Dear me… Those on the boat are in for some shock 
Your Ellie is quiet cool! What makes me pity her even more now
And poor Amber… First Dal.
. Then losing Bray… Then Pride… Now Jack.
It’s interesting - Ellie was always one of my ‘middle of the road’ characters on the actual show. I didn’t have strong feelings about her one way or the other. But I really enjoy writing her.
Yes, Amber has been through a lot. At some point that has to take its toll…
Chapter 9: Baggage
With one hand clutching the directions to the quayside given to her by the handsome stranger, and the other pulling her luggage along, Gel walked purposefully through the alleyways and open concrete spaces of the industrial sector. She still didn’t recognise where she was - she guessed that this was a shortcut rather than the conventional route she half remembered - but she no longer felt lost. She trusted the directions completely, trusted her rescuer completely. There was just something about those sad, blue eyes that made her brain turn to mush. She thought she would believe anything he told her, even if it was an outrageous lie. Not that he would ever lie to her of course. No, he was honest, courageous and - most importantly - single, if she remembered correctly. A huge smile appeared on her face with that thought, then disappeared just as quickly as something white flashed in front of her face. Instinctively she dropped the wooden board with the directions on it and tried to shield her face with her hands. After standing like that for a few seconds with nothing happening she cautiously peeked through her fingers. Seeing nothing, she bent down to pick up the board. ‘Eww, gross!’ she said, noticing something sticking to the bottom of it. She didn’t want to inspect it too closely, but she thought it might have been rotting fish. Taking a stick, she wrinkled her nose and tried to knock off as much as she could, being careful not to smudge the lipstick writing. A screeching noise made her look up and she saw what had made her jump in the first place; a seagull looked down at her from one of the rooftops, its head tilted to one side. She must have disturbed its dinner, not noticing it on the ground in front of her because she had been daydreaming. ‘Silly girl,’ she muttered to herself. ‘It’s not like you’re ever going to see him again.’ The seagull chattered away; it sounded like it was laughing at her. ‘Shoo!’ she told it angrily, waving her arms at it as it sat perched on the roof. It flapped its wings and rose up into the air for a few seconds, then settled back down in exactly the same spot. It started screeching again, mocking her. ‘Hmph!’ she snorted. ‘You take as much notice as Lex!’ Turning her back on the bird, she continued her journey, concentrating on the tall factory chimney not too far away now that was her next landmark, according to her directions. After that it was only two more turns, then she should be able to see the quayside.
Darryl stood with his folded arms resting on the railings that surrounded the boat’s small deck area, looking out towards the city. He had been out there since Ellie had gone back inside; he just couldn’t face everybody looking at him, and in that small a space there would be no escape from them. May would be the worst. He felt colour blooming in his cheeks in embarrassment as he remembered what he had done. How could he have been so stupid? He had felt the anger rising up inside him as the trader had argued with her, and the jealousy when he touched her. All he had wanted to do was protect her, but that was crazy. May was tough, she didn’t need protection from anybody, and now he had caused more trouble for every single one of them, whatever Ellie said. If the others didn’t turn up soon, they were as good as dead, and it would be all his fault. He hung his head in shame. At first he had thought that it must have been the cramped conditions on the boat that made him act in the way he did, but when the trader had waved that knife in front of his face - when he had thought he was about to die - all that he could think about was May. Why did he suddenly feel this way about her? Sure she was hot, he thought smiling to himself, but she barely noticed him, or at least she hadn’t until today and his outburst surely hadn’t done him any favours there. Sighing, he shook his head and stared out at the city again. Life had been a lot less complicated when there was only bringing down Mega to worry about.
Hearing movement behind him, he turned round just in time to catch Ebony’s slap on his cheek.
‘Ouch! What was that for?’ he cried, clutching the side of his face with his hand.
‘Don’t you try and act all innocent with me, Darryl!’ she said in a quiet voice that scared him more than he would have been if she had raised her voice.
‘Oh, that.’
She made a clapping motion with her hands and laughed mirthlessly. ‘Oh, well done! Perhaps there is something in that space between your ears after all!’ Her tone immediately changed to one of anger. ‘Yes, that , you dolt! It’s your fault!’ This time she did raise her voice. ‘Can’t you see what you’ve done? Slade’s not coming back and it’s all…your…fault!’ Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she dug a finger hard into his chest, punctuating those last three words.
‘Ouch! You think I don’t know that? I like Slade as much as you do! Well, obviously not as much as you do, that would be…um, anyway, what I’m trying to say is that Slade’s a good guy. He helped me. I don’t want him to die!’
‘Really?’ she said, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes, analysing every inch of him. She was standing so close that she had to look up to meet his eye, but she still made him uncomfortable. ‘You’re the only man left now, aren’t you Darryl?’ She said ‘man’ as if it were questionable. ‘Maybe you thought you’d eliminate the competition, huh? Let’s face it, there’s no other way any of us would ever go for you. Oh, Ellie may think you’re ‘sweet’, but she knows that even Jack’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.’
‘Of course I didn’t do it on purpose! Ebony, I wouldn’t…’
‘You’re just a pathetic little schoolboy,’ she sneered, inching closer so that he had to lean backwards over the railings just to avoid touching her. For the second time he thought he was going to die, and for the second time all he could think about was May. ‘A schoolboy who tries to impress the girls in the playground by picking a fight with one of the bigger kids.’ Was he the only one who hadn’t realised how he felt about May? He was terrified, and knew he must look it as well. ‘Well guess what, Darryl; this girl isn’t impressed, and you’ve just lost.’ She pinned him against the railings in an instant and he stood panting for breath, bent over them so far that he thought his back would break. ‘Now you listen to me. When we get to wherever it is we’re going, you’re going to make yourself scarce, understand?’ He nodded his head furiously. ‘I said…’
‘Yes, yes!’ he croaked. ‘I understand.’
‘Good. Because if you don’t, I’m going to be watching you every minute of every day, making your life so much of a nightmare that you’ll wish you’d have stayed here with the virus. Got it?’
‘Yes,’ he breathed, feeling helpless. ‘Now, please…’
‘Ebony!’
He recognised May’s voice, but hadn’t noticed her come out. By the way she tensed up, he guessed that Ebony hadn’t either. His stomach was doing somersaults and it had nothing to do with Ebony, who now pulled him back up roughly and mockingly dusted off his shoulders. ‘Remember, I’ll be watching you,’ she whispered to him before turning to May. ‘He’s all yours,’ she told her, walking away from him. ‘Or at least, what’s left of him.’ She paused at the door to the cabin to blow him a kiss before laughing wickedly and going inside, looking pleased with herself.
‘Are you hurt?’ May asked brusquely.
‘N-n-no, I’m fine. Thank you.’ That was a lie. He ached all over. Realising he was rubbing his back, he put his hands in his pockets. May said nothing. ‘Erm, look May, I’m sor…’
‘I really don’t want to hear anything you have to say right now, Darryl. What Ebony did was wrong and I’m glad you’re ok, but I’m not even close to forgiving you yet.’ Yet. There was still hope. ‘I just came to pass on a message.’ She kept her eyes on the deck, refusing to look at him. ‘He wants you to cast off.’ There was no doubt who ‘he’ was.
‘Can’t he do it himself?’
‘He specifically asked, no, ordered you to do it. And…and he wanted me to be the one to tell you.’
‘I see.’ He would have bet everything he owned that the trader was getting a kick out of this.
‘Just stay away from him, Darryl. Don’t cause any more trouble.’ She went back inside and he wished the sea would just swallow him up.
Soon after May left, Sammy came out, joining Darryl at the railings.
‘I suppose you hate me too?’
‘Nah, you were wicked in there! He got what was coming to him, bossing us around like that. Who does he think he is, anyway?’
He gave Sammy an odd look. ‘He didn’t ‘get’ anything, man. He won! And now everybody hates me.’
‘No they don’t.’
‘Ebony hates me. May hates me. He hates me.’
Sammy shrugged. ‘Nobody that counts.’ Darryl sighed. May counted.
‘Stay away from chicks, Sammy,’ he warned the youngster. ‘They mess with your head, make you do all kinds of crazy stuff.’
Sammy nodded his head in agreement. ‘Tell me about it. I’m never going to have a girlfriend. Girls are stupid.’
‘That’s the spirit, Sammy.’
‘Darryl?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Isn’t that Gel?’
He looked up and saw that Sammy was right. The girl running down the jetty, dragging behind her a suitcase that looked ready to burst, was unmistakeably Gel.
‘Wait!’ she called breathlessly, waving at them as she drew nearer. ‘Wait for Gel!’
Darryl climbed onto the jetty and, when Gel approached, helped her to step down onto the boat, with Sammy assisting from the deck.
‘Stop fussing, Sammy!’ she chided. Sammy promptly let go of her, resulting in her losing her balance and only just managing to stop herself from falling over. ‘There’s no need to be childish!’
Darryl saw Sammy give him an unimpressed look. He shook his head in reply, then shrugged his shoulders and mouthed the word ‘girls’. Sammy nodded and rolled his eyes. Gel was oblivious to this exchange, rearranging her hair, although Darryl couldn’t see the need for it; it looked exactly the same as it always did.
Just then, the trader burst out onto the deck, causing Gel to make a squeaking noise and jump in surprise. ‘What’s taking so long with the cast-off?’ he roared. ‘Surely even you should be able to untie a piece of rope!’ His eyes fell on Gel and his face turned sour. ‘Another one. Just what I need.’ He shook his head. There was movement in the cabin and Darryl suspected that someone had overheard that there was a new arrival. ‘Why did I even agree to this in the first place?’ the trader sighed, and at the same time Ebony rushed out, roughly pushing past him, closely followed by Trudy. Ellie had probably been left with the babies again, otherwise she would have been here too, hoping to see Jack. Ebony looked at Gel as though she had just found something unpleasant on her boot, whether because it was her or because it wasn’t Slade, Darryl didn’t know. Either way, seeing that Gel was alone, she gave him a look that left him in no doubt as to who she felt was to blame before turning on her heels and storming back inside. She brushed past Trudy’s shoulder so hard on her way in that the other girl staggered back a couple of steps.
‘Gel!’ she cried, after regaining her balance, giving the younger girl a hug. ‘It’s so good to see you, we’ve been so worried! Have you seen anybody else?’ As an actor, Darryl had to give credit to Trudy. Oh, there was no doubt that she was genuinely glad that Gel was safe, but she couldn’t hide the disappointment in her eyes that it was neither Jay nor Amber who was standing there in front of her.
Gel shook her head. ‘Sorry. I did see Jay, but that was ages ago. He was going to the hotel.’ Trudy smiled sadly and put her arm around Gel. ‘It’s alright. Let’s just get you inside, ok?’
‘Wait, where’s my case?’
‘Oh, I’ve got it,’ said Darryl. ‘Here, Sammy. Catch!’ He threw the suitcase onto the boat. Sammy caught it but stumbled back under its weight.
‘Umph! What have you got in here, Gel? The kitchen sink?’
‘Don’t be silly! And be careful with that!’
‘Hey! You can’t bring all that luggage on board. It’s too heavy,’ the trader said, blocking the door to the cabin.
‘But I need everything in there! I don’t know how long we’re going to be away!’
‘This is my boat and what I say goes! You might all be used to everything going your way in the city but this is how we do things out here.’
