Chapter 53. Lock

Thomas slipped out of sleep feeling peaceful. There was a slight chill in the air, but the hard bed beneath was warm, and he kept his eyes shut. They had escaped. He had fallen asleep on the berg, and they would land soon, far away from WICKED. That buzzing sound came from the vehicle as it flew. It sounded like the electric hum in WICKED's facility, but it wasn't. He'd had a bad dream about failing to escape, but a dream was all it was. His leg had been shot in the nightmare, as he vaguely recalled, but he felt nothing in it, so it couldn't have happened in actuality.

Those distant footsteps were his friends, pacing around in ecstatic disbelief. They came closer, so they could wake Thomas. They would land soon. That metallic sound was like some of the doors in the facility, but it was just a regular sound one found on a berg.

"Thomas?" There was no Ava Paige on the berg.

Without wanting to, Thomas opened his eyes to view the mess he was in. He blinked, blinded by the sharp whiteness of the room. He focused on the figure in front of him. Paige regarded him, looking either superior or pitying in her silence. Thomas looked around quickly, observing the many cabinets and empty desks, all the color of snow. When Paige remained still, he looked at himself. His shirt was also white, and —to his disgust— bore the WICKED logo. Moving down, he saw a bandage around his shin, partly hidden by a rolled-up pant-leg that had slid down. He turned the leg carefully, but felt only numbness. He looked back up at the chancellor, waiting for her to explain the situation. He pushed himself up to sit, but paused afterwards because of an odd feeling in his wrist. He pulled the sleeve up and saw the band around his arm. From it came the thin chain that had just rustled against his skin. He had been chained to a bedpost.

The chain was long enough to allow some movement. He could just about stand next to the bed, which he did, glaring at Paige.

"I don't suppose—" he began in a hoarse voice. How long had he been sleeping? He cleared his throat. "Is there any way you will give me the key to this thing?"

Her look was all the answer needed, but she spoke anyway. "We let you roam free, and you tried to run off with our cure."

"It's not yours."

"Finders keepers, Thomas. We knew how it could be used, and we would have been able to create more -for the good of everyone- if your friends hadn't stolen it. Why would you do that? I understand why you little rebels would break out, but we would have let them go without following if they hadn't taken the Cure."

"You would have let us go?"

"Not all of you. Not you."

"Why? Can't you find anyone else to torment? Is this dumb research of yours worth chaining me up like an animal?"

"You understand that sacrificing one person for many is the right thing to do, don't you? Say the rest of your friends could be free if you stayed behind. Wouldn't that be better than all of you being stuck? You have a very special brain that we can use to create order and peace for everyone in the world. Would it be right of you to leave, or of us to let you?"

Thomas pulled at the chain. "This isn't right, and you know that. You knew I wouldn't agree to help you if you made me a deal, because you don't even have a good reason for this research. Telepathy isn't important —not like the Cure. You just had to find a new thing to hurt people for."

The chancellor gave him a patronising smile. "You are entirely wrong. Maybe I'll tell you one day… For now, how about this deal: You will calm down and be helpful in today's experiment?"

"Why would I agree to that?"

"Because you will not see Newt before that."

The game had been lost this time. Thomas had to know his friend was alright. He was on the verge of an answer, but that smug look on her face killed the words in his throat. She knew that she controlled him, holding every advantage.

Thomas kept his expression neutral as he answered. "No."

Ava Paige raised her eyebrows. "No?" She shook her head. "So be it. I will return tomorrow with a different offer. That little hiccup in our technology before has been solved. We control you."

Thomas scowled. He wanted to throw something at her. The glass of water on the little table next to him looked like an excellent projectile. But no, he would not be controlled by his anger and risk consequences.

"I see," Paige said, looking at the glass.

"You see that I'm thirsty?" Thomas tried.

Without wanting to, he reached for the glass. He brought it up and closed his eyes before the cold splash of water hit him. He put the glass back, shuddering. Steeling his eyes, he looked at Paige. He was not a lab rat or a test subject. She would not control him. She didn't trust him, and wouldn't, so there was no point in hiding his defiance.

"I will return tomorrow. Until then, you will be here -alone- thinking about what the best course of action will be for you," Paige said, leaving the room.

