Faith Is Unavailable

In the impound lot Sands located the car unchanged, still beautifully killjoy.
“Climb in.” She walked to the guard station. “Father wants me to take the Trans-Am in spot E-89 for it’s new paint job. Give me the keys and open the gates.”
The Scarecrow complied to the orders as he was taught to and just handed her over the keys.
She returned to the car the guys already piled in, even wearing their seat-belts knowing she was driving.
Sands knew only one gate opened at a time, the second one was the one you couldn’t really make it through with the car. The first and third were nearly irrelevant in Sands head.
She pulled out easily trying to hide all of the reckless abandon that would sell her out to even the Scarecrow.
She drove to the first gate, one of the simple yellow bars that folds up and out of the way. It moved right as she rolled up as was the Scarecrow’s job. Korse wasn’t one for waiting.
She drove through feeling the anxiety building. Nothing works this smoothly.
As she approached the second gate, the solid wall one that there was no getting passed, it began to rise. She was silently celebrating in her head thinking they were going to make it out.
Right as the nose of the car made it through the sirens howled to a start. The gate would coming crashing down she knew.
Her foot hit the gas, slamming the pedal to the floor roaring off. Everyone but Sands looking up seeing the gate rapidly heading their way.
The sounds of the gate hitting the metal of the car she closed her eyes only hoping they were going to keep moving forward and that it didn’t crush anyone. She opened her eyes and looking into the rear-view realizing they were still moving, seeing everyone in one piece and the bumper of their car crushed beneath the gate.
The third gate in front of them leading to the city streets showing no indication of moving was nothing for the car that was rapidly gaining speed.
With a hard right turn leading to loud screeching tires she was cutting off the overly cautious city drivers. Weaving through the cars was surrounding her was no problem, they’d all watch out for her. Hit their brakes without a second thought fearing the car that was obviously not a “city” car.
Battery City motorcycles came whipping out of the building lights and sirens on them going too.
“Boys there are rayguns scattered on the floor like always. I’d suggest helping out now.” Sands said with worry lacing her tone. Motorcycles could weave through traffic better than the Trans-Am. “Bad driving is only going to get us so far.”
Alerts rang out through the Scarecrow Unit Headquarters. The detailed report suddenly appeared on the glass table top of Korse’s desk. The report was a digital copy rather than a hard copy because there was no time to waste. This was urgent news and he was required to get to the scene as quick as possible.
Twelve got the report as well on the glass screen of her desk. She stood from her chair and grabbed her BLI regulation jacket knowing this was not a time for her Killjoy flamboyancy.
Korse was about to go to Twelve’s office as she walked out of it. He continued towards the elevator and she fell into step next to him.
“Killjoy activity.” Twelve said checking the settings on her guns.
“No doubt about that. Draculoid outposts do not suddenly explode.”
They made it to the bottom floor and exited out the back of the building. There was a Draculoid waiting with Korse’s De Tomaso Pantera running and both the passenger and driver’s side doors open. Twelve slid in and the Drac closed the door behind her. Korse got in and shut his own door.
They sped off with two Draculoids following them on their white motorcycles.
“At this point we will only be making it there to survey the damage.” Twelve sighed wishing for a fight.
“Regardless, it is our job to make an appearance if only to could the fallen.”
“They fell the moment they put the masks on.”
“Rachel Wilson that is the kind of Killjoy attitude that I will not tolerate.” Korse growled gripping the steering wheel and gritting his teeth.
“Sorry, I just really want a fight and if I can’t stumble into one I seem to start one.”
“So I have noticed. When we return to the City you are going straight to the training building to work some of that need for a fight out. There are plenty of new Draculoids and Scarecrows that need training.”
Twelve didn’t respond. She didn’t like it when he gave her orders. Granted he was technically her superior, but when they were not working they were equals. Twelve was more accustomed to being his equal since she had fallen in love with him. Now that she worked alongside him in the Scarecrow Unit as Head Department Coordinator she had to listen to what he told her to do. After all, he was Head Exterminator and leader of Battery City.
Within half an hour they made it to the site of the damaged -or in reality, exploded- Drac outpost. The air stunk of burning latex and there were bits of white suits all over.
Twelve was first to step out of the car. A Scarecrow handed her his initial findings and she skimmed it before passing it off to Korse. She was more interested in walking around the ruins to survey just what had happened.
Korse picked up something that reflected light from the ground. He examined it and then tossed it back to the ground. Twelve watched the object and discovered it to be an ID badge for one of the Dracs that had been in the explosion. She felt a pang of guilt but then remembered her words in the car, he had fallen the moment that mask was on him.
“The location of that Diner would be extremely helpful now.” Korse almost growled in Twelve’s ear as he walked past her.
For some reason that he could not fathom, she still held the location back from him. That was the one thing that made him question if she was as loyal as she claimed to be. Twelve only glanced at Korse as he walked past her. He didn’t noticed as he had never lifted his eyes to look at her.
She went back to his car and wrote down the location of the Diner on the back of a file. She took the paper with her and pushed it into his chest as she passed him. Twelve felt like she had just been forced to hand over information even though she hadn’t been touched. It was a mental thing. Korse still held sway over her in some areas, but he held sway over an entire city so she didn’t give it much thought.
