At the science commision Ball sat alone outside of the door to the computer room. David and Oscar had gone home, and she now had to wait for Johnson and the Prisms to create any sort of solution for this problem.

Her thoughts went in circles trying to understand why the it wasn't so simple.
Recreate Josie and erase the minds of everyone in the school.

It wouldn't exactly be easy, but it was a solution.

Ball could hear Johnson getting closer to the door, so she got up to get out of the way.
Johnson pulled the door open and looked down at her.
"Why did they kill Josie!?" She asked him suddenly.

"This was their prank. They were late, and misunderstood how far they were allowed to go," Johnson said solemnly.
"What do we do?! Are we going to erase people's memories?!" Ball asked, desperate for an escape.
"It's too late for that," Johnson said.
"Can they at least bring her back from death!?" Ball asked.
"Not even that," Johnson replied shaking his head lightly.

"What?!" Ball squeaked.
The prisms came out of the doorway after Johnson.
"Our society has all sorts of ways to exile permanently," said Zwei.
"It's really simple, but expensive," Eins said.
"With recovery centers, the evils will always want a final, breath. So not only do we destroy the body-" Zwei said.
"But the soul underneath!" Drei continued.
"Well almost," Eins said, "It damages the soul, nobody can destroy souls,"

"Well surely the humans want justice!" Ball shouted, "They will kill all involved, will they not?!"

Johnson's eyes darted from Ball to the Prisms and back again.
"They will want justice. But you mustn't be fearful. Let me take care of the situation. You are not to blame," Johnson said calmly while talking with his hands.
"I am not even a year old and my life is over," Ball looked at the floor.

Johnson cackled a laugh.
"I'm sorry that just sounded so defeated!" Johnson said. The aliens smiled as he giggled more.

Defeated. I have lost the game of popularity. Now I am stuck being the infamous object with secrets to hide and a kill in her record. What should I accomplish now that I am an exile? Should I paint? Experiment?
I wish I could simply escape the humans. Turn invisible. Go to space and. . .
Craeggs.. This is my chance to rescue him. Maybe I might even rescue some respect as well. I am not defeated, not yet.

"I will allow you room to solve this conundrum Johnson. I will only slow you down with stress. Unfortunately, it is not safe for me to stay on Earth," Ball turned to look at the Prisms, "I would like to request board on your ship as an escape. Will you allow me to relax? Or will you feel guilty for what you have costed your cosmic comrades?"

"First of all, we don't care in the slightest about how you feel," Eins said.
"But we don't care about you being on our ship either," Zwei said.
"Come aboard," Drei said.
Ball blinked and suddenly she was in the UFO miles above the Earth's atmosphere. She almost fell backwards. The aliens began to laugh at her.

The ship was black and grey made with metal tiles, making it not much to look at. To Ball's left, a wall with 'bad luck' bottles were changing colors. They looked like batteries, and were labeled 'Chaos to Electricity Converter'.

"Explore, relax, experiment," Drei said.
The 3 dispersed leaving Ball to her own devices.
From where she was she could go two ways. Both were in front of her. There was a closed door behind her, but it didn't seem to go anywhere.

She followed a prism to the right path ahead. The prism stood in the middle of the hall, and glanced at her by moving it's face to look her way. It then moved its face to the top of its body and took out a key card. It waved the card around a little before jabbing it into the wall. The wall seemed to follow it before being jabbed, and as it was jabbed, a key card slot was there to catch it.
Ball blinked, and a doorway appeared.
She stepped back.

The doorway went up a smallish stairwell. The prism commenced going up the stairs, to which Ball followed after. The prism moved its face to it's back to look at her.

"This is the lab," Zwei said. It didn't have any glory to the statement.
"Ok," Ball said in the same tone.
Up the small stairs was a hall extending to the left. Along the left wall were cages with all sorts of raging creatures, and then soft spoken creatures as well.

"What are those?" Ball breathed.
"Animals," Zwei said. The prism walked past them and down the hall. They turned right into an open door, and into a large room with metal long metal tables. All sorts of devices and tools were strewn about the area.
Ball looked up to the ceiling.
What looked like a pull up bar was stuck to the high ceiling. Holding onto it was a soft looking yellow creature with a darker yellow on his body than his arms and legs. He seemed to be like a bubble letter 'X' with limbs.

