Scarecrow and the Rainbow Solution

Party jogged along the burning pavement toward the main prison block.
His plan to get into Battery City had worked well, sheer force of number had enabled them to get into the city before the Scarecrow Unit had time to respond. His people had spread out into the streets burning and looting whatever they found to start such a diversion that it would be easy for the main unit to move towards their objectives. Party was well aware that they were also paying a terrible price and that many of them were dying in the hope that they could stave off the destruction of the rest.
He had sent Ghoul and Rainbow towards the science blocks, Kobra and Blood headed for the main Scarecrow barracks while Jet and Cascade went for the government offices. All of them watching the clock above that was down to less than three hours. This mission would be short and bloody, either they would win or everyone would die. Well, not everyone because Party had a plan and a small yield nuclear device in a rucksack on his back. The stealth suit shielded it and him, the idea had only been discussed with Jet and Party had swore it was only going to happen as a last resort but he wasn’t going to let his family down now. Jet had been pale and appalled but knew better than to argue with Party in this mood and they were already on their way to the cars to head towards the city.
“The dome over the city is designed to withstand a nuclear hit from the outside. A small weapon like that may not shatter it but I can’t guarantee that.”
“Would the fire kill everything inside it including the germ ?”
“Yes and everyone so if you’re thinking of martyrdom Party, this would be it.”
Party had smiled and carried on walking, throwing a last comment over his shoulder.
“You sound like Crim, I’ll be sure to tell her that.”
In truth Party knew that if he was going to do this and he found her then Crimson would never let him do it alone. Jet had insisted on him taking the remote detonator with him so that they could set the bomb off from anything up to a mile away and he hoped that he would find her alive and find them both a way out. If not then at least it would be quick and they would die together.
Another explosion lit up the city in a bright shower of red and gold, the clock lost in smoke for a moment as Party ducked to the side and let a group of Scarecrow Unit patrolmen race past him. Now only two hours left. The longer the battle lasted the more it would go against his side and Party still had little idea of where Korse was or whether the virus was nearby.
He carried on at a faster run and skidded to a halt in front of the prison. It burned with an intense brightness that indicated phosphor bombs and that he would not find Crim here. He started searching the nearby corridors and soon broke into a smile. Many years before they had set up a code, a way to leave messages for each other when separated by distance and lack of radios. Clearly she had not forgotten and now he knew where to find her.

