Playlist for Chapter One:
Take me to Church - Hozier
Bad Company - Five Finger Death Punch
Decode - Paramore
Another Heart Calls - The All American Rejects
Pressure - Paramore
Battlefield - Jordan Sparks
Chapter One:
"I was being weak."
Clarke's words echoed in Bellamy's head for the past two days. This was his idea, he reminded himself as he studied Clarke's map trying to memorize the interior of Mount Weather.
Turning back he watched as Lincoln reached inside a dead goat and smeared its blood on his mouth giving him the appearance of a reaper who had just fed.
"Okay so we make it to the intake door without any of the real reapers seeing us, what happens then?" Bellamy asked.
"I kill everyone, and you slip inside." Lincoln held out his hand, "limestone," he demanded. Bellamy placed the limestone in his hand and watched him smear it over his forehead and cheek. "Let's go, we've got a lot of ground to cover before dark." Lincoln finished.
After a few miles Bellamy spoke again, "I need to know what happened after the intake door."
"They remove your clothes, blast you with hot water and something that burns even worse. And then we were sorted. The others were tagged harvest, I was tagged Cerberus and turned into a reaper."
"Cerberus..." Bellamy remarked. "The three headed dog that guards the underworld. My mom read mythology to us all the time. Octavia loved it... You're good for her. You made her strong."
"She was already strong," Lincoln stated not making eye contact.
They continued their trek through the night, Lincoln leading him to the entrance of the mine. They reached the opening just before daylight. Lincoln picked up a fallen branch and used it to tie Bellamy's hands above his shoulders, hoping to trick the mountain men into thinking Bellamy was his prisoner.
The tunnels were long and dimly light, casting shadows on the walls. Bellamy went over their plan again in his head. He had given up on trying to make conversation. He stopped walking when he heard the crunch of glass behind him and looked back at Lincoln.
"You okay?"
Lincoln ignored the question and stared straight ahead answering, "as soon as they open the intake door we attack. Do not let it close. Once they're all dead, you go in. I'll make it look like you escaped."
Before Bellamy could respond they were interrupted by shouting at the end of the tunnel. Shadows danced on the walls from torch light.
"Another raider party," Lincoln sounded panicked. He reached to untie Bellamy's hands.
"What are you doing!?" Bellamy pulled away.
"We're going back it's the only way." Lincoln reached for him again.
"Go back!? No way!"
"There are three maybe four, and we can fight our way through," Lincoln argued.
"We'll never get a better chance than this!" Bellamy hissed close to Lincoln's face.
"I thought I could do this but I can't okay? It's over."
"No it's not. We can join them. When they bring out the red, you grab it and run like hell, the reapers will go nuts, the grounders will run, and the mountain men will have to deal with it. No one will be looking for a grounder running into the mountain."
Lincoln stared at Bellamy and when the reapers rounded the corner he attacked him. Holding his knife to Bellamy's throat the reapers accepted him as one of their own and Bellamy as one of their hostages. He was quickly tied to a log with four other grounders and pushed along the tunnel. The blindfold placed over his eyes made it difficult to tell how long they had been walking for. Finally the reapers stopped. They removed his clothes and blindfold and forced him to kneel on the hard ground beside the other grounders.
He stared at Lincoln who was already looking at him, expressionless. This is going to work he thought, readying himself for the attack. He would find the grounders and release them from their cages. They would help him free the forty seven and kill the mountain men.
Suddenly the intake door swung open revealing a bright light and a woman dressed in a hazmat suit. She walked out followed by three armed guards in similar protective gear. Bellamy realized she was the Doctor from Clarke's stories. She made quick work of examining the grounders and scribbling on her clipboard. They were all selected for harvest. Everything was going according to plan.
The armed guards were administering the red to the reapers. One by one they knelt to accept the drug. It was now or never. He made eye contact with Lincoln and nodded to acknowledge he was ready. Lincoln stared at him unmoving. One of the guards signaled Lincoln over to accept his dose of the red. Lincoln looked at the guard then back at Bellamy. Bellamy recognized the look in Lincoln's eyes and realized he was hesitating.
"No," he mouthed, shaking his head quickly.
Lincoln dropped to his knees in front of the guard and tilted his head to accept the red. His eyes rolled back in his head as the drug hit his blood stream and he collapsed on the ground.
"No! No!" Bellamy shouted and tried to fight off the guards as they grabbed him. One of the guards knocked him over the head with his gun. After falling to the ground Bellamy felt the guards pick him up by his arms and drag him towards the door. He heard the intake door slam shut behind him and everything went black.
Hours later he woke to the feeling of cool metal against his cheek. Groaning he tried to stretch and realized he was confined in a small space.
"About time you woke up."
Bellamy recognized the voice coming from beside him and turned his head. "Monty?"
"Bellamy," He whispered.
