Still reeling from the chase and the sudden shift in surroundings, it takes me several moments to get my bearings. I stare at the stranger before me, taking note of the way the dim light casts shadows across her pixie-like features. She's a little older than myself, small in stature with eyes as black as the tunnel stretching before us. Even in the near darkness, I can tell that she misses nothing.

"Who are you." I demand.

The woman steps forward, revealing a startling amount of freckles covering her face from brow to neck. "Tawny. And this," She raises her chin. "Is my crew." A team of people materialize out of the tunnel behind her, appearing so suddenly that our hands fly instinctively to our weapons. Tawny makes a half-hearted gesture and the strangers halt in their tracks, a couple dozen curious pairs of eyes studying us intently. Only the steady presence of Jaron and Luca keeps me rooted in place.

I make a show of depositing my dagger back in my boot, sensing a clear disadvantage if our new acquaintance were to come to blows.

"Tawny." I move closer, standing so that my eyeline is level with hers. She remains ramrod straight, watching me steadily, waiting. "Pleasure. Mind educating my friends and I as to what in the Burn you're doing down here?"

Her lips twitch, betraying a sense of humour. "Come on. Let's go talk somewhere a little more comfortable."

Faced with little other choice, we follow Tawny down the passageway, allowing her to lead us on a complicated path through a series of twisting tunnels. The walls pressing in around us are water-dampened, shining with the remnants of days spent as a channel for the Irrigator. Throat dry, I suppress the urge to trail my fingertips along the slick stone.

After what feels like an endless series of identical pathways, we emerge and find ourselves walking through a cavern. Our feet echo against the catwalks that crisscross the chamber and I peer down between the slats of steel into the grey pools of stagnant water below. Our torches are extinguished and it takes me several beats to realize that this room is lit not by flame, but by strings of glowing bulbs affixed to the platforms and stairways. My memories of Babel and their advanced technology flare up, my fears about how primal we are in comparison burning more brightly than the electric globes.

"Nice digs." I remark, emitting a low whistle. I squint upwards, watching as people navigate the countless perilous-looking bridges stretching above us. "How long have you been down here?"

"This chamber? A week, give or take a few days." Tawny taps a finger against her lips, appearing to think. "Honestly, it's difficult to keep track of time. We change locations fairly often. The Brutes sweep these tunnels on a routine basis, but we try to stay one step ahead."

"Brutes?"

"The robotic Enforcers. I thought you were already acquainted?"

Will's eyes flash before me. I blink hard, Tawny's questioning expression replacing his blank stare.

"Ah." I say, suddenly brimming with a million questions. "We've been referring to them as Mechs."

"As in mechanical? I suppose they are, in a way." Tawny turns away, leading us towards a steel drum standing upright in the centre of the room. Plumes of smoke and a tempting aroma emanate from within, drifting past our noses and causing my stomach to rumble conspicuously.

"Do you know what they are?" I press. "The Brutes, I mean. How does she make them?"

Tawny doesn't answer immediately, drawing to a stop before the barrel and motioning for one of her crew to hand out food and drink to Mia and the Wasters.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions." She says to me. "Help yourself to some food and you and I will go have a chat. That is," She raises her brows. "Unless you require your bodyguards to linger."

"Bodyguard?" Jaron steps forward, at once towering over myself and the diminutive Tawny. The Babelonian girl doesn't so much as flinch, instead remaining stock-still as she watches him. "I am Jaron, chief of the largest tribe this side of the Wastelands. I am no one's bodyguard."

"I know who you are." Tawny replies calmly, leaning slightly to peer around his sizable frame. "And you're Luca, isn't that right?"

Luca gives the barest of nods.

"Each of you was here when the Irrigator was destroyed." Tawny continues. "Strangely enough, that was a pretty big day in our world. I've made it my business to learn as much about you as I can. I'm eager to find out more but right now, my most pressing business pertains to the Runner, and the Runner only."

I place a hand on Jaron's arm. "It's fine." I tell him. "I'll catch up with you later."

Jaron makes a noncommittal grunt, not bothering to wipe the look of irritation from his face as he stalks back towards the fire. Luca trails several steps behind his brother and casts a furtive glance over his shoulder.

"Well, then." Tawny cocks her head. "Shall we?"

