Different Perspective 3

Chapter 3

1 stared at the hologram of the Scientist as the man's lips began speaking his message to 9 in his sad and tired tone. The male stitchpunk seemed rooted to the stop, listening to his creator talking. This man had made all of them and was like their father. A father that made them, then abandoned them. Abandoned them to a world of pain and death.

1 couldn't help but walk toward the hologram, his hand out as if he intended to reach up and touch the man whom was speaking. It had been such a long time and he looked so old and worn out. Was this really the same person?

It had to be. It looked just like him.

"Creator?" He stammered, not believing what he was seeing. When had the man made this? Why did he look so frail and old? Had he worn himself out? Was he not sleeping properly?

Why didn't you take care of yourself properly? When 1's hand made contact with the image it blinked then vanished as he tried to touch the scientist's face. 1 gasped and groped for the fading image, a whimper escaping his throat. Don't go! Come back!

Don't leave me again! A pained cry escaped his throat, unbidden as if losing that image was making him relive losing everything he cared about once more. Please... 1 was brought out of his state by a clicking sound. Startled by the noise, he turned his head, seeing the twins still standing there, watching.

They'd seen the whole thing. "What are you two staring at?" he demanded, suddenly feeling defensive. They stared at him for a moment, looking horrified, then ran away before he could yell at them again. He watched them go, frowning.

Why did they have to see his moment of weakness? What if they told 7? He couldn't be able to stand it if she bothered him about it. Speaking of the female... The older stitchpunk looked around as if expecting her to come out of the shadows and stare at him with those eyes of her.

Those hateful, criticizing eyes that always seemed to probe right into his very soul. Those judgmental eyes... "Bah..." he turned away, heading back to where he'd made his temporary bed. "What am I doing? I'm a fool!"

He sat down on the scraps of cloth and sighed, covering his face with his good hand. What was he doing?

What was he thinking? How could he be so stupid? I am such a fool, he thought, gritting his teeth in mental and physical pain. I'm am a weak fool. Why couldn't I have just... He looked up, hearing footsteps, and tensed.

What now? Who was walking around so late? The twins? Had they decided to bother him about the way he'd acted? Why couldn't he just be left alone? He didn't feel like being around anyone, especially them.

Just go away. But the footsteps didn't go away. They continued their course, heading right to where he was sitting before pausing. 1 kept his optics on the ground, in no mood to deal with 7 or the twins. If he ignored them maybe they wouldn't bother him.

"1?" He jumped. That wasn't 7! The stitchpunk lifted his head and nearly jumped out of his fabric when he saw who was standing before him. "T-two?" he exclaimed, startled by what he was seeing. No, it couldn't be 2.

2 was trapped inside the talisman. He had no way of getting out of there until 7 released them. Right?

"No," he said to the phantom as he backed away from it. "You're not really here. I'm seeing things! You're dead!"

2 made no response.

The other stitchpunk just stood before him, glowing a bright green color that was the same color of his soul, as he stared at his friend and brother. The look on his face wasn't angry or judging. It was soft and sad, as if he felt bad for the poor tormented elder. "What do you want?" the still living stitchpunk demanded of the ghost. "Why are you here? Why are you haunting me?" Still the specter said and did nothing aside from staring at him with that sad expression before it periodically faded out of existence leaving nothing but darkness.

1 didn't move, continuing to stare at the spot where 2's image stood only seconds before as he tried to process what he'd seen. Why was 2 still here? What did he want? How had a part of his essence freed itself from the talisman and why was it haunting him? Will you continue to remind me of all the mistakes I've made?

Why? Why can't you all just leave me alone? I never meant for it to turn out this way! He grabbed his head, gritting his teeth and groaning as if feeling a great pain. It was almost as if everyone wanted him to be miserable.

Wasn't it enough he felt guilty about it all and was sorry? What else did they want him to do? Kill himself? End his own life and leave 7 all alone with the twins? No!

He couldn't do that. They were all he had left and even if he and the other stitchpunks didn't get along well, they were all he had and he didn't want to leave them. He'd be doing more harm than good if he did. 7 would not think any better of him either. Why did he even care how she felt anyway?

Why did it matter so much to him what her feelings were? 1 shook those thoughts away and lay back down on the scraps of cloth. He closed his optics, shutting out the world around him as he tried once again to fall asleep. This had been a long and stressful day. He'd lost many he cared about, been beaten, broken, and torn, had been accused of horrible things...

Of wanting horrible things to befall others. He'd been shown the truth about himself and everyone else the scientist had made. He wanted it to end, look forward to tomorrow. Maybe something good would happen.

