The Untouchable Stryker

by Kara2211

Lexa has had a very hard life. She doesn't know who her parents are or where she is really from. All she knows is she is different and wants to get out of Afghanistan. She is forced to fight for Ahmed's group when her school was bombed. That's where she met Ash, the person she thought was the love of her life but then she meets Clarke.

96. Chapter 96: Lexa

Chapter 96: Lexa

I dodge the explosion, but one of the tires on the van blows and sends us off the road into a tree. I hit my head on the steering wheel and can feel blood running down from my forehead. I yell, "Is everyone alright?" They all say yes. When I try to move, I realize there is something wrong with my left ankle, but I don't have time to worry about it at the moment.

I look out the window and see four armed men in guard uniforms moving toward us. "We need to get out of the van and get ready to fight," I say to everyone. They all head for the trees. I try to stand but can't. I can see the guards closing in. I crawl as best as I can for cover. As the guards circle the van, they open fire and take them out pretty quickly. Once the guards are down, everyone comes over to me.

"I think my ankle is broken or something." When I look at my left ankle, I can see my bone sticking through the skin right above my ankle, and the ankle is at an odd angle. "Well, that's not good!"

Zaria looks at it and says, "Nope, it's not. It looks like you broke your tibia, which is what you see coming through the skin, and your ankle is dislocated and possibly broken as well. So we're going to need to set it, close the wound as best we can wrap, and splint it. It's going to hurt."

"Do you know what you are doing?"

"Sort of. I was training to be a combat medic for my platoon. I've done it on dummies before but never a live person. Normally, you would wait to have it set in the hospital, but given we are nowhere near a hospital and the fact that you can't feel your toes, I feel it's best if we do it now."

"Whatever you feel is best, just do it. When I touch the back of my head, I feel a golf ball-sized knot and some blood. I also realize that I have some blood running down from my forehead. I look at Dakota and see that she has a cut on her forehead but seems to be coming out of her drug-induced state. I ask her, "Are you okay?" She nods yes.

I try to use my coms, but they aren't responding. So finally, Zaria says, "Alright, take a few deep breaths and then on three. Yeah?"

"Sure." I take a few deep breaths to calm myself. "Okay, one…two…son of a bitch! Ahhh! What the fuck? I didn't get to three."

"It's better not to know, you tense up when you think it is about to happen, and it makes it harder," Zaria says with a chuckle. "Now, I just need to find something to splint it with."

I pull out my two boot daggers and hand them to her. "Use these. The sheaths will make a good splint, and I can still use the knives if I need to."

She smiles, "I like the way you think."

I watch as she uses some butterfly stitches and tape to close the wound. Then she used a pressure bandage from the first aid kit to cover it before splinting it with the daggers. Once she was finished, I could feel my toes again, even through the throbbing pain. She handed me some Advil and water and said that was all we had for pain, which was fine with me. I don't like taking anything more substantial. How the hell am I going to be able to walk? How are we going to be able to make it to the jeep if I can't walk? I doubt any of them can drive. I look around, "Where are we?"

Samiya says, "I'm not sure."

"Great, we need to move, but I don't know how well I'm going to be able to walk. There's a fork in this road somewhere that has a few abandoned houses. At the end of the road, there's a jeep in the garage of one of the abandoned houses. We need to get to it before anyone else comes looking for us."

"Kalen, Jasmine, Dakota, and I need to get these trackers out of our arms first." Zaria takes out a knife, then uses it to cut a slit on the inside of Kalen's arm, then reaches in with her fingers and pulls out a little tube-looking thing the size of a piece of Pez candy. Then she repeats the process on herself, Dakota, and Jasmine.

"Alright, we need to move. First, check the dead men for phones or anything useful along with the truck and van. Then, I really need to call Clarke and Ash."

I watch Samiya as she walks away, studying everything about her. I can't get over how much we favor one another, Zaria too. We have the same eyes, nose, and the way we walk and move is remarkably similar. When she comes back, she hands me a phone, "This is the only one, and it is almost dead, but you should be able to make a short call at least."

"Zaria, can you examine Dakota while I make the phone call?" I take the phone and dial Clarke's number first. It rings and rings until it goes to voicemail. Shit! Come on, Clarke, answer the phone. I need to know that you are alright. Please answer the damn phone. I redial the number. It rings six times before she answers it. "Hello."

