Archive of Our Own

There are two things Kobra Kid knew for sure; Better Living Industries was a life sucking, color destroying parasite, forcing their black and white policies and artificial happiness on the world through fake smiles and mind-altering pills. Everything that he and his fellow Killjoys and the Zone Runners were fighting so hard against. Bringing back the color and sound to a world that has been deprived for far too long.

Which bring him to the second thing he was sure of; it always amused him to no end when Party Poison got into one of his song writing trances that keeps the redhead locked away in one room or another for hours on end. The only problem with it this time? It was Kobra’s bedroom.

The two had holed themselves up in the younger Killjoy’s room early in the afternoon, Kobra pulling out his bass to play anything and everything that came to mind, and Party finding any spare scrap of paper he could get his hands on and covering every inch in words and phrases that he seemed to snatch straight out of the air itself.

Kobra plucked a few random notes as his brother started mumbling to himself again, stringing a few together that made him nod and store the lick away in the back of his head for later use.

Party’s mumbling suddenly broke through his own musings, causing Kobra to smirk at the words.

“We are, we are, the youth of the nation.”

“Already been done.”

Party’s head snapped up and he glared at Kobra, whose head was still down and fingers sliding across the frets, blatantly avoiding eye contact to keep from laughing.

“Fuck no, there’s no way that’s been done. I just now-”

“P.O.D-Satillite-2001.”

The tone and tempo of the bass changed as he started to play the parts he remembered to the old song, humming the words under his breath.

Party’s eyes widened in recognition before narrowing again in irritation. Kobra could almost see the smoke rising from his brother’s red hair.

“Damn, I thought it sounded-whatever.”

Kobra laughed as he carefully set his bass down and stood, cracking his back before heading to the door. “I’m getting something to drink. Want one?” The mumbling started again as he turned the corner. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“We are the kids from yesterday.”

~*~*~*~*~

Kobra was halfway down the short, narrow hallway when he heard what sounded like a small stampede and high giggles rounding the corner. He wasn’t able to move out of the way before a waist high missile slammed into him full force, knocking the air out of his lungs. He was able to keep his footing, but as quickly as the weight was there, it was gone again as Grace ran passed him.

“Hi Kobra! Sorry Kobra! Bye Kobra!”

Spinning around to reprimand the little girl about running in the halls, he barely got out the “Gr-” before he was plowed into once again. The hit got him right between the shoulder blades and sent him sprawling to the floor. “Mother F-”

“Hey Kobra. Sorry Kobra. Bye Kobra.”

He looked up in time to catch Fun Ghoul fly around the corner, which was soon followed by a very high pitched shriek and someone yelling “Gotcha!” in an equally high pitched voice.

Kobra grumbled as he pushed himself off the ground, rubbing his sore chest. “You deserved whatever she just did to you Ghoul!”

“Shut it! She ran into you too!”

“Yeah but she didn’t knock me over and you should know better!”

“Bite me!”

“No thanks. You’d like it too much.”

“Oh fu-OW!”

“Language!” Grace’s voice shrieked after punching Ghoul in what Kobra was guessing would be his side, and two sets of footsteps disappeared further down the hall.

Kobra turned back around the corner and made it to the dining area with no other hassles.

Jet Star was sitting in their usual booth, replacing the batteries in his ray gun. His eyes glanced up long enough to see who entered the room, before looking back to the gun again.

“You were just run over, weren’t you?”

“Damn kids.”

Kobra collapsed onto the seat across from Jet with a grunt, still rubbing his chest slightly and propping his feet up on the booth beside Jet’s thigh. The radio between them hummed quietly with static.

“Party gonna be coming out any time soon?”

“Nope.”

Jet gave a grunt that Kobra translated to “figured, sucks to be you cuz he’s in your room”.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, until the static was abruptly replaced with the voice of Dr. Death Defying.

‘Ear to the speaker and petal to the metal all you Junkpunks and Crash Queens in Zone 3. Pigs have been spotted in the area and if you ain’t runnin’ with a pack, you’d better just start runnin’ cuz our favorite Exterminator was leadin’ the troop and he ain’t lookin’ to Party. The Fun is over Kid, hightail it on a Jet to the moon if ya got to. Keep your boots tight and your gun close Zone Runners; I know where I am, Motorbaby, do you? Dr D, signin’ off.’

Jet and Kobra’s eyes met as the static once again filled the air, meaning Dr. Death Defying had switched frequencies to send out his message as far into the Zones as he could.

“They must be in our stretch of Zone 3,” Jet murmured, fingering the trigger rest of his gun, “Dr. D’s telling us to move out or we might be spotted.”

Kobra nodded as he stood from the booth.

“You go find Ghoul and Grace, then start hiding all our things. I’ll get Party.”

Jet nodded and followed Kobra down the hallway, continuing down and around the corner as Kobra stopped halfway and opened the door to his room. His hands shook just slightly against the knob, and he clenched his fingers in a fist to try and still the movement.

Party had barely moved an inch it seemed, still hunched over his papers and pen scrawling quickly, writing something down and almost immediately scribbling it out again. His hair fell forward, covering most of his face from Kobra’s view.

“Dracs have been seen in the area.” Party’s movements didn’t falter, but Kobra knew his brother heard, and he knew what would catch his attention. “And Korse was with them.”

Party came to an abrupt standstill. He looked out at his brother through the long strands of red hair over his face, the glare looking evil and predatory. “Where are the others?”

Kobra leaned one shoulder against the door jamb and shrugged the other. “Strippin’ the place down to look uninhabited until we get back. Dr. D said they were headin’ this way through Zone 3.”

Party looked back down to this lap and carefully folded up his papers before standing up. He looked around the room for a second before meeting Kobra’s gaze, eyes hard and calculating.

“Get Show Pony to meet us and pick up Grace. We’re going after him.”

The brother’s eyes locked and the room fell quiet as they communicated in a way only they understood.

Kobra slowly nodded. “All right Party, we’ll go.”

Party nodded in return as he was exiting the room before Kobra added, “And you’ll never guess who Dr. D. said he’s hiding out with, I’m guessing in the Zone 2 area.”

There was a muttered “fucking wonderful” and Party was gone, heading straight across the hall to hide his belongings as his brother did the same.

Kobra carefully picked up his bass, wrapping it in a sheet that had been crumpled next to it at the foot of the bed. Lifting a couple of the worn floor tiles, he gingerly slipped the bass into the hiding place, along with a few other trinkets from around the room before covering the hole again.

Doing one last quick sweep of the room, he grabbed his jacket from the chair Party had been sitting on and made his way to the door just as the redhead leader’s voice filled the air.

“Come on ya slow fuckers! Let’s move!”

Which was quickly followed by a loud shriek of “Language!” from across the building.

~*~*~

The dusty Trans-Am pulled off to the side of the road on Route Guano a half hour later, stopping next to a battered Jeep Wrangler. Show Pony sat in the passenger seat, helmet firmly in place and tapping his fingers against the door impatiently.

Seated next to him in the driver’s seat was a female Zone Runner, long brunette hair with streaks of blonde and red tied loosely at her neck. She wore a purple and black leather jacket and a light blue half mask was pushed to the top of her head.

The driver’s door to the Trans-Am opened and Grace stepped out, closing the door again behind her before skipping over to the jeep.

“Motorbaby! They didn’t say you’d be here!”

The female driver smiled broadly at the little girl. “And miss a chance to see my favorite lil Killjoy? Not a chance!”

Grace rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh, “I already told you, I’m not a Killjoy. I’m just a Runner like you.”

Motorbaby gave a wink and Grace giggled again. “Dr D’s hidin’ out in my neck of the desert, meaning I get to lug Pony’s carcass around for a while.”

Show Pony swung his arm in an attempt to hit the female beside him, but she moved across the seat to avoid, striking back and starting a small slapping fit between the two.

Ghoul stuck his head the back window and whistled loudly.

“Hey there Baby, I knew you just couldn’t stay away.”

Motorbaby rolled her eyes as Show Pony reached out and pulled Grace over the side and into the back seat of the jeep.

“Oh Ghouly, how I miss that charm of yours. It’s a wonder I can stay away from you for so long.”

Show Pony lifted the helmet from his head and shook out his shoulder length hair with a smile. “Ya know Ghoul, I think she’s being sarcastic.”

“No shit, dumbass.”

“Language!”

Ghoul eyed the females in the other vehicle, having just been yelled at by them both.

“Don’t even try to act like you’re a saint Motor. You make even Party blush with some of the cuss words you’ve come up with.”

Party reached around the back of his seat in an attempt to slap the younger Killjoy behind him as Motorbaby shrugged.

“Yeah, but at least I know when to keep it clean around little ladies.”

Ghoul gave a loud “Psht” but Party cut off any other comments by revving the engine.

“Keep an eye on her for us. We’ve got a meeting.”

Show Pony’s expression became calm and serious, “Last update we got is they’re heading toward the inner edge of Zone 2 along Guano heading back toward the city.”

Party nodded, “Thanks Show.”

He gunned the engine, sending the other Killjoys into the back of their seats as they shot forward and down the road.

Motorbaby leaned on the steering wheel and watched the Trans-Am disappear.

“You know this is a bad idea right?”

Show Pony sighed and shrugged as he replaced his helmet, keeping the visor up.

“I know, but you try and tell that to Party. Besides, he’s cleaning up the trash in your zone for you, you lazy as-”

Grace cleared her throat loudly from the backseat, causing Show Pony to give a sheepish smile and quickly try to change his words. “-ssssphalt Zone Leader.”

Motorbaby shrugged her shoulders and pulled her mask over her eyes.

“Yeah, like I have a death wish.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her backseat passenger. “Gracie girl, you’ve got the patience of a saint with those boys. I ever told you you’re my hero?”

Grace smiled back but didn’t say anything as she sat back in her seat and the car turned around to head back toward Dr. D’s current hide-out.

~*~*~*~*

Party Poison drove like a bat outta Hell, flying through the second part of Zone 2 in half the normal time. He only slowed down once they came to the area that Show Pony had mentioned as the last updated position for Korse.

Fun Ghoul climbed through the open driver window and sat on the door as he scanned the area around them, Frankenstein’s Monster mask shoved to the top of his head. Jet Star copied his movements on the passenger side, helmet still sitting on his seat so he could scan the area around him.

Kobra Kid sat tapping his fingers against his own helmet, itching to grab his reygun and feel the soothingly warm hum as it primed in his hand.

“There!” Jet screamed and pointed off toward the east where they could see a cloud of dust rising toward the sky and moving quickly toward them.
Party spun the wheel and had the car turned a full ninety degrees before either Ghoul or Jet had a chance to slide back into the safety of their seats.

As they grew nearer, Party’s grip on the steering wheel became almost painful as all blood circulation was lost and his knuckled turned white. They had the element of surprise. They could take him this time.

When the black car and two white bikes finally came into view, he pushed his foot that last little bit on the accelerator and they shot straight toward the other vehicles. Within yards of a high speed collision, he slammed the brakes and thrust the wheel to the side, causing the Trans-Am to screech to a halt a spin to the side to block the road.

Kobra and Jet immediately threw their door open on the far side of the vehicle and began to shoot from behind the safety it provided, while Party and Ghoul remained on their side and shot through the open window crouching low in the seats.

One of the bike Dracs went down quickly, losing control of the bike and skidding across the ground where he came to a jarring halt and lay motionless. The other bike pulled back to relative safety behind the black car as they both came to a halt, the four Dracs within the vehicle all taking positions similar to The Killjoys to return fire.

All shooting soon came to an abrupt halt as the front passenger door opened and Korse slowly stepped out, an evil smirk spread across his face.
Party growled quietly beneath his breath before kicking open his own door and climbing out, Ghoul close behind him. Kobra and Jet slowly moved around to join them, standing in a line in front of Korse and his remaining five Dracs.

