The Reason

The Right Arm

After they drove for what felt like half an hour, she felt the terrain change and their speed reduce. When they lurched to a stop, Jorge attacked. The van shook as he struck out at the nearest captor.

"Where is she!?" he yelled over and over.

Fry put his arm protectively across Nikola keeping themselves pressed to the side of the van so as not to catch one of Jorge's flying limbs. He threw one man against the doors and they burst open, the man tumbling out to the ground where Jorge continued his assault.

After he was out of the car, the other man pulled Fry and Nikola out as well, aiming their guns at them as they were shoved against the side of the vehicle. Nikola held her hands up cooperatively but occasionally swatted theirs away if they lingered too long on her.

"I'm cooperating!" She yelled at one of them. "Keep your hands off of me!"

Brenda calmed Jorge down and Newt looked over to check on Nikola, getting a nod from her that she was alright as the ruckus died down around them just a bit.

"Everybody calm down," a muffled voice was saying. "We're all on the same side here."

"What do you mean, 'same side'? Who the hell are you?" Thomas demanded, taking a step toward the man who had spoken, the same one who had stared at them from atop the car when they first drove by.

There was a pause as the man stared at Thomas through the tinted visor of his mask. For some reason, Nikola's shoulder ached as she looked at him. He turned his head away from her and reached for his mask, slipping it off over his head.

"Hey Greenie," his voice was no longer distorted and she recognized it immediately.

Fry grabbed her as her knees buckled and almost gave out completely from the shock of it. It couldn't be possible. She'd finally lost it. She almost turned to Fry, ready to tell him she must be cranking out because she was seeing dead people now, completely disregarding the fact she was immune. But she couldn't tear her eyes away from Gally just a few yards away from her now.

"What the shuck?" Fry said under his breath, confirming that he was seeing it too.

There was a long pause, sounds going in and out of focus in her ears as she tried to make sense of it. And then Thomas punched him. She gasped as she watched Gally hit the ground, men around him raising their guns at Thomas who now stood over him.

"Stop, it's alright," Gally waved them away, confusing Nikola even more as she stayed pressed against the van even as Fry rushed over to his friends.

Gally just lay there as Thomas gripped the front of his vest, his arms staying by his sides even as Thomas pulled back his fist for another punch. Nikola wanted to run over and grab his arm to stop him, but once again when it came to Gally she was frozen. Luckily, Newt stepped up to the plate.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he cried as he grabbed Thomas fist and told him to stop.

Gally still lay there, his jaw clenched, waiting for the blow or harsh words, whatever it was he deserved it. This was not the Gally Nikola knew. She watched, her head cocking to the side as if she were seeing some illusion. Surely that wasn't Gally, he just looked like him, the same way the kid from the train had looked like Chuck.

"He killed Chuck," Thomas said in a voice shaking with anger, proving her wrong.

She slid down the side of the van till she sat against the tire, her breath feeling more and more labored. Brenda noticed her and went to her side, cautious of the men with guns still standing by her.

"Hey, are you ok?" Brenda asked her.

Nikola just shook her head, feeling like the scar on her shoulder had been ripped open again as memories flooded back into her mind.