A/N: PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME! I AM LATE, BUT I WAS VERY BUSY! I WILL NEVER ABANDON THIS STORY! I love this story and all you guys way too much.

Aidan: About damned time… again.

Lee: Exactly. You left us with that cliffie.

Me: Well, now I'm here.

Me: And.

Me: 98 REVIEWS! WE'RE ALMOST TO A HUNDRED! AND OVER 9000 VIEWS! YASSSS!

Aidan: YESSSS!

Lee: *throws a party*

Me: Yes yes, all that partying will happen. But first let's read, eh?

Lee: Duh.

Me: Right.

~.~.~.~.~.

Keith could literally hear the air escape his lungs. He stood rooted to the ground, unable to move. It felt as though someone had yanked the world out from beneath his feet. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the mark on Dusk's waist. It matched his perfectly. The five letters that branded him a freak. That branded them freaks.

"You…" Keith managed. Dusk gave him a small smile. It was devoid of any trace of humor. "Yeah. I know. I'm a Freak too." He shifted his shirt down, allowing Keith to finally move his eyes away from the brand. He met Dusk's eyes. "You… were tortured too…?"

Dusk sat down on a nearby rock, knitting his fingers together with his hands resting on his legs. His injured arm seemed to be bothering him a little less now. Keith could hear no sound other than his own ragged breathing. It seemed as though even the forest around them had dropped dead silent. Keith moved forward to where Dusk sat and waited for the boy to speak. He didn't, but he did manage a small nod in Keith's direction.

"How do I not remember you? Does this mean you have talents too? Were you kept in the same place I was?" Keith burst out with all the questions that had been swimming around his mind until now. He probably would have bluttered out any more, but Dusk cut him off with an easy-going laugh.

"Woah there… Calm down kid. Now, you want answers? Then let me do the talking, and you listen." The elder boy ordered. Keith obediently shut up. Dusk took a deep breath and began.

"Yes Keith, I was kept with you at the facility. Like you, I've had memories. I know what happened to me in there. What happened to us. But I wasn't the same as you two. I wasn't their mighty weapon. I was an experiment. They needed to confirm that the things they were doing to us wouldn't kill you two off. So they tried an experiment on me. Since they succeeded, they did the same on you two as well. But I was never their aim."

Keith gaped at the boy sitting in front of him. From what he'd heard from Newt when he'd first come here, Dusk had had to endure a difficult past. If on top of that he had been tortured the way Keith and Astrid had… Keith took a shaky breath. He was honestly surprised Dusk could still manage to stand on two legs.

"I remember what they did, Keith." Dusk added. His eyes were bleak. Keith could see the tears shining in them. "After you two came in, they used to torture me and make you guys watch. It was for making you 'emotionally strong'. I still remember that day when they tortured me using electric shocks." He looked up at Keith. "They kept me tied to a chair, and duped ice-cold water on me. I was in a glass room, and you two stood outside, also in chains. Then they continuously gave me electric shocks. I don't recall hearing anything but you two screaming."

"Dusk… I…" Keith, for the first time since what he could remember, was speechless. His past had been traumatic, yes. But What Dusk was saying was inhumane. Astrid must have been remembering this when she'd broken down into her episode. Keith cleared his throat. "How long have you known about Astrid and I?"

Dusk shut his eyes tight and laughed, obviously trying to hide the fact that he'd been reduced to tears. "You mean other than by my memories? It isn't really that hard to notice you know. You guys make it pretty obvious."

Keith could feel the color drain out of his skin. His eyes bulged wide. Dusk looked at him and burst out laughing, much to Keith's confusion. "Gosh, relax Keith. I was joking. Ever heard of that? A joke?"

Keith stared at Dusk for a little bit more. How this guy could still smile, Keith didn't know. But he currently had more pressing topics on his mind. "So Dusk… if you were an experiment, does that mean you don't have any abilities?" he asked. Dusk laughed again, a little sourly. "Oh, I wouldn't say that."

Before Keith could say anything, Dusk whipped out a knife from his belt, so fast, Keith could barely register the motion. One moment the knife was in his hand, and the other, Keith could hear the sound of the blade embedding itself in wood. As Keith's brain caught up with the situation, he saw the knife stuck in the tree beside Dusk. He looked at the latter. "You can stick knives in trees?"

"Oh yeah, I was tortured for three years and my talent is sticking knives in trees. No, Keith. Look closer." Dusk ordered. Keith walked forward and leaned in, to see closer. Keith didn't think anything could surprise him more that what he already had faced. He was dead wrong.

