Chapter 14
Java rolled out of that night's lover's arms and groaned. Blinking she realized the bright light falling on her must be the moon. Sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed she looked back to the boy that still lay asleep on her bed,
This one had dark short-cropped hair and was at least a year her junior. The one the night before had been blonde, and the one before that. Java couldn't remember, it was god knows what time in the morning she told herself, she couldn't be expected to think properly.
Picking up her bedside clock she pressed the light creating a strange alien illumination in the vivid light and dark caused by the moons light in the room 2.18 am.
Sighing she slid off the bed and reached blindly into her wardrobe search8ing for something to wrap around herself. Her hand quickly connected with a jacket that she pulled out and wrapped around herself. The first thing she noticed was the size of the Jacket, it was dripping off her but keeping her nicely warm, the second thing she noticed was the delicate taste of aftershave rising from the jacket.
[I] "I'm cold," she stated sitting up
"Wrap yourself in the covers" Vic instructed her drowsily
"No. I really am cold" java told him. With a groan Vic rolled away from her and groped blindly at the side of her bed. After a minute he tossed a jacket at her. Wrapping herself in the huge thing she curled up next to Vic
"I'm warm now," she told him contentedly"
"Oh good" he muttered [/I]
The bittersweet nostalgia brought a lump to Java's throat. How long had it been? Four? Five days? She thought it was five, five days since she had spoken to Vic alone. She had talked to him with others present in his cell but that wasn't the same. She just hadn't had time to seek him on his own, with both Ram and Vic otherwise disposed the weight of leadership with had formally rested on three shoulders had landed on her. The days had sped by in a blur of people and papers with no chance to rest and organize her thoughts. At night there were her lovers, a different one each night to help her combat the loneliness, before there had always been someone, Sara, Siva, Vic, someone she could talk to but now she was awash in a sea of nameless faces all demanding things from her.
She moved away from the cupboard to lean on the window and watch the silent still black and white landscape. She felt like the only person alive as she stared across the silence.
The thing she hated most about the whole mess was the waiting. The medics came to talk to her everyday but it was always a version of the same song
"He's alive, just"
No one could work out exactly what had happened in Ram's room that fateful day, though Java could make a more informed guess than most, Ram was dying Vic not talking.
All they could work out was Ram had been hit in the lower back by one of the older discarded versions of the zappers that Java had had in one of her desk drawers. Why Vic hadn't used the zapper she had provided Java didn't know but she suspected Vic had had good reason. That was the reason Ram was still alive.
The older zapper Ram had been hit with had been deemed a failure because at killed all the rats it was tested on outright. Post mortem examinations had shown the rats nervous and immune systems had been destroyed. According to medics the effect on Ram had been similar, the nerves on his lower back had been killed and his immune system desecrated.
In truth Java didn't know whether she wanted Ram to live or die. If he died Vic's death was assured and the leadership pf the Technos would fall upon her. She didn't want that kind of Power, she wanted to be able to sit back and enjoy being leader, not have to work all the time.
And if Ram survived she would be left with a husband, paralyzed form the waist down without an immune system and possible brain damage as no one knew what effect the trauma might have on his brain. And with Ram alive Vic's chances still look dodgy, not to mention her own, who knew what had been said, what Vic had told Ram.
Java sighed closing the curtains to encase the room in complete darkness. Whether Ram survived or not was no longer in her hands. Dropping the jacket onto the floor she climbed back into her bed close to her lover and tried to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a disturbed nights sleep Java was informed that there had been 'change' in Rams condition. Whether it was good or bad the nervous medic refused to saw and Java suspected they didn't actually know
That was why she ended up in the gym beating the he|| out of a punch bag with her subordinates under the orders
"Unless the sky falls or something happens with Ram disturb me at your peril"
She mused that the threat seemed to be working as she gave the punch bag a solid roundhouse kick. As the bag swung away from her she heard the door behind her open.
"This had better be good" she called out warningly still concentrating on the punch bag,
The voice that called back made her skin crawl, somehow familiar and alien at the same time.
"It is my Javey"
She spun at the sound of the creepy voice calling her 'my Javey'. Facing her was Ram. Not the Ram that she had married, a pushover and womanizer, this was a different Ram. Hair spiked up into red horns on either side of his head with green flames flickering around his eyes. But the biggest change was the monstrosity he was sat in. She thought it was a wheelchair but it could have just as easily been a small tank or car.
