"Heda needs me."

"If you don't help me, she'll need you a lot less."

"You overreach, Wanheda."

"You continue to underestimate me, Titus. What did you do to make the filaments retract?"

Titus stared at Clarke. All the anger he felt toward her for Lexa's death showed plainly on his face. Clarke kept hers impassive, unwilling to give him anything. When she was tired of waiting, Clarke left.

She went down to the second floor and found her mother examining one of the chips under the microscope.

"I wish it was more powerful," Abby said. "I can see something, but I'm not sure what it is."

Clarke looked. "It's the filaments it attaches with." She turned away from the microscope and toward her mother. "The one in Ontari's neck, the one Titus took from Lexa, when he removed it, there was a huge number of them. He did something to make them retract, but he won't tell me what."

"I've tried pressing on it, at different places with different amounts of pressure, but it doesn't make any difference."

"Maybe these are different because they're swallowed."

"Or maybe they're just different."

"Have you tried the shock stick on them yet?"

"No, that's the next thing I'm going to do."

Clarke removed the chip from the microscope and put it down on the wooden table. "Have at it."

Abby charged the baton and put its edge on the chip. She pressed the discharge button, then lifted the baton. The chip was no longer pink. It had a black burn mark across its length and was an odd brown color. As they watched, it slowly regained color, but the burn mark remained.

"Hit it again. Full power," Clarke directed.

Abby did. This time, the chip was completely dark. They watched it for a few minutes but there was no change.

"Do you have what we need to try to remove one?"

"Yes."

"I'll have the guards bring Sora up."

"I'm really not comfortable with this, Clarke."

"I don't see any other options. We don't know what the chips are doing to them. We don't know that they aren't sending information back to Allie. What we do know is that the chips make them different."

"I don't think we should do this."

Clarke looked at her mother. "What color were Dad's eyes?"

"What?"

"What color?"

"Blue."

"Where did you meet?"

"Clarke, what are you doing?"

"Just answer the question."

"He came into the Medbay when I was interning. He almost tore a finger off trying to fix something."

"OK. I'm going to have the guards bring Sora up."

"Wait a minute, Clarke. What was that about?"

"I had to be sure you didn't take a chip."

"Why would I do that? Why would you think that? Because I think we should be cautious?"

"We don't have time to be cautious. The sooner we can get the chips out of them, the sooner we can be sure that Allie doesn't know anything about us." Clarke walked to the door and opened it. She gave the guard instructions and closed the door.

"Clarke, I don't know why you're in such a hurry to do this."

"Mom, if I was in a hurry, we would have done this the day I told you what's happening."

"I don't like it."

"I don't care."

"What happens when we get the chips out?"

"Well, for starters, we get Raven back. I miss her. I miss all my friends, and she's here, but she isn't. Octavia probably won't ever speak to me again, Murphy's off with Roan. Miller and the rest don't really see me as a friend."

"How does Ontari see you?"

"What?"

"She watches you all the time. She looks at you like a lovesick kid."

"I can't do anything about that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Really, Mom? What difference does it make anyway?"

"You're spending a lot of time with her."

"I'm trying to keep all of us alive."

"Is that all?"

"That's all. Are we done with the interrogation?"

"You don't talk to me, Clarke. I hardly see you."

"Mom, I'm busy. I'm busy with Ontari and the Coalition. I'm busy with Azgeda's business. I'm busy with training. I will try to see you more often, but I can't promise anything."

The door opened, and Sora entered. He had a guard on either side, and they stood at the closed doors. Abby approached him first. "Good morning, Sora."

"Hi, Dr. Griffin."

"How do you feel?"

"Wonderful," he answered, smiling. "The City of Light is beautiful."

"Hey, Sora, will you sit in that chair, please," Clarke directed.

"Hello, Clarke, how are you?" he asked while walking toward it.

"I'm well, thanks." Clarke turned to the guards. "We need to tie him to the chair so he doesn't fall."

One of them nodded and left. While they waited, Abby checked his vital signs. When the guard came back, she tied Sora to the chair, fastening the rope around his chest.

"I wish we had more light," Abby said to Clarke. To Sora, she said, "I'm going to give you an injection to put you to sleep for a while."

"Why?"

"I need to check on something, and I can't do it while you're awake."

"Alright," he agreed.

Abby injected the sedative in his upper arm. Within a minute, his head dropped. Clarke picked up a scalpel from the surgical kit and offered it to her mother, who shook her head. Clarke felt along the vertebrae in Sora's neck, and made an incision the length of the chip. She made a second, short, perpendicular cut and pulled the skin aside.

Clarke put the scalpel down and picked up a shock stick. She put it on the lowest setting and carefully placed it on the chip. She pushed the button. Sora's body jerked and Clarke set the baton aside. She grabbed the chip, which was no longer its usual color, and tugged gently. It came loose, and a second tug freed it. She lifted it clear of Sora's neck.

Abby stared at the filaments. The longest was a foot long, and there were dozens of varying lengths. She took it from Clarke and set it on a tray. "I'll close the incision."

"Thanks." Clarke immediately went to the tray and looked at the chip. She looked around and saw a bottle of alcohol, picked it up and rinsed the chip. She returned it to the tray and watched.

While her mother sutured Sora's neck, the chip slowly regained its natural color. The filaments began to move, sluggishly at first, then with increasing speed. Clarke looked up for a second and told the guards, "I need a jar or bottle, preferably clear, with a cork or seal."

The same guard who fetched the rope left the room. She was gone longer this time. When she returned, both Clarke and Abby were watching the chip. The filaments moved frantically, seeking something to latch onto. The guards were both wearing gloves, and Clarke asked the one who had been their gofer to use a long pair of tweezers to pick up the chip and drop it into the bottle. She looked uncertain, but did as instructed. Clarke capped it as soon as the chip clinked off the bottom. She looked at the guard and smiled. "Mochof. Can you get me six more of these?"

"Sha, Wanheda."

"And both of you know not to say anything about this to anyone, correct?"

"Sha, Wanheda. Haihefa Roan made that clear."

"Good. Will you get the jars, please?"

"Sha," the guard nodded, and left again.

"You," Clarke pointed at the other guard and gestured for him to come to her. "We need to lay him down on that cot. On his side."

The guard nodded. With one hand, he untied the rope holding Sora upright and held him in place with the other. He carefully picked Sora up and moved him to the cot as instructed.

"Mochof," Abby said to him, and he nodded before returning to his place at the door.

Abby knelt beside the cot to check Sora's pulse and breathing. "He'll be out for a couple hours," she told Clarke.

"Maybe we don't need so much sedative?" Clarke asked.

"I'd rather make sure they're out so it doesn't hurt."

"OK. It just means we go slower."

"We aren't doing anything else until he wakes up and I'm sure he's well."

"What else do we need in here?"

"At least one more cot and a better light source. More alcohol."

"I'll get that stuff and be back soon."

Abby nodded. Clark carried the chair to her, and Abby sat without saying anything. Clarke left her there after a quick glance at Sora.