The Wild Ones

Untitled Part 2

      Andy leaned tensely against the solid stone wall outside the medical room. Fuck. he thought. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. This girl was a problem. He couldn't keep her against her will forever, even if it was for her own good. But if she were to ever leave and get caught she could get every member of the Legion killed. Dozens of lives and he was responsible for all of them. He tugged his hair with both hands, grateful for the cold semidarkness in the tunnel which lessened his headache somewhat. Five seconds. He would give himself five seconds to panic. One. He took a deep breath in through his nose, letting his nausea rise. Two. He let it out slowly through his mouth, and the nausea fell again in a controllable rhythm. Three: he reminded himself that he wasn't a kidnapper. He was keeping her here because he had to and the lock he'd put on the door after Layla had gone to bed was a necessary precaution. Ada might not be happy about it but she would be okay. He told himself that this was the best solution for everybody. It didn't really make him feel better.

     Squaring his shoulders he marched down the tunnel towards the strategy room, his guilt and frustration burrowing deeper into his gut with every step over the hard, rough ground. Everyone was waiting for him inside looking bloodied, filthy, and exhausted. Lonny had his forehead clasped in his hands and was staring forlornly at the scratched surface of the table they all sat around. Andy clapped him gently on the shoulder as he passed by to take his seat and cleared his throat.

     "Layla checked over Ada. Some broken ribs and maybe a concussion but otherwise nothing life-threatening. She's pretty out of it but she's agreed to stay at least for now. But," he pinched the bridge of his nose as his headache flared up, "we need to discuss what we're going to do if... if we have to force her to stay." No one looked very happy at the prospect. Jinxx's chair shrieked against the floor as he scooted forwards.

     "We need to ask the obvious question," he said sternly, folding his arms on the surface of the table, "What if we've just invited a spy into the catacombs? I don't like that she's here. We can't allow her access to sensitive information until we know if we can trust her."

     Andy fidgeted uncomfortably, surprised by Jinxx's anger. He didn't think Ada could be working for F.E.A.R. Not after he'd seen the terror on her face, how hard she'd fought to escape. No one could act that well, Could they?

     "C'mon Jinxx", said Jake rubbing his eye with a bruised hand. "If F.E.A.R. knew where we were they wouldn't send one girl. They would send an army. We'd be dead already."

     "It isn't impossible that they want to gauge our defense first," retorted Jinxx, "she's a risk and we can't afford that!"

     "So what are you suggesting we do?," Jake asked, nearly yelling, "We aren't murderers!"

     "No one is suggesting that! But there are a number of compounds that can make you lose time. I'll take her to my lab. I'll give her something that will make her forget all about us, and we can send her on her way. She won't be our problem anymore."

     "No!" snapped Andy. "No, we're not going to drug her and dump her back in the desert!" Jinxx's expression soured further and the two men glared at each other across the table. Jinxx was looking out for the Legion, Andy got that. But to suggest drugging an injured person and dumping them in the desert to be found by the shadows struck him as inhumane. She would die and there would be no difference than if they killed her themselves.

      CC cleared his throat after the angry silence stretched on too long. "Well, then we need to figure out what we're going to do with her. Jinxx is right, we don't know her," he glanced at the expression on Andy's face and quickly added, "...yet." There was another stony silence for a moment and Lonny, who had been quiet during the argument added,

     "I... I think we can trust her. I think she's telling the truth."

     "Of course you think we should trust her," Jinxx grumbled.

     "Hey!" Said CC, "Jinxx I get that you're pissed and worried, we all are, but don't be an ass to Lonny over it!" Lonny had shrunk a little in his seat, but he didn't take back what he said. Instead, he looked Jinxx, who looked a little abashed, and asked in his measured, almost shy voice,

     "Well, Andy's right. She'll be killed if we send her out again. So what do you think we should do?"

     "We at least need to keep her behind locked doors at all times," Jinxx responded grumpily, sitting straight-backed in his chair. Andy recoiled at the idea. He wasn't a kidnapper. He couldn't be. That was what F.E.A.R. did, not him.

     "How long do you expect me to keep an innocent girl locked up?" He asked Jinxx, "Until the war is over? That could be years!" Jinxx opened his mouth to speak again but Andy cut him off. "No! I know you just want to keep the legion safe but that's how F.E.A.R. works. It can't be how we work." Andy took a fortifying breath. "We'll keep her locked in the medical wing until she's recovered from her concussion and then I'll test her. I'll be able to see if she's working for the Mogul, okay?" he asked, looking at Jinxx.

     "Fine." Said Jinxx looking supremely unhappy about it. "We'll do it your way. But Andy, we have to be more careful with her. This isn't someone we pulled off a prison transfer bus or from a work camp raid. I saw her get hit pretty hard back there. Her head's scrambled. You might not be able to see her whole past. We'll have no real way of knowing where she came from or why, and until we do she can't be let in on any plans. She already knows too much."

     "I know, Jinxx. I'm not an idiot." He stretched back in his chair, suddenly becoming much more aware of the aches from the fight and the weary exhaustion pushing down heavily on his eyelids and his shoulders.

     Jinxx looked at him for another long moment and then sighed, defeated. "Are you sure about that?" he asked with an almost-smile. No, thought Andy but he chuckled, feeling some of the tension melt away.

     "Alright," he said clapping his hands together, "now that that's settled we need to find a way to get Jax to talk to us about... whatever he was going to tell us about before Jinxx shocked him and Ada broke his nose so..." Andy looked around. Now that the major conflict had passed he could see that everyone looked as spent as he was. They were all trying to pay attention but Lonny kept blinking slowly and as he surveyed the room CC yawned like a bear and wiped his watering eyes with his thumbs. "Okay, you know what? We can do this in the morning. Goodnight you guys."