Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own anything.
Two days later…
Bellamy stayed low after the call with Clarke. Vincent and Maya took a big risk in taking him to the maintenance area for the call. The lockdown is still in place and the guards were everywhere looking for him. More people like Peters' family joined Vincent in hiding Bellamy from the guards.
The guards checked Vincent's home on the first day of Bellamy's escape. Maya was one of the primary suspects in their list. Once they were cleared, they moved to other places. Peters were visited the next day. Luckily, one of the other volunteers sheltered Bellamy and they didn't find him.
Bellamy has been finding out about the people who shelters him and understanding them. The more he got to know them, the more he sympathised with them. They are forced on their choice to accept the treatment or die by the radiation exposure or by the guards. He hasn't been able to talk to Maya or Vincent after the phone call. They have been keeping their distance in case they are being monitored.
After two days of hiding, Vincent and Maya visited Bellamy to check on him.
"How are you doing?" Vincent asked Bellamy after an exchange of pleasantries.
"Better than before. Thanks to you and your friends, I've been safe from the guards." Bellamy answered, conveying his thanks.
"We're happy to help. Heard that the guards have finished checking the living quarters. They are now looking through the complex for any areas you may have hidden. You should be safe for now." Vincent informed Bellamy.
"Being safe is not important right now. I need to get the acid fog down for the grounder army to get close." Bellamy told Vincent. He has been thinking of ways to get that achieved. But those who lived with didn't have any idea on the acid fog or where it's located at.
"That's why I came. I have been asking discretely the people I trust about the acid fog. As expected, most of them don't have any idea about the fog. Seems the security of the complex is only known to the security personnel and administration. And they are all with President Wallace." Vincent explained. Bellamy was disappointed.
"But we're in luck. The security personnel don't handle the maintenance work. They have a selected few from the maintenance crew who have clearance to accessing the area where the fog is produced and stored. The tanks require maintenance and it's a risky job for anyone to do. One of those who does it is one of my friends. He was willing to give me the layout and his access card to get to the tanks." Vincent pulled out a security card out of his pocket and handed it to Bellamy.
Bellamy looked at the card. It looked similar to the ones they used in the Ark. He has seen it in the waistbands of the security guards in the mountain complex.
"We should go now." Bellamy announced, ready to get there.
"Wait." Vincent said, stopping Bellamy before he left the room. Bellamy paused mid-step and looked at Vincent.
"I only know where it's located at. There's a lot of security barriers to get there from here. And this key card won't open all of them. All the movements will be tracked by the security with the lockdown still in place." Vincent pointed out.
Bellamy realized the complication that the martial law has caused. He may have found a way to move with the crowd in common areas before. But with martial law lockdown in place, everyone outside will be searched or at least observed. He can't sneak through security doors.
"What can I do? We can't wait until the lockdown is lifted. What if they keep searching until I'm found? I can't let down my people outside." Bellamy was panicking and he knows it. He needed a way into the acid tanks.
"Son." The old man who has been sheltering Bellamy for the day spoke up from behind, having been listening to the conversation between Bellamy and Vincent. Bellamy turned to focus his attention on him.
"You need some patience. You can't run into this without a plan. Right now, everyone is looking for you. They have moved away from the living quarters, which means they will more focused on the less travelled areas. Security will be extra in restricted areas and you will be caught if you go there now. Wait until the heat dies out. You should be able to travel safely after that." He advised. Bellamy felt obliged to listen to the old man since he has been sheltering him from the guards at the risk of his life.
"What about the ventilation shafts?" Maya asked suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her.
"If we have the schematics of the ventilation ducts, Bellamy can use that to navigate through without being seen. He can use one of the shafts from the maintenance areas and go through them to the restricted area. He can't get in without the key card but he can get close to the door and enter." She suggested. Bellamy visibly brightened at that idea.
"Good idea, but we can't do that right now. The guards are checking the shafts right now. We need to wait a few days for them to complete their search before we act on it." Vincent said once again.
