A/N: WELCOME TO MY NEW STORY! This is also an AU story, so if you don't like it, I'm sorry. But yea! This is going to be four to five books, each a little more daunting than the last. Nonetheless, on we start!

UNKNOWN

Listen. I never wanted this life. It isn't a life of fame, or safety. It ain't a life of granjour or greatness. It's a life of danger, a life of not knowing what was gonna happen next. If you find yourself in my situation, you run, and run far. This isn't for everyone. That being said, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I was out of breath at this point. I had been running for what felt like hours, though it was probably only around 20 minutes. The streets of New York City had gotten cleaner since last year, but that's how it goes. Let me explain what's been happening in the great old US of A. Not too long ago, the laws tightened up. This meant that we could do very little in terms of freedom. Curfews at 6 at night, allowed back out at 6 in the morning, no soda, no this no that. We had to have ID's for everywhere we went. So, we were formed. Groups popped up all over, called Runners. We were your typical resistance, doing what we wanted, when we wanted. We stole to survive and had bunkers all over. Only rule? No murder. And so, our story commences.

"On your six, Riptide," I hear over my comms.

I turned around and saw two cops chasing after me. They had black hair, and were wearing blue jeans that had to be stretchy (because who can run in regular jeans that fast?), Blue Long sleeved shirts, and a thin bulletproof vest over the top of that.

Technology had really gotten far recently. We even had bullet proof paper! Well, maybe not, but we did have some crazy things. Contacts that could zoom in and take pictures, pens that turned into swords, watches that turn into shields, guns that don't run out of ammo, you name it, we probably had it… And I just stole about 3 of the things on my list, and one unmentioned item that I'm unsure of what it is. Not many knew of this technology, super low key and all, making it all the more valuable. Protection that can be carried at the size of a pen, but brandished at the size of a full-length short sword?

*BANG BANG*

And now they're shooting. Great.

*BANG BANG BANG*

They fired a few more pot shots while I was running, but they missed gladly. I turned a corner into an alley way, then climbed a fire escape. They immediately took notice and started climbing after me.

I got to the roof top and started bolting. I turn around briefly to see them still hot on my tail. We get about half way of the roof when I see a large glass window on the other side of a giant gap. I pick up speed until I get to the edge. I take a deep breath then jump… flying straight through the window, rolling as I land. I look behind me and see the two cops come to a sputtering stop.

"Classy," I hear, but shrug off.

They look at me angrily, but I just give them a small smirk, then salute them with two fingers. I walk slowly, now in the clear, going into a hidden entrance to the basement of a small hideout me and some friends made.

As I enter the small bunker, I pull my hood down, letting my black hair fall in front of my eyes in a onyx mess. I pull out my comms, letting them dangle on either side of my neck.

"Welcome back," I see the first of my pals sitting at the computers, "Could you have gone without having them shoot at you though?"

"Nah," I say, tossing him the bag off of my back, "that's not fun Leo."

Leo rolls his eyes. He turns around and starts shuffling through the bag. Leo is a tech master, and it's quite scary. He's shut down an entire block just because, and could tell you how any car or machine runs just by looking at it. In other words, he's a prodigy. He helps us make our tech, armour, and gear that we use. He had spiky ears, and a curly mess of hair on the top of his head. He was a funny guy once you start talking to him. Big flirt too.

"Looks like you made it back in one piece," Another voice chimes out. I turn around to see my best friend Piper. Me and Piper had been friends since we were born. Her father was a big-name actor, and I was born to a single mother living in a dingy apartment in New York. We shouldn't have met, but fate be damned. She was Native American and had a feather in her hair at all times. She had dark brown hair, dark skin, and these crazy kaleidoscope eyes.

We embrace in a hug and laugh a bit. The life we lived, we were never sure if we would always make it back, but we always did. We promised that we wouldn't die on solo missions. We would always be there for each other. We had to be there for each other. We were the only ones we could depend on.

"Finally, you're back," the last of my little rag tag group called. I turned around to see my buddy Grover walking towards me. Last year, I was on a run when I saw him getting the life kicked out of him in an alley way. Apparently, some guy at his Uni was angry with him. I got them off of him, and he's been following me since. I liked him, and frankly, he was a great medic. He put me and Piper back together more times than not.

"Don't sound too excited," I say with a small chuckle. Grover only grinned and clapped my back. I slip off the protective gear I wear, setting it on a nearby table, and take a deep breath. I pick up a remote and flick on the TV. Almost immediately, a news flash is on.

"Infamous runner, Riptide, was out again tonight, stealing from local tech company, Malus Corp., taking nearly seven hundred thousand dollars' worth of technology." Grover whistled in the background, earning a laugh from Piper. "Law enforcement gave chase, but Riptide jumped through a window on the other side of a building gap. Either this man is tactical, or just plain lucky. We'll have more information at 7."

I flick off the TV, then look at Leo. He has all the items laid out on the table, carefully looking at each piece. I pick up the pen and start inspecting it. Arguably the one piece I was looking forward to the most, I start trying to get it to extend, but don't get very far. Or so I thought…

I twisted a near invisible dial, and a needle poked out of the tip, getting me in the finger.

"Owe!" I saw aloud, looking at my finger. Grover comes over, looking at my finger, but Leo and Piper are staring directly at the pen, "It stabbed me!

"Hey, look at the pen."

"Screw the pen! That hurt!"

"No, really, look at it."

"Stupid Malus, making a faulty piece of sh-"

"Hey!"

I look at Piper, and see her pointing to the pen. I give in and take a peek. What I see is shocking. The pen has lines running down it, lit up blue. The watch is lighting up the same. I put on the watch, feeling the same prick, but at a lesser pain. I grip the pen harder, and it fully extends into a shining bronze store. I tighten my hand into a fist on my other hand and the watch fully extended into a shield. I look at Leo, and he is just in awe. He looks at me, and smiles. Piper smirks, then punches me in the shoulder. Grover on the other hand, looks slightly worried.

"So what's next, Percy?"

I look at him with my sea-green eyes, and can't help but giving him the widest grin.

"Now," I say, closing both the sword and shield, "We have some fun."

A/N: And that's it for this chapter! This story isn't going to be as long as Torn in terms of Chapters, but it should still entertain. I hope you all enjoy! R&R!

-Rocke