Lemon Diesel

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Joy woke with aching bones, her vision now cleared from the bright flash of what she could remember as being an explosive. Her body hurt, even just breathing, with dull aches.

"My eyebrows," she mumbled dryly after a couple of seconds, throat raspy.

"You literally just woke up in Recovery from nearly being blown to pieces," a honeyed Kenyan accent snorted from somewhere else in the room. Fingers fumbled at her forehead, feeling the ridge above her eyes. Relief washed over her from hair to toe- they were intact. Blinking a few times, the girl sat up slowly, shaking her head lightly as the room seemed to spin.

"You don't understand," she licked her lips, wheezing softly as she tried out each limb and looked over herself. Joy was dressed in nothing more than her jeans and grey t shirt, singed holes showing reddened skin where the fire seemed to have caught on the fabric. Her boots were still on- hardly, though. One was covered in electrical tape and held together by gorilla glue. Voice rough with disuse, the short haired girl gave a dry chuckle, "Can't let all this," she gestured to her disastrous appearance with a pause to keep herself from vomiting, "Go to waste."

"That was a hard hit," the voice spoke again. Joy followed it to the dark skinned man who was leaning against the counter across the room from her. It was once a hospital wing for a county jail, before the world kind-of ended. Now, they used it as a makeshift recovery ward for those who were injured.

Bones was shaking his head in mock disappointment, slender arms crossed, broad shoulders slumped forward in slight relief. Joy could only stand and slowly regain her senses and feeling. The table she was laying on was hard and left her limbs numb.

"Where are the others?" She turned fervent eyes to him as her last waking moments were replayed. Gunshots on the border led their patrol to an open fence- a hole had been torn through it. Like ants, the anarchists had swarmed through and started firing on whoever they could see. It wasn't a matter of if they would be injured, but when.

The last thing I remember was the explosion. She thought after a moment. So where is everyone else? If I made it back here, perhaps they did too.

Bones didn't answer, instead opting to fill in the muddy gaps of her memory.

Between the patrols, a hole had been blown through one of their makeshift walls, made from steel scraps and wooden beams. By the time Joy's patrol had arrived, the firing had long since started and through the haze, five fell to the bullets alone. It was remarked that they had been far past lucky that they had been able to fight them off. It wasn't until the anarchists- a clan by the name of Copperheads, had scrambled for and made away on patchwork four wheelers, hollering, leaving their dead to rot. It was messy and short, nothing honorable, and left most shaken.

After a few minutes, Bones handed her the battery acid blue motocross jacket that flashed her emblem in stark black outlines on the back along with her shoulder holsters and belt. On top of the pile lay her mask, thick plastic to hide her eyes and cheekbones.

"They didn't make it, then," Joy sighed, letting the tall man help her into her gear begrudgingly. The waves of pain had not yet ebbed. "How long have I been out for?"

I shouldn't have led them to the fight, not if it meant this many dead. Hot guilt numbed the edge of the ache in her body. Not if it meant any dead.

"Well, luckily," Bones replied, straightening the straps along her shoulders and back, "You woke up just in time for the pyre. And a rather special announcement. I suggest attending the funeral first, though," he sighed, shaking the jacket onto her shoulders as the girl winced.

"Who else is in Recovery? She asked. Walls had been constructed when they moved in to secure a little more privacy.

"Lucky C- and before you ask, no," he shot a firm look at the short girl, whose eyes turned hard with ice, "You can't see him. He's fine. He needs rest, not your influence."

"Who says I'm any kind of influence?" She snorted as she slowly walked to the steel door that separated the white wing from the rest of the grainy building.

"You don't remember the rooftop streaking session you had after breaking your leg- oh right you don't, considering the two of you ended up blackout drunk," Bones shook his head, opening the door from behind her as they walked out into the grey hall, "Or, let's recall, the snake and watermelon incident." he recounted, earning a scrunched face of displeasure from her as they made their way down the main hallway that separated most of the pods, headed towards the courtyard that created the enormous circular design of the compound. It was there that the towering white walls reflected the sun, creating a massive common area outside that was bright even on cloudy days.

It was here that a guard tower had been assembled as a place of announcement for Phantom, and even Joy and Bones, when the occasion was needed. It overlooked the courtyard, and if one was looking out over the building, the far off horizon was lost to hazy skyscrapers. Phantom preferred the small space most days, pacing and writing, often calling out to one or two others to deliver things or ask questions.