‘Oh, just let her bring the case,’ Trudy sighed. It’s not going to make any difference, especially…’ she trailed off and had to swallow before continuing. ‘Especially with all the people who aren’t here.’
The trader grunted. ‘Just hurry up and cast off, before we die already!’ He went back inside, muttering to himself. Gel bounced up and down on her toes happily, while Darryl untied the boat from the jetty and jumped back down onto the deck, before following the others inside. There were welcomes and more hugs for Gel from the rest of the tribe, before everyone sat down. Darryl noticed that everyone who had already been inside was squashed together with the others onto one bench, apart from Ebony, who sat on her own on the opposite bench. The people who had just come in had obviously drawn the short straw, and had to sit with her. As they all sat down, the boat’s engine revved into life and they began to leave the quayside behind.
‘Home?’ Brady’s small voice piped up, and everyone looked at each other, unable to say anything. Holding onto her daughter, Trudy began to cry quietly.
2 Likes
So what… 
They leave without them?! LOL… I’d rather stay in a city sentenced to doom then be on a boat with a pissed of Ebony:joy:
Poor Brady… And poor little Bray… No mommy there
1 Like
(lol… Makes my head spinning like… Imagine they land in the isle with KC and Alice and find Bray there and have to tell him they left Amber behind… Uhuuuuu…better run then😂)
Meant to post this earlier as I always feel the ending to the previous chapter is a bit cruel to the readers given what happens in this one…
Also, new character alert!
Chapter 10: Trader Trouble
Jay ran along the waterfront as fast as his long legs could carry him, his feet barely touching the ground between strides. His chest heaved as he desperately tried to breathe in as much air as he could, and his heart was pounding so hard that he felt it would burst out. He had had to summon the last of his strength to make it here from the hotel, and his muscles were burning from the exertion. There weren’t many people out and about but he hadn’t stopped to pass on Amber’s message to anyone that was, as he knew that if he stopped there was no way he would be able to continue. He felt relief when at last he turned onto the little wooden jetty where May had told him the boat would be before he had gone to the hotel to find Amber and the others. As he cleared the last of the fishermen’s huts the boat came into view, and relief turned to despair as a figure - Darryl, he thought - went inside and then soon after that the engine started: the boat was leaving!
No, no, no! This can’t be happening! he thought to himself as the vessel slowly moved out to sea, leaving behind a foamy wake. He felt like he was moving in slow motion himself, for all the ground he was covering, even though he knew he couldn’t run any faster. He watched helplessly as the boat continued to move further and further away from him. By the time he reached the end of the walkway the boat was already a good way out to sea. Cupping his hands around his mouth to magnify the sound, he tried to call out to his friends on the boat to get them to turn it around. ‘May!’ It was meant as a shout but as he was out of breath it only came out as a whisper. ‘Trudy!’ That time he managed a croak. He sank to his knees in defeat. ‘Darryl! Salene!’ It was no use. Breathless and wracked with pain he collapsed in a heap on the wooden planks of the jetty, one arm dangling over the edge.
The only sounds that could be heard on the boat were the mechanical purring of the engine and the lapping of the water against the vessel’s sides. None of the Mallrats said a word; they all sat staring at their laps, or at the walls, lost in their own thoughts. Trudy sat gently stroking Brady’s hair as she lay sleeping against her chest. The soft rocking motion of the boat had sent her off surprisingly quickly. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at Bray Junior who was also asleep, in Ellie’s arms. She hoped above all else that Amber was safe and well somewhere, away from the city, and that one day she would be reunited with her son. The poor child already had to grow up without his father; it would be so unfair for him to lose his mother as well, especially after all the good she had done for the whole city. Trudy didn’t want to lose her best friend either. She lifted her head and wiped away a tear. As she did so, she caught sight of something through the porthole between May and Salene’s heads. There was too much grime on the glass to be sure, but she thought she had seen someone standing on the quayside. She quickly handed Brady over to Ebony, who was sitting next to her and was so startled that she held out her arms to take her before realising what she was doing, by which time she was already holding the little girl. Trudy, meanwhile, had rushed over to the porthole, attracting everyone’s attention, and was trying to rub off some of the dirt, sobbing in frustration when she realised that most of it was on the outside of the window.
‘Trudy, what’s wrong?’ asked a concerned Salene, who was leaning over Ruby to give her friend more room between her and May.
‘I think there’s someone there!’ she replied vaguely, before heading towards the door to the deck.
‘What, in the water?’ she heard Gel ask as she walked past her, but she didn’t answer. If she was right, there wasn’t much time. Every second was taking them further away from the jetty. She went outside and held on tightly to the railings, peering back out over the water to the quayside. It wasn’t long before she was joined by Salene and May, but by then she had already seen all the proof she needed.
‘There is someone back there!’ she pointed. ‘I…I think it’s Jay!’ The black-clad, blond-haired figure lying face down on the jetty certainly looked like he was wearing one of the Techno uniforms, and who else could it be apart from Jay?
‘What’s wrong with him?’ asked Salene, sounding worried. ‘You don’t think…it can’t be the virus, can it?’
‘I don’t think it works that quickly,’ said May.
‘It can’t be the virus! It just can’t!’ Trudy cried. ‘May! We have to go back for him!’
‘I don’t know, Trudy.’
‘We can’t just leave him there!’ Salene said, shocked.
‘That’s not what I meant. I’ll do what I can but it’s not going to be easy, not now he’s already set off.’ She went back inside, followed by Salene, while Trudy stayed out on the deck.
‘Hold on Jay!’ she shouted. ‘We’re coming!’ She doubted that Jay could hear her, but saying it at least made her feel better.
May walked back into the cabin and headed straight for the small control room, paying no attention to the barrage of questions being fired at her from all directions. Leaving Salene to explain to the others what was going on, she knocked on the door; being rude wasn’t going to help her convince him to turn the boat around. Receiving no answer she decided to knock again.
‘Can’t you people take a hint?’ came the reply. ‘Go away! I’m busy!’ Seeing that politeness was getting her nowhere, she barged right in. ‘Hey! I said…oh, it’s you. What do you want now?’
‘We have to turn back.’
‘What!? No way! Are you blind? It’s too late, we’re already too far away to turn back now.’
‘Rubbish! One of our tribe is back there, we’ve seen him. We have to go back.’
‘Look, I like you May. You’ve got attitude and you’re good for business, but you’re really starting to annoy me now.’
‘You don’t understand…’
‘No, you don’t understand. I’ve been patient with the brat pack out there for your sake, but no more favours! I’m calling the shots here, and you’d do well to remember that.’
May sighed. ‘I really didn’t want to have to do this, but you’ve left me with no choice.’ She took him by surprise and worked quickly, grabbing him and forcing him to his knees. Having scanned the area when she first came in - she hadn’t expected him to turn around voluntarily - she dragged him over to a coil of rope she had spotted by the wall, intending to tie his hands together. Before she could do this, however, he managed to break free from her grip, overpowering her and roughly knocking her to the floor. As she scrambled backwards, he took out his knife again and started waving it towards her threateningly. This wasn’t exactly going according to her plan.
‘Don’t think I won’t use it,’ he said.
May knew the situation was too much for her to handle on her own now, although she didn’t like having to admit it to herself. ‘Darryl!’ she shouted. ‘Now would be a good time to help!’
Avoiding everybody’s knowing looks, Darryl forced himself to get up slowly. He wanted more than anything to rush straight through to May’s aid, but at the same time he didn’t want people to think that he was so besotted that he would do everything she said at the drop of a hat, especially when she had made it clear that she didn’t even like him. No, he still had a small grain of dignity left. The short distance from the end of the bench where he was sitting to the other end of the cabin seemed to take forever to travel, walking as calmly as he could, while everyone else sat watching him. All except for Gel, who was too busy looking after Brady - Ebony had ditched the girl as soon as Trudy had gone outside, waking her up in the process.
As soon as he entered the control area he had to duck - letting out an embarrassingly high-pitched noise as he did so - to avoid a knife that sliced through the air above him, missing his scalp by inches.
‘Take your time why don’t you?’ May snapped, instantly making him feel guilty. He knew she was in danger and he had been more concerned about his stupid pride. She could have been killed! The trader motioned them both to the end of the room, which was so small that they stood touching each other. He could smell her perfume.
‘You have a plan, right?’ he asked her.
‘I thought you would at least be able to distract him for a bit while I took him out.’ Great. Now he felt guilty and useless.
‘I’ve had just about enough of the both of you…’ the trader started, but Darryl interrupted.
‘Yes! Hit him with the suitcase Gel!’ he yelled. As the trader whirled around to face an imaginary foe he sprang into action, ramming the guy’s wrist against the doorframe so that he dropped the knife. May reacted just as quickly, finishing him off with a knee to the groin that made Darryl wince. As the trader collapsed to the floor in a writhing ball of agony she calmly pocketed the knife and went over to the controls.
‘What did you think of that then, eh? The oldest trick in the book and he fell for it!’ he said, feeling pleased with himself. May was too busy fiddling with the controls and wasn’t listening.
‘And that move you pulled on him at the end was amazing!’ Again, nothing.
‘May?’ He tried one last time, but was again unsuccessful.
‘I’ll just go, shall I?’
He wandered back out through the cabin. The boat began to turn and everybody started cheering. Even Ebony looked pleased, but he didn’t much feel like celebrating. When Trudy came back inside smiling from ear to ear he took the opportunity to go out onto the deck to be alone. He knew he wasn’t May’s favourite person right now, but did she really have to blank him like that? Ebony was right, he was nothing compared to Slade or Jay or Lex. He might as well just give up now. Staring out to sea he tried not to think about whether they would have turned back if it had been him at the quayside instead of Jay.
‘That’s fine. I understand,’ Amber told the two girls. ‘Don’t stay away too long though, ok?’ They looked at each other with uncertainty before turning to leave. When they were out of earshot she walked back to her companions. Lex and Slade were standing on the other side of the road, supporting Jack between them, who was still unconscious. ‘This is hopeless!’ she exclaimed, throwing her arms out in frustration. ‘That’s, what, the fourth group of people we’ve seen so far?’ Slade nodded. ‘And not one of them believed me when I told them they didn’t have to leave the city anymore. Not one!’
‘What is their problem?’ agreed Lex. ‘We risked our lives in there, the ungrateful…’
‘You can’t blame them for being wary,’ Slade interrupted. ‘You remember all the false alarms the first time around don’t you? They probably think it’s better to be safe than sorry, and to be honest I’m not sure that I wouldn’t be doing the same if I was in their shoes, staying clear of the city for a few days until I figured out what was going on. They’ll be back, when the time is right for them.’
‘But Amber told them it was safe!’
‘He’s right, Lex,’ she shrugged. ‘I guess they just don’t trust me as much anymore, and they’re probably right. I can’t believe we helped Mega to gain control of the city!’
‘My brother seems to have been good at manipulating people, and I don’t think they blame you. It’s just that, in this world, when it’s a life or death situation people don’t want to trust anyone but themselves. That’s just the way things are since the virus.’
‘Let’s just keep going,’ she said. ‘I just want to go home now.’
‘Right. We’re not far now, just coming up to the outskirts of Sector Ten,’ Lex told her.
‘Yeah, well the sooner the better,’ she said, leading the way. Slade and Lex followed with Jack. She hoped he was going to be ok; he had been with the tribe from the start and she couldn’t imagine him not being around. Passing an alleyway, she glanced casually down it and suddenly stopped dead. She was sure there had been somebody there, just for an instant. Of course there was the possibility that she was imagining it, especially after everything she had been through today, but she didn’t think so. Either way she had to know.
