No matter what we tried, Luna continued to deny the flame until she drugged us and had us off of the oil rig by the next day. Our hope of having Luna as Heda was ruined, and we had no other plan of action. Alie was spreading, and she was unstoppable as far as we knew.
"It's clear." I called out as I returned on Fang. I had scouted ahead while Bellamy fixed the fuel cell on the truck, but Clarke was nowhere in sight now.
"All right, just keep your eyes peeled." Bellamy replied. "I'm going after Clarke." Nodding, I turned the horse around as the man entered the forest.
"I'll stay within range, shout if you need me." I said to Jasper and Octavia before nudging Fang with my legs. Trotting off, I circled a radius of the vehicle, creating a perimeter as I watched for any movement.
Hearing a gunshot suddenly ringing out, Fang reared back on his hind legs from the noise before I directed him toward it. It sounded nearby, so it was either one of us or an Alie-infected Skaikru.
"Viper, perfect timing." Bellamy said as I saw him, Clarke, and two bodies on the ground. "Use Fang to drag him to the rover." He pointed at the larger man dressed in Azgeda furs. Clarke gave me a look as Bellamy walked away.
"It's Roan." She said lowly, and I jumped off of the horse.
"What the Hell do you mean, 'It's Roan'?" Rolling over the big guy, I saw that it really was the king. "Bellamy shot him?!"
"Just in the arm. He didn't know if Roan was with Alie." The blonde replied. Glaring in the direction Bellamy had gone, I huffed while calling Fang over. Using ropes and the leverage of the horse, I managed to get the hulking mass of muscle draped over the saddle. Holding the reigns, I led Fang back to the truck with Clarke.
"Octavia, get me the medkit." I called out as Clarke was climbing into the back of the vehicle. Getting Roan off the horse with help from Jasper and Octavia, we managed to get his coat off to doctor the bullet wound.
~
Riding behind the others in the rover, I kept glancing at the back. Roan was still unconscious the last I heard, and he was tied up back there with everyone. Knowing him as much as I did, he would be pissed when he woke up....
Entering Arkadia, we were greeted by the others while the truck was being unloaded.
"We were getting worried." Raven limped into view with a smile. She saw the looks on Clarke and Octavia's faces, and her smile dropped from their expressions. "Where's Luna?"
"Luna said no." Octavia replied as Roan was being led from the vehicle. He looked angry, gagged, and bloody. What the Hell happened when he woke up?
"Who the Hell is this?"
"He's Ice Nation."
"King of the Ice Nation, actually." Clarke popped off. "And he's our way into Polis." Sliding off of the horse, I glared at the others. Like Octavia, the man had my trust, and also like Octavia, I would protect him if I had to.
"This way, your Highness." Bellamy took hold of Roan to lead him forward. "You two, follow me. I'll take him to lock up."
"You want to use him to get to Ontari?" Raven questioned.
"Yes." Clarke nodded.
"What happened to his arm?"
"Bellamy shot him." Jasper stated.
"Good luck getting him to cooperate." Monty sighed.
"That's where Viper comes in." Clarke crossed her arms. "She had an alliance with him. It's why she was in Ice Nation." All eyes turned to me.
"You're using past tense. I still have an alliance with Roan." Crossing my arms, the blonde next to Clarke rolled her eyes.
"You have got to be kidding me...." She mumbled.
"Viper, come with me." Clarke ignored the comment as she walked in the direction Bellamy had gone. Getting to lock up, Octavia's brother let us in. I hesitated, remembering how I had been locked inside before.
"Sorry about your arm." Bellamy said as he stood next to Clarke.
"Makes us even." Roan replied while I took a deep breath and walked in. It wasn't as if they were going to trap me inside.
"Like it or not, we need each other." Clarke shifted on her feet, and Roan glanced at me as I came into view.
"Cut to the chase, Clarke. You said we wanted the same thing." His attention returned to the blonde as he sat on a bench. "I want an Ice Nation Commander."
"And I can give you one....with this." Clarke held up the tin container with the Flame inside.
"And why would you do that when she's vowed to wipe you out?"
"We don't have a choice. This isn't just our war. The enemy we're up against is after everyone. Including the Ice Nation. The only way to stop her is to get the information off the Flame. And the only way to do that is to put it in Ontari's head." Clarke explained.
"The Ice Nation isn't afraid." Roan replied.
"You should be." Bellamy stated. "This thing doesn't care what clan you're from. It controls people. And it will take over the Ice Nation, just like it took us over, one person at a time until there is no one left. And if you don't believe us, listen to Viper." Roan's gaze shifted to me.
"They're telling the truth, Roan. It already has Ontari." He slightly narrowed his eyes while tilting his head.
"I'm listening."
"We need to disconnect her before she gets the Flame." Clarke added. "Or we'll be giving Alie exactly what she wants. To do that, we have to abduct her from the center of a city filled with thousands of people whose minds are linked. All of them thinking as one." She continued. "Whatever one sees, they all see. Whatever one hears, they all hear."
