Chapter Text
Getting to teach 9 about telephones was the easy part. 9's brain clicked almost as fast as 3 had when they had got the idea in the first place- and 9 had immediately built upon the idea and was excitedly pointing at all of 3's drawings.
"If we could make something that could let us all talk to each other in the Emptiness, even when we were on opposite sides of the city- imagine! We could communicate what we find so much faster, and if something did happen we could ask for backup or ask you twins for information about something we found or just talk-"
3 had not been imagining a portable telephone for all of them to have, but now that they were it was the best idea ever and they were ready to die for this idea because not only was it really sensible it was also exactly what 3 thought they needed with 4-
They couldn't wait to share this idea with 4! They couldn't wait to get back to the library and tell all of this to their twin!
9 didn't even wait to explore the rest of the office building. They both gathered up all they could carry and started returning to the red public telephone booth, and 3 was practically flying on their feet the whole way there.
Unfortunately they hit a snag when they actually reached the telephone booth. Even thought the inside machine looked mostly intact and the box itself had only caved in a little from something heavy hitting on the outside, there was no clear way inside the box.
Or at least no way for 3 and 9 to get in. And the door to the inside was jammed shut by a large pipe from the outside. Too heavy to move. Too stuck to budge an inch anyway.
It didn't deflate 9's enthusiasm, but it certainly made him put on his thinking face as he studied the problem.
Even with 3's help, they both still stood there in front of the public telephone box for minutes trying to think of a way to get inside.
9 had suggested they wait until tomorrow to break their way inside when they had more time and daylight. But the itch and fizz inside 3's stomach made them insist that 'It had to be done today.'
But it was... a little unfortunate that the only solution either of them could come up with was a little stupid.
And by that, 3 meant 7 would definitely give them that disappointed and narrow-eyed look of "what were you thinking?" and 3's only defense would be 'We were thinking a lot! It's just unfortunate that this idea was the best we could come up with and we were desperate to get inside before sunset'.
But what else could you do? It had been for a good cause. And 9 was willing to do the dangerous work, so who was 3 to stop someone like him from doing what he wanted? Worse case scenario 3 would drag 9's body back to base and they'd patch him up with some spare fabric they had lying around. Maybe if they were (un?)lucky 9 would get a cool eye-patch like 5 had!
The worse case scenario did not happen, but the explosion that result from 9 and 3 throwing pebbles and chunks of concrete at the grenade had still been something that made them high-strung for a few minutes. Adrenaline coursed through their circuits with a sickening buzz, but 3 had never been better than after that chunky and short BANG vibrated through the air and made a big enough hole for them to get inside the phone booth.
3 did not realize that the phone would be so high up and out of their reach. But nothing a little more creativity and teamwork couldn't solve. At this point it was just fun problem-solving with 9.
3 and 9 weren't sure what parts of the telephone to scavenge, though. 3 didn't have enough information about how a telephone worked- they just knew what a telephone did and what it was used for. But 9 found some bits he thought could be useful, and he said he planned to return tomorrow once they knew what else they needed.
This suited 3 fine. It was getting darker now, and they already had so much stuff to carry back. Couldn't keep 4 waiting, even if it was for a good reason like this.
Neither 3 or 9 expected 7 to run into them on the way back to the library though.
Literally, 7 had leapt off a crumbling wall and almost landed on top of 9, making him drop everything he wasn't carrying inside his zipper-body.
7 pushed her skull helmet up and let out a relieved "Thank goodness you're okay!" after everyone had stopped panicking and flailing.
And then 9 made the mistake of asking why she had thought they weren't okay.
"I heard an explosion. I worried you might've set it off and got hurt."
9's second mistake had been telling her they had. Not gotten hurt, but had set off the explosion. 3 cringed and tried to hide behind the pile of chalk and wiring they were holding in their arms. 7 looked at them both uncomprehendingly.
