Band on the Run

Motorbaby yawned and looked up at the sky, squirming into Kobra’s lap. There was a loud whine from the inside of the diner, and Kobra screwed up his face in thought. He pulled her from his lap and set her down on the ground, dashing into the diner. She was close behind, watching him lean over a set of television screens and mumble into a two-way radio. After a rushed conversation, he turned on his heel and took three long strides towards the door.

“That was Pony, there’s an emergency at the reservoir. I need to go but I’ll only be a few hours,” he explained in a single breath.

Motorbaby gave a shrill gasp, “But what if something happens?”

He sighed and tugged his holster over his thigh, “Stay in Party’s room and don’t go anywhere.”

She bit her lip and nodded; watching as he bolted to Blitz’s truck and roared out of the lot. When he had finally gone she went back to the motel, wandering into Party’s room. He was sitting up in the bed, a book in his hands. He appeared to be on the verge of sleep, head bowed and eyes half-closed, his grip on the book weak and shaky. She closed the door slowly, flinching as it let out a shrill creak. She gasped and lost her grip on the door, the wind slamming it shut. Party bolted up in the bed, cursing loudly and scrambling for his gun. Motorbaby shrieked and ducked down, waiting until she heard his winded coughing. She padded towards the bed, keeping her head down.

“’M sorry,” she muttered, shuffling closer to him.

Party winced, but then grinned, “It’s all good, kid. Just, uhh, knock next time.”

She gave a small smile and crawled onto the mattress. He hobbled to the other side of the bed, making room so the girl could cuddle up to his chest. He still had no shirt on, but the bandages had been changed, with taupe wrapping now covering the outside. He was warm with fever, as were the sheets, and she felt a strange, sleepy feeling wash over her. He had another bought of coughing, and sank down into his pillows, pulling his book into his chest. Motorbaby wriggled off her boots and snuggled closer to Party, laying her head in the crook of his neck.

He smiled, “Sorry I didn’t get the chance to give you the grand tour of the Zones.”

Motorbaby shrugged, “It’s okay, we can do all that tomorrow.”

Party laughed, warm and genuine, “We’ll see.”

There was a lapse of silence, before Motorbaby began to prod at the book Party was holding.
“Whatcha readin’?”

Party smiled again, “It’s called The Odyssey. It’s a wonderful story.”

She scooted closer, snuggling up against him, “Will you read it to me?”

His smile only grew wider, and he cracked the book open, thumbing to the first page. His voice was quiet and low, and Motorbaby could feel herself drifting off, sinking further into the pillows. After a while she stopped paying attention, only listening to the comforting sound of his voice. His body was big and warm and soft, and she felt so at ease with this man curled around her. She drifted in and out of daydreams, playing out fantasies about chasing wild horses through the desert, and nights running through the sparsely lit streets of Battery City. She was on the edge of sleep when she felt him stiffen and heard his voice cut out in a gasp. In the silence, she could hear the sounds of several car doors opening and closing, but not the familiar chatter of her new found friends. Party brought a single finger to his lips, gently pushing the girl down under the sheets.

“Go hide in the closet,” he whispered, barely moving his mouth.

“There’s a box of records marked ‘VOID’, move it aside and there’s a trap door. Don’t come out until I whistle.” He ordered, carefully sliding out of bed and grabbing his jacket from a
nearby chair.

She nodded and scampered quietly to the closet, shuddering at the sounds of the room next door been broken into. She pushed the records aside and moved back into a small secret room, lit by a single stubby candle. She turned around and peeked through a small hole drilled into the wall. Party was standing next to the bed, loading an energy cartridge into his gun and slowly ducking down. The door connecting his room to Motorbaby’s was kicked open, and for a handful of seconds, she could only see blurs of blue and white. By the time she blinked 3 dracs were dead on the floor and Party was clutching a chair, panting. There were more sounds of cars and he gave out a loud sigh, wrapping his left arm around his belly and keeping his gun close to his chest. He looked over at the wall, probably trying to make eye contact with the girl and reassure her. A man in a gray coat strode into the room, pointing his hand straight. Two dracs grabbed Party’s arm, pulling the already weak man to his knees with little effort.

“What a lucky day,” the man smiled, his voice venomous and cold, “Not only did I catch a Killjoy, but it only took me 15 seconds.”

