Evelyn's chest was rising and falling so rapidly it was hurting. Her eyes were wide and her voice was stuck in her throat. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. Her head was spinning. The floor was moving under her.

Jorge the Crank sat calmly at the table, the ghost of a smile on his face, his hands still clasped loosely.

She finally managed to squeak out one word. "How?"

"Sit down Mi Querida and let me explain." He motioned to the chair that lay tipped over.

It took a second for her brain to catch up. Slowly as if in a dream, her body moved, she picked up the chair and slowly sank into it. She sat at the edge, tense but slumped over. She rested her head in her hands, staring at the floor for a moment. She picked her self up and looked back at Jorge.

"Talk."

He nodded. He took his hands off the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Well. I worked for WICKED, clearly. As a burg pilot. I was never told details, just when and where to go. The one night our mission was compromised by a few of the less...crazy cranks. I was shot and left for dead. Janson saw an opertunity. He brought me to you, Mi Querida."

She nodded, following along. So far it seemed likely. She could see Janson using Jorge to test a theory, like he did the other guard she killed. Evelyn frowned, her eyebrows pulled together.

"Your a pilot. What were you doing outside the cockpit?"

"Ahhh. They said you were smart, they weren't wrong." He grinned. But unlike his wild twisted ones, this was a genuine smile that reached his eyes and made them crease.

"I had snuck away, and was on my way back when I was shot."

"Where?"

"I was...on my way to see..a friend."

Evelyn crossed her arms and leaned back, her eyes narrowing.

"I had been trying to get in contact with him for a while. We finally had the opertunity and I was on my way back."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow waiting for him to elaborate. She watched as his eyes danced with an amused mischief while he watched her.

"I was meeting with Vince the leader of the Right Arm, Mi querida."

Evelyn sat up straight. She had heard that name. Where, she couldn't remember. But she had heard that name before. Frowning, Evelyn got up from her chair and started pacing. In her way by the table she snagged the box of crackers. Nibbling the crackers she walked up and down the small room. Jorge's eyes never left her.

She stopped dead in the centre of the room, a cracker half way to her mouth. She spun towards him. Her eyes wide in realization.

"We saw Vince! We saw him! And a few others. They were looking for two groups of kids from WICKED."

Jorge's face remained impassive.

"He said... something about calling Horhay and Bee...that would be you. Wouldn't it?"

Jorge let a small smirk appear on his lips. And he inclined his head at her.

"You always were an intelligent girl."

Evelyn frowned and cocked her head.

"After being shot, I was only ever a sub pilot, did the rest of my days in the observation room."

Evelyn just about dropped the box of crackers. Her head felt dizzy. She staggered back to her chair and sunk down.

"You! You controlled Hephaestus!"

"Indeed."

"Wholly shucken bloody hell!" She whispered to herself.

"After you turned him into a real lizard, it was his brain waves and such I read. No one else bothered with it. But it was fascinating. He was linked to your emotions closer than any other boy in that glade. When you felt a big emotion, so did the lizard."

"I transferred some of me into him."

Jorge nodded again.

"Okay okay...but go back to the Vince thing. Are you working for WICKED still? Or for Vince? No wait..." She held up a hand and got to her feet, pacing back and forth. "You stayed at WICKED gathering information. You were a spy for Vince, weren't you?"

Jorge grinned deviously at her.

"Of shucken course you are." She rolled her eyes and threw her hands into the air. "So...why are you here now?" She stopped and crossed her arms.

"Well, Bee and myself volunteered. If we can, without WICKED catching on, we want to get you to Vince and the Right Arm. From there, we'll really get you to a real Safehaven."

"Them. Not me."

Jorge's eyes filled with such sadness.

"Please don't look at me like that." Evelyn sighed wearily. "It's hard enough. I don't know how long I have. A doctor at WICKED gave me some kind of suppressive drug-"

"Did the doctor's name happen to be-"

"Mary?"

Jorge noded again with a small smile.

"Of shucken course. She's also with you and this mysterious Right Arm."

Jorge chucked as Evelyn threw her hands in the air exhaspirated. She sat down with a mother sigh. Her sore exhausted body deflated.

