27. Hang in There

A/N - when the words are in italics its them speaking Spanish, instead of me writing out the actual language and translating.

Play- bad guy by Billie Eilish - on repeat

Getting dragged out the room the boys soon disappeared down a corridor, leaving only their shouts of disagreement to be heard. Jorge turned to the girl and looked her up and down, to see she didn't look scared in the slightest.

"Where are you from?" he asks.

"I don't know." Athena replied.

"A smart girl like you would surely know." he replied walking closer to the girl.

"I only know what i've read in a file."

"So where are you from?"

"Cuba."

"Ah, Mexico." he replied as he gestured to himself.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Which was again?"

"Are you with Wicked?"

Jorge looked at the young girl, seeing the desperation in her eyes. The hope that she was slowly losing. He recognised it, because he's been through it.

"Are you and the blonde?" he asked looking in the direction of the hall the boys went.

"That's none of your business." she replied with her jaw clenching.

"Well for you to be this desperate you got to have a reason."

Taking a deep breath she looked at Jorge. "They're my family. They have been there for me since I can remember. We have all lost so many people already that mean so much to us, we just want to be safe and away from all this."

Jorge looked at her, sympathy showing in his face as she carried on. "I think you, then anyone else here can understand when I say I can't lose my family. I don't even remember my real family. I can see the way you look at that girl, like she's your daughter. So I'll ask you again.

Are you with Wicked?"

------------------------------------

Ropes holding them up the group hung from the ceiling by their legs. "Good plan, Thomas." Minho said sarcastically. " 'just hear what the man has to say'. Really working out for us." He said as he swung around slightly.

"Oh, shut up, Minho." Thomas breathed out.

"He isn't exactly wrong. And god knows what Athena's doing." Frypan mumbled.

"Maybe I can reach the rope." Thomas grunted.

"Enjoying the view?" Jorge said as he looked at the group.

"Where the bloody hell is Athena?" Newt asked as the man walked to the edge.

"She's back there." he said nonchalantly.

"What the hell do you want." Thomas asked

"That is the question. My men want to sell you back to WCKD. life has taught them to think small. I'm not like that." he said looking round the group.

"Something tells me you're not either." Jorge carried on.

"Is blood rushing to my head, or is this shank making no sense?" Minho asked.

"Tell me what do you know about the Right Arm?" he asked, ignoring Minho's comment.

"I thought you said they were ghosts." Newt commented.

"I happen to believe in ghosts. Especially when I hear them through chattering airwaves, and besides your friend came up with a deal I simply cannot deny." he explained as he walked up to the lever.

"Now you tell me what you know, and I'll think about taking up her offer." he said, gripping the handle.

"We don't know much." Thomas started, Jorges pushed the lever causing more rope to be fed and the gladers to jolt downwards. "Okay, okay. Alright!" Thomas shouted as they all groaned in pain. "They're hiding in the mountains. And they attacked Wicked. Got a bunch of kids. That's it that's all we know."

As Jorge went to say something a man spoke up behind him, "Yo, Jorge" he said as he walked in. "What's going on?"

"Me and my new friends are just getting acquainted. We're done now."

"Good, 'cus the little shit in there is starting to cause trouble." he said pointing the way he came.

"Hey, wait. You're not gonna help us?" Thomas asked.

"Don't worry, hermano. We'll get you back where you belong." he said as he walked away. "Now let's sort out your little friend."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Newt shouted as the two men left the room.

"Hang tight!" Jorge shouted to the group.

---------------------------------------------------

"Get your hands off me!" Athena shouted as the men tied a rope around her wrists behind her back.

"Shut the fuck up." One of the men shouted.

"Woah, woah, woah." Jorge said as he walked into the room, the other man following loosely behind. "What's going on here?"

"She started to kick off, so we had to restrain her more thoroughly." The man behind her said as she looked down at her with a death glare. Jorge noticed the prominent blue, black bruise appearing around his eye.

"Maybe don't touch me where it's not necessary, and I'll be fine." She snapped back at the man.

"She give you a black eye?" Jorge asked the man a prominent smirk on his face.

"Yeah, little shit here, decided to turn round and give me a black eye and Brandon a sprained wrist." he said bitterly.

"Where did you learn to fight like that, kid?" Jorge asked looking at Athena. Brandon and Randy gave the pair looks as they couldn't understand anything once again.

"WCKD." she replied bitterly.

"Can your little friends do that too?"

"No, they decided to make it on a one time thing." She snapped back.

"Untie her." Jorge ordered the two men.

"What? Why?" Brandon asked.

"Because I said so." turning to his side. "Brenda!" He shouted.

The girl walked in. She looked at the scene and raised an eyebrow up at him. As Jorge finished whispering something into her ear, he turned back to the men.

"You two can go now." he commanded casing the three men to leave.

-------------------------------------

-------------------------------------

Grunts filling the room. The group was desperately trying to get out. "Okay, I got it." Thomas mumbled. "Minho, you ready?" he asked as he swung Teresa towards Minho.

"Gotcha, okay. One, two.."

"Here we go." Thomas said to sike himself ready.

"Ready?" Teresa asked.

"Three." Minho said as he pushed her towards the lever.

As the momentum swung her towards it, she reached out as much as she could. Only it wasn't enough. Missing it, she swung back towards Minho causing him to let out a frustrated groan.

"Bloody hell." Newt mumbled, at the failed attempt, along with his body starting to ache.

"Come on, Minho. Push harder." Thomas encouraged.

"This is it. One, two, three." he pushed her with all his strength towards the lever.

The group cried out in cheers as she caught the lever. As she pulled it she landed on the platform, but the others fell further down.

------------------------------------

"So what, you're gonna give it all up?" Brenda interrogated Jorge as he packed away his things,]. "Everything you've built."

"There's no future here." Jorge cried. "What happens when another gang finds this place,huh? And I lose control and I can't protect you." he said as his mind was stuck on words Athena has said to him.

"I don't need you to protect me." Brenda scoffed.

"What happens if you get the Flare?" he asks as he puts on his jacket. "What am I supposed to do then? Chain you up, watch you turn. Put a bullet in your head? Is that what you expect from me?"

"I would do the same thing for you." she replied as tears started to well.

Before he could reply, the sound of a helicopter sounded through the room, bright lights shining through the window.

"Good evening!" Janson's voice rang through the speakers. "This is the World Catastrophe Killzone Department. We have your compound completely surrounded. You find yourselves, through no fault of your own in possession of Wicked Property." he explained.

Jorge and Brenda glanced at Athena who was looking out the window towards where everyone was sleeping, spotting a few guards in the corners.

---------------------------------------------

"Return them to us, unharmed." Janson commanded. The group rushed as they tied off their ropes, "And we will consider this a simple misunderstanding."

"Hang on, guys." Thomas said to the group as him and Teresa started to grab the others.

"Or you can resist," Janson continued.

"Newt!" Teresa shouted as she reached out a pole for him to grab.

"And every last one o you will die. It won't be long before the Flare wipes out the rest of us. The hope of a cure lies in your hands." Janson finished.

--------------------------------------

"Go get the kids." Jorge said to Brenda.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna play 'em my favorite song." Jorge said with a smile on his face.

"Oh, shit." she said as she ran towards the hall. Athena running after her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------