You and Bellamy are still standing and staring at the cages, silent and confused, Maya's sobs soft behind you.
You turn and look at him, "We should take care of Vincent."
He nods and you both walk back over to Maya. You drop down across from her, reaching for her hand. "Go get your suit and as much oxygen as you can, we'll take care of your father."
She opens her mouth to say something, and sensing a protest, you squeeze her hand. "You shouldn't have to see him like this."
She lets out another sob before nodding, and Jasper helps her to her feet. You pass Monty your gun. "You two go with her. Meet back here."
They nod and turn from the room, leaving you and Bellamy to look down at Vincent's body. You shake your head, pushing away the emotions that threaten to rise, before whispering, "We need a sheet."
Bellamy nods and jogs out of the room, towards the Quarantine rooms on the same floor. You kneel beside Vincent and push his eyelids closed as you whisper, "In peace, may you leave this shore. In love, may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels, until our final journey to the ground. May we meet again."
You wipe away the tears that slipped down your cheek as Bellamy steps back into the room, sheet in hand. He lays it beside Vincent's body and you both carefully lift him onto it, before wrapping him up the best you can. Then you carry his body down to one of the Quarantine rooms and place him in one of the beds before you both head back to the harvest room and wait for the others.
You only have to wait a few minutes before they arrive, Maya now suited up. Monty walks over to you and Bellamy and whispers, "All of the canisters were half full and we could only find a couple."
"Shit."
You look at Bellamy, opening your mouth to say something when you hear the sound of banging nearby. Your brows pull together as you ask, "What was that?"
"What?"
When you hear it again you take off running, the others following you in confusion as you run past the harvest cages and into the intake room. Once there, you stop and listen again, turning to the others when you can hear voices from the other side of the door. Bellamy pulls out his gun and motions for you to do the same, and you lift them as he uses a keycard to activate the door.
It beeps and unlocks and he pushes the door open, revealing Octavia and Clarke, looking back at you in shock. Bellamy and Octavia collide in a hug, and you run past them to grab your twin and hug her. She hugs you back, grip tight as she whispers, "I'm sorry."
You pull away and give her a smile. "There's nothing to forgive. Stronger together, right?"
She nods and you turn away to hug Octavia. After you pull away, you reach up to touch one of the braids in her hair. "I like this new look."
She smiles, "I'm not so sure about yours."
You glance down at your clothes, covered in dirt and some of Vincent's blood, along with a layer of sweat. "This is better than it was."
She starts to answer you, but she sees the others step into the doorway, and she runs over to greet them. You turn back to Clarke, and as you do, your eyes land on the mine cart in the corner, a pair of feet sticking out the top. You look inside and your stomach drops when you see Fox, bruised, bloodied, and dead.
You call Bellamy over, and he walks over, tensing up as soon as he sees her. You exchange a look and walk over to Clarke, huddling together as he asks, "Where's your army?"
"Gone, just like yours. Say you have a plan."
Bellamy shakes his head, "Not really. We need to talk to Dante, he's in quarantine."
Just then, the tank on Maya's tank beeps, and Jasper lifts the gauge to check the levels. "Thirty minutes, and we just changed it...It's her last tank."
Maya whispers, "All the supplemental oxygen is on level five."
Jasper looks at her, "Then we have to get you to level five."
"Five isn't safe for any of us."
He turns to you and Bellamy. "We can do this. We'll split up. You guys go for Dante. We'll help Maya."
Everyone nods and splits into the two groups: Maya, Jasper, and Octavia for level 5, and you, Bellamy, Clarke, and Monty for quarantine. With one last exchange of smiles and nods, you break apart and walk through the doors, back into the intake area. You run past the cages and the harvest room, and once out in the hall, you go your separate ways.
You take the lead and guide them down the hall until you reach his room, the door now wide open. You all walk into the room, stopping just inside as Dante turns to face you. You nod at him, "We need your help again."
Dante's eyes jump over to the camera on the wall, but Bellamy ignores his fears. "Please. We don't have much time. We need a way to get our people out of this mountain without killing everyone."
Dante says nothing, just stares between all of you, focusing his gaze on Clarke as she steps forward. "He's not gonna help us."
