The Only Hope for Me Is You

The moment I was captured, I had already figured out where they’d be taking me. Battery City, right into the centre of it was the headquarters of Better Living Industries.

I don’t know much about it, but I’ve heard the tales. They take any Killjoy they capture there, especially the most wanted ones, they do experiments before putting them out of their misery.

What kind of experiments? I don’t know, but apparently they test the pill on them, adding different ingredients each time to increase their suffering that sometimes they don’t even have to put them out of their misery. I shake the thought, just tales right?

We’ve been driving for the past hour now, I can feel that the wire they tied my hands with has dug through the skin, there’s no getting out, not now at least.

I could hear the Dracs fiddling around with the radio in the front seats.

“Sssssccccccchhh-GET UP AND G-ssssssssssscccccccchhhhh-LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TRUTH IS NOW ACCEPTABLE, FAME IS NOW INJECTABLE!” a voice belted from the radio, I listened for more, I liked it, “PROCESS, THE PROGRESS!”

“Turn that shit off!” Yelled a Drac and switched off the radio. I thought about the music for a second, it sort of took my mind off everything, the voice that was singing was so pure. I loved it. My thoughts were interrupted as we pulled to a halt.

My mind races back to my fellow Killjoys. Would they be planning what to do? Would they already be trying to get me back? Then in front of my eyes, flashed an image of Kobra Kid. A tear escapes from the darkness of the blindfold.

I was immediately pulled out of the car, my blindfold still remained but I could see the white of the building streaming through it, and then a dark patch walk across it, which must have been the BL/ind logo.

The Dracs dragged me through, what I could only have guessed were doors because the painful breeze of the acid wind had stopped.

“Hey Mac!” shouted a Drac, I could hear a slap as two palms collided into a high five. “Where do you want this one?” he asked.

“What’s her name, let me put it in the system.”

“Uh…hey kid, what’s your name!” The Drac violently shook me, but I didn’t answer.

“Bitch! Answer me!” He pulled of my blindfold and I squinted into the light.

“…Electronic Joker…” I muttered under my breath, feeling defeated, I start to have my doubts, what if they don’t come to rescue me after all?

“Speak the fuck up!” the Drac pulled at my arms until our noses were almost touching.
“Electronic Joker!” I spit at the mask in front of me, and then bow my head, ready to receive whatever punishment they had in store for that one.
_______________________________________________________________________

The sun rose along with the car that sped along the dusty highway containing the used to be six Killjoys, although one was missing.

In the front passenger seat sat Cyanide Suicide, having switched seats with Fun Ghoul earlier, her dark hair fluttered in the breeze across her face, her eyes red and puffed from sobbing as she continuously sniffed, looking out the window.

Driving at full speed sat Party Poison, frequently glancing worried looks over to his passenger, he sat with one hand on the steering wheel and the other rested on her leg.

At the back sat the three others, Jet Star was slumped to the right side of the car, his hand stretched over his head, you couldn’t tell whether he was asleep or awake because of his dark aviators, but given the circumstances, he was most likely awake.

To the other side of him sat Fun Ghoul who had his knees tightly packed together and his hands squashed in between them, his head bowed down not daring to move up, and finally, Kobra Kid.

He sat with the window open, the cool breeze sweeping across his chiselled features with precision, he was leaning against his hand which was propped up against the window. All of a sudden, the sun glistened on his face, catching the tear that slowly rolled down his cheek.

“What if this doesn’t work?” he spoke, everyone looked up from their positions and fixed their gazes on him. “I mean…like what if it’s just a trap and she’s already dead?”

“Mikey, don’t think like that” said Fun Ghoul and he placed a hand on his leg to comfort him, Kobra violently shook his leg to rid of it and turned back to his previous position. The car pulled up to a clearing.

“Okay guys, I suggest we walk from here, we don’t want to make our presence obvious after all and it’s only a five minute walk,” said Poison as he clambered out the car and walked around to help out Cyanide too. She smiled at him as he took her hand, pulling her out of the passenger's seat. Poison quickly ran over to Fun Ghoul and they both jump as they hear Kobra’s door slam loudly and watch him power walk in front of them.

