Though the group of misfit Killjoys was unable to get much sleep, they were still able to get some, which was better than nothing considering their track record over the last couple of days. The next morning the sun rose in the east as it always did but tinted the sky gray with clouds that threatened rain. Acid clouds were more of a yellowish green hue while these were just the standard gray. As far as Fire Frenzy was concerned she thought the cloud cover could only help with their endeavor. The tents and sleeping bags had been packed up and neatly tucked away inside of the bunker and as the sun crept entirely past the fog created by the desert sands further west they all stood in front of the bunker, deciding the day's plans.

"I'm meeting my contact just outside of Battery City." Frenzy held up her hand to stop the objections of those who she could see were jumping at the chance to tell her it was too dangerous. "It's only dangerous there if you make yourself a target…" Frenzy narrowed her eyes at Party Poison who looked away innocently but couldn't help smiling as he did. "But I am bringing Poison so… wish us luck." Disco Bitch snorted while trying to hide her laughter at the expressions Party Poison was giving them from behind Frenzy's back as she spoke.

"We're going to split into groups of two." Tiger nodded his head, having every intention of spending some quality time with Disco before they got to the real danger of this situation.

"I'll go with Agent Alpaca." Disco spoke up before Tiger could get a word in edge wise. Everyone stared at her in surprise, and Alpaca himself in confusion. She was hoping that she could work with him and try to figure out what it was about her that made him hate her so damn much. She wanted to prove she was willing to work with him to get him to trust her, for Tiger's sake, if nothing else.

"O-okay…" Tiger stuttered for a moment, not bothering to make eye contact with his friend who merely turned away, folding his arms over his chest. "We'll split into two… I'll go with Black Cherrybomb and we'll search around the camp in zone three to try and find other groups of Killjoys who may have been able to escape over the past few days."

"From what I saw in the camp… there should be a good number of Killjoys who got away. They're probably hiding, waiting for some kind of word from others like them." Disco nodded her head. She was the only one of them who had a good idea of the original number of Killjoys in the camp before the rebels had taken it over, other than Party Poison who had been so overwhelmed upon entering he hadn't gotten much of a chance to judge how many of their Killjoys were missing.

"That's an excellent idea." Party Poison patted his friend on the arm. He didn't know what had transpired the night before and he wasn't about to ask questions. As far as he was concerned, as long as the personal issues didn't start interrupting the work they were doing he didn't care. "If you find anyone, send them to find Jet-Star in the slums in the third zone. The more forces we have to support us in this attack the better off we'll be. Even if we can gather a hundred people total, it's still better than the forty or so we have now. Let's all meet up in the third zone with Jet-Star by the end of the day."

"Sounds good." Disco nodded to agree. Agent Alpaca grumbled sourly and Tiger merely nodded. Black Cherrybomb didn't seem to be paying all that much attention, he was more interested in staring at Disco Bitch and Fire Frenzy. The group parted into the three groups of two, each heading in a different direction.

Black Cherrybomb trailed behind Tiger Beatdown who was shuffling his feet in the dirt. Why didn't she come with me? What is she playing at? Did she hear us fighting last night? If she did, shouldn't she know better than to play with fire? This isn't the right time or place for this fight to be happening. He grunted angrily to himself and then looked around.

"I wouldn't hide out in the open if it were me. The warehouses on the edge of the fourth zone… I think that's probably our best bet for finding Killjoys in hiding." Cherrybomb spoke up, looking over at the man he was walking with after twenty minutes of silence and the occasional grumble. Talk about awkward, wish one of the girls would've let me go with them. These guys are such sticks in the mud. He sighed in irritation, but hoped he could figure out what was going on with this man too. Curiosity killed the cat, good thing I'm only wearing the suit of one. They all seemed like decent enough people to him but he was just used to traveling alone, or with women. He was also sure that Tiger didn't like him because of all the time he'd spent flirting with Disco Bitch. It was harmless flirting and in the long run of things he was a really decent guy. Or at least I'd like to consider myself as such. Being a flirt doesn't make me a bad person.

"I'm glad you know this area of the zones." Tiger slowed down his walk to be side by side with Black Cherrybomb. He offered him the first friendly smile of the day and then looked forward. "I haven't been here in years… I haven't left the west more than a handful of times and I don't know where I'm going. I guess, despite my objections, the split was a good idea." Tiger hadn't actually vocalized any of his objections but Black Cherrybomb already knew what they were without having to ask.