"Ya Amar, it's me. Are you okay? I have that feeling that something is wrong."

It takes her a minute to answer, and when she does, I can tell she's crying. "Lexa, is that you? Is it really you?"

"Yes, baby, it's me. What's wrong? Are you and the twins alright?"

"Where are you? Are you alright? We're fine…I-I just…I'm worried about you. Ash said that you went back…and I-I thought something happened to you."

"Please don't cry, Clarke. I'm okay. We are going to plan B. I should be with you soon. Is Ash near you? This phone is going dead."

"No, but mom is in the next room. Do you want to talk to her?"

"Yes, that'll work. I love you, Ya Amar. I promise I'll see you soon!"

"I love you, Cielo. Be safe."

Abby gets on the phone, "Lexa?"

"Yes, Abby, it's me. Listen, I need you to tell Ash that we are trying to get to the jeep and meet at the rendezvous point. Unfortunately, we ran into trouble, but it has been neutralized for the time being. But, listen, don't tell Clarke, but I've broken my ankle. It's going to take us a while to get to the jeep. How much damage will I do if I walk on it while it is splinted?"

"Lexa, it really depends on a lot of factors. It would be best not to, but if you have to use a crutch or something to keep most of the weight off of it."

"Okay, this phone is about to die, but I had to talk to Clarke. Is she okay? I have that feeling."

"She is…She's okay for the most part."

"What does that mean, Abby?"

"She hasn't stopped crying since the group came back without you. She has curled up in a ball and won't eat or drink anything. She is so worried that you aren't going to make it back. She's making herself sick."

"Is she still there with you?"

"Yes."

"The phone is beeping. It is about to die. Tell Ash I will contact her if something changes. I'm not sure how far we are from the jeep, but we will head out on foot. I will call again when I can, but we are heading to the secondary pickup location. Let me talk to Clarke again."

"Baby, are you there?" Clarke says into the phone. "Are you hurt? It sounds like you are hurt by what mom was saying."

"I'm here, sweetie, but the phone is going to die. I'm alright. Don't worry about me. Listen, I need you to eat and take care of yourself and the twins until I get back. I know you're upset, but you need to eat and stop making yourself sick. Can you do that for me?"

I hear sniffling and then, "Yes, I will try. But Lexa, I need you to come back to me."

"I know, baby, and I'm on the way. I love…" Damn it, the stupid phone died. I hope talking to me will put her at ease, at least enough to eat something. I have to hurry and get back to her.

Samiya asks, "Who is this Clarke?"

"Um…she's my fiancé, and she's pregnant with twins. I can feel when something is wrong with her, and I have that feeling now. I need to get to her. I just talked to her, and she doesn't sound good. She's worried about me and won't get out of bed or eat. We need to hurry. I need to find something to make a crutch or cane with to help me walk."

Dakota comes up to me and puts her arm around my waist like I did her at the facility. "Thanks, but…" She just shakes her head and starts walking with me. "Does anyone know how to drive?" But, of course, everyone shakes their heads no. Well, there goes that idea. I was hoping that someone could go ahead and get the jeep, but I guess not.

Zaria says, "I think I can figure it out if I need to. Why?"

"There's a jeep at the last house after the fork in the road. If someone knew how to drive, you could go ahead of us, and it would make the trip quicker."

"Kalen and I will go. You all stick to the woods close to the road, and we'll be back as soon as we can."

"Alright, the keys are under the floor mat on the passenger side. Please be careful."

They both nod at me and head off at a sprint. Dakota continues to help me walk while Jasmine and Samiya walk beside us. "Seems like they all know one another pretty well." I say, looking at Samiya, "So…Zaria is your daughter? How well do you know them?"

"Yes, and Kalen is her twin brother. Not as well as I would like. I didn't even know about Kalen. Zaria's birth was difficult, and I almost died. I had no idea that I was carrying twins or that he was alive until Zaria told me when I found her. I've only seen Zaria a few times since she was born. They don't like the mothers to interact with the children because they don't want them to form attachments. You know…um, you look…well, you look like I did when I was your age."

