The aftermath is secondary.
That was all that went through Party's mind as he sped down the tunnel and toward the entrance of BL/Ind. His eyes flickered to Gracie's picture. She'd always been a daughter to him. Him and Ghoul that is. He didn't take his eyes off the road but he saw his boyfriend's image in his mind like it was right in front of him.
Kobra's eyes went from his older brother, to the picture taped on the dashboard, to the road. His mind was racing and he fiddled with his bright red ray gun. All that was on his mind was saving Grace.
Ghoul took his eyes off of his soul mate and fixed his gloves. At first his eyes darted to the sticker on the front windshield that said BULLETPROOF but they didn't stay there very long. His eyes flashed to the dashboard where he had taped a picture of his and Party's daughter. She meant the world to him. She was the only thing in the world that he loved as much as Party. Now he was going to get her back, it didn't matter the consequences.
Jet played with his ray gun, examining it under the dull tunnel lights. He thought about his mini me and how he was going to do everything he possibly could to get her back. He tucked a stand of his loose, curly black afro behind his ear and he thought about trying to escape there with his family. This band of killjoys meant the world to him. He wasn't just about to let them slip through his fingers like he had so many others.
Party had a look of pure determination on his face. They were coming up by the inspection stop halfway toward the end of the tunnel. He sped up, applying more pressure to the gas petal. He saw the BLI agents grab their pure white ray guns and start shooting at them. His poker face stiffened and he sped well over a hundred miles an hour until boom! He had crashed the car into the lever that usually stopped people from getting through. He kept driving down the tunnel at an alarmingly fast rate. His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror and he saw the agent that hadn't died hit the emergency button.
The whole car was silent. No one's face showed any emotion but they all knew that it would tear them apart if Gracie wasn't home, safe by the end of the night. No one moved a lot. A few turns of the head here and there but the atmosphere was fake calm. They had to stay strong, if not for themselves, then for Gracie.
They parked outside of the main BLI building and got out of the car. They set down across the bridge that led them to their final destination.
A few thousand feet away, Grace was sitting on the floor of the Draculiod/Scarecrow head quarters. She moved a ball around with her hand and examined the place thoroughly. She knew how to work every machine in the room thanks to her Daddy Ghoul. She knew about the secret compartments in the walls and the access code to the ray gun vault. She was quite observant for a seven year old but being a killjoy, she had to be. She looked up at her Japanese captor and flashed a small smile. Her captor gave a small, fake smile back and Grace had to suppress the urge not to roll her eyes.
She knew perfectly well what was going on. Her family was coming to bring her home. She could tell by the amount of flashing lights on the machines and the amount of BL/Ind agents masking up and grabbing ray guns. Her daddies were on the camera screen, along with her uncle Kobra and uncle Jet. She smiled at them coming to rescue her.
Party led the team down the bridge. At about a hundred feet away from the entrance, they all grabbed their ray guns, realizing they were about to be shot at. Their actions didn't come a moment too soon because just seconds later, two agents popped up from hiding places in front of the door and started to shoot at them.
The agents didn't last five seconds. Color erupted from the ray guns on the killjoy end and the agents were taken down. The four color clad men strut through the long, narrow hallway, shooting anybody in sight. Kobra had a look of pure evil on his face but the other's faces remained emotionless.
The Japanese captor pulled out a samurai sword and agents lined up out of sight by the doors. Grace could tell the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W agents were terrified. It was a funny sight for her. She just wasn't use to people being scared over her parents.
Uncle Kobra took out the hidden defenders while Ghoul shot the agents operation the machinery. Grace stood up and opened her arms wide. "Daddy!" She yelled. Party bent down and wrapped his arms around his daughter. For the first time sense she was taken from him, he felt whole. Kobra, Ghoul and Jet stood lookout at different points of their section of the buildings as party filled Gracie in.
The Captor walked crawled out of the secret dumb waiter she had climbed into and set down a long narrow hallway. The flicked the switch in her hands and she knew that be the flashing lights, Korse had been awoken. He had met her halfway down the hallway with a handful of Draculiods. The group entered the elevator and took it to the next floor down.
