Take No Prisoners

We walked slowly from the Sunshine’s room to what I presumed to be the living area. I had spent a lot of time in that room I had woken up in, silently pleading myself not to break into tears and sleeping an excessive amount. I had originally presumed that I was suffering from a mild concussion due to knocking myself out on the sniper rifle but when I did not throw up and was able to retain composure I realised I was simply suffering from a serious case of feeling betrayed and worthless. Angel had left me completely drained emotionally and since I did not want to cry I ended up sleeping because I had nothing else to do. I am not exactly a stubborn person but walking out of this room would not prove a point.

When Kobra Kid had told me Sunny wanted to see me I almost hugged him with joy. Despite us being practically polar opposites I liked her. In my eyes, and it was likely that it was only mine since she was a rather… for lack of a better word, bitchy. Yet I liked that about her, she was tough and seemed so self assured and even though Angel had those traits Sunshine obviously had more too her than that. I am not saying that Angel does not; she used to be so kind when we first met and stuck up for me, but Sunshine seems more fragile. I want to defend her even though she is tough enough to look after herself. I am a mothering type, I cannot help it.

The room was almost silent when we walked in. Party Poison was leaning against the wall as he usually did, almost as if he was quietly observing every little detail. Ghosted was sat on the sofa, rubbing her eyes as if she had just been woken up. Fun Ghoul was slouched on another sofa, the curled haired one (called Jet Star if I remember rightly) next to him. Angel was in the kitchen again, but she was perched on the counter observing from a distance, swinging her legs back and forth aimlessly with a somewhat bored look on her face. When Shadowed walked into the room Angels face lightened considerably. Obviously they had bonded more since our argument, but somehow it did not bother me. I had managed to form some sort of bizarre friendship with Sunshine so it did not matter to me as much. With the only spare seats being either next to Ghoul or Ghosted I choose Ghosted’s sofa, dragging Sunshine onto it with me whilst Kobra joined Ghoul and Jet.

For a while we just sat awkwardly, no one seeming to want to talk.

After a while Party cleared his throat and all eyes were on him. It was obvious he was the leader in their little group. “So, I thought you’d all want to know the plans that had been arranged and since Sunshine Suicide is finally awake now would be the best time since she’s not high on the painkillers.”

Sunshine shot a quizzical look my way. “You were shouting profanities and claiming that Kobra Kid had the ‘hots’ for you and started growling at him. But that was only in the few minutes I actually saw you.” I whispered to her so no-one else could hear, but the likelihood was they already knew what she had been like.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and I swear I saw her cheeks flash red for a moment before she regained composure and shrugged off what she had been like as no big deal. She had been high on medication after all, that should be an excuse for her behaviour in itself.

“So, what’s the plan?” Ghosted chirped up; surprising me as she had seemed like such a wallflower. I do not know her that well yet.

“Angel, Jet and I have conjured up a plan that could use the combination of our strengths to take down Better Living Industries which, if we time it right, is very unlikely to fail.” He explained. I wanted desperately to shout out and say that none of them knew us well enough to devise such a plan but I did not want to cause an issue. “Kobra and Shadowed, hand to hand combat is probably your strongest points, correct? Angel is skilled with a sniper rifle and Jet is best at shooting from a closer range as is Ghoul. Ghosted you are highly athletic, right? You have good stamina.”

“I’m also smart.” She chirped in, since no one else truly knew what she was like. “I could memorise their layout in my sleep and I am pretty nifty at working computers.”

“So you would be capable of overriding there computer systems?” Party looked impressed.

“Easily.”

“Great, brilliant in fact. Like Jet I believe that you, Sunshine, are great at close combat shooting. As am I, so we would be best inside the actual industries.”

“I’m also a gymnast.” Sunshine butted in. I was not surprised that she had interrupted; I was surprised that she was a gymnastic. Then again, her frame was very slight yet muscular and she was pretty strong; she had managed to fight off infection for a long time from pure will alone. “I know that sounds useless, but that means I’m agile and strong. Find me an air vent and I’ll be in that building faster than you can say Better Living Industries.”

“We were going to have Dusty do something like that, actually. She’s an extremely good climber and can get into a building from a top story window.” Angel said.

“No, Sunshine has had way more training than me and she’s lighter, stronger and more agile than me so she would be much better at doing something like that. I’m small though and I’m good knives and I pride myself on being a quick learner.”

“Yeah, give Dusty the job of torture. She’d be pretty good at taking Korse down herself.” Ghoul smirked at me. “Knee him in the crotch then slit his throat.”

