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"Ugh, ouch." Abbey groaned, rolling over slowly. Her head was throbbing and she could feel the stitches tugging at her skin.
"Morning."
"Eh?" she cracked her eyelids open. "Holy mother of hell!"
Party Poison raised an eyebrow at her outburst and continued to chew his cereal. "Ummm I know my hair is red, but I'm not Satan's mom."
Abbey paused, breathing heavily from the shock of waking up somewhere unfamiliar. The fact that the Killjoy leader himself was sitting a few meters away from her wasn't helping her nerves either. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts and switch back to "Bleach" mode.
"Right, sorry. Just forgot where I am for a moment."
Party opened his mouth, insult at the ready, but then frowned and shook his head instead. "You know," he mumbled, standing and walking into the adjoined kitchen, "about last night.... I'm, uh... Well you know." he shrugged and placed his bowl into the sink.
Bleach stared at him blankly. "About last night what exactly?"
Gerard tapped his foot against the floor and screwed up his nose, trying to squash his pride. "I wanted to say that I'm-"
"Mornin' Sunshine!" Fun Ghoul exclaimed, leaping over the back of the couch onto Bleach.
Gerard sighed and left the room.
"He hasn't been giving you grief this early has he?" Ghoul asked her, watching his friend disappear into his room.
Bleach shook her head slightly. "No... I don't actually know what he was saying."
"Ha! Join the club!" the Killjoy giggled.
"Please tell me they didn't wake you up." Jet Star moaned, walking into the room. "Ghoul especially has no volume control."
Fun Ghoul rolled his eyes and Bleach shook her head.
"No, they didn't, I slept well actually."
The older man smiled and knelt down to inspect her stitches. "How's it feeling?"
"Ummm...." she touched it gently and winced. "Not so good. My head kinda feels like it's about to fall off."
Fun Ghoul peeled off into a fit of giggles. "No offense, but I would so laugh if it did!'
"Aww dude, stop being mean to the kid." Kobra cuffed his shorter friend over his head with a magazine.
Ghoul grinned and tackled Kobra to the ground, telling him to stick his nose in someone else's business. The rolled over and over, laughing hard as Bleach and Jet Star watched on.
"Wow, you guys are so..."
"Strange?" Jet smirked.
She shook her head. "I was going to say that you are so close. I don't remember seeing people this happy in a long time." Abbey whispered truthfully.
He beamed and nodded. "We've all been together for a long time."
"How long?" Toxin asked, probing for information.
Jet Star shrugged noncommittally. "A few years or so, I guess."
Hypertonic pulled a fake smiled and nodded, secretly frustrated. She knew that it was going to take time to crack these Killjoys, but she didn't like having to play the poker face.

Maverick yawned and rolled over, surprised to find the bed next to him empty.
"Babe?" he whispered.
"I'm over here." came the reply. Russian Roulette was standing at the window, watching the sun rise. She turned to her boyfriend and smiled. "Coffee?"
He grinned and nodded. "Don't even have to ask when it comes to coffee."
The Gambler smirked and poured two mugs of steaming caffeine. "I wish we had real milk." she pouted, stirring in some powdered thickener and sugar.
"I'll second that. I'm sick of eating cereal with water." he agreed.
"Yeah, but I'm just thankful we have cereal. That Power Pup shit is gross." Roulette stepped onto the bed, coffees in hand and sat down gently. "Here you go honey."
"Thanks." Maverick pressed a long kiss on her forehead before taking a sip. "So what's happening today?"
Her face split into a big grin. "Harley had an idea."
"Oh?" he raised one eyebrow. "And just how much firepower are we going to need to back up this plan?"
Rabid shook her head, smiling wide. "See that's the great thing about this one, it doesn't involve any firepower and it'll hopefully start to bring the zonerunners together."
"Hmm keep talking, this sounds do-able."
She pecked him on the cheek and gulped down her coffee. "I would stay and explain the rest, but right now I've gotta go make a few calls."
"But-" he pouted holding onto her waist.
"Nope! No buts, if I can't get the ball rolling now we wont be ready by tonight." Roulette giggled and pushed him off.
"T-tonight?" Maverick gaped. "This plan is going through tonight!?"
She nodded, pulling on a pair of jeans. "Mhmm. Invites have already gone out." she grabbed a piece of toast and popped it in her mouth.
"Invitations!" he cried, "What is this, a birthday party?"
"Ummm, not exactly." Rabid mumbled with a mouth full of bread.
Maverick groaned and slumped back into the pillows. "When exactly were you planning on telling me about this operation?"
Roulette hopped to the door, tugging on her boots. She paused for a moment and smirked. "I did tell you, just then!" Rabid blew him a kiss and bounded out the door.
"I'm dating a lunatic." he sighed, sipping his coffee.

"Party!" the voice on the other end of the radio shrieked.
