The Fever Code

The Fever Code, a young adult dystopian science fiction novel by American author James Dashner, was released on September 27, 2016, by Delacorte Press. It serves as the second prequel in The Maze Runner series and the fifth book overall, taking place chronologically between *The Kill Order* and *The Maze Runner*.

The story opens with WICKED soldiers taking Newt’s sister, Lizzy. When Newt and Lizzy’s parents resist, they are killed, and WICKED takes both children, designating Newt as a control subject. The main plot follows Stephen, renamed Thomas by WICKED (World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department), where “Killzone” refers to the brain’s Flare-affected area. At age five, Thomas is given up by his mother because his father is severely infected with the Flare. He lives in WICKED’s Alaskan forest complex, where he meets Teresa, who is also kept apart. Through blood tests and advanced classes, he becomes close to Dr. Paige, who treats him like a favorite child. Thomas and Teresa sneak out and befriend Newt, Minho, and Alby. Newt reveals his sister is now called Sonya and is in Group B. During an outing, they are caught by WICKED security and thrown into the “Crank pits,” except for Newt, who is tested for the virus. There, they encounter WICKED’s founder, nearly insane, writing “WICKED is good” on a chalkboard.

After months without secret meetings, Teresa hacks WICKED’s security, allowing the friends to reunite. Thomas, Teresa, Aris, and Rachel are recruited to build the Maze. They discover Chuck, named after Charles Darwin, who becomes like a younger sibling. When Minho attempts escape, WICKED unleashes a Griever on him as punishment. Thomas then focuses entirely on building the Maze. Once complete, his friends are sent in first, causing suspicion and anger when Thomas and Teresa cannot explain why they remain behind. Chuck stays with them for a long time.

Thomas watches the Gladers via Beetle blades and sees a boy named George go mad and get killed by Alby. Dr. Paige explains that Grievers carry a Flare-like virus, and she places an early-stage cure in the Box. When a WICKED official named Randall arrives infected with the Flare, Dr. Paige orders Thomas, Teresa, Aris, and Rachel to kill other infected staff in a secret operation called “the Purge.” Before it begins, Teresa reveals she was originally Deedee from *The Kill Order*.