Chapter 1:  How Far Does Love Go

 Little feet wake me from my calm sleep in the middle of the night, and I hear a little voice say “I’m scared daddy, can I sleep with you?”  I open my eyes to see Brady standing there, holding back tears.  She’s scared to death to cry now because before we got her back, the guardian would hit her if she cried for any reason.  “The child of Zoot will not cry.” Is what he would tell her, according to her own words.  I had to explain to her what he meant by a child of Zoot.  Thank god they didn’t tell her, cause Trudy, the Trudy I married anyway, didn’t want her to know until she was older.  I told Brady that that is what they called all children who were in with the Chosen.  Which is true, they did.  “Of course you can sleep here baby, come on up.”  I move over to the other side of the bed to let her climb in.  “Why are you scared sweetheart?” I ask her.  “I had a bad dream that mommy hurt me again.”  “What do you mean again honey?”  I ask her, trying to help her with her dream.  “The bad man used to make mommy hurt me when he said I did bad.  She used to hit me.  The bad man made mommy cry all the time.”  I hold on to her and I say “Its just bad dreams, they won’t hurt you, and daddy won’t let the bad man hurt you anymore.”  “Daddy?”  she asks, and I say “Yes Brady?”  “Where’s mommy?”  my lips tight at her question, I think a moment then I say “Mommy had to go away for a while sweet one.”  Then, choking back tears, I say “Mommy will be home soon baby.”

I watch her sleeping and I think about Brady’s mother.  Why is Tai-San back to normal while Trudy is still raging about the chosen.  I get out of bed, careful not to let my movements wake up Brady and I slip off to find Gattaca, and when I do I ask her if she’d watch after Brady for a bit while I’m out.  “Sure Jaymie, I’ll watch her.  Where you off to?”  I thank her and say “Family visit.”  It’s a half hearted joke I’ve used often apparently, because her eyes grow sad and she says “Okay.”

I walk to the hotel, a makeshift prison for just one person.  I stand outside looking at the old sign over the door.  ‘Ebony’s Palace’  I smile at the thought.  I wonder what Phoenix would say now.  My smile fades as I walk in.  “Jaymes!  Here for the visit?”  The guard captain says.  “Yeah.” I answer.  “Is she docile this week?”  the captain says “No, tried to kill a guard the day after you were here last, then day before yesterday, tried to kill herself three times.  We had to take all her clothes and everything to keep her from it.  Sorry Jaymes.”  I shake my head back and forth “Well, if she was gonna hurt herself, I guess you had to do what you had to.”

I go to her cage and sit on the floor in front of it against the wall.  I can see the rage in her face when she wakes from her nap and sees me there, and her anger breaks my heart.  I see her there and she’s that little girl again, so beautiful but so alone.  Not yet the mother of Martin’s baby, much less my wife and the mother of my three.  “Didn’t I love you enough Trudy?  Was I not good enough that for you to hold on to and try to get back to?”  She laughs at me when I say it.  “You think you could ever hope to match Zoot!?!”  I let the question go unanswered.  “Nothing to say unbeliever!  THE SUPREME MOTHER ORDERS YOU TO ANSWER!”  still I remain silent.  More quietly she says “I ordered you to answer Jaymes.  Do you think you are equal to Zoot?”  I look at her calmly.  “I remember Martin as well as you Trudy.”  “HIS NAME IS ZOOT!” she screams.  “Trudy, please.  Remember the children.  They need you.  Ghany and Li are about to say their first words.”  “Those are not my children.”  then she says “Speaking of children, I want to see my child!”  I nod to her.  “Very well.  I will return.”  I know she means Brady, but I’ve had Danni keeping the children Trudy and I share here at the hotel, so I go to find her, and I bring Fire back.  “I DON’T WANT TO SEE THAT!” She screams at me.  “YOU WILL BRING ME THE DIVINE CHILD!”  I hold my youngest daughter and I cuddle her, asking her if she’s happy to see mommy.  “I am not that child’s mother!”  she wails at me.  I begin to talk more in depth to her

“You say you aren’t Fire’s mother?  Well, why is it that I remember 27 hours where you were screaming in pain to try to bring her into the world?  Why do I remember Amber holding her to the sky as you and I shared the tears of joy at her birth as the sun was just raising above the trees.  Why do I remember you holding her and feeding her so many mornings as I got ready to work, and kissing her little forehead as I ran my fingers through your hair?”  I look at her with pain on my face and say “Tell me, wife, why I remember these things if you aren’t her mother.”  As calmly as if it were a discussion about a Sunday morning, she says “maybe you were brain-washed by an enemy of Zoot’s holy crusade.  “Please Trudy, please!  Tai-San has come back, why can’t you find your way home?”  With a chill in her voice she says “Because you keep me locked up, and my  guardian hasn’t been heard from.  I have no home now.”  I stay silent for a while and she says “Are you crying yet, HUSBAND?”  I stand up with Fire in my arms and I say “Say bye to mommy Fire.” I walk to Trudy and I wrap one arm around her in a hug.  “I love you Trudy.”  I say before she pulls away from me angry that I touched her.  “I’ll…I’ll see you next week honey.” I say then walk to leave.  “Jaymes?”  she says, talking more to me instead of at me. “Yes honey?”  “Can I please have my clothes back Jaymes?”  I look sadly at her and say “No Trudy, not until you’re no longer a danger to yourself.”  I stop once more before I walk out “I’m sorry for the loss of dignity honey.  I love you so much.”

“Oh Fire, what are we gonna do without your mommy?”  I say to my little girl before I step quietly into Danni’s room here in the hotel.  She is holding my son, looking out at the city and saying what her vision for the future is.  “We need laws Ghany, so you and your sisters don’t grow up in a world like your mom and dad did.”  I take a chair in her room, and listen to her tell my boy about how the world needs to be and what needs to be done to make it that way.  As I watch her, I wonder why I never noticed how beautiful Danni really is.  “Those are good dreams Danni.” I say, startling her.  “Jaymes, I didn’t hear you come in!”  “I know, I was watching you with Ghany.  Holding him and talking to him the way she would before all this happened.”  Danni asks “How is she this week?”  I just shake my head and say “No better.  But at least she talked to me half nice this time.”  “She’ll be back Jaymes.”  I tell her I hope she’s right.

After visiting Danni, I walk towards the mall, but then I turn and walk to the old factory.  I walk in and look at the walls and the floor.  On the floor is faded writing.  I can just barely make the writing out now, but I know from memory what it says.  Four names are written there, Ryan, Patsy, Cloe, and Ebony.  I wrote the names on the floor for meditations during simpler days, a simple enemy those Jaikarim.  When they captured those four, I wrote the names on the floor of this factory where it all began and I would face a different name each time I was there.  I fall into meditations over Trudy.  I fall into a trance thinking about my wife.  So deep am I into it that I don’t notice Amber come in and sit with me.  Finally she says “Jaymes, you have to eat sometime you know.”  I don’t break my stare, but I say “before the virus Amber, monks after they got a certain age, would meditate all day because interacting with the world around them became a thing that scared them.”  Then I say “I’d like to do that.  Just go off to a mountain and meditate until I die.”  “Don’t talk like that, just come to the mall and get some food.”  I shake my head.  “I’m going hunting.  The food stores are low at the mall.”  She asks if I want company.  “Not really, but you are my tribe mistress.”  Usually she reminds me that this isn’t the Gaian tribe anymore, but this time she says “Good, then lets go.”

Before we leave, I go to the mall and check in on Brady.  “How are you two girls?”  I ask Brady and Gattaca.  Brady jumps up and runs over to me “Hey daddy.”  Then I pick her up and she says “Hi Amber.”  Amber says hi and I ask Brady “Did you have fun with Gattaca?”  “Yeah daddy…aunt Gatty is fun.”  I ask if she’d like to spend some more time with her while Amber and I go hunting.  “I wanna go with you daddy.  Can I, please?”  I look to Amber, because it goes against good sense to take a baby on a hunting party.  “Please daddy!”  Brady says again.  Amber shakes her head.  “Sure baby.” I say, “You can come with us.”  So, I pack my gear and I teach Brady to pack her little bag.  “Are you all ready sweetheart?”  she says “I think so.  Will you check for me daddy?”  I look her bag over and I see that she has everything I laid out for her.  “You did good Brady.  Come here.” I pick her up and hug her.  “Lets go find Amber and go, okay baby?”  she nods.  When we find her Amber asks if we’re ready to go, and Brady says “Yep.  I packed my bag all by myself, didn’t I daddy?”  “You sure did sweetie.”  Amber smiles at her and says “I might have to make you a member of my tribe Brady.”  Brady says “I don’t want to change my name.  I like it.”  Amber laughs and says “Your daddy and me have two names baby, you wouldn’t like that?”  Brady says “I don’t know.”  Then I hold her hand and the three of us walk out for our hunting trip.

Chapter 2:  Hunting for Salvation

As is normal for Amber and I, we walk until dark to find a good place to camp.  We won’t start hunting until tomorrow.  Tonight is a campfire and fellowship for Eagle and Wolf, and of course for Brady, who’s already tired from walking a lot today.  She fell asleep in my arms at one point, but she wants to stay up as late as she can.  I can’t help but wonder what Trudy would say about Brady here now  Thing is, I always wonder these days what Trudy would think about things.

“What’s the matter daddy?”  Brady asks.  “What do you mean honey?”  I reply.  She says “You’re crying daddy.”  I ruffle her hair and say “No Brady, daddy just has something in his eye…dust or something.”  I catch Amber staring with her own sadness, but she gets a happy look on her face and stands up, walks over to Brady and picks her up then sits back down with her.  “Somebody here needs a Gaian name, don’t they Wolf?”  I look at them with a little thoughtful look on my face.  “Hmm, I think you’re right Eagle.  I believe that Brady needs a good name to make her one of our tribe.”  Brady giggles and asks “Why did they name you Wolf daddy?”  Amber speaks up before I do.  “Your daddy used to be a lot different before.  He was like a wolf, hunting silently for days at a time, moved fast.”  “Mommy says wolfs are bad animals, Amber, that they kill and they’re vio...vio…violent.”  Amber looks at me because she knows as well as I do how I was in it in the early days.  She saves it by saying “A wolf is a pack animal Brady, they will sacrifice themselves for the group, they will fight against impossible odds for the good of the pack.  And they’re loyal animals.  That’s why I chose that name for your daddy.  There was a time when your daddy was one of the only people I trusted.”  She looks at me again and I mouth the words to her “Thank you Eagle.”

“Now then.” Eagle says as she regards Brady “What shall we name this little one Wolf?”  “Oh, you’ve always been much better at such things Eagle, I think I’ll let you decide.” I say to her.  Eagle makes the sounds of thinking and she says “A gentle name for a gentle soul I think.  I believe, Brady, of the Mallrats, that all Gaians will know you as Lamb.  Do you like this name?”  She looks to me and I nod to her, watching as she stands there proudly, like a big girl.  “Yes Eagle, I like the name.”  I give Amber a surprised and proud look.  Brady had never before called Amber anything but Amber, and somehow she just knew that she should call her Eagle.  Amber picks her up and says “Well then, Lamb, I welcome you to my tribe.”  “Thank you Eagle.”  Brady says, amazed at all this ceremony around her.  I hold my arms up and Amber hands me my girl.  “My little Lamb.” I say, then “I love you honey.”  “I love you too daddy.”

Brady goes to sleep soon after Amber’s little honorary ceremony to make her an Eco.  Brady now insists on being called Lamb even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to change her name this morning.  As it’s still early Amber and I are still wide awake and sharing stories.  Then she asks me “How is Trudy Jaymes?”  I shake my head and say “I don’t know.  They had to strip her naked to keep her from killing herself.  Not only that, but she’s so angry with me.  What was I supposed to do?  Leave her with the chosen, let them kill Ghany, Li and Fire?  Let them continue to corrupt Brady?”  Amber touches my knee and says “Of course not.  You weren’t with us the first time they took Trudy.  She came to stay with me for a while after they got her back, you had left us a few months before all that happened, we had our fight and all that, but anyway, it took Trudy a long time.  She was in a rage all the time.  We never had to take her clothes, but that was really because we had her tied up all the time.”  I shake my head, but go off on another subject.  “Our fight.  I haven’t thought of that in a long time.  I’m sorry about that Amber.”  “Don’t worry about it Wolf.  Drinking does that to people.”  I kind of smile at her

The rest of the time we’re awake she tells me about the first time the chosen attacked and how they got past it, and the way Trudy had grown up and took charge.  “She really is amazing Jaymes.  I thought she’d gotten over all her old fears since the two of you married, but I guess not.”  I tell her that Trudy never mentioned being afraid to me.  “She’s afraid of Zoot coming for Brady, she was always afraid of someone hurting Brady.  I think THAT is the way the chosen got her…telling her they’d hurt Brady, or one of your children.  Then they brainwashed her…that’s what I guess happened.”  “She doesn’t have to fear it now though, why would she still be like this?” I ask Amber.  “Just give her time.  Now, lets get to sleep, we’ll have a lot of hunting to do, and it’ll be hard.”  I agree, then, in a rare moment of tenderness with my old tribe leader, I kiss her on the forehead and thank her for letting me bring Brady.  “Its fine Wolf.”  I say goodnight to her as we enter the tent and I take a spot beside Brady.  “Time to get up daddy?” she asks.  “No sweetie, We’re just coming to bed.”  “Umkay daddy, night.  Night Eagle.” she says.  Amber says “Goodnight little Lamb.”

When we wake in the morning, I suggest to Amber that we go fishing and quickly fashion a pole for it.  Brady is still asleep while Amber and I get things ready.  I’m brooding and she catches me in it.  “You don’t seem into it this morning Jaymes.”  “I’m not.  I just want Trudy here.  It would make it all so much better Amber.”  “I know Jaymes.” She says “But you have to make the best you can of it.”  I just agree with her.  “Do you remember when I found you Jaymes?  Naked in that field, drunk and beat down.  Even then, you knew that life was a gift and that anything could be done.  The way you talked about the first Ghany.  You renewed my faith in people.”  She tells me, and I ask “How did I do that Amber?  I was weak, a victim of people.  A worthless alcoholic with an attitude problem.  You know that no matter what you told Brady, you named me Wolf as much for my violent killing as anything else.”  Amber hugs me a tight hug of friendship and says “The killer was Jaymes.  Eagle gave Wolf his name as a starting point for his new life…the life he asked me to give him.  Wolf is really all there is today.  Jaymes is only a name to you now.  Wolf is gentle, a father to four, a loving and caring husband and a respected and loyal friend.”

After our conversation and when Brady wakes up we have a small meal of berries and roots and go fishing.  I let Brady, who still wants to be called Lamb, fish a little bit and she enjoys herself so much.  She laughs and smiles and is happy.  Her mother would love to see it.  I notice Amber watching her and I move over to see her and ask “You’d like one, wouldn’t you Eagle?  A child I mean.”  She smiles and says “one day.”

