A/N: Here I go with another 9 fanfic! I got this idea after realizing that one of the usernames on the 9 forum was "Jabberwocky", and I remembered reading that poem. And that got me thinking: what if the stitchpunks somehow encountered the Jabberwock? Hence, this story was born! It's my 2nd 9 fic, and my first 9 fic that's multi-chaptered. It takes place after the events of the movie, but as if none of the stitchpunks died. Anyway, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: "9" belongs to Shane Acker. "Jabberwocky" belongs to Lewis Carol. I only own this fic. All other movies, books, etc. that may be mentioned belong to their respective owners.

-----

In an abandoned storage shack in the place known only as "the Emptiness", a small group of 9 creatures known as "stitchpunks" lived. The last month had been quite an ordeal for them – they accidentally awakened a giant human machine known as the Fabrication Machine, or "B.R.A.I.N". Using their wits, and their knowledge, they had managed to defeat it.

And one stitchpunk in particular had seen it coming. Known as 6, he was said to be one of the younger ones, and he had the amazing gift of seeing into the past and future, expressing his visions through drawings. During the incident a month prior, he had told the newest group member, 9, that he needed to "Go back to the Source", and it was through that insight that the group had found out how to defeat the great machine. But all that was behind them now.

6 casually sat in a corner of the room, humming happily as he drew. The small group felt as if they had no reason to worry anymore - the machines around them were gone, and the stitchpunks were safe. No more constant visions of "the Source", no more exclamations of disbelief from the others (except perhaps occasionally from 1)... life had certainly gotten better for the group.

Drawing in a carefree manner, 6 started to sing a small tune to himself. He was pretty sure he had never heard it, and yet he was certain that it came from somewhere else. The lyrics just came to him.

"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe."

He couldn't shake the feeling of its importance. It was almost like his visions of "the Source", only coming in the form of a song.

Suddenly, 6 froze, his humming coming to an abrupt halt. Had any of the stitchpunks been around to see him, they would've noticed a distant look appear in his optics, as often happened when he got a vision. Instantly, the young seer saw a powerful vision in his mind's eye. and immediately reached for a paper to sketch his vision, muttering to himself.

"It comes…" 6 whispered, "it awakens…" He never asked for these visions to come – they just happened, he couldn't control them. And sometimes these visions were unwanted, terrifying… including this one.

6 opened his eyes, shaking, as he hung his newest vision-sketch on the wall, which depicted a terrifying creature. It somewhat resembled a dragon - and he knew what dragons were, thanks to the twin's array of cataloged information - but its claws reminded him frightfully of the metal claws of the Fabrication Machine. It towered over a human, almost 20 feet high, maybe even higher.

"Humans are gone..." 6 whispered, "and it awakens..."

-----

Yeah, I know it was short, and I apologize for that, but it's a prologue, it's supposed to be short! I'll try to update when I can! Read and review!