Jet Star—Ray
It’s been nearly five days since Elena’s death and we parted ways with the others to go find Dune Hunter, Elena’s little sister. I couldn’t remember her real name, but from what I gather, the kid was a few years younger than Elena and was close to her—best to hold off on telling her what happened then. Gerard’s barely said a word to anyone and Mikey seems to think that it’s his fault Elena’s dead. He keeps breaking down in the middle of the night, saying if he hadn’t gone back for the tracker then she wouldn’t have followed him and gotten killed. And Frank for once is nervous about a raid—now that he’s gotta come back alright for someone other than us, and I’m not exactly in the greatest of states either. I’m getting really worried for everyone and can barely sleep myself, I’ve already given Mikey and Frank shots of valium to calm them down enough so they could sleep, and I don’t want to see Gee beat himself up over another lose. Maybe this kid would bring the light back into our lives like Elena said she did for people.
D’s been sending us notices of where the Dracs have been taking Dune, so far it seemed like they were taking her back to Zone 1. They were already nearing the border of Zones 1 and 2, and so far, we were in Zone 2 west of the city.
Right now we were stopping at a gas station, and I was filling the Trans while the others looked around for some food and water. Suddenly I heard the crackle of the radio and I turned to pick up the mic just as a voice came through the speakers.
“Neon Venom calling out to Fun Ghoul, you there bro?”
I smile when I hear the sound of Neon Venom, Frank’s little sister, “Jet Star responding to Neon Venom, one sec.” I set the mic down and face the station again, “Frank get your ass out here! Your sister’s on the line!”
I hear yelling and crashing from inside, then Frank comes barreling out the front door towards me. I know he’s not gonna stop, so I quickly side-step before he can come crashing into me. He runs right into the Trans and reaches in through the window for the mic, looking like it’s his only salvation.
“Neon, Neon answer me ya little runt!” he says into the mic breathlessly.
“Ghoul it’s really you!” Neon squeals.
“Of course it’s me,” he laughs, “Are you alright? Did anything happen to you while I’ve been away?” he says, using that protective brotherly tone Gee would use with Mikey on occasion.
“I’m fine Ghoul, I’m a big girl now,” she says back sounding half annoyed and half elated, “D and Cherri just got back and they said you and the guys would be coming soon and that you were using the old Trans again—obviously you answered this so that part’s true, but the coming back?”
“We’re coming back to the diner once we get Dune Hunter,” Frank says in all seriousness, reassuring both himself and Neon that he’ll come back alright to see her.
“Don’t do anything stupid Ghoul,” Neon says in the same joking tone as her brother, “I don’t wanna play nurse for you when you come back.”
“Now when have I ever done something stupid to get myself hurt?” Frank goes on sarcastically.
“Your entire high school career you knuckle-head!” Neon laughs.
“Hey, need I remind you that you had your share of stupid moments too,” Frank retorts.
“I’m your sister, what do you expect from me hanging around you all the time?” Neon jabs.
Frank takes an exaggerated inhale of breath, like he’s about to argue with her, but then says placidly, “Good point.”
“Just bring that kid and yourselves back safe and sound Ghoul,” Neon sighs.
“Sometimes I forget just how grown-up you are little sis,” Frank chuckles.
“We all gotta act our age sometimes Ghoul, even us jokesters,” Neon says.
“I know, just wish I didn’t have to,” Frank jokes, then he turns serious, “I’m gonna be coming back, for good this time sis.”
“Really?” Neon’s just as surprised as I am, “But what about the others, they’re your friends and you needed to be there for Party,”
“A brother should be there for his sister, and to be honest, I haven’t always been there for you—and don’t gimme no crap answer that you’re fine on your own,” Frank says, making his point clear.
“You couldn’t help what happened back then Ghoul,” Neon says harshly, “And I’m not alone, I’ve got Cherri and Dr. D and, and…”
“Neon, you’re at that age where you’re gonna want someone and I just wanna be there to make sure you don’t get hurt—”
“Ghoul, I don’t need a boyfriend—and if I wanted one I don’t need you there to play the role of dad, besides, in this world, how the hell could any Killjoy hold up a relationship out here?” Neon rambles on.
“Party and Soul seemed to do a fine job of it,” Frank says quietly.
“That’s not fair, they didn’t even know the other was alive!” Neon counters.
“And for the record you’re gonna want a dad-figure for the times you get your heart broken, so looks like I’m the only option for that position,” I know he’s only joking, but I guess it’s also true.
Life out here got lonely, and finding that right someone to be your detonator wasn’t the easiest to do…especially after most of us lost that someone to the fires.
“Ghoul I’m not worth you leaving the guys, you chose to leave and as your sister I accepted that,” Neon wants him to come back, but she doesn’t want to seem like she’s splitting us apart.
“And I can choose whether I want to come back or not!” Frank yells—he and Neon never did agree on most things.
“You’re leaving?”
I whirl around to see Gerard standing behind us and Mikey right behind him—both looking shocked. Frank looks like he’s just been caught red-handed stealing something, I guess he didn’t plan on having me tell them.
“When did you plan on telling us this Frank?” Gerard says darkly.
“I was gonna tell you guys—” he stutters out, for once speechless.
“When?” Gee cuts him off, the scowl on his face deepening, “After your call, before the raid, after the raid, after we dropped off Dune Hunter, as we’re about to leave to go save my wife?!” he goes on and on, getting angrier and louder as he went on.
Frank just looks at Gee sadly, then turns back to the mic, “I’ll see you soon Neon.”
“See ya Frank,” Neon says shyly, having heard the start of the fight.
“Well?” Gee says.
