Through The Looking Glass
Darryl, Gel, Lottie and Sammy looked on, the youngest of the kids were distracted by the many gadgets and gismo's filling the room whilst Darryl watched on anxiously, Gel on the other hand, could not contain how bored she felt as Ram danced and hummed around the desk where a strange looking machine was situated, intertwined with wires that were hooked up to what seemed to be an overgrown magnifying glass.
"The four of you are going to be witness to one of the most significant moments in history." Ram spoke, his tone was grand and his facial expression was filled with an unmistakeable beam. Gel scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"You can show your disapproval as much as you'd like young lady but as soon as you see the wonders of my invention, you'll regret your doubts." Ram snapped.
"If it's full of so much wonder, why aren't the others here?" Lottie spoke up, taking her attention off the keyboard which Sammy was trying to type on.
"Because they have better things to do, duh!." Gel said, turning her focus to preening her hair, using a nearby computer monitor as a tool of reflection.
"They'll wish they had been here." Darryl spoke, filled with excitement. The former Zoot impersonator seemed to be the only one convinced that Ram's new creation was going to be brilliant.
"I'm sure they will." Ram spoke, his tone was smug.
"What does it do?" Sammy questioned, he had given up on his attempts to get the keyboard working.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you, what I have aptly named... the looking glass!" Ram had seemingly gone in to a role playing scenario, with himself as the master of ceremonies and the four Mall Rats his prestigious guests.
"This invention, right here, is a gateway to desire!" Darryl's eyes lit up on hearing this.
"Desire? Can we see hot chicks through it?" he said, a smile formed on his face.
"Pervert!" Gel said, slapping him on the arm.
"If you'd quit interrupting me, I will tell you exactly what it does!" Ram was getting impatient, Lottie decided to mock him behind his back, much to the amusement of Sammy.
"Like I said... it's a gateway to desire. Through this invention, you can observe worlds that you have only ever dreamed of." Ram's tone was smug once more, everyone's eyes lit up.
"Like what?" Gel was suddenly intrigued.
"Like... when the Pharoahs ruled the pyramids... Life on Mars... A world where Darryl is a world famous millionaire... where Lottie is an astronaut... where Sammy is an expert in martial arts or a superhero... where you, Gel, are ruler of the world and where all your subjects wear pink and talk about fashion all day." Ram approached each of them, waving his hands around their faces in a dramatic fashion, as if to wow them.
"That sounds amazing." Darryl's tone was almost desperate.
"Let me see, let me see." Sammy lunged towards Ram.
"I wanna see first." Lottie jumped in his way, tugging on Ram's arm.
"Now, now. You'll all get a go." Ram was pleased.
"Bet Amber and the others will wish they'd turned up now, huh?" Ram grinned at Gel.
"It does sound good, but isn't it just like paradise?" Gel said, uncertain.
"This is nothing like the paradise program, nor is it like reality space. This is a legitimate window to other worlds, alternate universes where all of what I mentioned is true and a lot more." Ram said, pushing Lottie away as he spoke, realising that she was still holding on to him.
"So we can look? But we can't actually go there?" Gel rolled her eyes.
"Baby steps Gel, baby steps! Before you buy, you have to view the product right?" Ram spoke, approaching his 'looking glass' as he did.
"We may not be able to go there right now but it won't be long before we're swimming in the seas of Oasis or where Saint Amber, Gallant Jay and the gang can realise their dreams of a perfect city filled with world peace." he finished.
"Stop talking and just get on with it, I wanna see a Darryl with hot chicks." Darryl spoke, he now had his hands on Ram's shoulder.
"Hand." Ram winced, his germaphobia was still an issue, perhaps he would someday go to a world wear germs did not exist or at the very least were treatable in an instance. Darryl quickly withdrew his hand, Ram nodded in thanks and then started typing frantically on his own keyboard which was connected to the invention. The machine started whizzing to life and a number of patterns and diagrams began appearing through the looking glass. Ram looked almost manic as he carried out the final preparations for the machine whilst the others held their breaths in anticipation. With one final click, Ram smiled whilst his heart swelled with pride.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... the looking glass!" he stepped back and motioned towards the oversized magnifying glass, it surged and crackled with life for a moment before a dull wheezing sound was heard and then, just like that, the looking glass went blank, back to its original state. The others looked confused, even Ram was curious.
