Fourteen

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Gerard looked over the group standing in the room around him. Silent was sat on top of the bar, playing with the curls that decorated Ghosted's head as he wiggled his eyebrows at Northern. Northern was mixing drinks, rather oblivious to Silent's gestures. Demonic stood across the room, leaning against a wall as he spoke with Jet Star and Fun Ghoul about the details of the plan ahead.

The plan.

What they had of a plan.

Gerard knew his world but, at the same time, it was still so foreign... Why did he think simply bursting into Battery City, one of the most dangerous places in this world, would bring anything but chaos? What was he thinking when that plan seemed like the best way to go? The future was unpredictable, especially with their foe being a creature that could so easily manipulate the very space around them.

What gave Korse that power? How did the strange old man turn into...

Gerard shuddered at the memory of the glowing blue symbols that decorated the creature's skin. Whatever Korse was, it wasn't human. Gerard had to stop him... In case he could never get out of this world.

"Hey..."

Gerard looked up as Fun Ghoul softly nudged his arm. The killjoy offered him a small smile. "How are you holding up?"

Gerard cast his gaze to the ground. How was he holding up? "I don't know." He answered, honestly. "I'm worried that I might be making a decision that can get everyone hurt."

"Every mission comes with risks." Fun Ghoul countered, grabbing hold of Gerard's hand. "We're all willing to take that risk."

Gerard squeezed Fun Ghoul's hand. "What if I don't want you all to take that risk?" His voice was barely above a whisper. These were his friends. How could he subject them to possible death just for the sake of a theory? Everything here was already so different, he didn't want to lose his connections to his real life...

"Too bad." Fun Ghoul's free hand found its way under Gerard's chin to tilt his head up. He locked eyes with Fun Ghoul, unable to help the sad smile that tugged at his lips. Was he really ready to give up this version of Frank?

"We're killjoys," Fun Ghoul spoke with determination, "and we'll fight for what we believe in. We believe in you, Party Poison. We know you'll lead us home." He then bounced on his toes to peck at Gerard's lips.

Gerard felt his cheeks fill with heat. A long time crush had developed Fun Ghoul into a supportive character that he could only dream of. Unfortunately, that was all he was; a character. Frank may have been near equally supportive, but he wouldn't have been so easy to convince of the idea. Even behind Fun Ghoul's eyes, Gerard could catch small bursts of unsureness that the rest of his expression didn't relay.

He needed to remember that his friends were buried within these characters, and his main priority was to bring them back.

"Thanks." Gerard squeezed Fun Ghoul's hand again before turning to look at the room. Everyone was still engaged in their own conversations and activities. Gerard shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He could do this. He had already arranged it and, as Fun Ghoul had mentioned, they were already here to fight for what they believed in. It would be hard to discourage them now.

"Killjoys." Gerard's voice echoed around the room, surprising himself as the others fell to silence. Their attention focused on Gerard as he struggled for words to say. "I appreciate your swiftness in arrival... I appreciate your loyalty to my cause..." Gerard squeezed Fun Ghoul's hand for assurance, earning a squeeze in response.

"I don't know how this will end up." Gerard felt a burst of confidence surge through him, "We could very well die, just as we could very well die any other day. It will be dangerous to venture into Battery City. I have confidence, however, that you're all the men to go in and make it back out alive." He grinned at the faces of his friends. They all seemed so engaged in his words, either grinning back or nodding with his points. "I believe in all of you, and I have full faith we can do this."

"Killjoys!" Jet Star raised a fist in the air.

"Make some noise!" The others, including Gerard, chimed in just after. They fell into softer cheers before their attention turned back to Gerard.

Northern raised his hand in the air, looking at Gerard with question. "When do we leave, sir?"

Gerard gulped silently before answering. "As soon as possible."

---

Gerard sat in the passenger seat of Fun Ghoul's car as the killjoy drove with an intense focus on the area ahead. Jet Star sat in the back seat, eyeing a map and giving occasional directions. Silent, Ghosted, Demonic and Northern were separated into two other cars that followed close behind. Gerard found himself constantly checking the rearview mirror to reassure himself that they were still there.

"Relax, Party." Fun Ghoul soothed softly. He brought his hand to rest on top of one Gerard was nervously opening and closing on his lap.

Gerard flashed the killjoy an appreciative smile. The small gesture of comfort worked wonders at easing his worry. He looked out his passenger side window, avoiding the rearview mirror this time, to take in the vast landscape.

He had created that. Granted, he had it based in the deserts of California, but he had still organized the details of the world around it. There was a rush of accomplishment that flooded through him with the thought. His world had fit right into this landscape of dust... Dust... Occasional rocks... A figure facedown in the dust... More dust-

Wait.

"Ghoul!" Gerard pulled his hand out from under Fun Ghoul's and pressed it, along with his other, up against the window. "Stop the car!"

"Party?"

