*Shout out to my Turkish and Romanian readers! I've been to Turkey twice and the second time I spent a month travelling your beautiful country from Istanbul to Izmir, Pamukkale, Cappadocia and Ankara! Also one of my flatmates is Romanian and he's such a wonderful guy – so funny – so I dedicate this chapter to Horia haha, please favourite/follow/review thank you so much!*
*Also thank you to the people who followed me I love you guys for it, I realised I didn't even put my twitter on the last chapter because I'm a fool, so congrats to those who found it on my profile! It's WildMockingbird (get it ;) ) Please follow me for lots of love in return! And please enjoy my longest chapter so far!*
They crept through the empty corridors, headed for level five where the entire of the mountain had been gathered. On the way Monty and Jasper filled Clarke in on what had been happening to them. They told her about the dorm, and about Maya and the rest of the people in the mountain who had helped them. They also told her about the friends that they had taken so far, and what happened to them. Although Clarke already knew, hearing the details first hand made bile rise in her throat, and she couldn't escape the image of Fox's body in the tunnels. With every knew piece of information she learned, Clarke became more and more determined that she would not leave this mountain without her friends.
Bellamy remained quiet for their walk, in part because he was trying to plan for what was ahead. Mostly though, it was because the feel of Clarke's small hand resting in his, the familiarity of her shoulder brushing his arm, the way his heart jumped every time she looked up at him, almost to check that he was really there, was enough to make him want to stay quiet and just enjoy the moment, now that she was back by his side.
They reached the crossroads where they decided to split up – Jaspa, Maya and Octavia would go secure Maya more oxygen for her suit, and then when they had done that, they were to find those people in the mountain who had helped them, find them suits, and take them somewhere safe. Bellamy, Clarke and Monty would go to Dante to find a way to rescue their friends and, when they had done that, they would radio Jasper and the others and plan their quick escape.
They found him in his cell, painting. Clarke found the notion chilling. How could he be so calm, whilst her people, her friends, were being tortured and killed beneath their feet? She looked around the white room reluctantly. It was identical to the one she had woken up in and Clarke found herself remembering her time in the mountain, before she willed the memories away and forced herself to focus.
Dante stood from his painting, turning when he realised that he had company. His eyes flitted from Bellamy, in his Mount Weather uniform, to Monty, his shirt stained with blood, before coming to rest on the blonde woman stood between them. Dressed in battle leathers she looked different to the last time they had met, but her eyes held the same defiance, the same strength.
'Hello Clarke.' His voice was composed, but he knew why they were there.
'Sir, we need your help again.' Bellamy said carefully.
Monty watched as Dante's eyes flickered to the camera over his door. 'It's ok,' he reassured him quickly, 'I took out the camera from the junction box in the hall - we can talk freely.'
In another circumstance Clarke would have smiled at Monty, but for now she could only marvel to herself at the incredibly smart boy next to her.
'No one's watching anyway.' Dante said, sounding disgruntled, 'thanks to you they're all on level five.'
'You're not.' Clarke said coldly, stepping towards him with her arms crossed. She refused to offer the man responsible for capturing her and her friends any sympathy. Besides, she had quickly figured out that the reason he didn't need to be on level five was because he had been given the treatment – he would be just fine when the other levels began to leak radiation soaked air.
'No, I'm not.' He repeated, his voice even colder, and Bellamy understood why Clarke had run, why she knew something was wrong. Dante made him feel on edge, like he was constantly being scrutinised. But he had their friends.
'Please,' Bellamy interrupted their stand-off, and Clarke shifted a step back at his voice, though her eyes still stayed on Dante, 'we don't have much time. We need a way to get our people out of this mountain without killing everyone.'
Dante's eyes flickered to Bellamy's and he couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two leaders. He always prided himself on his ability to read people, and these two were like a book. They were both head strong, both fiercely loyal and protective, both wanted a peaceful way out, and they were both damaged. But together, they made each other strong, even stronger than they were alone, they balanced each other out in a way that Dante was aware went deeper than just partners. And right now, they were vengeful.
He forced his eyes away from the pair, looking back to Clarke, and he knew that she understood what he would say.
'He's not going to help us.' Her words were filled with hatred. Bellamy didn't even question how she knew, instead he let his expression harden.
'You cut the power, risking the lives of everyone in this mountain, my people, even the ones who helped you.' Dante's eyes flashed dangerously as he ground the words out.
'We knew they'd be safe on level five. We made sure not to destroy the turbines so you could repair them. We're the good guys here, not you!' She cried, feeling Bellamy's hand brush her forearm, calming her.
'Tell me,' Dante's voice was calculated, and Clarke was unsettled by how much she was reminded of her and Lexa's last conversation, 'if we released your people, and theirs, what would have happened to mine?'
