Archive of Our Own

   Gally paces the stone, concrete floor in front of Lawrence's high tech computer system.

   His boots echo across the floor, loud despite his attempts at keeping them quiet. He doesn't want to risk waking anyone up. Especially not Lawrence. Who knows how that would end.

   The computer system that Lawrence has set up are not the nicest computers that probably exist in their burning world, sure. But Lawrence has been collecting the different monitors, keyboards, and various machines for years in his futile attempts at taking down WCKD. And they work, which is really the only thing Gally really needs.

   As long as he can see WCKD's cameras, files, and data bases, he's set. And thankfully, he's able to.

   Gally flops down in the chair in front of his main computer, fingers frantically searching for the clips he wants to see.

   He has to be able to check and see if his mind had been playing tricks on him, or if that someone was who Gally thought it was. And—for maybe the first time in his life—Gally hopes and prays to whatever entity or God might be listening, that he's incorrect in his hypothesis.

   Unfortunately, it seems like whatever entity or God had not been listening to Gally, though he isn't entirely shocked by that realization.

   Looks like all of the time that Lawrence has made Gally sit in that abandoned church in his compound was for nothing, after all. Gally's never really thought about religion, anyways. After all that they've been through, the thought has been pushed to the very back of his mind.

   The security footage is grainy, extremely pixilated. Like the cameras don't want to show Gally their footage, like the cameras know that this will break Gally. He can't say that the thought is wrong. What's pictured on the screen definitely creates some sort of hole inside of Gally, or rather.. It opens up a hole that has been previously sealed. Not quite healed, because Gally would never be healed unless he had Minho with him.

   Despite the quality of the footage being awful, Gally thinks he could tell Minho's silhouette from miles and miles away. He has no doubt that the body being dragged by multiple guards off of a train isn't Minho.

   Gally's heart plummets straight from his chest down into the concrete beneath him at the realization, trickling down into the streets of the outskirts and polluting the now fallen city.

   Minho is fighting back, as he always does. Gally isn't sure if he wants to smirk or grimace at the sight. Part of him is glad that Minho is fighting back. That means that WCKD hasn't completely broken Minho. Some of his fight is still left in him. There's a man leading the guards directing Minho. He isn't wearing a laboratory coat or any type of scrubs, meaning.. He isn't a doctor. At least, not technically.

   Gally presses his palms into his eyes, feeling the wetness of tears touch the skin of his palms. Shaking his head, Gally fast forwards the footage, trying to see where Minho is taken to. He already knows, of course.

   Lawrence has tasked Gally with not only surveying the city, but watching the main WCKD tower. It's their whole base of operations, what they've built it for. Filled with medical laboratories, testing facilities, everything that WCKD needs is in that one tower, centered directly in the middle of the Last City.

   The tower itself is infested with soldiers. Gally has used the telescope enough times to see this. Scanners litter every level of the towering skyscraper, security patrols the inside and outside of the building twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, taking shift breaks and changes every eight hours.

   Gally has spent the last few months studying the city and this tower itself. Looking for cracks in WCKD's foundation. Any weakness that their army can use against WCKD.

   Gally sits back in his chair, tiredly rubbing his hands over his face. It's late. The clocks on every computer around him are screaming at him about the time. It's the middle of the night, no one else in the compound is awake. Otherwise, they'd be in here along with Gally. Surveying WCKD, studying the walls that WCKD has recently put up around the city, keeping them out.

   Gally doesn't really sleep, not since the Maze. Instead, he studies the cameras, studies Minho.

   It's the difference between being alone and loneliness. Gally is not alone, because he knows that Minho is alive. Still breathing. Gally is lonely, yes. But not alone. Minho is alone, he doesn't know that Gally is still alive, still breathing. That's the difference between the two of them. Isolation in two different senses, two different ways.

   He watches the monitors, day in and day out.

   Gally ends up not sleeping, not even resting his eyes for more than five minutes at a time. Not just for a couple of nights, not even a couple of weeks.

   For months, Gally couldn't sleep. Can't sleep. Luckily, Lawrence allows him to have a cup of coffee every day along with his food rations. That's something to be thankful for, he supposes. 

   Then, one day while Gally is out on patrol of the outskirts, Thomas shows up. Along with Newt and Frypan. Which means that Gally can finally put all of his knowledge of WCKD and Minho to good use.

   Getting Minho out of there.

"I can guarantee she's done a lot worse to Minho." The words come out of Gally's mouth before he can stop himself.

   He's right, of course. He's been watching Minho for months. He's seen what WCKD has done. The experiments, tests, operations. Gally is absolutely correct with his accusations.

   Teresa knows it too, Gally saw the slight twitch in her brows and eyes when he said that just now. It's the same look that the soldiers he's interrogated from WCKD get. Shock, surprise. She didn't know that Gally has been spying on what WCKD has been doing.

   This isn't the first interrogation Gally has done. It probably won't be the last, either.

   Lawrence has had him doing this type of thing since he picked Gally up from the WCKD compound after the Maze. Unfortunately, Gally has been taught that being violent gets you what you want. Whether it's answers to questions or demands for more serum.

   Besides, it's what Lawrence has done to Gally.

   Interrogations were common when he first arrived in the outskirts. Lawrence wanted information about WCKD, Immunes, the Right Arm. Gally never knew anything, of course. Which is what landed him as a soldier instead. After all, all of his scars and wounds aren't just from the Maze. But he doesn't have time to think about his own past interrogations right now, he has to focus all of his attention to Minho and his whereabouts.

   In a holding cell. Sub-level three.

   Gally knows all of the levels. Medical levels, security levels, communication levels, office levels. He's made maps of the tower, including the hallways connecting the other buildings around said tower. There are a couple. Those few buildings around the main WCKD tower are made up of mostly offices and bus or train stations.

   Gally's been practically circling Minho for the last few months. Like a shark around a seal. Waiting, watching WCKD's every move that has to do with Minho. It's as if Minho is the moon and Gally is a hopeless astronaut trying to reach him.

   Gally has studied level after level, medical room after medical room, testing chamber after testing chamber. Front to back, side to side, up to down. Gally's basically memorized the entirety of that Godforsaken place that they're holding Minho in.

   Six months.

   That's how long it's been. Gally's looked at the files that WCKD has dedicated to Minho. According to WCKD's files and documents, they picked Minho up in the Scorch shortly after the group of Gladers escaped a WCKD compound. Apparently, Teresa called WCKD and gave them the coordinates of where they had been hiding out at.

   None of that matters now, of course. Teresa can repent for her sins in her own way, just as Gally does.

   What matters is getting Minho back. Which is exactly what Gally and the others are planning on doing right at this moment.

   ..As soon as they get their trackers removed from the backs of their necks.

   Newt is currently getting his tracker removed, sitting underneath a lamp as Teresa digs around in the back of his neck. Everyone is still seemingly shaken up from his outburst hours earlier, which had revealed that he's now succumbing to the Flare. Despite that, Newt is determined to rescue Minho. He's made that apparently clear. Thomas hasn't argued against him much, though. Gally can see that Thomas wants to argue against Newt's decision to prioritize Minho, just as Gally would argue with Minho if Minho had the Flare. But Thomas doesn't argue, doesn't mention it.

   Gally and Frypan are in line for their own turns to remove their trackers, Thomas after them. Brenda, of course, doesn't have a tracker. She and Jorge are off to the side by a statue—of what Gally believes is Mother Mary, if he's remembering Lawrence's brief talks about religion—talking quietly about something just out of Gally's earshot.

   The church has little to no lighting, other than the dim candles around them and the standing lamp by Teresa. There is one other way that light shines into the church.

   The stained glass.

   It covers the walls, allowing moonlight to shine through their panes.

   Gally gets up from his rickety wooden chair, making his way over to look at one particular panel of stained glass.

   It's embedded in the wall behind the pulpit and lectern, where a pastor would typically stand. This is also where people get married—if Gally's memory serves him correctly, which it occasionally does. An alter. Typically, two people stand here, getting married.

   But now, Gally stands alone, an ache in his chest that isn't from overexertion like it typically is. No, this ache is different. It's almost yearning. Yearning for something—or someone—that isn't here. Brushing the feeling off, Gally looks up at the panel of glass, studying it as it shines down on him, illuminating his skin in its multiple different colors.

   It's.. Divine.

   That's truly the only word that comes to Gally's mind as he stares at the imagery in front of him. The glass is beautiful, Mother Mary is in the center of the panel, cradling baby Jesus. He's swaddled on her chest, something that parents do with their newborn babies.

   Gally's brain reminds him of Chuck. As it typically does, at a lot of points throughout the day. But this is different. The glass reminds Gally of Chuck's want—need—for his parents. His mother. Gally silently wonders if Chuck has found her, wherever he may be. Whatever paradise or afterlife Chuck is in, Gally can only pray that he's with his mother once again. It's what he wanted, both in the Maze and prior to it.

   His heart aches. Not only for Chuck, but for his own parents.

   Despite having no real memory of them, he knows that they previously existed. They had to have existed because Gally exists. If they're still alive is the real question haunting the air around the church Gally is standing in.

   Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Gally turns and walks down the aisle. Past the wilted, dead flowers sitting on the pews, away from the stained glass artwork.

Alone.

   Just as he's been for the last six months. The only bit of hope he has is getting this tracker out of his body, that's how he'll be able to get Minho back.

   Gally wonders if Minho has an aisle of his own that he walks down. In the Glade, it had been the doors to the Maze. Gally wonders if the hallways in WCKD resemble an aisle to Minho as well, or if all of this isolation has driven Gally to the brink of insanity.

   Frypan is done with his tracker removal by the time Gally gets back over to the group.

   Brenda is sitting with him, talking quietly as she dabs at Frypan's neck with a piece of gauze. Her other hand is in his, thumb stroking over his knuckles.

   Gally chuckles as he catches Jorge watching the pair, as if he's making sure they don't do anything inappropriate. Or maybe he's judging Frypan, seeing if he's a good fit for Brenda. He seems to approve, considering he makes no move to stop Frypan from kissing the back of Brenda's hand.

   Averting his eyes, Gally stares at the ground instead. Jealously bubbles up in his throat like bile. Not that seeing Frypan with his partner makes him angry. A part of him just wishes he had his own partner with him. He wishes for this kind of closeness once again.

   All he can do is place his faith in Teresa's tracker removal and Thomas' borderline insane plans of getting Minho out and taking WCKD down for good.

   Gally sighs, plopping down in the wooden chair sat in front of Teresa as she sanitizes her tools and equipment she needs.

"Try to hold still, it'll hurt." Teresa says, cleaning the back of Gally's neck off with something strong smelling. The smell reminds Gally of the WCKD checkpoint he had been held in before Lawrence's army broke him out. WCKD nurses and doctors had cleaned his chest after his lung operation with the same foul smelling liquid and cloths. Gally wonders if Minho smells like this now, his own scent replaced with the rubbing alcohol that WCKD uses.

"Dealt with worse." Gally mutters, tipping his head forward to rest on the back of the chair. "Just get it over with so we can get going with the plan. We're wasting time."

   His statement isn't a lie. Gally's dealt with numerous different types of pain before. Mental and physical pain. Relearning how to breathe with one lung, splinters cutting deep into his hands from building huts in the Glade, his knuckles cracking open from fights in the outskirts, taking hit after hit after he's disobeyed Lawrence somehow. A tracker being removed from the back of his neck isn't enough to scare him. It might make him flinch, yes. But he can take it. He always has.

   Gally hears Teresa take a deep breath in, as if she's trying to steady herself. Gally subconsciously copies her—though his breaths are a lot shallower than hers. She seems to notice this, momentarily hesitating before making a cut just below his nape.

   It isn't an awful feeling. Not the worst pain that Gally has ever experienced. It's not comfortable, of course. It stings, similar to when a bee stings you. Gally has had many experiences with bees stinging him. Working with wood and trees in the Glade meant dealing with their nests quite often. Fortunately, the outskirts do not have any bees flying around. There are worse pests around Gally nowadays.

   Gally tries to distract himself from the stinging in the back of his neck and the stinging memories in his brain, looking back at the stained glass windows at the alter. Teresa seems to have the same idea as he does, opting for conversation rather than staring at the array of stained glass surrounding them.

"How did you end up here?" She asks, voice low. Like she's trying to talk to a frail, stray cat in an alleyway. Gally huffs, a hand automatically coming up to his chest scar, where the spear had pierced him.

"Got picked up at a WCKD compound after the Maze." Gally says, eyes now focused on a chipped piece of wood on the back of the chair he's sitting in. He'd get a splinter if he picked at it. It's rough, sharp. Gally licks his lips, a bitter taste filling his mouth. "How did you end up here?"

   Teresa pauses, her breath catching in her throat. Gally knows he's touched a nerve with the question. Teresa's hands are noticeably shakier than they had been mere moments ago. Gally almost gets up, wanting to abandon the tracker removal completely. He's sure he could pull it out himself, but he hears Teresa sigh and continue working, slicing through layers of Gally's skin as she tries to locate the tracker embedded there.

"I did what I thought was right." Teresa says the words as if she's been rehearing them in case someone asked her that same question. Thomas asked a question that elicited the same answer that Gally got. Gally heard from where he had been hiding behind a pillar in the train station that Thomas lead her to, where Gally helped to basically kidnap her.