“He’s upset is all,” said Poison, he glanced cautiously at Ghoul. “he cares about her."

“I know” said Ghoul as he gave Poison one last reassuring smile, "Just like you care about Cyanide..." As Poison was taken aback by this statement, Fun Ghoul winked, and pulled his bandana across his face and walked ahead to catch up with Kobra.

Ghoul had been walking beside Kobra for about three minutes now, and it had been painfully awkward for he didn’t utter a word, and then the silence was broken.

“Look I-uh…I wanted to apologize..." said Kobra under his breath, not daring to take his focus off of the target ahead of him.

“S’okay man” interrupted Ghoul. “I know you care about her…a lot” Kobra nodded in agreement.

“I do…I mean what if she’s-”

Before they could utter another word Cyanide ran up to them, tugging them both by the arms.

“Guys, huddle!” They all gathered into a circle, arms over one another and then Poison began.

“Okay guys, here’s the plan. Kobra and Jet Star I want you to go to the rear, take this map,” he quickly produced a tatty map he had stolen from a Drac’s pocket, it was riddled with different sections, rooms and machinery.

“This is a map of the headquarters, I want you two to take this and make your way to boiler room where you’re going to set off the alarm, you got that?”

Jet Star nodded and then turned to Kobra, he was hesitant, gathering his thoughts, he finally gave a small uncertain nod. “Who’s going to get her?” he asked without thinking.

“That’s where you come in Fun Ghoul,” Kobra’s face dropped. “now, me and Cyanide are gonna go as soon as we hear the alarm, because they’ll be distracted, they’ll be easier to take out, and Fun Ghoul will then go and get her.” Fun Ghoul nodded and raised his gun from his holster.

Cyanide exchanged a glance with Poison, she could sense his uncertainty. She thought about the all possible uncertainties he could be thinking of; the fact that the plan might fail and everyone will die? The fact that Joker could already be dead?

“We’ll get her back,” she said, Poison nodded and stroked her cheek lightly with his thumb.

“You fucking know it,” he smiled, and Cyanide giggled lightly. Poison lightly touched her face once more, and turned to face the others.

“Ready team?” Everyone nodded in almost exact unison.

“Fuckin’ ready!” shouted Kobra, pulling back on his gun, raising his bandana as they all marched towards life or death.
_______________________________________________________________________

I kept my mouth clamped shut as the Drac practically force fed me.

“Look, we need you the fuck alive, and for you to stay alive, you need to eat!”

I looked down and the yellow rice pudding that sat on the spoon, god did I love rice pudding but I could see the white pill that lay within it; I wouldn’t give in, never.

“I’d rather die.” I spat, leaning forward, my arms straining from pulling from the white clamps that kept me propped up against the wall of the cell.

“That can be arranged...” he grabbed for his gun but was quickly stopped by another Drac who was overlooking the situation.

“Just leave it, mate,” and they both walked out, leaving me sitting there, my eyes pleading for the food, but my face telling them to fuck off.

I sat in the room for about half an hour before I decided to take in my surroundings; it was white, just…white. I couldn’t even see the door, there were no windows, how the fuck was I breathing? I shook my head and went back to my previous thoughts.

I fucking knew it. They did use us to test out the pill, I was just like one of those helpless bunnies in a cruel testing lab, just waiting for the next torture. Except I wasn’t helpless.

They were going to come for me, but inside I had doubts. My thoughts were interrupted. I was coughing violently, they had sent gas into the chamber, I can’t breath, I can feel my throat getting tighter and tighter.

“H-help…” I plead to the camera in the corner of the cell. Another one of their fucking tests. Didn’t I fucking tell you they had started drugging the air in the zones? But this…this wasn’t a normal dose...they were over dosing me, and I was going to die.

I was fading, I could feel my heart slowly skipping beat by beat, getting slower and slower, the gas pouring down my throat and sprinting through me, poisoning as it went, when I was startled by a loud alarm and flashing lights.

I struggle a smile, because I knew what was happening,

“…They’re here…” I manage with what I believe, is my last ever breath.