Burning love

By Kestral

Chapter 1: I Dreamed A Dream of Time Gone By....

If you had told me at the very beginning, the way things would be today, I would have called you a liar. It still doesn't seem real, even after everything we've been through.
I'd honestly believed that for all the horrific things I've done, all the pain and misery and suffering I've caused, all the lives I've torn apart and destroyed, that I didn't deserve to be happy again. Karma was going to ensure that I paid for everything I did. Destiny was going to exact its revenge. But somehow, in someway, I am happy, happier than I ever dared hope I could be again. That might seem strange for me to say, all things considered, but it's the honest truth.
Why? It's simple: it was the right thing to do. However unfair it might appear to be cheated twice, the first time was different. Then, it didn't matter whether it was him or me. But the second, the choice meant everything, to all four of us.
I did what was right. The pain just lets me know I'm still human, that I still have a heart capable of being broken. She owed me her life, I made sure that she got the best chance to live out that life. She gave me life in return for saving hers, and the most precious gift I have ever had bestowed upon myself. I made the greatest sacrifice I have ever made for her, because I loved her. She made me smile, and she always will. No matter what - we still have a part of each other.

It was her. She'd been waiting for him, her eyes alone told him that. If only he could reach her....
She was standing on the grassy bank, her long ebony mane cascading down past her shoulders, framing her delicate face. Her skin, bathed in the warm sunlight, was a luxuriant honey-gold, the very same colour as his own. She was smiling, just for him, as though they were the only two being in existence. But she was drifting slowly by, or was it....?
Looking down at his feet, the realisation dawned that it was he who was drifting away. He was standing on some kind of raft, in the middle of a long, winding river. He had to get off, he had to get to her....
Without hesitating, he stepped off the raft, into the sharp icy waters with a splash. The coldness prickled his skin like a thousand tiny needles, but he focused his mind on reaching the bank, blocking out the pain. He tried to wade through the water, but it was as if his shoes were filled with lead, his feet rooted to the spot. He couldn't move. He cast his eyes upwards. She was still waiting for him, still smiling...
And now the current seemed to swirl around him, tugging at his legs, threatening to sweep him off into the murky depths of the river. And above him, on the bank, she was turning away, with one last look over her shoulder.
"Goodbye, Morgan," she said softly.
Then she vanished.
There was no reason left to fight the tide of the river. Not anymore. He simply let the water take him, let it take control, let himself flow away.....

Mega rubbed his tired brown eyes as he sat up in bed. With one hand he reached out, fumbling across the table top to recover his glasses. He was practically blind without them.
As he pushed the thick, black frames over his ears, the world around him flicked into focus. It was early. Still quite dark outside, too early to be getting up, Mega pushed back the covers. He knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, not now, not after that dream.
It had been several weeks, a month maybe, since that awful dream had last disturbed his slumber. At the time, he thought he had figured out a reason for it. But this morning, he could not even begin to explain the resurface of that haunting, recurring nocturnal vision. Last time, he was convinced it had had something to do with that girl. Today, there seemed no rhyme or reason to it. He'd never laid eyes on the girl since. In all probability, he recalled, she was almost certainly dead, just like the girl in his dream. Dead and buried.

***

In a dimly lit room, upstairs at Ruby's Saloon in the town of Liberty, the girl woke up.
At first, seeing through half open eyes that it was still early, she thought of simply rolling over and drifting back to sleep. This morning however, she sensed a change in the air, and though still weary, she got up from her sickbed.
"You an early bird too, now?"
The girl turned around to face the voice.
"Morning, Ruby," she said with a smile.
The pretty blonde girl at the door came into the room and pulled the curtains. The first faint rays of morning sunlight flickered in through the glass, casting a pale glow on both Ruby and her patient.
"That cut on your cheek's really healed up nicely," Ruby said brightly. "Good as new. And," she added. "You're up and about now. All cured."
The other girl, the taller by several inches, with long hair of an intense, fiery magenta-red nodded quietly. Ruby put her arm around the girl's shoulders.
"I know you're still grieving, Spirit," she said kindly. "But you know that you can talk to me whenever you like. You only have to ask."
Spirit smiled back at her.
"I know," she replied. "Thank you. For everything."
The blonde's blue eyes twinkled happily.
"And anyway," she continued. "You can come downstairs and join the party now, instead of being stuck up here all alone."
"A definite plus," Spirit agreed.
Ruby opened the window, allowing the cool morning breeze to filter into the room.
"Tell you what," she said. "You get yourself all dressed and tidied up, and I'll fix us some breakfast."
Spirit's blue eyes flashed brightly.
"Deal," she agreed.
As Ruby's footsteps echoed down the staircase, Spirit turned her attentions to the mirror hanging on the wall by the bed. Peering into it, she saw that her friend had been right, the last of the deep scratches on her face had healed up. Gone were all the other tiny scrapes and bruises. Opening up her bag that sat on the bedside table, she pulled out a hairbrush and some make-up. It was time to be herself again.

*

"Did you tell her?"
Ruby folded her arms defensively across her chest.
"What do you think?" she hissed. "What was I going to say? Hey, Spirit. Guess what? It just so happens that we have the guy who had all your friends killed staying here too. What a funny coincidence!"
She narrowed her eyes at him. He could be such a jerk!
"Well she's going to find out sometime, Ruby."
Slade sighed loudly, raking his dirty fingers through his thick, dark hair.
"Then why don't you tell her?" Ruby asked him hotly. "After all you brought him here."
"But I didn't know what he'd done to her," the guy answered back.
"You still knew who he was!" Ruby spat, feeling her cheeks glow red with her anger. "You knew he'd killed people!"
"Well I didn't know that we had one that got away staying with us, not until.."
Ruby took a deep breath. She was fuming.
"You heard her, Slade," she said, lowering her voice. "You heard her scream all night long. He had them all killed. Her whole tribe. Everyone she ever cared about, gone just like that, right in front of her eyes."
Slade didn't know how to answer that. The terrified shrieking of the poor girl in her tortured nightmares had brought tears to his eyes that night they'd found her. They'd listened as Spirit relived the horror of it in her sleep, how she begged and pleaded with the Technos for her friend's lives, and how her pleas went unanswered. How Spirit herself had escaped the same fate, neither he nor Ruby knew.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," he said gently. "But I couldn't let him die on that rubbish heap, the same as we couldn't let Spirit die on our doorstep. You understand?"
The blonde saloon owner nodded.
"How is he?" she asked meekly.
Slade shrugged his shoulders.
"Ok, I guess," he answered. "He's stopped rambling and ranting about Paradise and deleting people. For now at least. He's just sitting up there in that bed right now seething."
"Maybe I'll go up and see him a bit later," Ruby said. "But we still haven't decided, Slade. What are we going to tell her?"

*

Spirit laced up her right boot, all the way up to the knee, then pulled down her long jeans over the top. The bottoms of the legs were frayed from friction with the ground, and the front of each was split up to the knee, patched with black net. She tightened her wide, studded belt up a hole. She'd lost some weight since she'd last worn it. The silver rings attached to the wide one-shoulder strap of her purple top jangled as she got up.
Her blue eyes took one last look at herself in the mirror. Her tribal markings were redrawn now, her eyelids shadowed with bright violet, lined with a glittering deep plum. At the corner of her left eye, was a large, outstretched wing symbol, daubed on in purple, detailed in black, and on her forehead a blue teardrop-shaped bindi. Her lipstick was a rich, dark shade of burgundy to match her hair, that she now wore pinned up at the back of her head with an ornate silver clasp. A glossy sheet of red mane fanned out from the clip, tendrils of soft waves draped down to just past her shoulders.
Satisfied, Spirit turned away from the mirror and headed for the stairs. But something caught her attention, a noise coming from a room just a little further down the landing from her own. Curious, she trod cautiously towards the half open door. There was someone in there, but it didn't sound like Ruby, nor Slade. Intrigued, Spirit gave the door a hesitant push, that obvious caught the eye of the person inside.
"Who's that?" the voice asked. "Slade? Ruby? Is that you?"
The girl's stomach gave an uneasy jolt. There was something eerily familiar about that voice. With a deep breath, she pushed the door fully open and moved into the room.
The knot in her stomach seemed to rise to her throat. Sitting in the bed, staring back at her wide eyed but with an angry glare, was the evil, murdering scumbag who'd had her family, her tribe, mercilessly slaughtered before her very eyes. Ram.

Chapter 2: The Heat From The Flame

"Ebony?"
She didn't move. She didn't turn her head, just ignored him completely. With a sigh he sat down on the bed beside her where she lay.
"Ebony," he persisted, taking her gently by the shoulder. "We need to talk."
Yet she still didn't reply. Her greeny-blue eyes continued to stare blankly out into space, blind to everything around her.
"Ebony," he began a third time, more urgent and pleading. "Ebony, we..."
"What?"
Suddenly she snapped. Her tongue was razor sharp and her gaze black as thunder as she glared forcefully in his direction.
"What is it you want from me, Jay?" she spat with renewed venom.
Jay frowned, confused by her iciness. He didn't understand.
"I want you to tell me what I've done," he answered. "I want to know why you've been ignoring me since we got rid of Ram back at the hotel."
The leather-clad girl sat up abruptly making the bed jolt, he face close to his, eyes ablaze.
"I want you to get out," she growled. "Go on. Go play happy families with Amber, if that's what you really want. I don't need you."
She moved to get up, but he held her back firmly.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded. "There's nothing going on between me and Amber!"
"I've seen the way you look at her," Ebony snarled. "You'd drop me in a second if you thought she fancied you. Now leave me alone!"
She was so hot with violent rage that she was shaking from head to toe. She couldn't stand to be in this place one more second, in the god-forsaken shopping mall with a bunch of losers and preachers. And she couldn't stay, because what if he came for her, came looking for her, hunting her down? She couldn't let him find her, and especially not here. Not Zoot.
*

Amber glanced up at the large sign above her. It still read 'Ram's Palace,' the defeated Techno tyrant's name scrawled hasitly over that of Ebony. But we beat Ram, Amber said to herself. We won.
Heartened by this fact, the Mallrat shifted her son's weight to her other arm and walked on into the hotel. The place still bore testimony to the techno regime. The most loyal and trustworthy Technos had been spared imprisonment to help Mega run the power station. It was Mega she was here to see.
Passing along the corridor, she saw one door with two burly Techno guards stationed outside.
"I hope Java's enjoying solitary confinement," she remarked outloud.
One of the guards laughed.
"She's like a pussy cat in a cage, hissing at us through the bars," he said a smirk crossing his face. "I'll give her your best wishes shall I?"
"Feel free," Amber replied. "Is Mega around?"
The other guard spoke to her.
"I think so," he said. "In the control room, right at the end of this corridor."
"Thank you."
Purposefully, the blonde Mallrat continued down the passage. When she came to the door, she hesitated. Was she absolutely sure she wanted to do this?
In her arms, the baby gurgled happily, stretching out a tiny hand to toy with one of her loose zulu knots. Teasing the hair out of his fingers, Amber's heart gave her the answer. She had to know, if not for herself, then for her son.
Her hand rapped the door lightly.
"Mega?" she called out. "Are you there?"
"Come in."
Amber clicked the door handle down and pushed.
"Come on then," she said in a soft voice to the baby. "Let's go find your Daddy."
***

Ebony leant back against the cold, stone wall and slid down it to the ground. She was exhausted. After Jay had stormed off, she'd not wasted a second. Still steaming from her blazing row with her former lover. He had told her that if she didn't trust him, they had no future together. That was fine by Ebony. It wasn't as if she cared anymore.
It hadn't taken long to throw a few choice belongings into a bag. Nor had it taken much effort on her part to slip out of the Mall unnoticed. They were all too busy celebrating and being wrapped up in their own pathetic little lives to care about her.
And now, here she was, alone and cowering in some putrid, festering dead-end alley like a frightened little mouse. What had happened to the old Ebony? The ruthless hellion of the city, its all powerful leader, the Queen of the Locos?
She knew.
Zoot.
Zoot was the one person she ever truly loved and hated most of all. To have seen him, so real, standing before her, it terrified Ebony beyond all belief.
But he was dead. He had to be. Bray had told her of how they'd taken the body to the beach and sent the almighty Zoot out to sea in a floating coffin set ablaze. Nobody could have survived that. Not even Zoot.
Ebony wiped the slick of sweat from her face, still breathing heavily. She hadn't got a clue where to go. She'd left the Mall for good, and the hotel was another no-go area. She'd run out of bolt holes.
The shadows suddenly seemed to stir and flicker. Somebody was coming, closing in on her. The panic rose in Ebony's throat as she turned to look down the alleyway. Her escape route was barred by a heavy iron grill. There was no way out.
"Going somewhere?"
The voice was cold and mocking and Ebony turned to face it, trying to summon some of her old defiance. The only other exit was now blocked by a towering figure, who's identity was obscured by a thick, black hooded cloak.
"Who are you?" she blurted out, trying to sound braver than she felt. "And what do you want?"
The stranger laughed cruelly. If Ebony had been able to see his face, she would have glimpsed a haughty sneer etched on his features. Behind him, she could see others gathering.
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, leaning closer to her.
Ebony shook her head, terror rooting her to the spot.
Please don't be Zoot...
"It's quite simple, Ebony," he continued. "I've been waiting for you."

