Battery City Rebels: Part One

The motorcycle followed behind the Trans-Am until it led off Route Guano and onto a dirt road. The road was long and desolate, easy to miss by design. It eventually led to a building with a radio tower and graffiti on the outer walls. The tower let Indigo know precisely who she was about to meet. Ghoul stopped the bike, and they climbed off to meet the other guys. There were no words shared. No mention of what happened in the diner. Just a nod in the direction of the entrance before they headed inside.

They were immediately greeted by a man on roller skates with polka-dotted tights. He spun around them without a word and disappeared into an adjoining room. They trooped in after him, where they found a man working at a DJ station. He sat in a wheelchair and was already amid a broadcast, sharing information through his coded language. Indigo lifted her sunglasses and pulled the bandana down to adjust to the dim light. The roller skate man, Show Pony, she guessed, handed over a vinyl record before perching at the end of the workbench.

"What's the news from the underground, boys?" Doctor Deathdefying asked as he turned off his mic and turned to face them. The Girl was trained enough to know not to speak when the mic was live. But the second he turned it off, she launched herself at him. He pulled her into his lap and patted her curly hair.

"D, this is Indigo. Indigo, this is Deathdefying," Poison said, motioning them toward one another. She gave him a polite nod.

"Huh," he said. "I always pictured you older."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Not a disappointment. Just a shock. You have skills. I figured you must have been old enough to have a military background. You don't look like you were even old enough to be a kid soldier in the Analog Wars." She shrugged.

"Never saw any action. My dad kept us hidden."

"Us?"

"She has siblings," Poison informed them.

Of course, he already knew that. Ghoul likely told him everything. She didn't know whether or not she should be irritated by that. It was personal. But it didn't matter anyway. Her brother was dead, and her sister may as well have been.

Poison leaned forward and slapped something into Deathdefying's hand. As if they were doing a handshake. But it was clearly a piece of paper. He was slipping a message that he didn't want her or the others to overhear. Deathdefying glanced at it.

"I see," he said. He quickly crumpled the paper before they could see what it was and tucked it into his pocket. Indigo tried to give Ghoul a look, but he didn't look back. She had a feeling it was intentional. The message was not for her to know. But the rest of them clearly did. "What can I do for you, boys?"

"We wanted to know if you know anything about Midnight's hideout," Poison said.

"As far as I know, it's empty. I sent the word out yesterday. These things don't last long."

"We still have some of his stock. We're looking for someone to make a trade." Deathdefying glanced at Indigo again. She didn't want to be part of this conversation. She didn't want to hear about who would get Midnight's things. She took a deep breath and stepped back.

"I'll head outside," she said. "You guys clearly have things you want to discuss without me."

She turned and left the way they'd come, returning to the sweltering desert heat. She felt angry and stupid. She didn't know what they were keeping a secret from her. Were they in there now, high-fiving Ghoul for getting to her first? Or were they just worried their discussion would make her cry? She wouldn't cry. She'd already made the mistake of letting Ghoul see it. She wouldn't let the others see her vulnerable.

She walked around the side of the building and sat down in the dirt, resting her head back against a wall. She pulled her sunglasses down and put the bandana over her lips again. Then she smacked her head against the wall a few times.

What was she thinking? Was she so starved for attention and touch that she'd let herself get stupid? She didn't have time for this. Even if it probably was her last chance, she didn't want to drag anyone down with her. And Ghoul was—different.

"Hey," someone said. Fun Ghoul appeared around the corner as if he knew she was thinking about him. He leaned against the wall beside her.

"Are they talking about me?" she asked.

"No. They're talking about what to do with your stuff. D was trying to be courteous. He didn't want to upset you." She nodded and looked out over the sprawling desert. He knelt down beside her and reached out to tug her bandana down. Then he leaned forward to press a kiss against her lips. It was softer than before. Not so abrupt or hungry. "Are you okay?" he wondered. She shook her head.

"Just feeling like an idiot."

"Why?"

"Because I should know better."

"Is this about me?"

"Yeah." He sighed softly. His eyes were exposed now. They were greener than she expected. Hazel and not the green of the ocean. But green nonetheless.

"I won't ask anything of you," he said. "Not your body, your time, or your heart. You're free to do what you want. But I am here. If you wanted to give me any of those things." She smiled.

"Heart included?" He smiled back. He must not have realized he had let it slip.

"You have a vice-like grip on it. So I'm not worried." He should be, she thought. Then he kissed her again. She'd just gotten done telling herself she was an idiot for allowing this to happen so quickly. But there she was, kissing him back anyway. Until someone cleared their throat. He moved back and stood to address Poison, who was shielding his eyes from the sun as if he regretted seeing them.

"We're heading back to base," he said. "You guys can finish there. The roads will be hot today. I don't think going to the mailbox is a good idea until it cools." Then he pulled his bandana up and walked away. Ghoul smiled when he turned back to her.

"Sounds like a plan. What do you say?" he asked. He held out a hand, and she took it, allowing him to pull her back to her feet. She wiped her hands on her jeans and followed him back to the bike without answering.

Even though she didn't speak, she was thinking at top speed. About how wrong this all was. About how she shouldn't be going back to their base and making plans to spend time with him. She should be busy looking for a new base. She should be contacting Cherry Cola to see if he'd let her crash with him until she figured it out. But, instead, she had her arms wrapped around Ghoul. And she was thinking about the diner. And how for one moment, she'd wished it would never end.

When they returned to the house, she helped cover the vehicles with the beige tarp and then lugged her cannon back into the house. Fun Ghoul followed her in just as she was leaning it against the wall in the kitchen.

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" she asked.

"Sure. C'mon."

