I rest my foot against the tire and finish lacing up my boots. Where'd my jacket end up? I pace around and I find it lying inside out on the ground next to Frank's vest. I pick them both up, dusting it off a bit and put on my jacket after adjusting the sleeves. Frank finishes tying this boots. He looks up at me and smiles. I hand him his vest and he puts it back on. The two of us just stand, staring at each other. I lean down, giving him a quick kiss.
"Alright, Gee. We've been here for a while. Where to?" he asks.
I move a strand of hair behind his ear. "Look, do we have to go back now? I don't even want to talk about it because I'm still pissed at him."
"Me too," he sighs. "We can go out driving?" he suggests he reaches for his pocket to get the keys. After pawing at his pocket for a moment he shrugs. "Well, they're not in there." He walks around and finds them on the ground near the tire. "Found them!" he giggles, tossing me the keys.
I catch them. "Let's go!" I say. We get in the car and I drive out. I'm guessing we've been over an hour. The sun sets and the blinding light glares through the windshield. We put down the visors. "What are we going to do?"
"I was thinking we go hunt for some Draculoids? We don't have a hand radio but there's one on the car that can pick up the frequency."
"No, I figured we'd do that. I meant, what are we going to do at the base? We're out here now but at some point, we're going to have to go back," I trail off.
Frank rests his head against the seat. "You're right. We will at some point."
"Exactly, so what are we going to do about... the others and.. us?"
"I don't know," he trails off. "God, it was so much easier just sneaking around."
"Tell me about it," I say.
"I love you, Gee. Okay? I really hope that when we get back, none of that will change."
"I love you too, Frankie. I really don't know how to handle this. I haven't told anyone I liked you."
"Yeah," he trails off. "I mean, when we were still kids, I guess, I told Woody I had a crush on you. He took it pretty well and was convinced you liked me back. I always thought he was just saying that to make me feel better but turns out he was right."
I smile. "I did like you when we were kids, I liked you a lot. I just didn't really know it. I was kinda in denial and afraid I'd freak you out, and that would be the last thing I wanted to do."
"I know what you mean. That's why I didn't do anything, literally until you were on death bed."
"I remember you were freaking out that day," I recall.
Frank nods. "Yeah, I was afraid you were going to die and I had to kiss you at least once."
"You know, I have a feeling if I didn't get sick, we would still be going about without saying anything," I say.
Frank laughs. "Yeah, you're probably right. Looks like Korse did do you something good in shooting you."
I smile. "Yeah, I'd never thought I'd be thankful for taking a hit to the throat."
"After 8 years, a little bit of death was all it took," he laughs.
"Yeah, I remember that morning when you introduced yourself. You were so adorable. Even then, shorter than me."
Frank glares at me. "Oh, shut up. I got it from my mother. Believe me, if I would be taller if I was my pop's height. He was around Ray's height." Frank sighs. "Oh, how the world would look different with a view like that." I tense up at the mention of his father. I'm glad I know but part of me wish Bonnie never told me what happened. Carrying it around is almost a burden. Frank looks at me. "What's wrong?" he asks.
"What? Nothing, why?" I ask rather quickly.
"Gee, I know when something's up with you. I can see the glint of fear in your eyes and the filter in your smile. What's wrong?" I bite my lip. If I told him, it would be a lot easier to live with. But he would probably get angry at me for carrying it around after all this time without telling him. Frank puts a hand on my shoulder. "You can tell me anything, Gee. What is is?"
"Frank? What happened to you dad?"
He faces goes blank. "I-I already told you. He, um, he went missing and they never found him again, just his jacket..." he trails off. I don't like the shakiness of his voice.
"I know what, I know what really happened," I say. Frank snaps up at me. I slow down and stop the car, putting the gear in park. His eyes shine with tears and he stares at me waiting for an explanation. I can't tell if he's angry or not but I do know is that he wants to know what I'm talking about. "Your father didn't go missing. He died," I say. Frank's eyes fixate on me and flicker. He slumps down in the seat and stares at the ground. "Frank?"
