Chapter One

The roar of the airplane engines had drowned out to a soft hum as Bray picked his way through the tall overgrowth and weeds as he headed south, away from the city. He had not allowed the mysterious airplanes overhead to distract him, knowing that he had to seize the opportunity, use the distraction of the planes to allow him to slip away from Danni, the woman carrying his child, unnoticed. Or nearly so.

Guilt had momentarily slowed him as he proceeded on his trek. He knew that Danni had gone into labor, knew that the chances of Danni and the child surviving such an ordeal were rather slim, but he comforted himself with the fact that Danni was a fighter. She was strong. And the child… It would be more convenient for both of them if the child did not survive. It bound them together, which was something neither of them wanted.

“She knew the risks.” Bray consoled himself as he pushed his shaggy medium brown hair away from his face, wishing that he had thought to secure it back before he had been banished from the city. “She knew it was dangerous, especially in her condition. She chose to leave the city with me. It’s not my fault if…”

Bray trailed off, his brow furrowing. As much as he tried to convince himself that he would not be at fault if something happened to Danni during the labor process, he could not free himself of the heavy feeling of guilt.

He hesitated momentarily, glancing back in the direction of the decrepit barn where he had abandoned Danni. He had been shocked and highly flattered that she had wanted to leave the city with him. He should have refused her, told her that she had to stay behind, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, for purely selfish reasons.

“Come on.” He muttered loudly, annoyed with himself. He couldn’t be having second thoughts right then. Now was the perfect opportunity, probably his only opportunity. He had to seize it and never look back.

Setting his expression, Bray turned back around to face due south. He really didn’t know where exactly he was going, just that he was heading south to where he believed his brother might be. He struggled trying to piece together Trudy’s cryptic and hysterical comments about how his brother was still yet alive and he would have his revenge.

She had made some comment about Martin, or rather Zoot, being to the south, but she had not said much else. It would all be guesswork and heavy investigating. But they lived in a small world and he was sure if he traveled far enough south eventually someone would be able to help him out.

Firming his resolve, Bray forced a smile onto his face as he pushed all thoughts of Danni and the child that soon would be born in the run down and dirty old barn out of his mind. He had only the future to look to now. There was no going back now.

~*~*~

The earth rushed towards Ravenscroft at an alarming speed, the heart-pounding feeling of free-falling pumping his body full of adrenaline. He knew that he should pull the ripcord any moment now, as he had been instructed to, but his fingers were numb as they clutched the vital cord that meant the difference between life and a bone crunching and extremely painful death.

He was mesmerized by the green landscape below him, the city and the few roads that lead away from it. He had not been this close to the city for a very long time, nearly a year now and he found himself wondering if it had changed much during his absence.

He was pretty sure that his tribe, the Wild Kats, had appointed a new leader since his vanishing. It would be the logical thing to do, but Ravenscroft could not even begin to pretend who that leader might be. The Wild Kats were a bit rowdy, none of the others proving themselves very responsible whatsoever, or at least not in his eyes.

‘What does it matter?’ He told himself silently. ‘You promised Lord Ram that you had forsaken your past. Your old tribe. Your old life. Your old love.’

Ravenscroft found himself faltering at the thought of his lost love – Danni. How long had it been since he had last inhaled her delicious scent, gazed into the mesmerizing depths of her dark eyes, loosing himself to the outside as he melted into her. His heart constricted painfully as he remembered the one woman he truly loved, the woman he had lost and now really stood no chance of finding.

They had become separated at the skirmish at the Gaian village. He had given her his blade, instructing her just where to stab someone if they attacked her, but as he left her in the safety behind the bars of the crude cage the Chosen had constructed, Ravenscroft had known he would not be seeing her again. He had known they would part ways in the Gaian village and still he had gone. He was still trying to figure out why.

Suddenly Ravenscroft was yanked out of his reminiscing, remembering just where he was at that moment. Now was not the ideal time to be shedding tears over those few beautiful and almost magical months he had been able to spend with Danni. Ravenscroft gripped the ripcord tightly with his right hand and pulled down hard. Instantly he felt himself being jerked back upwards, though in actuality his descent had just been abruptly slowed.

He glanced around him, for the first time noticing the other Technos filling the air around him. Most of them had pulled their cords earlier than he had and were higher in the atmosphere, but there was one blonde Techno that was still speeding towards the earth. Ravenscroft didn’t need the bleached blonde hair to clue him in to who it was.