“Look, Gee,” Frank says calmly, knowing that he could blow at any second in his state. “You’re not the only one here with a family, I’ve got my sister to think about—not everyone of us was able to bring their siblings along with them when you decided to go running off after Lynzie, Ray had to leave all his brothers behind too—”
“It’s not like I asked you guys to come along, I didn’t ask you to ditch your families and come with me when I decided to go looking for Lynzie,” Gerard says tossing his cans of food into the back seat and turning on Frank in full swung anger mode.
“We came because we knew you’d get yourself killed!” Frank shouts, letting his ugly side come out. “And for almost fifteen years we’ve all had to deal with your moody shit and non-stop Lynzie this and Lynzie that, I’m sick of it!” Frank rants on.
He loses it then, Gerard lets out a scream and lurches forward at Frank, taking him down to the ground easily. This isn’t like the rough-n-tumble wrestling they used to do for kicks in the old days, they’re not gonna stop ‘til someone gets hurt.
“Hey, that’s enough!” I yell stepping in and pulling Frank off Gerard, but I stop when I realize he’s pulling his hair. “Frank let ‘em go!”
Mikey steps in then and starts to wrench Gee’s grip off of Frank’s throat, “Gee that’s enough!” he yells throwing him to the ground away from Frank.
Frank seems to calm down so I let him go, and he shrugs away, pretty pissed. I let my disappointed gaze fall on Gee who’s wiping the blood off a swollen lip.
“I’ve had it with you! We’re all upset about Elena and Lynzie, but Frank’s right,” I say harshly, trying to guilt him into seeing some sense. He just looks at me with rage, but I go on before he can say anything, “We left our families to help you find yours, you think I don’t miss all my brothers? You think Frank doesn’t miss Micheylah?”
Gee’s face just stares at me then it falls as it dawns on him that he’s bringing everyone down. He buries his face in his hands and I can hear the slight sounds of him crying, and start to feel bad for yelling at him.
“I’m sorry, I just miss them both so god damn much,” he sobs from his spot on the ground.
I can’t stand to see him like this, no matter how much of an ass he can be at times, he’s my best friend. I walk over and sit down next to him and wrap my arm around his shoulders, helping him to ride out the pain he’s enduring.
“Look, I’m sorry for yelling at you Gee, I was angry and upset, I didn’t mean it,” it’s a routine sounding apology, but it’s all I’ve got.
“Yes you did, and I don’t blame you,” Gee says through his fingers, “I’ve gotten so caught up in my own little world that I’ve forgotten that you guys have your own lives too.”
“You’ve spent the past fifteen years searching for someone you weren’t even sure was alive, I think we can cut you some slack there,” I laugh sarcastically, taking on Frank’s role while he tries to cool off from the fight.
“Still, I did make everything seem like it was about her all the time—didn’t that ever bother you guys?” he says raising his tear-trekked face to look at me and the others.
We all seem to give him the same sad smiles, and Mikey decides to cut in, “Of course it did, but we never said anything ‘cause it was sorta the whole reason we were even out here.”
“But we know she’s alive now, and where we can find her too,” Franks says, looking apologetically towards Gee.
Gee falls back into a fallen look, “How am I gonna tell her that I let our daughter, our only child, get killed by BLI?”
Mikey and Frank come to sit with me and Gee then, all trying to think of something to make him feel better. Elena wanted to save her sister first so she wouldn’t have to tell her mom she’d lost her…but nothing could be done to avoid telling Lynzie this.
“We’ll be there with you all the way bro, we always are,” Mikey suddenly says patting his brother on the shoulder.
Gerard looks up at him and smiles, knowing he means it, and that it’s true. We weren’t just friends, we were a family, and we stood by each other every step of the way. I got up and so did the others, we all dusted ourselves off and started heading back for the Trans.
Then I stop and turn on Gerard and Frank, “Apologies, now,” I say sternly, like I’m the referee for them or something.
Both of them give groans but then turn to face each other with apologetic faces.
“Look, Frank, I’m sorry for jumping on you like that earlier,” Gee says in all sincerity.
“Nah, forget it, kinda reminded me of old times—except we were actually trying to hurt each other," Frank laughs. "And I'm sorry i said that stuff about Lynzie,” he adds when I give him a "your turn" look.
“Leave it to you to make a joke out of things,” I say as I climb into the driver’s seat.
“It’s an Iero thing,” Mikey laughs under his breath.
Just as everyone gets in the radio crackles again, “Dr. D calling out to the Fabulous Killjoys.”
Gerard was sitting in the front seat, so he answers, “Party Poison of the Fabulous Killjoys responding to Dr. D.”
“She’s just entered Zone 1,” D says.
“We’re in Zone 2, northwest of Battery City, where is she?” Gee says getting right to the point.
“Farther east, they guess the Dracs are taking her to the facility just off Route Guano,” D says, and I can hear the sounds of rustling paper, D must’ve written it down to get it right.
“We could reach that in about two days,” I say, doing the calculations in my head.
Gee nods to me for the input, then relays it to D, “Jet estimates that’s about two days away from us.”
“They say she should be there by tomorrow,” D says, putting the challenge up.
“Then I guess we better drive fast,” Gee grins, “Let us know if they change courses.”
“Will do Party, good luck,” he says, sounding worried.
“Don’t worry D, we’re not gonna let anything happen to her, we’ll bring her back safe—promise,” Gee says, sounding determined—and again with his promises.
He signs off with D, and then turns to me, “It’s two days to Route Guano…”
“We got a full tank a gas,” I say, picking up on the old Blues Brothers quote.
“Half a pack of cigarettes,” Frank cuts in.
“It’s NOT dark,” Mikey laughs.
“And we are NOT wearing sunglasses,” I finish.
“Hit it!” Frank yells.
With that, I pull outta there like I did the day of the Apocalypse.
Part 77: http://www.mychemicalromance.com/blog/zone-specter/danger-days-part-77