‘What’s the matter Amber?’ Slade asked as she took a step towards the passage. She motioned for them both to be quiet.
‘I think there’s someone down there,’ she whispered.
‘Woah, woah, woah!’ Lex butted in, dumping Jack on Slade and moving towards the alley. ‘There’s no way you’re going in there!’ he said, striding down himself.
‘I can look after myself, Lex!’ As usual, he wasn’t listening.
‘You’re outnumbered!’ he shouted into the alley, rattling the dustbins and skips and generally trying to make as much noise as he possibly could. ‘So you might as well come out quietly and give yourself up!’ He walked stealthily further into the alley towards the end of the row of skips, the only possible hiding place. As he reached towards the ground to pick up a discarded length of metal piping, a small figure darted out and ran through his legs. Acting quickly, he dropped the pipe and whirled around, managing to grab hold of the fugitive. ‘Aha! Gotcha!’
‘Yeah, well done Lex,’ Slade said sarcastically. ‘You caught a little kid.’
Amber laughed. ‘Oh Lex! My hero!’
‘Well none of us knew that before, did we?’ he complained. ‘Anyway, she could’ve bitten me, and who knows what these strays have, eh? I could have got rabies or something.’
‘That’s not funny Lex. If anyone’s an animal here, it’s you.’
‘You deal with her then,’ he told her, giving the little girl a rough shove. She stuck her tongue out at him before running straight to Amber, who crouched down to talk to the girl on the same level.
‘Hello,’ she said, trying to give a warm smile. ‘I’m Amber.’ The girl’s eyes widened. Was she afraid of her? ‘Do you recognise me?’ she asked. The girl bit her lip, as if thinking of what to say before answering.
‘You said the virus was coming again. Am I going to die?’
She gave the girl a hug. ‘Aw, no sweetie, nobody’s going to die. The virus isn’t getting out anymore. We fixed things.’ The girl didn’t say anything else about the virus. She seemed satisfied with the answer. ‘What’s your name, honey?’
‘Bonnie,’ she replied. Amber smiled sadly at the irony. In her present state, the girl was anything but bonny. About ten years old, she wore a drab brown dress that didn’t fit her very well and had several patches sewn to it in various shades of green that only emphasised the grubbiness of the dress. Her dark brown, naturally curly hair, falling to just below her shoulders, was messy and tangled and her face was also dirty. Her tribal markings had almost faded, but she could just about make out the two small stars, one at the corner of each bright blue eye. She thought they might have been painted gold.
‘That’s a pretty name,’ she said. ‘Where’s the rest of your tribe, Bonnie?’ The little girl shrugged unhelpfully. ‘Have they left you here on your own?’ Her worst fear had been that people would abandon the little ones to save themselves when she had made her broadcast.
Bonnie shook her head, biting her lip again. ‘They disappeared. There were planes and then they were gone.’ So, the Technos had taken them. How long had Bonnie survived in the city, fending for herself?
‘Don’t you have anywhere to go? A home?’ Bonnie looked back down the alley. ‘Oh, you poor girl!’ Amber whispered, hugging her again. ‘Don’t worry, you’re safe now.’
‘Amber,’ Lex said in a warning tone.
‘Oh don’t be silly, Lex. We can’t leave her out here on her own.’
‘She seems to have done alright on her own up ‘til now.’
‘She’s coming with us back to the mall. That is, if you want to come with us, Bonnie. You’d be very welcome, and there’ll be food and somewhere warm for you to sleep at night.’
‘I’d like that,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’ She smiled sweetly at Lex but he had gone to help Slade with Jack again and was so obviously not looking in her direction that he must have known what she was doing.
‘That’s Lex, Bonnie, and this is Slade.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Bonnie.’
‘And this is Jack.’
‘Is he dead?’ Bonnie asked.
‘No…no sweetie, he’s just…sleeping.’
‘He must be very tired, then.’
‘Yes, that’s it. He’s tired. He’s just had a very long day. We’ve all had a very long day.’
Amber held onto Bonnie’s hand as the little girl skipped alongside her happily. Her presence seemed to lift everybody’s spirits and it wasn’t long before they found themselves back at the mall. Entering the mall when it was empty always reminded her of the day she had first arrived here with Salene and Dal. Things hadn’t changed enough for her liking since then, and she was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to be truly safe.
As soon as everyone was inside, Slade and Lex began to climb the stairs to take Jack to his room. Amber followed the pair and Bonnie followed all of them. Inside the room, Jack was laid out on the bed carefully, while she rearranged the pillows and generally tried to make him more comfortable. Now all that was left was for them to wait until he recovered, however long that might be.
‘Can you two show Bonnie around the mall, maybe give her something to eat?’ she asked. ‘I just want to stay here a little bit longer, so he’s not alone.’
Slade nodded and guided Bonnie out of the room, with Lex following behind. ‘Come on Bonnie, Lex is going to take us on a grand tour of the place.’
Lex grunted at Slade’s comment and shot an accusatory look at Amber, but she didn’t care. When they had all left, she pulled out a chair from under Jack’s desk and settled herself down next to the bed. ‘I’m so sorry, Jack,’ she murmured, taking one of his hands in both of hers. ‘I should never have let you go through with this. We would all have been on our way out of this stupid place, been able to make a fresh start where nobody had ever heard of Zoot or the Chosen or the Technos. Somewhere safe.’ Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she continued. ‘You would have been fine, Ram would still be alive, and we would all have been together again. Now we might be the only ones left. Oh Jack, please wake up!’ She let go of his hand to wipe away her tears but as soon as she did so, fresh ones replaced them. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t stop them.
Standing outside Jack’s room with Lex and Bonnie, Slade could hear Amber’s muffled sobs through the curtain. He had thought at first that she had been upset about what she had seen in the hotel but what if he was wrong? What if that had just been the final straw, and the problem was in fact something much deeper that had been bubbling away inside of her for who knows how long?
‘Bonnie, why don’t you go on ahead,’ he whispered to the little girl. ‘Just stay by the fountain over there and we’ll be down in a minute.’ This wasn’t something she needed to hear. She gave him a confused look and bit her lip in that funny way she had, but in the end she nodded her head and ran down the stairs. When he was sure she was far enough away he turned to Lex to voice his concerns.
‘I’m worried about Amber,’ he said, wondering what Lex’s reaction would be. Even he must have noticed something too.
‘I don’t blame you,’ the other man replied. ‘She’s seriously messed up. Fine one minute, crying her eyes out the next. She’s lost it, man. Big time.’
‘Easy on the sympathy there, Lex. I think we should keep an eye on her.’
‘What, like stalk her?’
‘Sometimes you scare me, Lex. No, I just mean look in on her every now and then, just to make sure she’s ok and to let her know we’re there for her, at least until the others get here.’
‘If they get here.’
‘Do you always have to be so negative? Jay’s out there at least. He should be able to talk to her, but until then just go easy on her, ok?’
‘Whatever you say, doctor.’
‘I mean it Lex. Now, let’s go find Bonnie.’
‘Great. Why do we always have to bring in every waif and stray we meet, huh?’
Ignoring him, Slade made his way down the stairs towards the fountain where Bonnie was carefully walking along its edge, arms outstretched to balance herself. Lex had no choice but to follow him. ‘Alright then, kiddo,’ he told her as Lex reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘Welcome to the mall!’ Bonnie jumped off the fountain and into his arms, grinning broadly, making him laugh in pleasant surprise. ‘Better get started on this grand tour then, hadn’t we? Lead on, Lex!’
‘Me?’
‘I don’t exactly know this place all that well myself yet, do I?’
‘Fine,’ Lex sighed. ‘We’ll start down here then get something to eat upstairs.’
He put down Bonnie and, as the pair of them followed Lex, he wondered if Amber would be feeling any better by the time they finished.
Since being freed from the hotel’s computer systems, Jack had been in a state of panic, and only now was he beginning to calm down slightly as he became resigned to his situation. It was like his brain was the only part of him that was functioning properly. He was suffering some kind of paralysis. He tried to move, to speak, even to open his eyes but somehow all the signals he was sending to his body seemed to be being blocked. All he could do was wait and keep on trying. To help clear his mind he tried going over what had happened after the headset had been removed. His earliest memories from then were a blur as he hadn’t been able to think straight, but there had been some kind of commotion that had nothing to do with him. He hadn’t heard anything from Ram since then and he was beginning to think the worst. After that it had taken him a long time to realise that they must have left the hotel as he couldn’t feel anything from his body. No touch, no movement. He thought they were back at the mall now, though. Amber was talking to him, blaming herself for his condition - he wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her fault, that he had wanted to do what he did. He would never have forgiven himself otherwise. Lex and Slade didn’t seem to be around anymore, and neither did the female voice who had suddenly turned up at some point on the journey home. He wondered if the others were here yet, or if they had already left the city. Shouldn’t they be sending someone out to find them, or had they already done that? He was still very confused about what was going on around him. Part of him desperately wanted to be with Ellie, while the rest of him didn’t want her to see him like this. How long would it be before he recovered? Would he recover at all? That didn’t bear thinking about. However long it took, he was going to get better. He was determined that he wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life trapped inside his own mind. Concentrating, he tried to focus all his energy into opening his eyes. That, at least, would be a start.
3 Likes
Awwwww… I like how you change between the characters! Luckily Trudy has seen Jay!
And I like the idea that Jack is aware of his state and tries to fight from inside! cheers Jack on
I always kind of ignore Darryl (forgot him absolutely for THE WORLD WE LIVE IN NOW and also have forgotten him for ALL OF ME😅) Never got a connection towards him, but I like him here!
I really liked the fact that Darryl and Gel were introduced in series 5. I know lots of people found them annoying and saw them as ‘lite’ replacements for Ryan and Zandra, but for me the show was always at its best when it had a good mixture of serious and lighter characters. I made the conscious decision in this story to try and give time to everybody and hopefully they all get to grow a bit as a result.
Just started reading All Of Me! Enjoying it so far! Will comment properly once I’ve fully caught up.
1 Like
I actually liked Gel from the start. That’s why I give her always room. I always say everyone has an own story and an own light to shine. No character is all bad or all good. They all have flaws and strengths.I love Bray, but god there are moments when I just want to grab and shake him. 
AND I always “hated” Ebony but there are moments where I want to hug and kiss her
I always try to write about everyone too, so I appreciate it a lot, for I know it’s quite a bit of work to do so!
I am curious what you will say to it, I am constantly surprising myself by the Twists and turns I take 
Oh, there were definitely times when Bray was super annoying. He certainly knew how to sulk!
I only started watching the show properly from S4 so I probably focus more on the later cast of characters.
Really excited to see more from the other characters in All Of Me now that I’ve finished the prologue sections. 
Chapter 11: Reunited
Sprawled out exhausted on the jetty, Jay just wanted the noise in his head to stop but it only got louder. In his confused state it took some time for him to recognise the noise for what it actually was, the sound of the boat’s engine. That could only mean one thing - someone had seen him and they were coming back. Praying he wasn’t dreaming, he lifted his head and smiled in disbelief when he saw the boat. It was one thing hoping it would be there, but quite another to actually see the proof. Forgetting his tiredness he jumped to his feet, ready to welcome his friends back onto dry land. As the vessel slowly came in line with the walkway there was a scramble of movement on board, as a result of which Trudy and Salene came out onto the deck with huge smiles on their faces. Salene threw him the mooring rope and he secured the boat in place before helping them both off onto the wooden boards. As soon as she was ashore, Trudy threw her arms around him, reminding him just how much his body ached.
