Killer Laser Rays, Part 19: Alabama

I’d gone looking for Arizona soon after kitchen duty and grabbing a glass of water. I went over to the other side of the diner, the one with all the mattresses, and heard them before I saw them.

“Who do I have now? Bird and his whole crew are dead. My boyfriend, my best friends...” Solar was crying. I peeked through the window in the swinging door to see Arizona and her sitting on a mattress together in the darkened room, the only light coming from the windows, giving the place an eerie feel.

“You have me.” I saw Arizona say through the window. Solar leaned in. No. This wasn’t happening. Their lips met eagerly. My jaw dropped open as tears sprang to my eyes. I lost my grip on the glass of water I was holding, and it fell to the floor almost in slow motion, shattering into a million pieces. They both stopped and looked up as I flung open the door.

“You-you make me sick.” I sputtered, the tears still not yet flowing by some miracle. I turned and stormed away, over the water and shattered glass, away from him.

“Alabama! Alabama, wait!” He called, running after me. I dashed into the girls’ bathroom, which luckily no one was inhabiting at the moment, and kicked the stall, the tears starting to flow down my face. I knew it. I was too goddamn trusting. I let my guard down. I let him in, and he hurt me. I fucking knew it! I sank down against the wall, the tears pouring down my face.

“Alabama! Come out here. Please.” The last word came out pleadingly. He was outside, but I wouldn’t look at the bastard. I’d stay here all night if I had to. He hurt me so badly. I’d never speak to him again. Why was I so stupid? He’d told me before; he was in love with Solar. Why did I ever think he’d stay with me?

“That’s it. I’m coming in there.” The door swung open and I jumped to my feet, glaring at him. He stood there flustered; his hair was going every which way thanks to Solar, his face was red. I hated him so violently at this very moment I could’ve killed him.

“Alabama...” He stood there staring at me.

“What?” I shook my head at him, a false grin on my face as the tears blazed trails down my cheeks. “What do you want from me now? You want to apologize? Tell me how it’s not what I think?” I laughed bitterly. “I should’ve known you’d run back to that little whore. And to think me and her were talking now. We were getting close. I guess I know why.” I’d stopped crying now. I was running on pure anger.

“Hey, don’t talk bad about her-”

“About who? Solar?” I breathed out harshly, running a hand through my hair. “What has she been saying about me, huh? About how fucking stupid I am for getting involved with you, about how of course you’d always pick someone like her over me? Is it ringing a fucking bell, Arizona, or did you kiss her just because you saw an opening? I mean, her fucking douche of a boyfriend’s dead, your girlfriend’s easily discarded, why not make a move?” I closed my eyes, clenching my fists to keep the tears inside. “I mean you liked her first, she’s prettier, not nearly as deathly skinny, less emotional baggage...” I shook my head. “Easy choice, huh?”

“I’m so sorry, I-” He looked at me, visibly upset. I wasn’t done with him, though.

“You know what really gets me though? You know what makes me feel the worst out of all of this?” I cut him off. “You told me you loved her. The first. fucking. day. You told me you were in love with her, and I’d kissed you. I’d kissed you anyway, and got myself into this. Why the fuck did I get myself into this? You love her. You always have. How could I have ever measured up?” I stared at him, stared right into his eyes filled with anger and utter misery. “Go ahead. Go back to your little cunt. You deserve each other.” I spat right in his face. He wiped my saliva out of his eyes and shoved me to the wall, one fist pulled back ready to strike. My head smacked the concrete and left my ears ringing.

“Go ahead. Hit me. Beat me to death. Pound my face in, just like you did to that Drac. Come on! DO IT!” I screamed at him. He stared back at me, our faces inches away. The anger was fading from his eyes. He let go of me, backing away slowly, shaking his head. He couldn’t do it. The tears poured down my face as I dashed out of the bathroom. I ran out the back door of the diner and found the red dirt bike he’d taught me to ride. I slipped on the helmet and jumped on the bike, starting it, revving it and driving away. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I drove aimlessly into the desert. I could be anywhere but there. Anywhere.

Killer Laser Rays, Part 18: Alabama

A week had gone by since we’d gotten the news about Bird’s clan. We were slowly becoming used to the fact that they weren’t coming back. Life went on, Killjoys kept coming. It seemed like every day there were more Killjoys than the day before. Eventually people had to start sharing mattresses, there were so many here.

“Here, I’ll grab plates.” I took a tub out of the kitchen where Wasp, Solar, Mighty Mouse, Zebra and Disco were starting to clean and walked back through the tables, tucking plates into the tub as well as other dishes and taking them back into the kitchen. We had just finished breakfast, so everyone here was getting ready to head out.

“Let Mighty Mouse do that, come help me wash.” Wasp beckoned me towards the large metal sinks residing in the half of the kitchen used for its intended purpose. I handed off the tub and plunged my bare arms into the soapy water, taking a rag to start scrubbing. Thanks to the grocery store, we had enough soap to last us until the second coming, meaning we could actually use the dish soap and not save it for more important uses.

“Hey chica, keep them pretty hands pretty and soft for Arizona now, don’t scrub to hard.” Plasma said nudging Alabama in the side with a wink as he dried a plate.

“Well, watch yourself, Plasma, I heard about you and that girl from Destructive Daisy’s clan.” I winked at him. “Just make sure you use protection.”

Plasma’s face reddened to that of a radish as he dropped his eyes, but his smile didn’t fade. “I got needs just as you and Arizona do Chica.” He said to her almost sheepishly in Spanish.

“Dude, I don’t wanna know.” I shuddered, gagging.

“Bet you do that a lot with Ari, huh?” He grinned at me.

“Bet you do that a lot with what’s-her-face, huh?” I made a face at him.

“Plasma’s got a girlfriend!” Mighty Mouse sang as she walked back out into the barroom.

“Hey now, don’t be teasing me when you are crushing majorly on our good friend and Alabama’s boyfriend.” He said smirking as she hurried out into the diner, her young face a bright shade of red.

“She better not be.” Wasp’s eyebrows hit her hairline as she kept washing.

“She better still think boys are icky.” Disco said from somewhere in the background.

“Oh shut it, overprotective.” I rolled my eyes. “I remember your crush on Antimatter and if you think I won’t share, you’ve got another thing coming.”

From the corner of my eye, I watched Solar duck out of the room, wiping her eyes. I moved to go after her, but Wasp stopped me.

“Leave her be.” Wasp took my arm. “She has to do this on her own.” I nodded and returned to my spot, scrubbing the dishes and handing them to Wasp to dry.

“So, what’s this girl’s name, huh Plasma?” Wasp asked lightly.

“Honeydew Heaven.” He grinned goofily, handing a clean plate to Disco to put away.

