A/N: Oh, my God, she's back.
Sorry about the delays, to who reads this story. For the last how-many-weeks, I've been in a summer class that has left me exhausted and unable to write. And I believe running a mile every week gives me writer's block. And when I finally finished this chapter, FFnet wasn't loading due to slow internet, so I couldn't post it. How many eons later, I finally posted this. Woo.
Alright. Enjoy the chaptah! And, for those who forgot the drill: Read! Review! Maybe Recommend this to another author! Or Alert! Or Favorite! PM me if you feel like it! Read Moonray's story, Don't Wanna Dance, in our Stories thingum! Yah!
~Sunshine
As soon as she steps out of the car, Mad Gear's feet are moving, picking her up and into the desert.
She pants, heavily. Her feet are aching already, and it's hardly been a quarter of a mile. But she has to run.
She has to live.
After a while, she begins to ignore the pain. All she thinks about is what Airi could have done to her. All she thinks about is why she's running.
I have to find Grace.
I have to escape BL/ind.
I have to meet Siren.
She stops when she decides that she's at a safe distance, and begins to scope. Cracked, tan earth and pathetically growing plants cover the horizon. A waning moon and little amounts of light pollution from Battery City is all that illuminates the landscape.
She sees a shelter farther into this particular expanse. A shack is a better description, she finds, but still continues to run, this time towards the shambled structure, letting out a shaky exhale. Her hand flies to a white gun at her hip. She draws it, pulling it closer to her as she runs. She smirks inwardly at the obtaining of the gun.
She hoped no one would find the evidence.
She dives into the shelter, not bothering to see if there is anyone in it first. She already knows that it's abandoned. It's simply too close.
Mad Gear sits in the middle of the shack, stows the gun in her pocket again, and lays for a moment, letting herself catch her breath.
She closes her eyes.
Siren, you awake?
Siren, you awake?
I tense up; I'm awake again, sitting up among my blanket. I feel a sheen of sweat coating my upper lip, my shirt sticking to my back.
Siren?
Yeah, Mad Gear?
You're awake.
Got a problem with that?
No.
Where are you?
I'm... I'm south of Battery City. Maybe a mile and a half out.
Do you want me to come after you? We've got the van, we've got a couple of cars-
Only when I get close enough. Zone 4, maybe.
How're you gonna get there?
I dunno, walk, maybe hitch a ride-
I'm getting you right now, I think, getting up and stretching, where are you, honey?
Siren, this isn't necessary-
Mad Gear, you are going to die.
No I'm not-
I know what I'm saying. You've just been exposed to this! I've been living in it for seven years! Trust me. If you don't get help, you are going to die, very quickly. Now, where are you?
Siren, please-
Where. Are. You?
I'm... I'm in an abandoned shack in Zone 1. Close to the borders with the City. Siren, I'm scared.
Hang tight, hon, I'm coming to get you. Goodbye.
Bye, Siren.
I stretch my arms above my head, before scanning the room, and sliding across it, to where a girl with pale brown curls sleeps.
"Gracie, wake up."
She stirs, her head twisting as she looks in my direction. When her eyes begin to focus, they widen.
"Siren... What are you-"
"Shh." I touch her wrist with two fingers. "I gotta go somewhere. I might be gone for about a week. All I want you to do is tell them where I went."
"But where are you going?"
I flit my eyes to the side, nerves taking over. "I'm... Going to meet a friend."
"Who?"
"Her name is... Mad Gear."
"You mean Bandit."
My heart stops, and I feel ice coating my veins. My gut wrenches into the familiar tight knot of fear.
"It's okay, Siren. I had a dream about it. Please, go get her. She's dying. I just hope you know where to go."
"I think I do. She'll lead me."
"She better." She wraps her arms around my neck. "Good luck, Naomi Britain."
I return the hug. "Thanks, babydoll."
As she leans back to curl back into her blankets, I smile, and walk away.
The keys to the converted Drac car sit next to our spare guns and batteries. I don't think twice to pack extra ammunition.
I push the dirtied, glass doors of the diner open, and stare in the direction of the Drac car. It's been spray painted neon blue, with messed, gangsta-feel graffiti words plastered onto it. Even the tires have been painted, sprayed a bright, eye-burning pink. A pair of green fuzzy dice hangs off of the rear-view mirror. The side windows have simply been taken out. No use for them. And thank God that thing has no roof.
I'm swirling the keys around my left forefinger, walking towards it-
"So, picking up a friend."
I tense up, throw the keys into my right hand, and within seconds, I've pulled out my gun, cocked it, and pointed it at the form. In the dark, I squint, but as I recognize the person, I begin to lower the weapon.
"...Fun Ghoul?"
He nods. "Couldn't sleep. I heard everything.
I bite my lip, sheathing the gun. "Well, I guess, in that case, I can't lie about anything." I switch hands with the keys again. "Yeah, I'm picking up someone. She's... A Freak that managed to contact me. She can read minds. She escaped from BL/ind, but she's stuck in Zone 1, just outside the City. She has no hope if no one gets her, so..."
