"Just try to relax." Teresa told me comfortingly, somehow still rather shaken up which was clearly audible in her voice, wavering just by bit even if I did notice she quite struggled to maintain its neutral tone.

In answer I simply nodded, not knowing if it was wiser to consider her betrayal as the worst happening of six months ago even if it wasn't the only bad thing that happened then— I wagered the two, in the end even if her betrayal led WICKED to take our friends, we were still sure fighting to get them back and not seeing those who had given their life then was not comparable. I decided not to hold anything against her.

As she picked up the knife with a low rattling sound, and began working on removing the mark WICKED had given us my shoulders abruptly froze with the feeling of acid, uncomfortable tweezing arising in the back of my neck which as if sent down my body even more of that previous acidity I felt.

We were both in silence, somehow  comfortable one until she spoke again. "I read your files and I'm...sorry. It must be hard."

"So you know about it?" I questioned, squeezed my eyes shut as another wave of acid pain went down my neck.

"Yes, how are you feeling?" Teresa asked comfortingly, at last removed the colder blade from the skin of my neck.

Looking at my wrist, all around the paler skin scattered black veins that one moment seemed to grow more distinct and the other pull back, faintly visible, I sighed. "I get this feeling like everything is spinning once in a while, but after it stops it's like...it's there but not taking effect." A shiver went down my spine when Teresa layed down the last of her tools and I shifted the angle of my head just by bit to meet the awful sight of bloodied knife which immediately forced me staring back to the seemingly endless dark area the room was in.

I heard the girl heaved a long sigh, stopping her breath must've hitched in her throat as I turned to look at her widened, unblinking stare looking back at me. "How? You can't just be non-immune then immune again."

Shaking my head, I grabbed the white gauze sitting besides a metal plate of sorts and putting it to my neck, shrugged in a obviously tense manner. "I don't know." Rather heavily I lifted myself up, smiling a thankful smile at the raven-haired girl who gave me one of her small ones back and even before any of us spoke again, I trudged to the table set in utter darkness whose only tingling light was a already burnt candle, its orange flame gently swaying from left to right, seemed it would extinguish any moment, yet it continued shining.

My hand moved fabric after fabric the presented suits we had managed to snatch from WICKED, fumbling through their collected dumps in utter disconnection to the things happening around so it felt as if I didn't even percieve what I was doing, only stared emotionlessly at the sight— perhaps it were all the thoughts plaqueing my mind, powerful that they just would not leave. The thoughts of everything that happened, often lingering in past, pushing through the present and just barely hoping for the future.

At last, I heaved one last uncertain breath before stilling my breathing to certain— certain that I would not stand at the side anymore, certain that WICKED had to pay for what they had done and certain that even if the mission seemed by a bit unstable, moved left or right and it could crash, that we would execute it and be over with it. Once and for all. 

I found the smallest suit possible, one that would fit me even though they were all by far bigger than my being, and unzipping it, carefully pulled its horrible red fabric over the white shirt I wore. Rather scratchy and uncomfortable it clung to my body, but accepting there was no other option I slowly pulled the rest of it up to my arms so now it covered me whole, and zipped it back.

My hands came in contact with a small knife, a faint engraving in previously intense, dark letters on its leathery handle fading to gray, barely visible writing which presumably became that way after years of usage— it was the same knife Newt had given me before, and the one my best friend gave as a gift to him. Anger bubbled inside of me, threatened to consume me all too quickly as I pulled the knife closer to myself and set it to my chest, looking up as I made a promise to myself, and him I would not let his death pass in vain.

Finally, I checked over the gun rather shakily, still not quite used to wielding a weapon of such killing range that I nevertheless set in the holder hanging by my waist.

It was silent for a moment, and then I heard some faint footsteps before silence fell again. "You look ready to kick some serious ass." A laugh came by from my right side, and I following it turned around spotting Fry casually leaning on the table with an encouraging smile gracing his face and eyes set alight with some type of new hope.

Letting a smile spread through my lips too, thoughts lessen of uncertainty and quite possibly fear, I lightly shook my head. "I don't exactly feel like it." Grabbing the edge of the table, I turned toward the rest of our group nearby, packing for the last mission we were to encounter in hurry, all hushed whisper as if no matter the encouragements and certainty hanging around the group, everyone was afraid something just might go progressively downhill.

Fry leaned next to me, putting an arm over my considerably shorter shoulder as aside using the table as some kind of resting space he used me as well. I glanced at him, giving him another smile and catching him giving me one in return and while my was genuine, his was mischievous. "We're gonna kick WICKED's ass, bring Minho back and get outta there."

"You sound sure." I stated, crossing my arms over my chest as my gaze landed on the sight of Rosie speaking with Newt in a hushed whisper and Chris nearby resentfully, perhaps even with a bit of disgust eyeing Teresa.