"Well, at least you didn't end up traveling with the fellow I pulled you off of last night." Cherrybomb gave the man a reassuring smack on the back. "Buck up. That girl isn't going to ditch you anytime soon…"

"You know about that?" Tiger cocked an eyebrow.

"Pretty sure everyone knows." Cherrybomb laughed. "It's not like you two hide it very well."

"We weren't really… advertising it though either."

"You're pining for each other. It's actually kind of disgusting to watch."

"If you can see it that obviously then why do you keep flirting with her?"

"It's what I do, I guess." Cherrybomb shrugged. "I make pretty women feel good, why shouldn't I? I'm not doing anything unsavory. Every woman should be told she's beautiful a few times a day. Even if a handful of them think I'm just being a creep, I'd rather risk that than not have made some woman's day by chasing her skirt a little. And from my experience, the ones who call me a creep need it the most."

"That's a strange philosophy to live by but… I can see the logic in it." Tiger felt a weight lifted from his shoulders when he realized the competition for Disco's heart was more in his head than anywhere else. "Just don't lay it on so thick with her, if you don't mind. Things are kind of complicated right now."

"Yeah, I noticed. You and your mate don't really see eye to the eye do you?"

"We don't…" Tiger stopped in the dirt, looking lost and unsure of which direction he should head in. "I've always been terrible with directions… everything looks the same. It's all dirt."

"This way." Cherrybomb started toward the outskirts of the fourth zone since that's where they had started to begin with. "It's not much further."

"Good." Tiger swallowed hard and wondered what was happening with Alpaca and Disco. He didn't like those two as a team but hoped they could put their personal differences aside for the sake of this dire situation they'd found themselves in. He was worried they were going to end up dying because they couldn't keep their tempers in check. The buildings crept into view after just a few moments, just as Cherrybomb had said they would. "This is eerie."

"It is… I've always joked about the place being haunted but it wouldn't surprise me if it were actually true." He stopped walking after a moment and turned to Tiger. "I reckon that if the Killjoys are hiding on this side of the desert they've got to be here, or they've got to be hiding in the dunes, hoping to stay hidden behind the mounds. In this weather though, I'm counting on the fact that they could be here to wait it out in case it turns into an acid storm. The wind is getting pretty nasty and sitting on those dunes would be tough, particularly if they had any wounded." Cherrybomb didn't make an effort to move but instead reached for his ray gun and made sure it was fully charged, which it was.

"But…" Tiger Beatdown could sense that there was more to this than Black Cherrybomb was letting on.

"But…" Cherrybomb continued as he was guided to. "The rebels could have also been using this as their hideout to begin with. We have to think… where were they before they stormed the camps? Surely they had people within the organization, but that many people? There's no way they could've all been hiding amongst the current Killjoys. They had to have been meeting somewhere and I'm guessing it wasn't too far out into the zones, considering the toxic air that has been slowly creeping further inward the last few years… This would be an ideal hideout. The rumors of it being haunted could even be caused by people having lived here over time. But instead of ghosts, they were really just rebels planning an attack."

"Shit." Tiger pulled out his weapon and kissed the end of it for luck. Maybe it was stupid to split up after all. "If there are rebels in there, we're likely toast."

"Oh don't underestimate me yet." Black Cherrybomb reached to his belt and pulled out a few small round grenades, painted various shades of cherry. "I keep these around for a quick getaway. We'll head toward the buildings, casually." He nodded.

"Either way, whoever is in there, if anyone, would likely have a scout."

"If they're friendly they'll probably recognize you. If they're not… They will do one of two things."

"Yeah, blow us to smithereens or wait until we're close enough to kill easier." Tiger sighed then nodded his head resolutely. "No risk, no reward right?"

"Right." Cherrybomb smiled half-heartedly. Without another word the two men started through the thick sands toward the abandoned looking warehouse. It had long ago been used to ship goods to major retail stores around the country but after the deterioration of the atmosphere these buildings became abandoned all around the world. Now the entire United States was littered with skeleton cities of what had once been a booming empire. They stepped quietly through the sand, hearing nothing other than the wind slapping at the sand and their own footfalls.

