Time for some action! Samdagger.
Chapter 11
Several hours later, Charlotte called out to whoever was around.
"The President's son has arrested his father and he's now in charge!" Charlotte yelled. Drew dropped the fork he was playing with and ran for one of the leaders. He came back with Clarke and Idona running behind him.
"What's happening, Charlotte?" Clarke asked, a little breathless.
"Cage Wallace is now in charge and he's organising his people to find us!"
"And President Wallace?"
"In one of the quarantine rooms as a prisoner."
"Shit!" Idona said. Clarke agreed.
"What now?" Drew asked. Idona turned to Charlotte.
"Is Dante Wallace the only one locked up?"
"Yes, the others are listening to Cage. He's telling them he can get them all to the ground and then they live like they were supposed to, on their own land."
"Meaning the Commander's?" Idona asked. Charlotte nodded.
"Guess we're doing it the hard way," Idona said. Clarke nodded.
"Not sure how though."
"I do," Idona said, flatly.
"How?"
"We'd better have a meeting about it, Clarke and then I can tell everyone." Clarke nodded and sent Drew to round up those who were in positions of authority, which was basically everyone.
When they had gathered, Clarke went over what Charlotte had found out.
"So what now?" Bellamy asked.
"I get a clan tat, and then get caught by those reapers. I go through decontamination and get put into a cage. I'll wait until night and then get out of my cage and go find Dante."
"You can't!" Raven said.
"We need to, Raven. I can melt metal and manipulate stone and wood. I doubt there's anything in there that can hold me."
"What about Troy or Miller going in?"
"No, they'll set off the radiation alarms as soon as they teleport into there."
"But with you going through decontamination as a grounder, you'll be put in with them and you can roam the mountain when you can," Bellamy said, understanding what she intended.
"Yeah, I can do this guys."
"Why the tat though?" Drew asked.
"So they think I'm a grounder. If they figure out I'm not, they'll take my bone marrow by force."
"Then you'd better be convincing," Roma said. Idona nodded.
"Can we make contact with the Commander and get her permission for my tat and what I want to do?" Clarke nodded and turned to Charlotte, only to see her eyes had already lost focus.
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Commander Lexa was sitting on her throne with Indra and several of her guards and the flamekeeper in the same meeting.
"Commander, with our new schedule, we have a little more free time to scout around the mountain," Indra said.
"Is that wise?" the Commander asked. "We know they'll do anything to get more people."
"We know but we want to find places where we can watch them without being caught." The Commander nodded and then held up her hand as she heard a voice in her head.
"Commander, Clarke would like to talk to you about the mountain," Charlotte said.
"I'm in a meeting at the moment, please make contact again in half a candlemark."
"Yes, Commander," Charlotte said and withdrew from the Commander's mind.
"Indra, I give you permission to organise it, but I need you here. After this meeting stay and we'll discuss it."
"Sha Heda," Indra said.
"Commander," Titus, her flamekeeper said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Titus. Let's carry on, shall we?"
It took another few minutes for Indra to outline her plan and for the Commander to approve it. The guards filed out talking about who would go while the Flamekeeper looked at his Commander with worry. Her momentary lapse was not usual. He left as well and soon it was just the Commander and Indra.
"Commander, why did you stop me from leading the group?"
"Charlotte just contacted me. Clarke needs to talk to us about the mountain."
"When?"
"I told her to contact me again in half a candlemark."
"Which is just about up," Indra said. Lexa nodded and held up her hand again as Charlotte initiated contact. This time the Commander spoke out loud for Indra's benefit.
"Yes, Charlotte?"
"Clarke would like it if you would give permission for Troy to take some people to you to talk about the mountain."
"Clarke wants to come here?" Lexa asked, a bit skeptical.
"Yes, Commander. It would be easier to talk to you than go through me."
"Then see the room I'm in and tell them to come here as soon as they can."
"Yes, Commander," Charlotte said. "Troy's got the image. They are on their way." Just then, they appeared in the throne room.
