| “ | I'm going to kill them all. | ” |
–Nine's Legacy | ||
Number Nine, also known as Stanley Worthington, is one of the ten Loric children who escaped from Lorien when the Mogadorians attacked, and is one of the six remaining Loric Garde. He was about four when he left Lorien.
Physical Appearance
Number Nine is described as being tall, muscular, having broad shoulders, long black hair and, like all remaining Garde, he has four scars on his ankles. Setrákus Ra has heard Nine might be his greatest challenge because he believes that Nine is Pittacus Lore. Four has mentioned he is stronger than any Garde even himself and Six, probably due to his intense training with Sandor and his constant drive and anger to kill Mogs while imprisoned, which made him workout constantly just to keep the pain away.
Number 9's Symbol
Biography
Early Life
Like most of the Garde kids in his age Number Nine was raised by his grandparents. When he was four years old Daxin and Sandor came to meet Nine's grandfather. He had been playing with his Chimæras, and Daxin gave him a tracker wristband which he immediately wore.
On the day of Quatermoon Sandor came to Nine's house to take Nine to the airstrip. On their way they were attacked by a Mogadorian but were saved by an unseen Devektra. They were the last to arrive at the airstrip and therefore he was the last to be protected by Loridas's charm, making him Number Nine. Sandor was appointed as his unofficial Cêpan and came to Earth with him.[2]
After landing on Earth, Number Nine had been on the road living in and out of hotels/motels for no more than a few months at a time with his Cêpan, Sandor, for most of his life. After being attacked a number of times and narrowly escaping, Sandor decided they would try hiding in plain sight rather than constantly running, and so they settled down in Chicago, remaining unnoticed for 5 years.
Sandor built a safe house on the 100th floor of the John Hancock Center, which later became a safe house for the remaining Garde and their allies.
Nine's daily routine was typically spent alone, usually involving a long jog, followed by training, and some school time with Sandor. After five years of uninterrupted peace, one day while on one of his morning jogs, Nine realised that there was a Mog in the area. For no other reason than because he was fairly bored, he let his scars show in plain sight, allowing the Mog to tail him back to his apartment. After trapping the Mog in the elevator to his apartment, Sandor ordered Nine to kill it, which he did.
Meeting Maddy
After that incident, Sandor got him a local gym membership so that Nine could start socializing with other people, and hopefully stay out of trouble. This backfired however when he met a young girl around his age named Maddy. After meeting Maddy at the gym, he took her on a few dates. However, the more he associated himself with her, more trouble seemed to find him. On their or fourth meeting, Nine went to pick Maddy up from the park in one of Sandor's cars. Three Mogs attempted to ambush them at the park and a high speed chase through Chicago ensued. Maddy, upset and angry at Nine for putting her in that much danger left the minute he stopped the car. Maddy eventually texted Nine back the next evening saying "Maybe we can try again if you promise no cars." Upon reading the text, Nine went to her apartment and spent the night. When he awoke, he was immediately attacked by Mogs and made a desperate attempt to escape with Maddy. Though once he and Maddy got out of the apartment, she pulled out a taser and shocked him, effectively disabling him and leading to his capture.
It is revealed at this point that Maddy had been looking for a boy of his description in the Chicago area. Her parents were captured and she was made to help search for him in exchange for being reunited with her parents. Nine was emotionally hurt after her betrayal, but decided that she was not the enemy and holds no serious ill will toward her seeing as how she was being forced to cooperate.
Mog Captivity
After being successfully transported to the cave in West Virginia, the Mog in charge told Nine that they did agree to give Maddy her parents back (which they did). However, after Nine got to watch her and her parent's shortlived happy reunion, the Mog told him that they never agreed to let them live. Moments later, Nine was forced to watch both Maddy and her parents get killed by a Piken. Maddy looked toward Nine and screamed for his help, but there was nothing that he could do but watch.
As time went on, Nine suffered the same fate that Six did while in that cave, doing nothing but pushups and eating whatever slop they gave him, while trying to maintain his sanity. After a while, Sandor (who had not been caught yet), was eventually caught in Ohio while looking for his Garde, and brought to the cave as well. The Mog,believing there was nothing more that Nine could tell them that they didn't already know, decided to torture Sandor anyway for sheer amusement. Eventually Nine couldn't stand it anymore, and he managed to break through the blue force field that kept him contained. He got into a skirmish with the few Mogs that were there, but Sandor stopped him from continuing a pointless fight that he most certainly could not win, and told him to kill him while he had the chance. Nine then picked up the dagger, and thrusted it into his Cêpan's chest, ending his suffering. Later, Nine heard Mogs running around scared, and this was when the force field dropped.
