Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Party had called all of the killjoys into the main room of the diner for a pretty important meeting, calling everyone over with control and certain seriousness. Rocket could care less though.

She slouched on the couch because it had always been clear Party wouldn't let them do anything anyway except for stupid target practice on stupid makeshift dummies. Again. And again. At least nothing that actually makes a difference.

Everyone listened attentively to the plan set by Party while they pointed at different areas of the map on the table. There was a trade of resources about to go down with some potentially dangerous people. Rocket saw this as an opportunity to prove themself to them.

"Can I help?"

"Red, you know the answer." They sighed, not wanting to waste their words.

Party never let her do anything when it came to deals or the ‘real world’, as they called it. It was totally unfair. Rocket was trained enough for it. She knows how to handle their way around a fight but Party wasn't going to let it happen.

"I know, but I'm much better now. I can handle myself. I can't just sit around and do target practice all the time."

They knew she was right but they just didn't wanna admit it. Across the room, Jet Star looked at Party with a persuasive shine in his eyes. He didn't say anything but you could tell he wanted to convince them because he silently agreed with Rocket.

Party looked at Jet for a moment and then Red and sighed. "Fine... but you better stay in the car. We could use you as a back up"

Party could never say no to Jet.

After their blessing, Rocket went off on her feet and went to her room. They grabbed their raygun, their leather jacket and the walkie and set off. It was just Party, Ghoul and her for now. Other backup would arrive when and if needed anyway. The traders may be dangerous but trust is necessary after all.

The three of them got to an abandoned looking gas station that smelled kind of like a strange mix of gasoline and triple A batteries. It was an almost unexplainable scent that was kind of waxy maybe.

"Hey, switch seats and wait here. Don't leave or go anywhere unless you see the signal, okay?" Party told Red to which they responded with a “uh huhhh” in a low cadence, bored.

"This is serious, Red. Understood?"

"Yeah yeah... got it. I'll stay right here."

Party nodded at Rocket, then both Ghoul and them exited the trans am and entered the gas station, not looking back. Now all that was left to do was wait. Rocket turned on the radio to pass some time and found a piece of string to play with as she propped up her legs on the dashboard with a sigh and stared into the desolate desert. The wind blew so much sand it was hard to see the gas station.

After about 10 minutes, they felt something on the back of their head. Something that felt quite like the barrel of a gun.

"Look, I don't want any trouble. Just empty your pockets." said the voice. It sounded like someone a bit older than Rocket but they were also way less experienced. She could tell as their hands were shaking and they didn't have a proper grip on their gun.

But Rocket knew to comply. She raised her hands. "And what would you use it for?"

"That doesn't matter. Empty them now." The voice said louder, trying to sound tough while pushing the gun harder into the back of Rocket's head with a quick thrust.

"Okay, let's calm down now.” They said loudly, but with caution. “We don't want to get hurt. But I will warn you..." Red reached into her pockets "...I only have a button and some dust bunnies in my pants." They said as they pulled it out for the stranger to view, hand behind their head.

The lazergun fell from their head as the voice sighed.

"So are you gonna tell me who you are or...?" Rocket continued.

"My name is Demi Virginia" She said as she revealed herself by walking into Red's view, putting her gun away.

Clearly, this Demi person was new. Rocket had never heard such a name before. Especially in the zones, it was a foreign name for sure. 

"I'm Red 'Raygun'" They responded nonetheless.

Coming to think of it, Demi did not look like your regular killjoy either. She looked like a very regular girl: Blue eyes, dark brown hair and even darker skin. Whatever it was Rocket needed to sort this out quick because Party wouldn't be too happy about the situation. It could be their way of showing how they kept everything in control too, maybe.

Either way, Red already knew that Party was going to be pissed if they found out. Risk had always scared Poison but not Rocket, she can finally show that she's not scared. She was never scared, at least she thought so.

"Who do you belong to?" Rocket speaks up, cautiously. If this was a stranger, there was no means to be nice. Especially if they belonged to someone who's trying to raid them right now.

"What do you mean 'who do I belong to’? What am I, a rag doll?” Virginia spat back, cutting cold ice with the heat.

Rocket lets out a sigh of annoyance. This was gonna be so much harder than she thought if she was gonna act all smart. Whatever it was, they needed to get some info now.

"Don't tell me you're a loner or something, Ratt Bat." They mumble under their breath, clearly done with their shit. Loners don't last a week in this land. It was clear she was just dead meat.

Demi revealed an offended look for a second but quickly recovers. "Ratt Bat? Call me that again"

"Destroya, just tell me what zone you're from. Make it easier on the both of us." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm from Battery City."

"You ran away? You surpassed the scarecrows? Yeah right." Red said in an amused chuckle. It had been a while since anyone ran away from Bat City…. Before her.

"Do you think I can't outrun the scarecrows?" Virginia raised an eyebrow in offense as the wind blew the sand by her, making her almost disappear for a second.

"You can't even grip your gun right. Please, you can go now."

"Look. I don't care about you, I just really need to get back to my City." She said with a shining spark of genuine-ness in her eyes, it was more than enough to convince a puppy dog. 