The killjoys walked down a narrow hall that was quite like the ones their enemies had walked through moments ago. Grace, having had time to explore the building thoroughly, led the group through the vast series of narrow hallways and twisting, labyrinth like building corridors. They walked through the hallway until the very end where they reached the front entrance. They walked past the elevator and into the front room.
Then everything went to hell.
As Korse and his band of terrorizers stepped out of the elevator and toward the killjoys, about thirty Draculiods came running into the front room, guns blazing.
Korse fired the first shot, just missing Party Poison. It flew past his ear and the killjoys turned to face their attackers. The Dracs and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W agents fired their pure white bursts of deadly light toward the killjoys and they fired back, their colored bursts in deadly comparison to the white that flashed all around them.
The Killjoys were lucky at first. The Dracs went down with ease and no of them had gotten hit. Grace covered her ears and stayed out of the fight. She stood by her uncle Kobra, who was fighting back to back with Daddy Party.
A S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W agent popped up in front of her and was about to fire his ray gun when a green light hit it in the dead center of his chest. She knew it was daddy Ghoul by the color and smiled. They all shot anyone within a ten foot radius of them. No one got close enough to Gracie to lay a finger on her.
Jet Star started shooting everyone in sight until he got to his mini me. She clung to him as he shot his gun everywhere, the deep blue light seeming to be everywhere at once.
Party sneaked around, trying to get behind an all too familiar figure. He got behind the figure, grabbed the back of his mask, pointed his ray gun into the Drac's back and shot. The Drac fell down and the mask came off. To his horror, h recognized the face as a killjoy that he had known before he was captured.
Jet shoved Gracie in a corner where she wouldn't be seen. "Stay here until I come back to get you!" He yelled over the commotion. She nodded and he ran off to help Party.
Party made one fatal mistake and took a look down at the body of Nuclear Motorcross. His facial features were blank like he had been drugged. The red haired killjoy's heart fell at that moment and he realized that it must have been what happened when people were caught.
Korse popped up in front of him and pushed him back against the wall. Party grimaced as his back hit the wall. Korse lifter his ray bun and placed it under the red haired killjoy's jaw. At that second, Party looked death in the eyes and not only accepted it, he embraced it. He kept his head up and stared straight in the eyes of the bald man in front of him, knowing what was going to happen next.
Sure enough, Korse pulled the trigger on his gun. The white light killed Party on impact. His life flashed before his eyes and he tried to smile. His life had been worth living.
Korse grinned as the red haired killjoy's body sunk to the ground.
The sound of Grace's scream for her father echoed through the hallow halls and her uncle Kobra turned to see his brother's body slumped against a white pillar, unmoving. "Gee!" Ghoul yelled, the tears starting to cloud his vision.
In the heat of the moment, Kobra turned into a cold hearted killer. In his eyes, everyone deserved to die. He saw it as avenging his brother, others saw it as bloodlust. He was hit by a beam of light just as he hit Korse in the ankle. It took three different agents to get him down. Thee beams of light hit him simultaneously and he collapsed. "Mikey!" Jet screamed and he ran.
Jet and Ghoul grabbed Gracie and started running for the door. Ghoul had made this next decision on impulse and even though it broke his daughter's heart, he knew what he had to do.
Jet ran out the door and Ghoul pushed Gracie out. He closed the door behind her.
"Daddy!" she yelled, trying to go back for him.
"Frank!" Jet yelled as he ran back.
He made the signal for them to run and Jet grabbed his god daughter and pulled her away before taking one last look at Ghoul.
Save yourself, I'll hold them back.
How appropriate that phrase was for the situation. Ghoul was about to sacrifice himself to save everything he loved. In his mind, he was dying for a good cause. He wouldn't have had it any other way.
He turned to face the agents who worked for the people that took his life away from him. They took Jamia, Lily and Cherry away from him. They were 'unfortunate civilian deaths due to the potential uprising of the people' according to the paper. They weren't the only ones either. Lyn-Z and Bandit died that day too.
I think that's what brought Gee and I back to each other, having losing them. Without them dying, we would never have gone to each other. We never would have found Gracie and started our family.
He shot at the Dracs but each one was like a hydra head. Knock one down, two more replace it. A beam of white light hit his shoulder and he grimaced in pain. He could feel the pain radiating off of him and his face twisted and contorted in pain but he stood his ground. Another strategically placed beam hit his shoulder and he went down. He wouldn't have died any other way though. He died protecting what he loved.
