Chapter 5

Hours later 1 came down from his bed chambers up in the rafters and looked down at 7's still sleeping form. She hadn't moved from the spot and, aside from a faint hum coming from her, she looked dead. He climbed down to her and sat on the beam where she lay, watching her sleep.

7 actually was awake but she didn't want to get up, Waking up meant having to deal with 1 and his constant ramblings. She didn't want to go through that again and kept her optic closed, pretending to be asleep.

1, eventually growing impatient, reached out and ran a hand slowly over her side to wake her.

She hissed and jerked away, not wanting him to touch her. She glared at him over her shoulder but all he did was stare at her silently.

She sat up quickly, shooting him a glare. "What?"

He frowned and turned away,.

She made a face and also turned away, laying down again. When she did so he reached over and started stroking her back as if she'd given him an invitation to do so.

"Don't touch me," she growled.

He suddenly grabbed a few wires, giving them a soft yank.

She yelped in pain, sitting back up and facing him. "Stop that!" she shouted, slapping his hand away.

"You stop first." he shot back.

"Stop what?" she growled at him. "I was trying to sleep, or am I not allowed to even do that!"

"I am trying to be nice," he replied, basically ignoring her question.

"By touching me?"

'I wasn't touching you," he told her.

"Yes, you were!" she knew what he was doing. She'd felt it.

"I was trying to be nice," he repeated himself.

Bull, she thought, folding her arms. "Just keep your hands to yourself."

He glared at her now, beginning to lose patience and his temper. "I'll touch you if I want to touch you!"

"If you want to keep your hands, you won't," she shot back.

"If you try anything I'll tie you-"

"Don't give me a reason to then!" she cut him off heatedly.

He smirked. "I might-"

She slapped him hard across the face before he could finish his sentence.

He held his face, growling.

She stared him down a moment then stood up. "I'm not going to deal with this today." she jumped down from the beam, landing catlike on the ground.

1 watched her and grinned. "Wait."

7 paused, hearing the order. She looked up at him, frowning in anger.

He smirked. "Come back."

She didn't have a choice. The female stitchpunk moved back to the beam and climbed the rafter, muttering curses against him.

He heard her and frowned. "Now, now... be nice," he said condescendingly.

1 expected her to be nice? Maybe he should try being nice to her first. So far all he'd done was abuse her. However she stopped grumbling, reaching the beam and sitting down with her arms folded, making a face.

He faced her now. 'Tell me," he said, sitting down beside her. "Why do you reject me still?"

"You're so smart, you figure it out," she snapped at him.

"I am trying," he responded, looking at her carefully.

"Good." she said heatedly. "That should keep you busy for awhile." she turned her back on him.

"No." he said, scowling. "Look at me."

That was the last thing she wanted to do but she had no choice. She turned back. "What?" she snapped. "You undressing me with your eyes or something?" that question made no sense since they were technically naked anyway.

He turned away.

"Oh, so you make me look at you then you decide to turn from me?" she growled, rolling her optic. What a jerk. It was like he'd only wanted to be sure he had to last word.

He growled at her.

She was growing tired of that. "Stop it!" You sound like a cat beast!"

"Fine!"

She flinched a little. every time he'd said that word to her something bad happened. "So what are you going to rip out of me now?"

"Don't tempt me," he snarled at her.

"Then stop acting like you think you're better than me!" It was a perfectly legitimate request.

1 changed the subject suddenly. "What do I need to do for you to accept me?" he asked.

There he went again. Why couldn't he just let it go and realize she wasn't interested? "Stop being an abusive, bossy, thoughtless, control freak for one," she replied.

"I'll try to," he said, glancing back at her.

"Good." inwardly she smiled, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep that promise.

He pulled away from her, seemingly not wanting to be near her anymore.

She looked away from him. "May I get down now?" she asked in a syrupy sweet voice.

"If you want." he sounded like he didn't care what she did anymore.

Good for him. She slid off the beam and landed on the ground, beginning to walk off. Maybe now she'd be able to get things done. She looked down and started to collect spare parts, intent on fashioning herself a new weapon. This time she'd be prepared if he tried anything on her.

1 stayed on the beam, watching her from above like a bird of prey.

7 could feel his optics boring into her back as she moved out. She kept walking, pretending she didn't notice until she eventually found a place out of his field of vision. She then sat down and began working on her new weapon.

1 shifted a bit in the rafters, moving until he found her again. He sat down to watch, frowning when he saw what she was doing. "Backstabbing is not nice, 7," he said coldly.

The female stitchpunk didn't even look up. She figured he'd find her again. "Neither is taking people against their will," she replied calmly.

"Put those things away." he ordered.

She frowned. "You're doing it again."

"Please." he sounded like he was mocking her.

