Chapter Text
Zanka should really be in bed.
He knows that. He knows he isn’t of any use to the other Cleaners like this, but he can’t stand sitting still for so long. Which is why when Enjin and Riyo mention a trip into the city, Zanka comes very close to begging to accompany them. Enjin agreed—he was very entertained by Zanka’s display—but Zanka is to stick near him and stay quiet. Can’t risk the Raiders, or any other ill-intentioned persons, starting a fight with an injured Cleaner. Begrudgingly, Zanka assented.
Though he’s still semi-confident in his abilities, his fight with Jabber left him with more than just a seed of doubt. His toxins haven’t completely left his system yet, so he’s still a bit loopy, as Enjin put it. Really bad idea to get caught out alone… even if it means being babysat.
The car rolls to a stop outside some cheap burger joint. Zanka sits upright where he slumps against the window, lifting a brow. “I thought we were topping off on meds,” he mutters and steps out of the car, leaning slightly against Lovely Assistaff for support. Most of the pain is gone, but he’s now dealing with numbness in his calf where Jabber got his lucky hit, and he really doesn’t want to fall on his ass in front of Enjin.
“You think we’d let you come if that was all we were doing?” Enjin snorts. “Nah. Took Rudo here after I found him. Figured it’d be a nice trip down memory lane, even if Rudo couldn’t come along,” he shrugs with one shoulder. “I’m sure we can bring something back to him, though. Kid deserves a treat."
Zanka narrows his eyes. “Fine. I’ll wait outside for you two. The air out here is certainly much better than the air in there,” he says, following Enjin and Riyo up to the door. He leans against the wall beside it and crosses his arms, holding Assistaff in the bend of his arm. Enjin gives him a look. “I’m not a child. I’ll be fine for the few minutes it takes you to order.”
Enjin pokes him with Umbreaker skeptically. “Alright. But we had a deal, Zanka. If you get caught up in some shit, I’m not taking the blame,” he says and swings Umbreaker around to rest against his shoulder. Zanka sighs through his nose and nods. The door opens and closes and Zanka eventually decides to sit at one of the outdoor tables to take the strain off of his leg.
Riyo looks over the menu while they wait in line behind one. Zanka’s eyes don’t leave Enjin. He wonders what Enjin thinks of him now. Maybe he knows Zanka is weak. Maybe he knows that, had Jabber picked anyone else, they would’ve left still standing. Zanka’s lips twitch into a grimace. He crosses his arms on the table and almost slams his head into them. He closes his eyes.
Zanka needs to get stronger.
No more resting, no more waiting to heal. He needs to get stronger. He refuses to be dead weight any longer.
He holds his next breath. There’s a quiet scraping behind him. Heavy breathing, though whoever it belongs to tries to keep silent—perhaps they’re wounded. And then, just as he tries to sit up, cold metal brushes over the back of his head, threading through his hair. A giggle. His eyes flick open.
No.
What is he doing here? He can’t be here. Enjin and Riyo are still inside. His grip on Assistaff tenses, but he can’t really use her yet. At any moment Jabber could press just a little harder and mess him up all over again, so…
Why hasn’t he?
“Zanka,” Jabber says, his voice a light whisper. It sends a shiver down Zanka’s spine. “You’ve really fallen off your game, Zanka. I didn’t think I knocked you on your ass that hard,” he continues to talk, close enough now that his breath curls warm over Zanka’s ear. He’s smiling. Zanka can hear it in his voice.
For a long moment, Zanka says nothing. He doesn’t know what to say. He’s entirely at Jabber’s mercy. “I’m still kicking,” he manages eventually. “What do you want, Jabber? I advise against starting a fight,” he says coolly. He doesn’t want Jabber to know how fast his heart is beating. Out of fear, mostly.. but also some warm, traitorous thing he can’t quite name.
