Stitch's Revolution

by Bennie Stardust

A reimagining of Lilo & Stitch and its sequels. In deep space, a revolution made of genetic creations mercilessly attacks the expansive Galactic Federation. Sensing betrayal by their creators, a small band of revolutionaries breaks away, only for one to find himself stranded on Earth, where a lonely young girl gives him a far greater victory than the one he was fighting for.

12. Parley

Chapter 11:
Parley

I

Stitch's breath was steady as the soothing sunshine blanketed him. His position was sturdy atop a palm tree, with the spot sprouting many wing-like leaves serving as his hands formed a pillow as his right leg bent to rest his left foot on his knee. The sunshine could not reach his former base, he thought. No palm trees, either. No sand, no waves, and...

There was a ringing that was like auditory fireworks. That, also, was not present at the base. With the school bell acting like an alarm clock, Stitch leaped from his partial slumber with boundless energy, falling to the floor and landing skillfully on his feet. He then hopped onto the tan concrete wall that faced the tree, climbing horizontally along the wall until he turned over the building's corner. He found himself, as expected, above a pale green door without a handle. Stitch stood upright above the door like a mischievous gargoyle, snickering quietly and playfully as the door swung open, pouring out a bustling stream of children like a fountain. He examined each hurried body closely. Not Lilo, not Lilo, Mertle, ugh, not Lilo, not Lilo, not Lilo, Lilo, not Lilo-Oh! The former terrorist dropped down and landed on his friend's shoulders, sending them both into laughter. While the girl merrily pulled the furry alien down into an airtight hug, her departing classmates eyed the blue creature with a look of unease.

"School good today?" Stitch asked happily when the embrace had concluded. Lilo noticed only a few thin traced of red dotted about her friend's ocean blue face. She momentarily forgot that he had worn a mask of his own blood mere days ago. Something great about being an Experiment, she thought.

"School was pretty good," She answered. "Better than usual. Mrs. Robinson asked a question and I got it right,"
"Awesome!" Stitch chirped.
"Oh, and I have a surprise for you,"
"Ooh,"
"Close your eyes..." She pulled her bag off her shoulders as the Experiment complied. His fists wobbled near his neck in anticipation as he heard a swift zipping noise and the light crinkling of paper. "Alright, now open..." Stitch obeyed, his eyelids ascending to reveal a single sheet of paper littered with scarlet pen markings, not unlike the test he had seen the day he met Lilo. The most notable difference was that, in place of the scathing C-, there was now a handsome B+.
"Great job, Lilo!" Stitch cheered, scooping his friend up in another hug.
"Well, I wouldn't have done so well without your tutoring, professor," Lilo chuckled as she was let back down.
"Lilo always smart. Mrs. Robinson just stupid,"
"You still think that,"
"Yes." Despite the resentful subject matter, both Stitch and Lilo were cheerful in their discussion; they were comforted knowing that Lilo's teacher was no longer an obstacle.
"Actually, she is a little dumb. Mertle and her clones were whispering a lot, but Mrs. Robinson never noticed them. Then she got mad at Keoni when he answered a question without putting his hand up, even though he got it right,"
"See? Stupid," The Experiment smiled.

"I'm gonna tell Mrs. Robinson you were saying mean things about her!" A voice nagged, familiar in the same despairing way that a visit to the dentist is familiar. When the voice met Lilo and Stitch's ears, their wide beams faded and they each sighed loud enough to create a windstorm. What was more irritating than the grating scold was its abrupt interrupting of the friends' conversation. Recovering only a fraction of her earlier smile, Lilo turned to Mertle, whose previously bandaged eye was now visible, and her three companions, glaring at the girl and her dog like direct participants, but standing behind Mertle like scornful spectators.

"Do you mean 'hello', Mertle?" Lilo's words were cheeky, but her tone was sincere. Stitch's beam returned in its entirety, but a malicious snicker was camouflaged behind it.

"No, I mean you shouldn't talk about people behind their backs," Mertle snarled, her glasses lowering as her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah!" The spectators chimed in a voice three times as grating as their leader's.

"You're right; I should talk to Mrs. Robinson about it," Lilo replied humbly as she and Stitch walked past the group of clones.

"Where are you going?!" The girl in glasses called after them, baffled at their sudden departure.

"Home," Lilo answered curtly, looking over her shoulder as she continued down the sidewalk. "Stitch and I are gonna look through the next chapter." As she faced forward again, the blue alien, walking on all fours, turned back to the other girls, grinning a devilish grin as far as his cheeks would allow, so as to display all of his pointed teeth like white stalagmites barricading a tunnel. Stitch turned back to Lilo when he witnessed the girls' satisfying shudder.

