Thomas and Edward couldn't sleep much that night. They were too busy worrying about whether their plan would work or whether bad events would turn up soon for the both of them and their friends. They decided to wait until the night before setting their plan into motion, at the moment when Janson would possibly call up a list of names. They felt tempted to tell their friends what they had seen but they weren't sure they would believe them. Not after how these people had saved them from the Maze, healed Edward and gave them food, clothes, and comforts. Reluctantly they decided they would keep it secret for the time being.
They sat down with their friends. Thomas happily watched his brother chat with Chuck. He could tell a deep connection had formed between the two. His mind was half on them and half on other things.
"What are you thinking about?" Newt asked him.
"What?" Thomas had half-heard what he said.
"You're doing that thing again when you're thinking. Dreams again?"
Thomas shook his head. "Not really. Just a lot of my mind. I do wish I could remember more,"
"You don't need to worry about that now. We're free from the Maze and soon we'll all gonna be somewhere safe,"
"Sometimes I feel like it's not over. I just think that,"
"You'll feel much better once we move somewhere new Tommy," Newt patted his book.
"I don't know how to feel better. We may have escaped the Maze but I can't escape my memories,"
"Stop fighting them, Tommy. Let them flow. Don't dwell on them. What's done before has passed. And what matters now is what you and your brother did to save us,"
Thomas chuckled softly. "That means a lot coming for you. I want to thank you Newt,"
"For what?"
"For supporting us all this time,"
Newt chuckled back. "Do you think my sibling will be happy to see me? Do you think he or she might have the other half of the necklace?"
"Of course, they will," Thomas assured. "And I bet that they're thinking the same thing about you right now,"
Newt was touched again.
Edward noticed the link between his brother and Newt across from him. Something in his heart told him it was something very strong. Before he could dwell on it, Janson appeared at the front of the room and read out names again. They waited patiently as he spoke out each name at a slow pace.
"And finally...." he didn't look at the list as if his mind was already made up. "Thomas,"
The Gladers and Edward stared at Thomas. He was a little agitated. Edward was more nervous.
"Thomas!" Janson's voice rose higher. He eyed Thomas at the back and everyone looked at him. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked at his brother nervously. He then stood up, seeing Newt's encouraging face. It made him feel brave. He took Edward's hand and pulled him away from the table. They both approached Janson and Jerry whom Edward could see was holding a keycard in his belt.
They were stopped.
"I specifically just said Thomas and not you as well as Edward," Janson blocked them both. "So why don't you go back and sit down?"
"With all due respect, why must I be separated from my brother and friends?" Thomas asked.
"Because you're ready to move on and they aren't, now come on we have a schedule to follow," Janson ordered. Jerry tried to push Edward away but Edward shoved his arm away.
"I will not be taken anywhere unless they come with me," Thomas refused. "I refuse to go somewhere without them,"
"Well sorry, Thomas but I'm in charge. Now come on," Janson cocked his head at some guards.
Edward kept a close grip on Thomas's hand. "And how will I know when I'll see my brother again?"
"I assure you, you'll be with him soon enough," Janson tried to sound patient but Edward could tell there was intolerance in his eyes. He tried to speak up, only for Jerry to interject.
"My father has made his decision, so why don't you just be a good boy and go sit down?" Jerry jeered.
"Either you think you're doing what's right or you're just being a bossy bully," Edward mocked.
Jerry suddenly punched him in the face.
"Hey!" Thomas punched him back.
A fight broke out. Some men tried to hold the brothers away from each other. The gladers rushed over and tried to stop the commotion.
"Take Thomas away," Janson ordered. Two soldiers roughly shoved Thomas away. He looked back at his struggling brother and gave him an encouraging nod. Edward nodded back.
Jerry suddenly punched him in the abdomen and he fell to his knees straining. "That'll teach you some manners,"
Chuck suddenly kicked him between the legs.
"Ow!" Jerry pressed his hands under his abdomen and glared up at him as he frowned. "You little..."