Jet and Grace ran across the parking lot, dodging past the deadly white flashes of light that were being shot at them. Jet pulled out his bright blue ray gun and faced the building. He walked backwards, shooting whatever he saw. He managed to get a good few down while Dr. D, Show Pony and Agent Cherri Cola pulled up in the van. A burst of light hit him square in the chest and he went down against the hood of the old Trans Am.
Show Pony fired his purple gun and Dr. D grabbed Gracie. She couldn't comprehend the fact that they were all gone.
000
In 2025, the image still haunts her mind. Thirteen year old Grace isn't the same fun loving kid she used to be.
She's standing outside her old home. It was the only place she could think. She stood in the blistering heat of the sandy Zone 6, debating on if it was a good idea to go in there. She gave up and walked in. She took a good look around the living room. It was heartbreakingly familiar.
She went straight to her uncle Jet's room and sat on the bed. Memories flooded back to her of when he first started to trust her.
"Jet-Star, can I give you a haircut?" she pleaded.
His hand went automatically to his hair. "No." He said sternly but she knew she was going to win. Grace pouted and dragged her feet over to chair in the corner of the room.
"Please Ray?" she whined and he shook his head.
Three, two, one, she thought and he caved.
"Fine, you can cut my hair. Just don't kill me in the process!" he said and she I smiled. He sat on the floor while she grabbed the scissors. Grace got to work, sticking her tongue out just a little bit like she always did when she concentrated really hard. She started snipping away at it until it was perfect. Gracie led him into the bathroom and by the look on his face, he thought she was going to chop it all off.
"Gracie, it's perfect," he said and she smiled." Now it's your turn." He said and he started with her haircut. He trimmed her hair carefully so he kept her afro but it stayed out of her face. When he was done, she gave him a big hug. He was hesitant but returned it. "You're not too bad mini me."
Grace choked up at the memory. The tears streamed down her face and she went over to the closet. She pulled his favorite hoodie off the hanger and went next door to uncle Mikey's room.
She laughed at the pictures of bands and unicorns that cluttered the walls. She recognized a few bands but most of them were just unfamiliar faces staring back at her. She sighed in defeat and laid on the bed. She let the memories flood back to her as she rested her head on the unicorn pillow pet.
Grace sat on the sidelines as Kobra test drove the Trans Am. She stared in awe at the way he drove so perfectly. It was just the right speed and every turn seemed to be done at just the right second. The way the sun hit the car blinded her but she couldn't look away.
He parked the Trans Am and Grace still stared sat the car, imagining herself driving it. Kobra shocked her out of her fantasy and replaced it with reality.
"Hey kid, if we get permission from Party, do you want to learn how to drive her?" he asked the seven year old and she nodded with all she had. He was trying to make her dream a reality. It didn't last long though.
"No, no, no; you're not teaching her to drive MY car!" Party yelled at Kobra and Grace's face fell. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she ran away from the door loudly. Her footsteps seemed to echo louder than usual as she ran to her room to cry. Poison realized what he had done and went after her, Kobra close behind. Poison knocked on her locked door but she didn't let him in, even when he asked nicely.
Kobra tried and got more success. She unlocked the door and told him to come in. Party was jealous but followed silently into Grace's bedroom.
Kobra was happy to see that the mini 'fro was shooting daggers at his brother.
"Hey Gracie, I think Party is starting to reconsider," he said to her, nudging his brother in the ribs. Party sighed in defeat.
"If it really means that much to you then you can learn to drive. You just have to promise not to wreck her," he said and she lifted her head up from the pillow. Her tear stained cheeks were the only reminder that she had been crying. Her whole face was light up and her smile was contagious.
"Really?" she asked hopefully, not truly believing he was going to let her do it.
He nodded though and she pulled him into a quick hug. She pulled back after a second and pulled Kobra outside to teach her how to drive.
He showed her how to do it and watched her practice for hours. She couldn't get it just right and yelled in frustration by time the sun sat. She was convinced that she was never going to get it right.
"I give up! I can't do it!" She yelled and stormed back into the house. Kobra followed her back into her room to see her destroying the perfect order of things. He calmed her down and made her explain what she was doing.
