Windows

"MICHAEL! MI...chael?"

Party Poison exhaled in relief as he popped the trunk; pulling out what appeared to be a bazooka,

"Phew...fuckin' glad that worked..."

The Doctor gaped in shock as he calmly slammed it shut and walked back over; eying him with confusion,

"What...but...how!?"

"You ever watch the Addams Family, Doc?"

The neon-haired man turned around a moment and pointed to the back of his head. Resting backwards over his hair were a pair of mirrored sunglasses. The Doctor smiled at that; running a hand through his hair as he let out a laugh,

"You pulled a Cousin Itt! That is...wow... that is actually brilliant."

Party Poison scowled at that and shoved him aside,

"Gee. Thanks."

The Doctor frowned as he kept an eye on the angel from which Poison had just escaped; shaking his head as he aimed the bazooka at the one by the driver's side door,

"You're little phasers don't work on them, remember?"

"This phaser's anything but little, Doc," he glanced back at the lanky man with a wink as the gun warmed up,

"This one's set to fun."

The Doctor jumped as he fired the shot, his eyes widening as it hit the angel full force.

It's upper torso exploded upon impact; sending a cloud of dust into the air . Party Poison grinned at that, and turned to the one by the trunk, firing a second shot. It too was blown apart.

"H-How...how...how did you do that?"

He smirked as he aimed the blaster at the last one of the trio,

"Well, they're stone when you're lookin' at 'em right?"

"E-Erm...yes, but-but you can't kill them-"

"Kill, no," the red head turned to him with a wink,

"Blow to smithereens...? Now, that's doable..."

He aimed the bazooka at the last of the trio, it's head violently bursting into pieces as he took the shot.

Turning away from the car then, he hurried back up the hill toward Fun Ghoul,

"Yo, pretty boy! Move your ass unless you wanna get dusted!"

The Doctor watched in awe as Poison effortlessly destroyed the angel facing off with Fun Ghoul, a smile tugging at his lips,

"How very...clever."

Kobra Kid swallowed hard as they backed away from the hill,

"What do we do...? We can't use the blaster on all of them. There's not enough charges..."

He glanced at the others for a second, quickly turning back at the sound of gravel shifting. One angel was now standing on the hill, while another was poised to climb up.
Party Poison handed the bazooka off to Fun Ghoul as they reached the car,

"We hit the red line and hope it's fast enough..."

Hurriedly, the four of them piled into the Trans Am; Poison quickly peeling away as the angels one by one began to bubble up over the cliff's edge.

~ø~

"I'd never thought of blowing them up before...I didn't think that was possible."

"Really," Party Poison smirked, glancing over at the Doctor,

"And you're how old, again?"

"Again," the Doctor frowned, raising an eyebrow at him,

"I haven't told you-"

The neon-haired man shot him a look, to which the Doctor cleared his throat and adjusted his seat belt,

"Oh, right...granddad's book."

"It really never occured to you to just blow it to pieces," he snorted, shaking his head,

"Astonishing."

"Well, I don't have quite the same affinity for violence as you do."

He shot the Doctor another blank look; the man straightening uncomfortably,

"How much do you know about me?"

Party Poison laughed at this, turning his focus back to the road,

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

The Doctor smiled and looked forward as well, his eyes widening as he quickly reached for the wheel,

"Michael!"

Poison tensed as they narrowly avoided the decapitated angel now standing in the middle of the road. He turned to the Doctor in horror as they sped passed it; the Doctor glancing back at it in the rear view mirror,

"I blew that thing to pieces! It's supposed to be dust! What the hell-!?"

"I was afraid of this..."

"Afraid of what!?"

"Well," the Doctor began, eying another broken angel off to the side of the highway,

"You know...it's like when you poke at a beehive with a stick...the bees don't tend to like that very much."

Poison swerved as another one appeared before the car; half of it's torso missing. His eye twitched as he shook his head, letting out another shout,

"But these ain't bees, Doc!"

"Tell that to the horde!"

