Sniffs, whimpering, sobs and heart-rending bawling; they came at her from all corners, echoing off the walls, bouncing back and forth, over her, through her, sending shivers up and down her spine. She whirled 'round and 'round but could not see where they were coming from, then she heard a new cry, coming from inside, she clutched her stomach, pressing down, trying to soothe her unborn child. She rubbed endless circles, but the cries only got louder and shriller, forcing her to raise her hands to cover her ears, screaming as she did so. It hurt, it hurt so much, and she could not tell where the cries ended and her screams began. She did not know when she noticed that her hands were warm, and something viscous streamed over the backs of them. She held them out in front of her; blood covered her palms. At first, she stared blankly at them, then raised her right hand to her ear, drawing it over the delicate shell, picking up even more blood. So much blood, all over her hands, gushing forth now from her ears, splashing hotly onto her shoulder and the floor, filling the room, drowning her.
Ebony jerked awake, clutching the arms of the easy chair she resided in. She instinctively pressed a hand over her heart and the other of her stomach, feeling her racing heart and calm stomach. Baby usually slept at this time of day. She then held her hands in front of her, just as she had in her dream. They were both clean, devoid of any trace of blood, which was only to be expected after the five-minute scrubbing she had given it. Raising her eyes to the bed, she felt tears prick and sniffling, she dragged the back of her hand across her eyes.
Siva lay there, as still as death, her only movements the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. In a coma, the med-tech had declared when he finally arrived, Amber having convinced Ram that it was a small thing to allow his former wife competent medical attention. As she surveyed the comatose form of her sister, Ebony let the tears fall as she prayed, prayed like she had never prayed before.
"Please, God, please let her not know; please help her fight to come back, to think she has something to come back for…please!" Leaning forward as far as her belly would allow, she gripped Siva's hand as she repeated her mantra.
Just outside the door, Jack viewed the emotional scene, not unaffected. The need to cry battled with anger and he let the anger win, it was more productive at the moment. Besides, right now if he started crying, he wasn't sure if he could stop. His fault. It was all his fault. None of this would have happened if only—it didn't matter. No use dwelling on the past now. The only option was to move forward, and fix this if he could. Ram was not going to win and he was not getting out of this unscathed. Slamming his fist into the wall, he walked away. He had plans to make.
"I'm not going! I refuse to be a part of some horse and pony show for Ram and I can't bear to watch…God!" Ellie burst into tears, curling in on herself. Wiping tears from her own red-rimmed eyes, Trudy sat on the arm of Ellie's chair, hugging the other girl.
"We have to be there, Ellie. Ram has demanded the presence of the Mallrats, all the Mallrats, with no exception. Besides that, don't you want to see Jay, to be there for him when—" The dark-haired girl couldn't finish, having a breakdown of her own, Trudy buried her head in Ellie's shoulder, the both of quaking heavily in their grief.
"Is crying all you sniveling virts can do? I thought you were stronger than this. Isn't peasant stock supposed to be hardy and long-suffering? You lose one fuck-buddy and all of a sudden all you can do is cry. Could you be any more pathetic?"
Arms crossed, Java sneeringly surveyed Ellie and Trudy, meeting their gazes when they sat up, head on.
"You heartless bitch! How dare you come in here and talk to us like that? And to think I defended you to Ebony, but I see know that she had the right of it. You are just a cold, bitter, empty shell. It's no wonder Ram left you for Amber." Trudy lashed out, needing to hurt Java, to wipe the smug expression off her face.
But her ploy backfired. She had merely given Java more ammunition. "Yes, he has taken up with Amber, for the moment, and look how well that has turned out for you all, two, no three of your men about to be publicly executed and the rest of you firmly in hand, at our beck and call."
Rubbing moisture from her face, Trudy stood, coming over to stand just in front of Java. "How can you defend him, still be a part of his machine? Amber is not right in the head, what's your excuse. Your niece is dead, for God's sake, not by his hands, but it may as well have been. He's sleeping with another woman right in front of your face. Have you no self-respect? Your sister is in a coma as we speak, don't you care?"
"She would have to have a heart to care, besides Siva might be her sister, but she's a filthy virt now and doesn't matter. Isn't that right, Java?" Ellie stared at Java, her voice flat and emotionless.