Gerard winced and held the receiver away from his ear. "Ummm yeah, who's this?"
"It's Russian Roulette."
The Killjoy relaxed into the chair. "Hey Rabid, it's good to hear from you. How's things in Sanctum?"
Her voice was buzzing with energy as she talked. "Everything is going great! Harley and I have been working on so many projects to try and screw with navigation systems on BL/ind planes and tracking devices for their vehicles and-"
"Sounds like you're having fun then." he interrupted her.
There was a short pause on the line before she replied. "Hey Party, I don't know if it's just the static, but you sound pretty down."
"Nah, I'm fine. Just taking the days one at a time out here." he brushed off her concern and picked up a leaflet Dr D had sitting on his desk. "Umm Roulette, quick question. What's this "The Mad Gear and Missile Kid gig" thing about? It says you're hosting at Misfits tonight.... What are you up to?"
There was a nervous giggle on the other end. "Ok, promise you wont freak out at me Party?"
Gerard rolled his eyes. "You know that's just asking for trouble Roulette."
"Yeah, well this is something important. You need to hear me out to the end before you blow up at me. Okay?"
He frowned and sigh heavily. "Fine, but make it good."
"Okay!" she started talking enthusiastically. "So, you know how I trying to get all the rebels to unite, well it's been harder than I thought. Cobalt Blues and Jettison are being real jerks about even meeting with me to discuss tactics. I don't know how they ended up on top of a crew... Anyway, Harley and I went back to the drawing board and thought of everything that brings zonerunners together - food, water, shelter... But then I remembered Misfits. That bar is the only club in California where I've actually seen rebels put aside their differences and tolerate each other for a drink. Other bars have tried, but Glock seems to be the only peacemaker in this here area. You know Glock really must have a way with people because-"
"You're rambling." Party interrupted.
"Opps, sorry!" Roulette continued, barely pausing to draw breath. "So, as I was saying, we've already targeted Misfits as the place to bring people together. However, we needed a reason for people to unite other than terminating BL/ind. If we called a meeting about raids, everyone would end up in a big argument over who's crew has the best shooters or whatever. What we need instead, is an event that brings people together not for war. If they see that they can get along when they're having fun, maybe they'll be more tolerant of each other all the time."
Rabid took a moment to gather herself before launching into her proposal. "Harley, the saviour, came up with an idea. What is something that everyone misses, that only a few people can supply? Good music."
Gerard knew where this was headed and he didn't like it. Not one bit. Nonetheless, he let the Gambler continue.
"Other than you I don't think I know any zonerunners who can play instruments well enough to perform. Besides, most people who do know how have been out of practice for years... But I'm willing to bet that you guys aren't. I can't imagine Jet Star putting away his guitar. And it's not like anyone will know who you are; I've renamed you The Mad Gear and Missile Kid. Just think of how great it would be if we could get people united through music! And you can all play again, don't you miss singing for people Party?"
Roulette bit her lip, trying to read the silence she was getting. "I'll even pay you! If you guys need something, anything, I'll get it for you. This concert could be the thing that-"
"I'll do it."
"Huh?" Rabid's heart leapt, daring herself to hope.
Gerard rolled his eyes. "I'll do it. I can't speak for the guys, but regardless, I'll sing."
"Oh Party thankyou so so so much!" Roulette shrieked. "I'm so excited!"
"Yep... Well I'll go talk to the boys and see what they think. With or without them I'll meet you at Misfits in an hour or two. We'll need to get tuned up and stuff."
The Gambler was babbling away happily on the other end, when Gee realized something. "Hey Rabid, one more thing."
Her stream of verbal enthusiasm was cut off. "Oh?"
"We don't have a drummer anymore... So you're going to have to find one, and fast. They'll need to practice with us today before the gig." his voice was neutral, but Gerard was struggling to keep his emotions in check.
"Of course, I've already found someone. His name is Black Jack and he's one of Harley's close crew members."
"Great. Well I'll see you in a bit then."
"Umm Party?" Rabid put in before he hung up.
"Yeah?"
"I just... Thankyou."
Gerard smirked. "I should have recorded that."

"Cereal?" Fun Ghoul offered, holding a packet of stale flakes towards Bleach.
"Ummm, no thanks." she replied.
Ghoul pouted. "Toast?"
Bleach stared at the black lump that he was referring to as bread and shook her head.
"Hmmm what about some power pup?" he grinned, juggling the white cans.
The girl raised an eyebrow and tried not to shudder at the thought of eating dog food. "I'll pass."
Fun Ghoul rolled his eyes and plonked the cans back on the table. "Well what do you eat? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all."
Bleach shook her head slightly and tried to smile. "I'm not very hungry, but thankyou anyway."
"You know, just because you have good manners doesn't mean that you get out of eating." Jet Star ruffled her hair and laughed when she pouted. "You've taken quite a knock to the head and you need energy to get better. Besides the food here is better than anything else you'll find in the zones."