восточнойлаборатории, площадьчетыре

“Eastern lab, area four.”
Party looked around and pulled out the map of the city. It was easy to locate the buildings and he started off again at a run. It would be near where Ghoul and Rainbow were searching, with any luck they may have already found Crim and be near to getting inside. He tried not to look at the mass of bodies on the road, too many bright colours mixed among the black and white.
He spotted Ghoul and Rainbow easily, the fire suit made his boy stand out as he scorched everything in front of him, Rainbow at his back as sparks of electricity from her gloves scythed down the dracs. A flank of killjoys had formed as several worked on the locks to the building. Quickly Party’s eyes started scanning for Crimson.
“Ghoul, next building over. Crim left me a message.”
“Gerard, it’s really not a good idea to whisper in my ear in an invisibility suit when I’m handling napalm.”
Frank felt his bottom pinched and saw Rainbow lean her head over as she received the same message. They started to chaperone the others in the group over toward the large building that was numbered four, both of them now scanning for Crimson also. It was getting harder to breathe and still the Dracs kept coming. Fewer in number but more seemed to be Scarecrow. Sooner or later they would start to turn the tide.
“Hold the line. Watch our flanks. Toxic, keep them focused.”
Toxic Monster nodded at Ghoul and took charge of his troops as he and Rainbow started moving ahead. They knew Party would be up front and could already see pitched battle was happening in front of the huge glass fronted building. White suits seemed to outnumber coloured but started to fall at laser blasts from nowhere, both of them pitching their weapons in too until a huge shout broke from Rainbow.
“Crimson ! Hold on !!”
Ghoul narrowed his eyes, realising one of the white suits had black and red hair and two ray guns, blowing away dracs left and right. He started to run, Party reappearing beside her as they cut down the last of the masked figures.
“Take your troops and rally to Toxic. Crimson, talk to me.”
Crimson leant back against the door and Party felt his anger begin to rise. His woman looked bad, far too pale and almost blue lipped. She still cracked a smile and spoke to him over Rainbow’s shoulder as her best friend grabbed her in a hug.
“Where the fuck have you guys been ? Almost no one left to kill.”
“I left you handcuffed to a rail. You should have fucking stayed there.”
Rainbow kissed her cheek and watched them embrace, the relief in both their faces plain to see as the killjoys set up a defensive position. Ghoul counted arms and ammunition as they crowded into the doorway. Rainbow looked at Crimson critically.
“Take a guard and get out of the city. We can finish things of here and meet you outside.”
“Too late for that. I managed to get my hands on News. They have started producing the weapon all over the city. We either let it loose or even getting out isn’t going to save us. I came here to get it, at least some of it is inside.”
Party and Ghoul exchanged a glance, the news was a blow and now there seemed to be no way that this could end without a genocide. Crimson retrieved the last of the painkilling syringes and slammed it into her leg, trying to ignore the worried stares now coming her way.
“There is another way but it’s a risk and probably not a better option.”
Party turned around, Ghoul and Rainbow immediately recognising the back pack and coming to the logical conclusion of what he was proposing. Crimson met his eyes when she saw the sick look on their faces and glared at him.
“No martyrdom Party, not on your own anyway.”
“It’s a low yield nuclear bomb. I will detonate it in here at half an hour on the clock. By that time all our people will be outside. All of you included.”
Party waited for the explosion of indignation and got it both barrels from both Ghoul and Rainbow. Crimson simply punched him square on the nose and sat down on the steps.
“No fucking way Way !”
“It’s the only thing to do now.”
Party sat down beside Crimson, his face a mask of pain and the beginnings of real fear. He didn’t want to die, there was so much more to do out in the Zones and he wanted to live with his woman and his friends, settle down and have a good life. A pipe dream but a lovely one, even though he could see that Crim was near the point of collapse and had the awful feeling that even if he got out, she wouldn’t survive coming with him. Ghoul crossed his arms.
“I’m coming with you.”
Party shook his head and stood up, both hands on Ghoul’s shoulders.
“Not this time. I need to do this.”
“WILL YOU BOTH FUCKING SHUT UP.”
Crimson was back on her feet and managed to neatly stick a syringe full of morphine into Party’s neck, his knees giving out instantly as she guided his body down. Ghoul and Rainbow stared at her and she gave them an apologetic smile.
“You know him and the martyrdom thing. I’m dead already, get him out and leave the bomb with me.”
Ghoul stepped over him, the temper showing in his face.
“And tell him what exactly ? Plus you can hardly stand.”
Crimson nodded solemnly and then winked at Rainbow. As Ghoul bent down to check on Party, a second syringe took him down the same way. Rainbow smiled, seeing exactly that Crim had planned to play it this way all along. That there was an alternative to setting off the virus was merely a secondary concern.
“You made your point but you’re not doing this alone.”
“I don’t have another syringe so I guess not but you should take them both and leave. They will need you after this. I don’t have the words to make him understand it, you are better at that.”
Rainbow shook her head with a sad smile and waved a couple of open mouthed killjoys over to them. She pointed down at the two sleeping men and handed the second Invisibility suit over to Crimson.
“Take this unit and Party and Ghoul out by the south entrance. It’s coming up to the hour evacuation and I want them safe, you understand ?”
Both men nodded, more than a little scared. Crimson and Rainbow stood arm in arm, sombre at seeing them leave but determined. It took painful minutes for Crimson to manage to get into the suit and then Rainbow pulled the rucksack onto her shoulders and they made their way to the front entrance of the huge building. It was daunting, somehow threatening but a shared determination to finally end it was enough to force them inside.
“You got any whiskey ?”
Rainbow grinned and clinked the rucksack gently.
“Since when do we make a big bang without whiskey ?”
Crimson grinned, enjoying the cool silence after the noise and heat outside. It was getting harder and harder to walk straight but it would be done soon and at least a nuclear explosion was a better way to die than ending up a puddle.
“I’m gonna sit on it.”
“No you’re not.”
“I am, I am gonna sit on a nuclear bomb and kiss my ass goodbye.”
Rainbow started to laugh quietly and enjoyed the thought that at least the boys would be around to ensure that life without BLI would be something better than the grey before it. She smacked Crim on the back of the head.
“Remote detonation device dumbass. Still a chance we could live.”
Crimson’s smile was grimmer this time as she pointed up at the CCTV cameras. They showed a pale, bald man stalking the laboratories.
“Don’t think so but let’s go take out the trash before we make a mushroom.”

Notes