Catch Me If You Can
His mind was racing, now. There was nothing he could do. Carrying Kobra Kid would require looking away from them to pick him up. He could call to the others but that would put them in danger as well, especially Girl, and he absolutely could not afford to put her in harm's way.
Gazing up at them, he pulled Kobra Kid closer as he tried his best not to blink; the wind whipping a few strands of hair into his eyes. He could hear the sound of rumbling motors coming closer and he swallowed hard. He didn't dare to take his eyes off the angels to check and see what it was.
He didn't really need to.
He knew already it had to be Dracs.
As it grew louder, he tensed, and blindly aimed his gun behind him; firing a shot.
The sound of screeching tires hit the air and he heard a yelp; followed by shouting,
"Would you watch where you fire that thing!?"
Eyes wide, he glanced back to see the Doctor hustling toward them; a sigh of relief escaping him,
"Doc!?"
"The angels," the Doctor motion frantically, taking some kind of wand out of his pocket,
"Party Poison, the angels!"
Quickly, he turned back as he heard the sound of churning granite, and he straightened; pulling back as he was met with the statue's snarling face.
He swallowed hard, feeling the Doctor kneel down next to him,
"Uh...a little help?"
The Doctor waved the strange little wand at him, the oddest sound coming out of the contraption as he went to check it,
"Oh, my...that would do it, wouldn't it?"
"Doc!"
"Yes, of course," he exclaimed, motioning for Party Poison to scoot back,
"Get him to safety, I'll keep an eye on them."
"But I can't just leave you-"
"I'll be fine, just get him out of here! Now!"
Quickly climbing to his feet, the fiery-haired man pulled Kobra Kid up; hoisting his arm over his shoulder as he ran back toward the building. The Doctor glared down the angel with contempt, his heart burning with rage. He clenched his fists tightly, her voice coming back to him once more,
'"Raggedy man...goodbye!"'
"The battery farm not fill you up enough last time, eh," he began, his face twisting into a snarl that almost rivalled theirs,
"Had to come back to ruin more people's lives?"
He took a step closer, glaring it right in the eyes as his voice lowered to a soft whisper,
"You think you can just swoop into the desert and pick up a little snack on your way across the galaxy, well, I don't think so...not here. Not this time. Whatever it is you want with him, you're gonna have to go through me first. I've had it with you lot getting your way all the time...it ends here, do you understand?"
The angel blankly stared back at him; it's jowls still frozen in place.
The sound of roaring engines filled his ears then, and he heard a shout from Party Poison, who now stood at the doorway,
"Doc! Let's go! C'mon!"
Poison tensed as the motorcycles pulled around the building, and a pair of men in Dracula masks appeared. They fired on him as they clambered off of their bikes, missing and hitting the door frame instead. Quickly, he rushed inside with Kobra Kid, one of them following after him while the other started over to the Doctor.
The Doctor at this point, had begun to slowly back toward the bike, meeting the masked man halfway. The man snorted, aiming his gun at the Doctor with a snide tone,
"All right, Daddy Long Legs, put your hands where I can see'em."
The Doctor glanced at him from the corner of his eye and nodded shortly, slowly raising his hands up,
"Okay..."
In a quick move, he aimed the sonic screwdriver at the masked man's gun; grinning as it sparked and popped. He then smiled and hurried back to the colourful bike awaiting him,
"Have fun."
As he climbed on and started the bike, the man turned to him and tried to fire; confused when his gun refused to work.
The Doctor revved the engine as he waved the sonic at the ignition. He then tore off in the opposite direction, heading back around the building as he left the masked man in the dust.
The man shook his head and started back toward his bike. Upon hearing the sound of grinding granite behind him, he turned, eying an angel statue looming behind him.
His eyes widened as he first spotted it's outstretched hand. It hadn't been there a moment ago.
He blinked at it curiously; puzzled as he opened his eyes to find himself standing in the middle of a very packed Hollywood Boulevard.
It was a very strange thing because, one, he had just been standing in the middle of the desert, and two, Hollywood had been completely obliterated years ago.
"The fuck?"
~ø~
Party Poison stumbled, tripping down the long, darkened hallway as he carried Kobra Kid at his side. A bright green laser splashed against the wall nearby and he ducked around the corner. He carefully glanced around it; spotting the masked menace who had chased them inside. Drawing his gun up, he took aim, wincing as he pulled the trigger. The pink beam that shot forth missed its target by a longshot, and he cursed as he found the man's white gun trained on him.
