The guards walk me down a dull corridor. My headache's getting worse, and I try my best to shut it out. I think about what Tommy's doing, hopefully hiding that device somewhere, like he's been instructed to.  

What is he thinking about? Probably himself. He won't know that a few corridors along, his best friend is being marched along with guards to almost certain doom.

The guards open a door, which had CHANCELLOR PAIGE'S OFFICE,  on it and push me inside. In the room, there are three wooden chairs around a table. There's also a computer at a separate table, which has a set of organized files next to it, a remote control,  and space to work.  On the wall, there's a screen, which the remote control's probably for, and is continuously flicking through photographs of my Gladers and Group B.

Above each photo, there's our full name and our tattoo, and beside it a miniature fact-file. The rest of the walls are covered in complex diagrams, and graphs. One of the chairs, seated around the table, is occupied by a girl, who looks about twelve. She has mid-length brunette hair, and dark brown eyes. When she turns her head to look at us, I see her face is streaked with tears.

I'm taken to a chair opposite her, and Chancellor Paige takes up a chair in front of us. The guards leave the room. 

"Before we start, I would like to remind you that my office has a high level of security," informs Paige, with clear authority," All I have to do is press a button and in an instant, you will be swarmed with guards. Do you understand me?"

We both nod. My headache's a very hard pounding now, and I know it would only be a matter of time, before it erupts and I lose control.

"Now," she continues, " Mr Isaac Newton, I would like you to meet Miss Mary Jane Seacole, and vice  versa."

We both nod to each other in acknowledgement before the girl rolls her eyes, and replies to Chancellor Paige, "They're just the names you gave us. I don't want to be a scientist, or in my case, nurse. I'm just Jane, and that's final." She turns to me, "What your name?"

"Newt."

"Much simpler, " Jane laughs and then her expression turns serious, " Now can we please get on with things, before this buggin' headache gets the better of me?"

I stare at her. She's a Crank too?

Chancellor Paige nods at Jane's request. "Very well," she says, " As you both know already Groups A and B mirror each other. Newt is Sonya's equal in Group A, and Jane is Chuck's equal in Group B. Both groups were meant to do exactly the same thing, however,  it didn't work out like that. Like Newt's attempted suicide, Sonya was also meant to get a limp, but Harriet, who was Alby's equivalent stopped her just in time, and nothing happened. In the same way-"

I cut her off, "You were controlling us. That thing in our heads. You made Sonya and me think that out lives were utter klunk, so we would commit suicide!"

Chancellor Paige nods, "It was not my decision, but unfortunately the council overrode me, and the votes were not in my favour. Anyway, " she continues," In the same way, with the dead grievers, Harriet was meant to get stung, like Alby did, but unlike Group A, Group B were not willing to put their Leader's life in jeopardy, and even though Harriet was curious, they sent Sonya instead. If the failed suicide had worked, Sonya should have had a limp that slowed her down, but she didn't, and due to that, and having kept her job as a Runner - she was very quick on her feet, and neither of them got stung..."

"That's why the doors closed earlier that day." Jane interrupts ,"You needed to trap them in."

"Indeed, " says Chancellor Paige, " Again not my decision, but because of that, it meant that Group B were a few days quicker on solving the Maze, and they realized that something was up. Rachel had the same reaction as Thomas did though, and ran straight into the Maze. We weren't exactly controlling them at that point, but we did make Rachel and Thomas desperate to become Runners.

After that, we had same results from both sides, apart from one thing," she pauses," Jane, you were meant to die the same way as Chuck did-throwing yourself in front of Rachel, as he did Thomas. We made both of you want to react to save Thomas and Rachel but you reacted a different way to Chuck and instead, tackled Beth, Gally's equivalent,  to the ground, which allowed Aris, Teresa's equal, who was filled with remorse and anger, to kill Beth, but not before she had killed Rachel.

That's why in Group B, Harriet is still alive, whereas Alby is dead, why Newt has a limp and Sonya doesn't, and why Rachel and Beth are dead and Jane's alive, but Chuck is dead, and Thomas and Gally are still alive."

This isn't helping my headache, and it thumps even more, as I try to process this information. I'm surprised that I hadn't lost control yet. Jane seems to be going through exactly the same thing.

But, Paige hasn't finished. "I have one last thing to tell you," she says," As you know, you are Cranks. Your friends probably think you're dead.

However, I am pleased to inform you, that thanks to you two, I have finally managed to create a cure. Your brain patterns have been surprising much more valuable to us than the rest of your friends. It is only temporary, mind, but can make a subject immune for roughly 60 to 70 years.

There's one more thing. Although the council do not want this to happen, I can, and I want to completely shut down the chip inside your brain, so you can never be used again. I can also inject you with this temporary cure. The headaches will stop, and you will be yourself again. Do you want me to do this?"