**takes place before Alex and Thomas**

**Listen to Payten Parrish, I'll Male A Man Out Of You**

Minho was just finishing up breakfast. Ben sat across from him, finishing his coffee. Minho looked down the table at the guys. A few were done eating and laughing with the guy next to him, some were moodily pushing food around their plates. Minho ran a hand through his hair, frowning, he looked back down at the list of names. These were the new guys Alby said we're interested in becoming runners.

"Any potentials?" Ben asked.

Minho just shrugged. He looked up at his Running partner, he ran a hand down his face.

"Dude, you know there is usually only one or two shanks good enough. This group looks like we're gonna be shucked." He groaned.

"That's the spirit!" Ben stood up and patted his back.

With a sigh Minho stood up. He slammed his hands on the table, that got the attention of the guys at the table, they all pivoted their heads towards him.

"Okay you sissy shanks. You have 10 minutes to get your klunk together and over to the wall by the Map room. Bring your shuck A game." Minho growled.

_____________________

The potential runners were lined up against the wall. Minho was marching in front of them, back and forth. Ben stood off to the side, an ammused expression on his face. Minho always was the bad cop, the hard ass drill Sargent during training. The harder he was on them in the beginning the faster they weed out the weak ones.

Minho stormed up the line of guys, a scowl on his face. He stopped in the middle, turned to face them, folding his large arms over his strong chest. A few guys gulped.

"Now. The Maze is no joke, one wrong move and you're done. One wrong turn, you're done. If you stop and hesitate because you're too scared or frozen, you are done for!" He barked at them.

A few guys jumped.

"Ben! I need that stop watch and list of sissies!" He called. Ben jogged over and handed him the stuff.

"Now when I say run...you will run-"

"-where?" A kid cut in.

"Did you let me finish my sentence you shuck face?" Minho growled, his dark eyes snapped to the kid.

The kid shook his head, and stepped back.

"What's your name?"

"Steve." The kid said.

"Hmm." Was all Minho said and looked back at the clipboard and made a note.

"Before I was RUDLY interupted, you will run a lap of the Glade as fast as you can. GO!"

No one moved, confused. Except, surprisingly Steve, he took off along the wall.

"I SAID NO HESITATION! RUN YOU SLINT HEADS! MOVE YOUR SHUCK BUTTS! GO!" Minho yelled.

The guys all jumped and scrambled to start running. Pushing guys out of the way.

Minho growled in frustration rubbing his forehead.

"This is a shuck joke."

"It'll be fine." Ben reasured him clapping him on the back, "you got this, General."

Minho snorted in dirision. Newbies were always so cocky and then they set foot I to the maze and then they freak.

The initiates started to stragle back. Minho started making notes on each kids time. Once everyone was back, he made them run it again, by the third time two boys had ready dropped out.

"How can they drop out and complain there's too much running when the shuck name is runner?" Ben asked, shaking his head.

Minho know this would happen. It always does. The next thing he had them do was push ups and sit ups. Minho stood and watched shaking his head.

"Can we have a break?" One kid whined as he lay on his back panting.

"No. You don't get breaks in the maze! Go do a lap Troy." Minho snapped.

As Troy got to his feet grumbling Minho turned back to the group. His arms crossed, making his muscles look bigger.

"YOU DON'T GET SHUCK BREAKS IN THE MAZE!" Minho yelled. "Rule one of being a runner, NEVER STOP RUNNING!"

The group groaned.

"WHAT WAS THAT? DID I HEAR COMPLAINING?"

The group grumbled.

"ANOTHER LAP!"

The group straggled back, one guy bent over and threw up. Minho wrinkled his nose.

"How the shuck do I make runners out of these sissies?" Minho put his face in his hands.

"Dude no!" Ben warned.

"What?" Minho asked looking up.

"Don't." Ben said again, crossing his arms.

"Don't what?" Minho asked, crossing his arms again, cocking his head.

