At the other end of the city, someone else was in a completely different mood as the heartbroken Trudy: Ebony was beaming with joy. Finally, her life seemed to improve. After her sister's dead, she hardly believed to get happy ever again, but now there she was next to the most fascinating man she had ever met and all she could do was to feel good.

What also contributed to this emotional high of hers was what she was doing at the moment: She was taking revenge on her biggest enemy, Mega. After all he had done to her, he deserved to suffer. It was his time to feel what it meant to be tortured. Ebony wished she had the chance to make him experience the mental agony he had sent her through, but unfortunately she didn't have the necessary tools for it.

Until she was able to confront him face to face, she had to use other things to make his life harder. At the moment she was trying the effects of explosive devices. Slade and herself had stocked the gates of Mega's precious safety zone with dynamite and were now waiting for the perfect moment to activate it.

Ebony turned her head to look at Slade. His expression mirrored hers exactly: He had a huge smile plastered on his face. Fire burned in her expectant eyes. „I think it's time Mega found the true meaning of the word resistance." Together, they pushed the trigger down.

But then Ebony's expression changed rapidly, because she was seeing something that wasn't part of the plan. A young woman was coming towards the dangerous fence. She didn't seem to notice what happened around her, her view might have been clouded by the tears that were silently running down her cheeks. If she wore a Techno uniform, Ebony wouldn't have cared less about her destiny, but her purple clothes showed that she was innocent. Of course the braided girl wanted to hurt every Techno in the whole city for making her a complete fool, but she wasn't keen of killing someone uninvolved. Well, she wouldn't feel very guilty, but she was sure that Slade would be mad with her, he seemed to like to save people.

Ebony couldn't help but roll her eyes at the whiny girl pressing an indefinable bale at her chest. Why did this stupid chick have to destroy all her efforts of paying Mega back? And why the hell was she so familiar? In an instant, the annoyance Ebony had felt turned into anxiety for the girl. The bunch she was holding wasn't just a bunch of clothes, it was a child and Ebony knew this child very well. The same applied to her mother.

„Damn!" With hasty movements, Ebony set work on trying to stop the explosion to happen. „How can you stop this thing?" Slade, visibly bewildered by her reaction, put his arm around her shoulder. „Why do you want it to stop?" Ebony pushed his arm away and pointed at the now dangerously near mother-daughter duo. Slade understood. „This is not good."

„No, it isn't", the former Locos leader snarled, before jumping out of her hiding place under a scrub land. There was no other way to save them than to endanger herself. She took a deep breath and then shouted: „Trudy! Stay away from the fence!"

Startled by the sudden noise, Trudy almost tripped over a plank that lay on the ground. With the purpose of finding the source of the exclamation, the young mother turned around searching the scene with her eyes.

„How stupid can one girl be?" Ebony, who had been, unlike Trudy and Brady, standing still far enough away from the explosives, ran now into the danger zone. „Trudy just move! This fence is going to blow up in a few seconds. So if you don't want to be grilled, get your legs moving!"

Finally, Trudy had discovered the person who had called for her. Under normal circumstances, she would have wondered that it was Ebony who tried to warn her, she would have thought that Ebony wasn't one to trust, but at this very moment, she just didn't have enough time for it. There was something in Ebony's gaze that told Trudy she wasn't lying, that this was serious. So she obeyed Ebony's orders and took a few steps back, searching protection behind a pile of trash.

Just seconds later, the restriction was history. While Brady started to cry due to the detonation, Ebony's happiness was back. She took Slade's face in her hands and kissed him roughly. He returned the kiss willingly, but then his rationality pushed his hormones aside and he ended the kiss.

„What?", asked Ebony, angry about Slade's reaction. The boy just smirked. „As much as I'd love to kiss you all day long, we can't stay here much longer. The Technos will be here soon and..." „I have to correct you, they won't be here soon, they are already here!" As a matter of fact, a group of black dressed guys was running towards them, their zappers already in position to fire. „Let's go!" Ebony was already about to run, but Slade stopped her. His protective instinct was on again.

