A New Hope

[Trudy (The Supreme Mother)]

Luke

The little virt in front of me seems scared, but obviously knows more about us Techno’s then she’s willing to say.
She doesn’t look strong enough to last very long if we make her work hard, but perhaps she might be of use yet, maybe Danni would like a personal assistant; afterall… everyone has a use… somehow…

Suddenly I notice something I haven’t seen in a while. Though smudged, the symbol on her hand is obvious to me…
A Mallrat…
That means… surely she didn’t come here on her own…
What if Trudy was here, that could cost me some severe explaining…
or… Ellie…

Right… there is but one thing I can do… I have to find a way to persuade this girl to talk.

“Don’t worry dear… we mean you no harm…
The boys just have instructions to bring anyone they find here, because it’s so dangerous out there.
Particularly for a woman… particularly for a woman alone…”

I watch her face as I suggest she is here on her own, is that flinching I see?

“This island is more dangerous then it seems, so much things that could hurt you.
There are ruffians, thugs, who haven’t seen a pretty lady like yourself in years…there’s poison ivy, quicksand, snakes and large bugs… I’ve even heard rumors about a tribe of cannibals living on the other side of the island…”

@Salene

[Salene]

Gel

This techno seems nice and not as hard as the others, I see him look down at my hands, I flinch as I remember the pentagram stamp (the Mall Rat symbol) is still visible on the back, I quickly flinch and try to hide my hands hoping he doesn’t see the mark and doesn’t know what it means, I have never seen this man before, so perhaps he won’t know what it is…

"I haven’t done anything wrong’ I say scared ’ I want to go home’

The techno says about the ruffians and thugs, I shake at the thought of the things I have heard they do to women, my face goes pale at the thought and I shake some more…

"Bugs and snakes?’’ I say squeaking shaking from the fear I suddenly jump and start looking around the floor of the little cage I am stuck in… My stomach grumbles loudly as I realise how hungry and thirsty I am, I don’t want to ask this techno for a drink, who knows what he might do to it…

“Pleeease let me go” I beg “I won’t tell anyone you are hear I promise”

Tears we’ll up in my eyes as I beg the techno to let me go…

@Trudy

[Trudy (The Supreme Mother)]

Luke

As the girl jumps up at the thought of bugs, I suppress a smile.
“Oh spider!” I say as I see one of the big hairy ones crawling through the bars.
This version is harmless, but she doesn’t need to know that.
Quickly I unlock her cage and pull her to ‘safety’ out of the cage.

“There, there… you must be starving…” I say as I try to comfort the girl. “Let’s get you something to eat… or… perhaps a hot bath and some clean clothes first?”

@Salene

[Salene]

Gel

“A SPIDER!!” I jump up from where I am sitting, letting out a blood curdling SCREAM, tears run down my face “GET IT AWAY!!”

Suddenly the cage door swings open and the techno’s strong arms are suddenly around my waist and pulling me to safety, I cry into his chest from the sheer fright, shaking from head to toe, of being that close to a huge hairy beast… The Techno’s arms are strong, I feel his chest is rippled with muscle as I cry into him… He is so nice, nothing like the others who are cold and distant, he seems warm and caring… He hears my stomach rumble and offers to take me to get some food, a hot bath and clean clothes…

“Yes, please” I say with a nod still clinging to him for safety…

@Trudy

[Trudy (The Supreme Mother)]

Luke

Smiling I lead her inside a nearby building.
I quickly give an order to Tux, the female techno inside.
“Make sure she has a hot bubble bath, and let Cookie bring her some clean clothes. And see to it that Pac prepares us a decent meal. Once she’s done, bring her to me, so we can dine in peace.”
I smile sweetly as I gesture to Gel that she can safely go inside.
“Take good care of her, she is my personal guest”
I give Tux a stern look, making sure she does exactly as she’s told.
“See you in a while, milady…”

@Salene

[Salene]

Gel

The techno holds me and takes me to a large building, gives orders to a female techno,I stand in surprise as he says about a being his personal guest but I don’t question it too much, confused as to why he is being so nice to me, a thought creaps in that perhaps he likes me… He says about food and that he wants to have dinner just the two of us, he smiles sweetly at me as I soften and smile back to him, my heart flutters as he calls me ‘milady’ wow maybe he does like me…
He jestures for me to go inside with the female techno, still scared from the spider in the cage I am aware of my surroundings more and looking around for more spiders, snakes or other creepy crawlies, I jump as I see one run across the floor outside, my face still pale from the previous encounter. The female techno nods at the males instructions and then she smiles softly at me holding her hand out and jesturing for me to go with her…

“Hey” I say softly looking back at the male techno “What is your name? And why are you being so nice to me?”