Down the road, they could see a cluster of the stone creatures blocking their path. Fun Ghoul straightened as he saw them, gripping the bazooka tightly in his hand,

"Poison...!"

Throwing the wheel to a hard right, the Trans Am began to skid; narrowly avoiding the mass of angels as it broke free from the highway and onto desert terrain. A cloud of dust kicked up behind them as he laid on the gas; the car violently jumping and jerking as they ran over a number of dried, dead shrubbery. The Doctor grabbed hold of the roof of the car, his hair whipping violently at his face as wind flushed through the open windows,

"Was this really a good idea!?"

The car bounced and bobbed for a few minutes more before finding itself on another asphalt road; Poison glancing back in the rear view mirror,

"I don't see any more, do you?"

They each began looking out from their respective windows, Kobra Kid shaking his head,

"No, I think we lost 'em."

The Doctor swallowed hard as he looked up toward the churning skies, his voice low and dark,

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Fun Ghoul frowned at that; his eyebrows raising as he heard a strange thumping,

"Do you guys hear something?"

They all silenced for a moment. It sounded like...

...the flapping of heavy wings.

THUD.

Party Poison's hazel eyes widened as a stone hand suddenly blocked Fun Ghoul from view, and he glanced up; the snarling face of angel entering his line of sight,

"Holy shit...!"

Quickly grabbing Poison by the collar of his jacket, the Doctor pushed him down and away from the angel's claws; using his free hand to aim at it with his screwdriver.

Kobra Kid cursed as the Trans Am began to swerve; flattening himself back against the seat,

"Poison!"

The Doctor growled as he waved his sonic at it, smacking it a few times in haste,

"C'mon! C'mon!"
Party Poison grunted as he began to sit up, the Doctor shoving him back down against the steering wheel,

"Don't-! You stay down!"

The car swerved violently again; the neon-haired man tensing as he felt the car go off the road,

"Well, hurry up and fucking do something or we're gonna crash!"

Fun Ghoul quickly took this opportunity to shove Poison's seat forward; aiming the bazooka upwards at the statue affixed to the roof of the car,

"Hasta la vista, baby."

He fired straight into it's chest, sending the angel soaring into the air in pieces. The Trans Am sped on down the road, Party Poison slowly sitting up. The four of them remained deathly quiet; the Doctor only clearing his throat cautiously,

"Well...that was fun."

Party Poison shot him a glare and shook his head; turning his eyes back to the road.

~ø~

They reached the Diner an hour later, the four of them tiredly climbing out of the car. The Doctor sighed, shaking his head as he cleared his throat,

"Exciting...invigorating, that was. The kind of car chase Hollywood could only dream of..."

Party Poison shook his head and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion, sighing deeply,

"Yeah, really gets the heart going...or hearts in your case."

He turned and glanced back at him briefly, the both of them beginning to smirk and snicker at each other.

Before long, the two of them dissolved into fits of laughter. Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid exchanged glances as the two continued to laugh; the Doctor staggering around the car to pat him on the back,

"I still can't get over how you thought you could just blow them to pieces!"

