Venom jerked suddenly from unconsciousness, ready to face Korse right away in the parking lot only to be met with darkness at every angle. Freezing in place he blinked his eyes several times in an attempt to adjust to the pitch room, hoping shadows would make their way to him and give him some sense of where he was being held captive but no visions came to him; the world simply stayed black. Whatever room he was being held in was completely void of light; there was nothing to cast any shadows, not even a blinking light from a machine or a light from underneath the seam of a door. For all Venom knew Better Living Industries had struck him blind while he was out of it. Though, for some reason, he was sure he wasn't blind and his eyes were working just fine outside of his vision being partially blurred because of the blow he'd taken to the head when Korse had knocked him unconscious outside of the theater.

In an attempt to move, Venom found that he was bound to what he could assume was some kind of chair and immediately ceased his struggle. The only benefit to having once been in captivity prior to this was he had learned the best way to deal with it and the key to a chance at escape. Struggling when he had no idea what he was up against was perhaps the stupidest thing he could do, given the situation. All it would accomplish was wasting the very little energy he had after all he'd been through. Venom coughed as he tried to speak, finding something solid in his mouth, realizing it was tied around his face and secured behind his head. He couldn't move or scream and they were trying to shock his senses with the darkness of the room.

Sensory deprivation had always been Vengeful Venom's least favorite method of torture, though he couldn't think of one he was fond of either. He could handle the pain of being beaten and the shock of being dunked in cold water. Hell, he could even handle those damn brainwashing videos as horrifying as they were, but putting him in a room with no light, where he could never hope to develop a mental image of the room around him or in a room where white noise was playing at full blast and he was done for. It was too much for him to handle and made him want to curl up into fetal position and slip into the confines of his mind. Everyone had their breaking point and somehow, Korse knew just what his was.

I can't let that happen this time. I've got to try and find out where I am at the very least. I must still be in the City, these old buildings all smell the same. If I can just close my eyes and concentrate on the chair I'm strapped to then maybe I could get an image in my mind and go from there. All he needed was to get out of the chair, then he could crawl along whatever floor was beneath him and find his way out of the room that had become his dark prison then escape from whatever Better Living Industries building this was. It was very rare for torture and imprisonment to happen anywhere else. There, see? Simple.

A sarcastic sound of disapproval escaped from behind the gag in his mouth. Right, getting that to happen will be incredibly easy. I'm sure this chair is reinforced to the ground in some way at the very least. Not to mention whatever bonds I've got on my wrists. Venom leaned his head to the side as far as he could reach until he felt the back of his head brushing the end of the hard chair. Then he did the same with the other side to get a good judge of how wide it was. So far, so good. If he could just keep this up with nearly every aspect of the chair he'd at least have made progress. Better Living Industries was not going to get the best of him this time around. He had let them experiment on him for months the first time but he'd either escape in the next week or die in the process. They weren't going to use his body to do anymore damage.

"What do you think you are doing, Vengeful Venom?" Venom froze in terror at the sound that came so suddenly out of the silence that he felt nearly deafened by it. Korse was talking to him from somewhere within the room. Turning his head frantically left and right was only instinct to try and locate the voice addressing him. Frustration was the only sound he could muster. "Trying to escape already are we? You just got here, why not stay for awhile."

Venom released an annoyed grunt and continued to feel around the chair. It was all he could do to keep his sanity. For all he knew, Korse was speaking through something electronic just to fuck with him and wasn't in the room at all. He couldn't respond vocally if he had wanted to anyway, seeing as he was still gagged. Besides, the only words Venom had for Korse were "fuck" and "you".

"I'm sure you're wondering where you are. You must have some idea at least." Korse continued on. The voice seemingly moved all around him and Venom became aware of the sounds of footfalls on the ground to his left. Korse was in the room, pacing around his chair in a circle as if to observe him. The chair must be pretty damn small, a standard metallic seat bolted to the ground if I could guess. Korse doesn't realize it but he actually helped me figure that out by walking around me. It's one last thing for me to have to guess about. If Venom's mouth hadn't been so stretched by the gag he would've smiled triumphantly. Even succeeding at a small goal in this situation was gratifying. During his captivity within Better Living Industries laboratories the first time, he'd learned how precious hope was and how very hard it was to cling to, so every tiny little thing he did had to count as a success.

"In a few moments I will remove your gag and allow you to speak. But before I do I'm going to tell you a few things and ask you a few questions." Korse continued talking as he paced. His voice circling around the room was making Vengeful Venom dizzy. Closing his eyes didn't help and concentrating on the sound of his voice didn't help either so Venom chose to deal with it and continue in his examination of the chair, hoping that a distraction would keep him from becoming nauseated. Now that he knew what shape it was, finding a way out of the bonds on either one of his wrists would be his next goal. If he could get one of them freed then he could get the others, his legs, and then the gag around his face.

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions and if you can manage to answer any of them then perhaps I shall consider giving you some light for the duration of your stay. If not, the punishment will be dire and your light will be turned off permanently. You have a history with us, or so your record tells me as much." Korse continued speaking and Venom froze in confusion, glancing in the direction the voice had come from, to his left.

