' WIRES. '
CHAPTER 007.
HEY GREENIE.

THE VAN ARRIVED almost an hour later, drawing Neve's attention away from her conversation with Declan.

"Get out!" A man yelled, opening the back of one of the vans to reveal a girl and a boy, both looking to be the same age as Neve. The boy had dark hair and dirty fair skin. The girl had brown hair, cut just above her shoulders, and round brown eyes. Neve stood up then, wanting to get a closer look. The two people said nothing, only looking at each other before stepping out of the vehicle. The gang's members were forming a circle around them, keeping them closed in.

Another van pulled in, screeching to a stop beside the other. It was shaking from side to side and yells could be heard through the metal of the vehicle walls. Just then, the back door burst open and a man in a mask fell hard on the ground. A middle aged Hispanic man jumped out, pinning him to the ground and raising his fist.

"Where is she you son of a bitch?" he shouted, punching the masked man in the jaw.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" The girl from earlier rushed forward as did the boy. The both put their hands out, trying to stop him from getting another blow in but he seemed to be too angry to care.

"I'm right here! I'm right here!" the girl repeated, grabbing his shoulder. Several masked men pushed the people who seemed to have been kidnapped against the vehicle walls, raising their guns. After one more punch the man who had been pummelling the masked man looked up, relief taking over his features as he saw the girl.

"Everybody relax. We're all on the same side here." Neve didn't need to see his face to know that it was Gally speaking. Gally stepped to the front of the group as the rest of the people turned to look at him.

The dark haired boy pushed a masked person off of him, stepping forward. "What do you mean same side? Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

Gally paused, face tilted in the direction of the boy. The people who had come out of the vans were eyeing him skeptically, an edge of fear on each of their expressions. Then Gally brought his hand to the base of his mask, pulling it slowly up his face. Neve stood still, watching carefully as he turned to face the group.

"Hey, Greenie," Gally said. A look of recognition dawned on the dark haired boy's face. It wasn't only recognition though; it was also a second of shock, a flicker of confusion, both of which were quickly replaced by searing resentment.

"Gally?" the boy breathed.

"No way," a stocky boy with dark skin, short hair, and a gentle face commented from behind. Neve noticed Gally take in a sharp breath, not wavering his gaze from the people in front of him.

In a quick movement the dark haired boy lunged forwards, punching Gally hard in the jaw. The impact caused Gally to fall backwards. The boy jumped on top of Gally, holding him down, raising his fist to get in another blow. His nostrils flared slightly and his eyes were burning.

Several guns cocked immediately and were pointed directly at the boy.

"Stop! It's all right!" Gally called, doing nothing as the boy pushed him into the cold ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A tall, blond boy ran forwards, putting his hands up and grabbing the dark haired boy's fist. "Stop! Stop it!" he said, positioning his body right beside the boy's. "Stop."

"He killed Chuck," Neve heard the dark boy mutter. Chuck.

"Yeah, I know," the blond boy nodded, staring intently at the boy's eyes. "I remember. I was there too, all right? But I also remember that he was stung and half out of his mind."

Both Gally and the boy were breathing heavily, looking each other straight in the eyes. The blond boy looked up at the circle of gun barrels surrounding them. "Just calm down. All right?" he said, lowering his face. The dark haired boy's fist was shaking, the only thing stopping it from colliding with Gally's face once more being the hand and gentle voice of the blond boy.

The boy then pushed off, stepping backwards. Gally stood up slowly, his hand moving up to lightly press his bruising jaw.

"Kind of had that coming," Gally allowed. He looked back at the group, raising a hand. "Anybody else? Fry? Newt?"

"Do you know this guy?" the middle aged man asked the stocky boy with the kind face.

"He was an old friend," the boy replied.

"How?" the blond boy spoke up, brow knit in confusion. "How is this possible? We watched you die."

"No, you left me to die," Gally corrected, "And if we hadn't found you when we did, you'd be dead right now."

Neve looked to the side to see that nearly everyone in the building had been drawn to the main area by the commotion. Neve sighed, tilting her head back to the group of people. What the hell was happening? A thousand questions and a thousand possible answers circled through her head. She wanted to step forward and ask them all.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Gally asked.

"Minho," the blond boy stated between breaths. "WCKD has him here. We're looking for a way in."

They stood silently for another moment, Gally nodding his head slightly. "I can help with that," he finally said. "Follow me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," the dark haired boy said, standing entirely still. Nobody else moved.

