There was a powerful explosion from the hall and we all knew that the time had come. I checked the oversized gun that I was holding one last time and steeled myself for a fight. I could hear Monty and Jasper strategising in the corner as I kept a tense view on the door.
"Wait a second." Monty got louder suddenly and the tone of his voice caught my attention. "Some of them aren't wearing hazmat suits." He declared and I glanced over my shoulder at them in wide eyed horror as I realised the implications of his statement.
"What's it mean?" Miller asked in confusion as he glimpsed between the scowl that I wore and tension of the boys. Jasper looked up to meet his eyes with a fearful expression.
"Means they're cured. Marrow treatments worked." He answered in a solemn voice and my stomach lurched at his confirmation. The realisation struck me that they would kill every single person here if needed now that they had proof that we were the cure. There was an insistent pounding on the door which startled me from my thoughts and I returned to the moment with a feeling of dread.
"Get ready!" Jasper commanded over the deafening sound which revealed that our attackers were ramming something that would burst the door open. I gripped the gun tightly in my hands as I prepared for what I knew that I would inevitably have to do. I heard the sound of barging behind me and glanced over my shoulder to find that the other set of doors were taking a similar beating. We were being flanked from both sides and I gulped in anticipation. As the doors in front of me flew open, several smoke grenades were thrown over the top of the blockade of chairs that we had built and people moved quickly to dowse them in buckets.
"Play dead, everyone play dead! Wait for my signal, we'll ambush them!" Jasper called out and there was a wave of momentum as people rapidly dropped to the floor. I threw myself to the ground and tucked the gun underneath me to hide it from view. I held my breath as the guards flooded the space from both entrances and paced around checking us individually. I waited with my heart pounding in my ears for Jasper to give the order and listened to their boots pounding with a lump in my throat.
"Now!" Jasper howled as he sprung to his feet and swung an axe into the back of the nearest guard.
We exploded into action as chaos broke out between the two sides. The space rang with the sound of gunfire and screaming as we clashed, and I could see those around me fighting for their lives. I beheld the scene in a state of disbelief as our people attacked with anything they could find and the combat quickly became close and personal. I darted my eyes around the room for people who were struggling and tried to take slow, careful shots as I worried about hitting the wrong person.
I was surrounded by bloodshed as I turned on the spot to analyse the situation all around me. I managed to shoot several of our attackers successfully but it was impossible to keep track of what was happening. It was a brutal scene to witness as our people tore the guards apart and blood splattered up the walls. I prepared to fire again but the gun jammed and I realised almost a moment too late that one of the attackers was charging at me. I frantically fiddled with the gun in a desperate bid to reload it as the enemy pounded towards me. With only seconds left to spare, I gripped the gun by one end and swung it at his head, causing him to drop to the floor. I hit him several more times to be sure that he wouldn't get back up and panted as his blood splashed onto my face.
"Retreat! Retreat! Pull back! Pull back now!" I heard the leader of their forces calling out as he dragged any surviving allies from the floor but we didn't relent. We attacked anyone within reach as they rapidly backed away and Jasper stood at the front of our forces, screaming wildly as they scarpered for cover. I examined our people as our assailants fled in terror from us; every one of us was splattered in blood and yelled alongside Jasper in a frenzied unison. He turned to face us as the last guard stumbled out of the room with his face full of hope and admiration.
"We did it!" He announced and the others cheered in a joint celebration. "Seal the barricade!" He ordered and the crowd parted diligently to reset our defences. Jasper met my eyes with a subtle nod and flashed him a smile that couldn't possibly convey the pride that I felt in him.
"Jasper! No, no! Jasper!"
We both startled at the desperate screaming that shattered the relief in the room and I whipped around to face the door in horror as recognition punched me in the stomach. Jasper bolted past me as I remained rooted to the spot and felt cold dread shiver down my spine. The realisation struck me that we had failed, all of the fighting hadn't prevented them from taking one of us.
"Fox! Fox no!" Jasper cried out as he sprinted towards the door and I turned to witness Miller catch him in place. I noticed with a grimace that he was struggling to contain him as he battled in a desperate need to rescue Fox. I took a deep breath before I strolled over to their side and placed a hand on Jasper's shoulder to turn him to face me.
"Hey. You have to stop, you have to stay in control Jasper." I asserted as Miller released him into my grip and I took hold of his shoulders firmly. Jasper's expression broke as he viewed me and his eyes filled with guilty tears.
