When we get outside i notice that Cyanide hasn't come back, meaning she isn't giving us a life back to the four's base. I'm a little disappointed, as i was warming to her before, something i rarely do to people these days. 

"Who's giving us a lift back then?" I frown as Party walks right up to the gates and then smoothly slips through them, holding them open behind him so i can do the same. 

"Ghoul said he would come and pick us up once he'd got fuel. I think he wanted to come this way to see if he could catch Cyanide whilst he was at it" Party chuckled, taking a seat on the desert floor before patting the space next to him. "You might aswell sit down you know, i don't know exactly how long he'll be yet." 

"Fine" I drop down to the ground, pulling up my knees so i can rest my arms over them as we wait. "Although i don't see why we couldn't have just waited for the car to be fixed. Then we could've just driven here ourselves." 

"Dr Death's a busy guy, he wanted to see us this morning whilst he knew he would definitely still be here. He moves around a lot to avoid detection and make sure that no one can get a clear location on his transmissions. By this afternoon he'll be in a new top secret location, especially as you stopped by this morning." 

"What do you mean, especially as i stopped by" i narrow my eyes at him "doesn't he think i'm trustworthy after i saved you the other day? Because if i was working for anyone i could've very easily let his favourite killjoy get ghosted." 

"Oh he knows that, we all do. That's why you were allowed to see him. He'd never normally let anyone who wasn't sworn to the killjoys come anywhere near here. I think you're the first actually. He was dying to meet you, you see, so he couldn't quite resist when i offered to bring you along too. He's a bit of a collector is Dr D." Party chuckles at the last part, obviously indulging in a private joke i don't understand. 

"What do you mean?" 

"He likes to collect people. Well, killjoys. It's how our ranks always do so well. He spots anyone with any sort of resistance towards Bl/ind and he convinces them to become killjoys. He adds and adds to his ranks in the hope that one day we'll outnumber the dracs, and then he'll be able to take over Battery City and run it himself." He turns to look at me now, studying my face for a moment before he speaks again. "You're like bait to him. You're already a full fledged rebel against Korse, and yet he has no control over you. You won't answer to anyone, so he'll probably see it as a challenge to win you over. So be warned, he'll be trying to get on your good side every time you meet until you finally give in and join us." 

"Well he'll be buttering up for a long time then, because i'm not planning on joining your ranks anytime soon. No offence or anything" I add as an afterthought "It's not that i have anything against you guys, but well, as i said before it's not my sort of thing." 

"Are you ever going to give me a full explanation?" He wonders, lying back so he's propped up by his elbows as he speaks. 

"What? To why i don't want to be a killjoy?"

"Yeah. I know there's more to it than that, and i know you're not going to tell me yet. I just want to know why you're like this" he makes a small gesture in my direction. "And before you tense up i'm not expecting an answer right now, i just want to know when to expect one." 

"Well don't expect it" I retort "just because you're high and mighty out here doesn't mean i immediately want to spill everything about myself to you. Besides, when has talking about the past ever done anyone any good?" 

"It does when people like you are still clinging to what happened, as apposed to what might happen now" i go to turn my head away so he won't see my torn expression, but he grabs my arm to stop me. "Look, i don't know what happened, but i can guess it was pretty bad. Bad enough for you to not want to get close to anyone at least. But you're not alone Spark. Out here, everyone's a war survivor. You won't come across many people who aren't emotionally fucked up in one way or another, me and the guys included." 

"Why?" I sit up, feeling more curious now "What's so fucked up with you?" 

"You really think i'm going to tell you now?" He chuckles "No way, i'll tell you mine if you tell me yours, no sooner, no later."

"Nice try" I smirk "But i'm still not going to tell you." 

"Damn" He jokes just as i catch sight of the trans am making it's way along the beaten track. Kobra is behind the wheel, smiling when he sees the two of us spread out across the ground, looking like we could be sunbathing. 

"Am i interrupting?" He yells over the engine as he pulls the car up beside us. I just roll my eyes, climbing into the back of the car whilst Party takes the front passenger seat. I take advantage of being the only person in the back of the trans am and rest my legs across the seats, resting my head against the newly replaced window. 

