Chapter Ten

“She’s a traitor!” The voices shouted, loud and pounding in Ebony’s ears, so loud that as try as she might, she could not stop them. “A traitor!” They declared, offering up other profanities so vicious and cruel that Ebony felt like weeping.

“She abandoned our City to the Technos! She sold us out!” Another person cried, hurtling a rock in Ebony’s direction. She barely had time to dodge, crushing up against the cold stone wall of the long corridor she had long ago become familiar with.

“Stop!” She screamed, covering her ears with her hands. “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! I didn’t sell you out! I didn’t betray you! You’re my City! My friends! My family…”

“Family doesn’t mean anything to you, you traitorous little witch.” Java’s face loomed over her, glaring and menacing.

“You never cared about us.” Siva spoke up, off to Ebony’s side, her eyes less cold than Java’s, though far from kind. “You only cared about yourself. From day one it was always ‘me’ ‘me’ ‘me’. I regret the day I asked Mum go give me a little sister.”

“Please,” Ebony stared at her sisters, tears streaming down her once carefully made up cheeks. “You can’t believe that. You’re my sisters! My sisters, and that means something to me.”

“Good, because friendship sure doesn’t.” It was Danni speaking now, her eyes narrowed in anger, the white scar along her cheek standing out starkly in the darkness. “You banished us, Ebony. Bray and I, and I had to give birth in the wilderness all alone, and you wouldn’t have cared. I could have died!”

“No! It wasn’t like that.” Ebony shook her head, pleading with Danni to understand. “It was Bray I banished, not you Danni. Not you! Bray! He was going to blow up the mall! He was going to kill you all!”

“You really think Bray is capable of doing something like that?” Amber stared at Ebony incredulously, shaking her head in disapproval. “Bray, the man you said you loved. You know how much he cares about the mall, about the City. He would never blow up the mall and you know it. You only banished him out of spite. You were hurt and angry that he wanted me instead of you.”

Ebony stared at Amber, her best friend, the one person she had learned she could actually depend on over the past several months. The scorn and mockery on Amber’s face was clear enough. It was all part of some game, some cruel and vicious game to cut Ebony off from everyone, to take away anything she ever had, anyone she thought she might have.

“You’re alone, Ebony.” Jay’s voice drew her out of her self-misery. “Completely alone, just like you deserve. You’re poison, Ebony. Pure poison and anyone who gets too close to you gets a lethal dose.”

“Jay, please, you can’t really mean that.” Ebony flung herself at the handsome young man who had proven to be her savior from all the bad dreams on so many occasions. “I love you. Surely you know that! I love you!”

But Jay only laughed, wrapping his arm around Amber’s waist and drawing her close. They embraced then kissed, their eyes wide open and staring at Ebony. Then they parted, both laughing cold and mocking. “You little fool.” Amber jeered, her eyes haughty. “You thought a man  like Jay would love a selfish little child like you? No one loves you Ebony. No one would want to.”

“You’re alone, Ebony. Alone.” A voice Ebony knew all too well no matter how much she tried to forget it hissed loudly in her ear. “Alone, just like me. You and I, we’re two of a kind. Cold and heartless, uncaring about those around us. People say we’re evil but you know what? It makes us strong.”

Ebony whirled around, her braids flying wildly. She stared at the face of her tormenter, unwilling to let his milkly blue eyes intimidate her. “I’m not like you, Zoot. I never was and I never will be. You tried to make me like you, but I chose differently. I chose to live instead of die. I chose to—“

“You chose to be weak!” Zoot screamed in her face, his breath hot and sticky on her face. “I made you strong, Ebony. I made you someone to be reckoned with. I made you someone to be feared and you went and threw it all away. Look at you! Tears! Begging! You’re pathetic, Ebony. Pathetic. I don’t know why I ever wasted my time on you.”

“I’m not pathetic!” Ebony gritted her teeth, clenching and unclenching her hands at her sides. “And I’m not weak! Friendship makes you strong! My friends, they’ve made me strong. Amber, Cloe, Danni… Without them—“

“You are without them.” Zoot glared at her. “I’ve taken them all away. You’re alone, Ebony. Completely alone. You were born alone and you will die alone. I will see to that.”

Ebony squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to ignore the force and cruelty of his words, yet she could not block them. They kept echoing over and over instead her head, causing her entire body to begin to tremble. “No!” She whimpered, crumpling down into a small heap on the floor. “No. No. No. No. No!”

“Ebony! Ebony! Wake up!” A strong voice and a insisted hand shaking her shoulder slowly drew her out of her terror, though the cold chill of Zoot’s words still remained with her.

Slowly her eyelids fluttered open and she found herself staring into the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes she had never seen. Eyes full of worry and concern, compassion and… Love? “Jay?” Ebony whispered, her voice sticking in the back of her throat.

“Still having the nightmares, I see.” Jay commented as he drew back to give Ebony room, a faint smile flitting across his lips. “This one sounded pretty bad. You alright?”

No answer came to her as Ebony stared at Jay, trying to piece together what had happened. The last thing she really remembered was Jay taking his zapper and pointing it at her. She thought she heard him fire, so she threw herself to the ground, but after that she had no recollection of what happened.

Tearing her eyes away from Jay’s face she glanced around, surprised to find herself in what appeared to be a hotel room, though she knew it couldn’t be. There was only one hotel in the City that had not been vandalized completely and that was the Horton Bailey, and their color scheme was much different than this.

“Where am I?” She asked him, clearing her throat and refusing to look him in the eye. “I assume I’m your prisoner.”

“Assume all you want, Ebony.” Jay stated, his voice containing just a hint of the edge she had gotten used to him using the past few days. “You’re free to go whenever you want to. Lord Ram wants this to be your choice.”

Ebony furrowed her brow. There was that name again, Lord Ram. Why did it sound so familiar to her? She knew she hadn’t met any Ram’s and yet… “So,” Ebony shook her head, clearing the cobwebs from her brain, “You shot me? Why am I not dizzy and in pain like Panther and Lex were?”

“I didn’t shoot you.” Jay stated, capturing her eyes with his gaze and refusing to let go. “I could never shoot you, even if I wanted to. Ram gave me specific instructions on how you were to be handled.”

“Yes, Lord Ram, Lord Spam. I’m sick of hearing about him already.” Ebony brushed his comments off. “So if your precious Lord Ram didn’t want me hurt why was I unconscious and wake up here?”

Jay shrugged his shoulders, but there was an amused smile on his lips. “How long have you been using that staff of yours Ebony?”

“Hum?”

“Your staff. You’re quiet accomplished with it. You really did some damage against my ranks. Though a word of advice, next time you throw yourself to the ground to avoid an imaginary shot from a zapper, drop your staff. When you fell your staff kicked up and hit you in the side of the head. You were knocked out cold.”

“I see.” Ebony felt color rush to her face as she rubbed the tender spot on the right side of her skull. She had assumed the headache she had was a symptom of being shot by the zapper. She almost wished it was. “So where am I? Your base?”

Jay nodded. “In one of the stadium’s luxury suites. Lord Ram requested to see you as soon as you came to, but if you’d like I can stall for you, give you some time to recover from that blow.”

Ebony rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks. I think I might just take you up on that offer, Jay.” She stated sarcastically. “But I have a better idea. Why don’t you stall your Lord Ram long enough to let me get out of your base and back to my people so we can begin plotting our next move to get you out of our City.”

