s4 Ep157 Transcript

Series 4 | Episode 157
[A plane flies over the city and the Mallrats, gathered in the cafe, are as surprised by the sound as anyone. They look to the ceiling, listening intently, as the noises continue. KC, pacing in his excitement, is the first to put a name to the sound]

KC: It sounds like a plane!

[At the rear hatch of the plane, members of a strange new tribe gather. They are dressed in jump suits with eye masks and communications head sets. Most strange is the silver masks they all wear that cover their eyes and ears. One of the masked people yells for the others to make the jump]

Techno: Go!

[Half a dozen of them jump from the plane, moving rapidly toward the earth. The pilots watch as their parachutes successfully deploy]

[In a barn outside the city, Amber has gone deep into labor. She's groans in pain and cradles her stomach as she rocks back and forth. Bray leaves her side as he too hears a plane flying overhead. The sky divers land and begin to remove their jump suits and gear. Underneath, they wear tight black uniforms with a silver band across the chest. They move off purposefully. How close are they to Bray and Amber's barn?]

[Outside the hotel, kids run past in panic. Lex, who has apparently been magically transported from the Mall, exits the hotel at a run and stops a kid as he runs past and questions him]

Lex: Hey! What's going on?
Kid: Haven't you heard? The adults are back! They didn't die!

[The kid runs off and Lex looks to the sky to see the parachutes coming down. He heads back inside]

[The plane or planes continue to make more passes and more of the strangers are parachuting down. Inside the hotel, Ebony looks upwards with concern at the development. On the ground, one of the masked strangers removes his parachute harness and surveys the others. He removes his mask, revealing the face of a young blonde man. On his cheeks are painted three curved stripes and on his forehead is a small disk with a capital "T" in the center. He touches an earpiece connected to a microphone and reports in to a pilot of one of the planes overhead]

Jay: Coast ?? One to Motherboard, do you copy? Come in Motherboard.
Techno: Motherboard to Coast One. Receiving you, over.
Jay: Round Attack Phase successful. Repeat. Phase successful.
Techno: We copy.

[The young man waves to the others on the ground and smiles as they move off. Overhead, the planes continue to make passes over and near the city]

[Inside a plane, the sound of engines purring in the background, another young man dressed similarly to the other strangers is using a headset attached to a lap top. The lap top bears a more stylized version of the disk that was painted on the other man's forehead. Camouflage surrounds the capital "T" in the design. The young man is participating in a virtual reality program, a steamy one at that. The view from his headset shows us what is presumably him and two beautiful women, one on each side, in bed together. The view also shows a menu of choices for the program. Under "Options," two of the choices are "happy" and "naked." The screen is also framed by a set of grid lines and some sort of power meter. Rotating lights and bubbles float over and past the group and they seem to be having a good time. The women take turns kissing him until one of them kisses him on the lips. That's apparently not a good thing and he reacts with disgust in the real world and pulls off the headset]

Ram: No!
[A door opens and two women enter. They too are dressed in the black uniforms of this new tribe. They wear half masks that cover only one eye and appear to be the two women in the virtual reality fantasy. As the man spits water into a sink at his side, the two women exchange looks that clearly say "ew!" One of the addresses him]
Java: Lord Ram, I have news.
[He begins to furiously wash his hands in the sink]
Ram: Yeah, so do I. Whoever's been programming my personal program is out. Immediately!
Siva: And which one is that my lord?
Ram: Nothing to do with you, it's...my personal program.
Java: And whoever wrote it forgot about germs.
Ram: Yeah, and they won't forget again because they're out. You were saying?
Siva: The invasion forces have landed, Your Lordship. Everything went according to plan.