Twelve strode into the Scarecrow Unit Headquarters behind Korse. Amy Smith stopped in her tracks when she saw them. Korse took no notice of the woman’s behavior and took the files in her hands as he continued on towards the elevator.
A passing smile Twelve gave to her as they stopped to wait for the elevator. Korse tucked the files under his arm and punched in the code for the elevator. Amy was still standing there staring at them. She was unsure of what to say.
At this point Korse turned towards Amy to see her face. He noted the odd expression and looked to the file tucked under his arm.
“What is it?” Twelve asked.
“Sandra.” Amy said glancing at the files tucked under Korse’s arm.
Korse took a moment to look in them. Twelve didn’t need to to know that Silver Sands had somehow infiltrated the City and she knew that she had taken the guys. She broke into a run towards the parking lot.
“How did this happen?” Korse demanded of Amy.
“She was dressed like Viktoria. You know how much they look alike. She had to have found out where the Killjoy’s car was in the impound lot while it was in line to be painted. She stole it and the three Killjoy’s.”
Korse turned to follow Twelve’s lead out the front entrance of the building.
Twelve was already out of sight but her motorcycle could still be faintly heard. Korse was just turning out of view in his car. Amy stood in the doorway worried about what she had seen and what this meant.
Korse quickly caught up with Twelve but she was faster being able to move between traffic lanes. Normally this was not a permitted action but she had reason to be breaking the law and to her rules didn’t have the same weight as they did to other citizens. She was one of the elite.
The Draculoid Headquarters loomed in the distance. The sun was setting on the Eastern Digital Backdrops behind the building the three were aiming for. Twelve made it into the building only moments before Korse had gotten out of his car.
“You need to learn how to manage a motorcycle.” Twelve said over her shoulder.
She had waited for him to make it to the foot of the stairs before she took off again..
“Nonsense. The car is more comfortable for me anyways. Motorcycles are too rough for me.” He said taking long and brisk strides into the building.
When Twelve entered the basement where the Draculoid Preparation Unit -commonly referred to as “The Drac Shop”- was located, Viktoria was standing there already. She looked at Twelve with eyes as cold and hard as ice. There was something else behind Viktoria’s eyes though. Some sort of smug knowing that Twelve didn’t understand.
Korse entered through the sliding glass doors but had already seen what was missing before he had stepped in the room.
“Sandra.” Viktoria said looking at the three empty tables. “She has been masquerading as me and has fooled the guards of the City well enough into thinking she was I. We have lost three of our most promising soldiers because of her.” Viktoria’s eyes shifted to Twelve on her last word making Twelve think that Viktoria was referring to her rather than he sister.
“The Drac base explosion was a diversion. I expect they had a cure for the DCP that was administered.” Korse said to himself. “But how could they?”
Twelve thought back to when she had saved Jet-Star. She had told him about the medicine and how it had saved him. Now she regretted that. She had never anticipated they would figure out how to use it on days old infected victims. Dr. Death Defying was smarter than she gave him credit for.
“We must go back to our offices and plan a counter attack.” Viktoria slammed her fist on a cold table. “They cannot get away with this.”
“Calm your anger Daughter. They will not survive much longer.” Korse said putting his hand on her shoulder. “Go, take a day off.”
“I cannot.” She said turning to leave and then added with a sneer, “Not when I know that the cause of this sleeps in your home.”
Viktoria left the basement and left Korse and Twelve alone. Korse waited until he was sure she was gone. Then he took a step to stand next to Twelve. She was leaning against one of the three empty tables with her hands carrying the majority of her body weight.
“Do not heed her anger.” He said quietly.
“It’s nothin’ I can’t handle. She ain’t got nothin’ on her sister.”
“But I see the anger brings out the rebel in you.” He said laying his hand on top of hers.
“And the loss of your captives brings out the cold and formal man in you.” Twelve countered.
“I know you dislike that man, but it is how I must act in these situations.”
“I feel like this was, in part, my fault.” Twelve sighed straightening up and starting to pace as she spoke. “The rat I let escape, I allowed him to take my bike and get back to the diner. I couldn’t show up there after all that had happened but he needed to get back there. In the motorcycle were the medications I had used to heal him. No doubt he had brought them back to their doctor. The doctor is a very smart man. He must have figured out the cure. That explains the melted mask we found a few weeks ago, the missing Dracs, and the outpost explosion. I should not have acted that way.”
“Do not be troubled. You did what you thought you owed them out of mercy and pity. They would have figured out that the medication would heal them even if Jet-Star had not brought back a store of it. They would have stolen motorcycles and gotten the medication when they realized what they needed. It is not like you handed them the cure in a gun.” Korse had caught Twelve’s arm to stop her from pacing. It was making him dizzy. In the back of his mind he knew he should have taken the pills today.
“Almost, at least they have fitted it into a gun by now.” Twelve said picking up a dart from the table that Korse had not seen. “It’s pretty clever. Though the fight is going to be a lot harder now. We may have to use something that kills and the medication can’t fix.”
“What is that?”
“Bullets.” Twelve said with a hard glint in her eyes.