28.2.16 (29)
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Jorge finally fixed the berg. He was confident his huge plan was working and could take them to Safe Haven. They were ready to leave Denver this morning. Thomas, Minho, Hans, and a few member of the Right Arm, and Newt were ones who stayed. They would go to the laboratory in order to help Hans made the serum for FlareM00. Once they cured Minho, they would get back to Safe Haven by The Right Arm's berg.
The breakfast should be fun and warm. Vince and his group served them some canned foods. They liked the foods which was very delicious. Not for Frypan though. He was too arrogant to praise how good the food tasted. All he said was he could make some more delicious foods with some new kitchen stuff they got from the dead city. No one argued him, except Minho—he did it just to make frypan stop talking. He knew—every glader knew—Frypan's capability in cooking.
Everything changed too fast. The sound of the helicopter's screw annoyed them. However they ignored the sound until the sound grew louder and louder, realizing them it didn't sound like the helicopter's screw. It absolutely came from something bigger, such as ... a light plane. The noisy sound easily worried them. Soon, fear spread through the room, competing with the air. No wonder when they breathed, fear streamed down their throat.
"I'll go checking it," Minho and Newt stated at the exact moment. They both glanced at each other before they got up.
"Thomas," a voice came from nowhere stole not just Thomas's attention, but theirs.
"I think, I need to go with you," Thomas got on his feet, following Minho and Newt.
They peeped through the window at the main room. A light plane landed a dozen feet from the berg. A bunch of people dressed in black stood in front of the berg, carrying a gun which was similar to a launcher. But, Thomas got a feeling the gun would be worse than it.
It wasn't the only thing that surprised them. There were hundreds people gathered around. Thomas thought they seemingly weren't human at all. With some bruises and scratches covered their bodies, he would say they were infected people at the transition among human and crank. Besides, the way they stare showed no side of humanity, wild and full of anger.
"Great. We're shuckin' surrounded," Minho tried to figure the situation out.
"Thomas, if you think you could run away from us, forget it!" the same voice. Now Thomas could see someone who spoke. He was one of the people dressed in black. "You'd rather start thinking."
"What do we do?" Newt asked with his eyes still lingered over hundreds people out there. "We didn't bloody make plan B."
"Yes, we made it," Minho replied with a sentence that brought Thomas's and Newt's eyes to him.
"No!" Thomas and Newt denied. They knew what Minho thought of. At least, they had a theory Minho tried to say he would order Jorge to fly the berg and no one stayed.
"Have a better idea?" Minho challenged.
"We'd rather keep listening!" Thomas suggest. He obviously didn't have anything to say in his mind.
"You're not too stupid to guess the klunk he will talk about," Minho told sarcastically.
"I'm with Tommy," Newt replied. "We need to bloody know what they want."
"It's stupid!" Minho muttered still with his sarcastic tone. However, he did what the two had aggreed.
"We need you, Thomas," the same voice told. The man's eyes lingered toward the berg as if he could see Thomas was staring at him. "The entire world need you. And you knew that."
"I know I want to break his neck right now," Minho mumbled.
Thomas and Newt automatically looked at him.
"What?" Minho asked, not realizing his voice was so annoyed.
"Just keep listening!" Newt ordered. He quickly returned his focus to the man who was speaking.
"You knew you can save the world from flare with the little thing you have. Come out, Thomas! Help us to solve this problem. After that, world will remember you as a big hero. You hear that, Thomas. You will be a hero. World will hail you."
That bullshit! This time he hoped Minho would bark his sarcastic remark and he would be volunteer to break the man's neck so he would stop telling crap.
"Come out, Thomas!" He said out loud, then paused a second. "You see these people? You can save them. You can give them the future. You can make the the world have a certain future. What are you waiting for? Stop being selfish, Thomas!"
I'm not selfish, Thomas told himself.
"Yes, you're selfish, Thomas," The man replied as if he could read Thomas's mind. "Take a look around! We're fighting hard to keep our sanity before the flare eat our whole brain, leaving us completely insane. Where is your humanism, Thomas?"
Thomas felt his heartbeat fastened, controlled by his anger. He hated the man who made him the heartless, careless, and selfish one. He hated being thrown to the responsibility he shouldn't take. The news about his blood was absolutely a cruel joke.
"We're not gonna make you think twice because we have what you want, Thomas." Somehow, Thomas heard the man laugh for his victory.
"What that klunked head tried to say?" Minho asked.
"Aris."
The three of them turned to see Harriet was standing near to them, staring at the same direction before her voice interrupted them.
Only a second later, they brought someone from that light plane. They widened their eyes as they tried to recognized the boy. Aris. The boy looked fine if a cuff around his hands and legs and the plaster that covered his mouth didn't count. Despair and frustration soon took Thomas's face. There was no way he would let Aris being arrested by those people.
"For your information, he's not the only one," the man annouced. "We have a bounch of your people. If you want them back safe and sound, you need to follow us. Think about it, Thomas! Quickly. Because we don't have so much time."
"I'll come out," Thomas rushed. Time to think was over. His friends were in danger. He needed to save them, unless he would be fine living in regret for not saving them in case he could.
"No, Tommy!" Newt grabbed his shoulder at the moment Minho pulled his hand. "Think first. We can make a plan."
Thomas had no urge to deny them if he could think of it.