"Stop the car!" Gerard ordered in a voice, he knew right after speaking with, that belonged to Party Poison. Fun Ghoul slammed on the break, turning the wheel so that the car slid along sideways. The vehicle wasn't even done with its decent in speed when Gerard kicked his door open and jumped out.

He just started sprinting. He could hear voices calling out to him, but he was scanning the ground for the body he had seen. It didn't take long for the red and black checkered plaid to catch his eye.

Gerard pushed his legs to move faster until he was sliding on his knees next to the facedown figure. "Rebel!" He cried out as he pulled her limp figure into his arms. Her face was covered in dust and expressionless. Gerard brushed away the dust as worry flooded his chest. "Rebel, Lyn-Z, hey!" He pressed his ear against her dusty chest, desperate to find a heartbeat. "Please, please, please..." He shut his eyes, holding her figure tightly.

Nothing.

Nothing.

...thump...

"Oh my god." Gerard sat upright as Silent and Northern came running over. He turned to them with wide eyes. "I need water!" He ordered, in Party Poison's authoritative voice. Silent saluted before spinning on his heel back in the direction of the vehicles. Northern, however, continued forward and dropped to the opposite side of Rebel's body.

"Is she?.."

"Barely." Gerard said, brushing caked dust gently off of her cheek. He kept his eyes on her still face, hoping for some kind of sign as to how she wound up here. "She was part of Desert Hurricane's group."

"She looks familiar..." Gerard looked up to see Northern's expression scrunched in a confused thought.

"Do you know her?" Gerard asked hopefully.

"I..." Northern shook his head, "Sorry... Never mind..."

Gerard looked back down at Rebel. He could have really used Ryan right now...

"Here, sir!" Silent came running back with a bottle of water, wrapped in a smiling, BL label.

Gerard took it, quickly spinning the top off before pouring some into his shaky hand. He then poured what was in his hand over Rebel's forehead, scrubbing the dampened dirt away with his thumb. "I'm going to need help getting her to the car." He said as he repeated the process on other parts of her dirtied skin. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard the slightest intake of breath from Rebel.

"Yes, sir." Both Northern and Silent nodded. They moved to help him, but Gerard found himself easily lifting Rebel on his own. The two killjoys were left to hover, unsure what else to do, around him as he made his way back to Fun Ghoul's car. Silent hurried forward and opened the door of the backseat to him. Jet Star and Fun Ghoul watched curiously as Gerard slid into the car, holding Rebel tightly. Jet Star climbed out of his seat to give them more room in the backseat.

"Who is that?" Fun Ghoul asked as Jet Star walked around the car.

"One of Desert Hurricane's group members." Gerard spoke as he brushed hair away from her face.

Fun Ghoul's eyes narrowed. "You mean the group that kidnapped us and left us for dead in the desert?" He asked with anger in his tone.

Gerard looked up to meet the Killjoy's eyes. "She's innocent, Ghoul." He waited for that fact to sink in before adding, "She was kind to me while we were being held. She doesn't deserve to be forgotten in the desert."

Fun Ghoul said nothing, though his expression made it clear that he disagreed with Gerard's decision.

Jet Star leaned into the passenger side door. "What orders do you want me to pass along?" He asked, looking between Fun Ghoul and Gerard.

"We continue on." Gerard said, breaking eye contact from Fun Ghoul to look down at Rebel. Her eyes were moving under their lids, bringing a sense of relief with the fidgety motions.

He tapped her cheek, gently, earning a slight shift in her expression. "Rebel?" Gerard called out to her as Fun Ghoul restarted the engine of the car.

Her lips parted slightly, but Gerard couldn't hear any words. He scooted across the seat, propping her up against one of the doors. He lifted the water bottle to her lips, from which she drank greedily. When half of the bottle was emptied, her eyes slowly, fluttered open.

Gerard pulled the bottle away, quickly catching her eyes. She seemed confused, at first, but then smiled in a rather delirious way.

"Gerard, you're okay." She reached out to weakly brush her thumb against his cheek before her arm fell back against her frame and her head tilted to the side.

"Gerard?" He repeated, scooting closer to her. "Lyn-Z? Are you there?" He reached out, cupping her face in his hands.

When he turned her head back to face him, she laughed. "Where am I, Party Poison?" She asked as her eyes dropped shut.

Fuck. "Rebel, hey!" Gerard didn't know what to do, "What happened to the others?"

She smiled. "There one second, gone the next..." She sighed before her shoulders slumped.

"Fuck!" Gerard cried out. He was careful in resting her limp figure against the seat next to him. He then pushed his fingers through his hair, watching her stomach rise and fall. She had known his name for a moment. Perhaps she was just delirious, but she had called him Gerard.

Was the veil of this world thinning?

How did it even work?

How had she wound up out here?

"Storm up ahead." Fun Ghoul declared, drawing Gerard's attention to the two that sat in the front seat. Ahead, a wall of swirling dust blocked their path.

"We're getting close." Jet Star said before gulping.

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