Chapter Fifty-Eight

The City seemed small, almost like a toy from Ravenscroft’s position high in the sky aboard one of The Techno’s many aircrafts swarming in for the invasion. It chilled Ravenscroft’s blood to hear the word ‘invasion’ used, but Jay had assured him that it was not that sort of invasion. The Virts, as the Technos called the City’s inhabitants, were sure to act hostile towards them after just suffering through the ordeal of the Chosen and the Guardian. The Technos had to come in with a hard and fast approach, startling the city and numbing them until they could understand the Technos meant them no harm. It still sounded a bit wrong to Ravenscroft, but he wisely kept his mouth shut and followed orders.

Ravenscroft glanced around the plane he had been assigned to, taking in and memorizing the faces of his fellow Technos. He knew that Lord Ram was in the back of the plane, under the careful watch of his two wives, Java and Siva. The only other Technos that Ravenscroft actually knew that were in the plane with him was Jay, commanding from the front, and a friend of Jay’s, Mega whom Ravenscroft had spoken to on occasion.

“Ravenscroft,” The familiar voice of Siva came up from behind him. He quickly turned in his seat to face the younger of Ram’s beautiful wives.

“Yes, Siva?” He inquired politely, not meeting her dark eyes. He still found it difficult to believe that this amazing young woman had willingly married the semi-psychotic leader of the Technos, even after Ram had already proposed and married her older sister, Java. “Is there something I can do for you?”

Siva nodded, her face cold and impersonal halfway hidden by her metal mask. “Lord Ram would like to see you.”

“Now?” Ravenscroft seemed puzzled by Siva’s suddenly statement. “But we’re so close to the city. Shouldn’t we be preparing for descent?”

“There is more than enough time for that later.” Siva informed him. “Come with me. It will not take long.”

Ravenscroft shrugged his shoulders and quickly unbuckled his seatbelt that he had instinctively fastened the moment he had sat down. He rose, keeping his head ducked even though he still had several inches of clearance from the roof of the plane. He followed Siva down the plane towards the back, his heart racing inside him. He had never once met Ram, only heard horror stories from those who had.

Siva ducked past a thick red velvet curtain to the back of the plane that had been sectioned off for Ram and his wives. Ram was seated in his wheelchair, tapping away on his laptop as Java slowly and sensually rubbed his shoulders and massaged his neck.

“Right there… Do you see them Java my pet? Thinking they can escape.” Ram smirked, his eyes twinkling with a strange light that made Ravenscroft seriously doubt Zoot’s choice in leader for his second stage of operation as he tried to restore peace and order to the city.

“Lord Ram,” Siva announced, her voice flat and monotonous, “I have brought Ravenscroft.”

“Excellent!” Ram whipped his head up faster than Ravenscroft thought humanly possible. His green colored eyes rested on him, studying every inch of him before he said another word. “Ravenscroft,” He began, his lips twisting up in a smile that sickened Ravenscroft, “I have heard much about you from my general. Jay seems to think quite highly of you. He has the utmost confidence in your technological abilities.”

“I am flattered.” Ravenscroft murmured humbly.

Ram nodded slowly as if calculating something. “I have a change of assignment for you, Ravenscroft. I was going to send you with Mega to the Alpha Base seeing as how you have some close ties with people in the city, but Jay assures me your abilities will be put to better use with us here.” Ram paused, his eyes turning hard. “What I’d like to know is if I can trust you, Ravenscroft. If I can count on you. This tribe you were leader of, the Wild Kats, they are no longer your tribe. They are no longer your family. You belong with and to the Technos. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, of course.” Ravenscroft quickly assured him. “This is my home.”

“Good, good.” Ram’s face split with a grin from ear to ear. “That’s exactly what I like to hear. We mustn’t have any of our people defecting the moment they step foot inside their old home, now can we.”

“No, we can’t.” Ravenscroft breathed out, a painful feeling seizing up his chest as he thought of Danni and her beautiful eyes, her mesmerizing smile, and her soft musky voice. He missed and yearned for her so.

