Smile and Party Poison rode right into the city, cruising along as if they belonged. Party Poison had never been more nervous, but he followed Smile’s lead, knowing that she’d gotten Fun Ghoul out and that she was on their side. He finally trusted her beyond all doubt, and she was part of the team. This was her mission, and he would follow her wherever she went.
They pulled right up at the S/c/a/r/e/c/r/o/w Unit, parking their bikes nonchalantly as they strode towards the building, right past Dracs who didn’t even seem to notice them. Party Poison made a mental note to ask Smile just what the hell was up with them if when they made it out of this. Then he snapped back into the present, following Smile as she wound through Better Living, a stark contrast to the white walls all around her.
Smile lead Party Poison up two levels, around some tight turns, then stooped short, turning to face him, ray gun drawn. Party Poison froze, staring in shock at the gun, wondering what was going on.
“Listen up.” The voice was hoarse, just a harsh whisper, but it was coming from under Smile’s helmet. She could talk, apparently. “I won’t shoot you, but you have to listen.” Her voice got stronger as she spoke more, but she kept quiet. “I’ll open the cell door, and you have to go in and pretty much drag Jet Star out. He’s too medicated to resist, but he’ll just kind of stumble after you wherever you drag him. I’ll cover you, just head for the elevators at the other end of the hall. Go straight down to level three, hang a left, and run for the main doors where the bikes are. Don’t look back, and whatever happens, don’t. Stop.”
Party Poison stared at the girl in shock, wondering how old she was. She sounded like a kid under that helmet…. He shook himself out of it, pursing his lips. He didn’t want to agree to leaving her behind, but she knew what she was doing when she signed on for the mission. She knew she wouldn’t be going back. Closing his eyes and letting out a harsh breath, Party Poison nodded once.
Smile relaxed, pointing her gun away from him. “You won’t have much time when I cue the cell, so go fast. I’ll follow as far as I can, but don’t stop.” She turned away again before Party Poison could respond, knowing he would follow orders.
“You’re a brave kid.” Party Poison said quietly, stepping up behind her as she stood next to the cell where Jet Star sat on a bench. She paused keying in the code, then continued like she’d never heard anything. “And a great Killjoy.”
Smile froze for an instant, then hit enter, sending the cell door sliding open and a red light flared into life in the hallway. Party Poison patted her should before bursting into the cell, grabbing his friend, and running with him towards the elevators, Smile hot on their heels until the Dracs cleared the corner and fired at the Killjoys’ retreating backs.
Party Poison forced himself onward even as Smile skidded to a stop behind him, whipping around to face the Dracs. He tossed Jet Star unceremoniously into the waiting elevator, then glanced back like he’d been told not to. The Dracs were turning away, giving up Jet Star as lost, leaving a figure in black lying on the white floor, surrounded by motionless, blank white figures. Biting his lip, Party Poison lunged forward and picked the girl up, amazed at how light and insubstantial she was; all the black made her seem bigger, tougher than she was. There was no way she was more than a kid. He swung her over his shoulder and joined his medicated friend in the elevator, bouncing on his toes as he waited for level three.
Holding Smile over his shoulder with one arm and dragging Jet Star with his other hand, Party Poison burst out of the elevator, storming past two alarmed Dracs and out the door. “Follow me, that’s an order.” Party Poison glared at his Drac friend, hoping it would work, surprised and relieved when his friend nodded and climbed onto Smile’s bike. Party Poison himself got on his own bike, holding Smile carefully in front of him. He couldn’t just leave her to the mercy of the Dracs.
Jet Star followed orders and stayed tight on his tail as Party Poison burst out of the city, flying down Route Guano like a bat out of Hell, back into the desert night.

“Get inside and don’t cause any trouble for anybody.” Party Poison barked at Jet Star, who nodded and immediately obeyed, stumbling, zombie-like, towards the Lair. Party Poison ran ahead, kicking the door open, holding the young Killjoy in his arms. She hadn’t moved at all, and Party Poison couldn’t tell whether or not she was breathing, but he had to get her to Dr. Death Defying.
“Doc! Get out here!” Party Poison yelled, and everyone immediately rushed into the kitchen as he gently laid Smile out on the table. Jet Star wandered inside, closing the door behind him, and Fun Ghoul took Boom Box to go snap the Drac out of his pills.
“What happened?” Dr. Death Defying asked, wide-eyed. He’d never seen Party Poison so panicked, and he was worried about Smile.
“I didn’t see, she was holding the Dracs off so I could get out with Ray, but I when I looked back she was down and I couldn’t just leave her-” Dr. Death Defying cut him off before he got hysterical.
“Fine. Is she breathing?”
“I dunno. I can’t tell because of the damn helmet.” Party Poison ran a hand through his hair anxiously as his brother looked on in concern. “Doc, I think she’s just a kid. She shouldn’t be risking her life like this.” The Kobra Kid and Dr. Death Defying suddenly understood why Party Poison was so worried; he’d always seen himself as someone who had to save the world, and he’d become a surrogate dad to Boom Box. Party was always worried about everyone else, especially the kids that got dragged into this war. It killed him to see young Killjoys left in piles of corpses by Dracs, and it looked like there might be another casualty. One that happened on Party Poison’s watch.