She sighed and threw the item away. So much for that.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Is leaving me alone that much of a chore you for?" she snapped up at him.

"Yes, it is," he confirmed.

"Well try," she retorted, standing up. This was getting ridiculous. She walked further away because she could.

1 looked away from her and moved into the shadows.

7 ignored him, walking around the room as far as the wires in her back allowed her, picking up random objects, looking them over, then throwing them away. Eventually she found a sharp piece of metal on the ground. She looked up to make sure 1 wasn't watching then picked it up and stuffed it inside herself. It could come in handy later.

The male stitchpunk didn't bother to look at her for a long time, he seemed to have lost interest in her all together.

7 looked up at the shadows for a moment then sighed in relief and looked away from him, going back to exploring the area. Eventually she came upon a familiar broken birdcage. She paused, looking it over, running a hand over it, thoughtfully. At one point in her life she'd been held in that cage by the Cat Beast as well as someone she considered a father figure. "2..." she whispered, resting her head on the bars. How she missed him.

Now 1 seemed to have regained his interest in her. He moved out of the shadows and watched her, reading her body language. What was she doing anyway? "2, isn't dead." he stated suddenly.

The female stitchpunk heard him and frowned. Of course he wasn't dead. She straightened up, moving away from the cage. It no longer interested her so she left it behind.

"Seven," 1 said quietly as he watched her. "Listen to me."

What was he going on about now? "I know he's not dead!" she snapped, looking up at him.

"Seven!" he growled at her."What do you want now?" she shouted at him angrily. "I said I know he's not dead!"

"But he's not with you anymore," he told her.

Of course not. She was there and 2 was at home. "I already know that," she said patiently.

He grinned at her. "He's with me..."

What? No, he had to be lying. He was at home with the others, he had to be... she turned away, deciding to ignore him. It was a lie. "If he's here with you then where is he?" she challenged. "Because I don't see him."

1 grinned at her, showing off his sharp teeth. "He's right behind you."

What? She spun around and found the Seamstress looming over her. The female stitchpunk cursed under her breath and backed away from it.

1 smiled, seemingly amused by her reaction. "Don't be scared," he said. "it's just 2."

She looked up at him, angry. "That's not 2!"

He seemed to be enjoying making her miserable. "Look closer.."

She didn't want to, she was afraid of what she would find if she did.

1 folded his arms. "I said look, please."

She looked, even though she really didn't want to.

The Seamstress ad moved. Her tail faced 7 now and... 2 was gazing at her with empty eyes, mouth sewn shut. He leaned forward limply. He looked as if he was a corpse.

She stared at him for the longest time then turned to 1, optics flashing in anger. "How could you!" she screamed up at him. "He was your brother!"

"This is why I did it in the first place."

"You killed him!" she shouted at him, more hurt than angry. He'd practically destroyed one of her closest friends. "He was your brother and you killed him! You destroyed everything good about him!"

"Not true," he protested calmly. "he is less of a nuisance now."

Something inside her seemed to snap. 7 rushed to the wall and climbed up a beam to get to where he was. Once she reached it she jumped on top of him, pinning him down. She began to pummel him with both fists screaming. "You monster! You heartless, thoughtless, uncaring beast!"

He grinned at her, completely unfazed by her hits. "You're so pretty when you're mad."

She growled, grabbing him by his front and pulling him toward her. "He's your brother! How could you do that to your own brother?"

He just kept on grinning madly. "Your word won't change it." Below there was a rustling.

She let him go and got up, thoroughly disgusted with him and his uncaring attitude. She turned away, moving as far away from him as was possible. "I hate you."

He merely smiled at her with that stupid grin on his face.

She glared at him. How could he smile that that after what he's done. "I hate you!" she screamed into his face. "I wish you would die!"

"Seven...," he said softly. "I am dead."

"Then this won't hurt!" she shouted rushing at him and taking the piece of metal out of her seam. She lashed out with it, severing some of the wires coming out of him. Hurting her was one thing but hurting 2 was unforgivable.

1 gasped in pain when he felt two of the wires snap. He grabbed her wrist, wrestling to piece of metal out of her hand. He threw it away and grabbed her other arm, pinning both behind her back even as she struggled, kicking at him and screaming hysterically. "Let me go! Let me go, you heartless monster!"

He growled and brutally pulled her arms out of their socks, kicking her down off the beam.

The female stitchpunk fell over, hitting the ground hard, gritting her teeth it pain, her arms hanging uselessly at her sides. If stitchpunks could cry she would have done so at that moment but since she couldn't she curled up, burying her face in her knees.

A soft rustling noise drew closer to her.

She was in no mood to deal with anything else and didn't look up. "Just go away," she hissed, thinking it was 1 climbing down from his perch to gloat. "Leave me alone."

