Chapter 23 - Ebony

As Java crumpled to the floor I felt my legs go weak and I staggered slightly, she really had done a good job of beating me up. As I staggered I felt Jay's arm go around my waist to support me. I looked up at him and smiled gratefully, first he had rescued me from Java and now he was supporting me. He didn't seem too badly affected by her attack, unlike me.

Slinging Java's limp body over a shoulder he said

"Come on, lets get her back to the city" then he wrapped his other hand around me to help me get back to the mall. At any other time this would have been heaven, however I was too knocked about by Java for my brain to make quite the right connections.

"Thanks" I said as we walked across the beach "But what are you doing out here?" I asked remembering I hadn't found that out yet.

He hesitated before answering me "I saw Java and followed her" he told me, he didn't seem too confident with the story but I was too badly beaten up to question him further.

"I'm glad you did" I told him gratefully, and I was, God knows what Java would be doing to me at that moment if he hadn't been there to help me. I shuddered slightly at the thought and feeling my shudder Jay pulled me closer to him, which I wasn't going to complain about.

After that we didn't really say anything else on the way back to the mall. I really didn't feel well, the world kept going funny and most of the time Jay was the only thing keeping me upright and moving.

When we got back to the mall Jay put Java down on the steps and helped me sit down next to her but I promptly fell backwards so I was lying on the steps staring at the cealing high above me.

"Patch? Taisan? Anyone?" yelled Jay, his voice echoing about the mall. As I lay there I heard foot steps coming running in from various directions.

"What happened?" someone, I think Salene, yelled.

Suddenly Patch appeared above me.

"How do you feel Ebony?" he asked. I would feel a lot better if both of him would stop moving and I told him so. Patch (all three of him) turned to someone near him and told them to take me to the hospital. I felt arms go underneath me and Jay appear above me. As he lifted me I saw the Mallrats standing around and then I was tucked into his arms like a child and he carried me to the hospital, where I was placed on a bed and I immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.

When I woke Patch was stood next to my hospital bed, his back to me, reading something. My entire body ached and it hurt to turn my neck to talk to him.

"How long have I been out?" I groaned

He turned putting down whatever he was reading and began lifting my eyelids and shining a torch in my eyes as he told me "Most of the day. How do you feel?" he asked

"How do you think?" I spat at him "Like I've been walked over by a herd of elephants"

"You don't have concussion," he said more to his book than me

"Does that mean I can get up?" I demanded

"Yes" he said "As long as you take it easy"

"As if I could do anything else," I muttered swinging my aching body around to get off the bed and hobbling off to the café. It hurt a lot to climb the steps and on my slow way up I noticed all the grids on the entrances were down and there was a lot of noise coming from the café. When I got into the café most of the Mallrats were in there arguing, I slid into a seat opposite Siva and Lex groaning at the aches in my body.

"She creamed you then?" Lex said half laughing.

I shot him a poisonous glance then ignored him. "What's going on?" I asked Siva indicating the Mallrats.

She winced "Your not gonna like this" she said "Tai-san, Jack and Ellie took Java to the hotel, then Jack and Ellie then went to the old farm while Tai-san rejoined the Technos"

It didn't sound that bad, I couldn't see why she was so worried about telling me what had happened

"And." I said prompting her, trying to get to the bad part.

She gulped "Java got free, killed Mega and has taken over the Technos" she said in a rush. I could see why she was nervous about telling me that news, I was in sh!t, Java was gonna be out for my blood, I swore

"Language" Lex said tutting under his breath

"Shut up Lex" I snapped at him, he just smirked and slipped his hand around Siva's waist

"I'm off to my room," I told Siva I really couldn't think or worry about Java in the state I was in. Getting up I saw Jay over the other side of the room having a conversation with Pride, he glanced at me and our eyes met but I pulled away and went to my room where I fell into the sleep of the exhausted.