"Got them," Commander Lexa said and felt Charlotte leave her mind.
"Welcome," the Commander said to them, staying seated. Clarke, Troy and Idona turned towards her and bowed.
"Thank you, Commander, for allowing us to come here," Clarke said.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"We've made contact with President Wallace, Commander, but this afternoon, Charlotte told us his son had staged a coup and imprisoned his father and has taken control of those inside the mountain."
"So what now?"
"He's trying to get his guards organised to find us, but we only told President Wallace where the rest of our people are on Barbados, not that some of us were already on the mainland."
"Can he get your people?" Indra asked.
"No, General. None of his airtanks would last that long, plus there's no other way to reach them other than by boat."
"So why is he doing it?"
"Because he's desperate to get out of the mountain and because it will show the people that he can do something proactive to get them out as well."
"So if he can't get to your people, how does that alter anything?"
"I want to go inside the mountain, Commander," Idona said. "To do that, I need a clan tattoo of some kind and your clothing and then get myself captured by a reaper."
"No!" Indra said. Idona turned to her.
"Indra, you've seen me manipulate wood, metal and stone. There's no place they could keep me locked up. Anywhere they put me, I can get out of and if they chain me to a table, I can just melt them and get away."
"There's no other way?" the Commander asked.
"I don't think so, Commander. I intend to find several of their red smoke bombs and set them off into their ventilation system. That's what moves the air around the mountain so everyone would be knocked out. I intend to find a facemask so I'll still be awake. Once that happens, I'll give a mental call to Charlotte who will tell Troy and he'll teleport some people into the mountain to deal with them."
"What about the radiation on them?"
"They'll first go to the room with the radiation suits. The first person to get a donation would be President Dante Wallace. He could tell us who else we can waken first who can help with the rest of their people. Those who are known to be Cage's people will be left to last and locked up if necessary."
The Commander sat silent and still on her throne as she thought about it.
"And what about my people?"
"They will have to be left in their cages until we've dealt with them, but those who are due for their last bleeding, will be taken out and taken to Tondc. From there, they can get well and go home."
"And the rest?"
"As long as they are strong enough, they stay there. The mountain people may need more blood but I won't let anyone just bleed them dry, Commander."
"Then, yes, I agree. Just get my people out as soon as you can."
"Sha, Heda," Idona said. Indra raised one eyebrow. "I need to learn more of your language too so I can talk to your people without the Maunon knowing." Indra nodded.
"Then you can go to Tondc and get the tattoo there. Do you know what to get?"
"No, Commander. It would have to be one recognisable by your people. I doubt the mountain men have figured out what they mean."
"Then you need a tatto to proclaim who you are."
"I can't have a clan tattoo for the Skaikru, Commander. You said that we could become Trikru once the mountain was dealt with and I'd like to do that, but I'm not Trikru yet and until the Maunon are dealt with, I don't want to be."
"Then you shall have a tattoo proclaimng you as favoured by me. It will only be for a few months, but a tattoo like that will get you respect from my people inside the mountain. Once the mountain is dealt with, the tattoo will be altered and covered with something else."
"Sha, Heda," Idona said, bowing once more.
"When?" Indra asked.
"Now, if possible," Clarke said. "Troy can take her to Tondc and then come back here for us and take us home."
"And then?" the Commander asked.
"Then we have to wait for Idona to make contact with Charlotte before we can do anything else."
"And how long would that take?"
"A few days at least, Commander," Idona said. "I need that tattoo and a couple of days to learn the language and to get some clothing."
"You're already wearing clan clothing though," Indra said.
"And I like them, but I've only got a couple of changes of clothing and I quite like these ones. I want something that can be left behind in the mountain. Charlotte says none of your people are wearing their own clothing, in fact, they're wearing very little, only enough to cover their private areas." Both Indra's and Lexa's faces went dark with the reminder of how their people were treated. "I only need old ragged clothing, General, nothing of great value." Indra nodded.
