The Battle for Mount Weather Part 2
Philpott Dam
Finding the underground entrance was the easy part. The Trikru that were with them had led them right to it. The entrance was covered in a thick layer of moss and the only way you could tell there was an entrance there, was by the metal handle sticking through the moss. Two of the Trikru threw open the metal door and went into the dark hallway making sure there were no immediate threats. It took the two warriors five minutes to clear the hallway. They came back and nodded to Raven that it was clear.
She nodded at the other Ark engineers and followed the Trikru in the door. The only light they had to see, was the flicking light from the torches the Trikru carried. They walked for five minutes before they came to another door. This door was not as affected by the weather which didn't surprise Raven. Her nerves made her on high alert and aware of every little creek or noise. The Trikru at the front of the group held up a fist in a sign to stop. They slowly opened the door and looked inside for any sign of danger. They waved for them to follow as they stepped through the door.
Raven turned on her flashlight that she had brought with them and shined it around the open room. She looked around and saw that they were in the parking garage. Together they slowly made their way through the garage trying to find the next door that would lead them to the dam. It was creepy and quiet to Raven. She had never dreamed that she would be here at this moment. Her whole life all she had known was fixing whatever she could on the ark. Her life on the ark was nothing special and when Abby had come to her with a plan to send her to the ground she jumped on it.
As they walked they passed many cars that were covered in layers of dust. She looked at one of the license plates on one car and realized that these were cars that had stood the test of time and survived the bombings that cause everyone at the time flee to space. A chill crept down her spine at the thought of the people that these belonged to and she wondered if any of them had been able to survive. She knew that if they did they most likely now had descendants who lived in the mountain and were now their enemies. She shook her head at how quickly things had progressed on the ground.
Everyone was on high alert as they made their way through the parking complex. The other engineers stayed close to Raven with Wick walking right next to her. Everyone jumped when they heard something bump into one of the cars. Immediately the Trikru warriors closed formation around the Skaikru members in a protective circle. They stilled waiting to see what would come out of the shadows.
They slowly moved on keeping the circle together just as a precaution. They knew that there were still reapers that roamed the surrounding area. It had been a while since they had seen one but they didn't want to take any chances. Everyone watched every corner and every area that something could jump out at them.
Raven kept hoping that they were getting close to the next door. She was used to being indoors and cramped. The car garage was open space but there was something about only being able to see so far that made her on edge.
It took ten minutes for them to find the door that led to the dam. Every door looked the exact same and had been surprisingly well kept which did not make anyone of them feel better. They opened the door and they were met by yet another long dark hallway that went downward. Well at least that is something different Raven thought as she followed the Trikru inside.
The further they went down the hallway the louder it got. Raven was glad to hear the growing hum of the generator as it meant they were getting closer to their goal. She tapped wick twice on his left shoulder to get his attention.
"What is it Raven" he turned his head slightly to look at her.
"You have the explosives right?" She chuckled at the dumb founded look he shot at her.
"Yes" he tapped the bag that was slung over his shoulder.
"Good. We have to make sure they all go off at the same time." She was going back over this for what seemed like the twentieth time because she was trying to calm her own nerves.
"Yeah yeah I know." He shot her a smirk that just irritated her. She had been grateful for his help during all of this but he was also a giant pain in her ass most of the time.
She saw one of the Trikru warriors hold up his hand again when they came to a split path. Each of the hallways were just as dark as the previous ones. To the left they could hear some kind of sound but it did not sound like generators. To the right was a sound that sounded more like the loud hum of the generators. The Trikru looked back at Raven who had a sketch of these hallways.
Just before she had left Clarke had handed her a rolled up paper. She was told that where they were going had been mapped out as best as they could with the limited light they had. She pulled out the map and still was in shock at the detail that had been put into it. She found the parking garage and the door that they had gone through. She found the split path and confirmed that the left hallway was the correct way. She pointed to the left and Trikru nodded and headed that way.
She felt a quick moment of relief as the hum of the generators turned into a roar. The reality of their mission seemed to hit everyone at the same time. She looked back at the other two engineers and through the flickering light she saw the fear written all over their face. She looked at one of them and was surprised to see the fear on his face.
Sinclair had always been a mentor towards her when they were on the ark. He had looked at any issues he had to solve like it was just another day. She had seen him literally jump around on the outside of the ark when he would check to make sure everything was still intact. He had shown no fear when he was out in space being tethered to the ship. Seeing him now showed that even the most daring of them all could shake in their boots.
She nodded at him when he locked eyes with her. She had told them their duties when they found the generators. Raven and Wick would take three of the generators while the other two would be taken out by the other two engineers while the Trikru covered any entrance they could figured this would be the quickest and cleanest way for them to take out the generators and not be discovered. The main goal of her plan was to plant the charges and denote them when they got back to the door. She had wired them with a short wave frequency that would link to a modified radio that acted as the trigger.
She turned around and nodded at the Trikru warrior that had been at the front of their group the whole time. He nodded back and pushed on the door. It opened and they stepped through into an open area sound of the generators was almost deafening now. Raven let out a sigh of relief when she saw that all of the generators were lined up in a row. That would speed up the process of rigging them to blow.
"You all know your job. Stay low and stay out of sight as much as you can. We know they have a patrol, we just don't know how big it could be." She kept her voice calm and even like she had seen both the Commander and Clarke do.
"We are on a clock and our people outside the mountain are counting on us. Now go." With her word the Trikru took off covering the area looking for any danger.
Raven and Wick took off for the farthest generator and would work their way back toward the door. Her mental clock had been sent into overdrive. She knew that by now Clarke and Lexa would be slowly leading the army toward the front door. She knew they needed to get all generators knocked out so Bellamy could knock out the fog quickly. The plan revolved around causing as much chaos on the inside as possible.
The bombs they had made would attach to the fuel lines. She hit the furthest back generator quickly. She found the fuel line and started quickly pulling out the supplies she needed to secure the bomb. It was a version of a pipe bomb but about twice the size. Wick and her had spent weeks on refining the design so it would be able to take out the generator. She had to be careful as she attached the device. One wrong wire touching the wrong part and she would be meat soup.
Her hands moved delicately but quickly. She looked up and saw Wick attaching his device right in front of her. It took her about five minutes to feel safe that the device would stay attached. She set the radio trigger that was on the top of the bomb to the right frequency and moved next to Wick. She crouched beside him and saw that he was getting frustrated. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised and he just chuckled. She smiled at him and watched as he quickly finished attaching the device and setting the frequency. He nodded at her and they moved to the next one.
"Wick go make sure the others are doing okay." He smiled and nodded at her and took off to check on the other two engineers.
She quickly started working on the third device. She was falling into a rhythm as she worked. She saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye followed by a flash of steel. She turned her head and looked and saw a Trikru pull his sword from one of the mountain men. Shit she thought. She turned back and quickly finished attaching the third device. She set the frequency and gathered her things.
"305 check in." She stood still as she heard someone speak.
She turned her head to the noise and saw a radio sitting and outcropping. She turned and looked at Wick.
"Wick, how are the others going." She tried to keep her voice calm but she was starting to panic.
"On the last one now why?" he said back, noticing the unevenness to her tone.
She walked up to him with the radio just as it repeated its earlier message. His eyes went wide as he shoved the other engineer out of the way. She turned and let out a whistle. The four Trikru came running over to her.
"Sending back up to your location." The voice on the radio said.
"Fuck. We need to go now." Everyone nodded at her and practically ran toward the door.
They made it to the door and she stopped with the trigger in her hand. She started to tune it to the correct frequency when they all heard the beating of footsteps. Her hands started to shake as she turned the dial. She watched as the Trikru formed a wall in front of them ready to die to make sure they succeeded. She nodded at the engineers and motioned for them to head through the door. She told everyone else to cover their ears. They nodded and she pressed the button.
Nothing happened. She waited a few seconds and tried again. Nothing again. Shit she thought, they were out of range.
Wick knew what was wrong immediately. He looked up and saw mountain men starting to enter the room at the other end of the hall. He had made up his mind the moment they left camp. He knew that he would not be leaving the mountain. Raven needed to live.
"Raven give me the remote." He held out his hand in front of her. Her head snapped up at his words.
"What are you doing Wick?" Was he really about to try and sacrifice himself?
"You need to get out of here. Give me the remote and I'll get close enough to set the charges off. We don't have time to argue Raven." The footsteps were getting louder as he waited for her to hand over the remote.