‘Jay! I’m so glad to see you!’ she cried. ‘Sorry, are you hurt?’
‘Nothing a little rest won’t fix,’ he said, wincing a little. ‘I thought I was going to be too late.’
‘You nearly were,’ said Salene. ‘It’s a good job Trudy spotted you.’
‘Yes, but there’s no time to explain,’ Trudy interrupted. ‘We’ve got to get back on the boat. Come on, Jay.’ Before he realised what was going on he found himself being ushered towards the boat by the two girls.
‘No, wait!’ he protested. ‘Nobody needs to go anywhere. The virus isn’t getting out anymore!’
‘You mean…’ Trudy said, wide-eyed. ‘Amber and the others stopped it? We’re safe?’
‘We’re safe,’ he confirmed. Trudy and Salene squealed and hugged each other, then Salene jumped back down onto the boat to tell the others. It was then that he realised Trudy was crying. ‘What’s wrong, Trudy?’ he asked.
‘Nothing. Really, it’s nothing. It’s just that I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again - any of you - and now you’re here and…look at me, crying over nothing!’ She laughed at herself. ‘Jay, are the others alright? Is Amber okay?’
‘What about Jack?’
‘And Slade?’
Ellie and Ebony led the rest of the Mallrats off the boat and soon there was a crowd around him, all asking after him and the rest of the tribe. Last out of the cabin were May and someone Jay didn’t recognise, presumably the boat’s owner. He walked with a slight limp and kept drinking from a hip flask, which Jay didn’t think seemed like a good idea if he was supposed to have been steering the boat.
‘Don’t smother the man!’ May told the group around Jay, smiling. ‘Jay, you have no idea how good it felt to hear your news. I don’t think we would have been in for a very calm journey.’ Somehow he didn’t think she was talking about the weather.
‘Hello May,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry we’ve had to inconvenience your friend here!’
‘Inconvenience?’ The man spluttered. ‘That hardly covers what I’ve been subjected to since you lot got here, and on my own boat no less! I assume I’ll be adequately compensated for loss of income?’
‘Don’t push your luck, pal,’ May snorted, and he narrowed his eyes at her.
‘Shall we head back to the mall then?’ Trudy asked, clearly wanting to change the subject. The boat’s owner looked like he wanted to hurt somebody. Darryl shifted nervously on his feet.
‘Come on then, let’s go home,’ Jay said. ‘I’ll fill you all in on the way, but to be honest I don’t know very much myself. I more or less came straight here as soon as I caught up with the others.’
‘Yeah, good riddance!’ the guy shouted at them as they headed back into the city, still clustered around Jay. Slowly they left the boat and its angry owner behind, and the huts and workshops gradually began to give way to more substantial buildings. The usually lively streets were now eerily quiet though, so he was glad when the questions started up again.
‘So what happened at the hotel then?’ May asked. ‘Did you find out?’ He shook his head.
‘I don’t know. They’d already left by the time I reached them. All I know is that they definitely stopped the virus, but I don’t know how. Something bad must have happened in there, though. They were pretty shaken up.’
‘Is everybody alright?’ Salene asked.
‘Mega’s dead I think, Ram too. And Jack, well he was in a pretty bad state. I don’t think he was conscious.’
‘He is alive though?’ Ellie said, more of a statement than a question.
‘Yes, he’s alive. I just wish I knew what happened to them in there. They were all soaking wet as well,’ he suddenly remembered, scratching his head.
‘Are Lex and Slade ok?’ asked Darryl.
‘Yes. Jack was the only one I saw who was injured. The other three seemed fine, under the circumstances I mean.’ With everyone satisfied that the city was safe, and that their friends were for the most part unscathed, the questions stopped and the Mallrats started talking among themselves. One voice that rose above the others was that of Gel. She was talking to Sammy and Darryl about her journey to the boat and Jay had started listening when he heard his name mentioned, but what she said next attracted the attention of the whole tribe.
‘Kidnapped?’ Salene asked incredulously.
‘Yes, I stopped to ask these two guys for directions and the next thing I knew I was being pushed into an old warehouse, it was awful! They wanted to sell me to someone as a slave!’
‘You should be careful who you talk to Gel,’ Salene said. ‘Especially when you’re on your own in an area like that. There’s always been people like that down there since the virus, believe me I know.’ Jay wondered what she was talking about.
‘Yeah, well it was either that or get infected by the virus trying to find the boat. Anyway, I nearly escaped.’
‘What do you mean, nearly escaped? You’re here aren’t you?’
‘I was rescued!’ she said proudly. ‘By a knight in shining armour. It was so romantic! I took a step towards him, he took a step towards me. I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine.’ She sighed wistfully and stared into space, lost in her own little world. There were a few giggles and Ebony rolled her eyes, while Sammy pretended to be sick.
‘Yeah? Well does this ‘knight’ have a name?’ Ellie asked, sounding unimpressed.
‘Don’t be silly,’ Gel blushed. ‘Of course he does.’
‘You don’t know it do you?’ Ellie replied, trying hard not to laugh. ‘You were too busy staring into his eyes to think of asking him! That is just so typically Gel!’ Seeing that Gel looked hurt, Jay tried to help out.
‘Why didn’t you bring him back here with you?’ he asked. ‘He would have been welcome.’
‘He knocked out one of the men who kidnapped me,’ she explained, sounding in danger of falling back into her daydream. ‘And he said he had to take him somewhere safe so that the virus wouldn’t get him. He asked me to go with him, but I couldn’t just leave you guys here waiting for me.’
‘Lucky us,’ Ellie sneered, earning her a warning look from Salene.
‘I wish something like that would happen to me,’ Trudy sighed, with the same yearning look that Gel had had. Everybody looked at her. ‘Preferably without the whole kidnapping thing, though,’ she added quickly, blushing.
It wasn’t long before the Mallrats entered more familiar territory in the heart of the city. Soon they would be home. Ellie had long since stopped paying attention to what the others were saying. Actually that wasn’t strictly true - she had stopped paying attention to what Gel was saying, and so had most of the others, although she was still yapping away to Darryl and Sammy who both looked half asleep. Maybe she had been a little harsh on the girl earlier, but how could she talk about her love life when the love of Ellie’s life could still be unconscious? She had thought for one brief moment, although it had seemed much longer, that Jay had said Jack was dead, along with Ram and Mega. Didn’t Gel understand how she felt? Did she have no tact? Wait, stupid question. One conversation she was still interested in was the one Jay was having with Ruby, although it wasn’t so much what they were saying as Ebony’s reaction to it. Ruby was telling Jay about her run-in with the truck on the way to the boat, and Ebony was walking a short distance behind the pair. She kept looking at them, obviously eavesdropping and probably trying to find out what Ruby remembered about the incident and if she would tell Jay what had really happened. Ellie was now convinced that Ebony had been responsible for Ruby’s ‘accident’ and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why - she obviously hadn’t been told that Ruby wasn’t actually pregnant and wanted her to miscarry Slade’s baby. If Ebony was still capable of things like that they were going to have to keep an eye on her now that she was back with the Mallrats, assuming she stayed with them of course. Ellie sighed. As if she didn’t have enough to worry about right now.
As they finally drew closer to the mall she decided she could wait no longer. Handing little Bray over to Salene she ran the rest of the short distance down the street, through the car park and into the old shopping centre’s main courtyard.
‘Jack!’ she called out, not slowing down as she continued up the stairs.
‘Ellie?’ a familiar voice replied from the café at the top of the stairs. Lex rose from his chair to greet her and despite her better judgement she found herself giving him a hug. Slade was sitting with him, and there was also a little girl at the table who was watching her with curiosity.
‘Lex! I never thought I’d say this but it’s good to see you. Where’s Jack?’
‘He’s in his room resting,’ he replied. ‘Amber’s with him at the moment. Where are the others?’
‘They’ll be here soon,’ she called back, already heading for Jack’s room. When she got there she found him lying in bed, with Amber sitting by his side crying. Her heart caught in her throat and she began to fear the worst.
‘Amber?’ she said tentatively. ‘Is he…?’
‘Ellie!’ Amber smiled, wiping her eyes in a vain effort to hide the fact that she had been crying. ‘You’re back! Jack’s…well, we don’t know what’s wrong with Jack. He’s alive, but all we can do is wait. I’m so sorry Ellie.’ The two girls hugged and Ellie felt a huge surge of relief.
‘I can’t lose him Amber,’ she said, hoping to hear some words of encouragement from the other girl, but Amber just stood there looking at Jack.
‘I’ll leave you two alone,’ she finally said before leaving the room in a hurry. Ellie watched her go, to be replaced by Lex standing at the doorway.
‘What’s wrong with Amber?’ she asked him.
‘We don’t know,’ he said. ‘She’s been like that since the hotel, off and on. I thought she’d have snapped out of it by now.’
‘Jay’s on his way. He’ll be able to help her.’
‘They’ve just got back by the sound of things,’ Lex said. ‘I’m going down to meet them.’
‘Okay, I’ll stay here with Jack.’ Lex nodded and left the room, while she sat down in the chair Amber had just vacated and started stroking Jack’s hand. ‘Hey baby,’ she said softly. ‘It’s me. We’re back from the boat now. It looks like you’re a hero again!’ She sat there talking to him, hoping that the sound of his voice would bring him back to her, but if he could hear her he wasn’t showing any sign of it.
‘Hello?’ Trudy called out as Jay led them into the mall. ‘Is anyone home?’ She heard the scraping of chairs in the café upstairs, then Slade rushed down to greet them, or more accurately he rushed down to greet Ebony, the pair locking lips as soon as he reached her. Trudy covered Brady’s eyes and looked away.
‘Eww, what’s that?’ Gel asked from further behind. Beside Slade stood a very mucky looking girl in an even muckier dress, and it was this girl that Gel was apparently referring to. The girl had been watching Slade and Ebony but now that everyone was looking at her she hid behind him, peeking out and biting her lip nervously.
‘It’s ok,’ he told the girl, guiding her in front of him and putting his hands on her shoulders to present her to the group. ‘Everyone, this is Bonnie. Bonnie, this is Ebony, Jay, Salene, May, Sammy, Gel, Ruby, Darryl and Trudy.’ He pointed everyone out as he said their names. ‘And that’s Brady, and his name is Bray.’
‘Hello,’ she said shyly, overwhelmed by all the names. Most people replied but one notable exception was Ebony.
‘She seems very attached to you,’ she told her boyfriend. ‘I hope she’s not going to follow you around everywhere.’
‘Don’t be silly. What’s the matter anyway? I think it’s cute. Don’t you like children?’
‘In case you hadn’t noticed already, no I don’t.’
‘Oh. Well I guess that’s just too bad then, because I do.’
‘So I see. Especially other people’s it seems,’ Ebony said before storming off.
‘Ebony!’ Slade called before chasing after her. Bonnie looked as if she might follow but then seemed to think better of it. Looking around at the assembled Mallrats, she instead picked out Gel and stood next to her expectantly. Gel looked horrified, but when she didn’t say anything Bonnie decided to make the first move.