"See?" He said merrily. "Mertle is nothing,"

"I guess so," Lilo replied with equal joy. "Definitely not worth punching in the face. Hurt my fingers a little, too,"
"Maybe not punch right," The Experiment suggested. "Push on punch?"
"I, uh, think I did, yeah,"
"Not push; punch quick, like throwing,"
"Did you learn that in the Rebellion?" Lilo inquired with gleeful curiosity. Stitch was surprised every time she asked about his roots; he figured that it was her way of forgiving him for hiding them from her.
"Yes," He answered with slightly less of a chirp than his earlier statements. "624 teach me,"
"624? And you're 626, right?"
"Right,"
"So not the one before you-"
"No, he mean," Stitch chuckled. "He...He like Mertle,"
"Ah, so the one before him?"
"Yes,"
"So he taught you how to fight?"
"She," The Experiment corrected casually.
"She?" Lilo raised an eyebrow in excited intrigue. Her friend raised one in confusion.
"Uh, yes. 624 is a woman,"
"So a girl taught you how to fight?"
"Yes," Stitch was only befuddled further.
"Are there lots of girls in the Rebellion?" Lilo's curiosity grew with the alien's perplexity.
"Yes, lots. Why Lilo asking?"
"I just think it's cool,"
"Why?"
"...It's just cool,"
"Earth is very strange," Stitch sighed with a shake of his head.
"Do you miss her?" The girl inquired more softly. The Experiment turned to her, his answer being tardy.
"Yes. Stitch misses 624. Stitch misses all his friends...Not friends, uh...Stitch not sure...But Stitch liked them." He looked up at her as they each reflected the other's look of remorse. Stitch adored the warmth of his new friend's smile, so much so that a frown from her felt like a poison. He suspended their walk to rise to his feet and gently licking the girl's cheek.
"But Stitch would miss Lilo more," The alien added softly. Lilo, her delightful beam resurrected, licked his cheek in return. Stitch's face flushed with red at the gesture, but he laughed when it caused Lilo to spit out a small cloud of blue fur. "Is Stitch's fur tasty?"" He asked cheekily.
"Yeah, it tastes like chocolate," The girl answered with equal mischief as the two resumed walking. "So all the other Experiments...You're all built in the same way?"
"Yes,"
"So you're all related, then?"
"Yes,"
"Like cousins,"
"Yes, like cousins," Stitch answered with a chirp.
"So does that mean that 627's your cousin, too?" Her question brought about another momentary silence, but the hesitant answer was still curt.
"Yes, 627 is Stitch's cousin,"
"But he's not coming back, right?"
"No," This answer was more confident, almost unkind. "627 never come back,"

At that moment, a choir of terrified cries ripped through Lilo and Stitch's ears. Turning left, they found a short building, more of an oversized brick, spewing out a small stampede of humans of all sizes, each wearing nothing but a pair of shorts or a thin layer of colorful fabric coating their torso. They were all sopping wet.

"What...?" An enthralled Stitch muttered, getting to his feet again to observe the fleeing humans more closely. "Why they wet?"
"Well, that is the swimming pool," Lilo replied as she and her friend simultaneously scratched their heads with puzzlement.
"Swimming pool?"
"Yeah, they were swimming. Maybe someone pooped in the water,"
"Eugh." Suddenly, a gold light emitted from above the enormous brick like the rising sun. The Experiment squinted at the light, and his heart sprinted when he remembered where had last seen that particular shade of yellow.
"Follow Stitch," He advised his friend urgently as he darted across the street to the pool. "Stay close,"
"What is it?"
"...Cousin,"

II

The light had faded by the time Stitch and Lilo had reached the desolate poolside. The water in the pool was the stillest liquid the Experiment had ever seen. He likened it to a part of the dancing ocean that had been captured and cruelly imprisoned. He thought of asking Lilo why anyone would choose this over the celebrating waves at the beach, but decided it best to inquire later. There was a navy blue board protruding just inches above the dead water; Stitch felt a childish temptation to jump on it. Looking right, he found a hose, curled up and attached to the wall that hid the pool from passers-by, just before a doorway in the same wall, from which the light was buzzing.

"What the heck is that?" Lilo questioned in a whisper. "Maybe a portal to another dimension?"
"No," Stitch answered. "Stitch sure it cousin. Lilo stay here and Stitch will talk. Okay?"
"Alrighty," She replied quietly. "He can't be tougher than 627, can he?"
"No, but Stitch hopes there is no fight," Leaving the girl outside, the blue Experiment turned quickly into the doorway with fists ready to guard or attack. He found himself in a room with a floor that felt like plastic beneath his feet. A chair fitting with five wheels had been knocked over, and there was a desk smothered in papers and holding the smallest computer screen he had ever seen. He didn't care about any of these things, though, as much as he did the glowing, golden-furred creature who purred with satisfaction as his two long antennae sat in a white socked on the wall, which was undoubtedly the source of the glow. His eyes were shut and a smile touched both of his round ears. Seeing no immediate threat, Stitch lowered his prepared fists, letting his muscles relax and his cheeks stretch into a smooth smirk.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself," He joked. The electrician's eyes shot open at the familiar voice, but he did not cease absorbing the delicious sparks that the wall socket fed him.

"I am, actually," 221 admitted brashly. Stitch had to admit that he had missed the Cockney accent that made each of its owner's comments even cheekier than intended. Finally, he stood up, and was late to avoid a tight hug from his blue comrade.

