5 sighed, tracing his intricately made hand over the large spyglass he had first seen 9 and X through. X felt terribly sorry for him, but had no clue what to say. No words would make anything better.
"This was the first thing we built together."
The watchtower was littered with all sorts of trinkets and small objects, all of which must have had a purpose. The atmosphere was thick with tense melancholy.
"All his work, trying to make sense of everything..."
He gazed through the spyglass, out into the emptiness. He breathed another sigh.
"Are you sure he's out there? He's still alive?"
9 was the one to speak, X only nodded.
"Yes, he could be."
5 was filled with conflict. Going out was incredibly dangerous, but he desperately wanted to see his old friend again. He could possibly perish on the journey, but 2 would certainly be gone if they didn't set out for him. 9, meanwhile, looked around to make sure they weren't being spied on. 1 seemed the type to do so, sending 8 to make sure they didn't get any wild ideas. Once he figured the coast was clear, he spoke.
"We could go after him."
5 looked at him in shock, and a bit of fear.
"Us?!"
X stepped closer to 5. She decided that setting out for him was a good idea.
"No one else will. I'd say it's worth a shot."
9 looked over his shoulder at X, glad she agreed with him.
"We MUST go."
9 looked through the spyglass, scoping out the area. He pointed out at three tall points piercing the sky.
"Look. That's where the creature took him. Out towards those three tall shapes."
5 backed away shaking his head fearfully.
"Oh no, we can't... not there. We have to stay here. We have rules."
X cocked her head.
"That sounds like something 1 told you."
9 thought the same thing.
"It does. Why do you listen to him anyway?"
5 looked down, regurgitating what 1 had indoctrinated him with over the years.
"A group must have a leader."
9 paused and exchanged glances with X. He reached out to 5 gently.
"But what if the leader's wrong?"
5 seemed shocked. He had never thought of this before. He began to consider setting off, but he still couldn't bring himself to leave the sanctuary. 9 noticed this.
"X and I are going. We're going to look for him."
X nodded. She was going to find 2 whether 5 wanted to go with them or not, but she really wanted him to consider it.
"Come with us, we can't do it alone."
5 was torn. He wanted to go out more than anything, but he had never brought himself to disobey 1's orders. He had always obeyed. He hesitated, but knew he couldn't.
"I can't."
X sighed, then looked up at 5, making eye contact with him.
"What do you think 2 would have done? Wouldn't he have gone out for you?"
X and 9 waited hopefully for an answer. 5 looked away shamefully. He wanted to do it more than anything, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. 9 nodded, then looked over at X. She nodded understandingly in return. The two turned away, but 5 reached out to them.
"Wait!"
He grabbed a yellowed piece of paper, decorated with various illustrations. He rolled it up and stepped towards the other two.
"We're going to need a map."
9 grinned. X was beaming. She grabbed him by the arm and led him towards the bucket.
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter, but don't worry!! The next one is going to be nice and long, not to mention exciting! See ya'll later!
- Corn
