"From the ashes, we will rise." —Thelonious Jaha, "We Will Rise"
Abby's eyes were shut as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She was getting no where. Jaha wasn't going to magically decide to give up ALIE's control. She opened her eyes and found Jaha staring at her, a small smile on his face.
"Abby, you already know what's going to happen," he said quietly. "You're going to let me go because there's nothing wrong with me."
"Like hell there isn't," she retorted, standing and pacing the floor. She wracked her brains for any ideas. She looked at the x-ray on the lighted chart board on the wall. She could see the chip firmly in place at the base of Calder Meson's skull. He had come in complaining of pain and had no recollection of taking the chip in the first place. Abby knew that he had lost his wife in the fall and understood why he had taken it.
The chip had to be disconnected, Abby knew that. But the question was how…
Her brain clicked and she grabbed her radio, telling Helm to watch Jaha while she was gone. She headed right for Engineering and found Sinclair and Monty working on the City of Light issue. He turned away from his computer when she entered and asked, "Why do you look so happy?"
"Because Raven and you are going to help me heal Thelonious and the others," she said, holding up her radio. She pressed the button and said, "Raven, are you there?"
A few moments later, Raven's voice cracked through the radio, "Yeah, Doc. What's up?"
"Did you ever figure out a way to disconnect the chip from the spine without crippling the patient?" Abby asked, fingers fidgeting on radio.
"Only a developing theory," she hesitated. "But it may cause brain damage, I haven't figured out the kinks yet."
Sinclair grabbed the radio from Abby, he said, "This isn't the one we discussed, is it?"
"Yeah."
"That'll never work," Sinclair said.
"What is it?" Abby asked.
"She wants to shock the chip with an electromagnet pulse. I told her it's crazy," Sinclair said, shaking his head. "It can't be done. They'll be brain dead."
"We have to try something," Abby said, frowning. "Maybe not that, but something."
"Hey, you have to hit the button for me to hear anything," Raven interjected. "What's going on?"
"We're discussing what to do," Abby said, pressing the button this time. "We're not doing the EMP, it's too risky."
"We'll have to dismantle the City of Light from within," Sinclair said, reaching for the radio. "Raven, how soon can you get back here?"
"I have to wait for this battle to finish. If they need me, I have to stay. If not, I'll come back."
Abby was conflicted — she wanted the battle to succeed and for the armies to take Mount Weather, but she also wanted this City of Light problem taken care of as quickly as possible.
Abby returned to Medical, leaving Sinclair with the radio to talk out the details with Raven. She found Helm on the ground, knocked out.
Thelonious was gone.
Abby woke to the sound of a pounding on her door. Groggily, she pulled on her robe and opened the bedroom door, assuming Thelonious had been caught. Clarke was standing there, covered in blood. Abby knew whose blood that was. After a few heart pounding moments, she was able to ask, "Is he…?"
"He's alive, but he needs you," Clarke said in a rush, tugging on her mom's hand. She yanked her out of the room as Benja's door flew open. He yelled, "Chit's gon daun? | What's going on?"
They didn't have time to answer and the door slid shut behind them. Clarke and Abby ran down the hallway and out of Gedanes. They went into Alpha Station and sprinted down the corridor until they reached Medical. The door burst open and Abby's eyes fell on him.
Murphy, pressing gauze to Marcus' side, looked up as Abby and Clarke ran over to him and Kane. Kane was pale — paler than he should be. Abby's heart sank as she looked at him: his skin around the stab wound was bruised; the wound itself was bright red; he had internal bleeding and an infection, she was sure. Abby grabbed the medicine she needed and stood next to the operating table, changing into an operating gown and tossing aside her robe.
"What do you need me to do?" Murphy asked, his pressure on the wound unyielding.
"Tell us, Mom," Clarke said, pushing up her sleeves.
Abby's brain clicked into gear and she said, "Hook up those dual IV bags. He'll need the pain medication." Murphy did that as Abby held out her steady hand and said to Clarke, "Scalpel."
Abby slept at his bedside that night, waking up periodically to check his vitals. He was holding steady and wasn't succumbing to the infection. She had high hopes for his recovery — but, she would have those even if his vitals were tanking. Marcus was a fighter and there was no way that he would leave her alone in this world.
There wasn't any sign of life until ten in the morning; Benja was sitting next to Marcus' bed when he heard the quiet voice next to him. He shouted for Abby who was dozing off in the chair in her office. She woke with a start and ran onto the ward, spotting Marcus who was sitting up and smiling.
"I'm sorry," was the first thing he said. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. Her tears wet his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her. She tried not to hold him too tightly because of the wound, but she couldn't stop herself.
She heard him whisper, "Are you okay?"
She shook her head against him and replied, "I thought I was going to lose you."
"I'm sorry if I worried you, ai niron," he said, kissing her forehead. She pulled away, giving Benja the opening to grab his hand and hold it tight. Kane smiled at him and said, "Ha yu? | How are you?"
"Ai ste os | I'm okay," Benja replied. "Yu gon nou feva. | You weren't gone very long."
"I know," Kane said, smiling weakly. Abby brushed some hair out of his face and he caught her hand. He said quietly, "Maybe I shouldn't fight anymore."
No statement could have made Abby happier.
A week later, two good things had happened. Marcus was out of the hospital and had assumed his role as Chancellor again and the Guards had finally found Thelonious. He working in an abandoned part of Alpha Station, uploading ALIE to the mainframe. He was now in Lockup, awaiting his sentence from Marcus and the Council. The only problem was that they didn't have a crime to pin him to. They spent many emergency Council meetings trying to figure it out. They finally settled on "conspiracy."
Kane walked along the corridor to Lockup, passing some paintings they had procured from Mount Weather. He liked these ones — they offered the notion of hope and happiness. He found it ironic that these led to the place criminals were.
Jaha wasn't the only person in the cell. William Lacroix sat in the corner, reading a book — he didn't pay Jaha any mind. He didn't even look at Kane when he stepped up to the bars. Kane figured he was still mad about the Council decision to leave him in the cell for at least a year after the battle. They would re-evaluate him then.
Jaha, however, walked right over to him and asked, "Have you made your decision?"
"We've charged you with conspiracy," Kane said, gaging Jaha's reaction. He didn't get one.
"These bars cannot hold me forever," he replied. "They're electronic, I have a friend in the system."
"Yeah, the red lady who speaks to you," Kane said slowly. He still didn't understand the whole City of Light nonsense.
"She can speak to you too, Marcus," Thelonious said in nothing more than a whisper. "She can speak to everyone."
"I'd rather speak to something I can see." Sensing that Thelonious was about to tell him that he would be able to see ALIE if he took the chip, Marcus held up his hand to silence him in advance. "You'll remain in this cell until we deem it's safe to let you out."
"And how long will that be?"
"Only time will tell, old friend."