Part 9 – Shades Of Grey

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ram raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Why didn't you tell me you've had someone following her ever since we got here?"

Ram smirked at Java, taking in her wild, glaring eyes and clenched fists. He loved it when she got angry. "I don't have to tell you anything Java. I'm in charge. You get information if I want you to have it," he said easily.

"She's lying unconscious in there Ram!"

Ram made a mock-concerned face. "Oh, and you care so much about poor little sis, don't you?"

Java said nothing, jutting her chin proudly.

"I thought so. You hate Ebony. You know it, I know it and she knows it. But we're going to try and make her forget it, aren't we?" Ram said, slipping an arm around Java's waist. He let it linger there for a moment before pulling her to him. He held her in a crushing embrace, an embrace that was straying the lines of affection - to violence. His fingers dug into her back and his arm locked powerfully around her. With his other hand he stroked her hair slowly, methodically. "Aren't we Java?"

"Yes," she said unsteadily.

Ram kissed her forehead. "We're going to make her forget that you hate her so much you wish her dead, and try and make a little bargain with her, aren't we? And you're going to be nice to little sis, you're going to be so nice to her Java, that all the memories she's got locked up in that twisted little brain of hers of a jealous, vengeful older sister will just go… poof!"

Java was silent.

Ram's fingers dug into her back just a little harder. "Isn't that right, Java?" he prompted, kissing her again.

"Yes. Yes, that's right," Java said finally in a reluctant, proud voice.

Ram smiled. His Java, stubborn to the last. He'd get rid of that in time. But for now, he had to deal with her troublesome younger sister. Ved had done well in subduing her at the perimeter – maybe a little too well. The girl had been unconscious for hours now. Ram was getting bored waiting. The notoriously tough, hard-as-nails Ebony didn't seem so imposing now. Now, she was limp and defenceless, laid out on a bed inside the base.

Jay entered the room then, taking in the scene before him. "Ram?"

Ram smiled widely at Jay over Java's shoulder. "It's fine Jay. I was just sharing a moment with my wife. She's a little upset over her sister's injuries and understandably so. She's just worrying herself to death, aren't you?" He pulled out of his embrace with her, and looked at her questioningly.

"Yes…" Java replied, and Ram knew she really was worried – just not about Ebony.

"Well then honey, go and sit by her. Siva's still there. Keep her company while us men take care of things," Ram said to her condescendingly, knowing she would hate it… and knowing she couldn't and wouldn't do a thing about it. Especially not in front of Jay.

Java simply nodded and stalked out of the room.

Jay fought off a smirk. "You're asking for trouble goading her like that."

"Am I? Well, I quite enjoy it. Keeps her on her toes. Don't want her trying to kill me in my sleep or anything."

"She might try to do just that if you don't stop provoking her!" Jay said in a sing-song voice. "And I for one will deeply miss you, oh fearless leader."

Ram shot Jay an enigmatic smile. "I'm sure. Anyway, she needs to learn her place. If she doesn't love me, then she'll fear me," he said, without a hint of a smile on his face. "And so will Ebony."

"Apparently that girl's not afraid of anything."

"We'll just have to find something that she's afraid of then, aren't we?" Ram said, gesturing to their newly completed piece of technology.

All of their other gadgets and toys were things that had been used or at least invented in the old world. This was something the tribe had personally thought of and built, and all preliminary tests had been successful. Ram couldn't claim all of the glory for himself. He and Jay had designed the concept and built it from scratch. Virtual Reality. Something that had been just a pipe dream before, and a group of teenagers had brought it into being.

And now Ebony was about to learn just how useful it could be.

Just then, Ved entered. "She's waking up."

Ram and Jay looked at each other and both strode out of the room. They headed straight for one of the medical rooms Ebony was in. Immediately, they heard shouting and cries of anger from it. Ram shot Jay a big, satisfied smile, before sauntering into the room. Java and Siva were looking on as several Techno guards tried to restrain Ebony, who looked extremely confused and upset, and was struggling violently. Eventually one of them grew tired of the fight and went to use his taser.

Ram stepped forward. "No! Leave the room officers. Jay and I will take care of this," he ordered.

The two guards left the room immediately, leaving Ebony to struggle into a sitting position on the bed. With wild eyes she glared around the room at the five of them. "Where the hell am I?" she demanded.

Ram did not reply, he simply walked over to her bed to stand between Java and Siva. Ved and Jay assumed positions on either side of the door. Ram gestured to his wives and slowly, they removed their metal masks. Ram watched with pleasure as Ebony's heavily made up eyes widened with instantaneous shock and fury.

"You!"

"Hello Ebony," Java said in a clear, controlled voice.

