Torn's mind was reeling. He couldn't believe what was going on. The child had been stolen from Tess; Libby had been attacked- what was the point of it all? He wondered if it was something he had done; perhaps this was his punishment for not ratting out the safe house in the Water Slums….

The cool air signified a coming rainstorm. He followed the blinking red dot on the small radar screen he'd pulled up on his wrist. He'd given the kid a transmitter just in case. Torn rocketed through the city streets on a gas-powered motorcycle, a beautifully efficient vehicle that wasn't included on the Baron's machine archives. It was also invisible on Krimzon Guard radar, which made it an essential tool used in the Underground. Unfortunately, with no other vehicle of its kind, the bike stood out clearly. Today however, Torn didn't seem to care.

He watched a red dot blink rapidly across the schematic of the city on his radar screen, noticing it was moving past the city wall. He frowned, twisting the accelerator. The bike shot forward, increasing its speed. He rumbled into South Town, briefly watching his reflection chasing him along the glossy surface of the water. With a roar, the bike lurched into the transport. The small device beeped, and the red dot disappeared. Torn swore, shouting for the pilot to take him to the Wasteland. He couldn't let them get away with this.

***********

By the time the sun went down, Keira's skin was burning. Whatever was not covered by clothing was lashed at with reckless abandon. A tear squeezed out of her eye as she settled her gaze on the man in front of her, trying to continue onward. An agent had told her that the storm wasn't even bad yet; she was terrified wondering how much worse it could get. For her, visibility was near zero; she couldn't understand how the agents followed each other around. They truly were the best of the Underground…

"Where are we going?!" Keira shouted over the howl of the wind.

"We'll be there in a few minutes. Keep your shirt on, kid," was the reply.

Keira managed a sigh, thankful for the bandanna she wore across her face. Her goggles had also worked accordingly, and she was fully convinced now that the old things brought her some kind of luck. She looked helplessly up at the moon, which was barely visible through the clouds of dust. This is crazy! She thought, I shouldn't have come- they know I'm a newbie. They can practically smell it!! Her eyes focused suddenly on a dull light in the distance- the flickering of flames.

"We're halfway there after we get through the ruins," a woman said beside her.

Keira was almost relieved at the news. Ruins would provide some cover from the sand. She noticed that the man named Hector and the woman agent were staying relatively close to her; they must have been doing this out of support. She appreciated it, none the less.

"You ready for some action, newbie?" a voice said behind her, "Wouldn't want you breakin' a nail."

Keira glowered at him from behind her goggles. Hector laughed ahead of her.

"What exactly are we looking for?" she shouted to him.

Hector looked at her strangely for a moment. "There's this cave or somethin' the KG found around last week. Torn sent us on a scouting mission; it went bad last time though. Both the KG and Underground suffered casualties."

The way he said that sentence prompted Keira to ask,

"How?"

"Wasteland Metal Heads. Huge creatures; almost like dinosaurs or something."

Keira had never seen a Metal Head before, let alone a Wasteland one. She assumed it wasn't going to be good. An agent came up from behind her, matching her walking pace.

"You're forgetting that Marauder ambush, too," he said.

"Yeah, we were lucky to get outta there alive," Hector replied, his wry smile hidden by a scarf.

"You two were the only ones left?" Keira asked, the wind blowing her hair into her eyes. She struggled to clear her vision, hearing the sand pattering against her jacket.

"Well, Syd was there," Hector nodded to the woman, "and there was one other guy."

"And you wanted to come back out here?"

"Sure." Hector shrugged.

"But why?!" Keira couldn't believe it.

"Because, the Baron is destroying this city," the agent named Syd spoke up, "I can't bear the thought of him staying in power any longer. The people are getting to complacent- action needs to be taken, before it's too late…"

Keira fell into silence, watching her boots. She continued following the Underground agents into the desert, the wind howling in her ears.

************

"Can't this thing go any faster?!"

"Have some freaking patience, pal!" the pilot fired in response.

Torn heaved a sigh, feeling the frustration beginning to take hold. He still had a leg slung over the bike, his fingers twitching over the accelerator. The tracker had long since disappeared, leaving him with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had an idea of where the child was, hoping his assumption was correct. His comlink came to life with a batch of static, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Torn, pick up; it's Ashelin."

"What is it?" he asked breathlessly, snapping down the button for her reply.

"I heard what happened from Tess. I want to come and help."

"No," Torn replied firmly, "I can't risk you getting attacked."

"At least take backup!" Ashelin pleaded.

"No. No more casualties- and I mean it this time. You stay right where you are, Ash."

"You can't do everything by yourself!" she countered forcefully, her voice sharp with emotion.

"I'll be fine," said the ex-Guard through gritted teeth, "Next time you hear from me, I'll have the kid. Torn out."

He replaced the communication device on his belt, ending the transmission. The pilot announced they'd be landing soon. Torn gripped the handle holds tightly, Ashelin's words ringing in his ears. You can't do everything by yourself! He shook his head; this time he could.