“Are you always this hostile these days?” Jay asked her suddenly. “So bitter and nasty to everyone. The girl I knew was nothing like that. Loving, charming, sweet-spirited—“

“Well the Jay I knew would never have taken orders from someone who called himself Lord Ram.” Ebony snapped, feeling an anger begin to build up inside her. “The Jay I knew would never have threatened me. The Jay I knew would never have joined and become the general of a tribe that attacks a City and takes half of its population prisoner! The Jay I knew—“

“Enough.” Jay cut her off, his eyes glinting with a hard edge. “I see your point. We’ve both changed. Both done what we needed to do to survive. That doesn’t matter anymore. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a stranger to me, Ebony. You are not the same girl you were back then and I’m not the same guy.”

“Well, you’re certainly got that right.” She glared at him as she slowly began to sit up, careful not to jar her head too much in case it started to throb again. “So, tell me stranger,” She spat sarcastically, trying to ignore the twinge of pain that Jay’s words had caused in her, “Why does your precious Lord Ram want to see me? Because I’m City Leader?”

“Not quite.” Jay pursed his lips together, a strange emotion flickering in his eyes as he studied her. He drew in a long breath and forced a smile on his lips, though Ebony could see there was no warmth behind it. “He has a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?” Ebony rolled her eyes. “The only proposal I’ll take from him is one that includes him getting the hell out of my City.”

Jay looked away, gnawing on his lower lip and fiddling with his fingers, a sure sign that he was nervous about something. Ebony softened slightly, realizing that this was quite possible as emotionally straining on him as it was on her. After all, he didn’t know the truth about Kevin. Ved had never told him. He didn’t know that she really did love him, still loved him…

“Jay,” Ebony broke the silence that her angry comment had caused, “Look, I’m sorry. About, well, about everything.” She sighed heavily, praying for strength. “I can understand why you hate me, why you wish we had never met, regret every moment we had together—“

“I don’t regret it, Ebony.” Jay interrupted her, looking up and locking eyes with her. “Ebony, those months we had together, those were the best of my entire life. If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Y-you wouldn’t?” Ebony stared at him, the warmth of hope spreading through her.

Jay shook his head. His dark eyes growing impossibly darker. “You were my everything, Ebony. My whole world. I loved you so much. But when that guy, Kevin, showed up on your birthday I realized that everything you and I had was a lie. All an illusion that you created.

“For the longest time I really did wish we had never met, that you had never come to live with your grandparents that summer. But like you’ve said, I’ve changed. I’ve grown and I now realize that was probably the last happy moment of my life and even if that happiness was built on a lie, the emotion on my part was still genuine and I can remember that.”

“Jay, I…” Ebony felt her voice catch in her throat as tears streamed down her face. Her heart ached to reach out and hold him, to kiss away the pain his brother had caused. Somehow she had to make him see that she hadn’t lied about Kevin, that he really was nothing to her.

“Jay, it wasn’t a lie.” She whispered at last, reaching across the short distance that separated them and taking his hand in hers. “Back then you were my one and only. You were my first love, my only love. The thing with Kevin, it was a scheme of your brother’s to break us up. Ved wrote me, promised me that he would explain, but…” Ebony trailed off, not wishing to drive a wedge between the brothers yet knowing she had to clear herself of wrongdoing.

Jay slowly shook his head, his lips quirking up in a scornful smile. “Don’t blame Ved for your lies, Ebony.” His tone hardened. “He told me what you told him to tell me. All about how he wanted you all to himself and that he had written Kevin. I didn’t believe it for the longest time, couldn’t believe it, but then one day I actually thought to hope. That was the biggest mistake of my life, Ebony.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me, Ebony. I know you got my letter.”

“What letter?”

Jay glared at her shaking his head in disgust. “How can you sit there and lie to me like that Ebony? I have proof you got my letter.”

“Somehow I doubt that.” Ebony shot him an irritated glance. “There can’t be any proof because I did not get any letter from you. None. So I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“Then what do you call this?” Jay held up an envelope in his hand that he had retrieved from his pocket. “Are you going to try and tell me that you didn’t write this?”

Ebony frowned, accepting the offered letter. She stared at the envelope, recognizing the return address of her home that her family had moved into just before the Virus had taken the lives of her parents, though the handwriting was definitely not her own. Sucking in a nervous breath, Ebony opened the envelope, removing the single sheet of paper inside.

Quickly her eyes scanned the letter, her heart feeling as if an invisible hand had gripped it and was slowly squeezing the last of the life out of it. “But Jay,” She whispered at last, looking up and staring him directly in the eye, “I didn’t write this. This isn’t even my handwriting… I—“

“Oh, save it Ebony.” Jay snatched the letter away from her, leaving the envelope in her lap. “I knew you’d try and deny it. You’re just like Java said you had become. I hadn’t wanted to believe her but—“

“Java?” Ebony’s eyes widened. “You’ve seen Java?”

“Of course I’ve seen Java.” Jay stated, running his fingers through his bleached blonde hair nervously. “She works for Lord Ram as well. So does Siva.”

“Java… Siva…” Ebony felt her face begin to pale, a strange feeling of joy mixed with fear filling her. After she had freed them from the Loco prison she thought she would never see them again, and if she did, they would no doubt despise her. After all, Zoot had allowed them to believe she was the one who had ordered their deaths. “I can’t believe it. Can I see them?”

“I don’t think they want to see you.” Jay snapped. “No one wants to see you. Except for Lord Ram, so I suggest you get ready. He’s been delayed long enough and he is not a patient man.”

“But Jay, wait…” Ebony called after him as he rose to his feet and began to purposely make his way towards the door. “Are you saying I can’t see my sisters? Or Ved?”

“That, Ebony,” Jay turned back to her, his eyes icy, “Will be up to Lord Ram.”

~*~*~

The truck lurched to an abrupt and sudden halt and the frightened prisoners locked away in the inky darkness of the back felt themselves being thrown forward as they desperately tried to brace themselves against the walls of the vehicle or each other. There were several loud protests and cries of sudden pain, but their Techno captors paid them no heed.

Tai-San stifled a groan as she detangled herself from the young man she had careened against when the truck stopped. “Sorry.” She mumbled an apology as she straightened back onto the hard wooden bench that had been installed into the truck so the Technos could transport more prisoners all at once.

“Not a problem.” The boy replied a little too cheerfully for Tai-San’s black mood. “You alright?”

“Fine.” She lied, brushing her dirty black hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. How she yearned for a nice long soak. “I’m just fine.” The truth was, she was anything but fine, though physically she was in the best condition that she could ask for. Her heart was wounded, though, and that was an injury that crippled far more than physical hurt.

“So, where do you think they’re taking us?” The boy inquired, obviously lonely for conversation. “Do you think we’re there?”

Tai-San let out a weary sigh, biting back her automatic snappish response to tell him to leave her alone. She had been pushing everyone away for too long. “I really don’t know.” She stated at last, wishing she could see who it was that she was conversing with, the first person she had actually had a conversation with since Lex had rejected her pleas for another chance what felt like a lifetime ago.

Then, as if in answer to the boy’s question, the back of the truck began to slowly creek open, a shaft of light piercing the darkness and blinding the prisoners in the back. The boy made a grunting sound as Tai-San shielded her eyes, squinting and trying to catch a glimpse of their captors.

“Alright, you dirty Virts.” A masculine voice sounded from the outside of the truck. “File out nice and orderly and there won’t be any trouble.”

“Yeah.” A female added haughtily. “You be nice to us and we’ll be real nice to you.” Somehow, Tai-San got the impression the woman was being facetious.

Tai-San waited patiently in the back of the darkened vehicle for her turn to emerge as those in the front began to oblige to the Technos orders. There were no cries of alarm or pain as they scrambled out, so Tai-San knew that there were no nasty surprises waiting for her outside, or at least none that she would have time enough to react to.

Finally, the boy she had been talking to rose to his feet and Tai-San followed in a manner similar, keeping her head bowed so she would not strike it on the top of the roof. She followed close behind the boy, her eyes already scanning ahead of her to see if she could figure out where the Technos had brought them.