Bellamy saw the way Clarke's shoulders stiffened and his heart dropped. The fact was she didn't know what would happen to his people. In truth, most of his soldiers would die, she couldn't bring herself to feel remorseful of that, but she also had no way of telling how many innocent people would have died at the hands of the grounders who had proven themselves time and time again to be a blood thirsty people. Maybe Lexa truly did strive to move her people away from unnecessary bloodshed, but for now she had a long way to go. Clarke couldn't think about the innocent people of the mountain being killed, she had to trust Octavia and Jasper.
She turned, her eyes brushing Bellamy's briefly, before they found Monty.
Clarke was stuck by how beaten the boy looked, and she felt her heart ache for him. She looked at him, really looked at him, and found she had to remind herself that Monty was only sixteen. His shirt was stained with blood and his shoulders were slumped, his eyes weary. She could hardly imagine the horrors that he had been forced to endure in the past weeks, but she forced herself to be strong, just for a while longer.
'Can you get us into the command centre? We need to see what's happening on level five.'
'No problem.' Monty said, his voice quietly determined, and Clarke vowed that if he could do it, so could she.
Bellamy watched the exchange, following Clarke's train of thought so that when she turned to nod at him, to tell him that they should go, he was already grabbing hold of Dante's arm.
'Let's go, you're gonna help us whether you like it or not.' He said lowly.
On level five, Jasper, Maya and Octavia crept stealthily through a corridor that Jasper knew would lead towards the mess hall, where the inhabitants of the mountain were gathered. All except for those who were downstairs, killing their friends, he thought bitterly before straightening his shoulders and following the instructions Maya was giving them. Jasper gripped the cold metal of the rifle tighter in his hands and glanced at Octavia, her hand clenched tightly on a wicked looking sword. He turned back to Maya and smiled, praying that they wouldn't encounter any guards.
Miraculously they made it to the large room where the mountain men stored the hazmat suits. Jasper didn't know how large the guard was, but there were almost 50 suits hanging on two of the walls, and stacked by a third wall were crates and crates of oxygen. Turning, he spied a large trolley, obviously used for transporting the crates, and a plan began to form in his mind.
Clarke marvelled silently at the man in front of her as she walked behind him and Dante to the control centre. He knew so much about her, knew her better than anyone on earth, literally, but she realised quite suddenly that they knew very little about each other's lives on the Ark. They had only had a few encounters before Clarke had been placed in solitary, and those had hardly gone well. Well, she argued with herself, their first meeting had. She blushed as her mind wandered back to that day in the medical station, almost two years ago.
She was snapped out her daydream by Bellamy's gravelly voice. 'Why aren't you on level five?' He was asking Dante.
'After what I've done they can be free, I can't. I bare it so they don't have to.' He said tiredly, and Clarke watched as Bellamy pieced together what he was saying.
'It wasn't Cage.' Bellamy said slowly, and Clarke realised that he had figured out what had happened outside the mountain. She felt a fresh wave of anger course through her again; anger and guilt. 'It was your idea to make the deal with the grounders.'
Dante nodded once.
They came to a halt outside the command centre and Bellamy looked past him to Clarke and saw that her expression mirrored his own. They mulled over what to do with the information whilst Monty typed into the control panel next to the door – they had the man who had effectively sentenced their people to die in their hands.
'We're in.' Monty's voice interrupted their silent discussion and they slipped through the door into the dark and empty control centre. The young boy dropped onto a chair in front of one of the computers and immediately started typing. Seconds later a dozen screens on one wall came to life, illuminating the room.
Bellamy found his eyes drawn to a large screen in the middle, and found himself fighting nausea when he recognised it as the room that he had seen Dr Singh in from the vent. The room he had watched her drill into the bone marrow of an innocent boy, just because he had the misfortune of being born in space. He clenched his fists as he saw their friends chained up and someone lying on a bed in the middle of the room.
'Is that Raven?' He asked, already knowing the answer. Clarke nodded, swallowing hard as well.
Monty adjusted the camera to rotate around the room and Clarke felt her heart stop. 'Mom?' She breathed and Bellamy watched as her eyes became furiously cold.
He stepped forward, how had they gotten Abby – she had stayed behind at Camp Jaha? Looking closer he saw that Kane, Miller's dad and Monroe had all been captured and chained up, as well as the others who were already in the mountain. He stepped forward again until Clarke's back rested against his chest and he felt her lean into him as he brushed his thumb lightly against her wrist. They stood for a moment, strengthening the other whilst they decided what to do, fighting their rising panic.
Bellamy glanced around the room before he grabbed a radio lying next to him and spun to Dante. 'Tell them to stop, now.' He barked, holding out the radio, but Dante merely glanced at the radio before looking back at him.
'I won't do that.' He said coldly, and Clarke almost flinched at the fury on Bellamy's face, but she was thinking. She glanced from the screens, to Dante, and back again. Bellamy watched as the idea came together in her head, and she walked towards him, plucking the radio from his hand and bringing it up to her face.