"I don't have any idea how long it'll last, though. Doesn't seem like long, it's getting worse. And when I get upset the icy death power is hard to control. Newt's the only one to be able to really help. But I'm scared to hurt him." She looked up at Jorge, a fire and fierceness in her eyes, "But I'll fight for them. I'd do anything to see what's left of my family safe. No matter the cost."

Jorge nodded. "okay Ma Hija. We'll get them there. But you gotta play along."

Evelyn smirked, "your not really a crazy crank."

He winked. Evelyn rolled her eyes.

"Now Ma Hija, you need to know, The Flare works in stages. Every person in this city has it. You are only a crank by name. Those veins, are the beginning stages. But with the amount of trauma you've seen and been through it'll work a lot faster, picking apart your brain. The more trauma to the brain the faster it works. If it wasn't for that drug from Mary, you'd be a lot worse. "

She nodded, she kind knew this already, from the lady in the helicopter, Captain Jaz had explained a lot to them.

"Hey, do you know a lady by the name of Captain...Jaz?"

Jorge grinned at her again.

"Shucken hell! How many are you?"

"The four of us. Jaz, Mary, myself and Bee. Jaz is right now trying to locate the other group. Last I heard from her, she was in the tunnels in the Underneath."

"That doesn't sound pleasant."

"It's not. But the tunnels lead all over the city. They pretty much follow the roads. But past Gonners like to live there."

He paused and took a few crackers, and pointed it at her.

"Now I'm assuming Janson told you, you all had the Flare."

Evelyn nodded.

"Bullshit. Only a few of you were not immune-"

"Janson said me and two others were the only three non immunes left. Winston..." Her voice caught and she had to swallow hard. "They ripped him up so bad he turned within a day."

Jorge reached across the table and placed a hand over hers. The look of sorrow in his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Evelyn used the heels of her hands to wipe her cheeks.

"Yeah. Well...it is what it is."

"So there is really only one now. I unfortunately don't know who. So we assume they are all not immune... well except that Thomas and Teresa. I know they're immune."

Evelyn nodded.

"Alright Ma Querida. We've been here long enough. I gotta get my act back on. Remember. You gotta play along. I know that was a lot of information I dumped on you. But...your the only one I would trust right now with this. Understood?"

Evelyn nodded. Jorge sighed and ran a hand down his face.

"Finish that water we gotta go, Barkley will be getting antsy. We gotta get away from him and the rest and make our way to Marcus. He has some information and supplies we need to get you kids to the Right Arm."

Evelyn chugged the last of the water, and shoved the bottle into her bag. Jorge got up and went to the door. With a nod, he opened the door and Evelyn went back down the hall.

Emerging into the big open room, Evelyn had to blink a few times, it was bright after the dark hall. She saw the Gladers were sitting back against the walls, the Cranks all standing at attention, nasty weapons in hand.

"All right, everybody listen!" Jorge announced when they reentered the large torn-up room.

Every head looked up. Newt scrambled to his feet and tried shoving through the cranks. They shoved him back against the wall.

"First, we need to get these people food." Jorge called. The Cranks holding Newt let go and spun towards their leader. While their backs were turned and busy, Newt shoved through, and pulled her away from Jorge and I to a tight hug.

"I'm alright Newt. I'm okay." She whispered into his shoulder. She could feel him shaking like he was cold.

"What?" A crank yelled, "share our food?"
Jorge's face twisted so fast, his eyes flashed and then he smiled.

"I know it seems crazy to share our hard-earned grub with a bunch of strangers, but I think we could use their help. Give 'em the pork and beans―I'm sick of that horse crap anyway."

One of the Cranks snickered, a skinny runt of a kid whose eyes darted back and forth.

"Second, being the grand gentleman and saint that I am, I've decided not to kill the punk who attacked me." He was eyeing up Minho on the ground.

Evelyn's eyes flicked back and forth between Minho and Jorge. Honestly, if she hadn't seen him drop the crank act she would have absolutely believed he was a crank.

Evelyn heard a few disappointed groans break out and wondered just how far along some of these people were with the Flare. But one girl, a pretty, young woman or older teenager with long hair that was surprisingly clean, rolled her eyes and shook her head as if she thought the noise was idiotic.

This must be Bee.

Jorge pointed at Minho, who, not shockingly to Evelyn at all, smiled and waved at the crowd. Teresa smacked his arm and yanked it back down with a sharp shake if her head.

