Over a year had passed, the Underground was still holding out strong. They were trying to destroy the baron but things were not looking good for them, they had lost some of their members in a recent attack. One of their female members, Shannon, and two of their male, Carion and Michael, but they held out. They liked to believe that their friends passed without much pain but seeing as they were attacked by metalheads that wasn't to likely. They didn't find all the parts to their mauled corpses.

They buried what they found and held a short service, they would have liked it to be longer but they all had to be cautious about where they went. The Baron knew almost all their faces. They were all wanted, they knew that eventually the Baron would forget about them after a while if they kept low but for now they were all in hiding. The Underground HQ was crowded for now, it's where they all were hiding. Many of the members did that their own homes but seeing as they couldn't be out in public to much they stayed in HQ. Tess was one of the only ones that really could go out, with her innocent looking demeanor no one saw her as much of a threat unlike any of the other girls like Jen or Vee they always looked like they were up to something.

Tess was always the one that was sent out to buy groceries or check mail or anything. She didn't seem to mind too much, she liked helping out in the Underground as much as she could, other then upgrading their weaponry that is. Ashelin also frequently came by with news on her father or what he was planning. She was sure he suspected she was doing something because he kept more things form her then he usually did.

Today as usual Torn was staring down maps in the main room, Tess was with Vee and Jen unpacking some groceries and ammo they would most certainly need later on. The girls were shooting glances at Torn a lot, ever since the big attack on them and after they lost more members he seemed convinced that it was completely his fault. Everyone knew it wasn't, they had no way of knowing the attack would come, everyone got hurt, everyone was in bed for a while afterward. They weren't prepared and they couldn't have been but he was so sure he could have done something about it.

"Torn?" Tess asked hesitantly. "You okay? You're eyes are bloodshot, maybe you should take a rest."

"No, I'm fine, I just have to get a couple more plans out. See this is how they were able to get to us, this whole section we didn't have a strategy for because we didn't know they'd be flying over the walls." He said, his eyes not leaving the map.

"Exactly, we didn't now they'd be going over the walls, now we know and there's nothing we can do about what happed only what will happen." Jen said.

"We know nothing about these metalheads, not how long they can fly, how fast they are, strength, stamina, how high they can go, nothing!" He said beginning to get frustrated at their lack of knowledge, he always hated it when he was in the dark about something.

"Forget about it, there's nothin' we can do now. Just relax, ya 'ave a strategy fer everythin' and even backup strategies and backup strategies fer the backup strategies!" Vee said laughing slightly at it all. "Just relax fer once, yer such a stiff."

"I am not a stiff I'm just alert." Torn replied.

"Stiff."

"Alert."

"Stiff."

"Alert."

"Stiff."

"I'm just alert! Would you shut up?" Torn said starting to lose his temper.

Vee raised her eyebrows and went back to the bags of food and a couple seconds later she said softly, "Stiff."

Jen was laughing in the background and Tess has her hand in front of her mouth trying to stop the giggles. Torn slammed his fist down on the map and looked up at her clearly mad. "I swear if you weren't a valuable member to us I would so shoot you."

"No ya wouldn't." She said laughing. "Ya like me too much, almost like an annoyin' little sister by now."

"Annoying is right." He mumbled and looked back down to the table.

"Hey leave her alone, not her fault she's missing half her brain cells. Too much drinking." Jen said taking out a bottle of hard liquor and Vee took it.

"'Ey, I do not drink too much, I enjoy the occasional drink every now and then but it's all in good fun. Besides you drink just as much as I do." Vee said taking out a bottle of rum and Jen took it. "Hm, ya got good taste." She said taking a peek at the name of the drink.

"Shut up." Jen said taking both bottles and putting them in a cabinet.

"Hey I'm just saying." Vee said shrugging and smiling.

They heard a quiet snicker come from the other end of the room and all three girls looked up to see Torn supporting a grin. "Ha!" Vee exclaimed and clapped her hands together. "He's smilin'!"

"We've done the impossible!" Tess said throwing her arms up in the air like a child.

"You are such idiots." Torn said, still grinning. "Arguing over who drinks the most?" He said raising an eyebrow at them.

"Hey I don't drink… too much." Tess said.

"Yeah you just steal whatever we don't finish because we've passed out." Jen said.

"Not true!" Tess said putting her hands on her hips. "I do buy my own drinks!"

"No ya don't." Vee said. "Maybe one drink a month. I mean come on, yer a grown woman! 'Ave some fun!"