["His Lordship" takes another sip of water and spits it out into the sink as the two women make gagging noises]

[In the woods, Salene walks up a hill and looks around her. She has a new short haircut and a bright blue leather coat on. In the distance, she can see the parachutes floating down and looks up at the sound of the plane flying overhead. She looks worried and again takes in her surroundings]

[In the Mall, Ellie and Jack walk down the stairs together]

Jack: Where are we going?
Ellie: To the airstrip, where'd you think?
Jack: But it's miles out of town.
Ellie: Well we better get going. KC and the twins will be halfway there by now.
Jack: He's already gone?
Ellie: Yeah, and he took my good camera, little thief.
[Ellie moves off but Jack grabs her arm and stops her]
Jack: Look, wait! I mean we don't even know if the plane's gonna land. I mean, how can it? It's- the runway's been out of use all of this time.
Ellie: Jack, it's been circulating for half an hour. It's either going to land or run out of fuel and crash. Either way it's a pretty big story, wouldn't you say? [He rolls his eyes] What is your problem?
Jack: Oh, no problem. You know, I mean just your own sister back there, half crazy, looks like she just wasted the Guardian!
Ellie: Hey, he had it coming, didn't he? Besides Ebony's already pardoned Alice. It's, it's a page two story Jack, it's history. [She's slightly uncomfortable and obviously doesn't want to talk about Alice] Now are you coming or not?

[She ducks under the gate and walks off. Jack looks concerned and reluctant, but as usual he follows Ellie's lead]

[Elsewhere in the city, a girl runs down an alley chased by a group of the masked strangers. They corner her, slap a cuff on her wrist, and lead her off]

[In the hotel, Ebony is pacing in front of a line of Mozzies and barking out orders. They agree to her demands automatically, eagerly, and without any questions. They actually nod continually and look sort of stupid. Moz doesn't appear to be among them]

Ebony: I want intelligence reports from all sectors. Okay? I want to know who these people are and what they're doing here.
Mozzies: Yeah. Sure.
Ebony: They're numbers. Okay? They're movements. [She looks down the line and stops pacing to stand in front of a Mozzie] Where's Moz? [The Mozzies all look and each other and no one answers] Well?
[The others give random answers while one of them step forward in front of Ebony. The Mozzie has bright pink hair. She moves close to Ebony and stares down at her]
Mozzie 1: Don't know.
Mozzie 2: Haven't seen her.
Dee: She's gone.
Ebony: What do you mean she's gone?
Dee: To see the adults.
Ebony: Will you people get real! Okay, there are no adults, remember?
[Lex enters from behind the group]
Lex: Who's flying that plane?
Ebony: You tell me. So what's goin' on out there?
Lex: All I know is, whoever they are, they're not just joy-riding. They're organized. They're parachuting!
[He says the last with incredulity in his voice. Ebony too looks surprised]
Ebony: Well how many?
Lex: It's hard to say.
Ebony: Well that's not good enough! Okay, how are we gonna hit back if we don't have hard information?
Dee: Moz said they'll have food, and fresh water.
[Ebony's not exactly thrilled by that information]
Ebony: Oh did she? Well I bet she's selling us out in exchange for some right now!
Mozzie 3: What if they've come to save us?
Ebony: Oh listen to me, all of you-!
[She starts to lecture them again, but they've had enough. One of the Mozzies interrupts her and starts to lead the others out of the room. Ebony tries to call them back]
Mozzie 4: We're out of here.
Ebony: Look we're under attack, okay! This is our one chance to get all the tribes together! Look, where- where do you think you're going?
[Ebony's losing steam as their numbers dwindle. One of them stops in the door and turns]
Mozzie: We answer to Moz, not you.
[She leaves, followed by the pink-haired Mozzie. Only Ebony and Lex are left. He shouts after them to no effect]
Lex: Hey come back here! This is desertion! You're all under arrest, you hear me?!
Ebony: Oh let 'em go.
Lex: Are you serious! We need all the help we can get!
Ebony: Lex, if there's something you know about this, well now would be a good time to tell me.
[He remembers what the Guardian told him in the cage]
Guardian: They're coming Lex: the true bringers of power and chaos!
Lex: It's just something the Guardian said to me.
Ebony: Lex are you going soft on me? Come on, the Guardian was chained up.
Lex: He must have seen something out there, when he was on his own for those last few days!
[She's not impressed by this news]
Ebony: So he saw something. Yeah, so what?
Lex: One thing you can say about that fruit cake is he didn't spook easily. Now if there's something out there that scared him, you can be guaranteed it will scare us too.

