𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 (An Emo Quartet Crossover AU)

Chapter 11

~Carter's POV~

We're currently trying to pass time, waiting for Violet, Wilson, and Mona to get back. Brian fell asleep in the Trans Am a while ago, Sarah is braiding Missile and Winona's hair, and Donnie and Gear are doing target practice with some empty cans. I'm trying to figure out why I'm here.

I barely remember anything, honestly. All that comes to mind before a few days ago is a torch, a vulture, and the color yellow. It was everywhere. I can hear someone's voice, saying something I can't make out. 'So low, falling...' No, that's not it. It's not a phrase in English.

Silver keeps glancing over at me every once in a while. I don't feel like asking her about it, though I'm curious. I feel like I've seen her before. Violet too. Do they know who I am?

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of a car coming up to our entourage. Sarah stands up and wakes Brian, who groans and gets out of the Trans Am. The car, stopping a few yards away from us, holds three people. They step out and walk up to us.

"Are all of you from the Zones?" The first asks, his British accent catching me off guard.
"You'd be correct," Silver answers. "Why do you ask?"
"Your leaders are currently being debriefed," the second says. "We need you to come with us." Her faded pink hair becomes bright in the sunlight, dark brown roots creating a sharp contrast.
"And who exactly are you?" Silver asks.
"I'm Maia," the girl says, "and this is Robbie and Brett." She gestures to the British dude and the third, a lanky blond, respectively. "We're a part of the Coalition, and we planted the message in Bat City."

Silver, Sarah, and Winona look at each other, nod, then turn back to the trio. "Where are we going?"
"Coalition HQ," Brett answers. His eyes sweep over our group, but once his gaze meets mine, his eyes widen and his breath catches. He mouths something I can't decipher, then composes himself and resumes speaking. "We should get going."

The eleven of us set off, Brett muttering something to Maia and Robbie. They glance back at me one by one, having similar reactions to Brett's. Why are they so shocked at seeing me?

After about ten minutes of walking, we reach an abandoned warehouse. Going down into the basement, we walk down a hallway for a while. Silver and Winona are discussing something in hushed tones, as are the trio of Coalition members. Eventually, we reach a door that appears to be locked. It has a speaker on the side, and Maia speaks into it.

"This is Birdie. We've got everyone else."
"Come on in," a male voice answers from the other side. A door opens, and we walk through into a circular hallway. After a bit more walking, we reach a locked door. Once it's unlocked, we walk into the room, where we see Violet, Wilson, Mona, and a ton of other people I don't recognize.

"Welcome to the Coalition," Maia says.

****

~Alyssa's POV~

After the escapee got dragged back into the underground, the four of us headed out of DEMA as fast as possible, since we were afraid of being caught. Jericho has been spaced out the entire time, and his mind appears to be racing.

Once we get back to camp, the four of us go inside the main tent and sit down on the ground. Jericho has his face buried in his hands, and he keeps muttering to himself.

"Jericho, I need you to talk to us," I say finally, "What's going on?"
After he catches his breath, he lifts his head.
"I think I remember everything now."
I look at Jordan, who nods, and I tell him to go get Alyssa. "Then tells us what you know. Where'd you live before this?"

"When I was growing up, I lived in New Jersey. I had an older brother and a younger sister, named Gerard and Maya. When the Helium Wars happened, we traveled across the country to California, where we heard that there was safety. We found that haven in Battery City, a place that Better Living Industries built after society fell apart. For a few years, while living there, we were safe and happy, but they started brainwashing citizens. Those that were lucky escaped and went to live out in the Zones, or the uncivilized areas surrounding Bat City and other societies that had risen out of the War. We were included in this group.

"Outside the city, we were much less safe and had a higher mortality rate, but we were free, and we had to do a lot to keep it that way. One measure we took to remain safe was to adopt codenames to protect our identities. My name, Mikey, became Kobra Kid, Gerard's became Party Poison, and Maya's became...Violet Renegade, I think. We had five other people in our group: Jet Star, Fun Ghoul, Silver Siren, Mad Gear, and Missile Kid. Silver was the same age as Violet, Gear and Missile a bit younger. We called ourselves the Killjoys."

Killjoys. I've heard that name before.

"There was one time that Missile got kidnapped by some Draculoids and taken back to Battery City. Party, Jet, Ghoul, and I went to get her back during a supply run. We left the other three at the diner where we were living. I don't really remember a lot about what happened then, but I remember Party getting shot by Korse, the head of BL/ind. I think I was shot, as well.

"I remember being asleep for a long time, then spending a while in something like a prison. One day, I remember going into a room and being put under. Then I woke up as a citizen of DEMA, obviously not remembering my past life."

He exhales, brushing his long, brown hair out of his eyes. "That's my story."

Alyssa, who has now come in and listened to the last of it, sits down next to him and wraps her arm around his shoulder. "What are you feeling right now?"
"A lot, to be honest," he answers. "I feel relieved, now that I know who I am and where I came from, but I feel shocked, and worried, and..." he trails off.
"You also look exhausted," I comment. "I think the best thing for you is to try to sleep. We had a really long mission today, and you've been through a lot."
"Yeah," he concedes, shaking his head and closing his eyes for a few seconds.
"What do you want us to call you?" Jordan asks quietly.
"Kobra would be my preference, but Jericho and Mikey are both fine."

After a few minutes of silence, he and Ryan stand up and leave the tent. The three of us still in the tent look at each other, then start trying to make sense of the day's events.

****

Thing are picking up, I guess.

Have a great day!

-Amy