Episode Seven, Part 2

ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏɢ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ 

Ares drummed his fingers nervously against the wood of the table, the sound filling the space as the group waited for everyone to sit down. 

"Could you stop that?" Noah snapped. 

Ares rolled his eyes, unappreciative of his snarky tone, but dismissing it simply because of the sheer exhaustion everyone felt. No one could control their emotions, their anger, the way they lashed out at each other. 

Kodiak finally arrived back from where he had been with Sol, sitting down beside Bianca. 

"We need to figure out when we can get her back to Basilisk." Bianca announced. "How did she seem? Can we leave in the morning?" The questions firing the moment he exhaled. 

"I'm not going to rush her." Kodiak answered. "We don't even know what happened out there. The last thing I'm going to do is force her to face whatever's waiting at Basilisk." 

"Her people." Bianca said. "Her people are what's waiting at Basilisk. The same people that are going to be slaughtered because of the enemy you brought here." She nodded over at Noah, implying the last words bitterly in his direction. 

Noah stood up at this point, chair screeching across the cement floors at his movement. He glared at Bianca, wanting to lunge in her direction. Ares stood up as well, blocking his path to her and staring him down until Noah's rage passed. 

"I'm not her enemy. Okay? Did you miss the part where I just saved her life? Or how about when I walked through the DeadLands for who knows how long to save her, and your brother?" He began pointing fingers, his anger now beginning to spill out on Ares and Quill as well. 

"Chill out." Ares spat, his hands up in surrender. He didn't know why he was taking it out on him. 

"Everyone just shut up for a minute." Kodiak raised his voice a little. "Noah has a point, alright? He wouldn't do all this just to let his people march war on River's." 

"But they are marching." Bianca insisted, firing back just as quickly. "As far as Eryx and everyone else is aware, they are coming, and they are planning on taking us out. This is why we need Riverly there as soon as possible so she can deal with it. She knows what to do. All Eryx cares about is the power. The ceaseless rivalry between us and Riders. Don't even get me started on that Atlantis chick, Kodiak, because that's about the worst option we have right now. She's not even Basilisk." 

Kodiak leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, his head dropped in his hands. Truthfully, he hadn't thought past Sol returning. He hadn't imagined everything else that he had to worry about - he just thought everything would resolve if she came back, that the weight would finally be gone.   

"Noah..." He sighed. "Is there anything you can do to stop your people from attacking?" It seemed like an impossible question. A question he shouldn't even have asked - begging the enemy not to attack because they were down... But the more Kodiak paid attention, the more he tried to steer his mind away from everything Eryx had instilled in them, he began to realize that was telling the truth. Maybe he wasn't their enemy after all, that it was just the rest of Riders they had to worry about, but that they could trust Noah to help. The only motive he could have possibly had was Sol, and that was enough for Kodiak to believe it was true. 

"Please." He murmured on at the end, a genuine tenderness lingering in his voice. 

Noah seemed a little stumped. As if he hadn't predicted Kodiak to still want him around once Sol was back, but he nodded in response, answering as if he had already planned it out what he was going to do. 

"My dad wouldn't send Riders to war without me around, so your people are safe for now. But I do have to return to mine. They'd have sent nightraiders out to search for me by now, and it probably won't be long before they find this place, or catch one of you on your way back." He explained. 

"I'll try and hold it off as long as I can, but I know my dad, as River knows her's, and I can't put it off forever... She needs to get back there, and you guys need to get your radios back on so we can stay in contact." 

Kodiak nodded, glancing around at everyone as they accepted what Noah was saying. He had already began to wander down the hallway to a set of rooms before anyone could make any additions, but almost immediately, their attention was pulled the other way. 

Kodiak stood up when he saw her, rushing over to where she stood - leaning herself against the frame of the wall. 

"River!? You shouldn't be up." His voice uttered in concern. "Go lie down." 

Sol was appreciative of his worry, but was done with the vulnerability that she felt smothered in. How could she be brave if there wasn't something in her way that completely terrified her? 

"I heard what you were talking about." She said, holding onto Kodiak's arm as he led her to the dinning chairs. She looked around for Noah, certain that she had heard his voice, a little defeated when she couldn't find him. 

"I need to go back home." 

"Riv... If you need time-" 

"I do." She cut him off, nodding courageously, "but I don't have any... I have our people and they are gonna be killed if I'm not there to protect them. I have to go back." 

Bianca sighed, half relieved, half exhausted of the constant back-and-forth. She did have much confidence in what she would answer. "When do you want to leave?" 

"After Wynn is awake." 

She glanced back and forth between Quill and Ares, as if judging their expression to see how hopeful they were about that happening any time soon. 

"We'll let you know." Quinn smiled softly. Talking about him was easier now that he knew he was just a room away. 

