The Inventor

Chapter Forty Six; "Who's dumb enough to do that?"

     "I'm going to go through that hole or I'm going to die trying!" Thomas announced, "Minho will too! And I'm sure Teresa will! We just need to fight off the grievers long enough to punch the code in and shut them down! Then we all go through and escape! We'll have passed the test, then we can see the creators themselves!"

     Newt scoffed but turned to the group, smiling with nothing but malice and doubt, "You really think we can fight off grievers long enough for some bloke to punch in the code? We'll all get stung and munched on by that time, or blown up! The creators will know when we make a run for it and I bet all their little ugly minions will be lined up all pretty waiting for us at the cliff!"

     Thomas took a large breath in, "I don't think the grievers will kill all of us, the creators wouldn't want it. They want some of us to live past the variables. We have one thing on our side."

     "And that would be?" You promoted, "Beside dangerous bombs."

     "This final trial is supposed to be hard, not impossible, not all of us can die. I think it's obvious that the grievers are taking only one a night, so somebody can sacrifice themself so everyone else can escape. I think that's how it has to happen," Thomas said.

     From the silence, there came Winston's harsh laugh, "So, what? Throw some kid to the wolves? That's the plan?"

     "Sacrifice the one for the many," Minho summarized, "Sounds like a good plan."

     You felt your jaw clenched reflexively, not feeling so kindly toward him anymore, "Of course it would to you."

     "It has to be done," Minho muttered.

     "We are not sending someone unwilling out there to die," You said, "If someone wants to volunteer then be my guess."

     "Since when have you cared about one life?" Minho asked, "One person and you get to wipe away all that blood on your hands. Ben included."

     "You would think that wouldn't you? Because you're so perfect," You said bitterly.

     "Maybe you should offer yourself up then Minho? Since you're so shuck-bent on sacrifice," Winston barked.

     Truly you expected Minho to agree, offer himself, follow that belief to the grave. But he went silent, crossing his arms and facing away from everyone. He was a hypocrite, selfish enough to send someone to die if he got to live.

     In some twisted way this lessened your malice for him, that was as human as you've ever seen him. Just like the rest of you were, he couldn't hold himself superior when he was thinking the same thing everyone else was. As long as it's not me.

     "You won't have to, Minho. And there is a volunteer, a willing one," Thomas said, folding his arms carefully.

     "And who's dumb enough to do that?" Frypan remarked.

     And without missing a beat, Thomas said, "Me."