It was Jina's first time flying in a Berg. At first she didn't like it. Hated it actually. Her stomach bounced and churned, waves of nausea filling her mouth with saliva. She had to run to the bathroom again, to throw up. She really hated flying. Being inside a large flying beast was exhilarating, and nauseating all at the same time. It was unlike anything else she'd ever experienced. Living in such a ruined world really made you appreciate something so powerful that even gravity couldn't keep it down. But as they flew, it left her stomach back in the loading bay. She hardly left the walls of the WICKED facility, so getting to go anywhere was exciting, but also terrifying.

She groaned and slid down the wall of the small bathroom. There was a knock on the door.

"Occupied." She groaned.

"I know. Let me in and I can help."

"It's open."

The door slid open and Brenda smiled down at her. "You get used to it."

"It's the worst. How can Jorge handle this as a job?"

"Just be glad we're not doing loopy loops."

The thought of that made Jina go pale and sweat and her stomach heaved.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Okay, no more talking about loops and dives and tail spins."

Jina's stomach heaved and threw up again while Brenda chuckled at her. But she knelt down and held her hair. Once Jina's stomach emptied itself, she groaned and slumped against the wall.

"Here. Take this. It helps with motion sickness, settles the stomach." Brenda held out a small pill and a water bottle.

"Thanks."

"We'll be landing in about thirty minutes."

"Oh.. okay."

"No problem." She smiled at her and leaned against the opposite wall. "You ready?"

Jina shrugged. She swiveled her head and looked at Brenda, "you guys?"

Jorge and her were delivering a bunch of equipment to the Scorch for WICKED, for reasons no one shared with Jina. And Mary had a whole bag of medical supplies and testing kits for research purposes for WICKED. (Or that was the cover story anyways. Jina didn't actually know for sure what they were up to- which was for the best.)

"As I'll ever be." Brenda shrugged. "Jorge is having me double check everything even though it has to be inspected by WICKED to get on the Berg. While double checking everything, found trackers, those were conveniently replaced to the bottom of the bunkbeds in the other room." She winked at Jina. But her smile slid off. "Though..." Brenda trailed off, she straightened her legs, giving herself some time to think.  "I'm a little nervous..." She said quietly. "This all sounded like a fun adventure until about 10 minutes ago."

"Going out into the Scorch?" Jina asked, "What's there to be scared about? A post-apocalyptic city with no government or security, surrounded by a desert and swarming with cranks I mean come on. Don't be a sissy."

Brenda raised an eyebrow. Jina gave her a small lopsided grin.

"Nice one, Jina." Brenda nodded with a small look of approval.

They were quiet, sitting in the bathroom.

"So...what are you guys actually doing?" Jina asked quietly.

"Honestly? We got two shipments to deliver, one as a humanitarian aid, WICKED is losing face with the general public, so every once in a while, when they are feeling generous, they like to... donate some medical equipment. The second is supposed to be for a jack ass who supplies them with kids, but...ops, the packages got lost...in the mountains. Along with some vital information that was anonymously placed on Mary's desk.  All while you fancy maze people do your thing."

Jina nodded. They were quiet again, until Jina whispered, "I'm sorry Brenda."

Brenda looked up sharply. "For what?"

"For losing your brother."

"Oh. Well...ya...gives me a reason every morning to get up and work against them."

Jina nodded. "Ya...they took my brother too. And made him think I betrayed him, made him think I actually enjoy working for these sick bastards!"

"Ya...I know. Mary told me everything."

Jina sniffed, trying to keep her emotions in check. "What was his name, your brother?"

"George."

"Wait...George?" Jina felt her stomach drop. She knew that name. That was the kid WICKED tested another round of Grief serum on, Thomas had sobbed himself to sleep on her chest. It was a nasty death.

"You knew him...didn't you?" Brenda looked at her. Jina could see the hope die in her eyes as she gulped and nodded. 

"You know what happened to him. Don't you." Her voice was flat. She wasn't stupid, by Jina's reaction, Brenda knew what happened to her brother. 

Jina's eyes filled with tears. And then slowly nodded. "Yes. WICKED killed him. And...and I'm sorry Brenda. I really am!"

Brenda's eyes also filled with tears. "Well...I always knew hope was a waste.  Hope...it's killed more of my friends and family then the Flare." She was so bitter it hurt Jina's heart.

"I'm so sorry, Brenda!"

"Stop apologizing. You didn't kill him."

"But I was part of designing it and everything. I worked for them! I still finchen' work for them."

"But your not. Your working to take them down. And with the last package ready for delivery...we will. Don't worry. Revelation is gonna happen."

"Ya. Ya you're right. I'll take them down. And destroy them all! I made my brother a promise. I'm going to take WICKED down. One piece at a time."