He motioned toward the stairs, and they headed into the basement alone. He shut the door behind her, and then he watched her in silence. She pulled her bandana and holster off, getting rid of all her things and setting them down on the rickety card table.

"What do you want to talk about? Assuming you actually want to talk." He joined her in setting out his own weapons. His green gun rested comfortably against her blue one.

"Poison doesn't like me," she stated.

"What makes you say that?"

"He disapproves of whatever this is between us."

"He has reasons for disapproving."

"You said he has a past."

"It's not my story to tell."

"I see." He turned toward her, watching her organize her things as if she actually cared how they were lined up.

"This isn't about them," he said. "Or whatever anyone else thinks. People deserve to do what makes them happy." She glanced at him.

"That's what I'm worried about."

"Why?"

"Happiness is addictive. You spent enough time in Bat City to know that. They manufacture it in pills. Makes people complacent. When you're afraid of losing it, you'll do whatever you're told. The more of it you get to taste, the more it hurts when it's gone."

"This isn't manufactured happiness. It's two people. It's natural."

"I know. Which makes it more terrifying, doesn't it? Neither of us can afford to lose anyone else."

"You won't lose me."

"You can't know that for sure. I've lost everyone I've ever loved. You have your friends and a little girl, but you have no family. No parents. No idea if you have siblings. You don't even have a name. I want to make them pay for that. Now that I have nothing tying me to this life, it's the best time for me to get the job done. If I make new ties and start to care about people, it'll make this harder. For all of us. Doesn't that scare you?"

"Of course it does. But what do we have to die for if we have nothing to live for?" She didn't look at him.

"You won't stop me from going after Korse."

"I won't try. But I could probably help you." She looked at him again, confused.

"You'd help me?"

"I think going directly into Bat City is insane and won't work. You won't make it five feet from the station before they rip you apart. So I think you need to focus more on drawing Korse to you instead of going to him, you understand?"

"I want to take down the whole power grid. If we wipe out Bat City entirely, then we liberate a lot of people."

"We're five people against an entire goddamn city, Indigo. You know it won't work. We need time to build up to that. And listen—it's not going to be us, okay?"

"It could be." He shook his head and sighed.

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but—we know who it's going to be. We know who's going to save everyone. And it's not going to be us. But we are going to play a part. Do you understand?"

"No. You sound insane." He sighed again.

"It's the Girl," he stated. "She's—there's something about her. Something different. Did you notice the power always goes out when she's not here?"

"The power is faulty. It goes in and out."

"It's steady when she's here. We have backup generators to keep the fridges working when she's not. She does something to electronics. Makes things work when they haven't in years. We fought with her mom in the wars. We promised we'd keep her safe because if anyone finds out what she can do, Bat City will be on her like flies on shit. But there's a reason we keep her with us instead of finding her a safe place in the outer zones. She's going to be our savior."

"How do you know that?"

"I just do." She didn't believe it. She chewed on the inside of her lip. She'd seen a lot of crazy in the years since the wars. But she'd hoped that Ghoul wasn't one of them.

"You really believe that don't you?" she asked.

"I know you don't believe me, but you need to trust me. If you go after the city, you'll die, and you'll do nothing for anyone. But if you want to go after Korse, I'll do what I can to help."

"Going after Korse will be dangerous. It'll shine a spotlight on you and your friends and the Girl. I won't let any of you die for me." He shrugged.

"What do I have to live for if I have nothing to die for?" He held out a hand, waiting for her to shake it. "Trust me. Give me a chance to prove it to you. Let me help you get to Korse. After that, if you still want to take on the city, I'll help. But we have to do it slowly, and we have to do it right. Deal?" She shook it reluctantly.

"Fine. But I'll be pissed if you finish the job before I do."

"You're not the only person out here who wants Korse. He'll get what he deserves. No matter who's serving it."

"Fine, but I need you to make me a promise too."

"What's that?"

"Don't die." He cocked his head to the side just a bit and then smiled.

"Only if you promise the same," he countered. She couldn't. And he knew that. That was the point.

"I can't promise that."

"Then I can't either. But at least promise you'll try very hard not to die." She laughed softly.

"Deal." He shook her hand again. But then he pulled her up against his chest, sliding his hand around her back to bring her lips closer to his.

"Now that we got all that out of the way, I think we still have unfinished business," he said. She shook her head slowly.

"I thought we dealt with that at the diner."

"Absolutely not. That was just working off some steam."

"And what do you intend to do now?"

"Build steam."

He kissed her and moved his hands to her shirt to yank it up over her head. Then he lifted her hips and set her down on the table beside their collection of weapons and supplies. He ran his hands down her thighs to pull off her boots. A switchblade clanked to the floor when he got one free. He smiled and went to pick it up. Then he set it down on the table.

"I have these too," she said, pulling rocket shells out of her pockets.

"They're not going to ignite and kill us all, are they?" She shrugged and set them down.

"Only if I made a bad batch. The barrier between them shouldn't be thin enough to break by accident. They need a harder impact. Like a rocket."

"Did you invent them yourself?"

"Of course. Where else would I have gotten them?"

"Impressive." She smiled smugly. He unbuttoned her jeans and began to inch them down. There was a very small gun strapped to her calf. He unhooked it from her body and set it aside with the others. "I wonder if I would have caught all these if I'd thought to pull off your other pant leg." She laughed.

"I'm right-handed.

"I'll keep that in mind. I'm surprised I didn't find anything in your underwear."

"Not today, at least."

He smirked and unhooked her bra. Then he tossed it aside and pressed his lips to her bare shoulder. She sighed and moved her hands to his vest to pull it off. And when they were both free of all their clothing and bindings, he pulled her off the table and led her back to the bed.