"Yeah, I noticed the resemblance to you and Zaria. Where are you from?"

"A small village in the Helmand province in Afghanistan."

"What about you?"

"I have no idea. I was raised in an orphanage until the Taliban captured me and made me fight for them."

"What orphanage?"

"Kabul Islamic Hope, why?"

"No way!"

"What?"

"The short version is, when I was fourteen, I was raped and became pregnant. My father was so mad that he sold me to some Americans to work in a research facility. I was taken somewhere in the mountain to a place much like the one you rescued me from. Turns out that they didn't want workers. They wanted to experiment on unborn babies. So I was strapped down and using a large needle, they injected something into me. All they would say was it wouldn't harm the baby. Soon I became friends with a lab worker Carin, who worked out a plan to help some of us escape. She was able to get a few of us out and to a nearby military base where we stayed until they could find somewhere for us to go. Since I was only fourteen, I was sent to Kabul Islamic Hope, where I delivered my baby girl. She was two months old when she was adopted. I didn't want to give her up, but I knew she would be better off with two loving parents."

"Are you saying that you think that I am your daughter?"

"I don't know, but…maybe. I mean, you are what around twenty? The math adds up, as does the location. The only thing that doesn't is why you end up back in the orphanage."

"I don't know what to believe, but I'm sure Abby can figure it out when we get there. I have to admit there is an uncanny resemblance. Do you know anything about Dakota or the secret bad room where she was being held?" Dakota cuts her eyes at me but doesn't say a word. I feel her tense up when Samiya starts to talk.

"No, not really. I know that Dr. Patton was not happy that he couldn't control her and that his medicines didn't seem to work on her. He tried many different combinations of his 'cocktail,' but nothing seemed to work. He seemed to think it was because her mother was a Cherokee Indian that something in her DNA kept the meds from working effectively. He just couldn't figure out why."

"What happened to her mother?"

"I'm not sure. She just disappeared one day, and no one ever saw her again."

Dakota's step faltered a bit, and we became off-balance, but she recovered before we fell. "Dakota, do you know what happened to her? Did she have any more children?" She nods yes but doesn't elaborate.

Samiya continues, "I really don't know."

"Do you know what went on in the secret room?"

"Not really, but every time she came out of there, she had been beaten and drugged."

I wonder what happened to this girl and her mother. Nothing about what I'm hearing gives me a good feeling. We stayed off the main road just enough to follow it but not be seen by passing vehicles. We talked some but mostly walked in silence so that we would be able to hear anything approaching. Zaria said that she had been beaten, which I could tell, and that she was most likely drugged since she was still somewhat out of it. Apparently, they did that to her a lot because she was difficult to control. Dr. Patton's 'cocktail' of drugs didn't seem to work on her like it did the rest of them. It was well after dark before we could finally see the fork in the road and an outline of a house. Then, in the distance, we started to hear approaching vehicles. We all lay down in the brush and watch as four hum-v's and several passenger vans pass by on the road. I whisper, "That's not good."

It was after midnight when Zaria and Kalen arrived with the jeep. I look at the jeep and notice an old military jeep with the 50-cal machine gun still mounted on the rollbars. That may come in handy if we run into trouble. I hope that Pav left more guns and ammo as well.

"Alright, check and see if there are any more guns or ammo or really anything useful."

Kalen finally speaks, "Yes, there is plenty of ammo and four machine guns and a couple of 9mm's."

Zaria says, "There is also a cooler with water and another med kit."

"Awesome, make sure they are loaded and hand me one of the 9mm. We should probably stay here until morning and rest since we've been moving for about twenty-four hours. Everyone should drink plenty of water and eat some of the protein bars. I'll take the first watch. Then at first light, we will get the hell out of here."

Zaria says, "Maybe we should go back to one of the houses and stay the night there instead. Then, we will have more cover than out here in the open."

"That's a good idea, but I'll drive."

We load up in the jeep. The kids start talking. Jasmine is telling Zaria about our encounter on the way out of rescuing Dakota. I can tell from the way they talk with one another that they are pretty close. Kalen and Zaria ask questions about the fight and seem pretty impressed when Jasmine informs them that it was Nicky and his group that I handle so quickly.

I notice that Dakota still isn't speaking so, I look at Zaria, "Can she speak?"

