The Radix
Chapter Eight - Reunification
Slade, Ebony, Jack and Darryl were the first to arrive onshore. Despite their having recognized Bray, there was small debate on whether he were still on the side of good. Though most of the original Mallrats were disgusted at the thought of Bray being a threat, the strongest set forth first to ensure safety. Cipher watched and felt a small flip of his heart when his eyes focused on Jack. He hadn't realized how much he missed the kid. Even Ebony's familiar face was a relief despite their history.
"Bray!" Jack called as the incoming tide washed them onto the sand and he jumped out of the raft. "I can't believe you're alive man!"
With a large smile, Cipher forgot himself and greeted his old friend with a tight hug. "How are ya Jack?"
"It's great to see you." Jack grinned as Cipher pulled back to get a good look at him. The Radix leader felt he must be mistaken for the handsome young man standing before him was no longer the awkward teen he'd seen last. Reading his thoughts Jack smirked and they both spoke the same sentiment. "You look so different."
"Hey Bray." The silky voice caused Cipher to look past Jack at his former nemesis.
"Ebony." He couldn't help but give her a small smile and offered his hand. "Glad to see you made it."
"You too." Ebony shook his hand with a sultry smirk. If she was at all surprised at his warm welcome she didn't show it. She quickly gazed at the fighters on the beach with an arched eyebrow. "Your own personal army?"
Cipher chuckled. "These are my men of the Radix. We were told you had a lot of people aboard in need of assistance." He glanced up at the cliffs behind them. "These rocks are no joke."
"I believe it." Slade made his presence known as he strode forward and shook the hand of their rescuer. "Slade."
"Cipher."
Both Ebony and Jack gave him an odd look. "Cipher?" Ebony frowned. "Your alias?"
Another chuckle from their ex leader. "Yes, it's Cipher."
"Well," Jack cleared his throat. "this is Darryl." The redhead thought it ironic that he was introducing Bray to a person who had successfully impersonated his dead brother Martin and thrown a city into chaos. "He joined us a little while ago."
"H... hi." Darryl was nervous as he recognized Cipher from pictures Mega had shown him. He hoped his embarrassing blight in the public eye wasn't mentioned.
"Nice to meet you." Cipher looked at both Darryl and Slade with interest. "Lex didn't mention you had so many new faces."
"Is Lex alright?" Slade couldn't stop himself from asking.
"He and Amber are fine." Cipher narrowed his eyes slightly insulted. "As is the Techno who accompanied them."
There was a bitterness to Cipher's tone that Ebony, Jack and Slade picked up on immediately. Darryl was oblivious. "You know who the Technos are?"
"Of course he does, stupid." Ebony nudged him roughly. "They're the ones who took him away."
"Is that how you got here?" Jack eyed the hillside.
Cipher forced a small smile for his friend. "That's a story for another time. Right now we have to get everyone onshore. The tides moving fast."
It was decided that they would use both inflatables to unload the boat to get the job done faster. Slade volunteered himself and Darryl to make the first trip. Walking toward the water Slade gripped both Jack and Ebony close.
"I don't think anyone should mention Ram." He said quietly.
"Why?" Darryl asked.
"I get the feeling your friend doesn't like Technos very much. So I don't think it's wise they know we're harboring their ex leader. At least not right away."
Darryl looked at Slade. "But Ram is prob'ly the one who sent them here. Shouldn't they get a chance to deal with the guy who did this to them?"
"I agree and Ram's got a lot to answer for. But if we turn him over now, they'll skin him alive. Don't you think that's pretty wrong considering what he's done for us?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Is that a trick question? I mean, call me crazy but wasn't it Ram who took over our city, tried to eradicate our tribes and delete half of our friends? He brain washed most of the city into slavery and is responsible for the wrongful deaths of countless others. To top it off it was Ram's artificial intelligence that set the virus loose on us again and sent us on this impromptu cruise." Jack half chuckled. "Tell me, what exactly has he done for us?"
Slade frowned. "Come on Jack. He's changed. At least I believe he has." When all he received was an incredulous look from the scientist Slade sighed. "Please. Let's just wait until we're settled before breaking the news. He deserves a chance to explain himself."
"I'm with Slade on this one." Ebony watched as Cipher and his men pulled out ropes and makeshift harnesses for the climb. "Ram's not my favorite person but it'd be wrong to throw him to the wolves just yet. Besides, he still has to answer to us."
