❝we're all very good at survival. but many times, we sacrifice important parts of what it is to be human just to endure.❞

-glenn close, actress

♛

CALEB'S HANDS TOY WITH the broken dropship wristband absentmindedly. I watch the metal twirl between his fingers lightly, dancing around his skin in an almost graceful manner. He's clearly trying to ground himself with something to do.

Because the distant screams from Raven had begun to make our heads spin, we'd asked permission to use another room in order to continue whatever it was that she had been working on before she was possessed. The new space is small yet somehow glamorous, with more fur blankets strewn around the vicinity and low candlelight making everything seem more intimate.

"Niylah said we could work in here," Clarke says to the two engineers and one mechanic sitting in front of her. A sigh puffs out of her lips. "So, how do we do this?"

"We think Raven wanted to use this wristband to generate an EMP," Sinclair responds, staring at the band as Caleb twirls it again. "Which is... freakishly brilliant."

"Meaning what?" Bellamy questions from behind Clarke. His arms are crossed over his chest, and I can tell he doesn't like being here. Just a few minutes ago, Clarke had to forcibly remove him from the same room as Niylah so he'd lower his guard.

"Meaning a big zap of electricity, short circuits, goodbye chip," Caleb answers. His voice sounds strangely disconnected from his body, as if his mind is somewhere else.

"Right," Sinclair agrees. "We could use this to send an EMP along Raven's own nervous system. Just need to reverse the polarity, wire for external input, and attach a battery."

"Is it safe?" I ask, almost fearing the answer. Caleb wouldn't be doing this if it meant Raven's life would be on the line, or would he do anything to get her back to normal?

"Don't worry," the older man assures me, "EMPs don't affect our bodies. But we don't know the mechanics of how this chip integrates with her brain."

Bellamy's eyes now watch where Caleb is now worrying his thumb with his teeth. "This was Raven's plan. She wouldn't do it if it was gonna destroy her brain."

Caleb, seeming to realize that it was meant to reassure him, glances up and pulls his lips into an exhausted, close-lipped grin. It doesn't reach his eyes.

"Depends how bad she wanted it out," Octavia says out of nowhere. She suddenly appears from behind the curtain separating this room from the one adjacent to it, which she had been using the fireplace in. Her expression is somewhat smug as she glances between her brother and the mechanic.

Caleb goes back to worrying his lip. I frown at Octavia. Why would she say such a thing? Not only because Bellamy had been the one to reassure Caleb, but because she has to know that we're all incredibly worried enough as it is.

Sinclair, sounding slightly exasperated, cuts in, "Regardless, without an electromagnet, this is just talk."

"Where do we get one?" Clarke questions.

"The Ark," Sinclair answers with a wince, noting how Bellamy looks down at the floor in dismay. "Every station had a pulsed inductive thruster for maneuvering."

"Arkadia's out of the question," Bellamy counters immediately. "It's too dangerous— you heard them."

"We use the dropship," Monty suggests so quickly I almost miss it. Even Caleb looks up at him in surprise. "It has PI thrusters, just like the Ark."

"That's good." Sinclair nods in approval. "Okay, I'll go salvage the magnet."

"Uh, no." Monty stops him quickly, reaching out and grabbing the man's sleeve. "You and Caleb should stay with Raven and figure out how this thing works. I'll take the Rover, be back by the time you finish the device."

"I'll go with you," Octavia adds indisputably. It doesn't surprise me; Bellamy had mentioned how dangerous Arkadia was, so of course she'd want to jump on the next best option. She narrows her eyes at him when he opens his mouth to object. "Don't."

There's a moment where everyone fidgets uncomfortably as she exits through the same curtain she'd entered through. The black material swallows her whole before Bellamy can get a breath in. The silence is tense, leading to a moment where nobody knows what to say to break it.

And then Jasper starts screaming.

"Guys!" His panicked voice comes from the room where Raven is. Caleb immediately shoots to his feet and shoves the wristband into Sinclair's hands, bursting through the curtain before any of us can react. It barely takes me a second longer to follow after him with Clarke beside me and Bellamy hot on my heels.