[Amber is alone and in labor. She pants and calls out for Bray]

Amber: Bray! Bray, the pains! [She sees that the door to the barn is open and Bray is nowhere to be found] Bray?

[Trudy paces frantically around the table in the cafe and raves about Ebony while Pride watches]

Trudy: That woman is evil; she's got to be stopped!
Pride: I think it's a little late for that Trudy.
Trudy: What do you mean?
Pride: I mean the election's over; it was a democratic vote and Ebony won.
Trudy: Oh sure, and what's the first thing she does when she gets into office? Banishes Amber and Bray for disagreeing with her. What's so democratic about that? If we don't move on this, Pride, we will be next on her list, you know that!
Pride: We can't put her on trial, not now. We've got no witnesses against her!
Trudy: Who said anything about a trial? You think she'd grant you or me one? That was Amber and Bray's mistake: always trying to play by the rules.
Pride: What do you wanna do?
Trudy: Well, first of all, we've gotta get them back. The baby's almost due; Amber needs looking after! And Bray's our real leader anyway.
Pride: What about this plane?
Trudy: Well, if it really is the adults, then Ebony's reign is over anyway. Look either way you look at it Pride, this is the perfect time for us to make our move!

[Trudy radiates certainty, but Pride looks doubtful]

[Amber pants and tries to endure the pain. She hears noises and a shadow appears by the door to the barn. Thinking it's Bray, she calls out to him]

Amber: Oh, Bray, thank goodness. Where did you go? [But it's not Bray. The new arrival is one of the masked strangers. He stares down at her while she shrinks from him in fear] Where- where's Bray?!

[The blonde man from the earlier landing surveys the trashed city street, empty of people, and smiles. He touches his earpiece and makes an announcement]

Jay: Curser One to all field commanders...

[In the barn, the message is received by the young man looking down on Amber]

Jay: ...report progress and coordinates.

[This motivates him to leave the barn in a hurry. Alone again, Amber groans in pain]

[Inside the Mall, Cloe sits in her room in front of the mirror. She's talking as if to someone else, but she's alone. She at least seems sure of the identity of those in the planes, and talks about her new life. ]

Cloe: They're gonna take us back to live in our homes. We won't be staying at the Mall anymore. We'll have clean sheets on the bed, proper food, and we'll go to school just like before. We've got a lot of catching up to do. I'm gonna miss it here though. I'm really gonna miss this place.
[She remembers how it all began, when Amber and Dal found her on the street]
Amber: I'm Amber and this is Dal. We're friends. Do you have anyone? Any family? Brothers and sisters?

[Ellie and Jack head out looking for the "adults," arguing all the way]