“You like her?” Wasp looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

“No, he hates her, he’s just too scared to break it off.” I rolled my eyes. “Look at his face!” Plasma had turned a violent shade of red, regardless of his Hispanic roots.

“I really do like her, I mean, she’s so nice, and she’s more than pretty, she’s really more like beautiful...” Plasma paused his dish-drying to gaze at a spot on the wall.

“Hey, star-crossed lover, get moving!” I splashed some water at him, snapping him out of his dream.

“Hey, chica, watch the shirt!” He glared playfully at me, trying to reach around Wasp to splash me back. I squealed and jumped out of the way, almost upsetting a pile of dirty pans.

“You can flirt after the dishes are done, get to work!” Wasp yelled, sending us back to our stations to finish our work quickly.

Killer Laser Rays, Part 17: Alabama

A few days later, after seemingly exhausting all chores to do surprisingly and having no raid details from the Big 4, (which I quickly learned were the leaders of the Killjoys I’d seen plastered throughout the Zones) we were sitting motionless in the heat of the diner, listening to the fuzzy sound of the radio. Arizona was playing with Babydoll on the floor, while I sat in a booth, braiding Mighty Mouse’s hair, keeping the dampness inside to keep her cool.

“Alright, Killjoys, that was Black Dragon Fighting Society from The Madgear and the Missile Kid, a happy song leading us into our darkest part of the day. Show Pony’s just brought me a list of the confirmed ghosted in the Zones for the past week, those Killjoy brethren who died with their masks on and went down shooting, courtesy of our Big 4, Party Poison, Fun Ghoul, Jet Star and Kobra Kid.” Arizona looked up from where he was playing with Babydoll. Everyone came from where they were in the building and gathered around the radio as Plasma turned up the volume.

“There’s 9 Killjoys down for the count this time around.” The deep drone of Dr. D. paused before he cleared his throat and spoke again. “Sterling Weed, Cocaine Explosion, Ant Legs, Cyanide Queen, Slashing Crow, Gemini Ghosted and Bird Song. Unfortunately it appears that all the previous listed names were a part of one family, the Kung Fu Krew. All dusted. My humble apologies for those who knew them.” Plasma slammed his hand down on the radio, shutting it off with a sickening smack. The diner grew silent as the shock overtook us. No. We’d seen them only a week ago. It wasn’t possible. Bird had hit on me the day he left.

“It can’t be.” Wasp said as tears fell from her eyes. We all, however, couldn’t help to look over at Solar Crash, who was sitting at a table near the door. She was staring at one spot in front of her, a look of fear, terror and utter misery clear on her face.

“No.” She whispered, rocking back and forth. “No. No! NO!” She stood quickly before collapsing to the ground, tears running down her face as she sobbed loudly. Arizona set aside Babydoll quickly as he ran forward, picking her up by her biceps and trying to hug her to his chest, trying to quiet her hysterical shrieks. She fought him off violently, though, squirming out of his grasp, all the while screaming and sobbing. She ran out of the bar towards the bathroom. Arizona started to follow when I stopped him.

“Let me do it.” Arizona started to object, but I gave him a look to let him know I was serious before turning and following Solar into the bathroom.

I pushed open the heavy door and followed the now-quieter sobs coming from the largest stall at the end of the row. I walked into the stall to see Solar curled into a ball, her back to the corner, leaning on the walls for support. Her cheeks and eyes had already started to redden as she glared at me angrily. I kneeled onto the tile in front of her.

“What do you want?” She sneered at me through her tears. I didn’t respond, merely leaned forward and absorbed her into my arms in a hug. She resisted at first, but I hung on, and eventually she relaxed, then clinging to me, sobbing into my shirt.

“It’s okay, honey, it’s okay.” I hugged her tightly, rocking her back and forth. We stayed like that for a few minutes before her sobs had turned to sniffles and her tears slowed. She sat back and regarded me, her haughty pride gone and her eyes red and puffy. She looked absolutely miserable in a way I wasn’t sure I truly wanted to see.

“Y’know, a week ago, the day before he’d left, I’d called him an asshole and shoved him.” She shook her head, sniffling. “I never thought... I’d never thought something like this could ever happen to him, or to any of them. He always seemed indestructible, y’know?”

“I know.” I rubbed her arm gently.

“And now he’s dusted out somewhere, probably not even really buried, just all of them dumped together in a Drac grave in who-knows-where.” She shook her hair out of her face. “I need to find him. I need to bury him, I can at least bury him. I can’t do this alone, dammit! Why couldn’t I have been with you?!” She stood up and hurled one fist into the stall door, leaving a fist-sized dent in the metal. I stood up and ran into the wall behind me as she went into a blind rage. Once she was done beating the stall, I took her by the shoulders and sat her down, the sobbing starting again. I took her hand and held it as she continued to cry, the sobs wracking her small body. Once she had quieted some, I began to speak myself.

“When I was about 12, my gang mom, Mother Mayeye, got dusted out along with her younger sister, Atomic Antimatter. I was with them, on a scavenging trip. G.I., the guy we buried last week, was staying back with Disco, the twins and Mighty Mouse. They all ate something bad the night before, so everybody was hurling. Anyway, the rest of us went out to find food and were jumped by a bunch of goons from BLI. Mayeye and Anti shoved me in an old building, even though I was the best shot they had, and went out to try and protect me, even though it was a losing battle. Once the smoke cleared, I saw them ghosted and ran out to help them, regardless of there not being a thing I could do. The Dracs caught me, held me up against a building and gave me this." I moved my hair to expose the small, three-letter scar carved into my neck with a pocketknife one of the Dracs had had, reading “BLI.” It sat just behind my left ear and had healed well, not being noticeable unless you knew it was there, even when I wore my hair up. Solar shakily reached up to touch it, seeming to wonder if it would rub off.

“It’s right near an artery.” She furrowed her eyebrows. “How did you not die?”

“I’m not sure myself, no one is.” I blinked, turning to face her. “I passed out from the pain, considering they also gave me a beating and left me for dead. I woke up a few hours later, beat up but alive, with a bandage on my neck, a week’s worth of supplies and a canteen of water next to me. I never knew who saved my life, so I really had no one to thank, y’know? They hadn’t cleared away Anti and Mayeye’s bodies yet, so I went over to them, stripping them of what I could use, planting a kiss on their foreheads and wandering back to our camp.”

“You didn’t bury them?” Solar asked, horrified.

“With what? I had no tools, plus I was by myself, injured to boot. I was lucky I wasn’t ghosted already, or attacked by another gang.” I bit my lip. “I was lucky they hadn’t shot me too. Then I’d have really been done for.” Solar nodded softly, looking away.

“I was destroyed. I wouldn’t eat, I’d just lie on my mattress and sob. Eventually, G.I. just sat down next to me and said, ‘Alabama, if Mayeye saw you like this, she’d whoop you like you’d never forget.’ And then I started to smile, and then I started to laugh, just because it was so true. They were gone, yes, but I would be all right. I knew it, and so did G.I.

