"Becca's journal is amazing. At 26, she found a pathway to access a human mind. That same year, she had to lock up ALIE because her answer for what was wrong with the world was 'too many people'. She was 27 when it launched the bombs," Raven said.
She had Becca's diary on her lap, and she spent most of the drive reading it. We were on our way back to Arkadia to get Lincoln's book. Apparently we had to find someone named Luna and her whereabouts were written in his book. We planned to make a short detour though to pick up Harper, Miller, and Bryan.
"What did she write about the Flame?" Clarke asked.
"ALIE 2.0. She saw it as a way to atone for her sins. She designed it to not just access a human mind, but to merge with one. It could never wipe us out because it would be one with us. She would put it in herself first. Altered her genes so her body wouldn't reject the implant."
"Bekka Pramheda, the first Commander."
"The gene therapy made her blood black, didn't it?" I asked, turning around in my seat.
"Yeah," Raven said.
"How did you know that?" Octavia asked.
"Nightblood. That's where it came from," I said, and Clarke nodded her head in agreement. "Somehow it became hereditary."
"Luna has it. That's why we have to find her. If she can access ALIE 2..." Clarke trailed off.
"She can tell us how to stop ALIE 1," Octavia concluded.
"Bekka Pramheda gets her second shot at atonement," Sinclair said.
"Get back to the mind pathway. If ALIE uses it to upload our minds to the City of Light, then there's a chance my mom's still alive," Monty said with hopeful eyes.
"That depends on your definition of 'alive'," Raven said.
"Eyes sharp. Weapons hot. We're almost home," Bellamy said. He reached for the radio and spoke into it, "Miller, come in."
There was no answer, only static.
"Harper, you there? Ride's two minutes out."
"Good start," Jasper muttered.
Once we got closer to Arkadia, everyone but Jasper, Monty and Raven hopped out of the rover. We had stopped at the cave before but no one way there, so we just assumed that the others were already here.
We each had our respective weapons aimed in front of us, keeping a watchful eye at our surroundings. Jasper's body poked out of the sunroof with his gun pointed forward, while Monty drove the rover into Arkadia.
"We left two days ago. Why haven't they fixed the gate?" Clarke asked.
"Maybe because there's no one here to fix it," Jasper pointed out.
"It's like a ghost town," I muttered.
"Miller, where the hell are you?" Bellamy asked again into the walkie talkie. "I don't like this."
"Maybe they got chipped," Jasper said.
"If they got chipped, they'd been waiting for us at the cave."
"Maybe they saw the open gate, went in for Lincoln's book."
"Maybe you should stop saying 'maybe'," Octavia said.
"If they are chipped, ALIE already knows we're coming," Clarke said.
The rover came to a stop, and that's when I noticed a spot of blood on the ground. I glanced over at Octavia, who was just staring at the spot with a painful look on her face. I made a guess to why.
"Let's get his book and get the hell out of here," she said.
"That's a plan I can support," Jasper said.
Clarke glanced over at me, as if she were asking for an explanation for Octavia's behaviour.
"Lincoln," I told her. Bellamy hit the back of the rover, signalling Monty to keep driving.
There was an eerie feeling to Arkadia. I didn't understand why, but something just felt off here. I didn't like the vibes I was getting from the place.
The doors to the hangar bay opened, and Monty drove inside with us trailing after him. The breaks squeaked as Monty came to a stop.
"Close it up. Turn the rover around. We may need to get out of here quickly," Bellamy ordered.
The doors closed behind us, and the room got significantly darker. Monty and Raven climbed out of the rover and joined us. I looked around the hangar, and noticed how things were just left out on the table; uneaten food, a deck of cards, a half played board game...
"It's like they just got up and walked away," I muttered.
"We're in and out. Pack as much gear as you can into the rover."
"I'll get the map," Octavia said.
"I'll uh... go with her," Jasper offered. "No one should be alone."
"You don't want to load gear, huh?" Sinclair asked.
"Not even a little."
"What's the rush? They won't be coming back," Raven said.
"How do you know?" Clarke asked.
"ALIE's mission is to chip everyone. It wouldn't make sense to return to a place she already took."
"Might make sense if there was someone in that place - i.e you - who could tell us stuff like that," Sinclair said.
"Good point. Let's load gear."
+
Bellamy had left a little while ago to find other supplies, while the rest of us stayed in the hangar.
"How much do we need?" I asked.
"A lot. We need to be prepared for anything," Clarke said.
"This is so absolutely insane, my brain is still trying to process it. We are literally being targeted by a freaking computer chip."