She told him that she's never going to be able to do anything right and he dragged her back out to the Trans Am. She got back in and he gave her the oddest instructions ever.
"Gracie, listen to me. You can do this. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Keep your eyes closed and remember everything I taught you and start driving. Don't open your eyes. Just focus." He said and she did what she was told. Keeping her eyes closed and taking deep breaths, she started driving. She did everything perfectly and when she finally got the courage to open her eyes, she drove even better than she thought she could. Kobra beamed at the sight of her. She'd done so well and all because she had a little faith…
Grace missed Uncle Mikey. She tightened her grip on the pillow pet and tried to stop crying. She had to be stronger, she just had to. She looked at the old scrap book though and she broke.
"Uncle Mikey, tell me about before the apocalypse," she asked one night as he tucked her into bed.
"Now why on earth would you want to hear something like that?" he asked her and she shrugged.
"I think it would make a pretty awesome bed time story." She said and he rolled his eyes.
"Nah, but let me tell you about twenty twelve and the aftermath."
"Okay," she smiled. She never heard about it before because no one liked dwelling on the past. She could tell this was going to be good.
"The Mayans were a lot smarter than a lot of people gave them credit for. They predicted that in twenty twelve, the world would end. Everyone thought they meant that the world would explode or something but that wasn't the case." He took a breath and continued. "In two thousand, better Living Industries became the leader in dog food. The company progressed to things like medication, regular food, and then nuclear missiles. In two thousand and twelve, BLI declared war on the rest of the world. They dropped bombs on every major city until it was only just Los Angeles. They dropped the final bomb and the war was over. By September of twenty thirteen, they rebuilt Los Angeles and renamed it Battery City."
"Everybody was put on medication and if you were found not taking all your medication, you were killed. People started running away from Battery City and became Killjoys like us. In twenty fifteen, people were kidnapped from their homes to be S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W agents and child bearers. Then they made a new law. When you hit eighteen, you could either join BLI or become a killjoy. The population was decreasing fast from all the killjoys so BLI made the Exterminator. The leader of BLI, Korse, volunteered for the position. He didn't want to do anything but eliminate the killjoys, so they let him. It's been a war between the Draculiods and the killjoys. Blood is shed every day and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Everyone is too afraid to stand up to Better Living and fight it. We don't have the numbers…" he added with a sigh and Grace's heart filled with hope.
"Uncle Mikey, I'm gonna do it one day. One day, I'm going to gather up every killjoy I can and take down Better Living," she told him and she held out her pinky toward him. "I promise," she added before he smiled and her and locked his pinky with hers before pulling her into a hug.
The thirteen year old's heart was shattering as she ran out of the room, clutching the pillow pet as if her life depended on it. The tears swam down her cheeks and she ran into her parent's room. She wanted to collapse when she saw everything in the room. Everything had a memory behind it that stung.
Like the Green Day poster…
"Daddy, what's Green Day?" Gracie asked Fun Ghoul, her eyes filled with wonder as she looked at the poster.
Fun Ghoul and Party Poison sat down on either side of the bed next to her. "Green Day was a band that played before BLI took over," Party said with a dreamy voice like he was remembering the good old days of his childhood and teenage years.
Ghoul elbowed his daughter gently. "Party was obsessed with them. He snuck into concert dressed as security just to meet the lead singer. He was a crazy kid as a teenager," he said gently and Gracie started laughing.
And the picture of her dad in a dress…
She pointed to a picture of a black haired woman in a dress. "What about that one?"
"That was the day I dressed in drag for art school," Party said, laughing. Both the males had grins on their faces and Gracie tilted her head to the side, wondering what 'drag' was.
"What's drag?" she asked curiously. Ghoul had a big grin on his face and he gave a pointed look at his boyfriend. Sighing, the red haired man explained it to his daughter.
"Dressing in drag means when a boy dresses like a girl. I had to do it because your uncle Kobra made a bet with me and I lost." He explained and she started laughing. The idea of her dad in a dress was just too funny for her to handle.
And the Cowboy's blanket on the bed…
"Who are the Cowboys?" Grace asked her uncle Jet and he gave a shrug.
She ran up to her dads and asked the same question.
