Ivy took a deep breath, glancing around from where she stood. Erin was just down the hallway, waiting for Gally, Thomas, and Newt to arrive with Teresa. Ivy almost jumped when she felt a hand grip her arm, but when she turned her head, she found that Tyson had been the one to grab her arm. She tilted her head slightly in question.
"You're nervous," he stated. "Don't make it as obvious. We've got this."
"A lot is riding on us doing this right," she replied.
"Then we do it right. We're gonna be okay, Ivy."
Ivy nodded and went back to being a lookout, thankful that Tyson was with her and that she didn't have to hide the truth from him anymore.
Several minutes later, a group of guards approached from down the hall, Teresa standing amongst them. Ivy gave Tyson a nod, prompting him to move and unlock the door to the stairwell beside them. The two waited until the group was in the stairwell before following inside.
"Go, go, go," Thomas said, beginning to guide Teresa downstairs as Newt followed.
"Hold on," Gally said, pausing in front of an electrical box. "I can get in here."
"Stay here. Throw me the walkie." Gally tossed his walkie to Thomas who walked down to the next level to make sure the coast was clear. Gally pulled out his small saw and began cutting away at the lock on the electrical box.
Ivy paused beside her brother, waiting for the others. Tyson was behind her, keeping an eye on the door. Newt suddenly let out a series of coughs, gripping onto the railing for a little support. Ivy couldn't help but glance at him in worry, but he waved her off.
"Frypan, we're in," Thomas said as he rejoined the group. "How you guys doing?"
"Yeah, we're getting there," Frypan responded over the walkie. He and James were making their way to the large crane in the city to help with the escape plan. "Tell Minho 'Hi,' for me."
"Hang in there, buddy."
Gally finally got the box open and checked the wiring.
"This'll work," he said.
"Brenda, what's your status?" Thomas asked over the walkie.
"Status is, we're working on it," she replied. She, Nicole, and Isaac were in WCKD's garage. They were in charge of obtaining the escape vehicle.
"Copy. Just make sure you're ready on your end."
"Don't worry. You know I'm gonna be there."
As Thomas put the walkie away, Gally finished installing the small device he had been given by Lawrence to help them take down WCKD.
"All right, let's go."
~
Erin glanced over her computer screen, watching as the cameras glitched. She caught a glimpse of Ivy and the others running down the hall, making her smirk ever so slightly.
"That's funny," one of the men working with her said. "System's glitching."
Another guard sighed and grabbed his gun.
"I'll go check it out," he said.
Erin glanced over at the man as he went to the door. She slowly reached for her weapon, making sure no one was watching her. When the door opened, the man was launched backwards and began twitching from the electrical blast he was hit with. As her group of friends hurried into the room, Erin lifted her gun and began firing at the other guards. Caught by surprise, they were quickly taken down and left twitching on the ground. Erin nodded to Ivy and went to unlock the cell doors.
Ivy quickly approached a door and pulled it open, making sure to take her helmet off. She looked inside to find that the cell held almost half a dozen girls. She gave them a gentle smile and moved out of the way so they could walk out.
"Come on," she said. "You guys are safe now. It's okay."
As she, Newt, and Thomas finished opening the cells and freeing the kids, Gally approached one of the semiconscious guards. He knelt down and held a gun to him.
"The vault," he said. "How do I get in?"
"You can't," the man replied.
Gally glanced over at Erin for confirmation; the girl nodded. Gally quickly dropped the guard and approached the vault. After a quick examination, he looked at the others.
"Guys, this might take some time," he said before kneeling down to get to work.
Ivy looked around the room, trying to spot Minho amongst the freed teens. Thomas peaked into every cell before swearing quietly.
"Sh*t," he said. "He's not here." He quickly approached Teresa. "Where is he?"
Teresa looked around her, also searching for Minho. Ivy walked up to her and gripped her arm, probably a little tighter than she needed to.
"Where is he, Teresa?" she almost growled.
"I don't know," the girl replied.
"Then find out. We don't have time for this."
She pushed Teresa toward the computers before turning back to the teens, quickly helping them tie up the knocked out guards so they can be moved. Behind her, she heard Teresa speak again.
"Somebody's moved him up to the medical wing," she said. "Thomas, that's on the other side of the building."
"Okay," Thomas said. "Take me to him. Right now."
"All right. I'm coming with you," Newt said, grabbing his things.
"Newt, no you're not. You have to stay here, wait with Gally for the serum."
"You can't do this on your own. Minho comes first, remember?"
"We'll stay," Ivy said, motioning to herself, Erin, and Tyson. "We'll watch the kids and stay with Gally. Just focus on getting Minho."