"You cut the power, risking the lives of everyone in this mountain, my people. Even the ones who helped you."
Clarke's voice rises as she steps even closer. "We knew they'd be safe on level five. We made sure not to destroy the turbines so you could repair them. We're the good guys here, not you."
"Tell me, if we released your people and theirs, what would've happened to mine?"
Clarke doesn't answer him, she just turns away and looks at Monty. "Can you get us into the command center? We need to see what's happening on level five."
"No problem."
She steps out of the room, and Bellamy steps forward and grabs Dante, leading him out behind Clarke, as you and Monty follow. You make it to the command center on level seven with your weapons drawn, despite Dante's insistence that it's not necessary. Once you reach the command center, you all stop and step back, allowing Monty to do what he needs. You eye Dante suspiciously. "Why aren't you with your people on level five?"
"After what I've done, they can be free. I can't. Deliverance comes at a cost. I bear it so they don't have to."
You and Clarke share a look, and you can see her mind working over the phrase. Bellamy takes in a sharp breath as he comes to a realization. "It wasn't Cage. It was your idea to make the deal with the Grounders."
He nods, and you and Clarke tense at the same time, inching towards him. Before either of you can do something stupid, the doors to the command center slide open. "We're in. Got it."
You all file inside and close the doors behind you, while Monty makes a beeline for one of the computers in the middle of the room. He gets to work, silently typing for a minute, before the cameras and computer screens all around the room start to buzz to life. "The command center is live."
You watch as one of the cameras in the dorms pans around the room, revealing your people chained to the wall around a table in the middle of the room. When your eyes fall to the person on the table, a drill being pushed into their leg, you gasp, and Bellamy's voice comes out in a horrified whisper. "Is that Raven?"
As the camera pans around again, it lands on another familiar face. Clarke sees it too, because she whispers, "Mom."
Belllamy picks up one of the radios nearby and tries to push it into Dante's hands. "Tell them to stop. Now!"
"I won't do that."
Your jaw clenches and you feel that familiar flare of anger move through your blood, spreading through your body like wildfire. Clarke's eyes scan over the other feeds on the floor, and she whispers, "Emerson."
She grabs the radio from Bellamy and lifts it to her lips. "Carl Emerson, Mount Weather Security Detail, come in."
"Who is this?"
You see a flash of fire in her eyes. "You know who it is. Give the radio to the president."
You all watch the video feed as Emerson grabs Cage and leads him to the edge of the room, passing him the radio. Monty makes sure to keep the cameras focused on them, no matter where they move.
"This is President Wallace."
"We have your father. If you don't let our people go, we'll kill him."
"How do I know you have him?"
Clarke rolls her eyes and holds the radio out to Dante. He says, "Stay the course, Cage."
You can see a look of fear pass over his face before it settles into disbelief. "You won't do it."
"You don't know me very well. This ends now, release my people."
"I can't do that."
Clarke whispers your name and you know what she wants before she even asks. You lift your gun towards Dante, aiming for his chest. Bellamy steps closer to you, looking between you and your twin in shock. "We need him."
You glance over at him, "What for? He's the one that left us in this damn mountain without a choice."
Clarke whispers into the radio, "Don't make me do this."
Cage is silent, and you can tell he's thinking of his options. He looks back into the mess hall, which is buzzing with people, before answering, "Dad...I'll take care of our people."
You see a look of horror pass over Dante's face, as he realizes that his son's words have sealed his fate. Clarke turns to you and mutters, "Do it."
You start to hesitate, but you think about Fox and how you promised to keep her safe, only for her to end up dead, left with no marrow. You think of Vincent, who was killed trying to save you and your friends, and you think of one of the first things he ever said to you. You turn and repeat them to Bellamy now, hoping he understands. "They'll never stop."
And then you pull the trigger.
The bullet hits Dante in the chest, and blood instantly starts to bloom and spread, staining his white shirt red. You can hear the blood gurgling in his lungs as he breathes, before he takes one last breath and falls to the ground.
