ACT II  SCENE L
HERECLEIDAE

   THE HATCH to the Berg started to open, a cold yet inviting blue glow leaking through the widening gap. Cassandra could make out the shapes of the other Gladers and Group B pushing through the tempest to converge in the direction of the vehicle. Minho was by her side, with Newt and Sonya flanking them. They eventually met up with Teresa and Thomas, who flailed his arms at their direction.

"Run!" he screamed, drawing a knife from his pocket and holding it tightly in front of him.

Cassandra saw the flicker of several orange orbs from remaining monsters that ambled towards them from the back of the Berg. Harriet and Aris were soon running alongside them, Frypan and Archie somewhere down the line. She could see Thomas slipping twice, then falling onto the now slippery ground. Teresa picked him up swiftly, grabbing hold of his arm and all but dragging him back to his feet.

The lightning continued to flash all around them through the thick shroud of beating rain, blazing incandescent and illuminating the darkened sky in intervals. Cassandra could see the jerky movements of the monsters. On the landing of the cargo door stood dark figures holding guns slack in their hands.

"Go right through 'em!" Thomas yelled.

There was a collection of ringing as everyone drew their weapons, silver blades gleaming under the reflected light of the storm. Fear gave way to a single vehement desire for retribution. Thunder cracked with electrical discharge, the monsters roared in anticipation, and Cassandra screamed as she lunged forwards at them. The sharp sound of crystal shattering was a pleasant tune to her ears, as all around her the Gladers and girls attacked remorselessly.

She wiped away the bead of blood that trickled from a cut above her brow bone and turned around. Her eyes instantly found Minho and Teresa finishing off their monsters as well. Newt was limping towards her, putting most of his weight onto his good leg. The sound of the Berg's engine igniting caught her attention and she let out an involuntary gasp.

"It's leaving!" Thomas yelled, waving his arms frantically at the airship. "Hurry!"

Cassandra turned on her heel and ran just as another bolt of lightning struck the ground behind her. There was a scream, but she could hardly make anything out anymore from the drumming of her own heart in her ears. Minho was by her side in the next second, throwing his arm out towards her and she grasped hold of it. They pulled each other along in their haste, keeping an eye on Newt in front of them with his limp.

The Berg had risen three feet in the air, slowly orbiting on its thrusters towards its desired direction. Frypan and Archie had dove into the opening along with three other girls. Cassandra could feel a stitch forming in her side. Newt was the first to jump at the hatch, his hands catching the edge and hauling himself over with straining muscles.

Minho let go of her arm, throwing himself into the air and easily climbing on board. She knew she had to go next, tensing her muscles taut to kick at the ground as hard as she could. Her stomach collided with the hard edge of the metal door, wincing slightly as she scrambled to pull herself upwards. Minho and Newt grabbed hold of her arms, dragging her into the cargo bay of the ship. They exchanged brief grins of triumph before turning around to help the others.

Cassandra grabbed hold of Sonya's hand as her fingers slipped across the sleek metal, throwing her off balance. The Berg was now six feet above the ground. With a soft grunt, Cassandra managed to pull Sonya up so the girl was able to swing her leg onto the landing.

The Berg was already starting to fly away, ascending higher into the sky with every second. In the distance, the lifeless bodies of the unfortunate laid around the remnants of the ghoulish monstrosities with their empty grooves of disgusting flesh. Cassandra felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach when she caught a glimpse of familiar faces lying on the wet ground.

A voice erupted behind them. "Who are these two people?!"

They turned around in bewilderment at a man with short red hair. He was pointing at Jorge and Brenda who were sat shivering in a corner. Minho frowned angrily, a scowl twisting his features as he glared back.

"Somebody answer me!" the man yelled again.

"Dude, quit the act! We know they're with you!" Minho spat.

The man's face smoothed into an impenetrable façade as everyone watched for his next move. The hatch remained wide open, wind tunnelling through the gaping door and whipping through their hair. Thomas stood up quickly, his face filled with conviction. "Look, we did what we had to do. Now let us go!"

The man shook his head. "Sometimes I forget how little you people understand what's going on. They failed to keep their identities secret, so as punishment; one of them has to go."

"What?!" Thomas cried in outrage. "What do you mean the other goes?"

"We don't have time for this!" the man said, unlocking the safety on his gun and aiming it at Brenda's head. "You have five seconds to choose the one who stays. Don't choose and they both die. One."

Brenda and Jorge did nothing, choosing to remain silent as they stared down at the grey metal floor.