"Just go," Gally added. "We're wasting time. I'll get the serum. We'll meet you out back."
"Okay, fine," Thomas said after a moment. "Let's go. Come on."
"Hey, Greenie." Thomas turned around to look at Gally. "Good luck."
With one last nod, Thomas and Newt disappeared down the hall with Teresa in front of them. Ivy gripped her gun a little tighter, glancing to Erin when she gently touched Ivy's arm.
"It's okay," she whispered. "We'll find him."
Ivy nodded but chose not to say anything as worry filled her body. The fact that Minho wasn't there had the possibility of messing up their plans.
Within the next few minutes, Gally had the vault open. He dashed inside and began loading the vials of serum into the bag they had brought. As he grabbed the vials, Tyson helped the kids put the tied up guards in the vault. Ivy moved into the vault quick and looked over the vials of serum. She watched Gally load the vials into the bag; after thinking for a moment, she placed a hand on Gally's shoulder to stop him from moving. He glanced at her with a questioning look. Ivy reached into the bag and pulled out one of the vials before placing it in one of her pockets.
"For Newt," she said when she noticed Gally's confused gaze.
The former Builder nodded and moved out of the vault, Ivy behind him. They quickly shut the large door, sealing the guards inside.
"Okay," Gally said, looking at everyone. "We need to get outta here now."
"You stay close to us," Tyson ordered. "Stick together."
Gally paused at the front of the group to hand the bag of serums to one of the teens.
"You," he said. "You guard this with your life. You understand?" The boy nodded. "All right. Let's go."
He hurried down the hall, Erin by his side while Tyson and Ivy took up the rear, protecting the kids from behind. They hurried through the halls of WCKD, making their way as quickly as they could to where they were supposed to be meeting Brenda, Nicole, and Isaac. Throughout the base, alarms were going off and the lights on the walls were flashing.
The group hurried back up the stairs before they made it to the garage. Gally ducked down low, prompting everyone else to follow his lead. Erin continued in front as Gally paused behind a pillar.
"Stay low!" he said. "Stay low! Go, go, go."
"Come on," Ivy said, helping one of the younger kids along when they started to fall behind. "You're almost there. Just a little further."
"Brenda, where are you?" Gally said over the radio as they got further into the garage. "We're here."
Just as they rounded a corner, a bus pulled up in front of them, prompting the group to stop. Brenda pulled open the side window, grinning a little.
"Come on, let's go," she said.
"All right. Let's go, let's go."
"Quickly. Come on."
Those in WCKD gear guided the kids to the bus's door, helping them on board.
"Front and back," Isaac instructed from inside the bus. "Let's go. Come on."
"Wait, where's Thomas?" Brenda asked as the kids passed her.
"I was hoping he was with you," Gally replied. Realization spread across everyone's faces when they recognized that Thomas, Newt, and Minho weren't with them. Brenda started to get off the bus when Gally stopped her. "Wait! Wait. Stay with the kids. Wait here..."
"We'll find him," Ivy said, giving Brenda a reassuring nod. She glanced quickly at Isaac and Nicole, giving them each a small smile before looking back at Brenda. "Just wait for us, okay?"
With a nod to Gally, Erin, and Tyson to follow her, she took off into the garage. She could hear the others following close behind her. She picked up her pace a little, trying to think of where they would be meeting the others.
~
Nicole watched as Ivy disappeared around a series of pillars with the others. She looked down the aisle of the bus to Isaac, their eyes meeting. A silent conversation passed between them before their decision was made. Nicole quickly made her way to the front of the bus, ready to follow Isaac off the bus. Brenda stepped forward, grabbing Nicole's arm before she could leave the bus.
"Where are you going?" she asked, trying to keep her voice down so she didn't worry the kids.
"We're taking a precaution," Nicole replied.
"What? That's not part of the plan. We need to stick together. What about Thomas? Ivy and the others?"
"Brenda." The two girls looked at Isaac, who was already outside. "WCKD knows we're here. They're going to be everywhere looking for us. We need a backup plan in case something bad happens. Nicole and I are going to provide backup for you for when you need an escape out of here. Just trust us, okay?"
Brenda looked between the two for another moment before slowly nodding. Nicole placed a hand on Brenda's shoulder, gaining the girl's attention once more.
"If we don't make it through this, I need you to tell her something for me," she said. "Tell her thank you. For everything. I couldn't have asked for a better friend."
"You'll tell it to her yourself," Brenda replied.
Nicole gave the girl a sad smile before stepping off the bus and running after Isaac through the parking garage. They quickly found an empty WCKD police vehicle and climbed inside, Isaac sitting behind the wheel while Nicole sat in the passenger seat. The two exchanged glances again before grabbing one another's hands.