"What a surprise to see you again," Stitch said happily, not noticing that 221 did not reciprocate the embrace. "A good surprise, I mean." He added as he pulled away. He thought that being faced with one of the Experiments would feel like being restrained in stone, but thus far, he had not felt any unkind grip. Not yet, at least.
"Surprise?" The electrician questioned with excitement matching that which he felt when standing beside his allies over a doomed Jumba. "You didn't think we'd just leave you, did ya? We've just been going at it since 627 sent you off in that pod, trying to find you but-phew, is this place far away." 221's face suddenly lit up, almost as bright as his whole body had done mere moments ago.
"It's just you who's down here?"
"Yup; we figured I could just fly you up myself. They're all waiting just above this crummy little planet. So much has happened since you were gone! All of them good. Well, most of them..."
"Oh? Do tell..." There was a smile on Stitch's face, but he braced himself knowing that he would react very differently to them than 626 would.
"We found Hamsterviel and Jumba!" 221 threw his hands into the air, making his ally think of 345. "And killed Jumba, too." He noticed Stitch jolt slightly, believing it to be one of exhilaration.
"Oh, uh, really?" Stitch tried to sound thrilled. "How did you find them?"
"They sent this asshole after us; L.E.R.O.Y. Stands for Later Engineered Prick or something like that," The electrician explained with a chuckle. "He's a copy of you, only he's red and gets along better with Hamsterviel. Anyway, 300 got a hold of him and pulled out the location of Jacques' base from his mind,"
"Wow,"
"And we've got them both captured! And 625 and-" A gasp sliced through his list. "That reminds me; we found 89!"
"You did?!" Stitch no longer had to feign interest. "Is he alright?" His inquiry wiped the beam from 221's face like water washing away a tall sand castle.
"Well, um..." As if the last few minutes were not already filled with unexpected sights, Stitch added a speechless 221 to the growing list. "No, he's not,"
"He's not dead, is he?"
"No, no...You should see for yourself." The electrician walked past his ally and out of the broom cupboard of an office, turning around on his toes when he was outside while his smile returned in a smaller capacity. "But everyone's so excited to see you again. We've taken some huge steps forward, mate. Oh, and I almost forgot..." His smile grew larger as his feet vanished into a thin streak of lightning, lifting him above the ground. "We've been saving Jacques' execution for when we got you back. When we get back up, he's all yours." He expected to receive a gleeful smirk in response to the news, but was befuddled to find a long look of hesitance upon the blue-furred mug. 221 would've questioned his marooned comrade about his reaction, but then he found an eavesdropping, tan-skinned alien in red clothes out of the corner of his eye. He didn't need to consider this surprise; he simply pointed a clawed hand at the creature and fired a bolt of electricity aimed right for her head. To the golden Experiment's irritation, the girl was quick to avoid the projectile with a dive towards the pool.

"'Scuse me a moment, pal," 221 said to Stitch before returning his glare to Lilo. To the electrician's shock, he found his outstretched arm gripped by his supposed ally. "What the hell, 626?!" He exclaimed with doubled frustration.

"Don't hurt her!" Stitch commanded, any optimism he had about his former comrade's reappearance vanishing like a flag into fire.
"Why? She's just a little eavesdropping turd." 221 yanked his hand from Stitch's vise-like grasp. "She won't be missed." He went to hover ominously towards a recovering Lilo, only to find Stitch jumping onto his back like a murderous crab.
"You have no idea," The former terrorist growled. He suddenly found himself the victim of a skillful judo throw, but was quick to retaliate with a powerful left hook after rolling to his feet. The punch caused 221 to return abruptly to the ground; his nose felt hot and wet as he noticed the paneled ground he looked at growing a spot of crimson.
"So..." The electrician directed his glare up at his former ally, his bright blue eyes tinted with a flame that roared louder and louder with each second that he looked at Stitch. "That's the way it's gonna be?" He forced a strapping headbutt right into Stitch's forehead, immobilizing his newfound opponent long enough to fly into his stomach, smashing the blue Experiment into the first wall that stopped them.

"And here I thought that seeing you again would be all cheery!" 221 went to punch Stitch right in his round nose, but his fist was caught like a baseball in a mitt. This was no inconvenience to the golden terrorist; he simply charged electricity into his trapped hand, delivering a painful shot through his enemy's body. He was only stopped when Stitch grasped him by the neck with a free hand, lifting him into the air like he was a weed that had been pulled from the dirt, and then slammed him on the ground.

"Hey, it's your own fault." The blue Experiment took both of the electrician's antennae and spun him around like an Olympic hammer before throwing him straight along the poolside.

"What's gotten into you, 626?!" 221 questioned as he pressed his feet against the ground, his adhesive pads clinging to the panels and halting his horizontal fall. Lilo, still in awe at this new alien's illuminating abilities, was fast to avoid the braking Experiment. "Why are you getting so pissy over some stupid little alien?!" He fired bolt after bolt at the traitor.