Do you regret it?

   Teresa had given Thomas the same answer. The same seven words. She did what she thought was right.

   She called WCKD to their location at the Right Arm after the Gladers had escaped from WCKD's clutches. Minho got taken because of her actions. If she hadn't called WCKD, Minho would be safe.

   Minho would be somewhere far from here, Gally's sure of that. Minho's never been one to stay still for long. Not like Gally, who would stay anywhere as long as Minho is there. Not that Gally isn't used to this. It's always felt like Gally chases Minho. In the Glade, and even now. Especially now.

   Despite knowing the answer, Gally has to ask.

"How is he?"

   The words taste sour on his tongue and in his mouth as they roll out. Gally knows the answer already. Minho is doing horribly, Gally has seen what they've done to him. He isn't even sure why he asks that question, if he's honest. Gally is shocked that Minho has lasted this long inside of that Godforsaken tower.

   Teresa knows this as well. She knows exactly who Gally is talking about, Gally doesn't have to specify who "he" might be. Gally can practically feel the guilt radiating off of her without even having to mention Minho's name.

   She sighs, rinsing her scalpel off in the water basin before returning to her work. Gally stiffens slightly, feeling the blade cut deeper into his neck.

   Subconsciously, his hand reaches out towards his knee. As if a hand will be there, waiting to thread fingers through Gally's, lacing them in comfort. The only thing that Gally's hand touches, though, is his WCKD uniform. The dark material being the only thing his hand can grasp tightly. It provides no comfort. No warmth. Not like that hand. Nothing will ever be like that hand.

"WCKD won't let him die, if that's what you're implying." Teresa says, switching the scalpel put for a pair of tweezers in order to pluck the tracker out of the incision. "What we're doing.. It's for the greater good. Finding a cure is what we're doing. That's what makes this all worth it."

   Gally jerks forward at the pinch of the tracker being pulled from his neck. He whips around, ignoring Teresa's hand that is trying to place a piece of gauze over the wound to keep it from spilling blood. He grabs the piece of gauze, clenching it tightly in his fist.

   He stares at her in disbelief, his opinion of her solidifying. He had been right in the Glade, maybe he was wrong about Thomas. But Teresa chose WCKD over the Gladers again. Thomas didn't. That's the difference between the two of them.

"You'd choose them again and again, wouldn't you?" Gally asks. Though, he fears that he already knows the answer to his question.

   Something passes over Teresa's face, passes through her eyes. Guilt, remorse, sadness. It's all painted there. A mess of colors that Gally recognizes in his own eyes and face when he looks in a dirty, broken mirror. A reflection of himself.

"I'm doing what I think is right, Gally." She barely argues her point, voice cracking slightly at the word "right". As if she's arguing with herself on the inside.

   Gally can't badger Teresa too much. They're too similar, in many ways. Both committed sins, now trying to repent for them. Going about it in different ways, yes. Gally is focused on saving one person, while Teresa has turned her focus on saving millions. However, selfishly, Gally doesn't think that millions of lives is worth Minho's.

   Shoving himself to his feet, Gally walks over to Thomas, nodding towards Teresa.

"Your turn, Greenie."

   He doesn't say anything more, he doesn't need to. He got the answer from Teresa. WCKD won't let Minho die, he's too valuable. Still, he'll check the cameras himself once Thomas is done with his own tracker removal. He can't trust what Teresa says.

   Gally sits with Frypan, who is still pressing a piece of gauze to the back of his neck. Brenda has moved on to a different table, the weapons table. Gally managed to smuggle quite a few guns and launchers from Lawrence's supply. Luckily, he won't notice. Lawrence is too busy planning their own take down of WCKD. Still, Gally secretly wonders why all of the explosives were taken from the supply. Isn't where said explosives even went.

   But Gally can't focus on what Lawrence is planning, he has to keep his focus solely on Minho and their plan to rescue him.

   Frypan offers Gally a small smile as he sits down across from the former cook. Gally gives him a tight lipped smile.

   The silent gesture reminds both of them of the early mornings in the Glade, when Gally would come visit Frypan in the kitchen before the sun would rise. When the Keeper would be elbow-deep in uncooked sourdough starter, preparing to make bread for the Glade's dinner in the evenings. When Gally would come to make a sandwich for Minho's run.

   If there was one person that Gally could call his "best friend", it would be Frypan. Even after everything, Frypan is the one that seems to forgive Gally. That smile means more to Gally than Frypan knows.

"Bet she enjoyed that." Gally says, throwing the now bloodied piece of gauze on the table in front of him. Frypan lets out a quiet laugh, peeling back his own piece of gauze to examine the blood gathered on the tissue.

"You're probably right." He agrees, once again throwing his signature smile to Gally. Gally returns a more cheerful one this time around, a more genuine one.

   Gally turns his attention to Thomas and Teresa, hearing them bicker back and forth. At first, he isn't worried. Probably arguing over the same thing that him and Teresa argued about earlier. But upon watching Thomas stand up and get closer to her, Gally stands up, walking over to the pair.

"Everything okay over here?" He asks, voice echoing slightly in the cathedral's walls. Thomas stares at Teresa for a split second longer before turning to Gally, nodding.

"Yeah.. Yeah. We're done." With that, he turns and stalks off over to Brenda, who just got done talking with Jorge about getting the Berg from their apparent hide out a few miles outside of the outskirts.

   Teresa reaches out to her tray of tools, hand aiming for the scalpel laying there. But Gally is quicker. All of the training that Lawrence has made him go through hadn't been for nothing, after all. He reaches her hand just before she can snatch the small knife, catching her by surprise.

"Nice try." Gally's brows furrow, moving her arm away from the tray. He doesn't see her pick up a piece of gauze that she had been using to clean Thomas' incision.

   Gally walks her over towards the exit of the church, one hand grasping her shoulder. Not tight enough to hurt her, but tight enough to guide her to where they're going.

   He wants answers.

  Answers about what he's been seeing on those security cameras and written in WCKD's files.

   Gally wants to know what they've been doing to Minho. Down to the time frame of each transportation, experiment, laboratory routine.

   Gally wants it all.

   And Gally knows that Teresa will know more than the security footage shows.

   Teresa doesn't protest against Gally's lead, as if she's used to being told what to do. Probably by someone in WCKD, or multiple someones. It makes Gally wonder if she hasn't had such a great time in the city as the rest of their group previously thought.

   Few Cranks and non-Immunes stare at them, eyes casting over both Teresa and Gally. Hunger is obvious in their eyes. Hunger for what, exactly? Teresa doesn't know. But Gally does, his body goes rigid as he walks past certain people. He bares his teeth, squinting his eyes as if he's telling them to "back off". Spending months here in the city and compound has taught him how to read people from far distances. Not just based on their actions.

   The world crumbling to pieces brings out the worst in people. Gally's just learned how to defend himself.

   Gally brings Teresa into the computer room, closing the door behind him to make sure no one sees him sneaking around. Oddly enough, not many people are around at the moment. A lot of their army is too busy preparing for the eminent war that is going to unfold soon enough. It's not that Gally isn't allowed in the computer room, but Lawrence's temper can turn on and off like a light switch at times. Especially now that he's running out of serum. And Gally has been on the wrong side of Lawrence's temper many times.  

"…What is all of this?" Teresa asks, eyes scanning over the multiple computer monitors, all showing different sections of WCKD's buildings. Gally has most of them switched to the tower, where Minho is kept.

"Security footage of WCKD." Gally responds, sliding a chair over in front of Teresa before gesturing for her to sit down. She sits, hesitating for mere seconds. Gally grunts to himself, pulling his own wooden chair to sit in front of the main computer, the one showing Minho's cell door. Teresa seems to recognize the cell, eyes going wide.

"You've been watching.." She trails off, her mind seemingly reeling at the knowledge that Gally has been watching Minho for who knows how long.

"For months. Six months." Gally nods his affirmative, re-winding the tapes in order to see where Minho is currently located. It looks like he had been brought back to his cell shortly before this current moment. Gally can't see one particular room that WCKD guards consistently bring him to, though. Which is why Teresa is here.

"But.. How?" Teresa asks, brows furrowed as she stares at the screens, mouth agape in a mixture of shock and awe. As if she's surprised that Gally has access to this information. He isn't surprised, of course. It's been relatively easy to gain access to WCKD's files and cameras. All he needed were a few guards that no one would miss—which he found through Lawrence's demands.

"Guards, soldiers, off-duty doctors. People that were.. Persuaded into helping us. Helping me." Gally says, voice cold, dark. Something that Teresa hasn't heard since the day they left the Maze. It makes her spine shiver, goosebumps covering her arms.

   Teresa studies the footage, then moves on to studying Gally's face and hands as he rewinds the footage, watching the hours that he's missed. He apparently notices her staring, cutting his own eyes at her as his hand hovers over his mouse.

   He clicks the left button on said mouse, pausing the video on a specific door. A specific room. Teresa swallows the forming lump in her throat. Gally's eye twitches slightly as he leans forward in his chair, looking into her eyes.

"The security cameras aren't inside of this room." Gally says, hands now clasped in front of his lap between his knees. Teresa licks her lips, looking down. Gally immediately pounces on her subtle movement, like a lion with prey. "…But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Gally, I—"

"Didn't you?" It's not really a question, nor a demand. It's more of a statement. Gally knows the answer before Teresa says it, he just wants to hear her say it aloud.

"..Yes. I knew that already. It's the only room that doesn't have any cameras. WCKD records those tests separately. I haven't even seen that footage. Janson won't allow it."

"And Janson is..?" Gally asks, raising a brow in question. Teresa looks down, something familiar passing over her face. Janson clearly isn't a good person.

"The assistant director. Head of security." Teresa says. Gally can see the goosebumps on her arms. Janson is not a good person, then. Not at all. "He's taken a personal vendetta against Minho, though. Minho fights back, which is something no other Immune does.. Janson doesn't like that, he takes his anger out on Minho."

   Gally feels a bit of pride swell in his chest. At least Minho is still pissing people off. Something that has always been his strong suit.

"Janson is the one that orders the tests?" Gally asks, squinting. Teresa shakes her head.

"Ava Paige does. Janson just.." Teresa trails off, eyes looking at the room that Gally had asked about. "Janson just takes matters into his own hands most of the time."

   Teresa avoids Gally's piercing gaze, looking down at her perfectly manicured nails. A stark contrast with Gally's own nails, the underside of them covered with dirt and someone's—possibly his own—blood. In a bizarre way, it resembles their mindsets. Gally feels dirty with guilt. While Teresa feels clean of her guilt, her actions all justified.

"You know what happens in that room too, don't you?" Gally changes the subject, but he once again already knows the answer to the question he's asking. He presses, wanting her to admit it. "Don't you?"

   Teresa nods, lacing her fingers together in her lap. Gally leans back, chewing on the inside of his cheek, biting hard enough to draw blood. The question hangs on the edge of his tongue, begging his lips to part just enough to allow the words to escape from his mouth.

What happens in that room?

   Teresa's lips twitch once more, not wanting to answer the silent question that is polluting the air around the pair.

   Gally wants the answer to that question, of course. He needs the answer.

   Not knowing everything that has happened is eating away at him. It has been, for months. This specific room has been haunting him, clouding his mind day in and day out. He dreams of what nightmarish things could be hiding behind that sealed door, only accessed by people with the right thumbprints, codes, and key cards. None of which Gally has.

"Simulations." Teresa caves, eyes still refusing to meet Gally's. Gally ceases the assault on his cheek, perking up at the word despite not knowing its meaning.

"What?" Gally asks, sitting upright in his chair, elbows leaning on his thighs.

"They're a kind of test. It simulates.. Different scenarios that heighten fear responses." Teresa hesitates slightly, picking at her cuticle on her index finger. She remains fixated on her hands, not daring to meet Gally's eyes, which are no doubt filled with fury. Or at least, they will be. "Minho's responses are so strong, he's been our closest thing to a cure so far."

"What the hell are you showing him? How does that even work—You just show him some shit from the Glade? Make him relive traumatic memories?!" Gally's unable to keep his cool any longer, he's been polite enough. He knows Newt or Frypan will come banging the door down any minute now, telling him to "slim it nice and calm". But he can't bring himself to care, he needs to know everything about these God-awful simulations. The thought of what the word could mean makes Gally's stomach swirl with nausea, building up in his throat.

"Gally—" She starts, unclasping her hands from her lap. Gally rolls his eyes, a quiet bark of a laugh escaping his throat. He gets up, scooting his chair closer to her before pointing at the computer.

"If you're too pathetic to tell me, show me." He demands, index finger pressed against the computer screen, the screen glitching from the force of his finger. He snarls at her, one eye twitching with anger. "There's a code to get in. No one here can crack it, but I'd bet everything I have that you know it. I'd even bet my life."

   Teresa feels goosebumps pop up across her arms, fear running up and down her spine. She sighs, looking at the computer, then back at Gally. Slowly, she moves to the keyboard, typing out a long sequence of both letters and numbers.

   The code is something Gally could have never guessed, none of the soldiers that he's interrogated before know anything about the medical wing. And the doctors that he's interrogated so far didn't even seem to know who Minho was. The code that Teresa knows is far too complicated to try and figure out on his own, which Gally now realizes.

