Destroyer - The Death Cure (Book 3)

Chapter 12: Reporting for Duty

Minho

Minho was woken by hands grabbing him and dragging him from his bed in the new WICKED facility. He wasn't even fully awake and they were pushing him down a cold bright white hall. He passed a big lab where more people in white lab coats and masks worked, he saw a few past gone cranks strapped to beds, thrashing and screaming, straining against bindings holding them. They had wires and monitors coming out of everywhere. Even Past Gone cranks didn't deserve to be poked and prodded and used as science experiments, they were once people. The guards shoved him down the hall.
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Teresa was standing beside a chair with metal cuffs, and a monitoring machine beside it. She had tears running down her cheeks, her hands were shaking but she stood perfectly straight. Minho knew exactly what was going to happen.

His body went cold and he tried to back up. The guards grabbed him, and called for backup. Minho struggled, he managed to knock one guard down. He was about to turn and hit a doctor when he felt a sharp pinch in his neck. He felt the icy liquid enter his veins, his knees went weak, and his vision blurred. He tried to fight back, but his movements were slow and sluggish now.

"Just wait. The drugs will take effect. He won't be hostile anymore" A doctor said.

"I'll...always be..hostile. I will always....beee..host..ile" he slurred trying to swing a punch, the guard had grabbed him and pinned him to the chair. Teresa jerked forwards and began to strap him down with shaking hands and a jerking head.

"I'm...sorry. Minho. I'm sorry!" She cried.

"Izzzz not your faaaault." He slurred, his head swung to the side looking at her.

She placed electrodes on his temples, neck, forehead and chest. Even drugged he started to pant. His body was shaking already, knowing what was coming.

"Hey, it's okay! Hey!" Teresa tried to reassure him, but was cut off and jerked backwards like someone pulled her. Her muscles strained like she was fighting an invisible person.

A doctor turned a switch on the monitor; Minho's heart and brain activity appeared. Another doctor had a long injection containing something purple. He gave it to Teresa who was jerked forwards again, she was forced to insert it into Minho's neck, and Minho's body went limp. The doctor at the monitors turned a dial. Minho let out a scream. And then another one. He grunted and moaned and screamed. Teresa had retreated to the corner where she cowered shaking and crying but no one paid her any attention.

"How's he doing?" Ava Paige demanded as she walked into the room.

"Breathing levels look strong." The doctor informed Ava, as he checked the monitors.

"No! No!" Minho whimpered, his eyes were closed, but his body shook violently.

"It's not as effective as the maze, but it seems to be working." Another doctor said, checking her notes.

"It's promising. But without Dr Smith and her expertise, we're just doing our best." The doctor at the monitors added, as he took another note down, "But we'll need a larger sample to work with."

"All right." Ava sighed, "Carry on."

Minho let out another loud terrified scream, riddled with pain.

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Alex

"Jorge...you can't be serious?" Alex asked in disbelief, "you want us to go...in there?" she was pointing into the merky blackness.

The girls and Jorge were standing in front of a tunnel cut into the mountains. It was dark. Abandoned cars littered the street and parking lot beside the little ticket booth. The only road took them here, and according to the map they stole from The Right Arm, this was the only way; so the boys must have come through here at some point before them. There was a large sign hanging off the broken chain link fence that read: