Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s been over a year since the Fabulous Four Killjoys got together as a team. In that time, their fight against Better Living Industries became a well known story throughout the desert. It was hard to meet a Killjoy that hadn’t at least heard about the crew that burned Battery City’s research centre to the ground in an attempt to put an end to the war on powered Killjoys. Young ‘Joys and new undergrads looked up to the Fab Four. Those four Killjoys inspired everyone to fight harder for what was theirs.

Fun Ghoul was the Fab Four’s fists, and a protector of the desert. His unexplained enhanced strength gave him the upper hand in any fight he got himself into. He fought like a killer and still won everyone over with his heart of gold. No one really realised just how young Ghoul was. That boy grew up fast. He had to. Underneath his tattooed skin, unbeknownst to most, Ghoul still carried with him what the city had done to him. A constant reminder that he will never back down from a fight if it meant protecting the ones he loved from ever being treated the way he once was.

The Kobra Kid was a well known name at the Crashtrack. The youngest member of the Fab Four was quiet and unassuming, but he was fast on his feet. At only fifteen, Kobra was a fighter. No one could see Kobra coming in a firefight before he attacked. If you threatened his family, you’d have to get through Kobra first. His stone-faced, angry exterior shielded his sensitive and passionate personality from others. Only those closest to the Kid ever got to see the goofy, childish side of him.

Jet Star represented the desert born Killjoys. Those who were bred and born in the sand, and had only bled under the desert sun. Jet was one of the few desert borns to ever see the inside of the city and make it out to tell the tale. Because of that, she found herself to be a bit of a living legend. Her spirituality connected her body and soul to the desert and the Killjoys who inhabited it. She was tough and sometimes too aggressive, but that didn’t stop fans of the Fab Four from loving every last bit of her. Twenty years in the desert taught her well, and Jet was a skilled caregiver, fighter, and survivor.

Party Poison, the leader of the Fab Four, was forever a ‘Joy who could make a statement. Their face and name was seen and heard all over Battery City, and Poison prided themself in being an enemy. Day by day, the Fab Four chipped away at BL/Ind’s armour. Poison was determined to bring the entire organisation to its knees. The Fab Four was nothing without Poison keeping them together. They were a controversial Killjoy. Some saw Poison as a hero in the desert, while others thought their antics would one day get everyone killed. Party Poison knew that their work was important, however. They’d put their life on the line again and again to protect the ones they loved.

The powered Killjoys in the Zones were always under attack. The Fab Four did everything they could and more to keep those with special abilities safe. With Jet’s necromancy, Ghoul’s rapid healing factor, and Poison’s ability to reach into people’s minds with one touch, they were three of BL/Ind’s biggest targets themselves. More and more weapons were constructed in Battery City to be used against powered Killjoys. In a year’s time, Poison’s team was able to create an operation that would allow them to take down as many BL/Ind agents targeting powered ‘Joys as possible.

“Where we headin, Cola?”

Ghoul had his arm leaning out the window of the Trans Am as he radioed Dr. Death-Defying’s station. Wind whipped through his hair as Poison stomped on the gas pedal, tearing up the dirt roads beneath them.

Cherri Cola—a desert born Killjoy, who was quite a few years older than the Fab Four, and a long-time friend of Dr. D—was heard on the other end of the transmission.

“I gotta signal in the south end of Zone 4, ‘bout three miles east of the Dead Pegasus,” Cherri reported promptly. 

Back at Doc’s station, where the team housed a dated old computer, Cherri Cola had managed to hack into the city’s mainframe and access the tracking codes that were linked to every last Spark Extractor that BL/Ind sent out into the desert. 

With a low-quality radar system, Cherri could pinpoint almost exactly where each attack would take place. With any luck, the Fab Four would get to the scene fast enough to save a powered Killjoy from losing their sparks that day.

“Only one Extractor, but I ain’t gon’ promise y’all that there ain’t more bodies out there as backup.”

“Don’t you worry ‘bout that,” Ghoul chuckled. “We got ‘em under control.”

Cherri sighed. “Y’all always do.”

As Poison drove, Kobra kicked their seat from behind and hummed. Ghoul quickly spun around and realised that Kobra had spotted the firefight happening in the distance. The Kid frantically signed words to Ghoul, who translated to Poison while they kept their eyes on the road.

“Red, turn left now,” he barked, holding onto the car door as the vehicle suddenly jerked and started heading in the other direction. “Jet?”

“Way ahead of ya,” Jet nodded as she adjusted the protective gear she wore under her clothing. With one foot planted firmly on the back seat and the other on Ghoul’s headrest, Jet climbed up through the Trans Am’s sunroof with a raygun in each hand. She started firing the moment Poison got the car close enough. 

The three BL/Ind agents on the scene took to the Fab Four’s distraction, giving the other Killjoys a chance to regroup. Before the car stopped, Ghoul threw open his door and rolled out into the sand. He made a run for the two Killjoys he intended on protecting and threw himself in front of them. One Scarecrow followed his lead, turning all her attention to Ghoul instead of her previous victims. He let her shoot at him, feeling the lasers vibrate against his android parts. 

Ghoul knew that these Crows didn’t shoot to kill. They needed their victims alive in order to maintain the sparks inside of them. You couldn’t harvest a power out of a dead Killjoy.

Soon enough, all four ‘Joys were on the ground, surrounding the three Scarecrows. Kobra had one pinned down in the sand with his hands around the agent’s throat. As he squeezed the air right out of the agent’s lungs, Poison swooped in with their gun and blasted the Crow right through his chest.

Jet took on the Scarecrow that wielded the weapon that the Killjoys were tracking; the Spark Extractor. It was a dangerous machine. Get caught under it at the wrong time, and your powers are gone. Jet moved swiftly when she attacked and aimed for the Extractor. However, over the past few months, the city’s weapons had gotten stronger. They were nearly impossible to destroy with just a raygun now.

Luckily for Jet, the Killjoys had gotten stronger, too.

She found herself stuck on the ground, lying underneath the Scarecrow as he pressed the Spark Extractor firmly against her chest. Jet grabbed at it aimlessly, struggling to get herself free to no avail. 

“Kiss those sweet sparks goodbye,” the Crow laughed as he pulled the trigger that activated the machine. Jet winced, but she knew that the Crow hadn’t won. The Fab Four ensured their victory long before the firefight had even begun.

The Spark Extractor fired up. Jet could feel the heat through her jacket. As fast as it activated, the device started to sputter out and die. Jet smirked up at the Crow, who faltered. With a quick kick upwards, Jet pushed the startled agent back and quickly jumped to her feet.

In addition to the radar system, Cherri and Ghoul had spent a full month constructing a set of protective vests for Ghoul, Jet, and Poison. After researching what types of metals could withstand the energy blasts from Spark Extractors, they stitched a protective plate into three bulletproof vests made of fire resistant fibres. As long as the Killjoys were wearing that gear, a Crow with a Spark Extractor could never hurt them.

“Jet!” Poison called out and tossed Jet one of the blasters that she dropped in the middle of the fight. She winked at Poison as she caught the weapon, immediately aiming straight ahead and shooting the Scarecrow right between his eyes.

“Witch,” Poison exhaled exasperatedly, watching the body hit the ground unceremoniously. “Quick an’ easy.”

“No kiddin’,” Ghoul smirked and turned to the two young Killjoys that cowered together, breathing heavily with relief. “Y’all okay?” Ghoul asked.

The taller one—tan with wide, brown eyes and a green streak in his hair, nodded keenly. “Yeah—Yeah, we’re okay,” he stuttered, his eyes darting between the Fab Four. “You’re the—” He trailed off and just stared at the Fab Four in awe. “Thank you,” he finally whispered, hugging the little girl with him closely.

“Y’all be safe, ‘kay?” Poison smiled softly. The young boy lifted the little girl—his sister, Poison assumed—up to get situated on his dirtbike. He turned around quickly and caught Poison’s eye again.

This boy had the same look in his eyes that a fiery young Party Poison had. It was that protective instinct for the little ones that he loved. Killjoys like him were what kept the desert alive. Poison would be nothing if it wasn’t for their passion for keeping Kobra safe, and later the protectiveness that they felt for their little Bug.

“What’s your name, kid?” Poison asked.

The boy’s eyebrows raised. “Jack Knife,” he said, wincing slightly, as if Poison was the first person to ever hear his Killjoy name. 

Poison grinned and glanced over to the girl waiting on the bike. “You keep her safe, Jack.”

Jack nodded again. “I will. Thank you.”

Poison watched the two kids tear off into the sunset with a smile on their face. There was always a sense of pride in Poison’s heart when they could help young ‘Joys. Kids like Jack would one day become the beating heart of the Zones. Poison would know, because they were one of those kids.

They turned around just in time to catch the end of Ghoul and Jet’s conversation.

“There ain’t no way this fuckin’ Batt,” Ghoul kicked the dead body of the Scarecrow. “Was able to knock ya down that fast, Jetty. You totally let him think he was gonna win!”

Jet chuckled and grinned. “Maybe I did,” she shrugged. “I can have fun sometimes, y’know.”

“Y’all ready to roll?” Poison asked, raising one brow at the bickering ‘Joys. Both Ghoul and Jet nodded, so Poison redirected their attention to their brother. “Kobes?”

“ Hm— What?” Kobra looked up from where he was crouched over a dead Crow, looting the body for everything it was worth. Kobra held up one finger to his sibling before he grabbed a handful of carbons from one Crow’s pocket. 

“Oh, sweet!” Ghoul exclaimed. “That’ll get us some shiny new gear for sure!”

“Right on, Kobes,” Poison grinned. “Now let’s go!”

Poison dropped into their seat with a content sigh, smiling softly as Ghoul slid in next to them. They rested their head on his shoulder and let their eyes slip shut as they waited for Show Pony to inevitably skate over to take their orders.

Show Pony—an old friend of Doc’s and an ally to the Fab Four—ran the most popular kitchen in Zone 2. The Pony Express was built by a team of brave city raiders who always brought back rare ingredients stolen straight out of Battery City. The food there was expensive, but so worth it. Besides, Show Pony always gave the Fab Four a special discount in addition to their reserved designated booth.

“Good afternoon, Fabulous Four,” Pony’s cheerful, gravelly voice piped up as they stopped the wheels on their skates right in front of the Fab Four’s table. “There’s a hot n’ fresh soup in the back, or can I get y’all somethin’ else?”

Poison looked up at Pony and grinned. “Sounds good to me,” they nodded.

“Right on, I’ll get that for y’all,” Pony tucked their notepad into their apron without writing anything down. It really was just for show, Pony always remembered the orders. “Now, where’s that pretty lil’ girl of yours?” They asked. Their eyes darted between the four Killjoys in search of little Ladybug.

“Bug’s at Doc’s tonight,” Ghoul replied easily. “We all gonna be headin’ down to Hyperthrust, an’ that ain’t a place for kiddos like her.”

Pony’s eyes brightened at the mention of a party. “You don’t say? Tell me, is it true?”

“Mm—” Kobra’s head tilted to the side. “Is what true?” He asked quietly.

Pony smirked. “Word on the street is that everyone’s favourite couple is gettin’ back together,” they winked, and everyone’s eyes immediately landed on Jet, who groaned.

“No. S’ not true,” she rolled her eye as soon as Poison and Ghoul started laughing at her. “It ain’t happenin’, so shut it.”

“Aw man,” Pony pouted. “I liked Mad Gear.”

Ghoul bit his lip mischievously as he grinned at Jet. “Y’all were attached at the lips all fuckin’ night at New Years,” he chuckled, and Poison slapped their hand over their mouth to stop themself from laughing again.

Jet’s good eye was practically glowing red as she glared at Ghoul. “Uh-huh, an’ that was months ago. It meant nothin’.”

Ghoul tilted his chin up, leaning his head against the back of the booth. “I’m sure it meant nothin’ when y’all disappeared for two hours,” he said as he made a circle with his right index and thumb and stuck his left finger through it.

“Ugh!” Jet gagged. “Yer so gross!” She reached out diagonally across the table to slap Ghoul’s hands. Meanwhile next to her, Kobra covered his eyes with his twitching hands and giggled. 

“Witch, calm down!” Poison scolded, pulling Ghoul back and forcing him to sink deeper into the booth. “So,” Poison leaned over Ghoul to smile up at Show Pony. “Are ya comin’ with us to Hyperthrust?”

Pony’s mouth twisted to the side. “No can do, friends,” they shook their head, causing Poison’s smile to diminish. “I gots my own kiddo to look after, y’know.”

All four Killjoys at the table glanced at each other, sharing the same confused look. Certainly, they hadn’t been naive enough to be unaware of some kid Pony was taking care of, right? Finally, Ghoul said what everyone else was thinking.

“What kid?”

Pony looked confused. “My daughter?” They said like it was obvious.

“Wait, like a biological kid?” Poison blinked rapidly as Pony nodded in confirmation. “Since when!?”

Pony chuckled awkwardly. “Since fifteen years ago, dude. I know I look young,” Pony emphasised their words with a soft hair toss. “But I’m a hell of a lot older than you kids.”

“Hmm—fuck,” Kobra’s head dropped as he stared down at the table with wide eyes, realising that Pony had a child as old as he was. “Hmm.”

“I kept her pretty damn hidden for a lotta that time,” Pony continued. “Y’know how dangerous it is havin’ kids around here with BL/Ind on your ass.”

“Yeah,” Poison muttered, nodding slightly. “Totally.”

“Well then!” Pony’s customer service smile appeared back on their face. “I’ll be right back with y’all’s food,” they winked and skated away.

As soon as Pony rolled back into the kitchen, Poison’s eyes darted back to their team. “Should we be more careful hiding Bug from BL/Ind?” They asked frantically.

“Pssht,” Ghoul shrugged. “Don’t sweat it, we been doin’ great wit’ her. She’s happy and healthy, what more do ya want?”

Poison shrugged. “I dunno, I just—” they sighed. “She’s almost as famous as us now, y’know. Maybe that ain’t such a good thing?”

“S’ fine,” Jet assured them. “Desert born kids’re tough. An’ I seen Bug fight. We got nothin’ to worry ‘bout.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Poison sighed.

“Alrighty!” The sounds of Pony’s wheels rolling across the floor approached once more. They stopped gracefully as they lowered the tray in their hands that balanced two bowls of soup without spilling anything. “Here they are!”

Poison eyed them carefully, undoubtedly noticing that there were only two bowls for four people. The redhead opened their mouth to speak, but quickly stopped themself as they noticed a young girl dressed in pink and white slowly skating towards them.

“Thatta girl,” Pony smiled proudly. The girl looked terrified. Her eyes were focused on the two bowls of soup on a tray that she carried shakily. “S’ harder on skates, ain’t it?” Pony chuckled softly.

As Pony helped her, Ghoul smiled up at the kid. “This her?” He asked, causing the kid to take a cautious step backwards.

“The one and only,” Pony grinned as the young girl started to almost cower behind Pony. “Gang, meet my daughter, miss Uni Verse.”

“Hi,” Poison smiled brightly. “I love your hair!” 

Uni sported short brown hair—the same colour as Pony’s—with bright purple raccoon tail bangs. Her eyes widened at the compliment, but her lips remained sealed. Her hands grabbed onto Pony’s shirt as she hid.

“S’ cute,” Jet nodded in agreement. “She has yer eyes,” she glanced up at Pony.

“Folks are always tellin’ me that,” Pony sighed as they gently pushed Uni’s bangs out of her eyes that nervously stared back at the other Killjoys. The Fab Four were notoriously chatty, and it seemed to scare her. That is, until she locked eyes with Kobra, who just offered her a small wave.

The corners of Uni’s lips stretched into a soft smile as she gently waved back at him.

She eventually tugged her parent away from the table, leaving the Fab Four to their dinner before Poison’s eventual shift and the Hyperthrust party. They fell into comfortable and familiar chatter about their missions, supply runs, and of course, Bug. After taking in that little girl almost a year ago, she became the centre of everyone’s attention at the diner. 

As Ghoul was excitedly telling his friends about the latest imaginary adventure that Bug had taken him on, Poison glanced across the table and noticed Kobra idly stabbing at his soup with his spoon without eating anything.

“Kid,” Poison tapped their hand against the table to get Kobra’s attention. His head snapped up like he’d just been pulled from a trance and his shoulders jerked slightly. “You okay?”

Kobra nodded stiffly, blushing red once Ghoul and Jet also turned to focus on him. “Aye—” Kobra’s nose scrunched up and his eyes fell back to staring at the almost full bowl in front of him.

“Don’t ya be wastin’ this, now,” Jet commented. She meant no harm, but Kobra’s stomach still twisted with guilt.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

“Hey,” Ghoul motioned towards himself. “Kid, if ya won’t eat it, I will,” he grinned. “I gotta big fight comin’ up tonight, I’ll need it.”

Kobra gratefully slid his serving across to Ghoul and sunk further into his seat with relief. “Fuck,” he hummed, hands seizing up. Ghoul dived back into talking with his mouth full and Kobra successfully remained ignored for the rest of the meal. He felt sick. It was too hot inside this restaurant, and he wished time would move faster and he could fast forward to the end of the night.

Hyperthrust was packed with Killjoys. Friday nights got wild—with cage fights and live music later in the night, it was the hottest place in the Zones—and the Fab Four could barely push their way through the sea of people to get inside. 

Jet and Kobra ended up just a few feet away from the cage, where Ghoul cracked his knuckles and waited for his opponent to enter the scene. A cacophony of whistles and hollers sounded as Ghoul pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it behind him.

Everyone knew Ghoul could fight. It wasn’t long before a metallic rattling rang out through the club as Ghoul pinned his opponent to the side of the cage. Not often did Ghoul lose a fight, which is why he had the crowd gasping as he took a heavy kick to the gut that left him stumbling backwards.

Jet and Kobra glanced at each other quickly with concern painted on their faces. Not only did Ghoul seem to falter more than usual, but he let his opponent take three free hits against the side of his head, each more painful looking than the last. He tripped and caught himself on the edge of the cage, looking dazed. 

“Ya got this, Ghoulie!” Jet shouted, clapping her hands together in support. “C’mon dude!”

Ghoul quickly shook his head, letting his long dark hair fall into his face as he glared across the ring at the other fighter. Shaking himself out of the pain, Ghoul pounced, knocking the other man over in seconds. 

“For a moment there, we thought he’d given up his winning streak,” the killjoy dressed in black and white stripes who stood perched on the edge of the cage spoke loud and clear into the microphone in his hands. “But the undefeated Fun Ghoul wins again!”

Jet and Kobra waited at the bar with Poison as Ghoul cleaned himself up and collected his winnings. The team was ready to brush off Ghoul’s slip up in the cage as a fluke, but as Ghoul sat down on a bar stool with a huff, they couldn’t ignore how pale he was.

“Hey, you alright?” Poison asked, concerned. They reached over the bar and grabbed Ghoul’s hand, getting him to meet their eyes.

“Yeah,” Ghoul blinked. “M’ fine.”

Someone on the other end of the bar whistled to get Poison’s attention. With a groan, the redhead ran over to attend to a couple more customers before they hurried back to their team.

“You sure?” Poison asked Ghoul, who sighed.

“I just…” He breathed in heavily, almost looking nauseous. “I dunno, I just feel weird.”

“Weird?” Jet echoed. “What’s weird? The tech?” She kept her voice down. The team kept what was underneath Ghoul’s skin between them.

Ghoul rolled his shoulders back. “I don’t think I need repairs,” he shook his head. “I ‘prolly just got hit in the head too hard, y’know? I’ll get over it.” He shrugged it off.

Poison frowned. “Ya let us know if it gets worse, ‘kay?” They said, and Kobra nodded in agreement.

‘’Kay,” Ghoul nodded, just to put an end to the conversation.

With rapid healing abilities, Ghoul was pretty good at avoiding the team’s constant concern for his own safety and well being. Still, the Fab Four had nearly lost Ghoul for good eight months ago. And no one just forgets that sort of thing. So Ghoul just had to get used to Poison’s constant worrying and let Jet do medical check-ups every now and then. He knew it was only because they loved him and never wanted to risk losing him again.

Moments later, the band got set up on stage and began rocking out for the club. Kobra and Ghoul turned around in their seats, leaning their backs against the bar to watch their friends, Mad Gear and Missile Kid, perform. Jet, on the other hand, kept her back to the stage with her elbows propped up on the bar. 

It wasn’t that she was still avoiding Mads. They’d gotten over that awkward era months ago. If you asked Jet, she’d tell you that her and Mads were just friends. Still, she made quite the effort to keep herself from making eye contact with him while he was on stage.

“Hmm—fuck,” Kobra’s hand lightly smacked Ghoul’s arm, grabbing Ghoul’s attention. The older boy glanced at Kobra, who pointed at the back doors of the club behind the bar.

“What?” Ghoul asked, and Kobra just pointed to his ears, telling Ghoul to listen closely. Now that he was paying attention, Ghoul could pick up the undeniable sounds of rayguns being fired outside.

“What the hell—” Ghoul started, but the doors flew open before he could finish his sentence.

“Firefight in the parking lot!” Someone shouted over the music that blasted from the amps. Only a portion of the club was able to hear the commotion, but the Fab Four were on their feet in seconds.

Ghoul kicked through the doors and found himself in the middle of a swarm of draculoids. Several unlucky Killjoys who were enjoying a smoke break got stuck in the clap, fighting off dracs left and right. Kobra was two steps behind Ghoul and wasted no time before he jumped for the closest drac and beat it to the ground.

“Where’d they come from?” Poison called over the commotion of the fight as they ran out to join Ghoul. Dracs never showed up in this large of a group unless there was an exterminator around.

Ghoul huffed. “We about to find out,” he pointed at the sleek grey car that had stopped in a cloud of dust just twenty feet away from the Killjoys.

Poison glared at the vehicle as the dust began to settle. “Cover me,” they barked, and Ghoul nodded quickly, raising his gun. Poison bolted towards the car.

“Ayo, Jet!” Ghoul shouted as he narrowly dodged one of the dracs’ shots. His hair smacked him in his face as he whipped around, searching for his teammate. He found Jet on her knees, gripping a knife that was stabbed into a drac’s chest. Her other hand was outstretched towards an oncoming draculoid, which she shot square in the centre of its mask.

“What!?” Jet screamed back without looking up. She retracted the knife, splattering blood over herself and the dead drac below her. “A little fuckin’ busy, Ghoul!” 

Another white clad drac pounced onto Jet’s back, wrapping its arm around her neck. She winced, failing to wrestle the agent back. Before she could readjust her grip on the knife in her left hand, she felt a heavy force nearly land on her, but instead it pushed the draculoid off.

Kobra landed on top of it with a grunt, driving the barrel of a bright red blaster into the drac’s chest, killing it in one blow.

“Jet!” Ghoul shouted again before Jet could thank Kobra for the assist. Jet panted as she stood up, finally spotting Ghoul standing with his feet planted firmly in the sand, gripping his blaster with both hands. He was trying to keep a safe distance between himself and the oncoming dracs, as he was acting like a human shield for a young, bleeding Killjoy that lay in the sand.

“Oh, fuck,” Jet spat and ran towards her. “Witch, fuck me.”

The girl’s leg was badly burnt, having taken multiple raygun shots. The sand around her turned a dark red under the dim lighting that came from the club. Her hands were just as soaked in her own blood as she struggled to breathe. Jet barely caught her head before her eyes rolled back and she nearly passed out.

“Let’s getcha outta here,” Jet didn’t think twice before she scooped the young girl up in her arms, ignoring the painful scream that came from the Killjoy. “Ghoul?” Jet shouted. “Y’all okay out here?”

“We’re fine, just get her inside!” Ghoul yelled as he rapidly fired at the dracs that tried to attack him and Jet. In a brief moment of rest, Ghoul spun around and stared at Jet through the hair in his eyes.

“Nobody dies tonight,” he said. Jet nodded and ran inside to get the young girl out of the crossfire.

Meanwhile, Poison shot blast after blast at the exterminator’s car, beckoning the man inside to come out and fight. They could just barely see the car door open in the dark as the exterminator hid behind his vehicle, shielding himself from Poison’s attacks.

“What made ya think ya could win against all these ‘Joys?” Poison asked the cowering exterminator. Attacks on Killjoy parties weren’t unheard of, but it was never anything like this. It was never just one Scarecrow against a hundred Killjoys.

Poison stopped shooting. Over the distant noises of Ghoul and Kobra’s fight behind them, Poison finally heard the Crow’s response.

“You have something I want, Party Poison,” he said confidently as he stood up, revealing himself from behind the car.

Poison disguised the way they faltered. Nearly all of BL/Ind knew the name Party Poison by now. This wasn’t new. Still, this man spat their name out like a curse. Like Poison was an obstacle, rather than a target.

Clenching their jaw, Poison raised their gun again, aiming for the centre of the exterminator’s chest.

“And what’s that?” Poison scoffed. 

The man’s bald head tilted to the side as he smirked. “You’re hiding that little girl of yours somewhere. I will find her, and you will be dead before you can stop me.”

Poison froze. The exterminator saw the way the blaster in their hands shook with hesitation and he chuckled wickedly.

That little girl of yours. 

Poison’s breath hitched. What did he want with Bug? What did Better Living want with Poison’s girl? For years, Poison had always been a target, running from the ones who wanted them dead. Poison had a reason to be hunted. Poison had enough Batt blood on their hands to warrant BL/Ind’s pursuits.

But Bug? She was just a kid! A sweet, innocent little kid. BL/Ind was trying to take Poison’s kid away from them. Why? What did she do!?

“Red?”

A strong hand gripped Poison’s shoulder tightly and they jumped, suddenly coming out of their internal panic. Over the ringing in their ears, Poison could hear a loud engine tearing off towards the city.

Blinking, Poison watched the Crow drive away in his car, leaving Poison in the dust. They glanced to their left, meeting Ghoul’s eyes.

“Red?” Ghoul repeated, shaking Poison. “What happened?” 

Poison opened their mouth, but no words could come out. They just stared at the tire tracks in the sand and shook their head. They felt Kobra come up on their right.

“Who was that?” He asked softly.

“I…” Poison started. “I don’t know.”

Battery City - Ten Months Ago.

The Director walked a small group of young, bright-eyed students through the halls of the basement level of the Mulero Tech centre. The recent graduates were about to begin their training with the newest Scarecrow units, and the ones who showed true potential would be placed in the powers training program.

“You’re standing in the birthplace of some of Better Living Industry’s best technology to date,” the Director continued her speech as she marched down the hall, expecting the graduates to keep up. “Technology that you will soon be trained with yourselves.”

The group walked through the halls, passing glass windows into the training rooms. Inside each room, Scarecrows practiced controlling their recently received powers and abilities. Mind control, flight, and even a Scarecrow with the ability to create ice out of thin air were a few powers among the team of agents that trained in the basement facility.

“Mulero’s Spark Extractor is a machine that is able to harvest sparks from unworthy desert rebels quickly and efficiently,” the Director explained. “Those spark particles enable their host to do great things.”

She opened a heavy metal door and welcomed the junior agents into a large training room, where a Scarecrow in a pair of white sweatpants and a t-shirt just finished working out. He ran his hands through his curly, sweat-soaked hair and smiled at the group.

“Take Agent Idris here, for example,” the Director motioned towards the Scarecrow. “He harnesses the ability to duplicate his physical form. Why don’t you demonstrate, agent?”

Idris nodded and clenched his fists. Nothing happened.

“Agent Idris, I said demonstrate,” the Director’s tone turned harsh, creating tension among the waiting graduates. “Now.”

“I-I’m sorry, ma’am,” Idris shook his head. “I don’t know what’s happening. I was able to do it less than an hour ago.”

The Director shook her head. “Take him back to the lab and figure out what’s wrong with him!” She snapped, and her assistants rushed into the room—seemingly out of nowhere—and escorted Agent Idris away.

The Director turned back to the startled graduates. “I apologise, everyone. But this is a perfect opportunity for a lesson to be learned; never disobey orders, graduates.”

A chorus of nodding heads looked back at her. All but one graduate stood tall, awaiting further instructions from the Director. In the back of the group, a man with sleek dark hair let his eyes wander in the direction that Idris was taken.

“You,” the Director pointed directly at the young man. “What is your name, Junior Agent?”

The man’s eyes snapped up to the Director. His jaw quivered as he spoke hesitantly. “Korse,” he said softly.

“Hm,” the Director nodded her head. “Well, then. Off to the next part of the tour, shall we?”

The Director kept a close eye on Junior Agent Korse throughout the next couple of weeks. And as she did so, incidents continued to happen in the training facility. Idris was the first of many agents to suddenly lose their power, only for it to return moments later. And every time it happened, Korse was in the room.

Korse was taken from his basic training and brought in for testing. The Director’s top doctors and specialists ran multiple tests on the junior agent, and discovered something that the Director never dreamed she would ever see again.

“Good morning, Junior Agent,” the Director started to speak the moment Korse’s eyes blinked open as he lay on the table in the lab. “Congratulations, Korse. You’ve been selected for the upcoming Scarecrow Unit 13.”

“Wh-What?” Korse winced as the fluorescent lights assaulted his eyes. He brought his hands up to his face, shielding himself from the light. “What happened?” He asked as he dragged his hands up, feeling the bald scalp where his hair had been buzzed off in the testing process.

“You have a fascinating power, Korse, did you know that?” The Director asked, and Korse shook his head. “It appears that you have some sort of power negation. The presence of your sparks can temporarily kill the powers of anyone who comes near you,” the Director explained in awe. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

Korse’s brows furrowed. “But…But I wasn’t given sparks…” he said nervously before glancing around at the lab he was in. “Did you give me sparks?”

“No, Agent,” the Director shook her head. “Your sparks are naturally occurring. Like a Killjoy.”

Korse’s eyes went wide. “I’m not—”

“I’m aware of your loyalty to Better Living Industries, Korse,” the Director held her hand up to silence the agent. “You are a special case. It’s quite uncommon for a citizen to develop sparks naturally. In fact, it’s only ever happened once before,” the Director pressed her lips together tightly and sighed. “But he’s useless to me now.”

She stood up from her chair and gazed down at Korse, who was still weak and disoriented from the tests. “We will need to run more tests in order to figure out exactly how your sparks work,” she said, holding out a hand for Korse to grab. She hauled him to his feet and watched him wobble slightly. He took a moment to balance himself before he lifted his head and met the Director at eye level.

“For now, Agent Korse. You are an asset to me. And I have a very specific mission for you.”

Chapter Text

Kobra spun around in the passenger seat of the Trans Am to check on Poison as Jet parked in front of Doc's radio station. They sat eerily still in the backseat as Ghoul held their hand in his lap, staring at them with worry in his eyes. After the clap outside the bar, whatever that exterminator said to Poison had really shaken them up. Ghoul and Kobra couldn't get any information out of Poison. They just stood there, shaking, and asking for their child.

With Ghoul's arm around their lower back, Poison was brought into the station ahead of Kobra and Jet. Doc was awake, sitting in the middle of the station with Cherri as a pre-war movie played on the staticy television. 

"Who's hurt?" Doc asked, eyeing the red stains on Jet's hands.

"None of us," she shook her head as she let herself into Doc's kitchen to wash the stranger's blood off.

"A nasty clap outside of Hyperthrust," Ghoul explained. "Say, Doc, where's Bug?" He asked for Poison's sake. He gently lowered himself and the redhead onto the vacant sofa. 

"Asleep in Cher's room," Doc answered easily. "Safe. If that's what yer askin'."

"Hmm—shit—" Kobra took the spot next to Cherri and raised his eyebrows expectantly at Ghoul. 

"I don't say this often, but wake that kid up," Ghoul said rather aggressively, shaking Poison slightly. Doc muttered some snarky comment under his breath, but wheeled himself out of the room regardlessly. Ghoul could hear him knocking on Cherri's bedroom door and telling Bug that her family was here to see her.

Despite the fact that she was just awoken from her slumber in the middle of the night, Bug ran as fast as she could into the main room of the station and jumped into Poison's lap with an excited squeal.

"You're early!" She exclaimed as Poison threw their arms around her and hugged her tightly. Everyone could hear the relieved sigh Poison let out when they buried their face into the girl's hair, as if they were making sure that she was real.

Jet emerged from the kitchen, wiping her wet hands off on her jeans, and smiled at the sight. The colour came back to Poison's previously pale face, and the way they laughed with Bug and rocked her back and forth was clear indication that Poison was back in their body.

"Wanna let us in on what that bald fuck told ya now?" Jet asked from where she sat on the armrest next to Kobra, balancing with one boot up on the couch cushions. 

Poison lifted their head up slowly. Ghoul reached out to swipe the red hair out of their eyes as they let out a heavy sigh.

"He, uh," Poison nervously readjusted Bug in their lap, refusing to let go of her. "He wasn't targeting us," they explained shakily. "He was after Bug."

"What the fuck does BL/Ind want with a fuckin' kid?" Ghoul shouted before he could think. Bug whimpered quietly in Poison's arms, and Ghoul's heart hurt with guilt. He reached out and grabbed her little hand, whispering a soft apology to the kid.

"I don't know," Poison muttered fearfully.

"Y'know, with us I get it," Ghoul motioned between himself and Poison, and Jet and Kobra across from them. "Let's be real, we a fuckin' pain in BL/Ind's ass! F'course we targets!" 

"Huh—" Kobra's nose twitched as he signed; That was the goal, before his neck jerked back. "Fuck!"

"We gotta fuckin' reason to be wanted by Batts," Ghoul nodded at Kobra in agreement. "But Bug? She's just a kid! What does BL/Ind want with some innocent lil' desert born?"

Cherri made a face at Ghoul's last comment and glanced up at Doc.

"What?" Ghoul snapped.

Doc slowly raised an eyebrow at him. "Your girlie ain't desert born."

A hush washed over the group as the Fab Four stared at each other in shock. Bug squirmed, hating that everyone was talking about her as if she wasn't in the room. 

"But you said—" Poison started.

"I never said shit," Doc interrupted Poison before they could accuse him of lying. "I told y'all that she's been a 'Joy for years. Her mama ran out here when she was still a wee lil' thing, but Bug was still born in the city."

"Huh," Poison hummed. They glanced down at the girl sitting in their lap, who glared up at them. "Sorry 'bout that, baby," Poison kissed the top of her head. "Guess we were wrong."

Ghoul shrugged. "It don't change nothin'. Most of us were born there, too. You're still our kid," he smiled at Bug. Kobra hummed and nodded in agreement.

Jet, on the other hand, wasn't too sure how to handle this new information. What Ghoul said was right; it shouldn't have changed anything. Bug was still Bug. And yet, Jet couldn't stop herself from feeling disappointed to find out that she was born in Batt City.

Jet had always believed that there was a certain connection between her and Bug. It was something that the other three crew members didn't have. It was beyond words, only a feeling that Jet had in her heart. She felt a sense of understanding between herself and Bug, as the only two desert borns in the diner. 

Where the girl was born didn't matter. Jet knew that. Still, her heart was broken, and she hated herself for it. She tuned the rest of the crew's conversation out. Over and over again, Jet couldn't stop thinking about how Bug had a Batt City citizenship. She had a legal name. She was just like Poison, Kobra, and Ghoul. Jet, once again, was the odd one out.

"Uh, Jet?" Ghoul's voice broke through Jet's spiralling thoughts. "You good?"

"Yeah, why?" Jet forced herself to make eye contact with Ghoul, pretending that she had been paying attention to the conversation.

"'Cause the room's filled with fuckin' ghosts again," Ghoul explained bluntly.

Looking down, Jet realised her hands were glowing. At least ten dead spirits wandered aimlessly through the station, glowing bright blue that indicated to Jet that she had made them visible and possibly even tangible.

As Jet developed a stronger control over her gift in the past few months, she was learning to blend the land of the living with the afterlife and allow ghosts to interact with the real world, and it came with some side effects. Those side effects, of course, being that whenever Jet got upset or stressed out, she brought out the ghosts without even knowing it.

"Oh," Jet blushed. "Sorry," she shook out her hands, willing the ghosts back into their usual state; invisible to the average person. Still, fully there for Jet.

The team brushed it off, which Jet was grateful for. Poison suggested that they start heading home. For the entire drive back to the diner, Jet was still "in a mood", as Ghoul so kindly put it. Jet just couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment off, as much as she tried. She really thought that there was something special between her and Bug.

Kobra was tearing up the Crashtrack the next day, coming in first place in the final race of the day. He dismounted from his bike with ease, waving at the rowdy stands who clapped and cheered for him and his win. The Kobra Kid wasn't the type that loved attention, but here at the Crashtrack? It was the best feeling in the world.

He walked his bike back from the track to collect his winnings. Removing his helmet, he squinted in the bright sunlight as he blindly searched for the sunglasses in his pocket. After he covered up his eyes with the tinted lenses and pulled his earplugs out, he finally recognised the person that was walking towards him.

"Kobra! Hey! Congrats, dude!"

A tall, thin girl in beat up sneakers and a denim jacket waved excitedly at him. Nova Cane, she was one of the kids that Doc took in a while back and got her back on her feet. She was one quarter of the Nitemare crew. While they were all still kids, Nova was the same age as Kobra. The two of them had grown close over the last year. Kobra would go as far as calling her his best friend, and that doesn't happen for him often.

Kobra wanted to thank Nova for the congratulations, but his lips only parted as he stared at Nova with wide eyes under the sunglasses.

"What?" Nova asked as Kobra just stood there like an idiot with his hands ticcing awkwardly.

" Hm— You— fuck!— You changed your hair," Kobra muttered softly. Nova had the shiniest, naturally blonde hair that Kobra had ever seen. It fell down past her shoulders, always a mess, knotted from the wind and stuck to her face. But Nova had cropped it down to chin length and shaved half of her head, leaving the tattoo under her ear in full display. 

"Oh," Nova chuckled. "Yeah I did. Ya like it?" She asked, glancing at Kobra through the bangs that covered her right eye.

Kobra nodded his head eagerly. "Yeah— hmm!" His head jerked forwards as he rocked slightly. "S' cool. Shit— I like it a lot."

"Thanks," Nova smiled at him. "You hungry? Lunch's on me."

"Hm—F-Fuck—" the heel of Kobra's hand pushed against his chin. "Huh! M'good," he shook his head. "But thanks— hmm."

"You sure?" Nova looked a little heart broken. Kobra's stomach twisted with guilt. "Can I least getchya juice or somethin'?" She asked, and Kobra couldn't say no to the offer.

There was a little concession stand next to the audience bleachers, in a fenced off area behind the racetrack. Kobra followed his friend to a cracked wooden picnic table and graciously accepted the bottle of juice that Nova handed him.

"Ya better drink that whole thing, it's hot as fuck out here," Nova commented as she sat down across from Kobra. 

Kobra's lips stretched into a shy smile. "You're not— hm— my mom," he teased.

Nova's jaw dropped. "Hey, m' allowed to worry 'bout my friends!" She argued. "Plus, if ya get dehydrated an' die on me, Poison will fuckin' murder me," she laughed, and Kobra shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't argue with that.

The distant sounds of an argument interrupted Kobra and Nova's conversation. They both quieted down, turning their attention towards the nearby gates. Kobra immediately recognised Full Throttle, who was attempting to kick out two other Killjoys.

"What the fuck, man?" A soft voice exclaimed angrily. Squinting under the sun, Kobra identified a fellow racer, Jump Start, who was trying to push past Throttle. "Just let us in!"

"New rules, can't ya read?" Throttle spat at Jump and pointed at a metal sign beside the gates. "Folks like you can get lost, Jump."

"What's your fuckin' problem?" Jump's friend stepped in. Kobra tilted his head to the side, trying to remember the tall, dark skinned mechanic's name. "It's hot as fuck an' we're hungry. We just want some food."

"You can, Dusty," Throttle crossed his arms. That's right, Kobra thought, his name was Dust Devil. "But Jump here better turn an' leave before we got a problem on our hands."

"Sure as hell sounds like we already do," Jump mirrored Throttle and crossed his arms, too. 

"You think I don't know 'bout your lil' party trick?" Throttle reached out and jabbed his finger against Jump's forehead. "You'll get into all our heads an' play wit' our thoughts."

Jump bared his teeth, looking seconds away from biting Throttle's finger off. "Ya think I jus' do that shit for fun? C'mon, dude," he rolled his eyes.

Kobra glanced back at Nova, who had a scowl on her face. "There's a fuckin' stick up Throttle's ass, y'know that?" She growled.

"What's— huh! Fuck— " Kobra rocked forwards, shaking his hands out. "What's happening?"

"They banned powered 'Joys outta this area," Nova explained with a sour look on her face. "Cowards like Throttle are scared of 'em. Wit' all the powered Crows around, they don't know who to trust anymore."

Kobra's nose scrunched up. "So they kick out anyone with— hmm— with powers?"

"Yep," Nova sighed. "It's fucking bullshit! My brothers at home couldn't come today. They ain't hurtin' no one with their powers! S' not their fault they got that raw deal with the Witch."

Kobra looked back up to see Jump and Dusty giving up. Dusty put his arm around Jump's shoulders and walked him back towards their cars, flipping off Throttle in the process. Throttle had a proud smirk on his face as he smugly walked back to the concession counter.

"By next week, I think they'll make the whole damn Crashtrack power-free," Nova said sadly.

"What?" Kobra's eyes widened. "They can't do that— fuck!" He exclaimed. His hands ticced, slamming his fists into the table. Poison, Ghoul, Jet, and Bug were all powered. If they couldn't come cheer Kobra on at the biggest race of the year next month, then Kobra didn't even want to do it anymore.

"They can do whatever they want," Nova said, sounding defeated. "If our families fight back, then they just become the bad guys that everyone says they are."

Kobra's jaw clenched. "Not fair," he shook his head angrily. He couldn't let this happen. Not at his Crashtrack.

"I swear to Destroya, one of y'all better pick up in five seconds," Cherri Cola's staticky voice crackled through Poison's radio.

The redhead sprinted through the diner, all but diving for the radio that rested on the counter and pressed talk.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Poison frantically answered. "What's up?"

"Y'all ain't home at the diner, are ya?" Cherri asked urgently. "'Cause I got a signal headed straight for ya. S' in Zone 2 right now, but it won't be for long."

"Fuck," Poison cursed and bolted back to their bedroom to grab their gear with the radio still in their hand. "Me an' Jet are here, we're on it. Thanks, Cher."

Behind them, wandering into the room, Bug looked up at Poison expectantly with a fistful of crayons. 

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry," Poison said as they were on the move again. They scooped Bug up in their arms and carried her to the storage room where Ghoul slept. "We're gonna be back right away, 'kay Bug? Jus' hide out in here 'til then."

"But—"

"No!" Poison snapped and immediately kicked themself for doing so. "S' real dangerous right now. Ya gonna have to be alone for a bit," they dropped to their knees in front of her. "Put a brave face on, 'kay? S' all I need from you, Bug."

The girl tilted her chin up and tried to smile at Poison.

"Good girl," Poison kissed her forehead. "Now hang out on Ghoulie's bed. Don't leave this room 'til I come back, and then we can draw together, got it?"

"Got it."

"Good. I love you."

Poison grabbed Jet and they were off, speeding down the dirt roads with every intention of stopping the BL/Ind agents before they got anywhere near the diner. When the Killjoys reached the edge of Zone 3, they nearly crashed into the silver car that was speeding down Route Guano in the opposite direction. Poison swerved, spinning the Trans Am around. Jet reached out through the open window and fired a couple of warning shots, beckoning the exterminator behind the wheel and his dracs into the fight.

Three motorcycles accompanied the BL/Ind car, a draculoid on each one. They leapt off of their vehicles and ran for the Killjoys just as Poison and Jet climbed out of the Trans Am.

"It's like you're begging for it!" A deep voice laughed. The exterminator exited his own car, wielding a Spark Extractor that was already fired up and ready to go. Jet and Poison both knew that the device couldn't hurt them through their protective vests, but it didn't stop the hair on their necks from standing up.

Jet had four draculoids running at her. She stood her ground and clenched her fists, feeling a familiar energy pulse through her. In a bright blue flash, three dead Killjoys appeared in their ghostly forms. The dracs faltered, giving the ghosts a chance to attack. Their blue figures tore through the draculoids' bodies, leaving them in a bloody mess in the sand.

