Hope had just been a figment of imagination as the Gladers sat in the helicopter, weighing it down with their heavy hearts. Everyone was crushed, all for different reasons, yet for the same reason at the same time. No one could deny how much guilt they felt for losing Y/N so soon after her return.

They'd watched Gally fall apart and lose all hope. He refused to leave the Glade after losing Y/N, blaming Thomas for everything going wrong. It was like he was out of his mind, being controlled by someone or something. Then, mere seconds from being picked up by this helicopter, he shot Chuck. He was clearly stung, but it didn't make it any better. Minho sent that spear into his chest and they left him there.

Knowing that they were unable to find Y/N, or any sign of her for that matter, while escaping the maze tugged at their hearts. They weren't sure what happened to her, but now they could assume the worst. She was gone. They had no idea where they were going, so even if she was still out there, how would they find her?

Y/N was unfortunately very aware that her friends were never going to be able to find her. After dropping through the ground in the maze with that griever, she was met with people in white lab coats, guards with guns, one man in particular with a grotesque smile on his face.

"Y/N," He smirked and immediately Y/N hated him. "Nice of you to finally show up. Mind having a word with me?"

"I don't think I have a choice, do I?" She sneered.

The man wrinkled his nose and nod to the guards at his side to seize her. Wherever Y/N was, she knew she wasn't in for anything good in particular. She had information she now figured she wasn't supposed to have.

Those guards who had picked her up off the the ground and shoved her through halls with dim, flickering florescent lights forced her down into a chair. This guy, Janson, or Rat Man as Y/N saw better suited, sat across from her and clamped his hands together on the table, leaning forward.

"How did you find it?" He asked, plain faced, no extra details added.

"Find what?" Y/N raised a brow. He'd at least have to make it clear what he was asking before she gave way any information that might just cause her to be in a worse situation than she already was.

"The corridor." He sighed in building frustration.

Y/N stifled a laugh and shift in her seat. "Ah, luck I guess."

"Don't lie to me." Rat Man lift his chin and immediately one of the guards stepped closer to Y/N and raised his gun to her. Y/N knew those weapons weren't made to kill, but she didn't exactly want to be shot. She looked to the gun, then to Janson and tilt her head. A small smile crossed her features. She just figured everything out. It all made sense now.

"Do you think we're stupid?" She asked. "You're the same people who sent us into the maze, aren't you?"

"How did you find it?" He asked again more firmly, ignoring her question. That told Y/N everything she needed to know. His silence was an answer in itself. They were the ones who sent them into the maze. She had found a way out. They had to stop her.

"I had a dream once, aside from the other ones you put in my head about my friends dying. I dreamt about going into the maze and finding that wall and where to put the knife. So I went. And to my surprise, it was real. It's almost like I had been there before. Maybe that I was once the one building it before you stole my memories." She explained, leaning back in her chair.

"You built it alright, you and your friends. Before we sent you all into the maze, taking your memories, you were the ones to build the maze." Rat Man traced his fingers over the metal table. "I guess a couple of you went behind our backs, building your own little escape route. How those memories survived the wipe, I don't know. But you seem to be the only one."

Y/N bit the inside of her cheek. She could taste blood. As much as she was fronting in total false confidence, she feared for her life. What were they going to do to her?

"That's why you took me away from them? I know too much for your comfort?" Y/N seethed.

Rat Man forced himself up from his chair. "We don't know how much you know or what other memories might resurface."

Suddenly the guards hands were holding Y/N on either side tight. She wasn't getting out of this. Right now, she was alone and defenceless. Not only that, she was a literal security breech for WICKED and she knew there was no way they were letting her out of their sight.

"Until we know, you'll need to be secured." Rat Man walked for the door on the opposite side of the room. "Enjoy your trip."

The trip was absolute shit. The girl was crammed into a berg with a couple dozen other kids who seemed just as disoriented and afraid to fight back as she was. Then, they were forced into a train and were on the move for longer than was humane. When they arrived at their so called destination though, it was the last thing Y/N ever expected. She'd grown to understand that the world was devastated, falling apart, in complete ruins. The earth was scorched and there wasn't much left. Except for here, in this small city with walls surrounding it taller than those in the maze. She was disgusted. While people on the outside of those walls were starving and suffering from the flare by no fault of their own, the people here in this city were living like none of that even mattered.

She understood why WICKED was looking for a cure. She didn't agree with their methods nor did she appreciate how they saw themselves as saviours to the human race yet abandoned the suffering.

Now in a vehicle taking her and the other kids deeper into the city, the girl stared out the small window at her side. She wondered where her friends were. Did they ever make it out of the maze? She worried about Gally. She had promised to never leave again, yet here she was, seemingly half way across the world from how it felt. Wincing with guilt, she tried to force herself to detach and forget.

For the Gladers, this facility they'd been brought to seemed suspicious. At least to Thomas it did. He didn't trust the people. There were things they weren't telling him. So, he and Aris, someone from another maze, began exploring. They found their way though the air vents and to the place kids were being taken, supposedly to this paradise. It was far from it.

Hiding from Rat Man, Thomas and Aris listened in a conversation going on. It was with Dr. Paige, the one they had supposedly seen die in that video back in the maze.

"Have you secured subject A6?" Dr. Paige asked with a solemn face.

"Yes. She should almost be at your location now." Janson explained. Thomas could tell that just by the way he stood and spoke, Rat Man was intimidated. For a man with so much power, he sure cowered in the presence of pressure.

"You're sure?" The doctor asked. "If she gets out—or if her friends somehow find her—"

Janson cleared his throat. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen. From what we know, all she remembers was having built the secret exit from the maze."

"If she gets her other memories back, she will retaliate. She grew up in the midst of the Right Arm, and even though she was young, she will still be able to remember base locations, faces, and names. If she escapes and finds them, we are in extreme danger." The light haired woman informed sharply.

Rat Man scrunched up his nose. He was trying to weigh out his options. Which, based on his delayed response, didn't seem be many.

"She and subject A2 are the most likely to break through the memory swipe, and they both retain the most valuable knowledge. Just imagine if they both had their memories back."

"...You have men, use them." Dr. Paige's voice was beginning to dissipate from the weak connection. "Do whatever you have to. Don't even give those kids a chance to escape."

Panicked and in a daze, as soon as they could leave, Thomas and Aris left. He shoved the air vent as hard as he could, causing it to skitter across the floor and he forced himself out of the vent. He was panting, sweating and probably looked as if he'd received some kind of drug.

"Thomas!" Newt hollered. "We have a problem!"

"We have an even bigger one! We have to get out, now. Or else—" He began fumbling around the room for anything and everything to block the door and give them some time.

"Get out?!" Newt stepped away from the others and grabbed Thomas' shoulders. "What's going on?"

"She's still alive—It's WICKED." He blabbered. "They have Y/N."

"What the shuck?" Minho muttered. The room was like a wasps nest which had just been struck with a stick over and over. They were spinning in circles, all unsure of what was going on and no clear leader to guide them through all of this. Though, simply the words 'WICKED,' and 'they've got Y/N' was enough to convince every boy in the room that they should believe Thomas and share in his panic.

Like it was all a blur, everyone found themselves clambering through the air vents with his friends, racing down halls with blaring sirens above them and gunshots ringing in his ears. They were smashing windows and thundering down narrow halls. Just as he thought it was over, Aris and Winston opened the main vault door from the opposite side so everyone could make their way though.

They had once chance to make it out of here. If they happened to make it out, they also knew what they had to do. It was to find Y/N, get her back, and take down WICKED.