Jack and the others followed Sonya to the RIght Arm's base camp. Jack felt like something was about to go wrong–and he was right.
It just didn't happen right away.
Jack and the others entered the camp. Boys and girls and men and women were all around the place, working or playing resting. "Vince!" shouted Sonya. "HEY! VINCE!"
A man with a scraggly, gray-and-brown beard stepped forwards."What do we have here?" asked the man–Vince, Jack presumed.
"Come on, VInce, we've got some more recruits. I know four of these eleven myself. Jack and Jess are my brothers, and Beth and Ximena are girls from me and Harriet's Maze."
Suddenly, Emma fell forwards. She began to cough, and Jack felt a stone drop in his stomach.
"No," he yelled, falling to her side. Setting Scarlett on his knees, he reached out and cradled Emma in his hands.
"I'm…I'm sorry," Emma croaked. "Why are so many of us not Immune?" Jack heard Theo whisper from behind him. "Not now," George whispered. "Not when we've gotten this far."
"Emma reached out towards Vince. "Please. Kill me."
"No," Jack sobbed, burying his face into Emma's shoulder. "I can't lose you. You're the only thing keeping us going, Em. Please don't die."
Emma shook her head. "It's better this way. Please. Do it."
"You've got a lot of bravery, kid," said Vince sadly, kneeling at the young girl's side. "Thank you," said Emma, her eyes blackening. Jack closed his eyes and squeezed his eyelids shut, tears streaming from underneath them.
"Thank you for being my friend," Emma whispered., There was a bang, and Emma jerked. Her head lolled in his arms.
Jack bowed his head and sobbed unashamedly. "I'm sorry, Em. I couldn't save you."
They buried Emma at the edge of camp. Jack looked over at the remaining Fielders–himself, Scarlett, George, Theo, Jess, Max, Tommy, and a red-haired Fielder Jack didn't know.
Scarlett rested her head on Jack's shoulder. "How did I ever end up with you?" Jack asked Scarlett quietly. "After I'll I've put you through, I don't deserve you."
Scarlett began to sing.
She said, "Where'd you wanna go?"
"How much you wanna risk?
I'm not lookin' for somebody with some superhuman gifts.
Some superhero.
Some fairy tale bliss.
Just something I can turn to
Somebody I can kiss.
Scarlet smiled and kissed him. "You're perfect for me. I don't need someone with superpowers. I need you. And you got me this far. So I'm gonna follow you to the ends of the earth."
Julian opened his mouth to speak, but just then, an explosion rocked the ground below.
Jack ran to the side of the cliff, the other seven behind him.
"WCKD," he gasped. Scarlett and the others rushed down behind him.
Soldiers dropped from the sky, firing weapons and killing people left and right. "Jack!" he heard Beth and Ximena yell.
"Come on," Ximena shouted. She pushed Jack behind a barrel just as a bomb went off, killing several Right Arm operatives.
Jack withdrew his pistol. "Where are your friends?" Beth asked, frowning. Jack nodded over at a truck, where the others were. They were armed with weapons, firing round after round. Jack moved to go after them, but Beth grabbed his arm and pulled him back behind the cover.
Jack tried to break free, but just then, a grenade detonated, covering the other Fielders in electricity. Theo, Scarlett, George, Max, Jess, and Tommy.
Scarlett rose to her feet, however. She looked blank. While the others twitched and grunted in pain, she walked over to a familiar figure–Janson.
"Well done, Scarlett," said the man, clapping the boy on the shoulder. "What," Beth whispered, staring in shock and horror. Jack's fists balled up. "Something's wrong," he said. "Scarlett would never betray us like that. There's something off about this."
Beth grabbed Jack and shook him. "Jack, we need to go. Come on!"
Ximena and Beth looked at him, pleading, but Jack shook his head. "I've already lost too many people. I'm not losing any more."
Janson spoke. "Where are Thomas and Jack?"
"I'm right here," said a voice. It was a boy called Thomas, apparently. Jack winced as Janson said, "Thomas," and then punched him in the stomach. Thomas was pushed with his friends. Beth and Ximena cast Jack a final, pleading, desperate glance, and then rushed off to hide.
Jack pulled out his pistol. He took aim, wavering between Ava Paige and Janson.
"But where's Jack?" asked Janson.
"I'm here," Jack said, stepping out of his cover. He held the pistol out, aiming it at Janson. Janson punched Jack in the face before the boy could attack, however; Jack felt his nose break and he crumpled to the ground, his face exploding with pain. Scarlett's eyes flickered, and through the streaming blood, Jack saw her rush forwards. "NO!" she screamed.
Jack struggled to his feet. "What's wrong with you!" Scarlett yelled, rounding on Janson. "You said they wouldn't get hurt."
"The others, no," said Janson, smirking. "But Jack has too much to answer for. Running away…sending the locations of WCKD camps to the Right Arm…and losing almost every single member of the surviving Immunes from his Maze Trials. Now shut up, girl. The adults are talking."
Jack saw Scarlett stiffen. "Yes, sir," she said in a robotic sort of voice. Jack knew in that second what was going on. "Let her go!" he shouted. "Stop controlling her!"
Janson kicked Jack in the stomach, then picked up the gun that he had taken from the boy. Jack struggled to his hands and knees, wiping a river of blood off of his face. He wrenched his nose back into place, and then stood up.
"STOP!" Thomas yelled suddenly. He held out a bomb. "Stop it!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Janson yelled. "Hold your fire!"
"Let them go, or I'll blow us all up!" Thomas shouted.
"Thomas, stop!" Teresa shouted. "You'll be safe!"
"It's true," said the woman. "It was her only condition."
Slowly, Thomas's friends–Newt, Minho, and Frypan–gathered around him. Jack moved to stand next to the boy. Slowly, Selena, Jess, Max, Tommy, Theo, and George all joined him.
"Do it, Tommy," said Newt.
"We're ready," Minho said quietly.
"We're not going back," Jack added.
Suddenly, before Thomas could press the button, yells of anger, mixed with gunfire and random machine noises. Jack whirled around to see Brenda, Jorge, Beth, and Ximena in a truck, firing guns as they attacked.
Jack tackled Janson, punching him everywhere that he could reach. Janson pressed the gun to Jack's stomach, but Scarlett kicked him, knocking the weapon from the man's hands. She pulled Jack up to his feet, and then kissed him.
Scarlett's eyes were flickering. "Go," she gasped. "I love you."
Jack stared at her. "GO!" she roared.
Jack turned just in time to see Max run out of ammunition and get struck by a Launcher grenade. Janson and two WCKD guards grabbed him, and Jack shouted. "MAX!"
Jess screamed, too. "MAX!" she yelled, her eyes wide with terror.
Jack fired at Janson as the man picked up Max and slung him over his shoulder. Max stared at Jack as the doors began to close.
"I'll come for you!" Jack whispered. "Both of you. I'm not leaving without you two."
The next morning, Jack, Tommy, Selena, Jess, The, George, and Beth all gathered with the survivors of WCKD's raid on the Right Arm camp.
"What do we do now?" asked Harriet.
"We pick up the pieces and move on," said Vince.
"I'm not coming," Jack said.
"I knew you'd say that," said Beth.
"I made a promise to Scarlett and Max. I'm not leaving them behind."
Beth stared at him.
"So, Jack," she said. "What's the plan?"