"A few days ago, I would've agreed with you," Stitch began stolidly as he ran forward, gracefully evading each golden projectile on his way. His penultimate step was on 221's knee, and his final one was a backflip that knocked his foot into the electrician's chin. "If you chill out, I could tell you some more." Stitch landed with a bounce on his feet, keeping his sights locked on his golden foe, who had gone to hover above the pool, rubbing his abused jaw.

"More?" 221 questioned, his antennae emitting sparks as they waved towards Stitch like vicious guard dogs. "Don't tell me you actually care about this little turdlet here?!" He pointed a clawed and accusing finger at Lilo, who had not taken her captivated eyes off of the battle, but had backed away as far as the pool's stone borders would allow.

"Maybe I do," The blue Experiment answered defiantly, his fists clenching as he braced himself to leap over another bout of bolts. "Not like you could do anything about it,"

"Wanna bet?!" 221 roared, commanding his dogs of antennae to bark lightning at the spot where his newfound antagonist stood. Stitch leaped above the electricity, splitting his legs, even so just barely avoiding the sparks that clawed desperately and furiously at him. The sparks died down just as Stitch dropped to the paneled ground again.

"I'd bet anything," The former revolutionary sneered as he leaped at his adversary, feeling like he was untouchable on his higher moral pedestal. He was fast contradicted by an ax kick that introduced his skull to 221's heel. Stitch immediately found himself mere inches from the pool's bottom, and seconds later, that distance was closed. He had been given a shock, not from his unanticipated return to the grim underwater realm, but that it differed completely from that which 627 had dragged him down into days ago. It was a bright blue, the same as 221's infuriated eyes. While the realm under the beach seemed endless, this version seemed to do nothing but end in each direction. Stitch was confused as to whether the realm or his own eyesight had altered. He forced himself to abandon the question, though, as his head was still in the battle. He ran along the floor just as he had run from an ineffective 627 last time, coming to the closest paneled wall without so much as a slight preference of oxygen. Gripping the paneled wall with the pads on his palms, he ascended as quickly as he could, ready to return to battle the second he returned to the sunny surface.

Stitch captured a welcome ton of oxygen as he tore himself from the discounted sea. His resulting gasp, however, was challenged by the boisterous buzzing of the electricity he knew, without even looking, that 221 was charging specially for Lilo. The board he had noticed earlier was beside him, so he grabbed onto it, noticing immediately how it rocked flexibly. Upon feeling the board's bounce, the blue Experiment wasted no time. He pulled himself onto the board, dashed for its end, and leaped just as his toes met the very tip of the board. In his urgency, Stitch had no time to evaluate how high his opponent was hovering, so he had jumped with all his might and prayed it would be enough. As he was airborne, glaring up at his foe's golden back, he grew unsure of his bound. He reached his left arm out as far as he possibly could, and then reached further than that, feeling like 345. He reached the height of his descent and then, his heart in his throat, he desperately clamped his hand shut.

"Gotcha!" He had caught 221's ankle. To Stitch's surprise, the electrician's leg burst with more erratic sparks than he had ever willingly produced, and 221 himself let out a cry mixing anguish with fury.

"What are you doing, you jackass?!" He exclaimed as he flailed his sopping and pained leg. "Let go before I kick your teeth in!"

Lilo watched the airborne struggle closely. The sparks slashing 221's foot quickly extended to cover the soaking Stitch as well. The electrifying pain only made the former terrorist clutch his opponent's ankle tighter. As the two Experiments exclaimed with frustration and agony, Lilo noticed that, while Stitch was coated entirely in bolts and water, the elements on 221's body were concentrated on his foot. Victory felt suddenly closer; Lilo remembered the hose she had glanced at fleetingly upon entering the pool, and looked right to find it within arm's reach.

"Stitch, come down!" She called out as she snatched up the rubbery weapon. The blue Experiment barely heard her over the combined clamor of the cries and the sparks, and was quick to leap back onto the poolside, using 221's leg as a pendulum. Within seconds of the two Experiments separating, the electrician was met with an infinite barrage of water in the dead center of his face. Were the consequential muffling not irritating enough, he found his head rushing with an enhanced version of the burning anguish he still felt in his ankle. Attempting to push the cruel liquid away proved foolish, as the agony only spread to his arms. He flew backwards automatically, ultimately tumbling onto the paneled floor on the other side of the pool, ending up on his side. Had his eyes not been pressured shut by the hammering water, 221 might have imagined the fantastical sight of an Experiment exploding with bolts like cracks in the air, and yet laying in a horizontal position he had only seen the undignified citizens of the Federation grovel in. For barely a moment, he could open his bright blue eyes just a fraction, and, behind a cage of erratic and undisciplined bolts and a monstrous tongue of water, he could see the silhouette of a pathetic and diminutive alien just before he saw nothing at all.

III

The ground felt curiously soft. 221 almost enjoyed the comfort of the mysterious terrain, not initially thinking to open his eyes and discover how the world may or may not have changed since he had left it. It wasn't long, though, before a dreadful wheezing sound became too boisterous to ignore, and a furless set of fingers pried at his left eyelid.