With only one drac left for her, Jet easily put three holes in its chest with her rayguns. She caught the exterminator's gaze from across the fight and smirked. With one swift hand movement, a new ghost appeared behind the Crow and began to scream.

"Augh!" The Scarecrow flinched at the sudden noise that assaulted his ears. In his moment of weakness, Poison pounced and knocked the Spark Extractor right out of his hands. "Hey!" The exterminator shouted when he realised that the Killjoy was right in front of him and swung his fist at Poison's face.

Poison ducked and drove their boot into his gut. He doubled over and grabbed at Poison, who hit him again in the back of his head. With the Crow on his knees, Poison reached for their gun to finish the job. Suddenly, the man attempted to intercept Poison and grabbed at their hand.

The skin to skin contact wasn't something that Poison was expecting. There was a sharp jolt of energy in their fingertips as the Scarecrow began to scream and Poison was transported elsewhere.

"She was our property to begin with," Poison heard a woman's voice inside of the Scarecrow's memory. They could feel the man struggling against them, but they held on and mentally reached further into his head.

"Bring her back to me," Poison came face to face with the Director and their heart sank. "We aren't finished with that little girl yet."

"Pois!" Jet's voice broke through Poison's trance. They gasped heavily and pulled their hand away from the Crow, who used Poison's dizziness to his advantage and swept them right off their feet. 

Poison screamed and landed on their back on the road, knocking the wind out of them. The exterminator loomed over them ominously, smirking at the sight of their struggle. Disoriented, Poison scrambled to retrieve their gun. The exterminator stomped on their arm, pinning it in place and stopping them from getting their weapon.

"Pois!" Jet shouted again. Lasers flew over Poison's head, hitting the Scarecrow in the face, right between his eyes. Hot blood rained down onto Poison, who rolled away just in time before the man's body collapsed on top of them.

"Witch, fuck me," Poison exclaimed, staggering to their feet. Jet grabbed onto their arm to steady them. "We in the clear?" They asked.

"Far from it," Jet groaned as the rumbling of engines grew louder and louder. "He brought backup."

More draculoids stormed in before Poison and Jet could catch their breaths. Jet tilted her head down and glared straight ahead at the oncoming bikes. Poison stood back as her hands began to glow blue once more and the spirits of past Killjoys began charging towards the dracs.

"Round two, I guess," Poison shrugged and started running back into the fight with their gun gripped tightly in their right hand. As they dodged the shots fired at them by the dracs, Poison spotted a second car speeding down the road towards them.

"Shit," they muttered under their breath. This fight wouldn't be over as quickly as they thought.

Jet had the barrel of her gun pressed to a drac's chest when she noticed the car herself. Quickly pulling the trigger and watching the body fall, Jet tried to run to Poison but it was too late. The silver vehicle screeched to a stop between the two Killjoys. The same bald Scarecrow from Hyperthrust jumped out.

The second his feet hit the ground, Jet gasped. She could feel her gift slipping away between her fingers as every last ghost surrounding her flickered out of existence.

"What?" Jet panicked and tried to pull the spirits back, but it was like they were never there to begin with. All of the draculoids that were once held off by the ghosts were freed and started running. Jet screamed when they all jumped, dogpiling on top of her.

"Jet!" Poison shouted as they pushed through the fight. The Scarecrow stepped in their path, grabbing them by the shoulders and throwing them hard onto their back. 

"The girl," he barked. "Where is the girl, Party Poison?" 

"You'll never find her!" Poison screamed at him as they scrambled backwards on all fours across the rough gravel. The Crow pulled out his white raygun and shot at Poison, grazing their left shoulder, but the adrenaline and anger pumping through their veins caused Poison to barely feel it.

The Crow's boots landed heavily with each stomp as he chased after Poison, towering over the Killjoy. They couldn't hear Jet anymore, and they needed to get to her. Poison rolled out of the way, narrowly missing another shot from the Crow. When Poison jumped to their feet, they would've been knocked down again if it wasn't for the high pitched sound of Kobra's bike zipping onto the scene. 

As Kobra sped towards the fight, swerving around the stray draculoids, the exterminator ran towards the blonde and grabbed at his arm. With an impressive amount of strength, the Crow pulled Kobra out of his seat. He hit the ground hard, cracking his helmet, as the bike crashed on the side of the road.

"Kobes!" Poison screamed and ran for their brother. They hauled him to his feet, unaware of the Crow that stood behind them.

"Look out!" Kobra's reflexes were fast enough to whip out his own blaster and save Poison from getting shot in the back by the exterminator. Kobra's gun fired twice. The Crow groaned loudly as both shots hit him in the gut. Blood began to seep through his uniform, staining the fabric red.

"Get Jet, go!" Poison pointed at the swarm of draculoids that Jet had been fighting on her own. As the exterminator painfully stumbled back to his car, the siblings bolted towards Jet.

"This isn't over!" The Crow choked out as he weakly climbed back into his car to make his escape. The engine roared, but he couldn't even step on the gas before a truck crashed into his rear. "Fucking Killjoys!" The Crow cursed and floored the gas pedal.

Ghoul leapt out of his truck and chased after the car on foot, firing again and again at the sputtering car, breaking a few of the windows. "Get the fuck outta here!" He spat as the Crow fled the scene like a coward.

"What the fuck happened!?" Ghoul frantically looked around at the bloody mess of dead draculoids and jumped when he heard Jet scream.

The bright blue glow returned as a new wave of ghosts appeared, chasing the dracs away from Jet. The dracs scattered in all different directions, getting attacked and taken down one by one by the spirits.

"Fuck," Jet coughed, rolling onto her side to spit up a mouthful of blood. "Thanks for the help, guys," she groaned.

Poison dropped to their knees next to her, pushing her hair back to reveal Jet's bruised and bloody face. "Shit, Jetty, m' so sorry," they pulled her jacket off and found the burnt holes in the front of her shirt. Poison was grateful for their protective vests, but still, Jet got a few good shots on her arms and hips. "You're bleeding."

"So are you," Jet replied, reaching up to point at Poison's injured shoulder.

"So is Kobes," Ghoul's voice chimed in as he dragged the younger boy towards the group. Kobra had a huge gash across his back and left arm from when he fell off the bike. "S' this what happens when I leave y'all to fend for yourselves?" Ghoul asked.

"No," Jet shook her head, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "My gift stopped workin' when he showed."

"What?" Poison asked. "That was 'cause of him?"

"What, ya think I wanted to be at the bottom of a fuckin' drac meatpile?" Jet snapped. "Yeah, it was him! 'Cause the ghosts came back the second he ran."

"Shit," Ghoul grumbled and covered his face with the hand that wasn't holding onto Kobra. "Y'all think s' some new tech again? To kill our powers?" He asked, watching a new anger settle in with his teammates.

"S' possible," Poison muttered, sounding defeated. "He came lookin' for Bug again, y'know."

"Pois," Ghoul sighed.

"It's the Director," Poison added, and Ghoul froze. "She's the one after Bug. I saw it in the first guy's head."

"Hmm— we should get off the road," Kobra said quietly.

"Yer right," Ghoul nodded. "Whatever the fuck happened, we can worry 'bout it back at the diner. Bug's waitin', ain't she?"

"Yeah. Let's go home," Poison agreed, helping Jet up. "Bug needs us."

Chapter Text

Poison's scream was heard everywhere throughout the diner, waking Jet and Ghoul with a start. Both Killjoys leapt from their own beds and ran to Poison's room. The redhead had pulled out the switchblade that they kept hidden under their pillow and held it up to Kobra's throat, who looked terrified.

"Pois?" Ghoul asked, wearily, and took a step forward. Jet quickly grabbed his shoulder, keeping him in place by the door. She shook her head at him, afraid of what Poison might do if they were startled again.

Kobra held his hands up defenselessly. "Party— fuck— look at me," he whispered, cautiously taking a step back from his older sibling. The movement must've snapped Poison out of their nightmare-addled thoughts, because they were gasping instantly.

"Shit," they muttered under their breath as they dropped the knife apologetically. Their hands quickly covered their face in embarrassment as they sat back down on their mattress. "Fuck, sorry Kobes."

"I know," Kobra sighed and slowly sat down next to Poison.

For the third time that week, Poison had woken Kobra and the rest of the diner up with their screaming. There was no trying to hide it anymore; Poison was terrified of what BL/Ind had intended to do to their little girl. The team had been targeted and attacked by that bald exterminator who was after Bug again and again, and they weren't anywhere closer to finding out exactly why Bug was being pursued.

Poison couldn't take it anymore. They couldn't keep scaring themself awake with dreams of losing their Ladybug. So, after the Fab Four had decided that they weren't falling back asleep, they devised a plan for the next time they found themself in a clap with a certain Scarecrow.

Unfortunately, the next time the nameless bald man attacked, the Fab Four were attempting to speed away in the Trans Am down the road because Bug was in the car.

"We can't outrun 'em, Pois," Ghoul shouted with his head hanging out the back window as he shot at the car hot on their tail. "We fight 'em or we die."

The Scarecrow was gaining on them, and Poison had no other choice. They slammed on the brakes without warning, eliciting a frightened shriek from the girl sitting between Ghoul and Kobra. The BL/Ind car zipped past the Trans Am. Its tires screeched on the dusty concrete as the exterminator jerked the steering wheel around, coming face to face with the Killjoys.

"Remember the plan," Poison said, pulling their bright yellow domino mask over their eyes. They turned around in their seat to see Kobra unzipping his jacket to cover Bug, who was crawling underneath the backseats.

Stay quiet, Kobra signed to her before holding his finger to his lips. The girl nodded hesitantly with fear in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to grab onto someone. She felt safer in her family's arms. But Bug was smart, and she knew better than to put the others at risk for her own fears. So, hugging her arms around herself, Bug balled up as small as possible and tucked herself underneath Kobra's seat.

Poison glanced over at Jet, noticing the bandages that stuck out from under the collar of her jacket. She'd taken the most damage after their last clap, and while Jet would never admit it herself, Poison knew it was too risky to have Jet on the frontlines this time around.

"You cover Bug," Poison told her with no room for an argument. "Kobes, you're with me. Ghoul?"

"On it," Ghoul nodded his head and all four Killjoys jumped out of the car. Kobra sprinted ahead to catch up with Poison. The two of them would keep the Scarecrow distracted, along with as many draculoids as they could manage. 

The Scarecrow stood back and let his dracs handle round one. Bright lights emitted from the dracs' blasters as they fired at the oncoming Killjoys. Kobra dove straight for the closest drac, knocking it onto its back in the sand. With one boot planted firmly on the drac's chest, Kobra whipped out his own raygun and shot two more dracs running at him.

Poison had a draculoid beneath their knees as they swung a few punches at its face for the hell of it before they shot a hole through its chest. They jumped up from the dead drac just in time to see Ghoul take three shots to the chest. He was protected by the handcrafted gear and the bulletproof shield under his skin, but Poison still felt a sense of panic rush through their veins that had them running towards Ghoul.

"Hey," Poison grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close. Over the high pitched sounds of blasters going off, Poison muttered into Ghoul's ear, "Don't forget that our powers don't work 'round this guy."

"I know," Ghoul shrugged and threw his arm over Poison's shoulder to fire at a drac running up behind the redhead.

Poison huffed. "I swear to the Witch, if ya hurt yourself…"

"Red. I got this," Ghoul smirked, emphasising his words with a quick peck on Poison's cheek. "Don't be stressin' 'bout me, worry 'bout the others."

"Kay, then go!" Poison said quickly the moment they spotted the Scarecrow watching them from afar. They patted Ghoul on the back and let him run one way while Poison ran for the Crow.

He stood still, guarding the front of his new car after Ghoul wrecked the old one. He was just staring at Poison. He wasn't going for his gun or trying to make a move. He just stood there, eyeing Poison up and down.

"How many times do we gotta do this whole dance before y'all give it up?" Poison asked him, desperate for any information on this man's mission at this point. "Y'all ain't gonna lay one finger on my lil' girl."

At that, the bald man laughed quietly. "Oh, she'll be ours," he said as Poison slowly reached for their blaster. "Once I kill every last one of you… Fabulous Four," he spat out their title like he hated the taste in his mouth. 

Poison seethed at him and drew their gun, aiming at the centre of the Crow's forehead, when suddenly arms grabbed them from behind, restraining them.

"Hey!" Poison squirmed in the drac's arms, watching the Scarecrow march towards them with his own raygun heating up. Poison jumped, leaning back on the draculoid, and kicked up at the Crow. With a harsh crack, the toe of their boot collided with the exterminator's chin, sending him staggering backwards.

The force of Poison's kick knocked the draculoid back, freeing the Killjoy from its grasp. Poison stepped a few paces backwards, beckoning the Scarecrow to follow them. They needed to keep the Crow's attention completely on them for Ghoul's sake.

Ghoul crept around the idling silver car, evading every last draculoid's line of sight until he could make it to the back door of the vehicle. He could hear the quips coming from Poison and the exterminator as they faced off in the middle of the road. Quietly, Ghoul pulled open the door and crawled into the backseat of the car.

"Aight, if I was a mission file, where'd I be hidin'?" Ghoul asked himself in a hushed tone. He ducked his head under the seats to find a hidden stash of spare rayguns. "Oh, sweet," he chuckled, grabbing two blasters and tucking them inside his jacket. 

A sudden thump on the roof of the car startled Ghoul. He jumped, whipping around to see a draculoid crouching in the open doorway, glaring at him through the white mask.

"Oh, fuck," Ghoul panicked and squeezed the trigger of one of his stolen rayguns, shooting the drac square in the chest. "Shh," he cringed, lying in the backseat as still as possible, praying that no one had heard the shot or the body hitting the ground.

After a few deep breaths, Ghoul decided that the coast was clear and he sat up, glancing into the front seats. His eyes landed on the glovebox.

"Well, duh," he shook his head and climbed into the front seat. Popping open the glovebox, Ghoul found a thick stack of file folders that were neatly bound together, stamped with the BLi logo, and labeled clearly;

Agent 1306 - Korse - Assignment 1

"Agent Korse, huh?" Ghoul chuckled to himself as he began to flip through the files. "Stupid name for a—"

A body collided against the hood of the car. Ghoul yelped at the sight of Kobra sprawled out in front of him with two draculoids looming over the Kid. Hiding the files under his arm, Ghoul jumped out of the car and began firing rapidly at the agents.

"We got what we need, let's go!" Ghoul shouted and grabbed Kobra, pulling him back to his feet. The two of them bolted towards the Trans Am, attempting to dodge every last shot coming their way.

Jet was waiting by the Trans Am, where she was protecting an six foot radius around the car. She wouldn't let anyone get near Bug. When the boys approached the car, Jet glanced back at them and smiled at the files Ghoul carried. They got what they came for. She almost had a chance to shout a quick praise to Ghoul before she felt the knife in her hand get snatched right out of her grip.

She whipped around to see the Scarecrow—Korse, as Ghoul now knew—standing above her with her own weapon in his hands. He had somehow escaped his fight against Poison and went after Jet. His attention was focused on the painted up Trans Am. He must've known there was something, or someone, important in there.

Jet tried to stop him by reaching up and restraining his wrists, but she wasn't fast enough and the blade slashed along her side, cutting through her gear and drawing blood immediately.

She winced but she didn't cry out in pain. She kept fighting with Korse, wrestling for the knife. Jet grabbed his elbow and drove her knee into his stomach. He would've slashed at her again if it wasn't for the sudden shot from Poison's gun that burnt into his shoulder.

"Get in the 'Am!" Poison yelled at their team while running at Korse. They pushed him off of Jet and watched him stumble backwards painfully. He signalled to the draculoids, who all fell in line. They shielded Korse from Poison's next attacks, allowing Korse to get to his getaway vehicle safely.

Poison tore off their mask and gaped at the sight of a Scarecrow fleeing the scene. For the second time, Korse was running away from the Killjoys as soon as he was injured. Poison knew how the city worked, and they knew that agents in the Scarecrow unit were expendable. Their missions were simple; kill until you get killed. Korse, however, was trying to stay alive. Poison wanted to know why. 

"Red," Ghoul called. "Let's go."

"I can do it, Pois!" Jet argued as the team bursted into Doc's station unannounced. "Ya dunno how many times I stitched myself up, s' fine!"

"For fuck's sake, Jet, let someone help ya for a change," Poison bickered with her as they marched into the kitchen space and swiped a medkit off of the counter. "I'm borrowin' this," they said to Doc as they passed by, dragging Jet to the bathroom with them.

"I'm great, thanks for askin'," Doc rolled his eyes at them.

"Hi, Doc!" Ghoul yelled from where he was raiding the older man's icebox for a soda. "What's good?"

"I was discussin' matters wit' our dear friend Show Pony before we were interrupted," Doc deadpanned, causing Pony to chuckle softly.

"No biggie," Pony shrugged. "Ain't nothin' I love more than a surprise visit from the Fab Four," they smiled as Ghoul sat down on the filthy rug in the middle of the station. "And, of course, their stunnin' lil' girl," they winked at Bug, who sat comfortably in Kobra's lap on the couch.

"Sorry 'bout all this," Ghoul sighed. "Jet was bleedin' a lot an' Pois didn't wanna risk tryna get all the way home."

"S' alright," Doc assured him. "I'll add the supplies to yer tab."

There was another body in the room, standing so quietly in the corner that the others didn't even notice her until she came up behind Pony and tugged on their shirt. Ghoul and Kobra exchanged startled glances with each other, recognising Pony's daughter from the Pony Express a while ago.

Uni Verse grabbed her Papa's attention and lifted her hands to sign the words, Can we go home now?

Pony smiled softly. "In a bit, love," they promised, reaching out to tuck some of Uni's hair behind her ear. She sighed heavily and nervously glanced at the other Killjoys in the room. When she locked eyes with Kobra, he raised an eyebrow at her and signed,

Are we really that boring?

Uni's eyes widened as she flushed a deep shade of pink. Kobra couldn't help but chuckle a bit under his breath at her reaction; she clearly didn't expect anyone else to understand what she was saying in ZSL. 

Sorry, Uni signed back. Kobra shrugged and patted the empty spot next to him. Uni seemed hesitant, but she accepted his offer regardless and joined him on the couch.

So, you know sign? She asked sheepishly.

Kobra nodded his head. I learned last year.

Cool, Uni cracked a small smile. My Papa taught me when I was little. Speaking isn't always the easiest.

"Hmm—" Kobra shifted, adjusting Bug in his lap as he got more comfortable. I know how that feels. My sibling calls it… he bit his lip as he attempted to finger spell; n-o-n-v-e-r-b-a-l.

Uni's lips parted slightly. That makes sense. She shrugged. I'm different, though.

Tilting his head to the side, Kobra eyed her carefully. Different? He asked. How?

Unsure of herself, Uni started to fidget with her skirt before answering, My power is my voice. It get's… she swallowed, pulling at strands of her hair to cover half of her face. Dangerous.

Kobra exhaled heavily, his nose twitching slightly. He was suddenly seeing Uni in a whole new light. She was like him. Or, at least she was like the old him.

I know a thing or two about that, Kobra nodded understandingly. Trust me. I know how hard it is.

Uni didn't pester Kobra for any more answers about his abilities or lack thereof, which Kobra was grateful for. Instead, she asked him, Who taught you ZSL?

I did, Kobra shrugged. I had some help from friends at the Crashtrack. Now I'm trying to teach my crew, he signed with a roll of his eyes. "Hmm—"

Uni giggled. Are they any good?

Poison is alright, Kobra nodded slowly. The other two are still learning. Ghoul probably doesn't understand anything we're saying right now.

The two of them laughed and glanced over at Ghoul sitting on the floor. He shot them a dirty look.

"Hey, y'all talkin' shit 'bout me?" He exclaimed, flipping Kobra off. That got Kobra, Uni, and Bug giggling like crazy. Bug started to squirm until she successfully climbed out of Kobra's lap and hurried over to sit with Ghoul.

What is she to you? Uni asked Kobra curiously as she glanced at Bug. Sister? Niece? Daughter?

Kobra shrugged. All of the above?

They chatted until Poison and Jet came back. Jet, with fresh stitches in her side, and Poison, wiping blood off of their hands. Pony had finished up their work with Doc and took Uni's hand in theirs. She waved goodbye to Kobra, who waved back before Poison snapped their fingers and ordered him to pay attention.

Ghoul sat cross-legged on the floor with the mission files spread out in front of him. The rest of the team sat around him, staring at the pages as if it were rocket science. Ghoul skimmed through them easily, having been experienced with BL/Ind missions already.

"Useless bullshit," Ghoul rolled his eyes as he chucked some papers in Poison's direction. "C'mon! I need the good shit! Stuff we can actually use!"

"Huh—" Kobra's head jerked back as he picked up a file that read 'Assignment Details'.

"Bingo," Ghoul snatched it out of Kobra's hands with a grin. "This is what we want!" He dropped the file right in front of him and threw it open, scanning over the fineprint text.

"Agent 1306, Korse, blah blah blah," Ghoul muttered under his breath. "Aha! Here it is! Four desert rebels under the aliases; Party Poison, Fun Ghoul, Kobra Kid, and Jet Star, to be killed or brought into custody of Better Living Industries," Ghoul read out loud, earning a soft groan from Jet.

"What else is new?" She muttered.

"The desert rebels' mimic child is to be brought to Madam Director immediately," Ghoul continued, cringing slightly. 

"Mimic," Poison muttered while combing their hands through their hair. "So they're after her for her powers." They glanced up at the little girl who stood next to Doc, listening to the conversation wearily, and Poison winced.

"Why don't ya go find somethin' to do in Cherri's room, huh?" Doc asked Bug in a fatherly tone. "S' more fun than this."

Bug nodded and ran off to find Cherri's bedroom, which Poison was grateful for. She didn't need to know the specifics of BLi's pursuit. All that mattered to her was that she was kept safe by her family.

Ghoul flipped the page and immediately scoffed. "Ugh, f'course they have this in 'ere!" He shook his head as he stared down at a file clearly labeled Target: Rio Iglesias in bold letters. Clipped to the pages were a series of x-rays and photographs of Ghoul from his days in Battery City, along with a lengthy description of every technological enhancement in his body.

"They obsessed wit' me," Ghoul joked, making Poison cringe. The city knew everything about Ghoul inside and out. They had every last piece of information they could possibly need to use against him, and yet Ghoul seemed unbothered.

Poison leaned their head onto Ghoul's shoulder. "Keep goin', we don't need to see this shit," they muttered softly, forcing Ghoul to flip open the next file.

There was a lot less information in the next file, and only one black and white image; a stone-faced young girl with long, dark hair weaved into two neat braids. Above it read; Target: Abigail Shiro .

Kobra loudly yelped and snatched up the file, tearing it in the process, and hugged it close to his chest. His breathing picked up instantly, causing his hands to seize up and shake erratically.

"Woah, hey, Kid," Ghoul's eyes widened. "What's wrong? Who was that?"

"Huh—fuck!" Kobra's body rocked forwards, shaking his head. "Hmm—"

"How did they…" Poison trailed off before grabbing at the next one; Target: Kai Shiro.

"Oh," Ghoul exhaled. "I get it now."

"Kobes," Jet's hand rested on Kobra's knee. "S' aight. We ain't gon' think of ya any different."

"Exactly," Poison reached out and swiped Kobra's hair out of his eyes. "That ain't you anymore. Jus' like how this, " they motioned towards their own file. "Ain't me. Well, 'cept maybe that part," they chuckled, pointing at the list of arrests on their criminal record.

"Bad ass," Ghoul smirked, and Poison shoved him slightly.

Kobra suddenly balled up the papers in his hands and chucked in across the room. I want to burn it, he signed, his face scrunching up. "Fuck—fuck!"

"Oh we will. We'll burn all of this junk," Poison nodded eagerly, tossing the files to the side. "What's next?" They asked, opening a page that made Jet nearly puke from just reading the label.

Target: Star Mulero

"As if I'd ever take his name," Jet gagged, glaring down at the pages with disgust painted across her face. "I'm wit' Kobes, let's burn this shit."

"Hold on! There's more here," Ghoul chucked Jet's file at her and she immediately tore it in half with another gag. When she glanced back at the files in Ghoul's hands, she saw grainy photos that were clearly taken on some sort of security camera.

"S' that Bug?" She asked, but her words trailed off into nothing when she read the name plastered at the top.

Target: Carmen Mulero

"That's a crazy coincidence," Ghoul chuckled, but Jet's blood was running cold. "Right?" Ghoul asked, catching Jet's blank gaze.

"Surely," Poison leaned over Ghoul's shoulder and dragged their finger down the file until they found Bug's birth information. "Mother, Jasmine Lewis. Father…" they exhaled shakily.

"...Alexander Mulero," Ghoul finished.

Poison glanced up at the Killjoy across from them who was staring down at the files as if she could burn a hole through them with her eye. "Jet," Poison said so quietly, it was almost a whisper. "Jet, she's your half sister."

Jet wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. She stared straight down at the floor as her hands began to shake and glow softly. One by one, wandering ghosts appeared in every corner of the room, but no one cared about them at that moment.

"Huh—" Kobra reached out for Jet, but she promptly slapped his hand away. Her head shot up to stare at Doc, who had been so uncharacteristically quiet this whole time.

"You knew," she accused him through gritted teeth.

Doc wouldn't look her in the eye. "Well—"

"You knew," Jet said louder, demanding Doc's attention.

He sighed heavily. "I didn't know when y'all took her in," he tried to explain, but Jet wasn't pleased with his excuses.

"But ya found out, an' ya didn't tell us," Jet exclaimed, hauling herself to her feet. "Ya didn't tell me."

Doc pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "I didn't think it was important—"

"Of course it's important!" Jet screamed at him. "She's my fucking sister!"

She faltered. Her knees almost gave out the moment the words left her lips. She's my sister. Panic grew tight in her chest until she couldn't breathe. She's my sister.

"Jet?" Poison slowly stood up and cautiously approached her. "Breathe, girl. The ghosts…"

"I don't give a fuck about the ghosts, Poison!" Jet glared at them before focusing back on Dr. D. "You fuckin' lied to me!"

"Look, I get that yer upset," Doc tried, but he shut up quickly when a certain little girl wandered back into the room with wide, curious eyes.

"Jetty?" She asked softly.

Jet could only stare at her. For the first time, Jet was noticing every little thing about Bug that reminded her of herself. Everything they shared, it was all because of him.

Before anyone could say more, Jet turned on her heel and bolted. She heard her teammates calling out her name, but no footsteps. No one was running after her. Of course, nobody knew how to handle her. Jet was a wreck, always. 

She booked it down the road as fast as she could, running into a crowded area of Zone 2 until she located the back doors of Hyperthrust. The second she pushed through the doors and inhaled the thick, weed-filled air inside the club, she felt a minor sense of relief. She stumbled into the crowd and found the first stranger that could give her a hit before she found herself in front of the bar.

She's my sister. It was repeating in Jet's head over and over again, drowning out everything else. Jet didn't even realise that Mad Gear and Missile Kid were on the Hyperthrust stage until she downed her first drink and her hazy, anxiety riddled mind began to clear.

Someone across the club let out a high pitched shriek, followed by two more terrified shouts. Jet's heart dropped when she saw a handful of strangers gawking at one of Jet's ghosts. Her hands gripped the edge of the bar tighter as more spirits filled up the club, startling the majority of the crowd.

On stage, Mads faltered with the lyrics. He stumbled over his words and tried to keep up with the song, but his eyes were locked on Jet. She recognised that look in his eyes instantly; it was pity. Jet swallowed the lump in her throat and tore her gaze away from the stage. She didn't want his pity. She didn't need anyone's pity, she was fine.

"Jet?" Someone appeared beside her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" She barked, glaring at Cherri Cola.

"You okay?" Cherri asked, glancing nervously at the scene she was causing. "Are you…" he picked up the empty glass that sat in front of Jet. "Fuck, okay. C'mon, Jet, I'll take ya home."

"I don't need—" Jet gasped, choking on her words. 

"Yer freakin' the fuck out," Cherri grabbed Jet's hand, squeezing hard. "Walk wit' me, I'm parked out front. Yer okay. Yer okay."

He helped Jet into his truck, avoiding the ghosts in their path. She wouldn't look at Cherri anymore and just kept her head down, trying to ground herself.

"I won't ask what happened," Cherri offered as he drove Jet away from the crowded club and towards the Fab Four's diner.

With her head in her hands, Jet muttered quietly, "She's my sister."

Bug woke up in the middle of the night, curled up at the foot of Ghoul's mattress. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and stared at Ghoul for a moment. He lay on his stomach, snoring away. Bug giggled quietly before she got up and crept out of Ghoul's storage room.

Poison and Kobra slept less deeply, so Bug was extra careful when tiptoeing past their bedroom on her way to the kitchen. She heard the truck pull up earlier that night. She knew that Jet was home.

Quietly, Bug snuck into Jet's room with her hands behind her back. Jet had dim lights on, illuminating the room with a soft orange glow. On the mattress in the corner of the room, Jet sat with her head against the wall and her knees pulled up to her chest. She was very much not asleep.

"Jetty?" Bug whispered, watching Jet's eye blink open.

"Hey," Jet whispered back without looking at Bug. She sounded tired.

Carefully, Bug walked all the way through Jet's room, right up to her bed.

"They telled me," Bug said.

Jet's gaze flitted towards Bug. "Yeah?" She asked, and Bug nodded. "And whatcha think?"

Rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, Bug shrugged. "I dunno. I think s' cool that we have the same daddy," she replied. "Does that mean you my big sister?"

Jet sighed heavily. "Somethin' like that, yeah."

Bug frowned. "You sound sad."

"M' not," Jet promised. "I just think I been a pretty shit big sister so far."

Eagerly, Bug shook her head. "No," she pouted and jumped onto the bed next to Jet. "I think you the best big sister ever," she said, wrapping her arms around Jet's middle in a tight hug.

Jet shuddered slightly before returning the hug. Tears pricked at the corner of her eye.

"Thanks, babygirl," she kissed the top of Bug's head. "Yer a pretty cool lil' sis, too."

Chapter Text

Seeing Ghoul sitting in a diner booth with a jar of black ink and a needle wasn't anything new to Jet. However, seeing him press that needle into Poison's skin while the redhead was blindfolded . That was certainly new.

"The fuck are y'all doin'?" Jet asked, biting back a laugh at the scene in front of her. 

Poison's head snapped up to smile in Jet's general direction. Ghoul remained focused on the ink-smeared area of Poison's right arm. "Tattoo," he answered easily, and Jet rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I got that part," she quipped. "What's up with the bandana over yer eyes, Pois?"

"S' a surprise," Ghoul answered again, finally looking up to wink at Jet. "They get ta see it when m' done."

From where she sat on the other side of the booth, doodling away on some random scrapped magazines, Bug leaned over the table to peer at the half-finished tattoo.

"It looks wicked," she giggled, throwing out her new favourite word that she had learned from Ghoul a few days ago.

"Shh!" Ghoul scolded playfully. "Don't spoil anythin'!"

"No, no, I need your opinion, babygirl," Poison laughed. "Ghoulie's not a trustworthy artist."

Ghoul gasped dramatically and placed a hand over his heart. "Oh, fuck you!" He teased. "Ya 'prolly got yer first one from some sketchy dude in a weird as fuck shed on the edge of Zone Six, an' m' way better than that!"

Poison laughed so hard that Ghoul had to stop what he was doing because Poison just kept moving. "Y'know what? That ain't that far off."

Jet sauntered over to lean over Ghoul's shoulder and inspect Poison's new ink. "Ya picked a good spot, Pois," Jet hummed. The tattoo was positioned on the inside of Poison's bicep, just above their elbow. "S' easy to hide if Ghoul fucks up," she chuckled, earning a gentle smack from Ghoul as he told her to fuck off.

It was a quiet afternoon in the diner. A rare lull in the stressful lives they all lived. Agent Korse hadn't been spotted in the desert for days—Ghoul attributed that to the injuries he sustained in their last fight—and the drama within the Fab Four had quieted down, too. For the first time in a long time, the team was able to peacefully enjoy each other's company, just like they used to. Although, Poison secretly believed that Jet was still struggling with the idea of her and Bug being sisters, but they wouldn't confront her about it. Not yet.

"Aight," Ghoul tugged at the bandana tied around Poison's head. "Whaddya think?" He asked an hour later, after Jet and Bug had both wandered away and Poison had almost fallen asleep.

Poison ripped off their blindfold with their free hand and glanced down at their arm with a gleeful gasp. Staring back up at them was a goofy looking zombie character, covered in stitches and peeling flesh, with ooze dripping from his mouth. It was absolutely disgusting, and Poison fucking loved it.

"Is this s'posed to be you?" Poison smiled, watching Ghoul's eyes widened.

"Uh, no," Ghoul shrugged. "Maybe? I dunno. I jus' thought it looked cool," he ducked his head down in embarrassment, which Poison thought was pretty cute.

"It's very cool," Poison stared at Ghoul's nervous expression with adoring eyes. "I love it. Thank you," they said softly, reaching out to hold the side of Ghoul's face as they leaned in to kiss him.

They didn't recognise the tingling sensation in their fingertips until it was too late. Before Poison could pull away, the touch of their hand on Ghoul's cheek sent a shock to his core that had him crying out instantly, doubling over in pain as he tried to rip Poison's hand from his face. His head throbbed, the feeling of his brain splitting open pulsed behind his eyes until he toppled over out of the booth and landed on the ground with a loud thud.

"Fuck!" Poison yanked their hand away as fast as they could, but their power worked fast and the damage had already been done. Ghoul sat on the floor, blinking rapidly as he waited for his vision to return and the pulsating sharp pain to disappear.

"M' so sorry!" Poison reached out to help Ghoul, but they quickly retracted their hand out of fear of it happening again. Ghoul rubbed at his temples as he gazed up at Poison, and he smiled sadly at their fearful expression.

"Hey," he said softly, swallowing the hurt. "S' fine, I promise. M' okay."

Poison didn't seem to believe them with the way their head hung low as they stared down at their fidgeting hands. Ghoul sat up onto his knees and shuffled over to sit below Poison, carefully placing his hands on top of theirs. Poison tensed up, their eyes growing wide, but the tension in their body eased just slightly when the touch didn't trigger their powers for a second time.

"See? S' okay," Ghoul tried to reassure Poison.

"This time," Poison huffed under their breath. "What 'bout next time? I never know when s' gonna happen. I can't…" they shook their head. "I can't get the fuckin' thing under control."

"Ya can learn to," Ghoul squeezed Poison's hands and offered a soft smile to the redhead that was avoiding his gaze. "Shit like this takes a while to master, y'know?"

"Hmm," Poison grumbled noncommittedly and pretended to pay attention to whatever they could see out of the diner's windows. Still, they never let go of Ghoul's hands, so Ghoul decided to ask the question that had been on his mind the past few minutes.

"What'd ya see?"

Poison didn't respond at first. They just chewed on their lip, and their eyebrows knitted together the way they always did when Poison was deep in thought. 

"A little girl," they muttered eventually, tilting their head to the side. "I think she's…your sister?" They locked eyes with Ghoul again. "Jade?" They asked, rather confused.

Ghoul's lips parted as he stuttered for a moment before he finally muttered, "Huh?" And he pulled back, separating his hands from Poison's. "Why are ya diggin' so far back, Red?" He forced an awkward laugh. "I ain't seen Jade in ten years."

"I wasn't," Poison corrected as they watched Ghoul pick himself up off the floor. "I don't pick the memories I see, dude."

Ghoul crossed his arms defensively. "Then yer power picked a stupid memory."

"Actually," Poison stood up slowly, eyeing Ghoul carefully. "S' usually memories that you been thinkin' 'bout recently." They saw the way Ghoul stiffened up, as if he was scrambling for an excuse as to why he'd been thinking about his little sister lately.

"How do ya know that?" He asked.

"What?"

"Ya said it yerself," Ghoul shrugged, taking a few steps back from Poison. "Ya can't control yer power. How would ya know that that's how it works every time?"

A sharp pang hit Poison's chest at Ghoul's comment. "I just…know…" they shrugged.

"No, you don't, Poison," Ghoul snapped. "Ya can't control when yer power kicks in, and ya can't control what memories ya see."

Poison blinked, wondering if this was the same Fun Ghoul that was blushing over them no less than five minutes ago. Now, he was standing there, burning holes into Poison's stomach with his glare and pulling out everything Poison hated about themself and their power.

"Yeah," Poison muttered quietly, hugging their arms around themself. "I guess you're right."

Ghoul visibly regretted his choice of words instantly. He opened his mouth to apologise when the front door of the diner swung open, welcoming a shaking, cursing Kobra Kid.

"Haha—ugh! Fuck off—" Kobra's racing helmet clattered on the floor loudly as he dropped it next to the rest of gear before his hands seized up and shook as he shouted, "Huh! Mmm—shit!"

"Kobes?" Poison turned their back to Ghoul and ran for their brother, who had his head tipped back with his shoulders shrugged.

"F-Fuck!" Kobra forced his head back down to look at Poison. "Hmm!" He whistled sharply.

Poison's eyes widened at the sight of a nasty bruise that was growing on the side of Kobra's face. "What happened?" They asked.

Their question was quickly answered when Kobra's left hand shot up, hitting himself in the face and eliciting a small whimper. "Fuck you!"

"Oh, fuck, Kobes," Poison cringed as their brother's hands beat against his own face and chest again and again between grunts and curses. He was weak on his feet. His knees were shaking and would give out at any moment. Poison briefly wondered how Kobra was able to drive home, but shoved that thought aside in favour of helping Kobra to the couch.

"Agh! Aye—aye—aye!" Kobra's voice was hoarse and overused. His shouts sounded strained and tired. "Get outta here, freak!" His head snapped back, bashing into the cushions behind him. 

"Breathe, Kid," Poison frowned, brushing the hair out of Kobra's eyes as he blinked rapidly. The heel of the Kid's hand thumped into his brow bone, and Poison had enough. They reached out and grabbed Kobra's wrists, pinning them down and preventing Kobra from hitting himself again. "Breathe."

"Shit—fuck y—huh!" Kobra winced when his head thrashed to the side, stretching his neck in the wrong direction. "Hmm!" He tried to focus on Poison's slow, consistent breaths, attempting to match them, but his tics got the best of him and he was rocking forwards, cursing again.

Kobra usually didn't get like this unless something set him off. Poison needed to figure out what happened while the Kid was out, but they had to get him calmed down first.

"Do you—" Poison started, but they were briefly interrupted by Kobra shouting in their face. "Ah, fuck it," Poison stood up and marched over to the diner windows, pulling their handmade curtains shut until it was nearly pitch black inside the diner. They heard Kobra release a shuddering breath; a small sign of relief.

"You're okay," Poison whispered as they slowly sat back down, pulling Kobra into a hug with enough pressure to not set him off again. "Breathe, an' then tell me what happened."

"Hmm—" Kobra leaned into Poison's embrace, punching them slightly. "S-Sorry," he choked out. "Huh—mm— They, uh— fuck! They banned— hm— banned p-powered 'Joys— aye!" Kobra's head jerked back, nearly hitting Poison's face.

"Banned from where?" Poison tried not to let the panic they were feeling show in their voice. It would've only worked Kobra up again.

"The— hmm!" Kobra's hand squeezed Poison's wrist as he tried to stop himself from hitting something again. "Crashtrack," he finally muttered.

"What?"

Poison and Kobra's heads shot up in unison when Jet finally spoke up from the other side of the room.

"Sorry," she cringed, tip-toeing over to Kobra through the dark. "I saw the lights go out and I thought…" she handed Kobra one of the diner's only sealed water bottles, which he took without protest.

"Fuck off, freak," Kobra spat with a shake of his head. "Thanks."

"How the fuck could they do that?" Poison asked, quickly turning the conversation back on its head. Jet quietly sat down on the floor by Kobra's feet. She and Poison both looked at Kobra, waiting for an explanation.

He sipped at the water slowly, staring at his shaky hands. "F-Fuck—hmm— get rid of the— huh— freaks," he mumbled angrily.

"That's rich," Poison scoffed. "We're Killjoys . We're all freaks."

Kobra squirmed in Poison's arms. "M' not—" he whistled. "Shit— M' not telling you s' right— hmm— m' telling you it fucking happened," his voice cracked slightly, just enough for the others to notice.

"S' okay," Jet put her hand firmly on Kobra's knee. "We can figure this out."

Kobra shook his head wildly. "M' not going back," he said with more certainty. His shaking hands sloshed the water bottle, spilling it onto himself and Poison. "Fuck off, freak!"

"Kobes, you're not powered anymore," Poison reminded their brother as they helped him steady his hands. They didn't care about the liquid soaking into their jeans. "You could still race."

"No," Kobra said quickly, rocking forwards. "No. Not— fuck off— not without you— freak!"

Poison was still in their head about things long after Kobra had fallen asleep and they had left with Ghoul to Hyperthrust. The drive to the club was awkward and silent. Neither Poison nor Ghoul even tried to start a conversation. Poison just couldn't stop thinking about what Kobra had told them earlier.

Powered Killjoys. Banned from somewhere as Zone-famous as the Crashtrack. Poison's grip tightened on the steering wheel until their knuckles turned white. Life in the desert was dangerous enough on its own. And now powered Killjoys had less and less to protect themselves with. The Crashtrack would be the first of many to kick out the 'Joys with powers. Soon enough, nowhere would be safe for Poison, especially if they got caught. It only took one wrong touch for the curtains to be pulled back and everyone would know that Poison was some out of control telepathic and—

"Dude, you missed our turn," Ghoul said suddenly.

"Shit," Poison jerked the wheel, turning the car around. "Sorry."

Walking into Hyperthrust, Poison was on high alert. Ghoul placed his hand on their lower back, guiding them through the back doors, the crowd, and the door that was spray painted with 'employees only'. Poison was more focused on the strangers around them, drinking and singing along to the DJ's remixes. They were hyper aware of everyone who bumped into them on their way in. Poison was terrified of making any accidental skin to skin contact and creating a scene. With their arms hugged closely to their own body, Poison let Ghoul push them into the back room, just as Star Lyte was coming out.

"Where ya goin'?" Ghoul asked. "The night ain't even started yet!"

Lyte stopped dead in her tracks in front of the two Killjoys with a glare that could cut like a knife. 

"I was fired," she spat. She kept walking, but Ghoul side stepped into her path, forcing her to stay.

"What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"I said I was fired," Lyte crossed her arms and scowled, but she wasn't fooling anyone with her watery, bloodshot eyes.

"They can't do that!" Poison exclaimed. "Girl, you know this place better than anyone. Hyperthrust isn't Hyperthrust without you!"

Lyte sniffled softly. "Tell that to our boss," she blinked back tears, keeping her jaw clenched angrily. "He won't believe you. He only believes that I'm gon' kill everyone here just because I'm powered."

Poison's heart dropped through their stomach. "No," they whispered, shaking their head. "Not here, too."

Lyte nodded sadly. "My brother was kicked out of the Crashtrack. We're, uh," she tucked her bright blue hair behind her ear. "We're jumpin' ship. Gon' find work in the outer Zones."

"And if ya can't?" Ghoul asked quietly.

Lyte shrugged. "Then we're fucked."

Poison pulled her in, throwing their arms around her in a sympathetic hug. "M' so sorry," they muttered before they let Lyte go, feeling the guilt that weighed them down. Lyte didn't deserve this. No one did. Poison's boss was a monster for firing Lyte, but at the same time, he was the man that gave them carbons at the end of the night, and Poison needed those carbons.

Before their shift started, Poison dug through their bag and retrieved a pair of brown leather gloves that belonged to Kobra. With their boss firing anyone with a power, Poison couldn't risk getting caught. And minimising that risk meant making sure no one touched them all night.

"Really?" Ghoul's voice startled Poison as they got settled behind the bar, causing them to nearly jump out of their own skin when Ghoul asked, "Are ya serious?" while staring at Poison's hands.

"Yeah, m' serious," Poison stared at Ghoul like the answer should've been obvious. "Ghoul if we get caught, we're done. You saw what happened to Lyte."