******

"If he was captured, he has to be on the files," Amber explained. "Jay told me."
Mega tapped his finger on the mouse of his computer idly. He didn't have time for this. He had big things planned, and the last thing he wanted was some single mother badgering him about where her man had disappeared to.
"Please, Mega," Amber begged. "It'll just take a few minutes. For his sake?"
She nodded to the baby. Mega glanced up at the soft, pink bundle Amber cradled in her arms. The child was looking at him with wide blue eyes. If she hadn't brought the baby, Mega might well have fobbed her off with excuses, but as it stood, he relented. A relieved smile washed over Amber's face.
Deftly, Mega's fingers danced across the keyboard, and he called up the list of every person the Technos had picked up.
"What was his name again?" he asked, his eyes once again drifting to the baby.
"Bray," Amber replied eagerly. "I named his son after him."
Mega nodded and typed the name in. The computer searched the listings, and the name flashed up on the screen : One match found.
"That's got to be him," Amber said excitedly. "So where is he? Where did they take him?"
Mega took a last look at the baby. When his brown eyes met the little ones, the child's face scrunched up and he began to cry for all he was worth. Mega clicked the mouse button.
A picture filled the entire screen.
"Bray!" Amber cried joyfully, soothing the baby at the same time. "Look," she told the screaming infant. "There he is, it's your Daddy."
And then, letters began to appear on the screen across the image.
D....E....L...E....T....E....D.
Amber's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Deleted?" she repeated aghast. "Tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means?"
Mega looked down at the floor. Baby Bray's screams seemed to escalate, ring in his ears.
"It means he's dead," Mega said quietly. "Bray's dead."

Chapter 3: Living Without Your Smile

Sorry, I never told you;
All I wanted to say;
And now it's too late to hold you;
Because you've flown away, so far away...

"It's okay, sweetie. Everything's going to be fi..."
Amber felt the words catch in her throat. The sorrow welled up inside her, threatening to take her over completely. She tried to swallow it down, but the tide swept over her as if she were nothing but a piece of driftwood, amidst a stormy, relentless ocean of grief. The tears came again, sharp and stinging as the gushed down her cheeks, spilling down her pale skin. They traced a glistening path as the fell, like tiny rivulets of pearly silver. One, reaching the gentle curve of her jaw, left her, and dropped silently on the soft, baby pink skin of tiny son. The little one's eyes watched his mother's despair intently.
He reached out to her, his tiny fingers grasping the air above his cot for her. Amber leant down and picked him up, wrapping him tenderly in the warm blue blanket he'd been safely nestled in. As she held him to her chest, a little hand stretched up to her face. The baby touched Amber's cheek, moist with tears for the father he would never know, and stirred within Amber, the briefest of faint smiles.
Amber looked away. Bray was gone. Dead. He was no longer disappeared, nor vanished or prisoner. Death was definite, certain and most permanent. He's never coming back...
The baby had his daddy's blue eyes. Amber held him tight to her as a fresh wave of uncontrollable, inconsolable sadness washed over her. This tiny creature in her arms was the only part of Bray she had left. Baby Bray and Amber cried together.
No one heard. No one, except for someone who just happened to be passing by the doorway. And when he peered into the room and caught sight of mother and son weeping in unison, he could not walk away. Especially not from her.
"Amber?" he ventured. "Are you ok?"
The blonde girl sniffed loudly, wiping her swollen, reddened eyes, and turned to look at him.
"Come in, Jay."

******

Spirit reached the top of the staircase, the glass of water on the tray she carried rattled as she tried to steady her hands. She'd offered to do this, though she'd seen the shocked looks on both Slade and Ruby's faces. To be honest, she was a little surprised at herself. Here she was, about to go back and face the man who had caused her so much pain, bring him breakfast even. It was weird. But she knew, deep in her heart, she had to do it.
With renewed grit and determination, Spirit took the final step, opening the door to Ram's room with her foot.
"Back so soon?"
Their eyes met the instant she entered. In his, she expected to see his cocky airs, but in truth, there was little to be seen. He watched her come to the bedside with curiosity. If he remembered her, he wasn't letting on.
"Well, well," he said, sitting up as she put the tray down on his lap. "Aren't I lucky to have such friendly, and might I add, very attractive, room service?"
"No," Spirit blurted out angrily. "You're lucky I didn't kill you the first time I came in here."
That had done it. He was confused now, and she wasn't about to let him get the upper hand. She owed to the others, to Trey, to all of them, not to give in.
"Don't think I brought you this out of the kindness of my heart," she told him, gesturing to the tray.
"Then what brings you here, my dear," he asked dryly. "And why so angry?"
Spirit could fell her temper sky-rocketing. She clenched a fist tightly, so tight her knuckles stuck out white against her pale golden tan.
"I wanted to ask you why," she said, breathing deeply to keep her cool.
"Why what?"
She stared at him long and hard. The desire to raise her fist to him was overwhelmingly strong, but somehow she held herself back. If you hurt him, she told herself, then that makes you almost as bad as he is. You are not a murderer. She couldn't fathom how he could be so cool, so unconcerned.
"Why my friends, my tribe, my second family," she said, feeling a lump come to her throat. "Why they had to die?"
She could tell he didn't know how to answer.
"A lot of people died when I had the power," he said, not looking at her. "Why would I remember your friends?"
Spirit turned her back on him. This had been a big mistake. She wasn't going to get any answers from him. No explanations or apologies. He didn't have a heart. He didn't care. She'd let her tribe down, let Trey down, let.... Shutting the thoughts out of her head, she made to leave.
It was just as she was about to slam the door behind her that she heard him call out to her. But this time, the tone of voice was different somehow. It almost didn't sound like Ram at all.
"I don't recall you telling me your name," he said. "But, whoever you are, I...I'm sorry, about your friends."
Spirit closed the door.

*******
...Not ever, had I imagined;
Living without your smile;
Feeling and knowing you hear me;
It keeps me alive, alive....

"He just sat there, Jay. Just sat and told me Bray was dead, like he wasn't even a person. Just a statistic, some other 'virt' Ram chose to get rid of!"
On Amber's bed, Jay had his arm around the distraught Mallrat, her blonde head resting on his shoulder as he comforted her.
"Mega didn't know Bray," the blonde ex-techno reasoned. "Did you really expect him to be upset?"
Amber scrunched up her nose distainfully.
"You don't get it do you? He didn't care that he was telling me my baby's father had been murdered. He didn't even say sorry. He's a cold, heartless robot. Mega wouldn't know human emotion if it danced naked in front of him!"
Amber's grief had subsided a little, turning to anger at Mega. It was understandable, Jay reasoned. She needs someone to blame, and Mega was the unfortunate messenger.
"To think we have someone like that in charge of what's left of the technos," Amber's tirade continued. "Why not you? Why not somebody who actually gives a damn about the human race?"
"Mega's not as uncaring as you think, Amber," Jay said quietly. "It's ....complictated."
The tall, bleached blonde shook his head to dispel the thoughts gathering like black rainclouds. He couldn't let himself dwell on those memories. He tried not to think about it, yet he knew such things must haunt Mega far more than himself.
"Amber?" he asked. "Are you going to be alright now?"
Amber raised her blue eyes to him, and the deep, most desperate sadness within them made him want to hold her close and comfort her all the more.
"I have to be, Jay," she nodded towards little Bray asleep in his cot. "For my son."

And I know you're shining down on me from heaven;
Like so many friends we've lost along the way;
And I know eventually we'll be together;
One sweet day....eventually I'll see you in heaven.

*******

"So she's on the run?"
"It would seem that way."
Java's lips formed a satisfied smile.
"I guess your little Zoot show must have really got her spooked," she said gleefully. "Let's just hope you can catch her before she ends up on the next continent!"
Mega looked at Java. Even he was surprised at how Java could care so little about her own flesh and blood. True, he cared little for others, for his fellow technos, for the insignificant people of the city. But family, that was different somehow. Then, it wasn't like he had any family left, not anymore...
"So are you going to go after her?" Java said, cutting in on his thoughts. "Before she gets too far?"
"I've already got some guys on to it."
"Technos?" Java asked, surprised. "You think she's gonna stick around cos a bunch of your handymen tell her to?"
Mega rolled his eyes at her.
"You ought to know me better than that by now, Java," he replied shaking his head. "When she meets them, which she will, she won't know they're technos."
Java tapped her fingertips idly on the bedspread. Being cooped up in this 'cell' was torture, but she wasn't about to let on to Mega. They might be on the same side right now, but she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him.
"Incognito are they?" Java responded. "Think they can pull it off?"
Mega nodded assuredly.
"The guy in charge is one of the best," he said confidently. "And besides," he added with a conspiratorial twitch of a smile. "I have a secret weapon tucked up my sleeve."
Java's deep brown eyes lit up. This, she liked the sound of.
"Care to enlighten me?" she purred.
"Just a friendly face," Mega said, as he moved towards the door. "Somebody that she'd recognise. No close friend to be sure, but someone who still owes her, who she could be made to believe she could trust."
"Perfect!"
Mega raised an eyebrow with a triumphant air.
"But of course, Java," he said. "This is me we're talking about."

