Bulletproof

“Freak Show?” Fun Ghoul asked after a second of silence. I nodded the affirmative.

“You really want to be called Freak Show?” Jet Star reiterated, and I nodded again. “Why?”

“Why not? I came from a freak show, I’m living in a freak show, I’m a one-woman freak show. It works. Plus, it’ll go well with my new mask,” I answered, grinning a feral grin at the mention of my new mask. I hadn’t shown if off to them yet, though I sorely wanted to. All that time inside by myself had left me with a lot of time on my hands. Just as I was falling asleep after my chat with Kobra last night, the idea for my name came to me, and it nagged the back of my mind through my peaceful slumber. It stuck, and it suited me.

“You’ve got a new mask?” Party Poison asked immediately, and I grinned at him.

“Yep,” I confirmed shortly. He raised an eyebrow and waited for me to elaborate. I didn’t.

“Freak Show… seriously?” Jet Star asked again, and I rolled my eyes.

“No, totally kidding. Har har, I pulled a fast one on you,” I combated sarcastically, and he rolled his eyes back at me.

“I think it’s pretty badass,” Kobra declared after a second, and Party Poison nodded along with his brother’s statement. “Do we get to call you Freak for short?”

“Don’t you already?” I laughed, pleased that at least half of them realized what an amazing fit the name was for me. Maybe that’s just my ego getting out of control…

“Aside from that, what’s on the agenda for today?” asked Ghoul as he casually leaned against the wall behind him.

“The four of us are going on a supply run. Moo-” Poison caught and corrected himself before continuing, “-Freak Show and Grace will stay here with Dr. D.”

“Why can’t I come?” I knew I was whining, but I didn’t really care at that moment in time.

“Why do you think? We’re not taking you anywhere even remotely dangerous until your leg has healed,” he replied quickly, raising an eyebrow at me.

I huffed at him, but nodded reluctantly after a second. “Fine, I’ll stay and train with Grace.”

All four of them looked immediately ready to object, but I waved them off. “I mean shooting, not running around. When’re you guys leaving?”

“In a few minutes,” Poison replied vaguely. “We need to get some stuff together before we head out.”

“Alright, you boys go out and have fun. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine wallowing here in my self-pity at getting left behind,” I called over my shoulder melodramatically as I made my way into the dining area where Grace sat eating a can of Power Pup. “Come on, kiddo, we’ve got a dummy to dust. The boys are leaving us for today, so it’s just you, me, and Dr. D. I think even Show Pony’s out somewhere.”

“We never get to have any fun,” she pointed out with a frown. I laughed and tousled her hair.

“That’s what I said, but they weren’t having any of it. Look at it this way, though: we’ll get to chill out here, just the two of us, while they’re out doing all the work. We’ll make them take us along next time, okay?” I appealed, and she nodded with a smile. She finished her can and tossed it away before taking my hand. We walked back into the room where the boys were gathering different things to snag our ray guns. “What’re you guys looking for?”

They looked up from their respective places, all of them digging through some pile of junk or another. Poison ran a hand through his luminous red hair before replying slowly, “We have a map, you know, of different places that we can hit up for supplies. It’s got all the locations and what the different places offer.”

“That’s handy,” I replied, looking at Grace. She just shrugged unhelpfully. “What’s it look like? I swear to God, if you say ‘a map’, I will kill you.”

“It’s kind of off-white, dusty, and there might be some blood on it. It’s probably starting to tear around the edges, too,” Kobra answered, going back to digging through different things. Grace and I joined the search, covering where the boys weren’t. After a couple of minutes, Jet Star made a noise of triumph.

“Found it. Okay, so, are we set?” He looked around to his three companions, who all nodded quickly. “Looks like we’re heading out. Girls, you stay here and be sa-”

“Shotgun!” Ghoul claimed quickly, and Jet frowned at him. Ghoul gave him a toothy grin before motioning for him to continue.

