Episode Seven, Part 2:
Y o u   M e a n   t h e   W o r l d   t o   M e

I know who I am now. I know who I want to be. 
I want to be more than this devil inside of me. 

Noah reached the side entrance to Riders' labs, watched on carefully by Targo's soldiers who guarded the perimetre. Despite the alliance between their clans, Noah still felt uneasy about being the only Blood Rider in sight, like he was putting himself in danger just by being near. 

Breathing away the doubt, Noah pulled on the door, slowly stepping inside. He was quiet enough that no one had heard him, and being the king, none of the guardsmen even questioned his presence or motive behind entering; it allowed him to creep down the corridor unnoticed. 

All of the doors had  small, narrow windows on them, allowing Noah to glance inside before he entered. He didn't even know if Targo still had them in the labs, or if they were in the far side of the building that he couldn't get to easily, but he knew he couldn't leave until he had some answers for Sol. 

Suddenly, two voices came into range; they were arguing about something incoherent, something that Noah only heard mumbles of. Not wanting to be exposed already, Noah slipped into the nearest room, hurrying to close the door and lean up against the frame. In a state of panic, he had lost his breath, and was breathing heavily, trying to calm himself down. 

As he opened his eyes, giving himself a chance to look at where he was, Noah realized that there was someone in the room with him. He was afraid for a moment - standing frozen in place, but upon a further look, Noah began to realize what he had discovered. 

The person was secured onto the bed - their hand dangling over the edge motionless, only a slight shiver to their body every few seconds to let Noah know that they were alive. 

Cautiously, he began to step forward, keeping his distance until he could get a better look at who it was, and the moment he saw her red hair peak into sight, he knew that it was Elara. 

He was unsure what had happened to her, or if he should even approach her, but he knew that if he was Jonas in her position, than Noah would want someone to make sue he was okay. 

"Elara?" He called her name,slightly unsure. 

She didn't respond. Her eyes remained shut, and the shivers of her body continued, a warning sign to Noah that something wasn't right. 

There was a blanket on the floor between them; she must have shaken it off in her sleep, Noah thought to himself as he bent down to retrieve it. Once in his hands, he gently place it over her, hoping to provide her a little bit of comfort. 

But she gasped herself awake, fear already clouded in her eyes, as if there wasn't even a split second where she could forget about what had happened to her. There was the initial horror that someone had returned to continue the procedure, then a recognition as she looked up at the king, a few seconds passing before she remembered how she knew him. 

Before she could speak, Noah switched on his radio in his pocket, hoping that Sol would tune in  and learn that Noah had found her. But hope was cut short; the door behind Noah swung open, and two people entered inside, more than likely the two he had heard earlier. 

"Noah?" Elara choked out, desperate to understand his intentions behind being there. 

He nodded softly, trying to hide his answer from the guards as they approached. 

"I was just seeing how the procedure was going." Noah announced to the guards, stepping away from their heir to sustain their trust. 

"How far through is she?" He asked, switching off the radio in his waistband to Sol's voice wouldn't interrupt, giving away his alliance. 

The guards shared a look with each other, reluctant to answer, only replying when Noah presented himself more predominately. 

"Well?" He asked. "These are my labs. I'd like you to answer me." 

"Of course." A guard replied. "She has two more phases left, and then she'll be ready to fulfill the prophecy." 

Noah nodded, looking back to Elara, hoping she would catch onto the signals that he was giving out: the intense, widening eyes he made in her direction, the finger tapping on his radio as if to point out his communication with her family, and the hesitation as he knew he had to leave. 

"Is that why you're here now?" Noah asked. "The war is 12 hours away. Wouldn't it best to postpone procedure until then?" 

"We're just here to do our job. We came to prep her for Phase 4, and the Alteration will probably begin after the march, considering how long she'll need to recover. Look, this is something you should talk to Rhea about if you have concerns about our alliance-" 

"No, no." Noah shook his head. "I-I'm just curious... I suppose I should leave you to it." He told them, backing away slowly until he had made it all the way out of the room. 

He exhaled as he closed the door, trying to figure out what he needed to do. 

The corridor was empty once again, and taking a look in both directions to make sure there was no one else coming, Noah hurried over to the other side of the hall, continuing to glance inside all of the rooms until he found what he was looking for: Kodiak. 

