War.
It was something that I'd become a custom to by now. Being on the ground for however long we have been, we've always been at war — since we landed. First, it was the Grounders, and now it was the Mountain Men. They both threatened the lives of those who have come from space. The Grounders because we were on their land, and they wanted to take it back. And now the Mountain Men want to take our bone barrow; they want what's in our system so they could live on the ground.
When the war with the Grounders started, I thought there was nothing more terrifying on this planet. Boy, was I wrong. Having just the thought of the people in this mountain killing all my friends — the kids with who I spent my first months on the ground — was a whole lot scarier. Just the pure thought of having them kill Harper, Jasper, Monty, Miller, and now Bellamy had me more petrified than I've ever been.
So when the Grounders with our team killed Mount Weather guards to get into the turbine room, I didn't feel one ounce of guilt. I didn't feel anything when one Grounder on a balcony shot a guard in a hazmat suit in the eye. It didn't bother me.
Looking up at the Grounder, I gave him a nod. Granted, I didn't know if he could see it, but I still did it. Raven, Wick, and I then rushed past the dead body. My eyes only glanced down to make sure I didn't trip over it.
"Go cover the door." Raven ordered.
I didn't know if it was directed to Wick or me, but I was the one to answer her. Pulling out the handgun on my side, I looked between the two. "I got it. You two start working."
Raven's only response was to nod before I started rushing off to the door with my gun out, ready to use. As I made my way to the door, I could hear Wick ask from behind me if he was alone. Raven didn't answer him, or if she did, I couldn't hear it. Moving up to the door, I pressed my back against it next to the window that looked out past this room. I took a deep breath before turning to face the window to see no one in sight coming here.
After double-checking to make sure I was positive that no one was coming, I hurried back over to the couple — well, I don't know if they're a couple, there was blatantly something going on between the two, but I had decided not to question it — but that wasn't the point.
Walking back up to the massive turbines, I saw Raven at the furthest one down and Wick at the second furthest. I ran past Wick and to Raven, where she was crouched down. I mirrored her position as she worked, not taking her eyes off the task in front of her.
"Okay. No one's coming right now." I informed her while trying to catch my breath. Damn, I still don't like running. The handgun that was previously in my hand was put back in its rightful place on my thigh.
Raven's eyes faltered in my direction for a split second. "Good. Now watch exactly what I do. Once I do this one, you can work on the third one, and I'll help Wick with the second one."
My eyebrows scrunched together. "I thought Wick was already working on the second one. Why would he need your help?"
"Because it's Wick. He's probably not doing something right."
Trying to stifle a laugh, I spoke. "You don't seem to have much faith in him."
Raven nodded her head to the side as she continued to work. "I have more faith in you, and I know you've only been a "part-time" mechanic for a couple of months. While he's probably been doing this for longer. That should say something."
I hummed at Raven's comment. "I don't know whether to be honored or offended by that."
"Honored." Answered Raven. "But you can be honored later. We have work to do."
"Right." I nodded, and from that point on, I didn't take my eyes off what Raven was doing, trying to grasp it. It was shocking how fast Raven could work under pressure... like shockingly shocking. Watching very closely at what Raven was doing, I think I understood.
"Alright." Raven finally looked away from the task and to me. "You think you can handle the third?"
"Yeah." I gave her a smug smile. "I got this."
With that, we rushed over to where Wick was still working and had the remaining three bombs inside his bag. Raven grabbed the bag and reached inside it to pull out the bomb. Carefully, I took it along with the tools to attach it up to the turbine.
There wasn't another word spoken between the three of us before I hurried over the third turbine. I found the correct spot to set the bomb, and I squatted down to align with where I was working. Attaching the bomb was a lot harder than Raven made it seem; she made it seem like it was the easiest thing ever. Well, to Raven, I guess it is.
I wasn't sure how long it took me to rig up the bomb. All I knew was that it took me the same amount of time it took both Wick and Raven to finish the second one. I internally laughed at the possibility that Raven was right — that Wick might have actually done something wrong.
Shooting up from where I was next to the turbine, I met with the two. They were rushing, so it just caused me to run even more with them.
