Summertime.

The lamps had burnt out while they slept, tangled in sheets and limbs, but light crept through the thin cracks around the trap door in the ceiling to tell them it was morning. Molly stirred first, rubbing her eyes and sitting up slowly to look around the room. After a moment that stretched on painfully she ran her knuckles along his cheek, carefully bringing him back to consciousness. And it was bitter sweet she thought as his hazel eyes caught her wistful gaze, waking him just so he might never be woken again. Overhead she could already hear the sounds of feet treading purposefully across the ground but only because she'd been waiting for it, he wouldn't notice until it was too late.

"I wish we had died out there." She whispered as she crawled onto her feet.

"Good morning?" He mumbled in turn, rolling onto his back and stretching out his long limbs.

"No, its everyt-"

The knock came softly, a deliberate thump-thump for those cornered beneath. Poison sprung up, suddenly awake, and picked up the biggest thing he could find- a splintered post that had never made it to the walls. Molly, who looked less concerned, crouched down and brought the collection of papers out from under the mattress as the door above was removed, a trickle of sand spilling into the room.

"Is a bunny hiding in my rabbit hole?" The voice came, a deep scratchy tone that was as familiar as the dusty road's he took on a daily basis.

"Stay there," Molly came back quickly as she herded a curious Poison away from the voice. "I'm coming up."

"W-" Molly hushed him frantically, shaking her head and covering his mouth before pushing him roughly onto the mattress.

"Well hurry up, the van's roaring and Show Pony's chaffing." His footsteps rattled the ceiling, grains of sand falling on their heads like light rain.

Turning back to Poison her cheeks flushed red and her hands trembled terrified in front of her, shaking the papers violently. "You have to stay here," She whispered as she took nervous steps back. "Because if he's see's you, if… if he knows that you know then- I can't stop him. He doesn't listen to me."

"Is that…"

"Bunny!" The mans voice traveled in a booming sing-song through the opening while Molly just nodded stiffly, her body tightening as each second passed.

"Then why would he kill me? I'm a killjoy, we're on the same team." It almost seemed comical to him that she thought she knew this man, who was no stranger to him, better than he did.

"No," She shook her head as she reached the ladder. "Not really. Not like you think."

He watched feeling smug as she climbed up the ladder into the light and once she'd crawled out followed her quickly, thinking that in this situation it was his knowledge that would keep her out of trouble. And besides, this would probably be the only way for him to get out of this desert alive.

"Well I'll be damned," The voice chuckled as Poison heaved himself out of the ground. "Bunny? Bunny are you keeping secrets from me already?"

Molly yelped, spinning quickly and tossing up a cloud of dust around her feet. "He doesn't know anything." She pleaded, running up to the man's side and tugging desperately on his dark jacket.

"What are you talking about?" He grinned and pinched her cheek between his dirty fingers. "All the Killjoy's know who I am, am I right?" He turned back to Poison quickly who was seeing for the first time the mysterious Dr. Death who somehow knew what was happening everywhere. And he was not what he expected.

Heavy built, ruff and formidable looking, Death dressed in all black with his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. He didn't look like a killjoy, lacking in eccentric colors and outlandish charisma. No, he looked more like a biker with his greasy hair down to his shoulders and mustache-goatee combination. If it wasn't for his distinctive voice Poison would never have known this was the man who's word he'd been hanging off for as long as he could remember.

"Hey, I'm Par-"

Cutting in cheerfully Death held his hand out to silence him. "I don't give a fuck." He grinned and spat onto the ground. "I wanna know what you're doing crawling out of a hole that was meant only for my baby sister?"

"He was-"

"Uh- no." Death crooned, waggling his finger at Molly before playfully ruffling her hair with a giant hand. "Wasn't asking you bunny, I was asking your bright haired companion. So, if he'd be so willing, could he please carry on?" And for insurance sake he pulled her back against his chest and covered her mouth with his hand, his chin rested on top of her head as he waited for Poison's response. "Sorry," He smirked. "She's always had a problem with manners. Proceed."

Feeling like someone had bashed his head in with a sledge hammer Poison found himself unable to form words let a lone a sentence. He blinked slowly at a man who, sure enough, looked like her brother. Although it wasn't until he pushed his glasses onto his head that it was really obvious, his pale almond eyes a carbon copy of his younger sibling's.

"He's stupid ain't 'e?" A thin man wrapped in lycra came into Poison peripheral vision. Show Pony. Death and a show pony, he almost laughed. "Like dropped on his head as a kid stupid."

"He is not." Molly snapped back, whipping her head around to glare at the grinning man.

"You sure Bunny," Death joined in. "He don't look all there."

Finally Molly burst away from her brother while he cocked his head to the side to ponder on Poison's possible IQ. She sprinted forward and crashed into him, turning quickly and nearly ripping his arms out as she wrapped them around her waist. "And until you decided to be a smart ass he didn't know anything either." She barked at her brother who was now more than moderately amused. "I won't let you kill him."

Tightening he leaned into her ear, though his eyes never left his now possible murderer. "Kill me?" He whispered in a panic.

"Jamie's lost his mind," She answered although she seemed to be addressing her brother more. "Lost it a long time ago. Thinks he owns the zones with his little radio station, using killjoy's like pawns- sending them into battlefields where he knows most will just die."

"I thought Jamie was dead Princess…" He cringed, slowly shuffling them backwards although to where he didn't know.