“If that was all it would take to destroy Better Living Industries then why are we still losing?” I snapped.

“We’re not losing, we’re training.” Party interjected. “And anyway, we had jobs set out for you and you’ll oblige. Sunshine you’re with Jet and I in close combat shooting. Dusty you’re infiltrating the building from the top floor.”

I stood up and faced Party. “Hold up. You are planning to send three people through the front with guns along with two hand to hand fighters. Have Ghosted dissemble the security camera’s before aiding you and have Angel snipping from a distance off, whilst I am the first to clamber through the top window on my own to accomplish what? Am I bait? Is that the purpose of my job?”

“Well,” He looked somewhat sheepish. “Yeah.”

“And you did not want Sunshine to do that job as she is much capable elsewhere. Send the blonde haired, blue eyed, innocent, British girl to distract Korse in the hope he has a fetish for that.” I groaned.

“What do you mean by innocent? Are you a virgin?” Ghoul laughed, obviously trying to make a joke. When I did not respond the laughing stopped and he stared wide eyed at me. “You totally are, aren’t you? And you’re like nineteen?”

“I am twenty four.” I snapped. I knew I had a baby face and quite short but I was older than Angel and it seems that I am older than most in my group.

“Holy shit! You’re rarer than a unicorn. How the hell are you still a virgin?”

“Look, maybe it is best if Sunshine and I went through the top floor but after you have infiltrated the building. That way we are capable of finding Korse before he gets to you and that way we can actually fight and I am not merely bait.” I explained my better plan to Party, ignoring Ghoul’s stupid comments.

“We’ll still have four of us at the front along with Ghosted once she’s stopped the computers and Angel from a distance. I think that could work.” He looked towards Jet and Angel for approval.

“Sounds good.” Jet smiled.

Angel shrugged. “Yeah, whatever, but we won’t be following through with this for a while yet. We need major training and supplies. I was looking at your maps earlier and there is a super mall not majorly far from here. A massive one; probably a gun shop, definitely food and enough beds to get a comfortable night sleep.”

“We’ll train here for a few nights till Sunshine is fully healed and then we can set off. How long will the journey be?” Party inquired.

“About two days on foot but we have a car and a motorbike, and you also have a car so much less if we travel that way.”

“Brilliant. Everyone get some rest then we’ll begin training tomorrow.” Party instructed clapping his hands together like a school teacher would.

Shadowed and Angel walked out down to a room that was partially concealed by the bizarrely shaped walls whilst Party and Jet walked down two other corridors to their rooms. Ghosted seemed lost, as did I.

“So Miss Virgin.” Ghoul grinned, holding his hand out for me, “I believe you were staying in my room.”

I knocked his hand away. “That was your room? I am sorry, but I would rather sleep on a bed of cacti than continue to share a room with you.”

He smirked, “Oh come off it, Sweetie. I know you like me.”

“I like you as much as I like my home country.”

“So you love me.”

“No, I detest you.”

“At least it’s not hate.”

“That is a foul word; I refuse to use it in any form.”

“I thought fuck and cunt were bad words. Hate really isn’t that bad in comparison, darling.”

“They are all equally disgusting. Please stop calling me by pet names.”

“Sweetie,”

“I told you to stop that.”

“Baby,”

“Please, stop.”

“Sugar,”

“Shut-“

“Darling,”

“-up,”

“Sexy, Gorgeous, Cutie Pie,”

I sighed, exasperated from Ghouls constant childish nature. “Fine,” I groaned, tired of bickering. “I will share the bedroom with you.”

“And the bed?”

“I will never share a bed with you.”

“God, you’re such a frigid virgin.”

“Can you two just kiss and get it over with.” Sunshine groaned, interrupting the petty argument. She was stood at the room where she had been sleeping, Kobra stood just to the side of her, holding the door open. “Kobra and I are mature enough to share a room together, why can’t you.”

“Because you two want to shag each other.” Ghoul giggled.

“And you’ve going after a girl who’s totally uninterested in you.” Kobra shot back but he still had a smile on his face.

“So you do want to shag her then.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you didn’t deny it.”

“Is that really the only thing you’re good at, causing arguments?” Ghosted groaned loudly from the sofa she had deemed as her bed. “Some people are trying to sleep so can you all grow up and get some rest?”

“Yes miss.” Ghoul taunted but he walked slowly into the bedroom, the childish expression long gone from his face.

