Nia stood in the room with Octavia and Cooper when the door opens and Echo and Bellamy enter. Echo looked to Nia and wondered if this idea Octavia offered had to be part of her plan, otherwise Octavia never would've given it another thought. But she looked away quickly, the amount of times they glances at each other should surely be noted soon.
"So, what do you have for me?" Octavia asked about the names that Echo was to provide.
"Nothing you're going to like." Bellamy was the one to answer.
"I'm not turning people in so you can execute them." Echo spoke against the offer toward her.
"A spy and a murderer with a conscience. Looks like you're both right, she had changed." Octavia spoke aloud making Bellamy wonder for a moment who she was taking about.
He had spoken for Echo but there was only one other person who would do it too. What was Nia trying to do?
"Do you have the names or not?" Cooper asked.
"There's something else. Monty was wrong. He can't hack the eye from here, not without inside help." Bellamy informed the other part of their news.
"So you both failed?" Cooper stated making Nia look in her direction.
She didn't like how Cooper kept trying to insinuate against them. It was like she wanted to give Octavia more of a reason to be against them.
"Not exactly." Bellamy held up a small device making them question.
"What's that?" Nia asked trying to figure out what they were planning.
"Inside help. There's a program on it which opens the backdoor to their systems, giving us control of the camera on their mothership. Monty says it's easy to use. If we can get inside their firewall." Bellamy explained the plan.
"You want me to let you defect?" Octavia asked appalled at the suggestion.
"Either that or your people starve to death here in Polis. When your farm stops producing." Bellamy argued.
"Out of the question. I'm not sending you on a suicide mission. You have a son, who needs you here." Nia winced at the mention. She felt like Octavia was using Atlas as a bargaining chip.
Bellamy sighed at the mention of Atlas. He was only trying to find a way for them to get back for him to live. "Octavia-"
"Diyoza knows who you are. She knows you're my brother. She'll never believe you're a defector." Octavia stated with reason.
"She'll believe me. I already have the perfect cover. I'm banished. The defectors think I'm one of them. All you have to do is let me go alone." Echo spoke up allowing an alternative solution.
"I don't like it. Letting traitors go will promote dissent." Cooper opposed the idea.
"No, it's smart." Nia added in looking at Echo. "It's the perfect cover."
"You're right. It's a political sacrifice, but a necessary one if you want your people to survive." Echo supported her going.
"Call off the patrols." Octavia ordered making Cooper want to protest. "That's an order. But once you're on that ship, you're on your own. If you're discovered or you fail to take down the eye, no one is coming to save you."
Echo had been preparing for her departure. Monty had attached the bracelet to her wrist the jewel carrying the jump drive. She wondered if maybe Nia would make an appearance to say her farewells.
She looked over to Bellamy who had been quiet since they had gotten back. She knew he was against the plan with her doing it but it's what they needed to do. Her mind worried about the promise she had made to Nia to be there for him but it had to be done.
"I got this." She reassured not knowing if it was for his sake or hers.
"Yeah, I know. So once the Eye's down, it'll take at least six days for Octavia and her army to get there, but, you know, we'll be in the Rover and we can get there-" Bellamy rambled off not believing how everything had gone. With Nia with Octavia and Raven with Diyoza, he had leant on Echo for support but now she was leaving too.
"We met each other in a cage. Whatever happens, I know we'll meet each other again." Echo comforted before speaking not knowing what effects it might have. "I know you might not want to, or feel like you can't, but trust Nia. After all that has happened you've both done what is in the best interest for the other. It has always been your mindset."
Her words made him wonder what she meant. The thought of what they had both done in the past crossed his mind. The panther, helping Lincoln, turning in Finn, going into Mount Weather, going against Lexa, getting a cease fire, even the massacre of the grounder army. Every one of those actions had some effect toward the other person.
It was long after that the sound of the ship was heard. She gave him a last smile before heading toward the meet point.
She didn't get far before someone grabbed her arm. Nia stood there under a hooded cloak blending in with the shadows.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't give up more lives to save my own." Echo apologized knowing that she had ruined the offer that Nia might've taken a lot for Octavia to agree to.
"You were never meant to. There's always another way." Nia said making her curious at the meaning. Nia knew that another agenda was kept from the others that only Octavia and Cooper knew about. The offer had not come at a better time. It took all their attention allowing her to wonder the bunker in search of answers. "There is something else in play here, I don't know what but I need you to be careful."
"The good warrior." Echo remarked at the progress Nia was making.
"We're stuck with the roles we play, right?" His humored before the two embraced one another. "I'll see you, my friend."
They parted and Echo hurried to go with the rest of the defectors. Shots filled the air and she hurried over and watched as defectors were shot. Her eyes located Echo who had made it safely onto the ship but was holding another defector.