"You know exactly what!" Ben said pointing a finger at him.

"Nope." He popped the p. "No idea what your talking about Ben! Would you care to explain." He gave Ben a cheeky smile.

"Uh huh! Nope. No way!" Ben poked him in the chest, "if you start Imma get Alby!"

"You have any way to get these Shanks from sissies to Runners? Did Alby send me daughter's? When I asked for sons?
Ben! This is the saddest bunch I ever met!
But you can bet...before I'm through..I'll make a man out of them!" Minho flaled his arm towards the group of moaning guys on the ground!

"Nooooo!" Ben groaned. "Please! For the shuck life of me please don't start!"

But it was too late. Minho had started, and when he started there was no stopping him.

_________________________

WICKED Facility

"ALEX!" Teresa came sprinting down the hall way, screaming.

A door flew open, and Alex scrambled out the door, her eyes wide and paniking.

"What? What's wrong Tes?" Alex yelled, sprinting towards her friend.

Teresa skited to a stop, panting.

"Come on! He's doing it again!" Teresa huffed, but gigged.

Alex grinned and took off down the hall. She flung open the control room door and scrambled inside. Thomas looked over his shoulder, with a huge grin. There on the large computer screen, was Minho. Alex watched as he was marching up and down in front of a group of new potential runners.

"We betting? How many guys will join?" Thomas asked.

"Yes! And Ben's gonna go whine to Alby!" Alex laughed.

"I'll take those bets!" Teresa laughed.

The girls pulled up chairs beside Thomas and laughed at Minho and his dramatic antics.

"What a shuck face!" Alex sighed, shaking her head.

"Ah, he's your shuck face though!" Thomas looked at her over his shoulder.

Alex placed her face in her hand and shook it.

"Ah, you love him!" Teresa giggled, patting her back.

"It's true. I love him...and I miss him." Alex smiled, looking back at the screen, watching Minho make a fool of himself.

_________________________________

The Maze

Minho marched the group of initiates to their obstacle course at the side of the Deadheads. He made them all do some more pushups while he jumped up onto one of the big wood platforms.

"Let's get down to business
To defeat the Huns!"

He threw his hands out wide, and then brought his fist down in front of him dramatically.

"...Did they send me daughters
When I asked for sons?
You're the saddest bunch I ever met
But you can bet before we're through
Mister, I'll make a man out of you..."

He pointed to the guys on the ground. A few of them had stopped and turned to look at the Keeper. He was now standing captain Morgan style, on the platform, and his foot up on the stairs.

"Tranquil as a forest
But on fire within
Once you find your center
You are sure to win..."

Minho jumped down from the platform in front of the group, crouching and slowly waving his arms like he was doing some form of Martial Arts or Tai Chi.

"And you haven't got a clue
Somehow I'll make a man out of you"

He had sprung towards Troy, grabbed him by the collar, singing right in his face, and then tossed him back to the ground. A few of the guys were looking around cautiously, unsure how to proceed. They hadn't seen Minho Keeper of the Runners ever act like this. Ben on the other hand had his head in his hands shaking his head, groaning.

Every time they had a group of Runner initiates Minho would do this. Usually the guys would back away, quite or stand there dumbfounded. However to the astonishment of Ben and the amusement of Minho a few guys jumped up, and up onto the platform,

Steve leaned over hands on his knees, "I'm never gonna catch my breath..."

Troy, waved dramatically to the general direction of the Homestead, "Say goodbye to those who knew me!"

Another kid, who was pretty short, and skinny, whose name was Lucas threw his hands into the air, "Why was I a fool in school for cutting gym?"

Troy jumped back down to Minho jabbing a thumb at him, and put a hand to his mouth, and whispered loudly for everyone to hear, but was directing it to Ben, "This guy's got them scared to death!"

Another kid, who was quiet, stood up from the watching group, "Hope he doesn't see right through me!"

