. 'E' said a lot of strange things. In fact, there was rarely a time that she said anything that WASN'T unusual. But so far she was right this time. They did manage to find other living creatures like themselves. Varying slightly in design but the concept was the same. It was too strange to be a coincidence. Still she could not bring herself to extent trust to these outsiders. Not yet...
'A' suddenly sensed that something wasn't right. A haunting scuffling sound was heard from the ruins around them. She quickly turned to her sister, "Glove up. We're going to have company…"
'B' did not argue and headed inside to retrieve her bladed hands.
The elder sister raced out from the camp to patrol the area.
9 looked around to his friends who hugged him tightly. His soul was relieved to see that they were alright and safe. It was hard for him to believe that not too long ago in his mind he thought that it was all over for them.
7 slipped her arms from his neck and took his arm tightly. "I thought we lost you…" she whispered.
9 smiled happily to her, "I will never leave you."
3 soon pulled away and scanned over 9 quickly to see that he was truly alright. Searching anxiously for the slightest tear or damage from their rough water ride.
He chuckled and rubbed the twin's hood, "I'm fine 3, really." He then glanced over his shoulder to see the two sisters who had rescued them from their watery fate.
7 noticed his glance to them, "I can't believe there are more of us out here."
"Me too." He smiled at her, "I wonder how many others there could be."
"I only hope they can help us find 4." She sighed
9 nodded in agreement. "We will find her."
Suddenly he felt a sudden twinge of absence and looked back to see that the sisters who helped them were not to be seen. 7 seemed to notice his uneasiness and glanced around. A familiar sensation came over her. A feeling she had grown used to when she hunted the Cat Beast. "We should find cover..."
He nodded and grabbed 3 while they headed back where he woke up. It was in fact a busted open wood stove cast in iron. The door had been blown or ripped off when it was tossed out here during the war.
'B' was there to meet them, armed and ready, "Get inside." She ushered them quickly, "Use the table to block the entrance." She instructed as she headed outside.
"Wait! Where are you going?" 9 asked worriedly. Surely this little doll was not going to face what was coming alone? Not like 2.
"Stay inside and keep quiet." She said sternly, then smiled, "Don't worry about me."
7 stepped closer to the smaller doll, "We can fight."
'B' smirked, "Get inside or I'll hug you." She said as she clicked the fingers of her now bladed hands.
9 wrapped an arm around 7 and dragged her back inside. Together they lifted up the cutting board table and propped it against the entrance to block it. Though there were still gaps and cracks along the edges. Worried the three of them huddled around these 'windows' to see what was going on.
The part of the Emptiness open to them was still and held only ruins. There were no signs of either doll, or what caused the commotion.
Just then, crawling about the ground came a mechanical beetle with a several glowing red eyes.
9 immediately recognized it as one of many drones that chased them in the domain of the machine, B.R.A.I.N. This one must have escaped when the factory exploded and wondered all the way here. Wherever HERE is.
7 wished she still had her weapon with her to dispatch the machine, but all she could do now was calm 3 who held his arms around her waist tightly. She glanced out a crack in the wall to see her bird skull helmet lying on the ground. It was a little cracked but still in good shape.
The mechanical beast skittered around the ground. Its metallic pinchers pinched about the dust for traces of whatever it could be looking for. It paused as it picked up a loose strand of fabric. Burlap. The beetle then excitedly scanned the area quickly in search of the source.
Curiosity taking over his fear 3 leaned himself toward an open crack to see for himself what was out there. He noticed the glowing eyes turn toward the stove where they were hiding and duck closer to 7. His foot slipped on the ash covered floor and knocked over the stack of thimbles close by. The sound was faint, but enough to catch the machine's attention.
With a crackling screech the beetle stormed toward the stove.
The three Stitchpunks quickly braced themselves against the door, their only defense.
Just before it could reach the wooden door something jumped onto its back. Four steel blades drove deep into its body, severing several circuits and wires.
The others heard the clashing of metal and glanced back to the windows to see 'B' riding on the machine's back! She was slashing her clawed gloves at the monster, sending sparks flying everywhere. The machine reared up and tried reach her with its front tentacles. But 'B' swung her head at them, causing the blades on her wired cone on her head to spin and slice the invading pinchers.
7 watched with envy in her eyes. How she longed to be in battle again.
'B' sliced at the machine until its eyes dimmed and the body fell limp on the ground. She pulled herself from the creature and looked around for any more. She then scanned the skies. Where there was one, there was bound to be more.
'A' waved at her from her post on top of a tall tower of brick.
'B' read her movements carefully. There were three more coming, plus and air ship. They had to leave this place immediately! One machine they could handle, but not an army. Quickly 'B' hurried to the stove and looked through the crack to see the three newcomers. "We have to get out of here. Come on."
They pulled down the cutting board from the entrance and hurried out.
