Killjoys 09 Alright, Time to..

The bar appeared deserted as the trio from the west approached. The moon was high in the sky now, distorted by the dust of the desert and the storms passing through the west. They crept ever closer to the building, the only sound around them being the crickets chirping, and the sounds of their boots on the dirt and the rocks of the desert landscape. There were no lights on in the bar as they got closer, so it was clear that no one was waiting for them inside. Tiger Beatdown led them in a straight line around the back of the bar. He gestured for them to split up and meet up at the front. He'd decided that until they figured out who was behind all of the chaos going on amongst the Killjoys that they should act as though there were villains around each corner, waiting for them to let their guard down so they could attack.

Disco kept guard behind Tiger who crept around to the left side of the building. He held his gun pointed toward the ground so there'd be no casualties in case he fired a shot off out of nerves. He had an itchy trigger finger which is why he was always more inclined to strategize and defend rather than take the offensive. Agent Alpaca moved slowly along the right side of the building, investigating every shadow and being wary of every sound in the night. He could differentiate his friend's footsteps from a stranger and heard nothing to make him think they weren't alone. They had to be wary, regardless of assumptions. Agent Alpaca peered around the front of the wooden building and saw nothing suspicious. He didn't let down his gun, just in case, and headed to the screen door. He tried the handle and found it was locked tight. He could break in, but it didn't seem necessary.

Tiger Beatdown followed by Disco Bitch joined Agent Alpaca a moment later. They looked around once more in silence before they put away their weapons. There wasn't anyone in the area, at least not anyone looking for them.

"So what do we do now?" Agent Alpaca kept his voice quiet despite how they were now positive they were alone.

"We wait until sunrise." Tiger leaned against the front wall, next to the nearly destroyed sign by the door. It read Turn Back which was the name of the bar. It wasn't a very inviting name but if people went in and asked about it, the owner told them that this was the point of no return. If you walked past this bar and into the next zone, then you deserved whatever came to you. When it sounded like a threat when first read, really it was a friendly warning to those who didn't know better.

"This is a waste of time. No one's going to show up! Then we'll be walking right into Party Poison's trap come sunrise, without any cover to keep us safe! This is stupid…" Agent Alpaca ranted but drifted off as he felt something cold and metallic on the back of his neck. A small hand slipped to his holster and removed his gun, holding it pointed at Tiger Beatdown and Disco Bitch who immediately drew their guns and pointed them at their attacker.

Fire Frenzy recognized them as the people who had been on the ground with Party Poison when she'd fired the rocket at Korse to save her lighter. They had been arguing with him from what she could make out but on the walk over, Party Poison had explained they weren't to be killed. She still didn't trust them, which was her nature, and kept the gun aimed at them.

"Who the fuck are you?" Disco Bitch spat at the new arrival. They'd checked the whole area, no one had been there. How had they missed this woman? Now they were in a bind and she had leverage over them. She wasn't fond of Agent Alpaca but she wasn't going to just let him die either. Being a Killjoy meant he was her brother in arms, even if she didn't like him.

"Put down your weapons." Fire Frenzy said to them simply, not threatened by aim at her. She was sure she could find her way out of the situation if they fired. Being as short as she was gave her the advantage of being able to shield herself behind the taller man in front of her whom she held hostage. Not to mention her face was covered in the mask and bandana she regularly wore so it'd be nearly impossible for them to recognize her by her voice or her facial features if they pursued her beyond this.

"You put down your weapon and we'll put down ours." Tiger Beatdown tried to reason with the woman who was attacking them.

"Everyone put down their weapons and we can talk about this rationally." Party Poison stepped out from the shadows and immediately put his hands up in the air, his repaired ray gun in his right hand still, despite his demanding everyone be unarmed.

"You brought someone?" Tiger Beatdown looked frustrated by this new development. Maybe he wasn't as innocent as he had hoped if he had gone to get back up. How many others did he have hidden around the area, staking them out?

"Yeah, I did. Is that a problem, Tiger?" Poison spoke defensively. He was tired of the accusations people were shooting at him. He wasn't a traitor and he'd never be. He'd rather die than betray his cause.

"If you want us to put down our guns, then you can put yours down first." Agent Alpaca spoke, despite the fact that he had no weapon to relinquish.

"You are not in a position to be making demands." Frenzy spoke calmly.

"Everyone just calm the fuck down!" Disco shouted over them as the bickering continued. "On the count of three, put down your guns! One, two, three!" No one put down their weapon.

