Gathering Intel on the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W/ Unit has for the last few months given us a lot of knowledge on what they know about us. They know about the Killjoys and a few individuals, including my team, Luke, Melanie, and a few other.s Basically, those that were at the facility last time are known. Not our real names or our face but our silhouette and our code name. They don't know about Vampire Money but they do know Kobra Kid, which I don't understand how. Mikey wasn't there with us and it makes no sense. A week ago, we grabbed a Draculoid and sent Helena in the facility as the Drac and see what's going on inside. We thought we lost her because she was in there for two days without making contact. She came out finding they are planning something and have a massive armory. The Unit seriously wants to bring down the Killjoys.
Mid-March, the air has a cooling breeze. The patrols keep coming near us so we had to drive significantly farther away from the Unit than we normally do. We pushed back all the way to Zone 16. It's quite nice to hear, quiet, little more vegetation than usual. I walk over to an isolated tree and sit down in the shade enjoying the warming sun slowly putting me to sleep. I'm so tired. When night falls, I only become more alert but when day breaks, I'm also ready to move about. I'm constantly worried I'll turn on my side at night and find Korse peering through a window. Sleep is a rarity and watching the sun rise becomes part of my daily schedule. It's the time between evening and night that I can find peace to drift off. It's such a calming time. The others know that I've become something along the lines of an insomniac but I don't think they know how much. I'm sure Frank can tell but then again, he may not. The lack of sleep puts me on edge and I'm more paranoid than usual. The last 3 months, running on 4 hours of sleep takes its toll.
The sleepy sun tires me and I lean my head against the tree. I think my eyes are open but I snap every now and realize they were in fact closed. I coax myself into relaxing. My team isn't going to head out. We've done what we could for the day, we got supplies for tomorrow. My blaster is in my holster and my mask is already on my face. If danger came, I would be ready. Korse could come through and kill them without giving any warning. By the time I open my eyes, he would have killed everyone. But there's 8 of us and we would be able to know if there was someone approaching. Besides, what if I really need to be in combat later? I'll have to be focused. It's fine now. If the others need me, they would get me.
I convince myself to stop fighting sleep and relax. Drifting off, I give a small jump when someone holds my shoulders. "Shh, it's okay," Frank hushes. He pulls me on his lap and rests my head on his chest. "You're safe now; it's okay. Go to sleep, Gee." I listen to him.
In a state of confusion, I bolt up. The sun has long set and it's dark. Frank grabs my wrist and holds my still. "You're okay. Don't worry, you're okay," he says calmly. We are still in the same spot from a few hours ago. I'm assuming Frank also fell asleep at some point too.
Looking around, I see Kemia the same place I parked her but the van is gone. "Frank, where are the others?" I ask.
"They went out investigating," he answers. Before I ask the next question, he answers it. "They're just trying to figure out what the Unit is planning. Something's going on and they are hoping to find out before it's started."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" I pull my hand free and stand up.
"Because you are exhausted. You are so damn tired that we have agreed unless it's life or death, we're not waking you up."
That catches me off guard. "What?" I mutter.
"You heard me," he says.
"You need to wake me up if we're going to do something. It's must job to help you guy out."
Frank stands up with me. "Gee, you're exhausted. You need sleep and you're not getting it."
"Well, that's my own fault. I'm not sleeping when I should so I need to sleep on my own time, not when you guys are doing things."
"You don't sleep at night, you can't. So you're up the whole time and exhausted but you're up. Consider yourself the night watch. You're up to while the rest of us sleep and you keep guard so when you need to sleep, we watch you and keep a look out." He gives a warm smile. I know he's just making things up to make me feel better but I got to give him credit because his reasons aren't wrong.
"So, what do we do now then?" I sigh.
"You go back to sleep," he orders.
I shake my head. "No, I can't do that. The others are out there and Korse could kill them," I ramble.
Frank stops puts his hand over my mouth. "No, it'll be okay. They're not going to get hurt. Just calm down, baby."