   Gally stares at the screen in front of him, hand hovering over his mouse. Part of him wants to read everything right at this minute, while the other part of him is saying that WCKD had these files locked away for good reason.

   The door opening jerks Gally back to reality, his head snapping over to the door. He expects Lawrence to be standing there, ready to give him a piece of his mind for snooping around so late at night. But, it isn't Lawrence.

"We've got a few more hours until dawn, we'll need to head out soon." Thomas' silhouette hangs in the door frame, his voice echoing in the cold, gray room.

"I'll be there in a minute." Gally nods towards Thomas, then shifts his focus to Teresa. "Go with him. I've got a few things to catch up on."

   Apparently "a few things to catch up on" takes a lot more time than a minute. As Gally learns for himself, first hand.

   The files contain logs from the beginning of the simulations to mere hours prior to now. Document after document of results, trials, vitals, everything WCKD could possibly want and need from Minho.

   Gally takes a deep breath, preparing to read the first log. His finger shakes as he presses the left button on his mouse, the click echoing through the room like a signal of death.

"What.." Gally stares at the screen, taking all of the information in little by little.

   His brain is almost unable to process it. It's as if it's subconsciously trying to protect Gally from the things laid out in front of him.

   Gally squints at the text, deciphering each and every word as he tries to understand what exactly WCKD is doing to Minho.

   The simulations are created by a machine, someone—a doctor—operates said machine by inputting different scenarios into the computer attached to the mechanism. Minho is strapped into the simulation machine, paralyzed by different medications injected into his blood stream, his limbs and torso held down by straps.

   The different responses to stimuli is the enzyme that his brain produces in response to fear, which is what WCKD wants to use for a cure to the Flare.

"Rising" means that the simulation causes Minho's fear to rise, giving WCKD a positive result.

"Sinking" refers to the enzyme tanking, meaning the simulation isn't causing as much fear.

"Flat" is when the enzyme is steady, no output, no data.

"Spiking" is the best result that WCKD could hope for, it means the enzyme is being mass produced. Meaning, Minho is terrified. Which is exactly what WCKD wants.

   The different numbers represent different levels of anxiety.

   One is calm, no anxiety.

   Two is normal, aware of his surroundings.

   Three is alert, ready to jump into action.

   Four is on edge, he knows something is wrong.

   Five is anxious, this seems to be his standard level, the level of anxiety that shows up in most of the files.

   Six is extreme worry, he's showing signs of distress.

   Seven is stress, his vitals are beginning to show strain and tension.

   Eight is panic, his breathing and heart rate increase.

   Nine is a full blown anxiety attack, the simulations typically end after the levels get that high. Meaning, Minho wakes up.

   Gally's jaw drops in shock as he reads the final level.

   Ten, Minho flat lines. His heart gives out. He has no pulse, no blood pressure. There's nothing.

   Gally can barely move, can barely breathe. His chest feels tight, like someone has strapped a rubber band tight around and refuses to let it snap. His ears are ringing, panic swelling in his brain like a wound does when it's infected. His hands shake as he clicks to the next log, his chest hurting from the tension radiating through his body.

   It's a wonder that Minho has lasted this long, considering everything that WCKD is doing to him. Gally just hopes that Minho can last a few more hours, just until he can get there.

   The variables are all different. WCKD tested multiple different scenarios to see how Minho reacted to different people in his life. Gally seemed—or rather.. Seems—to be the biggest trigger for Minho. His responses to seeing Gally cause spikes in every single category.

   WCKD has been torturing Minho with Gally. For months on end. And Gally had no idea, not until now.

   Gally feels a burning wave of nausea pass over him, his stomach swirling with guilt, fear, anger. His hands react before his brain, grabbing a waste bin that had been sitting near the desk. He retches, nothing but water and bile coming up. He hasn't eaten in days, he's lost count at this point. Not that it matters, he rarely eats his rations when he gets his hands on them, anyway.

   Gally retches until nothing else is able to spill from his stomach, his chest and back scorching with pain from the sudden, jerking movements.

   There are thousands of logs that WCKD has kept up with. Six months worth of information on Minho. One hundred and eighty-two days worth of information. Not just days, hours. The simulations weren't just once a day things. They were multiple times a day, sometimes reaching in the dozens. Information kept on what they did, why they did it, results from everything they did.

   And now, Gally has all of that information at his fingertips. He almost can't believe it. All this time, Minho has been right at his fingertips, Gally's just been circling him. Always getting close, but never close enough. Perhaps it's always been this way, not just in the city. In the Glade, too. Maybe, they're always meant to circle each other. Getting close, but never close enough. Close enough to hurt, but not close enough to love.

   A swelling, almost animalistic rage fills Gally, turning all of his sadness and yearning to sheer determination.

   Shoving himself to his feet, Gally clicks off of the logs and exits the computer room—not before jotting the code to the logs on the inside of his arm, just in case it comes in handy later. He trudges through the compound, back to the church.

   Thomas, Newt, Brenda, Frypan, and Teresa are still there. No doubt waiting for him to return so that they can start their mission. Jorge has already left, going to pick up the Berg that they're going to use to transport the other Immune children.

   Gally grabs his jacket and weapon belt, throwing everything on with haste. Thomas and Newt copy him, sensing his sudden urgency but not wanting to question it.

"Is everything ready?" Gally asks, not bothering to look up from looping his gun in his belt. Thomas shares a rather uneasy glance with Newt, then nods to Gally.

"We're ready." Thomas says, cocking his own gun before placing it in his holster, Newt doing the same.

"Let's go, then." Gally says, nodding towards the large church doors. Their exit.

   Frypan and Brenda walk outside first, bidding each other goodbye with a quiet "be careful" and a quick kiss. The five of them check their walkie-talkies to make sure they can communicate since some of them will be separated from the rest of the group—hopefully not more than Frypan and Brenda, if all goes according to plan. Newt and Thomas walk out with Teresa in between of them. Gally follows behind them, trailing behind slightly as the realization of the mission dawns on him.

   This could end so many different ways. They could all die, get captured by WCKD, or escape somehow. With or without Minho in tow. Except, Gally won't accept the latter. Either Minho is making it out, or Gally isn't. He won't let Minho stay inside of WCKD any longer.

   The walk to WCKD feels like the group is walking through quicksand. Time is inching up their heels and calves, trying to drag them down to the floor, make them wallow in anxiety. But they won't fall, won't stumble. They continue walking, splitting up at their designated areas.

   Gally shoves his mask over his face, making sure his identity is concealed. Newt and Thomas do the same, hiding their faces and hair with the masks that Gally collected from WCKD soldiers that are no longer on duty.

   Newt and Gally are going to go through the parking deck, planning to meet Thomas and Teresa once they're inside of WCKD and through security. Thomas and Teresa head inside, having to walk through the scanners that would have detected their trackers. Gally watches them as far as he can before he enters the parking deck, obscuring his view of the pair.

   Newt enters the deck first, heading towards the first level of WCKD after the security clearance area. Gally follows the glass wall along the side of the building, watching for Thomas and Teresa to make their entrances.

"This is insane." Gally hears Newt mumble from underneath his mask.

   Gally doesn't argue that, Newt has a point.

   The whole thing is insane, not just the betrayal that has led them to this very situation. Their whole lives have been insane, from the Maze to now. Even the small parts that Gally can remember from his Griever stings. Their lives have been train wrecks from beginning to end, they might always be that way.

   However, despite train wreck after train wreck, one thing that has remained solid in Gally's life is Minho. Gally will do quite literally anything to have Minho back. And he is, he's doing anything and everything. All for Minho. Always for Minho.

   Thomas and Teresa enter WCKD with no issues, just like they planned. Since their trackers have been removed, all three of them are able to get through any and all security that WCKD has implemented.

   Newt and Gally meet them in a hallway near the staircase and the four of them begin their ascent up to sub-level three, where Teresa had said Minho is being held.

   Stairs aren't the easiest things to climb when you only have one functioning lung—plus wearing a protective mask to hide your identity doesn't exactly help, either—but Gally manages. Somehow. It's fairly easy to keep up a steady pace, climbing the stairs as fast as the others are. He blames it on adrenaline. Surely he's got enough of that stuff flowing through his blood to kill a full grown horse at this point.

   The journey up the stairs and to the level with the imprisoned Immunes comes to a halt when Gally spots one of WCKD's security systems. It's a small metal box that juts out from the concrete wall. One that Gally has seen numerous times before. Lawrence has taught him how to break in and hack into the cameras before, that's one of his current tasks on his list at the moment.

   As Gally breaks into the security system, rewiring WCKD's cameras to be connected to Lawrence's compound instead, Thomas checks on both Frypan and Brenda to see how they're progressing on their own missions. Gally hears the muffled confirmations from both of them, his anxiety dulling just barely upon hearing their good news. His anxiety will not be quelled until Minho is with him, though.

"Lawrence?" Gally radios his leader, glancing outside of the small window that leads out of the staircase the group is currently hiding in.

   The radio crackles, no reply.

   Gally's chest burns with anticipation, anxiety gnawing away at his ribcage and spinal column as he waits for confirmation. If Gally isn't able to get in, that means the group could be caught on camera by WCKD. Which means, the whole plan would be busted.

   Just then, the radio warbles once again. A sound that is practically music to Gally's ears.

"We got in." Comes a crackled response, the garbled response belonging to Lawrence.

   Gally's shoulders slump in relief, his forehead coming to rest on the control panel he just attached to the inside of the metal box. One task checked off of his plan. Just one more to go.

"Alright." Gally breathes, forcing himself upright once more, the adrenaline kicking back in. He turns to Newt, Thomas, and Teresa. "Let's go."

   Sub level three is easy to find… If you've memorized the entirety of a building where said level is. Lucky for everyone, Gally has done just that. And more. Not only does he have the levels to the tower memorized—he's practically built a map inside of his mind—he also has the codes, now.

   Gally can get into any room they need to. With or without Teresa.

   Fortunately, he doesn't need to worry about forgetting the codes and levels—not that he would, anyways—since Teresa is cooperating with the group.

   They find the cell where WCKD holds Immunes, Teresa is just about to put her fingerprint into the keypad to unlock the doors to get to the cells, when the door opens by itself. Thomas, Newt, and Gally immediately raise their Launchers, firing at the guards before they can raise their weapons at the trio of invaders.

   Electricity crackles through the air as all three Gladers fire at the soldiers guarding the Immunes. Their bodies land with hard thumps, still twitching from the powerful currents running through their bodies.

   A part of Gally's brain wonders if Minho has ever been at the end of these Launchers, body filled with electricity, convulsing from the power of the weapons. He decides not to sit with that thought for long, redirecting his attention to the vault full of serum. Newt needs it, now. Gally can see his friend's steady decline from how he was just mere hours ago. His face is paler, dark veins beginning to climb up his neck and cheeks. His eyes are dark underneath, as if he hasn't slept in months. Not that Gally can say anything about sleeping habits, he hasn't slept in months himself.

   Thomas is hovering by Newt, as if the taller boy is a ticking time bomb. Not that he isn't. Gally has been at the end of Lawrence's outbursts due to the Flare many of times. It can get ugly, cruel. Words and fists can fly through the air without any second thought about them. The person can snap back to themselves within seconds, not realizing what they've just said or done.

   Gally hopes that Newt doesn't get to that point. He hopes that this serum—made from Minho's blood—will cure him. Or at least prolong this disease's progression.

   Gally focuses on getting the vault door open. Obviously WCKD made it practically impenetrable. The door is locked, only accessible with a code. Not a fingerprint, like the other doors that they've encountered. Gally curses under his breath, turning his attention to the soldier that had been guarding the vault before getting electrocuted.

"The vault." Gally demands, pressing his pistol against the man's neck, holding him upright by the man's hair. "How do I get in?"

   The man blinks, still coming to his senses. He shakes his head, slumping against Gally. Gally doesn't budge as he keeps the man upright, his gun pressed underneath the man's chin.

"You.. Can't." The guard pants out, going slack as Gally drops his gun and stands, looking at Newt and Thomas.

"This might take some time. Find Minho." He commands, getting his tools out to start getting into the vault.

   Newt and Thomas nod to Gally, then each other. They go to each cell, opening the doors with the key cards from the soldiers that they've electrocuted.

   Gally starts drilling into the metal framing of the vault door, sparks flying all around him as he does so. He keeps his focus on the drill in his hand, but he can't help but glance back at the cell doors, waiting for Minho to come out of one of said cells. The vault door isn't budging, Gally feels like he's making no progress with it despite drilling into it.

"Damn it." Gally curses, dropping the drill to inspect the damage. He scrapes his hand over the metal hinges, shaking his head in defeat when he realizes that it's barely dented. He sighs out of his nose, looking down at his hands.

   Just then, he notices the code written on his arm. The code to the simulation room. He gasps, sliding his sleeve up to read the letters and numbers written there. There's no harm in trying.

   Gally stands, rushing to the keypad attached to the floor beside of the vault. Quickly, he begins typing the code in.

   The door beeps, the previously red, blinking light turning green, signaling entry. Gally breathes out a laugh at the small victory, quickly ripping the door open to reveal floor to ceiling glass cases filled with vials of serum. All labeled with the subject number A7. Gally ignores the nausea that builds within him at the sight, throwing the vials into the same cloth bag that he used to kidnap Teresa with.

