I stood out side of the office, awaiting Bellamy who was currently speaking to Octavia over the radio, letting her know what was going on...and saying goodbye.
This was it. We were going to leave Earth and we would not see the rest of our friends for the next five years. I was terrified.
I knew we didn't have much time before the radio towers were destroyed by the Death Wave. I had asked Bellamy to say goodbye to Octavia for me, knowing I likely wouldn't get the chance on my own.
The sound of someone walking up the stairs behind me caused my to tear my eyes away from where they had been focused on Bellamy through the glass.
It was Clarke who had come up and join me, she waiting for a chance to say goodbye to her mother.
She gave me a tentative smile as she stopped beside me. "Did he get through to her?" she asked, nodding toward Bellamy.
"Yeah." I answered with a nod. "I think so."
An uncomfortable silence settled between the two of us, neither too sure how the other was feeling toward them.
I broke the silence first. "I'm sorry, Clarke." I whispered, letting out a deep breath.
She shook her head, brows furrowed in confusion. "Avery, you don't need to be sorry."
"Yes." I answered. "I do. I shouldn't have been so harsh. What you did hurt me, but I know why you did it. I don't want to spend whatever time we have left being mad at you."
A grateful smile spread across her face as she pulled me into a hug. "Just so you know, you are valuable to me, and you are my friend."
I gave her a soft smile as I nodded. "You should get in there and talk to your mom."
Clarke's eyes drifted toward where Bellamy was. "You don't want to speak to Octavia?"
"We're going to lose connection soon." I answered sadly. "If we're still connected after you're done speaking with your mom, then I will. But for now, you go."
"Thank you, Avery." she breathed, giving my arm a quick squeeze as she passed.
I watched her enter the office, and felt some relief that we had made amends. I still wasn't completely okay with what she did to me, but now wasn't the time for grudges.
"Avery!" Raven yelled from the lower level. "Get down here!"
I tore my eyes away from Bellamy and Clarke, quickly making my way down to where the rest of the group was.
"What's going on?" I questioned, worry creeping into my voice.
They were all gathered around the large monitor, no one said anything, just looked toward it with sad eyes.
It felt like my heart was in my throat as I focused my eyes on the screen. It was showing Polis which was currently being ravaged by a vicious storm of inferno and wind. Praimfaya was here.
"Oh my God." I whispered, my chest feeling tight as I watched the slow destruction of the city. I prayed that the bunker was secure, that everyone down there was safe.
"Where's Bellamy and Clarke?" Murphy asked, tearing his eyes away from the screen.
I nodded toward the office. "They were radioing the bunker...but my guess is that connection is lost."
"Bellamy! Clarke!" he called, turning toward the upper level. "Get down here!"
The two of them soon appeared, making their way toward us. As they joined, I noted the tear stains on Clarke's face...it was likely she didn't get to speak to her mom.
They were both silent as they joined us, their fearful eyes locking on the screen.
Bellamy arrived at my side, placing a hand on my back as a form of comfort.
I felt sick as I watched the storm rage on, and my mind soon wandered to all those people who were left out of the bunker. I could not imagine what was happening to them in this moment.
Just mere minutes after the Death Wave first hit Polis, the camera went dark.
Silence fell across the room as we all tried to take in what we just saw. My eyes glossed over as I stared at the now dark screen, my mind still reeling.
"It's 210 miles from Polis to the island." Raven whispered and it seemed she was talking to herself more than anything.
"According to what was our last drone, the wave is accelerating. If we're not off the ground at least 20 minutes before it hits, the electromagnetic charge in the pyroclastic cloud will shut down the rocket's avionics, meaning it won't fly." She looked down at the tracker on her arm.
"That gives us...90 minutes to run a 6-hour preflight check, retrieve the oxygen generator from the lighthouse, turn a cockpit designed for two into one that can carry nine, and load the cargo hold with enough food to keep us from starving until the algae is ready."
Murphy looked over at her. "I thought you said it was gonna be hard." he wondered, sarcasm in his every word.
"That's not the hard part." Raven shot back. "Becca designed her rocket to dock with Polaris, not the Ark. That means I have to pilot it into the hangar bay on the Ring."
"What's so hard about that?" Harper questioned.
"That's not the hard part either."
"Raven, what is the hard part?" I demanded, my nerves growing more and more.
