Chapter Text
Enjin liked to walk. Most of the time he even preferred it to driving. Unfortunately, tonight was the one time where he really, really didn’t.
But taking a car would’ve meant stealing the garage key from Semiu’s desk drawer, a task that proved to be impossible considering that she was watching his every move with far more attention than usual. Almost like she thought he was plotting something. Like he was going to pull off some stupid stunt and disobey her orders when she wasn’t looking.
Just because she was right didn’t mean that he was going to listen to her. He decided to do the old fashioned thing and jump out the window.
Yes, he didn’t have a car. He did, however, manage to sneak a peek at the paper on Semiu’s desk when she was talking to Eishia. The paper on which she’d written out the coordinates of the information broker’s location. Which just so happened to be exactly where he wanted to go.
So he walked.
Hole Town was less than ten miles from HQ. He’d find a car there and drive to find the information broker himself. If he left a pouch of coins on some poor guy’s doorstep before taking their car out for a spin, it wouldn’t technically count as stealing, right? Even if it did, he couldn’t really give a shit at this point. There were far more important things to worry about.
Riyo, Zanka, and Rudo were in danger. Who knew what they were dealing with right now? How much longer did they have?
Semiu had ordered him to leave in the morning, and morning was only a few hours away. But Enjin had the lingering feeling that those few hours meant everything. That if he waited for sunrise, it would be too late.
What if he was already too late?
No, he scolded himself, smacking himself on the forehead with Umbreaker’s handle. They’d never kick the bucket that easily. They’re better than that.
Trusting his gut rarely led him astray. There was no time to wait around. But he was going to find them. He was going to find them, and he was going to bring them back.
So he kept walking. His head still hurt like hell, his body ached with every step, exhaustion gnawed at him more by the minute, and for some reason smoking was not really helping with any of it, which really pissed him off. But he kept walking.
He was going to find them. Even if it took him days or weeks to do it. Even if it took him forever.
<><><>
Enjin was on his fifth cigarette when he heard the sound of tires rolling in the distance, looking behind just in time to see a familiar looking vehicle driving through the empty road.
Ugh, no way.
He watched in silence as the Cleaners’ car pulled up in front of him and came to a slow stop, bright headlights shooting needles of pain through his temples. He stumbled backwards, unfurling plain old Umbreaker and shrinking behind her well-used canopy, holding her between himself and the car like a makeshift shield.
Fuck. How had he been caught already? Did Semiu figure out his motives after all? Or did that loser Shikage seriously tattle on him for breaking out?
But even then, they’d probably wait until morning before sending out someone to go fetch him. Those were the boss’s orders, after all. The same ones he’d definitely be punished for ignoring later.
So who the hell is crazy enough to follow me out here at this time of night?
He glanced over Umbreaker’s tattered brim, eyeing the dim driver’s side window with suspicion. The glass slowly began to roll down, and Gris Rubion stared back at him with an unreadable expression on his face.
“Enjin, where are you going?”
Enjin groaned. It’s Gris. Of course it’s Gris.
He took a long drag of his cigarette before deciding that he didn’t really have the time, energy, or patience to deal with this right now. Instead, he opted to ignore the question and continue walking. Much to his annoyance, the car started to match his pace, crawling down the road beside him while Gris glared at him through the window.
Enjin glared back at him. “Why are you following me?”
“You can’t be out here right now.”
“No shit.” He rolled his eyes, blowing a puff of smoke at the other man’s face. “Neither can you.”
To his credit, Gris didn’t flinch. He also didn’t speak, though the words he had in mind were quite obvious. He just continued staring at Enjin with those big blue eyes of his, which was somehow even more annoying than if he’d actually responded.
“I’m not going back with you, dude,” Enjin replied to the unsaid command, taking one last drag of his cigarette before dropping the butt on the ground and stomping it out.
“Enjin...”
“I mean it, okay? Your puppy eyes won’t work this time.”
“You have no car, no supplies, and no plan,” huffed Gris. “What do you think will happen?”