@Trudy

[Trudy (The Supreme Mother)]

Luke

“I’m Luke” I say as I wonder what else to tell her. I shouldn’t give away to much in one go. Besides, I don’t want the other Techno’s hearing details they don’t need to know.
“A beautiful lady like yourself deserves to be treated well.” I flash my most adoring smile at her, though in my mind, I think of Danni.
“We’ll talk soon, over dinner…”
I give her a friendly nod an make my exit.

@Salene

[Salene]

Gel

“Luke” I smile softly in my Normal flirty way " I like it, but can you call me Gel, I don’t like being called vert"

I look at him expecting to be yelled at or worse but he just smiles at me…
The female techno quickly ushers me from the door way and into a room with a big bath and what smells like essential oils, it smells amazing… I look at the female techno with a puzzling look on my face and she just puts a finger to her lips in a jesture of ask no questions, she hands me a pile of fresh clothes, they smell amazing and I suddenly realise how much I stink… The techno leaves me alone in the room and I look around, I look for a window or a way to escape but there’s nothing, I know that female techno is probably standing guard outside the door, I place the clothes down on a chair, I spot a mirror and look into it, I don’t recognise the person looking back, my face is filthy, my hair is a mess, my make up has run and I look like a panda were the mascara has run down my face… It takes all my strength not to scream at how awful I look… I slowly undress and sink into the hot bath and quickly I wash my body and my hair, I wish I could have stayed in there longer but I am scared they would come in and haul me out and back to the cage… I grab a towel from the side, it’s the softest fluffiest towel I have used in a long time…

“How do they have all this” I mutter to myself confused

I quickly dress and brush my hair with the brush they have left on the sink unit…

“I wish I had my hair dryer and my make up” I sigh as I remember they are all at the boat with my bags and the others, knowing there is no way I can get them “Maybe that nice techno Luke can get me some makes up, perhaps some of the female techno’s will have some I can use” I squeal happily and quietly to myself… “Perhaps they are not as bad as people say”

I look at myself again in the mirror and suddenly I feel naked without my mascara, blush, foundation and lipstick… Even through everything we have been through I have always managed to find makeup and hair accessories… Why did I have to get in a temper with Lex and storm off, I could have been safe with the others, with Lex and all my own make up and clothes… I sigh, just then the door opens and the female techno asks if I am finished…

“yes” I nod politely still wondering if there’s a way I can run past her and find the others and my Lex
The techno jestures for me to leave the room and follow her, even though Luke told her I was his personal guest it doesn’t stop the techno from grabbing me by my already bruised wrists to march me to where Luke will be waiting…

“OWWWW!!” I squeal loudly in pain “Please, I will go with you” I beg
“You don’t need to hold me so tight, I promise I won’t run”

She doesn’t listen and grips tighter as we walk away to find Luke…

@Trudy

[Patch (Ann)]

SLADE

Listening to Trudy rant, I suddenly realize how Josh preyed on their fears. Zoot was to be feared, yes, using his image to terrorize the City to keep them controlled was genius, albeit sickening, but it was the Guardian that had Trudy hyperventilating. The full height of what Mega has caused, the extent of the damage he’s done grieves me. I’m pissed at him now, as much as I’m sad I couldn’t save him. We’re here because of him. Or was that because of Ram? He had been acting pretty strangely…

Speaking of the devil, Trudy asks if anyone has seen him, looking at me and Jay for answers. “The Weasel must’ve slipped off during dividing the groups yesterday.” Highly suspicious, if ya ask me. Maybe he wanted power back of the Technos, or maybe he was scared like the rest of us.

Alice says we need to end this once and for all, and I’m not even sure what ‘this’ is. I’m very grateful I missed all the origins of their ongoing nightmares. I’m unsure though if that leaves me at an advantage or disadvantage.

[Catha]

KC

The last minutes feels like a little eternity when you wlak arround without any plan, looking out for a safe place to have breakfast and plan the next step.

Salene

Trudy was going to be out of controll and honestly i have no clue what else to say. I can understand, that she is acting like that. The Guardian has done bad things to all of us, i swallow as i think back to that time if having him in the mall. All the bad things that has happened,a ll the things we lost… then i hear a scream and my heart almost stops as i notice that it’s a baby. Shocked i watch arround, as i spot Bray Jr., seems like he was woken up by all the noise arround.
With a little sign in relief, i walk over to him and lift him up. “shshs, everything is fine.” i stroke over his hair, which calms him down. I look up at the group, hoping that someone will have idea for the next step.

[Patsy]

Paul had used a long time to go back home after his meeting with his sister. He couldn’t believe that she had refused to come with him. He wanted her to be safe together with him. Surely he could protect her more then that Ryan guy could, he only cared about Lex. Paul thought to himself, it had been rather late when he got in so he had gone right to bed. Now he was working on something without his headsets on. He didn’t like to wear them. Yes it was nice to hear peoples voices., but it did get to much. He loved the silence, it was all he knew, so he didn’t like it when they were on. People made to much noise.

