Alive

Book 2

Pt6

1

Strange, the Orga mind. Strange how things can come back to you; how quickly an old habit can return in response to an unexpected provocation. It had been five years since David had lived among the young bandits of the forest, the abandoned and rejected youth that society ignored. Since that time he had resided in comfort, with only his studies, his projects and idle pursuits to be concerned. He didn't have to worry about food or shelter or fighting just to survive til the next day. Not anymore. Probably never again.

But the boy that David had once been; the one he'd been forced to be, in order to survive; was still inside him. And now, faster than he could have imagined, that boy resurfaced.

"Oh, I'm sorry, M'am. Did I offend you?" the CJ said, jumping off the table and approaching David with a cocky smile on his face.

David quickly assessed the boy's size and weight, his body and stance. He was looking for weaknesses, as Sy had taught him so long ago. And there were plenty of weaknesses.

"I'd have to take you seriously in order to be offended," he said.

The other CJ boys noticed the budding confrontation between their friend and the blue clad 'Shiny', as they called the colorful kids who flocked to the city from the suburbs every weekend. They turned their attention from teasing Amanda's crew and began to egg their friend on.

"Do 'im, man!" one yelled. "One busted Shiny ass coming up!" said another.

Amanda's friends had noticed it too. But they only yelled that David should just go ahead to the show, and leave the CJ losers to them. David wasn't listening to either group.

"You take the first shot," David said, smiling. "I'll be taking the last."

"Oh, you're scary!" the boy taunted, "You and your shiny wuss suit and frickin' ass-pants." His friends all laughed. Amanda's crew started throwing more insults about the CJ's attire, and the two groups resumed yelling at each other.

So much ado about clothing, David thought again. But he knew this type, knew how hollow their bluster was, and how much of it was based in their insecurities.

"Yeah, I noticed you checking out my pants," he said, calmly. "Flattered, but I'm with my girl tonight."

The boy's face twisted into snarl. David knew he was about to lunge and prepared to side-step. But instead of rushing him, the boy looked up, over David's shoulder, and began to back away.

David turned to see his Mecha bodyguard standing behind him, its arms crossed and jaws clenched. He'd forgotten all about it!

The CJ boys must have thought Lex was Nexus security, because they jumped off the table and started walking away. Amanda's friends must have thought the same. They sat down and pretended to be lost in conversation, peeking over their shoulders to see if David was in any trouble.

David was glad they'd made this assumption. If they'd realized Lex was his private bodyguard, it might have raised questions he wasn't supposed to answer.

"Everything ok, Sir," Lex said, scanning the black clad boys that were slowly retreating. They threw a few insults as they left. David knew the Mecha was recording their facial features for later recognition. If it had thought there was some real threat, it would have carried him off already.

"I'm fine," David said, disappointed; surprised by his feeling of resentment for Lex's intervention. Something inside him wanted to tell the bot that he could have handled the mouthy punk on his own. But he knew Lex would have never let that happen.

"You'll be late for the show," Lex said.

David sighed and took Amanda's hand. He was about to apologize for his behavior when he noticed something new in her eyes. She was gazing at him with a curious expression, one he'd never seen before. David wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he quickly decided he liked it.

"Guess there's more to you than I thought," she said.

"You'd be surprised," said David. Then he began leading the way to the auditorium. Lex let them go a little distance before he started following.

"We'll meet again, ass-pants!" the CJ boy yelled as they walked away.

"Only if your luck runs out," David replied without looking.

2

By the time they had their tickets scanned and had taken a place inside the large auditorium, the lights were already dimming. David commented on the lack of seats and Amanda gave him one of her 'd'uh' looks.

"How are we going to dance with the seats up?" she said. She stomped her foot on the floor. "They're under here," she explained. "They retract them for dance bands."

"Oh," David said, feeling a little embarrassed for asking. He scanned the expectant young crowd. The hall was filled with little avatars as kids called their friends and them sent images and videos of the stage. Glowing orbs were bouncing around the hall, thrown up by one kid and then pushed up by another and another as they made their way around the crowd.

This was a festival, David realized. Not just a gathering of music fans, but a party. He was about to share this insight with Amanda when the lights dimmed and the crowd started cheering.

