Tribe 4: Unification

by mattsized

Who were the mysterious people that jumped from the plane at the end of series three? This sequel looks at one possible outcome and the effect it has on the Mall Rats. Action, Romance and Drama are all mixed in with a little bit of lightheartedness to cr

Tribe 4

Unification

Amber's screams echoed throughout the barn; she had never felt such an intense pain before. She gripped Bray's hand and stopped crying long enough to speak.

"I'm scared Bray. Our baby, it's… it's coming too soon. What if it... what if it…"

Her words were broken by a sudden contraction and the piercing cry that followed.

"It's ok Amber, I'm here for you."

He gripped her hand tightly and stroked her forehead.

"Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen to our baby, everything's gonna be fine."

Bray didn't know who he was trying to convince, himself or Amber? He looked down at his other hand, his fingers still covered in her blood. He knew that there was something wrong but just hoped it was because the baby was so early, he didn't like to think that he would lose Amber for a second time, but knew there was a chance she could die. He smiled at her and kissed her hand.

"Everything's gonna be just fine..."

~*~*~*~

The Mall Rats had gathered on the roof in time to see the plane flying off into the distance. They hoped it might have turned round and come back, but it was now no more than a dot on the horizon. Ellie broke the silence that followed.

"Do you think they're adults?"

"But all the adults were killed by the virus." May replied

"Well there aren't many kids I know who can fly a plane."

"Look Ellie, I agree with May. You see, up on Eagle Mountain we found a tape…"

Jack was interrupted by Trudy, who could see that Ellie was a bit annoyed at the fact no one agreed with her.

"Why don't we talk about this back inside the Mall? I'll make us all a cup of tea, I think we're all a little shaken up by this."

The others slowly made their way inside and back down into the café. Pride and Trudy remained on the roof.

"Do you think they're really adults?" asked Trudy

"Before now we thought they had all died. But I guess that a few could have survived the virus."

"I don't know" shrugged Trudy, "These days I'm beginning to think that anything's possible."

With that, Trudy headed back into the Mall to put the kettle on. Pride sighed and took one last look at the empty skies. "Who are you?" He whispered, before following Trudy back down the stairs.

~*~*~*~

"So, what's it to be Luke?"

The Guardian looked deep into Luke's eyes, deep into his soul and could see the fire of Zoot still burning in his heart.

"Will you come with the Chosen, or stay with that pathetic little group of children who call themselves a tribe? The future's here Luke and the Mall Rats will be swept aside just as easily as any other tribe in the city. The true bringers of chaos will forsake no one!"

Luke looked towards the city. Did he really want to go back there? Then again, he knew that he didn't want to be part of the Chosen anymore, did he? His head was filled with confusion.

"Well Luke?" The Guardian pressured him for an answer.

"Yes, I'll come with you."

~*~*~*~

Bray was kneeled on the floor, nervously awaiting the birth of their child.

"Push, Amber, push, you're almost there!"

"I can't push anymore Bray, it hurts too much!"

"Wait, I can see a head, I can see a head! Just another couple of times and you'll be there!"

Bray's heart began beating faster. He had known for months that he was going to be a father, but now, after seeing the head, it made it that much more real to him. Amber screamed out in pain as she gave one last push. Finally, there it was, their baby; its tiny head, its tiny hands, its tiny feet. Everything about it was perfect. Bray gently tapped its back to start it breathing on its own. As the child let out a shrill cry, Bray lifted it up to Amber.

"Look, Amber, we've got a baby boy, a beautiful baby boy!"

Although breathless, Amber smiled.

"He's… he's got his father's eyes…"

The proud parents looked adoringly at their new son as he wrapped his little hand around Amber's thumb. He offered a ray of hope in to their turbulent lives.

~*~*~*~

Six, strange figures ran through the countryside heading towards the city. They were dressed in black and wore silver masks. One of them, a female, spoke into a radio.

"Base one. The target is in sight. We should make first contact within 10 minutes."

An authorative voice came back over the speaker.

"Well done Lescher. Make sure you are conspicuous on arrival; we don't want to arouse any suspicion just yet. See if there's anyone about who can give you information about the city, if they're unwilling then you know what to do… Davison out."

~*~*~*~

"Search teams? You don't even know if it landed anywhere near here. It could take our guys days to…" Moz was cut off.

"I don't wanna hear it Moz! In case you hadn't noticed, I'm the leader round here and what I say goes! You understand me?"

Moz stormed out of the room, Ebony was making a big mistake. With people out in the countryside, the hotel would be open to attack. Back in her room, Ebony looked up out of the skylight. If there was a plane, if there were adults then she would find them first. She had worked hard to become ruler of the city and didn't want anyone undermining her authority, least of all a bunch of people from the sky…

~*~*~*~

In the outskirts of the city, the six masked intruders had surrounded a young girl and were firing questions at her.

"How many are there of you in this city?"

"Do you have a leader?"

"How many tribes are there?"

The girl was terrified and shouted out a response to one of the questions

"The leader of the city is… is Ebony"

The figures stepped away but as soon as they did the girl began screaming for help. One of the male figures stepped towards her. He spoke with a gruff accent.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you little girl!"

He grabbed her throat and she heard the click of a blade. As she began choking, she felt a sharp pain as the knife was plunged into her back. She was finding it difficult to breathe and couldn't scream or cry out for help.

"Not so vocal now, are you little girl?"

He let her body fall to the ground where she began bleeding from her wound. She struggled to speak but eventually found the words.

"Who… who are you?"

One of the other figures stepped forward and stood over her with his arms folded.

"We're the Sentinels…"

The last ounce of life drained out of the young girl. Her eyes stayed wide open and the female officer looked intently at the limp body

"You know, it's only when they're dead that I start to feel sorry for them."

~*~*~*~

The Mall Rats were sat around the table. It had been a big day for them; first, Amber and Bray were banished and then, they saw a plane, possibly heralding the return of adults. Despite this, the tribe had more pressing matters. Lex was speaking at the head of the table.

"Look guys, with Amber and Bray gone, we don't have a leader anymore! We need someone who can keep this tribe together and represent us in city affairs. Therefore, I am gonna take over the role…"

Lex was interrupted by May, who pushed back her chair and stood up to face him.

"Wait a minute Lex, who do you think you are? You can't take over just like that! What if we don't want you as leader?"

Lex leaned forward and put his hands on the table. He stared icily at May.

"Well I don't see anyone else round here who could be leader."

"Pride could do it!" May shouted eagerly.

"With all due respect May, I don't think I've been here long enough." stated Pride

Lex sneered at May, and then smiled.

"That's settled then! I'll be the new leader…"

~*~*~*~

"What should we call him?"

"I hadn't even thought about that yet."

Bray and Amber cooed over their baby son, who was wrapped in Bray's jacket. He was asleep and had his thumb in his mouth. He looked a picture of innocence.

"How about Jesse?" suggested Amber "That's a name I've always liked."

"Nah, that sounds like a girl's name. All the other kids will make fun of him when he grows up."

Amber chuckled, Bray was probably right. Another name came to mind.

"What about Adam? That's another name I like."

Bray thought about it, and then began nodding his head in agreement. He smiled.

"Yeah, I like that. Adam. I like it."

At the sound of his new name, Adam stirred from his gentle slumber and began to cry. Amber sighed, lifted her baby in to her arms and began to rock him back to sleep.

"Well Adam, it looks like you're going to be quite a handful doesn't it?"

~*~*~*~

Luke struggled to get to sleep. He and the rest of the Chosen had set out for a safe house and had ended up in an old country manor deep in the countryside. There was nothing wrong with the house, but Luke felt uncomfortable sleeping in the room next to the Guardian. He began to feel sick and prayed that his true motives for returning with the Chosen wouldn't be discovered. Luke rolled over on to his side and thought about Ellie. It had been over a day since he had last seen her and he was missing her a lot. Even though they had broken up, he still cared for her deeply.

"Ellie" he whispered affectionately.

However, no matter how much he tried to disguise the truth, it kept coming back. Ellie's heart would always belong to another…

~*~*~*~

Jack interrupted Lex "What about Trudy?"

Lex glared at him. How dare he suggest that a traitor like Trudy could possibly become leader.

"Hey Jack, I thought you were leaving. I suppose that means you don't have a say round here anymore, doesn't it?"

Jack looked down at the table. He knew Lex was right. Another voice spoke up; this time it was Cloe.

"I agree with Jack. I think Trudy would be a great leader." She shot a smile over at Trudy, who seemed totally gob smacked.

"Thank you Cloe, Jack. I don't know if I…"

Lex banged his hands down on the table and stared fiercely at the rest of the Mall Rats.

"Have you forgotten what she did to us? She betrayed us to the Chosen!"

"People change, Lex. Unlike you! You're still the big bully you've always been!"

Lex was taken aback by Cloe's newfound confidence. Although he had been humiliated in front of the rest of the tribe, he respected her for speaking out. She had certainly changed in the last year. She had changed a lot. Lex begrudgingly gave in.

"All right then, Trudy do you want to be leader?"

She looked at the others who smiled at her. She turned to Lex.

"Yes, I do want to be leader."

"Looks like we've got a battle for leadership on our hands" stated Ellie.

~*~*~*~

The first wave of prisoners had been taken away. Reinforcements had arrived almost an hour ago. Lieutenant Toni Lescher turned to one of the guards.

"You!  Make sure that we have this part of the sector under control by dawn. I don't want any mistakes. You understand?"

The guard nodded and quickly ran off to relay the message to his fellow officers. Toni spotted Bobby lurking in the shadows. She strode towards him.

"Can I help you General?"

"No thank you lieutenant… err…"

"Lescher sir, lieutenant Toni Lescher."

"That's right. I've never been very good with names."

General Taylor lowered his voice to a whisper and moved closer to Lescher.

"Tell me lieutenant, do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"Of course sir. The city rightfully belongs to us."

"Good to see you're loyal to the cause Lescher. That's why you've made this rank so quickly. Tell me, what was the name of the officer you replaced?"

Lescher stood proud, with her hands behind her back. She shot his name into the night sky.

"Lieutenant Samuel Mann, sir."

"He was a good officer. It was a tragic accident that we lost him in."

"Yes sir."

"Anyway, don't let me stop you. Carry on with your orders."

"Yes sir."

Lescher marched off into the night, shouting commands to some of the guards nearby. As soon as she had gone, two figures stepped out from behind a wall and stood next to Bobby. A male, with a slightly southern accent spoke first.

"So, what do you think?"

Bobby shook his head and replied,

"No, she's far too loyal. Besides, I don't know if I want someone like that on our side."

This time the female spoke. She looked questioningly at her superior.

"Why?"

"That man she replaced? Some people thought she might have had a hand in his death. Davison heard the rumours but turned a blind eye to them."

"Looks like it's just us then."

"Against a whole army of Sentinels?"

"It's not that bad."

"No, it's worse!"

General Bobby Taylor, Officer Will Satchbrooke and Doctor Georgia Lyons crept back into the shadows.

~*~*~*~

Andy and Tally came down to breakfast to find the other Mall Rats already eating. Tai-San noticed their arrival and turned to face the rest of the tribe.

"Now that we're all here, we can vote on the new leader."

Andy interrupted her "But I don't know who to vote for!"

Alice looked across the table and smiled at him.

"You've had all night to think about it. It can't be that hard to choose one of them."

Andy sat down in the chair next to Lex, who began to whisper something to him.

"If u vote for me kid, I'll make sure that it's worth your while!"

Tai-San turned sharply to face Lex, her hands firmly rested on her hips.

"Don't even think about bribing others to vote for you, Lex. If you do that again, you'll be disqualified. Understand?"

Lex grunted a response, folded his arms and slumped back in to his chair. Tai-San, satisfied that her husband was behaving once more, went over to another table and picked up some paper and pencils. She handed one of each to all of the mall rats except Lex and Trudy. She took a bucket from under the sink and addressed the others.

"We want this to be as fair as possible, so I want you each to write down the person you think should be leader, fold up the paper and put it in this bucket. I have asked Ellie and Jack to count the votes once the voting is finished. Lex and Trudy, you are to wait in your rooms while this process occurs to ensure that you cannot influence the others in any way."

Lex and Trudy left the café while the others made their choices. After several recounts, Ellie handed the piece of paper with the winner's name on to Tai-San. She looked at the name and smiled.

"Andy, can you go and fetch Trudy and Lex please. Tell them the result is in."

Andy did as he was told while the others gathered around the fountain. Tai-San stood on one of the walls and soon the candidates emerged to hear the results. Tai-San began to speak.

"The person who won this race, won with an overwhelming majority. The final results gave eight votes to the winner, and only two votes to the runner-up..."

"Get on with it!" Tai- San looked sternly at Lex

"As you asked so nicely, ok. The winner is…"

~*~*~*~

Ebony and a group of guards stormed into the mall. She called out, her voice resonating against the walls.

"Hey, Mall Rats, come out here! I have a proposition for you!"

Cloe emerged from her room and stood at the top of the stairs.

"What do you want Ebony? Haven't you already had enough from us?"

"Is that any way to speak to leader of the city? What happened to the polite little girl I used to know?"

"She grew up, unlike you Ebony."

Cloe smiled at her own sarcasm, she enjoyed putting people down like that. Pride, May and Tai-San appeared next to her. Ebony's sneer turned to a feigned smile as she addressed the others.

"Ah, just the people I was looking for. I was hoping to get you two," she pointed at Pride and May "to go on a little mission for me."

"For you? No way!"

Pride gave May a look that told her to be quiet. He took over speaking.

"What do you want us to do Ebony?"

Ebony rubbed her hands together before clasping them behind her back. She began to walk up the first few stairs, stopping after the first flight.

"I'm sure you saw that plane yesterday. Everyone else in the city did. The fact is I want to send out a search party to look for it. I'm picking representatives from all the tribes to go and, to be honest, you don't really have a say in it. Don't worry, it's nothing personal."

May walked down the stairs toward Ebony.

"Actually, I think our new leader might have something to say about that."

"Your new leader? Certainly didn't take you long to replace Amber and Bray, did it?"

She sneered and turned to Tai-San.

"So who is it then? The witch? Or maybe the eco-warrior, hey Pride?"

A voice from somewhere above startled her and she spun round to face the balcony.

"No Ebony, it's me."

"Well, well, well, you Mall Rats sure know how to pick 'em, don't you?"

~*~*~*~

Two figures on horseback galloped through the countryside, their features almost indistinguishable because of the glorious orange sun that sent rays of glistening light to cover the earth. A flash of red hair cut the space around them as they went faster and faster.

"Whoa, slow down boy! Slow down"

But the neighing stallion would not obey her and flung her to the ground before racing off in the opposite direction. The girl's travelling companion came to an abrupt halt, dismounted and raced to her side.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine, I think, just a few bruises. I should have known that I couldn't have tamed a wild horse like that."

"Don't worry about that now. Just try to stand up."

She went to get up but fell back down in pain.

"What's the matter?"

"It's my ankle, I think I've twisted it!"

Gently, the boy bent down, scooped the girl into his arms and put her on the remaining horse. He took the reins and walked at the side, ensuring the pace remained a trot. Soon, they came to a barn, hidden by an embankment and a small wood. It was almost dark. The boy looked at the ever-fading sun and sighed.

"I think we'd better rest for the night. We can set out early tomorrow, besides, you need to rest that ankle."

"Thanks, that sounds like a good idea."

He lifted her down and supported her weight while they walked down the hill. He tied the horse to a post outside and then opened the barn doors. Inside, Amber and Bray spun round in shock to face their guests. From his makeshift crib, Adam began to cry…

~*~*~*~

"Davison confirmed that there's gonna be another attack, now that sector nine has been purged."

Will Satchbrooke sighed and looked at his two comrades.

"That's two sectors in as many days! Where are they heading next?"

General Taylor pinpointed a place on a map of the city."

"Here, sector ten. They've got two main targets: the Horton Bailey Hotel where, apparently, the leader of the city resides, and this building right here. The Phoenix Mall…"

~*~*~*~

Lex sat facing Ebony in the café. He stared at her in disbelief.

"Let me get this straight. You want our guys to go and look for a plane that right now could be hundreds of miles away?"

"Uh huh. Is there something wrong with that Lex?"

"No way!"

Trudy, who had been observing for some time, sat up in her chair and became active in the debate.

"Now hold on Lex, let's give Ebony a chance."

"Thank you Trudy. At least someone round here is willing to listen to me."

"You sound surprised Ebony. You shouldn't be! As I remember it, you're the one who banished Amber and Bray. And you wonder why no one will listen to you?"

Trudy was beginning to tire of Lex's outbursts. She turned to him and glared.

"I have tried to be patient with you Lex, but your constant ranting and raving is getting us nowhere. In case you had forgotten, I'm the leader of this tribe now and Ebony and I need to talk! Now, if you don't mind…"

Lex got up and peered over at Trudy, his eyes filled with contempt.

"Mark my words, the Mall Rats are going to regret the day they voted you in as leader."

After turning to Ebony and sneering, Lex stormed out of the café. The two girls got back down to business.

"OK Ebony, why do you want to find this plane so badly?" Trudy inquired.

"Well, whoever controls it is bound to have valuable supplies, you know fuel, food, medicine. I was hoping we could make an alliance with them and trade goods, that sort of thing."

"You expect to believe that?"

"What?" exclaimed Ebony.

"Let's face it, people like you crave power. With your very own aeroplane, you could fly all over the place, taking over other non-suspecting tribes, tribes who take you in and are paid for their kindness by treachery. You never change, do you?"

Ebony angrily stood up, flinging away her chair. She leant close to Trudy and whispered in her ear.

"At least I never stood by and watched as my tribe were taken prisoner, tortured and killed! Isn't that right, 'Supreme Mother'?"

Trudy refused to rise to the bait. Instead, she spoke calmly to Ebony.

"Do come again soon. You don't know how much I enjoy our little chats…"

Ebony growled, then turned to one of her henchman, who until now had been standing idly in the corner.

"Go tell Pride and May to be ready in one hour. That's when the search party leaves. Tell them that their leader and I have reached an agreement of sorts."

The boy hurried out of the room. Trudy just sighed.

"Why did you even bother agreeing to this meeting Ebony? You were never going to take no for an answer were you?"

Ebony laughed as she began to walk away.

"Oh, one more thing…"

Ebony turned back to see Trudy pondering over some sort of question in her mind. Finally she spoke.

"One thing that's been bothering me for a while now, just how much of it did you plan?"

"What?"

"You know, the kidnapping, the Guardian's escape, the murder, the rescue, the elections… How far ahead did you have to plan for all of that to happen?"

"Honey, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. A technique you have yet to master"

With that, Ebony strode away, a couple of henchmen trailing behind her. Although Trudy's face was a picture of calm, inside she was quietly fuming

"Why is it always people like her that end up in power?" Trudy thought to herself. All the faces of those who had tried to oppress the Mall Rats, and the city, came flooding back; The Locos, The Demon Dogs, Tribe Circus, The Chosen… She could only be consoled by one small fact; those that had come to power through violence and corruption were now merely memories. Perhaps, in a year or so, no one would remember the name Ebony. Cloe entered the café, interrupting Trudy's thoughts.

"Pride and May are getting ready to go. I thought you might want to say goodbye to them."

"Thank you Cloe," Trudy nodded, "I'll just go get Brady, all right?"

Cloe watched as Trudy walked away; she was a troubled person.

~*~*~*~

"Oh my God!" Amber exclaimed "Ryan? Salene?"

Amber rushed to embrace Salene, before realising that she was being supported by Ryan.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, it's just a twisted ankle, it's nothing really…"

"It doesn't look like nothing Salene" Bray commented "Here, sit down."

Bray helped her to an old wooden stool, where she sat down and stretched her leg out. Meanwhile, Ryan hugged Amber.

"It's good to see you again Am."

"Yeah, you too Ryan."

The group were disturbed from their happy reunion by Adam's wailing. Salene peered at the crib.

"Who's this?" she asked

Ryan looked just as puzzled. Amber flashed a smile at Bray. She picked Adam up and gently held him in her arms. His cries slowly ceased.

"There, that's better isn't it? Now, mommy wants you to say hello to some very special friends of hers…"

She placed Adam in Salene's arms; Ryan came over and stared in awe at the gurgling tot. Bray, beaming broadly, spoke.

"This is our son Adam. He was born a few days ago. He's a couple of months premature, but he's doing fine."

Amber looked up at Salene and saw a single tear roll down her cheek. A look of realisation spread across Amber's face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Salene, I completely forgot all about… That was completely insensitive of me... I'm sorry."

Salene looked up at her old friend and smiled

"It's all right Amber. You don't have to apologise."

She looked back down at Adam

"He's beautiful. You must be very proud."

Amber, now feeling particularly awkward, just nodded and murmured an agreement. Ryan quickly changed the subject.

"So, what are you guys doing all the way out here? Why aren't you back at the mall?"

Bray and Amber exchanged looks.

"You'd better tell them. Besides, I wasn't there for most of it."

Bray nodded and took a deep breath.

"Well Salene, just after you left…"

~*~*~*~

KC found Lex resting against a post at the back of the mall.

"Hey Lex, Lex!"

"Go away KC, I'm not in the mood to talk right now."

KC ignored his words, put his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet.

"Look Lex, we haven't had a chance to speak since the vote. I just wanted to say sorry"

"What for?"

"That you didn't get to be leader. I voted for you, and I tried to get the twins to vote for you too. But…"

"Thanks kid. At least I know that I can rely on you and Tai-San to be behind me."

KC shuffled a bit and took his hands out of his pockets.

"That's something else I wanted to talk to you about. The other person who voted for you wasn't Tai-San, it was Andy."

KC recoiled, knowing that Lex might hit him if he was any closer.

"You what? Of course Tai-San voted for me, she's my wife!"

"It's true Lex, I overheard her say to Alice that she voted for Trudy. Then Andy told me that he was the other one who voted for you."

"You'd better not be lying KC, otherwise your life won't be worth living, understand?"

By now, Lex had grabbed hold of the top of KC's shirt and was shouting right into his face. KC was holding his hands up in defence, protecting his face.

"It's true Lex, I promise, you can ask her yourself"

Lex released KC and stormed off back to the mall.

"That's exactly what I intend to do!" he shouted back.

~*~*~*~

Ebony stood at the entrance to the hotel. Before her were a group of forty or so people each carrying some sort of bag, or haversack. She grinned, among them were some of the most prominent figures of local tribes and now that they were out of the way, she could increase her rule over the city. Pride and May arrived and stood at the back of the crowd. Ebony noticed their presence and finally addressed the group.

"Now that we're all here, I'm not going to waste time by saying a lengthy goodbye. Instead, I want to remind you of your objective; to find the plane that we saw, to discover what threat, if any, it poses to the city, to try and form an alliance with those who were on board. From now on, until you return, you will be under the command of Moz. If you have any problems, and I'm sure you won't, then go to see her. If you're unsure what to do once you find the plane then you must report directly to Moz, understand?"

The crowd murmured an agreement, although none of them seemed glad to have been chosen for the job. Ebony held up her hands as a sign for the group to be quiet.

"I want to wish you all good luck, but I'm sure you won't need it! Finally, during this mission, you will go under the name of 'The Scavengers'. If anything happens that should compromise the group then you are to deny all links with the city in order to avoid putting the city in danger."

Ebony took one last, stern look at the crowd and disappeared back inside the hotel. Moz, who had been standing just inside the doorway, steeped out onto the street.

"Well, I think Ebony said everything that needed to be said. Now, let's go and find that plane!"

Moz stalked away from the hotel, followed by several guards and the Scavengers. May turned to Pride and in a low whisper, said,

"Somehow, I don't think that the primary aim of this mission is to form an alliance with whoever controls that plane, do you?"

"Patience May, time will soon tell exactly what we're up against."

Pride and May pushed themselves to the centre of the crowd as the group headed towards the countryside. Some of them had doubts as to whether they would see the city again.

~*~*~*~

"TAI-SAN! TAI-SAN!"

Lex's voice echoed throughout the mall. He charged up the stairs consumed with rage, ignoring Cloe and Trudy who had come out of their rooms to see what all the commotion was about. He found her in their room, folding some sheets.

"Hi Lex. Is everything all right? You don't look too good."

Lex was fuming. He walked up to his wife and grabbed her around her neck, pushing her up against the wall. He almost hit her, he was so mad.

"Lex, let go of me, you're hurting me!"

He loosened his grip a little and growled at her.

"It's no worse than what you've done to me Tai-San!"

"What, I don't understand, how could I…"

"Of course you understand! I found out Tai-San, I found out that you didn't vote for me!"

Tai-San's closed her eyes, her face a picture of guilt. Lex was still angry, but now he was fighting back the tears.

"Tell me it's not true, Tai-San, tell me!"

Lex dreaded the response, knowing the answer he would receive, but refusing to accept it.

"I'm sorry Lex, I…"

Lex grunted and released Tai-San, storming to the other side of the room. Tai-San hung her head, knowing that this may be one fight too many for the marriage to survive.

"Why, Tai-San? Why did you vote for Trudy?"

Lex had his back turned but he was clearly crying. He waited for a response; Tai-San chose to say nothing, knowing that whatever she said wouldn't be enough.

"I loved you Tai-San. And you know something? I actually thought you loved me too. Even after the Chosen, even after you cared for the Guardian, I still believed that… I hoped that…"

Wiping away the tears, he grabbed a bag from underneath the bed and went to the wardrobe. He began stuffing clothes in it as fast as he could.

"Lex, wh… what are you doing?"

"I'm leaving Tai-San, I'm leaving the mall."

"But why?"

Lex flung the bag back onto the floor, half of the contents falling out as he did so. He turned to face Tai-San.

"Do you even have to ask? When the tribe didn't vote me in as leader the only reason I stayed was because of you! But now I don't have that anymore there's no point in staying!"

"You don't have to go Lex. Please, don't go!"

Lex had stopped crying and now he only felt pure anger. He started putting stuff back into his bag.

"Consider this our divorce. I do."

Tai-San held her hand to her face and began weeping. She headed for the door, unable to stay in the room any longer. Lex called her back as she reached the doorway.

"Oh, by the way, you were never a patch on Zandra."

Lex's final, cruel comment sent Tai-San fleeing from the room. He could hear her wailing fade as she got further away. Lex sat back on the bed and held his head in his hands as the tears flowed once more.

~*~*~*~

Amber and Bray had made the decision that once Salene's leg had healed, and Adam was strong enough, they would return to the city. Despite Ebony's threat, they knew that they still had a lot of support in the city and they wouldn't give up their home without a fight.

"But you can't go back. You know what Ebony's like; she'll live up to her word. Stay here a while, just until things calm down. Please!" Salene pleaded.

"Look Salene, I know you're only looking out for us, but we've made up our minds. We're going back."

Salene looked at Amber, knowing that she wouldn't be able to change her mind. She was stubborn and it was that trait that always seemed to get her into trouble.

"Why did I think I'd be able to persuade you otherwise?"

"Because you believe in miracles?"

The two girls laughed. Salene got up and went to the door to see if there was any sign of Ryan and Bray. They had gone out hours ago to try and find some food, now it was getting dark.

"Do you think they're all right? Enquired an obviously worried Salene.

"They'll be fine. They're probably just stopping every five minutes to have a rest. You know what men are like. You can't take them anywhere!"

Salene faked a smile and quickly changed the subject.

"Adam's a bit quiet isn't he? He hasn't cried for ages."

"Hm… You're right. He doesn't normally sleep for this long." Replied Amber

Getting up, she walked towards the crib. Her puzzled expression began to change to one of both worry and fear, as she got nearer. She peered over into the crib and even with the lack of light she could see that something was wrong. She gently shook Adam by the arm, but he did not wake.

"Adam. Adam."

Amber lifted her son up. The last few remaining rays of sunlight lit up his face. She gasped.

"Oh my God!"

Even from where she was standing, Salene could see what was wrong. Adam's face was turning blue, his lips a violet colour. Amber shook him more fiercely, tears rolling down her face.

"Adam! Adam! ADAM!"

She held her ear to his mouth to check his breathing. A look of horror spread across her face. She put Adam back down and started backing away from the crib, violently shaking.

"Amber, Amber, what's wrong?"

Salene dreaded the answer she would receive. Amber stuttered something, but Salene couldn't make out what she was saying.

"What's wrong, what's the matter?"

"I… I… couldn't he… hear anything."

Amber gulped, trying not to be sick. She began to speak again.

"He… he's not brea… breathing!"

Salene quickly reached into the crib and picked up the child. She sat down and put him on her knee. She bent over and stated breathing into his tiny mouth. He was so cold, so very cold. Amber ran to the window and vomited onto the grass outside; she felt like someone had hit her in the stomach. She fell to the floor, unconscious. Salene looked up to see her friend crumpled in a heap, but she had no time to reach her. She carried on breathing into Adam's mouth, desperately seeking some kind of life sign.

~*~*~*~

Ebony sat back on her chair, her feet up on the table. Opposite her stood Lex, he was staring out of one of the windows.

"So, how's your new room? It used to be Zoot's you know. Strange isn't it? How the murderer ends up living in his victim's home!

Lex turned to Ebony; he had little interest in what she was saying. Zoot was a part of his past that he had forgotten a long time ago.

"The room's fine."

"Tell me what's on your mind."

"Nothing."

"Sugar, you can't fool me that easily, we've known each other too long."

Ebony got up and walked round to the other side of the desk; she perched on the edge of it.

"In case you had forgotten Ebony, I've just split up with my wife and left my Tribe. You know, if you had never banished Amber and Bray, none of this would have happened!"

Ebony feigned shock and gasped.

"Lex, I'm hurt. I though you liked me." She smirked and continued normally "Are you honestly that surprised that Tai-San didn't vote for you? She's a scheming little with Lex and the sooner you realise, the better."

Lex grunted in frustration

"Why did I bother coming here?"

