Episode Five, Part 4:
W h o   A r e   Y o u   t o   C o m e   B a c k ?

"Noah!" Sol choked out, immediately running over to him when she saw him step into view, looking torn down and defeated. 

Sol crashed into him, wrapping her arms around Noah and breathing against him, unable to comprehend her own relief at seeing him alive. When she pulled away, she finally had a chance to look over him - seeing all the blood and bruises around his neck that had already formed. 

"What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?" 

"Judas strangled him. But she's dead now." Lyra answered, making her presence known to the Sovereign as she drifted a little far back from Noah. 

Sol pulled out her gun in an instant, aiming it at Lyra and ready to fire without any hesitation. But Noah moved his hand to guide her's down, pointing the gun to the ground so Sol couldn't shoot. 

"What are you doing?" Sol muttered to him, fighting to raise her gun again. 

"Listen." Noah managed to croak out, holding onto his own throat. 

Sol could hear the damage done to his voice, and the suffering was plastered all across his body. Whatever it was had to be pretty important for Noah to force himself to speak. 

Sol sighed, letting go of her authority and allowing Lyra to speak. 

"What do you want?" Sol barked at her, folding her arms as she waited to hear from her. 

"I have information you'll want. About your Sovereign and Elara. I saved Noah's life so I could speak to you. I know what's happened, and I want to help my people." 

"Your people?" Sol scoffed. "And who are your people? Because the last time I checked, you killed one of them, held your own brother hostage, then abandoned them when you couldn't face them after everything you put them through." 

"I don't need you to remind me of my mistakes. I live with them everyday." 

"Speaking of which, how are you still alive? We all know you never returned to Blood Riders. How did you survive on your own?" 

Lyra shook her head at herself, having to look away. Emotion glossed over her eyes, and Sol knew it was real, but she couldn't care less for her. 

"I don't want to talk about what I've done to survive. Do either of you?" She asked. Both Noah and Sol looked away, not expecting to be confronted with her question.  

"No... I didn't think so. I'm sure you could have a guess at what it's been like."

"Just get to it Lyra." Sol rolled her eyes. 

"If you take me back to Basilisk, I'll tell you everything I know about City of Targo and what they're doing with Elara." 

Noah's head snapped up at what Lyra said, seeming to have all the pieces of the puzzle, but unsure why they were needed. 

"Targo? What are you talking about? River...?" 

Sol sighed, still struggling to speak the truth about what had happened. She hadn't purposely hid it from Noah, she just allowed everything else to distract them, afraid of even thinking about her reality. That her best friend was missing, and she couldn't protect Wynn's sister. 

"The City of Targo. Wynn and Elara's dad is with them." She explained. "Apparently Elara is an heir to their Clan, and their dad lead the people across the DeadLands to take her with them, but she doesn't want to be their Commander." 

"Elara... Wait a minute, isn't she that kid that we took from the raid when you first opened the Bunker?" He was still struggling to speak, most of his words stuttered and quiet, but he needed to get to the bottom of the situation. 

"Yes." Lyra answered for him. "We had one of her brothers as well." 

Sol looked straight on at Noah, trying to ignore Lyra. "Anyway... After you sent the virus, Kodiak and Elara had to leave camp because he was still healing from the shot your people sent. Targo found them at the Bunker. We have no clue where they've taken them, or why. I haven't seen either of them." 

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" 

"Noah-" She didn't feel like being lectured by him because she hadn't explained every burden weighing her down. 

"Riv, some of Targo are at our labs. They've made a deal with us." 

Sol's eyes lit up with hope, feeling her heart move to her throat. "They have?"

"Yes," Lyra butted in again, moving closer. "But you're still missing a lot of information, like why. And no offence, Noah, but I don't think you're exactly in a position to return to Blood Riders and resume control. If you want to save them, you're going to need my help." 

Sol turned away from Noah, stepping right up to Lyra so she was inches away, asserting her dominance. 

