They Could Care Less

[redhavoc]

*I hear shots behind me, but don't look back. I don't know what I'm looking for actually. An open door or the leader of the gang, maybe. Anything to lead me to Arson. Then I hear it, echoing down the hall: operatic, zone-crazy laughter. I run towards the sound, raising my gun. Lights flicker overhead and suddenly my own heart feels like a living, pulsing being in my chest. Whatever happened to Arson, I'll know soon...*

[Funhouse Gear]

(writing in part for Slink and Gauge, because they're partially my characters)

*I force my way through the window without too much difficulty, but I don't get a chance to do damage to the two inside because they've already retreated - one using the front desk as a shield and the other halfway behind the pair of double doors leading to the school's main hallway. What are they doing? It's like they don't really care if we get in. I stop shooting for a moment and the one by the desk - I recognize him as the one who'd taken Arson's gun from Red back in 4, Slink, or something - grins at me and stops shooting as well. Delay... they're just trying to slow us down.*

*When I reach for my radio I have to jerk my hand back to avoid getting burned. All right, so they won't kill me, but they don't mind a few injuries. I settle for backing up far enough to kick one of the front doors open, hoping Electric, Poison, and Sarah get the message. One sniper's fine, but the gang aren't looking for a fight, and they won't make targets of themselves. I need help getting through them*

*My voice is deadly when I speak.* Let me pass.

[Max Griffiths]

*My boys are doing their part admirably, but there's no point in lingering. Around the corner near the back entrance to the school, I've retrieved a handful of smoke bombs from the trunk of the car. They're home made and a bit crude-looking, but I know from experience they'll work wonders. The dust storm is still howling outside, but in the hallway it's a simple matter to light the fuses - and as long as we get through the doors quickly and don't leave them open for too long, it should take quite a while for the smoke to clear. I whistle loudly three times, wait five seconds until I hear pounding feet on the linoleum ahead, and then throw the smoke bombs as far down the hallway as I can. My boys have been warned and know where the car is; anyone else inside should be slowed down considerably. I jump back out the door as the smoke starts billowing out, and Oscar's on my heels by the time I'm slamming the car door shut behind me. The other three have thirty seconds to join us and then we're jetting out of here. My only regret is that I won't get to see the look on the traitors' faces when they see dear old Arson.*

*I'm about to reply when I hear Captain's whistle, faint from the back of the school.* Bombs away! *I say with a grin, and shove a chair roughly towards Goggles before spinning around and sprinting away down the hall with Slink. We both pull our bananas up over our mouths and noses as we run, squinting against the rapidly thickening smoke.*

--------------------------------

*The man on the staircase leaps down at the sound of three whistles from nearby, but he's around the corner and away before I can get a shot at him and by the time I round the corner myself the air is full of thick black smoke that burns at my lungs when I breath it in, despite my mask. I'm forced to slow down, crouched to avoid possible shots from unseen attackers, and feeling my way along the wall. I open any door I come to in an effort to clear the air, but it doesn't do much good. Where is Red?*

[Electric Revenge]

(Sorry I haven't been around guys, busy with work and all...)

*It's suspiciously quiet as all three are inside the school. Through the sand and everything, I can't see that far out of the scope of my gun. I'm so in the zone that I don't even know what Poison is doing, or where the hell he is.*

*When I see a grey-ish looking mess coming out of the back end of the school, it takes me a few seconds to realize smoke is coming out. My heart plummets at the sight. Have they set the school on fire? Is this a trap for us? Without thinking, I drop the sniper rifle down to the floor before dashing towards the ladder. We're up a few floors in the building, and even if I wasn't injured, I wouldn't have risked jumping off the roof. Adrenaline pumping, my blaster finds itself in my hand within moments after stepping off the ladder as I make my way through the sand towards the school and the smoke.*

[Funhouse Gear]

(it's cool - we're moving slowly anyway )