Korse eyed the four Runners before him, masks and helmets all firmly in place. He had known that they would come to him with very little work on his part.

“It’s been a while dear Party Poison, you and your merry little band of thieves.”

Party made no movements to prove that he had heard, only continued to stare calmly through the eyes of his yellow mask.

Korse tilted his head to the side and his smirk became a little wider, “Aww, what’s the matter? Not in the mood to, party?” He gave a little chuckle and pulled his reygun from its holster.

Party brought his own gun up in line with his face, barrel pointing upwards.

Korse’s smile disappeared, and he mimicked Party’s pose. “Let us begin.”

~*~*~*~*

The fighters quickly broke into groups, Jet Star and Fun Ghoul off to one side with tree of the Dracs, and Party Poison with Kobra Kid taking Korse and the other two Dracs. Party and Kobra were using the Trans-Am for cover, firing over the top and ducking back down when they needed to recharge.

On one lucky strike, Kobra was able to jump up and aim, getting one of the Dracs square in the forehead, causing it to drop to the ground and lie motionless.

“One down.”

Party nodded, back pressed against the side of the car as he recharged his gun.

They both looked over the top of the car, listening as the blasts died away, meaning that Korse and his men were recharging as well.

Kobra smiled through his helmet at a sudden thought. “This is our chance. Let’s run over and get them while they’re recharging!”

He jumped up and ran around the car before Party had a chance to stop him, fingers just missing the red jacket as he ran passed.

Party let out a frustrated scream as he jumped up and followed his brother around the vehicle. He knew something didn’t feel right, and the point was proven right when he saw Korse was not crouched behind his own vehicle, but standing with his gun pointed straight at the approaching blonde Killjoy.

“Kobra! Move!”

Kobra’s eyes grew wide when he realized his mistake, everything seemed to slow down to where he could almost see the ray blast leave the tip of the gun and shoot straight toward him.

He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable pain as his momentum kept him moving forward, but something suddenly slammed in his left side, sending him sprawling to the ground. He shook the fog out of his head from the impact and looked up to see Party on the ground in front of the black car, shaking his head to clear his vision, reygun lying useless a few feet away.

Kobra tried to stand, but he suddenly caught sight of Korse standing over his brother, an evil smile on his face as he reached down and grabbed Party by the hair and hauled him to his feet.

Before he could get his feet underneath him, Kobra was grabbed by the collar of his jacket and yanked into a standing position. He tried to struggle, but soon found himself thrown to his knees beside Jet and Ghoul, both also being held down by the remaining Dracs.

Korse had his left arm wrapped around Party’s chest and a steel grip on his chin, forcing the Killjoy’s head back and against his captor’s shoulder. His right hand held his gun, pressed firmly into Party’s side, just below the rib cage. He laughed loudly as he watched the other Killjoys fight frantically against the Draculoids to free their leader.

“Well well, I see things haven’t changed for you boys; still willing to blindly sacrifice yourselves for each other. Tsk tsk tsk. Haven’t you learned by now that all that assures you is a higher place in line for your execution? Except for you, dear Party Poison. I’m afraid you can’t get any higher on the list than you already are.”

Party Poison did his best to scowl at the man over his shoulder and jerk away, but Korse’s grip wouldn’t budge; it only seemed to tighten more, to the point that Party’s ribs ached from the pressure.

Korse sighed dramatically as he rested his head on Party’s shoulder, being sure to keep a tight grip on the redhead’s chin so he couldn’t move. He smiled as he heard the Killjoy growl and start to breathe deeply in barely suppressed rage. He gave an evil grin when he noticed how much his small movement caused the other Killjoys to try harder to escape as well.

“I’ve been chasing after you for a very long time Party Poison; so long that I don’t think I can remember life before I knew you. But even after all this time, I don’t think I’m quite ready to kill you yet. You’re still too confident, cocky and unafraid of death. No, when it comes time for me to kill you, I want you to be on your knees and begging for death. Then, and only then, will I give you that peace, take you away from all this fighting and pain…”

Party tried to pull away again but froze as Korse whispered in his ear.

“Just like I did for your wife and daughter.”

Party became deathly still, his eyes wide open and his mouth slightly slack. He couldn’t believe that he had been this close to his family’s killer for so long and never knew it. Lynds and Bandit. Hazy thoughts began to cloud his memory of his last moments with his wife and daughter, and the man whose face he couldn’t remember until now.

Korse gave an evil chuckle at his captive’s shocked state, keeping his head on Party’s shoulder and feeling the way the muscles beneath him tensed. Now he had set the bait, soon Party Poison will be begging for his death.

“Keep running.”

Then he pulled the trigger, relishing in the quiet gasp and stiffening of the body against him before it went slack and he let it fall to the ground.

The rest of the Killjoys stared in silent horror as their leader fell in a crumpled heap, unmoving and deathly quiet. They renewed their fierce struggles against the Draculoids but were unable to break free. They could only watch as Korse mounted the nearby bike and reached down to twist his hand into the collar of Party’s jacket.

Looking up, he locked eyes onto Fun Ghoul, barely able to see the Killjoy’s eyes through the goggles he wore over his mask. His smirk turned into a full blown smile as he revved the engine of the bike and shot straight toward the trapped Killjoys, dragging Party Poison’s body along the dusty, hard ground.

Just as he was about to run headlong into Fun Ghoul, he veered to the side and threw Party Poison into the other male, the Drac behind him letting go so that both of the Killjoys fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Korse didn’t slow down, only sped up and continued away, the Dracs climbing into their car and following close behind.

~*~*~*~*

Fun Ghoul took the impact of Party Poison’s body with jarring force, knocking the breath out of him and sending them both to the ground hard. But even through the stars and fog that suddenly clouded his vision, he never let go of the tight grip he had on the other male, praying that he was still breathing.

“Party!”

Ghoul slowly opened his eyes and noticed for the first time that his mask was now blocking his vision after being jostled in the fall. He wanted to move it so he could see, but was too afraid to release the death grip he still had on Party.

“Ghoul! Let go!”

Strong hands pulled against his until he was unable to hold on any longer and the body on top of him was carefully removed and placed on the ground beside him. Pulling himself up slowly, he reached up and tore the mask from his face, flinging it to the ground as someone helped him the rest of the way up.

“You okay!?”

The dark haired Killjoy looked up at the slightly blurry form of Jet Star above him and nodded his head, blinking until he was able to focus.
Kobra sat a couple feet away, holding Party’s upper half carefully in his lap and screaming his brother’s name over and over.
Ghoul dragged himself toward them and tried to look at the gunshot wound.

Party’s jacket had been hitched up his body from the fall, showing the steadily growing dark stain on his right side, just below the ribcage. Blood began to flow freely and fell to the desert floor where it was sucked up greedily by the dry, parched sand.

Ghoul’s eyes widened in horror as he yanked the bandana from his back pocket and pressed it over the wound, keeping Party’s shirt between it and the dirty material. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Jet! Get the kit!”

Jet Star was already hanging halfway out of the Trans AM, having launched himself through the back window to reach across the seat for the large, beat up duffel bag they carried their medical supplies in. It was regretfully light as he heaved it out the window, berating himself for not going on a supply run sooner.

“Here use this.”

Ghoul took the large pads of gauze and replaced the bandana and t-shirt, pressing down hard on all three with as much strength as he could muster in his shaking limbs. Party still hadn’t moved, even with the amount of pain they had to have been causing him.

Jet grabbed a couple long pieces of cloth and knotted them together before wrapping them around Party’s torso as tight as he could, knotting them above the wound to cause as much pressure as possible.

“Let’s get him out of here; we need to clean that out before it’s infected.”

Scooping their fallen leader into his arms, Jet stood and carried his burden as quickly as he could to the car. Ghoul grabbed the duffel and moved to follow, but came to an abrupt halt when he saw that Kobra Kid hadn’t moved.

The blond Killjoy was frozen, helmet still firmly in place, but Ghoul could tell that his gaze was locked on the blood soaked ground where his brother had laid unmoving.

“Kobra! Let’s go!”

Fun Ghoul’s words went unheard as Kobra still didn’t move, his body starting to tremble as he raised his hands closer to his face and saw them tinged with red as well.

“Mikey! If we wanna help him we have to get him out of here, now!”

Kobra Kid’s head snapped up and he nodded jerkily, letting Fun Ghoul yank him into motion by the arm. They stumbled to the Trans Am, where Jet Star had positioned himself into the back seat, with Party Poison sitting on his lap, back pressed against the side window and head resting on Jet’s shoulder. The bigger male was pressing his hand against the white bandages as hard as he dared, praying he was stopping the blood flow underneath the four layers of material.

“Kobra, grab the blanket from the trunk. We need to fight the shock.” Jet’s words didn’t seem to register at first as Kobra continued to stare at the ground in front of him with wide eyes. “Kobra!”

His head shot up with a jerky nod and Kobra made his way to the trunk of the car to pull out the heavy, frayed blue fleece. Getting into the passenger seat, he twisted around and draped the blanket over the backseat occupants, tucking it tightly around his brother so Jet wouldn’t have to release pressure on the wound.

“Thanks.”

Kobra gave another jerky nod as Ghoul threw himself into the driver’s seat, tossing his mask and Party’s gun into the backseat, then gunned the engine as soon as the car roared to life. His knuckles turned white around the steering wheel as he fought to keep them from trembling.

“We gotta find Dr. D. We don’t have enough supplies to clean this.”

Jet nodded his head, his hair moving along Party’s face, but no movement came from the unconscious male.

“He’s hiding out at Motorbaby’s base on the other edge of Zone 2; it’d be closer than trying to get to the diner.”

Kobra shook his head, turning in the seat until he could see Jet, and inadvertently looking at his brother’s pale face as well. “We can’t go there, not with Korse in the ar-”

“Korse is gone,” Ghoul interrupted, “he found us like he had wanted, and now he’s gonna head back to Battery City. He won’t be headed far enough out to find anyone else.”

Kobra still didn’t like it, but after a minute of silence filled with nothing but the harsh, shallow breathing of his brother, he turned back around in the seat and nodded.

“Ok, we’ll head back. I’ll try and get him on the radio.”

“No.”

All conversation came to an abrupt stop and all eyes flew in the direction of the faint whisper (in Fun Ghoul’s case, the rearview mirror).
Party Poison’s breathing was even harsher than before, barely seeming to pull in enough air to fill his starving lungs before it was roughly pushed out again. His eyes were only a slit and his head was still resting against Jet Star’s shoulder.

“Leave Dr. D. where he is, can’t risk it right now. I’m fine.” His voice cracked on the last word and he broke into harsh coughs that sent a new wave of pain through his battered body. He bit off the moan that tried to escape once he was able to breathe again.

Kobra shook his head and glared, trying to put as much force into his voice as he could muster. “Party, you’re hurt bad. Dr. D. can-”

“No! Just take me the fuck home. Jet can clean the wound with what we’ve got and I’ll be fine. Dr. D. needs to stay hidden until we’re sure Korse and every last fuckin’ Drac is out of the area.”

The group was silent for a minute, before Ghoul slowly nodded. “Ok Party. We won’t call him right now.”
The other two hesitantly nodded and Party sighed in what seemed like relief before his eyes fell closed again and his body stilled. Jet thought the redhead had lost consciousness again, until he felt a hand grip his weakly. He smiled slightly as he squeezed back, trying to give back as much comfort and reassurance as Party was trying to give him.

~*~*~

They hadn’t even come to a full stop in front of the diner before Jet had the car door kicked open and was starting to climb out, Party still firmly tucked in his grip.

Ghoul ran ahead and held the door open for Jet to duck in and head straight toward the back to Party’s bedroom.

Kobra rushed passed, carrying their med bag over his shoulder.

Ghoul let the door shut again as he moved across the room to the serving counter.

“I’ll get a hold of the Doc, let him know what’s going on and make sure Grace got there safe.”

