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Raven groaned as the fog of unconsciousness faded away from her mind. Raven tried to rise up, but a sharp pain in her left leg halted any and all movements on her part. A few curse words escaped her mouth and her eyes snapped open from the pain flowing through her body.
She was greeted with the sight of bright fluorescent lights above her and when she tried to sit up– this time without the use of her leg– she was horrified to feel cold metal dig into her wrists. It was a chilling moment when Raven realised she was bound to a table with metal cuffs on her wrists and ankles.
Her neck was left unbound and so she was able to lift her head up just slightly. She looked at her left knee and she had to hold in a sob at the sight of the mangled flesh. Bits of metal protruded from her knee and the pain from earlier returned as Raven's head dropped back to the table.
"Fuck,"said Raven as tears threatened to escape from her eyes. The pain in her leg unlike anything she had ever known. The pain was so encompassing that she blotted out almost everything in the room that she was in. Raven was sure she was going to break down any second, but a lifeline was given to her.
"Raven?"said a voice that Raven was struggling to place,"Raven, it's Octavia. Are you awake?"
Raven was able to distract herself from the pain for the moment. Octavia's voice sounded weird almost as if the girl was far away and her voice had a slight echo like quality.
Strange.
Raven ignored it as she said,"Yeah, I'm awake. Where's Monty? Did the Mountain Men get him too?"
Octavia was silent and yet Raven heard murmurs and shuffling. She opened her eyes and this time purposefully looked away from her knee and instead surveyed the room.
"What the hell?"said Raven slowly as she took in the sight of various cages in a room far larger than Raven had anticipated. There were large rectangular cages in the room. They were relatively small and were arranged in rows on top of one another. Raven cursed, but it wasn't the sight of the cages that angered her, but the contents of the cages..
Panic began to fill Raven as she panned her eyes over the cages even as her neck began to ache from being held up so long. Jasper. Monty. Miller. Harper. Monroe. The faces of some of the other delinquents were recognisable to her like Mbege and Trina despite their emaciated bodies.
"What the hell happened, Octavia?"said Raven loudly and her voice reverberated through the room,"They were supposed to keep the other citizens safe. How could they lose?"
Before Octavia could even muster a reply, the door to the room opened with a soft hiss. Raven turned towards it and she growled, partly in anger and partly in pain, as she took in the sight of a woman with black hair walk in. Raven was able to read the doctor's name tag as she stepped closer to her.
Lorelei Tsing.
"Your friends put up a decent fight if what Cage said is to be believed, "said Lorelei as she made eye contact with Raven whose head had dropped back down to the surface she was on, "In the end, though, I heard all it took to quash your 'rebellion' were some double agents. It is truly pathetic that you guys thought you could turn so many of our people against us. Did you really think that many people were willing to rebel with a bunch of teenagers?"
Raven closed her eyes as Lorelei's taunting voice echoed out through the room. The sound of metal clinking behind her made Raven nervous as she wondered what the doctor was doing.
"Go float yourself, "said Octavia and it was only now that Raven was able to place the girl's voice as coming from behind her. There was a rattling sound that punctuated the end of Octavia's words and Raven sighed as she realised Octavia was definitely in a cage as well.
"How crude,"said Lorelei as she finally stopped moving around behind Raven,"You remind me of that Murphy boy when we first found him. Do all people of the Ark have such foul mouths or is it only the scum like you?"
A stream of curse words erupted from Octavia's mouth and the girl began to violently beat on the bars of her cage. The sound of something being extended drew Raven's attention before a loud zapping sound emanated from behind her.
Octavia let out a scream as the shock baton was held against her before she fainted after a few seconds. The sound of her collapsing sounded out through the room before silence reigned once again. Lorelei was behind Raven and as the doctor picked something up Raven waited for the right moment to strike.
Lorelei walked back into Raven's sight and the woman soon hovered over Raven's open palm. Raven did not hesitate for a second as she splayed her fingers before firing a beam of energy into Lorelei.
Or at least she tried to.
Raven felt confusion well up within her as her powers failed to activate and even her X-ray vision was not working at all. Lorelei seemed to read the confusion on Raven's face as she said,"We're not so stupid, Raven. We wouldn't keep you captive if we couldn't control you. Why else are your friends still locked in their cages?"
Raven closed her eyes as the seriousness of the situation dawned on her. It was likely that all of the delinquents had been subdued and had their powers locked away. Furthermore, if the Mountain Men were willing to just leave them in cages then it was likely they were confident in whatever measure it was that kept their powers locked away.
"Where are the rebels?"said Raven as she realised that she had not see Maya, nor Murphy come to think of it,"Are they locked up too?"
Lorelei chuckled and it was a dark and vile thing,"No. They're probably dead from radiation exposure. It's a shame your fake drill provided us with the perfect cover up. All of the rebels –including those in the nursery and their children – are dead. The only way to take out a weed is from the root. Don't worry about Maya she's still alive. Just like all of your friends, she's very special to us."
Raven opened her eyes and a pit formed in her stomach as she saw Lorelei holding a drill in her hand. The doctor smiled at Raven's fear filled expression as she said,"Your bone marrow will get us back to the ground. It's not anything personal Raven, but it is necessary. These are orders from the top and what Dante wants Dante gets. "
"You're going to lose,"said Raven even as the drill began to spin rapidly, "Clarke and the Commander's army will kill all of you. Your missiles are gone and soon you'll be outnumbered and outgunned."
Lorelei's smirk dropped for a second and the drill turned off as she said,"You poor soul. This used to be a government facility. If you thought those missiles were our only defense then think again. Once the army gets here their blood will soak the forests around us. Nothing and no one will stop us from our salvation not some Commander not some army and definitely not some girl with a few powers. They will all die before us and soon the ground will be ours again."
"You monster,"said Raven angrily even as worry began to fester in her mind.
The sound of the drill grew louder as it drew closer to Raven's hip before a hoarse shriek joined the sound as it began to eat away at Raven's flesh before boring into her bone.
The screams grew louder in intensity, but Lorelei wasn't worried as the residents had all been sequestered in the dining hall a few levels away from her. Dante had revealed what was going to be done to the delinquents and true to Lorelei's expectations the citizens had all been in agreement.
They had spent far too long dwelling in the bowels of the Mountain while barbarians had the openness of the Earth available to them.
There had been vocal disagreement at first, but they had been drowned our by the overwhelming support for the bone marrow extraction. The need to return to Earth far outweighed any morality they had left.
It was finally their time to take back the Earth.
They had been denied their chance once before and this time they would take their chance with both hands.
"Don't worry,"said Lorelei over the sound of the drill,"This will all be over soon."
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"How has the advance party fared so far?"asked Lexa as she turned to Sagan. The Trishanakru general was standing with his eyes closed as he stood with Lexa and Clarke at the head of their parties.
The young man's face was crunched up in concentration as he seemed to focus intently on something. Sweat began to bead down his forehead and his skin began to turn a shade of pink before he suddenly relaxed.
"Indra reports that her and Mason have been navigating the tunnels with Anya's help,"said Sagan lowly as the slight exhaustion he was going through deepened his voice,"There were minimal casualties amongst our people due to the traps set up by the Delfikru and Erid with her sand. A few reapers are hurt, but Mason believes that there are not any Reapers left in the caves. The majority of the party is already en route to Camp Jaha along with the subdued Ripas. The plants from the Yujleda and Trishanakru will keep them sedated long enough for them to reach Camp Jaha. "
Five of the thirteen generals as well as their units of the army had been assigned to the reaper extraction teams. The whole task was headed up by Indra and Mason who were backed up by Erid, Trent and Livia. Mason had the ability to sense the amount of people around her and so she had been an obvious choice to work with Indra who had the most experience with the Reapers.
Kane had also been assigned to the extraction team because the curing and detoxification of the Reapers was meant to take place at Camp Jaha and without him there things would likely get tricky.
