taxonomites | 01 | holo | location: sanctuary

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01 | holo | location: sanctuary | ARRIVAL

Death felt hot, and dark, and loud and silent all at the same time. And it kind of tickled.

It wasn’t over like all the storybooks said it would be. There was no warm wash of air, or pretty clouds or glowing white light and the smiling face of her dead grandfather. It wasn’t even close to falling asleep. It was too bright for that. It was too much pain, too much pain to go gently into that good night. Electricity snaked through the sky, jagged scars ripped through the air and lit her up like a goddamn Christmas tree. So many metaphors, so little time. It was all of these things and more, and Gwen Raiden didn’t have the time to reflect. She didn’t even have time to be dead, apparently.

All of that—betraying Angel and Connor and Nina and Spike (well...okay, she didn't really care about Spike) and the rest, fighting the dragon Cordelia (which just might have been more forthcoming than the real Cordelia), her decision to die the way she always imagined it—all that was snuffed out with her life and now it rushed back. Here she was, in all her glory, surrounded by metal walls and a strange ceiling. She surveyed the close space, breathing hard from that whole noble sacrifice thing which tended to take a lot out of a girl. "Okay,” she said, and the word escaped her wrapped in a big, exhaled breath. “Not gonna lie. I thought heaven would be a little more…Feng Shui.”

And as death faded away like a dream, her body felt real and solid again. There was the hard steel floor underneath her boots, the silken feel of her gloves on her fingers, and finally, the dull pain in every muscle of her body that had been electrified just moments ago. Gritting her teeth and shoving it down and away, where she did not have to dwell on it, she noticed the pedestal in front of her holding a fancy little gadget on it. It looked like something once upon a time she would have been paid billions to steal. She looked at it now with uninterest and unease. “Or…not heaven. Mars, huh? Interesting choice.”

There was no door, no way out and no cool breeze she’d felt just moments ago on the rooftop...

Connor, she thought, struck suddenly with a pang of sadness and guilt that gutted her.

“Okay, I get it!” Her call echoed out to empty walls. This was Wolfram and Hart's doing. And if she had to claw her way out of here, literally striking down every cheap suit in this place to do it, she would. “And not to be dramatic, but I had a thing I was doing with...the dying. Don’t you people have better things to do than stick me in a box? Filing briefs, or something? Not a big, brooding vampire here. Just a normal, law-abiding citizen."

A fib, and not even a subtle one, but she was getting testy. She scratched at her gloved wrist, absentmindedly, and felt something like a bracelet under the fabric. “Sorry I killed your dragons?”

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Gwen's body was flung forward as the car screamed. When they stopped and her head bumped against the back, Gwen looked at him, mouth agape and caught up in the moment, so excuse her--

"Hey, jackass! Are you trying to kill me or what?"

--lack of tact. He pulls into an alley and she instinctively rips off one glove and holds her hand up, ready for attack. But none came and he proceeded to have what Gwen interpreted to be a full on breakdown.

"I said I had superpowers," Gwen clarified, a bit of an edge in her tone. "Not a superhero. I'm a..."

Her voice drifted off, and she just rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Sorry, tumbleweed. Used to the rest of the Killjoys." Party feels bad that he nearly sent her flying, but that's what you get when you drive in a car with him. He should have warned her to wear a seat belt or something, but Party never did so what was the point?

Still, he licks his lips and pushes his hair out of his face, fingers tapping the edge of the wheel. Not so much a nervous habit as a fidgety one.

"We don't have any of that. S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/Ws might count, but the only good drac is a dead one. If that's even possible--but... Whatever you can do.."

He sighed. "I'm just a normal, run-of-the-mill human," he decided to leave out the 'incredibly irradiated and sick' part. "But if you help me bust out of here it'll be a lot easier. It'll be shiny, tumbleweed. Just shiny. What can you do?"

She eyed him a little about the nickname. Not that she was offended; it was strange. It suited her, whether or not she realized it.

She exhaled a breath herself. It seemed especially loud in the silence of the car. "Hey, nothing wrong with being a normal, run-of-the-mill human, sugar." Hell, she'd risked her life for something that made her as close to normal, run-of-the-mill human as she could get. LISA. The memory sprung on her suddenly and she sat up a little straighter in the seat. It hadn't worked in Hell LA. But everyone was making very clear that this wasn't Kansas anymore.

Gwen held out her hand. "Got a watch? Something metal?"

"Umm..." Party noticed the way her back straightened as something flew across her mind. Something bad. A memory, perhaps. Everyone had their demons, some bigger than others, but this girl had some big ones.

Maybe that was why Party got along with her. Though 'getting along' in his case was 'not pulling his laser gun on her.' Yet.