Now, as they made their way onto the hot cement, the purple haired woman was standing out on the ledge that jutted almost dangerously from the structure, seeming to have already given her speech. Towards the center of the crowd of easily fifty words were being shared in soft murmurs. Her electric blue mask was tugged snugly back over her face, almost resembling a sharp beak that extended from her nose. Looking back, she noticed Bones had his mask, stark white and made to resemble the top half of a skull.

"We are gathered here to remember our dead," Phantom announced softly, but firmly, her tall figure straight as she rested her hands on the twisted metal railing, "But to welcome new life. As we all know, the Copperheads are not backing down. They will not. Slowly, while our numbers dwindle, theirs grow."

Icy silence, despite the gold-red hue reflected off of the Texas sun, settled through the large group. From Joy's position, she could not see the dead laid out and covered, surrounded by kindling. What she could see, however, were Cherry and Bombay flanking a rather messy head of bright hair. Someone new, she assumed.

Nobody thought it would be good to tell me or ask me, huh? Joy thought bitterly, before remembering that she had been in Recovery, from what she could tell, for a few days. It wasn't their fault that she had not been consulted, and why would they have anyways? She lead five of them to their death. Still, irritation prickled uncomfortably in her fingertips.

"The Exos have always fought to bring what we think is right to the rest of the world. We've preserved our old ways, before the fall, and with the Rise. When we crawled out of the ashes, this is what we worked for. This City of Flint, when we found it, was little more than a wasteland. But what we made was a home, and we fight to keep it every day that we have the chance to draw our breath."

"Now the Copperheads threaten that more than ever, and with our numbers being reduced so drastically, we must prepare and train harder and harder to keep what is rightfully ours. In ordinance with that, we will welcome an outsider, not anarchist nor rogue, but someone who is curious about us and our ways. Someone who is willing to fight alongside us."

Through this, Joy glanced back at Bones quizzically, an air of confusion gracing her features.

Bending forward to speak in her ear, Bones remarked quietly, "Spade had to coach her on how to say it without pissing the others off."

Lovely. Joy tapped a couple of fingers over her mouth in thought, doing her best to keep a promising air of acceptance about her as Phantom's words drew murmurs of surprise and hisses of conversation. Eyes shifted between the neon blue girl and the one with purple hair, but no challengers spoke up. Smart.

"It's a good thing too," she murmured to her side to the taller dark male.

"Lemon Diesel will be joining us and will be training with us over the next week. After that, we will see how they have settled. Should concerns arise, I wish them to be brought to me, or to Joy, or Bones. If none of us are present feel free to inquire with Cherry, Bombay, or Radio. As it stands, we have much to discuss. The pyre will start in two hours," Phantom gave a closed smile that seemed to portray an insincere assurance.

"Lemon Diesel?" Bones snorted softly as he crossed his arms. The crowd had seemed to disperse quickly, with people buzzing back and forth, cautious looks passed around as tension grew. A heartbeat seemed to pound through the masses, and Joy felt herself exhaling after a pause.

Shaking her head, Joy wiped the sweat from her palms on her jeans, feeling them drifting towards the guard tower, "Don't laugh, Bones," she enunciated his name venomously, a smile curling the edges of her mouth, "Edgy."

"I was thirteen!" He groaned as they pushed past a couple people and started up the thin stairs, gripping the metal railing.

"Knew you two would be up here," Phantom laughed hollowly as they emerged on the platform, sauntering inside. Radio had perched on Phantom's desk, and in the corner stood Cherry and Bombay, still flanking neon yellow hair. With a bit of surprise, she noted the newcomer was about as short as her. Spade was setting the papers on Phantom's desk, brushing the mud off of it from where it fell from Radio's boots. Unease was still itching in Joy's chest as she noted that while the small area was crowded, the guard tower did not hold the neon green spike of color that she was so used to.

What had happened to him? Bones didn't let me see...

"Welcome back J," Radio piped up, her nimble fingers idly braiding a few strands of spare wire. Red hair was pushed back into two low pigtails, a trapper hat settled over her head with the sides up.

"Thanks Radio," Joy yawned softly, still a bit groggy and achy from waking up after, you know, an explosion.

Trodding to the desk that was situated at the far end wall, covered in maps and papers, Joy leaned against the wall, avoiding the nail and pins that held up most of the charts and surveys.

Bones took his stand beside Phantom, and silence settled over the group before Phantom spoke.