Chapter 4: Foolish Games

As her eyelids fluttered open, a sharp twinge of pain burnt across her forehead. Wincing audibly, she gingerly brushed her hand to her face. An inspection of her fingers revealed a smear of blood.
Ebony's gaze flickered to her foreign surroundings. She had not the faintest idea where she was, nor how long she had been there. The room was dimly lit by a single black candle, and cold to boot. Her muscles ached over every inch of her body as she sat up properly. She had fallen asleep awkwardly, half propped up against the wall, as though dumped there, discarded.
The hooded stranger....
It was coming back to her now. She remembered how he had cornered her in the dead-end alley, how he had taunted her like a cat toying with a mouse before the kill. But what then? That she did not know.
Somewhere outside, she could hear muffled voices, and the shadows flickered in the chink of light that passed under the door. Ebony tensed herself against the wall. If they wanted a fight, she'd give them one, injured or not. Tooth, nail and claw.
The door opened with a creak, a stream of light invading the darkness of Ebony's 'prison.' The figure that stood in the doorway wall tall and lean framed, despite being enshrouded in a hooded cloak. Clenching her fingers into a tight fist, Ebony took a deep breath. The stranger was bending down just inside the doorway, placing something on the floor. This was her chance, and she didn't waste it. Springing like a panther in the muted light, Ebony pounced on her mystery visitor, knocking them to the ground with a resounding thud.
"What the?"
The voice was distinctly male and also, somehow, strangely familiar. She had him pinned to the floor, her hands encircling his wrists, digging her nails into his skin.
"Ebony!"
When she heard him say her name, she knew for certain this was no stranger. Letting go of one of his arms, she raised her hand and pulled the hood away from his face, revealing a shock of bright blue hair that gave him away instantly.
"Luke?"
The former lieutenant of the Chosen nodded.
"But what are you...?" Ebony began, confused.
"Do you mind," he cut in. "If we discuss this without you holding me down? I'm not going anywhere."
She regarded him for a moment, before deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. He still owed her, she reasoned, remembering how she had arrived in the nick of time, just as Moz and her tribe were about to waste him.
It was as she was thinking about this, that she noticed something odd. Frowning, she moved the hood to take a closer look. Around his neck, Luke wore the mark of a prisoner, a heavy looking metal manacle. Ebony's green eyes narrowed.
"Luke?" she asked. "Why..."
"Why the chains?" he finished for her. "My punishment for betraying the Guardian, and for betraying Zoot."
At the mention of that name Ebony jumped.
"The..the Guardian...he's behind this?" she asked hurriedly. "In the name of Zoot?"
Luke could see in her eyes she was afraid, and that surprised him. He'd never believed Ebony was capable of being frightened of something. They'd been right.... Now, he had to do his part.
"Ebony," he said in a hushed, urgent tone. "I have to tell you this."
"Tell me what?"
He placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her right in the eye.
"The Zootist leader is coming to see you."
"Zootist?"
Luke placed a finger to his lips to quiet her.
"Let me explain," he told her. "They believe Zoot has returned from the dead, but that he is waiting for something. I don't know why, but they seem to be convinced that that something, is you."
Ebony swallowed hard.
"Me?" she repeated. "But, but he's dead! Zoot's dead, Luke. And..and surely, even if he wasn't...I mean, what about Trudy? The baby? His daughter? Not me, Luke. He wouldn't be waiting for me."
Luke took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"I know," he agreed. "Brady would be a more obvious choice. But they have made up their minds, Ebony, and nothing anyone can say will persuade them otherwise."
Ebony's heart was pounding wildly in her chest.
"Then, what do they want from me?"
"I'm not sure," Luke admitted. "I'm not privy to that kind of information," he added, indicating his chains. "But whatever it is, I'm here to help you."
"You are?" she said quietly.
Luke nodded earnestly, fixing her with his intent blue eyes.
"I don't want to be their slave anymore," he replied. "I'll help you, Ebony. Trust me."

*****

"So it's all set for tonight then?"
Java paced the room impatiently. Mega nodded.
"Relax, Java," he said coolly. "It won't be long before you're out of here for good. It's all in hand."
Java sat back down.
"You're sure she'll do it?" the dark-skinned girl asked.
Mega smiled.
"She's your sister, Java," he said. "If you can't convince her, then I'm afraid you are stuck here."
The girl narrowed her eyes at him. She was glad to be on his side, but all the same, there was something about his smug, self-satisfied coolness that irritated her immensely.
"She's still upset about Lex though, right?" Java asked.
Mega shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Oh I guess so," he replied vaguely. "You know I'm not one for all that girlie emotion, Java."
I certainly do...
"But, Java," he continued, putting a hand on her shoulder in a way that made her cringe from head to toe. "I have faith in your skills as a supreme actress. If you can't make her believe, no one can."
Java tossed her black braids haughtily, as she stood up once more.
"Just get her here tonight, Mega," she said calmly, squaring up to him. "You need us. Siva and I are the best people to get to Ebony, and you know it. Your little plan is nothing without us."
Mega raised an eyebrow at her defiance.
"Whatever you say, Java," he responded. "Just don't get too carried away. You may not be as indispensable as you think."
As the door closed behind Mega, Java sneered after him.
"You just wait," she said in a harsh whisper. "We'll see who the indispensable one."

*******

Lex slung his back roughly over his shoulder. The Mall was dark and everyone else was tucked up in bed and soundly asleep. If he had been able to write, he might just have left a note for them, but as it was, he didn't really care enough to anyway. His mind was focused on something that to him seemed far more important - Tai-San. He couldn't understand where she gone after Ram's defeat, nor why. She'd seemed pleased to see him. Maybe it was because of Siva. Whatever it was, he had to find out, and to find out, he had to find her. Where was his wife?

****

Lex's journey during the dark hours took him far from the city and the memories of Ram's techno regime. If he was honest, Lex didn't have a clue where to start his search, he just had to get away from the concrete and the smoke. The place he found as morning came and the birds began to sing their greeting to the sun's first rays was a quiet enough place, or so it seemed. The sign said it all as Lex gazed up at it, though he could not read its name : Liberty.

Chapter 5: Choose Your Side

Ebony stared at him. Could she really trust Luke? He'd been one of the Chosen, a loyal follower of Zoot. But he'd also helped the Mallrats get rid of the Guardian and his obsessed worshippers, even tried to reintroduce money into the city. And he owed her his life. He'd been willing before to sacrifice himself for the sake of justice. Ebony sighed. Right now, the lanky, blue-haired boy in front of her was all she had. She didn't have a choice.
"Alright," she agreed. "I trust you, Luke. Now tell me..."
Her voice was cut off by the sound of loud footsteps behind the half closed door. Luke raised a finger to his lips to hush her.
"There's no time now, Ebony," he hissed. "He's here."
Before the dark-skinned girl could ask him what he meant, the door was flung open, and the form of the hooded stranger who had confronted her manifested itself before her. Luke scrambled quickly to his feet, brushing off his cloak.
"We meet again, Ebony."
The voice of the concealed man was low and threatening, like a snake about to strike its venom. Ebony stood up to face him.
"We do indeed," she replied coolly, folding her arms across her chest. "Though I have to say I don't think much of your hospitality."
"I don't have time for sarcasm, Ebony," the mystery man said brashly. "I am here to give you your freedom."
Ebony frowned.
"You mean, you're just going to let me go?"
The dry laughter that followed told her there was a catch to this offer.
"You will be granted your freedom, Ebony," he told her. "But on one condition. That you do something for us."
"For who?" she asked.
"The Zootists, of course!" he answered.
Ebony didn't like the sound of this. In her book, anyone who worshipped Zoot was either crazy or evil. This guy seemed like both.
"And, what is it," she continued cautiously. "That the Zootists wish me to do?"
The stranger in the cloak stepped closer to her.
"Zoot, my dear Ebony," he began icily, reaching out a long finger and tracing it down her cheek. "Lives!"
Ebony fought to keep herself from retching at the man's touch. Lies, she told herself, it's all lies...
"And we wish to meet with him so that he may receive the worship and praise of his most loyal followers," he continued. "You were his woman, a true Zoot follower, not like that pathetic Mallrat, Trudy. It is you he will come back for, and when he does, we want you to bring him to us."
It was total madness. The guy was insane. But Ebony had heard it in his voice. He meant business.
"And if I don't," she ventured. "What then?"
"Do you have to ask?" he quizzed her. "What would Zoot have done to an unbeliever, a traitor to his name, an enemy?"
Ebony knew all too well.
"So," she said, swallowing hard. "I bring Zoot to you, or I die?"
The hidden Zootist leader laughed.
"Clever girl."
Ebony took deep breaths, summoning all her self control not to spit in his face. The guy was a creep and a lunatic.
"But you won't have to go alone," he added with an afterthought. "After all, someone has to watch you. Make sure you do not leave the city as soon as you are out of our sight. Luke?"
The blue-haired boy came forward, as the Zootist leader rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small silver key. Luke bent his head, and the cloaked one unlocked the chain from around his neck.
"You are to accompany Ebony," he said solemnly. "See that she completes her task, or you too shall suffer the same punishment for her failure. Take them to the gates!"
Ebony and Luke were flanked by two Zootist guards, and taken from the room. Once he was certain they were gone, only then did their leader reveal himself. Pulling down his hood, he was of no great name, but on his forehead he wore the mark of his tribe: the Techno 'T' symbol. Placing a finger on the communicator he had hooked over his right ear, he spoke into it.
"Come in, Mega."
The response came quickly.
"Receiving you. Tell me, how did it go?"
"We gave her the message," he said. "And she has Luke with her now. All she needs is for you to get Java to her."
"Then the fun really begins," Mega replied gleefully. "Good work, Darryl. Over and out."

*******

"Clock strikes, upon the hour, and the sun begins to fade."
"Still enough time to figure out, how to chase my blues away..."
Slade jumped the last step, to stand beside the bar, and amused expression on his face.
"I've done alright up 'til now. It's the light of day that shows me how..."
"Morning ladies!"
Both Spirit and Ruby stopped what they were doing - cleaning, dancing and singing all at the same time.
"Can we help you?" Spirit asked, hands on hips.
Slade smirked wryly.
"Oh no," he answered mischievously. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your little circus."
Ruby leant the broom she'd been doubling as a microphone against the wall.
"Sure you don't want to join us, Slade?" she asked. "Every good circus could use a dog to jump through flaming hoops."
Spirit laughed out loud. She really loved it here, which had come as something of a surprise. After the virus, she had shunned the city and even the smaller towns on its outskirts. To her, the countryside had been the only way to go, and she wasn't alone. Others had had enough of the smoke and the fighting, and had already formed something of a tribe when she met them. Their leader at that time had been a strange one, if he was even a leader at all. Trey was lively, carefree and the biggest joker and jester Spirit had ever met, but that was all part of his appeal. The others adored him, and because he accepted her, so did they.
She had never intended to take over. It had just happened. Day by day, Trey had taken a back seat, letting her make the decisions, and giving them his backing. Spirit couldn't pinpoint exactly when he had ceased to be the leader that she had become. There was no conflict, nor protest. In some way, it was as if he'd been waiting, waiting for someone he knew would be a true leader to come and take control. It was Trey who had given her a new name. Her old one just didn't fit anymore, if indeed it had every truly befitted her. Trey had asked her what it was, and she'd told him, just him. He'd told her it was a beautiful name, but, if she really did not want to take it into the new world with her, he would bestow her with one. And he had done that. Spirit. It was who and what she was. The Spirit of the tribe.
But Trey was gone.... and the rest with him. Dead. Spirit didn't even know if they'd been buried. She had no gravestone to visit, no place to mourn the loss of a group of people who she'd come to love as her own family.
"So what are you two doing?"
Slade's query broke into Spirit's thoughts.
"Spring cleaning," Ruby replied matter-of-factly.
"Quit smirking and lend a hand, Slade," Spirit pitched in, throwing a bright pink feather duster in his direction. "Join the circus."
Laughing at the bemused expression on the guy's face, Spirit picked up her broom again and began sweeping enthusiastically in front of the doorway. So absorbed was she, making Ruby collapse in fits of laughter with her exaggerated dance-sweeping, she didn't notice the guy walking in until she collided with him, sending her sprawling to the floor.
"I'm so sorry," he said to her, offering a hand to help her up.
She let him pick her up from the floor.
"That's ok," she replied, dusting herself down. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
Ruby and Slade had both stopped cleaning, though Spirit noted Slade looked decidedly sheepish at being spotted by another guy with his pink duster.
"Any chance of a drink?" the stranger asked, sweeping a hand through his sleek black hair. "I'm gasping."
"Had a long journey then?" Ruby enquired, putting down her broom.
"Not too far," he answered, walking towards the bar. "Nice duster, mate," he added, nodding to Slade.
Ruby took down a glass behind the bar.
"And don't forget one each for you two lovely ladies," the dark-haired guy said smoothly. "Who are called...,"
"Ruby," the blonde saloon owner answered. "Ruby and Spirit," she added, indicating the tall girl he had knocked over. "And you would be?"
"Lex."

*******

Ram sat up suddenly in his bed. At first, he'd thought he'd imagined it, but when the oh-so familiar tone named itself, he knew he'd been right. Lex. If he were to find him up here, that would be it. Death warrant signed and sealed. Clutching the covers in sweaty palms, Ram could feel his heart thudding in his chest.
Please stay downstairs.. he pleaded desperately.
To be discovered here, alive, when surely all back at the city believed him to be dead, would be the end of it. Silently, Ram prayed, not even sure himself if his prayers were worthy of being answered. Surely this was it. He was history. Game Over.

Chapter 6: Ask Me No Questions and I'll Tell You No Lies

Spirit carefully switched the hot, steaming bowl to her other hand so she could use her right to open the door. The stew Ruby had cooked smelt wonderful. Her own helping was awaiting her downstairs, as soon as she had taken Ram his.
It didn't bother her anymore, going into that room. All he ever did when she went in there was look away, barely even acknowledging her existence. A voice in her head told her she should be pleased, but in truth, something was troubling her.
Last night, she'd lain awake for hours thinking, thinking about Trey. The last few moments of his life were burnt onto her memory, a vivid mental scar that refused to heal. It had been one of the few times she'd ever seen him serious.