*I start to chase after the pair when they turn tail, but then a veritable wall of smoke explodes down the hall. I raise an arm to shield my face automatically, and though my goggles and bandanna are about the best protection I could ask for short of a gas mask, I'm still blind. I hear pounding footsteps fading away down the hall and start to follow again but almost immediately trip over something and have to slow down. Damn them...*

[Poison Shot]

(oh god. SOmeone shouldve notified me that we were moving on haha. I'll have some catching up to do)

[redhavoc]

*I book it down the hall as the laughter stops. Chaos and the hissing of smoke bombs behind, pounding feet that will never dent linoleum. Raising my blaster, I run through the only open door and an electric shock of horror runs through me. There's Arson, strung up and artfully bloody, the work of torture. A skinny, faded orange-pink to blond haired monster stands next to her and I instantly know where the laughter came from. I automatically aim and my blast burns through the rope choking Arson. As she crumples the thing yells something about 'The Machines of Joy' and runs at the window. I try to hit him, gun to kill, but he zig-zags crazily, hitting the panes of glass with his body at a dead run. He dissappears in a shower of glass and sand as smoke curls around my feet and I run to Arson, wishing I could yell her name*

[Arson Anthem]

*Just as everything goes nice and quiet, there's a sudden sensation of falling and a jolt of pain through my knees, my right shoulder, and the side of my head in quick succession. The falling I understand - that's what it feels like when you die, right? Falling? But the rest of it - I feel something wet against the side of my face, and I still can't move my arms from behind my back. If I'm dead, shouldn't I at least be untied? About the time I manage to form the idea that I'm lying on the linoleum floor of the classroom, I also become aware that although the gag has loosened and pulled partly away, I'm not breathing.*

*My first gasp is pure agony, and I think for a moment they must have torn out my throat. But why aren't I dead? Was that just another game? My eyes are open now, but I can't make sense of who or what I'm seeing, and I feel the shaking start up again. And the needles - god, the needles!*

Get them out! *I barely recognize my own voice, and speaking is like swallowing steel wool, but the panic is back in full force and I don't care* Get them out, please, I'll do what you want, just get them out!

[redhavoc]

*She's screaming something and I forget to cry as I try to untie her hands. I hear the word "needles" but I don't see anything through the blood... everything is too much like BLI and my thoughts become disjointed, torture events at BLI melding with the here and now. Automatically I pocket my gun and start searching for Max's knife. My hands are shaking. Why are my hands shaking?*

*Steps echo down the hall as I find the knife and then drop it. I fumble and finally get it open. My protector screams again and writhes under me. Somehow I yearn for neon angels again*

[Max Griffiths]

*Everyone's in the car besides Flame now, and I'm about to take off without him when he comes running around the corner of the building. Or, mostly running. Every now and then he jumps, or skips, or something, like he's out on a lark.*

Hurry up and get in the fucking car! *I shout, and although he's sliding into the backseat a few seconds later, I don't know if he actually heard me. I hit the gas before his door's even closed, and peel out in a cloud of dust that's invisible in the sandstorm.*

*The freak's sitting next to me - of /course/ he is, he's like a damn dog, the way he acts stupid but you can tell he knows if you're afraid. I give him a shove to make myself a bit more room, but curse and jerk my hand back, palm bleeding. He's got glass all over himself, and when I look again I see the cuts on his face and arms. He doesn't seem to notice them until I do, at which point he drags his finger across one of the ones on his arm and starts painting little swirls with the blood* What'd you do, jump out a fucking window?

Cool it, Slink. *My words are distracted; I'm by the far window in the back, watching the silhouette of the school fade in the distance. I don't particularly care how Flame got out, as long as he got the job done. But if he hadn't I think we'd be able to tell by his mood. I'm not too worried about it - even if the traitor survives, which I don't think is likely, Captain made one hell of an impression.*

[Funhouse Gear]

*The hall is long, and I am blind. But I manage it somehow, one rusty-hinged door after another banging open, one empty room after another taunting me. The shadows of lockers loom on either side, and if I concentrate I can just barely see the pattern of the linoleum grid beneath my feet. The smoke must be thinning, at least a bit, but even if the air were clear my panic would make it hard to breath.*

Arson! *Another door slams against the wall, another empty classroom bleeds off some of the smoke.* Arson!