Jack: Look even if they are adults, I mean why should they be friendly? Did you think of that?
Ellie: Well, what are they gonna do Jack? Throw us all in jail?
Jack: Yeah, probably! Starting with Alice.
Ellie: Jack!
Jack: Look I mean it, if she wasted the Guardian-
Ellie: Hey we don't know that, and anyway harpius corpos.
Jack: Harpius what?
[It's actually "habius corpus"]
Ellie: It's a legal thing, I looked it up. It means you have to show the body, and the Guardian disappeared.
Jack: Okay, I mean, look the point is that if the old folks are back, then their old law's with them.
Ellie: Why are you such a pessimist?
Jack: Well I don't know, maybe cause bad stuff keeps happening to me?
Ellie: Yeah. That'd do it. Jack! Jack!
[She spots something in front of them and grabs Jack's arm, pulling him as a truck drives by with the "T" logo on its side. It's not the only one they see either. There are a couple of them parked on the street with the masked strangers gathered around them. Ellie has dragged Jack behind an old car and they watch the action avidly]
Jack: Who are they?
Ellie: Let's go find out.
[She starts to step out from behind the car but Jack catches her arm and pulls her back down]
Jack: No, no keep down Ellie!
Ellie: Why?
Jack: It's too dangerous!
[While they huddle behind their cover, the Mozzies have decided to introduce themselves. They walk cautiously out into the open, the pink-haired girl from the Hotel at the front. They approach a group of black-clad men]
Dee: Who are you? [They don't respond and she looks at her tribemates and back at the men to try again] Have you come to help us?
[Again they don't respond. Peering out from behind the car, Ellie and Jack are trying to figure out what's going on]
Ellie: What are they saying?
Jack: I don't know. But I don't like the look of this, eh.
[The pink-haired girl tries again and introduces her group]
Dee: We're the Mosquitoes.
[One with blond hair sticking out from behind his mask responds, stepping forward towards the girls. His voice doesn't sound very adult]
Ved: What's that little lady? A rock band?
[She laughs slightly, but she's proud of her affiliation and lifts her chin a little arrogantly]
Dee: No. A tribe.
Ved: A tribe, huh? I like that.
Dee: That was pretty cool, flying that plane. How did you do that?
Ved: You're a mosquito aren't you? You should know all about flying.
[He responds sarcastically, and the other masked guys standing around laugh at his "joke." She's too curious to get upset and wants to know their identity rather desperately]
Dee: Who are you?
[He pulls his mask off to reveal the face of a boy]
Ved: Anyone we want to be. [The Mozzies look at each other, surprised that he's not an adult maybe. But they don't have time to respond as he points at them and yells at his men] Get 'em!

[The girls scream and run and Jack pulls Ellie further behind the car]

[Back at the Hotel, Lex and Ebony are trying to come up with allies. They throw out ideas tiredly and it quickly becomes clear that the enemies of Ebony and of the Mallrats far outnumber anyone that might support them]

Ebony: Well there's the Demon Dogs, they're always up for a fight.
Lex: Only when they're fighting us.
Ebony: The Jackels then?
Lex: Nah, too much bad blood. We need to round up some of the smaller tribes, kids that don't know us so well.
[She doesn't like the sound of that and looks at him pointedly]
Ebony: What's that supposed to mean?
Lex: Well you know, just in case the rumors have damaged your reputation.
Ebony: What rumors are we talking about Lex?
Lex: Well let's see, um, there was the one about you fixing the election. How did that go? Oh yeah, uh you helped Ned with Amber and Trudy's kidnap and then turned up just in time to save them. Huh, not that I believe a word of it of course. It was the Guardian's story and he was crazier than Zoot. Right?
[Lex may not be able to read, but he's not stupid. He knows exactly what he's talking about and he take a nice swipe at Ebony in such a way that she can't really say anything back. She kind of laughs it off, but she knows that he knows, and that's pretty much what he intended. Their little moment is interrupted when Pride barges in with two of Ebony's henchmen not far behind him]
Pride: Ebony, we need to talk. [Her men grab his arms and he tries to shake them off] Get your hands off me!
[She waves her hands at them with a resigned expression]
Ebony: Let him go boys. I'm kind of busy right now Pride.
Pride: Has the crisis brought out the need for additional protection Ebony?
Ebony: Times have changed.
Pride: We want Bray and Amber back. It wasn't right, you sending them away.
Ebony: As I said, I'm busy.
[But Pride is determined to get Ebony's attention and slams his hand down on her desk, shouting at her]
Pride: I don't think you understand Ebony! We don't recognise your right to lead us!
Ebony: Well fine! So run against me in the next election!
Pride: When will that be?
[She glaces up like she's considering it, but the smug expression on her face says otherwise. They gave her the power she wanted and she won't give it up easily]
Ebony: Well tomorrow maybe, but then again, well, maybe never.
Pride: What about Bray and Amber?
Ebony: They were bad-mouthing me Pride, okay. I had no choice but to get rid of them. You know, I could have done a lot worse.
[Pride looks at her, horrified by her refusal to help and what she's implying she could have done]
Pride: Amber's pregnant Ebony!
Ebony: So what? She's got Bray, hasn't she? And they're both out of the city, safe. [She seems to think she's done them a favor and she's done justifying it. She glances at Lex] Get rid of him.

