Part 2: Arizona

Toxic Arizona blinked his eyes open. Sunlight streamed onto his face warming it. He looked around to see the area of Chicken Basket, where he and many many more Killjoys either resided or passed through. It was basically a large stronghold that was run by the thickly accented southern woman and mother figure Warzone Wasp. Known to all as Wasp. She had dark brown unruly hair that she kept held back and out of her face with a yellow faded bandanna while using another once bright neon green one for her mask. Her choice of clothing also reflected her southern ways. She wore a blue and white cotton plaid button-up and pair of faded jeans complete with a western style holster for her raygun and dark brown cowgirl boots.

At that moment she was exchanging words over the Transmitter with a very serious look, which meant she was talking with the Big Four. They were the Killjoys that had basically started the whole Killjoy Organization, and the ones who told the rest of us where to go, who to kill and what to take. Party Poison was the leader, his haircut almost identical to Arizona’s besides the fact that Arizona’s was bright green and shaved on on one side and Party Poison’s was a firetruck red. Fun Ghoul was another, along with Jet Star and lastly Kobra Kid. They were big names in both B.L.Ind terms and even bigger in Killjoy terms. Why wouldn’t they be? They were the Four Fathers of Killjoys.

Arizona sat up and ran a hand though his hair as the sleep faded. The place was loud and bustling with life as always. It never seemed to slow or quiet. Not even at night when most everyone was sleeping. His eyes slipped over to where Bird Song was leaning over a flushed and giggly Solar Crash. A burst of anger and jealousy rose in his chest but as usual he pushed it down and headed to the bathroom to relieve himself. Minutes later he left to find Zebra Kiss’ illegitimate little sister Pink Venom crying by the door. He knew almost with out thinking what had happened, but he asked anyway.

“Pink, what happened?” He asked looking down at the tiny and overly skinny Asian girl.

“Solar. She teased me again.” She said through both tears and her thick accent. Arizona sighed and gave her a hug before he left her to look for Solar. He found her being all close and snuggly with Bird again and once again it got his blood boiling, especially when the douchebag put his hands on her little ass. He walked up to them and nudged Bird out of the way.

“Why are you so rude to Pink?” He asked bending low to get in her face. She rolled her deep green eyes at him.

“What’s it to you?” She shot back.

“She was crying, that’s what.” He replied through gritted teeth.

“Oh please, she cries about everything.” She said sneering.

“No, she only cries when you or that sleazebag your throw yourself all over tease her.” He told her his muscles tensing as his jaw clenched.

“Do not call Bird a sleazebag you jack ass. Why can’t you stay out of this?” She hissed obviously angry.

“Would douche bag be better?” He asked just before Solar’s fist knocked him square in the jaw. He flinched at the pain before he pushed her against the wall with one hand around her neck and picked her up all while holding her to the wall.

Her eyes grew wide and she started flail but that quickly died down as her air was cut off. “I told you about hitting me, and I told you about being mean to Pink.” He growled at her as tears of pain spilt over her eyes and down her now colorless cheeks. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Wasp standing holding her paddle which she actually used to spank misbehaviors with. Arizona let out an angry sigh and let Solar go. She coughed and held her throat glaring at him.

“Quit bickering and get in the Impala, both of you now.” She said sternly. “And Plasma wipe that monkey grin from your face and join them. Find Zebra, he is going as well.” She said as the smile fell from the small Mexican boy’s face. He nodded and they all left to get ready to leave.

Soon after they were leaving and heading East. The sun was just barely up and over the horizon indicating that it was most likely only 7:00 Am Battery City time. Arizona knew then it was going to be a long day.

The sun bore down on the beat up car as they drove through Zone 2. It was nearly 10 am, judging by the sun. In one Chevy Impala, the roof missing, Warzone Wasp was driving with Toxic Arizona in the passenger seat, his spiked Cyber Goth goggles pulled down over his eyes, effectively hiding them and his current mood. In the back sat Solar directly behind Arizona; she wore her crudely made zombie mask while her dark red hair whipped slightly in the wind. In her lap sat her purple raygun which she had painted over herself. Next to her sat a curly-haired, dark-skinned Hispanic boy who wore a large grin on his face under his monkey mask as he and the even darker-skinned boy with the eraser hairstyle exchanged words about the fight that had occurred earlier that morning between Solar and Arizona.

“She was ticked....” Plasma was saying to Zebra as he reminisced on the morning’s previous events. He was explaining to Zebra what had gone down between Solar and Arizona just minutes before they had left. Zebra had missed it because his illegitimate sister Pink Venom was sick and he was with her.
“So, who threw the first punch this time?” Asked Zebra, glancing down at Plasma, who shrugged.
“I didn’t see it start, I just saw the middle and end of it... They were really gettin’ into it today though, like some loco chihuahuas.” he said with a smirk. “She clipped his jaw pretty bad, but I think she only bruised the bones in her knuckles, and you can bet he is gonna have a few pretty gnarly bruises...” Plasma explained not even caring that Solar was next to him in the back of the Impala.
“So, who won?” He asked, almost thinking it might have been Solar.
“Ari did this time. He monkey stomped her loco gringa ass.” He said and laughed at his terminology. “He had her neck in one hand and just kept squeezing while she flailed. I thought her eyes would pop out.”
“No way. Well, I guess someone needs to teach Solar where she stands...” Zebra shrugged and shook his head like he didn’t care either way.
Before long a mostly rubble building came into view, and along with it, a white van with maybe seven Draculiods standing around, as if they were waiting for them. A few words left Wasp’s mouth but were lost to the wind as everyone but her gathered their weapons and readied for the battle that would ensue. Solar pulled her mask up and over her face while Plasma slipped his on as well. It was as if they had been waiting for them to show up. And maybe in a sense, they had. A few Days ago, Wasp had been informed by the Big 4 that there would be a group of Dracs that would be in search of a small gang of young teens. Wasp of course had taken this near personal. She decided to make it her job to take in any young people she found out here; the more the merrier, she had always said.

They came closer and, long before Wasp had come to a stop, Solar, Plasma, and Zebra were firing at the congregation of Dracs. Shots flew from both sides, but not one hit its mark. The Impala finally came to a halt and everyone jumped out while dodging shots. A shot flew right by Zebra’s ear and he threw himself to the ground, shooting more while Solar lobbed a can that blew up sending two Dracs threw the air their limbs flailing, one arm was blown away, the blood spurting out in all directions.

Moments later two more Dracs collapsed leaving only three. Solar let loose another can bomb which landed near the wall of the building then exploded causing the wall to collapse and crush a Drac. When the dust cleared they stood there, well most of them. All the Draculiods were ghosted. Zebra lay on the ground while everyone else looked around to gather themselves.
“I think there was someone near the wall after it fell.” Wasp said, jogging over to the collapsed wall. Right away, Zebra and Arizona set to gathering the bodies of the ghosted Dracs. Solar stood by the Impala and watched for a little while while Plasma examined the grazed ray mark near his ankle. It wasn’t too bad at all and seemed to be the only injury they had sustained.
After a while Plasma walked over to the hole in the wall to see what was taking Wasp so long. Then after that Solar glanced over where she could hear Plasma’s loud and excited voice ring out in Spanish. She glanced over to where Ari was tossing the disembodied arm onto the pile of Dracs before jogging over to the hole. She stepped in after she pulled her mask down.