He doesn't remember me? Really? But he tortured me for months, ran experiments on me! Hell, I worked for him for a year and he doesn't remember me at all? He had to look up files on me and the history I have with Better Living Industries? What the hell is wrong with him? The thought plagued Venom. He hadn't been that efficient in erasing his history when he'd left, not enough to screw with Korse's mind at least. For a fleeting moment he felt pity for the man who held himself so proudly as Better Living Industries' top man. He must have no memory past a certain point or a very flawed one. Maybe his memory doesn't work unless it's programmed to. Venom couldn't help but compare Korse's mind to a faulty floppy disk. At least, that's what he suspected was going on, that the disk would every so often need to be reformatted when the information within became corrupted. Apparently the rumors about the reanimated man were true. There was very little humanity left to him.

"You were one of us once and you broke free of our organization. You will not again, I assure you that." Venom grunted in response again, simply to be defiant. He knew responding with these caveman-like sounds would grant him no favors but he couldn't sit and listen to what Korse had to say without having his defiance known. Cold hands were on his wrists and rotten breath close to his nose which made it clear that the noise had gotten his point across. Venom closed his eyes and pictured Korse leaning over his chair, his hands on the arms of it, covering his bound wrists and his face close to his with that sick smirk on it even if the hollow eyes didn't match his expression. He could even picture the scar that ran across it clearly. The stress on his mind from the sensory deprivation torture was easing.

"Where is Party Poison? Surely, he led you to that theater where we found you snooping. You weren't the first one to find it. We know about the little rat he planted in our network to spy on us." Korse hissed threateningly. What? Party Poison? Why the hell would he care where he is when the Killjoys could be planning some kind of a counterstrike out in the desert? Surely, Poison would be behind such an attack, but killing him wouldn't do anything but agitate the Killjoys into further rebellion. They weren't the kind of organization that would be taken down if their leaders were killed. The Killjoys fought for something not for someone.

"You cannot hide him from me, I will have him and I will tear him limb from limb and then hang him on the walls of the City in pieces for all you pathetic Killjoys to see as an example of just what happens when you meddle with Better Living Industries! He has been a thorn in our side of many years." Korse was as livid as Vengeful Venom had ever heard him. He had some kind of sick and unhealthy obsession with Party Poison, it seemed.

"Better yet, I'll bring him here… He'll join the Scarecrow Unit… He'd hate every second of that, the defiant little prick. Spending his whole life dedicated to a cause only to serve that cause in death until his body decays and withers into nothing." If Venom thought hard enough he was sure he could picture the manic look on Korse's face. I really hope that Party Poison gets to kill this son of a bitch someday. If anyone deserves to, it's him. The breath and the hands disappeared and Venom envisioned Korse standing up, folding his arms over his chest and looking down at him with a judgmental stare. Can he see me properly? He must be able to somehow. Maybe I have gone blind or maybe he can see in the dark. Either is possible, you never know with Better Living Industries. Some of the advancements they made actually are astounding.

"How did the Killjoys discover the secrets to my plan? How did they find out we had men placed amongst them? And what has happened to those men as a result of such?" Korse continued on with the questions that Venom had no hope of answering with the gag in his mouth. He guessed that at some point it would be removed and he would be allowed to answer as Korse had instructed. Even if he could give some sort of a response he wouldn't. Finally, the Killjoys had trusted him enough to let him within their organization to help their cause and he wasn't going to betray them now just because he'd found himself in a precarious situation.

Feeling a kinship to his brothers in the zones, Vengeful Venom hung his head and envisioned how grateful and kind they were to him during the few days he spent in the camp as one of them. Agent Alpaca had treated him like one of his own men and he'd forever be grateful for that kindness. Party Poison had listened to his story and believed every word without proof. It was everything he had ever wanted and he vowed to get back to them and prove that he once and for all deserved the trust they had put in him.

"How did you find out about our IOD project? Was it the rat you had set up in Scarecrow Unit? How much do the Killjoys know about IOD and Widow? I need to know what they know." Korse continued asking his questions. The answers to these questions didn't seem important to Venom but he was sure that they were important to Korse. Besides, he knew that Korse wouldn't ask the important questions right at the beginning of his torture. He wanted something from Venom but they wouldn't get to what it was until far later. That was how Better Living Industries worked. They clearly wanted Vengeful Venom thinking about the things he'd mentioned so that when they decided to take the information from him against his will later on, it would be fresh within his mind.

The thought was enough to make Venom sick to his stomach but he resisted the urge to vomit, which he decided would be catastrophic given the fact that there was a gag within his mouth and he'd most likely choke to death on it. Light flooded the room, blinding and painful to Venom's eyes that had adjusted to being in the darkness. Purple and yellow spots appeared in Venom's vision and he closed his eyes instinctually to avoid the pain but even the brightness that shone through his lids seemed painful.

"Open your eyes you pathetic vermin." Korse grabbed Vengeful Venom's chin and pulled his head to be tilted up. "Open them and look at me!" Venom hesitated but after a moment opened his eyes. The room was blurred and everything seemed far too bright, giving him a headache, but he could see Korse's face, twisted with anger and frustration very clearly. "Good boy."

Venom hadn't cooperated with Korse out of fear but only because he knew if he hadn't then Korse would've pried his eyes open with something and causing unnecessary pain seemed stupid when he was hoping to be strong enough to escape after Korse was finished with him. The pain began to subside as his eyes adjusted to the harsh light within the room, though they felt dry and enflamed from the sudden change.

"I will give you a chance to answer my questions now. I suggest you consider giving me some information or the lights will go back off and for you they will never come back on. We have our ways of making sure of it." Venom inwardly panicked at the idea of being thrust back into darkness but scanned his eyes around the room the best he could with his jaw so tight within Korse's grip. If the lights were going to go back out he wanted to be able to see the room properly in his mind's eye so that when he was alone again he would be able to find his way around and hopefully still manage escape.