"They're a football team," Party told her and she asked what football was. He explained it to her while Ghoul fell asleep in his lap.
"Were they any good?"
"Not really but I loved them anyway."
"What about daddy Ghoul?"
"He liked another team named the Steelers."
"Of course he did," she said, smiling at the irony of it.
The old CD player…
"What is this?" Gracie yelled as she picked up the old, battery powered CD player and Ghoul laughed.
"The only thing that plays good music anymore," he said with a giggle and Grace glared at him.
"I don't know how. I mean look at this thing! It's got to be at least a hundred years old!" She smiled as she said it.
"Don't let Party here you say that. He'll go on another 'back when I was a boy' speeches and I don't think either of us can handle another one of those." He said and she nodded, grimacing as she remembered the last speech.
Grace ran off toward her parent's room and searched through the CD collection until she found an album by David Bowie. She listened closely, marveling at how beautiful he sounded.
Grace listened to Panic! At The Disco as she wrapped the blanket around her body. She was crying harder than ever. It was just too much for her to handle. She laid back on the bed and rested her head on the pillow pet. She took deep breaths in, smelling the leftover emanates of cologne and transition oil the room still smelled like.
"Happy Birthday Uncle Mikey," She whispered before closing her eyes.
She fell asleep like that, wrapped up with in the blanket, wearing the hoodie, listening to the CD player and snuggling up to the pillow pet.
000
Dr. Death walked in the former killjoy house and went straight to Party and Ghoul's room. Sure enough, Gracie was there. He debated on waking her up but this was the most restful sleep he had seen her get since her parents died. She looked peaceful, like all her inner demons had been banished for the time being. The ratty old Cowboys blanket was wrapped around her like a cocoon and the soft melody of Dear John by Taylor Swift came from the headphones that protected her ears from any other sounds the world around her might wake.
He just let the young killjoy sleep. There was something in her smile that made him feel like she deserved to sleep as long as possible.
Dr. Death drifted off in a chair. He woke up around three o'clock and decided it was time to wake up the mini 'fro.
He pulled her headphones off her ears. "Missile Kid, come on. It's time to get back to HQ. It's dangerous staying in one place too long," he told her as he shook her small frame awake. Her eyes fluttered and she, for the first time ever, gathered up her things and headed toward the Trans Am. She put everything in the passenger seat and closed to door.
Grace rubbed her eyes and looked over at Dr. Death.
He was in his old Pontiac, pulling his shades on his face. He nodded at her and drove off back toward Zone Three. She got in the driver's side of the Trans Am and pushed the A Walk to Remember CD into the stereo. She sang along as she drove to Zone One.
000
"Hey Doc, how's she holding up?" Agent Cherri Cola asked him that night. He had just gotten back to Head Quarters when she asked.
"She's not holding up Cherri and that's what's scaring me. Every birthday, holiday or day of remembrance, she goes there and cries her eyes out for them. I don't know what to do anymore!" he banged his head against the wall in frustration and Show Pony rolled his eyes from the next room.
"There's nothing we can do Doc. It's her way of coping with their deaths." She said simply and he turned around to glare at her.
"What if that stops working Cherri? What if she finally breaks down when she goes back there next time? What if she does something stupid and…" he trailed off, not wanting to think about the possibilities.
"She's a strong kid Doc. She can take care of herself. She's proved that more times than one." Show Pony called into him and Dr. D just sighed. After all, they had a point. He just couldn't help but worry though. He was her godfather though, so it was okay for him to worry about her.
"I just don't know how much longer she can hold up. She's just as stubborn as Ghoul and Poison combined and she got Kobra's trait of not saying anything that bothers her. Not to mention how much of a pain she can be. She's so quiet anymore! I miss the old, loud, bouncing off the walls Gracie." He said with a sigh and Cherri just pat him on the back.
"Be strong enough for both of you Doc." Cherri said before leaving the room. Dr. D had a lot to think about.
000
"Well alright children, now the lights are out and the party's over. I'd like to have a moment of silence in loving memory of Kobra Kid. He was an amazing killjoy, a loving family member and a beloved uncle. Three cheers to Kobra." Dr. D's voice rang out across every radio in the zones and quite a few in Battery City. Glasses, dog food cans and plastic containers were raised across all six sandy zones and various spots in Battery City. With each thing raised, the person raising the object and the people listening either said 'to Mikey' or 'to Kobra'.