"Welcome to Earth," Raven muttered sarcastically.
"Everyone finish what you're doing. Meet me at the armoury," Bellamy's voice said through the walkie.
I reached for the walkie and answered, "why? What's going on?"
"You'll see when you get here. We just got lucky."
"On our way."
"I'll go with you," Clarke said.
"Wait," Raven called, causing us to turn around. "Leave ALIE 2."
"Why?"
"I think I know how to activate it."
"Without a Nightblood?" I asked.
"This section here codes for activation using a spoken passphrase," Raven explained, showing us an entry in Becca's journal. It was written in some weird language that I couldn't read.
"You can read that?" Monty asked.
"What? That's - no. How? None of our systems are in that language and you're a lousy coder," Sinclair said.
Clarke passed Sinclair the Flame as Raven shot him a look. He walked around us and put it in between a device which held the chip up.
"What phrase?" Clarke asked.
"Doesn't say. It could be anything. It was in Lexa, right? She would've known it," Raven said.
"Lexa didn't even know she was an AI."
"She wasn't an AI. Her mind was just enhanced by one. I'm guessing the reason she didn't know was because the program degraded over time. Parts of it got lost," I said.
"Think, Clarke. It might've been a phrase that meant something to Lexa. Words she said over and over again," Raven said.
Clarke thought for a second, trying to think of something. After a few moments, she turned to face the Flame.
"Blood must have blood," Clarke said. We all stared at the Flame but nothing happened. "Jus drein jus daun."
Monty picked up the journal and closed it. He peered at something written on the front cover. "Seek higher things."
Still, nothing happened.
"Wait," Raven said, as a look of realization appeared on her face. "Becca's book is full of latin phrases."
"I take it ALIE didn't leave latin behind in your brain."
"I studied some latin," I said, snatching the book from Monty. "Seek higher things. Altiora...petimus."
Nothing happened.
"No. Go for a less literal translation," Sinclair suggested.
"Ascende superius."
The Flame activated, shining a bright blue. Small electrodes poked out, looking like tiny legs. Raven reached for the pair of tongs and went to pick it up, but once she got close, it deactivated.
"What happened?" Clarke asked.
"Ascende superius," Raven said, leaning closer to it.
It activated again, and the little legs grew longer this time. They seemed to be reaching for Raven. She inched forward, but before she could get close enough, Sinclair and Clarke pulled her back.
"Hey, no," Clarke exclaimed.
"It's like it sensed your mind," Monty said, peering at the chip.
"When someone without the blood takes the Flame, the Flame takes their life."
"Okay. There must be another way to access the code then," Sinclair said.
"There's not. Until we find it a host, we won't know how to stop ALIE," Raven said.
Clarke grabbed the Flame and put it in her pocket. "Then let's find it a host. Come on. Bellamy's waiting, and so's Luna."
"Okay. We'll catch up," Sinclair called after us.
Clarke, Monty, and I left for the armoury. We entered the hallway, and I took notice of the flickering lights, making me grip my bow tighter in my hand.
"Once we find Luna, this will all be over. Ontari will be exposed as a fraud, and the AI will tell us how to shut down ALIE," Clarke said.
Monty halted, causing us to turn around. "If we shut down ALIE, what happens to the City of Light? Your mom will come back like Raven did. What about mine?" He asked.
The distant sound of a lullaby caught my attention. It played slowly, almost like a broken record. It sent shivers down my spine, and I loaded an arrow into my bow.
"Someone's here," I said in a hushed voice.
Clarke stepped towards the music first, and I trailed behind her slowly.
"Following the creepy music is a bad idea," Monty said, grasping my wrist. I just looked at him before continuing forward. "Or we can follow the creepy music."
We turned the corner and that's when I saw a little music box on the ground. As we neared it, the sound started slowing down, and somehow it got even creepier. Clarke knelt down and picked it up, reading the bottom of it.
"Aaron," she whispered.
"I don't like this. We should go," Monty said.
The sound of something rolling on the ground made me turn. My eyes widened and my chest filled with panic when I saw a canister with red smoke escaping it.
"Gas. Get out. Run!" I shouted.
As I spun around to run away, my eyes locked onto a figure approaching us. He wore a mask, which I assumed allowed him to breathe properly with the fog. I fell to the ground as the smoke infiltrated my lungs, my eyes shutting.
Someone pressed the fingers against my neck, and I waited a moment before opening my eyes. I ripped the mask off the man to reveal Emerson. I didn't have time to think about it, and I kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards.
