Danger Days

8

Frank woke up and immediately extended his legs as far as they would go. His knees were bothering him. Whether that was from sleeping on the sofa, or his various Killjoy exploits, he was unsure. He sat up and turned his head, looking into the kitchen. Ricky was already awake, eating his breakfast from a can. Steve sat beside him, a mug of watery instant coffee in front of him as he tried to force his eyes open.

"Good morning," Ricky chirped. He waved at Frank, who returned the gesture. Frank stood up and made his way over, leaning on the door frame. "How was sofa sleeping?"

Frank shrugged. "Not as bad as I thought," he said. "But not as good as I thought, either."

Ricky chuckled. "Yeah, it isn't ideal. Opal appreciated it, though."

Frank heard a door open and craned his neck. His eyebrows raised as he saw Ray slowly emerging from the bedroom, taking care in his every step. He quickly darted to Ray's side, grabbing his arm for support.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Frank asked. "Your legs-"

"Good morning to you, too." Ray looked at Frank and smiled weakly. "Is Steve up?" Frank nodded and led him to the kitchen.

"Ray?!" Ricky's spoon slipped between his fingers and clattered onto the table. "What in the hell are you doing out of bed?!"

"I was hungry." Ray limped over to the table, taking a seat beside Steve. "Besides, I had to report back. Mission was successful."

Steve immediately perked up. "Wait," he said, "You were still able to get it?" He grabbed Ray's shoulders and shook him, laughing. "Oh, Ray, you're incredible!"

Ray grinned and put his hands up. "All in a day's work," he said.

"What'd you get?" Frank asked. He walked over and sat in the chair beside Ray.

Ray reached into a bag, stiff with dried blood, and pulled out a bulky silver laptop. "Hopefully it still works," he said.

Frank nearly fell out of his seat. "You got a laptop?!" he cried. "I haven't seen one in ages!"

"I know, right?" Ray said. He opened up the laptop and pressed the power button. After a few seconds, the cracked screen lit up to a dim white. Ray and Steve cheered.

"So, does that mean you can access the records?" Steve asked. Ray nodded.

At that moment, Gerard entered the kitchen and sat in the chair beside Frank with a yawn. "Morning," he said. His eyes landed on the laptop. "Whoa. Was that what you guys went out for?"

Ray looked up at Steve. "I'll do it later," he said. His eyes shifted back to Gerard. "Morning, Gerard. How's Mikey?"

"He's alright. He said he's really sore. What's the laptop for?"

"Nothing," said Ray and Steve.

Frank's brow furrowed. He looked to Gerard, whose eyes were already on Frank. "What records?" Frank asked, turning back to Ray.

Ray chewed his lip, looking to Steve again. "Look, we were just going to check everyone's ranking on the most wanted list," Steve said. "Make sure they aren't about to launch a manhunt for any of us."

Gerard nodded. "How are you going to do that?" he asked. "That information is just... available?" There was no response. "Ray, what the hell are you doing over there?"

Frank got to his feet and looked at the laptop screen. Ray began to close it, but Frank caught it with his fingers. "Frank, please," Ray said in a low voice, "I swear, it's okay."

Frank sighed and opened the laptop. "You're in the BL/ind database?!" Gerard cried from behind him, making him jump. "Ray, no, absolutely fucking not! How are you even in there without them descending on us right now?!"