He clears his throat. "Um, what? How did it happen?" he asks. I purse my lips together. "Gee, I need to know. I need to know what happened to my pops. All I've ever known was he went missing and now you tell me that he's dead? Gee, please. I need to know."
"Bonnie told me what happened. He registered with BL/ind but your mother wouldn't. They were on the run from Bounty Hunters. They injured your mother and she died but they were able to save you. He took care of you and when you were four, you made it to the base. He was 23 years old. Just two years after he got there, two wanderers dropped by with their six-year-old. They bargained for supplies and they left without their kid. Your father saw what happened and took care of him."
"Woody," Frank mutters. "His parents just left him."
"Yeah, but your dad took care of him."
Frank nods. "How did he die?" he asks. I fidget with my hands. "Gee?" he asks.
"You know how we found the trackers in Caleb and Helena's wrist?" Frank nods. "Your dad had a tracker on him since he was registered. At that time, though, we didn't know how to get rid of it or where it was. Bounty Hunters kept showing up at the base coming for your dad. He knew there were so many attacks on the base because of him. He didn't want to risk everyone getting hurt or the base getting discovered. I think it was when you were 8, after one attack, he just took off. He left the base with just his clothes on his back and blaster in hand. He was Bonnie's mentor. When she used to be a Mission Killjoy, she and her team took off and tried searching for him. They found him but when couldn't convince him to come back. Draculoids were nearby and saw them. Bonnie's media and scavenger were killed in combat. The Dracs took your father and were heading back to the Society."
"They took him?" he asks. "Well, maybe he's not dead. Maybe he's still alive just in the Society." He sits up in his seat and looks at me hopefully. "Maybe he's still alive?" he asks me almost, wishing I could confirm. I look at him hard and his eyes still stare at me. "What happened with Bonnie and Mason?"
"They lost half their team. That was the end of their missions. Your dad was the most brilliant technician the base had. He knew everything from computers to salvaged junk to the car. He taught Bonnie about the tech and Mason about cars." Frank nods but he wants me to tell him his dad's still alive. I wish I could but I can't lie to him. "Bonnie and Mason tracked him down for a few days. They almost made it to the Society. The finally caught up with the vans in Zone 20 and engaged in battle. They were outnumbered." I pause for a moment. Frank's crying because he knows how it ends. He knows that his dad died but he refuses to believe it. "Frank, your father didn't want Bonnie and Mason to stay. He knew they wouldn't leave without getting him. He...he killed himself to save them."
"Are you sure?" he whimpers.
"Yeah," I pause. "He took a blaster and shot himself." I point a finger over the yellow T%t patch on his vest. The patch that covers up the bullet hole right over his heart.
Frank closes his eyes and exhales. His black hair falls in his eyes and he buries his face in his hands. I reach over and scoop Frank over to me and hold him in my lap. "He killed himself to save the others?"
I run my fingers through his hair and comfort him, giving a little sway side to side. "Yes, he did. He left to protect you and Woody and everyone else." I hear Frank mutter incoherently through his sobs. I hear say I hate you. My heart stops. "What?" I ask nervously.
"I hate him," he says more clearly. I ease up realizing he didn't say me but I still don't relax.
"Your dad?" I feel him nod. "Why?"
"He left me!" he cries. "He left me when I was 8. He just left and he killed himself.
"Frank, he left to protect you."
"He could've protected me at the base. We're Killjoys; we wouldn't have gotten hurt. He could've stayed." I told know what to say. I don't know if it's good or bad that I told him. "Bonnie became head Technician to replace my pops and Mason became the Mechanic because he died." He cries harder. "Everyone always leaves me," he cries.
"No, that's not true," I argue.
"Yes it is," he shouts, his voice straining. "Whether they like it or not, everyone leaves me. My mom's dead. Not her fault but she's gone. I was supposed to die with her."