I pull his hand down. "Frank, please. You don't understand. He has killed them a thousand times in my head. I can't. I just-"
Instead of covering my mouth with his hand, Frank reaches up and kisses me. I freeze up a little shocked but after a moment, I let him kiss me. I step back and looks up at me in my eyes. "Gee, I know you're scared but it's going to be okay, trust me?"
"I trust you," I reply.
"Good, I would never break that trust. So listen to me. Go back to sleep, I'll keep you safe tonight and they will never take the light behind your eyes." He likes me back down and I sit in his arms going back to sleep. That was the best sleep I had since I found out Korse was alive.
Footsteps approach us. I sit up and Mikey and Addison jog over to us. "Guys, what's going on?" I ask groggily. Why are they running over when they left. "Where are the others?"
"They stayed back," Addison breathes.
Frank stirs and brushes his hair out of his face. "What do you mean they stayed back? Why?"
"There's something going up with the Unit and they needed us to get you guys and they needed to report it."
"What's going on?" Frank murmurs.
"We don't know but they're preparing for something," Mikey says.
"Let's go," I say and start heading to Kemia. Frank takes the passenger seat and the others get in the back.
Before I turn on the engine, the radio clipped on Frank's vest breaks through. It's Ray. "Go! Go back to the base!" I start the car and speed back to Zone 3. The patrols last night pushed us to the edge 16 so the Base isn't as far as it would normally be. Anxiety rises inside my and I push it to 240 mph. The others sit tensely as we rock through the terrain. A little over two hours, we make it to Zone 3
We arrive at the base as quickly as we can but the damage is already done. The diner shot up and smoking still. Small fires scatter the area. Cars were blown up and fallen bodies. Both White Suits and Killjoys. The devastation haunts me and we aren't even inside yet to see the real damage done. No one answers the radio and I have a feeling that the base isn't cleared up yet.
Running out of the car, we approach the entrance with caution. I look at the others and give a small nod, lowering my mask over my eyes. Taking out our blasters, we walk inside ready to fire on sight. White Suits lie stained with blood on the floor and the two guards are dead. The two guards that always took watch when I had insomniac nights. I would climb up to the roof and watch the sunrise. When I came back, they were the ones in the diner. They're both dead.
Addison makes her way behind the counter and Mikey looks out the windows for any signs of life. Frank starts stepping over in the garage and I cover his back. No one is up on this level. Addison gestures heading downstairs. The three of us start treading over to her when she takes a blast to the chest. She doesn't even have time to scream before she hits the ground motionless. Mikey shouts her name and runs over to her. I grab his jacket and pull him back as the blasts start shooting up the booths behind us.
Frank drops to the floor behind the counter next to us. Mikey fights me off him. We both know he's the better fighter. He wants to check on Addison but if he does, he will get hit. "Kobra, please. Just stop," I whisper but he doesn't listen. They start shooting again and we cover our heads. Frank slides back to the other side of the diner and tries to return fire without getting hit himself. Mikey breaks free from my grasp and bolts up. He runs behind a shelf and a trail of blasts follow after him. I have an opening. I ready my gun and stand over the counter but someone was waiting for me to do just that. As I turn around to start shooting, his gun strikes me on my head.
Frank takes a step towards me when they start shooting at him. He crouches low and stumbles back into the garage for cover. One Drac keeps him busy and the other engages in combat with Mikey, leaving, of course, me with Korse.
I quickly get up but he is already standing over me. He grabs my head with both of his hands and shakes me around like a rag doll. Dizzy from the hit on the head, this only worsens my condition. Where is the hell my gun? Korse throws me against the door frame. "Now that we're alone," he chuckles, "you're in time for the show. Party Poison, you the one that I need. Well, you are also the one that I loathe. You defeated death and I'm the executor. Where does that put us?"
"You tell me," I spit. "You can try and watch me corrode but it'll never happen. I love all the poison and Killjoys never die."
"Killjoys never die," he repeats mockingly. "That's peculiar because the ones here surely did." I try resisting him but he holds me firm. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You can't leave so quickly." I wish he just got it over with as fast as he does in my nightmares instead of monologuing. Frank and the Drac are still shooting at each other and I assume Mikey and the other Drac are still fighting. "There's this place in the dark were my associate goes. You can come with. Take off your leather and mask."