"Take them to their room!" Janson ordered.
......................................................................................
Thomas was escorted away to some corridors behind the other kids. He looked back and saw the soldiers keeping a very close eye on him. He fumed. He hated being manhandled. He didn't like it one bit. He noticed Janson walking up to catch up to them. He glanced at him disapprovingly.
"See you couldn't have been a little bit respectful," Janson muttered, not looking at him.
"See your son needs to learn some manners," Thomas answered back. They came to a fork in the corridors but Thomas noticed Janson nudging him out of the queue into the right corridor. The other kids were escorted down the left hallway.
"Hey...why aren't I going with the others?" Thomas inquired, getting more suspicious than ever.
"We just need you for something. It'll be quick," Janson turned around, not giving any more information. Thomas felt compelled to walk away but two guards were behind him. His heart thumping accelerated. With no choice, he walked forward, following the rat-faced man and feeling a tingling in his throat. He saw a pair of silver steel doors ahead. White light blazed through the windows. Whatever it was that was about to happen, he wasn't ready. He hoped his plan with his brother had worked.
Oblivious to him, a needle was raised, targeted for the nape of his neck.
.........................................................
The Gladers were shoved into their room. The guards locked the door behind them. Everyone glared at Edward.
"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Minho shouted.
"Jerry started it! He punched me!" Edward snapped. "Chuck! Why did you do that?" He was mad at his little friend for kicking Jerry like that. "Jerry could have punched you!"
"He had it coming," Chuck said. "And if he gets you, he gets all of us,"
"Was it really that hard to walk away?" Newt asked.
"Nope," Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.
"Where did you get that?" Chuck asked.
"I pickpocketed that guy who punched me,"
"Edward, what's gotten into you?" Newt asked.
"Guys! They are not who they say they are!" Edward spoke up.
"How can you say that? They've given us clothes and food and..."
"They're hiding something!" Edward argued. "I know they are!"
The boys rolled their eyes and scoffed.
"Guys! Are you even the slightest bit worried about my brother? Or Teresa? Haven't any of you wondered why they've taken Thomas away and not us with him?"
The boys still didn't agree with him. Newt looked a little tense when Edward mentioned Thomas.
"Guys...I think Eddie has a point," Chuck defended him. "That guy with a rat face gives me the creeps and so does his son. They may have saved our lives but whenever I feel my spine-tingling, it means something is wrong. And my spine tingles every time I'm near them. Those scientists really seem like they keeping something hidden. And why separate Thomas and Teresa from us when they should be letting all of us stick together?"
The boys looked a little convinced by Chuck's words. He was honest and was never afraid to speak up about his anxiety whenever he felt something was wrong. Edward kneeled and reached for the vent shaft under his bed.
"Where are you going?" Newt asked annoyingly.
"There's a room which this key can open. The kid Aris showed me bodies being rolled into that last night. I have to get inside that room I saw and find answers,"
"I'm coming with you," Chuck said.
"No Chuck," Edward refused. "This could be dangerous,"
"I'm coming with you whether you like it or not," Chuck stubbornly refused.
Edward sighed. "Promise me you'll stay close at all times," he implored. He hated for the young man to get harmed.
Chuck nodded.
Edward looked up again to their friends. "Keep an eye out and cover for us," The boys nodded except Newt. "Newt...I have to find out what they're doing with Thomas,"
Newt glanced at him with a knowing look. Edward could tell that he was worried about Thomas. "I'll be back soon," He crawled inside and looked back to see Chuck following him. To the vent size, they were able to squeeze a little alongside each other. "I'm glad you're here Chuckie,"
Chuck smiled affectionately. "I didn't want you to go in there alone without one of us,"
"Thanks, buddy. What would I do without you?" Edward smiled. He guided his friend towards the vent shaft where Aris awaited them. "Chuck, this is Aris. Aris, Chuck,"
"Hello," Aris said. "You got the key?"