Dr. Death Defying hesitated, then rested his hand against Smile’s chest, over her heart. “Pulse is there, she’s breathing.” He said, and both the other Killjoys in the room sighed in relief. “Smile, can you hear me? Smile, I need you to move or something if you’re awake in there, or I’m going to have to take the helmet.” Dr. Death Defying waited for a good two minutes, but there was no response. “C’mon kid, wake up.” He muttered.
“She moved.” The Kobra Kid said, his eyes fixed on Smile’s fingers, which had curled into fists before going limp again. Everyone froze as they waited for more to happen.
Smile clenched her fists again, hissing in pain, then coughed violently behind her helmet. She turned onto her side on the table, away from the other Killjoys, curling up in pain as she coughed.
“Where were you hit?” Dr. Death Defying asked calmly, ignoring the two pale men who were staring at the girl, guilty horror all over their faces. They never should have sent a kid out on a suicide mission.
Smile’s hand moved to rest on her ribcage, on the side she wasn’t laying on. When her hand fell limply back to the table, it was bloody. She’d stopped coughing, though her breathing was quick and shallow.
“Smile, are you still awake?” Dr. Death Defying asked, sighing when there was no response. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing.” Then he shifted the girl, peeling her out of her thick jacket, leaving it hanging half-off her before shoving up the hem of her black tank top.
There were a few good scorches over her ribs, one of them black and bloody while the others just looked like typical second degree burns.
“Party, get the bandages; Kobra, the salve.” Dr. Death Defying ordered, not looking away from the girl’s injuries as the two men rushed off to follow orders. He frowned at the burns, knowing how badly they hurt. Burns like the bloody one she had were the reason he was in his chair instead of running around the Zones like all the other Killjoys.
The pair returned with the supplies and Dr. Death Defying immediately set to work, cleaning the girl up and getting her all patched up. At some point, she woke back up, jolting when she felt hands brushing her skin and starting to sit up until Party Poison and the Kobra Kid put their hands on her shoulders, gently stopping her. She hesitated before sinking back onto the table, hissing in pain a moment later as Dr. Death Defying cleaneded up the worst of the burns. She went into another violent fit of coughing, then just lay weakly on the table, scaring the Killjoys.
“Smile?” The Kobra Kid asked, sighing in relief when she shifted to look at him. The ‘L’ in the ‘FUCK BLI’ on her helmet had been scorched, the black burn blending into the dark visor.
“There you go, crash queen. Good as new and shiny as an android girl.” Dr. Death Defying said, pulling the hem of her shirt back down and trying to see through her visor, his eyes concerned.
Smile pushed herself upright, struggling to do it on her own but swatting away every helping hand. She gripped the edge of the table to keep herself upright, swaying slightly before hopping off the table, her legs immediately giving out underneath her.
The Kobra Kid was closest and caught her before she hit the floor, holding her as she slumped limply against him for an instant before pulling herself together, thanking him with a nod as she stood up straight.
“Do you need help…?” Party Poison trailed off as Smile shook her head, leaning on the wall as she staggered out of the kitchen, down the hall to Fun Ghoul’s room, where the short Killjoy and Boom Box were trying to wake Jet Star up.
“Smile!” Boom Box smiled in relief, her grin fading as she watched her friend stumbled in, hanging on the wall for support. “Smile?”
The dark Killjoy made her slow, jerky way to the bed, falling onto it to sit next to Jet Star, who stared at her blankly. Out of her pocket, Smile pulled a slightly crushed granola bar – s’mores flavor – and handed them to the brainwashed man.
“System shock?” Fun Ghoul asked knowingly, and Smile nodded, swaying as the gesture brought on new waves of vertigo.
Jet Star bit happily into the bar, munching away for a moment before slowing down, blinking rapidly as the light returned to his blank eyes. “What?” He asked slowly, staring at the food in his hands, his Drac uniform, the unfamiliar girl next to him, then his friends, who were watching from the doorway after having followed Smile.
Smile chose that moment to get up, lurching out the door, her shoulder thumping lightly against the far wall of the hallway as she did her best to make it to her room on her own. She made it a few steps, still dragging herself along the wall, before her legs gave out and she slid down the wall to her knees. Smile stayed like that for a moment, unaware that everyone was watching as she fought back to her feet, stumbling to her doorway and lurching into the doorframe, clinging to it for support for an instant before staggering inside and shutting the door behind her. The other Killjoys winced as they heard her fall against her door, then they heard her stumble across the floor, and a slight creak as she finally collapsed on her bed.
“Is she okay?” Jet Star asked, his eyebrows knit together in concern.
“She’ll be fine, she just took a few too many laser blasts today.” Dr. Death Defying sighed, shaking his head. “How are you doing?”
And that began the long interrogation of Jet Star.