Faith Is Unavailable

“You sure she should have a gun?” Silver Sands asked loud enough for everyone to hear but looking at Party Poison.
“She needs one to survive. It’s not like she’d turn on us.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to think that.” Sands said ducking out of the room.
“Sands.” Party Poison said under his breath while trying the catch her wrist but only grabbing thin air. “Excuse me.” He said and then followed Sands out into the sun.
Kobra Kid gave Twelve’s arm a little squeeze when he saw her face fall.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Party Poison Demanded of Silver Sands once they were outside.
“Don’t waste the end of the world with questions you already know the answer to. You know how I feel about her.” Sands said acting like there was nothing to be said as she pulled a bag out of the trunk of the Trans-Am.
Party Poison stood next to her and laid his hands on top of hers as she grabbed the bag.
“Just leave the bags for now.” He said.
“We ain’t gettin’ back to the diner tonight Poison. You saw the same signs I did. The dracs are out heavy today, rollin’ deep. We’re gonna need the bags. We’re out here why wait to bring them?” She proved her rebel roots defiantly speaking to the unspoken leader. “Now stop pulling the boss card and grab a fuckin’ pack.” She said pulling the one she had a hold of from his hands and walking back into Dr. D’s outpost.
Party Poison leaned against the back of the Trans-Am and stared out into the desert. Sands was on one of her I’m-not-listening-to-anything-you-say kicks. He really hated it when she was like that.
“Hey, how come Sands is inside setting things up for an overnight-er?” Kobra Kid asked.
Party Poison’s kid brother had gotten so quiet in the last few years that he was startled when he heard his brother’s voice. Kobra Kid was leaning against the back of the Trans-Am in much the same fashion as was Party Poison with his arms crossed but instead of looking out into the distance he was looking at Party Poison’s set jaw line and hard expression.
“She’s the one who decided we’re staying tonight.” He said stiffly.
“She’s in one of those moods again isn’t she?” Kobra asked as he put a cigarette between his lips and fished around for his lighter.
Party Poison only nodded.
“What’s her deal? It’s like she can’t even listen to suggestions lately. Think it has something to do with Twelve?” Kobra Kid asked lighting the cigarette and letting his hands rest on the Trans-Am. He blew smoke out the side of his mouth not even bothering to take the cancer stick from his lips as he exhaled or hold it as he inhaled.
“I don’t know. I can’t understand her. She thinks Twelve is a double agent or something.” Party Poison said finally looking at his brother rather than the heat waves dancing in the distance.
“Well Show Pony and Dr. Death like her and they’re a pretty good judge of character. Besides Dr. D’s got an eye for spotting enemies. Sands is wrong.”
“I know, but she won’t believe anything else than what she decided the moment she laid eyes on Twelve.” Party Poison sighed as he ran his hands through his hair and then looked back out into the desert.
“Sometimes I wonder why she’s got such and intense hatred for anything BLI. I mean don’t get me wrong, I hate them but not in the burning way she does.” Kobra Kid said kicking the ground.
“We don’t know anything about her past and I don’t think we ever will, Mikey. It’s the way she wants things for God knows why.” Party Poison said using his brother’s real name rather than his adopted name.
“I guess.” Kobra Kid said as he grabbed a water bottle from the trunk. “I’m gonna head back in. It’s too hot out here.”
“Take that bag with you. I’ll be a while. Patrol.” Party Poison said pulling the Trans-Am keys from his pocket and walking to the driver’s side door.
“Be careful.” Kobra Kid said as he slammed the trunk shut and headed back inside.
Party Poison sped off not listening to his brother. He just really wanted to shoot something. Kobra knew damn well that his brother was going out to manage his frustrations rather than protect their base for the night.
“Where’s The Almighty?” Silver Sands mocked as Kobra Kid walked in.
They had all heard the engine roar to life and the tires spin in the dirt before Kobra Kid had walked in.
“Patrol.” He responded tossing the other bag next to the one Sands had brought in. “Good job, Sands.”
“It’s not my fault.” She said giving him a fierce look. “He’s the one telling me what to do.”
“Yeah and we should all just let you do your own thing because you’re always right.” Kobra Kid said mocking her. “I mean would it kill you to listen to him twenty percent of the time? He’s pretty smart and is the reason we’re all still alive.”
“He’s the reason you’re all still alive. Not me.” She corrected.
“Okay children.” Dr. Death Defying said breaking the verbal fight up. “We all need a time out. Sands go do whatever it is you’re going to do. Kobra, come with me.”
Show Pony grabbed Suspect 12 and pulled her with him to follow Dr. D and Kobra Kid into Dr. D’s broadcasting room.
“It’s not nearly radio time, but this will be just as interesting.” Show Pony said excitedly to Twelve.
“Why?”
“Party Poison and Silver Sands drama is the best kind.” He winked. “Or at least the most readily available drama.”
“You guys must really be starved for entertainment then.”
“You have no idea.” Show Pony said with an overly exaggerated smile and a roll of his eyes.
Kobra Kid went into a rather short winded description of what happened outside with his brother that disappointed Show Pony. He looked at Suspect 12 knowing that she was thinking on his promise of this being entertaining. It wasn’t in the slightest.
“Can you just tell it again but this time add like sexual tension or something more interesting?” Show Pony whined. “I’m starving for something good.”