The gag ripped away from his jaw and his mouth was pained from being stuck in that open position for so long. Korse stepped away from Venom, holding the gag in his hand still and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting expectantly for an answer to the questions he'd been asking for the last half an hour. Venom opened and closed his jaw several times, adjusting to using it properly again. Not having noticed how tight the gag had been when it was on, it had left him sore and aching now that it had been removed.

"I'm waiting." Korse said impatiently, tapping his right foot on the floor in a slow rhythm. The sound seemed magnified to Venom's pounding head and for a moment he stared at the shoe on the floor. He chose his words carefully and leaned as far forward on his chair as he could manage with the bonds around his wrists and ankles.

"The Killjoys…" Venom started, his voice feeling hoarse, his throat sore and dry from the way that it had been hanging open for so long with the gag. Clearing his throat, he continued onward. Korse stopped tapping his foot and looked at Venom curiously, very obviously thinking the man was going to tell him something important. "The Killjoys killed you once and they'll kill you again… you and the rest of your goddamn organization." Venom laughed and cleared his throat one more time before spitting what he'd managed to collect within his mouth at Korse's face.

Korse's calm mask broke again and his lips curled in a scowl, the leather of his gloves squeaked as he clenched his fists. Leaning forward and gripping onto the arms of the chair, Korse hissed threateningly at Venom.

"The Dracs are mobilizing. In the next three days all your precious Killjoys will be dead or captured. Every single one of them will fall because they will have no idea what the hell is happening until it's already happened." Korse collected himself and stood straight again. He glanced to the corner of the room where Venom assumed there was some kind of a camera but when he turned his head he saw nothing was there. What is he looking at? He didn't attack me when I spat at him. That's not a good sign for me.

The door behind Korse opened silently and inside stepped the three creatures that Vengeful Venom had so been looking forward to meeting again. Instigator, Obliterator, and Destroyer walked into the room, standing around Korse and observing the man in the chair in front of them. Destroyer was breathing heavily, apparently irritated before he'd even entered the room. Perhaps they've been listening and already know exactly how I responded. Perhaps they are my punishment for being so rebellious.

"You don't seem frightened." Korse said after a moment, addressing the project surrounding him. "You should be. This is Instigator, Destroyer and Obliterator. I'm going to leave you to them unless you decide to give me some answers and quickly."

"We've already met. It's been a long time, but I still remember." Vengeful Venom whispered, remembering how different they looked when they were still children, trapped in glass tubes and attached to wires, looking dead and calm, almost helpless. The eerie hollow gaze was still written all over their faces, minus Destroyer who was making erratic sounds underneath his breath and fidgeting in place, bearing fangs on occasion. Instigator was throwing him dangerous looks, as if threatening him not to take any action. Destroyer twitched his head to the side then back upright. He looks like he's malfunctioning. That Drac had told me that they were faulty. Maybe they're on their way out.

"Oh, do you?" Instigator addressed in her hollow sounding voice. "Well, we don't know you. Other than what we've read from your file, that is. You escaped from here, did you? Clever little beast, it seems a shame to let my brothers to him, Korse. Are you sure we can't find some better use for him." The girl looked to Korse who didn't respond to her. Frustration and irritation flashed through her calm demeanor then her face returned to the stone expression she'd carried when she'd walked into the room. They're all out of their minds, I can tell.

Destroyer didn't seem to be able to contain himself any longer and he lunged at Venom who yelled in response and surprise. Flying at him and knocking the chair all the way against the wall, Destroyer grabbed onto the arms of the chair and pinned Venom in place. Venom's eyes widened as he looked at the remainder of the bolts that had once held the chair into the floor before Destroyer had thrown himself at it.

"Tell me where she is! Tell me! Tell me!" Destroyer repeated, twitching, foaming at the mouth, sounding much like a record skipping. The way he was talking wasn't normal, there was something severely wrong inside of his mind.

"Fuck! Tell you where who is?" Venom inwardly panicked and wondered if Better Living Industries had any idea that Rainbow Riot had been with him at some point. But why would they want her? She flies under the radar for the most part. That can't be who this guy is talking about. They couldn't possibly want her, unless they know our secret.

"Don't play dumb with me! Tell me where she is!" Destroyer grabbed at Venom's suit jacket and lifted him high off of the ground, chair and all, with ease. He shoved him hard against the wall. "Tell me where that fucking stripy haired bitch is right now! She's one of you and you will tell me where she is or I will kill you where you stand! No one gets away from me, no one." Destroyer hissed.

"I have no idea who the fuck he is talking about!" Venom braced himself as Destroyer seemed like he was ready to throw him across the room. Pleading with the others seemed the easier route to go since he couldn't make sense of any of Destroyer's ramblings. If only I could protect my fucking head. He's going to throw me and my head is going to crack all over the damn floor like an egg.

Much to his surprise all that happened was his chair clattered to the ground and he fell on his side. Destroyer had dropped him and Vengeful Venom opened his eyes to see what had happened. Obliterator had pulled apart the cane he'd been carrying with him; the one Venom had noticed had a snake head topper. The blade hidden within the cane was pressed to his brother's throat. Instigator and Korse didn't seem at all surprised by what had happened and were still watching Venom himself, meanwhile Vengeful Venom watched in shock at the exchange between the two brothers. What the fuck just happened? I must be missing something since I'm the only one who seems surprised.