Meeting Number Four
After being freed he met Number Four and Sam Goode. He congratulated Four on surviving as long as he had and after hearing what was currently going on, he gave Sam his X-ray vision stone and the power to use it, and started killing Mogadorians with his bare hands. He is in the heat of battle and Four says he has a ferocity he didn't know the Garde had. Nine shows his true blood-lust and anger but tries to keep it under control to not freak out Four. Nine rips through hundreds of Mogs and a dozen beasts. He also uses his pipe-staff (Joust) to kill off a piken easily and effectively. After losing Sam, he and Four escape the cave, with Four being shot in the back.
After escaping from the Cave, Nine and Four witness the arrival of Setrákus Ra, the leader of the Mogadorians. Setrákus Ra enters the cave, and a force field is raised around the mouth of the cave to prevent the Nine and Four from pursuing. Four then runs into the force field, against Nine's suggestion and gets knocked out from the impact. Nine communicates with Bernie Kosar, and takes Four back to his car. After Four wakes up and is informed of Sam's loss, they decide to head North to Nine's home in Chicago.[1] [3]
Back to John Hancock Center
He settled with Four in an abandoned house, some miles away from the Mog base. Four was still recovering from the blow he recieved from the forcefield at the time. While there, they look at some of the objects in their chest and unintelligently give away their location (suggested to be through the Macrocosm) They are captured by agents Walker and Purdy and the U.S government who are using Mogadorian weapons.
They are taken captive in glass cages in the back of a van when it crashes and the government agents are severely injured. Nine offers to hold off the swarms of police coming for them, but before Four can get any information from them, the agents disappear.
Four and Nine travel to Chicago, returned to the John Hancock Center, which was Nine's safe house for almost 5 years. There, they learn what to do with Malcolm Goode's Tablet, and use it to track the other Garde. There, he battled with Four on the rooftop, for he claimed that he was Pittacus Lore. After the battle, while they were both asleep, both Four and Nine had a dream telling them to go to New Mexico. This reveals that Nine have been having the same dreams as Four and that he may also hold PIttacus Lore's powers due to his ability to communicate with Setrákus Ra.
Battle of Dulce, New Mexico
On the way to New Mexico, Nine fought with hooligan truck drivers for some hitch-hikers, giving justice and revealing that Nine is a humanitarian.
He and Four met Seven, Eight, and Ella on the desert of New Mexico, just outside Dulce. Inside, they find Sarah Hart. Nine battles Setrákus Ra because he is the only one who can hold his own while the others try to save Eight and battle the Mogs.[4]
After the battle in Dulce all of the Garde (except Five ), Sarah, and BK go to Nine 's penthouse in John Hancock Center in Chicago. Nine tries to impress the girls by walking around shirtless. He tries to convince John to go attack the Mog cave in West Virginia.
Training with the Garde
He gets mad at John when he doesn't allow him to go to Arkansas to find Five especially after learning that Sarah will be going too. While John, Six, Sarah, and BK are out to find Five, Marina and Eight do some sightseeing while Nine sleeps. He gets mad at them for leaving. Then he agrees to train with Marina and Eight in the lecture room. After the training is over Ella tries to leave after reading Crayton's letter to her. He
Exerpt From The Fall of Five
tries to convince Ella to stay saying since the charm is broken numbers don't matter anymore. He insults Five by saying he looks like a 'Hobbit guy' once John and the others bring him back to Nine's penthouse. He apologizes to Sam, who also came with them along with his father Malcolm for leaving him behind in West Virginia, admitting it was his fault. A rare occurrence from him.
He seems to have developed a friendship with Ella . He always tries to pick a fight with Five which one time resulted him in getting his hand broken and healed by John.
He is appointed captain in the 'capture the flag game' and he leads his team to victory. He manages to get his revenge against Five during the game. When grappling with Six, it is said that Nine had the upper hand.
The Everglades, Florida
He travels to the Everglades to get Five's chest with Six, Eight, Marina and Five. While they are in the Everglades, Five tells them that he's working for the mogs, breaks Nine's pipe staff and holds Nine underwater in the swamp. Then he throws Nine against a tree which breaks his back. Nine still continues to taunt Five who gets angry and throws a blade towards him. Eight teleports in front of him to save him and gets pierced in the heart. He dies instantly. Nine passes out and Six carries him out to safety.[5]
He along with Six and Marina tries to find their way back to civilization after Five's betrayal. He tries to appear nonchalant, occasionally making random comments. When they finally find a bar and learns about the attack in John Hancock Center he gets angry tries to make his way to Chicago. Six manages to calm him down. He admits to her that it was his fault that Eight died. Six literally beats some sense into him.
