Remember When You Were a Mad Man

"Anyone seen Ghoul lately?" Party Poison had just came back from doing a sweep of the area for survivors. He took off his gun holster and gloves as well as his mask when he arrives at the base.

It had been awfully quiet without all the fire fights and blasting music that usually went about the day. Music attracts the undead and now isn't the best situation to be wasting precious battery energy on a few Dracs that simply didn't bother going out looking for Killjoys, not all of them but most of them.

"Hahaha well you see that's funny you mention it uh... He kinda left out to the zones closer to the city saying he saw someone there. Last time he radioed in he was in Zone Two and that was around 9 o'clock" Kobra explained.

Party Poison frowned as he checked that clock on the wall. It was now 6 pm. Why would he even allow Frank that close to the city and alone at that without his approval?

"Alright we're taking take Midnight's truck out to look for him. Anyone up for it?" Party smiles as Midnight throws up her fist up in the air in excitement.

"Hurry. I want to get back here by before the ice melts!" Party said as the gang headed to Midnight's beat up truck.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Nova's POV

"So you've got this place to yourself, got anyone else with you?" Frank asks as I sit down with a bowl of dry cereal since there's no milk around here. I shake my head No.

"Nope just me and my brother's ca-" I suddenly remember another fragment of today's events. I'd lost sight of Arcane for just a moment and then this Frank guy tells me we have to leave without him then I passed out. I've lost my only friend...

"What's with you and that cat? I'm guessing he's important?" He sounded annoying.

"Yes Sherlock , he's my ..brother's cat.. and I promised I'd take care of it when he died." I snapped back at him. "What are you still doing here anyway? Shouldn't you get back to your little so called resistance?"

Frank chuckled, "They sure did mess your head but they defiantly can't tamper with your attitude."

"Why do you keep talking to me like you know me?"

"I don't think I'm in the authority to explain it yet..."

I scoffed,"Then why keep telling me all this and go off to say to can't tell me who it is you think I am?"

Frank stood up. He paced around the room before finally deciding on what to do. "How about this, I'll take you to the base. Dr. D can take a process all of this better than we can. If it turns out you're not who we think you are I'll bring you back. Sound ok,yeah?"

I took this in, something in my mind ignited at the mention Dr. D guy. "Doctor DeathDefying?"

Frank whipped around suddenly,"That's right..you remember that?"

I don't know it just kinda came up in my head. The cloudiness had gone and I could a burly man with a beard, sunglasses and bandana. "He's got a radio type thing,yeah?" Frank's face lit up instantly as he cheered.

Sssssskkkkkkksssshhhhhhs. A type of static sound rang out. Frank dug into his vest pocket and fumbled with the buttons of a beat up looking walkie-talkie. He pressed the button and answered it then waited.

"Dammit Iero where have you been! We've been looking all over for you!" Another guy spoke through. They must be somewhere close since those devices don't exactly go long range.

"Sorry Mama, I'll be home for dinner later than I thought" Frank laughed into the mic.

"Where are you then? Are you stuck somewhere?" This time a girl's voice responded.

"Nah, I'm homed at the old painters building on the west end of the town in Zone Two. I've got me a Battery Baby here I think she needs some stitches" He called back.

"A Battery Baby?! Whoa! I thought they all went into hiding! How'd that happen?!"

"I don't know but we have to get her there fast...it's kinda important that we get her to Base.."

"Why in such a hurry to get her back to base Ghoul? Can't wait to get in her pants?" The girl radios back laughing. Frank goes red in the before making a face.

"Haha, I'm just messing with you Ghoul! Alright I'd say we'll be there in a few minutes!"

Frank gives an ok before getting up and grabbing my backpack then fills it with any food that can be salvaged. "Don't worry about Nessa, she jokes around like that. I'm sure once we get there you could maybe remember some stuff"

A car horn honks a couple of times which I'm guessing is there signal to go outside. I stand back and scan the room for anything else I might need then I slip on my jacket and strap on my katana holster.

Frank first throws the bag out the window and I hear a whoosh of cheers from outside as I'm guessing they've seen the contents. I let down the platform and Frank jumps down then off first. I scan one more time. I don't know why I'm doing this. I don't even know theses people. But something is pulling me toward the idea and I want to know what it is.