"Can I drop now?" The X cried.
"..No," Zwei said without even glancing at him.
The X looked over at Ball, and seemed to smile for just a moment before stressing again.
"What is he doing?" Ball asked. She couldn't keep her eyes off him.
"I'm, I'm trying to-," The X started.
Zwei picked up a brick and chucked it at the X.
"AH!" It was too low, but it still scared the lad.
"DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK?" Zwei shouted.
"Noooo!" the X began balling.
Ball was taken aback.

He cries exactly like Creaggs does. It seems his shape before, was a ruse. I must find a way to get him help without hurting my relationship with the aliens.

"Is what he doing important?" Ball asked Zwei.
"Nothing is important," Zwei said.
"May I.. observe him for my own.. experiments?" Ball asked.
"Affirmative. He's not going to sweat anyway," Zwei said.
The X fell from the bar and landed on top of an empty bucket.
"Oo!" The X exclaimed.
Ball rushed over to him.
The X rose from the bucket. He was surprisingly tall. Maybe what would be considered a short human height.
"Craeggs?" Ball whispered to him.
"Uh huh. I'm really just X though," X said.

"What's the situation?" Ball asked, still whispering.
"We're being experimented on and enslaved!" X whimpered.
"Hold on, we're?" Ball cut off his whimpering.
"Four and I were abducted! We've been here for 7 years!" X cried.
"Where is Four?" Ball asked.

Zwei turned their face to look at them.
"What are you to talking about?" They asked.
"Ohh, uh, me and Ball go to the same school. We're just talking about school," X said to them.
"Ok," Zwei said. They went on to look for tools in a cardboard box.

"...Where is Four?" Ball asked again.
"He's locked in the sealed chamber in the hall over there," X pointed to the spot in the hall, "Do you have the key?"
"Yes," Ball smiled
"Don't take it out yet! Let Four out, and we can escape," X explained.

"I must keep the aliens on my side. Is there any way to keep them from figuring out it was me? They might retaliate if they think I am not on their side," Ball said.
"I don't know. I mean, they aren't on your side, are they?" X put his hands close to him.
"No, but it is a great risk to Earth if we were to make them upset," Ball said.

A voice coming from the ship's announcement center spoke up.
"I am going to steal some ice cream from an Earth store. I will return in a few hours," It was Drei.
"Woo!" Zwei said as if they were faking being excited.

"Please don't abandon us," X held his arms closer.
"I am not abandoning you! The aliens have both of us in custody. One mistake and we will both be under the needle," Ball said.
"No offense Ball, but you can't save us AND keep the prisms happy," X whimpered.
"Hmm, I will visit your Four friend. First, a question. Have you ever attempted to escape?"
"I have, but I am unable to touch keycards without getting really bad burns," X held his wrist with one arm to massage it.

Ball walked out of the doorway and stayed away from the creature cages. Near the middle of the creature cages was a large industrial door with a tiny window too high for Ball to look out of. She looked right down the hall. At the very end of the corridor was a recovery center. It looked relatively new.

She took a deep breath looking left, before taking out the key card. She jumped up to the slot, and placed the thing in.
It opened and inside was a bare blank box labeled 'Chaos Proof'. It had a little window up near its top that was made of metal bars.

"X over thRee that means divided by 3… You wanna solve for X you better lIsten, to, me. You're going to… multiply so do it on bOth sides. Repeat it. Yeah do it on bOth sides…" Four mumbled a song from inside his box. He didn't seem to notice that Ball had entered his chamber.

Ball closed the door behind her, and noticed that it had a handle this time.

"Heh?" Four stopped singing.
"I have come to speak with you about possibly releasing you," Ball said.
Four hesitated, and then began to crackle into a full out dry laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" Ball asked.
"Because that is a ridiculous statement! Don't lie to me if you can't get me out. Possibly releasing? ME? After 7 years? Possibly. I'm used to the disappointment. Just keep me in here till they run out of blood to drain from me. In fact I'd rather not ever come out," Four rambled.