Ghoul let out a long, slow sigh. He stepped forwards just as Poison stepped back, keeping space between them.

"We ain't gonna get caught, Red," Ghoul said.

" You won't!" Poison scoffed. "It'd take someone rippin' your pants off to see that your legs ain't real. An' even then, they jus' look like prosthetics. So actually, someone would need to stab you to figure you out." 

Poison continued to rant while Ghoul kept his mouth shut. "But if I jus' touch someone at the wrong time, I'm fucked," they threw up their hands for emphasis, showing off the leather gloves that were already getting their hands sweaty. "So yeah, m' serious about this shit."

Ghoul stared up at Poison silently for a moment, listening to Poison's frustrated huffs. 

"Are ya mad at me?" He asked eventually, keeping his voice down so none of the partygoers could overhear.

Poison sighed and leaned forwards, resting their hands on the bar. Without even looking at him, they told Ghoul, "We're out of zonebrew up here, go get a new barrel from the back."

As they served customers, Poison could feel their jaw aching from how hard they clenched it shut. They hardly said anything throughout their entire shift. Just simple head nods and half smiles, which was completely out of character for the usually chatty bartender. But Poison was terrified. Every time their sleeve rolled up slightly, they'd panic internally as they rushed to cover the exposed skin of their wrist. They couldn't let anyone even brush past them, fearing that there would be some accidental skin to skin contact.

Because Ghoul was right; Poison was out of control. They weren't mad at Ghoul, they just hated that all he said was the truth. 

A familiar buzzing sound pulled Poison away from their work as they ran to check their portable radio that sat on the back shelf. Pulling out the antenna, Poison quickly recognised Cherri's frantic voice on the other end of the frequency.

"Ya got somethin' for us?" Poison asked, ignoring the impatient Killjoys that were hitting the top of the bar, demanding service.

Cherri growled frustratedly. "S' too late, this one got away," he reported, and Poison cursed under their breath. "But they a far ways from the city still. Y'all need to stop 'em before they get those sparks to some fuckin' lab."

"Copy that," said a voice that wasn't Cherri Cola's. Poison smiled to themself hearing that Kobra was awake and well. "Poison, Jet an' me can catch up if— fuck— you an' Ghoul go now."

"Headin' straight down Route Guano," Cherri stated. "They comin' to you, Pois."

"I feel so special," Poison quipped before dropping their radio and running out of the bar. In the back of their mind, they thought about getting someone to cover the rest of their shift, but their boss would figure it out eventually. Poison was the leader of the Fabulous Four, after all.

At the back doors where Ghoul stood guard, Poison sprinted through and grabbed him by his elbow, pulling him to the Trans Am. Ghoul understood an emergency when he saw one and asked no questions before climbing into the passenger seat and letting Poison tear off into the night without a word.

They travelled at full speed for a couple of miles before Poison veered off the road and put the Trans Am in park. There, sitting a few yards away from Route Guano, Poison shut the headlights off to hide themself and Ghoul in the dark.

Ghoul knew they were waiting for something, and he had a pretty good guess that Cherri clued Poison in on the location. The redhead sat in silence, leaning over the steering wheel and squinting into the distance. 

"What are we lookin' for?" Ghoul asked. His voice sat just above a whisper, but Poison acted as though he hadn't said anything at all.

With a sigh, Ghoul shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Look, whatever I did—or said—m' sorry, 'kay?" I just—"

"Shh," Poison interrupted, to which Ghoul frowned slightly. "I think I see headlights."

Ghoul perked up at the distant sound of a roaring engine. He slipped his blaster out of its holster, feeling it heat up in his hands. Poison shifted, gripping the steering wheel tightly and hovering their foot over the gas pedal. Ghoul didn't know who they were about to be facing, or just how many agents they'd be up against, but he was ready the moment a sleek, black BL/Ind car zipped past and Poison chased after it.

Climbing on the seats the best he could on the rough road, Ghoul popped up through the sunroof and immediately started shooting at the tires of the BLi vehicle, hoping to chase it off the road. Seconds later, two agents in white jackets began retaliating through the backseat windows. Ghoul narrowly dodged a few stray shots as the two cars swerved left and right. Still, he managed to hit one of the agents right between the eyebrows, painting the side of the black car red.

Ghoul's blood ran cold when he heard multiple engines coming up behind him. "Oh, shit," he winced, spinning around to see two dirtbikes ripping down the road and trying to catch up with the Trans Am. Ghoul nearly shot at them, except he knew those two helmets anywhere.

Jet waved at him before speeding up ahead, driving parallel with the BL/Ind car. She aimed at the windows, firing again and again, trying to break the glass. Shot after shot ricocheted off of the bulletproof glass before she pulled back.

Ghoul dropped back into his seat just in time to see Kobra on the opposite side successfully take out the other armed agent. If Ghoul could guess, he'd say they only had two Crows left in the front seats. He was proud of his team, until he realised that they had travelled a good distance into Zone 1.

"Red," Ghoul shouted over the Trans Am's engine and the sounds of Jet and Kobra's blasters. "Red!"

"What?" Poison snapped.

"This road," Ghoul pointed ahead. "S' gonna take us straight into neutral territory, Pois, we gotta turn around."

Poison let out a frustrated noise. "We can't turn around! We're too close, we almost got 'em!"

"Poison, it's a trap!" Ghoul yelled, and the anger in his voice must've made something in Poison's brain click, because suddenly they were slowing down and letting the BLi car get further and further away.

Poison signalled out the window, sending Jet and Kobra off in one direction while Poison and Ghoul went the other. They took the long way around Zone 1, losing all sight of the BLi agents, and hopefully convincing BL/Ind that they had given up. Poison drove into a deep valley hidden behind a tall rock formation on the edge of the neutral zone, which is where they elected to leave the Trans Am for the time being.

They met up with Jet and Kobra again. The four Killjoys were crouched behind the Scarecrow's now-abandoned car, watching a team of BL/Ind agents load equipment into a nearby building.

"They got labs out here now?" Jet asked, disgusted. "So they jus' took this whole Zone for 'emselves?"

"What are they doin' with sparks here?" Kobra whispered with his hands over his mouth to keep himself silent as he hummed, "Shit—mm."

Poison glared straight ahead at the agents, eyeing up the draculoids that stood guard around the lab. "I don't wanna wait to find out," they muttered. "C'mon," they motioned for the team to begin an ambush. But before Poison could even stand, a hand was on their shoulder holding them back.

"Poison, wait," Ghoul whisper-shouted, pulling the redhead back behind the car before they were caught. "We can't."

Jet, Kobra, and Poison all turned their heads to stare at Ghoul with matching complexed looks. Ghoul was usually the last of the Fab Four to ever turn away from a fight. But this time was different. This time, Ghoul couldn't take his eyes off of a certain Scarecrow.

A tall, threatening woman with thin eyes and straight black hair gave orders to the other agents moving into the lab. She stood a few inches above the rest, in thigh-high black boots and a white coat stamped with the BL/Ind logo. The other Killjoys didn't recognise her, but Ghoul seemed to be lost in his own memories when he looked at her.

"What?" Poison asked after a few beats of silence. "Ghoul? Who is that?"

Without taking his eyes off of her, Ghoul muttered, "Agent Avalon."

"Who?" Jet asked.

"She's bad news," Ghoul shook his head, meeting his teammates eyes with uncharacteristic fear. "Ya don't wanna fuck wit' her, 'kay?"

"Ghoul, she has a 'Joy's sparks," Poison argued. "We can't let her get away with 'em and do Destroya knows what with 'em."

"Poison's right, we gotta stop her," Jet leaned forwards to add. "S' what Cherri sent us here to do."

"I dunno," Ghoul shook his head again. His hands started to fidget with his jacket, rubbing his finger tips over his metal sternum. "S' too risky."

"Ghoul—" Poison opened their mouth, but they shut themself up when a white truck across the lot started up, and a handful of the agents climbed in. It was headed back into the city, leaving a few draculoids, two Scarecrows, and Agent Avalon behind.

"S' now or never," Kobra pointed out, pulling his helmet back on.

"We're movin' in," Poison decided, glancing over at Ghoul. "You comin' with?"

With a heavy sigh, Ghoul gave in. "Fine," he muttered, knowing that he couldn't change Poison's mind now. "But y'all see that gun on her leg?"

Strapped to her tall boots, Avalon had a gold and silver weapon attached to a vial of neon blue and a long needle at the tip.

"That ain't a normal blaster," Jet commented, and Kobra shivered.

"Do not let it get close to you," Ghoul demanded, his voice a mix of anger and fear. "Y'all hear me?"

All three Killjoys nodded.

"Let's fuckin' go," Poison signalled their hand forwards and they all jumped out from behind the car at once, guns blazing. They charged towards the lab as fast as they could to catch the agents off guard. Avalon was the first to spot them coming.

"Killjoys!" She yelled, sicking her mind controlled draculoids on the four rebels like a pack of dogs. Kobra and Poison took on two dracs each, holding them back so Jet and Ghoul could get to the Crows.

Jet swung an uppercut at one of the Scarecrows, driving her dagger into his stomach. He faltered, but his left fist didn't dare drop the glass container he held onto. The glass was half full of a substance so green it nearly glowed. Jet knew it was the sparks they'd stolen; sparks that belonged to an innocent Killjoy.

Her knife was quickly tucked into her boot while the Crow threw punches with his free hand. Jet swiftly whipped out both of her blasters, shooting matching holes into the man's hips. She watched him stumble back and grabbed onto his left wrist, forcing the sparks out of his grip. 

With a sudden second wave of adrenaline, the Crow pushed back, shoving Jet to the ground and knocking the sparks right out of her hand. The glass hit the ground and shattered. Green sparks seeped into the dirt and disappeared.

"Fuck," Jet mumbled to herself as she shot at the Crow above her, hitting his heart and taking him out instantly. She thought she was in the clear, but the sharp tip of Avalon's heel was suddenly piercing the flesh of Jet's stomach.

"Now look what you've done," Avalon sighed as she kicked Jet hard, forcing her to roll over into the broken glass. Jet felt the shards cutting into her hands and face as she scrambled back to her feet. Avalon had a tight grip on the collar of Jet's jacket by the time she got up again.

In Jet's blindspot, Avalon pulled her gun on the Killjoy, aiming the sharp needle at the side of Jet's neck. Jet gasped as she turned around, unable to run from Avalon's hold. Her finger hovered over the trigger threatening to inject Jet with whatever was in that gun.

"Get away from her!" Ghoul yelled suddenly, kicking Avalon back with all the power in his mechanical legs. Ghoul grabbed Jet by the shoulders, checking her over with wide, panicked eyes.

"Hey," Jet placed her hand on the side of Ghoul's face. "I'm good."

"Good," Ghoul nodded. "Now let me handle her."

Avalon slowly walked back over to the Killjoys, beckoning Ghoul over with a smirk on her face. "You've gotten stronger over the years," she told him. Her voice made Ghoul's skin crawl. "It's unfortunate your brain was so useless to us. You would've been such an asset to keep around."

"I thought you'd be fired by now," Ghoul growled.

Avalon shrugged. "I thought you'd be dead," she swung her fist at the side of Ghoul's head, but his reflexes acted quickly, catching her by the wrist. He twisted her arm to the side, watching the way Avalon's smirk contorted into a full evil grin. 

Ghoul looked down at Avalon's hand and found a metal cuff around her wrist that was attached to the rings around each of her fingers. Her fingers moved rhythmically. High pitched electronic sounds buzzed as she manoeuvred her hand around, as if she was controlling something remotely.

"What the fuck…" Ghoul muttered.

On the other side of the fight, Poison was blasting holes through the masks of every draculoid that came their way. More dracs spilled out of the labs, keeping the Venom siblings busy and distracted. 

Poison had their hand on a draculoid's throat when a massive bug landed on their shoulder. They didn't flinch. After six years in the desert, Poison was used to the freaky insects that roamed the Zones as a result of the radiation.

Unfortunately, Poison failed to realise that this was no mutated insect. The bug was made of metal, and its bulbous body was actually a glass vial carrying the same neon liquid that was inside Avalon's gun. 

Its pincers dug into Poison's skin. They didn't hear their team's shouts before they started screaming.

Poison's gun fell into the sand. Their hands shot up to grab at the sides of their head as they stumbled. They couldn't figure out where the pain was coming from, they just knew it was there . 

"Red!" Ghoul sprinted towards them, holding his hands out as if he expected Poison to fall. Their vision was going blurry and their head was spinning. Behind Ghoul, two other fuzzy figures approached Poison, terrified.

"Are you okay?" Jet asked urgently, out of breath. Poison was so disoriented, they didn't even realise that Avalon and her dracs must've made their escapes.

"Mmm," Poison groaned, reaching out blindly until they felt Ghoul's hands in theirs. "Ghoulie, what's wrong with me?" They whimpered before their legs gave out. They fell to their knees and screamed, ducking their head down as if they were hiding.

"No!" Poison sobbed, rocking back and forth. "Stop! Stop! Stop! Please, stop it!" They begged. Jet and Kobra stared in shock, and Ghoul's heart dropped.

"Shit," he shook his head. "Fuck! How the fuck did she get you?" Ghoul cried, putting his hands on Poison and shaking them. "Poison?"

Poison shrieked at the sudden contact and scrambled back on their hands to get away from Ghoul. "No!" They sobbed again, tears streaming down their pale face. "Let him go!" They screamed at Ghoul. "Please!"

"What the fuck happened?" Jet shouted over Poison's sobbing. Kobra was pressed into her side, staring at his screaming older sibling and shaking.

Ghoul's hands clenched into fists. "I told you she was bad news!" He yelled at Jet. "We gotta get Poison home before it gets worse."

He bent down and picked Poison up, throwing their body over his shoulder as they kicked and let out a blood curdling scream, as if Ghoul's touch alone was killing them. But Ghoul persisted and hauled the redhead back to the Trans Am, dropping them into the backseat.

Ghoul drove home as fast as he could. Jet and Kobra followed the Trans Am closely, their hearts racing. They thought they could make it home in time, but halfway through Zone 2, the Trans Am's wheels screeched across the pavement as the car spun off the road.

Jet and Kobra hopped off of their bikes just as they saw Ghoul jumping out of the Trans Am with a quick shout. Kobra ran to his side a few seconds before Poison climbed out of the backseat with their gun drawn, aiming at their teammates.

"I told you to leave him alone," Poison barked and pulled the trigger. They shot at Ghoul a few times, burning the shoulder of his army green jacket. Kobra leapt forwards, trying to stop his sibling, but ended up taking a shot to the stomach.

"Kid!" Jet shouted as Kobra muscled through the pain and kicked the gun out of Poison's hands. Jet dove in and grabbed Poison to hold them back from hurting their own little brother again. They viciously began scratching at Jet. Their sharp nails dug into Jet's face hard enough to draw blood before their boot crashed into Jet's stomach, knocking the wind right out of her.

"Red, stop it!" Ghoul pleaded as he approached, but Poison stared at him like he was a different person. Their hand gripped Ghoul's throat, triggering a response inside Ghoul that he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Before he could even realise what he was doing, Ghoul threw a panic induced punch at Poison's face with all of the strength in his mechanically enhanced arm, successfully knocking Poison out. Their body collapsed in the sand with a hard thud, and Ghoul winced.

"Fuck! Poison," Ghoul dropped to his knees, lifting Poison's head out of the sand and into his lap. "Shit, m' sorry," he apologised pathetically.

"Ghoul," Jet panted, resting her hands on her knees. "What the fuck is happening?"

"I warned y'all 'bout Avalon!" Ghoul yelled at her. "I told y'all that it was a bad idea, but ya wanted to fight her anyway! Now her drug's in Poison's system and it's our fucking fault!" Ghoul ranted as he picked Poison back up to put them back in the Trans Am.

Kobra and Jet both flinched at the word 'drug'. 

"Are they gon' keep tryna kill us?" Jet exclaimed, watching Kobra weakly limp back to his bike. 

"Yes!" Ghoul shouted. "So we gotta get 'em home now!"

After a painstaking drive home, Kobra finally kicked through the front door of the diner, holding it open for Ghoul with one hand wrapped around his bleeding midsection. Jet ran in and grabbed one of the few diner chairs that didn't have a broken leg and set it in the middle of the main room.

Ghoul dropped Poison into the chair and began tying their wrists behind their back, and then their ankles to the front chair legs. It hurt Ghoul to do this to the person he loved, but Kobra was doubled over in pain in a booth because of Poison, and the team couldn't risk Poison waking up and attacking them again.

A soft gasp came from the back of the diner and Ghoul's blood ran cold. He had forgotten who was on babysitting duty. He looked up sheepishly and spotted Show Pony staring at the scene in front of them. Their eyes were nearly popping out of their skull at the sight of Ghoul and Jet tying Poison to a chair and Kobra wrapping bandages around himself.

Hugging Pony's leg, little Ladybug peeked out from behind them and burst into tears.

"Don't come any closer," Jet ordered as she helped Ghoul tighten the ropes around Poison's limbs. Pony nodded, albeit confused, and picked Bug up, hugging the girl close to their chest.

Poison's eyes slowly blinked open. A low, pained groan escaped their lips as they groggily woke up. Jet and Ghoul both backed up carefully, waiting for the aggression to return. Sure enough, once Poison realised that their arms and legs were bound, they started to scream again.

"Let me go!" They squirmed, pulling against their restraints. "Fucking let me go!"

"Poison!" Bug shrieked, pushing both of her hands against Pony's chest until she was able to jump out of their arms and run towards the redhead. Her little arms hugged Poison's leg as she cried.

"Get off!" Poison screamed. A glob of spit landed in Bug's hair. "Don't fucking touch me, creep!"

Jet swooped in and pulled Bug away from Poison as they continued to thrash under the ropes. Bug shrieked and sobbed, clinging to Jet's jacket.

"Shh, they didn't mean it," Jet whispered, hugging Bug against her chest and covering the girl's face so she didn't have to look at Poison anymore.

"Okay," Show Pony crossed their arms. "What the fuck is going on?" They demanded an explanation. Kobra and Jet both looked to Ghoul for answers, ignoring the way Poison was screaming, "I'm gonna kill you all!"

Ghoul closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Phantasm," he said.

"What?"

"Phantasm," he repeated. "S' the drug that Avalon uses to weaken her targets. It traps you inside violent hallucinations."

Kobra got up out of the booth slowly, creeping towards Poison and sitting down on the floor in front of the redhead, just out of reach. 

Jet stared at Ghoul as he explained. "Hallucinations?" She asked.

"They're flashbacks. Your worst memories," Ghoul looked up at Poison, who glared back at him. "Pois doesn't see us," he winced when Poison cursed at him. "Or hear us. To them, we somebody else."

"How long does it last?" Pony asked quietly.

Ghoul shrugged. "Not sure."

Jet's arms tightened around her crying little sister. "And what if it never wears off?"

"It will," Ghoul assured her.

"How would you know?" Jet asked defensively, and Ghoul's shoulders hunched over.

"Because Avalon tested it on me," Ghoul spat, creating a hush over the room save for Poison's efforts of escaping. Kobra and Pony both stared at the floor. Jet stared at Ghoul sympathetically, and Ghoul just wanted to disappear.

"I told you we shouldn't have fucked wit' her."

Three hours went by. Poison switched between screaming, crying, fighting, and swearing at anyone who got too close. Show Pony had gone home after forcing Ghoul to call them as soon as the Phantasm wore off. Jet took Bug to bed after she cried herself to sleep in Jet's arms. Ghoul had wandered off, seeming to have something else on his mind.

Kobra sat on the floor right in front of Poison with his knees pulled up to his chest for the entire rest of the night.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Ghoul had said about the Phantasm. They're flashbacks, your worst memories. Kobra and Poison hadn't spent more than a few days in their whole lives apart from each other, and yet Kobra had no clue what memory Poison was trapped inside. Fear had Kobra's heart gripped in an iron fist. What didn't he know? What did Kobra miss?

By the time the sun had started to peek out over the horizon early the next morning, Kobra found himself still staring up at his older sibling and listening to their desperate pleas.

"I'm sorry…" Poison sobbed. "Please…don't…don't hurt him…" Their whole body shook. The skin of their wrists were rubbed raw, bleeding beneath the rope. "Don't hurt him. Take me instead…please…"

"Hmm—shit—" Kobra's stomach churned. He didn't know why, but Kobra had a nauseating feeling that he was the "him" that Poison spoke about.

"Don't hurt him," Poison begged. "Take me. Take me!"

Kobra had enough of this. He crawled over to Poison and untied their legs, letting their numb feet hit the floor as a gasp left their lips. Carefully, Kobra placed his hands on Poison's shoulders and whispered quietly.

"Poison? Pois, s' me— hm— s' me."

Poison blinked, mumbling pleas under their breath.

Slowly, Kobra reached around and freed Poison's wrists, taking their blood stained hands in his. "Party?"

Poison's hands suddenly held on tightly to Kobra's. "Kobes?" They whispered, their voice cracking.

"Yeah, yeah s' me," Kobra cautiously pulled Poison out of the chair and let their exhausted body fall into his lap, hugging them close.

Poison clung onto their brother as they started to shake. "M' sorry," they whimpered, their tears soaking through Kobra's bandages.

"S' okay," Kobra promised, rocking himself and Poison until exhaustion took over Poison's body and they fell asleep right there on the floor. Kobra, however, stayed wide awake. His sibling's words echoed in their head until morning.

Please don't hurt him. Take me instead.

Chapter Text

It was four in the morning, and Korse stumbled through the dark hallway of an apartment complex on the East side of the city. He dragged his feet as though his boots were made of cement, getting heavier with each step, until he finally reached the right door. 

His hands fumbled with the keys as he unlocked his apartment. The door swung open to reveal a thin but muscular man waiting on the other side, as if he knew Korse would be there. He stood just a few inches shorter than Korse, in bare feet and a large navy t-shirt. His ink black hair was a stark contrast to his pale skin, flushed slightly pink as he beamed up at the bald man standing in the doorway. 

His arms flung themselves around Korse’s neck and Korse’s lips were suddenly attacked with another, much softer set of lips. He froze for half a second before his large hands pressed against the other man’s shoulders and shoved him inside the apartment, slamming the door behind them.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” Korse exclaimed. “You know they have cameras in these halls!”

“And you know that they don’t check them.”

Hands returned to Korse’s midsection, pulling him back in. Korse sighed heavily, letting out a breath he’d been holding in all day. 

“Daniel,” he muttered.

“Shh,” the shorter man shushed him. “This is still Korse-at-work speaking to me,” Daniel reasoned. “Where’s my Korse, hm? Come back to me, baby.”

As Daniel began pulling the heavy grey jacket off of Korse’s shoulders, Korse shuddered and dropped his head low to rest on top of Daniel’s, breathing in a familiar scent. He could feel the hurt behind Daniel's words, and guilt seeped into his gut.

"I'm sorry," Korse said quietly. His hands hovered over Daniel's body, unsure if he should even try to touch him. His silent questions were answered, however, by Daniel leaning into him, welcoming Korse's embrace.

"I know you are," Daniel whispered. "Come sit," he pulled gently on Korse's wrist, guiding him towards the couch in the living area of their cramped apartment. Korse let his jacket fall carelessly to the floor and joined Daniel on the soft cushions, feeling Daniel's careful hands begin to push at his shirt collar.

"What happened?" Daniel asks, inspecting a fresh new injury that stretched from Korse's collar bone and down his shoulder. Daniel's fingertips brushed gently over the new stitches. Korse sighed under the touch.

Daniel was a nurse at Battery City's general hospital. He was far smarter than Korse ever could be, and his heart was twice the size of anyone else inside this god forsaken city. He put his whole soul into his work, and he still had enough to give late at night when Korse came home, broken and bitter. Because Daniel could see beyond Scarecrow Agent 1306. He was the only person who was able to patiently peel back the layers of Korse's training to get to his heart. He was the only person Korse truly loved.

"Did they do this to you?" Daniel whispered, and both men knew who 'they' were.

"No," Korse shook his head stiffly. "That happened on the job," Korse reached for his own shoulder, placing his hand on top of Daniel's. "Rebels."

A quiet sigh of relief escaped Daniel's lips. "Are they sending you back tomorrow?"

"Probably," Korse muttered, and Daniel suddenly pulled away.

He got up silently and padded off to the kitchen, opening the white cabinets in search of his favourite wine glasses. In passing, Daniel tried not to pay attention to the row of pill bottles that decorated the kitchen counters; eight different prescriptions that the city kept Korse on to 'maximise his performances on the job', whatever that meant.

Daniel returned with two full glasses of red and sat back down. This time, he settled himself on Korse's good side to avoid hurting him more than he already was. Korse glanced down as he accepted the drink from Daniel and caught a glimpse of the shiny wet look in Daniel's eyes. He blinked away the tears, but failed to conceal a quiet sniffle.

"Why…" Korse quickly set his glass on the coffee table and wrapped his arm around Daniel's shoulders. "Why are you crying?"

Daniel curled into Korse's side, shaking as he swallowed back sobs. 

"Because you can't."

Korse woke up to the sound of fists pounding on the apartment door. He sat up abruptly in bed, glancing around the master bedroom while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The banging continued. Next to Korse, Daniel snored softly, their legs were tangled together.

Korse dragged himself out of bed, pulling on the first shirt he found on the floor of the terribly messy bedroom. Daniel rolled over and groaned, so Korse quickly pulled the blankets up over his body, tucking Daniel in right up to his chin. Tip-toeing out of the room, Korse locked the bedroom door before he approached the front of the apartment.

Sometimes, Korse forgot about the tracking chip that was conveniently hidden under the skin of his neck. But at times like this, with the Director and her men standing in the doorway of his apartment, Korse couldn't help but remember.

"It's my night off, Boss," Korse grumbled before the Director could open her mouth. "You can't put me on desert patrol again."

The Director chuckled. Her dark lips pulled into a smirk that made Korse feel smaller immediately.

"I don't need you on night patrol, Agent Korse," she informed him. "Rather, I need your assistance with a…new recruit…"

Korse blinked. "What? Who?" He asked, but he was pulled out of his apartment by the other agents before he could even tell Daniel where he was headed.

Rio spat a glob of blood into the bathroom sink, watching the red get washed down the drain. Lifting his head to face the mirror, Rio inspected the hole where his front tooth used to be. It didn't fall out like it was supposed to. Instead, his older brother, Dante, had ripped the tooth out the moment that Rio had mentioned that it was a little loose.

The throbbing in his gums was already starting to fade. It felt like every other bruise that Dante left on Rio's body, which was something that Rio was very familiar with by now. He only cried for a moment, but that was mostly because Dante didn't even let him keep the tooth. Now, Rio just stood over the sink and waited for the blood to stop.

Watching from the doorway, his little sister, Jade, waddled into the room with a wad of tissues in her little hand. Rio took them from her and wiped the blood from his chin.

"Thank you," he said, but his front tooth was missing now, which meant it sounded a lot more like, "Sank you."

Jade burst into a fit of giggles at Rio's new lisp. He pouted at her with his bloody lips.

"Sthop it!" He exclaimed, but Jade only laughed harder.

"But you sound funny!"

"I do not—"

Jet had to wrap her arms around Ghoul's torso and physically pull him away from Poison as he screamed in pain. The redhead stood as still as a statue with a far away look in their eyes, watching whatever memory their powers had dug out of Ghoul's head this time. 

Ghoul gripped Jet's jacket with white knuckles as he recovered from the searing pain that split inside his head. Poison gasped sharply when they came back to reality, staring at Ghoul and Jet with wide eyes before promptly storming out of the diner.

"Wait, Pois!" Ghoul pushed away from Jet and stumbled after them. He nearly tripped as he pushed through the front doors and followed Poison out into the desert. "Poison, s' okay!"

"Stop saying that!" Poison shouted, stomping their boots in the sand. "That was the fourth time today!"

Ghoul bit his lip and cringed. He didn't know what to say, because Poison was right; they had already slipped up with their powers four times since sunrise. Kobra had tried to wake Poison up early by putting his hands on their bare shoulders, triggering the first incident. Then, Poison had tried helping Jet replace a tire on the Trans Am, but their hands accidentally touched and it had put Jet in a mood for the next hour. Finally, Kobra was leaving to visit his friends and Poison just wanted to tell him to be safe, but they stupidly touched their forehead to his and found themself stuck in yet another one of Kobra's memories.

Now, Ghoul stood in front of them shakily after Poison had just invaded his privacy again, accidentally reliving another memory with his little sister.

"Ugh! That fucking—" Poison pressed the heels of their hands into their eyes and groaned loudly. "Phantasm shit! It fucked up my brain, Ghoul! An' now my powers are goin' haywire!"

"Hey, I know how bad that shit is," Ghoul attempted to reassure them. "It's gon' take more than a day or two to wear off, y'know," he reached out for the redhead, who flinched away violently. 

"Don't fuckin' touch me!" They yelped, and Ghoul recoiled faster than he could think. His fear filled eyes were like a punch to Poison's gut, but they couldn't stay there any longer. "I just gotta be alone for a while," they muttered, turning on their heel and running the rest of the way towards the Trans Am.

Ghoul felt like shit standing there while he watched Poison tear off down the road, leaving him in a cloud of dust. With a heavy sigh, Ghoul slowly dragged his feet back to the diner, the door feeling heavier than it did before. He kicked off his boots, ready to collapse into a booth for a power nap. But a small force wrapping herself around his leg stopped him.

"Is you okay?" Bug asked, hugging Ghoul's thigh and smiling up at him. "I heared you screaming. Also Poison. Where's Poison? Did they drive away? An' do you wanna play robots with me?"

Ghoul placed his hand on the girl's head, messing up her hair and making her giggle. She was clearly starved for attention, but Ghoul really wanted that fucking nap.

"Buggy, why don't ya hang wit' Jet for a bit, 'kay?" He smiled weakly and tried to pull away from the kid, but she hugged him tighter and kept him in place.

"But m' not allowed in Jetty's room," she stuck out her bottom lip.

"What?" Ghoul cocked his head. "Why the fuck not?"

"I dunno," Bug shrugged. "Can I play wit' Poison's paints?"

"Yeah, kid, go wild," Ghoul nodded, barely registering what Bug had asked him. As the little girl squealed and skipped towards Poison's room, Ghoul made a one-eighty and marched straight through the kitchen and into Jet's room.

She was seated on the floor in the middle of the room in a pink leather jacket that Ghoul recognised immediately. With her eye closed, all of her attention was focused on the string of beads wrapped around her blue glowing fingers. Ghoul bit his tongue as he watched curiously. Jet's power was a miraculous thing, but Ghoul knew that no matter what Jet tried, there was one ghost she could never find; her mother's.

Ghoul considered that he should maybe let Jet have some privacy. But as he shifted, the floorboards creaked and Jet's eye cracked open. She glared up at him and shoved the beads aside.

"What?" She mumbled, lifting herself off the floor to hang Acid's jacket on a hook on the wall.

Ghoul shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "Wanna tell me why ya kicked Bug out?" He asked accusingly.

Jet huffed and shook her head. "Jus' needed space," she replied without meeting Ghoul's eyes. She kept her head down while she rooted through her belongings, trying to find a safe space for her mother's prayer beads.

Although he tried to stifle it, Ghoul let out a soft chuckle. "Space ain't somethin' ya get a lot of in here, y'know. 'Specially not from ya own lil' sis."

Jet stopped moving for a moment. Ghoul noticed the way she froze and cleared his throat, hoping to get some kind of explanation out of her. Jet swallowed as her eye darted around the room and she muttered, "Ain't that just it. I don't fuckin' know what to do as the big sister."

Ghoul shrugged. "S' not like anythin' changed," he reasoned. "S' still just Bug."

"It changed what I know," Jet said, dropping down onto her mattress and pulling one leg up on the bed. "I can't—" she shook her head. "I can't look at her without seein' him."

"Oh," Ghoul whispered and very quickly made his way across the room to sit down next to Jet. He landed on the bed, rocking Jet slightly, but she couldn't pull her gaze up from the floor.

"I always knew there was somethin' connectin' us," Jet sighed. "Turns out it's jus' our shitty father."

Ghoul shook his head. "No," he denied. "Nuh-uh, y'all got way more in common than some fuckin' bio dad. He's dead, Jet, he don't matter anymore," Ghoul placed a firm hand on Jet, who involuntarily leaned into the touch.

"Until I fuck her up the same way he fucked me up," Jet muttered, defeated.

"That won't happen," Ghoul promised. "Look, I dunno yer parents but I know you," he bumped Jet with his shoulder. "An' I know that everythin' that makes you good came from yer ma. Who cares if Acid ain't Bug's real mom? You can still teach her everythin' that Acid taught you."

Jet lifted her head just enough for Ghoul to see her good eye peeking out from behind her mop of curls. She looked terrified, but Ghoul knew it was nonsense.

"You got this, Jetty," Ghoul threw his arms around her and pulled her in for a real hug. "Yer already great at bein' Bug's sis, you ain't gotta change nothin'."

He felt Jet's hands ball up the fabric of his shirt over his back. Her hair tickled his nose as he kissed the side of her face, grinning softly.

"You gots plenty of us," Ghoul reminded her. "But ya only got one lil' sister, an' I can't let ya lose that, 'cause yer blessed by the Witch herself by gettin' Bug."

Feet dangled over the edge of the roof. Cigarette smoke clouded around Kobra Kid and Nova Cane as they sat under the orange light of the sunset. The Nitemare Motel had the best view in all of the Zones, in Kobra's opinion. He was pretty jealous that Nova got to live here and see this all the time.

"I think…" Kobra's head snapped back with a sudden yelp. His hand seized up and flipped the bird at Nova, who giggled. "I think Pois is— huh— is hiding somethin' from me."

Nova took a long, slow drag from her cigarette and stared at the horizon. Kobra hummed and whistled, looking down at the still full can of Power Pup in his hands. Nova had long since finished hers. Kobra poked at the brown mush a few more times before he placed the can behind him, hoping that Nova hadn't noticed that he hadn't even taken a single bite out of it.

"How so?" She asked, exhaling another puff of smoke. Kobra found the scent oddly comforting.

"Their— hm, shit— Their hallucinations were about me," Kobra muttered, throwing his head back again. "I know it."

Nova nodded her head. Kobra had explained the whole Phantasm incident to her earlier, and it scared the shit out of her. She couldn't imagine seeing one of her siblings go through all that, and she knew it was still eating at Kobra more than anyone else in the Fab Four.

"Why don't ya ask them?" She tried.

Kobra shook his head immediately. "No," he whistled. "They're so shaken up still, I— fuck off— I don't wanna freak them out— fuck!" 

Ghoul had warned Jet and Kobra about Phantasm aftershocks, where Poison could be briefly but suddenly thrown back into the hallucinations, and Kobra would rather die than put Poison through that again.

"But by not askin' them, yer the one that's freakin' out," Nova pointed out, much to Kobra's annoyance. She was so damn smart and level headed all of the time. Kobra didn't know how she did it.

"I can't—" Kobra's head jerked back again, straining the muscles in his neck this time. "Ow. I can't risk it," he sighed. "They're— hmm— Poison's all I have."

Nova's head tilted to the side. "Did somethin' go down wit' Jet an' Ghoul?" She asked, concerned, and carefully leaned into Kobra to offer some support. When he didn't move, Nova pulled back.

"No," Kobra shook his head, tensing up at the sudden physical contact. "Fuck! They're great, that's the problem."

Nova forced out a dry chuckle. "Okay, ya lost me."

Kobra sighed and hung his head shyly. "Nothing feels…permanent," he admitted, turning his head away from Nova.

"Now that's bullshit," Nova blurted out, catching Kobra by surprise. He whipped back around to stare at her with wide eyes. "I've seen the Fab Four at work, dude. Y'all are stuck together like glue. Jet an' Ghoul ain't ever gonna leave you behind, Kobra."

"I know that," Kobra mumbled, shaking his head. "I just can't believe it."

His body rocked forwards slightly as a string of curses left his lips. Nova watched him patiently, waiting for a quiet moment to ask, "Do I feel permanent?"

Kobra looked down at his lap and saw Nova hovering her hand there, silently asking for permission to touch him. Kobra hesitated, but eventually accepted her offer and clasped his hand with hers, intertwining their fingers. Nova smiled softly and squeezed.

"Yeah," Kobra hummed. "You feel permanent."

"Ugh, fuckin' finally!" Poison's voice yelled over the loud Hyperthrust crowd as Ghoul pushed through the back doors. "'Bout time ya showed up, everything is goin' wrong!"

"I'm great! Thanks for askin'," Ghoul quipped. "An' sorry m' late, someone took the car."

Poison rolled their eyes. "Shut up, you have a truck," they said as they grabbed Ghoul's wrist with their gloved hand and dragged him further into the club. Ghoul couldn't help but notice the hostility of the crowd. Almost everyone was gathered at the bar yelling at the poor kid working there.

"Nobody showed up for work 'cept the new guy," Poison explained as they walked past. "The DJ got fired 'cause the boss found out they was powered, an' the back room is flooding an' everything is ruined."

Ghoul blinked, processing all this information. "Okay," he nodded and immediately grabbed the tool kit that he kept stashed behind the bar. "I can fix one of those things," he winked, pulling out a wrench with a flourish.

"Thank the Witch," Poison deadpanned and kicked open the door to the back room. Their boots splashed in the two inches of dirty water that covered the floor, collecting more liquid from the constant leak in the overhead pipes.

"What a fuckin' waste," Ghoul frowned at the water under his boots. "The good news is that the leak is super easy to fix," he said as he hopped up onto a nearby shelf like it was a stepstool. 

"Y'know if boss didn't fire literally everyone but us, someone woulda caught this shit sooner," Poison crossed their arms and stood beneath the pipe, watching Ghoul's actions carefully. "Knowin' him, he's gonna make me mop all this up by the end of the night."

"Yeah, but now ya got me," Ghoul shrugged. "I'll always help ya, Red, and—FUCK!"

The wrench slipped, and before Poison could hear Ghoul's shouted expletives, they were suddenly hit with a wave of high pressure water that shot out from the pipe, soaking them thoroughly from head to toe and making them shriek.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Ghoul cursed as he quickly stopped the leak—correctly this time—and Poison bolted to the other side of the room, dripping. "Sorry!"

"Today can't get any fucking worse!" Poison screamed, and Ghoul was certain that all of Zone 2 could hear them. "I hate this!"

"Woah, okay, c'mon," Ghoul jumped down from the shelf, splashing water everywhere. "I got extra clothes in my truck, s' okay," he tried to keep his voice calm and steady to balance out Poison's frustration, but it didn't stop them from grumbling under their breath the whole walk back to Ghoul's truck.

Hiding between the truck and the wall of the club, Poison stripped themself of their soaking wet clothes and pulled on the t-shirt and jeans that Ghoul had given them. They insisted on keeping their gloves on, since they were leather and dried quickly. They sat in the passenger seat of Ghoul's truck, staring down at their bare arms that were exposed by the short sleeves of the t-shirt.

"Fuck," they gasped, trying to swallow down their panic. How were they supposed to make it through the night's shift with their arms completely exposed like this? The club was packed. Someone was bound to brush up against them, or touch them at the wrong moment. Poison would be outed and—

"Red! Listen to me!" Ghoul stood next to the open passenger side door and put his hands on Poison's knees. "Breathe, please breathe," he begged softly, pulling Poison away from the very edge of a panic attack.

"I can't do this," Poison shook their head.

"Red, please. It's gonna be okay, I promise," Ghoul said for the hundredth time that day.

He leaned forwards suddenly and Poison flinched, but Ghoul connected their lips before they could push him away. He kissed them softly, cupping the left side of Poison's jaw in his hand.

"See?" He muttered quietly when he pulled back. Poison stared at him with wide eyes, placing their hand on top of his. "It's okay," Ghoul confirmed with another kiss, which Poison melted into this time around.

"How—" Poison whispered.

"'Cause yer not outta control, Pois," Ghoul smiled. His eyes were practically heart shaped as he said it. "Now, c'mon, I gotta fight tonight."

"Wait," Poison leapt out of the truck and ran after him.

"What?" Ghoul turned around, and Poison suddenly cupped both sides of Ghoul's face in their hands and kissed him one last time. Ghoul couldn't help but smile at the way Poison's eyes lit up when they realised that they touched Ghoul again without triggering their powers.

"Just checkin'," they winked.

Poison let themself relax for the first time in days. When Ghoul wandered off to get ready for his cage match, Poison situated themself behind the bar and kicked out the young newbie, letting him do all the mopping. Poison was in their element at work, managing an average of three orders at a time, controlling the chaos of the crowd like they did best. In a matter of twenty minutes, Poison had calmed down the angry partygoers, which allowed them to focus on Ghoul's highly anticipated match against a new competitor.

This man was massive. Nearly twice the size of Ghoul and made of pure muscle. But he had no idea what he was setting himself up for. Ghoul's hidden talents were what made him the perfect opponent for men like this. He was small, unsuspecting, and packed a supercharged mechanical punch that left every last one of his opponents squirming in pain beneath him.

"Another win for the books!" Poison bounced on their toes as Ghoul came jogging back over to them with a smile and a layer of sweat on his face. The other guy was still being helped out of the cage, and he'd have to be nursing some of those injuries for the next couple of days.

Poison threw their arms over Ghoul's shoulders and hugged them tightly without even a glimmer of hesitation and Ghoul's heart swelled. He lifted them up by their hips and carried them back to the bar for their traditional victory shots of vile Zone vodka.

"My favourite cheerleader," Ghoul planted a kiss on their cheek as they blushed in front of the other Killjoys in the club. 

"Can ya at least wait until yer not so sweaty?" Poison teased, but they kept their arms around Ghoul in his damp shirt.

"I'd change but yer wearin' my clothes," Ghoul reminded them. "Imma go take a leak, anyways. So get back to work, Red!"

Poison giggled to themself as they watched Ghoul leave, the two of them feeling better than they had in a long time. Poison was so wrapped up in the euphoria of it all that they didn't see the three other 'Joys stalking towards Ghoul until one of them shoved him into the wall.

"The fuck!?" Ghoul winced as his shoulder collided with the hard brick behind him.

"Shut up," the man who pushed him spat. "We lost a lotta money on the bets thanks to you, ya lil' shit."

Ghoul raised his eyebrows at him. "Sounds like ya betted on the wrong guy, my friend," he smirked, never the guy to back down from an altercation. When the man's hand slapped across Ghoul's face, he only laughed. "Ya really wanna do this, big guy? Ya saw what happened to the last one."

"Ya fuckin' cheated," he spat, throwing a punch at Ghoul's shoulder. "I know ya did! So fess up, unless ya wanna take us all on?" He motioned to the two other 'Joys behind him, who both cracked their knuckles.

"Hey! Get outta his face!" Poison suddenly ran onto the scene, putting themself between Ghoul and the three other men. Ghoul's eyes widened with panic when the redhead appeared. He reached out to pull them back and protect them, but not before Poison was grabbed by one of the strangers.

"This yer boyfriend?" The man laughed, pulling Poison closer to him by the elbow. "Aw, he's so cute! He's—" he was cut off by his own painful wail.

"Red, no!" Ghoul screamed, watching his love's eyes go blank. The man squirmed underneath them, crying out as Poison's mind reading powers tore through his head, splitting his brain open for Poison to see.

"You brought a freak in here!?" The other guy asked Ghoul as he desperately tried to pull his friend away. Ghoul grabbed Poison's hips and yanked them back, detaching the man's grip from their elbow.

A crowd had gathered around to see what was causing a man to scream bloody murder in the middle of the party. Ghoul turned his back to them all, trying to shield Poison from their judgemental eyes as they came out of their trance.

"Fucking freaks!" 

"Get 'em outta here!"

"Aight, wrap it up!" The boss' booming voice echoed through the building. "Nobody fights unless they in the cage!" He yelled at the three strangers, booting them out onto the street. "So, get out!"

Poison steadied themself on their feet, breathing heavily and holding onto Ghoul like their life depended on it. Sheepishly, they glanced up at their boss and forced a weak smile.

"Thanks for that," they muttered.

"Don't be countin' yer blessin's," he snapped. "Yer fired. I don't wanna see your face 'round here ever again, freak."