An army of Grounders with tied up Reapers was something Clarke believed would not be well received by the Arkers.
"What about the Mountain Men?"said Clarke and she took her time to scan the woods for a few seconds. They were fast approaching the stage where she would split off from the main army to head for the tunnels along with about 30 other people.
They were to meet with Anya who would remain at the caves waiting for them while the reaper extraction team made for Camp Jaha or joined the main army. The reaper extraction had gone off without a hitch, but what bugged Clarke was the lack of resistance from the Mountain Men.
The Reapers were their foot soldiers so why would they allow them to be taken?
"Indra says that there have been no sightings of any Mountain Men even at a door that they believe leads into the Mountain,"said Sagan as he relayed the words of the leader of the Trikru.
Lexa glanced at Clarke at the mention of Indra's name and Clarke fought a smile as she remembered the storm of emotions that she had fone through earlier in Lexa's tent. If it hadn't been for Indra's complaint it was likely that Clarke wouldn't have had a chance at...whatever was going on between her and Lexa.
In any case, Clarke had given Indra her light manipulation back, but much like Octavia's invisibility Clarke could still use it which was something she intended to keep it secret for as long as she could. If Indra and Lexa's reactions were anything to go off of then it would paint a target on her back to say the least.
"Very well,"said Lexa before she turned to the gathered warriors behind her and gave the signal to continue marching. The remaining generals had all been given command of a smaller section of the army and they had been instructed to make their way to the Mountain. The Mountain may have lost the majority, if not all, of their missiles, but it wouldn't do for the majority of the army to be packed together.
The Mountain Men still had machine guns and rocket launchers that would cause a lot of collateral damage and so splitting the army up made the most sense. They continued walking in the dead of night and Clarke spared a few glances to Lexa whose warpaint was visible under the light from the torches the Grounders held.
Clarke's own warpaint felt cool on her own skin and she was sure she cut a rather intimidating figure. Her armour reflected the light off the flame and for a change Clarke felt no fear before a fight. A hot fire burned in her chest and filled her with confidence. Her friends needed her help and she would do absolutely everything in her power to rescue them.
The sound of footsteps speeding up behind her drew her attention and Clarke glanced to the side to see Bellamy in the uniform of the Guard. He did not have a gun, but that was probably for the best since it would have only gotten in the way.
"Do you really think the tunnels will be safe?"said Bellamy as he caught up to her,"These guys just let us take the Reapers with no problem whatsoever and this is after they lost the majority of their missiles. I don't know it just feels like–"
"A trap,"finished Clarke calmly before she added,"It probably is one, but it's a chance we'll have to take. The main army will make such a stink at the front door that we should go undetected. If anything, the tunnels are the safer bet at the moment. "
"Do you think we'll win?"asked Bellamy after a few moments of silence,"These guys have been fighting the Grounders for years on end and despite smaller numbers they've been winning this whole time. What makes it different this time?"
"This time we have someone who knows the Mountain inside out,"said Clarke as she tapped the side of her head,"I know the layout of the majority of the Mountain thanks to my technopathy and even got people on the inside too. There's no way we can lose."
It sounded arrogant, but Clarke did believe that they had a good chance of taking down the Mountain Men once and for all. Without their missiles, acid fog or Reapers the Mountain Men were sitting ducks. Once they got inside Mount Weather then it would be the end of Dante and his people.
They walked in silence for perhaps a half hour before Lexa raised her hand to stop their advance. She walked towards Clarke and Bellamy and even in the dark of night Lexa still looked as intimidating as always.
"Sagan,"said Lexa and the general walked up to Lexa almost immediately, "Summon Anya here."
Clarke was confused by this and she turned to Sagan who seemed equally confused before his eyes closed in concentration. Clarke turned her eyes back to Lexa whose face was calm, but there seemed to be some sort of turmoil in her eyes as she looked between Bellamy and Clarke.
If Clarke didn't know better she would say that Lexa looked–
"Heda,"said Anya as she appeared in a burst of smoke,"Why have I been summoned? I was under the impression Clarke would meet me at the entrance to the caves."
"There's been a change of plans,"said Lexa as she turned towards her mentor,"You shall lead the forces bound for the Mountain to their destination. I shall go with Clarke and her unit to infiltrate the Mountain via the tunnels."
"Heda with all due respect–"said Sagan somewhat timidly, but he was silenced by Lexa who raised a hand.
"My people have been forced in cages and bled dry like animals by the Maunon,"said Lexa as she lowered her hand to her sword,"It is my duty as Heda to free them. I have made my decision. Anya will lead and Sagan you shall be her second-in-command. Is that understood?"
Anya and Sagan both nodded, but Clarke couldn't help, but notice the way Sagan's fist tightened before relaxing. Her attention was taken away from that, however, as Anya spoke up.
"We were not able to get all of the Reapers,"said Anya with some annoyance in her voice,"There were some that had not been in the caves. The party had already left when they came back and they were far too many for even me to take on at once. They were about 30 in number."
"Did they have any hostages?"said Clarke and Anya nodded gravely.
"A few children with who I can only assume were their parents,"said Anya as she shook her head in disgust,"They were not warriors and seemed to be a mix of various clans like Louwoda Kilron and Floukru."
Clarke sighed heavily at that. It seemed as though that the Mountain Men clearly didn't seem to want to stop gathering Grounders even though the bone marrow of Skaikru could cure them. Perhaps it was intended as a stop gap until they could finally cure everyone of their weakness to radiation.
"I see,"said Lexa before she turned to the army and raised her voice,"Warriors of the Coalition, Anya shall lead you to the gates of the Maunon. I am going to the Reaper tunnels with Clarke and her unit. Treat Anya's word as my own. Sagan is her second-in-command. If Anya falls, his word is law. Clarke's unit, we leave now."
The gathered warriors were seemingly content with Lexa's decision and there didn't seem to be any discontent amongst the ranks if the silence was anything to go off of. The group of thirty or so warriors that were Clarke's unit gathered around her, Lexa and Bellamy and Lexa turned to Clarke as she said,"We have wasted enough time. We need to move."
Clarke nodded and she began walking in the direction that she knew would lead her to the caves. Lexa was walking by her side and it was almost symbolic that she and Lexa were walking side by side as equals. A testament to the oath they had made in Lexa's tent just a few days ago.
The march to the caves could not have taken longer than 20 minutes as they took care to avoid any potential traps and snares. They were perhaps 15 minutes away from the cave mouth when Lexa paused in her step.
Clarke did not notice at first and she kept walking for a few steps until she realised Lexa was not at her side. She turned towards Lexa and she was confused to see that Lexa seemed to be distracted by something. Her eyes lacked any focus, but there were still minute twitches across her brow.
"Lexa?"said Clarke as she walked closer to the other woman,"What's wrong?"
Lexa seemed to snap out of her daze once Clarke spoke as she said,"On your guard. Sagan reported some sort of attack from the Mountain. They reached the meeting point with the other warriors, but the Mountain must have been watching somehow. They launched the attack not even thirty seconds ago."
There was immediate silence after Lexa's statement as everyone prepared for an attack. Clarke wanted a better understanding of what was going on and she was about to fly up into the sky when a scream drew her attention.
"In the sky!"shouted a young boy with a sword in his hand,"A missile!"
Clarke's blood ran cold at the boy's words and she looked to the sky in panic. To her dismay, four massive shells of metal were headed their way at a speed far beyond any other missile Clarke had seen. Clarke knew that she didn't have time to deflect one, let alone all four, so she shouted loud above the noise of panicking voices.
"Everyone come closer to me!"yelled Clarke and the Grounders didn't even hesitate as they all huddled closer to Clarke.
She closed her eyes and raised her hands up to the sky. Bellamy must have been next to her as he said lowly,"What's your plan, Clarke?"