Lip curled, Java replied. "Exactly right, virt." Ram's wife spat out. "Siva had it all and she tossed it aside for a philandering, illiterate bastard who isn't fit to lick my shoes. More fool her: I would never be reckless, and for the record, my relationship with my husband is none but my own. You would do well to remember that." With this comment, Java left, stomping away. She did not stop until she reached the room she had been placed in not so very long ago, Dal's old room. Securing the lock, she pressed her back against the door, sliding down until she was squatting, then she allowed the mask to fall, her façade crumpling.
"Oh , that can only mean one thing." Jay stated bleakly, sliding his gaze over to Mega, who nodded solemnly. They had heard through the grapevine what had condemned Lex to the same fate as themselves and how that had led to Siva being left in a precarious state. Hearing the primal scream coming from the cell to which Lex had been confined, their worst fears were realized. Siva and Lex's baby was dead; the latest and completely innocent victim of Ram's tyranny.
"We have to do something. He cannot be allowed to get away with this. We could get out; the pair of us are more than a match for most of these soldiers." Jay shoved to his feet, pacing the limited space of their cell. From his corner of the cell, Mega sat in quiet contemplation, his knees raised with his crossed arms resting atop them. Jay stopped mid-stride, sliding to stop in front of him. "How can you sit there so calmly? If Ram has his way, we will be dead in less than three hours."
Not speaking, Mega held his position, then he uncrossed his arms and methodically cleaned the lenses of his glasses. "What would you have me do, Jay? You know the score as well as I do. If we try to escape, our friends die; if we try anything at all, they all die. All, Jay; Ram made it very clear. I am not going to do anything to endanger Trudy or Brady or anyone else at the Mall. No, I don't want to die, but I have made my peace with it, it if means that those I care about are going to be okay. Are you willing to have Ellie die in your place, or along with you?"
Taut seconds ticked by, with no response from Jay. Then an indrawn breath and Jay fell, his knees colliding with the hard ground. "No, I couldn't bear it-if she died because of me." Glistening hazel eyes beheld Mega, no longer arrogant, or even angry. Even his spikes looked forlorn.
"She won't. Just make your peace with it now. We will meet our fates unflinching, with our heads held high. Ram may take our lives, but he will not have our dignity."
"Everyone, front and center, it's time!" Amber stood at the foot of the stairs, her hands on her hips as she called out for the inhabitants of the Mall. She smiled brightly as they began to emerge, Ellie and Trudy holding each other, both straightening up and glaring when they saw Java approach, Mouse and Sammy clinging to Salene, though he would deny it categorically if such a thing was suggested. Jack and Pride came out of Jack's workroom, the latter eyeing the former questioningly before shaking his head and joining Salene and the kids. May came up from the basement, sniffing and dragging her wrist against swollen, bloodshot eyes. Ebony arrived last, having needed to give a list of instructions to the Maravaj flunkies who would be caring for Siva as well as the younger children while everyone attended Ram's command performance.
When they were all gathered, Amber threw off her cloak, revealing an outfit identical to Java's , down to the zapper strapped to her wrist. She whirled around happily, oblivious to the less than warm response her outfit received. "So what do you all think? I know all black isn't my usual look, but it was Jack's idea; he convinced me it would be perfect for today, and I agree with him. Thanks, Jack." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, again oblivious to the stares directed at him and her. Pride caught Jack's eye, quirking a brow, but Jack shook his head at the Gaian, and although he steadfastly refused to look at her, Jack could feel Ebony's eyes boring into his back.
Having had her fun with revealing her outfit, Amber called them to attention and led the way from the Mall. They would have looked like a ceremonial procession if not for the varying degrees of anger, fear and grief clearly evidenced on their faces. Well, that and the military escort that flanked the group on all sides. They carried their weapons at the ready and with their determined expressions, they looked anything but ceremonial. Amber set a brisk pace and all too soon they were pushing past the throng collected outside the entrance to the hotel, the soldiers buffering the Mallrats on either side. Java had her own escort, walking separate from the Mallrats, acting for all the world like they and Amber did not exist.
They entered the lobby of the hotel to see another group inside, those that had gotten to the hotel early enough to get a ringside view of the meting out of 'Ram's Justice'. From one or two whispers, murmurs and staring spread, as the gathered crowd realized that the Mallrats had arrived, the volume rising when Amber and Ram came together, kissing like they had not seen each other in months, rather than a few paltry hours. The volume of the crowd grew loud enough to interrupt Ram and Amber's embrace; the former grinning arrogantly at their audience.