Enjin scoffed. “I have a great plan. First, I’m gonna hunt down that stupid asshole information broker. Then, I’m gonna find my team. And then, I’m gonna bring ‘em back home.”
“Idiot. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
Enjin stopped walking, turning to look at the other man with an irritated scowl. “Do you think I’m doing this ‘cause I want to?”
“No, but—“
“I have to find them. If I sit around and wait they’ll probably die,” he snapped, pulling out the half-empty pack of cigarettes from his coat packet and plucking another one out from the box. “So if you’re not here to help me out, fuck off back to HQ and leave me alone.”
Gris was silent for a long moment, and if he had any energy left to spare Enjin might’ve felt a little bit guilty about it. But right now this entire conversation was just making his head hurt more. He continued to walk, leaving the car behind until he heard a loud sigh.
“... I just said you’re an idiot. I never said I wasn’t going to help.”
He blinked. “Wait, what?”
“Get in.”
Enjin could only stand there with a dumbfounded expression on his face, unlit cigarette slipping from his lips as his mouth fell open. “Huh? For real?”
Gris stared back at him with a determined look in his eye, lips quirking slightly. Enjin had to admit that the expression looked pretty good on him, even if he wasn’t a fan of how it made his own face forget how to move properly.
“Come on, get in the car. Let’s go find them.”
“Y-Yeah. Okay. Fine.”
He quickly walked back to the car and got in the passenger seat, trying his best to avoid eye contact with the man sitting next to him. Gris reached into the backseat with one arm, grabbing a backpack and plopping it in Enjin’s lap.
“Here, eat something.”
“You packed food? Cute.”
“Well, I figured you probably didn't."
“Wow, rude.” Enjin rummaged through the backpack, only realizing now that he hadn’t eaten a single thing the entire day. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, it was definitely catching up to him. His hands trembled as he unwrapped a partially squashed sandwich and took a bite. Then he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small scrap of paper.
“What’s this?” Gris took it from him, smoothing out the crumpled wad between his fingers.
“It’s Kuro’s coords,” Enjin said between bites. “I wrote ‘em down.”
Gris frowned as he attempted to read the chaotic scrawl of words and numbers. “... That’s a long way from here. It’ll take all night and then some.”
“Well then, get ready for a road trip.”
“And it’s in No Man’s Land. We don’t have our full faces.”
“Eh, it’s the border.” Enjin shrugged, scarfing down the rest of his sandwich in one bite. “We got normal masks.”
“It’s risky.”
“This entire thing is risky. And we’ll be fine as long as we don’t hang out too long. I’ve gone without a full face before.”
“That explains a lot about you,” grumbled Gris, shooting him a disapproving glance.
Enjin raised his eyebrows. “What, you wanna head back to HQ then? I’m sure they’ll be stoked to hear about our awesome plan.”
Gris seemed to consider it for a moment before he groaned and stomped on the accelerator. The car revved loudly as they set off toward their destination at a pace that would probably give most other Cleaners a heart attack. Enjin, however, made himself comfortable, settling back in his seat and squeezing his eyes shut to try and distract himself from his ever-looming headache. Now that his stomach wasn’t completely empty, he felt a little bit better.
For a while, it was quiet.
He didn’t like it.
Usually by now, Zanka and Rudo would’ve started arguing with each other over something really stupid. He and Riyo would’ve probably been laughing at them, maybe egging them on, while Follo complained and Gris just quietly accepted his fate. If Fu were there he’d probably be squeezed in the back somewhere, too scared to interact but also desperate to be included. Maybe if Enjin ordered him to join the chaos the kid would finally be able to have some fun.
Eventually Gris’s boring driving would lull everybody to sleep, and it would be quieter, but Rudo and Follo snored like fucking bulldozers and Zanka liked to talk in his sleep, so it was never truly silent. The only one who didn’t make a sound was Riyo, and Enjin caught himself checking the trunk of the car out of habit. But there was no red hair poking out from behind the seats tonight.
