smoke & mirrors ◦ death cure || thomas

four.

     He hadn't said a word yet this entire meeting.

     "People are beginning to lose faith, Doctor," a councilman spoke, throwing a file back on the small table in front of him. Evanna strained to read what it said. The man took a deep breath. "When you sealed off the wall you assured us that it would only be a ... temporary precaution. Why have you now denied all entry?"

     The three council members sat in black leather chairs, facing the big window in the room. A screen hung behind the Chancellor telling the time and how many session had passed since they started having these meetings. The girl who had introduced herself as Teresa was still standing in the opposite corner, watching the meeting unfold with curious eyes.

     She seemed to be following the Chancellor's movements closely. Sometimes her eyes would flicker to the other members, as if taking in their reactions and trying to figure out what they were thinking.

     "Because things are changing," Doctor Paige replied, standing before them. "and not for the better. Infection rates are up 300%," she paused. "Fortunately, we may be on the verge of a breakthrough."

     The screen behind Chancellor Paige changed. It showed a picture of an Asian looking boy, as well as his DNA, blood type and a depiction of his brain.

     Evan narrowed her eyes at the picture. There was something awfully familiar about that face; the slanted eyes and short dark hair. It wasn't the same as in her dreams – or memories – though.

     They weren't the same brown inquisitive eyes or the brown messy hair. No, this was someone completely different, yet so familiar. Evanna racked her brain for more detail, but nothing came. As far as she knew, she could have seen him walking in the building once.

     "This is subject A7," For the first time during the meeting, Teresa's gaze fell to the floor. Evan frowned. "He spent over three years in the Maze Trials."

     The Maze Trials.

     It was yet another thing Janson promised to tell her about, but had never done so. He always managed to put it off. And now Evan still didn't know what exactly it was, or why WICKED was doing something like it.

     She had no idea what this subject A7 should have accomplished in a place like a maze, or what qualified him to be put in there in the first place.

     And still, Evan felt as though she had heard of the Maze Trials before. Though, perhaps, she had simply read about something similar and associated it with that.

     "The antibodies produced in response have been the strongest we've ever seen," Chancellor Paige continued. She paused again, gauging the council members' reactions. They gave away nothing. "We're extracting a new serum as we speak, and with your support, we'd like to begin human trials."

     Evan's eyes widened. Her mouth fell open. Luckily one of the three members, a woman, spoke up before she could protest and possibly embarrass herself.

     "Thank you, Doctor. That is very impressive," the woman started, already sounding doubtful. "But we have been down this road before. Frankly, we are all beginning to wonder if – "

     The first member who had spoken up cut her off. "If our resources couldn't be better spent elsewhere."

     "Meaning?" Doctor Paige questioned. She looked unimpressed with the reactions, but also not surprised, in a way. 

     "Safe zones," the woman replied. Evan felt the tension in the room increase. "Protected areas like the one we're in. We could save as many people as possible."