Chapter Two

The called themselves the Technos, and they weren’t a tribe, though Cloe wasn’t too sure she could believe the rather obnoxious Techno who had taken both she and KC prisoner. He was higher ranking, she saw that immediately, ordering the other Technos around. Yet instead of sitting in the front of the truck away from the captured ‘Virts’, he chose to ride in the back, seated next to Cloe, peppering her with questions she did not want to answer.

“I’ll find out one way or the other, Cloe.” He smirked at her, knowing that it irritated her that he knew her name yet she did not know his. “So you might as well tell me. Where does your city leader, this Ebony, have her base of operations?”

“I already told you,” Cloe shot him her most poisonous glare. “I don’t know. I barely know the girl.”

“That sounds like a lie to me, Cloe.” He leaned closer to her, placing his fingers on her chin gently and turning her to look him square in the eye. “You told me earlier that you and Ebony were pretty tight. That she’d stop us. Remember?”

Cloe scowled at him, pushing his hand away. “Look, I’m not going to tell you anything, Techno.” She spat the name with hate. “So you might as well leave me alone. Go back to whatever rock it was that you slithered out from under.”

His lips quirked up in a smile and Cloe tried to ignore the fact that he was really rather good-looking – especially in black. “The name is Ved.” He stated suddenly, surprising her. “If you’re going to call me something, call me that.”

Cloe stared at him, realizing that he knew he had just given up his advantage. At least one of them. “Alright, Ved,” She said carefully, a little more politely this time, though still barely able to control her heated temper. “But I’m still not going to tell you where Ebony is.”

“That’s okay.” Ved shrugged his shoulders, suddenly seeming to loose interest. “We have our ways of finding out. Your silence is going to hurt the both of you in the long run. See,” He paused, glancing back over at her, his dark eyes sweeping over her entire body in one quick movement. “I get the impression you think the Technos are here to take control of your city, rule over you like that loony Guardian did. But the truth is quite the opposite.”

“Oh yeah? Then why are you here?” Cloe challenged, staring him directly in the eye, not intimidated at all by the high intelligence she saw shining through the obnoxious Ved’s eyes.  

“To help you. Why else.” He chuckled.

“Don’t listen to him Cloe!” KC suddenly shouted from where he was seated opposite Cloe and a few seats down. She had noticed him carefully taking in her entire conversation with Ved and knew the more the Techno spoke with her, the angrier KC became. “He’s lying to you just to get you to tell him where Ebony is!”

“Shut up, Virt.” Ved spat. “This is a private conversation and no one invited you.”

“Cloe—“

“KC, please.” Cloe stepped in, trying to calm the younger boy, though not knowing if she could. She had never seen KC look quite so upset before. “I’m fine. I can handle myself.”

Ved seemed amused by this statement. “Oh can you now, Cloe?” He turned in his seat so that his legs were touching hers far more intimately than Cloe was comfortable with. “I think I’d really like to see that.”

“You scum!” KC suddenly leaped out of his seat, lunging for Ved, even though he knew he couldn’t do much damage. His arms were locked in handcuff like restraints, just like Cloe, though his were behind his back while Cloe’s were in front.

Ved didn’t even bat an eyelash as he lifted his arm, his zapper even with KC’s chest. He flicked the switch, a loud humming zap noise filling the truck and then KC crumpled into a heap on the floor, the prisoners around him startled and very much afraid.

“You bastard!” Cloe shouted, pushing against Ved with all her might so that he slid down the bench, though unfortunately not off of it and out of the truck like she had hoped. “You didn’t have to do that. He was only a little kid.”

Ved glanced back at her, his cool and aloof expression back in place. “But it’s so much fun, Cloe.” He quipped as a cold fury began to fill Cloe. “Tell you what, though. How about I try and make it up to you, hum?”

“Nothing could make up for that.” Cloe began to feel the tears well up as her throat tightened. “How could you do that? How could you just kill him like that?”

“Kill him?” Ved chuckled. “You think I killed your little boyfriend? Not hardly. He’ll be out cold for about six hours, but naw. I didn’t kill him. You gotta have these on the maximum setting to do that sort of damage.”