At the end of the line there were two Technos waiting, one male and one female, neither wearing their masks. With just one glance, Tai-San knew immediately that she would not like the female. She was tall, much taller than Tai-San, with thick chestnut colored hair that she wore high in a ponytail. Her eyes were an emerald green, though as hard as flint as she roughly pushed the prisoners forward.

The young man, however, seemed far more approachable and didn’t seem to be taking the same perverse pleasure in shoving the prisoners forward that the female did. He was fair in face and body with sandy brown hair and thoughtful olive green eyes. He reached up to help Tai-San down from the truck, and Tai-San gave him a soft smile of appreciation.

“Thank you.” She murmured softly, touching her hair self-consciously. It had been days since she had been able to wash it and she knew she must look a sight.

“Move along.” He told her gruffly, breaking eye contact. “We’re running on a tight schedule right now and you Virts need to get suited up and in for your physical exams before nightfall.”

Tai-San furrowed her brow in confusion, but accepted his words and quickly followed behind the boy from the truck. He suddenly struck her as very familiar to her and she began to wonder if perhaps she had seen the friendly though frightened lad before in the City sometime. She would have to ask him about it later.

They were in quite a pleasant area and definitely out of the City. The rich scent of pine filled Tai-Sans nostrils and she couldn’t help but smile. To be outdoors in nature again was like a second homecoming for Tai-San, or nearly. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh air, she glanced around, a peaceful serenity settling on her soul. Perhaps this was just the place for her to forget completely about gorgeous black-haired Mall Rats by the name of Lex.

The line of prisoners slowly marched their way towards the only building in view, though Tai-San could see the old road from the days before the Virus behind them. The office type building was nestled in a beautiful grove of trees, seemingly completely out of place yet not at the same time. Its concrete walls were covered in ivy and whoever had designed the architecture for the structure had tried to keep it in harmony with its surroundings as much as possible.

At long last they came to a stop outside the structure, both the male and female Technos moving up in front of the line. The female spoke, addressing them as one would address a small child. “Alright, Virts,” She spat the word and Tai-San instantly knew that she would be hearing a lot of that word during her stay as a Techno prisoner, “You’re about to enter your new home. You might as well make yourself comfortable as possible because you’re going to be here a long time.”

She hesitated, her eyes roving over every prisoner until they at last came to rest on Tai-San. “Don’t give any Technos any lip and you won’t suffer from the whip. Understood?” There were several quick murmurs of acknowledgment, though Tai-San kept her tongue still.

Satisfied that she had installed the fear of the Technos into her prisoners, the woman led them into the office building  and immediately Tai-San was struck by how un-office like it had remained. Though the basic structure was the same it had a distinctive boarding house feel, individuals dressed in black and gray meandering about, though none of them struck her as prisoners. Out of the corner of her eye, Tai-San thought she spotted a familiar braided head, but she quickly dismissed it. She would have no reason for being there.

“Name?” A girl appearing to be about fourteen-years-old, slightly on the pudgy side with vibrantly colored purple hair, inquired suddenly, breaking into Tai-San’s train of thought. The girl, dressed in a dark gray uniform, was speaking to the boy in front of Tai-San, obviously comparing him to what her records stated.

“Manatee.” He replied, obligingly.

“Tribe?”

“The Gaians.” This piqued Tai-San’s curiosity and she immediately began to wrack her brain trying to recall the young man from her time at the mall. She had never gotten to know any of the Gaians, not like she would have liked to. She had to daily keep up her guise as a woman desperately wanting to become the new Supreme Mother and associating with the recently brought in prisoners did not promote that.

The young girl nodded, made a checkmark on her clipboard then turned her attention to Tai-San. She smiled pleasantly at Tai-San, disarming the mystic slightly. “Your name?”

“Tai-San.” Tai-San told her softly, trying to read this young woman. She did not strike her the same as the other Technos had. She had a definite real feel to her that the Technos seemed to lack. That as she wasn’t oozing with superiority that it made Tai-San want to gag.

“Tai-San?” The girl furrowed her brow, clearly confused by something. “Ah well. Your tribe, Tai-San?”

“The Mall Rats.” Tai-San replied, wishing she could see what the girl had scratched down on her pad.

“Oh really? Now that really is interesting.” The girl looked up from her clipboard and beamed. “Well, if you weren’t a prisoner I’m sure you’d be pleased to know there’s a couple other Mall Rats here. Two girls and a boy. If you were at a different Techno base you’d no likely be separated, but Mega is fair and believes we work more efficiently if we’re with our friends.”

“We? Our?” Tai-San arched an eyebrow. “Surely you’re not a prisoner, uh… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Casey.” The girl stuck out her hand. “Casey from the rather short-lived tribe, the Willows. We just formed when these damn Technos invaded, but ah well. And in answer to your question, yes, I’m a prisoner.”

Tai-San started, looking at the girl’s uniform. “But you’re dressed like one of them.”

“The Technos aren’t like the Chosen, Tai-San.” Casey explained, tucking her clipboard under her arm and beckoning Tai-San to move forward and follow the rest of the prisoners who were already being lead down a long corridor. “The Chosen liked to keep their prisoners miserable but the Technos have a different strategy. Treat us decently and actually get some good work out of us. The Technos have cooperation whereas the Chosen had to deal with prisoners constantly trying to sabotage whatever they were working on.”

“It is a wise strategy.” Tai-San nodded. “So, what type of work do the Technos expect us to do?”

“That’s just about anybody’s guess. We’ve been waiting for the final transport of prisoners to arrive before we could begin.” Casey shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve heard whispers of Virtual Reality testing, but that seems a bit outlandish to me. No doubt its something to do with computers, though. The Technos seem to have an endless supply of those things.”

“Interesting.” Tai-San mused, finding her eyes wandering. She peered down a hallway as they passed and once again could have sworn she saw the familiar figure of one of the staunchest supporters of the Mall Rats in the City. “Casey?”

“Hum?” The purple-haired girl looked over at her.

“Could you tell me if there is a girl by the name of Silver here? She would have probably come from the tribe, the Cheetahs.”

“Silver?” Casey stared at her, her eyes widening. “You know Silver?”

Tai-San nodded, a smile spreading across her lips. She had taken an immediate liking to Silver and would have tried to get to know her if she hadn’t been so consumed with herself and balancing her emotions while back at the mall. “Yes, we were acquaintances back in the City. Why? Is she here?”

“You could say that.” Casey chuckled, “Though sometimes I wonder where she’s at mentally. She’s my roommate, see, and unlike the rest of the prisoners, she’s been pretty aloof with everyone. The only people she seems to talk to are Mega or Trevor, and whenever she talks to Trevor sparks fly and she ends up in tears.” Casey hesitated, her cheeks suddenly flushing with color. “Well, actually, that only happened once. But she was crying for hours! I thought she was going to make herself sick.”

“That’s odd.” Tai-San puzzled. Silver had not struck her as the type who would easily burst into tears. “Is there any way I could see her?”

“Sure.” Casey smiled. “I think she’s preparing the evening meal right now, but we can sneak back into the kitchens if you’d like. I’m sure Mega wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t, would I?” A voice broke into Casey’s secret plan, causing both prisoners to abruptly turn around. Tai-San looked up then further up and into a pair of the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. They were rich and full of emotions that Tai-San couldn’t read, containing an edge of mystery and authority. It took her several seconds to break her attention away from his mesmerizing eyes and look at the rest of him, equally pleased as she had been with the eyes.    

“Mega!” Casey yelped. “I didn’t see you back there.”

“Obviously not.” Mega grinned ruefully. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have been plotting ways to break my orders out in the open, now would you have, Casey?”