She shrugged. "Water is fine."
"You are a difficult one." Fun Ghoul waved his spoon at her, chewing a mouthful of cereal happily. "Very un-smiley."
"Ghoul!" Kobra Kid exclaimed, "Don't be so rude!"
"Well she is." the shorter man retorted, smirking at Bleach. "What's with that anyway? Don't you like your teeth or something?"
She frowned. "My teeth are perfectly straight, there's nothing wrong about them."
"Then you shouldn't be afraid of smiling."
Bleach rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the midget's teasing.
"Just ignore him." Jet Star said, sitting down next to her. "He always finds a way to wind people up."
"Well, it's not working on me." she replied haughtily, taking a sip of water.
Jet laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. "You must have pretty thick skin then, kid."
Bleach looked up at him and gave a small smile. "It's growing."
"Listen up Killjoys." Party announced, walking into the room. "Russian Roulette's got us twisted round her little finger, again."
Fun Ghoul smirked. "Got you twisted, don't you mean?"
Party rolled his eyes. "Nu-uh. I wouldn't go there if you paid me. Roulette's fun, but that bitch's got bite."
"I don't know how Maverick does it." Kobra grinned.
Toxin's ears pricked at the mention of Russian Roulette. She couldn't be sure, but she though Korse had mentioned something about the woman.... The Gamblers?
"So what does she want us to do this time?" Jet Star asked.
Party paused, looking at Bleach. He shrugged, deciding that she was harmless, and continued. "So Rabid and Harley got talking about how we can unite the zonerunners..."
He kept talking, but Abbey was left reeling about the first sentence.
'Unite the zonerunners!' her thoughts screamed. 'Shit, these guys are starting to get serious. If the rebels gang up on BL/ind, we'll be outgunned.' she chewed on her lip absently and forced her face to stay clam. 'Gotta tell Korse... He needs to know.'
"... So Roulette wanted to know if we'll do the gig." Party finished.
The room was filled with a tense silence, before it erupted into exclamations of excitement.
"Hell yeah!" Kobra Kid shouted, fisting the air.
"Just think,' Fun Ghoul cried, jumping up and down, "playing live shows again! Fuck yes I'll do it!"
Jet Star beamed and clapped Party on the shoulder. "Are you excited Poison?"
Their leader slowly smiled at each of them. "Yeah, I'm pretty pumped."
Bleach, having tuned out of most of Party's speech, looked around at the group of excited men confused. 'Why are they so happy?' she thought.
"You okay there kid?" Kobra asked her.
The attention of everyone was bought back to the quiet girl, and Abbey noticed that some of them were watching her warily.
"Um yeah, I'm fine." she looked up at Kobra with big eyes. "I just don't really get what's going on."
Gerard knelt in front of the girl, taking control of the situation. "So the boys here all play instruments, guitars and bass, and Russian Roulette wants us to perform tonight at a rebel bar."
"Oh, so you've played together before?" she asked, probing for information.
"Um yeah, about a year ago. Nothing serious, just for fun." he lied.
Toxin watched his expression, carefully placing a smile on her own face. "Sounds exciting."
Gerard visibly relaxed and smiled back at the girl. He hated lying to people, but he knew that he had to mask their identity.
"Umm," Jet Star said, looking at his watch, "if the gig's tonight we'd better get round to Misfits and start tuning."

Party Poison left with Fun Ghoul and Jet Star a few minutes later, leaving Kobra Kid and Bleach at the Diner. The thin man was showing Abbey around their hideout, and was trying to get her to open up a little.
"It's not that bad in the zones." he said, patting her shoulder. "I know you've only been out here a week, so things might seem a little rough, but it gets better."
Bleach nodded, looking around at each of the rooms with interest. The graffiti on the walls of the Diner reminded her of her room at home.
'Not home.' she scolded herself mentally. 'BL/ind is where I belong.'
She didn't know why, but Abbey got a little chocked up seeing how the Killjoys had made this place their own. The love they shared for each other was reflected in their home, and Bleach wondered if she would ever belong somewhere like they did,
"Hey," Kobra murmured, brushing a tear from her cheek, "why are you crying? Did I say something?"
Bleach blushed and scrubbed at her eyes furiously. "I'm not crying."
The Killjoy wasn't convinced and watched her, worry on his face.
'Why are these people so nice?' she grumbled to herself. She relented and admitted that she was upset. "It's not anything you've said, so don't look so apologetic."
Kobra chuckled and put an arm around her. "So...? What's wrong?"
Bleach shrugged and wiped away a stray tear. "It doesn't matter... So are all crews as close as you guys are?" she asked, changing the subject.
He sighed. "Don't think I'll let you avoid the topic so easily next time." Kobra Kid ruffled her hair again, much to her frustration, and answered. "But no, the Fabulous Killjoys are exceptionally close. Most crews don't really give a shit about each other, except for their leaders and their close friends."