“The point is, people, even the ones you love, come and go, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it, besides enjoy them while they’re here and remember them while they’re gone.” I smiled sadly at Solar. “He knows you loved him. You didn’t have to say it. and who knows? Depending on what you believe in,” I stretched my legs out. “maybe you’ll see him again.” She snickered bemusedly at that. “At least for the time being, you have the rest of us.”

“You mean Wasp’s clan?” She snorted. “They don’t want me around, are you kidding? I-I know Arizona...” She bit her lip. “They saw me with Bird and hated it, because it tore Ari to shreds. I didn’t like it, but I love-” She paused, the tears reappearing. “-loved Bird. I wasn’t going to give him up to make everyone else happy, and plus, me and Ari?” She snorted. “I don’t even know why you’re in here anyway. What do you plan to gain from this?” She looked at me intently.

“You’re kidding, right?” I looked at her, outraged. “They’re your family! They all love you, and you’re insane not to see it. Sure, they didn’t approve of Bird, but he was a royal jackass half the time! No offense.” I added at Solar’s disapproving glare. “Seriously, they’d be heartbroken if you left. You may be stubborn, bitchy and have the temper the size of a flea, but you’re family.” I stood, helping her up as well. “Come on, they’re probably worried you’ve killed me by now.”

“Oh come on, I’m not-” Solar stopped herself, considering something. “Okay, let’s go.” I laughed out loud, heading for the door.

“Hey, Alabama?” She said from behind me as my hand was on the door handle.

“Yeah?” I responded, turning around.

“Thanks.” She said softly. “For... that.”

“Anytime.” I nodded, turning back around and heading into the diner, smiling to myself. I think I’d just made a friend.

Killer Laser Rays, Part 16: Alabama

Before long a week had passed and I was in the main bar room helping Wasp, Plasma, Solar and Mighty clean up. I ran the cloth over one of the tables at the same moment a pair of large hands reached around my waist from behind.

“Arizona don’t you have clothes to wash?” Wasp said a clear tsk in her voice.

“I finished already, so now I’m here to steal Alabama away for a while.” He said grinning pulling me closer. Wasp regarded us for a moment before she rolled her eyes nodded.

“Fine, but you are doing double the chores later.” She told them while Arizona grinned and swept me off my feet bridal style. I held on to him tightly complaining the entire time for him to put me down.

Arizona didn’t, simply smiled down at me. He didn’t set me down until we had reached the back door by the loading docks. After he had set me down her took my hand and led me outside. It was, of course, another hot blazing day under the sun and I had to squint until my eyes adjusted. When they finally did adjust I saw two motorbikes. Drac make and model, but decked out Killjoy style.

“Ever ridden before?” He asked me striding over to them, still grasping my hand in his. I shook my head in response. “Never?” He asked me sounding almost shocked.

“Never.” I replied. He hugged me, laughing.

“Well then, today you learn.” It wasn’t easy either, learning how to ride a bike, at least, not one that moved without my having to pedal. At times, it seemed easy, until I gunned it to hard and didn’t have balance so the bike shot forward while I shot back.

By the end of the second hour we were both drenched in sweat and I had knocked Arizona in the crotch more than once when I accidentally had the bike in reverse as he tried to help steady me. But I was able to keep my balance now and I was having fun. He smiled at me as we rested in the shade by the door.

“You’re doing good.” He said, though his voice still held a hint of pain. I smiled back and nodded.

“Sorry.” I told him and he grinned.

“It happens.” He said then kissed my cheek. “Lets try again.” I nodded and followed him, taking note of the limp he walked with, probably from the pain he still felt, which, actually made me smile a bit more. I mounted the bike and repeated every step I had been taught in the past two hours.

“Ok, when I say go, I want you to go.” he told me releasing his grip on the bike and stepping back and to the side, a precaution. I waited for his commanding word and when I did I revved the engine and shot forward. This time, however, I was ready and I managed to keep my balance as I rode on. I found that once you got started, it was easy to keep going, and I knew how to stop, Arizona made sure I could do all that perfectly before he even turned the bike on.

I kept going until I realized I had left Arizona behind, and the Basket. But as I glanced into the side mirror I saw Arizona on the other bike quickly catching up to me. Soon we rode side by side and he grinned over at me, giving me a thumbs up then sped off ahead of me as if he wanted to race. I of course, obliged and sped up to try to catch him and beat him. We then spent the next hour or so riding around a 4 or 5 mile radius of the Basket and ended up having to walk to bikes back 3 of those miles as we had ran out of gas.

Killer Laser Rays, Part 15: Alabama

I was in the linen closet of my parent’s house again, but now I was fully grown. I peered through the slats as a person in a white Has-Mat suit answered the door. The Dracs walked into the house, immediately shooting the person in the suit directly in the face. The figure fell, a pool of blood staining their clothes a bright red, the pool quickly expanding out from underneath them. I bolted out of the closet to see Arizona lying in his own blood, his eyes lifeless and vacant. I screamed bloody murder as the Dracs took off their masks, revealing the faces of Disco and G.I., the two people I’d trusted most in life. They lifted their guns to point at my face, cackling.

“Sunshine! Alabama, wake up!” I bolted awake as Arizona shook me, the noontime sun beating down through the windshield of the van. I blinked, registering Arizona leaning over me, his hands on my shoulders, looking concerned. I’d been dreaming. It was just a dream.

“Wha-what happened?” I panted, the adrenaline slowly fading from my veins.

“You were screaming in your sleep.” His eyebrows knitted together.

“I-I have these... horrible dreams.” I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself. “It’s why I don’t sleep much. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” He slowly climbed off of me, landing on the dusty ground and causing little pools of dirt to swirl around his feet. I jumped down and hugged him quickly, pulling myself together.

“I’m sure.” I nodded, releasing him. He grabbed my hand and grinned at me.

“Well, lets go inside then. You need to meet the gang, especially Neon, he promised he would stay long enough to meet you.”

“Damn, you’re already making me meet the family?” I shoved him, smirking. He rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand, leading me into the dilapidated diner.

The diner itself was ancient, a squat, one-story building made of cement and brick with an overhanging roof and large windows. It had obviously been built long before the Takeover, which meant it was built to withstand the bombings, allowing it to survive. The neon sign nearby was broken and had letters missing, but even though I could still tell it had once read The Chicken Basket.

We entered the front door and the busy place quickly died down to allow a pin drop to be heard. People stared at us whispering as I shifted from one foot to the other nervously.

“Arizona and his little whore finally showed up.” A girl sitting at a table with Solar and Tweety Bird sneered, her eyes looking me up and down.

“Oh, so I’m assuming you want a make-up job like Solar’s?” I stared her down as Arizona’s grip tightened on mine. The girl scoffed, but backed down.

