Taking Back Fun Day

“No!” Dr Death Defying insisted again. “Neither of you are going anywhere.”
“But, Ghoul!” Party slurred, gesturing weakly with his arms. “Didn’t you hear what Kami said?”
“I heard,” Death Defying nodded. “But do you hear yourself?”
“What?” Party frowned.

Death Defying frowned; what exactly was Party’s question?

“You can’t hear yourself?” He asked returning his voice to its normal volume.
“I can’t hear you!” Party complained. “Why are you whispering?”
“He’s not, bro,” Kobra turned a concerned eye towards his brother.
“Don’t you start!” Party grumbled, glaring at Kobra, but the fixed concerned faces looking back at him suggested that no one was messing with him. “You’re talking normally?” He finally asked, his brow furrowing with the knowledge of what that meant.
“Yeah, Party,” Red took a step forward, frowning with worry. “Doc, has he lost some of his hearing?”
“Speak up!” Party snapped irritably.
“Party!” Death shouted, grabbing his attention.
“That’s better,” the redhead rolled his eyes.
“Party, you’ve got partial hearing loss,” the doctor explained loudly. “It could be the explosion, the concussion or both. Either could cause it. Can you hear any irritating noise?”
“Just you guys,” Party pouted, looking away miserably.
“Hey, Gingerella!” Red rapped on the table with her knuckles, only stopping when Party looked up angrily through his lashes and pulling his already thin lips into a pale line.
“What?” He growled.
“Just because you’re not fit enough to go to the ball, don’t think we’re just going to abandon Prince Charming.”
“Very nice extended metaphor,” Death nodded his approval. “But I do have a little trouble thinking of Ghoul as Prince Charming,” he added with a half-smirk.
“More like Prince Charmless,” Kobra chuckled, drawing a smile from Red, that she tried very hard to disguise.
“What?” Party narrowed his eyes. “What did he say?”
“Nothing,” Red rolled her eyes; he really was a drama queen.
“Bottom line, Party?” the doctor looked the redhead in the eyes. “Neither you, nor Jet are going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Kobra and Red can manage.”
“We have to rescue Ghoul! I have to go!” Party objected, now leaning forward in his seat.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, man!” Kobra grumbled before slumping back in his seat, in a grumpy sulk, before almost immediately sitting back up again to continue. “And that’s another thing! You gonna let me run a mission now? I thought we’d got past all this!” He added, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “He doesn’t trust me,” he muttered quietly to himself. “Never has!”
“Oh, will you listen to yourselves!” A voice called from the diner entrance.

In less than a moment, all guns were drawn and aimed at the newcomer. Standing in the doorway, his arms folded and grinning widely in amusement stood Bob Bryar, known to them only as Coffin Dancer or more widely in the Zones as The Sad Man. Silent until now, Jet looked up with alarm - this was one man he definitely wanted to keep away from Red. Coffin Dancer, as far as they were aware, worked for whoever he wanted to, whenever he wanted to. The only moral code he claimed to have was that he would never give information to the Killjoys and also to BLI. Any actions taken by them based on his information would, in theory, be unknown to their hated enemy. Kobra turned an angry glare in the direction of the man at the doorway. Without lowering his gun, he raced towards the man who lost his grin as he approached.

“Kobra, man, what’s wrong?” Bob raised his hands defensively in front of him.

Without a word, Kobra spun sharply and landed a boot with force into the man’s chest, propelling him backwards out of the diner, where he landed heavily in the sand. Gasping for breath as the combination of the kick and the painful landing drove the air from his lungs, he lay bewildered, weak and defenceless as Kobra followed him out.

Sharing a surprised glance, Red and Jet both looked at Party who stared back, equally confused. Rising to his feet, Jet turned as Red moved to follow him.

“Stay with Party,” he instructed before heading for the door.
“Why?” Red objected with an indignant tone.

Jet turned, somewhat frustrated that he had to explain everything. His shoulders sagged and a look of exhausted urgency on his face.

“Just...” he shook his head, indicating with both hands that she should stay put. “Please.”

Rushing outside, he found Kobra sitting astride the blond man, pummelling his face. To his credit, Bob was trying hard to defend himself, but was no match for the martial arts expert.