Sol exhaled, collapsing further into her chair, still worn out from everything that had happened. Kodiak leaned over, rubbing her back soothingly to make sure she was okay, never believing he could do enough to make it up to her. 

"Who else is here?" Sol asked. "Dreea? Joren?" 

"No." Kodiak shook his head. "Just, uh... Just Noah." 

He was observant of her reaction, cautious, unsure how she would react to news of a Rider being in the Bunker. But she seemed at ease - as if knowing he was there was some sort of relief. 

"Where is he?" 

"He went down there." Bianca answered, pointing towards a doorway in the opposite direction she had come from. 

As Sol moved to follow Noah's course, Kodiak latched onto her wrist, holding her back. 

"What are you doing?" He asked. 

"I want to see him. I want to- ... I want to see him." 

She stumbled on her words, suddenly flustered, but still, she pulled her hand free of Kodiak's, forcing herself to her tired feet to follow after Noah. 

There were a series of doors -- all closed - that she walked past, and a light on, humming at the end of the hall. The closer she drifted, the clearer the sounds seemed to become; winces, tears, and grunts. 

When Sol finally reached the end of the hallway, a flicker of terror beat through her. 

"Noah!" Her voice was raspy, but emotion broke through, turning the boy around to face her. 

Noah hesitated, debating his actions before surrendering the knife back into his pocket. Before he could justify himself, Sol was by his side, taking his arm in her hold. 

"What the hell are you doing to yourself?" She pulled the wrap of material off from around her own wounds, hurrying to tie them around his. 

He was reluctant for her to help, more than anything, unsure how to accept it even when he wanted it the most. Sol tightened the bandage around Noah's wrist, stopping most of the blood from spilling; she looked up at him, and after everything she had been through, tried to imagine why he would ever want to put himself through this, too. 

 "Tell me, Noah." 

"I can't return to Riders unharmed." 

Sol's expression begged for answers, still needing a reason from him to inflict pain onto himself. 

"Rogue sent me out with Jonas and Lyra to deliver a message to your people," he began, "to tell you that we were here for war." 

Sol nodded, understanding where he was going.  

"I've been gone for days trying to find you. I ran into Kodiak and the others when your message came through on the radio. I know Riders would have heard it, which is why they would have attacked if I went back. Without their Sovereign, they're as weak as they'll ever be." 

"So that's why you helped them find me?" 

"One of the reasons." Noah murmured. The intimacy of the confession felt foreign, the weight of it something he wasn't used to feeling. "Sooner or later my dad's gonna know you're back home. If I don't return looking like I've been through hell - like I've been hostage to Basilisk for your disappearance - he's going to know I was a part of this. If I do this," Noah looked down at the fresh cuts and blood stained skin that now armored him, "then there won't be as many questions..." 

Sol was touched by his empathy. What he had done not only to protect her, but her people as well. It didn't make sense why a Rider would do all this, let only the boy who was soon-to-be King. 

A smile reached her lips, a glimmer in her eyes as she looked up at him, playfully. "You should let Bianca at you." 

Noah laughed, tilting his head down. 

"Ouch, River!" He teased. "You know, I was finally starting to think she liked me." 

"Don't get ahead of yourself." 

The laughter simmered down, both of them unsure what to say next. 

"I should, uh, I should go." 

"You don't have to." Her reply was like an instinct - quick, afraid to see him leave. But she knew that it wasn't true. Noah couldn't come with them to Basilisk. Not after Sol had been missing for so long, and she didn't know what kind of home she was walking back into. 

"I do." Noah sighed. He turned to the side, glancing into the floor to ceiling mirror to check out his appearance. He seemed dissatisfied. 

"Hey," Sol brought his attention back to her. "Don't beat yourself up anymore. We'll figure everything out." 

"We'll?" 

"Yeah..." Sol hesitated, suddenly overcome with anxiety that she might have said the wrong thing. "You have to go back and face your dad, I have to face mine. We're both as terrified as each other." She laughed nervously. 

Noah pulled back, creating distance between them as a frown settled on his face. 

"I'm not afraid." He declared, his tone hurt, bordering offended. 

"I-" 

"And I'm Blood Riders, River. I'm not a Basilisk." 

"Noah!-" Sol called, his shoulder brushing against her's as he began to walk away. She called his name again, her throat burning, but she was unable to catch up to him. 

A deep exhale, and her eyes glanced into the mirror, finally catching sight of her own, ravaged reflection. Bruises sunken deep into her skin, her eye swollen, blood patching on her hairline. 

Everything was different now. And she barely recognized herself staring back, her mind too consumed in all the questions as to what happened next. Where did she go from here? Where did she belong? 

The Girl from the Ground, quivering in the Bunker, torn between two lives: who she was before, and who she was now. 

Seven // Part Two

Thoughts on Noah?