"I heard that it was Noelle's birthday tomorrow from Siva and I just thought I'd surprise her," Noah continued as Byte stood there, wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights.

"Yeah, I'll…uh…go…yeah. I'll get her," she stammered. She turned around and quickly walked back into the hotel. Once inside, she ran to Java's room and swung the door open. "Java!" she screamed. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. What she saw gave her such a shock that she could've sworn she'd just suffered from a stroke. It was her mom and Jay both half clothed with the man pinning Java against the wall. What they were doing could be left up to the imagination. She shook her head and thought the next thing she was about to say, she'd never say in a million years. "Jay, get off my mom!" Disgusted, she turned away and at the very moment she just wanted to die.

The couple froze at the sound of the girl's voice. Jay immediately got off of her and made his way over to Noelle. He placed his hand on her shoulder but she quickly brushed it away. "Don't touch me! God knows where those hands have been!" she said loudly then walked back into the room, hastily piled up his clothes and threw them at him. "Leave now," she commanded.

Jay looked back at Java with a slight smile on his face. He wanted to laugh but couldn't, since he knew it would piss off Noelle. "Okay, bye," he said, putting his best effort into not laughing. He walked out quickly and once he was out of earshot, he burst into fits of laughter.

After his departure, Java even tried her best into not laughing but she was too weak to help it. She laughed to the point where she could barely breathe, even though Noelle was less than amused.

"It's not funny, it's quite disgusting," Noelle said.

"Not even a little bit?" Java asked while a small laugh escaped.

"No. You, mother, are not allowed to procreate," the girl said while she tossed Java her shoes. "C'mon we have to go."

"To where?" she smirked as she just answered her own question. Whatever Noelle was dealing with, she wanted her to come along as well. "Didn't I send you out there for a reason?"

As Noelle was about to walk out, she heard Java and quickly turned around. "Was this your reason?" she exclaimed. "This guy is looking for you and me."

"So? Just leave him be. I've got better things to do."

Noelle inhaled deeply and shook her head. "Ugh! Now you've done it! You're going to put your damn shoes on and you're going to come with me. Move it!" she yelled then threw her communicator at her.

Java angrily put back on her shoes while she muttered some unpleasant things under her breath. "Where does she get off yelling at me…damn kid throwing things around…that one hurt too…hit my butt kinda hard," she mumbled incoherently. Once fully dressed, she walked out of her room and found Noelle waiting. "There, you happy now?"

She glanced over at her then smirked. "Ecstatic," she sarcastically replied.

The two strolled out of the hotel and once Java saw Noah, her jaw hit the floor. He hadn't changed a bit, other than the fact that he aged about sixteen years. He still had those killer greenish-grey eyes, the same ones as Noelle's, his strong and angular jaw line, tight lips, the athletic build, and that short brown hair he apparently hadn't changed for years. "Noelle, you weren't joking," she finally said,

"Why would I joke about this?" Noelle replied.

She shrugged as she still stared at Noah. The final memories she had of him before the virus suddenly rushed back to her. Now, she became angry at the thoughts. For years she blocked them out but all of a sudden this? How could he feel so comfortable as to just show up at her place…at her home? "The hell do you want?" she asked and crossed her arms.

He smiled then approached the two ladies carefully. "Well, I was just in the neighborhood and I just thought I'd say: hello" he replied jokingly.

"Alright. Hello, Noah, and goodbye," Java said. She began to walk back into the hotel until she heard him beckoning her to come back.

"Janelle, seriously, I came here to apologize."

"You're about sixteen years too late," she muttered. Once again she headed back to the hotel. This time around, Noah grabbed her by the arm for a split second before the guards pushed him off her.

"I'm sorry, Janelle. Even though you may not want to hear it, I want you to know that I regret everything I did. I wish I'd been there for you and our child. I wish I could see her, hell I don't even know if she's alive," he said.