“-safe. Freak, don’t do too much too soon, and take it easy with that leg. Grace, keep on training, help her out if she needs some tips.” I frowned at him. Was he making fun of my shooting? He’d never even seen me shoot! Jerk. “If we’re not back before dark, don’t sweat it, but do remember to come back inside, okay? We should be back before tomorrow morning,” he nodded at the end of his little speech, signaling that he was done. Grace and I nodded dutifully back at him, but I frowned.

“Why so long? Are the places far away or something?” I asked quickly, before they could all start filing out.

“Well, sort of. This place is pretty out of the way, since it is a secret location. Plus, there’re usually some Dracs patrolling the places we hit, so we might have to stop and formulate a strategy or something,” Kobra explained, and my frown deepened. “Don’t worry about us, though, we’ve done this like, a million times. We’ve got it down pat.”

“Do you hit the same places every time?” I shot off another question. They didn’t look especially annoyed, though, more like they wanted to assure us that they’d be fine.

“No, the security would be way too tight if we did that every time,” Ghoul interjected. “One thing BLI and the Dracs don’t handle well is unstructured randomness. We hit a different combination of the places every time, and we always make sure there’s no set pattern in when we hit. For as powerful as they are, they never seem to catch on.”

I nodded after a second, but eyed each of them in turn. “I know you don’t need me here to tell you this, guys, but be careful. I’m going to be seriously pissed off if you guys come back bleeding profusely or missing a limb or something.”

They all laughed softly, uttering different phrases of assurance. Poison glanced outside before looking back to all of us. “Okay, we seriously need to get going now, or we won’t be able to hit our places before nightfall. You two have fun, keep an eye on Dr. D. In the highly unlikely event that Dracs should show up, you know what to do.”

“Kick their sorry asses and dust ‘em without a second thought,” I replied immediately, drawing another round of soft laughter. They gathered up their things quickly before they all hugged or high-fived Gracie and I. Kobra was the last in the room, and he turned back to me for a second.

“Seriously, don’t freak out over us. We’ll be back before you know it, alright? Stay safe,” he paused for a second longer before adding, “and I’ll keep an eye out for your friend.”

I thanked him quietly with a reluctant smile, and he patted my shoulder before following his team out to the car. Grace and I got outside in time to see them driving away, so we waved until they were out of sight. With that done, we made our way to where the dummy was still set up and took aim.

“Do you think they’re really gonna be alright?” she asked after a couple of shots (most of which I missed). I thought about it for a minute and nodded eventually.

“Yeah,” I assured, “I think they’ll be just fine. They’re smart, they work well as a unit, and they know what they’re doing. They’ll be just fine, and then they’ll be back to keep us up with their snoring before you know it. Nice hit!” I added after my little speech. She grinned back at me. I noticed for the first time that her ray gun was a generic white one, like the Dracs used. Then, I realized that it must’ve come from the vending machine outside the diner. I remember the days when vending machines carried snacks and sodas to make you fat, not ray guns that you used to shoot your enemies.

“We’ll have to find time to decorate your gun, Gracie,” I commented, and she looked at it before nodding.

“I don’t want it to look like the ones the Dracs use,” she agreed. I tousled her curls affectionately.

“We’ll find some paint or something and add some Killjoy flair, don’t worry. Lord knows the boys keep enough random junk around the place anyway, so we might get lucky.”

She giggled, but then took on a serious face as she exhaled and shot. The ray hit the dummy right between where the eyes would be. I let out a low whistle, impressed.

“God damn, Gracie, remind me to never get in a firefight with you, huh?”

She grinned widely. I took a shot and hit the dummy in his thigh, wincing inwardly as it brought back memories. Definitely not a killing blow, but painful as hell and immobilizing. She looked at me sideways for a second.

“You don’t shoot much, do you?” she questioned, and I laughed. No shame in that, she’s good and she knows I’m not.

“Not really,” I admitted, shaking my head. “My friend, Sister Kindred, is a phenomenal shooter. She would take care of Dracs that way, and I’d take them down up close and personal.”

“You fight?” she asked, and her eyes glittered brightly. I nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, I took lessons when I was little, and I’ve just been training on my own ever since. I’ll teach you once my leg gets better, okay? Who knows, maybe we can bully the guys with our awesome hand-to-hand skills and they’ll have no choice but to take us with next time,” I joked.

