A/N: I felt like giving you another chapter so enjoy!
By the way I realise that the Lex Beth stuff is kind of cliché but I've never been any good at romance so I apologise.
Trudy and Salene were sitting on the back patio playing with Brady and discussing the future.
"I like it here," Trudy said smiling and looking around her.
"It's peaceful, comfortable and it's large enough for us all to live in without treading on each others toes." She continued.
Salene however was a little more sceptical
"I think it's a bit too peaceful, you know the calm before the storm kind of thing, and it's too close to the Technos to be comfortable."
"Ok, the Technos are a bit disconcerting but I think you're being paranoid about it being too peaceful," Trudy protested.
"And everyone's getting along, Michael is teaching Sammy about beekeeping; Mouse, Lottie and Alicia are playing somewhere together and there haven't been any arguments." she said positively. Salene nodded
"I think we could be happy here" she sighed "until the Technos find us anyway." She added silently.
Jack and Ellie sat on their balcony on the second floor that looked out from the front of the house to the cliff and the sea.
"Isn't it beautiful Jack?" Ellie said looking out to sea.
"What?" asked Jack unaware what she was referring to.
"The view, isn't it beautiful?" She repeated.
"From here the view is perfect!" Jack said staring at Ellie captivated.
She turned to him and seeing that he was watching her and not the sea she gave him a mock scowl,
"I was talking about the view of the ocean." She said although she knew he understood that.
"Well I wasn't!" He said cheekily, taking her hand and pulling her gently closer to him. She limped over to him and sat on his lap. Jack put his arms around her and asked
"How's your leg feeling?" Ellie smiled at him
"It's a little better the herbs Trudy gave me this morning have helped."
"Good." Jack murmured before kissing her gently.
"And what was that for?" Ellie asked as they broke apart.
"To help you heal faster," He answered "Did it work?"
"I don't know. Maybe you should try again?" She suggested cheekily.
Jacks only response was to kiss her again more deeply and passionately than before. Eventually Ellie pulled away and smiled,
"Feel any better now?" Jack asked. Ellie laughed
"I feel much better thank you Doctor."
"Anytime you need my services, just call Mam" He said giving her a mock-salute.
Ellie laughed before becoming more serious
"I just wish it were so easy to bring back those we've lost." She said looking back out over the cliffs.
"You mean Alice?" Jack asked
"I mean Alice, Patsy, Pride, Dal and everyone else who has died, left or been kidnapped." She answered remembering all of her friends.
"I miss them too." Jack said understandingly "We will find Alice, I mean Ram and Jay must know where they sent her and we'll go and find her." He promised.
"Thanks Jack" Ellie said turning back towards him and smiling.
Jay was walking down the stairs to the ground floor when Darryl came up to him
"Hey Jay, have you seen May?"
"Uh...no I don't think so. Have you tried outside?" Jay suggested a little preoccupied
"No. Thanks I'll see you later." Darryl said as he continued towards the back doors to find May.
Jay continued to the lounge to find Amber and was half-relieved and half-regretful to find her as he didn't really want to tell her what he had to.
Amber was sat on the floor playing with Bray JR when Jay walked in,
"Hi Jay" she greeted him as he sat beside her "Where've you been all day?" she asked
"Oh…I've just been looking around the house and stuff." He answered although in truth he had been sat in one of the conference rooms thinking about Amber and the possibility Bray was in one of the Techno camps on the island.
"Amber…" He began.
"Yes Jay?" She asked when he paused looking at the carpet.
"What's wrong?" Amber asked seeing that he was troubled.
"That Techno base down the coast…well we should free the captives." He said after a pause.
Amber knew that was not the reason he was so worried
"So what's wrong?" she asked again while Bray JR gurgled happily where he lay. Jay looked at the baby guiltily and continued
"We can't leave it because…because I think, some of your friends might be there."
Amber was silent for a time and also looked at Bray JR trying to process the information. After a few seconds she said
"But I thought all of our friends were deleted?" Jay nodded
"They were but I found out…before we left the city…that deleted only meant they were removed from the computer, most of them were just moved to the islands, these islands."
Amber was surprised and disappointed
"Why didn't you tell me before?" she said quietly.
"I…I don't know...I guess…I don't know." Jay answered leaning back against the sofa. He couldn't tell Amber why he hadn't mentioned it before as it would be like saying he didn't trust her.
"I'm sorry Amber," he added lamely.
"I'm sorry too Jay." Amber said picking up Bray JR "I'm sorry you feel like that."
As she walked out of the room Amber glanced back at Jay, he had laid his head back on the sofa and his eyes were closed in defeat. Amber knew why Jay hadn't told her and was ashamed to say that he was right to be unsure of her, she wasn't even sure of herself when it came to Bray and Jay. She loved them both, but there was Bray JR to consider and when it boiled down to it she had no idea who she would choose to be with. Amber sighed and took Bray JR up to their bedroom to think.