Casey flushed guiltily, and Tai-San began to feel bad. “I’m sorry, sir.” She respectfully addressed the man she now knew as Mega and leader of the Techno base. “It was my fault. I wanted to find an old friend and Casey was telling me she was probably working in the kitchen right now.”

Mega frowned down at Tai-San, looking her over carefully. “You just arrive with the new batch?”

Tai-San nodded, trying to ignore the comment that likened her to a cookie. “Yes.” She told him. “My name is Tai-San and I’m a Mall Rat.”

Mega seemed a little surprised by Tai-San’s revelation and made a motion for Casey to hand him her clipboard. “I don’t remember your name being on the list, Tai-San.” Mega commented as he flipped through the sheets of paper. “Would you like to tell me how you ended up here?”

Tai-San frowned, drawing her lips together in a fine line as she tried to recall exactly what had happened after she was taken prisoner by the Technos. “Well,” She began slowly, “I was taken in Sector 9 then put in a cage with several others from the City. Then a woman who called herself Commander Java began to interview each one of us. I was separated from the majority and was told someone would be coming for me shortly.”

Tai-San hesitated, this was the part where her story became confusing. “Just a couple nights ago a young man came up to me, asked me my name and then said that I would do. He then unlocked the prison where I was being kept and moved me into a different one. Then yesterday morning we were all herded together like a pack of animals and brought here.”

Mega seemed even more puzzled by Tai-San as her story went on and she got the distinctive impression that she was not supposed to be there. “I’ll get in touch with Ved. Perhaps he knows what is going on with you. In the meantime, Casey, why don’t you go ahead and bring Tai-San to her friend. I’m sure they have a lot of catching up to do. Though I think both Alice and May are having their physicals right now.”

“Oh, it’s not Alice or May Tai-San wants to find.” Casey volunteered. “It’s Silver. She knew her back in the City.”

“Silver?” Mega seemed pleased by this announcement. “Interesting. You knew Silver?”

Tai-San nodded, wondering what it was about Silver that seemed to capture both Mega’s and Casey’s attention so. “Yes. We were acquaintances back in the City.”

“Tell you what,” Mega grinned. “Ved can wait. Casey, why don’t you go catch up with the others. I’ll take Tai-San to Silver myself.”

~*~*~  

Grieco felt herself begin to hover dangerously close to the edge of consciousness, her body responding to the chilly night air and the handsome young man who had somehow made his way onto her pallet while they slept and was now snuggled against her side. Something other than the cold air and the man at her side had awakened her, though, and she lay there, her mind hazy as she attempted to discern what it was.

“…back to Zoot?” A voice dangerously close murmured softly, their tone drowning in with the night noises around her.

“I don’t know.” A female whispered back, obviously trying to keep from being heard. “I suppose we have to, but I feel bad. What do you think Zoot will do to him?”

“Probably kill him.” The man replied, his voice a little louder than before. “He always hated Bray, or at least that’s what I was able to pick up on from my time with the Locos.”

Grieco’s senses immediately became alert and she tried to figure out just where this duo was standing. She couldn’t awaken Bray. No doubt he would alert their watchers that they were awake. She had to do this on her own, but she had no weapons and she had always been more of a watcher, not a fighter.

“Zoot’s, changed, Luke.” The girl murmured. “Though I can’t imagine he’ll be happy to see Bray. Perhaps we should just forget we ever saw them. They can’t possibly know—“

“Why else would they be out here, Xenia?” Luke stated exasperatedly, forgetting that he was supposed to be quiet. Grieco felt Bray stir at her side, though thankfully the soft snoring noises he made continued without interruption. “They have to know Zoot’s safe house is here.”

“Quiet, Luke. You’ll wake them.” Xenia hissed. “Whatever we do, we have to decide soon. We cannot afford to be standing out here all night arguing on what we should do with them. I saw we just forget we saw them. If they do turn up at the safe house we’ll play ignorant.”

“That’s just about the stupidest thing I’ve heard come out of your mouth, Xenia.” Luke growled in a not-so-quiet voice. “Zoot will find out and whereas you won’t get in trouble because you’re Zoot’s woman, I’ll be banished or worse! We have to bring them back with us.”

Zoot’s woman? Grieco felt a shot of pain course through her at the realization that Zoot had at last taken up a new lover to replace Ebony. And Xenia! Her own friend! Her own cellmate? How was it possible that Xenia had managed to her way into Zoot’s heart when Grieco had tried in vain for so long?

How many nights back when she was with the Chosen had she lain awake dreaming of the summons to Zoot’s bedroom? That he had noticed her somehow and wished to see her, wished to be with her. A groan of longing emitted from her lips before she could stop it and she knew any chance she had of escaping with Bray unnoticed was gone.

“What was that?” Luke exclaimed, jolting Bray awake.

“Gee, Luke, I think they’re awake.” Xenia stated sarcastically and Grieco at last felt comfortable enough to allow her eyelids to flutter open. Immediately she spotted Xenia and Luke, sitting by the remains of their fire, staring at them. Luke was exactly as Grieco remembered him, though he was not wearing a Chosen uniform or Loco garb, rather the standard Techno uniform she had grown used to. He had cut his hair as well into a neatly groomed style that didn’t give Grieco flashbacks of Luke Perry and Beverly Hills 90210.

Xenia was absolutely stunning, just as Grieco remembered her. Tall and beautiful with gorgeous golden blonde hair that was swept away from her face, tousled up on her head, perfect curls spilling out naturally. She, unlike Luke, was not wearing a uniform, rather a skintight purply black leather catsuite that seemed to be missing a large hole at her stomach and going around towards her back.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Bray suddenly sat bolt upright, his eyes wide and frantic. “Wh-who are you? Wait…” Realization dawned on him and he glanced nervously over at Grieco. “Luke.”

“Hello Bray.” Luke stated with a tight-lipped smile. “Sleep well?”

“Grieco, what’s going on?” Bray demanded, rather than answering Luke’s sarcastic query.

“Xenia and Luke here are going to lead us back to the safe house.” Grieco murmured as she brushed her fringe away from her face. “And Xenia is going to gain us a private audience with Zoot, seeing how she’s Zoot’s woman.”

Bray blinked, clearly confused by the turn events. Xenia and Luke appeared a little baffled as well, just as Grieco liked it. She was the one in control of the situation one, even if she didn’t have a handy-dandy zapper strapped to her wrist like Luke did.

“What are we waiting for?” She insisted as she quickly rose to her feet, brushing off the dried grass from her dark suede trousers. “It’s already dark and we have quite a ways to travel before we arrive at the house.”

“It takes less than an hour in a boat.” Xenia spoke up, her eyes lingering on Bray, a strange light in her eyes. “It’s only a three-seater but I’m sure we could squeeze.” She hesitated, a smile touching her lips. “It’s good to finally meet you Bray. I heard much about you from Danni. How is she doing, by the way?”

“Danni, er…” Bray’s cheeks flushed with color and Grieco felt the need to jump to his rescue.

“She’s doing well, Xenia. She had her baby a few days ago, actually. Or at least that’s what we’re assuming. She was very, very pregnant when we left.”

“You just left Danni?” Xenia’s eyes widened as she stared at Bray, obvious disgust written on her face.

“They split up, Xenia.” Grieco stated smoothly, “Danni’s heart belonged to someone else, as did Bray’s.”

Xenia’s eyes narrowed, instantly reminding Grieco of the somewhat volatile blonde she had become quite close to while they were sharing a cell in the Chosen prison along with Danni, Aya, Silver and poor Jenis who had never made it out of the skirmish at the Gaian village.

“Come, we best be going if it is indeed the safe house we’re heading to.” Luke stated uncomfortably. “We’ll want to make it on the evening tide if we’re going to make good timing.”