"Shut up," I mutter. He leans his elbow over my throat and I can't speak anymore.
"No, no. I talk, you listen." He gestures in the direction I assume is where Mikey is. "Who was she?" he asks. No, not Mikey. Addison. "She was pretty cute. Too cute in fact. I couldn't kill her. She your girlfriend?" First of all, I wouldn't have answered that question even if I was able to. I'm not telling him anything. And second, I can't talk while being suffocated. Korse stares at me hard and reads my thoughts almost. "No, she's not your sweetheart. But she has to be someone's." He starts smiling and glances over at Mikey. "Well, Juliet surely love to get beat up. I'm willing to bet she was leading you guys. After all, she was the one behind the counter. Does she lust command? Tell her Romeo to drop the dagger or he'll lather her blood in his hands."
"Stop being so theatrical," I wheeze. "There's no shows. You're gonna die."
"Oh, how are you so certain I am the one to die. I was actually on my way out when you, the famous Party Poison made a noble appearance. Always end up killing your team members? Last time was quite eventful. I'm sure that must hurt you a lot. But don't you worry. Before I leave, I'll give you a shot that you'll remember and it will help take all the pain away." I try resisting him again but he only uses more force to hold me back. "I would say I'm sorry but I'm not and I really need to leave. So why don't you blow me a kiss before I go?" he laughs.
"Like hell," I mutter.
"Like hell is exactly what I had in mind. I will push you into a darkness you can't escape. You will just be running around and around until you finally hit rock bottom. The only light you will see in your dark life is the one burning all the empire. The fires will burn so bright that the even sun will be ashamed to rise again. And let me tell you, I will surrender but not until after you fall in love with all of these vampires. You will side with the Draculoids and Bounty Hunters before I die. You will betray your allies and leave you like the sane abandoned me. You'll always be running, Killjoy." He pauses in his speech and looks at me. "I'm dying to see the face of the next executor." I tense up as he reaches his hand for my mask. I hold my breath. He'll take the most important thing from me. My identity.
My shoulder takes a blast and my body is thrown from the force. Frank shoots at Korse but he dodges out of the way and runs out of the diner. My vision doubles but I know I see him running away with several other Dracs. Where they came from I don't know. I remember his words. But don't you worry. Before I leave, I'll give you a shot that you'll remember and it will help take all the pain away. Before I can respond I take another blast, this time closer to my abdomen than my arm. I fall to my knees and shout back at him. "Fuck you!"
The surviving Dracs and Korse compact into one cruiser and drive away from the scene. My eyes fixate on the car and I'm hoisted up to my feet. "Gee? Gee, can you hear me?" Frank asks. He's definitely shot up too and has a few scraps here and there. The Drac he was shooting at is killed and the one Mikey was battling lies bashed in on the floor.
Frank drags me to the counter where Mikey holds Addison in his arms. "She's not dead," I mutter.
Mikey looks at me. "How.. how do you know?" he asks.
"Korse said he didn't want to kill her."
"What? And you believe that she's not dead just because some sociopath said he didn't want to kill her who also happened to be the same person that shot her?"
"Mikey, there's no blood. He really didn't kill her, she's stunned." He doesn't seem convinced. "Korse shot me, that's why I'm bleeding. She's not because he stunned her."
He looks down at her body and slowly realizes that she's not dead but stunned. Frank helps me down the stairs. A burning sensation stings my eyes and I give a little choke. The devastation is far worse than imagined. "They didn't get the kids out," Frank says in horror. And he's right. They didn't have time for protocol. The attack came too fast. There are hundreds of Killjoys, both out in the zones or at the base. About half of the ones at the base are killed, most of them, the inexperienced children that didn't have time to hidden.
"Where's Grace-Jeanette?" I ask. She couldn't come with us on this mission. As much as I wanted her to stay at my side, I couldn't have her come so close to Korse. It's bad enough that he's alive but I couldn't risk her being so close to the Unit. She was at the base.
