"In the beginning, we were lost. All we knew for sure...was that the younger you were, the stronger your chances."
"Obviously, you worked for WICKED?" Minho asked. He was sitting beside Alex, Mary had handed them warm cups of coffee.
She smiled sadly, "A long time ago. You know, at first, we had the best intentions."
Alex snorted. Minho elbowed her, "Sorry. Continue."
"Find a cure, save the world. It was clear you kids were the key, because you were immune."
"But why?" Alex asked.
"Eventually, we found an answer. An enzyme produced by the brains of the immune. Once separated from the bloodstream... it can serve as a powerful agent to slow the spread of the virus."
"So, you found a cure?" Minho asked hopefully, his eyes lighting up.
"Not exactly. The enzyme can't be manufactured, only harvested from the immune. The young. Of course, that didn't stop WICKED. If they had their way... they'd sacrifice an entire generation. All for this." She held up a small vial of blood she had taken from Alex.
"A gift of biology. Of evolution. But one not meant for all of us." She sighed.
"How long will that give her?"
"It's different for everyone. Each munnie is different, and each infected is different. A few months maybe. But that's the catch, isn't it? She'll always need more...that was until a young doctor showed up about two weeks ago."
"What?" Alex asked, sitting up straight.
The tent flap drew back and in stepped,
"DR PRIOR!" Alex shrieked.
"It's nice to see you again Alex." He smiled at her.
"Okay...explain!" She squealed.
He set some files down on the table, he pulled up a chair, while Mary was busy with Brenda. Dr Prior gave them a quick explanation.
"Director Jansen figured someone helped you escape. He didn't suspect the Captain, since he was smart enough to tell you to shoot him. But somehow they traced some things back to you and me. The whole needing brain surgery, kind of tipped them off. So The Captain got me and my assistant Amy out a few hours after your grand escape. He has a contact who got us here."
Minho whistled. Alex was quiet for a second.
"Wait. You said they will always need more...but something about Dr Prior..?" Alex asked, rubbing her forehead.
He chuckled, "you don't miss anything do you?"
"It's a talent."
"Well after doing your medical examination, and taking a closer look at your blood, the concoction of enzymes and whatever serums from the Herculean trial WICKED gave you works like a super human agent. You heal quicker than most, your additional strength when you have adrenaline surges...your immune system is a super fighter. It breaks down anything it doesn't recognize a lot quicker and more efficiently than most." He explained.
"It's not exactly a cure, but it's a step closer. Thomas's blood is very similar, something in his blood enzymes, however his is natural." Mary said. She had given Brenda an injection of Alex's blood mixed with something else. Alex wasn't sure what it was, she was no doctor.
"Shuck Princess, I knew you were a super power ...but didn't know you could save the world!" He smiled at her, with such pride in his eyes. "Add saving humanity under restarting my heart!"
"Well, not exactly. But it's a start." Dr. Prior chuckled.
"Chuck was right. Again." Alex muttered dejected, "it's just an accident. I'm just an accident. It's my blood plus whatever shucked up stuff they stabbed me with. Tommy is all home grown natural...and I'm just a shucken science experiment. My whole existence is an accident." Alex grumbled, kicking her toes into the ground.
"But a very cute accident!" Minho whispered and kissed her temple. Alex smiled sadly.
"So what's this about restarting a heart?" Dr Prior asked, raising his eyebrows.
"This girl shucken saved my life! Actually she saved a few! She was a MedJack in the Glade- like a doctor...she saved Matt when a building fell on him, sliced him wide open, and she stitched him back to get her then shucken restarted his heart...Newt said something like breathing for him too! And she did the same thing for Tes, when she came up from the box. And when I was struck by lightning in the Scorch, I legit died and she restarted my shucken heart!" Minho explained, flailing his arms around wildly.
Dr Prior and Mary both gave nods of approval. "I guess when Captain Ronin trains you as a field solider, he does a very detailed job of it, it's very important for soldiers to know how to do emergency field first aid."
"Ya, I guess." Alex shrugged. She still felt weird and uncomfortable about being an accidental science experiment that could help keep Brenda from dying.
Not fully...but I'm a walking talking human disease treatment. Just come suck out some blood and boom, saved. No wonder WICKED wants to drain me...Everyone grab a straw, come take your turn.
"Let's go outside. Let them rest." Mary said, holding the tent flap open, Thomas was sleeping, he looked alot better. And so did Brenda. Alex hesitated, she wanted to be here beside her friends.
"She'll be fine." Mary reassured her.
"Thomas?"
"He's just sleeping. We may not look like much, but we do have some pretty good medical supplies and equipment." Mary laughed.
She led Minho and Alex to the showers, and showed them where the food was, she handed them a warm set of clothes and left.
"Alright Babe, these bad boys have locks, and good ones! But I can stand outside if you want."
Alex smiled at him, "thanks Flash. But I'll be ok."