"S' not your fault!" Jet exclaimed, sitting on top of a table in the diner and swinging her legs angrily beneath her. "They fuckin' attacked you!"

Poison and Ghoul got home far too early to not receive questioning looks from Jet and Kobra that night. Poison had buried their face into Ghoul's shoulder, holding back sobs while Ghoul explained that Poison was out of a job, and Ghoul didn't know how much longer he had left himself.

"It is ," Poison shook their head. "I shoulda been more careful."

"No, yer boss has a fuckin' stick up his ass," Jet spat. "Fuck!" She dragged her hands down her face, shaking her head. "Callin' us freaks when the real problem s' still behind those fuckin' city walls!"

"They ruined Hyperthrust," Ghoul sighed. "An' the Crashtrack," he added, glancing over to Kobra who stood at an awkward distance away from the others with his arms hugged around himself and his shoulders hunched as he listened to the conversation.

"Maybe I should go back to Doc," Poison contemplated. "We gon' need money soon, I can't jus' not work anymore. An' Doc treated me good, even if the hours sucked."

"You could come help me at the med stop," Jet offered with a shrug.

As the others debated ways to get more carbons, Kobra began to shuffle out of the room inch by inch. No one was paying attention to him. No one saw the dazed look in his eyes, the way he swayed on his feet, or the way his skin turned paler than usual.

The team only noticed when Kobra's knees went weak and he suddenly crashed to the ground with a hard thud.

"Kobra!?" Poison shrieked.

Chapter Text

Kobra woke up with a nauseating twist in his stomach, which wasn't anything new to him. As he rolled over weakly and tangled himself up with his one measly blanket, a painful sensation pulsed through his head. It made him dizzy and he wasn't even upright yet. Kobra groaned quietly, just wishing to fall back asleep, but he risked cracking his eyes open.

There, sitting above him, was Poison. They were perched on the edge of his mattress, holding one hand to their mouth as they nervously chewed on their nails. They watched Kobra's movements carefully, an expression of concern painted all of their features.

"Mm," Kobra mumbled, shoving his face into his thin pillow. "What happened?" He asked. The little amount of effort it took to speak was already making him sicker than he was just seconds earlier.

Poison nearly choked. "Kid, you fuckin' collapsed," they said. Their voice was laced with heartbreak. Kobra felt his heart clench with guilt, and he buried his face deeper into the pillow. "But I don't know if it was the bandages you had 'round your chest way too tight, or the fact that you ain't eaten in fuckin' days, Kobra!"

At the mention of the bandages, Kobra inhaled deeply and immediately recognised the lack of restriction around his chest. He brought his arms up over his shirt, realising that the bandages that had once bound his breasts against his body were cut off. Kobra winced violently. A sharp grunt escaped his lips as he curled in on himself, pulling his knees in.

"Kobra, please, jus' talk to me," Poison begged, scooting closer to Kobra despite how he recoiled. "M' not mad at ya, Kid, m' jus' scared."

Kobra squeezed his eyes shut, covering his face with his hands and grunting again. Poison could hear small curses coming from his mouth as his legs twitched and kicked.

"Yer gonna kill yourself if you keep doin' this," Poison tried to keep the anger at bay, but it was hard to hide it when their little brother had been starving himself for days. "Tell me why, Kobes. Y'know m' here for ya, I jus' wanna help."

Kobra's fingers had slipped between his teeth. He bit down harshly, swallowing the pained whimper he let out in favour of pushing his teeth harder against his digits. Poison mumbled quietly as they grabbed their brother's wrists a little too aggressively and yanked them out of his mouth, wincing at the blood that Kobra had already drawn.

"Mmm—" Kobra whined as Poison pulled him up, forcing him to sit next to them. His head was pounding, making him shut his eyes the moment Poison moved him. He could feel Poison's hand pushing his sleep-matted hair out of his face. The contact made him groan and flinch back.

"Okay, okay," Poison retreated. "I won't touch ya. Just take this."

Something touched Kobra's lips. He immediately bit down on the familiar leather tag; the scrap piece that Poison let him bite so he wouldn't hurt himself. The moment that Kobra felt his teeth sink into the leather, his body melted into the mattress below him.

"There ya go," Kobra could hear the soft smile in Poison's voice. "Ready to talk yet?"

"Hmm—" Kobra's head twitched to the side. He cracked one eye open, keeping his gaze on the floor, to see Poison's knee almost touching his with how close they were sitting. 

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is?" Poison asked him. It wasn't malicious. It was their over-protective-big-sibling voice, which Kobra found strangely comforting this time around. "No one out here eats enough as it is. We real lucky we can feed everyone in this diner. So why starve, Kobes?"

Kobra nearly doubled over when he wrapped his arms around himself protectively. With his head bowed, avoiding all eye contact with Poison, Kobra whimpered, "M' too big— mm."

"What?" Poison said softly in disbelief. "Kobes, no yer not. If anythin', yer too small," Poison's eyes raked over Kobra's curled up form. His height had shot up like a rocket in the past year, he stood taller than Poison by now, but he was still just skin and bones. Sometimes, Poison found themself quite jealous of it. But when Kobra's shirt would accidentally rise up and Poison could see the distinct outline of his ribcage under his skin, it scared them.

"Mm," Kobra's head shook. "Hips too big," he mumbled around the leather in between his teeth. Poison braved a comforting arm around Kobra's shoulders, and he didn't flinch this time. "Thighs fat," he continued, staring down at the way the flesh of his thighs spread as he sat on the bed. "And— hmm! Shit— And my chest— mm —keeps getting bigger," his voice cracked, and he was unable to hold in his sobs anymore.

Despite the fact that the mere thought of his own body made him sick, Kobra let himself fall into Poison's lap until their arms engulfed him in a warm embrace. Their hands immediately moved up and down his back in a comforting motion. They shushed him as he cried into their shoulder.

"Yer fifteen," Poison whispered. "S' gonna happen, Kobes, there's no stoppin' it."

Kobra's nails dug into Poison's sides, but they didn't mind. He whimpered softly into Poison's shirt, twitching beneath Poison's arms. 

"Sometimes, I wish we could trade," Poison sighed. They carded their fingers into Kobra's faded bleached hair gently. "Kid, there's ways to help it but ya can't be hurtin' yourself, 'kay?"

After the Witch knows how long the two siblings sat there, Kobra finally detached himself from Poison. He let his older sibling help him walk to a diner booth, where Poison brought him a pre-packaged BLi meal. Kobra felt sick with guilt again; those packages were saved for emergencies only. Poison had decided that this qualified as an emergency.

"I'm not lettin' you leave 'til all that's finished," Poison said sternly, yet softly. They sat across from Kobra at the booth table, watching him intently. He curled forwards, keeping his head down as he stared at the food.

"Hmm—fuck—"

"You got this, Kid," Poison said reassuringly. "We can go joyridin' when yer done."

Kobra's hand flew out from where he was awkwardly sitting on it and he quickly grabbed the thin sandwich out of its package. It took a lot of willpower to take the first bite, but he couldn't lie and say that he wasn't proud of himself when he did so.

Across from him, Poison giggled softly. "I knew that'd get ya goin'," they smiled.

Bug's legs swung from the passenger seat of the Trans Am. She hummed to herself happily as she sat up straight to peek out the window. Jet was driving her out to a part of Zone 3 that she had never seen before. Granted, most of the desert looked the same to Bug; brown, sand, a cactus here and there. But Jet promised that Bug would have fun on this trip, so she was excited nonetheless.

Jet tried not to get too distracted by the bubbly little kid sitting next to her. Her eye was trained on the dirt road ahead of her as she drove down a route she knew by heart. It had been well over eight years since Jet had been this way, but she remembered it like it was yesterday. The closer they got to their destination, the more Jet felt as though she was a little kid again, being driven in by her mother.

Candy Acid had a different outlook on life than your average Killjoy, especially with her desert born baby. Kids like Jet didn't get to go to a real school—not that any Killjoy would want to go to a BL/Ind school—but Acid believed that desert borns still deserved a chance at an education. That's when she introduced Jet to the Society of Yesterday and the Zone libraries.

The Society of Yesterday wasn't necessarily Jet's second home—that would be the backseat of her mama's car—but for a few good years, the Killjoys at the Society raised Jet alongside Acid. Jet may have been a little bit of a late bloomer, but she learned how to read and write better than most other desert borns could. 

As Jet drove, Bug asked why this was so important to her. 

"My mama believed that readin' an' writin' was a lost art in the Zones," Jet explained with a soft but prominent smile on her face. "'Joys love to tell stories, but when ya don't write 'em down, folks'll twist yer words. It takes one 'Joy gettin' drunk enough an' then the story's all wrong," she chuckled to herself.

"What?"

Jet glanced over at Bug, who stared up at her with her mouth open, utterly confused. Jet shook her head.

"Don't matter," she brushed it off. "Point is, I ain't lettin' ya get any older without knowin' how ta read."

Bug crossed her arms. "I can read," she pouted defensively. 

"You look at picture books an' Pois reads to ya," Jet corrected with a smirk, laughing as Bug pretended to pout even more.

The libraries were sacred in the Zones. They were an archive of everything that the rebels managed to save before the wars, as well as a collection of stories passed down through Killjoys. The Book Buzzards dedicated their lives to keeping these archives safe. They were hardly seen outside of the libraries, and Jet missed seeing those crews every week.

Jet held Bug's hand tightly as they walked into the Society of Yesterday together. The smell of the old and dusty pages of the pre-war books immediately pulled Jet back in time. The nostalgia was almost overwhelming. 

"Now, tell me that ain't little Star!"

A greying old woman with a hunch hobbled over to the two girls standing awkwardly near the doors. Every step was supported by a bright pink cane that matched the hand stitched patterns on her sweater. Bug looked up at her with wide, mildly frightened eyes. Jet, however, nearly fainted in disbelief.

She used to be a lot younger, and a lot steadier on her feet, but otherwise the Killjoy known only as 'Teach' was exactly as Jet remembered her. Her toothy, welcoming grin, and her gravelly voice from all those cigarettes. Her affinity for the colour pink and her love of storytelling. As she limped closer, Jet put her arms out, unsure of what to do. Teach answered her unspoken questions right away, however, and pulled Jet into a shockingly tight hug.

"How many years has it been?" Teach asked, pulling back and holding one of Jet's hands in hers. "Look at you, you're so tall," she gasped softly. "Oh, Star, look at you, you look just like her!"

Jet opened and closed her mouth, at a loss for words. As Teach fussed over every little detail of Jet that reminded her of Acid, Jet finally stuttered out, "I-I didn't know yer still kickin'."

Teach froze for a split second before a heavy, full chested laugh bubbled out of her. "They can't get rid of me that easily, Star!" She cackled. "Of course I'm still kickin', kiddo. Now, tell me about the little one!" She turned her attention to the curious little girl who had hidden herself behind Jet's leg.

"Right," Jet chuckled. "Yeah, Teach this is Bug," Jet put her hand on Bug's head, stroking her hair carefully. "My, uh. My sister."

Teach put her hand over her heart. Her smile faltered slightly as she looked back up at Jet. "Sister?" She asked in almost a whisper.

Jet swallowed hard. "Dad's side," she muttered.

Nodding understandingly, Teach seemed to accept this information easily, which Jet was grateful for. "And how on earth did you two find each other?" She asked.

Jet shrugged. "The Witch."

Teach sighed and pressed her lips together in a tight smile. "And thank the stars for Her," she reached up, placing her hand gently on the side of Jet's face. "I always knew you would take after your mother."

The Society of Yesterday had hardly changed at all since Jet had seen it last. Sure, there had been some repairs to the old building, and things had been moved around, but it felt as though Jet had never left.

"Come with me, loves," Teach said as she led the girls through the library. "I want you to meet the perfect tutor for the lil' Bug. He's a child of the Book Buzzards, y'know. He's gifted when it comes to literature."

A wooden table in the middle of the library was occupied by one little boy, no older than thirteen years old, with his nose buried in a book. He hardly glanced up at the two new strangers in the room. Not until Teach said his name.

"This here is Paper Boy," Teach smiled, pulling a chair up next to him. "Paper Boy, this is Star, and this here is her sister, miss Bug."

Paper Boy tore his eyes away from his book to stare up at Jet sheepishly. "Hi," he muttered, adjusting the cap on his head that covered his short, curly hair. "You can call me PB, if that's easier."

"Paper Boy loves the kiddos," Teach explained gleefully. "You'll have a great time with him, lil' Bug."

PB shut his book and turned to Bug. "Hi!" He smiled much easier when talking to Bug than he did with Jet. "I have some fun games, do you like games?"

Nervously, Bug glanced up at Jet, as though she had to ask her big sister for permission to speak. Jet just nodded, hoping that Bug would come out of her shell. The little girl turned back towards PB and beamed. "Yes!" She exclaimed, and plopped herself down in the empty chair. 

A weight had been lifted off of Jet's shoulders at the sight. No matter how many times Ghoul had tried to reassure her, Jet was certain that she was doing something terribly wrong by bringing Bug here. Now, she followed Teach to the other side of the library feeling comfortable knowing that Bug was in good hands.

Teach had her same old large desk in the library that she had years ago. Her and Jet sat down together, watching Bug and PB play with matching smiles on their faces.

"I've known her ten minutes and I already see so much of you in that little girl," Teach said, and Jet wished her heart didn't skip a beat hearing those words. Bug came to live with the Fab Four a year ago, and at that time, Jet hadn't wanted a single thing to do with the kid. The last thing she wanted to see was Bug headed down the same path of self destruction that she took herself. Yet, here Jet was, watching her baby sister with a sense of pride she'd never felt before.

Jet was deep in thought with her eye trained on Bug. She hardly noticed when Teach spoke up again.

"I looked for you, y'know."

"What?" Jet stared back at her quizzically.

"When I heard," Teach exhaled heavily. "I looked for you after it happened. I just couldn't imagine what you were going through back then, I didn't know if you'd survive…"

"I did," Jet nodded, fighting back the urge to tell Teach everything that had happened to her since Candy Acid's death. No one else knew what happened to Jet during those long five years except Jet herself, and she wanted to keep it that way. 

"You've always been a tough cookie," Teach chuckled sweetly. 

Hours ticked by like minutes at the Society of Yesterday. Jet and Teach chatted about everything from the Fab Four to the price of Power Pup. Before she knew it, Jet had to go. She grabbed her jacket and said her farewells to Teach when she realised that PB and Bug were still deep into a picture book together, PB helping Bug sound out each word slowly.

"She's welcome to stay with us," Teach offered. "Go, deal with adult life, Star. I'm sure these kids are happy to spend a few more hours together."

"Sure thing!" PB smiled excitedly. Bug looked up at Jet with a sparkle in her eyes, hugging yet another book to her chest. Jet gave her a quiet look that said, Are you sure, kid? And Bug just nodded her head eagerly.

Jet wouldn't have felt safe leaving the Fab Four's girl with anyone but Teach. Still, she didn't want to be gone for too long, so she immediately jumped in the Trans Am and sped off towards the med stop in Zone 2. It was an old storage unit turned medical hub. Jet had saved a lot of lives inside those walls, and she intended on saving many more. She just needed to get her supplies restocked.

The Trans Am came to a stop right outside the shady-looking back doors. Jet hopped out and approached the three Killjoys she'd been hoping to see; Noise Jam, Trick Shot, and Neva Mind. They were Batt City raiders and the best Scarecrow hunters in the Zones. They had been working with Jet for years now, supplying Jet with the medical supplies they retrieved from inside the city walls. 

Jet braced herself as she marched up to the three raiders standing in front of her. It was a mental strain to look at hunters like them, with a hundred kills each under their belts, they were constantly swarmed with souls of dead Crows. Jet couldn't count the amount of ghosts that haunted Noise Jam if she tried. 

"What's this?" Jet asked, narrowing her eye at the gang in front of her. They had arrived on bikes, not their usual truck. "Where's all my shit?" She demanded, unafraid to get up close in Noise Jam's face.

"Woah, slow down there, princess," Noise chuckled condescendingly. They put their hand on Jet's chest and shoved her back. Their other hand held onto a leather leash. The sleek chocolate lab at Noise's feet growled, baring its teeth at Jet. She cautiously took a step back from the animal.

"Don't fuckin' 'princess' me," Jet spat back. The raiders were always a snarky gang, and Jet had never been overly fond of them. But the deal they had with each other did not state that they had to be friends . They only agreed that neither side would ever try to pull a fast one on the other, which is exactly what was going on here, as far as Jet was aware.

Trick Shot, who was carelessly leaning up against the brick wall of the med stop, mindlessly fiddled with a zippo lighter in his hand. "We heard all 'bout yer team leader's lil' stunt the other day," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah," Neva Mind giggled, popping a mouthful of bright pink chewing gum. "Party Poison's a freak!" She grinned, raising one eyebrow at Jet. "I bet you a freak too, ain't ya?"

Jet's jaw clenched as she stared down Neva, stopping herself from snarling like Noise's dog. "Z'at why there ain't a truckload here waitin' for me?" She asked, turning her attention back to Noise. 

"I don't make deals wit' freaks," they said with a smirk, as if they were proud of themself.

"Bullshit," Jet rolled her eye. "We both know gifted 'Joys ain't the real threat here. S' the Crows out there stealin' they sparks!"

The lab let out a loud, echoing bark when Jet raised her voice at Noise. Noise's grip on the leash loosened, letting the dog get closer.

"We make a livin' huntin' Crows, don't think we don't know they a threat," Noise scoffed. "But the last year, we been takin' on powered Crows. An' that shit is real dangerous, it don't matter what kinda freak is wielding them powers."

"Yer crazy," Jet shook her head in disbelief. "Don't be holdin' this over the work that I do. All sorts a' 'Joys come to me for help, I need those supplies," she argued. 

Neva Mind laughed again. "They won't be comin' to ya for long!" She mindlessly spun her raygun around her finger. "S' over when they find out the truth 'bout ya!"

Jet dropped her arms down so her hands were hovering just over the rayguns on her hips. Noise chuckled at her, crossing their arms.

"Y'know, I was gettin' sick a' the whole Fabulous Four bullshit. 'Cause y'all did, what? One city run?" Noise faked a pout, making Trick chuckle. "How cute. An' yet y'all are all that. An' what do we get? Nothin'."

"We should be the famous ones," Neva nodded, framing her face with a flourish of her hand. "City raiders to the stars!"

"Jealous?" Jet asked her, smirking.

"We jus' know what we deserve," Noise corrected her. "An' s' everythin' the Fab Four don't deserve."

"Ayo, Noise," Trick muttered, kicking off of the wall behind him and pocketing his zippo. "Check out her hands," he pointed at Jet before he quickly grabbed his own gun from the holster over his shoulders.

Jet glanced down quickly at her glowing hands. She had let her anger get the best of her. The pulsating blue light grew brighter by the second. When Jet looked back up, all three raiders had their eyes locked on her with guns in their hands.

"I knew it," Noise growled. "I knew ya were a freak."

"Whatcha gon' do?" Neva teased. "Blast us wit' the scary blue energy?"

Jet had enough. In a second, she pulled her hands into fists and let the ghosts take over. One by one, the dead Scarecrows that haunted the raiders appeared in a hazy cloud of blue, swarming the raiders. Noise's dog barked angrily at them, shielding his owner as the raiders made a run for their dirtbikes. 

"Fuckin' freak!" Jet heard Noise scream as the raiders were practically swallowed up by the ghosts. Jet kept her feet planted firmly on the ground and listened to the engines of the raiders' bikes roar. By the time Jet let go, and the ghosts fizzled out into thin air, the raiders were long gone.

"Pussies," Jet spat, and walked back to the Trans Am.

Jet held the door to the diner open for Bug so she could run inside with an armful of new storybooks. She happily skipped over to a booth and dumped all of her gifts from PB onto the table. Jet let the door swing shut behind her, realising that all of the curtains had been drawn, and the two girls were suddenly in darkness.

"Hi," Ghoul's voice whispered. Jet squinted into the dark room and realised that the rest of her team were all crowded around the couch on the other side of the diner.

"Hey," Jet said quietly. Kobra was seated on the cushions with his arm over Poison's back. The redhead was doubled over their knees, covering their head with their arms. As Jet walked closer, she spotted Ghoul kneeling on the floor in front of Poison. "What's happenin'?"

"Migraine," Ghoul frowned, tearing his eyes away from his partner to look up at Jet. "Ya got anythin' for it?"

Jet's teeth worried into the inside of her cheek. Her supplies were limited, if she had any left at all. And now really didn't feel like the time to break the news about the raiders to the team.

"Sorry," she mumbled, and Ghoul just shrugged.

"It ain't been long," Ghoul explained. "Jus' an hour or so—"

"Fuck!" Poison shrieked . Kobra jumped back, nearly falling off of the couch. Poison clawed at their scalp, tugging strands of their hair between their fingers. "No, no, no, no!"

"Shit," Ghoul cursed, scrambling back away from Poison. "Aftershocks."

Poison sobbed at the sight of their own hallucinations, squirming away from something that wasn't there. "Please!" They begged. "Don't hurt him!"

Kobra's stomach lurched. Poison was back inside whatever horrific memory the Phantasm had trapped them in, and Kobra still had no idea how to help. He pulled Poison's hands away from themself, causing them to cry out again.

"Party, stop, s' me— fuck!" Kobra pleaded. "Hmm—shit— s' okay, s' me. S' Kobra."

Ghoul suddenly pulled the curtain back, letting a stream of light hit Poison's eyes. They flinched, whimpering softly, but it seemed to have done the trick. They blinked rapidly, focusing their eyes on Kobra sitting right in front of them. Their exhales were unsteady. Kobra could feel them shaking.

"S' okay," Kobra repeated.

"Fuck," Poison all but collapsed into Kobra's arms. "My head hurts."

"You mentioned that," Kobra mumbled, hugging his sibling. The front of his shirt dampened from the tears that fell from Poison's eyes. "M' sorry, Pois."

"This sucks," Poison groaned weakly. "Does it ever end?"

Ghoul sucked in a short breath. "Eventually," he sighed. It hurt him to see Poison going through this torture again and again. "I wish I could help," Ghoul muttered.

"Me— hmm— me too," Kobra nodded. "Maybe if you— fuck— you told us what it is, Pois."

Poison sat up straight, pushing themself away from Kobra. "What?" They asked, looking startled.

"The memories you keep going back to," Kobra reached out for Poison again, but they flinched back. "Party, please, you— hm— you keep having these flashbacks an' I dunno— hmm—fuck— what they are."

Poison chewed on their bottom lip and shook their head. "Maybe that's a good thing," they mumbled. They got up to leave, but Kobra grabbed them by the wrist and pulled them back down again.

"I been with you your whole life," Kobra was nearly in tears at this point. "Jus' tell me what it is —Hmm! What's haunting you? Please."

Poison couldn't look at Kobra anymore. Ghoul and Jet were both standing frozen, a safe distance away from Poison. They were scaring everyone, but Poison couldn't imagine how anyone could be more scared than themself in that moment. They dropped their gaze to the floor, feeling like they were about to throw up. When Poison closed their eyes, it was as though they were sent right back in time to the moment that's been haunting them for days. They couldn't live like this anymore, so they finally gave up.

"Our—" Poison swallowed hard. Were they really doing this? "Our first year in the desert, we almost died. We had nothing. I couldn't—I couldn't take care of me, nevermind Kobra, too. An' nobody wanted to hire a kid my age. We were so alone."

Poison's hands shook violently as they combed their fingers through their hair. "But then, we met this crew. They wanted to help us," Poison nearly smiled at the memory of how young and naive they once were. "It was a couple a' guys, they fed us an' gave us a bed to sleep on. It was nice, y'know? A roof over our heads."

Poison braved a glance up at Ghoul, who nodded his head to give them the silent encouragement to continue.

"'Bout a month in, they wanted payment," Poison sighed shakily. "I didn't have anythin', so I had to…" they heard a quiet whimper from Kobra and winced. "I let them do whatever they wanted to me."

"Fuck," Ghoul swore under his breath, looking ill. Poison couldn't stop the guilt from crashing over them, making it harder to breathe.

"It was okay for a while," Poison insisted. "I was fine. But—But then they wanted payment from Kobes, too, an' I—" their breath hitched as they swallowed back a sob. "I couldn't let that happen. I made them take more from me so they wouldn't hurt him."

The silence was deafening. Poison was moments away from throwing up when Kobra suddenly spoke up.

"No."

All eyes landed on him.

"No," he repeated, shaking his head. "That can't— fuck!" His head jerked. "That didn't happen. Why— hmm! Fuck!"  

"Kobra…" Poison tried.

"Stop it," Kobra said. "Why don't I— fuck off— Why don't I remember this!?" He leaned forwards, desperate to catch Poison's gaze again. 

"Kobra, calm down!" Poison cried.

"Those guys hurt you!" Kobra exclaimed, grabbing Poison's hand. "How come I don't remember this!? Hmm—fuck— I was there!"

"'Cause you were on sleeping pills!" Poison yelled over Kobra, creating a sudden hush through the diner. Kobra stared at them, dumbfounded.

"N-No I wasn't," he said shakily.

Poison could only nod their head. Squeezing their eyes shut, they whispered, "I crushed them into your food."

"What." Kobra dropped Poison's hand. Poison whimpered as if it hurt.

"It was the only way you'd fall asleep!" Poison tried to reason with him, but Kobra jumped up from his seat angrily, glaring at his sibling.

"You fuckin' drugged me?" He screamed, hands seizing.

"Kobra, please!" Poison begged.

"No!" Kobra's face flushed bright red with anger. "You drugged me! Shit— When we were s'posed to be free!"

"I didn't want you to hear anything!" Poison screamed back out of pure desperation. "I was protecting you!" They leapt up to their feet after him, standing at eye level with their brother.

"You. Drugged. Me," Kobra spat, as though he was still processing those three words. "How long?"

Poison wilted. Kobra only reiterated; "How long, Poison!?"

"T-Ten months?" Poison's voice cracked pathetically. They flinched at the frustrated growl Kobra let out.

"How could you do that to me!?" Kobra yelled, and Poison realised that in fifteen years of knowing Kobra, they'd never seen him this angry. "Hmm—fuck off."

"I was protecting you!" Poison repeated.

"Shut up!" Kobra spat with a swing of his arm. 

Poison didn't remember what happened between them standing upright, and them lying on the floor, but the blood dripping from their nose and the way Kobra shook out his left hand were two pretty good indicators.

"Fuck you, Poison!"

"Kobra, please—" Poison sobbed, but Kobra had already turned his back to them. 

Ghoul dropped to his knees next to Poison and pulled them into his arms. Jet hurried back with a cloth for the blood streaming down Poison's face. But Poison was only focused on the sight of their little brother storming out of the diner and speeding away on his bike.

He was in Zone 2. He didn't know where else to go, or what to do. But he knew there was only one person he wanted to see at that moment.

"Destroya, what happened to you?" Nova Cane asked, barely getting a reaction out of Kobra. "C'mon, dude, yer obviously miserable right now."

Kobra just shrugged. He didn't want to be anywhere near his team, and he especially didn't want to think about them. He needed to calm down, breathe, and hang out with his best friend.

"Aight, don't wanna talk about it, gotcha," Nova nodded, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jean jacket. "You hungry?"

Kobra shook his head. "Hmm—fuck."

"'Kay, well I'm starvin', so c'mon," Nova decided. She grabbed Kobra's hand and pulled him along the short walk to the Pony Express. She knew that Pony would give her a discount if she asked nicely, and maybe free food would make Kobra want to eat, too.

The two kids pushed open the front doors to the Pony Express and immediately stopped dead in their tracks. The place was a ghost town, leaving just two Killjoys behind. Newsie sat on top of an unoccupied table. Her face was contorted into a frown as she watched Pony nervously pacing the floor.

"What's goin' on?" Nova asked, startling Pony.

"Fuck!" They jumped, putting their hand over their heart. "Oh, hey kids. Sorry, the kitchen's closed. Try again tomorrow, yeah?" They forced a fake smile and quickly went back to fiddling with a handheld radio.

"That's not what I asked," Nova approached Pony, leaving Kobra awkwardly hanging out by the doors. "What's happenin'? Y'all okay?"

With a heavy sigh, Pony wilted. "No, nothin's okay," they shook their head. "Uni ran away, I can't getta hold a' her, an' nobody's seen her anywheres," Pony was shaking when Nova grabbed their hand. 

"What?" Nova asked. Pony's daughter was almost always stuck to them like glue. The kid was sweet, shy, and loyal. Nova always thought that Uni Verse would be the last Killjoy to ever go rogue. 

"Some bastards got in her head," Newsie explained. She was only slightly calmer than Pony was, but it seemed to be only out of necessity. "They told her how dangerous she was wit' her power, and she freaked! We don't gotta clue where she's hiding."

Pony's posture sagged. "She's never run before," they mumbled.

Nova squeezed Pony's hand. "Well, c'mon! We're gon' look for her," she announced. Nova turned to Kobra and raised both her eyebrows. "You in?"

"F'course," Kobra nodded his head. Although he didn't know Uni half as well as he would've liked, he knew that the kid was special. 

Pony's eyes welled with tears as they smiled at the two kids. "Yer awesome," they wept. "Okay, okay, okay, yer right, let's go," they nodded eagerly. "We'll take my car. Newsie will stay here in case Uni comes back while we gone."

"Let's go," Nova agreed, leading her makeshift team out the back doors of the Pony Express. She, Pony, and Kobra piled into Pony's car. Nova took the backseat for herself, barely getting a chance to sit down before Pony's foot was pressing hard on the gas pedal.

"Y'all locked an' loaded?" Nova asked. The sun wouldn't be up for much longer, so she had to make sure that the others were prepared for any trouble they might run into on their search for Uni.

"Shit," Kobra muttered under his breath.

"No batteries?" Nova asked, eyeing the dead blaster in Kobra's hands. He nodded. "S' fine, I got lots at the motel. S' not far, we can stop there."

The Nitemare Motel sat on the edge between Zone 2 and 3. It was a massive place for just four Killjoys, but the Nitemare kids made it feel like home. Pixie Styx and H2O moved in when they were young and hopeless, looking to Dr. D just for a means to survive. It wasn't long before they met Nova, and later Freak Show, and formed the Nitemare crew. The motel became decorated with spray paint murals and shiny scrapyard finds. As Pony parked out front, they couldn't help but stare in awe at the kids' home base.

"Be right back," Nova jumped out of the car and bolted towards her motel room on the first floor. She made haste digging through her closet to find a couple of spare batteries for Kobra, and grabbing an extra knife to hide in her jacket because, well, you never know.

She was on her way out when a tall figure towered over her, blocking her doorway and keeping Nova trapped inside.

"Whatchya doin'?" Freak asked skeptically.

Nova huffed. "Really dude? Now ain't the time, I gotta run."

"What's Kobra an' Pony doin' here? An' where's yer car?" Freak asked, much to Nova's annoyance. "What are ya hidin' from me, Novs?"

"In case ya forgot, I hide from everyone," Nova rolled her eyes and tried to push past Freak. "Can ya let me go?"

"Not 'til I get a real answer. Why the fuck is Show Pony waitin' for ya?" Freak blinked for a second, and then gasped. "Is Uni okay?"

"Didn't know ya knew her, Freaky," Nova quipped, finally ducking under Freak's arm and running out the door. "Be back later!"

"Wait," Freak's long legs quickly caught up to Nova. They grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back, albeit a little too aggressively. "Is Uni okay?" Freak asked, moreso demanded.

Nova struggled in Freak's strong grasp. "We don't know, okay?"

Freak froze. "What do ya mean, ya don't know?"

"I mean that she ran, an' we gots no clue where she went," Nova huffed, still trying to shake her brother off. "We gon' go look for her, so can ya let me go!?"

"Take me with ya," Freak said. It wasn't a question, it was an order.

"What? No!" Nova exclaimed. "S' dangerous. Stay home, Freaky."

"But I think I know where she is!" Freak argued. "I can show ya!"

Nova rolled her eyes in disbelief. "What are ya, her boyfriend?" She asked, but Freak suddenly let go of her arm and stared at her. Nova's jaw dropped. "Motherfucker, yer her boyfriend!?"

"Can we talk about this later? After we find Uni?" Freak asked, already marching towards Pony's car. Nova ran after him, unable to stop him from letting himself into Pony's backseat. Pony and Kobra both turned around, staring at Nova like she was crazy for letting her brother come along.

"I know where Uni is," Freak explained before anyone could ask them questions. "So drive."

Chapter Text

A cloud of dust rained down from the ceiling the moment that Ghoul opened the door. It settled, and Poison blinked to adjust their eyes inside the abandoned and almost-empty BL/Ind warehouse. Ghoul chucked the crowbar he used to crack open the door onto the floor and stepped up beside Poison with a quiet sigh.

This felt too desperate to Poison. Only a few weeks ago, Ghoul and Poison both had a stable job that brought home more than enough to support themselves and little Bug. Other 'Joys would reward them with supplies after the Fab Four missions. Jet had her connections to the city raiders, and Kobra was bringing home Crashtrack winnings. Nearly all of that was gone now, and Poison had never felt so out of place since their first days in the desert when they were thirteen.

Ghoul and Poison heard rumours about a storage unit out in Zone 4 that might've had enough supplies to last them a week or two. With barely any other options left, the two Killjoys set out in hopes of returning with a lot more than they had. Now, standing there looking at the stacks of overturned and cleared out boxes, they realised that they were in over their heads.

"I knew this was a bust," Poison huffed, kicking over an empty can of Power Pup that sat on the cement floor; someone had clearly been camping here before. "We drove out here for nothin'."

"We don't know that yet," Ghoul insisted. He tugged at the green bandana tied around his head, pushing his long dark hair out of his face. His eyes narrowed as he stared above him. "I think I gots an idea," he winked at Poison.

With a jump, Ghoul grabbed onto the first level of the warehouse's pallet racks and hauled himself up, grunting softly. 

"You ain't climbin' all the way up there," Poison called up to their boyfriend, who was already making his way up to the second level. "Ghoul!"

"Yer right, s' dangerous," Ghoul chuckled sarcastically. He glanced behind him, smirking down at Poison. "What are we gon' do if I fall an' break somethin'?" He asked, knowing damn well that his bones would heal back together in a few minutes. 

Poison rolled their eyes. "Yer crazy."

"Yeah, I am," Ghoul said through clenched teeth as he finally reached the very top of the massive shelving units. "But if there's anythin' left in this place, s' gonna be up here!"

He started digging through various crates and boxes, shoving aside anything that was useless to him. Poison crossed their arms and sighed, listening to shuffling sounds Ghoul made. He muttered something occasionally, and Poison hoped it wasn't important because they sure as hell couldn't hear him. They started idly wandering through the aisle they found themself in, half heartedly checking every empty box with no hope of finding anything.

A loud bang made Poison nearly jump out of their skin. They whipped around to see a box that had fallen from the top shelf and crashed against the cement floor.

"Ghoul, what the fuck!?" Poison yelled, holding their hand over their chest as they caught their breath. "I thought you fell!"

"Sorry!" Ghoul's head popped up into Poison's line of sight with a cheesy grin on his face. "Can ya forgive me though? That whole fuckin' box is fulla' instant coffee!"

Poison raised one eyebrow as their gaze darted between the box and Ghoul.

"Okay, yeah, I can forgive ya."

Ghoul kept searching the top level. About twenty minutes later, Poison found a stack of defiled magazines that would keep them company for a while. They idly flipped through the vandalised pages, checking out the Batt models, articles, and puzzles. The warehouse had fallen silent, until Poison spoke up again.

"Kobra's being dramatic, right?" They asked just barely loud enough for Ghoul to be able to hear it.

"Huh?" He called back.

"Kobra," Poison chucked a magazine to the side. "He didn't come home last night, an' I know he hates me right now."

"He don't hate you," Ghoul pushed aside another crate and looked down at Poison. "He's mad, sure. But he don't hate you."

Poison sighed. "I feel like shit."

"I don't blame ya," Ghoul said sympathetically. "I mean, I ain't gonna pretend I know what it's like bein' in yer boots right now, but—"

"Would you do it?" Poison asked suddenly.

Ghoul stopped his searching and blinked. "Do what?"

Poison swallowed hard. Their feet started to move on their own, and suddenly they were pacing up and down the aisle between shelving units. "What I did. To protect him."

Ghoul chuckled awkwardly. "C'mon, Pois, that ain't fair."

"You wouldn't?" Poison asked, in an almost accusatory tone. "He was a kid, Ghoul! I couldn't jus' let him hear that shit!" They defended themself.

Poison heard a heavy thud and then silence.

"You were a kid, too," Ghoul reminded them. "An' you shouldn't have gone through that shit."

Poison's jaw clenched. "S' that my fault, too!?"

"What?" Ghoul stood up suddenly and peered over the edge again. "Red, that ain't what I said! None a' that shit is yer fault!"

Poison glared up at him. "'Cept for drugging my lil' brother, right? Then s' my fault an' I'm the worst sibling ever."

"Poison…" Ghoul sighed.

"No," Poison shook their head. "That's great. My brother and my boyfriend think I'm evil."

An empty wooden crate suddenly fell from the pallet rack Ghoul was standing on. It landed harshly in the opposite aisle, cracking in half loudly. Poison pretended like it didn't scare the shit out of them again.

"Can we not do this right now?" Ghoul asked. "When I hafta scream at ya just to be heard?"

"Fine," Poison shrugged and kept walking. 

Together, Poison and Ghoul made their way through the warehouse with Ghoul above and Poison below. It was almost complete silence between them, save for a few comments about the supplies that Ghoul ended up finding. 

Poison's boots shuffled along the dirty concrete. Their eyes remained unfocused as they wandered through the warehouse, lost in their own head. Part of them wanted to turn around and leave Ghoul there to search alone. He clearly didn't think that Poison could make good decisions, anyways.

Ghoul probably thought that everything that happened to Poison when they were thirteen was their fault. It wouldn't be the first time that Ghoul lied to Poison's face to make them feel better. Poison wrapped their arms around their stomach and swallowed back a sudden nauseating feeling in their throat. They felt disgusting. No wonder Ghoul was on Kobra's side. Poison was dirty, used, ruined. Ghoul would never want to touch them again now that he knows they—

"Ow!" Poison was suddenly on their hands and knees. They'd fallen, catching themself on the cold concrete before their face could smash against it. The heels of their hands throbbed from the force.

"Red?" Ghoul called down. "You good?"

Poison groaned and rolled over, glancing behind themself to see what they could've possibly tripped on. There, stretched across the aisle, was a thin and nearly invisible trip wire. Poison's eyes widened at the sight, just as they began to hear a soft buzz of electricity.

"Ghoul!" They panicked, jumping up to their feet. "Ghoul get down! It's a trap! It's a trap!" They screamed helplessly.

"What!?" Ghoul shouted. The platforms below him began to rattle, knocking him off balance.

"Ghoul!" Poison couldn't do anything before the sounds of explosions were ringing in their ears.

The second the doors to the Society of Yesterday opened, Bug was pulling her hand out of Jet's and running into the library in search of PB. Jet chuckled softly to herself, watching the little girl bubbling with excitement as she climbed into a chair next to the teen boy. PB had another kid sitting on the opposite side of the table, who beamed just as wide when Bug ran up to join them.

Jet wandered through the library, not really sure of what to do with herself while PB worked with Bug. Jet was out of a job completely now that her stock had run out. It felt selfish, but Jet was saving the last of her supply for her team. If she had to choose the lives she saved, she was saving those four Killjoys before anyone else.

"I thought I heard the sweet song of her laughter," Teach appeared around the corner carrying two plastic cups. She smiled warmly at Jet and gestured to her desk. "Come sit, love. I made lemonade, and there's even ice!"

It was impossible to say no to Teach, and Jet had nothing better to do. She got comfortable with the older woman, enjoying the cold drink and Teach's company while they watched the children work and play. It was quickly becoming a familiar routine.

"Can I tell ya somethin'?" Jet asked in a lull in the conversation. Teach looked up and nodded, but Jet's eye was trained on Bug.

"Of course," Teach said softly.

Jet took a slow sip of the lemonade before speaking again. "Bug is gifted."

"Yes," Teach nodded her head in agreement. "She's a very special little girl."

"Oh, no, I mean," Jet shook her head, chuckling nervously. "Gifted like…like powered."

The realisation flashed in Teach's eyes. "Oh, I see," Teach replied, nodding again to ease Jet's nerves. She glanced over at the young girl. "They usually don't show up in someone so young."

Jet shrugged. "Mine did."

Teach hummed. "Sister like sister, I suppose."

Jet bit her lip and tried to agree, but she didn't like the sound of it at all. With everything going down between the powered and non-powered Killjoys, Jet knew the inner Zones wouldn't be safe for any of them very soon, nevermind someone as small as Bug. The girl was strong, but she was still just a little kid. 

It had been so long since any of the Fab Four had seen the Scarecrow, Korse, but that didn't make Jet feel any better. She knew there was still a target on Bug, even if no one had come looking for her in weeks. Jet didn't know if she was doing enough to keep Bug hidden.

"You're doin' a great job with her," Teach said suddenly.

Jet glanced up with wide eyes. It was like Teach could read her mind.

"I know that look," Teach said with a knowing smile. "Same look your mama had back in the day. You're scared, an' you don't think you're fit to be her caretaker. Ain't that right?"

Clenching her jaw, Jet couldn't even bring herself to nod her head. Teach knew she was right, anyways. 

"Do you want some advice?" Teach asked.

"Sure," Jet nodded.

"Let her be a kid," Teach exhaled. "Life is too damn short, Star. Kids like Bug usually don't make it in the desert. Not unless they got people like you an' your crew to protect 'em."

Jet felt her heart sink a little hearing Teach's words. Kids like Bug usually don't make it in the desert. It's a truth that most Killjoys had accepted, especially desert borns, but it didn't hurt any less. 

Blinking back to the kids that crowded around PB, Jet realised something about the second little girl. Her big, white hood with bunny ears sewn onto the sides covered the upper half of her face and Jet couldn't see her wide, curious eyes. But she could see the bright and toothy smile that matched Bug's. Teach hadn't mentioned the second kid when Jet walked in, and now that Jet took a closer look, she realised that Teach couldn't see her.

How Jet had missed the persistent blue haze around the young girl, she didn't know. She sat quietly, giggling to herself unbeknownst to Paper Boy. She leaned over his shoulder and listened to the stories he and Bug read. Stories that she should've been able to hear when she was alive.

Jet was overcome with a sudden sense of guilt that she couldn't understand. Had Doc not found Bug wandering the desert alone, had Poison not agreed to take her in, had the Fab Four not been fit to raise her, Bug might've ended up just like the little ghost beside her.

"She deserves to be a kid for as long as she can," Teach continued, pulling Jet away from her spiral. "Don't let her grow up too fast."

Jet couldn't take her eyes off of the two little girls.

"Like you. You grew up too fast, Star."

Poison coughed until it hurt. Their lungs were filled with a thick layer of dust. Their eyes stung, watering until their vision blurred. With enough effort, Poison moved their left hand around sharp edges and rough surfaces, desperate to feel out where they ended up.

"Ghoul," they coughed weakly, blinking through a haze of dust and smoke. Their ears were still ringing from the blast, but they swore they could hear ragged breathing. Poison tried to crawl towards it when a searing pain jolted up their right leg. "Oh, fuck!" They cried.

"Red!" Ghoul's voice carried through the haze. "Red, fuck, you okay? Where are you?"

Ghoul sounded close. Poison needed to reach him, but every movement made the pain worse. Something damp and sticky soaked into their jeans, and Poison knew they were bleeding. They were bleeding a lot.

Poison lay there, pinned down on their stomach with only their left arm free. They let their head fall heavily onto the jagged, singed wooden rafter in front of them. Its sharp edges dug painfully into their shoulders, but the relief of not having to hold up their own head outweighed the pain.

A few minutes—maybe it was an hour, Poison didn't know—ticked by and Poison heard a gasp.

"Pois!" Ghoul exclaimed, causing Poison to lift their head again. The dust and smoke had settled, just slightly, and Ghoul was able to make out a neon red figure stuck in the rubble.

