Disclaimer: I don't own THE 100 or its characters, but I'm very much on a Bellarke spree right now.

Chapter 26

Well, this sucked. Raven understood that they were in a hurry. Sure, Clarke was in trouble, and yeah, a homicidal sadist had some launch codes that could pretty much destroy an entire tribe of Grounders, but did that mean she had to be subjected to this humiliation?

As she rode piggyback, hands clutched around Wick's shoulders, she sighed for what seemed like the millionth time as she supposed yes, this was not that great a price to pay considering what their mission was. It wasn't like her having to admit defeat to her wounded leg and hitch a ride from Kyle Wick was killing anyone.

Except for her pride.

"That's an awful big sigh from an awful little girl," Wick rumbled, and Raven lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Don't call me a little girl."

To Raven's annoyance, Wick chuckled. Man, he really was the worst. But it was a cute chuckle… She sighed again as she pushed the thought from her head. She really didn't know what was going on between her and Wick, but he had come to her rescue. A regular old knight in shining armor. Or engineer in shining chrome, she guessed.

"Well, I am carrying you, right?"

"Kyle…"

His arms gave her legs a little squeeze, and Raven felt herself calming somewhat. "I'm just kidding, Wrench Monkey. We all know that given another day or two, it'd be you giving me a piggyback ride. That's what happens when someone's as strong as you are."

She felt herself starting to smile, so she pursed her lips instead, trying not to give him the satisfaction.

"Well, guess it's a moot point. Since we didn't have a day or two. And hopefully we get there in enough time to help Clarke and stop the launch, and I'm just a burden. Slowing us down."

Wick didn't say anything for a minute, and Raven was starting to feel pretty shitty about her confession. Didn't he know it wasn't easy to be honest like this? The last time she'd been this real with someone, he'd cheated on her pretty much as soon as they were separated.

Okay, so that had been a different situation, and in hindsight Raven had realized that Finn had thought he'd never see her again and yeah, Clarke was pretty great, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Wick spoke up again. "You're not a burden, Raven. If anything, you're gonna save all of us. I know I give you crap a lot, but…" He trailed off, and Raven subconsciously tightened her hold on his shoulders.

"But what?"

"But you're the best of us. Nobody down here would be alive if it weren't for you."

Raven made a sound of disbelief. "That is not true."

"Isn't it? I heard about how you blew up that bridge when the Grounders were coming, how you got the radio working. You've pretty much consistently saved everyone's asses. And with an injury like yours, pretty certain most people would be sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. But not you."

Raven was quiet. She had been feeling sorry for herself. But there hadn't been time to dwell, what with everyone going on. "You wouldn't have either, Kyle."

"False! I'd be kicking it back at camp, drinking Monty and Jasper's moonshine, hoping you'd come around and give me a run for my money."

Her face was hot, and she wondered if Wick could feel the heat emanating from her cheeks. Their faces were close. If he just turned his head ever so slightly… Raven tucked her mouth into Wick's shoulder to hide her smile. From the corner of her eye, she peeked to the side to see him grinning, and somehow, she couldn't find it in herself to give him a hard time about it.

They jogged in silence for a while. Up ahead, Silke spoke with Octavia and Raven. Behind her, she could hear Bellamy and Tygon speaking, but their tones were low and hushed, and she couldn't make out what they were saying. Finally, up ahead, Silke pulled up short, and she and Lincoln seemed to converse quietly.

Wick's hands began to loosen under her thighs, and Raven felt herself sliding down his back as he let her down. Raven looked around, seeing nothing but the barren desert surrounding them. "Guess we're here. Wherever here is," she muttered.

Bellamy looked to Tygon. "Where is it?"

Tygon was silent for a moment as he considered. He began to walk off, slowly as he examined the ground.

Octavia turned to Bellamy. "You're not worried he's gonna run off?"

Bellamy's eyes didn't leave Tygon. "He won't. He wants to find them as much as we do."

Octavia didn't quite look like she believed him, but she nodded, accepting what Bellamy was saying. She turned to see Silke eying Bellamy appreciatively. Octavia smiled and leaned in, speaking quietly so that probably only Raven would overhear. "He's taken."

Silke looked pointedly at Lincoln, and Octavia gave off an amused huff. "Not by me! Gross. Bellamy's my brother. But why do you think he's so desperate to get Clarke back?"

Silke shrugged. "No harm looking."

Raven grinned, edging closer to them. "Amen, sister."

As the three women smirked at each other, Lincoln and Wick met each other's eyes. A mutual agreement that yes, all women really were crazy.

Everyone's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden whirring sound as Tygon stood on the side of one particular sand dune. Following Bellamy's lead, the rest jogged up, seeing that there was some kind of hidden door in the side of the dune.

Tygon stood, looking to Bellamy, and Raven noticed a strange sort of truce must have settled between the two of them. "So?" Bellamy began.