‘I like your hair,’ she told the older girl. Gel’s expression changed at once, beaming at the little girl and unconsciously twirling her hair around her fingers.
‘Thank you!’ she replied. She looked thoughtful for a moment then added, ‘Why don’t we go up to my room and get you all cleaned up? I might even have some nice new clothes for you to wear!’ Bonnie hugged her and Gel laughed before linking arms with her and going upstairs. On the way they passed Amber coming down, closely followed by Lex.
‘Amber!’ Trudy called to her friend, but she was beaten to her by Jay. He tried to give Amber a kiss but she flinched and pushed him away.
‘Not now, Jay,’ she sighed irritably. At first he looked a little puzzled, but then he laughed and put his arms around her waist from behind, nestling his chin on her shoulder. Trudy felt a tiny stab of jealousy.
‘Come on Amber, don’t be like that,’ he smiled. ‘You’ve saved the day again. Take a break, the city’s safe!’
‘Get off me!’ She pulled away from him angrily, turning around to face him. ‘The city’s empty, Jay! Everyone we spoke to decided they still wanted to leave and you know what? They were right! Ram and Mega are dead, Jay, and Jack’s in some sort of coma, and for what? We should have just gone when we had the chance.’
Trudy and Salene, who was holding Bray, looked at each other as if to ask what was going on. Salene decided to try and cheer Amber up by stepping forward to return her son to her, but again she pulled back.
‘I…I can’t Salene. Please, just…’ she couldn’t finish and began to walk away.
‘Amber, wait!’ Jay cried, grabbing hold of her arm.
‘Jay just leave me alone!’ she shouted at him, then turned to address the rest of the tribe. ‘Why can’t any of you see? Every time we pick ourselves up something else happens and the chaos just comes right back!’ As if to prove her point a loud scream came from one of the upstairs rooms.
‘That sounded like Gel,’ said Lex, and the Mallrats all headed up the stairs to see what was the matter, apart from Amber who stood shaking by the fountain.
‘It’ll be alright,’ Jay called back as he left her. ‘I’ll be right back.’
Trudy hesitated over leaving Amber behind, but thought she would rather be on her own for a while. She was just stressed that was all, and who could blame her? She would be fine after a good night’s sleep. When she entered the room with the rest of the tribe she saw Bonnie hiding behind Gel, both of them looking at a motionless figure lying on the floor, apparently having fallen out of the wardrobe, which was wide open. Trudy gasped in shock when she realised who it was.
‘Lottie!’ Ruby cried as she and Jay rushed over to the girl.
‘Is she alright?’ Darryl asked.
‘She’s just fainted I think,’ Jay said, checking her over. ‘She should be ok though.’
‘Oh Lottie! What was she doing in there Gel?’ Ruby asked angrily.
‘I…I don’t know. I locked it before I left the mall. I guess she was hiding in there.’
‘I thought she’d got lost in the city!’ Ruby cried. ‘Oh, I’m so glad she’s safe!’
‘Alright everyone, let’s give her some space,’ Jay said. ‘Darryl, can you help Ruby with Lottie?’ Darryl nodded and while he and Ruby stayed behind to see to Lottie, the rest of the Mallrats filed out of Gel’s room. Jay rushed ahead of them, presumably to check on Amber, but while everyone was still halfway down the stairs he came back, looking upset.
‘What is it Jay?’ Trudy asked.
‘It’s Amber,’ he replied. ‘She’s gone!’
2 Likes
Uhuuu… What’s going on with Amber girl?! 
So I confess again I hate Jamber so no problem if you might take them apart… Honestly I don’t like him very much… () but I am still always fair and give him good moments.
But here… I want to slap him… Two deaths… Jack is ill … Their Tribe nearly would have gone… Amber’s baby would have nearly been away forever from his mother… And he wants snogging? Honestly… I was cheering your Amber for telling him off!
But Slade is not really all seeming down and sad or? I would imagine him to be more broken and show that to Ebony? And no one is really shocked about two deaths 
(okay they have seen so much death its probably only real)
To me Trudy was the one who sulked. She sat around pouting sometimes for just nothing, while Bray at last had very good reasons to be sad or pissed off in my eyes. To me it okay if characters aren’t all good mooded and springing around in action as long they have a reason for their low mood. I am not always happy and full of energy and so it is okay for me when they aren’t too. It makes them realer in my eyes. I always preferred the heroes who have to grow and aren’t all perfect from the start.
It is so hard with All of me…
There will come such dark and sad moments… But I am already on chapter 20 were I finally can go speeding up a bit 
Haha, I don’t think Jamber should have happened on the show. I think it cheapened Jay as a character, especially after partnering him with Trudy so soon beforehand. I do quite like writing him though as he is so contradictory as a person! This is something I have him reflect on in the next chapter.
Slade’s still pushing himself on, doing what he feels he has to do. We haven’t been inside his head yet but Mega’s death is definitely something that will continue to shape him as we go on.
As for the rest of the tribe, yes they probably are a bit desensitised to death but you’re right that I probably should have included more of a reaction from some of the others. I can’t remember if I cover it in later chapters (everything that’s happened so far has taken place on the same day), but I don’t think I do.
Oh wow, chapter 20 already! I have so much still to catch up on!
Chapter 12: An Unwelcome Surprise
Morning light washed over Jay’s face and he woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and slowly realising where he was. It had turned out that Amber had been taken to her room by Slade, who had found her crying in the courtyard when he came out to investigate the scream from Gel’s room. When Jay had gone in to check on her she had told him that she needed a bit of space, and so he had been forced to spend the night on Darryl’s couch. As a result of this he ached all over, and this was on top of the stiffness he still felt from all the running around he had done the previous day. Still, it was worth it if it meant that Amber was still safe in the mall. Looking around, he saw that Darryl’s bed was empty and wondered what time it was. The room itself, next to Gel’s, was fairly big although plain, as the latest Mallrat had yet to make his mark on it. Jay dread to think what it would look like after it got the Darryl treatment. The other newcomers had also chosen their rooms. Ruby and Lottie shared a room at the other end of the stairs, next to Slade and Ebony. When Ebony and Ruby realised that they were neighbours they had nearly come to blows, but neither was willing to swallow her pride and back down so in the end they stayed where they were. Bonnie, meanwhile, had been taken in by Gel and the two were becoming friends in spite of Gel’s initial reaction to the girl. Jay suspected that she was happy to have someone to talk to now that Mouse was gone.
He sat back with his hands behind his head and began to mull over all that had happened the day before. Would everything have been different if he had gone to the hotel with the others? He would have been able to be there for Amber and maybe she would have been alright. While he was thinking, Darryl came back into the room carrying a tray of food.
‘Ah, good,’ he said. ‘You’re up. Fancy some breakfast? It’s scrambled eggs.’
‘Wow, thanks Darryl. You didn’t have to you know.’ He took the tray eagerly, his stomach rumbling at the aroma.
‘Actually I didn’t, it was Trudy’s idea. I just made the coffee.’
‘Trudy?’ he repeated, suddenly uncomfortable.
‘Yeah, but it’s ok. I don’t think she wants to get back with you or anything.’ Jay nodded and tucked into his breakfast.
‘Listen Darryl,’ he said through a mouthful of scrambled egg. ‘Thanks for letting me crash here last night.’
‘No problem man,’ Darryl said. ‘Are…are you and Amber going to be alright?’
Jay’s stomach tightened slightly and he shrugged. ‘I hope so. I’m not giving up on her anyway, she needs me.’
‘Yeah, well good luck with that. I’d better get back out there,’ Darryl said apologetically. ‘Some of us are going back to the hotel today and we’re trying to figure out what to do with the virus. Slade wants to know if you’re coming.’
He sighed and put the tray down on the floor. ‘I’d forgotten about that. Yeah, count me in I guess. When are we leaving?’
‘As soon as everyone’s ready.’
‘Okay then, go and tell Slade I’m coming with you and I’ll be out as soon as I can.’ Darryl nodded and left the room.
Pulling the blanket that was covering him off the couch, he stepped into his boots and pulled on his top. After shovelling down a bit more breakfast and drinking his coffee he picked up the tray and took it out to the café. When he got there he found that Trudy had already left, but Lex, Slade and Darryl were all huddled together around the far table, while Gel sat at a closer one, along with someone who looked very familiar.
‘Mouse?’ he said, doing a double take and putting his hand on the girl’s shoulder. When she turned around to face him he realised his mistake. ‘Oh. Sorry Bonnie, I thought you were someone else.’
Gel giggled. ‘I didn’t have anything that fit her, but I found some of Mouse’s old things that she didn’t take with her to the hippies, that she can wear until I make her something new.’
‘Ah, I see. I didn’t realise you could do that Gel.’
‘Trudy’s helping me. I’m more into the designing side of things, you know? With Bonnie’s input of course.’
‘Of course,’ he said, wondering how much input Bonnie would actually have.
‘Jay!’ Slade called from the other table. ‘Stop flirting with the girls and get over here!’ Gel and Bonnie laughed and he went over to the others.
‘Morning,’ he said. ‘So what’s the plan?’ Darryl and Lex looked to Slade, who seemed to be in charge.
‘I saw some of those…biohazard suits, or whatever you call them, in the storeroom when I was looking for a bandage,’ he said. ‘We can use those to get into the lab safely. Then we’re going to have to find some sort of container to put the virus in – we’ll have a better idea of what’s there once we get inside – and bury it somewhere it won’t be disturbed. Maybe the rubbish dump?’
Jay nodded. ‘I can’t think of anywhere else.’
‘When we’ve done that we can go back for Ram and my brother. Is everybody ready then?’ Lex and Darryl said that they were. ‘Jay?’
‘I should probably say goodbye to Amber first, and see how she is.’
‘Alright. We’ll be downstairs waiting for you. Don’t be too long.’ The other three men left the table, then he went over to Amber’s room and knocked on the doorframe. He heard her shift on the bed but she didn’t answer so he poked his head behind the curtain, the rest of him following when he saw that she was awake and dressed.
‘Amber?’ There was no reply. ‘Amber, I’m going back to the hotel with the other guys. We’re going to dispose of Mega’s virus and…the rest.’ He didn’t want to risk upsetting her further by mentioning the bodies.
‘Bye then,’ she said uncaringly.
‘Right. Well, I just wanted to tell you so, you know, you didn’t worry or anything.’
‘I won’t.’
‘That’s…that’s good, I guess. We’ll be back as soon as we can.’ He turned to leave then stopped. ‘Amber…I love you, and I want to help you get through this. If you’d just talk to me…’
‘I don’t want to talk, Jay! Please, just go!’ Jay did as he was told but he didn’t like it. He knew she would come around sooner or later, he just hoped it would be sooner. As he emerged back on the other side of the curtain he saw Slade standing at the top of the stairs.
‘You did your best,’ he was told by the other man. ‘You’ve just got to keep being there for her. Things will get back to normal, you’ll see.’ He slapped him on the back and the two of them went down to meet Lex and Darryl. Darryl smiled in what Jay took to be sympathy, while Lex didn’t make any comments about keeping them waiting, for which he was thankful.
The four men exited the mall and went out onto the city streets. Rubbish littered the ground from the evacuation; under Ram and even more so under Mega there had been regular litter collection work parties, and the current state of the streets only confirmed that the Technos’ regime was well and truly over. The city itself was deserted, and by the time the group of Mallrats arrived at the hotel they had seen no other living souls, although they had passed one woman who had probably been trampled to death in the crowds. Heading up the stairs to the hotel’s front entrance, the four men stopped in the reception area to confirm their plan.