"Why?"
"Probably because they're so much bigger than ours. People like Cobalt Blues, Jettison and Russian Roulette just collect zonerunners. Others, like Harlequin Diamond, choose their followers for their skills. We, conversely, are together as friends. That's what makes us a crew." Kobra smiled distantly and for a moment Abbey felt jealous of his relationships.
"How sentimental." Bleach said, then realized how much she sounded like Toxin. "I mean, it's really sweet that you guys stick together out of love."
They were standing outside the last door in the house, which Kobra now opened.
"This is Party's room." he stated, and then walked over to one of the closets.
Bleach hung back at the doorway, not wanting to intrude. However from where she stood she could see that Poison's room revealed some of his personality. His bed was a mess, covered with clothes and random objects; knives, lighters and cigarettes. There was a pile of comic books next to his bed, not ratty or torn, but obviously cared for. In the corner of the room was a giant costume head, which had a striking resemblance to a Micky Mouse. She pondered over it's significance. The floor as well was littered with clothes, boots and what look like car parts. Party's walls were coated with hand drawn pictures, all of different rebels and the Californian desert. There were also a few photos of people that Bleach didn't recognize, and the odd one of the Killjoys themselves. The photo that caught her eye the most was one in a frame on his bedside table, of a bleach haired, red lipped woman holding a little girl.
"Here we are!" Kobra cried, pulling out a dusty box from the bottom of the wardrobe.
"Umm what's in that? And don't we need permission to go through Party's stuff?" she asked, hesitant to take the box offered to her.
Kobra shrugged. "Nah, he's my bro. I have the god-given right to go through his shit and take what I want." he smirked and pushed the container into her hands.
As Bleach was ushered down the hallway she pondered what he has said. 'Did Kobra mean that they are brothers literally, or did he mean as close friends?'
"Okay, so Party didn't want to give you your own room simply because he was being a jerk. Me, on the other hand, am a nice guy and I agree with the sentiment that girls need their privacy."
Bleach let a giggle slip from her lips and walked into the spare room. Apart from the essential bed, table and closet it was pretty empty, however she sank onto the mattress happily. "Thanks Kobra."
The Killjoy grinned. "Well, since your staying with us we cant have you taking up the couch all the time."
Bleach raised an eyebrow. "Staying with you?"
"Only if you want to." he added quickly, noticing her hesitation. "It's just, we know how hard it is for newbies in the zones. There's no point kicking your sorry ass out into the desert to die after stitching you up."
"Thanks, it's just I do need to be somewhere in a few days..." she trailed off, thinking about Korse's 3 day deadline.
Kobra smiled. "It's okay, you go wherever you want. No strings." He motioned to the box sitting on her lap. "There's some clothes in there if you want to take a shower and get changed. I know most rebels are pretty cool with grime, but your top's kinda dirty."
Bleach looked down at her blood splattered clothes and laughed. "Yeah, it might be a good idea to rinse this gunk off. Thanks again Kobra."
"No problem. I'm heading off to Misfits in an hour if you want to come, no pressure though." he said, walking to the door. Before he left, he turned and looked at Bleach, kindness in his eyes. "And just so you know, if you ever need a place to crash, you're more than welcome at the Diner."

"Move your ass Hammer Head or I'll boot it into next Thursday!" Russian Roulette shouted. She was currently trying to get a bunch of her crew members to piece together a temporary stage, but everything kept going wrong, much to her frustration.
There was a giant crash and the Gambler turned around to see one of her prized amps topple off it's rest. A pink haired, wide eyed zonerunner stared at the big black box, now on the ground, horror written across their face.
"What the fuck!" Roulette screamed, throwing her arms into the air. "I have been searching for these amps for weeks and you're playing with them like they're lego blocks!" She spun around, ray gun clenched tightly in her fist. "Next person who puts one foot wrong is going to end up missing -"
"So where's the bitch running this gig?" a calm voice called from the front door.
Roulette's head snapped around, death threats on her tongue, but she held them back with a grin. "Party Poison!" she cried taking a running leap at the Killjoy.
Gerard found himself enfolded in a tight embrace and gasped for breath. "Watch it Gambler, you're crushing me." he patted Rabid on the back, disentangling himself from her. He laughed at the expression on the face of everyone else in the bar. "Better stop smiling Roulette, your subordinates are getting scared."
She rolled her eyes and turned around to glare at the zonerunners. "Get back to work people!" she snapped.
Party chuckled and wrapped an arm around the fiery woman. "I'd hate to get on the wrong side of you, there wouldn't be anywhere to hide."
"The sad thing is, you're right." Roulette smirked. "Thanks so much for coming Killjoy, I owe you."
"Seems like you owe me two favours actually." he laughed, messing up her curls.
Roulette had the grace to blush. "Yeah, well you're a life saver it seems."