"Well?" Gel said, her tone was impatient.
"Just give it a second." Ram said, looking hopeful.
"I think it died." Lottie offered her opinion.
"Don't be foolish, I made it, it has not died." Ram tutted at the child.
"But there's nothing there." Sammy also spoke.
"I said give it a second." Ram snapped, the others fell silent and then a few seconds passed before he decided to approach the keyboard and start typing again.
"It's broken." Darryl said, he looked disappointed.
"Don't be silly, it can't be broken." Gel spoke.
"Thank you, Gel." Ram said in appreciation.
"For it to be broken, it had to work in the first place." she finished with a sarcastic tone, Ram felt himself tense up.
"Are you an idiot?" he spoke, eyes glaring in Gel's direction.
"You're the idiot if ever thought that you could get something like that to work! I'm not a genius but to make something that looks in to other worlds needs magic, not technology!" Gel stated, she would have sounded almost smart had she not raised the subject of the supernatural.
"It will work!" Ram hissed.
"Well, unless it's showing us a world where nothing exists, I don't think it will, my friend." Darryl sighed, he then turned to leave, Gel had already made a head start.
"Where are you going?" the Techno spoke in an angry tone.
"I'm bored, I'm getting out of here!" Gel strutted off, Darryl shrugged at Ram before following her lead. Only Ram, Lottie and Sammy remained, the two kids started at him with devious twinkles in their eyes, Ram guessed that they thought he was crazy too.
"Oh, get out of here, go on!" he hissed at them, they let out a cackle in unison before chasing off after the others.
"No sense of vision, any of them." Ram said, slamming his hand down on the desk, he then kicked a nearby chair before turning on his heel and resting himself on his bed.
"The sooner I get get out of this dump, the better." Ram sulked, then after numerous rants and ill thoughts aimed at Gel, Darryl and the kids along with the other Mall Rats, he closed his eyes with every intention of trying again when he awoke. No sooner had he closed his eyes though, when he was waken from his rest. A strange noise was emitting from the machine wired up to the looking glass, Ram cautiously rose to his feet and with a sudden surge of excitement, he rushed over.
"Guys, guys, come back, it's working." Ram called out but it was to no avail, the others did not return.
"Suit yourselves." he said to himself, a wicked grin appeared on his face.
"Think I'll take a peek at Rome." he started typing away on the keyboard when it quickly made some sort or groaning noise, he paused briefly then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the looking glass beginning to flash as if wild and out of control. The flash was pure white, almost blinding and Ram sensed that it was not a good thing. Allowing fear to take hold, he quickly turned and made to walk briskly out of the room when an almighty bang filled his ear drums and a large burst of flashing light seemed to envelope the entire scene around, blinding Ram and then... everything went blank.
The entire room seemed to be filled with smoke, a dense fog which had yet to clear. He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, hurting following the impact on the floor. Now slumped on the ground, Ram opened his eyes, the room was dark and a deadly silence filled their air. Quickly making sense of his surroundings, he quickly jumped to his feet. Casting his eyes over to the desk, Ram sighed as he spotted the smoking remains of his seemingly fabulous new invention. He then realised how dark it was, not just in his room, there was no light spilling in from the main section of the Mall either. A sense of fear and concern filled him and he moved towards the exit, treading out very carefully. Had his invention affected the entire building? Perhaps the rest of the tribe were unconscious from the explosion or maybe they had evacuated and if so, Ram intended to have a few harsh words with them for leaving him behind.
