TMR - Thomas x X-reader fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Console's Secret

The blinking lights cast flickering shadows on the walls, their rhythmic pulse mirroring the rising tension in the room. Thomas hovered near the console, his jaw clenched as he studied the array of buttons and symbols.

"Do we even know what we're looking for?" Newt asked, breaking the uneasy silence.

Thomas shook his head. "Not yet. But if this thing controls something in the Maze, it might give us an edge."

Minho snorted. "Or blow us all to pieces. That's an edge too, I guess."

Y/N stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she studied the panel. The symbols etched into its surface felt eerily familiar, like fragments of a dream she couldn't quite grasp. Her hand moved instinctively, hovering over a circular button with a faint, glowing rune at its center.

"Wait," Thomas said, his voice sharp. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," Y/N replied honestly. "But if I'm wrong, we're stuck here anyway."

Her fingers pressed down, and the console emitted a low hum. The ground beneath their feet vibrated, a deep, resonant sound echoing through the chamber.

"Shuck," Minho muttered, gripping his weapon tighter. "What now?"

The hum grew louder, and the walls around them began to shift. Panels slid open, revealing darkened alcoves filled with machinery. In the center of the room, a holographic map flickered to life, casting an ethereal glow over the group.

The map displayed the Maze in intricate detail, its twisting corridors and shifting walls illuminated like veins of light. But this wasn't the Maze they knew. Hidden pathways and previously unseen sectors were marked in red, forming a web of routes that didn't appear on their maps.

"This can't be right," Minho said, his voice tinged with disbelief. "We've been through every inch of the Maze. These paths—they don't exist."

"They do," Y/N said quietly, her eyes fixed on the hologram. "Or at least, they did. This is how the Maze changes. These sectors—they're hidden until WICKED wants us to find them."

Thomas's gaze hardened. "They've been controlling us this whole time."

"We knew that already," Newt said, his voice subdued. "But this... this is different. They're not just watching us. They're leading us."

Y/N's fingers traced the map, stopping at a red-marked sector near the Maze's edge. The symbol etched next to it was the same as the one from her visions.

"This is it," she said. "This is where we need to go."

Minho frowned. "And how exactly do we get there? It's not like the Maze has signs pointing the way."

The console beeped, drawing their attention. A line of text scrolled across the hologram:

Access Code Required.

"Of course it needs a bloody code," Minho said, throwing up his hands.

Y/N's mind raced. The numbers—7, 1, 5, 2, 6, 4, 8, 3—flashed in her memory. She hesitated, then began entering them on the keypad.

The console beeped again, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a sudden burst of light, the map zoomed in on the hidden sector, a path illuminating from their location to the marked destination.

"Well, I'll be damned," Winston said, his voice filled with awe.

The group huddled around the hologram, their expressions a mix of determination and dread.

"So what's the plan?" Chuck asked, his voice shaking slightly.

Thomas straightened, his eyes fixed on the glowing path. "We follow this route. If WICKED doesn't wants us to find this sector, it means there's something there they're afraid of us discovering."

"Or something they want to use us for," Newt countered.

"Either way," Y/N said, her voice steady, "we don't have a choice. We have to see this through."

Minho nodded reluctantly. "Alright. But let's make one thing clear—we're not walking into this blind. We scout ahead, we stick together, and if anything feels off, we pull back. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Thomas said.

The group began preparing for the journey, their movements brisk but quiet. Y/N caught Thomas watching her as she adjusted her gear.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"I don't like how much they've already used you," he admitted. "The visions, the symbols—they're tied to you somehow. And I don't trust WICKED not to have planned it that way."

Y/N placed a hand on his arm, her touch grounding him. "I don't trust them either," she said. "But whatever this is, we face it together."

Thomas nodded, his resolve hardening. "Together."

The hidden passage led them out of the chamber and back into the Maze, the path marked on the hologram their only guide. The air grew colder as they ventured deeper, the walls narrowing and twisting in ways that made even Minho uneasy.

Hours passed in tense silence, broken only by the occasional scrape of boots against stone. Y/N's thoughts drifted to the others they'd left behind in the Glade. Gally's face flashed in her mind, his accusations echoing like a haunting refrain.

"You okay?" Newt's voice was low, his concern evident.

"Yeah," Y/N replied, forcing a small smile. "Just thinking."

"Don't let him get in your head," Newt said, his tone firm. "Whatever Gally thinks, you've done more for us than he ever has."

Y/N nodded, though the weight of Gally's words lingered.

As they rounded a corner, the ground beneath them trembled. A distant rumble grew louder, and the metallic clicking they'd heard before returned, closer this time.

"Move!" Thomas shouted, pushing Chuck ahead.

The group broke into a sprint, the sound of the approaching griever echoing behind them. The path twisted and turned, each step bringing them closer to the marked sector—and closer to whatever truth WICKED had buried within its walls.

The rumble continued to grew louder, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Y/N stumbled, her balance thrown by the uneven terrain. Thomas caught her arm, pulling her upright as they pushed forward.

"Keep going!" Minho shouted, his voice barely audible over the cacophony.

The path twisted sharply, narrowing into a jagged corridor that forced them to slow. The clicking sound followed, relentless, echoing off the walls like a predator's breath.

"Left! Go left!" Newt called out, his voice strained.

The group veered into a side passage, their movements frantic. Y/N glanced back and caught a glimpse of a shadow, massive and angular, moving with an unnatural speed. Her stomach churned.

They burst into an open chamber, the path ahead splitting into three narrow tunnels. Thomas skidded to a halt, his eyes scanning the options.

"Which way?" Chuck cried, panic etched into his voice.

Y/N stepped forward, the symbols from the map flashing in her mind. Her gaze fixed on the tunnel to the right. "This way!" she yelled, already moving.

Thomas didn't question her, ushering the others to follow.

As they entered the tunnel, the walls began to shift, grinding against each other in a slow, mechanical rhythm.

"Are you kidding me?" Minho spat, his frustration boiling over.

"Run!" Y/N urged, her voice tight with urgency.

The group sprinted, the walls closing in behind them. The air grew thin, the space shrinking until they barely had room to move.

Finally, the tunnel widened into another chamber, its walls lined with glowing panels that pulsed faintly. The group collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Newt demanded, his tone laced with anger and fear.

"No idea," Y/N replied, her hands trembling. "But we're not out of it yet."

The clicking sound had stopped, but the oppressive silence that followed felt even worse.