He glanced around before finding an old can of Power Pup on the floor of the car. It was dog food, the black and white BLI\ind. label the same as the white air freshener handing by his dash. It was empty and still had the fork rattling around it. Power pup--dog food in general was the staple of Killjoys, after all. It was the only thing they knew wasn't laced.

"Something like this?"

Gwen took it, not because she loved showing off, which she did, and not because she felt like she had to explain the gloves, but because she had a feeling with all this mask stuff, the car, the weird way of talking, all of it meant he really wouldn't care all that much. Knowing he wasn't going to run screaming, hands in the air, from the car was a bit more of a motivator.

She gave him an appraising smile. No, he didn't look like the Rolex type. They always got so uppity. Really, who decides to show up packing some serious sterling silver to meet the thief with the metal-melting hands? They practically begged for it.

"It's always more fun when it's something fancy, but I guess it'll do." The glove was already in her lap, so all she had to do was pick up what he put down. Little blue sparks flew from her finger tips, making that little zap sound she'd gotten to know as steady as her own heartbeat. She closed her hand around the can, but she didn't need to squeeze for the magic to happen. In one instant the can was a mangled, smoking distortion of itself, burnt to a crisp and transformed into some even more cheap looking whatever it was.

She tossed it onto the floor of the car. "It's all about the subatomic particles, sugar bear." She shrugged, and sighed a little sigh. This is a speech--and action--she's performed countless times. Back in Los Angeles, she really didn't have to explain stuff anymore. She was just part of the pack, there. "The science fair version of it is way less exciting, believe me. What do you think?"

"Oh."

And it was all Party could really say, all he had to. There was just... what did you even say to something like that?

"I'm glad you didn't touch my zapper." He tapped the yellow ray gun in its holster, and leaned forward, as if he was going to touch it.

"...wow. That's--wish you were in my verse. Everythings electric." When he looked up, he had a hint of a smile on his face. Trying not to grin like the little kid he wanted to.

"Yeah."

Gwen put her glove back on. Show's over. And by the looks of it, her audience seemed to enjoy it a little bit. "The world of modern technology," she says with an almost smile of her own. "It's everywhere. A world full of business opportunities for a girl like me."

Not that using her powers to help people back in Los Angeles wasn't fulfilled. It...was, kind of. Maybe didn't give her the hero complex Angel had, but it made her a part of something. Being a thief? That made her part of something too. When looked back on those days, pre-Hell L.A, pre-LISA, she looked back on them fondly. They were fun.

"Are you about to go all comic book nerd on me, Party Poison? Because, hate to tell you, you look like something out of one of those things yourself."

That did it. Party actually laughed. Well--it was as much of a laugh and a smile as he could, what with the fact that he never did. But what Gwen had said was more of a compliment then she could even imagine.

"Before 2012, I wanted to be one. A comic book artist, I mean. Then the helium wars broke out, and..." He shrugged. Why was he even divulging past secrets? Not that it mattered, but at this rate he might as well tell Gwen his real name. Party snorted, shaking his head.

Yeah, like that was ever going to happen.

"The thing is? Your powers, your zapping thing can do twice as much damage as this. You're shiny, Tumbleweed. Twice as shiny as gods revolver, even." he patted his holster. He was glad he didn't touch Gwen--the way she was taking her gloves on and off, it was relatively safe to assume (at least in Party's mind) she was similar to Rogue. He'd rather not get electrocuted in his first week or two in Taxon.

"And I want to bust outta here first chance I get. If I'm gonna get ghosted or dusted or god knows what, it's gonna be on my own terms. And something tells me you can at least appreciate that. So are you gonna join the Killjoy cause?"

She was taken aback, but she too smiled. The reason she didn't laugh?

2012. It wasn't 2012. And she'd been to almost every part of the world and never heard of anything like the helium wars. She imagined a bunch of hot air balloons with bright angry faces painted on them, popping each other in the sky. That might've made her laugh, if not for the reality that it she was imprisoned with people who weren't even from her dimension. Of course, it was possible. She'd stolen countless magical artifacts for people wanting to scan the pan-dimensional globe. But her she was, maybe the sole representative of her world.

His praise of her was strange to hear. She'd never heard anyone extol her little 'problem.' It was always something people didn't understand, or feared, or felt bad for her over. Gunn hadn't lured Gwen to his side because he thought she should appreciate her powers. He knew she wanted to be rid of them and would help her do it. No one ever showed enthusiasm over them.

"You put on a good sell, Party." He was rebellious, walking in his own shoes and yeah, that was something Gwen Raiden could appreciate. "Only have one question."

A pause. How in the world do you plan to bust out of here? Do you realize we have a 1 and 10 shot? Do you think you'll be able to recruit anyone other than a electro freak with a rebel complex and a real desire to get home and make sure her friends aren't dead? Why is your hair that color?