"Hey I'm at the Hip Hog almost everyday; I see enough of drunken losers. I have enough of that." She said smirking. "Speaking of which Krew's not giving any information up any time soon, he's making some serious bets in illegal racing but that's about it as of now. Oh but he did find a new mechanic, this girl. She's young but she's damn good, made her own racing team within months. He wants her to join his team but, so far, she's been reluctant."

"She's no concern to us; unless she has connections to the Baron we don't care." Torn said and Tess rolled her eyes.

"Just trying to fill you in on some news," She said. "And I don't care what you say I'm going down there and checking some things out. I mean just this girl popping up out of nowhere and – " She was cut off by Torn.

"I don't really care what you do, if she gives you some good information, great if not, don't bug me about it." He said sighing.

"Okay Mr. Grumpy Face." She said and began walking up the stairs. "You guys coming?" She asked over her shoulder to Jen and Vee.

"Sure," Vee said. "Better then hangin' 'round with Grumpy Face all day," she said and jogged up the stairs to catch up with them. "What about you Jen? Got anythin' better to do? Wait, don't answer that I know ya don't."

"I so have better things to do." She said folding her arms. "Just none at the moment," she muttered and jogged up after them.

The girls walked out of the Underground HQ, Tess looked around a head to make sure there were no KG around. She looked back to them and motioned for them to come forward, Tess started up her zoomer and the two other girls came over and started theirs. They sped down the roads avoiding any contact and not letting anyone get a good look at their faces, especially the guards.

In about ten minutes they entered the stadium and got off their zoomers making sure no KG's were near. Tess led the way into the garages from her snooping she was the only one who knew which garage it was. When they reached the supposed one it was the door was wide opened but there was no sign of her.

"Hello?" Tess called out. "Anyone home?"

"Ow!" They heard a girl say from behind a curtain in the back of the garage. "What do you want?" She said a little harshly. Behind the curtain she burned herself slightly from the hot metals when she was surprised by the elves entering her garage.

"We're just here to ask a few questions." Vee said. "So why don't you come out from behind your little curtain."

"Look I'm a bit busy here, why don't you come back later?" She asked.

"Would but we don't wanna." Vee said.

They heard the girl sigh loudly and out down tools, they saw her come out from behind the curtain careful not to show what was going on behind it. She took a mask off her face and place it down on a table and she walked over to them. "What is it?" She said.

"Why don't we start with names for now?" Tess said. "I'm Tess, this is Jen and Vee."

"Keira." She responded.

"Okay, Keira, so what's been going on between you and Krew?" Tess asked.

"Nothing, he's a slime ball, wants me to join his stupid racing team. Heh, like I would ever work for him." She said.

"Okay so, ya hate 'im. Understandable we all do. Next question, where did ya come from? I mean the city's blocked out we don't get many new comers." Vee asked.

The girl thought about it for a spilt second before responding. "I worked here, with another team as their mechanic for a few years until I decided to leave and make my own team." She said stiffly. "Next?"

"What are you workin' on back there?" Jen said with a furrowed brow eyeing the back.

"Oh, uh, nothing! Just some new zoomer, ya know, faster, stronger, better." She said with a false smile, obviously covering something up.

"Yer a horrible liar." Vee said. "What are ya really doin'?"

"I told you! A zoomer! Now if you don't mind, I have work to do!" She said angrily and made her way to the back once again picking up her welding mask on the way.

Vee and Jen folded their arms across their chests and exchanged glances. Tess turned around and glared at them. "You two could be nicer; we could have gotten more information." She said as they began to leave the garage.

"She was the one bein' a bitch." Vee said. "She should 'ave been more 'elpful."

"Yeah, not our fault she's all touchy about everything. Although she did seem like she was hiding stuff." Jen said thoughtfully.

"Well now that you two have given her the third degree we'll never get any information form her." Tess said and the three girls jumped on their zoomers and flew back to Underground HQ.

AN: Bleh…. I am sooo lazy it ain't even funny. And I'm sorry this was late (AGAIN!) I tried for a quick update. I'm just glad I'm getting this up before tonight, cuz I have a rehearsal and I have to leave for it at seven, so yay it's up before then! Cause if I had to wait till after I'd never get it up. And thanks to cOme as yOu are for the review and to all those who read but don't review. Hope you guys liked this chapter, I'm trying to add in more of our favorite characters, and I really am sad to say, this story will be coming to an end soon. But we still have a few more chapters to go so, not quite yet!