Ebony folded her arms and pushed herself back onto the desk.

"You know Lex, we're two of a kind. Our minds think alike, we believe in the same things, we don't settle for anything less than action. We could make a great team, so I've got a little proposition for you. Now that Moz has gone, I need a new number two. How about it?"

Lex was intrigued by the offer. Being deputy to Ebony meant that if anything ever happened to her, he would become ruler of the city. He smiled in agreement and began to nod.

"I think it could work, so I'll give it a go."

"Well, deputy, what do you want to do first? There's a little mall, not too far from here, and it seems to be having problems with squatters. Maybe we could get some people to go and get rid of them?"

"I like your way of thinking. The thing is though, those squatters? They're rats. And the only way to get rid of rats is to exterminate them."

Ebony got up off the desk and moved closer to Lex, so close that she could feel his breath on her cheeks. She smiled seductively at him and put her arms around his neck.

"And how exactly are we gonna exterminate them?"

Lex pulled Ebony closer so that their faces were just centimetres away.

"With rat poison."

They both began to laugh and they wrapped their arms around each other tighter. Finally, their lips touched in a passionate embrace. The last of the daylight slowly disappeared from the window, and the two, entwined figures were left alone in the darkness.

~*~*~*~

Trudy woke to the sound of birds twittering outside the window. She sat up, yawned, and after adjusting to the bright morning light, got up and went to check on her daughter. Brady slept soundly in her cot and Trudy decided to leave her for a while. She put on her robe and headed towards the café. When she got there, she found KC and Cloe huddled around some sort of letter, reading it very carefully.

"Hey guys, what's that?"

Cloe looked up, she was clearly concerned.

"It's a note from Tai-San. She's gone."

"What do you mean 'gone'? Gone for a walk?"

"No," KC shook his head, "she's left the mall. She says she's not coming back."

"What?"

"It's true, read it for yourself."

KC handed Trudy a piece of paper, it was addressed to 'Mall Rats.' Trudy began to read it out.

"My friends, for reasons best left unsaid, I have decided to leave the mall. By the time you read this I will be gone, please don't try and look for me. One day I may return, but it is unlikely. I have found a new destiny and must follow where it leads. I will never forget you. Love always, Tai-San."

Trudy reeled in shock. She had always seen Tai-San s the loner in the group, but never expected her to leave. She was part of the glue that held the rest of them together. Slowly, but surely, the Mall Rats were being torn apart and there seemed to be nothing Trudy could do to stop it.

~*~*~*~

Tai-San found her way to the top of a hill that over-looked the city. She looked back; in the distance was the silhouetted shape of the Phoenix Mall. She reflected upon all the time she had spent there, remembering her friends, her husband… However, Tai-San didn't view this as an ending, but merely a new beginning. She felt she now had a greater destiny laid out ahead of her. First though, she would have to find an old acquaintance, only then would the gates to the future be opened. Turning round, Tai-San walked over the crest of the hill and didn't look back again. Soon, the city was gone and was now just a distant memory for her. Tai-San whispered into the air

"Guardian… where are you?"

~*~*~*~

Pride slowly came to, he felt like some one had dropped a pile of bricks on top of him.

"Urgh… my head!" he groaned

May knelt down and touched the cut on Pride's forehead. Scarring tissue was beginning to form.

"I'm so glad to see you're awake. I've been worried about you for hours!"

"Hours?" questioned Pride, "How long have I been out?"

May just smiled sympathetically and stroked his hair out of his face.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Of course, we…"

Pride paused, and realised that he couldn't remember. He began to get flustered and panicked. May calmed him and held him tight.

"Shush, it's ok, it's ok. I'll tell you what happened. We hadn't got too far out of the city's boundaries…

~Flashback~

"Come on people, we want to cover a good amount of ground before nightfall. Stop slacking at the back."

The group were getting tired of Moz continually shouting at them.

"If she doesn't shut up soon, then I'm gonna shove those tea strainers of hers somewhere where the sun don't shine…"

Pride clapped his hand over May's mouth.

"Shut up May! Do you want her to hear you or something?"

May gave a reluctant sigh.

"I suppose not, it's just that…"

"Shush. Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"There it is again!"

This time May heard the noise too. She held on to Pride and looked all around. Everywhere there were trees, disguising anything that would make such a rustling sound. By now, other members of the group had heard it, including Moz. She stepped away from the others and into the open.

"Hello?" She called cautiously "Is there anybody there?"

Suddenly there was the sound of a gun and Moz slumped to the ground. Pride rushed over and took her pulse.

"She's dead!"

~End of Flashback~

Pride rubbed his aching head; the memories were beginning to return. He looked down at his hands and expected to see Moz's blood on them; he felt like he was back at the battlefield. Vague recollections of shouting, screaming and gunfire filled his mind. He held his head in his hands, trying to force the devils in his thoughts away.

"Pride. Pride?"

Pride looked up to see May's concerned face staring back. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her, too scared to let go.

"It's ok," May soothed, "Do you want me to continue?"

Pride released her and seemed embarrassed about his outburst

"Please carry on, it's just a bit of a shock, that's all."

~Flashback~

May panicked, and spun around desperately trying to figure out where the gunshot had come from. Those around her were in a state of shock; some milled around Moz's lifeless body while others huddled in groups, terrified of another attack. Suddenly, a hail of bullets came at them, sending birds flapping from the treetops. More people slumped to the floor and the air was filled by screams and gunfire. May dived to the floor and frantically began searching for Pride; she got trampled on and had to crawl past several bodies, but eventually she found him. He lay unconscious, blood trickling from his ear.

"Pride! Pride!"

May shook him violently, begging for a response.

"Pride! Please wake up, Pride!"

She hung on to him and sobbed endlessly, tears rolling down her face, only stopping when she was picked up from the floor, and held roughly by a strange looking man with a silver mask. She wanted to shout for help but she knew no one would come. She looked around in astonishment: during her crying she had not heard the rustling of the trees as soldiers emerged from the woodland; she had not heard the frenzied sounds of the Scavengers slowly decrease; she had not heard cuffs being shackled onto the wrists of the helpless. She had remained oblivious and now she prayed that this was all a horrible nightmare; that she would wake up in her bed back at the mall with Pride lay by her side. May screamed out in fear as she was dragged away from Pride's limp body. This was no nightmare…

~End of Flashback~

May sighed and sat back against the wall

"Then something hit me on the back of the head and when I woke up, I was here."

"These people who've captured us, who are they?" Pride enquired

May turned away, debating whether to tell Pride the truth. She rushed her answer,

"They call themselves the Sentinels…"

Pride noticed the look on her face and realised she was holding something back

"May, what is it?"

May held her knees to her chest and stared out of the small skylight above them

"They're… They're adults…"

~*~*~*~

As Salene was beginning to think it was hopeless, she thought she saw Adam's chest move. It was only a slight movement, but it was enough to keep her going. Slowly, the child's face began to regain some colour and eventually he cried out as he came back to life. Salene breathed a huge sigh of relief and would have shouted for joy if she hadn't been so tired. She placed Adam back in his crib and looked over at Amber, expecting to see her smiling back. Salene's face once again turned to terror as she realised that Amber had lost consciousness a few minutes ago. She ran over to her best friend, fearing the worst. Luckily, she was still breathing and opened her eyes when Salene gently tapped her face.

"Salene? What… what am I doing…?"

Amber scrambled to her feet as she thought about her young son

"Oh my God, Adam!" she screamed

Salene hugged Amber and gently led her over to the crib

"He's gonna be fine. See, he's breathing properly again, and he doesn't look so blue anymore either."

As she wept tears of happiness, Amber turned to Salene

"Thank you so much. I don't know what I would've done if anything had happened to him."

Salene looked humbled, just happy to see Adam back from the brink of death.

"It's nothing. Anyone would've done the same."

"No Salene, they wouldn't."

Amber hugged Salene tightly as Bray and Ryan walked into the barn.

"Looks like we've walked into the middle of some kind of girly chat," commented Bray.

Amber took a deep breath; it was going to be a long explanation.

~*~*~*~

A silent figure hurried through the streets of the city, hidden by the cover of nightfall. Finally, they reached the mall and for a few moments stood to catch their breath. The trashcan fire at the front of the building lit up the stranger's face as he passed it on his way inside; it was Will Satchbrooke. He crept through the corridors of the mall until he reached the security grill. Once there, he took the haversack off his shoulder and placed it on the floor. He reached into it and pulled out a crowbar, and then slowly he prised the grill up just enough to be able to slide underneath. Once on the other side he gently lowered the grill so it wouldn't make a noise when it hit the floor. He got up and placed the crowbar back in his bag, before pulling out some kind of can. Quickly checking to make sure there was no one else around, he made his way upstairs and disappeared into the darkness.

~*~*~*~

Ebony woke with a start as someone hammered loudly on her door. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She became aware of a presence next to her and found Lex lying in the bed with her.

"What was I thinking?" she groaned.

Ebony turned her mind back to the rapping at the door. She swung her legs out of bed and hurriedly put on her robe. Pulling the hair back from her face, she opened the door and yelled at Axl.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I thought I told you never to disturb me when I was sleeping!"

"I'm sorry Ebony, but I had no choice. We're under attack!"

"What?"

"We're under attack, from some sort of new tribe. About a hundred of them just appeared outside the hotel. Some of our guys are tying to..."

But Ebony was no longer listening. She grabbed her clothes from a nearby chair and jumped into her shoes.

"Lex! Get up! We've gotta get out of here!"

"Huh?"

Lex shielded his eyes with his hand as he adjusted to the morning light. Ebony threw his clothes at him as she took a bag of money from underneath the bed.

"Were under attack. We have to leave NOW!"

The sound of shouting filled the hotel as The Sentinels began to pour inside. Lex, grasping the enormity of the situation, jumped out of bed and pulled on his jeans. Axl opened the window as Ebony climbed out followed by Lex. They landed on a piece of grass, which softened their fall. As they scrambled to their feet and headed away from the hotel, the Sentinels barged into the room. As a shot rang out, Ebony turned back to see a figure falling from the window; she grimaced as she heard a muffled thud when the body hit the ground.

"Axl" she whispered.

Lex took hold of her wrist and dragged her down a dark alley, desperately seeking safety.

~*~*~*~

Ellie woke up in Jack's arms. She was disorientated for a moment, but then the memory of last night came back. She had woken up in the middle of the night and had felt scared. She had gone to Jack's room where she found him reading a book.

~Flashback~

"What are you reading?"

"Ellie? How come you're awake? Couldn't sleep either?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Jack patted the bed as a sign for Ellie to come and sit next to him. They talked for hours until the conversation inevitably led to their bitter break up.

"I'm sorry Jack, I never meant to hurt you."

"It's all right Ellie, I should never have expected you to wait for me. I was naïve."

"When you were taken away by the Chosen you told me to never forget you. That's exactly what I did."

"No, you didn't forget, you were entitled to your own life."

"See" smiled Ellie "we're still arguing over it."

Jack smiled back and after days of hardly speaking to each other, the two reconciled with a hug. As they pulled away, a new feeling enveloped them both; a feeling that neither of them had felt for a long time. Even with Luke, Ellie hadn't felt like this; this was the feeling of true love. They moved closer together and slowly, gradually, gently, their lips met in a tender kiss.

~End of Flashback~

Ellie stroked Jack's face with the back of her hand and he began to stir from his peaceful slumber.

"Morning sleepyhead." Whispered Ellie.

The two smiled at each other and shared a brief kiss before they were interrupted by a scream coming from the café. Looking concerned, they ran out of Jack's room and up the stairs. It was extremely clear what Tally was making such a fuss about…

~*~*~*~

The rest of the Mall Rats had gathered in the café; KC comforted Tally while the others stared at the scarlet graffiti that covered one of the walls

"If you want to survive, leave the city now. They are everywhere."

Alice repeated the words, trying to take in what they were saying, in awe of the threat they presented. Each member of the tribe had just one question in his or her mind; who were 'they'?

"Who could've done it?"

Trudy sighed, one name sprang to her mind and one name only

"Ebony. It has to be Ebony."

Jack shook his head in disagreement.

"No, I think this could've been an inside job. The security grill doesn't look like its been touched."

Jack's comment brought back painful memories for Trudy. Ned had kidnapped her, but no one had suspected him of anything. Could it be possible that there was someone else undermining the tribe's collective safety? Trudy's mind raged at the possibilities and in her mind began to accuse all of those around her. Why would any of them do something like this, she just couldn't comprehend.

"If one of you think that this is some sort of hilarious prank then you're sadly mistaken. If I find that someone here has done this then I will not hesitate in throwing you out of the Mall Rats. Clear?"

The others nodded solemnly. Although they knew they weren't to blame, Trudy had succeeded in making everyone of them feel guilty. Once Trudy had disappeared back to the confines of her room in order to tend to Brady, Alice sharply turned to KC. She glared fiercely at him.

"For your sake, I hope this isn't one of your put-up jobs KC. It may be one prank too far."

Before he had time to protest his innocence, Alice had walked off to help calm Trudy's frayed nerves. KC took one last look at the paint before stormed downstairs, angry at being accused. Andy and Tally quickly followed.

"Great," muttered Jack. "It looks like it's up to us to clear this mess up."

Ellie slipped her hand into Jack's and touched his nose with the other.

"It's not so bad is it? I mean we get to spend some more time together, don't we?"

 Jack smiled, knowing that he couldn't get out of this task, knowing that he didn't want to.

"Ok, ok, I'll go get some paint and you can put some paper down on the floor. All right?"

"All right," Ellie grinned.

With that, he kissed her on the cheek and went to find a suitable colour to paint the walls with.

~*~*~*~

Bray held Adam safely in his arms: since Amber had told him about what had happened, the doting father had hardly let his child out of his site. He began to gently bounce the tot on his knee.

"You know, when you grow up, Daddy's gonna have loads of cool things to teach you, like how to play football, how to be a hit with all the girls…"

"Hey!" exclaimed Amber, "Don't you go warping his little mind. What if he doesn't want to play football?"

Amber knelt down and took her son's tiny hand in hers. She began waving it up and down and pulled a funny face, which made him gurgle.

"Maybe little Adam wants to be more like mummy. Maybe little Adam will be more concerned with running a tribe of his own than off playing around with a silly ball!"

As both Bray and Amber laughed, a distant rumbling made them look towards the heavens. The sky was darkening rapidly and the young family picked their things up off the grass and headed inside the barn. Soon the rain started and Ryan and Bray decided to find something to cover the hole in the roof with. Luckily, round the back of the barn, they found some old sheets of corrugated iron, still with a few rusty nails embedded in them. With a lift from Bray, Ryan clambered onto the roof. He placed his foot in the gutter in order to get a foothold and then asked Bray to pass him one of the sheets of corrugated iron. Although he didn't have a hammer to bang the nails in with, he improvised by using an old horseshoe. Gradually, the rain grew heavier and in the barn Salene was placing bales of hay underneath the windows, hoping to soak up the water as it slowly trickled through. Meanwhile Ryan banged in the final few nails and although not a perfect fit, the iron had sealed most of the hole. He tossed the horseshoe away and slid down the roof till he was hanging on to the gutter with his fingertips; from there he dropped the final few inches down to the decking beneath. He walked into the barn and found Salene running up to him with a look of concern on her face.

"Oh my God Ryan, you're soaked through."

"I'm all right Sal, it's only a bit of water…"

"A bit? You'll catch your death if you stay in those wet clothes!"

Ryan looked down at his trousers; water was seeping from the end of them. His shoes squelched whenever he walked and he could wring his t-shirt and it would still be soaked.

"Maybe you're right, but I haven't got anything to change in to have I?"

"Actually, you have." Salene walked over to the back of the barn and opened an old squeaky door to reveal a cupboard full of worn, dusty work clothes. "They're not much, but they'll have to do."

"Thanks Sal."

Ryan disappeared and soon re-emerged having changed out of his wet clothes. He now wore a pair of blue stonewash jeans, torn at the knees, and a red and black chequered shirt that seemed to be just one size too small. He tugged at the back of the shirt and wriggled about, trying to get more comfortable. However, the one thing Ryan didn't have was footwear.

"Couldn't you find any shoes" asked Salene.

"Well I could, it's just that…"

"Well go and put them on then."

Ryan sighed and went back inside the cupboard. This time, when he came out, the others burst into hysterics; he was wearing a pair of black leather spurs that clinked against the floor every time he moved.

"My, my," said Amber, stifling a laugh, aren't we the perfect cowboy?"

Ryan clearly not amused, sat down on a bale of hay and rested his head on his hands. To add insult to injury, a droplet of water fell on his head. As the others began laughing again, Ryan knew that this was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~

Not too far away, two cloaked figures ran through the torrential rain. Eventually they spotted a building in the distance and the shorter of the two pointed towards it. The taller one nodded in response and they began making their way towards the barn.

~*~*~*~

"Well?"

"Everything went to plan."

"You sprayed the message where I told you?"

"Yes sir."

"Come on Will, you're not with the Sentinels now, you can call me Bobby."

Will Satchbrooke placed a can of red paint on the table and leant back in his chair, facing Bobby Taylor.

"You used this?" enquired the older man

Will just nodded. Georgia reached across the table and picked it up, examining the label.

"Nice colour. Should have made quite an impact."

"That's the whole point." Will responded "Hopefully they'll pay attention to it and get out of there before the others arrive."

"I hear they've taken over the hotel. Did they find…?"

Georgia Lyons struggled in vain to remember the name of the girl.

"Ebony? No. Lescher thinks she escaped just before they got there."

"That's something I guess."

The three sat back in their chairs and took some time to reflect. Will broke the silence

"Oh, I almost forgot" he said, reaching over to his bag and pulling something out. "I found this lying around. I thought you might find it of some interest."

General Taylor glared at the Polaroid placed in front of him.

"That looks like…"

"That's what I thought."

"Who?" interrupted Georgia. Bobby passed her the photograph. She gasped as she saw the image before her.

"It's definitely him, isn't it? Do you think we should tell Kyle?"

"No! We can't risk it. If he knows we've been there, then he could give the whole game away to Davison."

"Now hang on a minute. I don't think you fully comprehend what's going on here. Kyle's brother is one of the Mall Rats; the tribe he's about to attack."

"We're not telling him Georgia," bellowed Bobby, "And that's final!"

He ripped up the photo and threw the pieces in the bin, then, he struck a match and threw it in with them.

~*~*~*~

Two Chosen guards joked happily as they walked through a lush, green meadow, unaware that they were being followed. Peering from a nearby bush, Tai-San watched as they made their way towards some sort of country manor. It was quite majestic and had an old rustic charm that would have persuaded any passer by to go inside. Once the guards had disappeared inside, she crept up to the front door and gently pushed on it. Slowly, the door swung open and a scratchy creak emanated from the half oiled hinges. Tai-San stepped inside and looked around; there was no one in sight. Suddenly, the door slammed behind her and she spun round to be confronted by the two guards she had been following. A familiar voice made her turn to look at the top of the staircase.

"Welcome Tai-San, we've been expecting you."

She gasped as he made his way down the stairs and walked right up to her. Gone was the slender, green waistcoat, instead replaced by a blood red robe, similar in style and design to his old white one. Also gone was the startling black make up that had adorned his face when she last saw him. Now, he simply had the letter 'Z' inscribed on his forehead in a shade of burnt orange. Tai-San didn't need to ask what the 'Z' stood for, it was frighteningly clear.

"Zoot," she whispered

Perhaps the most drastic thing of all though, was the Guardian's hair. His golden locks had disappeared and he now had just short, thinned out hair: a marked contrast indeed.

"Praise be to Zoot, and to his followers Power and Glory!"

Tai-San flinched as the Guardian spoke these words; it had been so long since she had last heard them and they brought back painful memories of the Chosen occupation.

"Did you really think that you could enter the Sacred House of Zoot without being noticed?"

"I… I… thought that…" Tai-San stumbled over the words in her mouth.

"Never mind," continued the Guardian. "You are here now and that is all that matters."

Tai-San looked genuinely puzzled at his words.

"Surely, you of all people must understand? It is Zoot's Will that you should return to us. It is no coincidence that you came here. To be the Supreme Mother is your true destiny!"

Tai-San was shocked. Her reason for leaving the Mall Rats was to discover her destiny.

"Is this where my journey will end? Am I destined to stand at your side, as a prophet of Zoot?"

She did not expect a response; the question had been aimed more at herself than anyone else, yet the Guardian replied.

"It is Zoot's Will that his followers will be reunited. No one can stand in the way of that, as has been proved before. His lieutenant has already returned, and now his Supreme Mother too."

"His lieutenant?" questioned Tai-San

This time, she was answered by another. She turned to see Luke standing just behind her, dressed in full Chosen uniform; the same one that he had worn before.

"Luke? What are you doing here?"

"The same thing you are," stated the Guardian. "Following his destiny."

The next few hours went by in a blur. In a formal ceremony, both Luke and Tai-San were absolved of their treachery, forgiven by Zoot, and welcomed back into the fold. A feast followed; wine was drunk, bread was broken and the sacrifice of a young lamb was made. Tai-San felt physically sick seeing the blood trickle from the lifeless sheep and she had to excuse herself to vomit outside. The Guardian said that this was a good thing; a cleansing of the soul that was necessary if she was to rid herself of her old life. Finally, the Chosen gathered around a small fire in the garden and began to chant.

"Power and Chaos. Praise be to Zoot and to his followers glory."

"Power and Chaos. Praise be to Zoot and to his followers glory."

"Power and Chaos. Praise be to Zoot and to his followers glory."

When the ceremony was over, Tai-San remained outside, as did Luke. They began to talk.

"Have you really returned to the Chosen, Luke? Do you still believe in Zoot?"

Luke looked down at the dying embers of the fire. Then he gently shook his head and smiled.

"No. I was taken in by it all once and I'm not going to let that happen again. I'm really here to see how much of a threat the Chosen pose, whether they might attack the city again."

Luke looked uncomfortable for a moment, wondering if he had said too much. However, a nod and a smile from Tai-San soon put him at ease.

"Do you know what the most frightening thing about all this is?"

Tai-San remained both still and silent as Luke continued.

"The depths of these peoples' beliefs."

He gestured towards the manor and to the shadows moving about inside.

"They really do believe that Zoot is a God. They really believe that it is his will that they follow the path of power and chaos. And do you know something? That really scares me. These people can't be stopped, no matter how much we fight them, no matter how much we try, their beliefs drive them forward."

Luke sighed and Tai-San stared into the dark night sky, philosophical about life.

"I believe that everyone has a destiny, Luke. Whether it's to lead a tribe, or to be a simple tradesman. We all have somewhere where we can truly belong. You originally thought that your place was with the Chosen, but that has now led you to become an important figure in city affairs. Similarly, I thought that I had found my true home with the Mall Rats, but now I find myself here."

Luke looked questioningly at her.

"You think that your destiny is to lead the Chosen?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I know that this feels right."

There was a short silence as Luke just stared at Tai-San.

"Do you believe in Zoot?"

Tai-San rubbed her forehead and seemed deep in thought

"I can't answer that question. Not right now anyway."

Luke sighed and folded his arms. He turned and began to walk back to the manor.

"Goodnight Tai-San."

"Goodnight Luke."

With that, he disappeared into the darkness and Tai-San sat down, watching as the final few embers of the fire burnt out.

~*~*~*~

Amber and Bray huddled over Adam, holding him close as his cries slowly diminished. The storm outside was still raging, although Ryan and Salene had managed to get to sleep a while ago.

"I don't know how they can sleep through something like this. Thunder always keeps me awake – I was terrified of it as a child."

Bray just smiled; he couldn't see Amber as the sort of person who would get scared easily. Suddenly, a thought entered his head and he turned to look at Amber.

"You know, this is the first time in a few days that we've had the chance to be alone."

"But we're not alone, bray. Ryan and Salene…"

"You know what I mean," Bray interrupted.

Amber giggled and leant forward, knowing exactly what bray meant. With Adam now in his crib, she was free to wrap her arms around Bray and their lips met in a warm loving embrace. The pair were so lost in the moment that they didn't hear the barn door open, they didn't notice as two cloaked figures walked inside, they didn't notice as the two figures stood back in surprise and they didn't notice as one of them slowly, and sadly, hung their head. Suddenly though, Bray did become aware of a presence and he broke out of his kiss with Amber to turn round and face the strangers. He hurriedly rose to his feet and picked up a small wooden beam that had been lying on the floor.

"Who are you?" he demanded

Ryan and Salene were rudely awoken and as they realised what was going on, Ryan pulled Salene towards him.

"Who are you?" Bray again demanded

"Bray, is that really you?"

Bray was taken aback for a moment; one of the strangers, the shorter one, recognised him. She had a soft, young voice that he vaguely remembered. When she pulled back her hood, it was Salene who seemed most shocked.

"Patsy?" she shouted

Patsy smiled and went over to hug Salene.

"It's so good to see you again. We thought you were dead."

Patsy pulled away and looked puzzled

"Dead? No, I was taken away to the mines, that's all."

She hugged Ryan and then Bray, planting a kiss on each of their cheeks. Finally, Amber, who until now had been standing behind Bray, stepped out into view. Patsy gasped.

"Oh my God. Amber, is that really you?"

Amber just nodded as the two threw their arms around each other.

"So the rumours are true. You are still alive. Oh, I've missed you so much, Amber."

"And I've missed you too, Patsy."

A tear began to roll down Amber's cheek; she had given up hope of ever seeing the young girl again.

"You've grown so much since I last saw you. You're almost as tall as me now!"

Patsy became distracted as she noticed the young baby in the crib.

"Who's this?" she asked.

Amber smiled and lifted him up.

"This is Adam," she beamed and looked at Bray. "Our son."

As Salene and Amber fussed over Patsy, and Patsy fussed over Adam, Bray and Ryan focused their attention on the other stranger in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, we got a bit carried away there. We didn't mean to ignore you. I'm Bray and this is Ryan. Are you a friend of Patsy's?"

The figure remained still and Patsy, who had been watching got up to interrupt.

"Er... Bray?"

"Yeah Pats?"

The figure looked towards Patsy and held a hand up as a gesture for her to be quiet. Finally, in a voice that was gentle and soothing, but at the same time a little shaky and distressed, the cloaked figure spoke.

"Hi Bray. Bet you never thought you'd see me again?"

Bray stood, open-mouthed. He didn't need her to lower her hood to know who it was; he knew straightaway.

"Danni?"

By now, the others were watching with a sense of amazement. Danni was a name that Amber often heard, but now, with her standing there, Amber felt threatened. Bray lowered Danni's hood and hugged her tightly. He realised something was wrong when she didn't reciprocate and he pulled back to see tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, he remembered what he had been doing when she walked in. He stepped away and clasped his hands, looking down at his feet.

"I'm sorry Danni. This is Amber."

As he pointed to her, Amber feigned a smile, which couldn't hide the wave of discomfort she now felt.

"And this," Bray continued as he took Adam from Salene, "This is our son."

Bray almost expected Danni to slap him, and he realised that he couldn't blame her if she did. Instead, Danni began to back away and ran out through the barn door and into the steadily worsening storm.

"Danni, wait!" Bray yelled.

But it was no good; she didn't look back. He was about to follow her when Salene stopped him.

"Don't go Bray. If you do you'll only make it worse. I'll go instead, she might listen to me."

Ryan turned to his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"There's no way I'm letting you go. You're ankle's still swollen and there's no way you can catch her. I'll go find her, try and get her back here."

Before anyone had chance to argue, Ryan had gone, racing into the night and calling Danni's name. For the second time that day, he was going to need a new set of clothes.

~*~*~*~

"Hey guys, get out here!"

The Mall Rats slowly gathered at the top of the stairs to find Lex and Ebony standing down by the fountain.

"What do you two want?" Trudy asked in a scornful voice.

Ebony, ignoring the tone Trudy had taken, spoke up.

"We've come here to warn you, though God knows why were even bothering."

"Warn us against what?" Trudy sighed

"The Sentinels," Lex replied.

"The who?"

"The Sentinels. They're an armed invasion force and they're attacking the city."

"What a load of rubbish," stated Alice. "I bet you were the ones who put that message up in the café, weren't you?"

Both Lex and Ebony seemed puzzled.

"First off, it's not a load of rubbish and secondly, I have no idea what message you're talking about."

"Oh come off it, Ebony. This is probably just another one of your schemes to get us out of the mall."

Ellie continued from Trudy.

"Let's face it; you've done a pretty good job of breaking us up so far. First you banish Amber and Bray, then you send May and Pride of on some wild goose chase and now you've got Lex at your side? Are you surprised that were a bit suspicious of you?"

"Ok, I admit it," exclaimed Ebony. "I have wanted to get you out of the mall, even yesterday Lex and I were debating the best ways to get rid of you. However, and God knows why, but we felt some strange urge to come and warn you, despite our better judgement."

Trudy stood for a while, silent and thoughtful. There was something different about Ebony, something that she would never associate with her; the honesty that was in her eyes. Trudy wanted not to believe her but something at the back of her mind told her to listen. Breaking out of her almost trance-like state, Trudy looked around at the other Mall Rats, all of whom had their eyes focused on her.

"Get your things together. We're leaving."

The rest of the tribe looked astonished at the decision and it took another few words from their leader before they began to dissipate.

"You heard what Ebony said. Now let's get going."

Lex went to get some supplies from the café, leaving Trudy and Ebony alone.

"You'd better not be lying Ebony. If you are, then I will never be able to forgive you. More importantly, I will never be able to forgive myself for trusting you."

KC ran in it the mall, fiercely out of breath.

"They're… they're coming."

Trudy looked sternly at KC,

"Who are?"

"They're some sort of tribe, one I've never seen before. They've got guns and stuff and they're heading this way. They've already grabbed Andy and Tally and they almost got me too…"

A wave of fear spread through Trudy's body and she ran back up the stairs, shouting at the top of her voice.

