Katherine slows as she nears the entrance of WICKED's headquarters, the glass doors looming before her like the gaping mouth of a beast, waiting to swallow her whole. A sudden, sharp pain lances through her skull-memories slamming into her with relentless force.

The Maze. The desperate escape. Sprinting through the endless corridors of WICKED, her breath burning, Janson's voice ringing in her ears as he hunted her down.

And now, after everything, after all the running and fighting, she's back. By choice.

A presence lingers behind her, silent but steady. She knows who it is before he even speaks.

"You don't have to come with me, Tommy." Her voice is quiet, but firm.

Thomas exhales, stepping closer, his warmth grounding her. "You followed me all the way to this point. Now it's my turn to follow you, whether you like it or not." His voice is edged with stubbornness, but there's something else too-an unwavering devotion that only a twin could carry. "I'm your brother, Kat. And remember, Brenda survived because of us. Not just you." His voice softens. "Besides, Newt's my friend too."

A flicker of something bittersweet crosses her expression. "Oh, yes. I do remember you two secretly dating behind my back. Guess you got your revenge for me flirting with Teresa back at the labs." She smirks, turning to him with a teasing glint in her eyes.

Thomas groans, rolling his eyes. "Shut up."

Katherine huffs out a dry laugh, but it doesn't last. Her chest feels tight as she stares up at the cold, sterile building before them. "Home sweet home," she mutters, voice hollow.

Thomas steps beside her, his gaze locked on the entrance. "I can't believe we're back here." There's something haunted in his tone, something that mirrors the gnawing dread in her own chest.

She glances at him, their eyes meeting-so much shared in a single look. "Crazy, huh?"

Thomas forces a small, weary smile. "Crazy."

They stand there a moment longer, bracing themselves, before stepping through the doors.

The bright white hallway feels suffocating, memories pressing against the walls, whispering through the air. Footsteps echo in the sterile silence as they move forward, their bodies tense, muscles coiled like springs. And then, ahead of them, Ava Paige stands waiting, expression unreadable.

Katherine doesn't hesitate. Her gun is in her hand in a heartbeat, barrel trained on the woman's chest. "Is it true?" Her voice wavers slightly, but her grip on the gun is steady. "Newt. Can we save him?"

Ava doesn't flinch. "You both can save us all." Her voice is eerily calm, and for a second, the weight of it crushes Katherine's ribs.

She barely feels the gun slip from her fingers as she drops to her knees, her entire body trembling. "Please," she whispers, her voice raw, broken. "Help him."

Thomas steps forward, jaw clenched. "You can have us. Just leave the others alone."

Ava meets his gaze. "I prom-"

A gunshot splits the air.

Blood blossoms against Ava's pristine white coat, her mouth parting in a silent gasp as she stumbles back before collapsing to the floor.

Katherine sucks in a sharp breath, her body locking up as Janson steps out of the shadows, gun still raised, smirk twisted across his face.

"Oh, my favorite pair of twins," he sneers. "You should have run."

Before either of them can react, the whine of a Launcher charging fills the air.

And then agony.

The bolt slams into Katherine's chest, lightning tendrils wrapping around her body. She crashes to the floor, convulsing, a strangled scream ripping from her throat. Her limbs lock up, every nerve in her body searing with pain.

"Crazy bitch!" Janson spits as he looms over her.

Katherine's vision swims, black spots eating away at the edges. She hears Thomas's ragged breathing, the panic in it. She forces herself to look up at him, every inch of her shaking. "Tommy-run. Leave."

"I won't leave without you!" His voice is desperate, pleading.

"Fucking leave!" She chokes on the words, her body barely responding now.

"I can't!" Thomas's hands curl into fists at his sides.

Janson lets out a humorless chuckle, flicking his gun toward Thomas. "See? This is why he's always been smarter than you, Katherine." He tosses the Launcher aside with a metallic clatter, now aiming the pistol directly at Thomas's chest. "If he runs, I shoot. And we wouldn't want that, now, would we?"

The world tilts, darkness rushing in, thick and endless. Somewhere, on the very edge of it, she hears a voice. Calling her name.

She floats in the abyss, lost, weightless.

The voice calls again. More insistent this time.

She forces herself to move toward it, toward the warmth of it, the familiarity. The struggle is excruciating, but she pushes through. Her body aches, something dull and sharp all at once. She hears herself moan before she even realizes she's awake.

"Kat." The voice is closer now, edged with something fragile, something desperate. "Can you hear me?"

She forces her eyelids open, blinking against the harsh white light. A figure hovers above her, blurred at first, but then sharpening. Teresa leans over her, withdrawing a syringe filled with dark crimson-her blood.