‘Right everyone,’ Slade said. ‘Chances are we’re not going to have any problems once we get in there, but keep your eyes peeled just in case. There may be looters around.’ Lex and Darryl nodded. Jay looked around him, taking in the damp walls and floor.
‘You short-circuited the system?’ he said, putting two and two together. ‘Good idea.’
‘Jack did it from inside, with one of those headsets,’ Lex tried to explain, although it was clear that he didn’t fully understand what had happened either. ‘He’s lucky he didn’t end up like Ram and Mega.’
‘They did the same?’
Lex nodded. ‘For all the good it did them.’
Slade led them the rest of the way to the storeroom he remembered from the day before in silence. When they got there he blinked and backed out of the room, looking around as if he wanted to make sure they were in the right place. When he went back inside he started searching around for something, looking confused.
‘Lost something?’ Lex asked.
‘The suits are gone,’ he replied.
‘What do you mean they’ve gone? They can’t have walked off by themselves. Are you sure this is the right place?’
‘This is the place alright.’
‘Maybe you saw them somewhere else?’ Darryl mused, trying to be helpful. ‘Or maybe you mistook something else for a bio-suit.’
Slade looked at him funny. ‘They weren’t exactly the first thing on my mind, but I know one of those suits when I see one, and there were four of them, all lined up against that wall there. Just enough for us.’
‘What are you saying Slade?’ Jay asked, although he already had a pretty good idea.
‘I’m saying someone’s been here before us, and more importantly they’ve been in the lab.’ They all looked at each other, unable to say anything, worry etched on their faces. Darryl looked like the world was about to end all over again. It was Jay who finally spoke up.
‘We don’t know that they came for the virus,’ he said, none too confidently. ‘Either way, we still have to go to the lab.’
Lex looked at him like he was crazy. ‘Without the suits? Are you serious? That’s suicide! I caught the first virus and believe me that was bad enough. There’s no way I’m going in there to get the second one.’
‘We might not have to go in,’ Slade said. ‘I mean, if the virus isn’t there anymore…’
‘Then we’re in even worse trouble!’ finished Lex.
‘Slade’s right,’ Jay admitted. ‘If someone’s taken the virus already then there’s not a lot we can do about it, but we’ll never know if we don’t go and have a look for ourselves. All we’re doing standing around here arguing is wasting time.’ The others murmured their agreement, although Darryl did so reluctantly.
‘You heard the man,’ Slade told the other two. ‘Let’s go.’ The four of them left the storeroom and turned the corner, heading towards where the lab was. As soon as they came in sight of the small window in one of the walls that looked into the secret lab, they all knew that something was wrong. Two figures in white protective suits could be seen moving about inside and Jay was willing to bet that there were another two in there that he couldn’t see, since Slade had remembered seeing four suits in the storeroom.
‘Let’s get out of here before they see us!’ Darryl hissed, panicking.
‘Will you get a grip?!’ Lex said harshly, although his eyes showed that he too was afraid.
‘It’s too late anyway,’ Jay said, inclining his head towards the window. ‘We’ve been spotted.’ One of the figures on the other side of the door had tapped the other on the shoulder and pointed at the four Mallrats, before another two suited forms, just as Jay had thought, moved into view and all four of them stopped what they were doing and hastened to the door. The Mallrats stood their ground, with Lex and Slade in front. One of the four figures – the largest and presumably the leader – stepped forward. Jay thought it was the one who had been tapped on the shoulder. The figure removed its mask, and Jay could see it was a man. He had a hard face and short, curly blond hair, but what made Jay gasp was the small black ‘T’ surrounded by a red circle in the middle of his forehead. He was not the only one who had seen.
‘So much for the end of the Technos,’ Lex noted.
2 Likes
Waaaaa Still Technos out there! Ram seemingly didn’t notice a lot of what was going on behind his back?!
Somehow… Jay does not want to give up on her, for he thinks she needs him?! Hmmm… That’s not actually what you would think of big love, or? Just kind of phrasing you stay for the others sake somehow… Well, well… Curious what you make out of it (In my story he has a real twist of a story in front!)
I hope Amber comes around… She has her baby son to think about. I like your Darryl… Like I said never had a connection to him and always forget him for my stories… Just ignore him. But I like him here!
Yes, I think Ram was so confident in his superiority that he just ignored people who were so far beneath him that he didn’t think they could cause any trouble.
Similarly for Jay, I think he needs to feel needed and that he is doing good, both in his role in the Technos, and in his relationships.
Whereas Darryl I see as somebody who has always been put down and made fun of, and is only now starting to find his voice and his own place in the tribe.
1 Like
Absolutely. I only wrote about Ram since my last story. I let face his flaws and think about has gone wrong somehow.
Yes actually that was what always made me a bit thinking of what I will do with Jay in my story. He is controlling so much, that I highly doubt he is really honest about himself towards others and himself along. In the Technos he even focused so much on his dream of the promised hospital that he totally ignored that people would be suffering by it. He just accepted that there would be victims for his dream and kind of went along we with for example Amber losing her sons dad. I always try to let him face those facts about himself.
You’re right about that. It is kind of the same with Gel. Everyone just sees her like some Barbie doll not even caring even she has another part of personality.
I agree with you about Ram. If I rewrote this story today I think I’d take him in a different direction.
Chapter 13: The Cable Guy
Jay couldn’t believe it. The Technos were still in the city. Anger suddenly started to bubble up inside of him; had they not caused enough trouble already? He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Darryl giving him a warning look. Jay nodded in response and managed to restrain himself. Lex, however, was not as successful.
‘You guys just hang around like a bad smell don’t you?’ he sneered at the hard-faced blond, still the only one of the four to have taken off his headgear.
‘Get out of here!’ the Techno ordered them, ignoring Lex’s jibe. ‘This place isn’t safe, and there is nothing to loot; nothing you Virts could use anyway.’
‘You must be confusing us with some other ‘Virts,’ Slade said. ‘We’re not looters, we’re the Mallrats, and we’re here to clean up the mess your master started.’
The Techno gave a laugh as if Slade had said something unintentionally funny. ‘That won’t be necessary,’ he said. ‘As you can see we have everything under control.’
Jay couldn’t take any more of the man’s rudeness and before he knew it he was pushing himself in front of Lex and Slade, bringing him face to face with the Techno. ‘Don’t you think you’ve done enough?’ he spluttered angrily.
The blond-haired man sneered at Jay and was about to say something when there was a stir behind him. The figure who had alerted him to the Mallrats’ presence now removed its mask, revealing a dark-skinned young woman with short, dark red, corn row braids that clung to her scalp. ‘Jay?’ she said. ‘Cable, it’s Jay!’
‘I know who it is!’ the blond-haired Techno snapped.
‘Spinner?’ Jay said, recognising the woman. ‘Is that you?’ He couldn’t believe it, could it really be her?
‘You remembered,’ she smiled, blushing slightly. Jay felt his cheeks burning too. How could he forget? She cleared her throat before getting back to the matter at hand. ‘It’s alright Jay, we’re here to help,’ she said, then looked towards Cable. He nodded as if to give permission for her to divulge this information, and at the same time the other two figures removed their protective headgear to reveal a man with messy, shoulder-length black hair, and a woman with short, blonde spiky hair. ‘This is Link,’ Spinner said with a gesture towards the woman. ‘And this is Tag.’ The black-haired man nodded when she said his name. ‘The four of us have gathered together the remnants of our tribe, to try and salvage something.’
‘Why bother?’ Lex sneered. ‘The city can do without your sort.’
Jay nodded. ‘The last I heard, you were one of Mega’s proteges, Spinner,’ he said quietly.
‘I was part of his team, yes,’ she said, sticking her chin up defensively and looking a little hurt. ‘But I was working for him, Jay, not with him. As far as I knew, this was a pharmacy.’ She gestured towards the lab and Lex smirked. ‘Besides,’ she said with a self-satisfied smile. ‘Who do you think fixed it so that Mega couldn’t access the lab?’
The Mallrats looked at each other. ‘That was Ram!’ Lex said, frustrated. ‘Tell her Jay!’
Spinner looked at Jay, still smiling to herself, and he swallowed before answering. ‘Well,’ he started. ‘We don’t know for sure that it was Ram. We just assumed.’ Lex shook his head in disbelief, shooting a look of utter disgust first at Jay, then at the Technos.
‘Contrary to popular belief,’ Cable said, matching Lex’s glare. ‘Most of us Technos actually wanted to make the world a better place. Of course most of us never reached positions of power, and those that did abandoned us.’ He shot Jay a contemptuous look. ‘Leaving Ram and Mega to do what they liked.’
‘That’s not fair! It wasn’t like that!’ Jay said defensively. ‘If I’d stayed it would only have put me in danger, and what use could I have been to anybody then? I did what I could.’
‘It all turned out hunky-dory for you though, didn’t it? Shacked up in the mall while we were stuck in here.’
‘But that’s over now,’ Link pointed out. ‘Ram and Mega are gone. We could really use you on our team, Jay.’ Cable ground his teeth angrily, making no secret of how he felt about what Link had just said, but surprisingly he didn’t say anything against it. ‘Most of the Technos have fled the city,’ she continued. ‘And some became so disillusioned with what they stood for that they’ve run off to join the Ecos. If you were with us, I’m sure they’d come back.’
He didn’t know what to think, let alone say. A new Techno tribe, working this time in the city’s best interests, and they wanted him to join them.
‘Jay, you’re not seriously considering this are you?’ Lex asked, disgusted.
‘He’ll never come back,’ spat Cable. All the same, everyone looked at Jay, waiting for his answer.
‘Go on Jay, tell them,’ Darryl pleaded. ‘Tell them you’re staying with us.’
He sighed heavily, coming to a decision. ‘I guess Cable’s right,’ he said. Cable gave a satisfied smile, but Spinner looked away sadly. ‘I’m sorry Spinner,’ he said. ‘I just can’t do it. I’m with the Mallrats now. I am a Mallrat.’ As the four Technos looked at him he suddenly became more aware of the uniform he was wearing. It felt tighter than usual, and the ‘T’ on his forehead seemed to burn.
‘You can’t have it both ways, Jay.’ Spinner told him. ‘There are going to be a lot of changes in this tribe. If you’re going to stay with the Mallrats that’s fine, but you won’t have any authority here anymore, you have to know that.’
‘I understand,’ he said. ‘And I’ve made my decision. I really hope you succeed where we failed.’ Spinner smiled and Tag nodded thoughtfully. Now that Jay had made his position clear, Cable seemed willing to open up a bit more about the four’s plans for the reformed Technos, although he clearly still disliked him.
‘We’re in the process of neutralising the virus,’ he said. ‘Spinner and Link are making good progress working out what’s in the blasted thing.’
‘You guys managed to dilute it a bit with the sprinklers,’ Spinner explained. ‘But we can hopefully make it completely harmless.’
‘The main thing was just to stop it from getting out,’ Slade said. ‘We came back to finish the job.’
‘Well as you can see we’ve got everything under control now,’ Cable reminded him. ‘You might as well go back home.’
‘We haven’t finished what we came here to do yet,’ said Slade. ‘There are a couple of bodies in the control room we need to recover.’