[Cloe calls out for the others inside the Mall but gets no response]

Cloe: May? Alice? Where is everyone?
[She looks over the balcony and sees three of the strangers. Her scream draws their attention and they run up the stairs after her]
Technos: Hey what was that? Up there! Come on!

[Lex is leading Pride out of the Hotel]

Lex: Anytime you have a problem, my door is always open.
Pride: How does it feel to be Ebony's lapdog Lex?
Lex: Well right now she's the best chance we've got.
Pride: Against what? Who are these people? What do they want?
Lex: Your guess is as good as mine, but just because they fall from the sky, doesn't make them angels, okay?
Pride: All the more reason to bring Bray and Amber back.
Lex: Forget it, they could be anywhere by now!
Pride: Hey, don't tell me you didn't feel bad about taking them away.

[Lex looks away, not willing to admit anything. Pride is obviously disappointed not to get some kind of reaction out of him]

[On the streets, Ellie and Jack still hide behind the car. They can see the pink-haired Mozzie unconscious after being attacked by the strange boys. They're not so eager to go out and help her though]

Ellie: She's alive.
Jack: Did you see what happened?
Ellie: One of them pointed some kind of weapon at her. I can't see any wounds though.
Jack: Come on, let's get her out of here.
[He helps Ellie up and they cross the street cautiously, looking around for any threats. The Mozzie is waking up and they kneel by her side]
Ellie: Are you okay? Are you hurt?
Jack: I know you. You're Mallrats.
Ellie: I'm Ellie, and this is Jack. What's your name?
Jack: Dee.
Ellie: Come on, we've got to get you back to the Mall.

[She's in pain and they have to help her to her feet. She leans on them for support as they head back to the Mall]

[In the Mall, Cloe is hiding under the bed - very clever of her - and hoping they won't find her. One of them moves to stand by the bed as he talks into his earpiece. He seems to be reporting his progress to someone]

Techno 1: We've got the whole area secure. I need one more little virt to fill my quota. Just one, I'm closing in on her now.
Techno 2: A noise was heard outside. She's probably out already, are you coming?

[He gives one last look around and follows the other one outside. Cloe clutches a teddy bear and peers out from under the bed]

[Outside, the blonde boy and his thugs who attacked the Mozzies earlier are loading them onto a truck. He's spraying them with something, possibly some kind of bug spray. The older blonde boy who walks up doesn't seem to appreciate the joke]

Ved: Go ahead, bite me. You know you want to. Supposed to kill all flying insects.
Jay: Get 'em out of here.
[He walks off and the younger boy follows, sighing]
Ved: This is too easy Jay. It's no fun when they don't fight back.
Jay: We're not meant to have it fun.
Ved: That's your philosophy in life, you know that?
[They obviously have some kind of relationship and Jay is clearly the responsible one. He touches his earpiece and issues some orders]
Jay: Curser One to all units: we're pretty much done here. Give me some "Sound and Fury." I want the whole place wired, we go on my signal. And don't skimp on the power. I want it loud and dangerous. Enough to scare. [He turns back to the younger boy] What's the matter with you?
Ved: Do we always have to do that music and lightshow thing?
Jay: I thought you liked music Ved.
Ved: It sends them underground. Virts, they're like rats, they hide when they're scared.
Jay: That's the point.
Ved: To make them hide?
Jay: To make them scared, so they don't come out fighting.
Ved: But then we don't get to chase them. Why do you always have to stick to the program?
Jay: Because little brother, I wrote the program. Let's go.