'Carl Emerson, Mount Weather Security Detail, come in.' She said calmly.
'Who is this?' He responded after a moment.
'You know who it is. Give the radio to the president.'
Bellamy was impressed by the calm in Clarke's voice. He tightened his grip on Dante's arm as he watched the screen that showed Emerson walking towards Cage Wallace and handing him the radio.
'This is President Wallace.' Another voice came through the radio now.
'I have your father,' Clarke's voice was steady, and didn't betray the conflict that was written on her face, 'if you don't let my people go, I will kill him.'
Cage face on the screen looked shocked for a moment, before he brought the radio closer to his mouth. 'How do I know you have him?'
Clarke almost smiled again, she had predicted this. Wordlessly she held the radio to Dante's face and clicked the button.
'Stay the course Cage.' Wallace said urgently before Clarke pulled the radio away again. Looking at the screen she was pleased to see Cage's shock had returned, and now it was mingled with fear.
'You won't do it.' He said, but he sounded unsure.
'He doesn't know her very well' thought Bellamy dryly, Clarke would do anything to protect the people she loved.
'You don't know me very well.' She said into the radio and then Bellamy did smirk. 'This ends now.' She narrowed her eyes. 'Release my people.'
'I can't do that.' Cage said carefully.
'It would mean the end of our people.' Dante said, his voice low, and Bellamy tightened his grip on his arm.
Clarke spun round, tugging a hand gun out from her armour. In one fluid movement it was cocked and aimed at Dante's head.
It had taken them longer that he had hoped, but they had done it, he thought as he winced at the pain in his arms and shoulders. They had shifted two of the huge crates onto the trolley, along with forty of the suits. Panting, Jasper caught Maya's eye and smiled. She had a new oxygen tank, one that would last 10 hours, and for the first time that day, he felt hope blossom in his chest.
'We need to move.' Octavia said quietly, pulling one of the remaining suits off the wall and stepping into it. 'This should buy us some more time.'
Japer nodded and shrugged into a suit as well. When they were finished, they each grabbed a handle on the trolley, and Maya began to push it from behind. It was a slow process, but finally they made it back down to level four by taking a long, convoluted route that kept them away from the mess hall. Jasper knew Monty and now that he was with Clarke and Bellamy he had no doubt that he would have taken down the cameras by now. Now, they just had to wait to hear from them. Jasper ran his hand along the radio tucked into his belt but he knew he shouldn't radio them – the mountain men couldn't find out that they were taking either of their people to safety, and he didn't know who Bellamy, Clarke and Monty might be with. Still, he felt the hope spread further across his chest as he glanced back down at Maya for the hundredth time, his face stretching into a wide grin through his mask.
Bellamy watched Clarke cautiously before stepping away from Dante. 'Clarke, we need him.'
'And I need his son to believe me.' She said, her voice unwavering.
Bellamy closed his eyes tightly to ground himself before they found Clarke again. Suddenly he was taken back to what he had said to Finn so many weeks ago, as he held a grounder scout at gunpoint. 'There are some lines you can't uncross.' He didn't want this to be a line for Clarke. He knew she was hurting, he could read every emotion she was feeling right now, but he couldn't let her do this. He thought back again, to the moment Clarke had slid the knife into Finn, how much that had affected Clarke, how hard it had been.
But they had gotten through it. He had gotten her through it. Bellamy's mind was made up. He trusted Clarke more than he thought was possible, and if she believed that this was what she needed to do for their friends then he would let her, and he would be there afterwards, no matter what.
Clarke watched as a silent war raged within Bellamy. She knew that he wanted to protect her from this, that he didn't want her to have more blood on her hands, but she also knew that he would understand that it was better that it was Dante's blood than the blood of all their friends and family.
He nodded at her and she lifted the radio to her mouth once more. 'Don't make me do this.' She said, her voice carefully free of emotion, and the room fell heavy and silent as all four of them waited for Cage's response, watching the screen once more.
Finally, the radio in her hand crackled again. 'I'll take care of our people dad.' Cage said, his face was calm but his voice betrayed his fear. Clarke pushed away her sympathy. This man was sacrificing his father in order to claim the lives of everyone she had.
'None of us have a choice, Clarke.' Dante's voice was almost soothing, but it made Clarke's skin crawl.
Making sure she had clicked the transmit button on the radio Clarke spoke sadly. 'I didn't want this.'
'Neither did I.' Replied Dante.
Bellamy's eyes didn't leave Clarke as she pulled the trigger, and his heart ached at the tears in her eyes.
Turning, Bellamy watched on the screen as Cage flinched, the sound of a gunshot echoing around the small room, reaching Cage's ears through the radio he held. Bellamy watched his face for the recognition that his father was dead, but he saw nothing, just cold detachment.