“Yeah!” she seemed genuinely enthused, so I just had to return her grin. “But… I have a problem.”

“What’s up, little lady?” I asked as I took another shot. I think crotch shots should be worth extra points, myself.

“You and all of the others have cool Killjoy names, so people don’t know who you are really. I’m just Grace. If I’m going to be around here, I should have a Killjoy name too, right?”

“Good thinking. We definitely need to think up a name for you,” I agreed, and she seemed satisfied. We went through a good deal of power packs, shooting in silence as the sun rose and hung in the sky, bearing down on our hot bodies until both of us were quite sweaty. We decided to go in sometime in the late afternoon.

Just as we were walking in through the front doors of the diner, Grace stopped and tugged on my hand. She pointed at some of the posters lining the door.

“There, do you see it? ‘Missile Kid’, it would be perfect!” she exclaimed, and I smiled back at her.

“Nice! It fits completely, too. You’re like a human torpedo with all of that energy,” I teased lightly, but she didn’t seem to care much. She bounced excitedly, clearly proud of herself. “Come on, Missile Kid, let’s go pay Dr. D some attention!”

The two of us made our way back to his little studio, knocking quietly before entering to make sure we weren’t interrupting a broadcast. He looked up from his desk, smiling as he saw the two of us. I leaned against the side of his desk while Grace bounded easily into his lap.

“What can I do for you chipper kids?” he asked after laughing at Grace’s behavior. I shrugged, but Grace seemed to have something in mind.

“Have you heard anything about the guys? They’ve been gone for hours now.”

“Don’t worry, sunshine, those boys are tough as nails and pretty smart, too. They’ll be back soon,” he answered easily. I don’t know what it was about Dr. D, but every time he spoke, I could take it as the gospel truth. I’d never doubted him before, because there didn’t seem any point. He was there to report on what was going on, to keep his Killjoy kin safe, and he did a damn good job. He wouldn’t lie to Gracie about this, either.

“Dr. D’s right, kiddo,” I agreed, and she smiled. I could tell she’d been a little freaked all day long about the guys being gone, because I was too. Dr. D seemed to be totally at ease.

He’s been putting up with this longer than we have, I reminded myself.

“Have you gotten any word from your incredible sources about Kin?” I asked after a second of comfortable quiet. He looked a little sad.

“Negative, though Show Pony might pick something up. Where’d that thrill killer get to, anyhow? I sent him out hours ago.”

The troubled look on his face made me antsy again. The more I thought about it, the more he seemed like he was the driving force here. Like a queen bee, almost, since if he was calm, everyone else was calm. If he was nervous, you bet your ass everyone else was trying to calm themselves down. The guys were his agents, but there was something in the way that he presented himself that made him seem so… in control. Everything he said (weird nicknames included) seemed like the right thing in a time of need. I envied his talent, but I was grateful that at least someone around here had it together.

“He’ll be back, he might’ve come across a spot of trouble, but that boy’s quick as lightning and smart to boot. Who knows, he could’ve come across something big,” I commented, and Dr. D smiled at me.

“You’re a good kid, Freak.”

“Thanks,” I smiled back, “one more question, though. Have you heard about any trouble over in Zone Four?”

“Nah, all’s quiet over there. Dracs don’t usually bother the cats in Zones Three and Four,” he answered, and I breathed a sigh of relief I didn’t know I’d been waiting to let out. “Why, you got someone you care about over there?”

“Well, yeah,” I admitted, wondering how much detail I should put into my answer. “My brother runs a restaurant over there, and I wanted to check up on him. I was going to pitch the idea of going for a quick visit there to the guys when they got back. My brother might know something about where Kin is.”

He nodded thoughtfully, and then looked at a little clock on his desk. “It’s about time for my next broadcast, or so the ticker tells me. You two lovely ladies are welcome to stay, if you like.”

I smiled at his invitation, nodding before pulling Grace out of his lap so that she wouldn’t be in the way while he was working. She smiled at me, and we both watched with rapt attention while he pulled his microphone close to his mouth. I sat in a small, rickety chair, pulling Grace to sit in my lap. She wiggled a little, trying to make herself comfortable, before she settled down and we watched the good doctor at work in an entranced silence.