The warehouses in front of them consisted of four large buildings, each with large bay doors in the front so that eighteen wheeled trucks with cargo could drop off their load with ease. Now all of the doors were closed except for one. They couldn't see what was within the cargo door even as they drew nearer. The hidden sun offered them no favors.

A loud creaking from beyond forced the two of them to stop in their tracks. Someone was opening a door within the building and from the sounds of it, it was a heavy metallic door. Cherrybomb and Tiger exchanged wary glances and stared at the open cargo bay in hopes of seeing the source of the noise. After a few moments of watching with bated breath two Killjoys emerged, wearing their masks and bandanas over their mouths to protect them from the sand that was kicking up more and more from the wind with every passing second. Tiger held his breath as he waited for the Killjoys to come into view and the moment he realized who the man on the left was he broke into a run and gave the much smaller man a hug.

"Fun Ghoul, you son of a bitch! I thought you were one of them for a moment there. God your hair is long now…" Tiger laughed and received a hug back from his friend. Fun Ghoul looked spent and exhausted even behind his green mask.

"Hey, hair grows, particularly over five years." He yelled over the wind and then nodded toward the building. "Come on! Inside - before the wind gets any worse! We need to talk." The others nodded to agree and the four Killjoys hurried inside of the old abandoned warehouse. Fun Ghoul's companion broke a purple glow stick and led the way through the dark corridors further into the building. She threw the glow stick down on an old crate and it lit the room just enough so they could see each other's faces.

"You have no idea how glad we are that it's you in here and not those rebels." Tiger sat down on the floor and leaned his head back against the wall. The woman who was following Fun Ghoul around seemed anxious and didn't want to sit. Her short fiery red hair was adorned with all sorts of colors and her clothing looked worn and tattered.

"Oh, so you know about that already? Guess that means it's one less thing I have to explain." Fun Ghoul pulled off his mask and fought with the strap for a moment in his ratty hair and looked up at his companion who looked eager to be leaving. "This is Detonation Punx. It was her idea to hang out here in the warehouses. Problem is we think the rebels were hanging out here before we found it… so now we're not sure if there are any secret entrances of any kind."

"Shit." Tiger shook his head. "It's probably not safe here, you're right."

"We have too many wounded. I can't just keep traveling around in hopes of finding somewhere large enough to keep as many people as I have." Fun Ghoul leaned forward to whisper. "Have you seen the others? Party Poison or Jet-Star?" He looked spent and worried. Fun Ghoul, Jet-Star, Party Poison and Kobra Kid were like their own little family. They'd spent so much time together making music as The Mad Gear and Missile Kid that they'd adopted each other. Now that they were separated and there was chaos, the concern could be seen written on their faces.

"Yes, we've seen them." Cherrybomb answered when Tiger seemed lost in thought. There was something about Fun Ghoul's question that bothered him but he couldn't pinpoint it.

"You have?" Detonation Punx finally contributed to the conversation. "We haven't heard any word from anyone since they stormed the camp. Fun Ghoul and I… we kept running into the camp and trying to get as many of our wounded out as we could! We've got a good number of people here and they're healing up but… there was no word from Jet-Star and Poison had left the day before so…" Punx swallowed hard and looked shaken by the entire situation. Fun Ghoul continued for her when he realized she couldn't keep talking.

"We've been still sending out search parties. We've grown to about… seventy six now, I think the last count was. You will make seventy eight."

"No, we're not staying." Tiger shook his head and sighed. "You… you said you were only looking for Jet-Star and Poison? What about Kobra Kid? Does that mean he's here with you?" Detonation Punx and Fun Ghoul glanced at each other then back at Tiger.

"Yeah, he's here. But he's definitely not okay." Fun Ghoul looked upset to share the news with him. "He had started complaining he was feeling like shit before the riots. I sent him to Jet-Star but he hadn't gotten the time to treat him. He was diagnosed with a fever and that was it… But he's not in good shape now. He's been muttering and sleeping most of the time. His fever keeps spiking then breaking. I have no idea what to do. I have a couple of medics with me but no one qualified for this kind of illness…"

"Can I see him?" Tiger stood back up, feeling frantic. Kobra Kid was ill, what were the odds? Perhaps whoever had given him the false information had poisoned him as well? It was a stretch but Tiger needed to know if he could extract anything from the poor guy. He had a feeling it wasn't Kobra's fault, that he'd been nothing but a pawn trusting his fellow Killjoys.

