heart//head

Death Wave

Ai gonplei ste odon. The words bounce in Clarke's head heavily as she climbs the tower, committed to saving her friends once again. She curses under her breath as her feet slip, almost sending her barreling back down to the ground, and she grasps the rungs tighter. Relief rushes through her as she watches the ship take off, glad that they hadn't tried to play hero and wait for her. It's too late for her now, anyway; the thick, ominous wall of radiation is closing in, Praimfaya, come to end all life as they know it.

Everything had happened so fast.

They had known it was going to happen, but they had only had a month to prepare for it. They had only had a month to decide the fates of not only Skaikru, but the Grounders as well. Clarke sighs, thinking back, wishing there had been a way to save everyone. However, the Second Dawn bunker could only hold 1,200 people, and after Octavia had won The Conclave, there had been no arguing about who would be going in- she had decided that 100 people from each clan would take residence in the bunker. Which meant that Raven, Monty and Harper, Murphy and Emori, Bellamy, Echo, and Clarke herself, had been all but forced to go to Becca's Island in an attempt to make it back to the Go-Sci Ring of the Ark. 

Now, here she was, fumbling with a control panel, trying to get the power back on for them. Searching for signal. The words were almost a blessing, but suddenly, the panel goes dead, and Clarke can see the radiation closing in around her. "Hope that gave them some time..." Descending the tower, Clarke begins to replay all the hardships she had been through, and the sins she had committed.

She thinks about how she had accepted her demise, as long as everyone else could continue to live. Her life in exchange for theirs. Clarke believed that was the best ending she could get; her one last chance to atone for the endless lives she had taken in the name of protecting what she thought was right. She knew she would be too late to launch with the rest of them, but it was relief, rather than fear, that filled her body she had watched the ship take off and leave the impending nuclear meltdown behind. Even with the satisfaction of having saved her friends coursing through her, she can't hold back the tears of loneliness for long. She allows them full access to her cheeks, leaving dirty streaks down her face.

That is, until, she sees the silhouette of Bellamy Blake approaching her, beckoning her towards him. "Clarke, come on!"

Bellamy? At first, Clarke fears that she's hallucinating, but as she runs to get closer, she realizes that it's him, in the flesh. She embraces him tightly before the anger sets in. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

The look in Bellamy's eyes is incredulous, and he laughs sarcastically. "Oh, just here to make sure you don't die alone. Sorry for being so selfish. I'd get back on the ship, but I told them to leave as soon as I got off." His eyes dart behind her, and he grabs her wrist, leading her back to Becca's lab.

"Bellamy, we can't stay at the lab. There's no food, no water- Hell, we don't even know if it's radiation proof!" Clarke explains as they reach the entrance, her hands on her hips.

"Are you gonna come inside and see what I found while you were saving everyone else, or are you just gonna wait for the Death Wave to hit?" His tone is half-annoyed, but the other half is a chuckle. "Because we might just have an ace in the hole."

She rolls her eyes, but follows his lead to the sixth level, curiosity filling her veins. She watches as he slides his hands along the floor carefully, surprised when he reveals a hidden trapdoor. "What is..."

"I found the schematics of the lab in one of the smaller offices, and found this little guy on there. I don't know, for sure, what it is, but it can't hurt to find out. Not like we have many options..." His voice trails off as the computer alerts them: 5 minutes. Clarke helps him pry the door open, and Bellamy glances into the empty space. Before he can say anything, Clarke lowers herself into the void, her feet hitting the floor with a thud. Bellamy climbs in after her, closing the overhead door as she looks at the control panel on the wall.