Chapter 6

They were all in the airlock and awaiting to see what their treatments. Cage was pacing. Emerson was sitting down next to Lovejoy. He was calm. They were discussing the guard rotations for the bunker. Maya and Vincent were together talking about what this could mean for them all. They seemed to be wary of the procedure and were curious as to why they were chosen to be treated first. Gail and Sara sat apart. They were surprised that they were chosen at all. They didn't have families and they weren't really that important to the maintenance of the bunker. They weren't going to pass up this opportunity though, either. They all had the same want, somewhere, deep inside of them. They wanted to be free of the bunker and walk in the sunlight without dying.

Clarke watched them on the monitors. She knew that it was driving Cage mad that he still hadn't been heard. His pacing made her want to laugh. She just smiled as she watched them all deal with their isolation in the airlock. She would need to feed them soon. She wondered what they would do then.

Raven sat down in the chair next to her, hard. She was chewing on something that she was sure one of Lexa's guard had given her because she knew that no one on the Ark or in Arcadia knew what it was or how to make it. Raven saw her look, broke off a piece, and handed it to her.

"It's sweet," Raven said as she tossed the other piece back into her mouth.

Clarke shrugged and ate it. It was sweet. She supposed it was some form of trail candy or something. She might ask Lexa about it later, but for now, she had other things to focus on. She wanted to pull Maya first, but she wasn't sure how Vincent would react to that. Maybe she should talk to them alone, together, first and see if he would understand why she'd chosen them both for this. She needed to feel them out.

"Is the other room ready?" Clarke asked.

"Yeah, we even got some food in there for them," Raven told her.

"And, the cameras?"

"Up and running just like you wanted, Princess," Raven replied.

"Are there rations or other foods ready for them?"

"Rations are the best that we could do until they start treatment. We couldn't take the chance that the radiation in the food would hurt them. It isn't as appetizing, but it will sustain them until we can try regular foods with them," Raven answered.

"And, we think that it might take a few days for the bone marrow to do what it needs to do," Clarke stated.

"So, they will only be on the rations for that time," Raven started. "Or, you send Emerson and Cagey-boy back to pack some food for them in some sort of air tight containers. At least that way, they could have better food while the treatment works."

"That is actually a good idea. It wouldn't be full meals, but something that they would be able to handle in the airlock. Could we get them something to cook with in there, if they know how?" Clarke questioned.

"Nope, wouldn't work. It would literally make them go boom. That is pure and filtered oxygen in there they are breathing. A flame would be the end of them and a good part of that section of the Ark. It wouldn't be good," Raven told her. "I was thinking more along the lines of fruits or vegetables that don't need to be cooked. I've got water flowing to them that is treated, too. So, they've got that. But, if they got any meats, they would have be cooked and not need to be warmed at all. Also, I'm good, but I haven't rigged up a cold storage for them. If I do that, I'll have to divert more power to the airlock. That just isn't advisable at this time. The rest of the engineers need all the power that they can get. I've already stolen some generators to make sure that the air and water filters attached to the airlocks are still working if they break the main system."

"They got climate control in there?"

"Nope, just whatever filters from outside. If it is warm out, they might get warmer. If it starts getting cooler, so will they," Raven answered.

"So, we need to make sure that they are comfortable. We need to get them some extra blankets and such. I'll get someone on that, but how are we going to decon them?"

"I've got my ways, Clarkey. Get the goods and I'll take care of that," Raven explained. "So, who is going to be your first Guinea Pig?"

"More like Pigs," Clarke replied. "Get the other air lock ready. I'm going to go in with them. So, I'll need to be deconed first."

"Roger that, Prisa," Raven stated as she jumped up from her chair and left the room.

Kahlan sat down next to her. Her hair was braided on the sides and top. Those braids were pulled together in one large braid in the back. Clarke could tell that she carried some sort of rank in the armies. She didn't need to know what. For now, Kahlan would stay in the room and watch the screens.

"I know that this is strange to you, but this is like a picture."

"I see that," Kahlan replied.

"This is a picture of what is going on in the airlock. There are things in there to record their voices, too. If you want to hear them, hit this button," Clarke said as she showed her the button. "This big red button is if you see something that shouldn't be happening."

"Like what?"

"Ever watched a prisoner?" Clarke asked.

"Sha," she answered and then corrected herself, "Yes, Princess, I have."

Clarke smiled. She knew that the Guards were trying. She was proud of the woman. She was a little bit older than Lexa, maybe around the same age as Anya or older, but she was good. She knew and understood the mission. She wasn't going to let Lexa or Clarke down.

"Then, something like that. If someone gets in a fight, or some one gets sick, or they said something that you know we need to know immediately, something like that, okay. That happens, you hit the big red button right there. It will alert not only me and Alex, but the whole Guard. We'll know to head to the airlocks. I need you to make sure that whoever is in here with you knows that, too," Clarke explained. "I'll be coming and going as will Alex. Understand?"