We enter the bedroom to see Raven tugging at her restraints with her teeth, a thick line of blood running down her bare arm. The way she moves is animalistic. She's feral, an unfeeling, emotionless shell of my best friend.

"Shit," Caleb mutters immediately, rushing to her side.

"Stop her!" Clarke exclaims frantically.

Bellamy tosses his rifle to the ground. "Jasper, get that side. Fallon, you take the other."

I break into a run and press my hands to her bleeding wrist, not caring about the liquid that'll surely be coating my fingers after this. She'd slit them vertically, meaning that they'll be harder to patch up. And she'll lose blood a lot faster.

I glance up in just enough time to see her snap her teeth at Caleb's fingers, who jerks out of the way to avoid being bitten. He uses her distraction to her advantage. He tugs the cloth back into place, then moves his hands to her midsection as she begins to writhe once more.

"She's going to bleed to death," Clarke says as Raven continues her chant of, Get away from me! "I need bandages. Fallon?"

I remove one hand from the brunette's arm, wrapping the other one around it completely. My fingers are slick with blood. I ignore it and reach into one of the pockets of my jacket, tugging out a wad of bandages and gauze. Clarke immediately takes them from me and begins to hurriedly unstick the tangled supplies.

As Raven's growls intensify and she attempts to shake us off of her, Jasper looks directly into her eyes. "ALIE. ALIE! Look at me. I know you can hear this. Why are you doing his to her? Let her go!"

Raven pauses, suddenly calm. She goes still and tilts her head to the side. When she speaks, her voice sounds robotic and emotionless. "I'll let her go when you give me what I want."

My blood goes cold. That hadn't been Raven talking— it was ALIE.

Clarke wordlessly nudges my arm. I snap my focus to her, releasing Raven's arm just long enough for the blonde to wrap the new bandages around the old ones.

"The technology that Clarke carries," ALIE continues, swiveling Raven's head toward Clarke and effectively stopping her in her tracks, "it belongs to me."

"Shut up," Caleb sneers from the other side of the bed. Raven bars her teeth at him, snapping her head forward threateningly.

"Clarke, just give it to her," Jasper pleads.

"No way!" I exclaim, raising my eyebrows incredulously at the boy. To give ALIE whatever Clarke is carrying would mean she has full control. And if she has that, she wins.

Clarke leans forward. "If you let Raven die, you'll never get it."

A few seconds of nothing. My hands encase Clarke's, using the pause to finish wrapping the bandages around Raven's wrists. The girl's eyes appear to be looking at someone we can't see.

And then she goes slack, submissive to our pleas.

"The restraints are in the way," I say through gritted teeth, struggling to get the bandages underneath the right loops of fabric. My eyes move from her fingers to her shoulder. I jump back and cry out in surprise at the fact I can see her bone popping out, its harsh edgesvisible underneath her skin. "Oh, my God. She dislocated her arm— that's how she got to the bandages."

"Untie her wrist," Clarke tells Bellamy. Then, to Jasper and Caleb, "Hold her steady." She looks at me, but I hold up my slippery, blood-coated hands with a shrug. "I got this."

I step back enough for her to brace her foot on the edge of the mattress. As Bellamy finishes untying her wrist, Clarke takes her dislocated limb in both hands and pushes. I wince at the sickening pop that sounds as it sets back into place.

"Clarke," Bellamy says as he begins tying Raven's wrist back to the frame, though lower this time so she can't reach the bandages again, "she's never gonna stop trying to get away. We can't let her hurt herself again. Someone has to stay with her."

"I'll take first watch," she offers. "We'll take turns."

"You don't give the orders, Clarke," Jasper bellows with a harsh glare at the blonde girl.

Caleb, taking his hands off of Raven's shoulder, pats him on the back. "Hey, man, it's okay."

Raven smirks. "Guess he doesn't forgive you for murdering his girlfriend."