"Ha! Flash, I forgot you were going to call me that." He opened her door, "Ma Lady" he bowed her inside and closed the door.
Warm water, soap and shampoo, clean warm clothes, The Right Arm was like heaven! She unlocked her stall and found Minho waiting. His hair was clean and spiked up, all the dirt and grime washed off.
"Clean up nicely."
"Are you saying I wasn't nice before?" Alex gasped.
"I'm just saying I'm good looking enough for the both of us!" Minho teased as he threw an arm around her, pulling her close.
"Wow Minho, don't let that ego get stuck in the doorway. I'd leave you there and laugh."
"Who ate your bowl of sunshine this morning, thundercloud?" He clutched at his chest, faking pain.
"Grab a straw Mean-ho, because you suck" Alex elbowed him in the ribs, making him yelp, and then chuckled as he rubbed his side.
"Come on, let's go see if they have some food and coffee...cuz you're kinda cranky."
"Whose shucken fault was that?" She put her hands on her hips, and cocked an eyebrow.
"I take full responsibility. Now come on!" He laughed and pulled her towards the cooks tent.
They were now all sitting around a fire. The Gladers, and Maze B and Chloe sat together, swapping stories, Minho and Alex had big steaming bowls of stew, Thomas had finally joined them now, with a bowl of his own.
"Looking better there Tommy!" Newt called as he sat down.
"Ya, feel better too! These guys have some crazy stuff!" Thomas said.
Alex had finished her super, "definitely better than Fry's slop!" She teased.
"Uncalled for!" He cried and threw a piece of twig at her. Alex ducked and laughed. She stuck her tongue out. Laughing, she lay her head on Sonya's shoulder, sighing contently. Chloe had laid her head down in Alex's lap. Alex played with her hair, she felt the girl slowly fall asleep. She listened to the others chatting and laughing.
We made it. We actually made it. Safety. We can laugh and not have to fight for our lives. Minho and I can actually maybe grow old together.
"I wish Alby could've seen all this." Newt sighed.
"And Winston." Frypan added
"And Zach," Chloe sniffled.
"And Matt, and Pedro, and Clint and Jeff...Bark, and Chuck." Alex's voice broke. She felt her throat tighten. She missed that little shank.
"He'd be proud of you, you know, Alex. And you too Tommy." Newt said quietly.
"Yeah." Was all she could manage. Thomas looked about the same, his face scrunched up. Alex felt Sonya's hand wrap around her.
"Sonya, you guys lost a lot of girls too, ya?" Newt asked.
Harriet's face went hard, "Ya. And we don't know what happened to half of them."
"I'm sorry Sonya." Alex whispered. "I'm glad we found you though! One of the good things in this world."
Newt nodded.
"Alex? Are you getting emotional on us?" Sonya teased.
"Shuck no! Emotions are eww." She scrunched her face, wrinkling her nose.
Everyone around chuckled. It was quiet around the fire. But it was a comfortable quiet. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Teresa got up, looking into the fire with wide eyes, for a second she then spun on her heel and walked away from the fire.
Alex watched her leave, a frown on her face. She had been really quiet for a while, but she knew Teresa was not cut out for life on the run and fighting cranks. Alex shook her head, and looked back at the fire. Chloe had fallen asleep. Sonya was chatting with Frypan and Newt. She felt a hand on her back, she looked for the source. She meet Minho's eyes. He nodded his head away from the fire, and raised his eyebrows. Alex nodded, she lifted Chloe's head gently and slipped out.
"Hey guys, Minho and I are gonna take a walk, can you keep an eye on Chloe?"
The guys raised their eyebrows. "A walk, eh?" Frypan chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows, he was obviously insinuating something.
"Maybe more. Wouldn't you like to know." Minho wiggled his eyebrows, a sly smirk on his face.
Newt pursed his lips, his eyes narrowed. Sonya laughed and smacked the back of his head. "She's a big girl, Newt."
"Thank you Sonya."
She winked and then called "don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"You shouldn't listen to her! She's CRAZY! This girl is shucked!" Harriet called.
Newt looked flabbergasted between his sisters.
"Then she really is my twin. Because crazy runs in the family...gallops really."
Newt was making weird noises, words wouldn't form, but he managed to point a finger at her.
"Newt. Get your bloody morals away from me, Minho and I have some sketchy klunk to get up to!" She snaked her arm around Minho's waist, they turned and walked away from the fire, but before they were out of sight, Alex slid her hand into Minho's back pocket. He looked down at her and smirked, he slid his hand down to her hip. They heard a shocked gasp from the fire. They both just laughed and continued to walk away.
"So? Where we going?" Alex asked. He shrugged.
"I don't know. Just wanted to be alone with you. We haven't had that in a long time." He took his hand off her hip and took her hand out of his pocket and held her hand, intertwining his fingers. He brought them to his lips.