Pasty's story [The Maze Runner]

28

"It's a long story," Thomas said, "we don't have time to go through it all, but I'll tell you the gist of it."

Pasty watched Thomas carefully. He still looked sick, his veins faintly green on his arms and forehead. But there was a look of determination on his face. He'd called the Gathering barely an hour after waking. He meant business.

"When I went through the Changing, I saw flashes of images - hundreds of them - like a slide show in fast forward. A lot came back to me, but only some of it is clear enough to talk about. Other stuff has faded or is fading. But I remember enough. The Creators are testing us. The Maze was never meant to be solved. It's all been a trial. They want winners - or survivors - to do something important." He glanced at Pasty from the corner of his eye, but tore away his gaze quickly, leaving her bewildered.

"Let me start again," Thomas said, rubbing at his eyes. "Every single one of us was taken when we were really young. I don't remember how or why - just glimpse and feelings that things had changed in the world, that something really bad happened."

Pasty felt herself nodding along. Finally, someone was putting what she felt into words. What she remembered from before - someone else understood.

"Somehow they figured out that we have above-average intelligence, and that's why they chose us. I don't know, most of this is sketchy and doesn't matter that much anyway.

"I can't remember anything about my family or what happened to them. But after we were taken, we spent the next few years in special schools, living somewhat normal lives until they were able to finance and build the Maze. All our names are just stupid nicknames they made up - like Alby for Albert Einstein, Newt for Isaac Newton, and me - Thomas. As in Edison."

"What about me? Where does my klunk for a name come from?" Pasty demanded to know. Thomas wavered.

"It's not one of the more exciting ones..."

"Just tell me."

"They named you after Louis Pasteur."

"Who?" Minho and Pasty asked in unison.

"You know...the French guy who made pasteurised milk."

Pasty blinked. "Damn that's boring."

"Well, he created vaccinations too..."

"Better thank him for that, Pasty. Without him, we wouldn't have the Serum..."

Alby's face was ashen "Our names...these ain't even our real names?"

"What are you saying? That we're freakin' orphans raised by scientists?" Frypan exclaimed.

"Yes. Supposedly we're really smart and they're studying every move we make, analysing us. Seeing who'd give up and who wouldn't. Seeing who'd survive it all. No wonder we have so many beetle blade spies running around this place. Plus, some of us have things...altered in our brains.

"I believe this klunk about as much as I believe Frypan's food is good for you," Winston snapped.

"Why would I make this up? Better yet, what do you think is the explanation? That we live on an alien planet?"

"Just keep talking," Alby said wearily. "but I don't get why none of us remembered this stuff. I've been through the Changing, but everything I saw was...I didn't learn nothin', put it that way. I mean, Pasty did, but she can't even freakin' talk about it."

"I'll tell you in a minute why I think I learned more than others. Should I keep going or not?"

"Talk," Newt said.

"Somehow they wiped our memories - not just our childhood, but all the stuff leading up to entering the Maze. Pasty was a Malfunction - for whatever reason, her brain rejected the process they put everyone's brains through. That's why they took her out of the Glade. She wasn't even meant to be here in the first place. I don't know why they sent her in."

I do, Pasty thought, but she kept it to herself.

"That's why Pasty's memoires keep returning. All I know, Pasty, is that you were somehow useful to them, and there was a reason they sent you here. Whether to keep you under control, or what, I have no idea."

"But why did they do any of it? What's the bloody point?"

"I'm getting there. Like I said, they wanted to test us, see how we'd react to what they call Variables, and to a problem that has no solution. See if we could work together - build a community, even. Everything was provided for us, and the problem was laid out as one of the most common puzzles in the world - a maze. All this added up to making us think there had to be a solution, just encouraging us to work all the harder while at the same time magnifying our discouragement at not finding one." Thomas drew in a big breath. "What I'm saying is, there is no solution."

Pasty frowned as angry chatter circulated the room. No solution...does that mean we're stuck here?

"See? Your reaction proves my point. Most people would have given up by ow. But I think we're different. We couldn't accept that a problem can't be solved - especially when it's something as simple as a maze. And we've kept fighting no matter how hopeless it's got. Whatever the reason, though, it makes me sick! All this - the Grievers, the walls moving, the Cliff - they're all just elements of a stupid test. We're being used and manipulated. The Creators wanted to keep our minds working towards a solution that was never there. Same thing goes for Teresa being sent here, her being used to trigger the Ending - whatever that means - the place being shut down, grey skies, on and on and on. They're throwing crazy things at us to see our responses, test our will. See if we'll turn on each other. In the end, they want the survivors for something important."

"And killing people? That's a nice little part of their plan?" Frypan growled.

"Yes, Frypan, killing people. The only reason the Grievers are doing it one at a time is so we don't all die before it ends the way it's supposed to. Survival of the fittest. Only the best of us will escape."

Pasty blinked as Frypan stood up and kicked his chair, "Well you'd better start talking about this magical escape, then!"

"He will," Newt assured him. "Shut up and listen."

Minho cleared his voice and shook his head. "Something tells me I'm not gonna like what I'm about to hear."

"Probably not," Thomas said, rubbing his head. Pasty had a bad feeling about what he was about to say. She already wasn't sure she liked this boy. What if he'd done something terrible?

"The Creators want the best of us for whatever it is they have planned. But we have to earn it." The room was eerily quiet. "The code."

"The code? What about it?"

"It was hidden in the wall movements of the maze for a reason. I should know - I was there when the Creators did it."

"0)Y�T#c"