The winds were strong now and Valorie was ready for a fight. Suddenly, they heard a cough. It was Giles, Valorie's mechanic. She was on a coughing fit. Valorie picked her up "I'll see you next time." And he disappeared.

Asselyum carried Slaine back home after that. Lupin was cleaning Jimmy's wounds when they reached the bar. Slaine went to his room.

"What is up with him?" Axel asked "Should I go hit him a bit?"
Jimmy got up "I'll go."
Asselyum grabbed his arm "Don't hit him."
"I won't, jeez!" Jimmy pulled his arm away and walked towards Slaine's room. He noticed that the door was open so he entered the room without knocking.

Slaine was changing the bearings of his skateboard. Then, he turned and looked at Jimmy.
"I've been waiting to ask you something." Jimmy said.
Slaine looked back at his board while fixing the bearings "What?"

"Remember back at the park, you said that you wanted to tell me something?"
Slaine stopped working and just looked at those screws.
"I'm listening." Jimmy smiled.

Meanwhile, all others sat before the television. Everyone knew what had happened. Thanks to Lupin, there was no footage so people weren't very sure if what happened downtown really happened or were they just rumours.

Rumours of a giant emerging out from under the bridge.

"We won't be able to hide ourselves for very long," Asselyum said.
"I ask, why should I hide myself?" Lucifer sat alone on the sofa "People must know of me and worship me."
"I never thought Valorie would betray us." MiK clicked her tongue.

"But," Norman said "He wasn't entirely wrong."
"What?" Everyone looked at him.
"I mean-- The X-DROIDs never asked to be born this way! Humans made them into what they are--"
"Exactly" Lucifer got up "Humans gave them a life and therefore, humans have every right it take it too."

"But, what about those who were infected?" Norman asked.
"They were careless and weak. The weak will die, natural selection says it. It still holds true in every era of the living." Lucifer said "If they want to survive, they need to stop us. I always welcome a war. Norman, are you developing pity for the enemy? They killed so many and don't plan to stop. If this continues, they'll soon run out of human population and then they'll die too."

Norman looked at her feet.
"Think more practically, you're a robot-- For fuck's sake, stop using that emotion chip."
"Can't we just... Not fight?" Norman asked.
Lucifer broke off laughing. Then, he stopped abruptly "Hey, remember what Ben told us? We exist for war. A peaceful world doesn't need us."

Lupin looked up, towards Slaine's room.

Jimmy sat beside Slaine while the later was still busy fixing the board.
"Slaine, are you listening?" Jimmy asked.
"I'm not listening but keep talking. I like the way your voice makes my ears bleed." Slaine replied.
"Do you remember when we first met?"
"It was an accident,"

"But I like accidents. After all, it brings people together."
"And also drift them apart."
"Alright, tell me things that first come into your mind when somebody mentions my name."
"Blonde, dumb, repulsive, impulsive."
"Do you want to know what comes in my mind?"
"No."

"I think of blue eyes, skateboards and red jordans--"
"Bro, are you gay?"
"Nah, I'm just comfortable with my sexuality. If a man looks good, you can compliment him."
"Yeah, goodbye that's a lot of gay for me to handle in a day."
"Alright," Jimmy laughed as Slaine kept the screwdriver away.
"Now, get out of my room."

"I won't" Jimmy protested.
"What are trying to achieve?"
"I just feel that you'd be a good person to share some secrets of mine."
Slaine looked at him "My secrets would destroy your perception of me,"

"Then, destroy my perception,"

"...About five years from now," He said "When I was thirteen, I was living on the streets just like a few months back. But I was more miserable back then because people usually don't give food or clothing to boys. Then, one day, I met Riley when he was crossing the street on his skateboard.

He looked at me and gave me his skateboard. He was merely sixteen at that time. But he was nice. He had few friends with him-- All of them were blonde. Riley is half Mexican. He doesn't know who his parents are either. Because he was an immigrant, the orphanage didn't take him in. Just because of that, he was on the streets way before me."

"Why didn't you stay at the orphanage?"
"You can't stay in there after you're thirteen. They throw you out, especially if you're a male. Yeah, it's fine if you're a girl, because it isn't safe to be outside for a girl but for a mere thirteen-year-old boy, it is apparently safe enough."

"I don't know who made such stupid rules."
"It's not like they could help it. There were more orphans than the beds in the orphanage. And the numbers only increased. The streets were cold but I got used to them. People sometimes threw some bread or donated old clothes, that helped a lot. I started going to the park with Riley and his boys.

There they taught me how to skateboard. They even gave me food. At that point, I looked at him as a saviour. I never thought about where he got all the money to get the skateboard parts or the food and drinks.

When I turned sixteen, he took me to a man named Josh. And then, I realised that Riley had sold his soul. Josh ran an underground drug racquet in New York and Riley's job was to supply the drugs to vulnerable teens and make them addicted to the drug, so that they would be ready to pay any amount in order to get their daily doses.

I refused to work for Josh but Riley somehow convinced me. He was still very cunning and knew which words to use.

"You ate like a rat when I gave you food, now when I'm asking you to earn for me-- You're backing off like a coward!" Riley shouted.
"Yes, because I still have a conscience--"
"Will your conscience keep you well fed?!"
"But this is still wrong, Riley. Those are kids with a future. We can't just destroy it like we own it."

"What has this world ever given you that you're taking its side? We're unwanted here, Slaine! Open your eyes!" Riley moved away as he speak his arms "We were someone's mistake, that's why we don't have parents because they never wanted to have us. You and I are a burden that was supposed to die in the trash the moment we were born. Because out mothers were sluts!"

"Stop it!"
"Listen to the truth, Slaine! "
"My mom was not like that--"
"Then, why did she throw you? Why does she not care about you? Because you won't be crying of she did care."

I didn't say anything. I gave in. And the cost was so many lives. So many that I've lost count now."

"How did you get out of all that?" Jimmy asked.

"Once a police officer caught me while doing a deal. And Josh struck him with a huge rock-- killing him instantly. The trial held him guilty, and he was sentenced for life imprisonment while I was still a minor, I was sixteen, so I was shown some leniency. I came out of the prison after two years. I was eighteen by then. I decided to make money by skateboarding but my skills went down after two years of no practice. I only lost in all the local matches. So, I decided to give up on skateboarding and just shifted to gaming. I never saw Riley again after that until now. I still don't know what he is planing."

Suddenly, they heard door open and turned towards it. Lupin stood at the door.
"Oh, hey Lupe." Jimmy smiled but Lupin just stared at Slaine.
"Lupin?"
He wrote something on his palm and showed it to Slaine.

"What's your full name?" Jimmy read.
"Mine?" Slaine replied "It's Slaine Benjamin."

-To be continued

Slaine Benjamin
5500 Rebellion