"Calm down, Destroyer." Obliterator whispered calmly to his brother who still looked manic and angry. Destroyer glared at Obliterator and whispered pleadingly to him.

"I need to know where she is, I need to know. You know that I need to know. She fooled you too brother, escaped you and you need to know as badly as I do, I can tell. He could tell us where she is!" Destroyer pled and hoped his brother would appeal to logic, even if it was flawed logic.

Venom's head suddenly ached out of nowhere. It felt like worms were crawling in his ears, pressing on his brain, touching every one of his senses. He coughed and gagged, wanting to grip his head and pull at it. He wanted to dig in his ear and get whatever was inside of his head now out of it. What new kind of torture is this? Oh God!

"Ah! It's digging in my brain! Stop it! Stop!" Venom cried in misery, twisting his head from side to side and resorting to smacking it against the floor in an attempt to get the pain to stop. Much to his surprise it did stop when he hit it, other than the dull pounding the action had created. Instigator stumbled backward in front of him as though she'd taken a blow herself. Korse steadied the woman without looking away from Vengeful Venom on the floor. What the hell just happened? What did she do? Did I hurt her when I hit my head?

"He doesn't have any idea what you're talking about Destroyer. You are wasting your time" Instigator said after regaining her composure though she still seemed winded. "He is telling you the truth. He thinks you're out of your mind."

"He is out of his mind, absolutely out of his mind." Obliterator pulled the blade away from his brother's throat and slipped it back into the cane carrying case. Destroyer stared at Venom accusingly but seemed to believe his sister's judgment and calmed considerably. In fact, he seemed calmer than he'd been since he'd walked into the room; almost as calm as siblings, but there was still a twitch of something insane beneath his calm exterior that he couldn't hide.

"Vengeful Venom." Korse interrupted and the three corpse colored siblings ceased talking and moving at the sound of his voice. "You have one more chance to answer my questions. Any one of them will result in a reward for you as was mentioned earlier." Venom watched the four of them and sat terrified, fixed to his overturned seat. If I give them a little information I can avoid punishment and perhaps get to work on escaping. No! No I can't do that. I can't betray the Killjoys, not even a little bit. I've got to stick to my guns, no matter how terrifying these three are. I came here to kill them anyway, maybe now I can find a way. Venom looked back to Korse and shook his head.

"I'd rather die." Venom whispered in response.

"Oh you will die. But not until I have everything I need from you." Korse opened the door behind him and allowed Destroyer and Instigator to leave the room without instruction. "He's yours Obliterator. Don't kill him. I still need him." Korse turned without another word and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Obliterator watched the others leave the room and turned back to face Vengeful Venom. He leaned his cane against the wall and slipped his gloves off of his fingers, one by one. The gloves fell on the floor next to the cane after they were properly removed and straightened.

"I'm not like my brother and sister you know." He whispered threateningly, but with a strange undertone that seemed almost friendly.

"Really? I'm guessing that's a lie." Venom responded, preparing himself for whatever punishment he was in for. To his surprise, Obliterator helped push his chair back into an upright position and pulled his bonds off of his wrists and ankles. Venom didn't make a move to escape the chair afterward, not trusting this action for a moment.

"Oh no, I'm much different than they are. I have some self control." Obliterator nodded for him to get up and out of his chair. "You saw Destroyer, how quickly he snapped at just the mention that you were a Killjoy. My sister keeps her composure a bit better but is just as mad. Come on, get up. Instigator did a number on your mind when she was searching for answers, didn't she?" Venom still refused to answer or move from where he sat on the chair. Obliterator was losing his patience with the man in the chair and reached forward very quickly, faster than Venom could actually see with his own eyes. Obliterator's hand was on his collar and pulling him up easily from the chair as though he weighed nothing at all. "I said get on your feet."

"You won't get anything out of me, no matter what you do to me. You're wasting your energy."

"I don't care." Obliterator shook his head, forcing Venom into a standing position and releasing his collar. "I don't care what Better Living Industries wants. I don't care what Korse wants. I don't care what my brother and sister want."

"Then why are you listening to any of them?" Venom was curious and partially terrified by this new revelation. All he could do was prepare to defend himself against Obliterator. He wondered if there was a knife still hidden within his breast pocket or if it had been removed upon his capture. Reaching for it now would be a risk, he'd have to bide his time. Seeing how fast Obliterator had moved only seconds ago, assured him that if he went for it now, he'd lose the knife and possibly an arm.

"Convenience." Obliterator thought about his response. "They give me what I want and return I give them what they want."

"And what is it you want?"

"Blood." Obliterator shoved his palm hard against Venom's chest, forcing Venom backward and off of his feet, tripping over the chair he'd once sat in, flipping it over once again and forcing him hard against the wall, enough to make the room shake. Obliterator walked slowly toward the man, cracking his knuckles and Venom braced himself for what he was sure would be the beating of his life. If I can make it through this, I can escape. I just have to defend myself the best I can.


"This is idiotic." Frenzy whispered as the group crept slowly through Battery City in search of something. Frenzy wasn't sure what they were looking for since none of them had communicated their purpose properly as they walked. If their walking in circles persisted much longer she planned on disappearing into an alley before they would notice that she had gone. For the most part she had been the quietest of the group so far. The only remarks she'd made up until this point had done nothing but make the others feel and act awkwardly. Death-iNation and Zeppelin Rocket had been catching up like long lost friends while they walked and Marilyn Deathrow had managed to sneak her way into the conversation occasionally.

This isn't some Killjoy reunion of sorts, I have shit to do and if these three can't put that aside and help me then I'm going to ditch them. Or shoot them. I haven't decided yet.