I follow her into yet another damp passageway, stooping beneath a low archway and finding myself in a tight, dimly-lit space. The murmurs of conversation fade to a dull hum as we settle ourselves into seated positions on the stone ledges. Here, a single light bulb flickers overhead while a thin river of water runs between us, the gentle trickling sound deafening amongst the silence.

"Thirsty?" Tawny takes a sip from a flask and hands it to me. "I wouldn't recommend drinking straight out of the tunnel, but I have some filtered water to share."

I hesitate for a split second before accepting the proffered drink. The cool liquid coats my throat and helps to clear my head, bringing the strangeness of the situation into sharp focus.

"Thanks." I say, handing the flask back to Tawny. "I needed that."

"Figured." Tawny twists the lid back into place. "I understand that your people are finding water in increasingly short supply."

"You seem to know a lot for someone living underground." I remark. "Where are you getting all of your information from?"

"Here and there." She replies. "Rumours have passed into Babel freely since you blasted that hole in our wall, but the safeguards the Madam has since released have bottlenecked our intelligence."

"You mean the lions." I say, recalling the reinforced animals. "Are they meant to keep us out or to keep you in?"

"Take your pick." Tawny shrugs. "The result is the same. Keep us apart, keep the Madam in control."

"And control is important to her, isn't it?"

"It's everything." She affirms darkly. "My crew and I have been chipping away at her walls for months, ever since the Irrigator fell and people finally began to question her leadership. We've made some progress, kept the Madam on her toes, but it's you she's really scared of."

A cold trickle runs down my spine and I glance up to see if I'm sitting beneath a leak.

"What sorts of tricks have you been pulling?" I ask.

"Oh, the usual numbers." Tawny sits back, smirking. "Jamming radio frequencies, stealing gas canisters, things of that nature."

I grin appreciatively, reminded of my own exploits before Will found me, back when my only aspirations involved causing problems for the King and his nobles.

"Impressive." I help myself to another drink. "So, what's the end game?"

"We want the Madam gone." Tawny says, her seriousness at once robbing the tunnel of all light. "By whatever means necessary. Supreme power shouldn't be wielded by anyone, least of all by a psychotic, tyrannical mad scientist."

"So, you're trying to organize a rebellion."

"'Trying' being the operative word." Tawny's small hands ball into fists. "The people of Babel are scared. What I need is a foolproof plan and someone to inspire them, to give them hope." She stares at me meaningfully. "From what I understand, that's your specialty."

I scratch my chin, studying Tawny intently as I mull over her words. A rebellious heart beats in my chest, as steady and unavoidable as a war drum, forever thudding in tune with a cause. Easing my way past the familiar tug into defianse, I instead take the opportunity to satiate some of my curiosity.

"Was she always this way?" I ask.

Tawny snorts. "Mad, perhaps, but not always a tyrant. People were once free to pass in and out of Babel's gates as they pleased. Our parents and grandparents migrated from the desert, arriving in droves and staying of their own will."

"So, what happened?"

"Call it a shift. Subtle, at first. There was the sealing of our gates—a necessity, done to protect us from the Wasteland war." Tawny's dry tone suggests that she doesn't believe a word of what she's been told. "Then we were all assigned tasks, our choices gradually stripped away from us, one by one. No one questioned the Madam's methods; we were given food, water, safety. She brought the blasted rain, by thunder. What right did we have to complain? It wasn't long before we found ourselves standing rigid beneath a loudspeaker, listening to a dictator bleat her insane agenda over and over."

I find myself nodding along with her story.

"People began disappearing." Tawny continues. "At first we thought they'd found a way out, but then the Madam gave up on every semblance of discretion, blatantly holding a lottery and demanding that the chosen citizens report to her tower. Our family, friends, neighbours were gone the instant an Enforcer graced their doorstep."

"Where did they go?"

"Those who were recruited early were never seen or heard from again." Tawny's dark eyes turn somber. "But the later ones... they began turning up."

From her expression I can tell that the latter outcome is no better than the former.

"What happened to them?" I ask half in hope, half in dread.

"Changed." She utters. "Made different, with mechanical tools grafted to their bodies."

