A plan was one thing; executing it was a whole other thing.
The group stumbled through the streets as things exploded all around them while civilians fled from the cross fire of the storming rebels and the police doing their best to keep the rebels at bay. Gally led the way as he was the only one who still had a long-range weapon left while Rachel paced alongside Minho and Thomas as they continued to support Newt. The blond was weakening fast and his mood was swinging constantly as they did their best to run through the burning city.
"All right." Gally called as they rounded a corner into a narrower street. "Newt, we're almost there."
"Just leave me." Newt groaned yet again.
They ignored him but Rachel yelped as a car exploded right in front of her and Gally, blowing passed the street opening they had been about to step into.
"Back! Back!" Gally warned as the group all staggered in the after wave of the explosion.
They all crawled back into the shadows just in time before a crowd of rebels went storming by, shouting and firing more guns and explosives. Minho propped Newt up against the wall again as the others regrouped quickly, needing to determine their next course of action when a whirring noise made them all pause and look up slowly.
Where once the sound of a Berg would have made their skins crawl, Rachel could have cried with relief as she saw the large aircraft fly overhead.
"That's them." Thomas murmured in equal relief before he quickly bent down next to Newt again. "We gotta go."
"Go without me." Newt snapped as he started coughing again. "Just go-!"
He cut himself off as he hacked and this time he spat out dark blood the colour of ink. Rachel covered her mouth with her hands while Thomas leant back as they realized Newt couldn't move. Thomas moved aside numbly as Rachel slid in next to Newt, her hand touching his forehead again only for him to slap her hand away.
"Just go!" He snarled, spitting more blood and phlegm out to the side.
"I'm not leaving without you." Rachel protested when Newt shoved her back with more force than any of them had been expecting.
"I said, leave me and go!" He yelled at her while Rachel stumbled. Minho caught her and steadied her as they both stared at Newt, stunned, while he collapsed into another coughing fit. Minho in particular had never seen Newt lose his temper while Gally exchanged a grim look with Thomas.
"Minho." Thomas said softly as Newt's coughs subsided into wheezes. "You gotta run ahead, grab the serum, and get back to us as soon as you can."
Minho glanced at Thomas and then took one more look at Newt before he nodded as he saw the wisdom in Thomas's plan.
"I can cover." Gally offered, when Newt pushed Rachel's hand weakly.
"You… go… too..." He croaked out between his wheezes and she shook her head.
"They don't need me, I'm staying with you." She insisted and Newt tugged her sharply against him.
She yelped before flinching back as Newt hissed at her, "You're not helping. Just go, get away, LEAVE me!"
He broke off as he started hacking violently again. The other boys looked on uncertainly, torn between getting Rachel away as they worried Newt would hurt her and letting her decide.
"Go away!" Newt snapped again when he stopped coughing and saw Rachel was still there.
"Rachel, maybe you should go with Minho." Thomas murmured. "You're a fast runner and the two of you might be faster."
"You can't carry Newt alone-" Rachel began when Newt shoved her back again harshly.
"GO!" Newt roared.
"Newt! You're gonna hurt her!" Minho finally cut in worriedly but Rachel shouted over him, "I'm not leaving you, you shucking stubborn stick!"
She was blinking back tears by this point as she demanded, "Do you think I haven't figured out that you're trying to get rid of me because you don't want me to see you like this? I'm not stupid, even if you think I am for not realizing what was wrong sooner!"
The other boys were surprised when Newt's anger faded at Rachel's words; but the bleakness that replaced it was no better.
"Love, listen to me." Newt whispered, tugging on her hand in a mix of apology and pleading. "I don't want to hurt you. I'd lose my bloody mind more than I already have."
He suddenly broke into another fitting cough and Rachel fought back tears as she bent over Newt while the others watched silently.
"Love, please go. Do this one thing for me. Please go." Newt whispered when his coughing eased.
Rachel looked like she was about to protest again but Minho placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll be faster if we stop arguing and get the serum." He murmured.
Newt's head rolled as he fought for breath and finally Rachel caved. Blinking back her tears, she leant down next to Newt. He turned his head to her in response and he stiffened when Rachel pressed her lips to his. She ignored the way he didn't respond as she pulled back and caressed his sweat-soaked hair.
"We'll be right back." Rachel whispered while Newt gazed at her with an agonized look that almost made her stop in her tracks if she didn't think he'd kill himself arguing with her again. "I promise, Newt."
Newt squeezed her hand weakly as she stood up, her hand slipping from his.
"Thanks… love."
Rachel bit her lip to stop the tears as he sounded like her Newt again, if only a little, while Newt's eyes shifted over to Minho, who was staring down at him with a worried frown pulling his brows together. Newt gestured at his old friend.
"Thank you." He croaked out, looking a lot more tired now that the anger was gone. "Thank you, Minho."
Minho's jaw tightened at the finality in Newt's voice and he replied firmly, "Hey, you just hang on. You hear me?"
