To The Shucking End

Chapter 25

(A/N: This is the first chapter of the Death Cure. Hope you enjoy. XxD)

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In the months they took to formulate this plan, Thomas was beyond grateful to have Tanya around. Her solutions to some of the problems they could face were downright genius, albeit borderline insane, but still genius. And Newt loved watching Thomas' face once he realised why the girl had been a Builder in the Glade.

It was also part of the reason why she now sat in a dune buggy she helped refurbish with Thomas and Vince, as the train horn sounded.

And her grin was evil as Vince gunned the engine and they went speeding towards the train they had good reason to believe that Minho was on - and by good reason, they meant that they were almost certain, almost.

"Brenda! We're coming up behind them, keep them busy," Thomas said through his walkie-talkie as the buggy jumped as Vince drove onto the train tracks.

"Tanya, you're up," Thomas said to her as she readied her grappling hook.

"This is fucking crazy!" Vince exclaimed as Tanya popped open the door in the roof.

"Good, because this probably wouldn't work if it was sane," she laughed. "Get me closer, Vince," she asked as she stood on her seat, aiming the gun on her shoulder as it hooked cleanly into the back of the train and Tanya attached the end she had to the rails on top of the car. "Let's go boys!" she called out as she stood on the roof.

Then, like a monkey, she jumped, using the thick rope of the grappling hook to swing herself onto the back of the train as she grabbed the ladder tightly. "Come on Thomas!" she taunted with a cheeky smile as the boy climbed onto the bonnet of the car that was now being dragged behind the train.

"Shut up," he muttered before jumping himself, grabbing onto the railing next to the ladder Tanya was clinging to.

But as Vince began to climb onto the bonnet, the front tire popped as it hit the rails, the rims sparking as metal scraped on metal and the grappling hook was being pulled free from where it was wedged.

"Jump!" Thomas shouted and Vince did, his arms closing around the bottom of the ladder and his feet dragging on the tracks.

And just as he did, the grappling hook was pulled free as the car flipped over on the tracks.

"Fuck," Vince swore as Thomas helped pull him up.

"If you two are done, can we move this along?" Tanya asked as she began to climb up the ladder.

"Hey, berg!" Vince called and she looked up to where the airship was heading for them.

"Hey, Brenda, you've got company," Thomas called through his walkie talkie and the ship turned to go after her and Jorge.

"You guys are on your own. Don't die," returned Brenda's voice before Thomas wished her luck and the boys looked up to where Tanya had banged on the metal train.

"We're on the clock. We gotta move!" she reminded them as they began climbing, catching her up to where she was jumping across the train cars. "Go, Vince!" Tanya urged as Thomas pulled off the bag on his back and threw it down to Vince who began playing with the coupling that linked the cars together before the girl drew her guns from her thigh holsters. "I got the top," she said out of instinct.

"I got the bottom," Thomas replied as he headed down the ladder to cover Vince and Tanya was paralysed.

After numerous failed attempts at building ladders tall enough to climb the Maze walls, they really didn't deign to build anymore to not be reminded of their failure as they used the scraps for the tree platform. Instead, she would just stand on Gally's shoulders to reach the heights they needed to, seeing as they never built anything big enough to require a ladder other than the Homestead.

And every time she'd always say that she got the top and he'd reply with he got the bottom.

Every time.

And though she could make it through most nights without waking up from nightmares now, it still broke her on the inside to even think about the fact that it had been a year since she'd watched Gally die.

She didn't get much time to be lost in her fantasies though, when the sound of gunshots woke her up.

"Tan, you good?!" Thomas yelled up to her as he shot at the incoming soldiers.

"I'm good," she shouted back as she returned fire, anger flooding her veins. "Vince?!"

"We're set! Grab onto something and cover your ass!" he bellowed as the boys held onto the ladders on the side of the train and Tanya dropped to her stomach as the coupling blew and they split the last five train cars from the rest of the train.

As they rolled to a stop, Tanya and Thomas put their fingers to their lips as they whistled and up popped Newt and some boys from where they'd hidden in waiting.

Thomas then began banging on the train cars as he tried to find Minho, picking the car that Tanya was standing on.

"I hope you got the right one, Tommy!" Tanya called from on top as Newt chucked her up a bag and she began wailing on the roof with a mallet, getting the anchor points ready as one of the boys scurried up the ladder to help attach the thick cables to their anchors.

"Newt, how you doing?!" Thomas called as he came up to help.

"Don't fucking rush me," he retorted, and Tanya smiled, at least before she was knocked on her ass as a bullet grazed her arm, letting out a grunt of pain as she did so. A grunt of pain that also sounded like the word, "FUCK!"

"Tanya!" Thomas called as she sat up, holding her arm that was bleeding from the graze before she pulled out her guns, ignoring the pain as her sleeve soaked with blood.

"I'm alright!" she promised as she and Thomas opened fire.

The guards were getting closer as they crossed the distance between the stopped train and the detached cars.

"Newtie, we're running out of bullets. HURRY THE FUCK UP!" Tanya urged as the bullets bounced off the steel of the train car.

"Newt get up here!" Thomas shouted as he crouched in front of Tanya who was standing behind him as she shot, letting herself be a target to take their focus off Newt.

"Almost there," he replied as Vince slid down the ladder and onto the ground to cover Newt who'd successfully welded through the metal locks attaching the carriage to the wheels that ran on the track.

"NEWT GO!" Vince shouted as the boy shed his protective gear and raced up the ladder.

"Tan, get down!" Thomas said as he pulled her down next to them, all of them lying on their stomach as they fired their guns, Tanya giving Newt one of her guns, very few of the guards going down.

"Where the hell are they?!" Newt asked.

"I don't know!" Thomas answered as the rest of their crew that was working on the clamps on the other side scurried up the ladders as the roar of helicopter blades grew louder and they saw the airship hovering above them, the soldiers ceasing fire.

At least until they saw the hook that was being lowered down to them.

"I'll cover you! Move!" Tanya ordered as they all jumped to their feet, Tanya taking back her gun from Newt as she loaded in new mags and opened fire as the boys reached for the hook, pulling hard as they attached it to the cables they'd attached to the roof while trying to stay behind Tanya as much as possible.

Tanya downed three guards and counting when Thomas screamed up at the ship, "GO! GO!"

"Vince, get up here!" Newt called as Tanya braced her feet, drawing fire as the cables were pulled taunt, and the train car was lifted into the air, Vince climbing on top and out of range of the soldiers.

And the way they cheered as they left the train in the dust.

Their plan worked.

They'd gotten Minho.