It's kind of depressing that as soon as I got the inspiration to write this story, the band broke up. But remember what they said:
Look alive, sunshine.
We'll carry on.
I am not afraid to keep on living.
The hardest part is letting go of your dreams.
So keep smiling, Killjoys. Revengers. Don't die, members of the Black Parade. We are the MCRmy, our generation must rise up and continue their legacy. It is our duty to Gerard, Mikey, Ray, Frank, Bob, and all the others. MCRmy, CHARGE!
Truth locked the door to the infirmary behind her, treading up the stairs with a swing in her step that hadn't been there for weeks. Helping someone always put the girl in a good mood. Even if that person just wanted to kill her. Show Pony skated up, spinning in a circle. "What's got you in such a good mood?"
"That Drac is interesting. He seems so innocent underneath all of the obvious brainwashing," she shrugged. "Almost human." Show Pony snorted.
"You're the only one who's okay with him being here, ya know," he jibed. "Everyone else says we should just shoot him and be done with it." Truth slammed the flamboyant Killjoy up against a poster-covered wall and flipped up the visor of his helmet. She stared him straight in the eyes as she spoke.
"I will not let another Draculoid hurt my family. If I can change him, I will find a way. If I can't, we kill him. Do you understand, Show Pony?" she asked coolly. He nodded and she released him with a push, marching down the hall and into the kitchen for some food. He stared after her in shock, his mind reeling. Why was she so mad all of a sudden? He flicked his visor back down and skated down the hallway to the radio room.
Truthful Blasphemy pried open a can of Power Pup and hopped onto the counter, hoping no one would enter and see her in such a foul mood. Show Pony was really annoying, and his threats on her patient didn't make her any less irritable. To her chagrin, Party Poison entered and sat down at the creaky table, opening his own breakfast.
"What's wrong, Truth?" he asked. No one knew her moods better than Party, not even Hurry.
"Does everyone really want to kill him?" she asked, stirring her food absentmindedly.
"Not everyone. You and I seem to have hope left for the thing," he explained. "But remember that these are the people who have taken so much from all of us. They have a right to be scared and upset."
"I know that," Truth mumbled. "But he was a Killjoy too."
"How do you know it's not just a trick?" Part asked through a mouthful of food. Truth giggled at her friend's poor manners.
"Because when I look into his eyes, I see something human. Something hidden underneath layers of chemically imbalanced memories. He's in there somewhere. He said he liked your song," she said with a smile. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise). I was singing it while I cleaned and the first thing he asked was 'what's that song?'. He's a human, Party."
"Well if you can find a cure, we can start converting old Killjoys back to their rightful minds. Maybe our army can be rebuilt," Party beamed. "You're a genius, Truth!"
"Thanks, but I still have to figure out how to bring him back," she sighed. Party stood and tossed his can in the trash bin, ruffling her hair playfully as he passed.
"If anyone can do it, it's you," he said. The sincerity behind his words floored Truth, who hadn't heard her mentor ever compliment someone like that before.
Truth finished eating and grabbed another can for Draculoid 594, carrying it back down the stairs to the infirmary. When she entered, he was laying in bed with his eyes closed. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Drac," she piped. He opened his eyes and scrutinized her.
"Why is your mood so positive when dealing with an enemy?" he asked.
"Because I like to take care of people," she answered. He nodded, processing the answer.
"You like to help people. Truthful Blasphemy of Zone T3 likes to help people."
"What's your name?" she asked.
"I am Draculoid 594," he answered automatically.
"No, I asked what your name was. Not your code or whatever. Your real name," Truth stressed. He blinked twice.
"I am Draculoid 5..." he trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing as he concentrated on finding another answer. He panicked, his voice trembling, "I am..."
"Never mind. Rest, okay? I brought you some food. Here," she handed him the opened can, the handle of a plastic spoon protruding from the dull brown substance within. He sniffed it once and recoiled as if he'd been smacked.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice changing pitch for the first time. She laughed, noting the change in his attitude.
