DISCORDIA

[ 59 ] snake underneath

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       SNAKE UNDERNEATH

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       WAITING SUCKED as Jinny paced a line into the ground in front of the doors. Clarke was fidgeting anxiously next to her while Lexa and Raulf remained steady as rocks. It was an amusing contrast of behaviours between the two Grounders and Sky People. Jinny had half a mind of punching the both of them, then running towards the dam to blow the turbines herself.

       "This is taking too long," Clarke finally broke.

       "It takes as long as it takes," Lexa responded. She paused before asking, "What will you do when it's over?"

       "I have no idea," Clarke answered.

       "I'm going to take a stick and beat the crap out of the person in charge of this fucking mountain and then hang him up by his toes from the peak of his damn—" She stopped, wincing as she had thrown her arms too high and stretched the wounds on her body. "Ow..."

       "You should have stayed back in Tondc," Clarke told her almost reproachfully.

       "And miss out on all the fun?" Jinny scoffed. "Yeah, right."

       "If she has the energy and breath to waste making empty threats, then she's fine," Raulf said in mild amusement.

       "Is there anything you want?" Lexa continued to ask Clarke.

       "Nothing," the blonde replied. "Just my people back. I can't think past today."

       "You should come with me to the capital," Lexa went on. "Polis will change the way you think about us."

       "You already have," Clarke replied, with a tenderness in her voice that slightly disgusted Jinny.

       "You would like the capital," Raulf told her. "There's food and people you could beat up."

       "Sounds exciting," Jinny laughed before starting when the sound of gunfire erupted in the distance. Everyone around them tensed in response, hands flying to their weapons in an instant.

       Lincoln and Monroe pushed through the throng of warriors congregated outside the doors towards them. "It's coming from the dam," the towering man informed as he peered in that general direction.

       "They know we're going for the power," Clarke said apprehensively.

       "They know we're going for the door," Lexa reiterated.

       Lincoln yelled out a few words in Trigedasleng towards the army behind them. Monroe looked towards Jinny confidently. "Raven will get it done. She's one of us."

       "Of course she will," the Lieutenant Commander responded like a proud parent. "She's my girl."

       "As soon as the lights go off, you should push that button," David told her.

       "Oh, I've been waiting for ninety-seven years to do it," she said.

       "We'll do the rest," Lincoln told her in assurance and Jinny held the remote tightly in her hands, fingertips clenched over it at the ready. They waited with bated breath for the sign that Raven had cut the powers when the lights shut off in a diminishing blink. The entire perimeter went dark from the lack of electricity surging through its cables.

       "They did it!" Clarke exclaimed and Jinny pressed down hard on the button.

       She looked at the device in bewilderment when nothing happened, the detonation was a no-go. Her fingers continued to press the remote frantically and Lexa turned towards her. "Why is it not working?!"