-J A D E-

Gally had taken Jade, Piper, Thomas, and Newt to a lookout spot at the top of a building, giving the group a perfect view of the new WCKD facility. Skyscrapers towered over the city, shining light on the dark area, as Jade admired the technology- she was used to sleeping in tents and abandoned buildings, washing herself with dirty water, and eating gone-off food.

Jade didn't particular want to come on this side-quest, however she felt the need to keep a close eye on Piper. However, their relationship wasn't quite the same as it was before- they both knew that, but it was scary to label what they were.

Gally retrieved a telescope and attached it to the metal railing in front of them, "Minho will be in there. We've been trying to find a way in their for ages, but the place is crawling with soldiers. They got surveillance everywhere. Scanners on every floor."

Newt scoffed, "Sounds like a bloody fortress."

"Yeah, I thought you said you had a way in." Thomas added spitefully, and Jade got the feeling the two boys weren't friends in the Maze. She looked at Piper, who was staring at the tall skyscraper, the reflection glistening in her eyes.

Gally hesitated, "I might."

"You might?" Thomas repeated frustratedly, "What the hell do you mean might?"

"Take a look." Gally stepped back from the telescope, "I said I might have a way in- I never said you'd like it."

One by one, the four peered into the telescope, zooming into Teresa from afar, as she worked in her own private lab. Piper's jaw clenched as she watched Teresa, stepping back from the telescope and scoffing, "No. No way. We can't trust her!"

"Listen, I never said we have to trust her." Gally reasoned, "But she can be our way in."

That night, Gally guided the four back to the building they were staying in. The group crowded around a table, maps and blueprints placed flat on the surface. Jade's eyes darted around at the scribbles of words and letters she was unable to read, she found herself looking at Piper to relay any information.

Thomas refused, "No. There's gotta be another way."

"Like what?" Gally sighed, "You've seen the building. She's our only way in."

Thomas questioned sarcastically, "You really think she's gonna help us?"

"We don't have to ask for her permission to help." Piper suggested, "Why don't we just kidnap her, or something?"

"Exactly." Brenda nodded, "This is the same girl who betrayed us, correct? Same dick?"

"I like her." Gally nodded approvingly.

"What's going on, Thomas?" Jade asked curiously.

Newt hesitated, before breaking the silence accusingly, "What, are you afraid your little girlfriend's gonna get hurt, hmm? This has obviously never been just about rescuing Minho. Has it?"

Thomas frowned softly, "Newt, what are you talking about?"

"Teresa." Newt stood up frustratedly, his voice raising with anger, "I mean, she's the only reason why Minho's even missing in the first place. Now we finally have an opportunity to get him back. And what? You don't want to because of her? Because deep down inside you still care about her, don't you?"

Newt was face-to-face with Thomas, who kept calm. He tried to speak, "Newt, I-"

"Don't lie to me!" Newt shouted, "Don't lie to me."

Jade watched Piper, who followed Newt out of the room, glaring at Thomas as she stormed after Newt. Jade shared a glance at Brenda, who was just as speechless as she was, as Thomas walked out of the room. Jade took it upon herself to follow him, making sure that he was okay.

"I've never seen Newt angry before." Jade exclaimed, as she walked behind Thomas.

"Me neither." Thomas muttered, as he stopped walking and turned around to face Jade.

"I'm sure he just needs time to cool off." Jade reassured, "This thing with Minho must be hard on him too. Piper hasn't told me much but, apparently they've been through a lot before they met you."

"Yeah." Thomas nodded, and he stared at Jade for a long moment, his eyes moving in between her features. His mouth opened to say something, but Jade could see that he was conflicting with himself inside. Abruptly, Thomas' hand reached for Jade's, his fingers interlocking with hers. Thomas lowered his voice softly, "I don't think I ever thanked you for helping us find the Right Arm. We couldn't have done all this without you."

Jade smiled slightly, her eyes looking down at his hand on hers. She noticed a feeling behind his intentions, almost like he was attracted to her- everything finally made sense. Thomas had been so nice and protective of Jade, not because they were friends, but because Thomas liked her. She pulled away gently, "I'm sorry- I, uh... I don't- I'm not into your type."

Thomas frowned curiously, "My type?"

"Men." Jade replied quickly, "I mean, you're handsome and cool but... I'm just not wired that way."

"Oh! I, uh... I'm sorry." Thomas took a step back, "I didn't mean to make this weird-"

"No, it's not weird." Jade reassured, "Anyway, I assumed you had a thing with Newt?"

"What?" The boy was almost flustered, "Uh, no. No! We're just... He's just my friend." He paused, "I should probably check on him, though. I'll, uh, see you later."

"Later." Jade nodded, frowning in confusion as Thomas walked away quickly. She had never seen someone dodge a conversation so quickly, though she decided not to mention it to anyone else.

***

The group had followed through with a plan to, quite literally, kidnap Teresa- as Piper had suggested. The group would've normally disagreed with Piper's impulsive ideas, but this one seemed reasonable to some extent.

Jade had noticed that Piper was quieter than usual, she hadn't spoken since she had spoken with Newt alone. Jade assumed it was because Teresa, the one who had betrayed them, was in the room with her- but Jade had a feeling it was about something bigger than that.

Teresa caught her breath, as Newt took off the black bag the group had covered her head with. She frowned, looking at Gally who she thought was dead too, "Gally?"

"Here's how this is gonna go." Gally ignored her, folding his arms across his chest, "We're gonna ask you some questions and you're gonna tell us exactly what we need to know." He paused, grabbing a chair and sitting on it, "We'll start of simple. Where's Minho?" He blocked Teresa's vision of Thomas by sitting directly in front of her, "Don't look at him. Why are you looking at him? Look at me. He's not gonna help you."

Teresa hesitated, "He's with the others in holding. Sublevel three."

"How many others?" Newt asked.

Teresa paused, "28."

"I can make that work." Brenda smirked slightly. Jade glanced at Jorge, and he knew what she was thinking- Jade thought about the possibility of her brother being in that 28 teenagers. Jorge shook his head slightly, almost subtly telling Jade not to get her hopes up- the chance was extremely low.

"No. You guys don't understand. The whole level's restricted." Teresa explained, "You can't get in without a thumbprint ID-"

"That's why we're gonna cut you're thumb off." Piper deadpanned, and for a moment, nobody could tell if she was joking or not. Piper fiddled with a sharp knife in between her fingers, glaring at Teresa, before Thomas snatched them out of her hands.

"No, Piper, back off." Thomas disagreed, before looking at Teresa, "That's why you're gonna come with us."

"What, are you squeamish?" Piper stood up frustratedly, "I bet she's done a lot worse to Minho." Her dark eyes narrowed at Teresa, as she spat, "Admit it. Go on-"

"That's not the plan." Thomas stood up,  stepping in front of Piper and gently motioning for her to sit back down. He repeated, "Back off."

Piper slouched in her chair with a sigh, and Jade watched her intensely. Teresa continued, "Do whatever you want to me. You still won't get through the front door. The sensors will pick you-"

"We know. We're tagged." Thomas interrupted, as he held the small knife and passed it to Teresa, "You're gonna help us with that, too."