I do not own the Maze Runner Trilogy.
"Break me down, but I don't fall
There's madness in this burning soul
Let's do this mother, mother yeah."
—Feel It All by Vinyl Theatre
Brenda looked at Thomas, her face showing complete and utter betrayal. When the man was halfway to the open Berg door, Thomas leaped into action. Slamming into the man's knees, he tackled him to the ground, his gun clattering to the floor by Ruby. She painstakingly grabbed the gun and cocked it, prepared to shoot if needed. Thomas held him in a chokehold, allowing her to get a clear aim.
"No one else dies," Thomas panted, glancing at Ruby for a split second. "If we haven't done enough to pass your stupid tests, then we fail. The tests are over."
When Thomas released him, the man's face softened, and he scooted back until his back hit the wall. While he did, the cargo doors shut slowly and loudly. Everyone was silent until the doors shut, and Ruby slumped against Minho.
The man spoke again. "My name's David. And don't worry, you're right. It's over. It's all over."
Ruby grit her teeth, but she allowed her hand that was holding the gun to fall to her lap despite her wariness.
Thomas scoffed. "Yeah, we've heard that before," he mocked. "This time we mean it. We're not going to sit back and let you treat us like rats anymore. We're done."
Ruby nodded her head firmly and eyed David with a steely gaze. She didn't have to look around to know that everyone else was doing the same. They were all done. For good.
What you don't understand is that everything has gone and will continue to go as planned," David said as he slowly got to his feet. He put his hands in his pockets, continuing, "But you're right, the Trials are complete. We're taking you to a place of safety—a real place of safety. No more tests, no more lies, no more setups. No more pretending.
Minho snorted, grabbing Ruby's good hand. "That's the biggest bunch of klunk I've ever heard in my life," he scoffed.
Ruby nodded in agreement. "How the hell can we trust you sticks after all this?" She demanded. "After you've killed our friends and made us suffer?"
"And what about the cure?" Thomas added. "We were promised. For us and the two who helped us get here. How can we believe anything you tell us?"
"Think what you want for now," David replied nonchalantly. "Things will change from here out, and you'll get the cure,just like you were told. As soon as we get back to headquarters. You can keep that gun, by the way—" he told Ruby, "—we'll even give you some more, if you'd like. There'll be nothing else for you to fight against, no tests or trials to ignore or refuse. Our Berg will land, you'll see that you're safe and cured, and then you can do what you want. The only thing we'll ever ask you to do again is to listen. Only to listen. I'm sure you're at least intrigued by what's behind all this?"
"No more games," Thomas spoke in a surprisingly calm voice, one that held dangerous undertones.
Minho nodded, squeezing Ruby's tightly. "First sign of trouble, we start fighting. If that means we die, then so be it."
David grinned, but Ruby still felt unsettled. "You know, that's exactly what we predicted you'd do at this point." He chuckled and motioned to a small door at the back of the cargo hold. "Shall we?"
"What's next on the bloody agenda?" Newt asked next.
"Just thought you'd like to eat something," David replied, "maybe take a shower. Sleep. It's a very long flight."
Everyone shared a look, but they all stood up to follow him soon enough. Minho stood, holding out his hand to pull Ruby up. She took his hand, but as she tried to stand, her legs didn't want to comply. They shook, and she realized that she was sweating profusely. The pain in her arm was making itself known again, but this time, Ruby wasn't sure if she'd recover.
"Whoa, Ru, you good?" Minho asked as he grabbed her shoulders.
She furrowed her eyebrows. "Whaddya mean? 'M fine." She tried to stand again, but fell into Minho's arms once more.
"She doesn't look so good," Newt said.
When did he get here? Ruby thought sluggishly.
"Guys, her arm!" Frypan called, grabbing it gently. "How long has she been bleeding?"
"Since the fight with the monsters," Joan replied nervously, looking at Ruby with wide eyes.
Ruby tried to wave them off. "Hey, I, I'm fine..." Her already shaking legs buckled. She looked to her arm and noticed that the shirt was completely soaked in blood now, and it was running down her arm,
The pain in her arm was growing unbearable. It was all she could think about, and everything else seemed to fade into the background. Somewhere, she could feel someone grab her arms and someone else grab her legs as they began to carry her forward.
"Hang on, Ru," she heard Minho whisper, but his voice was muddled, like her ears were underwater. "Just hang on a little bit longer."
"I'm tired," she whimpered. She wanted to sleep. Why wasn't she allowed to sleep?