"Well, I didn't realise they were gonna turn into the fucking Terminator!"
Kobra Kid snorted in disgust as they continued to laugh and joke, shaking his head as he rounded the car toward Poison,
"I'm so glad you find this amusing."
Poison glanced back at him mid-laugh and rolled his eyes,
"Oh, here comes the sour puss again-"
Grabbing him rather abruptly, Kobra Kid shoved him back against the car; his hands firmly clutching the fiery-haired man's jacket,
"You think everything is a joke, don't you!? This is all just a game to you! We could have died-"
"Yeah, well we didn't," he shouted back, shoving the younger man away from him,
"Now, calm your tits, princess!"
To this, Kobra Kid snarled and lunged at at Poison a second time, landing a fist right in his face,
"Fucking prick-!"
Poison swung back, his fist connecting with Kid's jaw as an all out brawl errupted between the two of them. The sound of the ruckus brought Jet Star out from the bar, Girl trailing at his heels. He quickly ran out to where the two of them were fighting and grabbed Kobra Kid; dragging him away from Poison,
"Hey! Hey!"
The Doctor took this moment to step in front of Party Poison, grabbing him by the shoulders,
"Stop it, now, stop it..."
Kobra Kid snarled as he peered over Jet Star's shoulder, his sunglasses beginning to slide down his nose,
"You're a fucking child! You know that!? Your bullshit's gonna get everyone killed!"
"At least I ain't a pussy," Poison quipped, trying to push passed the Doctor,
"Like some people I know!"
They tried to get at each other one more time, Fun Ghoul rolling his eyes as he hoisted the bazooka over his shoulder,
"Just knock it off, both of you. Grow up."
He then turned and headed inside, Girl watching him quietly as he threw open the door to the Diner.
Pulling away from Jet Star, Kobra Kid followed Ghoul inside.
Poison rolled his eyes at this; jerking away from the Doctor as he climbed back into the car. The Doctor straightened,
"Michael? W-Where are you going?"
"The Mad Gear show," he shot back, glancing up toward the sky,
"It's almost five. I can still make it if I floor it."
The Doctor's eye widened at this and he shook his head as Poison started the engine,
"Are we forgetting what just happened," he shouted,
"The explodey, scary car chase!? The angels!? We just climbed out of the frying pan and you want to run right back out into the fire-!?"
"These are dangerous days, Doc," Party Poison shouted as he backed the car out of the dusty lot,
"And I ain't missin' that show over a little danger."
The tires screeched as he peeled off down the road, the lanky man shouting after him desperately,
"Michael! Michael!"
He placed his hands on his hips as he watched the Trans Am fade into a cloud of dust, shaking his head shortly,
"Bloody idiot..."

~ø~

Two men, dressed in all white and wearing matching Dracula masks, marched down a long white corridor; a wriggling prisoner in their grasp. The prisoner, whose face was covered by a white bag, fought desperately to break free as they dragged him along. They finally turned and threw him into an interrogation room, where two more Dracs awaited him. These two strapped him into a chair before removing the bag. They then left the room.

The man snarled as a bright light came on overhead, his eyes immediately spotting a woman sitting in a chair opposite him. Her face was concealed by a bag, very similar to the one he'd just been wearing a moment ago; the deranged smiley face on it's front almost making her look humourous.

"This world is a mess...wouldn't you say? Agent Cherri Cola..."

The woman seemed to straighten upon hearing his name said. Korse entered the room with a smirk, hands behind his back as he came around to face the man.

The man snorted, shaking his head with a smirk,

"That's 'DJ' to you, my friend. I ain't been a 'Agent' in years..."

Korse smiled at this, sighing deeply as he made his way over to the woman,

"Ah...I thought you'd say that. In reality, though...you just became 'Agent'...isn't that more like it?"

Cherri Cola tensed as he watched Korse circle the woman, swallowing hard as the Exterminator continued,

"...and I bet you must be wondering where she is. You've been looking for her...haven't you? For a long time?"

Cola shook his head,

"I don't...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh," Korse grinned, grabbing hold of the covering on the woman's head,

"I think you do..."

He pulled it away with a swift jerk of his hand; the man gasping as he laid eyes on her,

"No, it...it can't be-"

"Oh, but it can. And it is..."

He pulled a photograph from his coat pocket and showed it to Cherri Cola,

"This man. Who is he?"

The man shook his head as he briefly glanced at the photo of the lanky, purple-coated man, a strand of greying, blonde hair falling in his face,

"I-I don't know."

"Really?"

Korse sauntered back over to the woman, pulling a ray gun from his jacket. He aimed it at the woman's temple,

"How much are you willing to stake on that claim?"

She swallowed hard and shook her head; tears welling in her eyes,

"Don't."

"Her life...your life," the Exterminator grinned as Cherri Cola's face paled; his voice dripping with sadistic pleasure,

"The life of your child?"

"Child...?"

Cherri Cola straightened, swallowing hard. A look of complete loss washed over him and he shook his head,

"You can't possibly know..."

"Oh, but I do, Cherri Cola...I do."