"Wick, I won't let you do this. We both get out or I stay." He could see the tears start to form in her eyes. He knew that this was the only way.
"Raven, I have to do this. You need to get out of here now and live."
Raven could not believe him right now. She knew he was right but she was torn about letting him do it. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. She pulled back and handed him the remote.
"Wick, don't you fucking die on me." He shot her his signature smirk and winked at her.
"May we meet again Raven." He took off running toward cover that was closer to the generators.
Raven signaled to the Trikru to leave. They looked between where Wick was crouched and her and nodded at her. She saw the look of recognition on all of their faces and she hated it. She turned toward the door and started walking to it hoping Wick knew what he was doing.
He watched as she disappeared through the door. One of the grounders turned and locked eyes with him. He saw the faintest nod come from him whether that was to be taken as a good thing or not he did not know. As the last grounder disappeared, he turned his attention back to the footsteps. He peaked over his hiding spot and saw that there were ten guards approaching and searching the area. He hoped he was close enough to trigger the explosion and not die.
He waited till the guards got close to the generators and started to look between them. Now or never her thought. He sank down behind the concrete wall he was hiding behind. The trigger seemed to feel heavier now. He flipped the covering on the trigger and rested his thumb on the switch. He took a breath and looked up towards the ceiling.
"Raven please forgive me." he pressed the button and heard the first charge go off.
She was running as fast as she was able too with her tears still falling down her face. She stumbled as she turned a corner and before she fell one of the Trikru grabbed her and picked her up. She heard the explosion before she felt the vibrations through the tunnel. By the sound of the explosion she knew Mount Weather knew for sure they were inside now. Her heart broke at the thought of Wick not being alive. They busted through the door that led to the garage and she told Trikru to stop. He set her down and she grabbed the radio and she changed to the correct frequency.
"Bell your turn." she said through the radio hoping he was still able to carry out his part of the plan.
Bellamy POV
He had been waiting by the controls for the fog for what seemed like forever. Maya had shown him a quick way in and out of this area a couple of days ago. He had decided it would be best to wait by the controls instead of heading for them when Raven told him too. Thankfully Raven and Wick had given him the instructions he needed to shut it down. He kept checking his watch as the time ticked by. He had only been in the mountain for three weeks now and was ready for this war to be done with.
The waiting for an explosion was making him slightly insane. He knew the plan revolved around Raven but that only made him more nervous. He knew she was good at blowing things up; he just hoped she was able to rig the charges right to cause maximum damage.
As he sat there his mind kept wandering to the people that had helped in his quest to take down the mountain from the inside. He realized that there were actual good people in here that did not agree with what was happening here. He met Echo and even though she was reluctant at first, she agreed to help get everyone out. He was able to make sure that she was safe and wouldn't be harvested thanks to an assist from Maya. He didn't know much about her but that made him want to try and figure her out. There was just something about her that stuck out enough to him to make him forget about Clarke.
He cursed himself as her name registered in his mind again. He felt torn on the inside and he hated it. On one hand he wanted to do everything in his power to be with Clarke but on the other he couldn't get past some of the decisions she had made. He was no saint when it came to his choices. He regretted trying to hang Murphy when it was thought he had killed Wells and the subsequent death of the youngest person sent to the ground.
A lot of stuff had happened since they were on the ground and he felt that Clarke somehow was the best choice to lead them. He wanted to be the leader so bad that he questioned her at every turn but she had got them this was pulled from his thought when the radio he had taken from a guard came alive.
"Need backup at the generators. 305 has gone dark." This was not good. Raven and Wick and been discovered.
He knew he couldn't leave to assist them. He didn't know how many Clarke had sent to take out the generators and he hoped she had sent some extra hands to assist them. He waited for what seemed like forever when the lights started to flicker then go dark. He jumped up off the stool he had been sitting on and started to access the system.
His other radio came alive and he heard Raven's voice. He could tell something had happened but he couldn't focus on that right now. It was hard to see with just his flashlight but he had to work fast. He was working through the menus when the console shut off.
"Fuck no no no." he smacked the thing trying to get it to turn back on.
He had to improvise now. He looked around and found a blow torch. He ran to the oxygen tank just to the side of the console. He heard the door to the fog room slam open. Shit they knew he was there. His comms had been compromised again. He attached the blowtorch to the poles behind it and made sure it stayed running. He waited till the guards got close and he bolted to the vent he came through. Shots rang around his head and he heard the head guards yell at the others to watch their fire. He jumped into the vent and heard the engine of the fog come alive. Well good to know that those run on the back up he thought.
He turned around and aimed both of his guns at the entrance to the vent. He saw two faces appear at the opening and he opened fire. The heads snapped back as the bullets pinged off the metal of the container. He knew he was low on ammo but he had to by time for the oxygen tank to heat up. He knew Clarke and the army would be approaching the kill zone anytime now. He continued to go through his remaining ammo till he heard the click of an empty magazine.
Shit. He dropped his guns and started to crawl as fast as possible to escape the guards. He knew if he got to the bigger opening at the end of the vent he knew he stood a chance. Just as he was closing in on the opening he heard the explosion and was suddenly being thrown through the opening and landed hard on his side as fire flew past him. He laid there trying to cover his face from the intense heat and he groaned when he tried to lay flat. He knew from the impact he had bruised a few ribs.
Once the heat died down he laid there and had a smile on his face. It worked. The fog was down and Mount Weather was defenseless. All they had left was the doors and everyone would be forced to relocate to one level. He pulled himself up and started to make his way to meet up with the remaining hundred that had survived the battle with the guards.
Security room, Mount Weather
Cage had been on high alert for the last three weeks. No matter how hard he had tried he was not able to locate the intruder. Every time he got close he would disappear. Emerson had scoured the whole complex and turned up nothing. Less than a week ago there had been a rebellion from the ones they had captured to use for their bone marrow. He had been able to take a couple of them captive and used them to treat himself and Emerson.
Once the rebellion had happened he moved his father to a secluded room to try and keep him safe till he could take the treatment as well. He knew that some of his people were helping the outsiders; he just had not been able to prove it yet. He was watching the radar for the kill box of the fog when the blips started showing up on the map. He smiled to himself at the sight. He would be able to unleash the fog and finally wipe out the grounders and their leader once and for all.
"Sir we have lost contact with our patrol at the dam." One of the guards in the room with him said.
"Have you sent another team to investigate?" His mind was racing now. How did they get inside without being detected?
"They are on their way now." He started to pace as he awaited to hear the update.
"Emerson, how close are they to the kill box?" He turned his gaze back to the radar in front of him.
"About 5 miles out. Our scouts have confirmed that it is an army being led by the commander and Clarke." He smiled once again glad to have that intel.
"Bravo team approaching the dam now." The radio came alive. He picked up the radio and pushed the button.
"Copy Bravo team. Neutralize whoever is there and report back. We can not allow the generators to fail." he released the button and waited with a breath caught in his throat.
No one had dared to infiltrate the mountain till the people fell from the sky. He had eyes on them since they landed and at first they were no threat because it was just children. As time went on he watched and these children started to explore and wound up in a fight for survival with the locals. His team watched as Clarke burnt the attacking army alive and he was impressed. He told the scouting team to capture them and bring them to the mountain. Once they had started to awake he introduced himself to Clarke and let her know they were safe.
He underestimated her though. She had proved to be a problem and managed to escape with a grounder. When they jumped off the dam, he thought he would never see them again. Much to his surprise he watched and read reports that she now had made an alliance with the locals. What surprised him the most was how close the two leaders seemed to be getting. He launched that missile to try and dissuade them from working together. That ultimately backfired because it just made them closer.
He was running out of reapers to use against them as well. The healers from both camps had come together to turn them back to normal. It seemed like that everything he threw at them only blew up in their face. He could feel the walls closing in and knew it was only a matter of time before they got too bold and he would be able to take them out.
He was pulled back to reality when the lights flickered then went out. He waited for thirty seconds to see if it was just a shortage. He knew the generators were getting old and starting to short circuit. They had to make a special team to maintain them about five years ago. When the lights didn't come back on immediately he feared the worst. Two minutes went by and the back up generator kicked in. He let out a breath. The backup generators had been set up to run level 5 and keep the acid fog in play. It was their last ditch effort in case the big generators went out. He grabbed the radio and pushed the button once more.
"Bravo team status report." He waited a few seconds then repeated his question.