Kobra nodded as he made his way to Party’s room, dropping the duffel on the floor by the bed as Jet was carefully removing Party’s jacket and settling him on the bed.

“How ya doin’ Party?”

Kobra hadn’t even realized his brother was awake, but the prone male turned his head to the side before giving a groggy, “’m fine.”

Jet chuckled slightly. “Yeah, ya sure look it. Let me look ya over and get ya cleaned up.”

Party shook his head and started to rise onto his elbows. “I mean it Jet, I’m fine.”

Jet Star knelt next to the bed and placed a hand between Party’s shoulder blades, helping keep his balance.

“I know you are Party. Let’s just clean your wounds so ya stay that way.”

Party gave a tired sigh and a nod as Kobra moved closer to the bed to help Jet remove their leader’s dusty shirt and boots. Party’s jeans were still fully intact, if not just completely filthy, leading the boys to believe that he wasn’t injured anywhere below the waist.

Kobra set the shirt on the floor as Jet ran a hand carefully down Party’s back, avoiding the bandaged side for the moment.

“Anything hurt where I’m touching?”

Party’s face scrunched and he bit his cheek, but he shook his head. “No, just my side.”

Jet nodded, having seen nothing but a few deep bruises on the lower back, and laid him flat on the bed.

“Well, seems like your jacket kept ya from the worst injuries. Couple scraps here and there but nothing major. You ready for this?” He gestured to the bandaging.

Party took a deep breath and closed his eyes before nodding. His fists started to bunch the sheets in anticipation of the pain.

Jet looked over his shoulder at the silent man behind him. “Hey Kobra, could ya go get me some water and cloth to clean this out with?”

Kobra nodded before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

Jet turned back to the bed and saw that Party’s eyes were focused on the doorway.

“He’s all right Party, I think ya just freaked him out a bit.”

Party nodded slowly, keeping his gaze locked on the open doorway, but as soon as Jet unwound the binding and began to pull back the gauze, the redhead howled in pain.

Jet cringed and let go of the gauze, yanking his hands back. “Sorry, the gauze was stuck from the dry blood. I’ll wait till Kobra gets back with the water to wet it down.”

The shot of pain helped Party clear his head of the numbing fog and he began to focus more on his surroundings.

“He hurt at all? How ‘bout you and Ghoul?”

Jet shook his head. “Nah. Ghoul got a crack to the head when he caught you, but other than that I think we’re good.”

Kobra returned with a large bowl and what looked like a worn old t-shirt torn into strips. He smiled slightly and visibly relaxed when he saw how much more lucid and aware Party seemed. “Hey, how ya doin’?”

Party started to shrug, but stopped halfway through the motion and hissed quietly. “Been better, I’ll be fine by tomorrow though. How ‘bout you?”

Kobra handed the supplies to Jet. “Bit of a headache, but I’ve had worse. Ghoul’s on the radio with Show Pony; they got there safe and he will bring Grace back later tomorrow.”

Party nodded, gritting his teeth and balling his fists into the sheets as Jet wet the sticking gauze and tried to carefully pull it from the wound. He saw Kobra’s face turn two shades whiter as it was removed inch by slow inch.

“Hey, would ya mind getting me something to eat Bro? I’m fucking starving.”

Kobra knew it to be the lie that it was, but he nodded anyway, knowing that his brother was giving him an out from seeing the wound.
Jet pulled the soiled, blood soaked gauze away and cringed. Blood was still seeping out sluggishly and the skin around it looked slightly inflamed and covered in dirt.

“This is gonna be fucking painful to clean out. Just a heads up.”

Party sighed and rolled his eyes to the water-stained ceiling, pulling together his nerve and nodding when he was ready.

Jet had the med bag open next to him and was digging around inside. He pulled out a small white bottle and a grey toothpaste-like tube that was rolled up to show it was almost empty.

“Okay, this is the last of the ointment and pain pills. We really need to make a med run. Take these and I’ll get started.”

He took two of the four pills, along with the bowl of water, and helped Party take both before settling back on the ground and dunking a piece of the cloth in the remaining water. Jet gave another deep sigh to help steady his hand.

“Here we go. Put your right arm behind your head so it’s out of the way.”

Party did as he was told and Jet carefully wiped the dirt from around the wound and along the edges of the torn skin. Once he got the area as clean as he could, he wet a new cloth and began to pat the center of the wound as gently as he could.

Party’s raised arm grabbed the top of the mattress as his other traded between balling the sheets and smacking the mattress to keep from screaming.

Jet moved as quickly as he could and as soon as the wound was as clean as he could get it, he used the last of the ointment and covered everything with fresh gauze.

“Okay, just need to sit up and wrap this around your ribs and we’ll be done.”

Party took a deep breath and held it as he hoisted himself up enough for Jet to place a hand between his shoulder blades and help him the rest of the way up.

Kobra returned just as Jet finished wrapping the bandaging, carrying a can of Power Pup.

“You’re looking better already.”

Party carefully swung his legs over the edge of the bed, holding his ribs and grimacing.

“Almost good as new, just a little tender.” He took the can from Kobra and moved the contents around with the spoon, trying to hide the disgust on his face even though he had been the one to ask for it.

Jet’s eyes moved between the can and Party’s face a few times, a slightly annoyed look crossing his lips.

“You know you’re supposed to eat that, not play with it, right?”

Party rolled his eyes before sticking a spoonful into his mouth and blanching at the taste. He tried to take one more bite, but his stomach rebelled against him and he carefully leaned forward to set the can on the ground, hissing and holding his side as he sat back up.

Jet gave an equally exasperated eye roll and sigh before getting to his feet.

“And also let the record show that I’ve told you to stay in bed and rest for a while, even though I know you won’t. I’ll be out checking on Ghoul’s thick head.”

Just as Jet reached the door, Party said a quiet “thanks Jet”, causing the taller male to turn around and smile before ducking out of the room.
Kobra quickly moved across the room and took the now vacant spot on the edge of the bed next to Party, carefully placing his head on his brother’s shoulder.

“You sure you’re okay?”

Party gave a small nod, his chin running across the top of his brother’s blonde hair.

“Yeah, hurts like a bitch and I’m kinda dizzy, but I’ll be fine.”

“You lost a lot of blood Party.”

“Hence the dizziness dumbass. I’m gonna be sore for a bit but I’ll be fine by morning otherwise.”

Kobra could only shake his head at the stubborn words and hope that they were right. The two sat quietly for a while, taking comfort in the others presence. Kobra slowly raised his head and smiled slightly at his brother.

“I’m gonna go make sure that Jet has checked over his own wounds now that he’s checked everyone else. You are going to lay down and rest. Your body needs time to restore your blood.”

Party gave a mock salute and a cocky “yes sir” before lying back on the bed with a small chuckle.

Kobra rolled his eyes and helped his brother cover up with the blanket before leaving the room.

As soon as the blonde Killjoy was out of hearing range, Party let out the shaky breath he felt like he’d been holding forever and touched his side with a wince. He tried to lay as still as possible and not let out the whimper that was trying to claw up his throat.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to try and wait out the pain pills.

~*~*~*~

By the next morning, the inhabitants of the diner had fallen back into their normal routine. Jet Star tried to check on Party Poison’s wound a few times, but the redhead leader would brush him off and say he was fine.

Fun Ghoul had stowed himself away in the garage with the Trans-Am, tinkering with the engine and more or less avoiding the others and Kobra Kid had commandeered their table in the diner to work on some of the gadgets he’d had piling up.

A loud rumbling from outside, followed by a car horn blaring continuously pulled them all from their personal worlds and back into reality.

Kobra rolled his as he slid out of the bench, yelling over his shoulder toward the bedrooms. “Motorbaby’s back with Grace.”

He was beat to the front of the building by Ghoul, who was yelling loudly to be heard over the still blaring car horn. Kobra couldn’t understand what he was saying over the noise, but Motorbaby seemed to read lips well enough as an evil grin spread across her face and she let go of the horn, leaving Ghoul screaming loudly.

“-take that goddamn fucking horn and shove it down your goddman thro-wuh oh.”

Ghoul gave a sheepish grin toward Grace, who was giving him a murderous glare from the passenger seat, before opening her door and climbing out. Motorbaby turned off the engine and climbed out after her.

Growling quietly under his breath, Ghoul crossed his arms and gave a glare of his own toward the older female Zone Runner.

“You did that on purpose.”

Motorbaby patted him on the shoulder happily, “Sorry love, couldn’t resist. You always make it so easy.”

Jet walked through the door as Ghoul continued his quiet mumbling to himself.

“Hey Motorbaby, you mind going in to knock some sense into our fearless leader? He hasn’t let me near his side wound since last night.”

Having been a paramedic before the bombings, Motorbaby was in charge of everything medical in Zone 2. She nodded before heading into the building and to the back rooms.

The others followed her in but remained in the dining area, fully aware of the attitude that would most likely come from both of the people already back there.

Grace was already in the middle of explaining the things she got do to while hiding out with Dr. D to Jet Star, who gave the appropriate sounds of approval when needed.

Within five minutes, Motorbaby came stomping out of the back, muttering loudly to herself. “Stupid, stubborn, idiotic example of the male race. Doesn’t even know when to turn down the freakin’ testosterone.”

She looked up as she entered the room, noticing all the raised eyebrows and confused looks.

“Your illustrious leader won’t except any help, even though I know for a fact that he’s in a lot of pain right now. He’s pale, sweaty and not good at hiding the wince when he twists his hips. I don’t have my kit with me right now; Dynamic Crusher used the last of my supplies when the idiot decided to fall from the water tower outside of camp. Boys are going to be the end of me I swear!”

Kobra rolled his eyes before clearing his throat. “Motor, you’re rambling.”

The brunette snapped her mouth shut and rolled her shoulder for a second to regain some composure. “Sorry, been a long week. I have some pain meds in the jeep you can give him at least. You know the rest of the spiel about fluids and rest and shit.”

Jet followed her outside to the jeep and waited as she rummaged through the glove compartment for a small white bottle. When she handed it over, he noticed that the BLI/nd logo had been viciously scribbled over with dark marker.

“Thanks for trying Motor, we know how he gets.”

Motorbaby nodded as she climbed into the driver’s seat. “Yeah, everything’s always fucking cupcakes and puppy dogs with him, huh? I saw your lovely excuse for a med kit is no better off than mine, so I’ll grab ya some supplies when me and Raging Riot are hunting later.”

“Thanks again. Keep us updated on Zone 2.”

A sassy wink along with a “you got it baby”, and she was gone.

Jet rolled the small pill bottle over in his hand for a few seconds before turning to the door again, intent to at least get Party to take a couple.

~*~*~*~*~

Party Poison wished more than anything that the lock on his door hadn’t been busted during the last Drac sweep, he had locked it before they left the building and came back to find the place ransacked and his door kicked open.

Now he just wanted to have a little peace and quiet from the others.

He had taken the last of the pain pills earlier that morning and they were already starting to wear off, leaving a sharp, pulsing pain in his side whenever he moved. His bangs were sticking to his forehead with sweat and he was feeling slightly dizzy, but he didn’t want to let the others know.

A light knock was the only warning before Jet Star opened the door and entered. He was carrying a small bottle and a cup of water.

“I take it knocking is just something ya do for the hell of it huh?”

Jet shrugged as he tossed the bottle on the bed beside Party and held out the cup.

“Motorbaby left some pain meds for ya. Thought you could use them seeing as you refuse everything else.”

Party made a point not to grab the bottle and just looked at his companion, trying not to show any kind of emotion.

“It ain’t refusing when I don’t need anything. I told you guys yesterday that I’m fine. Maybe a little sore, but nothing else.”

Jet sighed quietly, setting the cup down on an overturned box next to the bed that was used as a makeshift table. “All right, I believe ya. But you still have to drink that, you lost enough blood yesterday, you need fluids so your body can make more.”