"It's Power Pup," she laughed. He sniffed it again and nearly gagged.
"Dog food?"
"Yeah," she scooped up a spoonful and offered it to him, "it's not so bad."
"Truthful Blasphemy of Zone T3 is trying to feed me dog food," he cringed.
"Why do you always use my full title?" she asked, setting the can down on his bedside table.
"Because it helps me to remember who you are. So later I can identify you to my leaders," he answered, the robotic tone back to his voice. She had been so close, and her chance had passed. "I must always remember the full title."
"Call me Truth, like everyone else. And I'll call you Drac, which is better than what everyone else calls you."
"They don't like me." He sounded almost sad, but also triumphant. Mixed emotions.
"No, because your kind kill and capture my kind. They're scared of you," she said.
"They should be."
"I don't think you're so bad," Truth smiled. This caught the Drac off guard, and he blinked rapidly. He couldn't focus hard enough to understand her.
"I'm hungry." he finally stated.
"Here, sit up. I'll help you eat," Truth said, propping him up against the headboard of the cot and feeding him spoonfuls of the nearly inedible dog food. The Killjoys had developed a taste for it, so they didn't mind eating it so much; Truth almost wet her pants laughing at the expressions the Drac was making as he tried to finish his breakfast. Under the sheets, his hands gripped at something that could possible aid his escape.
Upstairs, Party and Ghoul were talking in the hallway.
"We should kill it and be done with the thing," Ghoul spat. "Just bury it in the sand and forget that it ever existed. Just like they do with us."
"But that's not what they do with us," Party retorted. "Some of us, yes. Others they turn into Dracs. The 'thing' in the basement was and is a Killjoy. Truth is figuring out how to pull their old memories to the surface again. She's going to come up with a way to reverse brainwash them."
"Oh, sure. Like that's gonna work," Ghoul argued.
"It just might! You have Hurricane Bunny, why do you always have to be so bitter?" Party nearly shouted. The two men started to argue over each other, each trying to be right. But they were both interrupted by a loud crash from the infirmary.
"Truth's down there! Go!" Party shouted. The two men bolted down the stairs and threw open the door. Truth lay on the floor, bleeding from a small wound on her arm. The Drac had collapsed in pain nearby and was breathing heavily, a small shard of metal from the cot in his hand. Ghoul grabbed Truth and helped her up. Party lifted the Drac and nearly tossed him back onto his cot. He let out a yelp when he landed on his injured leg. The sound alerted Truth, who stood hurriedly and rushed to his side. She rolled him onto his back and tucked the coverlet around him, removing the shard of metal from his hand and giving it to Party.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Ghoul and Party looked on, stunned. The Drac nodded and looked at her arm. He frowned.
"I did that."
"Why?" Truth asked, looking slightly hurt.
"I...I don't know," he answered. "I'm sorry, Truth."
"It's small, so I'll be okay, Drac. Did Party hurt you?"
"No. I am fine."
"Good, let me check just to be sure," she said softly. She pulled back the sheet and examined both of his bandaged injuries, making sure no fresh blood stained the white gauze. When she was sure that he was okay, she pulled the sheets back up and reached for one of the purple pills. "Get some rest."
"Okay."
She helped him take the medicine and hummed a bit of a song as he drifted to sleep. Then she turned to the two Killjoys behind her, who were watching the whole scene as if it were a staged act.
"You need to be careful with him! He's wounded," she glared.
"He could have killed you!" Ghoul snapped. Party nodded in agreement, fingering the warm piece of metal in his hand.
"It was a small shard of metal. He was in too much pain to even move after he swiped at me. I would have handled it myself if you two hadn't come crashing down here," she lectured. "The Killjoys are supposed to accept and protect the people of the desert. I know you don't trust him, you don't really have any good reason to, either. But if you hurt him or me, or threaten him at all, I will leave. I will take him and go somewhere else."
