Children of the Blood

Together

Chapter 12 - Together

"Goddamnit!" Raven shouted, tossing the keyboard in front of her to the ground and pushing her chair back so quickly it toppled with a clatter.

Monty looked up, watching her silently as she paced, running her hands through her hair in frustration. Obviously this was not the first time Raven's frustration had exploded.

"No luck?" he said after a moment.

She shot him a deadly look and continued pacing. "I can't figure out this code," she exclaimed through gritted teeth. "I've tried everything related to ALLIE, to Becca, to Polaris, the 13th station. Nothing works!"

It had been days since they discovered the chip in the vial Lexa had recovered. It was definitely tech they were familiar with, circa the era of the first Unity Day. It must have come to Earth in Polaris with Becca. But it was impossible to decipher without the key code. A key Raven and Monty had been unable to crack.

******

Raven leaned her elbows on the railing of the upper floor next to Clarke and let out a long, loud sigh of frustration.

"That good huh?" Clarke said, her eyes traveling idly over the milling crowd of Skaikru and Flokru below going about their daily business in the largest room they called the Great Hall.

"We're missing something," Raven said.

Clarke nodded but had nothing to add. The boost of energy and optimism that had come with Luna's sudden arrival had wained with the realization they were at yet another road block. Clarke was tired. Deeply tired in her soul.

"We're missing that damn key. It's only 88 characters but it could be any combination of letters, numbers, symbols... It's impossible to crack. Are you sure she didn't say anything else?" Raven asked.

Clarke's gaze found below Luna as she laughed and talked to Keena. The girl was obviously happy to have her leader returned to her, as were all of the remaining Flokru. Clarke imagined the Grounders were glad to have their Commander back as well. The thought of Lexa brought back that familiar twinge in her chest.

"Clarke?" Raven said.

Clarke broke out of her revery and looked at Raven.

"Did Luna say anything else? Or Lexa, about her vision, that could be a clue?"

Clarke shook her head. "No, just something about Children of the Blood. Nightbloods. But we've exhausted all of our tests on their blood, the liquid from the vial... Everything. A dozen times over. Nothing."

Raven pushed off the railing and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm heading back in," she said. "Can you just... just look through your notes again?"

Clarke nodded, knowing it would be futile.

*****

Clarke had all of the test results laid out in orderly stacks, the most recent results on top. It was a massive amount of information that resulted in absolutely nothing. The longer she stared at them, the more angry she got until finally she kicked the edge of the table hard with her foot in frustration and left a flurry of papers in her wake as she exited the lab.

She retreated to a secluded spot that had become her own, tucked away in the corner of the rafters by one of the narrow, slitted windows. There she could brood undisturbed, which usually involved staring out into the hostile environment outside and drawing in her notebooks.

She pulled her gaze from the window and ran her hands over the rough leather cover of the book. Lexa had made it for her. In fact, she'd made several as she knew Clarke would go through them easily. A sad smile turned her lips as she traced the creases in the worn leather.