Longer chapter to make up for the lack of update! Plus, I'm on vacation, so updates should come a little more regularly, dare I say it, maybe even once a week!
Many thanks to those that have reviewed or alerted/favorited this story! Reviews are what keep writers going, so please take the time to leave a comment!
A/N #1: This is a continuation to "Five Times Someone Saved Party Poison: And One Time They Couldn't." I would suggest reading that first in order to get a feel for what is going on, especially the last two chapters as they deal with 'Na Na Na' and 'SING'. All the OC Killjoys are introduced there.
A/N #2: My good friend, Shinn Asuka- Destiny's Warrior, and I have been working on the Dangerverse/Killjoy world together. Though this particular piece is not co-authored, we've collaborated on several ideas. Some of my stuff is in her stuff, and some of her stuff is in mine.
Therefore, I highly suggest checking her stories out! Her pieces include; "Memory", "The Aftermath is Secondary", "So Long and Goodnight" and "Disenchanted". They are spectacular works definitely worthy of your time!
I also recommend checking out "Living Nightmare" by Motorbaby, another great author with whom I'm collaborating on this great universe given to us by MCR.
R E V I E W - R E V I E W - R E V I E W - R E V I E W - R E V I E W
Keep Running
By Force and Arms
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."
"I have to say that I agree with Fun Ghoul…It just doesn't seem like a viable plan."
Sonic Zombie rolled his eyes at Jet Star, "I don't see you coming up with a better plan, 'fro head. Besides, I think I can pull it off," The Killjoy turned his eyes toward Kobra Kid, who hadn't said more than a few words since Sonic had said he hadn't seen Party.
"Hey Kobra, what do you think?"
The blonde's brown eyes met his.
If we can get free Kobra, we can try to look for Party.
And if we can't?
We have to try Kobra. We can't just sit on our asses and wait for something to happen.
The silent conversation ended with Kobra Kid's emphatic nod.
"We have to try something Ghoul, Jet. We can't just sit here and rot until we think of something better. Who knows what those fuckers are planning anyway."
Fun Ghoul was about to open his mouth to argue when footsteps caught the attention of everyone in the room.
Murmurs rose down the darkened hall and suddenly Fun Ghoul realized that there were others, locked away just like them.
He wondered why they'd been spaced so far apart from the rest of the prisoners before his attention focused solely on the figure walking closer and closer.
It wasn't hard to distinguish the glaring white from the shadows just beyond the pale lights inside their cells.
He recognized him as one of the scientists that had come yesterday and drawn their blood. Two Scarecrows flanked the man and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.
He'd seen nothing but Draculoids the entire time since he'd awoken and he wondered what could be so important to occupy the time of two of BL/Ind.'s elite soldiers.
He was prepared to utter a snide and biting insult when the man turned to the right, heading for Sonic Zombie's cell.
Sonic stood as soon as his door was opened. He wasn't about to be told to stand, not by this geezer.
"Back for more, you old vampire?"
The man regarded him with an impassive scowl, clearly trying to convey how much he loathed zone rats.
Sonic's smirk widened. He'd bit the man once, kicked him in the balls twice and punched him in the face three times.
He'd been punished each and every time but boy had it been worth it.
"What's the matter grandpa? Is that stick still up your wrinkled ass or what?"
A twitch of the upper lip told Sonic that the scientist was getting mad.
Sonic simply held out his arm.
The scientist seemed to sigh in relief and he moved forward a little with his tools.
Needle and vial. Sonic was sick and tired of seeing both things.
The Killjoy drew his arm back just as the scientist was about to plunge the needle into a vein.
He laughed at him, unperturbed by the fact that the Scarecrows had moved forward, sensing that he was not cooperating.
The scientist moved closer, glaring, and clearly ready to threaten him when Sonic put his arm out again, closer to his body than last time, but still turned up.
A sign of compliance.
The scientist was careful this time in lowering the needle into Sonic's arm.
Sonic felt the prick, saw his blood being drawn out of his arm and depressed into the vial, labeled clearly with today's date and his prisoner number.
Just as the BL/Ind. employee was drawing the vial back, to be stored safely in his lab coat's front pocket, Sonic fell against him.