"Fuck, Ghoulie," Poison cried, now able to see just how close Ghoul was. They stretched out their arm to reach for him, but they couldn't close the gap. They whimpered in defeat, meeting Ghoul's tear-filled eyes. "M' sorry."

"Shh, don't be," Ghoul shook his head. He was trapped on his back, almost popped up in a sitting position. A piece of the pallet racks had fallen on top of him, pinning his torso and legs down but he had managed to pull his arms free. Poison watched him push against the pallet to no avail, huffing frustratedly. "I can't—I can't—"

"Don't hurt yourself," Poison pleaded.

"Me? What about you?" Ghoul panted. It was far too hot in there. "Can you move?"

Poison shook their head but they tried again anyway. Their right arm, which was trapped beneath concrete rubble, shifted slightly, but there was no way Poison could fully free it. And their legs, well,

"Augh! Fuck! Fuck, it hurts!" Poison sobbed. They could feel the bones in their foot crunching beneath whatever it was that held them down.

"Poison! Poison, stop!" Ghoul yelled. "Yer gonna make it worse!"

He watched Poison drop their head again. Their body shook with weak sobs, and Ghoul's heart shattered.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he chanted to himself, bashing his head against the rubble behind him. "F' course it was a trap," he groaned, shifting slightly.

Ghoul had landed on a sharp, jagged piece of metal that impaled the left side of his lower back. It hurt like hell, but Ghoul knew that the blood he felt soaking through his clothes was nothing compared to the blood he could see pooling beneath Poison's body.

"Help!" Ghoul started to panic. "Somebody help!"

"We're stuck!" Poison screamed. "Help us! Help ple—" they choked on their words, coughing violently and painfully.

Sweat dripped down Ghoul's face. The smoke was getting thicker, and Ghoul couldn't ignore the distant crackling sounds coming from within the wreckage. The fire that started from the explosion would only get bigger, and Ghoul didn't know how much longer it would be until they were surrounded by flames.

"Breathe, Pois," Ghoul muttered. "Don't panic, s' gonna make it worse. Slow breaths."

Poison coughed again and shook their head. Ghoul could see the tear tracks that washed away the dirt on Poison's face. They tried to inhale normally, but it was nearly impossible between the quiet sobs and pained whimpers they were letting out.

"Ghoul," they coughed, reaching out with their left hand again. Ghoul tried to meet them halfway, but they were just too far. "Ghoul, I think—" Poison hiccuped. "I think we're gonna die here."

They looked at Ghoul with such heartbroken eyes, and Ghoul could only bite his lip and look away. He tried to hide his face from Poison. He tried not to scream. He swallowed the lump in his throat but it didn't stop the ragged sob that left his lips.

"Ghoulie?" Poison asked. "What? What's happening?"

Ghoul turned his head slowly. He was trembling.

"Yer gonna die," he choked out, shaking his head. "I won't. My body's gonna heal too fast—" he sobbed. "M' gon' survive at least four days after yer gone. Even if the flames get me." He couldn't stop the steady stream of tears. He was shaking and shuddering at the thought of having to stay here, trapped for days with Poison's dead body knowing that he couldn't save them.

"Ghoul—" Poison's lips parted to speak, but something above them cracked. More dust was raining down on them as the wreck began to collapse even more, crashing down behind Poison. The rubbled vibrated. Poison felt every bone in their crushed foot and they screamed.

"M' sorry! M' sorry! M' so sorry!" They cried suddenly. They were panicking again. "M' sorry m' such a mess! An' m' sorry I dragged you into my mess!"

Ghoul shuddered. "Poison?"

"S' not yer fault m' so fucked up!" Poison sobbed. "I never shoulda taken it out on you! M' sorry, Ghoulie! M' so fucked up!" Poison couldn't keep their head up anymore. They let it fall forwards, cutting their forehead on the surface below them.

"Don't. Don't do that, Pois. Yer perfect. Yer the best thing that's ever happened to me, an' I'd go through hell again and again just' to stay with ya." Ghoul watched them sob, feeling his heart trying to beat out of his bulletproof chest.

"You were right," he suddenly broke. 

Poison glanced up. "What?" They nearly whispered.

"You were right, I been thinkin' 'bout my sister," Ghoul pulled his eyes away from Poison and stared at the wreckage ahead of him. "I just—I'm so jealous of all a' you! Jet has Bug now, an' you always had Kobra. But my little sister got taken away from me an—an' it's not fair!"

He thrust his head back against the rubble behind him again. "I hate it when you fight wit' him, Pois!" Ghoul nearly screamed. "'Cause ya don't realise how lucky you are to have Kobra!"

Poison's eyes welled up with tears again. The sharp stench of blood filled their nostrils from the red stained concrete beneath them. With their head resting on its side, Poison whispered, "I'm sorry."

Even through the dirt caked on their face, Ghoul could see how pale Poison had gotten. "Don't," he muttered back. "You jus' wanted to protect him. I'd do it, too, to keep Jade safe…"

Ghoul trailed off as he stared at the blood that Poison was laying in. They looked faint and dizzy. Ghoul didn't know just how fast Poison was losing blood but he knew it was too fast. They barely had enough energy when their next coughing fit started. They sounded like they were hacking up their own lungs. Ghoul could see it happening in front of his own eyes; Poison was slipping away.

"Help!" Ghoul screamed as loud as he possibly could until he felt his vocal chords scratching. "Somebody help us! HELP!"

"Gh-Ghoulie," Poison whimpered. They rolled their head to the side to look up at him, dragging their red locks through soot and blood.

"Somebody's gotta find us, Red," Ghoul said through clenched teeth. The rubble above him was getting heavier. "Jus' hold on."

"No, Ghoulie," Poison sighed, holding out their free hand. "I can't."

"Yes you can," Ghoul barked. "Yer not dyin' on me, Red." His words hung in the smoke filled air. Ghoul bit down on his lip to stop himself from crying again as he listened to Poison's wheezy breaths.

"Ghoul," Poison coughed. "If you get outta here, can you tell Kobes m' sorry?"

Ghoul's heart sunk through his stomach. "No, Poison, m' not gonna do that, 'cause you ain't dying!"

"Please, Ghoul," Poison sniffled. "He needs to know…"

"An' you can tell him yourself," Ghoul insisted. He wouldn't say yes. He couldn't say yes. Because if he did, he'd have to admit that Poison was going to die down there. And Ghoul wasn't ready to do that.

"No," a weak sob ripped from Poison's throat. "I won't…You gotta, Ghoulie. Please…" Their eyes fluttered shut, and Ghoul was certain that Poison had blacked out for a moment. "Please. Please."

Ghoul squeezed his eyes shut, but it was no use. The image of his love bleeding out and trapped beneath the rubble was already burned into his memory. He couldn't believe that this was how it was going to end.

"O-Okay," Ghoul choked out. "I'll tell him."

When he opened his eyes, Poison was reaching out towards him and straining against the wreckage that had them trapped. 

"Stop, Poison," Ghoul begged over the sounds of Poison's pained grunts and cries as they tried to move their crushed foot. "Yer hurting yourself, Red!"

Poison coughed up more smoke, and finally their body shifted just enough. Had they been stronger, they would've screamed, but the pain was numbing at that point. Poison just stretched out their hand towards Ghoul, staring at him with watering eyes.

"Thank you," they mumbled as Ghoul took their hand in his. "I love you."

Ghoul's chest hurt from the sob he let out. "I love you, too," he whimpered. 

When Poison went limp, Ghoul screamed.

He didn't want this. He couldn't do this. Not without Poison. There was no reason to scream for help anymore. Ghoul didn't want to get out of there if Poison was already dead. 

His own death couldn't come fast enough. His body would keep regenerating over and over again. He'd be down there, still breathing, for days. Ghoul thought he could speed up the process by forcibly shoving his body backwards.

The shard that stabbed into his back like a knife dug deeper into him. Ghoul screamed in pain, but he revelled in the new spurt of blood he felt under his shirt. Again and again, he rammed his back into the shard, praying to the Witch that it would kill him.

A sudden thud stopped Ghoul in his tracks. The shard had hit the metal plate screwed into Ghoul's lower back; the one designed to protect his organs in a firefight. Ghoul sobbed, cursing out his enhancements. Why couldn't he just die?

He closed his eyes. He couldn't bear to look at the lifeless form of Poison laying beside him anymore. With tears streaming down the sides of his face, Ghoul quietly wished that he could join Poison in death.

They had driven all night, following Freak Show's directions. Kobra squinted into the dark as Show Pony's car approached the worn out and rusted building that sat on the east side of Zone 4. Kobra turned around to raise an eyebrow at Freak with a silent question, but when Pony stopped the car a couple of yards away from the building, they looked up at it with a knowing look in their eyes.

"The roller rink," Pony sighed. "I used ta come 'ere all the time when I was yall's age. Didn't know Uni even knew 'bout this place…"

"She said she sneaks out here when she needs time to think," Freak explained quietly. "No 'Joys bother comin' here no more. S' always empty, 'cept for Uni."

"Well, here's hopin' she's in there," Nova said as she pushed open the car door. The other three followed immediately, only to stop dead in their tracks.

"Fuck!" Kobra screamed, clapping his hands over his ears as a deafening, high-pitched frequency rattled his brain.

"Augh! What the hell is that!?" Nova screamed, falling to her knees.

Pony winced and covered their ears, too. "S' Uni!" They tried to explain, but their voice was being drowned out by the noise. "Her screams are sonic!"

"The fuck does that even mean!?" Nova screamed back. She could feel herself nearly blacking out from the pressure inside her skull.

"Her voice is what's doin' all this!" Pony yelled as they hobbled towards the front door of the roller rink. "Uni! Uni, my love! Darlin', s' me! S' yer Papa!" 

Their hands gripped the metal handle on the door and pulled, only to be knocked back by a sudden, stronger wave as Uni cried out, "No! Go away!"

"Argh!" Kobra backed up against the car so he wouldn't fall over. "How do we stop it!?"

"I gotta get through to her!" Pony stressed. "Sweetie! Yer safe, I promise! Please, just calm down!"

"Stop it!" Uni shrieked, and the entire roller rink started to vibrate. Over the shrill tones Uni created, the team could hear the foundation beginning to crumble. Uni was going down and she was taking the rink with her.

"Uni! Darlin'!" Pony scrambled back just in time before the ground in front of the door cracked. Pony fell back on their ass before they felt a hand on their shoulder.

"I got this," Freak promised. Their eyes were closed, as though they were bracing themself against Uni's sonic screams. Slowly, Freak lowered themself to the ground until they were on all fours and began to transform.

Kobra had only ever seen Freak's powers in action once before. He watched with wide eyes as the tall Killjoy ahead of him slowly morphed into a large, black dog. Their skin became fur, their heavy breaths turned into snarls and pants. Before anyone knew it, Freak Show was leaping over the cracks in the dirt and running into the collapsing roller rink.

Uni, where are you? Freak thought as they bolted through the rink, checking under tables and benches for the girl they loved. With their heightened senses, Freak followed the scent of fear and sadness to the middle of the rink.

There, on the varnished wood floor, sat Uni Verse. She was shaking and sobbing, holding her arms around herself as she cried.

There you are, girl, Freak ran towards her, barking softly to get her attention.

Uni glanced up with wide, fearful eyes. "No, no, no, no!" She sobbed. Each word shook the foundation a little bit more. "Stay away from me! M' dangerous!"

Freak barked again. You aren't dangerous, love. You're just afraid. 

Despite Uni's protests, Freak approached her slowly and dropped down next to her. They rested their head in her lap, nudging her hands gently with their nose, urging her to pet them.

Breathe, Uni. You can do it.

Freak didn't know how long they lay there for, but the ringing in their ears stopped eventually. Carefully, Freak let themself shift back into their human form and rolled over, smiling up at Uni's tear-stained face.

"Yer safe," Freak promised, holding her face in their hands. "I don't care what nobody said to ya, you ain't dangerous, love. Yer perfect."

"I'm sorry," Uni breathed out slowly. "I-I didn't mean for it to—"

"Shh," Freak shushed her, helping her up to her feet. "S' okay. Yer Papa's waitin' outside for us, let's go.

Freak couldn't get Uni out safely through the front doors anymore, so they grabbed her hand and led her through the entire roller rink and out the back doors. When the two Killjoys emerged, it was pitch dark outside. Not even a star in the sky was visible. So, when Agent Korse leapt out and attacked them with a Spark Extractor, both Freak and Uni were taken by complete surprise.

"Uni, get down!" Freak screamed, shoving their girlfriend behind themself to keep her protected from Korse's weapon. Freak kicked their heavy leather boot forwards against Korse's body, pushing him away from Uni.

"Hold still," Korse snapped, pushing back and pinning Freak against the outer wall of the roller rink. They could feel the Extractor heating up and flailed against Korse's hold.

"No!" Someone screamed, and it wasn't Freak Show. They were suddenly freed when Kobra came sprinting around the corner and knocked the Spark Extractor out of Korse's hands.

"You!" Korse growled. Kobra swung at Korse again and again, forcing him to back away from the other kids. Their altercation was a tangle of arms and legs as they wrestled and fought, throwing each other to the ground and rolling in the sand. "Little brat!"

Kobra slammed Korse onto his back, straddling his chest so he had a perfect angle to throw punch after punch at the Crow's face, breaking the skin and covering both of them in Korse's blood. 

"Leave my friends alone!" Kobra screamed at him, beating Korse's face until it was black and blue.

"Kobra, we gotta go!" Nova's voice called. Pony's car was idling a few yards away from the fight, where everyone waited for Kobra to get back inside. "C'mon!"

He swung once more for good measure and jumped to his feet, making a run for the car. Kobra sprinted towards the door that Freak held open. He was nearly there, when he felt a sudden sharp pain in his lower back.

"Kobra!" Nova screamed when Kobra collapsed in the sand. Behind him, Korse stood shakily with a smoking raygun in his hand.

Ghoul's head beat against the surface behind him again and again in a numbing rhythm. The fire had grown, it was all around him now. He wondered how long he'd have to wait before the flames claimed Poison's body. 

Smoke filled Ghoul's lungs. He'd cough it out, his lungs would heal, and then he'd do it all over again. It was a torturous process. Ghoul found himself praying for it to end. 

He didn't pray often. Honestly, he wasn't even entirely convinced that the Phoenix Witch was real. If She was, then She was a complete bitch for making Poison and Ghoul go out this way. But he figured it was worth a shot to pray once more. Maybe She'd be kind enough to let them find each other in the afterlife, if there was one.

Ghoul's body wasn't tiring out yet, but his brain sure was. He let his eyes slip shut, willing himself to fall asleep. If he was asleep, at least he could pretend he was dead.

The flames crackled. The pallet racks creaked and groaned as they burned down with the rest of the warehouse. Ghoul tried to find comfort in the noise, but he began panicking when the pallet rack that had landed on top of him started to shift.

"What—" Ghoul opened his eyes. He wasn't met with the bright orange flames that he had already gotten used to. No, everything in front of him was blue.

Ghoul blinked rapidly, trying to focus his bleary eyes after all that crying and the smoke. Things were moving and crashing all over the place, and Ghoul pathetically thought that maybe he was being rescued. But that was impossible. There was no way that anyone could make it inside anymore.

He gasped loudly when the weight that had been crushing his body for the Witch knows how long was suddenly lifted. He was free. Quickly, Ghoul pulled himself off of the shard that had been stabbing him with a loud grunt and looked up to meet his saviours.

They were foggy figures of Killjoys, with pale skin and blank eyes. And they were surrounded by a shockingly bright blue energy.

Ghosts, Ghoul realised.

Jet's ghosts.

One of the ghosts reached out to help Ghoul up and he recoiled suddenly. "No, no, no!" He shook his head. "Get them!" He pointed urgently at Poison's limp body laying beneath the rubble. The ghosts did not question Ghoul's request, they only nodded and got to work pushing the wreckage away to get to the redhead.

Ghoul stood up and watched in awe as more ghosts appeared out of nowhere. Their combined strength easily pushed Poison's restraints away, and one ghost was able to pull Poison out from underneath. Ghoul winced at the sight of Poison's entire lower half stained red with their own blood. Their right foot was crushed and bent at an odd angle from their leg, which hung limply as their body was scooped up in the arms of a ghost.

"Okay, let's go!" Ghoul shouted, and the ghosts began clearing a path in the wreckage for Ghoul to walk out of. Ghoul crawled over the rubble carefully as the ghosts easily floated through, being extra cautious to keep Poison unharmed. When Ghoul finally saw an opening that took him out into the night, he nearly sobbed again.

The ghosts lowered Poison into the sand, laying them on their back right next to Jet.

She stood there with her feet planted in a wide stance. Her glowing fists were clenched tightly as she breathed raggedly. The colour had drained from her face, her energy was running out fast. She was barely holding onto the ghosts anymore, even with Bug standing beside her doing her best to help Jet.

"Jet!" Ghoul called, running towards her as fast as he could. As soon as Ghoul and Poison were both out safely, Jet collapsed and the ghosts disappeared. Ghoul jumped to catch her, lowering her to her knees. "Fuck, Jet, holy shit," Ghoul threw himself around her, hugging her close. "Destroya—how did you—what—" he sobbed.

"Thank the Witch yer okay," Jet held Ghoul against her chest and pressed her lips to the top of his head. "We thought we lost ya…"

"Red," Ghoul choked, turning in Jet's embrace to see Poison's unmoving body lying in the sand. Bug crawled over with tears in her eyes, brushing Poison's hair away from their bloody, bruised face.

"Is they dead?" She whimpered, and Jet shuddered beneath Ghoul. 

Ghoul stared with tears in his eyes. He couldn't speak, and he couldn't take his eyes off Poison because they were—

Suddenly, with a sharp, dry cough, Poison's body jerked. They tried to gasp for air but their chest just contracted again and again as they coughed up smoke and debris. 

"Poison!" Ghoul shouted, crawling over to his love and rolling them onto their side so they didn't choke. Their whole body was shaking and pale from the blood loss, and their eyes wouldn't open, but they were alive.

"Thank the Witch," Jet repeated, hauling herself to her feet. "C'mon, we gotta get 'em to the med stop 'fore it's too late."

Chapter Text

The Kobra Kid stared at the awful checkered pattern of the flooring in the diner as he paced back and forth, listening to his sneakers occasionally squeak as they brushed against the tiles. His fingers pulled gently at the roots of his hair, just enough to keep him from spiralling.

Nova Cane watched him pace. His head moved erratically, accompanied with quiet curses and whistles. She glanced out the window behind her for the hundredth time, praying that Kobra's team would be back any second now. If Kobra had to wait any longer for his sibling to come home, Nova thought he might explode.

"Ya really shouldn't be doin' that," Nova grimaced. Kobra seemed to be pacing faster now. "You were shot a few hours ago, you gotta rest, dude."

Kobra's jaw clenched. He paused his pacing just long enough to ruck his t-shirt up and expose the skin just above his jeans. Twisting around awkwardly, Kobra glanced down at his lower back and grumbled, "S' fine."

"No, it's not, yer literally bleedin' through yer bandages," Nova protested, hopping to her feet and grabbing Kobra's wrist. "C'mon, lemme help change those. It won't heal right if it don't stay clean."

She grabbed the last of her bandages—a roll she stole from her brother, Hydro—and motioned to Kobra to take his shirt off. His hands balled up the fabric at the hem carefully before he hesitated. Nova waited patiently, not pressuring Kobra in any way. She never pressured him. She was a really, really good friend, and Kobra was pretty damn sure he could trust her by now.

"I'm trans," he blurted before he could think twice. His hands were still clenched around the fabric of his shirt as he stared at Nova, waiting for a reply. "Hmm."

Nova raised her eyebrows at him. "Oh, cool," she shrugged. Like someone had taken pounds of weight off of his shoulders, Kobra's nervousness eased instantly. Until, Nova added; "Me too."

Kobra blinked. His mouth fell open dumbly, making Nova chuckle. "Wait—fuck—What?"

"Ya didn't know?" Nova seemed genuinely surprised. "Thanks, I guess. I thought it was kinda obvious. Y'know, wit' the low voice…an' the fact that I'm way taller than you," she laughed.

"Nuh-uh!" Kobra scoffed, shoving Nova's shoulder lightly. "You're like an inch taller!"

Nova cackled at Kobra's response. "Okay! Okay! Shirt off, now, shorty!"

He shucked off his shirt without any fear of exposing himself to Nova. She knew he was trans, and she was totally okay with it. She didn't comment on the tight sports bra he wore since Poison forbade him from binding with bandages. She just carefully cleaned up the nasty blaster wound on Kobra's back and patched him back up again. Her touch was soothing. Kobra found himself at peace with Nova taking care of him. 

By the time she finished, the Trans Am was pulling up to the diner. Kobra didn't know how Nova had managed to calm him down so much or distract him from worrying again, but he was grateful nonetheless. He quickly pulled his shirt back on and was on his feet by the time Jet opened the front door.

"Party!" Kobra all but threw himself into his older sibling's arms. It was awkward; Kobra didn't have enough time to realise that Poison was balancing themself on a set of crutches and couldn't even hug him back. The pressure on Poison's fresh burns stung, causing them to hiss quietly. They hardly cared, though. It just felt good to have Kobra hold them.

"M' sorry, m' so sorry," Kobra mumbled as he tucked his head into the crook of Poison's neck. "Hmm—fuck—you were right—aye! You were jus' trying to protect me—hmm—m' sorry."

Poison let out a shuddering exhale and squeezed their eyes shut. They leaned into their brother's touch, no matter how badly it was starting to hurt. Poison and Kobra's fight felt like it happened years ago. Now that Poison had narrowly avoided death, the argument was so insignificant. 

"I still shoulda told you," Poison sighed. "M' sorry too."

When Kobra pulled back, Poison realised there were tears in his eyes. He kept his hands on Poison's shoulders and gave them a once-over. Trailing down from the scrapes on Poison's forehead, Kobra's eyes settled on the brand new cast on their right foot.

"They need to sit down!" Jet called to them from the kitchen. "Pois, ya lost a lotta blood out there."

"Right, yeah," Poison said breathlessly. They let Kobra walk them to the couch while Ghoul took their crutches and propped them against the wall behind their head. Ghoul perched himself on the armrest next to Poison, hovering over them with a frightened, exhausted look on his face.

"Yer gonna have a hell of a time healin', Red," Ghoul reached out and combed his fingers through Poison's hair, carefully avoiding the deep scratches on their face. "You gotta let us take care a' ya, yeah? 'Cause you gotta take it easy."

He knew the hardest part of all of this would be getting Poison to sit still. The one thing they hated the most was feeling useless, and while being injured didn't make them useless, Ghoul would have to fight for a while to convince Poison of that.

"Kobra, too," Nova chimed in after having quietly lurked in the background for a while. "He got shot in the back, barely missed his spine."

"What!?" Poison exclaimed, staring at Kobra with wide eyes. Kobra glared at Nova as Poison fussed over him, pulling up his shirt to see the bandages Nova had just put on him. "What happened!?"

"S' nothin', m' fine," Kobra shook his head. 

"It's not nothin'," Poison insisted. Kobra wanted to disagree and say that compared to what Poison had just gone through it was most definitely nothing, but he kept his mouth closed. "Who shot you?"

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Kobra muttered, "Korse."

"Korse?" Poison echoed.

"He's back?" Ghoul almost growled. The specific Scarecrow hadn't been seen in weeks. Distantly, the Killjoys had hoped he'd died so he'd never be back to threaten their little girl ever again.

Kobra's head jerked slightly. "Shit—He attacked our friends," he mumbled. "I had to do—fuck—shit—do something," he glanced up at Poison and Ghoul's matching expressions of concern. "I was the only one who got hurt."

"Ya have the same hero complex as yer sibling," Ghoul chuckled softly, earning a smack on the leg from Poison. "M' glad yer okay, Kid. Good work."

"Thanks," an almost-smile pulled at Kobra's lips as his eyes shifted from Ghoul to Nova, who was shifting her weight from foot to foot in the middle of the diner.

"I, uh, I should go," she awkwardly announced, pointing to the door with her thumb. Kobra quickly stood up to hug her, muttering some thank yous into her ear. She smiled earnestly at him before waving to the rest of his crew. "Bye guys."

Kobra sat back down next to Poison and startled at the sight of both them and Ghoul giving him a knowing look.

"What?" He asked.

Poison shrugged with a smirk. "Nothin'," they hummed cheekily, but Ghoul wasn't as keen on staying mysterious.

"Kobra's gotta girlfriend," he sing-songed childishly. Poison giggled and nudged him slightly.

"What—" Kobra stuttered, blinking rapidly. "I—Nova?" He shook his head, trying to rationalise Poison and Ghoul's thought processes. "That's—no—hmm, fuck!" His hands shook. "S' not like that."

"Kobes, s' okay," Poison's smile softened. "We're happy for ya, that's all."

"Yeah, dude!" Ghoul grinned at him. "Yer girlfriend's cool as shit."

Kobra's brows furrowed. "She's not my girlfr—"

"Poison, ya didn't take my bandages for some sorta art project, right?" Jet walked back into the room at just the right moment to save Kobra from this interrogation. She marched up to the crew holding half a roll of medical bandages. Bug followed behind her like a little mini-me. She even crossed her arms the same way Jet did when they stopped in front of Poison.

"F' course not, m' not stupid," Poison raised their eyebrows at Jet, who sighed heavily.

"This is all we got," she grumbled, tossing the half-roll into Poison's lap. "An' I can't get no more, so be careful."

Poison winked. "M' always careful, Jetty."

"M' serious, Pois!" Jet exclaimed tiredly. "Ya broke yer foot in at least two places, fucked up yer ankle, an' yer covered in burns. You gotta lay low an' let it all heal right."

Poison sighed, leaning themself against Ghoul. "Great," they grumbled." Weeks an' weeks of boring nothing."

Korse stared up at The Director where she stood behind her desk with her back turned to him. She gazed out her large office windows that overlooked Battery City. She remained silent with her hands behind her back, forcing Korse to sit still in the uncomfortable chair he found himself in. It had been fifteen minutes of this. Maybe more. Korse had lost track.

When the Director finally spoke, Korse could see her reflection in the glass. He watched her eyes burn with fury as she spat, "You had one member of the Fabulous Four within reach, completely unprotected by the rest of the team, and you still failed to eliminate your target."

It wasn't a question, so Korse didn't even bother nodding his head. The Director was only stating facts; Korse did have the Kobra Kid at his disposal, and somehow the Killjoy still managed to get away.

"A month on the job," the Director continued. "And you've achieved nothing."

Korse's finger tips tightened around the armrests of his seat to stop his hands from shaking. He silently prayed that this was not the end for him; he needed this job. He couldn't let the Director throw him out onto the street. Not after he's given his entire life to be a Scarecrow.

"Have you completely forgotten your training?" The Director asked, finally turning away from the glass. Still, she didn't look at Korse as she paced around her desk, stalking towards him. "Or perhaps your punishments aren't nearly as effective as I assumed. Were your lessons not learned?"

"I learned, Boss," Korse muttered as steadily as he could manage, keeping his gaze locked straight ahead of him, even as the Director circled around him.

"You've done nothing to prove that, Agent Korse. Perhaps I should be increasing your punishments," her threats sent a chill down Korse's spine as she grabbed the back rest of his chair. He shuddered at the feeling of her presence looming behind him.

"Or, perhaps we should be punishing Daniel instead."

Korse couldn't stifle the sharp, painful gasp that escaped his lips. He was frozen in place, incapable of speaking. His mind raced. It had been two days since he'd been home. Two days since he'd been able to check on Daniel.

The Director could sense his fear as she bent at the hips to murmur into his ear. "Don't assume that I don't know everything about you, Agent Korse. It's my job. And don't think I'm above hurting that handsome little boyfriend of yours if it teaches you a god damn lesson."

Swallowing hard, Korse squeezed his eyes shut and suppressed a quiet whimper. The Director hadn't hurt Daniel yet. Korse had to do everything he could to keep it that way.

When the Director came back into Korse's line of sight, she seated herself atop her desk right in front of him. He looked up at her fiery eyes and squirmed uncomfortably. Before he knew it, he had the Director's foot on his chest to hold him still. The sharp heel of her shoe dug into his sternum painfully, but he didn't dare make a noise.

"You're off the mission, Agent Korse," she spat, and Korse's eyes widened. "And I'm revoking your Tier One Scarecrow badge. You clearly weren't ready to take on the Fabulous Four."

Korse opened his mouth to speak, but he choked. That was it? He was out of a job? He was tossed out of Scarecrow Unit 13 like last week's trash. Because of one, stupid, nearly impossible mission.

"Oh," the Director continued. "And you can forget about the junior agent you were apprenticing, since you also couldn't do that right. She's learned nothing. She's useless in the Scarecrow program, so I've relocated her to the labs. She's mine now. Understand?"

Korse nodded stiffly. He swallowed back the guilt he felt for the young junior agent. She was only fifteen, and now she was completely under the control of the Director. Korse could only hope that she wouldn't suffer too much because he couldn't teach her anything. 

"As for the pursuit of the Fabulous Four," the Director hummed. The door to her office swung open, welcoming the steady sound of heeled boots clicking on the hardwood floor. Korse didn't even need to turn around to know who was now standing behind him.

The Director's red lips smirked proudly. "Agent Avalon is now in charge of the mission."

One Month Later

Being holed up inside the diner while their body healed from the accident was stressful and painfully boring most of the time, but Poison didn't mind moments like this. Bug sat comfortably in Poison's lap, cuddled in as close as she could possibly get. She flipped through her favourite storybook that she got from Paper Boy, slowly reading it out loud for Poison and Kobra to listen to.

Kobra was seated next to Poison on the couch, practically pressed right up against them. Sure, it was a colder night in the diner, but Poison knew that the real reason for Kobra's clinginess was because he was still scared. He had hardly left the diner this past month, either, and glued himself to Poison's side whenever he could. While Poison thought it was a little unnecessary, they weren't mad about the company. It kept them from going insane while trapped inside all day every day.

"You're doin' so good these days, Bug," Poison praised after Bug confidently read out, "the end" on the final page. "M' so proud of ya."

Bug smiled up at them, sticking her tongue through the hole where her front tooth used to be. That was an exciting day for Poison; Bug's first time losing a tooth. It was pretty pathetic in hindsight, but Poison didn't get many exciting days lately. And anything involving Bug was always their favourite.

Poison heard the familiar sound of a spoon scraping the bottom of an empty can and glanced over at their brother. Kobra stared down at the can of Power Pup in his hands before showing it to Poison to prove that he'd eaten every last bite. 

Kobra was also healing, he was just doing it a little differently than Poison. At first he hated that Poison had to supervise him for every meal, but after his body started to gain some weight again, he realised all the good it was doing. Kobra still didn't eat with the rest of the team, but he'd gotten used to eating in privacy with Poison. It was baby steps, but it was progress nonetheless.

"Good job," Poison smiled at him warmly.

Kobra nodded. Tired, he signed.

The sun had set hours ago. Poison leaned over to hug Kobra goodnight, rubbing their hand firmly down his back. They tried to be subtle with it, but Kobra knew that his sibling was checking to make sure he wasn't wearing anything under his baggy t-shirt. 

"G'night bro," Poison hummed. "I love you."

They looked back down at the little girl in their lap, turning her around to face them.

"I think s' someone else's bedtime too, huh?" Poison asked, watching Bug rub at her eyes. They brushed her hair back and kissed both her cheeks before sending her off to bed.

"Ya missed one," Bug frowned and pointed at her forehead.

"Right, f'course," Poison giggled, kissing Bug on her head. "Now can ya sleep?"

"Uh-huh," Bug nodded and wiggled her way off of Poison's lap. Her feet landed on the floor with a thud. "G'night Pois!" She called as she padded towards the broom closet near the kitchen. It was storage before, but the team didn't have much to their names anymore. The room was nearly empty and together the Fab Four decided that Bug deserved her own space. It barely fit her cot nevermind her other belongings, but Poison made sure to decorate it enough to make her happy.

With Bug and Kobra gone, Poison was left without a distraction. Sitting alone in the dark, they let out a shuddering whimper they'd been holding in for a while. Glancing down at their broken foot, Poison swallowed back a sob as pain pulsed up their right leg.

It was healing well. At least, that's what Jet claimed. She said that the bones had set, and that Poison was going to be fine. Still, Poison's foot and ankle throbbed until they could feel it coursing through their entire body. It was a nauseating feeling that convinced Poison it would be less painful to just cut off their foot entirely.

The thought of moving their leg made them sick, but Poison bit down on their lip and pulled both their knees into themself. They promptly tipped onto their side, curled up on the couch with their hair sprawled across the cushions. Tears pricked at their eyes as they hugged themself, staring at the crutches that lay just a few feet away from them. Poison couldn't force themself to crawl that far, so they curled further into themself and shut their eyes, unable to sleep.

Ghoul got home hours later. He walked into the diner expecting everyone to be in bed, and instead found Poison lying on their side, rubbing their hand up and down their right leg and sobbing.

They didn't see Ghoul at first when he knelt down in front of them. It was only when his hands carded through their faded hair, Poison opened their eyes and whimpered. Simultaneously relieved and embarrassed to have Ghoul there with them.

"It hurt that bad?" Ghoul whispered. Poison nodded their head, shifting slightly to tell Ghoul it was okay to touch them. He joined them on the cushions, lifting Poison up just enough to lay their head in his lap.

Ghoul's arm wrapped around Poison so his hand could rub up and down their back gently. "M' so sorry, Pois," he mumbled. The diner was nearly bare of medical supplies. Poison already took the small amount of painkillers that Jet did have earlier that month, leaving them with nothing to stop the agonising pain anymore. Ghoul didn't even have a hidden stash of weed to offer them.

"Can ya move?" Ghoul asked after almost an hour of cuddling on the couch. Poison shook their head, so Ghoul asked, "Can I carry ya to bed?"

With a quiet sniffle, Poison nodded. They let Ghoul scoop them up and carry them to the back of the diner to his own bed. He cuddled up next to them, letting Poison hold onto him however they needed. Their head rested on Ghoul's chest. He could feel Poison's warm tears soaking through the fabric of his shirt and guilt settled into his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to stop Poison from hurting, but the best he could do was lay there with his arms around them as they cried themself to sleep.

Poison slept through most of the day. When they woke up, they rolled over in an empty bed. The spot where Ghoul slept wasn't even warm anymore. Poison blinked their eyes open and weakly lifted their head, spotting Jet standing above them in the doorway of Ghoul's room. 

"Sorry," she grimaced apologetically. "Didn't wanna bother ya, but Ghoul an' Kobes are both gone, an' I jus' gotta call from Doc so I needs someone to watch Bug while m' out."

Poison perked up slightly. "Doc?" They asked. The Fab Four hadn't heard from Dr. Death-Defying in months. Poison knew their own team had been struggling enough since the shit hit the fan; becoming a new enemy to some Killjoys because of their powers. While Doc wasn't powered himself, he had a lot of friends who were. Poison imagined that he had his work cut out for him. But he completely disappeared from the Fab Four's lives, until now.

"Yeah, he needs me at the station for somethin'," Jet shrugged. "Dunno what."

"Can I come?" Poison asked hopefully. After sleeping for more than twelve hours, their foot wasn't killing them like it was the night before. They were itching for an excuse to leave the claustrophobic and stale diner they'd been stuck in for a month. "We can take Bug with."

Jet seemed a little surprised by Poison's request, but she seemed open to it. "Sure," she shrugged again. "Jus' wear the boot. Jus' in case."

At the now-abandoned med stop, Jet had a boot cast on hand from an accident she had years before she met Poison. It didn't fit Poison quite right. Jet had to strap it on extra tight just to make sure Poison's foot stayed still inside. It wasn't ideal, and Poison really shouldn't have been relying on it, but it worked for short periods of time. Poison was just thrilled to be able to walk on their own without the hassle of crutches.

Everyone knew it still wasn't safe for Poison to be driving, so they humbly jumped into the passenger seat next to Jet in the Trans Am. Bug squirmed excitedly in the backseat, yapping about anything the entire drive to Doc's station.

The three Killjoys stepped up to the front door of the radio station to find that it had been locked. Jet knocked a couple of times, and yet no one answered. 

"You sure he called ya here?" Poison asked skeptically.

"Yeah, dude, he told me to meet 'im an' Cherri at the station," Jet rolled her eyes and pulled uselessly on the doorknob again.

"Stop that," Poison said as they dug their keyring out of their pocket. Luckily for them, Doc hadn't demanded that Poison return their key to the station, even though they hadn't worked for Doc in well over a year. They quickly unlocked the door and opened up the dark, empty radio station while Jet mumbled something about having used the key sooner.

"Hello?" Poison called out. "Doc?"

"Ain't no one here," Jet shook her head. Still, Poison and Jet busied themselves with checking every room inside the station, just in case, while Bug wandered towards the coffee table where she found a handwritten note scribbled down on some yellow paper.

"Me—" she squinted down at the messy handwriting and tried to put her reading lessons to the test. "Meet me…her… Meet me her!"

Poison walked back into the room to see Bug waving around the note with pride. Their eyes widened when the girl handed it to them and they immediately recognised Doc's handwriting.

"Meet me here, Ladybug," Poison corrected softly.

"Oh," Bug frowned slightly, just as Jet returned from Doc's broadcast room.

"S' just coordinates," Poison shrugged, handing the small note to Jet. Her eye focused on the letters and numbers that Doc wrote down, thinking to herself for a moment.

"That's…" she hummed. "That's in Zone 5."

"Huh?" Poison raised their eyebrows. "What's Doc doin' out there?"

Jet shrugged. "Let's go find out."

There was an old church that stood alone in the middle of Zone 5, left behind after the wars and abandoned, surrounded by a large expanse of empty desert. Poison remembered passing it a couple of times back when they and Kobra lived in the outer Zones together. For years it sat empty and untouched. For the first time, as Jet pulled up in the Trans Am, Poison saw the front doors to the church standing wide open.

Jet parked the car beside multiple other vehicles outside the church. Neither her nor Poison recognised a familiar face among the Killjoys that sat smoking on the curb, speaking in hushed voices. Poison gripped Bug's hand tightly as they scanned the area; Zone 5 had never been so populated before.

After crossing the threshold into the church, Jet and Poison stopped dead in their tracks to take in the scene ahead of them. Inside was bustling with other Killjoys, most of whom were injured or ill and seeking help. Carts pushed by carrying an impressive stock of medical supplies that were delivered to those in need. Poison's jaw fell open, realising that they had located an almost fully-functioning Killjoy hospital. 

Jet almost immediately split off from Poison and Bug. She hurried across the room towards two young 'Joys tending to a third's bleeding arm. 

"Hey!" Jet shouted at the two who were wrapping their friend up in bandages. "That's way too tight! Do ya wanna save they arm or cut it off?" She jumped in like it was second nature, teaching the Killjoys the proper way to treat the wound.

Poison smiled as they watched the interaction from afar. Something in their chest bubbled up with pride seeing their best friend completely in her element. They knew Jet missed being able to help people. No matter how closed off she appeared to be, this was her calling in life.

Just as Jet finished up, Doc finally made himself seen. Rolling in his chair out from a room somewhere in the back of the church, accompanied by Cherri, Doc seemed run down, exhausted and down right miserable. However, the grin on his face at the sight of Jet, Poison, and Bug begged to differ.

"Look who finally chose to show up," he quipped with a chuckle, smiling down at Bug when she waved excitedly at him.

"Is this where y'all been this whole time?" Jet asked, glancing around again. "We ain't heard from the station in months."

Doc clicked his tongue and nodded. "Yeah, well, the Zones are gettin' more dangerous than ever, kid. An' suddenly, the Fab Four disappeared off the face a' the earth."

Poison cringed. They really didn't mean for it to end up that way; it had always been in the team's best interests to keep the desert safe. But Poison's family came first, and lately they had been falling apart at the seams.

"Powered 'Joys needed a safe space," Doc continued to explain. "They been practically exiled from the inner Zones now. Way out here is the safest for all of 'em."

Jet's eye widened. "These be all gifted 'Joys?" She asked in awe.

"You bet," Cherri nodded with a smile. "Doc an' I had some friends help us build this hub inside this shell of a church. We gots everythin' that powered 'Joys can't seem to get no more."

"Most of which is first aid," Doc motioned around the room, making it obvious. 

Jet nodded with slow understanding, pausing to narrow her eye at Doc. "What're we here for?"

Poison whipped around to glare at her. "Seriously?" They asked like she was dense.

A deep laugh bubbled out of Doc. "M' recruitin' all the best medics I can find, duh," he winked. Jet lit up like a star in the sky, bouncing on her feet as she tried to suppress her initial excitement. Poison giggled at her and nudged her shoulder slightly. 

"M' sure ya can find yer way 'round here in no time, Jet," Doc smiled. "We got everythin' ya might need. Includin' a boot that's gonna fit this one a lil' better," he pointed at Poison, eyeing the oversized cast on their right foot. 

"Perfect," Jet beamed. Without warning, she scooped Poison up in her arms, causing them to shriek and grip onto her shoulder from the sudden loss of balance. Bug giggled gleefully at the sight, skipping as she followed Jet to the back of the church to get Poison a new boot.

Ghoul hauled himself out of his truck with a soft groan as he swallowed a yawn. The sight of Hyperthrust didn't bring him the same joy that it used to. After Poison was fired, their boss didn't stop. The club was slowly getting rid of all powered Killjoys one by one, and Ghoul was certain he was the last one only because he could keep a damn good secret.

It wasn't the same without Poison. Ghoul was happy that they and Jet had found a new job at a place in Zone 5 with Doc. They'd been heading out to the old church every day with Bug for almost a week now, and Ghoul had seen the light come back to both Jet and Poison's faces. He just wished he could find half as much fulfilment dealing with the same crowd every damn night at the club.

He intentionally parked a little too far from the club so he could finish a cigarette on his walk before he got to the doors. With the dart comfortably between his lips and his hands stuffed in his pockets, Ghoul stopped and gazed out into the night when he heard the telltale sounds of a firefight in the distance. Without a second thought, Ghoul ran around the corner to find a Scarecrow wreaking havoc. With a shout and a couple of warning shots from his blaster, Ghoul quickly drew the Crow's attention to himself, sparing a couple of Killjoys from the fight.

"This ain't yer terf, buddy, go home!" Ghoul yelled as he stalked around the Scarecrow's car, glaring at him. They both gripped their respective blasters tightly and stared. Ghoul squeezed his trigger first.

The Scarecrow jumped, narrowly dodging the shot Ghoul took before firing three of his own back at him. Ghoul let the shots hit his chest and ricochet off of the bulletproof metal. It was an instinct to use his bionic body as a shield. Ghoul had no idea what kind of ideas it would give the Scarecrow.

Suddenly, the Crow dropped his raygun in the sand. Ghoul didn't care to know why. He just lifted his gun again to fire at the now defenseless Crow. But when he went to move, his arm was suddenly immoble.

"The fuck?" Ghoul whispered to himself, feeling as though he'd been paralyzed. He tried to run, but his feet acted like they'd been bolted to the ground beneath him.

Glancing back up again, Ghoul spotted the wicked grin on the Scarecrow's face. His hands waved around with grace, and Ghoul felt himself moving without choice. His arms were pulled out to his sides and forced to drop his blaster into the sand. He pulled at the mysterious force that was holding him down, but whatever it was was stronger than him.

He felt a sudden tightness in his chest. Before Ghoul knew it, he was being lifted off of the ground, suspended in the air by some invisible strings that pulled at every last one of his enhancements. Ghoul watched as the Scarecrow's hands manipulated his body every which way, before suddenly a discarded metal pipe started to levitate off of the ground, too.

Ghoul's eyes widened. Metal, he thought. This guy's power is metal.

"Let me go!" Ghoul squirmed, trying to pull back with the few muscles he had control over. The Crow kept his grip on the android parts inside Ghoul's body and laughed at his failed attempts of freeing himself. 

Ghoul stared straight ahead, his eyes locked on the floating metal pipe. He couldn't stop it, he was completely stuck. He just watched as the pipe flew towards him, moments before it crashed into his skull. He was knocked out before his body could even register the pain.