Her words, though intended for Clarke, hit four people in the room. Clarke averts her eyes. Bellamy tenses. Jasper turns away. And I freeze, finding myself staring at where the crumpled form of Maya is laying on the ground a few feet away from me. Red welts cover her body from head-to-toe, chapped lips parted as they attempt to take in the toxic air.

A hand on my back shakes me from my stupor. It's Clarke, looking at me with concern in her blue eyes, turned dark by the lack of adequate lighting in the room. "You're here."

I blink hard. Maya's figure was never there at all.

"Jasper, take a break," Bellamy suggests calmly. Surprisingly, the younger boy obliges and leaves the room with tension filling his entire body.

A shuddering breath escapes me. Bellamy reaches for my hand, then, remebering they're coated in blood, decides to take my shoulder and give it a supportive squeeze. He nods at Clarke as her touch slips from my upper back.

"Caleb," he calls quietly.

The boy is looking at Raven with so much heartbreak in his eyes that it fractures something in my own chest. Her one raised and one lowered arm gives her an even darker appearance than before. Her calculating eyes stare at him from under her lashes.

And then he walks away, following where Jasper had gone. Bellamy and I are the next to go. The walk through the dimly-lit corridor is somber, and once we reach the main trading room, I remember why my hands are wet and shake myself out of Bellamy's grip.

"I need to wash my hands," I mutter almost absentmindedly. My head turns down to observe the blood coating them in uneven amounts, sometimes thick enough to crease into the skin or sometimes a thin sheet.

Niylah appears seconds later with a bowl of water and a cloth. She holds them out to me wordlessly, something in her eyes— trust? Either way, I have no doubt that it's because of how kind I had been to her before. It's like what had happened with Lincoln: a little kindness can go a long way.

"Thank you," I say quietly and take them from her. Then, I leave and sit in one of the corners so I can be somewhat alone.

I plop on the hard, wooden floor and lean against the stone for a moment. My eyelids flutter closed as I heave a sigh. Today has been a long one and I know that tonight will only be tougher. So much has happened within such a short amount of time— Lincoln's death was earlier today, along with Bellamy's beating, turning in Pike, and Jasper arriving with Clarke and Raven. All of these things seem to have been years ago despite them only being hours apart.

I open my eyes with a wince. I'd almost forgotten about the bruise around my left one along with the cut beside it, which now pulse with a dull ache. Trying my best to ignore it, I sit with my knees slightly bent, hunched over so I can reach the water in the bowl. It's cold as I dunk the white cloth inside it. Then I begin to wipe the crimson stains off of my skin, frustration building up in my chest when some of it doesn't come off. The dunking and scrubbing becomes more frantic as does the amount of pressure I apply. My teeth sink into my bottom lip in an attempt to block out the desperate sobs that threaten to come out. One of my best friend's blood is on my hands.

As my face screws up even more, the pain near my eye increases along with the agony in my chest. Even though I'm scrubbing hard enough to shed a layer of skin, ghosts of red continue to stain my hands. I'm almost biting my lip hard enough to break the skin when a pained cry from Clarke sounds from the bedroom. I shoot to my feet, dropping the cloth and knocking the bowl over as I race down the dimly-lit hallway and through the sheer curtain.

"You're done, ALIE, you hear me?" Clarke shouts from where she stands a few feet away from the bed, clutching her forearm. My eyes barely have time to assess the blood running down Raven's chin before she's yelling again. Her face is inches from Raven's, a heated glare narrowing her eyes. "We're gonna fry you!"

My heart leaps into my chest. I scramble forward and grab onto Clarke, pulling her away from Raven and shoving her toward Bellamy, who had appeared somewhere along the line. Jasper stands stone-still near the entrance. The blonde struggles in the older man's arms, screaming in defiance. Her voice grows fainter the farther away she's carried.

I glance toward Jasper; the two of us share a long, knowing look. Clarke may have just unintentionally screwed us all over.