"Is she stupid?" Frenzy asked Party Poison who couldn't help but smile a little bit at the accusation and how little she cared that Disco heard.

"I can't trust you. I'm not putting down my weapon." Party Poison spoke.

"If you didn't trust me, then why did you come?" Tiger Beatdown knew they both had their doubts but hadn't thought their bond of trust had been broken as severely as Party Poison was implying.

"Because I'm just as confused as you are, you thick fuck!" Poison snarled.

"This is stupid, all of you put down your guns. I'm not on either side." Fire Frenzy kept both the guns in her hands aimed, prepared to point one at Party Poison if she had to.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Harvey, the bar owner, stepped out the front door and froze, seeing the standoff in front of him. He was in an old beaten up robe and some loose looking jersey knit pants. He held his hands out in front of him in the universal symbol for being unarmed. "…Frenz, what did you do?" Harvey looked at the woman in confusion.

"They won't put down their guns." She said simply with a great heave of a sigh.

"Ah. Okay." Harvey looked around. He recognized the two leaders of the separate factions of Killjoys and it made him nervous to what was going on out there in the night. He was accustomed to only seeing Fire Frenzy once a week, if that. He'd seen her already three times in two days. That was excessive and more than he needed. Every time she showed up there was some kind of drama. "Well, I'd prefer none of you to die in front of my bar if you could help it. Business is bad enough without any more rumors… Particularly since there was an explosion here the other night. People from Battery City won't come in anymore. They claim my clientele is too unpredictable."

"I said I was sorry about that, okay?" Frenzy snapped at him. "You were lucky I didn't burn down the damn bar!"

"Yes, but you nearly burned it down by setting those cars on fire in the parking lot!" Harvey took a deep breath and calmed himself down as he realized that everyone was just staring at the two while they argued. "Listen. How about I take your weapons so that none of you are armed and if you start a fight all you'll have is your fists?" The group exchanged weary glances. It was becoming clear that they would relent, that none of them really knew what was happening or who was to blame. Party Poison made the first move and handed over his gun along with the rifle that Fire Frenzy had given him in her bunker.

It was like someone had popped the bubble of tension around them as one by one they handed over their weapons. Fire Frenzy reluctantly gave over her weapons, including the knife she kept hidden in her boot, once Harvey had pointed out he remembered her having it. She grumbled something about him being a pain in the ass as she walked past him into the bar. The others walked inside as well, ready to finally get to the bottom of the treachery that had surfaced amongst the Killjoys.

Harvey surveyed the surrounding area to make sure no one was creeping in the shadows after everyone had entered the building behind him. He closed the door after a moment of watching and locked the deadbolt then pulled down a security bar in front of the door to prevent anyone from breaking the door in on itself.

He walked around the room, pulling down the large black shades over the windows that would make it look like there were no lights on. The familiar clicking of Fire Frenzy flicking at her lighter assured him there would be light to guide him back to the lanterns he kept around the bar. The bar had a generator outside that ran on gasoline but it made a lot of noise when it was running and it seemed like a bad idea to turn it on with the rebels who were now gathering inside of his bar just in case they were being pursued. After all the windows had been secured he walked around the bar and lit the seven lanterns he kept. The light provided by the lanterns was almost as efficient as the electric lamps that hung from the ceiling. Harvey looked at the group, realizing they were watching him then shook his head and headed back to the bar. They took this as a signal to continue on with what they were planning on doing.

Party Poison in particular was grateful that Harvey had interrupted and taken all of their weapons and stowed them beneath the bar. It had saved them an hour of arguing outside of the building on who would put down their gun first. Party Poison looked to the man he hadn't seen in years, the leader of the western faction. He looked worn thin, as though he hadn't slept in a good long time. He wondered if his own face reflected such things.

"Tiger, I think you and I should talk this out leader to leader."

"No, no way. I'm not going to let you pull Tiger aside to manipulate him." Agent Alpaca argued immediately. He was tired of watching people pulling on Tiger like he was some kind of marionette.

"I was the one who put Tiger Beatdown into a position of power to begin with. I was positive then in his decision making abilities and I remain just as positive. One more word out of you Alpaca and I won't need my fucking gun to shut you up." Party Poison had enough of this garbage. He was tired of pussy footing around his own men. It was time to put his foot down and get to the bottom of things.

