The next day, Dr. Death Defying was relaxing next to the kitchen table after his radio show when Show Pony skated in, a hastily scribbled note in his hand. He tossed it onto the table, waiting impatiently as the older man set down his iced tea and opened the transmission.
Unfamiliar rock ‘n’ roller at the Dead Peg. Probable Killjoy, possible lone Drac. Dr. Death Defying read through the note quickly, then rolled his motorized wheelchair towards the door.
“C’mon, grab Boom Box and get in the van. We’ve got a Killjoy to snag.” The man called over his shoulder, not waiting around or looking back to see Show Pony nod and skate off to find the young girl.

When they trio pulled up at the Dead Pegasus, they saw a starkly white Battery City standard-issue motorcycle parked in front of one of the pumps. The mini-mart had been broken into, and the culprit chose that instant to come outside, slinging a black leather bag across her back. She wore black motorcycle boots, black skinny jeans, and a black cutoff tank top under a black military-style parade jacket with white detail. A black motorcycle helmet hid her face, with white words scrawled across the visor, in all capitals to make her point: ‘FUCK BLI’.
A white ray gun was in one of her hands, both of which were covered by the same black leather, fingerless gloves worn by Dracs. In black letters on the gun, she’d written ‘WHITE NOISE’. Seeing the Killjoys in front of her, she stopped in the doorway she’d made, raising her gun defensively.
“Hey there crash queen, cool it.” Dr. Death Defying said, rolling forward from where he’d been, flanked by Boom Box and Show Pony. “We heard you were solo, which ain’t icy in the Zones.”
The Killjoy stared at them through her helmet for another moment, then silently sheathed her gun, crossing her arms across her chest as she leaned on the side of the hole in the wall.
“Hop your bike and follow the leader beck to the Lair. You can crash there for as long as you want. We’re going to the Fever Fest in two days if you need a lift there, too.”
The Killjoy remained silent as she pushed off the wall, slowly striding across the red fallout dust to her bike. It wasn’t as pristinely clean as it had looked from a distance; it had taken on quite a bit of the scarlet dust of the desert, only the special paint job it had gotten in Battery City kept it looking shiny.
“So you’re coming?” Boom Box asked, and the girl turned to stare down at the kid from her bike. She was still silent behind her visor, but gave a curt nod to the girl as Show Pony and Dr. Death Defying climbed into the van. The little girl smiled at her new ally, then hopped into the van after the men.

“Here it is, the Lair.” Dr. Death Defying said as the dark Killjoy rolled to a stop beside him. “Show Pony, Boom Box, and I call it home.” He nodded at his gang, then turned back to the girl, who’d just climbed off her bike. “I’m Dr. Death Defying.” He waited for the girl to introduce herself, but she said nothing, just stared down at him behind her dark visor. “Drac got your tongue?”
The girl shook her head, waving her hand dismissively, and the man frowned at her before realization hit him. “No noise?” He asked.
The girl pointed at him, nodding once.
“Well, come on inside. We’ll get you a pad to sketch out a self portrait.” Dr. Death Defying grinned up at her before leading the way inside. As promised, he produced a notepad and pen, sliding them across the table to the girl.
The lone Killjoy sank slowly into a chair at the table as Boom Box hopped up to sit happily beside her, Show Pony leaning his elbows on the counter behind him as he watched, silent behind his helmet. Dr. Death Defying shifted in his wheelchair, rolling up to the table and waiting for the girl to do some explaining.
Hey. I’m Suicidal Smile. She finally wrote, her handwriting disjointed, scrawling in a messy yet legible, uneven line.
“What Zone are you from?” Dr. Death Defying asked.
Does it matter? Suicidal Smile scribbled back, glancing up from the pad, still hidden by her helmet.
“Not really.” Dr. Death Defying admitted with a frown. “What about your friends, family? What happened to them?”
All my friends are parading around in vampire masks. As far as I’m concerned, I have no family. And it’s Better Living’s fault.
Dr. Death Defying nodded sympathetically. “My brother’s a Drac, too. Boom Box here was born to two Killjoys who were killed by Better Living, and Show Pony was the sole survivor of a Drac raid back in the early days.”
Sorry ‘bout your folks, kid. Suicidal Smile scrawled, showing it to Boom Box, who nodded with a sad smile.
“I don’t really remember them; I was too little. Party Poison was more of a dad to me.” She sighed. “He got ghosted a couple days ago, breaking into Battery City to save me. Jet Star, the Kobra Kid, and Fun Ghoul died, too.”
The Fabulous Killjoys. I’ve heard of them. I didn’t really start fighting BLI until I saw them in action. It was like watching those vintage superhero movies. Up until that one time, I just kind of… existed. I’m sorry you lost them.
Boom Box just tried to smile up at the girl, ignoring the traitorous tears that leaked down her face.
Suicidal Smile hesitated for an instant, then tentatively put an arm around the younger girl, freezing up when Boom Box latched onto her and started crying. Even though her face was still hidden by her helmet, Show Pony and Dr. Death Defying could see how awkward and unnerved she was. Slowly, she shifted to hold the small girl more comfortably, gently rubbing her back as she cried herself out.
It’s okay, don’t cry. We’ll stop BLI. It won’t be the way it used to, but things will be okay again one day. Suicidal Smile scratched out, and Boom Box sniffed as she read the paper.
“Thanks, Smile.” She said, handing out nicknames like only kids could.