"Surprised to see me?" he asked gliding forward in the metal monster with a strange whirring sound.
Java couldn't answer the partial stranger, what was she supposed to say, what had happened to the man she had married?
As Ram came to a stop in front of her she reached out to touch him and make sure he was real but he jerked away from her touch lip curling up in disgust.
"Germs" he spat rubbing his glove-covered hands together in a motion of disgust
"The doctors said you had 'changed' not recovered," Java said finally finding her voice again
"Does this look 'recovered' to you?" Ram spat at her, then, his face softening he told her in a more gentle tone "Of course you've been worried" he reached up to touch her cheek, Java resisted the urge to flinch away from her 'husband' "I'm sorry the doctors didn't tell you the truth but I need to see where your loyalties lie" his face took on a twisted look that asked her for forgiveness
"Did I pass?" Java asked calmly despite the fact her heart was pounding. This was it, when she found out exactly how much Vic had said
"Of course he said brightly. Then his face darkened slightly There was one thing though" He pressed a button on his chair. As Java watched the door Ram had entered through opened and five Technos trailed through. Java knew her shock showed on her face as she recognized them.
"Now. I [I]am[/I] prepared to excuse you Java. You must have been upset about my.condition" his voice was condescending and not at all understanding "However, your lovers must be punished for adultery against their leader." Ram told her raising his wrist, as Java processed his words and realized what he was about to do she screamed out, but it was too late. Rams wrist flicked and the boy fell to the floor, dead.
Java stared at the corpse in horror as her other lovers backed away from it shooting pleading glances at her and fearful one's at Ram.
"Next?" Ram asked her raising his wrist again, his face straight but an edge of glee lurking in his eyes. Java shook her head mutely in a plea for justice. "What can we do with them then?" Ram asked relaxing back into his chair and touching his fingertips together in a gesture of exaggerated thought. "I know!" he said confidently "We'll put the traitors with the other traitors" he let pout a cackle which made shivers run up and down Java's spine.
"I should get changed" Java said searching for a reason to leave the madman's presence, she didn't know who Ram was anymore he had changed so much and she didn't like it, she was no longer in control of he relationship.
"Certainly, we wouldn't want you getting ill with [I]germs[/I]" Ram told her waving his hand dismissively as she left.
Java rolled out of that night's lover's arms and groaned. Blinking she realized the bright light falling on her must be the moon. Sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed she looked back to the boy that still lay asleep on her bed,
This one had dark short-cropped hair and was at least a year her junior. The one the night before had been blonde, and the one before that. Java couldn't remember, it was god knows what time in the morning she told herself, she couldn't be expected to think properly.
Picking up her bedside clock she pressed the light creating a strange alien illumination in the vivid light and dark caused by the moons light in the room 2.18 am.
Sighing she slid off the bed and reached blindly into her wardrobe search8ing for something to wrap around herself. Her hand quickly connected with a jacket that she pulled out and wrapped around herself. The first thing she noticed was the size of the Jacket, it was dripping off her but keeping her nicely warm, the second thing she noticed was the delicate taste of aftershave rising from the jacket.
[I] "I'm cold," she stated sitting up
"Wrap yourself in the covers" Vic instructed her drowsily
"No. I really am cold" java told him. With a groan Vic rolled away from her and groped blindly at the side of her bed. After a minute he tossed a jacket at her. Wrapping herself in the huge thing she curled up next to Vic
"I'm warm now," she told him contentedly"
"Oh good" he muttered [/I]
The bittersweet nostalgia brought a lump to Java's throat. How long had it been? Four? Five days? She thought it was five, five days since she had spoken to Vic alone. She had talked to him with others present in his cell but that wasn't the same. She just hadn't had time to seek him on his own, with both Ram and Vic otherwise disposed the weight of leadership with had formally rested on three shoulders had landed on her. The days had sped by in a blur of people and papers with no chance to rest and organize her thoughts. At night there were her lovers, a different one each night to help her combat the loneliness, before there had always been someone, Sara, Siva, Vic, someone she could talk to but now she was awash in a sea of nameless faces all demanding things from her.
She moved away from the cupboard to lean on the window and watch the silent still black and white landscape. She felt like the only person alive as she stared across the silence.
The thing she hated most about the whole mess was the waiting. The medics came to talk to her everyday but it was always a version of the same song
"He's alive, just"
No one could work out exactly what had happened in Ram's room that fateful day, though Java could make a more informed guess than most, Ram was dying Vic not talking.