"I told her she'd be okay." He breathed as they overflowed to roll down his cheeks and I gripped his face in my hands as I brushed them away. "I promised." He whispered in a defeated manner that revealed the extent of his regret and I gazed at him sympathetically.
"You did everything you could but you can't fall apart yet. There are plenty of people in this room who still need you." I soothed as I pushed his hair away to get a better view of him and dried his face gently. When he dragged his eyes back to mine I could recognise the agonising remorse that waited there and I felt that the darkest parts of our hearts acknowledged each other. "We can't give up, either of us." I muttered meaningfully and released him from my grip with the unshakeable trust that he would do the right thing.
I felt Monty approach the two of us from behind and stepped out of Jasper's space so that he could address him. I observed as Monty held up the screen which displayed the feed from the hallway security cameras and it showed Fox being abducted by the guards. I watched Jasper's devastated face and felt guilty that I hadn't tried to save her. There was a groan from nearby and I glanced over to discover someone in a hazmat suit crawling across the floor. Jasper seemed to notice this at the same moment and stalked over to them menacingly, before swinging the axe into the air and crashing it down into their back with a scream. I studied him in concern as the others all paused in shock at the brutality of his actions. I decided to give him a moment to recover and attempted to source some privacy for him. I turned to face the watching crowd with annoyance.
"We don't have time to waste people! Clear out the bodies, get that barricade back up and get this place ready for the next wave!" I yelled in an authoritative manner and was relieved when they dispersed without question.
I glanced over my shoulder at Jasper who hadn't moved at all and struggled to consider anything else that I could say to help him. I met Monty's eyes to find that his concern mirrored mine and he nodded subtly at me. I felt a wave of relief and sighed as I left him to manage Jasper. I assisted the others in repairing the barricade and then occupied myself with gathering up weapons. There were only four guns to be salvaged as the attackers we had just scared off weren't carrying any. I gathered all the ammunition that I could find on a table to distribute, followed by any other useful supplies that I stumbled across in the room. I was startled when Jasper appeared beside me to line up walkie talkies on the table as others dropped off various items that they'd collected from the bodies of the guards.
"They're gonna come in a lot hotter next time, you know that right?" Miller appeared on my other side and addressed Jasper in an antagonising manner.
"All we've got to do is hold the floor until Bellamy finds a way out." Jasper replied in annoyance and I scanned him doubtfully. I couldn't deny that his behaviour was causing me to feel less certain of his belief that Bellamy was here by the minute. He was coping undeniably well under the sudden stress of leadership and I was relieved to have his expertise for the plans, but it was clear that he was starting to unravel under the pressure.
"We're gonna need more than some buckets of water and 4 guns to do that." Miller retorted and I opened my mouth to warn him to back off when one of the radios on the table crackled.
"This is President Wallace talking to the people who just killed 10 of my men."
I recognised the voice from the radio and I felt my stomach drop as I realised why. It was the same voice that had told the medical staff that my blood was valuable and to keep me alive when I was drugged. This was Cage, the original President Wallace's son and the man responsible for all of the experiments on our people. Everything started to make a repulsive sense and I felt sick to my stomach.
"Jasper!" Monty breathed in a frantic hiss as he held the screen out for us both to watch.
"I thought we'd try something a little different this time. There's only 20 minutes of oxygen in Maya's suit." The voice on the radio continued and I observed as Maya backed slowly out of the elevator into the hall wearing a hazmat suit. My stomach lurched as I peeked at Jasper's heartbroken face. "I know she's a friend of yours. 20 minutes, your friend will either suffocate or burn...but you can save her. All you have to do is surrender." The threat caused the atmosphere in the room to grow heavy. We glanced around at each other in shock and I couldn't manage any words. Miller and Harper caught my eyes with equally reluctant expressions and I waited for someone to say something or to suggest a plan, but nobody spoke.
"Let her in, quickly." Jasper ordered his stunned audience and when none of us moved, he pushed past us to open the door himself. He led Maya inside with a protective arm around her and guided her to a seat before immediately placing himself closely next to her. Monty and I approached in unison to crouch down in front of her and I gazed at her sympathetically. I didn't know what to do or feel, the whole situation was a mess and I felt conflicted between my people and her life.
"Listen to me, Fox is okay. Bellamy saved her. He's gonna get some guns in here through the trash chute." She stated firmly as she directed her words to Jasper and Monty. My eyes widened as I processed what I'd heard and my breath hitched. I couldn't comprehend the idea that a second person was claiming to have seen Bellamy and I felt my body stiffen in response.
