Fast forward to that afternoon, and i'm sitting on the desert floor, leaning against my motorbike, which is lying on it's side. My aviators are balancing on the tip of my nose as i pick at my fingernails, waiting for Party.

He's gone too see Dr Death Defying to tell him everything we've planned so that he can start to gather up the killjoys and tell them what to expect. As soon as he gets back we're out of here - i want to get to the city by nightfall so that we'll have the evening shadows to cover us.

"Here" Kobra walks over to me and hands me a light blue memory stick "all you need to do is stick this in the USB port of the main computer in their system. You don't even need to press anything, it'll start the upload automatically and be done within five minutes."

"That simple, huh?" I pocket the device in my inner jacket pocket - the one that zips up tightly so that there's no chance of it getting lost on the journey "it's almost insulting to Korse how easily we can take down his computer systems."

"Well we're not taking them down as such, just making a little alternation that'll give us the power before they realise. In fact they won't be able to tell the difference until we change the commands on the droids from the safety of our base - that's the best bit." Kobra talks excitedly, gesturing eagerly with his hands as he swats a fly away.

"Are you going to actually go back to sleeping like a regular human now that you've done it?" I chuckle as the trans am comes into my vision, travelling down the dirt track that leads to our base. I can clearly see Party behind the wheel.

"Yeah, i need to catch up" Kobra smiles over at Party as he climbs out the car and makes his way over to us "how did it go? What did he say? Did he think it would work?" he immediately bombards his older brother with questions.

"Calm down" Party laughs, placing a hand on his younger brothers shoulder "he loved the plan. In fact he says the sooner me and Spark get this virus uploaded the better. He's going to start transmitting for all the killjoys to gather as soon as we get back."

"Well, good luck you guys" Kobra nods as i pull my bike up into it's standing position and climb on the front, Party sitting down behind me and placing both his arms around my waist. It was better if i drove, seeing as it was my vehicle and if we ran into trouble we could always rely on Party's good aim.

"Thanks Kobra" I smile over at him in reassurance.

"Keep everything in control here" Party leans over and hugs him briefly before returning his hands to their grip on my waist "and get some sleep, for gods sake!" We all laugh at that, and i take it as a cue to leave, pulling out onto the dirt track and speeding away towards the highway, and then on to Battery City.

The upside to driving the bike to Battery City is that it is faster and smaller than the trans am - we are less likely to be spotted and even if we are we could always go off road or down small ditches or alleyways to avoid being attacked.

The downside is that i can't really have a conversation with Party when we're speeding along, the wind whipping our hair all over the place and making it even more impossible to hear each other over the roar of the engine. So we have to ride in silence. Plus there's the added fact that it's harder to concentrate when he's pressed against me, his hands resting over my stomach as i drive into the outskirts of the city.

"This is as far as we should bring the bike" I decide, bringing it to a stop down in a side alleyway "any further and people will be suspicious of the noise."

"Okay" He jumps off the back as i lean it against the wall, making sure it's steady "it's about five minutes walk in that direction" he points down the alleyway "keep your gun on you but put it on safety just in case."

"Don't worry, i know the way - i was studying the maps whilst you were with Dr Death" I fall into step beside him as we walk briskly down the alleyway. We don't need to run just yet as nobody is chasing us and it would be better to conserve our energy for when we really need it.

"Did you look at the map of the factory itself?"

"Yep. Three floors. The control computers that we need are at the back of the second floor in a sealed off room that overlooks the ground floor of the factory where the machines pump out the batteries" I reel off the facts, picturing the map in my mind. It's in the back pocket of my jeans as a just in case, but i think i already have it memorised.

"There's ventilation shafts that we can use for an emergency exit, but i vote our plan of getting in be the doors at the back of the place where the vans drive in and out for stock. It would be easily to slip through there" we arrive at the corner of the street as Party points at the back doors, which are open for the moment. There's a truck inside, and i can clearly see workers stacking crates of the batteries inside the vans.

"You got the smoke bomb?" I whisper, watching the workers carefully. Party gives a small nod in response. "Okay, get it out and we run as soon as you throw it."

"Three, two, one, go!" He hisses, pulling the pin and throwing the smoke bomb so it lands right in the other end of the double doors, near the back of the truck. It immediately lets off a cloud of smoke that starts to fills the back entrance with a fog.

We run.

The workers are too busy trying to find the source of the smoke to see the two of us slip past, a flash of red and blue, and up the small set of steps into the factory. There's a worker standing guard who hasn't seen us yet, so i quickly smack him around the head with the barrel of my gun. He falls to the ground, unconscious, and Party grabs his security pass from around his neck.

All he'll remember is collapsing with a pain to the back of his head. He won't have any idea that it was killjoys. Hell, with luck he might even get sick leave. Not that he'd give a shit as he's too dumbed up on pills to even have emotions anymore.

