World Gone Mad (TMR fic 3)

Chapter 40

(song~)

I walk with Gally through the streets. Neither of us speak. We weren't remotely close in the Glade, but somehow I feel like I understand him more now. We've both sacrificed humanity for survival, and are trying to make it right somehow.

I don't know who Vince is, or what Gally is doing in Denver, but I get the sense they're just as angry at WICKED as I am.

I hear something, and my head snaps up. "Gally," I say as a warning, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the side of the street. A figure that is clearly a Crank just turned the corner and is wandering down the road towards us. I keep my eyes locked on it.

"Don't worry, I have a gun," Gally whispers in my ear. He slowly pulls a small pistol out of a concealed holster strapped to his lower back.

"You're able to use it without faltering?" I ask, and he pauses. His hesitation is answer enough for me, and I hold my hand out.

He puts it in my hand, and I quietly flip the safety off. We watch the Crank stumble past us. Either it doesn't notice us or doesn't care. Gally nods at me, and we continue on. I put the safety back on, but he doesn't ask for the pistol back.

It's strange to think that I now trust the boy who almost killed me once in the Glade, the boy who did kill Chuck, to watch my back. But Gally has grown up a great deal. I don't think he's a coward anymore, and he's out of reach of WICKED's control. Besides, he trusts me.

Eventually we head down a smaller alley. Gally stops in front of a door to a rusty warehouse, and knocks briefly.

"Who is it?" someone growls from the other side.

"Really, Toby?" Gally grumbles. "I sent Zeke with news. This is Ash, she came from WICKED. You know it's me, and I know you're watching. Just open the shucking door."

The door swings open, revealing several men guarding it. There's something gritty and intense about them. They have Launchers slung across their backs, and their eyes are burning with an internal fire. They're like starved animals, but there's also something proud about them.

The one in front keeps his gaze locked on me, assessing me as a threat. His eyes are burning with anger, anger at the world. I know the feeling. 

My heartbeat quickens at the hungry atmosphere. They're out for blood, that much is clear. Wherever I am, I think I will fit in very well.

"Vince is in his office," the frontmost one says, his growling voice matching the one we had heard from outside of the door.

"Thanks, Toby," Gally says, and leads me inside past more armed young men and a few equally intense women. They stare at me with a fearless curiosity, but I can tell they respect Gally.

The warehouse is large, and fairly open. Clearly quite a few people live here, although there aren't very many present right now. We head towards a door in the corner, near some cots and bedding. Gally doesn't even knock, just opens the door and strides inside. I follow, his pistol still resting casually in my hand.

A huge man is sitting at a desk, papers surrounding him. He's squinting at one of them, working on some plan. He's clearly some sort of leader, and I'm half tempted to salute.

"Vince. I don't know if you heard that we found another Glader, but I brought her in."

The man looks up at Gally's words, and his eyes meet mine. His expression is deep. He's less youthfully passionate than I am, or even his guards, but his strength is bottomless and steady. If I'm a blazing fire, Vince is made of coals, hot and consistent. I pity his enemies.

"She has your gun, Gally. Is that really a good idea?"

"I know she's capable of killing, as much as any of us, but I also know that she hates WICKED as much as we do. Maybe even more..." His eyes flick up to me, and he looks slightly nervous. "What happened with Newt, Ash?"

My hands clench, one around the pistol and the other into a fist. "They took him to wherever Cranks go to die. He won't last long."

Vince leans forward. "And he meant something to you?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to help us?"

"Gally is right, I hate WICKED as much as anyone could. If you're against them, I won't betray you."

"You're out for revenge."

"More of it, yes."

Gally raises his eyebrows. "What have you already done?"

"Let's just say they regretted letting a gun fall into my hands."

Vince chuckles. "You've come to the right place, Ash. We are called the Right Arm, and our purpose is to break down the organization called WICKED. We'll need your help, you know. We're waiting to see if your friends are willing to assist us, but even having you is a huge bonus for our plans."

I nod. "I'm happy to help. I may not be in the best condition to help with strategizing at the moment, though. It's been... a rough morning."

"Very well. Gally, get her settled in. She's our newest recruit. Have Toby start her basic training, we'll talk about how she can fit our plans tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." I'm surprised to hear Gally's tone, one of complete obedience. He never seemed good with authority. I guess WICKED really did break us all down, even if their plans to reform us into their little servants backfired rather badly.

"Toby, she's all yours," Gally says, leading me back out into the warehouse. "Train her hard, she can take it."

Then Gally gives me a thin smile, and takes his pistol back from me before exiting the building.

"What is his job?" I ask Toby, who shrugs.

"Anything and everything. He's second in command, and understands WICKED better than the rest of us. You ready for training?"

"Guess so. What do I need to learn?"

Toby assesses me. "You can shoot a gun?"

"Yep."

"That's good, although it won't be much use when we take WICKED. What's your experience with hand to hand combat?"

"I've only fought hand to hand a couple of times," I answer, "and I don't know what I'm doing."

He chuckles. "How did it end?"

"Not well for me, at least until I got a weapon."

"Alright. Well, let's get you some basic training. My name is Tobias, but everyone calls me Toby. Well, except for Zeke, but that's just because we've been friends for a long time. I've been with Vince for a few years now. This group is called the Right Arm, and our goal is to stop WICKED from destroying the world in its hopeless search for a cure."

"Good that," I answer. "Are you going to beat me up now and see if I can figure out how to survive?"

"Not remotely. Let's figure out how fit you are, eh?"

Another of the guards, who has apparently been listening, chimes in. "She ran for over three hours this morning. Both Zeke and Gally were run ragged trying to keep up with her."

Toby nods. "So you can run. Endurance is good. Let's try to figure out your advantages. Hopefully we'll be able to manipulate fights to best serve them."

I can already tell that Toby will be a good instructor, and I'm more than ready to learn some combat skills. I'm done losing fights, especially against WICKED.