"If we can get guns in, we can get you out." Jasper whispered reassuringly at Maya whilst I froze in shock.
"No, we can't." Monty revealed, causing them both to inspect him with confusion. "I dismantled the chute, I'm sorry. I didn't think we'd be trying to open it ourselves." He admitted as he glimpsed between the three of us guiltily. He reached out to put his hand over Maya's reassuringly. "I can fix it." He added with a determined confidence and sprung to his feet.
"Thank you, go help him." Jasper called over to Miller and Harper as Monty ran in the direction of the chute. They nodded back obediently in confirmation before rushing after him. I made nervous eye contact with Maya and studied her in disbelief. I opened my mouth to speak and closed it again several times, too afraid to ask what I needed to.
"Did you say Bel…" I paused abruptly and inhaled sharply as I still stuttered on his name. "Did you say Bellamy was here?" I asked fearfully as I stared up at her with an intensity that carried the weight of my question. She nodded in return and I inspected her adamant face in confusion. "That's impossible. Are you sure you didn't get the wrong name?" I whispered as my mind raced to try to contain the hope that threatened to blossom in the hole in my chest that had been aching since I first woke up here.
"I'm sure that's the name he gave me. Tall, dark hair, freckles...willing to do whatever it takes to find his people?" She listed a description that rapidly built the image of him in my mind and I felt my chest compress tightly as my breath caught in my throat. "And if that doesn't convince you, the first words he spoke to me were 'where is Indigo?'" She added with a sympathetic smile.
I couldn't hide the tears that filled my eyes as I covered my mouth in shock and stepped back from her. I stumbled in my desperation to escape their pitying stares and felt as if my head was about to explode. I paced around for a few minutes running my hands frantically through my hair and hyperventilating. I could hear Monty and the others struggling with the chute but I couldn't focus on anything other than the earth shattering information that I'd just absorbed. Instead, my mind was tearing itself apart over the idea that Bellamy was here somewhere and I was overwhelmed with the urge that I wasn't getting to him fast enough.
I felt suffocated in the room full of people and tore out into the hall as I felt myself shaking from head to toe. I couldn't decide what to do and there was a symphony of voices in my mind screaming to find him. I paced the hall and whilst I was moving I searched every crevice for a way off this floor. I stopped in my tracks and stared at the hypnotising movements of the fans behind the grid. Octavia's face flashed through my mind and I once again remembered her climbing out of the air vents in the Skybox. I hurried back into the dining hall and investigated our supplies for something that I could use to get the grate open. Jasper noticed my frantic behaviour and rushed to my side to check on me.
"Hey Indie, are you holding up okay?" He asked as he carefully reached out to touch my arm as if he were dealing with a dangerous animal.
No, no I'm not." I spat as I stepped away from his touch to continue with my task. "I can't just sit here knowing that he's in Mount Weather somewhere. I need to find him." I ranted in a frustrated tone as I felt my mind unravelling.
"Look, I know that finding out about Bellamy is a big deal but you just need to sit tight. Monty's working on getting the chute open and Bellamy's going to come right to us." Jasper asserted as he stepped into my path to block my panic driven movements. He gripped my shoulders tightly with both hands to keep me in place and scrutinised me firmly in an attempt to take control.
"What if Monty can't get it open? Or what if something happens to Bellamy before he gets here? I can't - I can't just sit and wait! He might need my help, you know how reckless he can be." I stuttered as I aggressively shook his hands off my shoulders and stepped away from him. "You can either help me get out of here, or you can get out of my way." I spat in a threatening tone that I hadn't intended to use.
"I am getting you out of here, Monty and I are working on it right now." Jasper argued with obvious exasperation as he glimpsed from me to the others in an attempt to maintain an awareness of the situation in the room. "Unless you have any other bright ideas, I don't know what else I can do for you Indie." He commented with a heavy sense of exhaustion.
"The air vent in the hall, I need to get it open. It has to lead to other floors, if I can find him and back him up, that's only going to increase our chances of making it out of here." I explained as I softened my voice and met his eyes with a pleading expression. Jasper sighed with a hint of disappointment. He glanced around reluctantly before picking up several poles and summoning a group of men to my side.