Jay sat up on the sofa; at this point Ruby walked in
"Hi Jay" she greeted him. Jay didn't look up but answered
"Hello."
"Mind if I join you?" Ruby asked wondering what was wrong with him. Jay shook his head and shrugged
"Feel free." Ruby sat on the sofa next to him,
"What's up Jay?" she asked concerned for him.
Jay shook his head looking at Ruby for the first time
"It's not important." Ruby put her hand on his arm
"It's obviously important to you Jay so what's wrong?" Jay looked back into the fire
"I don't want to talk about it ok, Ruby." He said getting up and going out of the room. Ruby was sorry as she had only been trying to help him.
She sighed and left through the other door to join Trudy and Salene outside.
"Hey," She said sitting on a chair between them.
"Hi Ruby" Trudy greeted her while Salene smiled, "We were just discussing the techno camp down the coast, Salene thinks we should free the captives and disband the Technos. What do you think?" Ruby thought for a moment
"If we don't they could well find us, Beth and the others might have gotten away with it but there was only four of them and there's over twenty of us." Trudy nodded
"But if we attack the Techno base and fail to free the captives then they know about us and will come after us, we don't want to antagonise the Technos remember how well that worked last time, we overthrew Ram and Mega immediately took his place." She sighed "as soon as we get rid of one leader, someone worse comes and takes his place, Mega made us prisoners in our own city, he blackmailed us while he pretended to be on our side, and at least Ram was honest."
"Why thank you Trudy." Ram said coming up from the gate at the bottom of the garden. Salene span round surprised
"Where have you been Ram?" she asked suspicious after their talk of Technos and betrayal.
" I just went for a walk to see if I could find any food its bound to run low soon with so many of us." Ram put his bag on the table and tipped out some ripe apples.
The corner of a plastic bag was also exposed which Ruby pulled out; it contained several techno zappers.
"Where did you get these from?" Salene asked her suspicions that he had gone to the techno base and was now working with them, returning.
"I thought they'd be useful so I packed them on the boat before we left the city then I found them washed up on the beach after the storm. They'd been protected from the water by this plastic bag." Ram shrugged as he started packing the apples back in his bag.
"Can I have them back?" he asked as he finished, Ruby reluctantly handed them back to him, exchanging worried glances with both Salene and Trudy.
"I'll go and put these apples in the larder." Ram said before walking off towards the house.
"Did anyone else think he was lying?" Salene asked her friends who nodded.
Ram headed to the larder cupboard to put the apples away when he saw Slade and Ebony coming his way
"Hey guys" he greeted the couple.
"Ram" Ebony replied as he opened the cupboard and unpacked the apples.
"So where are you two heading then?" Ram asked as they passed him.
"Just going for a swim," Ebony said without pausing. Ram shrugged and went to look around the rooms on the first floor more thoroughly.
Gel was looking for Lex, she had searched everywhere for him so she knocked on his door for a third time. Again she received no reply however just as she turned to leave she heard the mattress creaking. She knocked again loudly, calling
"Lex, I know you're in there."
Again she got no reply and so she opened his door gently and upon seeing him led on the bed entered the room.
"Lex, I knocked three times didn't you hear me?" Lex made no reply to her but stared at the ceiling above his bed.
"Lex?" Gel tried again, walking over to him. Lex again made no response to even suggest he knew she was in the room.
"Well," She said huffily "If you don't want to talk to me that's your choice but I have other things to be doing." Gel stormed out of the room slamming the door behind her. Lex glanced at it and shrugged to himself, he didn't really care if she was angry with him or not.
Gel was furious with Lex, who did he think he was to ignore her? She sat sulkily on a sofa in the living room separate to Jay and neither spoke. After a few minutes Gel got up and went into the kitchen however when she saw some of the others making dinner she left to sit in the dining room so she wouldn't have to help (the heat in the kitchen would fry her hair!) and she could brood about Lex in peace.
Dinner was a light salad with boiled eggs, cheese and some of Salene's warm bread. Gel was halfway through her meal when she realised Lex hadn't joined them.
"Lex hasn't had any dinner." She announced to the rest of the group.
"Well…it's not our responsibility to take him lunch when we're eating ours." Salene said.
"But Lex will get ill if he doesn't eat." Gel protested.
"Why don't you take him some up then if you care so much?" Ebony said coldly
"Lex and I aren't on speaking terms." Gel said trying to sound casual. Ebony snorted in response but said nothing.
"Does anyone want anymore?" Alicia called down the table after getting herself a plate but everyone declined.