The woman whimpered as Korse released her, watching in horror as he stormed right up to Cherri Cola. He bent down, looking the man straight in the eyes,

"I know who he is, Cherri Cola...the son you lost so very long ago. She told me all about him."

She began to sob, shaking her head as Korse began to circle the room,

"If you tell me who the man in the photograph is...I promise you...no harm will come to the boy."

Cherri Cola swallowed hard as he gazed at the woman across from him. She shook her head, her frizzing curls obscuring her face,

"Don't...don't tell him..."

Cherri Cola shook his head; his eyes beginning to well with tears,

"Never."

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed Cherri Cola by the collar of his jacket and dragged him toward the door; the woman beginning to scream,

"Cherri Cola!"

Two Dracs stood at the door awaiting them, and Korse shoved the man into their arms; glancing back at the woman in annoyance,

"Not anymore, I'm afraid. From now on, he'll be known as Agent Gary Levko."

She let out a scream as they dragged him from her sight; slamming the door shut behind them as they left...

~ø~

"We should go after him," the Doctor announced marching after them into the Diner.

Kobra Kid snorted; digging into a can of Power Pup defiantly as he leaned back in his seat,

"What for? The stupid fuck wants to get himself killed, we should let him."

He turned, looking to the blonde-haired man in shock,

"Oi! I know you're upset with him, but that is no way to talk about your friend-"

"Friend!? You wanna talk about friends," Kid shot up from his seat and stormed over to the Doctor; coming within inches of his face,

"From the moment I met that asshole, he's done nothing but put all of his so-called 'friends' in danger! He's reckless, and stupid! He always charges in without thinking things through! He's a danger to everyone around him! You've gotta be joking if you think I'd stick my neck out for that bastard-!
"Guys," Fun Ghoul began, glancing around the room with concern.

"Not now, Ghoul," Kid shot, glaring the Doctor down with dark, angry eyes,

"You know what? I'm glad he left. Those angels can have at it. Maybe once they nab him, they'll get the fuck out of here and things will go back to normal."

The Doctor shot a deadly glare at the young man as he turned and started back to his booth; swallowing hard,

"You'd feel very different if it actually were to happen."

"Nah, I don't think so-"

"Trust me," the Doctor seethed, Kid turning to look at him in surprise. The man looked as though he were about to cry,

"You would."

"Guys," Fun Ghoul repeated, now searching the room frantically,

"This is bad."

"What's bad?"

He turned to the three of them, shaking his head,

"I haven't seen Girl since we came inside, have you?"

They hurried outside, splitting up as they scoured the property. As they met back at the front, Jet Star swallowed hard, glancing down the road,

"You don't think she...?"

Kobra Kid rolled his eyes as he stormed back for the Diner,

"Oh, she probably did..."

~ø~

"'We all gotta die, but tonight we'd sell our skins to get you out...'"

Party Poison snorted as he turned the wheel sharply, dust flying into the air as he rounded the bend. The car jolted slightly as he righted it, the smell of burning rubber filling the air as he tore down the deserted highway. He must've been going almost 90. Clenching the wheel tightly, he snorted again, glancing up in the rearview mirror briefly,

"Who the fuck does that little shit think he is? Tellin' me what to do..."

Adjusting his grip, he glanced in the side mirrors. No angels thus far. Maybe the Doctor was wrong. Maybe they weren't after him, after all. He shook his head and turned his gaze back to the road, still seething,

"He ain't my fuckin' mother..."

"But he is your friend."

SCREEEEEEEEEEECH.

The car came to a sudden, screeching halt, and Poison gasped for air; turning in his seat to find Girl sitting behind him,

"JESUS...fuck- what the hell are you doing here!?"

"Mad Gear," she said innocently, climbing into the passenger's seat,

"You promised you'd take me next time they were around. Remember?"

The neon-haired man let out another gasp as he slumped back in the seat; squeezing his eyes shut as he shook his head,

"You ain't supposed to be here, munchkin..."

"Why not? You're just going to Mad Gear, right?"

