The Lotion In The Basket

[jumpstart]

*I get a plastic bag from the kitchen and work quickly, discarding the old, bloody wrappings and replacing where it's needed. Soon we are done and I hand Max two painkillers* There's soup and bread in the kitchen. Your wounds are healing nicely, I don't see any sign of infection. We can take out the sutures in a couple days.

*I turn to leave, but then think of one more thing* Oh, Red is doing much better and by now getting visibly stronger. You should take her out for, uh, shooting practice or something. I think the main problem is she gets bored... uh, right.

*I quickly leave, not sure why I opened my big mouth*

[Arson Anthem]

*I tell Red about the old stone church we'd used as a safehouse last year, with the system of underground tunnels spreading out like roots, enjoying her company while I keep watch. She's apparently never seen or heard a piano before, and my descriptions fall rather flat. Words like 'pews' and 'pulpit' are new to her as well, though she seems fascinated by the idea of stained glass. After Max appears and is led inside by Jump, Red's obviously distracted, and I let my story trail off. I don't really mind, though; if she'd asked why we'd abandoned the place, I'd have had to tell her it was because Max tracked us there.*

[Max Griffiths]

*I frown slightly, standing as I watch the medic leave and unsure of the intent behind his comments. I'm glad to hear Red's doing better, and I'd be more than happy to train her, but I don't know why he seems to care.*

*I cross into the kitchen, quickly downing a bowl of lukewarm soup and taking a slice of bread with me as I continue to the back door. I prop the door open and sit on the top step, knowing the man will likely check up on Red as well. If I stay in the area she'll be able to find me, if she wants to.*

[redhavoc]

*I see Max head to the back through the open door and pat Arson on the should/use that shoulder to help get myself to my feet. Jump comes out and I sign for ten minutes. He begins to protest, but Arson convinces him to sit and wait with her. I nod a 'thank you' to Arson and make my way to the back, using the walls for support. Max is on the back steps and I carefully sit on the same step. There's about a person's width between us*

[Max Griffiths]

*I look over at Red when she sits down, but look away again quickly. I'm more relieved that I can say that she came out, but I'm not sure how to act around her. I study the raggedy field behind the house, or what little is visible in the gloom* Are you - *I stop, then start again* Did you meet the new killjoy?

[redhavoc]

*I nod, taking out my notebook. I write: 'They're pretty friendly, most of them. I... I'm sorry I was stupid yesterday and it affected us like this. They It brought up some memories' *

*I hand the book to Max and look down at the wispy brown grass growing in the cracked concrete. I wonder if there's a place in the zones where the concrete isn't cracked. Maybe that church place Arson was talking about*

[Max Griffiths]

*I read through Red's note, lingering on the last line. It appears I may have yet another reason to hunt down Wilson. I'm relatively calm when I hand the notebook back, though. I suppose I'm getting better at controlling my emotions in such matters, though the thought doesn't mean much to me. I just don't want to upset Red.* It's okay. I understand. I just want you to be happy.

*I recall the medic's words in the dining room, and add* The doctor says you're getting stronger. If you'd like to start training again, we can. Not like in the city, of course. Just what you want to do.

[redhavoc]

*I nod eagerly. There is nothing I'd like more, actually. I've been a little worried that I've been getting rusty, but if I train with Max I should improve again quickly. I quickly write: 'I am happy, Max, when you are around. You're my big brother and I never forget it' I rip the page out and give it to him, quickly starting a new page of different training regimens, listing everything I can remember*

[Max Griffiths]

*I come very near to smiling when I read her message. Red can never replace my own sister, the girl whose face I'd forced myself to forget for so long, and I doubt Red even knows she existed, but the sentiment still means more to me than she can know. Red's busy scribbling out a list, and I fold up the paper discreetly and slide it into my pocket. Seeing her reach the halfway mark down her page with no sign of slowing down, I comment* If you stay up all night writing you won't be rested for training tomorrow. And besides, doesn't the doctor need to see you before you sleep? *I keep my tone light, so she knows I'm not rebuking her or sending her away*

[redhavoc]

*I stop, looking up at Max, and slowly nod. I sit there for a second, unsure what to do, then slowly reach out and pat him on the shoulder. Then I get up using the door frame and make my way back to the front and my killjoy family. I stop when the word 'family' passes through my head, then shrug and continue. Funny how I never thought of anyone in Battery City as family when I was there. We may be just 100 miles away, but out here it feels like a while different world*

((Is everybody ok with a time jump of about a week? Speak now or forever hold your peace!))