"... Why?" she finally asked, when the silence had gotten too long to bear any longer.
"Because there was this metal box that we needed to get in, and we couldn't get into it without making a hole. And there had been this grenade nearby, and...-"
"You found a grenade? How did you pull out the pin without getting blown up beside it?"
"The pin... was already out," 9 admitted. Sheepishly lowering his head beneath her intent gaze. "We just moved it closer to the box and were throwing rocks at it until it exploded..."
Personally 3 wouldn't have said any of those details. But they were curious to see how badly 7 would take this, since they were here and since 9 had been stupid enough to admit any of those things anyway.
7 didn't groan. But she did pinch the fabric between her optic eyes and make a very small noise of aggrievement. She was taking this better than 3 thought she would!
Good thing 9 was also taking the brunt of the blame for this-
"3? Why didn't you stop 9 from doing the dang-silly thing?" 7 asked, looking up from her hand to give 3 a dangerously relaxed and calm smile.
Nope. Never-mind. This was far worse then her giving them the disappointed eyes. She was actually mad at them for this-
3 immediately dropped the stuff they had been holding and it all fell to the ground in broken chinks and clinks. They hastily held up their arms in surrender.
'If it makes you feel better I definitely taught 9 something about bomb safety! I bet he'll only walk into bombs with the intent purpose of blowing them up for something productive now!' they blinked rapidly, trying to give 7 their best disarming and innocent smile.
It didn't seem to be working. Ahhhh what else what else what else-
'Technically I was supervising him the entire time the grenade was being moved! And I figured the risk was worth it because making telephones for us to use would be very convenient, I'm sure you'd agree!' they waved their arms around in the air and sweeped their hands around in the appropriate "everything was fine and under control! Nothing to worry about!" actions. 'And if you had any idea what I was trying to say you'd totally be agreeing with me right now. Or give 9 all the credit for, as you rightfully put it, 'this dang-silly thing'. But since you don't understand and you probably wouldn't agree, I guess I'll have to hug you and hope you forget all about it in a few-'
'3?'
3 froze in their movements. 4. That had been 4- hadn't it? Or had it been their imagination-
'4/3?'
No doubt. 3 headed for the signal in a shot. Scrambling behind the wall 7 had jumped over, around a pile of broken chairs and cardboard boxes-
They crashed into each other and hugged before they even saw each other. Unstable, 4 lost their balance and almost fell onto the ground but 3 swung them around and pulled them in closer to their body-
'4!/3!\4!!/3!!!\You're okay!/Of course I'm okay! Are you okay?\Yes! Why wouldn't I be okay?/The explosion-\we did that on purpose! we were getting into a public telephone booth! we're okay!/You're okay?\I'm okay! Are you okay?/Yes. I'm okay. I'm okay.'
4. 4. 4.
4 was okay. They were here. They weren't gone. They weren't dead-
3 gripped the back of 4's body even tighter and pressed their head against 4's face.
Relief and grief and happiness swirled inside them and stabilized the fizz in their head. Neutralized the anxiety.
They were okay.
4 was squeezing 3's neck tightly. Both of them shared a final choke of emotion before they settled down enough to look into each other's face properly.
They were together again.
All was right with the world again.
Well. As much as the world that needed to be right at this very moment.
'...So,' 4 said, after pulling themself together after that much needed moment. 'Why did you blow up a public telephone booth?'
3 tried to think about how to answer that. 4 had already bumped them on the shoulder before they had even started to reply.
'You're serious? That's what that was about?\Hey, it was a very vulnerable time for us all/You found a dud grenade\I never said it was a sensible time/I can't believe you\I can't believe we never thought of it sooner/I know right!\we should've done this ages ago!/We should do it right now\we should/We need to research this\oh absolutely, I have no idea how we'd make a telephone small enough for us to use/no, but it can't be that hard if the humans did it\we'll just do it better!'
