Evening all!

So, anyone out there reading this who are waiting for an update for my Sherlock story Best Intentions, this is the reason there's been a delay. I have, over the last few months, become completely obsessed with My Chemical Romance (have loved them for years, now that love has turn into Completely Crazy About) and the Killjoy universe. This fic is the product of that obsession. Typically for me, its dark, nasty and violent so please don't read this if torture or rape is a problem for you.

So, to my fellow Killjoys (and anyone else!) I really hope you enjoy this fic! :) Please review and let me know what you think :)

Disclaimer: I do not own My Chemical Romance. The Killjoys are not mine. Dammit.

XXX

Burning Star

Chapter One

It was a battle zone.

And it was getting hard to think straight, there was so much noise, so much chaos going on all around them. And for Party Poison, Kobra Kid and the frightened child in between them; this had started out as just another normal, exciting, dangerous day.

It had been Party's idea to go into the town, to leave the safety of the desert for one day, drive into a no-go Zone and find somewhere populated. They had had little choice, they had been miles away from the nearest base, and they had badly needed gas.

"Five minutes," he had told them. "We'll be five minutes. Tops. Get in there, grab whatever we need, then we'll be back out on the road. No time at all. It'll be fine. No one will even notice us."

How was he to know that Dracs rested in that particular town? How was he to know that most of the towners worked for Better Life and were not to be in the slightest bit trusted?

And how was he supposed to fucking know that Korse was so close by?

Because Party was the leader, that was why. He had led them there. This was all his fault.

While Jet and Ghoul had moved off to find somewhere selling gas; Party, Kobra and Grace had gone further into the small town, hoping to trade some supplies, and maybe even find some assistance. That was how it had gone down so many times before for them, like in the stories from so long ago. They went into town, keep their heads down, made new friends, even found new supporters for their cause. Not this town though.

Party had been put on edge immediately by the attention they had attracted. He had gripped the girl's hand hard, and had told Kobra not to stick around, to just stock up on food and whatever the hell else they needed, and then to get the fuck out before something terrible happened.

But it was already too late. No. It had been too late from the moment that they had stepped into that damned place.

The Dracs had come out of nowhere, as they tended to do. There were so many of them, coming from every direction - shouts, screams and gun shots everywhere. Kobra and Poison had fought their way out of the store, protecting their young friend and taking down a few Dracs along the way but they had soon realized that there were just too many of them. They were out-numbered and out-gunned and, in that moment, unable to warn the others or request help. They only had one option left open to them, and Party had screamed just one instruction:

"Run!"

And they had run, as quickly as they could, the three of them, darting between explosions and stray ray beams. The Dracs were right behind them, yelling instructions for them to stop or die; as if they'd take notice of some lowly Drac. Party had paused, turned, and blasted the leading Drac in the face. Good; he wouldn't open his fucking mouth again. A burning beam narrowly skimmed Party's arm and he swore loudly. A crazy thought had hit him then, the thought of just how much it would hurt to be struck full in the chest by one of those things.

He planned to never find out.

He looked over at Kid. The younger man was staring straight ahead, breathing hard, but matching Party stride for stride. Together, they pulled their young friend along with them, her curly hair blowing out behind her. She was tired, and scared. But she kept running. When he had told her just to run and not look back, she had listened.

And now, all they could do was run. He had no clever back up plan, no way out of this.

Run. That was all they could do.

"We've got to get out of the open!" Kobra suddenly called across to Party.

Poison gave him a withering look.

Point out the fucking obvious, Kid.

Instead of responding, Party looked back over his shoulder. They were still gaining. They had to think of something, otherwise it would only be a matter of time before they were cut down. On this occasion, they really couldn't go on running forever.

That's when he saw it: the wall, somewhere they could get some cover, just for a moment. Perfect.

Party sprang forward, grabbing Grace and Kobra by their arms, and pulled them to their right, in the direction of the wall. He flung them behind it and the three of them knelt there together, trying to catch their breaths.

Party stared at the Grace, his breathing sore and painful. He could see she would have trouble moving another step. She was exhausted. Grace stared up at him with large, expressive eyes and he knew - she needed a rest.

"Sweetheart," he told her, handing her his ray gun. "You keep an eye out for us, yeah?"

She nodded, her eyes growing ever larger in awe as she regarded him as if he was some kind of fucking hero.

He was no hero.

"Good girl," he told her, allowing her a small smile. He glanced back towards the enemy, but they seemed to have stilled also.

He turned his attention to Kobra.

"Where are the others?" He hissed.

