Rachel sat in silence beside Thomas where he was seated between her and Brenda.

None of them dared look at each other as they kept their eyes warily on the masked - and more importantly, armed - soldiers who had settled into the actual seats opposite where the three were on the floor against the back of the van. Rachel's hands were clenched tight as she waited for them to arrive wherever they were being taken, her heart still pounding with adrenaline and her mind split into worry for herself and her current companions, and Newt.

She hadn't been able to see what happened to him and the fear that he was lying somewhere back in that plaza, shot, made it impossible for her to stop the way her hands trembled. Thomas seemed to notice but he kept his mouth shut for once and didn't comment as he kept his eyes on the soldier - the tallest of the lot and the one that had accosted and subsequently kidnapped him - right across from him.

Suddenly, their environment grew darker and Rachel tensed as she realized they had entered into a building, wherever that may be. The light through the windows steadily disappeared, indicating they were going deeper and deeper into somewhere and Rachel wondered if they were headed underground; which was odd because she was fairly certain WCKD's preferred method was air.

Thomas tensed beside her and she knew he was thinking the same thing; only for all of them to squint as suddenly light spilled into the van once more through the windows and Rachel wondered if perhaps they had arrived at a Berg loading point - it would explain the light.

A sudden banging on the back of the van made them jump before they tensed as the soldiers in front of them raised their guns and pointed them meaningfully at the trio. The back of the van opened at the same time and she, Thomas and Brenda glanced back to see they were surrounded by armed, masked soldiers outside too.

"Get out!" One of them commanded, and Thomas glanced at his companions before sliding out first.

He squinted at the masked man, trying to see something through the masks while Rachel and Brenda warily climbed out behind him just as a second van came screeching into the building that they found themselves in. It took a second for Rachel to realize it was an old shopping mall parking lot, which explained the square of sunlight coming in - they had to be on the level right below the rooftop parking.

A noise made her glance back at the second van that had just arrived and Rachel was alarmed as she saw it jostle violently.

The surrounding soldiers all raised and cocked their weapons immediately warily, waiting instead of opening the van up as they had done with Rachel's team. Thomas stepped forward, standing protectively before Brenda and covering Rachel as he stood ready to face whatever came out of the van.

The other van shook and jostled again - and then suddenly the back door was forced open and two men fell out. Well, one (the masked one) fell out; the other (whom Rachel realized a beat later was Jorge) lunged out of the van so he could accost his captor once more.

"Where is she?!" Jorge roared. "Where is she, you son of a b-?!"

"Hey! Hey, hey!" Brenda yelled while Thomas swore and Rachel cried out as they all lunged forward in alarm while Jorge continued to viciously punch the man underneath him again and again.

The soldiers meanwhile were swarming toward Jorge as Thomas and Brenda tried to get to him before he could kill the man and end up killed himself. Rachel meanwhile had run headlong into Newt as the teen climbed quickly out the van behind Jorge.

"Newt!" Rachel gasped, grey eyes lighting up in relief instantly even as he caught her. Newt's expression mirrored hers before their second of respite was interrupted Brenda's yells and Jorge's punches mixed with the soldier's shouts crashed over them once more.

The soldiers around them also pushed Thomas and then Newt and Rachel back with pointed guns in warning and Newt snapped, "Okay! Alright!" as he raised his hands to show he meant no harm but refusing to budge from his place just in front of Rachel as the soldiers threatened them. Rachel similarly refused to be pulled away from him, elbowing one of the masked men in the face when he tried to grab her; and the tall red-masked male who had been in the van with her stopped his comrade from going after Rachel again as the brunette pressed herself against the British blond.

Brenda meanwhile had finally made Jorge realize she was right beside him and was perfectly fine, and Jorge hugged Brenda in relief while the masked male who had stopped his comrade from pulling Rachel away called sternly, "Everybody relax. We're all on the same side here."

Thomas's eyes narrowed and he shoved back the soldier keeping him in place as he snapped at the speaker, "What do you mean same side? Who the hell are you?"

Newt and Rachel also stared at the soldier who had recognized them in the town, the one who they knew instinctively had led the attack against and kidnap of them. The soldier slowly turned to face them and Rachel sensed a great reluctance about him as his gaze appeared to pass over Jorge, Brenda and her before resting on Frypan, Newt and Thomas for longer.