"I'll see what I can do once I return."
"You could come with me now, General," Troy offered.
"Mochof, but no. My horse is here and I do not intend to leave him behind." Troy nodded.
"That will give you three days to get ready. I'll write a letter for Anya." Idona nodded and soon Indra was leading them from the room.
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Idona gave the letter from the Commander to Chief Anya who read it.
"You are willing to do this?" Anya asked.
"I don't know what the Commander wrote, Chief, but I intend to go into the mountain to free your people." Anya nodded.
"You will go to the tattooist today and get your mark. Where do you want it?"
"On my arm, Chief," Idona said, tapping her right bicep. Anya nodded and led the way to a hut.
"Ola! The Commander wishes this person to have the Commander's mark on her." Ola, came from the back room with a raised eyebrow. Ola was a very old woman but she was still spritely.
"What does this spit of a girl need with the Commander's mark?"
"Ola, the Commander asked for it, that's enough for me." Ola shrugged.
"Sit, sit," she said, waving to a seat near ther window. "Where do you want it?"
"Right bicep, please," Idona said, removing her top before sitting down. Ola nodded and moved to get her things.
"It'll take two candlemarks at least, Anya." Anya nodded and left the hut.
"This will hurt," the old woman said. Idona nodded and wondered if the role of tattooist went to people who liked to inflict pain.
A couple of hours later, Idona was released.
"Mochof,'' Idona said to the old woman and bowed before leaving.
"Come, Idona," Nyko said. "There's a salve to ease the pain." Idona nodded to him and went over to him and he applied the salve. Idona sighed in relief. Nyko grinned.
"It always hurts," he said.
"Sha!" Idona said fervently.
"Go see the Chief to start to learn our language." Idona nodded.
"Mochof, Nyko," she said and left to begin her new task of learning the language.
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Three days later, Indra rode into Tondc and the first thing she did was make sure that Idona looked enough like a Trikru, spoke enough like a Trikru and acted enough like a Trikru to fool the Maunon. The following day, Indra led Idona towards the mountain. Once they'd located some reapers, Indra left her and hid while she watched Idona being captured after a token struggle. She was placed with several others with a gag in her mouth and tied by her wrists to a log. Once the reapers started leading them back towards the mountain, Indra crept away and returned to Tondc to report Idona had been captured.
Idona was led into a tunnel under the mountain and up to a door where they were taken off the log and made to kneel after being stripped of most of their clothing. She must have knelt there for over two hours before radiation suited figures emerged. One of the females was looking at a clipboard and pointing to individuals as she told the others where they were to go in a bored voice.
"Harvest, harvest, harvest, in fact harvest them all." Idona and the others were pulled to their feet and marched into the mountain complex and led down several corridors without doors before being taken into a large room and tied to a ring in the wall and then the rest of their clothing was cut away from them leaving them completely naked. The suited men left and as soon as the door closed, boiling hot water sprayed from the shower heads above them. All of them screamed in pain at being burned by the water. Once it stopped, more people entered and began throwing powder over them. That, too, burned them and then they were once more doused in boiling water before the men returned and seemed to take delight in brushing their skin until it bled. Once they were finished, they were taken to another room and dressed in white material and only enough to cover the essential bits. Feeling naked again, Idona and the rest were led to one of the chambers.
Idona was angry to see the small size of the cages. Charlotte had said they were small, but this was ridiculous! She was brought out of her reverie by one of the guards shoving her towards a cage and two others grabbed her and shoved her in it and closed the door before she even knew about it. The cage was locked and she watched as the others were put into other cages. Those who fought were shocked with a shockstick similar to the ones used on the Ark before they were shoved into a cage.
The female who decided their fate came into the room without the suit.
"You will never leave this room alive," she said before everyone else left. Idona looked around.
"Is that decontamination the same each time?" she asked no-one in general.
"What is decon- whatever you said?" a man asked.
"What we went through once we came in here," she replied.