"Heartless!" Ram muttered to himself, he then let out a chuckle of how ironic his words were, he wouldn't have given a second thought about making his escape without helping the Mall Rats. He tread a little further and heard the faint noise of chatter, a male voice was groaning as if being teased whilst a female voice let out a seductive giggle, if such a thing was possible. It must be Slade and Ebony, Ram thought to himself but no sooner had he thought it, when his heart suddenly jumped in to his throat as he spotted two strange figures writhing all over each over on the edge of the fountain. The male had violent green, scruffy hair and a number of lip piercings, the girls face could not be seen but she had a platinum blonde bob cut with a flash of pink colouring on the left side. Ram gulped and turned to go back the way he came when his foot collided with an empty beer can, he froze for a moment before looking back. The duo were now on their feet, staring in his direction, eying him deliciously. The female stepped forward, she looked almost demonic as she hissed in his direction.
"Techno hunt!"
Ram almost let out a scream before turning to ran, as fast as his legs could carry him. The duo did not hesitate and soon began to give chase as Ram ran for his life, in to the depths of the Mall.
"I love it when they run." the male roared, his hair rustled as he ran. The female had a wild expression on her face but Ram did not turn back to look, fearful that if he did then they would catch up to him and do Zoot knows what. He soon found himself running up the back stair well, near the sewers and whilst the male still gave chase, the female had now disappeared. Who were these savages? Were they invaders? And had the others already been dealt a fate that Ram felt was soon going to befall him? Now was certainly not the time to think about it, he just had to somehow outrun his pursuers and get out of the building. Now running around a corner, Ram found himself on the balcony back near the main stair well. He would run for the stairs and head out through the entrance, that would be his best bet. Practically skidding to outrun his hunters, he made it to the stair case and almost lunged down to get to the bottom. He could hear the stomps of the male in the near distance and felt himself let out a whimper as he made it to the fountain. The grille was right there, a small distance away and he would soon be safe. Then, out of nowhere, the female reappeared from one of the stores and threw herself at him before everything went blank again.
"Wake up!" a harsh voice demanded, a little while later. Ram winced in pain, his head was throbbing both from the earlier impact and being knocked unconscious once more.
"Wake up!" the voice demanded once, it was a female voice but different from the voice of the savage female who was chasing him. Ram relented and opened his eyes very carefully, suddenly realising that he was restricted as a boot was held over his throat. He looked up and noticed that the boot belonged to a female, a tall and slender female, she wore a black catsuit made of lyrca material. She had a pretty yet pale face and long, black curls spilled down her shoulders. The female also held a crossbow in her arms. Ram looked around and spotted the duo from before, leering at him.
"Press down harder." the male spoke, wild in tone.
"Cut off his airway." the blonde female was like a savage animal.
"Who the hell are you?" Ram demanded.
"You have no business here." he persisted, the tall female pressed her boot some more.
"Shut up!" she hissed.
"You must have slammed his head pretty hard." the male spoke to the blonde girl with approval.
"Let me finish him!" the girl's platinum hair bounced as she spoke.
"Look, you can do what you want with this place, tear it apart if you have too but let me and my friends go!" Ram spluttered, struggling for air.
"You're friends are dead! Well most are but the others soon will be when 'she' gives us the go ahead." the male growled.
"You're lying!" Ram's tone was desperate, his mind raced with thoughts of Ruby and the other members of the tribe, he was also afraid of the 'she' the male was referring too, was it the girl with her boot over his throat? Or somebody else with a deadly axe to grind? A kid from the city with a grudge against the Techno's? The blonde girl did mention a Techno hunt afterall.
"Remove your foot from his throat." a voice suddenly rang in Ram's ears, it was a dark tone but it definitely belonged to yet another female.
"I... can't..." Ram gasped for air.
"You know I HATE repeating myself." the newest female voice spoke again, the slender girl consented, removing her boot from his throat. Ram quickly sat up, erupting in to a coughing fit. Deciding to take advantage of the slender girls withdrawal, he jumped to his feet and threw himself at the blonde girl but the male jumped in to the way and pulled Ram's arm behind his back.
"Where are my friends!" Ram called out.
"Shut it, or i'll break your arm." The male roared, he wanted nothing more than to snap each and every bone in Ram's body.
