I sat slumped at the picnic table. Coffee clutched tight in my hands. Minho Winston and Newt had sat with me for a long time, not really saying much. I had finally gotten up and curled up in Minho's lap, where he held me and rubbed my back for a bit. Eventually we had to get up and came for some breakfast.

Teresa was sitting at the table, talking to Newt and Jeff. She was going to start her job trials today, starting with MedJacks. Jeff seemed happy enough to have another set of hands to help and Teresa seemed eager. Jason had come over and plunked down at the table, waiting for me and Minho. Winston had agreed to go with Minho to check the Griever in 7, same with Frypan and Zart surprisingly.

Minho's hand slid onto my leg, squeezing my thigh gently. I sat silent, hiding behind my walls and angry face. Minho leaned over, "you gonna be alright?"

"Always am." I said curtly.

"I know you are."

"What can I say?" I shrugg, "I'm a natural badass."

Minho snorted, and rolled his eyes. While he did, his hand slid a little more up my thigh, making my stomach flip and my back straightened, I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Jess? You okay Love?" Newt asked, looking over.

"Just fucken dandy." I snapped and rolled my eyes. But my heart was slamming into my chest. I saw Minho glance at me out of the side of his eye sliding his hand even higher. I let a small growl out. If he didn't cut it out we were going to have a big problem. I looked over at him, and raised my eyebrows.

"Don't start something you can't finish, big guy. You know I'll win."

"Win what?" Winston asked.

"Yeah Jess, win what?" Minho asked smirking. He had turned to face me, but was slightly leaning on the table. His hand had run all the way up my thigh now, and now his thumb and fingers drawing circles. I could feel the heat in my chest.

"Minho is picking a fight he's going to lose."

"I don't think so baby cakes." He smirked.

"Absolutely. Remember last time? You definitely had a problem."

He smirked even more. "Worth it."

"Do I even wanna know?" Winston muttered with a roll of his eyes. He turned back to his breakfast.

I leaned forward into his personal space, sliding my own hand onto his leg, so dangerously high I felt him shiver. I leaned closer and whispered seductively in his ear. My lips tickled his ear.

"Careful big boy. I know how to bring you to your knees. I know how to use you and break you. I know how to make you beg and moan."

I heard him growl. I squeezed the inside of his leg and got up, standing right beside him, I pulled out a small knife. I ran it slowly up his throat and forced his head up to look up at me, his eyes dark and flashing with amusement and desire.

"I'm already winning." I held the knife point under his chin.

"Shuck you Jess." He growled quietly.

"Sure. But later." I whispered back.

I spun the knife away and back into my holster and walked away, a swing in my hips.

"Come on Jason. We got work to do!" I called. "Later Minho."

A few seconds later Jason came trotting up behind me. He fell into step beside me. He held the straps of his running bag, and cleared his throat.

"Yes?" I snapped

"Nothing." He shrugged. He was quiet, and followed me. "You just seem... different from when you got here."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well for one you and Minho did not like each other."

I shrugged, "we can now...tolerate each other."

"Pretty sure it's more than that."

"Probably."

He rolled his eyes, "whatever." He looked around, "where are we going?"

"Let Thomas out."

"You don't have a key!" He pointed out.

"Pfft. Please I don't need one."

I stepped up to the Slammer door.

"Big day Tommy. Ready to get out? Or should I leave you here?"

"Come on, Jess! Get me outta here!"

I shrugged with a smirk. I slid the long thin metal toothpick out of my wrist guard and picked the lock.

"Well that was impressive." Jason marvelled.

"Thank you Jason." I said smartly, and I slid the tool back into place. I hadn't even open the door all the way and Thomas was pushing his way out.

"Alright...just thomased that door."

He froze and looked at her with a frown, "did...you just used my name as a verb!" He pouted.

"Ya...and?" I grinned evilly and raised an eyebrow. He threw his hands into the air.

"Go find Minho. He's waiting for you at the dinning area. Later Thomas. Jason and I are on our way out! Later."

I waved at him and sauntered away. Jason followed shaking his head.

"You just like to mess with everyone don't you? Minho, Newt...Gally...anyone, just causing trouble."

"Trouble is my middle name. Of course I like to mess with everyone. Next stop, Map room for weapons."

Jason rolled his eyes but kept quiet and followed me. I pulled the map room open and entered. I went straight to the shelf and grabbed my bow and arrows and strapped the long knife to my leg. Jason grabbed a few long knives and slid them onto his back.

