The Collector

Doctor Fielding checked her watch; it was now over thirty minutes since she had spoken to Korse and she had spent the time researching The Killjoys and Party Poison in particular. There were many newspaper reports of theft attributed to them, usually food, bottled water and medicine. The articles in the newspapers portrayed them as living the high life somewhere out in the desert, eating like princes on supplies meant for the hard working people of Battery City and selling the stolen medical supplies at inflated prices to amass a great fortune. The picture painted was very much one of evil, gluttonous sadists seated on golden thrones, squeezing the life out of Zone dwellers and trying to destroy BLI for the purpose of taking over. One article in the Battery City Pulse newspaper - a somewhat disreputable rag - drew her attention.

Exclusive: Interview with Party Poison
Yes, folks, you read that right. Our reporter, Carolina James, after months of delicate negotiations managed to secure an interview with that notorious rebel, thief and self-proclaimed freedom-fighter, Party Poison of The Fabulous Killjoys. Below is a full, no-holds-barred transcript of that interview and believe us, folks, when we say it’s as revealing as it is shocking.

Hello readers, I'm Carolina James and today I've been granted a brief interview with the notorious criminal who calls himself Party Poison. Meeting him today I've observed an arrogant, selfish, power-hungry man, willing to risk everything for personal power and wealth. As he sat before me, well fed and immaculately dressed, clearly from having taken advantage of those he has stolen from or denied supplies to, he pontificates about his purpose and assumed status in life and over Battery City. This is, indeed, a man to be feared, but don’t just take my word for it - here are his:

CJ: Party Poison, why don’t you use your real name? Why hide behind a fake identity?
PP: I don’t just work the desert, I have people working within Battery City too and if you knew my real name, their covers might just be blown too.We’ve worked too hard to bring down BLI to risk that.
CJ: So your ultimate goal is to bring down BLI? Can you tell me what it is that you hate so much?
PP: BLI controls every aspect of Battery City. They have far too much power, it’s not good for any one organisation to wield so much power.
CJ: The citizens are always happy, healthy and well looked after. Isn’t that a positive outcome?
PP: We have the welfare of the citizens at heart, and we don’t believe that BLI do.
CJ: And yet the citizens are happy.
PP: Happiness is relative and a little suffering isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
CJ: Is that what you want? Suffering?
PP: When we crush BLI and take over, the first to suffer will be those who helped to maintain their order. The rest of the citizens are able to fend for themselves.
CJ: So, that’s what you really want? Power?
PP: Of course, who doesn’t want power? And of course, that other precious commodity - wealth.
CJ: You’re already stealing from BLI, what is your personal wealth?
PP: I have enough to maintain a grip on the Zones from the control of food supplies and the sale of medical supplies and illegal drugs.
CJ: So you hate BLI’s control, but you don’t condemn your own?
PP: It’s a means to an end. Sometimes you have to use enemy tactics to overthrow them.
CJ: And if you manage, what then?
PP: We take over. The citizens have nothing to fear from us. The aftermath is not secondary; we are the aftermath. We will succeed, we will crush BLI and Battery City will be free of their pernicious influence. True life comes from disorder and uncertainty, not mindless obedience and contrived safety. We will take back the city and make it free once more.
CJ: And people will die?
PP: Of course, but only those who try to prevent the break with BLI’s tyranny. An enemy stabs you in the back, but only a true friend can stab you in the front.


These were almost certainly not the words of the man she had spoken to. This and possibly all articles were fictitious; it made her wonder what BLI was afraid of. The Zone dwellers generally refused the BLI drugs. By doing that, she knew from experience, allowed them to think for themselves. If Party was telling the truth, BLI were trying to starve the citizens living in the Zones, to deny them basic rights and essential commodities.

What was it exactly that BLI were afraid of if the Killjoys were only wanted because they were helping citizens in the Zones to survive? Was it that BLI wanted to stop the spread of people refusing their drugs? Was free thinking that dangerous to them? Even if it wasn’t, they clearly thought it was.But now, what of her own thoughts? They were free and with the ideas now dancing through her mind, she realised that she too would be considered dangerous.