3 and 4 smiled and shook each other in childish glee. Holding hands. Gripping shoulders and arms. Making glorious future plans-
"See, 4? I told you 3 would be okay with 9."
7 and 9 were standing behind them, carrying all the stuff 3 and dropped. She had a genuine smile now, even as she looked a little frazzled. 4 nodded enthusiastically.
'I know! I'm sorry I doubted you earlier. Did you know they were planning to make some telephones though?\We certainly didn't!' the twins flashed at 7 with wide smiles and excited hand movements.
7 let out a huff of laughter and pushed her skull a little higher above her eyes. "I'm glad you two are together again. How about we go back to base and get ready for nightfall? Help us carry some of this stuff so we have something to show from our trip."
She didn't need to ask them twice. In a flash both twins ducked over to 7 and 9 and were grabbing all the things the white and brown stitchpunks couldn't carry easily.
3 and 4 chatted the entire way back to the library. The red and blinding sun setting directly before them didn't even bother them, because they were looking into each other's faces the whole time. They knew their way back. They didn't even need to look at the path in front of them.
'Seriously though, why did you let 9 do that? I thought 7 had asked you to keep him away from bombs\I was! I made it very clear he shouldn't go near small black objects without a pin now. He has grown a little wiser now/and you've grown a little stupider\Lies lies lies/Stupid stupid stupid\No but did you see the stuff we got?/ I did! You have to show me everything you found when you were with 9\Of course! And you're really gonna like this! I found it in the office building we were in-' and they shared pictures and thoughts and history with each other every step of the way home. Optic eyes shining and rapidly flicking like dancing bugs.
*****
And when they did get back to the library, that's when the real work began.
For 9, that is. The twins didn't think it was work to find books or articles about telephones and radios and stuff like that, but then again they knew their idea of fun was different from everyone else's so they forgave 7's playful comments every time they scurried past her to dive deeper in the ocean of books and boxes or to check what else 9 wanted to learn.
Of course 3 and 4 made time for each other and to share what they had done when they had been separated, but only in short bursts as they took breaks from comparing notes or rushing to find 9 about a paper they thought might be useful to him.
3 was glad 4 had truly been safe with 7, though. Still anxious about what their twin could've gone through without them, but mostly they were relieved they were together again. Within reach and within thought. Only being far enough away to help turn a page of a book too big for one of them to hold or to climb a shelf searching for titles that might be doors to more research adventures.
They fell asleep holding hands and curled up inside the hollow globe that night. Exhausted and full of so many words and pictures and drained emotions. Happy to be together again. Safe in the knowledge the other was close to them again.
The next 24 hours were busy. 9 had lots of questions he wanted answers for, but anything the twins couldn't show him he had to find out with trials and repetition by himself. 3 and 4 tried to help, but usually they got distracted watching him fiddle with pieces of tape or the paperclips 3 had helped collect the day before. 9 asked permission to use some parts of the radio the twins had been taking apart the day before. They didn't hesitate to dump the whole radio in his lap, and he laughed at their obvious enthusiasm to help.
7 hung around the library more often than usual that day. She still went out into the Emptiness, but she also made sure her excursions went past places that could hold items 9 needed or wanted. He made requests for batteries and more foil. 7 came back with at least 3 small batteries and a magnet for good measure. No foil, but 7 promised to keep looking just for him.
At some point 3 and 4 got sleepy again, so they wandered off to nap while 9 kept experimenting and twisting and pouring his attention to the pages and books the twins had found for him. They could still hear him working, even though it got quieter the longer the day went.
Then finally, early the next morning, 9 tiredly placed two boxes in front of the other stitchpunks on a book being used like a table. He looked exhausted and frustrated, but he also had a hint of pride as he showed off his inventions to 7 and the twins.
"I have no idea if I've created a telephone, but I DO know I've made something that... still hopefully might be a step in the right direction" he said, resting an elbow on the book. 3 and 4 started poking the boxes, picking them up and turning them around, eyes flicking and probing.