Clarke ignored him and as the missiles drew closer her eyes snapped open emitting a dark blue light. A dome of dark blue psionic energy formed around the entire group of warriors and a few seconds later the ground rumbled as the missiles made contact with the ground.
There were many screams of shock amongst the warriors as the missiles hit the ground, but Clarke waited until the tremors died down before dropping her dome. There was still some smoke in the air and Clarke released a burst of air that blew all of the smoke away revealing the damage caused by the missiles.
"What the hell?"said Bellamy as he took in the sight around them.
Clarke could not agree more.
The 'missiles' were not missiles at all. Surrounding the warriors in a diamond formation were large hunks of metal. They were reminiscent of a rectangular prism with various lines engraved into it.
Clarke was immediately suspicious of the metallic husks as she said,"No one move. They might explode as soon we go near them."
Clarke activated her technopathy to sense if the husks were active, but she was distracted for a few seconds as she detected something with a level of complexity that far exceeded anything Clarke had encountered before. It even overshadowed the husks in front of her and Clarke was confused when she tracked it's source.
Lexa.
Her neck to be precise.
Clarke snapped her gaze to Lexa who looked at her almost immediately. The commander seemed to read the confusion on Clarke's face as she said,"What's wrong?"
Clarke was about to respond when Bellamy's voice cut her off.
"Eligius?"said Bellamy as he pointed to the centre of the husk opposite him and Clarke,"What is that supposed to mean?"
Clarke traced the path of his finger and true to his word the words Eligius Corporation were engraved onto the surface of the husk. A strange symbol of a shining star surrounded by two rings one horizontal and the other vertical.
"I don't know,"said Clarke as she took in the symbol before turning to Lexa,"Can't you destroy these with your powers?"
Lexa shook her head grimly as she said,"I have been trying that this whole time. I do not know what these things do, but what I do know is that they are not made of metal."
Clarke's discomfort went up a notch at Lexa's words and she was about to speak when a flicker of light drew her attention. She turned towards one of the husks and she was surprised to see the logo of the Eligius Corporation turn a radiant blue.
A few seconds later, all four of the logos on the husks were glowing a bright blue. The sound of groaning drew their attention before suddenly the husks began to move.
Clarke raised a psionic dome over the entire group and they watched in silence as the husks began to change. The strange substance they were made off seemed to melt and morph as the husks grew in size. What looked like arms and legs emerged from the torso of the husks before a head rose slowly from the top.
The husks had begun to grow high above their heads as they changed into an increasingly humanoid shape complete with arms and legs and even the torso seemed to be tapered like a human's.
They continued to grow to such a size that Clarke was forced to crane her neck upwards to see the top of the strange thing opposite her. They finally stopped growing as they lost their fluid appearance and returned to a solid state of matter. The robots were a dull silver and they stood at over double their height.
Suddenly, a cold and rather smug voice emanated from the object opposite her,"Clarke Griffin, I see you've been busy."
That voice sounded familiar.
Clarke's dome was still covering their group and she could feel the eyes of everyone else on her. She spared a glance to Lexa and Bellamy, but before she could say anything to either of them she was cut off by the voice of who she now recognised to be that of Cage Wallace.
"Don't look at them for help,"said Cage with an almost chastising hint to his voice,"You didn't need help to destroy our acid fog and kill over 10 of our guards with that other woman."
"What do you want Cage?"said Clarke with irritation clear in her voice.
"I'm here to give you one last chance,"said Cage and the sheer confidence in his voice needles Clarke ever so slightly,"Call off the army and come into the Mountain alone. Heal my people and I'll give you yours and then we have peace. We stake claim to the land surrounding the Mountain for fifteen miles and that will be that. What do you say Clarke?"
Clarke was unsure. At first glance, this was the right call. There would be minimal bloodshed and everyone would be at peace. She felt the gaze of both Bellamy and Lexa settle on her and she knew what they both would want to have her do.
Bellamy would want her to take the deal and Lexa would want to fight. It was as simple as that. However, she could not make a deal based on Cage's words alone.
"I don't trust you,"said Clarke curtly,"Prove to me that my friends are alright then I'll give you my answer."
There was no response from Cage, but a few seconds later a hologram was being projected from the robot's chest. Clarke's heart quickened as she watched a video of the delinquents being guided into a room one by one and then loaded into cages. She felt Bellamy twitch beside her as Octavia's unconscious form was dragged in looking battered, but alive.
The last person to be loaded in was Raven who seemed to be the worst off of everyone as her knee looked mangled and bled profusely. Clarke felt her finger dig deeply into her palm as she took in Raven's condition and she couldn't stop the rage bleeding into her voice as she said,"What happened to Raven?"
"Oh,"said Cage as if Clarke's anger was inconsequential, "She and two of her friends thought it would be wise to launch all of our missiles probably to make way for your army. It's a shame they didn't know about the Guardians. In any case, there was a bit of an...accident in subduing her. It's nothing fatal, but I imagine she'll find it rather difficult to walk again."
Clarke was aware of her breathing becoming gradually louder and heavier as she said,"What about the other Arkers you caught? The ones from the other camp? Where are the rest of them?"
"I think you know,"said Cage calmly,"Look Clarke, we've killed some of your people and you've killed some of ours. Let's let bygones be bygones. We've practically been at war since we let the Exodus ship land. "
Clarke froze as she processed Cage's words and a flare of purple energy burst from her as she said,"What do you mean you let the Exodus ship land?"
"We made contact with Diana Sydney and after she identified herself we allowed her to land,"said Cage seemingly unaware of Clarke's growing anger despite being able to see her,"My father and I were originally going to let her land then kill her with a missile, but then she told us all about you and the Novus serum coursing through your veins. We were going to raid your camp a little earlier after your meeting with her, but we lost contact. Imagine my surprise when one of our captives claims to have spoken with Dante and Cage Wallace.."
"You were working with Diana?"said Clarke slowly again and she felt blood drip down her hand as multiple memories flew through her head.
The rancid smell of hydrazine. The crumpled and battered shape of the Exodus ship. Diana smiling as if she hadn't condemned thousands to death on the Ark and finally a flash of green light punching through a girl's chest.
"Yes,"said Cage,"However, we let her rot in the cages once we found out she didn't–"
Whatever Cage was going to say was cut off as enormous spikes of rock burst through the Guardian he was speaking from and tore it asunder. The shreds of the robot reverted to a liquid state as they began to crawl together, but Clarke dropped her dome and raised both her hands. A second later, twin blasts of ice shot out her hands and froze the pieces of the Guardian instantly.
Clarke kept her hands up even as she tried to control her uneven breathing. A hand on her shoulder drew her attention and she turned to Bellamy who said,"Clarke, you need to calm down. You being angry and off balance won't help anyone, but them. Just know whatever choice you make I'm with you."
Clarke listened to Bellamy as she slowly composed herself. Once she had recovered, she turned towards Lexa whose eyes were practically bubbling with emotions. Clarke was about to speak, but she was cut off as Cage's voice emanated from one of the Guardians behind her.
"Well done on destroying one of our Guardians,"said Cage and this time the cockiness and smugness was gone from his voice,"Let's be honest here, Clarke. Do you really trust the Grounders? "
There were growls and curses that came from the Grounders all around Clarke. A few even raised their bow and arrows before firing at the Guardian. This time, however, the arrows simply ricocheted off the shell of the robot. The Grounders were about to charge, but Lexa raised her hand.
"I did not allow you to attack,"said Lexa to her subordinates who immediately stood down after Lexa's admonition.
"Well if it isn't Heda Lexa kom Trikru, "said Cage surprising them all with his use of Trigedasleng, "I heard you were supposed to be wise and benevolent and yet here you are, another Commander, looking to kill our leader once again."
It wasn't so much Cage's words as it was the way Lexa seemed to tense up at his words. Lexa's hand was firmly on her sword and Clarke was sure she could see something shifting underneath Lexa's other sleeve.