"Yeah, but he's not coherent." Detonation Punx walked over to him. "He keeps muttering things that don't make sense. I don't think you're going to get much out of him."

"I don't care, I need to at least try to talk to him." Tiger nodded. "Cherrybomb, can you fill Fun Ghoul in on where Jet-Star is? They shouldn't stay here if there's a chance the rebels used this as a base." Cherrybomb nodded his head and looked back at Fun Ghoul who seemed considerably intrigued by the sudden change in conversation.

"We met Jet-Star outside of the Killjoy camp yesterday. He's sending people in to find refugees and pulling them out. I was doing the same thing until I ran into a few Killjoys tied up in the northernmost part of the compound. We found Tiger and Poison with Jet-Star after we got out of the camp and… well, they dispersed into the third zone after we parted ways. They're taking to hiding in the slums. You should join them… Meet up with Jet-Star in waves and then you can hopefully be more properly hidden and less vulnerable to attack."

"I was hoping you'd know where Jet-Star was. I don't trust this place. I know the rumors of it being haunted are nothing but the echoes of the rebels having hidden here for so long but… I can't help but feel like we're being watched every second." The two looked around and saw nothing but cobwebs and dust. The newest thing about this room was the onlookers, the glow stick and the cobwebs, which looked fresh.

"I think buildings can tell sometimes… when something bad is happening." Cherrybomb shrugged and wiped bits of dust off of his clothing. "It's like the walls carry the stories that no one's left behind to tell."

"Well these walls probably have some pretty nasty shit to share." Fun Ghoul stood back up. "I need to prepare people to move. We'll head into the third zone during the storm. I know it's a risk with the wounded but it's likely the rebels aren't going to head out in the bad weather looking for us. They're probably hoping we'll stay put until it's over."

"Yeah, that's your best bet. Just be on your guard. Don't trust anyone you don't know." Cherrybomb felt himself growing more sympathetic to the Killjoys by the moment. He had spent so long avoiding them he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be one. That sense of camaraderie no matter the situation. It was like being a part of a really big family, or at least it had been when he'd first joined. When the feeling faded he'd scattered. Perhaps there was hope to renew that feeling amongst the Killjoys that had survived the raid.

"Thanks." Fun Ghoul held his hand out to shake and Cherrybomb shook it resolutely. "Though, I don't really know you and I am trusting you…"

"Well okay, don't trust anyone you don't know after me."

Tiger followed Detonation Punx through the corridors of the warehouse, into a big storage space. He stopped in the doorway, surprised to see the makeshift beds and the number of people resting on them, either sleeping or sitting up and chatting. They didn't look towards him at all and seemed to be trying to lay low at this point. Fun Ghoul had probably given them orders to just mind their own business. Hysteria thrives in these situations, if they jumped at every visitor there'd be chaos and disorder running rampant.

"He's here, in the corner." Tiger reluctantly followed Detonation Punx as she led him through the aisles of Killjoys off into a corner that had been blocked off by crates for some privacy. He stopped as he saw Kobra Kid in the corner of the makeshift infirmary, lying with his back facing them. His red jacket was on the floor and his yellow zebra print shirt was stained with sweat and dirt to a point where Tiger couldn't tell if it was yellow because of the original cloth or because of the dirt and sweat on his body.

"Is he okay to talk…?" Tiger felt suddenly guilty for the condition this man was in. There were others in this makeshift infirmary but none of them looked nearly as ill as the pale boy in the corner.

"Yeah, I mean… he hasn't been making much sense…" Detonation Punx drifted off and looked at the ground. She'd been close friends with Kobra Kid, seeing him so ill was really tough to swallow nonetheless explaining it to someone she wasn't familiar with. "He doesn't make much sense at all anymore. He keeps saying things about the spiders."

"Jeez, are you sure he hasn't had a psychotic break?" Tiger whispered, nervous to talk to him.

"We can't tell. He's never well enough to get a full evaluation and to tell the truth, none of our medics here are qualified in that sense of things. He needs a real doctor, like Jet-Star." Detonation Punx whispered in return. "I can't…" She turned away from Kobra Kid and whispered to him. "You're on your own. I'll be waiting just out here." She walked past the crates and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

Tiger walked over to Kobra Kid's bed and sat down on the edge of it. The form of the tall lanky Killjoy stirred and looked up at Tiger in shock. He could see recognition in his eyes.