"What the hell is a killjoy?"

"Oh." Party looked slight embarrassed, shrugging elaborately and finally starting the car again. "Yeah, uh.. About that. After you're out in the Zones where I'm from, you kind of pick up the lingo. I'm a Killjoy. Not that we're an armed force or anything," though they were armed. As Party explained, he pulled out of the alley and began driving again, back tracking.

"Killjoys are basically exiles. Outlaws, stuff like that. We made out choice, and when it was between 'Stick with Better Living Industries in a monochromatic world with pills that make you a dumbed down piece of guano to better comply with the company' or 'bust out of Battery City, live in irradiated zones in the desert and constantly watch your back for Dracs and other Killjoys trying to steal your stuff,' we all took the latter. It's freedom."

His eyes narrowed.

"This? This is a zoo. It isn't freedom."

Gwen listened carefully as he rolled through the explanation. It didn't all make perfect sense to her, but then again, none of this then. And would her new friend be able to make any sense of what she'd left behind in LA? Not likely. And while leaving Alien City to go back to what seemed like a futuristic John Wayne movie didn't exactly appeal to her, what she was anxious to go back to was not much better.

"So, what, you don't think I should give this place a chance?" Gwen asked, her smile playful. She took another gander out the passenger window. Some of the architecture of the buildings reminded her of the exotic designs of foreign places, and some of it looked like nothing she'd ever seen. "Whoever built this hamster cage had good taste."

Party's brow furrowed slightly--he didn't quite understand the other's words until he glanced over and realized that Gwen was giving the same smirk as Fun Ghoul always did when he was sarcastic. Come to think of it.. If Fun Ghoul were here, he'd probably be trying to charm the leather pants off of this electro-kid.

"It's a gilded one," Party answered. "But a cage is a cage is a fuckin' cage, you don't need neon angels to guide your way there, Tumbleweed." He glanced over and offered the other as much of a smile as he could muster, which wasn't much, and returned his gaze to the road.

"Were you born with it?" He paused. "Your power."

Gwen was quiet for a moment, thinking about the last cage she was trapped in, and the price to get out of it. It was . . . okay, it was high. She didn't sacrifice herself because she liked the feel of her own body's electricity frying her up.

"Seeing as my mother survived to see my beautiful baby face? I'm thinking not. But then again?" She shrugs, as if it's not really a big deal, as if she hasn't thought about this a million and one times before. "I didn't fall into a chemical plant or anything. I was struck by lightning. But that's kind of a thing."

The truth is, Gwen didn't really know. Seven doctors and four highly qualified and highly paid scientists later and no one else did either.

Party's lips formed into what appeared to be a pout, a slight tightening of the lips a vague lowering of his gaze as he began driving back towards where they came from. He was wishing pretty hard that the acid rain in the zones could could give him super powers instead of a shitty immune system and years and years of his life shaved off. Or the constant radiation that littered Zones 2-6, leaving most Killjoys with no choice but to die early. If they didn't get ghosted by draculoids, first.

Why couldn't he just turn into spider man? Gwen got hit by lightning once and Party's been bathing in toxic soup for 8 years and gets nothing. Not fair.

But Gwen is likable and on his side. Party glanced at the rear view mirror, reaching to try and grab the yellow mask he'd thrown in the back of his car.

"Well, tumbleweed, wish I could be you right about now." It was the truth, and he let out a slight grunt of annoyance when he couldn't quite reach his mask. "But I'm definitely glad to potentially have you on my side. Here's a little trick to surviving out there: don't trust anything, don't trust anyone. Not even the food. It's probably laced."

"Someone looks like he just got his favorite toy taken away," she remarked, the trace of a smile on her face. But she knew that look. It was better than shock and terror, but Gwen didn't like seeing it any more. Guess that nerdy fan-boy thing was just an act. She was just about to make some smartass remark about not being contagious--and really, it was going to be quite the quip--when he spoke.

She couldn't hide her surprise. He wished he could be her? "Trust me, babe, you don't." All he saw was the shiny wrapper, the cool superpowers, and probably the sweet leather outfit. All the bells and whistles and none of the thorns. He would.

"I'll keep that in mind." And she would. And Party, sugar bear, that includes you just a little bit. She wouldn't be making any more deals. "So is starving to death part of your plan too?

The fact that Gwen called him 'babe' confused him, and he couldn't help the brief eyebrow raise. Lingo as lingo all over the place, he supposed, and once he finally leaned back far enough to grab his mask he let go of the steering wheel altogether to put it on, shoving his hair out of the way and adjusting it before turning right. They had essentially just gone in a long circle, now pulling up to where Gwen arrived.