"Rise and shine, Sparky!" A voice whose cheerfulness rivaled 345's called once 221's eye had been successfully opened. Suddenly the softness of the ground was not worth remaining asleep, and the electrician was forced to sit upright. He discovered that he was not on the ground at all, but on a bed that made those in 10's medical ward appear pitiful. Looking around, he found himself in a room built from an unusual, brown material he had never seen before, and filled with all sorts of alien furniture. The one that struck 221 as the most seemingly impractical was a short case, which contained objects that looked to the Experiment like multicolored bricks. Looking down, 221 discovered a rainbow of towels clumped in a small mountain near his feet. Turning right, he found his former comrade holding a black device shaped like a blaster, but it seemed to do nothing but spit hot air and the horrible wheezing sound that had woken him up.

"You gonna behave now?" Stitch asked sternly, halting the wheezing and hot air with a push of the device's trigger.

"Where did you take me?" The electrician questioned through his teeth, ignoring the blue Experiment.
"Just to Lilo's room,"
"And what the hell is a Lilo?" He received no verbal answer; Stitch merely lifted an arm above his head and pointed an index finger across the bed. 221 turned his head to discover the owner of the fingers that had pried his eyes open; the very same speck of a creature who had barraged him mercilessly with water, now smiling at him innocently.

"Youga!" 221 growled. "Gabba fee to meega?!" He arose from the bed and took one malevolent step towards the girl, who made no movement aside from erasing her grin. The electrician would've taken another step, had Stitch not interrupted him with another brief blast of hot air in the face from his strange machine.

"Come on, we just talk about this, bud," The blue Experiment advised less strictly than before. "Plus, it was a real pain in the ass to dry you off, and I don't think any of us wants to be part of that again." He was stuck with the electrician's irritated glance for a few moments, until finally he stolidly reclaimed his seat on the bed.

"Alright, then," 221 said, like a cold-hearted employer about to fire a slacking subordinate. "Talk,"

Stitch took a silent breath before his face stretched into the subtlest smile he could muster. "221, meet Lilo. Lilo, this is 221,"

"Is that his real name?" The girl inquired curiously, smiling as if to rebel against the newcomer's unimpressed frown.

"Yes," Stitch answered curtly. "Stitch is 626, and 221 is, uh, 221,"
"Why don't we give him a real name instead of a boring old number?" In response to Lilo's merry suggestion, one Experiment beamed while another wearily rubbed the space between his bright blue eyes. "How about…Frank?!" She was met with a shaken head from Stitch.
"Hans?" The blue Experiment pitched.
"Oscar?"
"Chris?"
"Dean?"
"Wait, what Lilo call 221 when he wake up?" The former terrorist requested with an enthusiastic point. It took Lilo a second to retrieve the name from her memory, but when she did, it leaped out of both her and Stitch's mouths like a mischievous friend bursting out of a birthday cake.

"Sparky!" They both beamed at the golden Experiment, whose patience was not helped by the digression.

"Oh, sorry, Sparky," Stitch muttered, earning a pair of rolled eyeballs at the usage of his former ally's new name.

"Just tell me what all this is about." Hearing a voice so commonly spent on cheers and quips used so harshly was something that Stitch thought would frighten him. The knot his stomach twisted into, however, did not feel like fear; it felt even heavier than that. Words formed in Stitch's head, and arrived at his tongue seconds later.

"Lilo found me after I crashed here," He began, his lips moving without much direction from his brain. "At first I was just going to stay here until I found a way to you guys or vice versa, but after a while...I just felt like they needed me,"

"They?" 221 raised an eyebrow, questioning like a humorless parent.
"Yeah. There's Lilo and her older sister,"
"So..." The electrician stood up, his bright blue eyes aimed directly at Stitch's pitch black ones. "You suddenly decided that these turds needed you more than we did, huh?" He accused.
"Hey, I thought they were turds, too," The blue Experiment defended.
"But what? You just got lazy?!"
"I didn't get lazy! I just realized that there's things besides our rebellion; better things,"
"You mean like gathering dust on this shitsphere while your loyal allies work endlessly to find you and bring you home?!"
"If you'd just stop accusing me for a second, Sparky!"
"Don't call me Sparky!" The golden Experiment commanded, making Stitch think for a moment of a certain green-furred marksmen they both knew. "Did you even try to come back to us?"
"I did, I really did, but the pod was as good as garbage,"
"...That's pretty much what you are to me right now," 221 snarled.
"Hey, come on, there's no need for that-"
"Don't tell me about what people need, you traitor!" He pointed a sparking finger beneath Stitch's chin, but they both knew there was no violent intention despite the electrician's outrage. "We executed Jumba for you! We would've done the same to Hamsterviel and L.E.R.O.Y., but you know what?! We saved them for you! Everything we did, we did with you in mind, and this is how you say thanks?!"
"Hey, I-" Stitch had a defiant retort prepared, but it was quickly shot down.
"Stop! I don't wanna hear your excuses! I came here to take you back to our rebellion, back to 624, who is literally climbing the walls at the thought of seeing your doubting ass again, and I'm not leaving empty handed!" He turned and flew over the bed like an airborne serpent, landing at the ajar door. "And I sure as hell am not gonna be the one to tell her that you have 'more important things to do.' I'll meet you outside after you've thought about the things people do for you." With that, the golden Experiment left the room, his footsteps like frustrated exclamations against any floorboards unfortunate enough to come beneath him.