"But Truth-"
"But Truth nothing. Get out," she snarled. Party and Ghoul returned to the upper level, and she took a seat in the chair next to the cot, picking up her copy of SHINY magazine and resuming her reading.
A couple hours later, Truth awoke when something warm was being placed over her. She looked up and saw Drac covering her with one of the extra sheets. "Oh, thanks," she smiled. He nodded.
"Anytime."
"Do you remember anything about your old life?" she asked, turning to face him as he took a seat on the edge of his cot. He'd hobbled over to get the blanket, and she could tell it didn't sit well with his injured leg.
"Not really, I mean, I can't."
"Your voice is changing. It holds emotions. Your words are changing, there are more of them. You're trying to explain things instead of just answering," Truth beamed. "You're coming back!"
"I was a Killjoy, too?" he asked. She nodded.
"There's a tattoo on your arm from Zone D9. They were destroyed just a couple months ago in a raid, and I bet that's when they took you," she surmised.
"I keep feeling like I'm missing someone," he sighed. She leaned forward and nervously ran her hand through his dirty blond locks. He leaned into the comforting touch, and she did it again. And again. "That feels good."
"Why?"
"It feels safe," he said, meeting her eyes. "You make me feel safe."
"I am going to protect you, I promise. I'm going to bring you back from the dead," she stated determinedly.
"How?" he asked. "I feel like a normal person now, but I can't remember anything. I'm scared."
"I know," she whispered, still petting his hair. "I know you are. So am I."
"I...I think...I remember my name," he murmured. She searched his eyes, and they were full of life. Not suppressed life like she'd seen before, but the whole of him that had been missing bubbled to the surface.
"What is it?" she asked, taking his hand in hers. He looked at her hands around his, and then back at her eyes.
"Illegal Download, Zone D9. My best friends and I were desert pirates, I remember now! We were out on a mission when the Zone was taken. When we came back, my friends and I got separated searching the burned-out base. I was knocked over the head. That's the last thing I remember," he said, all in a rush.
"What were your friends names?" she asked. A tear dripped down his face and she gingerly wiped it away.
"I am Illegal Download. My three best friends were White Noise, Radio Buzzkill, and Killer Explosion," he said. "They're all dead..."
"I'm so sorry," Truth said, her heart going out to the lost soul who had been lost so many times and in so many different ways. But he was back now, and she would protect him. "I'm going to be right back, okay? Stay here and do not move."
"Okay. Please hurry," he said, curling closer to himself. "I'm scared."
"It's going to be alright," she promised, before dashing up the stairs. She burst into the laundry room and secured a pair of plain skinny jeans, a leather jacket, and a blue shirt. She went to the bathroom and gathered green dye, gloves, and a basin. With all those things, she returned to the infirmary and to Illegal Download.
"Ready to be a Killjoy again?" she asked. He nodded, beaming.
Two days later, when he had healed enough to be moved upstairs, Truthful Blasphemy supported a Killjoy as they walked up the stairs. His bangs were dyed a vibrant green, and the leather jacket fit him as if it had been tailored to him. The others stared on in shock, not thinking it could be possible.
"But he's a Drac!" Hurry argued with her friend. Truth shook her head.
"No he's not. Tell 'em, motorbaby," Truth smiled.
"I'm Illegal Download, Zone D9. And I am a Killjoy," he announced. The majority cheered his return to his memories. Only Ghoul stomped back to his room and slammed the door closed angrily. Truth shrugged; he would learn to deal with it.
"Ready to see where you're staying?" she asked. The boy leaning on her nodded eagerly. She walked him past several doors before coming to one that was decorated with two large, neon signs stating the names of the Killjoys that bunked there. TRUTHFUL BLASPHEMY read the top sign, with ILLEGAL DOWNLOAD right beneath it. She looked at him, gauging his reaction. He beamed and kissed her forehead.
"Be mine, sunshine?" he asked. She nodded, and they retreated to their room. Sometimes all it takes is patience.