“Now you be nice, princess.” A man in a glittery orange shirt and tight leather pants walked out of the other room. He was buff, like Arizona, only he had even more muscles upon muscles, like all he did was work out. My eyebrows went to my hairline as he walked towards us, clapping Arizona on the back.

“So Ari, did you really make a baby with a baby around?” He asked, grinning. Arizona said nothing, only kept looking straight ahead. The big dude looked down at me and quickly pulled me into a hug, crushing me to his chest before whispering in my ear. “You aren’t as small as Solar, but you are a bit skinnier.” He said then got real close to her ear and whispered.  “Ari has a slight fetish with small girls.” He said then laughed and clapped Arizona on the shoulder. “If you get jiggy tonight, try to keep it down eh?” The crowd in the diner loved that comment, hooting and hollering along with him. Arizona’s face started to turn pink, even though he said nothing.

“Well then Solar and I can compare notes, ‘cuz there is plenty,” I paused to look  Arizona up and down, “to say on this subject, if you catch my drift.” I smirked as the diner oohed. Arizona squirmed next to me. “But seriously, we didn’t even sleep in the same bed. Who are you, exactly?”

“His name is Neon Zombie.” Arizona said through gritted teeth. The big black dude pulled Arizona into a headlock, messing up his hair.

“Neon-er quit- cut it out!!” Arizona squirmed out of his grip.

“I’m Neon, Arizona’s dad.” He grinned at me.

“I, uh, see the resemblance.” I looked suspiciously between the two of them.

“Ehh calm down chicky, I’m not his biological father, just the Killjoy one who gets his ass out of tight places.” He smiled.

“Who’s the bitch over there then? And the rest of y’all?” I turned to the still-watching diner, who waited with baited breath, waiting to see what was gonna happen next. I had a feeling I was in for it as the girl’s face began to turn an unsightly red, but she quickly just turned around.

“Fiesty little thing aren’t you?” Neon looked me over, impressed. “Well, you know most everyone in Bird’s group, the ‘bitch’ is Cyanide Queen. Over by the boarded-up window is Adolescent Suicide with his group.” The clan was mostly pale kids dressed in darker colors, looking like the Killjoys who returned from the dead.

“Over in the corner is my group, recently attained. Seretonin Dreams, Devils Cannon, Sere’s brother; Angels Fall, Widows Whistler, and Falling Tears.” They each nodded or waved, acknowledging us.  “You know all your people, and Wasp. And then the last group which belongs to JarJar Binks.” Two people sat in the corner with JarJar as their leader waved. “There are way more, so don’t think this is it. There must be another 40 people, but you know, business has them out and such, being busy ghosting Dracs and foiling plans.” Neon said with a shrug.

“Now, I do believe we have a funeral to get to?” He looked at me expectantly. I felt as if I’d been punched in the gut as I remembered G.I. Tears sprang to my eyes and I squeezed Arizona’s hand for support.

“Lets get to it then.” He turned on his heel and headed towards a door leading to what used to be a kitchen. We followed and talk soon resumed in the diner, seeing as the show was over. He stopped abruptly as we got to the door.

“Arizona, you know I can’t let you back here with her right?” He said seriously.

“What?” My mouth was agape. “You’re going to make me do this on my own?” I took a deep breath and mentally slapped myself. Pull it together, I thought. You watched him die for Pete’s sake, you can do this.

“You’re gonna be fine, Sunshine.” Arizona pulled me into hug, kissing the top of my head before releasing me. I breathed in and out slowly.

“Great to see you again, Dad.” Arizona hugged his father and slowly walked away. “Come find me you’re done, I have to help unload.” He looked at me. I smiled and turned around, facing the door.

“I’m ready.”

“All right.” He led me into what had once been the kitchen, but now had the distinct flavor of death in the air. I followed him to a table with a sheet placed over a lump that had once been G.I.

“The little boy Disco wanted you to pick out what words to go on his grave stone and what his final attire should be.” He said somberly, looking down at the body under the sheet.

“His jacket. A t-shirt. Some jeans, too, like he always wore.” I bit my lip, keeping the tears back.

“It’s alright to cry, chicky.” He said over his shoulder as he walked to a box, pulling out a green t-shirt and some jeans after a little rummaging.

“I don’t cry.” I took another deep breath and shook my head, getting rid of the tears.

“Chicky, everyone cries, it may take a while, but it will happen, Seretonin, she lost her dad only 3 months ago, and just barely started crying about it last week.” He looked at me sympathetically.

“I don’t cry.” I said again.

“Who are you trying to convince, me or you?” He said softly. “I’m telling you, everyone cries, even Arizona, he may seem like a hard rock, but that boy can cry.” He winked at me as I chuckled. “He has feelings, and so do you, I garuntee you will cry in time.” He finished.

“Oh, I know about him crying.” I laughed, wiping my eyes again. “We’ve been there several times.” I froze and covered my mouth, realizing what I just said.

“Either you said something to trigger it, or you are really something special to him. What was it about exactly?” He asked, concerned.

“Don’t tell anybody.” I begged. He crossed his heart.

“Well, I-um... you saw what Solar’s face looked like, right?”

“Yeah, that was you like she said?”

“Yeeah.” I chuckled nervously. “She started it, though.”

“She starts most everything. Now what was it exactly?”

“I insulted her in the van driving up to the gas station. It was bad enough to make him pull of the road and get in my face.” He cringed at my description. “So then we got to talking about his life while he was crying, about his sister, and then I sorta... well... kissed him.” I bit my lip nervously.

“Both his sister and Solar are big bomb spots for him. However, kissing him, might not have been a good idea... He is... well, rather attached to Solar, and the moment that she is available he will move in, so don’t let yourself get hurt.” He said knowingly with a nod.

“That’s not exactly the end...” I looked away as his eyebrows rose.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Let’s just say we both cried a lot more, and... kissed a lot more...” My face felt hot.

“Daymn.” He looked me up and down. “That hasn’t happened with him before. You must be something awful special, chicky. I’m glad though, it’ll be good for him.” He nodded, smiling. I tried to calm the blush in my cheeks.

“Anyway, back to our deceased friend here.” He leaned on the table, looking down at the lump under the sheet. “Any thoughts you want on his cross?”

“Um... Can I think on it for a while? I want to talk to everybody else first.” I shifted from foot to foot nervously.

“Of course. Just get back to me soon so I can paint the cross.” He rearranged the sheet around G.I. “Your friends are in the other room with Wasp,  if you’d like to say hey. Right through that door.” He pointed to a door labelled Out on the other side of the kitchen.

“Thanks.” I nodded, smiling, before dashing out the other door. The other door was dark, considering the windows let in minimal light and had no electricity. Mattresses lined the floor, at least 50 of them there. Wasp and everyone else were sitting on mattresses, some dressing still, all talking.

