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"Tho to hide her frustration "It was my job"

"I heard your voice in et bad Please tell me you’re not really with theot into the telepathy system because I wanted to warn you Prepare you I never expected us to beco that she’d felt that way, too, eable, and now he really couldn’t stop himself "Do you have the Flare?" he asked

She answered in quick, short bursts "I was acting Jorge and I are i time It’s why they used us Now be quiet" Her eyes flickered over to the guard

"Get on with it!" the ave the azed at Thoht wink "Once I inject the sedative, you’ll be asleep in seconds Do you understand?" She stressed that last word, then subtly winked again Luckily the two guards were focused on their prisoner and not her

Thoh his body She was up to so

Brendawhat she needed, and the guard continued to lean all of his weight on Tho off the circulation Sweat beaded on the o until Thouard stood just beside him, her Launcher aie in her left hand, its nozzle pointing up, her thuer A yellowish liquid showed in the s to do this really fast Are you ready?"

He nodded at her, not sure what she meant but determined to be prepared

"Good," she replied "You better be"

CHAPTER 12

Brenda s and stuht hand, but she fell in such a way that the syringe’s nozzle landed on the forear Thoer with her thu a quick, sharp hiss, before he jerked himself away

"What the hell!" the lazed

Thomas acted instantly Now free fro his legs in an arc toward the fe to her senses after a brief moment of frozen shock One foot connected with her Launcher and the other with her shoulder She let out a yell, which was closely followed by the s the floor

Thorabbed it before it slid out of reach and ai her head in her hands Brenda had run around the bed and grabbed the asped for air, his chest heaving as adrenaline throbbed through his body He hadn’t felt so good in weeks "I knew you--"

Before he could finish, Brenda fired her Launcher

A high-pitched sound pierced the air, increasing in volued and kicked, renades shot out, sla tendrils of lightning arcing across her body She began to twitch uncontrollably

Thomas stared, stunned at what the Launcher did to a person and amazed that Brenda had shot it without hesitation If he had needed further proof that Brenda wasn’t totally committed to WICKED, he’d just seen it He looked at her

She returned his gaze, the slightest of s like that for a long tin me to you for this procedure" She bent over and took the unconscious et us in anywhere"

Tho

"Coet Newt and Minho Then everybody else"

They sprinted through a couple of twists and turns in the hallways, Brenda leading It reround tunnels in the Scorch He urged her to hurry--he knew that uards could show up at any second

They reached a door, and Brenda swiped the key card to open it; a brief hiss sounded, and then the slab of h with Brenda close on his heels

The Rat Man was sitting in a chair but sprang to his feet, his expression quickly twisting to a look of horror "What in God’s narenades at the guards Ain a cloud of s bolts Newt and Minho tackled the third guard; Minho grabbed his weapon

Thoer on the trigger "Give round, hands on your head" His voice was steady but his heart was racing

"This is complete lunacy," Janson said He handed his card to Tholy cal out of this couards are already on their way"

Thomas knew their odds were bad, but it was all they had "After e’ve been through, this is nothing" He s Now, another word and you’ll get to experience--how did you put it? ‘The worst five ger The high-pitched sound filled the roorenade It hit the man’s chest and exploded in a brilliant display of electricity He screa off his hair and clothing The room filled with an awful smell--a stench that rehtning

"That can’t feel good," Thomas said to his friends He sounded so calm to his own ears that it disturbed him As he watched their neuilt Almost

"It supposedly won’t kill him," Brenda said

"That’s a shauard with his belt "The world would’ve been better off"

ThoNow"

"I’ll bloody drink to that," Newt said

"That’s exactly what I was thinking," Minho added

They all turned to look at Brenda She lifted her Launcher in her arht

"I hate these people just as much as you," she said "I’m in"

For the second tin feeling of happiness Brenda was back He glanced at Janson The crackling static was beginning to die The , but he was still breathing