"The Sentinels are coming! We have to go now! Get out here; we have to go now!"

The panicked Mall Rats emerged from their rooms and raced down the stairs. Trudy yelled a command at Ebony.

"Get them out of here. Take them through the sewers and get them to safety!"

For once, Ebony did as she was asked and led the others down into the sewers. Trudy stayed, making sure that they were all there. Lex meanwhile had heard all the commotion and was stuffing all the food he could get into one bag, whilst KC had raced up the stairs to get some valuable objects that were hidden in his room. Alice appeared at the top of the stairs as a look of terror spread across her face.

"Brady!" she screamed

"I'll get her," shouted Alice. "You go and catch up with the others."

"I can't go, not without Brady!"

"Go! I'll bring her to you!"

Trudy hesitated for a moment, watching Alice disappear from the top of the stairs. Then, on hearing the approaching footsteps of the Sentinels, she ran towards the sewer entrance. Lex, Alice and KC emerged from their rooms just as the troops began to enter the mall. Lex hit the release for the security grill but almost ten soldiers had already got through.

"Hold it right there! You lot aren't going anywhere fast!"

"You wanna bet?" said Lex defiantly

He opened the bag and started throwing tin cans at the intruders and soon, KC joined in. This gave Alice the chance to run down the stairs and get to the sewers safely, with Brady in her arms. The firing of a gun shocked Lex and KC and they were soon grabbed and dragged towards the main entrance now that the grill had been lifted by one of the adults. Alice meanwhile, was running from a couple of soldiers and was only a few metres in front of them. She got to the sewer entrance and handed Brady down to an eagerly awaiting Trudy. Realising that she couldn't escape, Alice slammed down the manhole cover just as the soldiers rounded the corner.

"Escape is futile. You'll be coming with us!"

~*~*~*~

"Danni! Danni!"

Ryan chased the distraught girl deeper into the woods; he had been trying to catch up with her for a good few minutes. Tired and exhausted, Danni finally stopped and sank to her knees, crying uncontrollably. Ryan picked her up and gave her a reassuring hug as she sobbed into his sodden shirt.

"I can't go back Ryan, not now, now after that!"

"Come on Danni, you know you can't stay out here all night."

"Can't I?"

"No, you can't. You have to go back and prove that you're a strong enough person to cope with it all."

Danni pulled away and stood facing Ryan, the pouring rain running down her face.

"But I obviously can't cope can I? Instead I run off into the night like some madwoman, screaming blue murder."

Danni forced a smile and suddenly Ryan felt a lot more at ease.

"Listen, no one can blame you for storming out like that. I guess it must be quite a shock to come in and find that your boyfriend has had a baby with another girl."

As an intense flash of lightning lit up the entire sky, Danni and Ryan looked up through the gap in the trees and stared at the pelting rain.

"So," Danni started. "Is it the Amber, or just someone with the same name?"

"It's the Amber," Ryan replied. "She never died up on Eagle Mountain like we all thought. Salene didn't tell me all the details but it had something to do with Ebony."

Danni folded her arms and smirked.

"Now, why doesn't that surprise me? Always using other people to get what she wants. How is she these days?"

Ryan sighed and Danni looked interested in what he had to say.

"She's the leader of the city now."

"What! Are you serious? Ebony's in charge of the city? How did that happen? Wait… I don't want to know!"

"She banished Amber and Bray from the city. That's why they're out here in the country."

"Out of all the places that me and Patsy could have picked to shelter from the storm, we picked that one. You know, I almost wish that we had never found you, that way I wouldn't have had to see Bray… at least not yet anyway."

Ryan couldn't be sure because of the rain, but he thought that Danni might be crying. Her black eye make-up was running down her cheeks and mixing with her soft red lipstick to create a violet mass.

"Here," Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a soggy tissue. "Maybe you could use this."

Danni stared at the tissue for a few seconds, as it got thoroughly drenched by the rain. Ryan thought that she might start bawling again but he couldn't have been more wrong. Slowly, but surely, a smile crept across her face; she began to giggle, which turned into a laugh and eventually she doubled up on the muddy forest floor in fits of hysterics. Soon Ryan had seen the funny side of his offer too and was also laughing heartily. After several minutes of constant guffawing, the pair finally stopped.

"You know, Ryan. I don't think I've ever laughed that much since… since…" Danni hesitated. Ryan urged her continue. "I don't think I've ever laughed that much. Thank you Ryan."

Danni threw her arms around him and gave him a long hug.

"You really know how to brighten a dull day!"

"Come on," sighed Ryan. "Let's get back before we get any wetter, if that's possible."

He stopped suddenly and gasped.

"Ryan, what's wrong?"

"It's Salene, she's gonna go mad. I already soaked one set of clothes today and these were the only things around that fitted me," said Ryan, indicating his jeans and shirt,

"Ah," commented Danni, as she linked his arm through his. "So that explains the spurs!"

"Don't you start," exclaimed Ryan as Danni began to laugh again.

The pair turned round and headed back to the farm. Danni, seemingly concerned, turned to Ryan.

"Is there anything suitable that I could wear?"

"Well," he replied. "I saw this very nice pink and blue farm girl's dress…"

"Pink and blue? I'd rather die!"

"Wait until you see the shoes that go with it…"

~*~*~*~

The Mall Rats had been walking for what had seemed like hours, all in complete silence. None of them had expected anything like that to happen and Trudy blamed herself for not taking any notice of the warning in the café. She could still see Alice's face as she handed her Brady; she was scared, and the Alice that Trudy knew was never scared of anything. Deep in thought, Trudy hadn't noticed that the others had stopped and she almost walked into the back of Cloe.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized. "I was miles away. Why have we stopped?"

"Ebony reckons that we're far enough away from the Mall now to go back up onto the streets. She's just gone to check to see if it's safe or not."

Minutes later, Ebony returned; sh was shaking her head and looked worried.

"They're everywhere, patrolling all the streets around this area. As soon as we surface, we'll be captured. There's nothing for it but to stick it out in the sewers for a bit longer."

The Mall Rats groaned and began trudging wearily through the seemingly ceaseless maze of tunnels.

"You know guys," Jack piped up." I reckon we must be somewhere near the old bank by now. If I'm right, then if we turn left at the next junction and keep following that path then we should eventually reach the edge of the city."

"Or," interrupted Ebony. "We could end up right back where we started and get captured along with the others."

Ellie sneered and folded her arms. She moved closer to Jack, taking up a somewhat protective position.

"Well Ebony, it's the only idea we've got at the moment. I certainly don't see you coming up with a plan to get us out of here."

Ebony's braids swung fiercely behind her as she stalked up to Ellie.

"And if your only idea at the moment is to aggravate me, then you'd better think again. In case you had forgotten, I'm the leader of this city and I could make things very unpleasant for you, you understand me?"

"Is that a threat Ebony," Ellie spat. "Well what a surprise. The only problem is; you don't seem to be in charge of the city at this precise moment in time. You've been dethroned by those other guys up there, tossed out on the streets like an unwanted animal!"

Ebony seethed; inside she was raging. In a violent lunge she grabbed Ellie's hair and pulled it as hard as she could. Ellie screamed and threw her hand at Ebony's face, scratching her cheek and managing to draw blood. In retaliation, Ebony kicked Ellie in the stomach, winding her and send her flying against the wall. As Jack rushed over to his girlfriend, Trudy and Cloe tried to hold Ebony back, though she was desperately clawing to escape.

"Let go of me," she yelled. "I wanna finish this. That stupid little cow will regret everything she said by the time I'm through with her."

Without warning, Ellie pushed a startled Jack away and launched herself at Ebony. Cloe and Trudy jumped back to avoid being caught in the middle. With one smooth thrust, Ellie shoved Ebony off the edge of the path and sent her plunging into the cold, stagnant waters that made up the sewers. Ellie stormed off, with Jack quickly in tow. Meanwhile Cloe and Trudy offered a hand to Ebony who was sitting up, seemingly shocked by what had just happened.

"I can get out myself. I don't need you two fussing all over me!" They shrugged and headed off, following the enraged shouts of Ellie. Ebony hoisted herself up, took a step forward and promptly fell back. With her clenched fist she slammed the water, sending raw sewage up onto her face.

"Great," she muttered. "That's all I need."

~*~*~*~

Luke quietly left the house in the early hours of morning, when the moon was still shining brightly. He planned to return to the city; warn the others about the renewed threat the Chosen posed to the city. What he didn't know was that that the Guardian and his followers would pale in significance to the dominance of the Sentinels. As soon as he reached the limits of the city, just as the morning sun had burst into the sky, he was set upon, and dragged kicking and screaming to some form of holding cell set up within the old school. After he gave up banging on the door, shouting to be let out, he turned round and slumped down to the floor. He suddenly became aware that he was being watched and he looked up to see several familiar faces all staring back at him. Sat among several people he didn't recognise were Alice, Lex, KC, Tally, Andy, May and Pride.

"What are you guys doing here?" demanded Luke. "And what the hell is going on?"

~*~*~*~

Danni and Ryan had arrived back at the barn a few hours ago and although things were still tense, Danni had become a lot more comfortable with the whole 'Bray' situation. The two were soaked, but luckily for Ryan, his old clothes had dried out and he happily changed back into them. This time it was Danni's turn to go hunting for suitable attire in the old cupboard. She scraped her wet, straggly hair off her face and tied it back in a ponytail and then washed her face; thus ridding herself of the streaked eyeliner and smudged lipstick that were beginning to dry to her cheeks. She found an old ankle length red summer dress and a musky cream cardigan to go over the top; they weren't perfect but they looked a damn sight better than the pink and blue monstrosity lying in the corner. After searching for footwear, she eventually found some knee-length suede boots sitting behind the door. Having finished changing, Danni stepped back out into the main barn and settled down for the night. Using some hay as a makeshift pillow, Danni was soon asleep and became oblivious to the conversation some of the others were having.

"I'm sorry Bray, it's not that I don't like her, it's just that I don't feel comfortable with her being around?"

"But why Amber? Are you scared she'll do something?"

Amber just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in response.

"Oh," commented Bray. "I get it. You think that I might leave you and go off with her. Am I right?" Bray realised he had touched a nerve as Amber swung her head away to avoid looking him in the face. "I should've guessed," Bray continued. "How could you think I could leave you? I mean, yes, there was a time when I loved Danni, when I thought I would spend the rest of my life with her but then I found you. You bought so much happiness and joy back into my life Amber that I could never leave you, or Adam, ever again. Surely you must believe that, don't you?"

Amber nodded, but not enough to reassure Bray. He leant in towards her and kissed her on the lips as further evidence of his commitment. This seemed to do the trick and her beautiful smile returned to her face as she leant forwards and hugged him.

"Thank you Bray."

"What for?"

"For being the best boyfriend in the world."

As Amber lay down and pulled her jacket around her, Bray got up and walked outside to join Ryan on the porch.

"How is she?" inquired Ryan

"She needs time," responded Bray. "You know, to get used to the idea that Danni doesn't pose a threat. She's got it into her head that…"

"Actually," Ryan interrupted. "It was Danni I was talking about."

"Oh."

"Have you spoken to her yet?"

Bray nodded. "A little, although I haven't had much chance to have a real good talk with her yet. I'll do it in the morning.

"Make sure you do. She doesn't show it, but she's still hurting a lot, you know?"

"I know Ryan," Bray was surprised at the strong approach his friend was taking. Having seen the puzzled look on Bray's face, Ryan decided to explain a little.

"Look, you probably think that I'm being over protective but there's some thing about me and Danni you don't know. When I was taken to the mines I was originally placed with a small work force including her. Because she was the only person I knew, we became closer than before..."

"How close," Bray asked.

"Close friends, that's all. If either of us had a problem, or was having a particularly lousy day then we'd speak to each other about it. I care a great deal for her Bray and I don't want to see her get more hurt than she already is."

Bray, slightly shocked by this revelation, responded quickly. "You have my promise…" But Ryan had stopped listening; he had gone back inside to bed down for the night. After standing, looking at the rain and thinking for a while, Bray also went back inside, snuggled up to Amber and rapidly fell asleep.

Several hours later and Danni awoke to the sound of a child crying. She tried to ignore the noise before realising that no one else was getting up to tend him. Sighing heavily, Danni pushed herself up off the floor and winced in pain as she realised how stiff her back was. Nevertheless, she made her way over to the crib and scooped up Adam in her arms.

"Sh, sh. You don't want to wake Daddy and Mommy do you?"

Baby Adam began to coo in her arms as he was rocked gently back to sleep. Amber sat up, rubbed her eyes as she adjusted to the morning light and observed as Danni held Adam so tenderly.

"He didn't wake you did he?"

Danni looked up in surprise. "Oh, it's all right. I don't mind."

"Are you sure? You know, he can be a real pain sometimes."

Danni simply nodded a response and a tense silence befell the two. Eventually, after shifting uncomfortably and putting a sleeping Adam back in his crib, she got up and approached Amber.

"Listen, I know that you think I might want to run off with Bray, but…"

"What?" exclaimed Amber. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Last night I overheard you and Bray talking, you said you felt uncomfortable with me being around. It's all right, I understand why you might feel threatened but you have absolutely no reason to feel threatened by me."

Amber warned Danni, in an aggressive manner, "Nobody said I felt threatened by you, so don't go making assumptions of people you hardly know."

"But that's the thing," Danni interrupted. "I feel like I do know you."

Amber looked both stunned and puzzled as Danni continued.

"When I was with Bray, he always talked so fondly of you, always talking about the good times you had together and for a while, I admit, I was jealous. Soon, I realised that I could never live up to his standards because, well, I wasn't you. Then one day it struck me, I was jealous of a dead girl. From that day on, I tried to stop living in your shadow, tried to stop Bray wallowing in the past and I truly believed that I had finally made him come to terms with your death. During the Chosen occupation, when I was sent to the mines, the one thing that drove me on was seeing Bray's face at the end of a long dark tunnel. Then one day, Ryan was placed in my work detail and he told me that you were still alive. It was from that moment that I knew I had lost Bray forever, that when I got out of there I would find you in his arms. I don't blame you for that, or Bray. I just believe that fate put you two together and you were never meant to be apart. I could never take him away from you Amber and I hope you believe that."

Amber was taken aback by all that Danni had just said and didn't reply. Instead, she managed a smile and lay back down next to Bray, now feeling a lot more secure. Danni just sighed, grabbed her damp cloak and headed out into the fields, hoping that the fresh morning air would help to clear her head a little.

~*~*~*~

 Ebony, Trudy and the remaining Mall Rats trudged wearily through the open fields. Last night they had gotten little sleep; Brady was coming down with a cold and had kept the others awake with her persistent crying. This had not helped Trudy's nerves and she frantically worried over her daughter's health, though the others tried to assuage her fears. They had left the city limits several hours ago and were heading further into he countryside to ensure that the Sentinels could not follow them. Finally, they arrived at the farm and it couldn't have been a more welcome site. Out on the porch was an old wooden barrel, filled by rain from the recent storm. Ebony gratefully thrust her cupped hands into the cool, refreshing water and splashed her face with it. As tiny droplets were still rolling down her cheeks, she again plunged her hands back into the water and this time she filled her mouth with the revitalizing liquid. She sighed out in pleasure.

"My God that feels good. Hey guys, come and get some water, it'll make you feel better."

Ellie looked scornfully at Ebony, refusing to go anywhere near her. While the others drank and drank, she headed inside to rest. As she stepped into the hallway she thought she heard a noise, like something heavy falling over. She looked around from where the sound had come from.

"Hello? Is there someone there?" she called out.

Jack poked his head round the door, his fringe dripping with water from where he had splashed his face with water.

"Did you say something?"

"No, no, Jack," Ellie replied. "Nothing at all."

"Fair enough. Hey, why don't you come and join us?"

"It's ok, I just feel like a lie down. I'm still really tired from last night."

Jack nodded and wandered off back in the direction of the water but. Once he was gone, Ellie crept towards her old bedroom, feeling sure that the noise had come from there. Gently, she opened the door and walked inside. There on the floor was on old backpack that she didn't recognise as either her own or Alice's: She knelt down and opened the flap. Carefully, she pulled back the drawstring and opened the bag up. Delving her hand inside, she felt a hand slip across her mouth and she let out a muffled scream.

~*~*~*~

"Gone," boomed the Guardian. "Gone where?"

Marcus bowed down before him and handed him a letter.

"It says that he's going back to the city, he…" Marcus found himself being cut off.

"I'm perfectly capable of reading it myself."

"Yes, your worship."

The Guardian's frown soon turned into an eerie smile and he stood up to face the rest of his followers.

"Friends, this is a great day indeed. Luke, our most trusted lieutenant, has paved the way for Zoot to be united with the True Bringers of Power and Chaos. He has returned to the city and it is Zoot's will that we follow him and join with our brothers. Once we are together, then no man, woman or child will be able to deny us what is rightfully ours; control of the city – the same control that the Mighty One himself once had when he was among our midst. It was true then, and it will be again now!"

Tai-San watched with a certain amount of awe as the Chosen, without prompting from the Guardian, erupted into a rhythmic chanting, worshipping their God.

"Power and Chaos! Power and Chaos! Power and Chaos! Power and Chaos!"

"Praise be to Zoot," shouted the Guardian "We will leave in one hour!"

~*~*~*~

Ellie panicked. While she tried to break herself away from her attacker, she reached out for any object that she could use as a weapon. Finally she grabbed hold of an old picture frame and hit the stranger's shin: he released her and yelled out in pain. Ellie scrambled to her feet and turned to face the stranger; he was a boy about the same age as her, maybe a little older and he was a little taller too. His rich, auburn hair flopped around in a messy fringe as he held his leg, and his brown suede jacket hung loosely off one shoulder. The agonised yell had brought the others rushing in from outside and they were just as shocked as Ellie had been a few moments ago.

"What the hell's going on?" Ebony demanded. "And who in the world are you?" she asked as she noticed the mysterious stranger.

"Please… don't hurt me."

The young man cowered in the corner and stared at Ellie with his soft green eyes.

"I didn't mean to… It's just that I didn't realise anyone lived here."

"So you just pounced on me?"

Ellie was seething with anger and Jack held her protectively in his arms.

"I was scared… I didn't know what else to do. I was just trying to protect myself. I'm sorry."

"You can apologize later," said Trudy. "First you can tell us who you are and what you're doing here."

The other Mall Rats gradually backed away and the boy, no longer feeling quite so threatened, stood up straight and took a step forward.

"My, my name is… my name's…" He paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves a little; it seemed to work. "My name's Jacob. I live in, or used to live in a little village not too far from here; Dragon Grove." He hesitated, seemingly awaiting reassurance of some kind.

"Carry on," nodded Trudy. "We're not going to bite your head off. Well, Ebony might but…" She trailed off realising that her comment, although intended to lighten the atmosphere, had made Jacob even more apprehensive than before. He shuffled about nervously.

"I used to live in Dragon Grove as part of a tribe called the 'Angels.' I decided to leave a few weeks ago, for personal reasons, and I've been travelling ever since. I ended up here a few days ago and I thought this place was empty; obviously I was wrong."

An uneasy silence followed in which no one knew what to say. Eventually, Trudy, who seemed to have been mulling over some sort of question, spoke up.

"The 'Angels'? So you know Hope and Jamie?"

Jacob was wary of Trudy's knowledge of his old tribe, but he nodded a response anyway.

"You don't need to look quite so puzzled," soothed Trudy. "It's simple really. I was part of the army that helped to liberate your village from the Chosen. My name's Trudy."

She extended her arm and Jacob, still unsure, leant in and shook it.

"I vaguely remember you… You were the supreme mother before the rebels in the city helped you to escape."

"We've all done things we regret, Jacob." Trudy turned to look at Ebony, who simply sneered in return. "Let's try and forget about what happened earlier and start again, hey?"

Jacob glanced around nervously but was finally put as ease by a smile from Ellie that seemed to suggest she had forgiven him for grabbing her.

"Right," Trudy said, clasping her hands together. "Let's start with introductions."

One by one the Mall Rats came forward to greet Jacob, all choosing to shake hands with him.

"This is Jack, he's our resident computer expert and generally all round nice guy. This is Ellie, Jack's girlfriend and local news reporter back in the city. This is Cloe…"

"It's nice to meet you," the young girl interrupted.

"You too," replied Jacob.

Trudy continued, "This is my daughter Brady, and this is…" but Ebony had disappeared. "That was Ebony. She used to be leader of the city until the Sentinels arrived and overthrew her."

"The Sentinels?" queried Jacob. "Who are they?"

Whilst the others slowly filtered from the room, Trudy sat down on Ellie's bed and prepared to tell Jacob all about the powerful tribe that had driven them from their home."

~*~*~*~

The Guardian stepped into the boundaries of the city, held his hands to his chest and took a deep, long breath.

"Ah," he sighed. "It feels good to be back at last."

He turned to face the Chosen.

"Brethren, this is a glorious day indeed. The day that we will be welcomed back to the city and Zoot restored as the Divine Leader once more!"

The rest of the Chosen cheered and now Tai-San walked to the front and held her hand up to silence them.

"It is the Guardian's decision that only a select few will accompany him on his first meeting with the True Bringers of Power and Chaos. The rest of you will remain here until his return. Samuel, Marcus and Jasmine; you have been chosen to go with the Guardian and myself. You should feel honoured that Zoot has looked upon you favourably today."

The three guards emerged from the crowd and made their way to the side of the Guardian, who instigated a busy conversation of strategy and tactics. Tai-San meanwhile was making plans of her own; she had decided some time ago that she would return to the mall, if only to say a proper goodbye, more than could ever be said in a letter. She would pretend to fall over and let the others carry on in front of her; then, when they were far enough ahead, she would sneak away to be reunited with her old friends.

"My friends!" The Guardian interrupted Tai-San's train of thought. "The time has come for us to take our leave. Whilst we are gone, you will remain here and report to Daniel if you have any problems."

At this, a tall, blonde haired boy stepped forward and bowed down to the Guardian.

"Thank you, your Eminence, for the trust that you have placed in me. I shall serve you well."

The Guardian shook his head at the boy, and for a minute Daniel seemed confused.

"You will not be serving me, my child, but Zoot, mighty Zoot."

"Yes Guardian. I apologise…"

But he had already began waking away, with Tai-San and the others following in quick succession.

It didn't take long for the small group to get to the centre of the city, and it seemed eerily quiet. Tai-San took her chance and made an exaggerated fall, landing on some old rubbish bags.

"Supreme Mother, are you all right?" Jasmine extended a hand and placed it on Tai-San's shoulder, a look of genuine concern spread across her face.

"Yes, I'm fine thank you."

Jasmine attempted to help her up, but Tai-San shook away the girl's offer of support.

"Don't worry, I can get up by myself. Just make sure that the Guardian is safe."

Jasmine hovered for a moment, debating what to do, but eventually turned to follow the Guardian who had not noticed Tai-San's fall. Picking herself up and dusting herself off, she crept away into an old passage that led straight to the mall. However, what Tai-San didn't see was that Jasmine had turned around in time to see the 'Supreme Mother' make a quick exit, and she followed her down the dark alleyway.

~*~*~*~

Tai-San's pace quickened as she walked down the long, dark alley; she felt like she was being followed. After a while, her paranoia left her and she slowed to her normal gait but her fears were realised when a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Instinctively, Tai-San spun around, grabbed her assailant's arm and threw them against the wall. Only then did she realise that the strange figure was Jasmine.

"I'm so sorry, I thought you were an attacker. I wasn't expecting anyone to follow me."

"Evidently," said the girl, rubbing her sore head. "Exactly where were you going Supreme Mother?"

"That is none of your concern. You should return to the Guardian."

"Oh come on Tai-San, you're not fooling anybody. You're even less of a Supreme Mother now than when you conspired to overthrow the Chosen."

Tai-San was shocked at the girl's abruptness, but admired her for her strength of conviction.

"You're right," she began. "I'm not the true Supreme Mother, I thought I was, but I'm not. I left my tribe believing that I had some greater destiny in life but ultimately my search has brought me back to the mall, to my friends."

Jasmine's silence allowed Tai-San to continue.

"I was on my way to the mall with the intention of saying goodbye. I suppose, if I'm honest with myself, I was hoping they would ask me to return."

"I can't let you go."

"What? But I have to," shouted Tai-San.

"No," Jasmine responded. "What you have to do right now is fulfil your role as Supreme Mother. The Guardian is already teetering on the brink of insanity and you leaving would cause him to fall the rest of the way. He's about to secure an alliance that could make the Chosen unstoppable and he needs you to be at his side. Do you understand?"

"Is that a threat?"

"If that's how you want to see it, then yes; it's a threat."

Tugging down her velvet top, Tai-San lifted her head and retraced her steps out of the alleyway, back towards the Guardian. Jasmine, still a little winded from the attack, slumped down onto a pile of cardboard boxes. Too concentrated on regulating her breathing, Jasmine did not hear the click of a blade, did not see the flash of figure in black, and did not see the knife until it was too late. Her piercing scream filled the air, but it didn't reach Tai-San, now too far away to hear. In the alleyway a lifeless body lay among a mass of bloodied cardboard, whilst two sentinels rushed back into the shadows, pleased with their accomplishment.

~*~*~*~

"Ah, Supreme Mother. We were beginning to worry about you."

"I'm sorry Guardian, I got a little lost."

"Zoot forgives you, my child. Where is Jasmine?"

"Isn't she with you?" Tai-San feigned innocence, knowing exactly where Jasmine was, but she did seem to be taking rather a long time. "Perhaps she has gone on ahead."

"Of course," sighed the Guardian. "She is a most loyal follower."

For a while, the small group walked in silence, eventually arriving at the Horton Bailey Hotel. When they got there, Tai-San was shocked to see an adult guard approach them; he must have been at least thirty-five years old.

"What is your business here?" he demanded.

The Guardian remained calm, as if expecting this sort of reaction.

"We'd like to speak to your leader on a matter of great importance.

The smug, rough-looking sentinel mocked the younger man.

"Our 'leader' is not here at the moment. Now why don't you tell me what it is exactly that you're after?"

"An alliance. Between the Chosen and the True Bringers of Power and Chaos."

"The True Bringers of what? What the hell are you on about? The Sentinels consider alliances with no one! Do you hear me? No one!"

A slightly younger female, of about thirty, came on to the front steps of the hotel.

"That's enough Eddie. You are relieved."

Muttering something under his breath, Eddie turned and headed back inside, but not before whispering something in the female officer's ear. Evidently it was funny because it made her laugh. She walked towards the Guardian.

"You want an alliance? With us?"

"Yes," he replied. "Why does that cause such great amusement to you?"

"Because we're the Sentinels. If we stopped to make alliances with any tribe that came along then do you think we'd be as powerful?"

"You would be if you joined with the Chosen. We once controlled this city and could give you a lot of help. I am the Guardian, representative of Zoot here on earth."

"And I'm the Queen of Sheba, representative of stamp collectors anonymous! Get on with it," she snapped.

The Guardian, not in the slightest bit phased, continued. "You see, the Chosen believe in a system called 'power and chaos' and it seems destined that you use the same method, officer…?"

"Lescher," she snapped. "Lieutenant Toni Lescher." She sighed and folded her arms; then a smirk crept across her face. "Your proposal sounds interesting. We should continue this discussion inside."

"I am glad you are seeing sense." He and the others began to follow Lescher into the hotel, but she stopped and held a hand up to prevent the others going any further.

"Only he is allowed to go," she said pointing to the Guardian. "The rest of you must stay here."

Seeking a quick nod of confirmation from their leader, Tai-San and the two guards watched as Lescher led him up to the doors. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a figure appeared on either side of the Guardian and wrestled him to the floor. Too shocked to move, the three Chosen had to watch as Toni Lescher pulled a small dagger from her boot and plunged it into the Guardian's heart, twisting the blade as she cut deeper. Removing the knife and wiping the blood across her black trousers, she again attacked and slit his throat. Tai-San watched as blood spurted up into the air and during all this time he hadn't made a single sound, or tried to escape. Lescher's laughter rose to a climax, before she gave the body one more kick. Pointing at Tai-San, Samuel and Marcus, she shouted to her officers.

"Get them too! I'm in the mood for a bloodbath!"

Eddie and another guard came charging towards the small group, who ran just as fast to try and get away. Eventually, the youths lost their attackers down a series of back streets, and they stopped by an old office building to catch their breath.

"What are we going to do now?" Samuel asked despondently. "They know what we look like so they're going to be sending out search parties to hunt for us."

"We can't keep running," added Marcus. "They'll find us eventually."

"What's the alternative then? We give ourselves up? You saw what happened to the Guardian; the same thing will happen to us!"

"In that case," stated Tai-San. "There's only one thing we can do."

"What's that?" Marcus asked.

"We fight back…"

~*~*~*~

The prisoners of the Sentinels watched everyday as more and more people were captured, chained and imprisoned in old classrooms. Slowly, the adults took over the entire city through vicious, unprovoked attacks on unsuspecting tribes. Those lucky enough to escape their wrath fled from the city, just as the Mall Rats had done weeks before. Meanwhile, Tai-San and the Chosen scoured the city looking for possible allies to help in their bid to overthrow the Sentinels. At Alice's farm, life settled down into a regular routine; Jacob was accepted by the others and voted in as the newest tribe member, even Ebony and Ellie seemed to patch things up a little. Deeper into the countryside, Amber and the others were also enjoying the peace and serenity of their surroundings but they knew they had to return to the city sooner or later. Packing what few personal items they had, the group abandoned the barn three and a half months after Amber had given birth there, and headed for home…

~*~*~*~

The last few weeks had been hard for the prisoners. They're food supplies had been drastically reduced and they were all showing signs of malnutrition and fatigue. Alice's normally rosy, round face was becoming weary and drawn, whilst Andy and Tally seemed to have little energy these days. May looked about the room and saw the faces of the other Mall Rats. How long could they go on like this?