"Time's over. I'll go." Thomas took Newt's hand off his shoulder, but he couldn't do anything with Minho's whose grip tightened. He looked straight to Minho's eyes, asking for agreement and Minho shook.
"You hear that? We're running out of time. You're not thinking I will save myself over Aris and the others, and leaving me blame myself for the rest of my shuckin' life, are you? And Minho, I've just found a better thing than your plan B."
"Slim it, Tommy!" Newt suggested. In the normal situation his deep voice would easily composed him. Thomas dying to know how a person could stay calm and got self-control like Newt in that crazy situation. "We won't let those buggin' Cranks do something bad to our friends. Also, I don't want you die because of their stupid game. Let's bloody think of the real plan."
"This time, I'm with him," Minho stated.
"If you sticks need my voice, I'll say Newt's right," Harriet added.
Thomas sighed, but relief didn't fill his chest. "Okay. You guys think. I'm too frustrated to think. Remember we have no much time."
Minho loosened his grip. Silent took over the situation. While Minho, Newt, and Harriet used their time to think, Thomas peeked out through the window. He wouldn't let WICKED killed his friends. Not anymore.
"Harriet, can you please find Vince?" Newt was the first one who spoke up. "Ask him how many people and weapons do we have? Or you can bring him here."
Harriet was about to go when someone was approaching them, Vince.
"I'm here. I hesitate we have enough people to fight against hundreds Cranks. They will easily beat us. But, I'm ready to put myself in a war."
"Bad idea," Thomas responded. "That's a suicide plan. We can save them that way whereas we're gonna get ourselves killed too."
Thomas threw his face to the window. He hated the idea. It was like they utterly thought with no attention of the situation. He immediately had a big desire to punch all of them so he could escape from the berg and met that man.
"So?" Vince ensured.
"I'll come," Thomas whispered a bit loud.
"No, Tommy!" Once again Newt grabbed his shoulder.
Thomas looked back to his friend. He needed a reason to ensure them even though he doubted his decision. Luckily, the idea suddenly knocked his head. "Newt, trust me. Please!"
"Thomas—"
"Minho, please!" Thomas moved his gaze to Minho, pleading. He hoped Minho could see his optimism.
"Let me go! Trust me, please!"
"You need a weapon, Thomas," Harriet said. "Something small, but useful to defend yourself."
Thomas would smile if the air wasn't strain enough. He could only loosen his nerve a little. "Good idea. What do we have?"
"Blasters," Vince stepped closer to Thomas. He took something out of his pocket, then handed whatever he had to Thomas. "Those things can help you."
Thomas saw some small things cube-shaped on his hand. He put them in his pocket. He thought he knew how to use those things. "Thanks, Vince. I'm sure those will help me a lot."
Vince nodded. "You only need to slam it down and it will explode.
"Got it!"
It was good to have some weapons with him instead he came there with nothing but his clenched palm. He had a little confidence that he could escape himself and his friend with those blasters. However, Minho and Newt seemed to not believe in him. They looked at him like he was about to face his own death. Well, he himself had more doubt than confidence.
"You'd better find Jorge," Thomas told. "Make sure he will quickly fly the berg once our friends get in here."
"I'll go," Harriet volunteered.
Thomas nodded before she disappeared.
"I'll go with you." Minho strode forward, making Thomas frowned.
"He meant, we'll go with you," Newt corrected. Not waiting for an agreement from Thomas, he joined Minho.
Thomas was the last who stepped, but soon he lined himself with them.
"You think we're gonna leave you? No way, Tommy. We don't spread out!"
"Not anymore!" Minho added firmly. "Promise you, we'll find you."
"We won't go unless you go with us."
He didn't suppose to be surprised by the way the two treated him. Their relationship was strong enough. Not just friends, they were families. He knew if he asked them to fight with him until the very last, they would agree without thinking for a second. Yet, he didn't believe the two cared so much about him.
"Whatever," Thomas replied. "You knew, I prefer we go after we solve your problem." Thomas's gaze pointed to Minho.
He opened the cargo door, waiting for the bottom edge thumped to the ground. He walked first. Newt and Minho marched behind him. Slowly, he got a full view of the kind of terror that surrounded him. Hundreds people gathered there, like they were waiting for their prey. Obviously, he couldn't resist the feeling that he was scared to death.
"You made the right decision, Thomas. Come here, boy!" the man ordered.
Thomas kept on walking. He had a better sight of him as he cut the space between them. The man looked like a fox.
He tried to recognize him, but found nothing. The thing he knew, he didn't like that fox face at the first second he saw his face. The smirk he released was the worst thing he'd ever seen.
"Closer, Thomas! Don't worry, we're being nice to you."
Thomas glared over Aris. He barely saw the boy shook his head. What does that means? Thomas tried to figure it out. Aris bored his gaze to him. He warned him. Aris didn't want him come, meant he was dealing with something beyond his thought. Something bigger.
He felt his body shrank and his heart got crumpled. Now he hesitated the blasters would help him. And if he could find the serum for Minho, he wasn't sure whether he could bring it to his friend. Did I make a right decision? Thomas nodded inwardly. No matter what, he wouldn't go backwards. If he found himself go to the wrong way, he would kept walking forward, looking for the other way until he was in the right way and wouldn't let himself go backward.
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Samina