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COUP D'ÉTAT
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"JIN, NO!" OCTAVIA CRIED, darting forwards to grab her arm tenaciously. "It's too dangerous to go on your own. The Reapers could kill you!"
"I am not waiting here a second longer," Jinny retorted, trying and failing to keep herself from shouting. "I should never have listened to Clarke in the first place!"
"But Clarke's right, we do need you here," Raven said quickly, using her own body to block the woman from reaching the door. Both girls had her trapped in between them with the table and wall on either side of her preventing an easy escape. "You're smart, resourceful, the Grounders respect you, the Guard respects you. If you die then we're gonna be toast too."
"I'm as worried as you about Bell but we need to trust him to do this," Octavia said coaxingly. "Jin, you need to hold out on hope."
Jinny looked between the both of them, knowing that she could easily take them on and get the hell out of there on her own. People said that hope was humanity's greatest virtue, but it was also their worst torment. That was why it was kept in Pandora's Box together with all the other evils of the world. It laid at the very bottom, the only thing that hadn't flown out of reach, because it was too heavily burdened with its own expectations and anguish. Hope was simultaneously their one saving grace and eternal destruction.
"If Bellamy didn't make it—if he's stuck in there with no help," she started. "Then we're all dead."
Jinny made to push Raven out of her way while ignoring Octavia's weight on her arm, when a burst of static interrupted Jasper's looped broadcast on the radio. Her heart almost stopped in her chest and she stopped short when she heard a new voice speak through the channel. An expression of utter awe and joy lit up her face as her eyes widened at the appliance.
"Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Can anyone read me?"
"Holy crap," Raven muttered, turning to stare at the radio. "Your boyfriend has perfect timing."
Octavia grabbed the transceiver and held it out to Jinny, who took it with trembling fingers and pressed against the button on its side. She took a breath as her voice shook with raw emotions that coursed through her veins. "Bellamy?"
"Jin?" he breathed out and she exhaled sharply, shoulders relaxing in relief as a delicate smile grew on her lips.
"It's me," she answered more steadily. "I'm so glad to hear your voice. Are you okay?"
"Me too. And yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "That's it for the good news. Is Clarke with you?"
"I'm here." They turned around to find that the blonde had returned, walking forwards from the threshold then leaning in to the transceiver in Jinny's hand. "Tell us what's happening. Are they bleeding our friends?"
"Yeah... Maya says that they're already using their blood and things are gonna get ugly here fast," he told them and Jinny bit her lip in concern. "Something's changed too. Jasper, Monty, everyone, they just got locked in the dorm."
"But they're alive, all of them?" Clarke questioned.
"I think so, for now," he replied.
"And Maya is with you?" she went on.
"She helped me escape. If not for her, I'd be dead. And guys... there are kids in here. We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me we have one."
"I have five," Jinny replied confidently. "But you need to deactivate the acid fog. Everything depends on that."
"Raven will help you," Clarke added.
"Got it. What else?"
"You have to figure out a way to free the Grounder prisoners," Clarke told him. "There's a whole army inside that mountain and they don't even realise it."
"Trojan horse. Good plan," he commented and Jinny couldn't help but smirk at that.
"What does Maya think? Is it doable?" Clarke asked, brows pinching together with worry.
There was a short moment of hesitation before he responded, "She says it's not a problem. But if I'm gonna pull this off, I need you guys to buy me some time. It won't be long before they realise I don't belong here, and if that happens—"
"It's not gonna happen," Jinny interjected. "I've got their attention focused out here. Sorry, Maya, but things are gonna get hectic for you."
"I can always count on you," Bellamy said, his tone filled with fondness that warmed her heart considerably.
"And I, you," she replied, pausing for a beat before speaking again. "Bellamy... please be careful."
"Always," he said with a hint of a grin in his tone. "I'll see you soon."
"See you soon," she murmured back before she heard a soft beep that ended the transmission.
