It doesn't end here !

Chapter XXIV

Everything around me was spinning. Like in a swirl. But it didn't feel overwhelming. Not at all. Suddenly everything turned red. Allie. I really couldn't stand her. I mean, she was an artificial intelligence, and in that war, she was our enemy.
I couldn't see her anywhere but I felt that she was there and the thought caused fear in me. And then I knew the portal spit me out and I had ground under my feet again.                                                  I looked around. It was a cold, uncomfortable place. Rain fell from the grey sky. There were other people but they didn't seem alive but much more like puppets. It was a place I would have liked to leave immediately after I had put my first foot on the ground.
Already Clarke, Lexa & Niylah showed up next to me. Followed by the others. My sister knew where we were right away. Our abode was the City of Light. Lexa immediately started looking out for candles. " I don't understand why is it called the City of Light when there are no candles to be seen far and wide " I had to smile. She always managed to brighten up a serious situation. Miller started laughing too. "Oh, Lexa, sometimes I think you should be the Commander of Light here and not me."                                                                                                                                      Unfortunately, this good mood did not last for long. Behind Indra, Allie suddenly appeared. "Well, finally. People are really unreliable. Why did we have to wait so long for you? It's pretty disrespectful, and besides... " That's all Allie got to tell. Clarke interrupted her. "Allie shut up. We don't care.  And we are Not disrespectful. You can't blame us that you did not brought us to the City of Light earlier."

My sister's confidence was really impressive. The way she stood in front of Allie like she was not in a danger was admirable. Suddenly, I heard people screaming. The war had begun. Hundreds if not thousands of puppets rushed towards us. I grabbed my gun. Just in case.                                        Then Niylah shouted at me. "Tara, come to me. You'll be safe here for now.  Allie's asking for you. " I began to shake, but I kept running. As soon as I got to Niylah, I put the gun back, grateful I didn't have to use it. Not yet.
I heard gunshots and people screaming. I'd love to hide. War was so terrible and cruel. I was standing with Niylah near a giant skyscraper. Suddenly I heard Emori screaming behind me, " Watch out Tara." And then Niylah stepped in and shoved her sword into the chest of the person behind me who was about to attack me. I screamed. Before I could think any more, Lexa grabbed my hand and pulled me away. I wiped away my tears and followed her silently. We ran as fast as we could. There were people all around us but only one thing that caught my eye, there were Grounders fighting and Sky people.  It was like a nightmare. I wanted to leave, but I knew I couldn't. I was afraid for all the people I loved who were fighting for peace.

After a few minutes we arrived at a skyscraper. I hugged Lexa again just out of fear, it might be the last time and then opened the heavy metal door that led us into the interior of the house.
Inside everything was brightly lit but far and wide was no one to be seen. I wasn't so sure if it was a good sign or more of a warning. But already I heard shoe heels clattering on the floor, coming closer. Lexa and I looked at each other, and we didn't need words to communicate. We both thought about Allie, and then she came. With her long black hair, the red dress and the hideous heels. I hated her so much. " Allie, what's the point of this war here'', Lexa asked. Instead of answering, however, she ran to me and took my hand. Lexa pulled out her sword ready to defend me but Allie let go of my hand and ran a few steps towards her. '' Heda, why are you so aggressive?  I didn't hurt you, and I'm not gonna hurt Tara. She just needs to talk to me, that's all. She can still save the human race. No one else has that chance. Abby would want that too. "                                                                                                                                                                                                         Now she has definitely gone too far. I lost all the fears I had about Allie and interrupted her. " Allie, I'm coming with you, but let Abby out of this! She never hurt you. Promise me Lexa will leave this tower safely, then I will go with you "  I was amazed by myself. Suddenly, I had my self-confidence completely back. What happened here? Lexa interrupted my thoughts. " No, Tara, I can't let you do that. I don't trust Allie. What if this is just a trick ? "  Allie cut her off.                        '' Oh Heda, I may be your enemy, but I'm definitely not playing any unfair game. I'm not gonna hurt Tara, I swear, and you're gonna be able to leave this building without being threatened. I promise, and now go. " Lexa wanted to protest, but I stopped her. I don't know if that was smart or not but it was the only way to save mankind and now it was time to do what I should have done before. I bear it so they don't have to.

With these thoughts in my mind, I said goodbye to Lexa and followed Allie into the building. She was a creepy appearance, but I wasn't afraid of her. Self-confident as never before, I stepped through the corridors. With my commander's robe, the leather boots and my fluttering hair. I felt strong. Allie walked in front of me. She made no attempt to observe me. She knew I'd follow her.
We walked past countless doors and windows. Just as I had given up hope of ever getting anywhere, Allie stopped, pulled a key out of her bag and opened the heavy iron door. By her key ring, I recognized something I knew too well.  The infinity sign. Gently, I pulled up my left sleeve a little bit to make sure it was still there. I stroked over my skin and felt the still-healing wound of the tattoo. With a sigh of relief I took a breath and gently brushed the fabric back down and followed Allie into the room.
Compared to the skyscraper, everything seemed warm and welcoming and except for Alli's clothes, luckily, nothing here was red. That made everything a lot easier. I was on alert the whole time. Just in case it was Allie's trick. I wasn't trusting her. After all, it was an artificial intelligence whose aim was it to wipe out the human race. But instead of trying anything, she sat down on one of the chairs in the middle of the room at the table and suggested me to keep her company. At first, I hesitated but then I sat next to her. She smiled and offered me a drink. I gratefully declined.
What just happened here, why was she so nice to me? From time to time I heard gunshots outside and winced slightly. Outside, my family and friends were struggling to survive. While I was sitting in here with Allie who is probably going to offer me coffee and cake. The whole situation seemed wrong to me.  What the hell is this?
Suddenly Allie turned to me and started talking. " Sonheda, this is a big deal. I'm just a tiny part of the whole thing. While you're playing a big part. You may not believe it, but I'm not your enemy here. You'll be safe for a while. I'll make sure you don't get hurt. Believe me, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have killed you long ago when I had the chance. I want to help you. I realized my mistakes. The nuclear apocalypse was the wrong solution to the problem. I should never have locked Becca.                                                                                                                                              Unfortunately, we don't have much time. I wish I could help you, but I can't. You have to do this all by yourself. Don't forget to decide with your heart and not with weapons. I believe in you. You're probably very insecure, but I know you can do that. You are Sonheda, Tara kom Trikru, heir to Becca Pramheda, the inventor of the Flame and the first commander, and successor to all the commanders before you. Becca knew that. There is a reason why you are called Sonheda like the first commander after her. Legends say that she was strong and brave. The grounders knew that you are similar to her. Because in the end Sonheda always used her heart. ''                      Now I was completely confused. What was happening here? Allie couldn't really be serious about it. After all, she was still an AI and had always pursued the goal of destroying humanity. Why should she suddenly help me? I remained on alert, my hand close to the gun, just in case.
Allie noticed that. ''Oh Tara, do you trust me so little? I promised you, I'm not the enemy. I want to help you. I want to make up for my mistakes with this. Becca deserves to be saved by you. She's a good person and we both will always be with you. The infinity sign is going to protect you. But now it's time to leave. May our ways cross again. Please tell Becca that I never wanted to kill her.''                                                                                                                                                                                 I was still skeptical but eventually I believed Allie and was grateful for her presence. She smiled at me again and then walked further away from the centre of the room.