| Tribe
Circus Invades the Mall - Ep.46 |
With Lex gone, the Mallrats begin to focus on KC's absence,
and when Cloe tells what she knows, Bray realizes the terrible danger
that KC will almost certainly bring them.
The Mallrats make frenetic preparation as best they can. Among the
many traps and hindrances laid ready is Tai-San's net, designed to
hoist aloft anyone stepping onto it, by releasing a counterweight. |
 |
 |
The Mallrats put up a valiant fight in defense
of their home. Even Salene and Zandra do what they can, using
pillows to try smothering the enemy! Tai-San-San tackles Top-Hat,
jumping on his back to weigh him down. He soon throws her to
the floor.
When Tai-San releases her net, the counterweight rope becomes
snagged. Top-Hat sniggers, and having worked out how it was
meant to work, seizes an opportunity to hoist Tai-San by her
own net.
Zandra forgets who the real enemy is. Here's a chance to release
the rope and let Tai-San fall, possibly to her death. Amber
notices the situation, and Zandra re-secures the rope.
Outnumbered, and running out of traps and stamina, the Mallrats
eventually concede defeat.
Top-Hat singles Zandra out to polish his boots and keep him
company while the other girls are obliged to prepare a "Victory
Feast".
The girls conspire to add certain extra ingredients to the meal
they are preparing for Top-Hat and his tribe, including rat
dropping and various bugs!
After the meal, Top-Hat has something else on his mind for Zandra.
KC watches in anguish as he drags her to the bedding store.
She is the wife of his hero, Lex. |
|
 |
 |
 |
Until now KC has kept a low profile, careful to keep
well out of the fight to defend the Mall. Hearing Zandra's screams
changes things.
KC climbs a rope to the balcony, pulls Top-Hat off Zandra, and kicks
him in the 'nuts'! |
| Disgusted that the Mallrats have paid him so little
respect, Top-Hat leaves them to their fate behind the grille.
Starvation? Setting fire to a pile of chairs and other furniture
just the other side of the grille, Top-Hat answers Amber's question,
"Oh don't worry, you won't starve!" |
|
 |
| Rescue comes unexpectedly by Ebony and the Locos.
While Lex was on the road he observed KC leading Tribe Circus
to the Mall and sought Ebony's help. At first refusing, she
finally agreed when Lex told her about the 'Antidote' from Hope
Island. |
|
 |
 |
 |
| Zandra sits with Ryan in a corner. She is really worried
that Lex might have infected her unborn baby. Then spotting Tai-San,
she heads over to pick a fight. |
| Zandra |
|
This is all
your fault. You told Lex he could cure himself, and wrecked
my marriage. Well did you see him? Did you? Is that what you
call a cure? |
| Tai-San |
|
Get off my
back. Who do you think you are anyway - Miss Perfect? I saw
what you were going to do. Forgotten already? In the battle
you were going to release the net - let me fall |
| Ryan |
|
Zan... |
|
|
| Amber |
|
Stop it, both
of you. |
| Bray |
|
Just cool off |
| Tai-San |
|
You're a stupid,
mindless little trollop. Lex used you, like he uses anyone who
is dumb enough to let him have his way |
| |
|
|
| Zandra leaves, upset, to find Lex |
| |
|
|
| Amber |
|
Well, if that's your people-skills,
Tai-San, I'd stick to meditation |
|
| Zandra
Divorces Lex on the Spot |
| Zandra finds Lex
reclining on what was until recently their marital bed.
He looks worse than ever, and is really pleased to see
her. But she has taken on board some of what Tai-San
said (plus his own confession before leaving the Mall). Now
she is bitter that he first used her, before dumping her. Lex
tries to talk round his admission that he married her for sex,
but Zandra will have none of it,
and each time he mentions Tai-San,
it's like a red rag to a bull. Sick as he is, she finds it impossible
to pity him. She declares a divorce and orders him out of her
room. |
|
 |
| Ebony takes what she came for, the 'Antidote', and leaves,
also taking Lex (to act as guinea-pig to test it on) and Bray (to
spite Amber). Amber laments that the Mallrats are in a worse state
now than when they first arrived. There's no food left, although Salene
breaks out her emergency stash, confident that her bulimia is banished
for good. |
| That night all the girls sleep together in the Furniture
Store. They feel safer that way. Tai-San covers the mirror to promote
good energies and ward off conflict. |
| Lex
returns to the Mall - Ep.49 |
At the Hotel, Ebony's new HQ, Lex is forced to swallow
regular doses of the Antidote. When a chance comes to escape his cell
he takes it, then confronts Ebony by the swimming pool. Powerless
to stop him, she watches as he empties all the samples, one by one,
into the pool. With no further use for him, Ebony has Lex thrown out
onto the street.
With 'Old People' being stoned to death everywhere by the Locos, Lex
jumps one of them and dons his outfit. Dressed as a Loco, Lex makes
it back to the Mall. Zan takes care of him under protest. Against
all expectation he makes a full recovery. This proves that the Antidote
which he destroyed was genuine. |
Meanwhile Tai-San
is having a
most extraordinary dream |
Jack and Dal wake everyone up to announce an important
discovery. They have found the same code number in many of the computer
files from Hope Island. This turned out to be a map reference for
Eagle Mountain. So of course they must go there.