At that moment, a vibrant, yellow beam came hurtling at the masked man; smashing straight into his chest. He fell backward, the blackened burn marks on his shirt smoking as he lie motionless on the filthy, tiled floor.
"Poison!"
Party Poison raised his head to see Fun Ghoul and Jet Star striding quickly down the hall towards him; Ghoul with gun drawn. Girl clung tightly to Jet's hand as they approached, gasping as she spotted Kobra Kid.
Seeing the wound in the younger man's shoulder, Jet Star frowned,
"What the hell happened!?"
"Go-Go," Poison grunted, urgently nodding to Kobra Kid,
"Take him."
Jet Star quickly complied and slung Kobra Kid over his shoulder; straightening as he eyed the deep gash on the neon-haired man's arm,
"What do you mean, 'Go-Go'? I thought D said she was dust!"
Party Poison flinched as he tried to flex his right hand. He could barely move it, now.
Turning to him briefly, the fiery-haired man swallowed hard, eyes downcast,
"Yeah, so did I."
He then switched his gun to his left hand and rounded the corner toward Fun Ghoul,
"Where are the kids?"
Ghoul shook his head as he finished checking the masked man for a pulse and he stood; turning to him with a sigh,
"Gone. The whole place is deser-"
He spotted blood dripping down from the wound in the man's arm, his eyes widening,
"-ted."
Party Poison flinched as he turned; nodding toward the entrance,
"There's a fuck ton of angels outside...and Dracs, too, no doubt. Let's go."
He started forward; Jet Star hurrying after him with Kobra Kid.
Fun Ghoul hung back a moment, glancing down at Girl with a sigh. She looked absolutely terrified.
With a reassuring pat on the head, he gave her a smile,
"Hey, it's gonna be all right. Nothing's gonna happen to you, I promise."
She nodded quietly, her eyes downcast. With a gentle prod, he ushered her down the hallway after the others; making sure to check for monsters around every turn.
~ø~
As they reached the outside, Party Poison straightened as the Doctor, now parked between them and the car, stood and marched toward him,
"The 1940s, why?"
He raised an eyebrow, grimacing as his arm began to throb,
"What?"
"The 1940s," the Doctor began, glancing around for signs of the angels,
"You asked me on the TARDIS if I had ever been to the 1940s. Why!?"
"Wha-Why are you asking me that now," Poison shouted back, shaking his head,
"Does it look like the fucking time for that shit to you?!"
The sound of roaring engines drew their attentions up the road. A black car, surrounded by a convoy of masked men on motorbikes, was headed straight for them.
"I'm assuming these people are not friends of yours," the Doctor stated, noting the neon-haired man's ever tensing posture.
"Get in the car, now," Poison shouted, hurrying to the driver's side.
Jet Star quickly carried Kobra Kid to the passenger's side and carefully set him in the seat; buckling him in. He turned to the Doctor as Fun Ghoul ushered Girl into the backseat, his hazel eyes burning brightly,
"When we get back to the Diner, do you think you can help Kid?"
"About that," the Doctor began nervously, "I should tell you, I'm not that kind of doctor-"
"Well, you might wanna learn up, then," he snarled, eyes narrowed,
"Cause the only way you're gonna get shit out of me is if you can treat him."
"I don't think I like your tone," the Doctor frowned.
"Too fucking bad," the red head hissed loudly,
"You want answers, you'll get 'em...but only if you help Kid."
The Doctor hesitated a moment, glancing back at the approaching motorcade,
"I-I can try, but there's no guarantee-!"
"Do or do not," Poison interjected, glaring him straight in the eye,
"There is no try!"
The Doctor stared at him blankly a moment, then raised an eyebrow,
"Did you just quote Star Wars?"
His gaze faltered slightly and he let out a cough; puffing his chest up a little,
"I might have."
He then turned sharply away, storming over to the driver's side door,
"But that ain't the point here, Doc..."
As he reached the car, he turned back briefly, catching the Doctor's stare,
"You heal him...'else all you'll be gettin' outta me is a laser right between those beady eyes a'yours. We clear?"
"I don't take kindly to threats, Party Poison."
"Good," the ruby-haired man stated, climbing into the driver's seat,
"'Cause that ain't no threat...it's a fucking promise."