Ram let out a little cackle and nodded, waving Ravenscroft away. “That is all. Go back to your seat now, Ravenscroft. I’m sure Jay will have need of you shortly.”

“Yes, Lord Ram.” Ravenscroft bowed his head politely as he backed out of the room, thankful to finally be free from Ram’s oppressive personality. He now understood why the other Technos dreaded being called into Ram’s presence. The man was overwhelming.

Moments after Ravenscroft had settled himself back into his seat he felt someone come and sit beside him. He glanced over and was surprised to see Siva seated there, a playful smile adorning her now unmasked face. “You did very well in there, Ravenscroft.” Siva purred softly. “Ram was very impressed.”

“Was he?” Ravenscroft arched an eyebrow, puzzled by Siva’s sudden change in demeanor. She was sometimes as cold as ice with him and others she was warm and friendly. Ravenscroft never knew what to expect with her.

Siva nodded. “He likes him. He likes you very much. Play your cards right and you might be rising up in the ranks very quickly.” She winked at him, then quickly rose to her feet, leaving Ravenscroft to mull over her words while his thoughts were still distracted by the haunting beauty of Danni.

~*~*~

They made their way slowly away from the city, Bray carefully taking the safest paths, guiding Danni away from where the land was rocky or sloped. He was attentive to her every need, his arm wrapped around her, supporting her when she needed him. He was worried, she could tell. The stabs of pain shooting through her had begun to come with more and more frequency, and though Bray had no clue what they were, Danni knew exactly what it was.

“Bray,” She gasped at last after a particular sharp pain had gripped her. “We’ve got to stop. We have to stop now… I can’t go on any further.”

“What is it Danni? Are you alright?” Bray’s eyes clouded with concern as Danni sunk down to her knees, wincing in pain. “Is it the baby?”

“Yes.” She wheezed. “It’s the baby. It’s coming.”

“It’s coming?” Bray’s eyes widened. “What? Right now?”

“Yes. Right now.” Danni spat back, perspiration already dotting her forehead. “I’ve been having contractions—“ She had to break off as yet another wave of pain coursed through her. She panted, trying to catch her breath as the pain slowly dissipated, though she knew the next one would be worse. “I’ve been having contractions all day. I wasn’t sure, but I am now. This baby’s coming, and it’s coming right now.”

“But you can’t have it out here.” Bray exclaimed, looking at the countryside around them. “It’s filthy! This is no place to have a baby.”

“Do you have a better idea?” Danni gritted her teeth, shooting his a dark look. “Because I’m open to suggestions right now.”

“Right, right.” Bray nodded, clearly nervous. “How about over there? A barn… It won’t be clean but—“

“It will be perfect.” Danni cut him off, struggling to stand to her feet while she still had the strength. “Help me. I can’t make it on my own.”

~*~*~

Cloe slowly opened her eyes, licking her lips still tasting KC in her mouth. A huge almost dopey grin adorned KC’s boyish face, causing him to look closer to eleven than his thirteen years of age. Studying him after their second shared kiss, Cloe felt a flush of guilt. She shouldn’t have kissed him even once. Lex’s words echoed in her mind and for the first time she really understood them. It didn’t matter if she toyed with the feelings of guys like Jaguar and Mitchell, just as long as she was careful, but KC… KC was another matter.

“KC,” She began slowly, dropping her gaze so she would not have to meet his intense, eager eyes. “I think we need to talk.”

“Yeah, sure.” KC stammered with boyish excitement. “Of course. Um, do you want to talk in here?”

Cloe glanced around the busy casino, thankful for a distraction from KC and her guilt. “No.” She shook her head at last, catching Kyle’s eye from across the casino. She knew he had witnessed the entire thing. She was in for a good-natured ribbing the next time she came in. “It’s too busy in here. Let’s go outside. Go for a walk or something.”