This lowered Red's guard. She hated this feeling. They felt so vulnerable. Absolutely not, weakness isn't tolerated. But then again... those big eyes, they could convince anyone.

Red sighed and looked down. "Why would you want to do that?"

From what Red had heard, Battery City is a place where brainwashed people live. And BL/Ind is the cruel organization that makes it happen. Families are torn apart, lives are lost. Autonomy is lost. They live their lives and they don't even know it. Who would want to get back to that? You can actually think for yourself here. Besides, getting out was hard enough, getting back in is suicide.

"I don't know! I just. They're waiting for me. I miss them. I have to get back to them." She started to tear up a little.

"Who? Who's waiting for you?"

"My family, Red. Do you have a family?" She got closer now and took Rocket's hands. "I- They were going to take me away"

At this point Rocket had no idea what to do. They couldn't help this random chick who just tried to mug them, whoever she is anyway. Red was getting emotional, but they had to keep it together.

"Why do you even wanna go back? That place is evil anyway. BL/ind is evil."

"Because" She paused. "Everything I ever loved is still back there. I need to get back" She actually broke down now, tears flowing from her eyes.

"I'm afraid though... even if you go back they're gonna kill you for escaping anyway. It's not worth it. Or they'll probably re educate everyone you know and love to forget you even existed until you all overdose on battery acid." Red didn't want to add the fact they'd replace your family with a new one but at least you couldn't feel the mental turmoil right? Demi had gone through enough but it came out a bit harsher and more direct than she'd hope but it was the truth.

Maybe it was too direct? The thought just hit Red over like a stick. They felt really guilty now. But she had to tell her somehow.

"Look, I don't care. I just need to get back there." Demi said, repositioning her stance with hesitancy.

"I'm not the one to help you, girl. I'm sorry." Rocket gave a slight shrug and wanted to move back to the car.

"Please. I'll do anything, I swear.” Desperacy ached in her tone. “Just help me with this. Please." She looks way too persuasive. How is it even possible to make a face that just screams sad puppy?

"Fine. Meet me at Zone 3 tomorrow." This was a horrible decision. Red knew it. But it felt like they had no other choice. Something in them felt like they had to help. Even if Virginia was crazy for wanting to go back, killjoys help other... Batt Rats.

After a while Party and Ghoul came out with some ration. Food like cereal, power pup, some spare batteries, other doodads they use to fix the Trans am and some important medical supplies. Overall, a pretty good haul.

"Hope you didn't miss us too much." Poison said jokingly. They packed everything up in the dickey and headed off back to Zone 4.

How was Rocket going to ask for the Trans am? What reason could they possibly make up?

"You okay, kid? What's on your mind?" Party cleared their throat.

"Uh, yeah. Everything is fine... No worries." They nodded their head while avoiding any sort of eye contact.

"You sure?"

Oh how much Rocket hated the grilling. Lying killed them. Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. They were surrounded by it.

"Okay then. So... what'd you do when we were gone?"

"Nothing, just hung around and listened to the radio."

Fun Ghoul spoke up. "Who were you talking to back there?"

I guess lying wouldn't change a thing. They knew already. It made Rocket tense up almost immediately and prepare for what was about to happen. How would they even start to explain what happened? I mean, they could tell Party but the chances of them actually letting them help that girl are so low. They weren't ready for a mission, especially this dangerous, right now.

"No one, just someone I met"

"With a gun to your head?" He burped, shoving in more gold fishes into his mouth. "Sounds like a tight friendship"

"Oh that's? We were just- just messing around really, its nothing" Red tried to reason and act like it was ridiculous not so naturally.

"What's really going on?" Party finally spoke up

Red sighed. "Fine. This girl came up to me, a Batt Rat and wanted to go back to the City" They couldn't lie to Party, it was useless even if she tried. And, believe it or not, this was them trying to lie. Yikes.

“And?" Ghoul playfully butted in.

“And… well she asked me to help her go back.” Red said sheepishly.

“You aren't going. I'm not risking a thing with you." She was immediately shut down by Party, who had a darker look in their eyes now.

"But-"

"Nah"

"But-"

"Red just take no for an answer. For once." They said as they stopped themself from lightly hitting the wheel.

The rest of the ride was fairly silent as they made their way back to Zone 4. With occasional deep breaths from Party in the first half of the ride and noises of technical stuff from Ghoul in the back seat. He was already trying to figure something out with his new gadget.

When they got back, Rocket just went back to their room with a thud and no other talk.

Absolutely no way she was gonna let Party get their way again. It feels like a waste of time, just staying in and undergoing training.

They always felt like they were under this overwhelming weight led on by Party's shadow. But never again. Not again. Not this time. Rocket now vowed to herself.

Jet, who's reading a comic and Kobra who's downing a can of power pup for dinner jolted up from shock when Rocket slammed the door to her room.

"What the hell was that?" Kobra speaks up from the dining table, muffled mid-chew.

"Long story. Just don't worry about it, Kobe." Party responds with a sigh and sits down next to Jet on the couch.