—

My heart feels heavy as four of us wait in the room with Raven. Bellamy and Jasper are sitting in two metal chairs beside a small table with an assortment of candles on them. Caleb leans against the wall. I sit on the ground at Bellamy's feet, my knees pulled to my chest.

Caleb had been assisting Sinclair in firing up the EMP as much as they could without the electromagnet. After they'd gotten most of it done, the former Chief Engineer had banned him from working. Although the mechanic is extremely skilled at what he does, his mind had been preoccupied. Sinclair could tell that he wanted nothing more than to be watching Raven.

"Look at your united front," Raven's sarcastic voice croaks to Jasper, who had previously been dozing with his elbow resting on the table. His eyes slowly peel open when she speaks. "Tell me, why do you give Fallon and Bellamy passes for murdering your girlfriend? What was her name?"

"Don't talk about Maya," Jasper commands in a dangerously low whisper.

"You don't have to listen to this," Bellamy says to him.

"Let's protect Jasper," Raven coos in a sugary-sweet tone. "Jasper's so sensitive. Jasper's lost someone. Everyone, cater to his feelings!" Her voice suddenly turns hard, her face dropping into a harsh glare. "We've all lost someone. You don't see us falling apart. You don't see us getting wasted." She pauses, a humorless chuckle coming from her mouth. "Oh, wait. Some of us do."

I know her words are directed at me. I refuse to look at her, instead staring at the bottom of the bed frame. It's Jasper's right to complain. Although he can sometimes be a bit too harsh with his words, he's been through hell, and he shouldn't have to suck it up just because everyone else does. We're all a little next-level damaged; some of us just show it differently.

"No, you took a pill to take your pain away," Jasper fires back. "You gave up your memories."

"But then, why should we expect anything more?" Raven asks as if he hadn't said anything at all. "You used to get high off people's medicine. Being a selfish loser was your only move."

The boy shakes his head, sounding ashamed now. "Stop."

"That's all we see when we look at you: A coward, a waste of breath. Why do you even bother living? You're weak. Pathetic. You can't save me. You can't even save yourself."

"Jasper—" I cut in, but she barrels right over me with her next sentence.

"You couldn't even save what's-her-name."

Jasper's hand slams onto the table, standing up so quickly that the chair knocks back into the wall. He points an accusatory finger at her with his eyes alight in anger. "You know her name!"

Bellamy jumps out of his seat and grabs the boy by the shoulders. He forces him to look him squarely in the eyes with some difficulty, shaking him a bit to get his attention. "Jasper, think. It's not Raven talking, and you're giving her what she wants. Go."

Jasper sends one more hate-filled stare at the possessed Raven before stalking out of the room. As soon as he leaves, the girl's eyes lock onto something near the door. And her head slowly, robotically, turns back toward us. Her gaze meets that of the twenty-year-old leaning against the wall. He straightens his slouched posture as if preparing himself for her next scathing comment.

"Your mother must be so proud."

Shit. Raven is good. I had only figured out about Caleb's mother from Abby, who had delivered the news to my own mom. She had an incurable ailment that resulted in her untimely death as she slept. Rumor had it that Caleb, age ten, had woken up in his deceased mother's arms.

But Raven's voice is full of the same false sincerity as it had been when she'd been speaking to Jasper. I can only guess where this may lead.

"Murdering an entire army," she finishes quietly with her head tilted at an unnatural angle. Her tone fills with more venom after every word, and her eyes devour the deflating expression on Caleb's face. "Killing all of those people, wearing their blood on your hands and face like a trophy. What would she think of her precious son if she knew?"

"You didn't know my mother," he mutters at a barely audible volume, but the conviction in his voice doesn't falter.

"Oh, but I knew what she stood for," she counters without missing a beat. "What did you say about her? That she was the kindest person you'd ever known? That doesn't sound like someone who would be proud of what you did."

He's holding up magnificently well, for someone who's the recipient of his possible-girlfriend's snide comments. He's staring pointedly at the ground now. His Adam's apple bobs in time with his thick swallow.