Raising an arm, he triumphantly pumped his fist in the air, spinning like some beloved ruler. Then he addressed the room.
"Thank you all for coming, those of you that are here, and thank you for watching, the rest of you viewing this on Citynet." He looked at two corners of the room, where the audience and the Mallrats noticed for the first time, cameras set up.
Ram continued. "This is a landmark day in all of our lives. This is the day when we set the stage for how we mean to go on. There is much good to come, in the form of more services for you the people. We are moving towards making the City closer-knit, we will know our neighbors, who they are, what they do, we will forge ahead to a new age of interactivity. We will dispose of large, decrepit structures from our past and move towards a better City, stronger, faster, more efficient. But with every new movement, there will be dissidents, those who oppose change because it doesn't fit their view of the future, and try to stop it. These traitors of the vision need to be dealt with, swiftly and conclusively, letting the others of them that might be out there will know what their fate shall be."
His gaze shifted from the cameras to the Mallrats, resting his eyes on each one in turn, before surveying the audience, then back to the cameras. "To that end I ask you now to be witnesses to the extent to which I am committed to moving forward to a better future…bring forth the traitors!"
Turning, Ram spread his arm wide, turning to point to an entrance off the lobby. Immediately two lines of armed guards marched out, flanking Jay, Mega and unexpectedly to most, Q, who were all locked in shackles. The three walked tall, determinedly meeting the boos and jeers of the gathered throng. Then the cacophony died when the last 'traitor' came into view. In addition to the shackles that the others wore, each of Lex's arms were being gripped by one of Ram's soldiers. His long flowing hair shorn to an inch-long buzz cut and his face—his face was almost unrecognizable as his own, both eyes swollen practically shut, his lips broken and crusted over with dried blood, or was the blood from his nose? It did not matter, his visible injuries tallied up to a gruesome picture of the City's former sheriff, and despite the underhanded activities that Lex was prone to dealing in, no one viewing him now would have expected or wished for him to have ended up like this.
Trudy and Ellie clung tightly to each other, tears flowing freely from the both of them. May stood still, rooted to the spot, eyes trained on Q, as it to record this memory in her mind forever more. Salene hugged the children close, turning their faces into her body, shielding them as best she could. Pride came up behind her, embracing all of them, adding his strength to hers, though his hand holding hers shook, evidencing that he was not as unaffected as he portrayed. Ebony had pressed her nails into her palms when the former Technos were led out, but her eyes closed and she swayed alarmingly when Lex came into view. It was only Jack's quick reaction, supporting her with his body, that kept her from falling. He whispered reassuring words to her, but nothing would stop the tears pricking at her eyes, and she fervently thanked whatever force it was that watched over them that Siva was not here to see Lex in his current state.
Having achieved the reactions that he was aiming for, Ram again addressed the crowd. "And now that all the players are present, let's move on." Smiling up at him like he was Christmas and her birthday rolled into one, Amber threw herself at Ram, embracing him tightly. She even beamed at Java, who had joined them, standing on Ram's other side. As he turned to exit the lobby, he drew Amber in a circle with him, leaving Java to follow them, and the prisoners and the Mallrats after that, then the crowd.
They moved out to the pool deck, but the pool was the least of anyone's concern. Wooden planks covered the aforementioned article, but the structural monstrosity taking up most of the deck overshadowed even this. Honest to goodness gallows, complete with four sets of nooses hanging down, waiting to perform their macabre duty on the restrained prisoners. Ram, Amber and Java climbed onto a raised dais across from the gallows, each standing on either side of him. The prisoners were led up the steps to each stand in front of a gently swaying noose.
Trudy lost it then, screaming loud and repeatedly as everything became startlingly real. There was no going back, no miracle was forthcoming. Mega was going to die in front of her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Ram signaled his ever-efficient lieutenant to handle to situation; nothing was going to mar his perfect day. Cache hastened through the crowd to where the Mallrats gathered, halting when he arrived at where Trudy had fallen to the ground. The young woman lay curled up on the ground, her body cradled by Ebony who had gone over to her after the first outcry. Ebony murmured softly to Trudy now, directly into her ear, calming the young mother down from screaming to incoherent sobs.