„What about your friend? We can't surrender her to them!" Annoyed Ebony shook her head, she really didn't want to bring Trudy and her brat to Liberty. Ruby was enough of a pain for her to bear, but she already knew that Slade would rescue them, no matter what she said, so it would be easier if she did it herself.

She rolled her eyes at Slade before running towards the deranged mother-daughter duo. The Techno guards were only a few steps away and although they were already firing at them, Trudy didn't move an inch. Ebony pulled her with her roughly. „Come on, step out of it already!" But Trudy just couldn't. The numbness had taken control of her body and she was glad about it. She didn't have to feel the pain, she didn't have to worry. All feelings were gone, it didn't matter anymore if she was dead or alive. Nobody wanted to be with her, nobody needed her. At least that was what the numbness told her, but Ebony reminded Trudy that there was somebody in her life who needed her.

„Gosh, darn it! Move faster, you moron! I see, you are on a suicidal mission and normally I would be glad to assist you, but I'd prefer to live and I think your daughter is too young to die either!" That hit a nerve. Trudy looked at the crying child in her arms. „Brady," she murmured. The trio was now behind the hole in the fence which was caused by the explosion. While the girls didn't stop running, Slade plugged the exit with some boxes which were lying nearby. Then he followed his them.

When she was sure they had left the Technos far enough behind, Ebony stopped. During their sprint she hadn't let go of Trudy's sleeve, but now she took her hand away as if it would be acid she was touching. „What the hell were you thinking? Did you want us all get killed? I've never thought of you as an intelligent person, but that you are that stupid is hardly believable!" Trudy wasn't affected by Ebony's speech. All her attention was on Brady. She couldn't believe it herself that she had endangered her, that she didn't protect her well enough. The thought of losing her daughter again, of losing her forever appeared in her head and caused the tears to stream down her cheeks again.

Ebony threw her hands up in the air. „Why are you crying again? I shouldn't have saved..." Slade silenced her by shaking his head. „It's enough, Ebony. She already suffers, you don't have to make it worse." He turned away from the now even more furious girl to help Trudy on her feet. „Come on, we'll bring you to a save place where you are taken care of." While Slade guided Trudy towards their destination, Ebony fell a few steps behind. Mega had to be deprived of his power very fast, because staying in Liberty any longer wasn't something Ebony was looking forward to.


"Hey! Ruby, he just shoved a card down his sleeve! He's cheating!" Lottie, Ruby and Ram were sitting around a table in the centre of Ruby's Saloon; not something Ram loved to do, but he felt like he owed Ruby something for letting him stay in her home and even if he wouldn't admit it, he also felt guilty for lying to her about Slade's fate. Nevertheless, despite these atypical sentiments, he just wanted to get over with it and therefore, the genius tried to manipulate the game of cards the threesome was playing.

Ruby shook her head. "I'm sure Ram wouldn't do that. He is much too honest to cheat, Sweetie. Aren't you, Ram?" Of course, Ruby had seen what Ram had done. On the one hand, she was angry about it. She had just brought Lottie on the right track, she had taught the little girl something about values, but on the other hand, she could understand Ram's missing motivation.

Ram smirked. "You know me so well, Rubs. Of course I would never do something that unfair and bad. I think you should get your eyes checked, Lottie." The girl looked at him confused. "But there aren't any doctors left." Ram rolled his eyes and wanted to say something, but Ruby interrupted. "Lottie, aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten something in hours! Come on, let's get you a nice dinner. I'm sure Ram will agree on a rematch later on, right?" "Right", murmured Ram unhappy.

Ruby just gave him an encouraging smile before taking Lottie's hand. The duo was about to go to the hidden kitchen of the saloon, when suddenly a group of people entered the house. There were four of them and Ruby wasn't pleased to see their leader. "Ebony, how nice to see you.", she greeted her ironically. The braided girl snorted. "Shut up, bitch. It's your job to take my orders, not to get on my nerves. So whoop whoop, bring me a drink."