He wasted no time in entering, confused to find him in a similar state to Elara, unsure what use they found in him. He approached the Sovereign, noticing that he was also strapped down, and his eyes were closed like Elara's had been. 

On first glance, he didn't notice anything different about the room, but he could hear a drip coming from beside him. As he looked over, he noticed that the IV bag was leaking onto the floor, and a puddle had formed at his feet. 

Noah looked up at the Sovereign, trying to see where the needle should have been connected in his arm, but found himself pulled inwards by a sudden force. By the time he could comprehend what was happening, Kodiak already had his arm around his neck, holding him closely to the bed as he kept him in his lock. 

"You're with them, aren't you?" Kodiak hissed, glancing around the room on high alert. 

"What? No!" Noah choked out. "No! Give me a chance to talk-" He asked, struggling to say much against his hold. 

"So I can let you go? I don't think so. You let Elara go, I'll let you go." 

Noah closed his eyes in pain, unable to force any words out. Instead of fighting against his arms, Noah reached down and pulled the radio from his side, using all of his energy to chuck it up to Kodiak. 

"What is that?" Kodiak ask, suddenly hesitating on his grip. Noah used it as his opportunity to pull himself free, jumping out of reach and straightening himself out. Once Kodiak had a chance to look over the radio, Noah stepped closer to him again, hoping he would realize that Noah wasn't doing anything to hurt him. 

"This is one of Basilisk's radios." Kodiak stated. "How did you get it?" 

"River." Noah replied. 

Kodiak tensed up, his initial thought being that he had done something to her. As he he sat up again, ready to lunge out against the king, Noah held his hand up in defense, hurrying to explain. 

"Woah, woah woah! No! It's not like that!" Noah stepped back. "She gave it to me-" 

"No she didn't-" 

"Yes, she did!" Noah was desperate for him to hear him out. "She gave it to me in case I needed help." 

"Help? You're the one we saving from. You sent the virus to Basilisk! I can't even imagine how many people you've killed-" 

"I know. I-I know what I did, but River and I - we worked it out. Please just listen to me." 

"Why should I?" 

"You wanna save Elara, don't you? Believe it or not, that's what I'm here for: to get you guys out of here." 

Kodiak scoffed. "Why? So you can betray her again?" 

The guilt swarmed inside Noah's chest, bringing a stinging to his eyes. "Because she's looking after Jonas. Because my dad, he... He would have got him killed if I left him at Riders." 

He shook the emotion away, glancing at the door behind him, worried about how much time they had before someone came in. 

"Look, I didn't expect you to trust me, but you have to if you want to survive. If you don't believe me, go ahead and call River's radio, but we don't have much time... Elara doesn't have much time." 

"You know where she is?" Kodiak asked, all his anger melting away, replaced with a treacherous hope for the king's answer. 

Noah nodded, suspecting that he was finally getting through to him. "She just passed Phase 3, and now they're prepping her for phase-" 

"Phase 4." Kodiak answered knowingly. Knowing above all, what it meant. "You said you were here to help...?" 

"Yeah." Noah stepped forward again. "I'm on your side. I-I don't want to be on Rider's side of this war." 

Whatever judgement Kodiak felt for him, he knew he had to push it aside, accepting help wherever it came from. If he was enough for Sol to trust, than he knew he had to as well. 

"Okay, then show me where Elara is. You guard the exits-" 

"No, Kodiak. That would never work. There's almost 20 Targo here, and 3 of us, not to mention Elara won't even have the strength to stand." 

"We have to try-" 

"It's alright. We have a plan." Noah assured him, motioning to the radio in Kodiak's hand. 

"River had split some of them up in teams. All her brothers are there, and some of their shooters. I just came from Riders, and I have to go back to tell my people not to march." 

"They'll listen to you?" 

Noah sighed. "I'm kind of counting on it... I have a last resort, but I don't have faith in the consequences... If I can stop the march, then River can bring more of her people over to fight against Targo. But if Targo find out about the plan, then they might hurry the process, and Elara might be...changed before anyone can get to her." 

Kodiak nodded, understanding what needed to be done. If they wanted to get out, they would have to wait. 

"How far away is River? And how long will it take you to get back?" 