Jack rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Fine. We'll wait. But if they figure it out on their own I'm not covering for him."
"Fair enough."
When Darryl and Slade made it back to the boat, Slade asked the same of the remaining passengers. He was of course met with confusion and slight opposition, but it was agreed that no one would mention Ram's name or former life. Ram himself was silently surprised they even cared enough to give him a chance while he washed the symbol from his head. Still, even with the support of the Mallrats, Ram was in no hurry to get to shore. The news that Jay had been met well didn't bring him comfort either. The first two boatloads carried Trudy, Brady, Lottie, Bray, Sammy, Salene and their small amount of sad supplies. As Slade's inflatable came ashore, Trudy jumped into the waves and ran toward Cipher.
"Bray!" She called out ecstatic. He turned and before he could get out her name was bombarded as she crashed into his arms.
"Trudy!" He hugged her tightly unable to suppress the huge smile on his face.
"I'm so glad you're okay." She near sobbed into his neck. "We were told you were dead." Cipher had no response as he held her. Finally Trudy pulled away, an embarrassed flush on her face. "I'm so glad you're okay." She repeated.
He beamed at her. "I'm glad you're alright too."
Lottie came up with Brady in her small arms just then and Cipher's eyes lit up at the sight of his niece. "Brady?" He lifted the little girl and gazed at the face which was looking more like his younger brother with every passing year. "I can't believe how big she's gotten. She's beautiful."
Though Brady didn't recognize him, her innocent heart told he was a good person so she smiled sweetly. "Hi."
The sound of her voice melted Cipher's hardened spirit and he hugged her close. "Hey Brady." He whispered into her blond curls.
Though Darryl had Sammy's help rowing, his raft pulled up several minutes later carrying Salene who leaped out just as eagerly as Trudy with Bray junior in her arms.
"Bray!" She echoed Trudy's greeting and met them on the sand. "Oh it's so good to see you."
"Salene." He wrapped an arm around her surprised at the boy in her arms. "Is this yours?" He smiled unknowingly. The thought of his own child being on board had left him briefly.
"No silly." She beamed while lifting Bray into his father's arms. "This is your son. This is little Bray."
All fell silent, at least for Cipher as he held his child for the first time. The boy had his mother's eyes and her strong spirit shown from his face. But his features came from his father and Cipher felt as though he were looking at himself in another life. This was his son. He was alive and healthy and beautiful. A slight sea breeze blew the blond tufts of Bray's hair and Cipher felt a lump form in his throat. He'd waited so long for this moment and now that it was here he was speechless. Right then it felt as though every pent up emotion he had threatened to burst forth. Closing his eyes, Cipher pressed the boy to his chest and inhaled his scent. He let out a staggered breath as tears stung his eyes. Unlike his Dad, Bray wasn't enjoying this moment and longed to be in the familiar arms of his caregivers. He suddenly began to wail and with a startled expression Cipher quickly handed him back to Salene. She gave him an apologetic smile.
"Sorry. He doesn't like strangers."
Stranger. The word echoed in Cipher's head and pained his soul. He forced a weak smile and his stony facade was up again. Introductions were made and the inflatables went out again returning this time with May, Gel, Ellie, and Ruby. It had been difficult to get Ruby onto her feet and down into the raft safely. Darryl managed to deposit the other girls before Slade even launched. Ram and Trader remained, neither wanting to leave the boat. They stayed on board until Slade had brought Ruby to shore and come back before finally climbing down from the vessel. Barely conscious and too weak to stand on her own, Cipher assigned a nimble climber called Kale to assist Ruby up the cliffs. One look at the blond sleeping beauty and Kale was smitten. Dozer took Lottie and strapped her to his back as though she were no heavier than a rucksack. Cipher handed Rider and another capable climber the babies warning them sternly, "These are my family you guys". Before attaching Brady to his back Rider was sure to give Trudy a reassuring wink. By the time Ram and Trader set foot on shore the others were too busy getting ready to hike the cliffs to notice. It took a few minutes for Ram's uniform to warrant unwanted attention.
"Another one?" Cipher narrowed his eyes at his friends suspiciously. "What are you guys, a drop-in refuge for all ex Technos?" Though it was supposed to be a joke, there was bitterness in his tone.
"Heh, that's a good one." Jack laughed nervously. "Um, actually that's kinda how it is. I mean he used to be one but uh..."
"He helped us defeat Mega." Ebony spoke up quickly noticing that Jack was faltering.