"The generators are gone sir. They are beyond repair. We managed to capture the one who did it. It is just me and one other left. Everyone else was killed in the blast." He slammed his fist into the table, shattering a portion of the glass on it.
"Bring him to the harvesting chamber where the rest of them are and chain them up." he looked at the radar once more and saw the blips were getting closer.
"Understood sir. Heading there now." The radio turned off just as the other one turned on.
"Bell your turn." Came across the radio they had tuned to the frequency the outsiders were using.
"Emerson, send another team to the fog controls NOW." That had to be their next target.
He moved to a station in the room that was being used to watch for any unauthorized access to the controls. He watched as someone was starting to go through the menu looking for a way to turn it off. He looked at the guard who was monitoring it as well.
"Turn off the station. Reroute the control to this room." The man nodded and quickly went to work. When it was done the man turned and nodded at him.
He moved back to the radar table and noticed they started to enter the kill box. He knew this was his last chance.
"Emerson, start preparing the fog and wait till they are all in the kill box." He nodded and started turning the machine on and started his countdown.
"Ten"
"Nine"
"Eight"
"Seven"
"Six"
"Five" half of the approaching army was inside now.
"Four"
"Three"
"Two"
"One"
He hit the button to release the fog and nothing happened. The radar showed that the fog failed to release. He looked closer and saw the approaching dots kept coming. His final defense had failed.
"What else do we have? Can we release the reapers?" he looked at Emerson.
"The reapers won't stand a chance against this army and we only have a handful left. All we have left Sir, is the doors." He slammed his fist again into the table in front of him once more and this time it shattered.
"Move everyone to Level 5 the generators will keep them alive. Emerson, come with me we need to speed up the harvesting process."
Cage stormed out of the door of the security room and didn't wait for anyone to follow. Clarke's people would pay for this. It took him mere minutes to reach his destination. He threw open the door and looked at the ones that were already chained to the wall. Before all this had happened his team had captured five more of the outsiders. He motioned for the hoods to be removed and he looked at all of the new faces. The last one to be revealed was Clarke's mother. She had been captured wandering in the woods outside of a village. The man next to her was Kane he thought his name was. He had been taken from their main camp while he was on patrol. The other three had been the guards assigned to each of them. He walked in front of Clarke's mother and squatted down.
"Your daughter had been a thorn in my side. How do you think she will react one she finds out I have you?" He saw the look of shock cross her face no matter how much she tried to hide it.
"If you really knew my daughter, then you would already have your answer." She spat the man. All she had done was try to follow when she was grabbed.
"We shall see then." He smiled at her then looked at one of the other guards.
"Chain them up as well. We have plenty of their kind here now to make sure we all live." The guards nodded at him and they moved to chain the rest of them up.
"Doctor, we need to speed this up. Do not worry about sparing their lives. We are at war it would seem." he watched as the faces of the outsiders dropped. He had them all where he wanted them.
Outside Mount Weather
Clarke and Lexa left the village just as the sun was starting its descent for the night. They had made it very clear to Abigail that she was to work with the healers and not cause any issues. Clarke had to suppress a laugh at her mother's expression when she was threatened by Lexa. She had decided to leave two Skaikru guards with her because she wouldn't put it past Mount Weather to try something.
They led in silence for the majority of the walk to the main door of the mountain. Every now and then one of them would steal a glance at the other to gauge how they were doing. Lexa was better at hiding her nerves than she was and somehow it made her want to do better. Her mind was still reeling from her changing blood and just the taste of letting Wanheda work with her. The ensuing rush that came from her had made her for once feel alive.
She saw out of the corner of her eye Lexa's head turn slightly and look at her. She let a small smirk show quickly before schooling her face again. She was happy with how this alliance had been going so far, she just hoped that whatever happened to night would not shatter it to pieces. There were still so many variables for Clarke to feel comfortable just yet. She looked around at the trees and started to see warning markings for the looked over at Lexa and saw the realization on her face as well.
Clarke was starting to get nervous. Raven had not checked in yet from the dam. She knew that if one part of the plan failed then they were all dead before the actual battle began. She instinctively moved slightly closer to Lexa. If she noticed the change she didn't mention it. She felt a presence behind her and turned her head slightly and saw Octavia behind her.
"Skaiheda, any word from Raven?" As if on cue she heard the radio crackle to live. She stopped and listened hoping it was Raven.
"SkaiPrisa, dam is down. Wick is MIA. Heading back to Camp." Clarke let out a small breath the dam was down but Wick was missing.
"Raven, what happened to Wick." She asked hoping her suspicions were not correct.
"We had company and he stayed behind to ensure the charges went off. I don't know if he is alive." She heard the break in her voice and her heart sank. She really hadn't talked with him a lot but she knew he wouldn't have done this if he didn't care for Raven.
"We will find him Raven. Head back to Camp and rest."
"Can do." Is all Raven said before the radio went dead.
She looked over at Lexa and saw an eyebrow raised questioning her. She tried to school her face but the revelation the Wick may be dead started to weigh heavy on her. She did as best as she could and approached the front of the army. She turned around and looked at them then raised an eyebrow at Lexa. She nodded at her to begin.
"Trikru Reivon has don frag op dam. Osir laik closer kom slaying the maun. Nau em ste Belomi's turn."(Tree people Raven has killed the dam. We are closer to slaying the Mountain. Now it is Bellamy's turn.) She saw the look of shock first then they all let out a war chant.
"Skaiheda has brought yumi Disha far. Nau Oso march ga dou."(Sky leader had brought us this far. Now we march for the door.)" A thunderous chant of Heda and Skaiheda broke out among the combined peoples. Lexa turned back around and started marching for the door but not before giving Clarke a smirk.
It took them five minutes before they saw the danger signs warning them to turn away from the mountain. The more they approached the more she knew they were being watched by the mountain. She lent a side glance at Lexa and was met by a nod. They continued marching toward the door. Everything seemed to move slowly for her and waiting for a call from Bellamy was the infuriating part. She kept walking, pushing herself forward no matter the uncertainty she was beginning to feel.
"You are doing great so far Clarke. Your plan is working and you have Lexa's people believing in you. I must say you are quickly impressing me." She tensed once more but quickly hid it. She saw a raise of an eyebrow from Lexa but just shook her head.
"What do you want now? If you haven't already figured it out I am kind of in the middle of something." Clarke tried to keep her tone calm. She liked the rush that she had felt earlier but she was not quick to forget what she had been told.
"I know that Clarke. I am here to let you know if you need me all you have to do is focus on my name and I will come." With that Wanheda went silent once more. What the hell did she mean by that?
She felt her radio crackle to life. She pulled it from her hip and listened once more.
"SkaiPrisa, Fog is down I repeat fog is down." Bellamy's voice came across the radio and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Good to hear your voice Bell. You know what to do next." She released the button now having more confidence behind her walk.
"Understood, See you soon." The radio went silent again. She looked over at Lexa and nodded. Lexa smiled and let out the start of a war chant. It spread like wildfire throughout the army.
Clarke smiled inward as her plan was working. Now came the hardest part. Getting inside the mountain. This would be a long night she thought as they kept walking.
After thirty more minutes of walking the door to Mount Weather came into view. The sun had just set and they had to move quickly. She ordered her people to rush the door to start drilling a hole for the explosive to blow the lock. Lexa sent scouts to surround the area and look for any danger. Octavia and Indra left with their party to secure the reaper tunnels. A barricade was being built at the edge of the woods to try and provide some protection from any surprise attack.
She stayed near the front of the barricade so she could make sure her people made it to the door.
They hit the door at once and started the drilling process that would take several minutes to go through the thick steel. She could feel the alertness radiating off of Lexa. She was always so aware of everything it impressed Clarke. Her eyes naturally were gravitating to the ridge above the door. That ridge could cause a problem if the mountain men were able to come outside and fire on them.
"Heda we will have to watch the ridge above the door." She saw that she had snapped her out of daze.
"Sha Skaiheda, The scouts I sent out are combing the surrounding area looking for any advantage we could have. Are your people ready with the weapon?" The edge to her voice when she mentioned the gas grenades was evident. Clarke hated that they had found them but she had convinced Lexa that there were only five of them.
"Sha. Once we get the door open two of my people will throw them inside and anyone that is there will be knocked out." Lexa nodded and turned back toward the door.
"Lexa, I know you can hear me." Becca had been trying to get her attention all day.
"I can yes but that does not mean I wish to talk to you right now." Her nerves were shot and the constant interruptions were not helping. She had a lot on her mind and she did not want to talk to anyone if she could avoid it.