Chapter Text

It had been a week since Jet and Poison found their new place at the abandoned church in Zone 5. Jet was back as a full time medic, fitting in seamlessly with the other powered Killjoys that worked on this new team. She had learned a lot in her first short week on the job from the older, more experienced Killjoys. She saved a lot of lives already, and even assisted in her first surgery.

Poison, while not as knowledgeable as Jet, helped where they could. They were in charge of keeping everything organised and in order. Party Poison was the first face you saw when you walked into the building, and they'd always make sure you'd get the proper attention as soon as possible. 

Jet, Poison, Cherri, Dr. D, a couple of ex-doctors that had escaped from the city, and a handful of desert borns created a team that Killjoys soon began calling the Electric Century. They were a safe haven for any and all Killjoys with sparks.

Poison rolled around behind a desk in an ancient office chair on wheels. Doc had given it to them after he decided that Poison's foot still wasn't healed properly. He couldn't risk Poison re-injuring themself. Poison thought it was a little over-bearing, but they couldn't deny that they were feeling much better. It might've been the chair, or maybe it was the painkillers they now had access to thanks to the Electric Century. Who knows.

Bug happily spent her days with Poison, bouncing around the church smiling ear to ear, excited to be meeting so many new people. She was a real morale booster for the injured Killjoys that stopped by. Everyone loved to see a sweet little kid with braids and a sticker sheet when they stepped through the front doors.

Bug was talking Poison's ear off as she sat in their lap when the doors opened again, welcoming a tall, pale man decked out in leather, chains, and green spiky hair. His boots thumped loudly on the floor with each step, in time with his heavy, slow breaths. Poison looked up with wide eyes and immediately noticed two things; the large blood stain on the front of his shirt, and the toddler he held in his arms.

"G'day," he said with a tired smile, despite his obvious distress. "Was 'oping I could get some 'elp 'ere, yeah? I got stabbed in me side by some non-powered wanker…" He explained calmly, wincing as he adjusted the little girl he held in his arms. The child clung to the collar of his vest tightly, staring straight ahead at Poison curiously

"Witch, fuck, yeah that looks bad," Poison grimaced as Bug hopped off of their lap to allow them to stand up. "Come wit' me, we don't want ya bleedin' out."

Poison led him to the back of the church where all of the rooms had been converted to medical stations. "Jet, Jet, Jetty," Poison called out and knocked on the wall. "We got, uh," they turned to the green haired man. "Say, what's your name again?"

"Gas Mask," he nodded with a grin. He was shockingly polite considering his rough exterior. Poison liked that in a Killjoy.

"Gas Mask! An' he needs stitches!" Poison relayed just as Jet made herself seen. She had her hair tied up out of her face, snapped on some rubber gloves—they were Killjoys, not animals—and eyed the bleeding mess that was Gas Mask's shirt.

"Get in here, an' get that off," Jet motioned to the man's shirt and immediately started rifling through her supplies for a suture. Gas Mask nodded and awkwardly looked around the room while he still held the toddler on his hip.

"Oh, I can take her," Poison offered kindly. "If that's alright. The little girlie don't gotta be in here while you're getting stitched up, huh?" They held their arms out, and the small child seemed interested.

"Thank ya," Gas Mask easily passed the girl into Poison's arms. "'er name's Molly Molotov. You be good, lil' one," he pinched Molly's cheek and grinned.

"Molly!" Poison cooed, smiling down at the kid in their arms. "Nice to meet ya, Molly! Let's go back outside to wait. Jetty's gonna take no time at all gettin' this done."

Poison found themself back in their chair with Molly in their lap as they played together. They quickly discovered that Molly loved funny faces and bright colours, given her fascination with Poison's hair. Poison had forgotten how much they loved toddlers. Bug was almost eight now, she was growing up to be her own little person. Molly was only two, with a round face, big eyes and a freckly little nose. Poison fell in love instantly.

Bug stood next to the chair, babbling to Molly after deciding that the two girls were already best friends. Molly was drawn to the pins on Bug's jacket and the beads that Jet had put in her hair. She giggled at Bug's antics and Poison nearly melted at the sound of it. This was their version of heaven. 

Before Gas Mask—stitched and bandaged up—took Molly home, Bug made sure to give them both a butterfly sticker from her collection.

With Ghoul, Jet, and Poison working all day, the diner was empty, so Kobra decided he'd rather spend his time at the Nitemare Motel with Nova. He was sitting on the floor in her room, listening to her idly pluck at her guitar as she lay on her bed. Nova was a really good musician, and Kobra usually loved listening to her play. But this time, he couldn't even hear her over his own thoughts spiralling in his head.

"Hmm—fuck off, you fuckin' freak—aye!" Kobra winced when his foot violently kicked out from underneath himself and his hands hit his thighs. Nova didn't acknowledge Kobra's outbursts. She was barely even phased by them anymore.

Kobra couldn't stop thinking about what Ghoul and Poison had said. What they'd been saying. It was almost every day now; Kobra's girlfriend this, and Kobra's girlfriend that. Kobra wasn't used to being the centre of attention this way. That was always Poison's job back when they were obviously in love with Ghoul and refused to admit it. And then it was Jet's job with her weird on-again, off-again situation with Mad Gear. Now, all of the teasing was directed at Kobra and he just didn't get it.

He liked Nova. He liked her a lot. Kobra liked Nova more than he liked most people. She was cool. She knew how to calm Kobra down and get him out of his head. She handled his bad days with grace and made his good days into better days. And fuck, she was pretty. As far as Kobra was concerned, she was perfect for him.

Poison and Ghoul were perfect for each other, too. Kobra was happy that his sibling had met someone who loved them as much as he did. But there were things about Poison and Ghoul that Kobra didn't understand.

For starters, they were all over each other. Ghoul constantly glued himself to Poison's side like a lost puppy, and Poison ate up the attention like they were starving for it. The first person Poison wanted to see when they got home was Ghoul. The first person they'd speak to after they woke up was Ghoul. When they were sad, they wanted Ghoul to hold them. When they were tired, they wanted to curl up in Ghoul's lap and fall asleep with his hands in their hair. Poison and Ghoul's worlds revolved around each other.

Kobra looked up at where Nova lay on her back, staring at the ceiling while her fingers danced along the frets of her guitar. If Nova was his girlfriend, then Kobra's world should be revolving around her, too, right? Kobra shivered. He didn't like the sound of that. Maybe he just wasn't mature enough for this.

That was the other thing; Poison and Ghoul were very, very mature with each other. Whenever they got the chance, those two were attached at the mouth. Poison loved kissing Ghoul, and Ghoul loved to be kissed by Poison. And they had sex. A lot. Usually, it was in Ghoul's room, which Kobra was thankful for. The last thing he wanted was his sibling and their boyfriend fucking in the bed next to his own. But Kobra had been a witness to far too many incidents involving an unlocked door and not enough clothing. Each one more traumatising than the last.

Kobra looked down at his lap and twisted his hands together nervously. He didn't want anyone seeing him without clothes on ever, and especially not like that. Nova wasn't an exception. Kobra had tried talking about it once, and Poison brushed it off with a simple, "you'll understand it when you're older". Kobra bit down on his lip. Maybe he was too immature for this.

Either way, Kobra was not ready to have a girlfriend yet. He squeezed his eyes shut and hummed to himself, rocking back and forth where he sat. Finally, he blurted out,

"I'm not in love with you."

Nova snapped out of her daydreaming to stare at Kobra, slightly startled. She recovered quickly, however, because the first thing that came out of her mouth was a burst of laughter.

"Good," Nova snorted. "'Cause that'd be real awkward if you were." Nova was still laughing at him as he shifted on the floor to sit on his knees. 

"No—fuck—" Kobra's head shook. "I don't—hmm—I don't wanna girlfriend. I don't wanna be your boyfriend."

Nova sat up abruptly and stared at Kobra like he had two heads. "I know…" She stated hesitantly. "Me neither. I don't want anythin' but to be best friends, Kobes." Nova placed her guitar on its stand beside her bed, looking scared of what Kobra would say next.

He twisted his hands together again and growled under his breath. Nova says they're best friends. But everyone else said that she was his girlfriend. 

"Then—" he grunted. His nose twitched as he hummed angrily. "Then why does everyone say we're—fuck—we're dating?"

Something seemed to click in Nova's head and she relaxed, leaning back on her hands with a heavy sigh. She looked at Kobra with a sympathetic look in her eyes as she explained, "'Cause everyone's stupid. An' they don't realise that someone can mean a lot to ya without it bein' romantic or some shit."

Kobra blinked. He didn't understand why someone would do that.

"Let me guess," Nova continued after Kobra remained silent. "It's yer sibling an' their boyfriend?"

Destroya, Nova could read Kobra like an open book. He nodded his head stiffly.

"Yeah," Nova nodded like it was obvious. "Folks like that don't get folks like us, an' they're real stubborn about it."

Tilting his head to the side, Kobra quietly asked, "Folks like us?"

"Sorry," Nova shook her head. "Didn't mean to assume shit about you. For me, I don't get attracted to nobody. I don't date an' I never will. An' I especially don't wanna fuck anyone."

A deep blush coloured Kobra's face as he darted his gaze to the rug beneath him. Everything Nova was saying made more sense than anything else Kobra had ever heard in his life, and that thought scared him a little. He didn't know why.

"Hmm! Pois just said I wasn't old enough to understand," Kobra shrugged shyly.

"That's bullshit. And Poison's wrong," Nova said blatantly and shifted to the edge of her bed so Kobra would have to look at her. "Sometimes folks don't need sex an' romance to be happy, it's easy as that."

Kobra looked as though he was about to shatter into a million pieces, and it may have been because of the heavy weight suddenly lifted off of his shoulders at this revelation. Nova reached out towards him and took his hand in hers, pulling him in to join her on the bed. 

Now sitting beside her, Kobra looked at Nova carefully. She felt the same way he did. For so long, Kobra was terrified that this was just another thing wrong with him. He was born in the wrong body, and then he developed the deadliest power that the desert had ever seen. Here he was, afraid that he'd never be completed all because he just didn't want to fall in love. Nova somehow erased all of that fear in a matter of minutes.

"What are we then?" Kobra asked quietly as Nova was forcing him to lay down next to her and relax. "Friends?"

"Yeah," Nova hummed with a smile. "I like you a lot, Kobes. I can still be your person, if you wanna be mine. Just…" she shrugged. "Without all that gross stuff."

She opened her arms and welcomed Kobra to snuggle in close. Kobra hummed softly and tucked himself comfortably under Nova's arm. "I like that."

Ghoul woke up in a room with barely any light and inhaled the stale air inside. His head was spinning as he blinked his eyes rapidly and forced them to focus on where he was. Glancing around the dark and almost empty space, Ghoul knew exactly where he was, because he used to live here.

Somehow, Ghoul found himself in the neutral territory between the desert and the city, in an old base that the Desert Ratts used to inhabit. His stomach twisted when he remembered the exact room he was in. The tray of surgical tools nearby made it obvious; this was the operating room where they cut off his old legs.

Ghoul shifted, pulling against something heavy that kept his arms and legs in place. Glancing down, Ghoul realised that he'd been restrained to his seat with thick, metal chains that were impossible to break through, even with his inhuman levels of strength. He was too far from the Zones for anyone helpful to hear him scream. Instead, he just sunk into his chair with a huff and wracked his brain to remember how he got here.

The creak of a metal door came from behind him, followed by a clicking pair of heeled boots that approached Ghoul carefully. He couldn't turn to see her, but Agent Avalon made herself known soon enough.

"You again?" Ghoul rolled his eyes at the tall woman standing in front of him with her hands behind her back.

Avalon smirked at him. "Trust me, I really didn't want to see you again, either. But sometimes, when you want a job done right, you have to take matters into your own hands."

Ghoul looked her up and down and scoffed. She wore a white lab coat pulled over a black blouse and skirt, thigh high boots, and a pair of cat-eye glasses that Ghoul remembered her  wearing back in the day. She wasn't here to fight. She knew that Ghoul would already be restrained and at her disposal. Avalon had sent that Scarecrow after Ghoul because she knew he wouldn't be able to put up a fight against the Crow's powers. 

"An' what d'ya want outta me?" Ghoul raised an eyebrow at her.

Avalon's gaze hardened. "You're going to tell me where that little girl of yours is hiding."

Ghoul stifled back a laugh. As if he would give up that information so easily. Besides, Ghoul knew that this wasn't Avalon's case, it was Korse's. She had to be bluffing for something more serious. 

Regardless, Ghoul replied, "In yer dreams, bitch. I made a promise to that kid an' my family. Ain't nothin' you can do to get that info outta me."

Avalon shrugged and finally pulled her hands out from behind her back. Slowly stepping towards the tray of surgical tools, Avalon delicately placed down a brand new white raygun and a sharp blade.

"I can make you speak."

"Hah!" Ghoul barked, unable to hold his laughter back this time. "You losin' yer mind, sweetheart? Ya can't hurt me, remember?"

Avalon didn't flinch at Ghoul's sudden burst of laughter. Instead, she bent at the knees and picked up one of the chains on the floor, holding it limp in her left hand.

"Maybe not alone like this," she hummed. "But I can when he's around."

Her hand yanked on the chain. The clattering of the metal echoed inside the cramped room. Ghoul turned his head to see what Avalon was pulling toward herself. His eyes followed the long chain that tugged on somebody else's restraints. 

It took Ghoul a moment to process what he was seeing. First, he saw the wrist cuffs that kept this prisoner under Avalon's control. She chained him to the wall and forced him to sit on the damp, cement floor with his arms above his head. The position stretched the familiar grey uniform. Ghoul's breath hitched as his eyes raked over the uniform until he spotted the cuffs around the prisoner's ankles that kept his feet chained together. They matched the collar strapped tightly around his throat, and the muzzle that clamped his jaw shut and kept him from complaining. 

As Ghoul locked eyes with this prisoner, he refused to believe who he was looking at. Agent Korse looked weak and small compared to the threatening, dangerous light the Killjoys were used to seeing him in. As Avalon manhandled him, Ghoul's stomach lurched. It was all too familiar. The cuffs, the chains, that fucking muzzle. These were old methods of compliance. This was how they kept Ghoul restrained back in the day. How they forced him to fight all those fights he never wanted to be in.

The realisation hit him like a truck. Had Korse not had a choice every time he attacked Ghoul's family? Was he just another plaything for the Director to bat around and experiment on? Was he just the new Ghoul?

With Korse in the room, Ghoul knew that his power negation would take effect. Ghoul could already feel his joints begin to stiffen up without his healing factor. And it would only get worse, as Avalon picked up the blade again and stalked towards Ghoul.

"Ready to play fair and give up the girl to me?" She asked. "Or are we going to do this the hard way?" She leaned in, taunting Ghoul with a smile on her red lips. Ghoul glared up at her before he spat in her face with a snarl.

In one swift motion, Avalon swiped the knife across Ghoul's neck and smiled at the blood that began to drip down to the collar of his shirt. Ghoul winced slightly, but refrained from making any noise. It wasn't a deep wound. Avalon was just getting started.

"You're not getting out of these chains," Avalon hummed, dragging the knife down Ghoul's front and slicing open his shirt to reveal his tattooed torso. "So answer me and I may just let you live."

Two more slices. This time, they were over Ghoul's stomach in a perfect X shape. Ghoul grimaced and doubled over as much as the chains would let him. Blood seeped into his torn up clothes as Ghoul began to feel the cuts throbbing.

"Not a chance," Ghoul muttered as Avalon walked back to her tray of tools.

"So be it," she shrugged, suddenly whipping around and firing two shots into Ghoul's right shoulder with the raygun she had picked up. Ghoul couldn't help but scream this time, feeling the sudden electric shocks pulsating through all of his enhancements as the nerves in his shoulder went haywire.

"Wasted money," Avalon spat at him. "The Director was a fool for giving all that technology to you," she emphasised her words with a sudden blow to the side of Ghoul's head with the blunt end of her raygun. "I knew you were a lost cause," she struck the other side. "It's about time everyone in that lab began to listen to me!" 

With a sudden flash of pain in the centre of his face, Ghoul realised that Avalon's fist had made contact with his nose. A sickening crack echoed through his skull, accompanied by a sudden flow of crimson that assured Ghoul she had broken his nose.

"Fuck!" Ghoul groaned. "So, what are ya now? The Director's bitch?" He asked, spitting out blood as he spoke. "Doin' her dirty deeds in the desert while she sits pretty behind that fuckin' desk?"

"Shut up!" Avalon squeezed the trigger of her raygun again, firing two more shots at his uninjured shoulder, and one right on top of the X she had previously cut into his skin.

"Witch!" Ghoul screamed. His left arm jolted and jerked on its own as his tech began to spark.

"Don't get religious on me now, Rio," Avalon spat his name like it was a curse. "Is that what you did? Ran away from mommy and found your god? You proud of yourself, Rio?" Avalon taunted and picked up a new blade. "You're nothing! You've done nothing with yourself. You're a waste of skin, a waste of space, a waste of this fucking technology!"

Her hand gripped around Ghoul's left wrist hard enough to leave bruises, if it hadn't been for his synthetic skin. In her other hand, Avalon gripped a scalpel and angrily sliced open Ghoul's arm from wrist to elbow. Ghoul groaned and threw every curse under the Witch's sun at her, but Avalon kept peeling back the skin to reveal the robotics underneath.

"Rio," Avalon growled, opening a panel in Ghoul's arms and exposing a bundle of wires. "Where. Is. The girl?"

Through gritted teeth, Ghoul snarled, "You'll never find her."

Avalon pulled at a wire that had Ghoul screaming bloody murder. His entire nervous system was on fire, vibrating through his body up to his skull until his vision blurred.

"Where is the girl!?" Avalon screamed over Ghoul's cries and pulled at another wire. 

"Fuck!" Ghoul sobbed. His body began to spasm. The blaster wounds in his shoulders sparked until Ghoul was smelling smoke. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

"Answer me, Rio!" Avalon tugged at a third wire and Ghoul screamed so loud he could feel his vocal chords tearing apart. 

The pain was worse than burning alive in the warehouse with Poison. Ghoul shook beneath the chains and sobbed. Pain twisted at his internal organs until he spasmed hard enough he was vomiting into his own lap. Between the gags and the screams of pain, Ghoul couldn't breathe. He choked on his own blood that still poured from his nose as he threw up again, stinging the blaster wounds in his stomach.

Ghoul was still puking when a sudden blunt force struck him in the side of the head again. He couldn't tell what Avalon was hitting him with. He could hear her screaming at him, but he couldn't process a single thing. He was struck again and again, alternating sides until it felt like he was spinning in circles. Ghoul was definitely concussed at this point, but the strikes just kept coming until his ears were ringing so loudly, it felt as though he was drowning in it.

Ghoul could only see a blurry silhouette of Avalon by the time she stepped back. Her lips were moving, she was still screaming at him, but Ghoul couldn't make out a single thing.

"If you won't speak…" Ghoul finally understood what Avalon was saying over the painful ringing in his ears that made it sound like he was underwater. "I might take you back into the city. We could dig around inside that brain of yours for the right answers."

Ghoul was far too dizzy to worry about covering up his initial reaction. Fear struck deep inside his gut at the mention of going back to the city. Korse was still sitting in the corner, chained up like an abused animal. Ghoul couldn't do it. He couldn't go back to that. He'd much rather just die at the hands of Avalon than ever go back to being the Weapon.

"Would you like that?" Avalon smirked. The sight of Ghoul's fear delighted her. "Would you like to go home, Rio?"

Ghoul tried to shake his head 'no', but he just ended up swaying in his seat. Home wasn't anywhere near the city. Home was out in the Zones, with his two best friends, the love of his life, and their little baby girl. If Ghoul couldn't have that, then he might as well give up now.

"You'd be better back in the city, Rio," Avalon said, holding a gleaming sharp blade to Ghoul's face. "Come on, Rio…"

Suddenly, the blade was in his mouth. Ghoul groaned and tried to lean back, pulling helplessly on his chains.

"Smile, Rio."

Ghoul screamed as the blade began to slice through his cheek. Avalon laughed out loud as she cut a smile into Ghoul's face, filling his mouth up with the metallic taste of fresh blood.

The door cracked loudly as it was busted against its hinges, announcing the Killjoys' presences. Freak Show aimed their blaster right at the woman in the lab coat who stood looming over Ghoul's bruised and beaten frame. As Freak fired shot after shot, Kobra ducked under their arm and bolted towards Ghoul.

"Shit, shit, shit," Kobra watched the knife fall to the floor as Avalon stumbled backwards. He followed the trail of blood up to the large gash on the left side of Ghoul's barely recognisable face. "Ghoul?"

Nova dove in and covered Kobra, keeping Avalon from attacking him as he worked on freeing Ghoul's arms from their restraints. Freak and Nova did their best to corner the agent when H2O burst in behind them with a shout. Freak leapt out of the way and Hydro chucked his axe across the room, aiming for Avalon's heart.

It struck her in the arm, knocking her back into the wall behind her and completely severing her forearm from her bicep in a fountain of blood. She screamed as her body hit the ground, her arm landing next to it.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Pixie Styx crawled along the floor to unchain Ghoul's feet from the chair. "Is he awake?"

"No," Kobra shook his head frantically. Ghoul was fading in and out of consciousness, swaying in his seat as his mouth poured blood into the pool of vomit in his lap. "Gotta get out," Kobra muttered, struggling to string together coherent sentences when his best friend was in such a state. "Fast."

"Freak!" Hydro yelled as he stomped his foot onto Avalon's chest to hold her down, eliciting a guttural scream out of the agent. "Get Ghoul! Nova, car! Styx," he pointed downwards. 

Freak helped rip the chains off of Ghoul and quickly scooped him up into their arms. Kobra held his head up and made sure that all of his tech stayed inside his body while they ran him out to the car where Nova was waiting. Inside, Styx marched over to the squirming and screaming agent that lay beneath Hydro's boot. They reached over their shoulder to the quiver on their back and pulled out one of her handmade arrows. With a scowl on her face, Styx pulled back her bowstring and shot the sharp, feathery arrow straight through Avalon's glasses and into her right eye.

"C'mon," Hydro grabbed his sister's arm and bolted towards the door. "We gotta take Ghoul home."

It was late. Most of the Electric Century had gone home, save for the few who dedicated themselves to the night shifts. Jet was working with her last patient of the night, setting a dislocated shoulder back into place. Poison was in the room in case Jet needed assistance, but everything went as smoothly as it possibly could. They sent the Killjoy on their way and started walking back towards the front lobby of the church to get Bug and go home.

Jet quickly checked in with a fellow medic, and Poison glanced around the small group of Killjoys in the lobby. Their brows furrowed slightly when Bug was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey," Poison said loudly to get everyone's attention. "Y'all seen a lil girl wanderin' 'round here? Short. Braids. Probably gave you a sticker when you got here?"

An older 'Joy with neon blue hair innocently spoke up. "She got picked up a few minutes ago."

Poison's heart sunk. They didn't feel Jet's presence behind them until she loudly asked, "Picked up? By who?"

"I-I don't know."

Poison clenched their jaw. "Were they short, brown, tattooed from head to toe?" They asked, and the other Killjoy shook their head. 

"Blonde, built like a twig, in a red racing jacket?" Again, they shook their head.

"Fuck!" Poison shrieked.

"Damn right!" Cherri suddenly yelled at them, hobbling in through the front doors of the church with his arm around Newsie's waist. She limped in with blood tricking down the side of her face and a fresh blaster wound on her leg. 

"Batts outside! This far into the Zones!" Cherri stressed, the panic evident on his face. Poison gripped Jet's arm as they stared at each other, sharing looks of horror. Whoever was out there, attacking the Electric Century, they had their little girl.

"Trans Am, now," Poison snapped, and they sprinted outside together. Poison leapt into the passenger seat just as a sleek, black car zipped by. "There!" They screamed. Jet slammed her foot down on the gas pedal before Poison had even closed their door. "Don't let 'em get away! They got Bug!"

There were tears in Poison's eyes, but they didn't let the grief swallow them up yet. The Batt's car had a much better engine than the Fab Four's Trans Am, but Jet wasn't going to lose them. She pushed the car for all it was worth, swerving down the road and chasing the Batts all the way through the desert.

"C'mon, c'mon," Poison muttered under their breath. They were halfway through Zone 2 already, and Jet still hadn't gotten close enough to allow Poison to attack. Her hands were shaking as she gripped the steering wheel tightly, tearing through Zone 1 towards the neutral territory.

"Fuck!" Jet punched the centre console in frustration and jerked the steering wheel, following the Batts through the ruins of the neutral territory. "They too fuckin' fast, Pois!"

The Batts suddenly made a sharp right turn towards the city, speeding away into the tunnels. Jet lifted her foot off of the gas ever so slightly, hesitating for a moment. She swore she would never go back into that Witch forsaken city ever again after that fateful moment nearly a year and a half ago.

"Jet," Poison turned to her. "That's your sister."

Jet met their eyes and nodded. "Yer right," she muttered. The Trans Am's wheels screeched as she turned the corner, tearing off down the city tunnels with Poison to rescue their little girl.

Chapter Text

From the moment that the gang got Ghoul away from Avalon and Korse, his body started to regenerate again. He lay there, passed out in Kobra's lap in the backseat of Nova's car, as the bleeding stopped almost immediately. Kobra hung onto him tightly, watching his wounds heal rapidly. The deep, bloody slice across the left side of his face closed to create a jagged, thick scar that stretched from the corner of his now-lopsided mouth up to his ear. 

When Kobra and his friends got inside the abandoned Batt base, Avalon was going for the other side, intending on cutting a full artificial smile into Ghoul's face. Kobra tried everything to stop thinking about how if he had shown up any later, he might've lost Ghoul for good.

While Ghoul was still out of it, Kobra laid him down in the diner and did what he could to repair Ghoul's sparking and mangled bionic shoulders, screwing in some scrap metal plates to keep everything in place. Hydro had sewn up the cuts in his synthetic skin to make sure the remaining tech was protected. 

Ghoul's body slowly but surely caught up to all the blood loss. Quietly, he began to stir where he lay curled up next to Kobra on the diner's sofa. His face twitched as he blinked his eyes open. His lips curled into a scowl, contorting the ugly scar on his left cheek, as he covered his eyes with his hands to shield himself from the lights inside the diner.

"Hmm, does your head hurt?" Kobra asked him. 

Hydro looked up from where he and Styx were attempting to scrub the blood out of Ghoul's clothes. He left the rest up to Styx as he dried his hands and carefully approached the sofa. The concern in his eyes matched Kobra's when Ghoul didn't even try to reply.

The blonde carefully grabbed Ghoul's wrist to pull his hands away from his eyes. "Ghoul, does your head hurt?" Kobra asked again, leaning over Ghoul as the shorter Killjoy squinted up at him quizzically.

"Nngh," Ghoul groaned, disoriented and lightheaded. His ears were still plagued with a dull ringing. He pushed against Kobra's arms weakly and sat himself up, facing Kobra. He didn't even know that Kobra was speaking until he focused on the way Kobra's lips moved slowly.

"Ghoul? I asked you—hmm, shit—are you okay?"

Ghoul felt his heart drop into his stomach. Kobra immediately grabbed his arms as he started to panic, staring at Kobra with wide, terrified eyes.

"I—I can't—" Ghoul shook his head so hard that Kobra was afraid he'd pass out again. "I can't hear ya s' like—like yer underwater, Kobes."

"Ghoul," Kobra squeezed Ghoul's arms tighter and leaned forwards, noticing the way Ghoul watched his mouth move. "You were—hmm! Fuck off—hit in the head so many times. Maybe your—fuck—fuck off—your ears got fucked up—huh!" Kobra's head tilted back as he cursed. He was really wishing Jet or Poison was home for this, they could've handled it so much better than Kobra. "Hmm."

"N-No," Ghoul shook his head, squirming out of Kobra's grasp. "That shoulda healed. Right?" He asked almost desperately. Kobra had opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. Ghoul was right, the rest of his body had already healed completely at that point. Shouldn't his ears have healed, too?

As Kobra stared ahead helplessly, Hydro finally walked the rest of the way over to Ghoul. His sudden appearance startled Ghoul, who hadn't heard Hydro's heavy footfalls coming up behind him.

"They probably did heal," Hydro supplied, kneeling down in front of Ghoul so the older 'Joy could watch his lips and strain to hear the muffled sound of his voice. "I read somewhere that it's the scarring that leaves ya deaf."

"Hmm! Fucking—" Kobra's hands pounded into his own thighs. 

Ghoul's eyebrows furrowed. "But I don't scar," he muttered.

"Fuck off—" Kobra tapped Ghoul's knee. "Your face—hmm—your face is scarred."

Slowly, Ghoul lifted his hand to his face and ghosted his fingertips along the rough scar on his cheek. He sat there, wracking his brain to think of what had happened to him. The healed wound started at his lips and stretched up in the shape of a smile. Ghoul froze when he remembered the knife, and the taste of blood filling his mouth.

"Ghoul!" Kobra exclaimed just as Ghoul had jumped to his feet and sprinted towards the bathroom in the back of the diner. "Fuckin' freak—fuck!"

Kobra ran after him, stumbling through the narrow hall littered with everyone's stray belongings. By the time Kobra reached the door to the bathroom, Ghoul was gripping the edge of the sink as he stared at himself in the filthy mirror in front of him, finally seeing the damage that Avalon had left behind.

"That's not s'posed to happen," Ghoul shook his head frantically. Kobra caught his gaze in the mirror as his eyes began welling up with tears. "Why's this happenin'?"

"Ugh—hmm—I dunno," Kobra reached out for Ghoul awkwardly, unsure of what else to do.

It looked as though it physically pained Ghoul to tear his eyes away from his own reflection. He winced as he turned his body around just enough to lean into Kobra's touch, all but collapsing against Kobra's chest. Kobra grunted and draped his arms around Ghoul's shoulder, trying to hold them both upright. The height difference between the two Killjoys was similar to Poison and Kobra when Kobra was young and small, seeking comfort in his older sibling. Kobra still didn't know how Poison did it. He wasn't nearly as good at this stuff.

"I need Poison," Kobra felt Ghoul mutter against his shirt, and he just hugged the shorter Killjoy tighter. Kobra needed Poison right now, too.

"I know," Kobra said into Ghoul's ear. "I know."

When the sound of a rumbling engine pulled up outside of the diner, Kobra immediately rolled out of bed. He tugged on Ghoul's wrist, alerting him of Poison, Jet, and Bug's arrival. 

It had been hours. Nova took her family home, leaving Ghoul and Kobra at the diner to rest. Ghoul wasn't a fan of the idea of being alone, so Kobra let him fall asleep in the siblings' room with his body curled around Kobra's. Kobra lay awake staring at the ceiling, counting down the hours that had passed before the rest of their crew got home. 

They both hurried into the diner's main room just in time to see the front door open. Where Kobra expected to see his older sibling, he instead locked eyes with a disheveled-looking Mad Gear.

"Mads?" Kobra asked quizzically. Behind the blue-haired man, his sister, Missile Kid appeared with Bug held tightly in her arms. The moment she crossed the threshold into the diner, Bug all but jumped out of Missy's arms and sprinted towards her family. Ghoul dropped to his knees instantly, letting Bug run into a crushing embrace.

"What's—" Kobra stared down at Bug, who had burst into tears as soon as she felt Ghoul's arms around her. Mads and Missy still stood by the door, sharing a scared and sympathetic look that made Kobra sick to his stomach. 

"She was wanderin' all alone," Mads explained. "Way out in Zone 5, we're lucky we found her."

Missy nodded her head nervously, hugging her arms around her stomach. "She fought somebody, m' guessin' a Crow, all by herself," she shrugged. "She won't tell me the details, she was so scared."

Kobra swallowed back the sob that was building up in his throat. He wanted to thank Mads and Missy for bringing the girl home safe and sound, but he couldn't get a single word out. Not when he knew that Jet and Poison would never let Bug out of their sight for a second. And if Bug was abandoned out in Zone 5, then what happened to Jet and Poison?

Kobra's breath hitched as he looked down at Ghoul, who was still cradling Bug in his arms. He caught Kobra's gaze and tilted his head to the side like a lost puppy. Ghoul hadn't heard a thing that Mads or Missy had said. He just knew that Bug was scared and clinging onto him like her life depended on it.

"S'appened?" Ghoul asked wearily. "Where's Pois an' Jet?"

"We lost 'em," Jet shouted angrily. "Fuck! Where'd they go?"

She and Poison sat in the Trans Am, driving through the narrow streets of the Lobby. Pornodroids sat on the curbs, paying no attention to the Killjoys' car as they drove around, searching for the lost Batt vehicle. The Crow who had taken Bug left Jet and Poison in the dust and made their escape. Jet's knuckles turned white around the steering wheel. She cursed out the city under her breath, having never wanted to return. But Bug's life was on the line here.

"Left," Poison said suddenly.

"What?"

"Turn left," Poison repeated, pointing at a dark, one-way back alley in the slums of the Lobby. Jet silently nodded and obliged, following Poison's instructions. They made her stop the car once they were both completely engulfed by shadows. Jet hadn't even killed the engine before Poison jumped out.

"Where we goin'?" Jet asked, jogging along the cracked concrete to catch up with the redhead, who was already disappearing into the shadows.

"Down here," Poison answered by pointing towards a steep set of stairs underneath a flickering street light. They motioned to Jet to follow them as they began their descent. Leaking pipes overhead dripped slowly, making the steps slick with slippery mold.

"Pois, yer foot," Jet warned, watching the careful way Poison took each step.

"M' fine," Poison promised. "This way."

When they reached the bottom, Poison led Jet down a long, straight path that was very clearly an abandoned train track. The space was barely lit, causing Jet to keep reaching out to make sure that Poison was still there. 

"I think they forgot about this route," Poison admitted. Their hushed voice still echoed in the wide and empty space. "This is how I used to get down to the Lobby as a kid. I came this way the day I got out."

Jet hummed in acknowledgment, vaguely remembering the story of Poison and Kobra's dramatic escape from Battery City. "How ya so sure s' still the same?"

Poison scoffed. "'Cause they don't give a fuck about the Lobby. S' just abandoned droids an' juvie kids. All rejects, y'know?"

"Yeah," Jet nodded. Her eyes started to focus inside the dark tunnel, but she still relied on the sound of Poison's staggering footsteps. "How's that foot doin'?"

"I told ya, it's fine," Poison brushed off Jet's concern. She could practically hear them rolling their eyes at her. "We jus' gotta get into the city. Then, we make a run for the labs."

"Labs?" Jet asked.

The redhead bit their lip and shrugged. "Well, we know that the Director wants Bug for her mimic powers," Poison elaborated. "Whatever her plans are, we know she's gonna put Bug through hell trying to study her powers."

"Or take 'em," Jet shuddered. The thought of Bug, trapped inside a Battery City lab at the Director's disposal made her blood run cold.

"Honestly?" Poison sighed. "I don't care if they take her powers. I just," they swallowed. "I just want her alive."

Jet reached out in the dark and grabbed onto Poison's hand. A silent promise that they'll rescue their girl and everything will be alright. Poison latched onto Jet instantly, leaning their weight onto her just enough to have Jet concerned.

"Ya sure yer okay?"

"We made it," Poison said before Jet could even finish her question. "C'mon, s' just up these stairs an' around a corner. We'll be in the right district, the labs are close by," they tugged on Jet's hand. 

Up the stairs. Around the corner. And—

"What?" Jet asked as Poison froze in the middle of the street, staring straight ahead at a line of perfectly identical white houses.

"That's not right…" Poison shook their head. Their grip on Jet's hand tightened. "The lab we took down, it's s'posed to be right here! An' the other research centres an' labs were right there!"

Jet looked around the well-constructed, picket-fence neighbourhood and winced. "Ya sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fuckin' sure," Poison stressed. "How did they—s' only been like a year an' a half!"

Somehow, Better Living had managed to renovate the entire north end of Battery City. Where there were supposed to be office buildings and science labs, Poison and Jet found themselves standing in the middle of a residential street, completely lost.

"Motherfucker," Poison growled under their breath, dragging their hands down their face. "What now?"

Jet stared at Poison's bright red hair that stood out amongst the colourless backdrop of Battery City. The Killjoys stuck out like a sore thumb. If they wanted any chance at locating Bug, they couldn't let themselves get caught like this.

"We keep movin'," Jet decided. "The city ain't that big, yeah? We can still find Bug, we got time."

"Yeah," Poison nodded despite themself. Battery City was a maze of identical streets criss-crossing every which way. Poison didn't even know what they were looking for anymore. Going in blind was damn near useless, but this was for Bug. And because Poison refused to give up before they found their little girl, they started walking again.

The Killjoys tried to stay hidden, dodging between back alleys and the quieter streets. Neither Jet nor Poison had any idea where they should've been heading. They were making it up as they went along, doing their best to guess where Bug could've been. Poison didn't know how close they were to finding their girl when a handful of agents started shouting at them from behind.

"Go, go, go!" Poison stressed. The agents clearly worked for the Director; their black and white suits stamped with the smiling face of the BLi logo gave it away. The Director probably knew what Jet and Poison were after and set up this trap. Poison didn't know what else to do but run.

With each harsh step on the pavement, Poison ignored the searing levels of pain that jolted up their leg from their bad foot. Their teeth bit into their lower lip until they tasted blood as they tried to breathe through the pain that slowed them down, keeping them far behind Jet. Her long strides had carried her halfway down the street already. Poison didn't have that privilege.

"No!" Poison shrieked when they felt a hand grab at their shoulder. Their boot got caught on the pavement and they toppled over, scraping their face against the street as an agent tackled them from behind.

"Poison!" Jet's voice echoed behind them. Poison punched and kicked upwards, attempting to squirm out from underneath the masked agent's weight on top of them.

"Go! Get outta here!" Poison screamed. If they weren't strong enough to rescue Bug, that didn't mean they had to drag Jet down with them. "Run, Jet!" They shouted, just as they spotted a small sliver of skin peeking out between the neckline of the agent's uniform and his mask. Poison grunted as they swung their arm up, hugging it around the agent's neck. Where their jacket sleeve had rolled up, Poison struggled to force the agent's skin to contact theirs and trigger their powers. And then the agent was screaming.

Jet, however, hesitated for a moment too long. She didn't follow Poison's instructions. She considered running back through the team of agents that stood between her and her best friend. But by the time she had made her choice, they already called in backup to pounce from behind.

The weight of two bodies sent Jet crashing towards the ground. One of her attackers had a raygun, Jet could feel it heating up behind her head. In an instant, Jet balled her hands into fists and focused all of her energy on finding the countless dead, depressed souls that lurked around the streets of Battery City. The blue light that emitted from her hands blinded herself and her two attackers, just as ghosts began to appear around them one by one.

Jet didn't know the ghosts. Unlike in the desert, the dead stuck in the city didn't have a thing in common with Jet. She didn't know if they'd even want to help her, but it was worth a shot. Sending a prayer to the Witch, Jet ordered the ghosts to rip the agents to shreds, saving herself and Poison. And despite her fears, the ghosts complied. 

Jet slowly sat up onto her knees, keeping her eye focused on the young ex-Scarecrows and re-educated juvie kids who all died too soon. The glowing figures seeked revenge on the company and agents that had wronged them, showing no mercy until each and every agent was dead on the street.

"Poison!" Jet jogged back towards the redhead, who lay there bleeding from the face with a dead agent sprawled out on top of them. "You good?" Jet asked as she rolled the dead guy away, offering out a hand to help Poison to their feet.

"Hospital—ugh, fuck," they winced, hobbling on their bad foot. 

"What?" Jet blinked, wiping the blood from Poison's face with her hand. It was just a scrape, and Poison didn't seem to be too hurt otherwise.

"No," Poison shook their head and pushed Jet away. "The hospital here. There's a lab underneath it. Hidden," they explained, out of breath from triggering their powers on the agent that had attacked them. "S' where they keep the Sparks. S' gotta be where they got Bug."

"Okay," Jet exhaled, nodding her head frantically. "Cool, so we gotta—" She looked around without a clue for where the Batt City hospital could possibly be. "Jus' gotta find a hospital then, yeah?"

"Yeah," Poison nodded. "An' fast."

The doors to the old church in Zone 5 were propped open for the constant traffic passing in and out. The Electric Century had their hands full with paranoid and scared Killjoys after the nearly fatal clap that had happened earlier that day. Of course, Kobra didn't know of any of that. He was only looking for one person; Poison.

"By the Witch, ya found her," Dr. D's relieved yet frightened voice was heard before Kobra spotted him coming out from a back room. He bent over in his chair, reaching his arms out for Bug. "Thank Her that yer alive, kiddo," he spoke softly as Bug climbed into his lap for a hug.

"Doc—" Kobra started, but Cherri Cola interrupted with a sharp gasp.

"Ya found her!" He exclaimed, sharing a similar relief to Doc's at the sight of Bug, alive and well. Cherri, however, stopped short when he spotted Kobra and Ghoul standing there with Mads and Missy. "Where's Pois? An' Jet?"

Kobra's heart stopped. Poison and Jet were supposed to be here. Kobra felt his hands shaking at the sudden realisation that his older sibling had gone missing, and he didn't know why or how.

"We thought you'd know," Mads spoke up after Kobra couldn't manage to speak his mind. "S' why we're here."

The way Cherri's expression fell only made Kobra feel worse. "No, they went after the car that took her," Cherri motioned towards Bug. "Last we saw 'em, they were speedin' away from here, headin' west."

Kobra swallowed hard. "Hm—How far west?" He asked nervously.

Cherri shrugged. "Dunno. Hadn't heard from either of 'em since."

"But shouldn't they be back here?" Missy chimed in. "Bug got outta there. She fought off a Crow all on her own."

"Seriously?" Cherri lit up. A proud smile stretched across his face despite the situation at hand. 

Kobra couldn't find it himself to entertain it. "They should've come back," he mumbled, frightened. "Unless…"

"Unless they went into the city," Mads finished Kobra's thought, placing his hand on the blonde's tense shoulder. "They think Bug's still in danger."

"Fuck—" Kobra shook Mads off, taking a step back from everybody. "No—fuckin—hmm! It was a fucking trap," he nearly sobbed. "Poison—"

"Hey, hey," Ghoul suddenly grabbed Kobra's shoulders, holding him still and forcing him to look straight at Ghoul. "What's goin' on?" He asked urgently. No one had bothered to help him understand. All he knew was that everyone was scared, and Kobra was suddenly as pale as a ghost.

"Hmm—" Kobra shivered underneath Ghoul's touch. "Fuck—fuck off!"

"Kobes," Ghoul's hands squeezed the Kid's shoulders. "Where's Jet an' Pois?"

"The—fuck off! Don't touch me!" Kobra's neck jerked back violently. "Hm—The city," he finally managed to speak.

"What?" Ghoul said, but Kobra knew that Ghoul had heard him. "That's—oh, fuck," Ghoul winced. "Shit! Shit, Kobes! We gotta go get 'em outta there!" 

"We!?" Kobra grabbed Ghoul's hands and yanked them off of himself. "No! You're not coming! You—fuckin' freak—fuck!"

"So yer gonna go alone?" Ghoul exclaimed. "As if, Kid!"

"S' too dangerous for you," Kobra insisted, crossing his arms tightly over his chest to keep his hands from violently flapping around. "Shit—You can't even hear me!"

"Hey," Mads appeared behind Kobra, making the younger Killjoy jump. He had almost forgotten that he and Ghoul weren't the only ones in the room. "I'll come with you, Kid," Mads offered. "I can get you into the city no problem. Missy can stay back with Bug."

"I could go, too," Missy frowned. "Doc's got her—"

"No," Mads turned around quickly to face his sister. "You shouldn't be anywhere near Batt City. I'm powerless, they won't want me like they'd want you. You stay here, got it?"

Missile Kid crossed her arms and glared at her twin brother—always the one to act more like her dad in times like these—but she sighed and nodded in agreement. She knew that Mads was right; Battery City was no place for a powered Killjoy like herself. 

"Cher," Doc nodded towards Cherri. "Go with 'em. Safety in numbers, yeah?"

With wide eyes, Cherri nodded. "Yeah, right," he turned to Kobra, smiling softly. "We got your back, Kid."