"I want to know what is going on here, and I want to know now!" Ebony yelled unsteadily.

She slid off the bed, and immediately her legs gave out from under her, frail from the after affects of Ved's laser assault. Ram shot forward and grabbed her before she hit the floor. She hissed and pushed him away from her. She leaned back against the bed, smart enough at least to know that she was still weak.

"It doesn't look like you'll be going anywhere for now, does it Ebony? So why don't you sit back down, and we'll all have a nice, civilised talk?" Ram suggested amicably.

Ebony remained standing against the bed carefully and crossed her arms petulantly. "Who are you?"

"Lord Ram, leader of this tribe, the Technos. And these are my lovely wives, who I'm sure you know, your sisters Java and Siva."

"Lord?" Ebony snorted. "And you two – his wives? I didn't know you were into ménage a trois."

Ram had to smirk at that but Java looked angry enough to kill her there and then. Siva meanwhile he noticed looked neither amused, nor angry, but concerned and anxious. She'd always had more emotion and heart than Java. He just wished she would show it more around him.

"After your dear older sisters uh… left the Locusts they joined my tribe. They were incredible assets to us," Ram told her.

"I bet," Ebony said darkly. She looked away from Java to Ram, her gaze raking over him. "What are doing hiding on the outskirts of my city, and why was one of your idiot lackeys following me?"

"Perceptive." Ram nodded, impressed. "He was one of my best – and you managed to spot him. You see Ebony, that's precisely why I had someone tail you – you're smart, you're commanding, and you always have the advantage. You were the one person in this city that I wanted to know about the moment I arrived."

Ebony raised an eyebrow at his flattering comments, and Ram could see she was intrigued. Maybe not buying it – but intrigued nonetheless. Java was slightly less pleased about Ram's smooth talk – especially since all of this sycophancy was aimed at her hated sister. Ram could see her glowering out of the corner of his eye, but nevertheless, he continued.

"And you're right Ebony – this is your city. I don't want it. I don't want to control it. I want to help it. I want my Technos to be just another tribe living in it."

Ebony snorted. "Right, that's why you've mastered all of this technology. Not to take over, no, of course not, you just want to… what? Live in squalor with the rest of the little kids? I don't think so."

Ram tilted his head. "You doubt me. That's a pity. I was hoping you and I could work together in this."

"I work alone," Ebony said venomously.

"Oh? There's nothing I can do to convince you?"

"Nothing."

Ram smirked. "I thought so... Jay, Ved, ready the VR program. We're going to show Ebony just how convincing we can be."

Jay and Ved left instantly and Ebony scowled. "What the hell is VR? I'm not going to play any games, so you can forget it now."

Ram laughed. "Oh, this is no game Ebony. It's not a game at all," he said darkly.

Ebony just looked at him blankly, her face still set in stone.

Ram looked to her sisters. "Java, Siva, stay with her until we're ready. I'm sure the three of you have lots to catch up on."

-O-

"I can't believe he brought her here! I can't believe it!" Java raged. "How long does he think we'll put up with his games?"

Siva just watched her sister pace the room silently. Contrary to what Ram had ordered them to do, Java and Siva had left Ebony immediately when he and Jay had gone to ready the VR program. Java hadn't wanted to be in that vengeful little witch's presence for a moment longer. She and Siva were now in the surveillance room, dozens of TVs on the walls around them showing all sorts of rooms and areas on the base. Of course no TV showed the room where the VR technology was kept, or Ram's private conference room, because those were kept completely top secret, but one did show a room in the infirmary where they could see Ebony.

Java rounded on Siva, her eyes wild. "Well? Don't you have anything to say about this? Or are you just going to be as insipid as you usually are?"

"I'm not insipid Java. Maybe I just don't enjoy arguing as much as you do!"

Java shook her head, incredulous. "You're unbelievable Siva! Stop being so spineless! How can you not have an opinion on this?"

Siva considered this quietly. She stood up and folded her arms. "I have an opinion on it but you know what Ram's like! When his recon officer found out Ebony was here did you really think he was going to just leave her be?"

Java squared her jaw, and looked away defiantly.

"Ram has a plan for everything. He was probably rubbing his hands together like a kid at Christmas when he found that out our sister, the sister he knew had betrayed us, was right under his nose," Siva said darkly.

Java flopped down on a chair. "This is all going wrong."

"Well I wasn't the one who wanted this, was I?" Siva pointed out.

Java glared. "We were completely destitute after Ebony kicked us out of the Locos! We were starving, alone, we had nowhere to go, no one to turn to! Would you rather we still lived on the streets Siva?"

Siva shrugged. "If we were, at least we'd have some freedom."

