Jason and I took our time walking back to the Glade. My leg was starting to hurt, but I was too stubborn to accept help. So we had started in a jog and slowly it turned into a walk.

We finally made it to the home stretch and I could see Minho, Newt, Winston and Thomas standing in front looking anxious. Behind them was Frypan, Zart and Chuck and Gally looking as angry as ever.

"Aww look at our welcome committee."

Jason snorted and rolled his eyes. We made it into the Glade.

"Jessie! What the actual fuck is going on out there?" Minho came and met us in the hall.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"There was a loud explosion and then a huge cloud of smoke! Are you okay?" He asked stopping in front of me grabbing my face turning back and forth.

I swatted his hands away, "I'm fine ya shank. Sheesh!"

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking." Jason rolled his eyes.

"We dissected a Griever and we blew it up." I grinned.

Minho's face went from worry to shock to amusement. "Of course you did."

I grinned. We made it back into the Glade. Newt looked worried pacing up and down, and Gally looked like he was ready to blow a gasket, more none runners in the maze. And the moment we stepped onto the grass Winston pulled me into a hug. I froze and stiffened up, Chuck also joined in on this hug.

"Eww! Guys. Get.the.shuck.off!" I hissed and shoved them both off me. "Get a grip on yourselves!"

Once they had backed off and I had personal space again I pulled my backpack off.

"Jason and I found this." I said, pulling the mechanical cylinder out of my backpack, handing it to Newt.

"Hey...we found one too! It was inside some weird organic heart thing!" Thomas just about squealed.

"Yeah. We dissected the things brain and then cut this thing out." Jason explained.

Newt's eyes widened, looking at it, rolling it around in his hands. He pulled the other one out.

"These are the same letters we get in our supplies." he said looking up at Minho and I, for confirmation.

"Yeah." Minho nodded.

"Lemme see!" I held my hand out for the cylinders. Newt handed them over. I held them side by side. The letters matched, the flashing digital 7 flashed in unison. They were matching in every single way.

"Whoever put us here obviously made the Grievers." Thomas said, coming to stand beside me at my shoulder. He was frowning, and had that far away look, I knew he was piecing things together, our intelligent idiot was working.

This is the first real clue, the first anything, you've found in 2 years..." He paused and looked at Minho, "Right, Minho?"

"Right." Minho said again, nodding.

"Newt, we gotta go back out there. Who knows where this could lead us!" Thomas exclaimed. He turned back towards the maze. Minho and I both pushed him back.

"Nah man, doors close soon, and there ain't time to do a proper look for anything. This is a good start. We will go back out tomorrow morning." Minho said crossing his arms standing in Thomas's way.

"But! She's survived a night ..a few nights!" Thomas protested.

"Thomas shut your mouth and do as your fucken keeper says!" I snapped.

"Like you would listen." he grumbled, folding his arms in a huff.

"He has a point." Gally said.

"Gally? Did you just agree with the Greenie?" I turned and raised an eyebrow at the boy.

Gally's face turned red. And I saw his eyes narrowed and his jaw clamped shut.

"Do you know what he's trying to do, right Newt?" Gally cried throwing an arm toward Thomas.

"Furst he breaks the rules and then he tries to get us all to abandon them! It's the only thing that's kept us together, why now are we questioning it?"

Newt was looking at Gally with a slight frown.

"Gally! You idiot! Because we now might have a better chance of leaving this hell hole!" I rolled my eyes.

"But-"

"No." I snarled, anger filling me up. "I've been stuck in this place for three years. Three.fucking.years." I had taken a few threatening steps closer to Gally.

"First you break our rules, then you killed a few Grievers...but that wasn't enough for you...now you go and rub it in their faces! You blew it up!" He screamed back. His face was dark red with with anger.

"Shucken rights I did! And I'd do it again! I'd blow each and everyone up! I'd rip them apart, make their fucken walls crumble! And I'll rip arms from bodies and bodies from heads!"

I felt Minho grab my arm but I ripped it away. Gally was sneering at me. I had a knife white knuckled in my hand, holding it, pointed at Gally's chest.

"I have watched too many people die. I've lost my home once, I've gone through the changing twice. I've run that maze for three years, I'm done being a science experiment. I'm done having my life monitored by the shuck designers. If you, Gally wanna grow old in this place, have at her. But back the fuck off of the ones who actually want to leave this place."