"Huh—Thanks," Kobra muttered, looking to Ghoul with a look that said, am I ever going to be able to convince you to stay behind?

"This is for Poison an' Jet," Ghoul told him. "I can't jus' sit back an' wait, Kobes."

Kobra knew this. His top teeth pinched into his bottom lip. Despite it all, Kobra needed Ghoul on this mission more than he needed Mad Gear or Cherri Cola.

"Promise you won't do anything stupid?" Kobra asked.

Ghoul smirked at him. "My stupid ideas are 'prolly the only thing that's gonna get us outta there."

He held out his hand, wiggling his fingers exposed by the fingerless leather gloves he wore. Kobra looked down and sighed shakily before clapping his own gloved hand into Ghoul's, hanging on tightly.

"Let's go get yer crew back," Cherri grinned.

Chapter Text

Kobra kept his head down, staring at the ground he knelt on, hidden out of sight. Small pieces of gravel cut into his skin through the rips in his jeans. His jaw ached from keeping it clenched shut, fighting with himself to stay silent. Kobra swallowed back the urge to scream while his brain rotated images of Poison, laying dead beneath the Director's boot because Kobra wasn't fast enough to save them. If he had just paid more attention, Poison and Jet never would've gone after that—

Ghoul grabbed onto one of Kobra's shaking hands, pulling it towards himself and squeezing tightly. Kobra grunted softly when his eyes refocused; a sudden reminder of where he was. He glanced up just enough to lock eyes with Ghoul, who nodded at him slightly, silently telling Kobra to not let himself get too in his own head before the team even got into the city. Ghoul could hardly hear anything anymore, but Kobra's racing thoughts were loud and clear.

"Five more minutes," Mad Gear mumbled, looking down at the strapless old watch that sat in his palm. He lifted his head and squinted against the sunlight, scanning the expanse of the garbage dump that the four Killjoys found themselves hiding in. A mile into Zone 1, Mads led the crew to a far out city dump, promising that it was their best bet if they wanted to get inside the city unnoticed. The garbage truck came through at the exact same time, every single day. That would be the Killjoys' ride in.

"After Missy's powers got outed, we weren't bookin' too many gigs," Mads explained softly, failing to hide the heartbreak in his voice. "We've been tryin' to hold on but," he shrugged. "There's been a lotta desperate days spent out here diggin' through the city scraps for anything to eat or trade. I got to know the truck's schedule pretty well."

Kobra glanced between Mads and Ghoul, biting his tongue. He'd heard countless stories just like Missy's; an innocent powered Killjoy whose life was snatched right out of their hands all because their powers scared some people. They were being chased out of the inner Zones. It's why Jet, Poison, and Cherri had been working day in and day out in Zone 5 to help the lost powered 'Joys. Kobra didn't know why he always stayed back. He didn't have anything better to do. He just hung out at the diner and went on runs with Nova. Really, Kobra could've done so much for the Electric Century. He should've been there. That way, he might've known where Poison and Jet ran off to, instead of going into the city blind.

Cherri's hand suddenly bumped Kobra's shoulder. "Look alive," he muttered, keeping his eyes trained straight ahead. From over the heaps of trash and scrap metal, Kobra and the guys spotted the white truck barreling down the dirt road towards them. Kobra shifted, watching the vehicle carefully as it pulled into the dump. The driver was masked—as per BL/Ind protocol—but as far as Kobra could tell, he didn't notice the four Killjoys waiting to pounce the moment the truck began to drive away.

"Three…" Mads held up his hand. "Two…One…" Once he was certain that they'd be in the driver's blindspot, Mads jumped to his feet. "Go!"

Mad Gear bolted towards the moving vehicle with Kobra close behind him. Ghoul got a headstart when he jumped over the pile of scrap metal, his mechanical legs moving faster than everyone else's. As he caught up to the truck that was rapidly picking up speed, he gripped onto the handlebar mounted to the side of the tailgate with one hand, hauling himself up against the truck's container. He turned just in time to see Kobra cling to the opposite side, shoulder to shoulder with Mads.

“Cherri,” Ghoul could see Kobra’s mouth moving. He glanced down at Cherri, who was losing the race with the garbage truck as they got closer and closer to the main road. Without a second thought, Ghoul stretched out with his free hand and grabbed Cherri beneath his shoulder, fingers digging into the older man’s biceps. Cherri grasped Ghoul tightly and let Ghoul pull him up, all but slamming his body into the side of the trash container.

“Fuck,” he groaned, rolling out his shoulder as he held onto the truck. “Close call,” he muttered, not that Ghoul could even hear it.

With two Killjoys hanging on either side of the truck, the unknowing driver carried them straight through the tunnels into the city. With Mads’ hand on his shoulder, Kobra squinted against the sunlight as it hung just above the horizon. He shivered from the cold wind in his hair the closer they got to the climate-controlled city. Somewhere in that city was Kobra’s best friend and older sibling, and Kobra couldn’t hide his fear over what could've become of Jet and Poison in the hours they’ve been missing.

"There's no one here," Poison whispered quietly, despite the ghost town that was the empty corridors of the brand new hospital in the middle of Battery City. Poison and Jet had just walked in through the back doors like they owned the place, not gaining the attention of a single guard because, well, there wasn't any.

"Ya sure this is the place?" Jet asked, her voice just as hushed. 

Poison paused and glanced up at her. "Did ya see the massive fuckin' sign that said HOSPITAL outside? Yeah, this is the place," they snapped before continuing to limp down the corridor.

"Witch," Jet muttered, rolling her eye at the redhead. "Feels weird to be walkin' out in the open like this. All those cars outside, an' s' dead inside."

Poison stopped themself again, this time it was right outside of an elevator's sliding doors. "I saw it in that pig's head, remember?" Poison said without looking back up at Jet. "This place is basically a decoy. S' not about what's up here, we're lookin' for what's underneath."

They pressed the down button on the lift, eliciting a buzzing sound from the machine as a red light flashed overhead. But the doors never opened.

"S' happenin'?" Jet asked, staring up at the red light.

"Fuck," Poison muttered, pointing at a small slot next to the operator buttons. "F' course the basement needs an access card."

Poison kept mashing the buttons, listening to the angry buzzing noise again and again as if the security lock would eventually give and let Poison in without an access card. They cursed and muttered to themself, wondering if they could just shoot the damn thing and break it open.

Meanwhile, something further down the corridor caught Jet's eye. She jumped, thinking that they had been caught. But upon further inspection, Jet realised that the first soul she'd seen inside this eerily empty hospital was already dead. The ghost of a young kid from the Juvie Halls tiptoed their way towards Jet, eyes sparkling with curious wonder the moment they locked eyes with the living Killjoy. Jet tilted her head and forced a smile, and that was all the dead kid needed.

"This way," they waved Jet over, pointing around the corner. "The doctor will have a key."

Jet blinked for a moment before speaking. "Hey, Pois?" She asked, getting the reluctant attention of the redhead. "How 'bout we go get a access card?"

"What?"

Before the word could leave Poison's lips, Jet had taken off after the young ghost. She quickly turned the corner in search of a doctor that could get them into the basement. As Poison raced to catch up with her, they finally heard a voice that wasn't theirs or Jet's.

"Shit," Poison whispered harshly, grabbing onto Jet's shoulder to slow her down. "Guess ya found where everyone was hiding, huh?"

"Shh," Jet held her hand up. Ahead of them were multiple occupied examination rooms. Behind each door was a muffled conversation between a doctor and a worried patient. The further down the hall the Killjoys crept, the louder the noise from the front lobby grew.

"What now?" Poison whispered. "We can't get caught, Jetty."

Jet bit her lip, listening to distant mundane conversations echoing through the halls. She knew they couldn't waste their time crouched here in the middle of the clinic. They had to make a move.

"Fuck it," Jet muttered, and pushed through the first door on her right. Poison nearly yelped in shock, but not nearly as bad as the poor woman seated in the room with her doctor. Jet didn't give anyone a second to think. She grabbed the doctor from behind—who was substantially shorter than her—hooking one arm around his throat and clamping the other hand over his mouth so he wouldn't make a sound.

"Wha—" The patient couldn't speak. She sat there frozen in shock as she watched her doctor's face turn red as he slowly but surely passed out from the lack of oxygen. Jet dropped his body onto the floor unceremoniously, leaving Poison to rifle through the man's labcoat for an access card.

"Easy enough for ya?" Jet asked, stepping over the doctor's unconscious body. She immediately started rifling through the cabinets behind her, scanning each bottle carefully until she found what she was looking for.

"Here," Jet opened a white bottle of painkillers and poured a couple into her hand. She gestured to the patient, who held out her hands in a robotic fashion, too scared to do anything else. "Yer not dyin', ya just gotta headache," Jet tells her, pocketing the rest of the bottle.

"Got it!" Poison lifted the access card hanging from a lanyard triumphantly above their head. "Let's get outta here."

Leaping over the body on the ground again, Jet sprinted down the hall behind Poison back to the elevator. The woman in the exam room wouldn't be quiet for long. As soon as the shock wore off, she'd be running to the authorities. Jet and Poison had to act fast. Poison slid their newly acquired access card through the slot and the doors opened for them instantly.

"Fuck yeah," Poison exhaled, pulling Jet inside and jamming the button that would take them to the basement.

"I hate these fuckin' things," Jet muttered, glancing around the elevator nervously as she tied her hair up with one of her bracelets. The mask around her neck was pulled up to cover her eyes, both blasters were taken out from their holsters and gripped tightly in her hands. 

"I dunno what we're gonna find down there," Poison sighed, grimacing as they pulled on their own dusty mask. Bug was somewhere in the labyrinth hidden beneath the hospital. Poison couldn't begin to imagine where they were keeping her or what they were doing to her. They just prayed it wasn't too late.

They got their gun out the moment the doors opened, revealing the quiet basement level of the hospital. Grey concrete floors mapped out three paths through brightly lit corridors to their left, right, and straight ahead. For a moment, Poison thought that the underground labs were just as abandoned as the hospital above. The halls were silent save for the Killjoy's breathing and their cautious footsteps.

"Jet—" Poison was barely able to utter her name before they shut themself up. They were staring straight ahead, watching. Something was coming towards them. 

"Pois, what the fuck?" Jet asked. Her eyes widened at the sight of a three foot tall, white, metal robot on wheels crawling towards her and Poison. 

"Witch—" Jet backed into the elevator doors that had already closed behind her. The robot cornered the Killjoys against the lift. "What is that?"

A small camera suddenly popped out of the top of the small robot, revealing a blinking green light as it seemingly scanned the two figures that stood in front of it.

"Oh, fuck no," Poison cursed, quickly kicking the robot away from themself, but they were too late. The green light turned red, and the once quiet, empty space was filled with a loud blaring alarm that alerted every agent in the building of Poison and Jet's presence.

"Run!" Jet shouted, deciding on a whim to turn and run down the left corridor. She grasped Poison's wrist and pulled them along with her, ducking out of the way just as a door to their right was kicked open.

"Hey!" A man with a deep voice called after them. Jet and Poison didn't dare look back. They heard an army of footsteps quickly grow behind them, only making the Killjoys run faster. Men were calling out to one another, yelling into their radios as they summoned their backup. 

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Poison chanted under their breath, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in their right foot. With their free hand that wasn't hanging onto Jet, they reached back and fired as many shots as they could get out at the agents chasing after them.

"This way," Jet rasped out between her heavy breaths as she ran. She dragged Poison along with her towards the only open door to be seen. "Hurry!"

Poison fired three more shots, hopefully aiming for the agents' faces, before ducking out of the way and following Jet into the dimly lit room. "Close the door! Fuck!" They screamed.

Jet slammed her entire body into the metal door to latch it shut, muttering her thanks to the Witch. "Shit," Jet tilted her head back to rest against the door as she caught her breath. 

"No kiddin'," Poison coughed, favouring their right foot and holding onto the wall for balance.

"Hey," Jet frowned. "S' that foot doin' okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout it," Poison brushed off the question quickly. They pulled their mask off to fix their hair, avoiding eye contact with Jet.

"Poison—" Jet stopped.

Poison furrowed their brows. "What?" They asked. Jet was staring into the dark end of the room, listening for movement. They weren’t alone in this place—a science lab, Poison assumed. The squeak of a metal chair was followed by gentle footsteps. Poison stifled a gasp as they lifted the blaster that was still in their hand, aiming in the general direction of the noise. 

Jet followed in suit, aiming a blue raygun into the shadows, watching a figure slowly creep into the light.

The Killjoys blinked, confused. The tall, thin stranger made herself seen. In a white lab coat that reached past her knees, a thick pair of glasses, and a pair of rubber gloves. She stared at the two colourful characters in front of her with fear in her eyes.

As Poison studied her face, their heart stuttered slightly. She was just a kid, maybe fifteen years old. No older than Kobra. Her soft brown skin still carried baby fat and a smattering of pimples. Her silky, almost jet-black hair was weaved into a simple braid that fell over her shoulder. Slowly, the young girl lifted her hands up, staring at the guns trained on her. 

“Are you going to kill me?” She squeaked.

Kobra dragged his feet as he walked, listening to his boots scrape against the pavement. He kept his hands in his pockets and the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. The red racer jacket he wore on top was a dramatic splash of colour against the monochromatic streets of Battery City. He knew he was drawing attention to himself. It was less than five minutes before the flashing lights of a cop car decorated the sidewalk in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going, punk?" A police officer called out from behind him. Kobra didn't look up until he felt a strong hand grab him by the shoulder and pull him back.

"Did you hear me, kid? I said—" The man froze when Kobra locked eyes with him. "Hey…" He said to his partner, who was only a few paces behind him. "Isn't this him?"

The second cop caught up, immediately pulling Kobra's hood down. "No way," he laughed. "You're one of the Fab Four, aren't you?" He smiled at his partner, unbelievably proud of himself.

"You're coming with us," the first officer laughed, too. Kobra kept his lips sealed as he was forcibly turned around again. His hands twitched when a pair of cold metal handcuffs clamped around his wrists. "You're under arrest," the officer spoke into his ear before turning to his partner again. "As soon as we turn him in, we can kiss this shitty job goodbye!"

Kobra didn't laugh, but he wanted to. The two prideful officers walked Kobra back to their car, mumbling about their futures in the Scarecrow Unit. Kobra counted in his head. Three. Two. One…

The first officer yelped as he was suddenly attacked from behind. Mad Gear had suddenly appeared behind him. His head smashed into the hood of the cop car, knocking him out instantly. Kobra watched the cop's body fall at his feet in a crumpled, motionless ball.

"Hey!" The second cop couldn't do much with Ghoul's hands around his neck. The Killjoy spun the man around, pulling him face-to-face with himself before driving his knee straight into the cop's face, effectively breaking his nose. He cried out, choking on the blood that started pouring from his face. Ghoul squeezed his neck harder, cutting off his air supply.

Ghoul dropped him on the street, wiping the blood off of his hands.

"A little rough, eh?" Cherri chuckled as he crouched down beside the poor officer. He fished through the pockets of the man's pants until he found a set of keys attached to a white keychain stamped with the BL/Ind logo. 

"Let's ride," Cherri quipped, hopping into the driver's seat of the cop car and starting the engine up with a grin on his face.

"That's cool, anyone wanna get these—hmm—off me?" Kobra deadpanned, wiggling his arms where they were still bound behind his back.

Ghoul stepped up and grasped the cuff around Kobra's left hand, effectively ripping it open with one hard pull. Kobra blinked. No matter how long Kobra lived alongside Ghoul, he would never get over how much strength Ghoul harnessed inside that small, 5'2 body of his.

"You make great bait, Kid," Mads smirked playfully as Ghoul pulled the right cuff off, freeing Kobra.

"Thanks," Kobra muttered, staring at his feet. He didn't know if his plan of luring the cops into a trap would work or not. Kobra wasn't usually the one to come up with the game plans. That was always Poison's job.

Mads put his hand on Kobra's shoulder. "You make a really good leader, Kid," he said, softer this time. Kobra lifted his head just enough to meet Mads' eyes and tried to smile back at him. "You're a lot like Poison, y'know."

Kobra didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about how he could easily replace his older sibling on the team. Poison would always be the leader of the Fab Four. That's why Kobra was here. To get their leader back.

"Fuck—I—" Kobra stuttered, but whatever he had to say didn't matter. Ghoul was suddenly shoving a radio against Kobra's chest with wide eyes.

"Felt it," he said, referring to the vibrations. There were voices coming from the police officer's radios, but Ghoul couldn't make out a single word.

Kobra scrambled to take the radio from Ghoul, holding it close to his and Mads' ears.

"Attention. All units to the Better Life Hospital. Two high-priority rebels are raiding the Better Life labs. Do not terminate. The rebels should be delivered to the Director as soon as possible."

Kobra's head snapped up to stare at Mads.

"Well," Mads shrugged. "That's gotta be them."

Kobra shoved past Ghoul and Mads, claiming the front passenger seat in the cop car and forcing the other two to crawl into the back. "Better Life—fuck—Better Life Hospital," he barked at Cherri. "Now!"

"Are you going to kill me?"

The hand that held Poison's blaster shook slightly as they tried to keep it trained on the innocent-looking young girl standing in front of them. Her frightened eyes darted between Poison and Jet. 

"Depends," Poison muttered. "You gonna kill us?"

It was a stupid question, Poison knew that. The girl standing in her delicate black flats looked like she'd never hurt a fly. But Poison also knew better than to immediately trust anyone in the city.

The girl ignored Poison's question and instead tilted her head curiously. "You're Killjoys, aren't you?" She asked, lowering her hands ever so slightly. "I could tell by your…unconventional appearances."

She spoke cautiously, but Poison could tell there was no judgement in her voice. It was plain curiosity, and maybe a little fascination.

"It's quite beautiful, actually," the girl murmured so softly that Poison could barely hear it. 

With a sharp sigh, Poison dropped their weapon back into its holster. This girl was anything but dangerous. Jet followed in suit, lowering her own gun, but she kept it in her hand at her side.

The girl watched these actions and let out her own sigh of relief. "What are you doing here, exactly?"

Poison raised their eyebrows at her. "What're you doin' here?" They asked light-heartedly. "Shouldn't ya be in school?"

"Oh," the young girl actually chuckled, releasing her tense shoulders. "No, I-I graduated already," she sheepishly explained. "I'm almost too good at school to still be there."

Poison eyed the little genius in front of them and asked, "So now they have ya holed up in a dark lab?"

They looked to their left to see Jet staring at them, silently asking what the fuck they were doing. They were supposed to be rescuing Bug, not making friends with the scientists. Poison, however, thought that having an ally down here could be useful.

"Well, no, they tried me out in the Scarecrow Unit," the teenage girl dropped one hand to her side, quietly drumming her nervous fingers against her leg. "But I couldn't…I couldn't just take a life like that…" she sighed shakily.

For the first time since the Killjoys burst into the lab, Jet spoke.

"But ya did," she muttered, staring at the empty space behind the girl. "Some fuckin' lab rat, right?"

The Juvie Hall kid. The ghost that helped Jet and Poison upstairs in the hospital was haunting the girl in the lab coat. They were a test subject in a failed experiment. They died at the hands of this girl.

"I—" She panicked, hugging her arms around herself and taking a cautious step back from Jet. "No—I—I didn't! It was an accident! An—An experiment gone wrong! It wasn't my fault, I was just following orders! I promise!."

"Hey," Poison said softly, quickly shooting a deadly glance at Jet. "S' okay, yeah? Your track record is still better than ours," they offered a weak smile, and the girl seemed to calm down.

"How did…" the girl shook her head, glancing back at Jet. "How did you know that?"

Jet clenched her jaw tightly. "Don't matter," she mumbled. They didn't have time for this.

The genius girl didn't have to look at Jet for long before she pieced it together. "It's your Sparks, isn't it?" She asked. A new level of fascination painted her face that Poison found endearing.

Jet couldn't bite her tongue. "Sparks," she spat, picking up her gun again and aiming between the girl's eyes. "S' what all you Batts call 'em. You can give my gift a new name, it don't mean you can take 'em from me."

"Jet!" Poison reached out to force her arm down, but Jet flinched out of the way.

"No! No! Please," the girl put her hands up again. "I would never take your Sparks from you! I—I don't need more! I have my own!"

Suddenly, Jet's arm dropped. She stared straight ahead, her deadly gaze practically burning a hole through the young girl who cowered in front of her. 

"Yer own?" Jet asked. 

"I—" the girl swallowed nervously. "Yes, my own. They turned up when I was seven. Better Living started studying them when I was ten."

At that, Jet finally tucked her gun away into its holster again. Poison watched the movements carefully with baited breath. Poison didn't know what they believed yet. They didn't know if powers were genetic, or an environment-based thing. But they knew what Jet believed; that powers were a gift from the Witch. And only Killjoys were given gifts.

"I cannot hurt you with them," the girl promised. "Quite the opposite, actually."

Poison tilted their head slightly; a silent question that the girl understood instantly.

"I have a healing touch," she continued to explain. "I place my hands on anyone and…any injury heals within seconds."

Poison couldn't believe how familiar that sounded. "S' that why they brought ya here?"

The girl nodded. "My coaches saw potential. But, it's really not as glamorous as it sounds," she chuckled pathetically. "I'm not very good at it. I can only do it about once a day, and it takes so much energy. It's quite exhausting…and painful."

Poison nodded sympathetically. They knew a thing or two about the pain that powers could cause. "So, they moved ya down here?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Yes!" She answered. "It's much more comfortable in the labs, I must say. Boss moved me to a new department. Now, I'm working in research for a future project of hers."

She motioned towards the messiest desk ever. Stacked two feet high with various books, files, and a dozen notebooks scribbled with frantic notes. The girl's eyes lit up as she looked at it all with pride.

"Boss has me researching her old human Weapon," she said, and Poison flinched violently. "He worked here years before I came along. And, in my honest opinion, the Weapon was far too young, and I think that is where Boss failed," the girl grimaced. "Not that I would ever tell her that."

Jet took a step closer to Poison's side. They were scratching at their arm nervously as they listened to this kid ramble about Ghoul as if he was just some sort of historical phenomenon.

"Hey," the girl's head snapped up. "Did you know that the Weapon eventually became a Killjoy? Maybe you two have met him before."

Jet chanced a glance down at Poison, who looked sick to their stomach.

"Yeah," the redhead choked out. "Yeah, we've seen him around. I guess."

Their eyes were trained on their feet, staring at the boot cast that they've been hobbling around in all day. They swallowed thickly. It wasn't this girl's fault that she knew nothing about the real Ghoul. BL/Ind would never talk about it. The poor kid was trapped inside of Battery City, believing that this bullshit research was her entire life's purpose.

"What is it like in the desert?" She asked suddenly, catching Poison off guard. She had a sparkle in her eyes when she spoke. Her curiosity broke Poison's heart.

"Free," Poison muttered. "Colourful, warm, everything this place isn't."

The girl smiled at them. A real, genuine, dreamy smile that made Poison want to scoop the kid up and take her away from all of this. Battery City wasn't made for girls with so much spirit.

"So, why are you in my lab?" She asked.

Jet cleared her throat, deciding that the kid was trustworthy enough to help. "We lookin' for a little girl," Jet explained clearly. "Yer boss took her, an' we need her back."

The girl thought for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows. "You're not referring to Baby 23, are you?"

Jet blinked at her. "The fuck are ya talkin' 'bout?"

"Who's Baby 23?" Poison asked.

The girl turned on her heel and hurried across the lab to grab a massive black binder that was overflowing with more of her research. She slammed it on top of her already cluttered desk and looked back up at the Killjoys.

"The Mulero Experiments," she said, and Jet's stomach flipped. She'd sell her one good eye if it meant never having to hear that name ever again, and yet here she was.

"What's that?" Poison asked, because Jet was clearly unable to speak.

"A fascinating and deeply unsettling scientific study that lasted nearly a decade," the girl began to ramble. "They were run by Dr. Alexander Mulero, the admittedly evil genius behind Spark Theory and the man who actually discovered the physical matter of Sparks."

Jet cringed. Her father didn't deserve that kind of praise.

"He was obsessed with the connection between Sparks and DNA," the girl waved her hands around frantically as she spoke quickly. "After he invented the method of transferring Sparks between individuals and he inherited his own telekinetic abilities, he began a series of experiments to test all of his theories on bloodborne Sparks."

She dramatically flipped open the binder to a page with a long list of names that immediately had Jet reaching out and grabbing onto Poison's hand.

"22 women signed up for the experiments. It was extremely dangerous, but it also paid extremely well," the girl frowned slightly. "Anyway, Mulero artificially inseminated each woman, impregnating them with his own child.

"He tried everything he could think of during their pregnancies. He attempted a Spark transfusion on the mothers, and later on the infants while still in utero. There were various rounds of radiation therapy, new drugs, alterations on the mothers' DNA, the works."

Jet's grasp on Poison's hand grew tighter and tighter as the list went on. She barely understood half of the words that came out of the girl's mouth, but Jet was starting to taste bile in the back of her throat.

"What—" Poison cleared their throat. "What happened to them?"

"Well," the girl grimaced slightly. "Babies 2 through 11 were miscarriages. 12 and 13 were both stillborn, and the mothers died in childbirth. Baby 14 was grown in an incubator, actually, but that was completely unsuccessful," the girl's teeth pulled on her bottom lip as she tried to remember the rest.

"Mothers 15 and 16 died in their second trimester due to radiation poisoning. Baby 17 was involved in a freak accident in the labs, causing the mother to bleed out. 18, 19, and 20 all died in childbirth, and their babies only managed to survive for a few weeks after that. Babies 21 and 22 only lived for three and four months, respectively."

Sighing heavily, the girl added, "and Baby 23, though she was born pre-maturely, was the most promising of them all. Dr. Mulero thought that he had finally done it. This baby was going to be the start of a whole new generation of genetically engineered BL/Ind agents, all born with Sparks of their own…

"The mother, however—I believe her name was Jasmine Lewis—she had her regrets. Can you blame her?" The girl frowned sadly. "A month after the birth, Ms. Lewis ran away. She escaped the city, and took her infant with her."

Jet could feel her eye brimming with tears, but she blinked them away forcing herself to stay quiet.

"The radiation from the experiments caused Ms. Lewis to develop cancer," the girl reported, sounding heartbroken. "Better Living managed to track her down in the desert, but she was already dead.

"It wasn't until very recently that Better Living discovered that Baby 23 was, in fact, still alive, with Sparks that are able to mimic other Sparks. And, well…" the girl shrugged sheepishly. "I guess you know the rest."

Jet pulled away from Poison quickly, turning her body away from the others to hide her face. The tears were falling uncontrollably by now; a sign of weakness that she couldn't let show. Poison wanted to follow her, hold her, but there was a question on the tip of their tongue that they couldn't leave unanswered.

"What about Baby 1?" Poison asked the young girl.

"What?"

"You started that list at Baby 2," Poison clarified. "What happened to Baby 1?"

"Oh," the girl nodded in understanding. "Baby 1 was born many years prior in the desert during Dr. Mulero's time as a Killjoy," she explained. That sparkle of fascination was back in her eyes. "The mother and child; they both had Sparks. They were the reason that Dr. Mulero was so obsessed with researching the genetic property of Sparks."

She explained it so easily, unaware that the Baby 1 she spoke about was standing right in front of her with clenched fists, fighting the urge to scream. It was all Jet's fault.

"What're they gonna do to her?" Poison said quickly, pulling the attention away from Jet. "Baby 23. If they get her back, what're they gonna do to her?" They asked desperately. Their pleading eyes caused the girl to shrivel up like a wilted flower.

"Well," she grimaced. "Remember my research on the human Weapon?"

"No!" Jet suddenly shouted, shaking her head. "Pois—" she gasped. Panic began to swell in her chest. Tears were flowing freely down Jet's cheek. "That can't happen to her! She can't go through what Ghoul—"

There were footsteps in the hall outside. Angry and fast. The young girl gasped, freezing where she stood. The agents were coming for the Killjoys.

Guilt was eating at Jet's heart. The footsteps were approaching quickly, accompanied by angry voices. Without giving herself a moment to think it over, Jet tackled the young girl to the ground.

"No!" She shrieked, crashing to the ground where her glasses snapped. Jet pinned the girl down with her knee on her back and pulled out her raygun again, pressing the barrel against the girl's skull. 

"Help!" She cried out.

The doors burst open. Someone shouted. Two agents lifted up their weapons, firing their stun guns at the two intruding rebels. Poison yelped, falling to their knees before hitting their head on the floor. Jet grunted and collapsed next to the girl she held hostage.

The girl whimpered, shaking with fear as the Killjoys were dragged away. There were hands on her. Someone strong helped her sit up, checking her over for injuries.

"Are you okay, miss?" He asked, handing her back her broken glasses. She nodded weakly and stared at the open doorway soon enough to catch a glimpse of Jet's boots as her body was dragged down the corridor.

"I-I'm okay," she whispered, realising that those Killjoys had just saved her life.

Chapter Text

Poison had woken up on the floor of a cramped jail cell, slumped over in the position that the BL/Ind agents had carelessly dropped them in. Three walls surrounding them were a dark grey metal. Sound proofed, Poison guessed, so they couldn't scream for help. Opposite to Poison was a wall of iron bars. There was no light, save for the small window near the ceiling that let in the last of the orange sunset outside. If Poison squinted, they could make out the shape of Jet laying curled up on the ground in a cell of her own, mirroring Poison's.

Hours later, the two Killjoys were huddled in the corners of their cells, holding onto one another's hand through the bars that separated them. The suspense was killing them both. Poison knew that they were to be handed off to the Director, when she would probably try to kill them, but that moment never came. 

"M' sorry," Poison muttered into the dark, breaking the silence that had hung over them from the moment they woke up.

"We never got her name," Jet said quietly.

"Who?"

"That girl back there," Jet let out a slow sigh. "I didn't even know her name, but I knew I had ta save her anyway."

Poison nodded their head, not that Jet would see the sentiment in the dark. They were proud of Jet for acting so fast. With that many agents running after them, the Killjoys were doomed from the start. But that sweet kid was innocent. She did nothing to deserve a beating from the higher ups, and Jet made sure it never happened by making the girl look like the victim of the attack.

"Maybe she reminded you of Bug," Poison pondered. 

Jet hummed noncommittedly and pulled her hand back through the bars. This rescue mission had been a bust. They hadn't even gotten close to finding Jet's sister before they were captured. Now, they lay here waiting for it to end, never knowing what would happen to Bug.

Jet had to shake herself out of her spiralling thoughts before the walls started to close in on her. There wasn't much else to focus on. The cells had fallen silent yet again, save for the quiet, muffled sounds coming from Poison.

"Pois?" Jet whispered, listening to the redhead swallow back pained whimpers. "Pois, s' wrong?"

"Sorry," Poison exhaled shakily. "Hurts."

Jet pulled her lighter out of the pocket of her denim jacket—no one had bothered disarming the Killjoys before throwing them away into the cells, probably because they knew they were never getting out of there. The lighter offered the tiniest bit of orange light, just barely illuminating the figure on the other side of the bars. 

Poison had tears drying on their cheeks. They sat there with their shoulders hunched, hugging their bent right leg to their chest. Jet followed their eyeline and knew that Poison was talking about their foot; still throbbing inside their boot, overworked from running all day.

"Sorry," Poison repeated with a sniffle, wiping at their eyes.

"Hey, don't do that," Jet shook her head. "Don't say yer sorry, this ain't yer fault," she stuffed her hand back into her pocket, finding the bottle of painkillers she swiped from the doctor hours earlier. 

"Here," Jet passed the bottle through the bars, forcing Poison to take them from her. "They ain't gonna do much, but s' all I got."

Sniffling again, Poison dumped a couple capsules into their palm and swallowed them dry, hugging their leg a little tighter. 

"D'ya know what day it is?" Poison asked quietly.

"Pois, I ain't even know what month it is anymore," Jet admitted humourlessly, earning a forced chuckle from Poison.

"S' Kobra's birthday," said Poison. Exhaling heavily, they shifted against the bars and reached for Jet's hand again. "I know it shouldn't matter. But the Kid's never woken up on his birthday without me there. M' always the first one to tell him happy birthday."

Jet just squeezed Poison's hand. The sentiment of birthdays were sort of lost on her as a desert born, but she knew this meant a lot to Poison. And she just wished that there was anything she could do to get Poison back to Kobra.

Poison tilted their head back to look at the thin window above their heads, and all they could see was the starless night sky.

"Maybe he hasn't woken up yet."

Kobra was the first one to shove through the doors at the bottom of the stairwell. The team had descended at least eight flights to get to the basement labs hidden under the hospital, and took out three guards in the process. They were too close to quit now, Kobra could almost feel Poison near.

"Kid, look out!" Cherri yelled, grabbing Kobra by the arm to stop him. They were standing in front of a strange robot-thing on wheels, with a camera pointed right at the Killjoys.

"Fuck that," Mads pushed between Kobra and Cherri with his blaster, shooting the robot right in the eye of its camera before pushing it away with his foot. The little robot made a sad powering-down noise and seemingly died right there.

"Good call," Cherri shrugged. Looking at the dead robot, he figured it was probably some sort of security system put in place to make sure no one came down to the labs who didn't belong there.

Kobra let Mads and Cherri proceed down the hall first while he hung back, putting his hands on Ghoul's shoulders. "Anything familiar?" Kobra asked, making sure he was face to face with Ghoul so the shorter 'Joy could understand him.

"No," Ghoul shook his head nervously. "Sorry."

"S' fine," Kobra promised. This was new territory for everyone. "Hmm—C'mon."

The Killjoys were searching the place for any sign of damage left behind by Poison and Jet; dead guards, a holding cell, a torture chamber, anything that would lead them to their missing team members. Kobra found himself following his instincts, turning left instead of right because he just felt that Poison would've made that decision, too.

"This doesn't feel right," Mads mumbled. "Shouldn't a secret underground lab be crawling with government officials and nerdy scientists?" He asked, although no one cared to acknowledge him. Maybe, because they all knew he had a point.

They were all following Kobra's lead until, suddenly, Ghoul turned on his heel and started walking in the other direction without uttering a word to anyone.

"Ghoul!" Kobra tried not to raise his voice and draw unwanted attention to himself, but there was no way that Ghoul would be able to hear him with his back turned. "Ghoul—fuck—come back!"

Ghoul was headed down a hall that they had already searched. Kobra didn't know where Ghoul was off to, but he couldn't just abandon his search for Poison and Jet that easily.

"I'll go with him," Cherri offered. "Y'all keep goin', we'll meet up again, yeah?"

Before Kobra was given the option to agree, Cherri was jogging down the hall after Ghoul. He didn't have time to ask anymore questions. He just looked up at Mads, nodded, and kept going.

"I'm serious, Kid, it's so empty down here," Mads doubled down. "You sure this isn't a trap or something?"

"Shh," Kobra held his hand in Mads' face to shut him up. There were footsteps, gentle and timid, tip-toeing around the corner. Kobra and Mads immediately went for their guns and ran around the corner to catch their unknown attacker off guard.

A round-faced teenage girl shrieked when the two Killjoys surprised her with their blasters aimed at her forehead. With a pair of glasses taped together in the middle and a neat braid hanging over her shoulder, she didn't look like she belonged down there. 

She stumbled back, holding her shaking hands over her face in surrender. As she did a once over of the colourful Killjoys stood in front of her, she seemed to quickly calm down.

"Goodness! There's more of you," she noted, smoothing out her labcoat and adjusting her glasses. 

There's more of you. 

Kobra rushed up to the girl, who was almost as tall as himself, and pinned her against the cement wall behind her. He pressed his gun against her chest and snarled. She knew where Poison was. She'd seen them before.

"What do you mean, more?" Mads asked, looming over her behind Kobra. "Where are the others?"

The girl's brown skin paled. "No! Don't hurt me, please! I-I'm trying to figure out the same thing!" She pleaded. "They saved me, a-and saved my job! I know they are locked up somewhere. I couldn't leave them like that."

Kobra loosened his grip on the girl. Poison had trusted her. They saved her, whatever that meant. Slowly, Kobra backed up and gave the girl room to catch her breath.

"Red hair," Kobra muttered, and the girl nodded along. "My sibling."

"Oh!" She seemed almost excited. "They were attacked with stun guns and taken out of my sight, but I have an idea of where they have gone," the girl pushed off the wall and immediately headed back the way Kobra and Mads had come. "After all, there's only so many holding cells down here."

Kobra and Mads were a little shocked by how easily this clean cut girl adjusted to the presence of two rough Killjoys. She walked ahead of them on her toes, as if she was too scared to make any noise in her own workplace. She hurriedly used her own access card to take Kobra and Mads down a new, short corridor that only had four doors. Two open and two sealed shut; all prison cells.

"They in here?" Mads asked hopefully. Kobra was biting his tongue so hard he could taste blood.

The girl nodded and walked to one of the closed doors, where there was a keypad waiting for her. She typed in an intricate numerical code as she explained, "I'm not supposed to know this, but I have a lot of free time on my hands. The company's firewalls are shockingly easy to hack into if you know what you're doing."

Kobra would've complimented her for being so badass had the situation been different. But the moment that door swung open, Kobra could only think of one thing. He pushed his way into the cell first, hearing a sharp gasp from whoever was inside.

"Kobes!?" Poison nearly sobbed. They'd been half-asleep, curled up on the floor with their head resting against the cell bars. "How the hell—"

Kobra dropped to his knees and pulled Poison into his arms. He let out the breath he'd been holding since he found out that Poison had gone missing and nuzzled his face into their hair. Poison's hands clung onto Kobra's jacket like their life depended on it. They breathed heavily, ragged, and oh so relieved.

"What the fuck are ya doin' here, Kid?" Jet's voice made Kobra barely lift his head to see his other teammate standing there with her hands around the cell bars as she watched the siblings reunite.

Outside, the young girl had finally opened up the second door, filling Jet's side of the room with the white light from the hallway. She turned quickly to see the neon blue hair of her saviour; the last person Jet ever expected to be there. Before she could even think about why Mad Gear would follow Kobra into the city just for her, Jet threw herself at him, hugging her arms around his neck tightly.

"Witch," she sighed, feeling Mads' arms hug her waist like they'd never left. "How'd ya find us?" She asked. Mads loosened his grip gently and walked Jet out of the cell, smiling at the girl who stood awkwardly in the hallway.

"Hello again," she waved.

Kobra helped Poison back to their feet, keeping a tight grip on their shoulders when they hobbled slightly on their bad foot when walking out to join the group.

"You okay?" He asked, his nose and eyes twitching as he stared down at Poison's feet. 

"Kobes, we still gotta find Bug," Poison stressed, ignoring Kobra's concern. "She's here somewhere, an' the city is gonna hurt her real bad if we don't save her, and—"

"Pois! Poison!" Kobra shook his older sibling slightly. "Hmm—Bug's okay. She's safe—hm, shit—in the desert."

Poison seemed to glitch right in front of Kobra's eyes. They stuttered, blinking rapidly as they tried to process what Kobra was saying. Meanwhile, Jet just shouted, "What!?"

"She never left, actually," Mads explained, holding a supportive hand against Jet's lower back. "You guys followed a decoy. It was a trap," he said apologetically.

"She—" Poison frowned, feeling almost embarrassed that they fell for a BL/Ind trap. "She's okay?"

"Yeah," Kobra nodded, humming softly. "She's okay."

"Well, fuck!" Jet exclaimed. "We gotta get the fuck outta here then! Let's go!" She grabbed Mads' wrist and pulled, attempting to run where she believed the closest exit would be. But Mads pulled back, slowing her down. 

"Jet, just wait!" Mads pleaded. She stared at him like he was crazy. "We still gotta meet back up with Cherri and Ghoul."

At that, Poison turned back to Kobra, glaring daggers.

"You brought Ghoul with you!?" They shouted, causing Kobra to flinch back.

"Fuck off—I didn't have a choice," he said with his hands shaking. 

"Kobra!" Poison's voice cracked. Panic began to seep into their blood. They could hear their heartbeat echoing in their head. "You brought Ghoul into the city! Do you know how dangerous that is!?"

"I couldn't stop him—hmm—fuck you—"

"Kobes, they can control him when he's here," Poison's eyes were watering, but their fear was overpowering their need to cry at the moment. "Don't you remember what happened last time!?"

"Poison!" Kobra had to almost scream to get Poison to shut up. "Did you—fuck!—Did you expect him to sit and wait? Fuckin' freak! When you were missing somewhere in the city!? He—mm—He came to save you!"

Poison buried their face in their hands. They were suddenly overcome with guilt.

"Where's he?" Jet asked.

"I-I dunno," Kobra shrugged shamefully.

"Fuck!" Poison screamed, dropping their head to lean against Kobra's shoulder. He could feel them shaking. "Why'd you let him go!? Why ain't he with you!?"

"None a' that matters right now," Jet said sternly. "We jus' gotta find him an' Cher, and get out. Where'd y'all see him last?"

"This way," it was Mads' turn to tug on Jet's arm, leading her back down the corridors. "C'mon."

Poison and Kobra were only a couple of steps behind them. Poison's fear for Ghoul's safety outweighed the pain they felt with every step. They swallowed it down and pushed forwards, inserting themself at the front of the group, leading the team like they were always supposed to do.

"I'm coming with you," said a soft voice behind the Killjoys.

Jet glanced over her shoulder at the girl and shook her head. "No, ya helped us enough. Get outta here, it ain't safe."

"But—"

"Girlie, look, ya saved our lives, we saved yers. We done. Go back to yer lab," Jet said sternly enough to break the young girl's heart. Jet cringed slightly, feeling bad for the kid, but she only wanted to keep her safe. She didn't deserve to get caught up in the Killjoys' inevitable violence.

They turned a corner—the one that Ghoul and Cherri had disappeared behind the last time anyone had seen them—and stopped dead in their tracks.

"S' that blood?" Kobra muttered. Poison didn't say anything before they kept walking, picking up their pace until they were almost running.

The red stains on the concrete floor got brighter and brighter, splattered across the white walls and ceiling. Poison felt sick to their stomach. They knew that if they followed the blood, they'd eventually find Ghoul. What that would look like, however, terrified Poison.

"There!" Mads pointed ahead of them. Down the hall, the walls were completely red. Bloody footprints painted the floor, smeared across what was clearly a battle scene just moments earlier. Among the mess, a body lay crumpled against the wall, shaking as he tried to keep himself breathing. 

"Is that—"

"Fuck, it's Cherri!" Mads nearly trampled over the Venom siblings as he sprinted towards Cherri, only to stop a few feet away from him. "No…"

Jet didn't freeze like Mads. She dropped to her knees in the pool of blood that surrounded Cherri, taking the man's bruised and beaten face in her hands as she muttered, "Hey, Cher, look at me. Look at me, yer okay."

Mads had his hand over his mouth and gagged, swallowing thickly. "No, no, no, no, no," he whimpered, leaning back when he felt Kobra and Poison stop behind him.

"Oh shit," Poison gagged. They couldn't look away. They just kept staring. Not at Cherri's face, or the wounds bleeding through his shirt, but his right arm. His right arm, that had been nearly chopped clean off. It hung there weakly, hardly attached by a few layers of muscle and flesh, drenched in dark crimson as Cherri bled out in front of them.

"S' okay, s' okay, s' okay," Jet chanted, more so to herself than to Cherri. Her survival instincts had kicked in. "Kobra!" She yelled, waving him over. She pulled out the knife she kept in her boot and forced the Kid to kneel down next to her. He winced as he felt Cherri's blood soak through his jeans. Jet pulled his racer jacket down and immediately started cutting off the left sleeve of Kobra's sweatshirt. She quickly used it as a makeshift tourniquet and tied it around what was left of Cherri's bicep. 

"Nngh…" Cherri groaned. "H—He—"

"Shh, shut up, shut up" Jet choked out, tightening the fabric as much as she could. "Save yer strength."

"Cherri," Kobra muttered, no longer caring about the blood. He put his hand on Cherri's cheek, silently begging him to open his eyes. "What happened?"

"We ain't got time!" Jet nearly screamed. She looked towards Mads and Poison with desperate eyes. "We gotta get him help, he's gonna bleed out if we leave him here!"