"I got the serum." Gally rushes outside of the vault, clutching the bag to his side. He looks around, eyes automatically searching for Minho. He sees the other Immune children that had been held in the same cells, but he doesn't spot Minho. "…Where's Minho?"

"He's not here." Thomas says, coming out of one of the cells that he had been searching. Newt's jaw clenches, Gally can hear the joints crack at the motion.

"The hell do you mean not here?" Gally asks, marching over to the cells to check for himself.

   Sure enough, every cell is empty. Nothing but flat pillows and crude excuses for blankets sprawled out across the floors of the rooms. Minho isn't there, nor is he in the group of kids. Minho is gone.

   All of the Immunes are standing around the group, looking completely petrified, like the Gladers are going to hurt them. They can't really blame the kids, though. The group is dressed in WCKD soldier gear, carrying loaded weapons.

   Gally hadn't been prepared for this. All of the Immunes are children. Maybe ten to fifteen years old. Their heights don't even reach Gally's shoulders, some don't even reach his chest. They're just children, same as the Gladers had been. Same as Chuck had been.

   No, Gally can't do this. He can't be in charge of twenty eight children. He couldn't even protect one child, much less this many. Shaking his head, he gives the bag of serum to one of the Immunes.

"Guard this with your life." He says, patting the kid on the shoulder gently. The kid stares up at Gally, blinking rapidly before nodding, clutching the bag to his chest like it's a teddy bear. Gally turns to Newt and Thomas. "Take the kids to Brenda. I'll find Minho."

"Gally—" Newt starts, but his own breath interrupts him, catching in his throat. He coughs, muffled the sound in his arm. Black liquid comes up from his throat, coating his sleeve. Thomas grabs his arm, trying to inspect it. But Newt jerks his arm away, barring his teeth at Thomas. He stares at Gally, then at Thomas as he speaks. "I'm fine. You can't do this on your own. Minho comes first, remember?"

"You need the serum, Newt!" Thomas argues, pointing to the bag clutched in the terrified looking kid's arms. Gally nods, coming to stand by the computers with Teresa.

"We're wasting time! You have the serum, get to Brenda. I'll meet you out back with Minho." Gally orders, nodding at Thomas. Thomas clenches his jaw, clearly wanting to argue against Gally. But he knows that Gally is right. Both Newt and Minho are running out of time, and they're not doing anything to help by standing around arguing about what to do. They need to act. Now.

"Newt, he's right." Thomas says, pulling Newt towards the exit of the room. "We've got to go. Gally's got it."

   Newt breathes out a shaky sigh, eyes darting to Gally and Teresa. He walks over to Gally, pointing a finger into his chest.

"Get Minho back. Thomas made a promise to Minho, don't break it." His voice is hoarse, still commanding. It reminds Gally of the Glade. Gally nods, looking at both Newt and Thomas.

"Good luck, Greenie." Gally says, looking at Thomas. Thomas nods in response, turning and leading the kids out of the room. Newt stays in the back, making sure none of them are left behind. And with that, they bid Gally and Teresa goodbye.

   Gally turns to Teresa, adrenaline and urgency flooding through his veins once more.

"Where is he?" He asks, standing close enough to see her freckles in the light. She shakes her head, looking around.

"He's usually here, kept with the others. Just like I told you." Teresa argues, whipping back around to face Gally. Gally shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his twice broken nose in frustration.

"Yeah. And he isn't here." Gally grits his teeth, eyeing the computers behind Teresa. He points to them. "Find him. Where the hell could they have taken him? Who could've taken him?"

   Teresa's eyes go wide with apparent realization. She whips around the nearest computer, typing her login information in. Gally studies the screen, waiting for any leads as to where Minho could possibly be to pop up. He watches her fingers type away, trying to find Minho's information.

"There." Teresa says, clicking on Minho's profile. Gally quickly scans the screen, not bothering to read all of the information written there. It doesn't matter. None of the laboratory results, vital signs, notes, none of it. He just wants to know where Minho is so he can get there to him. Teresa sighs, mouse hovering over a transport order. "Someone's moved him up to the medical wing."

"The medical wing— On the other side of the building?" Gally asks, fearing that he already knows the answer. He can visualize the layout of the building in his mind already. It will take them at least ten minutes to get to the other side of the tower, not counting any potential distractions they could run into.

"Gally, there's no way we'll make it in time to reach Thomas before they get out—" Teresa argues. But Gally has made his mind up. He grabs her arm, pulling her towards the exit, towards the elevators.

   If he can get to Minho before WCKD does something to him, they'll get out on their own, meeting Thomas and Newt outside of the city. All they need is the Berg that Jorge is tasked with acquiring.

   Gally just needs Minho. Always has. Always will.

   The elevators seem to be taking ages to get to their floor. As if it somehow knows that Gally is on borrowed time, in a hurry. His hands are trembling slightly as he grips his Launcher. His brain is firing off a million different worst case scenarios and he can't get it to just shut up.

   Gally eyes the different doctors and soldiers that walk around the pair like sharks circling wounded fish. A part of his paranoid mind thinks that they know who he is, he knows that the other WCKD workers most likely know Teresa. But him? Surely they wouldn't know him. Thomas and Newt, yes. But not Gally.

   At least.. That's his hope.

   The elevator lets out a small ding, signaling that their car has arrived to transport them to the medical wing. Gally ushers Teresa in, standing behind her. She presses the level for the appropriate wing, standing stiffly in front of Gally.

   The door begins to close, allowing Gally to relax his shoulders and let out a silent breath he's been holding for the last couple of hours.

   An arm shoves its way into the elevator, making Gally jump with fright, catching his breath once more. He can't do anything but stand and watch in horror as Janson makes his way through the sliding doors.

   The man that is in charge of security. The man that works alongside Ava Paige. The man that tortures Minho.

   Now, Janson is in the elevator. With Gally. Who is on his way to Minho.

   Gally backs up, his back almost pressing against the wall of the elevator. The Launcher sits firmly in his arms, pressing against his chest almost protectively. He feels the weight of his pistol on his hip, hand itching to reach for it.

   He doesn't reach for the weapon, of course. Despite how tempting it is to put a bullet through the older man's skull.

   They'd definitely get caught if a loud shot rings out in the middle of an elevator and the head of security is found bleeding—or, wishfully thinking, dead. But Gally can't sabotage the mission at hand just for revenge. He has to play his cards right, play them smart.

   Janson stands beside of Teresa, hand hovering over the floor buttons. He doesn't press one, just smirks when he sees that floor twenty is already pressed, a small illuminated light circling the selected floor. Teresa's body is rigid. Similar to how Gally stands when he's around Lawrence. Tense, eyes focused on something that isn't there, ready to run from the danger that is the man standing there. Gally knows this all too well. He's no stranger to it. And clearly, neither is Teresa.

   Gally watches the man from underneath the mask, jaw clenching tightly. Janson pays him no mind other than the small side glance he gave Gally when he first got on the elevator.

"You're working late." Janson says, eyeing Teresa. Gally can practically see her bristle at the sound of his voice. Making Gally wonder just how awful this man apparently is. Nevertheless, she lets out a quiet chuckle, nodding. Janson apparently takes this as an invitation to keep talking, making Gally wish this stupid glass box would move just a little faster. "That's what I like about you, Teresa. No matter how bleak things get you just.. Well, you never give up."

   Teresa swallows, nodding. Janson continues speaking, each word grating more and more on Gally's already frayed nerve endings.

"Times like this, you need a friend you can count on."

"I'll bear that in mind." Teresa replies, visibly uncomfortable. Janson looks over at her, an odd, predatory glint in his eyes. Like he's sensing her fear. Maybe even Gally's fear, hidden behind his face shield.

"There is one thing you should know, one friend to another." Janson says, turning his head to look directly at Teresa now. Gally's grip tightens even more, finger hovering over the trigger. "Thomas is here."

   Gally's breath almost hitches in his throat, nearly suffocating him. He swallows the fear and shock down, praying to anyone listening that Teresa doesn't show signs of weakness now, not with Janson watching her like a hawk.

"Surveillance picked him up outside of the walls, in the outskirts of the city. A small group of people followed him, all wearing gas masks. We're not sure if they're Immunes or not, we couldn't identify them." He continues, still eyeing Teresa down, looking for a crack in her abnormally calm facade. She finally looks at the older man, clearly trying to play dumb. "Ava didn't want you to know, but.. There's a chance he'll try to contact you. The masked men, too."

   The hold on Gally's weapon tightens, his knuckles cracking at the force. Janson pays him no mind, eyes returning straight ahead as he impatiently waits for the elevator doors to open.

"I like to think I'd be your first call, considering we're friends."

   Teresa studies his profile for a moment, eyes flicking back to Gally. Gally subtly shakes his head, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

"Are you going to kill them?" Teresa asks, voice low, anxious.

   The smirk on Janson's face as he looks over his shoulder, then at Teresa, makes Gally's stomach turn with fear. As if someone stuck a hand in his gut and twisted. It hurts.

"Would that be an issue?" Janson asks, Gally can picture a smirk on the man's face just from the tone of his voice.

   Teresa doesn't answer, her eyes darting back and forth around Janson's face. As if she's searching for any kind of remorse, sympathy, mercy. She finds none.

   The elevator halts abruptly, dinging as it reaches the medical wing floor. The doors open, beckoning its passengers to disperse from it.

   Janson disembarks first, leaving with that same smirk on his face.

Are you going to kill them?

   The question was answered before it was spoken allowed. Gally knew that Janson was going to kill Thomas from the moment he said Thomas' name. But "them"? Them, plural. Not just Thomas. Them, as in more than one person. Them meaning.. Newt, Frypan, Minho. Hell, maybe even Gally himself for all he knows.

   Teresa looks back at Gally, silently questioning if he really wants to follow through with this plan of his. He does, of course, nodding to her as he walks out of the elevator.

   Gally doesn't need Teresa to lead him to where Minho is probably at. Gally knows that it's most likely the simulation room. The one where they torture and drain him. Gally's skin crawls just thinking about. He quickens his pace, following closely behind Janson.

   Janson doesn't seem to pay any attention to Teresa, nor Gally. Seemingly on his own mission of sorts. He raises his sleeve, talking into a hidden walkie-talkie there. Gally listens, trying his best to hear what the man is saying and the response he gets.

"Is it done yet?"

"Not yet, sir. We're sedating A7 now."

   Janson sighs in frustration, running a hand through his hair as he quickens his pace.

"I want it done faster. We're wasting time."

"Yes, sir. We had some.. Issues getting him here, but he's already been given the paralytics and we've already taken his vitals. We're just waiting for sedatives to kick in."

"..Issues?" Janson asks, quickening his pace even more. Gally copies him, practically jogging to keep up now. "What kind of issues?"

"He fought back, sir. He had a hair pin hidden in his pocket, stabbed one of our techs with it before he was able to give him the paralytic."

   Janson almost stops in his tracks, Gally's feet slam to a stop as well, feeling like they weigh a ton. He ducks behind a corner, pulling Teresa with him in order to stay hidden. Gally feels his heart sink. Minho tried to escape. And he failed. Miserably.

"We have to get there before Janson." Gally says, looking to Teresa. Teresa looks just as shocked as Gally feels. She shrugs, gesturing towards the hallway where Janson is had been walking in.

"He'll be there. He's the one that ordered Minho up to the medical wing, Gally. There's no chance we'll get to Minho in time—"

   Gally shakes his head, interrupting her as he rushes back into the hallway. They still have the element of surprise, no one knows that Gally is here. Nor do they know all of the information he knows.

   Including shortcuts to the simulation room.

   Gally rushes back down the hallway, mind replaying the map of the tower while he runs.

Left, right, right, another left.

   The movement makes him wonder if this is how Minho felt while running the Maze. Memorizing his pathways, recalling information even if it was from months or even years ago.

   Teresa follows close behind Gally, looking over her shoulder as if someone could begin chasing them.

   Gally continues to run, pulling his walkie-talkie out to communicate to Thomas.

"Greenie? You there?" There's static as he runs, going left and then right once again. The walkie crackles, Thomas' voice filling the sound.

"I'm here— What's your status?" Thomas' voice is rushed, Gally can hear Brenda and Newt in the background with him.

"Minho's in a laboratory. Janson's on his way there. I'm on my way there now, too. Don't wait for us. Just get to the Berg." Gally orders him, stopping just before an intersection of hallways in order to check his surroundings for signs of Janson. Upon not seeing the man, Gally and Teresa run across the hall, nearing the simulation room. "We'll meet you outside of the city."

   Thomas' gasp is audible through the walkie, clearly ready to argue against Gally's commands. Gally won't let him win, though. Stubborn as always, something he complains that Minho has a problem with.

"Shit, Gally. Janson will k—" Gally shakes his head, not wanting Thomas to finish his sentence. He knows what Janson is doing, what he plans on doing. He just can't bear to hear it said aloud.

"I know. I know." He grits out of bared teeth, focusing back on the hallway in front of him. Almost there. Another set of turns and he'll reach Minho. "I'll beat him to Minho, don't worry. Just wait for us."