"Well, there isn't a whole lot I can say. This is Lemon," Phantom gestured to the short, rather eager looking... person. Joy didn't want to say whether they were one gender or another and get it wrong. Subconsciously she wrinkled her nose as a stab of unease gripped her chest.

Half-given waves were passed around. Joy didn't raise her hand, opting to look the person over with the hope to judge their character. There wasn't a whole lot.

"So what's next?" Lemon finally spoke. Their voice was a little higher pitched, but had subtle tones of depth that landed it in a range of different tones as they spoke.

"Well," Phantom began, closing the door behind her, effectively cutting off the bright glare of gold that was quickly fading, "It wasn't exactly well-met but I think you'll do fine here. Next is assigning you to someone who will overlook your integration. Lucky C is still in Recovery, Radio is too young- so is Cherry for that matter. Bombay... eh," the purple haired girl gave an apologetic look before shrugging her shoulders, "Bones runs Recovery, you won't be of much use there." Joy could see the eagerness in Bombay die a little- perhaps she had been wanting to train this person for a good minute? There were still details to be spoken about. Now, the blue haired girl turned her eyes to Phantom, slight anticipation making her chest itch.

Her pale grey eyes fixated on Joy, and the sinking of her stomach sent every aching joint igniting into a napalm frenzy. Standing still, she met Phantom's eyes with an equal gaze, but didn't speak out against it. It would contradict their leader- and she was more than fair in her decision. With a soft sigh, she nodded, the exchange lasting no longer than a few seconds.

Besides, it would be a fair punishment if anything else, after that mess... The familiar sinking in her limbs drifted back into place as a different kind of grief

"Joy will watch over Lemon Diesel," Phantom decided, before glancing about and raising her hand, "Those in favor?"

Despite her unwillingness, the blue haired girl was happy to see that she had the support of most, exempting Spade and Bombay, who looked put-out at the situation. A small sigh of relief passed around as Phantom nodded her consent, and the hands dropped.

"Joy, huh?" Lemon Diesel nodded at the girl- who wasn't much of a girl anymore. The last few years being in the city and fighting to scrape by had left her muscles hardened and eyes narrowed, child-like fat burned away. Now she was lean, arms crossed, eyes constantly calculating.

"That's right," Joy nodded, the previous light-hearted air in her voice having gone.

If they think I'm gonna be just as soft as everyone else around here... We have kids to protect- part of the Great Eight or not. Her eyes flickered towards Radio and Cherry.

"We'll start tomorrow morning. There is a pyre to be had, and more to discuss," she dismissed the yellow person of questionable pronouns with a slight wave of her hand, shaking her head, "Besides, I've just come out of Recovery. As eager as you seem to be, I would sooner launch myself off a building."

Bones shot her a look across the room, his own arms crossed.

Too harsh?

Although Lemon looked a bit put off, they shrugged and leaned against the table that sat against a cabinet, "That's fine. Spade warned me it might be a little while before things went smoothly anyways. You people don't trust very well." They stated bluntly. An awkward air tensed at her words, and Radio's talkie went off before she and Cherry quickly exited the cramped space, excusing themselves.

Phantom simply watched, her eyes sliding over the group.

"Well, Lucky C won't be out for a couple of days and until then, we need to figure out were to go from here," Bones sighed, raising his eyebrows, "Assuming that everyone knows who everyone is, we should move forward with evening training before wrapping it up early."

"Who are you to be giving orders like that?" Spade tipped his head to the side, brown hair spilling over as he stared the young doctor down.

"Bones is right," Phantom interjected before anyone else could open their mouths- several had their lips parted angrily, "We don't need an argument to break out now. Especially not with you, Spade."

Standing properly, the tall lanky male strode out without another word, shutting the door abruptly behind him as he left. Now, the five that remained looked between one another for a long moment.

"He's upset that he wasn't chosen to train me, because he feels he learned in the same way that I will have to, and has the best chance at properly conveying the information," Lemon spoke again. Though their voice could have been energetic, their face was deadpanned and quiet with emotion. Joy felt her skin crawl at the fact that no matter how many times she watched the newcomer's face, there was nothing there to read besides shallow expression.

"Either way, Bones was right, and I've made a couple of final decisions. Joy, you need to go show Lemon around while I think. Bombay," she addressed the woman who had not said much since they began, "I need to speak with you privately. Bones, make sure you make your rounds with the pyre tonight, you know what to do."