"I…I know that she used to before."

"Before what?"

"Before she was strong enough to fight back against the guards. The doctors couldn't control her like the rest of us with the meds. It was like she was immune to them, and she refused to do what they told her, even if they beat her. Then they started taking her to 'therapy' sessions in what she called the bad room. After a few weeks of 'therapy,' she stopped talking and would mostly follow orders."

"What kind of 'therapy' did they use?"

"None of us know. Dakota was the only one that they used it on that I'm aware of, and she stopped talking before she told anyone what was happening."

When I look at Dakota, she is just staring at me, listening to our conversation, but she never says anything. Her face is swollen, and her eyes are black from the beatings she obviously took. I see in Dakota an athletic, leanly muscled girl with beautiful silver-grey eyes with specks of light blue and jet-black hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. She was slim and tall, but I can see from her arms, exposed by her ripped tank top, that she was strong. I suspect Dakota has perfect abs and not an ounce of fat on her. She has high cheekbones with wide almond-shaped eyes. Her skin is a dark tan, copper color.

"Dakota, do you understand what we are saying?"

She nods yes.

"Can you tell me what happened to you?"

She just stares at me. "Can you speak?"

She nods yes but doesn't say anything.

"Okay…will you speak?"

She nods no.

"Why?" She just shakes her head and looks away. I can see pain and distrust in her eyes. I feel in my gut that she's been through something traumatic other than just being in the facility because she has the same look that Ash and I had at one point in our lives. Maybe if I can get her to trust me, she will open up some.

We pull up to a house where we can hide the jeep and stay the rest of the night. So I say, "Alright, we still have a couple of hours until dawn, so let's get some sleep."

Everyone wonders away to find a place to sleep, except Dakota. She sits down near me and begins watching the woods for movement. "I've got this if you want to rest." She shakes her head no. "Okay, do you want to talk?" She just looks at me. "How about I talk, and you listen?" She shrugs. I'm not sure what to say, so I just start talking about what we're doing. I tell her about the plan to rescue them and take them back to America, where they will be able to decide their own fate, not be told what to do. I ramble on for at least thirty minutes, talking about how I was forced by Ahmed to fight in Afghanistan before I found a way out. I also tell her that I have recently found out that I have mutated DNA. She never said a word the entire time. Finally, I gave up talking.

We sat there in silence for a while before I became bored and started singing. I sing Crave by Thomas Rhett, thinking about Clarke. As I sing, I see Dakota nodding her head to the song. I ask her, "Do you like music?" She shrugs her shoulders. "You know this would be easier if you would just talk, right? Have you listened to music before?" She shakes her head no.

"Oh well, sometimes I find it easier to express what I am feeling by singing a song. For instance, that song I was singing was a song I sang to Clarke. I was trying to tell her how I felt about her. It talks about how I couldn't stand to be away from her. How I was always craving more time with her even though she was with Finn. I was drawn to her in a way I had never been to anyone before." I spend the next little bit talking about how I thought I was in love with Ash because of everything we went through together in the desert, but once she saw Callie again, I didn't have a chance. I explain that in the end, it didn't matter because once I met Clarke, I knew that I was in trouble. I told her how I tried to stay away because she was dating Finn, but he was an ass, and I caught him cheating on her. Then I try and explain how Clarke and my relationship started off really rocky, and I basically had to beg her through a series of songs before she would agree to date me. Dakota just sat there silently, listening and smiling.

As dawn breaks, we loaded up into the jeep. Once they are all in, I take off down the road. It doesn't take long for us to reach the main road and head right toward the ghost town of Teremtsi. About two hours later, we make it to the curve in the road near a bridge crossing. What I see when we round the corner makes my heart stop momentarily. The road has been blocked by two hum-v's, and it looks like about ten men dressed in the uniforms from the facility, plus about five of the older children. I slam on the breaks, but it is too late. They have already seen us.

"Hold on! I'm going to head off-road." I take a right and head off into the woods as Zaria man's the 50 Cal machine gun. All the jostling around is painful to my leg and head. I head for the riverbank to see if I can find a spot shallow enough to take the jeep across. The two trucks are right behind us. Zaria is able to take one out, but not before they get off a missile. I swerve just in time to make it miss, but the explosion sends debris flying everywhere, and we lose a tire, but I keep driving. Zaria manages to disable the other vehicle. The guards pile out of the vehicle and start firing at us, taking out another tire. I have no choice but to stop now.