Ruby's face turned a dark red of anger. She wanted to jump at her opposite's throat, but Ram had gotten to his feet and stood now in the danger line. Besides the argument couldn't go any further, because now Slade and Trudy, who still had her daughter clutched to her chest, came into view.

The cheeks of the girl where still covered in tears and Slade could hardly keep her moving. "Come on, sit down. You are save here." He guided Trudy to the nearest chair and then went to Ruby's side. Resting his hand on her back, he led her, much to Ebony's dismay, away from the group. "I'm so sorry for doing this again, but she needed help."

Looking at the devastated girl, Ruby couldn't neglect Slade's indirect demand to take care of her. "I bet Ebony hates your protective instinct." Slade snickered. "I guess you are right about that. If it was for her, the poor thing and her child would be with the Technos now." "What a helpful girlfriend you have." With these words Ruby turned on her heels and then took a seat next to Trudy. Everyone else mirrored her behaviour.

"I'm Ruby and these are Lottie and Ram." When the blond saloon owner introduced Ram, the crying girl lifted her head to look at him, but then directed her attention back to the table's surface. "Would you like a drink or a meal?", Ruby continued, but Trudy didn't show any reaction. Ebony, who had taken a seat a few steps away, jumped to her feet.

"Stop trying, she won't talk, she is too traumatized or whatever to remember how to move her lips." Ebony then directed her attention away from Ruby and back to Trudy. "What happened, Trudy? Didn't the Mallrats get their extra ration of food today? Or is the washing machine broken? What catastrophe occurred to destroy your precious little family life?"

While Lottie just wondered why the girl should be sad about a broken washing machine, Slade was annoyed by his girlfriend's behaviour, but he knew that interrupting her wouldn't stop her. Ruby on the other hand was just confused. "You know her?"

"Know her? Unfortunately I do. She and her little brat always made my life harder than it should have been." Ram frowned. "Wait, she is a Mall Rat? Does this mean that their broadcast went wrong? " Ebony looked taken aback, she hadn't considered this option yet. "Oh no. Did they get caught? Has anyone returned yet? Where are Lex and Darryl? Did Mega realise that Jack was double crossing him? Answer me, Trudy!" Slade put an arm around Ebony. "Calm down Ebony. I get that you are worried about your friends but…" Ebony didn't let him finish. "I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about what information Mega might get from them. Anyone of them being captured and interrogated would lead him directly to us!"

Ruby shook her head in disbelieve. "How can you be so cold and cruel? All you ever care about is yourself. It's disgusting. What if any of them get tortured? From what I get, if they caught Jay, he is a dead man." At the mentioning of Jay, Trudy writhed slightly.

Suddenly, Ebony seemed to remember something and that thought seemed to satisfy her. "Now I know why you left the save Mall. It is not because Mega punished any member of the Mall Rats. They've finally made it, didn't they? Jay and Amber got it together. Your perfect boyfriend Jay left you to be with your perfect best friend Amber. And now you poor thing are on your own again. Feels good, huh?"

Trudy could feel the numbness losing control of her arms, legs and finally her head. Unfortunately, this brought back the pain and every word Ebony said, left a hurting mark. She couldn't bare it anymore. "What do you want to say with that?", she whispered. "That I stole all your boyfriends? I've already told you once, remember? Then, when you sold me to the Chosen? Bray was never into any of us. He took care of me because he felt responsible for his brother's daughter. Right, I'm the mother of Zoot's child, but if I remember correctly you where the one who married him just weeks ago. And as for Jay" Trudy flinched when she said his name out loud. "We were both just distractions, he always wanted her. As did Bray. The truth is, Ebony, that we always fought over the same guys and in the end, Amber took the prize."