"What do you want from this, Lyra? You think this is what it will take for Bas or Wynn to forgive you?" She was playing on her vulnerabilities, hoping to expose her, knowing that her words would hurt. 

"Probably not." Lyra answered softly. She smiled to keep her sorrow buried away, but it still managed to creep through. "I don't see them forgiving me anymore. But I still owe it to my family to restore what's left of what I broke. Take me back to Basilisk, let me talk to my family, and I promise I'll tell you how to get your people back. I'm sure Wynn is already coming up with a plan of his own, and I'd rather he do that with the knowledge I have." 

Sol contemplated for a moment, knowing that her story didn't completely add up: in spite of her deep hatred for her, she knew Lyra was honest about wanting to make it up to her family. The truth was, even if Sol didn't let her in to Basilisk, Lyra still would have told her everything if it would save Elara. She meant what she said about not being forgiven, but wanting to do it for them anyway. 

"Fine." Sol finally answered. "I'll let you into Basilisk so you can see them, but after that, you have to leave." All she could think about was how Wynn would react when he found out she had agreed to take her into camp, and Sol only hoped he would hear her out before he tore into her. 

Lyra nodded. "That's more than I deserve. Thank you, Sovereign." 

Sol didn't know how to respond to her sincerity after being a witness to all of her past, monstrous actions, after having seen what she had done to her Wynn - so she just turned around and began to walk back to Atlantis' Bunker. 

"Now I just have to figure a way to get you both into Basilisk without being killed." 

/// 

Kodiak closed his eyes when the sound of movement returned in the hall, nervous to follow Elara's plan for him to still seem unconscious, and for her to be awake. He didn't know if she knew what was going to happen, and he couldn't bring himself to tell her terrified that the realization of what she would be put through was enough to make her cave in. 

The door handle twisted open and Kodiak gave one final exhale before sinking into the ground, utterly helpless to Elara. 

Kane and Rhea walked in, too caught up in conversation at first to notice her sitting upright on the bed, shivering as she looked over at them. 

"Elara!" Kane whispered, hurrying across the room to reach her. He immediately embraced her in his arms, only to be confused when he pulled away, not expecting her to be so distant. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked nervously, feeling a little more assurance when Rhea came and stood next to him. 

But Elara didn't answer. She looked Rhea up and down, her face hardened with a look of hatred, wanting answers to why they had taken her. 

"Does anything hurt?" Rhea asked, unfazed by her glaring. 

Once again, Elara refused to answer, not wanting to co-operate with either of them. 

"Ell... Please talk to me." Kane pleaded, taking hold of one of her hands. They were still strapped down to the sides of the bed, so Elara couldn't pull away or do anything to free herself from his hold. 

Rhea rolled her eyes, looking over behind her to the cage where Kodiak was locked up in. She knew exactly how to make Elara speak. 

"I see you friend has woken up yet. It'd be a pity if he stayed that way..." She twirled her hair around her fingers, pretending to be concerned or his welfare. 

"Don't you touch him!" Elara snapped, trying to lunge at Rhea from her bed. 

Rhea smirked, walking around to the other side of Elara. There was a metal stand on wheels that she pulled over - having several different draws, and on top, a row of needles all filled with a different type of substance. 

Rhea picked one of them up; the needle must have been 3 inches long, and inside, an orange liquid that she couldn't even begin to imagine what it was for. 

"What is that?" Elara asked, her voice wavering. 

"Phase 2." Rhea answered, spinning the needles between her fingers, gazing at it in admiration. 

"I think we should try it out on your friend here. Just to make sure we have the correct dose." Rhea began to walk over to Kodiak's cell, waiting for what she was coming. 

"No!" Elara called out to her, meeting Rhea's expectation. 

Rhea bit down on her smile, suppressing it away before she turned back to face Elara. 

"Use it on me." Elara declared. "You're going to use it on me." 

"Elara, no!" 

Both Kane and Rhea's heads snapped in the direction of Kodiak's cell, surprised to see him awake and aware of what was happening. 