Thomas waited for a minute after the door's lock had clicked, staying still. Then he sat on the bed, picking a thin blanket up from the floor to dry his face and throat. He moved calmly. It should be clear to the cameras that he was not at all defeated or bothered by anything.

The front of his shirt was drenched, but there was nothing to be done about that. To combat the cold of the room and the water, he did pushups. The chain restricted where he could be, but he could exercise on the floor right next to the bed.

As he did, he replayed what had just occurred. He would have to agree to the next deal. If he had simply not been allowed to see Newt this day, what would happen on the day after? The chancellor had looked particularly evil as she'd said 'we control you'. She'd made him throw water at himself as a demonstration, but he had shown her that he didn't care what was done to him. She wouldn't be threatening to make Thomas hurt himself, but she might give the consequences for his continued defiance to Newt. Thomas would not refuse to cooperate if that meant he'd have to hurt his friend. Paige knew that, and he would not deny it.

Fear wanted to creep in to poison his thoughts and fill him with unease, but he continued with the pushups and focused on his burning muscles and the prickly feeling that had replaced the numbness in his injured leg. He could not carry on forever. He drew himself up, breathing heavily. He leaned against the wall, fiddling with the ring attaching the chain to him. He nonchalantly scanned it for any weaknesses, continuing down the links and continuing to find nothing. If they'd wanted to keep him there, they wouldn't have given him a weak chain. It was just something to do.

As he twisted the metal rings, so did he turn his thoughts around, looking for a solution without finding one. Another escape was unlikely. Paige had not seemed to mind the others leaving. Perhaps she'd known everything from the start. Somebody had helped them then, breaking the control WICKED had over their movements. That must have been the only reason they'd gotten away with the Cure. Somebody working for WICKED who could disable their systems… Somebody who had been dealt with, by the sound of it. Killed or imprisoned… Could there be any accomplices? Paige wouldn't allow the same mistake again.

What if he and Newt pretended to cooperate, but made sure to produce unhelpful results in the experiments? That was risky. If they were at any point suspected of sabotage, they would never be believed again, even if they were truly unable to do something.

The easiest thing would be to cooperate. He didn't want to help WICKED in any way, but he did not want to be tortured into complying, and he absolutely didn't want Newt to suffer.

He could not escape, and would not bring down WICKED's wrath on them, so the only option was to go along with everything until they were released or rescued. The latter was more likely to happen, and it should not happen any time soon. He wanted to scream in frustration.

Thomas calmed himself. He would talk to Newt. His friend might not have any plan, but he could use the company. He tried to contact him, but after trying hard enough to make his head ache, he gave up. The chancellor had said he'd be alone, after all. For such an unsurprising blow, it sure hurt. The technology or the walls were isolating him from everyone. It was as maddening as the third trial, where he'd been alone for reasons unknown, not knowing for how long, and thinking he had the Flare. One hour in this new isolation might as well have been a week.

He decided to get through those weeks by sleeping through a few of them. He was not tired, but the warmth of the blanket comforted him enough to start the coma.

He entered a pattern of sleeping and waking, not knowing how long he had been out each time. For every time he woke, time seemed less real, but as a contrast, the new environment became more accepted by his mind. In his last awakening, he'd known where he was instantly. That time, there was a bowl of soup on the table. The temperature indicated he'd slept for a good while, but he could only guess at what meal this was. It didn't feel like breakfast, but it didn't really feel like lunch or dinner either.

After eating, he was too alert to fall asleep again. Instead, he closed his eyes, imagining what his friends were up to. In the daydream, they were having a meeting with Brenda and another representative from the Right Arm. Brenda was just saying that she was the new leader of the Right Arm and could help them in the fight against WICKED. Teresa and the guy from the Right Arm were discussing how they could use the Cure and mass-produce it. With their technology and Teresa's knowledge, it would be done in no time. Meanwhile, Brenda and Minho planned an escape for Thomas and Newt using secret allies within WICKED to sneak them out. It was a nice thought, at least.