I scrambled to my feet, and I saw Clarke coughing on her hands and knees. I grabbed her arm, pulling her up with me, and bolted away. My heart ached with pain as I left Monty there unconscious.
My chest burned, and I coughed to get some of the gas out. I slammed the doors open and we ended up outside. As I breathed in the refreshing air, my eyes landed on Bellamy. He spun around, no doubt hearing the two of us coughing.
"Bellamy!" I shouted, my voice raspy from the gas. My bow fell from my hand, but I didn't care. All I could think about was getting to him.
"Harley!" He exclaimed, racing towards me. I stumbled and started to fall, but Bellamy caught me in his arms and steadied me. "Harley, what is it? What's going on?"
I took a second, catching my breath. Clarke was just a few feet over, hunched over with her hands on her knees. I stared into Bellamy's eyes, taking note of the panic in them.
"Emerson."
"How do you know?" Clarke asked.
"I pulled his mask off. It was him."
"Where was this?" Bellamy asked.
"In the hall. We were on our way to the armoury when he attacked," Clarke said.
"Let's go then."
I picked up my bow before the three of us headed back inside. Now that we knew Emerson was here, we were all much more aware of our surroundings. I loaded an arrow into my bow, and the three of us walked carefully down the hall. The smoke was gone and there was no sight of Monty.
"Where's Monty?" Bellamy asked.
"Emerson took him," I said. I shook my head, as fear settled in my stomach. "Why?"
"Octavia, can you hear me? Come in," Bellamy said into the walkie
"Jasper was with her," Clarke said.
"Jasper, are you there? Say something."
He got no response.
"Miller, Harper, Bryan. This is all my fault. I let Emerson live."
"Hey, we let him live," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"What are you two talking about?" Bellamy asked.
"In Polis, I had a chance to kill him and we let him go," Clarke informed him.
"Bellamy, what's wrong?" Raven asked over the radio.
"Raven, are you okay? Where are you?" Bellamy asked, the panic clear in his voice.
"Still in engineering. We're fine."
"Raven listen to me. Emerson is here. Are the others with you?" I asked, grabbing the walkie from Bell.
"Negative, just Sinclair. Mount Weather Emerson?"
"Yes. Okay, lock down the hangar bay, don't let anyone in but us."
The three of us immediately rushed back to the hangar bay.
"He's here. He's inside the hangar bay," Raven said fearfully through the walkie.
We sprinted over to the door, and started banging on it. It was pitch black inside and I couldn't see a thing.
"Raven!" Bellamy shouted, pounding on the door even harder.
"The outer door," Clarke said.
We nodded our heads and went around. It took us longer than I hoped, and when we finally got there, the doors were open a crack. Just wide enough for us to squeeze through.
"Raven. Sinclair," Bellamy called out in a hushed voice. "After me."
Bellamy walked in first, and I followed after him. All the breath got knocked out of me when my eyes landed on Sinclair's dead body on the ground. My heart slammed against my chest and I slid to my knees beside him.
"Sinclair!" I screamed. Tears formed in my eyes as I rolled him onto his back. His eyes were opened, and blood pooled out of his mouth. I shook his body, as if that would change anything. "No... NO!"
I leaned over him, holding his body close to me. I wept into his shirt, rocking back and forth. Sinclair looked after me when my parents died... he was family. I wasn't ready to lose him yet.
A pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and gently pulled me back. I looked back to see Bellamy staring at me with sorrow. He pulled me into a tight embrace and I sobbed quietly into his shoulder. He sat there holding me as I processed everything, rubbing my back soothingly to try and help me calm down.
"We're too late," Bellamy said, looking at Clarke.
"No, we're not. He didn't kill Monty or Raven. He would've left their bodies. He took them somewhere."
"If you're right, Octavia and the others are there too."
"Where would he be taking them?"
"They could be anywhere. Does he even know his way around?"
"He was here. You were in Mount Weather," I said, pulling away from Bellamy. My eyes widened as I remembered exactly where we kept him. "The airlock."
A look passed over Clarke's face and she pulled out the walkie.
"Emerson, I know you're listening. We need to talk," she said.
"What are you doing?" I asked, standing to my feet. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I stared at her.
"I don't need to do anything. You should've killed me when you had the chance," Emerson replied.
"And now you're here to kill me, is that it?"
"Something like that."
"Then let my friends go. Do that, and you can have me."
"Clarke, no!" I exclaimed.
"You're brave, Clarke, I'll give you that."
"Clarke-"
"I know what I'm doing," she said, looking at Bellamy.
"They're lucky to have a friend like you. Come to the airlock. No weapons. Right now."