Hesitantly, I waved night to Sunshine and Ghosted before following Fun Ghoul into his bedroom…reluctantly.

***

“We’ll separate into the groups that we’ll be working within when we aim to infiltrate BL/I so we can all train the hardest in the area that we’ll specialize in. After we’ve worked in that area for about four hours then we’ll switch to two hours of close combat for everyone then go back to the original training. No breaks, you drink water whilst you train but you only have one canister full so we know how to limit ourselves since we won’t exactly be drinking during battle. I, with the help of my assistant, will show you how you will train for each specific area." Angel stood at the front of us whilst where we gathered just outside the little misshaped one story house where we’d taken refuge. I felt somewhat privileged that Angel had chosen me as her ‘glamorous assistant’ as Ghoul kept calling me. It had to be said though; I was almost a brilliant all-rounder when it came to this ‘Killjoy’ business.

“Team One.” Angel called. That was the ones who were doing close combat gunmanship, which consisted of Jet Star, Party Poison, Fun Ghoul and Ghosted Stardust. Despite Ghosted being the computer hacker, once that job was done she would join Jet and Party in doing their job so she was training with them. We also didn’t have any form of computer to practise with and after she had finished rummaging through every electrical item in the house it was discovered that she couldn’t build one either. “Dusty will explain and demonstrate what you’ll be doing.”

I pulled out my Glock and Angel threw me a spare Ray Gun which I caught in my other hand. “You are mainly doing target practise.”

As I spoke Angel flicked a switch causing a makeshift shooting range to pop up with cardboard and plate targets which Party Poison had drawn Dracs on for motivation, but I think that he did it too show off his amazing artistic skills.

Twirling on my heel I faced the targets. Angel pressed a button and the targets began to move erratically; up and down, left and right. Exhaling slowly I pulled the triggers of the guns and shot two of the targets straight in the middle. From behind me there was a small round of applause. I curtsied and turned round whilst doing so; something I had been taught to do from a very young age.

“You need to become experts at using both guns.” I said as I leaned down to pick up some of the spare guns, as I did so Fun Ghoul wolf whistled. Ignoring him, I threw them to all of Team One and stepped away from the targets. “The time to shoot is when you are exhaling. It keeps your body more still, enables you to concentrate and keeps you calm.”

Team one nodded, raised the guns in unison, exhaled, then shot. Two hit centre, one a few centimetres off and one only chipped the edge.

“Perfect Ghosted,” I said, examining the bullet holes. I heard a cough and sighed knowing exactly who it was and what they wanted me to say. “Ghoul, perfect too.”

“Damn straight I-”

“Exhale slower Jet and Party you were not paying attention at all.” I interrupted Ghoul who stuck his tongue out at me.

It did not seem in Party’s nature to be distracted so I was instantly curious to work out his distraction. He was not even looking at me he was staring at Angel who was chatting to Shadowed. Grabbing one of the spare targets I threw it at Party. It hit him on the back of the red haired head.

“Sorry, I’ll concentrate.” Party Poison said and turned back to the target, his facial expression sheepish.

“Team two!” Angel suddenly continued. “Shadowed and Kobra.”

I left team one to practice then pulled out a life sized Drac which Shadowed had made herself, proving to also be a textiles expert. It impressed me but I still harboured some detest for this girl. She kept pulling more tricks from her bag making me seem more and more useless, but we were a team now and I was not going to be the one that pulled it apart.

“The fastest way to kill is the head or the heart. Do not go wasting time beating every inch of it and not actually killing it until there is a whole group surrounding you.” Shadowed and Kobra nodded, more attentive than the other group had been. “I want you to use all the weapons you can carry. So blades, pocket knives, and actually using your hands.”

They got to work quickly, and it was quick to see they were the type of fighters who could analyze their comrades’ moves and know exactly what they were going to do next and in turn what they themselves would do after. I could tell that Shadowed and Kobra did not get on that well; I do not believe they have even talked to each other, but they overcame that and fought with every ounce of strength they had.

Angel, unlike the rest of them, already knew what she was doing and was already laying on the floor at the edge of our group her sniper rifle aimed at targets almost a mile away from us. She planned to change her distance going from a hundred metres away to about one thousand and possibly more in order to work out the best shooting area for her. Leaving her to her greatest skill I headed towards Sunshine who was perched up the only tree around for a good few miles. It was tall and lankly, with very few sturdy branches to climb on but somehow Sunshine had already made it to the top and was now hanging upside down from one of the upper branches and doing some sort of upside down crunches.