When the heavy black boots came into Ebony's view, she raised her head, following them upwards, to the legs, then torso, then above to view the head attached, her anger rising with her view. "You stay away from us. Haven't you caused enough damage already? It's you and your kind that have put her into this state, so learn to deal with the consequences. We can't all be like you, emotionally void, causing murder and mayhem without any thought as to who that might affect. She's not screaming anymore, go tell your great leader that. He can get on with his show now." She spat the words at him and then returned her gaze to the overcome girl in her arms, rocking her and brushing away the hair clinging to her wet face.
Cache stood there for a few moments more, as if nonplussed as to how to proceed. But then an inquiry from Ram spurred him into action, drawing him to the front of the raised stage, where he informed Ram that things were under control. Ram directed him to stay where he was and keep an eye on the crowd, to make sure that nothing was getting out of hand. Nodding to his commander, he meticulously surveyed the crowd, noting the haphazard manner in which they had spread out, directing his men through his communicator to take up strategic points throughout the crowd, to act if things began to get rowdy.
After finishing his side conversation with a giggling Amber, Ram straightened up, raising his hands. It was not long before he achieved the silence he was aiming for and began to speak. "The time has come; this is where we make history. This is where we forge ahead with our future by ridding ourselves of the dregs of our past. Put the traitors into position!"
His soldiers moved to act, pulling Mega, Jay, Q and Lex to stand just beneath the suspended ropes, which were being lowered to facilitate being strung around the necks of the prisoners. One by one the soldiers circled the necks of the men. They had Jay bend his knees so that they could reach over his head and he paid them not one jot of attention, his gaze locked on Ellie's as a nerve ticked in his temple, just behind his eye. His hands fisted and his jaw bulged as he ground his teeth. I'm so sorry that we didn't have more time. I love you Ellie. Then as if she had received his mental declaration, she blinked through the river of tears, mouthing the same to him. I love you Jay.
Mega met his fate more stoically, as was his way, but it killed something inside of him to do so. It had taken everything he had and then some not to struggle against his restraints when he saw Trudy collapse, but two things kept him from acting so rashly. One, he would not give Ram the satisfaction, and two and more importantly, his escape and subsequent capture would put additional strain on Trudy. Seeing him brutally brought back under control would have broken her down even more than she already was and he would not do that to her. He wouldn't bring a moment's more anguish to her if he could help it; rather he focused his gaze on where she lay, willing her to be strong and to get through it.
Dumb, dumb, useless, good for nothing little . Lex berated himself again and again. It's your own fault that you're here now. It's your fault that your baby died…again. You don't deserve to be a father, you never did. And Siva, she didn't deserve what has happened to her. You did this, you alone and you should be strung up like the criminal you are. You killed them, you. Can't read, can't control your temper—you can't be a father or a husband, you worthless piece of scum. Die, die, die. Lex squinted out of his one not completely closed eye, viewing his fellow Mallrats and the crowd and the occupants of the dais. Everyone was here to see him get what he deserved, everyone except for Siva, who he knew lay in a coma, because of him. As the noose circled his neck and one of the guards tightened it, he did not so much as flinch. His end was near and he welcomed it.
On a less restrained note, Q mugged for the crowd as the noose was lowered over his head. His guard had to widen the loop considerably to get it over his afro and Q played it up to the hilt, miming expressions of struggle then choking as the noose was tightened. When his guard stepped back into place, he blew a kiss to May, who released one of the arms holding her body tightly to capture it, her fist extended out in front of her. They remained like this, gazes locked, bodies unmoving, waiting for Ram's next order.
They did not have long to wait. Wanting his spectacle to continue, Ram gave the go ahead. "Finish the—"
"Nooooo!" A cry cut him off from the crowd, just in front of the dais. But this was the wrong time for an unexpected outbursts. Two of the hangmen, reacted jumpily, pulling their levers before it was time, dropping the floor beneath Jay and Lex.
Ram grimaced, his perfect show marred, but then froze as the voice continued. "Subject 357, execute Directive Bravo Roger Alpha 10!" At his side, Amber's face changed; from her manic cheerfulness, her face blanked to an emotionless mask. Woodenly she raised her laser-clad wrist, directing it at Ram. At the same time, having begun to move when the orders were called out, Pride tackled Cache to the ground, working to disarm and subdue the Maravaj lieutenant.