"Beth you haven't had any." Alicia said concerned for her friend.
"I'm not hungry thanks." Beth said deep in thought.
"Why don't you take some up to Lex then if you're not eating?" Gel persisted. Beth tried to think of a good reason not to but she was trapped by the gaze of those at the table.
"Uh…ok, sure." She said standing slowly and taking the plate of food Alicia offered. Beth left the room and everyone resumed eating.
Beth reached Lex's door and took a slow breath before knocking. She received no answer and tried again
"Lex? I've brought you some dinner" Lex sat up at the sound of Beth's voice.
He couldn't just ignore her it would be rude, so he got up and opened the door.
"Hi, oh thanks." Lex said taking the plate and smiling at her.
Beth started to turn back to help with the dining room clear up but Lex said
"Come in." Beth stopped
"I should probably go help tidy up." She said lamely.
"Are you sure?" Lex persevered although he could think of no real reason he needed her there, not that he'd admit to himself anyway.
"Uh…ok, I guess they don't need me." Beth said seeing that Lex was trying but still a little wary of him and their earlier actions. She walked past him into the room and he closed behind her. Lex sat on the bed with the plate of food beside him and gestured for Beth to join him. She sat just in front of him and smiled.
"So…" she said searching of conversation.
Lex almost laughed that was how it had always started in the movies.
"You have a pretty nice set up here." Lex said gesturing around him. Beth nodded
"It's not bad, a little isolated but that works in our favour as well."
"You mean staying away from the Technos"
Beth nodded although an odd expression had crossed her face for a second.
"I've seen some of the prisoners on the beach and a few of the others…through the windows having a load of experiments done on them and things." Beth shuddered and Lex put his hand on hers
"Don't worry; now there are more of us we can take over the camp and set them all free. We've done it before we can do it again." Lex not trying to brag for once.
"You've overthrown the Technos?" Beth said impressed and making no attempt to take her hand back from under his. Lex nodded
"They took over our city but with some help from Mega and Jay of course, we managed to overthrow Ram." Lex explained briefly.
"Wait I'm confused, I thought Ram was part of your tribe." Beth said trying to understand. Lex continued
"We overthrew Ram and he was found by Slade who took him to Liberty…"
"The town Ruby's from?" Beth interrupted. Lex nodded reminded of the fact Siva had died in Liberty.
"We thought Mega was on our side but he turned the city into a police state kind of thing, he fenced us in and bar-coded everyone." He showed her his own tattoo on his forearm. "He blackmailed, beat and tricked everyone into submission but then we managed to assemble a rebellion in Liberty and we got rid of the fences and the Technos with only a few losses."
He paused and Beth kept a respectful silence sensing one of the losses was someone he cared for.
"Mega created a computer programme based on a psycho and it tried to kill us all with a different version of The Virus that didn't care about age. Mega went into virtual reality to beat the programme. That's why we had to leave, we warned everyone we could and got out as fast as we could so we weren't exactly prepared"
They both laughed.
"Wow" Beth said stunned "That sounds like some adventure!" she said in awe. Lex shrugged. "So where is this Mega then?" Beth asked
"He died in virtual reality, he killed the computer programme but it killed him as well."
"So what about you? Any adventures as you so aptly put it?" Beth paused and then looked at Lex before shaking her head.
"No we've been here since just after the virus and although I've been on the cliff tops to see the Techno base, we've been by ourselves, we've had no trouble." She paused looking at her hands before smiling and looking back up at Lex which suggested to him that she was lying but he didn't press her. "Which is good but it gets a bit lonely sometimes."
"But you've got Alicia and Michael at least" He smiled then hesitated "and Danny of course." He said with a bitter note in his voice before he directed his attention to the window.
"Alicia and Michael are mature for their ages but they're still young, and Danny is immature and thinks he's God's gift, sometimes I just wished for company of my own age, which I guess has come true."
Lex looked back at her
"So you and Danny…?" Beth saw he was serious and she started to laugh
"What gave you that idea?" she asked shocked.
"Well Alicia said you knew each other from school and you came here together…"
"Well no." Beth said smiling calmly
"Danny and I never went out, I just found him wandering around the city aimlessly and he came with me here."
Lex smiled
"I'm sorry."
"There's no need to be, really." She said softly as she gazed into his eyes. As they both leaned in a gust of wind blew the window open and the noise jolted Beth back to reality, causing her once again to pull back,
"You'd better eat your dinner it's getting cold, I'll see you later."
Then she walked out of the room quickly. Lex stared after her in disbelief before looking at the plate beside him; it was salad how could it get cold? Lex got up and slammed the window shut before returning to his bed and throwing his plate at the offending window, it fell low and shattered against the wall, he lay back and resumed staring at the ceiling.