When Marina discovers about a mog base in the Everglades from a man named Dale, he along with Six goes with her to recover Eight's body. On the way they encounters mogadorian boat on patrol. They manage to kill them. Their guide Dale runs away when he witness their legacies. At that point Nine sees a mogadorian warship over their heads. Six makes the invisible and they follow it to their base. When they get to the base it is surrounded by mogs and communicating with a mutant cow he manages to create a distraction. They head into a hanger where they find Eight's body along with Number Five.
Five apologizes to them and lies that no one was suppose to die. He leaves behind the body of Number Eight and kills a mogadorian commander. This confuses the three of them. Nine apologizes to Eight for getting him killed. Marina tells him that Eight would forgive him, that she forgives him. He hugs Marina and cries. They are interrupted by a trio of mogs who pushes a broken down Skimmer. As the skimmer starts to shoot Nine dives for cover with Eight's body. When the shooting stops they realize the skimmer has only killed the mogs. John's voice comes through the Skimmer and says to them that they have taken over a mog base. He instructs them to head there. When Adam instructs them to navigate the Skimmer Marina is skeptical and asks how could they believe it really is John. Nine asks John how they settle the argument of whether to go New Mexico or Paradise and John answers he dangled him off the roof. Nine is satisfied of the answer. Nine is still not trusting of Adam.
Ashwood Estates and Agent Walker
Upon arriving on Ashwood Estates Nine teases John about sending Sarah on a mission with her ex-boyfriend. He is amazed to see the Chimæras and is less enthusiastic to learn they had named the lazy, chubby one after him. When Agent Walker arrives with her team Nine keeps a look out while Six and John have a private conversation. He was distrusting of Walker and her team and keep an eye out all night. At some point he notices Six and Sam heading to an empty house and later teases them about it.
Fall of New York
Nine chooses to go to New York with Walker, John and Sam. Marina gives him her dark gloves when he was sadden to depart with his inheritance. On the way to New York he teases Sam about his hookup with Six. When they arrive at the hotel where Bud Sanderson is staying at he puts on the gloves and claps his hands, accidentally triggering a sonic boom. Nine makes up for it by killing the mogadorians that were guarding Sanderson with couches and more.
Later, when they meet Setrákus Ra in human form on the stage, Nine and John spring into action after Ella disables his Legacies with Dreynen. Nine destroys Ra's The Eye of Thaloc that allows shapeshifting, but Five intervenes after John and Nine attempt to kill Ra. Then Nine and Five go into a duel, and they disappear amid the chaos as the invasion starts.
Legacies
- Main Article: Legacies
Physical Enhancements
Being a Garde, Nine possesses enhanced strength (he has shown some immense Strength, Speed, Agility, endurance and durability. He is possibly at the peak of all his physical attributes, as he is able to hold off Setrákus Ra in The Rise of Nine. When fighting Six in the capture the flag game, it is said that Nine was overpowering Six, who is generally considered quite strong.
Telekinesis
He possesses Telekinesis, an ability that all Garde share.
Legacy Transference
Nine uses Legacy Transference to allow Sam to use the Lorien crystal which allows the user to have x-ray vision. This legacy is comparable to the ability of the Xitharis stone, however, he doesn't have to "charge" this Legacy. He says it lasts 10 minutes.
Antigravity
Nine can emit a field of antigravity around himself, which allows him to run on walls and upside down.
Animal Telepathy
Nine can also telepathically communicate with animals, like Number Four.
Super Hearing
Nine is able to hear for miles around him without close sounds being painful to him.
Super Speed
He's able to move at speeds that make him appear to be a blur.
Super Strength
Nine seems to be much stronger than any of the Garde; he broke through a Mogadorian forcefield, steel cages and battled Setrákus Ra himself, although it is unconfirmed that this is a Legacy - it may just be because he trained so intensely with Sandor and while imprisoned in a Mog stronghold.
Chest
- Main article: Loric Chest
Nine's Loric Chest is his Inheritance, given to all of the Garde. Sandor, his Cêpan, allows him to train with one of its weapons- a pipe-staff as Nine calls it that extends, grows razor blade ends, and turns red hot when used in battle. Nine is very well trained with it. Nine's Father was profficient with the Joust (the "pipe staff's" true name) back in the day. Nine's chest was stolen by the Mogadorians when his Cêpan was captured, but later Four breaks in and brings him his Chest. Each Garde either has a solar system or a red crystal (Nine has a red crystal), and when they pair up, one with a crystal and one with a macrocosm, they can communicate with other pairs.
