Their cell door was swung wide open. Guards came storming inside and ripped them from bed.

"Rise and shine!" A guard growled and yanked Hope out of bed. It took a second to get her legs under her and orient herself. Her cell mates had the same confused half asleep panic in their eyes.

"It's moving day."

Everyone groaned. WICKED had moved everyone twice already. This was the third time. Which means a long day in a hot train car, chained to the ceiling. Stripped naked and sterilized like a bunch of cattle. A guard sent the back end of his gun into Minho's stomach for growing. And Aris got a good back hand. Sonya and Hope both gasped and cried out.

Their hands were cuffed and they were pulled from the room. Hope saw other kids from adjoining cells being ripped from their beds and cuffed. Hope's group was waiting for the elevator when another guard marched over.

"The director wants to see that one before we leave." He indicated to Hope.

Her face must have paled, and she felt her stomach drop. Hope involuntarily took a step back. Why was she always picked out of the crowd. Why did he have a weird fascination with her. She was nothing special, a kid trying to survive the next day.

The guard grabbed her arm in his vice like grip and dragged her away. There was nothing anyone could do. His hand squeezed her arm so tight it hurt. She'd have bruising later. She wasn't taken far, but the door was pushed open. Hope immediately started twisting and fighting. The chair sat in the middle of the room. Janson sat at the small table beside the chair and standing beside him was Teresa. A few other men and women in white milled around.

Hope knew it was pointless to struggle. She was out matched, out muscled and out manned. But she couldn't just roll over for them. Seeing Teresa gave her a new flash of anger which filled her with adrenaline. Hope fought and yelled as she was dragged closer to the chair. She was tossed into it and held down as her wrists and ankles were strapped down. She thrashed her head back and forth, desperately trying to fight. The small needles were inserted into her arms, the electrodes attached to her chest and temples.

It was pointless to fight. She was strapped down and now they were ready for torture. Janson cleared his throat and shuffled some paper. He turned his beady eyes to her.

"What do you know about the Right Arm?"

"Nothing."

Hope felt the shock. It made her head thrash backwards, and every muscle to tense.

"Let's try again. What do you know about the Right Arm."

"Nothing!" Hope snarled.

Janson sighed and another shock left Hope slumped and panting.

"It's a simple question."

"I don't know anything!" She cried, her eyes narrowed at the man. "Ask her!" Hope spat at Teresa. "She knows just as much as I do!"

Janson sighed again. He looked over to a doctor and waved a hand with a nod. This time, the shock was so bad Hope let out a sharp scream, she could feel her mind going dark. They didn't let up, this one kept going.

Her eyes fluttered open with a groan. Everything hurt. She could taste a metallic taste in her mouth. She much had bit her lip or tounge in the process. Her throat was raw. She groaned again trying to lift her head, but gave up. She flinched when a hand moved some of her hair and long cold fingers lifted her chin.

"I'm asking nicely. What do you know about the Right Arm."

"Please...." She begged, "I don't know anything!" She felt the sob rising, the panic bubbled up, Janson wasn't going to believe her. Janson was staring at her and narrowed his eyes, but his face gave away nothing.

"Please!" She sobbed, "we only stumbled on them one afternoon and then we were only there one day before they showed up!" She looked at Teresa. "I was only there a day before them."

Janson's beady eyes flicked to Teresa. She hadn't moved. Her big blue eyes stared at Hope. Her face also gave nothing away.

"Tell me about the man you were with. Major Odin." She suddenly asked, folding her arms.

"He...he found me as a child. Took care of me. He...he helped lead our group. I don't know anything else!" Hope cried between wild heaving breaths.

They continued to ask Hope questions she didn't know the answers to. She ended up passing out more then once. The electricution was turned up higher and higher.

There was a knock on the door just as Hope came back around, her head flopped and she had no more voice, no energy and no more will to keep going. She was begging for death.

"What?" Janson screamed.

"Sir? We're ready."

"Fine. Take her. We're not getting out of her anyways."

"You got nothing?" The guard asked, "they hit us hard last week, she doesn't know how they knew where we were going to be? What about that Major?"

"Caption, I have already told you. Now take her away."

Hope felt her cuffs loosen, the IV was removed. Teresa took the little vial of clear liquid that was harvested from Hope during her session. The guards grabbed her and dragged her out into the harshly lit hall. Hope could hardly keep her eyes open and she had no strength left to keep her head up.

