B-127 spun around, observing everyone and everything in their frozen states. She poked at a red ball, it barely moved. She turned back around, staring herself being crushed by B-006
"That is me," she said, pointing. "I'm being crushed. This is...my future."
She scoffed, a smile coming to her face. "I can see the future. This is what's going to happen to me. But how can I avoid—"
She noticed another child—B-55. Her tail was right beside B-127's hand. B-127 ran towards her fallen self body and kneels beside herself. "This," she said, touching the tail. "I-I grab this. I survive."
Seeing enough, she closes her eyes again.
B-127 gasps, as she reopens them, back in the real world. B-006 brought his foot down and, noticing B-55's tail, B-127 grabs it. B-55 cries out and runs off, dragging her along. B-006 stomps the ground and lifts the foot to see her crushed body but is surprised to nothing but his own footprint.
B-75 jumps down on B-006, wrapping a metal bar around his neck. "Missed me?" He whispers before laughing manically, tightening the bar around his neck. B-006's eyes bulged, his hands clawing at the bar but to no avail. He falls onto his back, chocking and sputtering before going still.
B-75 crawls out from under the giant, catching his breath as B-006 shrinks back to normal. "You still couldn't do it," B-75 panted before getting to his feet.
B-127 released her grip on B-55's tail, letting herself fall to the ground. She groaned as she got to her feet, dodging a ball that whizzed past her head.
That ball stopped mid air, as did the others thrown. They all suddenly went up. B-127 looks up to see a young boy wearing shades hovering in the air. "Game over," he snarled as with a wave his hand, the balls fly down at incredible speed, hitting everyone so hard, that spat out blood or seemingly crushing their heads.
B-127 braced herself as B-75 jumps on her, pinning her to the ground. He grunts as each ball hits his back, the sound of bones crunching under his skin. B-75 spewed out blood from his mouth, his fingers curling into fists from the pain. She opened her eyes and glanced up at him who grinned at her, his blood dripping from his mouth onto her cheek. His eyes met hers, an readable message in his.
I won't let him hurt you.
The hail of balls suddenly ended as it began. Some children groaned, struggling to get up while others laid dead. B-75 staggers to his feet as he helped B-127 up. "You're....welcome," he smiles before collapsing to the ground.
"No!" She shouts, kneeling down beside him, his blood streaming down her cheek. "Are you okay?"
B-127 quietly berates herself in the head. "Of course he's not okay, dumbass!"
B-75 chuckled, followed by a wounded cough. "I'm fine," he winked at her.
Mrs. Peapot's shadow looms over the two. B-127 turns around and stares right at her. "I see your alive. How?" She demands. B-127 silently glares at her in response.
"Fine. Don't tell me," she shrugs. "Take this boy and the others to the infirmary!" She barked, heading off in another direction.
The boy with telekinesis lands, huffing and bent over. He spits out blood before falling to the ground.
"Good," B-127 said after she witnessed his collapse.
"I hope you die a slow, painful death."
People dressed in red hazmat suits burst through the metal doors, pushing something on wheels. Two approach B-127 and grabs B-75 before tossing him onto the gurney. They push the gurney towards the metal with B-127 following.
"Is he going to be okay?" She asks, as she struggles to follow them down the hallway. "He seemed to be very hurt—"
"He's Max. He'll be fine," the woman behind the helmet assured her before pushing him through another metal door with the sign "Infirmary" above.
B-127 stood there, as the other gurneys push past.
"Why do they keep...calling him that?" She muttered, clenching her hand into a fist.
B-127 laid in her cell, her foot tapped against the floor. It's been days since she's last seen B-75. Dread fills her being.
What if he died?
She hoped he hadn't.
She wasn't sure why she hoped so.
"You!" B-127 sit up, seeing a woman in green standing there. "Come here," she commands.
B-127 get to her feet and cautiously walks up to the door. The woman grabs her through the bars, by the collar, slamming her against the door. The action evoked a grunt from B-127. "Relax, I have a message. He says hello," she whispered in B-127's ear.
"Who?" She asked.
"Max," she replied.
She tosses her to the ground and walks away as B-127 gets to her feet, looking out through the bars. Her heart thumped in her chest.
He was alive!
Thank heavens!
B-127 twirled her purple hair in boredom. She never thought she'd wished that she was back at Facility A.
"Hello!" B-75's voice made her jolt.
"B-75?" She gasped, joy sparkling in her eyes.
She noticed two hands at the smaller barred window.
How'd he climb up there?
"Hi-de-ho. How are you?" He replied, one hand waving at her before cackling manically. The laugh echoing in the cool, damp air.
"I'm alright. I...I'm okay," she said, her voice cracking.
"Are you crying?" He asked.
"No."
There was a long stretch of silence for while, broken by the sound of sniffling from B-127. B-127 licked her lips before speaking. "I...B-75?"
"Hmm?"
"Why do they call you...Max?" She asked, her anger evident in her tone.
"Because that's my name," Max answered.
"Your...name?" She raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yes my name," he repeats. "Surely you know what a name is, right?"
B-127 laid back down, staring up at the roof. "Yes. I do. But why Max?"
"Max the Hound was my favorite cartoon," he said, chuckling. "I watched all thirteen seasons and five movies twice. You?"
"I...I don't like that show," she replied. "Why not?" He asked.
"They shocked my brain, and drew out my blood while forcing me to watch every time," she answered grimly.
"Who did?" He asked. "The scientists at Facility A," she replied. "Oh. I see," Max said.
"So what's your name?" He asked her.
"B-127," she replied.
"No!" His shout made her jolt. It echoed in their cells like a gunshot.
"Your real name. I won't call you a number."
She thought about it, her fingers continuing to twirl her hair. Her brain thought of a name, any name.
Her mind then drifted to Max the Hound of all things. She remembered a character that once appeared in the series—a purple fox who wore a purple flower behind her ear. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to recall the name.
Purple....
Vi....
Vio....
"Violet," she gasped. "What?" Max said.
Swallowing she shouts with all her might. "My name is Violet!"
There was a silence.
"Hello Violet!" He shouted back, the latter word echoing.
Violet let out a laugh, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
Violet....
She likes that name.
This name, despite stolen. she wanted to keep.