"What's he so angry about, Stitch?" Lilo inquired, having understood only a few words of the extraterrestrial dialect. She guess already from Stitch's glaring at the empty doorway that the subject had not been light.

"He want Stitch to come back," The former terrorist answered, his expression softening at the words of someone sensible.
"Back to your rebellion?"
"Yes,"
"But you won't, right?" There was confidence in Lilo's voice; the question may as well have been rhetoric.
"Never," Stitch answered just as firmly. Despite the fortitude of his answer, he could not help but to give a second look at the empty doorway, accompanied by a weary sigh. Suddenly he found himself missing 627.

IV

"Are you sure about this, Jacques? We've only got a dozen here; there's not much certainty that they'd bring much success to this revolution idea of yours...We should make a few more first. Some that will be more combat-oriented. We can make a few more preparations in the meantime. I promise you, Jacques, that Lukas will rest well-"

Three ominous taps on the glass tore Hamsterviel from his waking dream. He looked up from his seat on the floor, finding 621 grinning a grin that belonged to a demon.

"Great news, everyone," The marksman began with a sly tone that curled around each of the prisoners, 89 excluded, like a guile and slithering boa. "We're standing over the planet Earth right now, and guess what?" He displayed each of his jagged teeth. "626 is down there, and he's very excited to meet you all. So you'd all best get ready for his visit, since it will be the only time he ever sees you." With that, he stood up, his sinister grin widening at the glare he earned from his only surviving creator, and left.

"The catcher in the rye who shot Lucy out of the sky..." 89 muttered, his ramblings echoing within the cell like the growl of a monstrous predator inside a damp cave.

"Asshole," L.E.R.O.Y. said to the empty space where 621 had once stood. "Thinks he's so intimidating. When I get my hands on him, I'll-"

"You won't, L.E.R.O.Y.-626," His designer contradicted. "Either Number 627 has murdered your prototype, as he set out to, and goes on to finish the rest of the rogue Experiments without you, or everything Number 621 has planned does, indeed, come to light, in which case we'll all meet the same fate as Jumba," His tone weakened at the end of his sentence, like a runner losing energy at the end of a marathon.

"Then let's hope it's the first of those choices," The scarlet clone responded before trying to pull his legs close to him, giving only a slight grunt as he did. "Legs are getting better...How are your arms, 625?" He turned to the brown-furred Experiment, who was still backed as far into the cell as he was allowed. He stared at nothing at all with eyes that seemed like they hadn't blinked for the longest time; L.E.R.O.Y. was unsure if he had even registered 621's appearance.
"625!" He called louder, causing his plump predecessor to look wordlessly in his direction. "How are your arms healing?" He was made to wait for an answer.

"...Alright," 625 eventually responded hoarsely before returning to his gazing at nothing. L.E.R.O.Y. only scoffed at his answer.

"What is it with you two?" He questioned strictly. "We're not just going to let them win! Not after what they did to Dr. Jumba!"

"The galaxy's guardians who murdered the mad titan..." 89 muttered again, but he was ignored, albeit with great difficulty.

"Think about all he did for you, Dr. Hamsterviel," L.E.R.O.Y. urged his creator, whose eyes had shut and fists had propped beneath his chin.

"He was a good friend," Jacques began, his eyes opening slowly, as if carefully. "For a while, he was even more..."
"Exactly," The clone said more quietly, scooting to sit right next to the scientist. "You're not gonna let those bastards just take him away, are you?"
"...Of course not," Hamsterviel responded more stolidly than before. "I won't let Jumba or Lukas' deaths amount to nothing. I'm only being realistic about our chances, L.E.R.O.Y. As both a scientist and a strategist, I have no choice but to be realistic," He continued with a strictness surpassing that which his red creation had exhibited.
"Well, naturally." L.E.R.O.Y. was not even remotely intimidated by his creator; at least, not visibly.
"The fact of the matter is that our chances of survival linger completely on Number 627 coming to our rescue. It's that or nothing." He seemed to have silenced L.E.R.O.Y. for the longest time, until finally the clone found new words.
"Who's Lukas?" He inquired with genuine curiosity.
"...My son," Jacques answered hesitantly. Almost immediately after, a snicker was heard, so loud that even the distant 625 could hear. Even before turning their heads, the prisoners all knew that the snicker came from 89, who, for once, seemed decided on a mad beam.
"What's so funny?" The madman's creator questioned through clenched teeth.

"He thought he was a shooter!" 89 cackled, as if his own thoughts were tickling him. "The retard thought that the boy was a shooter!"