"He's right Alpaca. I know you're worried but you need to stand down. Go get a drink at the bar. Give this man some business since he's been kind enough to open his bar to us at such an ungodly hour." Tiger didn't look away from Party Poison as he ordered his right hand man to step away. He hadn't seen such anger in Poison's face in his lifetime. Even when they had been struggling to establish order amongst the Killjoys when they'd first met, he'd never seen such frustration. Agent Alpaca threw up his hands in irritation and defeat and turned away, muttering under his breath unsavory things about both of the men who had sent him away. Tiger waited for him to be out of earshot before sitting down at a table at the far end of the bar, near a lantern hanging off of a hook on the wall. Party Poison did the same, still wary of the man who was once his friend.

Awkward silence followed for a few moments before Tiger finally broke it. The situation was just so strange, it was hard to find a place to begin this conversation.

"Why the hell did you send someone to kill me?"

"I was told, while I was on a mission, that you had turned traitor. I was told that you were giving the orphans we saved and protected to the Dracs to be experimented on for a profit. You know what we do with traitors. So I sent my best assassin. Apparently I need to reconsider my opinion on who that is though since you are still clearly breathing." Poison tapped his fingers on the table to keep from getting too angry too quickly. He missed the damn lighter and grew jealous as he heard Frenzy flicking it. Tiger Beatdown had heard a similar story from Disco Bitch but he was still finding it hard to believe. How could Poison believe he'd done that, after all they had gone through together in the past? It had, of course, been years since they served together. People changed, he was right, you couldn't say that a memory of someone from so long ago was true in the present.

"I would've done the same, probably after some convincing from Alpaca but… you're right. Just because we were friends once doesn't mean I could risk the entire foundation of the Killjoys collapsing under corruption. You did the right thing… even if your information was wrong." Tiger Beatdown leaned his elbows up on the table, hunching forward a bit with shoulders slumped to look at Party Poison seriously. "Who was your informant? We need to trace this back to find out who the source of the lies are."

"I can tell you but, it's not going to lead you very far." Party Poison had agonized over this since the moment that Tiger had shown up with his comrades in the second zone. "Kobra Kid came to tell me during my mission and he says he got his information in a report from Death-iNation. You don't know him, only few people actually do. He's one of our six sleeper cell's working for Better Living Industries. He's our mole." Tiger Beatdown mused over this. The sleeper cell's that were chosen to help the Killjoys went through the most rigorous of training processes and had to be trusted to be sent into the city. It was highly unlikely that the sleeper cell was the actual source of the accusation. Perhaps the information had been intercepted on its way to Kobra Kid, just as his letter to Party Poison had been?


Fire Frenzy didn't invite the others to sit with her at the bar, but they followed her anyway not knowing what else to do since they weren't invited to listen in on the conversation taking place between the two Killjoy leaders. Frenzy leaned her elbows on the counter and flicked the lighter lovingly. It was warm to her touch from all of the burning she'd done on the way there. She had to make up for lost time since it had been gone for nearly an entire day. Alpaca and Disco sat on either side of the woman, not wanting to sit near each other so they wouldn't have to be forced to make conversation or be "friendly" with each other.

Harvey came around the side of the bar and grabbed three glasses, resting them down in front of each of his newest patrons.

"So, what do you want to drink?" He filled Fire Frenzy's glass with a dark amber liquid and waited for the other two to respond to his query.

"Just water for me." Disco Bitch responded, looking away from the tempting bottles on the shelf. She hated bars. She never came into these places if she could avoid them.

"Beer, whatever you have on the tap is fine." Agent Alpaca knew that the alcohol would dehydrate him but he really needed a nice cold beer at this particular moment. The last couple of days had been so stressful he thought he might have popped a few blood vessels. Beer might be just the thing he needed to soothe his nerves.

Harvey diligently filled their glasses with their requests and each threw a few bills at him to pay for the drinks, not wanting to take advantage of his hospitality. Awkward silence filled the room, except for the hushed and muffled voices of Party Poison and Tiger Beatdown across the room.

"Oh Fire Frenzy, I got something for you after you left earlier." Harvey put the towel he held draped over his shoulder in case of spills onto the counter and walked from behind the bar. All three watched him from their barstools until he came from the back room a moment later with a box that clinked of metal every time he took a step. He set it down on the ground, not wanting to contaminate the clean bar with its contents. Frenzy's face lit up, not in a smile, but with curiosity. She stood up and propped her hands on the bar, forcing herself up off of the ground. She set her feet on the top of the bar and jumped over to the other side, making herself comfortable on the floor with the box in front of her.