"This is one of the entrances. It would have been impossible to find without those coordinates, but I remember coming here in the past."

Bellamy nodded as he began passing out walkie-talkies. "Once we're inside, where do we go?"

"There are three main areas. One houses the missile, the other contains extra drones that can be manually turned on, and one wing is barracks."

"Clarke is probably in the latter," Bellamy stated, voice soft. He turned to address the rest of the group. "We'll have to stop them from turning on the extra drones and getting the missile launched. Wick, Raven, you two are on missile duty. We'll need someone to watch your backs."

Silke stepped forward. "I offer my aid in that."

Raven smiled at Silke, who returned the favor. "Aw, I think I might want to keep you after this."

"Bring my sister too and you've got yourself a deal," the tough Grounder replied.

"Great," Wick said, throwing his hands up in mock exaggeration. "As if Camp Jaha didn't already have enough spitfires."

Raven and Silke both crossed their arms, looking at him in a way that suggested he was deeply stupid. "You can never have too many."

Bellamy turned to Lincoln and Octavia. "O, I hate to split off from you again… But I need you two to get to the drone area and ensure that the Wastelanders don't give an already-uneven fight even worse odds."

"I'll take care of her," Lincoln began, but Octavia stepped forward, putting her hand on Bellamy's arm.

"I'll be fine, Bel. I've got Lincoln with me, and you know I can handle this now. So trust me, okay?"

He grabbed her in a sudden hug, feeling her arms loop around him. They didn't have much time to waste, but this was Octavia, and it tore him up to know he wasn't there to protect her. But she was right, and both of them knew how strong she'd become. "I know. I do."

He let her go, turning to Tygon. "You're with me. We go straight to the barracks where Jago is probably keeping Clarke. Once we're inside, we move quickly. We rendezvous back up here as soon as our respective tasks are done."

Tygon let out a small smirk. "Agree, Gona. Just one problem. The combination to the door seems to have changed. We can't open it. No one has ever been able to break through this before."

Bellamy felt a small body pushing him aside as Raven limped forward, interlacing her fingers and cracking her knuckles. "Well step aside, pretty boy. Because while others may have tried, this door hasn't met Raven Reyes yet, and this mechanic has yet to meet her match."

Clarke stumbled as she tried to keep up. This man Artigas had set a demanding pace, and Jago clearly seemed to respect him enough to try and keep up. They wound around several hallways until the ceilings began to gradually slope up and Clarke found herself walking into a large antechamber.

That housed a fucking huge missile.

Clarke's heart dropped into her stomach as she stared as the old weapon, remembering from her history lessons on the Ark what had happened to the Earth during the time of the Cataclysm. No wonder humanity had destroyed itself. With weapons like this, how could anyone have survived?

On the side of the missile was a large console, and Jago tugged Clarke's leash as he followed Artigas there.

"Let's not dawdle any longer," Artigas began. "It takes a while for this old weapon to warm up. According to scouts, it seems the majority of your village have joined the Tree Clan in the woods."

Which meant that everyone was in one spot. Clarke's heart began to pound. Her mother. Lexa. Bellamy. Everyone was together. "You can't," she breathed, and for the first time, she felt her skin crawl as Artigas spared her a glance.

"We can, and we will momentarily. Thanks to your friends, Mount Weather has been dealt with, and now the nearby kru will be dealt with as well. To the victor belong the spoils." Artigas said, walking closer to her. He smiled, and Clarke shuddered as she realized that his teeth had been filed into sharp points.

He reached out, grabbing a lock of her hair. Clarke tried to rear back, but the collar choked her, and she found she couldn't move further. "I haven't enjoyed the… pleasures of a woman for quite a while," he said, eyes narrowed, before he turned back to the console. "Perhaps we will celebrate after."

But Jago had other ideas. "This one is mine. You can have the other."

Artigas appraised Jago before shrugging. "Fine by me. Now, let's aim this rather quickly."

A sudden blaring noise caused everyone to startle. Artigas barked at a nearby Wastelander, who seemed to stutter in response. "I-intruders… The h-hatch has been compromised."

"Impossible!" Jago shouted. "The combination was changed."

Artigas remained cool and collected as he walked to the console. "Jago. Tell me, now. What are the coordinates of the Trigedakru?"

Jago quickly gave the coordinates, and Clarke watched as chaos began to take hold of the Wastelanders around her. They must have thought they were impenetrable. But now? Someone had broken through the door.

And Clarke couldn't help but smile, but she knew the only mechanic capable of such a feat. Her friends had come.

Her glee was short-lived as Jago began tugging on her collar once again. "I'm going to gather my weapons," Jago said, addressing Artigas as he turned away. The man coolly appraised them, making no move. Clarke glanced at the wall. The missile had been set, and a countdown had started. Twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes until the missile launched and spelled imminent death for her friends and family.