But the person wasn't 1. She didn't feel like looking at whoever it was, not in the mood she was in. But the person wouldn't go away so she finally did. "WHAT?"

2 was staring at her.

She scrambled away the best she could without using her arms. The Seamstress, who was behind her, pushed her back into place. She looked away, knowing what happened if she stared at him directly. "Go away!"

2 did not move. He just continued to stare at her without a word.

"Didn't you hear me?" she snapped at him, wanting to just get away. "I said go away"

2 didn't obey, drawing closer.

7 kept her face turned away from him, not wanting him to use hypnosis on her. She didn't want to be made even more helpless than she already was.

2 gentler grabbed her chin and pulled her head forward, making her look at him. She closed her optics just as he began to flash his optics. She was not going to let it happen.

1 seemed to have other plans, though. From above he shouted. "Look at 2!"

She flinched. Was he crazy? that was the last thing she wanted to do!

"Do it!" he called to her.

She did as she was told, bracing herself and found 2 staring impassively at her. She frowned. "2?" Maybe he wasn't going to do it after all.

His optics began to flash again.

She flinched, wishing she could shut her optic. Why was 1 making this happen to her? Did he really think this was out of love? No one did these things to people they loved.

2 seemed to be smiling at her.

"2..." she said in a somewhat far away voice as it began to affect her.

He stopped.

"Why?" she asked.

He blinked and looked up at 1.

She blinked a moment to regain her senses then looked up as well. He wans;t there but she knew he was watching. "He made you do it?"

He nodded.

"No..." she didn't want to believe that. Why would he even do what 1 said in the first place?

Suddenly he pushed her around she she found herself staring at 1. She glared hatefully at him, angry at what he'd done to her and 2 and he'd made the kindly stitchpunk do to her. 2 gripped her shoulders and she felt them quivering slightly as if he was afraid. She shook her head. He pushed her forward.

He wasn't- She started kicking out, screaming. "No!"

2 gave a hiss as the Seamstress moved forward. She screamed as the beast slashed brutally at her body. She heard fabric tearing and then a loud snap and her entire lower body went numb.

Upon her scream 1 put up a hand. "Enough."

7 panted, her whole body hurting. She wished she was dead. 1 was using one of her closest friends to punish her.

The Seamstress pulled away from her. 2 reached down and held 7 up. Her head slumped down, too weary to hold it up. The older stitchpunk lifted it himself so she could look at 1. She refused to look at him, she was tired of seeing his face.

But 1 obviously wasn't tired of her doing so. "Look at me," he ordered.

She did so without a word.

He grinned. "Did I hear a snap?"

She didn't reply, choosing to simply glare at him.,

"Did I?" he prompted.

"Shut up," she growled.

"I think I did," he smirked.

"What do you care?" she growled. Was he going to gloat that he'd not only dislocated her arms but broken her spine as well, leaving her helpless?

"I just do," he replied.

"You broke my back, happy now?" she shouted. "Do you enjoy breaking me? You going to break my neck next time?"

He stared down at her and made a rude noise. "Get out of my sight."

How did he expect her to do that? "I can't move," she reminded him.

"Yes, you can."

"You dislocated my arms and broke my back reminded him. "I can't walk or even crawl away. Don't tell me I can move."

"There are always ways," he retorted..

"You do it then!"

"No."

"Well then I guess I'm stuck here."

"Your fault."

Her fault? It was not her fault! He was the one who'd done this horrible thing to her! She hissed a stream of curses at him. He laughed at her.

She gritted her teeth, hating his laugh. "If you want me to go away so badly tell your zombie brother to move me!"

"No."

She sighed, realizing she wouldn't make him change his mind.

He stared at her for the longest time then asked. "Seven, what are you connected to?"

Why was he asking such an odd questions? "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Tell me."

"This stupid machine," he growled. 'Happy?"

"Yes," he replied. "Now you can make it move. Think."

She frowned. Why did he suggest that? She didn't want to make that machine move. She wanted to regain her own movement so she could kill him.

"Do it," he snapped.

The female stitchpunk obeyed, though she had no idea what he wanted her to do. Above her one of the arms moved and descended down toward her. When she saw it she flinched, not wanting to to go near her.

It stopped.

She stared at it a moment. had it moved because she wanted it to? In her mind she kept saying "Help me." But now it wasn't moving at all. It just slumped down limply.

7 glared at it. Why wasn't it moving? She wanted it to and now it wouldn't. "Do something, you stupid thing!" she shouted.

At her command it came back to life and moved down toward her, picking her up gently. She sighed, realizing it was doing what she wanted it to do. "Get me out of here," she told it.

The hand lifted her up and carried her away from 1 and 2. Right now she couldn't stand the sight of either. She didn't even want to look at them.