"Ready?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Let's go dissect a Griever." I grinned at him with such an evil smile he took a small step back. I pulled the map room door and came face to face with Newt and Minho. Both of them had serious faces and arms crossed glaring at me.

"Yes?"

"Seriously? Jess! You can't just let people out of the slammer whenever you want! Know how bloody angry Gally was?" Newt asked.

"And I care why?"

"Please don't make this any more difficult then it needs to be!"

"I did not thomas this situation."

"Can you please stop using my name to describe things!" Thomas groaned from the back.

"Come on Newt, Gally is gonna be mad at anything and everything. Not my fault."

"Jessie!" Newt started, but I turned to Minho.

"Dealt with your problem I see." I smirked and raised an eyebrow.

His cheeks turned a bit pink but he narrowed his eyes. And I grinned at him with a cheeky smile.

"Anyways. Please step out of the way, I have things to do and places to go."

I placed a hand on his chest and pushed him out of my way.

"See ya at supper." I waved a hand. "Come on Jason."

We slowly jogged to the big doors in the wall and out into the maze. I kept my jaw clamped shut, and my eyes straight. I had spent a few nights in the maze, but this last one was the hardest. Emotionally and physically the hardest, was it because I had attached myself to someone and actually had...friends? My mind was spinning the whole time. I jumped when I felt an elbow in my side.

"Huh? What?" I snapped.

"I said we're almost there. You seemed kinda zoned out."

"Oh. Thank you Jason." I said crisply.

We slowed down and took the next turn cautiously. I wasn't sure what to expect now that we actually had a few actual dead Grievers. I pulled my bow off and had an arrow ready just in case. The last Griever wasn't actually dead.

But this one had oil all over the ground. And it looked deflated, like the jelly had oozed out. We slowly and cautiously crept closer. Jason had pulled one of his long knives out. My leg was sore, but it was holding up quite well, considering all the fighting I had done yesterday. We crept a bit closer. My foot slipped in the oil, Jason grabbed my elbow before I hit the floor. I straightened up with a sniff.

"Thank you Jason."

He nodded and then looked back at the Griever. He nudged one of the legs with a foot. 

"Well. It's definitely dead." Jason said.

"Seems that way." I nodded, I slowly crouched down to look at it. I could see the greenish brown blubbery jelly body and the machine parts inside. Nothing moved and everything was silent. Jason kept a slight distance.

I slowly shifted to the head, looking at it. I saw my arrow sticking out of its open and unhinged mouth. I slipped my bow back onto my shoulder and took out a knife.

"Uhhh, what the shuck are you doing?"

"Dissecting a Griever, Jason." I rolled my eyes.

I sliced the goopy skin like layer away from its head, pulling it back I now had a clear view of the machine parts. Jason finally came over and crouched down.

"Weird."

"Indeed."

There was geers and wires, but what also looked like a squishy animal like brain.

"So...are the machine parts connected to the biological parts?"

"Let's find out."

I reached in and took one of the wires and tugged it. It was was definitely attached to something. I had to jam my knife inside and pry it. The wire ran through some other metal parts but it eventually came back and was buried inside the weird brain.

"Definitely attached." I nodded.

Jason helped cut the wires and we pulled the brain out.

"This is disgusting." He grumbled.

"You're welcome to go back." I said still looking at the brain.

"And have Minho kill me for ditching you? No thanks."

"That's sweet Jason." I rolled my eyes.

I put the slimy brain down. I saw my arrow head jammed into the gears and parts in the head.

"That's one way to kill it..." I muttered.

"So...if it has a weird brain like thing...think it has a heart?"

I glanced at him.

"Let's find out!"

I got up and made my way over to the side of it. Tilting my head this way and that. Jason stood beside me for a second.

"There's definitely something in there." He said pointing. I could see something glowing inside, under the gears and goop

"Indeed." I said dryly.

I crouched back down and tried to slide my hand into the already wide open gash I had made when I slid down the wall the other night.

"Whoa! What are you doing?"

I had to get onto my knees to reach into the Griever. My face was inches from the Grievers razor sharp teeth. The hinged open mouth with my arrow sticking out. I was also uncomfortably close to one of its long sharp deadly legs. The things eyes were like burnt out lightbulbs. I scrunched my face up and turned away and shoved my hand further in, breaking through more jelly like skin. 

The feeling was awful, breaking the blooby skin, it was cool to the touch and slimy. I dry heaved, blood and guts don't bother me, but whatever this goop was, it was disgusting and smelt awful.