"Yeah." Slade nodded looking to the others for agreement.
Ram introduced himself as Gabe, his fall back alias and though he was still given cautious looks, attention went back to the impending climb. With everything packed up and the tide steadily coming in, they began the precarious hike. Cipher positioned his men evenly throughout the group to assist his friends along the rocks. Despite her best attempts to be brave, Lottie let out a small whimper after she saw how high they were getting. With a calming voice Dozer told her gently not to look down, assuring her he'd get her to the top without incident. Brady on the other hand found the trip enjoyable and made Rider laugh when she compared the cliffs to a mountain.
Slowly the procession edged it's way up the steep rocks and one by one they reached the top without so much as a scrape. Most of the Mallrats needed a breather and the group rested before heading into the woods. They took this opportunity to place Ruby in a hammock like sling carried between Kale and another boy. Despite the load he'd carried, the climb didn't even take the stars out of Kale's eyes. Trudy watched Cipher standing on the ridge as he took in the cinematic view. She wanted to approach him but there was something so different about his body language. A hardness she'd never seen before. She wondered if she would ever be able to talk to him as she had in the past. After a few minutes of passing jugs of water around, Cipher led them into the forest for the long walk to the village.
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Jay sat with Amber as she finished her breakfast of various fruits and bread, her strength returning quickly. Though they tried to keep up pleasant conversation, their words lacked substance. Both of their minds were on much weightier subjects that neither wanted to talk about. They didn't even mention Bray again. After her meal Amber was desperate to get out of bed and back on her wavering feet. Now that she was up, she could really feel the affects of Dozer's infamous dart. If it wasn't so embarrassing it might have been impressive. Amber leaned on Jay for support as he helped her take the first tentative steps around the infirmary. But Amber, never one to need help, insisted on doing it herself and was soon doing laps around the room, only losing her balance once. Sitting on the bed for a rest, she was pleasantly surprised when Taisan entered.
"Taisan!" The blond exclaimed with a smile. In the wake of his own troubles, Jay hadn't mentioned Lex or his wife. He feared their problem had a lot to do with Cipher and he wasn't ready to touch on that subject yet. "How are you?"
"Hi Amber." Taisan sat on the bed with a smile. "You're looking better. You had me worried last night."
"Oh you know me. Tough as rock they say." Amber laughed lightly. "I didn't know you were here as well."
Taisan glanced at Jay briefly with slanted eyes. "You do know about Bray though, don't you?"
Amber's head nodded slightly as she looked down. "Yes. I remember seeing him before I..." She paused. "How is he?"
"He's..." The Asian girl glanced into the familiar set of blue eyes and decided to tell her friend the truth. "You'll find him much altered. His spirit is not as it was and I believe he is quite heavy hearted." Amber's troubled expression made Taisan force a smile. "But I think your presence will do him good. Perhaps even align his Shakras." Her old adage caused both girl to chuckle a bit.
Outside the village noise suddenly grew louder and excited chatter could be heard as people ran by the infirmary. Jay stepped over to the shaded window and peaked out. "What's going on?"
"Sounds like they're back." Taisan patted Amber's hand before they both stood.
"Can we go out there?" Amber asked, not sure of how much freedom they were to be granted.
"Of course." Taisan led the way to the door. "You're presence is no longer a secret."
Taking Jay's hand and squeezing it for reassurance, Amber followed outside. There were more people in the Radix than any of them had realized and the flow of human traffic pulled them right to the village center without effort. No one noticed Jay and Amber's unfamiliar faces as they were too interested in the new group that had arrived. Rumors had been spreading all morning about strangers in their midst and now everyone wanted to be the first to lay eyes upon them.
Cipher's expression, though friendly, yielded no trace of a smile as he led the large group into the main part of the village. His fellow tribe members bowed their heads slightly in respect as he passed and stared at the new faces with curiosity. A crowd formed in the village center and began to encircle them as they entered. Whispers and low murmurs and even the word "Mallrats" could be heard. Jet and Lyric met Cipher with encouraging smiles and exchanged quiet words unheard by the others.
"Welcome." Jet greeted the haggard Mallrats. "I know how tired you must be after your journey. We invite you to eat and rest among us." She turned to the crowd who watched her with respectful eyes. "My family, these people are our guests. They come to us from the city where they escaped the terrible virus. They seek sanctuary and we are pleased to give it. Treat them with kindness as they bring us the hope that someday may we all be reunited with lost friends."
