Sticks and Stones

Chapter 16: Noble Shank

Rachel tensed, while Thomas asked scathingly, clearly feeling the same way as Rachel: "Okay. I'm supposed to trust you now?"

Teresa flinched as though she'd been slapped, and the hurt was clear in her eyes. But Rachel couldn't quite bring herself yet to feel sorry for the girl – maybe if she'd been caught with her hand in a cookie jar, then Teresa deserved to look that way. But after she'd sold them all to what was worse than death?

"It's true." Paige added as she saw the clear looks of disbelief on not just Thomas's face but all of their faces. "It was her only condition."

"Shut up!" Thomas yelled at her, but Paige continued as she said serenely: "Everything can go back to the way it was."

Rachel almost wished she could slap the woman for her tone more so than even her words; how could she be so calm? Act like she was as pure as the clothes she wore? After all the kids that had died – Beth, Miyoko, Ximena, and so many others, including Winston – how could she?

As Rachel struggled to keep her cool, Paige queried: "Thomas. Do you really want all of them to die?"

She gestured at the group of teens, his friends, who were also close enough that they would surely also be killed along with Thomas and Paige and her followers if Thomas released his finger.

Thomas hesitated, as Jason added: "Listen to her, Thomas. Think about what you're doing."

Thomas hesitated, his jaw clenching even as pained tears prickled at his eyes, when suddenly-

Paige's eyes widened while Thomas's shoulders relaxed just slightly as first Minho, then Newt and Frypan and Rachel, and finally Harriet walked over to stand in solidarity behind Thomas.

"We're with you, Tommy." Newt said firmly, and Teresa gasped as she stared at her friends in horror: "No."

"We're on your side." Rachel added firmly, and Newt glanced at her before wrapping his arm around her and holding her close.

Rachel burrowed into his side, even as she steeled herself along with the others for their certain death, and Paige whispered with perhaps her first genuine emotion as she stared at the group in shock: "Don't, Rachel."

Minho's gaze was steely as he countered grimly: "Do it, Thomas."

"We're ready." Frypan added, and Rachel held out her free hand to Harriet.

The ex-leader of Group B took her hand, holding on tightly as Thomas took a deep breath, saying as he looked straight at Janson: "I'm not going back there."

"Thomas." Paige whispered, looking pained, and Thomas looked right at her as he lifted the grenade in his hand, saying firmly: "It's the only way."

Thomas's hand was shaking even as he closed his eyes and readied to release the trigger. The others also closed their eyes, prepared, and Teresa turned her teary eyes away.

"Thomas!" Paige screamed, actually reaching towards the boy in utter fear and desperation, when a loud car horn blew from behind them.

They all glanced back in confusion, and Rachel's brows furrowed as she saw one of the Right Arm's trucks zooming across the planes towards them... or rather, towards one of WCKD's helicopters.

Her eyes widened in shock as the truck ploughed right into one of the transports on the edge, smashing the helicopter's side and careening it off onto its side, where its still-whirring blades snapped off.

"Look out!" Someone yelled as pieces of metal came flying through the gathered groups of people, narrowly avoiding hitting anyone.

Newt threw himself and Rachel to the side to duck as another piece came flying towards them, before they looked up in shock as – amidst the chaos – WCKD and the Right Arm began to run around.