"No."
The Enforcer slams his mug down on the bartop and turns away, fishing into his pocket for some coins to pay for his drink.
Tawny grabs hold of his wrist to stop him. "Geoff, wait. Just hear me out-"
"I don't need to hear it." Geoff yanks his hand away. "Even talking... even thinking about this crap would cost me my badge. Get out of here, before I turn you in for treason."
Tawny places a slip of money down on the counter between them, waving away the bartender and leaning in so close that she and Geoff are nearly nose-to-nose.
"Come on, old timer." Tawny's voice is low. "I know there's still some fight in there. You weren't always on the Madam's payroll."
"I'm not looking to relive any of my misspent youth," Geoff growls. "I've got a good job, a good life and if I keep my head down and my mouth shut, in a few years I can retire and live out the rest of my days right here, poisoning myself slowly and in peace."
He taps the bartop for emphasis and swivels in his seat, pulling his standard-issue cap down low over his bushy brows. The Enforcer skirts his way around the empty tables and chairs and disappears through the swinging glass doors into the afternoon sunlight.
I shoot Tawny an unimpressed look as she grunts a curse and takes off after Geoff. Sighing, I shove strands of wayward hair back inside my headscarf before following in behind. We pass Luca standing just outside. The Waster is unrecognizable in his Babelonian garb, the well-tailored shirt and trousers effectively hiding the tapestry of blue tattoos beneath. While my skin itches and chafes from the sensation of layers of fabric hindering my every step, Luca wears the garments easily, his stride long and purposeful as he trails us down the street.
I quicken my pace and catch up with Tawny, grabbing hold of her elbow and pulling her to my side while keeping a weather eye on Geoff's retreating figure. The Enforcer cuts an easy path through the crowd of Babelonians flooding the streets, but I notice that his gait is slightly off-centre and think of the stack of emptied glasses left at the bar.
"Are you sure we can trust him?" I ask quietly.
"Of course." Tawny answers, too quickly. "Geoff's a bit... rough around the edges but he's honest. Plus, he's the only Enforcer I am personally acquainted with who has a security clearance high enough to get us close to the labs."
I consider this, gritting my teeth as we follow Geoff out of the busy city centre and down a quieter side street. Here, the streetlamps are plastered with posters of my face, the words Dangerous Terrorist stamped prominently across the torn and peeling parchment.
Tawny scurries to keep up with the Enforcer, catching him as he places a heavy boot down on a footbridge.
"Listen, you haven't heard everything, yet." With surprising fluidity Tawny inserts herself in Geoff's path, effectively blocking the bridge. "We're not on our own in this. We have someone to help us."
"Then why don't you go pester them and leave me be." Geoff crosses his arms.
"Because we can't do this without you. We need someone on the inside." Tawny drops her voice low. "Someone we can trust."
Geoff's toe taps impatiently against the bridge but he keeps his mouth remains shut beneath his bristly mustache.
Tawny takes this as a cue to press forward and speaks quickly. "If we can get into the labs then we can learn how the Brutes work and either disable them or use them to our advantage. Think about it, Geoff: without her army and without her slaves she has nothing."
Geoff makes a noise somewhere between a grunt and a scoff. "If you really believe that, then you're even more naive than I thought. Do you honestly think that the Madam is just going to let anyone wander into her laboratories? Those things are shut tighter than a virgin's thighs. Step one foot over the threshold and the Enforcers will swarm before you even know what's hit you. Give it up, Tawny. You've got your whole life ahead of you still, there's no need to terminate it already."
Geoff makes to shove her aside by Tawny plants her feets more firmly and crosses her arms. "I'm not finished, yet."
"Colour me shocked."
"We're more than just a naive bunch of kids. Don't you want to know about our secret weapon?"
"Let me guess. Slingshots? Rocks?" Geoff raises his eyebrows. "Have you taken a lesson from the desert neanderthals and crafted yourself a pointed stick?"
I feel Luca stiffen behind me and reflexively place a hand on his wrist.
"Not quite." Tawny draws out her words and I wonder if she's enjoying keeping the grizzled old Enforcer in suspense. "We have the person who's going to kill the Madam."
Geoff doesn't say anything for several moments, his expression doubtful. "And who is that, exactly?"
I make to step forward when Luca slips his way past me and places himself directly in front of Geoff.