"I tried to call Ghoul from the store when that first Drac appeared, but the communicator was out," Kobra replied, and he pulled out the device again, looking at it, willing it to light up. It was no use, the thing was dead. He smacked it in his frustration. "I don't know what to do, Party. We have no way of even knowing whether the other guys are still alive. We don't even fucking know if Jet found some fucking gas. If he didn't, well, we're fucking stuck in this shit hole then, aren't we?"

Despite their situation, Party actually smirked at that. Typical Kid. At that moment, the car was the least of their worries.

"It'll be okay, Kobra," Party tried to reassure him. By the look the Kid gave him, he hadn't sounded very convincing. Party sighed. "Look, you're right, we gotta get out of the open, we're sitting ducks like this." He glanced over the wall again. "They must be awaiting orders, like the good little drones they are. Can't use their own fucking brains, cos they don't have them." He saw Kobra raise an eyebrow and he understood. Now was not the time. "We need time to regroup," he offered; "And we need to figure out a way to get out of this, and contact Ghoul, Jet and the Doc. If we can."

"The Doc isn't broadcasting here. Too built up. We know that."

Now, Party felt anger sweeping through him. "I fucking know that, Kid, but if we don't find a way to fucking get ahold of him, and get ourselves some reinforcements, we are going to fucking die out here!"

The girl let out a low sob. Party glanced down at her, instantly regretted his stupid words, and placed a protective arm around her shoulder. He then, calmer now, looked back towards the Kid.

"We need some place to hide, just for a short stay." He said, more quietly. "We need to catch our breaths, and Grace needs to get the fuck off of her feet."

Kobra frowned. They needed a plan. He needed to see what their options were. He edged his way carefully along the wall, and leaned out. A shot narrowly missed him. He yelped and jumped back.

"Jesus, M-" Party began, grabbing for Kobra but then, he caught himself.

Kobra blinked.

Party swallowed. He had nearly said a name. A name he hadn't mentioned for a long time.

Where had that come from? He knew better than that.

"Fucking hell, Kid," Party tried again, quietly. "Be careful, will you?"

Kobra nodded, watching Party closely for a moment. He then took a deep breath, and looked out again. This time, he was able to see that, only a few metres away, there was a small building. Perhaps it had once been another store? Whatever it was, it looked abandoned now. He looked back towards the smoke and fire, and saw once again that the Dracs were moving forward. They'd obviously received their orders, which could mean only one thing: Exterminator Korse was on his way. And now, they really had run out of time.

Kobra pulled himself back behind the wall, and then turned back to Party and Grace, who were sitting down on the ground beside him.

"You okay?" Party enquired urgently.

"'Course," came the blunt reply.

"So, anything?" The other man continued, his patience clearly non-existent. Kobra couldn't blame him. Time was not on their side.

"There's a building, directly ahead of us. Only a few metres away. We can make a break for it. If we barricade the door or something, we could give ourselves a shot."

Party was dubious. "Yeah? A shot at what?"

Kobra pursed his lips together. "A shot at surviving here a little bit longer than if we stay stuck behind this fucking wall. They're moving slowly, Party, and that means they are not coming at us all guns blazing any more. Either they are terrified of you, me and Grace, or they want to take us, or her, alive. I think we can guess which is more likely. Either way, I don't wanna find out." He lowered his voice, making his way back to the edge of the wall that was still serving as their only protection. "Anyway, you know what this will mean: Korse knows we're here. He won't pass this opportunity up. He'll be coming for us."

A defiant look spread across Party's features.

"Oh Yeah? Let him."

Kobra glared at that. "It's not a fucking joke, Party. It's not a game. He'll kill us. All of us."

"I know that."

"Start taking this seriously then, could you?"

Party's face darkened. "You think I'm not?"

Kobra rolled his eyes. "Sometimes, I just don't know with you. I really don't."

"This isn't exactly my idea of fun, Kid."

"Stop fucking calling me Kid, you know I hate that -"

"Stop fucking acting like one, then!"

"Guys." A weary little voice spoke up, silencing them both. "We need to move."

They were both quietened, and shamed, by her delicate tones. Kobra and Party, glanced away from each other, embarrassed by their silly and completely unnecessary fight, and both looked out together over their wall. They saw that the Dracs were indeed moving forward again, in a formation, their guns at the ready... But they were not attempting to open fire.

Kobra tapped Party on the arm gently. "So, that was my plan. You got any better ideas?"

Party jerked his head. "No."

Kobra took hold of the Grace's arm, hurling her up. "Right, so, the store it is then?"

Party gave him a grim smile. "Store sounds good to me."

His gun at the ready, Party looked toward the others and mouthed. "After three, move."

He counted with his fingers, and then yelled, as loud as he could; "Go now! GO!"