Mads and Poison stared back at her helplessly. They didn't know their way around this place, and everywhere was a possible war zone for them in this city. As Poison wordlessly opened their mouth, they heard Cherri groan again.

"H—" He coughed weakly, leaning into Kobra's touch. "Ghoul…"

A painful sob ripped open Poison's chest. Their knees gave out beneath them. Mads caught them just in time before they collapsed completely. 

"They got him," Poison screamed, clawing at Mads' arms. "He's—They got him—He's not—Ghoul—"

"Cherri is gonna die!" Jet screamed back.

Kobra slapped his blood soaked hands over his ears, trying everything to stop himself from panicking. Cherri would be dead soon, Ghoul might as well be too if BL/Ind already got to him, and where did that leave the rest of them? Clenching his jaw so hard he thought it would break, Kobra glanced up to see the young girl from before staring back at him.

"I can help," she told him. 

"Mads!" Kobra yelled suddenly. He jumped to his feet, nearly slipping in all of the blood, and pulled his sibling off of Mad Gear. "Get Cherri—fuck—"

"Bring him to my lab!" The girl ordered. "I can help him there!"

Something in Mads seemed to snap as he jumped into action. Jet helped Mads carefully lift Cherri's limp body and cradle him in his arms, painting them both completely red. Cherri whimpered and groaned, fading in and out of consciousness. 

"I'll go with her," Mads promised. "You guys go find Ghoul."

Jet nodded, unable to speak before Mads turned and hurried away with Cherri and the girl. Jet wiped her face smearing the blood across her skin, and exhaled heavily. "The three of us stick together, yeah?"

"Yeah," Poison's voice cracked. They stood up straight, pushing Kobra off of themself. There were bloody footprints trailing away from where they had found Cherri. Poison decided that they would follow those. 

Kobra walked beside them, hovering a concerned hand near them as they limped slightly with every step. Jet trailed behind, holding onto her blasters tightly.

"Deja vu," Kobra muttered. 

"Yeah," Poison sniffled. "Happy birthday, Kid."

Screaming.

Screaming that you could hear from miles away.

The Weapon lay down obediently. His arms, legs, and neck were strapped down before Fun Ghoul slipped between the cracks of BL/Ind's brainwashing. The cuffs pinched his skin, and suddenly he was a child again, getting ripped open under a doctor's knife.

He saw the Director's face looming over him. Her mouth moved, but Ghoul couldn't hear any of it. He screamed until his throat was raw. He sobbed and begged for help before someone covered his face with an all-too familiar muzzle to keep him quiet.

Unbearable pain flooded his system and his vision blurred. His ears were ringing as the brainwashing grabbed him by the throat, trying to force him back into submission. He felt the knife, and the unforgettable feeling of metal replacing his human body parts, making him retch. He tried screaming for help one last time before the pain got to be too much, and the world around him went black.

Chapter Text

"Go, go, go, go, run!" Jet had her back pressed against the door to the stairwell, holding it open as she all but pushed Kobra inside after his sibling. BL/Ind had been alerted of the Killjoys' presence, meaning they now had a swarm of Batts chasing them down and gaining on them quickly.

"Hurry up, shit!" Poison yelled, jumping down the stairs taking three at a time. Jet slammed the door behind her, praying that it would slow the agents down enough. She slid down the banister and descended further into BL/Ind's hidden basement. 

Above their heads, the door crashed open. A cacophony of footsteps grew behind the Killjoys, just as they reached the entrance to the lower level.

"This way!" Poison shoved themself into the heavy door, dramatically throwing it open with a loud bang. Kobra and Jet were only a few steps behind them, running out into a wide open area with tiled floors and five different corridors to choose from.

They found themselves in a labyrinth, although that didn't matter to them. Not when the Killjoys were suddenly surrounded by even more agents, grabbing Kobra and Jet and dragging them away from their leader and restraining them.

"Hey!" Kobra thrashed. 

The door flew open again, welcoming in the agents from the stairwell. Poison was shoved forwards, knocked onto their hands and knees and pinned down. They fell at the feet of someone standing ominously above them. Their eyes trailed up from the sleek leather boots in their face, only to be met with the deadly glare of an agent that Poison could barely recognise.

She looked ten feet tall from Poison's perspective. Looming over the redhead, Agent Avalon wore a proud smirk as she watched the Killjoys squirm.

"No…" Kobra grunted quietly. "You're—" He twitched under the tight grip multiple Batts had on his arms and legs. "You're s'posed to be dead."

Kobra saw his friends attack her. Hydro and Styx promised that Avalon was dead, rotting in the old Ratt base in the neutral Zone where they left her and Korse. Now, she stood above Poison with her hands on her hips. The arm that Hydro had chopped off was replaced with a bionic one. Her silver left hand gleamed under the bright lights of the lab. 

Avalon glared at Kobra with only one eye. The last Kobra remembered, one of Styx's arrows had penetrated her other eye, which was now covered by a white eyepatch that matched her signature coat. Kobra felt all the air leave his lungs; there was no way that Avalon could've survived that. A shot that close should've gone right through her brain. Avalon shouldn't be alive.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Avalon asked Kobra. "You're not the only ones with tricks up their sleeves. I happen to have a young girl whose touch is better than any doctor in this city. It's truly incredible work."

Poison grunted loudly and pushed against the faceless man holding them down. "She's just a kid! You're abusin' her powers!"

Avalon chuckled softly. "I'm utilising my assets," she said calmly, crouching down slightly, making Poison feel smaller than ever. "I see you've brought me your entire team, Party Poison. Even some bonus surprises along the way."

"Where's Ghoul!?" Jet shouted at her. She was fed up with these games, these trials, and these fucking villain monologes. An agent behind her hit her in the back of the head to shut her up, causing Jet to growl at him like a rabid animal.

Avalon ignored Jet's antics, keeping her eye trained on Poison. "All this and you still haven't given me the one thing I want…"

Poison saw red. "I'll be dead before I let ya touch her!" They screamed. "Enough kids have suffered here 'cause of you! You only want her for her powers, but my little girl is so much more than just a mimic," Poison was shaking so hard, they were certain that the agent holding them could feel it. They didn't care. "But you wouldn't know that. You're heartless! All of you! You are the real bad guys here. Not the rebels. Not the Killjoys. You!"

Avalon slowly straightened, pacing away from Poison as she pondered. "Maybe you're not the 'bad guys', but you've never been smart enough to be the heroes of your own story," she emphasised as she turned around, glancing between the three Killjoys restrained at her will. 

"That's the difference between us, Party Poison," Avalon strutted back towards the redhead. She squatted down right in front of them, lifting up the Killjoy's chin with her cold, bionic hand. "You choose to see the humanity and innocence in every poor soul that ever stumbles out into your desert. I don't care if Baby 23 is a little girl or an elderly man. She has the most valuable Sparks ever discovered and she's wasting them being coddled by your pathetic group of Killjoys."

Poison shivered under her touch. Avalon taunted them, dragging her metal thumb over the blood splattered on Poison's face.

"So, you're going to tell me where I can find Baby 23, or you and your precious teammates are never getting out of here," Avalon said quiet enough that only Poison could hear it.

Poison seethed. "I would rather die."

"Alright," Avalon shrugged and stood up again. "That can be arranged."

Behind Poison's back, Jet and Kobra locked eyes, sporting the same shared panic.

"But you won't be dying anytime soon," Avalon continued with a sick laugh. "I'll make sure it's a slow and painful process."

She brought her fingers to her mouth and whistled as though she was calling a dog. Suddenly, Poison, Kobra, and Jet were released. The agents fled the scene, leaving them alone with Avalon. Jet didn't hesitate before whipping out both of her blasters and aiming for the woman's skull, but she stopped when she saw someone emerge from a corridor behind Avalon; a strange figure in a grey and white BL/Ind uniform crawled out.

He stayed low, bracing himself on the floor with one hand as he breathed heavily behind a muzzle that covered the lower half of his face. His right hand wielded an already bloodied machete sword. He carefully scanned the three Killjoys in front of him. His head moved in slow but jagged motions.

His eyes were hidden by a thick mop of dark hair that almost reached his waist. And although Poison couldn't see his eyes, they knew that hair.

"Ghoul," they sobbed, somehow frozen in place as much as they wanted to run to him. They knew better than last time; it was only the shell of Ghoul. The being that was controlling this body was not the Fun Ghoul that Poison knew and loved. 

At the sound of Poison's voice, Ghoul's head snapped up and tilted to the side in a jerky, robotic fashion. Poison flinched at the sight of Ghoul being used like a puppet. As his head moved, so did his hair. The greasy, matted brown locks fell out of his face and Poison's stomach lurched.

Even from the other side of the room, Poison couldn't miss it. Two deep incisions across his left cheekbone and above his brow. Metal plates were screwed into his skin, surrounding what used to be Ghoul's left eye. Now, just a blinking red light that seemed to be scanning the Killjoys in front of him. What that robot eye could see, Poison didn't know. But the longer Ghoul stared, the angrier he seemed to get.

"Good, Weapon," Avalon seemed to revel in the Killjoys' distress. "Attack."

With a sharp snarl, Ghoul pounced. He scrambled towards Kobra like a feral animal and jumped before Kobra had time to run. He landed on the Kid's shoulders, bracketing his neck with his legs as his weight toppled Kobra over, knocking him backwards. With Kobra down, Ghoul gripped Kobra's jaw tight enough to almost break it and held the machete sword against the Kid's throat. 

"Ghoul!" Kobra squirmed, kicking his legs in a weak attempt to free himself. "Stop! S' me!" He clawed at the hand holding his head still, trying to get away from the blade that slowly pressed deeper and deeper against his neck, drawing blood.

"Kobra!" Poison grabbed onto Ghoul's arms and pulled, distracting him for long enough to let Kobra escape. Ghoul hauled himself up using Poison's grip and shoved them into the wall behind them. Their head crashed against the concrete, leaving them stumbling as Jet ran up on Ghoul's opposite.

Ghoul growled and swung at Jet. She gasped sharply and ducked, narrowly avoiding the sword that nearly cut out her other eye. She kicked Ghoul's legs out from underneath him, knocking him back onto the ground with a metallic clang.

"Get that blade!" Jet yelled at Poison and Kobra. The machete was already caked in dried blood—undoubtably Cherri's—and Jet couldn't risk another lost limb for the team.

Poison stomped on Ghoul's chest with their good foot. He hardly flinched, but he was caught off guard enough for Kobra to grab the flailing hand that weilded the machete. He kneeled on Ghoul's arm and wrestled the blade from the brainwashed Killjoy.

Ghoul's other hand clawed at Poison until he successfully shoved the redhead away. He rolled onto his stomach with another growl and promptly sunk his nails into Poison's leg, eliciting a sharp yelp out of them. Ghoul sat up and swung at Kobra just as he threw the sword, sending it clattering across the room. His fist collided with the side of Kobra's head with a sickening crack.

Jet ran after the blade, only to be grabbed by a masked BL/Ind agent and forcibly dragged back.

"Hey!" She shouted, twisting in the agent's grasp to throw him back. More agents entered the room from the other corridors, all darting towards Poison and Jet to distract from the beating Kobra was taking from Ghoul. Each agent weilded a white raygun, firing rapidly at the Killjoys. 

Poison shot back, but stumbled when they took a hit on their right shoulder. They swallowed back the pain from the laser that was still burning through their skin and swapped their gun into their non-dominant hand. Their aim was terrible, but the rapid shots coming from their gun did enough to keep the agents at bay.

"Pois, I got this," Jet yelled over the chaos. "Go get Ghoul."

Her hands curled into fists. From them, the telling blue glow started to pulsate as Jet summoned a team of dead rebels and students, stuck in purgatory, to take down the BL/Ind agents Avalon sent after them.

They were surrounded by a sea of blue. The ghosts created a nearly impenetrable wall between the agents and the Killjoys. Without anything in their way, Poison dove in to hoist Kobra out of Ghoul's grasp, all but kicking Ghoul away in the opposite direction.

"You okay, Kid?" Poison asked. Kobra huffed and nodded, wiping the sweat off his face, when he spotted Ghoul scrambling for the forgotton sword.

"Oh, no ya don't!" Jet jumped in front, stomping her boot on top of the blade and glaring down at Ghoul. Kobra shoved him back against the wall, where Poison pinned him there with their hands on his shoulders.

"Ghoul, c'mon, s' me," Poison begged. "You got outta this last time, you can do it again. I know you're in there, you—"

Ghoul all but screamed as he clawed at the hands holding him down. He pushed against Poison, easily spinning them around until they were the one pinned against the wall. Ghoul's strong right hand gripped Poison's throat in an all too familiar way, almost cutting off their air supply entirely.

"Don't let 'em do this to you, Ghoulie," Poison choked out. Ghoul squeezed harder.

The door behind the agents swung open, welcoming back Avalon with a new companion. It was easy to recognise Agent Korse's face and uniform as he loomed behind Avalon only a few inches taller. 

"No," Jet muttered under her breath. With Korse present, Jet's gift slipped through her fingers. The ghosts faded from existence, leaving nothing between Avalon's army and the Killjoys.

Shots flew past like rainfall. In a flash, Jet was being attacked from all sides. She quickly pulled out both her guns and took down as many agents as she could alone while the Venom siblings dealt with Ghoul. The more that fell dead at Jet's feet, the more Avalon released.

"Fuck," Jet groaned, feeling blood dripping down the side of her face. She wasn't sure how much of the crimson mess surrounding her was her own blood, and how much belonged to the BL/Ind agents. She couldn't force herself to slow down to check. Her attackers were coming at her faster than she could pull her triggers. She felt herself getting struck in the shoulder, her ribs, and her thigh. They were cornering Jet. She didn't have anywhere else to run. 

Someone snuck up on her blind side. She felt the heated barrel of a blaster against her skull and flinched. But before the agent could even think of firing, he dropped dead at Jet's feet with a burning wound in the back of his head.

Jet yelped and looked up to meet her saviour with one wide eye.

Mad Gear grabbed her and pulled her away from the wall she found herself pressed against, just in time before she was shot for what might've been the seventh time. Mads steadied her with his hands on her biceps, meeting her gaze with a frightened but confident look.

"Okay?"

Jet hesitantly nodded her head. "Okay."

They both turned, standing back to back. Three guns against dozens. The ex-lovers fell into a familiar rhythm, as though they never stopped being a team. Jet understood every move Mads was making before he even made them. Mads naturally looked out for Jet's blind spots. It was second nature to them.

Meanwhile, Kobra spat out a glob of blood after taking a sixth hit from Ghoul. Poison had their arms wrapped around Ghoul's waist, trying to slow him down. Kobra wiped the back of his hand across his face and jumped. The heel of his boot crashed into Ghoul's face, breaking his nose that would never heal with Korse in the room. Poison let go instantly, letting Ghoul lose his balance while Poison caught their breath. 

"How do we—" Kobra coughed. "Do we snap him—hmm—out of it?"

"I dunno," Poison breathed heavily. "He did it himself last time."

The siblings stared at the way Ghoul's red cyborg eye looked the Killjoys up and down. His head twitched robotically again. It made Poison's stomach churn.

He charged towards Poison, his hands open and flexed as he swiped at the redhead. He clawed at their face with his nails. Blood splattered onto the white tile below them. Poison tried to put up a fight, but they were tiring out quickly compared to Ghoul's enhanced strength. He threw punches and kicks Poison's way, and they could barely deflect them anymore. 

Kobra had jumped in, taking a few hits for Poison, but he was slipping too. Poison watched their little brother's knees give out from a heavy hit, his head crashing against the floor painfully. 

"We'll give you guys some privacy," Avalon chuckled, though the Killjoys could barely hear her. She snuck out through the back with Korse and a handful of her agents, leaving the rest of her team to die at the hands of Mad Gear and Jet Star.

"Hold him down!" Jet snapped after the last of the BL/Ind bodies had fallen. She and Poison used their body weights to push Ghoul flat onto the ground as he growled and screamed at the Killjoys, thrashing against them.

Jet grabbed his left arm, Mads grabbed his right. Kobra had crawled over and thrown himself over Ghoul's legs. Poison gracelessly climbed on top and sat on Ghoul's chest. They ripped the muzzle off and held his head in their hands.

This close to Ghoul's face, Poison could see the way the light in his robotic eye flickered. Ghoul grunted under his ragged breaths. His bottom lip quivered. His face contorted. Poison's heart was beating out of their chest; Ghoul was in pain. 

"Fight it, Ghoul," Poison whispered, brushing their thumb across Ghoul's bloodied cheek. His real eye blinked rapidly, staring up at Poison. Poison watched the recognition slowly begin to show as tears started to well in Ghoul's eye.

"What—" his voice was hoarse. His split, bloody lips struggled to form the right words. "What did I do?" Ghoul eventually rasped, horrified by Poison's beaten appearance above him.

"Shh," Poison soothed. The others had let go, allowing Ghoul to reach up and place his hands over Poison's. "S' okay, don't worry 'bout anythin'. Right now, we gotta run."

"Let's grab Cherri and go," Mads nodded, running back towards the stairwell and yanking the door open. "This way," he ushered Jet and Kobra through. Poison grabbed Ghoul's hand and followed in suit.

"Oh shit," Ghoul gagged. "Cherri."

Poison held him up with an arm under his shoulders. "Ghoul, s' okay, trust me," they muttered as the two ran up the stairs as fast as they could behind the others. "They'll be after us again soon. You need to run."

Jet and Mads were sprinting in the direction of the young girl's lab where Cherri was when they heard a sudden shout. Jet whipped around just in time to see Poison getting thrown against the cement wall behind them as Kobra screamed their name.

It was a reflex the way Jet aimed and fired her gun in the matter of a second. The shot bounced off of Ghoul's bulletproof chest and drew his attention away from Poison. Jet slammed Ghoul into the opposite wall on the other side of the corridor, seething.

"I-I'm sorry," Ghoul's voice cracked. His tearful eye pleaded with Jet to let him go. "I–I didn't mean to," He stuttered, shaking with fear as Jet slowly released him. She frowned sympathetically at the shorter Killjoy before she was suddenly knocked on her ass by an unexpected punch.

"Ghoul!" Poison screamed, and Ghoul froze.

He looked up at Poison with terror in his one real eye, realising what he'd just done. In front of him, Kobra helped Jet get back up. They both stared at Ghoul hesitantly, watching him look down at his own hands, horrified.

"I can't stop it," he whispered. Tears trickled down the right side of his face. "'M so sorry."

The red light started to flicker again, but Ghoul seemed to fight it off this time. Poison ran to him, holding him tightly. 

"S' not you," Poison promised, tucking Ghoul's hair behind his ear to reveal the grey hearing aids that BL/Ind must've given him. Poison didn't have time to ask about them. "Keep fighting it, Ghoul. We know somebody that can help, 'kay? S' not far now."

Poison didn't let go of Ghoul as they ran back towards the lab. Mads knocked frantically for the girl to let them in, terrified that they'd get caught by agents in the corridor. 

"C'mon, kid, it's us!" Mads called, listening for gentle shuffling footsteps, followed by the heavy lock on the door opening. "Get him inside, let's go," he stepped out of the way so Poison could pull Ghoul in first, with Jet and Kobra close behind.

The moment they crossed the threshold into the girl's lab, something seem to snap inside Ghoul, and suddenly the Weapon was back. He thrashed and kicked at Poison, screaming nonsense that made the girl jump back and shriek. Jet and Poison both grabbed onto Ghoul, wrestling him down onto his knees so he couldn't hurt anyone. He snarled and snapped at them like an untamed dog, but Jet kept his hands tightly bound behind his back so he'd be defenseless.

The young girl took a cautious step back, but she kept her curious eyes trained on the violent Killjoy in front of her.

"Is that…" she started.

"The Weapon, yes," Poison nodded. "But he's also our friend, okay? And your bosses have control over him somehow, like he's—" Poison choked on tears. "They're brainwashing him. He can't snap out of it for longer than a minute. You need to help us," they told her.

The girl hesitated for only a moment. "It's the activation system. It's implanted at the base of his skull, just above the neck," she explained. "I'm afraid that without the controls, we'd have to disable it manually."

Jet's head snapped up from where she was still wrestling with Ghoul. "Well?" She asked over the noise of Ghoul's struggle. "Can ya do that?"

"Theoretically, yes," the girl nodded. "I know how, but he'd need to be laying still…"

Ghoul was breathing raggedly, pulling against Jet's hold around his wrists, pushing and biting at Poison, trying to satiate the Weapon's thirst for blood. Poison glanced up at Jet, wondering how they'd ever get Ghoul to sit still for even a second, when Mads appeared behind them.

"Stand back," he was gripping a metal chair from somewhere in the lab, weilding it high above everyone's heads with a determined look in his eyes. Poison and Jet barely had time to flinch and back away before the chair came crashing down against Ghoul's head, effectively knocking him out.

"Witch, fuck me," Jet cursed, watching Ghoul go limp and collapse onto the floor.

"What?" Mads shrugged. "It worked."

While Jet and Poison worked to lift Ghoul onto the girl's table, Kobra found himself sitting next to a lethargic, half-asleep Cherri Cola. Most of the dried blood had been cleaned off of his skin. Deep purple bags sat under his eyes. His blonde hair as slick with sweat, slightly pink from the blood. And his right shoulder was wrapped in thick white bandages, right where his arm used to be.

"Cher?" Kobra whispered while his hands fidgeted with his frayed sweatshirt.

"He'll be unresponsive for a while," the young girl explained as she collected her tools. "He lost a lot of blood, but he will be okay," she sighed heavily. "I promise."

Poison stood next to her, hovering over Ghoul's body that lay face-down on the table. They turned to face the girl slowly. "How'd ya do it?" They asked.

"Hm?"

"Heal Cherri so quickly," Poison elaborated. "How'd ya do it?"

"Oh," the girl blushed. "It's what I was born to do, is it not?" She asked, rather than answering Poison's question directly. They knew what she meant, however. 

"Are you okay?" Poison muttered softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. They remembered what the girl had said about her powers when they first met; she explained how draining it was, physically and mentally, to heal one wound. Nevermind an entire severed limb.

"Peachy," the girl smiled as genuinely as she could. Poison's doubt must have been apparent on their face, because she quickly followed up with, "I mean it. It's easier to heal someone who you know deserves it."

Her eyes trailed downwards towards Poison's feet, locking on the clunky boot cast that they'd been hobbling on since they got there.

"You don't have to," Poison insisted, tucking their bad foot behind their good one. 

"I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to, anyway," the girl sighed, glancing at Cherri, who was now slumped over and leaning on Kobra's shoulder. "But, I do have something for you," she smiled, pointing over Poison's shoulder to a strange contraption lying on her desk, on top of her piles and piles of research.

"What is it?" Poison asked, afraid to leave Ghoul's side.

"A brace," the girl smiled. "It will fit you better than what you have on now. Plus, it's thinner, so it will be easier to run in. You may even be able to wear it under your clothes, if you don't wear such tight jeans like you are right now," she giggled. "The mechanical elements will assist with movement, so hopefully you will also be in less pain."

"Kid, I—" Poison was speechless. Jet sat them down and helped replace their old boot with the shiny new brace, staring at it with just as much awe as Poison was.

"I even painted it," the girl grinned proudly, looking up from where she started to cut into Ghoul's neck. "I'm sorry if you don't like it, there isn't many colour options in this city. I only had green paint lying around because it's my favourite colour. Don't tell anyone about that, though."

Poison's heart swelled. The brace fit perfectly, and they found that they were much steadier on their feet with it on. "It's perfect," they smiled. "Thank you."

"Well, you are very welcome," the girl bowed her head sheepishly, choosing to focus on the task at hand. Poison was drawn back to Ghoul like a magnet to his metal interior, watching how the girl carefully cut open a patch of synthetic skin that lay beneath Ghoul's hairline to reveal a small activation panel. Poison sucked in a quick breath. How could all that terror was done by such a small piece of metal?

"Hey," Poison muttered softly. "I never got your name."

The girl lifted her head again. "Oh, it's—"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

There were angry shouts coming from outside in the corridor as an agent slammed his body against the locked door again and again, attempting to break in.

"We know you're in there, maggots! Come out and play!" The banging got louder. The door was shaking as a second guard started to break in.

"Oh, goodness," the girl's hands were shaking. "I've hardly gotten started!"

"Keep going," Jet barked. "But try to hurry it up, yeah?" She asked before turning towards the quaking door and balling her hands into fists. From underneath the door, the team could see a sharp blue glow. The ghosts appeared outside one by one, fighting off anyone who tried to get too close to the girl's lab. Screaming could be heard in the distance as the lost souls killed mercilessly, and the door stopped shaking.

"I'm doing my best," the girl promised. "It's very tedious."

"Yer doin' great," Poison placed a helpful hand on her back. 

Time ticked by at the speed of molasses. Poison watched the girl's every move as she clipped particular wires that would disable BL/Ind's mind control permanently. The thought of it alone was a weight lifted off of Poison's shoulders; never again would the Weapon haunt their family.

Jet did all that she could to hold off the agents trying to get inside. After the first fight with the ghosts, Avalon must've sent in backup. The shouts and angry footsteps were twice as loud, and Jet had to work twice as hard to keep her ghosts corpreal.

"Ya done yet!?" She called out. The muscles in her arms and face strained as she fought against her own exhaustion.

"Almost!" The girl stressed.

The light emitting from Jet's hands had started to dim. She cried out in pain as she pulled out every ounce of strength she had left to keep her ghosts out there, protecting her family. Her vision had blurred, she was certain she had popped a few blood vessels in her face and eyes, but she wouldn't give up now. She just screamed and held on.

"Just a few more minutes, Jetty!" Poison yelled, although they weren't entirely sure if that was true. They just couldn't sit there and do nothing while Jet fought tooth and nail to protect them all.

"Witch, help me," Jet screamed, barely taking full breaths anymore. Her stance was slipping. Her boot slid back and she stumbled, nearly losing her grasp on her gift. "No! Fuck—" she scrambled to grab onto any more ghosts she could and pull them into the real world. She could feel herself failing. Her sight was almost gone, she was blacking out and—

She slipped. She fell. Hard. 

Right against the solid chest of someone standing behind her. Mads was there. He kept her steady, with one hand over her chest and the other bracing her hip, holding her in the embrace as he whispered into her ear.

"It's okay, I got you, I got you," he muttered softly, letting Jet lean on him so she'd only have to focus on her gift. "You're strong, you can do this."

A ragged scream tore up Jet's vocal chords. The blue light in her hands grew brighter. The screams of her enemies grew louder. Mads kept his arms around her, mumbling words of encouragement and letting her borrow his strength.

"Hold this open, please," the girl instructed Poison to pull back Ghoul's skin so she could cut through the last wire. Poison didn't have time to think about how squeamish they might've been, because everyone's life was on the line now.

"Alright…" the girl muttered to herself. "That should be it. We're done!" She yelled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Ghoul!" Poison flipped the boy's body over, taking his face in their hands once again. "C'mon, baby, wake up. Wake up for me, please," they begged, delicately tracing their fingers over the new scars on Ghoul's face.

Slowly but surely, Ghoul's good eye began to flutter open.

"That's it, good, c'mon look at me."

"Pois?" Ghoul whispered, his dry voice cracking. "Poison?" He reached up, wrapping his fingers around one of Poison's wrists. "Did I—"

"You're okay," Poison promised. "Can you stand?" They asked, and Ghoul nodded. "Good, let's get you up."

They wrapped their arms around Ghoul's torso and helped him to his feet. Kobra promptly put Cherri's only arm around his shoulders and hauled the older Killjoy upright, joining Ghoul and Poison when Jet suddenly collapsed into Mads' arms.

"Jet? Jet!" Mads shouted. The blue faded away, along with the ghosts and Jet's consciousness. The remaining Killjoys watched as the door began shaking on its hinges again, barely hanging on as the agents continued breaking in.

"There's a back door!" The girl exclaimed. "Around the corner, it will take you to an underground parkade," She rushed to explain everything, stuttering as agents got closer and closer to breaking in. "There's a steel door. It's not locked, I promise. No one uses it anymore, but it will take you to the train station. Got it?" She asked.

Kobra and Mads nodded frantically, running as fast as they could with Cherri and Jet in their arms towards the back door. Poison tried to run, too, but Ghoul seemed to be frozen in place with a startled look on his face.

"Ghoul?" Poison pulled on his arm. "Ghoul, c'mon, we need to go! Now!"

But Ghoul wasn't paying attention to the redhead. He pulled away from Poison and stepped closer to the young girl standing in front of him in her labcoat. Her thick-framed glasses, her pleated hairbraid, the way she fidgeted with her hands and shied away from Ghoul's intense stare, none of it was familiar to Ghoul. But Ghoul knew those eyes. Those sweet, innocent eyes.

"...Jade?" He muttered so softly, it was as though he was afraid to say it.

The young girl pulled her nervous hands closer to herself. "Y-Yes," she nodded hesitantly. "How did you know that?"

Ghoul just stared, incapable of uttering another word. What else could he even say to his baby sister he hadn't seen in over ten years? That sweet little girl who never let the darkness of Battery City get her down. The only one who ever truly loved Ghoul when he was trapped inside these walls. 

Now, in her BL/Ind labcoat, working for the enemy. And yet that unique glimmer in her eyes was still there. After all those years, Better Living still couldn't dull Jade's sparkle.

Carefully, Jade reached out for the Killjoy's face. She flinched, afraid to touch until Ghoul nodded softly. With a gentle touch, Jade brushed back the hair in Ghoul's face, revealing the more human side. Revealing the eye she had gone so long without seeing. The eye of someone she never thought she'd ever see again.

"Rio?" She whispered. 

"Jade."

"Rio!?" Jade all but threw herself at Ghoul, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. She was so much taller than Ghoul remembered. She easily stood a foot above Ghoul, but that didn't stop her from burying her face into his neck and letting out a choked sob.

"How can this be?" She pulled back, holding Ghoul's face like it was something precious to behold. "Rio, you—" her words got stuck in her throat as she cried, going in for another hug.

"I didn't know if you were still alive," Ghoul mumbled as he cried into her hair.

"Neither did I," Jade squeezed impossibly tighter. "Know if you were alive, I mean. I had not a clue where you'd gone for all these years," she pulled back again to stare at Ghoul's face like she couldn't get enough of it. Ghoul offered a wobbly smile.

"Jade, I—"

It happened so fast. The agents outside had finally broken through. The heavy door crashed to the floor. Poison screamed and grabbed Ghoul's hand. The agents shouted at them. Ghoul panicked. And suddenly, the high pitched sound of a blaster shot rang out, striking Jade in the centre of her back.

"Jade!!!" Ghoul screamed. His baby sister fell with a pained cry. More shots were fired at the Killjoys as Ghoul screamed and screamed for Jade. Poison screamed back, begging him to start running, but Ghoul just stared at the blood that began soaking through Jade's white labcoat.

Poison grabbed both of Ghoul's hands and forced him to run. He hardly felt a thing. His legs moved without his heart or mind wanting them too. Poison led him through the lab and out through the back door where the rest of their team was waiting. Ghoul was still kicking and screaming, trying to run back to Jade.

"They're comin' after us, run!" Poison snapped. Jet, exhausted but awake, stumbled on her own two feet, following Kobra and Cherri through the dimly lit parkade. Mads helped Poison wrestle with Ghoul until he finally gave up screaming Jade's name and followed his team back to safety.

They were sprinting through the parkade, getting closer and closer to the door that would get them home, when a stray blaster started firing at them again and again.

"Shit! Go, get them outta here!" Poison shoved Ghoul forwards. Mads pulled him along, narrowly dodging the shots as they made their escape with Jet and Cherri. Poison and Kobra let the door slam shut behind their teammates, drawing their guns and coming face to face with Agent Korse standing alone in the middle of the parkade.

"Does it ever—fuck—end?" Kobra asked Poison quietly.

"It does tonight," they almost growled before whipping out their blaster and firing at will. 

Kobra sprinted around Korse while he was distracted by Poison. With a Venom sibling on either side of him, and only one gun, Korse had no escape. He fired aimlessly at whoever he could, lacking his usual precision and smartass quips. 

Poison and Kobra had cornered him so quickly, it was almost disappointing. With Poison's gun trained on the space between his eyes, Korse willingly dropped to his knees and held his hands out.

"Just do it…" he muttered. "Please…"

Poison stilled. Was Agent Korse really begging them for death? Poison shared a glance with Kobra. They both seemed to recognise a new kind of pain in Korse's eyes that neither of them had ever seen before. He looked up at the Killjoys with wide eyes, looking like a kicked puppy as he pleaded with Poison.

Slowly, Poison lowered their blaster and tucked it away safely in its holster.

"No," they said. They grabbed Kobra's hand, and the siblings ran.

Chapter Text

Poison noisily rifled through the drawers in the diner's kitchen until they finally found the box of matches that they'd been searching for. With a triumphant sigh, they grabbed a pre-packaged, single-serving cake from Battery City and ripped off the seal. It was a pretty dogshit thing; basically a brick of bread dyed brown and sold as "chocolate". But, it was the best Poison had, so they quickly lit one of the matches, stuck it into the cake as a makeshift candle, and carried it out.

Kobra was seated in the middle booth in the diner with Nova to his left and Bug to his right. Mads and Cherri sat across from them with cheeky smiles on their faces. Jet sat herself down in Mads' lap as a joke, but neither of them had moved for ten minutes. Ghoul sat nearby, grinning softly when he saw Poison skipping towards the table with the cake in their hands.

"Happy birthday, Snakeboy!" They cheered, placing their last minute birthday cake creation right in front of their little brother's face. Kobra cringed and tried to hide his face against Nova's shoulder.

"Blow out your candle, Kobes," Nova laughed, playfully pushing him upright. "Make a wish!"

Rolling his eyes, Kobra reluctantly blew out the match and stifled a giggle. "Hmm—fuck off." The small party of Killjoys clapped in celebration, muttering their own well-wishes to the youngest member of their team; save for Bug, of course, who ended up eating the majority of Kobra's birthday cake for him.

"Yer covered in chocolate, babes," Jet laughed. Bug giggled and flashed a big grin, showing off the brown cake stuck between her teeth. It matched what was also smudged all over her face and hands.

"Bath time, maybe?" Poison teased.

"Nuh-uh!" Bug shook her head, but she didn't put up a fight when Poison lifted her out of the booth. 

"Yeah-huh," the redhead held Bug on their hip with one arm, grunting a little under their breath. Bug was getting way too big for this. With their free hand, Poison ruffled Kobra's hair and muttered, "Happy birthday, Kiddo."

Ghoul got up wordlessly and followed Poison around the corner and out of sight. Jet sighed happily and got up to clear the table, stifling a quiet yawn on her way out.

"So," Nova leaned into Kobra. "What'd ya wish for?" She asked, poking Kobra in the side and giggling at the way he squirmed and glared at her.

"Hmm—stop it," Kobra slapped her hand away with a small grin on his face. "Fuck—ain't you not supposed to say what you wish for?"

"Do ya believe that?" Nova asked him. Kobra hummed and shook his head. "Then what did ya wish for?"

"Hmm—" Kobra's head jerked back slightly. His eyes flitted towards the back hall, where everyone could hear Bug's laughter as Poison sang some cheesy song about getting in the bath. Jet's gentle whistling echoed from the kitchen. Mads and Cherri entertained themselves with an animated conversation about a new prosthetic arm they wanted for Cherri. 

Kobra closed his eyes and lowered his head to rest on Nova's shoulder.

"This," he mumbled, smiling as he felt Nova press a kiss to his temple.

XXX

The sun was starting to dip below the horizon. Kobra and Nova decided to sift through the diner's VHS collection until they found something to watch. As the teens bickered over their movie choices, Mads wandered through the kitchen, away from the noise, naturally drawn to the soft glow coming from Jet's room.

He pushed past the curtain into the candle-lit bedroom, where Jet was sitting quietly on her bed, staring longingly at the Zone maps on the wall. Mads was pretty familiar with those maps; Jet had been obsessed with them since the day he met her. Every inch of every Zones were covered in red and black markings. It was evidence of Jet's travels. She searched the entire desert for the ghost of her mother. But after years, the maps had been completely covered and Acid was still nowhere to be found.

Quietly, Mads sat down next to Jet. Her lack of reaction was almost comforting, in a way. It reminded Mads of all those mornings when he found her sitting alone, lost in her own head, and he would just sit with her. He'd sit, and he'd wait, and eventually Jet would come back to him, clingier than ever.

Mads followed Jet's eye up to the maps. He noticed the new additions; colourful pins marking random locations throughout the Zones, covering up Jet's previous markings.

"What are the pins for?" Mads asked, keeping his voice down. It always felt wrong to make unwanted noise in Jet's safe space. Like it was disrespectful to the spirits.

Without pulling her eye away from the map, Jet answered, "All the places we took Bug to. She deserves to explore it. Safely. With me."

Mads smiled. Jet was rewriting her story; this time with her family. Her real family.

Before Mads could say something, Jet beat him to it and muttered a quiet, "Thank you."

"For what?" Mads asked.

"For puttin' yer life on the line an' followin' Kobes an' Ghoul into the city," Jet spoke softly. Her voice was still hoarse and cracking from the strain she put on it when holding back all of those BL/Ind agents. "Why'd ya do it?"

Mads thought that was the easiest question ever. "For you," he said. He reached out hesitantly, and when Jet didn't flinch away, he took her hand in his own, interlocking their fingers. "Because I don't know if things will ever go back to the way they were, Jet. But I do know that I still love you. And I'd risk my life again and again to make sure that you were safe."

Jet finally turned her head, glancing down at their interlocked hands, and up to meet Mads' eyes. Her lips parted wordlessly. She licked them nervously before speaking.

"Yer a real sap, y'know that?"

Mads chuckled and squeezed her hand. "Yeah, you told me that once or twice before," he blushed, and Jet cracked a smile at the sight of it. Mads felt his stomach flip, and he couldn't stop himself from speaking again. 

"Jet, you told me that there'd be a day when you were willing to try this again," Mads said hopefully. "And—And I've been waiting. And I will keep waiting for you, as long as you fuckin' need, okay? 'Cause there ain't anyone else I can love more than you. There hasn't been anybody, Jet. This whole time. I promise."

Jet exhaled shakily, giggling softly at Mads confession. "There's been nobody," Jet agreed with a small nod. "Well," she pulled her gaze away from Mads. "'Cept that one time Ghoul kissed me, but that don't matter—"

"What!?" Mads exclaimed, pulling on Jet's hand to make her look at him again.

"Shut up!" Jet pushed him gently. "We were both drunk. I was miserable, Ghoul was angry at Poison, it meant fuckin' nothin'," Jet laughed at the memory. "Nothin'," she repeated, giving Mads a promising look. 

"Okay," Mads nodded, grinning. "So, you let me know when you're ready, Jet. Okay? I'll be waiting."

Jet's smile softened into something much more endearing. She nodded her head slowly and whispered, "Estou pronto."

Mads raised his eyebrows at her hopefully.

"I'm ready," she repeated, and Mads wasted no time taking her face in his hands and pulling her in to kiss him.

Poison watched Bug splash around happily in her bath. The chocolate cake—plus a few days of dirt and grime—had been washed away, leaving Poison with a clean and happy little girl. 

"You gotta get out girlie," Poison said with a chuckle. "I gotchu a towel and clothes, come out when you're ready, 'kay?" They left her alone, closing the door to the bathroom to give their eight year old some privacy. 

"Kay!!" They heard Bug call through the door, followed by the sloshing sound of the water as she climbed out of the tub.

Poison smiled proudly, but that smile was quickly wiped away when they turned the corner and peaked through the door into Ghoul's room.

Ghoul hadn't spoken much since the team got home. Knowing that he was free from BLi's mind control forever was comforting, but it wasn't nearly enough to combat the sacrifices that were made for it to happen. Ghoul went through the motions of living without showing any signs of life, and it broke Poison's heart to witness it.

They crawled into bed with him, sitting on Ghoul's right side. He still didn't like people looking at him from the left. The hideous new enhancement had Ghoul avoiding every mirror or reflective metal he came across. He wore his long, tangled hair in his face, shielding his robotic left eye from the rest of the world. 

Poison reached out and tucked a section of Ghoul's hair behind his right ear, exposing his human eye. Poison hadn't seen his face in so long. They smiled sadly as Ghoul flinched, but eventually leaned into Poison's touch.

"You didn't eat with everyone else," Poison whispered. "You hungry?"

Ghoul shook his head.

Poison sighed helplessly. They hated this feeling. They hated not knowing how to fix something. 

Poison shifted to get more comfortable on Ghoul's thin mattress. They folded their legs up onto the bed with them, crossing their bad leg on top. Ghoul's head turned slightly. His hand moved to rest on top of the green metal brace Poison wore over their ankle, and he promptly burst into tears.

"Oh, baby, shh," Poison put their arm around Ghoul, letting him fall against their chest as he sobbed. It was the first time he'd cried since Jade got shot. He'd been swallowing it back, building up pressure, and the floodgates finally broke.

"Breathe, just breathe," Poison muttered into his ear. "I'm so sorry, Ghoulie."

"It hurts," Ghoul choked out, and Poison knew he wasn't talking about the cyborg eye.

"I know," Poison buried their face into Ghoul's hair, blinking back their own tears. "I know, I know," they repeated, but they really didn't. They didn't know what it was like; their own little sibling had been by their side their whole life. Poison didn't know how they could ever keep on living without Kobra. How were they supposed to help Ghoul through this?

"I'm right here," Poison carefully ran their fingers through Ghoul's hair. "And Kobes, an' Jet, an' Bug, they're all right here. With you. And we ain't going anywhere, okay? You will always have us, Ghoulie."

Ghoul's grip on Poison got tighter. He hiccuped and sobbed, soaking Poison's sweater with his tears. But during it all, Ghoul managed to nod against Poison's chest. Poison released a small sigh, kissing him on the top of his head.

"You're gonna be okay, baby."

"Ghoulie?" A higher voice asked. Poison looked up to see Bug, with wet hair dripping onto her fresh purple shirt, staring at Ghoul utterly heartbroken.

"Hey, Ladybug," Poison whispered, nodding to let her know that it was okay to come inside. Ghoul even sat up, blinking away tears as he made space for Bug between the two Killjoys.

"What's a matter?" Bug asked, crawling into Ghoul's lap. She reached up and pushed some of his hair out of his face. She wasn't horrified by the new robotics like Ghoul feared she would be. She was just a kid, but she knew how to see Ghoul beyond the metal and tech.

"Ghoul's just sad, babes," Poison answered, worried that Bug would ask something harder to answer.

"Oh," Bug frowned. She thought about it for a moment, and then threw herself against Ghoul, wrapping him up in a tight hug. "It's gonna be okay, Ghoulie."

Ghoul let out a shuddering sigh and hugged her back, holding on tight like she might disappear if he let go.

"Yeah," Ghoul whispered hoarsely. "It will, baby."

Kobra and Nova finally settled on a movie to watch and tangled themselves up in a pile of pillows and an old beanbag chair on the floor. Mads took the couch, and Jet snuggled into his side, already half asleep. Cherri sat on the floor with his back against the couch and a blanket over his lap. 

The title credits barely started rolling before Poison, Ghoul, and Bug showed up to join them. Ghoul settled on the other end of the couch by Jet's feet. Bug curled up in his lap, where she would whisper questions about what was happening in the movie for the next hour. Ghoul was more than happy to whisper back, even if he had to make up half of the answers.

"Really, Kobes?" Poison asked, dropping onto the floor with their brother. "Heathers? Again?"

"It's a good movie!" Kobra defended.

"That we've seen a thousand fuckin' times," Nova teased.

"Fuck off," Kobra tried to push her off the bean bag, but Nova's grip around his waist was too strong. "Hmm—You love it."

"I did," Nova huffed. "And then I saw it forty-seven times!"

"Okay, shut up! It's starting," Mads scolded, ignoring the way Jet laughed at him and muttered something about him being an old man. 

Nova got comfortable again, letting the movie play with no more interruptions. Still, she leaned into Kobra and whispered, "Got what ya wished for?"

"Yeah," Kobra nodded. "I did."