"Calm down, Frenzy." Zeppelin Rocket chuckled through another cigarette. "We're on our way so why can't we enjoy exchanging a story or two in the process? No time is better than the present for we may all be dead by morning."

"He has a point you know. We're not going to get caught because we're talking quietly amongst ourselves. If anything else we look less secretive by making casual conversation." Death-iNation reasoned with the woman.

"Except that we are being secretive and we have things to do or have you forgotten that already?" Frenzy responded. She had nothing against them socializing, she just wanted no part in it. Having had her fill of socialization out in the zones with Party Poison and his crew Frenzy's fuse was running short and she merely rolled her eyes.

"Hey." Marilyn stopped walking and looked to Fire Frenzy apologetically. "We're almost there okay? I know a few places that the more powerful Dracs in the City go to after their shifts. They get drunk and party the night away. If you can just wait a few more minutes until we get there I can make my way into the restaurant and lure one of them out with the promise of a freebie. You can meet me in the alley and from there hopefully get the information that you need." Marilyn Deathrow smiled triumphantly, rather proud of the plan she had come up with to help this strange woman she'd been angry at for ruining her chances at a sale only an hour prior.

"Fine." Frenzy nodded. "At least someone wants to get something done here."

"Aw, don't be like that." Zeppelin continued smiling despite the serious situation.

"We all want to help you Frenzy. We're just not all as uptight as you are." Death-iNation knew the woman had more than enough reason to be cranky, but wanted to help her calm down a bit before she blew a gasket and overheated or something along those lines.

"I'm not uptight." Frenzy objected monotonously.

"You are a little bit." Marilyn smiled and then continued to lead the group through the streets of the City. Nation crept next to her, making sure that the roads ahead of them were cleared of anyone who might recognize and report them. Luckily most of the citizens of the City who were out at this hour, just before the curfew were trying to avoid being seen as well. People barely looked up from the ground as they walked to their final destinations of the night, hoping not to be questioned by Dracs or be forced into conversation with a stranger.

"Does it really matter if I am or not?"

"Loosen up a little!" Zeppelin clasped the smaller woman on the shoulders and gave her a friendly smile along with a squeeze. "We're going to help you kick some Drac ass, this is a good time."

"Lay off, Rocky." Death-iNation glanced back at the two. "She's been through a lot and is probably in some pain after her ordeal."

"Oh, so that's the problem, hmm?" Zeppelin Rocket smiled and continued his walk behind Fire Frenzy, deciding it was best for him to bring up the rear. "She's in pain and that's why she's so quiet and crabby!"

"No, I'm quiet because if I said everything I was thinking I'm sure that you would be offended." Frenzy was sore and pained from walking around for so long on her wounded and infected leg but she wasn't going to admit that to any of them. The pain killers would be enough to last her until the end of her journey as long as this group she was with could concentrate long enough to get to this restaurant Marilyn had mentioned before the end of the week.

"I like that about you, actually." Marilyn smiled, turning a corner and leading them into a small alleyway next to a large, loud restaurant. "Honestly is the best policy after all. Not enough people say what's on their mind."

"I think it's rotten." Zeppelin Rocket shrugged. "It's nice to know the truth but sometimes it's best to sugarcoat things as to not cause conflict. And mostly because I don't really care what people don't like about me."

"Oh shut up, you love conflict." Marilyn stole what remained of the man's cigarette, took a long drag and then shoved it to the ground, crushing it beneath her pink heel as she exhaled the smoke. "I'm going in the front door of the restaurant, okay? They'll let me in if I say I'm entertainment. I'm going to come out this door with one of the Dracs. If I'm not out in twenty minutes, for the love of God, someone come in after me okay? I'm not ready to die so someone better save me. Don't send Frenzy though, I think she'd have too much fun shooting her way out." Marilyn smiled cheerily then started around the front of the building before anyone could object to what she was going to do.

Death-iNation looked particularly nervous as he watched her leave. Zeppelin Rocket shook his head in disapproval and nudged the slightly shorter man. "You still on that, man?"

"I prefer not to put it like that, but yeah." Nation whispered, feeling awkward talking about it around Fire Frenzy after the way she'd taunted him earlier in his apartment. Even if it had been unintentional taunting, it had shaken him nonetheless and left him rather embarrassed.

"I don't know how you let her do this shit, Nation." Zeppelin put his hands in his jacket pockets, continuing making his small talk while they waited for Marilyn to return. "If I were dating a girl like her I'd go out of my mind thinking of the other guys… But I'm a pretty jealous guy, what can I say?"

"And yet you still hire her when you know that I'm with her." Death-iNation rolled his eyes. "I can't change who she is, not easily. I don't want to be her keeper."

"I guess I can get that, but still. Damn." Zeppelin Rocket sensed the awkwardness and hunched forward to look Frenzy in the eyes, the woman being far shorter than him. "So what the hell happened to you, anyway? Who hurt you like that?" Zeppelin poked the bandages peeking out from underneath her jacket. Frenzy stared at him skeptically but didn't bother to respond to let him know what had happened. As far as she was concerned, it was none of his business what had happened to her. Plus, reliving that nightmare didn't seem like the smartest idea when she was already grinding her teeth to keep herself calm.

"Better Living's newest toys got a hold of her a few days ago. She's healing up pretty nicely but probably would've died if I hadn't gotten there when I did." Death-iNation filled in the blanks for Zeppelin Rocket. "Afraid it's not the last we've seen of them, either. I met them in person a few times before this but I was working for Better Living and kept my head down as to not attract their attention. They're scary as hell even when they're not after you. Like watching ghosts run around."