She shook her head and glanced from Noelle to Noah. "I can't forgive you for what you did. You slept with my sister, abandoned me and my baby. You put me through hell and I just can't…I can't. But what I can tell you is that you're standing right next to Noelle."

Noah's eyes widened with absolute shock. He stared at his daughter for a few moments. "This…this is her?" he asked Java, to which she nodded in reply. "She's beautiful. I mean…no offense but she looks a bit like Siva but she definitely looks like you, Janelle." He then approached her, awestruck. "Let me introduce myself formally. I'm Noah, your father."

"Well that's great," she somewhat sarcastically replied.

He looked to Java, "She's got a mouth on her."

"You haven't seen anything yet. Besides, she got that from me…the only thing she got from you was your eyes," Java said, unenthused.

"So what are you here for?" Noelle asked, slightly interrupting Java. "You've said what you needed to say, isn't it time to take your leave?"

Her daughter was right. What was Noah doing here now? After she glanced over at her former boyfriend, she shrugged. She could care less now for the guy standing before her and her daughter.

"I've come to join your tribe," he finally replied.

Alright, now she cared. Java raised a brow then a smirk followed. "You've got to be joking," she muttered under her breath.

"I'm not. I want to be a Techno, I want to be close to you and Noelle," he explained.

"Oh so we could be one happy family like the Brady Bunch? We've been doing fine without you. What makes you think you can just waltz back in here and become a part of our lives again? You had your chance, Noah. You hurt my mom and screwed everything up-"

"Noelle that's enough," Java said quietly."You're going to have to start at the bottom like any other idiot around this place. So we'll see if you have what it takes to join our tribe."

He nodded in agreement.

"But Java…" Noelle whispered.

"Don't worry about it," she whispered. "Noelle, you can oversee his training since you're in no condition to work in Reality Space. I suggest, Noah, being nice to the girl. Your training starts tomorrow."

"Take him to the barracks," Byte muttered to one of the guards as Java began to take her leave. "See you bright and early." She then nodded to Noah and left as well.

"I'll show them….I have what it takes to be a Techno," he thought as he waved goodbye to the girl.

Once the two stepped through the doors, Byte sighed. "Java, why are you letting him join up?" she asked.

"Calm down. I wouldn't let him join if I thought he'd last through training, especially since you're going to oversee it," she paused, "besides that, what's so bad if he does join? You wouldn't have to deal with him, remember, Commander?"

"That's true but I have a bad feeling about this. I think he's only going to join because he wants you back. He'll mess everything up between you and Jay. Then what'll happen?"

"At least you'd have a father," Java replied quietly.

Noelle shook her head, "No, I don't want him around. I'm glad I got to meet him but all I want to know is that he's alive. And what about you, Java? Do you really want this guy around…does he really deserve a second chance?"

"You're right. I don't think he deserves a second chance with me. But, at least with you, he deserves some sort of chance. Come on kid. Haven't you wondered about who he was? I mean, you wondered about who I was. Think of it as some sort of early birthday present."

She sighed uneasily and shook her head, "That's one hell of a present then."

"Alright kid, well at least have some sort of tolerance for the guy. You may be training him but that doesn't mean you can chew him out more than the other recruits. Remember to be fair with all of them," Java told her.

"You're right," she replied and walked with her back to the computer room. The two went their separate ways, Java with Ram and herself with a few of the other Technos. She sat next to Damien, who was busy at work repairing a Reality Space visor. "So, I never got to thank you for what you did," she said to him.

He glanced up at her with his bright blue eyes and a screwdriver in his left hand. "Yeah?" he said.

"Well then…uh…thank you," she said awkwardly.

He grinned then nodded, "It was my pleasure."

After a few moments, he went back to work on the visor. Once he got a few new parts into the visor, he put it down then looked to Byte. "So, what are you gonna name the-"

Byte quickly covered his mouth with her hand and shushed him. "No one really knows. Let's keep it that way," she whispered. She then took her hand off his mouth.

"Oh right, sorry," he replied and suddenly stood up. He looked down at her with a smile on his face, "C'mon, let's get outta here."

