Chapter Text
There was really no use in Natalia rushing them. The elevator was slow as ever, and they were anxiously bouncing on their toes the entire ride.
The elevator door opened and the quartet ran, full speed, into a large crowd of guards.
"Aw, dang it." Jay groaned. Making quick work of them, the quarter now had even more bodies to navigate through as they made a break for the next elevator. It was once again a tense ride, but once it was done, the group took off again into the casino. There was mass confusion as people heard loud booms from the ground underneath them, and the building shook slightly. Everyone except the four froze when they heard a loud beep.
"What is that?!" Cara yelled.
"It's the explosives," Awinita answered. "We need to get out of here now."
As the crowds ran around in confusion, no one seemed to be worried about the four young adults making a break for the door. Once outside, Mariel was loaded up and sped away from the city. No less than a minute after they left, a massive explosion was heard and debris was flung through the sky. Jay served to avoid getting hit, while the girls just looked at the fire and smoke. Once outside the city limits, Jay found a nice vantage point to park and take in the site as well. The four stared at the smoke and fire for another five minutes before Mariel was fired up again and took off toward the coast.
"Did you get everything?" Natalia asked.
"Yep. Sent a copy of everything to the W.I.R., and got a copy for ourselves. Also found some more Z-group stuff." Awinita said. "Mostly mission-related things, but it could be useful."
"Great! Now what?" Cara asked.
"We go back to Safe Heaven?" Jay shrugged. The girls all made sounds of approval. "I think it's time we retire for a bit."
"We're not that old you weirdo." Natalia rolled her eyes.
***
It only took a week of driving all night to reach the west coast. Heartfelt goodbyes were given to the jeep when they realized they wouldn't be able to take Mariel with them. So many memories were made with that jeep. Two days later, an island appeared on the horizon. Natalia punched the engine of the motorboat they'd hotwired and pulled up to the shore. As the four hopped out and pushed the boat up onto the sand, yelling could be heard as a group of people came to greet them, a blonde boy at the forefront. "Welcome back guys!"
"Nice to be back Newt." Awinita laughed.
"Are you here for good?" Minho asked.
"Until we're needed, yeah." Natalia smiled.
"Glad to hear that." Thomas laughed. After several minutes of exchanging hellos, the quartet was finally able to get Thomas alone. "What do you guys need?"
"What do you remember about Project ZETA?" Awinita asked.
"You guys found out about that huh?" Thomas shook his head. "I don't remember much, but I have a feeling you four have copies of information for me."
"Darn right, we do!" Awinita pulled out the USBs she'd been using to hold the data.
"Alright. For now, enjoy today." Thomas smiled. "We can talk tomorrow."
"Good with us," Cara said and led the four back down to the firepit where a party had been started. Finally, they didn't have to worry about WCKD. It wasn't their problem anymore. The W.I.R. should be able to handle themselves. Now, it was time for Jay, Cara, Awinita, and Natalia to relax.