"What, that IOD thing you were talking about the other day? The one you were warning me to be on the lookout for now that it was in its test phase?" Zeppelin looked intrigued. "By what Nation's told me about that, you are lucky that you are just a little bit cranky after what they're capable of."

"She doesn't want to talk about it man." Nation watched Frenzy glance away from them. It was true, Frenzy didn't want to talk about the things she'd seen, the things she'd done and the pain she'd felt. The guilt was far more than she could manage and sharing it with one of them would only result in them trying to make her feel better which only ever succeeded in making her irritated. Why did everyone assume when someone felt glum they needed be cheered up or were seeking some kind of attention? Maybe she just wanted to be left the hell alone.

"Ah, a bit touchy huh?"

"Those monsters are torturous, Rocky. I still don't know what they did to her in that theater, but whatever it was, neither of us need to know right now."

"That is the smartest thing I've heard anyone say all night." Fire Frenzy sighed heavily, leaning against the wall, showing her fatigue for the first time that night. Luckily before either man could muse further on the subject the door on the side of the building opened. Marilyn stumbled down the stairs, giggling playfully, her arm looped through that of a bulky looking man still wearing his Drac uniform, minus the face mask they usually wore within the City walls.

"Right back here okay? We'll find a quiet place…" Marilyn whispered and pulled the man down the stairs while Nation, Frenzy and Zeppelin Rocket leaned against the wall next to the door, waiting for it to close before they made their move. Marilyn kept the man's back to the group and continued to entice him with the deal she'd clearly offered him within the restaurant. Frenzy didn't wait another second after she heard the door close.

She approached the Drac from behind and kicked hard at the back of his knee, hearing a sickening snap. Gasping in pain since Marilyn had moved quick enough to cover his mouth, the Drac fell to his knees as Frenzy offered another kick to the back of his knee. Despite the pain he was clearly in, it hadn't seemed to dawn on him yet that he'd been attacked and he merely gawked stupidly up at Marilyn Deathrow.

Grabbing the Drac by his shoulder Frenzy spun him around to face her and shoved him hard up against the wall, forcing him onto his butt and pressing her forearm to his throat, to stifle any sounds he might make in objection.

"Damn!" Zeppelin Rocket laughed in surprise. Death-iNation shushed him and watched, prepared to step in if the girls needed any help. Frenzy pressed her arm firmly to the man's throat and cut to the chase. Having spent more than enough time gabbing unnecessarily with these other Killjoys had shortened her patience considerably and she was more than ready to get the answered she sought.

"Tell me where Better Living has moved the IOD project. Tell me where they're keeping the rest of the orphans or you will die right here in this alley." She said flatly and threateningly, not having bothered to reach for her gun yet. The man was clearly inebriated and stupid at this point and hadn't quite understood what was going on. With foggy eyes he glanced from Fire Frenzy to Marilyn Deathrow then back to Frenzy again. He didn't seem to notice Zeppelin Rocket and Death-iNation watching behind them.

"Didn't realize this was going to be a three way sweetheart! I'm into that…" The Drac chuckled stupidly and reached sloppily for Marilyn's garter. Frenzy grabbed the man's face forcefully and shoved him so he was looking at her once again.

"Answer me." Frenzy continued, ignoring the Drac's drunken flirtations.

"Oh she likes it rough this one, doesn't she? Are you ladies up for a bit of role play?" He chuckled again, stuttering on his words.

"Tell me!" Frenzy shoved at the man again, convincing herself quickly she wasn't going to get any answers. A third attempt at flirting was too much. Frustration filled her to a point where all she saw was red. The anger and pain she'd stifled for the last week since Party Poison had taken her lighter that night in the bar had built up to a point where she couldn't control it anymore. Releasing his neck Frenzy shoved her foot into the man's stomach, watching him belly over, rolling onto his side on the filthy concrete.

"Too rough…" The Drac coughed, seemingly still not understanding he was under attack and none of this was any sort of sexual escapade. Shoving him fully to the ground with her foot, Frenzy straddled the man and punched him in the face, then the stomach. Over and over she delivered the blows until the Drac started to cry in misery on the ground beneath her. She got off of him, returning to her feet, knuckles sufficiently skinned and bloodied. Her arms no longer seemed to want to work after delivering the blows so she resorted to kicking him in the ribs until her leg refused to kick any further. Nation was right, you've hit your physical limit. Your mind is willing but your muscles aren't. I've got to learn my limits. Tugging on his wrist she shoved him onto his stomach, pressed his face onto the ground and pressed her foot on the back of his head, ready to stomp.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down! That's enough!" Death-iNation spoke and Zeppelin Rocket rushed over to Frenzy, pulling her away from the body of the Drac. She thrashed and tried to get away from his grip, but her body was weak and unwilling to fight as hard as it needed to.

"He doesn't know anything! I don't have time for this anymore! He deserves to die anyway!" Frenzy shouted in irritation. Nation covered her mouth and whispered consolingly and pleadingly.

"You're not helping! You didn't even give him a chance to talk! If you keep yelling like that then you're going to get us all killed!" Death-iNation was in panic mode. Watching Frenzy beat on the Drac had been entertaining for a short time and actually had relieved some of the stress he'd felt but killing him wouldn't help either and being a Killjoy, he had a duty to stop it from happening.