"Okay, Raven, you're up," Clarke said, turning to the mechanic. "Octavia, Jinny, let's go."
"Go where?" Octavia asked curiously as she walked around the table to them.
"I need you to round up Indra and the rest of the Grounders," she instructed. "And Jinny, get as many of the Ark Guards as you can on our side. Then meet me at the south airlock."
"Wait, south airlock?" Jinny asked with a bewildered frown. "That's where they're keeping Emerson. Clarke, what are you gonna do?"
"What we should have done a long time ago," the blonde said.
They exchanged determined glances and nodded their heads before filing out of the room. Jinny parted ways from them, traversing the corridors that led out of the station and towards the guard post that was located by the gate. She jogged over to them quickly, weaving between the crowd of civilians that milled around the compound. David and Banks greeted her when she approached the map table, glancing around quickly to make sure that her father wasn't nearby.
"Banks," she started. "You said the Guard had my back, right?"
Their faces fell into confused frowns at her question. "I mean, yeah," Banks responded. "Most of us here trust your judgement. You're like the smartest person on the Ark, plus Commander Shumway is kinda a dick."
"What's got you all wired up?" David asked.
"I'm not really sure, but I need whoever on the Guard that's on my side to wait for my signal." She paused then added, "Actually, I think there's gonna be an insurgence and Clarke is gonna free Emerson."
"That Mountain dude?" Banks raised a dubious eyebrow. "Why?"
"Bellamy just made contact," she told them with an exhilarated grin. "We need something to distract their attention away from him and I think this is it."
David nodded. "Did he mention anything about the kids?"
"They're fine, for now," she assured him.
"There are a few loyalists like Sanchez and his bros over there," Banks said with a nod of his head in their general direction. "But I'll spread the word, ma'am, and we'll be waiting on your orders right here."
"I hope you know what you're doing, Jinny," David said. "Staging a coup against the Council ain't gonna win you any brownie points."
"My brownie points are in the negatives anyway," she responded with a crooked grin. "Right, catch ya later."
With that, she turned around and headed back into the station. Octavia had found Indra and the other warriors waiting outside the medical bay, their path converging with hers halfway to the south airlock. They marched as a single unit down the winding hallways, finding Clarke standing by the doors. She looked between them with satisfaction before asking Jinny, "The Guards?"
"Handled," the Lieutenant Commander replied.
They turned in sync and strode forwards across the room, pausing in front of Minho who was posted to guard the airlock. The Mountain Man leaned against the glass container that held him, looking out at them with wary and inquisitive eyes. The burns on his skin had diminished to mere scars that pockmarked his cheeks after receiving a blood transfusion from them. It still boggled Jinny's mind how that worked out.
"What the heck are you doing?" Minho asked almost boredly.
"Are you with us, soldier?" Jinny asked him.
"Why do I get a feeling that I ain't got a choice anyway?" he retorted before shuffling over to the side.
Clarke stepped in front of Emerson. "Get dressed. You're coming with us," she ordered.
They stood at the ready while the man got into his hazmat suit, then Minho opened the airlock to drag him out. Their party made their way out of the station towards the gate, and people gave them a wide berth as they passed by with fiery resolution. The beat of their own purposeful strides sounded like war drums to their ears. Jinny nodded her head to signal the rest of the Guards as they neared the post. In the next moment, Kane and Abby had rushed up to them with equal looks of distress.
"What are you two doing?" Kane called in outrage.
"Clarke, stop!" Abby held a hand up in front of her, forcing their entourage to come to a halt.
"We're letting the prisoner go," Clarke informed them calmly.
"Absolutely not!" the Chancellor exclaimed in disbelief.
"He hasn't told us anything yet," Kane added.
"He doesn't have to." Clarke shook her head with a small smile. "He's gonna tell them something."
Abby turned to the guards behind her. "Get the prisoner back to the airlock now."
