Trials Together (Book Three): The Death Cure

Chapter 20

Sleep didn't change anything, not that they got much of it, what with Newt and Alejandra deciding to wake everyone by setting off some sort of alarm. This caused Harriet to immediately start yelling at them.

"Five minutes." Teresa complained as she got up. "Can't we have calm for five minutes."

"We can, if Harriet isn't stressed, Rachel isn't crazy and WICKED isn't around, or Cranks." Thomas clarified.

"When in our lives have all four of those things coincided?" Aris laughed. Thomas had to agree, in a way absolutely ridiculous insanity was their normal. Rachel gave them a dangerous glare.

Thomas would be taken to WICKED in one of the Right Arm Bergs, followed by the others an hour or so later, plenty of time for him to conceal the device and set it to go off. The thing was small enough to conceal in a pocket, as long as no one thought to pat him down.

A good enough plan in theory, but plans never worked out.

The Berg would be flown by one of the Right Arm pilots, a man who didn't even introduce himself and probably couldn't have through the cloth over his nose and mouth. Thomas was definitely reconsidering not taking a friend, but he knew it was impossible.

When it was time to say goodbye Thomas kissed Teresa, promising to see her shortly, and hugged Aris before being intercepted by Rachel.

"If you get killed I will write 'kill Tom in the afterlife' on my wrist until the day I die, then carry it out." She threatened, typical. Thomas just laughed and hugged her too, she definitely meant it but somehow he didn't care. It was doubtful she could murder him in an afterlife none of them believed in anyway.

"I'll miss you too." He climbed up the Berg ramp after the impatient pilot. After the white room he hadn't been separated from all three of them for more than a few hours, but destroying WICKED would certainly be worth it.

It was crazy really, to voluntarily be going back to WICKED, to destroy them. Thomas doubted the Right Arm would be much better but they would try to be. Besides, few of them were Immune, and the cities were beginning to collapse.

Thomas went back to sleep for most of the ride, there was nothing to do and no one to talk to. For the umpteenth time he wished he still had the telepathy, even though it had almost driven him to insanity many times when it was there.

He was required to walk the last couple of miles in the snow to the WICKED complex, and was reminded of how many times he had done this with his friends, but Chuck had always been there then so he tried to push the thoughts from his head. Today he needed to be focussed.

It was Rat Man who met Thomas at the entrance, and he was briefly surprised that it wasn't Chancellor Paige. Before she was the Chancellor she had been the supervisor of the 'A Elites', Thomas and Teresa, and had never rescinded the role, Rat Man had been supervisor to Aris and Rachel, and they always said he hated them and his job.

"Welcome back, Thomas," he said. "No one believed me, but I've been saying all along that you'd return. I'm glad you made the right choice."

"Let's just get on with it," Thomas said. He'd do this—he'd play the part—but he didn't have to be nice about it.

"Sounds like an excellent idea." Janson stepped back and bowed slightly. "After you." With a chill along his spine to match the frosty weather outside, Thomas walked past the Rat Man and entered WICKED's headquarters.

"Please wait here whilst I gather my team." Janson pointed to the garishly bright seats and left. Thomas remembered that there was no CCTV in this room, so quickly slipped the device behind a chair leg against the wall and activated it. It was done, now to hope the others did their part.

Rat Man returned after a few moments and led Thomas to a room where a man and woman were sat waiting, he recognised them as Dr Wright and Dr Christensen.

"Now Mr Thomas, you know you are the Final Candidate, and that we require your brain to complete the Cure Blueprint." Again with the stupid titles.

"Yes. I understand." It took Thomas a lot of willpower to not roll his eyes at them, they'd been going on about this for days before they escaped. He really hoped the Right Arm would be on time.

Then he thought of something. "Who are the other Candidates, in order?" Thomas had to know, who would be next if the Right Arm failed, who else would they slice up.

"Of your fellow Elites; Miss Teresa, Mr Aristotle, and Miss Rachel. They are of course our best chances after yourself." Thomas had always hated Dr Christensen, and now he remembered why. "Then Miss Harriet, Mr Newton and Miss Sonya, Miss Elizabeth and Mr Minho. The loss of Mr Galileo was certainly a blow." The man finished, Thomas nodded, he didn't have to know after that but he could guess.

Part of Thomas's mind actually wanted to let them do this. If he did and it worked, and WICKED had never seemed surer about anything so he thought it might, his friends would be free. But it was a stupid thought, free in a world where they were hated, and crumbling cities would soon be filled with long Gone Cranks who far outnumbered the healthy. He just had to hold out for an hour or two.

Thomas was led to a private room while the team prepped for the surgery, he really wished the Right Arm would hurry up. He was provided a meagre meal and allowed to type messages to his friends, told that they would do their best to deliver them.

Thomas wrote to Teresa first, then Rachel, then Aris, thanking them for being his friends through everything. All in case he didn't survive.

He wrote to Harriet, Newt and Minho too, apologised to them that he betrayed them years ago, even if he didn't mean it. Apologised for not being able to save Alby, Miyoko and Sonya, who could still be alive. It hurt him too but he didn't say that.

After half an hour there was still no sign of the Right Arm, Thomas tried to stall for more time but Rat Man told him there was none. Thomas didn't doubt that they were prepared to tranquilise him if necessary.

Janson led Thomas to a prep room with a wheeled bed surrounded by all kinds of monitors and several nurses. Dr. Christensen was there, dressed from head to toe in scrubs, a surgical mask already in place on his face. Thomas could only see his eyes, but he looked eager to get started.

"So that's it?" Thomas asked. A surge of panic raced through his gut, and it felt as if something were trying to chew through his chest. "Time to cut me open?"
"I'm sorry," the doctor answered. "But we need to begin."
The Rat Man was just about to speak again when a blaring alarm erupted throughout the building.

Thomas's heart lurched and relief flooded his system. It had to be the Right Arm.
The door swung open and Thomas turned just in time to see a frantic-looking woman announce, "A Berg arrived with a delivery, but it was a trick to get people inside—they're trying to take over the main building this very second."

Janson's response almost stopped Thomas's heart.
"Looks like we need to hurry and get this procedure started. Christensen, put him under."

Thomas wanted to fight, but that would mean they knocked him out quicker, so he pretended to be complacent when a doctor and nurse pushed him onto the gurney. He hoped, prayed even, that Teresa and everyone else would hurry. The medical team were all panicking.

Suddenly an IV was in his arm, and everything fell away.

A/N: Sorry for another late update and short chapter, I have to spend next week on my EPQ so I don't know how much time I'll have for this. If I disappear on the fourth it's because the European Parliament passed Article 13. I will try to get another chapter up tonight.