"I do, Clarke."

"Good. Then, get ready to see some fun. I'm going to take out the first two for an interview. I'm going to talk to them, but I'm going to leave their leader's son in their pacing. He's name is Cage which is fitting at the moment," Clarke told her.

"He looks like a caged big cat from the mountain woods," Kahlan added.

"I know. I want him like that. He is never allowed to out or to talk to anyone but Alex or myself."

"I understand, Princess. Go have your fun with the branwoda. I will keep watch here," Kahlan stated.

Clarke smiled and stood up. She placed a hand on Kahlan's shoulder. She knew that it didn't mean much, but at the same time it did.

As she left the monitoring station, which was just outside the airlocks and near the Medbay, Lexa fell into step with her. She was flanked by Jacov and Mezi. The two boys couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen by Clarke's estimates, but they were tall and broad. The Trikru really knew how to grow their gona. They both had let their hair be cut with promises of rank and prestige for the position. They would receive tattoos and trinkets to add to their braids when their hair was long enough to bear it again.

It took minutes to reach the airlock. Clarke walked over to the panel and pushed the intercom. Thankfully, it was two way, so she wouldn't have to hold it. They would be able to speak freely, and if Cage rankled her enough, she could just turn it off.

She could tell that they were all scared but excited at the same time. They had no clue that they were being watched and recorded. Anything that they said could and would be used against them when the cure was completed and the trials...judgement was passed among their populace. She knew that it bothered Lexa that they wouldn't all die for the blood of the Grounders that they had taken, but she knew it was fair to judge them all because of their leaders mistakes. The Vies, Clarke hoped, would be proof enough that for Lexa. That is why she wanted to talk to them first. She wanted to ease them all, but she cared about Vincent and Maya more than the rest.

Emerson noticed her first. He got up and moved to the glass of the airlock. He watched Clarke as she watched him.

"What does she want?" Cage hissed from his seat.

Emerson turned to look at him and then back to Clarke. The blond didn't react to Cage's words, so Emerson thought that they couldn't be heard at the moment. Clarke wanted it this way. She wanted Cage to incriminate himself further than beyond what she already knew. It was another reason that she had Raven backing up all of the files from Mount Weather. She didn't just her words, she wanted definitive proof when Lexa tried them for basically crimes against humanity. She wasn't dumb, though. She knew way more than the files would tell them. She would make them confess in the end.

Cage couldn't take the scrutiny. He popped up off the cot he was on and came stalking up to the glass. He stopped in front of it and stared hard at the blond before him. He didn't respect her and she knew that wasn't his first mistake. He was about to be arrogant and demanding, but he wasn't in a position to do anything. She had him by the proverbial balls and she was about to squeeze them, hard.

"Look at her," Cage demanded. "Standing there like the victor in a war."

"Well, Cage, she has already proven that she can end us, but she hasn't. She is offering us the ground via a possible cure. And, honestly, isn't this what we've been striving for? To see the ground and feel it? To bask in the sun without a suit?" Emerson asked her.

"She is a child. A teenager, and she is the leader of the last civilization. I don't buy it. There is something else at play here. She is using us. She needs something from us," Cage stated. "Look around you. Their Ark is in pieces. They are going to enslave us and make us work for them. The cure is nothing more than a ruse. I doubt that she even cares if we live or die. They haven't even met the savages yet. When they do, they'll want us to fight them."

"We've been using those savages to survive, Cage. Your own experiments turn those savages into brutes and you use them against their own people," Emerson explained and Clarke was proud of everyone on her side not reacting. "We are no better than they are. We don't know that she wants to enslave us, though, Cage. You are leaping. She has done everything that she said that she would. And in case you've forgotten, she can control our systems. They have better tech than we do. What use are we to them?"

"I don't know. But, she is up to something. Mark my words, Emerson, she is going to get us killed," Cage replied before beating on the glass.

Clarke just watched him for a few minutes. She let him rile himself up. When she finally had enough of his ranting, she reached over to the intercom again.

Emerson watched her move. He reached out to try to calm Cage's rage, but she could tell that it would only do so much good. Cage was a loose cannon, a want-to-be tyrant who thought the world owed him everything. Clarke was prepared to bring him down a peg or two before she sent him back to the bunker. She could care less what happened to him as long as he was able to stand on a tree and be cut in the center of Polis beside his father and Dr. Tsing.

She smiled as she thought about their executions and the blood that would be atoned for with them. It was why she had specialized airlocks built in what was left of the Skybox that fell with Alpha. She would introduce him to pain and suffering. She would make him understand his sins. She would break him and then she would let Lexa have him. Her smile grew, in an almost sadistic fashion.

"Lieutenant Emerson," Clarke started, getting everyone's attention. "I hope that the accommodations are okay. We used everything that we could from our small supply of stock. I know it isn't much, but I hope that it will make you comfortable while you are here. We are working on some food for you as well. You will need your strength while undergoing the treatments. Before we start, I will need to speak with each of you. We will move you via a suit to a sterile airlock near the Medbay. From there, a history will be taken and we will decide who to start with."