"You should have died in that mountain."

My head snaps up to stare in horror at Raven's smirking face as Caleb flinches. Her words are sharper than ever now, digging into his hidden wounds as deeply as she can and refusing to let go. He'd told her everything in the two years they'd worked together. Now it's coming to bite him in the ass, because nobody can hurt him like Raven can.

"Not Gina— you." She scoffs. "Because who needs you around? Exactly— no one."

"Caleb, she's just trying to get to you," Bellamy says to the mechanic, but it's too late for consolation now. The taller boy's hands are clenched into tight fists as he continues to stare lasers into the floor. He's trembling from the effort it takes to stand still.

"I sure as hell don't," Raven presses on. "You'll never be enough. Finn was enough, and you're just his replacement. Did you ever think I cared about you? That kiss— that was nothing. I just hoped I could lure you to the City of Light, too."

Caleb gives a strained yell before whirling around and slamming his right fist into the wall behind him. There's a sickening crack as his bones meet the concrete, blood smearing it crimson and rivers of it already starting to trickle from his hand. His chest heaves with heavy pants.

"Caleb—" I try to interject, standing up fluidly, but he breezes past me without a glimmer of fear in his eyes. He doesn't stop until he's a few inches from Raven's all-too-triumphant face.

"I know the real Raven is in there somewhere," he says lowly yet firmly. "We're terminating you, you sick bitch."

Then, he straightens up and storms out of the room.

I slowly sink into Jasper's previous seat. My hands already begin to shake, fearing what she'll send my way. I curl my palms into fists in an attempt to hide their trembling from her view. What weaknesses does Raven know about?

She watches Caleb's figure retreat before turning back to us. "And then, there were three." She narrows her eyes, frowning so her bottom lip pokes out in a pout. "Oh, come on, Bellamy, don't give me that look. We've had our fun together, haven't we?"

I quickly glance away from Raven before bringing my gaze back, hoping she hadn't noticed. But she had. And now I've already begun to give away everything.

"Tell me, dear Fallon," she begins, "do you know that face he makes, right—"

"Yes," I harshly cut her off before she can finish. I hold her stare until she finally breaks it and sighs.

"It's fine," Raven says with an air of mock disappointment. "We don't have to talk about it. There's never really much to talk about anyway. But I do have one question: does it bother you two that you don't get any credit for the genocide at Mount Weather? Clarke gets to be the Commander of Death, but you murdered all those people, too, and you're just forgotten. What about all of those Sky People you could have saved if you didn't get so caught up in playing the heroes? How many were there? Let's see... Fox, Jessica—"

"Shut up," I growl through gritted teeth, my hands clenching into even tighter fists.

"Ugh, well, you're no fun," she comments dryly with a roll of her eyes. "Little Miss 'My Parents Are Dead.' But, fine, I'll move on if that's what you want. What about the culling on the Ark? You didn't get any credit for that, either, Bellamy. How many people died when you threw away my radio? You know, at least Clarke was saving her own people. You were just saving your own ass. Of course, that's nothing compared to killing your own mom."

I turn my head to study Bellamy's reactions. He has no visible indication that what she's saying is bothering him, instead avoiding her gaze and leaning his elbows on his knees. His outward appearance is so collected that it breaks my heart. These are things that have most likely run through his head frequently, if not every day, and so hearing Raven say them is almost nothing.

And it hits me. The only reason she stopped was because Raven knew that seeing her tear Bellamy down would be worse than anything she could say to me.

Shit. She is good.

"You just had to take little sister to her first dance. You might as well have just shoved Aurora out of the airlock yourself. Do you think she'd be proud of you now? For the kind of leader you've become? Or would she see the truth, like the rest of us do? That you're a follower. Clarke's been back for one day and you're already taking orders." Her eyes drift to me. "Oops. Of course, I don't want to cause any trouble in paradise, but I don't know about the way he looks at her, Fallon."