"I get it." Roan had a stern expression on his face. Rising to his feet, Clarke and Bellamy took a cautionary step back. "So when do we leave?"
"Impatient as ever." I popped off.
"It's better than waiting around all day for Alquin to kick your ass." Roan retorted.
"Hey, I knocked her down a few pegs before I left." Crossing my arms, my jaw was parallel with the ground.
"Really? I didn't see it."
"Of course not, you weren't there."
"So you have no proof?" He smirked while looking down at me.
"How about I punch you in the face? Seems like enough proof to me."
"Woah, hey!" Clarke raised her hands. "I thought you two have an alliance. You can't go beating each other up right before we have to take on Alie." Roan and I both looked at Clarke with a raised brow.
"What are you talking about?"
Bellamy and Clarke just gazed at us with these strange looks on their faces. I'd forgotten they were used to my threats being serious rather than just playful banter.
~
Piling into the truck before we left, I said goodbye to Fang since I would be unable to take him along. Sitting in the back, I double-checked that all my blades were where I had left them. Glancing up when I felt eyes on me, I saw Roan looking down at me.
"What?" I questioned, and he looked away while shaking his head.
"Do you honestly think this plan will work?"
"I have to hope so. Even if it's borderline insane." My voice went quieter as I uttered the last part.
When the rover came to a stop, we could see the tower of Polis through the trees as it rose high into the sky. Bellamy, Clarke, and Roan were already outside as I was exiting the vehicle.
"All right, this is where we split up." The Azgeda King stated. "The entrance to the tunnel is right over there." He pointed.
"We know where it is." Bellamy replied.
"I'm gonna need the Flame." Roan looked at Clarke, but she didn't say anything. "Look, this only works if they send Ontari out to get it. If they don't see it, they won't do that." He explained while shifting on his feet. "Not much of a trap without the bait." Clarke glanced at Bellamy before hesitantly reaching into her pocket. Pulling out the container, she handed it to him.
"Fine." She said. "But I'm coming with you."
"No way. That is not the plan." Bellamy spoke up while shaking his head.
"It is now." Her gaze went to the other man as she gestured to the Flame. "I'm not letting that out of my sight. And I'm the only one who knows the passphrase." She then raised her brows at Roan. "So you can tell them that without me, Ontari can't ascend."
"You'll need to look like my prisoner."
"Okay."
"Wait a second. Give us a minute." Bellamy stepped between the two. Roan glanced at both of them before turning away.
"You think the prisoner thing will work?" I questioned as Roan stood in front of me.
"It'll make them believe I got the Flame by capturing her rather than her giving it to me." Roan answered.
"I know that, but with their hive-mind thing going on, will they figure it out?" Crossing my arms, I looked up at him as my breath was visible in the cold air.
"We can only try and hope that they don't."
"I have a bad feeling about this, though...." I quietly said while shifting on my feet.
"Well, Pakstoka, I'll follow your instincts and be aware." He smirked. "Keep me covered, and nothing should go wrong."
"Right. Sure. Put your faith in someone you hardly know." My tone was full of sarcasm.
"You've saved my life before." Roan stated before placing a hand over my heart. "I know you enough that I can trust you, if not your mind." He then flicked my forehead.
"Ow!" I hissed while snarling before pushing him back as he chuckled. "I just might shoot you in the ass for that."
"No, you won't."
"You don't know that."
"Yeah. I do." And there was such certainty in Roan's voice as he looked down at me.
~
Positioning the barrel of the guns through the grates, the rest of us watched as Clarke and Roan walked through the bloody streets of Polis. So much had changed since we were last here. There were crosses that had barbed wire on them with blood stains, and I could only assume that the streets had looked even worse before our arrival.
"11 o'clock." Bellamy spoke up. "On the signal. He sees Ontari. We wait until she's standing in front of them, and then we launch the gas."
"They're going to be holding their breath, so we gotta move fast."
"Anyone who gets in our way, we use non-lethal force. These people are not the enemy. They're being controlled." Bellamy stated. "The only thing we're here to kill is Alie. Is that clear?"
"Clear." We replied.
"Good." He flashed the light on his gun to signal Clarke and Roan. "Here we go."
"I am Roan, king of Azgeda!" I heard the tall man shout as he held up the Flame by his head. "And I have what the Commander seeks." The people kneeling outside stirred, rising to their feet in such a fluid manner. "I'm not liking what I'm sensing. So if she wants it, she can come to me."
"It's Jaha." Bellamy said as the man walked into view.
"What the Hell is he doing here?"
"You see Ontari?"
"No. Hold." The others outside began to speak in normal tones, so none of us could hear them from the distance. "Something's wrong." And Bellamy was stating the obvious again as Roan closed his hand around the Flame, refusing to hand it to Jaha. Something was said, and the king put a knife to Clarke's throat as the others closed in. "Do it! Do it now!" Before the smoke bombs could be sent out, a hand landed on my shoulder and yanked me back.
