Vicky, Nancy, Thèrèse and Bea, as well as Aris, are all sitting around a table in the cafeteria area.
They are eating their meals after having snuck out of the dorms and avoiding the guards. Vicky and Nancy were sitting next to each other, with Thèrèse and Bea on the other side.
"Did we ever find out what that lab was?" Nancy asked, as her spoon clanks against her bowl. She's eating some kind of vegetable soup, her eyes darting towards Vicky every now and then.
Thèrèse shakes her head, "I already tried asking my father," She paused to sigh lowly. "He didn't tell me. Said it was forbidden." Upon hearing her words, they all stayed silent, slumping down and eat their foods in silence.
Vicky sighed at her answer, and her eyes dart around the table. She can see the fear and unease all over the faces at the table. They all want more answers, it's clear as day.
The redhead girl tapped her foot on the ground, as that's how she deals with her nervous energy. She takes a spoonful of her food, and she puts it in her mouth. She chews the food before swallowing and washing it down with water.
"Do we have any plans yet?" Vicky asked, as she looks around the table again.
"I guess I do." Aris spoke, his eyes rubbing against his thighs to shake off the crumbs of bread he just ate. "Do you guys know about the new arrivals? They just got here two days ago. They're all boys, from maze A." Aris said, his finger lowly pointing at the group of boys far away.
Thèrèse' eyebrow raises at Aris's suggestion, as she turned to look towards the boys he's pointing at. "The boys? They could maybe provide some sort of help." She says, feeling a small smile appear across her face. "And if not, they might be able to distract the guards enough for us to escape." Thèrèse added in a soft tone.
"We don't have many options, but that might just work." She looked back at the other girls at the table as well, wondering if they agree with her.
"Thomas." Nancy said softly, her eyes focused on the boy. "What?" Thèrèse hummed, as they all stared at the blonde girl. "Maybe, Thomas can help us." Nancy said after a few moments. But they're not sure if they can trust him yet.
Vicky looked at her with a raised brow, curious what she's looking at. "Thomas?" She asked, turning to look at the boy Nancy is focused on.
"How do you know that he'll help us, Nancy?" She questions, her eyes going between Nancy and the boy.
"All he needs to do is take the card." Bea said, before her fingers pick up the spoon to eat her bowl of soup. "Yeah, maybe he can take the key card from the guards. We'll show him the way to the locked lab."
"And get him and his friends involved in our plans?" Thèrèse said in disbelief, furrowing her eyebrows.
"We could try, yes." Vicky said, as she takes a bite of her food once more. "But we do need to be careful. We can't risk anyone knowing about our plans right now, and we need to make sure that they can't stop us."
Vicky looked down, lowering the spoon away from her mouth. She looks back over at Nancy, who's still staring at Thomas.
"What's so special about him?" Vicky asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Uhm, nothing. He's just someone who Janson introduced me to, remember?" Nancy brushed it off, looking at the others who simply stared and sipped the hot soup.
Vicky' eyes narrowed at Nancy who brushes off her situatioship with Thomas'. She turned over and shrugged. "We could try and talk with Thomas, and hope he'll cooperate with us. I've talked with him once or twice already, and he's not a bad person." She said, looking back at Nancy.
"I'm sure he'll be kind enough to help us. Maybe even his friends will be up to help us too."
"Great, we're gonna need as much as help we can get." Thèrèse closed her hands together, nodding.
"Yeah." Bea agreed, as she sips her drink. "At this rate, we'll never get out of here." She said, her tone of voice sad, and her eyes looking at Aris and Vicky.
"We don't have any other ideas, right?" Nancy replied, as she puts down her spoon and lays her arms on the table once more.
"Aris, have you spoken to Thomas before?" Bea asked out of curiosity, looking at the boy.
"Mhm, a few times." Aris replied to Bea, looking up from his food. "We're not exactly close." He said, brushing off any other questions Bea and the others might have. "But I talked with him a few times, before."
Aris takes a bite of his food, and he continues to eat his meal, not wanting to talk too much.
"You told him about our plan?" Thèrèse look at Aris silently in disbelief, eyebrows furrowing.
"Of course not. You think I've told Thomas that we're planning to escape from this place?" Aris said immediately, shaking his head when Thèrèse questions him. "I'm not a dumbass." He replied, as he sets his food down and folds his arms.
"I know when to keep things quiet." He added, looking back at Thèrèse.