You turn and look at the monitor, at Cage's fallen face, and you know he's heard the whole thing. Clarke made sure of that. She presses the button to deliver one final warning, "Listen to me very carefully. I will not stop until my people are free. If you don't let them go... I will irradiate level five."
Cage says nothing and lets the radio drop, before he turns to say something to Emerson, who's standing nearby. You watch as Emerson turns and runs away, now heading towards you. "Emerson is coming for us."
Bellamy steps over to Monty, "They deactivated my key card. Can you do that to his?"
"That one's easy."
You all turn back to the screen and watch as Cage heads down the hall. "Where's he going?"
"The dorm." Clarke turns away from Bellamy, and over to Monty. "Monty, can you do it? Can you irradiate the level?"
"I can do it."
Bellamy starts to protest, "Wait a second, Clarke. We need to think about this. There are kids in there..."
"I know."
"And people who helped us."
"Please give me a better idea."
You all look between each other, the tension from the conflict radiating between the three of you. Clarke is about to say something else when her eyes lift the screen, and she lets out a horrified whisper. "No."
You turn and watch as they take Raven off the table and drag your mom over to it, strapping her down. You feel emotion rise in your chest as you watch them plunge the drill into her thigh, and her mouth opens in a scream that you can't hear, but you swear you can feel. You turn away from the screen and you feel Bellamy slide his hand into yours and whisper, "If we do this, there is no going back."
You look over at him. "I know. But those are our people, Bellamy, our friends. Everything we've done, everyone we've lost, it's been for them, to save them."
He turns back to the screen, looking at your people, before his eyes bounce to one of the cameras trained on the hall in level 5. Octavia and Maya are running down it, and Octavia takes out two guards before they turn and run into the mess hall, trying to escape. Bellamy lets out the same horrified whisper that Clarke did moments ago, as the guards descend down on the pair.
Pounding on the door behind you alerts you to Emerson's presence, and you watch on the cameras as he tries to break in. Your eyes go back to the cameras in the dorm, and you all watch in shock as Jasper is led inside and chained up with the others. "Jasper. They caught him."
Monty continues to type quickly, as all of you watch the different video feeds displayed in front of you. Your people chained up and being killed, Octavia and Maya surrounded by guards, Emerson trying to break in, when suddenly Monty stops. Clarke turns to him, tense. "Why are you stopping?"
"Because I did it. All we have to do is pull this." He points to the lever beside him. "Hatches and vents will open, and the scrubbers reverse, pulling in outside air."
The hall camera shows Emerson pulling explosives out of his bag, and you turn to glance at the door. "He's gonna blow the door."
"Clarke, we're out of time."
Bellamy's eyes float back to his sister, now caught and being restrained, and he whispers, "My sister. My responsibility."
Clarke whispers, "I have to save them."
And you look between them, already knowing what you're gonna do, dropping your hand onto the lever first. Clarke's hand falls on top of yours, and Bellamy's on top of hers. You meet each of their eyes and whisper, "Together."
They nod and you slowly push the lever from one side to the other, before turning to watch the monitors stretched around you. Those that aren't immune react almost immediately, freezing in place as red spots and blisters start to pop up on their skin, their mouths opening in silent screams. It doesn't take long for the video feeds to go still, most of the people in them now dead, and Clarke mutters, "Let's go get our people."
You leave the room quickly, making your way up to level 5, heading for the mess hall first. You all pause at the door, surveying the death and destruction you caused, eyes scanning over the bodies of the innocent mixed in with the bodies of the guilty. Clarke leads the way into the mess hall, stepping around bodies as you try to make your way over to the dorm and your people. Clarke freezes in the middle of the room, and when you look around her, you see why. Jasper is on the floor, clutching Maya's lifeless body in his arms, crying. He looks up at all of you, angry and disgusted. "What did you do?"
You feel your heart break as you look down at Maya, your guide, the one who got you through the mountain, kept you alive. She risked it all for people she barely knew, because it was the right thing to do. You feel regret for not being able to save her. Clarke's voice shakes when she answers, "We had no choice."
"I was gonna kill Cage. If you'd just given me one more minute, it would've been over."
Bellamy looks at him, repeating your words from earlier, "Jasper, they never would've stopped."