A chill runs through her at the sight.

She tries to move, to rip the needle away, but her limbs won't cooperate.

Janson's voice slithers into the room. "Do you know what this place is, Katherine?"

She shifts her eyes toward him, nausea rolling in her gut at the sight of his smug face. "It's a lifeboat. And the whole world might be sinking, but that doesn't mean we have to go down with it."

Her throat feels like sandpaper. When she speaks, it comes out as nothing more than a ragged whisper. "Why don't you just kill me?"

Janson chuckles, shaking his head. "Kill you? No, no. We're going to take very special care of you and your brother." He paces, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "We'll keep you two alive. Just enough. And in return, you'll give life to the rest of us. The ones we choose to save, anyway."

Katherine's stomach knots. The weight of his words sinks in, slow and suffocating.

"There won't be enough for everyone," Janson continues, that smug little smirk stretching across his face. "Hard choices have to be made. But thanks to you two, thanks to this"-he nods at the syringe-"we finally get to decide. A future of our own making. To your health."

Her hands twitch. A little feeling returns, burning through her veins like fire. Weak, but there. Not enough to fight back-not yet-but enough for her mind to sharpen, for the fury simmering in her chest to take hold.

Janson tilts his head, watching her closely. "To keep things... controlled, I requested Teresa withdraw half of the blood from your system." He pauses, eyes gleaming. "It'll keep you weak for a few hours."

Katherine lets out a slow, humorless laugh. "You think sucking half my blood out is gonna keep me in place?" She tilts her head, lips curling into something sharp. "Come on, Janson. There's a reason they call me feral. I thought you knew."

Janson's expression doesn't waver. Instead, he gestures toward a cell nearby.

Katherine follows his gaze-and her stomach plummets.

Two figures inside the glass wall move in jagged, unnatural motions. Twisted bodies, limbs convulsing, faces a mess of scars and peeling flesh. Gone Cranks. No control. No sanity. No coming back.

Janson smiles, savoring her reaction. "Do anything stupid, and you can join them."

Katherine swallows hard, heart hammering in her chest. The image burns into her mind. She wrenches her gaze away, forcing herself to meet Janson's eyes again.

He studies her, then his smirk deepens. "Speaking of Cranks... how was it?"

She raises an eyebrow. "How was what?"

"Kissing one." He leans in slightly, voice dripping with mock curiosity. "Your guy-Newt, was it? He's a Crank now, isn't he? A gone Crank."

The air in Katherine's lungs turns to stone.

He's trying to get a reaction out of her. Trying to break her.

She doesn't give him the satisfaction.

Instead, she smiles. A slow, lazy grin. "Oh, Janson." She clicks her tongue, feigning amusement. "I didn't stop at just kissing him."

His smirk falters.

She leans in slightly, lowering her voice. "Newt was turning crazy, and I was already crazy, and it was totally crazy." She tilts her head, lips curving into something dangerously playful. "Honestly? It was fun."

Janson's nose wrinkles. "You're disgusting."

She laughs. "Crazy sex is good for your health. You should try it sometime-oh, wait." She taps her chin. "Do you even have a significant other? Or did you scare them all away?"

Janson's expression twists, but he recovers quickly. "You're a sick psycho."

Katherine winks. "If you won't embrace her madness, you'll never taste her magic."

His eyes narrow. The tension in the air sharpens.

Then, slowly, his smirk returns. "You know, I almost forgot. That girl-Tara, was it?" He feigns a thoughtful look.

Katherine's blood runs cold at the mention of Vera's twin sister. She sits up slightly, jaw clenching. "What?"

Janson shrugs, casual. "Oh, yeah. I remember how she died during surgery. Quite the spectacle." His smirk stretches wider. "That was fun to watch."

Katherine's breathing turns sharp and ragged. Her muscles lock in place, a wildfire of rage spreading through her veins. Something cracks inside her. "You-"

Janson watches her, delight gleaming in his eyes. "Why does it feel like you suspect me, Katherine?"

She grits her teeth, glaring. "Because I do."

"Smart girl." He shrugs. "Because I was involved. No, not just involved-I planned it. Made sure the job was done right."

Katherine's world narrows to the space between them. Vera's face flashes in her mind-her grief, her pain, the way she had broken after losing her sister. Katherine had held her together, stitched her back piece by piece, only to learn it had all been orchestrated by the monster standing in front of her. Her composure shatters. "I'll kill you, you damned piece of-"

Janson merely chuckles. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste my energy." He steps back, looking her over with satisfaction. "Pretty useless in your situation, don't you think?"

Then he turns and leaves, the sound of his boots fading into the distance, Teresa following him in no time.