His words about using her training to torture and kill instead of healing the sick kept eating away at her. He was right; this was not what she had trained for. There were thoughts she was desperately trying to keep at bay. They risked her livelihood, her position, her home and even her life, but they refused to be subdued. She had to help him.

Closing the site, she switched off private browsing and looked at her watch again. She was twenty minutes early but she decided she would go to his cell early, she needed to talk to him. There was only one way, she needed to get him out of his cell.

*

“Jet, sweetheart, you never told me you had a sister,” Kami opened. “Tell me more.”
“I couldn’t tell you before, I didn’t know,” Jet replied with a cheerful exaggerated shrug. “You know I had missing memories, well, Red was one of them.”
“Oh, you poor dears,” Kami shook her head.
“It was a chance meeting, though,” Jet explained.
Kami shook her head lightly. “There are no ‘chance’ anythings, Jet, my love. But I’m so happy you found each other.”
“So,” Red began as Kami led the way into her living quarters. “What do you do?”
“I make clothes,” Kami replied brightly as she indicated to them all to sit on a mismatched collection of couches, all covered with a variety of brightly covered throws. “Would you like some?”
“Oh,” Red laughed, shaking her head and settling down into the lime green covered couch. “I don’t have a single carbon to my name. But thank you.”
“You don’t need any money.”

Kami chuckled, leaning on the back of another couch and running her fingers through Ghoul’s hair as Jet sat down next to him on the opposite couch. Red raised an eyebrow as he didn’t even flinch.

“You have the best currency there is.” Kami grinned earning a quizzical stare from Red. “Anything for Jet’s sister.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t,” Red looked from Kami to Jet and back again. “That wouldn’t be right.”
“Nonsense!” Kami beamed. “I’ll get some food ready, everyone just relax, I'll be back in a few minutes.”
“Do you want any help,” Ghoul asked over his shoulder as she continued to play with his hair.
“Not necessary, sweetheart,” she replied, kissing the top of his head and frowning slightly. “You just relax, but you can wash your hair tomorrow.”
“Kami!” Ghoul shook his head in exasperation.
“You will, Ghoul, or no food for you now.”
“All right, all right!”
“Promise?”
“All right!” He sighed.

Red turned her gaze once more to Jet as Kami headed from the room; he knew what she wanted to say and was already smiling as she looked at him.

“Don't worry, we’ll find something to give her in exchange,” Jet nodded.
Red was still uncertain; they had so little to give, it didn’t seem right that they should find something to give to Kami to exchange for something as frivolous as clothes.
“Jet, I'm not…”

Red was interrupted by Kobra flopping, almost bouncing, onto the couch next to her.

“Here’s the thing, Red,” he opened, as if beginning serious negotiations. “You’re one of us now, so we’re assuming, well hoping, you’re gonna stay with us and you’ll need a change of clothes anyway. We’ve all got other clothes, you should too.”
“You can see why she’d be confused, though, Kobra,” Ghoul cut in with a wicked smirk plastered across his face. “Either all your clothes are the same or you do only wear one shirt, all the time!”
“Hey!” He complained. “I have another shirt!”
“The green one,” Jet reminded, grinning as he waved a finger in the air.
“Oh, yeah!” Ghoul rolled his eyes. “That was your go to shirt before you realised that material was supposed to be able to fold.”
“What do you mean?” Kobra pouted.
“That shirt walked itself to the laundry!” Ghoul grinned back.
“Don’t listen to them.”

Kobra turned to Red and noticing her sucking her bottom lip into her mouth in a desperate attempt not to laugh, he sighed and felt his shoulders sag.

“Anyway!” he stared at Ghoul and Jet, defying them to say another word on his hygiene in front of someone he was trying to impress. “I think you’ll need some new clothes. I'm surprised you don’t have any.”
“I did have,” Red admitted. “I had a backpack, it was stolen.”
“When?” Jet asked concerned. “Were you hurt?”

Red smiled reassuringly as Jet followed the question with an uncertain frown; wondering if he was being too protective again.