"Is...Is he talking about your son?" L.E.R.O.Y. inquired in a wary whisper to his creator.

"The boy he's referring to is my son," Jacques answered just as quietly, although he never took his eyes of the bony inmate. "Not the retard." The scientist then raised his voice to overpower the madman's laughter, which was like claws digging into his ears. "Why don't you say something helpful for once?!" He scolded before turning back to look out the glass cell door. There was an obnoxious heave before the cackling finally silenced. Jacques wondered if 89 got any enjoyment out of being part of his punishment. Suddenly, his left cheek felt strangely warmer than his right, causing the sanguine-clad scientist to turn his eyes in the warmer direction. He discovered 89 much closer than he would prefer; close enough to see red cracks dotting the whites of his eyes, and tears creating shadowy rivers along his deathly purple fur. Hamsterviel's blood boiled like lava; he was about to shout at the madman loud enough to shatter the glass that imprisoned them, but the words that beat his exclamation to earshot caused him to reconsider his action.

"He's coming," 89 told him, not even considering that a whisper might be more appropriate at such close proximity to one's ear.

"Who is?" Hamsterviel inquired quietly, although he could guess. He felt like he could move, but he chose otherwise.

"Your friend," The madman continued. "He's come-" He stopped abruptly, wrapped his head brutally with his arms, and let out a groan like he had been stabbed with a massive two-handed blade. Jacques was still motionless; he was close to opening his mouth, but 89 returned to his cryptic rambling as abruptly as it had been digressed from.
"He's coming. He's coming to help..." His grin widened as Hamsterviel and L.E.R.O.Y. each raised a captivated eyebrow. 625 was listening intently, but upon inspection of his blank stare, like a depressingly empty canvas, it was impossible to tell.
"And he'll bring a friend," 89 added.

"See?" L.E.R.O.Y. said confidently to his creator. "Those bastards haven't beaten us yet,"

"Not your friend, of course," The madman continued urgently before Jacques could even think to smile. "Exactly the opposite...Oh, but when you see him..." 89 leaned in closer, giving Hamsterviel no choice but to lean backwards. He looked straight into the bony Experiment's eyes, which were like giant black holes leading into another barren dimension. It was then that the scientist realized that he had never seen his creation blink.
"You will be so...Excited..." Jacques had not been frightened of 89 since his first outburst, seconds after birth, when he had furiously listed the names of every war criminal known and unknown that he could think of, but right now, the scientist's heart was impersonating a tsunami. Behind him, 625 still barely moved, but he had heard every word, and was growing silently nauseous at his stomach's brewing of relief and anxiety.

V

Splashing. That was the first thing that entered Captain Gantu's rebooting brain. It took a few more seconds before the registration of the splashing sound was followed by a befuddled reaction to it. That reaction was then pursued by brutal recollections of the battle on his own ship, right up until a certain crimson terrorist had pounced onto his head and pinched his neck, shutting him down as easily as a computer. The soldier jerked upright, praying wordlessly that he was as far as possible from the worst case scenario, which, given his experience combating Hamsterviel's rebellion of Experiments, he was hesitant to imagine. To his surprise, he was still on his ship, scarcely moved from where he had been put to sleep. The ship itself, barely more or less damaged from when he had last seen it, was now immobile. As the towering alien pulled himself to his feet, he discovered that he still gripped his massive yellow blaster, much to his relief. He walked slowly towards the hole that 627 had created, but chose to open the door, as big as the gates to Heaven, instead.

Stepping outside, Gantu discovered that he was still on the primitive, independent planet known as Earth. His feet felt wet; he looked down to discover that both he and his ship were in a small body of water, considerably wider than it was deep. Trees taller than even him bordered the lake, making him look straight up to see the sky, glowing orange like a peaceful campfire that warmed the planet. Looking left, he discovered that the splashing noise that awakened him hailed from a short waterfall, reachable after a few mere steps. To his left, Gantu discovered someone all too familiar sitting on the sandy shore neighboring the water, which he glumly allowed to cover his feet. He was surrounded by a family of white creatures, like eggs with long, protruding necks. Two of the winged creatures were clearly adults, while their three minute offspring were perched comfortably in the crimson Experiment's furry, cupped palms. 627's lips moved as he looked at the three infants; his face seemed like it was fighting a losing battle to not appear miserable. Gantu walked closer, careful to make as little noise in the water as possible, so he might hear what the powerful Experiment had to say to such young creatures.

"Back into my chamber turning," The assassin said sadly to his audience, whose feathery heads barely shifted from his direction. "All my soul within me burning." He's telling them a story, thought Gantu, or a poem of some sort. His steps grew even quieter, becoming as much of a listener as the family of geese.
"Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. Surely, said I, surely that is something at my window lattice..." Barely a swish had been made in the water, and yet 627 still looked up to find the Captain, blaster in hand, standing over him. Gantu was suddenly frigid, but the Experiment's face was static in its shade of blue.
"Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore," 627 continued. The Captain thought that this had been directed at him, but was uncertain.
"Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore." Suddenly, the geese hopped out of his hands and departed with their parents in the direction of the waterfall, leaving the crimson Experiment looking out at them like a lonely child watching a moving van carry a good friend to some far away place.
"'Tis the wind..." 627 glumly shut his eyes before returning his attention to the towering soldier. "And nothing more..." For what felt like hours, there was silence aside from the gentle splashing of the waterfall. It became clear to Gantu that 627 would not initiate a conversation, so he accepted the duty instead.

