Chapter 6

The following days passed quickly. Diyoza and her crew had several crates of fresh fruit and vegetables dropped down near the bunker. She'd sent along a message that anyone who ventured to Shallow Valley with a sign of peace would be granted safe passage into the valley and be offered protection. The message let members of Wonkru know that anyone who decided against fighting for the valley would be given full access to it and be allowed to live there with the same rights at the rest of the prisoners. Anyone who approached as a threat would be seen as such and dealt with accordingly.

Clarke estimated that Octavia would be on the move several days after she had left which would put her arrival at Shallow Valley within the next 3 or 4 days. She was worried that absolutely nothing would stop Octavia, not even the promise of part of the land if she came in peace. Octavia had tasted real power in the bunker and continued to think that the same justice had to be dealt out now that they were back above ground. She didn't understand that the enemy was no longer imminent death. Whatever had happened for them to stay alive was no longer necessary.

Clarke and Madi quickly fell back into a semblance of their old routine. Madi helped to hunt and fish and started showing the stable prisoners how to set traps to catch some of the wild animals that lived in the area. She also showed them which seeds they could plant to further help in the growth of fruit. Shallow Valley had been expanding every year since Clarke and Madi had lived there and they wanted to continue on with that growth. The prisoners were miners and didn't have any experience in farming so they started to learn quickly thanks to Clarke and the others.

Clarke spent a lot of time studying the medical records of the prisoners with her mother. So many times it was difficult to focus because her mind kept taking her back to the bunker. Back to Bellamy. How was he? Had he made any progress with Octavia? Would he be able to convince her that peace was best for everyone after Diyoza's message had been delivered? Was he even still safe? Octavia had threatened him before and as much as she loved him, Clarke didn't fully believe that he would remain safe simply because of that small fact.

A constant trickle of fear flowed through her body. The fear was no longer from Diyoza and her crew. They'd proven themselves in those short few days to be reasonable and to want to survive just like Clarke. Octavia was different though. She ruled Wonkru with a following that no normal leader could achieve without fear or intimidation. Octavia had been her friend. Now, she didn't know what the girl was anymore.

What about the rest of Spacekru? Monty and Harper? Octavia had no reason to hurt them, yet Clarke still worried. Even Echo. Octavia had wanted to kill her, citing that her banishment from Roan and herself, still stood and that Echo should therefore not be left to live. Bellamy had talked her down, telling Octavia that Diyoza was a bigger threat than Echo. In light of Diyoza's request for peace, was Echo still safe? Octavia still considered Diyoza the main threat, but would Echo now become dispensable if Bellamy tried to talk Octavia out of war with the prisoners?

Clarke sat at her desk, the medical records splayed out in front of her. She leaned her head on her hands and closed her eyes. Bellamy had haunted her dreams ever since she'd returned home. She couldn't believe that after 6 years, he was finally back and yet, still not. She'd imagined their return so many times. They would have come home, Raven having found a way to bring them back down. They would have held each other and cried happy tears and just celebrated being back together. They would have figured out a way to dig out the bunker. Everyone would have been saved and everything could have returned to how it was before.

Instead, prisoners had invaded her home. Death had returned as part of everyday life. A nightmare had occurred down in the darkness. And the one person she had waited for the most, had found someone else. She couldn't fault him for it. He had thought she was dead and it's not like they had ever really expressed how they felt about each other. It still hurt like a bitch, her little voice said.

It shouldn't matter, that's what she tried telling herself. Whatever they may have felt or may have become to each other was wiped out the day the Earth was consumed in fire. It didn't stop what she felt. That longing. For him. A feeling she hadn't really thought would tug at her so much. This separation from him now was almost worse than the 6 years apart. She'd always had hope that they were alive but she never knew. Now she did. He was alive and well and back. The distance between them felt greater than ever. You've been replaced, the voice in her head said bitterly. She wanted to argue but she couldn't. It was true. That's exactly what it felt like. Not only had they survived just fine without her, but they'd been able to be happy. To become a happy family. Madi had become her family and she wouldn't trade her for anything in this world. It was just hard to grasp when you were no longer needed.

Clarke opened her eyes and returned to studying the medical records. They showed growths and lesions on the prisoner's lungs and some of their other organs. Diyoza had told them that they'd been mining crystalized metallic alloys which according to the ship's crew could create a massive influx of energy and basically destroy the entire planet. The miners had breathed in an exorbitant amount of dust from the metals. For all intents and purposes, they were suffering from lung cancer. In some cases, the amount of metal alloys that had been absorbed by the body had been enough to cause mental breakdowns. Vinson was one of their patients and he'd shown sudden shifts of mental clarity to mental madness. One minute he was the pleasant man he claimed to be and the next, he was trying to bite off fingers. A zap from his collar was all it took to get him under control but it occurred again and again with no explanation as to what brought it on. In cases like Vinson, the shock collar almost acted as a sort of electro-therapy.

