Steel and Stone [The Maze Runner (Scorch Trials) Fanfiction]

Numbers Game

The young Hispanic man had practically appeared out of thin air, dropping through the ceiling and springing up a few feet in front of us.

"Welcome to the scorch Hermanos." The man says, an out of place smile stretching across his face. "I'm Jorge, and I'm the crank who runs this place."

"How many more are there?" Newt asks warily, glancing up at the hole on the ceiling from which the man had come.

"How many what? Cranks? We're all cranks here Hermano." Jorge says, gesturing around the room with his arms.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Newt says flatly, letting go of Mallory to step closer to Jorge.

"Why don't you answer my questions first, eh hermano?" Jorge says, taking a knife from his belt and pointing it at Newt. "Those at the disadvantage speak first." Instantly, Minho steps forward, doing an incredible job of hiding his pain. He stands in front of our group, taking the lead with out even realizing it. I follow closely, passing Newt to stand just behind Minho, ready to stop him if he tries anything stupid, or back him up if Jorge decides to do the same.

"I don't think we're at the disadvantage here." Minho says with a smirk, confidently preparing to open his mouth again. I interrupt before he can. The last thing we need right now is his arrogance getting us all killed. I can see the look in Jorge's eye, we need to play this very, very carefully if we want to come out alive. So, as much as I know Minho will hate my clear uncertainty of his leadership skills, I refuse to let him ruin this. So, I do my best to mimic Minho, hiding my pain, and erasing all but the smallest signs of my limp.

"What he means is, we don't know anything about you, so how can we know what we're facing." I say quickly, stepping sideways until I'm directly beside Minho. I don't even glance at him, I don't want to see the look of betrayal on his face.

"Ah? Is that what you meant hermano?" Jorge asks, turning to Minho. I turn to give him a death glare, daring him with my eyes to say no.

"Yes, it is." Minho says through gritted teeth. I breathe a sigh of relief, I might have made Minho angry, but I'll deal with that later, I've got more important things to worry about at the moment. Namely, a crank named Jorge who seems intent on causing trouble.

"I guess you have a point then, hermana." Jorge says, now addressing me. He suddenly looks up, waving his hands as more blurs of white come cascading through the ceiling, ducking into balls before springing up again, just like Jorge had done minutes before. They form a circle around Minho, Newt and I, brandishing sharpened blades of every shape and size. I do a quick count, doing my best to keep from appearing panicked by the surrounding cranks, and come to the conclusion that there are about a dozen well armed cranks surrounding us, some seemingly crazier than the rest. They separate us from the rest of the group, blocking them out, along with the path to the door. "See, we could kill you all in a heartbeat." He says proudly.

"Well, I would have to say that we do appear to be at the disadvantage." I say slowly, heavily stressing the word 'appear'. I see a glint of doubt in Jorge's eyes as he glances past me, looking towards the door. I realize that he isn't as sure of himself as he first appeared. I fight the urge to smile, knowing the battle isn't anywhere close to over, but also knowing, that if I play my cards right, maybe we can still make this work.

"Yes it does seem that way doesn't it." Jorge says, his voice remaining boastful despite the uncertainty in his expression.

"And maybe we are... in a way." I say, choosing my words very carefully. I step forward, using all my self control to keep myself calm and poised, knowing I must appear unafraid despite the situation. My acting skills will be put to the test. "But you may not want to kill us yet."