Edward held it forward. "Time to get inside and find answers," he looked down through the gaps in the vent to see if anyone was coming. He waited a bit to hear any approaching footsteps. "Nothing. The coast is clear," He quietly pushed the vent door open. Then positions his legs through the gap, he jumped down to the shiny floor below. He peered his head around to see if anyone was coming. Nothing.
He looked up and saw Chuck cautiously swing his legs down. Aris helped him down a bit whilst Edward raised his hands to help Chuck down as he was much shorter. Aris then leapt down after them. Reaching up, Edward pushed the vent door open so no one coming would suspect anything. He stood in front of the security door. "Here goes," He slid the card into the card insert. The screen glowed green and the doors opened. They went inside.
They entered a dark room with lab coats hanging everywhere. Edward noticed something glowing through a glass panel on the right side of the room. He stared through. To his grimace, he saw giant slimy flee-shaped fetus's inside large tube-shaped tanks containing water. He knew exactly what they were. Grievers. He recognised them from the drawings he had made in his past. He turned away.
Another door was in front of them. It automatically opened. What lay before them, made Edward want to throw up. "Oh my god," he breathed.
Walking further into the room, they saw bodies hung up from rails with pipes tubed into their arms and mouths and noses. These were all the kids that had been taken away from the cafeteria to a 'safe haven'. This was not a safe haven at all. Those people who had helped them had tricked them.
Chuck was scared. Edward saw and clutched his hand protectively, facially promising him that he wouldn't let anything happen to him.
As they walked a little further down, Edward noticed a blue liquid substance was being pumped out of the bodies and into little containers. These bodies were being harvested. As he looked further down, he noticed a hanging girl with dark hair.
"Teresa?" his heart jumped. Quickly he rushed over to look at the girl hanging in front of him. He pushed back some hair. To his luck, it wasn't Teresa. But it was a girl whom he knew was very familiar.
Chuck noticed. "Eddie?"
Edward gazed at the girl. "I know her. She's..."
"Rachel," Aris answered coming to stand beside him. His face was quivering. "She was one of our partners. We were sent to the same maze together. I arrived two days after her,"
Edward was perplexed. It was just like when Teresa arrived two nights after him and Thomas except for the other way round regarding the sole gender in their two different mazes.
"They took her the night we arrived here. I told her it was going to be okay," his voice shrivelled.
Edward touched his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Aris. Truly I am,"
"Eddie, if the bodies are here, where are Teresa and Thomas?" Chuck was scared.
Edward was scared too. He prayed that they were safe and that nothing horrible like what they were seeing had been done to them. "We have to find them and get out of here,"
Suddenly they heard the opening of doors.
"Quick! Hide!" Edward pushed Chuck and Aris behind a column and some hanging bodies. Chuck was a little squeezed between them but didn't complain. Peering his head around, Edward saw Janson and Jerry marching into the room. His muscles clenched when he saw the teenager who had punched him.
"You sure this couldn't wait?" Jerry complained to his dad.
"You know Ava. Always wanted to call earlier than she says," Janson sighed annoyedly.
"As we didn't have to deal already with these annoying traitors," Jerry cursed. "You're lucky you kept a sharp eye on me since they arrived,"
Edward frowned. Whom was he talking about? He watched them as they walked up towards a barrier further along with the room. A screen appeared. Then a video call emerged, revealing a woman wearing white with her blonde hair tied back in a bun sitting at a desk. As he spied, Edward felt his chest squeezing. He knew exactly who that was.
"Good evening Doctor Paige," Janson spoke up. "We're delighted to have you. Though I must admit this is rather sooner than expected,"
"There's been a chance of plans Janson. I'll be arriving first thing tomorrow,"
"We'll be delighted to have you. Everything is working as you have ordered," Janson gestured to Jerry to upload some files to show Ava. She looked at them disappointedly.
"Not well enough. But I've just received board approval. I want all the subjects sedated and prepped for harvest by the time I arrive,"
"Doctor Paige, we are going as fast as we can," Janson tried to soothe her impatience.