“Alabama!” Disco called, a grin on his face. I ran up to him and jumped into a hug, him catching me. We’d never been separated more than a few hours back in Zone 2, so it was obvious he’d been worried.

“He chica, have fun last night?” Rage hugged me before winking and making groaning noises. I punched him in the gut, doubling him over as Lightning walked over to hug me as well.

“Please be careful, okay?” Lightning said softly. I rolled my eyes at him, throwing him an exasperated look.

“First of all, I’m a big girl, second of all, WE DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING!!!” I glared at all of them. Rage snickered and Disco rolled his eyes.

“Okay, drama queen, settle down.” Disco put his hands on my shoulders, rubbing them slowly. I whirled around and pushed him off me.

“Hey, I want a hug!” Mighty hugged me from behind. I turned around hugged the girl tightly.

“How could I forget about you?” I pulled away from her and turned to observe my motley crew. They’d all been cleaned up considerably, looking showered and newly dressed in Killjoy-type wear, complete with the crazy colors and prints, which set them apart from all others.

“You guys look good.” I nodded and looked them up and down.

“Next I’m chopping off this one’s hair.” Wasp came up behind Disco, ruffling his shaggy hair.

“Mo-om.” He rolled his eyes, but didn’t seem to mind that much. He seemed genuinely glad to have his mom back, and I couldn’t blame him.

“Well we have some trucks to unload still, so everyone outside. Come on, move it.” Wasp herded everyone outside. I followed, just in time to catch the very end of Solar and Arizona’s standoff. Not wanting to cause an argument, I ducked inside again and went back into the mattress room, straightening the mattresses around where my crew had obviously slept. We should be ready to leave, should anything happen. My mind, however, was over-analyzing the past 36 hours, the ones I’d spent with Arizona. This couldn’t go on. I’d just get myself hurt. He’d told me he was in love with Solar. No matter what I did, it was a fact, and he was probably only using me to make her jealous.

Two arms wrapped around my neck, causing me to jump, once again, several feet into the air. “What’s up, Sunshine?” Arizona said into my neck.

“Seriously, I’m putting a cat bell on you.” I turned to face him. He grinned and kissed me, causing me to melt into a puddle of goo. We came up for air, which is about when I remembered what I’d been stressing about before.

“No.” I backed out of his arms, almost tripping over a mattress. “We can’t do this.”

“What? Why not?” His eyebrows knitted together.

“Because-” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Because you’re still in love with Solar.”

“Wait. That’s why? And Solar obviously doesn’t love me, so, I mean, I don’t usually give up, but,” He sat down on a mattress. “Why not give up on her? I mean, her and Bird are still together, and look, just, hear me out ok?” I had started to interrupt him, but closed my mouth, waiting. He rubbed his face, and like always, I knew I’d really done it this time. Great.

“Look, I wouldn’t be putting myself out there to you like this if I didn’t like you.” He said after a while. “My mum used to say, ‘To the world, you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.’ And,” He sighed again. “I think I have two worlds right now. I just need to figure out which one is gonna last, and I have a feeling it’s gonna be you.”

That wasn’t good enough for my head, even if my heart was screaming, TAKE HIM BACK! “I-I just...” I looked down at him in front of me. “I don’t know if I want to take that risk. It’s different here. You know that. I know that. And I see the way you look at her.” I gave a brief laugh. “She’s half the reason we’re here right now. I just don’t want to lose you, should the better option come along. I don’t want to find out you’ve been using me to make her jealous. I-I lost my last parent 48 hours ago. I can’t lose any more.” I turned away, hiding the tears. I sounded so weak, it made me want to hurl. “I’ve never done anything like... us before.”

“Risks are meant to be taken, as Killjoys our whole life is a risk. Just living is a risk.” He was close behind me, close enough to feel the heat from his body but not close enough to touch me. “Why not take another? And I’m not using you to make her jealous. You can trust me, Alabama.” I turned slowly to look up at him, my eyes searching his to try and see any sign of a lie, any trace of mistrust.

“But Solar’s just so-”

“But nothing.” He looked down at me, a small smile on his face. “I’m with you. Not because Solar’s unavailable. Not to use you. Because we, well, we just work.” He leaned down and planted a slow, smouldering kiss on my lips. We parted, and his hands reached up to cradle my face, his thumbs wiping away my tears. “And don’t you forget it.” I smiled and kissed him again. Damn, he was convincing.

Later that night, we were in the middle of the desert, the whole crew, plus Wasp’s family and the other Killjoys in the diner. Almost 60 people had shown up to place him in the shallow grave Neon and Arizona had dug earlier, wrapped in clean, white sheets and packed down into the sand with the raygun he’d died with. A large white cross was stuck into the top, even though none of the Killjoys or even G.I. himself followed any religions from the old world. It had his name, along with what we’d chosen.

G.I. Geronimo

Your shadow lives on without you

I sobbed as the last shovelful was placed atop the mound under which he was buried. Arizona hugged me to his chest, the setting sun illuminating the cross. We stood for a minute before Neon grabbed two large, paint-splattered buckets and began to walk among the crowd, handing out cans of spray paint.

“What is he doing?” I said softly to Arizona, drying my tears.

“It’s a Killjoy tradition. We graffiti the graves of our dead, so we can always find it.” Neon looked at me sadly as I dipped a hand into one of the buckets, Arizona doing the same. I looked at the old label. Lime green. G.I.’s favorite color.

Once everyone had a can, we moved forward to make a circle.

“Go.” Neon said quietly, and the paint poured in from all sides, making the bare, packed sand come alive with colors. I sprayed all over the cross and sand as well, illuminating the grave. After about a minute, we all spotted, surveying our handiwork. I smiled to myself as I saw the mixture of color and design. It was beautiful.

“He would’ve loved it.” I smiled, tears running down my face.

“He already does.” Arizona kissed the top of my head as we stood, watching the sun go down on G.I. Geronimo for the last time.

Killer Laser Rays Part 11: Alabama

Wasp walked over to where I was sitting with Rage, Lightning and Plasma, a worried look on her face. “Honey, would you mind riding with Arizona? I’m worried about him.” Her brow was furrowed. She viewed Arizona as as much her kid as mighty Mouse and Disco, and she seemed nervous. “I mean, only if you’re comfortable...”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll take good care of him.” I said quietly, nodding to Wasp.

“I’ll tell him you’re going with.” Wasp replied and walked away briskly.

“Oh yeah, you’ll take great care of him.” Rage grinned at me, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“Shut up.” I smacked him upside the head, unable to keep the smile from my face as I said it. Somehow, even after seeing what Arizona had done and what he was capable of, I still trusted him. Granted, the kid had some serious issues, but I still didn’t think he was a bad guy. I’m not sure when I became so gosh-darned trusting. I went to take Babydoll from Mighty Mouse when I felt a searing pain in my back.