I stop the jeep and tell them to run for the woods. My plan is to hold them off with the 50 Cal while they make it to cover since I will only slow them down. Hopefully, I will draw their fire, giving them time to make it to the woods, and then I can follow behind them. All five of them look at me like I am stupid.

I say, "Take the guns and head for the woods. I will draw their fire and hopefully their attention with the 50 Cal while you all sneak through the woods and attack them from behind. I can't keep up with my ankle and will only slow you down. Now go!"

Thankfully, they listen and head for the tree line. Unfortunately, the other truck is headed straight for me. I aim for the front where the engine is, hitting it three times before they get off another rocket. I can see one guard, and two of the kids emerge from the burning truck. The missile hits right near the back of the jeep, sending it and me flying into the air. I remember hitting the ground hard and trying to catch my breath but then…blackness. When I came to, I see they are right on top of me, all of them pointing their rifles at me.

I hope the armor will keep me safe while I do something stupid but necessary. I was lying on my back, looking up at the three men with guns pointed at me. All I could think was, I have to survive and get back to Clarke and the twins. I promised her that I would be there when they are born and that I wouldn't leave her. I have to figure out a way out of this and quickly. I take a few deep, calming breaths and think back to training with Jose. I quickly draw my knees up to my chest and roll back towards my head, using my arms to catapult me up and back, kicking my feet out and connecting with the closest person, sending him flying backward. The other two try to take aim at me, but I take a quick step with my good leg and launch into a move called the Helicóptero, which is a handstand type move in which I use my legs much like the blades of a helicopter and kick the guns out of the other two guys hands. It hurts like hell when I connect with my bad ankle, but it is necessary.

I land on my good foot and turn to face the first guy who has recovered enough to get off a shot, right as Dakota grabs him by the neck, snapping it quickly. The bullet hits me, but the armor keeps it from penetrating. Another guy is approaching. I throw a knife taking him down as I jump towards the third, landing a flying superman punch to the side of his head, knocking him out. I look back at Dakota and say, "Thanks." She just smiles at me while looking around for more enemies.

I begin to hop towards the burning truck to see if there is anyone left inside. As I approach, it explodes, sending me backward. When I wake…I'm at the Dragon's Den with Octavia. She's introducing me to a bunch of her friends. I get the strange feeling of Da Ja Vu as she introduces me to everyone. The last person she introduces me to is the most beautiful person I have ever seen. She has curly, golden blonde hair with emerald green eyes looking at me like she can see into my soul. I can't take my eyes off of her, even as O says something about her boyfriend. We just stand there staring at one another like we are the only people in the world until Clarke says, "Lexa, you have to fight to come back to me. I don't want to be with Finn. I want you. I want to marry you and have our twins, but I can't do it unless you wake up and live. Wake the fuck up!"

I feel someone punch me in the chest, or at least that is what it feels like. I open my eyes and see Dakota. "What happened? Are you okay?"

She just nods yes. I start to sit up, but my head starts to spin, so I lay back down for a minute. Soon Samiya and the rest of the group reappear. I ask, "Is everyone alright?"

Samiya answers, "Yes, we are fine. We took care of the guards who followed us, but I'm not sure what happened here."

I look at her and notice a couple of new people. "Who are your new friends?"

Zaria answers this time, "This is Elias and Nasrin. They would like to join us."

"Do you trust them? Why didn't they come with us in the beginning?"

"I do trust them. They were out on patrol when you broke into the facility. Otherwise, they would have come right away."

I try to sit up again but regret it immediately. My head starts to spin, and my entire body hurts. Zaria says, "Take it easy, Lexa. You may have a concussion or other injuries. Let me check you out before you try to sit up. How do you feel?"

"Like I have been hit by a train a couple of times, but I will be fine in a few minutes. Nice to meet you, Elias and Nasrin. I'm Lexa."

I notice Kalen's shoulder is bleeding. I point to him and ask, "What happened? Are you alright?"

He nods and says, "I took a bullet to the shoulder, but it went straight through. I'm fine."