They dragged her through the halls and into an elevator, and down some more halls. The big bay doors were opened and the noise of the loading dock hit her hard, making her wince. Kids were yelling and crying. Guards were barking orders and yelling. It seemed like chaos, but each kid had a tattoo on their necks, that once scanned all their information was seen on the screen.

"Cell block A, B and C train car one, and two." A guard yelled. "Cell block D, E and F go to train cars three and four!" 

Hope was dragged to the far train car and deposited into one of the lines, she was just tossed and the guards walked away. Hope could hardly stand, so she stumbled into the kid in front of her. He didn't like that and turned around and shoved her off.

"Watch it blondy!"

He shoved Hope back to the floor. Where she just crumpled and stayed, whimpering, a few tears leaked over her lashes.

"No, you watch it slint head!" A voice she recognized snarled. There was a bit of a scuffle and then she felt her head being picked up.

"Shuck it! What'd they do to you Ace?"

"I...I didn't know....the answers." Hope whimpered, more tears slid down.

She felt something wipe the blood from her chin away. Hope could hardly stand. Every muscle screamed. Her skin was so sensitive it hurt when her t shirt shifted against her skin.

"Dammit, is that you Hope?"

"... Harvey...?"

Hope's eyes fluttered open. Minho held her proper up he had an arm under her shoulders her head resting on his shoulder, but Harvey had knelt down in her other side.

"What happened?"

"The shucken Rat Man has taken an interest in her." Minho answered, while he wiped more blood from her chin.

Harvey narrowed his eyes, "Who are you?"

"Har...vey..." Hope chocked out.

Harvey turned his big innocent eyes to her.

"Harvey this is....Minho. He's...from the Trials, one of...the elites." She had to pause and take a few shuddering inhales. "Also my cell mate. Minho...this is Harvey... He was part of our group....a sweep picked him up...in crank town..."

The boys eyed each other up.

"Be nice." She panted. "...were in this together." Her head flopped back into Minho's shoulder, and her eyes rolled. She felt her shoulders being shaken.

"Hey! Hey Ace, wake up. Don't pass out on me! Come on!" Minho sounded a bit panicked.

It took all of Hope's energy to open her eyes.

"Just...resting my eyes...relax...Mean-hoe."

"Well don't rest them! It scares the klunk out of me!"

"You there!" A guard yelled as he stomped over, "you three don't move!" Harvey and Minho looked around. Harvey stood up, his hands out in a defensive gesture.

"She passed out. We were just trying to help."

"On your knees subject!"

Harvey did as they demanded. His head was shoved down.

"Cell block D, your supposed to be in train car three." Harvey was yanked to his feet. And shoved towards more guards. The one with the scanner turned to Minho and Hope.

"Don't hurt those two! They're the Directors favorites!" Harvey cried as he was being pulled away. He was met with the back end of a gun to his cheek. The guard with a scanner pushed Minho's head down and scanned his neck.

"Shit." He glared at Minho for a second before looking at Hope, who was half unconscious at this point. "Life her head." Minho, grinding his teeth, did what they asked, Hope's neck was scanned and the guard cursed again.

"Get her to train car four." Was all he said.

Hope's head flopped and she forced her eyes open and watched as the guards hauled Harvey away again. It was hard to swallow around the lump in her throat, he became blurry as more tears obscured her vision. She knew she wouldn't see Harvey again for a long time.

Minho got up with Hope drapped over him, and he helped get her to the train car. Where they were guided roughly to their seats, made to sit and then their wrists and ankles were cuffed and then chained to the ceiling. All the guards left and the train car door was slammed shut. It was dim inside the car, but Hope didn't mind,  the brightness made her head pound more. It was quiet in the train car. A few kids whispered, but the conversation died out fast.

"Where's Sonya and Aris?" She asked, her throat was dry and scratchy.

"I don't know. We all got separated when we got to the loading area. We were out into holding rooms first, and then we were brought here."

Hope just nodded slowly. Her head slumped forwards and her eyelids stayed closed. Hope must have slipped into sleep or unconsciousness, because the sudden jerk of the train made her wake up and she groaned. She could feel the train picking up speed until it found it's pace and then stayed like that. The sway of the train made her fall asleep again. Her head rolled with the momentum, it swayed back and forth until something applied pressure to the side of her head. Her head was laid down onto something softer.

She tried to mumble a thank you, but it didn't come out clear. But she heard a quiet, "Anytime Ace."

Hope lost the fight to stay awake.

•°•

She was jerked awake, her body was jerked forwards with a loud noise that sounded like an explosion. The train slowly slowed down until it stopped. The kids I side were silent. It was like everyone inhaled and held their breath. Hope glanced at Minho, they had matching confused looked, like every other kid in the train car.

