Chapter 121 - A dangerous procedure

A quick look down made me realize that A.L.I.E would do anything to get the flame from us, even if that means sacrificing tens maybe even hundreds of people, after all, if she gets the flame then it's game over for us. Coming back to the throne room we picked as much oil as we could carry before bringing it to all rooms where a window or a breached wall was present, oiling the walls down the tower, hoping that it would stop A.L.I.E long enough for Clarke and Abby to do what they are supposed to do. While we might not have the numbers to fight off A.L.I.E in a battle of attrition we had some advantages thanks to A.L.I.E herself, however, that didn't mean that the throne room was a safe zone. Because of that, I, together with Sergey and Bellamy decided to check all of the rooms, surveying the work of all of our people, us included, finding almost all of the rooms A.L.I.E's proofed, save for one: Lexa's room, or better known now as Ontari's room.

Just as we were about to walk inside that room, Miller and a wounded Bryan walked out of another room, before stopping in front of us, looking slightly tired, especially Miller, who had to carry his boyfriend alongside the oil.

"We had enough lamp oil for every room except that one. So I think we might have to transform the commander's room into a trap hell if we want to slow down A.L.I.E's minions."

"That's good enough I guess. We can always make Ontari's room into a trap for A.L.I.E's minions, however, that won't stop her for a long time. By the way, what happened to you, Bryan?"

"When we tried to make our way up the ladder, A.L.I.E's people ambushed us. Bryan took a bullet to the leg."

"You should have that leg bandaged before it gets too bad, and while Abby and Clarke might not have time to fix you up just yet, we can at least slow the bleeding until then. I just hope you are as tough as your boyfriend."

Bryan showed me a pained smile before he and Miller nodded at me. Since we were getting ready for an assault, I'd rather have all available hands at the ready and for that to happen, Bryan's wound needs to be taken care of, albeit by me since our medics are kind of busy.

Leaving Bellamy and Sergey in the commander's room, I helped Bryan to the throne. The three of us passed Clarke, who was sitting on the throne, getting hooked up to Ontari by Abby. Clarke saw us and tried to smile at us, but everyone could see that she was scared of what might happen to her. Nevertheless, she still steeled herself, getting ready for a suicidal attempt at stopping the worst thing humanity had made. As I was taking care of Bryan's leg, Pike walked inside the throne room, looking a little bit tired, yet satisfied, most likely for doing his job.

"I've greased the balcony. No one is getting in through there, at least not without a helicopter."

"Good job, Chancellor. Sadly, we didn't have enough oil to grease every single room. The commander's room is the only one that doesn't have any oil grease on the windows and balcony. If I were to be A.L.I.E, that's the place where I'll put all of my attention."

"You are right Leon. That's where the fight would start and that's the place we will have to fortify and prepare. "

"I already had Bellamy and Sergey put some traps, albeit their effectiveness would be next to zero against A.L.I.E, however, it would give us a few seconds to push them back."

After Pike left the room, presumably going to the commander's room to help Bellamy and Sergey, Bryan and Miller asked for my opinion.

"What about us, Leon, where do you think we should go? Considering, Bryan's injury."

"As much as I would like to say that Bryan doesn't need to force himself, the truth is that we need everyone available if we want to face A.L.I.E and even win against her minions. I think that having everyone in that room would be for the best, however, I'd want you two to stay as far behind as possible."

"Why?"

"Just in case we have to retreat from that room, and let's be honest, Bryan being injured won't make him the fastest guy we have, so I think it's for the best if you two stay in the back and retreat as soon as the situation becomes bad for us. In the end, all of us would make a last stand in the throne room if need be."

"Works for me, I mean there's no point arguing about the truth."

"Just try not to put that much [pressure on that leg, at least not until it's healed a little bit, others you would risk getting that wound infected."

"I'll try to keep him in check."

"You do that, Miller, and be careful you two. A.L.I.E might be an A.I., but that doesn't mean that she won't sacrifice tens of people just to make another entrance for her minions."

As soon as the duo left the room, I was alone with the mother and daughter duo as well as Murphy, who stood behind, holding Ontari's body in his arms. Thankfully Abby was done doing whatever she was doing and Clarke… was uncomfortably sitting on the throne waiting for the show to begin. She notice me looking at her and just like earlier she smiled, this time though looking even more scared than before.

