The Burn Act 3 BY Zachariah Van Sluyters/Edited by Mark Bell

Only slightly before...

"Hell yeah!" Banc yelled as he opened up the Injector's supercharger and kicked up the dirt.

"Careful boss, rocks can come out of nowhere out here." Sten warned and Banc frowned at him.

"So you think this is smart to deal with Queen D?" Sten asked after a moment of silence, "We don't want any of them declaring Gropa on us."

Banc chuckled, "Their silly vengeance quests? I'm not worried about it, as long as we are up front about our deals there is no reason for it."

Sten shrugged, "I suppose you are right."

"You suppose?" Banc scowled at him, "did you forget who calls the shots?"

Sten remembered his place and got sullen, "No boss, sorry."

They had put JaJa in an old torn dress and stuck her into the trunk of the Interceptor. She would be a good addition to any deals made with Queen D. She liked to keep her men happy.

Queen D was a migrant Bandit warlord and hijacker. She survived by traveling within an army of loyal and indentured warriors on scavenged and modified Vehicles. She was in the area every 6th month and Banc had traded with her last time. Banc bartered with the citizens that could not pay for valuable objects after he had their wives of course.

Sten was concerned because Queen D had an army at her disposal whereas Banc had just his six deputies. With the injector they had two Scarabs and one Scav Duster. If Queen D gave the word, it would be hardly a fight.

Banc was not worried. He had dealt with her before as long as you where respectful and gave good prices she was reasonable.

The group began to slow as they saw Queen D's Camp ahead of them. There were Devils and Big Rigg's everywhere, makeshift tents using the sides of the Vehicles as supports like a small impromptu village in the middle of the rocky sand.

****

Still just before...

Banc thought he had broken JaJa. Why would he have any reason to think otherwise? After what they had done to her, what they had taken from her, who would have any fight left?

JaJa did.

She had been stuffed in the trunk like the goods that Banc and his crew believed her to be. She had heard Banc and Sten's entire conversation on her way over hear and had come to a conclusion.

The trunk opened and Bevle's meaty arm reached in grabbing JaJa and dragging her out roughly. JaJa did not fight this time. She allowed him the complete control over her. Her bare feet hit the sand and it burned slightly. Bevle then dragged her past the car her father and her had built from scratch towards a group of people.

Banc and his deputies on one side, a small older looking Prairie dog with silver hair and a scar over her left eye on the other. JaJa guessed this was the queen she had heard about. Banc was saying something about 'throwing her in, entertainment for her bandits' she was not listening. She was waiting.

Queen D eyed her hard as she stood there looking broken. Their eyes met and JaJa found a strange kinship there, of a woman not ready to quit. In that second JaJa was worried she had given too much away, that Queen D had somehow gleaned her intentions and would give her away to her captors.

"I will take the Girl," Queen D said finally apparently not deciding to show her hand, "We have a deal."

Queen D turned to a Short evil looking Serpent and said, "Sharky, pay them."

Sharky nodded pulled out a wad of cash, counted out the agreed upon Gen and handed it to Banc.

Banc smiled, "Pleasure as always, Queen. Boys, let’s get out of here"

Banc and his agents moved back to their cars started them up and pulled away, Banc behind the wheel of the interceptor again.

"Entitled prick." Queen D muttered as they drove away.

Sharky laughed in a high pitched shrill voice then asked, "I'll get the Arma's to more this stuff to the camp, what do you want me to do with her?"

Before she could answer, JaJa seized the moment, "Gropa."

Sharky frowned, "What?"

"I want vengeance, you people call it Gropa," She said evenly, without emotion, "I'm yours now but I want my Gropa."

"Bitch, you don't get nothing. You are just meat, you hear me?" Sharky said stepping forward to put her in her place.

"Sharky hold, " Queen D's words froze the Serpent in place. She walked over to JaJa and looked deep into her eyes, "You have the burn inside you, don't you girl?"

JaJa did not look away waiting, challenging her to refuse. Queen D instead said, "Sharky get this girl keys to a Furie Coup and a shotgun."

Sharky looked blown away, "We are really going to let her invoke Gropa after three minutes of being in the gang?"

Queen D seemed to consider, "Something tells me she needs it, something tells me that if she gets it she will be coming back."

JaJa smiled then grabbed her double barreled shotgun from the pile of junk that Banc had off loaded to Queen D, then the six shells from the pile.

Sharky tossed her a set of keys and JaJa, still only wearing the torn dress, cranked the engine and shifted into gear, violently taking off after Banc and his agents.

****

Finally back to now (just after Cod gets run over)...

JaJa left the Bike and its broken driver behind her as she gunned the engine to catch up to the Interceptor and its two Scarab escorts. The Scarab to the right dropped back as another of Banc's deputies slid out of the window, Sub-machine gun in hand.

His name was Farris she thought. Fannis? Something like that.

As he pulled up the gun to fire she cut right hard pulling out to the scarab’s passenger side, she brought up the shotgun and fire once out the driver's side window. The shells hit the Man's torso rocking him backwards.

JaJa took no chances and unloaded with the other shell and the man's throat exploded outwards before he fell over the edge and into the sand below.

JaJa let off the gas slightly as she propped the gun between her thighs. The hot barrels burned her skin but she felt nothing. Instead she popped the breach open and pulled the shells out tossing them out the window, before putting in her second two shells and choking the gun closed.

Jamming the acceleration again, she noticed Bevle was driving the other Scarab, He had moved off to left, while the other driver she had just tangled with had moved to the right. She saw the opening to the interceptor and gunned the Engine shifting into high gear.