At last, after dithering for a while longer, the man slowly reached up and removed his mask to reveal a face much younger than Rachel had been expecting. In fact, contrary to his exceptionally tall build, the boy could hardly be much older than her, if he was even older than her at all, as dark eyes stared out from under high, arched brows and above freckled, rounded cheeks. He was unfamiliar to her but Rachel was startled when Newt instantly stiffened beside her.

She glanced up at him before her eyes flew back to the boy as he spoke with his eyes fixed solely on Thomas for the moment.

"Hey, Greenie."

Thomas took a faltering step forward, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Gally?" Thomas asked in a voice that just broke ever so slightly.

Rachel glanced at Newt and then Frypan as Thomas spoke and their expressions told her more than any number of words could what she suspected. This boy had come from their Maze; but for some reason, none of them had known he had survived. In fact, judging from Newt's expression, they had been certain he was dead.

But Rachel jumped when, without warning, Thomas suddenly launched himself at Gally and swung a fist, hard, into the taller boy's face.

"Thomas?!" Rachel cried while Newt yelled, "No, wait!"

Their group rushed to try and stop Thomas only to mostly stop in their tracks as the surrounding soldiers quickly raised their guns again, some at the group while the others at Thomas. Thomas paid them absolutely no attention, too busy tackling Gally to the ground. To his credit, the tall and muscular teen put up no fight at all, simply accepting the blow to his cheek that was so strong it knocked him cleanly off his feet and then doing nothing to stop Thomas as the darker haired boy reared back from atop him, ready to take another swing.

He even gestured to his fellow soldiers, keeping them back as he called quite calmly given the circumstances, "Stop it, it's alright, it's alright!"

Newt, the only one to push forward despite the guns pointed his way (after a hasty "Stay here!" to Rachel when she tried to drag him back by his shirt), grabbed Thomas's fist before he could hit Gally again.

"Stop, stop, stop! Stop, Tommy, stop it."

Newt pulled Thomas back and Rachel was startled to see Thomas was actually shaking with a repressed emotion that she realized now was not just anger. It was heartbreak, driven into anger in an attempt to escape from the near-crippling despair that threatened to paralyze him.

"He killed Chuck." Thomas got out, his voice trembling along with his body and it seemed the teen couldn't decide if he was going to rage again or cry.

Newt obviously knew too well what Thomas was feeling as the British youth soothed, "Yeah, I know. I know; I remember. I was there too, alright?"

Newt gestured at Gally as he continued sternly, "But I also remember that he was stung and half out of his mind."

Newt glanced around at all the guns pointed at them before he looked back at Thomas.

"Just calm down." He implored. "Alright?"

For a fraction of a second, it looked like Thomas was going to ignore Newt's advice anyway and Rachel held her breath in terror that her friend and her… well, the boy she cared far too much about, were about to be shot right before her eyes. And then she let out a breath of relief as Thomas pulled his fist from Newt's grasp and got to his feet, backing away from Gally although he never took his eyes off the other boy.

Gally warily watched Thomas fully retreat before he slowly got back to his feet. Newt let the boy get up on his own as he too backed away and returned to where Rachel was waiting. She grabbed his hand with one hand and his arm with her other as soon as he was beside her, holding him tightly.

"That was dangerous." She hissed under her breath.

"Someone's got to look after that shank." Newt muttered back, rubbing a hand across his forehead while both of them kept their eyes on Gally as the teen straightened up.

He worked his jaw, grimacing painfully before he said with almost resignation, "Kind of had that coming."

Satisfied his jaw was still in place, he lowered his hand before looking over at the group with almost a challenging gleam in his eyes.

"Anybody else?" He asked in a calm voice, looking at his former Gladers. "Fry? Newt?"

Neither teen replied, Frypan breathing heavily as he still stared at Gally like he was seeing the ghost of Christmas Past while Newt's posture was stiff as he tightened his grip on Rachel's hand.

Rachel glanced from Newt to Gally and back, before she asked softly, "Who exactly is he?"

"He was an old friend." Frypan was the one to answer and Rachel saw the look of dejection that briefly crossed Gally's face.

Newt meanwhile added grimly, "More importantly, this isn't possible. We watched you die."

He addressed Gally with his last words while Rachel flinched at what he'd said; before her jaw dropped as Gally corrected caustically, "No, you left me to die."

He then addressed all of them as he added while gesturing to his fellow soldiers, "And if we hadn't found you when we did, you'd be dead right now."

"You're the ones who accosted us when we had gotten out." Rachel pointed out.