In the background, she could hear a woman asking what was wrong, and Minho hurriedly explained what was the matter with her. Ruby couldn't quite make anything else out, and everything was getting a little fuzzy.
"Ruby?" The woman asked loudly, causing Ruby to wake up again. "I need you to stay with us, okay?" She grabbed her wrist. "Her pulse is getting weaker," she said to someone behind her. "I'd estimate that she's lost about thirty percent of her blood by now."
"Why won't anyone let me sleep?" Ruby rasped quietly.
"Because, Ruby, you're still very important," a man told her as they shifted her to a bed. "We're going to fix you now, Ruby. Don't forget, WICKED is good."
The world faded to black.
She was back in the Maze.
Oh, God, tell me this is just another dream, she thought anxiously as she began running through the corridors to the Homestead. She turned corners, leaped over trenches, and occasionally ran her hand over the ivy-covered walls as she went, remembering the simpler times.
Out of nowhere, she felt something wrap around her torso, flinging her body through the threshold of the Maze and into the soft grass of the Homestead.
"Ru!" It was Minho.
"What the hell?" Ruby grumbled as he hugged her tightly. "I need to breath, stick."
Minho sat her up, releasing her just a little so they could look each other in the eye. "Ruby, you—" he paused to collect himself before continuing, "—do you remember anything?"
Ruby furrowed her eyebrows. "I remember that guy telling us everything was over, and falling, and then... nothing."
"You've been out for five days now, Ru," Minho said quietly. He hugged her again, burying his face into her shoulder. "Shuck, are you actually awake? I can't believe this. They wouldn't tell us anything about you, and then they took Thomas, too. They said he had the Flare already and it was too late for him."w
"I dunno if I'm awake," Ruby replied, "but I don't really think that Thomas has the Flare. If you ask me, I think he's more sane than most people at WICKED."
Minho snorted despite himself. "Yeah, good that."
They sat in silence for a while until Ruby felt something tugging in the back of her mind.
"I think I'm waking up," she murmured.
And everything went black.
The room she woke up in was completely white. Even the bed she was on and the small bedside table were all impossibly white. Looking around, Ruby saw that there was no one else in the room, and there was no one else in the room. Her clothes, a sports bra, T-shirt, pants, and socks, were just as white as the rest of the room. Ruby sat up slowly, rose from the bed, and walked around on shaky legs. She made her way to the door, and, just before she got to it, she walked straight into a wall, just like the one the Rat Man hid behind only a few days ago. She placed her hands on the wall carefully and screamed.
There was something wrong with her arm. More specifically, there was something wrong with her new arm.
She should've noticed the lack of feeling in her left arm. Sure, she could feel pressure, but she couldn't truly feel things with it. She ran her hand—the one that was still human—up the... thing attached to her shoulder. It was plated metal, smooth and sleek. Its shape was identical to hers—muscle and all. She pulled back the sleeve of her shirt, revealing that the prosthetic extended into her shoulder and trapezius area.
Ruby felt bile rising in her throat, but she forced it down. Breathing deeply, she flexed her new arm. The joints moved effortlessly, almost like it was still her regular arm. She leaned against the invisible wall and slid down until she hit the floor. She ran her fingers over the cool metal again, stopping short when she felt words etched into the shoulder. Straining her neck, she struggled to read the small words on the arm, only to feel sick once again. The words were the same as the tattoo on her back.
Property of WICKED. Group B, Subject B6. The Soldier.
She swallowed thickly. Raising her new arm, she slammed firmly into the white wall once. It didn't break, but now there was a small fist-shaped crater in it.
Good, she thought to herself. WICKED was going to pay for what they did to her, for what they did to her friends.
She eyed the dent in the wall with slight satisfaction. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Maybe there was no escaping WICKED, but she was sure as hell going make them pay.
A/N
Here you go! Next chapter will be starting The Death Cure. I'm excited—what about you guys? There are huge plans for Ruby—and Joan and (maybe) Malala—in the coming chapters, so get ready! If you have any ideas or constructive criticism, don't be afraid to let me know! Speaking of ideas, I'm still on the fence about Ruby's WICKED subject title—her original one was The Conscience, but I felt like that didn't quite fit. If you have a better one, please let me know!
Also, if you're wondering about how Ruby and Minho didn't notice her new arm in the Maze, it was because since Ruby didn't know it existed, it didn't appear with her in the dream.
Huge thanks to everyone who commented, favorited, and followed. You guys are a blessing, and your support means so much to me!
And, as always, if you enjoyed this, please favorite, follow, and/or review!
Love,
Nell