Hey! Sorry for the long wait...
Anyhow, this is CHAPTER 10! So I'd better get 10 reviews! Ok? Ok. Glad we understand each other.
For: Electric Revenge, cause she's reading this over my shoulder XD And I luuuurve her.
REVIEW BEFORE I SEND FRANK IERO TO EAT YOUR SOUL! *evil laugh, pets Ray*
Disclaimer: I do not own MCR, although I am going to see them this weekend...SUCK IT WORLD!
Party Poison's smile grew until it was ear-to-ear, making me smile in turn. He was finally getting home, with no more crazy rescue missions in store for anyone. Life would go back to normal; as normal as it got in 2019.
I still couldn't remember anything from what had happened since my capture. All I remember was getting Party Poison out of his cell, getting him outside, and then a burning sensation everywhere. Like I was on fire. Party Poison thinks this may have been the first stage of brainwashing, but I can't be sure. I mean, I can't remember anything past that point, and I'd been gone for nearly three or four days! There was a sudden revving noise, followed by a shout.
"GET IN THE CAR!" came a loud voice, clearly Fun Ghoul's. I hadn't seen him in what seemed like forever. Next to him, riding shotgun, was the blue-haired girl from the Institution. They both smiled and waved from the Trans Am.
"Who let Ghoul drive?" Party rolled his eyes melodramatically, making me giggle into my hand. Was I flirting…and was Party flirting back?
"Coming," Party grabbed my hand and we ran, leaping into the backseats of the aging car and zooming off down the highway. Dust billowed up around the back of the tires as we spun wildly, turning where no turns were necessary. No one else ever went on these abandoned roads except messengers like Show Pony and the Draculoids. Even the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W units tended to fade into the desert now and again, preferring that to the tire-melting heat of the asphalt. It was no wonder the Killjoys drove so fast down Route Guano; it was to escape the burning heat of the summer sun on the dry, cracked California ground.
"Aren't you glad to be going back?" I asked Party Poison. He laughed, sticking his torso out the window and allowing his long red hair to be blown back, a grin plastering itself back onto his face.
"WOOHOO!" he shouted, the sound was ripped from his mouth and thrown violently into the wind of the speeding car. "I missed you Cali!"
"Uh-oh," Blue Hair said quietly, then she shouted to us, "Get in the car!"
"What? Why?" Party asked, right before the blinding beam of powerful white light shot past his head. He ducked inside, his eyes wide with realization. He pulled out his yellow ray gun, probably a spare from back home, and leaned back out, facing the oncoming Dracs. "Suck this."
He proceeded to blow up four motorcycles and melt a car tire in five total shots. That man is a genius with a gun in his hands. He swiftly pulled himself back inside, his breath slowly being regained in ragged pants and sighs. Sweat gleamed on his brow, covered in a thin layer of dust.
"Don't hyperventilate," I said, patting his back. Then, in abrupt change of mood, I got excited like any girl would do during something as cool as what he just pulled off. "That was amazing! Where did you learn to do stuff like that?"
"It took me a lot of practice," he said, smiling up at me from his half-kneeling position on the leather seats. As he continued to remember how to breath, I stared straight down into his hazel eyes. For the first time I allowed myself to be swallowed by their soulful depths. It was as if he was searching through my innermost thoughts with just eye contact, and I wasn't going to be the first to break it. Unfortunately, the car broke down right then, and threw us both onto the hard floor. Ghoul swore a couple of times before getting out of the driver's seat and standing before the junky thing like a conqueror. He angrily kicked the tire.
"Stupid machine," he kicked it, swearing again. As if by magic, the engine roared to life, bringing the sharp scent of gasoline and blue fume clouds along with it. Ghoul clambered back into his seat and slammed his foot on the pedal, driving us the rest of the way home. The closer we got, the darker Party's expression became, until it was clouded with something that might have been close to physical pain.
"What am I gonna do about Show?" he asked no one in particular, throwing his head back against the seat, closing his eyes against the world.
"What happened with Show Pony?" I asked, clearly confused.
"Show was the one who turned me in. He radioed everyone out of the building, claiming that I had rescued you already, and knocked me out right in front of your room. He simply stunned me with his ray gun and skated off, back to the car I suppose. I was captured and the rest is history," Party shrugged nonchalantly. I could tell that deep down, he was hurting over his friend's betrayal. His eyes were everywhere but on me as his leather gloved hands twisted nervously in his lap. Party Poison usually isn't like this. In all the time I've known him, he's never been like this. So nervous, scared, used, and…and…vulnerable.
"Did he give a reason?" I asked, trying to mask the worry and compassion in my voice. That was probably the last thing he wanted to hear right now. "Those actions couldn't have been unwarranted."
"He has a sister who lives in a different state, Nevada, I think. She'd been captured by Dracs, and this was his only way to get her out and free. I highly doubt that BLI stuck to their deal, but Show Pony did have a reason."
