The Restored Girl

Chapter 17: Past The Borders

RHEA'S POV
Jorge lands the berg right outside Denver's borders. If we went into Denver in our Berg, WICKED would instantly be alerted that a berg had entered the city.

When we land, we all get out, save for Brenda and Jorge. Before I leave, I meet Jorge's eyes. He gives me a nod, and Brenda flashes me a thumbs up. They know their roles. And I trust them, too.

There's cars waiting for us there. Jorge has hidden the berg in an abandoned warehouse, away from other people and WICKED Guards.

Vince stands in front of the two trucks, grinning. "Rhea Anderson. Never thought I'd see you again."

I roll my eyes. "Good to see you, too, Vince. You did what I asked?"

Vince nods, smirking. "It's all set. Come on. Let's get you guys to WICKED."

"I call shotgun," Newt says, coming to stand next to me.

"Me too!" Trevor yells, grinning.

"Juniors, go in a van. The rest of us will take the other one," I say, and they nod.

We all pile into the vans. Vince drives our van, and another member of the Right Arm is with my cousins.

I sit in between Quill and Sonya, Minho and Thomas behind us with Harriet. Newt takes shotgun, and Vince starts off, towards the Denver borders.

"So what grand plan do y'all have exactly? Rhea was being vague as usual," Vince asks, as we get nearer to the Guards at the borders of the city.

"Bomb up WICKED, once and for all," Minho says from the back, smirking over at me.

Vince laughs, but when he sees the serious looks on all of our faces, he lets out a whistle. "Damn, talk about a plan."

The truck slows as we approach the Guards by the border. Vince rolls down his window and says, "Coming in from Colorado," he says, and I wonder where the hell that is.

I've never really paid attention in our Geography lessons.

"I'm gonna need to see your friends," The brunette guard tells us.

I signal for Vince to roll down my window. He does so, and I look over Quill and at the guard. "Is there a problem?" I ask.

The guard stares at me for a second before shaking his head, quickly saying, "Uh, no- ma'am. Go on."

I shoot him what I hope is a dazzling smile. They don't recognise me as Ava's kid, or even Anderson's kid. But one thing that hasn't changed about foolish men is that they can never say no to a pretty face. And I know that I'm more than just a pretty face. And with Harriet, Quill and Sonya in the car with me, it's no wonder why the guard looks so flustered.

"Great," I say, and point my thumb backwards. "The truck behind us are the rest of my friends. Just let them right in, will you?"

The guard nods, and I give him another fake smile before Vince rolls up the two windows, chuckling.

"Careful, Rhea," he says, "Newt over here is going to get jealous."

Newt scoffs. "Of him? No way."

"Aw, Newtie's jealous," Minho sings.

I roll my eyes, but a small smile plays on my face at Newt's annoyed face.

Sonya laughs. "Jealousy does not look good on you, brother."

Newt turns around. "Really, Liz? Even you?"

Sonya grins, leaning over and kissing Newt's cheek. "I'm just joking, Newt."

Harriet hums. "Well, that guard was cute."

Quill nods thoughtfully. "If things were different, I'd definitely take an interest."

Newt's annoyance seems to only grow, and I laugh, deciding to say something.

"I don't know," I say, shaking my head, "I prefer blondes."

Newt grins at me, and Minho makes a very exaggerated gasp.

"Ouch," he says, placing a hand to his heart.

Thomas lets out a groan. "Really, Rhea?"

The girls burst out laughing, and I see Vince roll his eyes as he looks back at us from the rear-view mirror.

"WICKED coming up," he says, which instantly makes all of us turn sombre again.

Indeed, I see the looming tower of WICKED up ahead. I remember shooting my mother there. I remember being tested and tortured there. I turn to make sure Minho's okay, and see him clenching his jaw. He gives me a nod, though, telling me that he's fine.

Torture never really ever goes away. It's always there to haunt us. In our nightmares, whenever we see something that reminds us of it, and sometimes just utterly randomly. I doubt that I'm going to forget the pain that WICKED had induced on me any time soon. I'm suddenly glad that Amy isn't in our car.

The sight of WICKED seems to have sapped the joking and playful moods out of all of us. The rest of the ride is silent.

Now it's time for the hijacking. I glance out the window and spot the WICKED vehicles belonging to some unsuspecting WICKED Guards.

Vince parks our van at what is secretly a Right Arm base. It's an apartment, and Vince told us that the Right Arm camp out there, and that it is one of the few places that they can use to keep track of WICKED from within what used to be the Last Safe City.

We hop out of the van. The second van isn't here any longer. They'll be at the other side of WICKED, sneaking in through there.

"Come on," Vince says, heading into the building. "It's a bit messy, but it'll do. We already got WICKED uniforms for you guys, but we couldn't get their trucks."

I shake my head as Vince turns to us in the lobby of the building. We're surrounded by people from the Right Arm.

There's one that catches my eye, though. Someone who seems as if he's hiding. He's got arched eyebrows, hair practically shaved. A large build that makes it difficult for him to actually hide.

"These guys here will be helping in evac," Vince says.

Minho whistles. "Good to see your camp wasn't completely destroyed."

The person who I was watching steps forward. "We're here to help you."

I feel a collective shift in the atmosphere. From beside me, I see Minho stiffen, and Thomas looks both shocked and uncomprehending. Newt leans back in surprise.

"Gally?" Minho says, shock laced in his voice.