"Pretty happy, are you?" Jorge grunted. "That's good to know. Means you'll take the news well."

"What news?" Minho asked sharply.

The Crank leader spoke matter-of-factly. "After we get you stragglers fed so you don't go dying of starvation on us, you get to have your punishment for attacking me."

"Oh yeah?" If Minho was scared, he didn't show any sign of it. "And what's that gonna be?"

Jorge just stared back at Minho, a blank expression spread eerily across his face. "You punched me with both of your fists. So we're gonna cut a finger off each hand."

Evelyn tensed. She knew Jorge was acting, he had to keep the act up. But he was so believable even Evelyn forgot for a split second. Newt snapped his head up and Thomas took a deep inhale, like he was going to say something. Minho had gotten to his feet and would've charged if the pretty girl hadn't stepped right up to him and placed her blade under his chin. Teresa froze, her eyes narrowed, hands in fists and jaw clenched. The sharp blade drew a drop of blood, bright red in the daylight pouring through the busted doors. Minho couldn't even talk without risking serious bodily harm.

"Here's the plan," Jorge said calmly. "Brenda and I will escort these moochers to the stash, let 'em eat up. Then we'll all meet on the Tower, let's say one hour from now." He looked at his watch. "Make that noon on the dot. We'll bring up lunch for the rest of you."

"Why just you and Brenda?" someone asked. Evelyn didn't see who at first, then realized a man had said it, probably the oldest person in the room. "What if they jump you? There's thirteen of them to two of you."

Jorge squinted, a scoffing look. "Thanks for the math lesson, Barkley. Next time I forget how many toes I have, I'll be sure and spend some counting time with you. For now, shut your flappin' lips and lead everybody to the Tower. If these punks try anything, Brenda will slash Mr. Minho to tiny bits while I beat the living hell out of the rest of 'em. They can barely stand they're so weak. Now get!"

The man named Barkley was old but looked tough, black veined muscles stretching the sleeves of his shirt. He held a nasty dagger in one hand and a big hammer in the other.

"Fine," he said after a long stare down with his leader. "But if they do jump you and slit your throat, we'll get along just fine without ya."

"Thanks for the kind words, hermano. Now get, or we'll have double the fun on the Tower." Jorge's face twisted in a wild manic glee.

Barkley laughed as if to salvage some dignity, then started off down the same hallway Thomas and Jorge had used. He waved his arm in a "follow me" gesture and soon every last Crank was shuffling after him except Jorge and the girl with the long brown hair. She still had her knife at Minho's neck.

Once the main group of Flare-infected people left the room, Jorge shared an almost relieved look with Evelyn; then he subtly shook his head, as if the others might still be able to hear them.

Brenda had stepped away from Minho now and wiped the blade on her dirty pants.

"I really would've killed you, ya know," she said in a slightly scratchy voice. Almost husky. "Charge Jorge again and I'll sever an artery."

Minho wiped at his small wound with a thumb, then looked at the bright red smear. "That's one sharp knife. Next time you hold a knife to my throat, I take no responsibility for what my very protective, savage girlfriend will do to you."

Teresa had stepped up beside him holding Evelyn's hatchet. Her electric blue eyes flashing dangerously, the look of pure rage on her normally delicate face made Evelyn glad Tessa was on their side. She was gripping the handle so hard her knuckles were white.

"All right my crazy little hermanos and hermanas. We need to get over to the stash and put some food in you people. You all look like a bunch of starved zombies."

Minho didn't seem to like the idea. "You think I'm just gonna waltz over to have a sit-down with you psychos, then let you cut my freaking fingers off?"

"Just shut up for once," Evenly snapped, trying to communicate something different with her eyes. "Let's go eat. I don't care what happens to your beautiful hands after that."

Newt gasped and looked at her like she had gone mad. But Minho squinted in confusion for a second and then narrowed his eyes at Evelyn, seemingly having picked up that something was off, and Evelyn wouldn't be so uncaring about this situation.

"Whatever. Let's go." Minho grumbled.

"All right." Jorge was already motioning everyone toward the broken doors that led outside. "Brenda, we have a lot to talk about once we get to the stash. Come on, let's go."