He ran some extensive scenarios over the next blurry unit of time. There were some dark moments, but they always made it out and overcame their issues. As he pictured the sun setting over shining city, the footsteps returned. He opened his eyes and sat up. Despite the mostly dreadful day he'd had, the old wish to rebel swelled up in his chest. He pushed at it, reminding himself that he'd made his decision hours ago.

The chancellor poked her bored face through the doorframe. "Do I need to make you a new deal, Thomas?"

"No." There was no point in making conditions. If he wanted to bargain, he'd have to work up to it, that much was clear by Paige's exasperated voice.

She nodded, almost with pride. "The research team will be here in fifteen minutes. Behave, both of you." She moved aside, and Newt was there.

He entered, looking at Thomas with surprise. He turned to Paige, glaring, but she closed the door before he said anything.

"Those bloody…" Newt marched over to Thomas. "Why'd those Slintheads have to chain you up?"

Thomas stood up, rattling the chain. "They're done pretending to play nice, I guess."

"If that was their nice, we're goners." Newt sat down on Thomas' bed with a sigh.

Thomas sat next to him. "It was nice knowing you. Sorry you'll get tortured to death next to me in fifteen minutes."

"Are ya gonna make me be the positive one? Fine. We'll survive like always, and if we don't, it's all an illusion so we're good anyways. Not sayin' 'if you die, I'll die with you'."

"Yeah, don't do that."

Newt put a hand on Thomas' shoulder. "We'll make it through, Tommy."

They sat in companionable silence, each building up the energy to deal with what would come. Then, when the door opened again, in walked Sneer, the woman who'd been part of that first telepathy session after the last trial. She had supposedly been arrested along with her team, but here she was. Newt's grimace summed up what Thomas felt. WICKED had been playing nice earlier. That first evening had been set up to be horrible, to make what followed be better. Ava Paige had appeared to care about how they were treated, and they would have been more likely to cooperate. No need for that now. He only hoped their earlier treatment had been entirely for show, that it would not be as exhausting as then. His inner pessimist reminded him that last time they'd been protected from any serious damage. It wouldn't be such a big deal if Thomas or Newt got their heads blown up. Just look for their escaped friends and get new subjects, as easy as that. Thomas sat up straighter. If he were about to meet a slow demise, he'd last for as long as possible.

"We'll make it through," he told his friend. It may have been stupid to use telepathy and exhaust his energy so soon, but Thomas didn't want to be the first one to speak.

The researchers filed in —a mix of the first and later groups. They murmured amongst themselves, casting glances at their test subjects. After some nodding, most of them departed. A few more went into an adjacent room, leaving Sneer and four others. Two of them were unfamiliar, dressed not in the typical lab coats, but in the same white clothes as Thomas and Newt.

"These are your new partners for the experiment. This is Gold." Sneer pointed at the short, blond boy on the right. "This—" another boy, taller, but otherwise hard to distinguish from the other, "—Green."

"That one's yours, Greenie," Newt said.

Sneer looked smug. "You'll be paired with Green, Greenie," she said to Thomas, looking even smugger at his dumbfounded expression.

Had she heard what Newt said? But he'd been using… Unless she had a way of hearing what they said to each other. Why hadn't he… They'd been using telepathy to talk about their plans! Was that why they were caught? Why had he been dumb enough to think his mind would be safe from them after they'd been tinkering with it? Everything he'd said… He didn't think he'd used the name of the place they had been supposed to travel to, at least. The others… no, they hadn't relied on telepathy as much at that time. Still, somebody else had listened to the serious plans and the banter and the jokes. It was all poisoned now. Sneer all but explicitly told them that their conversations had not been private.

"We've established that the two of you can communicate," Sneer said. "And that you two cannot."

The possibly-twins nodded.

"Thomas will reach out to Green, and Gold will attempt saying something to Newton. Go ahead."

Thomas looked at the boy, who now stood in front of him. Was he a prisoner, too? Another immune kept in store? Maybe a resident, or the son of a scientist. His pointy face had a condescending look to it, or perhaps it was in the way he raised his chin.

"Get on with it, then," he said.

Thomas smiled insincerely, trying to direct the words 'go away, Shuckface' at him. Not surprisingly, there was no sign of success. Thomas sighed. Sneer and her bespectacled colleague were watching. He tried again, and again. "Can you hear me, idiot? Hey! Listen up!"