Bellamy was disappointed that he can't do anything at the moment. But at the very least, they had a plan of action. Vincent promised to get the ventilation shaft schematics from the maintenance to Bellamy that night. Bellamy decided to spend his time learning the schematics while he waited for the guards to complete their search.
Maya and Vincent left and Bellamy had his lunch with old man Benjamin and told his life in the Ark to him. It seemed everyone he boarded with was interested in hearing about his life in the Ark because they were given a different story by other survivors. Bellamy didn't have any notion of pretending that the Ark was a paradise like others did.
That night, Vincent dropped by quickly and handed over the schematics. He also informed Bellamy that the guards expect their search to finish within two days. Bellamy can attempt to get to the tanks after two days.
- 100 -
Two days later…
Abby has been in a daze for days now. Since Kane got arrested and martial law is in place, she has been operating in a routine. She doesn't spend any time with the other council members anymore. There was no need since everyone is confined to their spaces anyway. She freshens up in the morning to be ready for the guards to come to her. She pops a couple of pills before starting her work in the lab. She runs her experiments and with 's help, test it on voluntary patients. All her tests fail and the reactions have been bad. But it doesn't faze her anymore as it did initially.
Consciously, she knew she has become an addict to the pills the President has been graciously providing. It numbs her senses enough to keep her focused on her task and ignore anything else that may emotionally affect her. Logically she knew she should be worried about her daughter. Or be concerned about Kane being questioned without any visitation from the Ark council. But none of it seem to matter anymore. Her goal to get the cure should solve all her problems.
That day, Abby noticed that seemed to be pre-occupied with something on her own. Usually, she crowds around Abby to watch what she does and the results. But Lorelei is busy with some experiment of her own to come to Abby today. The change in the situation made Abby curious about what Lorelei would be working on.
"What's that you're doing?" Abby asked , breaking the silence in the lab. Lorelei looked up from her computer to see Abby nod towards the computer she was using.
"Oh. It's nothing. President Wallace asked me to run some tests on some bloodwork." dismissed it off-hand. But Abby could tell that the doctor was nervous about something.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Abby offered. A friendly approach could work better than accusations, she rationalized.
"No thanks. I don't want you to distract from your work. I'm almost done anyway." said and started typing something quickly before shutting down the system. Abby had no more chance to ask about it.
Normally, the behaviour would be suspicious for Abby Griffin. However, in her current state, it didn't matter to her. She went back to her own experiments to see if any of the samples became viable for testing.
- 100 -
Bellamy was primed to go that morning. It was the day he can start moving out of the living quarters area once again. He was immensely grateful to the people who offered him shelter and hid him from the guards during the search. But he has been itching to go and disable the acid fog and get the grounders to the mountain as soon as possible. Vincent came over last night to inform that the guards have stopped their search. They believe now that Bellamy has somehow escaped through the caves when Kane disabled the security. Martial law is still in place for the moment. However, Maya's suggestion through the vents is the best approach to the acid tanks. No one will be expecting him to try and get there.
Vincent said he will come in the morning when his shift is going to start to take Bellamy with him. He brought a spare guard uniform he was able to steal for Bellamy. Bellamy will act as the guard escorting Vincent to his station. Once they reach the maintenance area, Bellamy will get into the ideal vent that would take him to the tank storage area. It's a long crawl with multiple turns. Bellamy had been memorizing the routes using the schematics Vincent provided. He now had the route he needs to take imprinted in his memory.
He was double checking to confirm when they heard the knock at the door. He was alert in his room, away from any immediate eyes when the door opened. It's a precaution in case some guard decided to double check.
It was Vincent in his duty uniform. He had a bag in his hand that he handed over to Benjamin. Benjamin brought it to Bellamy and gave him the guard uniform.
Bellamy quickly changed into the uniform. It was a tight fit for his size but he couldn't complain. He left his room to greet Vincent near the door. Vincent handed a cap for Bellamy to wear to hide his face from the cameras. Once Bellamy wore it, Vincent handed over another gift.
"Is this…" Bellamy didn't finish as he took the item from Vincent.
"Yes. The portable radio that your friend Raven told me to build. Took me a few days with a friend's help. But I was able to get it working last night." Vincent said, proud of himself.