"Frank, please don't say that," I whisper. I hate hearing him talk like this. The most precious person in the world shouldn't believe they should have died.
"It's true," he sniffles. "My dad left me 13 years ago. Woody left me. And Gee, I'm not saying that I would rather you dead. I know that if he didn't stay behind in the facility, you wouldn't have made it. I just wish people didn't have to keep leaving me." His tears soak in my shirt. "Promise you'll never leave me."
"Frank, I would never. You're too important. Don't ever think that," I tell him.
"Good," he whispers. "Woody liked you," he adds.
"What?"
"He liked you, Gee. He thought you were amazing and he wanted to be like you."
I pause for a minute. "Really?" I ask. I never thought Woody saw me so highly.
"Are you kidding? He thought you were the greatest. When I told him I had a crush on you, he was so excited." I smile and listen to him talk. "He told me I should do something about it and he I could see him mentally freaking out when we would hold hands when I was in the hospital." He stops. "I wish he got to know he was right about you liking me back." I falter. I don't know what to tell him. It's one thing to talk to Grace-Jeanette but I can't say the same things to Frank. "He used to convince me that you liked me back. He said the 'way you look at me' should be enough to know. I never did anything, though, afraid that you would freak out. Woody promised to never tell anyone."
I brush his hair out of his face and kiss his forehead. Frank smiles up at me. The sun has started setting a while back. Frank curls up in my arms, eyes puffy from crying. I slowly recline the seat down and lie flat on my back with Frank still curled up on my lap with his head resting on my chest. I hold onto him tightly and as he starts to fall asleep, I find myself drifting off as well.
The first ray's of light glare through the windshield and I stir. My eyes burn from the sudden bright light. Frank still sleeps curled up on my lap with his head in the crook of my neck. I can't help but smiles seeing him look so peaceful. It's October 31st, Frank's birthday. Without waking up Frank, I shift my legs and feel his knife still in my pants pocket. Maybe having it, after all, isn't such a waste. I run my fingers through Frank's hair and brush the strands out of his face. I gently tilt his head up and reach down meeting his lips with mine. I linger for a few seconds before feeling Frank move and kiss me back. He flutters his eyes open and breaks away with a smile. "Gee?" he sings lovingly. I continue running my fingers through his hair. "I love it when you do that," he laughs.
"I know you do, baby. And I love you." I pull him up closer to me and kiss him. Frank enjoys himself and starts biting my bottom lip. His legs straddle my waist and he deepens the kiss. He pulls back with a mischievous smirk, his eyes hooded and a small chuckle escapes his lips. "What is it?" I inquire.
"Oh, Gee," he sighs, "are you that happy to see me?" he purrs in my ear.
It takes my a few seconds but I realize what he's saying. "Oh!" I laugh, shifting myself. "No, no. It's not what you think," I say defensively. I feel the Swiss army knife inside my pocket, digging into the inside of my leg.
"Sure, uh huh. That's what they all say, Gee," he teases.
"Frank, well, yes I am happy to see you but I can... contain? myself." I reach down and dig into my pocket trying to get the knife out of the awkward location.
Frank smirks at me teasingly. "Careful what you're grabbing at down there," he purrs.
I feel the heat rising to my cheeks and I bite my lip. I swear to god, he is so hot leaning over me with that wild, reckless gleam in his eyes and his messy bed hair. His voice gravels in my ear and his breath raises the hairs on my neck. The sound of his voice is so sexy. He's just teasing me and all I can do is smile uncontrollably like and idiot. I strain my arm to get the knife out of my jeans pocket. It'd be easier if I was standing and didn't have Frank right on top of me.
Frank cups my face and starts kissing me. I stop focusing on the knife and kiss Frank back. I take by hand out of my pocket and hold Frank at his waist. I can give him the knife later. Why end such a perfect moment?
I lose track of time, which I've come to realize happens a lot when Frank and I go at it. Sometime much later, we end up back how we started, with him again resting on my chest and I lying flat back one the seat reclined all the way down. We lie down together and I massage his upper shoulders. His legs curl up over my waist and he shifts. "Uh, Gee?"
