I still think of the bombs they built...

It was the end of the world,or something like it. I got lost in their desert, a world where truth exists hidden in the ever-present dust, and where self expression is lost or hard-won. I wanted to see myself there rather than here, which at times in itself is a veritable hell. It was a world of secrets and comrades, of vibrant colors and stark white, where the only certainties were life-long death or extermination; and in this land where unsung heroes masqueraded the wastes in identity-concealing masks and pseudonyms, I pictured myself free.

I liked imagining myself in that world-- despite it's macabre nature, as a painted freedom fighter, sticking to my guns and my morals come hell or high water (more often the former, climate considered). I wanted to picture my friends there as well, with me as I knew they would be- Pen and Cass, DtK, Kami-chan, and the others.

Once we had assembled we would be unstoppable. I imagine how things would play out...

I can see Pen as our primary tactician, Cass as his equally logical, and quick-witted (not to mention sharp-tongued) female counter-balance. They would keep us moving through the zones- below the radar, tucked away in whatever hole we could find. They would help us fulfill the Zones' single edict: keep running.

Then, Juice and his LadyFriend, I suppose. They would handle domestics of course, as we all would. But bearing the rare gift of music, he would also play for us well into the night, and she would sing out our lives in melodies as we drifted off into sleep. That in itself is more precious than gold, I would guess, in a world where creation and expression are subversive, dangerous, acts of rebellion.

But after all, Art is the weapon- and we are the dreamers of dreams.

Which brings me to DtK-- our lover of all things that go "boom" in the desert. The Jack-of-all-trades of the group to be sure, I can't picture that life without him. I expect his affinity for the unstable and chemically hazardous would be an asset to us as we marauded the brush and vast, open expanse. I see him making quick work of covering our tracks, and also of tending our wounds, given his extensive medical knowledge. Always ready with a smile and a joke, he'd be one hell of a traveling companion.

And then there's Kami-chan. He'd no doubt hold us together then as he does now-- the heart of the group and fearless little dictator. Inasmuch as I can tame morale, he has persuasion in spades over me, which he does with that too-innocent smile of his,or did. I suppose we'd follow that kid into the fire, if only to keep his ass safe.

We'd all risk life and limb if need be for our brothers and sisters in arms. That's what I'd like to believe anyway.

Losing any of them would be unbearable, but the days we lived and fought-- I know those would be the greatest days I had ever experienced.