[Ved watches him walk away and seems profoundly unhappy that all of his fun will be ruined]

[Ellie and Jack help Dee inside the Mall, which appears to be empty. Like Cloe, they wonder where everyone is]

Ellie: Where is everybody?
Jack: Well, I- They're probably at the hotel, trying to figure out what to do next.
[They help Dee sit down on the edge of the fountain]
Ellie: How are you feeling?
Dee: I'm okay. Listen, thanks, both of you. You saved my neck out there. I'd have been rounded up for sure.
Jack: Hey look, no sweat. Anyone who's a friend of Ebony's is a friend of ours.
Dee: We're not all friends of Ebony.
[Dee responds with some heat, and there appears to be bad blood there]
Ellie: Then why were you acting as her bodyguards?
Dee: That was Moz's idea to get close to power. We played along.
[Maybe not the best thing to have overheard by Ebony, as she and some of her men enter. Dee stands up in surprise and Ellie and Jack watch her warily]
Ebony: Was it worth it Dee?
Dee: Ebony!
Ebony: But then you didn't get close to power, did you? And your boss sold you out to someone else at the first opportunity.
Jack: Well, wait- Well, if Moz sold herself out to those creeps-
Ellie: She'll have been captured. KC, Andy and Tally too.
[She looks at Jack and back at Ebony, realizing what this may mean for all their friend]
Ebony: And you escaped. [She looks at Dee like she's a traitor and Dee lowers her head in what appears to be shame. Ebony seems to want to blame Dee for the others disappearing] Look there's no justice-
[But Ellie comes to Dee's defense]
Ellie: Thanks to Dee we found out some valuable information.
Ebony: Oh yeah? Yeah like what?
Jack: Like they're not adults and they're not friendly.
[Ebony's not impressed]
Ebony: Well that's what I've been saying all along.
Ellie: Well the question is, what are we gonna do about it?
Ebony: Well we hit 'em back, what else? Actually that's why I came here, to round up you guys. Where- where's everyone?
[She looks around for the others but Jack just looks confused. He of course thought the others were at the Hotel]
Jack: Who?
Ebony: Well Alice and the rest.
Jack: We thought they were with you!
[Ellie realizes who else is now missing and shakes her head in denial. She runs off calling for her sister]
Ellie: No! No Alice! Alice! Alice where are you?
[Jack is quiet for a second and looks at the others]
Jack: It's started.

[He knows what all of this probably means. After all, they've been here before]

[At what appears to be the satellite tracking station on Eagle Mountain - or just clumsy reuse of a location shot - The women from earlier are trying to update Lord Ram on the progress of the invasion. He however is more interested in examining a mirror and the microscopic inhabitants that might be on it. The women stand at a sort of attention, side by side, looking eerily similar]

Siva: Communications are set up on the front line Lord Ram, so if you'd like to view the progress...?
Ram: I want this room to be cleaned. I've just found dust. Next I'll find bacteria and this whole place will be infested with a virus that will leave all of our computer programs obsolete. Including mine.
[Which makes absolutely no sense as germs couldn't produce any kind of a virus that would affect a computer. He is in a motorized wheelchair and moves it over to a sink to wash his hands]
Java: We'll ensure everyone has a reminder: keep things clean.
Ram: Yes, sterile! We've got to make sure everything is clean and sterile. [The women exchange a look that clearly says they think he's nuts] You were saying?
Siva: Commander Jay has reported his lightshow is about to take place, and we know how much you enjoy that type of activity.
Ram: Yeah, I'll check it out, just give me a minute to make sure everything is clean and- and sterile.

[Lex, Pride, and Trudy make their way to the city's edge. Trudy is carrying Brady wrapped up in a blanket. Lex is describing the circumstances when Bray and Amber left the city]

Lex: You might be lucky. I don't suppose they got very far. Bray was kind of carrying Amber.
[He knows this sounds awful and his voice has gotten a little hesitant. Pride reacts much like you'd expect him to. Lex has been helpful enough to point the way for Pride and Trudy, but the fact that he participated in their banishment to begin with doesn't endear him to them]
Pride: I don't know whether to thank you or punch your lights out.
Lex: Don't you ever get dizzy livin' up there on that moral high ground of yours?
Trudy: Look come on Pride, at least he helped us. Take care of yourself Lex.
Lex: Yeah, you too.
[It seems as if Pride and Trudy are heading out to find Amber and Bray, leaving Lex to return to the city. But that plan is about to change. From behind them they can suddenly hear sounds of explosions and yelling]
Pride: what's that?
Lex: It's coming from the city.
Trudy: Bombs?
Pride: More like firecrackers.
Trudy: What does it mean?
Lex: It means they're invading. Tai-San's back there!
[Lex runs back towards the city as Pride turns to look at Trudy. She knows what he's thinking]
Trudy: And so is May.
Pride: I should go with Lex. Good luck.
[They hug, Brady between them]
Trudy: Be careful.

