Author's Note: I know this is from the deleted scene from the Maze Runner movie, but I think it's nice to put it in. I wish they kept this scene, would have matched up with the book even more :D
Aris trailed after Thomas, as he trudged after the boy, Minho next to him. His insides felt numb. They kept entering and exiting a seires of hallways, untill they entered one particular room with a stash of food on a lengthy table, and the next thing he knew, the elder boy passed a protein bar into his hand. "Give you some strength," Minho murmured, tearing off the top of a cereal box.
"Do you know where the girls are?" Aris demanded, chewing on the bar. The boy shrugged, fishing out a bar as well from a bag.
"I've no idea who the hell you are speaking of," he replied in a curt, removed tone. He sank his teeth into a handful of dried rasins. Aris frowned and wolfed down the bar, his eyes glued on the table loaded with food. Canned and fresh meat and vegetables and other packages of frozen food. "Do you know where Teresa is?" Aris felt himself slump against a chair as he continued with his food. A pack of raisins. A leg of chicken, a bowlful of beans, thick slices of bread, ham and cheese.
"No," he admitted guiltily.
"Well, then, even if I do know where those shanks are located, it's not my place to inform you either," he responded.
The rest of the Gladers--as they referred themselves as--were pawing through the stash of food. Something, or rather, someone, caught Aris's eye. A man sat so evidently at a desk that he had no idea how he missed it. He chewed on another granola bar, scooped up the stew into his mouth.
He shoved the preparation last of sandwich into his mouth and rose to his feet. Stiffly, he padded over to the man, only to collide into a glass panel. The man reading a book glanced up. "Isn't it clear as day that I don't want to talk?" he murmured. "Please have patience and use this opportunity to replenish yourselves. You've had time to clean yourselves up, have a bed for once....don't waste it." With that, he resumed reading.
Aris was rendered entirely speechless. He'd seen this man in snippets of memories, but he couldn't exactly recall his name. As he rested his face against the glass, he saw the name imprinted on white badge, Janson. So, that's his name. The name didn't exactly ring a bell, but he felt a distant memory drift towards him.
"You know your new friend?" Minho said with a smirk. "He's been obvilous to the fact that we exist here." He chuckled lightly, wolfing down chunks of apple. Aris didn't reply, just feeling of sense of fear of these people. He sat down, devouring boxed raisins.
"Phase Two...." Janson was muttering under his breath. He began phoning people, yelling into intercoms. Aris watched, shocked, as he returned the phone to the receiver. A half hour later, people began sauntering towards the man's desk, slamming into the invisible wall.
"There's a wall, like a force field," Aris said, causing a few Gladers to glare at him, then exchange glances with each other. Some boys sauntered over, seemingly tapping in the air. Some younger boys whimpered when they collided into the glass, others retreated to the corner and sat down.
"Ah, here it is," Janson said. He was reaching something in his desk. Aris wedged himself between Thomas and Newt, while they all settled down. "Please hear me out about Phase Two of the Trials."
"Why do you need that wall?" Minho cried out.
Newt nudged him. "Shut up!"
"Thank you," Janson said with an exaggerated irritation. He eyed Aris closely. He swallowed hard, tearing his gaze away from the man. He'd once worked alongside the man once, in fact, assisted him in designing a maze. He hadn't known his name, but recognized the man through his memory-dreams. "I should inform you all what's going on in the world.
"Sun flares were inflicted upon the world. These were something of normalcy until a virus began to develop, as I'm certain you've been informed of," Janson said. "Those weren't any type of sun flares, those were so massive that humanity might've gone extinct. As if to complicate those circumstances, a virus was released purposefully, because of the famines, and there wasn't enough food being prepared.
"How very wrong they were." Janson was beginning to sound....amused? "The virus had an outbreak, and that's when I began working for WICKED. I know it sounds menacing, but despite the name, nothing about it implies that it is. WICKED stands for World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department. They're working to develop a cure for this virus, and you are all essential to this cure. Unfortunately, every one of you have already contracted this virus."
Boys gasped, conversations overlapping each other. Aris felt his knees turn to water and clenched his fists. Was that why he was shipped in the Maze? To keep him safe and secure from the virus? Before Paige committed suicide, she'd never informed them of this
"How'd we contract the Flare?"
"How long until we notice symptoms?"
"Now, now," Janson said in a tender voice. "Relax, all of you. The Flare is in stages. We need to analyze what we call the kill zone to figure out a cure. To test out people who are not immune, we've received valuable data. It's tedious, time-consuming work, and that's when you get involved. To test the young. By the end of this Trials, you will be rewarded with a tiny version of the cure, but not enough to preserve lives in such a wide population.
"We must implement Phase Two right now. You must travel to the Scorch within two week to Safe Haven," the man explained. "There, you will receive the cure. Once that is over, you'll return here, and we'll allow you have a place to spend the night in, since you are all orphans. To step out into the Scorch, you must enter through a Flat Trans, just a gray, shimmering wall that would materialize and transport you to the Scorch. Best of luck, guys." With that, he rose his feet, and examined everyone's faces.
"Remember, don't think you'll be avoiding the Scorch by refusing to go. You'lll be forced, eventually. If not, you will be executed immediately," Janson said. "Better risk your lives out the in desert
Aris struggled to apprehend. It was the Trials time. So, they were--and had been--studiously examined throughout the entire time during the Maze. That had been a testing ground, and they were just beginning to be prepared for another one. He almost missed out Janson claiming there wouldn't be any supplies available to them, except what they could salvage.
"But, first, I'm certain you're longing for a shower before you step a foot out in the Scorch and get all filthy since it'll be two full weeks you'll never have such easy access to water." Janson smirked again. "Restroom's over there."
***
The restroom contained spigots from the wall. Aris felt his cheeks burn, as he stripped off the shirt and squatted beneath the warm rain. The water collided against his shoulders, and he scrubbed himself clean from head to toe. Toweling off, he saw Thomas only rinsed his face at the sink.
He wished he could inform him about Teresa. Snatching a spare toothbrush, he cleaned his teeth and hurried out of the bathroom to avoid any confrontation. But his mouth refused to function, though he longed to tell him some day later. He deserved the right to know. In fact, they all deserved the right to know everything.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