"Come on guys," she urged. "We can't just give up, we're the Mall Rats; we survived the Chosen didn't we? We can survive this too!"

"Shut up May," snapped Lex. "You've only been in this tribe five minutes but you sound like you've been here forever."

"That's enough Lex!" warned Alice.

Lex continued regardless of Alice.

"The only reason you survived the Chosen was because you got all friendly with the Guardian. Meanwhile the rest of us had to work for our freedom!"

"Stop it Lex, she's done nothing wrong." Pride got up to protect May from Lex's verbal onslaught.

"Oh look, the eco-boy's standing up for his girlfriend. How sweet! Of course, we all know the truth don't we Pride?"

"No Lex, but I'm sure you're going to tell us, aren't you?" said May sarcastically.

"Let's face it May, the only reason lover-boy is with you is because it gives him a reason to stay in the mall and get closer to Amber. We all know that you're just his bit on the side until…"

But Lex didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Pride delivered a left hook to his chin. Lex went flying backwards against the wall, partly in surprise at the attack. As soon as he recovered he lunged forward at Pride and grabbed him round the throat; pushing him to the ground. The other quickly gathered around and tried to pull the two apart. As Alice began to wrestle Lex away, Pride landed a fist on his nose and blood trickled from his nostrils and seeped into his mouth. Lex brought a hand to his nose and pulled it away to reveal a small smear of blood on his fingers.

"You'll pay for that!" he spat at Pride.

"You've been asking for that for a long time Lex," shouted May as she hugged her boyfriend tightly.

Amidst the confusion, a loud booming voice swept into the room.

"What the hell's going on in here?"

The Mall Rats looked towards the door and saw Lescher march in with a trail of guards behind her. Quickly, they all fell silent and stood up straight; Lex sneered at Pride and wiped his bloodied nose on his sleeve. Lescher observed the clearly ruffled state of the two young men and realised what had been going on.

"Who started this?" she demanded. The others remained quiet. "I said, who started this?"

There was fury burning in the lieutenant's eyes and Lex spoke up in an attempt to assuage her temper.

"It was him," he said, pointing and smiling at Pride. "He just attacked me when I hadn't even done anything, he's mad!"

"Take that back, Lex!" yelled May as she turned to face the officer. "He's lying! He was the one who started it, not Pride."

Lescher grabbed May's face and pulled it towards her own.

"Did I ask for your opinion, little girl?"

"No… No, ma'am" May struggled. Lescher released her grip and pushed her to one side.

"Is this true?" asked Lescher. "Did you start this?"

Pride, seemingly unsure for a while finally nodded a reply.

"Yes, it was me. I started the fight."

Toni Lescher turned to a couple of her guards and pointed to Pride. They quickly rushed forward, took hold of him by his arms and hustled him out of the room.

"Let this be a lesson to the rest of you," she warned. "The Sentinels do not accept fighting between their prisoners. Now you're friend will pay for his actions."

With that, Lescher and the rest of her guards swiftly left the room, slamming the door behind them. The Mall Rats listened intently until they heard the key turn in the lock and the footsteps disappear off down the corridor.

May, who was in a kneeling position on the floor and crying, turned to face Lex.

"Why Lex? Why did you do that?" she asked in-between sobs.

Lex, barely affected by the loss of another comrade, simply sniffed.

"Because, a) I told him he'd pay for what he did and b) I knew that he wouldn't say anything – he's too much of a pussycat. You see May, he just hasn't got any pride – ironic really, isn't it?"

For a moment it looked as if May would launch a physical assault on Lex, but, knowing what had happened to Pride, she chose instead to throw her head into her hands and sob quietly until all the tears had gone.

~*~*~*~

Trudy and Jacob strolled through the lush green fields that surrounded the farm. Enjoying the warm midday sun, they slumped down in the shade of an old oak tree.

"So," Trudy began. "How are finding it being a Mall Rat?"

"I have to say that it's nice to be part of a tribe again, and part of a tribe that actually seems to like me!"

Trudy seemed puzzled for a moment. "You mean your old tribe didn't like you? I find that hard to believe."

Jacob chuckled, and twirled a piece of grass between his fingers. "It's not that they didn't like me, but sometimes I felt that I wasn't appreciated – like if I wasn't there, they wouldn't notice. Do you know what I mean?"

Trudy nodded. "For a long time after I returned to the Mall Rats I knew that people didn't want me there, and to be honest it's perfectly understandable after what I did to them. I look around at the few that are here and I still wonder – have they really accepted me again?"

She found Jacob answering her question for her. "You don't see it, do you? They really respect you; that's obvious from the way they listen to you. They voted you in as leader didn't they?"

Trudy smiled and for the first time in quite a while it felt genuine.

"You've got a beautiful baby daughter and a tribe that adore you," Jacob continued. "The way I look at it, you've got absolutely nothing to be worried about. As for me…"

But he was cut short as a hurried shush came from Trudy's mouth. He followed her gaze and found a group of about six or seven people heading straight towards them. They were still a fair distance away so they couldn't see any features, but Trudy didn't want to take any risks.

"Quick, we have to get back to the farm and warn the others."

"But we don't even know who they are."

"I know, but if they're adults then we need to be ready to defend ourselves."

Stalking through the long dry grass, the two Mall Rats hurried back to the farm to prepare. Minutes later the rest of the tribe were ready and had taken up various positions around the building. Jacob was out front, watching the actions of the mysterious strangers; Cloe was looking after Brady in Alice's old bedroom; Trudy, Jack, Ebony and Ellie had taken up defensive positions in various other rooms, waiting to protect themselves. Slowly, the strangers came closer and closer until Jacob could see that they weren't adults. He peered more closely to get a better look at the group; there was a girl with blond ringlets carrying a small child, another girl with fire red hair, a guy with shoulder length brown hair and several others following behind. Eventually they spotted Jacob and a girl with long, black curls walked towards him. Backing away a little on her approach, he shot a question in her direction.

"Who are you? What do you want here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the girl stated.

"My name's Jacob, but I don't think it's any of your business."

"Well, that answers the first question. What about the second? Why are you here?"

Although he found it strange to be answering such a question to someone he had never met, he divulged the needed information.

"My tribe's staying here, if you must know."

"Oh?" The girl seemed slightly puzzled. "And what's the name of your tribe?"

"The Mall Rats."

The small group standing a short distance away suddenly erupted into busy chatter. The guy with brown hair made his way toward Jacob and looked furious.

"How dare you," he yelled. "What are you, some kind of comedian?"

The girl tugged on his sleeve. "Hey, calm down!"

"Calm down? Danni, you didn't hear what he said?"

"I heard, Bray, but you're not making the situation any better!"

Those names sounded familiar to Jacob, and it suddenly clicked as to who they were.

"Oh my god, you're Bray aren't you - the leader of the Mall Rats? And that girl there," he gestured to the girl with ringlets. "She's Amber isn't she?"

Bray nodded, although slightly sceptical. He was about to say something else when Jacob ran inside the farm and moments later returned with Trudy, Cloe, Ellie and Jack all rushing out to see if the news was true; if Bray and Amber really had come back. The shock and surprise on their faces was evident.

"Bray," Trudy yelled and the two ran and hugged each other, before moving over to see Amber; Trudy was particularly surprised to see a baby in Amber's arms. Jack and Ellie hurried to greet Ryan and Salene, and both couples seemed pleased to see the other reunited. Whilst Danni and Jacob chatted on the porch, Cloe finally laid eyes on her old friend.

"Patsy!" The two girls, who once feared they would never see each other again, found themselves speechless as they hugged.

"They all seem so happy to see each other again," commented Danni, barely able to hide her disappointment at not being noticed.

"Hey, don't get down, the others will come and speak to you in a minute, I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see you back."

Danni shook her head. "No, they won't be. I was a real cow to a lot of them – they were probably glad to see the back of me.

"So you've finally woken up to the truth, eh Danni?"

Danni turned around to see Ebony leaning with her back against the wall, a sarcastic smile spread over her face.

"Talking about unpopular Mall Rats…" Danni muttered under her breath; Jacob tried to stifle a laugh.

"So Ebony, I hear you've accomplished quite a lot since I was taken away? Leader of the city – must be fun to have all that power over people."

Ebony snorted and turned away; she did not see the palm of Danni's hand come flying at her face. The loud smack on her cheek made the others look up to see Ebony staggering backwards, her hand holding her cheek in pain.

"That's for being the most two-faced, scheming, vicious little troll I have ever met!" Danni spun on her heel to face the others and clasped her hands together. "Now, why don't we all go inside and get reacquainted – it seems like a lot's changed since I last saw some of you." With that, Danni brushed past Ebony and walked inside; the others, still in a fair state of shock, stared at each other in disbelief before following her in.

~*~*~*~

Two hushed figures crept quietly through the alleyway and in through the back door of an old nightclub. Once in, they made their way up a flight of stares and across the gallery to a large function room. On opening the door, they were quickly ushered in and seated at a long dining table.

"Well," Tai-San began. "Any luck?"

Samuel glanced at Marcus and then over at Tai-San.

"Very little, I'm afraid. If there's anyone left in sectors three or four then they're very well hidden. Sector five was a bit better, though not much."

Marcus continued from his friend. "There was a small group of kids, just four or five who were hiding in the old bike shop. The trouble was, they thought we were adults and escaped as soon as we got anywhere near them."

Tai-San sighed and glanced at a piece of paper in front of her. "Daniel's due back soon, maybe he's had better luck finding people.

Marcus pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.

"Look Tai-San, let's face it, we're not getting anywhere. There's about seventy of us compared to two hundred and fifty of them – there's no contest, they'll beat us hands down."

Tai-San sunk lower into her chair, deep in thought; things were not looking good for the rebels.

~*~*~*~

"I have orders."

"Who from?"

"General Taylor, ma'am."

"Let me see those…"

Pride slowly stirred to the sound of raised voices coming from outside his cell. Turning his head to see what was going on, he flinched; the wounds to his chest were still raw and caused him pain. Since being taken away from the others he had undergone a brutal beating by some of the Sentinels, leaving him scarred and unconscious. Pride closed his eyes again and focused on listening to the conversation outside.

"Why him?"

"I've already explained – he's a Mall Rat; he might know where the others have gone."

"But why not one of the others – this guy's in no fit state to be telling anyone anything!"

"I'm just following my orders, ma'am."

Pride recognised one of the voices; it was Lieutenant Lescher, one of the officers who had beaten him so badly. The other voice was strange and unfamiliar. His warm dulcet tones put Pride at ease – almost as if he should have nothing to fear from this male officer.

"Hey, dreadlock boy!"

Pride opened his eyes to see Lescher staring fiercely at him.

"It seems that we're gonna have to say goodbye to you; I've got orders for you to be taken away and interrogated."

Lescher held him around the waist and lifted him to his feet, then shoved him towards the male officer.

"Here, take him. I pity you if you have to carry him all the way – he's real heavy."

Will Satchbrooke struggled out of the old schoolhouse – he was supporting Pride's entire wait.

"Don't worry, we'll have you feeling better at no time. There's a doctor waiting for us just around this corner. Can you just help me out here and walk for yourself a bit?"

But Pride didn't hear the request, he had slipped back into unconsciousness from the tremendous pain his body endured every time he moved.

~*~*~*~

Trudy picked up the kettle from the stove, where the water had been boiling for the last few minutes. Taking three teabags and placing each in a mug, she then proceeded to pour the water and add milk. She handed two of the mugs to Amber and Bray then took one for herself. Sat at a small kitchen table, they discussed recent events.

"Tai-San left the Mall Rats shortly before the Sentinels attacked. Hopefully she left the city, but it's possible she was captured, or even worse…" Trudy trailed off.

"Don't worry, Tai-San's a survivor. She'll be all right."

Trudy sought comfort in Bray's words and quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, you've been here a few hours and you still haven't told me much about Adam. When was he born?"

"Just after we left the mall," Amber began. "Luckily there was a barn nearby when I went into labour and a few hours later I gave birth to Adam. We were worried because he was a few weeks premature but he's been doing really well, apart from one little incident, but I don't really want to go into that."

Trudy sighed and smiled. "He's a beautiful little boy, you should both be very proud of him."

Bray looked at Amber and held her hand tightly.

"We are," he said. "We are."

"Well, it' time for the formal handover," Trudy stated.

Bray looked a little puzzled, "Handover?"

"Yes. I'm handing leadership back to you two. I really don't know how you do it – trying to look after this lot isn't easy."

Amber chuckled. "Thank you Trudy. Now on to other matters; just what is the deal with Ebony?"

"Believe it or not, she was the one who warned us about the Sentinels. She helped us to escape." Trudy glanced at the look of disbelief on her friends' faces. "I know; I could hardly believe it either. But, to be honest, I think she actually felt some loyalty to us, and who knows, beneath that frosty exterior there might actually be a good side to her."

"Loyalty and good – those are two words I never expected to hear associated with Ebony," commented Amber.

"I used to feel exactly the same way, but if she hates us that much, then why is she still here?"

Amber and Bray were forced to admit that this was indeed a good question, which led Bray into another line of thought.

"Back at the mall, when you were with the Gaians, I think we did see a different side to her. Ok, so it was when she was confessing her love to me, but I saw a softer, more genuine side to her. She might put on this tough front but I think that's just there to cover how insecure she really is – she's scared to get close to people in case they reject her." Bray looked up at Amber, she was sat back in her chair, her arms folded and a frown on her face.

"She confessed her love for you?"

Bray guiltily glanced away, whilst Trudy slipped away with the excuse that she had to go and feed Brady.

"She confessed her love for you?" Amber repeated. "What is it with you and girls? Trudy, Salene, Danni, Ebony, me… I could go on. Is there anybody else you'd like to tell me about, any other secret women?"

Bray couldn't quite tell if Amber was joking or not and quickly buried the memory of Moon.

"Come on Amber, you know that you're the only girl for me. Ebony's just…"

"Just what, honey?" Ebony glided into the kitchen wearing that false grin that seemed to adorn her face so much these days. Getting up from her chair, Amber walked over to Ebony and leaned in close to her.

"If you want to escape without getting your other cheek slapped, then I suggest you start running – I won't be as gentle as Danni was!"

"You? Slap me? I'd like to see you try, honey. Let me warn you now, I won't be responsible for my actions if you do."

Moments later, Ebony was on the floor and her cheek wildly stinging.

"Like I said," Amber commented with a slight sarcastic tone. "I won't be as gentle as Danni was…"

~*~*~*~

General Bobby Taylor stalked into the old schoolhouse, straight past the guards on the door.

"I need to speak to Lescher. Where is she?"

"She's busy at the minute, sir. If you like you can wait for her to…"

"I don't like waiting," Taylor barked at the young officer. "I'm here on urgent business and I need to speak with her straight away! Just tell me where she is and I'll find her myself."

"Yes, sir! She's on the second floor interrogating one of the new prisoners."

In a flash General Taylor disappeared up a flight of stares and soon found the female lieutenant chatting to one of her guards.

"Lieutenant Lescher, I do not expect to arrive to see you fraternising with other officers."

Looking slightly shocked, Lescher waved her hand and the guard hurried away. Regaining her composure she walked up to her commanding officer, barely concealing the hate she held for him.

"Can I help you General? You seem a little upset."

"You're damn right I'm upset! That prisoner you gave me died a few hours ago before I got any information out of him"

"Died? Oh, come on General, we barely touched the boy."

General Taylor furiously pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and thrust it into Lescher's hands.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's a death certificate; signed and authenticated by Doctor Georgia Lyons. Now do you believe me when I tell you he's dead?"

"That's not my problem anymore. You took him, you deal with it."

"I'm getting a bit sick of your attitude Lieutenant. Now either you help me out here or I'll make sure that your career comes to an untimely end. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes General," Lescher spat. "Very."

"Good. I want you to bring me one of the other Mall Rats, maybe one that was there when you raided the mall."

Lescher sighed, and shot a fierce glance at her superior. For a moment it looked as if she wouldn't obey his orders, but then, with a flick of her long brown hair, she stormed off down the corridor with Taylor in quick procession. Moments later they arrived outside the classroom that served as the Mall Rats holding cell and the two officers peered into the darkness. Most of them were sleeping and the lieutenant pointed out those that had been captured at the mall.

"That kid with the green hair, KC I think his name is. That big girl in the corner, her name's Alice. Finally there's this guy with the black hair, that's Lex. Which one do you want?"

Taylor pondered for a moment before replying. "Which one do you most want to see the back of?"

Lescher showed no hesitation in making her decision. "Lex. He's been nothing but trouble since he got here. He insults the officers, picks fights and is generally very unpleasant. The rest of that tribe look up to him as a leader of sorts, take him and you break their spirits."

"Excellent. He'll be perfect."

General Taylor pulled a bottle of liquid from inside his jacket and loosened the top.

"What's that?" Lescher cautiously inquired.

"Chloroform; the doctor kindly mixed it for me before I left. If this guy's as much trouble as you say he is then we're gonna need it."

Quietly opening the door, Taylor crept in and walked over to where Lex was lying. Covering his mouth with a handkerchief soaked in chloroform, Bobby dragged the limp body from the room as Lescher quickly locked the door behind him.

"Now if you could be so kind as to help me get him downstairs…"

"Of course, General."

Lescher placed her arms around Lex's chest whilst Taylor grabbed his ankles. Together they hauled him down two sets of stairs and when they got to the bottom released the body whilst they tried to regain their breath.

"Thank you Lieutenant. I'll be able to handle it from here."

"Very well, General," she said, turning on her heel. "Goodnight." With that, she headed to her office down a long, dim corridor. Ensuring he was alone, Bobby picked up his radio and flicked a button on the top.

"Taylor to base. Phase two is complete. I am returning with another Mall Rat; I encountered no trouble. I left the note in the others' holding cell – they should see it when they wake tomorrow. Taylor out."

~*~*~*~

With the rest of the tribe busy in their own discussions, Salene found herself talking to Jacob. Not that she minded, in fact she was the first to admit that he was quite good-looking.

"From the sounds of it you know quite a lot about me. Now why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

Jacob swallowed and pushed himself back onto the comfortable brown sofa. Sighing heavily, he began.

"I come from a village called Dragon Grove, just a few miles from here. It's not that vastly populated, even with the Wildcats there were only twenty four of us."

"The Wildcats?" questioned Salene.

"Yeah; there was a group of eight who decided to leave the village and head to the city. They actually returned about a year ago to help free Dragon Grove from the Chosen. They had a little help from some passing warriors. As a matter of fact they included Trudy and Amber, though I never got to meet them."

"So tell me, were you ever in a tribe?"

Jacob nodded. "The 'Angels' – nice name, huh? There were only eight of us once the Wildcats left, but we managed. I was the medic of the tribe; my dad was a doctor and I picked up a few things from him. One time, this other tribe called the 'Devils' kidnapped me because one of their members was about to give birth."

"It sounds like you were quite popular."

"Popular isn't quite the right word to use – I was useful. To be honest, when I wasn't busy with a sore neck or a gashed knee them I was pretty much left alone."

Salene looked slightly surprised. "You mean that a handsome guy like you didn't have the women crawling over him?"

Jacob blushed and turned away, pretending not to have heard the comment. "There was this one girl, but…"

"But what?"

"But she died. She had cancer."

"I'm so sorry Jacob, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"That's all right Salene, I'm able to talk about it a bit more these days."

"Tell me about her."

"You really want to know?"

Salene nodded, and her warm smile urged Jacob to continue.

"Her name was Charity and she was the most wonderful person you could ever wish to meet. She had long, rich golden hair that sparkled in the sunlight and these dazzling blue eyes that you were always in awe of. Whenever I was around her I never felt bad, even when she was dying she still managed to bring a smile to my face. When I lost her, it was as if someone had ripped out my heart and threw it on the ground. Since then, I haven't been with anyone else – I'm afraid I might forget her."

Salene saw the tears begin to roll down his cheek and she instinctively reached out for his hand.

"I can tell just from the way you're talking that you're never going to forget her. Come here."

Salene leant forward and wrapped her arms around him whilst he nuzzled his face into her cardigan, crying openly.

"I miss her so much," he sobbed.

"I know," Salene soothed. "I know."

~*~*~*~

As the morning light shone in through the dusty windows, Alice was rudely awoken by a fierce prodding in her back. She turned over to see Luke clutching a piece of paper, a hint of panic in his eyes.

"What is it Luke? Can't you see I'm trying to get some sleep here?"

"It's Lex – he's gone."

"What do you mean, 'gone'? Gone where?"

"They've taken him."

At this, Alice sat bolt upright, heaving herself against a wall.

"The Sentinels? Oh my God, poor Lex. What if they've done to him what they did to Pride?"

Luke brought a finger to his lips and Alice quickly quietened down.

"Whoever took him left this message. If we believe what it says, then he's ok."

Alice grabbed the letter and skimmed through it.

"Mall Rats… Lex is ok…we are here to help you… We have Pride too… He's also fine… Don't give up hope… We will come for the rest of you soon… From…"

"A friend," Alice read aloud. She sighed heavily, before examining the document a few more times.

"Well," urged Luke. "What do you think?"

"It's a hoax; it must be."

"You think they're just trying to raise our hopes? Build us up before they knock us down again?"

"I wouldn't put it past that lot out there."

"But what if it's genuine?"

This was a possibility that hadn't occurred to Alice yet; could there be some decent people amongst this bunch of crazies?

"If it's genuine," she began. "Then we'd better get ready, cause we're busting out of here!"

Luke smiled and took the letter back from Alice. He got up and walked across to where May was just beginning to stir and showed her the note. Alice watched as her downtrodden frown turned to an upbeat smile as she read the news about Pride.

"I just hope it's real," Alice thought to herself. "For all our sakes."

~*~*~*~

The darkness all around became a haze of white light; random shapes merged and contorted until finally the room stopped spinning and Lex was able to sit up and take in his surroundings.

"Where am I?" he whispered to himself.

Lex was surprised to get a reply to his question, and swung round to see a woman of about thirty-five stroll into view. She had long blond hair tied up in a bun, her green eyes reflected in the light and her rosy cheeks emanated warmth and affection.

"You're in my medical lab in the old hospital. How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess. What happened to me?"

"We got you out of your cell, although we needed to use chloroform to make sure you didn't wake up – you're probably feeling drowsy – that's one of the side effects. Don't worry, it'll wear off soon."

Lex began to feel uncomfortable; he leapt off the bed and stared cautiously at the older woman.

"What were you going to do? Practise your experiments on me?"

"No," she began, but was quickly interrupted.

"Because lady, if you expect me to be a willing patient, then you've got another thing coming!"

"Will you let me explain?"

Lex backed off a little, folded her arms and waited for her to continue.

"My name's Doctor Georgia Lyons, assistant medical officer with the Sentinels. I know that what you're experiencing is all very frightening, but let me reassure you that we're not out to kill you. We're here to help, that's all."

Lex continued to be sceptical, and the doctor quickly changed tact. Opening the door that obviously led into the waiting room, Georgia spoke to someone just out of Lex's line of vision.

"You might as well come in now – he's woken up."

Pride smiled as he walked in, whilst Lex seemed to be in a state of shock.

"So, thought you'd managed to get rid of me? Well, you almost did. If it wasn't for Doctor Lyons, I doubt very much that I'd be talking to you now."

"He's right, Lex."

General Bobby Taylor walked through the door and placed a hand on Georgia's shoulder.

"When Pride arrived here, he was in a pretty bad state. Some of my officers took it upon themselves to give him a vicious beating; by the time they were finished with him he had severe injuries, externally and internally. If it hadn't been for my esteemed colleague here, then you're friend could have died."

Lex eyed Pride up and down.

"If they hurt you so badly, then where are your bandages?"

Pride lifted his shirt to reveal masses of bandages wrapped around his waist. Lex, seemingly satisfied with this part of the story at least, turned to Doctor Lyons again.

"Why are you helping us?"

It was left to General Taylor to answer this particular question.

"Despite what you might think, not all of us adults are completely heartless. I know of at least two-dozen officers who don't agree with what we've done here, all of whom are willing to fight to give the city back its freedom. I've got a lot of power within the Sentinels and I can assure you that I will do everything I can to help you regain your home.

"If your as willing to help us as you say you are, then you can start by getting the rest of my friends out of that prison back there."

"Certainly, Lex. In fact, Operation 'Free Mall-Rats' is taking place even as we speak. One of my most trusted officers, Will Satchbrooke, has gone to the schoolhouse with orders from me to transport your friends to a new holding cell. Unbeknownst to my colleagues, that 'holding cell' will be here, in the strict confines of the hospital. If all goes to plan, then the rest of your tribe will be here by nineteen-hundred hours."

Lex sighed heavily, and stared at Taylor for a while.

"What if something goes wrong? Do you have a back-up plan?"

"Trust me," Bobby soothed, "Nothing will go wrong…"

~*~*~*~

Will Satchbrooke waited patiently outside Lescher's office. He paced nervously and ran his hand through his thick, black hair. Finally the door opened and a guard motioned for him to go inside.

"Officer Satchbrooke, what can I do for you?"

Lescher sat behind her desk, applying a rich silver varnish to her nails. Holding her hand up to the light streaming from a nearby window, she blew on her nails, hoping that the enamel would dry quicker.

"Hurry up Will, I haven't got all day…"

"Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am," came the reply. "General Taylor wanted me to pass this onto you."

Will handed her a folded piece of paper, marked with the official seal of the Sentinels.

"What is it?" The lieutenant snapped.

"I'm not too sure; the General said that I wasn't to look until you had read it first."

Snatching the paper away from Satchbrooke's grasp, Lescher tore off the seal and skimmed over the contents, before throwing it back at Will.

"You can tell your commanding officer to go to hell!"

"Ma'am?" He feigned shock at his superior's reaction. Lescher just sighed and slammed her palm down on to the table.

"Tell General Taylor that there is no way that I am allowing the Mall Rats to be moved, at least not while I'm in charge of this place."

"With all due respect, ma'am…"

Will was rudely interrupted by Lescher pushing back her chair and stalking around the other side of the desk to face him.

"With all due respect, officer, you will go away and tell the General that not a single prisoner will be moved, or transported, or whatever he wants to call it. He can give me as many orders as he likes; the Mall Rats are going nowhere."

"Lieutenant, I suggest you reconsider; General Taylor can be quite a force to reckon with when he's in a bad mood."

"I didn't ask for your advice, did I?" By now, Lescher was almost seething venom at her opponent. She strode to the door and flung it open. Without saying another word, she watched as Will left her office and trudged wearily down the corridor. Slamming the door and slumping back down into her chair, she picked up the nail varnish and began to reapply it.

"General Taylor seems a little too fond of those Mall Rats for my liking," she murmured to herself. "Maybe it's time I went over his head and spoke directly to Davison. I doubt he's fully aware of the actions of some of his officers..."

~*~*~*~

Outside the old school, Will Satchbrooke spoke calmly into his radio.

"As you expected General, she didn't like it. She refused me access to them; said that no more prisoners were to be moved anywhere."

Taylor's mature, grainy voice came back over the speaker.

"Acknowledged. You have my permission to proceed with Plan B. Please direct your eyes to the tower block three streets south of you. You might want to cover your ears for the next part."

Placing the radio back in its pouch, Will did as he was instructed. He watched in awe as the building erupted into a ball of flames, accompanied by a deafening crash as brick and glass twisted and shattered in mid air.

"That's one hell of a diversion," he muttered to himself. He watched as almost fifty Sentinels poured from the schoolhouse, charging to the site of the blaze, believing it to be an enemy attack. Somewhere behind the mob, Lescher was escorted out by her two personal guards. Staring at the soldiers rushing to the decimated building, she held back and spoke quietly.

"I don't like this," she said. "That explosion seems too convenient for my liking. You two," she pointed at her guards. "Check the fire escape, I have the distinct feeling that we're being played for fools here."

The taller of the two men, a brutish looking guy, looked surprised at the Lieutenant's command.

"But what about you ma'am?"

"I'll be fine. Just go."

The two men jogged off round the back, whilst Lescher slipped inside and made her way to the Mall Rats' holding cell. Upon arrival, she was angry, but not surprised to find the troublesome tribe had escaped. Rounding a corner, she bumped into one of their number; they appeared to be re-treading their steps in order to try and lose the two guards now in pursuit. Without a moment's thought, before she had even recognised who it was, Lescher reached out and grabbed the Mall Rat around the neck.

"Freeze!" she yelled. "Or your friend here gets it!"

By now, she had realised that it was KC she had grabbed hold of, and he was desperately struggling to get free. He bit her arm and she recoiled in pain. Kicking her in the stomach, he sent her spinning to the floor. The others turned back round to face the two guards. Alice, in a particularly feisty mood, shouted out.

"Let's get them!"

Alice and Will charged at the two men and quickly overcame them. Whilst Alice ushered the children out of the corridor and down the fire escape, Will went back and spat in Lescher's face.

"Consider this the first act of aggression on behalf of the rebels. We won't stop until control of the city is handed back to its rightful owners; the kids."

Satchbrooke rushed out of the door, quickly followed by Luke and May. However, by now the guards had regained some of their composure and the two Mall Rats were recaptured, albeit through a violent struggle. From outside, Alice heard May scream and Tally looked on in horror.

"We have to go back for them. We can't just leave them there!"

Alice wrapped a protective arm around the young girl's shoulder.

"I'm sorry honey, but we've got no choice. The rest of the Sentinels are beginning to return; if we go back in there now then this escape attempt would have been in vain. We need to go now if we want to stand a chance of survival."

Tally nodded sombrely at Alice's words, and the small group walked silently through the shadows, heading for the sanctuary of the hospital.

~*~*~*~

Conditions at the farm had become increasingly worse since the return of Amber and the others. To say that the place was cramped was an understatement. Amber, Bray, Trudy, Brady and Adam slept in Alice and Ellie's parents' room, whilst Jack and Danni stayed with Ellie in her old room. Salene, Ryan and Jacob took Alice's room and Ebony made her bed on the old porch swing. Finally, Patsy and Cloe shared the sofa. Having woken up early that morning, they talked about their different experiences of working in the mines.