"Sha," he told her. Idona nodded and sat back, checking out the room and looking for ways out. Of course, with her skills, she'd make her own way out, but she was looking for places she could get to and explore before getting her new people out.
"What did you do to earn that mark?" the woman in the next cage asked in Trigedasleng.
"I volunteered to come here and get you out," Idona replied, also in Trigedasleng.
"The woman looked at her as if she was stupid.
"You volunteered?"
"Sha."
"Why?"
"Because the maunon's time is long past. One side has to die to save the other. My people decided that saving thousands and letting less than four hundred die was better than letting thousands die to keep those same four hundred alive."
"Your people?"
"A new group."
"From where?"
"Barbados. It's one of those southern islands that stretch from Yujleda lands down to the southern continent."
"I know those islands," said another man.
"Floukru?" Idona asked.
"Sha." Idona nodded.
"We have a deal with Heda Luna. We repair any boat of theirs if they are in the area and they help us with foods we cannot get or grow." The Floukru man nodded. It was a good deal.
"How are you going to get out of your cage?" the first woman asked. "They only let you out once they have knocked you out to string you up and take your blood."
"I'll figure it out," Idona said. "Do those cameras ever go down?"
"What?" Idona subtly pointed to the cameras.
"Those. Does the light turn from green to red?"
"Sha, at night."
"Good, that's when I'll get out of my cage. I need to explore the mountain first before I can get you all out." Most of them didn't believe her so Idona sat back and got as comfortable as she could in the cramped cage and waited until night came.
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Idona had been dozing when she was nudged by the woman to her right.
"Hey, that light changed colour," she said. Idona looked up and grinned.
"Alright," she said, reaching through the cage to the lock, snapping it like it was a dry twig. She opened the door and got out and up on top of her cage. She walked to the camera and put her hand on it and concentrated on melting the wiring inside. Once she had, she jumped off the cages onto the floor. She moved to the doors and put her hand on it. She couldn't feel anything on the other side. She tried the handle. Locked. She put her hands on the middle of the door and pulled it apart with her bare hands. The clanspeople were in awe of her abilities and most of them were a little afraid of her. Idona climbed through the hole and made the door whole again.
She moved through the next room and out of the door at the other end. She was in a corridor and now she was exposed to anyone walking past. She looked for a hatch to one of the maintenance tunnels. Once she located one, she opened it up and entered, closing it behind her. Now she was in pitch darkness, but it was no different from the Ark.
She moved slowly, keeping her hand on the left side of the tunnel. She stopped and mentally called for Charlotte. She made contact and asked Charlotte to contact Dante to get his help in finding her way to him. After she got directions, it took several minutes before she found his cell. It was the nicest cell she'd ever seen - even though every single thing in the room was white, except for a painting. She asked Charlotte to get the location of the camera and then she moved around until she was behind it and then opened a hole into the room. Dante never gave any indication that she was there, but he was astonished to see a hole appear and then a head. He watched as the young woman put her arm through the hole and broke the camera off its mount and took it back into the tunnel.
Idona made the hole slightly bigger and then jumped into the room.
"Hi, you must be Dante Wallace?" she said. He nodded, still not knowing who she was. She was dressed in the harvest chamber clothing and had a tattoo. She looked like one of them but she spoke their language. Then it came to him.
"Idona?" he asked. She smiled.
"What are you doing here?"
"Asking for your help," she said.
"For what? I'm a prisoner now."
"So was I only a few minutes ago. Some things can change in less time than you thought." Dante grunted.
"Yes, my son arresting me and taking over was certainly a surprise."
"There's a new plan."
"Which is?"
"You help me get to the place where you store those red smoke bombs and I set them off into the ventilation system. I knock everyone out. I also need a full face mask."
"What happens once we are unconscious?" Dante asked.