“Jet!” Bob cried, alarmed at the severity of the beating, especially as he had no understanding of why.
“Kobra?” Jet cut in quietly as he placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder.
“What?” Kobra asked, landing a final punch before sitting upright and turning his head to look at Jet.
“Have you established whether or not he knew?” Jet asked without enthusiasm.
“I kinda guessed he’d deny it if he did,” Kobra replied, ignoring the man lying prone beneath him.
“It’s a good point,” Jet replied looking down at the man he knew as Coffin. “Well?”
“Knew what?” Bob asked in a panicked voice. “What do you think I’ve done?”
“You gave us instructions to rescue Party,” Jet began, pausing to gauge his reaction.
“Yeah,” Bob’s eyes flitted from Jet to Kobra and back. Relieved that Kobra had finally stopped hitting him, but still not daring to try to move. “And?” He prompted, before his eyes widened still further. “Did someone get hurt? Is that how they got Ghoul?”

Clearly the wrong thing to say, Kobra launched into a revitalised attack.

“No!” Bob shouted. “Stop! I didn’t do anything!”
“Kobra,” Jet repeated himself.
“Jet,” Kobra sighed, sitting back once more and looking up. “I’m kinda busy here.”
“I see that,” Jet replied casually, “but I wonder if we should listen to what he has to say first?”
“Yes!” Bob mumbled; his cheeks and eyes swelling from the constant pounding. “Listen to Jet, please!”
“You think?” Kobra shrugged. “What if he lies to us?”

Jet placed a hand on the butt of his gun before looking directly into the blond man’s blue eyes.

“We’ll kill him.”
“Jet, man, what the hell have I done?” Bob called up, licking the blood from his newly split lip.
“You tell me, Coffin,” Jet raised an eyebrow as Kobra pushed himself to his feet, accidentally kicking the prone man as he did. Leaning over to help the blond man stand, Jet continued. “We’ve got a lot of questions for you and you better get them right.”

Bob brushed the sand off his clothes, frowning as every movement caused him pain. Removing his jacket so he could brush the back of it, he looked at Kobra through narrowed eyes.

“Guilty until proven innocent? Is that it?” He snapped.
“Something like that, yeah,” Kobra glared back. “Oh, and there’s a woman in there that if you even look sideways at, we’re going for round two. Understand?”

Jet looked on approvingly; Kobra’s threat was much more to the point and convincing than his version would have been. Not that Kobra meant it more, but Coffin had just had a taste of what could happen and Jet was pretty sure he would do everything to avoid an encore.

“For crying out loud, man! What do you think I am? I’m not gonna try anything with your girl!”
“Woman,” Jet corrected, leaning in and pointing a finger at him.
“What?” Bob smirked. “You share her?”

He didn’t see the fist, even Kobra didn’t, but Bob lay dazed on the floor once again. Kobra offered Jet an approving grin and offered a high five which Jet, at first, reluctantly returned. It took a lot to get Jet that angry, but Coffin had crossed a serious line he didn’t take even know was there. The two Killjoys reached down and dragged him back to his feet, Jet picking up the man’s dropped jacket before pushing it against his chest. Bob, still woozy, held onto the jacket, barely aware of what it was as he was pulled into the diner.

Once the doors were again closed and the three were no longer back-lit, the other occupants could see the extent of the damage done to the man’s face. Red frowned as she noticed the blood around his mouth and cheek, but her eyes widened when she saw blood on Jet’s right hand. Catching the glance, Jet looked at his hand before wiping it on Bob’s jacket.

“Don’t worry,” he offered by way of explanation. “It’s his.”

Red cocked her head and stared at the newcomer, now sufficiently recovered to walk unaided. He was, at first, trying not to make eye contact but he found himself staring back, a questioning look on his face.

“Who’s this then?” Red asked, noting the sudden discomfort, even tension in the room.

Dr Death Defying was staring intently at the newcomer. With his shades on, it was impossible to know what he was thinking or feeling, but the sudden stiffness in his posture suggested he was either angry or filled with hatred - possibly both. Glancing over at Party, Red found his expression both impassive and unreadable. The silence was palpable and Red found herself growing more and more irritated by the stranger’s returned stare. She didn’t appreciate being looked at for any length of time by a complete stranger and, beginning to feel uncomfortable with both the staring and a lack of a response, she took a few steps toward him.

“Who are you and why are you looking at me?” She demanded in a clipped tone.

Bob looked down before glancing at both Jet and Kobra, afraid of a reprise of the earlier beating.

“I... I’m not...” he stepped to the side, away from the two men and raised his hands. “I’m not.”
“Yes you were!” Red folded her arms across her chest. “Now spill before I finish off what they started!”
“I would if I were you, man,” Party piped up. “She’s not bluffing!”
“I... I think I know you from somewhere,” Bob replied. “That’s all. You look familiar.”
“Oh, please!” Red rolled her eyes. “That old chestnut?”
“Really,” Bob cut in. “I’m telling...”

He paused, frowning as he stared harder, only stopping when Kobra seized him by the throat and pushed him back against the wall of a booth.

