𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿

57.. february fourteen

14TH FEBRUARY
Happy Birthday, Vicky!

★

Matt, Luke and Hugo gathered the Gladers inside the lab, excitement sparkling in their eyes.

"Alright, listen up," Matt began. "We've got some awesome new stuff to show you."

Luke grinned, gesturing towards a table filled with various gadgets and devices. "We've been working on some new inventions and machines that we think you guys will love."

He tapped a button on the device. Immediately, a small whirlwind formed in the room, swirling around the Gladers in a gust of cool air.

The girls squealed and backed away as the impromptu storm blew their hair around. The boys, on the other hand, had wide grins on their faces, clearly thrilled.

Matt, still grinning, hit another button on the device, and the whirlwind dissipated, the room growing calm once more. "Just a little demonstration," he explained.

"But imagine the possibilities if we were able to fully master this technology. We could help farmers during droughts, or provide warnings for severe storms. It could save lives."

Gally nodded, his excitement growing. "Damn, that's impressive. What else you got?"

"Well," said Luke, moving over to a new contraption. "How about this?" He flicked a switch, and suddenly a small robot buzzed to life, whirring around the room on wheels, cleaning up any dust and debris in its path.

"Yes!" Bea quietly cheered, pumping her fist. "Finally, I don't have to be Cinderella anymore." Explanation: she did all the housework.

Everyone laughed, Vicky jokingly ruffled her hair. "Don't get too excited, Cinderella. You're still our designated cleanliness expert."

Matt gestured to a third invention on a table. "Oh, and check this out." He picked up what looked like a pair of high-tech headphones and handed them to Thomas.

"These bad boys are wireless, but what's cool is that they can sync up with the brain. With the right program, they can pick up and translate thoughts into speech."

"That's scary." Nico said.

"What's in your brain is scary." Aris commented.

Thomas chuckled, placing the headphones on his head and activating them. The device lit up and hummed softly.

"Alright, here goes nothing," he said. "I'm thinking... I'm thinking of a number."

Gally raised an eyebrow. "Alright, shoot."

There was a moment of silence as the device processed Thomas' thoughts. Then, an unexpected robotic voice spoke up, perfectly articulating the number "754"

"Dude, it works," Gally said, impressed.

Thomas looked equally surprised. "I didn't even say that out loud. This is wild."

Vicky threw her arms around Matt, "Genius."

Matt blushed, scratching the back of his neck. "Aw, you know, it's just a hobby."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Modesty doesn't suit you, Matt."

"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm brilliant." Matt said, winking.

At that moment, a chime from a nearby computer caught everyone's attention. Luke walked over, his expression growing serious.

"Um, guys," he said, his voice growing tense. "You should come see this."

The group gathered around the computer, their excitement turning to curiosity. On the screen, a series of numbers and data points were scrolling rapidly.