Party rolled his eyes. “Yes Mother. If ya wanna spoon feed me dinner, I’ll be out in a minute.”

It was Jet’s turn to roll his eyes and give a little smile before turning back to the door. “Yeah yeah, I’ll feed ya something…”

Once he was sure Jet was gone, Party let out a shaky breath and ran his hand through his sweaty bangs. Carefully lifting his t-shirt and the dressing beneath, he looked at the wound again. It was puffy with red splotches and streaks running from it down his side and around to his back. It was still bleeding sluggishly, but had seemed to slow down since the last time he had checked it.
Hissing against the pain, he replaced both pieces of material and slowly stood from the bed. He’d almost made it to the door before thinking better off it and returning to the bed, grabbing the pill bottle and swallowing three with the full cup of water.

Taking a couple deep breaths to try and steady his shaking hands, he tried to pull his features into something resembling normal, and made his way to the main room.

~*~*~*~*~

The group ate their meal in relative silence, only passing a spare word here and there, and trying to hide any looks being made toward their leader.

His skin did seem pale and he was still sweaty, but he just told them it was due to them living in a fucking desert and they let the subject drop.

A few hours later, they had all broken off into their own worlds once again; Kobra at the table with his gadgets, Party sitting across from him with his sketchpad and pens. Ghoul and Grace were in a corner, playing a game Ghoul had come up with using only a couple sticks and a rubber band (Kobra’s still trying to figure that one out), and Jet sitting on the floor leaned against the counter playing his guitar.

Kobra couldn’t help but notice the way his brother’s hands were trembling so much that he had to clench his fist every few minutes to try and steady it enough to draw. He could also see the conscious struggle Party was making to try and keep his breathing even and unnoticeable to the others.

He wasn’t able to look away quickly enough this time for his brother not to notice. The redhead narrowed his eyes just slightly as he looked from Kobra, to his clenched fist and back again. He carefully set all of his art supplies on the table and stood, trying not to show how stiff the movement actually was.

“I’m going for a walk.” He took a couple shaky steps toward the front door.

“I’ll go with you,” was Kobra’s immediate reply, already sliding across the booth, but he was quickly shot down.

“I don’t need a babysitter. Really you guys, its healing. I'll be all right. I’ll just-”

His words were abruptly cut off as he suddenly grabbed for the doorframe to steady his balance, trying to fight off the sudden dizziness. His right shoulder slammed into the frame, causing pain to shoot straight from his side and into his brain and eyeballs.

“Party!”

Next thing he knew he was on the ground.

~*~*~*~*~

Kobra couldn’t remember getting up from his seat, he was just suddenly on the ground next to Party, trying to turn him onto his back.

“Party! Shit, you okay?!”

Party didn’t answer; just lay in his brother’s arm panting for breath.

Jet slid to his knees beside the two, carefully lifting the dark t-shirt and pulling aside the gauze. He hissed loudly at the wound before him, bright red splotches and streaks covered in fresh blood from hitting against the wall.

“Fuck, we need to get him to the other room. Kobra help me. Ghoul, you try to get a hold of Motorbaby and Dr. D.”

Ghoul nodded and ran across the room to the radio, leaving a wide-eyed and confused Grace in the corner. The little girl had both hands covering her mouth and was trembling from head to toe.

Kobra and Jet lifted Party between the two of them and moved as carefully as they could to the bedrooms.

~*~*~*~*~

After what felt like forever, but was only about a half hour, Grace heard the squeal of tires outside. She raced to the front door and looked out the windows before throwing the door open for Dr. Death Defying to wheel through. She looked out and saw the familiar beat up van, but she didn’t recognize the man who sat behind the wheel.

“Dr. D! Where’s Motorbaby!?”

The radio pirate continued forward with a determined look on his face and Grace ran to keep up with him.

“She took some of her crew and Show Pony into the city for supplies. They won’t be back till morning. That’s Static Shocker, one of Motor’s group, he’s gonna head back and see if he can get a hold of her.”

Grace nodded as she led him back to Party’s room, stopping at the door as he continued in. She watched wide-eyed as Kobra and Jet stood over the prone form on the bed, both mumbling quietly and quickly moving to the side once they noticed Dr. D.

Fun Ghoul looked up from his place in the corner and saw Grace standing in the doorway. Seeing the look of horror on the little girl’s face, he crossed the room and put an arm around her shoulders.

“Come on Girly, we don’t need to see this.”

Grace nodded slowly, feeling like her head was filled with molasses and let Ghoul lead her from the room.

~*~*~*~*~

Dr. Death Defying pressed his back harder against his wheelchair, trying to relieve some of the ache in his shoulders. He’d been hunched over for so long he wasn’t sure if his back knew that it could straighten out anymore. He gave a heavy sigh as he heard the restless fidgeting of the blonde Killjoy wringing his hands nervously behind him.

"I honestly don't know what else to do," the radio pirate gave a gruff exhale, “Keeps bleeding through the bandaging and fever’s gettin’ worse.”

Kobra Kid sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, forgetting that his glasses had been there and knocking them to the floor. He didn’t bother bending down to pick them up, just continued to stare between his friend and the bed.

"Dr. D, there has got to be something. Anything…what if we-"

Fun Ghoul rested a hand on Kobra's shoulder, causing the older boy to flinch, but otherwise Kobra ignored him. Ghoul looked over his shoulder at Jet Star, who just shrugged, before turning back to the raging man before him.

"We can't just stand around! There's got to be something!"

Dr. Death Defying backed up his wheelchair, turning to face the younger brother of the Killjoy who was currently unconscious on the bed. He knew that Kobra meant well but the yelling and tantrum throwing wasn’t very beseeching of the 39 year old.

"I've cleaned the wound as best I can Kobra. Used up the last of the alcohol we had, almost down to the last of the bandages too. The rest is up to Party."

"So we're just supposed to sit around and wait? Hope that he's strong enough to fight it?"

Dr. Death Defying's compassionate eyes become hard and his lips thinned to a severe line.

Kobra fell quiet and started to shift his weight under the harsh gaze. Ghoul and Jet couldn’t seem to meet the older man’s eyes either and found other interesting things to stare at on the floor and wall.

"Don't underestimate your brother Kobra. We all know that if there's anyone strong enough to fight it, it’s Party. He’s been through Hell and back with and for you boys more times than any of us can count now and made it through alive. Something like this ain’t gonna be what takes him down. You boys should think yourselves lucky; what with all the injuries you’ve had, this is the first that has really turned into something bad. The radiation has killed most of the microorganisms and sht in the air, but it can’t wipe it all out. Just keep an eye on him and let me know if he gets worse."

With that, Dr. Death Defying rolled out of the small room, leaving the three Killjoys alone.

"He'll make it Kobra. He always does."

Kobra could only nod at Jet. He noticed that Ghoul's hand was still on his shoulder.

"He'll pull through. It might take him awhile, but we know he can make it. And until then, we have to be strong too."

The blonde Killjoy acknowledged the encouragement with a small hug before moving closer to the bed, sitting down gently next to Party Poison's prone form. He reached forward to push some of his brother’s shocking red hair from his face and his fingers came back slightly coated in something red and sticky.

Kobra stiffened for barely a second before his shoulders slumped and he continued to look at the substance on his fingers, rubbing it between the pointer and thumb before wiping it on his dirty jeans.

“He’s gonna sweat all that red dye out if he keeps this up; stuff is a pain in the ass to put in in the first place.”

Ghoul chuckled quietly as he leaned against the wall next to the bed crossing his right arm over his chest to hold his left bicep. “Yeah but it is just so much fun watching him do it, bitches like a little girl when the stuff starts to burn a bit; and he’s due for a recolor anyway. So, over the years I’ve known him he’s been long, short, blonde, dark and red; think we can talk him into blue and spiky next?”

Ghoul gave a silly grin as he saw a spark of laughter touch Jet’s eyes, but both the spark and smile quickly died away when the two noticed that Kobra hadn’t even seemed to hear them talking.

Kobra reached to the upturned box beside the bed, and grabbed the large, chipped bowl of lukewarm water with sure hands. He cradled it for a moment and looked at Jet.

"Are you sure this is the coldest water we have? It’s barely any cooler than what he already is."

"Sorry man, but with how ridiculously high the temperatures been lately, it's the coldest that it's going to get."

Kobra knew that there’s nothing he could do about the temperature but it didn’t stop him feeling irritated at the way everything was going. No matter what they tried and no matter how good the cause, they always seemed to be the ones suffering in the end.

He pulled the dripping, worn towel from the bowl and squeezed it to dampness before placing it on Party Poison's too-hot forehead. Party didn’t even flinch as the wet cloth touched him and Kobra huffed quietly, hoping that it would still have some kind of effect on the awful heat.

Kobra arranged it for a few seconds, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He was the only one who had yet to look at the source of his brother's current predicament. Ghoul had been the one to try and staunch the blood flow at the battle, Jet carried him to and from the Trans-Am, and Dr. D. had dressed the wound. Even Grace had seen it when she brought in the medical gear that Dr. D. asked for.

And yes it would hurt. It hurt right now, to see his brother in pain, possibly on the way to never opening his eyes again. But he had to know what they were up against.

Kobra slowly pulled up Party Poison's loose shirt, noticing how it was already starting to stick to his brother’s stomach and chest with sweat. He almost started to wonder if he should try and get the shirt completely off to help Party cool down when his eyes fell to the side and his mind went blank.

The bandage on Party's right side was crimson where blood had seeped through and his breath caught in his throat because when he pulled away the makeshift wrapping, finally looked at the cruel reygun burn that was the cause of everything, Party's collapse, his fever, everything, he wanted to un-see it.

He wanted to un-see the trembling way Party walked, the way he pushed them away and told them all it was fine.

"Really you guys, its healing. I'll be all right."

The wound was an angry shade of red and black with a steady stream of dark blood still flowing out. The skin around the wound was also a dark red and Kobra sighed when he felt how hot it was to the touch.

“Hopefully the swelling goes down soon or he may have already caught an infection. Damn it.”

He thought briefly about going to his room and getting his bass, and playing something for Party. Maybe if he worked some more on the song they had been writing before the battle he would be able to pull his brother back to him again.

The idea faded away though as soon as it started, not having the strength to get up or willpower to think about licks and lyrics. All he could do was reset the bandage and just continue to bathe his brother's hot, clammy skin with the damp cloth.

He didn’t even hear as the other two Killjoys left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts and his unconscious older brother.

~*~*~*~*

The next time Kobra became aware of his surroundings he noticed that the sun was barely shining through the hole in the upper part of the metal wall. A couple hours had gone by with him lost in his thoughts and slowly running the damp towel along Party’s face, arms and neck. He had been so unfocused to everything around him that he was surprised that the bowl in his lap was now practically empty.

He looked back up at the unconscious male and was disappointed to see that Party looked even worse. His cheeks were blotchy from fever and sweat continued to trail down his forehead as his chest heaved to bring in air, mouth open slightly to try and pull in more.

The red-haired Killjoy was sweating through his shirt, through the sheets and it had already started to bead on his arms and neck again. The dirty pillow below his head was stained different shades of red and pink from the hair dye he was sweating off.

It was becoming painfully clear that Party wasn’t getting any better.

Kobra took a deep, almost suffocating breath. “Come on Gee, please don’t give up. I don’t know what I’d do if-”

The blonde Killjoy swung around in his chair as he heard someone step through the door, cutting off the strangled sigh he was about to make.

Jet came in carrying another bowl in one hand and some sheets thrown over the other. Kobra raised a brow at the older man.

Jet shrugged. “Brought some more water and sheets. They aren’t as clean as I’d like, but they’re better than the ones Party’s lying on now. It’s gonna get dark soon and the temperature will drop, so we don’t want him getting cold from all the sweat in the bed. We also need to get him to drink some of this water; the fever and sweating will have dehydrated him by now.”

