The Rule of Thoughts by James Dashner Page B

Who’s to say we’re not all computer programs, layers upon layers upon layers? Or in a dream? Maybe I’m an ugly old hag in Iceland daydreaming while she drools into her oatmeal.”
    Michael cracked a smile. Miraculously, and not for the first time, Bryson had made him feel better.
    “I’m just sayin’,” Bryson went on. “I don’t give a crap if you’re a Tangent or a really smart llama. You’re my friend and that’s all that matters.”
    “That’s what I told him,” Sarah offered. “But he’s stubborn.” She took Michael’s hand under the table and squeezed it.
    Bryson leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, like he’d just closed a huge business deal. “I do feel sorry for that Jackson Porter kid. That’s gotta suck, to have your brain vacuumed out and replaced with someone else’s. But it’s not your fault. All we can do is try to stop it from happening again. But first things first. We need to find out more about Kaine, about this Doctrine thing, and try to end it. Right?”
    “Right,” Michael answered. He liked that. Focus on the future. That was all he could do. Not for the first time since starting his story, he wondered if he should mention Jackson’s girlfriend, Gabriela. But for some reason he just couldn’t bring it up.
    “So here’s the big question,” Bryson said. “What do we donext? The Trifecta to Dissect-ya has reunited in all its glory. We’ve got a wild and crazy computer program bent on taking over people’s minds. Oh, and on killing us if we don’t help him.”
    “Which,” Sarah added, “is not an option.”
    Bryson nodded. “Not an option.”
    “I was so focused on finding you guys,” Michael said, “I’m not really sure what to do next. I guess I assumed we’d go to the VNS, but it’s kind of weird that Agent Weber was at the tree house. Why did she run away?”
    Sarah let go of Michael’s hand, then leaned forward on her elbows. “Maybe that’s all the more reason why we should go to her. I mean, she did warn us before the flash thingy. It was like she just didn’t want to be discovered.”
    “And aren’t they the good guys?” Bryson asked. “They wanted you— us —to find Kaine in the first place.”
    It was Michael’s turn to scoff at something his friend had said. “Yeah, and look how good that turned out.”
    “Well, you got a body, didn’t you?”
    Michael couldn’t tell if he was being serious or making a really bad joke. He didn’t know how to respond. Before his silence could become awkward, though, there was a rattling sound. He looked down to see that the table was trembling. Slightly at first, and then more strongly. The table legs screeched on the pavement below.
    Sarah and Bryson had the same look on their faces—wide-eyed, staring at the table as if it had been possessed by a demon. Michael had scooted his chair back and was ready to push himself up and run if he had to. Had Bryson signed up for death by earthquake?
    The entire café shook, cups rattling on saucers, utensils falling off tables and scattering across the floor. Dishes broke and shattered, shards of porcelain mixing with the forks and spoons. People were shouting and dashing this way and that, not sure where to go. Michael and his friends stayed put, alternating fearful looks at each other.
    The table suddenly bounced, jumping two feet in the air and slamming back down with a loud bang. Sarah screamed and Michael yelped. The table bounced again. Michael finally got out of his chair, swaying with the movement of the world around him. He stumbled over to Sarah and helped her up, clasping her hand tightly; then Bryson was with them. They all linked arms to help with balance. The trembling had increased to all-out shaking, tables hopping, people falling over each other. Windows shattered nearby and sprayed glass on the ground. Panicked screams came from everywhere.
    “Let’s get out of here!” Bryson yelled. “I know a back way out. Follow my