𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠︱monty green

xx. anger, pain, grief

Riley gave Kane a single thumbs up, letting him know she was on board with whatever he could come up with to comply. "We're on it," he said, promising. "You stay safe." Signing off, Kane put the walkie-talkie down.

"So what now?" Riley asked eagerly, sitting up and sliding off the chair.

"I have an idea, but it's not so good," Kane admitted, standing with her and heading towards the door.

Following, Riley laughed shortly and shoved her hands into her pockets. She wasn't scared of getting caught, she knew she had nothing left to lose except her life. "I'm down," she swore, knowing this was what she was really meant to do. "Let's go."

-x-

Riley stormed down the gray path of Arkadia on the right side of Kane, with Miller on the left. He was fully with them when they recruited him, ready to find out what Pike was arranging. Riley wished it was something she could talk to Monty about, but she didn't know what side he was on, not when his mother is on Pike's side.

When the three approached the door that Pike held his personal meetings, Kane knocked to be sure no one was inside. Miller leaned against the wall in front of Riley before snorting, finding something amusing. When Kane questioned him, he looked up with a sly grin. "Bet you didn't think we'd be breaking the law together when you arrested me on The Ark, huh?" He asked, finding the situation ironic.

While Riley found what Miller said funny, Kane hadn't. The older man gripped the teenage boy by the front of his shirt and stared him down. "This isn't a game, Nate," he stated sharply and seriously. "If we don't find out what Pike's up to, more people will die."

"Hey," Riley interrupted quickly and calmly. "Someone could show up. Let's not get caught, yeah?" She pointed out. Kane released Miller, and upon not hearing a response, he used the code on the keypad to unlock the office door.

Suddenly, they heard a voice announce Pike's presence just down the hall. Kane pulled a small chipped bug out of his pocket and shoved it into Miller's hands quickly. "Put it somewhere smart, out of sight," he ordered, his voice hushed but fast. "I'll buy you some time." Riley nodded before he took off in the direction they heard the greeting towards the chancellor.

Finding a good place to set the bug up was a one person job, so Riley found herself following after Kane. Miller was definitely capable of not getting caught, after being a past thief on The Ark before being on Earth. She passed by the chancellor, forcing a clearly fake smile on her pretty face that quickly turned into a sharp scowl towards Bellamy when seeing him by his side. Bellamy didn't comment on it, but caught her eyes and frowned at the expression.

Riley ignored the greeting Pike gave her when passing by him, yet she heard Bellamy comment about her snide attitude and chose to stay quiet about that as well. Kane could handle them while Miller hid the bug, she figured, so she walked on down the hall. She figured she could head to medical, do something useful while waiting for the bug to be activated, when after a few minutes of walking Riley was suddenly stopped by Jaha.

It was very sudden. The tall man turned the corner at the same time Riley had and nearly rammed into the small girl who stopped in surprise. "Holy shi - " She quickly stopped before the curse word came out.

"Hello, Pascal," Jaha greeted, his voice completely calm, and with a friendly smile on his face but Riley found it more so odd. "How're you doing today?"

"Fantastic," Riley retorted sarcastically, not in the mood for a conversation with him. She hardly knows him, other than the few facts Monty had told her, and how he returned to Arkadia after finding what he called 'the City of Light'. "Just uh, excuse me.."

Stopping her before she could pass, Jaha held his hand out. "I thought that it could be a good idea to talk," he suggested, making Riley look back at him in disbelief. "About your pain, Pascal," he explained, folding his hands in a polite posture in front of him. "There are solutions."

"My pain," Riley repeated with a sudden laugh. "Right, well, I can hardly talk about that with Monty let alone you of all people, so if you'll just let me.." She stepped forward again, but Jaha followed her, cutting her off before she could hardly make it a foot away.

"We all have pain," Jaha spoke, speaking as if he's said this a few times before. "Some of it is physical, from injuries. Some of it is mental from living with the loss of our loved ones." Riley grew quiet and tense, suddenly rigid from the words. Jaha could tell he struck a nerve. "See?" He suggested. "It diminishes our lives, haunts us. What if I told you there's a simple way to eliminate it?"

Figuring Jaha was full to the brim with lies, Riley tightened her lips in irritated and shook her head before speaking. "You don't eliminate pain," she shot back. "You shove it down and ignore it."

"You see their faces every day, don't you?" Jaha questioned, referring to the people of Mount Weather that had died. He didn't sound like he was taunting her, but trying to make more of a point. "Does ignoring it help?"

"No," Riley answered honestly, shrugging one shoulder. "It doesn't. I do it anyways." It was always there; the pain. Nothing she ever did made it fade.

Slowly, Jaha lifted his hand. In between his two fingers, he held a small oval shaped chip with a symbol on it of two circles. "This can make it go away." Riley rolled her eyes, muttering; "please". "It's the key to the City of Light. To salvation and relief from the pain. You could come too, Pascal."

"Call me Pascal again and I'll shove that stupid chip down your throat where it belongs," Riley threatened, her hands grasping into tight fists that made her knuckles white. She thought back to President Dante who always referred to her by her last name and by any other authority figure that looked down at her for being apart of Mount Weather. "My name is Riley."

Jaha seemed unaffected by the warning tone, and continued smiling to her. "So much pent up anger," he noted. "Don't you want freedom from it?" He offered.

"This anger, pain, grief.." Riley listed off the emotions. "It's all I know. It doesn't go away. Not even if I take some stupid chip." She was angry, but knew she had to calm down quickly. "Don't ask me again." With that, Riley pushed past him, knowing it was the end of the conversation on her part. It just wasn't the end of the situation.