KC quickly agreed as he scrambled off his barstool, in a hurry to help Cloe down from her own. His hand brushed against her own and though Cloe felt nothing, not even the tiniest shiver or spark, KC pulled his fingers away quickly, as if he had been burned.

“Cloe,” KC cleared his throat loudly as they pushed through the dancing and gambling bodies that filled the casino beyond its maximum capacity. “I, uh—“

“Not right now.” Cloe shook her head firmly, refusing to look up into Kyle’s laughing face as they pushed their way through the exit. “Let’s get a little ways away or something. It’s too loud here. Too many people.”

“Of course.” KC consented, having to double his pace to keep up with Cloe’s long strides. The longer they walked together the more Cloe realized just how vast the chasm was that spread between her and her childhood friend.

She had always been told that girls aged faster than boys, both physically and mentally, but she and KC were walking evidence of that fact. She was only two months older than KC and yet he still looked like he was eleven and Cloe was being hit on by guys five and six years older than her. Of course, Cloe knew that also had a little to do with the fact of her choice in clothing, but she refused to think about that right then.

They walked for several long minutes in silence, Cloe watching the buildings around them as they hurried along the littered streets. The sky was clear and beautiful, only a few puffy white clouds marring its perfection. Compared to the really rather unpredictable weather they had been having as of late, today was idyllic, almost storybook weather.

“KC,” Cloe said at long last, turning to face the green-spiked Mall Rat. “I have something I need to tell you. Something really important and I’m not really sure how to say it.”

“Me too.” KC echoed, his face cracking wide with his cheeky smile.

“You go first then.” Cloe prompted, locking her fingers tightly together behind her back.

KC frowned, seeming reluctant, but Cloe put on her best puppy dog look at last he let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “Okay, but I know I’m going to screw this up.”

“Don’t worry about it, KC.” Cloe quickly assured him. “It’s only me. Cloe. Your friend.”

“Right.” KC grimaced. “Friend. Well, it’s actually about that…” He trailed off, suddenly finding the cracked pavement beneath their feet absolutely mesmerizing. “See, Cloe, even before the Chosen took you away I started to well, um, have this crush on you. I thought it would go away, thought it was really kind of stupid and all, but while you were gone… I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Cloe.”

“You couldn’t?” Cloe felt her cheeks flush with color of both embarrassment and shame. She had barely given her friend a second thought, far too preoccupied with the mystery and intrigue of what was going on in the world around her.

“I like you, Cloe. I like you a lot.” KC gushed out quickly, his cheeks turning an almost burgundy color. “In fact, I’d almost say—“

“What the—“ Cloe suddenly broke KC off, a loud buzzing sound filling the air. Both she and KC looked up at the same moment, their faces filling with wonder. “It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be.”

“The adults!” KC whispered, his hand instinctively reaching out and taking Cloe’s as they watched the metallic gray airplane slowly begin to circle the air above the city, tiny dots leaping from its belly, releasing brilliant parachutes of every color of the rainbow.

~*~*~

Trudy’s heart stopped dead inside her as she heard the planes pass overhead. It was him. She knew it. This was his second stage in his plan of attack. The Technos. She remembered The Guardian and Luke discussing them several times, though they had always discussed them scornfully, saying that the Technos gizmos and gadgets could never surpass the power of persuasion and manipulation.

“Oh Brady.” Trudy whispered, drawing her daughter from her crib where she slept. “It’s started. It’s started all over again.”

Brady blinked her eyes sleepily, exposing the sapphire lights that reminded Trudy so much of Martin’s before he changed. She yawned a little, then snuggled against her mother’s neck, settling in for another sleep.

“We’ve got to get out of here, Brady.” She whispered fiercely. “We need to leave. Find him before they find us.”

~*~*~

The old animal stench that filled the barn was overwhelming and powerful, but Danni ignored it as she collapsed into the filthy straw scattered across the hard-packed earthen floor, gasping for breath. The trek from where she had sunk to her knees earlier, completely weakened, to the barn had been agonizing, her body wracked with the excruciating pain of her contractions several times before they made it.

