"Come on, Janson," said Chancellor Paige, disregarding the fact that a gun was being pointed at her heart. "We've got no time to lose. Load them up. And all these people, get rid of them."
With his hand pressed against his chest, Janson narrowed his eyes at William, who was battling his own mind to pull the trigger. He had done it before. His memories were clear, and it hadn't been that long since he had killed Cranks, or even threatened somebody. So why was he doubting? Why couldn't he shoot Ava Paige or Janson?
"Soldier S5, drop the gun."
His body moved on its own, fingers slowly detaching themselves from the cold metal. The gun fell, and with it, his sense of reason evaporated. As if frozen by fear, William kept the posture, though his eyes didn't leave the ground. He watched the gun, lying perfectly still on the ground, almost like begging for someone to dust it off and use it.
Newt's attempts to snap him back were useless. Nothing could distract William, not the hand on his shoulder or Newt's voice trying to get him to come back.
"Now, Soldier S5, go to the Berg."
His mind and body fought a silent war. Either he listened to the orders, or he stayed by Newt's side. And, despite how much William wanted to grab a hold of Newt's hand and never let go, his mind's resistance disappeared like mist. Like a mindless robot, he walked past Teresa, not noticing her attempt at grabbing his arm to stop him.
"Sonya! Aris!" Harriet cried, snapping William back to all his senses.
He turned his head around, meeting Teresa's surprised expression for a split second before seeing why Harriet had shouted. Aris and Sonya were being pushed to the Berg, away from her and the others. The intruder behind them kept the gun and head on them at all times, not showing signs of being aware of his surroundings.
Sometimes, convincing oneself that the battle was won too early could be as dangerous as not ever giving up on fighting.
Not having enough time to plan, William used his body to push the intruder back, causing them to stumble and fall, and the electric gun flying away from their grasp. He rushed to it, racking the gun and shooting at the person. Somehow, watching them twitch in the ground, knowing how painful it was, made him feel oddly satisfied. He wanted to pay back the pain and suffering, though not to the person in front of him. He wanted to make Ava Paige and Janson pay for everything they had done, not only to him and his team, but also to his friends and the other Immunes.
Did nobody truly deserve to be treated inhumanely?
Perhaps it was the lingering crankiness surfacing for a moment, or simply that his mind had gone on a downfall since the beginning of the mission, but William believed there could be an exception. Some people deserved the pain, for they had caused it to others.
And Janson and Chancellor Paige were in that group.
No immediate violence was carried out, though, since Thomas created a distraction. He elbowed an intruder behind him while taking out a bomb and its detonator from his jacket's pocket.
"Get back!" Thomas shouted. "Everyone, stand back!"
Most people froze at the sight of the bomb. Harriet, however, tried to get Aris and Sonya to go back to the others, but Aris didn't listen. He stood by his brother's side, trying to snap him out of the silent orders that were forcing his body to remain still.
William's eyes were free to move, and they were no help to the situation. Worry and fear were all they showed. Although, it wasn't for himself. His thoughts, per usual, were only haunting him with the million possibilities of what could happen if his brother and Sonya didn't leave his side before Janson could get a hold of them.
"Hold your fire!" Janson ordered, running back to where Thomas stood.
"Please," William whispered to Aris and Sonya, finding enough inner strength within him to continue talking. "Leave. Now."
Sonya nodded doubtfully, forcing Aris to move along and go back to Harriet and the others, who remained at the side, watching Thomas have an argument with Janson and Ava Paige. William stared at them, feeling a hand land over his own. It was trembling, almost fearful. And it was no surprise to him that it was Teresa, searching for comfort, while the person she probably liked, or even loved, was threatening to kill himself.
"Shut up!" Thomas shouted. "Let him go. Let 'em all go!"
"Thomas, put it down," said Janson, arms raised up to his chest.
"Let 'em all go!" was Thomas's answer.
"You know I can't do that!" Ava Paige walked past William and Teresa, who were both struggling to move for opposite reasons.
The argument carried on, but William couldn't hear a second of it. Only when Teresa left his side, the hand she had been holding with hers devoid of warmth, he could fully move. His senses got back to him as quickly as they had disappeared. Without a moment of doubt, he ran towards Thomas, slipping by Janson and Chancellor Paige thanks to his friend's distraction, and tossed the electric gun to Harriet, who seemed the only one to keep some composure at that moment.
"What the hell, Thomas?" he breathed out, stopping beside him as part of the intruders' guns were now pointed at him. "This is your brilliant plan to save us all?"
"Got one better?" Thomas said in a low tone, his eyes not leaving the two biggest threats at that moment.
"Something that doesn't kill our loved ones would be great," William answered, trying his hardest not to turn his head around in all directions as he quickly added, "though I guess we can't be picky for now."
Dismissing the last comment, Ava Paige took one step forward, glancing at what was left of groups A and B. "William's right, Thomas. Do you really want all of them to die?"
There was no need to read Thomas's mind to know that her words had hurt him. His eyes fell, having quick glimpses of his friends, some closer to him than others. Could he really do it? After everything they had gone through, could he really be the cause of their deaths?
"Listen to her, Thomas. Think about what you're doing," Janson added.
