When Songbirds Fly | Bellamy Blake

Chapter Eighty-Six: Acceptable Losses

TW// Murder, detailed discussion of  su*c*de, panic attack

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The lab is pale, cold, just like the body that lies in a glass tank in the centre of the room. His skin ripples with the movement of dozens of worms.

The only thing stopping me from being sick is the hand clasping so tightly onto mine that I almost wonder if I might lose the blood circulation completely.

Indra pushes her arm through a small opening, a thick glove protecting her from any worms seeking a new host. She clamps her hand over the man's mouth and nose. His wild gaze fixes on her and he cries out, muffled by rubber. It doesn't take long until his eyes close again and his moans of agony cease.

'Your fight is over, Tarik from Shallow Valley Clan.' Gesturing for us to follow, Indra starts towards the exit. 'Let's get this over with.'

The door back into the hydrofarm swings open and Octavia walks in. From this distance, her eyes are completely replaced by a hollow darkness. Cooper furiously regards our faces before turning to the warrior. 'What the hell are they doing here, Indra?

'You wanted to see me?' Octavia enquires.

Panic starts to choke me for a moment but Indra soon settles my nerves with a response, 'You knew about this.'

'Of course I knew about this. It was my idea. We're up against an army with superior firepower and every geographic advantage. This is how we overcome that.'

'What happens when your secret weapon destroys the valley you're fighting for?'

Almost seeming relieved by Clarke's question, Cooper steps further out of the shadows. 'I ran some tests. The worms can't survive in a green environment for more than a few days, long enough to kill everyone they come in contact with before we get there.'

I can't help but laugh, 'Okay, so we're good then! No damage to your precious valley, so it's all cool. There were laws against this kind of thing for a fucking reason, Octavia.'

Bellamy still hasn't let go of my hand. Sensing that I'm starting to push it a little too far, he gently tugs on it. 'Our friends are there,' he tries, 'people we love.'

'Acceptable losses. Come on, Big Brother. How many innocent lives have you sacrificed... or you, Wanheda? This is no different. You were just trying to save your people. So am I.'

Pushing aside the clear plastic drapes that separate us from the worm's lab, Cooper regards us with a look of pure outrage. 'You killed him.'

'No,' Indra calmly replies, 'you did.'

'Cooper?'

The woman apprehensively looks to her leader. 'One of the defectors survived.'

Bellamy raises an eyebrow. 'Looks like we found something that's not acceptable.'

'Blodreina,' Cooper gasps and rushes over to her, 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but the results were remarkable. The worms reproduced three times faster in a live body, and we need quantity as well as control.'

She tries to continue but Clarke hurriedly cuts her off, 'Octavia, you don't want to do this.'

'Spare me your hypocrisy, Clarke. Miller told me about the man that you irradiated in Becca's lab.' Satisfied by the shame she has brought her, Octavia turns back to Cooper. 'And just how long did your test subject survive?'

'Long enough for a defector to board their ship and fly to The Valley.'

This is it, we are truly fighting for our friends' survival now. The results are damning. 'Octavia,' Bellamy is breathless now in his efforts to reason with her, 'please. Don't do this.'