"On your knees! Drop your weapon!" On a reflex, I spun on my heel before driving my knuckles into the man's torso, striking his diaphragm. He lost his breath, gasping as he fell to the ground. They quickly turned their guns on us, pushing us against the wall as I rose my hands. The cold barrel of a pistol was placed between my eyes as the man I had hit was writhing on the ground for air. Alie took away pain, but not the need for oxygen.
Hearing a gunshot outside, my head whipped in the direction it had come from just before something hit my head, and everything went black.
~
"Viper! Yo, wake up!" Groaning, I felt something smacking my cheek. "Come on, I'm not going to carry you out."
"I swear, if that's Murphy, I'm going to kill you." I grumbled, and silence answered.
"No....it's Bellamy." Opening my eyes as I shot up, I swung my arm with an open palm. There was a loud smack as the sloth-looking guy went down. "Ow! Son-of-a-bitch!" He held his cheek while rolling on the ground.
"You've been spared. Don't touch me ever again." I stated as Murphy pulled himself to his feet.
"Jeez, it's like your bones are iron!" He shot me a look while rubbing his face.
"Dude....you went down with a bitch-slap." Someone popped off.
"What do you expect? It came from Viper." Murphy shot back in defense.
"Come on, you guys, we have to go." Bellamy interrupted as we stood in a dark hall. Pike and Indra were also here now, and we followed them down the hall. Pike took out the two Grounders running the elevator and the others took over as Bellamy, Murphy and I got onto the elevator to go help Roan and Clarke. Octavia stayed behind to keep watch and help protect the others.
"You get that we're screwed, right?" Murphy popped off as we were going up. "Alie already knows that we're coming."
"This plan will work." Bellamy nodded. "Why are you here?" He then questioned.
"I'm just trying to survive." Murphy replied. "Which would be easier if Viper would stop striking at me." There was an accusing tone in his voice.
"I'd stop striking if you'd stop annoying me."
"I breathe, and you get annoyed."
"Then don't breathe." I popped off. Looking over at him, he was giving me a look. "That was a joke."
"Since when do you joke?" His brows furrowed.
"Well, Octavia seemed to know when she was joking." Bellamy commented. "It seems that only O understands her." He then sighed.
"Nah, man. That King Roan guy has got her down, too." Murphy waved his hand. "Those two are like this." And he held up two fingers that were crossed.
"Could you shut up, Murphy?"
"What are you talking about?" Bellamy questioned. "Those two were nearly at each other's throats before we left."
"Oh, you couldn't tell?" Murphy smirked while nudging Bellamy with his elbow. "Viper's gotten in with the king." He wiggled his eyebrows at Bellamy who looked confused. But, as if a switch had been flipped, Bellamy's eyes widened while he turned to me with surprise.
"Are you serious?"
"No, he's delusional." I glared at Murphy who was still smirking. "Roan and I only have an alliance, nothing more."
"Mm, sounds like denial."
"Murphy, if you don't shut your mouth-" And I was cut off when the elevator stopped moving.
"Well, that's not good." There was banging on the door as the elevator was forced open.
"They're coming in." Bellamy, back at it with stating the obvious, said as I popped my knuckles. "Murphy! Get the baton ready!" He shouted while trying to keep the doors closed. Murphy came up beside Bellamy, shocking the men as they tried to get in. Bellamy kicked one back, and they tried closing the doors again. One of them got in and tackled Murphy.
Grabbing the guy by the back of his clothes, I yanked him off after he landed a few punches on Murphy. He hit the side of the elevator before jumping at me. Deflecting his fist, I struck his sternum and drove my elbow into his diaphragm. He went down, gasping like a fish before I kicked his jaw, effectively knocking him out.
"Thanks, Viper." Murphy was breathing heavily as he pulled himself up with the rails in the elevator. The elevator began to move again, and we all prepared for when the doors would open once more. Going through the panel on the ceiling, we climbed out to get on top of the elevator.
When the doors opened, a gas bomb was dropped through the hatch to knock out those inside. Wearing gas masks, Bellamy took the lead while I brought up the rear as we enter the hallway.
"Throne room's this way." And Murphy took Bellamy's position as he showed us where to go. Bursting into the room, we saw Clarke tied up and crying.
"Bellamy, stop him!" And to the side was Jaha with Ontari on the ground in a puddle of blood. On the other side, Murphy raced to get a blonde woman down from a noose. Continuing straight, I untied Clarke to set her free. "Is she alive? Is she breathing?"
"It's fine. She's breathing." Murphy replied while taking the rope off.
"Jaha has the Flame. Get it!" Clarke said quickly. "Viper, cover the door. We can't let anyone get in here." Nodding, I went to the entrance while they tried to take care of Ontari.