Stuck at the edge of the knife, impaled by the weapon to the tree, was a fly. Keith could see its wings give a last flutter as the life left the insect. This was crazy. No way could any human be that accurate. And Dusk had barely glanced up. He'd sliced the fly right across its tiny little stomach. Dusk's voice drew Keith's attention back to him.

"Animal-like reflexes and senses. That's what they gave e. They needed someone who could react with the speed and accuracy of an animal. I honestly haven't seen animals be so accurate, but that's what they told me. I don't have any jaw-dropping power like you or Astrid, but at least mine is sorta easy to hide. People just think I'm skilled." Dusk explained. This boy had surprised Keith beyond words. First declaring himself as one of them. Then his abilities. Keith knew for a fact that Dusk would be a formidable adversary in a fight. With his accuracy and speed, he could be a true 'weapon', as their tormentors had called them.

"The man who tortured us… do you remember him?" Keith asked. Dusk laughed yet again, but this laugh was unbelievably bitter. "Remember the guy who literally stole my freedom? Yeah, I think I do." He said. Keith almost exhaled. Then, as he'd done so far, Dusk dropped another bomb on Keith.

"It's not every day you see a man who can look his own son in the eyes and torture him for some experiment."

~.~.~.~.

Gail blew her hair out of her face. This was getting increasingly frustrating. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing, waiting for her fate to come to her. She needed to act. She knew any false move could adversely affect Keith. Whatever she was going to do, she needed to do carefully.

She had a plan, of course. It was dangerous, stupid, and even more dangerous. But then again, it was her plan. She surprised herself with the ability to come up with that much in itself. She wasn't usually one for plans and thinking stuff out. She was one for action. But this was the question of her brother's life. She needed to be cautious.

Gail took a deep breath and adjusted the eye-patch on her eye. The thing was bothersome, but she'd gotten used to it. Plus she didn't really want to broadcast her disgusting scarred eye. It was better off covered. She slowly walked over to the bars of the Slammer.

She'd overheard a conversation of two Gladers not mere moments ago. Astrid was resting for the day in the infirmary. She almost laughed at their stupidity. How easily they'd told her what she needed to know. All she needed to do now was get out of this damned Slammer. And she had a plan for that too.

She leaned against the bars of the Slammer and looked at the person who was on guard. They didn't usually have guards, but since she was the first girl who's been thrown in there, they'd made an exception. He caught her staring at him and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Gail didn't recall his name, but it didn't really matter. "I'm really sorry, but I needed your help." She asked in the most pleading voice she could muster. "I haven't been to the washroom in a whole day. I really need to go. Please, I know you can help me. Just let me out, I promise I won't do anything." She knew this was lame, but this made sense.

"I'm not falling for that." The boy simply said. Gail forced her eye to tear up. "Please, just one quick trip. I won't be long. And you lead me to them as well, because I don't remember where they are. Besides, my hands are tied. There's not much I can do." she held up her tied wrists. Hidden in the shadows of the Slammer, the boy couldn't see that her bounds were loose, and she'd managed to wriggle her way out of them. He looked unsure.

"Newt let you go once before." he pondered. He looked her way, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Fine girlie. I don't think I'll be able to answer the keepers if something happens to you in here. God knows what might. I'll let you out, but I'm warning you. No smart moves, or you're getting thrown back in, and I'm callin' over Newt." The boy warned. Gail had to stop herself from laughing. This was way too easy. She settled for a grateful smile. "Thank you." She said politely. The boy seemed a little confused by her sudden kind behavior, but he shrugged it off.

He opened the door of the Slammer and held out his hands. Gail put her 'bound' wrists in them and let him pull her out of the prison. She took a moment to breathe in the fresh air and let her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight. Then she turned to the boy and smiled a sickly sweet smile. The boy stepped back, obviously surprised.

Gail shook off her bounds and lunged forward. The boy tried to run, but Gail didn't let him. She grabbed his neck and yanked him towards her. She slammed her head into his, immediately knocking him unconscious. The boy slumped to the floor, out of the way for the moment. However, Gail knew she didn't have too long before someone found out. She shrugged at the boy.

"Nothing personal."

She turned away and sneered.

Astrid, you better hide. Because I'm coming for you…

~.~.~.~.~.

A/N: I KNOW! I'm late! Again! Sorry! I'm really busy, so once again, this author's note will be short. But I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! I loved writing it for y'alls awesome peeps. Hope you liked it! Please tell me what you thought! Stay awesome!

A Fellow Glader.