Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 57

Grace kept her gun aimed forward as she helped Gally lead the kids through the building and towards where the others were waiting in the parking garage. "Stay low," Gally demanded. "Go, go, go."

"Come on." Grace waved them after her. It was much easier to sneak out twenty-seven kids than she imagined. Not a single person attempted to stop them, mainly because there weren't any. They didn't encounter a single WICKED soldier.

"Stay low." They ran down a ramp in the parking garage. "Stay low." Grace kept her mask raised. It was much easier to see that way.

"Come on. Come on." They had to find Brenda. She had the bus.

"Brenda," Gally spoke into the radio. "Where are you? We're here." As they ran around a corner, a bus stopped in front of them. Inside was Brenda.

"Thank god," Grace breathed.

"Come on." Brenda opened the window. "Let's go."

"Okay, go quickly." They ran around the front of the bus to the other side where the door was.

"Front and back. Front and back." The children started to pile inside the bus.

Brenda inspected the group. "Where's Thomas?"

Grace's eyes widened, lips parting as she realized Thomas and Newt weren't back with Minho yet. "I was hoping he was with you." It was clear he wasn't. Brenda went to get off the bus, but Gally stopped her. "Wait with the kids, just wait." Grace stared at him. "Just wait. I'll go find him." He put his mask on. "Just wait."

"I'm coming with you." Grace slipped her mask back on and began running after Gally. She had no idea where they were going, but it didn't matter. Her feet slammed against the concrete as she chased after him. "God, you're so much faster than I am." The laugh Gally emitted was not missed by her. He slowed down as he rounded a corner. "Were you secretly a Runner?"

"No." They exited the parking garage. "But I-" he was cut off by three WICKED soldiers in front of them. Grace wasn't expecting him to stop and slammed into his back. 

Her lips parted to question him, but then she saw the soldiers. "Shit." Grace feared this would end badly.

"We have a report in Sector two." The two stood there unmoving. "Let's move." Grace and Gally glanced at each other. The soldiers believed they were one of them. "Well, come on. Move it!" Wordlessly, they followed them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grace wasn't sure how long it had been. Over twenty minutes was her guess. She was growing impatient when the radio went off. They were chasing a bus, which meant Brenda was on the move. However, it also reported that something was happening inside the main building. That's where they were headed.

Grace kept her gun raised, ready to take down any of the men surrounding her. Gally appeared to be doing the same. They were prepared for a fight.

"I need three units in Sector three, now!" The radio continued to go off. "Ground support ready."

"Let's move." The main building was ahead. Suddenly, one of the windows shattered. Something was thrown out of it. It hit the water below. "Move in! Move in!" There was a hole in the window easily ten stories above them. Grace wondered what it was.

Unfortunately, her question was answered thirty seconds later. Three figures jumped out of the window, screaming as they fell. If she had to guess, the three figures were her friends. If there were three, it was either Minho or Teresa with Newt and Thomas.

But from a distance, it appeared the three figures were males. That meant Minho was with them. "Go! Go! Go!" The WICKED soldiers quickly began moving toward the water.

Grace felt as if she couldn't breathe. After all this time, she was about to see Minho. It didn't feel real. Months of hard work and dedication all led to this moment, the moment she would be with him again.

Grace felt as if everything was moving slowly. All she could hear was her heaving breathing. Everything around her blurred together. Her heart was racing in her chest. It was beating so fast Grace swore it was going to burst. The gun felt heavier than it did a few seconds ago.

They turned around a few cars, walking down the steps. That's when Grace saw them. Thomas, Newt, and behind them was Minho. It was Minho. He was alive.

All of the WICKED soldiers around her charged their weapons. Grace simply stood there, unable to look away from Minho. His expression held fear, believing he was in trouble. "You three, don't move. Take it easy."

Thomas looked annoyed. He slowly reached for his gun. "Don't." Grace was behind the others, arms falling to her sides. Newt glanced at her, slightly confused. "Get on your knees and put your hands in the air."

Suddenly, Gally spun to the side and shot the soldiers. They all fell to the ground, bodies convulsing. Minho, Thomas, and Newt were shocked. Gally jumped closer, causing them all to flinch. He ripped off his mask, revealing himself. "Gally?"

The sound of Minho's voice was enough to bring Grace back to reality. She dropped her gun. "Minho," Gally greeted. "You guys are nuts."

Grace jumped down, ripping her mask off her head. The three boys were shocked to see her, but none were as shocked as Minho. "Grace," he whispered in disbelief.

Six months. It had been six months since she last saw him. "Minho." They stood there for a second, both processing the other. Just as Newt went to question them, Grace flung herself at Minho. Her arms wrapped around him, clutching onto him.

Minho let out a puff of air from the impact, but he held her tightly as if she would disappear. Her fingers gripped his shirt, tears filling her eyes. Minho lifted her off the ground, breathing in her scent. Gally sighed, putting a hand on his hip. "Give them a minute," Thomas whispered. He knew how badly his sister wanted to see Minho again. She deserved a moment to absorb everything.

Minho set her back on the ground, reluctantly letting go. Grace pulled away, placing a hand on his cheek. His skin was warm under her touch. He looked the same but different. His hair was longer. His eyes were heavier from the lack of sleep and pure exhaustion, but he was smiling. He's happy. Grace felt the same way.

Suddenly, she was nervous. Seeing him after all this time was almost too much for her mind to handle. So, she does something unexpected. She playfully slaps his chest. "What the hell were you thinking? Saying you love me and then getting your dumbass kidnapped. What was I supposed to do with that?" Thomas, Gally, and Newt stared at them silently.

Minho smiled in response. "I missed you." Grace grinned, cheeks darkening. The others weren't sure what to do. WICKED was still hunting them, but the scene in front of them provided a brief moment of relief.

Newt broke the silence. "I thought she was kidding when she said she would slap him."

"You knew she was going to do that?"

He shrugged. "I mean, yeah. Its Grace. Are you really surprised?"

"Okay, we need to go," Gally said. "Come on." He began running, followed quickly by Newt and Thomas. Grace and Minho stared at each other for a moment longer.

"Come on," Grace breathed, brushing the hair out of her face.

"Yeah, yeah," Minho stumbled after her. The two ran quickly after the others but made sure to stay side-by-side. Grace never planned on leaving his side again.