Let Art Be Our Weapon: Frerard/Killjoys Epic

Official

          I hit 132 mph on the track. Frank only got 55. Woody got 86. Ray comes back around the track. When he gets out of the car, he smiles. "112! Almost beat the old record. But looks like Gerard obliterated that title," Ray says.
I did it! I am the greatest driver. I hold a new record for the first day. That car can only go 140, but if I were to become a professional driver with a team that hunted Draculoids, I could have a specialized car with an engine capable of going 250. That's over a hundred miles faster than what I just went. Of course, it would be a long time before I got it. I'm not even an official Killjoy yet and I would need a team. I wouldn't want to leave my brother, or Frank or Ray. Part of me knows I should also be with Woody but I know that I would rather not work with him. What is it with me? Woody is a good guy but there is something about him that makes me wish he wasn't always around. He's better off as an acquaintance. I think about what I feel with him. I don't like him taking away Frank from me. Frank is my best friend. Why am I jealous? Get over it, I tell myself. You and Woody are both Frank's best friends.
"So, Gee? You're going to be a driver!" Frank says excitedly.
"Yeah, but I don't know. I don't want to leave Mikey or you guys."
"Phh, Mikey's fine without you. You barely see him anyways. Only see in the morning, some training and at night. The kid's doing fine with Addison and Cole," Woody says.
He meant no harm but I didn't like the way he said that. "Well, he is still my brother and my mother told me I had to watch over him."
"He can take care of himself, though. He's 11."
"I said I would take care of him. I can't negotiate that rule since she's-" I can't say it. I haven't said it aloud since it happened. I have buried it within me and I can't say it anymore. It's been too long and now is impossible.
"Hey, I'm sorry, Gerard. I didn't mean to upset you," he says.
"No, no don't worry about it," I say. I don't say anything else. I don't want to end up having to say he's right. "I still have a year to decide what to become. I don't have to be a driver."
"Gee, you were amazing out there! You should totally train to be a driver!"
I smile a little. Frank says I'm amazing. "I would be a driver leading a group to hunt down Draculoids. You guys would be here. I'll barely see you," I say.
"Yeah, but you are a good driver. You don't waste good," Ray says.
"Hypothetically, if I become a driver, then Frank would become a technician, Ray can become anything he wants to. Woody, you'd be a surveyor. We have a year until we need to decide," I say.
"Only a year left to train before we're out in the field," Ray says.
"Well, we shouldn't take our time for granted then," Frank says.
"Hey, guys. I have an idea," Woody says. We turn to him. "Per say Gerard is right and we all become what we're good at. Ray, I think you should be a strategist. You've talked about it. You would be the best." Ray smiles. Woody is right. "I think we should become a team. Gerard would be the driver. Frank would be a technician. We would also have a strategist and I would be a surveyor. We'd be great together!"
Definitely right. We would be unstoppable. I didn't like that Mikey would be at the base but he is old enough to take care of himself. He has Addison and Cole. He's 11. When I was 10, I had led him to escape Draculoids. He knows how to take care of himself. In a year, if I end up leaving him, he will turn out great.  