"My people come in and sedate everyone and then we start with the donations. I want you to be the first one and tell us of at least ten others who you trust to comply with us. They'll be given the donations next. After that, it will be everyone else, leaving your son and his people for last. If necessary, we'll lock them up in the cages the grounders are held in. I also need your help in sorting out which ones to take out of this mountain immediately. I will not have any more clanspeople killed for their blood. Anyone who still needs that blood can take it from those who are fairly new to the mountain and not take the last dose from someone who could still live outside." Dante nodded. Nothing she'd said was unreasonable.
"The canisters are just like grenades," he said. Idona nodded. "The facemasks are in the same place. They are all stored in the armoury on level four. Room 413 in section 404."
"Where's the best place to get it into the ventilation system?"
"The maintenance hatch on level five. That's our main living level and where our radiation bunker is."
"I assume that it's on a separate system?"
"It is, but at this time of night, it's empty." Idona nodded.
"Okay, then. I'll see you when you wake up," Idona said, climbing back into the hole and closing it again. The last image of Dante was his mouth dropping open in surprise.
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It took her another twenty minutes to get to the correct place. She opened a hole in the ceiling to check no-one was in there and to find the camera. She worked her way around until she was behind it and destroyed that one as well. She wondered if all the cameras went down at night. She was thankful that so far, all of them were down. She went into the armoury and found a box of twelve smokebombs and six facemasks.
"Charlotte, can you get Bellamy and Troy for me please?" Charlotte agreed and soon she was contacting Idona again.
"Bellamy, I've got a box of twelve of the smokebombs. How many do I need to set off into the ventilation system to knock everyone out?"
"All of them. You can't kill them by using too many, but you can have people still awake by using too few."
"Got it. Once I've set them off, I'll give them a few minutes before I ask you and Troy to come here. There's a special room they have where they store their radiation suits. I need you to climb into them before you enter the main part of the mountain. I need help here. Troy, once you've brought Bellamy here, go get Clarke and go to Barbados to get Abby and Jackson. We need to start bone marrow donations. You'll be busy bringing people back and forth for donations and so on."
"We got it, Idona, go do what you need to and we'll be standing by." Idona felt Charlotte withdraw from her mind and she set off for the ventilation system.
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Idona was above the hatch she needed. She donned the mask and turned the air on before she quietly opened the hatch. She had noticed a contact alarm, so she left it in place and opened a hole in the hatch itself. The alarm stayed quiet. Idona smiled and pulled the pin on the first smokebomb and dropped it into the system. Immediately the smoke began to spew out of it, wending its way along the airways to all parts of the mountain. Idona dropped five more into the hatch before closing the hole and moving onto another hatch further along. She emptied the rest into that and then sat back and waited.
Charlotte came back to her.
"They are trying to shut the ventilation system down. They're heading towards the main life support station in 402."
"Got it," Idona said, moving back towards level four. She arrived just before them and melted the lock on the door so they couldn't enter. She heard the sound of an axe on the door.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Idona said. Each time they make a mark on the door, Idona fixed it. All she had to do was wait them out. It took another few minutes before everything was quiet on the other side of the door.
"I can't find anyone still awake," Charlotte said. Idona melted the lock and opened the door to see everyone was unconscious.
"So far, so good," Idona said. "Get Bellamy to the decontamination room," Idona said and gave the image of the room she had searched out before looking for the smokebombs. She felt Charlotte leave her mind once more and a few minutes later, Charlotte told her Bellamy was there and getting into one of the suits. Idona thanked her and went through the corridors to the room. Once Bellamy was suited up, she opened the door and welcomed him in.
"Everything good?" he asked.
"We need to make sure everyone's knocked out before we round them up. I don't know how long it lasts. We also need to get to Dante first and then Cage to lock him up before we free the clans." Bellamy nodded and followed Idona through the mountain, checking rooms as they went.
"What now?"
"Can you think of a way for Abby, Jackson and the others to go through decontamination other than how I did?"
"Why?"