She looked at him uneasily, "Out where?"

"I don't know. But I do know of a place that has ice cream," he shrugged. He watched as Byte became weak to the word "ice cream" and it brought another smile to his face. He moved close to her, "You have to relax some way or another, right? Besides, I know you've been craving ice cream…chocolate ice cream."

She acquiesced to his request and reluctantly followed behind him, "Alright, since I owe you anyway…I'll have some ice cream with you."

"Sounds like a deal," he replied as he held the door open for her.

Java saw Noelle leave and glanced over at Damien. "Where are you two going?" she asked curiously.

"Out for some ice cream. Want us to bring you back any?" he said.

"No, it's fine. Have a fun time," she replied and nodded to him.

The two walked out of the hotel and headed down to a rundown shack. Damien let Byte grab a seat near a window as he approached the virt who ran the place. He nodded to the ice cream vendor and carefully brought back a bowl of chocolate ice cream for Noelle and a bowl of mint chocolate chip for himself. After he set the two bowls down, he sat in front of her. "So, you never told me that Java's your mom," he said as he took a bite of the ice cream.

"Really? I always thought everyone knew," she replied before she put her spoon in the bowl.

"No, I mean they have the idea that you two are related but they don't know that you're her daughter," he said then gestured to her with his spoon. "You haven't really told me anything about yourself. I mean, what was life like for you before the virus?"

She carefully ate the ice cream and scooped up a bit more with the spoon. "In the simplest terms, it was a living hell," she said nonchalantly.

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"Well, I didn't know Java was my mother until this year. So before the virus, I was pretty much passed around and I went from foster home to foster home. When I started living with my adoptive family, tensions rose between my so-called parents. Jane, my mother at the time, became an alcoholic, Robert, Jane's husband, left, Mega was always out of the house, and Ron…well Ron was in college," she told him and took another bite of her ice cream.

Damien, surprised by Noelle's story, sat there for a moment as he tried to comprehend everything. "Wow, that really must've been hell. Wouldn't a social worker come by every now and then just to check up?" he asked.

"Yeah, they would. But that's where the art of lying played a huge role in the household," she shrugged.

"And Java? Did she ever try to find you?"

Noelle shook her head, "No, not really. She lived next door though."

Damien stopped eating and just stared at her, "What? Then how come she didn't intervene or anything?"

She smirked, "Oh she did…or at least she tried to. See, I was always dumped at Java and Siva's house whenever Jane didn't want to deal with me. When Java noticed bruises on my back, she stormed over to Jane's house to reason with her. When she did, Jane threatened her. She said that if Java said anything to the police or anybody, then it would be her word against Jane's. Mind you, the alcoholic was the wife of a city councilman with a law degree."

He sighed and dug his spoon into the melting ice cream, "Well, if you ask me…Java should've beat the woman's ass. I think she'd win. So let me ask you one more thing. When the virus hit, was she the one to take care of you this entire time?"

Byte smiled at his words as she continued to eat. "Not at first. Mega and Ron tried to take care of me. After Ron disappeared, Mega and I were separated. Then that's when Java, Siva and Ebony took me in. When Ebony betrayed us, Java, Siva and I eventually ended up with the Technos. But after I completed training, I was sent to a different base than my mother. It wasn't until I was about…thirteen that I started working with her. From there, she definitely took care of me."

"Alright, one more question. How old were you when you joined?"

"Nine," she simply said as she finished up the ice cream.

He sat there, amazed at the girl's history. He finished up his ice cream and stared at her, "Wow. Looks like you've had it rougher than most of us."

She nodded as she looked back at him, "So let me ask you the questions now. Why the sudden interest in my biography?"

Damien chuckled, "Your biography? Well I was interested because I wanted to get to know you better."

"Why?"

"Because you seem like an interesting person, which you are," he replied quickly. "Come on, we should go back."

She stared at him for a few moments before following him out to the city. The sky was dark and the makeshift streetlamps made it that much harder for the two to get home. She turned to him with a slight smile on her face.