"Two."

Cassandra looked between the two of them, throwing Minho a look for help. It seemed he was at a loss as well.

"Three."

She was about to throw her knife at the man when Thomas blurted out, pointing in Brenda's direction. "Kill her."

Her jaw went slack as she tensed her body, waiting for the bang of the gun and the sound to ricochet off the sides of the Berg. But nothing happened. The man stuffed the gun into the back of his pants and reached forwards to grab Brenda's arm instead. He dragged her across the floor, ready to throw the girl out into the swirling abyss below.

That was when Thomas finally acted, throwing himself at the man and tackling him down to the floor. The gun clattered across the landing and Cassandra lunged forwards to grab a hold of it. Brenda fell, tripping over her own feet, until Teresa reached out to pull her away from plummeting to death. Thomas leaned his entire weight on his forearm against the man's throat as Cassandra hovered above them with the gun pointed for a headshot.

"No one else dies!" Thomas said, panting heavily. "If we haven't done enough to pass your stupid tests, then we fail. The tests are over."

Then there was a sharp squeal as the cargo doors started to close on rusty hinges. The man on the floor squirmed under Thomas' grasp, a small smile quirking the side of his lips upwards.

"My name's David," he told them, as if they cared. The doors finally closed fully and an uneasy silence filled the air. "Don't worry, you're right. It's over. It's all over."

Cassandra didn't believe a word he said and she scowled, waving the gun menacingly in front of his face. "Do we look like idiots to you?"

"Tell me about it." Thomas frowned, his voice held a sharp edge to it. "This time we mean it. We're not going to sit back and let you treat us like rats anymore. We're done."

David looked about the cargo hold, seeing similar angry and blank faces staring back. Thomas let go of him, slowly backing away as the man pushed himself to a stand. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged nonchalantly as he eyed the gun that was still trained on him.

"What you don't understand is that everything has gone and will continue to go as planned," he told them. "But you're right, the Trials are complete. We're taking you to a place of safety—a real place of safety. No more tests, no more lies, no more setups. No more pretending."

He paused in consideration. "I can only promise one thing. When you hear why we've put you through this, and why it's so important that so many of you survived, you'll understand. I promise you'll understand."

Minho snorted. "That's the biggest bunch of klunk I've ever heard in my life."

"And what about the cure?" Thomas asked. "We were promised that. How can we believe anything you tell us?"

"Think what you want now," David said. "Things will change from here on out, and you'll get the cure, just like you were told. As soon as we get back to headquarters. You can keep that gun, by the way—we'll even give you some more, if you'd like. Our Berg will land, you'll see that you're safe and cured, and then you can do what you want. The only thing we'll ever ask you to do again is to listen. Only to listen. I'm sure you're at least intrigued by what's behind all this?"

"No," Cassandra replied curtly.

David broke out into a beam. "You know, that's exactly what we predicted you'd say at this point."

Cassandra fumed. "Yeah, well, can you predict this?!"

She threw a punch at his face, knocking the smile off his face as he stumbled back into the wall. He rubbed his jaw, a small smirk starting to form again to infuriate her even further. "Actually, yes."

"You shucking piece of klunk!" she screamed, throwing the gun at his head and lunging forwards. Minho caught her around the waist, somehow managing to find humour in her frustration as he grinned at her.

"Cassie, I think he got the message."

"So what's next on the bloody agenda?" Newt asked.

"Just thought you'd like to eat something, maybe take a shower. Sleep." David started walking towards the door, completely unfazed. "It's a very long flight."

Everyone exchanged wary glances but their answer seemed obvious. They didn't actually have much of a choice but to follow. Everything was a blinding white inside; the fluorescent lights shining above them were a striking contrast to the inky dark sky outside. David led them down a long corridor that was lined with identical metal doors, before entering a large observation deck.

Guards in black uniforms lined the walls but they made a show of keeping their stances relaxed and grips on their guns loose. A few attendants stepped up to greet them, all wearing the same white uniform that the ones in the dormitory had worn at the beginning of the Trial. It seemed like years had passed since then, instead of just a fortnight ago.

"I'm gonna have a shower," Cassandra announced and Teresa nodded without hesitation. The rest of the girls followed as an attendant guided them towards the bathroom.

About eight stalls were lined in front of them and there was a stack of fluffy white towels with fresh clothes waiting on the counter. Cassandra headed towards the wide mirror that covered the opposite wall above the row of square sinks. She wasn't sure what she expected to see but it wasn't the girl that stared back at her in the reflection.