The first band was taking the stage.

Daphne and the Simple Son consisted of a slim Blonde woman in a sheer, almost transparent dress that sparkled in the multicolored spotlights; and her accompaniment, a tall man whose features were obscured by the hood of his long, wizard-like robes. He had a large digital monitor strapped to his chest, and began running his fingers over it, triggering virtual keys. Music filled the room; beautiful, symphonic sounds; haunting melodies over big, slow jam beats. The crowd applauded and began swaying slowly in time with the moody grooves.

Daphne's voice was rich and deep, not like most of the popular female singers, who sounded more like spoiled little girls. These were mournful songs; songs of love lost in a world gone awry.

"Cloaked within a veil of tears

Under remnants of our angry years

Though greed and war have marred her face

She will always be here"

As Daphne sang, the holo-show started. Vast gray landscapes rose over the stage and floated out above the crowd. Foggy sea-side cliffs filled the darkness, waves crashing against the broken boulders at their feet. Massive mountains grew from nowhere, their stately white heads cloaked in stormy clouds. Vast green vistas and lush forests, deep valleys and grand canyons. These were places that David had read about, and seen images of, but never in such clarity.

This was the Earth as she once was, he realized; the planet that had been lost; drowned in the excesses of a thoughtless and greedy generation.

"This is excellent," David said.

Amanda pressed her head towards him and pointed at her ear.

"I said I really like this!" David yelled. "They're poetic! Grand!"

She nodded and smiled at him, then retreated again, to the swaying slow dance that the whole room was now doing. David knew that she hadn't heard a word he'd said. But it didn't matter. He joined her in the slow, kundalini sway, letting the music take his thoughts away from the present and into its beautiful melancholy realm.

The song stopped finally. The crowd howled for more. And the duo delivered. For forty minutes they played. Each song was a story unto itself… an emotional history lesson. The meaning behind the words seemed to be 'Don't forget what once was. Don't forget your Mother Earth. Don't forget love.'

They concluded their set with a song of hope and then walked off the stage to a holo of great ocean waves ebbing and flowing. The image slowly faded and the crowd cheered for an encore. But the lights came up and a deep voice announced a short intermission. The kids around them started heading to the restrooms and refreshment kiosks.

"That was really great," David said.

Amanda was still swaying back and forth, lost on the music that had already ended. She looked up dreamily at him.

"Having fun, Blue?" she said, a coy smile on her lips.

"Oh, yeah," David replied. "This is… this is much better than I expected."

Amanda surprised him then by wrapping her arm around his waist and pulling him tight against her. She nestled her head against his shoulder and purred softly.

"I thought you'd have fun," she said. "You need to have more fun."

David hesitated. This was all so new to him. He had no idea what to do. But after a moment he placed his arm around her shoulder. She was so warm and soft… so alive. Something welled up inside David; something deep and intoxicating. It made his head swoon, made him feel strong and weak at that same time.

He pulled Amanda close, and rested his chin against her head, letting the sweet scent of her fill his senses. The young couple stood that way for the whole intermission; swaying back and forth together, communicating their feelings in a language as old as life itself

This too, was beginning to make sense to David.

3

The lights dimmed again. The crowd returned quickly and fell into an expectant frenzy as a low note boomed from the stage. The main act was coming on.

Amanda was suddenly awake and energetic. She pulled away from David and fanned her arms in a circle, clearing a space around herself. That maniacal look was in her eyes again; the one he had seen in his room.

"Better make some space for yourself!" she yelled over the roar of the crowd, "You're gonna need it!"

David stared at back her, no longer caring about the band; wanting only to hold her close again and wishing they could just go somewhere and be alone for a while. But then he noticed the kids around him doing the same as she was. Marking their territory.

What was this about?

The hall suddenly went black and a loud, un-humanly low voice growled from the stage.

"In the beginning there was the void!"

The crowd roared. Multicolored flashes of light erupted in the dark and holographic globes of fire appeared, racing in speedy orbits over the heads of the audience.