"Three down, two to go." Raven announced like it wasn't blatantly obvious. We came up to the fourth turbine as Raven was the one who started working. "As soon as I'm done, you set the detonator." That order was directed at Wick, given how he had the button that made them go boom.
"I know the plan, Raven. It's my plan." He responded as Raven kneeled in front of the turbine while working on what I assumed the detonator was.
Only for a few seconds, there was an awkward silence that had settled over us while the two worked before Raven said, "Fine. Jeez, you can tell me a dam joke already." I snorted from where I stood beside Wick at how awful that joke was. He didn't react to Raven's joke, which only urged Raven to explain her terrible joke. "Get it? 'Dam' joke?"
"I got it." Said Wick as he continued to do whatever he was doing. "Your jokes are terrible."
"They are not." Raven defended.
"Yes, Raven, they are." I spoke as I crossed my arms.
Wick nodded to me. "She's right. They are."
I raised my eyebrows at Wick to agree with him furthermore that Raven's jokes were horrible before saying. "I'm going to check to make sure there's still no one coming."
Not giving either of them a chance to respond, I took off towards the door. It was a different door this time; it wasn't the one closest to number five; it was closer to number one. I figured since I checked the one closest to five last time, I should probably check this one this time. Doing the same thing I did at the other; I saw that there was not a soul to be seen at my door. Through the window, I could see the hallway that led to this room was empty.
Again, before heading back, I double-checked to ensure I was right. On my dash back, I could see Wick walk out from between the two turbines where Raven was working. I quickened my pace back to them just in time to hear something that made my stomach drop.
"Four-oh-two, report."
Wick stopped dead in his tracks at the sound — it was a radio, a radio of a Mount Weather guard. Someone was in here. "Where did that come from?" He whispered.
Raven stood up from where she was, eyes glancing to where I was frozen for a moment before we both turned back to see a radio resting on the wall. She was the one to ask the question the three of us were thinking. "Who's is it?" The same message played again on the radio, but it wasn't a recording. With my eyes on Wick, I watched as he slowly crept up the radio. I didn't even notice someone was charging at him until Raven yelled. "Wick, watch out!"
Just as the words left her mouth, a man in a hazmat suit man tackled Wick to the ground, knocking the bomb from his hand. My eyes didn't follow it; they stayed on the fight occurring before me. I tried to rush up there to help Wick; I knew Raven couldn't, so I had to help.
Wick managed to get on his feet faster than the man, so he was able to kick him to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed where many tools were hanging. Sprinting over there, I grabbed the closest wrench. "Wick!" He turned to me, and that's when I tossed him the wrench to use in self-defense. With it in hand, Wick stalked up to the man, trying to contact whoever was on the other end of that radio before sending one swing of the tool to the man's face causing him to fall limp on the ground. In the mask, you could see there was blood — enough to know that Wick had just killed that man.
With the receiver still trying to contact the man, Raven walked up to Wick's right as I did his left. "They know we're here."
He was staring down at the body on the ground — at the man he had just killed. He was staring in shock — Wick was in shock that he had just killed a man. I felt horrible knowing that he had guilt running through his system.
"Wick, there sending back up. We have to do this fast." Said Raven, but Wick didn't seem to be processing her words at all; he was still in a state of shock as heavy breaths left his mouth. Looking over to Raven, she seemed to be getting what had Wick all shaken up. Before she grabbed the wrench out of his hand, she muttered, "Welcome to the ground. Give me the last bomb."
That was the thing. Wick didn't have the last bomb because it was dropped during his fight. He turned his head in the direction of where it landed. Raven and I followed suit, turning our heads to see the last bomb shattered on the ground with the contents spilling all over the floor. I took a sharp inhale of air staring at the thing that we couldn't use to blow the turbine; it was now useless; it wouldn't be blowing anything up anytime soon.
"What happens if we only blow four of the five?" Wick panted, still out of breath.
"Power stays on. Door stays locked." Raven answered with pure fear in her voice. "Everyone we care about dies."
❣︎
A/N
OMG. i saw spiderman: nwh yesterday, and wow. there are no words to describe what i saw.
but let me end it with that because i know i could sit here and type all the ✨amazing✨ things that happened. if you haven't, you guys should see it!!
well that's all for now
-annie