"I don't know." Noah admitted, seeing the holes in his plan. "I was about to call her when I reached Elara, but then a couple of guards came, and I had to leave. As soon as I get out of here, I swear I'm gonna tell that I found you both. Provided I can hold off the war, you might be out of here in a few hours." 

Kodiak felt a sliver of cold copper between his fingers, hesitating to reveal to Noah what he had. Placing all of his bets on Sol, Kodiak pulled out the keys so Noah could see them. 

He unhooked the one that worked for his restraints, then chucked the set over to the king. 

Noah caught them in his hand, somewhat impressed at how Kodiak even had them in the first place. 

"In case you need a little help getting back in." Kodiak mumbled lightheartedly, a faint laugh to his voice. He twisted the radio in his hand for a moment, wanting to hold onto it so he could hear from his friends, but knowing that Noah needed to communicate back to them. "I stole them from Kane; I'm pretty sure one of them will get Elara free." 

Noah nodded. "I'll make sure these get to Riverly." 

Kodiak found relief in his promise, sensing the same sort of connection Noah had for Sol, as he had for Elara. He motioned that it was okay for Noah to leave, and watched him drift out of the room, looking back one last time just for him to hear Kodiak say, 'thank you.' 

Noah smiled faintly, finally out of sight and all his peace disintegrating when he remember what he was walking home to. 

/// 

The brisk air was sharp against Noah's skin, the coldness of the night burning into him as he walked through the trees back to Riders. 

The keys rattled in his fingers, distracting Noah from the sound of someone approaching. Catching him off guard, the person slammed into Noah's chest and sent him stumbling back a few feet. 

After taking a second to recover from the shock, Noah puffed his jacket, trying to see who had attacked him in the dark. 

"Dad? What the heck!" Noah yelled, completely enraged. 

"So this is who you are?" Rogue scream, unwilling to the shame and disappointment he felt for his son. 

"What are you talking about?" 

Rogue looked down at the keys in his hand, laughing in amusement, as if he was a fool to have not already known what Noah was up to. 

"You know what Targo are doing, don't you?" 

Noah hesitated to answer, unable to predict what his father would do next. Afraid of what might happen, he did the only thing of: he slipped his hand down to his radio, switching it on so that Sol would be able to listen in, perhaps be able to get to him if Rogue tried to hurt him. 

"Yes." He answered, finally. 

"Tell me why you're trying to stop it from happening? What's in it for you? What do your people gain from you freeing one of Basilisk's Sovereigns?" 

Noah had no way of knowing, but somewhere out in that dark night, Sol was clutching desperately onto her radio, listening in to every thing the two said. 

"Peace." He exhaled. A word that should have felt light, was heavy with spite and betrayal against Rogue. "Something you've never even tried to fight for... That's why I'm calling off the march-" 

"You're not doing anything." Rogue declared. 

"Yes. I am. The way forward for Riders isn't war, dad, it's building alliances with the people we share our land with! Its giving our people the chance to live; not to fight, not to survive, but to live!" 

"Who do you think you are?" Rogue asked. It seemed he was genuinely interested in an answer, but he spoke before Noah could get a word out. "I suppose you think you're the king of my people? Am I right?" 

Noah frowned, keeping his lips pressed firmly together. He didn't answer. 

"I'm not going to let you ruin Blood Riders. Ruin yourself for all I care; but you'll find that you are not these people's king anymore. If I catch you coming anywhere near to the gates, anywhere near," his voice roared, a finger jabbing the air between them. "I'll kill you. Then I'll kill the Sovereign you care so much about." 

Noah titled his head at the mention of Riverly, not having expected it to wound him so much. 

"That's right." Rogue smirked. "I know how you feel about her. She's the one behind all your decisions. Don't worry, she'll get what's coming to her." 

"Why not just kill me now and get it over with?" Noah smiled tenderly. There was a sharp pounding in his chest, like something had shattered and was tearing him apart from the insides. 

"You can't, can you? That's why you sent Judas to do it for you." 

Rogue took a step back, not realizing his son was aware of what he had done. 

Noah looked down, shaking his head as he began to laugh more; he was afraid that if he didn't look at it with some sort of tragic humor, then how he really felt would spill out and destroy him before the night was over. 

"Whatever, dad." He muttered. "I'd rather die alone than die a part of Blood Riders." 

"Maybe your wish will come true." Rogue called out to him, wanting to get the last word in before he drifted too far. 

