Chapter 35:
The foursome made their way into the woods. Finding Lincoln they added two more to their party. Six of them were heading on the trek to the mountain. From their location it would be an 8 hour trip to reach the entrance they would try to sneak in from. Octavia and Lincoln were leading with everyone else spread quite out behind them hoping to be less visible than trekking in a pack. Clarke remained at Lexa's side, never venturing too far from her.
Clarke began to think about their plan, it had to work, she thought. Maybe we should split up? Maybe we have a better chance taking two entrances? Clarke began to run her mind back to her maps of Mount Weather. Two of them could go through the mines, four of them could use the other entrance by the radio tower, meet in the control room taking out whoever they came across if it came to that. If we all go to the same door, we may lose everyone, if we split up we may be picked off one by one…
Clarke could feel herself starting to panic. She shook her head trying to make sense of it. She felt Lexa's hand on her arm gently pull her to a gentle stop. "Clarke?"
Clarke looked up, "Something's not right, I'm missing something."
"Plans don't last long in battles rememeber?"
Clarke shook her head, "This isn't a battle…not yet anyways. Right now this is a covert operation, and I can't help but think we are doing something wrong."
Lexa walked in front of her to face her, she still had one hand on Clarke's arm and the other she reached up to raise Clarke's head. "What are your instincts telling you? Stop and listen Clarke."
Clarke looked into the deep green of Lexa's soft eyes. She saw love and understanding reflecting back, Clarke took a a few deep breathes. She was glad when Lexa didn't push her further. Clarke shut her eyes and tried to listen to her gut.
Her eyes flew open a few minutes later, "We need to split up."
Lexa turned to the man that had come along with Lincoln and sent him to tell the other's to gather really quickly.
"Woah, just like that? You haven't even heard why?" Clarke asked staring at the man as he ran off.
"You know this mountain Clarke while I am blind to the insides. I trust you…and I also trust your instincts."
Clarke smiled briefly as the other jogged back to them. They talked in hushed tones before deciding on a new course of action. They decided blowing the mountain would be the last resort. The medical supplies and the facility may just come in handy to both SKaiKru and grounders alike. Their priority would be taking the control room and security where they could monitor and control the member's of Pike's team. The first team would enter through the ruins by the radio tower. Maybe all they would need is Pike. If they took care of Pike everything may solve itself. No more Pike there would be no more hate speech and fear mongering. So based on this reasoning a second team was heading in through the dam to find Pike.
They split in three's, Jasper and his gun was going with Lincoln and his friend to the control room to get access to the systems. Octavia, Clarke and Lexa were going for Pike. They split and headed off in separate directions. Octavia led the way, eyes peeled and weapon out ready to strike. Clarke left hers in her scabbard until they could see the dam. It was there that Lexa and Clarke both drew their swords as well. They silently made their way up from the roaring river to the cement dam. Octavia broke the door handle and charged in to the hallway that would lead them to the mountain.
They found no one at the dam. They began heading farther into the mountain towards the bunker before movement ahead of them made them stop. "Shit!" Octavia hissed.
There was someone opening the door ahead of them. Octavia crouched into a shadow and froze, Lexa and Clarke just flattened themselves against the wall of the hallway trying to be less detectable. The man shut the door behind him and began walking. He was heading straight for Lexa and Clarke, Clarke could see a machine gun in his hands and her breath hitched she shot a warning glance at Lexa silently telling her not to move. They were sitting ducks in this hallway. The man slowed his pace as though he noticed them but before he could raise his scope Octavia shot out of her position and sliced the mans neck so deep no gasp escaped him before he fell.
Clarke and Lexa left their position and ran to close the distance. Octavia waited for them keeping watch at the door, "They wouldn't have sent only one down this way, keep your eyes peeled."
Clarke nodded and dashed in the held open door, Lexa followed before they heard Octavia lightly shut the door behind them. They ran but didn't see anyone else. There was a split in the hallway where the girls stopped running to catch their breath. Clarke froze. She looked back from one path to the other. "I don't...I don't remember which way."
Octavia pulled out a small book from her side pocket and handed it to Clarke and said smugly, "Good thing we have a map."
Clarke smiled and breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the book, Lincoln. She said a silent thank you to the man and began peering over his map of mount weather trying to find their route. Folding up the map she pointed, "This way." And she headed off down the right path. They kept running turning left and right where Clarke told them too. Clarke paused briefly as she passed the dam's opening where she and Anya had jumped. Clarke swallowed at the memory and forced her emotions down as she quickened her pace.