“Right.” Grieco agreed, offering Bray a hand to help him up, though Bray’s eyes had suddenly become fascinated by the leggy blonde who was following after Luke. “She’s your brother’s woman, Bray.” She hissed loudly in his ear. “Which means hands off, especially we want to get out of this alive.”

“Of course.” Bray’s cheeks flushed red again. “Just appreciating the view, that’s all.”

Grieco rolled her eyes, feeling annoyed with the sandy-haired young man at her side. “Come on. They’re not going to wait for us.” She reached down and grabbed her satchel and headed off in the direction Luke and Xenia had gone, not really caring if Bray had followed, though she knew he did.

~*~*~

The golden sun had completely sunk behind the far western horizon by the time the bedraggled, beaten down and utterly defeated Mall Rats made their way back to the Phoenix Mall, their one sanctuary in the City. The rest of the tribes had already made it back to their own sectors, mutterings of revenge and paying the Technos back for what they did today under their breath, but Lex couldn’t help but wonder how long their passion would last without anyone to lead them.

The attack against the Technos had been a joke. Though the City had outnumbered the uniformed men and women more than two to one, the Technos had a technology that the City kids could not stand up against. Several of the City kids had followed Lex’s example and picked up the Techno zappers of those who had fallen, but it had not been enough and it soon became obvious to everyone that the Technos were just playing a game of cat and mouse with them.

It was then that a retreat had been organized. Panther, always managing to keep a cool head even under fire, had been the one to do that. She had been making her way through the ranks, instructing the tribe leaders to escape with their tribes on her signal so no one would be left completely overpowered by the Technos. However many of the tribal leaders had panicked and fled immediately, leaving half of the City exposed.

Upon seeing the disastrous retreat, a young Techno with bleached blonde hair who bore a striking resemblance to the Techno leader had called off the rest of those in black uniforms. He had chuckled and laughed at the few remaining City kids who were not wounded and were still trying to fight the Technos. Then, scolding them for even thinking they could defeat the Technos, the boy had shooed them away, telling them to go back and play with their sticks and stones.

Though shamed, the City was wise enough to realize they had been defeated and quite lucky to suffer as few losses as they had. However those they had were tragic, vital leaders and members of the City that were needed to keep the spirit alive. It was almost as if the Technos had known exactly who to strike against, who to bring down and who would cut the heart out of the City if they disappeared or were killed.

Most noticeably gone was Ebony. She had completely vanished towards the end of the battle. Jet had told Panther she saw Ebony making her way towards the Techno leader but she had become distracted by her own fight shortly thereafter and could not tell them what had happened after she had come in conflict with the tall blonde. She was not amongst the wounded so the worst was assumed. Ebony had been taken prisoner.

Beyond Ebony, Aya had been injured, her leg broken in several places after suffering through a brutal beating at Techno hands. Claret territory was clear across on the other side of the City and Lex offered to let Aya, Darius and their daughter stay at the mall until Aya was healed enough to make the long arduous journey.

However, all the losses the Mall Rats suffered were nothing to Lex when he stared down at the immobile face of the woman he carried in his arms, watching and praying that her eyelids would flutter open at any minute revealing the beautiful depths behind them.

“Please,” Lex murmured, his hold on her tightening only slightly. “We just found each other. I can’t loose you now.”

Filing into the mall behind the others who had actually escaped the attack with minor injuries enough that they could walk, Lex headed directly to the store he had converted into his room, a strictly invitation only room.  He gently laid her on the bed, position the blankets so they would cover her unconscious form. A soft moan escaped her lips as he adjusted her on the comfortable bed, but alas she did not awaken and Lex was forced to sit in the chair at the bedside, staring at her peaceful face while the events leading up to putting her in that position kept replaying in his head over and over again.

~*~*~

The atmosphere around the Techno base was a general feeling of elation. Though not too many of the black uniformed individuals was willing to admit it, when they had watched on the TV monitors the large force of Virts that was moving against their headquarters, they had become anxious and nervous, uncertain they would come out victorious in this one. Yet all fear and anxiety had completely vanished after the first Virt fell, unconscious thanks to a Techno zapper. Technology had once again proved itself mightier than numbers.

The only Techno who did not seem to be cheered by the victory was a young man with bleached blonde hair, sitting off by himself, tapping away on his computer as his friends celebrated around him. It was true that he had been one of the Technos eager for a conflict with the Virsts, something other than just the placid surrender that bored him, but when he followed his brother out of the stadium to face the Virts, intent on demoralizing them, he found that he no longer wanted that conflict.

Every Virt’s face had become her face or the face of one of them trapped inside Virtual Reality. Brothers and sisters, boyfriends and girlfriends. They didn’t ask for the Technos help, or Zoot’s for that matter. Zoot had just assumed the City would need a “helping hand” to get back up on their feet, but she was right. They had been doing fine all on their own.

“Ved?” A familiar voice broke the blonde out of his thoughtful concentration. Ved looked up and smiled at the tall slim dark haired Techno who stood before him, her hands on her hips, a teasing pout on her burgundy lips. “Just what do you think you’re doing? It’s time to party, not work.” She scolded.

Ved allowed a faint smile to cross his lips in response to the female Techno’s comments, though he still felt a long ways away from wanting to smile. “Sorry, Tag.” He replied as he drummed his fingertips along the desktop. “Just not really in the mood. Got a lot of stuff on my mind.”

“Like what?” Tag prodded as she took a seat in the chair off to the side of the work station Ved had been sitting at. She crossed her legs, a flirtatious yet still genuine smile playing up on her lips as she flicked her long hair over her shoulders. “You know you can tell me anything, right, Ved?”

Ved bit down on his lip as he contemplated actually telling the gorgeous Techno what it was that was on his mind. Such thoughts, however, could get him thrown out of the Technos. Or worse, deleted. Just the thought of it made Ved shudder. No, he couldn’t tell Tag what was on his mind. He wouldn’t put her in danger either.

“It’s nothing, Tag. I promise. Just, well, reality I guess.” He stated vaguely.

Tag nodded her head in understanding, the coy light and smile leaving her face. “I know what you mean, Ved. This next week will mark the three year anniversary of the world ending, ya know? It’s just so strange. Three years. Look at how much has happened, how much has changed in those three years. I’m sure if the adults saw us now they wouldn’t recognize us.”

Ved said nothing, his thoughts immediately going to Ebony’s grandparents, Jared and Elaine. They had taken Jay and Ved in when no one else would, when the world around them was shifting and changing so rapidly that the future was not assured for anyone. They had made so many sacrifices for both Jay and Ved, sacrifices they felt were worthwhile because they saw such potential in them.

They saw such potential in him, and look how he had squandered it. He was now a madman’s lackey, doing things and performing experiments on unwilling human beings. It was torture, Ved knew, yet Ram had insisted it was necessary.

“But is it really necessary?” Ved murmured aloud, shaking his head slowly.

“Is what necessary?” Tag inquired, Ved momentarily forgetting that she had been seated there with him.

“Nothing, Tag.” He forced a smile to his lips. “It’s nothing, really. C’mon, why don’t you and I go cut some rug out there, huh? Show these computer geeks how it’s done.”

Tag chuckled, her mood instantly brightening and Ved found her laugh infectious. He rose to his feet, smoothed down his black trousers, then accepted Tag’s offered hand, leading her out to the area that had been cleared as an impromptu dance floor as he tried to keep his mind off from the choices he had made over the past several months, choices that had changed his life forever.

~*~*~

Perspiration mixed with condensation dotted Silver’s forehead as she leaned over the massive steel pot, stirring the slightly lumpy muted yellowish substance inside. The cook had told Silver it was creamed corn, but it certainly didn’t smell like the creamed corn Silver remembered from before the Virus. However she knew better than to say anything and did her work, keeping her mouth shut, thankful that she had gotten such an easy task in the kitchen. Besides, stirring the corn gave Silver time to think, though that wasn’t exactly the safest thing to do.

