Ascende Superius | Book 3

12 | Demons

Maybe, there are no good guys.

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     Bellamy takes over on the driving, guiding us through the ever stormy, thunderous night. In the very same moment the sun breaks the horizon, Raven is up and geeking over Becca's journal to us, flipping through the many pages.

     Listening with semi-interest, my eyes are closed as my head rests on Jasper's shoulder. My neck aches from having slept the same way, but there's not much I can do about it at this point, besides maybe pop my bones and hope for the best.

     "Becca's journal is amazing! At twenty-six, she found a pathway to access the human mind. That same year, she had to lock up ALIE because her answer for what was wrong with the world was "too many people". She was twenty-seven when it launched the bombs."

     I can hear Clarke shift in the casing of the passenger seat before speaking. "What did she write about the flame?"

     "ALIE 2.0," Raven begins, giving the long answer to our companion's inquiry. "She saw it as a way to atone for her sins. She designed it to not just access a human mind, but to merge with one.

     "It could never wipe us out because it would be one of us. She would put it in herself first; altered her genes so her body wouldn't reject the implant," Raven finishes dramatically.

     "Bekka Pramheda," the blonde in the front breathes, and I blink my eyes open, shifting to rest my chin on Jasper's shoulder and watch the girl start to connect all the dots. "The first commander. The gene therapy made her blood black, didn't it?"

     "Yeah," Raven nods, flipping her way through the pages once more.

     "How did you know that?" Octavia pipes up, aiming the question to Clarke, though I'm the one to speak up in her place.

     "The Natblidas in Polis," I murmur, and Clarke nods at my words. My sister looks at me now, still confused. I swallow, then start, "When we stayed in Polis, those in training for being the next commander were referred to as Natblidas. Nightbloods. They must be carriers of Becca's altered genes."

     "Luna has it," Clarke murmurs, "That's why we have to find her. If she can access ALIE two-"

     "She can tell us how to stop ALIE one," Octavia interrupts, confirming the suspicions for the rest of us. I sigh, and chew at my chapped bottom lip. I really do want to join Floukru. Hell, even just the idea of having such a peaceful place... if only I could join them.

     Sinclair is the next to speak. He looks between each of us; Me, Clarke, and Raven, for the most part. "Bekka Pramheda gets her second shot at atonement."

     "Get back to the mind pathway," Monty orders, not wasting a second. He turns the flame module in his delicate, long, thin fingers, then shifts to watch Raven. His voice is anything if not desperate. "If ALIE uses it to upload our minds to the City of Light, then there's a chance my mom is still alive."

     Our mechanic friend hesitates before tilting her head, "That depends on your definition of 'alive'." Silence fills the rover, and she returns to thumbing through the old pages, as she seems to not have anymore to say on that subject. Bellamy's deep voice breaks the quiet.

     "Eyes sharp. Weapons hot. We're almost home." He grabs the radio, and cold dread drips over me. I remember this part now. "Miller, come in." No response. "Harper, you there? Your ride is two minutes out."

     Jasper exhales. "Good start," he mutters sarcastically, and I huff out an uneasy laugh. We stop by the cave entrance, only to find the place empty. We change our destination, this time to Arkadia. This, too, is disturbing.