As Dante took his last breath Bellamy crossed the floor to where Clarke stood motionless. He pressed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest as he gently took the gun from her hand. He felt her hands shaking as they came up to grip his back and he pressed a kiss to her temple. He could at least give her this, a moment where she didn't have to be strong and fearless, a moment where she could show her emotions without judgement.
Clarke felt two tears spill down her cheeks as Bellamy's fingers brushed hers, pulling the gun from her hand. She let her defences come down as she stood in his arms and the weight of her actions washed over her. She had Cage's attention now, but at what cost? Another name to add to her list of kills. She shuddered slightly and felt Bellamy tighten her grip.
Soon, Bellamy felt Clarke take a deep breath in and he knew that she was done for now, so he released her as she stepped back. Her eyes were strong and determined once more, but Bellamy's heart ached knowing that she was still hurting, that she had had to wear this mask for so long now.
'We're almost done, Princess.' He said softly and Clarke nodded, feeling Bellamy's words wash over her. He was right, they were so close.
She held up the radio once more, feeling determination flooding her veins - Clarke encouraged it, she let her anger and pain fill her words. 'Listen to me very carefully. I will not stop until my people are free, if you don't let them go I will irradiate level five.' Bellamy and Clarke watched, side by side, on the screen as Cage leant against the nearest wall at her words. 'Cage, listen to me, I don't want anyone else to die - stop the drilling, and we can talk. There must be a way to get us all out of this.'
Bellamy felt strangely reassured to hear those words. Not that he doubted her exactly, but after seeing how drastically Finn had changed, he couldn't help but worry that Clarke would become equally blinded, but with vengeance. He wouldn't deny that he stopped thinking logically when the people he loved were in danger, so it was a relief to be proven wrong, to find that Clarke was still, well, Clarke.
He looked at Clarke as he thought, as he watched, her face shifted and he saw worry in her eyes as she looked at one of the screens.
'Emerson's coming for us.'
'They deactivated my key card,' Bellamy said thoughtfully, turning to Monty who had been standing off to one side, 'can you do that to his?'
Monty nodded immediately, stepping towards the nearest computer. 'That one's easy.'
Offering him a small smile, Bellamy turned back to the screens. Clarke saw him frown. 'Where's he going?' She followed his eyes and saw Cage walking out of the mess hall. They tracked him through the mountain using the camera until it became clear that he was headed for where they were keeping their friends.
Jasper waited impatiently in a storage room with a small group of people in hazmat suits. He recognised a few of their faces from when Maya's father was organising their hiding places - an older couple, the school teacher's boyfriend, the man with the kind smile. They were the people who turned against Cage, risking their lives, and Jasper was determined to save theirs in return. He blinked hard against the threat of tears that always came when he thought of the couple who had hidden him and Maya, and were killed by the guards because of it.
The sound of footsteps caught his attention and he pushed off from the wall he was leaning against as Octavia returned with six more people.
'Quickly, put the suits on, but don't use the oxygen until you need it.' She said, nodding at Jasper in greeting. The six with her, two men and four women, did as they were told without question, smiling gratefully at Jasper and Octavia, but he was too distracted to notice. Maya had gone to collect the biggest group of all – the children – and she wasn't back yet. Everyone was on level five, but Cage had kept the children separate for some reason, Jasper wasn't complaining – it made his job easier.
Minutes ticked by like hours and even Octavia began to get anxious. She came and stood by Jasper, resting her back against the wall he had returned to.
'She's going to be fine.' She said, in that infuriatingly stubborn Blake way that made everything that came out of their mouth sound like the truth.
'How do you know? What if they found her? What if she's downstairs with the others right now? What if I let her go out there on her own and now she's in danger?' His voice got more and more panicked as he spoke until Octavia gripped his forearm comfortingly.
'I know she's going to be fine because she's got you to come back to.' Octavia said, looking up at him and just like that Jasper felt his heart rate slow again. She was right. Maya was coming back to him because he had too much to show her, to tell her, to do with her. She had to come.
Octavia watched Jasper physically relax and she couldn't help but smile affectionately. 'You really like her huh?'
Jasper smiled bashfully, a hint of red staining his cheeks, and that was the only answer Octavia needed. It was the same way she knew she looked at Lincoln, and the same way Bell looked at Clarke.
As if by magic, the sound of footsteps reached the two of them and they jumped upright again, drawing their weapons just in case, but after a few more seconds Jasper heard the sound of whispered children's voices and he knew that Maya had done it. She appeared at the door and Jasper pulled her into his arms before she even knew what was happening. She hugged him back for a few seconds before pulling away shyly.
They got the children into their hazmat suits as well before stepping back, grinning slightly. They had done it, it was up to Clarke, Bellamy and Monty to rescue the rest of their friends now.