He hesitated a minute, coughing shortly,

"Yeah, but-"

"But what? Is it about the Dracs?"

"Nah, it ain't Dracs-"

"S.C.A.R.E.C.R. ?"

"No-"

"Those funny statues from before?"

He turned to her with an exasperated sigh; shaking his head,

"You just shouldn't be here, okay? A Mad Gear show ain't no place for kids-"

"Funny. I don't see that stopping you."

She giggled as he glared at her; eventually letting out a sigh as he turned the car back on,

"You little..."

They started forward again, slowly gaining speed as they took off down the motorway.

"Hey, did you know you guys are getting your own action figures?

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah, Tommy Chow Mein found a busted 3D Printer and fixed it up all shiny. Me and Jet got our pictures taken when we went down to his shop, today. He said to tell you guys to come by so he can make a whole set."

"Holy shit, that's wicked! I always wanted to be an action figure..."

"'I don't wanna know, I don't wanna go, I don't gotta know where I'm gonna die...'"

~ø~

"We have to get them back here," the Doctor began, pacing the floor anxiously,

"Is there anyone you can call?"

Fun Ghoul nodded, hurrying over to the radio,

"I can send out a wave over the radio. Any Killjoy tuning in oughta hear it."

"Yes. Good," the Doctor began, giving him a thumbs up,

"Do that."

He turned back to Kobra Kid and Jet Star, glancing between them nervously,

"All right, you two. With me."

They followed the Doctor back to the TARDIS, Jet Star pausing as they passed the doors,

"Holy fu-"

"Yes, yes, she's 'bigger on the inside'," the Doctor cut him off, hurrying to the console,

"I know."

Kobra Kid scowled as the Doctor began fumbling with the controls, shaking his head,

"I don't see why you're so eager to help him...you were almost killed out there, too. Besides, you barely know him. What's it matter to you if he lives or dies...?"

"What does it matter...?"

Swiftly grabbing the monitor, he turned it toward Kobra Kid and brought up the files on Mike Milligram, specifically, the asylum records,

"Because of this...no one deserves to have this happen to them. No one."

Kid straightened as he glanced over the records, his heart stopping as he read what appeared to be detailed side effects of electroshock therapy. The Doctor pulled it away from him moments later, glaring him down in disapproval,

"He has my sympathy. I can't stop the angels from taking him, but at the very least, I can slow them down...keep him here a little longer. And for him to be stuck with an ungrateful brat like you for the duration of his time left..."

The blonde swallowed hard, his gaze falling as the Doctor continued,

"Do you know what he did, Kobra? When you were hurt by that blade? He protected you. Said if I couldn't save you he'd put a laser between my eyes," he tapped his forehead for emphasis,

"He was scared to death. Oh, he wouldn't say it, no, of course not...but he didn't have to. And yet, here you stand...not willing to lift a finger. Ready to let him die and for what? For what? A little pissing match?"

He eyed Kobra Kid up and down, and shook his head,

"He deserves so much more than that."

Fun Ghoul burst in seconds later, his eyes wide,
"Guys, it's bad."

Kobra Kid straightened as he watched the Doctor head over to the others; glancing back at the screen with a deep breath. A faded image of Mike Milligram, standing on a beach in military garb, hauntingly stared back at him. He bowed his head thoughtfully.

As the Doctor reached Fun Ghoul, the dark-haired man shook his head,

"I got a transmission from Hot Chimp. She said she saw the Trans Am heading East down Route Guano...about 5 miles South of Hyper Thrust."

"Hyper-what?"

"It's where the Mad Gear show is being held," Fun Ghoul stammered, running a hand through his hair,

"It's...it's like a night club. Pretty skeevy joint, actually. All kinds of zone rats hit it up there. They got the newest, shiniest android girls this side of Zone 5..."

The Doctor shot him a blank stare, nodding thoughtfully,

"Yes, thank you. That cleared everything up-"

"Look, that's not the bad part," Ghoul quickly shouted, glancing between the two of them in concern,

"I just caught the end of D's show. The toxicity's climbing tonight...supposed to be around 90%."

