Scarecrow and the Rainbow Solution

The Trans Am rocketed across two lanes of half buried freeway, violent bursts of coloured laser up ahead told them that allies were in trouble and all three killjoys in the car were aching for a fight. The bunker in 5 had yielded little but there had been food and alcohol, warm winter clothing and some intriguing grenade type devices that Kobra badly wanted to test. The object of the search had been there too, abundant medical supplies the likes of which could be no longer manufactured. They were on their way to their friends to hand them over before trouble came calling and part two of the mission came to the fore. Cause as much diversion as possible and divert all the attention their way.
Party spun the car hard, seeing a van parked at one side of a fallen building where Dracs were loading brightly coloured unconscious figures into and a desperate battle in the ruins themselves. The squad of killjoy fighters were badly outnumbered but Party’s heart swelled with pride for his people and a savage hatred for the mutated creatures trying to kill them. He felt rather than saw his companions leave the vehicle, the rapid close fire lighting up his senses.
The squad only saw welcome relief, a few minutes passing before it clicked as to who was now fighting by their sides. Kobra worked his way toward the van making sure that the red gun picked off white clad bodies left and right. Party headed to the centre, seeing two younger kids pinned down by a large Drac. He took delight in blowing out the creatures head and turning his attention to the one crashing in behind it.
Crimson always too the more personal route, not breaking cover until she was behind the group over to the right. The drac never saw it coming, going down with a wail at the bowie knife carving into its back. Crimson followed it, bashing the skull into rock and concrete until brains leaked out from under the mask and it ceased to move. She shoved one of the following killjoys down and turned her gun on two more Dracs.
The ghouls were programmed to recognise both the car and the killjoy leadership, messages beamed back to Battery City as they made to retreat. Korse wanted the killjoy elite captured alive and under his terms so foot soldiers were programmed to back off and shoot only at the other killjoys and Crim who was no longer on their radar to fight. A white beam of light missed her by a half inch, sparks catching on her hair as the shooter was obliterated by two guns from the brothers. The tide was turning but they still needed to stop the van leaving with prisoners still inside.
Party had been recognised now and the fighters banded around him, Kobra leading the advance toward the vehicle as Crimson scaled into the wrecked building to find the height advantage. The building was shifting and moving with each blast, it was risky but the numbers were still in the enemies favour and any advantage was good before reinforcements arrived in bulk and it became a fight they couldn’t win.
“Take out the tyres.”
Party’s command echoed with gunfire as the van became a target and the dracs beside it vapourised. Crim pinned down two more with covering fire as Party and Kobra led their force into the clearing and the more enclosed space became a bloodbath. The other dracs retreated to vehicles parked behind the sagging structure causing Kobra to pull the pin on one of the new grenades and toss it through the remains of a window. He pulled down the killjoys around him as a huge blast of heat and greenish light obliterated the cars and their occupants. The concussion was enormous, everyone was knocked off their feet and half deafened at the potent explosion and worse, it dislodged Crim from her perch.
“Fuck, hold on. Kobra !!”
“On it.”
Party craned his vision up to where his woman now hung by the arm from the listing remains. She was out cold, if she fell then serious injury was going to be the least of her problems. He dragged killjoys up around him and pointed out targets as his brother scrambled across the ruins to scale up the side of the building. He winced at the blood staining the rocks, grateful only that they had stopped her from falling altogether. With one swift move he hooked his arms under her shoulder and dislodged them, pulling her back onto the ledge. Smartly, he slapped her face a few times while applying pressure to the nasty cut in the top of her arm.
“C’mon bitch, wake up. You had worse wounds than this from fucking my brother.”
“Fuck you Mikey.”
The faint voice made him smile, he had been worried that the blast had caused a head injury that he couldn’t see but if she could swear at him then Crimson was fine. She sat up with a groan and picked up her gun. There was some double vision but she joined Kobra in cleaning up the last of the goons as Party started pulling prisoners out of the van below.
“Last time I leave you with the grenades.”
Kobra grinned, pulling a dressing from the kit on his belt as Crimson retrieved the flask of whiskey from her pocket and handed it to him with a resigned smile. He winked, swallowing some of the fiery liquid before pouring some into the cut. Crimson went a strange shade of grey before unleashing a stream of explicit curses on his head that caused laughter from below. Kobra ignored it, applying the bandage to the cut and then passing her back the alcohol.
“You never used to be such a pussy. Vegas made you soft.”
“You’ll find out how soft when a remove your balls and shove them up your ass.”
Crimson flexed her shoulder and smirked at Kobra before kissing his cheek and carefully making her way back down to ground level. He was close behind, eager to go and inspect the damage done by his new toys and left her to talk to Party. Their leader was getting an update from the remaining killjoy squad members and giving terse instruction.
“Radio Dr D and tell him we have action this far west then get back undercover until nightfall. You know the rules about moving around in daylight.”
The tow headed seventeen year old that led them dropped his head a little at the rebuke. Toxic Monster had been making a good name for himself and cursed his luck that this latest scavenger hunt had gone so wrong. He was glad that they had made it out with only four dead but for the intervention of the leadership they might all have been captured.
“Don’t feel so bad kid, you were still doing pretty well. Hey babe, you ok ?”
Party was concerned at the slightly spaced smile she gave him but Crim was more concerned with what he had said about moving around in daylight. It annoyed her that they were even being forced undercover here. This place was the home of the rebellion, the whole point had been to move around when and how they wanted or they were fighting for nothing.
“I’m fine. As your brother so tactfully pointed out. You guys ok ?”
Toxic and his friends nodded and murmured, a little embarrassed at how their commander in chief was now wrapped in the arms of a woman they had only heard rumours of. Party’s legend had extended out to touch everyone that knew, or had known, him and now there was something new to gossip at.
“Have a look around in that van and then we need to go if we’re going to hit three and the bunker by daybreak.”
Party continued the debrief as Crimson climbed into the back of the van. It got under her skin, all the bad memories of her capture were flooding back at the antiseptic smell in the interior. She pulled more medical supplies and battery packs down, throwing them out to Kobra before checking the front seats. There were no operational guides up there and the radio beacon had been smashed by laser blasts. She pulled the gun from a drac with little remaining head and returned back outside.
“Do they have a base nearby ?”
Kobra nodded, his face grave.
“A large one in what used to be the old hospital. They moved their after you blew the old complex escaping. We have been trying to get in there for a year and a half now.”
A slow smile spread over Crimson’s face that caused Kobra to feel a shiver of anticipation. She only got that look when some predictably suicidal idea was forming. Party appeared at once, shaking his head.
“Whatever you’re thinking ? No.”
“You said we need to cause a diversion. There would be nothing better.”
“No.”
Party started to walk back to the Trans am, Kobra following him as Crimson smiled at Toxic and his crew. There had been a time when her friends would have been all over it but clearly they had forgotten how to have a good time. She trotted after them, reloading her gun with fresh batteries as they walked.
“We have all this new weaponry to test and that stealth suit. We could find something in there to help Ghoul and Rainbow.”
“NO!”
“Party, don’t be a killjoy now.”
Party fought to keep the grin off his face and lost the battle. He had never quite been able to disagree with whatever hare brained scheme Crim came up with and he could see by Kobra’s hopeful face that he wanted in on this too. She was right in that it would cause chaos but there was also the strong possibility that it would turn into a suicide mission.
“Fine but we go get this stuff to the doc first. Jesus, no point in dying before we complete the sane part of the mission.”
Crim and Kobra landed on him in a heap of arms and kisses. Party felt himself relax a little, things might be bad but if he was going to die at least the company would be good.

Notes

Got diverted.....back now :-D