Jabber huffs a breath against his ear and leans back. He pulls his hand away from Zanka’s hair and, immediately, he sits up. Jabber’s face, glowing purple eyes and sharp smile included, is too close. “I don’t want to fight,” he says. It almost catches Zanka off guard—Jabber, the masochistic, fight-motivated psycho.. doesn’t want to fight—but then his eyes flick lower and he can see a glimpse of old, bloody bandage through a tear in his sleeve. He’s hurt. “I know my limits, Zanka. And as arousing as the thought of fighting all three of you is, I’d rather live to die another day. The redhead’s no fun with that special weapon o’ hers, either.” Jabber leans suddenly forward so that his nose very nearly touches Zanka’s.
“Why are you here?” he barks through gritted teeth. Leaning back only makes Jabber lean closer. Jabber brings a hand up to slide the curve of his claw over the line of Zanka’s jaw. Zanka’s eyes widen. He can hear his heart beating in his ears. He feels strange. Feverish, almost, but not the kind induced by Jabber’s venom.
“Don’t feel too bad, but the boss threw me out,” Jabber’s smile widens, but it feels forced. His teeth are clenched. His lips are pulled too taut. “Fixed me up just enough to keep me alive, but.. by the time I woke up, they were gone. Almost wish they left me to bleed. At least that would’ve been fun.”
That doesn’t make any sense. Jabber is—or, was, assuming he isn’t lying—their best asset. An ally that can deal and take hits that no one else can is invaluable. So why would they get rid of him? Zanka grinds his teeth. “No. That’s ridiculous. The Raiders wouldn’t get rid of someone like you,” he says. Jabber’s smile grows less forced now. More like the grin Zanka is so used to. The same grin he sees when he sleeps, dream or nightmare.
“I thought so, too,” he says, his voice cracking on a laugh. “But it looks like we’re both wrong this time, Zanka.” He exaggerates the syllables. It sounds more like Zan-ka, and Zanka isn’t sure why he chooses to focus on such a tiny detail.
Jabber’s eyes look up from where they linger on Zanka’s face and they widen slightly. “Hm. Looks like we’ll have to cut our talk short. It wouldn’t be very smart of you to follow your enemy into an alleyway, after all,” he cackles and pulls away from Zanka, leaving a minute tear in his uniform. He slinks back behind the burger joint. Zanka leans forward as if to follow him with his eyes.
“Woah, man. Y’look like you saw a ghost,” Enjin snorts as the door swings shut. Riyo slides into the seat across from Zanka. They’re only big enough for one, so Enjin stands. He carries two trays, presumably one for himself and one for Rudo.
“Yeah, seriously. We were only in there for.. what, ten minutes? What happened?” Riyo snorts. She takes the top of her burger off and picks off the pickles to eat them individually but, really, that’s the least of Zanka’s concerns right now, because the possibility that Jabber wasn’t lying is very real.
It makes sense now. From what little he could see, Jabber’s bandages were old and soiled, which means whoever applied them hasn’t had the chance to change them. And it wouldn't be smart at all for Jabber to be here if he’s still with the Raiders.. they don’t fight like this. Not even Jabber. But answering those questions only gives him more: Why would Jabber come looking for Zanka? How did he know Zanka would be here? What if it’s another trap? It makes his head spin.
“Hey, Zanka? You still with us? You look like you ate something nasty and are about to show it to the world,” Enjin says. He firmly grasps Zanka’s shoulder as if to ground him. Enjin must’ve spotted the tear in his clothes because his eyes narrow and he sets his burger down. “Alright, something definitely happened. Spit it out.”
Zanka opens his mouth, but he’s unable to form the words. No. He needs to know more. He stands abruptly and almost slams his head into Enjin’s chin. Enjin stumbles back, seemingly caught off guard. Zanka grabs Lovely Assistaff and uses her to aid his movement as he limps around the corner of the building. Jabber’s eyes peek around the back corner, still glowing, and he taps his claws expectantly against the wall. When he spots Zanka, he disappears behind the back of the building. Zanka can hear footsteps. He grits his teeth and starts the chase, determined to catch up.