Kobra nodded as he took the offered items from Jet and moved to the side of the room as the tall brunette carefully picked their leader up off the bed and held him carefully against his chest.

As Kobra began to change the sheets, Jet couldn’t seem to pull his gaze away from the man he held. The strong, brave, loving person that he had come to know so well over the years seemed very small and weak with his face in the crook of Jet’s shoulder and an arm hanging limply at his side. All the things that Party-no Gerard- had gone through in his life, alcohol and drug addiction, forming the band, his comics, marrying Lynds and then losing her and their daughter Bandit to BL/ind; and the man hadn’t once let his own emotions get in the way of taking care of others first.

They all had to go through it, losing their loved ones to the explosions and pills and false truths that BL/ind deals, but as each of them broke down into pain-filled sobs or slipped into mind numbing depression, Gerard had been with them, helping them through. And he hadn’t once stopped to take care of his own pain and turmoil, come to terms with the new world that they were forced to survive in.
Ray straightened his shoulders in determination. Now it was their turn to take care of their leader.

Jet carefully set Party down on the dry bed and sat behind him to keep Party’s upper body elevated against his left shoulder. He motioned for Kobra to pick up the new bowl of water.

“I want to get him to drink some of this, and then we’ll worry about changing his soiled bandages. We should also get him out of this shirt so it can dry out. Hold the bowl to his mouth and give him very small sips.”

Kobra nodded as he moved forward with the bowl and sat on the edge of the bed by Party’s right hip. As Jet held him up, Kobra tipped the bowl carefully and let a very small amount spill between Party’s chapped, parted lips.

Jet reached around and gently rubbed Party’s throat, causing the muscles to automatically swallow. He sighed in relief when the water didn’t come back up again and nodded to Kobra to do it again. They only got him to swallow one more small mouth full before Party began to sputter and choke it all back up again. Jet cursed loudly as he leaned his charge forward enough to rid him of the rest of the water. Once Party calmed down, they tried once more but with the same results.

Shaking his head in defeat, Jet motioned for Kobra to put the bowl down. “Help me with his shirt. He doesn’t need any help getting the sheets wet again.” He leaned Party forward slightly as Kobra carefully pulled each arm through the holes and lifted the shirt up. They both cringed at the site of the sweat-soaked bandaging that was a dark red in the center.

Jet stood and carefully laid Party down against the pillow, flipped over to show the drier, cleaner side of the fabric. He took another sheet and covered Party up to his shoulders.

“Not nearly as much as I wanted him to drink, but better than nothing I guess,” he sighed as he collapsed in the chair Kobra had been in for the past several hours, burying his large hands deep into his unruly hair, “Mikey, I have a very bad feeling about this man. I dunno if he’s gonna make it. He lost a good amount of blood, a lot of fluids. And we don’t have the medical supplies needed to treat him if he gets any worse.”

Kobra flinched at the use of his real name; nobody had called him that for a very long time other than Gerard before today. He couldn’t bring himself to look at his friend, choosing to watch the slightly unsteady rise and fall of his brother’s chest. Party’s breathing had started to become slightly wheezy and Kobra’s brow furrowed as he listened to the breaths hitch as if in pain every few inhales.

“He’ll make it Ray, you said so yourself. We can’t give up on him until we’ve tried absolutely everything we can think of.”

Jet nodded as he stood. “Sun’s going down, it’s gonna start getting colder pretty soon. I’ll set some water outside and see if we can cool it down and grab the last of the medical stuff so we can change the dressing. Make sure he stays covered up.”

As Jet walked out the door, he had to turn slightly and walk sideways as a short figure brushed by him into the room. Curly brown hair bounced wildly and dark eyes moved between the two brothers in concern as they drew closer.

Kobra looked up in time to see the small girl come to a stop in front of the bed, her hands clutched tightly around a can of Power Pup as she stared with wide eyes at Party. He reached over and grabbed the washcloth from the old bowl and dunked it into the one on his lap, wringing it out and running it along Party’s arms as he addressed her.

“Hey Grace. Where you been hiding out?”

She was quiet long enough that Kobra shifted his gaze to look at her. Her eyes didn’t seem to register the question at first but he watched as recognition flowed through her and she quickly snapped her gaze to him.

“I-I-I’ve been out in the diner. Dr D said I shouldn’t come in here much so I stay out of the way. Is h-he gonna be okay?”

Kobra hung his head for a few seconds, trying to decide how best to tell her that he wasn’t sure himself at this point. She was a great kid and looked up to all of them, but she and Party had a very close relationship. Grace would tell them about how she never had a father but would always wish that if she did that he was like Party, and Party in return treated her like the daughter that he tragically lost seven years earlier. He finally decided that after all they had been through as a group, she was mature enough and deserved to know the truth.

“We dunno yet Grace. Party’s hurt bad and it looks like he’s probably caught an infection. Jet is getting the rest of the medical gear so we can change the bandages again.”

Grace visibly cringed as she remembered what the ugly wound looked like underneath the cloth. She was pretty sure that Dr D hadn’t meant for her to see it, but Ghoul had asked her to bring the medical gear into the room while he went to wash the blood from his hands and clothes. She had started to cry when she saw the blood and the look of pain etched on Party’s face, but she stayed to help Dr D patch the wound.

Her hands wrung around the can she held for a few seconds before she remembered that it was there and handed it to Kobra. The blonde male looked at with in both confusion and disgust, but didn’t reach for it.

Grace huffed loudly and placed her empty hand on her hip, glaring at him. “Dr D said you need to eat. You’ve been in here all day and didn’t eat anything this morning for breakfast. He said that you can either eat this, or he will drag you out of here and force feed you a cactus from outside.”

“I think I’d rather take my chances with the cactus,” he mumbled quietly but took the can and grimaced as he took a small bite. It tasted like crap, but he knew that if he didn’t eat something, he’d only make himself sick and wouldn’t be of any help to Party Poison.

“On second thought, eating this will probably make me sicker than if I didn’t eat anything at all.” But one look at the irritated girl before him and he found himself shoveling another bite into his mouth, blanching and sticking his tongue out in disgust just to see her reaction.

Grace’s glare disappeared and she smiled. “Thank you Kobra. I don’t think that cactus would have been very good going down. (Kobra couldn’t help thinking about how much the Power Pup wouldn’t be very good going down or coming back up). Um, d-do you need any help with…”

Kobra smiled sadly, “You mind sitting with him a minute? I want to grab a drink to get this shit outta my mouth and see if Jet needs help.”

Grace immediately nodded as she moved to sit in the chair (either ignoring or not hearing the curse), her gaze now never leaving the prone form on the bed.

Kobra set the water bowl on the floor and stood, stretching his sore back. When he reached the doorframe, he turned and watched quietly for a few minutes. Grace didn’t move at first, but she slowly reached forward and moved a few stray strands of red hair from Poison’s face before kneeling on the floor and picking up the water bowl. She wrung out the towel and wiped it down his arms, chest and face just as she had seen Kobra doing.

The blonde Killjoy smiled as he watched the tender care and private moment before turning to leave the room. He went straight into the main part of the diner, where he found Fun Ghoul and Dr. Death Defying at the end of the bar talking quietly and Jet Star at one of the tables digging through their meager medical supplies.

Kobra grabbed a drink from behind the counter and sat on a stool beside Ghoul with a heavy sigh. Both men look up at him in slight surprise before Ghoul smiled.

“Sup bro? How ya holdin’ up?”

Kobra shrugged as he took a long drink, swishing it around to get the taste of Power Pup out of his mouth. He then started to push the can nervously across the table between his hands, eyes never leaving its path.

“I’m still here. He’s still here. Hopefully things stay that way.”

The other two could only nod in agreement and the group fell into silence. No one knew exactly what to say that wouldn’t make things seem worse.

After a few minutes, Jet walked over carrying a small roll of gauze and tape. He had a grim look on his face and couldn’t seem to meet Kobra’s eyes.

“All we have left that would do any good is this last bit of gauze. We don’t have any alcohol or antibiotics for the infection and the painkiller bottles are all empty. We’ll just have to try and clean off the wound with the water and wrap it back up for now.”

Kobra nodded sadly as he stood and followed Jet back to Party’s room. He started to worry about the thorough lack of life saving materials they needed and wondered if there was a way to get more from some of the other zone runners around the zones. Maybe he could get Dr. D to transmit something over the radio and see if someone would answer them.

He’d been so far into his thoughts that he didn’t notice as Jet came to a stop in the bedroom doorway, causing him to collide with the taller man’s back.

“What the hell man?”

“Sssshh.”

Kobra looked over Jet’s shoulder into the room and his posture seemed to slump slightly.

Party Poison was still lying on his back, chest rising and falling awkwardly as he took in ragged breaths. But the part that broke both of the conscious Killjoys’ hearts was Grace curled into a little ball on the far side of the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around Party’s left bicep and her head buried in his shoulder. They could see her shoulders trembling violently every now and then, but not a sound came from within the room, leading them to believe that she had fallen asleep while crying into his shoulder.

Jet and Kobra exchanged sad glances before walking quietly into the room. As they crouched next to the bed, Grace didn’t stir, confirming that she had fallen into a deep sleep.

“Think we should wake her? Is it a good idea to let her be that close to him?”

Jet ran a gentle hand through her hair before pulling part of the sheet over her small frame. “Let her sleep, she isn’t hurting anything. She’s been in the diner all day just staring at the door to this room. Worried herself into total exhaustion.”

He reached over and pulled back the sheet that covered Party Poison’s right side, revealing the bandaging just below his rib cage. Carefully peeling back the soiled cloth, the pair could tell that the wound hadn’t gotten any better. The skin surrounding the wound was an even darker shade of red than the last time they had looked and seemed to radiate heat. The wound itself had finally stopped bleeding for the time being, but now they could see a little bit of milky liquid covering it and the bandage.

Jet Star dropped his head and sighed. “The infection’s gotten worse. He’s gonna need antibiotics soon if we wanna have a chance at stopping it.” He grabbed the towel from the bowl and used it to carefully wipe the excess fluid from the wound and gently pat it as clean as he could. Kobra placed the gauze over the wound and held it in place as Jet taped it down securely, leaving one corner undone slightly.

“Is he okay?”

Both males looked up as Grace raised her head slightly to look over the prone form between them. She still had her hands wrapped tightly around his bicep and was curled up as close to him as she could get without being on top of him.

Jet nodded slowly. “He’s fine for right now Grace. You stay right there if you want. Help keep him warm once the temperature starts to fall.”

Grace nodded back and dropped her head again to rest carefully on her father figure’s shoulder. She sniffled quietly to herself and fell silent once again.

Kobra and Jet stood carefully, walking to the door to talk. “What do we do now?”

Jet shrugged. “I’ll go talk to Dr D. Maybe he can get on the radio and see if anyone has any supplies they are willing to give up. You gonna stay in here?”

Kobra immediately nodded, causing Jet to smile just slightly as he turned and walked from the room.

Kobra walked back to the chair and slumped down in defeat. They were now out of supplies and out of ideas; he had no clue what else they could do for his brother. All that was left was to pray that one of the other groups in the zones had something they could use to save his life.

~*~*~*~*

It happens in a matter of seconds and doesn’t everything?

One second and…

They point a ray gun to her head. Both of them. They’ve no need of women, much less a child.

A male child maybe, to be raised and molded by the company, though that idea has yet to be thought of.

They only need men.

His wife looks at him, eyes wide, sorry and sad, but burning with all the love in the world that makes his heart ache even more, if that’s even possible.

His daughter’s head is buried in her mother’s arms, Shh, baby, it’s gonna be all right. Count to seventeen and close your eyes. Tight. And when you open them, everything will be fine.”

He almost wishes that she would turn around and look at him, so that he could see her face one last time.

Two seconds and…

He stares in muted horror, he cannot look away. Determined, as if he can will the scene before him to rewrite itself less gruesome.