"Hey Kid…" Tiger tried to sound soothing but was surprised when Kobra lashed out at him.

"You, you're a traitor!" He said in a hoarse voice which Tiger was sure was an attempt at a yell. What had made him so ill?

"No, no! It's wrong… Calm down, your brother is safe."

"The spiders get everyone, you, me, them, Poison, everyone." Kobra sounded somber now and laid back down and rolled onto his back. "Can I tell you a secret, Tiger?"

"Sure."

"Come closer." Tiger leaned down at Kobra's urging. "The walls are whispering…" Kobra laughed and pushed his sweaty faded yellow hair back then gripped it and pulled it back so it was in the way of his face once more. His laugh didn't sound quite coherent or voluntary.

"What are the walls whispering?"

"Kill them all…" Kobra whispered before coughing. Tiger tried to help him through it but it was a struggle for them both. It was clear that nothing was going to make sense.

"Who gave you the bad information? Who told you I was a traitor?"

"The spiders know…" Kobra smiled as his eyes began to flutter shut.

"There aren't any spiders here Kobra… I need you to try to remember. I know you don't feel well, I know something's wrong but if you just remember who told you about me being a traitor then… then maybe I can keep you from dying."

"We're all dying." Kobra sat up and whispered cryptically. Tiger felt a chill run down his spine. The way Kobra had said that point blank, his eyes appearing completely coherent and his voice sounded exhausted and worn, had shaken him.

"…get some rest Kobra. We'll be back for you. Whoever did this? I'm going to make sure they pay."

"Said the fly to the spider…" Kobra drifted to sleep with those last words, leaving Tiger to stare at him. He got up from his spot on the bed, grabbed a wet cool cloth from a pitcher of water on a crate next to Kobra and dabbed at his burning forehead.

"Who did this?" Tiger whispered more to himself than to anyone else. He walked out of the makeshift infirmary and past Detonation Punx. He spoke to her even though he walked right past her. "You and Fun Ghoul need to lead the troops to the third zone. Jet-Star will find you. You're not safe here. Kobra Kid needs real medical attention. I'm going to run ahead through the storm and let Jet-Star know you're coming."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Kobra didn't have much to say at all."

"But he spoke? I heard him trying to yell." Detonation Punx's eyes were brimming with tears as she ran to catch up with Tiger's stride. "He spent so much time yelling the first night we had to gag him…" She grabbed Tiger's arm and stopped him, looking to him with pleading eyes. "Did he say anything?"

"Nothing." Tiger shook his head. Something wasn't right about his condition. It wasn't natural to slip into a psychosis like that, to suddenly think inanimate objects and spiders were sending messages through the cobwebs. "Just shit about spiders and death, like you said."

"He was fine… I don't get it!" Detonation Punx let Tiger go. "Go, go on. I'll start preparing the wounded to leave. Jet-Star might know better how to deal with this." Tiger watched the woman go and then whispered.

"I don't think anyone is going to know how to deal with it." He headed back into the room where he found Black Cherrybomb and Fun Ghoul pouring over a newly drawn map of the area. They were plotting a course into the third zone and had split the Killjoys they had in the warehouse into groups. It looked as though Fun Ghoul had decided he would accompany each group with his strongest men and they would move fifteen at a time to the third zone so they wouldn't cause too much of a scene every time they approached. It would take all afternoon but it would be well worth the move given their current situation.

"Time to go?" Black Cherrybomb could see Tiger looked shaken. Fun Ghoul averted his eyes, knowing exactly how it felt to talk to Kobra Kid in his current state.

"Yeah, we're going ahead to Jet-Star. Follow after you're ready to pack up. We're going to help you move your people. Kobra Kid needs a doctor, you should bring him first."

"Shouldn't we keep looking for stragglers?" Black Cherrybomb cocked an eyebrow.

"No, Disco Bitch and Agent Alpaca should be able to handle that on their own. This is our priority now. I really hope that Fire Frenzy's strategist is as good as she claims."

"A strategist?" Fun Ghoul cocked an eyebrow. "Rainbow Riot? It has to be her. She's the best around. She's one of the only ones left you can outsource."