Patsy looking over at Ryan she sighs and gets up. ”Where are we going?”she asks, and takes a deep breath. She knows that they cannot stay were they are, since she’s doubting if they can trust her brother or not. She wants to believe that she can trust him, but a part of her says that she can’t. he’s changed to much, she’s changed to much.

@Salene

[Salene]

Ryan

“I’m not sure” I sigh replying to Patsy “I have been scouting about and there is an abandoned building a little further up the island” I look at her face " I know you want to stay close to here because of Paul… BUT…"

I pause and get up and start to pace the room…

“Can we trust him?..” I say waiting for her to reply, “I know he is your brother but its been soo long, how do we know if we can trust him” I sigh “We don’t know what the Techno’s have done to him, what games they have played or what they have said to him, we don’t know if he will go and tell the others or not”

I look out of the window in the room… I don’t want to believe that Paul would give us up and tell people where we were but I dont want to take that chance, Patsy is like my own daughter and when I found her I swore I would protect her until we could find our way home…

“We can only trust each other” I turn and look at her sad face “Every time we go out for food we risk being captured, the Techno’s are getting closer every day and I don’t wanna end up back in their cages”

I walk back over to Patsy and sit down in front of her…

" I love you like my own daughter and I will protect you and look after you… And I can’t do that knowing that Paul knows where we are and that he might give us up… Paul still has a problem with me after everything that happened in the mall before he went missing… He could have easily killed me or us Patsy… We have to move sweetheart" I sigh softly hoping she understands why I want to move up the island… I look around our little home, it may not be much but it was ours, we had made it a home… I sigh and pull Patsy into a hug…

@Patsy

[Antonia1Fan]

With everyone talking all of the voices start to fade away and I start to space out for a bit. My brother Ved this could mean, this could mean that he is alive after all. Not only him but Cloe and maybe some of the others that Mega claimed he deleted.

[SupremeM]

Cloe

I’d ran as fast as my feet would take me, but unfortunately for me this island wasn’t as big as the city and all I could think about was being found…

So I just kept running until I was out of breath, it was more of a drag now, i’d found a small stream for a drink on the way and tried my best to decipher which berries were poisonous and which weren’t, I missed Pride at times like these!

Hopefully I could find someone I knew on the way, I’d been hoping to have some kind of contact with Sasha but that hadn’t quite worked out, I’m not that little kid no more, I’d been through so much & I’ve fought this far & I wasn’t giving up now, I could see a boat in the distance, far away and what would probably take me hours to reach, but that didn’t exactly give me hope, it was most likely more technos shipping more prisoners away.

I just want this nightmare too end, I want too be free.

[Ash]

EBONY:

as the others bicker and Trudy freaks out, I listen to all the input being thrown around this impromptu meeting.

I turn my back to the scene For a moment and take a long look down the beach in both directions, hoping that I don’t see anybody, and also feeling worried at the idea that even though I can’t see anyone, there could very well be enemies hiding in the trees, watching us right now.

I feel suddenly fed up with this nonsense. I don’t care about The Guardian…not when he’s just another caged Techno Prisoner. But then Alice mentions Bray and my mind begins to race and my heart skips a beat or two…
Bray? Alive

I can hardly believe that it’s possible, but here’s Alice…so maybe there’s a chance.
I can’t believe it, but I want to.

I want to ask Alice a million questions, but first things first.

I’m notice Jay’s eyes glazing over and his face going to that emotionless stone like look he used to have as a Techno General, and I realize that he might know more than he’s letting on…

I round on the group and say loudly, talking over the others “Hey! That’s enough!”

I move through the semi circle of Mallrat, glancing at the newly returned Alice.
I want to hug her, but I don’t know if she still considers us as friends or not, so I nod at her.

“I want to hear all about The Disappeared kids but we have to think!!! We’re vulnerable our here! The Techno’s could be on their way here with a whole platoon as we’re standing here exposed on this beach…”

I move forward until I am standing in front of Jay.
I look up at him & for a moment I have a flash of old times, it’s hard not to remember his arms around me…I look at my ex lover standing there looking stoic and it makes my stomach tighten, but I push the emotion down and clear my throat, crossing my arms.
I think worriedly that soon, all my ex-boyfriends might be standing in one place comparing their bad stories of me…well, all but Zoot, and thank the stars for that small kindness.

I try to sound like the boss.
“So, Jay…if you know something about this island, now is your chance to say so. At the very least you must know what kind of security patrols the Techno’s might have here…we need to stop bickering and make a plan for security. You need to tell us what we’re up against here, since Ram is missing.”

