Chapter 12 Chapter 12 The Only Chance to Escape

Brenda smiled and walked over to Thomas.Suddenly, she stepped on something and leaned forward.She grabbed the bed quickly with her right hand, and the needle landed just on the guard's forearm, which was gripping Thomas' wrist.Before he could jerk it back, she quickly pressed her thumb down on the syringe, making a quick, sharp hiss. "Damn it!" the man yelled, but his eyes were already white. Thomas reacted quickly, and as soon as the iron claws were relaxed, he pressed on the bed, arched his legs, and kicked the female guard who had just woken up from a frightened state like an arrow.One foot hits her launcher while the other hits her shoulder.She yelped and hit her head hard on the floor.

Thomas scrambled to the launcher, grabbed it before it slipped, and pointed at the female guard, who held her head in her hands in pain.Brenda rushed to the other side of the bed, snatched the male guard's weapon, and pointed it at his limp body as well. Thomas gasped, his chest rose and fell, and adrenaline flooded his body.For the first time in so many weeks, he felt so good. "I knew you..." Before she could finish her sentence, Brenda's launcher fired. A harsh sound pierced the air, then the volume suddenly increased, and then the barrel fired, and the recoil sent Brenda shaking backward.A shimmering grenade was launched, straight towards the female soldier's chest, and then exploded immediately, whisker-shaped lightning arced out from her body, and she began to twitch uncontrollably.

Thomas froze, shocked by the effect the launcher had on people, and shocked by Brenda's lack of hesitation in firing.If he still needed to see some proof that Brenda hadn't fully submitted to WICKED, he did now, keeping his eyes on her. She looked over too, with a smile on her face. "I've wanted to do this for a long time, but luckily I convinced Jenson to send me to perform this operation on you." She bent down, took the key card from the unconscious guard, and put it in her pocket. "This allows us to go wherever we want." Thomas wanted to hold her in his arms, but he held back.

"Come on," he said, "we've got to get Newt and Minho out before we get to the others." Brenda ran ahead, leading him through several winding corridors.It reminded Thomas of how she had led him through underground tunnels in the Scorched Earth.He urged her to go faster - he knew there would be more guards at any moment. They came to a door, and Brenda swiped the key card, and the door opened.With a short hiss, the metal door was swung open.Thomas followed Brenda and rushed over. The Rat Man was sitting on the chair at that time, but he jumped up, and the expression on his face immediately twisted into a horrible look: "My God, what are you doing?"

Brenda had already fired two grenades at the guards, sending a man and a woman to the ground, swirling smoke and wisps of lightning.Newt and Minho overpower the third guard, and Minho grabs his weapon. Thomas held the launcher against Jenson, finger on the trigger. "Give me your key card, put it on the floor, hands over head." His voice was calm, but his heart was beating wildly. "This is totally crazy," said Jenson, handing the card to Thomas.He spoke quietly, with an uncanny composure in the situation. "You have absolutely no chance of getting out of the building, and more and more guards have started coming."

Thomas knew the odds were slim, but this was their only chance. "It's nothing compared to everything we've been through." He smiled, realizing that it was. "Thank you for your training. Now, if you say it again, I'll let you... how to say it?' The worst five minutes of your life'?" "How could you..." Thomas pulled the trigger, and a screeching sound filled the room, followed by a grenade being fired.It hit the man in the chest, and there was a burst of bright lightning.He fell to the ground, screaming and twitching, with puffs of smoke billowing from his hair and clothing.The room was filled with a stench, reminding Thomas of Minho being struck by lightning in the Scorched Earth.

"That's a bad taste," Thomas told his friends.He felt uncomfortable hearing himself speak so calmly.Watching your opponent roll and twitch, almost ashamed of not feeling guilty. "Shouldn't kill him," Brenda said. "It's a pity," Minho replied. He tied the uninjured guard with his belt and stood up. "The world should be a better place." Thomas ignored the twitching man under his feet: "Let's go, quick." "I'll drink to that," Newt said. "Exactly!" Minho added. They all turned to look at Brenda.She picked up the launcher with both hands and nodded.Looks like she's ready for a big fight.

"I hate these people as much as you do," she said, "and I join you." For the second time in the past few days, Thomas felt a strange bliss flooding his heart, that Brenda was back.He glanced at Jenson, the crackling static began to slowly weaken, his eyes closed tightly, and finally stopped moving, but he was still breathing. "I don't know how long this shuttle shot will last," Brenda said, "and he's going to be absolutely pissed off when he wakes up. We'd better get out of here." "What's the plan?" Newt asked. Thomas had no idea either. "We're thinking as we go."

"Jorge is a pilot," Brenda suggested, "if we can somehow get to the hangar, to his..." Before everyone could respond, shouts and footsteps came from the hall. "Here they come," Thomas said.He suddenly thought of their situation - no one would let them waltz out.Who knows how many guards they'll have to fight to get out. Minho ran to the door and posed beside him: "They all have to pass here." The noises in the hall grew louder—the guards moved closer to them. "Newt," Thomas said, "you go to the other side of the gate, and Brenda and I will shoot at the first two to come in. You take out the rest on both sides, then rush down the hall, and we'll follow behind you."

They take their places.