He really missed those brats.
It was Gris who finally decided to break the silence. “I’m surprised Shikage let us leave without alerting anyone. Do you think we slipped by him?”
“Nope,” Enjin replied. “But he’s no snitch. They’re his team members too, I’m sure he wants ‘em back.”
“And how did you manage to find Kuro’s location? I doubt Semiu would’ve told you.”
“I... might’ve taken a look at tomorrow’s paperwork while she and Eishia were busy talking about Tomme.” Enjin shot him a sidelong glance. “How did you manage to get a car?”
Gris coughed, avoiding his gaze. “I told Semiu that I forgot something in the car when we went out earlier.”
“You’re kidding.”
“She was going to bed, so she just let me take the key if I promised to put it back later.” Gris lowered his head in shame, and Enjin couldn’t help but chuckle.
Of course it was that easy for a square like him to get whatever he wanted. Enjin was unpredictable at the best of times, but no one would ever suspect a guy like Gris to disobey the boss’s orders and go on a crazy vigilante mission in the middle of the night.
At least, up until now. After this whole thing was over with, it’d be pretty unlikely for Corvus or Semiu to let either of them step foot out of HQ ever again.
“She’s gonna kill us, dude.”
Gris groaned. “I wouldn’t blame her. We’re awful.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Enjin ran a hand through his hair, pushing back the fallen strands clinging to his forehead. “If we’re so awful, then why did you agree to come?”
“Well, I had to stop you from going on a suicide mission.”
“What, and make it a double suicide instead?”
“And...” Gris paused for a moment, chewing his bottom lip. “... I know Boss means well, but I can’t just sit back the entire night when I know they’re out there somewhere.” He sighed. “I guess that makes me just as much of an idiot as you are.”
This was a side of Gris that rarely showed up. Usually it only came out of hiding when he was alone with Enjin, or when he was really, really tired, or both. He wasn’t pulling punches with his words like he usually did. He wasn’t trying to be some ray of hope and optimism. He wasn’t trying to set a good example for the kids, or be the perfect role model for his fellow Supporters. He was just him.
Enjin liked this side of him a lot. It was relieving to know that even the nicest man on the Ground could be a bit of an asshole sometimes.
“Yeah,” said Enjin. “I guess it does.”
“... I talked to Tomme, by the way.”
“And?”
“She doesn’t know anything,” replied Gris, voice deflating. “Said that the kids went back to the car while she called Semiu. Something knocked her mask off before the sleeping gas hit her.”
Enjin clicked his tongue. “... So whatever gas they used must only work if the target doesn’t have a mask on.”
Realization seemed to strike Gris as he turned to look at Enjin with wide eyes. “And the kids had their masks off since they were back in the car...”
“... Which is why they were taken out so easily,” finished Enjin, scratching the back of his neck. “Fuck. I mean it has to be the Raiders, right? Who else would try to pull off a stunt like that?”
“I don’t know. I can’t think of anyone else.”
“I thought they gave up on the whole stealing Rudo thing after we mopped the floor with ‘em in that trash beast.”
“I thought so too.”
“Wait.” Enjin frowned, nudging Gris’s arm with his elbow. “That doesn’t line up though. You said something knocked Tomme’s mask off.”
“That’s what she told me.”
“But when I found her, her mask was on. So either she imagined that it fell off, which makes no sense, or whoever gassed her put her mask back on after she passed out, which makes even less sense.”
“Maybe they didn’t want to let her die?” suggested Gris. “Maybe they just wanted to take the others, since they’re Givers.”
“That’s way too peaceful for the Raiders, though.” Enjin shook his head. “They would’ve just killed her, or left her for dead. They love doing that.”
“If it isn’t the Raiders, the kids have dealt with worse. And if it is the Raiders, then they've dealt with them before,” assured Gris. “They’re tough. They’ll be okay.”
Enjin was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was quieter. “But last time, I was there for them.”
