After our fight, getting to the control room is almost laughably easy. Once, we even have a Maunon guard that sees us run the other way. But it doesn't feel like it's a good easy.
I can't really hear anything aside from the alarm continuously blaring. The red lights flash, bathing the hallways in an almost bloody-looking color. The lights are dimmer than normal, only every other one on. Are they trying to conserve electricity?
An automated female voice crackles over the speakers instead of the alarm. "All personnel, please head to floor B4 immediately. This is not a drill. Please head to B4 immediately."
Lexa and I exchange a disconcerted look and move faster towards the control room. Our friends are there, and I haven't heard from them for a while. Maybe it's because we were fighting, maybe it's because they're focused on something else... I just hope they're okay. We practically jog the rest of the way.
We only stop when we reach the control room, no longer bothering to wind our way around. Lexa flexes her grip on her swords as I knock on the door. It creaks open, just a crack. We step back warily and flinch when it opens rapidly next, revealing Lincoln with his swords drawn.
His serious face brightens when he sees us. "Heda! Clarke! You are here! I am glad to see you, come in."
He ushers us inside. Octavia's spinning on a chair, looking completely and utterly bored. She too lights up when she sees us. "Man are we happy to see you! I think they shut off most of the power to this floor. We couldn't get a visual of you guys."
"I'm working on it." Raven mutters from where she's typing furiously on a computer.
Green letters and symbols go across the screen at a rapid pace and I find myself even more impressed by her. I didn't know she was good with computers too.
"Aaaand..." Raven says, drawing the word out. She taps one last key with a dramatic flourish. "Bam!"
The numerous screens at the front of the room light up, most of them with security footage.
"Dang." Octavia breathes out, her voice full of awe. "I was started to doubt your skill, Rae."
"Never doubt me O, you should know that by now." Raven says, grinning over at her friend. "And hey guys, I'm glad to see you guys are okay. You're badasses. We saw some of the fight when the electricity was still on."
"Thanks." I say. I pause, squinting at the screen in front of Raven. "Rae, why are those letters flashing?"
"It would have to be an emergency message," Raven answers.
She spins around in her chair and looks at the screen. Barely a second later, she lets loose a flurry of curse words, some in English and others in Trigedasleng that Anya and Luna must have taught her.
"Skrish (sh*t). Jok (f*ck)." Raven growls out, tapping furiously at the keyboard once again.
"Rae?" Octavia asks worriedly.
"They're aiming a fricking missile." Raven snaps out.
It feels like time freezes for a moment while all of us process what she just said. We all let out a stream of explicitives that would make us blush if the situation weren't so dire.
"Can you stop it?" I ask hopefully, but I know we don't have good of luck.
"Not in time. It's already armed, they're starting the countdown for ten minutes. Their firewalls are really good, I wouldn't be able to break through before then." Raven's voice is raspy, like she's about to cry.
I put my hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. All we can do is try to stop it. Just know that no matter what, it isn't your fault."
Raven lets out a choked sob and wipes away the tears that have escaped her eyes. She starts typing again, faster than before. Desperately.
"What are they aiming at?" Octavia asks the questions we all want and dread the answer to.
"The hundred's camp." Ravens voice shakes, and so do her hands, but she keeps going. Keeps typing, keeps talking. "But everyone's there, O. The adults have gathered there too, there are Grounders there. If this hits, hundreds of people are going to die."
The silence after that is almost as devastating as the words themselves. I can feel the hole in my chest left by my father's death for the first time in a while. First, it was ignored in favor of surviving in the wilderness, then in favor of learning about this strange place and it's incredible people. Then, Lexa came and the hole of his absence was filled by her presence, by her kind words and by her love. Now, it's gaping open and I almost feel like it's visible, like there blood of it from tearing open again is dripping down my hollow chest.
Lexa's hand slips into mine and we hold on tightly. The contact grounds me, makes the agonized scream rising in my throat go down. I blink back tears, watching blankly as green letters and symbols fly across the screen.
"Good evening," a familiar voice says.
My head snaps up and for a second I'm convinced it's a manifestation of my grief, but the others are all looking at the television screens too, with confusion and contempt. Cage's smirking face fills me with rage and I almost want to run to the front of the room and put my fist through one of them.
"How are you savages doing today?" He asks almost conversationally. "Not well, I assume. Not if you've noticed that we're about to blow up everyone you've ever loved."
I crouch down beside Raven and whisper in her ear. She eyes me warily but she knows this is something I've told her that we may have to resort to. She nods hesitantly and starts typing again.
"We won't let you do that." I say confidently as I stand up again.
"Oh?" His smirk widens. "And how will you stop a missile without hearing what I'm offering?"
Drama!!! What's Cage offering? What did Clarke whisper to Raven? Will we ever learn what plan Daedalus is?? (You will, it's coming up) ;) Things are getting crazy! Er, crazier. Thank you all for reading and for you amazing comments! Stay awesome!