"Trey, I'm so sorry."
He shook his head, his pale blue eyes glistening as he met her gaze.
"Don't," he said softly. "Not now."
As the burly techno guard hauled him up onto his feet, he shot her one of his infectious cheeky grins. She couldn't help it, even though she knew what was to come, she had to smile back at him through her tears. It was his way.
And then, as he stood there, the techno's weapon poised to take his life, his face became solemn, and an expression she'd only ever seen once before settled upon his smooth features.
"Audy," he whispered. "You close your eyes now."
So she did. But even through closed eyes, she could still hear the screams.....

If there was one thing, above all else, that Spirit remembered about Trey, aside from his role as jester, it was his forgiveness. After she had assumed the position of tribe leader, one of Trey's oldest friends had been so angry that Trey had relinquished his power so easily, and to some girl they hardly knew of all people.
To be afraid, was not a luxury that Spirit usually afforded herself, but Atti was all of 6ft 4, and powerfully built to boot. His iron fist had floored her that night, and it had taken four of the others to hold him back. She'd never seen anyone so furious as Trey had been, but he and Atti had talked all night long, and by the morning, with a bruised Spirit's acceptance, all had been forgiven.
Spirit pushed the door open.
Trey had been willing to forgive a man who could, and almost certainly would have committed a murder if he had not been stopped in time. If she wanted to honour his memory, she should live her life the way he'd taught her, shouldn't she? Could she find that kind of strength within herself?
"Dinner is served."
She didn't quite know what she was even attempting to make conversation. It wasn't like he was going to say anything back. Or maybe..
"I need your help."
The words were urgent, almost a plea. Setting down the stew on the bedside table, Spirit sat on the edge of the bed.
"Is that so," she replied cautiously.
He turned to look at her, and she could see in his eyes a hint of desperation.
"I know there are a million reasons why you shouldn't," he said, looking awkwardly down at the floor. "I had your friends killed, so why would you want to keep me alive?"
Spirit frowned, sweeping a strand of fiery hair behind her ear.
"I don't understand," she said, playing distractedly with her beaded necklace. "You think you're going to die, or something."
Ram leant in closer to her so he could lower his voice.
"The guy downstairs," he began quietly.
"Lex."
"Yes," Ram replied. "Lex. He's from the city. He's got it in for me big time, I'm sure of it. Now if he finds me here..."
"You're dead meat?" Spirit finished for him. "I get the picture."
"I'm asking you to get rid of him, get him out of Liberty, however you can," Ram said to her. "But..." he hesitated. "I don't expect you to help me, not after what I've done."
Spirit took a few moments to absorb all that Ram had said. He was right, she told herself, why should I help him? Surely what they had here was a prime example of karma, what goes around comes around. Ram had committed murders and had many carried out on his behalf. He had it coming to him. But all the same, the memory of Trey was omnipresent in her thoughts. Perhaps this was her chance to show what she'd learnt from their time together?
As the questions ran through her mind, he glance caught something sitting in the corner of the room. It was what Spirit called, a 'proper' wheelchair, a manual one, not like the fancy black one Ram had been accustomed to. Slade had brought it back from the hospital in the city for him to use. But Ram had refused point blank, saying he'd rather be bedridden than use that 's****heap contraption.' Talk about gratitude!
"If I help you," Spirit began, seizing the initiative. "You have to do something for me."
"Name your price," Ram said eagerly. "If it's Paradise you want, I..."
"I'm not interested in any of your computer techno cr@p," Spirit cut in. "If I get rid of Lex for you," she paused.
"Yes?"
"You have to promise you'll try using that chair."
She had to bite her lip to stop herself laughing out loud at the expression that flitted across Ram's face. It was one of surprise and bemusement. But slowly, he seemed to come around to the idea.
"You have yourself a deal, er..."
"My name is Spirit."
"Right," Ram said. "You have yourself a deal, Spirit," he tried out the name with a grin. "You get Lexy boy out of here, and I go for a spin in my new wheels."
He offered out his hand for her to shake. She took it.
"Enjoy your dinner," she said, getting up.
"I will," Ram replied as he picked up the hot food. "I certainly will."

*****

"You took your time."
Spirit shrugged her shoulders as she sat down at the table.
"Fussy guests," she replied vaguely to Lex. "But that's not important."
"Agreed," Ruby said briskly. "Better not let your dinner get cold."
Lex and Slade tucked into their meal, but as Ruby caught Spirit's eye she knew there was something the girl needed to tell her. Putting down her knife and fork, she pushed out her chair.
"A drink with dinner, guys?" she asked pointedly. "Can't have good food without a little something to wash it down with."
Lex smiled up at the blonde.
"Sure," he said. "Why not?"
"Slade?"
Slade looked up from his plate at Ruby. She knew he could tell there was something going on, but thankfully, he didn't kick up a fuss.
"If you're offering, Ruby," he replied smoothly. "Then I'd love a drink."
"I'll help you."
Spirit seized the chance to talk to Ruby alone. Thankfully, the dinner table was in the far corner of the saloon, so they could whisper between themselves and not be heard.
"What is it?" Ruby asked in a hushed voice as she took down a wine glass.
"Ram," Spirit hissed back. "This Lex guy, he knows him."
"And let me guess," Ruby finished. "He's not Ram's best buddy, is he?"
Spirit shook her head. Ruby regarded the other girl for a moment.
"I know, I know," Spirit said, reading the blonde's thoughts. "Why should I of all people want to help Ram? But I made him make a promise, a promise he'll have to keep if we get Lex outta here."
"And do you have any ideas of how to do that?"
Spirit nodded as Ruby finished pouring the drinks.
"I think so," she answered carefully. "Just play along with me, Ok?"
The two girls returned to the dinner table and sat back down.
"So what brings you to Liberty, Lex?" Spirit asked, after taking a sip of her drink.
Lex looked up at her.
"I'm looking for someone."
"Oh. Who?"
"A techno," he answered. "My wife."
A grin spread across Slade's face.
"You have a wife?" he asked in surprise.
Lex rolled his eyes at him.
"Yes, Slade," he said haughtily. "Believe it or not I did find a woman willing to marry me."
"So your wife," Spirit cut in through the boys' banter. "You have no idea where she is?"
Lex put down his knife and fork.
"Last time I saw her, she was back in the city," he explained. "She'd been forced to join the technos after they captured her. But after we got rid of Ram, she just disappeared."
"Did you look all over the city?" Ruby wanted to know. "I mean, everywhere?"
The Mallrat shook his head.
"To be honest," he admitted, leaning back on his chair. "I had to get away from there. The city was driving me crazy."
"But your wife," Spirit persisted, seizing an opportunity. "Surely she's more likely to be in the city than out here?"
Grudgingly, Lex nodded his agreement.
"Then you should go back," Spirit urged. "If you really love her and want to find her, you have to. And if you need some help then..."
"Then Slade will go with you."
Slade, Spirit and Lex all turned to stare at Ruby who had just spoken.
"I will?" Slade asked her wide-eyed.
"Yes," Ruby repeated firmly. "You will."
Spirit half expected him to argue, but to her mild surprise, he merely shrugged his shoulders and gave a muttered, "I guess that's settled then."
"Good," Spirit said appreciatively. "Then," she continued, looking at the guys' empty plates. "Seeing as you've already wolfed down dinner, you shouldn't waste any time. Slade's got his motorbike. You'll be there in no time, ready to start looking as soon as it gets light."
Slade was giving her evils across the dinner table as he stood.
"Well then, Lex," he said, slinging on his red leather jacket. "I guess we'd better hit the road."
As Lex passed through the Saloon doors, Slade hung back a little.
"When I get back," he said through gritted teeth. "You two ladies have a lot of explaining to do."
The girls could only relax when they heard the roar of the motorbike fade away into the distance. Ruby grinned at Spirit.
"We make a great team, you and me," she said to her companion.
Spirit smiled back.
"And now," she said, with a flick of her red hair. "It's time for Ram to keep his side of the bargain."

*******

"You've found her?"
"Yes, Mega," Java's voice replied over the communicator.
"Excellent."
Siva eyed her sister cautiously. Having just sprung her out of her makeshift prison back at the hotel, she knew there was something going on.
"Your man is with her," Java said into the mouthpiece. "Which is good. Let's just hope that she's pleased to see us."
"That's your responsibility," Mega answered. "You know what you have to do, Java."
"I do indeed," she replied with a glint in her eye as she looked back at Siva. "Power and Chaos."

Chapter 7: The Seeds of Corruption

"Careful, careful!"
Ruby rolled her blue eyes drolly, shifting her rapidly loosening grip on the arm of the wheelchair.
"Keep your pants on, boy!" Spirit cried out in exasperation, grimacing under the weight. "Unless you want to be dropped the rest of the way?"
Biting his tongue, still grasping both armrests tightly, as though his descent downstairs was a white-knuckle ride, Ram remained silent. For the two girls, it wasn't at all easy. In sweaty, aching palms, the chair was incredibly slippery, and Ram was no lightweight to be sure. Somehow, though, between blonde and redhead, they finally set him down with relief at the foot of the stairs.
"Now what do you say?" Ruby asked him, arms folded across her chest.
Ram looked up at her quizzically.
"What do you want me to say?"
Spirit shook her head.
"Well, thank you would be nice!" she said, rubbing her shoulder, "seeing as we hauled you all the way down here."
Ram looked sheepish, sat awkwardly in the rickety black wheelchair.
"Oh," he said quietly. "Thank you."
Neither girl responded. The saloon was empty. Even in a place like Liberty, no one was drinking at this early hour.
If he was brutally honest, he was actually rather glad he was back in a wheelchair again, albeit one where his arms had to do all the work. Being in the chair meant he had at least some degree of freedom and independence, stairs permitting. It was why he had accepted the girl's deal.
Watching her now, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt. How could him getting up off his crippled @ss to use the chair even begin to make up for all the pain he'd caused her? It didn't even come close. His eyes were drawn to the top of her left arm, where an inch long scar stood out pink and angry from her lightly tanned skin. And I put it there.....
His time spent sulking, bedridden and confined upstairs, had forced Ram to allow a myriad of thoughts and feelings long buried to be released and remembered. One thing, however, had been uppermost in his mind.
Leo
She'd be so ashamed of you, he told himself in disgust. If she could see what you've become, all the suffering you've caused, what would she say? She'd never forgive you. Never.
After Spirit's visit, when she'd agreed to help him, the memory of his beloved first wife, Leo, had been even stronger.
They looked nothing alike, Spirit and Leo. For a start, Spirit was a good few inches taller, almost as tall as Ram himself, and both her hair and eyes were in sharp contrast to those of his beautiful, lost Leonora. Fiery magenta-red curls against the straight, glossy sheen of Leo's long, black mane. Sparkling sapphire blue eyes, compared to the intense hazel orbs of the girl he'd loved more than any other, who's fire had burnt out too soon, a victim of the devastation wrought by the virus. Spirit and Leo looked nothing alike, and yet, there was something, something he couldn't put a name to, a connection between those two very different souls.
"Earth to Ram!"
"Huh?"
Ram jerked out of his reverie. Spirit was standing in front of him impatiently, tapping her foot on the floor.
"Now that I've got your attention," she said, allowing herself a small smile. "You can do something useful and give me and Ruby a hand."
Ram shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess," he replied. "After all," he continued with a hint of sarcasm. "Hands are all I've got."
Spirit picked up a crate that was sitting on the top of the bar. She placed it down on the table beside where they'd parked Ram's wheelchair. Picking up a cloth from on top of the crate, she tossed it at Ram, who caught it and eyed the item intrigue.
"It's a cloth, Ram," Ruby said, seeing his expression. "In the real world, we used it to wipe things."
"The glasses in that crate have all been washed," Spirit continued. "They just need to be dried. Think you can handle that?"
Ram looked up at both girls, a rakish smile painted on his lips, eyes mischievous.
"I think I can manage that, ladies," he replied coolly. "You leave it to me."
Reaching into the crate, Ram pulled out the first glass, soapy water dripping on to his black combats. He began to rub it dry, watching Ruby and Spirit as he did so. The former was standing atop a chair, brushing away cobwebs from the ceiling, whilst the latter was folding bed sheets.
"You know what this place could use," Ram piped up.
"If you say, Paradise," Ruby warned, only half joking. "You'll go straight back upstairs!"
"Like a very naughty boy," Spirit added impishly, her blue eyes twinkling.
The former techno leader laughed out loud.
"I assure you my behaviour will be nothing but honourable," he replied in good humour. "I was going to say, this place could use some music."
Ruby relented, hand covering her nose so as not to breathe in the cobwebs.
"Seconded," Spirit said, putting down the blue sheet she was folding. "Music it is."
She walked over to the bar, her black boots clunking loudly on the wooden floor, and press play on the old, battered CD player on the corner. After a few seconds, the CD kicked in, and the music filled the room. From her chair, Ruby called out to Spirit.
"Turn it up!" she urged. "I love this song."
The redhead obliged willingly. This was one of her favourites too. Ram cocked his head to one side, listening to the intro, trying to recognise the tune.