"I was in a group with five other people," she began. "I was the youngest, so they often took pity on me. We were sent to work in the mines on the south side of the city and everyday we worked from five in the morning to seven at night. When we finished and were led out we would have to squint our eyes so we could readjust to being in normal light. It was awful. If it hadn't been for the others, I don't think I could have survived as long as I did."

Cloe nodded her head, signifying that she understood her friend's situation.

"There were about fifteen people in my work detail, some I recognised from the various tribes in the city. There were a couple of Demon Dogs and five of the Gulls all working together so we could get the job done and perhaps finish an hour or two earlier than usual. We were sent to the mines out towards Dragon Grove, so when the Chosen fell, it took quite some time for word to reach us. When the supervisor found out, he took his men and left. The rest of us had to make our own way back to the city."

The two girls smiled at each other, recognising the other's hardship and trying to make them feel more at ease.

"There is one good thing that's come out of all of this," Cloe declared. "It's made me grow up a lot; I'm not just a child anymore."

"That's exactly how I feel now," said Patsy. "I don't feel the need to be constantly protected anymore. I know that I'm able to go out there and fend for myself."

"It's not just us that recognises that we're growing up either. The others aren't fussing over us as much anymore. Although, to be honest, there are greater problems to deal with at the minute."

Patsy sighed. "I wonder how Alice and KC are bearing up. It can't be easy being held prisoner for so long."

"They'll cope. Those two are survivors; they never let anyone break their spirit. Last time I saw them, KC was still scheming and Alice still had her love for life."

"But what about Ned," Patsy questioned. "Surely she changed when he died."

"Of course she did," Cloe replied. "But underneath you could tell it was the same old Alice; she'll never let anyone or anything get the better of her."

"That's true. Now what about KC; did he miss us at all?"

This last question made Cloe chuckle slightly.

"When I went back, he made it clear that he had a crush on me. It was quite cute really."

"Did you fancy him?"

"God, no! KC will never be anything more than a friend to me: we're just too different for anything to happen between us. Although I do think that you and him could make a good couple…"

Cloe didn't get chance to finish her sentence; she had to duck in order to miss the cushion that Patsy had thrown at her.

~*~*~*~

The past few hours had been hectic ones for the Mall Rats in the city. Will's cover had been blown, as had Bobby's. Knowing that they were no longer safe in the hospital, the group set out for a new hideout; an old town house deep into sector six. The night had passed slowly, and no one had been able to sleep that well. Now, as a new day dawned and the sun streaked in through the window, KC entertained Andy and Tally with stories of the 'heroic' Mall Rats.

"When we got back from Eagle Mountain, Top-Hat was waiting for us…"

"Who's Top-Hat?"

Tally bashed her brother on the arm and he winced with pain.

"Keep up stupid. Top-Hat's the leader of Tribe Circus; KC only told us that a few minutes ago."

"Well I guess I missed that part," Andy whined. "There was no need to hit me!"

"Hey guys, calm down. Do you want to here the story or not?"

The twins repositioned themselves on the leather couch, turning to face KC.

"As I said, Top-Hat was waiting for us. He wanted his hat back and he wasn't going to leave until we handed it over. He grabbed Cloe and took her as a hostage, but luckily for her I crept up behind him and whacked him over the head. He was sent sprawling to the floor and when he woke up he fled from the mall with his tail between his legs."

"Wow KC," Tally sighed sarcastically. "It sounds like you saved the day…"

"Again…" Andy added.

"Aw, come on guys, I can't help it if I'm the resident superhero. Do you want to hear another story?"

"I guess so. There's nothing else to do around here."

KC smiled, pushed himself further back into the armchair and began to recount another tale.

"One time Patsy ran away; she thought that everyone would blame her for losing Brady. We hunted all over the place but it was me who found her. Everyone was amazed and they all loved me for bringing her back…"

"Which one do you fancy?"

KC was a little taken aback by Tally's question. After all, he had been in full flow with his story and now she asks a question like this.

"Come on KC, in all of your stories you end up talking about Patsy or Cloe. You must fancy one of them."

"I… I…"

"It's not too hard a question, is it?" Andy grinned. "Is it Cloe? I mean she is really pretty, although I've never seen Patsy."

KC stood up and began to walk away. "I don't fancy either of them, now leave me alone," he snapped.

"It is Cloe, isn't it?" Tally watched as KC's face grew redder from embarrassment. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone."

"I think it's Patsy. He talks about her most of all."

KC only became more and more embarrassed by Andy's taunting.

"Look Tally, as soon as I mentioned Patsy's name he went even more red than he is now!"

"Yeah, you're right Andy."

The twins smiled a wicked grin at each other and began to sing, making KC grimace even more.

"Patsy and KC up the tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Patsy and KC up the tree doing things they shouldn't be!"

"That's enough, guys."

Andy and Tally twirled round to see Lex watching them. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded; a slight smile was evident on his face. The twins scurried out of the room, leaving Lex to console his young friend.

"Come on mate, it's not all that bad. They're only kids, what do they know?"

"A lot," came the reply. "I like both of them, but I can't decide which one I like best. Before the Chosen I preferred Patsy, but now I like Cloe. You've got experience with girls, Lex. Which one would you choose?"

"To be honest, mate, they're both a bit young for me…"

"You know what I mean, Lex."

"Seriously, I can't decide for you. You've got to work it out for yourself."

Leaving KC to wallow in his thoughts, Lex left the room knowing that there were a few of his own traits in the young man, in particularly his fondness for women.

~*~*~*~

In a dull grey cell, in the bowels of the old school, May sat pondering on what the future held for her and Luke.

"Do you think they're taunting us? Making us think that we're going to be safe before they execute us?"

Luke sighed despondently, he was beginning to tire of May's constant moping.

"How do you expect me to know?"

"I was just saying…"

"You've been saying the same thing for hours now, just give it a rest."

May sneered and turned away to face the wall. Then they heard footsteps approaching and finally the door to their makeshift prison was flung open. Two sentinels hauled them out and they were thrown to their knees. Lescher stood before them, her face filled with menace.

"You should feel lucky that I decided to spare your worthless lives last night. However, I'm going to need you if I'm going to recapture your tribe; after all, it's no good if the bait you use is dead! They seem to have gone into hiding and you two will be the ones to lure them out."

Both May and Luke gulped at the prospect and Lescher, seeing the fear she had instilled into her captives, sneered and continued.

"I'm guessing that your friends will come back for you, and when they do," she cracked her handheld whip onto the palm of her hand. "We'll be waiting. Then, once your friends, General Taylor and the other traitors have been taken care of, you'll be next…"

May desperately tried to think of some way out of this situation, but could only come up with one solution. However, this meant that she would undoubtedly be sentencing the Mall Rats to death. "A small price," she thought. None of them had made the effort to make her feel at home in the tribe, so she had no favours to return: except Pride. "But does he really love me?" she thought. She knew, in her heart of hearts that there was only one girl he could ever love, and that was Amber.

"Let me help you," May whispered.

"What was that, little girl?" Lescher snapped back.

"I said, let me help you. If you promise not to kill me or Luke, then I'll tell you some of the places they could be hiding at."

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours? You are in no position to bargain with me. We're going to find the rebels and we don't need your help to do it."

May knew that she should have backed down, even a dig in the ribs from Luke told her that, but she chose to continue.

"Maybe you could find them by yourself, but if you let me help you then you could find them so much quicker. I know how their minds work, I know the sort of places they'd go. With me helping, you could find them within the day."

"Why are you so eager to aid us?" Lescher cautiously enquired. "What kind of scam are you trying to pull?"

"No scam," May stated. "All I want is for you to guarantee that me and Luke will come to no harm."

The lieutenant mulled over the offer for a while; she ran her figers over her temples and seemed lost in thought. Eventually she nodded to the guards to pick the two Mall Rats up off the floor.

"You will be given a map of the city and you will mark all the places you think the rebels could be. If you produce results within ten days, then you will be spared. If not, then you can expect to suffer."

"That's not the deal and you know it," May yelled.

"If you want to survive this day then you will abide by our rules. Is that clear?"

Luke and May nodded their heads solemnly; they had been granted a reprieve, for now. They were taken to their old holding cell on the second floor and May given the map. Luke meanwhile was chained up to the wall.

Once the guards had left, Luke shot a fierce stare over at May.

"Why did you do it? You've just effectively sentenced your friends to death."

"They're not my friends, not anymore," she said coldly. "The only people in that tribe I ever cared about were Ryan and Salene, and they're both long gone."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You always look after number one, you never think about anyone else but yourself. I don't know why I didn't persuade the Guardian to kick you out of the Chosen."

May scowled and folded her arms in a somewhat defensive move.

"At least I didn't stand by and watch as innocent kids were put to death. You could have stopped it all if you wanted to…"

"How?" Luke interrupted. "How could I?"

"You could have stopped it!"

They fell silent, knowing that they had both done things that they regretted. When he spoke again, there was a calmer edge to Luke's voice.

"Do you feel any loyalty to the Mall Rats? Any whatsoever?"

May didn't reply; she just stared at the map and searched for any places where her old tribe could be hiding.

~*~*~*~

Lex walked through the darkened alleyway, continually checking to see if he was being followed. The rebels were low on food and Lex had volunteered to find some. Now he was here, creeping about as if he was the bad guy.

"Why the hell did I agree to this?" he muttered to himself. "Nice one, Lex!"

He carried on until he got to the main street. Peering round the corner, he watched for any signs of the Sentinels and luckily found none. He quickly slipped out from the relative safety of the passage and darted into the shadows of near buildings. Eventually he came to an old convenience store and found a few goods which still hadn't passed their sell-by date; mainly tins and dried food.

"Great," he thought. "Looks like we'll be having porridge for breakfast next week; what a surprise!"

Packing the food into a supermarket trolley, he began to make his way back to base. When he rounded the corner back in to the alley, he came face to face with three Sentinel guards.

"Get him," one of them cried.

Lex acted without a moment's hesitation. He thrust the trolley into the path of the guards and one of them was knocked the floor by the force of it. As various tins and cans hindered the way even further, Lex made good his lead on the Sentinels and disappeared down another alley way. Soon his pursuers had caught up and they seemed just metres away. Rounding another corner he felt a hand latch on to his arm and jerk him into a shop doorway. Panting, he watched as the guards went rushing past.

"Thanks," he whispered. "I don't think I could have run for much longer."

He turned to face his saviour and recoiled in shock.

"Tai-San?"

"Hi Lex. I guess you weren't expecting to see me again, were you."

"Well," he struggled for a moment. "No."

There was a moment of awkwardness between the two; they were no longer a couple but still cared for the other. In the end they embraced in a warm hug, though both knew that this was somewhat wrong for two people who had bitterly parted just a few months before.

"So, what are you doing here? I heard you had gone to find your 'true destiny." Lex couldn't resist getting a shot in at his ex-wife, "I take it I never featured in this dream of yours?"

"Please Lex, don't start…"

"Don't start what, Tai-san?"

"We've only been here a minute but it feels like you're already making me out to be the bad guy in all this. Please Lex, I never meant to hurt you."

"Save it," he said bitterly. "This isn't the time or the place for this kind of talk. Right now, we need to get to safety."

"Agreed," Tai-San nodded. "My rebel HQ isn't too far from here, it's in the next sector…"

"Wait a minute, if we're going anywhere, then were going back to our rebel base."

"Our?" Tai-San queried.

"Yeah; me, Alice, KC, the twins and Pride, plus a few of the adults."

"That sounds interesting. You have adults on your side?"

Lex nodded, and Tai-San tugged down on her velvet jacket.

"Let's go," she said.

They had been walking for a while and neither had said anything. Finally it was Tai-San who broke the silence.

"So, have you been seeing anyone since we split up?"

Lex snorted, "You know me, never one to pass up an opportunity."

"Who is it? Ebony?"

I guess you're going to say that you saw that in one of your visions too?"

"No Lex," the girl sighed heavily and sadly. "I've just always known that you two would probably end up dating sooner or later."

"Birds of a feather…"

"I didn't mean it like that."

"No Tai-San, you never do."

~*~*~*~

"As we all know, we are outnumbered by the Sentinels at the moment. They have approximately two hundred and fifty soldiers to our 120, that's excluding any back up they might have."

Bobby Taylor was in the middle of a small meeting with Lex and Tai-San; the two who had taken on the role of leader within their respective groups.

"A full on assault is out of the question; we'd be slaughtered. Therefore we must consider other options…"

"Which are?" Lex interrupted Taylor.

"If you'd let me finish…"

Lex slumped back in the chair and sighed. Taylor pulled out a map and rolled it out over the small table at which they were seated.

"The Sentinels' main bases of operation are centred around here," he said, pointing to a cluster of buildings that extended into sector nine. "Most of their forces are busy guarding the hotel and the schoolhouse, which means that the remaining soldiers are distributed throughout these other places."

"So we attack one of these smaller bases, right?"

"Correct Lex."

"So," Tai-San began. "Which one would you suggest we head for first?"

"There's a small communications depot not too far from here. If they want a message delivered then it will be sent there first. If we can take that out then it makes contact between the various groups more difficult."

"Sounds good," Lex commented. "How many guards?"

"Only about twenty. We'll easily overcome them. I'd like you two to co-ordinate this mission, if you don't mind."

Tai-San was about to raise an objection, but Lex spoke up first.

"Of course we don't mind; it'll give us a chance to show you how good we kids really can be," he said, a wicked glint in his eye.

Taylor nodded and left the room.

"I say we go for an all out attack."

"And what would that achieve, Lex?"

"Look, we need to get rid of these whackos before they get rid of us."

"Are you suggesting that we murder them? That's insane."

"How'd you figure that, Tai-San? That's exactly what they've been doing to us since they arrived."

Tai-San remained calm: keeping her composure, though it was obvious she found it difficult to be in a room with her ex-husband.

"We were devastated when the virus first took our loved ones from us; with them went so much life experience, so much knowledge; knowledge that we could use to build ourselves a better future.

"We've got to get rid of this lot just like we did with the Chosen; they're no different to them."

"Lex how can you say that?"

By now, both had stood up, glaring across the table at each other. Tai-San swept her hair out of her eyes, whilst Lex slammed his fist down.

"They're murderers."

"They're adults."

"They're our enemies…"

With that, Lex stormed from the room leaving Tai-San to sink wearily back down into her chair. She had come to realise that arguments with him were always emotionally and physically draining. Another thing too, she would never be able to win.

"I know what I have to do now," she thought to herself. Finally, a decision that had been weighing on her mind for the past few weeks was suddenly alleviated. "I can't go back to the mall, not while Lex is there. Then, is my destiny to… to lead the Chosen?" Closing her eyes, she slipped into a state of meditation, telling herself that she would not awaken until all of the answers were clear.

~*~*~*~

The old nightclub was a hive of activity, especially now that Bobby and the others had relocated to Tai-San's base. Lex, Alice and Pride stood before a group of Chosen and city rebels, addressing them about the upcoming attack. Tai-San sat slightly to the side clearly uncomfortable about the whole situation.

"We're going to be in three teams," Lex stated. "Those teams will be led by me, Pride and Alice and there'll be eight people in each group. Is that clear?"

The crowd murmured an agreement and Alice continued from her friend. She held up an enlarged portion of the map featuring the communications depot. Several places were marked with brightly coloured highlighters and seemed to indicate the different teams' missions.

"My team will go around the east side and plant several explosives at strategic points, such as windows and doors. Lex's team will do the same on the north and west walls whilst Pride's job will be to ensure that anyone in there is barricaded in and can't escape. His team will also plant explosives at the front of the building. If everything goes according to plan then we could complete the task and be back here within an hour. Any questions?"

The assembled group looked around at each other and finally a young girl raised her hand, Alice guessed that she must have been about thirteen or fourteen years old.

"What happens if something goes wrong? What will we do then?" She had a slight southern spin to her accent and seemed intent on receiving a satisfactory answer to her query. Tai-San who, until now, had remained quiet turned to Lex with a slight sceptical look in her eye.

"Jenna raises a valid point. Have you got a back up plan if, for some reason, your idea to blow up the base goes wrong?"

Lex looked awkwardly at Pride and Alice, before turning to face the young girl out in the audience.

"Look Jenny…"

"The name's Jenna," the girl interrupted. Lex sighed and continued.

"Ok Jenna, or whatever your name is, we haven't got another plan because we don't expect anything to go wrong. The only way something will go wrong is if somebody jeopardises the mission."

He glared directly at Jenna, and she seemed to back off. Pride, who had been a little troubled by the question, suddenly stepped forward to talk to Lex.

"I think it would be wise if we had a fourth team, just to act as extra force if we run into any trouble."

"I agree," said Alice.

"Fine," Lex grunted. "We'll have another team. Tai-San, are you willing to do that. Don't worry; you won't have to kill anyone unless you have to."

Tai-San remembered their earlier argument and reluctantly nodded, rather that start another tryst in front of an audience.

"Good. Anymore questions?"

This time no one said anything and Lex seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Ok then, we'll be nice and let you choose what teams you go with. Just be quick about it, all right?"

Whilst Tai-San left to organise some back up, the crowd dissipated into separate lines, standing before the three leaders. Lex raised an eyebrow as he found himself with the smallest team; just one person stood before him. Alice and Pride suppressed a smile but Lex seemed to be quickly running out of patience.

"Well if I didn't know before how much you all like me, then I certainly know now… However, this isn't a popularity contest so get over to my line now!"

Whilst various people shuffled around, each telling the other to go with him, Lex stepped forward to face the girl that stood proudly in front of him.

"What's your name?"

"Lisa," she stated.

"Well Lisa, it seems that you're the only one willing to come with me. Why do you think that is?"

"Perhaps," the girl started with a glint in her eye, "I'm the only person here who finds you incredible sexy!"

Lex was thrown off guard for a moment and watched Lisa sweep her hair out of her face.

"Well, erm, thanks," he said. Regaining his composure and placing an arm around her shoulder, he whispered into her ear. "How would you like to be my second in command?"

She giggled as they walked from the room, and those that had just joined Lex's team followed behind. Watching as they went, Alice placed her hands on her hips and muttered underneath her breath, "Nice to see all this turmoil hasn't changed him at all."

"What was that?" Pride asked.

"Oh, nothing," Alice smiled. She turned to face the remaining two groups. "Ok guys, first we need to collect the explosives from General Taylor and then we can go. My team; we're going first so make sure Lex doesn't beat you to the front door."

As the group filed out of the room, Alice spun round to face Pride, a wide smile on her face.

"Those Sentinels aren't going to know what hit them!"

~*~*~*~

The plan seemed to be going quite well for the rebels. So far they had managed to sneak through the streets without gaining any unwanted attention and were now ready to carry out the second part of the task: planting the explosives around the communications depot. Alice, Lex and their teams hung back in the shadows whilst Pride took two members of his group, Lena and Caz, to assist him with barricading the front exit.

"I need you two to lift that old oil canister so that it blocks roughly half of the door, ok?"

"Sure thing, Pride," Caz answered. "Just tell us when to put it down."

The two girls strained with the barrel and Lena dropped it on her foot having just picked it up.

"My toe," she yelled. "That thing just landed on my foot and I think it's crushed my toe!"

Pride slipped his hand over Lena's mouth and pulled her away out of sight, Caz quickly followed. Just as they had disappeared from view, the front door swung open and out stepped a Sentinel guard to see what all the commotion was. After an excruciating half a minute for the rebels, he finally retreated back inside and Pride set to work again. This time he took no chances; he beckoned for the rest of the team to help place the two canisters in front of the door. With that job completed, the others set to work putting sticks of dynamite at strategic points around the building.

"Well, we've finished our side, Lex," Alice said after several minutes. "Need some help here?"

"No, we've almost finished too."

"Great, Pride's done as well. It looks like it's time to roast us some Sentinels, care to join me?"

Lex, Alice, Pride and a few others lit the sticks of dynamite and quickly ran to safety. After what seemed like an eternity, the building erupted with massive force, the sound echoing throughout the city; flames leapt high into the sky, smoke billowed from the wreckage and the sound of wood and brick cracking and burning filled the air. They had done it. The rebels had achieved their first real victory against the adults and now they would be a force to be reckoned with. After a small, muted cheer, Alice turned to all those assembled.

"Right now there are probably a hundred guards on their way to see what's happened so we must go now. But let us not forget what has happened here today; you will go down in history as the resistance group who put the first nail in the coffin of the evil Sentinels – tell that to your children!"

The rebels chattered excitedly before starting out on their journey back to base, Lex and Pride hung back for a moment.

"It doesn't feel like a victory," Pride stated solemnly.

"What? We've just sent a message to those creeps that we are not going to be messed with, and you don't think it's a victory?"

"There were twenty people in there, most of whom had probably never harmed anyone during all this. They just sit there, day after day, receiving and sending messages and letters and who wouldn't normally harm a fly. We've just killed them in cold blood. Now can you see why this victory seems so hollow?"

"I don't see what your problem is, mate," Lex shrugged. "They made their choice when they first put on those uniforms; they made the choice to help those who inflict pain and suffering on others. They're collaborators and that makes them just as guilty as anyone out on the front line."

The pair's debate was stopped when a burnt letter floated down to the pavement in front of them. In the explosion, paper and envelopes had shot up into the darkening night sky, propelled by the force of the blast, and they were only now beginning to return to earth. Pride bent down and picked up the scorched envelope.

"Officer Kyle…" Pride read the name of the person it had been addressed to, but his surname had been singed by the flames and was unreadable. "C/O the Armoury Division."

"So," Lex urged. "Open it."

Hesitating for a moment, Pride tore open the seal and pulled out the letter inside; it was in a surprisingly good condition, just a few little marks here and there. He began to read out the contents as he and Lex began the walk back to the rebel base.

"Dear Kyle, rather than beat around the bush I'll get straight to the point. I've found your brother. He is, or rather was part of a tribe called the Mall Rats…"

Pride stopped and stood amazed. Lex, who was intrigued by this revelation, urged him to carry on.

"What else does it say? Whose brother is he?"

"Although I haven't heard much in the past few weeks," Pride continued. "I do know that he was taken prisoner somewhere near the beginning of this campaign, but I can't tell you of his current status. I've been transferred several times so I am relying on what other people tell me; I just hope for your sake that it's all trustworthy stuff. Most people are being held at the schoolhouse so you could start your search there. I wish you well and hope that you find him, eternally yours, Sarah. P.S. If you need to get in touch with me, then I'm currently working in the…" Pride paused. "…Communications Division at the depot in sector eight."

Lex exchanged glances with Pride, but their attention was caught as a small photograph slipped out of the envelope and onto the road. Picking it up, Lex stared at it underneath the light of an old street lamp. He assumed that the older figure in the picture was Kyle; he had thick black hair and was quite tall when compared to the other person. Lex gasped as he recognised the boy in the picture; granted, he was a few years younger and his style had changed quite drastically since then, but it was still him. It was still…

"Luke," Lex uttered.

~*~*~*~

At the farm, Cloe sat out on the grass, basking in the warm rays of the morning sun. She looked towards the city; last night she and the rest of the Mall Rats had seen flames leaping from the rooftops and they could only wonder if the adults were on the attack again. As she sat there, two figures moved into view, they were walking slowly and Cloe watched as they came closer, holding her hand to her eyes to block out the sunlight. Soon, they were close enough for her to hear part of their conversation.

"Hurry up Matt, you're slowing me down. We need to get as far away from the city as we can."

The boy looked to his travelling companion. "Don't you think we're far enough away already," he spat back at her. "Come on, Carly, we need to rest some time!"

As the girl flung her bag to the ground, Matt caught sight of Cloe and pointed her out to Carly. The two warily made their way over but relaxed when they saw she was a kid just like them.

"Hi there," Cloe greeted them. "You seem like you're going on a journey," she said, noticing their baggage. "Where are you heading?"

"Away from there," Matt said, gesturing towards the city. "You'd probably be wise to move on too if you want to survive."

Cloe seemed more than a little puzzled by this remark. "How come? Is it the Sentinels?"

"Partly," Carly nodded. "If last night's anything to go by then war's about to break out. The rebels blew up one of the adults' bases and it looks like there's going to be a serious confrontation real soon."

"It was the rebels who caused that explosion?" Cloe was more than a little surprised as Matt nodded in response. As she wished them well and the travellers moved off, Cloe ran back inside the farm to tell the others all about what had happened. As she got to the doorway she almost knocked Ebony over.

"Whoa there, honey. Where are you off to in such a rush?"

"Get out of my way, Ebony, I need to speak to Amber and Bray."

The older girl blocked the door, ensuring that Cloe could not pass.

"In case you hadn't noticed, it's still early in the morning and everyone else is in bed. Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?

"Fine Ebony, I'll tell you. You see those two people there," Cloe asked, pointing to the distant figures of Matt and Carly. "They're leaving the city because they think that some sort of war is brewing between the adults and the rebels."

"The rebels?"

"Yes, the rebels. They were the ones who were behind that fire last night, not the Sentinels. It sounds as if the adults rule is finally coming to an end."

Ebony smiled and headed inside. A few moments later she returned wearing her flame-red velvet jacket, with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the city."

"You can't be serious," Cloe exclaimed.

"I'm deadly serious. If the adults are on their way out, then I need to be there when they do so I can reclaim my position as leader."

"Is that all you care about? Being leader? If a war breaks out then there might not be any city left to lead!"

"Well, sugar, I'm just going to have to take my chances, aren't I?"

Cloe watched as Ebony silently walked away across the field. Just as she was about to enter the farm, a new feeling overwhelmed her.

"Take me with you," she called out.

Ebony stopped in her tracks and turned round, a look of scepticism in her eye.

"What did you say?"

Cloe stepped off the porch and approached Ebony, a steely look of determination spread across her face.

"Take me with you."

"Now why on earth would I do a thing like that?"

"You don't understand, Ebony. If you leave and I go and tell the others, then Amber and Bray will tell me to stay here because it's safer than the city. That's all I've ever had, from everyone; 'Oh no, Cloe can't go, she's too young'," she mimicked. "'Cloe can't go because it's too dangerous out there.'"

"Maybe they've got a point. It is too dangerous out there for kids like you."

"No," Cloe yelled. "It isn't, not anymore."

"You wanna bet?"

Without warning, Ebony grabbed Cloe's arm, twisted it behind her back and threw her to the floor.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"Face it, kid, if I can beat you that easily then think what a bunch of power crazed adults are going to do to you."

"You haven't beaten me yet!"

Cloe jumped up and slammed her elbow into Ebony's ribs. Whilst she doubled over in pain, Cloe kicked her on the back of her legs and she sank to the ground.

"Still think I'm a little kid, Ebony?"

The older girl growled and recovered enough to grab Cloe's leg and pull her to her knees. Quickly getting to her feet, she thrust an arm out and Cloe cowered to deflect the hit. But there was no hit. When she looked round, Ebony stood there; her arm out waiting to pull Cloe up.

"You've got guts to take me on, maybe you're not such a kid after all."

Cloe grabbed hold of Ebony's wrist and she hauled her to her feet.

"Get your stuff together, we're leaving in five minutes."

"We?"

"Yes. You still want to come, don't you?"

"Of course," Cloe replied, hardly concealing the excitement in her voice.

"Then get a move on!"

~*~*~*~

By the time Ebony and Cloe had reached the city, the rest of the mall Rats were only beginning to wake from their peaceful slumber. It was Ellie who found the note, left on the kitchen table. She rushed to wake Amber and Bray and soon all of the tribe were gathered in the living room.

"I can't believe it," Trudy sighed. "I might have expected Ebony to return to the city, but Cloe too? It's just not like her."

"Do you think she was taken by force?" Jack asked.

"No way," Ryan replied. "If Ebony had tried to kidnap her then I'm sure we would have heard her screaming or something."

"Are you suggesting that Cloe went on her own accord? Come on Ryan, that's a little hard to believe."

"I'm not so sure, Salene," Danni interrupted. "She's been displaying a bit of an independent streak recently; maybe she wanted to go back to the city."

This was one issue that got all of the Mall Rats talking, and they were split roughly in two on the matter. Ultimately, it was left to Amber to bring order to chaos.

"Ok guys, that's enough. Whether Cloe left because she wanted to, or because she was forced is no longer an issue. However, she's opened our eyes to a course of action that lies before us. If we ever want to regain control of the city, if we ever want to return to the mall then we cannot just sit here; we have to make a move."

"What are you saying? You want us to fight the Sentinels?" Trudy asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," came the reply.

"Look Amber, no offence, but you've never even seen the Sentinels. You don't know what they're capable of."

"Maybe not, but what other choice do we have? I am not just going to sit around here for another month or two, hoping that the adults might get bored and leave the city. I am sick of being pushed around by other superior tribes. First it was the likes of the Locos and Tribe Circus, then it was the Chosen and now it's a bunch of power-hungry adults. Where is it all going to end, if we don't end it first?"

The Mall Rats remained silent, every pair of eyes in the room was focused on Amber as she swept back her hair and tried to subdue the tears welling up inside of her.

"In her note, Cloe said that the explosion last night was caused by the rebels; the tide is already beginning to turn against the Sentinels. This is the perfect time to strike and we need to take it. I understand if some of you are apprehensive; out here we have an easy life compared to back in the city. I wouldn't blame any of you if you did stay here either. But remember, if we want a better future for ourselves and our children, then we need to rid ourselves of this threat now."

Finally, months of anger and frustration were let out, as the tears could no longer be held back; they ran down her cheeks to the corners of her mouth. Their warm, salty taste filled Amber's mouth and she ran to the kitchen to get a glass of water in the hope that it would calm her nerves. The Mall Rats were astonished. Never before had they witnessed such a genuine and heartfelt outpouring of emotion; not a single person in the room had failed to be moved by it. When Amber returned, she had recomposed herself, although her mascara had been heavily smeared.