"What is it?" I ask.
"I was just teasing you earlier but I think there's actually something in your pocket," he says.
The knife. I smile and give a peck on his lips, at least, I intended to but Frank lingers for more. I turn away chuckling. "Frankie, not that I don't enjoy that, but we just did that for I don't even know how long."
"It's my birthday. I can do whatever I want. And if I want you, Gee, then I should get you," he laughs.
"You're right, it is your birthday. And it is custom to give gifts for birthdays."
"Oh, come on. Gee? I said no gifts."
"You'll like this one." I reach in my pocket. Frank sits up on me. Not being directly in my pockets makes it a hell of a lot easier to dig it out. I hold it in front of Frank and he stares at it curiously. "It's a Swiss army knife," I explain. "It has different tools," I say while demonstrating the different blades. "Knife, file, corkscrew, spike, two different types of screwdriver heads, tweezers, and other things." I hand it to Frank.
He takes the knife from me and turns it around examining it. He looks at me and throws his arms around my neck. "This is perfect, Gee! Oh my gosh, I cannot believe you got me this," he says.
I hug him back. "Consider it the equivalent of my mask," I tell him.
He looks at me seriously. "Gerard, I made that when I was a teenager. It's a stupid gift poorly decorated."
"Don't say that. I love it and still wear it because it's important to me. You gave it to me after all."
"Gee, you gave me something I can use all the time and make everything so much easier."
I interrupt him. "You gave me a mask, a nice one of that, and I have been able to go out in the zones without worrying about losing my identity."
Frank looks down at the knife in his hands and twirls it around. He cups my face and kisses me. I hold him tightly and he turns away. "Thank you, I love it," he says, "but not as much as I love you."
I smile and kiss him on the cheek. He climbs back into his seat and I start driving. Probably going to need to find a facility. Running low on supplies and I don't want to ask him about going back to the base just yet. I cooled off but I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back. I don't know if Frank is, but hopefully, he'll bring it up.
After finding some canned goods and water, I grab a few containers of fuel and fill up the tank. Frank leans on the hood of Kemia, waiting for me to finish up. He hops off and starts wandering over. "Hey, where you think you're going?" I ask.
He stops moving and fixates ahead on at the horizon. "Gee, you see that?"
"What?" I ask, turning to find what he's looking at. I see it. Smoke in the sky, and a lot of it. Not thin wisps of a Killjoy fire. Thick black smog, nothing natural. It's man made. "That's got to be from a facility," I think out loud, then glancing at Frank. "S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W/?" Fear glints in his eyes. He doesn't want to believe it. "Frank, I don't want to believe that they're back already but that's what I think it is."
He shakes his head. "We blew up the Unit, okay? We blew that building up and it costs us a lot. It costs us a lot, they can't just come back."
I walk over to him. "I know it did, I was there with you. But this war isn't over. As long as we're still fighting, that means someone else is opposing and until we can safely put down out blasters, there is going to be another enemy we have to fight." He doesn't say anything. I wrap my arms around his waist. "It's going to be okay, I promise you. How's this, we'll drive over and investigate. Just see what's going on. Maybe the Unit isn't back." He nods in agreement.
We get back in the car and drive in silence. Not awkward tension. A mutual fear and lack of knowing what to say. The smoke we saw must have been miles in the sky because it's been hours and Frank has drifted off and we are still not close. By the time he wakes up, the evening is coming.
"G-gee?" he asks groggily. "Where are we?"
"Not sure, just been following the smoke."
"What zone are we?" he asks worriedly. "Did we cross the border?"
I honestly don't know. "Well, no one's shooting at us so I take it no."
"Not the time for your humor. We need to go back."
"Hey, it's okay. The facility is coming into view, the second we are risking anything, I'll turn back but until then, we might as well see what they're up to. Knowing is half the battle." Frank doesn't respond back. I know deep down he wants to run in shooting the place but realistically, he doesn't want to risk getting hurt again.