"That's the spirit!" Brenda grinned. "Now. How are you feeling?"

"Way better. Thank you."

"No problem. I'm actually a really good nurse...."

Jina chuckled quietly.

"Now...I think your boy was looking for you." Brenda said as she stood up and held a hand out for Jina.

"Oh...ya. I told him I'd be right back. Ops."

Brenda pulled a travel toothbrush out of her bag and handed it to Jina with a small wink and then left the bathroom. Jina washed her face with some cool water and quickly brushed her teeth. She left the little Berg bathroom and went to find Thomas.

She got distracted as she passed a window. The world zipped by, fading from forest to mountains to dry burnt earth. She heard the echo of footsteps and before she turned around, arms wrapped around her, giving her a hug from behind.

"Hey. Feeling better?"

"Hi." She hummed happily and leaned into Thomas. "Ya, Brenda gave me something for motion sickness." They were quiet for a few minutes.

"Hey... can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." Thomas teased.

"Hardy Har har." Jina rolled her eyes.

"Ya, Hun, what's up?" Thomas chuckled giving her an affectionate squeeze and resting his chin on her head.

"What were you and Teresa arguing about this morning in the loading docs?"

"Umm. About us. You and me....and how you're a bad influence-"

"I am." Jina twisted her head around and looked up at Thomas.

Thomas chuckled. And leaned down and kissed her softly. "You're not that bad."

"Hmm. Keep telling yourself that." Jina turned and looked back out the window. "What else? She looked livid. And then stormed off and isn't on the Berg."

"Umm ya...she saw the tape of us in the hall and she couldn't believe I was more interested in...umm...us...then finding a cure. And that if I didn't change my priorities she would do something drastic. But I think she was uhhh.. most upset about the...uh camera footage."

Jina could feel his discomfort.

"She thought we were doing it inside the room?" Jina sighed.

"Ummm...yeah." Thomas said and then cleared his throat. "I guess."

"Tommy...that was the point." Jina said and turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. "The whole point was if someone saw the footage they would think that..."

"I know." Thomas said slowly. "Just sucks...ya know?"

"What does? Everyone thinking we did and we didn't? 'Cause you want to?"

"What? Oh no! NO!" He went bright red. "No...not like that at all!" Thomas sputtered.

Jina raised an eyebrow.

"Not that I wouldn't want to. But no, it's not that I'm upset about us not doing it, when Teresa thinks that's all we do. Not that I care what she thinks...and not that I don't think about us that way- which I don't...maybe? Sometimes ...?Uhhh-"

"Thomas?" Jina interupted his ramblings. His face was so red and hot she could probably put bacon on his face and it would have sizzled. She giggled at his shy awkward sputtering.

"Umm ya?" He croaked.

"Shut up, you cute dork. We're still really young. And I don't really wanna have our first time monitored by Psyches...you KNOW they would have a field day with our Killzone patterns."

"Oh...I didn't even think of that..."

"That's why you have me. I'll think for both of us." Jina teased.

"Good that." He grinned. Then fround immediately. "Hey! Wait- Jina!"

She chuckled at him again. She raised up in her toes and kissed him softly. "Okay. What actually sucked about that argument with Teresa?"

Thomas huffed and pulled her back into a hug and they looked out the window and he spoke again. "She was my only friend for like half my life. My best friend. And now...? She's so absorbed into WICKED's ideology. And I'm not agreeing with their methods and what they're doing...she can't see my point of view and I can't see hers. She's also really pissed at you. And I can't figure out why!"

Jina hummed. "I'm sorry. I know I was kind of thrust into your group of four. And it didn't really help when I started with Ava and Leavitt, before her...and then working with other groups."

"But...you deserved it! You're amazing Ji! And not just cuz you're my girlfriend. You're smart. And you earned that sport! You shouldn't have to hide that because someone is jealous."

"I know. But it made my life a living hell. Teresa liked you so much, I could see it even when I first started. And it was sometimes embarrassing to watch."

"Wait...what?"

Jina blinked up at him for a solid minute. "You seriously had no idea...still don't." Jina burst out laughing and then slapped a hand over her mouth. She eventually got herself under control, Thomas just watched her with his signature frown and eyebrows pulled together confused face. "Oh Tommy. You're such an innocent cute goof." She cupped his cheek.

"Umm..thank you? But...what do you mean?" Thomas asked, "Tess liked me?"

"Tommy, she was and still is obsessed. She loves you, in a rather creepy obsessive way. And she's furious we're together. Especially during the purge- the first time she really saw us 'together'- she tried to give you physical affection but you kept shutting down her advances, in one way or another. Instead you came seeking me out. That's why I was removed from Maze A, I'm positive,  that's also why she refused to communicate with me when I worked with you guys, that's why she's trying to tell you I'm a bad influence and I need to be removed... She's jealous you chose me."

