Chapter 27-Remembering Mega

Trader sat nursing a drink when Bray approached him from the other side of the bar, "Great," he muttered taking another sip of the brown liquid before him.

"Girl problems?" Bray questioned.

Trader turned to him face full of fury, "You know damn well! Seems like she can't let go of some bloke who broke her heart. You see he knocked her up, disappeared, re-appeared, and broke her heart all over again."

"Yeah. What a guy huh? It doesn't matter that he's apologized relentlessly and has willed her , no begged her, to move on," Bray said sitting down beside the other man, taking a sip of his cola.

"I'm sorry, I have nothing against you, really," Trader abandoned his drink, pushing it away from him, "I know you were kidnapped and all it's not like you meant to fall in love out there, but Amber, she can't let go."

"I think she has. I think she's just afraid of her feelings. You just gotta be persistent mate. Show her you're not like the other guy."

"What do you think I've been doing? I haven't even pressured her into bed, and that's really unlike me. She's changing this bachelor one smile at a time. I turned down woohoo with an old flame for an honest woman," Trader shook his head bringing his drink back to him. He brought the glass to his lips and swallowed it all down.

Amber had searched high and low all day for Trader when she overheard something in the hotel bar as she was passing by. She stood outside the doors to eavesdrop. What she overheard made her smile to the depths of the core of her heart.

"Easy there mate," Bray said as Trader nearly choked on the liquor, "Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"Do you really love her? I mean REALLY love her? Other man's son and all?"

Trader smirked, "Dude did you not hear me? I turned down woohoo with an old flame. I love Amber so much words can't explain."

Bray chuckled, "I know the feeling. You gotta tell her."

Amber stepped inside the bar then, "She knows."

"What are you doing here?"

"You told me to come find you when I figured things out. Well I figured them out."

"And?"

"I think you should kiss me."

"Why?" he asked teasingly.

"Because I love you too!"

It wasn't as if they hadn't shared a few light kisses in public before, but Trader looked at Bray as if he were intruding.

Bray stood up finishing off his soda, "I'll leave you to it then."

When he was gone, Trader stood up wrapping his arms around Amber, "Do you really love me? I mean REALLY love me? Sleazy trading past and all?"

Amber brought her lips just inches from his, "I love you so much I can see it in the dark and words still can't explain."

He smiled kissing her hard with fervor. When they pulled apart she said, "Wow. You've been saving that one."

Trader smirk, "There's a lot I have been saving for you."

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Disclaimer: For the following part of this chapter I have borrowed certain dialogue from the last two episodes of Series Five of The Tribe as they are very important to the character Mega. I DO NOT own any Tribe original characters or any direct quotes everything belongs to Cloud 9, the makers of The Tribe and it's script writers unless otherwise obviously taken from my craziness err I mean…creativeness!

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Josh had excused himself from dinner and headed to his bunk. Patsy had made some kind of sushi dinner from fish they had caught earlier, but he didn't want to stomach it. He lay there motionless staring at the ceiling, not even aware he was as tired he felt. His eyes shut, his body relaxing, and soon he found himself in a whole different place.

Mega sat beside a man inside a cage. He knew him as his brother, but no longer recognized the other man as that. To him he was just Slade, a virt. A raven-haired man stood outside the cage fuming at them both, a woman stood beside him expressionless.

"Whatever it is you are wasting your time. I don't want to hear it," he spoke to the man beside him.

"Then you had better cover your ears. You think I abandoned you, don't you? But that's not how it happened."

"The conqueror gets to rewrite history, is that it?"

"I came back for you Josh, but you were gone."

"Save your breath."

"You're going to hear this, you have to hear this. We were tracked by slavers. They would've taken us both if I had stayed."

Mega didn't reply. His mind allowed him to think back to that moment in time when his brother abandoned him. He was so young and there was danger. Slade told him to run, but he instead stayed put. He couldn't run. Slade was going to distract them, lead them away. Mega begged not to be left alone. But his big brother left him anyhow.

Slade was speaking again, but all Mega could think of was the hurt. "You left me."

Slade shook his head, "No."

"Abandoned me."

"No."

"You live with your memories Slade, I'll live with mine."

Trying to hold himself together as Slade gave up he replayed the memory over in his head again. His brother had sworn to come back for him. He was only trying to protect him. Right?

He looked up as they disappeared; noticing the raven-haired man purposefully left the cage door unlocked as discussed in their deal.

Josh turned over in his sleep. He knew he was dreaming. He had been having this same dream for months now. But every time he would wake up upset near tears. Tonight he wanted to finish it. He was going to let the dream take its course. He needed to know who he was and the things he'd done.

So many things began to go wrong thanks to Ram's meddling. Mega who would rather curl up and die in the cage after being captured a second time was asked, no forced, to shut down his most prized possession. The ultimate doomsday device also known as the virus: mark two. It was only a back –up plan in case his plans to restore the world to normal didn't fall through.

Put into Cyberspace, Mega shuttered internally, but remained emotionless on the outside. He listened as Ram tried to reason with his creation a corrupt, virtual Zoot.

"You gave me free will and I choose not to obey," Zoot said.

Mega sighed. This was too was his downfall. You give people free will and they do as they please, and the control slips out of your reigns. Granted this was a computer though it only proved that technology had its drawbacks as well, it was after all manipulated by man.

Zoot decided he was done hearing what Ram had to say and knocked him out of Cyberspace. Mega knew Ram would be badly hurt in reality and wouldn't be returning. It's all up to me now he thought as he faced Zoot.

Someone was interfering trying to get him out, but he is determined and must end it. It all must stop, he thought.

Mega began by trying to persuade Zoot that he is nothing when Zoot uses Slade as a pawn. Mega faltered in a moment of weakness pleaded for his brother's life. He kicked himself mentally. Hadn't he disowned his brother? Why did he care so much?

"I am the Master, I have the Power. I have the Chaos."

"Well I have the knowledge and that is all powerful," Mega replied smugly.

"I am all powerful, all knowing. Destiny awaits."

This is where Mega saw he had headway. Zoot unbeknownst brought up a topic that would be his downfall. "What is destiny? Search your files."

Zoot began to search his files and realizes there is no one executable answer for the topic. Mega has won. Zoot will not go down without a fight and begins giving Mega the same treatment he dealt Ram. However Mega held his own. He wasn't about to go down easily though he felt himself getting weaker and weaker.

Josh wanted to open his eyes then. He knew what was coming next now that his dream was in chronological order. But he had to be strong. He had to see it through.

Mega sensed his brother at his side after Zoot faded into Cyberspace and Mega returned to the real world.

"I'm sorry." He said swallowing his pride.

"Nothing to be sorry about."

Mega could feel himself on the border of consciousness and darkness. Things were becoming fuzzy. He was exhausted physically and mentally. "All those years wasted." Oh my god I'm dying he realized.

Slade shook his head, "It was my fault, I left you."

"I was wrong," Mega could hear the faint noises around him. He knew the place was getting ready to explode. I will die here he thought, coming to terms with things. "You didn't leave me but you have to now."

"Never."

"Please Slade, you have to let me do the right thing for once…" he mumbled something else, then his world faded into darkness.

Josh couldn't take anymore. He woke up with a start, bumping his head against the bunk atop his. Dragon stirred above him, but soon began snoring once more. His heart racing, Josh lay down slowly and gently. He felt his pulse began to slow once more as he took a few deep breaths.

Everyone made him out to be some kind of crazy like Ram had been and no wonder. Look at what he did. There was a cure for the virus he had created, but he didn't remember where it was.Remembering Mega was the key to finding it, and that meant more dreams.

He sighed, "I have to do the right thing for once."