“What are you doing?” Enjin calls after him. Riyo, still chewing on her burger, joins him as he starts after Zanka.
Zanka turns the same corner Jabber had seconds ago and finds him backed up against another building, even though Zanka’s confident he could jump up onto the roof if he tried. It could be his wounds, but Zanka doubts that would stop Jabber. He steps closer to Jabber and kneels. He tightens his hold on Assistaff and taps into her power, light filling his eyes. Jabber’s not in control here.
“You aren’t lying, are you?” Zanka says. Jabber says nothing. Zanka lashes out and grabs him by the collar. “Are you?” he repeats, his voice firm. Enjin and Riyo round the corner behind him.
Jabber leans closer. Zanka’s knuckle presses into the thrumming line of his pulse, and he’s surprised to find it matching his pace. Heat rises to his cheeks. He never thought he’d be in a position of power over Jabber. “No. I’ve got a nasty infection, man,” Jabber laughs, his breath curling warm and wet over Zanka’s wrist. “I get nothin’ out of lying to you. Fighting’s an honest thing, huh? Lyin’ doesn’t turn me on like that.”
“Holy shit,” Riyo whispers, slowly approaching.
“Heyyy, that’s the redhead who shot me!” Jabber says. Zanka slowly stands.
“Wait, what?” Enjin gawks. He shakes his head. “What’s he doing here? Riyo.. shot him? You’ve had a gun this whole time?”
“I’ve only used it once! Er.. twice,” she says. “And I didn’t kill anyone.”
Zanka’s eyes don’t leave Jabber. Jabber’s eyes don’t leave Zanka. He lifts Assistaff and thrusts her forward, pinning Jabber’s head back against the old stone of the building behind him. Jabber jolts. He swallows hard if only to feel Zanka’s weapon press against his throat. He breathes through his mouth now, his lips parted, but he’s still smiling. Zanka glares down at him. “I shouldn’t have any sympathy for you,” he says. “You deserve every bit of what’s happening to you.”
“Ohhh, you know what that look does to me, Zanka,” Jabber says, shuddering bodily. “You could kick my ass right now. Could beat me bloody, and you love knowing that. You really are a sadist,” he laughs. He almost squeals. It’s a ridiculous sound. “Go on. I know you want to. Here’s your chance to prove they were wrong about you!”
Zanka tilts Assistaff and tries to ignore the way that power makes him feel. Jabber’s head tilts with her. His wicks fall to the side. Jabber reaches up to curl a hand around Assistaff, his claws gleaming in the light, but he doesn’t push her away. He looks almost dizzy with how much he’s anticipating Zanka’s next move. It would make Zanka feel sick if he wasn’t enjoying this, too. But he’s not going to kill or even hurt Jabber. Not yet. Jabber’s an opportunity. A way to get stronger. He pulls Assistaff back and whirls her around, slamming her blunt end into Jabber’s ribs. A groan falls from his lips. It feels sexually charged, but maybe that’s just Zanka’s imagination.
“This guy is such a freak,” Enjin mutters, his nose wrinkled in disgust. Zanka almost forgot Riyo and Enjin were here. He can’t believe he almost let Jabber get in his head like that.
“You good, Zanka? You’re pretty red,” Riyo says.
Zanka swallows and slicks his hair back before nodding. “Yes. I’m fine,” he says. “He isn’t a threat. Not like this.”
“Greeeaaaat. So why is he here?” Enjin says. He leans casually against Umbreaker, though he spins him between his hands to keep the threat constant. Jabber stares up at Zanka and only Zanka, one hand pressing into his forming bruise.
Zanka grins. “His boss threw him out. Turns out even the Raiders didn’t want his brand of psycho.”
Riyo finishes off her burger and stares down at Jabber. “Well.. what do we do with him? It’s your call, Zanka.”
Zanka meets Jabber’s eyes only briefly before he turns his back on him, the blue glow leaving his eyes as he releases his power.
“We bring him back with us.”