Her hate blinded her to the obvious Trap, Bevle quickly cut the heavy Scarab back towards her, at the same time driver of the other Scarab followed his lead. The heavy Devil's crashed into the smaller faster vehicle and trapped it between the two of them.

JaJa Swore under her breath and ducked down onto the seat as Bevle's passenger slid out of the window and began to pepper the coup with Shotgun Shells. The windshield shattered and the glass rained down on JaJa cutting her exposed arm and leg skin.

Buckshot tore at her back and shoulders. Nothing was big enough to kill or maim her but enough to hurt. She wrapped her right hand around the shotgun's handle. She had to hold on just until he needed to reload.

Finally the shells stopped and she knew it was now or never, she raised up bringing the shotgun across her body and pointing it at the Scarab's Nex Paneling. She fired and the shotgun at close range caused the desired overload reaction.

The Paneling burst into flames, the fire rolled over both JaJa and the Passenger. The fire caught his shirt arm. JaJa's hair burned and her skin scorched but Bevle swerved reacting to the explosion giving JaJa room to work again.

The Passenger began to bang around trying to put the fire out while Bevle yelled at him. JaJa aimed the shotgun a put her second round into his chest. He died falling catching his burning clothes on the edge of the Scarab Bevle cut the wheel having to stop to deal with the flaming dead man.

JaJa quickly cut the wheel sending the Furie into the other scarab. The Sideswipe was hard and effective and the Scarab's course adjusted, slamming head on with a small rock formation jutting out of the sand. The Impact ripped the front end to shreds and set the vehicle into a hard front roll. Parts few off of it as it burst into flames.

JaJa Gunned it, Only the Interceptor remained. She opened the breach and disposed of the used shells. As she closed she watch Banc switch places with Sten giving him the wheel as He then slid out of the Passenger window.

JaJa slid the last two Shells into her gun and raised it the windshield no longer blocking her from taking a shot as Banc pulled out his ridiculous one shot pistol. She centered the gun on him and had the shot.

Before she could take it she was rammed from behind the Furie shuttering and fishtailing. Bevle had cleared the body and come up from behind her, looking to beat her car to death.

It was all she could do to keep the car from spinning. Banc took his opening and his pistol reported a single shot, The Bullet slammed into her right should and shredded it. She screamed in pain and felt her arm numb as she dropped the Shotgun onto the passenger side seat.

Banc began to reload the powerful handgun and JaJa's mind began to panic as the blood ran down her arm like a mud slide of crimson. How was she supposed to drive with one arm much less shoot?

The Scarab slammed into the Furie's backside a second time and Banc fired the hand cannon this time barley missing her head. The coup shuttered from the damage. What was left to do?

"Close your eyes." She heard her father's voice in her head and she obeyed. The world faded away for that split second as she cleared her mind.

"Feel the Devil under you" His father’s voice continued.

Banc had loaded his next round, and Bevle gunned the gas pushing the Scarab again towards her.

"Now open your eyes, and make Magic." His voice finished and she opened her eyes, ducking to the right as Banc fired again, missing. She grabbed the shifter with her only working hand, the left, and put the car in neutral.

She rose up and cut the Steering wheel extremely hard to the left and pinned it with her knee. The car was turning as Bevle's car connected again with her back end. She leaned back over the Stick jamming it into reverse as she simultaneously released pressure on the wheel, The Car spun, and she halted the spin by catching the wheel again with her leg. Her other leg jammed the gas.

She grabbed the shotgun with her left and rose back up. Her car was now face to face with Bevle's and going backwards. She pointed the shotgun at him and fired.

Bevle’s chest blew out and he lurched forward.

The propulsion from the blow and her foot on the gas had pushed the Furie backwards another the driver's side of the Interceptor just close enough to hang the shotgun out the window and with her last shot, make Sten's face disintegrate.

His body snapped away from the shot and JaJa dropped the gun and used her free hand to regain control of her own vehicle. Banc saw it all and scrambled back into the cab of the car as it swerved towards a large rock formation, He quickly threw his weight into the dead Sten while reaching out and catching the door handle. The door opened and Sten was thrown out while Banc slid into the driver’s seat. He cut the wheel to the left and jammed the brakes and the Interceptor cut the sand and kicked it up bringing the car to a halt inches from the rocks.

He took a deep breath and turned seeing some twenty yards away JaJa, bloody and damaged staring at him from the driver’s seat of her now battered coup. She mouthed the words, "Take your medicine."

Banc was confused for only a second before he heard the engine, he swiveled his head and saw the Scarab, Bevle had died and the fell forward his great weight pinning the gas pedal to the floor and the steering wheel in place.

Banc had time to begin to scream before the chariot of the dead slammed into the interceptor sandwiching it between the rocks. Both vehicles ceased to exist in a plum of fire and scrap metal.

She watched it burn for a second and realized she had finally gotten around to scrapping the interceptor after all.

For a second she sat there in the heat. She let the pain wash over her, decided to embrace it for the first time. She thought of the old saying that revenge left you empty. While JaJa could not say it made her feel better, she did feel a certain satisfaction that she no longer occupied a plane of existence with Banc and his men.

For a second she thought about just leaning back and letting the damage overtake her. Just closing her eyes and slipping away in the desert heat. Unsure what made her open her eyes, she did so. Then she forced her damaged arm to slowly reach not and put the coup into 1^st gear. The car lurched to life, and JaJa headed back to Queen D’s camp.

She could have gone back to the city, or even in a random direction but she felt the need to return to the bandits. It could have been because she felt the need to repay her promise, but she suspected it was something else. She suspected it was the fire in her gut that touched her being. The anger that continued after her enemies had been slain.

 A need to sow chaos, and she could think of no place better.