Java couldn't deny that. "I'm sorry it turned out this way, but I did what I did to save us from dying out there! Ram made an offer I had to take, for both our sakes."

Siva looked away. "And now we're trapped… The thing is Java, it's not even me he loves, it's you. It's you he's always wanted. I don't know why he insists on keeping me as his wife."

Java curled her lip. "Love? Ram doesn't know the meaning of the word. And even if he does, I don't love him, I never will."

"But Java he wants you to have his baby… this is getting way too serious. He's going to realise that you don't love him when you tell him you don't want a child with him! Then he'll kick us both out!"

"Are you saying I should just give birth to his spawn just so he won't kick us out of the tribe?" Java asked sharply.

"No… I just— I'm afraid Java. I like this tribe, I'm happy here… I just don't know how much longer I can deal with Ram for. When you won't give him a baby… he'll turn to me, and I don't want to have one any more than you do!"

Java turned away and smiled a little. Yes… Ram would turn to Siva for a baby, which would leave Java free of him. She turned to Siva with a reasonable smile on her face. "But Siva… Siva you're so much more maternal than I am. You'd be better suited to motherhood!" she insisted. "If you did it… it might make him back off a little, we might get some of our independence back!"

"Excuse me? You won't do it, but you want me to?"

"Ram is obsessed with having an heir to his precious Techno throne! Give him one and you have something to bargain with Siva! Something to assure that you're kept safe, and that you get what you want! After all, you'll be the one carrying it, you'll be its mother!"

Siva shook her head derisively. "He's just a child himself! An arrogant little child with way too many expensive toys at his disposal. I won't give a child to a child Java. And if it's such a great idea Java, then why don't you do it?"

Java gritted her teeth. "Fine. I guess neither of us is willing then. We're just going to have to play this one carefully. If he finds out that neither of us are willing to have his baby, then we're goners Siva."

Siva began to wring her hands, that inescapable feeling of helplessness washing over her. "We have to get out of here Java."

"We're going nowhere," Java replied harshly. "Ram sat by and watched us build this tribe for him. Us along with Jay and Ved. We did the work! We made the sacrifices! He was nothing but a privileged little army brat before the virus, that's why he's so good at giving orders and so bad at taking them! He's going to get what's coming to him Siva, I swear it."

"Java…"

"No Siva! Ram is obsessed with controlling everything, with controlling us — it's gone too far! You and me, this marriage we're stuck in with him, it's just for his amusement! What he's doing is inhumane!"

"So why do you want to stay?" Siva exclaimed.

Java rounded on her, her eyes blazing. "Because he's got to pay!"

Siva stepped back, startled by her sister's sudden outburst. "How?"

"I don't know…" Java breathed. "But he will."

-O-

Raven lay curled up in her small bed. She gazed dully into the darkness and listened to the wind and rain pounding the wooden walls of her cabin. Pride had long since left, and Amber had been and gone some three times to try and calm her down – but to no avail. Earlier, both Pride and Amber had had to be summoned to the heart of the camp to deal with a devastated Archer, who had gone into a fit of rage. Pride, with the help of Archer's best friend Viper, had finally managed to overcome Archer and put him in an underground shelter – basically making him stay in solitary confinement. He had wreaked havoc in the camp, terrified the children and angered older members who thought it was about time Archer controlled his temper. Raven hated the thought of Archer, free, wild Archer, being locked up in solitary all alone, with nothing to do but mull over how much he despised her. The thought of him despising her made her even more upset – because she loved him. She loved him in her own way, far from the way in which he loved her, but no less potent.

Quietly her door opened, the sounds of the raging storm becoming loud for a moment. She didn't bother to move. She knew it was only Amber or Pride, come to give her more words of comfort. Words that didn't matter one bit. The person came around the bed and stood over her, shaking the water from his clothes. He took off a long cloak, laying the wet garment over a chair. It was Pride. He slicked his hair back from his face and then put his hands on his hips, staring down at her with a deep frown marring his brow.

"Sienna…"

Raven looked up at him, slightly startled. "That's my old name Pride," she said, her voice husky with tears.

Pride sat down on the edge of the bed by her prone body. "It's still your name. Just like Amber is still Eagle's name. The name we were born with is the name that shapes who we are. You never could have become Raven if you hadn't been Sienna first," he said softly, brushing her hair out of her face.

"What was your name?" she asked softly.

Pride smiled slightly. "That's a story for another day."

She gave him a watery smile before looking away. "How's Archer?"

"He was kicking and screaming in the cave for a while, but he seems to have calmed down now. I think he raged himself to sleep. We'll send Viper in later to see how he is."

Raven nodded. "I wish I could have handled it all better. Maybe I just should have said yes."