“I know what you’re thinking.” Gris’s brows furrowed, and he reached out to put a hand on Enjin’s shoulder. “But it’s not your fault.”
“It is my fault,” he replied, shrugging away. “I should’ve been there this time too. I was supposed to be.”
“Stop blaming yourself, Enjin.”
“There’s no one else to blame, dude.” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “This is on me.”
Gris clenched his jaw, speaking through gritted teeth. “Even if you went with them, you would’ve been dead weight in the state you were in.”
“No, I would’ve—”
“You wouldn't have been able to do anything, and then we’d have four missing Cleaners instead of three.”
“Fuck you!”
Gris sighed, looking at him through the corner of his eye. “Staying back was the best thing you could’ve done in this situation. You know that. So stop blaming yourself.”
Enjin only stared at him, trembling in some sort of weird combination between guilt, relief, and anger. Though he couldn’t decide if he was more angry at Gris for being such a dick, or at himself for not arguing back. The irritating silence returned.
This time it was Enjin who broke it. “Give me your choker.”
“What, why?”
“Just hand it over, dammit!” Enjin snapped, leaning close to snatch it off of the other man’s neck before immediately rolling down the window and throwing it outside.
“Enjin! What is wrong with you?!”
Enjin settled back in his seat, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. “I’m not letting those guys track us down just to get in our way. We’re doing this with no backup.”
“You’re impossible,” Gris muttered under his breath. “And an idiot.”
<><><>
“Enjin. Wake up.”
Enjin didn’t really know when he’d managed to fall asleep. He hadn’t meant to, but it was hard not to when Gris was the one driving.
“What do you want?” he grumbled, eyes watering as he let out a huge yawn.
Gris stared at him, his expression grave. “I think we have company.”
“What?” He jolted up in his seat, pushing sweaty hair out of his eyes to take a look at the rearview mirror.
Gris adjusted the mirror in his direction, pointing at a silhouette in the road. “They’ve been following us for a few miles now. I’ve been trying to lose them, but they won’t budge.”
Trailing a few hundred yards behind them was an eerily familiar looking vehicle. A white and purple convertible, inside of which appeared to be two people, though the shadows made it impossible to tell who exactly they were.
But that ugly ass car. There was no question whom it belonged to.
“Raiders,” he mumbled. He cracked his neck, grabbing Umbreaker with one hand unfastening his seatbelt with the other.
“What? I didn’t hear you.” Gris looked at him in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna stop them,” he replied, swinging open the door.
“Wait,” Gris reached into the backseat without looking, rummaging through one of the backpacks. He grabbed a mask and tossed it to Enjin, eyes still glued to the road ahead. “Mask on. We’re in a polluted zone now.”
Enjin caught the mask and deftly slipped it over his head before grabbing the door handle and jumping out of the moving vehicle. The ground whizzed away beneath him at a pace that made him slightly nauseous, though Gris had slowed down just enough to let him clamber onto the roof with ease. He held onto the car with one hand and Umbreaker with the other, coat billowing out behind him as he crouched low and squinted to make out their stalkers in the distance.
He could see them, kinda, though the rush of wind battering his face made it a little hard to keep his eyes open. But the headlights of that hideous car were starkly visible, and now much closer than before.
He wasn’t going to let them have the chance to catch up.
Umbreaker transformed in his hand, and he wielded her like a spear, pointed end aiming directly for the windshield of the other car. Then he let go of his other hand and charged, letting her bright hot energy flow through every cell in his body.
He opened his eyes and looked behind him to see their enemy’s vehicle spinning out of control, a large hole drilled through the center that practically sliced it in half.
Heh. Sweet.
“You really didn’t need to go that far.” Gris stepped out from their car, now parked a few dozen yards away. He took off his cap, grabbing a mask and slipping it onto his face before putting it back on.
“Dude, don’t you recognize that shitty paint job?” Enjin asked, turning to face him. “Watch out, it’s the Rai—“
Before he could finish his sentence, a circle of swirling light materialized behind the other man. Within a second a familiar head of bright blue hair popped out from it, and the short Raider girl had her hands wrapped around Gris’s neck.