Bellamy put the earbud in his ear and placed the walkie inside his pocket. The wire ran under his shirt, so it was not visible unless you look very closely.
He switched on the radio and he heard the static noise.
"Camp Grounders. This is Mount Weather. Can you read me?" Bellamy said over the radio.
He waited patiently, counting the seconds. All he heard was static noise over the radio. After almost a minute, the radio came alive.
"Camp grounders? I guess we are. Hey Bellamy!" It was Raven's voice over the radio.
"Raven. Good. The radio is operational now." Bellamy said. He hoped his voice didn't convey the disappointment he felt at not hearing Clarke's voice on the other side.
"I know. Vince and I tested it last night. I was waiting for your signal today morning to help with the acid fog neutralizing." She said, chuckling.
Bellamy felt like an idiot. But it was a good feeling. The playful banter is something he has been missing for a while now.
Seeing Vincent moving towards the door, Bellamy straightened up. "We're moving now. I'll call back when it's safe to talk." With that, he disconnected the signal. No point in having the signal broadcasting when they couldn't talk.
They walked silently through the corridors and used Vincent's key card on the locked doors to gain entry. Nobody stopped them on their way to the maintenance area. Everyone was pre-occupied with their own duties.
Vincent stopped midway at one of the corridors in the maintenance area.
"This is it. You can crawl through this vent and get to the destination. It will be a tight fit. You may need to move slowly to make less noise and not attract anyone's attention." Vincent told him.
"I'll make it." Bellamy said confidently. He extended his hand towards Vincent who took it and shook. "Thank you." Bellamy said, heartfelt.
"Be safe. I'll wait for your return." Vincent said and left before anyone got suspicious.
Bellamy looked around for anyone observing him. Seeing no one, he opened the vent and sneaked inside. Once in, he pulled the vent behind him to lock it in place.
He knew the route he needed to take. The crawlspace is tight, but manoeuvrable. He switched on the radio.
"Come in Camp Grounders." He spoke softly. The static noise hissed in his ears before Raven spoke again.
"Reading you loud and clear." Raven answered. Bellamy checked to see if her voice echoed in the crawlspace area. Seeing none, he decided to play it safe and reduced the volume to bare minimum.
"I'm in the vents now. Going to the acid fog tanks." He informed Raven.
"Be careful. Don't get caught." Raven warned him.
Bellamy kept the radio on. He was seeking comfort from the silent connection with his people after being far from them all this time.
"Where's Clarke?" He asked Raven when crawling through an open space.
"She's busy organizing the attack to the mountain with Lexa." Raven informed him.
Bellamy grunted. Part from the discomfort through manoeuvring through different crawlspace area and partly from Clarke's absence. I'm not jealous, he said to himself. Consciously, he knew he has no right to be jealous about anything. But he is missing Clarke's presence during his risky mission.
"I think I'm closer to the lab I was taken to." Bellamy told Raven. He saw it in the schematics the section marked for the labs. His path to the acid fog area goes through there.
He heard drilling sounds. He was very familiar with that sound. He has experienced firsthand what those sounds meant.
"I think they're extracting bone marrow from someone else." Bellamy whispered into the radio.
"One of the survivors?" Raven asked, concerned.
"I'm going to take a closer look." Bellamy crawled closer to the vent opening to peer through the gap into the lab.
He was able to see the female doctor who operated on him standing there with the drill in her hand. He looked around and saw the person tied to the bed in restraints.
"It's Kane." He whispered to Raven.
"Oh no!" A gasp followed by the exclaim was heard through the receiver.
"Wait. I hear something." Bellamy said and focused on the voice of the doctor.
"I'm sorry it has come to this councilman Kane." Cage said, standing next to restrained Kane.
"If you had been cooperative and answered our questions, we wouldn't have come to these extreme measures. But I'm glad that you didn't. We are going to extract the bone marrow from your body and cure ourselves from it." Cage exclaimed with glee.
Kane struggled in his restraint, but there was no use.