Ram's face contorted into a horror as he saw Amber's weapon trained on him, ready to fire, but then it morphed to smirking glee as the girl's eyes rolled back into her head before she collapsed. Turning, he held out his hands to his savior.
"Java, Java, Java, I knew you loved me. No matter what, I can always count on you to be there for me, protecting my ba—" He too, fell like a stone as a second blast from Java's laser struck him. Unfortunately for him, his ironic statement would never be finished. While the shot at Amber had been set to stun, Java meant to and did kill him…to his face.
Than all hell broke loose. Jack jumped onto the stage, grabbing Java around the neck and training her unresisting wrist at a couple of the guards on the platform, while Pride did the same with the laser he had managed to wrest from Cache. "Cut then down, NOW!"
Stunned by the rapid-fire events that had just occurred, the soldiers were slow to react, until Jack fired just next to the ear of the one next to Jay. The man jumped to follow Jack's orders then, cutting Jay's rope and causing him to fall to the floor below the platform. The others did the same, Mega and Q falling onto the platform while Lex too, fell below. Jerking Java's wrist, Jack directed a couple of soldiers to see to the pair below the platform, then addressing the crowd, called out. "Get out of here, the lot of you get out!"
Pride meanwhile, worked on rounding up stray soldiers, having them gather in a group. Mega and Q, tearing the ropes from around their necks, didn't bother to take the stairs from the platform, preferring to jump off. Mega had barely struck ground when he was racing to Trudy, pulling her into his arms, gripping her tightly, his head buried in her neck. May stood frozen, as if her mind could not comprehend that Q was not dead and he ran to her, lifting her at the waist, spinning her around as he laughed exuberantly.
The two couples were so caught in their reunions that they missed Ellie streaking past them as she ran to Jay, who was coughing as air once more filled his tortured lungs. Slapping away the soldier bent over him, she knelt next to Jay, gathering him into her lap as she rocked him, laughing and crying at the same time. Lex did some coughing of his own, but hugged his ribs weakly after, still tender from his earlier beating. He blinked his one good eye as a tender voice with soft hands pushed him onto his back.
"Just lay still, don't try to do too much, you'll hurt yourself."
"E-Ebony?"
"Yes, Lex, it's me. Now just be still, everything will be okay."
"Ebs, tell Siv-tell Siva I love her."
"You can tell her yourself." Ebony's words went unheard. Lex had lost consciousness. She looked down at his ravaged face and began to cry, bowing her body over his.
"Ebony?" She raised her head, glaring when she saw who it was.
"What do YOU want?"
The speaker stiffened, sucking in a breath. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, you and the baby."
"We're both fine Jack. Or as fine as we can be when we're lied to. Now get away from me; you make me sick."
"…and when they figured out that I was good at working with computers, they put me in charge of their VR program at the camp. I had to run the operations that they told me to and who they told me to. Amber was one of the subjects that came through the program. What they did was pick through kids' brains and find where they were most vulnerable, then exploit that. The person Amber cared the most about in the world was Bray, so they devised an operation for her and I had to make her kill Bray over and over again. It was never my choice and if I could undo it, I would. You have no idea how seeing her like she was ate me up inside. One of my best friends, so broken…and it was all my fault."
Jack hung his head as he finished relating his story. It was hours after the coup at the hotel and the Mallrats finally all reunited in their home. Even Lex had been placed in the same bed as Siva, so that hopefully they would wake up together. Well almost everyone was reunited. Ebony still wasn't speaking to Jack, having busied herself with caring for Amber and Java when she returned to the Mall. Both girls were in comparable states of catatonia, and Ebony put them to bed in separate rooms, hoping that time would prove an effective healer.
Now the remaining Mallrats who were well enough were gathered in the café, supposedly to go over the events of the day, but more so to reaffirm their bonds as a tribe. They had walked through the fires of purgatory and had made it through together, and were a stronger group now because of it.
"It's not your fault, Jack. We all did things we aren't happy about under Ram's rule; none of us are blameless." Salene stroked his back soothingly.
His eyes stark and hopeless, Jack responded. "Maybe not Sal, but some of us are more to blame than others and I've earned more than my share."
"Ebony will come around, I know she will. She loves you."
Jack grimaced. "Yes, but sometimes love just isn't enough."