Her eyes shifted to me. "Assuming we blast off in time, CO2 scrubbers on a two-person rocket won't support nine of us."
"So we use supplemental oxygen." Clarke suggested.
"Our tanks only hold an hour of air." Monty explained, crushing that hope.
"Correct." Raven confirmed. "We'll have one hour to get into orbit, land in the hangar bay and fire up the life-support system using an oxygen generated built to supply a lighthouse bachelor pad."
Murphy let out a deep breath. "You suck at talking people into things. You know that, right?"
"Anyone here still need to be talked into this?" Bellamy demanded.
Everyone looked around, each of us giving our heads a small shake. This was a do-or-die situation. Not doing anything meant definite death. Doing something and facing the possible issues only meant potential death.
"Good." Bellamy approved. "Now that we know the many ways we might die today, why don't you tell us what we have to do to live?"
Raven wore a look of complete and utter stress as she nodded, reaching down to set the timer.
The countdown flashed across the big monitor-one hour and thirty minutes.
It was go time.
---
"Watch everything I do." Raven instructed as she flipped a couple of switched on the control panel, starting the simulation.
I nodded, letting out a low breath as I leaned into the seat, my nerves rising.
Trying to turn a two-man rocket into one that was optimal for almost five times that number was not easy. Especially when most of us had no idea what to do.
Murphy and Monty had left to retrieve the oxygen generator, Bellamy and Clarke were going over the logistics of the algae, and Emori and Echo were loading supplies into the ship. That left Harper and I to help Raven prepare the system.
"Okay." she breathed. "Hit that button."
I obeyed, moving the hit the one she had instructed.
"Good." she muttered, beginning to type a code into the computer. She hit a few more buttons, but clearly something was wrong.
I let out a shocked scream as one of the control panels behind us blew, sending sparks flying.
Raven let out a frustrated yell as she turned to examine the damage. "No. No. No."
"Ugh! There isn't enough time." she groaned. "We're pushing too hard."
"What's happening?" Bellamy demanded, her and Clarke rushing into the ship.
"Computer!" Raven called. "Systems check."
We all listened in anticipation as the computer ran through all of the systems were optimal...until we got to the last one.
"Communication system--assesing damage." The automated voice spoke, leaving all of us on edge as we awaited the damage report.
Finally, it came.
"All communication systems are offline."
We all remained silent, each of us watching for Raven's reaction. She put her head down slightly, but tried to keep her voice steady. "Recommend repair options for communication system."
"Who cares?" Harper demanded. "There's no one to talk to, anyway."
"Quiet." Raven chastised, just as the computer spoke to us again.
"Damage is beyond repair. Total system replacement is required."
I looked to Bellamy briefly, before looking back to Raven's defeated face. "What does that mean?" I questioned, my voice quiet as I feared the answer.
Raven looked to the blackened control panel for a moment before focusing her eyes back on me.
"It means we're not going anywhere."
She gave an order to the computer to terminate the launch sequence before she wordlessly pulled herself out of the rocket, leaving all of us sitting in shock.
We all scrambled after her, each of us with worried looks on our faces as we disembarked from the rocket.
"Raven, explain." Bellamy pleaded as we joined her in the main part of the lab.
"It's simple." Raven breathed, looking down at at table. "There's no power in the Ring. Two minutes ago I thought it wasn't a problem because I could activate it remotely."
A look of recognition dawned on Clarke. "Over the rocket's Comm system."
"So we turn the power on from the inside." Bellamy proposed.
Raven was flustered and it was evident. "We can't get inside! That's the point. Without power, we can't even open the hangar door!"
"Raven," I said softly, taking a step toward her so she would look at me. "Breathe." I ordered. When she took a small breath, I nodded. "Okay, now think. You know how to fix this. You've solved bigger problems than this."
She let out a small scoff. "Yeah, not in 53 minutes."
"Raven-"
"It's over, Aves!" she cried, her stress level clearly accelerating. "You know, maybe if I still had ALIE's code eating away my brain I could figure it out." Her voice trailed off. "I'm not smart enough myself." she whispered, lowering herself down to the stairs.
I looked over to Bellamy with a sad look and readied myself to approach Raven. This wasn't the first time she had doubted herself.
Bellamy stopped me before I could reach her. He placed his hand on my shoulder, giving me a small nod as he approached Raven instead.