He called for Grace to move and she did so, scampering ahead of them. They covered her, firing at the army of Dracs behind them, who were now charging forward. A Drac tried to take aim at the child and Party, swearing, opened fire and the bastard was put down. The two Killjoys ran, following right behind Grace. They had to keep her safe, get her back to the Doctor in one piece. That's all they could concentrate on. She had trusted them, Party in particular, and he would not let her down. He had given her hope when she had had none, given her something to live for. He owed it to her now to see her okay. That was all there was to do. Keep running, never look back. Keep fighting. What else was there for them? Kobra and Party turned and tore along behind Grace, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, as they raced towards the small buildings' entrance. Finally, they arrived. Party pulled at the door handle and swore loudly. It was locked. He could hear the Dracs ever gaining on them. He didn't hesitate. He kicked the door in and threw it open.

The three of them rushed in, Grace leading the way. Party slammed the now broken door behind them. He looked around hurriedly, and saw a heavy table over by the far wall.

He gestured to Kobra.

"Help me."

Together, they pushed the table up against the door, creating a temporary barricade.

"It'll do for now," Party noted.

"That won't hold." Kobra snapped.

Party clearly wanted to hit him. "I know."

Kobra quickly scanned the room. They had blocked the only exit. No way out. "You just had to kick the door down."

Party glowered at him. "Didn't see you holding a fucking key."

They glared at each other, both realising their situation was hopeless.

Kobra gestured with his arms. "So, what do we do now?"

Party said nothing.

What could he say? He had no answers.

They all jumped when they heard a banging coming from the doorway. The Dracs outside were trying to force their way in.

Party went straight back into action mode. "Okay, we have exactly as much time that it takes for those fucking losers outside to realise that they can use their ray guns to blast down the door, and blow it, and us, away." He considered. "Or we have until Korse arrives, basically. We gotta think now, and fast."

They looked at each other, breathing hard, both men trying desperately to think of a way to survive this. Party looked away first, glancing toward Grace. She stared back, open mouthed. Party nodded to her, hoping he could keep her calm. She had been so amazing so far, the calmest of all three of them. As he gazed at her, his eyes were drawn to a small beam of light just above her head, from the wall. He stared stupidly at it for a moment, and then his eyes widened. Sun light - he could see sunlight.

Which meant...

He rushed forward, towards where an old style cabinet had been placed, he now assumed for protection. He shoved at it, using all his strength to push the heavy item of furniture to one side, revealing a window. A small window, but a way out nonetheless.

He looked quickly towards Kobra, his eyes sparkling.

"Fucking hell," Kobra said, not sure what else to say. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Thank fuck for that."

Party was already moving into action.

He stood by the window. "Here. You can both get through this. It's a big enough space."

Kobra felt the hope that had suddenly sparked up deep inside of him begin to die just as quickly as it had appeared. Realisation dawned on him. He shook his head. "It's no good. They'll see us, even we can't run that fast." He started violently when there was another loud crash from the doorway. "We'll be easy targets, running blindly." He bit his lip. "And I don't think Dracs would have any problem with shooting us in the back, Party."

"They won't get the chance. You'll be well out of range before they get the chance to fire a shot." Party's face was set, and his eyes were cold.

He would take no arguments.

Kobra was flustered. "We'll have a matter of seconds. How far can we get in a few seconds?"

Party glanced away from Kobra.

"You're not getting it."

Kobra frowned.

"Getting what?"

"You and Grace need to go, now."

Kobra actually snorted. "Oh yeah, okay. And what about you? You'll be running behind us, we won't be able to offer you any cover. They'll cut you down, then come after us..."

"I won't be running."

"What?"

"Not if I hold them off from in here."

Kobra blinked.

What had he just said? What the fuck was this?

Out loud, Kobra said, "Sorry?"

Grace cleared her throat. "But you can't fight them all by yourself, Party" she said, matter-of-factly.

"Don't worry, Gracie." Kobra snapped at once. "We must have heard him wrong. He wouldn't be that stupid."

Party pursed his lips together and tightened his hold on his gun. "You heard me right."

"I don't think I fucking did."

Party grimaced. "Don't fight me now, Kobra. Not on this." Suddenly, he struck out with his gun, missing Kobra by a hairs length, and smashing the window just behind where the younger man was standing.

The sounds from outside stopped abruptly.

That's when they heard his voice.

"They are trying to find another route out of there!"

Korse.

"Move back, all of you. Get in line and when I give the word, fire."

They exchanged resigned looks.

"Times up," Party muttered. "Go."

"No – fucking– way."

"You have to. For her sake."

"I said no."

Party shoved him but Kobra held his ground.