Her thoughts constantly seemed to drift towards a certain Techno with sandy brown hair and an accent eerily similar to her own. A few of the other prisoners had already made the connection between Silver and Trevor from their accents, however no one knew the full truth behind their past. Except for Mega, and she had only told him the abbreviated and condensed version.

A sighed escaped her lips and Silver quickly shook her head, trying to clear her mind of thoughts of Trevor. It seemed that since he had come back into her life he was never far away. Yet with thoughts of Trevor came the guilty feelings that Silver had hoped to have put behind her long ago. She couldn’t help but wonder what Roni was up to now, if she was alright back in the States or if she had been one of those who had not been able to adjust to the new world that death of all the adults had brought on.

“Thinking about me?” An all too familiar voice quipped from behind her.

Silver whirled around, her braids flying wildly. She narrowed her eyes at Trevor who was leaning nonchalantly against the wooden door frame, a smirk playing up on his handsome face. “What do you want?” She glared at him, narrowing her eyes. How long had he been watching her?

Trevor shrugged his shoulders, straightening and walking over to where she stood at the stove. “Who’s to say I want anything, Silver? It’s my job to watch over the prisoners here and make sure they’re not doing anything they shouldn’t be doing.”

Silver rolled her eyes. “You really expect me to believe that, huh? You were just watching me stir the corn, huh? What, were you afraid that I’d try and poison it?”

“You wouldn’t be the first prisoner who tried.” Trevor pointed out.

“You know me, Trevor. I’m not that kind of girl.” Silver huffed, whirling back to the pot, tears stinging the back of her eyes. Why would it matter to her if Trevor thought she might try and poison herself, the Technos and all the prisoners? He was just some selfish jerk she once knew. That’s all.

Yet as try as she might to fight the feelings, Silver knew that her resolve was breaking. Every time she saw Trevor her heart would hammer wildly in her chest, her pulse would race and her palms would grow sweaty. Trevor was dangerous, dangerous for her and she had to keep her distance, even if it killed her.

“Leave me alone, Trevor.” Silver stated, her voice soft. “Please?”

“Is that creep bothering you again?”

Silver looked up in shock. Turning around quickly once again Silver saw that Trevor had already left the kitchen, probably just after she had turned back to the soup. Now it was Mega standing behind her, a friendly smile on his face. However Silver’s attention did not remain on the handsome Techno for long, rather it was taken up by the Asian beauty at his side.

“Tai-San!” She exclaimed, recognizing the mystical Mall Rat instantly. “What are you doing here?”

“The same as you.” Tai-San grinned ruefully. “Obviously. I was taken prisoner by the Technos days ago and they’ve finally brought me here. When your roommate told me you were here as well I asked if I could see you.”

“And then Mega caught us.” Casey pouted, crossing her arms against her ample bosom.  “And insisted in tagging along, but we all know why.” The purple-haired girl grinned mischievously, causing Silver’s cheeks to flush with color.

“Enough of that.” Mega glared down at Casey. “You have your own duties that your shirking right now. I suggest you get back to work. Now.”

“Right away.” Casey grinned, knowing that she had already done her work. She whirled around quickly, tossing her mane of prismatic violet hair over her shoulders and flouncing away to catch back up with the rest of the prisoners who had just arrived.

“Sorry about that, Mega.” Silver felt it necessary to apologize to the embarrassed Techno, though her own cheeks still felt quite warm. “She’s quite outspoken, isn’t she?”

“To put it mildly.” Mega stated dryly. “Now, I must be going. I have matters to see to, but you are relieved from your cooking duties for the evening, Silver. Go catch up with your friends.”

“Friends?” Silver arched her eyebrow curiously.

“Didn’t you hear?” Tai-San looked at her wondrously. “May, KC and Alice are here as well. I haven’t seen them yet but—“

“They’re here too?” Silver’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me, Mega?”

“They only just arrived yesterday, Silver. I haven’t seen you, though I had been under the impression you weren’t as tight with the majority of the Mall Rats as you were with those who had been part of the Resistance against the Chosen.”

Silver nodded. He had her there, however she still felt a tiny pinprick of hurt that he hadn’t thought to mention it to her. “It’s no matter, I suppose.” She hesitated, “And thank you for letting me out of KP. Though I think I’ve already seen and smelled enough of the corn to want to skip dinner tonight.”

“KP?” Both Tai-San and Mega looked at her curiously.

“You know, kitchen patrol.” Silver chuckled, realizing that these friends of her had not yet gotten used to her strange American phrases that she used frequently. It had taken awhile for the Cheetahs to catch onto the slang she and her brother used, however even at the end they managed to confuse their friends from time to time.

“I see. That makes sense.” Mega nodded. “Well, I’ll leave you two then.” Mega flashed Silver one final smile before he turned and walked out of the kitchen, his back straight and ridged, the perfect example of a Techno.

“So….” Tai-San slid up next to Silver, a mischievous smile on her face, “Who’s the hottie?”

Silver chuckled, forcing herself not to roll her eyes at Tai-San’s blatant interest in the young man who had just left the kitchen. “Tai-San, you’re married.” Silver scolded. “What about Lex?”

Tai-San’s face clouded at the mention of her estranged husband. The Oriental girl pursed her lips together and could only shrug her shoulders. “Lex and I are over, Silver. We’ve been over for awhile. In fact, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if we were ever really together. Maybe for awhile before the Chosen came, but after they took over I think both Lex’s and my hearts drifted. Our souls were not aligned and we both wanted different things. Different people.”

Silver nodded with understanding, well remembering the intense moments between Amber and Lex back at the Gaian village. She had been shocked to learn that Lex was supposedly married, and not to Amber. When they overthrew the Chosen the rumors of Tai-San’s relationship with the Guardian became common knowledge and Silver had found herself pitying the dark haired Mall Rat. She could understand Tai-San’s perspective completely. She had no idea the Rebels were preparing to attack, had no idea that she didn’t have to try and seduce the Guardian to undermine him.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Silver commented at last, not really knowing what to say. “I’m starting to think that if I spend one more minute in this kitchen I’m going to smell like corn for the rest of my life!”

~*~*~

Siva’s thoughts were a blur of emotion as she let out a long, anxious breath, shifting her weight nervously back and forth between her right and left feet. It had been well over an hour since she and Java had been summoned to Ram’s private office, or rather the reception area of Ram’s private office. Very rarely was anyone allowed past the always closed door, though Java and Siva were among the few who were called back from time to time.

Ram had called for Siva and Java shortly after the skirmish with the City, explaining that Ebony had been among those whom the Technos had taken prisoner. Java had been upset, knowing that Ram had purposely orchestrated Ebony’s capture, but Siva had secretly been excited. It had been such a long, long time since she had spoken to Ebony and the thought of being reunited with her younger sister thrilled Siva.

However Siva’s eager mood was darkened by the fact that she knew what Ram wanted with Ebony. He wanted to complete the set, make Ebony his third wife. He was so certain that Jay had delivered Ebony his message and now he wanted to hear Ebony’s response, though Siva knew from experience that Ram would not take no for an answer.

Siva bit down on her lower lip, her eyes trained on the door she knew Jay would bring Ebony through. Though Java had not wanted to see Ebony at all, Siva had requested of Ram that they be reunited with her before Ram was. She had cajoled Ram with a back massage as she explained to him how stubborn Ebony was and how she might need her sisters to soften her a bit before she accepted his proposal. In the end Ram had seen the logic behind Siva’s words and consented to them greeting Ebony just before she was ushered into his private chambers.