Thèrèse stared at him, before softening her eyes. "Right, I know."
"Good." Aris said, as he folded his arms on the table once more. "I just talked to him once or twice, but we're not close enough for me to trust him fully."
He looked at Vicky, his eyes darted to her. "You also never told him about our plan, right?" He questioned.
"I don't even know him." Vicky replied, with a clueless manner.
"Alright." Aris said. The girls are mostly in silence as they ate their meals.
Nancy looked around and she glances at the boys they're planning to talk with. "We could talk with Thomas after lunch, and see how it goes." She suggested.
The girls and Aris are now stand up dumbfounded in the middle of the cafeteria, staring at the group of boys ahead who seems to be talking rather focused.
Bea cleared her throat, "Maybe you should go and talk to him, Aris. Boy to boy."
The girls all looked over at the boy, as he was given the task to talk to Thomas.
Aris sighed, before he slowly walked over to their table. He looks around at the boys, wondering which one is Thomas. After a minute of searching, Aris finds the boy he's looking for.
"Thomas." Aris called out loudly, hoping to get his attention.
Thomas slowly turned to the side, as his eyes go between Aris and the group of girls. His friends also look over at the girls with raised eyebrows, trying to figure out what all the commotion is about.
"Uhm, yes." Thomas replied to Aris with a confused look on his face. "Do you need something?" He asked in his soft tone, as he looks around at the others once more.
They all looked at Aris.
Bea put her arms out and back them away as Aris is now standing near the boys group while the girls back away.
"You got a minute? I need to talk to you." Aris said, his tone of voice a bit lower now. "We could talk here or in private if you'd like."
The boy's friends just look at their group, wondering what's going on. Thomas looked around at his friends, before turning back to Aris. "Is it important? Would it take a long time?" He asked in a soft manner, looking at the girls behind Aris.
"Yes, actually. We would like to speak to you in private." Thèrèse said, looking at him with a nod then her eyes settled on Aris.
"Alright then." Thomas said with a nod, and then he looks over at the girls who want to talk with him in private. His friends look confused, but don't question why Thomas needs to leave the dining area in the midst of lunch.
Thomas stands up from the table, as he motions to the girls to follow him. Once they're away from the others, he looked at the girls, trying to read their expressions.
"Alright, can you tell me why you want to speak to me in private?" Thomas asked, as he raises an eyebrow. "So Thomas..." Vicky said, before circling him with her chin raised up playfully, narrowing her eyes at him. "Vicky, please." Nancy huffed, pulling the girl in with a tired eye roll.
Thomas' eyebrow raised even more, "What's going on?" He asked softly, his tone of voice sounding confused as he continues to look at Bea and Thèrèse.
"Aris, boy to boy." Bea urged in a hush tone.
Thomas just looked at the girl, as he tries to figure out what Bea's intentions are. He looked over at Aris, who puts his hand on his shoulder and whispers something to him.
Thomas' face turns into a small smirk, before he turns back to looking at Bea and Thèrèse. "So, it's to do with that, right?" He said, as he glanced at Aris again. His tone of voice becomes a bit more understanding as he asks his question.
Thèrèse rolled her eyes before stepping up to get to the point. "We need your help with something." She said seriously.
"What do you need help with?" Thomas asks, raising an eyebrow once more and looking at Thèrèse. He leaned forward slightly, as he looks at the girls more closely now.
His friends behind him just watch them all and stare, wondering when Thomas will be returning to the table to eat lunch with them again.
Bea narrowed her eyes, before she's the one who started circling him now. "Thomas. Do you ever feel weird and strange about this facility you're living in?" She said, with her expression dramatic and her hands moving around to add more intensity.
Thomas looked at Bea, feeling a bit annoyed by the girl's way she is talking to him. He tries to make sense of what she's trying to say, and that's when his face lights up.
"You mean that we're being monitored by Janson?" Thomas guessed, his tone of voice sounding confused again. His friends behind him are still staring at them, wondering what he is doing alone with the girls.
"Don't play dumb." Bea stopped abruptly, pointing her finger at him. "We know something you know."
"Hey, there's no need to be loud." Thomas rolled his eyes, annoyed at Bea and annoyed at his friends behind him who are listening in on their conversation.
"You're not the only person who notices things." The boy said with a small smirk.
"But yeah, I have seen some stuff that makes me suspicious." Thomas replied to Bea. "Are you implying that the facility is doing something more than just keeping us here?"