Inside the bunker, Madi had gone to Octavia and informed her that she had real nightblood. Octavia had done nothing to harm her but simply embraced her into Wonkru thinking she held all the cards against her. But little did she know was the other nightbloods in the bunker. Nia rocked Atlas in her arms not knowing what was currently happening in the Rotunda.
Bellamy had found Nia the next morning. The words Echo told him played like a loop in his head.
"Nia. Nia." He called out to her once he found her but she didn't slow down.
"What do you want, Bellamy?" Nia asked but continued walking. Octavia had requested to see her and she was determined to find out.
"What are you up to?" He questioned wanting to know.
"What are you talking about?" She simply said but kept walking.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to look at him. She tried to get out of the hold but maneuvered her so her back was to the wall and she was pinned.
"I knew you, Nia, and you won't just throw six years of friendship away like it was nothing. You wouldn't let Echo be banished with nowhere to go. And you wouldn't stand by and watch as people are murdered to prove a point, that's not who you are anymore. So tell me what you're planning." Bellamy insisted for her to confess.
"Bellamy-" She tried to protest.
"No. Don't shut me out." Bellamy spoke up not allowing her to simply shrug this off. "I'm sorry. I know I shut you and Atlas out on the Ring, and I'm sorry for not trusting your intentions in joining Octavia, but I was trying to build a life without all the killing." He expressed hoping she would give in. "Please tell me what you're planning. Let me help you."
Nia didn't say nothing for a moment. Her heart clenched at the words he spoke. It was the same purpose but different tactics.
"I have to go." She merely whispered before pushing passed his hold and leaving. Bellamy simply watching her go not knowing what else he could do.
It was then that she learned about Octavia's plan of action. Her time to do something to stop it was running out. A guard entered the room and requested for them.
"What the hell are they doing here, Indra?" Cooper questioned Clarke and Bellamy's presence.
"You wanted to see me." Octavia said wanting to get to the point.
"You knew about this." Indra stated seeing how Octavia or Nia had looked surprised.
"Of course I knew about this. It was my idea. We're up against an army with superior firepower and every geographic advantage. This is how we overcome that." Octavia informed about the use.
"What happens when your secret weapon destroys the valley you're fighting for?" Clarke asked not knowing the entire facts presented.
"I ran some tests. The worms can't survive in a green environment for more than a few days, long enough to kill everyone they come in contact with before we get there." Cooper explained her findings since they had gotten back from the wasteland.
"Are we really having this conversation? Our friends are there, people we love." Bellamy said pointedly toward Nia.
Nia sighed knowing what he was talking about. She knew something was up when she noticed Cooper disappear behind the door once but could never find a way in. She just didn't think it would cause this big of a threat.
Cooper came back and accused Indra of killing someone making them confused. Cooper only revealed that she had put a worm inside a defector.
The group thought they had found something to work for their favor, only for Cooper to provide further information. The look in Octavia's eyes were suggesting that she was still on board with the plan. Clarke tried to argue but Octavia had laid out a part that they all shared. The horrid things they had done to ensure their people's safety.
The answer for the plan had been decided once Cooper announced the timeline. Octavia had relayed her orders and walked away with Cooper following behind.
Nia's mind spiraling as she tried to think of anything that could stop this. Bellamy's voice bought her attention.
"You wanna tell me which side you're on? Because I'm pretty tired of guessing and worrying for my son's safety." He voiced his anger at the situation before walking out. Clarke not far behind.
"Tell me you didn't know about this." Indra hissed at her.
"I just found out." Nia fired back before pacing the floor.
"What do we do?" Indra asked know that whatever they do needed to be done now.
"You just exposed yourself far more than we could handle. You need to step back. I'll handle it." Nia stated before leaving. She had to enlist the two people that she was hoping wouldn't be involved.
"I need your help." She spoke making Fox and Tate stand straight.
"Whatever you need." Tate answered.
After discussing what was happening, the three separated to gather whatever information they could. Nia entered the Rotunda where the Wonkru novitiates were demonstrating just in time to see Madi take her position against Ethan.
The girl fought but seemed to hold back her blows. She was defeated the first time making the others quietly giggle. The tone of mockery seemed to light something inside her.
Her attacks stronger now and was able to win the round. Nia saw the pointed look Clarke had sent her. But this didn't stop her from attacking against this time holding nothing back.
"Enough!" Gaia shouted once Ethan had been knocked down. Once again Madi received another look but from the priestess was curious.
What shocked Nia next was when Octavia ordered for Madi to be fitted. Why were they all taking an interest in her?
Clarke and Madi had insisted the girl's blood was synthetic but what if there were more to the story. That would mean that she wasn't the only nightblood and it was only a matter of time before the grounders solved that dilemma. And when they did Octavia would lose her hold.
A/N: Okay, so after I am finished writing Trikru, I am going to be focusing on my other books. So if you are interested in Game of Thrones/Robb Stark, Riverdale/Sweet Pea, or even Peaky Blinders/Thomas Shelby, you can go check those out.