"Mhmm." he nodded, tugging her around. "Especially since I bought my friends with me." he grinned and motioned to Fun Ghoul and Jet Star who were lugging their guitars in.
"Yay!" Roulette cried, leaping on the Killjoys in a similar fashion to Party Poison. "You guys are the best!"
Ghoul and Jet stared at each other over the Gambler's head, shocked at her display of affection.
"Oh, but wheres the bass player?" Roulette asked, realizing that they were down one band member.
"Kobra will be along in a little while. He's babysitting." Party answered, avoiding everyone's eyes.
"And let me guess, you don't like the baby in question?" Roulette giggled, poking him.
Fun Ghoul laughed. "She's not much of a baby, but Party hasn't taken a liking to her at all."
Rabid raised an eyebrow at the Killjoy leader.
"I do like her!" he exclaimed, face going as red as his hair. "But she's a stranger, we know nothing about her." he pouted.
Jet Star cuffed Party over the head. "You're being paranoid. There's nothing wrong with Bleach; she's harmless."
"Needs to smile more." Fun Ghoul pointed out.
"And probably needs to eat something as well." Jet added.
Russian Roulette looked up at Party and smirked. "Well, looks like you're going to have to introduce me to this kid that's got Poison's knickers in a twist."
"My underwear is perfectly-"
"Whatever you say babe." she interrupted, dragging the three Killjoys over to the stage. "Now my manly friends, can someone please teach my minions how to use a hammer?"

Bleach stepped out of the shower shivering. There was evidently no hot water, but the thought of staying filthy was repulsive. She had scrubbed her clothes as clean as she could, and now stood in the bathroom with hands full of sopping material, dripping on the tiles.
"B-bloody K-Kobra, he c-could have t-t-told me that there was no hot-t water!" she grumbled, teeth chattering.
Bleach dried herself off and slipped into a pair of faded black skinnies and a checkered grey cardigan over a dark red shirt. She had to struggle with the jeans, as whoever owned them previously had a much smaller butt.
As she made her way into the kitchen she saw Kobra Kid looking at her funny.
"What?" she demanded, pushing her tangled, wet hair off her face. "Am I overdressed or something?"
He shook his head. "No, you just... For a moment I thought you were someone else. Must be the clothes..."
Bleach shrugged and walked outside to find somewhere to dry her clothes.
Ten minutes later they were in Kobra Kid's car, driving to Misfits.
"BMW F6." Bleach said, tapping the arm rest approvingly.
Kobra looked at her sideways and grinned. "Yeah, she's my baby. I've had her since... Well before the takeover anyway. I only drive her when I'm going on the highways because she wont handle on the dirt. How'd you get to know so much about cars?"
"Top Gear." Bleach laughed, feeling the wind through the open window whip her hair about her face. "I was obsessed with it - I mean who doesn't want to watch a tv show about three British idiots and a bunch of expensive cars?"
Kobra laughed along with her. "Yeah I totally agree." He looked at the younger girl and nudged her with his elbow. "Wont smile eh?"
Bleach blushed and looked down at her lap. "It's not that I wont smile, I just don't like to right now..." she trailed off and looked at the blurry landscape outside the window, relishing the sun on her pale skin. "So who do these clothes actually belong to?"
"Umm..." Kobra Kid scratched his head with one hand absently, deliberating. "Argh, don't tell Party I told you this, but he was married. The clothes are hers."
"Oh, I um... Sorry. I didn't realize that it was such a sensitive topic. Where is she now?"
He shook his head. "She died."
An awkward pause filled the car. Bleach was dying to know more, but Kobra was reluctant to say much else.
"I'm sorry." she whispered, trying to break the tension.
"It's not your fault." Kobra shrugged. "Just don't bring it up around Party, he gets a bit... Well yeah he doesn't like to talk about her."
Bleach raised her eyebrows. "But what if he gets angry at me for wearing these clothes?"
"Don't worry. If he's got anything to say about it he can come talk to me. After all, it was me who dug through his wardrobe, not you."
"Yeah, I guess." she murmured.
"Hey now Bleach, don't stress about it. I wont let Party take anything out on you, I promise." Kobra Kid reach over and ruffled her hair again.
"Quit that!" she exclaimed, but smiled regardless. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
He screwed up his nose. "I dunno, you just seem like a cool kid. In fact, you kinda remind me of me when I was a teenager. It's like your trying to be badass and it's not working, 'cos on the inside your as innocent as the next three year old." he smirked. "I can see straight through you Bleach."
She pulled a shocked face, but inside she was rolling her eyes. 'Innocent?' she thought, 'See straight through me? Yeah Kobra, I can tell you've got me sussed out.'

"So what are you guys going to sing?" Roulette asked, swinging her legs off the completed stage.
The three Killjoys looked at each other and shrugged.