"What are you talking about?"said Clarke as she turned away from Lexa which Clarke could tell was looking at her now,"You guys killed the army of the fifth Commander. Hundreds of people dead before they could even get inside."
Clarke's words caused somewhat of a stir amongst the Grounders present and they whispered back and forth in Trigedasleng. Clarke turned over her shoulder and she was confused when the Grounders hushed up and seemed to avoid her eye as she turned her gaze toward them. A quick glance to Lexa seemed to draw the same result as she staunchly refused to acknowledge Clarke's eyes on her.
"Is that what you were told?"said Cage drawing Clarke's attention back to the robot,"Yes, we did destroy the army, but only after the Commander and a few Grounders snuck into our Mountain and killed every man, woman and child immune to the radiation that lived in the Mountain. "
"You're lying,"said Clarke firmly as she raised her hands to the Guardian opposite her,"You just want to buy time for extracting the bone marrow from my people. I have no reason to trust you or care about what happened to you. All I want is my people to be safe."
"Clarke, this does not need to happen, "said a different voice, Dante, Clarke realised almost immediately. There was some background noise from who she assumed to be Cage before Dante's voice spoke up again.
"What my son was trying to tell you, albeit in a coarse and blundering manner is that the people you have allied with are not nearly as innocent as they play themselves out to be,"said Dante his calm voice a strong contrast to Cage's arrogance,"It was their Commander who gave the order to kill all of our immune as well as our leader. They took her out the Mountain to the front gate and all we could was watch as they cut into her body before killing her. It was then and only then that we used our missiles to decimate their army. "
Clarke was silent as she felt herself being pulled in various directions by Dante's revelations. Anya had only spoken about how the Grounders had been decimated without setting foot into the Mountain and yet Dante spoke about how that had only been done in retaliation for an attack on their leader.
However, the past did not explain nor excuse the Mountain Men's current actions.
"How can I trust you?"said Clarke coolly after a few moments of silence,"You've locked up their people and bled them for generations. Is that also because of your leader dying? You act as if you haven't dirtied your hands yet you're the one whose holding our people hostage to drain out their bone marrow. You've converted hundreds of Grounders into Reapers forcing them to fight and abduct thousands of their loved ones for years and years. I refuse to work with someone like you."
"We did what was necessary to obtain those immune to the radiation,"said Dante slowly as if his every word was a struggle to get out,"The Mountain was degrading at a rapid rate and it was only a matter of time before my people all died. We sacrificed all that we stood for and in the end we got a lifeline that would have ensured our survival in the form of the immune ."
Dante's tone had begun to shift throughout his speech and the veneer of poise and assured ness faded away as his voice began to rise.
"We were so close...So close to salvation, "declared Dante as his frustration and anger finally bled into his voice,"Then those immune to the radiation killed all of the immune and only those who were immune. At the time we did not have any trained fighters. Our weapons were useless and once they were inside we could do nothing, but watch as they were all killed at the behest of their Commander. Any who opposed were cut down ruthlessly be it by a blade, spear or flames. That's not to mention the many who had perished from the radiation that had been brought in by those monsters. It was after all of this that we dedicated ourselves to prepare for war."
Dante took a few breaths before continuing to speak," None of our people had ever manifested any powers so we knew we had to turn to the thing that had kept us alive so far."
"Technology. "
"We already had the missiles and Guardians, but we knew we could not waste their power. We built radiation suits and the Veil. We established a Guard. Soon, we had everything we needed in case of an invasion. The people at the time were clamouring for a counterstrike, but we were too few in number and what's more the radiation suits could still be compromised. We needed a solution and we soon found it."
"Blood,"said Clarke with no trace of doubt in her voice,"You used their blood to blot out the effects of the lingering radiation in the Mountain and you make the reapers addicted to drugs so they can do toir dirty work for you so you never have to compromise your own people. "
"Indeed,"said Dante before adding,"We wanted revenge and we knew that the only way they would feel the same terror and hopelessness we felt was to make them fight their own people. It's a shame that the drug we synthesised had negative effects on the mind and body of the subjects, but it was a necessary sacrifice. We were wronged. We wanted our revenge and then some more. It became our way and ethos. Blood–"
"–must have blood,"finished Clarke much to the discomfort of those around her.
"You see Clarke,"said Dante with a much warmer tone,"We aren't so different after all. Join us. Your people will be safe. Let bygones be bygones and together our people can finally be safe. Isn't that what we want?"
It was what she wanted. Her people deserved to be safe and whose to say the Grounders wouldn't attack the Arkers like they had the Mountain Men? They already had. If it hadn't been for Clarke her people would have been killed. Yes, the Mountain Men had launched a missile, but was that any different from Lexa's attack on Camp Jaha.
The Mountain Men had old world knowledge and superior technology to the Grounders. They would be able to establish a new order. One that was different from the brutal one that had forced her to fight eleven skilled warriors on the bounce just to be heard.
In fact, it wouldn't be hard for her to beat the Commander now. She was already a black blood and if she could kill the Commamder then she could win the Conclave rather–
A hand on Clarke's shoulder shook her from her daze and she turned to face Bellamy whose eyes seemed guarded.
"Clarke,"said Bellamy as he stepped away from her,"Look around you."
Clarke did as she was told and she was surprised to see arrows of green light floating inches away from the heads of every Grounder. Clarke immediately dispelled the light constructs and she looked at her hands in confusion before the realisation struck her.
"Dante,"said Clarke lowly,"That was you wasn't it?"
A chill seemed to settle into the air rather quickly as ice began to spread from Clarke's feet. The Grounders recognised it for what it was as they all took out their weapons.
Dante was silent before he said,"I see you have made your choice despite my...urging. Very well, know this Clarke. We will leave the Mountain tonight. It could have been by your doing, but now we'll just have to scrape your friends dry. "
The Eligius logo that was on all of the Guardians' chest changed from bright blue to a deep red. There seemed to be the sound of whirring and other various mechanical noises before a robotic voice spoke up.
"Combat mode initiated."
"Good luck with defeating the Guardians, Clarke,"said Dante his voice cool and calm,"These were considered to be the pinnacle of weapons. Even more so then Darah Sydney's nanobots. I'm sorry it had it to come to this, but you have left us no choice."
Dante's voice disappeared and there was silence for a few seconds before Clarke was forced to move.
!*
Clarke sprung into a backflip as Instinct launched over the heads of everyone else before landing up in the branches. A second later, a spear attached to a cable slammed into her previous position sending the gathered warriors into a frenzy.
One of the Guardians raised it's hand which was clenched into a fist. Clarke watched in equal parts horror and fascination as the barrel of a gun emerged from the top of the robot's wrist before she launched herself at the robot.
She was able to get to the arm and adjust it's aim. The bullets shot safely over the heads of the Grounders and instead tore into the trees around them. The thick branches and trunks were ripped to shreds as the powerful rounds tore into them and Clarke was straining with all her might to keep the clearly dangerous bullets away from her unit.
!*
Instinct tried to force her to move, but for once Clarke was able to overpower the urge to move as she tried instead to rip the arm of the robot off even as it continued to fire bullets at an alarming rate. This turned out to be the wrong course of action as Clarke's muscles locked up as a powerful wave of electricity ran through her system.
The shell of the Guardian had released a powerful burst of electricity that forced her to only increase her grip on the arm of the robot. The stream of electricity died down and Clarke sagged down almost immediately. Sheturned her head towards the rest of the robot, but she was greeted by the sight of it's other fist bearing down her.
The impact rattled Clarke. She heard the sound of a thunder clap before she was sent flying upwards through the branches from the sheer strength of the blow. Her ascent through the branches was stopped by a particularly sturdy branch before she began to fall towards Earth.
