Bulletproof

A few days later, nothing had really changed. The boys were keeping low profile for a little while after their clash with Korse, and I was being forced to relax. I didn’t want to at all, but they kept telling me that I’d tear my stitches. On top of that, I still hadn’t heard a damn thing from Kindred. I had a gut feeling that she was alright, or at least alive, somewhere. I just
didn’t know where, and it was driving me insane. I had met Dr. Death-Defying, and I’d convinced him to broadcast a short little announcement about the untimely deaths of the members of the Killjoy group Seek and Destroy. Clearly it was false, since I’m still here, but it was just to throw people off. I didn’t think BLI would get in on Dr. D’s airwaves, but it’s better not to assume anything. Kin might’ve been listening from wherever she was hiding, and if she heard it, I trusted her to piece the puzzle together. We’d talked about faking our own deaths if the area got too hot for us in passing once. A bit dramatic, but we’d always had a flare for theatrics.

That being said, if Moony was dead, it meant I had to come up with another alias. It wouldn’t do me any good to go around wearing a dead girl’s name. I’d been pondering about it for a while, since a whole new persona isn’t something I’d want to take lightly.

“Moony?” Gracie called, coming in from outside. The boys had kept her busy by teaching her how to shoot. We’d learned that she didn’t have a family (that she knew of) to go back to, so she’d stay here. That meant living in constant peril, and they wanted her ready in case something drastic went down. I didn’t blame them. I did envy the fact that they got to run around and train, though, while I was left inside with my thoughts. The good Doctor and I had a good few chats, though, since he was often indoors as well. I saw her little form silhouetted by the sunlight streaming through the open door behind her- it was apparently getting later in the evening- and she came walking forward.

“What’s up, Gracie?” I called back, and she was soon standing by my feet, standing only a little taller than me from where I sat on the floor. She was smiling a big smile that told me plainly that something good had happened.

“I got one! I got one! You gotta come and see!” I looked at her quizzically. “They’ve been teaching me how to shoot, but I didn’t hit anything until just now. Come see!”

I laughed and hauled myself up with the help of the wall beside me. “Alright, kiddo, let’s go.” I took her hand as she hauled me off, moving a little more quickly than I might’ve liked due to my leg. I didn’t complain, though, as I didn’t want to spoil her fun. She was almost floating in elation. She dragged me a little way away from DI E, to where I could see the four guys standing around, chatting casually. They saw us coming and I could practically hear Jet scolding me for being up and around. We got closer and the look on his face matched what I’d expected.

“What’re you-”

“Look! See? Do you see it, Moony?” Grace tugged my hand and pointed over to an acid green dummy they’d set up (another of the weird things they just happened to have laying around back inside), and it had a big scorch mark right in the middle of the chest. I grinned at the girl.

“Nice hit, Gracie! You’ll have to teach me to shoot, yeah?” I joked. Or, half-joked. I knew I was terrible with my gun. She looked at me, her pretty little eyes sparkling with joy.

“Yeah!” she agreed readily, and I laughed a little. Her boundless enthusiasm was refreshing and endearing. Then, that being out of the way, I looked reluctantly back at the guys. I could feel their disapproval jabbing into me while I ignored them flippantly to praise Gracie, but I couldn’t ignore them forever. I’d tried.

“You shouldn’t be up and around yet,” Party Poison scolded, and I gave him a hopeful smile.

“It’s really not that bad. I walked all the way out here by myself!” I defended easily. I was healing well considering we lived in less-than-ideal circumstances. I could move around without feeling like I might die, even.

“If it wasn’t that bad, you wouldn’t have stitches.” He shot that idea down quickly, and I made a face at him. He rolled his eyes but smiled after a second. “Seriously, at least sit down or I’m carrying you back.”

“I’d like to see you try,” I challenged, and he quirked a brow at me. Suddenly intensely aware of three other gazes resting on me, I looked at the other boys in turn, giving them a cheeky grin. “I’m fine, I promise. If my leg starts to hurt, I’ll sit right down.”