"Probably start of with Mastas of Ravencroft, Black Dragon Fighting Society and maybe F.T.W.W.W." Gerard mused.
Rabid grinned. "Haven't heard them before. It'll be good to hear some new songs by you guys. After all, it's been.... twelve years since black parade was release?"
"Yeah, bout that." Jet Star nodded.
"But who's to say that we haven't been writing songs since then?" Fun Ghoul added, grinning at the Gambler.
Roulette beamed. "I'm feeling like a fan girl again! Can I please have your autograph?" she joked, winking.
"Oh God." Jet Star rolled his eyes. "I think we are lucky we never got jumped by you at concerts."
Roulette shrugged. "Those bodyguards were big."
She hopped off the stage and went to grab a drink while the boys continued to tune their guitars. Party stood to one side smoking when the door to Misfits opened. He looked up and his heart froze.
"Lyn-z?" he whispered, chocking on the name.
There, through the smoky air of the bar, at the front door, stood his wife.
He let go of the mic, which fell to the ground, and took a hesitant step forward.
"Party?" Fun Ghoul looked up at him. "What's wrong?"
Gerard didn't answer his friend, but took another step and hopped off the stage.
"Party!?" Ghoul shouted.
He kept walking towards the figure, thoughts paralyzed. He broke into a run, pushing people aside, trying to see over heads and through the dim air. Her back was turned, and Gerard cried out her name, but she didn't respond.
"Move!" he growled at the crowd in front of him. People with drinks spun around, amber beer spilling from glasses. Faces were distorted, eyes wide and yellowed. "Lyn-z!" he yelled, panicked, reaching through the bodies. His feet kept snagging and he kicked out at the rug. A hand grasped his shoulder and he flinched, seeing Roulette's face.
"Party? What's wrong?" her voice cooed through the pounding in his ears.
Gerard pulled away from her and continued to barge through the crowd, eyes searching frantically for the familiar figure. There, at the bar! She was talking to Glock, face turned away. Mikey was standing with her, one arm around her shoulders.
"Lyn!" He shouted, pushing through the last of the people. He stumbled out of the crowd and reached for his wife. "Sugar!" his hand clamped down on her shoulder and she turned.
Bewildered lime eyes and a sneer faced him. "I am most certainly NOT your Sugar, Party Poison." Bleach hissed and pulled away from him.
He gasped and recoiled from the girl, cold hands squeezing his heart. Glock and Kobra were staring at him. The bar tender looked amused, but his brother's face was full of pity. There was a long, awkward silence in the otherwise noisy bar.
"I'm going to go find Jet and Ghoul." Bleach huffed, melting into the crowd.
Glock looked at the red haired Killjoy and laughed. "She's a tough one you got there Poison. Looks like you'll have to go a little slower-"
"I'm not interested in the girl." he spat, and ordered a beer.
The bar manager raised an eyebrow at Party's outburst, but pushed the alcohol across the table. "It's on the house, seeing as you're providing the entertainment."
"Thanks." he mumbled and picked up the glass.
"Party!" Mikey growled, latching onto his brother's arm. "I'm sorry that you mistook Bleach for... But that doesn't mean you should start drinking again!"
Gerard pushed his little brother away and took a gulp of the honey coloured liquid. "Fuck off Kid."
Kobra watched as Party pushed back into the crowd, heading towards the stage. He felt a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes. 'Stupid Gerard. He's blowing a resolution he's been keeping for over a decade.' The sting of his brother's words were slowly turning into an anger.
"You want a drink too Kobra?" Glock offered, not noticing the Killjoys expression.
"No I do not want a fucking drink!" Mikey shouted, slamming his fist down on the bar. The wood groaned and split where his knuckles had connected. He stared at the split skin on his hand, suddenly subdued by the pain shooting up his hand.
The bar tender watched the lean man carefully, not judging. "You gonna be able to play with that hand now?" he asked, clamping one giant hand down on Kobra's gaunt shoulder.
Mikey looked up at him and attempted a smile. "Yeah, I've played with worse." he mumbled, and downed a shot sitting nearby. "Don't let me drink anything else." he instructed Glock. "Or Party, for that matter."
The muscled man laughed heartily. "Oh, I'll try, but you are the Fabulous Killjoys after all. You guys can get whatever you want, when you want."
Mikey laughed at the joke, but inside he was empty. 'If we can get whatever we want,' he thought, 'then why cant we have the people we love back?'

"Party!" Roulette shouted at the red head bobbing in the crowd. "Party Poison!" she shoved the man in front of her, brandishing her ray gun. The crowd suddenly parted for her and she leapt towards the Killjoy. "Hey, Party Poison!"
He didn't turn around, so she latched onto his hand. "Gerard." he hissed in his ear.
The face that turned to her was twisted into a snarl. "Don't call me that, bitch."
Roulette flinched, but didn't let him go. She could see his other hand clutching a glass full of amber venom, and struck it from his grasp. The liquid spilt onto the floor in a cascade of amber.