"Have you fuelled up already?" Party asks as we pull away, back towards the main road. 

"Nope, i didn't think you guys would mind coming along though. Atomic told Jet that he'd probably have that next issue of The Watchmen by today, so i knew you'd want to come for that" Kobra says, instantly gaining his brother's full attention. 

"Today? Seriously?" Party sits up straighter in his seat, placing one hand on the door handle "Well in that case put your foot down, we have a comic to collect. No way am i letting this one slip to someone else!" 

"Comics?" I frown at him "As in, the little strips that use to be in the newspapers?" Both of them turn around to glare at me then, although Kobra is quick to turn back and pay attention to the road, having only just replaced the windows. 

"little strips" Party scoffs "Those aren't proper comics sugar, hell no. Proper comics are a series of books, but the story's told with art instead of just pages of words. Atomic's got his hands on the next issue in the series i'm reading for me and if we don't scoop it up now then someone else is bound to by tomorrow." 

"You'll have to forgive me" I place both hands up in mock surrender "but i'm actually usually too busy ghosting dracs to sit around and read. Although i guess whatever floats your boat." 

"I wouldn't patronise him about his comics if i were you" Kobra warned from the front "He's incredibly defensive when it comes to those books. We both are actually. Plus, you shouldn't judge before you try. Those things are amazing once you get into them." 

"You'll have to show me sometime" it's only after i say it that i take my words into full account. I think i just suggested that i still wanted to hang out with them sometime. Hopefully they won't read too much into that, as i'm not promising anything. 

Luckily we draw up at the gas station at this moment, so i jump out immediately. 

"Come on" Party grabs my hand in his excitement, dragging me into the shop whilst Kobra begins to fuel up. When Atomic and Scarlet see me walking into the place holding hands with none other than Party Poison, their mouths both drop open. They've never even seen me interact with anyone else before, let alone be in physical contact with them. 

I quickly pull my hand away before they get the wrong impression, but i think the damage has already been done. 

"Spark?" Scarlet seems unsure weather it's me or a sociable, less messed up twin who's just walked into her shop. 

"Hey" I greet her as Party turns to Atomic. 

"Do you have the next issue?" He gets straight to the point. 

"I sure do" Atomic holds up a comic book "You sure are fast, we got back with it this morning, probably a mere hour ago." 

"Well it's been a long wait, here" Party hands him a handful of carbons. "I owe you one, okay?" 

"You don't owe us for buying from our shop" Scarlet chuckles with an eye roll "Anyway, care to explain what's going on here?" She gestures between the two of us. "I think it's the first time Spark's ever been accompanied when she comes in here." 

"It's not a big deal" I shrug before Party can get a word in "I ran into them in Battery City and we ended up having to make a quick exit, so my bike got left behind. I'm just staying with them until we can fetch it back again." 

"Oh" She seems a little disappointed. I know that she was hoping i'd finally branched out and maybe even joined the killjoy's ranks, but then she was obviously setting her hopes too high. She should know me well enough by now to see that i'm never going to join up. 

"Party! Spark!" We're all interrupted when Kobra yells through the door, his ray gun gripped firmly in his right hand whilst he uses his left one to hold open the door. "Dracs coming down the highway, about two cars of them. They're heading straight for here." 

"Shit" Atomic yells, grabbing his rocket blaster whilst Scarlet dives for her own gun. Me and Party have already grabbed ours and we each click the safety off. He catches my eye, and i can clearly see a playful spark in his that tell me he's not in the least afraid. 

"Come on" He nods towards the door "It's about time i showed you that i'm not some damsel in distress that needs to be saved." 

"We'll see about that" I chuckle, pushing past him and out into the boiling midday sun. 

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Hoped you enjoyed. Anyone else love Electric Century's new song? I think it's awesome (although i have to admit when i first heard their band name i thought it sounded like a new Killjoy's name.) 

Anyway, please drop a vote/comment/fan if you're feeling nice :)