The room lapses into silence the moment the door clicks shut, leaving Katherine alone with nothing but the hum of machinery and the faint beeping of a monitor. Her wrists burn from the restraints digging into her skin, but she barely notices. Her mind is elsewhere, drowning in the thoughts clawing at her sanity.

Is Thomas okay? Will she ever get the hell out of here again? Will she ever see Newt again?

A sickening fear churns in her gut, bile rising in her throat as the memories of WICKED's experiments surge back-immune kids strung up like lifeless marionettes, drained dry, their hollowed-out husks discarded like trash. She swallows hard, the lump in her throat almost suffocating.

Her arms tremble as she strains against the restraints, her body weak and useless. She wants to scream, fight like hell, but she has nothing left. Only the worst possibilities of the next few days flood her mind. She casts a desperate glance around the dimly lit medical wing, searching for anything-anything-that could help her.

Her gaze lands on the reinforced glass cell, the one holding two gone Cranks. They press against the barrier, watching her with ravenous hunger, their skeletal fingers clawing at the surface. Their eyes burn red, mouths twisted into manic grins, and she knows exactly what they're imagining-ripping her apart, feasting on her flesh, draining every last drop of her blood.

She shudders, forcing herself to look away.

"Stop staring at me like that, you creeps!" she snaps, voice hoarse. It's a weak attempt at bravado, but she'll take anything that makes her feel even a fraction of control.

The Cranks shriek in response, their clawing growing more frantic. The overhead lights flicker wildly, then cut out entirely, plunging the room into absolute darkness.

Katherine groans, dropping her head back against the cold metal bed. Frustration bubbles in her chest, but before she can let out a single curse, the door clicks open.

Footsteps echo against the tile-quick, urgent, uneven. A mix of heels and boots thump closer, the sound accompanied by heavy breathing. Then-voices.

"Shit! Are we too late? Is she already dead?"

"Gosh, I wish I brought Aris with me instead of you."

"Too bad. I'm the available twin right now."

"Shut up before I kick your butt off, Chris."

"Love you too, Vera."

"You two are giving me a headache," Katherine mutters, blinking against the darkness. She forces her heavy eyelids open, vision swimming, but she can just make out the familiar shapes of her friends.

"Hello there. We should seriously stop meeting like this," Chris says, voice laced with amusement. Even in the dark, his pearl-white skin practically glows. He waggles his eyebrows playfully. "I know I'm cute, but staring is extremely rude, Kate."

"Duh," Katherine snorts, despite herself. "Now hurry up and get me the hell out of this."

"Gladly," Chris says, moving fast to help Vera with the straps binding her down.

The moment the last restraint falls away, Katherine tries to sit up, but a wave of dizziness slams into her, making her head spin. She barely has time to mutter a curse before her legs buckle beneath her.

"Shit!" she gasps, collapsing.

Chris catches her instantly, his grip firm but careful. "I got you."

Katherine exhales sharply, pressing her forehead against his shoulder, trying to steady herself. "Do you guys have any idea where Thomas is?"

"Yeah, he's in the 10-B wing with Teresa and that jackass," Vera answers, supporting Katherine's other side. "It's just a few rooms away. Can you walk?"

"Dunno. Kinda feel like absolute crap," Katherine mumbles, attempting to regain her footing.

Before anyone can respond, the door swings open again. Thomas and Teresa stumble in, breathless, looking like they've just crawled through hell.

"You guys," Teresa breathes, eyes darting between them. "We need to get out of here-"

Thomas staggers forward, clutching his stomach. Blood blooms across his shirt, spreading fast.

Katherine freezes.

Then she's moving before she can think, crawling to her brother as he crumples to the ground. "No. No, no, no-"

Her hands shake as she lifts his blood-soaked shirt, revealing the ugly wound beneath. A gunshot. Her throat clenches, her chest constricting like she can't get enough air. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Okay, we need to-" Vera starts, looking around frantically. "Find something. Anything-"

"Here!" Teresa pulls out a medical pack and presses a wad of cotton to the wound. "Hold this."

Katherine does, applying as much pressure as she can with trembling fingers.

Thomas groans. "You guys gotta go. Take Kat with you."

"I'm not leaving you, Thomas!" she snaps, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"Sorry, bro, I'm here to be a hero," Chris chimes in with a grin, patting Thomas's shoulder lightly. "So pull it together. We're all getting out of here."

Teresa suddenly shoves something small and cold into Katherine's hand. "It's for Newt."

Katherine blinks. The serum. The one thing that could save him.

Hope flares in her chest as she clutches the vial tightly.

Then the door opens again.