"I have not seen you like this in a long time. What is troubling you?" She sighed and continued to look forward, trying to still seem somewhat normal.
"All of this had been too easy. I fear that something is going to go wrong. You of all people know that when I have that feeling it normally is true." Her eyes were watching Skaikru quickly drill through the door and she watched as they pulled the device out of the bag.
"Sha Leska, you are wise to expect something to go wrong. That has always been your greatest strength when it comes to war. You expect the unexpected. Clarke is the same way and that is why she mentioned what Maunde may do." She tensed quickly as her mind flashed back to that conversation. She hated that she may have to make that call. It was the right call but it could potentially break the alliance between her and Skaikru.
"Well let us hope that it does not come to pass. Now leave please, the Skaikru are almost done." Becca just nodded and disappeared.
She watched as the Skaikru, placed the charge in the door and made sure it was secure. They quickly came back behind the barricade and nodded at Clarke. She grabbed the remote trigger and took a breath. Lexa stopped her before she hit the button. She put her hand over Clarke's.
"We do this together, Skaiheda." Clarke nodded and together they pressed the button.
They waited for something to happen and when nothing did they pressed the button again. Still nothing happened.
"They are blocking our signal. We have to get closer." She started to move toward the door when a hail of bullets rained down on them. She felt herself being pulled back forcefully by Lexa.
They crouched behind the barricade and she quickly tried to think of a way to get to the door. She looked around and saw the big metal shields some of the Trikru were carrying. That could work, she thought.
"MILLER." She called out trying to make her voice heard of the came up to her and squatted beside her.
"I need you to get some of the Trikru and use the shields as cover." He nodded and Lexa motioned for six of her warriors over. They quickly put Miller in the middle and used the shields to cover their approach.
Clarke held her breath as she watched them approach the door. Instantly they were met by another round of gunfire. The pinging sound of the bullets going through the metal made her sick. Still the warriors pressed on knowing they had to carry out their mission. The left shield fell first then the right. One by one the warriors fell to the ground riddled with bullets. The top shield was the last one standing as they were halfway to the door. The Trikru warrior was slowing down and finally collapsed, taking the shield with him and trapping Miller underneath it.
"Heda, I need your best archer please." She was trying to keep her voice level. Her nerve was starting to fall because she had just watched six people get gunned down on her command.
"Gustus." Lexa shouted and he came running up beside her.
"Gustus, is the best archer my people have." She nodded and looked at the big man.
"I need you to shoot an arrow at the bomb in the door. If you light it on fire it will set off the charge." He nodded as she looked at Lexa.
"Clarke, we have to take out the ridge. I will go with my warriors and secure it." Clarke knew that she was right. Before she left she grabbed her arm which caused her to look back at her.
"I need your spirit to stay where it is Lexa." She said controlling her emotions. Lexa just nodded at her and took off.
She turned and looked at Gustus who had an eyebrow raised at her. He clearly had heard what she had said. His eyes held an unspoken question and she just nodded at him not having the time for his doubt. He grabbed an arrow and wrapped some cloth around the tip and held it up to a torch. He drew back the bowstring and aimed at the door. He controlled his breathing and let the arrow fly.
Clarke watched as the arrow flew and struck home. The charge went off and she let out a sigh of relief. Now it came down to Lexa to stop the gunfire before they could move to open the door.
Lexa's POV
She ran low as she made her way with warriors to flank the shooters. They made their way through the woods and found a path that led up the ridge. Quickly they climbed drawing their weapons as they went. She crested the hill and saw a wall of Mountain men firing at her army. She told her warriors to spread out and move on her command. They approached and she heard an explosion go off. Clarke had done it. She smiled as she signaled her warriors to attack.
She charged with her swords and quickly cut down the first man she came across. Blood covered her face as she moved from man to man cutting them down. She had caught them by surprise. Once they realized they were being attacked they turned their fire on her warriors. She connected with the commander spirit and moved faster. There was no wasted movement as she cut the legs out from each man. She would slice their calf or thigh with one sword then stab with the other. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her warriors start to fall. She was running out of time.
Blood was covering her as she moved to the last mountain man. She stopped when she saw the man drop his gun and hold his hands up. She smiled at the man, he clearly knew what was coming. She was surrounded by what was left of her warriors as she looked at the man standing in front of her.
"Commander Lexa, how nice it is to finally meet you." The smirk on his face just made her rage intensify.
"Choose your next words carefully." She snarled at the man showing too many teeth.
"I have an offer for you from our leader." She struggled to keep her emotions in check. She gripped the hilt of her swords tighter.
"Why would I listen to your offer? What could you possibly offer me when you are on the brink of defeat." She was met by another one of this man's grins.
"Behind that door are more of our guards all armed and pointing their weapons at the entrance. If you were to get the door open you would be able to get inside but at a cost. Would you succeed in getting in? Most likely but you would also suffer a great loss." She contemplated whether he was bluffing or not.
"Our offer is for you to pull your army back and we will let your people go. We will not attack your people again. We have suffered major setbacks because of this war. We have children inside that will not survive because of our generators being knocked out. Our back ups will only last for a couple months. Then we would all be gone. This is your best option." She started to pace as she took in this information.
She didn't know how much truth there was to what he was telling her. According to Clarke and Bellamy the backup generators only had enough power to sustain one level of the complex. She had no idea how many of the mountain men were left but they still could cause her problems if she took this deal. She stopped and looked at the man.
"What happens to Clarke and her people?" He smiled again at her. She really wanted to slit his throat.
"They are not a part of this deal. This is for you and your people only." She kept her breathing in check. She knew she had to think with her head on this one instead of her heart.
Clarke and her had planned for this option but it still was weighing heavily on her. She knew that if she took this deal then Skaikru would hate her. They would feel betrayed and she wouldn't blame them.
"You have your deal on one condition." She locked her gaze with the man.
"What is it?" He asked calmly.
"Clarke is not to be harmed. She is to be left out of any of your dealings. If I find out she had been harmed then this deal is off and I will personally come back and finish the job." She was face to face with the man now.
"You have your deal Commander." he extended his hand to her and she just looked at it. He must have got the sense she wasn't going to shake it.
"Shall we?" he motioned for them to start walking as he radio for her people to be released.
Clarke please forgive me, she thought to herself as she made her way back down to her army to call the retreat.
Clarke's POV
The gunfire had stopped and she smiled. Lexa had done it. She looked at Gustus and nodded at him. He grabbed several Trikru and made their way to the door with hooks to attach to the door. She saw the metal shield move and she sent one of her people to check on Miller. He was able to walk and surprisingly only had cuts on his body which was more than could be said for the six dead Trikru.
"Pull." The warriors began to shout as they worked to pull the door open. She watched as slowly the door started to move.
"Enough" She heard off to her left. She turned and saw Lexa coming back down the hill.
She was covered in blood and her commander's face was firm in place. She looked behind her and saw Emerson smiling at her. Lexa stopped in front of her and the door opened letting her people come funneling out the door. She looked up and was met by green eyes that were clouded with emotion.
"Lexa, what happened?" She had an idea but she was hoping and praying that it hadn't come to that.
"A deal was offered and I took it. We are leaving Clarke. I am sorry but I had to make this decision with my head not my heart." Clarke could hear the slight break in her voice. Lexa stepped closer to her and leaned her head next to hers.
"I may have made this deal but I do not trust them. I have to leave to make sure the deal stands. I believe in you Clarke. Take down the mountain. If anyone can it is you, Ai hodnes." Clarke could feel her heart shatter as Lexa sounded the horn for retreat.
"May we meet again Skaiheda." Before she could stop her, Lexa turned and walked back to her camp.
Clarke watched her go not wanting to believe what just happened. The one person she loved and trusted had just left her there. She knew why she had done it but that didn't take away the sting she felt.
"She made the choice with her head Clarke. I know that doesn't help but it is your turn now. You have to do what needs to be done. Lexa is right not to trust them." Clarke heard Wanheda speak to her once more. She didn't even flinch this time.
"I know that. We even talked about this being a possibility but why does it still sting." She willed her legs to move to the Reaper tunnels knowing that would be her best option to get inside.
"It stings because your heart feels betrayed even though your head knows it was the right choice. You can't tell me you wouldn't have made the same call." Wanheda was right and she had to admit she may have to make that same call if she is able to get inside.
"You are right but I can't dwell on that right now. Leave me for now." Wanheda nodded and left her to her own thoughts.