“Not good enough,” Kobra told me decisively, and the four of them moved in unison (it was a little creepy just how often they did things in unison) towards me. It wasn’t a sudden lunge or anything, but a scary and slow lurch. I ducked as quickly as I could behind Gracie, who squealed out a giggle when I grabbed her around the waist.

“Nobody move or the little girl gets it!” I mock-threatened, and Gracie adopted a suitably pitiful look. “See? She doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her! Look how cute she is!”

“Yes, very cute,” Ghoul conceded, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t get you.”

They took another step forward, and I leaned down to whisper in her ear. Her eyes lit up quickly. At a nearly silent signal from me, she rushed forward and jumped on Poison, causing just enough confusion amongst the boys for me to get a head-start in the other direction. It was a wobbly, uneven run, but I was running for the first time in nearly a week and it felt amazing. I never knew I liked to run until I wasn’t allowed to. I didn’t dare glance back as I made a wide curve around the diner, skidding in through the graffiti-covered back. It was like a shortcut to Dr. D’s little studio. He was sitting in his wheelchair behind his desk, and I wormed my way around his legs to hide in the dark space between the opening of the desk and the floor. My stitches weren’t even bleeding, which I was thankful for since these pants were brand new (Show Pony had won my undying love by fetching them for me while out on an errand for Dr. D). I held my fingers to my lips as Kobra and Ghoul came bursting through the door, silently begging my favorite DJ not to sell me out. He evidently decided to take pity on me, as I saw him point wordlessly out the other door with a wink. The boys grinned and ran off. When they were out of earshot, I crawled out and giggled.

“Thanks, Dr. D!” I chimed and kissed his cheek. He gave me a smile and patted my arm.

“Just don’t go and tucker yourself out too soon, little tumbleweed,” he advised, and I shook my head.

“Don’t worry, I’m just showing the guys how to have a little fun. They’re always so serious, making plans and working through flaws in them. I know it’s part of the job description, but all work and no play means BLI wins.”

“’Atta girl,” he praised, and I grinned at him before shooting back out the way I came. I ran smack into Grace, sending me flying over her as she landed on her rear in the dirt. We looked at one another, shocked, before we both flew into fits of giggles. I could hear the pounding of two or three pairs of feet, and we looked at each other in alarm. She took of to the right while I fled left. I made it a good way before I heard someone gaining on me. Chancing a glance over my shoulder, I saw Ghoul’s legs pumping hard against the dirt, sending tufts of red-brown dust flying behind him.

“You’re still gimped!” he called loudly. “This is almost too easy!”

I pushed myself harder, which actually didn’t hurt very much, and looked back again to taunt him as I kept my lead. “You’re still a midget! You’re getting beaten by a gimp!”

I heard him growl a little bit, and I started to laugh. My lungs were burning from running around in the setting sun after a week of inactivity, but it felt good. I liked the feeling of air huffing in and out of my lungs. I turned to look back at where I was running a second too late; I couldn’t stop or swerve fast enough to avoid Jet, who’d stealthily made his way over to catch me while I was busy having my fun with Ghoul. I thudded against him, which sent me to my rear while he took a step back but didn’t fall. I attempted to crawl away, quite pathetically, but he grabbed my around the middle and hoisted me up. I tried playing heavy, letting myself hang, but it didn’t seem to faze him a whole lot. Ghoul skidded to a stop in front of the two of us and started to giggle.

“She looks like she just kind of died. Guess who caught up, gimp!”

“Only because Jet caught me first. I could’ve outrun you for days!” I shot back, poking my tongue out at him childishly. He flicked my forehead, and I nipped at his fingers, which he pulled back quickly.

“How’s the leg, Moony?” Jet asked, cutting our antics short. I moved it around a little from where he held me, checking to see how my leg felt.

“A little stiff,” I started thoughtfully, “but definitely not bad. For the record, my stitches didn’t tear.”

Ghoul grinned a little. “That’s because I’m damn good with a needle.”