"You will cure my father and I from the confinement of this mountain. Soon, your people will help mine get out from here and reclaim our place in the ground."
There was a knock on the door. Bellamy turned towards the entrance and saw a guard standing there.
"Do you have an update, Emerson?" Cage asked the guard.
"Yes sir. Whitman just radioed in. He confirmed that the targets are in place at TonDC. There's a war council being organized and all the leaders are going to be there tonight." The guard reported.
"Excellent. We should clean up everything quickly." Cage said, excited.
"Sir, let me take a team out and support Whitman." Emerson offered.
"No. He has less chance of being spotted if he's alone." Cage refused his offer.
"Sir, Whitman's good, but he can't take out that many targets alone." Emerson pointed out.
"Which is why we're gonna use a missile." Cage told him, proud of his master plan.
"Please tell me you heard all that." Bellamy whispered into his radio.
"I did." Raven answered back. "I'm going to go and let Clarke know." She informed Bellamy.
"Raven. Make sure Olivia's not in the camp." Bellamy begged.
"I will. I promise." She assured him.
"They're going to drain Kane's bone marrow. I should do something. He got caught because of me." Bellamy said, hoping Raven will agree.
"If you expose yourself now, you can't get to the acid fog. If you don't bring that down, then none of us can get into the mountain and help everyone. This is bigger than Kane. You need to get to the tanks soon. He will be fine." Raven pointed out.
Bellamy knew Raven was right. It made logical sense. But it didn't help with his guilt at Kane's predicament.
"You should go warn Clarke about the missile. Evacuate the area." Bellamy reminded Raven.
"I'm going. Are you going to be ok?" She asked, concerned about Bellamy.
"I'm going radio silent until I reach there." Bellamy said in return and switched off the radio. He wanted to be in silence for a while.
He heard the sound of the drill starting again and didn't try to peak. He kept crawling forward in the path towards the acid fog storage, ignoring the screams he heard behind.
- 100 -
After hanging up on Bellamy, Raven took off from the communication tent towards the commander's tent. She knew Clarke was there talking with the other clan war chiefs about the upcoming mission. The threat was imminent and needs to be addressed.
She reached the commander's tent quickly. But she was blocked in her path by the guards standing outside. The huge grounder stood firm and blocked Raven from entering the tent.
"You can't go in." He said in a commanding tone.
"I must. I need to talk to your commander or haida or whatever she's called. And I need to talk to our leader as well." Raven said, annoyed at being blocked and having to explain.
"She's busy. Go wait in your area. I will send for you when our Heda wishes to speak with you." He answered, not moving an inch away to let Raven in.
"Like hell you will. I'm going in." Raven said, trying to walk around him. The grounder held her by her arm tightly, refusing to let her move beyond him.
"Leave before I force you to leave." He threatened.
Raven didn't budge. She hasn't had that many interactions with the grounders so far. There was no need for her to interact with them unless necessary. But she knows how stubborn and hard-headed they are. She is the same way. She won't lose ground when there's so much at stake.
"Clarke!" She yelled from her position. She hoped Clarke would hear her.
"Be quiet!" The grounder growled at Raven.
Raven refused to listen. "Clarke!" She yelled out as loud as she could.
The moment the grounder stepped forward to act on his threat, the flap to the tent was pulled aside and Clarke stepped out followed by Lexa.
"What's happening?" Clarke asked. The grounder turned towards her and upon seeing Lexa, bowed and answered.
"This person was trying to enter your quarters Heda. I told her to come later but she refused to listen and started yelling." He explained.
"What's the meaning of this?" Lexa demanded to know. Clarke looked at Raven questioningly.
"Bellamy made contact. We have urgent matter to discuss." Raven said and Clarke's eyes widened. She understood the seriousness of the matter. She looked at Lexa who also understood what it meant.
"Let her in." Lexa commanded her guard who stepped aside to let Raven in. Raven followed Lexa and Clarke into the tent. There were other grounders inside around a table that had the map laid out.
"Let's disperse for now. There's a matter to be addressed. I will send for you once we're ready to reconvene." Lexa told them. They nodded their heads and left the tent.