Steve pretended to swim, "Now I really wish that I knew how to swim..."

"What does swimming have to do with running the Maze?" Ben asked exhaspirated.

"Shush!" Minho scolded him.

Minho jumped back up onto the platform, and stormed up the steps to the second platform.

"We must be swift as the coursing river" Minho called, doing his Martial Arts moves

The guys who decided to join in on his antics yelled, raising fist into the air, "Be a man"

Minho called back, "With all the force of a great typhoon"

The guys called, first in the air, "Be a man!"

"With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!"

Ben had enough. He turned and ran back into the Glade.

"AAAAAALBBBEEEEYYYYY!" Ben yelled, "ALBY!"

Alby and Newt stood up from the picnic table they were seated at and turned to the frantic yelling. Ben was sprinting towards them, waving his hands in the air.

"ALBY! NEWT! HE'S DOING IT AGAIN!"

Alby sighed, already frustrated. Newt chuckled. He leaned over grabbed his cruches and together Alby and Newt slowly made their way over, and met Ben.

"Alby! He's doing it again!" Ben whined, pointing towards the wood platforms that were supposed to be a tree fort, but Minho uses them for runner training for now.

Newt slowly made his way over, his crutches slowing him down, but Alby walked patiently beside him, while Ben whined beside them. They came to a stop and watched as Minho dramatic flaired his arms, in all his Tai Chi glory. While the guys under him did pushups or crunches or jumping jacks.

"Time is racing toward us
'Til the Huns arrive
Heed my every order
And you might survive
You're unsuited for the rage of war
So pack up, go home, you're through
How could I make a man out of you?"

Alby had a look of exhaspirated ammusment and Newt laughed. It was the first time in a long time he had a good belly laugh. He laughed and watched as his best friend made a fool of himself. Sometimes in a shucked up place like this you had to just say Shuck it and make your own fun. Minho did this when he was training Newt and Ben. Ben had sat frozen so confused, Newt decided to join in then and decided, what the shuck?

"We must be swift as the coursing river" Minho called down.

"Be a man!" Newt yelled back.

"With all the force of a great typhoon" Mi ho turned to look at Alby and Newt. Minho pointed a finger at Newt with a huge grin.

"Be a man!" Newt called back, thrusting his one crutch into the air.

"With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!"

"We must be swift as the coursing river"

"Be a man!" The rest of the runners joined in.

"With all the force of a great typhoon"

"Be a man!" Newt yelled, along with the few brave enough to join in with Minho and his dramatic episode.

"With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!"

Minho finished, crossed his arms, and smirked down at everyone.

"That was a bit bloody dramatic, ya shuck face." Newt called up with a small smile.

"All in the day of Minho." He yelled back and jumped down. He sauntered over to Alby, Newt and Ben.

He looked over his shoulder and called, "Troy! Steve! Lucas! Ethan! I'll see you tomorrow! Everyone else. Your fired! Go back to your old keepers!"

Minho turned back to the Alby, Newt and Ben.

Ben threw his hands in the air, "Unbelievable." He walked away muttering and shaking his head.

Alby clapped Minho on the shoulder, gave him a nod still chuckling. And he walked away.

"Thanx Min. I needed a good laugh." Newt said quietly.

Minho grinned. "Glad you still remembered your part, my friend."

Together the best friends slowly made their way back to the kitchen.

"How's Ben doing as your new partner?" Newt asked, almost cautiously.

"Meh. He'll get used to my dramatic antics. Not as fast as my old partner." He glanced at Newt, giving him a small sad smile, "He was the best. But Ben will do." Minho nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. He gave Newt a side eye, "How are you doing, man?"

Newt sighed. "I'll be okay...I guess. The universe obviously didn't want to take me, so I'm here for a reason. Just gotta find out what. But these crutches bloody suck!"

Minho clapped him on the shoulder, "Newt. Be a man!"

Newt's lip twitched into a smile.