************

The Underground agents had reached the ruined town. The wind had slowed somewhat, suggesting the calm before the storm. Pearly-white moonlight washed over sand-blasted stone; small torches crackled above them, flames bending in the breeze. Chills trickled down Keira's spine as she walked through the ruins beside Hector, her eyes wide behind her goggles.

"Are we closer to the cave?" she asked him.

"Almost," Hector returned, checking a radar device he carried, "Just awhile yet."

Keira nodded in reply, taking a moment to gaze around her. She wondered what purpose the ruins had served; what had happened to the people who lived there. Agent Syd was still walking beside her, cradling a rifle in her arms. Keira noticed Syd had strange scars across her face, geometric in shape and apparently at random. Her hair was short and a dark blue, curling up in the back. Vivid green eyes showed through the clouded plastic of her goggles.

Hector suddenly swore, catching everyone's attention.

"What's wrong?" Syd asked.

"I lost it on the radar. There's some kind of interference."

Hector shook his head, beating at the device. Keira looked up at the torches, not knowing what else to do. They were blind in this storm; if they lost the radar device, they'd be walking around aimlessly. Most of the agents had congregated around Hector in effort to stay close together. Keira frowned, something having caught her eye. She squinted through the sand, trying to see. Her heart suddenly shot up in her throat and she struggled to get their attention.

"Hector!" she shouted.

"What?!"

Keira could only point. Hector followed her gaze, his eyes going round. He screamed to the group.

"Cruisers! EVERYBODY DOWN!!"

There was a large explosion in front of them, a bright orange plume of fire billowing into the air. Pieces of the rock walls went flying, thudding into the sand. Keira shrieked in terror, feeling the heat from the flames. She fell to the ground, but a hand seized her wrist and wrenched her back on her feet. Hector led her to the cover of another wall, his grip still tight on her wrist. He threw her into a space beside him after Syd moved over. Keira barely had time to right herself before Hector started screaming again.

"Shoot! Everyone fire at will!!"

Gunfire punched through the silence. Keira's first instinct was to plug her ears. She dared to peek over the edge of the stone as Syd and Hector returned fire from the Krimzon Guards. Keira watched as the Guards leapt from the black and red crew transports, shooting at the Underground members as they went. The turrets on the transports roared, tracer rounds lighting up the sky. Syd ducked behind the wall, falling into a crouch. She jammed another clip of ammo into her rifle and gasped,

"There's too many of 'em! We need to shoot down those damn transports!!"

Keira couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene, watching as the Guards threw Underground agents to the sand, shocking them with tasers or beating them with their rifles. A man came sprinting for cover, only to be shot in the back. Keira gasped sharply, watching him fall.

"Start shooting!" Hector bellowed, firing his pistol.

Keira only stared at him. The turrets came around again, slamming into the wall. Keira shrieked as a bullet grazed her shoulder, tearing a hole in her jacket. She saw a small pool of blood begin to form. Syd pushed down on her head, inadvertently digging her nails into Keira's scalp.

"Stay down! Wait 'til they go around again!!"

She and Hector fell down beside her, covering their heads. Keria screamed as bullets cracked into the stone, sending spurts of sand into the air. The rock shattered above them, the chips slicing into their skin. Hector moved closer to her in effort to protect both Keria and Syd. The former watched helplessly as the transport ship zoomed above them with a strange roar. She could smell the sharp odor fuel from the exhaust engines. Breathing in short, trembling breaths, Keira's eyes settled on the vehicle, surprised to feel a sudden jolt of anger course through her veins like blood. With a small growl, she snatched up the Blaster at her feet, shrugging off Hector's strong arm. The wind lashed at her face as she struggled to her feet. Hector and Syd were screaming at her to get back under cover. But Keira had had enough.

She tugged the bandanna from her face, pushing the goggles to her forehead. Bullets pounded into the sand ahead of her, making two neat rows of hot lead. Keira raised the rifle to her face and screamed.

Hector and Syd watched in awed silence as the kid fired off a series of shots, the gunfire showing a brilliant yellow in the darkness. Above them, the KG crew ship rocked violently, and a brilliant flame appeared, followed by dark, greasy smoke. The ship rolled slightly, tipping heavily to the right. It swung over them in a great arc and crashed with a flourish into the sand. Seconds later, there was a deafening explosion. They could all feel the heat.

Keria stood immobile in the sand, her hair whipping against her face. She stared at the cruiser, breathing heavily. She felt a strong hand grasp her arm and pull her back to the wall.

"What the hell was that?!" Hector demanded harshly, his voice shaking.

"The damn exhaust coils," was the breathless reply, "Faulty design on their part- you hit 'em once and- boom. It's history."

Hector looked over at Syd, nodding. "We've gotta spread the word, then…it ain't over yet." He turned back to Keira, saying, "Think you and Syd here can hold it out?"

"She'll be just fine," Syd answered for her, a wry smile on her face.

Hector no longer doubted it for a second.