Party struggled in the dracs grip, wriggling his arms around and trying to throw his weight forward. The man sneered and placed a harsh kick to Party’s side, his boot going straight into the stitches. He let out an anguished scream and slumped to his side, taking in loud, labored breaths, muttering curses with every gasp. The man frowned deeper and got down on one knee, taking Party’s chin into his grasp.

“Where’s the girl?”

Party furrowed his brows, his eyes becoming icy, “Fuck off.”

The man let out a sharp breath, dropping Party’s head and getting back to his feet, “Now see, that’s not the right answer.”

Without a word, he turned on his heel and placed another kick to Party’s stomach, smiling sadistically at his yelps of pain. He dug his heel into the flesh, not stopping until Party was choking on his words. He pulled his boot away, “I’ll ask again, where is the girl?”

Party gasped, spitting on the floor, “I don’t know, fuck off.”

The man frowned and pulled his gun from his hip. Party reacted in a flash, kicking his leg out at the drac holding him and grabbing his own gun, firing two successive shots to the wall behind the man. He dodged both and gave Party a sinister grin, motioning the dracs to leave the room. The man laughed, “You really like making things easy for me don’t you?”

“Fuck you, Korse,” was all Party could manage.

He was still on his knees, though his grip on his gun was strong. His entire middle was throbbing, hot and sharp and agonizing, gnawing away at his nerves despite all the adrenaline in his system. Korse carefully brought his gun under Party’s chin, running the muzzle up his cheek, “You must think your some kind martyr.”

Party cocked a grin, “I’m an icon.”

Korse frowned, bringing his gun across Party’s face. Party recoiled quickly and brought his own gun hard into Korse’s knee, making the tall man topple to the ground beside him. Party scrambled up, using the bed as a support and holding his gun far in front of him. Korse was up in a flash as well, and for a moment, all Motorbaby could see was Korse’s gray jacket as he and Party struggled to the door. Korse had a hand wrapped around Party’s throat, pressing him up against the window frame. Party growled and fired a shot into Korse’s leg, but the man didn’t falter. He only sneered and drove his knee into Party’s stomach.

There was the sound of guns and shouting in the other room, but he didn’t falter. He tightened his grip and lifted Party off his feet, pressing him up against the front door. Party struggled to free himself, flailing his legs helplessly. He pressed his eyelids together with a scream, seeing the bright red flashes of pain. The hand around his throat was heavy as concrete, pressed against his windpipe. The edges of his consciousness became fuzzy, and for a moment, he wondered how he had ended up being choked to death. That is, until he heard his name loud and clear through the distorted thoughts swirling in his mind.

Korse loosened his grip and dropped Party to the floor, turning around to face whoever had run into the room. Motorbaby had to hold back a cheer when she saw Jet and Ghoul run through the door, firing shots in every direction. Korse kicked Party aside and took the two men on, only to have his jacket scorched by one of Jet’s shots.

“You’re lucky you came back,” Korse sneered, “I would have left him for dead.”

Ghoul gave a shout of rage and ran towards him, trying to tackle the man to the ground. But
Korse reacted too quickly, and knocked Ghoul to the ground. He aimed for Ghoul’s shoulder, but he rolled away before he could pull the trigger.

“You motherfucker!” he shouted, standing up and charging again, now firing his gun.

Korse furrowed his brow, and shot Ghoul’s hand, smiling when he dropped his gun. But he didn’t count on the man to keep running. He tackled Korse to the ground, laying a few strong punches to the underside of his jaw. When they both got to their feet, Korse was spitting blood and Ghoul sporting a singed hand.

“I’m going to find that girl,” he growled.

Ghoul made a face, “Good luck, fucker. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Korse frowned deeply, tucking his gun into his holster and opening the door. He was in the door frame, stepping out into the sun, when he gave a sadistic smirk, “The girl is mine. And if I find her here, not only am I going to kill her, but I will make you watch.”

He stepped out and into the sand, slipping into a black car and zipping away. Motorbaby breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and scrambled out of her hiding place. Jet spotted her first and immediately picked her up, hugging her close.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded, “Party told me to hide.”

Jet smiled and set her down. She walked over to where Ghoul was standing. He was looking down at Party, who was nothing more than a lump on the floor. He was talking, his voice was quiet and muffled, but heavy with pain. Ghoul got down to his knees, laying a hand on Party’s back.