Trudy couldn't be strong any longer; she had to give in to the tears that had filled her eyes. Although making Ebony speechless gave her the feeling of victory, the mentioning of Jay and Amber made the hole in her chest even more burning. "I think you should rest a little bit, you are exhausted. I'll take you to your room." Ruby helped Trudy, who still wouldn't let go of Brady, to her feet. "Lottie, could you please bring me the key to room 7?"

With the young girl obeying, only a confused Slade, a speechless Ebony and an amused Ram were left in the room. "I don't know this girl, but I already like her." "Just shut up, you moron", Ebony said.


"Would you like something to eat?" Ruby had successfully guided Trudy and Brady to their room, but trying to get her talking about anything at all seemed to be wasted time. But she had followed Ruby's advice to lie down and try to calm down. So now while Trudy and her daughter lay on the bed, Trudy's back facing the other two girls, they just didn't know what to do.

"Would you like us to look after your daughter so you can sleep?", Ruby tried again and actually provoked a reaction: Trudy clutched her daughter even harder to her chest. "OK then, we'll leave you alone. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs." When Ruby was about to close the room's door, she could hear the purple haired girl whisper "Thanks". With a smile on her lips, she went towards the stairs.


"What's bitten you, now?" Ruby could hear Ebony shout. "Are you pissed off, because I'm not up there to comfort somebody I truly detest? Do you want me to be a sweet little housewife? Sorry, honey, but if that is what you want, then you should have chosen Ruby and not me." The blond girl's heart jumped. She had positioned herself in the corner of the stairway that couldn't be seen from the saloon's centre. Although she knew what Slade would retort, a small part of her hoped that he would do exactly what Ebony had advised him to. But of course she fell short on her expectations.

"Ebony, I haven't said anything at all for the last 5 minutes, so what are you talking about? I never wanted you to be like Ruby. I want you and not her and I can't see, why you think me being silent equals thinking about replacing you. I never had any feelings for Ruby, she was a nice distraction, nothing more."

Sure, Ruby hadn't estimated a tearful breakup between Slade and Ebony, she hadn't already planned her future with Slade, but neither had she expected him to be so cruel, to break her heart like this. The girl could hardly breathe anymore. The pain seemed to be throughout her body: her lungs wouldn't let her breathe properly, her stomach tried his best not to release her breakfast and her heart, well a broken heart just couldn't work well. If the wall hadn't supported her, she knew that her legs would have given in, too. Maybe Ebony was the perfect fit for Slade after all.

Ram, who up to this point, enjoyed the scenery in front of him, frowned when he perceived the presence of Lottie. "Hey little thief, how long have you been sitting over there?" The small girl, who was seated on a bar stool, just shrugged her shoulders. "Some minutes, I guess." "And where is Ruby?" It seemed to be an unspoken law that whenever someone hears his name, he is brought back to reality, no matter how far he was lost in his own thoughts. It also applied to Ruby. She knew that it would make everything just more complicated, if they knew what she had heard, plus it would be a gratification for Ebony. But it was too late.

"She was right behind me", Lottie explained and caused the trio to look at the staircase. When Ebony saw the shadow ascending the stairs hastily, mischievousness filled her body. When Slade saw the shadow ascending the stairs hastily, remorse filled his body. When Ram saw the shadow ascending the stairs hastily, anger filled his body. "Well done, guys. She really hasn't deserved that, she lets all of us live here, although she is informed about our past, well at least that's the case with you and me, Ebony. And you know exactly, why she does it, Slade. Finally you made her understand that you just used her. I hope you are proud of yourself." Disappointed, Ram stood up and turned towards Lottie. "Come on, let's get on with that rematch you wanted."

Now Slade and Ebony were left alone. "Never thought that Ram would feel bad for anybody. I guess his crush on little Miss Waitress is showing. Liberty really has sissified him." Actually, Ebony tried to soften the tension that filled the room, but she just made it worse. "It's a pity that it hasn't had the same effect on you already." After taking the last mouthful of his drink, Slade quit the saloon, leaving a baffled Ebony behind.