A lump forms in his throat and a deep weight sinks in his middle and he keeps looking forward. There is ice on his spine, rivers in his eyes.

And he is in pain. Physical pain. He’s not even forty and he’s having a heart attack. If only that were the case.

They release him then, whether sensing he’s done fighting or something else, he doesn’t know and doesn’t care to. Failing to rise on his unsteady legs, he crawls forward, shattered glass and stone digging into his palms.

Through the moist fog that has gathered in his vision, he manages to get near their fallen bodies. He doesn’t know how he can stand to be this close. He clutches at her lifeless hand, willing her fingers to close around his.

Please, please, please God please…praying the scene has undone itself, that his morbid mind has only played a cruel trick on his heart.

But the image before him remains the same. He touches her face then, softly, gently, feeling the cooling skin for what he knows but doesn’t want to believe is the last time.

He tries to tell himself they didn’t suffer. That a shot to the head made it painless, somehow better.

That unspoken plea in his mind tastes like lies.

The scene burns into the back of his eyes, branded there into his memory.

His lungs constrict as if his entire body is frozen in denial.

He allows his gaze to fall further, an emptiness settling over him.

Daddy! Daddy!

And then his throat finally allows him to release as he screams out his loss.

Loud, hoarse and broken and he knows that this mistake today will haunt him for as long as he lives.

~*~*~*~*

Kobra spent the next half hour deep in thought, trying to think of where some of the more permanently based Zone Runners were stationed and which ones he may be able to ask for help. Most groups didn’t stay still long, but there were a few that based in one area for as long as possible, until a drac attack forces them to leave (such as The Killjoys and their diner). During this time of day it wouldn’t be safe going toward Battery City, especially since it would require at least two of them to go, leaving only one person behind to protect Party, Grace and Dr D. He could only hope that Motorbaby and Show Pony got enough supplies soon enough to help.

He slumped further into his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and letting his chin drop with a sigh.

Sadly the only group he knew of for sure hadn’t moved since the last check-in, was on the edge of Zone 7, almost a three hour ride.

The blonde Killjoy was jerked from his thoughts by a quiet whimper from the bed. Party’s hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, despite the heavy trembling from head to foot.

Beside him, Grace was starting to stir, opening blurry eyes and looking at the trembling arm she held in confusion.

“Party? What’s wrong?”

The redhead doesn’t answer right away, his unsteady breathing broken up by tired moans and heavy wheezes.

“No, no give them back.”

Grace’s nose scrunched in confusion as she looked over to Kobra, his face was creased in confusion as well.

“Give who back Party?”

Party’s breathing sped up even more and his fists clenched against the bed. “Linds and Bandit. They took them.”

Kobra’s eyes widened in quiet fear; Party had never mentioned what happened to his family, only that they had been killed.

“Who took them Party?”

Party fell silent for a moment, broken only by strangled whimpers, before a whispered, “Korse”.

Kobra growled quietly to himself, thinking about just how much the bastard exterminator had taken from them all.

“Who are Linds and Bandit?”

Kobra almost jumped out of his chair, having forgotten that Grace was in the room. She kept looking between the two brothers with unhidden fear on her face.

“They’re Party’s wife and daughter. They were killed by Korse soon after the bombings. Bandit would have been about your age if she were here now.”

Grace’s brow furrowed in thought as she looked back down at Party. She was quiet for a few minutes before she looked back up again.

“He needs the cloth again.”

Kobra nodded and reached to the floor where the bowl and cloth sat, dipping the material and wringing it out slightly. As he was folding it back into a square, Grace thrust out her hand and clenched her fist a couple times, silently asking for it.

Kobra smiled sadly as he handed it to her, watching as she carefully ran the damp cloth first over Party’s forehead and face, then down his bare chest and arms.

Party’s shutters and murmurs continued for a little while before the soothing movements helped him fall silent and still.

Grace continued with the cloth until it was too warm to be of any help, handing it back to Kobra before lying back down again, wrapping her hands around his bicep once more.

Kobra dropped the cloth on the lip of the bowl before trying to make himself comfortable in the chair again. Once he was sure that Party had settled back to sleep, he let his mind wander again, thinking that’s he couldn’t risk waiting for Motorbaby; the camp on the edge of Zone 7 was looking like his only option now.

~*~*~*~*~

When he finally works up the courage to leave Party's side, the wounded man is delirious with fever and thrashing weakly in the bed, battling his inner demons with broken whimpers and angry rambling that pierces every one of their hearts and minds to the core.

Kobra Kid decides to take one the few working bikes they have behind the diner. He thinks it's faster than the Trans AM and speed is essential to his task.

Dr. D follows him out the door, a look of anger clearly visible on his face.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going? Party Poison, your brother, is lying in there and you’re going to leave? He could…leave us at any time, and you should be here with him to comfort him if that time comes.”

Kobra shoved away the thought and continued to fasten the carefully wrapped, medium sized object to the back of the motorcycle securely. He chose to ignore Dr D when asked what was under the cloth, instead answering an earlier question.

“I know there are other zone runners out west, near the edges of Zone 7. I’m going to see if they have anything we can use. I’m fucking tired of just watching as my brother’s life slowly slips away; if I can do something to help him, I will.”

Dr D crossed his arms, a look crossing his face that was both agreement and hesitation. “That’s all well and good Kobra, but I don’t think it’ll work. You four boys have the utmost support of every Zone Runner out here, but they ain’t gonna give away something as scarce and valuable as medicine. Ya gotta have something they’ll want in return.”

Kobra climbed onto the bike and kicked it to life, putting on his helmet, but keeping the “Good Luck” visor up. “That’s what I planned on.”

Dr D eyed the package on the back of the bike again as Kobra pulled away, unable to picture anything in the diner that size. All he could do was sigh.

“You better pray it’s enough Kid, and get back here fuckin’ quick.”

He turned and went back into the diner, heading toward the occupied bedroom in back.

~*~*~*~*

Kobra Kid rode for hours, flying through Zones 3-6 as if Hell itself was on his heels. He was just thankful for the late hour and the fact that Draculoids didn’t tend to scout the outer Zones this late, favoring the hotter parts of the day when they think the Zone Runners would be too hot and tired to fight back.

He finally made it to the outer part of Zone 7 around 2am, shutting off his bike and pushing it once he reached the camp. He didn’t get very far before he heard rustling in the area surrounding him, and he came to a stop, keeping his hands in plain view and his gaze straight ahead.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

Kobra Kid tried his best to keep from rolling his eyes, (‘someone watched way too much TV as a kid’), and raised his arms slightly as he called out.

“Kobra Kid. I need to talk to who’s in charge, it’s important.”

There was quiet, excited murmuring all around him and he heard his name mentioned more than a few times, but he remained still until a tall, dark haired male approached that had to be almost ten years younger than him.

“And to what do we owe the honor of the infamous Kobra Kid coming all the way out here? We just got the news that you all got caught by Korse a few days back.”

Kobra Kid nodded. “You heard partially right. Got caught in a fight on Route Guano, but got away. That’s what I’m here for, Party Poison was injured during the fight and we’re out of medical supplies. He was shot in the side and an infection has grown over the past day. We need antibiotics.”

The Leader fell silent for a moment, seeming to contemplate the request. Kobra Kid lowered his hands, nervously fingering the package behind him; he started to worry that he would be turned down without a second thought. The others around him continued to whisper back and forth, but now he could make out his brother’s name more than his own.

The Leader looked back to him with a slight frown on his face. “I’m sorry Kobra Kid, we would do anything for your troop, but we don’t have much supplies either; we can’t afford to just give it away for nothing.”

Kobra Kid closed his eyes and held his breath for a few seconds before turning around and untying the package from his bike. He held it almost lovingly before he started to unwrap the cloth.

“I know supplies are scarce and I wouldn’t expect you to give it up for nothing. This is the most valuable thing we have to offer.”

He pulled the cloth off to reveal his Fender Standard Bass. He had always taken care of it, and made sure that it looked perfect before bringing it out of the diner. His hands shook as he held it out, many different thoughts and feelings flying through his head as he offered up the last of his previous life. But a determined look spread across his face, his brother was worth it.

The Leader’s eyes were wide as he looked at the bass, seemingly mesmerized. He slowly reached out and took the neck, carefully pulling it toward him.

“No one has had something like this in a long time. You aren’t serious?”

Kobra Kid balled his hands into fists to hide the shaking and nodded his head.

“It’s the best I have to offer and we need the medicine. Will you please accept it?”

The Leader still looked unsure. He knew of Kobra Kid and his group’s lives before BL/ind took over and therefore knew how much this was physically hurting Kobra Kid to give up his bass. He ran his fingers briefly across the front of the body before looking back up at the Killjoy before him.

“It’s a deal. Toxic Sunshine is our current medic, she’ll help you with what you need.”

Kobra Kid smiled a little as he nodded his head. “Thanks a lot.” He then followed a small red haired female further into camp and into one of the buildings.
_ _ _ _

Fun Ghoul shifted uncomfortably in his chair, trying to find a position that would stop hurting his butt. How the hell did Kobra Kid sit in this chair all the time?

As soon as Kobra Kid left, Ghoul had taken over the watching Party Poison like a hawk, keeping track of every distressed movement and mumbled word.

Party’s mumbling came to an abrupt halt and he fell quiet for the first time in over an hour. The sudden silence was enough to throw Ghoul from his thoughts and look back up toward his best friend and leader.

Party was looking right at him and for the first time since he fell ill, his eyes seemed perfectly clear, taking everything in around him. It only took a second for them to shut tightly and he whimpered in pain.

Ghoul jumped from his seat and rushed to the bed, he reached out to touch the ailing male before him, but his hands stopped in midair, unsure where was safe to touch.

“Party? Are you okay?”

The redheaded Killjoy followed the quiet voice and their eyes locked. Ghoul gasped quietly as he saw just how clear Party’s eyes seemed for the first time in almost a full day.

“Ghoul? It hurts.”

“What hurts Party?”

Party continued to shift restlessly, his face scrunching up more as he aggravated his side.

“My back.”

Ghoul’s eyebrows furrowed as he thought of the list of injuries Party had sustained, and other than some slight bruising from the dragging, his back was mostly uninjured and therefore shouldn’t be causing so much pain. The only other answer he could think of was that Party had been lying flat for too long and was now feeling lower back pain from it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help ya.”

Moving quickly to the door, he stuck his head out and saw Grace playing with her robot across the room.

“Hey Girly, could you bring me the pillow from my room please?”

Grace immediately nodded and abandoned her toy on the floor, running full tilt from the room toward Ghoul’s bedroom.

Smiling slightly to himself, Ghoul made his way back to the bed, crouching on the ground next to the bed.

“Okay Party,” he carefully placed his hands on Party’s right shoulder and hip, “real slowly, we’re gonna turn onto your left side, ‘kay?”

Party nodded and moved excruciatingly slowly, breath hitching and gasping until he was lying on his left side.

“There ya go. I’m gonna help, just try to relax.”

Party’s shirt had been removed again during the hot afternoon, which made it easy for Ghoul to see that he was right in there being no wounds other than a few dark bruises.

Placing his finger as carefully as he could, Ghoul began to massage the achingly tense muscles in Party’s lower back. He avoided the bruises as much as possible, keeping his movements slow so he could be sure to stop at the first sign of discomfort.

“Is that helping any?”

Party was quiet for a few seconds before a quiet moan escaped his lips. “Yes, don’t stop please.”

Ghouls nodded, continuing the motion as Grace ran into the room, carrying Ghoul’s lumpy pillow.

“Where would you like it Ghoul? What’s it for?”

“We’re gonna put the pillow between Party’s knees. It’ll help take some of the pressure off of his back and help it stop hurting him. I used to do this all the time for Jamia when hurt back hurt.”

Grace looked slightly horrified at hearing that Party’s back was now hurting him, but she also couldn’t hide the slight look of confusion she had.