“You could be a seamstress,” I told him, and he frowned at me. I just grinned toothily back. A loud, surprised squeal could be heard somewhere over towards the other side of the diner, which I took as the two brothers finally catching Grace. “Looks like the fun is over now.”

Ghoul snorted and ruffled my hair. “We’re getting too old to be chasing a couple of kids around.”

“You don’t even look that old, so shut up. Plus, you don’t know that I’m a kid, maybe I’m just young at heart,” I countered, pouting at him. He poked his tongue out at me.

“We could cut off one of her legs and count the rings,” came Poison’s suggestion as he, Kobra, and Gracie joined us. Gracie was riding on Poison’s back, looking bored. Kobra snickered.

“And you freaks wonder why we run away,” I mused quietly, shaking my head. “Besides, that only works with trees. Trees don’t get stitches.”

“I guess,” he agreed, and set Gracie back down on the ground. “But seriously, you’ve had your fun, and that’s enough stress on that leg for one day. It’s getting dark anyway, so we should all head back in.”

There was a collective sigh, but no one put up a fuss. They’d had more fun chasing us around than they’d ever admit. About half-way back to the building, I started wiggling in Jet’s grip. He glanced down at me.

“Put me down, I can walk on my own,” I told him matter-of-factly. He looked skeptical.

“Yeah, you demonstrated that earlier. If I put you down, you’re going to run, and then we’ll have to look around in the dark for you.”

That was a fair assumption, I guess, but I really didn’t have any intention of running away again. Not just yet. “Seriously, I promise I won’t run. I’m hun-” my stomach growled loudly before I could finish, and I looked at him with a triumphant face. “See? I’m too hungry to run.”

With a wary sigh, he set me down. I wobbled a little; my legs felt like gelatin after running so long and hard. He steadied me, and I shot him a smile. Up ahead a couple of paces, Gracie walked between Ghoul and Poison, holding one of their hands in each of hers. I smiled to myself at the sight, but then wondered how the two men must be feeling. I knew for a fact that Poison had had a daughter, and I had good cause to believe that Ghoul had a kid too. I wondered if they missed their families like I missed mine. My throat tightened considerably.

“You okay?” Kobra’s voice so close to my right made me jump. When did you get there? I nodded after composing myself, giving a small smile. He still looked slightly concerned- only slightly because it kind of seemed like every facial expression he made was tinged with apathy. Except when he smiled, I noticed. He had a really nice smile, though it was rare that you could get it out of him.

“Yeah,” I responded quietly, and I heard a little waver in my voice, “just thinking.”

He nodded, but didn’t really dig at the question. I was grateful for that, since I have a hard time thinking about my parents, much less talking about them. Even my siblings, since I almost never saw them. It’d been years since I’d seen my sister, and about half a year since I saw my brother last.

We walked into the diner shortly after, and I caught the can of Power Pup that was thrown my way. Not great eating, but I’d take what I could get out here. I sat down next to Gracie in one of the booths, resting against the back of the seat. As I was about to open my dinner, Ghoul walked by and snatched it from my fingers. Before I could complain, he handed me a different can, and I looked at him strangely.

“Vegetarian friendly,” he said in response. I nodded in understanding, and thanked him. That was something we had in common, at least, and he was nice enough to share his stash with me. He sat down across from us and opened his can gingerly. No one especially liked Power Pup, since it appeared to be a mix between wet dog food and refried beans, but it was filling and had at least some nutritional value. I opened my own can and frowned at the contents before digging in with my spoon. Nothing like cold dog-food-bean-mush to end your day. And begin your day. And keep you going throughout the day.

This was especially bad news for Kobra. The rest of us could tolerate the less-than-desirable taste and texture, but something about it made him only able to eat a little at a time. I guessed that that was why he was so skinny. Not that any of us were particularly well-fed; having only one source of food and being constantly on the move tended to do that to you. He was thinner than the rest of us, though. At the table next to ours, the brothers and Jet Star sat, Poison and Jet Star digging in disdainfully while Kobra took the occasional spoonful and grimaced after each bite. I felt awful for him, but there really wasn’t much any of us could do to help.