"He's right, you can't kill him yet!" Marilyn urged, trying to calm the woman down, despite her own nerves being on edge. Frenzy slipped out of Zeppelin Rocket's arm and pulled out her ray gun, aiming it at the Drac on the ground, who was writhing in pain and trying to figure out what the hell was going on around him. He still didn't seem to fully understand that he wasn't going to get his freebie.

"You tricked me…" He sobbed, glaring up at Marilyn Deathrow accusingly. "You bitch, you…" The group in the alleyway silenced as Frenzy fired a shot through the Drac's shoulder. The Drac sobbed on the ground, bleeding. Marilyn cowered against Death-iNation's shoulder, trying not to look down at the bloody mess of a man writhing in pain. She'd seen a lot of rotten things before, but this had really shaken her.

"Take Frenzy inside, get her out of here! Calm her down!" Nation grabbed Marilyn's shoulders and instructed her on what to do. Marilyn nodded frantically and grabbed Frenzy's arm, pulling her into the building she'd snuck out of with the Drac. The room looked like it was purely for storage and hadn't been stepped into very frequently in the last few weeks, by the layer of dust that had caked on top of the shelves and the floor. Frenzy had allowed Marilyn to pull her aside instead of struggling.

Firing the shot had calmed her enough that she found the logic she had lost in her head again. You can't let this get the best of you Fire Frenzy. You're going to get us all killed with your hasty stupid decisions. Have you changed that much in the last week? It's not like you to lose your temper so quickly and react so harshly without thinking. Oh shut up, you know damn well how quickly I lose my temper. I've held it back for long enough. The Dracs have it coming.

Frenzy's legs and arms were aching and she leaned heavily against the wall near the door. Marilyn watched her nervously unsure of what to say. It looked like Frenzy was having some kind of a fit, breathing erratically, her eyes scanning the emptiness behind Marilyn like someone was standing there. Clearly the woman was in need of some kind of help, physically and mentally.

"Calm down, Death-iNation will handle it okay? We can take it easy in here while they try to get the Drac to talk. If it doesn't work I'm sure they'll let you finish him off." Marilyn smiled but her hands were shaking and betraying her friendly nature. She'd seen violence in the City before but hadn't been that close to it in a very long time. "You didn't have to defend me like that, you know. I get insulted a lot. It comes with the job description."

"I wasn't." Frenzy pulled away from the wall and turned toward it, giving it a firm punch. Her nerves were shot and all she wanted to do was hit something until the tension in her shoulders disappeared. She hit the wall again with her other hand this time, the pain rushing all the way up through her shoulder.

"Don't! Don't do that! You're going to get us caught!" Marilyn was frantic at this point. Maybe if I can keep talking I can distract her. But what the hell do I talk about? I don't know anything about her! "I never wanted to be like this you know!" Marilyn said the first thing on her mind. She'd been thinking more and more about how she'd gotten to this point in her life lately. Living with Death-iNation had made her question the choices she'd made in the past. Fire Frenzy stared at Marilyn Deathrow skeptically but didn't move to hit anything else or yell at anyone. Marilyn could hear some kind of fight going on outside of the room in the alleyway and kept talking to distract them both from it.

"I was a normal girl growing up. Well, as normal as anyone could be growing up in a place like this. I wanted to be a writer, see I just love to read. I'd always dreamt of being a great novelist. I'm sure you saw the books in Death-iNation's apartment. He… he got them for me because he just knew how much I missed the banned books. He stole dozens, just for me." Frenzy watched Marilyn talk, wondering what the point of this girl's story was and chose to listen rather than judge. It was a welcome distraction from her unpleasant thoughts.

"I wanted a life… Just like everyone else. To grow up and go to college, have a career, get married and… settle down. Just a normal ordinary life. I know it must sound stupid to want to be normal but I wanted it. I still want it but… as I got older I realized the only way to get by in this world was to cheat, lie and con people into getting what you want. When I was old enough to realize that men wanted my body and would do just about anything for it I started selling what I could offer. It was hard at first but over the years it got easier. I became numb to the pain of it. I took on the name Marilyn Deathrow and traded sexual favors for provisions to get by." Marilyn continued talking, hanging her head low.

"I can't say I'm proud that things turned out this way but I can't say I'm ashamed either. I'm a prostitute but I've read Dickens, Poe, and HG Wells… my favorite. I may never get to write, but at least I can escape to the world's they've created in my mind. How many people living in this City can say that?" Marilyn sighed contently, realizing that her story had actually managed to distract Frenzy from whatever had been going on in her head. Frenzy was still trying to find the point of this story but even if it didn't have a point, she found herself not minding listening. I think she's talking for the sake of talking. What's the point of that? She's just telling me about her life, why would she bother? I don't know her. Maybe she wants you to know her.

"I tried to write too you know. I didn't just give up on it. I have journals and journals filled with musings. I know there's no hope of me ever selling anything with the rules here in Battery City but maybe… just maybe someday someone will find them and put them in a book for others to see. And if not, at least I know I tried." Marilyn looked down at her shoes, shuffling her feet nervously. "You know why I started writing?" Looking up for confirmation, Marilyn wondered if Fire Frenzy was actually listening or just spacing out.

"Why?" Frenzy said after realizing the story wouldn't continue unless she gave a vocal response.