"Then the Spirit moved upon the void

and creation was wrought"

The spinning orbs collided. A subsonic boom shook the ground as a great burst of holographic flames exploded above. It looked so real that David jumped back, as if it might burn him. Unsettling memories came to sudden life in his mind. But it was just an illusion. He felt embarrassed when he heard Amanda laughing. But he could not tell if she was laughing at him.

The giant holographic flame slowly condensed to form the Earth. The silent blue orb floated in the dark as the voice continued.

"And when the cycle of creation was complete,

God looked upon the Earth

Her rivers and her oceans

Her mountains and her fields…

And God said…

Damn, this place looks boring!

It needs some Rock and Roll!"

The stage lights flared and Flesh Rite was already there, five men clad in black, with thick unkempt hair and long braided beards. Their guitars started grinding over a massive, driving beat. The crowd screamed, and began moving with the intense rhythm as the singer roared in a guttural voice. David realized he'd heard this song before.

"Flames in a storm.

Cling to what ignites you.

'Cause nothing really matters

but the moments that you buuuurn!

Burn! Burn! Burn!"

The kids sang along. Their voices created a thick echo in the hall. The music was complex and immense. Engulfing. David became lost on ceaseless waves of sound as the band went on, racing from song to song in a seemingly non-stop groove; barely giving the crowd a chance to rest in between, stopping only long enough for the singer to scream the name of the next tune before the drums kicked in and their thumping din shook the walls.

The beat hit David at some primitive, fundamental level, and soon it felt as if his body was moving on its own. Even though the huge coolers came on to keep the crowd from overheating, he had to take off his jacket and hold it as he danced.

It made sense to him now! The groove, the rhythm, the physicality of it all. He would have never understood this in his former life. It could not be digitized. It could not be quantified, or equated.

The flesh! The heat!

It had to be experienced.

It seemed like an hour had passed when the band stopped again. But this time they didn't launch immediately into another song. The singer slung his guitar over his shoulder and strutted back and forth across the stage, flexing his arms and pulling on the twin braids of his beard as he glared at the crowd. They yelled at him, screaming out the names of songs they wanted to hear.

"Hey, don't tell me how to do my job!" he growled.

The audience laughed and the singer broke character long enough to flash everybody a quick smile. Then he started snarling again, and raised a fist at the crowd.

"I was told that the Nexus crowds were the best!" the man yelled. The crowd roared.

"I was told they were the baddest!"

The kids howled and screamed so loud that David had to cups his ears. But the man just shook his head like he was disappointed.

"Is that it? Is that all you got?"

The kids responded by pounding their feet against the floor until the entire building seemed to quake.

"Ok, that's pretty good, pretty good" the man said, looking impressed. He glanced back at the band with an expression that suggested he was afraid the building was about to fall. The band laughed and the singer turned to face the crowd again.

"But I think you can do better! Can you do better?"

The audience roared.

"Then prove it!" the man yelled, crouching low and, snarling at the crowd like some wild untamed beast. David realized where Amanda had learned that move, and knew what was coming next. He joined in as the entire audience roared.

"Flesh Riiiiiite!"

The band launched into their signature song and the kids went wild, jumping up and down in the dance he'd learned from Amanda. Chants broke out, competing with the thick din of the music.

"Chaka-chaka, Chaka-chaka

Chaka-chaka-Chaka-chaka

Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha!"

David's heart raced as he jumped, his breath came hard, his head beaded with sweat. He smiled at Amanda, but she was lost in her own world, her braids flailing, the glitter on her face smearing from sweat; her small body rocking and twisting with the music.

She was beautiful! And she was his!

David threw his head back and screamed.

Then someone tapped him hard on the shoulder.

He turned quickly, smiling an apology, assuming he had stepped on someone's foot.

By the time he noticed the fist racing towards him, it was already too late.

David's world exploded into sparkling flashes of pain.

4

Two thoughts came to David in the blinding instant after the boy's fist struck his face above his left eye, and sent him spinning.

The first was a single word:

Ice.

This must be the boy Amanda had told him not to worry about. He must have been behind them them whole time, watching them snuggling closely, and jealousy had gotten the best of him.

The next thought that came to David was really a memory.

The Gauntlet.