Her gaze instantly went to the pale thin line running horizontal across her throat. She guessed the scar would have been inevitable, a stark reminder of her brush with death. There was a large purplish bruise along her left cheekbone, cuts embellishing almost every inch of her skin. Her bottom lip was split, dark circles clung beneath her eyes.

Cassandra stepped into a stall and started to peel the wet clothes off her body. She ripped the bandage around her stitches too and turned the knob of the shower. Then she allowed herself to relax under the warm stream of water, sighing in a brief moment of respite before scrubbing herself down.

Teresa exited her stall at the same time as Cassandra, the both of them getting changed into identical new attire behind screens in the corner. "I kinda hate this," Cassandra commented, scrunching her nose at her now revitalised reflection as she dried her hair.

"Me too," Teresa responded. "None of this feels right."

"Like when they brought us to that dorm after the Maze." Sonya joined them with a hairbrush in hand.

"All I want is some food now," Harriet told them with a heavy sigh.

They exited the bathroom together. Cassandra combed through her damp hair as she walked alongside Teresa. It felt nice to be in different company, or people of the same gender, to be exact. As close as she was to the boys, it was a completely different experience. Sonya and Harriet were full of smiles as they joked about things that she could actually relate to.

They arrived at the buffet table and rejoined the throng of boys that were greedily attacking the food. Cassandra piled her plate high before joining the others next to the observation window. The storm had given way to a pale azure sky and wisps of clouds trailed past the moving berg.

After a heavy meal, everyone started to fall asleep. Minho had found a small cabin and gestured for Cassandra to join him on the bed. She pressed her face against the window and marvelled at the wide-open sea below, glistening and glimmering like iridescence. The sea foam sparkled, dancing flamboyantly under the glorious canvas of the setting sun.

Minho had settled himself next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I was thinking," he started. "If all of us got our hands on a weapon, we could probably take on all those shuckfaces out there. Maybe we could keep Jorge to fly this shuck thing. Bring us to a nice island somewhere."

She laughed at him. He smiled sadly at her, caressing her cheek gently as his thumb traced the edges of her lower lip. Drawing nearer, he leaned his forehead against hers and she could feel his soft breath against her skin as he sighed. Minho kissed her sweetly, tenderly, a divine testament to everything that they had been through together.

Then her eyes started to droop, exhaustion starting to weigh heavily on her consciousness. A yawn escaped Minho's mouth as he snuggled beside her. Cassandra listened to Minho's soft breaths, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm.

She fell asleep instantly, everything else melting into a sweet oblivion.

   Cassandra was vaguely aware of consciousness creeping in to intrude on her rest. The first thing she registered was the significant lack of warmth. Her mind swirled and shifted slightly, remembering that she had fallen asleep next to Minho.

Her limbs felt heavy, sedated, as if she was enveloped in a thick cloud. She felt her awareness start to recede back into that dark void of sleep, but there was something—a kind of prodding at the back of her mind.

It was a familiar sensation and she reached out mentally for that link, attempting to reconnect with their shared cognition. Of course it would have been Thomas who forgot how to use his telepathy. He probably thought everything that they had gone through was just a dream.

"Can you hear me?" his voice whispered softly.

"You're gonna have to speak up." She chuckled softly.

He tried again, gaining more confidence in his ability. "What about now?"

"Honestly, Thomas, did you hit your head or something?"

There was a pause and Cassandra felt her awareness seeping back to the forefront of her mind. She could smell ammonia and disinfectant, a sterile scent that seemed to wash over her olfactory sense. There was brightness on the other side of her eyelids that threatened to break through. She wriggled her toes, not remembering having put on a pair of socks. Thomas stirred in her mind, his presence seemingly disturbed by something.

"It's not Thomas."


She froze. Disbelief coursed through her system and she frowned deeply in confusion. She could feel her brain whirring back to life.

"Cassie."

She tore her eyes open, ignoring the sting in her retinas at the flood of intense light that surrounded her. There was nothing, an endless arena of pure white that seemed to stretch on forever. When her sight adjusted to the change, she could make out the smooth spongy material of the floor beneath her, buttoned indentations lining its surface in uniform squares.

Cassandra shot upright, her back pressing into the wall as she took everything in at once. An empty white room, covered completely in padding, with a bright light high above in the ceiling. Her clothes had been changed—a plain shirt and pants that blended in with everything else.

She reached out again, felt his presence still there. Waiting.

"Minho?!"

He chuckled.

"The one and only, baby."