“How would a pillow under his knees help his back feel better?”

Ghoul smiled slightly as the little girl’s nose scrunched in her confusion. “It kinda hard to explain Girly, but even when he’s lying down, some of the joints and muscles in the legs are working with the ones in the back. If we get rid of the pressure in the knee muscles, it’ll help with the ones that are hurting in the back.”

Grace nodded with as much understanding as she could as she helped place the pillow once Ghoul slightly lifted Party’s right leg, his left hand still moving in small circles along the tight back muscles.

Party’s face almost immediately started to relax and his shoulders lost their tension as each of the sore muscles finally gave under the gentle treatment.

After a few silent moments, Ghoul leaned slightly forward so he could see Party’s face.

“How’s that now? Party?”

Party didn’t answer, having Finally fallen into a deep sleep, no signs of pain or the grueling nightmares anywhere along his body.

Grace watched him silently for a minute before raising her wide eyes to other conscious Killjoy.

“Did the pillow help? Is he better now?”

Ghoul smiled happily, still moving his fingers in lazy circles.

“Yeah lil motorbaby, he’s feeling better now.”

Grace gave a big grin as she turned back to Party again, faltering just slightly as she reached to grab the blanket bunched at his waist and pulling it up to his shoulders in front, mindful of Ghoul’s hands in back.

----

The blonde Killjoy returned to the diner just hours shy of dawn breaking over the horizon. He killed the engine and let the bike fall to the ground in front of the building, shouting that it’s only him so that no one would mistake him for a Draculoid.

He ran into the main room to find it empty save for Dr. Death, who intercepted him on the way to his brother's room. The older male’s face was no sadder than it was when Kobra left and he sighed in relief because it means Party is still alive.

“How’s he doin’?”

Dr. D shrugged. “No different than ya left him. Still yells out every few minutes and fever isn’t getting any lower. Were you able to get anything?”

Kobra nodded and shrugged his shoulder to emphasize the beat up drawstring bag he was carrying. When Dr D nodded, they both made their way to the back room.

Party Poison was on his side facing away from the door, asleep and shaking, muttering nothings into the air ripe with the smell of sickness. Grace had resumed her spot beside him at some point, no longer holding his arm, but still lying as close as she could.

Jet Star and Fun Ghoul brightened at his return and came closer as Kobra reached into the bag on his shoulder and pulled out two things; a dirtied, quarter-empty saline bag and a matchbox. Its contents barely shook against each other as he took it out, telling all present in the room that it was full.

Dr. Death Defying took the items and looked up at him, barely veiled surprise in his eyes.

"What the hell did you trade to get all these things?"

Kobra only smiled weakly, "Nothing’s more important than my brother.”

The group stared at him silently for a moment, trying to figure out what he could possibly have traded, but soon gave up in favor of using the items for their intended purpose.

Jet took the saline bag, looking deep in thought. His head suddenly snapped up and he started out the door. “I have some tubing and know what we can use for a needle. Be right back.”

Ghoul turned back to the bed and seemed to take a deep breath before walking forward. He laid a hand on Grace’s shoulder and she immediately looked at him, tear tracks running down her dirty cheeks.

“Hey Girly, we have some stuff to help make Party better, you should probably get off the bed for a little bit.”

Grace’s eyes became large and filled with unshed tears. She wiped her nose on her shirt sleeve and looked between Party and Ghoul.

“Will I be able to come back when you’re done?”

Ghoul’s fragile smile started to fall as he watched the tired, upset little girl. He knew she didn’t want to leave and he didn’t blame her.

“We’ll see after we give him the medicine. You can stay in the room, just not on the bed right now. Okay?”

Grace nodded as Ghoul helped lift her over Party’s prone form and off the bed. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she ran for the chair and moved it to the corner of the room. She sat down and pulled her legs to her chest, hiding her face in her knees until all that was visible were her eyes and wild mop of hair.

Ghoul turned Party flat on his back and removed the pillow from between his knees as he pulled the blankets down to his waist.

Jet came back into the room, carrying his makeshift IV. He set it down on the table and turned back to Kobra.

“Let’s give him the pill first; hopefully he won’t fight back too much and pull out the IV when we’re done.”

Ghoul eyed the IV setup in distaste, “You know he ain’t gonna like it when he wakes up and finds a needle in his arm. And don’t be blaming me when it happens because I will be laughing hysterically while he kills you.”

Jet and Kobra rolled their eyes as they moved forward, Jet sitting the ill man up against his shoulder. “Party? Hey man, can you wake up for a minute? We need you to take this.”

Party stayed silent for a moment, before his head started to move slowly side to side. He began muttering again, too quiet for the others to understand.

Kobra sat on the bed by Party’s right hip, putting a hand on each side of his brother’s head to stop the movement.

“Gerard? Can you hear me? It’s Mikey.”

Party’s muttering slowly died away and he partially opened his eyes, looking at his brother with exhausted, pain-filled eyes. His dry, chapped lips tried to form words, but nothing would come out.

Kobra gave a small smile. “Hey bro, I need you to take this pill. It’ll make you feel better.”

Party continued to stare blankly ahead for a moment, but as soon as Kobra moved forward to give him the small blue pill, he seemed to come to life. He began to thrash wildly and try to pull out of Jet’s hold, causing the curly haired male to hold on tighter. Party fought harder as the grip around him tightened.

“Gerard! Stop, it’s us. We just want to help you!”

Ghoul jumped onto the bed and grabbed Party’s thrashing legs and held them to the bed.

Kobra took one of the pills and forced Party’s mouth open, dropping it in as well as a little water from the bowl on the table.
Party started to choke slightly on the water, liquid spilling down his chin, but almost immediately after the water hit his parched throat, he calmed down and swallowed repeatedly. Kobra tipped the bowl to his brother’s mouth again and watched with relief as Party gulped the water as quickly as he could.

“No more right now Bro. We’ll give ya more in a bit.”

The redhead’s breathing was fast and shallow as Jet laid him back on the pillow, his head immediately starting to toss side to side again. His hands grabbed at the sheets and balled them up tightly between his fists.

The conscious Killjoys didn’t know what to do to calm their leader down, until Grace suddenly appeared by the bed. She took his hand closest to her and held it between both of her own.

“Party? It’s me, can you hear me?”

Party’s head snapped toward the voice and his half open eyes tried to focus. After a moment he seemed to relax and a small smile came to his face.

“Bandit? Bandit honey, I’m so sorry.”

The room fell into silence at the heart felt cry, but Grace surprised them again as she said in a quiet, but strong voice.

“Don’t be sorry Daddy.”

Party gave a stangled sob. “I let them hurt you. I let them take you away. I miss you both so much.”

“I miss you too Daddy, but I’m with Mommy, and we’re both okay now. You need to sleep and feel better so you can see your friends.”

Party stretched his free hand over his body and softly touched Grace’s cheek, his smile faltering.

“I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t save you and now you’re gone forever.”

“No I’m not Daddy, I’m right here. And you’ll see me and Mommy again when it’s time.”

Party’s eyes filled with tears and a quiet sob slipped passed his lips.

“I love you Baby.”

“Love you too Daddy.”

Party’s eyes closed and his hand went limp as his exhausted body let go, falling back into a deep sleep. His breathing slowly steadied to an almost normal pace and the pain lines on his face smoothed out to an almost peaceful look.

Kobra moved him onto his back again as Jet grabbed the IV. Kneeling at the foot of the bed, he rested an elbow for balance by Party’s side and carefully placed the needle into his friend’s left forearm. The unconscious man didn’t even flinch.

Jet stood back up and looked around the room near him. “We need to hang the saline bag so it’ll drip down.”

Ghoul looked around and saw a rusty, bent nail sticking out of the wall by Jet’s head. He then noticed a coat hanger lying across the room. One could almost see the light bulb turn on in Ghoul’s head as he grabbed the hanger. Walking over to Jet, he took the saline bag and put the handle part of the hanger through the slit at the top of the bag so it rested on the neck of the hanger. He then took it and hung the looped handle over the nail and smiled in satisfaction, admiring his work.

Kobra and Jet looked from the hanger to each other and back before they shrugged.

“Guess that’ll work,” Jet said before bending down and replacing the blankets over Party’s chest again, pulling the arm with the IV out and
laying it on top.

Ghoul smiled proudly and puffed out his chest. "You know it'll work! I'm a fuckin' genius!"

Everyone in the room rolled their eyes and chose to ignore him.

When everything was in its place and nothing else could be done, the group all slumped in exhaustion. Grace yawned and went to climb back on the bed, but stopped and looked at Kobra. When the blonde gave a short nod and small smile, the little girl climbed up and took her spot next to Party, taking his bicep between her hands (ever mindful of the IV) and buried her face in his shoulder. She was asleep within seconds.

One by one Dr D, Jet Star and Fun Ghoul left the room to get some sleep, the later clapping his hand on Kobra Kid’s shoulder as he walked by. Kobra smiled as he dragged the chair back to the bed and sank in with an exhausted sigh. All he wanted to do was fall into his bed and not get up for the next year, but he refused to leave the room until he was sure his brother would be all right.

As tired as he was, he soon found himself wishing that he could just pull out his bass and lose himself in his music, but he knew that that would no longer be an option. But one look at the figure sleeping on the bed and he remembered that it was all worth it.

Slumping back into the chair, Kobra crossed his arms over his chest and crossed his ankles on the edge of the bed. Tilting his head toward his chest, he let out a slow breath and tried to relax, knowing it would be awhile before his brother’s next dose, but not daring to sleep in case something went wrong.

~*~*~

The next day passed by slowly with little improvement. Kobra would run the warm, wet towel along the redhead’s skin and Jet would help him every few hours with the antibiotic. Grace would rarely leave her spot on the bed and Ghoul took over the watch whenever he could pry Kobra away (which wasn’t very often, but Ghoul would stay in the room anyway).

During the night, Motorbaby and Show Pony finally returned with more saline bags and other items to stock the Killjoys’ duffel bag. They stayed just long enough to be assured of Party’s health and safety, before having to return to Zone 2.

When midday rolled around on the third day they're all exhausted. Everyone had holed up in their rooms and fell into deep sleeps, Kobra could swear he heard Ghoul snoring from across the building. Jet, the ever diligent medic of the group, came in once looking beyond ragged and checked Party’s forehead. He nodded when he felt the cool skin and pulled the blanket up a bit higher. He then turned to leave, giving Kobra a pat on the shoulder and trudged back to his room to sleep some more.

Kobra couldn’t blame him, the past few days had taken a toll on everyone, physically and emotionally.

He leaned forward and felt Party’s skin for himself, sighing when he felt it to be much cooler than it had been earlier. Crossing his arms on the bed, he laid his head down and rested his exhausted body.

A couple hours later, almost twelve hours after his fever had broken, Party still hadn’t woken up. And the worry was starting to eat at Kobra. After all they had gone through, he couldn’t help but think that it had all been for nothing and he would still lose his brother.

Grace had reluctantly left the room a few hours earlier when Jet came in and told her she needed to eat.

Kobra was hunched over in the seat with his elbows on his knees and his face buried in his palms. He was just starting to lose any hope when he felt a set of shaky fingers touch his knee.

His head immediately shot up and his eyes met the green-brown irises of his brother.

"Mikey?"

The name was grated out harshly and Kobra Kid couldn’t help but laugh with happiness. He laughed so hard there were tears in his eyes and he leaned over the bed and just held onto his brother. Party tried to raise his arms up to return the hug, but didn’t get further than a couple inches before dropping back to the bed again.

“Fuck Gerard, you scared the shit outta me. Don’t do this again.”

“Sorry.”

Fun Ghoul was standing right behind Kobra, a silly smile on his face as he punched Jet Star in the arm.

"We should go tell Dr. D."

Jet Star understood that Fun Ghoul wanted to give the brothers some privacy and immediately followed the shorter man out the door, intending to tell the news to Grace.

