Atlantis

Chapter 114

"Aah!" Faye cried. Her skull felt like it was splitting in two. She tried as long as she could to keep her mind blank, but all she could feel was pain.

"Apologies, My Shepard, but the neural link won't engage with her fighting like this." The woman said. The pain backed off a little while she was distracted, but Faye was still fighting.

"Keep trying."

"Faye, tell us where the Flame is." The woman asked again. "Sir, she's dangerously close to hemorrhaging." The woman said.

"Sir, I don't think she knows." Bellamy turned away to look at Cadogan.

"She does..." Cadogan watched Faye. "Or she wouldn't be fighting." Even as he tried to look away, drown out the sound of her cries, Bellamy only saw Faye strapped to the machine and in pain. "Turn it off."

The woman dropped her hands and Faye could finally see clearly. She's never felt so relieved. All the physical pain she'd endured, but nothing left her mind more scared than whatever machine they used on her.

"I'm sorry, Bellamy. You did what you could. Send the first of her friends to Penance." The Shepard ordered.

"Wait. I'll take you to it but only once all my friends are safe." Faye said. She saw how Bellamy's shoulders fell.

"Done. Bellamy."

"It didn't have to be like this." Blood was soaking into her hair from where the needles poked her skin open, a result from struggle.

"Yes, it did."

- - -

Faye was brought to the Stone room where all her friends were held, bound.

"Why are they still restrained?" Faye demanded. "We had a deal."

"Faye, what is this? What deal?" Raven asked.

"He releases us, and she takes him to the Flame." Clarke answered. It's what she would've done.

"You'll forgive me if I have trust issues where you're concerned" Cadogan explained. "Remove the restraints one at a time." He told the guard. "Any violence will be met with lethal force."

"No one is getting violent. It's a good thing." Bellamy said, staring at his friends, all lined up like prisoners. To him they were criminals. "You're being released."

"Helmet on to protect your memory." A man said as he took off Miller's bonds.

"You good with this?" Miller looked at someone he thought was his friends. That friend was centuries away. Faye nodded as the Stone began to light up.

Once almost all her friends were released, Faye looked around. "What are you doing?" Raven and Gabriel were still bound.

"Ensuring you keep your part of the deal."

"He didn't send them to Sanctum." Raven said.

"Correct." Cadogan turned. "And thank you for demonstrating why I didn't send you with them."

"We know how the Stone works." Gabriel said.

"Also correct."

"Where are they?" Faye demanded. She didn't have a weapon currently in her hands, but she didn't need one. Fists would do.

"They're safe as I promised they would be. I said nothing about releasing them on Sanctum."

Faye turned to Bellamy, who had his head hung, something he'd been doing a lot recently. "You knew about this?"

"He doesn't know where they are. Only I do. I told you, Faye, I don't trust you. I do, however, trust the love you have for your friends, and once I have the Key and the Last War begins, they'll all be freed at which point each of you will be welcome to fight alongside us, and if you choose not to, well, we'll save you anyway. That is what we mean when we say, "for all mankind."

Cadogan began to open the bridge using the Stone. A guard came by and offered them all helmets.

Once the green light faded, they all removed their helmets to find themselves in the Sanctum throne room. Only, with a more edgy feeling.

A man with one eye, Russell, given a knew look, had an evil smirk when he saw Faye remove her helmet.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Oh, gee. Where to begin." Murphy said dryly.