"Are you joking? Do you not want to come out?" Ball was confused.
"There are pros, and there are cons. Pro, this chapter of my life is finally over, con, I am no longer the number I used to be, nor ever will be. Bleh! This box is the only thing keeping me sane at this point," Four ranted.
"What?" Ball said.

Four walked up to the front of the box. His black and white eyes just showing up in the shadows. He stuck his arm out of the box, and then extended it in an unnatural way to scan the label.

"See these words. 'Chaos Proof' I'm a monster! Just look at my arm, I shouldn't be able to do this! This is what they've done to me, and now I only have this box to radiate out the effects. Tis a tragedy for any math teacher to get caught up in alien affairs. I don't recommend getting into space stuff if aliens are involved. I've made that mistake, and now I can never truly escape the consequences," Four said.
"What happens if you go outside of the bo-?"
"I GO MAD, Well, like I'm not mad already," Four snapped. He began to retract his arm into the box.

"I do not understand your condition," Ball said softly.
"Hee heh.. Uh, then who are you? You obviously aren't one of my tormentors. But I can't see the top of your head," Four said.
Ball backed up as far as she could so that Four could see her.
"Ohh you're a, a.. I don't know what you are," Four said. He finished retracing his arm.
"I'm a ball. A child's play thing. It is also my name," Ball explained.
"No offense, but Ball is a very plain name," Four said.
"It is what I am. Your name is what you are," Ball said.
"I am also 2 to the second power, but that name is too long. You are also a sphere. Perfectly round. That's a name that you can also take, not that you have to," Four said, "Where do you come from Sphere?"
"Earth," Ball said.

"Are there more child's playthings like you on Earth?" Four asked.
"If you mean objects, than it is just me and Rocky," Ball said.
"Just you 2 in the whole human world, huh?" Four pondered it.
"... Yeah,"
"Stuff happens to you both correct?" Four started up again.
"What kind of stuff?" Ball was cut off guard.
"Stuff you can't control. Anything in the whole wide world, when it changes to something slightly different just because something different has happened. But some things are a roll of the dice chance. So many things are!"

"Where are you going with this?" Ball was oddly creeped out.
"You asked of my condition. The small chances that something will change, is my condition. Outside this box, the chance that air will turn to vests, is in my favor. I can say what happens. I control the chaos… I was just trying to make it easy to understand," Four explained.
"You can do anything?" Ball felt a chill.
"CorrecT," Four's voice cracked.
"Than if I let you out, you can solve my dilemma!" Ball exclaimed.
Four looked and the ground before looking back out again.

"I, I shouldn't… I, I can't!" He began to walk deeper back into his box.
"What is wrong?" Ball asked.
"I can't guarantee anything outside this box. I said it before, I go mad. I might as well just stay here and live out my dreams of teaching the only place where they can actually happen. In my head," Four mumbled.
"But what about X? You will both suffer if you stay," Ball said. She began to pace a little.
"There has to be some, other way to get him out. We've stuck together for an unspeakable amount of time. I don't wish to be his new tormentor after our escape. He will stick by me, even if it the worst. Even if I'm the worst,"

Usually during these types of moments Ball was supposed to say that, "You are not the worst," But Ball didn't really know if that was true. If she said it anyway, it wouldn't have any weight to it because Four didn't know her.

"What if there is no other way? For me to rescue X, you will need to get rid of the aliens who locked you in here. That way their reign of terror will be over for both of us. You might not be the same, but you will go mad in this box either way," Ball said. Her thoughts thundered about as she wondered if this was selfish. Was there really a way for them all to have a happy ending? Wouldn't the aliens retaliate if X got away?
Ball sighed.

"I will return with a final decision after discussing with X. I will not be gone long," She said.
"Thank you for your help. I never thought an alien would come to my aid after all this time," Four said.
"I am not a…" She was an alien, at least to him, "Disregard my last statement,"
Ball walked out of the chamber and closed the door. She walked down that hall and back into the lab room where she left X.

X was holding down a piece of metal for Zwei while they were welding something together.
"Ow! Ow!" X said as the sparks got closer.
"Stay still," Zwei said.
"Excuse me prism, but may I talk to you about possibly owning X? I find him to be very useful," Ball walked up to them.