Party watched them leave with a slow turn of the head, everything seeming to blur and misshape before his eyes. He blinked a few times and turned his head toward his left arm, seeing a tube coming from somewhere above him and disappearing into his forearm. He started to become slightly dizzy and had to swallow a few times before he could find his voice.

"Um…Kobra…why is there a needle in my arm?"

Kobra Kid remembered how frightened Party was of needles and he threw the bed sheet over the arm, trying to hide it from view.

"Just don't look at it Party. You needed some fluids."

Now lucid, Party looked up at the coat hanger, supported precariously by a bent nail on the wall, holding the saline bag. His head turned to the upturned box that functioned as a bedside table and he saw the matchbox and a couple of the small blue pills. Party's brain is still sluggish, but it didn't take him long to put two and two together.

"We didn't have any meds... Where'd Dr. D get them?"

Kobra’s eyes widened slightly, but he tried to hide it by straightening out the blankets and feeling Party’s forehead again.

"Does it matter?"

Party lay back down, clearly trying to ward off the weariness but his eyes were starting to flutter closed. He fell silent but became slightly restless after a few minutes.

"Hey Mikey…how's 'bout you play me som'thing with your bass?"

Kobra smiled at him, "I'm pretty tired Party. How about you go to sleep and I'll bring it out later 'kay?"

Party nodded at his brother and settled back on the pillow. He heard quiet rustling over his head and soon felt the bed dip down slightly by his hip. Barely opening his eyes showed his brother holding a bowl in one hand and something cupped in the other.

“Hey bro, I need ya to take this pill before going to sleep. It’s an antibiotic and will help with the infection.”

Party barely nodded as he tries to lift himself up onto his elbows, but his arms immediately start to shake under the weight. Just as he was about to fall back to the bed, he felt a strong arm reach around and steady him at the shoulders, helping him up.

Kobra held up the small pill and put it in Party’s mouth before holding the bowl to his brother’s lips. The first sip was small and tentative but he was soon taking large, quick gulps as he realized how thirsty he really was. Kobra took the bowl away and helped Party back down.

“That’s enough for now. The last thing I wanna do right now is clean up your puke.”

Party tried to give him an annoyed face and Kobra could see the beginnings of a middle finger being raised before Party was asleep again.

Kobra got up and went outside, closing the door behind him as quietly as possible.

Dr. Death Defying was waiting for him, a look of relief and slight reprimand on his face.

"How long do you reckon till he figures it out?"

Kobra didn’t need an explanation.

"I don't know. I'll tell him eventually."

"You loved that bass, Kobra."

"Not more than I love my brother."

Dr. D settled further into his chair, crossing his arms with a slight nod. "That man in there has a way of earning love and loyalty."

"That's why it's important he stays alive."

Dr. Death Defying shook his head, "It's why it's important you all stay alive. It's not something to be explained easily or taken lightly, what you all share… And you don't have to be humble 'bout what you did, you know."

Kobra Kid grinned widely, the last days had worked his nerves to the breaking point and he needed, needed, to lighten the situation, needed for everything to return to how it was before Party got sick, "Who said anything about being humble? As soon as Party is up and running, I'm laying claim to his pack of cigarettes and that coffee stash he thinks no one knows about."

Dr. Death could see right through him, could see plainly that if Party ever died, he'll take a piece of his brothers' heart with him. It scared him and he wanted to say something to Kobra Kid but Fun Ghoul and Jet Star walked in at that moment.

"PARTY HAS A SECRET STASH OF COFFEE?!"

And Dr. Death and Kobra Kid laughed because it’s about damn time that some things got back to normal. Kobra shook his head and walked toward his bedroom.

“I’m goin’ to sleep. None of ya fuckers bug me.”

Fun Ghoul spun around and was instantly following him, yelling as he tried to catch up.

“Oh no you don’t! You mentioned coffee and you sure as fuck ain’t gettin’ away until ya tell me where it is! Michael James Way get your ass back here!”

“Make me!”

Jet Star and Dr D traded glances, shrugs that clearly said ‘do you know them? I don’t know them.’ and moved to sit at the booth across the room where Grace was fiddling with her radio.

~*~*~

Hours later, the diner was completely silent, Fun Ghoul being the only one in the main room.

He was sprawled out across a booth, counting the tiles in the ceiling for the twenty-seventh time. He didn’t even hear the heavy clunking boots drawing near until he was kicked hard in the shin.

“Ow! Mother fucker! What was that for?!”

The soft chuckle caused his head to snap up and come face to face with Party Poison; he was still pale and seemed slightly winded from the walk from his room, but he had his arms crossed over his chest and was smirking at the younger male.

“Cuz you’re a lazy ass who doesn’t pay attention to anything around him. Where are the others?”

Ghoul dropped his head back down to the booth and shrugged his shoulders.

“Jet went out to meet one of his contacts, took the squirt with him, and Kobra and Dr. D are asleep. Why?”

Party’s smirk became a little wider as he threw something onto Ghoul’s chest, freaking out the dark haired Killjoy. “We’re going for a ride.” And he started toward the door with steady, confident steps.

Ghoul looked down and found his Frankenstein’s Monster mask now in his lap. He looked up at Party.

“You spose to be outta bed?”

Party’s voice drifted back as he shoved the door and walked out.

“Do I give a fuck?”

Ghoul shrugged again and heaved himself up from the booth to follow his leader out to the Trans Am.

~*~*~

Sunset found Party sitting outside next to the door of the diner, his back pressed against the wall. His head was tilted back and his eyes closed, absorbing as much of the setting sun’s heat as he could before the chill of the desert night rolled in. He’d been held up in his room for days and was starting to go stir crazy until he had been able to sneak out with Ghoul earlier, and now he was just trying to relax in the quiet surroundings.

He barely heard the door open and shut before another body crouched down and sat beside him. A deep, content sigh quickly told him that it was his younger brother without having to open his eyes.

“Jet’s gonna kill ya if he finds out you’re out here.”

Party shrugged his shoulders, still refusing to lower his head.

“You guys worked too hard to keep me alive. He ain’t gonna kill me now. You gonna rat on me?”

Kobra shrugged as well, his eyes hidden behind his dark glasses.

“Nah, not yet. But if he corners me and makes me confess, I’m saying you held me at gunpoint.”

Party chuckled quietly before the two fell into a companionable silence that stretched for almost five minutes before the redheaded brother spoke again.

“You know Bandit would be Grace’s age right now.” Kobra actually did know that little fact, but didn’t say anything as Party continued. “You’re gonna think I’m a total fuckin’ asshole for sayin’ this, but as much as I miss them, I can’t help but be thankful that Lindsey and Bandit never had to be a part of this Hell. Never had to see me like this.”

Kobra turned his head to look at Party full on, his mouth in a thin line. “And how is that? As a hero, out to rid the world of all the bland, and dull and heartless that it has fallen under?”

Party gave an irritated grunt, finally turning his head down to look at the ground. “I ain’t a hero. I’m a cold blooded killer. The girls don’t ever need to see that.”

Kobra’s eyes widened and he balled his fists tightly to keep from punching his still healing brother. “You’re not like that Party. You haven’t killed anyone. Those Dracs we shoot every day? They’re not human; they had everything that made them human sucked out of them by those fuckin’ pills and lies, leaving nothing left but an empty carcass that can do nothing but follow orders. They’re robots Gerard, nothing more. And if you won’t believe me on that, then Frank, Ray and I are just as guilty as you with all the ones we’ve killed too.”

Party shook his head; as much as he wanted to blame himself for all the pain he has caused others, he couldn’t let Mikey and the others believe that of themselves. He was the leader, they all looked up to him. And if that means keeping certain demons to himself to keep his friends from worrying, he’d keep his mouth shut.

“I’m sorry Mikes, I’m just tired. Too many thoughts going through my head the past couple days.”

Kobra nodded with a smirk. “Yeah, surprised it didn’t explode.”

Party glared at him from the corner of his eye and tried half heartedly to punch him in the side, but when Kobra shifted out of the way he just had to settle for flipping him a middle finger.

“So where’d ya go earlier?”

Party’s eyebrow raised in question as he looked over at Kobra again, causing the younger to smirk and shrug.

“Don’t play stupid. I saw you leave earlier with Ghoul. So where’d ya go?”

Party continued to stare for a moment before his shoulder slumped slightly. “You didn’t have to do it ya know.”

Now it was Kobra’s turn to raise an eyebrow and stare at his brother in confusion. He set his sunglasses on the top of his head as the last of the setting sun disappeared, “What the fuck are ya going on about now? What didn’t I have to do?”

In lieu of an answer Party stood and went to the Trans Am, opening the door and pulling out a familiar looking medium sized package.

Kobra’s shoulders tensed and his eyes widened as Party made his way back with the package in both hands. He wanted to believe he knew what it was, but he also was afraid of the disappointment he’d feel when it wasn’t.

The automatic light they had rigged up above the door turned on and bathed Kobra in a bright yellow circle as his brother drew nearer.

Party knelt in front of Kobra, carefully placing the box on the younger’s out stretched legs. He rested his hands on top of it and looked at the blonde until he slowly raised his eyes and the two met.

“You don’t need to give up your things Mikey, especially the things that you love.”

Kobra’s gaze immediately turned hard. “And I love you Gerard, so that means I shouldn’t have to give you up. You’re more important to me than anything else.”

Party fell back on his heels and stared at Kobra with mixed emotions before launching himself forward and pulling the blond into a fierce embrace.

Kobra held on just as tight as Party’s shoulder started to shudder slightly. “You’re important Party, don’t ever forget that.”

The two held onto each other for a while, desperately needing the touch to know that the other was still there. After a few minutes, they felt two other sets of arms wrap around them as Fun Ghoul and Jet Star knelt next to them.

“Glad to have ya back man,” Jet Star’s voice came from Party’s right, an arm wrapped around each of the brothers.

“Yeah,” Ghoul added, “You’re too fuckin’ high maintenance. Start taking care of yourself again.”

Party tried to laugh but it came out as a sort of hiccupped sob as he smiled and shoved his left shoulder against Ghoul’s chest where he was wrapped in the embrace.

“How about you be the one who gets shot next time, see how you feel afterward.”

Ghoul’s smile got bigger as he shoved back gently. “Nah, that’s all right. I could live without going through that…literally.”

“Yeah yeah,” Jet broke in, standing up and holding out a hand to each of the brothers before him, “Let’s go inside. It’s getting fuckin’ cold out here, and some idiot that is still sick ain’t wearin’ his jacket.”

Ghoul took the case from Kobra’s lap as Party and Kobra each took a hand to let Jet pull them to their feet.

Dr. Death Defying was sat just inside the doorway as the four Fabulous Killjoys returned inside. The group could easily see what the older male wanted, so Ghoul, Kobra and Jet continued further into the room as Party came to a stop.

Dr D’s eyebrow rose slightly as he took in Party’s disheveled appearance and tear-streaked face, but he didn’t comment, choosing to stay silent until the other male sighed quietly and gave a shaky smile.

“I’m fine Dr. D, just tired.”

The radio pirate scoffed. “Yeah, that’ll happen when a previously deathly ill idiot decides to go gallivanting out in the zones so soon. I hope your little trip was worth it.”

Party smiled tiredly at the knowing smirk before him. “Yeah, it was worth everything. Nothing’s more important than my brother.”

Dr. D nodded before looking thoughtfully across the room where the others sat next to the case that Ghoul had carried in. ‘I’ve heard that one before.’ “So what did you trade to get his bass back?”

Party gave a sheepish grin and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. “Well-”

“Hey Party!” Ghoul cut in, waving frantically from his position across the room as if he wouldn’t be noticed, “What the fuck is this I’ve heard about a secret stash of cigs and coffee man? You seriously holding out on us?”

Party’s grin somehow became even more embarrassed as he gave a hesitant chuckle. “Um yeah, about that…”