"Oh Lord almighty, I feel my temperature rising;
Higher and higher, it's burning through to my soul;
Girl, girl, girl, girl;
You're gonna set me on fire;
My brain is flaming, I don't know which way to go...

"Elvis?" he asked, suddenly twigging.
Ruby put her hands on her hips haughtily, still on the chair, feather duster in hand.
"You have a problem with the King of Rock and Roll?" she asked in jest.
Ram shook his head.
"No, mam."
Spirit was singing along heartily. She had a good voice, unlike his own tone- deaf vocal chords. She caught his glance and raised an eyebrow.
"Not joining in the fun?" she asked him.
"Well, I..." he began, suddenly all flustered.
"Put down the glass."
Confused, he placed the wine glass down on the table, watching the tall, redhead with suspicion.
"What are you going to do?" he asked, as she approached him, placing a hand on either arm of the wheelchair.
Spirit smiled at his awkwardness.
"Why?" she asked, moving around behind him. "Don't you fancy a dance?"
"Dance?"
"Hold on tight!"
Before Ram quite knew what was happening, the girl had taken hold of the handles on the back of the chair and was twirling him around the 'dancefloor' in giddy circles. At first, he was scared he was going to fall out and make an idiot of himself, but once he got used to the motion, he laughed out loud, and joined her singing in his decidedly off-key tones.

"Because your kisses lift me higher;
Like the sweet song of a choir;
You light my morning sky, with burning love...

Ruby had got down from her chair, mainly because she was laughing so hard. The sight of Ram and Spirit was immensely comical, not least the mixed expression on the ex-techno's face. Nevertheless, it still struck the blonde how strange it was to see the two of them getting on so well. Ruby wasn't sure she could find it within herself to forgive Ram for all he had done, but Spirit seemed to have managed it, on the surface at least. Inside, Ruby mused, it might be a very different story. Well, she thought, smiling widely as Spirit did an impromptu twirl of her own, they say time is the best healer. Maybe that's just what they both need. Time.

*******

"We can't go back to the Mall," Ebony told Luke. "I can't go back there. Not anymore."
The blue haired guy chose not to probe further.
The two of them had wandered aimlessly through the city after their sudden release. Ebony seemed very confused and extremely tense. Luke didn't know what to do or what to say. He knew his place. Mega had made that quite clear, but he had also said that Luke would not be alone with Ebony for long. He had never met either of Ebony's sisters, nor did he know when or where they would meet them, he just knew he had to keep Ebony away from the Mall and the Mallrats. That job seemed to be taking care of itself though.
"Where do you think we should head for, then?" he asked cautiously.
The dark-skinned girl narrowed her eyes at him.
"Wherever you expect to find Zoot!" she retorted.
Luke couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.
"You, you believe it then?" he ventured, testing the water.
Ebony didn't answer for a moment. Luke was surprised. He could have sworn he saw the hint of fear in the girl's green irises. Ebony afraid? This was something new to him.
"I believe it."
Both Luke and Ebony whirled around startled at the voice behind them. The girl stood there was smiling, but Luke did not feel reassured in the slightest. He didn't trust that smile one bit. Ebony's heart gave a little leap as she recognised the owner of the long dark braids.
"Java?" she said aloud. "But how did you...?"
"Escape those Mallrats?" her older sister finished for her. "I had a little help. From sister, Siva nonetheless."
"She sprung you out?" Ebony guessed. "But why? I mean, she was one of the Mallrats, right. She was with Lex after all."
"Was being the operative word," Java said. "Lex dumped her to go after his little wifey Tai-San."
Ebony shrugged her shoulders
"Sounds just like the Lex I know," she agreed.
Java stepped in closer to her sister.
"Siva got me out because she wanted us to find you," she said, placing a hand on Ebony's shoulder. "She was worried about you."
Luke watched the exchange between the two girls with interest. There was something not right here.
"Siva told me you just ran out on the Mallrats," Java continued earnestly. "So we decided we had to get to you. And," she paused for a moment, lowering her eyes to the floor. "There's something I have to tell you, but I don't know if you'll believe me."
Ebony's eyes searched her sister's face.
"What won't I believe?"
Luke knew what was coming before the words even left Java's lips. What's more, he recognised them for the lie they were, a fact that passed Ebony by.
"It happened back at the hotel," Java began hesitantly. "When I was alone and locked up. I thought, maybe I imagined it, but..."
"But what?" Ebony urged intently. "What happened, Java?"
The older girl looked directly into her sister's eyes.
"I think," she said, her voice soft. "I think I saw Zoot."

Chapter 8: A Familiar Cry

It was barely beginning to grow light as Slade dismounted from his sleek, black motorbike, pulling off his helmet and shaking free his thick, dark hair.
"Now I remember why I went to Liberty," he remarked half to himself.
Lex appeared not to have heard. The Mallrat was scanning the horizon intently. Slade walked up behind him and clapped a firm hand onto his shoulder.
"Where to now then, buddy?" he asked. "This is your patch after all."
Lex sighed.
"Sector six is a good place to start, I guess," he replied half-heartedly.
The two dark-haired guys walked side by side through the smoky grey city streets, Slade wheeling along his treasured bike. There was nobody around. The city felt like a ghost town, silent and eerie. Lex appeared to be in a world of his own, detached from the grotty, trash strewn streets they paced. Slade, however, was all eyes and ears to everything around them. He didn't trust the city or its inhabitants for one second. He wasn't about to be caught off guard.
They'd been roaming sector six for barely half an hour, when Slade's eye was drawn to the wall of an old, derelict cornershop. Everywhere you went in the city, he knew, the concrete was covered in graffiti. Some was just mindless scrawl, the names of this tribe or that tribe claiming to be top dog. There were a few genuinely good pieces of graffiti artwork here and there, vibrant designs, some almost whole murals dedicated to a theme of the artist's choosing. But somewhere along this particular path, the daubings appeared to change. Somehow they seemed more prominent, louder and clearer than anything else.
Slade raised his glance to the inscription that covered the entire side of the wall. It was painted in bright scarlet and black. He read the words out loud.
"Zoot Lives."

******

If Salene had known about the meeting, she'd never have gone to the hotel in the first place. She'd slipped out of the Mall early, unnoticed by Pride, or any of the other Mallrats. Her intentions were not entirely clear in her own head, but her determination was there in full force. She wanted to talk to Mega. There was something that needed to be done.
Paradise.
All the game had ever caused was trouble. The kids of the city were hooked. Salene couldn't sit by and watch everything the Mallrats had fought so hard for brought to its' knees as the city's inhabitants remained desperate Paradise junkies.
As it was, when she reached the hotel, at such an early hour, there was no one around, all still asleep.Walking down the long corridor, Salene pushed open the door to the main control room. No Mega. Frowning, she decided to sit down and wait.
It was as she settled on Mega's chair, that Salene's eyes were drawn to the laptop on the desk. She gave the mouse a jog, and the screen flickered back into life. Her heart gave a little leap. Staring out from the screen at her was an image of Zoot, the vicious Loco leader. Why would Mega have this on his computer?
Salene's knowledge of this equipment was extremely basic to say the least, but, with her curiosity aroused, she noticed a little button at the top right hand corner of the screen. Moving the mouse, she clicked on it. For a moment, it seemed like nothing was going to happen, but then all of a sudden, there was a click and a whirr. From three corners of the room, light beamed across to focus at a central point in the control room, just a few inches from where Salene sat. This time she screamed. Zoot was standing right in front of her!
"What the...?"
Mega had burst into the control room. Casting his eyes about wildly he took in the scene, the projectors in action, and the terror upon Salene's face. She'd seen! He couldn't let her run away, he had a lot of covering up to do. Frantically, the techno reached for his weapon. Salene was wide-eyed with fear as he raised his arm to point the stun gun at her.
"I'm sorry, Salene," he said, shaking his head. "I have to. For your own good."
The weapon emitted its characteristic bleep as it was fired. Salene didn't even scream as she was hit, but she slipped from the chair and fell, he head connecting with the desk with a resounding crack.
Mega stomach gave a sharp lurch. Trembling almost, he lifted his arm up closer, so he could look at the stun gun more clearly. He had to swallow hard, as a wave of horror swept over him. The weapon hadn't been set to stun: it had been set to full power. To kill.
There was blood on the desk where Salene had hit her head. Mega placed his fingers over her jugular. No pulse.
"No.." he gasped. "This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't in the plan....."
He had to act quickly. Calling out, he summoned two techno guards. One of them flinched visibly at the sight of the dead body. Both looked up questioningly at Mega for further instructions.
"Get her out of here," Mega told them hurriedly. "Be quick, and do it carefully. Make sure you leave her near the Mall. But don't let yourselves be seen."
"But won't somebody find her, Mega?" the taller of the two guards asked.
With a nervous twitch of his eyebrow, Mega turned his back on the pair.
"Of course they'll find her," he said his eyes roving over the computer screen. "But what's important is that they don't find her here."

*********

"I can't believe it," Amber said angrily. "He just waltzed in here and casually mentions that his guards let Java escape! He didn't even say he was sorry!"
Trudy, with Brady settled happily on her lap, reached over to touch her best friend's arm reassuringly.
"Calm down, Amber," she soothed. "It's not the end of the world."
Jay, sat opposite the two girls didn't look convinced.
"We all know what Java's capable of," he said solemnly. "And she's hardly the Mallrats' number one fan."
Amber rested her chin on her hand. She was appreciative of Trudy's attempts to make things better, but she knew what Jay said was true. Java on the loose would be out for revenge. Revenge on the Mallrats. It didn't come any clearer than that.
Pride, who had only just joined them at the table, after the brief, but eye-opening meeting with Mega, turned to Jay.
"Did your techno friend tell you how Java got out?" he asked.
Jay nodded.
"It was caught on camera," he replied with a sigh. "She didn't escape by herself. Somebody helped her get out."
Amber rolled her eyes at this statement. Trudy looked down awkwardly at the floor. Pride raised an eyebrow quizzically.
"But who would do that?" he queried, confused. "Unless one of the other technos..."
"It wasn't them," Jay cut in. "It was someone a bit closer to home."
"Who, then?" the former eco asked, pulling his black dreads away from his face.
Amber sneered.
"Siva."

******

"Where are we going, Java?"
Ebony's voice was confused and laced with uncertainty. Her sister put her arm about the petite girl's shoulders warmly.
"It's a surprise," Java replied with a grin. "Just you wait and see."
Walking behind them, Luke folded his arms across his chest with a sigh. Siva at his side gave him a weak smile. Luke could tell that the third sister was just as wary as he was. All the way through the city, she'd hung back from Ebony and Java, just agreeing with them every once in a while to keep them happy. Luke realised from the expression on Siva's face when Java pulled the Zoot cr@p that she had no idea what was planned. The girl was totally in the dark. As they turned the corner, Java and Ebony suddenly drew to a halt. Ebony was staring open mouthed at something that Luke couldn't quite get a glimpse of. Moving forward, he suddenly realised exactly what it was.
"Where did you find it?"
Java shrugged her shoulders.
"It was just lying around, sister," she answered nonchalantly. "I didn't think you'd want it to go to waste."
Ebony took a step closer to the sleek metal object. It hadn't changed a bit. It was just like she remembered, the same graffiti on the sides. His name. Java drew a jangling item from her pocket: a key.
"So what do you say, Ebony?" she asked indicating the police car. "Fancy a ride?"