Clarke nodded her head and put the walkie down. I stared at her with big eyes as she went to leave. I stepped in her path, blocking her from going any further.
"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.
"Saving them. Look," she said, pulling the Flame out of her pocket and offering it to me, "when it's over, take this to Luna. You know what to do with it. Promise me."
"No. You're out of your mind if you think I'm letting you do this alone."
"Harley, this is my fault. I'm not letting anyone else die for my mistake, okay? So take it."
"Are you through?" Bellamy asked, raising a brow at her. "I don't know what happened between you two and Emerson in Polis. But I do know that letting him kill you here today is a stupid plan."
"You got a better one?" She asked.
"You distract him. I shoot him."
"Oh no. I'm shooting him. He killed Sinclair. He's going to die at my hands for that," I said, my eyes growing cold.
He took Sinclair from me. And I was going to put an arrow through his skull for that.
Bellamy nodded his head before grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the hangar.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked.
"Sinclair was like a father to me. If anyone's going to avenge his death, it's going to be me," I said.
Clarke joined us a second later, and the three of us headed to the airlock. None of us spoke as we grew closer. Bellamy and I stayed a few feet back, and we stopped completely when Clarke turned the corner with her hands up in surrender.
I didn't like this one bit. I didn't like that Clarke was offering herself up to save everyone. If she died, I don't know if I'd be able to handle it. I've already lost Sinclair today, I couldn't lose her too.
"I held up my part of the deal. Your turn. Let my friends go." Clarke said.
"Tell Bellamy and Harley to show themselves first," Emerson said.
"I don't know what you're talk--"
I heard someone scream, and Bellamy came rushing out from behind the corner.
"No," Bellamy cried, aiming his gun at him.
"Okay, now Harley's turn."
I hesitated before stepping out into sight. My arm was pulled back, and my eyes were dead set on Emerson. All of our friends were tied and gagged in the airlock. The son of a bitch had a knife pressed against Octavia's throat.
"Good. Now take out the clip, and disarm your bow. Throw it down the hall. Put the gun and bow on the ground and get inside," Emerson ordered.
"Please. You wanted me," Clarke said, fear in her voice. "I'll get inside once you let them go."
"I was talking to Bellamy and Harley."
He dragged the knife across Octavia's neck, and blood spilled down her chest.
"Okay, okay. Just - just stop," Bellamy shouted.
"Bellamy, don't," Clarke begged.
Bellamy obeyed Emerson's ordered, and I reluctantly did the same. I slowly lowered my bow to the ground and stepped forward with Bellamy. I glanced at Clarke over my shoulder, and shot her an apologetic look. Bellamy and I walked into the airlock, with our hands raised in surrender. Octavia whimpered as she stared at us in fear.
"Those are yours," he said, his eyes darting to two pairs of cuffs on the wall.
Bellamy and I stepped onto the platform, and locked ourselves in. Once we were secured, Emerson released Octavia. He pulled a gun out and pointed it at Clarke.
"Get on your knees, Clarke." She slowly lowered herself to her knees, her eyes never leaving Emerson's. "Put your hands behind your head."
She did exactly what he said. Emerson exited the airlock and shut the door. I started to panic when he walked behind Clarke, aiming the gun at her head. The mic was off so I couldn't hear a thing going on outside the doors.
"Harley."
My eyes darted to the corner where I saw Finn standing. I opened my mouth to say something but closed it almost immediately, knowing I couldn't in front of everyone.
"It's okay. Just look at me. I'm right here."
I don't want to die.
"You're not going to die."
You can read my thoughts?
"I am a figment of your imagination."
I'm scared.
"I know. But at least you're next to the man you love."
He's right. Suddenly, all the fighting we've been doing felt pointless and stupid. I forgot it all as I turned my head to look at Bellamy. He gazed deeply into my eyes, and they spoke more than words could ever say.
He told me he loved me. That he was sorry. I nodded my head, telling him I understood. We still had so many issues to work through, but all that mattered was that we loved each other. And I guess if I were to die, I'm happy it's next to him.
Clarke's body getting pushed against the door made me whip my head back towards the front. Emerson pressed the microphone, and I was able to hear his next words very clearly.
"You murdered 381 people. You took the lives of my children, my brother, my friends. Did you really think that I would be happy with just one life in return, hmm?" He asked coldly.
He pressed a button on the switchboard, and the lights turned red. I knew exactly what that meant.
"Airlock 5. Oxygen venting," a male voice said over the PA.