Zwei gave her a look.
"No object is worthy of such a transaction bozo. I doubt you would even have the funds to pay for a failed chaotic X variable anyway. To be entertained, maybe you can offer me something that is as valuable as you believe this X to be anyway," Zwei said.

"...What about my soul?" Ball didn't want to offer it, but she tried to look confident anyway. She didn't have much else to offer.
Zwei smiled.
"I can steal your weak little soul whenever. Why would I trade you X to get it? I don't even want it anyway. Puny object soul," Zwei almost laughed.
"...Than what about letting X go, and I'll be your slave instead," Ball wanted to take it back. Her thoughts almost cried trying to take it back.
Well at least it wasn't selfish.

"What's this about letting X go?" Zwei questioned.
Ball wanted to kick herself.
"Yes, what is that about it?" Ball said. Her imaginary heart rate went up.
"That statement is nonsense. You're hiding something," Zwei shifted from their work.
"But objects are unable to hide things. We are too simple," Ball lied.
"Then explain yourself," Zwei was tense now.
"I wanted to observe X on Earth by letting him go into the wild," Ball finally found an OK excuse, "Apologizes for my questionable mannerisms,"

The statements before still didn't add up, but Zwei had already forgotten the details.
"You still cannot have X," Zwei went back to melding.
Ball looked up at X. He glanced at her without saying anything. Ball went back into the hall. Before going straight back to Four's chamber, she took a moment to breathe. She heard someone come up the stairs. It was Eins.
"Oh hello," Eins said without thinking much of her. He swaggered into the lab to join Zwei. With the prisms in the lab Ball quickly placed the keycard back in the slot to re-enter Four's chamber. She swung the door open and rushed back inside.

"We cannot save X without you! The prisms are onto me. Please reconsider your final statement or I may become as inanimate as your box," Ball said, stressed.
"I have thought about it myself. I'm not sure how it will work, but I have a plan. When I am outside of this box what I will do isn't very predictable. You need to keep me on task. Get me to defeat the prisms, and then get me back in my box," Four said.

"You want to go back?" Ball asked him.
"Would you rather return to the ground after a free fall or fall forever?" Four asked.
"Huh?" Ball raised a brow.
"I want to return to normalcy after I'm done. I don't want to be a monster for any longer than I have to be," Four explained.
"So you will come out?" Ball asked him.
".. You have to keep me focused! Or I won't know what I'll do! Promise me, promise to keep me focused!"
"I promise!" Ball shouted.
"Ok, ok, you, can open my box. I give you permission, to open my box," Four said.

Ball took the keycard out again and looked around for a place to put it.
Four looked at her through the bars.
"You can just place it anywhere on the front of the box," He said.
Ball stuck the keycard in the front of the box. It accepted it, and the door swung open just a little bit.
Four pushed the door open so that he could see the room without anything blocking his view. Four was taller than X making him more of the height of a tall human. He was light blue with his arms and legs being slightly lighter than the rest of him. Like X, he looked sort've like a bubble letter.

Four took a deep breath and stepped out of his box. Immediately his expression changed from reasonable fright to a smile of a supposed mystery glee. His lines got all scribbly, and he looked down at Ball with a stiff sick glare.

"I've jUst realIzed a verY IMportant nEw faCt," He said while moving nothing but his void mouth.
"..Stay focused Four!" Ball was almost too mesmerized.
"I'm," Four suddenly became very animated as he held his hands up to his shoulders and leaned down to Ball, "ANGRY!"
Ball gasped at the look of his wrath.
"THEN TAKE IT OUT ON THEM," She redirected.
"Why not yOu? YoU mAde me cOme oUt of the bOx," Four continued to creep.
"You do not have to hurt me. I am not your enemy," Ball said.
"I know," Four stopped pacing, and stood back up straight. For a moment he looked somber, with a frown, "I'm my oWn enemY," He smiled again and teleported the 2 of them into the lab, "But sMaller vIllains aRe liKe.. gaMes,"
The prisms dropped what they were doing and walked backward, away. Their little speaker mouths making a disgusted surprised look, that illustrated the most honest dread.