"Because that is pure torture, Bellamy. Doused in boiling water, had burning powder thrown all over me before being doused in boiling water once more, then one of the guards scrubbed me down with a hard bristled brush until I bled." Bellamy looked at Idona still in her barely there clothing and saw the red patches. He was pissed at the barbaric treatment these people handed out before draining them of their blood.
"Is there another way?" he asked.
"No idea."
"Then we'd better see if this Dante can tell us." Idona nodded and made her way to the quarantine area and up to his cell. She melted the lock on the door and opened it. Dante was sitting on his bed waiting for them.
"Quarantine has its own air system too," he told them.
"Okay. We need to know if there's a more gentle way to go through decontamination, otherwise my people cannot help you."
"There is but it takes time," he admitted.
"How long?" Bellamy asked.
"Several days," Dante said.
"Damn! Can we wait that long?"
"No." Idona said. "We can't keep them unconscious without help. We need Abby and Jackson."
"What about radiation suits like mine?" Bellamy asked.
"They need to operate on us for the bone marrow. They need to be able to hold the instruments and use the medicines and machines. Could you do that with those gloves on?" Bellamy looked at the thick, clumsy gloves.
"No." he said finally.
"There's some special suits that were made especially for the quarantine area that allows for the wearing of latex gloves," Dante said.
"Where are they?" Idona asked.
"I'll show you," he said, getting off the bed and walking out of the room. Idona guessed it must be safe for her to take her mask off. If it wasn't, Dante would be unconscious and in the event that something did knock her out, Bellamy was fully trussed up in his suit to stay awake. She took her mask off and she was fine.
"Okay, show us the way," Idona said. They moved to the end of the corridor and into another room where there were a dozen suits hanging up.
"Good. We need to take these to the decontamination room and get anyone into them we can. We'll have to use one of these rooms for the actual bone marrow extraction as it's quarantined and the air system is separate," Bellamy said. Both of them nodded.
"Charlotte? Can you get Clarke, Jackson and Abby to the decontamination room? We're taking special suits there for them. Anyone who enters the mountain will need to wear one."
"Understood," Charlotte said. Idona thought she sounded much more mature than in the beginning. A few minutes later, Idona mentally called Charlotte, telling her the suits were waiting for them. Charlotte acknowledged her and soon, all three of them appeared in the room. Idona looked through the window in the door and pointed to the white suits. Once they all had dressed in them and the air supply from the tanks was turned on, Idona opened the door and they passed throught the small airlock that allowed the bad air to be taken away and replaced with good air.
"Welcome to Mount Weather," Idona said. "This is President Dante Wallace."
"Well, I was until my son took over."
"What do we do?"
"We need to get more people here to move the people to somewhere we can keep an eye on them, keep them sedated as much as possible and then start the donations."
"Where?"
"Here for the extraction and in the main hospital for the injections," Idona said. "This is quarantine and has its own air supply so you won't contaminate anyone in the mountain. We need to do them as quickly as possible and then get them to the island to start their new lives," Idona continued.
"How many people?" Abby asked.
"382," Dante said. Abby nodded.
"Then Troy needs to start bringing people here." They agreed and Bellamy made contact with Charlotte to start bringing people to help them.
"Dante, which of your people do you trust to help us?" Idona asked him. Dante handed over a list of twelve people.
"These people are part of a kind of passive resistance to the grounder blood," he said. "These are the people we needed to sedate and physically restrain to give them the treatments."
"So they'd be more amenable to helping us get everyone immune and live peacefully on the island?"
"Yes."
"Why are you helping us?" Abby asked.
"Because what we were doing was wrong, but it was the only way to survive." That was enough reason for Abby.
"Start bringing the people here, please and we'll start with the donations. Clarke, head to the medical area and find the tools we need." Clarke nodded and went with Idona to the main hospital and started gathering the needed equipment and medicines.