A few more hours of catching fish to smoke and take home with us, then suddenly, a tremendous roar is heard, like the sound of thunder.  Brady yells because it scared her, Amber and I look confused and then look around to see a huge cloud of smoke raise above the trees.  “Oh my god Amber…that was the city.”  There’s no other talk, Amber grabs up Brady and I abandon the fishing pole and run back to the tent and grab Amber’s and my packs and hook them to my back.  Amber says “Give me my pack, I can take it.”  I move past her at full run, scared to death for my children and I say “Don’t argue, you have the baby.  JUST RUN!”

Chapter 3:  The Fury

Amber and I run all the way back to the mall to find it surrounded by a raging inferno created by the buildings around it..  Brady is scared and is crying to Amber “Eagle, don’t let Zoot take me.  Please Eagle Please!”  To myself, I think I’ll kill Jaffa if I ever find him.  I hear Amber saying “Ssh little Lamb, Zoot can’t hurt you baby.  He died a long time ago.”

Watching her, I start running.  “JAYMES!  Where are you going?  JAYMES!” then, “WOLF!  STOP!”  that doesn’t even stop me.  I round the corners quickly, then up the stairs and in the building.  Dead.  They’re all dead.  A thousand tormenting thoughts go through my head. As I break down the locked door and run to the back.  More dead.  I stop and focus, and in the silence, I hear sobbing.  “Trudy?”  no answer.  “Trudy, what happened here?”  then, I see Danni’s body on the floor and I get scared to death.  “TRUDY!  ARE YOU AND YOUR CHOSEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?!?”  Trudy is huddled in the corner wailing now, screams and crying. “ANSWER ME TRUDY!  WHAT DID THE GUARDIAN DO!”  at the top of her lungs she says “JAYMES, PLEASE!  STOP SCREAMING AT ME!”  Then, softer almost remote, she says “They killed them…killed them all Jaym…husband, they slaughtered them.  Danni was here trying to get me out, and they killed her.  Jaymes, they killed Li, and they kidnapped Ghany and Fire.  THEY TOOK OUR BABIES!”  “Our babies Trudy?” I say.  She starts to say something, and then she shuts her mouth without talking and goes back to crying.

I move Danni’s body and I find that Trudy was telling the truth.  Li’s dead.  I should be crying, but I’m not, I’m holding my baby in my arms and I’m singing to her, then I stop.  “You’re going to start talking soon, aren’t you Lianla?  Your first word’s going to be daddy, isn’t it?  You’re going to ask for me, won’t you miracle?”  “Jaymes?”  Trudy says, but I don’t answer, I’m still talking to Li.  “Soon, I’m going to teach you to read.  Then, if mommy will let me, I’m going to teach you swords.”  “Jaymes?”  Trudy says again and I look up, smiling…then I start crying.  “Why do all my children die Trudy?  Anytime I care for a child it dies.  What have I done?”  Trudy doesn’t say anything to respond to me, but she says “Husband, let me out.”  I look at her and I walk over to the cage, and she walks over to me, and we touch hands.  I stare into her beautiful eyes and I say “You did this.  First you killed my brother, then you killed my daughter.  Let you out of your cage?  YOU CAN DIE AND ROT IN IT!”  a little scream is let out and I hear “Daddy NO!  Let mommy out!”  Brady runs up and grabs my leg as I walk away holding Li’s lifeless body.  I reach down and pry her off of me and walk out.

The heat of the fires makes me sweat as I sit on the stairs to the hotel with my baby cradled against me.  Cradling her and telling her it’ll be alright.  For a long length of time, I think about my daughters life, all her happiest moments never to be.  I feel a head on my shoulder.  “Not now Amber, I want to be alone with her.”  “I won’t leave you alone husband, you need me now.” Trudy says from beside me.  I jump up and step back from this monster beside me and see Amber standing with Brady “Amber?  You let her out!  She has crimes to atone for!”  Trudy has tears in her eyes, and says “Jaymes, please…the chosen didn’t do this.  These were people in black suits with weird masks.  I swear the chosen didn’t do this.”  Not wanting to give up the fight I reply “You SWEAR the chosen didn’t do this…are you defending your new family?”  “No of cour..”  she starts before I yell back at her “How many times did you sleep with him!  How many nights did you give yourself to the Guardian?”  she slaps me at this.  “How dare you say that to me Jaymes!  I never once…not ONCE touched him Jaymes.  He tortured the babies Jaymes.  There was once he kept food from Ghany for three days.  I couldn’t help him because I was chained…made to watch our son starve.”

I have again started to sing to my daughter.  Hoping against hope that she will wake up, but she never does.  “Jaymes.  You have to put her down.  We have to search for the Mallrats.” Amber says.  I raise up and I say “No.”  then, softening a little I say to Trudy, who’s wearing bits of charred clothing taken from bodies in the hotel “Get Brady and come with me.  We have something to do.”  She does as I ask, and without a word to Amber, I leave and Trudy follows me.  “Where are we going Jaymes?”  “To honor our child.” I tell her.

Night falls on the first day of my daughters death and we have to stop for the night.  I take my tent from my pack and I set it up, one handed, never placing Li on the ground.  “I want to start early Trudy, you and our little Lamb need to get some sleep.”  Brady is already asleep, so Trudy puts her in the tent.  “Are you coming in Jaymes?”  “No” I say “Animals will follow the smell, I have to protect her.”  Not speaking a word Trudy gathers wood and starts a fire like I taught her.  “So you can stay warm.”  She says, then starts to go inside with Brady.  “Stay with me.”  I say to her before she gets in.  Trudy silently turns and sits down on the other side of the fire from me.  “We haven’t sat across from one another like this in nearly five years Trudy.  Come here beside me.”  I see a smile cross her lips as she moves to sit with me.

Long moments pass between us as Trudy lays with her head on my shoulder, then she says “You used to love me.  How can you hate me so now?” she asks, then she breaks loose into tears of ultimate pain.  “HOW COULD THEY JUST KILL HER?  SHE WAS JUST A BABY!”.  She screams.  “shh, you’ll wake up Brady.” I say.  “How can you be so calm Jaymes?”  “I’ve cried my tears for the moment Trudy.  There will be more later, but right now I’ve no more to cry.”  Then I say “Let it out wife.  Just let it all out and I’ll be here.”  She screams something about Ghany and Fire, and what about Brady.  “I’ll protect Brady, and you and then I’ll find Ghany and Fire.”  “Do you hate me?” she asks.  “No Trudy.” I reply, then “But I never met the supreme mother like I did this time.”

Trudy holds my hand, the ring hand missing the finger and she cries.  Because during the second chosen occupation, she was cruel to me.  I was a rebel and they caught me on a raid of the mall.  I ask her now about this “When they caught me.  Did you agonize over it?”  “What?”  “What you did…ordering my ring finger removed…did you hesitate?”  her tears start harder and she says “No, I didn’t.”  I look at her with shock on my face.  Then she squeezes my hand.  “Don’t misunderstand me husband.  I did not want to cut off your finger, but the other option was to kill you.  I’d rather you missed your finger, than our babies never know their father.”  I play around with the necklace that now carries my wedding ring around my neck, much like Trudy’s.
Trudy and I talk through the night and we reach a semi-conclusion about where she and I are.  I tell her straight out “I’ll never completely trust you again Trudy.”  She doesn’t say anything, but I continue “I blame you for a lot…and your history.”  With her eye’s closed she says “You forgave me once.”  Silence.  “Jaymes?”  more silence.  “Say something, the quiet scares me Jaymes.”  “It wasn’t my first born child.” I say.  “What Jaymes?”  “Before” I repeat “That time, it wasn’t my first born child…I’ve never said this Trudy, but Lianla was our first born.  She’s six minutes eleven seconds older than Ghany.  When I forgave you your sin before, it was my brother, but now, it’s my first born child.  I won’t forgive that.”  “I’m scared of you this way Jaymes.” She says to me.  “I’m scared for you Trudy.  Because I can’t guarantee I won’t kill you in your sleep one night.”  Fear in her eyes.  But she says nothing to me, and finally falls asleep with her head against me.  I take my coat off and cover her with it and kiss the top of her head and rub her hair as she sleeps.

Brady wakes up early the next morning before Trudy wakes and comes out of the tent saying “I dreamed mommy was…” then she sees her “IT WAS REAL!  MOMMY’S BACK!”  Trudy jumps awake.  “Brady” I say “A little quieter honey.”  “My name’s Lamb, remember daddy?”  She asks.  “Oh, yes…I forgot little one.”  Trudy stretches and says “This is good, here like this.”  She hands me my coat then thanks me for it, then she has Brady come over to her.  “So, Jaymes…why ARE we calling her Lamb now?”  I kiss my little girl on the cheek and I say “this little one wanted to be a part of her daddy’s tribe, didn’t you?”  “Yes daddy.” She says, then “Eagle let me in mommy.”  “That’s nice honey.” Trudy tells her and Brady says “Now you have to get in so me you and daddy can be an eco family mommy.”

I get up, exhausted from the night awake and say its time to start walking.  I give Brady some dried food and I give a little to Trudy.  My stomach is screaming for food, but I ignore it.  We walk and in mid afternoon we reach the destination.  A small hillside with a marker near the tree-line.  I bend down and bow at the marker.  “Hello little brother.  I love you.”  I take out a tool from my pack and I begin to dig.  Trudy says “Let me hold her.  You can dig faster that way.”  “No.” I reply.  “Brady, go play.” Trudy says, then when Brady’s gone, Trudy says “She’s my daughter too!  You give her to me to hold right now!”  “No.” I say again.  “Damn it Jaymes!” she says, using language I’ve never heard her use before “You give me my daughter.”  Bursting into tears she says “I want to say goodbye too…I had to watch them kill her Jaymes!  In the confusion, I played dead and had to watch, had to stifle my scream as they shot our girl with those THINGS on their arms.”  I didn’t even think about her having to watch, and I can see that she’s hurt for our child.  I hand her over to Trudy and she sits down and mumbles barely audible words to her.

Brady runs up and starts to go to Trudy, but I catch her in my arms and give her a hug.  “Not right now Brady.  Momma’s busy.”  I say.  Brady, in her innocence says “Mommies just talking to Li-Li.  She won’t mind.”  Then she says “Li-Li’s been really quiet today daddy.  She hasn’t even cried.”  I hug her tight, and I turn to look at Li and Trudy and I sob a little “I know Brady.  You’re little sister is a good girl.”  Then I say to Trudy “Are you ready honey?  We can’t wait much longer.”  She hands Lianla to me and she takes Brady up in her arms.  I place our daughter in the hole I dug for her and I hear Brady ask “Why’s daddy putting Li-Li in the hole mommy?  Won’t she be scared when she wakes up?”  Trudy’s brave face dissolves at this question and she looks at her first born and says “Li-Li won’t be waking up Brady.  She’s gone.”  “No she isn’t mommy, she’s right there.”  Brady says, pointing in the hole.  Trudy says “No Brady, I mean she’s gone up to heaven.”  Brady says “You mean she’s gone to be with Zoot mommy?”  Trudy says sternly “No Brady…Zoot was not a god no matter what the guardian told you.”  when I cover Li-Li’s body, I say a few words, and Trudy a few that she and I both agreed never to say again.

I sit with Trudy while Brady chases after something her little eyes see.  “She says you hit her Trudy.”  “uh-huh” she says.  “Are you listening to me Trudy?” I ask her.  “I tell you our daughter says you hit her and you just say ‘uh-huh’”  “I’m sorry Jaymes.” She says.  “I was just thinking how easy it would be for Brady to get lost again too.  She’s the only one we have left now.  All the babies we gave each other are gone husband.”  I console her in her pain and say “Ghany and Fire are still alive until we find their bodies Trudy, I’ll find them.”  She gives me a kiss that isn’t returned and says “We’ll sleep here the night…you didn’t last night, so do it now.”

I should be sleeping, but the stress won’t allow me to.  After many hours, I hear Brady sleeping soundly, and hear Trudy crying.  I start speaking.  “The first thing to do is find any of the others we can.”  I think about who’s left, Gattaca, Lex, Ryan, Cloe, Pride, Salene, Mouse, Charlie.  Moz is with Phoenix with the Gaians.  “We need to find everybody and regroup with Amber at her tribe.  “But what can we do Jaymes?” she asks me.  “I don’t know Trudy.  I wish Bray were here…I could use his help.”  Bray went walking one day and didn’t come back.  That was before we got Trudy and Brady back.  His last words to me were haunting.  “I have to find my family…you understand.”  I said yes, but asked him if it’d be better with all of us looking for Trudy and Brady.  He did something I’ve never seen him do before…he smiled and said “Look after them.” Then he left.  Trudy says “Bray had to find himself, without Ebony you’re as close as we have to a leader Jaymes.”  “Do you think she’d come back?” I ask Trudy.  “She’s changed herself Jaymes, and you know she detests her old life.”  She responds.  “She’s always been responsive to duty though…and she now understands the feeling of losing a child I think.  Maybe she’ll help us.”  “Maybe love, now go to sleep for a while.” Trudy says.

I wake up to find Brady and Trudy playing a little game that I find out is called “Paint Daddy” which entails my wife and daughter painting designs all over me.  I look at the designs they’ve painted and I see one in particular that I recognize and I say with a semi-angry tone “Who did this?” pointing at the design on my chest.  Trudy looks at me, a little concerned, but Brady smiles and goes back to painting.  “BRADY!”  I yell, a little louder than I meant to.  She jumps, frightened by me and says “Yes daddy?”  “I’m sorry I yelled sweetheart.  Did you draw this on daddy?”  she nods, still scared, and I take her by her little hand and lead her over to sit on my lap.  “Brady honey, do you remember when the bad man made mommy take daddy’s finger?”  “Uh-huh.”  She replies.  “Well baby, the people that did that wore this symbol you drew on me.  You drew it beautiful Brady, but there are some things daddy doesn’t like to remember, okay?”  “Yes daddy…I’m sorry you’re mad at me.”  I kiss the back of her head and say “I’m not mad sweetie…you know how the bad man scares you?”  She nods.  “Well, sometimes daddy has bad dreams too.”  Brady asks me “Really?  You get scared daddy?”  I shake my head at her and she says “You can come sleep in my bed at night if you want to daddy.  If you’re scared.”  I smile at her and kiss her cheek and say “Thank you baby.  I love you.”  “I love you too daddy.”  Trudy smiles at me and says “I love you too Jaymes.”  I nod to her.

We start out for the city, and at Trudy’s request, we take a long way home.  This adds an extra day to the trip.  I don’t like it, but I can see fear in Trudy’s eyes at going back.  We are going a lesser traveled path, overgrown and hardly visited from the look of it.  A few hours before dark, we come to a clearing with a farm house on it that looks crudely built.  Out front is a beautiful girl hanging out the days wash to dry.  “Daddy, I’m tired.  Can we stay here tonight?”  I look around, but I see that there’s no place we can set up camp for the night.  “I don’t know sweetheart, we’ll have to ask, but I don’t think there’s room enough for us here.”  “Please daddy.”  Brady begs.