Jet Star straightened, his eyes widening as he glanced back at Kobra Kid,

"That's bad."

"Tell me about it," lifting the enormous, mouse head at his side, Fun Ghoul swallowed hard,

"He forgot to take this with him."

The Doctor gaped at the monstrousity in confusion, waving his screwdriver at it cautiously,

"A furry blue head?"

"His rebreather," Kobra Kid stated softly. The Doctor glanced back as Kobra Kid marched up to them; his eyes now like steel,

"They won't last five minutes in that soup."

Hesitantly, he turned his gaze to the Doctor,

"Can you...can you get us to them? With your box?"

The Doctor stared at him for a moment, nodding shortly in return,

"I'll do my best."

He hurried back to the console and began flipping at switches; Fun Ghoul and Jet Star heading after him.

~ø~

The sun had already disappeared behind the misty mountain ranges as they neared their destination; the area turning murky and dark. Party Poison frowned as the Trans Am began to sputter and putt; glancing down at the dashboard with a frown. Nothing appeared to be wrong. Girl glanced up at him; a look of concern on her face,

"Did you break the car?"

"What? No, I did not break the-"

There was a sudden, loud crack as the car back-fired, and they slowly coasted to a halt.

The neon-haired man glanced over at her silently. She shook her head,

"You broke it."

"Shut up..."

He fumbled with the ignition; cursing as it refused to start again,

"I don't know what the fuck it could be...she was fine before!"

"We're gonna miss the show, aren't we?"

Letting out an annoyed groan, he unbuckled his seat belt and reached for the door handle,

"I said, 'shut up'..."

As he opened the door, he gagged and coughed, quickly pulling it shut again,

"Oh, fuck...!"

Girl coughed as the air from outside briefly flooded the car; covering her mouth and nose quickly.

He glanced down at her and coughed again, his eyes widening,

"You didn't by chance bring your rebreather did you?"

She shook her head.

Leaning back in his seat, Poison swallowed hard, his lungs still burning from the outside air,

"Well...this is fuckin' perfect."

"Poison..."

The hazel-eyed man straightened as she began pointing at something standing freely in the ever-growing haze; his heart stopping. In the mist, stood the silhouette of a decapitated angel.

Biting his lip, he glanced to his left, eying another one in the distance,

"I take that back. Now, it's fuckin' perfect."

~ø~

The Doctor frowned as he flipped and pulled at the switches, growling in aggravation,

"She's having difficulty moving. I can't seem to get her into gear."

Kobra Kid shook his head,

"Why not?"

The Doctor paused, rolling his eyes as he let out an exasperated sigh,

"Well, if I knew that, we wouldn't be sitting here, now, would we?"

"Can I try?"

He frowned as Fun Ghoul walked over to the switches and ran his fingers over them; gently caressing them.

He repeated this a few times without saying a word, and then turned his gaze upward with a seductive wink.

The Doctor stared at him disapprovingly; his scowl darkening as the TARDIS seemed to jerk into motion.

"How did you do that?"

Fun Ghoul turned to the Doctor with a grin, patting the console gently,

"She just needed some encouraging, Doc. I thought you'd be all up on that, but I guess you're dropping the ball..."

He turned to Jet Star, a look of disgust on his face as Fun Ghoul rounded the console. Jet Star shook his head,

"He's kind of like the Horse Whisperer...except with machines. Cars, vans...he's got the magic touch. You get used to it."

"Yes, well...I'd rather not," he turned a dark glare to the ceiling then, wagging his finger in disapproval,

"We'll talk about this later."

~ø~

"Are they gonna get us, Poison," Girl gasped, her heart racing,

"Are we gonna die?"

"No, we're not gonna die."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know-"

"But how?"

"Because...look at me!"

He snapped his fingers in front of her face and she turned to look at him, her eyes filling with tears.

Leaning over to look her in the eye, he placed a hand under her chin and shook his head,

"We are not gonna die. Killjoys never die. You got that?"

She nodded, frowning as he untied the handkerchief on his wrist,

"What are you gonna do?"

