Clarke wanted to try to figure out how to get into the room from the outside without breaking the seal on the inside. If radiation hadn't touched the room so far, why let it now. "Does it matter?" Roan asked her. "its not like the radiation can hurt us?" She scoffed "isn't that just like a guy to think that?" she said crossing her arms over her chest. "It also happens to be true" he pointed out. "Yes, physically we can walk on the irradiated earth, but can we ingest irradiated things and still not be affected?" she asked him "would you like to be the test bunny for that particular experiment?"
He supposed she was right. Neither of them, alone or together had actually found anything that survived praimfaya to test that theory. "I guess you have a point" he admitted grudgingly "I didn't survive all this to die like that." Clarke turned on her heels to look him in the eye "which brings me to the question I have been trying to figure out in my head all day long" she eyes him curiously. "Why slump off like a thief in the night rather than take the crown, or in this case the bunker? And where in the hell does a king hide in his own country?" she asked.
His eyes glittered with laughter " I wondered when it would occur to you to ask those questions?" he said. "Does that mean you have answers then?" she shot back "because when you marched on the ark, you were all about loyalty to country at whatever cost?" He sighed "we're not going to figure this out" he nodded at the sealed room "until I answer that, are we?" he asked. Clarke was a thinker, always had been. Even when he kidnapped her the first time, she was more concerned with why he was running away from his own people, than what he planned to do with her. She crossed her arms of her chest "nope, so spill" she said "I mean we have at least four years to see what survived in there, right?" she shrugged.
This was why Clarke was a leader of her people and not a follower, she spent too much time questioning why things were done, rather than just blindly following the set rules. He smirked "it was still about loyalty" he told her. "I wasn't dead when Luna tried to drown me, and by the way why is it always water?" he looked at her pointedly, recalling she herself had tried to drown him. "because if you cant breathe, you cant fight" she pointed out "and when you face an stronger opponent, you use whatever weapon you can" Clarke answered. "You however must be part fish" she shook her head.
"must be" he agreed grinning "are you saying you are weaker than me?" Clarke chose not to answer that question, and looked silently into his eyes for an answer to her question. "So, tell me how slumping away was about loyalty" she said. "I struck a deal with Octavia" he told her "I knew she had the potential to win, and after Luna stuck a spear in me, I would not have beaten her in the end, not in the condition I was in. Even if I had managed to beat her, do you really think my people would shared the bunker with Skaikru and trikru?" he asked.
Clarke shook her head "I knew she would share the bunker. I knew at least a hundred of my people would live, even if it meant I died in the process. It was a risk worth taking" he said. "But when she took out Luna, I saw my chance to survive. I remembered the things your mom used to save my life after the city of light and I knew I had to at least try. Lucky for me everyone was so distracted waiting for her answer, I was able to slip away and do it. When I was done, I grabbed a few things and 'slumped away' as you say" he finished. Clarke was silent "we really aren't so different Clarke" he spoke quietly "I did what was best for my people, just like you did, even if it meant that I would perish in the end. But we didn't, and whatever is in here, could help us survive that much longer, so can we do this now? He asked looking in the direction of the sealed door. "Fine, do it your way" she sighed "but if I get irradiated and die before I see Bellamy again, I'm going to haunt you forever." He snorted "I'll take that into consideration" he said reaching for her spear "may I?" he asked. She nodded.
While Roan worked on the door, she walked around the area. Monty had somehow gotten out without breaking the airlock, which meant there had to be another way in. This is where she needed Raven's expertise. She could forge passable weapons out of melted steel and piles of rubble, but nobody knew this old boat better than Raven. If there was another way into that room, she would know. Her or Monty, not that that would do either of them any good since they were all the way in space.
Roan walked up behind her "where the hell did you find this?" he held up her now bent spear. "I made it from rubble and steel on the island" she told him. He just shook his head "clearly you were not the brains of the operations when it came to weaponry" he shook his head. She smiled sadly "no, that was Bellamy" she sighed. Roan saw the look on her face and instantly felt like a heel "I'm sorry" he said "I didn't mean to…" she shook her head "its not you. Its this place. I know it will be helpful, but I see them everywhere. I see him and then I remember it will be four more years before I actually see him and…" she trailed off. He looked at her "Okay, lets take a break" he said steering her towards the exit "It's going to be dark soon, we can stay in my bunker and start over tomorrow" he said.
When they got out of the ark, she stopped in the yard and placed a miniature communication tower on the ground facing it toward the sun. She pulled out a mic and a hand held radio, then dropped to her knees and began speaking into it.
"Bellamy, mom, I made it to the ark, I ran into an old friend along the way. I'll explain later. I'm okay. We're okay. We can survive a long time here if we can figure out how to get into Jasper's airlock. I could really use Raven down here or Monty, they would know what to do. Oh, and by the way, you forge better tools than I do Bell. So I hope you are not losing that particular skill up there in space. I hope you hear this, I wish I could actually talk to you. Especially being here at the Ark. Jasper's bunker is full of hopelessness. I cant stay here tonight, it'll will just bring me down, but I'm not alone anymore, and we'll be safe. I cold use an infusion of wisdom on how to get into Jasper's bunker if Raven or Monty could somehow infuse my brain with that info, I'd be eternally grateful. I love you all."
Bellamy woke up just in time to hear the tail end of her message. "Come on Clarke you can do this" he whispered after replaying her message. Raven had rigged the communication system so that it automatically recorded every transmission that came in. The sadness in her tone tore at him. She may not be alone anymore, but she sounded sadder than she had before. He was dying to know what "old friend" had also survived praimfaya, since the only nightblood left was Clarke. He dropped his head onto the table in front of him feeling as hopeless as she sounded. God, he hated this. He didn't know what was worse, not knowing if she was alive or dead, or knowing she was alive and hearing her struggles, but being unable to do a damn thing about them. "I wish I could talk to you too" he sighed.
There was no need to call Raven or Monty for the message, they would be here soon enough. One or both of them usually came about this time to haul him out of the lab where he spent most of his time waiting to her voice, to know that she was okay; though apparently since he was going to have to teach her how to forge a proper tool, he would need to brush up on that particular skill. That brought a smile to his face, this was a story he would have to hear. He was still smiling when Raven strolled in a few minutes later. "Did she send another message?" she asked. He nodded and played the message back. Raven snorted "of course she cant figure out how to open an airlock or forge a proper weapon" she shook her head. "and what old friend?" she wondered aloud. Bellamy scoffed "I'd like to know that myself" he said "but at least she isn't alone anymore." Raven nodded in agreement "there is that" she said.
Roan watched her pack up the tower and the radios, she looked very dejected. "come on" he held his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her to her feet "I'll tell you all about my bunker and praimfaya pain, that should cheer you up." She smiled slightly at that "you would think" she replied "but don't bet on it." He grinned "Oh I think I can make you at least smile a little with my tales" he assured her as they walked toward the gates of Arkadia.