I walk to the young woman hanging the clothes and I say “Ma’am, my family and I have walked a long distance today and I was wondering if you might spare a room for us tonight.”  She looks me over carefully then moves her eyes to Trudy and Brady and while she does, I say “I can trade.”  I pull out a days worth of food and several pre-virus coins.  “Here, they’re yours.”  She takes the items and says “I have to ask my husband.”  She goes in the house and there are some loud words exchanged, then she comes back out and says “You can stay.  My name is Ice.  Please, come in.”

Trudy smiles as we walk in.  I can tell she’s happy to be getting to rest in a warm bed tonight.  “My husband will be out in a moment.  He’s preparing the beds.  You two will sleep in it tonight and the baby will sleep in a box filled with clothes.  Not comfortable, I know…but it’s all we have.”  “Thank you ma’am.”  I say to her.  Ice offers us food and drink.  Brady accepts both, Trudy only wants a drink, and I decline anything for the time being.  I introduce my family to Ice.  “My name is Jaymes, this is my wife Trudy, and that little beauty beside her is Brady.”  Ice gasps and drops the pitcher of water in her hand.  “Are you alright ma’am?”  I ask as I move to help her clean up.  “Call me Ice, Jaymes…and yes, I’m fine, just got a chill is all.”

Footsteps sound from behind us as we turn to see the man of the house enter the room.  “Ice, the beds are ready so our guests can…” “MARTIN!!!”  Trudy screams as her eyes go wide.  His eyes go wide as hers, as she runs out of the house.  She doesn’t even grab Brady “TRUDY!…..TRUDY!!” I scream into the night, but she doesn’t stop.  I let out a sigh and beside me Martin says “Ice, get my boots, I have to go after them.”  I hold my arm out and say “No, leave her be…she’ll be fine in a bit.”  “She can’t look after herself.” He says.  I reply “Yes she can Martin…I taught her well.”  He regards me with a long look.  “You say my name like you know me from  somewhere.”  He says.  “I should.” I tell him, “I spent enough time in your home before the virus.”  He looks at me closer now, looking me over carefully.  “Jaymes?  Is that you?”  I nod to him and say “A few scars and missing parts, but its me.” He extends his arm and I take it.  “Jaymes”  he says, “It’s been too long old friend.”  I nod to him again “Too long indeed.”

Chapter 4—Zoot Lives?

 As I stand there, shaking hands with my best friend, a million thoughts a second seem to travel through my head. He's there, really alive, scarred, with long dread locked hair, but this is Martin. The same Martin who was my friend, the same one who I worked for when I was hungry. My best friend…still alive.

I'm still marveling at this when Martin says "Come now Jaymes, what brings you all this way from the city?" I follow him to the front porch and sit down with him. "There was a raid on the city, a lot of destruction. I had to bury a daughter." "I'm sorry Jaymes. How old was she?" he asks. "Too young." I say. Brady comes out and climbs in my lap. "Where did mommy go?" she questions me. "I think she had to go for a walk sweetie." Martin is smiling as Brady says "Who's this daddy?" I kind of look at Martin…never thought I'd be dealing with this. "This is my best friend honey." She looks at Martin and says "He doesn't look mean." Martin looks at me questioningly and I say, in a tone I used to take with Martin where we said anything to each other, "Well, you were." He shrugs and says "Another of your children?" "Baby, go in and see if Ice needs help with anything." I say to Brady. "Okay daddy." When she leaves I say to Martin. "She's called me daddy since she could talk…but she's Trudy's first born child. My stepdaughter." Martin looks inside the house, a strange smile turning his lips upwards, and says "That's Brady? Oh she's grown so much." Then his face darkens as he says "She doesn't even know me…only HIM." "Him?" I ask. "Zoot. That fool destroyed my life." He says. "We all dealt the way we could Martin." "Some better than others, I think." He says.

Deep into the night and still no sign of Trudy. Martin, Ice and I are talking about our memories and Brady is sleeping and she's having more bad dreams again. "No…don't…don't hurt me…daddy help! Zoot's coming for me." I see Martin’s eyes go dim and he looks at Ice who sobers and squeezes his hand, he gives her a small smile and turns back to Brady.  So, he told her and she accepted him anyway. "Daddy! Where are you? Don't let him hurt me!" I close my eyes, and I tell Martin "You go to her. Tell her I'm asleep and that you heard her dreaming." He shakes his head and goes. I sit and I listen. "Don't be scared little one, its me, Martin. I heard you talking. Were you having a bad dream?" "uh-huh. Where's daddy?" "He's asleep. Will you tell me what happened in your dream?" Martin asks. She tells him, "I was all alone in the woods, Mr. Martin and daddy and mommy were gone, and the bad men were chasing me." "Who are the bad men Brady?" he asks her. "Zoot and Guardian are bad. They hurt people." Martins face darkens and the small smile slides off his face. "Yes, Zoot did hurt people child, I knew him…he was very evil. Did you ever hear of the virus?" he asks. "Yes." She says. "Zoot was born from the virus. He was once just a boy like everyone else, but that boy was afraid and Zoot came and took him over." Martin tells her. Ice leans over and whispers to me "He's never talked like that before. He doesn't like to talk about Zoot at all.  We only ever talked about the past once, the first time when he told me everything, now, we don’t speak of it at all....Zoot is gone, there's only Martin now."

Back to Brady and Martin. "Tell me about the Guardian Brady." He asks her. "The guardian always said that Zoot was their master and that he protected them. He always said that Zoot was alive, even though Uncle Bray says he's dead." "Ah." Martin says. "Well little one, Bad dreams have no place in my home, so lets not have them, eh?" He ruffles Brady's hair and smiles down at her "Yes sir Mr. Martin. Can I come in with the grown-ups? I'm still scared." She says. "Of course you can, but Jaymes is asleep." He tells her. "That's okay. Could I sit on your lap?" "Sure Brady." He says. As they enter, I lay out and pretend to be asleep. "Is she alright?" Ice asks. "She's fine, just a little scared by some dreams, huh baby?" "Yes sir." After they've sat there a while, I hear Martin start singing to her. I chuckle in my 'sleep' at the thought of Zoot singing to a baby.

When she's asleep, Martin whispers "You still awake Jaymes?" "Yeah" I say. "Does Trudy run away like this often?" he asks. "No, but you can imagine the shock she's had." I tell him. "Yeah. Now, what's the deal with these chosen?" I look at him surprised. "You mean you don't know Martin?" he shakes his head and says "I have no idea." "They think you're a god…they worship you." he smiles at that. "Me, a god! Who'd have thought that Baum?" I chuckle again. "What is it?" he asks. "That name. Haven't heard it in a long time." "What else about the chosen?" he urges me to continue. I point at Brady and I say "They think she's going to be your second coming or something…that she'll light the path to power and chaos." Martin pats Brady's head. "Power and Chaos…foolish notions from a scared boy." "Do you REALLY not know anything about the chosen Martin?" "I promise you, I don't know." I nod to him and I say "Jaffa's nearly destroyed Brady. She won't even cry anymore Martin, because Jaffa made Trudy hit her." I see him get angry over this, but he softens back again. "So, tell me about your other children Jaymes." He says before there is a knock on the door of the farmhouse. "I'll get it" I say as I raise up. "Just let Brady sleep." I answer the door and Trudy's tear soaked and exhausted face greets me. She falls into my arms when I open the door.

I get her inside and Ice leaves Martin’s side to pour Trudy a drink and give her some food, which she accepts and I sit with her at the table where she eats and drinks quickly, like she can’t get enough of the bread and water.  When she’s finished, I wipe away her tears.  “Are you okay?” I ask her.  “No Jaymes, it was him, he was here.”  “He still is sweetie, see?”  I ask, nodding toward him.  She looks and sees Brady and goes on the defensive immediately.  “You put her down right now or I swear I’ll make you wish you’d stayed on that boat!”  “I was never on the boat Trudy.” He says quietly and calmly while cradling his daughter.  “Then where were you!”  she says, straining to contain her anger.  “Zoot was watching from a mountain as the boat was burned, before he left to find Martin again, so maybe one day, he could have this in his life.” He says, indicating Brady sitting on his lap asleep.  “Then.” Trudy says, “You left!  Left to form your chosen, so they could keep up your dirty work!  Kidnap me and your own daughter once, then me and all four of my babies the second time!”  “Trudy,” Martin says, “I give you my word that until Jaymes told me a few moments ago, I didn’t know about the chosen.”  She looks from him to me.  “For what’s it worth Trudy, I believe him…and he is good with Brady.”  She looks from him to me again, then stops on him and grows sad.  “Your eyes Martin…they’re normal again.  What happened?” she asks him.  He makes a hand gesture and Ice retrieves and hands Trudy a little box, which she opens and then Martin says “I robbed a costume shop.”  I look in the box and see Zoot’s evil eyes contained in there.  Just a set of contacts.  “Ice, can you watch Brady please?”  Martin asks.  “Of course dear.” She says, taking the baby from him as he stands up and grabs an old coat and puts it on and motions for Trudy and I to follow him outside to the porch.

Trudy steps outside first and shivers at the cold, so I put my coat on her.  For a while, we all sit on the porch saying nothing, then Martin, sitting on the steps, says “Zoot never watched the stars.  They went against his entire philosophy.  They are tiny, and they’re so many…they are an infection to the sky.  But I think they’re beautiful…like the eyes of angels.”  Trudy gasps and says “You’re really back.”  I watch and Trudy says “That night…you told me that…that my eyes were like the eyes of angels.”  “Which night was this?” I ask, breaking my silence.  Martin answers.  “The night we made our daughter.”  I look at them and I see looks of old love pass between them.  I clear my throat and say “That’s something else we need to talk about.”  “What Jaymes?” Trudy asks.  “We need to decide about Brady.  I’ve been playing dad, but now, her father is here.  I can’t take that from her.”  I reply.  Martin says “We have time to think about all these things…its late, we should sleep now.”  Its agreed, and Trudy and I walk in and take the bed that Martin and Ice made up for us, and Martin takes Brady from Ice and puts her in the box beside us.  Before doing it though, he cradles her and says “Goodnight my soul.”  And kisses her on the forehead and says “I love you little one.”

During the night, I wake several times to hear Trudy sobbing beside me.  The third time, I decide to find out what’s wrong.  I twist in the bed and I snuggle close to her and wrap my arm around her.  “Do you want to talk about it?”  I ask.  “Does it make me bad Jaymes, if I’m happy even though our daughter just died and our other’s are missing?”  “That depends, Trudy.  Are you happy the babies are gone?”  she asks how I can say such a thing and I say “I’m working towards a point honey.  I know you’re happy because Martin’s back and Brady has her dad back.”  “But Jaymes, you’re the only one that…”  she stops and is quiet a second then says “You’re her dad Jaymes…we can’t just take those years away, and she loves you.”  “What am I to do Trudy, tell my best friend that he can’t have anything to do with his little girl because she calls me daddy?”  she just says “I don’t know what to do.”  The rest of the night is quiet.

The next morning, sounds wake me up and I get up quietly and see Martin and Ice finishing getting dressed and gathering equipment.  “Morning Jaymes.” Martin says  “We’re going fishing.  You want to go?”  I see their poles and buckets.  “You have an extra pole?”  Ice says “No, never felt the need to.”  “Don’t matter.” I say, “I’ll make one on the way.”  Brady comes out as we’re discussing how many fish we’re going for today.  “Daddy, where are you going?”  “Martin, Ice and I are going fishing.” I tell her.  “Can I go too daddy?”  “I don’t know sweetie, maybe Martin doesn’t want you to go with us.” I tell her.  Martin sees the look in my eyes, like when I was playing a joke in school, and he plays along, waiting.  Brady looks at him a minute and says “Mr. Martin sir, can I go fishing with you?”  He laughs a small laugh and says “Of course little one, you can come with us.”  So, off the four of us go.  I leave a note for Trudy saying we are letting her sleep while we’re out.  When we leave, Brady is in Martin’s arms.  She’s taking to her father very well.

Chapter 5:  The Enemy

"Where are my generals!" bellows the voice of the leader of this group as he rolls into the meeting room on in his motorized chair.  "VED!"  he screams.  "Yes lord Ram." "Did you hear my question Ved?" he asks.  Ved nervously answers "Yes Ram."  Ram wheels his chair over to the young blonde haired boy and as he does, the room echoes with a loud squeak, squeak.  "OW!" Ved yells as Rams chair runs over his foot.  "If you heard me, then why am I still waiting for an answer?" Ram asks.  "I'm sorry sir, the generals are just entering the building now." Ved replies to him.  "Great!  Tell them to meet me in the planning room.  Oh, and Ved, send someone to fix this chair."  As he leaves, Ved says "Yes sir."

After his chair is fixed, Ram makes his way to the planning room with his constant companions, two towering beauties.  "Java, Siva, go in first…I want to make sure its safe….that it's sterile."  "Yes lord Ram" they say in unison, adding to the illusion that they're twins.  When they give the all clear, Ram enters the planning room to meet with his top 4 generals, and Java and Siva of course.

Around the table which is covered in maps and data on different groups in the city, sit four generals.  Jay, the top general, Gohan, general responsible for coordinating troop movements and communications, then two lesser generals who handle day to day operations…food collection, programming and other tasks.  Ram takes his place at the head of the table and begins asking for reports

"Where are we on the basics, food, water, that sort of thing?"  One of the lesser generals stands and says "We've raided the local market and several of the known virt housing.  We have enough food to last for several weeks.  Water is being collected and purified as we speak.  Last reports said we have nearly 500 gallons ready for drinking and more on the way."  "Good, good." Ram says.  Then he says "Where are we on virt collection?"  the second of the lesser generals says "We are at 10% optimal at this time lord Ram.  These virts hide well in this city sir."  "I don't want to hear excuses!  I want the number up to 35% in two days, is that understood?"  "Yes sir!" the general says.  "Jay, have we identified the virt locations and likely targets for the second wave?" Ram asks the blonde general.  Jay responds to him "We've identified a few virt pockets Ram, and we have a plan in the works for the next wave, Ved is loading it in the simulation matrix now."  Ram laughs, "That brother of yours…he needs his focus adjusted."  "He'll do his job Ram."  "Well he'd better!"  Ram yells.  "Now, how about our equipment General Gohan?"