“Dammit.” I cursed quietly.

“Alabama honey...?” Wasp looked over at me, concerned.

“I got shot fighting. It’s just a graze, but I feel it now that the adrenaline’s wearing off.” I set Babydoll back down and took off my hoodie and t-shirt, exposing the diagonal burn mark just above my shoulderblade. The room made collective gasp, so I assumed it looked pretty bad.

“Zebra, can you-” Wasp started, only to have Arizona cut her off.

“Wasp, let me. You guys should get moving before the sun sets.”

“Are you sure you-”

“I’m sure.” He nodded quickly. “We’ll meet you there as soon as we’re done here. You guys stay, and we run the risk of them finding us again. A smaller group has a better chance.” He nodded quickly.

“All right.” Wasp shrugged. “But if there’s any more, ahem, flat tires, make sure to call and tell me.” She nodded. “Babydoll’s with you guys too?”

“Yep.” Arizona said quickly.

“All right then. Take her in the back and start cleaning up, we’ll head out I guess.” Wasp shrugged. “Come on y’all, let’s get moving.”

Arizona walked silently back into the back room of the gas station, me following, clothes in hand. He set Babydoll on the floor, giving her his jacket to keep her warm, while turning to a cabinet to take out some medical supplies. He cringed as he caught sight of my malnourished body. I bit my lip, knowing I was being judged and hating it. I jumped up on the counter, careful of my wound, and turned outward so he could wrap it. What was he thinking? I never got enough to eat back with the gang, giving most of my food constantly to Mighty Mouse or Babydoll. That’s why she wasn’t nearly as underdevelopedas me, as was Mighty Mouse. I folded my legs under me.

“I know how skinny I am. I don’t need you to say it.” I glanced over my shoulder as he began to clean my wound. He started to say something, but I cut him off. “I saw the face you made.” He put a hand on my naked waist, just below my ribs, making a shiver run through my body. His hands were cold, yeah, but it was more than that.

“I wasn’t going to say anything. I know it must have been hard finding food, and you probably decided to not eat so that someone else could. I understand that.” He paused, and then continued cleaning. “But you know what, we have loads of food and you’re gonna be fat in no time.”

“Doubt it.” I snorted. “I’d rather Mighty Mouse and Baby ate. Then I’ll get fat.” I chuckled, looking over at the little girl.

It was silent for a second, until I opened my big mouth again.

“So... are we never gonna talk about what happened in the van again, or...?” I paused, mentally banging my head against the nearest wall going Shut your mouth you fucking moron!!!

“You’re all gonna be fat.” He said, squeezing my waist just a tiny bit, surely feeling every bone there.  “There, you will be good as new in no time.”

“I’ll take that as a no.” I shrugged on my clothes as he started to clean up the medical supplies, once again hiding anything and everything so that no one could wander in and take it.

“I’m gonna go see if the water works... it should since we are so close to the Basket.” He pulled off his shirt, causing my eyebrows to raise. I mean, damn. He had more to eat, so obviously he had a better body than any of the guys I knew, but it was still quite nice to see. Shaking my head to clear it of those thoughts, I picked Babydoll up gingerly, keeping her on the other side of my body, opposite my injury. The sound of squeaking and water falling catapulted me back to my childhood. It was called a shower. I hadn’t used one since that fateful day, back in Battery City. I bit my lip and began singing quietly to Babydoll an old nursery rhyme I probably hadn’t heard in just as long.

“Oh wasn’t it a bit of luck, that I was born a baby duck...” I sang quietly, dancing around the gas station. I continued this way for awhile, going through all the songs my mother had sang to me when I was small, and even the ones Mother Mayeye had taught me, ending with the slow, lyrical one I’d learned around the fire.

“There was a boy and a girl in a little canoe, with the moon shinin’ all around...” I sang softly as Babydoll nestled into my neck, falling asleep quickly. Suddenly, two arms snaked around my waist from behind, hugging my tiny frame to a muscular one. I stiffened until I heard Arizona’s voice.

“Having fun?” He asked, his lips near my ear. Goosebumbs ran up and down my spine as I relaxed again, melting into his chest.

“She’s out already, keep your voice down.” I said quietly.

“I thought she was deaf.”

“She can feel soundwaves in the air. She’s super sensitive to them.” I turned in his arms to face him, a slight smile on my lips.

“So you’ve decided to talk about it?” I looked up at him, seeing his cheeks turn pink.

“Yeah, I think we should talk about it.” He said finally, looking down at me.

“Well, I don’t know about you,” I stretched slightly, “but I’m done talking.” I stood on my tiptoes to meet his lips, his pressing hungrily against mine. Our mouths moved in sync, staying like that for an eternity until Babydoll shifted in her sleep, causing us to spring apart.

“We gotta stop doing this.” I shook my head, looking down at the baby, who was peacefully sleeping in my arms. “This child’s gonna pay big bucks for therapy one day.” I snickered. “If, y’know, the world ever goes back to normal.”

“Here, let me see her.” He took Baby from me as I moved my cramping shoulders, yelping when I realized I still had a graze on my back.

“I keep forgetting that goddamned thing’s there.” I said through gritted teeth, reaching back to put some pressure on it. Arizona wrapped Babydoll in his jacket, kissing her forehead before setting her down. And then he stood in front of me, that muscle in his jaw twitching nervously, his smile fading.

“Sorry, I think the pain pills were in Cyanide’s truck....” He stared nervously back at the floor.

“I don’t take pills anyway.” I shrugged, reaching down to grab Babydoll, but then stopping as I felt that darn pain again.

“Can you...” I gestured to the baby. “We should probably get moving, the sun’s setting.”

Arizona turned quickly to look out the window, swearing once he saw how late it really was. “No, We wouldn’t make it before dark, and Drac Vans.. well their headlights don’t actually work since they don’t leave Battery City after dark.. I’ll radio Wasp and let her know we will be there first thing tomorrow... I hope you can handle the looks you might get.” He paused as if thinking. “Some of the Killjoys like to spread nasty rumours if two people are out alone. Sorry.”

“We learned our lesson as far as radios go after that flat tire, eh?” I grinned at him mischievously. “And honey, I killed seven Dracs today, there’s no way I’m scared of some stupid rumor mill.”

“Well, alright, if you want people thinking we fucked then fine.” He stooped to pick up Babydoll, and then stopping to look at me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“You know what, I liked you better after you got out of the shower, go take another one.” I shoved him laughingly towards the tiny shower in the back of the gas station. He grinned at me and scooped me up off my feet. I was glad right then and there I was never one of those people to screech when they’re surprised.

“Or you can go shower while I radio Wasp before she assumes things as well.” He grinned evilly.