"I think that's the first time you've smiled for me," he joked.

"Oh don't flatter yourself," Byte replied.

Damien stopped walking for a quick moment and just stared at her, "Meanie."

"Jerk," she smirked.

"Offensive."

"Boastful."

After Damien couldn't think of anything else to say, Noelle simply smiled. She stared up at him for a few moments while he stared at her as well. Suddenly, she started walking again and he followed.

"So, what are you thinking of naming the baby?" he asked as he walked at her side.

Noelle shrugged, "I haven't really had much time to think about that sort of thing."

"That's because Ram's got you working too much. You need to relax, Byte. You could really hurt yourself out there. I'm no genius but I think this Reality Space thing could hurt your baby…I mean it has already taken its toll on you," he explained.

"I know….I know. But how can I excuse myself from such a big project? Also, you know how Ram feels about kids," she replied.

"Yeah, that's true. I don't know, maybe you could either work something out with Java. She played really well last time."

Byte stepped into the hotel once he opened the door for her. The two walked along the hallways and ended up near Byte's room. "Anyway, thanks for the ice cream," she said.

"No problem, thanks for joining me," Damien replied. "See you around."

She nodded to him then headed into her room. She headed for her closet and changed into a pair of white and navy blue plaid pajama bottoms and a navy blue tank top. She couldn't get any more comfortable…actually she could. After she slipped between her sheets, she was truly at the peak of her comfort. It was only eight o'clock and she already felt like she was running on empty. "What are you doing to me?" she muttered as she looked down to her stomach. She sighed softly and found her eyelids starting to feel heavy. Within minutes, she fell asleep.

She slept so peacefully, with no disturbances whatsoever. Apart from the inevitable tossing and turning, she was able to sleep comfortably. That was until three o'clock in the morning. She heard someone open her door quietly and "try" to tip-toe over to her bed. Noelle cracked an eye open and found that it was only Java.

"Happy birthday, little girl," Java whispered as she crept over to her bed.

Noelle scooted over for her mother to sit on the bed next to her. But her mother didn't sit. Instead, Java lay down next to her. "I can't believe how fast you've grown up," Noelle heard her say.

"It doesn't feel very fast," she replied.

"Hm, once you hit my age you'll see what I mean," she paused, "But you know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you're a great kid. Honestly, no matter what people think, you're a great kid. I hate to say it but you're my best friend."

Noelle smiled and turned to Java, "Really?"

"Yeah," she paused once she saw her smile, "oh shut up. I know you're about to crack a joke!"

"But I didn't say anything!" Noelle argued.

"I know you better than you think, Noelle. I bet you were about to ask if I could be your new boyfriend or something," she said.

Noelle laughed then nodded, admitting that Java was correct.

"Well anyway, I've decided that every year…for however long we're under the same roof…that this will be happening annually."

"What. You crawling into my bed and telling me how great I am?"

"No, you meanie. Me telling you about the most painfully horrifying yet most magical day of my life. It's the day and exact hour where seventeen years ago, I gave birth to a baby girl whom I'd name Noelle. While people call it the most significant experience of your life, I think it's more like doing the splits while somebody lights firecrackers underneath you. So here I am…I was screaming and yelling louder than I ever thought I could, making noises that I never thought possible. I had even asked for the 'epi-fuckin-dural'…hm…and me asking so nicely prompted the fat nurses to move quickly. Who knew that I could actually make a grown man cry using just my words?"

"Oh you're horrible," Noelle said.

"Well that's what labor does to you," Java sighed. "So, any birthday wishes?"

Noelle shrugged then looked over to her, "Nope, not really."

"Really? Not even like a pony?"

"Nope."

Java stared at her daughter for a few moments and shook her head, "Wow. You're one weird kid. If it were my birthday, I'd have asked for some nice jewelry or a gym all to myself."

Noelle chuckled, "Yeah, you would."

"It's alright though. Even as a kid you never really asked for much."