000
In 2029, she walks away from Dr. Death Defying's grave with tears in her eyes and vengeance on her mind. Korse had killed her whole family and it was time for Grace to stop hiding in the shadows and fight back.
That day was the day she was going to start embracing being a killjoy. It was time for her to start accepting the fact that she was an outlaw.
She wasn't sweet little Grace anymore, no. Instead, she truly was Missile Kid. It was time for her to start getting used to the name.
Grace headed inside Dr. D's shack and went straight to the radio room. She set up for the broadcast and practiced her lines. When everything was set up, she hit the button to her left and the light went on, signaling that she was on the air.
"Hey there everybody, this is Missile Kid and I'm broadcasting out to you with a heavy heart. Today, our beloved Dr. Death Defying has been killed by the Exterminator. It's…" She had to stop for a second and take a deep breath. "It's hard believing it but I saw it with my own eyes. Tomorrow, I'm leaving zone three and going into Battery City. Tomorrow, I'm taking down Korse. I'm going to need all the help I can get. Anybody who wants to help overthrow Korse and Better Living Industry, please meet me at Doctor D's shack tomorrow at six. It's going to be dangerous traveling at night and early in the morning so be safe. This is Missile Kid, over and out." She said into the mic and set the message to replay on a loop. She went into the front room and sat down at the blueprints of Battery City, planning her route to Korse.
000
Grace had gotten maybe two hours of sleep all together the night before but she was ready to go. She slept in the back of the Trans Am as her one real friend, Toxic Goth Chemical (Toxic for short), drove them to Battery City. All the killjoys that had shown up at random points within the last ten hours met up outside the city at the sewer entrances. Toxic woke up Grace with a shove and the teen rolled her eyes before getting out of the car. Most of the killjoys were standing at the main tunnel, which was huge beyond belief, waiting for her. She stood in front if everybody and cleared her throat.
"Thank you all for coming. I wouldn't have asked but it's time we say enough. The war against BLI has been going on long enough. Today, we're fighting for our freedom and we're fighting for everyone we've lost. If any of you want to turn back, that's your choice-"
"Oh for God's sakes Missile, we're not leaving!" Toxic yelled through the crowd and everyone turned to face her. The blue haired killjoy crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed. "Scratch that, I'm not leaving you." She said with a glare and everyone turned back to face the mini 'fro.
"I'm glad for that Toxic. You always have my back and that's why you're my best friend. Now, I need to warn you all. If you have a problem with bugs, sewers, snakes, rats and things like that then I don't suggest you come. The smallest sound could give us away," she warned and some of the killjoys took their bandana's and tied them around their mouths before giving a 'systems are go' thumbs up. "Okay, we need to split up into groups. I think it might be best if we go through in groups so it's not one big cluster."
"How many groups?" Radio Beam asked and Grace pulled a number off of the top of her head.
"Let's go with six. Uh, Radio Beam, Gasoline Diamond, Poetic Disaster, Naughty Night Child, you're in the first group with me. Screaming Banshee, Chemical Thrill, Acid Rain, Cellophane Revenge and Zombie Rat, you're in the second group. Poison Pride, Spider Bat, Detonation Cloud, Hollow Heart and Alterations Earthquake, you guys are group three. Screaming Sunshine, Synthetic Flames, Indigo Phoenix, Nightmare Melody and Chaos Bomb, you're the next group. Moon Screamer, Radio Star, Agent Cherri Cola, Nuclear Poison, Cougar Cat and Spider Monkey, you're group five. Toxic Goth Chemical, California Dreams, Know-It-All, Toxic Rose, Wand Boy and Cobra Venom, you're the last group." She said and as their names were called, everyone moved into groups. There was a brief 'hi' here and there but it was silent other than that. She stepped down and went to go stand by Toxic.
Agent Cherri Cola stepped up to the front. "Hey everybody. Last night, I broke into Dr. Death's stash of communicators. I've hooked them up to the radio and they work pretty well. I've also managed to hook them up to Bluetooth's so it'll be easier. They're in my bag," she said and she was instantly digging through her bright pink tote bag. She pulled out a freezer bag full of Bluetooth's and started handing them to everyone.