It should slide right off of me. I know that she's just trying to get to my insecurities, that she's spitting anything out to break me. But I hate the fact that it works. I can feel myself shuddering from the effort it takes to keep a calm façade, my entire body so tense my muscles begin to ache.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Bellamy finally mutters with a shake of his head.

"If only she was there to knock some sense into you before you believed Echo. If only you had been there when Mount Weather exploded. But you avenged all those deaths, right? I mean, you and Caleb picked up guns and slaughtered an army that was sent to protect us. That had nothing to do with blowing people like sweet Gina to bits. But hey, a Grounder's a Grounder, right?"

It's louder than when she'd spoken to Caleb. Much louder, and maybe that's why Niylah comes running in with an expression of utmost betrayal on her face. "My father... You..."

Bellamy's already standing, his expression crumpled in remorse as he takes a step toward her. "Niylah—"

"You killed him!"

She strikes him across the face. I pounce to my feet, grabbing Bellamy by the shoulders and backing a step away from her. He cradles his cheek in his hand and breathes heavily through his mouth from the sharp pain.

"Niylah!" Clarke exclaims, taking the Grounder by the arm. Her voice drops lower. "Niylah, you can't be in here."

She starts to lead the woman out of the room, but Jasper's voice sounds from the doorway. "It's too late— Raven's already seen her. ALIE knows we're here."

Bellamy, having been tormented enough, grabs his jacket from the back of the chair and flees the room. Clarke shoots me a warning glare when I take a step to head after him. She slowly shakes her head, and, after a moment, I realize she's right. He'll need some space to clear his head. If he'd wanted me to come along, he wouldn't have shaken himself out of my grip.

Niylah also wrings herself out of Clarke's grasp. The Grounder storms out of the bedroom with her dirty-blonde hair flowing behind her. I can't tell if she's upset because she's helping the people who murdered her father, or because she'd unintentionally blown our cover.

Clarke sighs and pointedly avoids Raven's meaningful glance. She slowly eases herself onto one of the chairs against the wall, resting her elbows on her knees. Things are quiet for a moment before she says, "I read the letters as soon as I left."

Her words leave a sting, but I don't know why. I swallow thickly. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"I want to thank you," she replies. "I didn't realize what— what you were all going through—"

"Of course you didn't, Clarke," I fire back, the ice in my tone effectively cutting her off. "You left because of that 'I bear it so they don't have to' bullshit, and you didn't even think about what you leaving would do to us. To Bellamy. To your mother. To me." I breathe out slowly to calm myself down, clenching my hands into fists at my sides. My voice is quieter when I add, "We could have borne it together."

Clarke is silent. Her mouth opens and closes like she isn't sure what to say, like three months' worth of thoughts, arguments, and feelings are all rushing through her head at once. However, before she can get a word out, Sinclair bursts through the curtain with the others in tow. I notice that Monty and Octavia have returned; both of them appear like they're explicitly trying to retain their composure.

"Everyone, let's go," Sinclair announces to our group. He's holding a large device in both hands, connected with so many colored wires and tape that I can't assess what individual parts it's made of. Caleb must have left to help him finish it before the others returned. "All we have to do is connect her and activate the electromagnet."

I glance sideways at Caleb as Monty and Octavia begin working on untying Raven's arms from the headboard. His eyebrows are furrowed in concentration, lips pulled into a line as he assists Sinclair in connecting pliers to bolts on the magnet. He seems better now that he has something concrete to do that will also help Raven. It's like killing two birds with one stone.

Once Monty frees her arm, the brunette girl attempts to rip it from his grasp, but I catch her fist in my hand and hold onto it with all of my strength. Sinclair gives an exclamation of surprise at the movement.

"Hold her still!" he commands as he races toward her with the dropship bracelet in hand. Raven writhes and twists uncomfortably in my grip; Monty has to help me by placing his hands on her shoulder. Then, out of nowhere, a sudden burst of strength causes her to push me backward and into Caleb, who curses.

