hi! sorry i haven't written in so long, but i've been super busy. i've been having trouble with inspiration for my stories, so this took awhile to plan out. anyway, thanks for reading and please keep reviewing! - bella

California 2019

Zone 2

The old Trans Am pulled over, and Val practically threw herself out of the car. Static laughed as Val lay on the dusty road, pale with fright.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Val said shakily.

"What? I just wanted to have a little fun." Static said.

"Fun? You think swerving in front of an old car and pulling a fishtail to dodge it is fun?"

"Yep." Static looked in her rear view mirror. "Shit. Poison's coming. She's gonna be pissed."

"Good." Val grumbled, and she pulled herself off the ground. The purple motorcycle pulled up.

"If you two idiots are done being stupid, can we move on? We need to be in Battery City in a few hours, and we're only halfway through Zone 2. And if you haven't noticed, we're getting closer to BL/ind headquarters. That means more Dracs." Poison huffed. "Get back in the car, Val." She pulled ahead of them and drove the bike slowly, waiting for her sisters to follow.

"Someone's in a pissy mood." Static mumbled.

"Can you blame her? You are an idiot." Val smirked and climbed in the car. "Please be careful. When you're alone out here, you can attempt to kill yourself. But I don't want to be involved in your accident."

Static nodded, smiled, and took off after her older sister's bike.

California 2019

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W Unit, Battery City

Ashton tried to stay calm as he paced down the dark alleyway, just outside the headquarters.

Don't freak out, man. Stay calm. There is no way that Korse knows we're moving her out tonight. He's just meeting with Ms. Shima about...security.

Ashton slapped his face. "What is wrong with me?" He said to no one in particular. He checked his watch. 7:57 pm. Just a few more hours.

"Ashton." Came the voice of a woman. He smiled and turned.

"Hey, Emma. Are you ready?" She walked over.

"Almost. I'm gonna miss you, though." She smiled sadly.

"I know. I'll miss you too. But you need to get out while you can. And you know that you don't have a choice, really. Security's getting tighter, and when the Killjoys come tonight you know she's going to be a little nervous. She's only 10, and she knows you." He took her hands in his.

"Ashton..." Emma trailed off. Ashton pushed her bangs from her face.

"Yeah, Em?"

"I'm scared. What if I never see you again? What if something goes wrong?" Her eyes searched his frantically.

"You will see me again. I promise. And you'll be able to take care of yourself. You can shoot a gun, and you can hack into pretty much anything." Ashton leaned toward her, and pressed his nose against hers.

"Love you." He said.

"Love you more." She smiled. Ashton leaned forward and kissed her softly.

"You should probably get ready soon." He said when they had broken apart.

"Yeah, I know." She smiled. "Do these Killjoys know I'm going to be coming along with them?"

"Nope. Pony didn't tell them much, but they have enough room for both of you." Ashton took Emma's hand and they walked slowly down the alley, towards the street.

"Y'know, I hate this place. I really do." Emma spat out. "I'm glad we aren't on those drugs, because we still have our minds...but look at everyone else. The people we loved, admired, trusted...they're gone." Ashton nodded. Emma continued,

"And have you ever wondered why they picked you? Or me? Why don't we take the drug? Why do we have to work for them – have to see the things they do to people?" Her voice faltered, and she cleared her throat. "Today, a young man – maybe 14, 15 years old – died. Because they had to test the strength of their newest drug. It was too strong. They killed him, and not one fucking person in that room cared. They might not all be on the drug, but they're heartless. I hate them." The venom had returned to her voice, and she spat the last words out viciously.

"I know. I hate them too. And you know we aren't on the drug because they need us to think rationally. We need to help them in their work, even if we don't like it. But we've helped kids get out. That's what we do. We help people." Ashton said as they entered the small building that their condo was in.

"We help kill people." Emma said, and they climbed into the elevator, quickly ending their conversation to avoid attention from the elevator operator.

"Good evening. Welcome home. Floor 10, now ascending." The man said robotically. Emma shot Ashton a look that screamed 'See what I mean?"

When the elevator reached the top floor, Emma and Ashton stepped out and headed down the hall to their condo. When they opened the door, they were met with the bleak, white walls and grey furniture that was issued in every home in Battery City. Emma walked down the hall to the bedroom.

"Ash, have you seen my stuff?" She called

"Yeah. It's in the closet, under the loose floorboard. You need to learn to clean up after yourself. What if someone had come in here and seen all your Killjoy shit? Do you know what we would have had to put up with?" Ashton said sternly from the other room.

"Yeah, yeah." Emma mumbled, and she pulled all her things from the closet floor. She looked at them for a moment, and then began to pack them into her bag. She hummed to herself, and checked her watch. 8:46 pm.

"Ash? When are we supposed to get her?" She called.

"9:30. Then we bring her here, and wait till 10:20. That's when we head to the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit, and the girls should be there by then.

Emma walked into the small living room, where Ashton was sitting on the couch. She walked over and snuggled up to him.

"I'm really gonna miss you, Ash." She placed her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Me too. But have fun out there, and kill a few Dracs for me, okay?"

Emma smiled. "You got it."