“I can’t breathe,” Party complained, looking at Ghoul with bloodshot eyes.

He wrapped Party around his back, looking up at Jet, “Help me get him in bed.”

Jet was down in a flash, scooping Party up and wrapping one of his arms around his back. Together, they dragged him to the bed, arranging him in a straight line. Ghoul carefully tugged off his jacket before inspecting the bandages. There were small blotches of red slowly spreading through the gauze. Ghoul sighed and grabbed the quilt from the end of the bed, draping it over Party. He rolled onto his side, breathing sharply, “Is Kobra with you?”

Ghoul shook his head, “He sent us a transmission that he left you alone. I have a feeling Korse intercepted it.”

Party exhaled, “Is Motorbaby okay?”

Ghoul gave a small beam and motioned the girl over. She gave Party a bright smile, and picked his book up off the floor. When she handed it over, Party tucked it carefully under his pillow, and grinned down at the girl, “We can finish it tomorrow.”

Blitz came into the room, instructing Party to lay on his back. She came over to the bed and shook her head, “You’re a mess,” she sighed.

Party gave a pained smile, slowly raising his arms up over his head. Blitz pulled a pair of scissors from her pocket, snipping off the bandages and tossing them into a trash bin behind her. The wound had spilt open in some places, the stitches busted and tangled. The skin around it was red and swollen, irritated by Korse’s boots. Blitz dug through her leather bags, pulling out vials and tubing, arranging them neatly on the nightstand. Motorbaby sniffled, and Blitz looked around the room.

“Everyone needs to leave,” she said bluntly.

Ghoul and Party both protested, but she only shook her head, “I need to work alone and Party needs to rest. I’ll come get you when I’m finished.”

She ushered them all out at once, pushing Ghoul through the door and shutting it behind him. He stamped his foot in frustration and turned to look at Jet and Motorbaby. Jet only smirked, “Quit acting like a kid.”

Ghoul sneered, “Fuck you, I can act however I please.”

Motorbaby tugged on Jet’s hand. He looked down, cocking up an eyebrow before she spoke.
“I would like a grand tour.”

Ghoul snorted, “You think you can just boss us around?”

Motorbaby smiled, “Yep.”

He gave a sort of growl and lunged for her, grabbing her sides and tickling her endlessly. She shrieked with laughter, batting away his hands and trying to crawl towards the door. She grabbed Ghoul’s wrist, bringing the man down (though it was a very exaggerated gesture on his part) and sitting on his chest. He grinned up at her, “Looks like you win.”
She nodded courageously, “And as punishment you have to be my pony.”

He made a weird, poor imitation of a neigh, making the girl laugh and roll off him, before she scampered back to Jet’s side. Together, they walked outside. The sun was just beginning to set, the clouds hanging low and painted in warm pastels. Ghoul hoisted Motorbaby onto his back, before walking over to where the car was parked next to a shagging shed.

“How big are the zones?” she asked.

“Oh very big,” Ghoul answered, “They go on for days.”

She stretched her arms high over her head, “Does it rain?”

Jet snickered, “Hardly, but when it does it’s acid.”

They walked out of the lot and into a field of brush. A little further on, when the diner was only
a dash of color on the horizon, they neared the edge of a cliff. Ghoul brought Motorbaby down, watching as the girl skipped around the rocks. She ran to the precipice, looking down at a verdant valley below, torn asunder by a glittering ribbon of water. Running through the meadow was a herd of horses. She didn’t know if they were feral or had been roaming free since the end of the war. Ghoul came up beside her, and whistled loudly at the horses. A palomino looked up, whinnying stridently before galloping away, the rest of the herd close behind.

“Are they afraid of us?”

Jet sighed, “Probably, BLI sometimes sends out helicopters to hunt them. I saw them driving a herd in Zone 4.”

Ghoul smiled wide, “I remember that. That day was awesome.”

Motorbaby sat down in the sand, watching the tiny river below trickle by, “What happened?”

Ghoul took a place beside her, setting his gun down next to him. Jet remained standing, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. She thought she saw Blitz’s truck zoom by, but she could not be sure. It was only a sliver of color and chrome zipping down the road. She scooted closer to Ghoul, who only grinned wider and took the girl under his arm.

“Okay, so one day we were out hunting dracs, and we found this horse by the side of the road.”