Once everyone left, Lexa took upon her seat in the throne chair. Clarke stood close to Raven and they both looked at her.
"What did Bellamy say?" Clarke asked, concerned that the acid fog plan will fail. The entire attack depends on it.
"He's still on his way to where they store the acid fog." Raven started. Clarke looked confused and Lexa narrowed her eyes. Raven continued on.
"He's moving through the vents to the tanks storage area to avoid detection. We both overheard some conversation when he was passing by the lab where they extracted his bone marrow." She explained.
"My mom?" Clarke whispered, worried that it had something to do with her mother.
"No. But they're extracting bone marrow from Kane. We overheard the man in charge talk to Kane." Raven hurriedly said. Clarke still looked worried.
"What did you hear?" Lexa was the one asking the question this time. Raven turned her attention to her.
"We heard a soldier report to their leader that they have someone spying on us here. They have targeted people here at TonDC and observing them." Raven answered Lexa. A string of curses in Trigedasleng came out of Lexa's mouth.
"There's more." Raven interrupted. "Their leader said that they are waiting for the war council to assemble tonight and attack using a missile."
"Missile? They have missiles?" Clarke asked in surprise.
"Yes." Lexa answered her. "The last time they used a missile, it was before I was born. According to legend, it left a hole in the woods you could not see across." She said, remembering the stories.
"We have to start evacuating now." Clarke said in general. She started to move when Lexa's response stopped her in her tracks.
"No." A single response from Lexa was said as a command. Both Raven and Clarke turned to her in disbelief.
"What do you mean no, Lexa?" Clarke asked her, not understanding.
"If we evacuate, they'll know that Bellamy is still inside and talking to us." Lexa pointed out.
"Not necessarily." Clarke argued. But she could see Lexa's point. Acting on the information would put Bellamy at risk.
"We can't risk it." Lexa was determined in her argument.
"So, what are you saying? We just do nothing, let them bomb us?" Raven asked incredulously. She couldn't believe the commander of the grounders willing to sacrifice her people this way.
Lexa looked at Raven. "It will be a blow to Trikru clan, but other clan army are safe barricading the mountain, and it will inspire them." She stated.
"What about our people? All of us are still here." Raven pointed out. She turned to Clarke. "Octavia is still here. Bellamy will not forgive you if you let his sister die." She knew she was right when Clarke realized it.
"Clarke, sometimes, you have to concede a battle to win a war." Lexa told Clarke.
Clarke was torn between both arguments. She knew that acting on it exposes Bellamy and possibly compromise their plan to take down the acid fog. But she couldn't imagine sacrificing all the delinquents including Octavia to win a war.
"Winning won't mean anything if there's no one left to enjoy it." Clarke stated. Lexa looked at her disappointed.
"I thought you were stronger than this. This is war, Clarke. People die. Don't let emotions stop you now." Lexa argued, still hoping to change Clarke's mind.
"It may be emotional. But it's the right thing to do. We save everyone now and face the consequences for it later. I won't sacrifice my clan to win a war when the reason for participating in this war is to protect my clan." Clarke answered her in finality.
"I'm going to go and get my people out of the danger zone. I suggest you do the same to your people. You want them inspired? Stand with them and protect them. Don't abandon them when they need you." Clarke told Lexa.
Lexa stood, taking in Clarke's words. She was conflicted on what she should do. It was obvious that Clarke is not going to escape with her. And if Clarke and her clan leave TonDC, everyone else will be wondering what was happening. If word got out that she sacrificed them and escaped, it would undermine her position as commander.
"Ok. Let's do it your way." Lexa agreed.
Clarke turned towards Raven. "Get everyone ready to leave. Take only the essentials. Radio and Weapons. Tell Octavia to come meet us here. Bring Lincoln along." Clarke instructed her.
Raven left in a hurry to act on Clarke's orders.
Turning towards Lexa, Clarke continued. "You should inform the other clan leaders that the plans have changed. The war council tonight has been cancelled and they should take shelter far away from here." Lexa nodded in agreement.
The flap moved and Octavia came in with Lincoln behind her.
