1. Chapter 1 (1/2)

author's note: this story takes place between runaways #12 and #13 (after the kids meet cloak and dagger, but before their final showdown with the pride).

it all started because they ran out of food.

"i knew we should have rationed things more carefully," said alex. he picked up a cereal box and held it upside down. not a single crumb fell out. "even split between the six of us, this should have lasted more than two days."

"we didn't think it was going to need to last longer than that," said karolina. "when dagger said she was friends with the black widow, i figured we'd be out of here within twenty-four hours."

"me too," said nico. "what do you think is taking the avengers so long?"

"you're assuming they're actually coming," said gert. "how do we know dagger wasn't talking out of her scantily-clad ass?"

"she's a superhero," said alex. "if we can't trust her, who can we trust?"

gert sighed. even after finding out their own parents were supervillains, her friends were sometimes infuriatingly nave.

friends? is that how i think of them now?

she didn't know what to call these people she was living with. a few weeks ago, they had been acquaintances, just her parents' friends' kids who she was forced to hang out with once a year. then their world had been turned upside down. there was no denying that they'd shared something no one else would ever understand. but did that mean they were truly friends now? did she even like them?

"can you guys argue later?" asked molly. "i'm starving."

gert smiled slightly. well, she liked the kid, at least. molly was surprisingly tough, candid, and, gert suspected, much smarter than she let on. come to think of it, she reminded gert a little of herself. and the others weren't so bad once you got to know them…except maybe for chase.

"molly's right," said alex. "whether the avengers get here tomorrow or the next day or never at all, we still need food for tonight."

"but we're completely out of cash, and we can't use our credit cards without giving away our location," said nico.

"not a problem!"

as if he'd been waiting for his cue all day, chase appeared at the top of the grand staircase. in his hands was an ornate wooden box.

"i've got the solution right here," he announced as he came down the stairs.

the others looked at each other.

"do we even want to ask?" gert whispered.

chase opened the box and held it out for everyone to see. it was

imming with jewelry.

"are those real diamonds?" nico asked, wide-eyed.

"i think they are," said gert, examining a

ooch the size of a walnut. personally, she had little interest in jewelry, but you pick up a thing or two when your parents are (evil, time-traveling) antique dealers. most of the pieces looked about eighty or ninety years old, and they were definitely high-quality.

"chase, where did you get this?" asked karolina.

"it was in one of the bedrooms."

"and how does this solve anything?" asked alex.

"you don't get it? man, and you're supposed to be the smart one!" chase shook his head. "we can pawn these and use the money for food!"

there was a pause.

"that's…not the worst idea i've ever heard," said karolina.

"no, it's a great idea," said gert. "except for one thing: we're fugitives. we can't afford to draw attention to ourselves. and you know what's going to draw attention? a bunch of teenagers walking around with a box of jewels."

"you got a better plan, arse?" asked chase.

gert opened her mouth to spout off another witty retort, but then she realized he had a point. as risky as chase's plan was, it was the best any of them had come up with yet. the world really had been turned upside down.

gert looked at alex. normally she had problems with authority figures, especially self-appointed ones, but the guy had done a decent job of holding the group together so far. when in doubt, she would trust his judgment. unfortunately, alex looked as conflicted as she felt.

"do you really think this will work?" he asked chase.

"would i have

ought it up if i didn't?"

now everyone was watching alex, waiting for his decision.

"okay, fine," he said at last. "but just take one or two pieces; that will attract less attention. and there's really no reason for all of us to go. chase, it was your idea, so pick a buddy and—"

"karolina," said chase.

karolina shook her head violently.

"no way," she said. "risk your own neck if you want, but until captain america walks through that door, i'm not going anywhere."

"same here," said nico.

"gert, you go with him," said alex.

"what?" gert and chase said in horrified unison.

"why me?"

"why her?"

"we can't make nico or karolina do anything they're not comfortable with," said alex, "and i need to stay here and work on decoding the abstract. that only leaves you and—"

"i'll go!" molly leaped out of her chair. "i'm not afraid of getting caught! and i'll finally be able to pick out my own cereal. i want chocolate frosted sugar bombs!"

gert looked at the youngest runaway sadly.

"no, kid," she said. "i'll go. you're young, you're innocent…you shouldn't be exposed to talkback any more than you have to be."

molly giggled. chase glowered.

"fine," he said. "let's get this over with."

after some debate, they decided on taking an emerald necklace. they figured it had to be worth enough for at least a week's worth of food. with that settled, there was no reason to dawdle any longer.

"do me a favor and keep old lace company while i'm gone," gert said to nico.

"of course," she replied. "have fun."

gert just snorted.

o0o0o

chase didn't say a word on the ride to the pawnshop. gert was so relieved that she didn't even protest when he put on some god-awful heavy metal album and cranked up the volume until the van vi

ated. the preservation of her sanity was worth the damage to her eardrums.

after twenty minutes of driving, chase pointed to a flashing neon sign in the distance.

"let's try that one," he said. gert nodded.

gert had never been in a pawnshop before. the word conjured vaguely sinister images of dimly-lit rooms and grimy display cases in her mind. the reality wasn't quite so seedy, though the man behind the counter did look like a reject from the sopranos, complete with greasy, black hair and a gold chain around his neck.

greasy eyed the emerald necklace suspiciously.

"where did you get this?" he asked.

"it's our mom's," chase said without hesitation. he lowered his eyes. "we're in a little trouble—you know, financially. so she asked us to pawn it, to make a little cash."

gert was amazed. had talkback thought of this cover story in advance? if so, she was impressed—and irritated with herself for not having as much foresight. if not, she was a little scared. no one should be that good at lying on the fly.

"why didn't she

ing it in herself?" greasy asked.

"too embarrassed," said chase. "she's got a lot of pride, our mom. she can't stand thinking about her grandmother's favorite necklace in the hands of a stranger."

okay, now he was laying it on a little too thick. it was time to step in.

"how much can you give us for it?" gert asked.

greasy stared at her for a moment before answering. gert held his gaze, trying to look anxious but also hopeful—chase wasn't the only one who could act.

"fifty bucks," greasy said eventually.

"are you high?" chase shouted. "those are real emeralds!"

"seventy-five."

"deal," gert said before chase could open his big mouth again.