The twins might've seen a lot of 9's first attempts at making a telephone, but they were still impressed and curious to see why 9 thought these crude and strange objects might function. Their hands and eyes worked quickly.
Both boxes had been made of ripped off pieces of cardboard and taped together securely with medical tape. Holes in the cardboard let electrical wires and an odd button poke out freely, and peeking through the gaps 3 and 4 saw that bits of foil and paperclips had been twisted into each other and there was even the hint of a battery inside-
4 pressed the button on the box they were investigating accidentally. It made 3's box let out a staticy BZZT! and both gloved stitchpunks jumped back in fright. Then they got excited. 3 pressed the button on their box and the machine 4 was holding made a ZZRT! sound too. The twins got more excited.
"Good job, 9! Looks like a success to me," 7 said warmly. 9 gave an appreciative smile.
"It's a start. I figured a machine that could make 'a' noise when you wanted it to was better than nothing. To figure out how to get the boxes talking to each other separately was... a headache."
3 and 4 were now pressing the buttons on top of the cardboard boxes a lot. Testing the limits of the machines and seeing if holding down the buttons would make them buzz a little longer. They did.
"... That wasn't the only headache you were getting, was it?" said 7.
9 didn't bother replying, but his zipper chest heaved out breath of laughter and he shook his head. 7 laughed in sympathy.
"Well. At least you've made a start. And for now you've made something that the twins can use too."
"... can I?" 9 asked, looking up from his slouched position in confusion.
"Of course. They don't have voices, remember? So this is more practical for them." she said.
9 blinked. 3 and 4 looked to each other in rapid blinks too.
'Oh yeah, we can't speak/so a telephone would've been a little silly for us to use.' Whoops. Maybe they should've done some more research and branched out in other telecommunication devices before sending 9 on this wild goose-chase... hm. They both made considering flicks at each other.
Guess they knew what they were doing later today.
7 laughed again, ending with a sigh of amusement at everyone's expressions.
"When was the last time you slept?" she asked 9 next, giving the youngest stitchpunk a pointed look.
9 stared blankly into the distance, like he honestly didn't know. Or was too embarrassed to say. 7 smiled like she already knew the answer.
"Did you sleep at all last night?"
9's eyes drifted sideways even further.
"... you said you only slept for a few hours every night. Thought... if I slept early and woke up early I could work for longer-"
"9." 7 said. "I think you need more sleep."
"But I don't feel tired. Well, not that tired anyway, and I've only been up since before the sun rose-"
"I think you need a lot of sleep," 7 said more firmly. 9 couldn't resist her, and before the twins knew it they were alone with only the cardboard 'telephones' in their hand and the echoes of 9 trying to justify why he should still be capable of working and 7 saying she'd have none of it.
They stood there in the middle of the library, underneath one of the broken skylights that let in dull brown and grey light. The twins mirrored a question and answer when their attention drifted back to the other.
They hadn't even needed to speak. They just knew what the other wanted to do.
So, carrying 9's inventions around the library, the twins experimented with buzzing noises and lighted eyes. They tested how efficiently they worked at a distance. Calculated how delayed the buzzers were. Even dropping the cardboard boxes to see how durable they'd be. They only did that once, but they made a mental note to tell 9 he should make them out of something stronger than cardboard for next time.
Then, after they had exhausted all the testing and probing they wanted (apart from literally tearing the cardboard and tape apart to look at the insides), 3 and 4 stood in front of one of the only bookcases that still stood standing upright, despite being surrounded by a domino effect of shelves knocked and fallen down around the room.
They looked at each. A quiet question on 4's face.
'Want to see if... these really work?' 4's eyes blinked slowly, holding up the 'telephone' box in their hands.
The fizz in 3's head started bubbling again. Pushing against their optic eyes like a shallow wave of spots and sparks.
But they nodded.