The older man let out an exasperated sigh. "We have only seconds left. Please, Kobra. Take Grace and get the Hell out of here!"

Kobra crossed his arms, but his expression gave him away. He knew there was no other choice. But it was killing him to have to do this. So, like everything, he would fight it. "I'm not fucking leaving you here alone. Korse is out there! He'll kill you."

The other man shrugged. "Maybe. But I can try to hold him and his scum army off while you and Grace get away.

Kobra was agonising. How could he do this? How could Party expect him to make this decision?

"Don't make me go without you," he whispered. He knew he sounded weak, like a loser, but he couldn't help it.

Stay together. That had been their mom's last words to them as she had told them to run and keep running. Just always stay together.

They heard Korse's hated voice again.

"Blasters on full power. Now, together! Fire on my order."

Party suddenly moved, picking Grace up and holding her close to him, while keeping his eye on the devastated Kobra.

Grace closed her eyes and laid her head against Party's chest. "You'll follow us," she said softly. "Right?"

He hugged her and kissed her cheek. Then, he put Grace back down on the ground and stepped closer to Kobra. "Last chance. You have to go now, or it will be all be for fucking nothing anyway. Please. Go."

Kobra was fighting to keep control. He hurled up Grace, who was now in tears, very aware herself of exactly what was unfolding for them all, and Kobra prepared to pass her through the gap first. He had no other option. They had no other option. And he knew it.

He could no longer stop himself. Party's rule to always use their nicknames, never their real names, didn't matter any more.

"Gerard..."

Party froze. He had to catch himself. He gaped at Kobra. He leaned forward then, smiled a tearful, pained smile and grasped his younger brother's shoulder tightly.

"It's the only way, Mikey."

Kobra knew he was right.

Swallowing hard, he turned away from his brother, his face stern and determined, and he helped the girl through the now broken window, careful not to cut her on the shards of glass. She whimpered softly and then fell out of his grasp, landing on the sand outside with a grunt. And then, Grace waited, glancing with concern over her shoulder.

Noting that Grace was okay, Kobra then turned one final time to his brother.

"Thanks." He said, simply.

Party shook his head. "Don't mention it."

"AIM!" Came the shout from outside.

Kobra found himself grinning, despite the desire he had not to go through with this. He wanted to close his eyes, go far away and cling to his big brother, never having to let him go... But that was a fairytale.

He took a deep breath. "I'll see you, man."

Party nodded, and then watched as his brother climbed out of the window. The older winced as he saw the other cut himself quite badly on the glass, and then jump the rest of the way down. Kobra landed carefully, grabbed Grace's hand and ran, dragging the unhappy girl along with him. He didn't look back.

"FIRE!"

Party gazed at them, following their progress, his heart growing ever heavier. He felt empty. Suddenly, the sound of a huge explosion ripped through the small room, and Party didn't have to see to know that his barricade had been destroyed, along with much of the opposite wall. He spun round, gun ready, and his hand as steady as ever. A Drac appeared through the hazy smoke and Party yelled in outrage, hoping to panic the drone. It worked. The drone had not expected the Killjoy to still be in the room and lowered his gun in surprise. Party got an easy shot off and the Drac fell. Drone after drone came into his range and he blasted away, watching with satisfaction as he cut down enemy after enemy. Thanks to the blast, the Dracs that had been nearest the door, and therefore the first in range, were disorientated. Before they were even aware of what was happening, they were dead.

Party couldn't afford himself a glance to see how Kobra and Grace were faring. He just prayed he could give them long enough.

He kept up a good fight but knew he was tiring fast, plus, to his misery, even more Dracs were entering the small room, one after another, they just kept on coming. There were just too many for him to kill, until, finally, he was surrounded, his back to Kobra and Grace's escape route.. He pointed his ray gun at each Drac in turn, deciding which one would have the honour of being his last victim, before they were given the order to fire and it would all be over for Party Poison.

"What's the matter, boys?" He drawled, his lip twitching. "You scared?"

One rushed forward and struck Party hard across the face, knocking him back. He swore as his gun was then wrenched out of his grasp. He tried to resist, but was pinned against the wall. He couldn't move a muscle. All he could do was glare daggers at his aggressors.

"Ten against one?" He snarled. "You BLI bastards can't play fair, can you?"

"Well, well. Party Poison, I assume?"

Party tried to twist his head in the direction of the voice. He couldn't help but shiver from the feeling of dread that had suddenly seized him as he watched Korse stride confidently into the room, and move easily towards him.

Party tried his best not to tremble as the Exterminator held his gun up against the side of the captured Killjoy's head, tilted his own head slightly, and smiled nastily.

"It's an honour to meet you finally, Gerard Way."

TBC