Cloe said nothing, her heart still trembling inside her. When KC had sunk to the ground she had honestly believed him dead, that the merciless Techno had killed him in cold blood. However the truth did not comfort her much. He could have killed KC if he wanted to, and who was to say he wouldn’t want to kill her or KC or someone else later?

“Look, Cloe…” Ved was looking at her peculiarly, almost as if he were afraid she might actually cry. “Your friend will be okay. He’ll have a nasty headache and that’s just about it. Don’t be upset. Don’t ruin it when we were having such a nice time.”

“What?!” Cloe’s eyes widened at Ved’s words. “Nice time? You think we were having a nice time? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Ah there’s my little fireball.” Ved laughed. “I was starting to miss you.” He hesitated for a moment, a smile playing up on his lips. “You’ve got spunk, kid. Real spunk. In fact, I’m thinking that you might just be perfect for what we need.”

“What do you mean?” Cloe furrowed her brow, trying desperately hard to keep up with Ved’s sudden shifts in moods.  

“You’ll see.” Ved grinned. “Once we get back to base, you’ll see.”

~*~*~

Salene hummed softly to herself, a happy little tune that had been popular before the Virus, as she pushed through the dense foliage, careful to make sure she did not catch her soft blue suede jacket on any of the brambles. A smile flitted across her lips as she inhaled deeply, the familiar scent of the forest near the city filling her senses.

“It’s been too long.” She murmured quietly, almost to herself. “I’ve really missed this place.”

“Me too.” A voice sounded from behind her and a young man with short bleached blonde hair emerged from the trees Salene had just come through. He smiled at Salene when he drew even with her, reached down and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I can’t believe I once actually considered leaving it forever, leaving you, Sal. Thanks for bringing me back.”

Salene met his gaze, her heart fluttering inside her in a way that she thought she long ago had stopped being capable of. “Oh Ryan, how could I not go after you? You’re my best friend. My husband.” She paused, wanting to emphasize her words so that he would know she spoke with conviction when she said them, “The only man I ever want to be with for the rest of my life.”

Ryan studied her, his expression sober. “You really mean that Sal?”

Salene nodded her head up and down, her heart hammering inside her chest. “I do, Ryan. I love you. I really do. In fact…” She trailed off, gnawing on her lower lip nervously, wondering how he would react to the idea she had been toying with for the past three days during their journey back from the wilderness. “Once we get back to the mall I was thinking that maybe you and I could, well…”

“What Salene? What is it?” Ryan placed his warm hands gently on her hips, drawing her closer to him.

Salene sucked in a deep breath, drawing out all her confidence. “I was thinking that perhaps we could renew our vows or something, but we don’t have to if you don’t wan—“

Ryan silenced her with a kiss, his lips soft and caring, understanding just like he always had been with her. As they kissed he gently ran his fingers through her loosened magenta colored hair, stirring her exactly how he knew she liked to be stirred.

“I love you too, Salene.” Ryan whispered when they at last broke apart. “I think I’ve always loved you, from the very beginning, even when I thought I was in love with Zandra. You always fascinated me, but I didn’t think a classy girl like you could ever fall for a bungling fool like me.”

“You are not a fool!” Salene scolded, frowning at him.

Ryan grinned over at her sheepishly. “I’m a fool for you, Salene. A fool head over heels in love with you.”

Salene felt her cheeks flush with color as she quickly looked away, still not accustomed to Ryan’s sweet behavior. He had always treated her like a precious jewel, like a treasure that needed to be protected. She had loved that and yet she had not always been content. She had allowed her heart to wander. The thought of what she had put Ryan through still broke her heart.

“Ryan,” Salene said carefully after several seconds of silence had passed between the newly reunited couple, “Are you sure you want to go back to the city? So much will have changed. Amber’s back… Zandra… There are a bunch of strangers living at the mall, the Gaians, though the majority of them left when I left to find you…”

“I’m positive, Salene.” Ryan assured her, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear for her. “The mall is my home. The Mall Rats are my family. They’re our family and we’re going back together.”

“Together.” Salene nodded with a happy smile, wondering in the back of her mind how it was that she deserved such blissful happiness. Ryan drew her in for another kiss, a kiss that promised much more as soon as they got back to the mall.