Pride frowned and placed a hand on her hip. "Did you want to say yes?"

"No…"

"Then you handled it the only way you could, by telling the truth. Archer's always been a passionate person, but he only sees things in black and white. The shades of grey in between mean nothing to him. He doesn't understand that saying no now, doesn't mean you won't say yes in a few years."

"I don't think he'll ask me again in a few years Pride," Raven sobbed.

She sat up suddenly and launched herself into his arms. Pride grunted laughingly and pulled her into his lap. She ignored his slightly damp clothing and clutched at him.

Pride held her tightly. "It's okay. When he calms down and you two talk, he'll realise how wrong he's been," he whispered. "He'd never leave such a beautiful girl like you just because you're not ready to marry him. He'd be a fool if he did."

Raven buried her face in Pride's shoulder and breathed in his earthy scent. Archer smelled just the same – like leaves and fresh air. An empty space within her ached for Archer to just come out of solitary and tell her that he hadn't meant what he'd said. That he'd ask her to marry him again in a few years when she was ready. But she knew it wouldn't happen. Archer was a proud person. He would never back down on this. They were over.

Pride looked at her fondly and stroked her face. "It'll be all right. Whatever happens, I'm here, Amber's here. We won't leave you alone."

Raven nodded mutely. Pride kissed her gently, and then rested his chin on her head. Pride was a brother, a father, a best friend and a confidante to her, all in one. He was a pillar of strength and she was so glad that he was here to stop her from crumbling. Once again the door opened and the storm outside swept in before the door was closed again. Amber stood there, smiling gently at the scene before her. She came to kneel on the floor by them, her clothes dripping wet.

"Where's Robin?" Pride asked.

"Tigra's going to take care of her for the night," Amber replied softly. "So we're here for you, as long as you need us," she said, looking at her cousin.

"I'm fine. It'd like to be alone," Raven said suddenly, moving out of Pride's arms.

They looked at her, both concerned.

"Are you sure?" Pride asked.

"I'm sure. I just want to go to sleep now."

Amber and Pride, though reluctant, began to leave.

"If you need us, we'll come straight away," Amber said as she shut the door behind her.

Raven nodded, but suddenly felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. She didn't want all of this attention and coddling. She wasn't weak like this, she wasn't! And she hated that Pride and Amber felt the need to smother her with affection at this time. She appreciated it – but suddenly she realised she didn't need it.

How must it look to the tribe – Raven, hiding in her cabin, weeping over a boy? That wasn't her. Even when she had been Sienna, she hadn't cried over boys, or fights, or problems. She had been an only child and had survived losing her parents alone. Amber and her older sister Solaris hadn't lived near her and she hadn't been able to turn to them. When she had gone to look for them Solaris had been long gone, her impressionable mind warped by a cult and Amber had left too.

So Sienna had made her own way to her parent's cabin in the woods to escape the terror of the City. She had lived there for some time, surviving alone at just fourtenn. She had loved it – the silence of the forest, the peace it had brought to her devastated life. She had never wanted to leave. Eventually she had discovered the reclusive eco-warrior tribe living deep in the same forest. She had joined them, knowing she shared their love of the earth. She had become Raven, dark and illusive. She had become a Gaian.

Archer had been drawn to her right away and she to him. He was older, he was ever so slightly unhinged, and he cared nothing for rules or traditions. He missed ceremonies, he was a vicious and talented hunter, and he often used his fists to solve problems, when the Gaians would have preferred he discuss them. He wasn't someone the tribe had liked their new member getting involved with, especially one who had so much promise.

Pride had also seen something in her and had immediately taken her under his wing. She had been in awe of him back then. He was so tall, so powerful and his presence, though silent and benevolent, had commanded immediate attention. He hadn't even known the power he had, and couldn't understand the reasons for his being elected leader of the tribe.

Raven realised that when she had joined the Ecos was when she had started to crawl into her shell. When she had come to the tribe as Sienna, she'd had visions of creating the perfect life with the Ecos. But as she had left Sienna behind and welcomed Raven in, parts of herself had been lost. Now she saw nothing but a weak, frail little girl in that cracked old mirror every day. And she blamed Raven. She didn't want to be Raven anymore. She wanted Sienna back.

She got up and walked over to her mirror. The markings she'd come to know so well seemed alien to her now. Frantically, she rubbed them off, wanting her old face back. And when she saw it, she smiled widely. She hadn't smiled in so long. Staring back at her was Sienna. She had missed her so much. She had missed her fire and passion and life.

She knew what she had to do. She had to get Sienna back for good. The person she had lost. She spent the better part of the night wondering how she could make herself right again, make herself happy, and at last, at daybreak – she realised how.

-O-