"We didn't get a name, but here's hoping."

Disco Bitch could tell that Agent Alpaca was not at all pleased in her jumping at the chance to have more alone time with him. He would've preferred to travel on his own, or with one of the others. At this point he felt incredibly alone in this group, but since he wanted to fight for his cause he was choosing to suck it up and try to help regardless of his differences with those around him. The only ones he could see himself getting along with now were Fire Frenzy and Black Cherrybomb. Great, one's insane and one's a pervert. What does that say about me? They walked in silence for a long time, neither one sure what to say to the other. Agent Alpaca had absolutely no reason to talk to Disco and absolutely no desire to either. She was nasty to him, she'd nearly left him to die in the camp, and she'd done nothing of redeeming value, at least in his eyes. All she'd brought with her since her arrival was trouble and as far as he was concerned that would be all she would continue to bring.

Disco could feel the tension radiating off of Agent Alpaca. As much as she wanted to try to figure things out between them for Tiger Beatdown's sake, his "fuck off" vibes were keeping her from starting any form of conversation. I have to do this. Fire Frenzy was only half right. I know that Tiger wants to make the effort to be with me, but I should do the same for him. If he still hated her after she made the effort to talk to him and sort things out, then she could at least say she tried. She was sure that the gesture would mean something to Tiger. She was hoping that even if they didn't become friends, they could at least see eye to eye on the fact that they both cared for the leader of the western Killjoys in more than a conventional sort of way. Disco needed to do this for Tiger's sake. She didn't want him to lose a long term friendship over a newly blossoming romance. In fact, she wouldn't stand for it.

"I heard you and Tiger fighting last night." She said very suddenly. Alpaca stopped walking and narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm not apologizing, if that's what you're looking for."

"No, I-"

"I meant everything I said, even if Tiger overreacted. And I'm not going to let him make stupid mistakes."

"God will you just shut the fuck up for a second and let me talk?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you're not even giving me a chance!"

"You had several chances!"

"You've been looking for reasons to hate me since the moment we met." Disco was desperate to find resolution. "Look I don't want to fight with you anymore! I'm tired of all the fighting! Can't you put aside your petty anger for just a few seconds at least for the sake of what's going on around you?"

"What?" Alpaca turned on her and shoved her back causing her to stumble in the dirt. "You think I haven't? What the hell do you think I'm doing here then huh? If I didn't want to be doing this then I wouldn't be here! I would've run the hell away and done my own thing if I didn't believe in this cause. Trust me, I'm not letting some bitch get in the way of the Killjoys! I'm not petty like you may think I am!"

"Just shut up!" Disco yelled. This wasn't what she wanted to happen, she had tried to start a conversation but it'd turned into screaming and fighting so quickly it was making her head spin. Alpaca opened his mouth to retaliate but he quieted as they heard something in the distance. They stopped their bickering and turned to see what the cause of the sound was. A group of four or five masked men were gathering in the distance, chatting amongst themselves over the wind. The dust obstructed their view of the people arriving so how many there were they were unsure, but they could tell they were Killjoys by the bits of coloring on their costumes.

"Killjoys, come on! Reinforcements." Agent Alpaca moved to approach the Killjoys in the distance. Disco stared at the figures just beyond them in the sand; something seemed amiss. She grabbed Alpaca very suddenly by the fur lined collar of his vest and tugged him so he was low to the ground with her. She crouched in the sand as he fell on his butt. "What the hell is your problem now?" Alpaca yelled at her and then audibly growled as she slammed her hand over his mouth to get him to be quiet.

"Shut up! Just… just watch." Disco didn't know why she felt they should stay where they were but the feeling churning in the pit of her stomach was insisting she stay as far away from this group of Killjoys as she could.

"Why? We're going to lose them in this fucking sandstorm if we just sit here and watch. I want to take action!"

"What if they're the rebels? How do we tell the difference?" Disco hissed in response. He was at least making attempts to be quieter now so they wouldn't be overheard which was progress. Perhaps part of him felt the same way in regards to these newcomers as she did.

"I didn't think about that… but isn't it worth the risk? You're good with a gun, so am I. We can take them if we have to." He whispered.

"I don't want to kill them!" Disco turned to look at him.

"You didn't have a problem when it came to Tiger."