The violent beating David had received from the gang in the forest; his friends and fellow thieves. And Sy's words came to him too, the ones the man had spoken as he'd pulled savagely on David's hair, preparing him for the beating he had been about to receive.

"Pain and fear are only obstacles. Keep moving, even when it seems like you can't go another inch."

These thoughts flashed through David's mind in the space of a heartbeat.

Then came the anger.

5

David spun around, moving with the force of the blow. He saw the boy who hit him from the corner of his eye, and realized he knew the face. It was the Crash Jammer from the plaza, the one who had promised to see him later. The boy was laughing now, probably thinking what an easy target the Shiny in the bright blue 'asspants' had been.

But he'd made a major miscalculation.

David came out of the spin, his arm swinging with all the momentum of his turn. The boy stopped laughing the instant he realized a backfist was headed for his face. But it was already too late.

The music was too loud for David to hear his fist connect. But he felt the fleshy smack, and saw the kid's head snap to the side. The CJ went cock-eyed and fell back, his arms reaching out to grab something, anything to keep him from going down. But there was nothing and no one to hold onto, and he disappeared into the darkness beneath the dancers and out of David's line of vision.

David stepped back and cupped his head. The shock of the punch was fading quickly, but he knew a painful swelling was coming later.

Amanda noticed what was happening and stopped dancing. She must have misread the situation, thinking David had accidentally knocked somebody over, because she started laughing and pointing at him. The other kids around David stopped dancing too. But only because the boy on the floor was knocking them off balance as he tried to get up. They cleared space for him, yelling and screaming at having their fun disturbed. Their words were lost in the roar of the band, but David could see the anger on their faces.

He was about to push them all away, so that they would not crush the boy with their frantic jumping dance. That was when he realized his attacker was not alone.

"Crash Jam!" the boy's friends yelled, jumping at dancers. Most of them had not yet realized what was happening, so they toppled easily as the laughing CJs launched their blitzkrieg on the dance floor.

Another CJ jumped at David. But he quickly realized his mistake when David caught him by the wrist, twisted it back until the boy fell to his knees, and then stomped on his ankle. The CJ fell screaming to the floor. David didn't like using such an extreme moves, but he had to get Amanda to safety. There was 'no time for dallying.

The girl had finally realized what was going on. She'd stepped back, her face shifting from surprise to anger and then fear in quick succession. David was trying to grab her by the arm and lead her off the floor, when one of the CJ boys yanked on one of her braids. She fell to the floor and sat there, dazed and confused in the center of the chaos.

David reached a new level of rage. He flew at the boy who'd hurt Amanda, stomped hard on the punk's instep and then landed a powerful blow on his nose as he tried to back away. The CJ toppled to the ground and didn't get back up.

David felt a another fist strike the side of his head. But it was a poorly aimed blow and only fazed him for an instant. Without looking to see if it was an enemy or just another dancer who'd thrown a misplaced punch, David crouched low and brought an elbow up into his attacker's midsection. He felt the boy fall against him, felt his body go limp as his breath was lost. David pushed the boy off, relived when it turned out to be one of the CJs.

The fight was spreading now. The dancers that had been knocked over, were on their feet again, jumping on the Crash Jammers, trying to pummel them off the floor. But the CJs didn't seem to care if they were hit or bleeding. They must have been drunk or high. They took full blows to the face and just came back for more. They were knocked down and stomped on, only to rise quickly and resume their attack.

This was getting dangerous.

He rushed to Amanda and helped her to her feet. She scanned the tumult raging all around them now.

"Look what you started!" she yelled

"Me?" David said, eyes wide in disbelief.

The band finally noticed the fight. Whether for legal reasons or genuine concern for their audience, David would never know; but they stopped playing and the singer came to the front of the stage, his guitar slung over his shoulder.

"Hey hey hey! Kids! Bring it down! Bring it down!" he yelled.

But the fight continued getting bigger as dazed kids threw blows at the wrong people, or missed the ones they'd been aiming at and accidentally started a fight with someone else.

"Get these lights up! And get some security in here before someone gets hurt!" the singer screamed, morphing into the responsible adult he really was beneath all the makeup and leather.