Fry released a snort. "I'm not fully sure, but I think we're ready."

Looking down at my feet, now laced with two dark shoes going all the way up to my ankles, I shifted a small smile before returning my eyes back to Fry's encouraged features. "Thanks, Fry." The boy nodded, then extending his arms toward me, wrapped me into one last hug before the seriousness of our last mission crashed down on us and before the pawns set in our game began their first and last moves in order to free who was taken away long months ago— there was no turning back anymore, and truth to be told, I was not satisfied settling for less.

•

In one word I felt awfully nervous, even if it was that the helmet shielded my nervous expression and the sweat dripping down my forehead, I could not relieve myself of that horrifying feeling nestling in the pit of my stomach— the feeling of utter, possible failure as I walked through the rather empty streets of a glimmering city, its tall buildings as if of glass shimmering on the darkness of the night settling impossibly quickly.

Inhaling a long breath, I took an abrupt turn left, nearing the towering structure of WICKED's compound when the device on my wrist we had installed beeped up. "Aria, do you copy?" Thomas' voice came through rather unclear, an electronic buzz behind it that the device marred it with.

Brining my wrist closer to my helmet, I began with a short, nervous breath. "Copy." I told the boy on the other side of the line.

"Need to revise the plan?" He asked, his question sent me mulling over my thoughts, until I finally found enough strength in all my nervousness to vocalise them.

"Get there, distract the guards at the front, meet you at the serum hold. I got this." I said, prepping myself up for the upcoming move, closer and closer to the glass door of the glimmering compound WICKED had taken as my steps deftly grabbed last centimetres to it.

I heard Thomas sigh, then his words broke through the silence I was in. "I know you do. Meet you there." And then he seemed to log off as the only sound left there was distant buzzing motorically shifting on and off in my ears.

Stopping right outside the door, I slunk a bit into shadow as I brought the device settled on the sleeve of my suit closer, speaking even if I knew Thomas would not pick up which only served as a belief I could, and would not be afraid anymore. "Meet you there." With that, I looked up again, noticing the moving figures of other unsuspecting guards in the darkness partly lit up by the white lights atop buildings doorway, and nodding to myself at last joined them sneakily, only so they'd not take in consideration where had I come from.

In silence I walked besides a taller guard and that way we entered the building, seemingly he or she was less muscular then the others which was mainly why I took a guess a female face hid behind that helmet. "Censors picked up Subject A2." She spoke to me, words that had fully messed my thoughts into a lump of undecided and unthought of ones as I felt color drained from my face and once again was thankful she could not see it.

Biting on my lip, I decided I did have on choice but to bring everything in now, otherwise it would seem suspicious. "That must mean others aren't far behind." Words rolled so quickly off my tongue, even before I stopped to consider then we were already rushing to the second floor, where my friends had silently gone to.

"You're correct. I'll check the..."

She would've continued if it weren't for me interrupting her. "No, don't bother. Take as much men with you, they have to be somewhere below. Chancellor ordered so." I added quickly in panic.

She stopped rather suspiciously in the middle of stairway, turned to meet me even though we both wore those black helmets so our features weren't visible. "I...alright. Be safe, they are dangerous." The female guard then nodded at me, motioned for the rest to follow her down again and spoke something in one of her devices as seconds later a group of at least ten guards came rushing after, unsuspecting anything much to my relief as I kept standing there for a second longer, finally sprinting up and to the serum keep.

Carefully slowing my walk so it would not seem suspicious around any doctors or other guards that I crossed paths with, I slunk around two corners until finally an open door came into my sight. With one last look around myself just to be sure nobody had taken any sudden interest I entered the hidden off domain, suddenly freezing on spot as Thomas pointed a gun at me, one hand gripping the bag of serum and the other holding the gun.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked, motioning for Teresa who had abruptly stopped working by a computer to continue as I carefully rose my hands, moving them to the helmet sporadically not to give him any reason to shoot.

At last it came off, an uneasy expression settling on his features when he spotted me standing in front of him, gripping the black form of helmet's material.

"I'm sorry Aria, thought someone got to us." He lowered the weapon, I nodding certainly at him as he pulled me toward the centre of the room, evading unconscious guards motionlessly laying on the floor.

"What's happening?"

Thomas turned to me, shaking his head. "Minho's on the other side of the building." He stated, clearly with a shaky voice.

"Let's go then, no time to loose." I nodded, pulling the helmet over my face again as we sprinted into the hallways again hoping for one thing— to arrive before it was too late.

(A/N):

whoop, been a long time. how are you my gladers?

anyway, this is the beginning of the end so hope y'all got yourself some tissues cause i'm not even ready to write that scene.

also, yess i'm so excited and sad cause this is ending soon and idk what i'll do with my life after it's over.

sooo, thank you for reading and don't forget the tissues.