Twenty minutes to save everyone's lives, even if it cost her her own.

Jago dragged Clarke through the halls, and she tried desperately to remember the path back to the antechamber. She had to be able to turn off the missile. But what if she couldn't?

She shook her head. No time to dwell on that now. And if Raven was here, that meant that Bellamy was here. He'd come through, once again, just as he always did.

Clarke began to recognize the hallway she was in, and Jago was suddenly pushing her through the door and into the room where Hava was sitting in a cage. "Clarke," the girl said, clearly pleased at seeing her friend.

But Clarke didn't have time to dwell as Jago suddenly pushed her up against a wall, his hands groping her sides and chest as he leaned forward, leering. "I've waited for this long enough, Fisa."

"Are you insane?!" Clarke began. "You're undersiege."

"No one will deny me any longer." Jago had a crazed look in his eyes, and Clarke's heart rate picked up as she realized he might actually be insane. He suddenly leaned down and forced his mouth upon hers. When his hands grabbed her chin, squeezing her cheeks in a bruising manner and forcing her lips open, his tongue slipped into her mouth, and Clarke bit down, hard.

Jago shouted and threw her to the side. Clarke slammed to the ground, and the breath left her lungs on impact. As she looked to the side, though, she noticed a crowbar lying on the floor. One of the Wastelanders must have left it from earlier.

Jago came at her, and Clarke made a desperate grab. Her fingers gripped the bar and she flung it around, smacking Jago to the side. His head wrenched to the left with the force of the hit and he slammed to the ground.

"Clarke!" Hava shouted, and Clarke stood, shaking from adrenalin, as she approached the cage.

"Hava, quick. Where are the keys? Have you seen them?"

Hava pointed to a nearby cabinet. "There, top drawer."

Clarke reached into the top drawer, hands scrabbling until they alit on something, anything. And then finally… Aha! She pulled the key out, hastily trying to undo the lock. And with a small click, Hava was freed.

"Clarke," Hava cried, reaching forward to grab the blonde in a hug.

"C'mon, there's no time to waste," Clarke began, but she coughed out as she was yanked backwards by the chain of her collar. Jago had stood up, and Clarke choked as he threw the chain over a beam on the ceiling, yanking up the other side and pulling Clarke onto her tiptoes as the chain began to hang her.

Clarke clawed at her throat as Jago yanked the chain further. Her toes were barely touching the ground now and she was beginning to see dots in her vision.

"I'll have you, even if you're nearly dead," Jago spat out, crazed. "You're mine, Clarke. And you will be forever, and you'll live knowing I've killed everyone you loved."

This was the end. If Jago didn't kill her, he'd certainly take what he wanted, and she could nearly feel the seconds ticking away as the missile prepared to launch. And there was so much more left to do, so much left unsaid to those she really cared about. She needed to forgive her mother. She needed closure with Lexa. And Bellamy? She just needed him.

And just as Clarke could feel herself losing consciousness, the tension in the chain suddenly dropped and Clarke fell to the ground, gasping for breath, as Hava wielded the forgotten crowbar and swung it with all of her might on the back of Jago's head. As Jago crumpled, Hava swung again, and this time Jago was out for good.

Clarke tried to catch her breath, and she stared up at Hava, who dropped the crowbar as it if were on fire as she stared at her hands. "Hava," Clarke croaked. "Are you okay?"

Hava nodded, bending down to check on Clarke. She had tears in her eyes, but Clarke could see her trying to reign in her emotions. "I-I'm sorry. I just, I saw you, and I was worried, and I wished a warrior were here to save you. A-and then I remembered what you said: a strong girl just needs herself."

Clarke pulled Hava into a quick hug. "You did good, Hava. You saved my life. Now help me up. We have to go."

Hava pulled Clarke's arm over her shoulders and stood, pulling them both into a standing position. "Where are we going?"

"I'll direct us. Just help me walk at first," Clarke rasped, throat and lungs still burning. But she was alive, and there was still time to fix this. To save everyone. There was still hope.

And as they pried the door open, Clarke felt it all come crashing down. Artigas stood there, grinning down at them, two burly Wastelanders behind him. "Hello. Clarke."

A/N: This is totally un-beta-ed and I literally just finished writing it, but I figured I'd post it up immediately for you guys. Thanks for your patience. Things have been pretty nutty in my life, but this story only has a few chapters left, so know that you'll get all your feels super soon :) Anyway, special thanks to everyone who reviews, because that's really what inspires me to keep going, even when I'm dead tired and don't exactly feel like writing. You guys are the GREATEST. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this, and that you want to tune in next time!

P.S. Oh yeah someone in the comments once asked me about names - my friend SB LOVES making lists of names and I get all of mine from her list. If you guys have a name you particularly love and want used for an OC character at some point (maybe in this story or another one), then leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.