Gohan, the general in charge of resources stands and says “Thank you Lord Ram.  Now, on hand fuel is at 43%, we are investigating rumors that one of the old power groups, what the virts call ‘tribes’, had several fuel supply point throughout the city.”  Ram shakes his head, almost seeming disinterested.  “Go on.” He says to Gohan.  “All vehicles are running at 88% optimum.  As for our communications systems, we are just sitting up the base units in HQ, the primary base systems will be running tomorrow, right now we are on mobile to mobile communications.”  He pauses, then begins again “Surveillance systems are currently being installed.  The camera’s should be installed within the hour.  Motion sensors by the afternoon and thermal by morning sir.”  Ram says “It looks like everything is on schedule here.  Java, Siva…I’d like a report on security.  Are the elite guards ready?”  “Yes Ram.” Siva says, then Java takes over saying “The elites are out mapping the city as we speak so we can update our map programs.”  Ram smiles and says “Great!, now are all the COM towers in check and running?”  Jay stands and says “Technical is having a problem with two of them, but that should be cleared soon.”  Ram starts to turn his chair and leave when Jay’s communicator beeps and he answers it.  “Yes..yes..good.  Understood, I’ll let him know.”  Ram looks at him calmly and Jay says “Techno units Delta and Echo reporting in sir.  They are a minute out with a new load of virts if you’d like to inspect them.”  Ram looks at him with a smirk and says “No…I don’t believe I’ll….wait, yes I will inspect them.  Let them know who is master here now.”

Java and Siva are clearing the outside, testing the air and removing garbage from the area.  “I wish he’d get over this germ thing sister.” Siva says.  “Ram has always feared germs, you know that.” Java answers.  “No, not always.”  Siva says.  “He didn’t fear anything until after…”  Siva says, sadly.

Ram receives the signal that it’s safe and he wheels outside just in time to meet the two trucks carrying virts.  “Jay, is this a full load?”  he inquires of his lead general.  “Yes Lord Ram, both trucks overfilled.”  Jay says as the trucks stop in front of them.  “Offload these virts.”  Ram orders, and Jay, Java, Siva and Ved begin getting people from the trucks.  One in particular catches the attention of the group as she screams at them “What have you done with my family!”  Then, losing control of herself she screams “Where have you taken my children!”.  Ved laughs and says “Stupid virt.  Just forget it, you’ll never be seeing anybody again.”  The purple haired girl screams at him “TELL ME WHAT YOU’VE DONE WITH MY BABIES!”  causing Ved to raise his zapper, but Jay steps between them.  “VED!  Power down….POWER DOWN NOW Ved!”  Ved doesn’t comply and Jay says “That’s an order Ved! Power down right now or I’ll have you cleaning toilets in the mine by the end of the day!”  Ved powers down and Jay points him off in another direction, then turns his attention to the girl.  “Now, what were you yelling about?” he asks.  “My babies…they’re all gone, and my family…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM!”  she says, losing herself again.  “If we have your family, they’re safe…especially the children.  We aren’t here to harm any of you.”

Ram takes over from there.  “No, we mean none of you any harm, we’re here to better your lives.  Better living through the Techno way.” He says, as he wheels himself down the line of virts.  As he passes the purple haired girl, she jumps at him, wrapping her hands around his throat, causing a moment of fear in him as Java, Siva and Ved all hit the girl with the zapper, knocking her unconscious.  “Get her to the execution chamber.” Ved says to guards nearby, but Ram countermands him.  “No, her ferocity, her strength…take her to Indoctrination.  She’ll make a good Techno.”

Chapter 6:  Reunion and Planning

Brady giggles in her happiness as ‘Mr. Martin’ helps her bring in a fish that he helped her to catch.  “Daddy look!  I got one.”  She says, holding it in her little hands and running over to me.  From the corner of my eye, I see Martin looking at us and he looks sad.  “You did good baby, that’s a big fish” I tell her as I hug her.  “Daddy’s first fish wasn’t nearly that big honey.”  She smiles and sits her fish with the rest we’ve caught.  I grunt a little and I say “My legs are killing me.  Brady, you stay with Ice while I go for a walk.  Martin, care to join me?”  He sees the look in my eye and replies “Sure Jaymes, I could use a stretch.”

We walk for a while in silence until we can no longer hear little Brady’s laughter and finally Martin grabs my arm.  “Stop walking old friend.  You wouldn’t have called me out here if you hadn’t needed to talk about something.”  I turn and reply “I’m just depressed, because I’m about to lose my daughter.  But she’s not even mine, is she?”  Martin smiles and says, “You always worry about too much.  You know the real truth don’t you?”  I stare at him until he speaks again.  “The truth is, that while she isn’t your genetic offspring…YOU are her father, and no matter what happens, you’ve raised her and I’ll never be more than her stepfather.”  I still don’t say anything for a time and then I speak up.  “I tried to raise her how I thought you would want.  She has a lot of your mom’s personality.”  He looks at the lake before us nostalgically.  “God Jaymes, I miss her and dad.”, to which I say “Me too…she made the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten.”  He laughs and says “Did you ever eat breakfast at your own house Jaymes?”  then, remembering, he says “No, I guess you didn’t, did you?”  for a moment silence, then I say “I wouldn’t even shower there.  Your parents were very tolerant of me coming there at 5 in the morning to get ready.”  “Mom and dad knew your dad in college…apparently he was really violent then too.”  then he says “And the way he beat your sister…she was scared to death of men in general.”  I tell him I know and he asks if Moz is still around.  “Yeah, she’s hanging around the Mallrats now.  She’s reformed her tribe, but it’s more like a hobby now.  Cool though, I’m the only accepted male Mozzie…but I’ll be damned if I wear one of those cat suits.”  As Martin laughs, I say “That’d be worse than waking up every morning in a cheerleader outfit I think.”  He laughs even harder.

“You’ve done a good job with my daughter Jaymes.” Martin says out of the blue.  “I did what I thought was best, but then again I had a good role model for being a dad.”  He looks at me with a raised eyebrow.  “What Martin?  You’re dad was great…look how he was did with you and Bray.”  Taking a deep breath, Martin says “Bray…I wonder where he went to.”  “How did you know he was gone?”  I ask.  “He was by the house a while back.”  “He came out here looking for Brady and Trudy?”  Martin says “You mean you didn’t know?”  my head bowed a little sideways I say “What?”  “He wasn’t looking for them…he heard a rumor his brother was alive and he had to look for him…after his friend Jaymes, who he spoke highly of, by the way, went on a quest to find his sister…he thought he had to find his brother.  “And he didn’t know it was you?”  “I was ‘mute’ that time…Ice did the talking.”  “Oh” I say, then “You’ve found a good woman Martin.  She’s good with children.”  “I know…I wish I could give her one though…we’ve tried.”  “You will old friend…just give it time.”  “She’s so much like Trudy Jaymes.”  “Do you still want Trudy, Martin?”  I ask.  “You’ve nothing to fear…I won’t move in on your wife friend.”

“Martin…why did Zoot take over?”  I ask him.  “Zoot was the iron, supporting a spine of jelly.  Zoot started speaking to me one day.  I remember it, because it wasn’t a voice I was capable of making.  He said in this evil demon’s voice that he would help me become more…that I would hold the key of life in one hand and the sword of fate in the other.” He tells me.  “You don’t understand me…you’ve never been insane though, you really can’t understand it.”  To which I say “I don’t have to comprehend to listen friend, now go on.”

He continues.  “At the beginning, Martin and Zoot struggled for control of the mind we share.”  I was really winning, but then Zoot found something he was obsessed with and wanted and he exerted more control.”  “What did he find?” I ask him.  He looks at a footprint in the dirt and says “Ebony.”  My jaw practically hits the ground to hear him say that name.  “She bought into the whole Power and Chaos trash, and Zoot loved it…relished it!  He loved to make her stay in her cage, loved it when he’d throw her rats in the cage to eat…and he loved it when she screamed your name begging you to protect her.  Zoot didn’t know you, but if she was begging you for protection, then you were a worthy adversary.”  I hang my head when he says these things.  “She really did call to me?”  I ask and he nods in reply.  “Why Jaymes?”  “She told me once that she did…I didn’t believe it.  I thought she was scamming me again.”  “Again?” Martin asks.  “She and I were in love at one time, and when I fell for Trudy she couldn’t handle it…Ebony managed to capture me sometime or other and she did things to my mind…made me believe things…tried to get me to hurt people.”  At this, Martin frowns.  “I taught her that.” He says.

I throw him a bag of food after taking some for myself.  At this, he stares for some time while eating.  “I owe you something Jaymes…more than an apology will cover.”  “Why?” I ask in answer.  “For making you do the horrible things I made you do for food.”  “It was nothing Martin.  Old news best forgotten.”  I say.  “No, it’s not old news!”  he says, with shades of Zoot in his voice.  “Do you still watch after Tree?” he asks.  I close my eyes and say “Yes I do…how did YOU know that?”  “I had you followed often Jaymes.”  “Why?” I inquire.  “You worried me.  You could have defeated me.  Never mind that you were my friend.  The sad part is that when you came to me for food and I asked something of you, you were the cruelest of us all.  Many a night I caught Ebony crying staring at a picture she had of you.”  before I start again, he says “Now, back to Tree.”  “I don’t want to talk about it.” I say, before slipping into my memories and turning back the years.

“Ebony tells me that you’re here for a meal again.”  Says Zoot, voice booming with command.  “Yes.  I haven’t eaten in days.”  “I have a job for you to do.  If you agree, you’ll have a meal now, and one when you return.  Do you agree to terms?”  I hold one hand on my sword, the other with the thumb hooked from my belt.  “Don’t I always?”  “Good” Zoot says.  “I want you to take 12 of my best troops and raid the tribe in the woods.”  “Are they dangerous?” I ask.  “No, just unwilling to ‘share’.” He replies.  “good enough.  Alive or dead?” I say.  “Your choice Jaymes.” He says.

Zoot rallies his troops in front of me, and I start pointing out people, when out of the crowd, one runs up and says “I’ll go master, if you’ll allow me.  I will fight for your glory.”  I look at Zoot and he says “Its your mission.”  I look at the blonde and say “Attack me.”  “What?” he says.  “You heard me FOOL!  ATTACK ME!”  I scream.  He draws his fists back and tries to hit me, I block, he tries again and I block, again, this time I punch his face, again he tries to hit me and I sidestep, then grab his arm with one hand and I twist it until it breaks.  Zoot looks at him, wincing in pain and says “Back in line Jaffa!”  I finish picking my team and I then eat and leave.

The raid was horrible, 13 people destroying the lives of nearly 50 in under 5 minutes.  My first kill is a double kill…a woman feeding a baby and I run my sword through the baby piercing the child and the heart of the mother.  I then twist my sword in her chest, twisting the baby in the air as I did.  I can almost taste my next meal.

After the raid is over and the troops have taken all they can carry, I’m surveying the scene…my adrenalin and my anger flowing freely.  “Ticia never let me live like this” I thought.  I didn’t hear the sound at first, but then I hear the sound of a child giggling.  I look down and see a baby at my feet.  “Stupid child.” I think, laughing at this evil.  The child is holding a kitten, and hugging it close.  She points at me and waves a little and says “Tree!”  In my anger at her, I tear her kitten from her little hand and before her eyes I rip it to pieces and throw it at her.  She wails and cowers from me.  It wasn’t until I stood at the doors of Zoot’s Headquarters, that it hit me I’d killed that child’s last friend.  Months later, during my first weeks with Amber, I met the child again, Eagle told her my story and it still burned in my memory.  “She’s still scared to have pets, we took her in after a Loco raid several months ago at the east camp.”  I walk over to the child and I say Hi.  She waves at me in the same way she did that day.  “What’s your name?”  I ask.  “I’m Tree…would you like to be my friend?”  I had to run away…run with the knowledge that I killed her last friend because she told me her name.

“We should go back Martin.”  I say, with a tear in my eye.  “You shed tears my friend.  Why?” Martin asks me.  “Lost innocence of youth.  Now, lets go back…there should be enough fish for now.”

When we go back and find Brady playing with a rock, and Ice catching one last fish, we pack everything up and head back to Martin and Ice’s house.  As we get close, I say “Do you smell that Martin?”  “Yes…its vehicle exhaust.  Why would that smell be here?”  Ice says “Look here…tracks.”  We hurry back to the house and see supplies thrown about, and tools scattered and crops destroyed.  Martin is already at full run to the house, before I.  “TRUDY!  Trudy!  Honey where are you?”  a small silence, then “TRUDY!  SAY SOMETHING IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!”  “Why is Mr. Martin screaming at mommy?”  Brady asks.  “I don’t know sweetheart.  Let me go see.  Ice, will you hold her?”  “Of course Jaymes.”  I pass Brady to her and I walk in.  “Where is she Martin?”  he looks at me wide eyed, as Ice comes on inside.  “She’s not here.”  “Oh god…” I say.  “Lets go.  I need to get some things and we’ll need to leave Brady with some friends.”

As we leave, Ice picks something up off the table and slips it in her pocket.

Chapter 7:  The Survivors

“Now wait a minute Jaymes.”  Martin says as I’m heading out the door.  “What is it Martin?”  I ask, a sense of hurry in my voice.  “I can’t go to the city, you know that!”  he says.  I grab his arm very tightly, the first time in my life I’ve raised hand against him, and I say “They have my wife!  I don’t know if my friends are alive and I have to get her back.  You’re the only fighter I have right now…You WILL come with me.”  “Jaymes!”  he says, motioning for Ice to take Brady back outside.  “You know Zoot can’t go back there.”  “I need your help…I need HIS help.  I just need help.  If you won’t do this thing for an old friend, then do it for your daughter, so she doesn’t have to grow up without her mother.”  He starts to say something, then stops to think and says “I can’t.”  “Face your fears Martin.  Shrinking away from them was what brought Zoot in the first place.  Be a man for your little girl.  Help me get back her mother…the mother of my babies.”  Ice walks in, not carrying Brady.  “Now would be a good time Martin.  We’ve discussed this for a long time you and I.  Do it now.”  Without words, and without any other movements, Martin grabs his coat and a backpack and walks out.

“Where’s mommy at now daddy?”  Brady asks me from my arms.  “She must have gone for a walk honey.”  I say.  “Where we going?”  she asks, to which I reply “Little Lamb, we are going to see if Eagle is at her tribe.”  Martin looks questioningly at me and I say “The Gaians.  Eagle keeps things for me, and I’m hoping they’ll let Brady stay a while.”  He nods.

It’s a quick walk to the Gaian camp that Eagle calls her home, there we find Raven and Pride talking with Phoenix.  From a distance I see them, and I say “Hold on here you three.  I will see if they will welcome my friends.”  They stop and I walk up to where Pride, Phoenix and Raven are talking.  “Hey.  Is Eagle here?”  I ask.  “She should be back anytime.  Who are your friends?”  Phoenix asks.  “Well, one of them is a former friend of Ebony’s.  An old tribe leader.”  “BRAY’S BACK!” she asks.  “No, his brother.”  She cowers at this and brings her old hood over her face.  “You get him out of here!”  she says, venom in her voice.  I figure the simple explanation is best, so I say “As Ebony is Phoenix, Zoot is again Martin.”  She falls into my arms for comfort.  “You remember all the things he did.”  She says, as I catch sight of Tree running and playing.  Rubbing Ebony’s back I say “I remember.”  “Then make him leave…get him away and let me have peace Wolf.”  “Phoenix, you must face up to your old life from time to time.  It’s a bump on the road of the life you have here.” Pride says.  “Will you let me, and them, stay here?”  I ask.  “Of course you can Wolf.”  Pride says to me, then Phoenix cuts in “I’m still keeping my face covered from him.”