Bellamy rolled over so that he was facing Monty. "Where are we?" His voice sounded strained and he felt groggy.
"We're prisoners of Mount Weather," Monty sounded deflated. "Jasper and I found out about the mountain men's use for the grounders. They used Jasper's blood to save one of their own from radiation and realized we're the better test subjects."
"We heard your radio signal," Bellamy interrupted.
"We? Is Clarke with you?" Monty sounded hopeful.
"She's not here," Bellamy answered. "We made an alliance with the grounders. I was supposed to get in and set you all free, but our plan failed." Bellamy groaned, realizing just how sore he was.
"Wha-"
They were cut off by the sound of a door opening. The female Doctor strode into the room in her lab coat, heels clicking on the tile floor. She stopped in front of Bellamy's cage, and bent down to eye level.
"You're not a grounder," she stated matter-of-factly. "We took a sample of your blood, you're one of the sky people." She looked at Bellamy, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't she continued. "What were you doing in the tunnels wearing grounder clothing?"
Bellamy stared at her, refusing to answer.
"Very well," she said, standing up. "One of our senior guards experienced radiation this morning. We will use your blood to heal him. Guards!" she called.
Two guards rushed in, one held a syringe and the other a gun.
"No! Stop! Stop!" Monty yelled shaking his cage.
The guard with the syringe reached through the bars of Bellamy's cage and pierced his arm with the needle. When the cage door swung open he struggled in vain only to be dragged out by his arms and brought to the centre of the room. The medicine worked quickly, the edges of his vision were already blurring when they pierced his chest with needles hooked up to a large machine. He was having a hard time keeping his head up. The last thing he saw before passing out was Monty clutching the bars of his cage screaming at the Doctor as she pressed the red button on the wall.
Clarke and Lexa had just made it back to camp, exhausted from their near death experience with the creature in the forest. Night had fallen and the camp was quiet. Many were asleep around a dying fire.
"It is time for us to sleep now Clarke. Bellamy should be inside the mountain by tomorrow. We will await his radio signal." Lexa turned and walked to the other side of the fire to lay down with her back to Clarke.
Clarke lazily dropped to the ground where she stood, using her pack as a pillow. Thoughts of their earlier conversation ran through her mind. "He will get into the mountain," she whispered to herself as she fell asleep to the sound of crackling embers.
Clarke was woken hours later by the sound of hushed whispering. It was still dark outside. She squinted and looked for the source of the noise. Octavia was standing by the edge of the forest, her sword drawn in defense. Clarke drew her gun and silently walked over.
"Stay back Clarke," the girl hissed with tears in her eyes.
"Octavia, what's - " Clarke stopped mid-sentence when she saw Lincoln tied to the tree in front of them. She lowered her gun. There was dried blood around his mouth. His head lolled to the side but he kept eye contact with Clarke.
"Where's Bellamy?" Clarke looked at Octavia nervously.
"I don't know. Lincoln came back alone," Octavia, answered. "He's been drugged Clarke. He tried to attack me." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"Lincoln! Where is Bellamy?" Clarke leaned too close and Lincoln struggled against the ropes, a hungry look in his eyes. Startled, she fell back onto the ground.
"We have to wait until the drugs wear off," Octavia said grimly, helping Clarke off the ground. "He's useless like this."
The two girls sat against a nearby tree to keep watch, leaning against each other for warmth. They didn't speak but both felt a sense of dread. After awhile, Lincoln's head drooped and he fell asleep.
Daylight came and Clarke couldn't wait any longer. She stood and strode over to Lincoln.
"Clarke what are you doing?!" Octavia jumped up following her.
Clarke shook Lincoln roughly. "Lincoln where is Bellamy!?" she demanded.
Lincoln groaned and looked up. He no longer had the crazed look in his eyes, instead he looked weak and sickly.
"Bellamy..." He mumbled, coming to. "I... failed him," Lincoln answered staring into the forest behind Clarke's head.
"What do you mean you failed?" Octavia asked, pushing past Clarke. "Did the mountain men capture you? Do they have Bellamy? How did you get away?"
Lincoln remained silent.
Octavia grabbed Lincoln's face forcing him to make eye contact. "Where is my brother Lincoln?!"
"I couldn't help him Octavia. The red, I needed it. I couldn't think of anything else. I'm sorry."
Octavia turned away, her hands covering her mouth. "Is my brother dead Lincoln?" she asked in a small voice.
"I don't know," he answered.
Octavia started to walk away but stopped and turned her head to the side, "if my brother is dead Lincoln, I will never be able to forgive you for this," she bit out.
Lincoln's expression remained stony as he stared at her retreating back.
"Bellamy was our chance. He risked everything for us." Clarke said as she reached in her belt for her knife and cut the ropes securing Lincoln to the tree. She couldn't show her emotions. Feelings were weakness and she had to think logically. "We're getting our people out of Mount Weather, alive."