“So, excited to meet baby sis again?” Java smirked from where she stood beside Siva. Her tone was biting and sarcastic, exactly how it had been every time Java had referred to Ebony over the past several years.

“Java,” Siva frowned at her older sister, “We haven’t seen Ebony in a long, long time. Both you and I have changed so maybe she has too. Give her a chance, alright?”

Java’s lips twitched as she eyed Siva with disdain. “You’ve gone soft, Siva. Have you forgotten what Ebony wanted to do to us?” She paused, her eyes narrowing even more. “She tried to have us killed. Remember?”

“How could I forget?” Siva let out a weary sigh, well remembering the cold fear that had gripped her heart when she heard Ebony’s decree back in the days of the Locos. It was true, Ebony had ordered that Java and Siva be put to death, but Java didn’t know the half of it. She didn’t know that it was Zoot who was pulling the strings, that if Ebony hadn’t ordered that they be put to death Zoot was going to kill all of them.

Ebony had done what she needed to do to save all of their lives and Siva had a hunch it was none other than their younger sister who had snuck inside the railcar they were being held in the night before their execution, cut their bonds and left the door opened and unlocked, all without being seen by their Loco guards or by the sisters. Though Siva could not be sure of this until she actually spoke to Ebony.

“Just making sure you remembered.” Java stated smugly, interrupting Siva’s thoughts. “Don’t want you going soft on me. Remember, we can’t let Ebony get her claws into Ram or the Technos like she did with Zoot and the Locos. I will not loose out to my little sister again.”

Siva nodded, though she couldn’t still the eagerness inside her.

It was several more minutes before the door slowly began to open and Siva felt her heart give a little leap. Jay stepped through, his expression grim and haunted. He offered both Java and Siva a weak smile, then pushed the door open a little more to reveal the petite young woman on the other side.

“Ebony!” Siva couldn’t bite back the exclamation. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she quickly gained control over those, though she knew she was grinning from ear to ear.

“Hello Siva. Java.” Ebony nodded at both her sisters, her face an unreadable mask. “You two are looking well.”

“No thanks to you.” Java spat, her eyes flaming with scorn and fury. “Though I see you got what you wanted. Unlimited power, control over the City. How does it feel to know that in one swift movement I knocked over your house of cards, hum?”

“Technically, Java,” Ebony squared off, “It wasn’t you. It was your Lord Ram who ‘knocked over my house of cards’ though if either you or he believe my City is defeated, you have another thing coming. We will fight until the very end, that I can assure you.”

Siva felt a smile tug at her lips as she stared at Ebony, a deep sense of pride filling her. Ebony had always been the fighter that Siva was not. She believed every word that passed Ebony’s lips. Ram would have his hands full with this City and with this sister. “How are you, Ebony?” Siva inquired, her voice soft. “You’ve changed so much.”

Ebony shifted her gaze over to where Siva stood, for the first time an emotion, unreadable but there, flickered in her hazel-green eyes. “I’ve been good, Siva. Really good. And you?”

“I’ve—“

“Oh shut up!” Java interrupted, her voice laced with deadly anger. “You two make me ill. I will not stand here and listen to you two exchange pleasantries while Lord Ram is in the other room waiting for you. Now,” She paused long enough to glare meaningfully at Ebony, “Are you coming in or not?”

“Oooo, do I have a choice?” Ebony shot back sarcastically.

“No.” Java stated, deadpan.

“Then lead on.” Ebony smirked. “I always wanted to follow in your footsteps.”

~*~*~

He watched her falling, black leather jacket flapping in the wind as the golden blonde head hurried to meet its destiny with the unforgiving concrete below. He ran, a surge of adrenaline pumping through him as he pushed through the fighting Technos and City kids alike, not caring about anything except getting to her, breaking her fall and saving her before it was too late.

But it was already too late. He was too far away. She would hit the ground and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He would loose her just when he finally found her, just when he finally heard those three beautiful words slip past her lips that he had been yearning to hear since the moment he laid eyes on her?

The moment he laid eyes on her? Was that true? Lex could well remember the exact second in time. He had stood there, demanding that they hand over what little food they had and then his eyes had locked with Amber’s. She had stared at him, unflinching and unafraid, refusing to give him their food but offering to share it…

Yes, it was true. He had loved her the minute he first saw her. It had always been Amber. The fights, the bickering and disagreements, they had all been masks for how he really felt, how it had felt when Amber first chose Sasha and then Bray to bestow her affections on. He had been with Zandra, that was true, and Tai-San, but he had only wanted one person. The one person he could not have.

And now she was going to die and all because he could not run fast enough. He could not cross the distance in the courtyard before she would fall to the earth, broken and destroyed. Her beautiful blue-green eyes would never again shine with the light of love, her rose petal lips would never again press against his own. He would never again feel her warm breath tickling against his skin. Never again.

Lex squeezed his eyes shut tightly, the emotions too painful to remember. He had felt so helpless as he watched her fall to the earth, like a beautiful angel whose wings had been ripped off in a death sentence. An instant death sentence that would have definitely come to pass if it had not been for that Techno…

The tall Techno had seen her falling, seen Lex racing to save her and then made a decision that Lex was sure he would be reprimanded for later. He had disengaged from the City kid he was fighting, moved over and positioned himself so that he would catch Amber when she fell.

Lex reached his side just as the Techno was easing her to the ground. They had locked eyes and Lex had seen the soul of a tormented and confused individual, not the cold and unfeeling Techno that Lex had believed them all to be, without a shred of human decency left in them. The Techno had smile murmured the words, “Take care of her.” And then was gone. Moments later the retreat was sounded and Lex had lifted Amber’s unconscious body and carried her back to the mall, praying that the zapper whose blast had impacted with her had been on a milder setting than his had.

“Lex?” Amber’s voice, faint and weak broke into Lex’s thoughts. “Is that you?”

“Amber!” Lex’s heart leaped in his chest and he rushed to the bedside, capturing her cold, clammy hand in his. “You’re alive.”

“Of course I’m alive, silly.” A weak smile flitted across her face. “It takes more than, well, it takes more than that to bring me down. By the way, what happened?”

“You were shot by a Techno.” Lex explained, momentarily wondering if he could tell her how close to death she had come. “I-I thought I was going to loose you.”

“Naw. I’m fine. Just a screaming headache, that’s all.” Amber assured him as she tried to sit up in bed.

“Oh no you don’t. You need to get your rest. I know how it feels to be hit by one of those Techno whatchamagoogies. Let me go see if I can find some of Tai-San’s white willow bark tea and cook some of that up for you.”

“Willow bark tea?” Amber made a disgusted face.

Lex nodded. “It’s the natural form of Aspirin. Tai-San taught me about it a long time ago. One of her herbal remedies.”

Amber let out a small chuckle, wincing in pain as she did. “And you always said her herbal remedies were a bunch of mumbo jumbo.”

“Well,” Lex grinned, “Wait until you taste it. Then you’ll understand. I’ll be right back. Don’t you go disappearing on me.”

“Don’t worry.” Amber smiled back, her eyes glowing with love and desire. “I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

~*~*~

Bray pulled his dark and worn leather jacket tighter about him, wishing that it was a bit warmer. Neither Luke or Xenia seemed to be affected by the colder temperature, however when he glanced over at Grieco he saw her shivering slightly, her deep royal blue jacket wrapped around her slight form almost two times. Almost as if she could feel his eyes on her, she glanced over at him and gave him a faint smile.

“We’re nearly there.” Grieco commented, taking a sidestep closer to Bray. Her voice was quiet, nearly being snatched away by the wind, but Bray understood her need for discretion. She did not want Luke or Xenia to overhear her words. “If I remember correctly, that is. The fort used to lay about a mile or so off the main road. We’ve been off the main road for over forty-five minutes now and if I remember correctly it’s just beyond that hill yonder.”