The crowd cheered then which surprised the Mallrats who up until that point were still suspecting a lynch mob. For a few moments it appeared to be anarchy as they were greeted and welcomed with handshakes and smiles and gentle slaps to the back. On the outskirts of the surge stood Amber and Jay with Taisan and the young mother was sure the shrill cry of a baby was her son. Probably frightened by all the unfamiliar faces. Though they smiled, most of the Mallrats were overwhelmed and longed for a quiet place to sit. As though reading their minds, the villagers began to disperse and return to their daily activities, leaving the newcomers with their hosts. Amber and Jay were then spotted and greeted by their friends as quick stories were exchanged as though they'd been parted for weeks. More exclaims of surprise and happiness were expressed when Taisan finally approached her old friends with a smile. Ruby was brought to the infirmary, while others retrieved the Mallrats few belongings and left to set up lodging for their guests. Dozer finally set Lottie on solid ground and she was disappointed to say goodbye to him as he left to pursue other tasks. Soon all of Cipher's men were gone and it was mainly the Mallrats in the village center chatting excitedly amongst themselves.
"Couldn't help but notice the other Techno, Cipher." Lyric said quietly as she gave Ram a dark look. "I thought it was supposed to be all Mallrats."
He smirked. "You don't know the Mallrats very well. Other than create world peace, our other favorite past time was taking in strays."
Lyric frowned in confusion as Jet giggled knowing full well he spoke the truth. "We'll have a meal prepared." Jet patted Cipher's back as she led Lyric away.
Turning back to his friends Cipher caught eyes with Amber for a brief if not haunting moment. He wanted so much to talk to her but felt his emotions were too near the surface to handle that now. Looking away he realized Lex wasn't in the group. It only took a couple words with a village guard to realize what had happened. Leaving a few designated hosts in charge, the Mallrats were led away while Cipher sought out Lex. The group of castaways were thrilled when they were brought to a rest area where they were given water and fresh cloth nappies for the children. Slade took a moment to have a word with Amber and Jay about Ram and they both agreed that while the ex Techno had some explaining to do, they wouldn't cast him to the sharks just yet.
Around them villagers worked and played diligently and there was a warm atmosphere about the place. Ellie looked around with a smile as it reminded her of living on the farm with her family. The memory was so clear that as she stared down the roadway she could swear she was looking at her sister. The full figured redheaded woman walked with a baby strapped to her side while carrying a small goat in her arms. On either side of her ran two red headed children, the young girl with an identical baby strapped to her back while she lugged a bag of potatoes and the boy was handling logs of wood. Ellie's smile faded slightly with wistful memories until she realized she was in actuality looking at her sister.
"Alice?" She whispered in disbelief slowly standing. Stepping from the table under the shade into the sunlight, Ellie brought a hand over her eyes to shield them from the harsh morning. There was no doubt in her mind now. A bright grin spread over her face as she called out. "Alice!"
The redhead stopped and mimicked Ellie's body language as she too squinted in the bright light. Suddenly she dropped the goat. "Ellie? Oh my God Ellie!"
The two sisters screamed and raced to one another, tears of joy already flowing freely. They collided sobbing and hugging each other both talking at once and neither understanding the other. It was heartwarming to see and the Mallrats watched with big smiles, not wanting to interrupt this happy reunion. Alice continually kissed her little sister's tear soaked face while Ellie murmured through her cries in an unknown language. Only when the baby on Alice's hip yanked Ellie's hair did they stop and laugh.
"This is my son Tamson." Alice said proudly before pulling the girl into view. "And this other guy is Jake."
Ellie was overwhelmed by not only her nephews but also when she realized the two children were Tally and Andy. More hugs and Ellie didn't think she'd be able to stop kissing on the adorable redheaded babies.
"They look just like Ned." She laughed as she held Jake in her arms. "I can't believe I'm an auntie." She beamed at her older sister.
"Just please tell me you haven't returned the favor yet." Alice said and they both laughed again as Ellie shook her head.
"No. Me and Jack haven't gone down that road yet."
"You and Jack eh?" Alice wrapped an arm around Ellie's shoulders. "I always thought he had what it takes to catch you."
Ellie smiled widely feeling the need to cry again. "I knew you weren't dead." She whispered earnestly.
Her throat choking up, Alice just hugged her sister tighter and kissed her forehead.
chap seven <------> chap nine