Authors Note: There's a little more plot in this chapter and I'm still working on some of the next chapters although it's going kind of slowly since I don't have as much time as I used to and I now have a few fanfics in the making but I'll try to update soon.

By the way I'd love a few reviews just so I know someone is actually reading the story and while I may not be one of those authors who refuses to update if I don't get reviews (There's nothing wrong with that though.) I like to know what's good about the story what I should improve etc. Thanks. Here's the next part:

Jay was walking on the cliff tops away from the house deep in thought about Amber and whether it would be best for him to just leave and stop getting in the way. It would make her decision much easier and would save him the pain of rejection. But she hasn't chosen Bray yet, Jay reminded himself holding on to his trust in Amber, he loved her and he wasn't sure how she would react if they did find Bray but he still shouldn't have kept it from her, he knew that and by doing so he made it harder for Amber to trust him.

Jay continued to walk contemplating his situation when he met Beth, he had almost not seen her as he was so preoccupied which Beth also seemed to be.

Jay greeted her

"Hey Beth" She looked up a little surprised

"Hi Jay what are you doing up here?"

"Just walking you know. You?" He answered

"Just walking too, I guess." Beth replied knowing what Jay meant about just walking.

There was an awkward silence as they both looked at the ground thinking once more.

"I'll see you later then." Jay said breaking the silence.

Beth looked up

"Jay, wait, since we're both already half way there, do you want to check out the Techno's camp? It's about a ten minute walk and we have a fair bit of light left." Beth suggested, she knew a lot of the Mallrats had wanted to rescue their friends that had been taken by the Technos and thought they could be in the camp and assumed Jay would be one of them.

Jay paused his first thought was to find a way out of the trip then he thought about Amber, how else could he regain her trust.

"Shouldn't we get some of the others first or at least tell them where we're going?" Jay suggested. Beth shook her head

"Its 30 minutes back to the house and 40 minutes to the Techno base from there, we'd be walking in darkness on the return trip. Anyway they'd worry."

Beth explained. Jay nodded

"Ok" he hoped Amber would recognise the recon mission as an attempt to show his trust in her but knew it could herald the end of their relationship.

Beth hated the Techno camp, but maybe now they had more people there was a possibility that they could disband the ruthless tribe.

After ten minutes they reached a cliff and Beth pulled Jay to a crouch beside her signalling him to stay low and be quiet. They crept to the edge of the cliff and Beth saw the cages on the beach, she pulled out some small binoculars from her bag and peered at the cages, as usual there were three cages with four or five people in each, they weren't guarded but were securely locked.

She turned her head to the techno base, sat back on the grassy land at the edge of the beach. The lights were on and as she peered through the binoculars at the windows she saw carousels of people hooked up to the virtual reality and in another, Technos in virtual reality using headsets, the differences in treatment were disgusting.

She passed the binoculars to Jay who also looked towards the buildings. He saw the familiar sights of electric fences, security cameras and guards at every entrance. Jay knew it could be hard to get into the complex but not impossible, Jay moved across the cliff closer to the Techno base and behind some bushes, he concentrated on making a mental note of the entry and exit points and guard stations.

It took his mind off of Amber for a while and he was focusing so intensely he almost didn't notice the sounds of several zappers behind the bushes in the direction he had just come from.

As Jay peered through the sight that met his eyes was not a good one. Beth was led on the floor unconscious and surrounded by six techno guards. Jay considered trying to fight them but knew it would be foolhardy and he would only be caught himself.

As he watched the men lifted her from the ground and one of them said

"That's her." And then ordered the group headed back to the base. Jay was unsure what the guard had meant in identifying her; maybe she had been seen spying on the base before however Jay could not understand why they had not tried to find the house before as it was not exactly hidden.

After sufficient time had passed for them to return to the base, Jay turned his binoculars back to the camp and saw that Beth was taken inside the main building. Jay turned and went back to the house as fast as he could.

"Tag!" Lottie yelled as she tapped Michael's shoulder, he turned and pursued Mouse who was close to him.

"Tag!" he repeated. Mouse tried to chase Sammy but he was too quick for her so she turned to Alicia who ducked and avoided her hands.

