3"Okay just a little further … and here!" 9 said triumphantly as he finished taking 7 from the clearing she was scouting in.
"What is here?" She asked, amused because of 9's enthusiasm.
"It's just here."
"Looks like an ally between two destroyed buildings to me." 7 said as she looked around.
"That's because it is! Now just wait here," he started to walk away from the warrior, "and I'll be back before you know it!"
"9 wait! What is this all about?" She called after him before he turned the corner.
"I have a surprize for you! Now just wait there!"
"Okay." 7 sighed and then laughed to herself. 9 could be so weird at times.
It had been hours and 7 was definitely getting bored of waiting for 9. She couldn't walk off because when he eventually came back he'd think something had happened to her and would start to worry. The white stitchpunk wasn't a person for patients and staying in the same place for too long, and this was definitely too long, so she began pacing back and forth from one wall to the other.
"9 where are you?" she muttered to herself as she stopped in the middle of the ally. Suddenly the twins came running up to her. "Oh, hay guys! How did you know where I was?" Not that she wasn't grateful to finally have company but the last time she saw the twins was at the library and they definitely weren't with them when 9 dragged her here so they couldn't possibly had known where she was.
The silent pair shrugged, they were reading, then the next thing they knew they were walking off to somewhere in the emptiness that just happened to be 7's location.
"Did 9 send you?" The twins shook their heads, this was getting weird and all three of them could feel it. 3 and 4 pointed to her in question. "9 just decided to drag me out here and leave me for hours on end saying he had a surprize for me. I wonder where he's gone and why he just left me here, in the middle of now where."
As soon as 7 said that something inside the three stitchpunks clicked. Suddenly the speakers inside the twins, used for videos they projected that had sound, started playing a tune. Neither of them had ever heard it and they found it very strange that they weren't feeling tired, usually projecting took most of their energy no matter how long it was. But this didn't exactly feel like projecting, it was only sound, and they felt an odd soul-deep energy flowing through them. The pair didn't know what was going on or what this song was but they liked it. After quickly exchanging confused looks all three of them started dancing along spontaneously. If this wasn't alien enough, out of the blue, exactly seventeen seconds in 7 started singing.
"I close my eyes and dream about a sunny holiday
I wish that I was beachin' down on Saint Tropez
Or sitting in the lobby at the fabulous Pierre
With diamonds on my fingers and loves who care
Instead I'm on the Avenue where nobody goes
With fields of green that wilted like a last summer rose
Some people call it paradise, but I call it pain
Baby take me anywhere, but not here again"
9 walked in at this point as if on cue, the twins started dancing around him playing the strange tune and 7 was singing at him as well as moving to the music. Almost every time she sang the word 'you' she pointed to 9, who was completely shocked and confused by their actions.
"Why am I sitting in the middle of nowhere
Standing here with nothing to do
Wondering if I really love you, oh oh
I guess that I do
Why am I sitting in the middle of nowhere
Standing here with nothing to do
Wondering if I really love you, oh oh
I guess that I do
You promised me a motorcade and endless perfume
A palace in Geneva with a perfect view
And dreams painted yellow like the colour of gold
And dine with kings and queens until the food gets cold
Instead I'm on the edge of where I thought I would be
This dream is now a comedy I don't wanna see
Some people call it laughter but I call it pain
Baby take me anywhere but not here again
Why am I sitting in the middle of nowhere
Standing here with nothing to do
Wondering if I really love you, oh oh
I guess that I do
Why am I sitting in the middle of nowhere
Standing here with nothing to do
Wondering if I really love you, oh oh
I guess that I do
I do
I know we have a chemistry
This combination's heavenly
But don't forget you promised me
Everything, everything
I know we have a chemistry
This combination's heavenly
But don't forget that you promised me
Everything
Why am I sitting in the middle of nowhere
Standing here with nothing to do
Wondering if I really love you, oh oh
I guess that I do
Why am I sitting in the middle of nowhere
Standing here with nothing to do
Wondering if I really love you, oh oh
I guess that I do"
After 7 finished singing the tune continued for twenty-five seconds before finally stopping. The twins and their mother figure seemed very proud of what they'd just done, and 9 was just out right confused, but then the three came out of their daze and realized what the meaning of their song was.
"9 I'm sorry. I-I don't know what happened. I don't know why I just did that, I never meant-"
"7… That was…" 9 interrupted still trying to take in what had just happened.