I’d been done with my supper for a little while, but when the others started to finish, they slowly filed out of the room and towards their little sleeping area in the office. Eventually, it was just me, Gracie, and Kobra. Gracie was starting to fade, leaning against my shoulder and breathing deeply. I woke her gently and sent her off to bed shortly thereafter. She trundled off and I joined Kobra at his table. He looked up from frowning at his can and gave me a small smile. We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, comfortable enough not to have to force awkward small talk. I watched him as he worked through his eating process: plunge spoon into Power Pup, pull it up about a foot away from face, pray to the gods that this bite won’t be as bad as the last, put in mouth before mind can be changed, swallow, grimace, repeat. When he only had about a fourth of a can left, he set down his spoon with a quiet groan.

“This stuff is awful,” he informed me, and I gave him a sympathetic smile. “Seriously, I don’t know if I can finish this can.”

“I’m going to sit here until you do,” I replied, fixing him with a look. He frowned at me. “I’ve got all night, don’t worry.”

He reluctantly picked his spoon up again, though he didn’t take a bite. He was still studying me. He looked like he wanted to say something, and I didn’t have to wait long to figure out what.

“I’ll tell you something about me if you tell me something about you,” he offered, raising his eyebrows curiously at me. I felt my back stiffen- a reflex, since I haven’t told anyone anything about me besides Kin- and looked back at him with just as much interest.

“What do you want to know?” I asked carefully, and I know that the caution was clear in my voice. He chuckled suddenly, and took a quick spoonful of his meal.

“Stop acting like I’m digging around for your darkest secrets. I just wanted to know how old you are.”

I quirked a brow at him. “Is that really all? You and Poison have been on about that since you guys picked me up.”

“Well, yeah,” he admitted with a nod. “I know how old all of the guys are, and Grace couldn’t be any older than ten or eleven. I have a harder time pegging you, though. You look young, but you act older than you look. Sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” I questioned, laughing a little. I supposed he was right, though, since I tended to act more my age when hanging around Grace. “Okay, fine. I want to know how old you think I am, first.”

“Twenty, maybe?”

“No,” I laughed again, shaking my head. “Almost, though. I’m seventeen.”

He nearly choked on his Power Pup. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Seventeen, really? How long have you been out on your own, then?”

I shook my head at him with a smirk on my face. “You said that that was all you wanted to know. You don’t get a freebie question,” I reminded him, and he frowned at me again. He seemed to do that a lot. “So, your turn. Do or did you have a family?”

“Family as in parents and siblings or family as in one that I established?” he asked, looking at me like I was stupid. Of course I knew he had at least one sibling. Said sibling was over in the other room, probably trying to get some sleep.

“Don’t be stupid, you know what I’m asking,” I demanded, and he smiled a little. The smile wavered a little as he thought about his answer, but it never left his lips completely.

“Well, kind of. I have a wife and a cat. No kids.”

“Have?” I asked, and he shook his head at me. No freebies.

“Damn, fine. Okay, what else do you want to know?” I demanded, annoyed. I forgot that other Killjoys were likely to be just as secretive as me.

“How long have you been out on your own?” he repeated his question from earlier, and I shot him a look of amusement.

“Four years,” I responded promptly. He hid his look of shock better this time.

“You were thirteen when you first started out in the Zones?”

“Yeah. And no, that answer doesn’t count as a freebie because you did the math yourself.”

“But it does tell me that you’ve only been on your own since thirteen, which means that you had a family to go back to before that.” His unspoken assumption hung between us. At thirteen, that changed. You’ve got no one now.

I didn’t let anything slip, but that had struck a chord. We both knew what he was implying, but only I knew just how right he was. I went on bravely with my question to save face.

“You said you have a wife, present tense. Where is she?”