"Four!" X exclaimed.
"BiGGer VillAins," Four opened up his palm, "ArE LikE a FINe MEaL," Four's hand glowed white, as a laser beam shot through it. It landed a direct hit on Zwei. Eins covered his eyes while his partner was being annihilated.
"Four?" X said with a little fear in his voice.

Four didn't look at him. He kept his focus on Zwei.
"We must keep Four on task," Ball explained to X.
"Focused on what?" X asked her.
"For you to escape the aliens must extinguished!" Ball exclaimed, "After he is finished we have to bring him back to his box,"

"Did he put you up to this?" X was confused.
"Yes, he does not like being outside of his box. He wants to stay there, and let only you go," Ball explained.
X looked back to Four.
"You don't wanna escape?" X asked him.
Four glanced at him.
X turned back to Ball.
"Why won't he talk to me?" He asked Ball.

Four stopped frying Zwei, and moved his arm over to Eins.
"MERCY" Eins cried. He quaked involuntarily.
Four lightly walked up to him. He thrust his hand down to grab the creature. Four lifted him above his head and let eins go. Instead of falling, Eins floated.
"I woNdEr hOw MaNy a CrEaturE cAlled MERcY on YoU?" Four asked.
Eins covered his eyes, as he disintegrated.

Pew!

From the lab doorway Zwei had shot a red laser at Four's back. Instead of hitting Four, the laser just stopped and fell on the ground. It fried and vanished as if the floor was its original destination.
Down the hall the recovery center in the ship blew up. Four wasn't even facing it.
In the blink of an eye he turned around and reached for Zwei. As soon as he touched them, the shape that made up their body stretched and squashed until it was just a prickly shape.

Zwei was dead again, and this time they weren't coming back.

"Alright. Now it is box time! We are going to go back in the box!" Ball announced. It was only a half confident statement after watching what just happened.
"I am fRee," Four looked at her, "WhY wouLd I gO BACk?"
"That is what you asked of me," Ball said.
"ThAt's whaT the old FouR saiD. BesiDes Do YoU rEAlly expEct mE to gO back in ThERe afteR thE oLd FOUR CALLED ME THAT?" Four looked her in the eye and walked up close to her face, "I kNow a LoT of ThIngS, aNd oNE of THem is hoW loNG tHe OLd FOur plAns to KeEp me in THERE," Four backed up into a stiff stance, "TakE care oF tHE sIck," He wiggled his finger.

A portal opened up without a clear destination. It was just a strange storm of color and light.
Ball backed up, frightened by what she didn't understand.
X understood, as least a little.

"Where are you going?" X asked. Four finally looked at him, and his mouth quivered oddly.
"YoU can-," Another portal opened with a clear exit. It had nice tall grass, and thick short trees, "-Go hOme," Four said.

"Aren't you gonna come home too?" X asked him.
"I wOn't BElonG," Four said, "BesIdes. TheRe's not mUch leFt fOr mE theRe,"
X looked at the portal to home again.
"Well, there's nothing for me there either, if you're not there," X said. He inhaled.
"YoU dOn't waNNa go iN therE X," Four was talking about his portal.
"Aren't you going in there?" X asked.
"I CaN hAndLe iT," Four said without much of an expression. He raised his hand and the skin of his hand unraveled revealing a sort of strange hand shaped storm of color and light. The portal and Four's unraveled hand reminded Ball of the 'bad luck' bottles downstairs.

X unraveled his own hand, but the storm didn't want to stay in the shape of a hand. X used his other hand to catch it, and hold it close to his wrist.
"I can handle it too," He winced.
"Oh yeah.." Four said quickly.
X wrapped his hand back up, as Four began to laugh. He laughed harder, and then X joined in with the same glee.
While still laughing, Four reached out to X and grabbed him. He held him over his head and thrust him into the stormy uncertain portal. Four then thrust himself into the portal as well.
Both portals closed in a flash of light, the digits laughter slow faded.

"There's an escape pod you can use to get home Sphere," Ball said involuntarily, "Oh," Ball responded to what she was forced to say.