“Um…” Bray stammered as he stood over her looking entirely useless. “Um… What do I do?”

“How the hell should I know?” Danni spat, her eyes narrowing. “I’ve never had a baby before. Don’t you remember anything from when you helped deliver Brady?”

“A little.” Bray nodded. “Not much. Salene… She knew what to do.”

Danni rolled her eyes, somehow not surprised in the least that Bray had been utterly dependant on a woman even back then. “Remember, Bray. Try.” And then she was lost in another wave of pain, a pain so blinding and powerful this time that she knew the baby was only moments away.

“Water!” Bray shouted suddenly. “You need water. And um… String. Yeah, I think that was it. And a blanket. Do you have a blanket?”

Danni shot him a poisonous glare.

“Right. Um, well, I’ll go find something then…” He trailed off, rising to his feet. He began to make his way towards the threshold of the barn they had crossed only moments before when suddenly he stopped in his tracks, his head upturned. “Do you hear that?”

Danni stared at him, feeling herself grow faint from the pain. She was too weak. Too weak to have this baby and she knew it. “Wh?” She managed to stammer at last, but Bray was already leaving the barn and somehow Danni knew that he had forgotten all about the water, string and blanket.

She closed her eyes shut tightly, loosing herself to the pain, wishing that somehow she could just fall asleep and when she woke up it would be all over. She would be holding a beautiful pink baby in her arms, his soft gray eyes – the gray eyes of his father – staring back at her.

“Ravenscroft…” She whimpered softly as the world around her began to fade to black. “Oh Ravenscroft. Help.”

~*~*~

Lex stood rooted to the ground, his face upturned and watching the sky like so many of those around him, all of them unable to tear their eyes away from the technology that soared high above them. He had been nearly halfway to the hotel when he first heard the plane. At first he had refused to believe it was possible. He thought he was just hearing things, but seconds later the sky was broken by the silver body of the plane and he knew it was true.

Everyone around him was racing around, many of them panicking, searching for hiding places while others were dancing in the streets, rejoicing saying that the adults had returned at last. The other element in the city took advantage of the distraction had had begun to loot the nearest market stands. Lex was too distracted to even notice.

“What the…” He trailed off, still watching the plane as it made its third pass through the city. He had watched as wave after wave of black-garbed individuals had leaped from the planes, releasing brightly colored parachutes as they descended towards the ground. From the distance it was impossible to tell if they were adults or not, only that they were heading towards the city and were headed quick.

Part of Lex wanted to believe the optimistic teens and children around him who insisted that it was the adults, but the logical part of Lex’s mind refused to accept that. If there were adults still alive, why would they be returning now? It didn’t make sense. Deep inside him he knew that whoever these people were, they were not the adults. The same part of him also told him that they were up to no good.

“Amber…” He paled suddenly with realization. She was at the hotel at that very moment with Ebony, the City Leader. If this was an invasion force that would be their first target.

Tearing his eyes away from the sky, Lex spun on his heel and sprinted in the direction of the hotel, hoping against hope that he was not too late.

~*~*~

Ved wrinkled his nose in distaste as he surveyed the city laid out before him with a cold and contemplating sweep of his eyes. It was exactly as he had remembered it years and years before, only there was not nearly the amount of cars on the roads as there had been back then and of course all the adults were gone. It was still a hive of activity, however, and he watched in scorn as several of the filthy Virts either scrambled out of their hiding places to greet those who had descended from the skies moments before.

“Predictable.” Ved’s lips twisted up in a smirk. “These Virts are so clueless they won’t even know what hit them.” He paused, glancing around the small group of Technos that he was in charge of. “Round them up, boys. We’ve gotta fill our quota before we return to base.”

The four Technos quickly nodded and dispersed, the fine humming sound of their zappers being charged up filling the air, almost drowning out the distant roar of the Techno airplane that was no on the far north side of the city.