Before Thomas could actually stop to think properly about what he was doing, Minho walked over to them. He stood to Thomas's left, giving a brief nod in William's direction, which he reciprocated. Frypan and Newt joined them right after. The five boys stepped closer to one another, leaving no doubt that if Thomas actually made the bomb explode, all five of them would die.
"We're with you, Thomas." Newt grabbed William's hand, diverting his attention from Thomas and the bomb to him.
"Do it, Thomas," Minho encouraged.
"I never told you," William whispered to Newt while watching Aris, who was too shocked to move or say anything. "I remembered you, Newt … You and Thomas were right. We cared for one another in the sameway Leen and Bea do."
"We're ready." Frypan nodded, just as oblivious as Minho and Thomas to Newt's and William's conversation.
"I still do." Newt gave him a reassuring squeeze, pulling him closer as Thomas raised the detonating device, ready to press the button. "Always will."
"That's reassuring." Somehow, a dry chuckle left William's lips, holding onto Newt's hand like a lifeline. "Still, falling in love again after losing all memories about one another? Aren't we a couple of hopeless romantics?"
With a trembling grip, Thomas prepared himself to commit one of the rashest decisions he had ever made. His stunt convinced everybody around, keeping all the attention on him. Even Ava Paige, who had been nothing but rational for most of their discussion, seemed like nothing could ever distract her from the five boys that were willing to end their lives and some others around. All for the sake of not being experimented on again.
"We're not going back there," said Thomas, eyes darting everywhere in the compound. "It's the only way."
"Thomas!" Chancellor Paige shouted, trying to stop him.
A loud horn overthrew the shouts. And, most importantly, stopped the distraction. Thomas lowered his hands, watching a truck travel through the sidelines of the compound. It hit a helicopter, making it tumble to the side. The propellers pressed against the ground while still turning, breaking them and sending most flying in all directions.
The disruption got most people on their knees or running away. The group, who had opted to duck to avoid being killed by the propellers, got up and tried to make sense of the surrounding chaos. William didn't understand a thing of what was happening, and Thomas yelling at them to drop to the ground didn't help either. Apparently, judging by the explosion behind him, Thomas had thrown the grenade at a group of intruders, sending them flying, most probably dead.
Back up to his feet, William ran behind Minho, who led the group out of the centre of the compound. However, just as he looked back to make sure that everyone was following, William saw Thomas lying on the ground. Janson kept him down with his boot while pointing a gun at Thomas's chest.
He would have gone back to help out, but the threat didn't last long. Someone shot Janson on the shoulder, taking him down and letting Thomas stumble his way back up with William's hurried help. At the sidelines, the two boys spotted Mae and Rowan with Brenda. All three girls were smiling, pleased at their actions. Certainly, shooting Janson was something that many had been wanting to do for a long time. Perhaps even longer than they could remember.
"You crazy dumbasses!" George came running, shooting at some nearby intruders to keep Thomas from being hit by the shock devices.
"What are you doing here?" asked William, his hands still having a tight grip on Thomas's arm. "Where are the others?"
Henry appeared out of nowhere, taking an intruder down. "They're fine!" He shouted, his voice hardly audible over the noise. "Flor and Chuck are getting everybody to safety. Leen and Bea are on the other side. They're helping Vince with whatever he was preparing earlier." He pointed at Vince, who ran to the submachine gun that he hadn't been able to use earlier. Leen, Harriet, and Bea were beside him, shooting at any approaching intruders. "Come on, it's our turn! Let's get out of here!"
"This way!" shouted George, leading Thomas and William in the group's direction.
They all saw Minho stop to take a rifle as they approached the rest, who hid behind boxes not too far away. George and Henry passed by him, yelling at their friend to run, but Minho didn't respond. Not even when Thomas tried to encourage him to move did he listen.
"Get outta here! Go! Go!" Minho kept shouting.
"Minho, don't you dare!" said William, stopping in his tracks a couple of metres past him, though still not close enough for the others to grab a hold of him. "Leave it!"
"Minho, let's go!" Thomas and Newt tried to convince their friend once again, but he still refused.
"Get out of here!" Minho yelled back.
In the worst of times, his rifle jammed. Desperate, Minho tried to do something; switch weapons, or maybe fix it. But he had no time. The intruders were swarming around him, about to shoot and take him down.
On the other side of the compound, Leen watched it happen. William could feel her desperation. The realisation that, in less than she could blink, her brother would be taken away from her. Again. And she could do nothing about it.
The thought of letting WICKED take Minho made William's stomach turn, twisting itself until he could feel nothing but pain and a great urge to let the few things he had eaten that day make an unpleasant appearance.
Perhaps Rowan had been right all along. He had a terrible hero complex. The problem; he couldn't let it die yet.
The electric projectile was a second away from striking Minho when William stepped up, taking his place. His body fell, the electricity danced through his body, and his vision darkened. Hands gripped his shoulders, but immediately let go. Shouts filled his mind, blurring together with his poor sight and attention to his surroundings.
He felt somebody pulling on something over his shirt, as if trying to get the electric device off him. They stopped in no time, being replaced by two aggressive arms that yanked him off the ground. No one was trying to save him, only take him to the Berg.