However their tender moment was suddenly and rudely interrupted by a loud noise, a noise that Salene had forgotten so long ago, ripping through the air, disturbing nature and all their surroundings.

“What they heck…” Ryan trailed off, his eyes scanning the sky as he and Salene broke apart, startled. “Is that what I think it is?”

Salene looked up, following Ryan’s gaze, her heart sinking to her stomach. “No.” She gasped out, tears springing to her eyes instantly. “No! It can’t be! It just can’t be. We just got rid of the Chosen! Why? Why can’t we have even a moment’s peace?”

“Now hold on a second, Salene,” Ryan took her hand, pulling her attention back to him. “We don’t know it’s some insane tribe hell-bent on taking over the city. Maybe, well, maybe it’s the adults.”

“The adults?” Salene echoed.

Ryan shrugged. “Why not? Who else knows how to fly a plane, right?”

Salene stopped, staring at her husband with a newfound hope, though deep inside she knew that it was not the adults returning to the city. Looking into Ryan’s tender and loving eyes she knew he sensed it too. They would not be returning to a city ruled in peace yet rather a city on the brink of war – again.

~*~*~

The village was in chaos, Gaians running about carrying large staffs of whatever else they could find that would serve as a weapon as they desperately tried to fight off the strange invaders who had descended upon their quiet home with no more than a minute’s notice.

When Chipmunk had raced into the village less than ten minutes before, her eyes wide with fright, her dark brown hair mussed and her face as white as a sheet, Hawk had not wanted to believe her. How could their village – their home – be being attacked again? Hadn’t they just started to rebuild after the Chosen? And yet following almost immediately behind Chipmunk came at least thirty young men and women all clad in black and wearing silver metallic masks that hid their faces. And that was when the chaos had begun.

“They got Bear.” Hawk heard Zandra hiss, her voice laced with fear as she lay flat against the cold earth alongside him, hidden deep inside the thick foliage that grew around the village. As soon as the first invader appeared they had gone to ground, Hawk had only wished the rest of the Gaians had done the same.

Hawk followed Zandra’s gaze to where the tall and forceful young woman was still thrashing violently as the invaders attempted to put her wrists in binds. “Just shoot her.” One of the men grumbled loudly. “Would be less trouble.”

Apparently another of the invaders agreed with the first, raising up his arm and pointing a strange looking device directly at Bear. Bear paled but had not time to react as the second invader flipped a switch on the device which emitted a loud pulse that still hummed in Hawk’s ears long after Bear crumpled to the ground.

“We have to help them!” Zandra whimpered, her tears filling with tears. “We’ve got to help them before it’s too late.”

“And do what, Zan?” Hawk murmured, touching her tenderly on her bare arm. “Get captured ourselves? Our only hope is to stay hidden for as long as possible, hoping that whoever these people are will leave without searching the bushes too thoroughly. Then we can go to the city and get some help.”

Zandra remained quiet, though Hawk could see the tears slip down her cheeks silently as she watched her new family being taken prisoner one by one. The invaders had gone for the younger ones first – Kola and Chipmunk, then they had grabbed Manatee. Bear came next. After Bear Caribou and Crow had been taken. Ocelot and Great White were the only two Gaians who had still escaped captured, yet Hawk knew it was only a matter of time before they too were taken.

Hawk watched as Ocelot and Great White worked as a team, fighting against the remaining invaders who had not left to escort their Gaian prisoners to wherever it was that they were taking them. The two strong women were faring well, but they were severely outnumbered and Hawk knew that at any time the invaders could shoot either of the women, destroying any chance they had at escape.

“You’re only wasting our time and your energy.” The man who looked to be the leader of the group stated in a commanding voice. He was the only invader who did not wear a mask, though Hawk figured that had something to do with the fact that the masks did not look well-equipped to handle glasses. “You might as well give up now.”

“Never!” Ocelot shouted, baring her teeth at him. “We will never give up.”

“Fine.” The man did not hesitate, leveling his weapon at Ocelot and firing, immobilizing the feisty blonde. “How about you Blue?” He spoke to Great White, his eyes narrowing. “You not going to give up either?”