He gives them a gentle look of understanding. Looks that say nothing but speak a thousand words. Eyes that you just couldn't say no to and a smirk oh-so sweet.

"She… she wants to go to Zone 4. To help this girl get back to Bat City." Party looked down and sighed in concern.

"Let her go." Jet said calmly, putting his hand comfortably on Poison's back.

"But they could die. You know how dangerous it is to get out of Battery City, let alone get back in-"

"I know. I know. Let her go. It's okay. You have walkies. She has the Trans am. She has practice." Star looked to the right and paused for a second.

"That kid has you. I think she'll be okay." He said reassuringly, patting his hand on their shoulder gently with purity in his eyes.

"If something does happen you know I'll never forgive myself. I still can't forgive myself for what happened." They nodded their head in distress, almost glassy-eyed but keeping it together.

"Just talk to them. Maybe things will be different this time." Jet cuddled up closer to Party.

"How are you so sure about everything all the time?"

"Because, Party... I trust her. I know she'll be okay. I know you've put enough work into her."

Poison let out a dry chuckle "You're right about that now."

"So?" Jet moves back and looks up at Party with a persuasive look from his reclined position on the sofa, waiting for an answer.

"Right. Fine. I'm gonna talk to her." They say in a lighthearted defeat, getting up and walking towards Red's door.

"Kid?" Party knocks on the door, politely.

"What do you want?"

"Can I come in? I just wanna talk okay?" They peek in through the door a little.

"I don't think I want to talk right now."

A faint "Are you mad at me?" came out of Party's mouth. The way they said it kind of broke Rocket's heart. They felt like a disappointment again. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Was it really their fault for being this way? It seems like they keep running like a hamster on a wheel that they didn't know was turning by itself. It's just a tiring cycle.

"Look... I just wanna tell you that you can go." Party looked down and sighed.

A tiny "What?" was all that Red could muster up. "You mean it? I can actually go?" They were trying not to seem too excited but it felt like those past worries didn't bother her anymore.

"Now, don't get too excited. I want the trans am back in one piece. And keep your walkie with you at all times." As much as Party hated to say it, deep inside they knew Jet was right.

"You'll never regret it. I promise you."

"I know I won't. I'm counting on the fact that you won't make me regret my decision." Party left with that, closing the door on his rather silent exit. It was done now. Rocket would be going on her own way to Zone 3.

Chapter Text

Red walked through the open door into Party's room, they were lying on the ground. They did that sometimes, getting old and tired was catching up with them. There was a hushed silence throughout the room as neither of them said a thing and Rocket lied down next to them. It was like something they did together, especially when she was younger.

"Party?" Raygun asked quietly after basking in the moment for a while. It met them with a hum from Poison. "How did we get here?"

"What d'you mean?" They turned their head to look at her now.

"I mean, weren't you in Battery City before you came here? How did you leave?"

"Well," They took a pause, thinking of a way to word it all "When I had you, I knew it just wasn't a good place for us to stay. I was the first one to leave actually."

"When you had me...? Did I have a mother?" It just dawned upon Rocket that they never felt the love of a mother. I mean, Party did the job of both, if not Jet was there too but to have a mother is different. At least to them.

"She was... just like you" Party's eyes sparked with love "Looks and all. Its like she's here today." They started to tear up a little but had to work extra hard to hold it back.

"Did you love her?" Was the only other question she could think of asking next

"Oh did I..."

"Also can I please get something to eat at the market?"

"Heh, we have about 10 carbons between the both of us"

"Yeah... come to think of it I'm full."

"Y'know, for being the Fab Four, we sure are poor" They joked

Party let out a dry chuckle and got up, "Come on, we could go for a ride maybe? I can teach you"

"Yeah, that would be great actually..."

Party and Rocket got up and headed to the Trans Am. It was actually hotter than usual today which is surprising because its always hot. It was also very dry which made the sand fly all over the place. Ghoul was working on something though.

There was a makeshift garage-slash-medical room in the diner. Anything or anyone that needed repairing went there. Besides wondering what he was up to, Red hopped into the car and Party started driving.

Feeling the wind in their face was maybe one of the more exciting things Rocket felt in a while, besides the holdup of course. Party looked fondly at the open smile on their face, then at the open road. Dust storms were terrible today, the dry air and breeze didn't help at all. Maybe today wasn't the day Rocket would drive. But it was about to be their first of many firefights.

Turns out as the dust got closer and closer, so did the Dracs creating the pollution. Party and Rocket looked at them, both a little nervous for their own reasons. There were about five Draculoids unless they called in more to tumble. Party quickly swerved the car to the side. It was literally a whole ass cloud of them.

"Get out. Now" They exited the car and hid behind it with their lazerguns ready. It wasn't like they couldnt handle the situation, this was basically a cakewalk for them but they couldn't risk a thing. 

The Dracs stopped their bikes and it turns out they had a Scarecrow too. What a high bounty, that ought to be a compliment, Party thought. They told Rocket to stay put and try to aim from the side while he shot from the top.

