I do not own the Maze Runner Trilogy.

"Go on and chase us,

We can't be caught, oh no.

Call us contagious,

We're everywhere you go.

We have gone too far to turn around

We move too fast to keep us down

Ain't no way we're stopping now."

—Reckless by JAXSON GAMBLE

Aside from the humming machines, the room had fallen silent once more. Ruby swallowed, the sick, tight feeling returning to her chest.

Taking the silence as compliance, Rat Man elaborated, "For an experiment to provide accurate results, one needs a control group. We did our best to keep the virus from you as long as we could. But it's airborne and highly contagious." He paused and looked around the room, trying to gauge everyone's reactions.

"Just bloody get on with it," Newt called. "We all figured we had the buggin' disease anyway. You're not breaking our hearts."

"Yeah," Sonya agreed. "Cut the drama and tell us already."

Ruby swallowed. While she did agree with Newt in that she assumed they all had the Flare, she didn't want to think about those who would and wouldn't. She didn't want to think about who would have to leave their friends behind and those who would be condemned to a life of insanity.

Clearing his throat, the Rat Man nodded. "Okay, then. Most of you are immune and have helped us gather invaluable data. Only two of you are considered Candidates now, but we'll go into that later. Let's get to the list. The following people are not immune. Newt, Malala..."

In the back of her mind, Ruby knew Rat Man was still speaking, but she couldn't really focus anymore. Malala. The girl who had been her closest friend since she had stepped foot in that God-forsaken Maze. The girl whose tattoo had dubbed her The Survivor was going to end up as a Crank.

As the names were still being listed, Ruby forced herself to pay attention, letting out a breath of relief to know that Joan's name was never said. Her own name wasn't spoken either, but that revelation left a bitter sort of taste in her mouth.

"I wanted to get that out of the way," Rat Man continued casually, as if he had been talking about the weather instead of some deadly disease, "mainly so I could tell you myself and remind you that the whole point of this operation has been to build toward a cure. Most of you not immune are in the early stages of the Flare, and I have every confidence that you'll be taken care of before it goes too far. But the Trials required your participation."

"And what if you don't figure things out?" Minho demanded.

Rat Man said nothing and walked to one of the beds, putting a hand on the metal device hanging from the ceiling. "This is something we're very proud of here—" he told them, "—a feat of scientific and medical engineering. It's called a Retractor, and it will be performing this procedure. It'll be placed on your face—and I promise you'll still look just as pretty when everything is done. Small wires within the device will descend and enter your ear canals. From there they will remove the machinery in your brain. Our doctors and nurses will give you a sedative to calm your nerves and something to dull the discomfort."

A beat.

"You will fall into a trance-like state as the nerves repair themselves and your memories return," he explained, "similar to what some of you went through during what you called the Changing back in the Maze. But not nearly as bad, I promise. Much of that was for the purpose of stimulating brain patterns. We have several more rooms like this one, and a whole team of doctors waiting to get started. Now, I'm sure you have a million questions, but most of them will be answered by your own memories, so I'm going to wait until after the procedure for any more Q and A. Give me just a few moments to make sure the medical teams are ready. You can take this time to make your decisions." With that, he crossed the room and exited, shutting the metal door behind him.

Immediately, Minho grabbed Ruby's left hand and made his way to Thomas, Joan trailing behind them.

"We should do it," they heard Teresa say.

Joan snorted and grabbed Ruby's other hand, latching on to the older girl.

Thomas sighed deeply through his nose. "Teresa," he began, "I know you're not stupid. But I also know you're in love with WICKED. I'm not sure what you're up to, but I'm not buying it."

"Me neither," Minho chimed in. "They can manipulate us, play with our shuck brains, dude! How would we even know if they're giving us back our own memories or shoving new ones inside us?"

Ruby nodded. "Fancy that. How can we ever trust them?"

Sighing in frustration, Teresa eyed them. "You guys are missing the whole point! If they can control us, if they can do whatever they want with us, make us do anything, then why would they even bother with this whole charade of giving us a choice? Plus, he said they'd also be taking out the part that lets them control us. It feels legit to me."

Minho scoffed. "Well, I never trusted you, anyway. And certainly not them. I'm with Thomas."

