The short young man walked the length of the room, spun around and walked the distance again. His movements were spare and compact, and bristled with tension. It was as if the very air around was alive, the energy rolling off of him was so strong.
"Lex, either leave or quit pacing, you're making me dizzy and nauseous." Siva put down the magazine she had been flipping through.
He stopped, turning to face her, his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm sorry babe; it's like I'm ready to jump out of my skin, and I just can't keep still."
She stood, walking over to wrap her arms around his torso, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know, you want to be out on the streets helping to keep order, but you're needed here. I know, he—he's locked up, but I just can't feel safe."
A shudder ran through her at the mention on her ex-husband and Lex hugged her as closely as he could with her burgeoning belly, rubbing his hands soothingly up and down her back.
"He can't get to you, not as long as I'm here."
"You promise?" She blinked wet lashes at him, her voice small like a child's.
He pulled back from her, tilting up her chin, locking gazes with her.
"Promise"
He dipped his head, capturing her lips with his.
Ellie scrunched up her eyes, her head moving back and forth restlessly on the pillow. She was trying to swim, but was mostly flailing, trying to move through the viscous liquid to the surface. So close, she was so close, she could see the light filtering through the heavy pressing waves. She kicked, just one forceful pushed forward and she was free.
She blinked her eyes open, turning her head as the bright light stabbed at her pupils, starting her head to pounding. She cried out, reaching up a hand as if to physically put her head back together, for surely if it hurt that much it must have split apart. Her fingers grazed her head, coming up against gauzy cloth—a bandage. Her head was wrapped in a bandage. She felt along it, snatching her hand away and crying out again when she hit a tender spot, sending off more shockwaves of pain.
"Ellie, you're awake; how do you feel?" Siva bent over the blond girl, her eyes concerned. Lex quickly joined her, also peering down at his fellow Mallrat.
"Hur—hurts." Ellie croaked out, her voice low and raspy.
"I'll just bet, after what you've been through. Let me get you some aspirin and some water." Siva shook out two pills from the bottle at the bedside table, and filled the glass from the pitcher that was there just for that purpose.
"Lex, help me lift up her shoulders."
He went around to the other side of the bed, lifting Ellie upright. Siva handed her the pills and the glass, watching as the injured girl swallowed the pills and drank thirstily from the glass.
"Slowly, slowly; you don't want to choke." Siva tilted the glass to a lower angle, reducing the flow of water Ellie was gulping down.
She finished the water, and her whole body collapsed, as taking the pills and drinking the water had taken all the energy that she had. Lex lowered her back to the bed slowly, while Siva put the glass on the bedside table.
"Ellie, are you still awake?"
She blinked her eyes open again, focusing on Lex. "Yeah."
"Do you remember what happened?"
Ellie frowned. "Attack…followed…guys...Maravaj…so many dead" She began shaking her head. "Building…collapse…Jay!" Her eyes opened widely, then she fell silent, once more lost to the dense waves.
Siva, leaned over her, dabbing at her brow with a damp cloth, then returned to her chair beside the bed. She looked over at a thoughtful Lex..
"She remembers everything, following you all, the carnage, and Jay caught under that collapsing building."
He nodded, then quirked a brow at her. "But does she remember pushing him out of the way…and getting hurt herself? That's the sixty-four thousand dollar question."
"We've been over this again and again and we're still not getting anywhere." Jay threw down the report in frustration. He turned away from the other occupants of the room, walking to stand at the window, staring out but not really seeing the activity below.
"Maybe we should break for the night. Start again in the morning, when we're fresh. It's obvious that Jay's mind is elsewhere, and I think if I see another report, my eyes will cross permanently." Mega stood, leaning and turning his head to the accompaniment of several loud pops.
Jay spun around, pinning the Techno commander with a steady gaze. "Wouldn't your mind be elsewhere? If it was Trudy laying on a bed, falling in and out of consciousness, injured all to hell, saving your life?"
Mega flushed, looking away and beginning to clean his glasses.
"No need to attack him, Jay. We understand your concern for Ellie—" Jack began, but he was cut off.
"Like you care about Ellie! I know all about how you dumped her, comparing her to a used bandage. As far as you're concerned the sun rises and sets out of Ebony's a—" Jay's eyes were blazing as he lashed out at the younger boy.
"I'd advise you not to finish that statement, Jay. I know you're upset and worried right now, but I will not have you or anyone else putting down Ebony. And that's what led to that conversation with Ellie, well that and her belief that I was going to be her doormat, waiting for her to decide whether she wanted to be with Luke or me. I regret now being so harsh with her then, but there it is."
Jay's expression went through several phases, anger, embarrassment and finally confusion. He frowned asking, "Who's Luke?"
Jack replied. "Do you care about Ellie?"
"Of course, but what does—"
Jack continued, "And she cares about you, right?"
Jay nodded.
"Then I advise leaving the past in the past, which is what Luke is."
Jay opened his mouth and then closed it, nodding slowly.
"Good. That's settled. Can we go home now? I haven't seen my wife in almost—" he glanced at his watch, "Twelve hours. And I'm starving. My stomach's beginning to think my throat's been cut."
The two Technos nodded and quickly shuffled the papers into some semblance of order. They would all look again in the morning, trying to find that which had eluded them for so long. A clue, an inkling, even an unfounded rumor that could clue them in as to who these mysterious attackers were and just what they wanted.
"It's an act, I tell you."
Ebony spat out the words as she looked down at her slumbering sister. Java had been 'sleeping' for long hours off and on the entire week since Ram had brought her to the Mall. Trudy, May and Salene had all taken turns caring for her, while Ebony had flat-out refused, taking a stance on Java similar to Lex's on Ram: she was not to be trusted.
Trudy sighed. "So you've said, Ebony. More than once. I'm even inclined to agree with you, considering what she's done in the past. But if we held everyone indefinitely accountable for past misdeeds, even you would be locked up in the cage."
Ebony didn't even blink. "As would you, my dear Supreme Mother."
The young mother flinched. "You've made your point, Ebony; mine too in fact. None of us are without fault, so why don't you cut Java some slack; she's lost a child very recently."
"So Ram said." Her tone dripped disbelief.
"So we know. Mega had her checked by one of his team."
The braided girl's face darkened for a moment, sorrowing shining from her eyes. But then she stiffened her spine, raising her chin.
"That changes nothing. She's still a danger to all of us."
"Why do you hate her so much?" Trudy inquired.
"Why are you so sympathetic to her?"
"Because…because I could have lost Brady before she was born. I was young, we had no hospitals, we had no doctors, it's a miracle that we both survived, and I almost didn't. If I had lost Brady—I don't know what I would have done then. I wasn't in a good place. You're due soon; what would you do if you lost your baby?"
Ebony involuntarily raised her hands to rest on her belly, circling the bump of her unborn child unconsciously. She looked down, her hands no longer moving, just resting there. When she looked up at Trudy, there were tears in her eyes.
"I would want to die."
Her eyes were bleak, haunted and she made no protest when the other girl gathered her into a hug. She cried softly on her shoulder,
She approached the cage hesitantly, her eyes large as she viewed the boy inside the cage. He was familiar to her somehow, but she was not certain why. She circled the cage, viewing him from all angles. He looked different, not quite himself. She ventured forward, until her face was pressed against the chain links.
"You've come back to me."
Ram jumped back suddenly, assuming a defensive stance. When he saw who was watching him, he smiled, his grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat's.
"Yes I have come back to you, my sweet."