Chapter 35: Dead!
It was late when the black car roared up to the gate in the main tunnel into Battery City. The guard on duty looked up as it heard the engine of the muscle car, covered in dust and sporting a few new holes in the body.
"Identification?" the guard asked, uninterested.
The two white-clad occupants quickly held up their IDs for the guard to see. He took them, sliding it into the computer to check for authenticity.
"Draculoid unit 587220 and 180490, welcome back to Battery City." The guard handed back the IDs. "The Chief Exterminator's commander would like to see you first thing. Any questions?"
The two Dracs shook their heads in answer before leaving the gate. The car wound its way through the silent streets, towards the center of the city. It eventually ended up in the parking garage located under the tallest building in the city: Better Living headquarters.
The two occupants of the car exited the car in a timely manner after it had parked, making their way towards the staff entrance into the building. They nervously adjusted the white blazers and masks, jogging down the hallway cast in an unnatural greenish hue from the lights overhead. As they waited for an elevator to descend, one of the Dracs carefully studied the directory posted in the middle of the two elevators.
The elevator dinged as the doors slid open. The two entered, pushing on the floor 3 button before the doors shut.
"Argh, I didn't think these masks were so itchy," Jet Star pulled off latex vampire mask, wiping the sweat off his face.
"Put that back on!"the Kobra Kid hissed from underneath his. "You know security is higher in here. Want to blow our covers?"
Jet frowned as he slid the mask back on. "I can't believe you convinced me this was a good idea."
"Well, we got in, didn't we?"
"That doesn't mean anything."
The elevator stopped on floor 3, revealing a partially-empty hallway. In front of them was a sign, with the smiling face logo of BL/Ind. Next to it in bold black letters was S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W, with an arrow pointing to the right. The two undercover Killjoys walked in that direction, passing by the occasional guard or Drac walking in the opposite direction.
Kobra could feel that ever-present anxiety grow the further down the hall they walked. He wasn't sure what compelled him to think this was a brilliant idea in the first place.
I guess I wasn't thinking. Why does that seem to happen when Gerard's in trouble?
"It took you two long enough." They stopped as a voice echoed from down the hall. Turning, they saw the one Draculoid they didn't want to see.
Not this soon after ordering to kill them.
"I leave you two with one simple mission, and it takes you more than two hours to complete."
The two were frozen, unsure of how to answer the question.
"Well?"
"Sorry, sir. Gasoline was hard to come by," Jet answered in the best monotone drawl he could muster. Kobra's mouth dropped open slightly in surprise before shutting it. He was internally thankful the mask hid the action.
The Drac shook its head. "Be lucky that I'm not sending you to be reconfigured. We have enough on our hands at the moment."
Kobra stiffened. The Drac took notice.
"Is there a problem, 587220?"
Kobra swallowed his pride. "No sir."
The Drac studied him for a few seconds before responding. "I expect next time that you are timelier with your assigned task. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir."
"Dismissed." The Drac turned on his heel, leaving the two stunned.
"What just happened?" Jet whispered to Kobra.
"I have no idea. Let's find Party and get out of here."
Chemical wasn't sure how long he had fallen asleep for. All sense of time was gone when locked in a white room. But the clicking of the disengaging lock roused him.
It can't be time yet. Can it? He scrambled to stand as the door opened.
"Good evening, Chemical Skeleton," Korse grinned at his prisoner before stepping aside. Another individual was dragged into the cell by the accompanying S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W guards, hanging limply in their grip. They threw him facedown to the floor before exiting.
"I figured you two would like to talk before your Extermination. Enjoy."
Chemical looked over the stranger with some trepidation as the door slammed shut. Though it wasn't Laser or Rocket, he figured it had to be another zone runner caught by BL/Ind. After all, he was wearing the standard prison garb that matched everything in this room. It for sure made the stranger's bright red hair stand out.
But why would they sentence a new prisoner immediately for Extermination?
A groan came from the stranger as he stirred. Chemical watched as his head lifted.
"Are you all right?" Chemical asked. The prisoner turned his head up in Chemical's direction, a dazed look in his hazel eyes.
"Becca?"
Chemical stiffened at his sister's name. "How do you know that name?"
The new prisoner looked closer at Chemical, studying him as he tried to sit up. "Who are you?"
"I asked the first question." Chemical was wary of this new addition to his room.
"You look like someone I used to know," the red-haired prisoner looked down in his lap.
"What do you mean, 'used to?'"
He looked back at Chemical, sorrow in his eyes. "She's dead."
Chemical grabbed the man by the shirt, pinning him against the wall in his fury.
"How is my sister dead?"
"Your sister?" It was a few moments before realization flashed in the stranger's eyes. "You're Chemical Skeleton?"
"Who are you?" Chemical said the words slowly as he glared at his new roommate.
The stranger kicked at Chemical, hitting him in the upper thigh. Chemical went down on one knee as the prisoner slumped down, clutching his stomach.
"I'm on your side!" the red-haired stranger managed to get out. He lifted his shirt, lightly touching the discoloring bruises all over his torso.
Chemical was furious at the lack of answers he was getting. The stranger noticed.
"Party Poison."
"What?"
"My name," the stranger clarified. "It's Party Poison."
"So you're the leader of the Fabulous Killjoys," Chemical realized. He had remembered back to a previous conversation he had with Laser and Rocket about the most wanted group of zone runners in the area.
"And you're Chemical Skeleton," Party spoke slowly, clutching around his middle. "You do look a lot like her."
"How do you know my sister?" he asked for the third time.
"How you find anyone today, by running into them. Well, she actually found us," Party smiled as he leaned against the wall. He thought back to that morning on the sand dune when Electric tried to steal the disabled Trans-Am. "She really could hold her own out there."
"She did learn from the best," Chemical couldn't help but admit with a half-grin. Party rolled his eyes.
"She was dead-set on finding you," Party continued, "even when everything was pointing at you being dead."
Party looked back down in his lap. "I should've known that she would do something as foolish as try to save me, even when I did give up my own freedom to save her."
"What happened?" Chemical found the question hard to ask. But he needed to know the fate of his baby sister.
"A Drac shot her, straight in the gut." Chemical could see Party's hands grip tightly, the knuckles becoming white as the fingernails dug into the flesh of his palms. "But she was right. There was no way Korse was going to let her run free. Not when they had me."
"You loved her, didn't you?"
Party shook his head once, a lone tear making its way down his cheek. "I can't explain it, but I cared about her. She's was a sister to me. To all the Killjoys."
Chemical studied the distraught form of the most dangerous man in the Zones. He couldn't believe that his sister had caused this kind of emotion from this man, not with the reputation that preceded him.
But now she was gone, ghosted somewhere in the Zones. And people were mourning her. Chemical was amazed that his sister had made an impact on Party Poison's life, even if he had only known her for a short time.
"I'm not going to let you die, Party Poison."
Party looked over at Chemical, confused. "What?"
"I'm going to finish what my sister started. You're getting out of here alive, even if it kills me."