Branches whipped at her face and tore at her as she descended. Clarke felt her body begin to accelerate and she just able to raise her hands as she emerged from the canopy. A large expulsion of air from her hands slowed her descent and she slammed into the ground hard, but not especially injured from what she could feel.
Clarke was forced to reassess her diagnosis as waves of pain registered in her brain as soon as she tried to rise. She rolled onto the back and bit back a whimper as she took in the sight of her broken arms. Her left was also bent the wrong way and she closed her eyes to blot out the horrifying injuries.
The sensation of all encompassing pain began to wane as her healing kicked into actions and a few minutes later she was able to rise . Clarke's eyes immediately morphed into a bright yellow before large wings emerged from her back.
Clarke immediately took off through to the sky as she bobbed and weaved through the branches of the various trees. She emerged through the top of the forest and her eyes were almost immediately able to spot the flashes of gunfire that must have belonged to the Guardians.
She flew as fast as she could towards it and as she reached just above the location she was given a front row seat to a man hiding behind a rock wall getting hit with a miniature rocket. The explosion was smaller than expected, but Clarke didn't even bother with checking on the man.
He was definitely dead.
It seemed as though the three Guardians had spread out and from what she could tell this one had already killed about fifteen of her unit. There were fires all across the clearing and the ground was littered with craters as well as what looked like walls that were blown to pieces which signified someone had been using earthen walls to keep the Guardian at bay.
Clarke clenched her fist as the sight of so many people dead, under her command no less. She landed in the clearing heavily and the Guardian turned to her almost immediately. It raised both of it's hands in an eerily familiar motion before a veritable sea of flames emerged from it's hands.
Clarke stomped down in the ground and a wall of earth rose up between her and the flames. The wall did a good job of stopping the flames, but the heat was still able to permeate through it. Clarke waited for the heat of the flames to lower before she struck.
She jumped over the wall and landed right in front of the Guardian. The robot towered over her and she had to dash all over the place to avoid the bullets and grenades being shot towards her. This continued for a bit longer before a dull explosion from further away drew her attention.
She had to end this.
Clarke kept dodging the bullets, but this time she instead ran towards the Guardian. The bullets languidly moved past her as she raced towards the robot at full speed. Her hands sparkled with electricity before she slowed to a halt right behind the robot .
The robot didn't seem to notice her running between it's legs until it was too late luckily for her. Clarke jumped up and she landed on the shoulders of the robot. She immediately clenched her legs around the neck of the robot before plunging her hands into it's head.
Smoke and sparks emanated from the robot's head burning and shocking Clarke. She was about to try something new when it's eyes faded from their sinister red to a dull grey. The Eligius logo flickered for a few seconds before disappearing completely. Clarke waited for a few more seconds to see if it was a trick, but nothing of the sort happened.
Clarke removed her hands from the robot before she jumped off of it. The robot didn't even budge from her moving off of it as it stayed standing upright. Clarke eyed the robot before a very large crash sounded out through the air.
Clarke was about to go and investigate when she saw a flash of red light out the corner of her eye.
!*
A harpoon was launched at her back, but she was able to turn on time and catch the spear. The Guardian seemed to lay idle for a few seconds before it retracted the harpoon. Clarke held onto the spear as she was reeled in and she tried not to worry about how everyone else was getting on with their own fights.
She had her own problems.
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He should have just ran.
That was the best move. That was the survivor's move.
Murphy had deeply and seriously considered running. Everything had gone to shit. The rebellion was dead in the water. Raven, Octavia and Momty were no longer in control of the command centre and the room with the delinquents had been inundated with those knockout gas canisters. That would not have been so bad if some of the Mountain people hadn't turned traitor and forced the delinquents to fight against the traitors inside and the guards outside.
He had bundled himself into a supply closet when he had heard the sound of reinforcements coming and in short order everyone in the room not loyal to the Mountain had been subdued. The civilians were still in there judging by the conversation that filtered in from the vents.
Murphy wasn't sure what about to happen to them, but he knew it could not be any good. Murphy clearly had two options.
He could stay in this closet until a winning side emerged and try make his escape or he could join a side right now and bank on it being the winning side. The idea of finally leaving the cramped closet after who knows how long was tempting, but it was with cold logic that he conceded that the Mountain had orders to shoot him on sight if he was lucky and stick him in a cage if he was unlucky.
The sound of a woman screaming almost made him leave his room especially as he recognised who it was.
"Come on Glen,"said Maya her voice a bit muffled, but there seemed to be some sort of struggle,"You know this is wrong! We went to school together...are you really just going to throw me in the cages?"
Murphy really wanted to bust through the door and rescue Maya, but he knew that from there they would be overrun and quite possibly killed so he held off on helping her. She may have removed the chip, but that didn't mean he owed her his life. He was grateful, but not that grateful.
"Orders are orders, Maya,"said who Murphy assumed was Glen,"You would have been killed if it weren't for your blood, but since we're about to have some vacancies in the cages soon enough Cage wanted you alive. Don't worry it will all be over soon."
Maya's shouts and screams grew louder as they went past Murphy and at one stage there was a loud thump as Glen slammed Maya into the door Murphy was hiding behind.
"Look,"said Glen slowly,"Your little friend from the sky is coming with an army of those savages. We sent out the Guardians to kill them and soon the people of Mount Weather will have the lay of the land. Even if they get inside their powers will be useless. Things are different from back then. Now let's go. Apparently you're next on the list after those kids that got in the command centre. Dr Tsing is already done with one of them for now so you better keep up."
The weight of Maya was suddenly off of the door and the sound of her struggling faded as she got further and further away from the storeroom. It was only once the sound had completely faded away that Murphy released a breath.
He was pushing his luck as it was. In another world that door would have slammed open and he would be marched away to have his bones sucked dry.
It was definitely time to get out of dodge.
Murphy grabbed onto the cool metal of the gun Raven had given him as he tried to activate his mimicry armour. However much to his dismay, his skin didn't take on the properties of the gun.
"What the hell?"said Murphy as he tried again and again to no avail.
It was after his tenth and final attempt that he put his gun away. Glen's words to Maya were now ringing in his head.
"Even if they get inside their powers will be useless,"he muttered as he slid down to a sitting position and stared upwards.
"Fantastic. "
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Where the hell was Clarke when you needed her?
That was what going through Bellamy's mind as he and two other Grounders, both from the Yujleda if he was not mistaken, played keep away with the giant robot. They had already lost two of their own to missiles and it was taking everything in their power to stay alive.
Bellamy watched from his position behind a tree as large rocks slammed into the robot courtesy of one of the other warriors – Han. The robot stumbled back into one of the trees at which point the other Grounder, Anna, dropped from the trees and slammed her sword into the face of the robot.
Anna flipped off the front of the robot and Bellamy walked out from behind the tree as the movements of the robot gradually began to still. The woman had landed a bit heavily on the ground and Bellamy offered a hand which she took. The woman tried to stand up fully, but she hunched over as she tried to put weight on her left leg.
"We need to get to Heda,"said Anna slowly as she ignored the pain she was in as Han also came closer to them,"It would be best if we could lend her our aid so we can regroup, but I'm afraid I won't be of much help."
"You guys go,"said Bellamy as he turned towards the direction Clarke was sent flying,"I have to find Clarke. She is the one who knows how to navigate the Mountain best and we need her to locate the entrance into the prisoners cell."
That was another thing. The leftover Reapers were probably lurking in the caves as it was and they couldn't just leave them in there. The idea of being made addicted to a drug and forced into servitude made Bellamy feel queasy.
"Okay,"said Han as he finally spoke up,"Anna and I will find Heda and you shall search for Skaifaya. We shall reconvene –"
Whatever Han was going to say was cut off as a spear burst through his abdomen. The tip of the spear expanded into four prongs that flattened against the man's chest before he was reeled in towards the Guardian.
The Guardian looked to be in perfect shape as all the damage it had sustained was gone. Bellamy thrust his hand out in an attempt to arrest Han's movement with his telekinesis. Han let out a groan at the pain of being stopped so suddenly, butBellamy knew it was better than the alternative.
