Sticks and Stones

Chapter 15: WCKD is good

Newt glowered as he sat on his knees between Frypan and Minho, Harriet and Aris on Frypan's other side. They were at the very front of the crowds of people forced into lines behind each other on all sides while the one of the two carriers came flying in and finally landed not far away.

He and the others had come to, to find themselves captured already and in place. Aris had already been there earlier, having been one of the first caught when WCKD attacked after he'd stopped to help another fallen woman. It was grave news to the blond from Group A, as there was still no sign yet of either Sonya or Rachel, and Aris hadn't seen them either since the chaos started.

However, WCKD was still rounding people up, even as the groups of people sat under close watch. None of them were tied or cuffed in any way; they didn't have to be. The WCKD soldiers surrounded them completely armed with their taser guns, and without weapons, Newt and the others knew they would easily be recaptured.

"Get off!"

The group glanced up as a distinctly feminine voice snarled viciously from nearby, and they saw first Sonya and then Rachel finally being dragged in.

Newt's heart clenched even as relief flooded his body, as he took in Rachel's ragged appearance. She had a small cut on one side of her face and her hair was a mess from where she'd clearly been running and fighting the soldiers, similar to Sonya and Newt himself.

"Let go!" Sonya growled again, while Rachel came more silently, using every ounce of energy to dig her heels into the ground in an attempt to get away from the soldier dragging her.

It was no use as both girls were hauled in to join the others, though Rachel's eyes lit up with grim relief as she met Newt's eyes as she was dragged passed.

The soldiers shoved the two girls down on the end of the line, and Rachel quickly looked down at Newt. He tilted his head questioningly at her, and she nodded to show she was all right. He nodded back, before his eyes darted up behind Rachel.

She glanced back as well, just as one of the WCKD men grabbed the back of Sonya's head and forced her to bend forward so that he could scan the back of her neck.

Sonya grunted in surprise, but the soldier held her firmly in place as he scanned before calling to the lead male standing before them: "B4."

The man noted it, as the WCKD soldier moved on, grabbing Rachel's neck and shoving her head down so that her neck was exposed, just as Janson strode up into the middle of the gathering.

"How many did we get?" He demanded, while the WCKD soldier called: "B2."

He let go of Rachel's neck, and she looked back to shoot a glare at the man while the lead man answered to Janson: "All of them, give or take."

"B1."

Newt glanced over at Rachel again, and she nodded to reassure him she was still fine just angry, as Janson turned to his operative.

"Give or take what?" He demanded.

"B3."

"Well, they lost a few." The other man pointed out, as the soldier called while scanning Frypan: "A6."

Janson nodded, turning away, as the soldier called while scanning Newt: "A5."

Newt shrugged the man's hand off his neck forcefully before the man could let go, feeling angry at how helpless he was. Minho clearly felt the same as the former runner growled when the soldier grabbed his neck, scanning before he called: "A7."

Minho also shrugged the man's hand off with a wrench, his face set in a scowl as he glanced at Newt. Newt could only look away – what could they do? They were trapped with no way out that he could see.