Lazers flew everywhere. Everyone shot at each other at lightning speed for Rocket, they couldn't keep up with the pace of the lazer-crowded space. She crouched down and panicked a little before trying to recover and not let the adrenaline get the better of them. That was hard, though, as they saw another group of Dracs patrolling the area come in.

There had never been so many before, they never patrolled so close to each other. What was different today? Maybe this was some sort of plan? Party finally works their way out of hiding and takes charge, shooting and getting close enough to land a few punches.

The Dracs practically surrounded them though and it was really hard to take everyone on by themself. Usually one of the others were there to help. Before they could land their last punch, Poison almost got knocked out, getting their eye punched to the side. Rocket finally gathered all their strength and took it on. No thought, no plan but brute force can help. Or so they thought.

Nevertheless, she started shooting, trying their best too aim but also not really. They suddenly felt a really hot, scathing heat in their leg. Shit, this made them almost fall down. Party helped them get back into the backseat car. It was too much for both of them to handle. The beams still flew at them though but the Dracs didn't care enough to chase them.

After they got further away, the tension in Party's body evaporated with a sigh. "You good back there?" They brayed, the adrenaline starting to wear off. Rocket nodded their head, it hurt too much to talk.

They had the training before but in practice it was really different... and painful. They mentally noted down to never get hit again. "Okay, what you're gonna wanna do is take that cloth behind you and tie it around" Party spoke up.

Red breathed in with pain and grabbed the cloth after tying it around their leg which made them wince while withholding a scream. "Maybe not so tight, just enough to keep you safe till we get back home" Party looked at them once again before they started driving.

"How you feeling now? Talk to me" Party asked while driving, hurriedly

"Uhm... A bit better. It just. I never thought it would hurt so much"

Party chuckled lightly, "Yeah, its always hurts way more than you think. That's why we gotta stay hidden until we can fight them off"

"You know I can handle myself right?" Rocket said, half jokingly but still sounding confident

"Hmm... lets go with that" Party played along "But seriously, for your first time, that was amazing. I never knew you were so brave"

They couldnt say anything. Just a wide smile shone on Red's face and they couldn't contain it at all. It almost made them forget about the pain in their leg but it had to be the centre of attention so it continued to throb and sting during the ride, even if it wasn't bleeding as much anymore.

Once they got back to the Diner, Party helped Red over to the makeshift garage/medical centre where Jet rushed over to help. He took some gauze, rubbing alcohol and that special medicine he always used, the one that always took the pain away as a kid. Party called it 'magic medicine.' and so did Rocket.

It was that magic medicine that got Rocket through many scraped knees and hurt elbows. They thought about the feeling of being young again. It did hurt like hell right now but maybe it was nostalgic? Maybe they just missed someone taking care of them. It was hard to tell. But now they were all patched up and ready to go.

It was gonna take about a week for it to heal, around two weeks or a month fully, but it was good enough to keep running.

"You should really get to bed now... I dont think you should walk today" Jet said in caring concern

"If I have to" Red was a little bummed that they had practically been benched after one of the most adrenaline pumping moments they had recently encountered. Sitting in bed meant reading comic books and stuff, which they didn't mind either.

"Hey, cheer up. How about I show you something?" Party followed them into their room as they sat on the bed.

"Sure, I'm shackled in the dungeon anyway" They said dramatically, half joking

"Come on, it'll be fun." Poison left the room for a second before returning back with a CD. "This was a band I listened to when I was your age"

"How come its a CD then?"

They guffawed in sarcasm. Nothing ever got past her, thats for sure. "You know, youre too smart for your own good. I burned it in" Party held the CD delicately, the outline in between their palms, barely touching it and inserted it into the CD player.

It was a guy talking about having time to whine... something about giving himself the creeps? Whatever it was, it was pretty good actually. Rocket was definitely going to steal this one for their collection in a bit. It wasn't like the stuff they had heard together before, something about it was really unique.

"You know, I might just get into it" They admitted.

"I knew you'd like it! I have a few more but I'm saving those for another time" Party smiled brightly

"Well, more for me then" They teased

"Hmm, is that where all my CDs go now?"

"I dont know, maybe a raccoon got to them. Or Kobra"

"See? You're too smart"

The song changed to something about wasting time, that seemed to be the only thing the singer said. It was really catchy though, maybe bedrest wasn't so bad. It was a really good day actually, they had never got to spend time like this together. So open and sharing... so vulnerable maybe? Nothing about the moment was vulnerable but the act of sharing music and giggles was enough.

"I cant wait to get out there" Rocket indirectly aimed at Party

"Its still insane to see you go like this. I mean, you were just learning how to hold your lazergun yesterday..."

"A few days from now, I'll be helping the undergrad go back to Bat City"

"Yeah...." Party looked down "Are you sure you wanna still do that?"

"What do you mean? Yeah, I wanna help her"

"You sure? I mean, thats really dangerous and especially with today, we just can't- I just can't risk it like this"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Look, Rocket. You clearly aren't in good enough shape and safe enough to pull something off like that. I mean, you did great today but I'm scared about how you'll protect yourself and someone else"

"I thought you always told me to care for and help other people, no matter how far we have to go for it" Rocket looked a little shocked, mouth agape, but their face mostly sheathed disappointed. They hated to admit it but it slightly broke their view of Party.