"So your taking his side, are you?" His voice was shaking with anger, every muscle was tense and coiled. His hands balled into fists. He had taken another step closer, trying to intimate me. I just raised my knife steadily, forcing his head up. The group of guys around us were silent. The te skin was thick. No one moved. Minho hadn't tried to grab my arm again but I knew he was there. Thomas had the smarts to keep his mouth shut right now.

"If he's willing to take the fucken risk and help get us out of here? Then yes. I'm on his side." I hissed, my own eyes narrowed.

"So, everything I saw and told you means nothing?"

"If it means your going to stop me from leaving? Then yes. Stop being a coward and take a risk."

He tried to move, I wasn't sure if he was going to go try and grab me or shove me or what, but he moved, but my knife and foot moved faster.

"Don't even fucking try it." I snarled. I gave him chest a solid kick and he fall back. A small trickle of blood dropped down his neck.

He scrambled to his feet with a look of pure hatred. He spun on his heel and stormed away. I watched him go, every muscle in my body was ready to fight. I had a lot of pent up anger I needed to release. I don't say anything I just stormed off towards the Deadheads. I was glad no one followed.

The Deadheads was always cool and quiet. I walked through the shadows, trying very hard to slow my heart rate down and collect myself. I made it to the back of the forest by the corner of the walls. I leaned my forehead on the cool stone, closing my eyes and taking a shuddering inhale. I slid down the wall leaning my head back, closing my eyes I let myself slowly drift into a restless sleep.

•×•

I was standing in the cold red tinged room. I shivered. Turning slowly around I jumped. Standing right behind me was...me. But with less scares. I looked like I was in some kind of trans. My eyes stayed wide and unblinking. My body stiff but I was breathing hard. My dream self heard footsteps. I flinched and took a few steps backwards. A door opened and snapped shut.

"Assassin."

It was His voice. I threw a hand over my mouth to keep my yelp and whimper inside. Even though this was a dream or memory, and my mind knew no one could hear or see me I still didn't want His attention.

"Assassin."

"I am ready to comply."

"Good. New mission: The current Chancellor of WICKED... Chancellor Kevin Anderson... He is...disposable. You, Assassin B-4...will take care of the problem, in the same way as you did the former Chancellor, John Michael. And when you are done with Anderson...you will take care of Randall."

I watched myself nod, my eyes blank. I watched horror struck, unable to move as His hand petted my hair and ran down my cheek and caress down my neck. His hand wrapped around my throat. My body did nothing, standing stiff and unflinching. My dream self couldn't move either I was stuck like my feet were frozen to the ground. I never saw his face. He was always covered in shadow. He seemed like a huge man. His hand slid lower. He groped me over my shirt for a moment. His hand came up and grabbed my chin. Yanking my head up and to the side to look at him while he was still shrouded in shadow.

"You may go now, B-4."

I spun on my heel and left the room. I could hear the quiet malicious chuckle from the shadow and it made me shiver.

The room faded.

A big ball room appeared, classical music was playing tables scattered all over the place, woman in fancy floor length dresses and men in fancy suits. At first glance everything looked normal and like the perfect night. I had a tight black dress, it was short with a high slit, and an open back. My hair was done up, and blood red lips. My black heels clicked when I walked across the dance floor. Eyes followed me as I swung my hips, walking across the floor.

My feet took me across the floor towards a man with salt and pepper hair, he was tall and broad. As I walked I started to notice things around me were off. The laughter was in slow motion and manic, the people dancing around the floor all had black eyes, slobber black goo and blood dripped down their chin. A few had blood dripping down their necks from garrote wounds, a few still had the thin cord or rope. A few of them stumbled wildly like they were drunk, but they had a bullet wound in their chest or head. A few had a knife sticking out of their torsos. A few had slit throats.

My confident stride slowed to a stumble. I stopped and slowly turned. I looked down at myself, my hands were covered in hot fresh blood. My chest felt tight. I tried to wipe my hands off on my dress. I grabbed a cloth off the nearest table and tried to wipe it off. When I dropped the cloth my hands had long sharp claws. With my chest feeling like it was being squeezed. I stumbled closer to the grey haired man.

My hatrid for the man made my eyes narrow and my blood boil. I needed to get to him. My bloody clawed hand pulled at the black wire that was wrapped around my wrist. I needed to kill him, I needed to get ride of him- who he was I wasn't sure, but I need him dead.

Just as I got to him with his back still to me he spoke. His voice was dangerously quiet. I could tell he was smirking.

"I wouldn't do that Jessica."