The others regard the idea as crazy. Jack must be delirious from lack
of sleep. Eagle Mountain is thirty miles away, and not even Jack can
tell anyone what he expects to find there.
The Mallrats go grumpily back to bed. |
The following morning Lex and Zandra present themselves
in the Café. Lex's recovery has been remarkable, he is
almost back to normal, and now he's really hungry.
With the Mallrats totally preoccupied with food (or the lack
of it), Jack's continued call for an expedition to Eagle Mountain
gets short shrift.
Salene and Ryan take KC on a food foraging mission. They raid
a Loco storehouse and bring back enough food to stave off starvation
for a while. |
|
 |
 |
 |
| Tai-San comes to the balcony to report her dream. Amber
pokes fun, no one is interested, except Jack. Tai-San continues. It
was about a Mountain, and "A great big beautiful Eagle."
The Mall falls silent. |
| Eagle
Mountain - Ep.51-52 |
| It's dawn. Tai-San sounds the gong. Zandra doesn't want
to go to Eagle Mountain - especially now she is pregnant. Amber helps
Trudy with Brady. The girls insist on taking the animals. Jack asks
Tai-San satirically if she will be taking her crystal ball. |
 |
 |
As the Mallrats leave the City behind they encounter
a manned barricade erected to keep City-dwellers from spreading
the Virus. Bray arrives with Ebony, driving her bus. In the
skirmish that follows, Jack has his map and compass stolen.
About halfway to Eagle Mountain, the bus breaks down. |
|
 |
| Without maps and his compass, Jack asks Tai-San
for help with directions. So far she has only had repeats of
the original dream. |
|
 |
| Tai-San has new directions: "We make for
between those two hills; if I'm right there will be a wooded
valley which we follow for five or six miles. Then we stop and
get our bearings again." Ebony sarcastically verifies that
Tai-San means spiritual bearings. But as Lex says, "A spiritual
path is better than no path at all." |
|
 |
| Jack is exhausted after mile upon mile of walking steep
hills and valleys. At last Tai-San signal she can see their destination.
What the Mallrats find on Eagle Mountain is a satellite tracking station.
But how can it help the Mallrats finds answers about the Virus? |
 |
 |
Almost by accident, Dal initiates a tracking run,
but despite a complete search of the sky it finds nothing. The
Mallrats are none the wiser. What was the purpose of coming
all this way? Jack is defeated, shrugging his shoulders. "Pie
in the sky..." Dal announces that he intends to leave in
the morning, to find that farm he always wanted. Lex and Zandra
also decide to leave the tribe. Tai-San is fully committed to
stay and help Jack.
Then as a satellite comes within range, the motors cut in to
start tracking... |
|
 |
The satellite broadcasts an important message
concerning the Virus and the Antidote.
Attention.
This is a prerecorded message. If you are listening to
this, the only hope for humanity lies with you, whoever
you are. Listen very carefully to what I have to say next.
There is an antidote: all the major
cities have it. There were plans for worldwide manufacture,
but the virus spread too quickly. Some of us escaped;
we thought we may have been spared; we haven't been. Save
yourselves - find the antidote and may God go with you. |
|
|
|
| Suddenly the lights dim, and there's an alarm. Jack
and Dal head toward the generator. When they get there they realize
it's about to blow. A pre-recorded warning orders a complete evacuation
of the building. |
Ebony rejoins the sad group of Mallrats, standing
by the graves of Amber and Zandra. She claims to care, to grieve
with them. Even if they believed her, the Mallrats would rather
be left to grieve alone.
Tai-San speaks a few words in their memory. Dal is strangely
hostile: |
|
 |
| Tai-San |
|
We've
lost two special friend; two fellow Mallrats. Amber, so focussed,
so intelligent, was someone we could look up to - a natural
leader. Zandra lived for pleasure, for beauty and for fun. And
these are also good qualities in a person. We have learnt so
much from both of them, and we have to carry these forward into
the future. |
|
Dal |
|
What future?
What's the point in carrying on? |
| Tai-San |
|
I know how
you're feeling, Dal. Amber meant more to you than to any
of us. |
| Dal |
|
You think you
know so much? Why did you bring us here in the first place? |
|
 |
| Tai-San |
|
We've lost two
special friend; two fellow Mallrats. Amber, so focussed, so intelligent,
was someone we could look up to - a natural leader. Zandra lived for
pleasure, for beauty and for fun. And these are also good qualities
in a person. We have learnt so much from both of them, and we have
to carry these forward into the future. |
| Dal |
|
What future? What's
the point in carrying on? |
| Tai-San |
|
I know how you're
feeling, Dal. Amber meant more to you than to any of us. |
| Dal |
|
You think you know
so much? Why did you bring us here in the first place? |
| Tai-San |
|
I'm sorry? |
| Dal |
|
We trusted you, Tai-San,
now Amber's dead. Why didn't you see that in your crystal
ball? |
|