He let his legs go loose, let his body fall forward and support itself on the surprised body of the older man across from him.
The scientist floundered, unsure of what had happened, and Sonic let his hands roam over the man's lab coat, as if seeking something to hold onto.
The Scarecrows surged forward and tried to pry him off.
He resisted them until he'd found what he'd wanted it and subtly deposited it safely into his pants.
In the chaos of limbs, no one saw anything.
The Scarecrows set him on the floor against the wall and drew their ray guns.
"Stop! Don't shoot him you idiots!"
They backed off and the scientist walked towards him, still straightening his lab coat.
He looked him over and Sonic Zombie resisted the urge to back away when the other man placed the back of his hand against his forehead.
"You're not getting sick are you, zone rat?"
He shook his head with a wolfish grin.
"Just hungry is all. All the food tastes like shit doc."
The man scowled at him again, but seemed relieved.
He walked out and locked his cell once more, sparing a moment to tell him that he'd be sending down more food for him and that he better eat it or else, before walking away.
As soon as he felt the coast was clear, Sonic reached into his white pants and pulled out the small radio with a triumphant grin, thankful that BL/Ind. technology had decreased the size of the devices from the bigger ones that the Killjoys used.
He'd tried this once before, but he was an expert in weapons assembly, not goddamn communications.
By the time he'd been trying to figure out frequencies and whatnot, Dracs had shown up at his cell and beat the living daylights out of him as soon as they'd wrenched the communicator from his hands.
But now…
He grinned at the incredulous faces of Jet Star and Fun Ghoul and maneuvered the device outside the cell bars, sliding it to Kobra Kid.
"I believe that you're the one best equipped to get that shit to work yeah?"
Kobra Kid quickly scooped the radio up and retreated to the far left corner of his cell, turning the various knobs with deft fingers.
He was never as good as Show Pony or Dr. Death at sending signals and messages but he'd picked up quite a few things at the Diner with them.
"Hurry up though, Kobra. And once you're done, slide it back."
Kobra Kid thought that last request odd but he said nothing.
Within a few seconds, blessed static filled his cell.
For a moment, Show Pony almost forgot how to breathe.
The red light on the comm. unit was blinking, indicating an incoming call.
But the lines had been down for nearly two and half weeks.
There were only two options.
Either someone had fixed whatever problem had been blocking all their calls and signals, or, and this was what frightened him and stole his breath, the call was coming from somewhere within Battery City.
He hesitated.
He waited.
And he finally gathered the courage and picked up the radio.
"Come on, come on…" Kobra Kid muttered, gripping the radio with white-knuckled fingers.
"Anything?"
He didn't even spare a glance at Jet Star, concentrating his attention on the device in their hands.
"Do you have the right frequency?"
"Of course I have the right frequency, Ghoul! I don't go around forgetting that crap, besides–"
"Hello?"
Kobra immediately raised the device to his mouth.
"Show? Show, it's–"
"Holy motherfucker! K-Kobra?"
Tears prickled at his eyes and he smiled, "Yeah, yeah it's me Show Pony. You've got to listen to me, Show. I know this is ridiculous and pretty fucking weird and probably freaking you out, but we're alive. We're all right. Even Sonic Zombie is with us. But we need to get out of here."
"I –I …I'll get Dr. Death!"
"No! Show, we don't have that much time. Listen to me. They're holding us in some type of cells, and…" Kobra Kid paused, seeing Sonic's frantic motions to hand the radio to him.
Kobra crawled forward quickly and slid the radio back to Sonic, who caught it as soon as it hit one of the cell's bars.
"We must be two floors below ground. We're not in the main building of BL/Ind. in Battery City but we're connected to it somehow…"
"Wait, Sonic? What–"
But there was no more time.
They could hear footsteps now, approaching quickly.
Sonic Zombie turned the radio off and messed with the dials, before smashing the device against the floor, once, twice, three times.
He ignored the other's heated questions, and hid the destroyed radio behind him as he leaned against the far wall.
For a moment, he worried that they would send Renegade Turncoat to deal with him.