"The Brutes." The memory of Will's stony, far-off stare strikes me again and I lean forward excitedly, elbows on knees as I demand more from the Babelonian. "So, there is a real person in there."

"We thought so too, at first." She shakes her head and my heart sinks. "We tried talking to them, reasoning with them. There's nothing inside. Nothing but violence and an unquestioning loyalty to her."

"But if they were people once, surely there can be a way to reverse whatever was done to them." I insist.

Tawny looks at me curiously. "Why are you so interested in the Brutes?"

At once I adopt a neutral expression. "I was just thinking...perhaps the Brutes are the key to getting close to the Madam."

"You have an idea?"

"I might." I say, gesturing vaguely. "Tell me more about them. How are they made?"

"I wish I knew." She shrugs. "All of her scientists' work takes place in the tower. There are rumours of what goes on in there, but the labs are under heavy guard."

"There's got to be a way in." I bite down on my lip. "Think."

"Only Enforcers and scientists with the maximum security clearance are allowed in the tower." Tawny speaks slowly, considering.

"Is there anyone in your network with that kind of clearance?" I press, fighting a surge of impatience.

"Maybe." Tawny asserts. "A former corporal who I'm told has good reason to hold a serious grudge against the Madam. But he's going to take some convincing."

"If you can get him to take me inside, then I can sort out the rest." I tell her.

"You're awfully confidant."

"Those are the services you wanted, are they not?" I raise my eyebrows. "If you want a successful rebellion, then you need the Brutes gone. If you want the Brutes gone, you need me."

"Aptly put." Tawny nods approvingly. "I think you and I might get along just fine, Runner. So, you'll help us?"

"That depends." I reply, my tone measured.

"On what?"

"On what's in it for me."

Tawny's head tilts to the side. "That's not exactly what I expected from the legendary, selfless hero I've heard so much about."

"That's the thing about legends." I fire back. "They're seldom based on truth."

"What is it that you want, then?"

"Food. Water. Enough to supply the City indefinitely, no strings attached." I count off my requests on my fingers.

"An appropriately heroic demand." Tawny remarks. "But obviously, it's impossible for me to make you that promise. We barely have enough for ourselves, as it is."

"Then you can forget about my help." I make to stand, brushing off my pants and draining what's left of Tawny's water flask. "I'm sorry this didn't work out. Thanks for the drink."

Tawny says nothing but I can feel her eyes on my back as I make my way back through the tunnel, keeping my shoulders straight and my steps resolute.

"Wait." She calls out just as I turn the corner.

I poke my head back into the tunnel. "Was there something else?"

Tawny walks toward me, stopping a few yards away and leaning back against the wall. "Look, I want us to help one another but I don't know how you can expect us to be able to produce enough food and water to support two dying societies."

"You did it once already."

"That was before the Irrigator was destroyed." She points out. "Maybe you don't remember, but you had a little something to do with that."

"So, get it running again." I say impatiently. "Just find a way to use mechanisms instead of slave labour."

"Oh, it's just that easy, is it?"

"When the Madam's out of the way, you'll have access to all of her labs and equipment." I explain. "If you're lucky, her scientists as well. There must be something you can all figure out if you put your heads together."

Tawny smiles a bit sadly. "Honestly, that's one of the most optimistic things I've heard in years."

"One step at a time." I tell her. "Raise your rebellion, take back your home, then find a way to bring the rain."

Tawny remains silent for several moments, her serious, fine features unreadable. Finally, she speaks. "I can't guarantee that we'll be able to get the Irrigator to run again." She says carefully. "But what I can do is promise that if you help us kill her, then I will do everything in my power to make sure your people are fed."

"Then we have a deal." I stick out my hand for her to shake. "You just bought yourself a revolution."

She squeezes my hand tightly. "Glad to have you with us, Runner."

I return her grin, fighting to keep it from spreading across my entire face as I revel silently from my sheer luck.

Tawny's determination to destroy the Madam should be enough to secure the support of Jaron, while the others will be more than willing to fight in the hope of supplying food to their families. For me, the real motivation lies in gaining access to the Brutes' laboratory. If the Madam really did succeed in turning Will into one of her mechanical lackeys, then those labs will hold the key to getting him back.

One step at a time. Help Tawny with her rebellion, find Will.

Kill the Madam.