Noah exhaled, finding a moment to switch the radio off. He hadn't meant to leave it on for so long. 

"Maybe. But I know I won't be alone when it happens. Who will you have, dad?" Noah asked. He smiled just before he turned away, delivering his words as he walked in the opposite direction of Blood Riders, turning his back on them. "No one." 

Rogue called out one last time to his son; Noah not even bothering to turn around and look at him. 

"The march will commence in 1 hour. You have until then to get as far away as you can. The next time I see you will be the last." 

/// 

Noah waited until he was alone, until he was certain that his dad wasn't following him, before he drew out the courage to grasp his radio. 

"Riv?" He whispered into it, unable to speak anything above a whisper. He leaned up against one of the trees of the forest, trying to catch his breath that seemed to have left him as a panic took place. 

"Noah? You're okay.." The Sovereign sighed into the radio, relieved to hear his voice again. 

"How much of that did you hear?" 

Sol hesitated on her side, not sure if it was the best idea to let him know that she had heard everything. 

"Enough." She answered in empathy. "What can I say? Dad's suck." She laughed softly, hoping he would realise that she knew exactly how he felt. 

"I managed to get into the labs." Noah raised his voice a little, hurrying to steer the conversation elsewhere. 

"You did?" Sol asked, the hope in her voice almost strong enough to reach through the radio, and shake Noah about. 

"Yeah. They're in there. I-I saw both of them-" 

"How's Elara? Is she okay? Can you get her out?" 

Noah pulled away from the radio slightly, not having expected Ares' voice to blurt out between the softness of Sol's. 

"Is that Ares?" Noah asked. "Wait a minute, I thought he went with his brothers?" 

"He did." Sol sighed, taking back control of the radio. "Something came up. We decided it was safer if they were all separate, so there was a better chance of one of them getting to Elara." She informed him. 

"Speaking of, are they both okay?" Her voice was delicate again; warm and concerned, a need of her own to know that her friends were safe. 

"They're alive." Noah spoke, that being about the only thing he knew for sure he could promise them. "Kodiak's fine. I-I think they tried to test out some of the drugs on him before they used it on Elara, but he's fine. I was able to talk to him, so he knows guys are coming. He, uh," Noah was nervous to say what else he knew, worried that if Ares was still listening in, that he would only become more fearful for his sister's well-being. 

"He's able to get out if needs to - if it comes to it, but he won't be able to reach Elara." 

"What do you mean? They've barely had her 3 days, they can't have gotten that far into the Alteration-" Sol began to panic, speaking so fast that she could barely complete a full sentence. 

"She's... Strong." Noah put it simply, surprised himself at how much she had survived, and how fast they had progressed. "They were prepping her for Phase 4 when I got there. She was barely conscious, so hopefully that means we still have a few hours left before they begin. But..." 

"But?" 

"Well, she needs to get out of there soon. If you try and pull her out of the stimulation whilst she's already under, it could cause permanent damage." 

Sol was silent for a few moments, no doubt trying to process all of the information she had been given.

"What are you going to do about the march? I mean, is there anything you can do?" 

Noah sighed regretfully. "Yeah, I have something that I think will stop my p-" he cut himself off, realizing that he couldn't say that anymore; he didn't have any people. 

"I think I know how to stop Blood Riders from marching." He confessed. 

"Don't be a hero." Sol whispered through the line. "I want you alive. Okay? Honestly, I'd rather you just find us and help us get into the labs. With our numbers, we'll be able to take down Targo. I know we will. Dreea can protect Basilisk until we get back." 

Noah sighed, realizing their was a part of the conversation that she hadn't heard. 

"About that..." He breathed deeply, unable to disguise the dread in his voice. 

"What? What about it?" 

"Blood Riders will march in one hour-" 

"One hour?" Sol exclaimed. "We need more time. We- we can't-" 

Noah knew what she wanted to say, and how she was holding it in for the sake of Ares standing beside her. 

"I know." It was all he could say to reassure her. "Like I said, I've got a plan." 

"Noah... What are you gonna do?" 

"You'll see." He answered, knowing that if he revealed his plans, she wouldn't let him  do it. "Meet me by Blood Caves? I need to give you something from Kodiak." 

"Okay." Sol agreed. "Be safe." 

"Yeah. You too." 

Seven // Part 2
I'm on your side.