A frown creased his face as he thought of his general. He and Jay had become almost friends during their days at Zoot’s Safe House. Though Jay had been pretty tight-lipped about his past, Ravenscroft had been able to pick up that it had been filled with nothing but pain and regret. Jay’s one reason for living was his younger brother. Ved could not be left alone in this cruel world without any guidance, and that was why Jay had joined up with Ram in the first place.

Ravenscroft well recalled Jay’s story of how he had met Ram. Apparently Ram had been a neighbor of his and Ved’s for a time. Ram and Ved had been friends, Jay going to great lengths to avoid the teen. Yet circumstance threw them together and when the Virus struck Ved had insisted they remain with Ram. Or something like that. Ravenscroft was a little sketchy on the details.

At the very last possible moment, Ravenscroft saw as Jay made a movement to pull his ripcord, saving his life. The parachute flared up, the gigantic Techno symbol of a black T encircled in red filling his view. It wasn’t exactly subtle.

Several moments later Ravenscroft felt his feet connect with the ground. He was thankful for the firm feel beneath him. He had been in the plane far too long. As instructed before the flight, Ravenscroft immediately began to tuck his parachute back into its bag, his eyes trained on Jay the entire time. Jay would be giving the order to move out at any moment.

Jay touched the headset at his ear, murmuring something to the dispatch on the other end far too quiet for Ravenscroft to hear. Jay nodded in acknowledgement as the Techno made reply, then turned his attention to Ravenscroft who was one of the only Technos on the ground already.

“Ravenscroft,” Jay stated brusquely, wasting no time for pleasantries. “There is a barn southeast from our present location. Check it out for Virts. Ram believes he saw two entering it moments before.”

“Yes, sir.” Ravenscroft stated promptly, setting his cold metal mask in place to cover his entire face except for his mouth. He knew they would look intimidating to the city kids. He just hoped he didn’t run into anyone he knew.

Jay turned away from Ravenscroft and began to give orders to the different Technos as they landed and put away their chutes while Ravenscroft began to move southeast. He was vaguely familiar with the area and thought he knew what barn it was that Ram wanted investigated. It had been run down before the Virus and he was surprised to hear it might still be standing.

Ravenscroft covered ground quickly, not wasting any time to look around him. He crested a small hill and saw the barn before him. “If the termites let go the things going to fall down.” He chuckled to himself and he pressed onward. He hoped there were not Virts inside. It was not safe.

At that moment a scream so high pitched and agonized ripped through the air, chilling Ravenscroft’s heart. There was someone inside – and they were in trouble. He doubled his speed, his heart hammering inside his chest as he silently prayed that he would not be too late.

~*~*~

The world was a throbbing blackness all around her. Her head felt as if someone had split it with an axe and her body ached where it wasn’t numb. Panther wasn’t sure what happened, all she knew was that she did not want it to happen again. Slowly she opened her eyes, preparing to shut them quickly if the view of the outside world was not as welcoming as the painful darkness.

“Sleeping Beauty awakens.” The playful voice of Minxy, her fellow former-Gaian, reached Panther’s ears. “How do you feel?”

“Urg.” Panther grumbled. “Horrible. What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

Panther went to shake her head, but stopped instantly. Too painful. “No.” She winced, tight-lipped. “All I remember is coming back to the mall and seeing you and Pride fighting and then nothing.”

“Right.” Minxy nodded. “Well, you’re right about that. We were fighting, but not with one another.”

“Obviously.”

“We were attacked.” Minxy stated simply. “We don’t know who or what they were. They stormed the mall suddenly, not even giving us much of a chance to react. They started grabbing for people. Didn’t matter if they were boy or girl, young or old. They didn’t seem too particular. They just wanted people.”

“So what happened to me?”

“You were shot.” Minxy replied, pushing her jet black hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. “At least that’s as close of a comparison we can make of it. They have these things on their wrists… Robin thinks she heard them calling them zappers but we don’t know what they are really. They got you as soon as you stepped inside the mall.”

“Oh fun.” Panther gritted her teeth as she slowly began to ease herself into a sitting position. The pain was excruciating, but she chose to ignore it. Whatever didn’t kill her made her stronger, right? Only this felt like it could kill her. “Was anyone else shot?”

“A couple of Mall Rats.” Minxy murmured quietly. “Alice. That boy KC. I think they got May too, but I’m not sure. Cougar wasn’t shot, but they got her too.”

“You mean took her?” Panther felt alarm spread through her as she thought of the perky blonde Gaian. She and Cougar were not that close, but Panther had always felt a responsibility for the younger Gaians that she couldn’t explain. Her matronly nature coming out or whatever. “Where?”