Anna was about to move to help Han, but both her and Bellamy were forced to move as they watched the unoccupied arm of the Guardian melt into a liquid before morphing into a cannon of sorts. A second later a blast of purple energy was sent at the both of them.
Bellamy made a split second decision and he pushed Anna away with his telekinesis before diving away. This resulted in Han being reeled in towards the Guardian who withdrew it's spear from the man before aiming it's cannon at him from point blank range.
Bellamy took a deep breath and he screamed as loud as he could. Visible soundwaves washed over the Guardian. The robot halted in it's motion and after twenty or so seconds Bellamy was able to perceive a few cracks beginning to spread across it's surface. The sonic scream he had unlocked had given him an expanded lung capacity which he was putting to full use.
However, just as it seemed to be on the verge of collapsing in on itself it morphed into a liquid form and soon the sounwaves were doing no damage at all. Bellamy dropped to his knees from sheer exhaustion and as he regained his breath he watched as it began to solidify again. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and he was surprised to see a needle like projectile embedded in him.
He wrenched the needle free and threw it away as he kept an eye on the Guardian. It soon solidified completely and it seemed to ignore Han who was groaning at it's feet and Anna who Bellamy had been able to guide into the tree line and out of it's sight, but at the cost of aggravating her injured ankle.
The arms of the robot morphed into two large cannons and it turned towards him having clearly identified him as the biggest threat. Purple energy began to gather at the mouths of the cannon and Bellamy stood stock still as he watched the energy begin to gather.
Soon both cannons were glowing with energy and zoom the entire clearing was awash with purple light. The robot reared back it's arms ever so slightly to fire and it was then that Bellamy made his move. The cannons were just about to fire when Bellamy raised both his hands and he forced the two cannons to aim towards each other.
It was a gamble that paid off as a massive explosion rocked the clearing and Bellamy was sent flying. He was blinded by the explosion and he felt his body fly through the air until he slammed into a tree. His body dropped to the ground and he let out a groan as his body registered the pain he was in.
Bellamy laid down for a few seconds until he scrambled to his feet remembering Han's proximity to the robot. He ran towards the site of the explosion and he was stunned at what he saw as he approached the clearing. Flattened trees spread out in varying directions and ot was only then that Bellamy realised how lucky he was to have been sent flying.
If he had been any closer to the explosion (like Han had been) then it probably would not end so well. Bellamy's head thronged painfully as the adrenaline in his body bled away. He began to drag his feet and more than once he needed to stop to centre himself. The trees seemed to shift in and out of focus as he trudged through the woods and he'd made the mistake of looking at the moon only to recoil at it's brightness.
By some miracle, he finally reached the clearing and his mind slowly took in the sight of the pulverise trees and scraps of whatever strange material the Guardians had been made off. There was one particularly large piece that seemed to be on the ground, but as he got closer his gut dropped as he took in the sight of a Guardian that looked extremely battered, but it's Eligius logo was shining a radiant blue.
The Guardian seemed to notice his presence immediately as it rose to it's imposing height and Bellamy immediately lashed out with a telekinetic wave. However, his equilibrium was off and he ended up missing by some distance.
That telekinetic blast had taken a lot of his energy left and he collapsed to his hands and knees as the Guardian approached. His vision lost focus as the heavy footsteps of the robot echoed through the ground. He heard a sound that sounded familiar and muddled, but he could not muster the energy to look for it.
The Guardian stopped in front of him and something landed beside him. A hand placed itself on his shoulder and immediately it was as if a jolt was given to his system. His vision grew a little clearer and the tension in his body faded as he saw who it was.
"I thought you were dead,"said Clarke as her hand glowed green,"I had to fight one of these on my own. You guys did well. This thing took out about seven of my guys. The rest, 8 of them, were unconscious and I had to heal them after hacking into this hunk of junk."
Bellamy turned towards the Guardian that had been marching towards him and it was only then that he saw Han cradled in it's hands. Anna was seated on it's shoulder and she nodded at him before jumping down to the ground.
"I took care of most of your wounds,"said Clarke as she stepped away, but even with his mind being as off tempo as it was Bellamy could sense that Clarke was hiding something else.
"What couldn't you fix?"said Bellamy as he turned to Clarke whose face looked suitably guilty.
"A concussion, "said Clarke grimly as the Guardian behind her bowed to the ground and gently lowered Han,"I can heal bullet wounds and broken bones, but something like this isn't what I want to mess around with."
"It doesn't matter,"said Bellamy as he tried to rise only to stumble and nearly fall if it weren't for Anna's quick reflexes. A rush of vertigo came over and he pulled free from Anna before he vomited a few feet away from them.
Clarke, for her part, remained silent until Bellamy regained his composure and said,"It's a brain injury. My healing wouldn't really help you. I can't risk anything going wrong."
"You mean you won't, "said Bellamy rather angrily. Clarke held her tongue, but she didn't even try to refute his statement.
"There is no real comparison between broken bones and an injured brain ,"stated Clarke trying to smooth things over before they escalated, "I could try to heal it, but–"
"Something could go wrong,"finished Bellamy and he received a nod from Clarke. He stewed in silence for a bit before he rose to his feet a bit shakily.
Bellamy walked closer to Clarke and then he placed his hands on her shoulder. His eyes were frantic and twitching ever so slight as he said,"Octavia. You have to promise that you get her out of there alive, Clarke."
"I–"said Clarke, but as she saw Bellamy's face change, probably to reason with her to let him stay or to heal him, she finally relented, "I will. I promise."
Bellamy accepted her words and stepped back as he went to check on Han. Clarke turned to Anna and said,"I've already sent the others towards Camp Jaha. I'll need you to guide them there too. Han has no major injuries anymore. He's just unconscious for now. You need to keep walking and avoid any trouble. We don't what else the Mountain Men have prepared. I'll go find Le– the Commander."
"As you wish, general,"said Anna as she turned towards Bellamy who had managed to awaken Han and after a quick nod at her friend. She turned away from the retreating group and she looked at the Guardian next to her.
At her command, it began to melt into it's liquid form which made a silvery pile at her feet. She raised her hands and ice blasted out of hands flash freezing the material. She wouldn't have any problems with them at least until the ice melted, but considering the cool temperature of the night and how thick the block of ice was she felt it would hold for long enough.
Her technopathy had revealed the best way to deal with these and she vaguely understood how the strange substance making up the Guardian worked. Some of it flew over her head and she was sure Raven would have understood it fully, but she was able to understand just enough on how to deal with the robots.
In short, while it was in it's solid state only physical attacks would work on it like the spires of rock she had made that had destroyed the first of the Guardians. Furthermore, once it was in it's liquid state then only attacks that affected it's temperature would be effective and if a sharp enough change in temperature was introduced then the material would become inert and the Guardian would shut down.
As if on cue, the blue light of the Guardian shut off as it shut down. Clarke kept her guard up for a little longer, but in the end she was sure that it was well and truly offline. A large explosion drew her attention and Clarke felt her insides twist with worry as she had one more thing to do.
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It was rather difficult at first for Clarke to track the lone of destrictuopm caused by the Guardian that Lexa was fighting. The destruction to the surrounding forestry appeared to be rather random.
In fact, it was only after she used her animal mimicry to mimic the powerful smelling of a bloodhound that she was able to follow the scent of the Guardian which smelt rather irritating, but made it very easy to track.
It was after a few more minutes that she began to pass bodies and unlike the people that were with her and Bellamy these people were all dead. From bullet wounds to blunt force and even what looked like damage from a laser it was clear that this Guardian, in particular, had held no punches whatsoever.
It made for a very sobering sight and Clarke realised that no matter who won each side of this war would suffer heavy losses when it was all said and done.