Gally turned to her, and Newt immediately stepped to be in front of Rachel with a guarded expression. It was clear he trusted Gally about as much as he trusted Frypan to not sneak out the first helping of the dinner stew. His distrust made Rachel wary too as Gally scoffed.

"Yeah, you made it out of the firing range of those guns but why do you think those things went off in the first place?"

His question was met with silence as they digested that before Gally continued.

"Anyone who gets away from WCKD is classified as a threat to them. Especially you." He nodded at Thomas, who bristled at being talked to. Gally quickly moved on as he scanned all of their faces before he sighed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded tiredly, and Rachel glanced at Newt.

Thomas looked disinclined to answer while Newt was obviously brooding; clearly, while he didn't trust Gally, he trusted him far more than he trusted WCKD. Not that that really said much.

"Minho." Rachel explained after a moment of silence where it was doubtful anyone would have replied.

Gally looked startled, although whether it was because she had said his fellow Glader's name with familiarity or because she had been the one who responded, Rachel couldn't say.

Thomas hadn't let up on his glaring but Newt heaved a sigh before he added for Gally, "WCKD has him here. We're looking for a way in."

Gally stared at them all for a beat, and it was obvious he was debating whether to offer before he finally did.

"I can help with that." He said at length before turning around to leave. "Follow me."

The boy turned to lead them away but Thomas's dark words stopped him in his tracks.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Thomas..." Rachel murmured warningly while their group tensed at Thomas's declaration. The other soldiers' guns were still lifted warily in the air; clearly, they trusted Thomas and his friends about as much as the group trusted the soldiers. And Rachel for one was not exactly looking to prove whether they could fight their way out against the armed soldiers.

Gally however turned slowly back to face Thomas and he shrugged almost carelessly.

"Suit yourself."

Gally paused before nodding with his head in the direction they had obviously come from; the place where they needed to go no matter what. And his next words cinched the deal.

"But I can get you through those walls."

The group followed Gally carefully as the boy led them deep into one of the many tunnels branching off from the parking lot they had arrived in. Thomas was in the lead with Frypan while Jorge and Brenda trailed behind in the rear. Rachel stayed close to Newt in the middle and they kept their hands intertwined, neither willing to be parted after the series of shocks they had endured in the last hour.

"After the maze, I got picked up by a group headed to the city."

Gally was explaining as he walked.

"They realized I was immune, patched me up, and they brought me here to Lawrence. This group's been at war with WCKD ever since they took control of the city. But WCKD can't hide behind those walls forever. Day's gonna come, and they're gonna pay for what they've done."

Rachel frowned and she glanced around worriedly. While she wanted to see WCKD finally brought down, the stirring hostility all around them was unnerving and Gally's words only made her uneasier rather than comforted.

'Evil is not an invitation to do evil in return.' Rachel thought with a frown as she looked around at the masses of people who were busying themselves for war, clearly always on the alert and ready to spring into action when called. 'What kind of life must this be like? To be constantly looking for a fight? Is this the haven we've been looking for?'

No; the answer was simple. This was not what Rachel and the other Immunes had been fighting for. They were looking for freedom and peace; and even if these people might call them cowards for just wanting out, Rachel didn't care. She had no desire to see WCKD burn. She was so tired of death. Enough blood had been spilled already; there was no need for more.

Gally stopped at a corner where the tunnel obviously curved into a dead-end. Likely this was where this Lawrence was but Rachel's unease grew as Gally seemed to hesitate a little.

"Listen, uh, he doesn't get a lot of visitors." He hedged, glancing at their group warningly. "So, let me do the talking. All right? And try not to stare."

With those cheery words, Gally stepped around the corner. Rachel and Newt exchanged looks before following along with the rest of their group.

The room they had walked into was large, larger than Rachel had expected. It was the size of a large cabin and the occupants had taken full advantage of the space. The group had walked out onto a metal walkway that had been installed to create a small, second story balcony above the lower ground level where crates and bookcases lined the walls. Several small side tables and armchairs littered the ground, all just as covered in books and potted plants as the crates. Several lamps were propped up throughout the room and they lit up the space in warm light that gave the room a cosy feel and contributed to the feeling that Rachel had just walked into a wooden cabin that was also used as a greenhouse.

