Disconnection • Newt • Maze Runner

29 - Strip

"These fucking uniforms are so uncomfortable." Aspen scratched at the wound on his arm as he, Newt, Thomas and Teresa stalked through the building.

Aspen's palms began to sweat as they made their way towards where Minho was. Newt stopped when they reached a stairwell, practically doubling over on himself as he coughed relentlessly.

Aspen grasped the boys hand firmly, squeezing it in an effort to provide some sort of reassurance.

As Gally got to work, Aspen leaned towards Newt, placing a comforting hand on the boys shoulder. "I gotta go, but I'm coming back, okay? I'm coming back I promise."

"Yeah, yeah okay. I love you."

Aspen smiled as a tear escaped his eye, "I love you too." And with that, he was off.

Mask on, dodging through the building as quickly as he could to get to the medical wing.

His plan was simple, he was to divert from the group and see if Minho was in the medical wing. It wasn't part of the original plan, but Aspen had been captured along with Minho, so he knew they were often taken between the medical wing of wherever they were in the moment.

It was Aspen's idea to check the medical wing, and it had taken a lot of convincing on his end for both Gally and Newt.

Now, he trekked towards the wing as quickly as his legs would will him without drawing attention.

His plan was simple, right? What could go wrong?

"Hey! Come here."

Fuck.

Aspen stopped in his tracks, turning to the man behind him slowly. He gave the man an assuring nod, and got ready to keep going on his way when the man gripped his forearm.

Aspen pushed down the wince and goosebumps spreading through his body. The man stared at him with furrowed eyebrows before his other hand slowly inched towards his gun and he motioned with his head to someone behind Aspen.

The boy cursed under his breath, quickly taking a hold of his gun and pointing it to the man's face. Before he could think, he was staring down the barrel of a larger gun, with multiple others surrounding him from all sides.

"Well, looks like you got me, Jeremy."

Jeremy fucking Cordova, one of Thomas' best friends, though colleagues, at W.C.K.D. He was back, and clearly with a rather larger roll in the grand scheme of W.C.K.D.'s plans now.

Jeremy had led Aspen to an interrogation room, which Aspen was currently waiting not so patiently in.

Suddenly the man stormed into the room, slamming the door before him and throwing a gun down on the counter, loaded.

Aspen flinched at the action, scared the gun would go off as it banged against the table. It was his gun.

Jeremy quickly snatched it back up before Aspen could reach for it, and twirled it between his fingers. "So, how's everything been?"

"What do you want?"

Jeremy let out a borderline maniacal laugh. "What I want is simple. How did you get here? And why are you here?"

Aspen stared into the man's icy blue eyes in silence as they glared daggers into his own. The tension was thick enough that not even one of Brenda's knives could slice through it.

"I see, if that's how you want to be, go ahead." He slowly turned to leave the room, preparing for Aspen to suddenly cave, tell him everything. Only the boy stayed silent, until he finally spoke as Jeremy was nearing the door.

"Have a nice life, cunt."

Jeremy snapped, "What the hell do you think you're doing, huh? You know nothing, little boy."

"Don't I?" Aspen cocked his head.

Jeremy sucked on his teeth, biting down on his tongue to prevent the string of curses desperately trying to slip through.

"Listen here you little shit. I need to know what you're doing here or I'm gonna get fired." His eyes widened as he realized what he'd just said.

A sly smirk tugged at Aspen's lips. "Well, I was going to tell you everything. Just out of the kindness of my own heart. But in that case, I think I'd rather like you being fired."

Jeremy stalked out of the room quickly, a man taking his place. The man was large, burley, but seemingly very slow, physically.

That could be used to Aspen's advantage. Because, in Jeremy's stupid ravings and aggravated exit, he'd neglected to remember one simple detail.

The gun on the table, right in front of Aspen.

Aspen snatched up the gun before the man could react, quickly shooting the chain holding to the table before ridding himself of the restraints and pointing the gun to the man, who stared down the barrel with wide eyes.

"Give me your gun, and strip."