"Well that's because I never got much. I got the basics and that was already enough for me."

She sighed then nodded, "I like that. Now…where was I?"

Noelle rubbed her forehead, reluctant to hear any more of the story. "Um…you made a grown man cry."

"Right, so here I was…in labor. I was screaming and swearing and finally I was given the best shot of my life. I'll skip the gory details. Anyway, you popped out at a good six pounds five ounces…screaming as loud as I was. Funny thing is you wouldn't stop crying when the nurses were taking care of you. But when they handed you to me, you just stopped. My god, you were just the cutest thing. You just slept the entire time, didn't fuss or anything. Now seventeen years later, you're still the same. Though you may have the occasional sob, or the ever-so-pleasing temper, you are still that baby I met many years ago." Java looked back at Noelle and sighed. The girl had fallen asleep with her head resting on her shoulder. She moved away from her and got up.

"Don't worry, I was listening," Java heard her say. She smiled slightly before she walked out of Noelle's room.

Byte woke up slowly the next morning. Any sudden movements, she thought, would make her want to vomit. She crawled out of her bed and headed for the bathroom. Now with haste, she opened the door, barely making it to the toilet. She spent the next hour or so emptying out her stomach. There was a time when she thought she couldn't throw up anymore, but more just kept coming. Once she was finished, she collapsed on the floor.

After she realized it was close to six in the morning, she pushed herself to get ready quickly. She showered off, did the basic hygienic activities, and finally slapped on some clothes and called it a day. When she walked out of her room she saw Damien, Java, Mega, and Jay standing in front of her with a small cupcake and a bottle of ginger ale. They were all about to say a nice "happy birthday" but once they got to the word "happy", Noelle groaned, turned around, closed the door to her room, and headed for her bathroom. After a good five minutes, she walked back out. She sighed softly, "Thank you."

"Are you okay now?" Mega asked as he handed her the bottle of ginger ale.

"I think I will be. Just…keep the cupcake away from me. I'm sorry, I just can't handle the smell right now," she said.

"It's okay, Noelle. Listen, you just relax as much as you can today. I know that training the recruits won't be complete paradise but Damien's gonna join you to take some of the weight off your shoulders," Jay said as Java playfully winked at the girl.

Byte nodded and finally began to walk toward the north wing of the hotel, where the barracks were located. Damien followed closely behind her. Once she stood in front of the large room, she gestured for Damien and the other guards to wake the recruits. Right when the bustling ceased, she walked in.

"Alright, this is your commander…Commander Byte. Treat her with respect then maybe she'll return the favor," Damien said loudly while the recruits lined up in a row.

"Thanks, for the fine introduction, Lieutenant," Byte smirked. She stepped forward and inspected each of the beds. "As of now, you all are nothing but idiots. If and only if you can keep up, then you might have the chance to make something of yourself. It's not easy. We are the elite, the upper echelon of all the tribes. We only want the best and the brightest…and if you think you are up for the challenge, step forward now."

She watched each and every man step forward, including Noah. She smirked then turned around and headed for the door. Once she was outside, the recruits were faced with a plethora of training equipment, ranging from a twenty foot brick wall to a barbed wire net in which the trainees would have to crawl under. She faced the men, "For the next three months, this will become your playground. Enjoy it," she paused and looked to the guard, "Make them do an hour's worth."

When she finished speaking, the guards ordered the recruits to run through all twenty exercise activities. She watched Noah run through the course. After about fifteen minutes, she found him doing a set of push-ups. She stood over him then knelt down to look him in the eyes. "If you've come to reclaim my mom, you're wasting your time. She's happy now and not even some idiot ex-boyfriend can come and ruin it."

He glanced back up at her while a few drops of sweat hit the floor. "You've got quite a mouth on you, young lady."

"Oh but I've learned from the best. Now give me fifty more and afterward, why don't you go for a nice jog around the track?" Noelle smirked then stood back up. She gave Noah a final glance before she observed the other idiots around the training camp.