He still hadn't turned around, but his body launguage was relaxed and not worried about the threat that was behind him. My heart was slamming into my ribs. My bloody hands were sweating.

"Look at your work B-4...all these targets... eliminated thanks to you and your splendid work."

I had stopped, frozen in my spot, my lungs hurt, my stomach twisting, and I could feel the bile rising in my throat.

"Sloppy, Jessica." The man said, he sounded disappointed, his hands clapped behind his back. "Pretending to fail."

"No...no I wasn't..."

"Jessica, the ceremony is nessecary for you to take your place in the world..."

"I...I have no place in the world..."

"Exactly." He whispered sinisteraly.

He turned, his hand was on my face faster then I could react or see who he was. He pushed me backwards. I was now strapped to a gurney, being wheeled down a hall, it was dark and full of old stone. I saw children standing lined along the wall. They all wore the same black jumpsuit as I did when I joined the program.

"You have no place in this would. You have no name. You are nothing more then what I tell you you are." His voice whispered in my ear.

•×•

"Jessie!"

A hand was shaking me. My eyes snapped open with a wild scream. My hands flailed, I had a knife grasped tightly in one hand. I swung it around with a snarl.

"Hey! Whoa! Whoa, Jessie! Breath! Breath. It's okay...it's alright."

My eyes were wild and full of panic and my breathing was wild. It slowly died down and I realized where I was and who was in front of me.

"Deep breath."

"Tess?"

"Hey." She gave me a small smile.

I lowered my arm, but I still held the knife tight. She was crouched in front of me her arms resting on her knees.

"Dreams?"

"I think it...it was a memory...or something." I whispered, closing my eyes. I dropped the knife onto the ground and pressed the heels on my hands into my eyes.

"It was Him. I heard Him...and...and almost saw Him."

Teresa sucked in a sharp breath. I lowered my hands, Teresa's eyes were wide.

"You saw Him?"

I shook my head, "No. I never actually saw anything."

Teresa sat back on her butt and leaned back on her hands. I slowly explained my dream or memory.

"He...he..." She swallowed, and looked away, "I remember Him touching me too."

"Fuck." I muttered.

"Agreed." She nodded. She was quiet for a moment, then a frown pulled at the side of her lips, "those...those guys you had to kill-"

"Old Chancellors...of what? I have no idea.."

"Yeah. It...it seems... familiar?" Teresa frowned deeper.

I sat up straighter.

"I don't recognize the names or anything...but I have a feeling like in my gut that it's familiar. Like I know I know how to ride a bicycle, I remember someone teaching me, but all the details are gone... It's the same...your story feels familiar but all details are taken."

"Thank the fucken Designers."

She just humme. My wild breathing and slamming heart beat finally slowed down. I leaned back against the wall.

"So...how was MedJack? And how did you find me?"

"I actually enjoyed it. But the guts here....are awful! Like Holly hell, Jessie, how did you do it?"

"Anyone who came near me got a knife to the throat. Lots of death threats and violence."

"Oh." She said quietly, like she was uncertain. I raised an eyebrow.

"I...I don't know if I could do that."

"Yeah...and that's why you were the better me."

"I'm the what?" She asked, frowning, her eyebrows pulled together.

"You were my replacement."

Teresa opened and closed her mouth a few times her bright blue eyes staring at me in confusion. I tipped my head back leaning it against the wall and closed my eyes. I took a slow shaking inhale. And then explained what I knew. I told her what I knew about our history and how she was my replacement, how I was supposed to, at my best guess, die in the maze the day she showed up.

She sat listening, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

"Jess, I promise I'm not trying to take your place! Sure we look the same, and we're trained by the same creep...but we are very different! And I don't want Minho, at all he's all yours!"

Her eyes wide in worry. I gave her a small sad smile.

"Some wild nightmares later...but I believe you. I hope."

"Trust me. Sure he's good looking...but most guys here are...but he's yours!" She was sputtering and her cheeks were flushed.

"Tes? Shut it. It's fine. It's Him and the Designers messing with us. Relax." I sighed, irritation in my voice.

She stopped talking and hung her head. I groaned. We were quiet for a bit. She finally picked her head up.

"We should probably go back...some of the guys were a bit worried about you."

"Oh...how long was I out?"

"Well...it's passed supper."

"Oh..well that explains the setting sun. Surprised Gally didn't try and kill me while I was out."

Teresa gave me a small smile. She stood up and held a hand out for me. She hefted me to my feet and together we headed back to the Glade.