Great White said nothing, pursing her lips together into a fine line. She glanced over at the brush where Hawk and Zandra were hiding, almost as if she knew they were there. She gave a slight nod, then turned her full attention back to her soon-to-be captor. She held up her wrists in surrender, allowing him to cuff her.

“See, that wasn’t so hard.” The man mocked. “I knew some of you nature-lovers couldn’t be that stupid.” He then turned to the young masked woman at his side. “How many is that now?”

“Counting the prisoners from earlier?” The woman queried, though did not wait for a response. “Seventy-four, well above our quota for the day. Lord Ram will be most pleased.”

“Ram.” Hawk heard Zandra murmur softly and he knew his lover was burning the name in her memory.

“Very good, Lita.” The man nodded with approval. “We will go back to base and report back to Lord Ram within the hour.” With that he gave one last glance around the now deserted village, his eyes only lingering on the bushes where Hawk and Zandra were hiding a moment longer than elsewhere, then turned and walked away, guiding the now blindfolded Gaian leader.

~*~*~

It was difficult to believe that the deathly silent and deserted city that lay before here was the exact same city that a mere hours before had been a bustling hub of activity with citizens out and about, doing their business and discussing the rather controversial edict Ebony had announced earlier that day that banished the once Mall Rat leader, Bray.

The city looked dead now, almost as if when the Virus had taken the lives of the adults it hadn’t missed the children as well. Debris littered the streets. Trash cans had been tipped over and precious belongings had been dropped in the streets, forgotten as their owners fled for their lives. The only sign of life on the streets were the two young woman hiding in the dark shadow of the Horton Bailey Hotel expressions of disbelief and anguish on both their faces.

“They must be in hiding.” Amber whispered softly, mostly to herself as her eyes roved over the vacated city. “They couldn’t have all been taken.”

Ebony remained still and silent, her eyes clouded over and unreadable. She had been acting peculiarly all day, though Amber had thought it had something to do with Bray, but she was beginning to sense it was something else, something that ran far deeper than her braided friend’s infatuation with the man she had just banished from her city.

“We should probably head back to the mall.” Amber suggested, tucking a strand of golden blonde hair that had come loose from her Zulu knots behind her ear. “Let them know we’re alright.”

Ebony nodded, still saying nothing, and the two young woman slowly began to pick their way through Sector 9, avoiding wide open spaces just in case the airplanes had not completely left the area yet.

Without any citizens in the city to stop them Amber and Ebony made fairly good time and less than fifteen minutes later stood outside the grand structure of the Phoenix Mall. Even though she had lived in the mall for nearly a year now Amber was still impressed by the building, always slightly humored by the fact that she lived in a mall now.

“Who’s there?” A loud voice called out gruffly the moment Amber and Ebony had passed through the gate and into the actual mall.

Amber furrowed her brow, trying to push down the alarm that swelled up inside her as she got a glimpse of the place she now called her home. The mall looked just as bad if not worse than the city outside. Things had been ripped apart, dishes thrown from the upper level down to the lower, shattering on the cold tile and furniture brought out of the rooms and overturned.

“It’s just us.” Ebony spoke for the first time in well over an hour. “Amber and Ebony. What’s going on here, Pride?”

At Ebony’s words, Pride materialized from out of a darkened shop that had been under construction before the Virus. It had been sealed with a thick plastic barrier that had ripped off during the Time of the Loneliness and repaired and replaced by the Mall Rats later, though they never used that room.

Pride let out a heavy sigh of relief as a smile flitted across his handsome features, reminding Amber just why she had nearly fallen for him when she joined the Gaians. “Thank God you two are alright. We thought you might have been taken by the invaders.”

“We hid in the hotel.” Amber informed him, trying to see around Pride and into the room where she hoped the rest of the Mall Rats along with those Gaians who chose to remain in the city had hidden. “We only came out right now after we were sure the invaders had left.”

“Do you have any idea who they might have been?” Ebony queried, her voice emotionless and detached. “They weren’t the Chosen, were they?”

“Definitely not.” Pride shook his head quickly. “We don’t have any idea who they might have been though. Why don’t you two come inside where the rest of us are? Just in case they decide to come back.”