It was hot and sweaty inside the car. The heat from the sun made the inside feel like an oven. It also didn't smell great. Hope closed her eyes and strained her ears, trying to figure out what was happening.

She heard faint voices and then pops and cracks of guns. Her eyes flew open and she glanced at Minho, who had his eyes wide open and his mouth dropped open.

"Minho? Minho!"

Hope jumped, there was someone screaming his name from the other side of the train car. Someone was banging on it and yelling his name.

"Minho? Where are you?"

The kids in the train car all came alive at the same time. They started screaming and yelling back. Some shook their chains. It was so loud it made Hope's head pound more. She did her best to cover her ears. And hide her head.

She could hear muffled voices yelling. Gun shots. A few metal tings from the bullets hitting the train car. The kids still yelled and called for help.

Hope glanced up at the roof, like she would be able to see through it. There was a loud thumping sound that made everything vibrate. A Berg. She recognized the sound as a Berg. There was more muffled yelling and gun shots. And the humming vibrating slowly disappeared. The kids who were still yelling slowly died out and it was quiet again. Hope sat with her breath held, like every other kid. Minho sat stiff and tense beside her. He refused to look at her or anyone. His eyes blank, and his jaw clamped.

Hope wasn't sure what just happened, but she had a gut feeling.

There was muffled yelling. And then it was silent. And it stayed silent for a very long time. A few kids whispered, a few kids dozed off. It got almost unbearably hot, many kids started panting with the heat. Hope could feel the sweat running down her face, her hair stuck to her face and neck, and her t shirt stuck to her back.

Hope's exhausted sore battered and bruised body sagged and drifted into a fitful light sleep. The last time she drifted off she was jerked awake again when the train door was unlocked and thrown open. The cold fresh air from the scorch's nights blasted the. Making everyone inside shiver. Their sweet dried leaving everyone with goosebumps and chattering teeth.

Hope could hear voices yelling, orders being given and the sound of a Berg landing. The kids were unchained and hauled to their feet and ushered outside into the night.

Their hands were cuffed behind their backs. Hope looked around. And her suspicions were right; she was still with WICKED. Minho, in front of her, noticed the same thing, she saw him sag and his head drop.

Their necks were scanned and then forced to kneel in lines. Hope finally got a good look around, being made to kneel in the front row. There were big flood lights set up around the area. She saw dead WICKED guards laying in the sand, and there was a full train car missing, train car three was completely gone. Before Hope had time to figure out how, the Berg ramp descended and Janson came storming down the ramp.
He came to stand in front of the kneeling kids.

"Report captain!" He barked.

"They got 40, maybe 50 kids. One full train car, Sir. We're still compiling an official count, but the pilot got a good look. He thinks it was them." The captain replied, scanning another kid's neck, and forcing him onto his knees in line.

"Of course it was them!" Janson snapped. His beady eyes swept the lines of kids, and came to rest on Hope in the front row. His eyes narrowed for a moment. And then his dark calculating eyes slid over to Minho.

His face twisted into a cold gleeful grin. It made a shiver run down Hope's spin. Tears of anger and fear threatened to fall.

"What about the Berg they got?" A soldier asked, owing the captain with a clip board and pen.

"We tracked it a few miles. But someone must have known about the locator. They're totally off the grid." The captain said, his forehead wrinkled in confusion. "We're searching the area, but they're probably long gone by now." 

"Oh, no, they're not going anywhere. They didn't get what they really wanted!" Janson whispered maliciously. He slowly stalked towards Hope and Minho, a twisted smile on his face. He stopped right in front of them.

Minho raised his head and glared at the Rat Man. And growled at him. Hope just cowered, lowering her head and looking away.

Janson let out an amused chuckle, "Oh they aren't going far. He didn't get what he really wanted!" 

Janson forced Hope's head up, to look at him, his twisted evil smile made the tears fall from Hope's eyes. She hated how scared she was. She hated that she was crying and hated that this seemed to solidify Janson's twisted logic that she was somehow important to Thomas, when I face she knew she wasn't. He had only been looking for Minho.

Where was Papa Oden? Or Lanna? Or Vera? Anyone she counted as family...no one was screaming her name. Or any other kid. Just Minho's. Hope was a no body, she just wished Janson also viewed her as a nobody.

He let go of her chin making her lose her balance and tip forwards. He spun on his heel and walked away, back towards the Berg.

"Load them into the cargo hold." Janson yelled.

A sob rose in Hope's chest.