"I was afraid I'd forget my name, of all things. After years of calling myself Marilyn Deathrow and never speaking it out loud I began to doubt what my name actually had been. I started keeping a journal and signing my name at the bottom of each page. Not my Killjoy name, my real name. I didn't realize how easy it was to lose my identity until I'd almost lost it completely." Marilyn whispered. There had been no purpose or reason for what she'd said. Talking seemed to be the only way to distract the girl at the moment. For some reason, Marilyn understood why reasoning wasn't going to work in the situation. Luckily, she'd read Fire Frenzy pretty well and the distraction had done its job.

"Pois…" Frenzy began and cleared her throat, deciding to choose her words more wisely. "Someone kept asking me my real name in the last week." Frenzy whispered after a few moments of straining to listen to the muffled beating outside in the alleyway. Marilyn was surprised as Frenzy actually opened up to her. I'd taken her for the type to keep to herself and be all defensive about her past and personal issues. Perhaps people just haven't bothered to ask the right questions.

"I'm guessing since you implied this person asked several times that you didn't tell them what it was." Marilyn received a nod in response. Fire Frenzy looked lost somewhere outside of this room and Marilyn suddenly felt bad for the clearly conflicted woman. "Well, why didn't you tell them what it was?"

"I don't remember what it was." Frenzy glanced up at Marilyn after staring into space for a moment. She'd actually tried to recall it for awhile there but found nothing in the confines of her mind. It'd been so long since anyone had called her by a real name that she'd forgotten entirely what it had been in the past. It seemed like another life. The girl she'd been before Fire Frenzy didn't exist anymore, as far as she was concerned. Frenzy had done her best to drown that girl out with alcohol, drugs, and violence. Marilyn went to respond when the door to the alleyway opened up and Zeppelin Rocket, bleeding from one nostril peeked his head in with a smile on his face.

"As long as Fire Frenzy isn't going to flip her lid again, you two are welcome to come back outside." Zeppelin held the door open and Marilyn walked out of it. Frenzy followed after a moment. "Feeling better? I know I would be if I wailed on a Drac like that." Rocky seemed far more sympathetic to Fire Frenzy after watching her attack the Drac the way she had.

"I'll feel better when I know what you found out." Frenzy noticed the bloody heap near the trash cans that was what remained of the Drac they'd attacked.

"He told us where we can find IOD after much convincing." Death-iNation looked wary, but the tone in his voice betrayed what he'd said. Clearly they'd beaten the answers out of the Drac and left him for dead in the garbage. "The orphans are in the same place as IOD."

"Good." Frenzy sighed with relief. "Let's get going then." Frenzy started down the alleyway.

"Not so fast." Rocky grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving, twisting around on one foot with the momentum of her walking. "There's more to it than that."

"What else did he tell you?" Marilyn stood with her back to the Drac, not wanting to look at the gore that the group had caused. A strange guilt filled her as she saw the result of the con job she'd pulled within the restaurant. Nation had a fat lip, it looked like the Drac had sobered up and tried to fight.

"The Dracs are planning to move out in the morning against the Killjoys." Death-iNation took a deep breath and continued on. "They're going to ambush from the west, be joined by a gas mask army from the outer zones, along with the armies from the City. They're planning on stomping out the Killjoys once and for all."

"No…" Marilyn covered her mouth in horror.

"That means they won't be on our guard when we break in. We can stop them from here." Frenzy seemed antsy to continue going but had begun to walk with a limp. None of them had noticed the blood on her body until they were in the light of the alleyway.

"She can't keep walking around like this and we can't just run into Better Living Industries buildings without proper ammunition and preparation." Marilyn reasoned, still panicking at the idea of losing the Killjoys. She may not have approved of all of their methods but she was sure they were the lesser evil against Better Living Industries and the only reason they had any freedoms left to speak of. Marilyn leaned up on her toes to whisper in Nation's ear. "She needs a drink, and to take it easy. She's shaken and hurting but not admitting it." Leaning back down to address the rest of the group, Marilyn continued. "We can head back to Nation's apartment and lay low until we're cleaned up and prepared to go. Nation knows most of these buildings like the back of his hand. We should be able to sneak in."

"I'm afraid I'm not going with you this time." Zeppelin Rocket spoke up. "As much as I would love to break into the bowels of Better Living, someone has got to warn the Killjoys."

"That's right. We can't let them be ambushed by Better Living Industries. Even if we only give them a few hours notice, we'll still manage to give them more of an alert than they had." Nation nodded to agree. "Marilyn, take Fire Frenzy back to the apartment and get cleaned up. Start preparing for our attack, you know where I keep the weapons." Nation turned to look at Zeppelin Rocket. "I'll accompany you to the air strip on the west end. Flying is your best bet. I can break into one of the buildings there and get you the keys to one of the planes. Then you can fly and warn the Killjoys."

"In the eastern camp in the third zone." Fire Frenzy chimed in for the first time since they'd started making this plan. As much as she didn't want to waste anymore time she couldn't stand the idea of Party Poison being ambushed without any warning either. "The western zone has been compromised. If you tell them Nation sent you I'm sure they'll believe you. For the love of God, don't let them plan to hunker down in that base. That's the first place Better Living will be looking for them." Nation and Zeppelin Rocket looked surprised at her willingness to help with the idea.

"Thanks for that. Hey… Good luck, okay? Don't do anything too stupid." Zeppelin Rocket gave Marilyn a hug and went to do the same for Fire Frenzy but hesitated and instead decided to pat her on the arm.

"Same to you." Marilyn waved and blew a kiss to the boys before turning on her heels. "I hope you're still as good a shot as you were earlier because it's just me and you for the next hour out in the City.

"Trust me, my aim is fine."