“You bastards.”
“Not you again!” Enjin rushed toward her, ready to strike. Only her top half was visible, the rest of her body swallowed by the round halo of light.
“Move, and he dies.” She squeezed her hands tighter, and Gris made a horrible gagging sound.
Enjin stopped in his tracks, clenching Umbreaker’s handle so hard it hurt. “H-Hey, let’s talk about this.”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“What’s your problem?” Panic seeped into his voice, though he tried his best to hide it. Umbreaker was still activated, and he was itching to use her again, but he couldn’t. All he could do was stand there and watch as Gris gasped and struggled to get out of the Raider’s grip. “What do you want?”
“Tell me,” she spat. “Where is Jabber?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Before she could answer him, Gris moved in one swift motion, reaching behind to grip her by the forearms and fling her over his head, tearing her arms away from his neck and yanking the rest of her body out of the portal with her. The warp hole deactivated, and she landed on her feet with a grunt, immediately grabbing the manhole lid and swinging it at Enjin’s head.
Somehow he managed to duck, deflecting it with Umbreaker before rushing in to slam his shoulder into her chin. She choked, stumbling backward, but then she was gone. He barely registered a sound from behind him before a nasty hook smashed into the front of his mask, cracking his nose beneath it.
“Tell me!” she demanded, disappearing again. This time though, Enjin was prepared for when she appeared before him. He flipped Umbreaker around, hooking the handle around her neck and throwing her to the ground.
She yelped, vital instrument landing a few feet away. He stood above her, pinning her arms to the ground before she could make another attempt to grab it, one of her wrists pressed against the curve of Umbreaker’s handle and the other underneath the sole of his boot. Gris ran up beside him, grabbing the manhole cover and moving it out of the Raider’s reach while she thrashed and screamed an array of curses at them.
Beneath his mask, blood streamed from Enjin’s nostrils, coating the inside until it was all he could smell and taste in every breath. He pushed the mask down with his free hand, trying his best to wipe away the mess, though he really only succeeded in smearing it across the lower half of his face.
“Not so strong without that lid of yours, huh?” he sneered.
“You Cleaners will pay!”
“Now, now, settle down folks.” The gruff voice came out of nowhere, and then Enjin found himself being lifted into the air.
Fuck, I forgot there were two of them.
A large metal hand wrapped around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides. He tried to wiggle out of the vice-like grip, but it was no use. Gris and the Raider girl dangled across from him, a different hand restraining each of them.
Enjin only knew of one man who could wield three giant robot arms. And that man had put up one hell of a fight the last time they’d met. Of course he was here now. This day just kept getting worse, didn’t it?
“Bundus,” the girl hissed. “What are you doing?”
“C’mon Cthoni, y’know violence ain’t always the answer.” The familiar old man casually strolled up to them, glancing up at their confused faces. Though his mask obscured most of his expression, the smirk behind it was obvious. “Why don’t we try and keep things civil?”
“Let me go!” she yelled, kicking her feet uselessly in the air. The other Raider, Bundus, only chuckled and waved her off with his normal hand. The giant metal tank on his shoulder glinted in the moonlight.
“Listen, we ain’t tryin’ ta pick a fight here,” he said, meeting Enjin’s gaze with glowing yellow eyes. “So why don’t ya calm down and tell us what we oughta know?”
“What do you even want to know?” Gris asked, voice raspy.
“Y’all know ‘bout what happened ta Jabber, don’t ya? I’m sure ya do.”
“Huh?” Enjin groaned, too tired to play nice. “What’re you yapping about, man?”
“Just give him back, and nobody’s gotta get hurt. But if ya don’t, then...” The ground grew farther beneath him as the arm lifted him higher in the air. The fingers around him tightened, squeezing his ribs until it ached to breathe.
“... I guess we’ll hafta figure out a different solution.”