The thick smell of the Guardian was just up ahead and Clarke ran ahead in slight panic, but she was surprised by what awaited her in the clearing. Lexa stood in front of a Guardian that was laying on the ground and seemed to be struggling to get up.
Clarke looked closer and she was surprised to see large ditches in the ground where the Guardian had fallen the hardest. It seemed to be under some sort of increased gravity in a similar manner to how Indra had subdued Clarke during their fight. However, judging by the way leaves still blew freely through the air Clarke was sure it was something else.
Lexa had noticed her arrival, but she didn't turn to acknowledge Clarke as her eyes remained focused on the Guardian. Clarke finally reached right next to her and it was then that The Commander turned to face her.
"Are you alright?"said Clarke as she looked at Lexa and from this close up it was easier to see the wounds Lexa had suffered from the black blood dripping down her forehead to the way her right arm hung out of it's socket.
Clarke raised her hands towards Lexa who twitched, but she seemed to relax as she saw the green light on Clarke's hands. Lexa allowed Clarke to heal her and there was silence for a bit before Lexa said,"I need to go to the gates. These monsters are extremely strong. My people need me. You should carry on to the caves–"
"No way,"said Clarke as she continued to heal Lexa. The other woman's body was stiff likely from the aches and pains from her fight ans Clarke could see a darkness in her eyes that practically lusted for blood.
"You don't know the trick to beating these things,"said Clarke as she watched Lexa's wounds heal rapidly and luckily there were no concussions or brain damage to worry about,"As much as I want to get into the Mountain right away, I can't do that while knowing the army is still in grave danger."
Clarke stepped away from Lexa as she finished healing the other woman and Lexa nodded at Clarke before she began to set a brisk pace towards the gate. Clarke made to follow her, but she stopped abruptly as she noticed the Guardian had morphed into a liquid state trying to escape it's invisible bonds.
Clarke immediately fired a blast of ice as she began to freeze the liquid solid. It was spread out throughout the ground and so she needed to make a few more passes over multiple areas to really freeze them over. There was only a small bit leftover when Clarke saw a tiny blur fly from the mass of liquid before embedding in her core.
She immediately finished off her job before she wrenched the object, a needle like projectile, out of her skin. It was coated in black as her blood dripped off it and a quick check with Insight revealed that whatever substance was in the needle was not harmless and Clarke threw it away as she turned to catch up with Lexa.
"What was that?"said Lexa as she began to walk forward once Clarke was right behind her,"Anything to worry about?"
"No,"said Clarke, but it was closer than she cared to admit. If she hadn't frozen the Guardian over it was likely that the attack would have done a lot more damage.
Lexa nodded before she turned to Clarke and said,"I hope you can keep up."
Clarke's response was lost to the wind as Lexa disappeared in a burst of wind. The speed at which Lexa was capable of running surprised Clarke for a bit until she remembered that like herself and Ontari Lexa was a nightblood and that came with feats like this.
That did not mean that Clarke was unable to match the other woman's speed. Far from it. Clarke took off after Lexa taking extra care to avoid any obstacles in her way and soon she was running side by side with Lexa before quickly overtaking her.
It would have made for a comical scene, but as she and Lexa ran for longer Clarke was able to perceive the sounds of battle emanating from the gates into Mount Weather.
It was now or never.
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"Fall back!"shouted Anya as the arms of the monster in front of her and a few people changed into a cannon. The people under her command all heeded her order as they hid behind trees or sought cover in any way that they could.
It was not enough, however, as the blast of energy destroyed a tree protecting some of her people completely. There were screams before they faded away almost immediately as warrior after warrior fell.
These monsters were worse than the Acid Fog.
No matter what they did these monsters would not stay down. Swords, knives, arrows and spears broke on their skin. The bullets of Skaikru bounced off and posed a danger for everyone until they had given Skaikru the order to remain at the back of the army out of harm's way.
That was not even the extent of the capabilities of their opponents. They punched hard enough to splinter rock and even fire or lightning could put them down permanently. What was most disturbing was their ability to change from liquid to solid at a moment's notice.
For all their numbers, around 400 of these giants were needed to overpower and push back their 8000 strong army. They had to stick to attacking from range and even then they were suffering considerable losses.
They weren't perfect though. They often struggled to attack groups of fighters and thankfully there were not that many attacking them compared to the army size at least. They were also rather vulnerable to physical attacks, but they mitigated this by transforming into their liquid form. The tide had slowly begun to change in their favour, though, as every now and then some of the monsters would take to the skies and head back to the Mountain.
Anya saw Tris lift her hands towards one of these monsters and a stream of electricity shot towards it.The robot had been in it's liquid form when Tris' lightning bolt struck it and Anya watched as the surface of the monster began to bubble and boil until the light seemed to drain away from it's eyes.
"Sagan,"shouted Anya to the general who had also paid attention to Tris' spectacle, "Inform the other generals of this. We need to use physical attacks when they're solid and only fire and lightning when they're liquid. I'll give you cover."
Sagan nodded and as she kneels down and began to broadcast his message Anya kept her guard up as she kept an eye out for any threats to Sagan. Luckily there were none whatsoever and he was able to get the message to the generals, some of whom were still tied up at Camp Jaha.
Indra would have been rather useful for this fight. Her power over gravity would have made immobilising the monsters a lot easier. Anya scanned the battlefield looking for a group she could lend her aid to.
Another problem with their vast numbers was that it was decidedly easy for the Mountain Men to stir up chaos between their missiles, guns and energy blasts the army had been splintered into various disorganised groups. Anya was looking for these types of groups. The battlefield stretched far and wide through the trees and she needed to help out where she could.
However, before Anya could move a flying object sped into the clearing and began to knock monster after monster over. The warriors were able to get out of the way in time as the heavy blows made the Maunon's weapons fall to the ground. The flying person was followed by a person in the ground who kept approaching every downed monster and touching it.
It was after a fre seconds that Anya realised that Clarke was the flier who was knocking the monsters and Lexa was the one who followed in her wake. Anya knew more about Lexa's capabilities having been her mentor and so she knew Lexa was increasing the mass of the monster to such a point that they could not lift themselves off the ground.
In a matter of seconds, 9 of the monsters had already been subdued and it was as mesmerising as it was surprising to see Clarke and Lexa work rather well in tandem. They obviously weren't surprised by these things and so they must have already figured out a way to beat them.
They finally stopped their onslaught after they managed to subdue 20 of their opponents. The sight of their Heda and Clarke seemed to rejuvenate the army and in an instant whatever dount and fear had settled into the ranks vanished. Bolts of lightning, waves of flame and spires rocks were sent towards their monstrous opponents.
With the added knowledge of how to handle their opponents in their non-solid form, it became gradually easier to push back as they forced their way out of the woods and back towards the gate of the Mountain. Their push back was so successful that some of the monsters began to take to the sky having clearly been given the order to retreat.
It was pointless, however, as Clarke ,wreathed in fire, punched straight through those thay were foolish enough to come closer. The combination of a powerful physical force that also had a high temperature seemed to do the trick mist faster as the monsters fell straight out the sky like dead birds.
Clarke realised this too and she busied herself with chasing after as many as she could. Unfortunately, she was only able to destroy roughly 15 more before the rest had retreated. The ones Clarke and Lexa had subdued were already being burnt under the direction of the generals that had been sent this way.
Clarke finally came back down to the ground and dispelled her flame armour. Lexa was near to Clarke and she raised her hand for silence as the army immediately obeyed. Her eyes seemed to contain a mix of anger and determination. It was an expression mirrored by Clarke whose purple warpaint had mixed with her black blood giving her a very intimidating appearance .
"Thw gates are only a few minutes away,"said Lexa as she lowered her hand,"It is time to get our people back."
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Clarke found that the army was rather unsurprisingly well run. Medic camps had been set up at the rear of the army as they began their advance and while Clarke was not exactly sure of the wisdom of doing such so close to the Mountain she trusted Lexa's judgement.