‘Ram and Mega?’ asked Link. ‘So that was you? Good job. Let them rot, I say.’
‘No! Ram died saving one of us, and Mega was my brother.’ The Technos raised their eyebrows in unison at Slade’s statement but otherwise showed no sign of surprise. ‘They deserve a proper burial,’ he continued. ‘Can we take some things from your store to carry them?’
Cable shrugged. ‘Take what you like, we’re relocating to the power station anyway,’ he said. ‘We’re going back to what the Technos should have been about in the first place, providing power.’
Jay was impressed, although his companions appeared to be a little more wary. Part of him was still itching to help these four people to lead the Technos in a new direction – after all, their aims were what he had originally joined the tribe for – but he had made his decision, and despite feeling as if he had lost a part of himself he was happy with it. Spinner was right, though. If he could have had it both ways he would have jumped at the chance. She had always been able to see right through him. How long had it been since he had left the Technos? And he was still wearing their uniform. Amber and Ebony had questioned him about it several times in private, but there had always been excuses; liaising with Mega, giving orders to other Technos when the city was at risk from the Zootists. He could hardly be taken seriously without it, could he? Deep down, though, he knew that he had wanted to keep the link with his former tribe alive as a safety net. Being a Techno was all he had ever known since the virus, at least until he came to the city. They had helped him through the deaths of his parents and given him hope for the future of this new world. They had been a huge and important part of his life, but perhaps it was finally time for him to cut his ties and move on. The Technos didn’t need him anymore, and he trusted Spinner, if not the other three, to turn the tribe around for the better. He had responsibilities to the Mallrats now, and he had made a commitment to Amber. Surely ditching his uniform would help her to trust him as well.
Slade thanked Cable and took Darryl into the storeroom to fetch whatever it was he wanted, leaving Jay with Lex and the Technos, but not for long. ‘If you’ll excuse us,’ Cable said. ‘We have some unfinished business to attend to.’ He put his protective headgear back on and went into the lab, motioning for the other three to follow him. Link and Tag entered after him, but when Spinner turned to leave Jay stopped her.
‘Spinner, wait!’ he called.
‘What is it?’ she asked, walking over to him and Lex. Even in the bulky suit she was wearing her hips moved enticingly.
‘I wanted to ask you a favour.’ He thought for a moment she looked disappointed, then she was all smiles again.
‘I can’t promise anything,’ she said. ‘But go on, ask away.’
‘You worked on the Paradise programme didn’t you?’
Spinner giggled and her eyes sparkled mischievously. ‘You kept tabs on me? How sweet! Yes, I did have a role in that project, working for your brother as it happens.’ Jay’s face fell at the mention of Ved. ‘I’m sorry Jay, I wasn’t thinking. Have you heard anything about him?’ She looked mortified at having brought up the subject.
‘Nothing,’ he sighed. ‘And now the only two people who might have been able to tell me something are dead.’ Lex shifted uneasily on his feet and Jay guessed that he was thinking about Tai San. There was an awkward silence before Spinner continued. ‘As I was saying,’ she began after clearing her throat. ‘I was working for Ved, as part of the team designing the neural interface.’ Lex’s eyes glazed over. ‘The headsets,’ she clarified, and a look of recognition appeared on his face. ‘Anyway, before you say anything I’m not proud of it, but I didn’t have any choice.’
‘There’s always a choice,’ Lex said.
She shook her head. ‘Ram already knew how good I was, and I would have been deleted if I’d refused.’ She winced when she realised what she had said and thoughts of Ved flashed through Jay’s mind once more. ‘You still haven’t asked me that favour,’ she said, trying to change the subject.
‘I’m getting there,’ he told her, but not unkindly. ‘I don’t know how much you know about what happened yesterday, but Ram created some sort of artificial intelligence programme and gave it control of the whole network, including the lab although he didn’t know it existed at that point. Something went wrong with the programme and it decided to finish what Mega started.’
Spinner’s eyes widened with every word. ‘Wow. That kind of technology, it certainly explains a lot, but why are you telling me this?’
‘A good friend of mine, Jack, was the one who disabled the programme and turned on the sprinklers from inside the system.’ He looked at Lex for confirmation and got a nod in reply.
‘Inside!?’ Spinner cried. ‘The human brain was never meant to handle that kind of interaction! How is he?’
‘That’s just it, we don’t know. He seems to be in some sort of coma. I was hoping…maybe you could have a look at him?’
‘What?!’ Lex spluttered, but both Jay and Spinner ignored him.
She thought for a long while before answering. ‘I’d have to clear it with Cable first, you understand?’ Jay nodded. ‘I’m sure he’ll agree, I mean it’s the least we can do after he saved the city, but don’t get your hopes up Jay. This is way out of my league, I don’t know half as much about this sort of thing as Ram did.’
‘If anyone can do it,’ he said. ‘You can.’ They shared a lingering look before she zipped up her biohazard suit and turned back towards the lab.
‘I’ll meet you at the mall when I’ve sorted things with Cable,’ she called back as she left, the suit’s hood muffling her voice. Jay was now left alone with Lex in the corridor.
‘If you’re done picking your jaw up from the floor?’
Jay closed his mouth. ‘Don’t be silly Lex.’
‘Just so you know, I don’t trust any of them, especially her!’
‘Now why doesn’t that surprise me,’ Jay sighed. Lex was probably jealous because Spinner hadn’t taken any interest in him.
‘Alright guys,’ Slade said as he and Darryl emerged from the storeroom. ‘Sorry it took so long but we’re ready to go now.’ Each of them carried a stretcher in one hand and a roll of blankets in the other. ‘What’s wrong?’ he added, noticing the look on Lex’s face. ‘Have you two fallen out already?’ he joked.
‘Jay here has invited his Techno girlfriend to do her experiments on Jack!’
‘What?’ Darryl said, confused. ‘Is this true Jay?’
‘Of course it isn’t true! She’s just going to check him out, you know, give her professional opinion. She knows her stuff.’
‘And he believed her!’ Lex added.
‘Of course I believe her! Anyway, I was only trying to help. I didn’t expect a reaction like this.’
‘Ah, so you were trying to play the hero were you?’
‘That’s not helping, Lex,’ Slade said. ‘Although I wish you would have consulted us before asking her, Jay.’
‘She was going back inside the lab,’ he replied, irritated. ‘If I’d waited for you and Darryl we wouldn’t have been able to follow.’ Slade still looked unconvinced.
‘Ellie should decide,’ Darryl suddenly said, causing everybody to look at him. ‘Well she is his girlfriend. If she doesn’t agree then we forget it.’
‘That sounds fair enough,’ Jay conceded. Slade nodded in agreement and Lex shrugged his shoulders in defeat.
‘Right then,’ said Slade. ‘Now that we’ve got that sorted, we can finish what we came here to do.’ He hoisted the stretcher he was carrying onto his shoulder and marched purposefully down the corridor, leaving the others with no choice but to follow.
3 Likes
Chapter 14: Burying the Past
Slade led the way from the lab to the control room, which Jay imagined was pretty much how it had been left the day before. The door to the room had been broken off its hinges and now lay flat on the wet floor, and the monitors on the far wall occasionally crackled and sparked. Mega’s lifeless form was sitting at one of the now useless computers, while Ram’s lay sprawled out on the floor against a desk. Feeling the bile rising in his throat he had to look away from the ugly wound on the back of Ram’s head, before he started retching. Looking quickly around the room he saw that Lex and Darryl were keeping their eyes firmly fixed on the floor as much as they could, but Slade had all of his attention focussed on his brother. He gently propped his body upright in the chair before proceeding to wipe the water from his glasses. Not wishing to intrude on this moment further, Jay went over to where Darryl was now trying to cover Ram with the blankets. The two of them managed to wrap him up in the makeshift shroud, then transferred him to one of the stretchers. Jay had become used to seeing dead bodies during the Virus, but never anyone his own age. He had to stop himself from leaving a gap in the blankets so that Ram could breathe, knowing it wasn’t necessary anymore. When Lex had finished helping Slade move Mega the four of them silently carried the stretchers out of the wreckage of the hotel and into the still deserted city streets. Slade was visibly upset and at first nobody dared to say anything as the sombre procession made its way through the forest of empty buildings, for fear of breaking the mood.
Progressing further through the city, Jay once again caught sight of the body of the woman who had been caught in the crowds, that they had passed on the way to the hotel. Looking at the bundle that was Ram laid out on the stretcher in front of him, then back to the woman, he knew what he had to do. It wasn’t right that she should be left out there in such an undignified way.
‘Wait a minute,’ he said, breaking the silence as Slade and Lex walked past the body. ‘We can’t just leave her here, we should bring her too. We still have some sheets left over, and Darryl and I can manage the extra weight.’ Slade nodded tiredly and stopped, and Jay and Darryl immediately put down their stretcher and went over to the woman. She had been pretty, with pale, unblemished skin and medium-length bleached blonde hair. She was wearing a bright pink sleeveless top, with a blue denim skirt and silver knee-high boots. Jay found himself frowning as he turned her over.
‘What’s wrong?’ Darryl asked. ‘Do you recognise her?’
‘No,’ he replied. ‘It’s just that I assumed she’d been caught in the crowds during the evacuation, but there isn’t a scratch on her.’
‘So she just collapsed and died on the street?’ Lex and Slade had by this time put down the second stretcher and were coming over to see what all the fuss was about. ‘You don’t think it could have been the virus do you?’ Darryl finished, taking a step back straight into Lex.
‘The virus didn’t get out, Darryl,’ Lex said scornfully before roughly pushing him away.
‘Well then how did she die?’ Darryl replied defensively as he brushed himself off.
‘I don’t know,’ Jay said. ‘Wait. What’s this?’ He had noticed a small mark on her right arm, where something had punctured the skin. Lex and Slade peered over it, but Darryl remained behind everyone else, still afraid of the virus.
‘Do you think she took an overdose of something?’ Slade asked him. He shrugged his shoulders in reply.
‘I didn’t think there was anything like that around anymore, but I suppose there could have been some hidden somewhere.’ Stashes from before the Virus were always turning up, although usually it was something like money or personal items that didn’t serve much purpose in this world. ‘I guess we’ll never know.’
‘We’d better get a move on before the others start to get worried,’ Slade said, although with little feeling. ‘And we’ll want to get back before your friend arrives as well. There’s a grassy area just up ahead, Hope Park. I thought it would be as good a place as any to bury the bodies. We can hold a ceremony back at the mall so that everyone can say goodbye if they want to.’
Lex laughed. ‘Well I don’t think there’ll be many there, unless there’s food available. I’m certainly not going. They deserved everything they got.’
‘Now’s not the time Lex,’ Jay chided. ‘But I don’t think I’ll be there either, Slade. I didn’t get on with either of them, it just wouldn’t mean anything.’ Slade turned to Darryl, who looked uncomfortable then shook his head.
‘Sorry Slade,’ he said. Slade just nodded.
Jay turned back to the woman on the ground. ‘Do you think she would want to be buried next to Ram and Mega?’ he asked. ‘Couldn’t we take her somewhere else?’ He began to lift her up, to place a blanket underneath her, and as he did so something fell to the ground. Darryl picked it up and looked at it, his eyebrows rising as he handed it over to Jay.