The only progress was that of his head feeling more and more tense. After attempt who-knows, a painful flash struck his head like lightning. Maybe not so bad as that, but the shock of it made him yelp. He breathed deeply, and heard movement next to him. Newt had remained beside him, but turned in the other direction, appearing to have no more luck than Thomas. Now he looked at Thomas worriedly.

"It's fine," Thomas mumbled to him.

Sneer cleared her throat. "It has been almost an hour. Are you not taking this seriously?"

"Yes, I'm sorry," Gold said, looking like he'd been running for all that time.

"Thomas?"

"Yes," he mustered, turning back to Green.

"Good, because you had better produce results before another hour has passed."

Thomas tried. He truly did. Nothing worked, and his head got worse. Maybe his thoughts of having his head explode were more realistic than he'd hoped. The only thing keeping him going was Newt's hand squeezing his own. Either it was discreet or Sneer allowed it. He wanted to think that she hadn't noticed, and that he was somehow working against WICKED's wishes by doing something without their permission.

"That's two hours. And?" Sneer looked form one pair to the other.

"I'm… sorry," Gold gasped.

"Not entirely unexpected," Sneer said. "Disappointing, but good to know. Thomas, however. I told you to try harder."

Thomas didn't answer. He had tried, but he doubted he could explain that in a way that wouldn't anger Sneer more.

She merely looked at him coldly.

Thomas clenched his fist in anger. He released Newt's hand, raising it to— wait, he was not doing that. Oh no. He pushed his exhausted brain, trying to switch the signals and break the control over his hands.

His hand grabbed Newt by the hair, keeping his face in front of Thomas. The fist raised itself. Newt looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm not in control," Thomas tried to say, but he could feel the words not making it all the way. He darted his eyes around, trying to come up with a way to communicate.

Newt's surprise faded. He sent Thomas a hopeless little smile and closed his eyes.

"You have to try harder," Sneer said.

Thomas' horror loosened its grip. It had just been a warning.

But why was he still being— His fist crashed into his friend's cheek.

Newt drew in a sharp breath as Thomas let go of his hair. He blinked, but was otherwise expressionless. He locked eyes with Thomas, but there was no accusation or betrayal in them. Like he was feeling sorry for Thomas, who could not understand how he had done what he had.

They had to turn back to their partners like nothing had happened. Only the guilt and the sight ache in his hand told Thomas otherwise. They had switched roles in the experiment. This time Green was the one trying to contact Thomas. The relief of letting his mind relax only lasted for a little while. It had been determined that the newcomers would not be able to make contact, but the same did not go for Thomas and Newt, who were supposed to be able to transfer the power or however it worked —or rather, didn't work.

After some time they were mercifully allowed an unmercifully short break, before picking it up. This time the experiment involved holding heavy magnets at various points between the two supposed to communicate. Thomas' hand was trembling, trying to hold the thing up in the air in front of him. Before he dropped it, Sneer announced that she'd had enough for the day.

Just like that they all left. Green and Gold were gone before he could blink. Sneer called her colleagues out from the room next to them, handing one of them her notebook. Thomas had slumped down on the bed, exhausted, leaning against his friend. They'd made it through the first day. How many days would it take before his brain decided to stop working? Maybe he wouldn't notice right away. Maybe he'd catch a glimpse of that notebook one day and realise he could no longer read, or maybe he'd try to say something out loud, but be unable to articulate. There was even less of a chance of breaking free and escaping if this was the toll his brain would take every day. The others had to come soon. If they weren't rescued soon…

"Get up," Sneer said.

Thomas thought she meant him, but sitting up, he saw her pulling at Newt's arm.

He followed reluctantly. "Later, Tommy," he said tiredly.

Thomas couldn't answer. As soon as the door was shut, he stood up. He was going to pull at the chain until it broke. Yes, it wouldn't stop him from following after his friend.

He yanked it, but lacked the energy to be even close to challenging the metal. He sank down on the bed. He'd be free. Soon. Now he could only keep sinking. They have to get here soon, Thomas thought as he fell into a dream.