Contents:
- Pipe Staff/ Joust: a short silver pipe that when used in battle can expand to at least six feet long, turn red hot, and grow razor blade ends. Nine is very well trained with this item. It was destroyed in the Fall of Five when Five broke it.
- X- Ray Rock: a small red stone that when placed between the user's knuckles, provides a large beam that lets you see through things like walls, very much like an X-ray.
- Spiky Yellow Ball: a spiked, small yellow ball that is controlled with the user's mind. It can expand and take on the form of almost any type of ball, and bust through steel doors. The user can control anything from its color to its weight to its spikes.
- Sustenance: a small yellow cube similar to John's blue cube. Sustenance fills you up with a food like substance for a little while when placed in the mouth of the user.
- String of Green Crystals: a black string of green crystals that when used can suck up anything aimed for the user, in a way like a black hole, and spit it back at the one who tried to use it originally.
- Purple Stone: Not much is known about this stone except that Nine discovered it works when he placed it on the top of his hand, and it would turn invisible and defy gravity when rolled to the underside of his hand. Nine jokes about this stone being "a killer conversation started for the ladies".
- Red Crystal: a small, red oblong crystal that is to be paired with another Garde's macrocosm: as if the set were a walkie-talkie, the macrocosm allows you to hear, and the red crystal allows you to speak and be heard by another Garde with an operational macrocosm or solar system.
- Healing Stone: A small, very dark black stone that is able to heal almost any injury inflicted with the intent to hurt or kill. It must be used promptly after infliction, and also causes twice the pain of the original injury during the healing process. Works on both humans and Loric.
- Small Leather Pouch: The pouch is filled with rich, chocolate-brown soil meant for growing things. It is Nine's phoenix stone.
Personality
Given his exceptional strength, speed, and the effects of Mog incarceration on his mind, Nine can be reckless, hotheaded, and insensitive. He will sometimes go out of his way to pick a fight or make a joke at another's expense. Marina once commented that she "had never seen someone so excited at the sight of his own blood". However, Nine is also shown to be a humanitarian with his firm belief that "no one has the right to take or hurt, just because they can" and can be very protective of his teammates. He will occasionally apologize for his behavior and can show weakness, especially for Sandor and for his mistakes. Sadly, Nine can be a hypocrite at times, and constantly is picking on others, especially Number Five.
Relationships
Family
Like many Garde children on Lorien Nine was raised by his grandfather. Nine's grandfather was described as a burly man who dressed roughly with ceremonial necklaces. He lived in the country with Nine because of his dislike of the technology. He has precognition legacy and foresaw that Sandor will come one day to take away Nine but will die, who is important to the Loric race. He died in the Mogadorian invasion. Nothing much is known about the rest of Nine's family, but it is definite that they are dead too (as they were presumably on Lorien when it was attacked, and no one survived).
Sandor
Nine's relationship with his Cêpan is a little tricky. They care for each other, and love one another, but they don't seem to be very good at expressing how the other is feeling. Sandor sets up all of Nine's training regimens and Nine cooperates, though sometimes reluctantly as he feels training is getting old, still Nine loved Sandor like a father. His death cements Nine's desire to kill every single Mogadorian. Nine misses him a lot, but often pretends that the Cêpans are "expendable" and his death didn't matter.
Maddy
A girl Nine meets near his final days in Chicago. She approaches him at a park in hopes of getting to know him and the two eventually go on a few dates. However Maddy has a secret agenda in which she must fulfill in order to see her parents again who have been captured by the Mogs. After betraying Nine and handing him over to the Mogs, Maddy seems to feel extremely guilty and did in fact truly like Nine, however she ultimately knew it had to be done in order to save her parents. After getting over the initial shock of it all, Nine comes to terms with what she did, allowing himself to forgive her as she is not the one to blame. When Maddy and her family are killed, Nine is deeply saddened that he could not do anything to protect her. Later, Nine blocks any thought of Maddy out of his mind and seems fine with other girls (making blatant to flirt with most of them).
Allies
John Smith
| “ | Good job staying alive, Number Four | ” |
–Nine, to John | ||
Nine's initial thought of John was that he must be around the same age as himself, but he looks "much younger and softer." Upon first meeting one another, the amount of excitement Nine displays as they fight their way through the cave greatly unnerves John. The two manage to cooperate well with one another as they make their way out of the cave. Before his capture, Nine was a cockier version of Four. Later, Four considers him arrogant, whereas Nine considers Four selfish. The pair do not seem to get on as they have conflicting ideas for their next step, Four is determined to save Sam, whereas Nine is adament that they continue travelling. They argue several more times.