"Reason or not, he gave your life up to BLI. We could have rescued his sister, but no…he chose to betray a friend to the enemy. That's punishable by death in some places," Fun said, a dark tone lacing his voice. "That boy is in a whole heap of trouble."
"I would sure think so," Blue Hair said, turning around from her seat to see us. She changed the topic quickly, clearly uncomfortable, "I'm Electric Revenge, it's nice to finally meet you."
"I'm-"
"Truthful Blasphemy, I know," she smiled widely and turned back to face the windshield, humming a song I thought I recognized from an old ghost-hunting movie. It was a comforting distraction, until we pulled into the Diner's parking lot and piled out of the beat-up muscle car.
"Alright, just breathe easy," I said to Party. He raised and eyebrow at me and laughed.
"It's not like I'm giving birth," he snorted. Ghoul and Revenge laughed too. I just rolled my eyes and stomped into the house, taking in everything for the second time, welcoming that feeling of "home". When I entered the kitchen, I was mobbed by two men, Kobra Kid and Jet Star.
"You're back all safe and sound!" they shouted in unison, making me giggle a little bit and run a hand over my pony tail.
"I am, and how are you?" I asked.
"Good," Jet Star smiled, "Missile Kid missed you."
"Missile Kid?" I asked. Jet shook his head, his curls bombilating.
"G-Force changed her name," he explained. I nodded in agreement and turned to the large group of strangers I was yet to be introduced to.
"Hello, I'm Truthful Blasphemy," I introduced. Show Pony edged out of the room, into the back of the house. Probably to climb out a rear window and escape to freedom before he could be caught and convicted.
"I'm N3ON Dynamite," said a tall black-and-red haired girl. She pointed to a blond boy standing behind her, "And this is Leather Deathwish."
"Nice to meet you," I smiled.
"I'm Spaztic Lazerbeam, and that's Blaring Silence and Shadow Artist," the mouse-girl pointed to herself and two other people. I acknowledged them too.
"Last but not least," came a slightly familiar voice, "I'm Deadly Havoc."
"Wait…Zach…is that you?" I slowly turned around the face the last one, and my eyes widened at the sight of my brother. My twin brother. My fraternal twin brother who'd been missing for years. I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and feeling his skinny arms close around my waist. Like a bear trap. "I missed you so much. Where did you go?" "I got up the guts to go into the Zones first," he said, ruffling my hair gently. "I should have taken you with me."
"Darn straight!" I cried, feeling the tears come. I had spent an entire year searching for him, before I learned to cope with the loss. I was finally back with my only true family. "Why didn't you?"
"Because I didn't know what else to do," he said, still clinging to me. As we cried our tears of happiness, Show Pony was dragged in, kicking and flailing, by an angry looking Party Poison.
"So how are we going to deal with this little issue?" Party asked the room full of people.
"What issue?" half of them asked.
"Should I tell, or will you?" Party asked Show. Show Pony lowered his head and stepped forward, pulling off the helmet to reveal shoulder-length black hair and crystalline blue eyes.
"I betrayed Party Poison to BLI, to free my sister. She was kidnapped a couple months ago, and I was contacted by an employee who recognized her. The employee told me that if I cooperated she would not be harmed. I did what I had to do for family," he stood tall, although the saltwater stains on his face said otherwise about his feelings. He was an emotional wreck, and no one could blame him.
Dr. Death Defying stepped forward and placed a hand on the young man's trembling shoulder. "I think it would be best if you stayed in another Zone for awhile. You can come back in two months time and resume your apprenticeship with me, but no earlier. You did a very bad thing, Show Pony."
"You are so gracious not to just kill me on the spot, I don't deserve your mercy," Show said, sobbing now. His frail shoulders were wracked with the regret and grief he had been hiding from the rest of them. Finally, Show Pony came out of his shell and really let other people know how he felt.
"You can stay here tonight," Dr. D intoned, "But tomorrow morning I'm taking you over to Zone S4 for awhile to stay with some of the kids there. You should come too Truthful, you'd like to meet them."
"Sounds cool," I smiled. "But I need to nap right now, cause I'm really tired."
"Same here," Party said. We both walked into the back room and fell into our respective beds, sighing in perfect harmony before falling into a deep sleep.
SHOW PONY
In my mind, I replayed all the worst possible situations. They would throw me into the desert, alone and unworthy of their communication or friendship. That was the worst I could possibly think of, and the punishment I most deserved. Cruel and fitting to the horrible crime I had committed. I knew that Party was coming back, and he would bring Truthful too. I had been really terrible towards her, and now karma was biting me in the butt. I didn't deserve to live.
When I received my sentence, I was so happy. They weren't going to banish me forever. But now I'd have to find a way to fix all the broken relationships and slowly rebuild the trust I had come to know in them. I had really screwed up. And now I was going to pay for it.