"Me." Luca appears at once fearsome, the prickly blue tattoos poking free of his starched collar and his fists clenched around invisible weapons. He appears so suddenly that Tawny falls back in surprise, while Geoff manages to hold his ground. The Enforcer's sharp eyes take in Luca's appearance from head to toe, making his silent assessment.
A ripple of fear and anger courses through me as I watch the scene unfold, my mouth clamped shut tightly against the wave of indignation threatening to spill forth.
"And you are?" Geoff asks, appearing almost bored.
"One of the most deadly people you are likely to meet." A small, dangerous smile flits near Luca's cheek.
Geoff gaze darts to Tawny, seemingly considering both her and Luca in a new light. "You don't say."
Tawny recovers her wits, sparing me the barest confused expression before aligning herself with Luca. "You want the Madam gone for good, Geoff? Help us get into those labs and Luca, here will take care of the rest."
Geoff glances once down the length of the footbridge, and then longingly back in the direction of the bar. He tilts his head upwards, towards the endless network of scaffolding and releases a heavy sigh.
"All right, girl." He bring his head back down, pinching the skin between his eyes as if in pain. "Let's go have a chat. I'm telling you right now, though, I won't be making any promises."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Tawny says happily, gently steering the man back into town.
I catch Luca's eye as we trail once more behind the Babelonians. "Just what in the Burn was that." I whisper angrily.
Luca reaches out and pulls one of the posters free of the lamppost, handing it to me as if in answer.
"Every Enforcer in this dome has an eye out for you." He says, his tone infuriatingly reasonable. "And I do not yet trust this man, besides. It is not safe for you to go. Not this time."
"Since when do you care what's safe." I grumble, screwing the poster up into a ball and tossing it over my shoulder.
He gives me a strange look. "Since always."
I stalk behind the group in a cloud of stony silence. Tawny leads us into a narrow and mostly-empty restaurant, exchanging familiarities with the hostess before waving us into a curtained-off booth near the kitchen.
I slump into my seat, trying not to appear petulant as the others settle themselves and Tawny fires off a rapidfire food order to the bored-looking waitress. Since watching Luca place himself in the Enforcer's eyeline my instincts feel uncomfortably heightened, every scrape of a chair sending alarm bells ringing. My role as an observer is unnatural and more than that, unbearable.
"And a round of whisky!" Geoff shouts at the retreating waitress before mercifully lowering his voice. "I'm going to need a drink if I'm going to consider this fool's errand."
The food and drinks arrive quickly and we're left to our negotiations, the whiskey doing little to dull my senses.
Geoff wipes crumbs from his mustache and throws his napkin down unceremoniously.
"So, if I am to understand that Stretch is the world's greatest assassin, then what should I take this one for?" He nods at me. "Are you some kind of mute pirate?"
"She's—" Tawny opens her mouth to speak before I interrupt her.
"No one of consequence." I speak slowly but meet the Enforcer square in the eye, daring him to recognize me from the Madam's parephanila.
"She is with me." Luca cuts in matter-of-factly.
Geoff grunts into his cup. "You make a habit of bringing your woman out when you're plotting murder? That's some kinky shit."
An angry blush works its way up my cheeks. Luca's leg moves beneath the table to rest against mine, the touch forcing back the retorts gathering on my tongue.
"Hey now, I'm not judging." Geoff throws his hands up in mock-surrender. "To each their own, know what I mean?"
"Enough, Geoff. Let's get down to brass tacks." Tawny efficiently directs the conversation back to the task at hand. She explains our plan to disguise Luca as an Enforcer and accompany Geoff into the tower, from there improvising a way into the lab and eventually overtaking the Brute army. Geoff listens silently, the amber liquid in the whisky bottle gradually depleting as Tawny wraps up her story.
"Well, what do you think?" She asks, almond-shaped eyes stretched wide as she awaits his response.
Geoff drains what remains of the bottle, studying the empty vessel and avoiding Tawny's gaze. "I think my initial reaction was the right one. You're completely insane."
Instead of taking offense, a slow smile crosses Tawny's lips. "I've heard the same said about you."
He releases a raspy laugh and runs a wrist over his mouth. He looks in my direction, his expression glazed and faraway. "Y'know, Tawny, of all the madcap schemes, I didn't expect yours to involve some murdering Waster. I thought that you beating down my door would mean you'd recruited the Madam's greatest nemesis."
