Pride is breathing heavily and Lex is almost struggling to keep
himself up as they come up the stairs to the mall. Cloe is there at the top
if the stairs. She looks happy but her mood changes when she sees the looks
on their faces.
"Lex..." Cloe says, she sounds surprised.
"Where are Salene and the others?" Pride says between heavy breaths, "I need to talk to them, now!"
Cloe nods and hurries off to Salene's room, bringing Salene and anyone else she can find into the living room.
By the time they all get there, Salene, Mouse, Sammy, Dee, and Patch, Lex is resting on the couch. Pride is pouring himself a rather large glass of water.
Salene is smiling but her smile soon fades as she sees only two figures in the living room, not three or more.
"Where's Leigha?" Cloe asks hurriedly.
They all look at Pride, even Sammy and Mouse look to him for answers. He doesn't say anything.
"They took her-" Lex says for Pride.
"Again," Pride adds.
Salene turns pale and stumbles backwards. "Oh God," she says so fast it sounds like a jumble of words.
"She was in there for two years and finally got out a few days ago only to end up stuck there again..." Pride says.
There is silence. "What happened?" Salene asks carefully.
Lex shrugs, unwilling to talk about it. He hadn't seen his Tai-san, so what did he care?
"Leigha found a way in and hid us in a back room while she went to look for the others"
Lex leans forward, leaning his elbows on his knees, directing his next comment to Salene.
"Wasn't a very good idea to let her go off on her own seeing as she had a little walk down memory lane with our ol' friend Jay"
Salene's eyes widen as she looks to Pride. Pride looked angry.
"And then 'Romeo', here, decided that we should go out and look for the others because apparently Leigha wasn't getting back soon enough," Pride says.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault she decided to stall on the errand," Lex says, supporting himself.
"You guys! Stop fighting!" Salene says, she just wants to know what happened.
"Salene's right, you guys fight too much," Mouse says. She turns and she and Sammy leave the room, weary of 'adult' problems.
"Anyways," Pride says, getting back on topic, "We found where the others were being tested before she did and Siva was there. She left and, no doubt, went to go tell Ram. The hall near where we had gotten in was swarming with Technos so Leigha made a break for it and created a diversion so we could get away. We knew even before we left that she would be taken, without a doubt"
"And then we high-tailed it back here, running all the way," Lex says.
Salene laughs nervously. "She made a diversion so the two of you could get out of there and while you knew for a fact that she would be taken, you just let her go and do it?"
"Salene, it was either her or all three of us!" Pride says, "If we were all taken, who would know that we were even there? Who would come to get us out? By getting us out of there, we still have a chance of getting her out again. But do you seriously think that I would leave someone I love in a Techno building, if I didn't know I could get her out again, and that it was for the best? I don't think so"
There was silence.
"As much as I hate to admit it, Pride's right," Lex says.
Cloe lets out a long breath. Pride, Lex, Dee, Patch, and Salene almost forgot she was standing there. "Well," she says uncomfortably, "I'm going to go and find out what I can". No one knew it, but she was going to talk to Ved again. She had promised Salene she wouldn't converse with him again, but a promise could be broken for certain circumstances like this.
"Lex..." Cloe says, she sounds surprised.
"Where are Salene and the others?" Pride says between heavy breaths, "I need to talk to them, now!"
Cloe nods and hurries off to Salene's room, bringing Salene and anyone else she can find into the living room.
By the time they all get there, Salene, Mouse, Sammy, Dee, and Patch, Lex is resting on the couch. Pride is pouring himself a rather large glass of water.
Salene is smiling but her smile soon fades as she sees only two figures in the living room, not three or more.
"Where's Leigha?" Cloe asks hurriedly.
They all look at Pride, even Sammy and Mouse look to him for answers. He doesn't say anything.
"They took her-" Lex says for Pride.
"Again," Pride adds.
Salene turns pale and stumbles backwards. "Oh God," she says so fast it sounds like a jumble of words.
"She was in there for two years and finally got out a few days ago only to end up stuck there again..." Pride says.
There is silence. "What happened?" Salene asks carefully.
Lex shrugs, unwilling to talk about it. He hadn't seen his Tai-san, so what did he care?
"Leigha found a way in and hid us in a back room while she went to look for the others"
Lex leans forward, leaning his elbows on his knees, directing his next comment to Salene.
"Wasn't a very good idea to let her go off on her own seeing as she had a little walk down memory lane with our ol' friend Jay"
Salene's eyes widen as she looks to Pride. Pride looked angry.
"And then 'Romeo', here, decided that we should go out and look for the others because apparently Leigha wasn't getting back soon enough," Pride says.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault she decided to stall on the errand," Lex says, supporting himself.
"You guys! Stop fighting!" Salene says, she just wants to know what happened.
"Salene's right, you guys fight too much," Mouse says. She turns and she and Sammy leave the room, weary of 'adult' problems.
"Anyways," Pride says, getting back on topic, "We found where the others were being tested before she did and Siva was there. She left and, no doubt, went to go tell Ram. The hall near where we had gotten in was swarming with Technos so Leigha made a break for it and created a diversion so we could get away. We knew even before we left that she would be taken, without a doubt"
"And then we high-tailed it back here, running all the way," Lex says.
Salene laughs nervously. "She made a diversion so the two of you could get out of there and while you knew for a fact that she would be taken, you just let her go and do it?"
"Salene, it was either her or all three of us!" Pride says, "If we were all taken, who would know that we were even there? Who would come to get us out? By getting us out of there, we still have a chance of getting her out again. But do you seriously think that I would leave someone I love in a Techno building, if I didn't know I could get her out again, and that it was for the best? I don't think so"
There was silence.
"As much as I hate to admit it, Pride's right," Lex says.
Cloe lets out a long breath. Pride, Lex, Dee, Patch, and Salene almost forgot she was standing there. "Well," she says uncomfortably, "I'm going to go and find out what I can". No one knew it, but she was going to talk to Ved again. She had promised Salene she wouldn't converse with him again, but a promise could be broken for certain circumstances like this.