100 feet away and still not spotted, I park the car. "What are you doing, Gee?" he asks.
I unbuckle. "We're still not seen. The car's too obvious but I want to run over and see what's going on. How many white suits are around any weapons. What if they got some Killjoys hostage."
I open the door but Frank yanks back my shoulder and I stay in my seat. "No, you're going to get yourself hurt."
"Relax, I'm not going in there, just looking. I'll stay out of sight."
"That's what you say now. But what if you do see Killjoys held hostage. You're going to run in there and get yourself killed. I know you, Gee. You want to help people, even if that means losing yourself." I don't have anything to say. I can't deny that I won't do that because I myself know I am notorious for doing such. But we've come so close and I don't want to turn back now. Now that he mentioned it, we might have crossed into Zone 20. Dangerously close to the Society and BL/ind. I try slowly climbing back out of the car but Frank doesn't let me go. "Gee, please don't"
"I can't just turn around. I need to see what they have here. Frank, you know I can't just go back." He reluctantly lets go of me. I step out of the car and he gets out as well. "Frank, why-"
"I'm going with, making sure you don't die again." If I want to go, he's coming with. I know I can't have it any other way. We start our way to the facility.
We get about 20 feet from it and Frank refuses to let me get any closer. There's a shipment of building interiors we crouch behind, squatting on our feet. The place is crawling with white suits. I scan around looking for any sign of entry. Frank wouldn't let me get in but I still want to know. I find the front doors and watch them Dracs walk in and out and the Bounty Hunters patrol, not in our direction so we're fine. My eyes catch one oddity, not wearing any crisp white but not wearing vibrant colors. They are not a Drac/Hunter nor a Killjoy. They don't need to turn around for me to identify them.
I fall on my ass and crawl back. Frank looks at me concerned. "Gee, what is it?" he asks.
I can't. My hands cover my mouth. I think I'm having a heart attack. I can't speak or move; I'm numb. Frank picks me up and we make it back away to Kemia. He drops me down and I lean against the car. "Gee, Gee, look at me. You're okay." I shake my head. "No, don't give me that. Look at me, you're okay."
"I'm dying," I wheeze.
"Not on my watch. You're okay. You're having and anxiety attack. Just take a deep breath," he says. His voice is very calm but direct. He holds my shoulders steady. "I know," he says, more scared sounding himself. "I saw him too."
I don't know how long we sit but I get a grip and get back in the car. I sit there unsure of where to go. I look at Frank, hoping he'll just tell me. "We have to go back at some point," he finally speaks.
"Might as well?" I ask. He nods. I start driving back. We stop for supplies twice along the way and stop at night to sleep. Eventually, we make it back. The base is in sight and I slow down, dreading having to go back and face everyone.
The garage is open and Mason sees us and freezes. He leads us in and we get out of the car. He looks at us. "You're still alive," he says relieved. "It's been nearly a week since anyone had contacted you." There's a silence. "I"m glad you're back," he says and lets us go in. Helena lies across the row of stools at the counter. She turns and glances over at us. Her eyes widen and she slips off the stools.
"Helena, you okay?" I ask concerned.
She gets back to her feet and stares at us. She runs over and hugs Frank and I. "You're back!" she cries.
"It would seem so," Frank laughs.
She takes our hands and leads us downstairs all the way to the bunks. "They're back!" she cries happily. I pull away from her grip and step back in the hallway. She and Frank look at me. "Gerard?"
I stand awkwardly. Frank takes my hands and pulls me into the room. Mikey, Ray, Luke, and Melanie stand up and look at us, not sure what to say or do. They glance between Frank and I. Little scratched up from the brawl a few days ago. Quite dirty from our time in the dirt. Helena is the only one willing to speak. "Melanie remembers everything," she says.
"That's great," Frank replies.
"Hey, guys? We're sorry about what happened," she says.