   Gally's heart pounds in his chest as he finally reaches the dreaded room where Minho is. He rolls his sleeve up in order to see the code written there, quickly typing said set of numbers and letters to the room in the keypad.

   The door makes a strange hissing noise, opening slowly. The smell of antiseptic and metal floods Gally's nose like a broken dam, even through his layered mask.

   Gally quickly grabs Teresa's arm, shoving her in front of him. He knows there are probably several other guards in the room along with Janson, Gally can't take any risk of exposing his intentions of breaking Minho out just yet. He'd like to conceal his identity for as long as possible.

   The room is a horrible white color, sterile in both its smell and appearance.There are large lights hanging from the ceiling, shining down on a metal table that is laying flat in the middle of the room. Gally's breath catches in his throat when he sees the person occupying said table.

Minho.

   Teresa leads the way, walking over to the apparent lead doctor. Gally forces himself to remain calm, to blend in with the other guards and nurses in the room. He has to act like he belongs here, like he's working for WCKD. Working against Minho. The mere thought of somehow reverting back to their later Glade dynamic has Gally's skin crawling with guilt.

   Janson's voice breaks through Gally's mind, turning his attention to the man.

"Teresa? I didn't expect you here." Janson says, eyeing her as she looks over Minho's chart on a tablet. Gally bites his cheek, pleading internally that she won't rat him out.

"I wanted to come and make sure everything was alright before heading to Doctor Paige's office." Teresa's shoulders are tense as she responds, avoiding eye contact with Janson.

   Janson hums, paying her no mind as he walks over to the table, staring at Minho. Gally follows him with his eyes, Launcher ready in case the man gets too close to Minho.

   It's now that Gally notices that Minho is awake, tubes and wires poking out of him in every direction, hooked up to numerous beeping monitors and multiple bags of fluid. Minho's heart rate beeps slowly, as if he's barely keeping himself conscious. He's probably sedated, at least to some degree. It seems like it to Gally, anyway.

   Minho's limbs are strapped down, torso included. As if Janson is scared of him jumping up and fighting him off, saving himself from whatever fate he has.

Good, they should be scared of Minho.

   The thought makes Gally's chest swell with pride, happy that Minho is still putting up a fight. He'll fight to the very end. And Gally will be right be his side as he's doing so, of course.

"And you?" Janson flicks his gaze up to Gally, raising a brow as he types on a tablet. "What is your purpose, exactly?"

   Gally has to think fast. If Janson catches on, neither of them will make it out alive.

"In case A7 acts out, sir." Gally responds, deepening his voice slightly as he nods at Minho. Minho has enough energy to roll his eyes, Gally notices.

   Janson hums and nods, sitting the tablet down on a tray near the metal table Minho is on.

   Gally looks down at the tablet's screen, reading the information there. It's just displaying Minho's information. His height, weight, subject number, in-take information. The basic stuff that Gally already knows about Minho from reading said files prior to now.

"Well, Minho." Janson taunts, looming over Minho like a shadow. Gally stands at the foot of the table, barely resisting the urge to reach down and rub Minho's shin or hold his hand. Anything that would let Minho know that he isn't alone, that Gally is here with him. "It looks like I was right."

   Minho's eyes and eyebrows scrunch in confusion, the only parts of his body that will move due to the strong paralytics.

"You're all alone. Nobody is coming to save you, no one wants to save you." Janson says, voice as cold as the air around them. Minho's eyes widen as the man nods to a doctor. "I want all of it."

"But—" Teresa quickly interjects, voice panicked. Janson raises a hand, silencing her with that one swift movement.

"We have a cure. We need to harvest any and all of it while his heart is still beating." Janson says, once again nodding to a seemingly hesitant doctor on Minho's other side. Janson's gaze hardens at the man. "All of it, that's an order."

  The doctor works fast, hooking different tubes in Minho's arms. The tubes quickly turn a deep shade of red.

Blood.

   They're draining Minho. Draining him of every last drop. And he can't even attempt to fight against it, he's paralyzed from his neck down with all kinds of medications that Gally can't even begin to name.

   Minho's eyes are wide, fear invading his face. The monitor beeps rapidly, his heart rate signaling his panic as the blood begins draining from his body and into bags. Gally watches as Janson smirks to himself, patting Minho on the shoulder.

"It'll be over soon, don't worry." The man speaks softly, slowly. Patting Minho's shoulder as if his words are supposed to be reassuring, meaningful. As if comfort is something Minho needs from the man that is quite literally draining the life out of him.

   It makes Gally's blood boil with rage and complete disgust. He's treating Minho like nothing more than an experiment. Something that is useless, replaceable. Like Minho is a blood bank, as if he's able to discard of Minho after the boy has been used to his fullest extent. Which is exactly what he's doing.

   Gally decides to make his move. It's now, or never. And he isn't going to watch the blood drain from Minho's body any longer.

   Gally moves quickly, aiming and firing his Launcher at the lead doctor, then at the nurses around the room.

    Electricity lights the room ablaze in bright, sparkling waves of heat. Turning the sterile smelling scent of the air to burnt skin and a metallic tang. The people collapse to the floor, their bodies twitching from the electrical currents circulating through their veins.

   Gally pays them no mind, quickly aiming to Janson.

   Just before he can press the trigger to unleash a taser into the man, his stomach drops.

   Janson is holding his gun against Minho's temple. The weapon is loaded and cocked, ready to fire at the blink of an eye.

   Gally immediately drops the Launcher, the weapon falling to the floor with a loud crash. His hands fly up in surrender, shaking as he keeps an eye on Minho's face.

   The man tsks Gally, shaking his head in disappointment. Gally glares daggers at him from underneath his mask. A machine to the left of Minho beeps, signaling that it's extracting blood. Gally can only watch in horror as blood begins to drip from the IV into a bag. The monitor reads "24%", meaning.. twenty-four percent of Minho's blood is being extracted at this moment.

   Gally has a limited amount of time before that monitor reaches zero and he has to hear Minho's heart stop beeping.

"Oh, Thomas.." Janson tsks, still pressing the loaded weapon to Minho's temple. "You should've run."

   Gally can't help but smirk slightly at the man's mistake.

Of course he'd think that Gally is Thomas.

   Gally shakes his head, reaching up and taking his mask and helmet off. There's no point in hiding his identity anymore, and he'd rather reveal it than let Janson have the fun of doing that himself.

   A strangled gasp comes from Minho, making Gally's heart twinge with pain. The pain in Minho's eyes pulls at him, like a magnet. Minho's always been a magnet of sorts. Always pushing and pulling with Gally, but rarely colliding. Magnets are like that, Gally supposes. Always destined to circle each other but never have the opportunity of really being together as one.

"…A9." Janson says, eye twitching. Gally throws him a crooked smirk, nodding. "I'll admit I wasn't expecting you of all people to show up like a knight in shining armor. Yet, here you are."

"I guess I'm full of surprises." Gally quips, eyes still locked on Minho's stunned face. His eyes are watering, darting back and forth between Janson and Gally. As if he's trying to figure out if this whole scenario is some sort of sick dream. A simulation. The need to reassure Minho that he is—in fact—real overcomes Gally. He does so, not paying Janson a second thought, nor glance. "Mín, I'm here. It's alright. I'll get you out of here."

   A pitiful attempt at a roll of his eyes is what Minho manages. If that's to signal that he doesn't think Gally is real, or he doesn't think that Gally will be able to get him out of here is unclear to Gally. But the small movement in his face makes Gally's heart a bit lighter, it means that Minho is getting some feeling back to his body.

"I wouldn't sound too confident of that." Janson says, aiming the gun towards Gally now. Gally's hands remain up at his sides, trembling slightly. "It is a bit strange, though. You, trying to save the boy that tried to kill you in cold blood. The boy that has hated you since you met. Even before the Maze, you two never got along well."

"You don't know anything about what you're talking about." Gally spits through grit teeth, determined not to let Janson get under his skin.

   Gally may not remember all of his memories, but being stung twice has given a lot of them back. Being alone for months on end has also given him time to focus on them, try to write things down that he's remembered, piece his life together as if it's some kind of shattered puzzle.

   The most detailed and precious of his memories being ones that contain a small, yet feisty black haired boy. One that reminds him of a feral black cat. The same one that is currently trying to twitch his fingers, testing the paralytics in his system. Gally can see the slight tremors in Minho's index fingers.

"Oh, but I think I do." Janson smiles, moving the gun back to Minho's temple. Minho looks at Gally, underlying fear hiding beneath the waves of brown in his irises. Gally can see it, hiding in the reflections of the overhead light. "I've known you longer than you can remember, after all."

   Just behind Janson, Gally sees Teresa move towards the counter where a few tools and other supplies are sitting, waiting to be used. A glass beaker being one of them. Her eyes flick to Gally, then to Janson. Gally gives her a nod, a silent plea to help him. He can't do this on his own.

   In one swift movement, Teresa grabs the beaker and rushes behind Janson, slamming the glass into the man's head with as much force as she can muster.

   The glass shatters against the side of Janson's head, blood immediately beginning to pour from the wound Teresa has now inflicted upon him. He falls to the ground, the gun clattering against the tile floor, along with a tray of tools that had been beside of where Minho is laying.

   Gally acts fast, running to kick the gun away from Janson's outstretched hand. They've got to hurry. The hit wasn't enough to kill him. Not in Gally's opinion, at least. It's rendered him unconscious for now. But Gally knows he won't be that way forever.

"Minho— I'm here, let's get you up." Gally says, quickly trying to undo the restraints on Minho's limbs and torso. They're tight around the boy, almost to the point of cutting circulation off. He successfully gets the arm straps off, releasing Minho from one of his many holds.

   Just as he's about to work on the straps around Minho's legs, a loud explosion erupts from somewhere close by. Teresa looks to Gally, then rushes to another room to see what happened. Without even needing to see the carnage, Gally knows exactly who caused it.

Lawrence.

   A part of Gally hurts, feels betrayed by the act. They hadn't planned on blowing up the entire city, not even a portion of it. They just wanted to take down WCKD. That didn't mean taking the entire city down with it.

"Gally, the entire side of the wall is gone." Teresa rushes back into the room, the confusion and panic mingling together on her face. "We've got get out of here, people are heading this way."

   Gally shakes his head. He refuses to let his tears fall. Not yet, not until they're somewhere safe and away from this whole mess.

   Lawrence was not the kindest, gentlest person that has ever come in contact with Gally's life. Not by a long shot. But that doesn't mean that Gally isn't mourning him.

   The man hadn't always been a Crank, hadn't always been power hungry and manipulative. He was the closest thing that Gally has had to a parent, a father. No matter how awful the man is—was, Gally is still grieving.

   Gally tosses Teresa the walkie-talkie, bringing his focus back on the straps holding Minho hostage. They encircle his thighs, shins, and ankles. Gally begins working to unhook them, hands working faster than his brain can process.

"Radio Thomas, he's on channel three." Gally instructs, getting the straps off of Minho's ankles and shins. "Tell him to meet us at the top of this tower in the Berg. We can't go out there."

"But—" Teresa argues, gesturing towards the door.

"You want to carry Minho?" Gally snaps, looking up at her through his eyelashes as he successfully unstraps the thigh restraints. Teresa sighs, clicking the radio on. Gally mutters to himself, working on the torso strap. "I thought so."

   Gally doesn't bother trying to listen in to Thomas and Teresa's conversation, his focus is once again turned on Minho. His head jerks to look up at Minho's face when he feels a finger lightly brush against his arm.

"Hey.. Hey, I'm here." Gally whispers, brushing a stray piece of fringe from Minho's sweat covered forehead.

   Minho blinks slowly, a smile spreading slightly on his lips. A sight that Gally has had memorized for well over three years. It makes his heart soar to see said image painted on Minho's face again. Gally reaches down, holding Minho's hand. Minho takes a deep breath in, swallowing before speaking in a rough, husky whisper.

"You need to get out of here."

   Gally shakes his head furiously, gripping Minho's hand tighter. His other hand moves, trying to unhook the torso restraint still latched securely around Minho's waist.

"I came this far, I'm not turning back without you." Gally says, voice stern. He laces his fingers with Minho's, giving his hand a couple of quick pulses. Silent reminders that Gally is here and real, not some sort of illusion WCKD has made in order to torment Minho. "No self-sacrificial bullshit with me. We're getting out of here, both of us."

"Love you.." Minho's eyes roll again, a small smile on his lips. His eyes fall shut this time. Not opening when Gally taps his cheek lightly, trying to get him to stay awake.

"Min?" Gally asks, tapping Minho's cheek once more. Minho doesn't respond, his breathing getting shallower and shallower. Gally begins to panic, hands hovering over the various monitors and needles hooked to Minho. The enzyme machine reads "55%". "Shit— Shit. No, Minho, no."

   Gally begins frantically unhooking the IVs, careful not to hurt Minho in the process. Not that he responds to any pain he's feeling, his eyes remain shut.

"Stay with me, Min—"

   A hand grabs the back of Gally's neck, clamping down tightly around his uniform. Gally feels himself being thrown before his brain catches up with what is happening and who is doing it.

   All his brain can focus on is the feeling of Minho's fingers slipping from his own, and the nearly silent yell that tries to squeeze its way through Minho's numb vocal cords.

