𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭︱raven reyes, book 1

l. submerged

Surrendering, Clarke turns to Monty. "Can you get us into the command center?" She questioned. "We need to see what's happening on Level Five."

"No problem," Monty confirmed.

"Let's go." Bellamy storms forward, grabbing Dante's arm and forcing him up. "You're gonna help us, whether you like it or not." June can only guess by the look on his face he isn't going to, but it isn't like he's being given much of a choice. It was them or his people.

With Monty's help, and not Dante's, the group manage to reach the command center. Clarke is tense, holding her gun up as Monty works on opening the door. "I told you," Dante speaks boredly. "There's no one here."

"Sorry if we don't take your word for it," Bellamy snapped.

Lowering her gun when seeing there's no one in sight, Clarke turns to the past president. "Why aren't you with your people on Level Five?" She asked.

"After what I've done, they can be free. I can't," Dante responded. "Deliverance comes at a cost. I bear it, so they don't have to."

Processing those few words as they touch her, June blinks a few times, repeating them in her head. I bear it, so they don't have to. She feels a heavy weight in her chest, weighing down more and more even as Bellamy speaks in thought. "It wasn't Cage. It was your idea to make the deal with the grounders." June snaps out of her deep thoughts, looking up in time to see Dante nod slowly.

"You did what you had to do," June mumbled in wonder, unable to imagine how he could bear the weight of slaughtering all of them one by one to save his people. Dante gives her a pointed look, almost like he can read what she's thinking of.

A beep comes from the pad Monty is working on. "We're in," he announced. "Got it."

Raising his gun, Bellamy pushed open the door and walked in with Dante. "It's clear," he called after a moment. "He's telling the truth."

"Let's get the monitors up," Clarke commanded, holding the door open for June and Monty.

June quickly tugs Monty to the computers, taking a seat and starting to type. "Open up the monitors," she suggested, repeating Clarke's earlier words, brown eyes flickering through the screen's glow as she brings up the files. In just a minute or so, the screen before them lights up, every security camera showcasing what it's recording.

"The command center is live," Monty informed them.

"Oh my God," Clarke gasps when she looks to a monitor in the lower corner.

"Is that Raven?" Bellamy asks.

June's head shoots up, following their stares in shock. They're right. Raven is there, strapped down like she once was, the grainy footage showing a doctor standing over her, drill buried deep in her leg. She grits her teeth, hands beginning to shake, whether it was from anger or memories hitting her hard, she didn't know. But June only knew she had to save her, and all of them, no matter the costs.

Stepping closer to the wall, Clarke spared a glance to every screen, noticing the one showing people chained to the wall. "Mom..." She whispered in disbelief.

Furiously, Bellamy snatches up one of the radios and hands it to Dante. "Tell them to stop," he demanded. "Now!"

"I won't do that," Dante disagreed.

Looking away from the screen, June narrowed her eyes and scowled in Dante's direction. "If she dies - " She juts her chin to the screen, meaning Raven before snarling, "You all die."

Inspired by June's threat, Clarke turns away from the monitors and takes the radio out of Bellamy's hand. She presses the button on the side and speaks into it. "Carl Emerson, Mount Weather Security Detail, come in."