Janson steps in, gun raised, eyes narrowing the second he sees the empty bed.

Panic surges through Katherine's veins.

They scatter, taking cover in the shadows. She throws herself between two cupboards, pressing into the darkness, breath locked in her throat. Chris is crouched nearby, shielding Thomas, his expression tense.

Janson stalks forward, gaze scanning the room. "Teresa, you had me fooled. I thought we were friends. Maybe betrayal is just in your nature."

No one moves. No one breathes.

Janson's grip on his gun tightens. "Come on. We both know there's no way out of here."

The air is thick with tension, suffocating.

Then-

"Look who we have here." Janson smirks. "Vera, my dear. Where's your new boyfriend?"

"Away from you and your pack of guard dogs," Vera bites back.

Janson steps closer. "I think you have something of mine."

Vera lifts the serum. "Take it. Just let them go."

Janson ignores the offer, eyes dark. "Not that. Where are they?"

"Just take it," Teresa says, her voice steady despite the fear tightening in her chest. "Leave them alone."

Beside her, Vera barely breathes, every muscle in her body wound tight, ready to move-ready to fight if she has to.

Janson steps forward, slow and deliberate, his gun never wavering from the two girls. His eyes glint with something cruel, something twisted. "What is it with you two?" he sneers. "You really think they're special? They're just lab rats. Born with a gift they never had to fight for. They never earned it. They don't deserve it."

Teresa swallows hard but doesn't back down. "Maybe," she says, her voice firmer than she feels. "But it's his."

Janson doesn't hesitate. He pulls the trigger.

Teresa gasps, blood blooming across her shirt as she collapses.

Katherine bites her lip hard, tears pricking her eyes. Teresa might have betrayed them, but she had been part of their family once.

"Next will be our lovely Vera," Janson announces smugly, his voice dripping with satisfaction. He tilts his head, lifts his gun again. "What do you have to say, huh? Haven't you spilled enough blood already?"

Katherine's eyes flutter open. Her pulse pounds in her ears as she scans the room, searching-there. A broken stool, just within reach. Moving as quietly as possible, she crawls from her hiding spot, fingers stretching toward the jagged wood.

Janson sighs at the silence, shaking his head as he reloads his gun. "Alright, have it your way."

"Janson!" Katherine shouts, forcing every last ounce of strength into her arm as she hurls the stool across the room. The effort sends her collapsing to the floor, her breath ragged.

Janson reacts fast-too fast. He ducks, the stool flying past him. A smug grin spreads across his face. "Missed, you crazy bit-"

The shattering of glass cuts him off.

Jagged cracks spread across the containment cell behind him, the distorted reflections of the two cranks inside shifting wildly. Then, with a final, ear-splitting snap, the glass gives way.

"Oh, shit," Janson breathes.

The cranks burst free, lunging onto him with inhuman speed. His screams pierce the air as they drag him to the ground, clawing, tearing, biting.

Katherine pushes herself up just enough to smirk, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Consider it a peace offering. Hope you enjoy the company." She lets out a breathless laugh, eyes alight with something wild. "Swear Newt was gentler with me!"

Vera snaps back to reality, scrambling to her feet before rushing to Katherine. "Come on, we need to go."

Thomas stumbles forward, his right arm slung over Chris's shoulder as they make their way toward the girls.

"Take Kat with you. I've got Thomas," Vera tells Chris, already moving to support their barely-standing friend.

Chris nods without hesitation, shifting Thomas toward Vera before scooping Katherine onto his back. "Got her," he says, tightening his grip as they take off.

Behind them, Janson's muffled screams echo through the room, but the cranks are too far gone now-ripping, clawing, devouring. He won't be getting up again.

"What the hell was that?" Chris breathes as they sprint down the corridor.

Katherine, still slumped against him, manages a tired smirk. "He asked for it."

"This way!" Vera shouts, pointing toward a hallway that leads to the stairwell.

But the moment they reach it, a wave of heat slams into them-flames licking up the walls, devouring everything in their path. The fire has already claimed the staircase, blocking their way down.

Vera curses under her breath. "No choice-up! Move!"

They somehow make it to the rooftop, but there's nowhere left to go. Flames lick at the edges of the building, the city below swallowed in a sea of fire. Smoke chokes the sky, turning the world into a suffocating haze of red and black.

Katherine glances at Thomas, whose wound is bleeding through the crude bandage Vera wrapped around him. He looks barely conscious, his face pale and sweat-soaked. She grits her teeth, guilt twisting in her gut. This was her idea. Her plan. And now they're all going to die here.

Vera is the first to move. "We need to go back. There's nothing up here-"

A deafening explosion cuts her off as the door behind them bursts into flames, forcing them to stumble backward. The rooftop trembles under their feet.