“We really don’t know.” Minxy explained. “We’re just barely recovering ourselves. There’s a lot of people missing… Lex, Danni, Trudy, Amber, though we hope she’s at the hotel. That’s where she said she was going. We think that’s where Lex is at too.”

“And Ebony. She’s probably at the hotel too, right?”

Minxy nodded. “The streets are still pretty crazy. Pride is going to wait a little bit before going out, though he’s chomping at the bit to go out there and try and find Trudy.”

“Trudy? Not Amber?” Panther arched her eyebrow quickly. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

“Apparently he’s confident that Amber’s safe.” Minxy’s face cracked with a slight smile. “He’s worried about poor Trudy out there with Brady.”

Panther smiled weakly, only mildly surprised in Pride’s sudden interest in the attractive brunette. Panther had known Pride since shortly after the Virus. She had always known him to be a kind, good-natured and peaceful young man. But after Amber entered his life he began to change. He was obsessed with Amber – in an unhealthy manner. Panther was thankful it had finally passed.

“So who all is left?” She found the courage to ask. “That’s accounted for, I mean.”

“You. Me. Pride. Robin.” Minxy murmured, pursing her lips together. “But that’s it.”

“That’s it?” Panther’s heart caught in her throat. Four. Four out of how many? Fifteen? Twenty?

“Yeah. That’s it.” Minxy repeated, her dark eyes welling with tears. “But I think we’re pretty lucky, Panther. Whoever this new tribe is… They’re powerful. They have weapons that we can’t even imagine. It’s like out of a science fiction movie. They’re storming down the streets in tanks! Tanks, Panther. We don’t stand a chance.”

Panther pursed her lips together in a fine line, her stomach sickened. She didn’t want to discourage the normally feisty Gaian but for once she agreed with her. They didn’t stand a chance. Not a chance in hell.

~*~*~

Silver’s heart pounded wildly in her chest as she frantically tore down the garbage littered alleyways that she knew like the back of her hand. Her long dark brown braids whipped wildly about her face, stinging her cheeks and all exposed flesh, but she paid the minor pain little heed, if that at all.

The co-leader of the Cheetahs was running for her life as well as for the life of those in her tribe, or rather what was left of her tribe. It felt as if only a couple of days had passed since Silver had been reunited with the few Cheetahs who had managed to escape the Chosen occupation still in the city, and now once again they were being ripped apart.

Biting down on her lower lip, Silver shot a worried glance over her shoulder, trying to remember just how many of the strangers wearing horrifying metal masks had started to run after her as she led them away from the Cheetah territory, hoping to protect them from capture.

“It’s pointless to run!” One of the young men shouted at her, his voice ringing of authority. “You’re only wasting your energy.”

“That’s. What. You. Think.” Silver panted mostly to herself as she ducked down another darkened alley that she hoped did not lead to a dead end. She was starting to get to the part of the city she didn’t know at all. It had been Demon Dog territory before the Chosen occupation and though the Demon Dogs had basically fallen apart since their leader had been taken away, no one with much common sense ventured into this area.

The pounding footsteps of her pursuers drew closer and Silver knew they were gaining on her. She was a swift runner, however she had chosen to wear a rather unpractical pair of three inch heeled ankle boots that morning and was not dressed for a day at the track.

“Just shoot her.” Silver heard one of the other strangers shout loudly as she stole a precious moment to glance over her shoulder once again to see how close they were. There were only two of them left, the one who had spoken to her earlier and the one who wanted him to shoot her. The second had stopped, however, hands on his knees as he wheezed for breath.

“You can do this.” Silver grimaced as she whipped her attention back in front of her. She had outlasted four of them already. What was one more? She sucked in a deep gulp of air, gaining her second wind and doubled her speed, hope filling her anew.

However, no matter how fast Silver ran, her final pursuer still seemed to be gaining on her. He hadn’t even appeared winded the last time Silver glanced back and she began to worry that she might run out of city to run in before loosing him.

“This is ridiculous.” She muttered loudly, trying to ignore the painful stitch in her side. Setting her expression to her most fearsome and determined look she skidded to a stop, nearly toppling over in the process. She did an abrupt about face and planted her hands squarely on her hips, challenging the young man she assumed was the leader.

“Alright,” She declared, eyeing him coldly. “You’ve been chasing me for the past twenty minutes. Why?”

The stranger seemed a little startled by Silver’s sudden change of tactic, but he quickly recovered. “We need to fill our quota.” He stated, his voice monotone.