"Yes, you catch up quickly." Bea frowned, staring him down with a proud look before continued circling around him again. "Now, you see, we- also, figured there's something.." she paused, narrowing her eyes. "Wrong.. about this place."
Thomas sighed, before his eyes settle on her once more.
"Okay, well I agree on there being something that's off about this place." Thomas replies, sounding a bit more serious now. "And I've seen a few things that point towards something going on here." He adds. "But I would like to know what you think is really happening here."
Thèrèse stared at him in disbelief. "Well, since you and Nancy are practically very well valuable to WCKD.." She paused, before pointing her finger again at him. "You must be someone's important!"
Thomas sighs quietly, as Thèrèse brings up another point that's making him think. The look in the boy's eyes tells the girls that he's thinking, as he nods slowly.
"I never thought I was that important." Thomas replied with a small shrug. "But you are right. I and Nancy are well known amongst WCKD." He says, glancing at the girls again.
"What makes us important, though? That's what I was wondering." Thomas asks, as his head tilts to the side.
"You're not." Thèrèse sassed but quickly pull herself together and become serious. "What I'm trying to say is, you are very valuable to WCKD, basically someone's important. And we need your help with something. We know that you're feeling off about this place, especially with Janson, you know since the interrogation between you with Nancy and him?"
Thomas looks a bit surprised by Thèrèse's sassiness, but he tries his best to ignore it.
He takes a moment to collect his thoughts, before he replies to Thèrèse's statement. "How do you know about that interrogation between me and Janson?" Thomas asks, as he raises an eyebrow again.
"Wait... Do you know about the tests that Janson is running on us? Or the data he's collecting from us?" The boy questions, wanting to understand how much the girls know.
"Yes, I know. Bea and I basically worked here as young adults. Of course Nancy's the one who told us." Thèrèse said, nodding her head towards Nancy who's been listening to the conversation between Thèrèse and Thomas.
"Nancy told you about all of it?" Thomas asks Nancy, his tone of voice sounding surprised and he looks over at her. He couldn't believe that Nancy told the girls about everything they know.
"That must have taken a lot of guts to tell them that." Thomas adds, as he turns back to Thèrèse.
"But yes, you're right. Janson has been testing us, and collecting data on us. And I didn't agree with it at all." Thomas replies, his tone of voice sounding tense and serious.
"Oh, so you don't agree with the system around us?" Thèrèse said, her eyes slightly widen to prove something out of Thomas.
"No, I don't." Thomas replies, sounding more determined now. "For the past 3 years, we've been tested, and questioned, and tortured just to provide data to WCKD." The boy adds, his tone of voice turning to more of a growl.
"And I have never agreed with any of it. I've always known that Janson and the others want to keep us here for as long as possible, and collect as much data as possible." Thomas says with a bit of annoyance in his voice.
Thèrèse silently cheered in awe, clasping her hand together and frowns proudly at Thomas. She looked back to the others, "I think we're getting something here." She said quietly, before looking back at Thomas.
Thomas smiles slightly when Thèrèse states that they're getting somewhere. He looks back at the others, and nods his head in agreement. "Yeah, we're making progress." He agrees with Thèrèse once more.
He rubs his jaw and he looks back up to Thèrèse. "So how can I be of any help to you guys?" Thomas questions, trying to understand what the girls want from him.
"Yes, the thing is.. come on, this is a group talk." Thèrèse said, waving her arm over at the girls and Aris who's heading towards the duo. "Right." Thomas says quietly, as he steps aside a little so that Aris and the girls can join in on the conversation with him. He looks over at Thèrèse, as he waits for Aris and the other girls to join them.
"Okay, so listen," Thèrèse said in a quiet stern voice. "In any minute, Janson is going to walk through that door with his ridiculous hair, face and paper. He's going to call the kids again, one by one, then they get inside that lab. And never comes out." Thèrèse said, looking back and forth at the group with determination, "Have you heard this story before?" She said to Thomas, in case he needs to catch up.
Thomas' eyes widen as he listens to Thèrèse's explanation. His brow furrows, as he takes this all in. "What you're referring to is the death penalty." His tone of voice remains calm, but his expression shows his worry. He looks back at Thèrèse.
"Why do you know this? How do you know this?" Thomas asks, with more questions brewing in his mind. "And once we know Janson is about to call someone into the lab, what do you guys want to do?" He adds in a serious tone.