I stiffen, but keep my appearance easy by picking distractedly at the food on my plate.
"You mean the Runner?" Tawny shrugs. "We don't need her. Luca is the next-best thing."
"So you say." Geoff slurs. "But I find it hard to believe that the desert's greatest hero would pass up on the chance to take down our beloved dictator."
"I suppose she has other fights to occupy herself with." Tawny says, leaning back in her chair. "What's the matter? Afraid to go to war without her?"
Geoff scoffs, spewing droplets of spit across the table. "Hardly. I'm just shocked that she hasn't led an army over our walls, yet. It's been six months and we haven't seen head nor tail of her since she destroyed the Irrigator. I expect her back at any moment to finish the job she started."
"I wouldn't hold your breath." I say, my eyes downcast and my tone indifferent. "If you're waiting for a miracle you'll be waiting a lifetime."
"She's right." Tawny nods sagely. "If we want out from under the Madam's control then we're going to have to find the way ourselves. That's why we need you, Geoff. Bring Luca into the tower as a trainee Enforcer and from there, we'll figure out how to get access to the laboratory. So, what do you say?"
Geoff removes his cap, tossing it down on the table and running a hand through his wiry hair. "It's a hell of a risk, Tawny. Hell of a risk. And what do I really know about this boy, huh?" He points a finger at Luca. "What can you do, besides kill? Think you can pull off the enforcement racket? You might be able to fool some people with those fancy duds but I'm looking right at you and I'm seeing something closer to beast than Babelonian."
"Do not worry about how I appear." Luca says. "I have a teacher who can show me everything I should ever need to know about pretending to be someone I am not."
No one says anything for a long time. Geoff tilts his chair back, wobbling precariously while studying each of us in turn, finally exhaling a whisky-soured breath and slamming his hands down on the tabletop.
"I know I'm going to regret this." He shakes his head. "But I'm in."
* * * * *
Back at Tawny's underground lair later that evening, Jaron bids us goodnight and lumbers off to his cot. Luca and I are left alone with only the chief's snores and a single flickering lamp for company.
I shake my hair out from the Babelonian headdress, pulling fruitlessly where the thick mass has gathered into knots. After a time I give up and turn to the true source of my frustration.
"You shouldn't have done that." I tell him.
Luca doesn't even have the decency to look sorry, instead smirking a little at my words. "You are welcome."
"I didn't thank you. I wouldn't ever thank you for doing something so stupid, so-"
"Reckless?" Luca's blue-black eyes meet mine. "Does only the Runner have license to behave that way?"
"Don't you try to turn this around." My voice shakes. "Infiltrating that tower was my job, not yours. I'm the one who got us into this and if anyone is going to risk their neck, it should be me."
"It would be foolish for you to go into the tower. You have seen as well as I how the Madam searches for you at every turn; do you not think that she is expecting you to show your face in Babel sooner or later? And you would do her the favour of walking right into her trap." He shakes his head. "That is not recklessness. That is stupidity."
"It was not your choice to make!" I jump to my feet, cursing the enclosed space and the damp walls pressing in from all sides. "This is my mission, Luca. Not yours."
"Then you must have expected that this rebellion would be your last." Luca stands as well, gently steering me away from Jaron's sleeping form and into an even smaller corridor.
I wrench my arm from his grasp. "That's my business."
"You are wrong." He lets me go but remains close. "You made it my business when you saved me from that airship. When you freed Noah from that hole. So long as I am with you, your business is not your own. It is mine, also."
Anger bubbles at my surface, but the cloud of red that tells me I am about to erupt never surfaces. Instead, I stare at him, confused and disoriented as his words sink in.
"Then maybe you shouldn't be here." I say. "Not if it means exposing yourself this way."
"Do you think that this is the first time I have placed myself in danger?" Luca raises a brow. "Together we have skirted sand dunes, leapt over caverns, fought countless enemies. This is no different."
"It will be." I insist. "I won't be with you. I can't protect you if I'm not with you."
"I risked myself before I ever knew you." He points out. "Do not forget that part of our story is true; I am one of the most dangerous people in the Wastelands." He nudges me lightly. "Even more dangerous than the Runner herself, if you were to ask me."