Slamming the door shut, he revved the engine and sped off; the Doctor swallowing hard as he glanced back down the road. Quickly sonicking the engine, he sped off after the boys; the small armada of monotone following closely behind them.
~ø~
Fun Ghoul swallowed hard as he swivelled in his seat, spotting the black car zooming up fast,
"He's right behind us, P."
Shuffling around for his gun, Party Poison winced as he reached back; offering it to him,
"Then, ghost that fucker."
The raven-haired man nodded and took quickly took it; rising from his seat. Popping up through the roof, he first spotted the Doctor and motioned for him to move. He didn't seem to take the hint.
Fun Ghoul cursed as a hand popped out from the window of the black car; a white hot laser whizzing past his head. Sighing, he aimed both his and Poison's guns at the car and fired; narrowly missing the Doctor in the process. The shots hit the headlights of the vehicle, blowing them out with two loud 'pops'. The Doctor's eyes widened as Fun Ghoul took aim again and he shook his head,
"What the hell are you doing!?"
Two more shots came from Ghoul's pistols; this time hitting the car's side mirrors. The Doctor sped up, at this; soon pulling up next to the Trans Am. He turned, eyes widened as he shouted at the neon-haired driver,
"You're liable to kill someone, shooting those things like that!"
"Well, yeah, Doc," Poison shot back; his voice barely audible over the loud music blaring from their radio,
"That's the object of the game, here!"
The Doctor straightened at this and glanced back at the black car. Fun Ghoul was continuing to fire on them relentlessly; leaving burn marks along the bumper.
Narrowing his eyes, the Doctor pulled back and took aim with the screwdriver; waving it at the entourage of masked men. The bikes, as well as the sleek black car, came sputtering to a stop; allowing them to quickly pull away. As they came to a halt, two men emerged from the black car; one similarly dressed to the others, and the other, a taller man in a long coat.
His Dracula-faced cohort turned to him; voice nasal and questioning,
"Who the fuck was that, Boss?"
Watching them pull off into the distance, the man narrowed his eyes, his bald head gleaming in the dying sun,
"I don't know."
"Should we go after 'em?"
A boom of thunder rang out, and he shook his head,
"No, let them run for now...while they still have the legs to run with."
"What about their nerdy friend?"
They got back in the car, the masked man starting the car as his superiour glared down the road,
"We can ask her about him. She was one of them once..."
~ø~
'"Surely, she will know something..."'
They came to a quick stop as they reached the diner; Party Poison hopping out first,
"How's he doin', Jet?"
Opening the passenger side door, he could see that Kobra Kid was still unconscious and that the blood from his wound was already soaking through the handkerchief Jet Star had pressed to it.
Jet Star shook his head with a sigh,
"Not good, P."
Helping him out of the car, the two men began carrying him back toward the Diner. Poison glanced back as he heard the sound of a motorbike behind them and handed Kobra off to the helmeted man,
"You got him?"
"Yeah..."
A crack of thunder rang loudly overhead and Girl let out a frightened squeak; Fun Ghoul ushering her toward the door,
"It's okay, sweet pea, get inside."
They passed the neon-haired man on the way in, Ghoul frowning,
"Poison, you comin'?"
"In a minute," he replied shortly.
He seemed angry.
Nodding, the dark-headed man hurried inside.
As the Doctor pulled to a stop, he hopped off the bike; Poison glaring him down,
"The hell was that back there, Doc?"
"I was about to ask you the same question, actually," the Doctor snipped, eying him in disgust,
"You tried to kill those people-"
"And you saved them-"
"And what was wrong with that-"
"EVERYTHING!"
Party Poison shook his head, his eyes wide and nose flaring in anger,
"You can't just come in here and start impeding on our way of life when you don't know a fucking thing about it!"
The Doctor frowned at this, his voice low and soft,
"Violence is never the answer, Party Poison-"
"THEN TELL THAT TO THEM," Poison shrieked back, coming within inches of the Doctor's face,
"Tell that to those fucking pigs who come out here and try to wipe us off the map every FUCKING day, Doc! Because that's what they do! It's either us or them! Not because we want it this way...but because THEY do!"
Stepping back, he took a deep breath and wiped his mouth; turning for the door,
"Now, you might get inside. It's about to rain."
The Doctor gazed after the man; eyes narrowed as he glanced up at the darkening sky,
"A little rain never hurt anyone."
Party Poison snorted at this, shaking his head,
"Suit yourself."