"Yeah but-"

"So why are you going back on your words now?"

Party sighed. "Sometimes, you have to put yourself first, kid. This is one of those times." They looked up thinking of a way to explain better "Let's just keep that idea aside, if that girl needs help another killjoy might give them shelter."

"We dont know that. Batt Rats like that have a hard time settling in the zones." Rocket pouted in annoyance

"Or maybe they went back at Battery City with their family"

"I thought people went to the icebox and got separated from their families" Now they were more confused than anything

"Well, that is true but-"

"You told me people got their brains burnt out! isn't that true?" The mood wasn't as sweet anymore, but a little tense

"Rocky... It is true. I know youre excited to help someone and get out there but you got hurt. You cant go anyway, even if you wanted to"

What Party said was right, although she didn't want to admit it. All they could do is mumble a fine through their teeth.

"Thanks for understanding... I'll leave you by yourself now, okay?" They left the room with a nod, closing the door behind them.

Chapter Text

Red stared blankly at the ceiling with their hand lying lazily on their stomach. The thought of not being able to go out and prove to Party that they can handle this on their own. Everything started swarming in their head... what could they do to get Virginia back to Battery City?

Open window... The Lighthouse in Zone 4... The twins though, working with them would suck. But that would be the only way to put their plan into action. Its not like they'd go to Battery City now but planning ahead does help a lot, especially with those two.

Rickey and Rodney were the twins, both motorbabies. Their main goal in life was to have as much fun as they could and make everyone else's life a living hell. Typical cannonballs. Maybe thats why Rocket liked them, also because they're pretty reliable at best even though they always change up and you never know what youre getting.

Getting out and to Zone 4 shouldn't be too hard either... Even if the zones were a barren desert, it was easy to go away for a little and then come back. Red had tried this a few times, once Kobra saw them but turned a blind eye. They needed to get out there too you know.

This gave Rocket enough courage to get off the bed... They took their first steps, one foot down then the next and tried not to squeal in pain, biting down on their lips. Slowly, they gathered the courage to beeline their way to the window. It was freedom out there, for at least another two hours or so. Everyone was usually busy around this time so it really helped the whole situation.

They couldn't really walk to their shelter, the Trans Am will have to do. Kobra was really gonna regret teaching them how to drive, thats for sure. The engine revved a little, no big deal. The hands on the wheel were ready to go and with the painful step on the gas, all that followed them was a cloud of sand and dust.

"So where are we going?"

Red almost swerved the car in a panic. "Oh my god! Where did you even come from?"

"I dunno. Just working on the Trans Am. I wanted to make it go faster" Ghoul shrugged, taking another chip out and chewing it with a satisfying crunch

"Woah... where did you even get those?"

"Nowhere. You arent supposed to steal the car, are you? Lets focus on that" He hid the snacks behind him and put on a serious face after he jokingly pointed at them

"I was just... going for a drive" They nodded

"A drive? And since when have you done that?"

"Never too late to try new things, Ghoul" Rocket smiled tightly, looking at him through the rear view mirror and extending their fingers off the wheel

"There's a reason youre not supposed to go out right now, you know. What was the master plan anyway?" He was more curious now than anything. Ghoul never really cared to get them into trouble anyway.

"I thought that I could still help... Sometimes it feels like everyones keeping me back. Cuz they think I cant do it" Rocket looked down at the wheel in vulnerable confession.

"Who's keeping you back?"

"I... Well, everyone still treats me like... I'm some sort of undergrad... Party, Kobra, Jet. Sure you don't but maybe you will"

"I don't remember them doing that. Ever. You know, maybe you never noticed but we never thought of you as an undergrad." It was kind of weird for Rocket to talk to Ghoul like this. Or any one of them for that matter. They never really said exactly what they felt to any of the four.

"Really? Then why did they ask me to back down?"

"You know what. Just to show you, how about you walk back home now? Its barely 100 feet maybe? 200?"

Red just sighed. They knew exactly why they had to go back, admitting it was too annoying "Fine. Let's go back. I'll go back to bed and rot"

"You're so dramatic. You know, if you dont want to go back then we dont have to. I mean... This is more interesting anyway" Ghoul laid back in his seat

"Then you'll just rat me out"

"Party will find out anyway so... what d'ya say?"

Rocket started the Trans Am again and started driving to the the Lighthouse. The plan was to meet the twins and get their help to get Virginia back into Battery City. They had to do this without Ghoul knowing though. Even though it looked like he didn't care the second he would catch on or things would get concerning its 'We're going back'

They rolled their eyes and lightly huffed at the thought of it but it would take about 20 minutes for them to get to Zone 4. Its usually where they hung out, not many people know about it though. The twins only used it when they were on the run, but that was always the case.

"You know, we gotta to get you a mask" Ghoul looked at Rocket.

"Yeah... It has been a while since my last one broke. I feel so stupid without it"

"Well if it helps you dont look that bad without it. I mean, I can try looking for something else too because you need a mask now" Ghoul looked around at the back for something that could be used as a mask maybe

"True. Guess I do need one."