After a minute, Chemical Thrill got worried. "What's the plan Missile? Are we going to go in guns blazing or do you have better planning skills that your dad did?" He sneered at her and Toxic grabbed her arms before Grace could go over and do some serious damage to the kid.
"Grace, not today. Or at least, not yet. As soon as we win, you can kick him where it hurts. I swear, I won't hold you back when it's time." She whispered in her best friend's ear. Grace nodded and gave Chemical Thrill a glare.
"I do have a plan and if you'd shut up and stop being a prat for five minutes, you'd hear it," she threw the words at him, venom lacing her tone and he stared her down. She just waved it off.
"Here's the plan…"
000
Grace led her team down through the tunnel, her flashlight guiding their way. Gasoline Diamond stood beside her with the map of their route and when they reached the sewer grate, they looked up through it to see the empty coffee room. Grace popped the grate up and slid it across the carpet floor of the coffee room before climbing out. She hid behind a pillar and spoke in a low hiss.
"Gas, it's clear."
"Rodger that Missile. I'm coming up." She heard Gasoline Diamond's voice through the Bluetooth and within seconds, she was in her place.
"Is it safe?" Radio Beam asked through the Bluetooth and she got the okay from Grace and Gas.
Radio Beam, who usually stomped like an elephant, tip toed behind a desk. Then the rest of the group hid in different places in the room.
"All systems are go. Group two, move out," Grace said and she raised two fingers then motioned them forward. She stepped out from behind the pillar and rushed forward into the next room. She knew how much danger they were in and how likely they were to get caught but she was determined to make sure history didn't repeat itself. The front room was surprisingly empty. One quick glance at the calendar on the wall told her it was Christmas. She had no idea that it was so late, it was so hard to distinguish between the days out in the zones.
She walked past the elevator that was all too familiar. She tip toed down the hall and her anger was building. Then the alarm went off.
"Killjoys have penetrated the building! Take no prisoners!" The woman's voice rang out on the overhead. It was the woman that kept her captive all those years ago. Her hand went to the ray gun hanging over her left hip and her recently tattooed fingers curled around the handle.
The doorway at the end of the hall led to a staircase and she stepped slowly and cautiously up the stairs, determined not to make a sound. She pushed the door at the top of the steps open and suddenly, it reminded her of a stairwell in a school. She walked down another hallway, turned down another before something caught her eye, a key pad. She rushed over to it and thought about how long it might take to hack it. Deciding it would take too long, she slammed the but of her ray gun down on the key pad. Sparks flew everywhere and Grace turned to the door next to it. With one swift movement, she put enough force behind her steel toed combat boot to kick the door down. She strut in the room, holding her gun in the air, pointing it at a smirking Korse.
"You again. I'm not surprised really. It has been ten years. It was only a matter of time before you did this." He said, his arrogant smirk growing wider. The reflection of the lights glared against his seemingly polished bald hear and she pulled the hammer of her old fashioned ray gun down.
"You deserve to rot in hell. You killed my family, my friends, my godfather, give me one good reason that I shouldn't shoot you right now," she challenged him and he held his hands up. In a normal circumstance, it would have meant surrender but this time it was cruel, mocking. Her hands tightened around the gun and he smiled.
"What do you have tattooed on your fingers?" he asked with a sly grin and her lips pressed into a flat line.
"It says Halloween. What's it to you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at him.
"Of all the things to get a tattoo of, why that?" he asked, his tone was simply curiosity but Grace didn't trust it. She took a step toward him then realized something. He was going to be dead in a few seconds anyway, it didn't matter if she told him.
"My dad had it too. You should remember him. About four foot nine, tattooed, long black hair, went down with two shots to the shoulder." She explained and he shook his head she took another three steps closer to him. "His name was Fun Ghoul. He came here to rescue me along with my other dad and my uncles."
"Well then you're stupid for putting your life in jeopardy. Their efforts were useless if you're here to die anyways," he said and she closed the distance between them and grabbed him by the throat. She pointed the head of the gun just under his chin just like he did to Poison ten years ago. She looked him straight in the eyes and her finger clasped around the trigger…
"Missile let him go. He's not worth it," Toxic's voice came from the doorway and she didn't even look at her best friend when she replied.