I find no humour in his teasing. Luca and I have never discussed our pasts with one another; opening that door always felt too risky, even for us. Now, with less and less remaining unsaid between us I finally find the courage to press forward.
"Who were you?" I ask softly. "Before we met."
He draws a breath. "I was a Hunter."
"And that wasn't just of birds and goats, was it?"
"No." He affirms. "It was not."
A shiver runs down my spine. I nod, for once grateful for a solid wall keeping my feet rooted in place.
"Tell me."
It was Jaron's idea. After a fever swept their camp and claimed the lives of their parents, Jaron began his assent to chiefhood. Noah easily found himself a prominent place in the tribe as a trainee medical man under the tutelage of Cade, but Luca struggled to settle. People began to talk about the strangeness of the youngest brother, questioning his tendency to disappear into the desert for days at a time. Eventually, Jaron's impatience came to a head and he decided that Luca should hone his talent for hunting game and turn it towards helping Jaron and his followers rid the desert of their enemies.
"I was young." Luca says. "And I wanted to help. Jaron seemed larger-than-life to me; with no one to guide him he managed to raise himself to such heights. When he spoke, people listened. And so I listened, also."
He was sent into battle ahead of the others. Armed with a bow and a dagger, Luca snuck into enemy camps under cover of darkness and slaughtered with abandon. Most often the men would never know what hit them; shadow would appear behind them, then a sharp pain would precede their final sleep. By the time Jaron and the others showed up, the camp would be nearly disintegrated and the alarm would only have begun to rise.
"I was skilled." He acknowledges. "And so I could treat my task as a trade and feel little, or nothing at all for what I was doing. Jaron was happy with my work, but being the Chief's personal assassin does not earn you many friends."
In place of bemusement Luca now inspired fear. His tribespeople avoided him around the campfire. The more ornate his tapestry of tattoos became, the more people stayed away. His solo forays into the Wasteland became longer and longer, often as a result of him choosing to remain on his own rather than return to Jaron directly after a mission.
"That is what I was doing the day Noah was taken." Luca's hands clench into fists at the memory. "Instead of tracking an airship like Jaron had ordered, I was taking my time and running in another direction, distracted by some animal. Noah and the others were snatched by the demons I was tasked to take care of. It was my fault."
"You don't know that." I tell him. "You could have been too late, even if your attention wasn't divided."
Luca shakes his head. "It did not matter either way, not to Jaron. I had failed as a brother and now it was my responsibility to make things right."
He was the first one to arrive the night the Wasters breached our Wall. By scaling the cliffs our City is perched on, Luca managed to clamber over our defenses and pick off our lookouts.
"That is when I first saw you." He withdraws from his story for a moment to look at me directly, fixing my eyes with his. "You were alone. You leapt over those roofs as if they were nothing, running headlong into danger without any idea of what you would find."
I remember that night vividly. I recall running from body to body, searching desperately for someone—anyone—I could help. Needing to save just one person, unable to comprehend the possibility that I could do nothing.
"That was you." I say, realizing in that moment that I already knew the truth. I study his dark expression. "And before that, the soldiers in the camps that you killed. They were my people, too."
"Many of them were." He confirms, regret lacing his voice. "They could have been someone you knew. Someone you loved."
A thudding sound fills my ears and I stumble, leaning back against the cold wall. I wait for surprise to lace through me but interestingly, it never arrives. Instead I feel only an affirmation of what I already knew and a sense of relief that what I have always suspected is finally out in the open.
"Kay?" Luca takes a tentative step closer, head tilted to get a better look at my face.
"I'm alright." I hear myself say. Shaking my head to clear it, I draw my shoulders back and consider the man before me. "It's alright."
"Is it?" Luca asks. "Are you not angry?"
"No."
"Hurt?"
"No."
"Scared?"
I meet his gaze head-on. "No."
His shoulders sag, as though a great weight has been lifted from them. "I cannot say how glad that makes me."
"But now this creates an even bigger problem." I point out.
"What is that?"
"I can't have you go in my place, Luca. If I let you act as my weapon, then I'm no better than Jaron."
A rueful grin escapes him. "But there is a great difference between you and my brother."
"I should hope so."
"I followed my brother's wishes because I had to. I did not feel it was my place to ask questions."
"And me?"
"You." Luca exhales. "You have me questioning everything."