The ceiling lights came on and David finally saw just how widespread the war had become. The whole auditorium seemed to be a singular chaotic mass of violence.

Someone else tugged on David shoulder. He turned quickly, arm cocked and ready to strike. But it was only Zee. David dropped his fist and Zee patted him on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the Nexus!" he screamed, laughing.

Shooter and a few others were with him. Their faces were bruised and their colorful hair mussed. Frill had a trickle of blood running from nose. But they were all smiling and laughing, like it was all some big joke.

David was mystified.

Zee started pushing him.

"Let's go," he shouted, "They're gonna lock the place down any second!"

David grabbed Amanda's hand and they raced from the floor, joining the flock of Shiny dancers who had decided to get out before the Mecha guards arrived and started grabbing kids, and holding them until the police arrived.

6

The kids raced through the hallways, past a barrage of security Mecha that were headed for the main room. The bots scanned the kids but decided they were not the ones they wanted.

"Don't worry! They're looking for CJs!" Zee yelled as he led them down a corridor and out of a side door. By the time they made it outside, police copters were descending into the plaza. Sirens wailing and spotlights glaring, the crafts touched down on the walkway in front of the Nexus One, and large uniformed men jumped out and rushed into the concert hall. Some of the Nexus security bots were already walking out, holding struggling black-clad boys in their unbreakable Mecha grip.

"This way!" Zee yelled, over the din of the sirens and copters.

He led them into a crowd of kids who had gathered outside the restaurants and game zones to watch the chaos. A few of the spectators noticed their torn clothing and mangled hairdos. "What happened' they yelled as the crew passed, assuming they must have been inside. But Zee ignored the inquiries, understanding that if the police saw them, they would assume the same thing.

The crew finally found a safe place in the shadows between two buildings, and fell to the ground. They were out of breath and unable to run any further.

"That was crazy!" yelled Shooter rolling around and laughing. "Absolutely crazy!" he repeated a moment later, obviously lacking appropriate adjectives.

Zee sprawled face down on the asphalt until he caught his breath. Then he rolled onto his back and gave David a nod of approval.

"I saw you take out that idiot, Myron," he said. He mimicked the backhand strike that had knocked the boy down. "Bam!" he laughed. "That was beautiful, man. Just beautiful."

"Yeah, that was sweet," Shooter agreed in his strange deep voice. "That guy is such a d-bag."

David's breath was coming back now. He propped up on his elbow.

"You guys know those people?" he said.

"Some of them," said the feline boy named Frill. He was leaning against a building, nursing his nose. It had finally stopped bleeding, but was now forming a nasty bruise and darkening stain ran down his shirt. "But then they got into all that Mecha bashing crap and started running with the CJs. So we dropped 'em."

"Now they just show up to start trouble," Amanda said. She'd been laying on her back near David. Now she stood slowly and began to pace in a small circle.

"Mecha bashing," David said.

"Yeah," Shooter sighed. "Crash Jammers are sort of like Skins. But instead of different races, they hate robots... well robots nd people who use robots I guess." Then he gave David a curious look.

"You don't know about this?" he said, incredulous. "Where you from?"

"He's new around here," Amanda interjected. Then she screamed and beat her fists against her thighs in frustration.

"Damned, CJs!" she said. "My first night out in weeks and it gets messed up by a stupid fight!" She turned and glared at her friends. "And I blame you guys too! Why can't you just ignore them?"

The boys all shrugged.

"It's a guy thing, Mandy" Zee said. "You wouldn't understand." Shooter leaned towards him and the two slapped palms.

"Boys!" Amanda sighed.

David moaned as he sat up and rubbed his eye. It was already swelling. He'd had an interesting adventure tonight, but he was going to regret it in the morning. And when Dad saw him… well he didn't want to think about that right now.

"Lex will be looking for me," he said. He pulled his pod from his pocket and sent the bot a message that he was ok, hoping it wouldn't come looking for him.

"Who's Lex?" Shooter said. But David didn't want to answer that question.

"Just some guy," he said. Shooter seemed satisfied with that response.

"Man, Jazzy's gonna kill me," he said, pulling on his torn shirt. "She bought this for me just last week."