[Pride runs after Lex. Trudy gives a sigh and starts walking, rubbing Brady's back as she gives a cry]

[Inside the barn, Amber is in alot of pain. She cries out and tries to drag herself towards the doorway but the pain stops her]

Amber: Please somebody help!

[The sounds of explosions continue in the city and a very dramatic voice is being projected over speakers]

Techno Voice: Surrender to technology. Forget your false lies. Feel the power of the Technos. Reality has arrived. Surrender to technology. Forget your false lies. Feel the power-

[Lord Ram watches the chaos going on in the city over his monitors and smiles]

[Screaming kids run from the "Techno" vehicles spewing fire behind them and the voice continues to announce the new order over the speakers. From one of the trucks, Ved throws some sort of grenades, which explode with a lot of fire and noise but not much damage, at the fleeing kids. He's enjoying himself just a little too much]

Techno Voice: Surrender to technology. Forget your false lies. Feel the power of the Technos. Reality has arrived.
Ved: Hey catch this!

[He throws another grenade and the explosion is caught on Lord Ram's monitors. The city seems to be wired for his viewing pleasure]

[At the Mall, the remaining Mallrats, Ebony and her men, and Dee are gathered together in the cafe. Some stand against the wall, while Ellie sits at a table with her hands over her ears, rocking back and forth]

Ellie: God! What is that noise! Will somebody make it stop?!
Ebony: Will you get a grip girl! They're trying to frighten us.
Ellie: Yeah well they're succeeding.
Ebony: We beat the Chosen, we can beat these guys too, whoever they are! [She talks a good game, but it's clear that she doesn't know who or what they are any more than the others] We just have to...keep calm.
Ellie: Calm? For all we know Alice is dead!
Jack: I mean, for all we know Alice could be alive and well.
[Jack's attempt to reassure Ellie falls flat, and they're interrupted by Lex's shouts as he runs up the stairs to the cafe]
Lex: Tai-San! Tai-San babe! Where are you?
[Jack has to break the news to Lex, and he does so quietly and without meeting Lex's eyes]
Jack: Lex, um she's not here.
Lex: What do you mean? Where is she?
Ebony: We've looked everywhere. They're gone.
Dee: Yeah, we think they've been taken.
Lex: Taken?
[Ellies spots Pride as he comes up behind Lex on the stairs]
Ellie: Oh Pride, thank God, we thought they'd got you too.
Pride: What's happening?
Lex: I'll tell you what's happening, thanks to you I've lost my girl!
[He turns to Pride, angry that their little trip to the city limits took him away from Tai-San. Ebony interrupts him before he can start something. She breaks the news to Pride with surprising gentleness]
Ebony: Lex knock it off! He's lost his girl too.
Pride: May?
Jack: They were kidnapped by these crazies.
Pride: Who else?
Jack: May, Cloe, Alice, Trudy and the baby.
Pride: Trudy's okay, she's gone to find Bray and Amber.
Ebony: She did what?!
[She doesn't like the sound of that. Although, she's got bigger problems right now]
Lex: Well so I don't believe any of this. They'll be hiding out somewhere. If this place was attacked they would have gone to ground.
Jack: We've searched through the whole Mall, okay? They're gone.
[Lex stares at Jack for a moment, but he isn't ready to accept that. He runs off, calling for the woman he loves]
Lex: Tai-San!
[Pride shakes his head at Lex's inability to maintain calm and turns as Ellie begins crying]
Ellie: Pride, they took Alice. They've got my sister.
[He kneels down beside her, putting his arms around her and kissing her hair as Jack stands over her. Lex is freaking out, shouting for Tai-San. He slams his hands down on the balcony railing in anger and despair]
Lex: Tai-San! Tai-San! No!