"Not starving. Rationing." He jerked a thumb over to the melted can of dog food. "Emergency supplies in the trunk. I've been using that for now. Power Pup is nasty, but at least I know where it comes from. Big cities like this, they'll rip you to shreds if you're not careful. Little things. Drugged water. Laced food. Propaganda. Next comes the thought adjustment tests and the knock-knock-knockin' in your door 'cause your brother hasn't taken their meds."

Again, not one to judge because she'd gotten one too many looks because of the leather thing, not to mention the obvious, but Gwen couldn't help but ask. "What's up with the Phantom of the Opera? Going all secret identity a part of your big plan too?"

There's a slight tone of mocking there, but it's not mean-spirited. She's a little amused, and coupled with this guy's serious paranoia issues, Gwen can't even imagine all the puzzles pieces that need to come together to figure this one out.

They were back where they started, and Gwen was eager to figure out the nooks and crannies of this place. When the car slowed, she didn't move to get out. Yet. It was smart to be cautious. She got that. But his rant shed a lot of light on his whole Beware of the Man campaign, and she just couldn't let it go. "Call me crazy, but something tells me you know a lot about that stuff," she said. "This grassy knoll, conspiracy thing. Am I warm?"

Party wasn't sure what exactly to make of Gwen's comment. Was she making fun of him? Probably, but the redhead's reaction was simply erratic blinking as he tried to figure it out. She didn't seem malicious. Shit, she seemed like one of the few he'd met so far that was actually with it.

"Warm like the fires that wiped Texas off the map," There was a brief half-chuckle that sounded more like Party coughing, though he was nice enough to cover his mouth with the crook of an elbow when the sudden coughing fit got a little too severe.

"Yeah. It's.. a long story. If you're really interested, I'll let you know sometime, Tumbleweed." There it was again--the half-smile--and he tilted his head to the side.

"And just for the record, you're a sneaky type," He guessed and was hoping he guessed right. "You know what it's like to keep your identity a secret."

She . . . actually had nothing to say to that. As far as she knew, Texas was still there. Never been there herself, but she was pretty sure it was doing its cowboy thing. Then again, if L.A went to hell? Who's to say the whole country didn't, the whole world?

She almost thought he was going to tell her for a second after almost coughing up that lung, and there was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, but she let it go.

"Maybe," she conceded, shrugging mysteriously and 100% proving his point. "Depends. If the price is right, sometimes its better to drop the Clark Kent and be . . . " Normal? A freak? A superhero? "Whatever you are."

Maybe? Totally. Party resisted the urge to pat himself on the back. Apparently his intuition hadn't left him, and he was still rocking the gut instinct angle of things.

He tilted his head to the side, taking in what she had to say carefully. Past experiences, maybe? "Hey." And his voice was slightly softer this time, as if he wanted to say something else. Perhaps something different, other then the light shrug.

"You've got a Killjoy on your side. That means guano in your world but over in Battery City? That means a lot. You're gonna be fine, Tumbleweed."

The lingo went right over poor Gwen's head, but she can roll with it. She got the gist, and it wasn't every day someone actually wanted to be on her team. It kind of figured that she'd find the weirdest person she'd ever met--well, human anyway--but that was kind of her style, wasn't it? Freaks attracting freaks. They always found each other in the crowded lunchroom.

"A place like this? Superpowers might actually go a long way." She looked right at him for a quick moment and tugged a little on her gloves, a tic so natural she was hardly aware of it anymore. She put her hand on the handle of the door and twisted it, stepping out and speaking through the open window. Home, sweet home, right? "Longer than a mask and a melted can of dog food, anyway. As long as you've got a freak like me on your side? I think you'll be fine, too."

Those are her last words, Party Poison. Take them or leave them. But her eyes look like they may be considering whether or not she might've found a friend tonight.

The door closed, sending the whole car shaking. Gwen could have gently pushed it and it would have done the same--it's a piece of crap car, but it's Party's home.

Party decided right then and there--it was the look in the eyes--that maybe Gwen was one of the few people he could trust. She had exactly what it took to last out in the zones, after all. Spunk and smarts.

Something came over his face and for a brief flicker of a moment there was an actual smile. Whether it was imagined or not it was hard to tell because Party's jaw was set again, nodding slightly.

"Watch each other's backs, even. I'd offer you a place to stay, but.." he motioned to his car, leaning back in the seat.

"Take care, tumbleweed. Keep your gun close, keep your boots tight, and die with your mask on if you've got to."

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01 | holo | location: sanctuary | ARRIVAL

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

Re: [location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: the streets of Taxon]

[location: sanctuary]

[location: sanctuary]

[location: sanctuary]

[location: sanctuary]

[location: sanctuary]

[location: sanctuary]

[location: sanctuary]