Subject of the Flame | Maze Runner [2]

THIRTEEN

[ MINHO ]

❧

Forty-seven minutes after Electra tried to force her way through an invisible wall, the Gladers were all sitting patiently on the floor looking expectantly at Rat Man to speak. Minho sat with Thomas to his left and Newt on the other side of Thomas. He'd expected Electra to come and sit beside him but, instead, she was stubbornly perched against the back wall, arms crossed and her usual sour gaze glued to her face.

Rat Man slid his chair back, his feet dropping to the floor as he placed his book on the desk. Without casting even a single glance at the Gladers, he opened a drawer and rummaged through its contents.

He pulled out an overflowing manilla folder. "Ah, here it is. Thank you for gathering in an orderly manner" –Rat Man sent Electra a quick glare– "so I can tell you what I've been... instructed to tell you. Please listen carefully."

Electra looked beyond furious but remained standing at the back of the room. Her anger rubbed onto Minho.

"Why do you need that wall!" Minho shouted.

Newt reached around Thomas and swiftly punched Minho in the shoulder. "Shut it!"

Rat Man was unfazed by Minho's comment. "You're all still here because of an uncanny will to survive despite the odds, among... other reasons. About sixty people were sent to live in the Glade. Well, your Glade anyways. Another sixty in Group B, but for now we'll forget them.

"First off, I just want to congratulate you all for exceeding expectations. Your attempted escape from our facility was Part One of Phase Two, and we almost believed it was about to be a trashed concept. The collected killzone patterns from your realizations were fascinating and exceptional. Almost as exceptional as your killzone patterns when you discovered the Cranks trying to get into your rooms, or when you found the dead bodies hanging from the ceiling."

Minho's face scrunched. He couldn't keep up with what Rat Man was trying to say. Killzone patterns? That's what they were measuring? What even were they?

Minho was even more confused at Rat Man's tone. The man had a hint of anger and annoyance as he spoke, as if he hadn't wanted the Gladers to try to escape at all. But, according to him, they were supposed to try to escape. Why would Rat Man be angry if the Gladers had done what they were supposed to do?

Rat Man didn't wait for the Gladers' understanding. "Out of all the Subjects, only a fraction survived to be here today. I'm assuming you've figured this out by now, but many of the things that happen to you are solely for the purpose of judging and analyzing your responses. And yet it's not really an experiment as much as it is... constructing a blueprint. Stimulating the killzone and collecting resultant patterns. Putting them all together to achieve the greatest breakthrough in science and medicine.

"These situations inflicted upon you are called the Variables, and each one has been meticulously thought out."

Minho remembered Electra's tattoo. A*: The Variable. He looked back at her, and she was already casting him a worried glance. If she was a Variable, did that mean her role in all of this was just as thought out? And if so, what exactly was her role?

"I'll explain more soon," Rat Man continued. "And though I can't tell you everything at this time, it's vital that you know this much: these Trials you're going through are for a very important cause. Continue to respond well to these Variables, continue to survive, and you'll be rewarded with the knowledge that you've played a part in saving the human race. And yourselves, of course."