They wanted to do it this time, despite everything whispering at them to say no. The nightmares pushed dying blood and fire on 3. Warning them. Just in case this time they weren't so lucky, or in case they were tempting fate to get separated from 4 forever-
3 forced the intrusive thoughts back the best they could. Still within their mind, but out of sight and focusing on 4.
They could do this.
The twins started at one end of the towering bookcase. One on either side, books jutting out and balancing uncertainly on the shelves. A tumbled mess of paper and leather spines on both their paths. But one was overshadowed by the bookcase. The other lit up with the filtered light of broken glass and clouds.
They took one last look at each other. Then with a final nod they both took a step forward. In an instant the bookcase hid 4 from view, covering 3 in the shadow of lost knowledge and memories. 3 forcibly turned their head forward towards the end of the tunnel.
The bookcase loomed long in front of 3. Long and dark and full of obstacles made of history, stories and dried ink.
Go back. Go back. Before 4 is out of reach-
They didn't turn back. They took another step. Trusting 4 was doing the same on the other side despite the fear. Despite that annoying worry that started insisting that 4 was not going to make it unless they checked, loud and louder with every step-
3 wanted to quit the experiment. Wanted to turn back and walk on the same side as 4. Their body itching to retreat and make sure their other half was still okay.
Out of sight. Out of 3's vision. Close enough to almost touch, but so far away at the same time.
Were they even still there? Were they gone and 3 would never see them again?---
BZZT!
3 blinked, scared and surprised at the sudden noise that had shook in their hands. But they tried to relax their shoulders, adjusting the box in own their hold again. Gripping it tighter.
4 was still okay.
They had said so.
... 3 had to make sure 4 knew they were okay too.
They pressed their button twice, and their ears heard a faint bzt! bzt! somewhere on the other side of the wood and books that they couldn't reach.
Out of reach. But not out of hearing.
3 kept walking. Shaky and hesitating steps, but still going.
Hoping 4 was doing the same.
BZZT! crackled 3's box again. They smiled a little, pressing their button back immediately this time.
zzt!
Stumbling in the early morning shadows. Carrying out an experiment that had to be done. Needed to be done now. Had to be seen through to the end.
Over books, skidding down the paperbacks and the leather-coated covers humans must have treasured long before they were put into this library and forgotten by the war. One step at a time. The halfway point reached. The light at the end of the tunnel so far away but getting nearer all the time.
BZZT!
A little more further. The anxiety close and boiling beneath the surface but their twin closer.
bzz!
Images of death or loss darkening only long enough to make them remember their twin was fine because they could still hear them.
If not their thoughts, then at least their fingerprint through the sound in their hands right now, this second-
BZzt!
-the sound of someone thinking of them-
zzt!
-the same way they were thinking of the other-
Bzt! Bzt! Bzt!
-and even if they couldn't see 4, that didn't mean they couldn't know they were all right-
bzZztztzZZT!-
BZZTZTZTZ!!
-and the anxiety that made them think they were dead was getting hard to believe when proof of the contrary was right in their hands. And right on the other side of what they couldn't see.
3 stepped over one last book, face already turned to see if 4 had made it all the way to the other side of the bookcase with them.
What if they hadn't made it, the fizz inside their head doubted.
What if they hadn't-
A hooded face poked out from behind the bookcase, mirroring 3's searching look.
They smiled. Both of them.
'Hi!' 4 winked out, lights glowing warmer than the sun behind them ever could.
3's optic eyes scrunched up and they blinked away imaginary streaks of light from their vision.
4 already knew their thoughts, but 3 still pushed the button on their box and 4's buzzer vibrated one last time.
'You're okay.'
'Yeah. I'm okay.'
They were okay.
The twins joined hands and decided to tell 9 that his inventions had worked perfectly later.
And what more could they want when everything they needed was each other and a device that could let them talk together even when they were far apart?
3 couldn't think of anything else, personally.