Brady looks around, more fascinated by everything this time…since she is now Lamb of the Gaian tribe also, she is further amazed when Pride grabs her up and says “And how is our Lamb?”  “I’m good Mr. Pride, and how are you?”  “Very good Lamb, very good.”  I get Martin and Ice and Brady food, and I sit by while they eat, and I watch things.  Tree runs up to me and says “Hi Wolf.  What are you doing back here?”  “It was time for a visit small one, and how have you been since I was last here?”  “Good.” She says, then “I’ve missed you Wolf.”  “I’ve missed you too Tree.  Do you still sleep good?”  “Yes, I haven’t had my memories in a long time.”  Martin looks sad, and I see Ebony watching him closely.

“Where is my sister?”  I ask, and from behind I hear “I was wondering if you remembered I was here brother of mine.”  I stand and I hug her tightly.  “I have missed seeing you Moz.  I love you sis.”  “Me too little brother.”, then  “I heard about Li-Li.  I’m so sorry.”  She says with tears.  “How did you hear?”  I ask her.  “Eagle.”  she says.  Then she points at a large tent.  “Come.”  I do, and she takes me inside.  “Look here who finally decided to show up.”  She says.  Salene, Cloe, Patsy, Ryan, Tai-San, Gattaca, Jack, Ellie, May and Lex gather around me and they start shouting questions.  “Hold on everybody…one at a time.”  Ellie speaks first.  “Where’s Danni?”  “Danni is dead.” I say. Jack next, “What about Trudy.”  She was alive yesterday, but she was gone from the farmhouse we were staying in when I got back to it.”  Patsy and Cloe together “Is Brady okay?”  “Yes.”, now Lex “We…we heard about Lianla.  I’m sorry mate.  What can I do?”  and Ryan says “Yeah, anything you need.” To Lex’s sentiment.  “She’s buried…the time to mourn will come later.”  I look and see little Ryan in Salene’s arms, and Zan in Tai-San’s  “How are these little ones?”  I ask.  “They miss home, but they are well.”  Tai-San says.  “Hell of a condition to give birth in, eh ‘San?” I ask her, indicating her belly, looking ready to burst at any moment.  “Fate directs us where best to be for any situation.” She says.  I think this is a good quote for Martin.  “How long do you think you have until the baby comes?”  I inquire, to which she answers “Not much longer…a few weeks at best.”  “Ah, well then, I better get outside.  I’ll be back.”  I tell them.  Before I walk out, Gattaca speaks.  “Where are Ghany and Fire, Jaymie?”  “I don’t know Gat…they…they were taken.”

As I pass Pride on the way to Eagle’s cabin, I say “Gather the tribe…I have something to ask them.”  To which he answers “We won’t fight another battle with you.  You Mallrats never repay the debt when we do.”  “Just gather them Pride.  I’ll be down soon.”

I go into Eagle’s home, empty with her not there and I notice finally that I’m so alone…again.  Even with a family, I’m always alone….and this world has taken my first born.  The legacy of my life.  The first truly and honestly great thing I’ve ever given the world…and they took her.  I move aside a box of Amber’s and I move a board in the wall, to find a duffle bag, just where I left it.  I take it out and I survey the items inside, then I take the bag outside.

“We’re getting th….” Pride says, stopping as I walk by him without a word.  Ice and Martin see me and come in carefully.  I step to the main fire ring, burning high and hot and I get down to my knees in front of the fire.  I pull out a kit from my duffle bag and I look at it.  My paints, still in good order.  I clean off my face paint, then I take out a mirror and I begin my work.  Across my right eye, ending at my lip, I draw a green and purple lightning bolt, down my left eye, a sword in black.  On my neck, I draw a slit across my throat in red, with droplets like blood coming from it.  I draw fangs above and below my lips, and I draw a line up my nose in gold ending in a deaths head symbol on my forehead.  Lastly, I draw tear drops falling from my eyes in the red of blood.  After this, I begin to take out the other items in the bag.

I smile to find the items in good shape.  My first jacket, one that Gattaca gave me before she went away actually.  Full of holes and dirty, but, slipping it on is like an armor of old memories protecting me from the pain of the new.  I find my old swords…older even than the ones that protected my family from the Jaikarim.  The swords are in great condition…still sharp, still beautiful these three blades.  I place the special scabbard on my back, one sword sticking straight up, and then the other two in an ‘X’ shape.  I continue digging in the bag.  12 old throwing stars, gifts from Ticia…bad memories, but I need the weapons.  I place their two carry cases, six stars per case, on my belt.  I dig again, and find containers of the old powders  “thought these were gone” I grunt quietly.  I find the powder marked for causing tears and I take a handful and sniff it…still smells good, then I look around, finding a young man staring at me, I throw the powder in his face.  He grabs his eyes screaming.  “Still works then.” I say.  I look in my jacket and place the containers of powder in the special pockets I sewed into the jacket.  I pour the other items on the ground.  A hand based knife, spring loaded and worn like a claw, 5 fixed blade knives, an old military style hat with loops around it to hold other objects.  An old Zippo lighter, a gift from my best friend when I was best man in his wedding.  I click the lighter to find it still working, but I fill it up with the lighter fluid in my pack anyway.

When I’m finished with my little ‘private’ ceremony, I stand up to find people surrounding me, including the Mallrats, Phoenix, Pride and Eagle, and behind them all, not drawing attention to themselves, are Martin, Ice and Brady.  I look at them all and they are all shocked, Gattaca and Eagle especially.  Eagle, being the leader here speaks first.  “You shouldn’t have done that to poor Meadow…did you have to hurt him Wolf?”  I look at the young man, still on the ground in pain and say “He was there.”  “Jaymie…what have you done to yourself?” Gattaca asks me.  “There’s a war on Gat, and those times call for big measures.”  Phoenix walks up to me and says “So, you’ve brought HIM back Wolf?  I hate to see you do that.”  “Look, all of you, These new people…they have my family…if we let them, they’ll have yours too, they’ll steal your way of life and they’ll make you slaves.  They steal CHILDREN!  I want your help…all of you.  I will do this alone, but I WILL fail if I do.”  I look to Pride.  “You said you wouldn’t fight a battle for the Mallrats.  I DO NOT ask this as a Mallrat, but as a Gaian to his tribe.  Help me as I would help you.  Help me find my children.”  I point past everyone and I say “Even this man is willing to help me!  Will any of you do less?”  as a group, the gathered parties turn to Martin and Ice standing there, but the first thing they all manage to see is Brady and they run up to her and grab her away from Ice and all shower her with attention and ask her what’s happened, to which she says “Mr. Martin helped keep me safe, didn’t you sir?”  then everyone looks at him.  “Yes, Brady, I did.”  Eagle looks at him shocked, then stares back at me, then back to him.  “Hello Amber.  Surprised to see me again?”  now it’s my turn to be surprised and wonder what that’s about.  “Everyone vote…do we help or not?”  Eagle says.  The vote is even, so Eagle has to be the deciding vote.  Staring at Martin she says.  “If this man helps, then our brother Wolf is correct…we can do no less.”  Then she tells everyone to go about their business.  Pointing from me to Martin, she says “You two, follow me…alone.”
I follow Eagle, with Martin beside me and escort her into her cabin.  Out of habit, I take a position on the floor and Martin simply stands there.  “Sit.”  Eagle tells him.  After he complies she looks at us both then she says “Wolf!  You fool, how could you bring him here!”  “Amber, Jaymes didn’t…”  “I’M TALKING TO HIM MARTIN!  Shut up.”  “How could you bring him here when he’s set himself up all these years with another life?”  “Eagle.”  I say “I feel there’s something I don’t know here.”  Then Martin speaks up.  “Amber, listen to me.  He didn’t know…he was surprised to find me alive as I was surprised to find he and Trudy in my home.” Martin tells her, and I ask  “What don’t I know here?”  Eagle is silent and Martin watching her expectantly.  “Amber”  he says to her, when she is still silent, he says “Amber…tell him.”  she shakes her head.

“Martin was, as you can see Jaymes, not killed like was reported, but he was only unconscious.  When Bray and I were preparing his body, he woke up.  Bray wasn’t there and Martin begged me for help.  I took pity on him and helped him hide the fact that he wasn’t dead and then he left.  I helped from time to time.  More after I became Eagle.  Martin has been here many times in secret.  I’ve given him food and clothing to sit himself up with a new life.”  She takes a breath, then she asks “Why have you brought him back Jaymes?”  my answer is “I didn’t know if anyone else was left, and when I found him, I begged his help.”  Eagle nods her understanding and asks “Does Brady know?”  Martin interrupts “NO!  She doesn’t know and she can never know.”  He says.  Eagle walks over to me and hugs me saying its good to see me still safe, then whispers “Does Phoenix know?”  “uh-huh.”  I say.  “Oh god.” She says quietly, adding “What are we going to do?”

“I need time to think Eagle…see that I’m not bothered please.”  I say when we go back outside.  “Okay.” She says, then looks around and says “At least Martin’s wearing clothes that hide his features.  He may not be recognized.”  So I make my way off to myself, noticing Phoenix following me, but I don’t think a lot of it.  She’ll need to talk and we’re closer than others here.  For several minutes I sit alone and I hear her moving around and finally say “Come out Phoenix.  Sneaking around isn’t like you anymore.”

She sits across from me at a respectful distance and removes her hood, looking again carefully at the new paint on my face.  “Duncan and Precious are safe?”  I ask.  “Growing fast Wolf.  They are with a friend back at camp.”  “So, you’ve started making friends here?  That’s good Ebo—Phoenix.”  “Can we stop with the small talk Wolf?”  she asks me.  “Of course.”  “I don’t like that you brought Zoot here.  You should have known better Wolf.”  “His name is Martin…Trudy was scared at first, and I didn’t live through the Zoot times, but he’s my best friend Ebony, and from what I’ve heard about Zoot, Martin is completely back to normal again.  He’s very good with Brady too.”  Phoenix holds up her arms to receive our son and daughter.  I hadn’t even heard the person holding them approach.  Phoenix stands up and walks over to hand my son to me, and as soon as I have the boy in my arms, little Duncan starts screaming.  “Quiet little man, its just me.  Don’t you see?”  I try to calm his screams, but nothing I do works.  I look at Phoenix and I say “He’s never been afraid of me before.”  She looks at me carefully and says “No, but his dad never looked like a demon before.  You do now.”  Reminding me of my new look I put on for war.  I hand Duncan back to his mother and I walk away.  “Where are you going?” she asks.  “I’m going back to camp.  I have my troops, now we need a war plan.”  “Oh” she says.  “I could use Ebony if she’ll help me.”  “No.” she replies.  I walk towards camp, sword in hand and practicing skills long laid dormant.

Chapter 8:  Indoctrination

 “She still hasn’t caved?”  Ram says from a viewing room off to the side of the indoctrination room.  “It’s been nearly two weeks.”  “Yes sir” says the man in charge of new ‘recruits’.  “Why can’t you break her?” Ram asks.  “She says her husband taught her to resist such things.”  “Well then.  Kick the machine to the next level…full VR immersion.”  “We have her children.”  The man says.  Ram turns his chair around to face the man, face contorted in anger  “NO!  We will not—I repeat—NOT! Make threats against her children.”  then he asks “Has she seen them?” “No Lord Ram.”  The other man says.  Ram hits a button on his communicator unit and says “Java, have the children identified in file V-12-061585 brought here immediately”  then he says to the other man “Now, get in there and get to work.”

 “I can’t talk…Jaymes told me never to talk to them.”  Trudy thought to herself, then she sank into her memories of the time he taught her how to keep from being broken during torture.

 “The first thing you have to remember Trudy, is that the people that capture you, will always make believe that they’re your friends.”  She recalled Jaymes saying.  “One of them, will come in and be horrible to you, and then another will come in and tell you he can end it all for you, if only you help him, by giving him what he wants.”  “But what if they’re using physical torture?  Starvation, pain.” She asks.  “Well, you have to get yourself into a mindset to know that they won’t kill you most likely.  They need you for information.  So, they will give you food, or let you heal.”  “Why?” she asks.  “If you die, they can’t get what they want.” Jaymes tells her.  She asks “But when they’re hurting me?”  “Then you have to escape into your mind…allow your mind to think of other things, anything that allows you to shift your focus from the pain.” Jaymes tells her.  “What did you think about when the Jaikarim were torturing you Jaymes?” Trudy asks.  He hangs his head and says “I remembered a night in the rain in that tree at Ebony’s home before the virus.  Then another time, I remembered all the times I watched you after you got pregnant with Brady.”  Jaymes says, then adds, “Whatever memory helps block the pain.  Trudy is brought out of her memories by the slamming of a door.

 With a metallic voice, obviously changed by machinery to sound more evil, the man who’s been trying to get her to break says “You can be so much more than a simple virt if you just give in to the techno way.”  “I will not join.” Trudy says, remembering the voice Jaymes used during the Jaikarim torture and trying to mimic it as best as possible.  “Very well then.”  The man says, clicking buttons on the machine and lowering a VR helmet to her head.  Suddenly Trudy is immersed in a world she knows isn’t real, but she can’t help but walk through amazed.  Her skin burns a little as drugs are pumped into her system and make her more receptive to the world around her.

 The man with the machine voice clicks a button on his communicator and says “I have her hooked up to full interactive VR just as you said sir.”  “Good.” Ram replies over the headset…it’ll be a good test to see if it works.”

 Trudy is back in the mall, in her home, but it’s the past it seems.  She walks through it and sees Jaymes with Ebony at a table and kissing her.  Her blood boils and she runs up to them both.  “What do you think you’re doing!” she yells.  “I thought you left your feelings for Phoenix behind you.”  Jaymes and Ebony stare at each other, then back to Trudy.  “Are you okay Trud?”  Jaymes asks, then asks “Who’s Phoenix?”  Trudy, angrily points at Ebony and says “She is, and where are Ghany, Li-Li and Fire?”  “Who?”  Ebony asks, irritated.  “MY CHILDREN!” Trudy screams, then points at Jaymes, “HIS children!”  Ebony shoots her glare at Jaymes.  “I don’t know what she means honey…she must be crazy.” Jaymes reassures Ebony.

