Red Lighter ✧ John Murphy

XLVII - What I Do Best

So I've come up with an idea for the story AND I'M ACTUALLY EXCITED TO WRITE IT

YAYYYYYYY NO MORE WRITER'S BLOCK

But knowing me it's gonna be back in two hours so damn it I HATE EVERYTHING

Except you guys you're cool

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Chapter Fourty-Seven

Being under ALIE's power was... Odd, to say the least.

I would see things that normally bothered me, like people getting beaten or tortured in the streets of Polis in order to convince them to take the key, and I would not feel the least bit bothered by it. Blood covered the streets, but no one seemed to care. In reality, those who had taken the key were numb. We were unfeeling creatures that had forgotten all the pain in our lives, and in turn, forgotten all of the best things that had happened to us.

I could feel something in the back of my mind telling me that ALIE's ways were wrong, and that someone was waiting for me. It bothered me, and after a little while, ALIE helped to remove it. I thanked her for it. I was completely at peace. Well, I would be, once we accomplished ALIE's goals.

Nearly everyone in Arkadia had taken the key. So, we left, and went to Polis. There, we were able to take control of the minds of many, many more grounders. ALIE had her own army, and I was apart of it. Not of my own free will, of course, but now that I had seen what she could do for us, who could ask for anything better?

Jaha and ALIE had apparently taken a liking to me, as they now insisted that I stay with Ontari in Polis. Since I was to be near her at all times, I was with her and Jaha when they greeted Pike and Kane at the doors.

Jaha and Ontari walked out ahead of me, and we were followed by another guard. Jaha went to Jackson and laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"It's alright, Jackson."

"Venus?" I heard someone say, and looked to see Kane staring at me with a confused look in his eyes. He seemed surprised that I was with them.

Ontari spoke to the guard leading Pike along. The guard turned and unlocked the chains from Pike's wrists, then looked back to his Commander. He followed her next orders and took the key, closing his eyes for a moment before it finally activated. ALIE smiled at Jaha.

"This..." Kane whispered, taking a step towards Jaha. "What is this?"

I moved closer to Jaha as well. It was my job to keep them safe, even though their minds would live on in the City of Light long after they died. ALIE was using Jaha and Ontari as her proxies, after all. They were the ones that would represent her to the people who hadn't yet taken the key. They were the ones that would force them to do so.

"This is the chip," Pike said from beside us. "I thought you were crazy. Now I know you are."

"This is unity," Jaha smiled, looking back to Kane. "Like you always wanted."

Pike suddenly reached out and grabbed Ontari, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and holding her tight against his chest while pressing the blade of a knife to her neck.

"Everyone back away, or the commander dies!"

He was rather naive. He didn't seem to understand exactly what he had just walked into. So, I showed him.

I went at him so quickly and unexpectedly that he didn't even have time to shout in protest or to press the knife deeper into Ontari's neck. I kicked at his right knee, and he cried out in pain. His grip was lacking, and he let go of Ontari. She moved away, not seeming to care enough to rush, and I punched Pike across the face when he looked at me again.

Two guards dressed in Arkadia uniforms showed up and grabbed Pike, much to his dismay.

"Reese, we're farm station!" he said to one of the guards, not that they cared. Instead, they yanked Pike closer to Jaha.

"There are no stations here. Just the City of Light," Jaha said, holding the key out to him. "Join us, Charles. Please. There's no more need for fighting."

"We both know there's no way in hell I'm takin' that thing."

Jaha closed his fist, backing away. "Sorry it has to be this way."

With that, the guards threw a bag over Pike's head, and dragged him away. Then, Jaha turned to look at Kane.

"How about you, Marcus?" he asked.

"We need him," ALIE said from beside the two of us.

Kane took the key in his hand, looking down at it before throwing it off to the side and at the feet of more of the guards. ALIE and Jaha both seemed almost unaffected, but at the same time, there was a look of displeasure lingering in their eyes.

"That was a mistake," Jaha said, looking from the discarded key to look back at Kane.

"I don't think so."

"You will."

Two more guards threw yet another bag over Kane's head, and dragged him away.

Abby Griffin came up to us, a mischievous smile forming on her face. "Don't put Kane with the others. Leave him to me."

She walked by us and went after Kane, while Jaha and I both grinned at ALIE.

"She can be persuasive," Jaha said.

"Indeed she can," I agreed.

ALIE grinned.

Something was still in the back of my mind, and I was finding it rather annoying now. It just kept coming back, and ALIE didn't seem to know. I wondered if I should tell her. It was as if something was yelling at me, but their voice was muffled, like they were screaming from underwater.

I thought about this for hours, trying to push back whatever was trying to invade my thoughts, but then Jaha spoke to me.

"He has refused," Jaha said. "Now, we treat him the same way as the others."

I raised an eyebrow. "The cross."

He nodded.

"It is now time for you to do what you what you do best, Venus Bartone."