SING.

Dr. Death and I were driving. He had to get some fresh air during the day, but Show Pony was still fixing his damn wheelchair, I scratched my car bringing it close enough for him to get in. As much of a pain in the ass it was, I really adored helping the Doctor. It was fulfilling to know that I could offer some service to a man that could assist people with just words.

We continued driving in silence, I enjoyed the silence; we shared it as equals, not as master and apprentice, as we had once been. I had just started playing a lovely song in my head when Dr. Death’s loud voice rocketed across my ears and the desert: “STOP THE CAR!”

I nearly wanted to keep going, but it was a direct order, and he probably would never let him live it down. I let the car screech to a halt on the hardened dirt ‘road,’ now was when I noticed the lanky girl walking at the side of the road, clearly paranoid beyond belief. She twitched her neck around like a run-down cat; she lunged forward, as if she were about to surge away.

I pulled up to her. The Dr. proceeded to be social with her, to which she did not seem to enjoy. I could only glare, why was he talking to her? She was probably a Scarecrow.

“What's your name, Kiddo?” Dr. D asked… stranger danger much? She didn’t respond. It seemed she wasn’t an entire idiot, then.

"Well?" He continued hassling at the girl for her name. I continued glaring, taking in her appearance. She had not a spot of color on her, except for her pale skin. Definitely a Battery City girl, she was way too pale, almost dead-looking. Hadn’t seen the sun in her lifetime, I’d expect.

She shook her head, making her messy jet hair become wild with humidity.

"Don't talk to strangers?" He chuckled, thinking she was a kid and it was adorable. He liked kids. "Well, let's fix that right now. I'm Dr. Death Defying; call me Doc, or Doctor, all on you. The driver here is Gerard." Why did he say my name and not his own? "Call him Party Poison. Now you can tell us your name?" still trying to get the girl to speak. It was obvious she had never been out of that evil city before. Hopeless.

She shook her head in the negative, placing a shaking hand on her throat. She was probably mute; or something like that.

"You escaping from Battery City?!" I was entirely surprised at her affirmative. How did a little thing like that make it out of the most heavily guarded city of the ages? I sat there, and despite my better judgment, I believed her.

"That must have taken skill. We need a name for you, and I don't have any paper on me, so you can't really give any input. I guess we'll call you Battery Monster," I scowled. The Doctor had named me… why did she deserve that? "Hop in the back." Dr. Death jubilated to her. I winced at the sound of her opening my car door. I very nearly cried at the sound of her sweat-drenched garment on my leather interior. Damn girl.

I propped myself up on the steering wheel, barely containing the urge to punch him. Why would he take a stray in? She clearly was just lucky, not skilled. "We're taking her!?" I was even surprised at the voicing of my opinion, but hey, we were all we needed.

"Don't be rude!" I would be rude if I wanted to be rude, I rolled my eyes. "Yes, we're taking her; obviously she has some mad skills. She escaped from Battery City, swarming with Exterminators, Draculoids and cameras. We can use her talents. Now, get us too base, quickly, she must be famished!" I hit the pedal to the medal, clearly startling the girl in back. She wouldn’t last a day if she couldn’t’ take a hundred plus miles per hour.

“Scared?” I asked, placing my foot down even harder. She only smiled, opening the window and letting the ‘light breeze,’ soar through her clean hair. I missed clean hair. I also missed showers. Soon she would miss them too and come crawling back to mama. It was all the same. The last scrapper they picked up when they took a drive broke the Doctor’s heart. I couldn’t have that again.

We arrived at base after a nearly silent car ride… with the exception of my growling and my barred teeth, that is. Show Pony wheeled out to greet us, with the newly repaired wheel chair pushed along in front of him, like a luggage trolley. Sadly, the immobilized luggage here was an inspirational man. I doubted if he could retain the personality he had without some amount of suffering, though. Dr. Death groaned implacably as he hauled himself into the wheel chair. His leg must be hurting him again.

Hyper-efficiently, I raced out of my seat, turned off the engine, closed the Doctor’s door and opened Battery Monster’s. I might not like her, I might ever resent her, but I was not going to be ungentlemanly. My grandmother wouldn’t have been proud had I done any different. Well, she would probably want me to swear less.

She closed the door herself, refusing my help. She walked over to the Doctor and wheeled him inside, as if she lived here already. Don’t get too comfy, little girl.

I followed them in, once he was out of the dust, he wheeled himself into the main room. The actual Diner part of the DI_E_ eatery, that is. Of course, most of us slept in the booths. It was far more comfortable than hard metal and plastic chairs.

I decided to play the nice guy card until she showed her true self, or I got fed up with her crap. I introduced my confused and sleepy comrades to her:

“Battery Monster: this is Show Pony, Fun Ghoul, Jet Star, and Kobra Kid, The Girl should be around here somewhere” I pointed to them in absolute order, and made wavy gesticulations of not knowing in accordance to Motorbaby, “They’ll have to tell you their names themselves, I need to clean my car out.” So long Mr. Nice-guy. I couldn’t stand the thought of her in my car. I started walking out, rag in hand.

“Hey, kid,” It was Dr. Death, “Do me a favor and get over it. She’s not replacing you, but it doesn’t mean she’s not here to stay.” He said it, with concern, but it seemed the concern was only for BM. She didn’t deserve her full alias stated in my mind.

I gritted my teeth, grinding them until I felt like they could become talcum powder from the sheer force. “I’ll try.” That was all I could promise him, in truth I would only try for him, not for the new little runt.

After wiping the seats, I came back inside to find the guys all fallen silent, no one looking at the girl, who sat there in the same place I had brought her in. They had, nicely, given her Power Pup, and she ate it docilely. BM pinched her lips demurely, as she got to the bottom of the can, where the worst and most acidic part of the kibble was.

The guys started chatting quietly amongst themselves, casting arrogant glares in Battery Monster’s direction. It was clear that they felt exactly the same as I did. Motorbaby emerged from hiding, her already rumpled locks cast eschew and cockeyed due to bed-head. Dr. Death had gone to his room, where the transmissions flew out like song from a dove’s harmonious twain beak.

I took the liberty of brusquely stating the girl’s pseudonym, also known in my world as an introduction.

“This is Battery Monster. She’s a part of the group now.” Oh man, wasn’t I the sarcastic one. I immediately left the room, as I saw from the corner of my retreating eyes that the Girl ran over to our latest member with a big hug. She looked on in shock, but quickly recovered and returned the gesture, a smile on her face. Motorbaby began talking avidly; I could hear it all the way from here. Battery Monster smiled in accordance, even began conversing with her on a napkin, like passing notes in class. I bet she was still high school age, what a liability!

It wasn’t like Motorbaby was a big bundle of sexual hormones and teenaged idiocy. Girl was probably the sanest out of all of us, barring our influence. She was also tumbleweed of ingenuity, emotional maturity, and unlikely intelligence.

She also talked, which was much more candid.

I still didn’t trust the mute girl, as I didn’t really have any reason to trust her either. What had she done for me? All she had done was sit straight, spill water in my car and make me obsess over her presence here. Annoying as all hell, she was.

Motorbaby said something to her and she laughed, it was choked and harsh, as if she really hadn’t used it in years. It made sense, of course they didn’t laugh in Battery. It was taboo and all that. Like feeling anything was a cardinal sin.

I only hoped that Battery Monster knew what being off of the drugs meant. Pain.