Lexa had been in conversation with a lot of the other generals even as they marched and Clarke had to hold back a wince when Sagan had said the casualties was around 900, but thankfully a rather low amount of those were actual deaths. There were already preparations being made to take them to Ton DC.
The Grounders had been wholly unprepared for the fight and apparently it was only thanks to Tris and Anya's keen eye that they figured out the weakness of the Guardians. The fact that they had been forced to fight backwards down a slope and in a heavily forested area only made things harder for the army until they had been able to regroup and stand their ground.
Lexa was finally left alone at the head of the army and Clarke sped up her speed so she could reach the other woman who had been rather silent since Clarke had found her. She finally got to the front after some maneuvering and said low enough for only Lexa to be able to hear,"I know what's bothering you."
Lexa turned to her quickly and her face held an open expression of surprise that faded as Clarke continued to speak ,"You wanted to free your people in the cages. I'm sure Anya would have told you how terrible it was in there, but I don't think you should let it distract you like this."
Lexa's was looking forward now and even though she still seemed tense Clarke was sure she wasn't crossing any boundaries. It was most likely a case of Lexa not being fully comfortable with someone speaking this candidly with her.
"Look, "said Clarke finally as she drew out a dagger that was identical to the one used for their blood oath,"We're a team now and we will win this. Both of our people are in there, but now is not the time for being angry. We need to put aside our personal anger for the safety of our people inside and outside this Mountain."
Clarke had been rather close and she allowed her shoulder to rub into Lexa's before she walked back to her original position. She had been assigned to lead a rather young group of warriors along with their mentors and she could not afford any more distractions.
It was only about two minutes later that the large door leading into the Mountain was revealed. The army had almost made it this close before they had been forced to retreat under the assault of the Guardians.
Clarke caught movement out the corner of her eye and she used her animal mimicry to give her the eyes of an owl. The night vision that her eyes gave her told her that there were Mountain Men stationed at the top of the ridge. Their guns were at the ready and their scopes were trained on them.
Clarke waited for orders from Lexa, but she was when the massive door to the Mountain began to open. The sound of voices emanated from behind the door and Clarke got ready to use her psionic powers if need be.
It was why she was so surprised to see that the noise was only being made by people who Clarke was quite easily able to identify as Grounders. The group of people seemed to be surprised at the sight of the army, but after a few curt words from Lexa in Trigedasleng they began to walk into the army and there were already some reunions as cheers of joy mixed with sadness and relief erupted here and there.
Soon after, a guard walked out and Clarke felt her own anger rise up to mix in with the confusion she was feeling. It was almost purely on instinct and rage that Clarke charged towards Emerson as she prepared to fire a psionic blast, but she stopped as soon as she heard Lexa speak.
"Clarke, that's enough,"said Lexa and Emerson whose face had been filled with terror now looked smug as he said,"You should listen to your Commander, girl. If any of my people get hurt then the deal is off."
"What deal?"said Clarke as she looked at Emerson, but he wasn't looking at her in fact he was looking at–
"Lexa,"said Clarke angrily and there was slight murmuring in the crowd. The generals that were closest to them, Akeri, Sagan and Remus all made a wall between her and Lexa.
Clarke was not about to be deterred, however, as she fired a psionic blast into Akeri and Remus. The two generals were sent flying away, but they quickly regained their footing.
A large section of the army took exception to Clarke's actions and they looked as of they were ready to charge until Lexa lifted her hand to calm them,"Em pleni."
"I made a deal with the Maunon,"said Lexa her face icy cool. Deep down, Clarke had known this once the prisoners were given up so freely, but she had waited to see if she had simply been paranoid.
Apparently not.
Her anger was getting ahead of her as Cage's words replayed in her head. She had rebuffed the idea of an alliance with the Mountain Men because she had no reason to trust them, but she had reason to trust Lexa. It hadn't been her head telling her to side with the Grounders, but her heart too. The Mountain Men, save for a few, were arrogant in their supposed superiority over the Grounders.
They had done nothing to convince Clarke of being well-intentioned and she knew that with how badly they need Skaikru bone marrow then any alliance would be about as useful as dirt.
However, this obviously did not hold true for the Grounders. The Grounders blood was now worthless to the Mountain Men and what better way to shatter the invasion than by giving the Grounders exactly what they were looking for.
"It was during my fight with the giant,"continued Lexa calmly even as Clarke's eyes widened in realisation, "They had made an offer I could not refuse and it was my duty as Heda to accept their terms."
"In case you're wondering,"said Emerson smugly,"We said we would send our entire fleet of Guardians to the large Grounder cities. Polis, Oria, Nesota and Troit just to name a few. That is what you guys call them right?"
Clarke turned back to Lexa whose face was stoic as Emerson spoke. Her hands clenched into fists as she said,"You knew for that long and you still strung me along?"
"I did what I had to do,"said Lexa before addressing the army at large,"No member of the Coalition is allowed to cross the river into Maunon territory from dawn today. Failure to comply will result in execution. Make way for Ton DC. You are not to rest until we get there "
The army began to make it's way out the clearing under Lexa's stern gaze and even though there were those that seemed like they wanted to stay and fight they were quickly dissuaded from their course of action by the remaining generals.
The Mountain Men were apparently pleased with what they saw and they too began to make their way inside. Emerson's laugh as he made his way inside only served to piss Clarke off, but the annoyance she felt at him was nothing compared to the rage she felt for The Commander.
They were soon the only two people, apart from Anya, who had remained behind. The door to the Mountain slammed shut with a deep, metallic ring. The mask of indifference that had been on Lexa's face melted away as she reached out to Clarke's shoulder, but a second later Clarke had grabbed onto her wrist before pushing it back towards the other woman.
"Don't. "
Clarke turned to Anya and her eyes were glowing a deep purple. Her hand was on the dagger she still had on her person. The sheer anger Clarke was feeling was all, but visble and Anya was ready to intervene when the knives she still had from Anya all clattered to the floor along with the dagger she had withdrawn earlier.
Clarke walked straight past Lexa and didn't turn to look at her as she said, "I thought you were different. "
Clarke didn't leave any chance for a reply as she sped off in a blur to parts unknown. Anya immediately teleported to her leader's side. She was able to pick up all of the weapons Clarke had discarded before she placed a hand on Lexa's shoulder.
"To the army or to Ton DC?"asked Anya having decided to not bring up what had just happened.
"Don't bother. I'll walk to the army,"said Lexa and her voice sounded a little shaken, "Assign scouts to the gates. I need to know who will win so I can prepare contingencies. Am I understood? "
Anya nodded immediately, but just before she left she said,"Is this wise, Heda?"
Lexa did not seem to react to Anya's question and she was silent for a while before she spoke.
"It is done, Anya,"said Lexa her voice as firm and confident as it usually was,"I did what I must to save our people. Tomorrow, we'll find out who will and from there I'll decide on a course of action. Separate the army in two. All the sick and injured along with some of the army are to go to Ton DC. Send 300 warriors to Camp Jaha. I will meet them there myself."
Anya nodded her understanding before she teleported away leaving Lexa alone in front of the gates. Her eyes lingered on the direction that Clarke had fled in before she turned her back in the gate and made way for Camp Jaha.
What's done is done.
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Hey guys hope you enjoyed this chapter. Been working it on during my off time during exams, but now I'm dome with exams which is just great. A lot happened in this one and now we'll have to see what happens in the next one.
Tis unfortunate, but now Clarke finds herself outside the Mountain without even Bellamy to help her. Lexa betrays Clarke and that won't bode well for the Mountain Men in the next chapter. There are twists coming up in the next chapter some of which I'm sure will shock most, if not all, of you.
I love to hear from you guys and leave a review if you have any thoughts, questions, theories etc.
Song rec:
Queen – Brighton Rock