"We already have a plan. Relax, trust us." Bea brushed it off, before listening to Thèrèse again. "Okay, so Thomas. We want to know what's on the other side of the door. That's the answer to why this place feels strange and weird. If we can get in, then we'll have our answer. But, we can't past through without a keycard." Thèrèse explain, holding out her hand as a demonstration of a keycard.
"So... You need me to get you a keycard, then?" Thomas asks Thèrèse. "I can do that." He replies, trying to wrap his head around the plan to obtain a keycard.
"Alright, then I'll get that keycard for you and you can check what's on the other side of the door." Thomas says, agreeing to help the girls out with getting the card.
He then looks around at the girls. "But do you guys have the plan of action on what exactly you'll do when you find out what's on the other side?"
"Yes. But we need you with us." Vicky's turn to speak as the redhead girl nods. "So, when the kids are going through that area. I need you to pretend to be one of them, get past through the guard, or so you can sneakily grab a keycard from them." Thèrèse continued her explanation.
"And you're trying to tell me that this is the plan?" Thomas questions, as he looks at the girls and Aris once more. He didn't know how to react to this news, and he knew that getting the card and entering the lab wouldn't be so easy.
"I mean, I guess I could try to find a way into the lab." He replies, trying to think of how easy this mission would be.
"Thanks, Thomas. So, do you agree?" Nancy steps up with a gentle smile, placing her hand softly on his shoulder. Thomas sighs slightly, feeling a bit of pressure from both Nancy and Thèrèse. However, he knew that this was the only option that they had. "Yes, I agree." Thomas says, as his shoulder tenses slightly when Nancy places her hand gently on his shoulder.
"But I just want to warn all of you that we need to be very careful when we do this." He adds, as he takes a moment to think about the plan. "Yes, that's right." Thèrèse sighs, before looking at Thomas. "Thomas.. You do realize what's happening right?" Thèrèse said with a concern tone.
"What do you mean?" Thomas asks Thèrèse, feeling confused by her statement. He looks back at her with a small frown, thinking about what she could mean by that.
"We're trying to get a keycard so we can get into the testing room. Is there something else that's happening?" Thomas questions with a bit of confusion in his tone.
Thèrèse bit on her nail anxiously, staring at him before looking away. Bea steps up, "Our theory is, they are WCKD." Bea said. The atmosphere became eerily weird.
Thomas looks a bit confused, when Thèrèse looks away. It was difficult for him to read her emotions.
"They are WCKD?" Thomas questions, as he furrows his eyebrows. He was confused by what Bea meant by that statement. He looks around at the rest of the girls, hoping that someone will explain what Bea meant.
"Yes, WCKD. The evil organisation?" Vicky scoffs, raising an eyebrow.
Thomas remains silent when he hears the news, as more questions come to mind. He now realizes that WCKD is more evil than he previously thought.
"So, you're telling me that they kidnapped us and put us here, just so they can experiment on us?" Thomas asks, sounding a bit more confused. "What would they even gain from doing this?"
He looks over at Vicky again, hoping that she could provide some answers to his questions.
"To find the cure to the flare, dumbass." Vicky mumbled the last part before pulling herself together. "Okay, so are we gonna do this or what?" She said, gaining the girls and Aris attention.
Thomas remains silent for a few seconds, as he takes a moment to absorb what Vicky just said. He knew that this was a theory, but he never heard anyone speak about the cure to the flare so openly.
He nods his head slowly, as he looks over at the girl again. "Yes, let's get this ready. I'll try to get you the card when Janson comes." He replies, as he looks back at the girls again as well.
"Oh, yeah about that. You have to get it from the guard." Nancy said slowly, her awkward smile turning into a nervous grimace as she points slowly to the guards that's next to the doors.
Thomas takes a moment to look over at the guards, before turning back to Nancy. "Wait, you want me to get it from one of the guards?" He asks, sounding a bit surprised and confused at the same time. "Can I ask why you want me to get it from them, and not from Janson or someone in the control room?" He adds.
"Because all we need is a keycard. It doesn't matter who we get it from, as long as it's working." Thèrèse said, facepalm. "Right." Thomas replies, understanding what Thèrèse is saying to him. He looks over at the guards once more, before looking back over to the girls and Aris again.
"When do you need the card by?" He asks, wanting to know exactly when he needs to have it.
"Now." The girls and Aris said in synchronisation.