Bellamy should be able to get them in. He was supposed to head that way with both peoples before this deal had been made. She continued to push her legs toward the tunnel no matter how much she just wanted to turn and go be with Lexa. She had to rescue her people no matter the cost.
Reaper tunnels
Octavia had heard the horn sound and knew that the army was retreating. She talked with Indra and she was told that her position as Clarke's general didn't hold her to the same standards as a normal second. Indra told her that if she stayed she would have to prove that she still wanted to train as Trikru. She locked arms with Indra and promised her that she did. She would do whatever it took to prove herself to Indra.
Lincoln and her were now alone in the tunnels trying to decide what to do next when they heard footsteps echoing off the walls. They both drew their weapons and crouched behind a mine cart as a body fell into it. They waited and the footsteps grew louder and louder. Someone was running toward them. She looked at Lincoln and nodded. They both stepped out at the same time ready to confront the approaching person. They stilled as they were met by Clarke.
She saw the look of shock on her face, clearly she was expecting no one to be here. Octavia pulled her into a hug glad that she was safe. She could tell something was on her mind just by how quickly her face hardened.
"What happened Clarke?" She watched as her eyes darkened and her face hardened even further.
"Lexa made a deal to save her people. We are on our own now. Have you found a way inside?" She brushed past them giving them no time to ask anymore questions.
"Sha, but we would need a key card to get in." They made their way to the door and she watched as Clarke drew her sword. She looked at Lincoln and saw a look of worry on his face.
She stopped Clarke before she could bang on the door. Clarke's head snapped at her and she took a step back. There was a fire in her eyes that she had not seen before.
"What was that going to accomplice Clarke? They know we are here. What is there to stop them from killing us when they open the door." Clarke didn't have a chance to replay as the door swung open and all of them turned to it, weapons drawn.
Bellamy POV
He had made it to the door with Jasper, Maya and Monty in tow. He had managed to get the grounders out of the cages but had to leave quickly as the guards came and escorted all of them out of the room. He had many questions but the most important one right now was why he felt cold steel at his throat.
He looked at who was holding the blade to his throat and was met by dark blue eyes that he didn't recognize. He looked behind this person and saw his sister.
"Octavia?" he asked, still not daring to move till the blade was away from his throat. He watched as she moved and placed a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him.
"Clarke, it is Bell you can lower the sword now." He looked again at the face of the person in front of him as the sword was being lowered.
He could see the features in her face that told him this was Clarke but there was something different about her. He couldn't see a lot in the dim light.
"Hurry get inside." Thankfully they didn't argue and quickly made their way inside. He closed the door behind them and turned to look at the three of them again.
He was able to look at Clarke better now and what he saw shocked him. Her face was covered in the same paint the grounders used. Her hair had gotten slightly longer and was braided. Besides the sword that was still in her hand, he saw weapons strapped to the back of her jacket. She was a different person compared to the last time he had seen her. This was not the same Clarke he had come to care for and the frustrated him but he shoved it to the side for now.
"Where is the army?" He asked and he saw his sister tense. Clarke slowly turned around and met his gaze. Her eyes were full of fire and emotion. He stepped back at her gaze.
"A deal was offered and the commander took it. She made the deal with her head and I understand why she did it. It is up to us to bring this place down." He had so many questions and he could feel his anger start to rise.
The commander had betrayed the alliance between them. She left them to die. As far as he was concerned she was no longer an ally to them but an enemy just as the mountain is. He would do what was necessary for now but he saw the hurt in Clarke's eyes and he vowed to do whatever it took to remove that pain.
Clarke's POV
She saw the anger in his eyes at her words. She saw the same look written on Jasper and Monty's face. She wanted to tell them more but she couldn't risk revealing that information now. She looked at Maya and met her gaze. She had been a key piece in making sure they got this far.
"Maya, what happened when the power went out?" She was doing everything in her power to keep her voice level. She saw it when everyone took a step back from her.
"They moved everyone to Level 5. The generators are only able to run that level for a couple months." She could tell she was holding something else back.
"What else is there, Maya. I need to know everything."
"Your people have been taken to a room to be harvested for their bone marrow. Cage is trying to cure as many of our people as possible. Monty and Jasper have been with me and so far we have been able to avoid the guards for this long. They are crawling every hallway now." She sighed at this news. She had hoped to move freely but that was not the case.
"Clarke, I know someone that may be able to help us if we can get to him." She looked at him and nodded.
She drew her weapon and started walking beside Bellamy. She wouldn't be taking any chances tonight. As far as she was concerned any guard that she came across would die tonight. She needed blood to spill one way or the other.
They made their way through the hallways checking every corner they came to for any guards. They came to one corner and Bellamy peaked around it and saw four guards come around the other side. He told her how many there were and she looked at Octavia and Lincoln. They nodded at her.
"Stay here and protect them. We will handle this." Before she could be stopped she stepped out from around the corner and made a beeline for the guards.
It took them a moment to register that she didn't belong but it was a moment too late. She flung a dagger at one of the men and it punctured his neck causing blood to squirt from around the blade. He immediately dropped his gun and tried to stop the bleeding. She was on the others before their guns were raised. She sliced the arm of one of them and felt the blood hit her face. She quickly swept his leg and stabbed him through the back. She pulled her sword out and sliced the thigh of her next victim. More blood came flying out at her but she didn't care. This was war and she loved it. She used one of her daggers to slit his throat and was moving to the next one as she saw a dagger sticking out of his throat already. She looked back and was met by a smile from Octavia.
"I couldn't let you have all the fun now could I?" She smirked at her as she wiped the blood off her blade on one of the bodies laying at her feet.
"Where the hell did you learn to do that Clarke?" She heard Bellamy ask as he slowly approached her.
"A lot has changed since you have been in here. I will explain at some point Bellamy." She saw the shock on his face and the hesitation on the others.
"Let's move." She said as she motioned for Bellamy to continue leading the way. She wiped the blood out of her eyes but left the rest. She wanted the people in here to fear her.
They made their way to their destination and she had to fight more guards the closer they got. She had lost count after the tenth one. They stopped outside of a door and Bellamy looked at her and she nodded. He opened the door and led them inside.
The room was solid white and blinding to look at. Sitting on a couch in the room was Dante Wallace. She looked at the man she had talked to at length after she had been introduced to him by his son. His face never showed the shock if he was feeling it.
"Clarke, you have changed since I last saw you. How many of my people did you kill on your way here?" His voice never changed as he spoke.
"I lost count but they were in my way. I did what was necessary." He smiled at her.
"I would not think you would do anything less." He turned and looked at Bellamy.
"Why did you bring her here. I told you never to seek me out again." Clarke had no idea what he meant by that but she really didn't care at this point.
"Sir we need your help again. We need a way to get our people out safely without any more lives being lost." She watched as Dante fought a war in his own head.
"He is not going to help us." She turned and looked at Monty.
"Can you get us into the command center?" He nodded.
"Come on, you're coming with us whether you want to help us or not." Bellamy grabbed the arm of the man and made him follow them out the door.
They made their way to the commander center. She was stopped by Maya before they made it halfway there.
"Clarke I am running out of air. I won't make it further. I need to go to Level 5." She nodded and turned to Jasper.
"Take her. Octavia, make sure they make it there safely. Once she is there, come back here." She nodded and proceeded to follow Jasper and Maya.
They parted ways and continued to the command center. Once outside the door Monty went to work. Something was bugging Clarke about Dante.
"Why are you not on Level 5 with your people?" She looked at the older man.
"After what I have told my people to do, they can be free, I can not. Their freedom came at a cost. I bear that weight so they do not have too." She heard the click of the door unlocking.
His words hit her like a brick. She knew that it wasn't Cage's idea to make the deal with Lexa but his. He did what he had to do to save his people just like Lexa did. She now understood how he felt but that didn't change her mission.
They entered the command center and Monty went to work bringing the monitors to life. She watched as the feed came online and she saw the dining area and a cave where there were people chained to a wall and someone on the table.
"Is that Wick?" she heard Bellamy say. She stepped closer to the monitor and saw her mother chained to the wall as well. What that hell? How did she wind up here? She turned around and saw Bellamy grab a radio.
"Make them stop. Call them off." He shoved the radio at the man.
"I won't do that." She was starting to get frustrated with him.
She looked back at the dining room and saw Emerson. She growled as she took the radio from Bellamy.