The Doctor frowned as he watched Poison walk away, calling after him with a tone of disappointment,
"I thought this was supposed to be America."
The fiery-haired man turned to him with a scowl, remaining silent as he continued,
"Land of the free, home of the brave...not home of the ignorant and ready to slay."
Poison was silent for a moment. He then shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle,
"You're one to talk. You think you're so high and mighty cause you fell out of the clouds in your stupid box, and you know what? Maybe you are. But you try watching your whole life burn down around you...bombs dropping, bodies flying. Your family, your friends...dead. You try living through all that, Doc. Then, you come talk to me about ignorance...I'll be happy to listen."
Turning on his heel, he stormed inside, leaving the Doctor to his thoughts.
With a sigh, the Doctor bowed his head,"
"You're right," he muttered softly, keeping his head low,
"...I am one to talk."
After another moment, the Doctor shook his head and started toward the Diner. A stinging feeling hit his skin then and he yelped; watching a droplet of water splash onto his hand. It began to burn and sting; the skin around it turning bright red. He quickly ran for the door, the downpour nearly catching up to him as he ran,
"Ow, ow, ow!"
He burst through the door, slamming it behind him with a twirl,
"That rain is highly acidic, did you know that? And I don't mean on a normal level, I mean, it burns...!"
Upon realising that they weren't listening to him, he coughed, straightening his coat,
"But you...are already aware of that, I'm sure..."
Kobra let out a groan of pain as Jet Star continued to press down on the wound; shaking his head,
"It's not letting up, P."
Fun Ghoul frowned as he watched Party Poison kneel down next to the wounded man; saying nothing. Girl bit her lip as she eyed the blood on Jet Star's handkerchief and turned to the Doctor; a pleading expression on her face,
"Can't you do something? Aren't you a doctor?"
The Doctor straightened at this and briefly glanced at Party Poison; who refused to look at him,
"I'm not actually..."
He glanced back down at Girl, a sigh escaping him as she delivered the biggest set of puppy dog eyes he had ever seen,
"But I'll see what I can do."
-A short while later...-
The Doctor sighed as he pulled back from Kobra Kid; cutting loose the needle and thread he had acquired from the folds of his coat,
"There. Not my best work, but it's all I can do for now."
Fun Ghoul grinned, shaking his head as he watched the man place the items back in his pocket,
"You're a regular Mary Poppins, huh?"
With a smile, the Doctor stood with a nod,
"Yes...I have been called that before..."
He then frowned,
"By me, come to think of it."
Shaking his head, he turned around, eying the neon-haired man now sitting at the bar,
"And now, seeing as I did what you asked...I think it's time you did the same for me."
"And that would be what?"
Party Poison replied; an annoyed tone in his voice.
The Doctor frowned, folding his arms across his chest,
"Why did you ask me about the 1940s?"
Slowly swivelling around on the stool, Party Poison narrowed his eyes and shook his head,
"Because I'm an enthusiast."
"Really, is that all?"
Helping Jet Star carry Kobra Kid over to a makeshift bed, Fun Ghoul watched in confusion as the Doctor glided over to their leader and waved a glowing, motorised stick at him.
"Because I think you're lying," the Doctor began, sighing deeply,
"And do you want to know why I think you're lying?"
Party Poison raised an eyebrow as the Doctor turned said stick in his direction, a small panel on it's side revealing a script he couldn't decipher,
"What do you think this says, Party Poison?"
The neon-haired man shrugged, a smirk crossing his lips,
"You're a wizard, Harry?"
The Doctor shook his head with a smirk and a laugh; looking down at the read out himself,
"Hmm, no," he began, shaking it in his hand,
"This tells me that someway, somehow, you've become a factory for time energy. It radiates off of you like a bad cologne, so potent that the stench can be picked up all the way across the galaxy. Coincidentally, today's events are telling me that it has, in fact, been picked up by the most ravenous creatures in the universe, so I really think now would be a good time to start talking..."
Girl frowned as she took a spot next to Kobra Kid; watching quietly as Fun Ghoul took a step toward them,
"What are you talking about, Doc? What's time energy?"
"That which the angels feed on, I told you earlier," he sighed, continuing to stare Poison down,
"The reason they're here."
Jet Star frowned, shaking his head,
"And that stick makes you think Poison's got it? This energy stuff?"
"It tells me he does," the Doctor began, turning to Jet Star with a whine,
"And it's not a stick, it's a screwdriver, honestly...!"