 “That’s not how it happened” Trudy murmurs.  “But it is, and we can make it better if you’ll let us.”  The man that Trudy is now calling ‘metal voice’ in her head says.  “No, he said you’d do that…I….I will not…” she stops, then weakly continues “He’ll find me…you won’t turn me…he won’t let you.”  “But he will, because we hear you’ve been fighting for a long time now.  He doesn’t love you anymore…only we are here for you.”  “YOU’RE WRONG!  JAYMES DOES LOVE ME!”  Trudy screams.  “Then why did our cameras pick this up two days ago?”  ‘metal voice’ clicks a button and Jaymes’ voice comes over the speakers.  “No, I’m not going to look for her.  Far as I’m concerned she’s dead…and our children are gone too.  There’s nothing holding me back now.”, then a voice…Ebony’s voice says “Yes, now we’re finally free to be with each other in public Jaymes.”  Intimate sounds are heard before the speakers click off.  “No, it….it can’t be real.”  Trudy says.  She hears a knock at the door and hears the voice of the one called Java say “We’re here.”  ‘metal voice’ removes her helmet and says “Look here, we have your children.  We took them away from Jaymes before he killed them with Ebony.”  she’s so happy to see the babies, that she simply accept what they say, taking it in mentally.  “Thank you.  He’s always wanted to.”  Then she says “NO!  He’d never do that! You’re trying to confuse me.”  “We’re trying to help you.”  Java says.  “See, we brought you your children.”  “Yes…yes, I see.”  Trudy says, weakly again.  “We want you to be happy here with us” says ‘metal voice’  “no…he told me not to.”  “Who did?” Java asks.  “He…did…he…J…who told me not to?”  she asks.  Java takes the babies and says “You can see them again when you’ve learned your lessons.”

 When the machine is turned back on, Trudy is bombarded with images of Techno mothers, happy with their little techno children, while seeing virts sad at the graves of their babies.  “A techno is allowed to see her children all the time…virts are not privileged in this way.”  ‘metal voice’ tells her.  “I have to hold out…Jaymes will find me.”  Trudy says.  There is a click on the machine and Trudy sees Jaymes’ body being hit with zapper blasts and thrown on a fire.  “He would if he could.”  ‘metal voice’ says.

 Another two days went by, and they immersed Trudy in images of Jaymes’ death and his betrayals of their love for each other.  Today, they showed abusive Jaymes.  The one who hurt her everyday and beat their children if they cried.  She was walking in and she was scared, but she was growing stronger and had had enough.  If he hurt them today, that was it.

 She walked in to her room to find Jaymes drinking.  He always drank.  “Where’s my supper you whore!” he screamed at her.  “I, I haven’t had time Jaymes.  I’m going now.”  He grabbed her arm and he drew back to hit her, but she found an arm laser at her wrist and she used it on him…firing, over and over on the highest setting until the charge was dead.  “You’ll never hurt us again…no one hurts a Techno.”  She says.  Then the machine turns off.  Ram is there with Java and Siva and ‘metal voice’ and Ram motions to Java, who’s holding a uniform and a laser.  “Will you take them?”  he asks.  “You need never be hurt again.”  He says.  Trudy sees Siva holding Ghany and Fire and she walks to Java and takes the uniform and strips and changes into the form fitting black outfit and straps on her arm laser and her communicator.  Ram and Java clap loudly, Siva whistles, then when the noise has died down ‘metal voice’ says “There”  then switching off the voice changer, says “Was that so bad?”  Trudy looks at him as he raises his metal mask off his face, and she is wide eyed. “Bray?”

 The storm is coming, but for now waiting is the course taken.  The cobbled together war council we have now, consisting of myself, Martin, Eagle, Pride, Ryan, Lex and Tai-San have decided an immediate strike is out of the question…a decision causing me some anger, which Lex and Ryan understand.  They know how I’m feeling, being husbands and fathers too.  I think Lex said it best.  “Mate, these guys are better than the chosen.  They’ve destroyed parts of the city and nobody’s even seen them.”  “Yeah.”  I say.

 I snap awake from a dreamless sleep and I find several hours have past and Brady is on my lap asleep…she wasn’t there when I fell asleep against this giant oak, she was playing with Tree.  “who’s there?”  I say quietly so as not to wake up Brady.  “Me.”  Phoenix says, coming out from behind the tree.  “How long has she been here?”  I ask, rubbing Brady’s hair, as she moves in her sleep and cuddles closer to my chest.  “She was looking for you.”  Phoenix says, then adds “She’s scared that Trudy hasn’t come back.”  I wrap my arm around Brady and I say to Phoenix “She’s not the only one Ebony…I’m scared too.”  She looks at me like she’s about to say something for me calling her Ebony, but she doesn’t.  “I’m just going to go back to calling you Ebony…Its too much to remember two names for everybody.” I say, and Ebony says “Okay…only you though…because of our history.”  “Has Martin seen you yet Ebony?”  I ask.  “No, still hasn’t, thankfully.” She replies.  “Is this why you won’t help me Ebony?  Because of him?”  I ask. She stay’s silent.  “Ebony…I need you.  You’re the best tactics person I’ve got here.  Put your feelings for Martin aside and help.”  “No Wolf.” She says, a sound of finality in her voice.  “Ebony, I know you’ve changed, but I need your help…help me get my children back.”  Then pointing to Brady I say “Help me find her mother…PLEASE.”  I’m begging her now.  “No Jaymes!  I won’t.”  I put Brady down carefully and I take Ebony by the arm and pull her around the tree.  Angrily I slam her against the tree and I growl at her “If you won’t bring Ebony back…I WILL!”  She is looking at me with terror on her face as I grab one of my knives and put it to her chest and barely slice her with it.  “Wolf…stop it!” she says, “Don’t do this to me Wolf.”  She says.  I grab her throat and close my hand around it, choking her.  “Is she coming back yet Phoenix?”  I say as I choke her more and slam her to the tree, making her hood fall down over her face.

 From behind, arms grab me and slam me to the ground.  “What are you doing to her Jaymes?”  Martin screams as Ebony gasps for breath.  He goes over to her and says “Are you alright?”  then he lifts her hood and backs away from her as he says “Ebony…you’re…you’re here?”  “Her fear becomes that much worse as she cowers from him.  “You stay away from me Zoot!”  Ebony yells.  “Its okay Ebony…I’m not like that anymore.  Come here now, let me check you over.”  She is afraid, but lets him check her out.  After that’s done he comes over and he kicks me in the ribs.  “How dare you!  In front of my little girl like that!”  The noise wakes Brady and she comes walking to see Martin kicking me and she runs at him, knocking him over.  “Don’t hurt daddy!”  she screams and puts herself between me and Martin.  I sit up and I hold her hand.  “That was wrong Brady, you shouldn’t have done that to Martin.”  “But he was kicking you daddy.”  “That’s not an excuse baby.”, then, looking at Ebony, crying beside the oak tree I tell Brady “There’s never an excuse for mindless, pointless violence honey.  Now you go apologize to Martin while daddy apologizes to aunt Ebbie.”

 Brady walks over to Martin and they exchange apologies for their actions and I sit beside Ebony and I say “I’m so sorry Eb.  I’m just so afraid for Trudy, and I know you can help.”  When she remains totally silent, I stare into her eyes, seeing pain such that Ebony’s eyes almost never show.  “Tell me.”  I say.  “Tell you what?” she asks.  “We were lovers remember…tell me what you’re thinking Ebony.”  “I love Phoenix…She’s been good for me Jaymes.  This life I have.  Everyone, even you, have forgotten Ebony in all but name.  You can’t know how often I’ve looked at the world around me and wanted to dip into that well again and be her.”  she says.  “I can know…there was a Jaymes, one that not even you knew when you were trying to make me into the killer…he was evil for fun.  You saw a glimpse of him today Ebony.  When I threw that powder in Meadow’s face…that was the Jaymes that existed before Amber gave Wolf a home and a chance.”  I look at Brady and Martin, both having forgiven the other and laughing and say “I don’t ever want that little girl or Ghany or Fire to ever know him.”  Ebony looks at Martin holding Brady and she tenses up.  “What?”  I ask.  “He has her in his arms…we have to stop him.”  “BRADY!”  I yell to her, and she looks my way.  “Yes daddy?”  “Does Mr. Martin scare you honey?”  “Nope.”  She says, then goes back to talking to him.  “See Ebony…he doesn’t scare her and he doesn’t scare me, and Trudy even noticed the change before she disappeared.  You can’t trust him?”  I ask, to which she turns and lifts her robe up to show me her back, saying “You’ve seen these before, but I want you to see them again…HE did this to me…he gave me these scars.”  “I know Eb, but he’s changed.”  I get up and I ask Brady to go for a walk with me, leaving Martin and Ebony to talk.

 “Aunt Ebbie acts afraid of Mr. Martin daddy.” Brady says.  “She is honey…a lot of people are.”  “Why?” she asks.  “Martin and I did some bad things in younger days Brady, I was bad, but Martin was much worse, he had a different name then and he used it to scare people.”  I tell her, and she asks “Was he as bad as Zoot daddy?”  I have to stay silent, because I don’t know how to answer her, then I look around and say “Do you trust me honey?”  “Yes daddy.”  She replies.  “Okay baby.”  I set her down and crouch down in front of her.  “I want you to wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight baby, and wrap your legs around daddy’s waist and hold on tight too.”  “Yes daddy.”  She says.  Then, with my stepdaughter hanging on tight, I climb the tree in front of us, nearly 40 feet up to a branch big enough for us both to stand on, then I sit down and sit her on my lap.

 “Brady…I want to talk to you about a few things.”  I say.  “What?”  she says, with a mixture of fear and childlike amazement at being so high up in her eyes.  “Have you ever had the feeling that something very bad was going to happen honey…you didn’t know what it was, but you were scared because of the feeling?”  “Yeah, I felt that way when the mean guardian had me…I was afraid he’d hurt mommy.”  “I was too baby.”  I tell her.  “Brady, you’re old enough now to know.  I think more bad people have mommy sweetheart.”  Her little eyes get big and she says “No…will they try to hurt me too daddy?”  “I don’t think they will sweetheart, but they stole your brother and sister.”  “Are they the same ones who killed Li-Li daddy?”  I look at her sadly.  “You’re too young to know about such things sweetheart.”  I tell her.  “The Guardian made me watch a bunch of people die because I was a child of Zoot.”  I hold her close to me and say only “Oh sweetheart…I’m sorry I couldn’t save you sooner.”  “Its okay daddy…I was only afraid once.”  “When baby.”  I ask her.  “When Guardian made mommy cut off your finger.”  “I know Brady, I was afraid too.”  she reaches in her pocket and says “I have something daddy.”  “What honey?”  I ask her.  “Ticia helped me make it”  she says, then pulls out a necklace.  “What’s this?”  I ask her.  “Its your finger daddy.  I picked it up when they cut it off, and kept it.  Ticia helped me clean it off and make the necklace.”  Tears enter my eyes as I hold the necklace.  “Ticia didn’t mean it daddy.”  She says.  I wipe my eyes and say “What?”  “Ticia didn’t want to be mean.  She said she didn’t have a choice…they had her brother.  I told her I’d do what she did if someone had said they’d hurt Ghany.”  I think to myself “of course…Ticia’s brother.  She loved him more than anything.”  “Ticia was afraid you’d hate her daddy.  She wanted me to tell you she was sorry.”  “I’m sure she is Brady.”  “She gave me a letter for you, but I lost it.  She said she was going to the old house where you found aunt Moz if it was still there.”  I look at Brady wide eyed “SHE DID?” I grab a rope from my pack and tie it to the tree and to Brady and I lower her down carefully, then after she unties herself, I slide down the rope and lead her to Martin and Ebony.

 I find them talking to each other, tense conversation from the look of it.  “You two, I need you to watch Brady for a while.”  “What, where are you going Jaymes?”  Martin asks, and I don’t stop.  “Jaymes!”  Ebony says, “Where are you going?”  I turn back and say “To visit a friend.”

Chapter 10:  Friendly Visit

 I don’t leave immediately.  First I watch as Brady spends time with her father and Ebony, listen to them all laugh and talk, watch Martin and Ebony exchange tense looks with each other from time to time.  I touch the new gift that my little stepdaughter gave me, my finger on a leather cord and tied together with little pieces of plastic line at the joints.  I am sad at the way her young life has gone, stolen from her mother, then her mother stolen from her so many times, just because her father inspired hate in some, and devotion in others.  I hide myself well in the trees when I hear several people coming up to Martin and Ebony.  Amber is in the lead of the group.

 “Where is Wolf?”  Amber asks.  “He left a few minutes ago”  Martin says “Said he had to visit a friend.”  “At a time like this!”  Amber says, then asking Brady “Did he say where he was going Brady?”  “nuh-uh”  she says, to which Amber answers “Lamb, tell me the truth, where is he going?”  “I dunno Eagle, daddy never said where he was going.”  Amber keeps grilling her for information, but to my little girls credit and in a proud moment for me, she doesn’t tell where I’m going, just as I asked her not to before I left her with Eb and Martin.  “Good girl sweetheart.”  I whisper as I wait for them to disperse and then I start jumping from tree to tree.  They want to find me and talk, so jumping through the trees makes it harder to track me.  I can’t be bothered for a while.  Ticia is my priority right now.

 After a slow going for over 2 hours silently jumping tree to tree, I reach the edge of the forest and jump down to the ground and walk out of the forest on the path to the house where I found evidence of my sister being alive still.  3 hours of walking later, and a glimpse of our enemy, including a man in motorized chair talking to two attractive women, a tall man with blonde hair and two people whose faces are covered in metal, I find the house.  It’s in even worse condition than when Moz was living out of it.  I cover myself in the bushes and I just watch the house for a bit.

 Another 2 hours of this journey spent just watching the house before I decide to go up to it.  I see Ticia, so changed, walk in and out a couple of times before I decide to take my chances inside, then when I do, I can’t find her.  I move in quietly searching room to room for her.  I look out the back window, but don’t see her running, then from behind I feel a blade on my neck.  “Do not move.”  She says, voice harder, but still sweet like only the voice of Ticia can be.  I stretch my hands out to the sides slowly, saying nothing. “Turn.”  She orders me, which I comply with carefully.  She steps back when she sees me, I don’t know if its shock at seeing me, or shock at the new way I look, but she puts her weapon back in its sheath.

