And suddenly it was starting to make sense.
This was the catch.
Though Kora had no idea why the Resistance would go to such great lengths for her help. She'd never associated with them before. Nor had she wanted to. EVER.
"Why me?"
"It will all be explained."
"I committed the crime that I was in for," Kora said.
"Lower your voice," said Scarlet.
Kora smirked. Sardonic. Licked her teeth.
Scarlet was tall, much taller than Kora. She was slender, beautiful. She was wearing a long red coat. She sat with poise, legs crossed on the stool.
The bartender came over.
Scarlet ordered coffee, that's all, thanks.
She smiled at the bartender.
Seemed very kind.
"Explain it," said Kora.
"Felicity would rather explain it."
Kora nearly spit out the coffee she was sipping. "Felicity. The Felicity, the leader of the Resistance?"
It was Scarlet's turn to smirk. "Yes, Kora."
Scarlet's coffee arrived.
She began mixing in cream and sugar.
"We need you," Scarlet said quietly, softly.
The tone was soothing, thought Kora. She usually didn't care about tone or demeanor.
"Because I'm a smuggler?" Kora asked.
"Yes."
"What if I say no?"
"Afraid it's not optional. We did a favor for you, now we need a favor from you."
"I have a friend in prison. I can't leave her there."
Pause. Scarlet sipped. "Felicity said something like this might come up."
"That mean you can help?"
"You'll have to talk to Felicity."
Kora thought for a few moments. She took another sip of coffee, looked around the room. There were a few loud men in the corner, sitting around a table, playing cards. There was a man and woman, looked to be on a date, at the opposite end of the bar.
Everyone seemed preoccupied.
Kora wondered if any of them were Resistance or anti-Resistance.
Kora lowered her voice. "I don't care for the Resistance, Scarlet. I don't care for the Cause. The only Resistance I'm apart of is resisting the Resistance."
"You don't think the Authority is evil?"
"I hate heavy taxes as much as the next guy. I just don't pay them." Kora smiled. "So there."
"Heavy tax isn't the only thing the Authority does that is evil," said Scarlet. Tone soft.
Kora looked down into her nearly empty cup of coffee.
"I just don't think they're beatable. Their army is, what, a million strong?"
"Well," said Scarlet.
"I'm assuming there's a payday?" asked Kora.
"Substantial."
"I'll do it for the money. And for my friend in prison."
"I can't make any guarantees about your friend."
"When?"
"Three days from now."
"My friend might be dead in three days."
"Nothing I can do. Sorry."
But behind Scarlet's eyes Kora saw what looked to be genuine concern. Or perhaps the soft, emphatic tone was betraying. Scarlet's tone reminded Kora of the ribbons in her hat.
Scarlet slid a train ticket to Kora, as well as a voucher for food on the train.
Then she stood and left.
Kora understood. She'd had plenty of these sorts of meetings.
She flagged the bartender to refill her coffee. He did.
"Your friend is pretty," he said.
"What about me?" she said with a smile—a confident girl, she was. She knew she was pretty, freckles dotting her face. A coy smile, always.
"Well, of course, you are quite beautiful. Your friend is the more delicate type."
"And what type am I?"
"You look like you ride horses. Wild. Maybe even a little frightening."
"I'll accept that. And you should be happy, for your sake, that I accepted it."
Kora winked.
Then she looked at the train ticket—it left the station from this district in less than an hour.
She couldn't think why the Resistance needed her to the extent that they'd somehow gotten her sentence acquitted.
She had no connections to them.
She'd never approached them, or tried to approach them.
She could care less about them.
Since she'd been very young all she'd ever wanted was to live her life, to avoid the excessive punishments and controls of the Authority, to avoid getting entangled in any sort of righteous war against the Authority. To make money from smuggling and to hopefully retire out of the realm of the Authority one day.
She took a drink of coffee.
That motivation. That dream. The dream she thought of day in and day out. Would never change. No matter what Felicity had to say to her.
She was moved, however, by the fact that Felicity, of all people, wanted to speak to her. Of course, it could all be a ruse. She wouldn't know if Scarlet was legitimately with the Resistance or what this all meant until she met with Felicity. She knew how Felicity looked. Everyone did. There were millions of WANTED posters of her in all cities and districts everywhere, practically on every street. Probably in this room.
Kora looked around, and there it was—a giant framed poster, along the back wall, of Felicity. A beautiful woman, tall and elegant. The WANTED poster was flattering—normally they weren't. Felicity was wearing a black jacket over the top of a white-and-red-striped blouse. The image went down to her waist, where a black corset held her apparel tight against her. She looked fit, young—thirties—and healthy. Long black hair, tied up on her head, a regal style.
She was the gravest threat to the Authority.
Kora, now and for many years, couldn't help but be inspired by the woman. Only in her thirties and had caused such great turmoil to the Authority. Not much was known about the woman. Everyone knew her image but few knew who she was.
Which all the more piqued Kora's curiosity.
There was no reason a woman like Felicity needed a girl like Kora. Kora was just a smuggler, serving a sentence because she'd gotten caught.
What had Alex asked: Are you any good?
She knew she was. She told herself she was.
But… Was she? Truly?
Kora stopped thinking about it. Finished her coffee, paid the man with the remaining silver coin on her prisoner credit account. Told him to keep the change.
Then she was on the street, walking to the train station.
*****
After she left the bar, the bartender thought about her for a few moments.
"Wild," he said to himself. "Like a mustang."