Panic rose in my chest and everyone started screaming. Tears welled up in my eyes and I looked back over at Bellamy. He reached over and intertwined our hands. I squeezed his hand tightly, letting him know just how scared I was.
My eyes grew heavier as I gasped for air. My legs gave out from under me, but I never let go of Bellamy's hand. My head fell back, and my eyes shut as I fell unconscious. This was the end.
Until it wasn't.
I gasped as my lungs took in air. My eyes fluttered open and I felt my strength slowly come back to me. Clarke rushed inside the airlock and released us all. Bellamy put an arm around me and supported me as we exited.
My eyes landed on Emerson, who laid dead on the ground. I grabbed the gun from the ground, and shot him once in the head. Everyone jumped in surprise, and I kneeled next to him, spitting on his face.
"That was for Sinclair," I said coldly.
No one said anything to me and we all continued on our way. We went back to the hangar bay, and I had to look away from Sinclair. Bellamy led me outside, before leaving Arkadia. I didn't ask him any questions, and instead decided to help the rest of the group load the rover.
A little while later, Bellamy returned with a body in his arms. It was wrapped in a blanket, but I had a feeling that I knew who it was. I tapped Octavia on the shoulder and she turned around. Bellamy laid the body on the ground, and Octavia hesitated before unwrapping the blanket to reveal Lincoln.
She started to sob as she caressed his face. My eyes stung, and it hurt me to watch this. Her cries grew more intense, and I could hear the pain coming out of her as she wailed over the body of the first man she ever loved. She sniffled, before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.
We decided to do a traditional grounder burial for Lincoln and Sinclair. We built a pyre, and placed both bodies on top of it. I stepped forward, placing a hand on Sinclair's shoulder.
"May we meet again," I said, holding back my tears. I placed a kiss on his forehead before stepping back.
"Yu gonplei ste odon," Octavia said, setting fire to the pyre.
"Yu gonplei ste odon," we all said in unison.
"Yu gonplei ste odon," Bellamy whispered, a few seconds after us.
We watched as the bodies burned on the pyre. The smoke rose high into the sky, and even from a few feet away, I could feel the intensity of the heat.
"It's time to go. I'll get the map," Octavia said.
She walked past us, and disappeared inside the hangar bay. I didn't think she was okay and I wanted to chase after her, but I knew she needed her space.
We only stayed outside for a few more minutes before we all headed back inside. Bellamy and Jasper loaded the rest of the stuff into the rover while I sat on a chair in the corner. I had a headache, and it was probably from all the crying I did today.
I lifted my head to see Monty helping Raven down the ramp. I got up from my spot and headed over to them.
"Hey, we're leaving. Why aren't you ready?" Bellamy asked the pair.
"We're not going with you," Raven announced.
"Raven--"
"I can barely walk, and my shoulder's killing me. My brain's all kinds of awesome."
"She remembered that ALIE downloaded herself into the Ark mainframe. If the code is still there, we might be able to find a back door," Monty revealed.
"I'm guessing once you connect ALIE 2 to Luna, we'll need access to ALIE 1 to take her down."
"Miller," Bellamy said, noticing how they weren't packed either.
"We'll keep them safe," he replied, gesturing to himself, Harper and Bryan.
"I'll keep them safe," Harper said, shooting a playful look at Miller.
"How about you?" Bellamy asked Jasper. "It's gonna be dangerous."
"You know me well. I'm in," he answered.
"Maybe I should stay back and help," I said.
"No, you should go. I've got this," Raven said.
"Are you sure? We've always worked better as a team."
"I'm sure. You helped activate the Flame. Now it's my turn to do something smart."
"You've always been the smartest person in the room."
"Not when you're around."
I smiled and pulled her into a hug. I wanted nothing more than to stay here with her, but I knew that Raven could handle this on her own. Even though she denied it, she really is the smartest person here.
I hugged the others goodbye and wished them good luck. Before I could step into the rover, Bellamy grabbed my hand and led me away to the side.
"Are you sure you want to come?" He asked.
"I'm sure."
"I don't want you getting hurt. I've already lost you once, I don't need to do it again."
"Bellamy, I can handle myself. You don't have to worry about anything like that ever happening again. I promise," I said, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't make promises you can't keep."
"I don't plan on breaking this one."
Bellamy nodded his head, and we both headed back to the rover. He climbed into the driver's seat while I stepped into the passenger's. He started the engine and pulled out of the hangar.
"So, where are we going?" Bellamy asked.
+
I know it's been a while, but in my defence, I'm very sick so I think I deserve a pass. Probably won't upload another chapter until I get better.
Kisses