"No way any kid of ours is gonna be a cam girl with their bare face up on that screen." He raised his head for a second

"Relax, I won't be a cam girl! I won't even get caught"

"Try not to cause even though getting your face finally up there is cool, you just cant fight them off right now" 

"Oh. now im gonna get caught"

"Let's hope we can make a mask somewhere else then" He sat up. "I have a really cool idea too"

"Sounds great but I think I'll try this time. I mean you guys made my old one but maybe mine may be better"

"We raised you well." He said jokingly, wiping away fake tears.

"We're here so stop the waterworks"

"Ohhh. We're at your favorite records house, I see. Y'know I can hardly tell which one is which"

"Excuse me? No way in hell. Those two are far enough from being my favorite anything, let alone my debut" Their face scrunched up in annoyance

"Yeah, let's go with that."

Rocket opened their mouth to say something else but that wouldn't really help so they shut it and opened the door, both of them making their way to the entrance.

It was quite a tricky way to get in, for people who just came by this. Ghoul looked up at all the things, ball bearings, corks, strings and more in confusion. It seemed like there was a secret way to get it, something to unlock to open the door.

"Uhm, so how does this work? I assume you come here a lot?"

It annoyed Red to admit it but they did so all they did was walk up to the door and turn the handle after taking a slight shock. That must've been new. "Guys! I'm heere-" They were cut off by the fact literally no one was there which made Ghoul chuckle

"Guess they're out. Maybe on the run again" He looked around to see signs of how long they'd been gone maybe

Rocket also looked around for something. Thankfully they left a note for them which said 'Hey Rocky, had to run. Important derby' in Rickeys handwriting. They didn't read it out aloud but they did clear that the two were going to another derby. That would be in Zone 3 or 2. Unfortunately they hadn't really kept up with derbies.

"Oh, must be the one in Zone 3. Its a demolition derby, been wanting to go there anyway"

"If we fucking must." They sighed in tire. Red really didn't wanna drive all the way back. Maybe Ghoul could drive now.

"Hey, its not so bad. Maybe you might get a proper burner on the way"

This made Red smile. They already had a burner but hiding and getting zapped in the leg wasn't much of a defining moment. Either way, they hadn't handled it on their own. It just didn't feel like one.

"Yeah. You're right actually." They looked around, searching for something and took it. Ghoul called out in front of the Trans Am.

"Let's go, I'll drive this time" He maneuvered them to the passenger seat.

"I literally hate being friends with zonerunners. not that I like staying stuck at the diner but there isn't that much to do around here" Rocket rolled their eyes

"Hah, I fear being around them is turning you into a cannonball too."

"I was always a cannonball, dont get that wrong"

"Right, my apologies" Ghoul laughed

"You should be glad I'm not one of them China dolls like those chicks in Zone 3. I don't understand how people even like them. They're gross"

"I mean, socializing gets a long way. But I agree that they dont do shit. Its the same as Battery living if you ask me"

"What I said! But 'NooOo, Rocket, you should be more compassionate'" They imitated Jet annoyingly which made him laugh

"Oh, Rocky you're so funny. You know, youre turning out to be a fine 'joy yourself"

"I know, what I've been saying again!" It was funny to see Red all riled up, especially when they were voicing their opinions.

Before the laughter continued, it seemed that they had ran into a cloud. Time for that burner anyway. "Get ready. You know what to do right?" Red nodded, taking their zapper out, both exiting the car.

The Dracs went after Red immediately, there was no time to strategize or fight, Ghoul quickly ran to clap with the dracs, fending them off somewhat skillfully. They tapped on each one of their backs for some reason while fending them off. "Rock! Catch!" They called out with a skillful catch. Another Drac to the ground.

"Press it" Ghoul called out with struggled impatience, trying to fend them off well

Before Rocket could even comprehend what they said, there was a rough, old and scratchy set of fingers over their eyes and mouth. They tried to scratch their way out but it didn't really seem to work and Ghouls yells couldn't be heard.

They didn't know what but they saw something. A place. It was really white but it was beautiful. People passed by, they went to their home. It was so safe... Party was there but they looked so much more different, with brown hair and a formal shirt and tie. They drank coffee on the couch while reading the paper and there was someone in the kitchen... It seemed to be a woman but before they could figure out who it was right as her face turned back the scratchy and rough hands on their face dropped.

They blinked a lot. It felt like a brainwash. It had to be. Something changed, they felt something in their brain change. Looking down at the ground in contemplation and rough breathing, Rocket tried to make meaning of it all. "We need to get out of here now!" Ghoul grabbed them up and basically shoved them into the Trans Am for an Ambulance Drive.

Suddenly their vision came into focus and they remembered to breathe. "They're people" Ghoul looked at Rocket in confusion. "What are you saying?"

"The Dracs. The Scarecrows. They're people right?"

"Yeah...? What's going on with you" He looked in concern

"They're people" Red kept repeating that, eyes slightly glossy, maybe they didn't even know why they were saying it because it seemed to be the only thing that came out of their mouth. It started to get a little more concerning when they repeated the phrase in panic.