 “Shocked to see me Tic?”  I ask.  “Ye…yes, I am Jaymes.  Why are you here?  What have you done to yourself?  Where is everyone?  What’s hap…”  I quiet her by saying “One question at a time, huh Ticia?”, then I say “I’m here because Brady said you would be.  I’m made up for battle now Ticia, because Trudy’s been taken again, Everyone else is getting ready for war, and finally, as to what happened…a new enemy has attacked us.  They’re strong and quick.”  “The Technos.”  She says.  “Technos?”  I ask her.  “That’s what they call themselves.  After you and the other’s defeated the chosen, my brother and I went off on a journey, we were attacked by them, and he was captured, they called themselves Technos.  I managed to escape.”  “Gohan’s been captured again Ticia?”  I ask.  “Yes.”  She says, sadness in her voice at her older brother’s plight.  She thought the world of him and it hurt her so much in the first days after the virus when he couldn’t be found.  She was scared that he was too old and that the virus had taken him.  I’d never seen her happier than the day we ran across him in an outcast tribe’s hideout.  “I’m going to look for him soon.”  She says.  In answer, I say “We’ll add Gohan to the list of family we have to get back.”  “I’m not asking your help Jaymes.”  She says.  “I’m not asking if you want it Ticia”.

 “I know why you did what you did, Brady told me…and she said you were sorry and didn’t want to do it.” I say.  She smiles and says “So, she gave you my letter.”  “No Tic, she lost the letter.”  She frowns.  “Oh” she says, “Then you don’t know about it all…Trudy didn’t tell you.”  I stare at her as she stares at me, wanting to say more it seems, but saying nothing.  “Tic, what is it?” I ask her, which is answered only with more silence.  “Ticia, we have been friends for years, faced death on all sides together.  What is so horrible now, that you can’t tell me?”  She only takes food from an old cupboard and passes me some and eats.

 After eating, she says “He wanted you too, you don’t know that, but he did.” She says.  “Who Ticia?” I ask.  “The Guardian…he wanted you too because you were Zoot’s best friend, you were the holy consult, or something.”  She says, then says “Trudy refused him when he ordered her to go to you and turn you.  Even when he made her watch as he starved your boy.”  I tense at this and she sees it and lays a hand on my shoulder.  “It was only a day, and I made sure he was fed Jaymes.”  “Jaymes?” she says.  “Where has he gone?”  I ask her.  “Who, the Guardian?” she asks.  “Yes” I reply, “Where is he?”  “What difference does it make?” she asks.  “HE TRIED TO TAKE MY SON FROM ME!” I scream  “My first born son…and he tried to take him from me…and now all my babies are gone.”  Shocked, she says “What?”  “These TECHNOS…they killed Li-Li, and they have Ghany and Fire.”  This causes her to cry.  “Why are you crying Tic?” I ask her.  “You know I love those babies almost as much as you and Trudy.”

 A commotion outside raises our attention and I raise up to look out a window, and Ticia runs to the other room and comes out carrying her own weapons.  I throw my jacket aside and grab two of my throwing stars.  She sees this and says “I gave you those didn’t I?”  “Yes, now be quiet.”  I say, then ask her to look out the window.  “These the Technos?”  I ask.  “Yeah, look at those masks, scary aren’t they?”  I survey the scene and see two blonde men, one like a mini-clone of the other, two girls, three people in masks running around checking things, and two others standing back, who seem to be watching, like they’re being trained here.  “Well Ticia, what do we do here?”  she takes her own sword, a smaller one than the one I have and she touches it to mine.  “I think we just go for it…you?”  as she asks, an animal jumps out at one of the techno group and he raises his arm and a beam of light jumps from something on his arm.  “oh hell!” I say “What is THAT?”  “Its their weapon.” She says.  “Okay then.” I say.  “I guess we’d best just try to rush them, huh?”  Ticia looks at me and says “We’re probably going to die, you know.”  “Whatever.”  I say, then add “Long as we can strike a blow.”  Then I run my hand over the blades of my swords, drawing blood.  “Time to do this.” I say, bringing a hood over my face.”

 We go out the back and run around each side of the house, I stay quiet, but she screams, getting their attention.  I yell at her not to kill anyone she doesn’t have to, and it’s just like the old dance then, Ticia and I moving together, defending ourselves and each other from harm.  I hit one Techno in the ribs, then duck under his arms and raise up to hit him with the pommel of my sword in the back of his head, the two girls attack immediately, while the ‘blonde clones’ hang back with the ‘trainees’ and watch.  Ticia gets knocked out, but I do better, I sidestep light beams flying at me, and duck and kick, taking the older of the two girls out, then while I’m dealing with her, the younger of the two fires a beam at me, it hits me on the chest, it stings but I run on at her.  In the heat of the battle, I notice shocked looks on the faces of the remaining girl and the blonde clones.  They stop attacking, so I do to and stare them down through the eyeholes of my hood.  “Jay?”  the girl says.  “Siva, what level were you on?”  the older of the blonde boys says.  “I was on five.”  She says.  This causes even the mouths of the trainees to drop.  “Hold fire!”  the one called Jay yells.  Then he looks at me.  “Who are you?”  he says, and I respond “That’s not your concern yet…and if you give me back my family, it won’t have to be.”.  Jay says “Only three people have ever taken a level five blast from our lasers.  I’m looking at one, you’re looking at one, and the other disappeared a long time ago.  Take off your mask so we can see you.”  I do this and he acts surprised.  “You…you’re…”

His words are cut off by the one named Java, and the smaller version of himself firing their lasers at me, then the one called Siva joins in.  “I SAID HOLD FIRE!” Jay yells as the beams hit me, still only stinging as before, but the number of blasts causes my body to shake and jitter…I see Ticia start to attack and I manage to say “No Tic…run…tell them…you…you know….where.”  Before I pass out, I hear Jay says “VED!  I told you to hold your fire!  You do not go around zapping people just because they’re there!  You and Java and Siva return to base right now!  You’re restricted until further notice.”  Then to the trainees, he says “Stealth, Virus…help me get him to medical”

And then I pass out…and the most amazing thing happens…I start to remember

Chapter 11:  War Party

The trip that should have taken Ticia only a few hours has become nearly three days, without food and sleep.  The Technos aren’t giving up the search for her and she’s having to take a very long way around to get to the Gaian camp.  A journey she never gets to finish, because halfway to the camp after she loses the group following her, she runs across Amber and the combined force of the Gaians and Mallrats.  The welcome she receives is not a warm one.

“Finally, I found you!” Ticia exclaims as she falls at Ambers feet, exhausted.  “You may find you aren’t so happy to find us, traitor.”  Heaving for breath, Ticia says “What?”  “You destroyed lives…killed trust you’ve had for years.  What makes you think we’ll let you live now?”  Desperate to tell her story, she says “Whatever…I’ll submit myself for trial after we get Jaymes back.”  This makes everyone take notice.  Amber grabs Lex, Phoenix, Ice and Martin and says to Ticia “Walk with us, we should talk.”

She tells her story about what happened to Jaymes, and the Ticia says “The people that took him were headed off to the east.  That’s all I know.”  Martin speaks up and says “You say these Technos acted like the knew him?”  “One did.”  Ticia replies.  Ice nervously asks.  “Did he act like he knew them?”  Ticia says “No, he protected me, and it was he that sent me here.”  Lex steps to the front and says “I don’t believe that!  Jaymes would be here himself if he were still alive.”  Ticia matches Lex’s tone and says “I can’t say if he’s still alive or not, but he was when they took him.  I heard them say that he was.”

Phoenix, quietly watching the proceedings, stands up and walks off by herself, Amber follows her and asks her what’s wrong, to which Phoenix does not respond.  She stands staring at the sun.  It’s cold out and is just starting to snow.  Amber says “Phoenix, what is it?”  Phoenix takes her hood from her head and holds it in her hand looking at it…then she throws it to the ground.  “My name is Ebony…and its time we went to get our friend.”  Amber takes this silently at first, then says “Alright.  Do we trust Ticia?”  Ebony says “She’s all we’ve got.  We have to.”  Amber nods.  “I’ll gather the troops and we’ll put the plan into action.”  “No.” Ebony says, “We don’t have enough people, we need others.”  “Who else is there?”  Amber asks.  Ebony replies to her before walking away “The Chosen.”  Amber is shocked speechless.

News of Ebony’s ‘return’ spreads quickly and is evident just as quickly as she takes charge and starts making decisions and giving orders.  Martin is troubled by this and Ice notices and talks to him about it.  “Why are you moody dear?”  she asks him.  “Ebony is back…I see her and I know that she wasn’t like that before HE got his hands on her.  She had the mean streak and the qualities of leadership, but she didn’t have the hate until Zoot changed her.”  “Well, he’s gone, isn’t he love?” Ice asks him.  “Sometimes I feel him wanting to come back and rule this kingdom.  Being back makes it worse.” He says, then says “Now she wants these people that worship him…me, to help us.  Its disgusting.”  “You look different now from what I’m hearing…maybe they won’t recognize you.” Ice tells him.  “Perhaps, but Jaffa…he’s obsessed.  How do I fool him?”  “Just stay away when they go to find him.” Ice says, telling him the logical course.  Martin shakes his head and says “I can’t do that…I can’t let the mother of my child and my best friend sit there while I do nothing to rescue them.”  “Then you’ll have to face your fears or nothing will come of your efforts to get over Zoot.”  Martin nods repeatedly and says “I know.”

Ticia is fed and allowed to rest for a while, then she is told of Ebony’s plan.  “NO!”  Ticia screams.  “Is she stupid?!  Finding him is suicide.”  Amber starts to say something, but Ebony, who heard her comment steps in.  “Ticia, right now we can’t defeat this Techno group.  We hope he’ll see this and join our quest…if we give him a grace period away from punishment for crimes committed.  You need to tell us where the safe houses are.”  Ticia shakes her head back and forth quickly “No, I got away from them…I’m never going around them again…ever.”  Ebony looks at her calmly and says “He’s your friend…and he’s the father of my children.  How can we not do everything in our power to find him…and the mother of his first born children.  How can we leave them to be tortured, killed or turned like your brother probably was.”  Ticia is still resistant.  Nobody is used to seeing her so afraid, so they’re all concerned, but let Ebony talk to her alone.  “…I can just watch the children.” Ticia is heard to say.  “But we need your help.  Only you know where….houses are.”  Finally Ticia is agrees reluctantly, and then the party is off to find the Guardian and the chosen.

Ticia has to explain many times over and over why she did what she did, but she’s still kind of shunned even though everyone understands.  She and May take up with each other on this trip, because May knows what she’s going through.  May was shunned by the others after the first chosen occupation.  Lex was hard on her, so she gets what Ticia is going through.  They talk to each other a lot.

Then the time comes when Ticia shows them the first safe house, and she says she’ll go in and talk to them and give a signal if he’s there.  After a few minutes, she comes back out, carrying a box and saying that the Guardian is at a different house today, she thinks it’s the fifth house, so she leads the way to there.  When Lex asks about the box, Ticia says “Robes so more than one of us can get in.  Apparently The Guardian isn’t letting just anyone walk in anymore.  I was told I was lucky he wasn’t there or I’d be dead.  I told them I had a few other believers.  I thought it’d be safer to have more than one going in.”  The rest of the trip to safe house five is quiet.

When in sight of the house, Ticia says “Now some of you need to put on the robes.” Lex is very loud in his distrust of her.  “She’s trying to get some of us captured.”  Ticia uses a nerve pinch on his throat that makes it hard for him to talk and says “Say anything you want, but say it quietly.”  She releases the pinch and Lex tried to save his dignity by grabbing her arm and throwing it aside.  “Where did you learn that?” he says.  “Jaymes.”  She answers, then adds “Now, the group needs to decide who’s going with me.”  Lex says again something about not trusting her.  “Don’t you think if I were trying to get some of you captured that I’d be suggesting the ones to go with me?”  Lex grunts at this and says “I should be with Tai-San.  She’s about to have our new baby.”  Ticia tells him “You’ll be there if this works.  We just have to talk to him.  Now people, choose who’s going.”  There are five robes, Ticia has one, Ebony immediately takes the other, Amber starts to take one, but Pride takes it, saying he won’t put her in danger, Ice tries to urge Martin to take one, but he won’t, the robe offered him goes to Ryan, who comments how angry Salene would be if she knew, and in a show of bravery not usually seen from him, Jack takes the final robe.  Ellie is upset and trying to talk him into staying behind, but he refuses her request.  Then the five of them set off with Ticia in the lead.

The wait is long and nothing is heard of them.  Raven is concerned and so are Alice and Amber.  Amber stares intently at the house and hearing a strange noise, she says “They’ve been taken prisoner.  That was Pride’s danger signal.”  She sighs and says “Our best chances, completely gone.”

Ice looks at Martin and pulls a small container from her pocket and puts it in his hand.  He looks down at it and says “No…I told you no.”  Amber hears him protest and walks to them.  Listening silently.  Martin looks at her and says “I can’t do it Amber, this thing she wants.”  “What is it Martin?”  Amber asks, then he shows her the box and she looks into his face and says nothing, but has a tear in her eye.  “I can’t council you on this old friend.”  Ice takes him aside and says “Martin, to help Trudy, to help your friend…you have to do this.  It’s the only way.”  He looks in her eyes and she says to him “I love you, you know I wouldn’t be suggesting this if I thought there was another way.”  He nods and takes the box, then walks behind some trees.  Ice takes up her pack and walks there with him and soon, they come back out.  But, while Ice and Martin the farmer walked behind the trees, when everyone looks up at their return, the man beside Ice is a man that many have come to fear…Zoot is back.  “May god forgive me.”  He says.

Chapter 12:  Terrible News

I blink my eyes at the bright lights around me and Jay nods and says “Siva.”  She acknowledges him and flips a switch to dim the lights.  “Welcome back to the world of the living.”  He says.  “Jay.  Man, what are you doing here?”  “The program continues.”

Full of my old memories I look at Jay and Java standing there close together and I say “You mean he still hasn’t had enough people sign on?”  Jay says “The original group of people willing to be in the program are all dead Jaymes.”  “What?”  I say, “but we planned so carefully.  What happened?”  “Ram happened.  He decided that the kids weren’t doing as he’d like, so it ordered them deleted.  After you and he fought, he started to get distant from us all.  Some of us think he’s insane now.”  “Yeah.” Java says.  “When you tried to kill him, after the wounds healed he couldn’t stop crying.  You were his best friend Brain.”  “Don’t call me that Java.  My name is Jaymes.”  Siva says “Now who’s particular about names?” I look to Siva and say “My name was never Brain.  I like my given name just fine.”  “Sorry.”

I see the two wearing masks standing behind Java, Siva and Jay and I ask “Who are they?  More death squad freaks?”  “Death Squad?”  Jay asks.  “I call any group that would kill a baby a death squad.”  “A baby?”  Siva gasps “When did that happen?”  “During what would probably be your first attack on this city.”  “Stealth?  Virus?  Do either of you know anything about that?”  the girl of the group, with a highly changed voice because of a thing at her throat says “There was an attack sir.  We destroyed a building and raided the hotel in the downtown.”  “Oh.”  Jay says.  Then, my eyes darken and I ask “Did you lead that attack Jay?”  “No I didn’t…that was an Elite mission, why?”  I look at him, trying to hold my rage in check and I say “The baby you killed was a little girl named Lianla, she was born on a cold winter day and she was twin to a little boy named Ghany…and, she was my daughter.”  “Oh my god.”  Java says.  “Don’t interrupt Jav.  There’s more.  You also have my son, and my other daughter.”  Jay turns back to stare at the girl, the one named Virus and says “Is that true?”  “Yes.”  Her changed voice says.  Jay touches his communicator and says “Route me to the nursery.”  Then after a second he says “I need the babies from file V-12-061585 brought to medical…..no, I know that…Ram isn’t here, now bring them.”  Then he looks back at me and says “I’m sorry about your daughter old friend…but your son and other daughter will be here soon.”  He moves over to Virus and says something in her ear and she shakes her head back and forth to answer negative.