"We don't have time for that right now. I'm trying to save you."

Death, also Jamie and previously Ariel Strike, Slipped a crooked cigarette between his dry lips and lit it behind a cupped hand. "Look, Bunny…" He sighed, a cloud of smoke tumbling out his mouth. "The plan doesn't change just because you found a sweet heart. There's no favorites, just facts. Fact is he knows too much, I gotta dust him."

"Your plan is stupid-" She bit back. "And what are you talking about? Favorites? When you cart freaking' Show Pony around everywhere. And we both know he's damn near useless- look at him!"

"Hey-" Pony protested loudly.

"Everyone shut the fuck up!" Death boomed, throwing his hands into the air. "Show Pony's a good friend and you know that Bunny." And with that out of the way he tossed his smoke over his shoulder. "This dude," He went on, pointing a thick finger at Poison. "Is a stranger. And a problem."

"Not to me," She gripped tightly to his hands. "He saved me… twice. And even when he didn't know me he still took me in, not like you keeping me all the way out here with a shed to call a home."

Taken back, although only in jest, Death threw a hand over his heart and stared at her in mock awe. "You loved that shed."

"If you kill him I swear I'll kill myself." She threatened, the desperate plea of someone who knew their options were running out.

"Go ahead," He snorted, a reaction that chilled Poison's blood. "You know how nervous it makes me knowing you're running around out here anyway. One less person with my name on their lips."

Poison, who couldn't help himself, fell away from Molly and pushed around her. "That's your sister."

"My god it speaks." He laughed and scratched his hairy face. "Which is unfortunate because, if you were indeed stupid, I might have actually let you go. I mean you'd die out he-"

In what Poison would forever remember as his most tragic moment he threw his fist at Death's face who, in turn, swayed a little, steadied himself to absorb what had just happen and then threw out his much stronger arm- seemingly blindly - and caught Poison's throat, squeezing until he dropped to his knee's. In the background Molly shrieked and ahead of him Show Pony looked away as if embarrassed. No one came to his aid.

"You're fiery- I don't like that." He growled as he crouched down in front of his victim, never letting go or loosening his hold on his throat. "I like my Killjoys complacent and easily manipulated. If you weren't, well, none of this would have worked." Poison clawed desperately at the heavy hand cutting off his oxygen.

"You're fucking crazy." He gasped.

"I'm a fucking genius!" He snapped back, throwing him onto his back like a rag doll and watching him gasp for air before pressing his boot down on his throat. "I'm going to save this fucking city. And sure, I've killed some people, I've faked a death and left my only family stranded in a desert but that's nothing- it's fuck all when you think of what I've achieved. What I will achieve."

"He can't breathe!" Molly wailed, running to her brother's side and wrapping her arms around him hoping she could melt his heart with affection.

"I'll break his neck if you don't step the fuck back." He glowered, Molly shrinking away immediately with her hands trembling over her mouth. "Sisters," He chuckled merrily at Poison before pointing his thumb over his shoulder at Molly hunched down on the ground whispering frantically to herself. "I mean I love 'er but sometimes-" He choked the air dramatically, his eyes closed tight as he tried to conjure the image in his head. "Sometimes I just wanna blow her fuckin' brains out."

Poison watched her reaction from the corner of his watering eyes, her sweet face a mess of blood and sand twisting into something that was less angry that it was cruel. Slowly she pushed herself back onto her feet and squared off her shoulders then, after lifting her head as a display of confidence, she narrowed her eyes on her brother. Who Poison knew, in spite of everything, she loved with all her heart.

"Jamie Dean Archer-" She began steadily, her manner attracting both her brother's and Show Pony's attention. "If you…" Pausing she took a deep breath and clasped her hands together tightly. "If you kill him I will never tell you where your stupid hard drive is and then where will you be? Your precious plan goes up in smoke."

Suddenly Poison was no longer a priority. Death, Jamie, abandoned him quickly and took towards Molly who didn't dare look away. Grabbing her arms, and digging his fingers into her flesh, he lifted her off the ground with ease and came in close to her face in a bid to intimidate her. But right now she was beyond that.

"You don't have it?" His words trembled with rage but he tried desperately to remain calm, appear reasonable. Behind him, although never out of Show Pony's watchful gaze, Poison rolled onto his stomach and sat back on his knees to watch the dramatics unfold more comfortably.

"No, I gave it to someone else."

"Wh-" Quickly catching himself Death lowered his voice and put on an uncomfortable smile before carefully lowering her back onto the ground and brushing hair out of her face. "Bunny, sweetie, why would you do that?"

"Because you killed his brother," She told him firmly. "And, although I love you, I don't like you very much."

Tight lipped and shaking with rage Death took a sharp breath in through flared nostrils. Quickly he took her by the collar of her shirt and dragged her towards a van waiting in the distance. He spared Pony only a single glance which must have spoke volumes. The thin man ran quickly to Poison and helped him to his feet.

"You're lucky," He whispered as he helped him toward the van. "He hates Killjoys, ordinarily he would have killed you just for fun but he needs those sound waves to make this even close to plausible."

Poison didn't think he could take in anymore information and refused to ask how sound waves could change anything. Instead he decided to be a model Killjoy, complacent and easily manipulated as he was guided into the back of the van where Molly was waiting, looking miserable, in the far corner.