“I think she’s gonna assume either way, she’ll just think it’s worse, considering we’re camping out here.” I shrugged, running a hand through my unruly hair. I hadn’t bothered to tie it back when we’d left the grocery store, so it still hung long and wavy down my back. “I made quite a reputation for myself in the, what, 24 hours I’ve known y’all?”

“You sure did, but uh, I rather like the impressions I’ve been getting. Get cleaned up while I get the mattress out and radio Wasp.” He set me down gently and turned away quickly, heading outside. Great. Right back to Square One; awkward Arizona.

I sighed and picked Babydoll up carefully with my other arm, placing her on the store counter nearby and out of the way before following Arizona outside. I opened up the passenger door of the van and took out my duffel as Arizona talked on the radio. He smiled, agnologing my presence as I shut the van door and went around the back to see what we could find for soap. It turned out we had the miscellaneous truck, full of whatever wouldn’t fit elsewhere, which gave us three boxes of food, four mattresses and nine or ten boxes of soap. I counted them quickly after reading the markings on the boxes.

“Good news, Ari, we’ve got plenty of soap!” I called up to him before climbing in the back and opening a box. Inside were bottles of hair stuff. Remembering how my mother used to wash my hair in the bathtub as a kid, I grabbed a bottle of shampoo and conditioner as well as a bar of soap from another box and walked back inside, starting the shower. I cleaned myself quickly, trying to conserve water, before getting out and drying off with my torn and bloody t-shirt. Luckily, Arizona had completely taped over my bandage, as to keep out any wetness. I slid into the pajamas I’d brought with me, which consisted of some cotton shorts and a tank top, before hauling the duffel back outside after hanging my old shirt over the shower bar. I set the duffel on the table and quietly changed Babydoll into pajamas, keeping from waking her up as I softly sang the song I was singing earlier.

“And they paddled and they paddled, for miles and miles, didn’t even hear a sound. So they talked and they talked, ‘til the moon grew dim, she said you better kiss me or get out and swim-” I chuckled at the honesty of the last line. “So, what’cha gonna do, in a little canoe, with the moon shining all a- girl paddlin’ all a- boy swimmin’ all around.”

“You said there was soap?” He said from behind me. I jumped a bit, considering I hadn’t heard him, but recovered quickly.

“Yeah, I found some.” I shook my hair out, it still being damp. “I don’t think I’ve been this clean since before the Takeover. You Killjoys have it good.”

“We don’t have it that good, sunshine.” He responded darkly.

“Well, better than we had it 24 hours ago. At least we were together then...” I took a deep breath, the tears threatening again. “What did Wasp say? We still need to bury G.I...” Arizona pulled me into a hug, which broke the dam, letting my tears flow freely.

“It happens. We just have to move on, forget the past. G.I, well I’m sure he is up in heaven or whatever there is after having a party. Don’t dwell to much, its okay to cry, but don’t blame yourself. Blaming yourself can be a bad thing, trust me on that, I know..” He said then kissed the top of my head, hugging me. My tears fell on his arms as I turned into his bare (and surprisingly well-muscled) chest, now sobbing.

“You don’t understand,” I said as I started to calm down, “It’s my fault. I was the one who had to do the right thing. I had to save the day. And you, and Zebra and everybody else can tell me it’s not my fault, but if he hadn’t been covering my ass so I could play hero, then he’d still be-” My breath caught sharply. I couldn’t say it. I sobbed and beat his chest, tears still running down my face. He grabbed my face and forced me to look at him.

“I do understand, you have no idea how much I understand what it’s like to feel like someones death is your fault. To think everyday, maybe, if I did something different, or, maybe if I didn’t do it at all they might be alive. But, feeling that, or thinking that, it’s not good, it tears you apart. And you can’t let yourself keep feeling that way. I brutally beat a man to death today because it was the only way to get rid of the anger I had bottled up inside. I let myself think the wrong way for to long, and look at me,” He paused and swallowed shaking his head. “I’m psychotic, “ He cut himself off, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he looked at me.

“No, you’re not.” I looked him square in the eye. “He threatened your family, and you fought back. They  would’ve killed every last one of them.You got carried away. It’s not your fault.” I said seriously, looking him dead in the eye. His head dropped quickly.

“Alabama, I killed them, I killed my mother and my sister, so they wouldn’t have to live the way we do now. I told them to wait in the building and I set the bomb off.” He looked at me, his eyes showing sadness, hate and anger in those amazingly green pools. “That was my fault, what happened to G.I. was not your fault, it was an accident.” He turned away from me and rubbed his hands over his face, sobs racking his body.

“What?” I ran around the other side of him, grabbing him gently by the arms. “What happened?”

“Alabama, I killed them, I killed my mother and my sister, I was stupid, and they saw me..”

“I.....” He sighed and shook his head. “I was scared, and we didn’t have anywhere to go, no food. I was the strongest among the three of us so... I went out looking for food and some Dracs followed me back and they blew up the building they were in.” He managed to say after a while. “I’m a horrible person, and....” I cut him off with a tight hug. “Look, what I’m saying is, don’t blame yourself unless you meant to do it. That explosion almost killed me, and it killed my family. Wasp found me and I must have been minutes from dead.” He said, his voice choked with tears.

“You’re not a horrible person.” I said into his chest. “You’re an awesome person, living in an incredibly shitty world.” I looked up at him before reaching up and pulling his face down to mine, kissing him. This one was different before. He pulled me in close to him, hungrily moving his mouth with mine. It seemed we both had a need for each other, something that couldn’t be satisfied, which forced us together, consumed with the other’s presence.

We heard someone banging on the metal table and jumped apart, me pulling the rayguns I’d snagged from Wasp earlier and aiming them towards the noise.

“Damn it!” I yelled, dropping my rayguns as Arizona chuckled. Babydoll had woken up and was stomping her heels on the metal table, clapping.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I shook my head at the entire situation.

“Oh come here Baby. I bet you’re hungry.” Arizona said and walked over to the little girl picking her up and balancing her on his hip. Her skinny arms wrapped around his neck contentedly. Arizona  though his face was still stained with tears.

“You’re awfully good at catching us in the act.” I walked up to them, tapping her nose with my index finger.

“Yeah she must have PMS or something.” He said with a straight face as I started laughing. “What?”

“You’re kidding, right?” I said, trying to breathe. His face was confused, looking at me like I was insane.

“Three-year-olds don’t PMS!” I laughed. “That doesn’t show up until puberty.”

“Oh. Then what the hell is PMS?” He looked utterly and adorably confused.

“I think I’m gonna let Wasp explain that one to you.” I carefully took Babydoll from him. “Go shower, I’ll see if I can start a fire.” He grabbed a change of clothes and headed towards the tiny bathroom for his second shower of the day. I’d torn my already bloody t-shirt around the hem and taken the flaps off of the half-empty box we’d used to start a small fire. I placed the cans in the middle after peeling back the lids with a knife I always carried, willing them to warm quickly

Arizona returned about 20 minutes later, wearing some funny-looking pajama pants that came a good inch above his ankles.