"Raven, you're bleeding!" Clarke cries, her voice blending in with the mixture of shouts filling the small proximity. Before I can attempt to grab her again, Raven growls and slams her head repeatedly into the headboard.

"Shit!" I scream more loudly than necessary.

"She's trying to kill herself," Bellamy realizes with a jolt, fighting to cover the back of her skull with his hands to cushion the blow. "Raven, stop!"

"Stop, and I'll give you this."

Clarke holds up the AI from the metal container in her pocket. Although the tiny, translucent rectangle appears insignificant to the average eye, it causes the girl to freeze immediately.

"Fuck it," Caleb mutters decisively before ripping the wristband from Sinclair's immobile hands and securing it firmly around her wrist.

Raven screams in agony. "No, you lied! YOU LIED!" As Sinclair begins connecting the rest of the wires, her voice suddenly turns clear and desperate. "No, please! The EMP will give me brain damage. You know it will! Please, don't do this!"

"Don't listen to her," Octavia commands the rest of us.

"Please!" Raven continues her begging. "You know it will! Sinclair, stop! No! Caleb, no!"

"We've only got one shot at this," Sinclair informs us over her. "The EMP will fry the wristband, too."

"Do it," Bellamy orders without hesitation.

"Go!" Monty exclaims anxiously.

Caleb pushes the lever connected to the electromagnet, creating a sizzling noise and causing Raven to shout a final protest. She goes still. Her face, frozen in worry, begins to contort in desperation again after a beat of silence.

Jasper's wide eyes shift toward the science people. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Sinclair replies in dismay. "We need more power— the battery's not strong enough."

"Well, then, get one that is," Clarke says.

"The Rover," Monty notes in realization. He immediately bolts from the room, ordering, "Fallon, hold her!"

Bellamy begins to move as well. I barely have time to yell, "Bellamy, you don't know jack-shit about science!" before Caleb heaves a sigh and follows after them.

It takes seconds, but everything seems to be moving in slow motion. One minute, I'm standing near the side of the bed. The next, I'm holding Raven down as she screams her throat raw and begins her episodes of squirming again. There's a gunshot from outside. My heart is beating so fast that it hurts, my pulse thrumming in my ears.

"It's okay," Sinclair assures us, "here they come."

Monty holds the much larger and clearly heavier car battery in his arms, dumping it onto the bed near Raven's legs. The older man immediately begins switching the wires to the new device. I watch him expertly switch the pliers to their matching bolts on the power source, not having to think twice about what he's doing.

"Guys, we have to move!" Bellamy shouts urgently, a hint of anxiety in his voice. He glances toward the exit and hovers near it as if he expects someone to burst inside at any moment. His body is tense, hands on his automatic rifle. Was that what the gunshot was about? Is ALIE already here?

"Got it!" Sinclair shouts. Then, in one fluid motion, he slams his hand onto the switch.

Several things happen at once. Raven gives an agonized scream as the sound of the battery surging power through her buzzes in our ears. Her body goes slack. Then, her eyes close and nothing but ringing silence fills the air.

"Oh, my God," I rush out. My hand immediately reaches forward to press two fingers to her neck, her pulse beating faintly beneath them. It sends a surge of relief through me. "She's alive."

"Raven?" Clarke is at my side. She jostles the girl gently, but she's unresponsive and perfectly limp. "Raven, come on. Wake up."

Octavia leans down. There's fear evident in her eyes, and I notice with a start that blood is streaking her face. With everything going on, I hadn't realized it before. Her voice tentatively whispers, "Raven?"

"She warned us," Jasper notes miserably as he moves away from the bed.

Caleb steps back, his head in his hands. "I don't understand. It shouldn't have done anything, neurons don't pick up the currents—"

Bellamy's reassuring voice cuts in. "I know."

My eyes fall back to the unconscious girl mere inches from me. My heart constricts in worry, face twisting in regret. What if, somehow, we had fried her brain? What if—

A sudden movement catches my eye. Jasper sprints toward the table, a crowbar in one hand and the AI in another. Clarke's voice is frantic as she whirls around. "What are you doing?"