"We have done everything we could to prevent A.L.I.E from attacking us. I'll join the rest of our people shortly, I hope you know what you are doing, princess. It would be a pity to lose a friend here."

"Don't worry, Leon, I'm ready to do this."

"C'mon princess, you don't look ready at all, but I have to say, you are willing to risk it."

"Someone needs to join you, otherwise you would have done all the dirty work for us."

I smiled at her remark after all she was right, my hero complex of being sure that everyone was safe would have pushed me to do that, especially when I knew I would have probably survived, before turning towards her mother. In all honesty, Abby looked even worse than her daughter did and who could blame her. After all her daughter was going blindly into god knows what kind of virtual world hoping that it would stop A.L.I.E from destroying the human race from the face of this planet. Once she was sure that everything was ready, Abby briefly glanced at me, before turning her attention to her daughter.

"Are sure about this, Clarke?"

"Yeah, mom. I'm ready."

Hearing her daughter's words, Abby flips the switch on the tube connected to Clarke's arm, and soon Clarke's blood flow through the tube into Ontari. As soon as Clarke's blood went into Ontari, Abby quickly walked over and did the same to the switch on Ontari's tube, releasing her blood into Clarke. As the dark Nightblood, blood went in her body, Clarke tense, fearing that something might happen to her just before the most dangerous part of this thing.

Just in time for him to see the blood going into Clarke, Bellamy walked inside the throne room seemly in a hurry only to see Clarke getting the "sacred" blood of the grounders. Seeing the uneasiness and fear in her eyes, he decided to joke about his time in Mount Weather hoping that it would ease Clarke's mind, even if for a second.

"Try doing that hanging upside down. "

She smiles a little at his joke, before turning to her mother who was standing nearby just in case, looking just as anxious as her daughter does.

"This will work, mom, don't worry."

"And if it doesn't, Clarke? What then?"

Clarke was about to answer, when Murphy walked over, speaking faster than her.

"If it doesn't work then she dies. If she doesn't try, then she dies with the rest of us when the climbers get here. There aren't any other alternatives, anyways. Once A.L.I.E gets to you, there's no escape."

Murphy was about to grab the flame from Clarke when Abby stopped him, not knowing what he was going to do with that chip.

"If we're gonna do this, I'm going to need the Flame."

"Mom, please. He knows what he's doing. You have to let me go."

"Lean forward."

She does as Murphy instructed her, but everyone could see her hand anxiously reaching out for her mother as she took it as soon as she saw it, giving her daughter a reassuring squeeze.

"You ready?"

"Do it."

Murphy lifts the Flame and mutters, "Ascende superius."

I think this might just be the first time Bellamy and I watched one of those chips entering the body of our friends and to be honest, it was somewhat horrifying. When the flame become active it grew a bunch of tiny tendrils before it dug into Clarke's neck, burying itself in her, before making Clarke unconscious, not before she let out a cry of pain. As always, Abby was the first one to react and turned toward Murphy almost as if he was the one who provoke pain in her daughter.

"Is-is she okay?"

Before he could answer her, Abby checked Clarke's pulse, and almost as she saw how fast it was, she grabbed Murphy's hand shaking him. "Her heart's racing. Get that thing out of her head! "

Seeing that none of us was going to interfere, she once again shouted. "I said, get that thing out of my daughter's head!"

Murphy straightens up, walking behind Clarke again, and as he reaches for her, she wakes up as if nothing happened at all. "No, no, not yet."

"Are you in any pain?"

"No, I'm okay, I know how to stop A.L.I.E. I have to take the chip."

All of us look at her in confusion, not understating why would she need the chip in the first place. "Why?"

"I have to go into the City of Light and find the kill switch. It's the only way we can stop A.L.I.E."

"Clarke, listen to me, A.L.I.E wants the Flame. If you take the chip, you're giving it to her. The second someone sees you, A.L.I.E is going to know you're there, and she'll kill you. If your mind dies, you die."

"The Flame will protect me. I don't know how I know…I just know."

I walked beside her, just in time to stop Abby from shouting again, earning me a hateful glance from the woman as her daughter was looking at me as if she was pleading.

"Clarke, are you sure that this is the only way?"

"Yes."

"Then do let our sacrifices be in vain."

There was no point arguing with her because she had made up her mind a long time ago. The least we could do now was to keep A.L.I.E from getting to her, even if that means risking our lives.

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