“You’re just too damn tall, huh?” I looked at the pants and then back up at him, grinning.

“Yeah, I don’t know why, everyone else seems so short compared to me.” He sat down on the mattress next to me, watching the fire. I snorted, shaking my head as Babydoll climbed over me to sit between us, playing with a toy dinosaur Wasp had given her.

“Well, at least she doesn’t choose favorites.” I remarked, watching her. We sat like that for awhile, me feeding the fire and Arizona watching it before I took the can gingerly and wiped my hands on my pants before sticking a finger in the soup, tasting it.

“It’s warm.” I nodded.

“Hold on.” Arizona ran into the back room, returning with two mismatching spoons. “Here.” He handed me one before tossing the other can onto the fire to warm. I ate slowly, feeding Babydoll first. The little tyke ate hungrily for a short while before pushing away the next spoonful that came near her. I then offered the two-thirds of a can that was left to Arizona.He pushed it back towards me.

“Nah, you eat it.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” I glared at him. “Eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Eat.” I glowered dangerously.

“I’m not hungry.”

“EAT!” I demanded, shoving the can at him.

“I’m not hungry.” He replied, grinning. He knew how to really get under my skin, although I was pretty sure that’s not why he was doing it. Either way, I didn’t care. I tackled him onto the mattress, careful not to spill the precious contents of the can, and straddled his chest, holding his arms down with my knees and shoving a spoonful of the sauce that was in the can into his mouth.

“You’re gonna eat it whether you like it or not!” I grinned triumphantly, force-feeding him. Babydoll laughed silently as I fed him quickly, barely giving him time to swallow. He squirmed underneath me, eventually freeing his hands to grab the can and spoon, set them down and grabbed my shoulders. I resisted as much as possible without hurting him, wrestling with him until he rolled over on top of me, pinning my arms to the mattress above my head.

“Damn you and your brute strength.” I squirmed, grinning. “If I was 20 pounds heavier-” I was cut off by his mouth colliding with mine, catching me by surprise. I quickly fell into step with him though, pulling away only when I realized who was sitting next to us. I nodded towards the little girl, who was grinning happily.

“Seriously, some shrink could make a fortune.” I moved my arms out of his grasp when I felt my cut again. I cursed quietly and sat up, clutching it.

“Here.” Arizona handed me a can. “I’ll eat the rest of this,” he held up his can “if you eat all of that.” He pointed to my can.

“Fine.” I grumbled, figuring it was the best option I had. I ate quickly, the warm noodles sliding down my throat. I scraped the can out as best as I could and set it next to the mattress, feeling fuller than I had in a long time. I laid back down next to Arizona, Babydoll climbing in between us and settling down, quickly falling asleep. I stared at the ceiling, feeling warm, safe and comfortable.

“Y’know, I was with G.I. my entire life, it feels like.” I smiled. “It’s hard to believe someone like that could ever get dusted out at all. He was like a superhero to me, considering he found me.” I looked over at Arizona, who was stroking Babydoll’s hair and watching me intently.

“How did he find you?” Arizona said softly, the dying fire reflecting off his face. He’d left his goggles off, allowing me to see his eyes.

“Well, back in 2012, my parents were scientists researching medicines for the government. When the nuking started and BL/Ind took over, my parents naturally joined them, not seeing the harm. Back then, people still believed in the company, even without the drugs. But my mom and dad must’ve figured out what they were planning to use their research for, so my mom refused, taking her secrets home and hiding them. Where, I have no idea, but she hid me in the linen closet when Dracs knocked on the door one day, trying to keep me safe.” My eyes started tearing up as I heard her voice in the back of my head. We’re going to play a game... “Anyway, they shot her when she refused to show them where she hid the research. I saw through the slats in the closet. They found me about an hour later and dragged me outside, when G.I. came up behind them and shot them both. He carried me out of the city and back to the original gang. Saved my life, really.” I  blinked back my tears. “He was a lab tech for my parents, so he told me all about them over the years. I lived with him and his college friends for years, some of which had found Disco and Mighty Mouse right after I showed up. The old gang members died off slowly after awhile, though, leaving just G.I. and all us kids." I shrugged. "I got my name from Mother Mayeye, the closest thing to a mom I had after the explosions." I chuckled. "It's a pretty funny story actually. Before the takeover, my mom and dad and I had lived in Alabama, which gave me a really heavy accent. Mayeye called me Alabama from it. They would laugh and/or cower in fear when I got angry, because I would go around breaking things and swearing with my accent. Mayeye used to say to me when I got upset, ‘Alabama, you're just like napalm; when you get angry, everything around you gets burned.’ The name just sorta stuck, I guess." I shrugged. “At least some good came out of all this.” I gestured to the room. “I mean, Disco and Mighty Mouse found their mom, we’re much better off now, I met you...” I let it hang, looking cautiously at Arizona.

“I don’t understand you.” He studied me with something in his eyes I couldn’t read. “You... you saw what I... did to the man in a Drac mask today. How could you let me within 100 feet of you? How could you stand to... touch me.” Arizona looked at his hands, seemingly repulsed by his own existence.

“Hey.” I put my hands to his face, lifting it to look at me. “What I see is the way you play with Babydoll, the way you defend Solar,” I chewed my lip a bit at that one, “the way you and I... we just work. You’re a fucked up kid, just like me, just like every one of us. You’re not a horrible person, you’re not a monster. You’re Toxic Arizona. Arizona for short.” I grinned at him. “Don’t forget it, either.” He grinned and kissed me, soft and slow. We separated, Babydoll still lying motionless between us.

“That’s bad for your teeth Baby..” He pulled her thumb out of her mouth, careful not to disturb her.

“You want to talk about fucked-up kids, she’s got a great story.” I motioned to a sleeping Babydoll. “We were patrolling the Zones about two years ago or so, looking for food by a building that just went down from bombings when Mighty Mouse runs back to us, a baby in her hands, screaming for us to help her. Mayeye opened her airway again and got her breathing, eventually nursing her. Her own baby had gotten ghosted a little bit before, so she nursed her...” I mentally connected the dots, looking from Babydoll to Arizona. They looked so similar. He had a sister who died in a bombing, he thought.

“No...” It couldn’t be. That’s too many coincidences for one day. I shook my head. “I need to stop spinning these conspiracy theories. Here, I’ll take first watch. Get some sleep, I’ll wake you up later.” I stood up and kissed him quickly as he started to object, shutting him up before walking out into the cool desert air, still hot from the radiation that was always apparent in the atmosphere. Settling down for the watch, I smiled to myself. Yeah, G.I., I really did it this time.