‘I don’t think that will be a problem,’ he said as Jay took the object. It was a small laminated identity card, with a picture of the head and shoulders of a female Techno with blonde hair. Her appearance had changed since she had left the tribe, but the dead girl was still recognisable as the Techno in the picture. Above the face was the name ‘Elsa’.
‘She was a Techno,’ he said out loud. ‘Must have been one of the ones that Link mentioned, that became civilians.’ He slipped the identity card behind his belt and then motioned for Darryl to help him lift Elsa onto the stretcher with Ram. Once she was in place the four Mallrats lifted up their loads and made their way to the park. A wooden board fixed to the park gate stated that ‘Hope Park, an island of peaceful greenery in a bustling metropolis, has won the council’s award for the city’s Best Kept Recreation Area for the last three years. May all who pass through these gates find an escape from life’s struggles,’ before listing various dos and don’ts. Jay thought that the sentiment was ideal for what they had come here to do, it was just a shame that the scene depicted in the graffiti-stained picture on the sign, of a perfectly landscaped park with children happily playing on the swings and roundabouts, was no longer what stood before them. The grass was overgrown and the equipment had either been vandalised or had started to rust, or indeed both. Slade and Lex put down Mega, before Slade went straight over to the park-keeper’s hut. He easily snapped the rusty chain and went inside, emerging with a number of shovels. Without saying a word, he handed a shovel to each of the other three and took hold of the stretcher once more, compelling the others to follow as he set off past the children’s play area to an area of open grass, that had probably been used before the Virus for ball games. Once again leaving Lex with his brother, he wandered around the field, as if looking for the right spot. Finally he stopped by a tree and stuck his shovel into the ground.
‘This’ll do,’ he said. He started digging and was immediately joined by Lex. Jay and Darryl put down the other stretcher and followed suit. Nobody said a word as they dug the graves or even when they buried the bodies. Soon they found themselves standing over three mounds of earth, each with a crude cross and name plate on the head. So that the graves would not be disturbed in future by any of Mega or Ram’s many enemies, the names above their graves read Josh and Gabe, a name Slade said Ram had used in Liberty. Jay, Lex and Darryl gave Slade a few minutes alone at his brother’s grave before they all started to head back to the mall, taking the empty stretchers with them. Slade seemed a lot happier now that Mega had been buried, and it wasn’t long before he asked Jay the question he had been dreading since they left the hotel.
‘So Jay, you seem to know and trust this Spinner chick. What’s the story with you and her?’ As Jay turned his head to answer, he saw Lex smirking behind Slade.
‘There’s no story. I knew her before the invasion that’s all. Why does this even matter?’
‘It matters because we’re trusting her with Jack and you’re the only one who knows anything about her. And if this ends up affecting Amber, then it matters to the whole tribe. Her mood is upsetting everybody at the moment and nobody wants to see it get worse.’
‘This isn’t going to affect Amber in any way,’ he said angrily. ‘Just what are you accusing me of here Slade? Why don’t you get it off your chest?’
‘You fancy the pants off that Techno bird,’ Lex said unhelpfully. ‘What?’ he added, as everyone turned to look at him. ‘It’s true!’
‘All I’m saying,’ Slade continued, ignoring Lex’s comment. ‘Is that you two obviously had some chemistry back at the hotel, and I don’t want Amber getting hurt when she needs you the most.’
Jay sighed, giving up. He was going to have to tell Slade the truth. ‘Alright then. If you must know then yes, Spinner and I used to be together.’
‘Aha!’ Lex cried.
‘But,’ he emphasised the word. ‘This was years before the Technos came to the city. Ram didn’t like relationships between co-workers so when he found out he split us up, assigning Spinner to a different group. He made sure I never saw her again, although I kept my ear to the ground, trying to keep track of where she was working. I was surprised when I heard she was on the invasion team. She definitely had the ability, I just didn’t think Ram would put us in a situation where we might see each other. I thought maybe he’d forgotten, but when he took over the hotel I found that whatever I was doing she always seemed to be on the other side of the building. So I moved on. Then I met Ebony and the rest is history. Anyway, just before I left the Technos somebody told me that Spinner had been moved to Mega’s team. I was glad she was going to be in safe hands, at least as far as I knew. When I saw her again today after so long I was shocked, that’s all. Obviously there were still some feelings there, I mean we never properly broke up did we? But I’m in love with Amber now, really in love with her, and there’s no way I’m going to leave her, especially now. Spinner and I are history, end of story.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ Slade said, patting him on the back. Only Lex looked unconvinced.
Jay’s spirits lifted on the journey back to the mall. Everything seemed to be going right; Ram and Mega had been buried and the virus was being neutralised. Soon the people would return to the city and a line could be drawn under the events of the previous day. The city could have a new start. As well as that, the Technos were finally becoming a force for good, although he no longer had a say in their actions. In spite of that he found that he didn’t mind as long as they managed to achieve the ambitious goals set out by Cable and were accepted by the people, the latter part being the hardest. What made him smile most though was that he had seen Spinner again after all this time, and it seemed that Slade and Darryl at least had accepted her. He hoped that, with time, they would be able to repair the damage caused to their friendship by their forced separation. What would really top the day off now would be for her to be able to cure Jack and, in his current mood, he thought that anything was possible.
He was slightly disappointed when the four of them arrived back at the mall, as in the time it had taken them to bury the bodies he had expected Spinner to be there waiting for them. A Techno in the mall would surely have brought everyone out but most people appeared to be in their rooms, and the few in the main courtyard looked perfectly at ease, so he concluded that she hadn’t arrived yet. He frowned and wondered if Cable had decided not to let Spinner come to the mall after all. He turned his attention back to the room, where Gel and Trudy were lounging on the floor, resting on one hand while poring over pieces of paper that were strewn in an untidy semicircle around them. Occasionally Trudy looked over at Brady to make sure she was alright. The little girl was being chased around the fountain by Bonnie and by the look of it was thoroughly enjoying herself. Every now and then Bonnie would change direction and surprise Brady, who would scream and then burst into a fit of the giggles before the chase continued again. The first to notice the newcomers was Trudy who stood up, dusted herself off and came to greet them, leaving Gel working on what Jay realised must be the designs for Bonnie’s new outfit. By the amount of paper scattered about the place it looked like she was really serious about the whole thing.
‘Welcome back!’ Trudy smiled. ‘How did it go?’
‘We did what we set out to do,’ Slade told her. ‘Jay’s probably the best one to explain everything. I’ve got some things I need to sort out and I should probably let Ebony know I’m back, so if it’s ok with everyone I’ll leave you guys to it.’ He propped the stretcher he had been carrying up against the wall and headed upstairs to the room he shared with Ebony.
‘I’d better go and find somewhere to put these,’ Darryl said, taking Slade’s stretcher to add to his own before crossing the courtyard and disappearing around the corner. Lex, as ever, hung around like a bad smell. No doubt he was eager to tell Trudy how Jay had betrayed the Mallrats by inviting their sworn enemies to their home, or something equally as dramatic. He had to explain before Lex got a chance to say anything.
‘You’d better get those two out of the way,’ Lex said, nodding towards Brady and Bonnie. ‘The Technos are on their way.’ It was too late, although Lex did have the advantage of never having to think before he spoke.
‘What are you talking about Lex? The Technos are gone.’ Trudy’s words were scornful but she looked shaken.
‘It’s ok Trudy, they’re on our side now. Mega’s followers fled the city during the evacuation. The ones we met in the city today, they’re good people. They’ve been using their skills to make the virus safe, and they’re going to man the power station as well. I asked one of them to come over to see if she could do anything for Jack, but she’s an old friend and I trust her.’
‘You trusted Ram and Mega at one point, too.’
‘This is different. We both joined the Technos at about the same time, and for the same reason. We shared the same dream of a better world.’
‘I don’t know, Jay. I just can’t trust anybody anymore. It sounds wonderful, it really does, but after what Mega did to me…’
‘I understand,’ he said. ‘But everything’s going to be fine. I’ll be there watching over things, and if Ellie doesn’t agree to it then we’ll call the whole thing off. This is if she even turns up at all. I thought she’d be here by now.’ He didn’t think he would ever be able to convince Trudy, but he hoped that he had at least reassured her a little bit.
‘I guess we’ll just have to see how it goes,’ she said.
‘Trudy?’
‘Yes?’
‘I wanted to thank you for the breakfast this morning.’
She smiled. ‘It’s ok. I thought you and Amber could do with something special. At least you enjoyed yours.’
‘Did Amber not eat anything?’ She shook her head.
‘It’s not just that either. We took Bray in to see her and she wouldn’t take him. Sal’s been looking after him all day.’ She threw her hands up in frustration that she was unable to do anything for her friend and Jay suddenly felt sorry for her, looking so helpless.
‘And what about you? Are you okay?’
‘Me? I’m fine, thanks to Gel.’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘You know, I never thought I’d say this but if it wasn’t for her I think I’d go insane! I know it sounds selfish but everyone else is either too busy or has their own problems. It’s nice to have some fun for a change. Bonnie’s outfit’s coming along really well, it’ll be ready in no time!’
Jay laughed. ‘I could do with something new myself,’ he said, then winced and looked over at Gel, whose head had shot up as soon as the words left his mouth, a huge grin on her face.
‘I’m sure we can handle that,’ she said. ‘It won’t take long, and…’
‘There’s no need really, it was just a thought that’s all.’
‘Oh no, you can’t get out of it that easily Jay! My head’s already full of ideas for you. This is going to be so much fun, isn’t it Trudy?’ Trudy hid a smile behind her hand but Lex was not so discreet and had to hold his sides to contain his laughter. Gel got up and stepped carefully over her papers, wielding a couple of tape measures that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. ‘Here you go Trudy,’ she said handing one over. ‘No need for me to have all the fun. Now Jay, if you just lift your arms like…that’s it, now hold still.’ Despite his protestations he soon found himself being manhandled by the two girls, while Lex stood by looking highly amused. If Trudy felt uncomfortable after their brief relationship she wasn’t showing it – perhaps she even thought that she was getting her own back – and he was sure Gel kept forgetting his measurements on purpose so she could take them again. Just when he thought things couldn’t get more embarrassing he heard a cough behind him and turned his head to see Spinner standing at the open grille, with one eyebrow raised. He immediately turned bright red. He had his arms outstretched with Trudy’s hands around his waist, and Gel’s…well, she was on her knees measuring his inside leg for the third time but what it must have looked like to Spinner he could only imagine.
‘Is this a bad time?’ was all she said.
2 Likes
I am really loving your story . I laughed with that part with Spinner coming in the mall.
1 Like
Uhuuuuu… Jay you better keep a dista ce to Trudy… Amber can’t need you that way 
And that Spinner girl… I sense some pretty much hard breaks in that story
Thanks both! This was a fun scene to write. Spinner is so mischievous and she loves it, haha! I hope you enjoy what I have planned for the Technos and how they fit themselves into the world.
2 Likes
I am usually not that fond of the Technos, though I now like writing Ram since my last story and ALL OF ME makes me really love Mega after his turn back to the good side. I even start to like Jay now in it
But Spinner seems a great character… And actually I like the vibes she is giving to Jay… Somehow it is really “good” to see the level headed guy just crashing a bit for his own confused “feelings”
I am curious if Gel meets her “knight in shining armor” again and if you bring back persons or kill off even more 
And I very much hope Jack survives!!
OH and it’s nice to see your Gel and mine have something in common by taking the styling measures in hand😎
1 Like