𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 ▻ newt ¹ [o.h.]

prologue

WARRIOR
prologue

─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

I don't understand this, Thomas' silvery voice spoke bitterly in her head, catching her attention. He sounded irritated, almost jealous. It sparked a small sensation of worry in Teresa's chest, a knot she couldn't quite untie.

Why would they send her into the maze? And why Group A? She's a girl, he continued.

Teresa sighed, not taking her eyes off the girl. She lied motionless on the operating table on the other side of the thick glass. She looked a lot less dreadful now that they had cleaned her. The blood and dirt that smeared her skin earlier that day had made her look barbaric. Now, her face was soft and clean, almost angelic. Of course, she was far from an angel. Teresa cocked her head curiously. Though she could only guess what the girl's life had been like, she knew it had been far from peaceful. Perhaps they were doing her a favor by erasing it all from her mind.

I don't know, she admitted to Thomas. Like him, she too hated to be kept in the dark.

It made little to no sense. The girl had attacked WICKED with no mercy or reason. Teresa could have sworn she saw a glimpse of joy amongst the insanity that swam in her eyes as she sliced her blade through the skin of Teresa's colleagues, watching them drop dead as blood pooled from their throats. The images were tattooed on her retinas, bound to forever haunt her in her sleep. The other attackers could be described as cranks, though Teresa didn't know for sure whether they had caught the flare or not. It made sense that people whose minds were damaged by the infection would be incapable of seeing the good that WICKED was doing for the world. But the girl was an immune. Theoretically speaking, her mind should be perfectly functional. And yet, she had decided that attacking humanity's last chance at survival with a significantly small group of people – cranks, at that – that were bound to fail and be killed was a good idea. Something just didn't click.

She's dangerous, Thomas said. I mean, she's a killer. And they're just gonna send her into the maze with Alby?

She doesn't have her memories, Thomas. Teresa reminded him coolly. She won't know what she's capable of.

Teresa was no monster. She had a heart, and it did beat for her friends, Alby included. That was a problem.

She wasn't like Thomas – she wasn't blind to the truth about their work. She knew the dangers of the maze they'd created, just like she knew what the purpose of it was. Attachment to the subjects simply wasn't a good idea, considering they were expecting less than twenty percent to survive. Which was why she needed to rid herself of the sting she felt in her heart whenever they were mentioned.

But what if it's not driven by her thought? Thomas kept going. Teresa had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. What if it's in her nature? I mean, they can't change that, can they? Even with the Swipe.

She didn't reply. As mentioned, she wasn't blind to the truth about their work. The Maze was all about dangerous obstacles, meant to test the subjects' brain activity while experiencing utter terror. Perhaps WICKED had simply decided that she was worthy of being used as one. After all, she did come across as quite terrorizing. And with a face as angelic as hers, Teresa was certain she could fool a good amount of the subjects into her trap before any of them caught a glimpse the devil that lived within her.

Don't worry, Thomas, she dismissed, turning her back on the unconscious girl. I'm sure Director Anderson knows exactly what he's doing.