"What about those who are waiting? If they need blood or our treatments, will you help them? Or, will they have to wait for their cure?" Emerson asked.

He was a smart man and a politician of sorts. He was worried about his people. He wanted to protect them, but he also thought that the ground was his, like Dante and Cage. He was dangerous, but Clarke knew not to trust him completely. He was better than Cage, but only slightly. He was useful, and nothing more. She looked at him as she crafted her answer to his questions. Emerson wasn't a pawn. He was a bishop on Clarke's chess board.

"You will unfortunately have to stay in the airlock. I would allow you to walk around our little camp, but we only have a limited supply of oxygen for you. Your tanks only last so long. Plus, all of my people are working to build our camp into a village. I would have no one to be with you and walk with you. We have placed some of our tablets in the room for you. There are old TV shows, movies, and books uploaded. My chief technological mechanic has created a guest account for you on them to browse with and entertain yourself. There are also games. Beyond that, I'm sorry. Security and medical reasons will keep you inside this room for a few days," Clarke explained. "Once we are certain that there will be no issues, I will have quarters made for you. Once you all cure, with exceptions of yourself, Lieutenant, and Cage, we will return you to the bunker and bring more people. You will have a choice to make once the cure is in place, however. Being that there will be only five cured at the time, the choice won't be as hard."

"Choice?" Cage demanded. "What choice? You didn't say anything about a choice?"

"I also didn't say anything to you, Cage. You are here to observe and not receive the cure. I know about your projects. And, you sir, have been a very naughty boy. The only reason you are here is because I wanted to see you. If I decide to speak you after my sessions with your people, then I will. But, Cage, be aware, that I know of your temper and your misdeeds. You will sit there until I decide to see you and not before. And, in the event that you decide to act out, I will remove you," Clarke told him.

"Remove me?"

"Yes, remove you from your own populace. I'm sure your father would understand that you would have to be punished for breaking our laws while in our camp. But, I am sure that it won't be a problem for us, will it?" Clarke asked him rhetorically. "Besides, you will be returning to the bunker in a few days with some charts and updates on your five citizens undergoing the treatment with the Lieutenant. What you do between now and then, well, that is up to you."

"Why you little -" Cage started but was cut off by Emerson quickly.

He caught the man around the neck and put him in a sleeper hold. He knew that Clarke has tried to rile him up on purpose and Cage had fallen into her trap easily. Once he eased Cage to the floor, he looked back up at Clarke.

"Is he still breathing?" she asked.

"He is," Emerson stated. "It isn't the first time that I've had to silence him, lately. He is frustrated that his father won't just step down and give him power."

"And, he calls me a child. Nevertheless, I would like to start with Maya and Vincent Vie. Since they are family, I would like them to come together."

"They will need to suit up."

"Actually you all will. We cannot open the airlock without you all in suits. There are some rations in the box over there," Clarke pointed. "They aren't the greatest, but they are filling and nutrient rich. They will tide you over until we can come up with a better solution."

"Okay," Emerson replied with a strange look on his face.

"I will give you time to get everyone dressed in a suit. I will be back in say twenty minutes. Then, we will ask for Maya and Vincent to follow up to another chamber in preparations for their first treatment," Clarke told them all. "Eat something. I will be back. And, don't forget to suit up. If something is wrong with a suit, we have repaired suits and other suits for you to use. Hopefully in a couple of weeks none of you will need them again."

"We'll be waiting."

"Oh, and Lieutenant," Clarke said as she was about to leave.

"Yes, Clarke."

"I would suggest that you alert Mr. Wallace to the problems with his son. I will tolerate him to a point, but if he speaks out again, I will be forced to remove him from the airlock. I will house him until your President can decide what is to be done with him. But, know this. Dante might be the President of the United States, but that is only Mount Weather. There are no other countries out here. And, as long as I am the one that can cure your people, I am your savior. I will not make you slaves, but you will abide by my rules and laws until you find somewhere to build your own colony or village or whatever. Hell, your people will have the choice to join with us if they wish. But, again, that won't be an issue until the cure has been given to all."

"I understand," Emerson replied.

"Make sure that the Wallaces and the rest of Mount Weather do as well, Lieutenant. I would hate to have to make sure that they never see the ground. I would hate to make sure that you could never leave that bunker. I'm offering life in the sun and nature. But, life up here, out in the open, isn't like life in the bunker. They need to understand that, or they will die. That isn't a threat to anyone. That is just the simple truth. The Earth is relentless and a very fickle bitch. She gives and she takes as she sees fit. Kind of like I do," Clarke told him. "Twenty minutes, Lieutenant. You're on the clock."

Clarke didn't wait for an answer. She'd made her point. Now, she would see if it struck home with the Lieutenant.