Free The Two Towers by Jamie A. Waters

small area under the portable UV Guard, she kicked at her bike. Running her hands through her hair in agitation, she contemplated her options. Sadly, there weren't many. She turned to look at Carl, who seemed to be waiting for her to come to the conclusion he'd already reached. She swallowed and hung her head. “How long?”
    “The contract would be for a year,” Carl replied, and exhaled as though he'd been holding his breath. “It’s an OmniLab contract and their requirement, not mine. You can leave after that, if that’s what you still want.”
    She turned away and stared off into the horizon. The sun was beginning to set. Fitting.
    “Kayla, I’m not trying to force you into this. I honestly had no idea Ramiro would target you. If anything, I figured he would have gone after me. It was never my intention to put you in danger. If I could protect you at Leo’s camp, I would. I wanted you to join my crew willingly, not like this.”
    “I know,” she said in annoyance and turned around to look at him. “Dammit, I know. For what it’s worth, I appreciate it. You’re not a bad guy, Carl. You’re a pain in the ass, but you’re not a bad guy.”
    Veridian looked hopeful. “So you’ll agree to join him?”
    “Yeah,” she said in dejection, shoving her hands in her back pockets. “Doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice if I want to keep breathing.”
    Carl nodded and Cruncher handed him a small computer tablet. He pulled up the contract and offered it to her.
    “It’s the same contract you reviewed the other day,” he explained. “Just press your thumb on the bottom panel. It’ll scan your thumbprint and take a small blood sample to record your DNA.”
    Kayla took the contract from him. “And Veridian?”
    Carl nodded. “His contract is already prepared. It would be in his best interest to join us too. I’m sure Ramiro knows that the easiest way to get to you is through Veridian.”
    Kayla looked down at the tablet. She pressed her thumb against the bottom panel until she felt a slight pinch. The tablet beeped its acceptance of her sample. It was such a small thing, but she felt like she'd just signed part of herself away. Struggling to keep her hand from shaking, she handed it back to Carl. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. He pressed a few buttons before passing it to Veridian.
    Veridian scanned the document and pressed his thumb against it. When it beeped, Carl took the tablet. “Well, it didn’t happen quite the way I hoped, but I’m glad you’re part of the team. I’ve sent your contracts directly to OmniLab to be recorded. You’re now authorized to act on my behalf throughout this district.”
    Cruncher grinned and shook Veridian’s hand, then gave Kayla a big bear hug. “Welcome to the dark side, kiddo. I’m glad you came around.”
    She couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “Yeah, well, let’s see if you’re still saying that after a year.”
    Xantham grabbed her, picked her up, and swung her around. He kissed her cheek and exclaimed, “Shit, girl! This is going to be great.”
    She laughed as Xantham put her down. Carl smiled at them. “If you don’t mind, I think it might be safest if you came back directly to our camp, Kayla. Veridian, Cruncher can go with you to pick up your things and escort you back.”
    Kayla and Veridian exchanged a look and Veridian shook his head. “That’s okay. I think I should go alone. If Cruncher comes to Leo’s camp, a lot of people are going to freak out. I need to talk to Leo and explain it to him. I’ll stay there tonight and come over tomorrow with our things.”
    Carl nodded in agreement.
    Veridian hugged Kayla. “Thanks. You’re doing the right thing.”
    “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered but squeezed him tightly as she returned his hug. After she pulled away, she picked up her helmet and glanced back at her bike where the purloined items were hidden.
    “So, now that I’m part of your crew, do I have to turn over the loot