But he heard the heavy, sure steps ahead those of the Dracs. He recognized the being that made them, so he simply closed his eyes and waited.
"It's always nice to see you and your bald-headed presence here. Makes things interesting."
Korse regarded him with a predatory grin. He was in a good mood.
But that didn't mean that he wouldn't take pleasure in punishing the rebel for his transgressions.
"Where is the radio?"
"What radio?"
"Do not play games with me."
Sonic Zombie kept his eyes fixed on the Exterminator. He refused to look sideways, where he knew he would see the concern of the other Killjoys.
They were surprisingly quiet. Perhaps they thought saying something might aggravate the situation.
When Korse reached for him however, a cacophony of sound broke from the cells across.
"Don't you touch him, you motherfucker!"
"Fuck off Korse!"
"You son of a bitch, go look for your radio up your ass!"
Korse laughed. The annoying bastard actually threw his head back and laughed.
They were all distracted by the cold ringing sound of his amusement, and before Sonic could react, Korse had sobered and gripped his neck, using his strength and the pressure upon Sonic's windpipe to make his prisoner stand.
The yells from the cells across erupted once more, and continued despite the warnings by the Draculoids that were standing by.
Sonic wanted to tell them to shut up, to be quiet because nothing they said could stop the Exterminator.
Korse shoved him against the wall and looked down, at the far right corner where Sonic's body had been covering the destroyed radio.
He kicked the thing with his foot, nodding at one of his Draculoids to retrieve it for him.
One he had the broken device he released Sonic, who was having a hard time staying upright.
"Did you honestly believe that I wouldn't find this?"
Sonic said nothing.
Korse grinned at him again, "I think it's time for us to have a little chat."
Sonic remained silent. All other noise faded to nothing as he tried desperately to control his heartbeat and maintain the look of indifference upon his face.
Korse grabbed him by the throat again and dragged him outside, past the Draculoids that just stood there, waiting for orders. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the scientist standing just beyond the pale circle of light that his cell casted.
And then Korse stopped, right in the middle, in perfect view from the cells of his friends, and he felt his stomach sink.
He forced himself to meet Fun Ghoul's eyes, then Kobra's and Jet's.
Say nothing. Please, you can't say anything.
The look of utter pain in their eyes was exhilarating, and he recalled that they'd been in this position before when he'd held their precious leader, their great Party Poison, and aimed a ray gun at his side. And when he'd pulled the trigger...
Korse would use a different weapon today though.
Sonic had seen it briefly, in the scientist's hands, as he'd been shoved down to his knees.
The Exterminator held the stun gun to the light, waving it back and forth slowly, as a person might have done to show off something great.
"Do you rebels know what this is?" The delight in his voice was sickening and infuriating but none of the three Fabulous Killjoys said anything, merely looking away.
Korse turned to Fun Ghoul, tapping the bars of his cell with the device.
"You, #35477, don't tell me that you have no idea what this is?"
"That's not my name." Fun Ghoul growled, meeting the bastard's eyes with as much fury and hatred as he could show.
"What is your name then, according to you?" The condescending tone in his voice grated on Fun Ghoul's nerves.
"Fun Ghoul, you motherfucker."
"Really?"
With incredible reflexes, Korse's hand had shot out, catching Sonic Zombie in the neck once more.
Only this time, the device was in his hand, thumb on the trigger, which he flicked without feeling.
Sonic Zombie didn't even have the chance to yell or cringe. He was on the ground before he had time to do, plan, or think anything.
Fun Ghoul threw himself at the bars of his cell, trying desperately to reach for Sonic, for Korse, for anything, anything that would erase the helplessness that was eating him alive as he watched his friend writhe on the ground from pain.
Jet Star couldn't watch, not without fisting his hands on the bars, gripping them so tightly he was vaguely afraid the joints might snap. He couldn't stand this. Not this, not this blatant torture.
"Oh, come now! It's only set to .2 amperes!" Korse smiled at them, "However, there is certainly time for me to go higher…here is how things are going to work out. I will ask a question, and you will answer."
Kobra Kid caught Sonic's eyes. His pupils were wide, full-blown from pain, and his breath was quick and fast.