“Your quota?” Silver arched her eyebrow, a sick feeling filling her stomach. “What do you mean quota?”

“Lord Ram needs new recruits to help propel your city into the next phase.” He returned, still in the same tone of voice that suggested he felt superior to her.

Silver nodded, forcing herself not to roll her eyes. He was purposely speaking in riddles. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I won’t be joining your quota today.” She smirked, inhaling a deep breath, preparing herself to take off running again.

“It’s pointless to run.” Though Silver could not see his face, she knew he was scowling as he spoke the words. “I could shoot you right now if I chose to.”

“With what?” Silver spat flippantly. “All the guns were locked away by the adults as soon as they realized they were dying. No one has had any firearms for years.”

He smirked now. “This isn’t your traditional gun.” He held up his wrist, allowing Silver to view a mean looking contraption that reminded her too much of a bad Star Trek episode.

“What is that? A phaser?” She chuckled inwardly. “If so, beam me up Scotty.”

The man seemed undaunted. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. If you run, I will shoot you. Speaking from experience, you do not want to be shot.” He paused, eyeing her carefully. “The pain isn’t so bad at first. Just a heavy vibration in your head and you think you can weather it. But it gets louder. It begins to pound over and over again until you start to see spots. Then you can’t see at all. Next thing you know you’re on the ground unconscious. At the setting I have it right now you wouldn’t be waking up for three days.”

Silver hesitated, instinct still telling her to run, but the weapon on his arm halting her. She didn’t want to believe him, but his voice was convincing. Somehow, now that she stood only a few meters from him she had a hunch he was not the type to lie, even to a would-be-prisoner.

“Alright.” She said at last, reluctantly. “I will go with you willingly. One thing though,”

“What is it?” He queried.

“At least let me see the face of my captor before I go.” Silver whispered, her voice catching in her throat as memories of her days at the Chosen prison began to fill her with dread. “Let me see the man who stole my freedom from me. That is all I ask.”

He stood there, not saying a word for several seconds. Silver was sure he was about to deny her request when suddenly he made a swift movement with his hand, quickly removing the silver mask from his face, revealing a young man about her age with eyes and features that Silver had memorized long ago.

“Trevor!” She gasped, her stomach plummeting.

~*~*~

The lighting in the barn was poor at best. Ravenscroft could barely make anything out, but he did not need his vision to track the location of the girl in pain. Her whimpers and anguished cries were more than enough guide for him. He hurried past the stalls towards the back of the barn, only mildly surprised to find hay still strewn about the filthy once-animal shelter.

The girl was writhing around in the hay, her swollen belly protruding out of the loose fitting navy knit shirt she wore. Her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides as tears streamed down her face. She was in labor, that much was obvious, but Ravenscroft barely noticed.

“Danni.” He breathed out, not daring to believe his eyes. She was in a deplorable state, her hair matted and stuck to her face, straw clinging to her clothing, face twisted and distorted by pain, but to Ravenscroft she still looked mind-numbingly beautiful.

Danni looked over at him, no recognition in her eyes, her face a mask of pain. “Help.” She whispered, her voice weak. “I-I think I’m loosing the baby.”

The baby! Ravenscroft kicked back into gear. He rushed to her side, grabbing her hand tightly. “It’s alright.” He soothed. “You’re going to make it. And so is the baby.”

“He left me.” She whimpered softly as she bit down on her lower lip. “He left me all alone. I-I thought---“

“Shush. That’s not important now.” Ravenscroft murmured, a pang of guilt shooting through him. Was she referring to him or to someone else?

Pushing his own troubled thoughts aside, Ravenscroft moved lower on her body, realizing that she had done her best to prepare herself for the birthing. Her jacket was spread out as best possible on the uneven hay, providing a place for the baby to ‘land’ after it was born.

Ravenscroft could barely hold back his cry of dismay, not being able to understand how this could have happened. After joining the Technos he had become privy to certain knowledge – certain occurrences that took place during the Chosen occupation. One of these occurrences that Ravenscroft had taken particular interest in was the attack on the Gaian village. According to the reports he had read, the Rebels had defeated the Chosen.

With a Chosen defeat, Ravenscroft assumed that Danni would be safe, reunited with friends, or at least with the girls who had taken such good care of her while they were in the Chosen prison. However there she lay, completely alone, going through labor. It didn’t make sense.

“Ravenscroft?” A familiar voice came through his communicator, interrupting Ravenscroft’s train of thought. “Are you there? Over.”

