The Inventor

Chapter Forty Five; "The floor is yours"

     The silence stretched, you could see it strangling Thomas and making sweat glisten on his forehead.

     "Gally was right in some ways, I suppose," You said, he glanced at you nervously but you just shook your head, "Don't give me that look Thomas, I'm not any better, I can't say klunk about it. You probably did what you had to for survival, I can respect that."

     "You are better," He blurred out, then seemed to have a long winded debate on whether to continue. He must have decided against it because he closed his mouth and turned away.

     "I don't understand," Newt said carefully, "How?"

     "Teresa and I and-" He stopped before saying a third name, swallowing hard and switching his words, "-and we were a part of the Maze trials from the start. Everything was against our will, like Y/n said, we were just trying to navigate."

     "What are you talking about?" Minho rubbed his eyes, "I can't be the only slow one here!"

     Several people muttered confused agreement.

     So, Thomas explained, "The creators used me and Teresa from the start, you all would know that if you had all your memories. But I wanted you to trust me so I told you all upfront. I need you to believe me when I tell you the way to escape."

     He hesitated, anxiousness written in his face. You wanted him to know you had his back, it was such a strange change from wanting nothing to do with the boy. But you would have longed for people to stand with you if you were in his shoes, you at least had Newt back then. Thomas had no one to defend him and he still had the guts to explain it all.

     You respected him, respected him like you respected Gally. Maybe not a friend but when it came down to it you wouldn't let him be thrown to the keepers like shark bait.

     "What's that supposed to mean?" Newt questioned, tone harsh, "You were buggin sixteen, how could you do klunk? Especially build this maze."

     "We were intelligent, I think it was part of the variables too. But what's important is that Teresa and I have this- gift? I guess is what she called it- it made us special to them when they created this place," Thomas tugged on a loose thread in his shirt, thinking hard.

     He was talking about the telepathic connection between the two of them, it had to be that. Of course that would make them valuable to these creepy scientists. It must be hard for him to even say when he knows it will sound so stupid to everyone else.

     "Speak!" Newt yelled, "Spit it out for god's sake!"

     "Shut up!" You snapped back, "Let the man breathe silently without being yelled at, yeah?"

     Newt was taken aback that you talked back to him that harshly. He opened his mouth, ready to retort but Thomas finally blurted it out.

     "We're telepathic!" He managed, "We can talk through our minds!"

     There was a cough, but nothing else to reply. There was shock but it was dwindling into disbelief and he was beginning to lose everyone's patience.

     "But they forced us to help!" Thomas continued in a hurry, "Maybe it was to see if we could gain your trust, we could have been meant to reveal how to escape the maze! Whatever! But we know what the code means and with the maps we can escape."

     You nodded, smiling. No one else shared the same expression, except for Minho.

     "I'm sorry," Thomas admitted, "But I'm in the same boat as you now, I want to escape, just like Teresa. We can die just as easily as anyone else here, this is the final test. I needed the changing to find out the truth, and I thought all of you deserved to know what I know too."

     "It's true," You vouched for him, "Thomas told me about the telepathic thing, we both agreed to keep quiet until we knew more. Now we do."

     "And you didn't tell me?" Newt asked, looking more flabbergasted at that than the news.

     "It wasn't my information to tell," You replied with little concern.

     "What does it matter?" Minho shrugged, still smiling, "We can escape, so let's escape."

     "This wasn't Thomas, or Teresa's fault," You agreed, "We're all a team now, whatever happened before this is now irrelevant."

     Minho glanced at you and you only glanced back for a second. That couldn't be irrelevant, although you wished it could be.

     "It's the creators who did this," Newt sighed, "They'll pay for it, but we have something more to worry about now. Living through this plane of escape."

     The look of relief Thomas held lifted a little eight off your heart. He could talk freely now, everything was out in the open.

     "There's a computer set up in a place no one's ever checked before," Thomas said, "The code will open up the exit and make sure the grievers can't follow. We just have to live to get to the actual escape part."

     "We've been here two years," Alby pointed out, "How is there a place we haven't checked?"

     "It's suicidal, and borderline phycotic-"

     "As are some people in this room," Minho interrupted, glancing at you. There was no harshness there, only a pure joking spirit. Without the malice behind it, you actually smile from the humor.

     "-all the grievers will attack whenever we try to go for it, and I mean all of them," Thomas continued, "It's the big final test, everyone surviving is- well it's practically impossible."

     "Lay it on us Thomas," You encouraged, "The floor is yours."

     He took a careful breath and finally said, "The griever hole in the cliff, we have to go through it."