"Gee, hold on," Frank says lowering me on the ground. He starts checking the children's pulses but the growing look of pain on his face shows that not one of them is alive. "We got to find survivors. Let's go." He helps me back to my feet. He drags me closer to the technician's lab and almost drops me. "Shit, I'm sorry."
I cling to his side to keep me from falling. "It's okay."
He lowers me on the ground again and runs over. "Bonnie? Bonnie, please," he whispers. She doesn't respond and Frank becomes more aggressive, shaking her more. "Damn it, please. Bonnie. Don't do this to me. Where's Mason? And Grace? Come on, Bonnie. Please don't leave me."
I don't have the strength or ability to lift myself up. I stare at Frank as he grows more and more desperate for Bonnie to respond. Either she has a pulse and he's trying to wake her up or he's in denial.
Someone touches my wound and I wince. "Party Poison?" a small voice shakes.
I turn and see a bruised and bleeding Grace-Jeanette with a rag over her mouth. "Oh my god, Grace? What happened?"
"The Dracs came and started shooting before the alarms sounded. They-they hurt a lot of us. Bonnie couldn't get me to the bunks so she hid me under the tables in the lab. They were still coming and we couldn't stop them. We were outnumbered so Bonnie started messing with the pipes. She filled the base with CO2 to knock them out. It was on a timer and turned off after a minute. Are you going to die, Party?"
"No, I'll be okay. How much damage they do?" My eyes continue to burn.
"A lot," she trails off. Except her mouth keeps moving. She's still talking but I can't hear her and everything blurs. Her face blanks and she starts shaking me, crying. Frank runs over and lifts me up. I don't know what's going on.
Korse's words echo in my ears. Like hell is exactly what I had in mind. I will push you into a darkness you can't escape. You will just be running around and around until you finally hit rock bottom. The only light you will see in your dark life is the one burning all the empire. The fires will burn so bright that even the sun will be ashamed to rise again. And let me tell you, I will surrender but not until after you fall in love with all of these vampires. You will side with the Draculoids and Bounty Hunters before I die. You will betray your allies and leave you like the sane abandoned me. You'll always be running, Killjoy. I'm dying to see the face of the next executor. He sounded so certain like he knew what he was going to do to me. He has a plan specifically for me. He's going to do something that will push me over the edge? Is he going to push me to rock bottom? And why does he keep talking about me siding with the vampires? I'm dying to see the face of the next executor. What the hell does that mean? The next executor? He was going to take off my mask. Frank stopped him by shooting me. Not the best way but he saved my identity. I'm dying to see the face of the next executor. Why would he say that? Why am I the next executor? I'm a Killjoy. Why would I be siding with the vampires and why would I be the executor? What makes him so certain that he knows exactly what will cause me to fall into this darkness?
"Gee?" I shift my head. "Gee!" Opening my eyes, Frank lies next to me on a hospital bed. He cups my face and kisses my forehead. "I was worried about you," he cries.
"What's going on?" I ask confused.
"You passed out. Connors fixed you up. The hospital is quite a mess right now. Everyone is here and those that aren't a doctor are helping them or being treated. Ray, Luke, Melanie, and Helena are guarding the base. They just got back not too long ago."
"Frank, whose all dead?" I ask concerned.
He goes blank and he looks down. "Oh god, a lot. Bonnie made it through and Mason is hanging in there. Steve's fine for the most part. One of my trainees was killed," he says breaking up. Frank trained two kids, brother, and sister. "William was shot badly. He died protecting his sister," he says hard.
"How is she doing?" I ask.
"Jay? She's a little banged up and in bad shock. Physically she's okay but mentally, not sure. She fell silent. She saw William die right in front of her." Frank leans against the bed. "God, I want him dead. I want that bastard dead."
"I know. I do too," I comfort him.
"The few hours you were in surgery was rough. I was going around and carrying the children outside." His voice shakes. "A lot of the girls died. There was this woman, her little sister was killed. They looked so alike. Ebony hair and fair skin. The little sister couldn't have been more than 10. Younger than Grace-Jeanette. Her name was Bandit. She was shot in the stomach. Her sister Lindsey was hysterical and it wasn't too long before she died in the hospital from her own wounds. I carried both of them out. I took Jay to the hospital and then took William outside. Next, there was a little boy, Miles. His head was bashed in. There were twin girls, Cherry and Lilly. They died side by side." He closes his eyes and tears comes down his cheeks. "There were so many children killed. Their eyes vacant just starting up. They didn't understand and they didn't stand a chance." There's nothing I can say. I just hold him tightly. "I want Korse killed. I want that Unit terminated."
