"There's something Jay's not telling me about the attack two weeks ago; something to do with that weird stick figure on the side of one of the buildings."
"Well, you can't really expect him to tell you everything that's going on with their investigation, now can you, Ellie?"
Ellie impatiently flicked a swath of long blond hair over her shoulder, saying to Trudy. "I can tell you've been talking to Mega again. You're spending entirely too much time with him. The public has a right to know what is going on, and The Amulet has a reputation to uphold; one of telling the hard truth."
"Right, because it's a major newspaper and you're what, the hard-nosed investigative reporter? Lighten up, Ellie."
"Yeah Ellie, who do you think you are, Lois Lane?" May joined the table and the conversation.
Trudy laughed. "Does that mean that Jay is Clark Kent?"
Ellie glared at the both of them. "Very funny girls. You won't be laughing when I find out exactly what's going on and you realize just how bad it is." She flicked her hair back again and stomped out of the café. May and Trudy looked after her then at each other and burst into laughter.
"Ladies, care to share the joke? I could use a laugh right about now."
May and Trudy stopped laughing, looked at each other again, then at Jay and then started laughing again, even louder than before.
"Right then. I can tell it's going to be one of those girl things I'll never understand. Carry on then." He exited the café to the chorus of the girls laughing. He headed up the staircase, meeting Ebony coming down. He decided to take to opportunity to do something he had wanted to do for a while now.
"Ebony, do you have a moment? Can I talk to you?"
"Um, sure Jay, what about?"
"Can we go someplace else? I think it would be pretty private by the fountain."
"Okay." He reversed himself on the stairs, leading the way and sitting down on the base of the fountain while Ebony did the same.
"So now you've sat me down, privately, what do you want to talk about? The joys of morning sickness or the 'I'm growing out of all my clothes blues'? " She smiled at him.
He grinned back. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Jack."
Ebony's smile slipped and her face became an expression-less mask. "What about Jack?"
"Don't worry, I'm not trying to learn all his secrets or hurt him in any way. I just need to understand and hopefully get past this animosity he has for me."
"Look Jay, I don't know exactly what happened to Jack in the work camp. The guards separated us right after we arrived and then we met up again five months later. I don't know what happened to Jack during those five months, but I do know it haunts him still. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, crying out." Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked up from the floor, catching movement in her periphery vision.
She recognized that bright jacket. "Jack!" She got up and ran after him, catching him in his old workshop.
"Did you want to twist the knife some more, Ebony? I get it trust me I do. I hit below the belt before and deserve something equally bad in return, but did you have to go to him and tell him about my dreams?" He turned his back to her, gripping the table in front of him so tightly that his knuckles were white.
She came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, her head resting on his back. "I wasn't trying to hurt you, Jack. I wouldn't do that, I couldn't. I was just trying to explain to Jay—" Jack flinched. "I was explaining to Jay that your experiences in the work camp are still with you, even now. And that that is why you have such a problem with him."
He let go of the table, opening and closing his hands to return circulation to his fingers before closing them over Ebony's hands. "Ah Ebs. How do we do this to each other? We've barely spoken to each other for the last two weeks and it's been killing me."
"You're not the only one. I've been absolutely miserable without you, and so has baby." As if the little one knew he or she was being talked about, they made their presence felt. "Oh!"
Jack whirled in Ebony's arms, worry evident in his voice. "What is it, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Everything is perfect. I just felt the baby move."
A look of wonder came over Jack's face and then it morphed into shock and then his face went blank as his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell over in a faint.
(((((O)))))
"Mega, you're getting to be a meal-time regular around here." Salene smiled at the Techno officer.
He cleared his throat. "I hope that's not a problem. Military food doesn't even begin to compare to the food you prepare here."
She grinned at him. "No problem at all. Though I suspect it's more than my cooking that brings you back here every day." She nodded meaningfully at Trudy and Brady.
He looked at them, admiring the picturesque image. "You're not wrong in your thinking. They've both come to mean a lot to me."
"Well, don't let me keep you from them. Go on." Salene shooed him away.
She watched as Trudy lit up when he got to her table, smiling even more brightly when Mega scooped Brady from her arms and held the little girl on his lap. Salene couldn't help but tear up as she watched the couple falling for each other, right in front of her eyes.
Pride came up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her into him. "Just think, one day that could be us; a little family of our own."
"I can't wait." Her eyes became very dreamy, but not for long as she saw trouble approaching Trudy and Mega's table. Ellie's expression was very determined as she stood next to the pair.
"I'd like a word with you, Mega."
"Ellie, can't you see we're trying to eat?" Trudy sounded impatient.
The blond girl jerked her head in Mega's direction. "He picked the place. Both he and Jay have been avoiding me."
"Maybe because you've been like a blood-sucking tic, not giving them a moment's peace?"
Mega placed a hand over Trudy's, silently asking her to let him handle the situation when she turned to him.
"It's alright, Trudy. Ellie's right. We Technos have a history of playing our cards very close to our chests. I would like to change that. Ellie, we will talk you, and anyone else here who wishes, tomorrow at the hotel. You can have a look around, and see we aren't hiding anything. You all know as much as we do."
"Oh that's a great idea, Mega. Brady and I will make a day of it, get out of the Mall for once." She looked pointedly at Ellie. "Maybe now you'll let us have some peace, starting now?"
Ellie stared at Mega for a long spell, as if she wanted to say something, but then she nodded and walked away to get her own meal.