"This way!" Party grabs my hand and together we run along a rickety walkway that leads us over the machinery that chugs away and up towards the main command room. Party tries the pass on the door, but it doesn't budge.

"He must not have enough clearance" He groans, throwing the card to the floor out of frustration "now what the fuck are we going to do?"

I sigh and look down below us, hearing the voices of the workers who had been attacked with the smoke bomb coming closer. Obviously they had given up on finding the cause of the smoke, as they are now heading back in.

"They're the ones with clearance" I nod down at the door they'll no doubt come through.

"We can't take them all out without them seeing us" Party hisses "if they know killjoys were here then there'll be a full investigation launched into why we chose to come here and what we wanted to do. We can't have them analysing the factory - they might think to double check the batteries and then they could catch on and ruin everything."

Normally we wouldn't care about getting spotted - as killjoys we like to make our presence felt and even feared. But today is different. Today there is no room for slips ups. Everyone's relying on us to get in and out successfully.

"Okay" i grit my teeth "we're going to have to hide up here until they enter the command room of their own accord. Then i'll slip in, upload the virus and slip out again without them noticing..." I'm shut up by the look he's giving me.

"They'll spot you instantly" he rolls his eyes "no. What we need is a distraction. A fake reason for being here" he glances around the place wildly "i know - we'll be trying to steal the fuel they use to heat up the metal. Only i'll make it look like i screw up and have to make a quick exit."

"That could work" i nod "but what about getting in to the room?"

He answers my question by standing up, aiming his gun at the double glass windows that conceal the computers, and taking three shots, smashing the glass completely.

"Now go!" He shoves me towards the window as the alarms start to blast out loud and clear "pretend you're covering me from up there!" And then before i can say any more he's bounding down the stairs, towards the oil tanks.

I jump through the window, earning a few cuts on my ankles and arms from the glass in the process but not really caring, and down into the command room, where there's a red light flashing from above.

It's easy to find the main computer - it's situated right in the middle of the room. The USB port is just behind the screen, and i shove the memory stick in with force, watching the screen as it starts to upload.

5%

Kobra said it would take around five minutes to complete, giving me five minutes to cover Party's ass.

I run to the window and look out, seeing that the workers have now given chase to Party as he runs alongside the machinery, almost reaching the tanks. They're shooting, but they aren't exactly the best aimers - hence them working in a factory instead of out in the field with the dracs.

I take aim are fire, bringing down one worker with a shot to the leg. He cries out, getting the others attention, but when they look up at my spot i've already ducked and disappeared back to the computer to check the upload.

30%

Damn. Party is seriously going to need to buy me some time here. I run back to the window and take another worker down with my third shot. I aim for the arms and legs as i know these people are just regular humans intoxicated by pills, and so don't know any better.

I run back. 50%.

Party has reached the oil tanks and seems to have 'accidentally' opened one of them, sending oil spilling everywhere. It hits me with a sense of deja vu as i watch the oil spill, reminding me of the time in the warehouse when we first properly spoke. I'd been angry and bitter towards them all, not knowing how close we would become.

70%.

Many of the workers are slipping up in the oil now and sliding around commercially as Party ducks behind the tank for cover. There's the odd flash of red hair now and again as he looks round, the only clue as to where exactly he is.

90%.

95%. I'm practically willing the bars to go up with my mind now, wishing it to be done already so we can get out of here. It looks like my prayers are answered, because when i look down i see the sweet symbol i'd been hoping for.

100% complete.

I pull the memory stick out of the port and pocket it before jumping out the window and running along the metal overhanging walkway, heading towards Party's location. The workers fire up at me but i return their fire easily.

One of them manages to get a shot at the railings that hold the walkway itself up, and the whole thing starts to slide and wobble as i run, but i try to ignore it. Of course that's when they get in a second shot, and the whole thing starts to fall towards the ground.

I jump, landing on the oil-covered floor with a splash and then diving out of the way just as the whole walkway comes crashing down. The crash, combined with the slippery floor, knocks me to my my knees, but i'm unhurt.

"Spark!" I hear Party yell, and the next thing i know he's grabbing me by the arms and pulling me to my feet "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" I dodge another shot "It's done!"

"Come on, let's get out of here" We duck behind various machines and try not to slip in the oil as we run, holding hands so that if one of us slips then the other can pull up back up. It works pretty well, and we soon reach the door.

"You idiot!" I yell loud enough for the workers to hear "you were suppose to get the oil - not let it leak all over the ground!"

We run out of the door then, through the double doors and then back into the alleyway. It's only when we reach our bike that we stop running, and Party wraps an arm around my waist.

"You called me an idiot and i can't even complain" He chuckled "i don't remember that being part of the mission."

"Consider it a personal touch" i giggled, climbing onto the bike as he did the same behind me "besides, they bought it and that's the main thing. Now let's just get home."