"Carl Emerson, Mount Weather Security detail come in." She spoke into the radio and watched his face as he grabbed his radio.
"Who is this?"
"You know who this is. Give the radio to the President." she watched as he started to walk away.
"Follow him Monty." he nodded and switched to another camera just as Emerson handed the radio to Cage. It was her turn to try and make a deal.
"This is President Wallace."
"I have your father. If you don't let my people go, I will kill him." She spoke into the radio as she turned to Bellamy. She didn't want to have to do this but she needed his death to be audible if it came to it.
"Give me your gun Bellamy." He hesitated but looked at her face and saw that same fire that he didn't want to cross appear again. He took his gun out of the holster and cocked it for her before turning it in his hand and handing it to her grip first.
"How do I know you have my father?" She moved the radio up to Dante and pushed the button.
"Stay the course Cage. Our people must live." She saw the realization hit Cage as she turned back to the main monitor.
"You wouldn't do it."
"You don't know me very well then." She turned back from the monitor and started walking to the door.
"This ends now. Let my people go or he dies." She waited hoping she wouldn't have to do this.
"I can't do that." Cage said across the radio.
"It would mean the end of our people." Dante said.
She turned around and leveled the gun at Dante. Bellamy moved from behind him and Monty got up from his seat. She saw Dante tense under the barrel of the gun.
"Clarke, we need him." Why was Bellamy trying to save this man?
"And I need his son to believe me." she pressed the button as she brought the radio up again.
"Last chance Cage. Let my people go." She watched the war battle across his face. He turned and looked at the people sitting in the dining room.
"Dad? I'll take care of our people." Dante turned from the monitor with a look of shock on his face.
"None of us have a choice here Clarke. We both have our people to look out for." She steady her breath as she took in his words.
"I didn't want any of this but you left me no choice." She pressed the button on the radio to make sure Cage heard this.
She squeezed the trigger and the gun went off sending the bullet square into Dante's chest. She looked at the monitor as Dante was taking his last breaths. She saw it register on Cage's face and a smile slowly crept to her face.
"Listen to me very carefully. I will not stop till my people are free. If you do not let them go I will irradiate Level 5." Every word she spoke hit him like a rock. She knew he was out of options and she wondered how far he would go before she had to make that call.
She watched the monitor closely as Emerson came closer to Cage. She knew what was coming next as Emerson left. She looked at Lincoln and hated what she was about to ask him to do.
"Lincoln, do not let him near this door. If you have to kill him then do so."
"Sha Skaiheda." he walked to the door and stepped outside. She turned back to the monitor and watched as Cage walked through the dining hall heading somewhere.
"Where is he going?" She heard Bellamy ask. They watched as he entered the room where Wick was still strapped down.
"Monty, can you do it." He nodded.
"Clarke, we have to think about this. There are kids in there." She hated this but she was running out of options.
"Then give a better reason Bellamy. We are out of time and down to this as our only option." She screamed at him. Her rage was reaching the tipping point between fury and sadness.
"If we do this, there is no going back. We would be killing people that helped us get to this point." She knew he was quickly coming to the same conclusion she had.
Her gaze was still focused on the monitor as Wick was being pulled off the table. She watched as Cage ordered her mother to be put there. Her breath caught in her throat. Her mother should not have been her but because of her decision Cage was retaliating and she didn't know how to feel about this. Her and her mother didn't get along but seeing her put on a table to be used for bone marrow against her will cause her to falter slightly.
"Clarke now is not the time to doubt yourself. You have been strong throughout all of this. It is time to make that call you knew would come." Wanheda spoke to her for the first time since she entered the mountain.
She had been able to feel her presence since she started taking lives. She felt the power and bloodlust take her and she had been able to control it for now. She was standing in this room at a crossroads.
"This is a hard call Clarke, but survival comes at a cost. Lexa made her choice now it is your turn to do the same." Wanheda's voice faded as she looked at Monty.
"Figure it out now." She told the boy. She split her attention between the monitor and Monty. The door to the cave opened and Jasper walked in and was being chained up. Shit he had been caught. She watched as he started to slowly pick the lock when no one was looking. What is he up too? She thought.
"Why did you stop?" she asked Monty.
"Because I did it. All you have to do is pull this lever and it will reverse the turbines and pull the outside air in." She moved her hand to the lever and hovered above it.
Her mind was made up as she watched the monitor and saw Jasper had gotten out of his cuffs. She lowered her hand to the lever and hesitated. She took a breath and centered herself as best as she could. She thought about who she was doing this for and why she needed to do this.
"Please forgive me." She whispered as she pulled the lever down.
Alarms started going off all over the complex. Her eyes gravitated the monitors as she watched realization hit Cage. He bolted out of the room and was quickly followed by Jasper. She watched as the people of the mountain slowly started gasping for air and their skin started to blister. She watched as one by one they died and fell to the floor. She sighed and let out a breath. Her job was done and the mountain was no more.
She let her head drop once she saw her people breaking themselves out of the chains. Her people were safe and alive. She felt Bellamy come up behind her and lay a hand on her shoulder trying to offer her some comfort. She reached one of her hands up to meet his and she gave it a squeeze. She stayed that way trying to gather herself as she felt tears start to fall from her eyes. She kept reminding herself that she had done what was needed but the fact that kids had died because of it caused her heart to break. She had ended the lives of children that were innocent. She took one more glance at the monitors and turned to look at Bellamy.
"Bellamy can you go make sure no one is outside the door? I'll be out there in a minute." He nodded at her reluctantly and left. Once the door was closed she turned back to Monty needing him to look into something.
"Monty, is there a way we can disable everything that runs on the generators. The commander said we would discuss having the medical equipment after the battle was over." He nodded but before he turned back to the monitor he looked at her.
"Clarke, something is telling me you know more about why she left." She looked back at the door before she sighed. She trusted Monty and she felt she could trust him with this.
"Yes Monty I do. The commander and I discussed the possibility one of us could be offered a deal. I told her that she needed to take that deal. I made the choice for her to do that because if she didn't her people would revolt and to be honest we still need her help." She took a breath as she sat down next to him.
"We don't know anything about this land down here. We still need her help if we want to survive. She told me that the winter season was coming soon and we are not ready for that kind of weather. I need you to promise me something." She locked her gaze with his.
"What is it Clarke?" She hesitated wondering if this was the right call.
"What I am about to tell you does not leave this room. If this information gets out it would cause major problems for all of us." She saw some form of gratitude cross his face.
"I promise Clarke. You have shown today that you are willing to make the call that is best for us. You have done that from day one when even Bellamy didn't. I won't betray you." She smiled as she felt him squeeze her hand.
"My mother is to not be trusted. The commander does not trust her and Abby has done nothing but try to sabotage the alliance we have with Lexa. I have already started to put plans in motion to take her out of power but it is tricky because I have to have proof." She took another breath before she continued.
"In Lexa's eyes I am the leader of Skaikru. I have appointed Kane to be the leader once my mother is taken care of. He has already started to work with the Trikru to improve our camp. Raven is his second in command and I need you to help him as well." She dropped her gaze away from him for a brief moment and saw that Octavia had entered the chamber where her people were being held.
"I'll do it Clarke. There is something else isn't there?" How he had been able to read her, she didn't know but she needed him on her side.
"Yes Monty. The commander and I are together. We are keeping it silent because Lexa has many enemies that would love to use me against her. The threat of the mountain is how she was able to bring all of the clans together. Once word gets out the mountain is no more it could get ugly. After we get back to camp I will be leaving and going to meet her in Tondisi." She almost chuckled at the shock on his face.
"I'll keep that to myself. Who else knows?"
"Octavia and Indra. I am sure Raven and Kane suspect something but they haven't mentioned it yet." She stood back up needing to walk around.
"Thank you for telling me Clarke. Now let me see what I can find." She nodded at him and just watched the monitors.
It took him several minutes to go through the logs. He found that he could kill all access to the mountain but that would lock all the doors and trap them inside. He found a way to reprogram the codes to something that Clarke would be able to use and only her. She thought about this for a moment.
"Do it Monty. I will talk this over with the commander when I see her." He nodded and took the number sequence she wanted and reprogrammed it. He found a spare key card and downloaded the credentials of Cage on to it. Clarke now had full control of the mountain and her key card was the only one that would open the mountain.
"Is there a way to seal the doors from the outside?" She asked as she turned the card in her hand.