Amber and Ebony quickly followed Pride into the dark store, waiting for him to continue with his explanation. As Amber’s eyes began to adjust to the semi-darkness in the room she realized there were not nearly as many people in the room as she had hoped. In fact, it seemed it was just Pride, Robin, Minxy and one other person who was laying down in the far corner.

“Where is everyone?” She asked sharply, feeling her heart leap to her throat as she thought of a certain dark haired individual whom she had been avoiding as of late. “Don’t tell me they were all taken!”

“We don’t know.” Pride answered her, his voice strained. “We know they got Cougar, Alice, May and Tai-San. Cloe and KC haven’t been seen since Ebony’s speech. Nor has Danni. After we escorted Bray to the edge of the city Lex went his own way. Minxy talked to him later and he mentioned he was heading to the hotel, but he obviously never got there. And Trudy…” He trailed off, his voice this with emotion.

“I saw Trudy slipped out of the mall as the planes were passing overhead.” Minxy rose from where she was kneeling next to the prone individual. “I assumed she was just going outside to see what the commotion was about so I didn’t stop her. She may have been taken but she might have just left.”

“What do you mean, just left?” Ebony’s brow creased with concern, studying the dark haired Gaian who had once loaned her some clothing when she had taken a spill into the ocean courtesy of the Chosen.

“She was carrying a bag. I didn’t think of it then, but now that I look back on it, she looked like she knew she was going to be gone for a long time. Both she and Brady were wearing jackets and the bag she carried was fairly large.” Minxy informed them, drawing her lips together in a fine line as she finished.

“I’m going to go after her.” Pride stated before Amber could respond to Minxy’s new information. “She shouldn’t be out there with a dangerous tribe about. Especially not with a baby. She could be captured and we would never know.”

“Trudy’s left the Mall Rats before.” Amber stated carefully, well remembering when Trudy had left along with her friend Dal what felt like an eternity ago. Trudy had returned, though Dal had not been reunited with his tribe until after the very first tribal gathering. “It’s not a secret that she’s in love with Bray. Perhaps she went after him?”

“It’s possible.” Pride agreed.

“So Danni didn’t make her way back to the mall?” Ebony asked suddenly.

“We haven’t seen her.” Robin, who had been silent throughout the entire conversation, piped in. “But when we were at your speech she looked like she was having some problems with the baby.”

“Problems? What kind of problems?” Amber felt her throat constrict.

“I don’t know really.” Robin shrugged her shoulders, her dark eyes reflecting concern.

“She went into labor.” Ebony closed her eyes, her voice so soft it was barely detectable. “She went after Bray and then she went into labor. God, I hope he’s smart enough to come back to the city.”

“But you banished him.” Robin pointed out.

“I don’t care what I did!” Ebony snapped, her eyes popping open revealing pools of green fire that had been hidden beneath her smoky lids. “He’s got to bring her back to the city. It’s too dangerous for a mother and a young child to be out there. Far too dangerous. These people, they have a technology we can’t even begin to understand. They could kill her with a press of a button—“

“And that’s exactly why I’ve got to go out and find Trudy.” Pride stated then quickly added, “And Danni. If they both went after Bray then they should be fairly easy to track, especially since I know exactly where we left Bray.”

“Go now, Pride.” Amber quickly instructed him, pushing down her own worried feelings as she thought of her friends who were unaccounted for. “The tribe is gone at least for now. It’s the perfect opportunity.”

“I will.” Pride nodded then pushed past Amber and Ebony who were still standing in the doorway. “I’ll return as soon as I find them. I promise.”

With that Pride rushed out of the room, not once looking back, leaving the four women and one young girl standing alone in the dark. Amber looked over their numbers in dismay. There were so few left. All their friends were gone and she couldn’t help but feel a bit responsible.

Amber bit down on her lip and looked away, her heart heavy. She didn’t know what she would do if Cloe and Danni were hurt or worse. And Lex… She could no longer hold back the tears at the thought of the raven-haired Mall Rat. She never got a chance to tell him.

“Oh my God!” Pride’s loud and panicked shout jerked Amber out of her remorseful thoughts. “Lex!”