Jay ran into the garden where the children were playing and everyone stopped. They could tell by the look on Jay's face that something was wrong. Mouse went over to him

"What's wrong Jay?" she asked fearfully.

Jay was bent double gasping for air; he had made the journey in just over 10 minutes.

"Mouse…I need you…get everyone…in lounge…emergency." He panted. Lottie called

"I'll go with you." And the two girls rushed indoors to get the others while Jay slowly went through the patio doors and sunk into the sofa trying to catch his breath.

Trudy was the first to arrive after being told by Lottie that there was an emergency.

"What happened Jay?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll tell you when everyone else gets here." Jay said breathing slowly in an attempt to soothe the stitch in his side.

Eventually the whole group was assembled and Alicia who had gone to get Beth returned last.

"I can't find Beth anywhere." She said concerned.

"Where's Lex?" Ebony asked noting his absence. Lottie spoke up,

"He said he didn't care there was an emergency and that he was sure you didn't need him."

Jay turned to Lottie and said

"Can you go again tell him we really need him here it's about the Techno base." Lottie raced off and Jay didn't speak again until Lex and Lottie had returned.

"What about Beth? Should we try to find her?" Michael protested. Jay looked at him before turning to the group again.

"Beth and I were on the cliff tops, watching the Techno base and she was taken by some Technos while I was further down the cliff. I'm sorry."

He turned to Alicia who had gone white.

"There were too many of them for me to fight them off."

The silence in the room was deafening until Alicia flew at Jay

"You left her, you let her get caught!" Alicia screamed as Jay tried to protect himself without hurting her.

Danny pulled Alicia away from Jay and she broke down into tears on his shoulder, he was unsure what to do. He looked to Michael for help and he came over to them putting his hand on his cousin's shoulder.

Jay looked at Alicia sorrowfully in silence. He knew protesting would make things worse and he didn't really blame her for being angry with him, she was right, her let her get taken by the Technos.

Lex, who had stood by the door in silence, stepped forward

"We have to go rescue her!" He said angrily although he wasn't openly blaming Jay, he knew why Jay hadn't tried to stop them but it didn't make him think it was any less of the coward's fault.

Slade shook his head

"We need a strategy, we can't just go in there guns blazing, mainly because they have guns and we don't."

"That's not true Slade," Ruby interjected

"Ram has some zappers."

Everyone turned to Ram except Alicia who was now crying on Michael. Ram said nothing. Darryl looked at him,

"Where did you get them from?" he demanded "Sold us out already?"

Ram glared at Darryl "No, I brought them with me from the city, I found on the beach after the storm." He admitted.

"And you didn't think of mentioning it?" Ebony said spitefully.

Lex spoke up for once defending Ram,

"Look, who cares where he got them from, let's use them." He said.

"What about entry and exit points?" May interjected.

"I think I can map them. There were three in the complex but it had a guard on each gate and the fence was electric."

"They were still ID Locks?" Ram asked and Jay nodded.

"So we need the guards to come outside the gates so they can use their id cards to open the gates."

"Could the guards see each others gates?" Slade asked

"No, however communications devices could be a problem and if they get a message across it could be difficult to take out all three gates and prevent the Technos from escaping." Jay explained.

"But if the guards were just letting in other Technos there would be no need to use the communicators would there?" Ram suggested.

Lex pointed out

"We only have two Technos and two Techno costumes." Jay nodded

"But we don't have to take them out at the same time just before anyone notices that the gates are unguarded. If Ram and I go to one gate each with a group and we take out that guard then one of us can go and join the third group and take out the last guard."

"But one of the gates opens out onto the beach there's no cover." Jay said

"Well we can go in the two covered gates and take out the third from inside." Ebony proposed to approval.

"So now we have a plan, let's go." Lex said eager to help Beth. Danny shook his head

"As much as I hate to leave Beth in that place, we can't go now it's already dark, and we'd never find our way now so we'd better leave it till morning."

A quiet group went to their rooms all thinking about Beth and what the Techno's might be doing to her. Lex was restless and couldn't settle down but eventually decided he'd better get some sleep. Jay stayed up long into night trying to think of something he could have done different to save Beth before taking one of the free rooms as far away from Amber as he could.