"Who… who else will return with me?" She stammered, her tears clearly fighting their way to the front again. "Who will help me take back the city?" She looked towards Bray and he avoided her glance. After a few awkward moments, where no one had responded, she forced a smile and began to walk away.

"Fine," she breathed. "I'll go by myself."

"Wait! I'll go with you."

Amber turned round to see Danni standing up, a look of determination on her face.

"You're right. We can't let ourselves be pushed around anymore; the time for action is here."

"Let's go take back our city," Ryan said, getting up from his chair.

One by one, the rest of the Mall Rats got to their feet and added their support; Salene, Jack, Ellie, even Jacob.

"Bray? What about you?"

Bray reached out and grabbed Amber's hand. "Do you even have to ask?" He stood up and embraced her in a long warm hug. Salene noticed Trudy still sitting down, Brady sleeping peacefully in her arms.

"Aren't you going to help us?"

Trudy was suddenly aware that everybody was staring at her, awaiting her answer.

"Please, don't misunderstand me. If I go back to the city now, whilst there is a war raging, then I'll be placing my daughter's life in danger. I'm sorry but that's just not a risk that I'm willing to take."

"But Trudy, you'll be here by yourself…" Salene started.

"No, she won't be. I'm staying here too," Patsy stepped forward and took a seat next to Trudy. "I don't want to go back to the city, not yet anyway. The memories of the Chosen are still too fresh in my mind."

None of the Mall Rats tried to argue with this; images of the Chosen's fierce rule still haunted all their dreams and nightmares.

"Amber, just remember that the city is no place for a child. If you want, Patsy and I could look after Adam until you return. Please think about it."

Amber looked to Bray for an answer, but they both knew that Trudy was right. Though it would be hard, they would have to leave their child behind for his own safety. She turned to the rest of the tribe.

"All right guys, you'd better start packing but only bring what you think is essential. We can always return later to collect the rest of our stuff."

As the others left the room, including Bray, Amber sat down next to Trudy and gave her a long hug.

"You promise that you'll take care of him?"

"I promise."

"What if there's a problem?"

"I can handle it."

"Yes, but what if…"

"I've managed with Brady haven't I?

"I'm sorry, it's just…"

"I know Amber, I know."

~*~*~*~

The door to the cell flung open and May and Luke watched as Lescher stalked into the room, a handful of guards behind her.

"Time's up!" She yelled furiously, venom burning in her eyes.

"What?"

"Our little pact; it's finished!"

"But you said I could have five days," May exclaimed, feeling a little uncomfortable. "It's only been three!"

"You did have five days," Lescher reaffirmed. "However, your rebel friends thought it would be a good idea to blow up one of our bases. Whilst you sat here browsing maps last night, twenty-eight of our people were killed. As you can understand, I'm more than a little angry and my patience with you has run out."

May scrambled to her feet and backed away across the room. She sought protection behind an old oak desk and stood there as if she were some sort of trapped animal.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked, fear beginning to creep into her already shaky voice.

In response, Lescher said nothing. She brought her hands from behind her back to reveal a frayed piece of rope wound around her wrists. As she pulled it taut, a huge snap emanated from the whip like action that made May recoil even further. The adult smiled.

"No," May protested. "Please, no!"

"You can't do this to her," Luke interrupted.

Lescher nodded to one of guards, who came forward and struck Luke across the face with such brute force that he fell unconscious immediately.

"Luke!" May screamed.

"Don't worry, he'll be all right, unlike you."

Two further guards stepped up to the Lieutenant and took the rope from her. May watched helplessly as they tied a small noose in the middle, just big enough for an arm… or a neck. They pulled each end so sharply that she flinched when the rope collapsed in on itself.

"Please," the girl begged. "Don't kill me, I can still help you!"

Lescher beckoned for her guards to approach and apprehend May.

"You played a dangerous game, little girl, and now you're going to pay."

"No! You can't! I beg you!"

The guards calmly walked around the side of the table but May fled to another part of the room, her back up against a wall.

"Just give me one more day. I promise I'll find them for you!"

"No more delays," the lieutenant stated coldly.

"Fine, just give me until tonight. Just another few hours, that's all I ask! Please!"

By now, May was sobbing uncontrollably but Lescher remained calm and collected. The guards took hold of her by her arms and forced her to her knees.

"You can't kill me! I'm… I'm pregnant," she lied. "If you kill me, then you kill my child too!"

"No more of your games. This ends here."

"No," May shrieked as the rope was tied around her neck. "Don't do this!"

With her hands rested on her hips and a glazed expression on her face, Lescher gave the command to pull the rope.

"Now."

May choked and gargled as the rope began to crush her oesophagus. She clawed and fought with all her energy but it just didn't seem to be enough. When Luke slowly came round, all he could see was May staring at him; she was like a deer caught in the headlights. Her eyes were wide and all the colour had drained from her stricken face. With a last desperate look, Luke watched as May finally stopped struggling and closed her eyes. The guards let her drop to the floor in a crumpled heap and they undid the rope around her neck; the blood red strangling marks were horrifyingly clear. Luke could hold back no longer; in a wave that started in his stomach, bile rushed up through his body, into his throat and manifested itself as vomit which he released into a purple, orange mess on the floor.

Lescher folded her arms and turned away in disgust. She pointed at one of her female guards.

"You! Clean that up!"

"Yes ma'am."

The lieutenant strode out of the door but was called back by the young officer.

"Ma'am, what should we do with the body?"

Lescher turned and seemed to ponder the query for a moment.

"Leave it where it is; I don't see any need for it to be moved. Besides, I think that boy Luke needs a little dose of reality, don't you?"

With that, she stalked off down the corridor, her group of personal guards following just behind.

~*~*~*~

The Mall Rats prepared to leave the farm in the early part of the afternoon, having stayed a little longer on Trudy's insistence. She didn't want any of them travelling on an empty stomach and the others were content to wait another few hours. Amber had retreated to her room to get ready and eventually emerged, seemingly ready for combat. Her golden ringlets had been twisted up into Zulu knots, she wore a long pair of black leather trousers not entirely dissimilar to Ebony's and a hand-woven auburn bodice adorned her upper half. Over this she wore a knee length emerald green jacket and black boots that reached just above her shins.

"Wow, Amber you look…" Bray gushed. "Sensational!"

"Thanks Bray, but that's not what this outfit is meant to be. I just want to look like I mean business when we meet our adult friends."

"Oh I see," Bray said awkwardly. "Well, you do look like you mean business and I suppose it's just a coincidence that you look great at the same time."

Amber sighed wearily, but couldn't help break into a smile. She quickly turned her attention to Adam, whom Trudy was holding, and stroked her hand across his forehead.

"Mummy and Daddy are going to have to go away for a while, sweetie. We've got a few things to sort out back in the city."

The tot gurgled almost in response and Amber wondered if he could understand anything she was saying.

"Don't worry, Aunty Trudy and Patsy are going to take good care of you while we're gone. Just promise me one thing; you'll be a good little boy and won't wake them up in the middle of the night, or be too demanding, or…"

Adam reached out and wrapped his tiny fingers around his mother's thumb. For Amber, this was too much to bear; she broke down in tears and had to be comforted by Salene.

"I know you'll take good care of him Trudy," Bray stated. "If anything bad happens to us whilst we're in the city…"

"No Bray, don't say it. You and Amber will return in a few days time and we'll be waiting for you. No ifs, no buts, understand?"

"Yes Trudy." He turned to the others. "Now I think it's time we got moving; we're going to need to find the rebels once we've reached the city and that could take time."

The Mall Rats slowly shuffled out of the building and peered at the outline of the city in the distance. It was the hottest part of the day and they would be walking for the best part of an hour with absolutely no shade. Luckily, they had packed plenty of food and water, and planned to take a short break halfway there.

"Goodbye Trudy." Amber sighed, she felt that she was leaving part of herself behind. She realised that this was the first time that she would leave Adam and hoped that it would also be the last; the heartache was almost too much to bear. Bray pulled her in close to him and guided Amber from the porch, out into the lush green fields that awaited them.

"He's going to be all right," Bray soothed.

~*~*~*~

Today it was Pride and Alice's turn to patrol the sector for signs of a Sentinel attack, but so far their search had been unrewarding. They were on the way back to the nightclub when Pride broke a short silence.

"I think I'm going to leave."

Alice looked slightly puzzled by this admission and stopped in her tracks to face him.

"Sorry?"

"I'm going to leave the city; return to the Gaians."

"What, now? You can't!"

"Alice, I have no intention of deserting any of you right now. No, I mean once this is all over, once we defeat the adults," he paused and chose to reword his statement a little. "If we defeat the adults."

"But why?"

"When I first came here, it was with the intention of helping you to defeat the Chosen. Now we're trying to defeat another enemy intent on ruling the city and it all seems too much. When I was with the Gaians, life was uncomplicated, simple; we never had cause to fight anyone and that is the kind of life that I am used to leading."

"Look Pride," Alice sighed. "I know you haven't had an easy time of it; none of us have, but this city has so much more to offer than what you've seen. I'm a country girl myself and I used to hold some of the beliefs you do, but…"

Pride raised his arm and rested a hand on Alice's shoulder, causing her to stop in mid-sentence.

"My mind's made up; I'm going back. Please, don't try to stop me."

"I won't. Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"You'll come back and visit us some times."

"Of course," Pride smiled. "I've made too many friends here to just forget about them all."

The pair started walking again, discussing tactics for defeating the Sentinels when two figures stepped out of a shop doorway and stood before them.

"Finally," Ebony snorted. "We were beginning to think everyone had been captured."

"Alice!" Cloe yelled, running forward to hug her old friend. "After the adults captured you I never thought I would see you again. How did you escape?"

"It's a long story, come back to the base with us and we'll tell you all about it."

"What? No hug for me?" Ebony sneered and folded her arms.

"No Ebony," Pride replied. "In case you had forgotten, you were the one who banished two of my best friends from the city."

"And as I recall," Alice added. "If they do return, Amber and Bray will suffer the death penalty, am I right?"

Before Ebony had a chance to reply, another voice shot out from behind them somewhere.

"In that case you'd better get the executioners ready, because we're back!"

Alice and Pride spun round and were astonished by the group gathered before them; there stood Amber, Bray, Jack, Ellie, Salene Ryan, Danni and some boy that neither of them recognised.

"Alice!" Ellie wept tears of joy as she ran to embrace her sister. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, little sis."

The air was filled with busy chatter as the Mall Rats headed back to the nightclub. Alice talked happily to Jack, Ellie and Ryan and listened patiently to Danni's story; it was good to see her again. Meanwhile, Amber, Bray, Cloe and Salene surrounded Pride and told him of Adam, then listened as pride told them of how he and the others had escaped the Sentinels. Finally, Jacob walked alongside Ebony, both a little phased by all the fuss everyone seemed to be making.

"It looks like everyone has a grudge against you Ebony. Now why doesn't that surprise me?" he waited for a reply but got none. "What, no comeback this time? Are you really that unpopular? Poor Ebony, all by herself in the world."

"There are plenty of people who like me…"

"Like Lex?"

"What did you say? What do you know about Lex and me?"

"Nothing. It's just that whenever his name was mentioned back at the farm, you would go into a frenzy and your pupils would dilate; classic love signs if you ask me."

"Nobody's asking you anything. Lex and I may have had a little fling, but it's all over now…"

~*~*~*~

Right now, they were three of the most powerful kids in the city and they were sat round a single table in a backroom of the nightclub. Tai-San; leader of the Chosen, Lex; representative of the rebels and Amber; joint leader of the Mall Rats, listened patiently to General Bobby Taylor's summary of recent events.

"Suffice to say, the Sentinels have been sent into a state of panic since the attack on the communications depot. Officers from other divisions have been transferred to security, even if they're not trained in that field."

"Sounds like we've got them running scared," Lex smiled. "We should strike while the iron is hot!"

The others ignored this comment and Taylor continued.

"My contacts have told me that twenty eight people were killed in the explosion, bringing their overall forces down to two hundred and twenty officers."

Amber shook her head solemnly and sighed. "I can't say I've counted but I don't think we've got even close to that, have we?"

Bobby rose from his chair and lifted the blind to peer out of the window.

"No, we haven't. Including rebels who have joined in the last week, and the rest of your tribe Amber, we have one hundred and thirty nine people altogether…"

"… Still eighty beneath their total," Tai-San interrupted.

"True," Bobby agreed. "However, things are happening within the Sentinels that could change that."

"How so?"

"Since I was found out, Lescher has been promoted to General. Let's just say that she isn't exactly the most popular person there. If there's a face off between the two sides, then there are forty five soldiers I know of who would be willing to switch sides."

"You don't have to be a genius to work out that, if that happens, then we're gonna gain the upper hand!"

"Indeed Amber. In fact, we could have an even bigger advantage. Like I said earlier, not all of their troops are trained in security or hand to hand combat and that accounts for approximately another thirty forces."

The four leaders couldn't help but smile at this news and Lex triumphantly rose from his chair to punch the air in celebration.

"I told you," he stated with a smirk. "We should strike whilst the iron is hot!"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Will Satchbrooke entered, sweating and panting heavily.

"What is it Will?" Bobby asked? "What's happening?"

"I got here as fast as I could, sir. It's the Sentinels, they're on the move!"

Everyone turned to face the officer, each of their expressions one of concern.

"They've mobilised all of their forces and are going on a rampage throughout the city; they're trashing any building they come to, all in an attempt to find us and they're not going to stop until they do!"

Taylor sank back into his chair and proceeded to stroke his neat stubble contemplatively.

"It seems that we no longer have a choice; the time for action is here."

He glared at Amber, Lex and Tai-San so fiercely that they felt his eyes pinning them into their seats.

"Tell the rebels to prepare for battle."

"What?" Amber exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm deadly serious." Taylor maintained a calm monotony to his voice whilst the others seemed to be thrown into a sense of frenzy.

"We can't attack yet!" Tai-San added. "None of us are ready to fight!"

"That's why I'm giving you one hour to prepare."

Even Lex was stunned by Taylor's apparent loss of logic; if they attacked now then there was a larger chance of them losing. They needed time, more time then he was offering them.

"Are you crazy?" Lex yelled. "Going out there now would be like suicide! I thought you wanted to save the kids of the city, not kill them!"

Bobby stared at the wall at the back of the room, remaining still and unnerved. His face was completely devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

"One hour," he repeated. "Then we leave."

Amber, Lex and Tai-San, defeated in trying to get Taylor to change his mind, left the room quickly and quietly to inform the others of his decision. Once they had gone, Will stared at his commanding officer, slightly concerned.

"What's wrong, Bobby?" He asked.

"This will be my last battle, Will," came the reply. "I know it."

~*~*~*~

Out on a dirt track in the countryside, the twins made their way towards the farm. They trudged wearily through puddles and mud in the pouring rain, their shoes and trousers splashed with stagnant water and damp soil.

"I don't see why we have to go to the farm anyway," Andy complained.

"You heard Salene," Tally sighed. "It's because it's not safe for us to be in the city anymore."

"Well it's not fair! Why do we always get treated like kids?"

"Gee, I don't know Andy. Maybe it's because we are kids!" She said, punching him in the ribs.

"Ow!" Andy exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"You're being dumb and you don't even realise it. Someone has to knock some sense in to you!"

Andy frowned and turned his back on his sister, pacing out in front of her.

"If Ned was still here, then we wouldn't get treated like this," he pouted.

Tally let her bag drop to the floor dejectedly; she stared up into the darkened skies and stuck her tongue out to catch the falling raindrops.

"What are you suggesting we do, run away?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

Tally stooped and picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she did so. She pulled various bands out of her soggy hair, and let it fall around her face in dishevelled strands; it clung to her cheeks and she pushed it behind her ears.

"We could just do as Salene asked," she said. "We could just go to the farm; it'll be shelter from this rain."

As if on cue, the downpour ceased and became a mere trickle. Somewhere behind the clouds the sun was waiting to re-emerge.

"Look Tally, if we stay with the Mall Rats then we're just going to keep getting pushed around and I don't want that."

"I suppose you're right," his sister agreed. "But they'll want to know why we're going. What should we tell them?"

Andy thrust his hands into his pocket and swung his head from side to side as he walked, deep in thought. Eventually he came up with a solution.

"I've got it; we don't tell them!"

Tally folded her arms and didn't seem to be particularly amused by the answer.

"They'll notice we've gone, stupid."

"Not if we go now, stupid," he mocked. "Trudy doesn't know we're coming so she won't miss us. Salene thinks we're at the farm so she won't miss us either."

"I'm not sure Andy," she frowned.

"Oh come on, don't be such a spoilsport. Let's go!"

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that we have nowhere to go."

"We could go back to our old tribe," he stated calmly.

"Are you serious?" Tally asked in amazement. "After what Ned did? In case you had forgotten, he was thrown out for drunken behaviour."

"Exactly," Andy grinned. "He was thrown out; we weren't. From what I remember, they were quite happy for us to stay."

"Yeah, you're right. In fact, now you mention it, they were practically begging me to stay."

"Really? They didn't try to stop me."

Andy crossed his arms and went into a sulk, and moaned for several minutes about the Terrosaurs, their old tribe. Tally, realising that returning to them was probably no longer an option, sighed heavily and patted her brother on the back.

"Then let's go somewhere else. Anywhere. We'll just keep walking until we find a place to stay, all right?"

Andy cheered up a little. "That sounds good. So which way do we go?"

"Follow me," Tally replied enthusiastically.

Stepping off the road, they began their long trek over meadows and fields; a trek into the unknown…

~*~*~*~

The rain had long since ended and the sun had broken through the clouds in a blaze of glory.  All over the city, moisture on the roads, paths and rooftops was heated up by the fierce sunlight and evaporated to create a fine, damp mist that shrouded everything in secrecy. Birds had stopped singing, the wind stopped blowing but the adults continued on their rampage. Outside the nightclub, almost one hundred and fifty kids poured into the streets, all ready for battle. Some were armed with old wooden tools, others with metal spears and then there those who weren't armed at all; those trained in the art of hand-to-hand combat. They could hear the Sentinels shout and yell, they could hear their many footsteps approach and as General Bobby Taylor peered through the fog, he saw them; they were marching in a strict regimented order, battle uniforms on, their cold silver masks covering their faces. Taylor gulped; never before had he felt this scared. He watched as they advanced and then, when they finally spotted him, he heard Lescher give an order.

"Attack!"

Suddenly, it was chaos, the adults were advancing and their weapons were raised. Taylor lifted his arm high into the sky and it held it there as a signal for the rebels to listen.

"First wave…"

He brought his hand down to his side in a hard swift movement and ended with a thud as his arm made contact with his thigh.

"… GO!" He shouted.

And so the rebels ran forward to meet their opponents in battle. The Mall Rats listened as metal clashed against metal, wood struck wood and the agonised cries of the first victims dissipated into the air. Bray turned to the rest of his tribe; they would all form part of the second wave to take on the adults.

"Everyone," he started in order to gain their attention. "In the past few months we have been separated, taken prisoner and been made to lead lives that would never normally be ours. Now we have been united; united so that we can defeat one more enemy and I know that all of you will do your best to ensure we emerge triumphant!"

General Taylor walked up to Bray and tapped him on the shoulder.

"It's time."

Bray nodded and drew his speech to a close.

"Whatever happens out there on the battlefield, to any of us, I will be proud to know that I can call every single one of you… my friend."

With that he walked up to Amber and pulled her into his arms, and they shared a long, tender kiss.

"When this is all over," he said. "If we survive… Will you… will you…?"

"Spit it out Bray, we haven't got long left!"

"Will you marry me?"

Amber's eyed widened in astonishment and released herself from his grip, but she didn't have time to answer.

"CHARGE!" Taylor yelled, pointing to the battle. The Mall Rats, side by side, obeyed the command and headed into the midst of combat, weapons held high and ready to strike. Their war cries rang out and the mist enveloped them all…

~*~*~*~

In the distance, the sound of a battle raging could be heard. It echoed through the deserted streets and finally reached the ears of four people. Pride, Cloe, Tai-San and Doctor Georgia Lyons stopped to listen, as the far off cries grew louder, offering an onslaught on their ears.

"It's started," Georgia stated coldly.

The group continued a little further until the old schoolhouse came into view. Their objective; rescue anyone held prisoner inside and either take them to the hospital to be treated by Georgia, or lead them back to the nightclub to get weapons before joining the rebels in battle. There were no signs of any guards patrolling the building, which was a good sign. The adults had most likely decided to employ all of their forces in the fight. Once they reached the main doors, they cautiously crept inside.

"It seems to be empty," Tai-San observed.

"Right," Pride affirmed. "Georgia, you take the basement; anyone who's being held down there is bound to be in bad shape. Tai-San, can you take this floor?"

"Sure" she nodded.

"Great. I'll look on the first floor and Cloe you can search the top floor, ok?"

Georgia nervously descended the stairs to the basement; there was little light and no guiding rail to help her down either. She could hear the soft moans of people in pain and she stumbled towards the first makeshift cell.

"Hello?" She called through the door. "Can you hear me?

She waited, but heard nothing in reply. Adjusting her eyes to the darkness, she scanned the room for a set of keys and eventually spotted a bunch hanging up on a small hook in the wall. She reached out and grabbed it and, taking the first key, plunged it into the lock. It wouldn't turn. She took another key, and another, but none of them seemed to work. Finally, she found the right one and the lock clicked open. Slowly, she pulled on the door and it swung open. Inside sat two children shivering in the corner; neither of them could have been older than fourteen.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed. "What have they done to you?"

They had bruises all down their arms and legs, and their hands were scorched and bloodied. Georgia pulled her bag off her shoulder and took out various creams and bandages.

"Don't worry. We'll have you feeling better in no time," She soothed.

Meanwhile, Tai-San had been searching the ground floor, but to no avail. She had found various offices and supply stores, but not a single prisoner. She came to another office and looked up at the name on the door.

"Toni Lescher," she read. The word lieutenant had been scratched out, no doubt to be replaced with 'general' later on. She hastily entered and crossed the room to her desk. Opening the draws, she pulled out several folders full of confidential information, one in particular catching her eye. The title was 'Filename: Descendant' and it was filled with tens of letters of correspondence regarding Luke. Most astonishing of all, Tai-San discovered that not only had Luke's brother, Kyle, known about his imprisonment, but had also sanctioned it in the first place. Picking up the file and shoving it under her arm, Tai-San left the office and went to join Georgia in the basement.

On the top floor, Cloe had already successfully released a total of thirty-two prisoners, all from tribes she recognised: the Gulls, the Jackals, the Demon Dogs, the Mozquitoes and even Tribe Circus. Finally she reached the classroom at the very end of the corridor and peered in. Chained to wall and with shackles around his feet, sat Luke; he was despairing despondently out of the window. Looking around to see if there was anyone else with him, Cloe caught sight of May's body and gasped. She quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out the master key she had found in the door of the Jackal's cell. Within minutes, Luke was unchained and he and Cloe stared at the body on the floor.

"It happened a couple of days ago, after the rebels blew up that building. Lescher was furious to say the least and took her anger out on May."

"You mean you've been locked in a room with a dead body for all that time?"

Luke nodded sombrely.

"No one deserves to go through a thing like that. No one." Cloe said angrily. "How did you cope?"

"When I was with the Chosen, I oversaw the deaths of many innocent people. After a while, you learn how to live with it. When I look at May now, I feel nothing, not anymore."

Outside the schoolhouse, a large number of kids gathered in the streets. As well as those Cloe had freed, Georgia had rescued another thirteen, while Pride had been most successful, with a total of forty-seven prisoners following him out of the building. Cloe and Luke soon arrived and Pride stood on an old milk bottle crate to address the others.

"Everybody, listen up! Although I know you probably all want to enjoy your newfound freedom, there is a pressing matter at hand. As I speak, a fierce war is being wagered between the adults and us, and we need your help to defeat them. I know that several of you are injured, or have little energy, so I don't expect you to fight. However, I hope that the rest of you will take the opportunity to conquer the Sentinels once and for all!"

Unexpectedly, the crowed roared and cheered at his speech and it was then Pride knew that they would win this battle.

"Doctor Lyons will offer medical assistance to any of you who need it. Don't be frightened of her; she may be an adult, but she's on our side. Those of you who want to fight; we need to go to the old nightclub and collect weapons before joining up with the other rebels."

Stepping down from the crate, Pride motioned for the others to follow him. In the end, only ten stayed behind with Georgia. The rest, even some of the injured, wanted to usurp the adults' power for good and almost seventy people headed through the streets ready to face whatever struggle lay ahead of them.

~*~*~*~

The Mall Rats had been fighting hard, and so far, everything Bobby suggested could happen, had. Shortly after the battle began, over forty adults had changed their allegiance and joined with the rebels. Now Pride had returned and brought more warriors with him. Whilst the Sentinels' forces sank to under two hundred, the rebels had gained more than a hundred extra troops, and they were better off for it.

"Keep pushing them back," Bobby roared triumphantly. "We're winning!"

"For the Mall Rats!" Bray yelled as he gave one of his opponents a fatal blow to the head."

Meanwhile, Salene found herself running down an alleyway and straight into a dead end.

"Looks like there's nowhere else to run, hey little girl?"

The vicious Sentinel approached quickly and quietly as she sank down against a wall.

"Help!" She screamed. "Please, somebody help me!"

"No more fighting," the adult stated calmly, raising his dagger into the air.

Salene watched in terror, unable to move. The cold, unyielding blade flickered as a small ray of light hit the metal and reflected off it. It was in that moment that she heard him grunt; saw as his eyes widened and blood start trickling from the corners of his mouth. He staggered forward, coughing until he slumped to the floor with a thud. Salene stared at his back and observed the wooden stake that had been plunged into it; it was spattered with blood and was wedged deep inside his body.

"Come on," she heard a voice say. "Let's get you out of here."

A figure bent down and extended a hand to her. It was Jacob. She reached out and grabbed his wrist as he pulled her back up. She locked her arms around him, too frightened to turn around and look at the body that lay before her.

"Thank you," she sobbed. "I was so scared."

With that, they turned and ran back out of the alley, Jacob leading the way.

The conflict had now spread itself over almost four sectors. Slowly, the Mall Rats found themselves chasing a group of adults, including Lescher, towards the mall.

"Ryan, look out!" Danni shouted, as Ryan bravely battled a rather fierce sentinel, unaware that another one was creeping up behind him. With little time to act, Danni picked up a stone and hurled it at the adult, catching him on the shoulder. He quickly spun round to face the girl.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you!"

They charged at each other and Danni was sent tumbling to the ground. The man brought some kind of cane down towards her face but she grabbed it with both hands just in time, and tried to force it back up. Caught off guard, Danni put her foot up to her opponent's stomach and with a sharp push, sent him flying over the top of her. He landed awkwardly on some debris and his necked twisted to an impossible angle. When she looked round, Danni could see a small piece of bone protruding from his throat and she knew straightaway that he had broken his neck, and had died instantly. She glanced away feeling sickened, then got to her feet and ran over to Ryan to help him finish off another couple of Sentinels. A few metres away, Taylor and Lescher found themselves fighting. They prowled around each other, ensuring they never took their eyes off their enemy.

"You've been a thorn in my side for too long," Toni scowled.

"And you in mine," Bobby stated, a great deal of animosity evident in his voice.

"It's time to end this."

"I couldn't agree more."

Lescher flicked her hair back as she struck out at Bobby with some sort of chain. It hit him in the arm and he dropped his weapon to the floor. Before he could get it back, Toni had kicked it away and, from behind, had wrapped the chain around his neck. As she pulled harder, and squeezed tighter, he tried to prise himself away but to no avail. Finally, he found the strength he needed and sent his elbow flying into her chest; she recoiled and fell to the floor. Taylor took his chance and picked up the chain, and this time wrapped it around her neck. This time, it seemed that she would be the victim. This would be payback for all the innocent people she had killed during her reign. However, he did not see her hand reach down her leg, or as she slipped her hand into her boot and took hold of something, or as she pulled the dagger out and thrust it into Bobby's heart. The first he knew of it was when a searing pain attacked his chest. He rolled off Lescher in agony and quickly wrenched the small knife out of his body, but it was too late, the damage was done. He began to cough up blood and started to suffocate on his own vomit. Then he felt his brain begin to slow down; the whole street became a blurry mess and he could no longer keep his eyes open. With his last ounce of energy, he turned his head in the direction of his former lieutenant.

"May you rot in hell!" He choked. And then, with a final sigh, he was gone.

~*~*~*~

One by one the Sentinels fell and the city rejoiced. The battle, and the nightmare, was finally over. All that was left was a small group of about ten that Lescher was commanding against the Mall Rats.

"Fall back," she shouted to her troops. "To the mall!"

Bray, Amber and the rest of the tribe swiftly followed. They found themselves back in the mall for the first time in months, but there was no time for celebration; they raced up the stairs in pursuit of the adults and eventually reached the roof. The strong wind tossed and ruffled their hair, and caused their eyes to water, but they fought on.

"Give it up!" Bray shouted. "If you surrender, we won't harm you."

"Never," Lescher yelled back. "Attack!"

The two sides again found themselves fighting, but the mall rats had nearly a two to one advantage. Cloe and Amber faced one of their enemies together. Amber swung her staff at him, but he caught it and ripped it from her hands.

"Looks like I've got the advantage now," he sneered.

"No," Cloe cried in retaliation, kicking him in the shins, whilst Amber hit him on the chest with her fist.

"Get out of my way, I've no time for you." And with that he brought the staff down onto Amber's head in a swipe that sent her crashing to the floor, unconscious. Cloe screamed and caught the immediate attention of KC, who had just helped Lex to defeat another adult.