“Ravenscroft here.” He stated through gritted teeth as he moved into position to help Danni with the birth. “Over.”

“What were your findings in the barn?” Jay queried. “Over.”

“Nothing. No one.” Ravenscroft replied immediately. “No one at all. Over.”

“No one?” Jay sounded skeptical, even over the scratchy communicator headset. “Ram was certain—“

“No one.” Ravenscroft repeated, his voice insistent.

Jay said nothing for several seconds and Ravenscroft could just imagine the tall blonde general weighing the truth in Ravenscroft’s words. At last Jay spoke again, though Ravenscroft was barely paying attention. The baby was coming.

“Check over the barn one final time, Ravenscroft.” Jay ordered, his tone clipped. “Ram wants to make sure there is no one there. Once you are done, report back to the field immediately. We will then go to rendezvous with the others at the stadium.”

Ravenscroft didn’t even bother to reply to Jay’s command, he had already made up his mind. He yanked off his headset, throwing it as far away from him as possible, knocking away his mask in the process. Next came the zapper, though he did not throw that away. As much as he hated to think it, a weapon of its power would come in handy.

A tortured whimper escaped Danni’s lips as her body was wracked with yet another pain. “Help me.” She gasped, trying to catch her breath, her eyes clouding over. “It hurts. It hurts so bad.”

“You can do it, Danni.” Ravenscroft comforted, not really knowing what to do. He knew he was inadequate to deliver a baby and prayed that somehow the actual birth would be smooth. He gently stroked Danni’s leg, whispering words of encouragement to her, urging her to push and then it would all be over.

~*~*~

The pain was unbearable. It consumed her, blocking out every other thought or sensation. All Danni could feel was the horrible, indescribable pain that overtook her every couple of seconds. It blinded her, making her want to slip into unconsciousness, yet keeping her awake at the same time.

She was vaguely aware of someone with her, whispering to her, urging her to keep going, murmuring soothing words. Somehow the moment he fell to her side Danni had as if an inner spring of strength had burst out. Suddenly felt that maybe she could do this, that she could give birth to this baby and both of them would survive.

“I can see the head!” The man shouted excitedly, his enthusiasm breaking past the groggy veil that held Danni captive. “Just a little more, Danni. You’re doing great. You’re doing great!”

“I—“ Danni stammered, gritting her teeth as she pushed again and again. She felt as if she had been pushing for hours, wanting to get the child out of her. “I can’t!” She gasped.

“No, you can. I know you can, Danni. You’re a strong woman. Strong and amazing. The most wondrous woman I have ever met. If anyone can give birth to this baby, it’s you, Danni. I know you can make it Danni. I know you can.”

He kept repeating the words, over and over, bathing her with their comfort and encouragement. Even at that moment, Danni knew that it was his words that were getting her through, her belief in her that made her want to do it.

Yet slowly Danni felt all her strength being to ebb away. He continued to coax her to push, but she felt as if she had nothing left in her. She kept mumbling that she couldn’t, that she just couldn’t do it. She wanted to give up. She wanted to fall asleep, let the beckoning darkness overtake her.

“No!” His voice was insistent, shouting at her. “I am not going to loose you Danni. Never again! You are not going to give up! Just one more push. One more big push and you’re going to be a mommy, Danni. A mommy!”

Danni winced, searching deep inside her, trying to grasp that last thin thread of strength that would help her do this. “I can do it.” She choked out, something inside her finally clicking. The strength she felt exuded from the man who had come. It was familiar. She knew it. And she loved it. He had come back. “I can do it!” She repeated, once again believing that she could.

She gave a final push, knowing that if the baby did not come with this one both she and the child would die. She poured her all into that push, every last ounce she had. She would give birth to that child. No matter what. And she would survive.

“Ravenscroft….” The name slipped easily past her lips as she began to sink away into the darkness. “You came back.”

Ravenscroft said nothing, busy past her point of vision. A small cry went up, the most beautiful sound to Danni’s ears. “You have a beautiful baby girl, Danni. Just like her mother.”

A weak smile flitted across Danni’s lips as she wearily blinked trying to focus on Ravenscroft’s blurry face. “A girl?” She croaked out. “I have a baby girl?”

“Yeah.” Ravenscroft nodded. “And she’s beautiful. So beautiful.”

“Her eyes…” Danni trailed off, a twinge of fear gripping her. “What color are her eyes?”

He hesitated, coming closer to her face before he answered, the unwashed baby in his arms, staining his jet black clothing. “They’re blue, Danni. Blue as crystals.”