"Stand down," Jinny ordered and the guards merely stood around them with their firearms hanging loosely between their hands.
"Jinny—" Commander Shumway started angrily but she interrupted him.
"I'm in command here," she stated, looking at him with a hard gaze. The guardsmen drew closer to flank her sides, just as Octavia and the Grounders stepped up with hands to the hilt of their swords. Kane and Abby looked at them with stunned expressions, as if they would never have imagined such a sight in all their wildest dreams.
"You may be Chancellor," Clarke told her mother. "But I'm in charge."
She turned to nod her head towards Jinny and they started forwards together, no one else daring to stand in the way of their combined authority. "Open the gates!" Clarke ordered and Scanlan ran forwards to pull it open. Jinny grabbed Emerson and pushed him roughly, bringing him to stand in front of the blonde. "Can you hear me alright?" the girl asked. "Because I need to make sure you get this."
"Loud and clear," the Mountain Man answered.
"I have a message for your leader," Clarke started. "We're coming for him. You're watching us, but you haven't seen a thing. The Grounder army is bigger than you think, and even if you could find it, your acid fog can't hurt them. And now, thanks to you..." She pulled out the tone generator and briefly flipped it on. "Neither can the Reapers. So you have one last chance. Let our people go, and we'll let you live. It's just that simple."
Emerson nodded. "I got it."
Clarke leaned forwards and grabbed the gauge for his oxygen tank. "It's an eight hour walk back to Mount Weather?" She pressed the holding button to release the gas into the air, and Emerson lowered his head in discountenance. "You're going to do it in six."
"Six hours? That's not enough," he told her. "How am I supposed to deliver your message?"
"Not my problem," Clarke replied with a smug smirk.
Jinny pulled him backwards, shoving him over the gateway of the camp and into the open field beyond. "Better hurry," she told him mockingly, then tapped at her wrist. "The clock's ticking." Then she pushed the gate close on him.
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Night fell heavily, the darkened sky dusted with the cover of dimly lit starlight. A hush descended upon the camp as its denizens took to respite, laying down their arms and plunging into the rivers of oblivion. The hallways were still and not even a whisper could be heard throughout the station. Static interrupted the tranquility of her peaceful slumber and Jinny started awake, pushing herself up from the tabletop with her elbows. She took the transmitter from the side of the radio and pushed the button.
"Bell?" she murmured.
"Did I wake you up?" he asked, voice equally soft and muted.
"Where are you?" she asked back. "Are you safe?"
"Some storage room where they keep all their paintings," he told her. "Yeah, I'm good for the next few hours. There's a cosy air vent for me to sleep in."
She chuckled lightly at him. "That's good. And Maya?"
"She went back to her room," he said. "But she'll check in with me in the morning."
"I'm glad you're okay," she breathed out with a sigh of relief. "Do you know what happened to Lincoln? He should be back by now but he's not."
There was a prolonged pause before he told her, "He wasn't ready to go into the tunnels... he took the red again."
"No," Jinny uttered in dismay. "Don't worry. We got him back once, we'll do it again."
"I'm counting on you," he said, the deep husky timbre of his voice washing over her like a sedative. "I miss you, Jin."
"I should be there with you," she told him lowly. "We're supposed to be a team."
"We do what we do best," he told her. "How are the Grounders treating you?"
"They're a pain in the ass," she replied candidly and he gave a short laugh. "But I got it handled."
"Of course you do." Bellamy fell silent for a moment and she could hear something shifting on the other end of the transmission. "There's a painting that I think you'd like here."
"Yeah?"
"It's called The Kiss."
"I love it already," she gushed.
"I love you too," he replied with a hint of a smirk.
"But I love you more."
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © KAYE CEE
DO NOT STEAL, COPY OR TAKE ANY PART OF THIS WORK.
[ author's note ]
false alarm! jinny's not going to the mountain lol!
my favourite scene in the whole of season 2 right there when clarke got all badass and took over. nice.