The Defective Soldier || Newt

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑𝟒

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥'𝕤 𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝔹𝕖𝕘𝕦𝕟

✃✃✃✃✃✃✃✃✃

It was all a mess. Everything kept unravelling in ways Teresa couldn't possibly foresee. Like when she tried to help the others save Minho—he wasn't in the carriage they took—. Or, perhaps, when she tried to save William from the fall with the Griever—his survival was used against her—. Or even when she tried, like a blind and naïve child, to talk things out with William, tell him that his loved ones were actually alive and he had reasons to fight the mind control—William shot her before she could get a word in—.

Teresa was done trying. If it hadn't been clear many times before, having just nearly escaped a bullet to the heart opened her eyes to the truth—she needed help. Concretely, she needed some of Thomas's luck, and Mae's planning, apart from the rest of Group S, who would have likely come along with the two. If she was going to ask for anybody's help, it would be people who knew thoroughly how to defend themselves.

Life, or destiny, whichever had it against her, had other plans that she would only get to know of a couple of hours later. After a brief chat with Abraham in solitary confinement, and receiving his spare watch, which she had to tap twice on the screen to pick any of its uses—calls, camera, and audio recording between them—, Teresa went out on her search. And soon found out that the search was, in fact, after her.

Her mutual encounter with Thomas right outside the train station was odd at first. It was strange to see him again, so changed through time and loss. He was no longer the boy she had grown up with, her friend. Thomas was a mess, just like her. The curious thing was—it didn't make any fluttering feelings spring back to life. It had been an actual concern of hers. 'What if she fell again?'. Apparently, she wouldn't have to worry about that, and she thanked her heart for it. She wanted peace—to ask for forgiveness and move on to get Minho and possibly the only person that didn't hate her back from WICKED's hands.

"Thomas."

Without a regard for her acknowledgement, for the fact that she had recognised him in the middle of the city and had called out to him, Thomas turned and walked away like he disregarded her existence. And, no questions asked, nor that she could or had time to ask any, she ran after him.

Her thoughts met all possibilities as she got further away from the crowd in her persecution. It wouldn't be a lie if she said that she expected to be yelled at and blamed for anything and everything she had done without a question as to why she had done it. And it surprised her to see that reality was much different from her thoughts. Thomas didn't question the whys of the past. He was, in fact, more interested in knowing their impact on the present—specifically her regret. Then, as he got an answer that he hadn't expected—a decisive admittance of regret and embarrassment—he fell silent, prompting Mae to appear and take over the situation before it could go down the spiral of chaos it was leaning into.

"Teresa, we don't have much time, but I want to explain. At least, about the things that will happen if you cooperate," said Mae, placing a hand over Thomas's to give him some comfort, not caring if Teresa's attention ever got directed at them, although Teresa didn't take her eyes off hers for a second; a burning determination present in them that Mae had only seen outside of her team a handful of times. "We'll take you outside the walls to a place we know it's safe. There you'll be told the plan. You'll also tell us everything you know and suggest changes. If I have to fight Gally to make sure the plan is as safe as it can be, so be it."

"Gally?" Teresa asked, stunned at the boy's mention, which implied his survival from the spear that had perforated his chest six months ago.

"We'll get to that later," Mae promised, raising her free hand in the air as if to stop something, maybe Teresa's future interruptions. "Now, after all that exchange of information—and let's hope some bonding time because if not, we're screwed—you'll take the boys' trackers out of their necks while my group and I do some borrowing." Mae unconsciously intertwined her fingers with Thomas, too preoccupied with analysing Teresa's reaction to notice. "What do you think?"