So far the first stage of operation was proceeding exactly as Jay had planned – of course. His older brother had outlined everything down to the very last detail. It annoyed Ved that Jay had won such favor in the site of his friend, now their commander, but Ved wisely kept his mouth shut. For the time being.

Ved was distracted from his thoughts as the sound of Virt-like screams filling the air followed promptly by the sound of Techno zappers being fired. A huge grin broke across Ved’s face as he chuckled silently to himself. “And so the game begins.” He murmured softly, scanning the wrecked city in front of him, hoping for his own dirty Virts to bring back to Ram.

As if reading his mind, two Virts, a boy and a girl, probably both about his own age. Rounded the corner, their expressions wide in astonishment. The girl saw him before the boy, throwing her arm in front of him slowing him to a halt.

“You there,” She called loudly, her voice clearly conveying the fact that she was not intimidated by his jet black uniform, intricate devices and silver mask he wore. “Are you the ones who brought the plane?”

“Cloe!” The boy at her side hissed loud enough for Ved to hear him clearly. “We don’t know if they’re friendly or not.”

The girl rolled her eyes and walked forward, a set expression on her face. “Well, are you?” She inquired again, arching a carefully groomed eyebrow and instantly Ved was entranced.

“Cloe, is it?” Ved smiled, quickly whipping off his mask to show off his gleaming white teeth. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a sleazy city like this?”

Again the girl rolled her eyes. “This sleazy city is my home, I’ll have you know. And I just happen to like it here. But what I’d like to know is just what you’re doing here. I’m sure our City Leader would like to know as well.”

“City Leader?” Ved tipped his head back and let out a hearty chuckle. “You rabble have a City Leader? Who is it? Some crazed lunatic trying to spread his ideas of power and chaos and killing everyone who doesn’t agree with him?” He paused, reading Cloe’s reaction carefully. “I’ve heard about your city’s Guardian. That man is insane and any city who follows him deserves to be deleted.”

“Deleted?” The boy’s eyes filled with fear.

“The Guardian was never the city’s Guardian.” Cloe stated bluntly, folding her arms against her chest. “And yes, he was a madman, but we overthrew him. Got rid of him and all his loony followers. We have our own City Leader now, and she’s doing a pretty damn good job.”

“A woman, eh?” Ved smirked. “This is going to be easier than I thought.”

“Then you’ve obviously never met Ebony.” Cloe returned icily.

Ved started at the girl’s words, not quite sure he had heard her correctly. “Wha-What did you say your City Leader’s name is?”

“Ebony.” The boy retorted. “What’s it do you?”

“Nothing.” Ved stammered, quickly shaking his head, wishing he had kept his mask on. Immediately his thoughts began to fill with the mesmerizing and beautiful young woman who had been the object of his every fantasy since that hot and humid summer before the Virus.

“You never answered my question.” Cloe broke into his thoughts, her expression turning stormy. “Are you the ones who arrived in that plane?”

Rather than answering, Ved shifted his gaze to the three black clad figures that were silently creeping up behind his prey. The fourth Techno that had gone out was standing guard with several Virts already shackled and ready for processing. Ram would be pleased.

“I don’t believe you’ve met my associates, Cloe.” Ved used her name again, knowing it irked her that he knew hers yet she did not know his. He nodded his head, motioning for the three to bring Cloe and her little friend into custody.

“What is this?” Cloe growled as she struggled against the two men who were trying to hold her down. “Release me this instant!”

A slow smirk spread across Ved’s face as he shook his head, casually approaching the fearsome brunette. “You’re a little fireball, aren’t you?” He chuckled softly. “You should know, Cloe. It’s pointless to resist us. Forget your past life. Surrender to technology. Surrender to the Technos.”

~*~*~

Though he was quick on his feet, Lex had narrowly escaped captured by the invasion force several times. They had moved swiftly. Less than twenty minutes had passed since Lex had first seen the plane cross the sky overhead and yet already the black uniformed and silver masked individuals, mostly young men, though some were young women, began to flood the city streets.

They had not wasted a single minute before they began to gather up the confused children who roamed the streets, thinking that these people who had fallen from the sky were their friends come to save them from their difficult lives. The invaders rounded everyone up, ushering them into their trucks, vans, tanks and whatever other vehicles they had brought into the city. Those who were stupid enough to resist they blasted with a strange laser like weapon that was attached to their wrists.

The invaders had seen Lex several times, tried to capture him, but Lex knew the streets much better than they did and used that knowledge to good use. He ducked into alleyways, under abandoned cars, and behind rubbish heaps, slowly making his way towards the hotel and towards Amber. The invaders did not seem to focus in on any one individual, so after Lex had evaded them a couple times they quickly gave up on him, moving onto easier targets.

At that moment Lex was crouched, hidden behind a large overturned jeep, holding his breath as he silently watched a very organized detail of invaders marched down the street, looking everywhere to see if they had missed any city inhabitants. They were muttering words that Lex did not fully understand, though he felt they were important. Virts. Stage One. Ram. Technos. Quota.

As the unit passed, Lex slowly rose to his feet. He was less than one block from the hotel now. All he had to do was duck down one alley and run down the street until he was there. He just hoped he would arrive before the Technos (at least that’s what he assumed their tribe name was) reached the hotel.

“Over there!” One of the Technos called out suddenly. “A Virt!”

“Get her!” Another hissed, which was promptly followed by the pounding of footsteps.

“No!” A familiar shriek ripped through the air, freezing Lex’s heart.

“Tai-San!” He whispered, glancing back to where he had last seen the Technos. There she was, his wife, surrounded by six uniformed Technos slowly advancing on her.

“It’s pointless to resist, little Virt.” One of them mocked, laughing at her. “Surrender and you won’t get hurt.”

“Never!” Tai-San argued, her voice high and noble. “I will never surrender.”

“Then we will have to do this the hard way…” Lex heard the Techno state menacingly as the familiar humming sound of him powering up his weapon filled the air.

“No!” Lex shouted, leaping out from his hiding place. “Let her go! Now!”

“What the—“ The Techno exclaimed, turning his weapon towards Lex.

A loud pulsating sound ripped through the air, slamming hard into Lex and throwing him to the ground. He hit the ground hard, though remained conscious long enough for the full affect of the Techno weapon to sink it. Waves of pain shot through his mind, pounding over and over, blinding him, numbing him until there was absolutely nothing else but the pain.

“Tai-San…” He whispered with his last ounce of strength before he allowed himself to succumb to the pain. “I’m sorry.”

~*~*~

They watched from the highest balcony of the hotel, both silent as the city they loved was slowly being swarmed and overwhelmed by a strange tribe dressed in black uniforms. They carried weapons, using them carelessly on the city’s occupants, causing Amber’s heart to tremble each time she heard another of the zappers go off. She could only pray the wounds that were being inflicted were not fatal.

Like the rest of the city, both Amber and Ebony had been rendered paralyzed with fear mingled with excitement when they heard the planes pass overheard just as they were readying to leave the hotel to search for Danni. They had raced to the top floor of the hotel and out onto the balcony, hoping to catch a better view of what was going on. Now Amber wished they had stayed inside, quiet and ignorant.

“They’re all out there, Ebony.” Amber murmured quietly, fingering the cold metal of the balcony ridge. “All our friends. Cloe, Danni, Lex… Our tribe. They’re out there with these…these psychopaths. It’s like the Chosen all over again.”

Ebony said nothing for several seconds, her face vacant and void of emotion, though her hazel-green eyes were haunted with a light that chilled Amber to the core. “No, it’s not.” She whispered at last, her voice hoarse and choked.

“It’s not?”

“No.” Ebony shook her head. “Now the line between friend and foe has been blurred forever. Nothing will ever, ever be the same again.”