"Cloe!" He exclaimed, pushing his way past other fights to get to her. He was flung into a wall by a scuffle that included Jack and Ellie and had to watch as the sentinel pulled a knife to Cloe's throat. KC tugged himself away and ran as fast as he could to get to her.

"No," he cried, thumping him on the back. "Leave her alone."

The adult spun round with his dagger at arm's length and Cloe heard the sound of metal cutting into flesh. She screamed. By now, Lex had seen what was going on and had rushed over; he wrenched the dagger away and plunged it back into its owner's chest. He slumped to the floor, but Lex didn't care. He was knelt by the side of KC; there was a huge wound in his side and blood poured out. His face lost colour every second and his eyes flickered open and closed.

"Mate," Lex sighed. "What's that guy done to you?"

"Is… is Cloe a… all… all right?"

"She's fine, but you're not. We need to get you to Georgia, get her to stitch up that wound."

"I want to see Cloe," KC requested

"I'm here," Cloe whispered, sitting down. "I want you to know that I think you're the bravest person in the world."

KC reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it with what little strength he had left.

"Give me a kiss?" He asked, sighing heavily at the same time.

Cloe allowed herself to laugh through the tears. "You never change, do you?" She bent down and placed a firm, yet gentle kiss on his lips.

"You know," KC began, clearly struggling to talk anymore. "I… I think I've waited my whole… my whole life just for that moment. Thank you, Cloe."

She glanced away; it was too much to bear looking at him. A few seconds later she felt his grip on her hand weaken. Staring back at his face, his lips moved but no sound came out. It might have been 'goodbye' but she would never know; he peacefully passed away. And as Cloe rested her head on his chest and cried uncontrollably, Lex slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders. A solitary tear rolled down his cheek.

~*~*~*~

Ebony glanced around the rooftop. Most of the Sentinels had been defeated and they lay dead on the ground. Jack, Amber and Tai-San, all of whom were injured, were now being looked after by Alice and Ellie, while the other Mall Rats crowded around KC's body sobbing or comforting Cloe. There were only two adults left; a guard that Bray was fighting, and Toni Lescher.

"Looks like it's just you and me," Ebony smirked.

"That suits me fine," Lescher shot back.

"Give it up!" Bray yelled at his opponent. "Your army has been defeated, you have no chance of winning!"

"I will never surrender to a bunch of kids, never!" The adult replied defiantly. "You hear me? Never!"

"If that's your choice, then so be it."

Bray ran forward, his arm extended ready to take a swipe. However, the sentinel realised his tactic and simply sidestepped the attack, sending Bray hurtling perilously close to the edge.

"Imagine," the man sneered, feigning concern. "You could have fallen to your death! Maybe I should help you the rest of the way?"

Ebony and Lescher locked their arms, each trying to push the other to the ground.

"You will never win this," Toni spat at the younger girl.

"Get a grip honey," she replied. "We already have!"

They continued their struggle, both seeming to gain the advantage every now and again.

"You may have taken my city, but now I want it back," Ebony calmly stated.

"So you're the infamous Ebony? I was waiting for the day we met."

"Why's that, so you can see how a real leader handles the job."

"No. To see what witch left the city in such a state that it was easy for us to come in and take over!"

"NYARGGHH," Ebony grunted. Receiving a kick to the ankle, Lescher fell to the floor and cried out in pain.

Bray delivered a left hook to the adult's stomach and quickly followed it with an upper cut to the cheek. The silver mask flew off and left his rough, weathered face open for all to see; his thick black hair seemed to cut itself loose and was ravaged by the wind.

"So that's what you people look like in real life. I have to say that you really should keep the mask on, you don't want to terrify people do you?"

The adult bull charged into Bray, forcing him to the floor. He hit his face so hard that Bray's nose started bleeding almost instantaneously.

They rolled around and tussled with each other, striking and hitting whenever they could.

"You're a little girl, Ebony" Lescher scoffed. "Do you really think you have what it takes to beat me?"

"Oh no," Ebony mocked. "A big old sentinel is threatening to beat me up, what shall I do? Sugar," she said, back to her own scornful self. "I never lose a battle, especially not to a dried up old hag like you!"

Lescher let her fist dig into Ebony's chest, causing her to cough and choke and sprawl back onto the floor.

"Let me tell you something; there's always a first time for everything."

"Come on, is that the best you can do?" Bray said, wiping his nose on his sleeve and getting to his feet. "I've seen girls who fight better than you."

The adult lashed out again, but Bray caught his fist just in time and used the chance to kick him in the stomach.

"In fact, I've seen little kids who can fight better than you."

"You're really annoying me now, kid."

The sentinel raced forward again but Bray grabbed hold of his shoulders and literally somersaulted over the top of him, landing safely on the other side. With the adult stunned and disorientated, Bray took his chance and let his leg push into his back. Overwhelmed, the older man could not stop himself from heading towards the edge of the roof.

"Time to die," Lescher said, drawing her dagger from her boot. She held it up to Ebony's face, dangling it right in front of her nose. Her breath steamed up the cold metal and then evaporated.

"A knife? How quaint. I would have expected the leader of the Sentinels to show a little more flair than that!"

"You think you're really going to manage to bait me with your clever little psychology games?"

"It was worth a try," she shrugged.

Lescher raised the dagger, ready to bring it down, but Ebony reached out and grabbed the handle.

"You don't kill me that easily," she smirked.

The adult teetered dangerously on the edge; just the smallest nudge would send him all the way over. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name and he swivelled his head round. It wasn't the kid he had been fighting with, no; it was someone else, someone who sounded extremely familiar.

"Kyle!" The boy shouted, having just turned his attentions away from Cloe and KC.

"Luke!" The man shouted back, gob smacked at the figure before him.

"Bray, save him," Luke pleaded. "He's my brother, you can't let him fall."

Without a moment's thought Bray turned and dashed over to Kyle. But then he stopped, and began to back away.

"Bray," Luke screamed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Luke, he may be your brother, but he's still an adult; he needs to pay for his crimes.

Luke stared in astonishment at the leader of the Mall Rats, before making a futile attempt to save Kyle. When it looked like he might survive, he lost his footing and plunged from the roof, falling to his death.

"No," Luke cried as he reached out into the air, almost following his brother but being held back by Bray. "Kyle!"

The dagger danced between Toni and Ebony, each getting a grip and then losing it again.

"I will be victorious," Lescher said through gritted teeth.

"No," Ebony shouted, finally grabbing the knife and driving it into the adult's chest. "Your rule is over!"

Toni gasped for breath as blood began to trickle from her mouth and pour from the wound. "You'll pay for this, little girl."

"I don't think so," she said getting up. The woman slumped down onto the floor and Ebony began to walk away. All at once, she felt an immense pain strike at her back and she turned around to see Lescher smiling, the bloody dagger in her hand.

"Wh… what have you done?" Ebony asked, sinking to her knees. Her head spun, and then everything went black.

~*~*~*~

It had been a week since the events that had put an end to the adults' rule; a week full of turmoil for all those involved. The big clean up had begun soon after the battle finished. The dead, broken bodies of the Sentinels were taken out into the countryside and dumped into an old disused quarry, some adults that had survived were allowed to flee the city and the rebel leaders had fought hard to bring peace back to the city. Only now did the Mall Rats find the time to bury their fallen comrades. Out at the farm the morning light was dazzling; dew drops formed in pearls at the top of each blade of grass and a cool refreshing wind rustled the leaves on the trees. The tribe were gathered around two graves, each with a simple wooden head stone. Bray stepped forward and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket; he unfolded it and began to read.

"It is with a deep sense of sadness that we are here today to say goodbye to two fellow Mall Rats… to two friends…" He hesitated. "KC and May didn't deserve to die; their lives were cruelly snatched away before they had a chance to really live them. I know that some of you were closer to them than others so I'm going to Salene to speak on behalf of May."

"I'll never forget the first day I met her," Salene began. "I was being chased by the Jackals and she jumped out and saved me. When I came back to the mall she became my best friend; the only person I could really confide in and she helped me through my pregnancy. When the Chosen came, and Ryan was taken away, she helped me through it. Some say that she was selfish, that she only ever looked after herself; I know different. May was one of the kindest, most caring people I know and anything she did was for the benefit of the whole tribe."

Salene bent down to the modest grave and placed her hand on the engraved cross that bore her friend's name.

"I'll miss you May," she whispered.

Ryan came forward and wrapped his arms around his wife as she stood up. Bray, feeling a bit awkward, nodded towards Lex, urging him to speak.

"We all know that KC wasn't the most honest kid in the city; he was a bit like me that way. He might never have done the right thing, or always listened to the law. However, he was a good kid, he had a good heart. I've seen him with Patsy and Cloe…" Lex trailed off, clearing his throat and deciding to rephrase his last comment a little. "I saw him with Patsy and Cloe and I saw him with Andy and Tally; he was like their big brother, always looking out for them and I think that was when he felt happiest. What I admired about KC was that he had so few regrets in life; if he wanted to do something, he would, and sometimes face the consequences later." He heard a small laugh come from several members of the tribe as they remembered some of KC's more flamboyant schemes.

"He only had one regret," Lex continued. "I know that I probably shouldn't say this, and if he were here now he'd probably kill me, but… KC confided in me that he had feelings for a certain couple of members of the tribe." He glanced at Patsy and Cloe and they shuffled nervously. "I'm sure he regretted never telling you how he felt." Lex turned back towards the grave and sighed. "Goodbye little buddy, we'll miss you."

Without being asked or told, the Mall Rats silently made their way back to the farm to mourn and reminisce about old times. Only Cloe remained; she gazed at the two graves, and then picked two daisies from a patch of grass by her feet. She put one on May's grave and then turned to KC's.

"If it's any consolation, I knew how you felt." She wiped away her tears as they trickled down her face and then turned her head to face the heavens. "And if you had ever asked me to go out with you, I would have said yes straight away; I think you're a wonderful guy." She took the other daisy and gently stroked the petals. "Bye KC," she said placing the flower on the grave. "I'll always love you."

~*~*~*~

"Luke, where are you going?"

He had his bag hooked over his shoulder and was walking out into the countryside. When he heard Trudy shout he stopped and turned.

"I'm leaving."

"But why," Trudy asked, making her way across the meadow towards him. "Is it because of Kyle?"

Luke became unwilling to meet her stare and looked down at his feet.

"Well, sort of," he sighed. "That's one of the reasons I'm leaving."

He sank down to the grass, letting his backpack fall to the ground. Trudy sat down beside him.

"Do you blame Bray for his death."

Luke looked a little surprise.

"Oh, it's all right," she continued. "Salene told me everything when you got back."

He nodded, and tried to suppress his anger.

"Yes, I do blame him. If he hadn't have walked away like that, then Kyle could still be alive. If only I had got to him sooner..."

"What's done is done Luke; you can't change the past. Both of us know that more than anyone else."

"It was the first time I've seen him in almost four years and I just wish we'd had the chance to talk before he…" He cut himself off and tried to change the subject. "Anyway, it's not just Bray. There are other reasons too."

"Such as?" Trudy prompted.

"Such as Jack and Ellie. I still have feelings for her, you know? It's painful to see her with another guy, even though it's been months since we broke up."

"So you think that running away will solve all of your problems?

Luke shrugged.

"It'll solve most of them," he said, getting to his feet.

"But what shall I tell the others?"

"Tell them the truth."

"And that is?"

"That the former Chosen lieutenant they all hate and despise is gone."

Trudy got up and grabbed hold of Luke's jacket to stop him walking off.

"Where will you go?" She asked.

"I thought I'd try the Southern Provinces," he answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Or maybe the Ranges; I hear there are a few places there that don't know the name 'Lieutenant Luke.' To be honest, I won't know where I'm going until I get there."

"Will you ever come back? To the city, I mean?"

"One day, perhaps. When I'm ready."

Trudy could already see a growing distance in his eyes; he seemed to have lost all hope.

"Wait here a minute, I'll be right back."

Before he had a chance to object, Trudy was gone, but returned a minute or two later carrying a flask and a small box packed with bread and fruit.

"Here," she offered, thrusting them into his hands. "You'll need food and water if the journey is going to be a long one."

He gracefully accepted them and put them into his bag. "Thank you," he said.

The pair hugged before Luke turned his back on the farm one last time and headed out into the wilderness.

"Be careful," Trudy whispered.

~*~*~*~

"Hey good-looking!"

Lex strolled through the door of the old linen shop where Ebony had been resting. She put down the magazine she had been reading and glanced up at him.

"You're back then," she observed dryly. "How was the funeral?"

Lex shrugged.

"It was a funeral; people cried, talked about old times, laid flowers on the graves and then left. What did you expect?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I thought you might be upset at the fact that you were burying KC."

"Look," he started. "It's no secret that I liked the kid, but I've accepted that he's dead and not coming back; just like Zandra. I've got to move on with my life."

Ebony pushed herself up against the headboard, the pain in her back still evident as she winced.

"So," she sighed, folding her arms. "Where exactly is that move going to take you?"

Lex perched on the edge of the bed and took Ebony's face in his hands.

"Well, for starters, there's us…"

"Us?" Ebony spat, casually knocking his hand away. "There is no 'us' Lex, what happened between us was a mistake, pure and simple."

"Good to know where I stand," he said mockingly.

"Oh come on, Lex. Don't pretend that you're hurt. You and I both know that you could get another girl just like that," she stated, clicking her fingers.

He shuffled along the bed so that he moved closer to her.

"The problem is, right now, I don't want another girl; I want you."

"Even though I'm a cripple," she mused.

Lex got up and leant against the old wardrobe that stood in the corner.

"You heard what Georgia said; in a couple of weeks you'll be fighting fit again. Most of the wound was superficial, sure; you lost some blood, but the knife managed to miss anything important."

"How do you do it, Lex?" Ebony snapped. "How do you manage to make light of almost every single thing?"

"How'd you figure that one?" He asked in response.

"Simple. You don't care about your marriage breaking up, you don't care about KC's death, and there's certainly no way that you can care about me."

"Oh," he laughed. "I suppose you're an expert on marriage and death, are you?"

"I've seen my fair share of it, yes."

"Newsflash for Ebony; I've lived through it. You don't know what it's like to lose someone so close to you; it really hits you here," he said, pounding his chest with his fist. "But then again, you never let anyone get that close to you, do you?"

Ebony rolled her eyes and sank down into the bed. There were a few moments awkward silence before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry Lex, I didn't mean to dredge up the past."

"It's ok," he sighed. "I just wish that you weren't always so…" he searched for the right word. "So… cold."

"I don't have to be."

"What does that mean?"

She turned away, clearly feeling a little uncomfortable. Lex walked towards her and knelt down besides the bed.

"About us…" She began.

"Yes," Lex urged. "What about 'us'?"

"Back at the farm I… I… I missed you. I was worried for your safety; I was worried for what those techno freaks had done to you."

Lex smiled, a wicked glint in his eye. "You know, I really don't know what you're trying to say. Perhaps you could spell it out for me?"

"You're not making this easy, you know that?" Ebony stared up at the ceiling and swallowed her pride. "I'd really like it if we could give 'us' a try. What do you think?"

He grinned devilishly, folded his arms and rested them on the bed. "That's really nice, but I'd like to hear you beg…"

But he didn't get his wish as Ebony pulled him forward and locked him in a fiery, passionate clench.

~*~*~*~

Under the moonlit sky, Tai-San lay and watched the heavens. The cold, damp grass of the paddock tickled her back but she did not move. She observed as the stars twinkled and spun, she gazed at a distant comet that streaked through the cosmos, and found herself being enveloped by the thick black nothingness that was space. She shut her eyes and when she opened them again she was no longer in the field, but amongst the stars themselves.

"Where am I?" She thought.

"Nowhere." A voice replied.

In the distance was the brightest star of them all; it held five planets in orbit around it, one of which was orbited by its own moon.

"What is this?" She whispered.

"Nothing." Came the reply.

Suddenly the backdrop of stars faded away and the planets disappeared. All that was left; all that she could see were five shadows; five shadows of other human beings.

"Who are they?" She asked

"They are the past, present and future."

Now Tai-San found that she was one of these shadows, and at the centre of them all was a familiar figure: Lex.

"Is he the key to all this?" She shouted.

"He belongs to the past, present and future." The voice said.

The shadows danced merrily around him, and gradually the light grew but not enough to make out the other figures.

"Help me to understand." She cried out.

"You must grasp."

In a sudden flash, light was all around and Tai-San could now see the other people clearly. They all stood in a line. At the back, frail and weak, was Zandra. Her pink and blue hair fluttered in the wind and she held a hand to her stomach.

"She is the past." Tai-San stated.

"You must learn."

Zandra drifted from view and Alice's buxom figure took her place. She wore a green feather boa around her neck and was crying.

"She is the past." Tai-San said.

"You must understand." The voice whispered.

Now Alice disappeared and Tai-san was face to face with her own reflection. She played with a ring on her finger, then pulled it off and tossed it away.

"I am the past." She exclaimed.

"You will grasp."

A mystery force made her spin round and a few metres away stood Lex. Before him stood Ebony; she was dressed just as she had been on Eagle Mountain.

"She is the present." Tai-San uttered.

"You will learn." The voice soothed.

For the first time, Tai-San noticed another person with her ex husband. She stood in the shadows but a streak of blue hair caught the light. A deafening noise now cut through the silence; it was the anguished cries of a baby. All around them, images of Glenn appeared and then flashed into obscurity.

"She is the future?" Tai-San queried.

"You will understand." The voice echoed.

"But I don't." She yelled.

She awoke in her bed and sat up, her mind racing and sweat pouring from her forehead. She got up and looked at a picture of Lex on her desk. Suddenly, parts of the jigsaw puzzle started to fly together; the feather boa, Eagle Mountain, the flash of blue hair, the pictures of Glenn and the wail of a young child. For the first time it all made sense. She knew what was going to happen, but also knew that she would not be there to see it.

"I understand." She thought.

From the depth of her mind came three words.

"You have learnt."

~*~*~*~

The Mall Rats had been asked to gather in the café by Bray and Amber, and chatted happily whilst waiting for them to make their appearance.

"What do you suppose this is all about?" Salene asked.

"Haven't a clue," Danni shrugged. "Maybe it's about the adults."

"No," Trudy chimed in. "I reckon it's something big. I reckon they're going to make an important announcement."

"Really?" Jack said, looking puzzled. "What sort of announcement?"

Ellie playfully nudged him.

"Come on Jack, it's not that hard to work out is it?"

Jack's blank expression didn't change until Jacob whispered into his ear.

"They're getting married…"

"Oh!" Jack realised. "Now I get it."

The others laughed at him, but were cut short by the arrival of the couple. They beckoned to Pride and Danni who got up from their seats and followed them into the old fabrics shop.

"As you know," Bray began. "We called the tribe together to make an announcement…"

"But before we told them," Amber continued. "We thought we would tell you first, to get your blessing."

"You mean you're getting married?" Pride enquired. Bray and Amber nodded and Danni and Pride smiled back at them.

"Of course you have our blessing," Danni stated. She leant over to Amber and rested her hand on her shoulder. "You two are meant to be together and I'm not going to be the one to keep you apart."

Adam's happy gurgling startled the four and they looked over at his cot.

"Besides," Pride began. "I think there's someone here who wouldn't be too happy if his parents never got married."

"Thank you," Amber said, hugging Danni and Pride. Bray did the same "This means a lot to us," he smiled.

They returned to the café and every one immediately fell silent. Even Brady, who sat on her mother's knee stayed quiet.

"As you've all probably figured out by now, we haven't just called you all here for a meeting."

Ellie and Jack looked at each and grinned, then looked back towards Amber.

"We've asked you here because we have an announcement to make." She took a deep breath, and then continued speaking. "Just before we went into battle against the Sentinels, Bray asked me a question but we were separated before I had a chance to reply. It was when he came to visit me in the hospital afterwards that I finally told him. The question? Would I marry him? The answer…" She held up her hand and showed off a silver ring on her finger. "Was yes."

All of the tribe smiled and Bray stepped up to his fiancée, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I think," Trudy started. "I can speak for us all when I say; well it's about time!"

At this, the others cheered and applauded and Amber had to shout above the noise to regain their attention.

"There's something else too," she said. "We'd like to get married as soon as possible so we've set a date of a week tomorrow. We'd like it very much if you could all come, and if you don't," she giggled. "There'll be trouble…"

One by one the tribe got up from their seats and congratulated the happy couple, until only Tai-San was left.

"We've got something to ask you," Bray said nervously. "We were wondering if there's any possibility that you could perform the ceremony for us."

Tai-San sighed and seemed distant for a moment. Finally she spoke up.

"I'd love to."

Bray and Amber looked at each other and hugged.

"But I can't."

"What?" Amber exclaimed. "Why not?"

Tai-San glanced down at her feet, realising that the whole tribe had their eyes focused on her.

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just that… there's no easy way to say this…"

"Say what, Tai-San?" Alice asked.

"I'm… I'm leaving."

"You're what?" Trudy gasped.

"I'm leaving," Tai-San stated coldly. "Tonight."

~*~*~*~

Night was closing in on the city and the last of the daylight was beginning to fade. A gentle, golden mist enveloped the streets and outside the mall the Mall Rats had gathered to say a sad farewell to one of their number.

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?" Alice asked, wrapping her arms around Tai-San. "This place could still really use a spiritual guide, you know," she said, half-jokingly.

Tai-San pulled away. "I'm sure. I have a destiny, just like everyone else."

"I'd hardly call leading the Chosen a destiny," Amber remarked.

"I understand what you mean," she replied. She looked around at the fifteen or twenty kids gathered before her: many had discarded their blue robes in favour of more casual clothing, but they still carried scythes by their side. Slowly, she walked up to just three of the guards; Marcus, Samuel and Daniel, all of whom had been immensely helpful to her during the rebellion.

"But I believe," Tai-San continued. "That we can be a force for good. No more power and chaos, just a tribe who want to help people regain the order in their lives, just a tribe who fight for their beliefs."

Tai-San looked at each and every member of the Chosen and smiled, then turned back to Amber.

"Besides, who else will lead them now that the Guardian and Luke are gone? As the Supreme Mother I still have a duty to fulfil."

Amber came forward and hugged her old friend. "In that case I wish you all the luck in the world."

"Thank you."

Putting his arm around her shoulder, Bray tugged Amber away and let the others come forward to say goodbye. It was only when Cloe hugged her that Tai-San began to cry.

"What's wrong?" Cloe asked

"Nothing," Tai-San said, wiping away a tear. "It's just that if I had never met you, I might never have become a Mall Rat in the first place."

Cloe smiled. "If you believe in destiny so much then I'm sure you would have found your way to us eventually."

"Maybe. Goodbye Cloe, I'll miss you."

Soon, nearly all of the Tribe had wished her well, and when they saw Lex waiting to speak to her, they decided to leave them alone and headed back inside.

"It seems that it's taking forever to say goodbye to you," Lex commented, looking up at the increasingly darkening sky. "I won't keep you long. I just want to say good luck and everything."

The two shuffled awkwardly and didn't appear to know what to say.

"I never…"

"You still…"

They spoke at the same time and just laughed it off.

"You first," Lex urged.

Tai-San brushed her long black hair out of her face and pulled her long yellow jacket around her to keep warm. "I never meant for it to end like this Lex. I never meant to hurt you so much."

"Forget about it," Lex shrugged. "That was a long time ago now. There's no point dwelling on the past."

"Those words could have come from my own mouth."

"I've learnt quite a bit from you Tai-san. Don't think that I'll ever forget you."

Without warning, Lex leant forward and kissed his ex-wife on the lips. Tai-San quickly recoiled.

"What was that for?" She exclaimed.

"Just testing to see if there was anything there."

"A spark you mean?"

Lex nodded.

"And was there?"

Lex shook his head.

She smiled at him, then reached out and held his hand. "There's someone out there for you; I've seen her in my dreams. She's making her way here as we speak."

"Who is it?" Lex questioned.

"I can't tell you that," she responded, letting Lex go and beginning to walk away. "Just remember to stay open minded," she advised. "That's all I ask."

As she and the Chosen walked off into the night, Lex shouted out. "Goodbye Tai-San, I'll miss you…"

~*~*~*~

"Amber, Bray, come quickly!" Cloe's shouting reverberated through the Mall.

Danni almost walked straight into her at the top of the stairs. "What's all this shouting for Cloe? I should think everybody in sector ten heard you."

"It's Ebony," the younger girl panted. "She's outside and she's got a mob with her."

Danni scowled. "I knew we couldn't trust that girl. We drop our guard for one minute and she's arranging some kind of lynching for us." She placed her hand on her hips. "You go and get the others, and I'll go out to see what exactly it is she's up to."

As Danni quickly descended the stairs, Cloe ran to the café to find Amber and Bray eating breakfast.

"What's the matter, Clo?" Amber asked, seeing that her friend was severely out of breath.

"It's… it's Ebony," she panted.

That was all they needed to know. The couple leapt from their seats and Amber placed Adam in Cloe's arms.

"Where is she," Bray yelled.

"Round the back of the Mall," Cloe answered.

With that, Amber and Bray disappeared from view and Cloe could hear their footsteps slowly fade away.

Barging through the large crowd, Danni made her way to the large podium upon which Ebony stood and glared up at her.

"What's all this about? Why are these people here?"

Ebony simply folded her arms and ignored the question. Staring out over a sea of faces, she watched and waited. Finally she spotted Amber and Bray emerge from the back door of the Mall, rose from her chair and used her crutches to support her. Instantly the crowd fell silent.

"I have asked you all here today," she began, "to make an important announcement."

On the balcony of the Mall, Bray and Amber watched in terror, fearing that she would banish them once again.

"Officially, I am still leader of this city," Ebony continued. "Unofficially, I have never been a 'leader' in the truest sense of the word. A few weeks ago, I was made aware of the fact that if I had been a good ruler, then the adults wouldn't have succeeded in taking over the city. At the time, I dismissed this, but since then I've had a lot of time to think…" She paused and played with the cuff of her jacket. "And I've come to realise that they were right; that a good leader wouldn't have let the city fall."

Down on the ground, Danni was joined by Lex, who had clearly just been dragged out of bed. His hair was ruffled and there were no tribal markings on his face.

"What's going on?" He asked groggily. "What's she doing up there."

"You know her better than I do," Danni shrugged. "You tell me."

Ebony spotted Lex and smiled at him. "I have therefore decided to renounce my position as leader of this city, with immediate effect."

At this point, the crowd gasped and chattered busily. On the balcony, Bray, Amber and the other Mall Rats that had now joined them were just as shocked.

"However," Ebony added, ensuring the crowd quickly quietened down. "I have one last task to perform. It concerns Amber and Bray, the leaders of the Mall Rats…"

"I knew it," Danni muttered. "I knew there'd be a catch somewhere. She's going to banish them again!"

"You don't know that," Lex said, before Ebony continued.

"Before the adults arrived, I banished them from this city, and I'll tell you why. I was jealous: jealous of what they had together. Seeing them together every day made me feel more and more alone until eventually I snapped. I had to send them away before it destroyed me, before my… my heart could be broken even more." She broke off and beckoned for Lex to join her on the platform. He did so reluctantly. "Now I've found someone who has made me accept who I am, who has accepted me. I don't need to push people away anymore and I don't have to be alone." Lex walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist; she let her crutches drop to the ground now that he supported her. "And so," she concluded, "My final act is to offer a formal apology to Amber and Bray and welcome them back to the city. I hope that some day they can forgive me for what I have done."

Amber stared intently at the platform and briefly caught Ebony's glance. She turned and hugged Bray.

"Let's go back inside," she suggested, tears welling in her eyes. "It's cold out here."

Slowly the crowd dissipated and the tribe headed back into the Mall. For two people in particular, the nightmare was finally over.

~*~*~*~

Pride stared out of the window and looked towards the forest.

"Soon I'll be back there," he thought. "Back where I belong."

There was a tap on the door and he turned to see Patsy standing nervously in the doorway.

"Hi there, come on in," he invited.

"Thanks," Patsy said, stepping inside and sitting down on the bed.

"What can I do for you?" Pride asked.

Patsy shuffled nervously and bit on her lower lip. She didn't know whether this was a bad idea; whether she should just walk straight back out again. She played with a piece of loose wool on her sapphire cardigan and decided to ask anyway.

"Amber's keeps referring to your tribe, I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about them?"

"Sure," Pride answered, slipping down onto a stool opposite her. "We call ourselves the Gaians and we live out there," he motioned to the window and the forest beyond. "Some people call us the eco-tribe; either way we don't really mind. We try to live in harmony with nature and have rejected all modern conveniences. For example, we grow or catch our own food, make our own clothes and only use the resources available to us."

"So why do you choose to live in the woods?"

"Many of our people originally came from this city, or other similar places. They had all grown tired of the troubles they had to face while they were here and decided they wanted a simpler life."

"I don't blame them," Patsy commented. "Ever since the virus it's been one long fight. First it was the Locos, then the Chosen and then the Sentinels. In between all that we've been targeted by so many other tribes as well."

Pride began to realise where this conversation might be going and sighed heavily. He directed his gaze away from the young girl and stared blankly at a ceiling tile.

"That's why a lot of my people originally came to us." He paused. "It's also the reason that we're so unwilling to accept strangers into the fold. We're wary of anyone new that comes to our home from the city."

He could almost feel Patsy's disappointment at this last comment.

"Oh," she uttered. She stood up and turned to go. "Well, I'd better be going. I think Cloe wanted to talk to me about something."

Pride's mind raced. He liked Patsy, she was a sweet kid and he could see that she was afraid of the city just as much as he was. Anyway, what harm could she do to his tribe? He came to a decision and called her back just as she left his room.

"Would you like to come back with me?"

Patsy reappeared in the doorway, and she seemed a little apprehensive.

"I… I thought you said that your tribe didn't like strangers."

"They don't like strangers who threaten their existence. I'm sure that wouldn't be your intention, would it?"