"I do too, Frank."
"I talked to Steve. He's in a weak state of mind. He granted us permission to pursue Korse."
"What?" I utter.
"He wants him dead just as much as we do. He came here and killed our friends. He got away. We can't let them leave this place alive."
"Let's go," I say. He opens his mouth to object. "No, don't even say it. The longer we wait, the more time he has to get away. I'm not letting him get away. You said it yourself. I had a few hours to recover. I'm ready."
"If you're certain." We leave my room and find Mikey with Addison. "How is she?"
"You're right, she's perfectly fine. Just was stunned," he says.
"Gerard," Steve calls. I turn around and make it over to him. "You go get them. Go on and round up everyone that knows more than you do."
"I will," I tell him. Steve nods and lies back down. The others head out of the hospital. Someone tugs on my lower jacket. "Grace?"
"Are you leaving me again?" she asks worriedly. Her cuts are bandaged up.
No, don't do it, Gerard. It's not safe. Well, it's not safe here for her either. The only way I can protect her is if she's at my side. "Of course not," I say, taking her hand. "Let's go!"
Frank, Mikey, Addison, Grace, and I meet the others upstairs at the dinner. "We're going to find Korse and kill him," Frank announces.
The others look concerned. "Right now?" Helena asks.
"Yes, right now," I say. "If you feel better staying here at the base guarding, please just stay."
"I'm not passing up an opportunity for revenge," Luke says. "Let's go."
As bad as it is, I phase out while driving. I lose focus of what I'm actually doing and every now and then when Frank suggests something, I snap back to focus. I force myself to concentrate. Luke and his team drive us. It's been a few hours and with all the phasing out, I'm not sure which zone were in exactly.
A loud explosion erupts in front of the car and I quickly veer out of the way, stepping on the breaks. We found them. With all the smoke, I can't see where we are. I don't have to stop the car because it stops itself. I get out and see the front tires melted completely. Luke and the others pull over and run out of the van. Where are those bastards hiding?
"Look out!" Melanie screams. A grenade falls from the sky. I turn around as it hits the ground and the blast throws me back. Mikey crouches down next to Ray. Up ahead, blasts start firing at us. They have a better angle at Luke's team.
I open the back door and use it for cover. Grace sits inside the car still. I don't know if I should get her out. If she comes out, she may get hit but if I leave her, she'll be vulnerable. Not too much time passes but when I glance over, Melanie and Addison lie in the dirt motionless. There's no blood that I can see. I hope that they were stunned. Of course, it makes no sense why they wouldn't just kill us but I shouldn't be complaining.
Luke and Helena do their best to advance forward. Ray rummages in the back of the van and then pulls out an RPG. He steps out and fires it in the direction of the shooting. There's a small opening we can run forward. I grab Grace's hand. I'm not going to leave her so far from us. The ones still conscious run forward. There are several more cruisers here helping Korse. I drop Grace into a small ditch. "Stay hidden," I order her then continue running forward.
The Dracs return their firing. Mikey and Ray are the first hit. I falter at the sight of them going down. That hesitation costs me. A Drac tackles me over. "Get off!" I cry out. I struggle to get my blaster pointed up before shooting him multiple times in the gut. I shove the body off me and sit up. Galaxy staggers around and takes a blow to the leg. He topples over and Helena drags him to cover. Frank takes heavy fire from behind a boulder. I move behind a tree and do my best to shoot them. The only ones that are in a position to shoot back are Helena and me. We make the best of the situation.