*Then I come to a door that's already unlatched and I shove it open, gun raised and ready to shoot at whichever of the bastards might still be inside - but instead I freeze, eyes wide, and distantly hear my gun clatter onto the floor* No.... Arson, no... *There's blood. So much blood. And Red's kneeling on the floor next to Arson, who looks more than half-dead but by some miracle is still moving, and all thoughts of the gang fly out of my head. I bolt across the room and land hard next to Red, snatching the knife away from her with uncharacteristic ease and slicing through the noose and the ropes binding Arson's wrists and ankles.*

Look at me. You’re still here… god, you’re still here… stay with me, Arson. Just stay with me. *I brush her hair aside and kiss her forehead, then remember Red and look up* Did you - you found her? Was there anyone here? Has she said anything?

[Arson Anthem]

*When I hear the snick of a knife flicking open I cry out and try to push myself away, but my body isn't doing what I want it to. And then moments later there's someone else in the room, cutting away at something - the ropes? Maybe... I can't feel my hands or feet any more, so I'm not entirely sure. I stop trying to fight it and go limp, feeling the darkness start to creep in again. The first person didn't care to answer me - what use is there pleading with the second? But then I realize he's talking, and there's something familiar about his voice... The gentle touch on my forehead is enough to make me look up, but I still can't quite understand what I'm seeing. They can't be here, those two. Captain said no one would come for me. They /can't/ be here. A trick? I stare up at them wordlessly, struggling to maintain focus, and keep my mouth tight shut. The less I say the better, I remember that much. But my hands clench convulsively, and I can still feel the needles digging in.*

Please take them out, *I finally whisper, when the fear threatens to overwhelm me again* Please. Just take them out.

[redhavoc]

*I shake my head and point towards the broken window. A car screech reaches us through the dying sandstorm. A part of me wants to run after them, but I know it's too late. Arson needs Jump, but the doc is incapacitated... I resolve to make due. We... we need to bring the car around. Find Max...*

*I quickly reach down and touch Arson's bloody hand, apologizing for all she had to endure. If I hadn't run into the evil killjoys that day... My hands still shake as I take my gun back out, just in case, and dart down the hall. I intend to find Max and the other killjoys, so we can get the car and get out of this hell hole as quickly as possible*

[Electric Revenge]

*The sandstorm is vicious, blowing sand into my face. It's so agonizingly slow just to get to the school. But as I make my way there, I hear the noise of a car engine starting up, followed by the noise of tires driving away. I try to look up to see where the noise is coming from, but through the sand I can see nothing. My gut is telling me its the people who attacked me and took Arson. And they're getting away!*

*I run into the school as fast as I can.* Red! Gear! Max! *At this point, I don't care who is hearing me shout. I wish I had my bike at this point; I could ride off after them and make sure they won't get too far away from us. I just hope Poison or Sarah can somehow stop them before they get out of the town.*

[Funhouse Gear]

(writing partially for Arson, as she's my character)

*I glance up when Red points at the window and see the broken glass, feeling honest gratitude when I realize one of the gang had still been in here and she'd fought or chased him off. I probably would have been too late if she hadn't gotten here first. Then Arson asks me something and l look back down, concerned. I barely notice Red leaving. There's something strange about the way Arson's looking at me, like she's only half seeing me.*

There's nothing there, look. *I run a hand lightly down one of her arms, careful to skip over the cuts, but she jerks her arm back, looking scared.* There's nothing there, I promise. It's me, Arson, it's Gear. You're safe now, it's okay. *I keep my voice low, sounding much calmer than I am. The bruise around her neck is already a greenish-purple, and by the way she's shaking I'm pretty sure she's running on pure adrenaline.* We need to leave now. I'm going to pick you up, all right?