Different Choices

Chapter 4- Glimpse into the Past

"If Trudy and you two didn't run into the Technos on the way back to the city. Who are the other three that they found?" Amber asked as she held Bray's hand to stop him from following the rest of the group into the Mall.

"The tall blonde said that there was a group on a farm and one on the outskirts of the city. The ones on the farm were Ellie, Alice and Jack." Lex added as Tai-san and he came to stand next to the couple,

"Maybe they just said that to get us to go with them." Amber answered.

"Do you have any idea as to what these Technos want to offer us?" Tai-san asked as Lex put an arm around her.

"They want to use us to help make their takeover easier." Amber answered.

"Fantastic." Bray muttered.

"I want to tell you three something before we go in there and listen to what they want." Amber confessed.

"What could you possibly have to confess?" Lex scoffed as he moved to lean against the pillar.

"When we first became Mallrats, we were so busy trying to survive that we never really talked about our pasts. Then our past didn't seem to matter, we had become a family and that's what was important." Amber started.

"You can tell us anything." Tai-san smiled as she grabbed Amber's free hand.

"I knew Jay and Ved before the virus. They're my brothers." Amber blurted out quickly.

"Oh, that's rich. Bray's brother was leader of the Locos and Amber has two brothers with the crazies that just invaded our city." Lex laughed, "You really are a match made in heaven."

"Who we are related to does not affect the people we are." Tai-san said as she shot a look at her husband.

Bray kept quiet as the others continued to talk and that made Amber nervous, she had never been afraid to tell Bray anything minus the stint on Eagle Mountain, that had been in the past. But this was a different situation, the Technos were a threat and Amber was related to two of them. She froze as Bray let go of her hand and ran it through his hair.

"You never said anything about your brothers, only that you had them. You've talked about your sister." Bray remarked confused.

"I didn't like to talk about them, it was a painful memory. They left just as the adults started to get sick without a word and today was the first time I saw them in almost three years." Amber explained afraid to look Bray in the eye.

"That explains why they had such a fixation on you. I was worried that Lover Boy would have some competition." Lex smiled, "Amber, you should know by now that you are stuck with the Mallrats no matter what. Like you said we are a family."

"Hey." Bray sighed as moved to stand in front of Amber and raised her chin so that she was looking him in the eye, "Nothing changes how I feel about you." Bray promised as he placed a kiss on her forehead, "Your past doesn't matter."

"I just wanted it in the open and I am going to tell everyone. I just wanted to tell you three before I told the rest." Amber explained.

"We've got your back."

"I think you four are going to want to see this." Ebony interrupted from the doorway of the Mall.

"Guess if your alive, then it's not a trap." Lex smirked.

"Let's get this over with." Bray sighed as he pulled Amber to his side and the five walked into the Mall.

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"That took you long enough." Ved grumbled from where Jay and he stood on the side of the fountain, while most of the Mallrats sat on the steps.

"Amber!" A girl's voice called from the antique shop before she rushed into Amber's free side.

Amber was shocked at the girl that was hugging her, she glanced down to make sure that she had heard the familiar voice, "Patsy?" Amber questioned as she took a step away so that she could get a better look at the girl. The young girl grinned back before she took a step back next to a red haired and blonde man.

"Amber." Salene smiled as she took a turn to hug the blonde.

"Ryan." Lex said at the same time as he saw his best friend, "I guess we know who the other three were." He muttered to himself as he shook Ryan's hand.

"I am sure story time can wait for until after we get rid of our guests." Ebony called everyone's attention as she nodded towards the two blondes in black.

"Nice to see somethings haven't changed." Salene muttered as she pulled away from Amber and went to sit next to Trudy on the steps.

"I don't know exactly where to start." Jay trailed off once he saw that he had everyone's attention.

"How about why the hell you invaded our city and started to take our people?" Lex offered as he leaned against the railing of the stairs.

"We came to make the city a better place to live and none of your people were taking." Ved answered.

"One was." Pride interrupted as he thought of May.

"The way I see it we gave you three of your friends that were missing." Ved scoffed.

"I will see what I can do about your friend." Jay offered.

"This is not getting us anywhere." Amber sighed as she moved to stand between the stairs and the fountain. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"My tribe is called the Technos and we have come here to improve the living conditions of the city. We want to do that with the help of your tribe. The Mallrats have been a driving force in this city since the beginning and want to continue that." Jay explained as he glanced at Amber.

"You want us to be your puppets." Alice interrupted.

"They want us to help put the people at ease." Ebony spoke, "Look, I think that it is something that we should think about."

"Let me guess, they want you to stay City Leader." Ellie frowned.

"Yes." Ebony nodded.

"You've given us a lot to think about." Bray interrupted before an argument could breakout between Ebony and the rest of the Mallrats, "This is something that we need to all talk over and then get back to you." He added as he moved to stand next to Amber.

"Of course. Our leader was hoping to meet with you tomorrow, once everything was settled." Jay agreed as he glanced at Amber and then Ebony, "Ebony was going to show us the hotel; it seems like the perfect place to be our headquarters."

"Oh good. That will give her a head start to sell us down the river." KC scoffed as he stood up and made his way towards the café.

"One of you could always come and keep an eye out." Ved offered as he looked at Amber.

"I am sure that Ebony and handle herself for one day." Tai-san smiled as she watched the two men wait a minute before the y headed towards the exit with Ebony behind them.

"I think that we should all go get cleaned up and rest up and then we will all meet up in the café for dinner and decided what we are going to do." Amber waited for the three to leave before she looked at everyone on the stairs.

00000000000000000000000000000000

"I don't feel right about this." Bray sighed as he sat on the bed and slipped his boots off before he glanced towards Amber, who was already under the covers. The Mallrats had spent an hour discussing what to do about the Technos and after lots of arguing it was voted on and the majority voted to go along with the Technos.

"Bray, how often have we done what's best for the city and had the cost of our tribe. It's happened since you discovered the antidote. We help the city and it's only a matter of town before they turn on us."

"That doesn't make this right." Bray argued as he pulled the blanket back.

"Jack had a point that we stand no chance of defeating the Technos now. They have technology and can even drive planes. You didn't see the weapons they used on Ebony and Lex." Amber argued as she turned on her side to face Bray.

"The best option we have is to defeat them from within." Bray concluded as laid on his back, "It also puts a buffer between them and Ebony."

"It's the best option that we have." Amber agreed as she rested her head on Bray's chest, "Our tribe is finally all together. Ryan and Patsy are alive and back where they belong." Amber continued as Bray ran his fingers through Amber's hair.

"The Mallrats being together is what matters." Bray sighed, "How are you handling everything?" He asked as he propped his head on the pillow, so that he could look at Amber.

"I can't believe that my brothers are here and a part of all this."

"When was the last time that you saw them?"

"Right before the quarantine, it was just when the first outbreaks started. Our father had gotten ill and Jay was worried about his girlfriend that lived a few towns over. We argued about him leaving and he said it's what he needed to do and the next day they were gone." Amber breathed as she felt her eyes closing.

"It doesn't matter. Your family is right her." Bray promised as he pressed a kiss on her forehead before he placed his free hand on her stomach.