Chapter 11

"I can't believe she did it to you again!" Alice sighed. "I know she's my little sister and all, but really, sometimes, I can't believe we're related!"

"It's hardly your fault, Alice," Jack replied, cradling his daughter in his arms. "You weren't even there!"

"But that's just it," the sizeable Amazon replied. "I should have been there! Look at me, Jack: I'm not ill; I'm not a prisoner. There is nothing to stop me going back to the city and the mall. I just didn't. I found this place, made some friends and settled in. I knew my little sister was out there, somewhere, but I didn't know whether she was still at the mall or even alive! I didn't know and I didn't want to find out! As long as I was here, I could kid myself that you and Ellie were living happily in the mall with everyone else and that everyone, and everything, was fine!"

"Everyone?" Jack asked softly, guessing what his old friend meant by that. "You mean Ned?"

Alice looked away, her jaw tightening.

"I think you can be forgiven for wanting to believe the man you loved was alive and well, Alice!"

"Self-delusion is nothing more than an elaborate form of cowardice."

"Only if you let that delusion rule your life."

"But that's just it: I did! I let that delusion keep me here, away from the proof that it was just that: a delusion. I let it keep me from my tribe: my friends; my sister! And now look: you've had to pay for it."

"I wouldn't worry about me, Alice! It was hard at the time, but really: I'm fine! Look at me: I have a daughter. I would never have found her if Ellie hadn't dumped me," Jack paused and gazed into the distance, smiling at private recollections. "A lot of things wouldn't have happened if Ellie hadn't dumped me!"

"Such as?" Alice coaxed, curious about the look on Jack's face.

"Oh, it's a long story."

"So?"

Jack shifted uncomfortably: he wasn't sure how Alice would react to this news.

"Er," he began, uncertainly. "Well, l-let me just say, for starters, that she has changed, a lot. A lot has... has happened while you were away. Sh-she's a whole other person now. And she really does care for me. I know she does. And I love her. And we've been through so much. She's come a long way from when you knew her..."

"Jack," Alice said, her voice drawing her friends name out into a warning. "What have you done?"

"Heh!" Jack laughed, nervously, as a few beads of sweat appeared on his brow, then stood up before continuing. "Really, you'd like her now, you used to once," he backed up to behind the chair, edging towards the door. "Sh-she's totally different!"

"So you said," the warning still hung in Alice's voice. "Who would I really like, Jack? And this better not be who I think it is!"

"E-E-Ebony!" Jack squeaked and rushed out of the door, his daughter in his arms.

Alice blinked. He really had just said that, hadn't he. He'd just told her that he was in love with Ebony: the woman responsible for Ned's death, in conjunction with the Guardian, of course! The woman who had betrayed the Mall Rats left, right and centre. The woman who had ran the Locos after Zoot's demise and who had started the whole darn Chosen thing in the first place! And he loved her?

****

Ebony had joined Paul and Lex at the table in the saloon. She was busily working as translator for Lex, who had, once again, swallowed his pride and admitted his weakness with reading and writing. As she read out the last of Paul's questions, she tried to ignore the sound of muted bickering coming from the kitchen where Slade and Ruby were busy with the meals. She hadn't been able to make out more of the argument, but the few words she had caught whenever Skye had gone through to the kitchen for food convinced her of its main substance. Phrases such as "drag him back, kicking and screaming," and "must have his reasons," floated through along with the occasional name, curse or insult.

Lex listened to the question and began to reply. There had been a lot of news exchanged, both bad and good. Paul hadn't known of Zandra's death, or even her pregnancy, or of Dal's demise. He did know that he had seen someone, a woman he did not recognise, bearing the now famous Mall Rat pentagram on her hand, and went on to describe her at great length. A description so clear that Ebony had truncated it to two words: "It's Alice." Lex had asked where Paul had seen her and how she had seemed and, although the deaf young man couldn't be sure in his answer to the first question, his answer to the second proved that Alice was alive and well somewhere, or had been at that time.

Lex and Ebony started when, as Skye once more made the transition from kitchen to bar, a scream erupted from the kitchen, followed by a loud crash then silence. With Paul following, they hurried to the door and looked through to the kitchen. A plate of stew had been smashed against the wall behind Slade and now lay in pieces on the floor, a brown gravy stain marking where it had hit the wall. Splattered in gravy, but quite unharmed, Slade was standing with his hands cupping Ruby's face and his lips pressed against hers. Ruby's arms were frozen mid-gesticulation but eventually she shrugged and wrapped them around Slade's neck. Lex and Ebony caught each other's glance and simultaneously raised their eyebrows before turning back to the saloon and returning to their table.

The next question Paul wrote down asked if either of them were returning to the city. When Ebony read out the question she was surprised to find both herself and Lex answering that they would be leaving soon. She had refrained from mentioning Bray's death in their three-way conversation but had decided, almost as soon as she had woken up, that she must return and face Amber with the news. It was only fair that her former nemesis should be the first to know of his sad fate. It was Lex's decision to return that surprised her, however, as she had assumed that, rather than return to the city with her and Paul, he would proceed with his quest to find Tai San. Apparently not.

The remainder of their day was passed in discussion of more news, stories of their travels and discussion of when to leave for the city. In the case of the latter, it was decided that they should depart early the next morning and that Paul would spend the night in the saloon to be close at hand.

****

"Is it bad?" Jetta asked as Leila completed her examination.

"From what you have told me, what I can see and what I know of your history, I believe so. There is always the chance that it is just a lump and nothing more, but we do not have any way of performing any of the tests the old world doctors would have used and, therefore, I cannot be sure. There may be hope, but I would prepare yourself for the worst. I'm sorry."

"Can anything be done?"

"I could try and operate, if that's what you mean, but these days that may well prove just as fatal as the lump itself, if not more so. In this world, I have to look at the worst it can be, Jetta, I can't say 'well, we'll know more after a few tests'. The lump could be benign, in which case an operation to remove it, and the risks that would involve, would be unnecessary. On the other hand, it could be malignant and an operation our only hope of cure; a cure which may work wholly, partially or not at all and, if I'm not mistaken, you know that just as well as I do."

"If you were not to operate, and it was cancerous, how long do you think I've got?"

"You would know better than I would. These things vary so much and I really have no experience of them. I can't even tell how far advanced it is. You have been here before. I haven't. My knowledge of physiology and anatomy is good enough to give me a fair chance of removing the lump without doing further damage, but in this world, without proper antiseptic or anaesthetic..." The younger girl shrugged, sorrowfully, then, after a few moments added: "You must tell Alkaia of this. When the time comes, it is she who will become your daughter's guardian unless you say otherwise. Does the child's father still live?"

"Yes. He is, in fact, here. I left Hope with him when I came to see you. He arrived, unexpectedly, last night or this morning."

"Then you must also tell him. He has a right to know."

"I know," Jetta bowed her head. "I just hope he will stay until the end. I would have all my remaining friends and family around me, when the time comes, and my daughter will need her father."

****

That night, a figure wove it's way through the lonely, darkened city streets. Everything was quiet. The city was relaxing into the untroubled slumber of peaceful times. The smaller battles for survival were never ending and there would always be some form of struggle for some of the city residents, but not in this area and not now. The figure, a tall lean form disguised by a dark hood and cloak, stopped, looked around stealthily, then crept into a seemingly abandoned building on the city's edge.

"Is everything in order?" asked a voice from the shadows as the figure entered.

The figure knelt and inclined it's head in an affirmative gesture.

"Good," the voice replied. "It will not be long now before we have taken back what was ours. Proceed as you were. Do not raise any suspicions. Await our signal. Then do as you have been ordered."