"Raven," he said softly as he took a seat next to her. "You can do this."
She shook her head, tears of frustration in her eyes. "No, I can't."
"Yes, you can." Bellamy asserted. "How many times have you saved our asses, before you had ever heard of ALIE?"
"Too many to count."
I let out a small laugh at her words. She was completely right. I couldn't even imagine how we would have survived if Raven never came down in that Pod.
"You're damn right." Bellamy confirmed. "We don't need ALIE on the Ark. We need you."
Something Bellamy said seemed to trigger something in Raven, because seconds after the words left his mouth, she looked up with wide eyes.
"What is it?" I asked, leaning forward slightly out of anticipation.
Raven looked between Bellamy and I. "ALIE was on the Ark." she whispered, seemingly still running through the thought in her own mind. "ALIE was on the Ark."
She stood up, gaining the momentum with her thought. "I was right there, so close to the kill switch, but she got away but transmitting herself to the Ring."
"Using the Pod in the temple." Emori added.
"Yes!" Raven confirmed. "So if she can do it, so can we."
"Raven," Clarke said gently. "We'll never make it back to Polis in time. And besides, the radios are dead."
Raven now wore an optimistic smile. "We have something better than radios--the satelite tower."
She didn't explain any more as she turned to the group of us. "You three," she ordered, looking to Harper, Emori and Echo. "Back in the cockpit, finish those restraints." She then looked to Bellamy, Clarke and I. "You three, helmets on, you're with me."
We all instantly did as she said, knowing we had no time to waste. I pulled on my helmet, rushing to grab the supplies Raven had requested.
Minutes after the plan had been devised, the four of us were standing outside.
The sun had begun to rise, but it was almost impossible to see it. A thick layer of haze covered the sky, leaving the air hazy and heavy.
The plan was that Bellamy and Clarke were to trek to the satellite tower and re-align the dish with the Ring. My job was to await Monty and Murphy's return and help them with the generator the minute they got here. I would then resume my role as Raven's so-called "right hand-woman" as she specified.
"The tower's less than a mile away." Raven explained, pointing toward the tower in the distance.
She dropped to her knees, beckoning toward me. "Aves, pack."
I pulled the backpack off my shoulder, handing it to her and watching as she pulled the tablet from it. "One more time, all we have to do is plug this into the junction box at the base of the tower. SAT-STAR-ONE is the name of the dish."
Raven continued explaining to them what needed to be done, and I felt myself becoming more and more anxious. I hated the thought of Bellamy and I being separated at this point, so close to what could be the end.
"Any questions?" Raven asked once she was done with the preamble.
Clarke watched her with slight confusion. "Yeah, why are you smiling?"
"Because, without COMMS, even with the power on, we still can't open the hangar bay door from inside the rocket." Raven explained.
"Wait. How is that a good thing?" Bellamy questioned.
I felt a small smile come to my lips as I looked over at Raven, noting the grin on her face. "She gets her spacewalk." I answered, my mind instantly racing to my brother and his notorious record with "space walking" (also known as trying to cover up for his girlfriend).
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps caused all of us to turn our heads.
A lone figure came stumbling out of the woods, generator in hand.
"Murphy?" Bellamy called, the four of us already rushing to his aid. "Murphy, where's Monty?" he questioned as Murphy collapsed to his knees, struggling for air.
"He's in trouble." Murphy answered, causing my heart to drop. "He had to expose his hands. He passed out. Look, if we go back now we can get to him." he breathed, pushing himself back to his feet.
All of us shared wide-eyed looks. A mixture of concern and surprise coming to our faces. Murphy was actually suggesting they go back?
"You can be impressed with me later. We got to go." he prodded.
"Aligning the dish is a one-person job. Clarke can handle it." Raven devised.
"I can go with Clarke." I offered, hating the idea of her having to do the job on her own.
"No." Raven instantly shot my suggestion down. "I need you here."
"Okay, then." Murphy breathed. "If that's sorted out. Let's go."
As they began to turn, Clarke called out for Bellamy. He turned, looking to her with urgent eyes. "If this is one of those moments when you tell me to think with my head--"
"--No." she refuted. "I was just going to tell you to hurry."
He nodded. "You too." He then looked to me. "Avery, I love you." he called, barely giving me a chance to reply before he was running after Murphy.
Somehow that felt like goodbye forever.