   Gally collides with a medical tray, sending vials and all kinds of metal tools clattering to the floor along with his own body.

   Gally's cheekbone collides with the floor, sending a paralyzing, nauseating feeling of pain through his skull at the impact against the tile. He sees Teresa just a couple feet over from him, unconscious. Her hair covers her face, but Gally can see her back moving up and down slowly with apparent pained breaths.

   Gally ignores the radiating pain in his head and neck, forcing himself to flip over and stand on wobbly legs to face none other than Janson. The man smiles, cocky as ever.

   It's now that Gally hears the strangled yells from Minho as he's trying to force his limbs to cooperate with him. His hands twitch, moving slowly. Gally feels a small ounce of relief flow through him at the sight of movement from the boy.

   If Gally can just get over there to unhook Minho from the monitors and various machines attached to him, he can get Minho out of here.

"Just hang on, I'm coming." Gally tells Minho, who is still feebly fighting the paralytics still poisoning his system. There's blood dripping down the side of Gally's face, he can feel the warmth of the liquid coating the side of his temple and tangling in his short buzzed hair.

"You're not going anywhere." Janson says, stepping in front of Gally, his back just inches from Minho. His gun is drawn once again, aiming at Gally. "None of you are."

   Gally's head snaps over to the side when he hears Teresa let out a quiet groan. He watches as she gets up on her hands and knees, still apparently woozy from the hit she also endured.

"You're the one that isn't going anywhere." Gally growls, hoping to distract the man long enough to formulate some sort of plan.

   He looks to Minho once more, a flicker of hope sparking in his chest as he watches Minho's arm flex and move towards the strap over his torso.

   Unfortunately, Janson also notices the movement from Minho. He whips around, aiming his gun at Minho.

   Without thinking, Gally reacts.

   Gally rushes over to Janson, slamming all of his body weight into the man. It sends both of them flying to the floor, Gally slamming into a cabinet full of supplies while Janson hits the floor with an audible smack.

   Minho weakly pulls at the restraints, trying to get them undone as fast as he possibly can. Teresa gets up, her legs not quite catching up to her brain yet. She stumbles into the table, helping Minho with the restraints. Minho's arms are functioning once again, but the paralytic is still affecting the lower part of his body. He won't be able to run once he's free from the restraints.

   Gally gets up, shaking the burning pain in his chest and back at the impact and he sprints over to Janson, tackling him once again.

   His hands start flying almost automatically, not aiming anywhere on the man's body in particular. Hitting wherever he can reach. Janson's face, ribs, neck, anywhere that Gally is able to aim and hit properly.

   Gally's mind blanks out as he lands hit after hit, his mind drifting to his fights in the Outskirts.

   Times when he'd come back to his dirty and worn out—yet somehow reliable—mattress on the floor of Lawrence's compound, bruised and bleeding from multiple places on his body. When the skin on his knuckles would peel and crackle like old paint on a windowsill.

   Gally continues to beat Janson even after the man is clearly unconscious. He pays no mind to Teresa trying to get him off of Janson, pulling his arms and trying to wrap her arms around his waist in order to pull him away from the man's crumpled body.

   It isn't until Gally feels a familiar touch that he lets himself be pulled away.

"Gally—" Minho is basically screaming his name at this point. Gally's brain finally comes back to reality as he's pulled off of Janson by both Teresa and Minho.

"We have to go, now." Teresa says, still pulling on Gally's arm as he huffs, getting to his feet. He stumbles slightly, still catching his breath. Minho is there, still sitting on the ground with his hand wrapped around Gally's arm. "They're firing Launchers at the tower. They're going to take us down with the buildings if we don't move."

   Gally nods, moving to scoop Minho up in his arms. Minho bats Gally's hands away, trying to pull himself up on his own. Gally—and Minho, even if he doesn't want to admit it—knows that Minho won't be able to run out of his on his own.

   Blood loss paired with a the paralytic has made his body weak, unable to carry his own weight. His face is pale, almost sheet white. His hands are shaky, Gally can feel them trembling from underneath his thick WCKD uniform.

"I'm not a damsel in distress, Gal." Minho pants out, hands clawing at the legs of the operating table as he tries to pull himself up. Gally rolls his eyes, albeit he's thankful that Minho still has some snark and wit to him despite his current circumstances.

"Nobody said you were, but you're almost as pale as I am, so I'd suggest letting me help you before you fall out in the floor and end up dead." Gally snarks right back to him, the bickering sparking back some memories of their stupid arguments from the Glade.

   Minho throws him a glare, but he allows Gally to lift him up, carrying him bridal style. Despite his groaning and pouting, Minho wraps his arms around Gally's neck, breathing his scent in.

    It's not the same scent as it had been in the Glade. When Gally had a woodsy musk to him, which was mostly due to his job of being a Builder and due to him cutting trees down during the building process. Now, the scent has changed. It's metallic, almost like blood or rust. Still, it comforts Minho. Somehow.

   The scent is still home.

   Gally holds Minho close to his chest as they rush out of the room, following behind Teresa as fast as he can while carrying Minho.

"This way." Teresa says, glancing back to make sure Gally is still following her.

   Gally nods, trying to focus his breathing. He's ran with weights before. Training to be a soldier for Lawrence has had its perks, after all. But Minho is almost completely deadweight. Still slightly heavy, despite apparently losing quite a bit of his body weight during his stay in WCKD. Gally can tell, he can feel the muscle loss. Especially in Minho's legs and arms.

"If we can get to the basement, we can see if there are any cars—" Teresa is cut off by a loud, almost thundering sound.

   The building shakes, moving the tower as if it is not made of stone and metal, but mere sticks and mud. Yet, Gally knows exactly what caused this apparent earthquake. Lawrence's bombs. The Launchers that they've hoarded for months on end.

   But that jolt that just ran through the tower was not just any small bomb or Launcher.

   It was larger than that.

   It was WCKD's.

   Gally's realization is broken up by another blast, shattering glass throughout the hallway they're running through. Lawrence's army must have taken control of the larger guns that WCKD has set around the city and walls of the outskirts. The trio reach the staircase, getting ready to head downstairs to the basement level. Teresa grabs the door handle, yanking the door open to reveal what Gally could only imagine what hell would look like.

   The stairs are engulfed in flames. Red, orange, and yellow flames. All climbing up the stairs at rapid speeds, smoke trailing in front and behind them. The heat burns Gally's face, making his eyes sting from the smoke quickly engulfing the sterile hallway. He covers Minho's face, backing up quickly.

   Teresa jumps backwards along with Gally, colliding with him. The contact knocks Gally off balance and he falls to the floor, quickly turning to take the impact away from Minho. His shoulder and ribs explode in pain from the impact on the tile floor, but Gally doesn't focus on that. He keeps his focus only on protecting Minho from the fall.

"Nice catch." Minho grunts, face still shoved in between Gally's collarbone and neck. Gally shivers at the feeling of Minho's breath gracing over his neck.

"Shut up." Gally grits out, sitting up and letting out a small cough and wince. Minho smooths his hand over Gally's ribs and shoulders, not so subtly checking for injuries. Gally holds Minho tighter as he forces them upright once again, teetering slightly as his vision temporarily speckles out for a moment. Gally checks in with Minho once he's steady again. "You okay?"

"All good." Minho says, though his voice is tired, strained. No doubt from blood loss. Gally isn't sure what the percentage of blood he's lost is at, but he knows it's a lot. Too much. They've got to get to the Berg. Maybe there's a way to give Minho blood somehow. Minho sits up slightly, watching Gally's face. He mirrors the question back to Gally. "You okay?"

"I'm alright. I survived a spear to my lung, a fall won't be enough to take me out." Gally rolls his eyes, adjusting his hold on Minho's body. He nods, looking to Teresa. "Tell Thomas to meet us on the rooftop. The fire hasn't reached our floor or the floors above us, yet. We'll be able to climb onto the Berg from the roof, there's a helipad there."

   Teresa quickly nods, radioing Thomas as they turn to run into the stairwell once again, heading upwards this time around.

   Just as Gally is about to enter the staircase, Minho in tow, a voice makes his heart drop to the floor, into the flames.

"You're not going anywhere."

   Janson stands in the hallway, blood dripping from his face. His hands are clasped around his gun, blood dripping to the tile from his hands.

   Gally mentally curses himself for not picking the gun up on their way out. In his defense, he assumed the man was dead. A critical mistake that would've gotten him in major trouble in the outskirts. Never leave the site unless you've confirmed that your target is executed.

   Gally's made this mistake before, but he was always punished for it.

   Now, his punishment might be worse than before.

Death.

No.

   Gally won't allow that to happen, won't allow death to win. He's got Minho, now. He can't leave him, not again. He's left once before, and look where Minho ended up. Gally won't leave him again. Not if he has any say in it.

   Death can cheat Gally all it wants, dance around his body in the control room of the Maze and almost get his soul. But not Minho. This time, Gally can cheat death instead. Not just once, but twice.

   Teresa stares at Gally through the entrance of the stairwell, eyes wide in fear. Gally subtly shakes his head, wanting her to go on and call Thomas and tell him to hurry as fast as he possibly can. Hopefully they're at the Berg by now, hopefully they didn't get caught up in the explosions from Lawrence's army.

   That's all Gally can do.

Hope.

"Gally, Gally, Gally." Janson tsks, aiming his gun at Gally's chest. Right where the spear had hit him. "You never learn. Always trying to be a leader, but never you're never a great leader. Never a leader that accomplishes anything, a leader that is lazy, irresponsible."

   Minho tightens his grip on Gally's neck, shaking his head. Gally holds Minho closer, hand moving down his back in order to protect any vital organs that Janson may hit if he decides to fire his weapon. Minho brings his face to Gally's ear, lips grazing his earlobe.

"I can walk."

   Gally's mind buffers for a moment, not really comprehending what Minho is insinuating with the words. Then, Minho moves his legs, just slightly. Barely noticeable if Gally hadn't been gripping Minho as if the boy might vanish into thin air.

   Gally lets Minho's feet down on the ground, testing the waters. Minho lets his full weight down on the floor, holding himself upright. Sure enough, Minho can stand on his own. Carry his own weight.

   Janson smirks, aiming the gun at aiming this time. Gally's heart pounds in his chest, threatening to break his ribs from the force of its beating.

"And you, Minho." Janson's head cocks to the side, an almost sympathetic smile on his lips. Minho snarls. "Your name.. 'The Leader'. Seems ironic, doesn't it? Someone who is supposed to be strong, be brave. Gets left behind, betrayed, has to be carried like some sort of child."

"Shut up." Minho grits his teeth, the words sounding as if he's chewing on rocks.

   Janson simply smirks, shaking his head.

"Never saving anyone, yet always needing saving. Sound familiar?" He asks, stepping closer. Both Minho and Gally take two steps backwards, creating space. "Needing help to figure a way out of the Maze, needing help after the lightning struck you, and now.. Needing help to escape from here. From me."

   Janson laughs, a sound that Gally is sure will haunt him for many years to come—if they're allowed many years to come, at least. It strikes fear into Minho's heart, too. Gally sees the slight tremor ripple through Minho's body like a lake when a rock is thrown into it.

"Not this time." Janson cocks the gun.

  Then aims—

   An explosion hits the tower, right behind Janson.

   Glass goes flying, along with building pieces and medical supplies from the rooms that the missile hit.

   Gally's body moves without his brain processing it. He jumps in front of Minho, tackling the raven to the floor in a pitiful attempt at protecting Minho from any potential debris.

"Are you okay?" Gally feels Minho from top to bottom, checking for any blood or indication of injuries. Minho nods, hoisting himself up on his elbows. Gally presses a swift, gentle kiss to Minho's forehead, sighing in relief. "Good that."

   Gally sits back on his knees, panting. Minho gets up, looking over Gally's shoulder at Janson. The missile hit has rendered Janson unconscious, Minho sees blood pooling from the man's head from debris that collided with him.

   Minho sighs in relief, a small smile toying on his lips. He grabs Gally's hand, ready to sprint up the stairs after Teresa.

"Come on— We can make it before the next missile hits." Minho says, interlocking their fingers. He pulls at Gally's arm, attempting to rush off. But he's pulled back, almost stumbling over from the force of Gally sitting still. Minho looks back at Gally, confusion printed on his face. "…Gal?"

   Gally coughs, a sickeningly wet sounding hack. Blood bubbles from his throat, choking him slightly. He spits out a glob of the crimson liquid before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Gally then reaches down, touching the spot where the spear had hit him. He removes his fingers, looking down at his blood coated hand. His eyes cast up to Minho, a small smirk on his lips.

"…Gally?"

"What are the chances, huh?" He rasps, spitting out blood as he begins to collapse. Minho rushes forward, knees slamming into the tile as he slides to try and catch Gally before the taller boy hits the floor.

"Fuck you." Minho spits out, though his eyes are beginning to leak fresh tears, staining his navy blue shirt. He stumbles a bit, almost failing to catch Gally. He holds Gally's head against his chest, hand coming up to place pressure on the gun shot wound in Gally's chest. "I've got you, Gally. It's alright, you're okay."

"You've got to go." Gally says, more blood coming up in his throat at the strain of speaking. Minho immediately shakes his head, furious that Gally would even suggest the mere idea of Minho leaving him behind again.