"Enough! If any body is going to kill him, it will be me!" the unseen female spoke once more, in the midst of everything that was going on, Ram sensed that she was the authority figure and judging by the slender girl with the crossbow, she was the deputy. The male reluctantly did as he was told and released Ram's arm before shoving him away.
"Now would you mind telling me what is going on?" the female that Ram had established as the savages leader spoke again.
"These two decided to play Techno hunt." the slender girl spoke, looking up on to the stairwell.
"He deserves it, after everything he has done." the platinum blonde shrieked.
"Shut. Your. Mouth." the leader hissed.
"Or i'll rip out your hair, strand by strand." the platinum haired girl did as she was told and retreated slightly, the leader presumably having put the fear of god in to her. Ram rubbed his throat for a second before casting his eyes up the stairs to see their leader, she wore a silk red corset with black laced leggings and military boots, she also had black hair which was held in a peculiar style... zulu knots! Ram almost let out a gasp of shock.
"Amber?" he whispered. It couldn't be? This girl standing above him and the savages was assumingly as lethal as they were but Amber was nothing like that, she was a do-gooder, fair and just, the very thought of violence would make her blood run cold. Not to mention the fact that Amber had blonde hair, the latter was not significant but it still presented itself in Ram's mind.
"Speak up!" the slender girl demanded, kicking Ram in the back of the legs.
"Amber, what's going on?" Ram winced as he spoke, his tone was filled with concern, the saintly leader of the Mall Rats was now stood staring, as if she was a demonic warrior Queen. The dark version of Amber, being presented to Ram, eyed him suspiciously.
"What happened to you? You look... horrible." Ram said, wincing once more when the male jumped off the edge of the fountain and took his turn to kick the Techno, knocking him to his knees. The platinum haired girl and the slender girl looked at him with livid expressions. Amber, however, was silent.
"Must be suicidal." platinum hair stated.
"Man's just signed his own death warrant." the gruff male laughed.
"What are you talking about? I'm not scared of Amber!" Ram said through gritted teeth, trying to surpress his pain.
"Silly boy." Platinunum girl spoke, pleasure filled her voice at the thoughts of what Amber would do to him.
"Not scared of her? Then you should be scared of me!" the male also spoke through gritted teeth, as though Ram's words had insulted his leader.
"I don't even know who the hell you are!" Ram's brain seemed ready to explode, he had no clue about what was going on until it hit him.
"Mega... Mega has his name written all over this." Ram called to Amber in desperation.
"Mega?" the slender girl who had kept her silence in Amber's presence, let out a small laugh.
"He's done something, messed with your head, he's brainwashed you." Ram looked around as the other two savage followers laughed hysterically.
"Are you saying I don't know my own mind?" Amber's tone was tense, deadly in its intention, she started to descend the staircase.
"Now you've done it." the male said, Ram was suddenly pulled to his feet by both him and the slender girl.
"Dont... Don't do anything... you might regret." Ram stuttered.
"Too late." Platinum girl said with a smile.
"Are you challenging me?" Dark Amber was getting closer.
"Please... Please I... Jay... Get Jay... He'll tell you." Ram was nervous now, Amber wouldn't normally cause him any damage, even if she was absolutely furious but whatever had happened to change her seemed to make her deadly.
"I might just do that." Amber hissed, she then clicked her fingers. Ram gulped as he spotted multiple figures appear from the different stores making up the Mall, others appeared on the stairwell behind Amber and then Ram let out a gasp as a familiar figure appeared next to the Mall Rat leader, he too wore military boots and a black leather trench coat, his hair was short and spiky, he also had stubble on his face.
"Jay?"
Ram's head hurt, he was sure it was a mixture of the impact and the mind boggling events unfolding right in front of him. He looked around, rubbing his eyes as he did. May came in to view, she wore all black with silver detailing and blonde flashes replaced her signature red colouring. Salene was clinging to her but she had seemingly ditched her motherly look, she had short red hair styled in to a mohican and her clothes left little to the imagination. Sammy was nearby, he had a shaved head and looked positively feral in his fur like clothing. Ram was sure that Dee and Patch were standing on the staircase, both looking wilder than he remembered, staring at him menacingly but that wasn't right? Dee and Patch had left the city ages ago, Lex had told him back in Liberty. Ram blinked as a sultry looking girl wearing a black corset and wet look leggins along with some dangerously high stilleto's strutted in to view, she looked like a vampire from the old horror shows on the television and then Ram realised it was Gel! She and the others were accompanied by a number of other faces whom he did not recognize.