[Arson Anthem]

(No objections? Right then, feel free to post about what happened over the course of the week, and we'll continue with the narrative)

*My first night keeping watch was uneventful, as were the nights after. Electric was the only new person we saw, though I went out several times with some of the others, just walking the town. On the fourth day we found a couple back-road houses with a few cans of food left in their pantries, but pretty much everything else has already been raided. We're still good on food and batteries, though, so for the moment it's not pressing.*

*The days might have been boring, but with such a large group there's always someone with a story, or a new card game, or some other diversion. I even manage to get Gear to tell us about life in the city, and I'm surprised by how many funny stories he has about everything from vandalizing warehouses to attending school. I like the sound of his laugh, and find myself searching my own memory for things that might amuse him, though I stop when I realize what I'm doing. Turning to PB instead, I ask him about the New York Zones and try to concentrate on his reply rather than the thought that with his black eye fading, Gear's looking better every day.*

[Funhouse Gear]

*I don't mind the house, though it's not as comfortable as the theater with its velvet seats and numerous rooms and catwalk vantage points. I'd rather know the theater's still in Zone 4, waiting for us if we need it again. Besides, we're so secluded out here I feel like the watch is barely a necessity. This far out, BLI hardly even bothers sending patrols, and there are definitely no civvies to call us in.*

*My limp's gone by the third day, and I only remember my other injuries if I accidentally hit my knuckles on a doorframe, or the like. Everyone in the group is getting along fine, excluding Max of course, and I do my best to be friendly towards Red even though I know I don't quite mean it all the time. We all spend a lot of time talking, and I'm less reluctant to retell my minor adventures in the city when I see how much Arson seems to enjoy them. I don't quite understand her, though; every time I finally see her start to relax around me - in a different way than when she's mothering Red, or reminiscing with Poison, or joking around with me when we're running the Zones - it's like she catches herself, or something, and closes up again. It's not obvious, but after running with her for over seven months, I can see it. It's frustrating, but not in a way that would make me mad at her. I don't know if I /could/ be mad at her. I want to know what she's afraid of.*

[Electric Revenge]

*The week went by pretty quickly. My back healed pretty well, though the stitched-up sword injury turned into another scar among the many others that I've acquired in my time. And the fact that I finally was able to enjoy food again made me extremely happy.*

*Considering I was the new person in the group, the first few days were a bit awkward, trying to see how everyone interacted with each other. It really made me miss my fellow Renegades, the group I was running with previously. Especially my older brother, Chemical Skeleton. That was the main reason why I actually headed west back towards the Zones in the first place. He wanted to get back into contact with other zonerunners and rebels, so he and the guys decided to head east to see what was out there, while I headed west. Originally I had my best friends and the two other girls in our group, Techno Beat and Neon Paint, heading west with me. But when I told them I was interested in heading back towards Battery City, they weren't too thrilled about the idea. Instead, we split up. Techno and Neon headed towards what used to be Las Vegas, which Neon was originally from, while I headed back towards California. I understood exactly why: their past histories in Battery City weren't so great. And I knew the risk I was running being back in the zones.*

*I should really let my brother know where I am, but I don't know how I'm going to get in contact with him. I have no idea where he is, except for the fact he and the guys were heading towards Texas the last I heard from him.*

[Poison Shot]

*Over the course of the week I study the pages of data, a lot of it in binary and different codes to slow me down, Bli really wanted to protect this, but then why throw it out? Was it a mistake? Sarah helps decode what she can, a few words or algorithms here and there, leaving the complex ones to me and my computer. The fact that this was even in the bin confuses me as to whether im wasting my time*

*I decided a little hacking was in Order. I called up Lucian and Claire to hack into Bli's main frame and see if there were any heavily guarded details or abnormalities in their schedules.

There was.

Only one abnormality, a twenty minute interval where more guards were in the transport unit. A small cargo plane was commissioned to set course for Beta and the detail was rather heavy for normal cargo. Even more suspicious was that there was no officially documented cargo. But there were also four other separate and equally detailed securities for different cargo planes heading towards major Bli cities across the world.

Lucian found that All but one had reached their destinations. They are currently in the process of tracking it down. He said I had about 3-5 days starting at the end of the week before they can track it down to me, even with the signal blockers set up...*

*Over the period of time of the week and breaks in between: talk with the new girl, chat and cook with the doctors, reminisce with arson and a bit with gear talking about the good old days. Before all this hectic stuff. Life in the Bli Labs before, constantly letting slip some of my emotions as I stood still at some points, only to be snapped back to attention by "are you alright?" always followed by a "yeah, just fine" on my part. There's a part missing to my story, but It's not yet time to tell. Only Sarah And I can talk about it... only she would understand.*

[redhavoc]

...
*The week goes by quickly, one of my happiest in a long time. The day after we arrive, Max takes me outback for shooting practice and a bit of light sparring. Every day we do a bit more, practicing knife throwing, different fighting styles, and endurance. The sessions don't last very long at first, but as the week progresses I find myself practicing more and more. I even wonder if any of the killjoys will practice with us, but nothing like that has happened so far*

*When not practicing I hang with the killjoys, preferring to watch and listen. Stories are a favorite passtime here and I soon learn more about these people than I ever did about anyone in the Tower. I find Gear's stories especially interesting, as he also grew up in battery city, but led a relatively 'normal' life. He's also artificially nice to me thanks to Arson, even going so far as to teach me a couple card games8

*What really amazes me about the killjoys, though, is their sense of community and kinship even when most of their friends are gone or dead. Everyone seems to be looking for someone or remembering, threads of thought connecting them all through the zones*