But he was talking to him. You can't tell him. This is our chance. This is our only chance. Don't blow it. Don't waste it. Don't make all of this be for nothing.
Kobra was indistinctly aware that the Exterminator had asked about the radio.
Nobody spoke.
Korse didn't hesitate.
And Kobra found he couldn't keep his eyes on the scene before him.
He looked up, up at the fluorescent source of light in his cell's ceiling, and tried to drown out the sound of screaming.
Dr. Death Defying smiled for the first time in days. It was a full-blown grin, stretching his face, his mustache and beard framing his teeth.
Two and half weeks! Two and a half weeks since they'd been lost and now...
Killjoys never die, huh, Party Poison, you crazy son of a bitch!
Show Pony was glad to see the light return to his mentor's eyes, was glad to finally see the tension in the older man's shoulders relax.
"They're alive, Show Pony!" The pirate radio DJ laughed, "They're alive!"
Show Pony allowed himself to share in the joy. He'd been hesitant at first, because how the hell were they going to rescue them? But Dr. Death's effusive relief was contagious, and the slender man allowed hope to flood his chest and light up his demeanor.
Dr. Death Defying's appearance sobered a few minutes later, but the glow still burned in his brown eyes.
"We gotta be quick, but we gotta be careful. Nothing can go wrong."
"How do we tell the others?"
Dr. Death Defying frowned slightly at that, scratching his beard, deep in thought.
"We don't, Show. They have a right to know, I'll give you that. But there may a traitor out there, a coward that sold us out to BL/Ind. We have to be incredibly careful not to alert the snitch."
"What about Sonic Zombie?"
Dr. Death nodded. "We have to tell Sugar Fiend. She and her Zone 7 Killjoys can lend us a hand. And Motorbaby and Crim. We'll be tight on manpower, but we'll be safe. Party trusted the Zone leaders with his life, but the others are too far away and the more people that we involve, the higher the risk. This is the best and only way."
Show Pony nodded grimly. Such great news, however, could not fix the past, could not take back what had already been said and done.
"Doc, do you think…If everyone hears that they're alive…do you think they'd come back?"
Show Pony's cheeks reddened as he realized how much his voice was coated in warm wistfulness, but Dr. Death merely smiled at him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Some things can't be undone Show, but I hope with all my heart that one day things will be like they were always supposed to be."
Show Pony smiled and the two were silent for several minutes, at peace, before Dr. Death Defying broke the silence.
"Get the van ready, Show. We have to pay a visit to Sugar Fiend."
Dr. Death Defying was just as surprised to see Motorbaby at the door as the Zone 2 leader was to see him.
They stared at each other for a few seconds in amused surprise before Motorbaby leaned forward to envelop the older man in a hug.
"What brings you around here Doc?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Motorbaby. How'd you end up over here?"
Motorbaby grinned at him, "You could say that Fiend and I were having something of a sleepover."
Dr. Death Defying nodded, despite the tightness of Motorbaby's smile, the tension clear and strong in her shoulders. It was good to see that some Zone leaders at least were still sticking together as they were meant to. That was why Party Poison had never wanted to lead alone. He'd correctly reasoned that the more leaders there were, the greater the support among them could exist, the stronger they'd be in resisting BL/Ind.
Dr. Death wondered at how disappointed the red-head would be to find out what had happened in his absence, how deeply he'd been failed by the very people he'd sought to guide and protect.
But those were matters for a later time, because right now, right at this moment, the Fabulous Killjoys were alive, and they needed to be taken back.
They needed to be brought home.
"You two have saved me the trouble of runnin' around with Show Pony. I need to speak with the both of you."
Along the course of the brief interaction, Lady Luck and Space Biscuit had emerged. They'd seen the notorious Zone 6 white van speeding their way from their lookout posts on the roof of the hospital and they'd come to investigate just why Dr. Death Defying was paying them a visit.
The pirate radio DJ smiled at them, "Why don't you all get Sugar Fiend to join us and we can start."
To say that the young scientist was nervous would be an understatement.
He was surprised when he wasn't denied the opportunity that he'd asked for, so surprised he almost let it show. But he held back, because his whole plan was based around the fact that BL/Ind. would never suspect one of its own.