"Got any final prayers?" Katherine asks, voice raw as Chris gently sets her down beside Thomas. Vera kneels, pressing firmer against his wound, trying to keep him awake.

Chris raises an eyebrow. "For?"

"We're gonna die," she states, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Chris scoffs. "We're still alive, and we're gonna survive."

"You and your optimism." Despite the burning, collapsing world around them, she finds herself smiling-only for it to fade a second later. "I led you guys here. I'm sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize. We're besties, remember?" Chris grins, that same stupid, cocky smirk that never seems to falter, even when everything's falling apart.

Katherine watches him carefully, wondering-not for the first time-if he's just really brave, or if he's faking it. There's no fear in his eyes. Just that same happiness, as if he truly believes they'll make it.

She exhales sharply. "I have a confession."

Chris tilts his head. "Go on."

"I think you're my platonic soulmate," she blurts. "No matter what happens, I'll always have a spot in my heart for you. And I'm glad I met you."

Before she can say anything else, Chris suddenly presses his lips to hers. There are no sparks. No fireworks. Just a kiss-one-sided and brief. Katherine doesn't respond, but she doesn't pull away either. She waits for him to break apart, and when he does, there's something resigned in his eyes.

"I always loved you," he admits, his voice barely above a whisper. "As a friend. Maybe more. But I get it. Your heart's with Newt."

Katherine swallows, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry for not loving you back the way you deserve. But I know you'll find your true love-like I did with him."

Chris chuckles softly. "Stop being so serious. And don't tell Newt about that kiss, yeah? He'll kill me if he finds out. And I don't wanna die with a ruined face. I'm cute. I like to die cute."

Katherine laughs despite herself. "Like if we even survive to tell him."

"Right?" Chris grins, completely unfazed by the flames creeping closer. "Oh, by the way, I found something interesting in WICKED's database."

Katherine perks up. "What is it?"

Chris hesitates just a second before saying, "Sonya and Newt. They're biological siblings."

Her eyes widen. "Are you serious?"

He nods. "Yup."

"That's insane," she mutters, shaking her head. Then, her excitement fades into sorrow. "Newt would be thrilled... but he's not gonna make it without the cure." A heavy sigh escapes her, her voice cracking. "I just wish I could tell him one last time how much I love him."

Chris opens his mouth to respond, maybe to offer comfort, but a distant roar of engines makes them both turn. A berg rises above the flames, lowering fast.

Chris smirks. "Looks like we're not totally screwed after all."

The building shudders violently. Chris hauls Katherine up, draping her arm over his shoulder as he limps toward the edge. Vera, still half-supporting Thomas, waves frantically at the berg.

"Come on, Thomas! Give me your hand!" Vince shouts from the hatch, arm outstretched.

"Get closer!" Vera yells as she pushes Thomas forward. He barely manages to lift his arm. Vince lunges, grabbing his wrist and yanking him into the berg just as the rooftop cracks beneath them.

Katherine releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her twin is safe.

"You go first," she tells Vera, forcing her voice to stay steady.

Vera hesitates but obeys, taking a running leap. For a moment, it seems like she's going to fall, but Minho lunges, catching her wrist and pulling her up. He barely spares her a glance before turning back.

Another explosion shakes the ground.

Chris grips her tighter. "Tell him how much you love him for me, would you?"

Katherine frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Shh." Chris grins. "I like you a lot, you crazy girl. But you're annoying sometimes."

"Jump!" Minho yells.

"You gotta get closer!" Gally barks at the pilot. Minho leans out again. "Come on, reach!"

The berg sways closer. Chris doesn't hesitate. He shoves Katherine forward. She barely has time to scream before hands grab her-Minho and Vince pulling her up as she dangles over the flames. Her mind is spinning. She lands hard on the hatch, gasping for air.

"Come on, boy!" Vince calls. "Jump!"

Chris takes a step forward-

The ground groans beneath him.

A deafening crack. A sickening shift.

Katherine's eyes meet his, and for the first time, she sees it. The flicker of fear. The acceptance. The sadness. A tear slides down his cheek, but he still smiles.

"Thank you for being my best friend," he says, voice barely a whisper.

Then, the floor crumbles.

"Chris!" Katherine screams.

He vanishes into the fire.

The world tilts. Darkness creeps at the edges of her vision. She hears voices-yelling, calling her name-but none of it registers. Her body feels cold. Too cold.

With shaking fingers, she reaches into her pocket. The serum.

She barely manages to press it into someone's hands before her vision fades.

One last thought drifts through her mind before unconsciousness swallows her whole.

Newt.