"Oh we gotta get you to the hospital. Or an elder. The medigarage won't help" Ghoul worriedly drove faster, not caring about anything else.

Chapter Text

A light shined in Rocket's eye but they couldnt really see anything, someone spoke "Well, there doesn't seem to be any sand or cataracts in there... You saying a crow did this?"

Ghoul, still worried about Red's shocked expression and lifeless face, "Yeah, im worried she's snowed in or something. Its been like this since he came in. What can we do?"

The man in the chair thought for a second. "Hmm... While I have seen kids snowed in before it was never like this... Never in the zones, never this quick" He looked at his water and splashed it on Red which caused them to blink and breathe deeply but not get them out of their trance.

"Fuck. Okay, should I call Party?" He took his walkie out

"Seems like a good idea. Observe her for a bit. Look for unusually movements or behaviours. Especially what she says"

Ghoul nodded and spoke to the rest of the four on walkie.

But before anything around them was constant they felt something on their head, wet salty droplets came down from a crying Party. "I wish I could help you"

"Good morning" Rocket realized they said something, their eyes still open and shocked

"Rock. Oh my god! Can you hear me?"

"They're still out there"

"Who? Who's still out there?" They held their arms, trying to search for signs of the old Rocket

"They're people"

"Can you hear me? Blink. Move. Say something."

Maybe blinking was too much to ask for right now but they had to try

"I can see." Something started to clear up, gradually the white floaties in their eyes started to fade. It was like little melted smilies but everywhere.

"You- You can see me? Tell me, what do you see"

"They're still out there. White sun."

"The sun?" They tried to look out the window. Maybe it was getting too hot? "Okay. Wait here for a second"

Suddenly they could feel again, all too much and all too sharp. "Owh! What the-" Poison looked carefully to see if they were okay. "Are you back?"

"Uh yeah? If this is some sort of punishment for leaving then I feel its just uncalled for" Everything seemed okay

"Its not. I'm just glad to see youre okay, thats all"

"How'd I even get here anyway? I don't remember meet- Did something happen?"

"You don't remember? You dont know what happened?" They asked curiously with concern.

"No... I just..." They tried their hardest to remember but it was all too painful or all too vague. There seemed to be a storyline but not one they could remember "Did I say something?"

"Well you kept talking about how "they" are still out there and how "they" are people."

"Who?" was the only question to ask

"I dont know. I'm just glad to see youre okay now." Party sighed in relief and hugged Red with fatigue.

"Me too"

"Never do that again." They almost started to cry. "Even Dr. D didn't know what to make of it. It would help if you could remember what happened, don't pressure yourself though. But he has to warn the zones"

"Yeah... You're right. Give me a moment." Red closed their eyes and tried to imagine reliving that moment again

"Once the scarecrow closed my eyes I dont know what happened. I didn't even know he was there. Awh, man they ruined my burner" They flailed their arms in annoyance.

"Its okay" They chuckled a little "It doesn't have to be your burner if you dont want it to"

"Hmm... It was white. Everything was white. But I was somewhere..." Red fell back on the bed, trying to remember

"Take your time"

"A white place... It was... Okay I feel like im getting nowhere" They sighed

"Its okay, at least you remember something. That's more than enough. I'll let you be for a while now, okay?" They nodded and left

All that was left to do was make sense of all this. They needed a walk but they couldn't. So they get up and carefully walked around the room instead of just staring at the ceiling. Could BL/Ind make a new Battery Acid that showed people things? Were those things real? Could they be? More importantly, why would they even want Red? Many questions which seemed to hit a dead end hit them.

Either way, for the next few weeks it was going to be house arrest. It was a blur honestly. Everyone practically walked on eggshells around them. It was like everyone was keeping a close eye on them. Like a freak maybe?

They spent many nights just thinking, almost isolated and treated like a ruby in the pack. The sky helped though. The stars twinkled and it reminded them of peace.

“Hey” A whisper called at Rocket.

“Come on” She waved Fun to sit next to her under the starry night sky. The floor was almost too cold to sit on but that was counteracted by the warmth of the blankets underneath them.

“ ‘Cha doing out here so late?” He asked, with his arms lazily around his knees as he sat down.

“I was just wondering…” Red layed back on the blankets and looked up at the navy blue night sky. “What do you know about Party, their life before everything?”

“Well, they don't really like to talk about their life before everything. That's all I know.” He leaned back and looked at the sky, the same way Rocket did.

“That's all? Who do you think knows more, Kobra or Jet?”

Ghoul couldn't help but chuckle a bit. “Why the sudden interest in Party's life?”

“I just want to understand them better. That day, after the clap. I really dont know, something about it snapped me back. It just got me thinking”

“So what are you planning to do about it?”

“Party used to live in Bat City right? Maybe I can still find something to help me understand it all.  They must have some kind of filing system on their citizens” Red rambled on.

Ghoul chuckled more. "The cannonball is back! But I really think you should stay here. People who go to BL/Ind headquarters never make it out"

“Besides, wanting to sneak into Bat City is even more Looney Tunes than what happened” He added on.

