The Artist's Insomnia pt 9

Early the next morning 9, 5, and 2 were working on yet another project.
“I’m going to go check on 6” 5 said, leaving the workshop and making his way to 6’s room.
“6?” 5 asked quietly as he opened the door. With no response, 5 silently cheered, impressed that he’d gotten 6 to sleep.
“6?” 5 asked again. Still no response. 5 walked over to 6’s bed and sat on the edge of it.
“6? How are you doing this morning?” 5 asked, expecting a grunt or moan of sorts. But there was nothing.
“Are you mad at me?” 5 asked putting his hand on what he thought was 6’s shoulder.
“What the….” 5 trailed off, as he pulled the covers back, revealing an empty bed.
“Oh no…” 5 trailed off uneasily. 5 bolted to the bucket elevator and made his way back down to 2’s workshop. Breathing heavily as he rushed in. 9 and 2 looked up, confused by 5’s behavior.  5 put his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. 2 walked over to him, and put his hand on 5’s back.
“What is it lad?” 2 asked worriedly.
“It’s….it’s 6” 5 panted.
“What’s wrong with 6?”2 asked. 5 looked up at him with a panicked expression.
“He’s missing” 5 said, not holding back the fear in his voice.
“Missing? What do you mean he’s missing?” 9 asked, as 2 lead 5 over to the work table so he could sit down. 5 climbed onto the table and took a deep breath.
“He’s not in his room. I don’t know where he is” 5 said worriedly.
“Maybe he’s not missing. He’s probably just in the throne room or something” 9 suggested. 2 looked over at 9 and shook his head negatively.
“He’s not” 2 said quietly.  
“But…where would he go?” 9 asked confused. He’d didn’t think 5 was serious when he’d said 6 used to run away. 5 stared at the ground, trying to think. Only coming up with dry and useless thoughts. 5 put his hands on his head.
“It’s been so long since he ran away….. I..I can’t remember where he’d run to” 5 said quietly. 2   put a hand on 5’s shoulder, trying to comfort his young apprentice.
“What….what should we do?” 9 asked, trying to help his worried friend.
“We have to tell the others…..we have to look for him” 5 told them. Fear trapped in his voice.
~~
If someone was to say that 6 knew exactly where he was going, they’d be completely wrong.  In fact, he hadn’t the slightest idea where he was going. But as If something pulled itself from the back of his mind, 6 walked aimlessly to his destination.
“I hope you know where you’re going” 6 said to himself.
Don’t worry. I do. something deep in his mind told him.
~~
The mixture of emotions in the throne room was mass hysteria. The eight remaining stitchpunks stood in silence, confused about why they were there.
“Good….we’re all…h-he-here 5 said nervously as he walked into the middle of the group, holding his hands together in attempts to stop them from shaking.
What’s going on? 4 asked her brother, confused.
I’m sure it’s nothing 3 responded back.
Wait. Where’s 6? 4 asked worriedly, looking at her brother. 3 just shrugged, then she ran over to 5, flashing her optics madly at him.
“That’s why…I’ve called…everybody here” 5 said, looking down.
“What’s going on?” 7 asked. 5 looked around the room, struggling to bring himself to form the words.
“6 is missing” 9 spoke up. The room became silent.
What?  3 and 4 flashed their optics at the engineer.
“You can’t be serious” 7 said shocked, not believing them. 9 walked over to 5 and put a hand on his shoulder, the other on 5’s shaking hands. 5 looks up at 7 and shook his head.
“He’s out there….In the emptiness…alone” 5 said looking out the stained glass window.
“Let him rot!” 1 laughed, rolling his optics as he walked back to his throne. 5 looked up at 1, hurt by the lack of sympathy.
“What should we do?” 7 asked, walking over to 5 and placing a comforting hand on his free shoulder.
“We…we have to find him” 5 said. 1 lifted his head, looking back at the others violently.
“I forbid it!” 1 yelled harshly.
“But he’s out there by himself!” 7 exclaimed, reading 5’s worried expression.
“Good riddance then! No longer will we have to deal with that crazed lunatic and his insufferable racket!” 1 yelled, his voice smashing the silence.
“But he’s just a child!” 7 yelled defensively, trying to get 1 to change his mind.
“No! I forbid it! If any of you go out there you shall be banished!” 1 threatened. They all gasped at the thought of being exiled.

“6 chose his own path! He’s risking his own safety! He’s dead to us now!” 1 yelled, walking over to the calendar and crossing out 6’s number. 5 let out a strangled cry and sunk to the floor, holding his head in his hands.
“What about everything 6 has done for us!?” 9 exclaimed, the tension in the room becoming thicker with each comment made.
“What has 6 done for us other then put our lives in danger?” 1 asked the courageous stitchpunk.
“He saved us” 5 said quietly, his legs drawn up to his chin, his arms wrapped around them.
“’saved us’? Ha! He had never done ANYTHING to ’save us’” 1 laughed at 5.
“That’s not true” 5 said softly, trying to hold back tears.
“It’s not? Then tell me mister know-it-all. What has that maniac ever done for me? For any of us!” 1 yelled, looking down upon 5 as if he were some sort of infestation. 5 stared at 1. There was so much hatred he’d felt for their ’protector’. Letting each angry thought he’d repressed all those years finally fill him with the hatred he so longed to get rid of. 5 stood up, balling his hands into fists, and took a deep breath.
“He saved us. It was 6 who told 9 we were trapped in the Fabrication Machine. It was 6 who risked his life to get everybody to believe him. 6 risked his life to save you. You and I both know that if it wasn‘t for 6, we wouldn’t even be here right now!” 5 said intrepidly. 1 stared back at 5 with vicious eyes. Without warning. 1 smacked the engineer across the face, sending him falling back onto the floor.
“Don’t you EVER speak of that again!” 1 yelled.  5 put a hand to his face. It didn’t really hurt as much as he thought it would.
“That’s quiet enough 1” 2 said, walking over to his apprentice. 2 offered a hand to 5, but he rejected it.
“I’m fine” 5 said calmly. 5 stood up slowly. Knowing exactly what he was doing.
“You’re nothing but a coward and you’ve never done anything to help anybody but yourself” 5 said calmly, no longer fearing 1.
“I’m going to go look for 6. You can banish me if you want, but 6 needs me. And I promised him I’d never leave him. I don’t break my promises” 5 said in a stern voice. Never before had he been able to stand up to anybody, let alone stand up to 1.
We’re going with you. 3 and 4 flashed their optics at 1, taking a spot next to 5.
“I’m coming too“ 7 said , taking a stance next to 5 as well. 1 watched with narrow optics as 2 and 9 soon joined in on the forbidden search party.
Are we all going to get banished?
No. 1 can’t banish us all.  
“Fine! Go find him then! But do not expect me to help you!” 1 yelled, walking back to his throne. 5 took a sigh of relief, grateful to know he would be able to come back home. 5 looked around at the group of stitchpunks.
“Well…let’s go” he said
~~
6 walked slowly through the emptiness, holding his key as if it would protect him.
“Are we almost there?” he asked fearfully, wishing he could turn back.
Almost… a distant thought told him.