Newt just waved his hand in some weak gesture. But his eyes remained focused as he watched while Miho and Gally edged toward the end of the alleyway. Rachel backed away with them, her eyes remaining locked on Newt's as he watched her leave as he had bid. It was only when she absolutely had to that Rachel turned and she and Minho dashed out with the speed that had kept them alive in the Maze while Gally covered their mad dash in the direction they'd seen the Berg go. Thomas also watched as the trio disappeared, making sure they made it safely to the other side of the street. And so all of them missed as Newt's face filled with heartbreak as he saw Rachel disappear like he'd needed but never wanted.
Thomas breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the trio make it out of the battleground that was between them and the Berg without any problem and he murmured, "Okay, they're through."
He watched for their progress before he looked back down to see Newt's breathing had quickened like he couldn't breathe properly while his head lolled slightly and his eyes lost focus.
"Newt? Newt?" Thomas called urgently, bending down in front of his friend in alarm. "Hey! Hey! Newt!"
Thomas was relieved when Newt's eyes focused on him again, although he was taken aback when they flooded with crushing despair.
"Newt, we're gonna try this, okay?" Thomas pleaded, wondering what was wrong with his friend as Newt struggled to do something. "We gotta move now. Let's get you up, come on."
"No." Newt choked out, reaching for his neck. "No."
"No, Newt. Later." Thomas insisted, trying to stop his friend's odd behaviour as he tried to help Newt up but Newt kept pushing his hands away. "Later. Really gotta go-"
Newt grunted as he snapped off a string of rope he'd been wearing, tucked inside his shirt and unnoticed until now beneath the suit he'd been wearing before.
"Look," he croaked, interrupting Thomas. "You gotta take this."
"We gotta get you up, now." Thomas tried to insist when Newt screamed, "No, just take it!"
Thomas froze at Newt's temper while Newt stared at him with wild eyes. Newt's temper disappeared at Thomas's silence and he croaked out, "Please."
He clasped a small cylindrical object into Thomas's hand and Thomas realized it had been what was on Newt's necklace. Thomas glanced down at it before he looked back at Newt as the boy wheezed, "Please, Tommy."
Thomas closed his hands tightly around what Newt had given him and he nodded.
"All right. All right." Thomas tucked the object into his pocket securely before he bent down to Newt's level again as he pleaded, "But in exchange, I need you to give me everything you got. You and me, right now. Let's go. Ready?"
Newt's head lolled but it didn't seem to be in agreement so Thomas pressed, "Come on, ready? Here we go."
Thomas hoisted Newt up against him. Newt groaned as though in pain the entire way up, but he managed to find some strength in his feet to help while Thomas basically carried his friend through the warzone the city had become.
Several blocks away, Rachel dove for cover as something exploded nearby. Minho was right with her and he gasped, "Come on, we're almost there."
"I know. I know." Rachel wheezed back as she fought to get her breath while they glanced out and prepared to run again. Gally was completely out of breath by this point as he bent over double beside them and Minho glanced at the boy.
"Gally, ready?" He asked.
Before Gally could respond, Rachel had launched back out into the street as she sprinted off toward the building where they had seen the Berg land.
"She's crazy." Gally wheezed and Minho shook his head.
"She's desperate." He corrected before he also raced out after Rachel. Gally swore under his breath before he ran out behind them. He wasn't able to catch up to them but by then it didn't matter - Rachel was inside the building and going up the elevator to the Berg.
"Damned… Runners… got… all… the… good… genes..." Gally wheezed as he saw Minho following not far behind Rachel.
Thomas made it two and a half blocks carrying Newt before Newt collapsed, choking on his own blood.
"Newt, no, no! Hey!" Thomas cried desperately as Newt dropped like a stone beside him, halfway down the abandoned courtyard Thomas had managed to get them to in an effort to avoid the fighting.
The blond was convulsing slightly as he struggled to breathe and Thomas hurriedly bent over his friend, trying to check Newt's heart. He heard Newt's heart stagger over a beat and his own heart dropped.
"No, no, come on..." Thomas muttered as he moved around to pick Newt up by the arms.
Thomas attempted to haul Newt the rest of the way; but he was exhausted, worn out and Newt - for all that he was a fairly skinny guy - was basically a deadweight by this point. It was maybe ten or so paces before Thomas's legs gave out beneath him and he had no strength left to try and carry Newt.
As Thomas lay there, panting, with Newt strewn across him, he heard a familiar voice.
"Thomas?"
Thomas raised his head, startled to hear Teresa's voice as she called through the city's PA system.
"Can you hear me? I need you to listen to me. I know you have no reason to trust me… I know Rachel doesn't trust me. But I need you and Rachel to come back. Thomas, you two can save Newt."
Rachel looked up in shock from where she had just reached Brenda, Frypan and Jorge. Vince was with them too, to her surprise, but nothing was really registering for her except Teresa's words as she confirmed what Rachel had suspected about Thomas… and what Rachel hadn't known about herself.
"There's still time for him. There's a reason Brenda isn't sick anymore. It's your blood. I tested all of your blood and you and Rachel are the only ones that have it in your blood. Do you understand? Brenda isn't sick, because… because you cured her."
Minho had joined Rachel by this stage, out of breath but just as incredulous as the others as they listened to Teresa.