Chapter 9: The Lost Souls

"I'm going to look for her right now, Amber!"
Pride's raised voice shook the air within the Mall. Amber nodded reluctantly, seeing the concern for his girlfriend on Pride's face. Salene had only been gone for a few hours at most. True, she hadn't told anyone where she was heading, nor even that she was going outside the Mall at all, but Amber herself saw no reason to be frantic and anxious just yet.
"Okay, Pride," the blonde Mallrat said calmly, putting a slender hand on his broad shoulder. "Let me just ask Trudy to watch Bray for me and I'll come with you."
Pride sighed, a small, but grateful smile on his lips.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Amber returned his smile kindly.
"You're welcome."

*************

"So you had another tribe, a tribe before the Technos?"
Ram nodded.
"Yup," he replied. "It seems like such a long time ago."
Spirit leant across the wooden table, resting her chin on her folded arms as she looked up at the former Techno. He seemed to need to talk about the past for some reason, and so, after she and Ruby had once again struggled down the stairs with his wheelchair, Spirit had asked him about his life before.
Ruby was busy upstairs changing the sheets on the beds, so it was just the two of them sat in the saloon. He'd been a little hesitant at first, but Spirit was unsure as to whether this was because of his own past, or because of hers. A bit of coaxing and prompting however, proved to be all that was needed to get Ram talking freely.
"We were called the Desert Roses," he told her with a chuckle.
Spirit pulled a face.
"Your idea?"
Ram shook his head.
"No," he replied. "Leo gave us our name."
"Leo?" Spirit repeated. "Who was he?"
Ram's face flickered for a split second, and Spirit knew, right then, that she'd touched a nerve. For a moment, she almost thought he was going to cry, but Ram turned back to her, and he was grinning again.
"She," he said with heavy emphasis. "Leo was short for Leonora by the way, was my wife. My, er, first wife," he added sheepishly, recalling his attachments to Java, Siva and Ebony.
Spirit's blue eyes gazed up at him inquisitively.
"Tell me about her."
Ram smiled once more, but it was tinged with a melancholy sadness.
"She was beautiful," he told his fiery-maned companion. "Stunning. All long, ebony black hair and dark honey-golden skin. Her mother was Spanish you see."
Spirit nodded as she listened, trying to picture the girl in her mind, the way she could tell Ram was as he described her.
"And her eyes," he continued earnestly. "Hers were the most incredible eyes you ever saw. They were hazel, and no matter what, they always had this intense fire, this energy that meant you couldn't take your own eyes off of her."
She wasn't sure whether to ask the question on the tip of her tongue, but she did anyway. He didn't have to answer her.
"What happened to her?"
From the way his face fell, Spirit knew the pair's parting had been an unhappy one.
"She died," was the short answer that left Ram's lips. "She was ill before the virus, and without the doctors, she simply couldn't survive her condition."
The blue-eyed girl reached out a hand to him for comfort. You could hear it in his voice, and see it shinning in his eyes that Leo had meant the world to him, and that he missed her beyond belief.
"Her cousin was one of my head Technos, though," Ram continued, breaking the silence. "Mega. But he was always the quiet one, the one who preferred to be in the background. They were nothing like each other."
Spirit sensed that Ram did not want to think about Leo anymore, for the time being at least, so she changed the subject.
"But there must have been more of your tribe than just three," she said. "What about them?"
Ram seized the switch in direction of the conversation gladly.
"There were," he paused to count them in his head. "Eleven of us. Jay, our leader, and his brother Ved both stayed on to be a part of the Technos. And then there was..." he trailed off suddenly.
Spirit watched Ram's expression with concern. Something was wrong. He covered his mouth with his hand as if in shock, then removed it, biting his lip hard. The girl took hold of his hand instinctively, squeezing it reassuringly as she watching his face.
"Are you ok?" she asked him gently.
He didn't answer for a minute or too, and she could tell he was struggling to even find the words to tell her what was haunting him. When he did speak to her, there were tears in his grey-blue eyes that he did not even attempt to conceal.
"You asked me," he began, his voice choked. "What happened to the others."
Spirit nodded.
"Well," he continued. "The truth is, Spirit, that apart from Jay, Ved and Mega, I honestly don't know what became of the rest of them."
He looked horrified with himself, but Spirit was confused.
"That's nothing to be ashamed of," she said kindly. "People lose touch all the time. It doesn't make them bad people if they drift apart. Does it?"
"It does if they're your own flesh and blood," Ram muttered darkly.
The red head sat up in her chair.
"But even families sometimes lose touch," she tried to explain. "Brother and sisters, cousins, sometimes they can fall out, move in different directions. Family is family, but it doesn't mean they're bound together forever."
Ram twisted himself around in the wheelchair so he was directly facing Spirit. He looked so angry, his face screwed up and his eyes flashing, but not with her. He was furious, but furious only with himself.
"The family I left behind," he said slowly, through clenched teeth. "Was my sister. My six year old sister. What kind of rat does that make me? The others all walked out of our home when they got wind of the Techno idea. They said they couldn't live under the same roof anymore. And when one of them came to say they were taking my little sister away with them, I didn't even try and persuade her not to go. I didn't even say good bye."
By now hot, angry tears were rolling down Ram's cheeks. At first, Spirit just sat in her seat, still holding his hand, but eventually, she could watch no longer. Getting up, she let go of his hand, but only briefly. It was difficult to do because of the wheelchair, but Spirit moved over to the weeping Ram, putting her arms around him and holding him gently as he wept.
"It's ok, Ram," she soothed. "It's ok."

**************

It was Amber who saw the flash of red first. She couldn't tell what it was at first. They had only just gotten outside the Mall when she'd caught that faint glimpse from amongst the rubbish and rubble on the street. Boxes and crates obscured her view, so, taking Pride's hand, she went to investigate.
The cry that escaped Pride's lips made Amber's stomach jolt sharply. And when she saw what he had, the jolt became an intense churning and her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. No....
"Salene!"
Pride was by her side in an instant, kneeling beside the girl lying amidst the ruin. But she didn't move.
"Sal!" he repeated anxiously, taking her hand. "Sal, it's me, it's Pride. And Amber, Amber's here too. You're going to be fine."
Amber had now reached the motionless girl, and was knelt down next to Pride. Swallowing hard, she reached out a trembling hand and touched two fingers to Salene's neck. Pride was oblivious to her actions, still speaking desperately to his stricken girlfriend.
"I'm here now, Sal," he repeated. "We're going to take good care of you now. You're safe."
Amber had removed her touch from Salene's cold skin. Her blue eyes were shinning, tears prickling, brimming and ready to fall.
"Pride," she said softly.
"Come on, Sal," Pride said, not hearing Amber at all. "Let's get you back to the Mall."
"Pride," Amber said, louder, taking him by the arm. "Pride, it's no good."
He looked at her, confusion dancing in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Pride," Amber said, a tear rolling down her face. "She's dead."

***************

It had been a long time. The sound that rang through the streets of the city had not been heard for what seemed like an eternity. Some thought it was just their imagination. Others, startled and afraid, headed for cover. Those who wanted to see for themselves were witness to the truth.
As the police car roared through the city, three female figures stood triumphant, shrieking and laughing wildly. The one in the middle, with her red streaked, blonde braided hair streaming madly in the breeze, grinned widely, then raised her arms aloft and gave her battle cry.
"Power and Chaos!"

Chapter 10: Don't Let Go..

'You'll remember me, when the west wind moves;
Upon the fields of barley.
You'll forget the sun, in his jealous sky;
As we walk in fields of gold.....

Pride was on his knees, down on the ground, hunched before the mound of earth that was Salene's grave. He hadn't been able to speak since they'd left the Mall to bury her, only sob uncontrollably. He hadn't even been able to bring himself to help Jay and Sammy to dig the grave. It was all just too hard.
Amber was standing right behind him, but she was almost as distraught as he was, holding Trudy who laid her head on her best friend's shoulder as she wept.

Salene was so good to me. Trudy thought, recalling the early days. I can't believe I hated her at one time because I believed she was out to steal Bray from me. It all seems like such a long time ago. She looked after my baby when I couldn't have cared less, and she gave her back to me when I decided it was time I faced my responsibilities. She so badly wanted a baby of her own to love, though....

'So she took her love;
For to gaze a while;
Upon the fields of barley.
In his arms she fell, as her hair came down;
Among the fields of gold...'

We went through so much together.... May was crying freely, her blue eyes staring fixedly at the grave. I saved her life, and she brought me to the Mall, gave me a new family.... I never thanked her properly for that. I couldn't help but be jealous of her and Pride. I loved him. I really, truly loved him, and to come back and see them together, it hurt so much. But she made him happy.....

At the head of the grave, a makeshift cross had been placed. Jay's eyes lingered on the piece of bark that bore the dead girl's name. He'd helped Mouse carve this headstone yesterday, and the little girl had painted over the letters in blue.
Jay hadn't really gotten to know Salene all that well. But he saw just how much she meant to the other Mallrats. They were devastated by her loss. It was this, he guessed, that meant he seemed to be the only one questioning how the red-haired girl had died. For the others, news that their beloved Sal was gone forever was enough to deal with, the reason why she had died paled into insignificance. Thus Jay was the only one to be thinking it over in his head.

'Will you stay with me, will you be my love;
Among the fields of gold?
We'll forget the sun, in his jealous sky;
As we lie in fields of gold...'

Amber wiped her eyes, caring not how her tears had smudged her makeup so that her cheeks were streaked with black. The weight of this day laid heavy upon her. It didn't feel like she was grieving for just one person.

'She was always so good with the kids, Amber remembered. Patsy and Paul, and Cloe, they all looked on her as their mother when we first arrived at the Mall. And she took such good care of little Brady.
Then she brought Mouse to us. But she never got a baby of her own.

The blonde Mallrat reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a small silver object. It was a ring, a very special ring. It had been Amber's own, given to her by her father. She'd given it to Bray when it had seemed like Tribe Circus could spell the end for them, and he had laid it on her grave on Eagle Mountain when he believed he'd lost her forever.
Pride had also been in possession of the tiny item after he'd rescued her and taken her back to be with the Eco tribe. But the ring had passed back into Bray's keeping, until it was dropped outside the barn where Amber had given birth to their son, as Bray was dragged away by the Technos.
Amber knelt down beside the inconsolable Pride. Her fingers trembling, she dug away at a little of the earth at the foot of the grave. Raising the ring to her lips, she kissed it gently, then placed it amongst the dust, and buried it.

I'll never be able to bury Bray, Amber thought bitterly. But at least this way, something of him is laid to rest.

Mouse had let go of May's hand, and had stepped up to the headstone. The little girl's eyes were red and sore from her crying. She had something in her hands, a daisy chain. Tenderly, she draped the ring of flowers over the cross.
"I'll miss you, Salene," she said, fresh tears brimming in her eyes. "Forever."

'See the west wind move, like a lover so;
Upon the fields of barley.
Feel her body rise, as you kiss her mouth;
Among the fields of gold...'