All they could work out was Ram had been hit in the lower back by one of the older discarded versions of the zappers that Java had had in one of her desk drawers. Why Vic hadn't used the zapper she had provided Java didn't know but she suspected Vic had had good reason. That was the reason Ram was still alive.
The older zapper Ram had been hit with had been deemed a failure because at killed all the rats it was tested on outright. Post mortem examinations had shown the rats nervous and immune systems had been destroyed. According to medics the effect on Ram had been similar, the nerves on his lower back had been killed and his immune system desecrated.
In truth Java didn't know whether she wanted Ram to live or die. If he died Vic's death was assured and the leadership pf the Technos would fall upon her. She didn't want that kind of Power, she wanted to be able to sit back and enjoy being leader, not have to work all the time.
And if Ram survived she would be left with a husband, paralyzed form the waist down without an immune system and possible brain damage as no one knew what effect the trauma might have on his brain. And with Ram alive Vic's chances still look dodgy, not to mention her own, who knew what had been said, what Vic had told Ram.
Java sighed closing the curtains to encase the room in complete darkness. Whether Ram survived or not was no longer in her hands. Dropping the jacket onto the floor she climbed back into her bed close to her lover and tried to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a disturbed nights sleep Java was informed that there had been 'change' in Rams condition. Whether it was good or bad the nervous medic refused to saw and Java suspected they didn't actually know
That was why she ended up in the gym beating the he|| out of a punch bag with her subordinates under the orders
"Unless the sky falls or something happens with Ram disturb me at your peril"
She mused that the threat seemed to be working as she gave the punch bag a solid roundhouse kick. As the bag swung away from her she heard the door behind her open.
"This had better be good" she called out warningly still concentrating on the punch bag,
The voice that called back made her skin crawl, somehow familiar and alien at the same time.
"It is my Javey"
She spun at the sound of the creepy voice calling her 'my Javey'. Facing her was Ram. Not the Ram that she had married, a pushover and womanizer, this was a different Ram. Hair spiked up into red horns on either side of his head with green flames flickering around his eyes. But the biggest change was the monstrosity he was sat in. She thought it was a wheelchair but it could have just as easily been a small tank or car.
"Surprised to see me?" he asked gliding forward in the metal monster with a strange whirring sound.
Java couldn't answer the partial stranger, what was she supposed to say, what had happened to the man she had married?
As Ram came to a stop in front of her she reached out to touch him and make sure he was real but he jerked away from her touch lip curling up in disgust.
"Germs" he spat rubbing his glove-covered hands together in a motion of disgust
"The doctors said you had 'changed' not recovered," Java said finally finding her voice again
"Does this look 'recovered' to you?" Ram spat at her, then, his face softening he told her in a more gentle tone "Of course you've been worried" he reached up to touch her cheek, Java resisted the urge to flinch away from her 'husband' "I'm sorry the doctors didn't tell you the truth but I need to see where your loyalties lie" his face took on a twisted look that asked her for forgiveness
"Did I pass?" Java asked calmly despite the fact her heart was pounding. This was it, when she found out exactly how much Vic had said
"Of course he said brightly. Then his face darkened slightly There was one thing though" He pressed a button on his chair. As Java watched the door Ram had entered through opened and five Technos trailed through. Java knew her shock showed on her face as she recognized them.
"Now. I [I]am[/I] prepared to excuse you Java. You must have been upset about my.condition" his voice was condescending and not at all understanding "However, your lovers must be punished for adultery against their leader." Ram told her raising his wrist, as Java processed his words and realized what he was about to do she screamed out, but it was too late. Rams wrist flicked and the boy fell to the floor, dead.
Java stared at the corpse in horror as her other lovers backed away from it shooting pleading glances at her and fearful one's at Ram.
"Next?" Ram asked her raising his wrist again, his face straight but an edge of glee lurking in his eyes. Java shook her head mutely in a plea for justice. "What can we do with them then?" Ram asked relaxing back into his chair and touching his fingertips together in a gesture of exaggerated thought. "I know!" he said confidently "We'll put the traitors with the other traitors" he let pout a cackle which made shivers run up and down Java's spine.
"I should get changed" Java said searching for a reason to leave the madman's presence, she didn't know who Ram was anymore he had changed so much and she didn't like it, she was no longer in control of he relationship.
"Certainly, we wouldn't want you getting ill with [I]germs[/I]" Ram told her waving his hand dismissively as she left.