Beautiful Tragedy

Fifty-seven

              Third Person POV
              **Shadow Valley**

"I'm alone." Shaw says entering the church where Raven stayed apart from the others. "Told them I don't do funerals."

"What the hell do you want?" Raven questions, when she tried to speak to Qhim earlier he blew her off without a second thought.

"Letting Murphy go bit me in the ass. McCreary and two of our people are missing, and now Diyoza's starting to question my loyalty, so make it quick, or I'm leaving."

"I want to be useful here." Raven blurts our. "I can't be locked up anymore."

"Useful how?" Shaw questions in turn

"When I was on your mothership, I saw the hythylodium tanks." Raven explains. "They're almost full, thousands of tons. Just one drop, and I can power up this entire village." She pauses before adding. "If you fly me up there-

"Hythylodium is killing everyone it came into contact with," Shaw says abruptly cutting her off, "so bringing it down here just may be the worst idea I've ever heard."

"So what if Diyoza questions your loyalty?" Raven bursts out aggravated. "How could you be loyal to someone who collars people like animals, tortures them, someone who killed your crew?" She charges. "I saw her file. She murdered hundreds of innocent people, blew up government buildings just because she didn't like their policies." She says shaking her head. "Shaw, you're good." She presses standing now in front of him. "I can see it in your eyes."

"When I was a kid after the battle of San Francisco, I watched the evacuation on tv, thousands of refugees being packed into aircraft carriers." Shaw says backing away from her. "I remember seeing soldiers pushing helicopters overboard just to make more room, and Diyoza was there. She was the one giving the orders. The machines were expendable, but the people weren't, but up in space when we reported that the miners were getting sick, Eligius saw it differently." he explains and his expression grows harder. "Order Eleven came down "bring home the hythylodium. Leave the prisoners," like they were garbage. Captain Stevens agreed, and I didn't."

"You deactivated the shock collars."

"So, you see, Diyoza's not as bad as you think, and I'm not as good as you hoped."

Kayleigh POV

Felt like the walls were closing in on me, even as stood here outside. I had left the kids with Harper and Bell- I couldn't have them with me right now. Not when I had so many things on my mind, not when I needed to think.
They weren't safe with me right now, not when I had so many more eyes now watching.

It was my fault, even I could admit that. When they refused once again to let me see Asher, I lost my patience, needing to see him- speak to him. Only Indra interfering kept me from being placed in a cell right next to him. When we were away from hearing of the others did she speak to me again, reminding me of place here.

Flashback

"You are not Heda- nor are you Wonkru-

"Trikru, Indra." I deadpanned. "I'm Trikru, same as you- same as them."

"Wonkru." She growls. "You have no say here, no real power."

"I don't care about power, I care about keeping my family safe-

"Is Octavia still apart of that?"

Her question gave me pause. Before I wouldn't have hesitated, wouldn't have had to. Now that it did, I didn't like the answers that came with it.