"Yeah, and my Dad's gonna kill me," David said, though more from trying to fit in then from any real concern.

"Are you ok," Amanda said, noticing his growing bruise.

"Fine," David replied, eying her warmly. "I've had worse."

She stared at him silently for a moment, still resenting his part in the chaos. Perhaps she was right, David thought. Maybe he should have just walked away from the fight. But finally she sat down beside him and nestled against his shoulder. David liked this a lot better than her accusing eyes.

"Well, those idiots were going to start a fight anyway," she said. "So I'm glad you were there.

David thought it was strange that the CJs would start a fight that was sure to get them arrested. He wondered if they had other motivations. The 'spiders' Zee had warned him about came to mind. But he could deal with that later. Right now he had other things on his mind.

He wrapped his arm around Amanda, and they all waited quietly for the sirens to go away. Then they could leave.

"So, where'd you learn all those tricks," she said.

"Tricks?" David said. "What tricks?"

"In the fight," she explained.

"Oh, I just picked them up… here and there."

She leaned back and stared at him strangely, her large dark eyes sparkling with a message that David was not yet experienced enough to understand. Then she laid across his body and David felt that giddy exhilaration again, as he embraced her.

Their faces were just breaths apart.

"And what else did you 'pick up'?" she said, softly.

David had never been in this situation, but something instinctual told him exactly what needed to be done.

'Here we go,' he thought. Then he placed his lips against hers.

There were no words; no analysis, no metaphorical association, that could express what David was feeling. The warmth of her body against his. It filled him up. Completed him. Made him whole.

He kissed her long and hard, his arms engulfing her, his hands caressing the tender flesh of her face and neck. She reciprocated tenderly, purring, pressing against him as if to make their bodies unite as one.

Touching. Holding.

This primal Orga language.

David could never have known.

Any lingering regret that he might have felt for making the transition to flesh was now vanquished.

Amanda finally pulled away, and smiled at him, a dreamy expression on her face.

"So," David whispered, "You still want your own toy boy?"

She raised a curious brow.

"Huh?" she said.

David flinched, realizing his mistake. But an unexpected voice came suddenly to his rescue.

"Amanda!"

The call came from the plaza. Someone had broken from the crowd and was now moving down the passageway, headed in their direction.

Amanda stiffened and pulled away. She sat up quickly and straightened her hair and braids.

"Yo, Ice," Zee said. "Where were you, man? You missed all the fun!"

Ice ignored the question and passed them by. He was backlit by the lights from the plaza, so David could not see his face. But from the looks of his silhouette, he seemed in pretty good shape. David sighed and sat up, mentally preparing himself for another fight.

Ice stopped near them, his face still obscured in shadow. But David could feel his gaze as he quietly sized up the situation.

"What's going on, Amanda," Ice said. The meaning of his question was obvious. 'Who is this guy you're with?' is what Ice was asking. But Amanda wasn't in the mood for one of his tantrums, as she had pointed out that night.

"Oh, nuthin," she said in mock innocence. "What's going on with you?"

"Real funny," Ice replied. The anger in his voice was obvious and David decided he did not like that tone; not when someone was talking to his date. He rose to face the boy Amanda said he shouldn't be worried about.

The others backed away as David stood, their faces expressing either concern or excitement at the pending confrontation.

Ice was a bit taller than he, and instead of the tight colorful clothing most wore, he was dressed in dark slacks and an expensive looking black jacket. His hair was short and black, and a single silver earring glittered in his lobe.

David tried a diplomatic approach first, offering his hand to try and break the tension. But Ice must have misunderstood his gesture, because he stepped back, finally shifting his position so that now the light fell on his face.

David gasped and dropped his hand, feeling his jaws clench reflectively. Ice glared at him a silent moment, confused by this reaction. Then he flinched and backed away, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly when he realized who stood before him.

"You!" Ice said at last, his voice thick with disbelief.

"Yes," David hissed through clenched teeth. "It's me."

Amanda looked back and forth between them.

"So… you two already know each other?" she said.

David and Martin Swinton, the warring siblings once separated by a digital hemisphere, stood on either side of Amanda, staring at one another in stony silence.

(cont…)