Reaching over to her, he tied it around her mouth and pulled it up over her nose, glancing back at the angels outside. They were closer now than before. They hadn't been looking at them. He swallowed hard,

"Listen, kiddo. I want you to keep your eyes on those statues. Don't let 'em out of your sight. Don't even blink..."

He then turned for the door; Girl repeating her query with a quivering voice,

"Poison...what are you gonna do?"

He was silent a moment.

"I'm gonna try and fix the car."

"But the air! You won't last two seconds out there!"

Nodding shortly, he glanced back and offered a small smile,

"I know," he began, his gaze falling slightly,

"Just keep your eyes on those statues...and don't open this door for anything."

He scrambled out into the soup and slammed the door shut behind him, Girl clamping her hands over the handkerchief as the toxic air flooded the car.

Quickly, she crawled over to the driver's seat and watched him pop the hood; tears welling in her eyes. She then turned her attention back to the angel on the side of the road. It was smiling at her.

~ø~

Kobra Kid frowned as the ship continued to rock back and forth, glancing at the Doctor as he braced himself on the railing,

"How close are we?"

"I'm not sure," the Doctor shook his head, flipping a few more switches,

"Since I've no specified location to go on, I'm relying on the TARDIS' sense of smell."

"Smell?"

"Yes," the Doctor conitnued, rouning the console quickly,

"Michael has an immense amount of time energy pouring off of him. Ideally, she'll pick up his trail and we'll fly right to them..."

"And if she doesn't?"

The Doctor turned to him grimly, saying nothing. Kobra Kid glanced back at the monitor at this point, the image of Mike Milligram still on screen.

~ø~

Party Poison coughed harshly as he leaned over the engine. He felt as though his lungs were catching fire, and it was steadily becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. Unable to see the engine through the tears in his eyes, he shut the hood and turned around; gasping for air. His head was beginning to pound; his vision, swirling. Continuing to cough, he staggered around the car; beginning to lose his footing. He fell to his knees as he reached the door; glancing up briefly to see Girl's frightened eyes gazing down at him. Pulling himself up, he flattened himself back against it; blocking her from the angel's view.

The violent hacking continued as he glanced back and forth between the two angels. They were approaching, slowly but surely. His mind was swimming, now. He found himself falling, sliding slowly down the side of the car to the dusty asphalt beneath him. In the distance, he could hear Girl screaming as she pounded on the window. He lay flat on the road, now, wheezing harshly. The sound of churning gravel met his ears and he blinked, gasping softly as the angel appeared overhead. It was reaching for him. He blinked again. Ever closer it came; now, inches from his face.

Girl's howls and screams were slowly fading away as he gazed up at the angel. If he blinked now, it would surely reach him...and if the Doctor was right, he'd be sent back to 1940.

Away from the Dracs, away from the Exterminators; away from this toxic air that was filling his lungs.

Away from everyone he loved.

He grunted as he gazed at it, clawing at the concrete as he desperately fought the urge to close his eyes.

It wouldn't be long, now...in either scenario.

There was no one there to save him; no one to stop the angel. So long as he didn't blink he would be fine, but he was beginning to lose consciousness.

Either way, he was about to die.

'"Michael!"'

He frowned as a white light surrounded him, and he suddenly found himself face to face with a strange woman. She had long, brown hair and wore a blue, collared dress. She was reaching for him; tears in her eyes as she screamed again,

'"Michael!"'

His heart fluttered. He knew this woman. But who was she? And why was she out in the middle of the desert? He then realised they were no longer in the desert. He was lying on the floor in a sunny room; a room with pastel yellow walls. He cocked his head to the side as he gazed up at her; confused. She rose up after a moment, seemingly in slow motion, and ran from the room.

As she disappeared from his sight, so did the room, and he found himself face to face with the angel once more. At this point, he relaxed. Something about that scene had felt peaceful to him.

Had that been Heaven? He inwardly scoffed. There was no such thing.

Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, he let them flutter close; Girl screaming at the top of her lungs as she watched him fall limp,

"PARTY POISON!"