Gerard raised an eyebrow at the Gambler. "You owe me a drink."
"Later." she growled and tugged him towards a door to the side. They tumbled through it and she slammed it shut to stop nosy zonerunners following them.
"Where are we going?" he mumbled, very slightly tipsy.
Russian Roulette didn't bother facing him, but kept pulling him along a corridor. "Back to the stage. You're on in a few minutes and I need to get you guys ready."
"Do you really think one little concert is going to do anything for these people?" Gerard sneered, tripping along after her. "People don't give a shit about each other. Even your click would ditch you if they thought they'd be better off following someone else."
Rabid stopped in front of a door, shoulders tense, body quiet. She didn't reply to his taunt, so he kept going.
"Korse is right, we are vermin. I don't know how you could be so naive as to think that you can unite the wastes of space out in that bar. You may as well give up now, because BL/ind is going to win. They've taken away our homes, our friends, our families, and now they want us. You and you're tough little crew wont last a minute when this -"
Roulette spun around and landed a solid slap on his cheek, the crack resonating down the hallway. She struggled to keep her breathing even, and spoke.
"A very troubled person once quoted "Somebody said my naivety was charming because I thought I could change the world." That person went on to create a band that would save the lives of thousands of troubled teenagers all over the world. The world may be different, but the people haven't changed. So why can't that man step it up and make a stand once more?"
Party looked into the distressed eyes of the woman in front of him, recoiling from the truth of her words. She could see the doubt in him, and chased it away.
"I believe in you Gerard Way, I have for most of my life. You have been the one person that I looked up to for guidance. The words you speak bring the life, the hope back into people like me - the broken, the beaten and the damned. They are the people who are tearing each other apart as we speak, too blind to see the bigger picture. They need someone to give them a reason to fight together, a reason to call one another brother. The troubled kids from yesterday have grown up, but that doesn't mean our problems are solved." she placed a hand gently on his reddened cheek. "Help us."

Frank, Ray and Mikey looked up as their leader stepped onto the stage. His head was high and they recognized something in his stance that hadn't been there since the early days of Black Parade. Behind him, in the doorway was Russian Roulette. She smiled and tossed them each a mask, which they slipped on.
"Good luck boys." she whispered.
The Killjoys smiled back at her, and stepped out onto the stage.
Party Poison walked up to the mic at the front, grinning at the bright lights and the sea of silhouettes before him. His hand curled around the microphone, comforted by the familiar shape. Gerad looked back and saw Black Jack, the replacement drummer, huge hands grasping thin drum sticks comically. He grinned and put his thumbs up at the singer. Party's friends picked up their guitars, slung them over their shoulders and nodded in turn. They were ready.
"Hmmm." Party rasped into the mic, grinning maniacally. "I don't think I see any dracs out there." There were a few derogatory shouts from the crowd which made him smirk. "It's a shame, because they're about to miss the best fucking zonerunner party California's ever seen."
There was an eruption of excitement from the audience, vibrating through his body like electricity. The hairs on the back of Gerard's neck stood up, seeing eyes in the crowd twinkling with musical lust.
"So to kick this show off, we're gonna start with a little song I like to call Black Dragon Fighting Society." He threw his arm towards Fun Ghoul and Jet Star, who ran their fingers down their guitars for the opening riff.
"Yeah I drink juice when I'm killing 'cos it's fucking delicious!" he screamed into the mic, and the song kicked off.
As they played their way through the first three songs, the Killjoys were amazed at the reaction they were getting from the crowd. The zonerunners, although they didn't know the words, shouted out together through the set, turning into one giant mosh pit. The band had forgotten the adrenaline hit that came with play in front of so many people, and welcomed the rush with open arms.
Jet Star threw his heart and soul into each song, hands flying up and down the neck of his guitar as fast as was humanly possible.
Kobra Kid hunched over, emitting an air of casual boredom while he frantically strummed out the bass lines of each song. His fringe hung over his eyes, but the crowd could see the wide smile flashing white teeth.
Fun Ghoul threw himself from side to side, on the ground and back up again, loosing himself in the physical thrill of playing, hands never leaving the strings.
Black Jack smashed his sticks against the drums, throwing his arms about wildly.
Party Poison screamed into the microphone, gravelly voice shrieking out the words, then cooing at the audience seductively. His red hair was plastered to his face with sweat, tangling in his fingers as he ran his hand over his head. In the smoky darkness of the bar his angular face smirked and teased the audience, white light hitting his sharp cheek bones. Every time he smiled or pouted the girls in the audience would swoon, and the guys shouted lyrics back at the lead singer, deep voices mingling together.
"So fucking old! I'm so fucking alone!" Party howled out the final notes of Mastas of Ravencroft and slumped against a nearby amp theatrically.