"So, you asked him about the 40s," Fun Ghoul inquired, nodding to the red head,
"So, what? What's that gotta do with anything?"
"Everything, actually," the Doctor began, pulling the photo out of his coat pocket. Poison swallowed hard,
"Where'd you get that?"
"You dropped it earlier, during your little visit," he donned his glasses and flicked the image,
"Curious, how the man in the photo looks exactly like you."
"Oh, gee, does he, Doc?"
"Are you related somehow?"
"No, really."
"You know, you can drop the sarcasm, Party Poison," the Doctor growled, peering over the edge of the photo at the younger man,
"The cat's out of the bag."
Letting out an aggravated growl, Party Poison rolled his eyes and pulled the aged journal from his waistband, handing it over.
The Doctor took it gently in his hand, nodding as he looked at it,
"Ahh, a journal. What's in it?"
Party Poison glanced down at the Doctor began to thumb through it, shaking his head,
"Scribbles. Just scribbles."
"Written by the man in the photograph...Mike Milligram, I presume?"
Poison shrugged,
"Yeah, so...?"
"And you're named after him?"
"I'm sorry-"
"You, your name," the Doctor nodded to him,
"Your real and proper name. It's Mike Milligram, isn't it? After him?"
The red head straightened uncomfortably; cracking his neck with a cough,
"Erm...so? What's that got to do with anything?"
The Doctor's eyes lit up at that, and he smiled,
"Well, that's cool! Mike Milligram! That's a cool name! Much better than Party Poison, that's for certain! Why don't you go by that? Sounds a bit like a secret agent...or a rock star, even! Not nearly as bad as the chippendale name you've got now-"
"Your point, Doc. Get. To the point!"
"Yes, yes, the point, the point," he began, standing up as he snatched the journal away from the fiery-haired man,
"My point is...this journal may contain the answers we need, Michael...can I call you that? Michael? Do you mind if I call you that?"
"Extremely," Party Poison snarled, his eyes burning as he glared at the man.
The Doctor laughed a little at that, his eyebrows twitching upward as he smiled,
"Michael, it is, then."
Party Poison rolled his eyes at that; rubbing his face in his palms with an aggravated groan as the Doctor paced back and forth in front of the door,
"Just what kind of answers are we talkin', Doc?"
The Doctor shook his head as he licked his fingers, thumbing through quickly,
"Well, I don't know, let's see here..."
His face soon turned as white as a sheet as he opened to one of the centre pages,
"Michael...how much of this have you read?"
Party Poison straightened at that, glancing over to Fun Ghoul briefly,
"What do you mean?"
"This journal," he continued, his voice becoming increasingly more panicked as he spoke,
"H-how much of it have you read? Since you've had it in your possession," he flew back over to him, waving the journal in his face,
"How much have you read?"
Party Poison snatched it back from him, shaking his head quickly,
"I dunno! All of it! I've had it ever since the fires...and 7 years is a long time without Wi-Fi."
"No, no, no," the Doctor began, marching back and forth across the floor as he pulled at his hair,
"No, no! Not! Good! Not good at all!"
"Tell me about it," Poison snorted, shaking his head,
"I haven't checked my Twitter in forever. It's been fuckin' hell."
"I'm not talking about the bloody INTERNET," the Doctor snapped, eyes wide as he spun back around; glaring Poison down,
"I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT JOURNAL!"
Slapping his hands to his face in frustration, he shook his head; running them up through his hair as he gazed into Party Poison's eyes,
"Are you certain you read all of it? Every page? Every word?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
He then smiled and opened it up, thumbing through the pages,
"There's one in here that's real dirty, too. About the night he met my grandma. Apparently, he fucked her in the back of one of the Jeeps-"
"Oh, please, don't say that..."
"Why not," he glanced up as the noticed the Doctor turning a bit green,
"What's wrong?"
Swallowing hard, the lanky man glanced at the three on the other side of the room and coughed,
"Because...there's a chance... an off chance that..."
Poison raised an eyebrow, shaking his head,
"That 'what', Doc?"
He coughed, nervously scratching at his neck,
"That that journal...may not have belonged to your grandfather..."
The red head frowned.
The Doctor swallowed again, staring back silently. After a moment, a light bulb seemed to click on in Party Poison's head and his hazel eyes grew very wide.
"OH, FUCK, NO."