"That's impressive."
My eyes widen. "Wha?"
"I'm amazed at your bravery, Siren. No one would do that normally. You've hardly been here a few weeks, and you've made the majority of everyone here like you, one of them trust you to the death. You barely know these Zones, yet you're willing to drive off in the middle of the night to pick a stray Motorbaby up. Cyanide Siren, you're a pretty fucking brave kid. It's admirable."
"Thanks."
"Alright, when do you think...?"
"A week, maybe two? I'll try and be back as soon as possible."
"Great." I'm about to turn to leave, but he says, "Wait."
Fun Ghoul raises two fingers, and slides them close to my hip. I feel heat creeping up my neck,
thinking, oh, God, what's he doing, tell me he's not raping me-
The fingers rest on the gun. A few clicks emanate from in it.
When he pulls his hand away, I stare at him, eyes widening. "What was that-"
"I was charging that battery."
My mouth drops.
"Wuh?"
Fun Ghoul bites his lip nervously, looks around, and leans in.
"Siren, me getting registered as a Drac wasn't the only thing that happened to me seven years ago." He sighs. "I got caught in the fuckin' Rains. Siren, I'm a Freak, and I'm like the rest of you." He clears his throat. "I... Play with electricity. Batteries. Chips. Programs. Shit like that. Don't ask me how, I just do."
I think about it.
Fun Ghoul...
Drac...
Chip disabled...
Freak...
I... Play with electricity. Batteries. Chips. Programs. Shit like that.
Play with electricity.
Chips.
"You disabled that Drac chip 'cause that's part of your power."
He nods. "Don't ask me how, though, I was practically a zombie for those few days."
"Seems like."
He simply nods. "I'm sorry to dump all that on you. But I feel that you were ready to know. I think..."
"What?"
"I think I can trust you." He smiles, sweetly, closed mouth. His chocolate eyes scrunch up a little, and he kind of looks like a kid, before he extends a hand to shake.
"Names."
I hesitantly extend a hand. My fingertips slowly edge towards his. I consider pulling my hand back...
Should I?
No?
Yes?
Too late. My hand connects with his.
"Naomi. Naomi Britain."
He nods. "Frank Iero."
"I can't believe it's you," She whispers.
The woman in front of Heavenly Hemlock wipes her dark eyes. "I can't believe it's you, either. It's been, what, seven years? Since the Fires started."
"Yeah. Long fucking time."
"True." She leans across the table to grip the blue-clad woman's hands. "Jesus, it's been forever."
"What happened to you?"
The white-clad woman sighs, relaxing into the chair. "Where do I start, y'know? I mean, you know, back in 2012..." Both women shudder, "Anyways, after I had gotten separated from everyone... I took the kids and, well, we started walking. We didn't even know where we were going, just that we were going somewhere." She wipes her eyes to prevent tears. "Z, I almost died then. All four of us almost died then.
"Eventually, we saw lights. White and bright. Huge. So, we walked there. Right into Their hands. They said
They wanted to help. That They'd feed us, clothe us, give us a home. And They did. They just took away who we were." Her hand squeeze tighter on the woman's hands. "They made me stop loving my own children. You can't imagine what that was like. I'm just glad that I was finally able to come to my senses and flush the drugs." A tear slips down her cheek. "I was so scared." She sighs, and smiles. "So, 'Licia and her son."
Hemlock laughs. "Yeah, that's a long story."
"I got time."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
The Killjoy sighs. "So... God... After we all got separated, Courage - 'Licia - and I found each other, and stole a car. She was, I dunno, three or four months pregnant by then? So, we drove around for the next five months, living off canned beans and condensed milk, until she went into labor. So we drove down Route Guano for, jeez, two hours straight, until we found this building. And the same people living in it. So, Courage had Retro, and we stayed for a day, until... Dracs found us.
"They were after us for something, we know that, we just don't know what. But Courage had to leave Retro behind. She told Smiles to take care of him, and then... We had to run from them. We drove for an hour before they got us. And... They took her."
"Who - oh, Z, no..."
Tears spring in Hemlock's eyes.
"'Mia, they took my baby girl. I don't know what's happened to her. I don't even know if she's alive. My Lady B, gone."
"You're... Oh, God, I'm sorry." She stands up, leans over the table, and embraces the crying rebel.
"'S... 'S... 'S okay, 'Mia," she says. And smiles.
"What? Why the smile?"
"You're gonna be staying for a while, aren't you? We gotta get you some better clothes."
Zone 3.
God, will this fucking drive ever end?
My eyes are stinging from being awake, my ankle's starting to have spasms from keeping it on the pedal, and my wrists just hurt.
If this is what it felt like for Leopard when he drove us from Droughthaven, I'm so thankful he took the wheel.
I tilt my head back and yawn, my eyelids weighing down.
I could sleep...
A mass sits in the middle of the road.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" I scream, swerving the car off of its path to get away from the form. The car turns dramatically, and... Holy shit, is that the back wheels lifting? I feel tension in my gut as the car spins, spins, spins on its front wheels, circling a good few times. My hand fumbles for the stick, trying to switch the car to parking as I slam on the brakes. As my foot presses into the pedal, the car tips... Left, right, left, right...