“No, well, not by the thief anyway. It was just before I found the trans am. When that explosion happened, I was knocked flat, knocked out in fact. I had it then, but when I woke up it was gone. Actually, that might explain why my shoulder was sore. I assumed I'd fallen badly in the explosion, but maybe not.”
“Someone ripped it off you?” Kobra asked.
“Yeah, and left me to die,” she shrugged. “Did me a favour though, as it turned out. I might have kept walking otherwise.” She added with a happy smile.
“So, my dear,” Kami began as she reentered the room carrying a large tray with steaming bowls of hot something that smelled too good to be true.As she walked near, all four barely heard her next words. “Have you decided what you’d like?”
“Um,” Red began, distracted by the wonderful aromas drifting to the couches from the tray.

She tried to remember the last time she ate something, finally realising it had been breakfast the morning Party had been captured. That had been so long ago and the scent of food - real food - wafting over her was causing her ability to concentrate to fail hopelessly. Kami noticed that all four of her guests were lost to the smell of the food, each of them almost hypnotised and transfixed.

“I think we should eat first, don’t you?” Kami giggled.

Placing the tray down on the table in the centre of the arrangement of couches, it broke her heart to see how painfully hungry they all were. It was particularly galling considering that Battery City newspapers, which would often make it out to Zone One, invariably portrayed the Killjoys as mercenaries, cutting off supplies to the outer zones to keep shipments of food and drugs for themselves or to sell to maintain control. If even a single one of the articles were to be believed, they would not be sitting in front of her virtually passing out from just the smell of food.

“This is vegetable chilli,” she pointed to one large bowl, offering a wink toward Ghoul. “This is beef chilli,” she pointed to a second bowl.
“Beef?” Jet’s head snapped up. “What, like, real beef?”
“Anything for you guys,” Kami smiled.
“Where did you…?”

Jet was lost for words; even the cans of Power Pup they frequently consumed merely to stay alive contained some sort of poor quality meat substitute. It had been so long since he had eaten any meat at all, but beef was a particular luxury.

“I have my sources, Jet,” Kami laughed. “I also have rice, salad and potatoes, I’ll fetch them in now,” she grinned at their astonished expressions. “I told you, if you’re going into BLI, you’re going in prepared.”
“Thanks, Kami…” Ghoul gasped at her generosity. “I can’t even…”
“Just eat, Ghoul, you look like you need it, all of you. You’re skin and bone!”

Kami continued to bring a selection of bowls, plates and serving spoons and other cutlery into the room. Kobra’s eyes lit up when a basket of bread arrived; he couldn’t remember the last time he had even seen bread, never mind tasted it. But it was when Kami returned carrying bottled water that the Killjoys almost choked in surprise. Red stared up at this joyous, generous woman who was not just happy to look after them, but genuinely seemed to glean a great deal of pleasure from it. Even though Kami didn’t know her, she had treated Red as if she were family and made her feel welcome and at home. Helping herself to a respectful amount of food, Red took a few slow forkfuls. Chewing almost in slow motion her eyes’ focus had drifted more to another time than a place. It was only when she held her fork hovering about an inch above her plate that anyone noticed.

Ghoul nudged Jet gently with his elbow and nodded toward the silent woman with the distant thoughtful expression on the opposite couch.

“Sis?” Jet ventured, drawing an immediate smile from Red and a soft pink blush to her cheeks. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she replied, pursing her lips. Placing her fork down gently on the plate, she took a breath. “I was wondering, but I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything,” she continued without explaining. “I mean, I’d like to, but, if you’re not keen, that’s okay too.”
Jet’s brow furrowed lightly. “'Wondering what?” He asked carefully.
“I was thinking it might be nice to change my name.”

Jet appeared thoughtful for a moment.

“Well, it’s your name,” he shrugged.
“Well that’s just it,” she answered cryptically. “Not entirely.”

Jet merely shrugged his lack of understanding, but Kami understood and was already beaming with joy.

“I was thinking of changing it to Red Star,” she ventured, chewing lightly on her lip.

Notes

Aww! Sweet? Yes, no?

Well, I hope you enjoyed anyway :) Please feel free to comment or drop me a message, would be great to hear from you.

Thanks for reading,
Sas xx