"Help Indigo to get the hall grate open and get back here as soon as you can. Block the cameras first so they can't see what you're doing." He ordered as he handed out the poles and they rushed into the hall. I was about to follow them when he grabbed my wrist to halt me. "Be careful and stay alive. I know how reckless you get around Bellamy. We can't lose anyone else." He clung to me as he spoke and warned me with fearful eyes. I nodded in agreement and he finally released me.
I emerged into the hall to find the cameras all covered and the men were making quick progress to remove the grate. I ran to join them with the last pipe and jammed it into the grate. I pushed against it with all the force I could muster to assist in prising it open. After several strenuous attempts it finally popped off and I could access the tunnel behind it. I thanked the others for their help as I freed them to return to Jasper's command and climbed into the vent with a determination that radiated from my core. I lifted the discarded grate and placed it over the entrance behind me to cover my tracks.
I crawled through the claustrophobic tunnels and tried to keep myself focused on the task. It was difficult to navigate and I quickly found that I had lost track of where in the facility I was. I emerged into a circular area with a grated floor and took a moment to stretch out. There were multiple open tunnels in every direction and I cursed under my breath as I assessed each of them. They were all identical from where I stood and it dawned on me that Jasper was right to stop me from leaving. I had no idea where Bellamy was in this bunker and now I was vulnerable with no backup against the forces that controlled this base. I kicked the ground in frustration and hissed under my breath. I reluctantly squeezed myself back into the same tunnel that I'd just exited and started on my way back to the others. I was about half way back when I heard raised voices and knew that the reinforcements had arrived to seize the remaining group.
I gulped and remained in place as I listened to their conversations. I considered the plan that they had been formulating when I left and hoped that they had been successful in receiving supplies to fight with. I felt immensely guilty for leaving them and was struck with the impulse to help them fight. I knew that I would be far more vulnerable now, as I would have to attack from behind the soldiers and this would leave me at great risk of being taken myself. I waited until I could be sure that the guards were no longer in the hallway and was about to start moving towards the exit when I heard the confused voices of the soldiers questioning where the kids were.
I paused for a few minutes longer to check whether they had planned another form of ambush, but once the soldiers filtered back out with no sounds of confrontation, I knew that my people were not on level five any longer. I smiled to myself as I decided that Monty must have succeeded in repairing the chute and they had likely used it as an escape route instead of risking fighting again. I felt immediately calmer now that I knew the others were no longer trapped and slowly backed my way out of the tunnel into the circular chamber.
I inspected each new tunnel in the hope that I would notice something that could guide me but they all seemed to be dead ends from here. I sighed before deciding to choose at random and climbed into one of them. It took a significantly longer time to reach the end than I expected and when I reached another panel I was exhausted. I was relieved to discover that it was barely attached and pushed it off without much resistance. I emerged into an area of the bunker that I hadn't seen before and I crept carefully through the halls. From the state of the area it seemed to be disused and required serious maintenance. I quickened my pace as I jogged in a random direction and it wasn't long before I noticed the sound of footsteps approaching. I dove behind a cupboard to hide and waited with nervous anticipation.
After a few frantic moments a lone guard passed and I sprung out to grab him. At first I only intended to tackle him but I didn't possess the strength to overpower him and he almost managed to throw me off. I was reminded of the incident with Pike in our last Earth skills class and knew from my experience with him that I wouldn't manage to control the situation for much longer. I pulled a knife from my pocket and stabbed the guard in the neck without hesitation. If there was one thing that I'd learned from Pike, it was that I needed to be willing to do what was necessary and although I didn't enjoy killing, I knew what this guard was willing to capture me for. I reassured myself that it was either him or my friends and I had no difficulty in making that decision. I stole the radio from his belt and found a note in his pocket labelled guard training that confirmed what rooms were on each floor. I glanced down with a pang of regret as I observed the young man whose life I'd ended but I shook my head to dislodge the thought. I stuffed the radio into my pocket and followed the corridor until I found a tunnel entrance with a warning sign labelled maintenance only.
I removed the grate to crumple myself inside and crawled along the tunnel until I reached an opening. I stepped into a small space with a ladder on the wall and surveyed the area to determine that it allowed access to multiple levels. I took a deep breath before I stepped onto the ladder and started my ascent. I was almost at the next floor when the radio crackled in my pocket.
"Intruder located, he's in chemical deployment. Bravo squad, intercept and capture."