“Come on… I wanna understand whats happened with me too. I know it sounds bad but can't I try?” She said quietly

“How many killjoys does it take to raid BL/Ind? Not one thats for sure. I think you should drop it” He said, not waiting for a response.

Fun got up and dusted his pants off as a habit, and reached his hand out for Rocket to get up. “Let's get you to bed now.”

Still thinking about it all, nonetheless, Rocket takes his hand and they go back down. She didn't want to go to sleep, obviously but still pretended so no one would get on their ass about it.

They needed to get back out there, enough was enough. It had been so long since they felt the sun of their skin, the ride through the zones. And being away from their friends made a hole in their chest.

Yeah, thats it. Red walkied Rickey silently and they agreed to meet at the nearby motel. After taking a few minutes to be prepared, they snuck out the window and headed off to the Motel. This time of night was pretty safe so it was fine to walk, plus the Motel was about a 30 to 40 minute walk from there.

The night was cold, dry and barren. Just like they'd expect it to be. Walking was nice though. Red hadn't done that in a while. It really makes you appreciate things, you know. After a bit of walking they made it to The Motel where the twins parked their vehicles outside, waiting for them to arrive.

"What took you so long, stranger?" Rickey asked with her hands in her pocket

"Like I wanted to be on house arrest" Red smacked his arm lightly with their hand

"Right, what even happened? Whyd you suddenly dissappear?" Rodney spoke up

"Well thats a long story and we dont have enough time. Let's just put it to sleep now." They tried to escape the cold by heading inside.

"So do we know whats on menu tonight or are we just freestyling it?" Rickey asked with a shy smile

The Motel was kind of abandoned, just a place where they'd go to mess around or do nothing. That's kinda why it was special to them. It was a little dusty now but still good enough to use.

"There's an open house at the Throttle Bar today... that should be fun"

"What about all the Ritalin Rats? Its also in Zone 6!"

"Stop being so uptight! We won't speak to the Jitterbugs. They wouldn't even mess with us. Come on. It'll be fun. That's what you wanted right?" Rodney said convincingly

"You know what, fine. I did say that. Guess this is my first open house. You guys can be such screwheads sometimes" Rocket giggled and they made their way to Zone 6.

They held on to Rickey because they weren't really used to being on a motorcycle yet but something about it was so freeing. It was comforting. Especially after being cooped up. It felt like a whole new world opened up in front of them. After a while of travelling and one stop for some cactus juice, they got to the Bar.

Rocket had heard of Mega Moon's Throttle Bar before but never actually went inside it. It wasn't really their vibe but they never partied before so it was a first time for everything. They were kind of nervous going in but the twins being by their side made them feel much better. It was going to be a night to be remembered.

They looked around at all the people there and, of course, her Soverign Duchess was there. Those chicks from Zone 3 they were telling Fun about. Social standing really does get you everything because everyone was practically giving shit away to her. But literally everyone(okay maybe just Red) calls them the Soverign Six.

"Let's get it started okay? Its gonna be a really fun night" Rick walked through with them and started a conversation with someone

When they woke up though, the Bar was practically empty. They noticed the jacket on them and the pillow. "Did I... Shit." They muttered and tried to wake Rickey up by tapping on them.

"Huh?" She groggily mumbled

"I swear if my name ends up on a mailbox, I will come back and put your's on there too!" They panicked

"What happened?"

"Its the morning! We have to go. now."

The twins woke up in a hurry and the rushed off not thinking twice back to Zone 4. They'd have to explain the whole situation to the four which sucked. Not like it didn't happen before. It was exciting though, running away from something, hiding, keeping secrets. Its what kept them going.

After they took the liberty to drop her at the front door of the Diner "Hey, catch you later. It was fun!" Rodney called out and they took off. Fuckers. You know what? Screw them. They didn't need anyone to account for them anyway.

"You've made your way back, your highness?" Ghoul opened the door.

"Look, it isn't- I didn't mean to"

"You cant just leave and then not come back!" He got mad for some reason. Usually he was fine with messing around but this time he didn't take it okay.

"You're... mad at me? I was the one cooped up for so long!"

Kobra called out from inside "Just come in"

Both of them walked in and Rocket sat on the couch, with arms crossed. "What is that smell?"

"What smell?" They said, clearly emanating it from their mouth. It was so bad it was basically a cloud of intoxication from their mouth somehow.

"Stop talking. Where did you go?" Kobra spoke up

They just looked down "I asked where you were last night."

"You told me to shut up! I dunno, I was just around"

"Rocky, as much as we want you to have fun we limited you going out because its too unsafe for you." Jet placed a coffee mug in front of them

"Its been like two weeks, no cherries or berries. Nothing. I think I'm ready to go back out, yknow."

"Then tell us that! Imagine not being able to find any of us in the morning. Doesn't that scare you?" Fun protested

"We don't mind you having fun but you gotta be safe." he added

"Fine, I'm sorry. I just needed to get out. Its weird having everyone walk on eggshells around me. I just wanted to feel normal again"