"Try something faster. Until I can guarantee their security, this is the best plan,"
"We're on 24-hour lockdown. I assure you the assets are secure,"
Ava eyed him very firmly. "Have you found the Right Arm?"
Janson was silent for a second. His son stepped. "Not yet Dr Paige. But we've tracked them as far as the mountains,"
"So they're still out there?" she questioned.
Edward and his friends listened carefully. Whoever those people were, they were no friends of WICKED.
"I promise you I have soldiers searching for them," Jerry tried to soothe her. temper.
"Then how come two installations have been hit and eighty children have been taken from us?"
"It's not my fault. You know those backstabbing traitors gave them our secrets. You know that..."
"You do well not to disobey me again Jerry," Ava interrupted, glaring at him coldly. "Not like when you went behind my back and programmed Subject A6 to kill Thomas and Edward when we needed them,"
"I only programmed that daft Gally to kill Edward,"
"You went against my orders!" Ava snapped louder. "You'll be dropped down if you go behind my back again. You're lucky our doctors were able to save him on time or you wouldn't be here right now,"
Edward's muscles tightened. Gally had been captured and mind-controlled by Jerry to try to kill him. He knew something was off about that young man. He could feel Chuck pressing his chest against his side. He was scared.
"Tell me what you've done Janson," Ava asked.
"Thomas is already under operation as we speak," Janson said.
Edward swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I want Edward to have his memories restored too," Ava said firmly.
"I don't think that's necessary. It was only Thomas who discovered what Stephen hid from us,"
"And you think he wouldn't tell his brother?"
"You know the lengths he goes to keep his brother safe,"
Edward was rather touched by what he was hearing. Before they were sent up into the maze, Thomas loved him so much that he was willing to keep secrets to protect him. But he was also filled with questions. Who was this Stephen? What had Thomas discovered?
"I want Edward to have his memories restored," Ava ordered.
"Maybe you should have thought first before sending them up into the maze, or allowing them to continue being the experiment," Jerry insulted.
Janson glared at his son. "Quiet," he hissed.
"You do well to know your place Jerry. And I only discovered what Thomas found out once they were sent up,"
"I do know my place Doctor Paige. Why else did you allow me to improve Edward's designs and make my own grievers?"
Edward glared harder with every word he could hear. It was Jerry's voice he had speaking through that advanced griever. It was Jerry who invented them. It was Jerry who had killed Alby. Chuck had heard everything too. But he clutched his wrist tightly shaking his head silently. He couldn't blow their cover, no matter how much he wanted to kill Jerry for killing their friend.
"Your work may have contributed to our experiments," Ava said. "But I will now allow myself to be insulted by you, Jerry. And I couldn't mess with Maze A's experiment. Ensure that before I arrive. Janson, have the new arrivals sedated as well. And get it done fast," she ordered impulsively as she sat down.
"You sure we can just send them over to the second Trials?" Jerry asked. "We've done to the other Mazes and on your orders, we pulled the Partner out of Maze B,"
"I need everyone you have here to be prepped for harvest. There are enough subjects in the second Trial. Prep the new arrivals from Maze A for harvest. We have enough for Trials 2,"
Chuck clung to Edward tightly. She was talking about them. Edward held him protectively. He would not see Chuck tubed up like all those other innocent children.
"Janson...I don't want them to feel any pain," Ava said again. In her face, Edward could detect a sort of remorse but not enough to make him not hate her. He despised everything she had put him and his brother through along with every other child WICKED had held captive since they were young.
"They won't feel a thing," Janson turned around and the screen switched off. He and Jerry walked down the corridor and through the doors.
Edward hyperventilated as he glanced at Chuck and Aris. "We have to get out of here. Now,"
And that's the next chapter done. Please send reviews and let me know what you all thought. I hope you all enjoyed it a lot. What did you all think of new pieces of dialogue and a change for this part of the story compared to this scene in the film? I hope you all found it entertaining. See you all soon in the escape.