"She doesn't have to be the only one. All you have to do is come back. And this will all finally be over. Please, Tom. Just come back to me. I know you'll do the right-"
Teresa's voice cut out as the city's power shut down - probably because someone had blown up the generator. Minho stared at Rachel and he demanded, "You don't believe that bullsh*t, do you?"
"I do. But not because she said it." Rachel answered as she took the serum from Brenda and turned around.
Rachel took off again just as Gally reached them; he groaned but turned to follow them back while Minho chased Rachel, shouting, "How do you know it's true?"
"Because I saw the files and Teresa's right!" Rachel shouted back as she and Minho sprinted down while Brenda caved to her feelings and joined them. "Brenda's fine and it's impossible! Except for Thomas's blood!"
"And yours, apparently." Minho answered as they had to take the stairs down with the elevator out of power.
"I don't think I'm an O." Rachel answered shortly - mostly because she was starting to get out of breath going down the stairs.
"Why?"
"Because Dr. Cooper specifically took Thomas to heal Brenda. She couldn't know Thomas's blood was special - I think it was just because she knew he was an Immune and an O."
"But if he healed Brenda, he can heal Newt?!" Minho demanded and Rachel blinked back tears of fear, desperation and hope.
"I hope so, Min. I really hope so!"
Several blocks away, Thomas yelled as he rolled across the ground. Almost as soon as Teresa's broadcast had cut, the blond had suddenly gotten up - but it wasn't because he was feeling better. No, it was far worse.
Thomas pushed Newt away harshly, forcing the blond off from where Newt had been tackling him. Newt tumbled away, screeching viciously in a way that was definitely not human. But as he rolled to a stop, the snarls suddenly stopped.
Thomas watched warily as Newt panted, struggling to remain on his hands and knees while he pleaded, "Tommy, kill me!"
Thomas's eyes widened as he realized his friend was back and he rushed to bend toward his friend as he reassured urgently, "Newt, I'm here."
But Newt suddenly let out another inhuman snarl and launched at Thomas, who barely managed to stop Newt from biting at him or worse while the two went tumbling to the ground yet again. Thomas gasped as he fought to keep Newt at arm's length while the boy lurched and lunged in the same jerky movements they had seen the Cranks move in.
"Newt, please!" Thomas cried as he fought to keep Newt off, feeling his strength waning.
At Thomas's plea, Newt seemed to regain himself again as the snarls cut off and Newt gasped in horror.
"I'm sorry, Tommy." Newt wheezed, his voice still croaky and Thomas gasped in relief.
"It's okay. It's okay." Thomas whispered reassuringly, trying to keep Newt with him.
Newt growled again, the inhuman sound coming back, when he suddenly lunged down - and Thomas watched in horror as Newt grasped the pistol on his thigh and pulled it up to his temple.
"NO!" Thomas yelled as he threw his arm up and punched Newt's hand.
The pistol went flying out of Newt's grip, skidding across the floor and out of reach, and Newt screamed that animalistic sound again as he lunged down at Thomas again.
"Newt!" Rachel screamed as she ran through the streets. "Newt!"
"Thomas!" Brenda yelled with her as the group searched for Thomas and Newt, unable to find them in the chaos.
"Rachel! Brenda!" Minho yelled at them as the two women raced heedlessly through the battlefield, ignorant of bullets even when the boys ducked for cover as they realized the way was blocked. "Rachel!"
Thomas grunted as he threw Newt off of him, and again it was like the impact awakened Newt.
The boy gasped, spitting black blood, and he wheezed while Thomas waited warily. Thomas's eyes then widened as Newt drew a pocket knife from his trousers and lunged at Thomas with it, growling like an animal again while his black eyes glared madly down at his friend.
Thomas barely managed to keep the knife away from his chest as Newt attempted to stab him in the heart; but Newt was stronger now while Thomas was exhausted. Thomas yelled as Newt got the knife close enough that it pierced Thomas's skin, before Thomas kicked Newt viciously off.
Newt went tumbling to the side and Thomas punched him hard across the face, causing Newt to give an inhuman yelp almost like a dog being kicked.
"Newt!" Thomas yelled but this time nothing seemed to be able to call the boy back as he lunged and slashed at Thomas.
Thomas was forced back as he did everything he could to avoid Newt's attacks, which were growing wilder and more violent. Thomas tried to grab Newt's wrist and he pulled at the boy's arm to try and get him to let go of the knife. Newt just swung again, breaking from Thomas's hold and Thomas pushed Newt's hand hastily in an attempt to keep the knife away from him.
But he froze as he felt the knife pierce flesh. And Thomas looked up in horror as Newt slowly leant back away from him, his hand falling away from the knife that was plunged into his own chest. Thomas gasped, his senses shutting down with his shock as he stared at the knife embedded in his friend's chest.
"Tommy."
Thomas looked up, blinking tears, as Newt stared at him with a clarity he'd been missing before the boy collapsed. Thomas lunged to catch Newt but his own weariness and shock meant he was unable to support Newt's weight and he went crashing down with the other boy. Thomas stared down at Newt's unmoving body while the cold realization that he'd just killed his friend really sank in.
"No… no, no, no..." Thomas whimpered, before his head jerked up as a very familiar voice screamed.