"Us too," Joan agreed, stepping closer, still clutching Ruby's hand.

"What about Aris?" Newt asked, limping toward them. "Didn't you say he was with you guys before you came to the Maze? What does he think?"

"I'll go ask him," Teresa said, walking over to where Aris stood with the rest of Group B.

"No need," Ruby muttered. "He'll be with her. All of our group is."

Squeezing her metal hand, Minho commented, "I hate that chick."

Frypan tried to play peacemaker. "Come on. She's not so bad."

"Whatever. If she's doing it, I'm not."

Newt nodded firmly. "Me neither. And I'm the one who supposedly has the bloody Flare, so I have more stake in it than anybody. But I'm not falling for one more trick."

"Let's just hear what she says," Thomas said, even though he looked like he'd rather do the exact opposite. "Here she comes."

"He sounded even more sure than us." Was her simple answer. "They're all for it."

Ruby set her jaw. "Told you," she murmured, swallowing. She felt her eyes growing wet despite herself. If she was being honest, she understood why they wanted to do it, too. It made sense, logically. But this... this wasn't a logical situation. It was a trust situation. WICKED had blown her trust for them to bits, and there was no way of getting it back.

"Well, that settles it for me," Minho spoke loudly, bringing Ruby from her thoughts. "If Aris and Teresa are for it, I'm against it." He let go of her arm to cross his arms across his chest.

Ruby smirked. Amen to that.

Teresa looked to Thomas, as if she expected him to side with her, but he said nothing. His expression was completely blank.

"Suit yourself." She walked back to Aris and the rest of Ruby's former group.

"Ah, man," Frypan commented, "we can't let them put those things on our face, can we? I'd just be happy back in my kitchen in the Homestead, I swear I would."

"You forget about the Grievers?" Newt asked, raising an eyebrow.

Frypan paused, contemplating. "They never messed with me in the kitchen, now, did they?" he said simply.

Newt shrugged. "Yeah, well, we'll just have to find you a new place to cook." With that, he grabbed Thomas and Minho. "Ruby, Joan," he called, motioning with his head for the two to follow them. "I've had enough bloody arguments," he muttered. "I'm not getting on one of those beds."

Minho squeezed Newt's shoulder. "Me neither."

"They'll have to tie me down," Ruby commented.

"Same here," Thomas agreed, nodding. Then, he whispered, "We'll stick around, play along, and act nice, but as soon as we get a chance, we're going to fight our way out of this place."

All too soon, Rat Man returned. Thomas looked between his friends (and new allies) before looking to the only adult in the room. More WICKED workers—doctors, it looked like—filled the room, eyeing all of the teens.

Swallowing, Thomas realized the gravity of the situation. How calculated everything must have been, how WICKED must have anticipated their every move. Each doctor took their place beside one of the beds and got to work, fiddling with the machinery next to the beds.

"We've already assigned each of you a bed," Rat Man explained, looking down at a clipboard. "Those staying in this room are…" He rattled of a few names, but neither Thomas nor any of the Gladers were on the list. Joan and Ruby were, though. "... Joan, and Ruby. If I didn't call your name, please follow me."

Ruby shook her head when a doctor tried to guide her by the arm to a bed. "No thank you," she snapped, jerking her arm away, and Thomas noticed with a slight start that her arm was now entirely made of metal. "I'm not doing it," she said firmly to Rat Man.

"Me too," Joan interjected, her voice soft yet firm. It hit Thomas like a punch to the gut how much the young girl often reminded him of Chuck. Just a kid, far too young to be experiencing this sort of suffering. They all were.

"That's fine," Rat Man replied calmly. "You two'll change your minds soon enough. Stay with me until we've finished distributing everyone else." Thomas tried to hide his shock at how easily he allowed the two to skip the procedure.

He led them to the next room and read off more names. This time, Frypan and Newt were on the list.

"I'm not getting on there, either," Newt declared firmly, crossing his arms. "It's my bloody choice."

The Rat Man pursed his lips, then forced a smile. "Of course. You'll have to wait with me like Ruby and Joan." He motioned to the two girls, who stood stoically side by side. Newt walked over to them, smiling mirthlessly.