"Minho!"
"William!"
"Liam!"
The shouts were hardly audible over the gunfire and the constant electricity stiffening his body. William couldn't concentrate on anything as he was taken to the Berg. He heard people cry his name and even saw Newt and Aris in the crowd of people shouting and running, but he thought nothing. He felt nothing.
No relief. Regret. Not even sadness. He had a void in his heart that only grew bigger as he finally passed out on the Berg's floor. The intruders carried Minho in after him, while Teresa walked on her own two feet, watching her two friends powerless, both passed out and completely unaware of their future.
'I'm sorry, William.' She sent the message to the emptiness where William had once been, waiting for her to communicate with him. 'I never planned … I'm so sorry.'
The Berg's mouth closed without a warning, and with it, all Teresa's lingering hopes vanished from her mind. Her eyes were stuck on her two friends, who had clearly fallen into a dark abyss that she doubted they would figure out how to get out of.
She was at fault, that's what she kept telling herself. If only she hadn't given up fighting so soon, maybe they would have been safe. They all would have been safe, and nobody would have had to suffer again. But she had lost a battle, knowing that Thomas would get ready to win the war.
Countless poorly covered-up bodies filled what once was The Right Arm's compound. Some were their own people. Others were unknown intruders that had fallen hours ago. The loss of life was demoralising past the point of letting a devastating silence settle among the survivors. Most walked around, not knowing what else to do as they went over the events of the prior night in their heads.
At the far end of the compound, Group S sat alone, fiddling with knives that they had found while searching for provisions and weapons. There was no time to wait. If they ever wanted to find their friends, they would have to come up with a plan soon, but they were all out of ideas. Even Mae, who fought back tears, slumped on the ground, rubbing her eyes constantly as if that would make anything change. As if that would make William and Minho appear out of nowhere, making fun of them for even worrying about them.
Not even Thomas's expected pep talk could change much. Only the fact that The Right Arm would now help them out to rescue their friends. The problem, however, was always the same. How would they do it?
"Are you all alright?" Mary asked, placing a comforting hand on Mae's shoulder.
Mae nodded, but it was Flor who answered for the group, "Yeah, just shaken up."
Chuck sat down by Henry's side, patting his friend's back before voicing his thoughts. "I still don't get it. Liam's not Immune. Why do they want him?"
As if an idea had sprung up in his mind, George lifted his head, watching as the group expanded with their friends' additions, some more unexpected than others, like Harriet's and Sonya's. Others were to be expected.
"You don't think … Probation?"
With a slight tremble, Mae clasped her hands together over her mouth. "We don't even know what it is, or where it is."
"Whatever it is, William will escape it. And when he does, he'll need us." Rowan got up to pace around. "We need to know where they're taking the Immunes. WICKED might put him with them for a while."
Mary sighed softly, letting her hand fall off Mae's shoulder. "I don't know what Probation is, or was, but I know William was sent years ago. He stayed for six months, and he almost didn't survive it." She glanced among the large group, who all had their eyes on her, silently begging her to continue. "As far as I know, WICKED left him somewhere secluded, with only one gun and a single bullet."
"A gun and a single bullet?" Leen repeated, perplexed, just like everyone else in the group.
"How bad is it?" Chuck asked.
"There might be other reasons," Mae began, trying to be hopeful, "but, normally, when you give someone a gun with only one bullet … that bullet is meant for one thing. Killing yourself."
The words landed like a bomb in the group. Some had already expected it, but others couldn't seem more star-struck at the explanation. However, they had to admit that WICKED, not caring about one of their subjects' or soldiers' death, and even providing a weapon to carry it out, didn't sound out of character. How many people had died in less than eight hours because of them? And those back in the Glade or the Sanctuary?
"I know this sounds dumb," said George, hardly feeling Brenda rubbing his back as his thoughts overpowered part of his mind. "But did he use it?"
"He did, but I don't know when or with who or what." Mary shook her head slowly, pity filling her eyes and tone.
"So he didn't use it on himself," Henry mumbled in a pained voice, making Chuck's head turn in his direction, a mix of curiosity and fear lurking in his eyes.
"He was in danger," said Bea, keeping Leen close to her chest to console her. "In a kind of danger that he could only escape by using the one bullet he had."
Mae clenched her hands together as Thomas took a seat between her and Newt. "When you're alone, and you have no means to defend yourself except a gun with one bullet, you have to keep it for the most desperate times. Not any kind of desperate moment; a life or death one." She gave Aris and Newt a brief apologetic look before carrying on. "If he hadn't used or had the gun, William would have died."
There was a long pause. And they let the silence settle without a fight, slowly watching the words sink in. All kinds of emotions rushed through their friends' expressions; rage, compassion, and sadness being the main ones. They wanted their friend back. Regardless of the risks. Of the likely possibility that they wouldn't make it back. They needed to try.
"I'm gonna kill Ava Paige," Thomas mumbled. "We'll get Minho and Liam back, and then I'll kill her."
Frypan nodded at Thomas's words, only needing to add a simple phrase to encourage his friends. "We won't leave them behind."