"What's your problem, scum bag?" the thuggish looking Jay grunted.
"What the hell is going on here, Jay?" Ram sounded desperate. He started to doubt his own mind, the whole situation seemed to be proposterous. Had his mind betrayed him? Was he trapped in a reality space simulation? Or was something far more sinister afoot? His eyes darted between Jay and Amber, was this all a big game? Had they along with the rest of the Mall Rats been evil all along, playing good to concolidate their power before making their own claim to the city? Ram shook his head, it was not possible. They were good guys, Ram had heard the stories, not only from the tribe but when he sent scouts to survey the city before the Techno invasion. No, this was definitely the fault of Mega, a last effort to keep his own grip of control.
"Who are these people?" Ram pointed at the slender girl, the green haired male and the platinunum haired girl along with the others he was unfamiliar with.
"He hit his head, a couple of times." the slender girl said with a grin.
"Why, they're Mall Rats of course." Jay said, a wicked smile appeared on his face.
"Not like any I've ever seen." Ram was disgusted.
"Must have hit his head pretty hard." another voice spoke, it came from a stocky guy with a mohawk shaven in to his head.
"Ram was playing around with his looking glass before, maybe that has something to do with it." Gel spoke, her face twisted in to a monstrous smile.
"Watch your mouth, air head." Ram snapped, his face was met with a stinging back handed slap from Jay.
"Watch your mouth, Techno!" slender girl jabbed him in the ribs, Amber then approached him, her red corset shimmered in the vague glare of a light high up in the distance.
"This is another one of your games, Ram." her voice was venomous. In another place, another time, she would have been an asset to the Techno master and his army, forcing fear in to the hearts of all who opposed him but now was different as he strongly felt that she had it in for him.
"I'll have your guts on a stick." she hissed at him, Ram winced at her words, he did not doubt it for a second.
"These cannot be Mall Rats." Ram briskly changed the subject, Amber grabbed him forcefully and pulled his face towards hers.
"and why not?" he was scared now, she was going to cause him some serious damage and let the others carry on when she'd finished if he didn't think fast.
"There isn't that many of you... only a dozen or so... I... I don't... most were taken away... killed, or..." Ram stuttered.
"None of this tribe have been taken away, no one would dare try. Killed, in the glory of battle, yes! But never taken away, as if any body could even..." May now decided to speak, appalled by Ram's words.
"Please, you guys. What happened to the Mall Rats I know and... love. They were nice, kind." he could feel something welling up, he would be disgusted with himself if he cried.
"What!" Salene was highly amused.
"Nice!" Gel was nauseaus at the very thought.
"What happened to those frightened little kids? The ones who hid away from the Locos, here in the Mall?" Ram tried pleading to Amber's conscience.
"Frightened? Why, K.C. And Patsy have never been frightened!" Amber pointed at the green haired male and the girl with the platinunum bob. Ram's mind worked quickly, he recalled those names from conversations with Jack. The girl had been taken by the Chosen along time ago and the guy taken by the Techno's. Ram had a thought, he needed to see Mega, to find out his trickery and present it to the others before they did something that Ram might regret.
"It seems that Ram thinks its funny to play these games, like we would rise to the challenge. He has always thought himself better than us, his beliefs placed higher than ours. I think it's high time he was put back in to place, knock the idiocrisy out of him." Amber addressed everyone, they all gazed at her intently, hanging off her every word. She was definitely in control and was not someone to be crossed, Amber was their Lucifer and they were her demonic horde.
"Amber, Jay, I beg you both, listen to what I am saying." Ram gazed at them both.
"I've had just about enough of this." Jay grimaced, clenching his fist.