Mouse was clutching onto Pride tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. Pride, suddenly released from the paralysing grip of his grief, put his arm around the little girl, his fingers stroking her brown curls comfortingly.
"Goodbye, Salene," he said softly. "And," he turned to look up at the other gathered mourners. "Goodbye to you all."
May frowned.
"What?" she blurted out. "What do you mean, goodbye?"
Pride got to his feet, letting go of Mouse as he did so.
"I can't stay here anymore," he said, addressing all of them. "Not without, Sal. I'm going back to the Ecos."
May's expression had become one of disbelief.
"No!" Mouse cried desperately. "You can't go!"
Amber, getting to her own feet, took Mouse by the hand, smiling kindly down at her.
"I know you don't want Pride to leave, sweetie," she said. "But it's his decision."
She turned her head to Pride himself, who stood feeling awkward, brushing his thick black hair out of his eyes.
"I know you never really wanted to stay in the city," Amber said to him. "I know you were never really happy here, and that Salene was the only thing that made you stay. I don't blame you for wanting to go back. It's where you belong."
Pride was beaming gratefully.
"I thought you'd understand," he replied.
One by one, the other Mallrats rallied round to embrace their departing friend. Jay clapped Pride heartily on the back as the two exchanged a manly hug.
"We didn't always see eye to eye, did we?" Jay asked.
Pride shook his head.
"Not at all," he recalled. "But you saved my life, and I saved yours."
Jay smiled.
"Take care."
Amber was last to say her farewells, after Mouse had hugged Pride so tight he thought she was going to strangle him, and May had said a lingering goodbye.
"Say hi to the Ecos from me," she said light heartedly.
He laughed.
"Will do."
"And, Pride," she continued. "Thank you. You gave up your life with the Ecos to help us, even when you didn't agree with the way things for going. Go home."
Pride nodded and turned away, picking up the bag he'd brought with him as he started to walk along the dirt track leading away from the city. I'm going home.

Many years have passed, since those summer days;
Among the fields of barley.
See the children run, as the sun goes down;
Among the fields of gold.

You'll remember me, when the west wind moves;
Upon the fields of barley.
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky;
When we walked in the fields of gold.'


**************

"Amber."
The blonde girl had been in a world of her own, and jumped as she felt someone tug at her arm.
"Jay!" she exclaimed in surprise. "You startled me."
The former techno smiled.
"Sorry," he apologised. "I didn't mean to."
The rest of the Mallrats were further ahead, almost out of the trees and back onto the concrete of the city, but Amber had been dawdling, lost in her own thoughts.
"Busy thinking, yeah?" he asked Amber. "It was a bit of a shock, Pride leaving and all, especially today."
Amber nodded thoughtfully.
"I didn't think he would stay," she admitted. "I knew how much he missed being with the Ecos. He was in his element there. He's going back where he really belongs."
"Do you miss being with the Ecos?" the bleached blonde asked. "I know you used to be their leader."
Amber looked up at Jay.
"I don't know," she said honestly. "I mean, I did love it there. I'd dreamed of living out in the countryside, away from the city and everything. But I was hiding from my past when I joined the Ecos. Deep down I still believed that the city was worth fighting for."
Jay looked pleased with this answer.
"So you're not leaving, then?"
"Leaving?" Amber repeated in response to this unexpected query. "Why would I be leaving?"
Jay shrugged his broad shoulders awkwardly. They'd both stopped on the edge of the worn dirt track.
"I don't know," he answered, looking at the floor. "I just thought..."
"Well you don't have to worry, Jay," Amber swept in. "I'm not going anywhere."
"That's good," he replied. "Because, I wouldn't want you to go...I don't think..."
Suddenly, he was tongue-tied and he couldn't seem to grasp the words he needed to tell her. She was looking at him oddly.
"Jay, are you alright?"
Biting his lip, Jay took a step closer to her.
"I just, I wanted to say, I..."
He didn't have to say it. The press of his lips against hers as he drank her in told Amber all she needed to know....

*************

"So you didn't find her then? Lex's wife, I mean."
Slade shook his head.
"I think he's given up," he told Ruby. "He went back to his tribe, the Mallrats."
Spirit sighed, as she sat on a stool at the bar.
"That's sad," she said. "There aren't too many people who bother with the old ways, like getting married and stuff. Maybe he'll find she's gone back to their tribe while he's been away?"
"Ever the optimist, huh Spirit?" Ram asked her dryly.
The redhead shrugged her shoulders, taking a sip of the drink Ruby had just pored her.
"Well someone's got to," she answered back. "Looking on the bright side never hurt anyone."
Slade pulled up a chair and slumped down into it.
"I don't think there's going to be much in the way of a bright side in that city," he remarked thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" Ruby wanted to know, smoothing her sandy blonde tresses.
Slade looked around at the others. The things he'd seen and heard when he was searching with Lex weighed pressingly on his mind. Something wasn't right.
"When I was in the city," he began. "I kind of got the feeling that there was something....stirring."
"Like what?" Ram inquired.
Slade ran his hands through his tangled hair, biting his lip as he thought of a way to describe his experience.
"There was all this graffiti," he began.
"The city's covered in the stuff," Spirit said. "Always has been."
"True," Slade agreed. "But it was what it said that was important."
Ruby, who was dusting down the bar, stopped what she was doing.
"What did it say?"
Slade's eyes were looking directly at Spirit. She seemed to have more knowledge of the city than Ruby did.
"Zoot lives."
Ruby didn't react to the name, nor really did Ram, but he looked as if he had some clue what Slade was talking about. Spirit however, as Slade had expected, sat up sharply at the word 'Zoot' and was staring at him intently with her brilliant blue eyes.
"But Zoot is dead," the girl said firmly. "Everyone knows that by now."
"Well maybe someone just forgot to tell the guys who painted that particular bit of graffiti," Slade said. "Or maybe there's a little more to it."
He said these last words with a mysterious air, as if daring them to ask more.
"What more could there be?" Ram said, turning his wheelchair to face his comrade.
"Some kid I spoke to said she saw him."
Spirit had got to her feet, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation. Ruby stepped out from behind the bar to stand with her friend. Slade, however, wasn't about to let up.
"She was pretty freaked," he explained. "But she reckoned she'd seen Zoot, all trussed up in his goggles and that. Scared the wits out of her."
"And you believed her?" Ruby asked. "Just some random kid off the street."
"I took everything she said with a pinch of salt, Ruby," Slade told her. "But I just got the feeling she was telling the truth."
Spirit was shaking her head.
"Slade," she said, taking a deep breath. "I really, really hope you're wrong."
The blonde saloon owner could see that the mention of this Zoot guy had really spooked Spirit, and in her mind that couldn't be good. They hadn't known each other all that long, but Ruby knew the redhead they'd rescued was not the type to be easily scared.
"This Zoot," she ventured, directing her question to Spirit. "Is he bad news?"
Spirit nodded grimly.
"You have no idea the kind of terror he created on the streets with his tribe, the Locos. God knows how many kids they killed or tortured or enslaved. He was ruthless, Ruby. Cold-blooded and heartless. And if he's managed to escape death, then he'll bring the city to its knees. No one is safe. Not if you're right, Slade. Not if Zoot lives."

Chapter 11: Digging Up The Past

He was in the dream again, that same torturing dream, over and over.... It didn't matter what he did, how hard he swam, how desperately he clutched for the bank, he could never reach her. And she didn't seem to hear him at all. Her ears appeared closed to his feverish cries, no matter how loud he tried to shout above the roar of the gushing river. It didn't matter what he told her, even if he screamed at the top of his lungs that he loved her, loved her more than anything else, more than life itself, she did not listen or understand. Perhaps she didn't believe him...
The dream ensnared his mind completely, and he was powerless to stop it, just as his dream-self was unable to withstand the current dragging him away. As he floundered and spluttered, kicking for all he was worth, other faces began to crowd upon the grassy banks, and he knew each one in turn.... There was Jay, as tall and blonde as ever, with one hand rested on his brother Ved's shoulder. Next to the younger of the Sanderson brothers, was Rinna, their slim brunette sister, holding the hand of the baby of the family, Katie. Jay's other arm, he observed, still struggling in the icy waters, was warmly wrapped around another girl's shoulders. She was smiling sweetly, her long chestnut brown hair hanging in soft waves about her delicate face. Belle held a tiny bundle in her arms, her son, named after the one person on that bank he was trying to reach.
Others began to appear around the Sanderson's and the proud mother. A boy and a girl, the latter with a silky, dark brown curtain of hair, guiding the other towards the waters edge. Efrat was Reshef's eyes, for his own were of no use to him. But as the dark haired, blind young man kissed his girlfriend tenderly on the lips, one last figure began to loom.
Even in his fitful state, still trying in vain to overcome the tide, he watched on as the person he knew would be there all along finally made their presence known. In the dream, it did not seem strange that he was walking. Ram made his way to stand right beside her, beside Leo, and turning her face to him, he took her hand in his.
"No!" Mega cried out.
Once more, his protests fell upon deaf ears. The two shades in the dream, the beautiful girl and the former techno chief turned away, walking hand in hand from the river's edge, disappearing into the sunlight horizon. She did not look back. She did not even say goodbye.....

Mega awoke with a start. His sheets were rolled up into a crumpled heap, and he was damp with sweat, his heart thumping in his chest. Taking a moment to return his breathing to normal, he reached out for his glasses. Not again he thought with exasperation.
Getting up, letting the sheets drop silently onto the floor, he pulled on his black trousers. He had to pad barefoot around to the other side of the bed to find his shirt, leaving it unzipped at the chest for a moment whilst he fumbled around under the bed for his boots. When he stood, he took a long, hard look at himself in the dusty mirror overhanging his bedside table.
Fancy getting so worked up over a stupid dream, he told himself sternly. It doesn't mean anything
Zipping up his Lycra shirt firmly, he sat down on the edge of his bed to put on his boots. The dream, however stupid and meaningless he thought it might be, had given him an idea, but it could wait. He needed to talk to Java first.

*************

"I think you're wasting your time," Ruby said pointedly, eyeing the crutches dubiously. "If he thought he could walk, don't you think he'd be doing it right now?"
Slade shrugged his shoulders, putting the grey sticks down on one of the tables.
"Maybe," he replied. "But none of us knows why he's in that wheelchair."
Spirit, sat at the bar, running a brush through her magenta hair looked just as doubtful as Ruby. Slade turned to her for some support, but it wasn't forthcoming.
"I agree with Ruby," Spirit said truthfully. "Ram doesn't seem like the type to let himself be confined to a wheelchair if he didn't have to be."
The dark-haired guy rolled his eyes. He'd expected a little more enthusiasm from the two females, but it was clearly apparent that neither Ruby nor Spirit thought the crutches were a good idea. Unperturbed, he picked the offending items up and made his way to the stairs. Ruby watched him go, shaking her head despairingly.
Spirit put down her hairbrush. Ruby hadn't noticed how long the girl's fiery tresses were, almost waist-length, longer if it were not for the soft waves that cascaded down her back. She was certainly a striking girl, a face that no one could forget, even if they only saw her just the once. Spirit caught the blonde's eye with a knowing glance.
"It'll all end in tears," she remarked, nodding her head towards the ceiling.
"I know."
"Best get the tissues on standby," said Spirit.
Ruby smiled half-heartedly.
"And some plasters, too," the other girl added impishly. "For Slade," she added, seeing Ruby's confused face.
"You're expecting a fight then?" Ruby asked her friend, picking up her broom.
Spirit shook her head firmly.
"Not a fight," she told her companion. "Not with Ram in his chair."
"Then what?"
Her blue eyes twinkling mischievously, Spirit grinned.
"Ram may not want to use those crutches for walking," she explained. "But I'll bet they make one hell of a missile!"

******************

"Come in, Java."
The communicator bleeped and then Mega heard the girl's voice.
"Receiving you, Mega," she replied.
"What's the score?" he demanded, tapping his finger's idly on the desk. "Ebony is with you, right?"
"She's on board all right," Java purred happily. "Don't you worry about that."
"Luke is with you, yes? And Siva too?"
Java's voice came back at him exasperated.
"Of course, Mega," the girl replied. "Trust me."
The line was silent for a moment, and then the eldest sister said two words triumphantly into her mouthpiece.
"Zoot lives."

Mega broke off his contact with Java, all seemed to be going to plan, and there wasn't any more he could do at this stage. Placing his fingers to his communicator, he switched lines to speak to his troops.
"Come in squad two," he said.
"Reading you commander," came the prompt reply.
Mega leant back in his chair as he gave out his orders. They were important.
"I have a special assignment for you," he began firmly. "I trust you to handle this quickly and effectively."
"Of course, Mega," the soldier replied smartly.
"You are needed for a search and recovery mission," the dark haired commander told his general. "There are some people I need you to find. If you log on to the main database, and use the access password, 'rose,' you'll find a list of names. Their files are pretty basic, mostly just physical descriptions and the like. I want you to find them for me."
"Understood, Mega," the general replied. "Where should we start our search, within the city?"
"No," his boss instructed. "I want you to start at the old army base on the outskirts of the city, the one we used as a holding facility. Then expand the search perimeter from there."
Mega pushed his glasses back to the top of his nose, rubbing his bleary eyes.
"Just one more thing," he said, sitting up in his black leather seat. "Three of them are more important than any of the others. At all costs, they should not be harmed. Belle, her baby son, and the little girl called Sorrel, are to be found no matter what. You understand me?"
"Loud and clear, Mega."
"Begin immediately. Commander out."