"Please be careful, I'd rather not have to take you back in chopped up pieces, and try explain what happened."

I rolled my eyes. I pushed my arm further in, I was now elbow deep inside the Grievers guts. My fingers brushed something solid. My eyes snapped open, and then furrowed my eyebrows. I reached my fingers further, trying to touch the thing, or grab onto it. I felt a thin cord of some kind; a wire perhaps. I looped a finger and tried pulling it.

"Jessie!" Jason screamed. He grabbed my backpack and yanked me backwards. We both landed on our backs.

The Griever's leg had moved in a wild flail. The razor sharp teeth slammed shut with a weird scream grinding noise, like a dying engine. the teeth snapped my arrow.

"Thank you Jason."

"I thought you said it was dead?!" He yelped. 

"It was a reflex." I said, pushing myself up onto my elbows.

"You hope." Jason groaned, sitting up himself.

"I pulled on a wire!" I said, getting back up, "well pulled out it's fucken brain Jason." I rolled my eyes, "but then I live with 50 male mammals without brains...so proof that it's possible to live without one."

"Wow."

"Eh?" I shrugged, "tell me I'm wrong."

He shook his head and looked back at the thing on the ground. He frowned. He pulled his knife back out and went to the back of it, he slammed it down into its side and sliced it open. All kinds of guts machine parts and slim spilt out. It smelled like motor oil, burnt rubber, burnt hair and sterilizer, making my stomach twist. But something caught my eye.

"Huh.." I picked up some kind of organ. Squatting amongst the goop and organs and motor oil, I turned over the weird greyish organ.

"What the shuck is that?"

"Interesting."

Sticking out of the organ was some kind of metal cylinder. I grabbed hold and pulled it, with another gross wet ripping noise it pulled free. Wires were dangling from the end, and tendons and what looked like veins and muscle threads were dangling from the biological organ. It really was a Biomechanical monster. 

I turned it over inspecting it. Jason walked up beside me peeking over my shoulder.

"That's still weird. And so gross!"

There was a green light flashing. I handed it to Jason, and he turned it over in his hands. The green light was flashing.

I snatched it back.

"Hey! Jess, what the sh-"

"Shush! Look!"

I flipped the cylinder over a flashing number seven. Frowning, I turned it some more. I used the hem of my already gross shirt to wipe some slim off. I gasped. Jason leaned closer. 

"Look! Here." I said, using my thumb to show them. Carved into the metal cylinder right under the flashing number were letters all in capital letters, with dotes in between. 

W.I.C.K.E.D 

He looked up at me with confusion. I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously? These letters? Where else have you seen them?"

He looked at me blankly.

"Are you fucken serious?! On all the supply boxes! Come on man! Put those few brain cells together and work with me!"

His face morphed into shock as he understood what I was getting at.

"Well that's crazy."

"Indeed." I said dryly.

Jason was glancing around.

"We should probably get back. I don't really want to meet this guys friend." He shivered.

"Yeah yeah...in a minute."

I pulled my backpack off and slipped the cylinder inside and pulled out a box of matches.

"What the actual shuck are you doing?!"

"Getting rid of the crime scene." I smiled.

"Your seriously physcotic!"

"And your point? Now back up."

He did as I said and retreated down the hall. I followed to the end of where the motor oil had pooled. I struck the match and threw the lit match into the oil. If ignited immidiatly. Flames lept high into the air. The smoke started to billow and a huge cloud formed. I backed up a bit more the closer the flames went to the body.

And as expected when the fire spread onto the body, it exploded. The noise was so loud, echoing and bouncing off the walls. Parts went in every direction. Fire burnt and are away at the organic parts and melted the metal and wires. Jason came to stand beside me again. We stood silent as we watched the Griever burn.

"Okay...it's quite satisfying..." He said, the flames reflecting in his green eyes.

"It is, isn't it. They stalk us, and kill us...it's nice to see it's distraction."

He nodded in agreement.

"Welcome to the dark side Jason." I said with a smirk.

"Glad to be here." He folded his arms. "So we eating lunch and watching it burn? Or we heading back?"

"Well that sounds like fun."

Jason and I plunked down and ate our sandwichs as we watched the Griever continue to burn. Eventually the smoke cloud for to be too much and the smell was awful. Janson got up and held out a hand. He pulled me up.

"Thank you Jason."

He nodded and we slowly turned and left the smoking melted destroyed Griever behind.