Russain Roulette was sitting on top of the bar at the back, bottle of Cyanide gripped in one hand, laughing at the man's charisma.
"Um hey." a small voice drifted over the roar of the crowd.
Rabid looked down and saw a blonde girl looking up at her with yellow flecked eyes. "Do I know you, kid?" the Gambler asked.
The younger zonerunner bit her lip and shrugged. "I'm a friend of the Killjoys... Kobra bought me with him."
Immediately Roulette felt bad for being so hostile. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I thought you were... Well you see I don't... Oh fuck it." she laughed, reaching out a hand and pulling the girl up onto the bar table with her.
"Thanks." Abbey whispered. "I'm sorry, it's just Kobra told me to come find you if I needed someone to hang with."
"S'all cool girly. What's your name?" Rabid grinned.
"Umm Bleach."
"Great to meet you. You can call me Rabid if you want Bleach."
"Okay."
There was an awkward pause and both looked to the stage where Party Poison was taking a short break and grabbing a drink. He seemed to be talking animatedly to the band, and they were all nodding enthusiastically. A lot of the crowd were taking the chance to get a beer or two and were shouting orders at the harried waitresses. Roulette looked over the heads of the zonerunners, focusing on Gerard. She wondered what song they would be singing next.
"So you and the Killjoys are friends?" Bleach asked, breaking the silence.
Roulette smiled softly. "Yeah. We used to be like... Mortal enemies. However that changed when Party helped my bestie bust me out of Battery City. He saved my ass big time, and we became good friends." Bleach watched the Gambler carefully, taking note of the genuine love in her eyes as she spoke. "I owe him my life. In fact, if I think about it I owe all the Killjoys. They're great guys, the kind that you can call true friends." Roulette turned and smiled at the younger girl. "How'd you get to meet them?"
Bleach smiled nervously back at the older woman. She was terrified that Rabid would see straight through her guise. "Umm, they picked me up out near zone 3. Hypertonic and her dracs were after me."
Roulette gaped. "Oh wow, that was lucky. I've never crossed swords with Toxin, but I hear she's a real bitch." she chuckled and winked at Bleach. "However I'd love to bump into her one day and see just how handy she is with a gun."
Bleach tittered along with the Gambler, smile stressed. 'I hope that day never comes.' she thought.
"Now the next song is something special me and the boys have come up with for you." Part Poison's voice flooded Misfits and the crowd rushed back to the stage, drinks forgotten.
Roulette wriggled happily, grinning. She was loving the show so far, and was happy to see that a lot of the rebels in the crowd had started talking to each other, regardless of crew. Bleach was observing the same thing with dread.
"This song," Party continued, "I want to dedicate to ever zonerunner. It doesn't matter what crew you fight with or where your allegiances lie, we are united together, because we are the nonconformists. No blindo in some sterilized building tells us what to do. We are bold, we are unique, and we are free!" he cried, earning a thunderous cheer from the crowd. Ray guns blasted skywards, colours flooding the smoky air. Glock groaned as his ceiling was peppered with black spots.
Party Poison laughed at the whooping roar of excitement that he had pulled from the crowd. He waved his hands slowly, indicating them to quieten. "This song," he whispered into the mic, smiling at the people before him, "is to remind us that we are not alone. You aren't fighting solo, we are all fighting with you. Every ray gun counts, every voice in here is heard, and every zonerunner I would be proud to call friend." He picked up the mic and walked backwards to stand with his friends, who walked to his side, guitars in hands. He nodded and they began to play.
The crowd waved their hands in the air, completely silent as the melodious sound washed over them.
"Well now this could be the last of all the rides we take, so hold on tight and don't look back." Gerard's voice filled the building, each note weighted with feeling. "We don't care about the message or the rules they make. I'll find you when the sun goes black."
He reached upwards, hand waving in time with the crowd. He smiled at them and closed his eyes, opening lines of the chorus rumbling through his body. "And you only live forever in the lights you make. When we were young we used to say, that you hear the music when your heart begins to break."
His eyes flew open and he flung his hand forward, reaching out to the zonerunners before him. "Now we are the kids from yesterday!"
Roulette felt tears sliding down her cheeks, heart bursting with complete belief in his words.
Abbey sat next to the Gambler, conflicting emotions flooding through her. She could see in the eyes of every zonerunner around her that the song struck a chord within them. They were hugging one another, arms slung over shoulders and smiles glowing in the murky light. Everything that Korse had been telling her, how the rebels had been emotionless dolts, incapable of intelligence had been turned on it's head. They were responding to the lyrics, drawing together in a dawning realization that they didn't need to fight alone. This notion was tearing Abbey up inside, as she knew that these were the people, this was the family who she was helping destroy.

Outside Misfits a group of vehicles pulled off Route Guano, engines muffled. White masks flashed in the moonlight and the thumping of the music disguised the sound of BL/ind boots creeping towards the bar.