“Careful the branch does not break.” I called, grabbing onto a lower branch and pulling myself up. “If this is an excuse to get injured so you can get high on pain killers again I will make sure they do not give you any.”

“Whatever.” She laughed, releasing her legs from the branch and landing on the one below in a perfect handstand then swinging herself round the branch like an Olympic gymnast on the bars. She let go and went into a pike as she fell, grabbing onto the branch I was sat on before twirling on it and finishing sat next to me. “I’m fine, seriously.”

I blinked wide-eyed at her. How on earth was anybody capable of defying gravity in such a way?

“I think I better go join the shooting team, I think I would be of more use there.” I stuttered, feeling utterly useless in comparison.

She laughed politely, “Nah, I’m just showing off, I’m sure you’re capable. I can teach you some simple stuff though if you want?”

I nodded, my words caught in my mouth at how incredible she actually was. “If you think it would help me.” I eventually managed to say, making her laugh again before starting to instruct me on how safety was second, showing off was first.

***

I sprained my ankle. I actually sprained my ankle whilst trying to copy Sunshine Suicide on a move that she said might have been too advanced for me despite picking things up rather quickly. I think we have established that that move had most definitely been too advanced for me.

“Shit, Dusty are you ok?” Sunshine yelled as she jumped down from one of the lower braches, landing next to me and was instantly checking my ankle.

“Peachy.” I chocked in reply before holding back a loud cry as Sunshine knocked my ankle where it hurt. So far she’d taught me the basics and I had managed a cartwheel into a back flick much to my amazement, but as soon as I attempted a back somersault (which Sunshine assured me was more complicated than it seemed) I ended up falling which resulted in my left ankle instantly swollen and I presume it is sprained. Nothing snapped so I believe I am fine.

“Fuck.” She groaned, “Guys! I kinda injured Dusty.”

“No, you did not. It was my own stupid fault.” I replied, clambering up and resting all my weight on my uninjured foot. “See perfectly fine.”

Before I had even a chance to move I was lifted off my feet and rushed inside.

“I am fine, put me down!” I groaned in complaint. I glanced up to see that it was in fact Ghoul who was carrying me, someone who I would never have deemed capable of carry me; he did not seem muscular enough.

I was placed gently onto the sofa and he checked over my ankle, pressing a lot more gently than Sunshine had. Thinking back, he had also been the one who came in to check my head wound when I had first woken up in this new home and I presume that he must have been the one who bound it.

“Are you in charge of first aid here?” I inquired as he demanded Sunshine to go fill a towel with ice to be used on my ankle.

He shrugged as he placed some pillows under my left foot. “Sort of, I guess. I’m not exactly amazing in any other areas so I’m useful here.”

It shocked me at his lack of cockiness. I had expected some show off remark about his amazing medical skills, but he was knocking himself down. His shields seemed to have dropped due to his concentration whilst examining me, like he had forgotten that how he was meant to act around me.

“You were good at shooting! You hit the middle of the target perfectly.” I instantly complimented. For some reason I had the urge to stick up for him, make him feel better. For some reason I did not want him to be sad.

He shrugged again. “I was trying to impress you.”

I smiled at him and tapped his arm gently. “You did, you were really good.”

Fun Ghoul glanced up from my foot and smiled back. “Thanks Dusty.”

My cheeks felt warm as he stared at me for longer than I think he should have. I noticed his eyes were almost completely green with the occasional hint of brown, they were the sort of orbs that read into your soul and under his gaze I felt myself shiver.

“I like your eyes.” I spoke softly.

“I like yours,” He replied. “I’ve never seen any so blue.”

Someone coughed loudly and I broke my stare with Ghoul, my cheeks more furiously red than before.

“Thought you’d want the ice.” Sunshine said; her lip bit like she was holding back her laughter.

“Yeah,” Ghoul said quickly, a slight stutter to his voice. “Thanks Sunshine.”

“Welcome!” She smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief and she winked at me when Ghoul turned back to tending to my swelling ankle.

It took all in my power not to groan in annoyance. I did not feel a connection to Fun Ghoul; it was dizziness from my injury. Shock obviously. He was not my type.

But then again, I have never even had a crush on anyone so can I really say I had a type? I could not stand the Fun Ghoul with his cocky attitude and the constant pet names he used on me, but remove all that and he seemed to be a generally nice guy and I think in this day and age it would be heaven to have my own generally nice guy.