Frenzy opened the box and Harvey resumed about his work behind the bar, used to the way that this woman was by now, so not finding her at all interesting. Disco Bitch and Agent Alpaca on the other hand, were curious as hell to find out what was happening behind the bar. Both craned their necks in an attempt to see what she was pulling out from the box.

Frenzy pulled piece after piece of scrap metal out and laid them on the floor, away from Harvey in case he were to step near her. The last time she'd done this behind the bar he'd stepped on a piece and it'd gone right through his shoe and gouged his foot. He'd limped for weeks and never quite forgave her properly for it.

"You need a refill?" Harvey asked Alpaca, slightly amused at their curiosity. He wondered how Fire Frenzy had come upon these people, she didn't like working in groups and never really bonded with anyone prior to this. He particular wondered how she had managed to befriend the man she'd been threatening to kill not too long ago.

"What?" Alpaca awoke from his stupor, realizing he'd drained his whole glass of beer. "Oh, just water now please. I don't want to overdo it." He smiled slightly and then turned his attention back to Fire Frenzy. "Does she always do this?" He asked in a hushed voice. It didn't matter though, Fire Frenzy wasn't paying attention to him anyway. She looked around curiously for something she needed. She wanted to try to build something with these pieces. The more she had touched them, the more she'd examined the way they curved and fit together, the easier it had become to envision something they could be if she had the right tools.

She flicked the lighter a few more times before getting up on her knees and sneakily slipping her hand into Harvey's robe pocket, stealing his screwdriver without him noticing. She sat back down on the floor and jammed the Phillips head through one of the metallic pieces that made an incredibly loud sound. The whole bar stopped functioning for a second as everyone looked for the source. After it was made clear it was just Frenzy doing what she was doing, the voices from the corner resumed.

Disco Bitch and Agent Alpaca both were out of their seat now, leaning on the bar to watch the woman at work, curious of what was going to become of the scrap metal in her hands.


The loud noise from behind the bar had stopped them dead. Both of them had instantly thought they were under attack, but once they realized it was just one of the others doing something behind the bar it was easy for them to resume conversation. They had made progress, Tiger could finally feel the tension coming from Party Poison easing up a bit.

"I think that we should ask Kobra how exactly he came about his information. I know you said he received a transmission from Death-iNation but perhaps someone fabricated that transmission. We need to find out who delivered it to Kobra Kid then perhaps we'll be able to find the source of the leak." Tiger Beatdown wanted to clear Disco Bitch's reputation if he could manage it as well. The woman had taken a tremendous risk to her life and name when she'd decided to let him live.

"I think that's an excellent idea, but he could be as clueless as we are. We've never had to question transmissions before. Our lines are always clean. Our informants are always triple checked. We don't just trust someone who isn't worthy of being trusted."

"I know that. Trust me. That… reminds me. Disco Bitch came to kill me, yes? She's your assassin right?" Party Poison nodded, shooting a glance over to the woman. He was still burned that she had defied his word even if it had led them to where they were now. It had caused him a lot of grief when she'd gone behind his back and it was going to take him a long while to get over that, even once he had heard the whole story. "She found me and had me in her sights. She was going to kill me, trust me she didn't just come over and turn traitor. She saw me after I had just come back from a mission in the desert. I'd gone out there under false pretenses to find some supplies and it turned out to be an ambush. All of my men were killed. I was feeling down and exhausted and I needed to remind myself why those lives were lost that afternoon. I went to visit the orphans we were sheltering in the desert at the end of our encampment. There was an acid storm on its way to the west, it's probably passed through and moved on by now, but I was helping them prepare to deal with it."

"So she had you in her sights while you were helping orphans? No wonder she couldn't kill you." It was like in Hamlet when he had walked in on the new king, the man who had murdered his father, praying. That famous speech, that most people could quote merely the first line of, was about Hamlet agonizing whether or not to strike the man dead while he prayed to get his vengeance even if it meant the man would find eternal peace in slumber because of his act of repentance at the moment of his death. Had Disco Bitch pondered such things as well? Perhaps not, she had probably seen it as an act of kindness, not as a reflection on how he would perish. Not everyone thinks in literature.

"Well, she probably would've reported back to you but Agent Alpaca caught her first."

"Ah, well why isn't she dead then? Isn't that what we do to traitors?"

"I would've done just that if I hadn't just received word that you had turned traitor. I found it suspicious that an assassin would be coming for me from the east when I had just received reports of you turning on us."