"Don't be," I interrupt. "You did nothing wrong. It wasn't you."
"I know, he bleached his hair back to white so that's over." We nod. Back to awkward. I hate this, I just wish they still didn't know. It would be so much easier. "How were the zones?" Helena asks, trying to keep the conversation going. The zones. The only thing we did in the zones was going to the Unit. I flinch back and now every looks at me. "Gerard?" she asks.
I'm done. I just need to go for a walk, I don't want to talk to them and I don't want to think about what happened. Before I go, I hear a collective "Is he okay?" followed by Frank. "Korse is alive."
I find myself crawling into a small corner in the back of a storage closet in the hospital wing. It's quite, dark and most importantly, hidden. I want to hide and be by myself so I can cry alone. So I can cry without someone telling me "it'll be okay" and hugging me. I don't want any of that from anyone. Not right now. I want to be alone and cry alone. Korse is fucking still alive. I went down to that Unit trying to see how large it is and what their progress is. I didn't go to expect to see that bastard marching around. Why didn't he die? We blew the damn place up. How did he fucking escape? A while back, I only thought he was still alive because I was in an anything-is-possible phase and I was on death bed. I didn't think I would have to see the bastard from my night terrors, the one that has killed me a thousand times in my sleep and has torched everyone I've ever known. He's still alive and that makes everything so much worse. Because now when I wake up, I can't go back to sleeping telling myself "It's okay, it's not real, he's dead."
The door to the closet starts opening. I hide behind the miscellaneous supplies. "Gerard, you can't hide when you have vibrant red hair," Mikey says.
"Damn it," I mutter under my breath in defeat but I don't move.
Mikey realizes I'm not coming so he sits down in front of me. "Gerard?"
I subtly wipe my eyes and exhale trying to steady the shakiness in my breath. "What?"
"I know he's the guy that..." I glare at him and he knows not to finish that sentence. "I know he's bad but it's going to be-"
"No, you don't know." I cut him off. I don't want to hear him say it's going to be okay because it won't. "Damn it, Mikey. You weren't there, okay? You were here, you don't know him, you didn't see him. You weren't there. You don't know what happened and you don't know him." I frustratedly wiped away the new tears.
"You're right. I don't know. I don't know because I wasn't there."
"He-he's the reason we lost Woody and Bob. He's the reason I got sick. He haunts me every night. He kills me every night but before doing so, he hurts you and Frank and Ray and everyone else. He's alive, Mikey. My nightmares are real."
"We're going to get him. We're Killjoys, that's what we do. We're going to blow up this Unit and kill Korse."
"Mikey, I don't want you going near him," I say.
"Well, that's too bad because we're a team and I've got your back. If he so dares hurts you, I'm going to shoot him until there's nothing left for him to cry about." He pauses for a moment and shifts his jaw. "And, Gerard. About before. I'm sorry I was cold to you."
I wave a hand at him. "Oh, no. You're fine. You thought I was the one that attacked Helena. It's okay."
"Yeah, I couldn't believe you would do that but you didn't. Ray beat Mitch up bloody."
"Ray?" I ask in disbelief. "Sweet, innocent Ray?"
"Oh, yeah. He was pissed. He threw Mitch down the stairs and hauled his sorry ass to the back room. Helena said his hair is white again. That's because Ray dumped bleach on his head."
"Shit, man. That's insane."
"Yeah, I know. I mean, I was shocked but I didn't want to get in his way. Mitch deserved it and I was terrified."
"I would be too. That's insane Ray snapped."
"He was pissed he attacked Helena." Mikey leans closer to me. "He didn't say anything but I'm going to guess he likes her a lot."
"Really, you think?" I ask smiling.
"Oh yeah. I'm almost certain. You didn't realize?"
"No, I always figured that Helena liked Ray. She enjoyed his company and always paid attention to him whenever he's around."
"Really? They would be cute together."
