atomic man, john murphy.

Red Sky at Morning

Clove exhaled a large breath as she stared at the stone ceiling. She was laid on her back in the cell, surrounded by the others who had refused to take the key. 

"You know," Clove turned her head to look at Murphy, a stick brushing against her cheek. "I'm so tired of constantly being imprisoned."

Murphy's face remained blank but he nodded in agreement. Indra was working on getting one of her people unchained. The woman said something that Clove didn't understand. 

"Running is not a plan," Indra announced. 

"It's not running," Murphy countered. "It's surviving."

"For how long?" Indra didn't stop working on the chains. "This threat will find us all eventually."

Pike intervened, "The boy is right. We regroup and come back stronger. It's a legitimate battle strategy." 

"I have a better one. Kill their leader," Indra stated. "Jaha."

Murphy smirked and adjusted his position so he was sitting on the ground. "Now that's a strategy I can support. Unfortunately, he's not their leader. He's being controlled like everyone else by that-"

Murphy trailed off and Pike tilted his head. "What?" 

"Nothing, never mind." He shook his head. "Forget it."

Two buff men then opened the door and and stomped in, causing Clove to sit up. "Who's ready to take the key?" 

Clove raised her hand. "Sure, I guess I've had enough." One of the men approached her and knelt to her level, holding out a small chip. "Nah, I'm just kidding. I got you though, didn't I?" 

"None of us is ever going to take a key," Pike spoke up. 

The two men shared a look before the one right in front of Clove stood up and walked over to Pike. He stared at Pike for a moment before grumbling and starting to check the prisoners chains. When one of them had neared Indra, she pulled her chain out of the wall and stabbed his head. Indra then reached for his knife and twisted her body in a fluid motion to send the knife flying into the second man's chest. 

"Come on, grab the keys," Murphy stood up. "She'll send for reinforcements."

Indra approached Murphy and pulled him towards her by his shirt as one of the grounders used the keys to unchain the rest of the prisoners. "You said Jaha was controlled. Tell me what you know." 

Clove thanked the woman who freed her and rubbed her wrists gently as she stood up. "The smart play here is going through the tunnels while we still can. Before we're overrun by ALIE's groupies," Murphy said. 

"If you have information that can help us..." 

Indra held the end of her chain up to Murphy's throat and Clove gulped. "We don't have time for this," Indra spoke. "Talk!"

"Jaha's backpack," Murphy breathed out, sending a look to Clove. "It runs the AI. If we can destroy it, I'm pretty sure we can destroy her."

"I know where it is," Indra responded as she slowly removed the weapon away from Murphy's throat. "I saw them move it into the temple before I was captured." 

"They'll expect us to run," Pike pointed out. "We can use that. The AI will follow those who do, while we go for the pack." 

"We?"

Pike sighed. "I can't do this alone. Do you want to save your people or not?" 

Indra looked around at her people and then back at Pike before she commanded her people to leave. Pike nodded and watched them exit before turning his attention to Clove and Murphy. "What are you two waiting for?"