"Shut up. Shut up." Minho says, looking towards the stairs. He shifts, grabbing Gally under his arm and hauling him upright in preparation to sprint to the stairs before Janson is up again—if he gets up, that is. Minho can only pray that the man is truly dead this time, but the doubt still remains. "We're getting out of here, alright? No self-sacrificing bullshit. Together. Just like you told me."

   Gally protests weakly against Minho's gentle hold, groaning in pain as blood continues to pour from the wound.

   Minho curses under his breath, sitting Gally down on the floor as he spots a medical cart in the room adjacent to them. He rushes over, searching through the metal drawers for gauze, bandages, anything that will help staunch the bleeding. He gasps, finding a roll of fresh gauze. Minho runs back over to Gally, pressing the gauze to the bullet hole.

"Put pressure on it, hold it there." Minho instructs Gally, pressing the gauze underneath his shirt. Gally obeys, holding it there just as Minho tells him. "There you go, good. It's okay, Gally. You're going to be okay."

   Gally reaches his hand up, cupping Minho's jaw. Minho shakes his head, trying to get Gally up again. Gally refuses, though. Too focused on Minho's features. Features he never thought he'd see again. On numerous occasions.

"I love you." Gally says, strumming his thumb across Minho's cheekbone. Minho lets out a small, wet laugh. The sound is practically coated in tears, his voice wavering in emotion. "I love you, mín."

"I love you. You idiot." Minho presses a shaky kiss to Gally's forehead, then another to the bridge of his nose. Minho then rests his forehead against Gally's, their noses touching, lips barely touching each others. "I love you so much."

   Gally's eyes flutter, eyelashes barely gracing Minho's own lashes. Minho jerks up, snapping back to reality. The harsh reality that is Gally's current road to death. Minho shakes his head, hauling Gally up in his arms. Gally doesn't fight back much anymore, the blood loss quickly catching up to him.

"Stay, Gally. Stay with me." Minho hauls Gally up the stairs, smoke filling both of their lungs. Minho continues climbing the stairs, careful not to jostle Gally too much in fear that he might hurt him even more than he already is. Gally keeps a weak hold on Minho, as if letting go means he'll be the one that vanishes.

   They finally reach the rooftop access of the tower, bursting through the metal door. Minho is barely able to take in his surroundings before he stands in shock, taking in the scene in front of him. The whole city is on fire, completely engulfed by smoke and flames. The sky is dark, painted red and black. No stars are visible. It barely looks like a city at all, completely destroyed by fire.

   Teresa is there, standing at the end of the building near the helipad. Minho sits Gally down, still holding him close to his chest protectively. As if the gesture will stop the blood flowing from Gally's chest.

"Thomas is coming— What happened?" Teresa asks, kneeling down beside of Gally. Minho shakes his head, still pressing his hand to Gally's chest. Teresa moves Minho's hand, trying to get a look at the wound. She gasps, eyes going wider than Minho has ever seen. She looks from Gally to Minho, then back down. Swallowing, she gently takes the gauze from Minho, holding it to the wound. She looks up at Minho, eyes suddenly dark. "Minho.."

"I know." Minho says, biting his lip. He holds Gally closer, pressing a kiss to the crown of Gally's head. "I know."

"I love you." Gally mutters again, leaning heavily into Minho's chest. As if he's trying to find comfort for one final time. "I love you, Minho.."

"Hey, hey." Minho grabs Gally's face in between his hands, holding him close. Tears begin to flow freely, he doesn't care about trying to shield them anymore. "You stay with me, Gally. You stay. Don't leave me, you hear me? Don't you dare leave me. Not now, not after everything."

   Gally buries his head in Minho's chest, feeling Minho's heart pounding against his ear. It's comforting, despite its rapid rhythm that clearly shows the panic that Gally can't see on Minho's face.

   Minho holds Gally closer, trying to protect him from the smoke. Gally weakly grasps at Minho's hand, his grip losing strength minute by minute. Gally is going to die if they don't get help soon. Minho pants in part frustration and part grief as he looks around at the blaze that is now surrounding them on every front. The door back inside of the WCKD tower has been engulfed in the fires, the skyscrapers and numerous smaller buildings around them are completely destroyed.

   They're trapped up here.

   Anger swirls in Minho's chest and stomach, radiating and contaminating the rest of his body. He looks at Teresa, eyes pleading just as they did during the tests and simulations. Teresa knows the look all too well.

"Do something, anything." Minho begs, tears mixing in with the soot now covering the top of Gally's hair. Teresa looks around, shaking her head.

"Minho.." She says, her solemn voice barely audible. But Minho can hear the grief striking her tone, plaguing her words like a virus ravaging a person's body.

   Minho knows they're going to die here, so does Teresa, and so does Gally.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Minho lets a quiet sob out, pressing kisses to Gally's forehead, cheeks, nose, and finally landing on his lips. Gally shakes his head, kissing Minho harder.

"This is what I wanted.. From the start." Gally takes Minho's lips in his own once again, sealing the statement into a promise. A swear. "I've loved you since the beginning.. And I'll love you until the end."

   Minho squeezes Gally against his chest, letting the tears flow without any restraint. Gally does the same, Minho can feel his shirt going warm with tears.

   The overwhelming, crushing feeling of grief he's tried to keep at bay for months after watching his spear pierce Gally's chest. The anger at WCKD for making that to happen to begin with. The bitterness at the world and whatever Gods might be watching their lives unfold for simply letting all of this happen, not stepping in with any grace or mercy for not only himself, but for the rest of the Gladers, Cranks, and other Immunes like himself.

   Suddenly, Minho catches a glimpse of a bright light beaming down on them.

   For a moment, Minho wonders if it's "the light" that everyone talks about. The beam of light that you're supposed to see right before you die. Maybe it's heaven, maybe it's not. Maybe it's simply Minho's mind trying to find some way to comfort him as he's burned alive or crushed by WCKD's tower.

   But.. It isn't either of those. Minho isn't hallucinating, and heaven hasn't come to take him.

   The hatch to the Berg opens, revealing Newt, Thomas, Frypan, Brenda, and Vince. All outstretching their arms, screaming at the three of them to hurry up and jump in.

   Minho's mind finally comes to, jolting him into action.

   He grabs Gally underneath one arm, Teresa grabs the other. They begin pulling Gally towards the edge of the tower, stories above the ground. The sight of the burning ground beneath them makes Minho feel sick, but he pushes the feeling down and focuses on getting Gally on the Berg.

   Thomas' hand is out, so is Newt's. They don't have any harnesses on, aren't strapped in like Vince is. If they take one wrong step, they could fall into the flames just as Minho, Gally, and Teresa are.

"Come on!" Thomas yells, laying on the hanger as he reaches his hands out, trying to grasp at Gally's hands. "Reach!"

"Get closer!" Minho yells, trying to hold Gally upright. Gally is barely able to lift his hands up, he can barely even keep himself standing, leaning mostly on Minho. Minho nearly falls, Teresa catches his arm. He shakes his head, adjusting his grip on Gally. "You have to get closer!"

"Get closer!" Thomas yells into the hanger of the Berg, Minho guesses he's talking to Jorge. Seeing as he's the only one who knows how to pilot a Berg. Jorge tries to get the Berg closer, but is unable to, the machine seemingly arguing against Jorge and Thomas. Typical for WCKD, Minho supposes. Thomas grows desperate, running back to the edge.

"They can't reach!" Newt yells at Thomas, still holding his hand out to grab Gally's.

   Minho shakes his head, feeling Gally getting weaker and weaker by the second. They're running out of time. Everyone knows it, which is why everyone is so desperate to get them on the Berg. Minho doesn't even care about getting himself on the aircraft, he's more focused on getting Gally on board.

"Come on." Minho shouts to Gally, hoisting him up with all of the strength he can manage. Teresa grabs Gally's waist, seeming to get Minho's plan despite him not audibly explaining it. Minho looks up at Newt and Thomas, locking eyes with both of them.

"Catch him!" Minho shouts at his friends, not giving them any time to argue back with him.

   Minho's aware of how horribly this could end. But it's all he can think of doing. Throwing Gally is the best option they have. It's either that, or the three of them burn and fall to their deaths.

   Minho lifts Gally up, Teresa helping with Gally's bottom half. Together, the pair throw Gally with as much force as they can possibly manage.

   Time seems to almost stop as Gally leaves their hands, as if someone has pressed the slow motion button a television.

   Minho can only hope and pray that Gally doesn't fall into the flames just below them, can only hope and pray that he and Teresa managed enough shared strength to get Gally close enough for the Gladers to reach him.

   Gally's nearly limp and lifeless body barely meets Thomas and Newt's hands, but they grab the taller boy by his forearms, then his biceps, hauling him inside of the Berg.

   Minho's body sags in relief, his legs almost giving out from the feeling that washes over him. He snaps his head over to Teresa, nodding at her.

"You have to jump." Minho orders her, nodding towards Brenda, who has her hand outstretched towards Teresa. Frypan joins Brenda, holding his own hand out to grab Teresa as well.

  Newt and Thomas have taken Gally away from the edge of the platform, trying to tend to his wound. Minho can see Gally fighting against them, trying to get back to Minho.

"Go!" Minho yells at Teresa, nearly having to stop himself from shoving her towards the Berg.

   Teresa hesitates for a moment, looking at Minho, then to Thomas. Minho can see the guilt striking her features, engraved as if she is stone.

   Minho shakes his head slightly, a movement only Teresa is able to detect. Now is not the time for guilt, the time for regret. Now is the time for survival, for getting out of this place, this city. They can argue about rights and wrongs later.

   Teresa knows this, too. She nods at Minho. A silent "thank you", before she gets a running start, leaping to Frypan and Brenda.

   Minho lets out a sigh of solace, glad that she made the jump. However, the slight panic returns as fast as it left his body at the sudden realization that he now has to make the same jump.

  A part of his mind wonders if this is a simulation, or maybe a dream of some sort.

   Typically, he isn't the one saving his friends.

   Saving Gally.

   They all die in some violent, horrible way, Minho having to watch their demises one by one. Never him, though. He never dies in his simulations or his nightmares. He's always the one that escapes with his life.

   This time, it's the opposite. Now, he's the one that is in danger. At first, Gally was. Gally is still in danger, yes. But now, Gally is getting care from Newt, Thomas, and Vince. Minho is the one stuck on the burning, now teetering tower. Minho can feel the building shuddering with every missile that lands, every flame from the fire that is ravaging the interior of the skyscraper.

"Minho!" Gally yells, now laying on his side as he tries to pull himself towards Minho.

   Minho can see the blood pooling beneath Gally, a sight that instantly reminds Minho of the control room. Gally on his side, bleeding out as Minho stood there. Doing nothing. Gally's voice snaps Minho back into focus, out of the strange flashback.

"Minho—Come on!" He screams his throat raw, the words clawing out of his throat like a feral dog after a piece of meat. Gally bats Vince's hands away, trying to pull himself to Minho. "Jump!"

   Minho backs up, ready to get a head start on his jump. His feet pound into the concrete of the roof, each footstep reminding him of the Maze. A rhythmic, almost comforting sound.

   Minho leads with his left leg, pushing himself up and in the air with his right leg. He feels his limbs leave the ground, aiming himself towards Newt and Thomas.

   Just as he reaches for Newt's hand, their fingertips grazing each other, something—or rather, someone—grabs his calf.

   Minho doesn't have time to look back to see who or what it is before he slams into the rooftop, but he has a feeling deep in the pit of his gut. Pain radiates through his face and body, his body absorbing the force of his landing. He didn't have time to try and brace for the impact, everything happened so fast. Minho manages to twist himself around, staring at his attacker. His heart leaps to his throat, an almost humorous comparison to his inability to leap to the Berg in time.

   Janson barely looks human.

   His clothes are singed, parts of them hanging on by mere threads in some places. His skin and hair weren't spared, either. Angry, bright red streaks cover his exposed skin. Blisters appear to already be forming in some parts of the burns.

   They remind Minho of his own burns he sustained from the lightning.

   Funny, Janson liked to aggravate those same burns during their interrogation sessions in this very tower. The tables have turned in some ways, Minho guesses.

"I.. Told you." The man heaves, walking slowly over to hover over Minho. Minho flips himself all the way over, so that he's laying on his back to look up at the devil reincarnate in front of him. Janson points a finger at Minho, a smile on his face. "I told you.. You weren't... Getting out of here."

   Minho slides himself backwards, but quickly stops once he realizes just how close the edge of the tower is. It's just a few feet behind him. If he isn't careful, he'll slide himself right off.

   If he can just get up, away from Janson, and get a running head start once again, he can make it on the Berg before the building falls. And preferably before Janson is able to strangle him.

   Unfortunately, it seems that Janson has also caught on to Minho's plan.

   Janson grabs Minho's legs, pulling the boy backwards towards him. Minho screams, trying to kick himself free. He claws at the concrete, the rough surface pulling his skin off as easily as peeling the rind off of an orange.

"Minho! No— No, Minho!" Gally cries out, scooting himself further towards the edge of the Berg. Fighting unconsciousness with everything he's got. "Fuck, we've got to help him!"

   Luckily, Vince has a good hold on him, keeping the weak boy relatively still. That doesn't mean that Gally isn't fighting back, though.