"He is worth it. He's killed everybody Tox, he deserves to die."
"What would Party say here Miss? Or Ghoul or even Kobra or Jet? They'd tell you not to kill him and you know it. Now come on. We've secured the building and it's over. They've lost already Miss, it's over." She told her best friend as she stepped closer to her. She stepped beside her and put her hand on her ray gun. She looked her best friend in the eye and Grace lower her gun. Fun Ghoul's initials glimmered in the light and Grace tore her eyes away from Korse and backed off. But she wasn't letting him get off that easy. Just as she was about to leave, she turned around and slammed her right fist into his face.
"That was for my family," she snarled at him and two killjoys came in the room. Synthetic Flames and Moon Screamer smiled at her before rushing over to Korse and clipped the hand cuffs around his wrists before dragging him out of the room.
000
The trial was the next day and Grace served as the judge. The trial lasted four hours and it took her an hour to make her decision.
Everyone stood up as she walked in the room and sat down when she did. She turned to Korse, who had a poker face on. "Korse, the crimes you've committed against the killjoys and the citizens of Battery City are punishable by death. For what you've done, you deserve to die a very slow, painful death. But that is something someone from Better Living would give as a punishment. But the killjoys don't do things like that. We're better people than you were. So, even though you don't deserve this, I herby sentence you to life in isolation. There is no chance of parole, bail or anything else that can bust you out. You'll have guards circling around you room at all times. There will be a therapist coming to see you three times a week. You need to work out you inner demons. Case dismissed." Grace said and she looked at Toxic, who was sitting in the crowd.
"You did the right thing," she mouthed to Grace and the mini 'fro smiled.
"I know," she mouthed back and Grace stepped down from her seat and left the court room.
000
That night, Grace was beyond tired. After the long drive home, she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
"Gracie?" Party's voice rang out and she opened her eyes to see her family standing around her. She was back at her childhood home.
"Hey daddy," she smiled and both he and Fun Ghoul rushed over and hugged her. She hugged them back and tears fell but for the first time in years, they were happy tears.
When they finally pulled back from her, she realized something. "What's going on?" she asked and Dr. Death Defying was the one who told her.
"We came down her to make you an offer," he explained to her and she tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy.
"What kind of offer?"
"You have a choice. You can either go back and live out the rest of your life or-" Uncle Mikey started.
"Or you can go back with us," Uncle Ray finished his sentence and her jaw dropped in shock.
"You mean, I get the choice?" she asked, not really believing it.
Party nodded. "It's your choice baby girl. And no matter what you choose, we'll always be with you, remember that," Ghoul told her and she smiled at him.
She thought about it. She thought about how good it would be to be reunited with her family again. The idea just blew her mind. But she was also thinking about going back and living on Earth. She had her friends there and there were so many more things she could do. Ghoul said they would always be with her, but would it really be the same?
"I'm going back. I have to. I'm not going to be known as the person who died because everything got rough. I'm gonna go back, I'm going to keep fighting and I'm going to make you guys proud of me. I don't think it's my time yet," she told them and her family grinned at her in every direction.
"You made the right choice Gracie," Uncle Mikey told her and grinned. Mikey's usual poker face was gone and she ran over to hug him. She hugged everybody until she felt her dream slipping away.
"I love you, all of you." She told them and all she saw was their happy faces as she was pulled back into reality.
"Toxic, wake up!" Grace shook her friend, who was sleeping on the couch next to her. Toxic woke up with a start.
"Who died?" she yelled and Grace laughed a her craziness.
"No one died, but I have a lot to tell you," she told her friend then explained the dream to Toxic. Toxic, who was known for giving her two sense in everything, sat silently and listened with wide eyes.
"Wow," she said when the story was finally over.
"Yeah," grace smiled at her best friend.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, admiring how amazing it was. Then Toxic snapped out of her daze and grinned evilly.
Grace looked at her with an odd expression. "What is it!" She asked and her best friend smiled even wider.
"You still owe Chemical Thrill a kick in the balls," she said in an evil tone and Grace just rolled her eyes at her best friend's antics.
And they lived happily every apocalypse. THE END.