"Yeah, well to tell you the truth Tiger, I don't get it." Party Poison shook his head adamantly. "I guess that's why I made you leader. I would've thought an assassin showing up would be all the proof you'd need to find that I'd turned on you not give you suspicion of the opposite."

"Yes, but I had been thinking about that while helping the orphans set up shelter. I was just remembering the way things used to be when we served together. Remember all the times we talked about how we'd rather die than betray our integrity? Betray our cause! I didn't want to just jump to conclusions against someone I'd trusted, even when it was so long ago. I had planned on consulting you about the accusations before making any moves. Then Disco Bitch turned up and it changed everything." Both Tiger and Poison glanced toward the bar where the two were sitting. Poison vaguely wondered where Fire Frenzy had gone but had a feeling that she had been the source of the loud noise behind the bar that had startled them earlier.


They couldn't see her even when they craned their necks over while standing up behind the bar. Disco had been the first to climb on top of the bar to sit and watch Fire Frenzy work but Agent Alpaca had joined her a moment later. Harvey had removed himself from the situation entirely, off in the back room digging for something he hadn't mentioned.

"What are you doing?" Disco Bitch finally asked the woman curiously. She obviously wasn't the friendly type and wasn't going to just tell them what she was doing flat out despite their obvious curiosity.

"Building." She muttered, holding a few pieces of fine wire between her teeth. She hiked up her skirt and sat in an awkward position to be able to screw together two of the pieces. She needed a soldering iron but this would do for now until she could get to one. She'd thread the thin wire and pretend to sew it up like a wound.

"Well that I can see." Agent Alpaca scoffed, thinking this woman was a bit off. He was still burned from how she had held him at gunpoint. He'd never let anyone get the best of him like that, and so simply. How had this woman escaped his keen eye?

"Shut up Alpaca." Disco elbowed him and continued to watch Fire Frenzy curiously. "Don't piss her off, then she'll never tell us." Fire Frenzy grumbled in response, something unintelligible due to the wire between her teeth. "What are you building?" She asked again after a moment. Fire Frenzy spit the wire out from between her teeth, starting to strap the pieces of metal together.

"Not sure yet." She responded, though she had a vague idea of what she was trying to make. She could envision it all in her head, but sometimes she wasn't sure what purpose it would serve until it came to fruition.

"Well it looks like a gun." Alpaca spoke, turning his head to the side. "Or a dinosaur."

"That shoots lasers." Disco laughed. It felt nice to joke even if it was with someone she wasn't particularly fond of.

"It could be a bomb too though."

"Shaped like a dinosaur." Disco laughed and realized that the girl on the floor was ignoring them. Where had she come from in the first place? Why was she with Party Poison? He didn't have a lot of friends that he would trust in this situation and she'd never even seen this woman amongst the Killjoys. Was his reputation with women just that? A reputation to hide some kind of torrid love affair with this strange woman? That didn't seem right either. If Party Poison had been with someone he would've told people. He wasn't the type to keep things like that quiet.

"Hey girl… I mean… Hmm." Agent Alpaca seemed to realize that they didn't know her name. Perhaps it was impolite of them to not know by this point and neither had realized it. Introductions had escaped them with all the worries of weapons and conspiracies.

"That's right… We haven't been introduced." Disco Bitch felt rude for not saying anything earlier but it had slipped her mind. "I'm Disco Bitch, I work for Party Poison."

"I'm Agent Alpaca. I'm with Tiger Beatdown."

"Nice to meet you." Fire Frenzy didn't lift her eyes up to look at either of them. She honestly hadn't been listening to their introductions. It didn't seem very important for her to have to know their names since she didn't plan on interacting with them for much longer.

"What's your name?" Disco Bitch asked after they watched her work for a few more minutes. Both had assumed she would introduce herself once they had, but both had been wrong to assume.

"She's someone who needs a tetanus shot." Harvey returned a moment later and knelt down next to his bar. He opened one of the cabinets and pulled out several empty bottles to dispose of. He couldn't help but taunt Fire Frenzy with that information and remind her as well to get her hand taken care of.

"I swear I'll throw this at you Harvey." Frenzy narrowed her eyes and held the screwdriver threateningly. Harvey checked his robe pocket after realizing she had taken it from him and shook his head in disapproval.

"Well when your hand falls off, don't come crying to me. I'm just going to tell you that you should've gotten it taken care of before you forgot."