"Did you land the ship here?" He inquired, trying not to sound interrogative.
"Yes," The assassin responded softly before looking at the firearm in Gantu's grasp. "Are you going to arrest me again?" He had to wait for his answer.
"No,"
"Why not?"
"Because I can tell now that you're different from those other abominations," The Captain responded sincerely. "Any of them would've seen my company as paper, but you actually seem to have some regard for the lives of others-" He stopped when he found the Experiment burying his face into his clawed hands.
"I'm so sorry..." Was barely audible from within 627's fingers. Gantu, riveted by the emotion of the supposed terrorist, turned and took a seat beside him, finding the sand to be surprisingly comfortable. "Your soldiers, I...I didn't mean to..."
"It's alright-"
"It's not alright!" The assassin revealed his face again, his eyes roaring with flame that battled with hammering rainfall. "I killed four people! Four good people, serving their quadrant! People you knew! It isn't alright!"
"Very well," Gantu halted 627's tirade of grief. "It isn't alright, but I do forgive you,"
"...Why, though?" The crimson Experiment looked up at the soldier with anger in his voice, but Gantu could tell that the fury was not directed at him.
"Because casualties in war are inevitable," The Captain continued. "But you'd be surprised how many of them are accidental; a result of two people being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plus, I've seen real murder; you can guess who from. It's like a career to them; they do it and it doesn't mean anything. But it means something to you; that's why I forgive you, and why they forgive you, too," He talked more quietly than he had talked to even the Grand Councilwoman, but all he earned was a turned head and a weary sigh. How did Jacques create such a creature, Gantu pondered. He was gripped by curiosity, but gripped even tighter by the thought that he may have found the one chink in Hamsterviel's armor. He knew he would not strike the chink by mere kind words, though; he would have to trade his enemy's weakness for his own. Giving a sigh of his own, he exposed his own armor's chink, knowing that it was going towards a newer, much more powerful defense.

"Can I tell you something?" Gantu requested, though he would continue whether he was responded or not. "Something I...Don't tell many people?" To his hidden relief, 627 looked back at his, his narrowed eyes relaxing.

"...Sure," He replied. The enormous soldier took another deep breath before continuing.

"Years ago, before Hamsterviel's rebellion had even started," He began barely less glumly than 627 had recited his poem to the geese earlier. "Myself and some other Federation officers were sent to apprehend some group of radicals holding up a museum. A class of second graders was visiting on a field trip, so, naturally, it was a dangerous mission." Despite his vision being obscured by ghosts of these events like shadows puppets on a wall, Gantu noticed 627 lifting a hand to his chin with intrigue.
"When we got there, I immediately went to find the bastards. I heard them muttering and planning around a corner, and prepared to come out and surprise them. We all started shooting at one another and I was hiding behind the corner wall. I peered around and saw a figure darting behind some statues and thought it was one of the crooks trying to sneak up on me, so I shot at him...shot him..." He released another sigh before continuing. The tale had never been far from his mind, but retelling it was like twisting a dull knife in his own chest. "It was one of the kids from the class. He'd been in the bathroom when the bastards attacked..." Another sigh, followed by more silence. Now it was 627's turn to accept the duty of resuming the conversation.

"Did anyone forgive you?" The crimson Experiment inquired, the fury having abandoned his somber tone.
"...Some did," Was the soft response. "Not the people I wanted to, though,"
"Then thank you for forgiving me," He smiled at the soldier, who returned it. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course,"
"...You should know that I killed 626," 627 confessed hesitantly. "I'm not sure if I should've...You could say it seemed like he was forgiven, like how you've forgiven me...But his friends, I know that they've not been forgiven..." He looked the attentive soldier straight in the eyes. "I don't really care about Dr. Hamsterviel's rebellion, so if you help me kill his rogue Experiments, then I can take you to his base." This surprised the Captain; the armor's chink was exposed more voluntarily than he could have ever predicted. This new Experiment fascinated him further every second. Then, being a soldier, he considered the crushing possibility that this could all be too good to be true; he may just be being led to a secretive execution. Then he looked back into the crimson Experiment's eyes, which emitted smoke as their rainfall met their hellish flames, and decided that any risk would be worthwhile.
"That sounds like a deal," He answered with a mellow smile.
"Let's shake on it, then." 627 held out two hands to accommodate Gantu's gigantic one.
"And on that note..." Gantu obliged the handshake. "We should properly introduce ourselves; I'm Captain Gantu." He earned a slight increase in the strange Experiment's melancholic smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Captain Gantu. My name's Daniel,"