Then they heard it. The sound of boots on cement. Lots of boots, in fact, the sound of heavy footfalls hitting the ground echoing towards the girls, "They're running, we need to go back!" Octavia hissed in fear.
Clarke panicked as she saw Lexa begin to surge forward, "Lexa! No!" Clarke lurched forward grabbing her arm and pulling her to a stop. "They have guns, lots of guns we're sitting ducks! They'll shoot you on the sight! We have to go back!"
Lexa looked back down the hall towards the sounds before looking back at Clarke, "Please!?" Clarke pleaded in a desperate whisper.
Nodding and grabbing Clarke's arm she started to pull Clarke back the direction they had came following Octavia. They turned right and left before Clarke realized they took a wrong turn. They weren't going to be able to hide. She could hear the boots getting closer, she felt her heart pumping so hard it felt like it would leave her chest. Finally they had come to it. A dead end.
Clarke ran to the left to an opening above the giant waterfall off the dam. The other two followed her Lexa's hand reaching out and grabbing Clarke's, "Can you even swim?" she asked looking out over the fall before back to the sound of coming boots.
Clarke shook her head before looking at her wide-eyed, "No, last time I did this it almost killed me."
Before Lexa could respond they froze as voice rang out, "Stop where you are!"
Clarke whirled around, and found three men pointing guns at them breathing heavily from their chase.
Clarke recognized the first man. It was Emmerson of Mount Weather's security detail. What the fuck? The other two men were from the Ark, farm station if she remembered correctly. Clarke's voice in the back of her head tried to scramble back to the last time she saw Emmerson. She had thought he had been long gone after his people had died. She watched as he smiled slowly as Clarke recognized him.
"Hello Clarke." He said cooly before turning his attention to Lexa, "Hello Commander, long time no see."
Clarke's anger bubbled, he was referring to when Lexa made a deal with Cage, before she could respond Lexa was already moving towards Emmerson, she hadn't even taken a step before all hell broke loose.
Clarke saw Lexa out of the corner of her eye, the movement drawing Emmerson's arms up to defend himself as a deafening bang rang out and echoed against the cement. Lexa's motion forward stopped. Clarke felt time slow down, she could see it all happening in slow motion. She turned to see Lexa stumble backwards, looking to Clarke and clutching her chest, a tear escaping her eye as she outstretched her free hand towards Clarke. Clarke made to move to grab her but a body landed on her pushing her to the ground. Her fingertips grazed Lexa's as she fell hard to the ground. Clarke never took her eyes of Lexa, she didn't blink as Lexa fell backwards out into the dam's opening.
"LEXA!" Clarke screamed! Panic coursing through her body. Burning tears filling her eyes.
She saw Octavia quickly go to the edge to look out before taking a few steps back and looking at Clarke. "Clarke?" Octavia shouted in a question Clarke knew what she was asking, what she wanted her to do.
"GO!" Clarke screamed in response still struggling under Emmerson.
"I'll find her!" Octavia shouted kicking Emmerson in the face and ducking from the grab of his buddies before launching herself out the opening after Lexa.
Clarke gasped again for air that wasn't reaching her lungs. Octavia's kick to Emmerson was just the help she needed catching him off guard. She flailed and kicked at Emmerson on top of her before she wrenched the dagger on her thigh that Lexa had given her out and began stabbing furiously at the body on top of her. She didn't know how or when but she had managed to twist herself around for better access. Blood began spurting everywhere and Emmerson's struggles against Clarke lessened. The other two men with him cursed at her and kicked at Clarke's head before ripping Emmerson back and tossing his body to the side. He lay motionless with blood pooling out around his body, a sick twisted smile on his face. Clarke tried to scramble to her feet she had to go after Lexa.
As she was getting up she felt two hands grab her and toss her to the ground again hard. Clarke reached out and found the katanna Lexa had given her. Clarke grabbed it and swung at the man slicing his arm open. Blood flew across Clarke's face as she hacked again trying to force herself to her feet. This time the butt end of a rifle connected with her temple and Clarke fell limp dropping the sword. She blinked as she looked out the opening to the dam. Tears running down her face, a tiny whisper of "Lexa" escaped her lips before she blacked out.