"Yes I did in case you forgot that I didn't kill him! You twist your facts to suit the theories you have about me, rather than just drawing the obvious conclusions that everyone else has come to. You want me to hurt Tiger just so you can be right, don't you?"

"That's not what I want at all!"

"Then why do you keep fighting us tooth and nail on this? I'm not going anywhere Agent Alpaca, not for you and not for anyone else! I know you hate the idea but this thing I have with Tiger? It's real and I'm not going to give it up for you."

"Well, I'm not going to pretend you're the saint he thinks you are because you ask me to!"

"I'm not asking you to think I'm a saint, I'm not asking you to be my friend or even like me! I'm asking you to respect what Tiger wants! If he's happy, isn't that all that matters?"

"Shut the fuck up, you have no idea what makes him happy! You know why he's wasting his energy on you? Because he saw his life flashing before his eyes and he thinks you're his last chance! I'm not going to let him throw his life away for some crack-assassin."

"Hey, you don't-"

"Quiet!" Alpaca threw his attention suddenly to the Killjoys and Disco quieted at once. The sound of engines roared over the wind howling all around them. They could see the telltale sand cloud that followed behind the vehicle approaching. They watched as the black car pulled up to the Killjoys. Disco had to cover her mouth as she saw who came out of it. Korse, the Scarecrow himself, stepped out with four Dracs following behind him.

"We have to help them." Disco whispered, at once changing her mind about the Killjoys.

"I don't think they need our help…" Alpaca let his mouth hang open as he watched the Killjoys interacting with Korse. He couldn't hear what was going on. "We need to get closer… We have to try and figure out what they're saying."

"That's suicide. If the scarecrow even hears us or sees any sign of us, he'll kill us on the spot. We can't take him on, we just can't." Disco furrowed her brow.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Alpaca abandoned her where she stood and started crawling through the sand, trying to kick up as little as he could, only moving when the wind allowed him enough leeway to do so. He slid behind a dune, and felt Disco doing the same. They were close enough to hear the voices being carried on the wind now.

"These four will go with you. You will lead them to your outskirts and outfit them as Killjoys." Korse's cryptic monotonous voice told them.

"Yes, sir." They could hear the dulled tones of the voices of the Killjoys they had been watching all this time. They're Dracs? Disco mouthed to Agent Alpaca who nodded to agree with that fact. It seemed as though the Killjoy rebels that had taken over the camp were really Dracs. It'd explain why Korse had known about the rebellions inside of the second zone a few days before, but not why he was killing his own men. Had he been doing it merely to keep up appearances?

"Were there any casualties in the fires we saw from headquarters the other day?"

"No, all the plants are still flourishing."

"No one's been compromised?"

"No one. Phoenix Fury has no idea we've infiltrated his rebellion."

"Oh how sweet it is, Killjoys rebelling against each other from the seeds we've planted…" Korse's thin lips twisted into a wicked looking smile.

"They still think that Party Poison is a traitor."

"Just remember… No one kills him. If anyone kills him… it'll be me. He's mine." Korse's eyes flashed with some kind of rage. They'd heard stories of the rivalry between Poison and Korse, but the only real thing they knew was the scar that extended from Korse's jaw line, across his face and to his hairline had been given by Poison.

"Yes, sir."

"But sir, what if one of the other rebels kills him?" The group fell silent and Korse slowly approached the man who'd spoken. Korse was limping, apparently still recovering from the wounds he'd received a few days prior. Even the mighty Scarecrow can't withstand a rocket launcher. Disco couldn't help but smile with satisfaction to see his discomfort. Korse grabbed the Killjoy by the throat and pulled him instantly off of the ground, squeezing until the young man's face turned pink.

"You make sure that doesn't happen or I'll tear you all limb from limb and feast on your flesh while you still fucking breathe… Got it?" There was no audible response, but just the sound of the man gagging and praying to be released to get some air soon. Korse dropped him and let him fall to his feet. None of his comrades in arms moved to help him off of the ground, but merely ignored his obvious distress. There was no camaraderie between the Dracs it seemed. They were nothing but Korse's puppets and only the most loyal would make it anywhere, or even get to stay alive.

"Now. I have weapons for you in the trunk. Leave the exits in the far west unlocked, even if you have to hide a key around the entrances. I want to be able to break in if I have to, or to send my men to do so."

