Eco Freak

Lia knew the streets of Haven City like the back of her hand, so it only took her a quarter of an hour to make it to the Underground Headquarters, which was hidden inside the city wall in the upper east corner of the slums. She hastily parked her Zoomer by the door, which featured the sign of the Baron, a skull, being bashed by a hammer. Not very subtle, but it hasn’t caused us any trouble yet.

After pressing an old security pass against the reader the door opened and she ran into the Underground.

“Torn! You are not going to believe this! Someone has escaped from the Baron’s prison!” Lia shouted. She was practically out of breath, not because of exertion, but from excitement. This is exactly the kind of information that can get me into the Underground!

“He already knows. Next time you might want to hurry up the messenger system.”

Lia looked for the unfamiliar voice. Her eyes landed on a stranger; a man with long blond hair, dark eyes and a rakish grin on his face. An orange ottsel stood on his shoulder. Lia frowned. She didn’t like strangers. “Who are you?”

“I’m the person who escaped from the Baron’s prison,” he said with a smirk on his face.
Lia’s frown depended and she looked at Torn who stood behind a table. Torn gave a grim nod, telling Lia that he was telling the truth.

“Lia, this is Jak. Newest recruit to the Underground,” Torn introduced in his signature, gravelly voice.

“Recruit? Him?” Lia took another look at this Jak character. She didn’t like the arrogant smile on his face. She hated the fact that he was already in the Underground. Lia quickly changed her attention to Torn. “Can I speak with you?”

Torn said nothing for a few seconds, but then he went into the back room. Lia followed him. It was a small and cluttered room. There was a cot pushed against a wall. Clothes were strewn all over the floor and there was a half-empty bottle of booze on a small table. Lia helped herself to a small sip from the bottle, but the alcohol didn’t quell her anger.

“Lia, I know you’re upset,” Torn started.

“More like furious,” Lia interrupted.

Torn nodded. He understood Lia. He understood her frustration. “But you know I can’t let you into the Underground. I made a promise to your brother that I would keep you safe. I can’t keep you safe if you’re in the Underground.”

Lia pressed her lips together. She thought about how dangerous her life was already, with the fighting and the racing. Of course Torn didn’t know about her secret lives, he didn’t know the danger she was already in. “Torn, I’m no safer being outside the Underground than if I were in it. At least if I were part of the rebellion I would be able to help.”

Torn sighed and rubbed his forehead. The tattoos on his face that marked his as once being in the Krimzon Guard were furrowed. “But I made a promise…”

“With all due respect to my brother, Darrin has been dead for five years. I’m not a kid anymore. I can help. And I want to, more than anyone else. Definitely more than that blond guy in there,” Lia pleaded. Her light blue eyes were wide. It forced Torn to look away.

“Maybe… We might be able to work something out,” he said.

Lia instantly perked up. “Anything. I’ll do anything.”

Torn nodded his head to the door. “We can’t risk the new guy walking straight into the Baron’s hands again. He’s going to need someone to show him around.” Torn paused and then looked at Lia, his brown eyes were serious. “No one knows the streets as well as you do.”

Lia’s heart sank to the floor. “You want me to play tour guide?”

“He’s also going to need a place to stay,” Torn continued.

“So basically you want me to be his babysitter? Hold his hand when he crosses the street so he doesn’t get taken away by the KG?” Lia scoffed and took another swig from the bottle.

“You said you would do anything, Lia. Right now this is what we need you to do.”

Lia frowned and looked at the door that separated her from her first assignment. “All I have to do is show him around the streets and let him stay at my place?”

“That and make sure he keeps away from the Baron. The guy has a grudge against Praxis. It makes me nervous.”

“So… I do this and I get into the Underground?”

Torn nodded. “You have my word.”

Lia thought about this for a while. It was an easy enough job. She wouldn’t even have to be nice to this Jak. She would drive him around town, show him a couple of key places, introduce him to important names and let him sleep on the floor. And then she would become a member of the rebellion.

“Alright. Sounds like a deal.”

Torn and Lia shook hands and they went out into the main room. The orange ottsel was chatting up with Tess, who was standing in the corner. Jak, on the other hand, was leaning against a wall with a dark look on his face.

Well he sure has that angsty It’s-Me-Against-The-World look going. “Come on, Pretty Boy. You are your rat are with me.”