*******************

"Come on then, say it."
Ruby bit her lip, trying her hardest not to laugh.
"Ruby!"
She couldn't help it. A giggle slipped out as she told him what she'd been dying to say.
"I told you so, Slade," the blonde said, folding her arms. "I told you not to push Ram with those stupid crutches but you wouldn't listen."
He glared up at her sullenly, touching the blo0dy graze on his temple. Thankfully, the wound was mostly superficial, but Ruby hoped it would make Slade learn his lesson.
"Where's Spirit?" he asked, as Ruby dapped the cut with a cloth.
"Gone upstairs," his nursemaid replied. "To try and undo the damage you just did."
Slade scowled, wincing as his head stung from the antiseptic.
"I hope you've got some bandages ready for her then," he remarked shortly. "Ram's in a foul temper now."
Ruby raised her eyes skywards in exasperation, whilst still suppressing the urge to laugh at Slade's moodiness.
Ram's not the only one, she thought to herself.

**************
"He was only trying to help," the girl explained. "He didn't mean anything by it."
She might as well have been talking to a brick wall. Ram was sat on his bed turned away from her, totally unresponsive. Undeterred, Spirit gamely ventured for forward to sit beside him, ignoring the vehement glare that was shot her way.
"Just tell me this, Ram," she implored. "Was Slade really that wrong? Is there no way you could even try the crutches?"
Ram stared impassively at her.
"Please?"
She was all set to abandon this fruitless attempt to talk to him, when suddenly, his expression seemed to soften, and when he finally spoke, his voice was tentative and unsure.
"I don't know."
The girl leaned closer, listening intently.
"How do you mean?" she asked.
"When I ended up like this," he explained, placing his hands on his thighs. "The doctors said it was unlikely that I'd ever be able to walk again."
"But not impossible?" Spirit prompted.
Ram nodded hesitantly.
"And do you think you might be able to walk?"
The ex-techno sighed heavily, raising his grey blue eyes to her.
"Maybe," he said quietly. "For a little while now, I've been getting these tinglings, little twitches, in my legs."
Spirit's blue eyes opened wide at this announcement.
"But that's a good sign, surely?" she enthused. "I mean, I'm no doctor, but..."
"It's a good thing," Ram cut in, not sounding that pleased. "But it's just hard to trust it, after being in that chair for so long."
The redhead put a comforting hand on Ram's shoulder.
"Will you try though?" she asked him. "I mean, if it was just me here to see, nobody else, would you at least give it a go?"
Ram eyed her inquisitively.
"You'd do that, for me?"
Spirit shrugged her shoulders.
"Why not?"
He was silent for a moment, as though considering her offer. He didn't want to make a fool of himself. If it was just her, no Ruby, and especially no Slade, maybe he could handle failing.
"Ok," he said finally. "Just you though, no one else."
Spirit nodded eagerly.
"Of course," she reassured him. "I'd better go retrieve those crutches then!"

**************

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He was home, back at the Mall, right where he belonged. It had been a close call though. He hadn't expected the last leg of his journey to be so eventful.
Jack rubbed his sore shoulder. He'd been lucky, very lucky. When he'd heard the siren, it was almost like he'd slipped back into a dream. The days of Zoot and the Locos seemed like an eternity ago, and to be suddenly confronted by the screaming police car that had once terrorised the city streets once more, had taken him completely by surprise. His shock had been heightened when he'd absorbed exactly who the three whooping and jeering people were standing up through the roof of the vehicle. Ebony, Java and Siva. The three sisters. It almost didn't bear thinking about.
Picking up his rucksack, Jack smiled up at the familiar entrance to his home. It was time to be a Mallrat again, power and chaos could wait its turn.

Chapter 12: I Once Was Lost....

'What am I supposed to do with all these blues?
Haunting me everywhere;
No matter what I do.

Watching the candle flicker out;
In the evening glow;
I can't let go;
When will the night be over?'

The techno guard laced his fingers through the grey wire mesh of the tall fence around what Mega called, 'the holding area.' The grim truth was that it was a makeshift prison, a place where those opposed to their way of running things could be safely locked away. Sentries were posted all around the perimeter, for their commander had not yet gotten round to electrifying this particular fence. This was certainly not the first place he would have chosen to look, but orders were orders and they'd come straight from the top.
Commander Mega must have his reasons, the soldier mused, but surely there were far more important people to deal with, those Mallrats for one? To him, a few stray females and a couple of kids seemed irrelevant and insignificant, but all the same, he got the distinct feeling that there was more to it than that.
There was no sign of them. The towering tangle of metal caged mostly males, troublesome, rowdy youths. Angry faces glared at him as he passed, snarling and spitting in their contempt for his status. A few others remained emotionless, resigned to their fate, whatever that might be. They merely stared blankly into the void, unconcerned and unmoved by the world around them. With a sigh, the squadron leader motioned to the rest of his troops. It was time to move on.
But one soldier, a slight framed techno with short brown hair, was waving animatedly to attract his attention. Moving in to investigate, the squad leader saw what his subordinate was trying to show him. Sitting quietly on the grass that was parched brown and worn bared and patched from a thousand footsteps, was a girl. Her long, patchwork denim skirt was spread out across the ground in a dramatic whirl. Her hair was a rich chestnut brown, glinting red in the sunlight, hanging in soft waves to her shoulders. Her emerald eyes were focused on the bundle she cradled lovingly in her pale arms. The squad leader smiled widely.
"She's one of them, alright," he said to his soldier. "And so are those two."
He was pointing at the two little girls he'd just spotted, no more than eight years old, who were playing with a ragged, battered looking stuffed animal.
The squad leader was just about to send in his men to round them up, when his eyes flickered to the figure that sat beside the young mother, watching their every move. That one wasn't on the list, but they could surely not be ignored.
"Isn't that...?" began the soldier.
"Yes," the other techno cut in triumphantly. "Yes it is. Won't Mega be pleased?"

******************

'I didn't mean to fall in love with you;
And baby there's a name for what you put me through.
It isn't love, it's robbery;
I'm sleeping with the ghost of you and me....'

"You still sure you want to try this?" Spirit asked him. "I'll understand if you don't."
Ram, sat tensely on the edge of his bed, looked up at the girl through troubled eyes. He was pale, and his face shone with a slick of sweat, but he still nodded his head firmly.
"I'm sure," he told her with more conviction than he really felt. "So long as you think you can catch me."
Spirit smiled sweetly, giving his clammy hand a squeeze.
"You bet," she replied gamely. "I'm a big, strong girl I'll have you know!"
That fact, Ram supposed, had to be true. A lesser person could not have survived what Spirit had been through. A lesser person would have been destroyed by the events of her past and reduced to nothing by the enormity of it. He still felt an uneasy squirm of guilt just thinking about the horrors she had suffered because of him, especially as she was now being so good to him, a friend almost. Did he really deserve such kindness from any human being, let alone this one whose life he had torn apart?
"Come on then," Spirit said breezily, trying to make what they were about to attempt seem like less of a big deal. "Let's get cracking."
Her deft hands passed him the crutches, helping to put his arms through the plastic rings at the top. Her eyes looked on as Ram took hold of the grips, around which she'd wrapped a pair of Slade's large black socks, his knuckles standing out white from his tanned skin. He was so scared she could feel it tingling in the air. He was afraid of falling, of raising his hopes only to have them dashed.
"Up we go."
Spirit braced herself. She had a firm hold on Ram's left arm, ready to support, catch him if need be. The strain was painfully visible on his features as he grasped for every individual fibre of his strength. A voice in his head was calling out, commanding his body, his legs to respond. And slowly, it seemed like was working.
He was shaking all over, teeth gritted, jaw locked, but he'd pulled himself off the bed. Spirit still held on, for he was swaying unsteadily. She found herself holding her breath, her body tensed, as if she could somehow help him to stand by sheer willpower. Whatever it was, it was working, though she could hardly believe it. Neither could he. His face was a picture of disbelief. Spirit smiled.
"Go Ram!"
And when he turned his face to her, his expression was one pure delight, his eyes shinning with his triumph over his own body.
"It feels," he began, breathless with joy. "It feels like flying!"
The redhead laughed.
"Perhaps we'd better to stick to walking for the time being," she said jovially.
So he tried. His foot felt like a lead weight as muscles he hadn't used for so long made their complaint. It was too soon.
His balance upset, Ram swayed suddenly to the left. Spirit tried her best, but he was too heavy and she was powerless to prevent him toppling over. His bulk sent her flying too, and both fell, landing in a heap on the wooden floor. Spirit winced as one of the crutches struck her a glancing blow to the shoulder as it clattered to the ground. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all.
But..... he was laughing. Dusting off her jeans as she sat up properly, she thought for a moment she was imagining it. But she wasn't. It was a loud, hysterical sound and when she looked at his face, his eyes had tears of laughter in them.
"What's so funny?" she asked him. "Apart from the two of us falling ass over tit, that is?"
Ram's eyes focused on her as wiped the dampness from them. He could hear footsteps that meant Slade or Ruby must be coming to investigate the racket.
"What's funny," he told her. "Is that for the first time in over two years, my legs actually hurt."
Frowning, Spirit's sapphire eyes brimmed with confusion.
"And we're finding that the height of hilarity because?"
Ram shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know," he confessed, a goofy smiled now pasted firmly on his lips. "And I don't care, because one day, one day soon, Ram is going to be back on his own two feet!"
The girl couldn't help but shake her head in amazement at this sudden change in him. He was optimistic for once. Still sat where they had fallen, she reached over and gave him the hug he deserved.
"You did great," she said warmly.
"I guess I did," he admitted. "And you know something else?"
"What?"
That broad, infectious grin appeared once more.
"We did look like a pair of prize prats just now, didn't we?"

*****************

'Seen a lot of broken hearts;
Go sailing by.
Phantom ships lost at sea;
And one of them is mine.

Raising my glass;
I sing a toast to the midnight sky.
I wonder why;
The stars don't seem to guide me....'

"Excellent work!"
Mega smiled gleefully as he listened to the squadron leader's message. This was fantastic news, far better than he'd even dared to hope for.
"Bring them straight here," he instructed. "All of them. But no harm must come to those girls, or the baby."
"And the other one?" his informant asked. "It doesn't look like that one will come quietly."
Mega's lip twitched.
"Use your stun guns if you need," he told his solder. "But to stun only, not to kill."
"As you wish commander. Over and out."
Switching off his communicator, Mega couldn't suppress the heady grin of his success that was spreading conceitedly across his dark features. His guards' discovery had come as a surprise, but an extremely welcome one. Already, his mind was formulating a new plan to include this development. There were a few shocks in store for those Mallrats, he mused. The news of Jay and Amber's relationship had reached him through the grapevine, not that it registered that highly on his list of important information. Still, it would serve its purpose.
"Jay, Jay, the lady's man," Mega said to himself, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Aren't you in for a big surprise or two?"

'I didn't mean to fall in love with you;
And baby there's a name for what you put me through.
It isn't love, it's robbery;
I'm sleeping with the ghost of you and me.'

*****************

Java watched as Ebony slept with a curious eye. It was strange, she thought, how slumber could steal away all the spite, all the fire, all the intensity from her sister's face and leave her looking so uncharacteristically innocent, so childlike.
"Some one wants to speak to you," she told the sleeping girl softly, her poison tongue lingering over every word.
Her hands, with their black painted talons, lifted the Paradise headset up, playing it gently over the oblivious Ebony's braided hair. Java was tingling with excitement. Revenge was going to be sweet. Moving away from the bed, the scornful sister hovered for a moment at the doorway.
"Night, night, Ebony," she purred icily, her dark eyes agleam in the dim light. "And sweet dreams."

To be continued..