The only way they could help the miners was by getting the metal alloys out of their system. That was easier said than done. Abby and Clarke had surmised that they would need a blood transfusion. But the blood had to be from someone other than the miners to ensure that there were no alloys in the new blood that they would be receiving. Clarke knew their best bet would be by using her and Madi. Their nightblood fought against radiation and should therefore also be the most efficient at helping to clear the miner's blood. The problem was that there were 300 prisoners and only 2 of them. Or, as Clarke had told Diyoza, only 1 because she refused to let Madi be used as a guinea pig. There was only so much bone marrow she could take out of her own body at a time and a certain amount that had to be injected into the miners to ensure that it would work. Abby had said that they would use their bone marrow as well but after a close study of the interactions between Abby's blood and the miner's blood, it showed that they were not compatible. In fact, if the miners were to be injected with the blood from a non-nightblood, then their blood overtook the healthy blood and wiped out any trace of it.

It was Mount Weather all over again. Why did it always come down to blood? And if the nightblood was so important that it could save so many people, why had Becca not started synthesizing it for everyone? It would have solved so many problems.

"I don't know what to do mom," Clarke told her mother as she once again looked through the microscope. "How are we supposed to make enough blood to help these people when it's just me left with the blood they need?"

"We'll figure something out," Abby told her, placing her hand on Clarke's shoulder. "We always do. It's only been a few days since we've been working on this and without your help I still wouldn't be half as far as we are now."

Clarke sighed. She knew her mother was right but that didn't make it easier to calm her racing heart. She was afraid that if they didn't have something for Diyoza soon that she would start to rethink their deal.

There was a sudden knock at the door that caused Clarke and Abby to jump. Clarke looked at her mother as Abby headed to the door to open it. Diyoza stood outside and looked past Abby to Clarke.

"I need you to come with me," she said.

Clarke frowned. "What's going on?" Her heart skipped a beat. Was this it? Was Diyoza here to tell her that the deal was off because she hadn't gotten any results?

"I need you to see something," Diyoza told her.

Diyoza led Clarke through the camp back to the ship. They followed the winding hallways to the deck of the ship where Shaw was at the controls. At Diyoza's nod, he punched a few buttons and an image popped up onto the screen. It showed 5 figures moving along the wastelands near Shallow Valley. Clarke recognized the area and knew they would reach the valley in a few hours.

"Our eye picked up these guys several days ago. Moving along almost nonstop day and night," Diyoza said, her eyes on Clarke.

"They left Wonkru," Clarke said. "They're accepting your offer of peace?"

Diyoza raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps. They have not shown any hostilities but have made the trek here in almost half the time you said it would take. There's something very determined about someone who moves at that kind of speed."

Clarke looked at her. "Do you know who they are?"

"No," Shaw spoke up. "Their faces have been hidden in dark cloaks, which I presume they are wearing as part of some protection from the sandstorms."

"Why haven't you picked them up?" Clarke asked.

"Because," Diyoza said slowly, "they set out from the bunker, before we ever delivered the food and the message."

"You think they may be sending spies?"

"It's possible. We'll allow them to get close to the border before we intercept. We'll see what they have to tell us. I wanted to see if you knew who they could be?"

Clarke shook her head as she studied the screen. They were just dark spots moving along at a steady pace. All except for one who looked like they may be in some pain from the staggering steps they took. "Octavia could have made her way here as soon as I left but I don't see her taking such a small group. It could be Echo. She'd have reason to move quickly if Octavia had changed her mind and was going to kill her. I just can't tell from these shapes. I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Diyoza said. "We didn't think you'd be able to identify them but I thought it was worth a shot."

As Clarke headed back to her mother, she tried to think of who could be so determined to get to Shallow Valley to move at such a brisk pace. Clarke had made that journey along with Madi many times to try to dig the bunker out. It had taken several routes before they had come out with the safest and quickest way to cross the desert. They'd always tried to get there and back as fast as they could but she also knew that they had never pushed the pace. Whoever this was, was in a hurry. Diyoza had said that they had been moving day and night. Exhaustion should be overcoming the travelers but they had seemed to be moving at as steady a pace as ever. Echo was the most likely to be among the group but why would she have left even before Diyoza had tried to persuade the others to join her?

A few short hours later, some of the prisoners were stationed along the border of the valley, armed but not prepared for battle. Shaw and McCreary had gone out with several others to intercept the small group.

Clarke was off to the side with Madi, talking to her mother when they all returned. Diyoza stood near the copse of trees by the ship, arms crossed over her chest. The prisoners came through the trees first, followed by the group of 5 travelers. Diyoza approached them and started to talk to them. Clarke couldn't see who any of the newcomers were so she excused herself and headed towards them. At the sound of Clarke's feet crunching on the forest floor, Diyoza turned to her. She smirked.

"Your boyfriend's back."

Clarke looked past her. She knew there were other people with him, but all Clarke saw were broad shoulders, dark hair and an uneasy expression that shifted to a smile as he met her eyes. Bellamy.