“Listen up, motor babies! That big old sun’s settin’ in the west, so wave it goodbye before you lose your chance. All’s fairly quiet in the Zones, but I’ve got a feeling it won’t last long. Keep those shooting skills sharp, and keep an eye out for nasty Dracs lurkin’ in the shadows. Word on the street is that they‘ve been patrolling harder than ever on the highways nowadays,” he paused and glanced up at us. “In other news, I got with me two special guests, two crash queens who know what’s up with the down low. On the air for the first time, tumbleweeds, are Freak Show and the Missile Kid. Come say a little something, girls.”

I laughed, and Grace bounded up to snatch away the microphone. At least she isn’t shy. “Hey, tumbleweeds! Remember to keep smiling and keep moving,” I laughed at the way she imitated Dr. D, while she continued. “Oh, and something else- wherever those Fabulous Killjoys are, they better be safe!”

She handed the microphone over to me, and I smiled at her. I thought for a second before addressing the general public. “Or they’ll be sorry. Freak Show here, boys and girls. Not much to say that hasn’t been said already, other than show your fellow Killjoys some love. If you seem ‘em in a spot of trouble, help ‘em out. Keep your eyes peeled for a phantom, too, since I hear they’re being sought after these days.”

I gave Dr. D his microphone back and thought to myself while he finished his announcements before flicking on a song. I hoped I’d made myself clear enough, that Kin, wherever she was, would understand my message. I waved a farewell to Dr. D and departed quietly from the studio, out into the dining area. I found myself a can of Power Pup and a spoon and sat down to eat. I wondered if Nic, my brother, had heard what I’d said. I wondered if he’d recognized my voice. I certainly hope he had, otherwise I’d have a lot of explaining to do when I paid my visit. It can’t be a good feeling, thinking your little sister is dead. I knew what it felt like, though in my case it wasn’t my little sister.

While I was lost in my thoughts, I heard some noise outside. I found it odd, because usually it was silent as the grave around here at night, aside from the casual noises coming from myself and the others that lived here. I abandoned my half-eaten can and set the spoon on the table next to it. Crouching low, I made my way slowly and silently to the front door, where I could peek out. I didn’t have my mask on me, but I had a loose, very colorful scarf around my neck that I decided to pull up to cover everything on my face from the eyes down. I cursed mentally at myself for not having my ray gun on me, but I couldn’t run back to get it without being seen through one of the windows.

If this place is found out, we’re fucked. Where will we go? How will we get there? Will the guys know what happened?

The first thing I saw was a blur of blue and white zooming past the door, going around back. Behind, I saw headlights from what appeared to be some kind of motorbike headed towards the diner. Something in the back of my mind clicked. That has to be Show Pony! Shit, that might be Dracs. It’s almost dark, we need to power everything down before they see the lights here!

I sprinted to the back room, plowing my way through anything that happened to be on the floor. I got into Dr. D’s studio at the same time as Show Pony, only he came in through the back. I flipped the lights out, since this was one of the only rooms that had them flicked on, and tried to calm myself a little.

“We need to power everything down and stay out of sight,” I panted, and Show Pony nodded. “There’s someone headed this way, and I don’t know who the hell they are, but they can’t find this place. It’s someone on a bike.”

Show Pony nodded along to everything I said, and Dr. D did too after a second. He started switching everything within reach off, and I ran around like a crazy woman trying to tie any loose ends. I pulled blinds closed, I hid any evidence I could find (not that it was hard, considering how much stuff we had lying around), and I even left the front door ajar. Better to make it look abandoned. I ran back to where Dr. D, Grace, and Show Pony still were.

“Show Pony,” I panted, and he looked at me through the visor of his helmet. “How many are there?”

He held up a single finger, which made me frown. Only one? Why would there be a single Drac following the messenger of Dr. Death-Defying? Something here wasn’t adding up. Before I had time to ponder this further, I heard the front door swing open hard enough to hit the wall. I froze, and everyone else did, too. We listened as heavy footfalls echoed in the abandoned diner.