"That's not what tetanus does asshole!" Frenzy called after him then finally chose to acknowledge the two sitting on the bar. When had they gotten up there? Had they been watching her this whole time? She really had to learn how to be more aware of her surrounds when she built. It was going to get her into trouble one day. "I'm Fire Frenzy. I saw you earlier, but you didn't see me. I think I saved you from Korse but not on purpose. I was chasing Party Poison to get back my lighter. He stole it."

"You… chased him and saved our lives for a lighter? The one you've been playing with?" Agent Alpaca had seen her flicking it earlier but thought it had been a nervous tic. He was right in a way. It was definitely keeping her nerves calm but he had no idea how much she relied on it.


Party Poison felt guilty now that he knew that Tiger Beatdown had preferred to contact him before accusing him of such crimes, but he had his reasons to not want to mess with a meeting and the dangers it could potentially pose. Tiger Beatdown was thinking the same thing. Why hadn't his friend wanted to give him a chance to find out why he had been accused in the first place? They sat in silence for a moment. Accusations stood against them both and they had no way to prove they were true, nor any way to prove they were false.

"I didn't attempt a meeting with you. I wanted to." Party Poison began, having a lot to say on the matter. He recalled now why he hadn't. "When I first heard the reports from Kobra Kid I was conflicted. You were my friend for years, I trusted you but I also trust my men. I didn't immediately put out the order to have you killed. I went to clear my mind. I ran into that girl who came with me and I asked for her advice."

"You asked for advice from a stranger?" Tiger seemed surprised. Maybe Party Poison had been slipping over the years. It was a crime against their cause to tell strangers information about their organization.

"I didn't divulge any names or even that I was a member of the Killjoys. I used vague references to the situation and asked what she would do. She told me that she'd take charge of the situation. I was planning on going over to the western faction with full force, storming in and taking over until I found out what was going on." Party Poison nodded resolutely, which had indeed been what he had planned to do until Kobra Kid had reported to him a second time that night.

"Well, why didn't you do that instead? Even though I'm in charge of the western Killjoys, your word is still law amongst us. We never strayed from that. I never held myself superior to you. If you had just talked to me, things would've been straightened out."

"I know. But what happened next changed my mind about what had to be done. I was interrupted with my plans for the night when Kobra Kid found me again. He had received word from one of my men, you might remember him, a medic named Jet-Star. He was attacked out in the western zones by Killjoys he thought were from the west."

"What?" Tiger let his jaw drop in disbelief. It was one thing to receive word about deceit, but a whole other thing to have an attack actually happen against the Killjoys. "Was anyone killed? I… I swear I didn't send anyone. I was on a mission during that time, out in the outer zones to ambush a supply shipment going to the Dracs and… I was attacked! My men were killed Poison, but not by Killjoys… by Dracs. It was like we had been set up." Both men stared at each other in disbelief, sudden understanding of just how severe their situation hanging heavily on their shoulders.

"Shit." Poison leaned back in his chair, tipping the front legs off of the ground, exhaling deeply and pushing his red hair back, holding it up and out of his face for a moment while he thought about the situation. "So Jet-Star was attacked by Killjoys, perhaps the same ones who attacked me in the second zone. I thought they were from your faction too, but I never actually got to ask. I just didn't recognize any of them so I could only assume that's where they had come from."

"Perhaps the same person who gave me the information about the shipment sent the Killjoys after Jet-Star and after you." Tiger tapped his fingers on the table, his brow heavily furrowed as he clearly was trying to sort out their confusion. "Why were you in the second zone to begin with? This is where I get lost. I sent a messenger out the night before, after we had cleared things up with Disco Bitch. I made Agent Alpaca send one to you, to schedule a meeting in the second zone so we could figure things out. If you weren't there to meet me, then what were you doing there?" Party Poison looked at him with wide eyes, eyebrows high on his forehead, his age showing for the first time since they'd met up again with the wrinkles around his eyes and in his forehead.

"I never received a message to go to the second zone to meet you. The message must have been intercepted. I was trying to find someone who stole something from me, that… woman actually who was helping me. She's the one who saved us from Korse. At least now what happened in the second zone makes sense. I was so confused… If the Killjoys hadn't been yours then why had you been there? To meet me of course. That's the only thing that makes sense. So maybe the Killjoys who were there to attack me intercepted your messenger and came to the second zone to do us both in."