I swiftly jump out but end up slipping on the ice that'd built it on the platform which makes me crash into another person sending us both hurling toward the ground. "Whoa!" I look down and I'm nose to nose with a blonde but slightly brown haired guy. I shuffle off quickly and stand up offering my hand to help him up. He takes it but as he fully looks at me in the light he let's go and falls back onto the ground in utter shock.

"GHOST?! Is that you?!" He screams. The others suddenly freeze still as he says this.

"What?"

"Is it really you Ghost?!" The blonde jumps up suddenly and envelopes me in a bone crushing hug, still leaving the others in shock. Just like that time though this I saw this guy with a helmet and the same red jacket and yellow shirt on while doing some rad martial arts.

"Mikey?..." As I said this the others all charged at me except the one with flaming red hair and a blue jacket. All of them asking me questions at once, not that I can answer them all nor did I have a chance to with all of them yelling. I looked at the two others one at a time. The girl we had heard on the walkie talkie had deep brown hair and about half of it was looked like every color under the sun and, a cut off t-shirt and ripped camo jeans, and an abundance of bracelets. Now the other guy had longish extremely curly hair, and a simple black jacket with matching colored shirt and jeans.

The red haired guy loudly clears his throat and the three settle down immediately. "We better get going..." He eyes me menacingly as he throws open the door of the car and jumps in without a word.

The whole way no says a word. Just shocked stares that burn. The red haired guy constantly glanced in the rear view mirror at me.

We arrive at this place that looks really like a small house looking building connected to a gas station and everyone files out of the car.

"Get her inside, do what ever you have to do. But she's gone by morning" He says bluntly against the other's objections.

__________________________________________________

"So little Miss Ghost Rocket finally rises from the dust and came back home." The same man I'd pictured sat back from the Mic and took off his sunglasses; hooking them on the collar of his shirt. He motions his hand for me to take a seat in front of his desk while he turns down the radio.

I walked further into the room and sat. "I don't think I know what you mean,Sir"

"Sir? Polite aren't we now? Don't tell me they fried you that much eh?" He says.

Seeing my confusion he speaks again,"You could argue all you want but I'm sayin this now. Yeah you think you're just Nova Grimlock follower of Better Living Industries around here famously known by the killjoys as Ghost Rocket. You went out on a mission and might I say without our knowing to rescue Anna. We haven't seen you since. I guess BLI got to you didn't they?"

"What are you talking about I grew up my whole life in Battery City and as far as I know I've never met any of you people?"

"See that bracelet on your wrist there? Ever seen a day when you weren't wearing it?"

This bracelet? What does it have to do with anything? It's just a replacement for the pill we used to take in the city. This was implanted onto my wrist that released a steady dose of the the substance all day because I dared not to take my pills for days. For such a small device it seemed to literally have an endless supply of dazing liquid. Lately I haven't felt any of those effects it had on me. Maybe the supply was finally draining. I actually had emotions and I wasn't a drone controlled by anyone.

I used to always the pills, played my music, and as promised, had nice dreams. But, one night my curiosity got the better of me. I wondered why we had to go to bed at nine. Also, why we had to play our music while sleeping. What happens after that?

After what seemed like forever of thinking to myself I still hadn't exactly caught on. "Um, excuse me I uh... I need to go outside for a moment" These people are fucking insane and this sure as hell doesn't make any sense to me. It's confusing and I haven't got any idea of what to do.

As I walk out I keep my eyes on the bracelet. There's now a blinking red light and a burning sensation shooting up my arm that surely wasn't there before.Suddenly I run into something quiet hard that sends me flying onto my backside. Grreeaattt exit Nova.

"Get up will you, I can't walk down the hall if you're sprawled out like that" The red haired guy snapped at me and crossed his arms impatiently. I quickly get up and walk for the door trying to pry the damn thing off my wrist.

Once outside I sit on the porch and continue to claw at the bracelet. The red light blinks faster the more I try to take it off.

Wwwwhhhooossshhh. An air pocket releases and it gives on more final beep before it breaks in two single pieces in my hand. I examine my wrist which looks like I've burned a ring around my wrist with hot oil; blood red, patchy and swollen. It burns like hell and itches. I hesitate before madly clawing at the mark evidently drawing blood as my nails break the thin layer of irritated skin. Blood covered my fingers eventually and soon I felt sick to my stomach like I wanted to vomit. There's no way I'm wiping blood all over my clothes. Slowly I begin to try and walk back inside but as the blood quickly inched down my arm I felt dizzy and next thing I know everything is blurry except a flash of red hair then peaceful darkness.