0000

7 was having trouble sleeping herself. Every time she would lay down and close her optics her mind would return to 9 and what he'd done. Why, 9? she asked herself. Why did you do it?

There had to be another way… there had to... She sat up, sighing before looking at the talisman laying on the floor beside her. She reached over and picked it up, holding it in her hand and running her fingers over the symbol as she stared down at it in thought. She would have to release the others from their prison eventually, let them go to the sky.

She didn't want to. She wanted to keep them here, keep them inside that talisman where they would never be able to leave her again. 2.. 5.. 6.. 8... 9...

"9..." she sighed. What was she going to do now that he was gone? He'd gone through so much, even sacrificed himself to save the rest of them and she was going to thank him... thank the others by letting them go? No way.

No, she couldn't do that. It would hurt too much, way too much. I wish it could have been done differently. Maybe you could have still lived. Maybe we could have defeated the machine without losing anymore lives...

7 stared out the window at the moon, hanging like a silver dollar in the sky. For a moment she just sat there, staring at it, without moving, without thinking. Silence seemed to wrap around her like a blanket and she shut her optics, sighing.

Would that be all she was left with? This lonely feeling and silence?

No, she wasn't alone. She had 1 and the twins but, yes, she was lonely. Sure the twins could give her company and even stay with her but they couldn't give her the companionship 9 could have given her. As for 1... He might as well be living on another planet for all he cared about her.

They would never have the relationship she and 9 had shared, not that she'd ever want to anyway. She blamed him for what happened even though she knew it hadn't been his fault. He wasn't to blame for the machine waking up or killing anyone.

9 was. He'd even admitted that to her.

"So then why do I blame 1?" she asked herself. Maybe because she needed someone to blame and he was always the first person that came to mind? "But he is to blame in a way," she argued with herself. "If he's just given us all some freedom, some space to think and experience life for ourselves instead of trying to enslave us to his twisted ideals..." Bull. The thought came so suddenly to her mind it made her jump.

What? That's bull, and you know it, 7! You don't blame 1 because of the things he did in the past. You blame him because you just believe he can do nothing good. You think he's beyond redemption.

That's not true! She argued back.

Oh no? the voice asked. Then why do you always blame him for everything even when he is in no way responsible for it? 9 awakened the machine, not 1. 1 did not get the others killed, he tried to protect them.

Even if he has done bad things he has done some good and you know he was only trying to protect everyone, not to be controlling, but because he didn't want anyone dead! He might have a lot of flaws but he did care. She didn't argue this time, choosing not to voice her thoughts. It's the truth, 7. The truth you have been denying for a long time.

The voice was right, she admitted to herself after she gave it some thought. It was right and she was foolish for denying it. "But he still could have been much kinder to me and everyone else." she pointed out. Yes, and so could you... She sighed, laying back down. I tried my best, she considered. But he isn't exactly the most agreeable person on the planet. Neither are you.

0000

1 woke up the next morning feeling no better than he had the night before. In fact he felt even worse. The stitchpunk sighed, getting off the scraps and moving out of his little bed nook. He looked around the ruined building that had once been the home of his creator, the scientist. The place looked like a ruin now.

A sad, empty ruin. Just like his soul. The sound of footsteps made him look up quickly. Since the incident the night before he half expected to see 2's ghost to appear before him again but he didn't need to worry. The footsteps belonged to the twins who were running around the building, cataloging the place. He stood still, watching the twins run around like two rabbits, their optics blinking on and off rapidly.

They were so intent on their task they didn't notice him and he was perfectly content with that. He was pretty sure they didn't want to be near him after the way he'd snapped at them and he didn't blame them. I wasn't being fair to them. Maybe I should apologize for my behavior... But would they understand why he'd acted the way he had?

He wasn't sure. For all he knew they thought that was just normal for him, since he wasn't a very kind person to begin with. This kind of attitude wasn't new, not from him anyway. 1 sighed and moved toward another room, leaving the twins to their activity. He figured he would get a good look at the place he'd briefly called home before his creator had sent him out into the big, cruel world.

The world of death and destruction... as well as broken hearts and minds. He sighed, putting his hands behind his back as he walked through the ruined rooms of the house, looking at the broken windows and walls. Bits of plaster, glass and dry wall littered the floor, joined by broken pieces of furniture and random items. He sighed, shaking his head. What a waste. Everything is completely useless.

1 continued his trek through the house, passing room after room without thinking much. Eventually he reached the stairs and slowly climbed them to the upper floors. After awhile he came to the scientist's room and stood frozen when he saw what was inside. Oh creator! he though, his optics widening in horror.