I felt my breath hitch at the message and I knew in my gut that they must be referring to Bellamy. I recalled Jasper's mention that he was disguised as a guard and was planning to disable the acid fog. With renewed motivation, I rushed up the remaining bars and onto the next floor. Panting from the strain, I stepped off the ladder and pulled the note from my pocket to confirm where chemical deployment was. I was relieved to discover that I was on the correct floor already. I tried to interpret the crude, hand drawn map on the other side of the note and figured out which tunnel should lead to chemical deployment.
I was about to climb into it when I heard a strange rumbling noise coming from inside. I leaned closer and touched the edge of the metal that lined the route only to jolt backwards as it scolded me. There was a blast of hot air and I threw myself to the grated floor of the chamber just in time to miss an explosion of flames that burst out of the vent. I curled into myself and covered my head as I cried out in shock. The floor shook beneath me and I heard the sound of some metal structures around me collapsing. I remained fearfully in place as I waited for my surroundings to calm and I tried to convince myself that the grate I laid on was secure. I could feel myself shaking as I had flashbacks to the sounds of the dropships engines firing and yet again felt at the mercy of the overpowering worry over what might have happened to Bellamy.
I reminded myself that if he had made it out of the chamber, he would likely need my help. I couldn't afford to fall apart like I did in the aftermath of the dropship. I forced myself back to my feet to find that the tunnel I'd been planning to take had collapsed in on itself and was no longer accessible. I hissed in frustration as I examined the other surrounding vents. Without wasting any more time on considerations I climbed into the next entrance and I hoped that this one would emerge close enough to chemical deployment that I could investigate where he'd gone next. I followed the tunnels for what felt like hours around numerous twists and turns until I realised that I'd completely lost track of my location again. I approached a grate and decided to take the risk of exiting to reorient myself.
I pushed the grate off and stepped into another identical hallway. I groaned in disappointment and spurred myself to walk to my left in search of anything familiar. I hadn't apprehended any guards in a while and worried that the others may already have been captured. I turned the corner and almost slammed into Miller, Fox and a stranger who seemed to be escorting them. I leapt back in shock and automatically grabbed a knife to hold out in front of me. I was close enough to Fox to reach her and instinctively pulled her behind me protectively as I assessed the man that she was with.
"Hey Indigo, it's okay! He's safe!" Miller gasped as he jumped in front of me and held his hands out in a gesture of trust. "This is Maya's dad, he's been helping us out since you left." He added and I felt a pang of guilt at his wording. I released my grip on Fox and she turned to view me with an appreciative smile.
"So you're the infamous Indigo, Maya has told me a lot about you. I'm Vincent." The stranger smiled as he spoke and I still viewed him with a deep rooted suspicion. "We've been hiding your people with residents who don't agree with Cage, but the guards are doing door to door checks now. Bellamy wants you all to meet in the harvest chamber and be ready to fight." He explained in a slow, steady manner as the other two studied me in nervous anticipation. It was clear from their nervous demeanour that they weren't sure what to expect from me and it gave me an uncomfortable perspective into my erratic behaviour.
"Wait, Bellamy was here?" I asked doubtfully as Vincent nodded. I felt a wave of relief at this confirmation that he had survived the blast but it was immediately followed by disappointment as I realised that I'd missed him again. "Did he say where he was going?" I questioned as I glimpsed between them and noticed Fox smiling at me with an understanding look.
"He went to level three to find Monty and the rest of our people." She answered keenly. I felt conflicted between escorting them and continuing to look for Bellamy, especially now that I knew that Monty was at risk. "I think he's still looking for you too. He asked where you were as soon as we got out of the dining hall. Jasper went with him to help." She explained and I felt my chest tighten with anxiety. I shuffled on the spot as I considered my options and I knew in my gut that I should trust in Bellamy's plan. I struggled to battle against my desire to find him and my stomach twisted in knots.
"I can take care of these two if you want to follow your man." Vincent spoke in a gentle, compassionate voice and I viewed him with confusion. "I've been helping Bellamy to stay undercover since he arrived and he's been asking for you since we first met. It's not hard to figure out why; I knew that desperate expression well young lady." He smiled and I raised my brows at his frank nature in surprise. I glanced over to Miller who nodded encouragingly and Fox squeezed my arm before moving closer to Miller. "They're with Miss Ryan, room 315. You can use the west hallways, they're under repair so there are no cameras active. If you're fast, you should catch them up" Vincent instructed and I nodded in acknowledgement. I peeked reluctantly back at the others one last time before heading off in the direction that Vincent had pointed.