I look over at Dakota, "What happened?" She doesn't speak but points to the hummer and uses her hands to make a gesture that I take as an explosion. "So, the hummer exploded as I approached it?" I ask. She shakes her head yes.

"Search the vehicles and bodies for anything useful, especially a phone. Zaria get a pressure bandage on Kalen's wound, and then we need to get a move-out. Elias, Nasrin, are there any more roadblocks or scouts looking for us?"

Nasrin says, "There are a few more hum-v's searching the area, but most everyone is working on cleaning out and relocating the facility. We need to be careful near the roads. There are a few scattered settlements of people around here that refuse to leave the exclusion zone even though the radiation levels are still extremely high. They will probably check the ones within a twenty-mile radius before returning to help with the relocation."

I stand, starting to feel dizzy and lightheaded like I'm about to pass out. Dakota catches me and helps me sit on the ground. Elias runs to what's left of the jeep and returns with water. I drink it, hoping it helps. It does a little, but not much. I can't pass out now! I have to get in touch with Ash about another exit strategy, and I really need to talk to Clarke again.

Zaria hands me a phone. I immediately dial Ash's number. It rings once before she answers, "Lexa?"

"Yeah, it's me. But, listen, we have a problem. I don't think we are going to be able to make it to the exit point. The jeep is toast, and we only made it as far as the next river crossing."

"Okay, how are you holding up?"

"I'm hanging in. Look, we will cross the bridge and follow parallel to the road in hopes of finding somewhere to lie low. I will call you back when I have a location. How are things there?" I tell her what Nasrin has just said to me about the Titan member's plan.

"Everyone made it back safely. We have changed our plans some, and if you can get somewhere with enough room to land a chopper, we can come to get you."

"Great. The only problem is all I see around us is trees."

"Can you text me your coordinates, and I will see what I can find on the map."

"Sure, I will send them when we hang up. I'm going to call Clarke next and then turn off the phone until I need to use it again so that they can't track it. If you find something soon, either text it to me or find Clarke before I hang up."

"Alright, be safe."

I hang up and pull up the GPS coordinates off the phone and send the text to Ash. I am about to dial Clarke's number when Zaria says, "We should really get moving."

I notice that Dakota is standing close, watching me. "I know. I just have one more phone call to make, and then we will head out. If something happens to me or I'm unconscious, use the phone to dial the number I just called. It is Ash's, and she will figure out a way to get us out if I can't."

She nods, and I dial Clarke's number. It doesn't even finish the first ring before I hear, "Lexa?"

"Yes, baby, it's me. How are you? Have you eaten?"

"What? Yes, I-I ate a sandwich earlier. Stop worrying about whether I eat or not and get back here. You have been gone over twenty-four hours. Where are you?"

"Sweetie, I'm on my way. But I need to know that you are okay and are taking care of yourself. Otherwise, what is the point of getting back?"

"Cielo, I need you! That is the point of getting back. Do you hear me? I can't live without you…You're my life…You're my life…I can't live without you…Oh God, you can't leave me. I will not survive if I lose you. I will eat and do anything else as long as you get back here. Ash and Pav have changed the plan, we have moved upriver, and tonight, we will take the vans to meet Morrigan and Lincoln. They have choppers waiting to take us to Minsk, where we will board your plane and head home. You need to be here by midnight tonight."

"I'm sorry, Clarke, there is no way we are going to make it there by then. Ash is working on a plan to come to get us. So I will meet you in Minsk. I need for you to be strong and take care of yourself and our little gummy bears. I love you, but I have to go now. I just got the text from Ash about where we are to meet. We need to get moving. See you soon, Ya Amar."

I look at the text from Ash. It says that there is a small village about twenty miles east. Really? It is going to take forever to make it twenty miles. I feel like I have an elephant on my back, and my eyes keep doing this funny thing where I feel like I'm looking down a tunnel. My leg is killing me, and my head feels like it is going to explode. I text her back: It will take us a while to make it that far since I can't really walk by myself. I will call you when we get there. It could take a day, maybe more, depending on how much resistance we come across. Make sure Clarke is eating!

Ash: I will try. She isn't my biggest fan right now. Be safe and watch your six.

Me: 10-4