“I don’t know how I could throw sexual tension into a conversation that happened between me and my brother. I don’t know about you Pony, but I’m not into incest.”
“Just don’t think of it that way.” Show Pony paused. “That sounded less awful in my head.”
“I bet.” Dr. Death Defying said leaning back in his chair.
“I’m just going to go...” Twelve said pointing to the door.
“I’ll go with you so Sands doesn’t give you any shit. She seems to enjoy that when she’s in these kinds of moods.”
“Would you mind taking up a patrol around The Cave?” Dr. D asked. “We’ll be alright I’m sure with Party Poison out there killing everything he can, but it gives you something to say to Sands.”
“No problem.” Kobra Kid said leading the way out of the broadcasting room with Twelve following.
“You know, that gun looks real good on her thigh.” Dr. Death Defying said to Show Pony when the door shut.
“Would it look better if it were on mine?” Show Pony asked leaning over the table and turning his backside to Dr. D.
“Never.”
“No fun.” Show Pony sighed straightening up. “How can you resist this?”
“Easy, I like women. Now, we have a show to get ready for. Did you get that record I asked for?”
“Not yet.”
“Please go get it before the sun goes down.” Dr. D sighed.
He didn’t like sending anyone out when the sun started to go down. Too many things crawled at the edges of visibility. They weren’t even totally sure they knew the half of what was out there in the dark.
“Sure thing, Babe.” Show Pony said with a sigh.
He passed Kobra Kid and Suspect 12 walking outside and didn’t feel like stopping to tell them he was going on an errand. He would do anything for the man in the wheelchair. Kobra Kid just waved seeming to know what was up. Then he and Suspect 12 returned to their conversation.
“It’s all very complicated for me. A lot of things happened before and after the war that I’m still trying to figure out. There’s things I still believe in that my brother refuses to. Things I still have hope for that he doesn’t.”
“Like what?” Suspect 12 asked feeling the honesty from Kobra Kid.
“Like finding her again.” Kobra Kid sighed.
He didn’t want to be telling this much to anyone let alone someone he found lying in the desert like a discarded dart board. But maybe that was why he was opening up to her. Maybe he needed to talk to someone who knew nothing of his history for him to be able to talk to with.
“Who was she?”
“The greatest woman in my life. She still is. She’s not dead. I can feel it.” Kobra said looking out to the horizon with his jaw set in his belief.
“Maybe we can find her.” Twelve said.
“I will one day. Every time we go into the City I leave her a clue. Something that only she would recognize. I just don’t know how well their brainwashing works.” He glanced at Twelve realizing that statement wasn’t totally true. “Obviously it works pretty well though. By that alone I should just give up.”
“Don’t give up.” Twelve said putting her hand on his shoulder.
“I have no intention of giving up.” He smiled. “It’s good to hear me say that out loud. It’s better than saying it over and over in my head.”
“If you’ve ever got something you need to say out loud, I’m here. I won’t tell any of the others.” She said speaking the truth. She wouldn’t tell any of the other Killjoys.
“The only other person I’ve spoken so freely with about this is Dr. D and that’s only because he went through something similar, but his has an end that I can’t talk about. I shouldn’t have even said that. Don’t let him know you know anything.”
“I don’t know anything. You didn’t say much.”
“I said enough to make him angry.”
“Won’t say a word.” She promised.
“Good, now for a change in subject. What’s going on between you and Jet-Star? He seems to follow you around a lot and vice versa.”
“I’m not sure.” Twelve shrugged with a blush coloring her cheeks. “I didn’t think there was anything to notice.”
“Please.” Kobra Kid laughed. “Girl was the first one to say anything and she’s ten.”
“Kids are very perceptive.”
“So, what’s goin’ on?” Kobra Kid asked elbowing her in the ribs with a lopsided grin.
“We’ll just have to wait and see.” Suspect 12 smiled and pushed Kobra away.
“Whatever happens, I hope it’s for the best. He’s a good guy.”
“You’re all good guys.” Twelve said.
“Not all of us.” Kobra Kid shook his head.
Before Twelve could ask what Kobra meant Show Pony skated back towards them and this time stopped.
“So what did you grab today?”
“Just some new Mad Gear stuff that was buried along Resurrection Road and then I picked up some Adam Lambert from The Pit for me. Such a shame he’s gone. The man was beautiful. I would take him in an atomic second.” Show Pony said looking at the album cover.
“What about Dr. D?” Kobra Kid asked with a smile.
“No one beats him out. Adam would be a close second, but my heart belongs to that bear of a man in the wheelchair.” Show Pony smiled with a school girl blush on his cheeks. “I have to go see him now.”
Show Pony skated off doing a few turns like a ballet dancer and then disappeared into the building. Kobra Kid let out a little chuckle and then he and Suspect 12 continued on their loop around the building.
Their conversation changed though. Or rather it just dropped of. She couldn’t ask him what he meant by not all of them being good men and he didn’t want to talk about his past anymore. He fell to his normal brooding self as he stared at the last fragmented rays of the sun fading along the horizon.
The shape of the Trans-Am was silhouetted against the deep purple sky, an atmospheric side effect from the Helium Wars that still hadn’t faded. Only after the sun was behind the horizon line did the sky turn deep purple. The particles in the atmosphere above the Earth refracted light in a different way than it used to creating an effect that hadn’t been seen before the world ended. It was regarded as quite beautiful, but one could only wonder if it was doing something awful to their bodies.