"That was really bad, I know. I have no idea what came over me! I haven't even heard that song before! You guys haven't either, right?" She looked to 3 and 4, who immediately shook their heads looking as sorry as 7 did.
"7 I… That …" 9 was evidently still shocked by the whole experience.
"9 you know I don't feel like that, well I do like you but I don't think you promised me everything! Not at all! I have no idea what made me do that! I admit I was getting a bit bored just standing around but I never meant to hurt your feelings or anything!" somehow 7's outburst brought the saviour out of his trance.
"7! It's okay! You didn't hurt my feelings! But that… that wasn't…"
"Wasn't what? Nice, good, true! Because I can tell you now it wasn't any of those!"
"No 7… It wasn't that … it was … Your voice… That wasn't your voice." 7 thought back and suddenly realized that it indeed wasn't her own voice she sang with. She gasped.
"Your right… but how and who's voice was it?" Everyone stopped and thought. Suddenly the twin's heads popped up and they turned to each other and hurriedly flashed a conversation. "Do you guys know who it was?" 7 asked, the silent pair turned to the other stitchpunks and nodded.
"Well…" 9 stepped forward and 3 and 4 ran over to the wall. 4 started to project a video. It was of 13, she was dancing with 6 and singing.
Oh Mister Blue you did it right
But soon comes Mister Night
Creeping over
Now his hand is on his shoulder
Never mind
I'll remember you this
I'll remember you this way…
It had to be said the twins were very, very good at projecting and even more so with sound. It sounded so clear, it was as if she was standing right there singing, dancing, smiling and gazing into 6's eyes. 9 felt terrible, he felt so guilty about what had happened, he had awoken the machine and it had killed everyone but 3, 4, 7 and himself. He felt like he had taken her life himself, as if he had stolen 13 and her bright happy soul from the world along with 6 who she loved so dearly.
The video changed, snapping 9 out of his depressing thoughts. It was 7, singing and dancing.
Why am I sitting in the middle of no where
Standing here with nothing to do
Wondering If I really loved you
Oh, oh I guess that I do
Indeed the voices were the same. The video ended and 4 fell back a bit into 3's waiting arms, when he could stand properly he shook his head to clear it and returned his attention to 9 and 7.
"13? It was 13's voice… But how?" 7 asked.
"Wait! Didn't 13 have that power? You know, where she could see out of other people's eyes and sense souls and stuff." 9 asked.
"Yeah she did! So that means … There's some sort afterlife for souls and its closer than we think. It means their trying to tell us something!" the warrior exclaimed in triumph of being able to figure it out.
"That would be brilliant!" he looked to the sky and shouted, "Is that it? Are you trying to tell us something?" Almost as soon as 9 said that 7 felt something urging her to do something, she had no idea what it was but I suddenly came to her or rather came out of her. She started singing, again in 13's voice, but with no back up from the twins.
"It's an SOS
It's an SOS
Oh yes, oh yes
It's an SOS."
"Right." 9 mused, "So they need our help… 7? You okay?" The warrior blinked and shook her head.
"Yeah I'm fine. It just takes some getting used to, it's strange hearing someone else's voice come out of your mouth…" The twins darted to her sides hugged her. "Aw thanks you two, I'm fine, really" 3 and 4 smiled up at her but didn't move from her sides.
"So now we know they need our help… um," 9 looked up at the sky, "what do you want us to do?"
"Don't stop, never give up
Hold your head high and reach the top
Let the world see what you have got
Bring it all back to you."
When 7 said 'you' again she pointed to 9, but all of them knew this wasn't about love this was something else.
"Right…" 9 thought for a moment before continuing, "so we shouldn't give up?" guessing uncertainly, "no that can't be it… any more clues?" He asked looking at 7. Again the canvas doll began singing with the voice of one of their dearly departed.
"Bring it all back to you." 7 sang with a bit more force than previous times and she pointed to 9 when she said 'back to you'.
"… Back… Bring it all back… Back … Go back… Go back to the source! The First Room! That's it! We have to go back there!"
"Are you sure? How do you know?" 7 asked.
"It makes sense. I was the only one who 'went back', as 6 would put it, so that must be it!" The warrior nodded after a moment's thought, and then she looked up at 9.
"Okay, I trust you. Let's go back." The pair looked to the twins who nodded energetically in agreement. And with that they set of, 9 leading them, to the First Room.