~
Wolf sat beside his wife in the church, holding her hand in his. Several feet away, Graham was pacing back and forth. Watching the man walk around in anxiousness was starting to get on Wolf's nerves but there was little he could do. He knew that no words could calm the man. Both of their sisters were out there in the city, risking their lives to help save people, while they stayed behind and waited.
Suddenly, the sound of doors banging open caught their attention. The three froze and stared at the doors, silently praying that they hadn't been caught. They waited with still breaths for what would happen next. A sharp knock came from the door, making them tense before relaxing again. The knock had been the pattern that the group had discussed they would use if they were returning to the church.
Graham quickly went to the doors and pulled them open, allowing Eliza and Torri to enter. The man quickly hugged his girlfriend, kissing her forehead.
"How'd it go?" Wolf asked. "And who's this?"
"This is Torri," Eliza quickly introduced. "And we did it. We got the cure."
She face lit up at her own words.
"We've brought enough of the serum to reproduce when we have the ability to," Torri added, "as well as administer it to those who need it immediately."
"Graham, sit down," Eliza said.
Graham did as he was told. Eliza sat beside him, taking a syringe from Torri and gently lifting Graham's shirt. She flinched slightly at the sight of the blackened veins, but quickly regained focus. With careful hands, she inserted the needle into his skin and let the serum enter his blood. She gave him a small smile and kissed him. After pulling away, Eliza looked at Jocelyn.
"You're next," she said.
"Wait, what?" Wolf said, looking between Eliza and his wife. "Jocelyn?"
"I didn't want you to worry," she told him, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry."
Wolf felt anger and fear fill his body, but he remained as calm as he could, choosing to grip Jocelyn's hand instead as Torri gave her the serum as well. At his questioning and sad gaze, Jocelyn lifted her shirt to reveal her side when the black markings were. Wolf ran his fingers over the markings, his eyes widening when he noticed that they were already starting to fade.
"It's working," he whispered, tears coming to his eyes as he looked back at his wife.
"We need to get going," Graham said, standing up. "We have places to be."
~
"Get down," Isaac muttered to Nicole, pulling her down.
Through the windshield, they could just barely see one of WCKD's police cars pull into the garage, only several yards away from the bus where Brenda and the teens were. Guards hurried out of the car to start scouting the area. Both Isaac and Nicole flinched when they saw one of the guards slow to a stop, his gaze turned to the bus.
"Sh*t," Nicole hissed when they heard him radio the other guards.
Just as Isaac reached for the gun on his hip, the bus's engine started. Nicole stared with wide eyes as lights turned on and Brenda popped up behind the wheel.
"Hey, someone's got the bus," one of the guards said.
"What is she doing?" Nicole questioned.
Brenda suddenly put the car into gear and drove forward.
"D*mn it!" Isaac let out, quickly starting their car. "Hold on!"
He stepped on the gas, taking off after Brenda as they passed WCKD guards and broke through the garage's gate.
~
"Where are they?" Ivy said, looking down almost every alley that they passed. "Has anyone seen them?"
She received negative answers from her friends. Ivy slowed to a stop, pulling her helmet off to try and get some fresh air in her lungs. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Panic and fear of not finding her friends filled her until she felt like it was suffocating. She dropped her gun to the ground and ran her hands through her hair. Her legs wobbled, threatening to give out below her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear people calling her name, but they sounded like they were miles away or underwater.
Hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders, shaking her.
"Ivy!" Her gaze quickly snapped to Gally, who was standing in front of her. His voice was stern but his eyes were soft, as if he could tell what she was going through. "Hey, calm down, okay? Deep breaths, Ivy. Come on, breathe with me. There you go. Just stay calm, okay? We're going to find them. We'll find them and everything is going to be all right. We're going to get out of here."
Ivy gave a shaky nod. She took a deep breath, trying to best to calm her quivering limbs. Gally pulled her into a hug, offering a little bit of comfort. Over the last few months, the two had grown a lot closer, finding comfort in one another when they were plagued with nightmares from the Maze or when they wanted to remember the good times they had shared.
After a few extra moments, Ivy pulled away, giving Gally a small smile.
"Thanks, Gally," she said.
"No problem, Ivy."
"We should get moving," Ivy said. "We need to find the others."
The others nodded. As Ivy moved to grab her gun off the ground, a gunshot went off, causing the group to quickly duck down and look around for the source of the shot.
"Not so fast," a voice said.
The group turned quickly, their eyes landing on a femine figure standing a few yards away, a smoking gun was in their hand.
Tyson's eyes widened when he recognized the woman, as well as Ivy and Erin.
"Mae?"