"Very well, if you're going to keep up your snivelling then so be it. I feel a little 'correction' is in order. "Amber's eyes glinted, a wicked thought had surely entered her mind. The others smiled too, leaving Ram feeling more nervous than ever.
"Danni... take Ram to Bray!" the slender girl nodded and stepped forward, grabbing Ram violently and marching him past May and Salene who were now caressing each other. Ram rubbed his head, what, on earth, was a baby going to do to him?
The man moaned with pleasure at the touch of his lovers kiss, kissing back, enjoying the sensation he was feeling. By the doorway, Ram stood with a look of disgust on his face. The slender girl identified as Danni held the crossbow in to the base of his back. Ram could only see the face of the man on top, the figure beneath was shrouded from view but Ram spotted the legs, they were hairy? This man wasn't making love to a woman, the person beneath suddenly revealed his face.
"What the... Lex!"
The man on top of Lex looked up, his eyes glimmered viciously. He quickly sprung up from the bed and pulled up his jeans, Danni then stepped back as the man lunged towards Ram, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him up against a wall.
"Spying on me, huh!?" the man was just as wild as the others, he too had stubble and shoulder length brown hair, tied loosely in an elastic band.
"You know what I do to spies!" he roared, Ram was wincing in agony, the violence at the hands of the others was bad but this guy seemed to be subhuman, based on his strength, like a wild animal.
"Please... I..." Ram whimpered, he caught sight of Lex scrambling to put on his clothes behind the man who was screaming in his face.
"Well!?" the man demanded, Danni spoke up.
"Amber sent him, she isn't impressed, Bray." Ram looked from the man to Danni and then back again.
"Wait... you're not the baby?" Ram came to a realisation.
"I'm the daddy!" Bray growled angrily, Ram blinked and winced some more. Bray then motioned for Danni and Lex to get out before turning to Ram, hand still held on his throat, glaring at him with a wild expression.
Ram sat quietly in the cafe, on his own in a corner, covered in blood and bruises. The rest of the tribe were gathered nearby, laughing and play fighting. Lottie was sat next to Sammy, she had her hair cut real short and also wore fur like Sammy. He watched as a smaller girl with uneven scruffy bunches in her hair, came along and scratched Lottie all down her arm. Ram recognized the younger girl as Mouse, albeit a lot scruffier and nastier than the one he had come across. Lottie threw her chair back and grabbed Mouse, throwing her in to the table nearby, resulting in the food placed on it splattering all over K.C and Patsy. Ruby, who was sitting nearby, found this to be hilarious until K.C threw some food at her which resulted in a vampire like hiss. A little bit earlier, following his thrashing off Bray, Ram had searched for her. He foolishly believed that she wouldn't be like the rest but he was wrong, when he uncharacteristically tried to hug her, she slapped him across the face and now here she was, sat across the room, like their friendship never even mattered. She wore a boob tube, black leather pants which were a tight fit and she had black extentions weaved in to her blonde hair, it too was platinum. One of the biggest shocks had been seeing Darryl, he wore silver hot pants and a tight fitting see through vest which was dark blue. He was now rubbing Jay's shoulders, something the chick loving Darryl that Ram was used too, wouldn't have considered. Amber entered the room, she was carrying baby Bray who was dressed in a crimson red onesie. Trudy followed her, she too had been affected by the 'change' she had a short pixie crop and wore darker shades of purple. Her daughter Brady looked like demon spawn, wearing a horrid coloured dress with a skull and bone emblem sewn in to it. Amber clicked her fingers and Sammy obediently jumped out of his seat to make room for her, Trudy took the seat vacated by Lottie who was still scrapping with Mouse, neither showing willing to surrender.
"This is barbaric." Ram whispered to himself.
"Oh is wee wickle Rammy wammy speaking to himself?" Ram turned to look, she was a tall girl with a large demenour, she had fierce and untamed ginger hair and wore a floor length black dress with a black shawl, hairpins loosely held her hair in place. She too had been violent with Ram, when he claimed not to know who she was, taking great delight in 'reminding' him. Her name was Alice, Ellie's older sister. She laughed at him, the others looked and joined in before she headed off and set herself down on the same table as Jay and Danni. Ram wasn't getting anywhere with his attempts of persuading the feral Mall Rats that they had been brainwashed by Mega and so he needed another plan, he needed to find the one person who surely wouldn't have succumbed to this weird reality space brain warp, he had to find Ebony!