"Sir, Phoenix Fury has ordered they remained locked and guarded at all times."

"Then you make sure you get assigned to the guard!" Korse said in a voice that clearly reminded them all of the threat he'd made just a moment prior.

"Yes, sir." The Dracs nodded in response to him. It was clear they'd do anything to avoid being devoured by the Scarecrow. Alpaca had heard rumors of his cannibalism, in fact that's partially why the Dracs were called that at all. It was a nod to vampirism but as the years passed by, everyone assumed it was because of the vampiresque Halloween masks they donned in the zones. Now, they both wondered if the real reason they were called that was because they fed on the flesh of others. Or maybe they'd adapted to their name and started to live up to it over the years. Disco Bitch got the chills just thinking about it.

Korse didn't say another word to his Dracs. He got back in the car on his own and drove the way he came. The Killjoys and newly arrived Dracs began back toward the eastern Killjoy camp. After they were out of earshot Alpaca and Disco turned to look at each other.

"Well, now we know why everyone's got a different story." Disco Bitch sighed heavily. She picked herself up from the sand and Alpaca rose after her.

"We only know part of the story. There's no way that the Dracs could've infiltrated the Killjoys or the rebels on their own."

"They must have."

"No, I'm saying they had to have help. You saw them… They're puppets. They're practically hanging from marionette strings on Korse's fingers. They'd never be clever enough to fool every Killjoy they'd have to interact with in order to join." The idea that there had been at least one Killjoy within the camps and the rebels that would turn traitor enough to help infiltrate an organization set up in order to prevent these monsters from taking over in the first place disgusted them. The concept was terrifying.

"So Killjoys… at least one of them have gone traitor. Someone is letting Dracs disguised as Killjoys into the organization."

"And it's not that green haired prick." Agent Alpaca added.

"That's right. They said the leader had no idea…" Disco felt conflicted. She hated what the rebels were doing, but she wasn't sure she would do any different if someone she trusted had told her all the lies that had been spread about the Killjoys. "Maybe we actually will be able to reason with them at some point."

"It depends on what lies they've really been telling." Alpaca nodded. There was hope for the two to at least work together. They'd managed to go at least a half an hour without screaming at each other now. "We need to go find the others."

"What about reinforcements?" Disco didn't disagree, but she didn't want to give up the hunt for Killjoys that could be stranded out in the desert. She couldn't stand the idea of Korse finding them out in the desert and sinking his teeth into their flesh, pulling away skin and muscle fiber, eating it like something delectable. She stopped walking, something was wrong with the mental image she'd just come up with; something other than the grotesque nature of it.

"This is too important to wait. We'll come back out after we let the others know what we overheard. Plus, now we'll know that some of the entrances will be unlocked and where some of the Drac plants will be." Alpaca continued walking and thinking, not noticing that Disco had stopped walking entirely. "If there are plants I think we need to see if we could possibly detain everyone in the camp. There has to be a way to discern the Dracs from the Killjoys. If we can find the Dracs we might be able to get them to tell us who the true traitors are."

"Alpaca…" Disco said after she realized he wasn't going to stop for her.

"What?" He slumped his shoulders in frustration. He turned to face her but didn't yell at her as he wished to when he saw how alert she was standing. "What? What is it Disco, do you hear something else?"

"No but… Korse didn't drive toward Battery City."

"What?"

"Better Living doesn't have a building out here anymore. We… we destroyed them all in the last two years. There are no more in the eastern zones. There are some in the west, but… he wasn't heading there. He was going towards the outer zones."

"…what are you saying?" Agent Alpaca knew exactly what she was getting at but the idea of it scared the shit out of him.

"What if they have headquarters closer than we think? What if all this time we've been chasing ghosts while they've been building right under our noses?" Goose bumps ran all over Disco's body as she finally shared her thoughts with the man she was at odds with.

"I think that would mean we're fucked. We'd be surrounded when they attack."

"You're right… Reinforcements can wait." Disco whispered. "We need to get back, make a plan… and find that goddamn leak and plug it."

"Maybe we'll learn some secrets of theirs while we're at it."

"It's about time we're able to retaliate." Disco agreed. The two hurried through the sand as the wind blew harder and harder. The dirt was kicking up and they both donned goggles and bandanas over their faces. The rain was starting to drizzle from the sky, only enhancing the glum mood that had come over them.