“So guys, how long did it take Ram to heal after I beat him down?”  I ask.  They look between each other and Siva answers me.  “He hasn’t Jaymes.  You put him in a wheelchair for life, and when you threw him bleeding in the garbage dump he developed a fear of germs…he hardly moves without things being perfectly clean.  He’s killed people for sneezing around him.”  “A wheelchair huh?” I say, then “Good.  Its no less than he deserved.  Everyone of us was a slave and didn’t even know it.”  “The goals are good Jaymes.”  Jay says “But his methods have become terrible.”

“You said he wasn’t here Jay?”  I ask.  “That’s right.  Good thing too.  You wouldn’t be alive right now if he was.”  Jay tells me.  “That’s right.  I’ve heard him say a lot that he wishes you were still alive so he could force you to believe in the cause before he deletes you.” Java mentions.  I sigh and ask “Well, what’s the deal with Techno Dee and Techno Dumb over there?”  motioning to the ones called Stealth and Virus.  Jay answers “Stealth was found alone and walking around looking for someone, and we found Virus alone in her house.”  Stealth came willingly, dejected he was, but Virus had to be convinced.”  “Oh really?”  I say.  “They give you an offer you couldn’t refuse girl?”  I yell at Virus, who answers with her changed voice “No, I yelled for my husband to save me, but he never came.”  “Oh…well I’m sure he would have if he could’ve.  You sure they don’t have him hid somewhere?”  “He isn’t.”  she says.  Then I notice the grim look on Jay’s face.

“I have some bad news old friend.”  He says, a mix of firm command and horrible sadness in his voice.  “What is it?”  I ask.  “Ved was testing out a new model of WBLS without authorization and you got hit with it.”  “So what?  So he has a new arm laser, what does that matter?” I ask.  Jay says “The new systems…they shoot out a pellet of a highly toxic, slow acting poison before the beam…the pellet breaks in the skin and the beam pops the pellet and closes the wound so you can’t get the pellet out.”  “Okay.”  I say, not sure what response I should give.  “You should take it more seriously.” Jay says “You’re going to die…and who knows how long you have.”  “There has to be a vaccine for it.”  I tell them.  “There is.”  Java says, adding “Ram has it…and won’t give it out to anyone…especially you I bet.”  Siva puts her two cents in saying “We should still ask him.  Maybe he will remember happy times…and because of the babies.”  Stealth, I notice, follows Virus to a window and puts his hands on her shoulders.

Just after this, and talking a little more about what the Technos have become, one of the Technos walks in carrying my son and daughter.  The first time I’ve seen them in months.  Java and Siva both smile when my face lights up at seeing them.  Java and Siva each take one of the babies from the one that brought them here.  “Which one do you want to see first Jaymes?”  Siva asks.  “I want to see my daughter please.”  I say, and Java brings her to me.  “Little Fire…I’m so happy to see you baby.” I say to the happy face of my littlest girl by Trudy.  “Have they been treating you good baby?”  I ask her, bouncing her on my leg.  Then I look at them all there and I say sternly “HAVE they been treating her well?”  “She’s been well taken care of Jaymes…after all, their mother is…” then Java stops abruptly, looking scared and embarrassed for saying it.  “Their mother is what Java?”  I say half ready to jump from the bed.  The moment is silent except for Stealth and Virus moving towards the door.  “DO NOT MOVE!” I say loudly, but not too loud to disturb the babies.  Stealth and Virus stop in their tracks.  Siva hands Ghany to Virus, and she files out respectfully, taking Stealth and Java with her.  “Well, I guess I’d better go too…yeah, I’ll be back later Jaymes.  Oh, by the way.  Ram is back at the command center.”  “Where’s that?”  “The original base.  Seems our second team commander blew up the power supply.”  “Oh.”  I say.  Then Jay leaves.

So Virus and I are the only ones remaining.  “Hmm, you must be the least important one of the bunch.”  I say to her, watching her holding my son in her arms.  “I’m less important to some than others.” She says.  “Will you turn that thing off please?”  I ask her, pointing to the thing at her throat that seems to be changing her voice.  “I’d rather leave it on Jaymes.”  She says.  The tone in her voice is interesting when she says it.  “Come on…you’d deny the request of a dying man here?”  “Don’t say that…you aren’t going to die…you can’t die.” Virus says.  “I wish that were so.  But I’m as able to die as anyone…and in the time I’ve known him, Jay’s never lied to me.  He says I’m dying, then I’m dying.”  I kiss Fire’s cheek and then I say “I’ve got to find their mom.  That way they can be with family.”  Virus reaches up and pushes on the thing at her throat, it beeps and then a familiar voice to me says “No you don’t sweetheart…I’m here.”  “Trudy?”  I say in disbelief as she removes her mask.  “You’re one of them?”  “No, I’m not.  I almost was, but when they tried to force me with the machine, then afterward brought Fire and Ghany, I knew I had to survive.  I knew they were brainwashing me though.”  “How baby?”  I ask her.  “They showed images of you hitting me…you’d never hit me Jaymes…not ever.”  I look at her and I say “I’m dying sweetie…I won’t be there to watch after you guys anymore.”  She comes over and kisses my forehead and, with a tear falling down her face, she chokes out the words “I know.”  Then when I trade her Fire for Ghany, I lay back and sigh, it’s a sound of defeat, knowing that no matter what, I’m going to die, but Trudy takes charge.

Trudy hits a button on an arm remote and says “Be ready in two days, we’re taking the babies and leaving.”  “What was that you hit Trudy?”  I ask and she says “SurvScram system.  Jay, Java and Siva installed it after you left.  They did it without Ram’s knowledge…in the event important conversations need to take place, its got a half minute timer, now act like we’re fighting.” Just as another beep is heard.  “NO JAYMES!  I told you, these people are good to me and we’re staying.  Now, if you want to be with me, you’ll join!  Or you’ll…”  she hesitates, mouthing the words “I’m sorry”, then says out loud, “Or you’ll never see your living children again!”  Her saying this actually makes me cry and I say “You slut!  First the chosen, now these people!  You’ll just whore yourself out to anyone, won’t you?”  She jerks back.  Not once in our whole marriage hearing me call her such words, but she plays along.  “FINE!  I hope you enjoyed the visit!  It’ll be the last time you ever see Ghany and Fire EVER again.”  Then she storms out, after signaling me with her hands two days husband, then we’ll be together.

Java and Siva come in as Trudy huffs out.  “Are you okay Jaymes?  We heard what happened on the monitors.”  Still playing along I sigh “Well, at least I have Duncan and Precious.”  “Who?” Java asks.  “I hope I see them again before I die…they’re my other children…babies by my one time lover Ebony.”  Java and Siva look at each other “Ebony!”

Chapter 13:  Coming to Terms

The day comes when Trudy has decided its time to leave.  So she gathers up Ghany and Fire and she heads towards a separate entrance as I.  I find myself having an unlikely source of help in Siva, who gets me out of the bed, and when I have trouble walking, helps me to walk.  In the interest of security, she hides me under a blanket from the closet of the room I was in.

As she leads me, I hear the whirring of a motor, and footsteps, and Ram says “Siva, Siva…what have we here?”  she answers him “Violent Virt, scheduled for termination.”  “Has he been given trial?”  “No Ram, he’s too violent, he needs to be removed now.” She replies.  “I’m in command here, I’ll be the judge of that.  Remove the sheet so I can see this virt.”  “Ram, the germs…he’s covered in dried blood and he likes to spit.”  “I don’t care, remove the sheet!”  “Yes Lord Ram.”  I hear this and I snicker.  “Lord Ram?”  I think to myself.  She starts to pull the sheet off, then an alarm starts to go off.  Ram spends the next few moments figuring out what happened, then he says “I thought I told you to take the sheet off this virt.”  Ram wheels over and he removes the sheet himself.  His eyes are blank.  “Surprised to see me Paul?”  I ask.  “How are you still…?”  then he says in a voice of controlled rage, “Get me Jay.”

“I hate patrol” Jay thinks to himself as he walks the streets watching the people live their lives carefree and oblivious for the most part that the Technos are even there.  He hates to be on patrol, but even a general must sometimes have a job he dislikes.  But while he hates the patrolling, he likes to watch the people.  It reminds him of why he’s doing this.  Why he let Ram and Jaymes talk him into being a part of the group in the first place.  The goals had been simple then…they were to be a group of people who stopped life from going crazy after the adults were gone.  Make sure proper medical care was available, make sure people could still learn not just survival, but also learn the histories from books so that maybe the past mistakes wouldn’t be repeated.  That was all gone now though.  Ram’s insane secret dream was all there was now.

As he thinks of her…the one he always loved…as he thinks about Ice, he nearly becomes heartbroken.  She was the only person he truly loved, because she was like the other part of her soul.  She understood his goals, his fears.  She had been taken away though.  Ram had forbid them to see each other, and then, when Jaymes finally left, she had followed suit and left not long after that.  Today, like so many days, Jay wishes his sense of duty had not called him to stay, that he had not thought the Technos a good place for Ved to grow up into a man.  He wished he’d followed his heart and left when Ice had.  Like Jaymes, his best friend, had done.

“Jay!”  comes a yell from behind him, focusing his mind back to the real world.  “What is it Siva?”  he asks, identifying the woman coming up to him quickly.  “The communicators are down…you need to come quick.  Ram’s back and he found Jaymes.  Just as I was trying to sneak him out with Virus and the babies.”  “You did what!?!” Jay exclaims, shocked.  “You know Ram will be very displeased.”  “Yeah, now you have to get back.  He’s got Jaymes locked in a cell.  I managed to find Virus and make her go back in.  He’s really angry with you that you didn’t tell him about Jaymes.”  “Oh god.  I had hoped we could take care of it before he came back.  You should have let me handle it Siva.”  “I couldn’t see him and his kids held there.”  She tells him.  “It’s just not right the way Ram holds that grudge.”  “No, it isn’t…and Jaymes was right.”  He says, and like she’d been thinking it too, Siva finishes the thought “We were all slaves and didn’t even know it.”

As they go back, Jay makes little conversation, lost in his desire to help Jaymes, and as he walks, he makes the hardest decision of his life.  Its time to leave the Technos.  And quoting Jaymes, that day he made his final move to leave, Jay says “And nobody will stop me now.”  “From what?”  Siva asks him.  “Nothing Siva…just making a decision.”  And again, like she knew his thoughts, she said “With Jaymes, Virus, you and I, we could do it.”  She says.  “Maybe.” He tells her, then “I think we should get Stealth too…he’ll help.”  Siva speaks her difference of opinion and Jay says “How do you think the communicators went down?”  Siva hides her shock, but says “You did that?”  “Best to keep Ram out of the picture as long as possible wouldn’t you say?” he says.  “Didn’t work so well, did it?”  she mutters.

The Techno base comes into view and Jay lets out a troubled sigh, and Siva behind him makes a small moan of dread.  “Time to face the music.”  She says to Jay and he replies to her “Time to win back our freedom.”  “Do you think he’d really let you go?” Siva asks.  “Us, you mean.”  He answers her back.  “No Jay, he would never let me go…you know that.” Siva sadly muses.

“You had a duty Jay!  You know I hate him!  You should have contacted me the second you brought Jaymes here!” Ram screams, ranting his anger at Jay.  “The man is ill Ram.  He needed medical attention.” Jay says, matching the tone of his leader, and Ram replies “He looked fine when I saw him.”  “He was pumped up on pain killers Ram!  He was hit with 14 level 4 WBLS beams.”  Walking into the room, Ved says “Yeah, three of them were mine.”  Jay turns and says “THREE?…oh my god.”  “What is it?” Ram says…afraid little brother will be more vicious than you one day Jay?”  “No Ram…Ved was testing the new arm lasers without authorization.”  When he hears this, Ram says “He was what?”  then rolls his chair over to Ved, stopping it on his foot and as Ved holds back a scream of pain, Ram says “If you’ve killed him I will have your blood.”  Then Ram orders them away.

He sits alone, throwing himself into a program, but Ram’s thoughts cannot stay on the present…they dwell on the past.  Jaymes was his friend, the first friend who even tried to understand him, his best friend even…now after everything else, he’s dying.  Ram punches up his communicator and says “Control, what is the new prisoners Identification Tag?”  to which the voice on the other end responds “V-12-061585-alpha, Lord Ram sir.”  “Good, good.”  Ram says then signs off the communicator.  Then, as he thinks about it, he remembers the ID Tag assigned to virus, then he hurries to the prison room.

Jay is in his room, recalling his memories of Ice when Siva comes in and asks what they’re going to do now, to which Jay answers “Wait and see.”  “That’s all?” she asks.  “That’s all.” Jay repeats back to her.

Ram makes his way into the prison room and wheels himself in front of my cell.  He sits staring at me strangely for a long time and when he says nothing, I ask “Why are you here Paul?”  “I’ve been remembering things about you Jaymes…” he stops in mid sentence, then says “Ved killed you…you realize this don’t you?”  I shake my head and say “I’m told you have an antidote for it.”  “I have an idea for an antidote…I’m not a pharmacist you know.  That’s why I pretend like I won’t give it out old friend…it doesn’t exist.”  “Oh.”  I say to him, then he hits a button and the cell pops open.  “Can you walk?” he asks.  “I think I can make it…why?”  “you have to go to your new room.  You’ll be spending your days and nights with your wife and your children.”  Ram says, leaving me quite lost as what to say.  “Um…aren’t you gonna….?”  “I wanted to kill you Jaymes, but there’s hardly honor in killing an already dying man who has a family.”  “I have two other kids I’d like to see Ram.  Let Trudy and me go so I can find them, and so I can die in peace.”  He thinks about this for a long time then says “Alright…we’ll take you to them.”

And so, myself, Trudy, our babies, Jay, Java, Siva, Stealth and Ram get ready to go in search of the Gaians.  Beforehand though, Ram says “Virus, Stealth…you need to get your old clothes on…those outfits are expensive and you won’t be coming back….so they go into their respective rooms and Trudy comes back out directly in her lime green coat and her earth tone shirts and pants.  Then out comes Stealth in a leather jacket, a tight shirt and leather pants.  I look to the unkempt greasy hair and I say “Bray?  What are you doing here?”  He says nothing as we set off towards home.

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