"That sounds about right." It was like an epiphany had spread over the both of them. It was complex and confusing and unlikely but seemed to be the only result that made sense and fit all of the facts that they were coming up with. "So now that we know neither one of us is to blame, what do we do?"

"We get to the bottom of this bullshit. I'm done playing nice with these assholes. I don't like the wool being pulled over my eyes and lives have been lost now!"

"Before we came to the bar, Disco Bitch had suggested that we head to the eastern base to try and investigate the people there. You have more members in your faction and it's more likely that if there's a plant then it's amongst them." Tiger Beatdown suggested.

"You're right. Plus we can take a look at the information that Kobra Kid delivered to me and we can ask Jet-Star more about what happened when he was attacked." Poison stood up from his seat at the table, pushing his chair back into place. Tiger Beatdown stood up as well, following suit with his chair.


"So do you know what it is yet?" Disco smiled, watching Fire Frenzy on the floor of the bar still. She was fascinating, and kind of amusing. It was rare you met anyone with such focus in this day and age. Nearly everyone was dependent on a drug to get through the day and it was refreshing to meet someone who didn't wear the same faceless mask that the rest of humanity seemed to adopt since BL/ind had started handing out bottles of pills.

"I don't. I usually don't until it's done and I have to try and make it work." Fire Frenzy was hunched over the metallic object which was looking more and more like a pretty devastating bomb.

"That's pretty cool though. You just let the metal do the talking. I like it." Disco smiled. Agent Alpaca was tired of being stuck with strange people. Fire Frenzy seemed to be the same brand of stubborn and confusing that Disco Bitch was. No wonder the two got along so well it seemed, though he wasn't sure the woman behind the bar was finding this to be friendly conversation or if she was merely responding because it was easier than ignoring them.

"Don't harass her, or she'll blow you up with it."

"Aw, come on. She's cool. Take it easy Alpaca. You're just burnt because she got the best of you."

"I am not." Alpaca pouted, which gave away the fact that it still bothered him.

"Don't be upset that I took your gun, I kill lots of people. It happens." Frenzy shrugged, not bothering to look up.

"See? She didn't kill you. You're special." Disco laughed. It felt good to have a reason to laugh. Usually she'd think it was insensitive given the current situation, but she had recently decided that it wasn't wrong to laugh when the opportunity was given. If you spent all your time worried and stressing when times were stressful, then you'd meet an early grave. Since it was already likely that most of them were going to be dead in the next week, she figured a laugh or two before she went couldn't hurt. Alpaca merely grumbled and looked away, pretending to find the propaganda posters hung on the wall absolutely fascinating. "So what's with the lighter?"

"It's mine."

"Clearly. It's pretty well decorated. You flick it a lot too, are you making sure it works?" Disco continued to ask.

"No." She didn't offer an alternate explanation either.

"How did Party Poison get your lighter? You said you had to get it back from him."

"He stole it."

"How did he steal it from you?"

"At a party. He's a thief. And a dealer. Did you know that?"

"Yeah, I know." Disco Bitch shrugged. "Nobody's perfect. We all have our flaws."

"You still do that?" Tiger asked, cocking an eyebrow as they joined the conversation. Party Poison shrugged his shoulders, the corner of his mouth curling up in a smile.

"Do what?" Agent Alpaca asked curiously.

"Party Poison likes to take souvenirs from the pretty girls he seduces." Tiger wiggled his eyebrows comically. Party Poison looked away, shoving his hands in his pockets. He didn't like to advertise that he did those things and felt sudden guilt for the women he'd deceived.

"Oh, so he was your lover?" Agent Alpaca leaned down to look at Fire Frenzy who was finally getting to her feet, setting down the metallic object she'd finished working on.

"He wishes." Frenzy shrugged, picking up the glass that Harvey had left her on the counter. She drained it. Party Poison rolled his eyes at her. "It's a bomb. Like you guessed, Disco Bitch." Frenzy pointed at the object she'd built. "It's unarmed and needs some C-4 but it can be remotely detonated once I get the wiring in it." She jumped on top of the bar again, and went to climb off of it. Party Poison offered her his hand to get down and she ignored it, jumping down and regaining her balance after a moment.

"That's great, we can use it next time we need to blow shit up." Tiger laughed, clearly amused by this banter. After a moment he took a more serious tone, knowing that the group at the bar were all curious to find out what they had decided upon. "Party Poison was told I was a traitor and Jet-Star was attacked by Killjoys."

"What?" Disco Bitch and Agent Alpaca said in unison.