"Yes there is. There is a key pad on the outside of the main door. Once we close the door you will put in your code and swipe your card and everything will shut down, officially turning off the mountain. The only way to bring it back online is with your code and card." She nodded at him as she slid the card in the one of the pockets on her pants.
"Shut it down Monty. We need to go gather our people." He nodded as he typed in a sequence of numbers and the monitors died. He stood up and nodded at her as they made their way to the door.
"Thank you Monty." She said to the man before she reached for the handle on the door.
"You welcome Clarke." She nodded and pushed the door open.
She stepped outside and saw that Bellamy was walking back their way. She looked around for Lincoln but he was nowhere to be found. She started walking toward Bellamy, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to see.
"Where is Lincoln?" She asked as she stopped in front of him.
"I came out here as you wanted and he was gone. I started walking the halls trying to find him when I went around a corner and saw him following Cage. If I had to guess he went after him and Emerson." She sighed to herself. She should have known that Lincoln would not let them escape.
"Well I will deal with that later. Let us go get our people." He nodded at her and they started walking toward the dining area.
She looked to her left and saw Bellamy fell in step with her there and to her right was Monty. Who would have guessed it would be these two who were trying to be her pillars of support right now. She trusted Bellamy to a degree but he was still too jumpy for her liking.
They reached the door to the dining area within five minutes and her hand stilled as she reached for the door. She had already been keeping a count of how many lives she had taken. She started keeping count after she had tried to save that girl in Anya's village and saw how Lexa's people marked themselves. Her count was nearing one thousand she surmised after tonight. She counted the people Finn slaughtered, she counted the people she burned alive at the dropship, she counted the people that were killed by the missile at Tondisi, and she counted the people she had just sentenced to death tonight. Her body was still covered in the dried blood of the guards she had slain, but that was nothing compared to how much red actually on her hands. They were dripping with it by now and she knew it would only continue to grow.
She took a breath and pulled the door open. No matter how much she had tried to prepare for this it still was not enough. She walked through the door and started counting as she walked past each body. Every face was being burned into her mind as she slowly made her way through the room. All of these people had lived here for years not fully knowing what their leaders had been doing. The first child she came across made her stop. The child was holding on to its mother for dear life. Her heart shattered for the second time tonight and she fell to her knees no longer able to hold back the tears. She felt two hands on her shoulders as they let her work through this.
She willed herself to stand and continued to make her way through the hall. She came to another halt when she was the unmistakable head of Jasper holding a body. She made her way over to him and knelt down in front of him. He met her eyes and she saw the hate behind them. She couldn't blame him for it either. She hated herself but also was starting to realize that this was part of her life now. She would bear this so her people didn't have to.
"Clarke, why did you do this. If you had given me two more minutes Cage would have been dead. I was going to kill him." He spoke through the tears that were falling from his face as he still held onto Maya.
"I had no choice Jasper. This was the only way. I am sorry." She tried to console him but the look she was met with told her all she needed to know.
"The only way? Who gave you the power to make that call? You killed her Clarke and I will never forgive you for that." His words hit her like a brick. He was lost and she had hoped that he would eventually come around and see her way.
"Monty stay with him please. I'll come get you once everyone is accounted for." He nodded and tried to offer some help for his friend. She looked at Bellamy and saw the grief written on his face. He was dealing with this as well and she hoped he would understand why she had to do it.
She continued walking though Level 5 continuing her count. She made it to the other side of the room and found the door Cage had left through. She pushed it open and stepped into the hall and tried to remember which door she was looking for. She searched her memory and was able to remember his path. She found the door and sighed trying to decide if she was ready to face her people. She pushed the door open and stepped through.
Once inside she locked eyes with Octavia and she came sprinting over and pulled her into a hug. She relaxed into it thankful for the feeling of having her best friend there. She felt Octavia pull back and search her face. She just nodded at her as she moved to check on everyone else. One by one she talked to her people asking if they were okay. Every story was the same and everyone of them continued to thank her. She was not sure if she even deserved their thanks after the genocide she had committed tonight.
She eventually found Wick who was propped up against a wall barely awake. She crouched down in front of him and reached up to touch his face to wake him. He jumped at the contact and let out a groan from the pain that radiated from his leg. His eyes searched for who was touching him and he found her blue eyes.
"Clarke?" He asked, still floating between reality and passing out.
"Yeah Wick it is me. I am glad to see you are alive." He smiled at her and let out a small chuckle.
"Glad to be here as well. Did Raven make it out?" She nodded at him.
"Good, I just hope she waits to kill me till I am healed." She let out a chuckle at his response.
"I would expect at least a stern talking too. She cares for you no matter how much she doesn't show it." She smiled at him and told him to rest. He nodded and closed his eyes.
She stood up and made the hardest walk over to her mother. She was propped up against the chest of Kane. She looked down at her mother and tried to force a smile. She looked at Kane and he just nodded understanding her feelings at the moment. She could tell Abby was trying to say something but the pain and exhaustion caused her to give up on it.
"Miller." She looked around and chuckled when both father and son came up to her.
"Okay so I will have to figure that one out." They chuckled at her and asked what she needed.
"We need to find a way to transport our wounded. Wick and Abby will need to be carried." They nodded and started searching for any way to transport them.
She looked at the room she was standing in and started to feel the walls start to shrink. She tried to control it as she made her way out of the room. She busted through the door and sank down one of the walls. She felt a presence beside her and looked up and found Octavia sitting next to her. She smiled but still felt a panic attack coming on. She focused on Lexa and her breathing started to even out. She knew she had some things to work through with her but she still loved her and Lexa was her rock.
Octavia asked no questions as she watched Clarke slow her breathing. She had been expecting this since Clarke entered the room. She had watched as she made the rounds checking on everyone. She had to admit that Clarke always tried to make sure they were okay no matter what had happened. She had come around to seeing why Clarke had made the choice to not warn anyone about the missile. Granted she came to that conclusion the hard way but she now understood that Clarke was doing the best she could for her people.
"Octavia?" She heard her name come out as a whisper.
"Yes Clarke?" She turned and looked at her.
"I can't go back to that room. It feels too small. I need you to make sure everyone is ready to move soon. I want to get out of here as quickly as possible." Octavia looked into her eyes and saw how much this was affecting her.
"I can do that." She took a breath before she got up.
"Clarke, I won't even begin to try and understand what you are going through. I just want you to know I am here for you if you need anything." She gave her hand a squeeze as she sat there with her.
"Thanks O. Go make sure our people are doing okay." she nodded and got up giving a quick glance back at her. Clarke looked at her and just smiled trying to hide what she was feeling.
Lincoln POV
He had followed Cage out of Mount Weather and he was tracking the man very carefully. He had found the man fleeing while he was checking the hallways that surrounded the command center. It was still dark outside and there was a layer of fog which made it easier for him to move around undetected. He watched as the man stumbled his way through the forest trying to find his way around. It reminded him of watching a new child in the clans that didn't know how to travel yet.
Every now and then he would purposely snap a branch and watch as he would panic. He found some satisfaction in toying with the man. He considered taking his life would be enough justice for him. He stalked the man for thirty minutes watching and waiting for the right moment. Cage entered a small clearing and started turning in circles trying to figure out which way to go. Lincoln figured it was time to get this over with and report back to Clarke.
He made his presence known but stayed hidden. He slowly made his way closer to him and would crack twigs at different points around him. Every time he made a noise Cage would whip his head in the direction he thought it was coming from and it was always the opposite one.
"Who is there?" Cage finally called out and Lincoln could tell he was worried.
Lincoln kept quiet as he leapt from the tree he was in. He landed and the man quickly pulled out his dagger to deal the death blow but his body went rigid and his head started ringing. He looked up and saw that Cage had one of the devices that control the reapers. He backed off of him and was trying to cover his ears. He could tell Cage was feeling confident and that would be his downfall.
He went to grab something from his bag and he saw that it was the same stuff that he had been injected with that turned him into a reaper. He waited till Cage got close and moved his hand ever so slightly. In one quick motion he used all of his strength and sliced upwards taking Cage's hand clean off. He didn't want to wait a moment longer while the shock registered on his face.
He moved quickly and stabbed the man in the chest. He wanted him to suffer but he didn't have time to sit here and wait for him to bleed out. He drew his sword and swung it with both hands aiming for his neck. He heard the thud of his head hitting the ground followed by his body quickly after. He contemplated taking the head with him as a prize for Clarke but he knew that could not be received well. He looked over the body in front of him and tried to find something that would work as proof that he was dead.