“What did I just tell you not to do, Coffin?” He growled.
“Ah!” Red tipped her head. “So you’re Coffin Dancer.”

Bob turned his head in surprise at the recognition of his name, only to have his head pulled back sharply to face Kobra.

“Dude, do I have to start on you again?”
“No!” Bob replied, his voice raising significantly in pitch. “Look, I’m serious, man. I know where I’ve seen her!”

Bob reached into one of the pockets of his jacket, only to pause immediately as several guns were again pointed at him. Staring down the barrel of Kobra’s ray gun, sweat began to bead on his forehead.

“Dude, I’m just getting something out of my pocket. It’s just a flyer, okay?”
“Slowly,” Kobra replied through gritted teeth.

Nodding enthusiastically, Bob slowly removed his hand from the jacket pocket, a folded and slightly crumpled piece of paper gripped between his fingers.

“Here,” Bob nodded again, handing the paper to the angry Killjoy.

Jet stepped forward, snatching the paper from his hands, seeing it as a ploy to force Kobra to release him. Opening the sheet of paper, Jet’s eyes widened and he took a long deep breath.

“Where did you get this?” He asked.
“What is it?” Kobra asked, relaxing his hold, but not letting go.
“Where did you get it?” Jet repeated himself, yelling this time.
“They’re all over the Zones, man,” Bob replied, pulling back in surprise at Jet’s fury. “I just picked one up, that’s all.”
“Why?” Jet moved closer, holding the sheet up for Kobra to see. “What do you need it for?”

Bob tried to reply but couldn’t as on seeing the paper, Kobra’s grip tightened once again; the pair watching as the man’s face began to redden. Gasping and choking, Bob’s fingers clutched at Kobra’s as he fought to breathe.

“For Pete’s sake, Kobra, you got to let the man...” Red began closing the gap between her and the three men.

Suddenly spotting the flyer was enough to stop her mid-sentence but far from shocking her, she grinned broadly and snatched the paper from Jet’s hand. Turning she held the flyer aloft for all to see, grinning broadly.

“I’m a fully-fledged Killjoy now!” She cried, elated, beaming a smile and receiving looks of consternation from Kobra and Jet. “Does it get my good side?” She continued holding the flyer up to her face.
“Your picture on an extermination poster is not something to celebrate!” Jet scolded; he and Kobra turning away from Bob, now almost forgotten.
“Are you kidding?” She almost danced with excitement. “I’m a real Killjoy now!”
“Yeah,” Party rolled his eyes. “Hundreds of faceless drones want to kill you. You’ve made it!”
“Says the poster boy for the whole of the Zones!” Red replied placing a hand on her hip and tilting her head in an additional effort to convey her sarcasm.
“It was gonna happen, Jet,” Death Defying offered. “As soon as that android saw her, it was inevitable.”

Jet turned sharply back to look at Bob, swiftly followed by Kobra.

“Which brings us back to you!” He addressed him, almost spitting the words.
“What? What do you think I’ve done?” Bob replied bewildered.

Behind them, Red was examining the poster and suddenly stiffened, her face morphing into a deep frown.

“Wait a minute!” She snapped angrily. “There’s a zero missing!”

Jet and Kobra, almost in unison, turned their heads slowly to look at the irritated young woman, now stabbing a finger at the bottom of the flyer.

“What?” Jet sighed.
“The reward!” She pouted. “There’s a zero missing. It says a hundred thousand carbons,” she explained, appearing insulted. “All yours are one million! That’s not fair!”

Jet threw his arms out to the side, unable to believe her perspective on the poster.

“Red, it’s bad enough you’re on a poster,” he replied in dismay. “What, you’re complaining about the size of the bounty? You really got to rethink your priorities!”
“BLI are never going to pay out a million,” Bob interrupted. “Everyone knows that. Yours is much more realistic.”
“Kobra,” Jet sighed.

Bob didn’t see it coming. He may not even have felt it, but later, when he woke, he certainly would.

“Thanks,” Jet added simply.
“My pleasure,” Kobra replied.

Jet looked down and inhaled deeply, calming slowly.

“If we’re going after Ghoul, we gotta fix the car. We have to get Larry to look at it, we’re going to need parts.” Kobra took the conversation back to the original subject before Coffin Dancer arrived.
“Take the van, bring him back,” Death suggested, throwing the keys to Kobra. “That’ll be quicker.”
“And we’ll find out what he knows about that android and Ghoul for that matter. It’s no coincidence he turned up now.”

Kobra nodded thoughtfully.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Notes

Hello lovely readers! Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas!! Here’s another chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for reading and please comment, I’d love to hear from you.

Sas xx