"Don't move!" he cries, setting the small chip on the wooden surface. His arm is raised as if he plans to smash it with the weapon.

"No, you can't!" The blonde lunges for him. She's no match for his elbows, which knock her back so she can't reach the device. "No, give it back!"

"ALIE did that to Raven. She's never gonna get this!"

"Don't!" she cries helplessly. "Stop. It's Lexa!"

The room goes quiet. Jasper pauses, his brow wrinkled in confusion and the crowbar still raises, though less threateningly. The rest of us share equally as perplexed glances.

"Part of her is still in there," Clarke continues, her voice desperate and much quieter now. "I saw them cut it out of her head. I'm not..."

Her face falls in sudden awareness. Bellamy picks it up as well. "What is it?"

"Both the AIs were made by the same person," Clarke informs us. "Both tap into human consciousness. They must work similarly, right?"

"Well, there's probably only one pathway to consciousness, so it's possible, yeah," Sinclair agrees.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Octavia questions from the other side of Raven's still-immobile figure. It's the first time I've agreed with her for the entire day— I don't understand how any of this is related.

"I've seen an AI get removed before," Clarke responds as she steps closer to us. "Help me get her on her side."

Octavia and I stay put, while Clarke, Caleb, and Bellamy work on moving her midsection or legs. We lift her and shift her body down so she's laying on the mattress. It's fairly easy to turn her from there.

"Fallon, you don't happen to have a scalpel on you, do you?" she asks.

I shake my head. "No. Just bandages and gauze."

Clarke nods to Monty. "Get that med kit from my bag."

As the boy hurries to grab the kit, she balances Raven carefully and brushes her ponytail away from the nape of her neck. I carefully step out of her way so she can safely perform the procedure. Then, once she has the scalpel in her hand, she begins making a thin slit down the back of Raven's neck.

Sinclair puts a questioning hand on her arm. "W—What—"

"It's okay," she assures him quietly.

I watch with anxious nausea brewing in my stomach as nothing by blood comes out in trickles of crimson. Clarke's puzzled expression doesn't help the worry whatsoever.

"This has to work," she mumbles to herself.

Then, I give a jolt as a thick sludge comes out. It's nothing I've ever seen before. Not quite blood, but the same color as it. "What the hell?"

"It must be whatever's left of the Chip," Sinclair surmises. It makes sense— the EMP must have actually fried the tiny thing, and now nothing remains of it except... whatever the hell is coming out of the cut.

Clarke turns back to watch the rest of the clumpy substance collect in the rag pressed against Raven's skin. Then, impossibly, she gives a feeble cough and begins to stir.

"Oh, thank God," I sigh, shoulders slumping in relief as a wave of reassurance washes over me. My heart rate begins to slow, ceasing the ever-increasing beats that had previously been pumping it.

Caleb wastes no more time in kneeling down and resting a hand on her biceps, running his thumb along her skin soothingly. Her eyes blink open slowly but surely. Once her brain comprehends his face in front of her, she marvels, "Caleb?" Then, rolling over and wincing at the pain in her neck, she squeaks, "Ow."

The mechanic gives a chuckle in spite of himself. His teeth gleam in the dim lighting as he grins for the first time in hours, visible relief evident in his composure. "I never thought I'd be so glad to hear you say that."

I find myself smiling as well, feeling like an immense weight has been lifted off of my shoulders now that we have our friend back. We've hurdled over another problem.

But, as always, another one follows close behind.

———

pls forgive me for that shit ending, I've spent 2-3 weeks on this episode alone and i really didn't want to finish it lmao

i still have 5 more eps to write until the finale, so they'll probably be longer in order to keep the amount of chapters relatively small! that explains why this one is well over 6,000 words (haaaaa), which makes it the longest of the series

i hope you enjoyed this rollercoaster ride that i spent absolute ages on (':

-kristyn