"They certainly would, like you and Addie." Mikey falls still and becomes uncertain. "Hey, you knew I would bring it up now that she's back," I say. I nudge him with my foot. "So?"
"I don't know," he mutters.
"Don't give me that. You know. You said you liked her but it didn't matter since she was gone. Well, she's back now."
"She had something with Cole," he says blandly. "She liked him but he didn't feel the same way towards her. A few days before the attack, she told him but he said he didn't feel the same way."
"Oh," I say. That's all I could say. There was nothing else.
"I still can't believe he's gone. It's not right. It feels like he's just out in the zones and will come into the dinner any day now."
"I know how you feel. It was the same with Woody."
"Yeah," Mikey exhales and clears his face. He stands up to his feet. "Come on, Grace-Jeanette misses you. Get out of the closet."
I stop for a minute. "I already did," I mutter before standing to my feet.
Mikey looks at me and smiles. "You know it doesn't bother any of us, right?"
"What?"
"Gerard, I don't care. You're still my brother, that's not going to ever change. I still got your back."
"Thanks," I smile, giving a side hug.
"Of course. You are Frank are still the most important people in my life. That's never changing. Can I ask how long?"
We start walking out of the hospital. "Uh, I liked Frank since I met him and I think I can say the same for him. We got together right before you left to get the medicine."
"Wait, what medicine?"
"From when I was sick and dying." Mikey stops walking and freezes. "What?"
"That was like 3 years ago!" he cries.
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you tell me sooner!"
I give a little laugh. "Eh, I don't know. I thought it would be easier to not?"
"Well, now you can't get mad if I neglect to tell you something for 3 years."
I look at Mikey but Grace-Jeanette comes running down the hall. "Party Poison!" she cries out. She runs up to me and I scoop her in my arms.
"Grace!" I cheer hugging her tightly.
"Why did you leave?" she asks innocently.
"Oh, I just, I had to go out on a mission."
"Why didn't you bring me? You said I would always be with you."
"I know, I know. It's just, I needed some time to myself."
"Fun Ghoul went too, though."
Damn, she's observant. "Yeah, we needed time alone together." She gives me a funny look. "We had to get out of the base and cool off for a bit. The base was a little bad to be at then."
She looks around and whispers in my ear. "They said you and him were together, what does that mean?" I give an awkward smile trying to put the words together. She sees me struggling and asks a different question. "Does it have to do with when Ghoul kissed you on the cheek?"
"Y-yeah, kind of."
"You like each other?"
"Yes."
"So?" she asks blankly.
"What do you mean so?" I smile.
"So why is it bad? Why couldn't you stay?"
"Well the others found out and we didn't want them to get angry or whatever. I don't know why I left. I was just upset and needed to get away.
"It shouldn't be bad. You like Frank and Frank likes you. That's good because now you're both happy." The fact that a 9-year-old is better at understanding this than some adults blows my mine.
"You're absolutely right. It isn't bad at all," I smile and walk out of the hospital wing.
I head over to the radio station. Steve and Bonnie sit together. They stop when they see us. "Gerard," he says shocked. "Listen, I'm sorry about Mitch and.."
"Don't be," I cut him off. People need to stop apologizing for things they shouldn't be sorry about.
Steve looks down. "Frank was in here early," he says. I nod. "Um, he said that the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W/ Unit is back and Korse is still alive." I look at Steve. He knows it's a touchy subject and doesn't want to get too wrapped up in it but he must have a point bringing it up. "Whenever you and your team are ready, would you want to go a mission of attacking the Unit?" he offers.
"Sir?" I mutter. That's a huge attack. He knows this too so sending four Killjoys at such a large scale attack is a death sentence."
"It will not be all at once. You will be accompanied by the second team of course and you will be slowly gathering Intel on them."
"Oh, that makes more sense."
"Yes, Luke's team will accompany you and I've talked to the others already. You guys weren't around. I have assigned an addition Killjoy on so he has four members, not just three."
"Who is the additional member?" I inquire.
"Nightingale."