There was a side of him that was angry. Who was he to take matters into his own hands? Who was he to turn his back on the company that had given his family everything?
But he'd been forced to pay the price of it without having any say in it. He'd never really known love, nor hatred. Just the painful indifference of his parents, of a mother that simply wasn't able to feel anymore. Of a father consumed by his greed and his power, too blind to notice that he was missing everything that his son was growing up to be.
He'd felt just as divided when he'd stopped taking the pills years ago. He remembered his teenage self, flushing the small, white capsules down the toilet. The first few days were rough, as his mind was suddenly assaulted by what seemed to be like a multitude of chaotic emotions. As the weeks wore on however, he considered returning to his dosage less and less, floating on the beautiful taste of the many feelings that had been repressed through the majority of his life. He hadn't known such bliss since early childhood, and he welcomed the freedom even when his father placed him right in the center of the company that created the pills he'd come to hate.
He realized suddenly that everything had been leading up to this moment, to this space in time where he had to make a choice. Not his father, and not the pills or the company.
His future was in his hands.
He looked at the man through the bars. The man glared at him, but the lingering grimace of pain on his face made it clear that he wasn't a threat.
He opened the cell door, felt the cool bars slide across his fingers and his heart thudded in his chest.
He moved forward, withdrawing the syringe from his pocket, almost wincing when the man's scowl deepened at the sight of the object.
"They're getting you drones younger and younger now huh?"
He slid the needle in easily, slowly, pulling the plunger, watching the red blood flow out into the vial.
He made his choice.
"I can get you out."
Sonic Zombie just stared at the young man before him, slack-jawed. He saw the resolution in the blue eyes, the determination and honesty and he frankly couldn't think of anything to say.
He gripped the scientist's arm, forcefully.
It could be a trap. It could all be Korse's idea, sending in some kid who'd convince them to give up their plan, who'd make them believe that he was on their side.
"Your other friend. I can get him out too."
Sonic Zombie forgot how to breathe. He chanced a glance beyond, peering briefly at the three faces that were pressed against the bars, concerned because Korse had kept at it for a good half-hour, only stopping when he'd finally passed out to the sound of their silence.
The young scientist's voice became urgent, "The one that used to have red hair. I need to get him out of here."
The exigency in his tone was alarming what exactly were they doing to Party Poison?
They didn't have much time.
"I know the way out. Just tell me who I need to call."
The Draculoid unit just outside the cell was getting antsy, You can't trust him, you can't! He works for them, he'll betray you, you mean nothing to him.
The younger man leaned in, voice a murmur.
"He won't last any longer."
There was genuine concern there, in his voice and in his blue eyes.
Maybe it would be their saving grace, or their fall, or maybe they would die trying to escape.
Sonic Zombie was not a person who trusted easily, even more so after Renegade Turncoat's betrayal.
But this kid, had just offered to help them escape. All of them, even Party Poison. And Sonic hadn't seen the sun in over two months. He had not felt the warmth of his Killjoy jacket or the desert heat or Sugar Fiend's touch playful and loving. They'd taken Bob away a couple of days before they'd brought the three Fabulous Killjoys. He remembers shouting at them to leave him alone, because their intentions were clear. They were going to reprogram him, the man who'd become his friend, they were going to erase everything he was and fill him up with their lies and their emptiness.
Just like they'd most likely done with Party.
And Sonic Zombie was going to be damned if he let that happen to the three men across from him. Not one more. No more.
So the Killjoy leaned forward, and whispered in the young man's ear.
"I don't really know much about communications. You're going to have to ask the blond one."
The young man nodded his understanding and retreated, eyes never leaving Sonic, heavy with promise.
"I'll come back." They said.
So close and yet so far... Nah, the Killjoys are getting out, can't say the same for Party Poison though...maybe...
A few notes: The characters of Sonic Zombie and the young scientist (who remains nameless for now) are introduced in the last chapter of 'Five Times Someone Saved Party Poison.' Sonic Zombie's character however, is explored in deeper detail in the fics by Shinn Asuka- Destiny's Warrior.