"Oh no, of course not!" Patsy beamed and ran up to Pride. "I wouldn't be any trouble whatsoever. I just want to get out of this city as much as you do."

"Yeah, I sort of guessed," he chuckled. "You'll have to clear it with Amber and Bray first, and I'm sure Cloe will have something to say about it, but as long as everything's all right then you can come back with me."

"Thank you Pride, thank you so much."

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She quickly broke off and hurried out to tell Cloe, almost bumping into Bray as she did so.

"Hey, slow down," he called after her. "She seems happy," he commented to Pride.

"Yes," he nodded in response. "I think she is. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"I have something to ask you…" he started.

"Ask away."

Whilst Pride folded up some more clothes and placed them in his travelling bag, Bray cleared his throat and nervously began.

Now that Amber and I are getting married, we need to make some plans. Like who we want by our sides at the ceremony. I've thought about it a great deal and I'd really like you to be my best man."

Pride stopped what he was doing and spun around. "What did you say?"

"Listen, I know you're going back to your tribe, but Amber and I have discussed this and we'd be really grateful if you would hang around a bit longer and be my best man. Well?" Bray waited patiently.

"I'd be delighted to," Pride finally answered, smiling. "What do you need me to do?"

~*~*~*~

The wedding preparations were stepping up a gear and it seemed that all of the Mall Rats were involved one way or another. Alice, Ellie and Danni were preparing and making the food, Salene and Ryan were in charge of decorations, Jack and Jacob had been asked to find some entertainment, Cloe and Patsy were to be bridesmaids, Pride was to be best man, Trudy was to be maid of honour and Lex had been asked to give Amber away. Even Ebony was involved, having been asked to write out the invitations. One of the only things still to be sorted was who would perform the ceremony. Bray and Amber originally intended to ask Tai-San, but now she had gone the pair struggled to find a replacement.

"It has to be one of the other Mall Rats," Bray suggested. "I can't think of anyone outside the mall who could do it, can you?"

Amber paced around their room whilst Bray swung gently on the hammock.

"I suppose we should narrow it down a bit. I mean, who do we both get on with, who do we know the best?"

Bray shrugged. "Well I know that we can cut out Ebony," he retorted.

Amber laughed and slumped down on the bed.

"Well for starters, I don't really know Alice or Ellie all that well, and neither of us really knows Jacob."

"Right," Bray confirmed. "We should be looking at one of the original members of the tribe."

"Trudy would have been next on my list, but she's my maid of honour. Pride, Cloe, Patsy and Lex are busy too."

"That leaves us with…" He made a quick round up in his head. "Ryan, Salene and Jack."

Amber rolled her eyes and lay back on the bed, hands behind her head. "No offence to Jack, but I think he might break under the pressure, and as for Ryan…"

"He's… Ryan." Bray finished her sentence and they exchanged glances, both trying to suppress a smile. "I guess that means that Salene's our woman."

Amber nodded, finally happy at having made a decision. Suddenly her face changed, and she frowned. "Oh no," she sighed. "I asked her to look after Adam for us; hold him for us during the ceremony. I guess it's back to square one them."

"Not necessarily," he stated. "There's someone we've both over looked, but I don't know how happy you would be with her performing the marriage."

Amber's brain whirred, as she struggled to think of whom she had forgotten. Then the answer hit her, and she spoke the name at the same time as Bray.

"Danni."

He moved over to the bed and lay next to her, his arm across her chest.

"What do you think? I'd like her to, but it's up to you."

She thought for a while. It was true that she and Danni hadn't got on famously, but she was nice enough. Back at the farm, she had been the first to offer support for Amber's idea and had tried hard to put the past behind her. Perhaps now it was time to heal the rift between them, and what better way than asking her to perform this very special ceremony? Amber rolled over to face her fiancé and held his hand on her waist.

"I think it's a great idea. Now who's going to ask her, me or you?"

"I think it would sound more genuine if it came from you," he replied.

"How did I know you were going to say that?"

"You don't mind do you?"

"No, or course not," she assured. "Do you want me to go and ask her now?"

"Um," he pondered. "It can wait. Right now there are more pressing matters to deal with."

"Really?" Amber questioned provocatively. "And what exactly would they be?"

Bray flashed a smile at her, leant over and planted a tender kiss on her lips. "I think you can guess," he hinted suggestively."

"I don't know what you mean," Amber said, trying hard to resist giggling. She managed to maintain her innocent front.

"Perhaps I'd better give you a bigger clue," he said. Again he leant over, but this time playfully nibbled on her ear.

Amber finally let down her façade and succumbed to his desires. "Oh," she commented. "Those pressing matters."

Bray nodded, an evil grin spread all over his face.

"I guess we'll have to deal with them then. Come here…"

~*~*~*~

Bray looked out of the window. It was nighttime. Tomorrow was his wedding day. He breathed in and repeated that last sentence in his head.

"Tomorrow is my wedding day. My wedding day is tomorrow. Tomorrow I am getting married."

No matter how many times he said it, it just didn't seem real. He had waited for Amber for so long, and now they were finally going to be together. He turned round as there was a gentle rap at the door. Danni walked in, her soft, brown hair washing over her shoulders and a warm smile adorning her face. Bray suddenly realised why he had been attracted to her in the first place: her beauty and intelligence.

"Hey there," she said. "I thought I'd come and see how you were doing."

"Oh, not too bad," he responded. "I'm finding it all a little hard to take in at the moment, I really don't feel ready for tomorrow."

"I'm sure you are," she stated. "Just think of Amber and how you feel about her. You love her, right?"

Bray nodded.

"And you'd do anything to be with her, right?"

He nodded again, though he felt somewhat uncomfortable in admitting these feelings to an ex-lover.

"Then what makes you think you're not ready for tomorrow?"

Bray pondered over this question for a while and he finally realised that she was right. He was ready; he wanted to prove his commitment to Amber and nothing would stand in his way.

"Thank you Danni."

"What for," she asked.

"For being a wonderful person." He walked over to her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Perhaps, if things had happened differently, then we might have…"

Danni raised a finger to his lips. "Ssh, don't say anything else."

With that she left, and Bray wondered over to the doorway. He watched her descend the stairs and go over to talk to Ryan. A brief rustling noise made him glance to his left and before he knew it, he had an old brown sack pulled over his head, and somebody was tying he hands together. He cried out but no one came.

"Can't they hear me?" He thought. "I'm being kidnapped and no one's noticed."

He felt himself being dragged across the upper floor of the Mall, then kicked and shouted as he was made to descend the stairs, and ultimately he was shoved through the door of the sewer entrance where he knew that nobody would be able to hear him.

Up in the café, Trudy watched Bray being hustled off and chuckled to herself, then congratulated Danni who had just walked in.

"Well done, the distraction obviously worked. Where have they taken him?"

Danni laughed and shook her head. "The nightclub, I think. I'd sure like to see his face when they pull off that sack!"

"Wouldn't we all," Trudy added. "Well, we've still got the bride to think about, let's go deal with her."

In the clothes shop, Salene and Cloe were helping Amber try on various dresses and outfits, in preparation for the wedding.

"No, no, no!" Amber complained. "It's all wrong; it's the wrong colour and it doesn't fit!"

"Ok, ok," Salene sighed. "No need to get so worked up about it Amber, it's only a dress…"

"Only a dress? Only a dress?" She shouted. "We're talking about my wedding here, or had you not realised?"

Cloe ran over to Amber and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Salene's only trying to help you."

Amber frowned, having realised her mistake. "I'm sorry Salene, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that…"

Salene smiled sympathetically and put her arm round her friend's shoulder. "I know what you're gong through, I'm married myself, remember?"

"I just want it to be perfect," said a clearly emotional Amber, just as Danni and Trudy walked through the door. "I love Bray so much and I… I…" Patsy handed her a tissue as she began to weep openly, her black mascara running down her face. "I only want to look nice for him," she continued. "That's the least he deserves…"

~*~*~*~

Bray had stopped trying to struggle a long time ago. If anyone was witnessing his kidnap they weren't doing anything to help him. It seemed that he had been walking for a long time and finally he heard music playing. He guessed that he was outside the nightclub in sector seven; the same building used as rebel headquarters during the campaign against the adults. It was somewhat ironic, then, that he should now be brought here and most likely tortured when it was once a place of security and safety. He sighed and listened to the various footsteps that escorted him. There must have been at least four of them, perhaps five; every now and then he would catch a glimpse of them from under the sack when they passed under a street lamp. All of a sudden, he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder and force him to his knees. Slowly, his hands were untied and the sack was finally lifted from his head.

"Lex!" He blurted out, stunned at the figure standing before him. He got to his feet and looked at the others around him: Jack, Jacob, Pride and Ryan were all there

"Surprise," Lex grinned. "You didn't think we would let our fearless leader go without a stag night did you?"

"Oh God," Bray groaned. "I should have guessed it was you lot. And there I was shouting for help…"

"Make that screaming like a girl," Jack added dryly.

Jacob shook his head and laughed. "I suppose we should go in then," he commented. "Unless you prefer standing out here on the streets."

The group turned to the nightclub and ventured inside. Whilst the others ushered Bray over to a table in the corner, Lex had a quiet word with Rikki, the bartender.

"You see that guy over there," he motioned towards Bray.

"Blondie, you mean?"

"No, no, the guy next to him; the one with the long brown hair."

"Yeah, what about him?"

Lex smirked, and pulled a gold plated watch from out of his pocket. He placed it on the bar and Rikki looked at it intently.

"It's his stag night tonight, and we want to make sure he has a good time. If I give you this, can you add a little spice to his drinks for me?"

Rikki nodded and picked up the watch, examining it thoroughly, before thrusting it under the bar into a small box of keepsakes. "How much 'spice'?" She asked.

"Oh, not much," Lex continued. "Just a little drop of Vodka here and there and a splash of something more exotic too; get my drift?"

The barmaid nodded and smiled. "Your friend will have the best night of his life!"

"Thanks," he commented. "You're a real sweetheart."

Half an hour later, and the group were already on their third round of drinks. Meanwhile, Bray was on his fifth or sixth drink and was already too far-gone to notice that his friends were a lot more sober than he was.

"You know," he slurred, slamming his glass down onto the table. "You guys are the best bunch of friends a guy could ask for. Let's have a group hug!"

The other Mall Rats shifted uncomfortably about on their chairs and began to make their excuses to leave.

"Actually, I need to go to the toilet," Jack began. "All this drink… it, erm… fills you up." He pushed his chair away from the table and quickly strode away.

"Me too… I haven't been since lunch time…" Jacob hurried away, followed by Ryan and then Pride.

Bray slumped back into the chair, picked up the glass and stared at the contents. "It's funny how they all need the toilet," he thought. "Maybe there was something in their drinks." He sat up and noticed Lex sitting at the other end of the table. "Lex!" He exclaimed. "You'll give me a hug, won't you?"

Lex leant forward and patted Bray on the shoulder. "Let me get you another drink."

As he walked away, Bray grabbed the arm of a passing stranger and spoke up to him. "There goes one of the finest men you'll ever meet. It's so nice to have friends that care about you…" He yanked the arm towards his face and wiped his eyes on it as he began to cry. "Such good friends," he added, before the stranger tore himself away.

On returning from the toilet, Pride realised just how bad a state Bray was in. "Perhaps it's time to go," he suggested.

"No," came the drunken response. "We can't go yet, we've only had… two… or three… or four drinks so far.  I can't believe you want to spoil such a nice night Pride; you always want to spoil everything!"

Pride sighed, crossed his arms, and turned to the others.

"Do you want the sack?" Ryan asked.

Lex shook his head as he stared at Bray. "It's going to take a lot more than a sack to make him co-operate. Everyone grab an arm or a leg; we're going to have to do this the hard way."

~*~*~*~

Yellow streamers hung in delicate bows from the ceiling, blue and pink balloons dangled in bunches from the wall and white fairy lights weaved their way around posts, pillars and railings. From outside, golden beams of sunlight shot through the windows and basked the Mall in beauty.

"Wow, Salene and Ryan really did a job with those decorations." Ellie looked around in awe, whilst Jack seemed just as stunned.

"Yeah, yeah, it's… erm… nice."

"Nice? It's wonderful. You know Jack, whenever I get married, this is what I want the wedding to be like." Ellie could feel his hand go limp as she held it tightly, and when she looked at his face she laughed. He had gone as white as a sheet. "Oh, don't be silly. I don't want to get married just yet. Besides, I don't know if I've found anybody I'd want to spend the rest of my life with."

As she walked off to take a seat near the staircase, Jack stood still and seemed slightly bemused. "Not found anybody…? What do you mean 'not found anybody'? What about me?" He muttered. A quick flash of her grin and he realised that she had been joking. "Oh, I get it – very funny."

While he went to join her, Alice and Jacob arrived, both dressed in their finest clothes.

"Let's hope Amber and Bray have a happier marriage than some of the others. Ryan, Salene, Lex and Tai-San had only been married a day when the Chosen attacked. After they got back together, Lex and Tai-San eventually separated and if you ask me Ryan and Salene don't love each other."

Jacob looked puzzled. "You think? I always thought they were rock solid."

"There's only one person Salene loves," Alice continued. "And he's getting married today."

"You mean Bray? Did they used to be involved?"

"Only in Salene's mind."

Following behind was Ebony, only just off crutches. Even she had made the effort today, having swapped her normal attire for a velvet green dress. Finally came Ryan carrying Brady, and Salene with Adam. They took their seats in front of the others and Jacob noticed for the first time just how separate the couple seemed. In fact, anyone else may have thought they were no more than friends. As he stared at them, Salene turned round and caught him watching her. Suddenly he felt embarrassed and wondered if he might be going red, although he really had no reason to. What was making him react like this?

"Everybody, could I have your attention please?" The noise of the excited crowd quickly died down and Ryan observed Danni come to stand at the top of the stairs. She was wearing a red summer dress and cream cardigan, and he wondered where he had seen them before. Then it came to him; they were the same clothes she had changed into once he brought her back to the barn all those months ago. She had looked good then and she looked good now. Ryan stopped himself as he realised what he was thinking; Danni was just a friend – no more, no less. He listened intently as she began to speak.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming today. I know some of you have come from as far away as the café…"

This comment made the others laugh and put Danni at ease; at least she had started well. She nodded to Pride who stood by a doorway near the fountain. "Bring him in."

The Mall Rats watched as Pride, then Bray slowly emerged and made their way up the staircase. Bray wore a black dinner jacket and matching trousers. Underneath was a sea blue shirt, with the top two buttons left open and flattened down over the flaps of the jacket. A single white carnation had been pinned near his breast pocket and he nervously played with the fern that grew from around it. Danni came down to greet him and he whispered into her ear.

"I was wondering if, during the ceremony, you might try and keep your voice down?"

"Why's that Bray?" She smiled. "Bit of a heavy night last night, was it?"

"You could say that. I've already drank seven cups of coffee this morning and the only thing it has succeeded in doing is making me go to the toilet two or three times."

"Okay Bray, I'll be considerate. Now, do you remember your vows?"

A look of desperation swept over his face. "You didn't say we had to learn them!"

"Relax Bray," she joked. "I'm kidding. Have you got the rings sorted?"

He smacked his hand across his mouth and he stared into space open jawed. "Oh God, I knew I'd forgotten something. I gave Amber back her father's ring to give to me, but I haven't got anything to give to her!" He turned to Pride and grabbed him by his shirt. "You! You were supposed to remind me about things like this! Where am I going to get a ring from now?"

"Relax Bray," Danni sighed, pulling a ring from her finger and placed it in the palm of his hand. "Use this."

He looked at the ring and then threw his arms around her. "Thank you," he said. "I'll get you another one."

"Now," Danni continued. "Let's get on with the ceremony." She gazed into the crowd and her eyes rested on Jack. She raised her eyebrows as a sign for the music to begin. In turn, Jack looked across to Jacob who rose from his chair and briefly disappeared. He quickly returned with three familiar figures in tow: Lips, Teeth and Dimples.

"Oh, another Mall Rat wedding," one shrieked.

"It's just so exciting," another exclaimed.

"It's just so emotional," the third one finished.

As they pretended to cry, Danni raised her hand to her hips and tapped her foot. "When you ladies have quite finished play acting, then you might remember that we brought you here for a specific reason."

"Oh yeah. What would you like us to sing?"

"How about something appropriate to the situation," Pride suggested.

The Smile huddled together and discussed what they could sing. Finally they came to a decision and took up positions on the wall by the fountain.

"One, two, one, two, three and go." They began to click their fingers to keep time and started to sing.

"I've been on the run, felt like my ship was sinking

Now look what you've done, now that my heart is singing

Everywhere you go, I just can't help myself thinking

It's better to know, that to me you are everything…"

At this point, Lex appeared with his arm through Amber's. While it was strange to see Lex in a suit and his hair tied back, everybody had their eyes focused on the bride. Bray turned to see Amber walking through the aisle between the chairs and gasped. She wore a long blue dress that matched the colour of his shirt. It consisted of a velvet bodice, a bustle that expanded the width of the dress around her waist and a train that made of crushed velvet. She carried a bouquet of pink, blue and white carnations and roses. Her Zulu knots had been let down into golden ringlets that fell around her face and midnight blue mascara accentuated her eyes. Anyone would have agreed, that at that time and place, Amber was the most beautiful girl in the world. She smiled up to him as she approached, and the music briefly continued.

"Now for the first time I realise and I find

I don't have to decide what's right what's wrong

Because I love the way you make me feel

That you belong to me, and I belong to you."

The singing slowly stopped as Lex walked Amber up the stairwell and left her standing next to Bray. He turned to his future wife and took his hands in hers.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she said, clearly quite emotional. They both turned their heads to face Danni and she gently smiled.

"Friends," she started. "We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Bray and Amber and celebrate their union. These two people have decided to take the plunge and become joined both legally and under the eyes of God. Could you please remain silent whilst the vows are spoken." Danni stepped down and crossed first to Bray. "Would you please repeat after me? I, Bray, take thee, Amber."

"I, Bray, take thee, Amber."

"To be my lawfully wedded wife."

"To be my lawfully wedded wife."

"To have and to hold,"

"To have and to hold"

"To love and to cherish,"

"To love and to cherish,"

"From this day forth,"

"From this day forth,"

"Till death do us part."

"Till death do us part."

"Good. Now Amber, would you also repeat after me?"

Amber gulped, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Bray gently wiped it away as Danni repeated the vows.

"I, Amber, take thee, Bray,"

"I, Amber, take thee, Bray,"

"To be my lawfully wedded husband."

"To be my lawfully wedded husband."

"To have and to hold,"

"To have and to hold,"

"To love and to cherish,"

"To love and to cherish,"

"From this day forth,"

"From this day forth,"

"Till death do us part."

"Till death do us part."

"Bray and Amber have made the sacred vows that bind them in holy matrimony. Now it is time for the exchanging of the rings." Danni looked towards the best man. "Pride, could you please present the rings?"

Pride pulled a small silk handkerchief from his pocket and carefully unwrapped it. Inside lay the two rings. Bray took the first; the small gold band from Danni and placed it on the end of Amber's finger.

"When I first met you," he began, "I knew that we were meant to be together. There was something about you waving a baseball bat in the air that made me think 'that's the girl I want to marry.' I know we've had our ups and downs but I finally believe that we can make a real life for ourselves starting today. This ring is a token of my love and affection for you, and by taking it you hold the keys to my heart."

Amber watched as Bray slipped the ring down her finger; it was a perfect fit. She started to cry a little harder.

Danni placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Amber," she prompted. "It's your turn."

She nodded in response and wiped away the tears, slightly smudging the mascara. She took the ring from Pride and held it on the end of her fiancé's finger.

"What other way is there to describe you Bray? You're a father, a friend and a lover. Though I know that I can be stubborn sometimes, you've stuck by me through thick and thin. You had faith enough for the both of us when mine seemed to fade. You believed in me when no one else did. For that I can never repay you. Just know, that with this ring, you will carry my love wherever you go."

Bray helped guide Amber's shaky hand as she pushed the ring down his finger. Danni herself had to compose herself before continuing.

"In exchanging tokens of love, Bray and Amber have shown their commitment to one another. Before they make their final declaration, I need to know if there is anybody here today who can provide a good reason as to why these two cannot be married."

The Mall Rats looked around at each other, some of them expected someone to say something, but, after an anguishing silence, no one spoke. Danni promptly faced Bray, ready to ask him for his declaration.

"Do you, Bray, take Amber to be your wife; to love her and care for her as long as you both shall live?"

He stared into Amber's eyes and whispered, "I do."

"And do you, Amber," Danni said, "Take Bray to be your husband; to love him and care for him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

The rest of the tribe seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief, and the bride and groom looked excitedly towards Danni.

"In that case, I take great pleasure in announcing that you are now husband and wife…"

"Hey Bray," Lex shouted up from the crowd. "That means you can kiss her now!"

"Thank you Lex," Danni commented. "But that's my job." She leant forward and whispered to the couple "That means you can kiss her now!" As she happily stood back, Bray and Amber shared a tender, lingering kiss, much to the delight of the others. Then, they descended the stairs and met Trudy, Pride, Cloe and Patsy. Bray hadn't noticed before, but the girls were wearing similar dresses to Amber, but on a less grand scale. Trudy handed Amber her bouquet and stepped forward with her back to the others.

"Everybody ready?" She called. She tossed it behind her and spun round to see who had caught it. Lex stood in the centre of the others with the bunch of flowers cradled in his arms.

"Looks like it'll be wife number three for me," he laughed. "Any volunteers?"

~*~*~*~

Amber, Bray and Cloe stood at the entrance to the Mall as Patsy and Pride gathered up their bags on the street outside. Although the others hadn't changed, Pride and Patsy were wearing more suitable travelling attire.

"Do you really have to go now?" Amber asked. "Why not stay until the end of the reception?"

Pride shook his head solemnly. "If we want to get back before nightfall then we need to leave now. Believe me, we really would like to stay but it's just not possible."

"And I take it we can't change your minds?" Cloe inquired.

"No," Patsy stated. "We'll miss you all, but neither of us wants to be in the city any longer. There are too many painful memories here for me."

"But you'll come back?"

"One day, I'm sure," she continued. "I doubt that you've seen the last of either of us."

Amber passed her glass of champagne to Bray and hugged Patsy, and then Pride. She whispered into his ear as she sobbed onto his coat. "Tell the Gaians that I'm sorry; sorry for abandoning them. They need a new leader Pride and you should be the man to fill that roll."

"I don't think I'm really leader material…"

"Of course you are," Amber interrupted. "Now go before I cry even more. At this rate I'll have no mascara left whatsoever!"

Pride laughed and withdrew from the hug. "Goodbye… Eagle." He uttered. Turning to Bray, he locked him in a long, firm handshake. "Take care of her," he said. "There's not many people like Amber left in this world; you should count yourself lucky."

"I do," Bray affirmed, patting his friend on the back. "Now you make sure that you take care of Patsy for us…"

"Bray, I'm not a kid anymore," Patsy moaned. "I can look after myself you know."

With a ruffle of her hair, Bray disappeared back inside, with Amber at his side. As Pride slowly walked off down the street, Patsy hugged her old friend.

"Well, Cloe Conehead, I'd better get going."

"Who am I going to talk to now Pats? You and KC have both left me."

"I'm sure you'll find someone. Besides, you know where I am; you could ask Amber to bring you to the forest."

Cloe reached into a pocket and pulled out a picture of her and Patsy together when they were younger. She ripped the photo in half and gave the part with her on to Patsy, whilst she kept the other half. "When you come back," she started. "We can put this photo together again."

"I've gotta go now, Clo. I'll see you again some day."

As Patsy ran to catch up with Pride, Cloe slowly turned and was greeted by Trudy, who welcomed her back inside.

~*~*~*~

Now that everybody had gorged on the food prepared, and afternoon had moved into evening, it was time for the disco to start. Jack had managed to find a working stereo and had positioned it at the top of the staircase so that music filled the mall. While various couples danced, Danni found Ryan sitting by himself watching the others.

"What are you doing here? Where's Salene?"

"Oh, she's helping clear up the leftover food with Trudy and Jacob."

Danni sat down beside him and sighed.

"That was a really nice ceremony you did back there."

"It was nothing really," she blushed. "Most of it was copied from other weddings I've been to."

During a moment's silence they looked towards the dance floor to see Amber and Bray, Lex and Ebony and Jack and Ellie all pass them by.

"Fancy a dance?" Danni suddenly suggested.

"I don't think so," Ryan replied, shaking his head. "I've got two left feet."

"Come on," she said, tugging on his arm. "You don't want to be sat here all night do you?"

Ryan shrugged and gave in. "Why not?"

They got up from their seats and joined the others just as the music changed to something a bit slower. Ryan slipped his arms around Danni's waist, though felt somewhat uncomfortable about it. Meanwhile, Danni had also rested her hands on his back. As the music intensified, Ryan could see the other couples drawing closer together and slowly, he and Danni did the same. They stayed like this until near the end of the song when she looked up into his eyes. For a moment their gaze fixed upon each other and their breath entwined.

"I… I have to go," she stuttered, before breaking away and running up the stairs, almost tripping over the stereo. As the music died away, Ryan was left standing by himself and wondering what had just happened.

~*~*~*~

"Well, although I'd like to stand here all night with my arms around you, I really should go change."

"Why?" Bray frowned. "You look so beautiful."

Amber sighed wearily. "If I stay in this dress much longer I'm going to pass out; this corset is far too tight! How beautiful would I look then?"

Bray pondered the question for a while, and then smiled reassuringly. "You know, you could look beautiful no matter what. However, I would rather you change than have your air supply cut off."

They both giggled and Bray let his wife out of his arms and watched her ascend the stairs. He made his way over to the buffet table and helped himself to some fruit punch. He noticed Ebony standing beside him eating a sandwich and an awkward silence fell between the two. Finally, Ebony finished eating and began to talk to him.

"I don't think I got a chance to say congratulations earlier."

"Oh… thank you."

"Tell me Bray, how does it feel to be a married man?" He was about to answer, but she interrupted before he could. "I once thought it would be you and me walking down the aisle together; I guess I blew my chances a long time ago, didn't I?"

"Yep," was all that Bray could say in response. "What are you after Ebony? Do you want me to say I forgive you?"

Ebony shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt."

"Well I won't. We both know that you didn't mean anything you said back at the podium. I doubt you even feel anything for Lex."

Ebony grabbed hold of him by the collar of his shirt. "Listen to me," she warned. "Lex is one of the best things to happen to me in a long time, and I won't have you, or anyone else saying otherwise."

Bray pulled himself away and straightened up his shirt again. "If you two are so in love, how come he's nowhere to be seen?"

"He's gone to take a lie down because he's got a headache."

"Sick of your pathetic whining already, is he?" Bray smirked, taking another sip from his glass.

Ebony knocked the drink from his hand and it spilt all over the floor. "I don't have to listen to this," she spat, and she stalked off towards Lex's bedroom.

Bray glanced around at the other Mall Rats who had been taking in the scene. He began to feel embarrassed and quickly excused himself by saying that he too needed to change into something less formal.

"Ryan, could you come up and help us please?"

Ryan looked up to see Salene dangling over the railings and calling his name. "We could us another pair of hands," she continued. "There's a pile of washing up to be done."

He sighed, and lifted himself from the chair. He wearily walked up the stairs and went to help Salene, Jacob and Trudy in the café. While the few that remained danced below, the stereo whirred and continued to play music. Then, a new sound emerged; a slow, quiet ticking that might be discounted as background noise on the cassette that was playing. To begin with, the clicking was dispersed, but as time continued it increased in frequency, getting closer and closer together.

"Can you hear that? That ticking sound?"

Ellie cupped her ear and listened for what Jack had heard. Finally, the noise reached her ear too. "What's that?" She asked cautiously.

"Whatever it is, it sounds like there's more than one of them. Maybe it's mice."

They gave up looking around and rested their heads on each other's shoulders, slowly dancing as the music continued.

"This is the place where we laughed where we danced…"

Tick. Tick. Tick.

"Where we walked in the rain, now it's not the same…"

Tick. Tick. Tick.

"This is the place where you cried…"

Tick. Tick. Tick.

"And I wiped all the tears from your face…"

Tick. Tick. Tick.

"This is the place."

Tick. Tick. Tick…

Without warning, an array of ear shattering explosions pierced the air throughout the mall. People screamed and shouted as debris rained down on top of them. Fires burst out all over the place as Jack threw Ellie to the ground to protect her, and gripped her hand tightly.

"Oh my God!" Screamed Ellie. "What's happening?"

Jack stuttered and sprawled. "I… I... don't know. We have to get out of here!"

They crawled towards the exit, and sounds of balloons popping made them cover their heads in fear. Finally they got outside and backed away from the building; they were both shaking and scared.

"Alice!" Ellie called out. She tried to run back inside but Jack held her back. "Alice!" She repeated.

From the smoke that poured out of the doors, Alice struggled with an unconscious Cloe flung over her shoulder. She coughed and wheezed and Jack and Ellie ran to help her. They lowered Cloe to the floor and checked to see if she was breathing all right. In the chaos and confusion that ensued, various Mall Rats fought their way out of the burning building, screaming and shouting, crying and weeping.

"Is everybody here?" Trudy called. The others didn't reply; they were too shocked by what had happened. Whilst she cradled Brady, she tried to do a quick headcount, but to no avail. Then Jacob spoke up and delivered the news that they all dreaded.

"No, there are people missing!" He shouted. The others suddenly fell silent and turned to face him anxiously.

"Who?" Alice demanded.

"It's…"

But before Jacob could continue, they were all thrown to the floor by another blast that ripped through the mall. Far, far above, leaning over the ledge of another skyscraper, two figures looked down and laughed.

"Look at them run," one said. "Now they know the meaning of true power and chaos…"

THE END