Yup. This car's gonna flip over.
Love you all.
I close my eyes, and tears sting the orbs as I wait to be crushed by the car tipping.
Thunk! The car rights.
I'm alive.
I sigh deeply, and sit up to see what happened.
Tire tracks stain Route Guano, dark swirls of rubber shimmering in the fading moonlight against a pale gray canvas. I did that?
I run to whatever's in the middle of the road.
Now that my eyes are focusing again from the adrenaline waking me up, I see bright splatters of neon, illuminating a vague form, blue, green, purple, and red spots pinpricking the form with color.
I barrel towards it.
It - no, she - is a few years younger than me, about fourteen, maybe fifteen. Jagged cuts of a light mane encircle her head, streaming out to her shoulders in some areas, meeting her ears in others. A single, jagged streak of some dark color is combed into the edges of a cut of hair in front, bordering her face. The longer locks that would otherwise fall into her eyes are tied back with ratty, fraying ribbons, the falling weave tickling her cheek. Her skin is pale, glittering a little in the small amount of light.
I tuck two fingers under her jaw.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
Ohthankgod.
I slip my arms underneath her, pick her up, and carry her back to the car. I open the door to the backseat, stretch her legs out, and lay her stretched out in the faux-leather. She sighs, and it shocks me; I nearly drop her head.
When I finally get the girl settled, I hear something.
Siren?
"Hey, babydoll," I mutter.
Where are you?
Zone 3. I'll be there within 18 hours.
Come fast. I just saw three Drac cars. They're passing through Zone 2 right now, but they're trying to get to
6.
Gotta be shitting me.
Shitting you?
Sorry, Gear. My... Dad... Used to say that. I guess it's something from where I'm from.
Alright, whatever. Come quick. Please. We gotta stop them.
Okay, girl. I'm trying the best I can.
I turn the car around, and slam on the acceleration pedal once more.
As soon as I get to Zone 2, I stop the car on the side of the road and check on the girl.
Now that the sun's out, I can see her completely.
Her hair is blonde, the sandy color of the vast environment around us, and the ribbons in her hair are a red that reminds me uncannily of an apple. The streak in her hair is a bright, electric blue, similar to the tips in my hair. She wears black skinny jeans that pinch and fold a little where her knees are, with paint splatters in the same blue as in her hair and a deep purple. There are also some clear-looking stains that I imagine to be the glow-in-the-dark spots from last night. A red tank that matches her ribbons clings close to her body, under a loose, white shirt with music notes printed on, and the same clear paint stains. Red converse bind her feet, and I catch a glimpse of an inked, realist skull on the outside of one of them.
And she's singing.
She's still very asleep, it's obvious. But her crackled lips are moving, forming words, as her throat croons out a melody. I can't remember the song, but I remember that Clockwork Thief used to play it when we lived outside Droughthaven. Memories begin to weigh me down.
I place a hand on her leg, and shake. "Hey. Hey. Hey. Wake up."
Her golden eyelashes tremble a little, and her eyes fly open.
They're a deep, reflective-looking brown, a dose of foreign embedded into the stark pale of her skin. They're like... Dark wood. Like bonfires in the summer. Like the pungent spike of pine in the winter. Like long hikes with Elliot and Dad through the mountains. They're like everything I remember of home, of Colorado, of everything I left behind when that dark brown burned away, exchanged by rolling gray and stinging orange.
Before everything went south.
Her jaw falls, and her lips start to tremble. "Who-who-who-who-"
"Calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you."
She's still breathing very heavily, but she manages to form her question. "Who are ya?"
I smile uneasily. "Cyanide Siren."
She nods. "G-G-Gunshot Melody."
"Cool." I bite my lip. "What happened to you?"
"F-F-Fucking Dracs." She inhales a shaky breath. "They frisked me. They took my gun. They hit me. Over
and over again. And then... They told me..."
"Gunshot, what did they tell you?"
"Run. Don't stop running. Keep running."
A shrill scream pierces the morning air of Zone 6.
"WHERE IS SHE?"
Skeleton Leopard slams a hand over the brunette girl's mouth. "Angel, I need you to calm down."
"But - mmmph - I -mmmnh! - It's my fault, Leopard!"
"No it isn't, Angel."
"But you have to listen to me! I yelled at her yesterday! She's mad at me, and she's run away, and holy fuck she's gonna kill me when she gets back!"
"Why do you think she's done that?"
"I dunno-"
"She didn't do that."
A third person comes into the room. She pulls a violet motorcycle off her head, revealing a hurricane of caramel hair.
"Cyanide Siren is on her way to Zone 1 right now. She's picking up a runaway from Battery City. I don't know how you didn't notice her leaving at, I dunno, ten last night? It's been twelve hours. She has to be in Zone 4 by now."
The girl with the angel wings huffs. "Is she trying to kill herself?"
The third in the room smirks. "Yeah, maybe."