"Where do you think you are going?" Amber's voice rang out, the noise in the cafe suddenly fizzled out as all eyes turned to watch him rise from his seat.
"I... I was gonna take a walk... to... get some fresh air." Ram tried to think on the spot, as if they would fall for his bogus desire of fresh air, he didn't even like fresh air.
"In the city? What a joke!" Trudy scoffed, her position as Amber's right hand woman shone through her wild eyes.
"Let him go, the kids will rip him apart anyway." Jay spoke up, distracting Darryl from his massage duties.
"Nice to know some things don't change." Ram thought aloud, the city kids had always wanted to tear him limb from limb, he took odd solace in the fact that in this completely changed world, the hatred for him was a constant.
"Oh I'm sure those piece loving Demon Dogz will intervene and make sure little Rammy Wammy comes to no harm and makes it safely back to those who love him." Bray entered the cafe, flanked by Lex. Amber scowled and Lex cowered slightly, the tryst between him and her lover being common knowledge amongst the rest of the psychotic bunch. Ram didn't stick around to find out what fireworks were about to errupt and raced from the cafe and out of sight, before Amber and the others changed their minds about letting him go.
A little while later, after a lot or running in order to evade some crazy, knief wielding Gulls, Ram had finally made it to his destination, his former palace at the heart of his Techno empire... the Horton Bailey Hotel and to his surprise, it was clean. The graffiti had been removed, the garbage scattered around had been cleared and the front of the building had seemingly been given a fresh coat of paint.
"Here goes." Ram sneaked quieteley through the front doors, half expecting an angry squadron of Mega's officers to come flying out of one of the side rooms with their arms full of stun guns, ready to wipe out Ram or any of the dangerous city kids that made their way in. Instead, the place was empty and most importantly, it was gleaming, Ram's idea of heaven... or paradise.
"Hello Ram." a sweet voice called out, taking him by surprise and as he span round to face his greeter, he received another almighty shock when he came face to face with Ebony. The former Loco Queen and Zoot's Goddess was smiling an innocent smile, she had blue face paint on and wore a flowing white dress whilst her braids had been replaced with bouncing curls, interwined with silk ribbons. Ram was gobsmacked once more as he couldn't believe the sight that befell him.
"I'm doomed."
Amber stared at Ram carefully, her blonde locks glinted in the light as she shifted round the room slowly, as if walking fast might startle him. Ruby and Slade were sat either side of him, watching him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.
"So... this... this... isn't a... trick." Ram struggled to get his words out, stroking his greasy comb over before adjusting his glasses nervously.
"No, no trick." Trudy reached out, passing the man a glass of water. The accident with his so called looking glass machine had clearly knocked him for six and sent his mind in to a frenzy and despite his nervous dispostion, Amber felt pangs of concern, in case it was a trick. The former big bad's ramblings of a bunch of savages ruling the Mall and the Techno's being a peaceful, love spreading group, had proved too provide humour to the rest of the tribe, albeit through disguised sniggers. Although laughter rang throughout the entire building and probably the car park when nervous Ram laid eyes on Ebony and described her as some squeeky clean, angelic being that tried to be nice to everyone.
"He's even more cuckoo than before." Ebony seethed, being made fun of was not one of her favourite pass times.
"Well if you guys are good now then I suppose I am happy with that, I was always scared of you lot but if your cool now then so am I." Nervous Ram finally spoke confidently, happy with the claims that they were not going to be teared apart or sent for 'correcting'. Ram smiled and so did the other members of the tribe who were present, even Amber relented and gave a grin, if Ram had truly reformed through some well timed explosion then maybe they could stand a chance once more, or if that didn't work out, at least they could sleep without worrying about him stabbing them in the back. The Mall Rats were alright... for now.