A man stood on the far side of the room, just off to the side of a cluster of potted plants and he watched their arrival with guarded eyes. But it was only as they walked down the steps that Rachel noticed another man standing amongst the potted plants. A large desk strewn with papers and more books stood abandoned nearby as the man stooped amongst the plants, hidden from them by the luscious leaves and the shadows created by the bright sunlight streaming in through a hole in the roof that apparently acted like a window. In fact, if not for his muttering then Rachel might have missed the man entirely.

As they got closer, she was finally able to make out what the man was saying.

"Rose took my nose, I suppose. Rose took my nose, I suppose. Suppose, suppose, took my nose... I suppose."

The man suddenly paused in his mutterings although the silence was almost as unnerving as his senseless mutterings had been. Then, without raising his head, the man called, "Gally, glad to see you made it back."

The man straightened up and it was then that Rachel noticed the man was strapped to an IV. The metal support was tucked amongst the plants and if not for the sudden catch of the sunlight against a bright blue liquid inside a small plastic package that swung from the metal support, she would have missed it completely.

The knowledge that this man was ill somehow made her even more unnerved and Rachel stepped unconsciously closer to Newt as they all drew to a halt before them who was still not looking at them as he gestured to the man who had been with him.

"Jasper told me what happened."

"It was a slaughter." Gally confirmed heavily. "There's nothing we could do against those guns."

"No," Lawrence agreed, "but they can only poke the hornet's nest so long before they get stung."

He lifted the rose he had carefully cut from his little bush and sniffed at it, although there was something odd about his profile when he did. Rachel frowned, trying to place what had struck her about this man when Lawrence lowered the rose again and gestured at their group.

"Now, who are these people? Why are they here?"

Gally glanced back at Thomas at Lawrence's question and the boy didn't hesitate to step up.

"We need to get into WCKD." Thomas explained, taking a strong step forward. "Gally said you can get us through the walls."

Gally shot Thomas a look while Lawrence turned to stare at Thomas for a moment. His face was still shadowed but Rachel frowned as she thought she saw a bald patch on the man's head - a very uneven bald patch.

"Gally should know better than to make promises that he can't keep." Lawrence said slowly, drawing Rachel's attention back to the man's actual words.

"Besides," Lawrence grasped a walking stick and then pulled his IV around his body so he could fully face the teens. "That wall is only half your problem. Getting inside WCKD is impossible."

"There might be a way now." Gally explained although he sounded hesitant. "But it doesn't work without Thomas."

Thomas shot Gally a furtive look, wondering what the boy meant. Lawrence stepped closer.

"Is that so?" He asked before he turned to Thomas. "Do you know what I am... Thomas?"

Lawrence took another step forward, bringing him out of the shadows and into the light of the room. Rachel sucked in a quiet breath while Newt's hand tightened on hers as they found themselves staring at a man whose body was half desecrated. That was what had been wrong with his side profile: the man had no nose except for the holes out of the protruding bones in his skull. The flesh on half his skin was rotting, skin scabbed over in pieces that didn't look like it would last long, one eye filmed with white - exactly like the Cranks they had seen.

Thomas to his credit didn't move although his gaze lowered as Lawrence continued to drawl, "I am a businessman. Which means that I don't take unnecessary risks. Why should I trust you?"

"'Cause I can help you." Thomas answered in a low voice that matched Lawrence's in both pitch and severity. "You see, if you can get me through those walls... I can get you what you need."

Lawrence eyed the boy skeptically. "What is it that you think I need?"

"Time." Thomas answered without missing a beat. "Every last drop."

Lawrence scoffed as he eyed the blue liquid in his IV, the serum that was clearly the only thing keeping him sane and stopping him from becoming a full-on Crank.

Still, Lawrence wasn't about to make things easy for them and he challenged Thomas, "Is that what I need?"

Thomas frowned slightly but he just answered firmly, "WCKD has something we both want."

Lawrence examined the boy for a long, silent moment before he made his decision.

"I'll tell you what. Two can go for now." He leveled a measured look at Thomas. "The rest stay down here with me. Just a little insurance to make sure you find your way back."

Newt's frown deepened as he glanced at Rachel, but she just nodded at him and Thomas as the other boy looked back at his friends uneasily. It didn't look like they were in danger exactly with the rebel group and this was the best shot they had at getting to Minho. Frypan clearly agreed with her while Jorge did not. Newt looked torn but he also recognized what Rachel did; it was the defeat in his eyes that made Thomas able to make his decision.

"We have a deal?" Lawrence asked as Thomas looked back at him.

The dark-haired teen took Lawrence's hand and shook it once. Lawrence smirked.

"Gally, show him the way."