When Kodiak knew he had their attention, he walked to the bars of the cell, glaring at Rhea through the poles. 

"Oh, what joy. You're awake." Rhea muttered. 

"You can't put that stuff in her. You can't do this to her." 

"Kodi, it's okay-" Elara tried to quiet him, terrified that something bad would happen as a result of his defiance. 

"No, it's not, Elara! Do you even know what it is?" 

Everyone looked to Elara for her answer, all equally as curious to know if she was aware of what was happening to her. 

She couldn't answer, instead, looking up at her dad who was the only one she could see, wanting to believe that her dad wouldn't let something terrible be done. 

Kodiak exhaled in anger, wanting to lunge right at Kane for his cowardice - how he couldn't even admit to what he knew he was putting her through. 

"Go on. Tell her. You're her dad, after all. You're the one who wanted this to be done." Kodiak spat at Kane, never having felt so enraged in all his life. 

"It's- it's a part of the Alteration." Kane scrambled to find the right words. 

"Alteration?" Elara whispered. 

"Tell her what you want to do!" Kodiak screamed at Kane, shaking the bars with every ounce of desperation he had. "Tell her what it means, Kane! How you want to change her!" 

"D-dad?" Elara trembled, feeling her father's hand leave her's. 

Rhea rolled her eyes at everyone's emotions, continuing to prep the needle as she explained to Elara what it was. 

"The Alteration is your journey to becoming Queen. Phase 1 you've already passed." 

"And what was that?" Elara murmured. 

"Immunity. Being a Pure Blood." 

"The virus that Riders sent to Basilisk - everyone who was killed by it wasn't immune. It's said that the True Heir to the City of Targo is of Pure Blood." Kane elaborated, glancing over at Kodiak to see him staring him down. 

 "Okay. But I still don't understand what you're doing to me..."

"Phase 2 is a little...different." Rhea spoke. "And judging by your friend's reaction, I'm almost certain he knows all about it. So, that leaves me the question, why haven't you told her?" Rhea spun around to Kodiak, drifting over to his cell, just out of reach from his hands. 

"Because she's not going to be your Queen. She's a Basilisk. She's one of my people." 

"You say that, but, where are your people? Oh, that's right!" Rhea snapped her fingers. "They can't find us. Or... They're not looking for you."

"That's not going to work on me, Rhea." Kodiak growled. "I'm not scared that they're not going to look for us. It's you who's scared. You're scared that they'll find us before you can get back to your city." 

Rhea shrugged, walking away as if she was bored of him. "Even if they did find us, they wouldn't be able to get to us. The last time I heard, your people were going to war with Blood Riders." 

"What has that got anything to do with this?" 

Rhea smirked, seeing the realization settle on his face. 

"You're working with them!?" Kodiak exclaimed. Now he was scared. The hope of Basilisk finding them was suddenly gone, facing almost no chance of any one of their people being able to come near Rider's territory. 

"Kodi?" Elara whimpered. There was a lingering silence, Rhea moving closer towards Elara, Kane returning to hold her arm steady. 

"No. Let go of her." Kodiak muttered, unable to raise his voice at first as the fear took hold of him. 

"Get off me!" Elara screamed. "Dad, please don't do this. I don't want this. Please, get off!" 

"Rhea? Rhea! Don't touch her!" Kodiak yelled, shaking furiously on the cell bars. 

The two of them ignored their pleas, holding Elara as still as they could manage, allowing Rhea to bring the needle to the young girl's skin and inject the serum into her veins. 

Within seconds, Elara stopped fighting, succumbing to whatever drug they forced into her, slowly falling into a wicked unconsciousness. 

"Phase 2 is underway." Rhea declared, setting the needle down with a satisfied smile, looking over at Kane to share her excitement. 

Kane forced a smile on his face, gently releasing his grip on Elara, unable to drown out the sound of Kodiak's screams as he watched his daughter pass out. 

Five // Part 4

You think this is what it will take for Bas and Wynn to forgive you? // Probably not.