Bray shifted his gaze up ahead to see what hill she spoke of. It was not very far away at all and if he strained his eyes just enough he thought he could make out the very top of a building. He couldn’t be certain, though. “How long has it been since you’ve been here again?”

“Not long enough.” Grieco muttered softly as she pushed her dark bangs away from her face. “And yet, far too long at the same time.”

Bray smiled, shaking his head at Grieco’s cryptic words. He had come to admire and appreciate that aspect of her personality. She would not allow anyone to know anything about her unless she wanted them to. She could be the biggest mystery one moment and then as easy to read as an open book the next. She was incredible and annoying all at the same time, yet no matter what there was something about her that intrigued Bray. He had just yet to put his finger on what.

“We’re nearly there.” Luke suddenly announced in a loud voice, obviously enjoying the leadership and control that Zoot had given him. “Xenia radioed ahead and Zoot has stated that he will meet us immediately. Bray, I suggest you prepare what you want to say to your brother. This will probably be your only chance to convince him to spare your pathetic life.”

“Luke!” Xenia scolded, her eyes narrowing as she tossed her golden curls over her shoulder. She then glanced back towards Bray and offered him a apologetic smile. “Zoot will listen to you, Bray. Whether Luke likes to believe it or not, family is important to Zoot, no matter what wrongs he feels have been done to him.”

Bray furrowed his brow in confusion, wondering just what Xenia could be referring to. All growing up he and Martin had been friends, always gotten along. They had their fights, like any brothers, and then there was the thing with Trudy, but for Bray that was water under the bridge. Martin could not still be upset about something that happened so long ago.

The progressed through the dark night, Bray growing more and more nervous with each passing minute. They crested the hill and looked down at the fort like structure that had been built halfway up on the other side. It was an ideal location for a fort, near to the ocean and on a high hill so that it could see for miles around, even without the aid of a periscope. However the fort had long ago lost its usefulness and had now become home to the most feared and revered man who ever lived in the City.

Xenia and Luke lead Grieco and Bray inside and Bray noticed Grieco’s face had suddenly gone ashen. They passed several young men and women all dressed in the Techno uniform. They were hurrying about the fort, each performing their designated tasks. Out of the corner of his eye Bray thought he spotted a familiar face, but he quickly dismissed it. It was not possible.

They were lead through several long and unending corridors and after ten minutes of walking Bray determined that Luke and Xenia were purposely trying to disorient them. He glanced over at Grieco who strode forward purposefully, almost as if she did not need Xenia or Luke as a guide.

At last they came to a stop in front of two stately oak doors that reminded Bray of something out of English folklore. Intricate patterns were carved into the wood and two large steel rings were inlaid in the middle to serve as door handles. Luke gripped one of these rings and pulled mightily, urging the ancient doors to creek open.

After one door was open wide enough for them to slip through, Xenia entered the room, beckoning for Bray and Grieco to follow behind her. Bray noticed that Luke remained on the outside, however and couldn’t help but wonder why that might be.

Inside the room was dark, and though the rest of the fort had been quite warm, had a distinct chill. Two torches burned brightly at the end of the room, giving just enough illumination for Bray to make out a figure seated upon a throne like chair positioned in the direct center. The man’s face was undistinguishable to Bray, however he knew without looking that it was his brother.

“Welcome,” Martin’s voice throbbed throughout the room, and instantly Bray knew why Martin had chosen the room to be his ‘throne room’. The acoustics were amazing and made him sound even more intimidating than he had been when riding through the City streets in a squad car, siren wailing. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

~*~*~

Following directly behind Java, Siva and Ebony, Jay entered Ram’s private chambers, immediately feeling the sense of suffocation that he always felt when coming in there. Ram kept the room stifling hot, never opening a window or allowing for much ventilation at all. He was so paranoid of germs that he made everyone who was honored enough to pay him a visit suffer for it.

He glanced over at Ebony, noting her reaction to the sudden change in temperature. She wrinkled her nose and her lips twitched up slightly, an expression that Jay had long ago become quite accustomed to, not to mention very fond of. She was perplexed, Jay could tell that immediately, wracking her brain trying to recall just why Lord Ram sounded so familiar to her.

Jay forced himself to look away, his heart constricting painfully inside him. He wished to God that he had warned Ebony, told her what a sadistic psycho Ram was, that even if he promised her the moon she should run from him as fast as her legs could carry her, but his pride had stilled his tongue. Pride, hurt and anger. He had allowed his emotions to take control of him and now the only woman he had ever loved was going to be destroyed by the man he hated and needed more than anything.

“And so the prodigal returns.” Ram made his presence known as he operated the small directional guide on his chair, wheeling himself into the center of the room where Ebony could not help but gaze upon his face. “Though I suppose that statement isn’t exactly applicable in this instance, now is it?”

Jay hid a smile as Ebony rolled her eyes, planting her hands on her hips and regaining the expression of a very put out City Leader. “So,” She began  her spiel, “You’re Lord Ram, huh? Why am I not surprised that the man who runs this outfit decorates his face like a clown and has devil horns?”

“Oooo… You are the feisty one, just as Java warned me.” Ram chuckled, rubbing his gloved hands together eagerly. Ebony didn’t realize that she was playing right into Ram’s hand, offering him that challenge that he was so fond of. Java had been too easy, agreeing to marry Ram almost before the proposal had passed his lips. Siva had been more reluctant, but when Ram had threatened her with expulsion she had agreed. Ebony would be a real challenge, one that Ram would not be able to resist.

“Oh, I’m sure my sisters have told you a good many stories about me.” Ebony folded her arms against her, her lips twisted together in a scornful smile. She hesitated, then quickly added, “They’re all true.”

Jay felt his heart sink at Ebony’s statement. He knew she meant it to intimidate Ram, to make him realize that she was the type of woman who would sentence her own sisters to death just to protect her own skin, but at the same time she was attempting to intimidate Ram she was reminding Jay just how different she had become. Gone was the tender and sensitive Ebony whom he had loved. She had changed, become a strong and unemotional survivor. She had done what she had to do, and now Jay could hardly even recognize her.

“Excellent!” Ram exclaimed gleefully. “Because I could really use someone like you on my team. I trust that Jay had delivered my message?”

Ebony furrowed her brow and glanced over at Jay. “Yes.” She lied easily. “Jay has. And the answer is no. In fact,” She hesitated, obvious only to Jay that she was working out how to phrase her bluff, “I want you and your entire little band of Technos out of my City. Immediately.”

“Immediately?” Ram looked at her with mock offense. “But we were just starting to feel at home, now weren’t we girls?”

“Oh yes. Home.” Java cooed agreeably while Siva remained predictably silent.

“I can’t believe you, Ebony, would really be kicking us out? After all, Java and Siva are your sisters and I…” Ram paused, eyeing her, triumph written across his face, “Well, you and I are such old friends, Ebony. Surely you haven’t forgotten all about me, have you?”

Ebony stared at him in disgust, her upper lip curled up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, psycho. I have never laid eyes on you before in my life.”

“Oh really now?” Ram grinned evilly. “Are you quite sure?”

“Positive.”

“Then take a journey with me, Ebony, back many, many years ago. Before this nasty thing called a Virus took the lives of all our parents. Do you remember going to live with your grandparents one summer? Meeting our good friend Jay here and his little brother, Ved?”

Ebony nodded her head slowly, the color draining slightly from her face.

“Good, good. Then surely you remember me.” Ram leaned forward in his chair, eagerly talking. “Without the clown make up or the horns… Without this damnable chair…”

“Oh my God!” Ebony gasped, the last bit of color fleeing from her normally rosy cheeks. “Josh! Josh Ram!”