"We can lose them by the river. It should also lead us back to home base." She said to them as she checked to see everyone made it out.
The four Stitchpunks then hurried over the uneven ground toward the river.
Along the way 7 grabbed up her bird skull helmet and a scalpel. Now she felt ready to take on any monster. But first she had to get her family to safety. She gasped as she glanced over her shoulder to see one of the floating air machines moving steadily toward them.
The four them soon reached the water where a much sturdier raft was tied and ready for them
The airship rattled in mid-flight and shot out a spear toward the escaping dolls.
Quickly calculating in his mind 3 saw that the spear was going to strike 'B'. Without a moment to hesitate he raced and pushed her out of the way. The spear missed her but it became caught in his 'tail-like' pouch that hung down his back.
The machine rumbled as it pulled back its wired harpoon, carrying its catch with up in the air.
"3 no!" 7 screamed at the sight of him being taken up in the air by the floating monster. Her heart momentarily stopped at the thought of losing both of the twins. She looked around anxiously for something to stop the air machine.
Her eyes soon spotted 'A' racing up a steel metal ramp and spread her arms back, the extra folds of fabric on her side pillowed behind her. She gasped when she saw the Stitchpunk leap off from the cliff. The fabric folds billowed and spread around her. From her arms emerged wide wings and the doll was taken upward into the sky.
'A' flapped her wings to gain altitude and flew toward the air monster that held 3. Once high enough she swooped down to the struggling doll.
3 struggled against the machine's grasp. He reached his arms up in hopes to free himself from the harpoon. Unwillingly he looked down to the ground growing smaller and smaller beneath him. Immediately he held onto his snared 'tail' even more tightly. He forced his eyes upward when he saw another flying creature moving toward him. His optics grew wide when he suddenly recognized the flying creature to be 'A'. His optics flickered at her curiously.
She flew in closely and grabbed the cable that snared him. Carefully she slid down to where the steel point entered the soft fabric. She grabbed his hood and pulled him upward. "Hold onto me. I'm going to get you lose."
3 nodded and grabbed onto her ankles. When he reached for them his eyes stared further up to the flying beast. At the end of the retracting cable was a rusted cage with a bladed door snapping hungrily.
'A' worked at the spear to maneuver it from the cloth. The moment he was free the winged Stitchpunk jumped away from the line just as the last of the cable was swallowed into the cage, barely missing them. Briefly glancing to her cargo holding onto her 'A' swooped down away from the beast. The added weight of the smaller doll made flying much slower and more difficult to maintain altitude. She had no choice but to go steady with the wind until they were on the ground.
Meanwhile back on the ground the remaining three dolls were locked in close combat against three other land machines. 'B' and 7 blade to blade against two of the machines while 9 struggled to keep the remaining one away with a sewing needle.
7 dove beneath a machine and drove her scalpel into the wiry underbelly of the beast. Sparks rained down over her as the beast screeched and wiggled about. She pushed it over onto its side and brushed off the sparks to keep them from igniting her skin. Most of them had bounced off her helmet.
'B' smirked when she glanced to the new female doll. 'She's an impressive warrior.' At the sight of the shifting shadows she saw that 'A' was nearing them again, and had recovered the hostage. "Everyone into the boat! Now!"
9 and 7 turned and followed her back to the boat again.
'A' flew in low and dropped 3 onto the raft, a little unraveled but otherwise unharmed.
The shaken doll shifted on the boat and held onto 9 tightly when the others climbed aboard.
The 'adult' male hugged the twin tightly in return and rubbed his hood, "It's ok now 3. You're safe."
'B' was the last one onto the boat and slashed her claws at the rope holding it before the machines could reach the shore.
The boat drifted away from the two remaining land machines, but there was still the flying blimp to contend with.
"B!" 'A' called from above. "Toss me one of you blades."
She nodded and loosened one of the blades that swerved around her head. She tossed it high in the air where her sister caught it in mid flight.
The others watched from the river while the airborne doll flew back to the flying machine and land atop of the billowy balloon. The sound of hot air escaping reached the boat as 'A' slid down the side, dragging the knife down to create a large hole before flying away.
Like a torn party balloon the aerial invader flew wildly across the sky before crashing in the Emptiness.
'A' fluttered her wings as she descended back down to the boat, landing at the edge of the raft. With a tired sigh 'A' handed 'B' back her blade.
9 looked between the two sisters with widened eyes. They were remarkable!
3, exhausted from the sudden scare nestled himself between 9 and 7 for safety.
'A' in turn looked over the newcomers. From the air she had witnessed the little one's bravery in saving her sister, and the pale one's cunning against the machines. Sighing she turned to her younger sister 'B', "We'll take them to home base. Perhaps 'E' could tell us more of these three."
'B' smiled happily.
Looks like they're impressing 'A' a bit.
Looks like some of BRAIN'S machine's survived too.
I wonder how many.
Fight scenes are NOT easy to write _