"That's a lot. How can someone be so...I dunno.. jacked!"

"She's stubborn and doesn't like to lose, and she thinks I'm a threat. I beat her in every test, I was chosen for the one on one spot under Ava. I was chosen over her to work with the other mazes. You chose me...the guys from the Mantanince room liked me better, though I think my brother helped with that... But she's also brainwashed by them and I threaten that."

"Damn. That's too much drama." He shuttered.

"Tell me about it." Jina placed her head on Thomas chest and just hugged him.

They were quiet for a long time, looking out the window, watching the world become a broken and dry wasteland.

She could feel the Berg slowing down.

"Landing in 3 minutes." Jorge's voice crackled over the speakers.

Jina pulled away reluctantly. Thomas intertwined their fingers and went to the main section of the Berg where other WICKED personal were gathering. Aris and Rachel showed up, each with a backpack, and handed an extra one to Thomas and Jina. They both looked nervous about going into the scorch. The Berg set down and Jorge opened the door.

Blistering heat filled the Berg. Jina threw a hand up to shield her eyes and everyone spilled down the ramp into the scorch. The ground was hard packed, covered in cracks and crevices from the sun baking the earth. The sun itself, was hot and the wind ripped at their clothes. It was hard to breath in this heat.

"Good glory!" Doctor Marry appeared at Jina's side. "Can you imagine what it was like down here before the flares actually hit."

Everyone was squinting against the blinding brightness of the sun.

Brenda and Jorge arrived beside them. Some of the WICKED guards were loading the crates into jeeps that came from the underbelly of the Berg. Jina gapped at how big the Berg actually was. It really was a monster in the sky.

Jina looked around trying to get her bearings. She could see an outline of a town in the distance. And behind that what she guessed were mountains. She turned the other way and saw the flat land of the scorch rise into sand dunes and the reminants of a destroyed town or city.

"Where are we?" Rachael asked.

"Out that way, on the other side of that crank infested town is a WICKED outpost. It's not fully functional right now, mainly used for research purposes. And bio labs." Mary explained.

"And that way," Jorge said, pointing in the direction of the town outline, "is what the locals call Crank City."

"How original." Aris muttered.

Brenda snickered. "Right?"

"All loaded Jorge!" Someone yelled. "If we wanna make it to the town before nightfall, we gotta get moving!"

Jorge nodded in their direction before turning back to Aris, Rachel, Thomas and Jina.

"Well Hermano...hija..." Jorge said, his eyes lingered on Thomas and Jina for an extra second. He held a hand out. "I guess this is where we part."

"Uhh ya. But won't we see you later?" Aris asked, shaking his hand.

"Aren't you flying us back?" Rachel asked confused. Looking from Jorge to Mary to Brenda.

"Ha. You guys are cute thinking they don't have a hidden agenda." Jorge grinned wickedly and winked.

"Well shuck my life." Thomas muttered.

"What are they planning now?" Jina grumbled.

It didn't surprise her at all, that there was something else planned for them. She only realized now how convenient it was Teresa wasn't here after an argument - no way Ava or Janson would just allow her to stay behind. They were all planning something else. Jina ground her teeth.

Brenda pulled Jina into a hug. And whispered frantically. "It's phase two, they are almost done planning! They plan to send everyone into the scorch unchecked with cranks. We're supposed to disguise into a crank gang- but we're actually defecting right now. Most of the people here are. The Right Arm is a resistance group. We got your info. It's safe with us. I promise! Revolution is coming! Stay strong. We'll get you out."

She pulled away, leaving Jina's head spinning with information. Brenda grinned and winked. "Stay safe you Elites. The Scorch can be...a dangerous place."

"Uhh, ya." Thomas said, he was shooting Jina a questioning look. But there was no way she could say anything. She knew they were being monitored now that they were in the scorch.

She watched as Brenda, Mary and Jorge- another three people she thought she trusted- walk away from her. Leaving her with WICKED.

Defecting. Leaving WICKED. Leaving her behind.

They could, they didn't have chips implanted in their brains, they weren't being monitored and assessed every single finchen' day. She couldn't even go pee without them knowing. She felt abandoned. She felt empty watching her three trusted alies drive away, leaving her.

"Jina? Honey?" Thomas slid closer, he looked down at her, worried, "what's wrong?" Despite how disgustingly hot it was, and how much she was already covered in sweat, he pulled her into a comforting hug.

"Thomas? Please...never let me go."
She whispered, close to tears. She felt abandoned by everyone and she felt a hysteria trying to break through.

"Never!" Thomas said firmly. "Jina. I would never! I love you."

< • >