I pause dramatically to look at the others…

“Or maybe Ram isn’t missing…maybe he ran off to join up with the Technos here. And if he did that, then we’re all in even more danger than when We landed on this beach.“

The others seem to take in my words, and the looks on their faces start to change as they realize how much Ram could hurt us if he’s switched allegiance again

I continue to speak as the group gives me the floor to talk
“After all, If Ram goes against us, he knows our location, our defenses and, well, really he could bring us down in an afternoon with a little help from his old Techno buddies”
I turn back to Jay.
”So, Jay,” I narrow my eyes at him…”if you have a suggestion for what we need to do then now Is the time to speak up. And for that matter, if any of you have any Real suggestions for our security, now is the time for quick action.”

@Antonia1Fan
@Jack
@Patch
@Trudy
@Amber
@Catha
@Patsy
@SupremeM
@Lex
@Any Mallrat on the beach I didn’t mention

[SupremeM]

HAWK

I could hear noises coming through the bushes, very faint but they were there, they sounded like female voices, I hushed Mouse & brought her closer to me, there were techno’s out there and they weren’t all male, I couldn’t risk anything happening to her.

I walked slowly away from the voices but yet they seemed to be coming closer, we’re these people walking towards us…I didn’t want to run for fear of making a scene so I found a small gathering of bushes and hid myself & Mouse hoping I could catch a glimpse of them.

Surely enough they were getting closer and closer, the more in view they became the more confused I was getting…I could see the thick blonde hair, plenty of it, all on top of her head shining in the slither of sunlight coming through the trees…

Eagle?

[Lex (Hil)]

”Who died and made you queen of the fucking Island?” I repeat myself.

Before Alice showed up we were getting somewhere with how life on this island was going to work. As far as I’m concerned the conversation isn’t over.

”There needs to be an whole lot of stuff that needs to happen before we go guns blazing on a strangw island to mix it with The Techno’s. Or are you just quick to head back to your old place of power?”

[Ash]

EBONY:

I round on Lex and say angrily in response to his bad attitude
“I’m sick of you!!” I curl my teeth back in an angry grimace.

“You’re drunk from the minute we land on this rock, and you want to complain about everything!! Go tend to your damn campfire Lex! It’s all you’re good For!!”

I step forward and reach out to attack Lex, planting both my hands on his chest and using my sober momentum to shove hard. I trust that gravity plus the alcohol he’s been consuming will do the rest of the work…

I square off, ready to kick Lex it n the face if he keeps pressing me for a real fight.

At this point the others had better step in or there will probably be blood on this beach in the next few minutes.

Hearing that Bray might be alive has rattled me…leaving me ready to ditch this whole group and go searching the island myself if the MallRats don’t want to take my lead.

I realize that I’m starting a fight that can’t end simply, but I’ve been putting up with Lex for far too long already…he’s pushed my buttons too many times on that boat ride here.

@Lex

[Patch (Ann)]

SLADE

I’m just an observer now, silent and listening but not contributing. Not until Ebony takes the floor and the bitter fight that she and Lex always have for position flares up. They’re both leader types but instead putting their heads together, they act like enemies.

Oh no, you don’t! I snap to action, finally. I don’t know what’s possessed me, but during the exchange between Ebony and Lex, in one quick motion I’ve got her by the elbow, yanking her back from further incident. “What good is fighting amongst ourselves gonna do?” I scold her. She’s better than this petty squabble. She could be so great, but the darkness…

I let go of the thought, releasing her, turning and looking at all the others and Lex on his back, “If we fight each other we’re just damaged goods when the fight comes to us.” Hopefully it won’t come to that, but we’re certainly outnumbered and at a disadvantage.

“I think Ram is the least of our worries, at the moment.” I saved him from a garbage heap, if he double crosses me, I’m liable to toss him with an anchor to the sharks if given that chance. “We have a fine opportunity here to at least learn a thing or two from a prisoner,” I look at Alice, “Educate ourselves about this place from a first hand account, then strategize a real plan. And Jay,” I turn an eye at him, “If you do know something, anything,” I stress the latter, “Now’s the time to clear the air.”

I wasn’t picking sides, Lex was right, Ebony was right to a degree, and Trudy was right to panic. But what good was fighting and panicking going to do? We’re literally sitting ducks.

[Jack]

Alice

Somethings never change. As odd as this may sound it was quiet nice to see Lex and Ebony still like to go at each other.

Hearing the candy talk gave me goosebumps, his voice was sexy. I found myself staring. Snap out off it Alice!

I move my focus over to blondie and also feel the need to add some pressure on to him. “Spill your beans milkybar! And do you know a Techno called Danni?” Before Jay responds I do look back at everyone else, "“Yes our Danni. She is alive too. We got into a bit of spat.” I glare back at Jay and patiently wait for anything he may know.

@Patch
@Antonia1Fan