Clarke saw them look at her. "We have a situation." She started, ignoring any pleasantries. "We have someone spying on us and reporting to the mountain men. Bellamy and Raven overheard the conversation about the person. They are planning to use a missile to attack TonDC tonight." Clarke briefed them.
Octavia's eyes widened in surprise. "Are we not evacuating?" She asked Clarke and looked at Lexa.
"We are." Clarke answered her and looked at Lexa who nodded in confirmation. "Before we do, we need to get rid of the spotter. If the mountain hears that we evacuated TonDC, they may realize that someone tipped us off. We need to do this quick and quiet. I need you two to find the spotter and capture him if possible. Kill him if necessary." She ordered.
"Consider it done." Octavia said. Lincoln nodded and they both left quickly.
"You're a natural leader Clarke." Lexa commented. Clarke turned around to look at her.
"You're not afraid to take charge or stand up for what you believe is right. Those are leadership qualities. But you are also driven by your emotions. Let's just hope that your decision to evacuate won't cost us the war." Lexa finished.
Clarke nodded and left the tent. She wanted to help with the evacuation.
It didn't take long for Octavia and Lincoln to find the man spying on them. Clarke was busy getting everyone organized for the move when she heard the commotion at the entrance of the village. She moved quickly to the entrance and saw Lexa already there before her. Between Octavia and Lincoln stood a man in a vacuum suit clutching his left thigh, holding onto a patch. Clarke could guess that his suit was breached and he was exposed to the radiation. He must have patched it using a field kit.
"Is this him?" Lexa demanded to know from Lincoln. Lincoln pushed him forward. Octavia dropped a broken radio she was holding in front of Lexa as proof that he was communicating with the mountain. The grounders behind Lexa started shouting and she silenced them by raising her hand.
"Are you the one spying on us?" Lexa asked him. The man was obviously terrified from his demeanour. He was shaking, partly from the pain from the radiation and the other from fear.
Lexa growled at his lack of response. Clarke stepped up forward.
"Let me try." She asked Lexa. Lexa looked at her for a moment, before she stepped back, giving Clarke the space.
Clarke kneeled in front of the fallen man.
"Does it hurt?" She asked in a normal voice.
"It burns! Please! Please!" The man begged.
"Tell us what we want to know and we'll let you go." She told him. "Are you the one they sent to spy on us?" She asked.
"Yes." The man hissed through pain.
"Did you report our location to them?" She asked him, now that he was cooperating.
"Yes." Once again, he answered. Murmurs started to spread behind her from the grounders.
"What will happen next?" Clarke asked him for the plan.
The man hesitated. Octavia pressed on his wound and he cried out in pain. Clarke shook her head and Octavia stepped back.
"Tell us." Clarke demanded this time.
"Vice President Cage has scheduled a missile strike when your war council convenes. I have provided the coordinates for the strike. Cage will send a team to take out any survivors from the strike." He confessed.
Clarke stood up and looked at Lexa. Lexa started ordering her people to prepare for the evacuation and retaliation against the team that's coming. Once that's done, she turned towards the man on the ground.
"I will give you a quick death." Lexa said and before he could utter another word, she pulled out her sword and ran it right through his heart.
Clarke gasped in shock and stood frozen. The blood splattered inside the suit and the man died instantly.
Lexa turned towards Clarke. "We couldn't let him go. If he went back to them, they will know we knew. I would have let him die of exposure. But he gave us the information we asked for. So, I gave him a quick death." She stated and walked away.
Clarke knew it had to be done. As a leader she could understand the logic behind the kill. But it still shocked her after seeing so many deaths in recent past.
Octavia placed a hand on her to bring her back to reality. She held onto Clarke as they walked back to continue with the evacuation.
A/N: I changed the story so Lexa evacuates the village instead of letting everyone die. I couldn't rationalize that all the clans would follow her when their war chiefs are dead in the village and she escaped.
And Clarke not being a follower but more leader in this story would stand her ground against Lexa than listen to her. I prefer Clarke with a backbone than bend to Lexa's wills.