"We're guessing that the Killjoys are the ones that ambushed me in the second zone while I was searching for Fire Frenzy." Poison folded his arms over his chest.

"That's most likely. So we've decided the best course of action is to band together now that we realized neither one of us is to blame. We're going to head to the eastern zone like Disco Bitch suggested earlier. We'll interview members and investigate anything suspicious. Party Poison will ask Kobra Kid about the information he received from Death-iNation." Tiger nodded. The others agreed though Agent Alpaca still looked like he had a sour attitude toward the entire situation.

"Well, let's not waste anymore time then." Party Poison nodded toward the door as he watched Fire Frenzy tinkering with the bomb she'd built. Holy shit, she's really good at what she does.

"Party Poison?" Disco Bitch stopped walking as Tiger and Alpaca headed outside. He broke from his thoughts of Fire Frenzy and glanced back at her. "I'm glad you're okay. It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too. I'm glad you're not dead." Party Poison said after a moment of confused staring. She wasn't usually the sentimental type. Something must have happened while she was gone.

"You looked so awful in the second zone. I've never seen you so manic. It scared me."

"Yeah, well I had just jumped across an entire block of rooftops after being attacked by Killjoys. It wasn't exactly my most shining moment, particularly after Korse came after me. You know how he gets to me."

"Yeah… Just be careful from now on okay? I'm glad you're alright." Disco Bitch looked like she wanted to hug her friend but refrained. "And next time, trust me a little bit more. I trust your judgment, but this wasn't a normal case of trust."

"After what happened in the second zone, I wasn't trusting anyone. But we're on the same page now." Poison smiled kindly at the woman who had been his friend for so long. He'd saved her from herself so long ago, he knew it had built a bond between them. Things were starting to come full circle for them all. "Go on, I'll catch up." Disco nodded and ran after Tiger Beatdown and Agent Alpaca. She stopped at the door to pick up her gun from Harvey who was standing there with the weapons they'd handed over. She checked the weapon to make sure it wasn't damaged then continued after them. She jumped between them and smirked.

"So, I think someone owes us an apology." She said in a sing song voice.

"That's never happening." Party Poison watched Agent Alpaca scowl at Disco Bitch. It was like old times, old adventures. He turned to look at Fire Frenzy who looked as though she had no intention of coming with him. "Come on." He grabbed her arm. She shoved him off.

"I helped you get to the bar. That was the deal." Fire Frenzy turned to face him, wanting to be finished with this. She had other things to do that were more important than the inefficient Killjoys. She needed to get back on her search for the orphans, for BL/ind's brainwashing devices. She needed to, before she lost sight of what was important to her. She'd made a promise years ago to do this, and she wasn't going to give up now just because some guy with pretty hazel eyes was asking her to.

"No, no… I need you to come with me."

"You need to get going, peddler."

"No, come on… Look. There must be something you want. I can help you figure things out if you help me with this. We need your help. You're much better at this attacking thing than I am. You don't trust any of us. I could use that for interviewing my men. You'll see things none of us will see." Fire Frenzy stayed quiet for a long moment.

"You'll help me get what I want then? No matter what it is." She said after a moment. Tiger was at the door again now, calling to them.

"Are you guys coming?"

"Yeah, just give us a second." Party Poison turned back to Fire Frenzy. "I'll help you with whatever you need if you just talk to me and help me out."

"Okay. But you're going to regret this. And we're still not friends. And my eyes are up here." She smacked underneath his chin to tilt his head up since he was no longer looking at her eyes, but rather at the chain of a necklace he hadn't noticed before.

"I was looking at the cut on your hand, not…" Party Poison wasn't sure why he had felt the need to lie about it. If he had been actually looking at her body he would've admitted it, why was this any different?

"Oh save it." Fire Frenzy walked past him and over to Harvey who handed her the weapons she'd reluctantly given to him earlier. "Just put the bomb in the back. It's unarmed. I'll be back for it soon. Keep your eyes open okay? If you need to take cover you know how to find safety." She looked at him seriously. Harvey was the only person she permitted in her bunker when she wasn't there. He nodded and gave the woman a fatherly kiss on the cheek.

"Be safe."

"Don't worry about her. I'll keep her safe." Party Poison joined them, taking his weapons.

"Don't listen to him, he's an idiot. I'll keep myself safe as I always do." Frenzy assured Harvey then walked out of the bar, followed closely by Party Poison who couldn't help but smile just a little bit at the woman ahead of him.