Palms still damp, Joy took a breath and passed Bombay on the way out, giving her an assuring look. Though the blue haired Exo didn't quite know what was happening, the pasty tone to the pipe-bomb-builder's face and vacant smile had her wondering if it was possibly sickness. Brushing it off as a matter to leave with Phantom, Joy waved Bones out with her, and the three set off down the tower and back into the compound.

"You've been out for two days since the fight, we've so far only had two morning, two afternoon, and two evening training sessions taking place," Bones rattled off as he followed the two. Lemon was quiet in an unsettling way. Even Spade, with his lanky hair and sharp facial expressions, was a bit more talkative than this when he was first introduced.

"I want them stepped up to five sessions a day and two a night, staggered between days with every third for rest," she responded tightly, chewing on her lip. It would push them to their limits, but the sparring once or twice a day wasn't cutting it. If she could just push them to train a little harder, a little more, perhaps it would prove that they were working towards something better.

"If you don't mind my input," Lemon piped up, their lips parting and pausing for a second, "Why not train in different locations? Make it a bit more varied so that you'd be better equipped?"

Slowing, Joy silently cursed herself. Why couldn't I have thought about that?

"It's a good observation," she admitted, almost begrudgingly, "But for now we're just going to take a look around. Where all have you been?" Joy looked at Lemon, then at Bones, who gave her a shrug.

"Phantom took me to the main courtyard, Recovery wing, I've been in the Lower Solitary where they held everyone they caught... The Commons inside, where the training is held and others can socialize. I think that's it," they nodded, ticking the locations off on their fingers.

"Great, then we can start and end with the Pods, since they're all that's left," Joy pushed her hands into her pockets and yawned softly as they walked. Bones broke away at the sight of teary faces, grief pooling from those closest to the ones who were lost.

The Pods, as she came to show the yellow-headed newbie, were the community cells once used to house inmates. Now, groups shard the small areas and cells as a place of comfort and sleep. Each cell, though open faced to the smaller common area, held some sort of symbol or sign that alerted the others of who the space belonged to. Once they tied off a yellow bandanna to the frame of the one Lemon was to be using, Joy helped them set up the small cell to be more comfortable.

Taking a moment to breathe once Joy left Lemon to her own devices, she leaned against the wall outside the lower level pods and slowly rubbed her fingertips into the aching muscles of her arms and legs. The ground seemed to swim, but she pushed it off as her mind playing tricks on her.

"Joy?"

What now?

"Yes?" She looked up to see Bombay slowly walking towards her.

"Phantom and I talked, and she thought it would be better for me to tell you," she shrugged, leaning against the wall of the hall. It was mostly empty here, the bulk of people having turned in for the night or out on various patrols, if not sharing stories down at the courtyard.

"Nobody wants you to think that you leading your patrol to the fight was what killed them. It wasn't you at all, if anything," she sighed softly, brushing her hair from her eyes, briefly parting her straight bangs, "It was my fault."

Her fault? Little Bombay? Ticky time bomb extraordinaire?

Apparently her confusion was evident, and Bombay continued, shrugging bleakly, shoulders sagging.

"There were a group of Copperheads trying to rig up the wall to bring part of it down, but I think they were kids, didn't really have much to work with anyways. I gave them fair warning and they didn't take it, and ended up misjudging my aim when I sent over an explosive. It was my fault the hole in the wall even exists, it was how they ended up getting in."

"By the time you reached us with your patrol, I pretty much lit the place up like a Christmas tree. Their backup had already come in. It was kind of..." She couldn't finish, voice wavering softly as she shrugged again and shook her head. Joy didn't have to look to know that there were tears welling up in her eyes, or hear Bombay finish to know what she was going to say next.

A trap.

Warm relief and icy guilt tumbled in Joy's chest as she drew in a tight breath and gave a soft shake of her head, "No, no, they knew what they were doing when they started poking around our border wall. That and every Exo here knows what they signed up for. We've tried to talk to the Copperheads, they won't listen. This is how it's got to be."

Finally, she looked over at the younger girl and could swear her own heart broke at the sight.

She's blaming herself. We're all blaming ourselves.

Gently, she tugged Bombay into her arms from the wall, holding her firmly to her chest. The girl was hardly nineteen, losing everyone she loved before falling into their group and becoming a close friend, almost like a sister. It was a lot to handle in the course of a few years, and there were still things happening all around them that were hardly in their control.

"It's nobody's fault," Joy murmured, hot tears stinging her own eyes in a bit of surprise. Bombay wrapped her arms around her torso, and they stood like that for awhile.

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