Emotionless »« Newt

TWENTY-TWO

"Leandra," he grins, pressing one of the buttons as the doors close. "Didn't think I'd see you here again." She just hums in response, keeping her eyes facing right forward and her jaw tense, hating this man with a vengeance. Already she can feel the deceit coming off him in waves, smug about something, and she quickly realises what it is. Minho. Janson must have something to do with him being moved to the Medical Wing.

Something brushes against her fingers and she tenses, but a second later she subtly grips Newt's fingers back just as tight, grateful for even the moment of comfort she gets from it.

"You're working late," he says to Teresa instead, realising Leandra's not going to give him anything at the moment. "See, that's what I like about you, Teresa. No matter how bleak things get, you just... Well, you never give up. Times like this, you need a friend that you can count on."

Teresa realises she needs to give an answer, and shakily replies, "I'll bear that in mind."

Janson smirks, and Lee knows they're screwed. "There is one thing you should know. One friend to another." A second. "Thomas is here. A surveillance picked him up outside the walls. Ava didn't want you to know, but there is a chance that he may try to contact you, and if he does, I'd like to think that I'd be your first call."

Teresa slowly turns to face the man, realising that if he catches them out in the act, there's no way they'd get out of this alive. "Are you going to kill him?"

"Would that be a problem?" he replies easily, and Teresa just purses her lips before turning to face the front once more. Janson's not appeased. If anything, he's enjoying it, Leandra knows, and while she knows his smug levels are rising and that he's turning back to irritating her, it's not exactly something she wants to deal with right now. "So, tell me, Leandra. What's it been like, tipping us off about every attempt the boys have made against us?"

Leandra manages not to flinch, letting go of Newt's hand just in case they're caught. "Oh, shut up," she scoffs, not bothering to hide her distaste for him anymore. They won't see each other again after tonight. "You know what my position's been on using them from the beginning. I destroyed the tracker the moment you dragged my friend away."

However, she's not expecting him to grab her wrist, roughly shoving her sleeve up to reveal the jagged scar reaching up in her forearm, messily done, still healing. "Slicing right into your arm in order to protect the test subjects," he muses to himself, no longer hiding his own hate. She shoves him off, pulling her sleeve back down. Tension's high, and grows even higher as he smirks, "Tell me, what was it like, cavorting around in the Scorch with them? You lost a few, didn't you? Of your friends."

"Shut up," she mutters through gritted teeth, anger rising. "You don't know what you're talking about, Janson. Please don't lower my intelligence with your speech."

"Oh, don't tell me you've started growing weaknesses again, Leandra," he tuts, shaking his head, disappointed. "I thought you learnt about that after what happened with your father. I thought we snapped that out of you when you watched them get thrown into the Maze, one by one. Remind me, what was the goodbye we let you give? Those last secrets–"

Suddenly, her eyes go blind with rage and she twists her body around, and everything happens so fast. The three watch in shock as the once standing Janson is thrown against the elevator wall, the entire capsule shaking with the force, her arm pressing dangerously into his neck as a bundle of his shirt remains in her fist. His face slowly grows purple, struggling to suck in air.

Thomas finally realises that yes, all along, all Leandra wanted was to protect her friends, and Newt finally realises why he's never seen Leandra angry. Why she doesn't let herself be.