Resurrection

Frank couldn’t remember what day it was.
Or what year.
In fact, most things came and went through his head depending on what level of pain he was in and how much hope he had. When they left him alone or the painkillers and sedatives kicked in he could think that he was back at the diner, lying on the roof with his head in Rainbow’s lap. They would be talking about anything except the war and Party would be there too…Crimson….Kobra…Jet…all of them. Those were the better dreams. The painful ones made him watch them all die over and over.
My name is Fun Ghoul, I am a killjoy.
He shifted a little, the fresh pain in his arms making Frank open his eyes and look around blurrily. Everything was quiet so maybe it was night time. He wouldn’t be able to tell, there were no windows and the echoing sounds told him he was underground somewhere in the heart of Battery City. He had been here since they resurrected him, that much he knew. Sometimes he thought the others had been here too but he really couldn’t be sure. The interrogators said that his friends had accepted BLI and become rehabilitated but Frank would never believe that.
My name is…..
His mind went a little numb as he looked down painfully at the new bruises that marked his torso. They had gone a little hard this time and it hurt to breathe. They told him that all the Killjoys were dead, that his Rainbow was dead and had died cursing his name. Frank remembered his rage at that point, the awful thought that it might be true was too much for his mind to take sometimes but he reminded himself that he was still alive so they must need him for something. He had spat in their faces and cursed them, laughing even when they had tried to convince him that the ginger haired man they showed him was Party, made Gerard again by the miracle of BLI.
Frank let himself rest, his eyes drifting shut as he listened to the noises in his prison. The dracs guarding him never spoke or looked his way, they left that to the interrogators, always young men in pristine suits who let the guards use their fists while they did the talking. He was not afraid of them, he was more afraid that he would remain here until the pain broke him and he would end up as a mindless drone himself. Dying had been painful but easy, he would take it every time.
My name is Frank Iero, I am a killjoy.
The pipes clanking disturbed his slumber and he realised he was thirsty. They had left a little food and water before the latest beating but that would have been hours ago and now it was likely there would be nothing before morning. Whenever that happened to be. There were scuffling and noises from outside and far away, he guessed that another prisoner was in for a bad time but couldn’t seem to care. That thought triggered a little guilt as for all he knew it could be Gerard screaming now in the distance but he was thirsty and couldn’t exactly go and look. He twisted and tried to see if the walls were moist with condensation, sometimes that saved him from raving and begging when the thirst got too much. Tonight it seemed, Frank was out of luck. He cursed under his breath and strained against the chains a little more. Never give up on getting out, when they get complacent you have to take your chance Frank…
A new sound came to his ears, someone was in the room outside his cell, he could hear footsteps and things being moved around. He listened a little more intently and then held his breath as the door silently opened. This could be bad, another long session of questions and cajoling when he was tired and wanted water was the last thing he thought he could stand. He considered trying to fake sleep, maybe there would be a chance they would lead him alone.
Which was when he realised that the footsteps were now in the room and he couldn’t see anyone. They were near him and he jolted back as fingers drifted against his face, his mind frantically searching his memory as to why he remembered this, why this had happened before to him and Frank shook his head. It was so frustratingly close as he felt the hand again and half screeched in fear. Someone else appeared in the doorway, a dark clad figure with a hood over their face.
A great arc of electricity arched from the figure’s hands into the camera and all the lights flickered before it settled again, small drops of fire illuminating her face as the woman was revealed. Frank gaped, he knew her, there was no mask over her face and the sardonic smile never changed and he must be dreaming. It happened again, a shimmer of light going in front of his eyes before another figure appeared in front of him. He shrank back as this one too revealed her face and then he started to almost scream.
“I….it can’t be. You can’t be her. I won’t tell you fucking nothing, you HEAR ME !”
“Frankie, calm down. We don’t have much time.”
Rainbow couldn’t keep the smile from her face despite how much it hurt to see him so frightened and chained like an animal. She uttered soothing words to him and grabbed her flask, trickling water over his lips and face as Frank continued to mutter and try to pull away. She had searched the drac outside for keys and now unshackled him, half laying him on the floor as Crimson strode through the outer door again to lay the explosives. The battery pack on the charge suit was almost dead but it had disabled the cameras and door long enough to get Frank out. After that the charges would do the talking.
It had taken them three days to get to this, Mikey’s pass key had been invaluable. On their own they would have been looking in the wrong place and even then there had been arguments about them going alone. Very few people trusted Crim and to be honest, they were right to not give her that courtesy.
“Three minutes Rain. How you doing Frank ?”
Frank just stared, he finally began to believe it was real when they helped him to stand and get into the second stealth suit, both women remarking he had lost an insane amount of weight. He took them in, seeing fresh marks of battle but fuck of all of them it was the girls that had made it. He winced in pain, his arm over Rainbow’s shoulder as she helped him stand and he smiled broadly.
“I feel like shit. How long ?”
“Eighteen months. We need to leave but as soon as we are in the car I will explain.”
He nodded, one hand pulling Rainbow’s lips to his. She paused, letting herself enjoy the briefest of kisses before he ran his fingers down her cheek as if to check that she was real. Rainbow kissed him a little harder and then pulled their masks on and everything shimmered. Frank stumbled, his legs unused to walking as they headed back out into the smoke filled corridor. Crimson checked her watch before helping Rainbow drag Frank to the manhole cover and the ladder that led down. Once this part of the mission was done BLI would know that the killjoys were fighting back and she again regretted Kobra’s insistence on staying put.
It felt like forever before they were back to the car and Frank was laid across the back seat. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and Rainbow had covered him over with a blanket as the ceiling above lifted and dropped, the muted roar of explosives telling them that someone had tried to open the door. Both Crim and Rainbow wondered why this was so easy, back in their heyday they would never have got into the old Battery City but now it seemed BLI had got a little complacent.
“You know they will step up security now.”
Rainbow nodded, glancing back at Ghoul and taking in the exhausted man that still looked impossibly young. Frank had never seemed to age and it made it worse to think how long he had been down there without them knowing. She felt a little guilt that they had wallowed in self pity and infighting instead of doing this sooner.
“And the arguments will begin as to who we go after next. Neon and the council are pushing for an all-out assault and that’s stupid. They never listen.”
“We go after Ray like Mikey said. Then we can get his help to get to Gee. Anything else and we get slaughtered.”
Crimson had noted that her friend was a little bitter at the arguing that had gone on. It had been a great victory the last time they had attacked a city but the numbers had been different and they had been fortunate to have four secret weapons. The old guard was being replaced by a recklessness that she both admired and found annoying.
“We do what Mikey said.”
The tired voice from the back had a certain authority that caused them both to look back. Frank smiled, the feel of fresh air on his face stung but to smell the breeze and see the stars above had made him realise that despite it all, they were alive. That his friends were still trapped, that it seemed like BLI had been telling the truth, was starting to make him angry. He sat up painfully, reaching for a bottle of water as he looked at the two women.
“Tell me everything.”

Notes