His head drops down again, tears falling down his face, and Clarke glances back at you and Bellamy. "We have to go to the dorm."
You follow her out of the mess hall and into the dorm, both of your eyes landing on your mom, who is sitting up on the table, Kane right beside her. Her face lights up when she sees you both and Clarke runs to her first, pulling her into a hug. Your mom meets your gaze over Clarke's shoulder and waves you over, and you jog over to them, allowing them to pull you into a hug; the sun, the moon, and the stars finally back together again.
-
The walk back to Camp Jaha is long, slowed down by the amount of injured people in your group. Lincoln catches up with your group early on in the walk, letting you know that Cage is dead and taken care of.
Sometime after night bleeds into day, Bellamy jogs off in search of food for the two of you, and Lincoln and Octavia step up beside you. Octavia presses something into your hand with a smile. "Almost forgot."
You open your palm to reveal your necklace, the pretty little moon glinting at you in the sunlight, a small cluster of stars hanging beside it. "Thank you for keeping it safe."
On the other side of you, Lincoln reaches into his pocket and says, "There's something else."
You turn towards him and he pulls out the Grounder knife you carried before sneaking into the mountain. "I found it in the wreckage, and I remembered seeing you with it a few times."
He passes it to you and you look down at the knife, studying it. The girl who picked this up the first time to save her life is very different from the girl holding it now, the knife now lacking a few hundred tally marks, but you try to shake that from your mind. "Thank you, Lincoln."
"It's Grounder made."
You nod, and look over at him. "Do you know whose it is?"
"It's not one that I recognize."
You hum, and give them each another smile. "Thank you both."
They both nod before jogging off to check on the others in the group, always worried about everyone else. You slide the star charm off the necklace and stick it in your pocket before attaching the chain around your neck, the moon now resting below your collarbone where it's meant to be.
-
When you step through the treeline and into the clearing, you watch as the sun catches on the sign in the distance.
Camp Jaha.
You want to cry in relief, but you follow Bellamy to the gate, and stand watch as you watch your people file into camp, home and safe.
Bellamy stands beside you, and when the last of the group walks inside, he nudges your arm. You look over to him and he meets your gaze, before tipping his head to your twin, who is standing outside the gates and hugging Monty. Monty walks away when you both approach, and you all stand and watch the camp, now buzzing with energy. Bellamy smiles down at you and your twin. "I think we deserve a drink."
You nod in agreement, but Clarke shakes her head. "Have one for me."
You look over at her, catching the strange tone of her voice, and you can see the broken look on her face as she stares at the camp. You reach down and grab her hand, whispering, "We'll get through this."
She turns to fully face you. "I'm not going in."
"What?"
"Clarke." You think of the burden on her shoulders, the horrors of what she's done weighing down on her, and it reminds you of the night at the bunker with Bellamy. "If you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you. You're forgiven."
"Take care of them for me." She looks from you, over to Bellamy. "Take care of each other."
Bellamy's voice is quiet when he answers, "Clarke-"
She cuts him off, not wanting to hear his argument. "Seeing their faces every day is just gonna remind me of what I did to get them here."
You squeeze her hand. "What we did. You don't have to do this alone. We're stronger together."
She looks back at the camp, and then her eyes lock with yours. "I bear it so they don't have to."
You stare at her, long and hard, before she slips her hand from yours. She fumbles with her wrist before sliding off her watch, your father's watch, and pressing it into your hands. And something about the act feels like something you can't dispute, because you know her mind's made up and you'll never be able to change it.
She steps over to Bellamy and hugs him, and you take the moment to slide the charm out of your pocket. When she turns to you, she pulls you into a tight hug, burying her face in the crook of your neck. You feel tears fall down your face as you cling to her, silently begging her to change her mind.
She doesn't.
She pulls away and whispers, "May we meet again."
You hand her the star charm and when her eyes land on it, you see a flash of sorrow pass over her features. But she doesn't reject the gift, instead she quickly slides it onto her bracelet and nods her thanks. And with one last look at you and Bellamy, she turns away, heading straight back into the woods and leaving you both to watch her leave.
-