Elizabeth walked into the old warehouse that had became the headquarters for the Rats. A few girls snickered and said "Oh look! She came back!" and "Ha! Didn't think I'd see her again after yesterday!" She put her head down as she walked towards the back room. She put a hand over the fresh burn scar on her arm from yesterday. The girls had lit cotton balls on fire and threw them at her. Only a few hit, but she now bore a nasty burn on her left forearm and one on her chest, hidden by her shirt. When she got into the room, the boos pulled her aside. "Hey toots. Got a job for you." Liz sighed and said "What is it this time?" The boss huffed and said "Dont use that tone. I've given you a good job this time." She perked up. "What is it?" He spoke again, more serious. "Go ask Octo for the deets. He's gonna train and watch you on this case." Liz left to find Octo.

His name was Zac, but everyone called him Octo, which suited him fine. Officially, this was because of his fast reflexes - in a fight, he moved so fast it looked like he had four arms and four legs - though some of the girls in the gang also said it referred to his habit of groping them in a clinch! Right now, Octo was leaning in a corner, smoking a cigarette, not feeling too good about the world.

He wasn't in open rebellion. He was loyal to the Rats, and Scar, their Warlord. Scars had given him an order, and he'd carry it out, little though he liked it. And he didn't like it one bit.

He had to make a pick up, a large wad of laundered cash, from one of the shadowy figures with which the gang did business. That was fine. And it was usual in these cases for two members to go, which he approved of - one guarding the other's back, a perfect system. But he'd expected someone who'd actually be of use. Serpent, maybe, who could outfight any of the other girls in the gang, and possibly most of the males. Kezzie, who was as quick with a blade as anyone on the streets. LooLoo, with her huge network of friends and people who owed her favors, that she could call on if they struck trouble. Sparki, who could hotwire a car and drive it like a demon if they needed a fast escape.

And who had he got. Fucking Liz!

Liz. The skinny redhead, scared of her own shadow. Any of the other girls could beat her one-handed. Even the young 13 year olds who were on the fringe of the gang. Another girl had only to look at Liz sternly for her to back down, trembling. And in action, she always panicked, to the extent that they had to keep her away if there was a mass rumble. She couldn't fight, she was crap at negotiating anything (anyone could bluff her out), she broke into trembling fits if anything went wrong, and Scar had to give her the easiest of jobs, that you usually only had the young kids do. About the one thing in her favor, he had to admit - she was pretty. Not that it would do her much good... none of the guys would take up with her, their status in the gang would plummet like a stone!

But She's useless to us as she is, Scar had said. I need her taught properly. Someone who can give her confidence. So I'm sending her out with you. You got a rep for getting stuff done. Just don't rely on her, kay?

And now, Octo saw her approaching, with her usual apologetic, scared expression, her jumpy manner as if she expected something horrible to jump out and attack her at any moment. Even her eyes looked scared. He ground his cigarette out under his boots, and sighed. Might as well get this over with.

"OK, you ready?" he asked, scowling.

Liz looked up at the very respected member of the gang. He'd hardly been here a month and all the girls were dying to get teamed up with him and all the guys were dying to be his pal. "Boss said to get the rundown from you first. He didn't tell me nothing." She figured this would be some lowdown job, but was confused on why he had sent Octo, his star member, instead of one of the younger new recruits. She leaned against the wall next to him, being sure to stay a reasonable distance away.

((Sorry, writer's block, lack of sleep lol))

Octo flicked the auto-lock on the car key. Like most of the vehicles the gang used, it had been recovered from scrap and refurbished by Spanners, the gang's mechanic. It still looked like a boring, rusty family sedan, but it had a suspension better than most sports cars, and a reconditioned, turbocharged v8 engine. It was fast and anonymous, perfect for this sort of work. "Thought you might've guessed," he said, scowling. "Today's Thursday, right? You know what happens Thursdays?" He was going to say more, but she scared look in her eyes, and the backward step, as if she expected him to hit her just for not knowing, made him hesitate. She was bad enough now. Getting her even more jumpy could end up backfiring if he had to depend on her. "Nah, sorry, you wouldn't. You never been on the pickup on the Northside, have ya? We gotta pick up some money that Skinny Ralph owes us. There's no trouble, it ain't ovedue, and he always pays up on time. But Scar reckons he thinks he can get a better deal somewhere else, and he's a good customer, so we need to keep him sweet." An idea occurred to him, as to how to maybe give her a bit more confidence, that she obviously needed badly. "I guess that's why he's sending someone pretty with me."

He tossed her the keys. "You can drive,"

Liz looked down at the keys in her hand. She had never been allowed to drive. And pretty? She smiled. No one ever called her that. She practically skipped to the driver's side door of the car and hoped in. "So," She spoke with more gut. "Where do we go?" She fastened her seat belt and fixed all her mirrors. She may be part of an illegal gang, but she wanted to live to see tomorrow, even if that meant wasting 2 or 3 minutes adjusting mirrors so she could see the cars rear end. She could feel him looking at her and her cheeks grew red. Th most loved member of the group thinks I am pretty!? She was still somewhat in shock. Today was a great day! An upgrade in job quality AND a compliment from Mr. Top Dog Octo!

Octo noticed how she blushed when he paid her such a small compliment. It was obvious that she wasn't used to anyone being nice to her. Come to that, he'd heard the other guys say all sorts of stuff. About how the other girls took every opportunity to insult and bully her, taking of advantage of the fact that she couldn't fight and wasn't very confident. Though he wished he hadn't been lumbered with her, he could see Scar's point. If she was ever going to be any use to the gang at all, she had to start feeling better about herself. He remembered how Flower, who was only 14 for fuck's sake, had mugged her for a really nice studded belt she had, and Liz had been so scared she'd just handed it over without a fight. About how RainGirl had called her gutless last month, and Liz had just blushed and turned away, her lip trembling.

He watched her sideways as he gave her directions, noting that she drove like she did everything else. Hesitantly, as if she couldn't quite handle it. She was wearing a black tee and jeans, and there was a scar on her arm, that looked like a burn. It didn't look the sort of burn you'd get by accident - more as if someone had been deliberately torturing her, and this was serious. Theft and name calling among the girls was supposed to be beyond the notice of the guys, but if they were actually harming her, Scars needed to know. But telling him might just make things worse for Liz, not to mentioning making an issue of how she was too weak to protect herself, and humiliating her even more.

They went round a sharp bend, and her bra-strapped slipped off as she wrestled with the wheel. Without a word, he reached across and replaced it for her. Normally, in the gang, a guy would only do that to his chosen girl, but he felt a bit sorry for her.

"OK, just through these lights," he said. "You'll see a silver Fairlane, that's his car. There's no trouble, giving someone money isn't a crime. No drugs and stuff are gonna change hands. He saw that her hands were starting to shake. "Don't be skitty... you're doing fine."

Liz drove as smoothly as possible, but there were a few sharps turns along the way. Her strap fell off her shoulder under her tee shirt. She thought nothing of it until Octo fixed it back. She caught her breath but didnt say a thing. After he spoke, she nodded and soon pulled into the driveway. She felt slightly better since the time she left the warehouse. This guy was super nice compared to the other members. She put the car in park and took the keys out of the egnition. "So how much does he owe us?" Usually it was around $100-$300 but it varied on business.