"Suit yourself," Gally shrugged, "But I can get you through those walls."

Everyone seemed to look to the dark haired boy, awaiting his decision. The crowd slowly dispersed now that the majority of the guns had been put away. People returned to what they were doing, only a few still watching the group, Neve among that few.

The dark haired boy looked to the tall blonde one before nodding, silently agreeing to take Gally up on his offer.

"All right, let's go," Gally nodded. He turned on his heel once again, heading towards the very corridor he once took Neve. Neve felt her heartbeat raise slightly once she realized that she was standing in the way. She made eye contact with Gally briefly before he looked away, looking at his black leather boots as they hit the grey floor.

The group of people followed Gally down the hallway. Neve listened as Gally told them what this place was, but slowly the voices became too quiet to hear amongst the noise coming from the main area.

It seemed like everywhere she turned, more questions arose. Neve tried to remember everything she'd just heard. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to piece it all together.

Greenie. Chuck. Stung. Minho. All these words that meant nothing to Neve seemed to have caused some important, emotional reaction in the group. Well, not everyone. Just some. Neve tried to remember who.

We watched you die. Neve remembered the words of the blond boy.

No, you left me to die. Neve looked down the hallway. She listened as their voices bounced off the corridor walls. She knew she shouldn't follow them, but against her better judgement, she did. Sh waited for their bodies to disappear from view before she headed down the corridor. Careful not to be seen, Neve pressed her back against the wall next to them.

"He doesn't get a lot of visitors. So, let me do the talking. And try not to stare," Gally told the group, echoing the same thing he had told Neve.

Neve crept past the opening in the door as the group made their way into the room where Lawrence stood. The eery, rose-filled room. It smelled like sickness. The air was thick, so thick that Neve could feel it on her skin.

"Gally," Lawrence began. Neve poked her head around the corner, watching. The whole group was now standing in front of Lawrence. "Glad to see you made it back. Jasper told me what happened."

What happened?

"It was a slaughter," Gally stated. His hands were wrapped around his black vest and his stance was strong, unyielding. "There's nothing we can do against those guns."

WCKD's guns, Neve thought. She thought back to their drive past the walls, to the heavy turrets that sat atop the masses of stone.

"No . . ." Lawrence replied, "But they can only poke the hornet's nest so long . . ." He brought a rose up to his face, leaning down slightly to smell it. "Until they get stung."

"Now who are these people?" Lawrence asked. His face was still in the shadows, obscured from Neve's view. "Why are they here?"

"We need to get into WCKD," the dark haired boy stepped forward, causing Gally to look to the side. He completely disregarded Gally's advice from earlier of keeping quiet. "Gally said you can get us through those walls."

Lawrence paused and looked at Gally. His face was dark. "Gally should know better than to make promises that he can't keep." Gally sighed. "Besides . . ." Lawrence continued, moving his metal stand to the side as he took a step towards the group. "That wall is only half your problem. Getting inside WCKD is impossible."

"There might be a way now," Gally cut in. "But it doesn't work without Thomas."

Thomas. The boy with the dark hair. The leader. The one who punched Gally. The one who felt the need to speak even when told not to. Neve could already tell that he was the one to watch.

"Is that so?" Lawrence said lowly. "Do you know what I am, Thomas?" Lawrence stepped into the light, revealing the purple holes and protruding veins that snaked across his cheeks. "I am a businessman," he hissed. His face was mere inches from Thomas'. "Which means, that I don't take unnecessary risks. Why should I trust you?"

Thomas was unafraid. Neve could see it in the way he stood.

"'Cause I can help you. You see, if you can get me through those walls, I can get you what you need."

"What is it that you think I need?" Lawrence drawled.

"Time. Every last drop."

"Is that what I need?"

"WCKD has something we both want," Thomas said. His head was pointed towards the blue liquid that was being pumped into Lawrence's arm. Lawrence followed his line of sight, considering.

"I'll tell you what, two can go for now. The rest stay down here with me. Just a little insurance to make sure you find your way back." Lawrence paused before speaking again. "We have a deal?" He held out his veiny hand. With a few tentative looks between Thomas and his friends, their hands met in agreement.

"Gally, show him the way."

skye speaks.
ABOUT DAMN TIME I'M SO SORRY. Throwback to when I said I was gonna have a posting schedule lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm so sorry for the wait. This chapter was a lot of observing, but the action comes next. I love you all so much, mwah!