"How nice of you to join us!" Ruby said mockingly.

Newt snorted. " 'Course," he muttered, smirking.

"What about you, Frypan?" Thomas asked, turning his attention back to his other friend.

The cook swallowed, looking embarrassed. "I..." he began, "I think I'm going to let them do it."

"Are you crazy?" Minho asked.

Frypan shook his head, holding himself a little taller. "I want to remember. Make your own choice; let me make mine."

Ruby walked over to him with a wry smile on her face and clapped him on the shoulder. "See you later, man," she told him. "I hope you don't regret it."

"Let's move along," Rat Man called impatiently.

Frypan hurried back into the room, and Thomas and his friends followed after Rat Man.

Teresa, Thomas, and Minho weren't called for until the final door, and by that point, Joan had apparently become so bored she hitched a ride on Ruby's back.

"No thanks," Minho declared when it was time for them to go into the room. "But I appreciate the invitation. You guys have a good time in there." He waved mockingly.

"I'm not doing it, either," Thomas said, feeling anticipation build up inside of himself. It was almost time to make a move, he knew.

The Rat Man stared at Thomas, not saying anything.

"You okay there, Mr. Rat Man?" Minho asked in mock concern.

Rat Man never looked away from Thomas, his face contorted in barely concealed anger. "My name is Assistant Director Janson. Learn to respect your elders."

"You quit treating people like animals and maybe I'll consider it," Minho shot back. He moved toward Ruby, grabbing her metal hand. "And why are you goggling at Thomas?"

Finally, Janson looked to Minho. "Because there are many things to consider," he replied smoothly. "But very well. We said you could choose for yourselves, and we'll stand by that. Everyone come inside and we'll get things started with those willing to participate."

Thomas felt a shiver. Their moment was coming. He knew it. He looked to Minho and gave him a slight nod, slight smirk forming when he nodded back. They walked into the room behind Newt, Ruby, and Joan.

Seeing Brenda threw Ruby for a loop. The girl, from what Minho had told her, had helped Group A throughout the Scorch. So what was she doing with WICKED?

"Do you think she's a Variable or something?" She asked Minho when he joined her and Newt in the back of the room. She shifted Joan on her back.

Minho shrugged. "Dunno," he muttered. "I'm not really sure about anyone anymore."

Thomas joined them.

Before any of them could say anything, Janson spoke up again. "You five rebels are being watched. Don't even think about trying anything. Armed guards are on their way as we speak."

Ruby swallowed, feeling uncomfortable. Watched? That was just great.

"That's a bunch of klunk," Minho spoke, as if he could read her thoughts. "I think we should take our chances, see what happens."

Suddenly, three men and three women burst into the room, dressed in all black and with rope, tools, and ammunition strapped to their backs. They all held large, bulky weapons. They crackled with electricity, a sort of blue lightning. They aimed them at Ruby and the boys.

"We waited to bloody long," Newt said lowly, his voice sharp.

"They would've caught us out there anyway," Thomas replied quietly. "Just be patient."

Janson walked to the guards, motioning to their weapons. "These are called Launchers," he helpfully informed them. "These guards will not hesitate to fire them if any of you cause trouble. The weapons won't kill you, but trust me when I say that they'll give you the most uncomfortable five minutes of your life."

"What's going on?" Thomas asked, eyes wide. "You just told us we could make this choice ourselves. Why the sudden army?"

Ruby nodded in agreement.

"Because I don't trust you," was the simple answer. "We hoped you would do things voluntarily once your memories were back. It would just make things easier. But I never said we don't still need you."

Minho clutched her hand tighter. "What a surprise. You lied again."

Rat Man shrugged. "I haven't lied about a thing. You made your decision, now live with the consequences." He motioned to the door. "Guards, escort Thomas and the others to their rooms, where they can dwell on their mistakes until tomorrow morning's tests. Use whatever force is necessary."

A/N

So, there's chapter 10! What did you guys think?

Later chapters might be a little slow coming out because I'm going to be rewriting a lot of my stories. Not this one, though. I'm proud of my work, and I'm very satisfied with it. My other stories (really all of them except Can You Hear Me) I'm not very proud of and will edit severely.

Happy new year's, guys!

Love,

Nell