"Let go of me—" Minho kicks his legs, trying to get out of the man's hold. It's as if WCKD will always have him in their grasp. Not just physically, mentally as well.

   Minho can't get free. The realization of this makes him only fight more, trying to get his footing. But no matter how hard he kicks, punches, yells, he remains getting dragged across the rooftop. Further and further away from the Berg. Further and further away from his friends. Further and further away from Gally.

   Janson digs his nails into Minho's calves, sending sharp pains shooting up his legs. He then throws Minho towards the entrance of the tower. Minho hits the door, the surface now hot from the fire on the other side of it.

   Minho cries out, aiming his foot so that he hits Janson square in the jaw. Minho feels a sick satisfaction watching the man crumble in pain.

   It's Janson's turn to cry out, letting go of Minho's leg to cup his jaw where Minho had almost dislocated it. Minho gives Janson no time to recover, no time to get the upper hand once again. He gets up, tackling the man. He wraps his legs around the man's waist, keeping him pinned with his thighs as he begins to land blows to Janson's face, neck, and chest. Each hit landed is karma for all of the interrogations, all of the tests, all of the torture that Janson put Minho through. A form of revenge.

   Minho isn't able to recreate the mental pain that Janson has caused him, but he can recreate some of the physical pain.

   He's aware that the building is going to crumble at any given moment. Rockets and missiles are flying all around them, hitting buildings that are surrounding them.

  Minho is also briefly aware of the slight prick that he feels in his leg. But, he shrugs it off. He continues throwing hits, ensuring that Janson will stay down long enough for Minho to make it to the Berg.

   Janson isn't fighting back anymore, seemingly limp on the concrete. Minho lets out a breath, teetering on a manic laugh. He stumbles off of the man, still in disbelief that he actually beat him. He won. For once in Minho's life, he won.

   Minho laughs again. That same manic laugh he let out just seconds ago. Janson is still laying there, hands by his side. Minho takes this opportunity to try and sprint back to the Berg. He climbs to his feet, still shaking from either fear or adrenaline. He isn't really sure which one. Most likely a mixture of both.

   Without looking back, Minho starts running. As fast as his legs could possibly carry him, as fast as his body can keep up.

   His mind drifts back to the Glade, to running in the Maze from Grievers. His mind then drifts to the Scorch, running from lightning. His mind finally drifts to this very city, running in simulations.

   But now? Minho is free.

   Free from the long hours of endless running, mapping, losing friends left and right. Free from the heat that left blisters on his skin, all of the burns now scarring on his back and various parts of his body. Free from the torture, unknown operations, mind numbing tests.

It's finally over. Minho thinks as he runs.

   He's nearly at the ledge, nearly to the Berg. Just one jump. One leap. One step. He'll be in Gally's arms, back with his friends. Away from everything that has been inflicted on his body and mind all these months. 

   The sudden, jarring feeling of his limbs going numb hits Minho like a freight train.

   His feet suddenly drag the concrete, not able to carry his body weight any longer. His knees buckle, causing him to fall just a foot from the edge of the tower. His face hits the ground, pain shooting through his cheekbone and temple.

   Minho knows this feeling. He's felt it every single day, consistently. For the last six months.

   Despite being poked and prodded day in and day out, Minho is still not immune to the feeling of dread that comes with said poking and prodding. He's also not immune to the feeling of his body going limp, no longer in control of his own bodily autonomy.

   Minho knows exactly what has entered his system. He could probably even say the correct color of the medication. Knows exactly what Janson had somehow managed to hide from his sight when they were fighting.

   A paralytic.

   That sting he felt in his leg was a needle.

   Minho would scream if his vocal cords weren't actively betraying him.

   Minho can hear Gally's scream. It grates his teeth, trying to move any of his limbs. He knows it's useless, he won't be able to move for hours. However, he doesn't have that much time left. The building is falling apart more and more every second he stays down.

   But he can't do anything to fix it, he can't do anything.

   Minho hears Janson laugh from behind him. The sound makes Minho want to curl up, protect himself somehow. Just as he did in WCKD all those times doctors or guards rushed their way into his room to collect him for whatever experiments they wanted to do that day.

"Minho!" Newt yells, looking as though he's about to jump out of the Berg and go to Minho himself. "Shit, Minho!"

   Thomas has a hold on Newt's arm. Preventing him from doing so. Minho wants to thank Thomas for that.

   They need to just get out of here. Get to the Safe Haven without him, as they should've done before. They don't need to hover here and watch Minho fall to his death. Minho doesn't want them to see that. Doesn't want Gally to see that.

   Whatever substance was in that syringe that Janson injected into his leg, it had to be paired with some sort of sedative. Minho's head feels fuzzy, almost numb. Like the rest of his body. His eyes open and fall shut slowly, each movement taking gallons of energy from his already burned out reservoir.

   Minho briefly registers the feeling of Janson's hand on his legs, pulling him backwards just as they did before.

   Janson wants Minho to die the same way he will. Falling to their deaths before burning alive—if they survive the tower falling to begin with.

   Minho thinks of Gally one more time. A habit he started doing before and after simulations. It began as a way to soothe himself, bring himself some sort of comfort through the memories of Gally's dirty blond hair, his splashes of freckles that trail around his body like a deer's spots, his rough—yet also gentle—touch from his calloused and blistered hands.

   The thought of Gally relaxes Minho more than he cares to admit, Gally eases his fears. Just as he did in the Glade. Gally never needed to use words to do that, nor did he need touch. Sometimes, the sheer thought of having Gally nearby helped soothe Minho. The thought is now, too.

   There's some sort of commotion on the Berg.

   Minho can hear arguing, things being thrown around. Minho can't turn his head in order to see what the noises are from. He can barely hear snippets of the arguing.

"Get a harness!"

"We've got to get him!"

"Minho, hang on!"

   Minho feels his mind start to blank out. Black dots swirl in his vision, his breathing becoming lighter and lighter. It'll be lights out soon. Minho knows this feeling a little too well, in his opinion.

   A gun shot rings out. Loud, close by. Fear shoots through Minho's tired body. He isn't sure where the gunshot came from.

The Berg? Janson? Did it hit Gally again? Or Newt and Thomas? Is he the one that just got shot?

   Minho doesn't know any of the answers to his plethora of questions.

   Sight is always the first sense to go. He can no longer open his eyes and see Gally staring down at him in horror.

   Smell is the second sense that leaves him. The smell of the burning city around him is dulled, as if the fires have disappeared.

   Taste is next. Minho can no longer taste the iron tint of the air around him, a mixture of blood and smoke.

   Hearing is the next to last sense to leave Minho's body. His hearing is already faulty due to the lightning, but it's all completely fuzzy now.

   Touch is the only sense that lingers for a while before he goes completely out. He registers hands on him, lifting him. The touches are gentle, steady. Not like the touches he experienced in WCKD.

   A part of Minho's mind wants to believe that it's Newt and Thomas touching him, carrying him to safety in the Berg. But another part of him is skeptical. Maybe it isn't even them, maybe it's Alby and Ben. Coming to take him to their own Safe Haven somewhere else, beyond this world. Or, maybe—in a sick, twisted turn of events—Minho's mind is playing tricks on him, trying to throw some kind of comfort in there as he slowly dies, succumbing to smoke inhalation and burns.

   But the next touch he feels is all too real to Minho.

   Gally's hand is in his own. Fingers laced together, holding him steady. Keeping him in place, both physically and mentally.

   Minho would know Gally from touch alone, and he does. Of course, it's vice-versa as well.

  Then, Gally's touch leaves him. Minho is practically dead to the world. He just hopes that Janson didn't somehow make it on the Berg. That's his last coherent thought before darkness over takes him, transporting him into nothing.

   The first thing that Gally notices is how quiet it is.

   Peaceful, sure. But the silence makes him immediately uneasy, set on edge.

   Silence isn't common in the outskirts, and certainly not in the city. There's always some kind of noise. Gunfire, arguing, trains moving through the city, drones from WCKD humming outside of the compound in search of Immunes and Cranks.

   However, this silence has a strange calmness to it. Comforting, relaxing silence. Not filled with the usual paranoia and fear that Gally feels all of the time.

   Gally lays still, basking in the quiet. Unsure of when—or if—the silence will be broken by voices or some kind of noise pollution. But for now, he'll rest.

   The second thing that Gally notices is the smell of salt tinging the air around him. It's not the same smell that Lawrence's compound had. That air was almost like iron. Thick with blood, tension, fear. This scent is different. Different from any other smell he's ever had enter his nose before. The beach pops into Gally's still foggy mind, for some odd reason. He doesn't remember ever seeing or being on a beach. But it's a small, fuzzy memory that he got back during one of the Changings he went through back in the Glade.

   The third thing Gally notices is something weighing on his chest.

   It isn't the usual pulling of scar tissue from the lung removal on his left side. It's a physical weight. Like a sack of flour or some kind of box laying over his chest and stomach. Though, the weight is on his right side, completely avoiding his left side. Where the spear had hit him. Where Janson's bullet had hit him.

   Memories flood Gally.

   Rescuing Minho. Getting shot. The burning tower. The Berg. Minho getting stabbed with the syringe full of unknown chemicals.

   The last part has Gally moving to sit up, eyes snapping open with panic.

   However, all panic diminishes when his eyes lay on said weight on his chest.

   Black hair is nestled on the right side of Gally's chest, one hand laying on the left side of his chest. The person on Gally's chest is alive, back moving subtly up and down with slow, deep breaths. Clearly asleep, visibly relaxed. Gally feels a smile pull at his lips as he leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of Minho's head. Minho stirs slightly, nestling deeper into Gally's collarbone and chest. His fingers remain over Gally's heart, feeling the slow, steady beats with his fingertips.

   Carefully, Gally moves one of his arms around Minho's back, holding Minho close. He feels Minho's eyelashes flutter against his skin, the touch from Gally pulling him from sleep.

"Just me." Gally murmurs, voice raspy from not using it for a while. How long was he out? Gally isn't sure. He strums his fingers up and down the ridges of Minho's spine, slowly waking the boy.

   Minho's eyes flicker open as he cranes his neck to look up at Gally. There's a moment of panic that flashes through his dark brown eyes before his eyes lock with Gally's, recognition clearing the panic away.

"You're awake." Minho goes to sit up, ready to take care of whatever Gally may need. "You okay? How do you feel?"

   Gally stops Minho from getting up, holding him close with his one arm, the other snaking around to hug Minho. Gally clasps his hands firmly together, as if to prove that Minho isn't going anywhere any time soon.

   Minho huffs in annoyance, but makes no move to try and get up again. Probably knowing Gally would rip a stitch trying to get him back. Not that he wouldn't, Gally's already chased Minho for months. He isn't letting go of him ever again.

"Better." Gally says, kissing Minho's forehead. Minho sighs a breath of relief, nodding against Gally's lips. He moves his head up, pecking Gally on the lips. "A lot better, now that you're here."

"I'm here." Minho confirms, sealing the words with a firm kiss to Gally's lips. "You're here, too."

"I'm here." Gally parrots, kissing Minho a couple more times on his lips, moving to his nose next. Minho breaths out a laugh against Gally's neck, ducking down to kiss the skin there. The sudden realization dawns on Gally, worry for their fellow Gladers overtaking the joy he's feeling. "..Newt? Thomas? Fry?"

   Minho sits up, just enough to face Gally. He brings a hand up, stroking his fingers through Gally's hair. Easing his tension, calming his racing thoughts. 

"They're alright. Newt got the serum from Brenda back in the city." Minho continues combing Gally's hair, as if it's just as grounding for him as it is for Gally. He takes a deep breath. "Teresa's made a cure from Thomas' blood. Newt is cured. They're resting in another cabin near the kitchen."

"Good that.." Gally sighs, laying back in bed. He looks around, questioning his own surroundings. "And.. Where are we, exactly?"

"Medhut." Minho answers, laying back down on Gally's chest, still careful of the gunshot wound that is still healing. "Because someone took a bullet for me." 

"You would've done the same." Gally says, nuzzling his nose in Minho's hair. He smells clean, freshly showered. Thomas or Newt must've made him leave Gally's side for a few minutes at some point. "I love you, I'd do anything to keep you safe." 

"I love you. I love you more than life." Minho whispers, kissing a freckle that sits on Gally's shoulder, right at the base of his neck. Gally's heart skips a beat. Or two. He's sure that Minho can feel it underneath his fingertips.

"I love you, mín." Gally says, unclasping his hands to take Minho's chin in one hand. Gally moves Minho's head up, chin pinched between two fingers. Minho smiles, locking eyes with Gally once again. Gally smiles back, kissing him again. "So much."

   Looking at Minho this close, Gally can see that he's barely changed. Eyes still fierce, as always. A couple of moles sprinkled around his face like small stars in a night sky. A few more scars and what looks like burns have been added to his face and neck. Which doesn't surprise Gally, considering where he had been held for months.

Months. That's how long they've spent away from each other.

   Gally has been circling Minho for months, orbiting him. Never together, always apart. So close, but so far. Minho unaware of Gally's existence. Gally watching Minho fight for survival day in and day out.

   But now, they've collided. No longer orbiting each other, they're now coexisting in the same universe once again.

   And Gally is determined to keep it that way this time.