“I’m not sure,” he admitted, and he surprisingly didn’t sound heartbroken. Maybe he was feeling generous, because he went on. “This one is a freebie, since I think I get what’s going on with you now. When I first started out doing this whole rebel thing, I left the home I shared with my wife for weeks at a time, working with the guys to cause trouble for BLI. Whenever I came home, we picked up where we left off. She was always really patient with us, even supported us.”

“She sounds amazing,” I told him, using present tense since that was the way he’d referred to her earlier. He nodded, a proud smile on his face.

“She is,” he confirmed. The smile faltered a little, and a vulnerable hurt showed across his face for just a second, soon replaced with a carefully constructed mask of apathy. “One time, I left just for a few days. I came back home, and the place had been trashed. There wasn’t really a sign of struggle, but I noticed that nothing had been taken. We weren’t robbed, I don’t think, but it seems more likely that someone tried to hit my weak spot by getting to her. I don’t actually know where she is now, but if BLI had gotten her, they would’ve used that information to get to me by now. The only logical conclusion is that she got herself out of there and is in hiding.”

I thought about that for a second before nodding. “That makes sense. She sounds smart.”

“Mhm,” he agreed, finishing off his Power Pup. He didn’t notice it was gone until he heard his spoon scrape on the bottom of the can. He looked surprised. “She is. I think that’s why she hasn’t tried to get in touch. She knows how high-profile we are. We’re top priority for the Exterminate list, and we’re always on the move.”

I nodded again, and then patted his hand which was resting on the table. He looked back at me from his empty can, a questioning look on his face.

“It really sucks not knowing where someone you love is, doesn’t it? Not knowing whether or not they’re okay, how they’re doing, the company they’re keeping…” I trailed off, thinking of Kin. While I’d been busy getting used to my new surroundings, she hadn’t once left my mind, even if she was just in the back instead of the forefront.

“You and…”

“Sister Kindred,” I supplied.

“You and Sister Kindred are really close, huh?”

I nodded, and smiled widely at his words. He gave me a questioning look, probably wondering why I was smiling such a big smile when I’d previously looked so upset.

“What’s up?” he questioned, voicing his confusion. My smile, if possible, widened.

“You said ‘are’. Not ‘were’,” I pointed out. He nodded, still looking a little confused. “Present tense, like you think she’s still out there,” I elaborated. He smiled then, too.

“Well, yeah. If you can believe that my wife is alive out there somewhere, then I can believe that your friend is, too. There wasn’t anything pointing towards certain death in either of the cases,” he confirmed, and then stood up. He tossed his empty can in a bin off to the side, then looked back at me. “Did you actually want to talk then, or were you just distracting me so that I could finish that awful mush?”

“Both,” I answered easily, smiling. “You’re already skin and bones, and I don’t think your wife would appreciate if I just let her husband waste away. When we find her and she sees that you’re healthy, she’ll have me and my big mouth to thank. Besides, it does feel kinda nice to just talk once in a while without being afraid that whoever I’m talking to is going to sell me out.”

He grinned widely at the first part of my explanation, and then his face softened into something close to fondness near the end. “I’ve got your back, don’t worry. You can talk to me if you want to.”

I stepped around the table and hugged him quickly. He patted my back, and then I pulled away. He looked as embarrassed as I felt. Neither of us had really expected that, but it was nice in an awkward way. I laughed a little, and his look of sheepish surprise gave way to a smile, too.

“Thanks, Kobra. That means a lot,” I told him honestly, and he smiled before ruffling my hair.

“Sure thing. Come on, it’s getting late, and it’s probably past your bedtime, tyke.”

I glowered at him.

“I take that back. You’re mean. Rude old man.”

“You don’t even know how old I am!”

“Old enough to be calling me a tyke!” I shot back with a grin. He rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in defeat.

“Okay, fine, whatever. Just go to bed!” he sighed at me, and I grinned back at him.

“Fine. You too, though, since I hear that the elderly take frequent naps to keep up their energy.”

We bickered quietly on our way to the office, and ceased fire once we entered. Everyone looked to be asleep. We said our good nights to one another and laid down. I drifted off more easily than I thought possible.

Maybe I could get used to this life.