Resurrection

Jet was overwhelmed with the desire to punch the smug smile from Korse’s face.
He stood next to Party, both of them on edge and with folded arms as the screens showed their nemesis next to Kobra and expanding on how this meant that the Killjoys were finished. Ghoul sat on the table behind them flanked by Rainbow and Crimson, all of them glued to the broadcast. In fact all of the killjoys that were in the Crater Club were trying to see, the room a heaving mass of people and anger.
“You see how even a kidnapping could not stop Michael from returning to the wonderful life BLI have given us all. We can only hope that Gerard, Ray and Frank also escape the degenerates and sluts of the killjoy scum and return home. We will wipe them all out and live in peace.”
Crimson raised a hand.
“Am I a slut or a degenerate?”
“You’re both Crim….oh and a whore.”
She grabbed Ghoul’s face and kissed him violently as Rainbow chuckled and Party pondered the problems they could face as the screen went blank. The important thing was that his brother was inside and in place. Kobra had looked all smiles and confidence, amusing in itself to those who knew him and the whole pristine set up set Party’s teeth on edge.
“We can keep up the pressure and see what Kobra can get us. What news from the Zones?”
He turned back to the room and looked at Bright. The kid smiled, his arms showing fresh scratches and dents from weapons training. Party also noted that Amber had shuffled a couple of newbies into the room who were looking at the killjoys in awe.
“Training is going well and we have teams taking out BLI supply lines in two. In three we have a hit planned on the water purification plants.”
Nitro nodded with satisfaction, Fox speaking out from beside him.
“Grain stores in Four are down and we have our sights set on the Drac Conditioning Units. Three is quiet, we need some bodies to make some noise out there.”
Ghoul made a note on his pad and passed it to Amber with a smile. He had been building some serious new high explosive grenades in the bottom floor of Crim’s bunker and combined with any bodies that Amber and Bright could spare there would not only be noise but a considerable amount of fire. They intended to make sure that the troops were all in a good position to keep fighting while they investigated the new bunker that Crim had told them about.
“Dr D?”
The DJ smirked, his hand on Show Pony’s ass as he motioned to the screens.
“We are going to break into the transmissions again in six hours. Give them a taste of what music and freedom really are.”
There was a round of cheering and applause, Party cracking a broad smile as the meeting broke up. Soon only Party, Ghoul, Jet, Rainbow and Crimson remained and the girls spread out a large map onto the main table. It showed Zone Six in more detail, all of it scavenged from Crim’s detailed investigations and plotted out by Neon. There were many new things that Ghoul wanted to explore but the important one for the mission lurked in the far north west on the edge of the radioactive hills and mines of the no-go zone.
“It’s really good encryption. Military standard and untouched. What do you think Jet?”
The tall man pursed his lips, deep in thought.
“I will bring the usual stuff and some modifications I was working on in the city.”
Ghoul and Party glanced at one another and spoke at the same time.
“Are there bugs?”
“Well…..yes but they aren’t all that big.”
Rainbow pinched her friend’s ear and twisted, eliciting a yelp.
“The truth Crim.”
Crimson smirked at the faces around her and shrugged a little.
“Nothing bigger than a horse.”
Ghoul immediately shuddered and told Party he was going to go get the bigger guns as they rolled up the map and started to gather equipment together. They hadn’t enlightened the rest of the council about this mission, sometimes it was better that their friends knew as little as possible. That way if they fell into enemy hands they couldn’t incriminate anyone else or be found to be lying.
“Rain?”
Rainbow turned into Ghoul’s arms, his mouth finding hers before pulling away. She liked the needful look on his face and remembered the precious few hours they had managed together the previous night. It was more difficult to get time together at the club rather than the bunker but they had managed to sneak into Hedonism once it closed and enjoy the drink and each other.
“Yes baby?”
“Can you bring the electric suit along, could be handy.”
She nodded and grabbed his hand, both of them peeling away to the sleeping quarters as Jet headed for his laboratory. Within half an hour they had met Crim and Party at the Trans Am and loaded everything they thought might help. Bunker busting could be dangerous and yet exciting which meant spirits were high as they began the drive across the Zones. Crim rode up front with Party, Rainbow happily tucked between Jet and Ghoul in the back. It felt like old times, the absence of Kobra the only thing that provoked a little sadness as the night sky started to brighten into the first blush of dawn.
“You think we will hear anything from Kobra?”
Jet shook his head.
“Not this quick Party, he will need to lay low until they trust him a little.”
Party winced.
“I don’t like it and yes, I know I’m being irrational.”
“He’s smart and no, not irrational. Just a big brother.”
Party nodded with a grin and Crim checked the map again, pointing them to a side road. Another hour passed, all of them caught up in their own thoughts. Rainbow in particular was concerned with letting any of them back into the city. They had died there, the girls had nearly died there on more than one occasion. The urge to run was growing and although she would never abandon Ghoul she began to think there had to be more to life than just this.
Jet was feeling the strain, his mind still recovering from the conditioning and he wondered how Kobra would cope with being back in there. He shuddered at the thought, it was too close and too soon for him but you had to admire the Kid’s guts. He reloaded his gun, taking the stinger off a large road side scorpion as they passed. It provoked a shooting contest, all of them eventually bowing to Party’s superior skills when he disintegrated a mutant rat from the car while it was halfway down its hole.
“Think this is it….yup, pull over here.”
Crimson threw the map to Ghoul and pointed Party towards a patch of rock and scrub. They approached it cautiously, Crimson had laid a couple of traps down to keep any passers by away and it took a moment to disarm everything. Rainbow climbed into the electric suit and waited while Jet worked on the lock panel, adding the odd spark of current when he needed it.
“This one is a bitch.”
Ghoul leant against the rocks and kept his gun on the horizon.
“Named after your favourite sex bot.”
“Nah bitch was Kobra’s favourite sex bot.”
“Not what I heard.”
Party laughed as Jet wiggled his ass at Ghoul and the door finally opened with a screech. Cold stale air whistled out making them all shiver as Rainbow grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it inside. Automatic gunfire screamed down the black hallway as the Killjoys watched and waited. Rainbow herself was calculating distance and resonance, turning back with a smile.
“Two turrets. Four feet in and twelve feet left.”
Party threw Crimson a rifle and they ran at the door, both dropping and rolling as the guns fired up again, one firing up the other right. There was a massive explosion that lit up the corridor as the two turrets disintegrated. Ghoul winked at Rainbow and threw Jet his bag, commenting as he walked past his two friends who were now kissing.
“Show offs…”
Crimson rolled over and watched them all enter before grabbing Party’s outstretched hand and getting up. They paused looking back at the desert before following, her hand banging the panel on the way in so that the door closed out the daylight behind them.
“Here we go again…”

Notes