[Lord Ram surveys the chaos reigning in the city. Ved and his troops throw firecrackers at the screaming kids trying to get away from this new terror. And the voice continues to play the same message over and over]

Techno Voice: Surrender to technology. Forget your false lies. Feel the power of the Technos!

[It's much more peaceful outside the city, but it's deceiving. Trudy is walking down a road shouting for Amber and Bray]

Trudy: Bray! Amber! [She is discouraged but suddenly hears a cry that sounds like Amber, coming from the Barn directly behind her] Amber![Inside the barn, she finds Amber in pain and obviously deep in labor] Amber! Amber! It's gonna be okay. I'm here now, it's gonna be okay.
Amber: Who's that?
Trudy: It's me, Trudy. [She sets Brady down and turns back to Amber. She's ready to help, but is uncertain where exactly to start] Okay, so, what do we do? What do we do? Uh, we improvise. Okay Amber, Amber how quickly are the contractions coming?
Amber: Trudy. Trudy there's something wrong, I know there is.
[She groans the last part, and according to Trudy's next words, the baby is coming now]
Trudy: Amber, Amber it's fine. I can see the baby's head, it wants to be born, but you gotta help, you gotta push really really hard.
[But Amber is already exhausted and weak. She cries pitifully, but Trudy won't let her give up]
Amber: No, I can't.
Trudy: We're gonna do this together. Come on. Come on, say we're gonna do it.
Amber: No!
Trudy: Come on! Come on! Say it! We're gonna do this Amber! We are gonna do it!
[Amber breathes deeply and stares at Trudy, then tentatively agrees with her]
Amber: We can do it.
Trudy: Atta girl, now push!

[Back at the Mall, Ebony and the others discuss the situation. Dee and Pride are looking around for the others. Ebony is talking trash about the Technos. While this is her usual attitude, in this case she's using it to motivate the defeated Mallrats. Ellie and Lex seem uninterested in the conversation though, occupied with thoughts of Alice and Tai-San]

Ebony: They're not so tough. These guys come in here and drag off Cloe and May, I mean, how hard could that have been?
[Nice, Ebony. Just insult the missing Mallrats why don't you. Jack jumps up from beside Ellie, not to defend May and Cloe's good name, but to point out that this is a bigger problem]
Jack: But Ebony this isn't happening in the Mall, I mean, this is happening everywhere! We only just made it back ourselves.
[Dee enters to deliver some good news]
Dee: Pride's found somebody.
[Ellie stands, showing interest for the first time in the conversation]
Ellie: Who?
Dee: One of the Mallrats.

[They jump up and head to wherever Pride is]

[Which is in Cloe's bedroom. They sit on her bed and Pride tries to reassure her that she's safe now, while outside the explosions and noise continue]

Cloe: They nearly caught me.
Pride: But they didn't. You're safe now.
Cloe: It wasn't the adults, was it?
Pride: I guess not.
[He picks up the magazine pages she was looking at earlier. They're pictures of families, kids with their parents]
Cloe: I really hated them, you know?
Pride: Who?
Cloe: The adults, for leaving us.
[The others burst in, happy to see her, but Pride motions for them to be quiet. He again reassures Cloe]
Jack: But it's Cloe!
Pride: Shhh. We're the adults now. We don't need anyone to take care of us, we've got each other.
[Suddenly there is silence from outside the Mall and they all look up in surprise]
Ebony: Listen.
Jack: It's stopped.
Ellie: What does that mean?
Cloe: Are they going to attack?
[The others look around in confusion, but focus on Ebony when she begins to speak]
Ebony: I don't know what these people are doing here, or what they want from us. But whatever it is, they won't defeat us. The first thing that we have to do is accept what has happened. Our friends are gone. We have to face up to it. We're on our own now.

[Ebony's quick to call the missing Mallrats friends. Of course she tends to do that when it's convenient for her. But for now, they're fighting a common enemy. For now]