          I take the jacket off the hook. It's a nice blue with thick red and white stripes. The red color matches my hair. I decided to get it dyed and I'm glad it did. It turned out great. I put it on. It's a little on the loose side but this is the jacket I wear when I'm 20. It's very comfortable and I like it a lot more than that old gray one.
"I like this one," I tell Alec.
He smiles. "Gerard, when you're out in the zones, watch your back. In the heat of the moment, you won't know what to expect. You're on your own now. You and your team. But you're never alone. I'll be here for you on the radio," he says. Frank has our radio, he is tuning it up.
"Thanks, Alec,"
"You're just like your mother," he says. I smile.
I make it downstairs and find my brother. He and Cole fight an older kid. Mikey jumps up and kicks him and he falls back. Addison hands both of them a bottle of sports drink. Something that replenishes energy quicker than water does. Mikey sees me and steps off the arena. "Are you leaving?" he asks.
I give a half smile. "I am, little buddy."
Mikey looks down. "How long will you be on your mission?" he asks.
"Well, this will be the first time I go out. It's a test run. They send us out for about a week to a month. We get a feel for being in the zones and working with each other. We find Draculoids and bounty hunters and we are going to eliminate them. We report back after the trial is over and we will see what our next mission will be."
"You will be gone for a week?"
"Yeah, a week to a month," I say. That isn't the hard part. The week trials are for those certain it'll work out. The month is extra time to decide. I have trained with these guys for years. We are a solid team. It's going to be a week trial I know. We already know what out results will be. When we report our progress back, our second mission will be very long. Deep in the zones.
"I'm going to miss you, Gerard. Be careful"
"I will miss you too but I'll have a radio and I will tell you I'm okay every night for seven days. On the eighth day, I will tell you in person."
He hugs me. I hold my brother tight. This isn't a serious goodbye. I'll be back in a week. The next time I hug him goodbye, I will be parting for my second mission. I have a feeling that mission will be years long before my return. Maximum of three. I will be back for his fifteenth birthday. The others promised I won't miss it.
I find Frank downstairs by his locker. The radio is clipped at his waist. "Hey, Frank," I say. He wears a black shirt with yellow sleeves. He takes out the vest he's been storing at the bottom of his locker for years after his dad died. He unzips it and puts it on. He starts to zip it up but I stop him. "No, I like it better open,"
"Yeah? My dad always wore it zipped up," he says.
"I think it looks better this way."
Frank smiles. "Okay, I'll leave it this way."
Ray comes over to us. "Hey, Gerard? They polished up the car,"
I look over at him. "But, I did that yesterday."
Ray chuckles and puts on his sunglasses. "Not that car we're getting. You're driving a race car." I look at him in bewilderment. "I'm not kidding you, Party. You can hit 250 mph on that ride."
I can't believe it. I got one of those cars. Frank jumps in the air. "Gee, how about that?" He shuts his locker and we head upstairs.
I unhook that mask from my belt and put it on my face. "What do you think?" I ask.
Frank smiles. "You are a fabulous Killjoy!"
"Watch out BL/ind. Party Poison and Fun Ghoul are coming!" we laugh together.
Woody comes over. He has a helmet over his face. "Cheri Cola and Jet Star right beside!" he says. We head over to the garage and step outside. The car is parked right in front. There is a black widow pattern on the hood of the car and on the back, it says "LOOK ALIVE SUNSHINE". I get in the driver's seat and adjust everything. The dashboard shows the speedometer ranging all the way to 250. "Who shall be my copilot?" I ask. Ray would be the best option. He is a strategist and brilliant at that. I want him up front with me so I know what to do. I also didn't mind Frank. Being a technician, he could fix the car and stuff. Woody is a surveyor so he would know which way to go and be the navigator.
"I think Ray should be up front," Frank says. "He's the Strategist so he should be up front to see what's ahead and tell you what to do."
"Sweet," I say. Ray opens the door and gets in. Frank sits in the back behind me and Woody behind Ray. Ray takes out a book. It's something all Strategists carry around. A book with a bunch of pages. The first few are questionnaires and the rest is all blank. They write down what goes on, what we did, and the plans made. It asked things like whose on the team, their position, age, relatives, how they became a Killjoy, and things like that. Then the rest is a log. Ray starts filling it out.
In the back, Frank has the radio hook on the back of my seat right in front of him and a handheld computer connected to some other tablet. Woody had his surveyor booklet and he studies the key and analyzes the map.
Frank turns on the radio. Static breaks out but I have learned to listen for Alec's voice as he sends us off with the Killjoy motto. "The future is bulletproof and the aftermath is always secondary. It's time to do it now and do it loud. Killjoys, go make some noise."
With that, I turn on the engine and shift into drive. Ray marks down. "Day 1: We drive away from the base." Frank checks our weapons in the back and Woody finds the route we will take. This is perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better team. I am glad all three of my fellow comrades stayed beside me. The needle makes it past 80 mph and that is only the beginning.

A/N: If you have lasted this long, congratulations! The actual story will be good now. Thank you all for the reads and comments! Keep running, Killjoys.
~FireNinjaDagger