A Bounty Hunter jumps over the ledge to Helena but Luke dives in front of her, taking the blast and falling motionless. Helena trips backward and shoots them. Luke is out and Helena no longer in cover. Korse hits her shoulder twice and that's enough to knock her out. There's only 4 Dracs left and Korse. We're so close. They don't seem to realize I'm here but they do know where Frank is crouching behind. Three of the Dracs run over to his spot. In a last attempt to fight. He stands up and holds down the trigger. The first Drac goes down. The second one starts shooting back but gets hit. Frank runs out of luck. The third one hits Frank in the lower abdomen. He stumbles back and smacks his head on the ground. Desperately inching away, the Drac stands tall over Frank and shoots him in the chest.
I sit helplessly, curled up behind a tree, my hands covering my mouth. What the hell did I do to save him? Nothing. They don't even know I'm here. The others fought until they were shot, what did I do? Stayed hidden and watched them go down one by one. Grace is still hiding I'm sure but she's a kid for god's sake. I can't compare myself to her. I need to fight the last two Dracs and Korse. The others are stunned so they'll wake up. I just need to kill the last 3 still standing.
I turn around and Korse stands right in front my me, his face inches before mine. I let out a small shriek and trip over myself. His gun points right between my eyes and I stare down the barrel.
"How about that darkness I talked about?" and he pulls the trigger.
Everything is numb. I can't feel nor can I move. However, my eyes start opening on their own. They slowly open and I catch a glimpse. I'm lying in the dirt and my blaster is inches from my hands. It might as well be a mile because I'm paralyzed and can't reach it. My mask thankfully stays on my face from the blast. My hair moves around from the wind. My eyes wander involuntarily up and I see the barrel pointed at me still. But it was pointed down at me and Korse was standing over me.
The two Dracs stand behind him also staring at me, one of them pins Grace-Jeanette's arms behind her back. She tries to wriggle free but what's an 11 years old girl against a grown man? She struggles to get free and has red marks from them roughhousing her around. Her toes stretch to reach the ground, he's practically holding her in air. Terror on her face and her eyes locked on my own. "Let me go!" she cried out. "Party Poison?" she begs me to do something.
"Keep. Running." His voice cold and gravely. He starts walking backward, the gun still aimed at me as if I was going to run at him. I can't even move my arm let alone attack him.
The Drac starts dragging Grace-Jeanette away. "No! Let me go! Let me go!" she screams. She wriggles around but can't get close. Her feet drag in the dirt and dust stains her clothes and face as if she's been thrown around a bit. "Party Poison! Help me!" she cries. "Please! Party Poison! Oh, ahh, you're hurting me, let me go! Let me go!" Her voice fades away as they get further away. "You promised!" she cries out.
I don't say anything. I can't. I just lie and watch them take her, like how I watch them stun my friends. I can't move. I can't speak. I can't do anything. I just inhale and exhale. Breathe in. Breath out. That's all I can do and I'm not even in control of it. And I have no control over my eyes either and they slowly start closing again. No. NO! They're taking her away. I fight and train to move, twitch a muscle. Anything. I'm stunned and the only thing that will help me move is time. The time I don't have. Not if I want to save Grace. He's taking her. He's fucking taking her away. She's scared and all alone. Never let them take you alive. That's the rule. They took her. God knows what they'll put her through. I failed her and she knows it. I told her the vampires will never hurt her. No, I promised her they wouldn't and they fucking took her away. Dragged her away. I don't even have the ability to cry. All I do is just close my eyes.
He was right. He was fucking right all along. I'm falling into a darkness. She was the one thing I was never going to let down. She was the one person I vowed to keep safe. I need Mikey and Frank and all my friends safe for my sanity. I love them so much that I depend on their safety but Grace, she's something different. It's my job to protect her. Alec and Parker's dying wish for her to be safe. I saw myself in Grace. She was at my old house and that's where her parents died, like where mine died. Where BL/ind killed them. That was the place everything changed in my life and my entire world turned around. That was also the place her life changed. She was scared and young. I saw myself in her. How could I not?
Keep running. I will be. Always running and no matter how much I run, no matter what I or anyone else does, I'm gone. If I lost any one of my friends, I would go insane. My mind would break and I would go insane. But I didn't lose any of my friends so I have my sanity. I lost Grace-Jeanette so I lost myself.