He saw a watch on his right wrist and quickly removed it. He looked at the jacket and saw the pin near his collar that signaled he was the president of the mountain. He collected that and stuffed them into a pouch on his waist. He made his way to the vial that he had dropped and crushed it with his boot. He wanted to make sure no one would be able to turn his people into reapers again. He had no desire to burn his body and for all he cared the animals could have it.
He gathered his dagger from his chest and wiped the blood on the jacket of Cage. He took one more look around and nodded to himself. His job was done for now. He started the trek back to Mount Weather and to meet with Clarke.
It took him forty five minutes to reach the door he had come out of. He threw open the door and hopefully for the final time entered Mount Weather. He made his way through the winding hallways heading back to the command center and the last place he had left Clarke. He made it to the door and pulled it open. He looked inside and saw no one was there. He quickly shut the door and made his way to find where she had gone.
He was walking for a few minutes when he passed a door that he could see lights through. He looked through the window and saw bodies. He opened the door and stepped inside and his breath caught in his throat at what was in front of him. Everywhere he looked bodies were on the floor or slumped over in chairs. He made his way through the room and looked at the faces of these people. Each one was covered in burns that he had seen his people who had been caught by the fog bear.
In the middle of the room were two people crouched over a body. He made his way there and one of them looked up at him. It was Monty and he saw him and made a motion with his head telling them which way Clarke had gone. He nodded back at him and carefully made his way around where he was so as to not disturb the other person. He found another door at the other side of the room and stepped through it. He followed the hallway and came to another door.
He went through this door and looked to his left and saw a figure slumped against a wall. He looked closely and saw the blood stained, blond hair that belonged to Clarke. He made his way over to her and made his footsteps audible. Her head snapped up and looked in his direction. He saw the redness in her eyes and saw where her war paint had started to run. He approached her slowly not wanting to further upset her. He raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded answering his unasked question.
He slid down the wall and sat next to her. He felt her lean her head against his shoulder and he stiffened at first but relaxed. She was obviously in need of some form of comfort and he would be there for her. She had proven herself tonight and he could not be more proud of the woman she had become.
"Did you find them?" He heard her ask. She must have found out where he went.
"I found Cage but Emerson is nowhere to be found." He reached to his left side and pulled out the pouch and handed it to her. She raised an eyebrow at him as she undid the string.
"I took those from his body as proof that he could no longer cause any of us pain." He watched as she pulled out the watch and pin.
"He is really dead?" He looked at her funny but could still see a trace of fear and doubt on her face.
"Sha Skaiheda, I cut off his head and destroyed the last remaining vial of the stuff they used to turn my people into reapers." She nodded at him as she put the items back in the pouch and tied it to her right side.
"Mochaf Linkon, You did well tonight." She turned and looked at him once more.
"Octavia is through that door to make sure our people will be ready to leave soon. Go see her but I need you to grab Bellamy and try to find a way to the main door that does not take us by the dining area. They do not need to see that." He saw a fog fall over her face and a shiver run through her.
"Clarke you did what you had to do. You find no blame coming from me. You are a strong leader and I am proud to follow you." He stood up and made his way to the door. She looked after the big man and smiled.
"Mochaf Linkon kom Trikru en Skaikru." he looked back at her, nodded and made his way inside.
Outside the door to Mount Weather
It was daylight as she stepped outside of the mountain. It had taken them a few hours to make sure everyone was accounted for and able to walk. Bellamy and Lincoln had found the quickest way out of the mountain while avoiding the dining hall. She had collected Monty and Jasper as before she followed her people. Jasper was reluctant to follow her out and started to attack her. Octavia was quick to jump in front of her and knocked him out cold. One of the Skaikru guards were brought over and slung Jasper over his shoulder.
She was glad to breathe the fresh morning air as she stood at the top of the hill. She waited until the last person was outside the door and told Bellamy to follow them. She would be right behind them. He nodded at her and followed their people. She looked at Monty and nodded. Octavia raised an eyebrow as she watched Clarke move to the key pad by the door.
"Are you sure this will work?" She asked Monty for the last time.
"Yes Clarke, once you enter your sequence of numbers and swipe that card Mount Weather will be shut down." She nodded at him and entered the sequence and swiped her card.
She heard the gears grind in the door and slowly the door began to close. She had found out the charge she had set off had just disabled one of the locking systems in the door. They wouldn't have been able to pull open the door if they had wanted to. She heard the door shut and the locks fall into place. The lights on the outside of the door went dark and the keypad dimmed as well. She turned and walked back to Octavia and saw she was watching her closely. She shook her head at her and started walking toward Camp Jaha ready to leave this nightmare behind her.
Octavia fell in beside her as well as Monty. She looked at both of them and smiled proud of them both. Octavia had shown that she was willing to stay by her side no matter what uncertainty there was. She wasn't sure how she would take the news that they would be leaving when they got back to camp. Clarke had hoped that Lexa had retrieved her horse from the village they had been at.
She was proud of Monty. He had done what she had asked with any question. He understood that she was out of options and her back was against the wall. She looked at him more like a brother now and she was glad to have one.
They caught up with Bellamy who was at the tail end of their group. He was watching the surrounding for any dangers that could come out of the woods. Clarke walked up next to him and tried to let a smile show. She may not fully trust him but she couldn't tip her hand to any of her plans.
"You okay Princess?" He smirked at her when he noticed she was beside him.
"I will be eventually. Thank you for everything you did." She looked forward, not daring to look at him the face just yet.
"We will get through this. We did what we had to do to survive." He followed her gaze and saw the sun still rising on the horizon.
"I know. Lets just make sure we get back to camp safely." He nodded at her and they walked in silence.
She was glad for the silence. Her mind was racing trying to decide how to tell certain people that she would be leaving. She needed the time away and if she was being honest with herself she needed to see Lexa. There was much that she needed to be filled in on and the soon she knew about what happened the better. She ran through the list of people she needed to tell and realized that the only people that may cause a problem was her mother and Bellamy.
She hadn't forgotten the look on his face when she had told them about Lexa leaving them there. She knew that he most likely held resentment and hatred towards her but she was hoping that he would trust her on this matter. Her home was no longer at Camp Jaha, it was wherever Lexa was at.
"You did well Clarke. News of your victory here will spread throughout the lands and you will be known as Wanheda. It is time for us to start working more with each other. You are strong enough now for us to start becoming one. It will be a difficult task but I believe you can handle it." Wanheda spoke to her as she focused on the sunrise.
"Thank you for the vote of confidence finally." She retorted back at her. She still hadn't forgotten what she had been told before.
"You proved yourself worthy of my help. You made a tough call and saved your people. That is what a leader must do. We will talk more later. I know you have many doubts right now and you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders but seek out Lexa. She will help you deal with all of this." With those final words Wanheda left her to her own thoughts.
Clarke let out a breath and tried to center herself once more. She was starting to feel the exhaustion set in but she couldn't let it take its hold just yet. She had to get her people home and then head for her true home at the commander's side.
Somewhere North of Mount Weather
Emerson had not stopped since he had escaped from the mountain. Once he had left Cage's side he bolted knowing Cage was going to lose this fight. He knew his only chance at survival was to take his knowledge and head north. He was not sure that he would be spared but if he was able to talk to the leader of Azgeda then he may be able to have safety.
It was sunrise as he broke through to a clearing and saw the first since of the changing climate. He could feel the cooler air and he knew he was heading the right way. He had no indication of what to look for; he just had a direction so he continued that way. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long. He had made it across a clearing and into another patch of woods when he felt his feet taken out from under him. He crashed hard to the ground and rolled over.
His feet were tied together and he heard the unmistakable sounds of horses. He sat there not even trying to run. He waited and watched. Through the woods behind him five horses broke through the tree line. They were dressed the same outfits he had seen the commander's warriors wear but they were darker and had white running through them. The furs looked thicker like they had been made to survive a harsher climate. He looked up at their faces and saw scars on each of them. He knew who he was looking at. He slowly raised his hands and cleared his throat.
"I have information for you leader. If you take me to them I will give them everything I know about the commander." He saw the warriors look at each other then nod. One of the men dismounted and walked over to him. He saw it coming and just cursed to himself as a fist came flying at his face and his world faded to black.
AN: I would just like to thank everyone who has followed this story, whether you were here from the original version of this story or if you had just found this after the rewrite. I appreciate all of you for reading and leaving your reviews. As always I hope you continue to enjoy this adventure. :)