Dante and Bellamy were discussing who was due their last treatment. Dante agreed that anyone with only three or less treatments was free to go and the rest would have to wait to make sure that anyone who needs treatment before the donations gets the blood they need. Bellamy didn't like it, but the blood transfusions would be voluntary from now on. Dante agreed and made a list of those due within a week of needing more. After Dante's list of people to help them, these would be the first ones treated.
Soon more people arrived and suited up before starting to gather people up and moving them to just outside the medical area where Clarke was waiting to receive the first of the donations. She had been told how to do it by Abby and was just waiting. Idona had taken the instruments and meds back to Abby to get her started. She and Jackson would do the extractions and Clarke would give them the much needed bone marrow.
Idona was helping to move the people to the medbay when she came across a couple with a young child. She was shocked, but then she reasoned that the children were the true innocents in all of this. She vowed that the children and parents be some of the first after the two lists to be given the chance to live free.
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Once all the mountain people had been gathered, Idona and Dante moved to the cages where the clanspeople were held.
"Alright, which ones?" Idona asked.
Dante walked through the cages with the unconscious clansmen in them. He used a marker pen to mark the cages of those who needed to leave immediately. Idona melted the locks off the doors. Dante gasped in shock.
"I can do that to metal, wood or rock," Idona said. Dante was in awe.
"You could have just opened a hole in the mountain and got them out, couldn't you?" he whispered.
"Yes, but you deserved to live as well. We gave you a chance but Cage fucked that up. He never got back in touch with us and wouldn't answer our calls either. Now we do it this way. The next way would be to just take the clanspeople out and leave you to your fate in here." Dante nodded, too much in shock to speak. He carried on marking the cages and as soon as Bellamy had finished with helping move the mountain people, he came to help with the clanspeople.
"Where do you want me?" he asked.
"Grab the gurneys and put one of the people in the marked cages on it and then wheel it to the decontamination room. Troy can get them from there and take them to Tondc," Idona said. Bellamy nodded and started moving them from their cages.
"What about the rest of them?" Bellamy asked.
"We may need blood from them but we will only take it if they volunteer," Idona told him. "The ones we're moving are those who are close to dying." Bellamy nodded again before turning back to his task. Idona helped him once they'd gone through all the cells with caged grounders in them.
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It took several more hours and Idona made all three of the medics take a rest. Dante sat beside a man and his daughter until they woke up. He hoped it would be soon as the others needed to be sedated to keep them unconscious.
"Ugh," the daughter said.
"Maya?" Dante said. Maya turned her head towards him.
"President Wallace?" she said.
"Yes, Maya." He smiled at her.
"What's happening? I remember the knockout smoke in the ventilation system."
"Yes, that was done deliberately," he told her.
"Why?"
"To render everyone unconscious. My son was willing to ignore a very good offer to help us get out of the mountain."
"He said he was making plans for that," Maya said.
"Yes, but the people helping us had a better plan, but Cage always was an impatient boy."
"So what's happened so far, President Wallace?"
"So far, everyone was knocked unconscious and some people came in and donned either radiation suits or quarantine suits before entering the mountain. One of them disguised herself as an outsider and came in their way." Maya winced.
"She went through that decontamination?"
"She did. She set off the smoke bombs into the ventilation system after I told her where to find them and where to set them off. Her doctors are taking bone marrow donations from her people and another of their people is giving that marrow to our people. You and your father are two of twelve people I need to help me with the rest. Clarke needs help to sedate the rest of our people as soon as possible before they wake up." Maya nodded and sat up.
"Be careful out there, Maya, there's a little radiation still around. The other people have been as careful as they could but without going through decon themselves, they couldn't eliminate all of it."
"Are we safe?"
"So far. We've all been given bone marrow and the radiation has not affected me yet. With so little of it, I think the treatment is beginning to work. In three days, we could walk outside and be safe, Maya."
"Where's this Clarke? I'll go help her now." Dante nodded.
"You'll need a quarantine suit before you go see our people." She nodded. "Clarke's through there," he said, pointing to the main hospital. Maya made her way to the next room and began helping to keep her people safe.