In Chicago, Four questions Sandor's strategy to live in big cities, and Nine seemingly oblivious to Four's intentions names him the best Cêpan ever, perhaps out of guilt. When Four asks Nine about why Nine was in a prison cell if Sandor was so amazing, Nine loses his temper and explains (part of) the reason why he was captured. When they arrive at Nine's apartment, they clash when it comes to what to do next. Nine wants to go to Paradise, and Four to New Mexico to save the Garde there. They agree to a "practice match" and Nine, albeit winning, tells Four that he will face him off when Four says he is Pittacus Lore. They fight at the top of the roof, each using an item from the chest. When Nine gets the better of Four, he holds Four over the edge of the building, 100 stories up, and orders him to say that Four isn't Pittacus. Four refuses but Nine doesn't drop him (as Garde are too valuable) and walks away threatening to drop him the next time.
Later, Nine apologizes to Four, saying that he could blame his over-eagerness to fight on being in prison, adding that that experience did something to him, and saying that he wants to be friends with Four. Four responds that he wants to be friends with him too. A dream gets Nine to change his mind and go to New Mexico. On the way, Nine reveals to Four he is a humanitarian, something that surprises Four.
Sam Goode
| “ | I feel bad for the kid-another piece of human collateral damage | ” |
–Nine, on Sam | ||
Nine first met Sam when he and John rescued him from the mogadorian cave he was held in. He transferred his powers to him and lets him borrow his x-ray stone to find his father. John and he were separated when they were swarmed by mogadorians and their monsters. He decided to leave Sam behind. He later apologizes to Sam for leaving him behind in the cave admitting it was his fault, a rare occurrence for him. Nine refers to Sam as dorky-looking runt and nerd.
Trivia
- Counting his superior enhancements separately (strength, speed and hearing), he currently has the most Legacies among the surviving Garde.
- Just like Four and Eight, he has dreams/visions of Setrákus Ra, making him, Four, and Eight (who is now dead, so maybe not) the most likely candidates to inherit Pittacus Lore's legacies.
- He did not live in Chicago all his life; only for the past few years.
- He is one of the two Garde to be imprisoned by the Mogadorians and survive. The other Garde is Number Six.
- He is one of the five people to be imprisoned by Mogodorians and survive. The other four are Number Six, Malcolm Goode, Sarah Hart, and Sam Goode.
- Sam Goode named one of the Chimæras Adamus rescued from Plum Island after him (The Chimæra's name is Stanley, and he is chubby and lazy).
- He has two books named after him. "Nine's Legacy" and "The Rise of Nine"
- In an interview, the author stated that Nine would fall in love at some point in the series. This has yet to be confirmed, but it is believed this will happen in The Fate of Ten.
- In "Five's Betrayal", Five observes Nine to have brown hair. However, in the main book series, it is described multiple times that he has black hair.
Quotes
| “ | I've been locked up for over a year. This is the best day of my life! | ” |
–To Four, when he is finally freed from the mog prison | ||
| “ | We’re soldiers, Johnny! And soldiers die. We were sent here to train and fight and some of us aren’t going to make it. That’s the nature of war. | ” |
–Rise of Nine | ||
| “ | This is not our home, Four. These humans are not our brothers and sisters. Everything we do here on Earth is for our real home, for our real brothers and sisters; for the Elders who sacrificed their lives to put us on that ship...if you don't have Lorien in your heart, then you should say so right now. I won't run around with a traitor. Our only goal is doing everything we can to be at full strength so we can defeat Setrákus Ra and his army. That's it. Got it? | ” |
–Nine to John, Rise of Nine | ||
| “ | "Son of a bitch, I think this idiot can fly!" | ” |
–Nine, guessing Five's Legacy, The Fall of Five, Chapter 7 | ||
| “ | "Bullshit on top of bullshit!" | ” |
–Nine, commenting on Adamus having Legacies, The Fall of Five | ||
| “ | "Honey, I got captured for several months because of my stupidity, so I have the absolute right to color commentate--- ow!" | ” |
–Nine, commenting on Five's actions before being interrupted by Ella, The Fall of Five | ||
| “ | "I don't like bullies, nobody has the right to take or hurt just because they can." | ” |
–Nine speaking to John, The Rise of Nine | ||
| “ | Wow, Johnny. I send you out for reinforcements and you come back with an old man, a nerd and this hobbit guy. Great job.
|
” |
–Nine says to John, after coming home from Arkansas. | ||
| “ | Oh man, I’m sorry for… I mean, thank you for saving my life. Five was right, uh, you probably shouldn’t have. If I’d just shut my mouth you’d probably still be … shit, I’m sorry, Eight. I’m so sorry. | ” |
–Nine apologizing to Eight, Revenge of Seven | ||