chapter 12 - casualties
[part. I]

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Fire... Smoke...Screams of agony.

Those were only a few of the many things that were currently surrounding the entirety of Tondc. The mane's of wild horses burned as the animals themselves ran for their life, fleeing from the scene as their hair left embers in it's trail. The horses were sadly attempting to run away from flames that just could not be escaped, because they had quickly caught onto their luxurious locks.

In the distance, the people of Tondc that had miraculously managed to survive, despite numerous injuries, were still trying desperately to retrieve their lost and wounded ones from fallen rubble.

The people were surely taken off guard by this sudden attack on their home, and they no doubt were wondering how they would ever recover from all of the damages done to the village. However, when all of the smoke had finally cleared, they would soon realize that nothing would even be left of Trikru's village to recover.

So what exactly happened that caused so much destruction and took so many lives? What were the events that had led to such a drastic sight? And where on earth was Clarke and the Commander? They had been present just before everything happened, but now they were no where to be found...

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Two Days ago...

The reverberating of the ground, and the rippling of nearby puddles, were enough to indicate that the riders from Tondc were passing by as they headed back to Camp Jaha. Clarke and her mother were amongst them, as they all rode on horseback to their destination. What they didn't know, was that two snipers from Mount Weather were actually assigned to wait for them to cross this specific path. Their mission was to take out the "leaders" of the newly formed alliance, which really meant Clarke and Lexa.

As the Mountain Men peered down from the hill that they were perched up on, they noticed that the group of riders were actually coming to a resting stop, which gave them an advantage to obtain a perfect head shot on Clarke.

Abby jumped off of her designated horse, and walked over to a fresh puddle, that was the result from the previous night's downpour of rain.

"Mom, why are we stopping?" The blonde called out, as she dismounted from her horse and made her way over.

"Because," Abby sighed, as she scooped up some of the water into her canteen and brought it over to Clarke. "You need to drink too."

"I'm Fine." She replied, stubbornly. "We shouldn't have stopped."

"Clarke—"

"—Mom. I need to get back to that radio to see if Bellamy made contact."

"Listen to me." The chancellor argued back. "I know you don't think that you need my protection anymore. But you do. You have to trust that I still know what's right for us." As a response, Clarke gave a small nod before they both walked back over to the horses.

"Let's move out!"

Once the blonde had got back on her horse, she didn't even realize that she was also back in the line of fire.

"There's your shot." Emerson—one of the Mountain Men—stated, while he looked through his scope. "Crosswind. Five knots." His partner beside him, aimed the sniper accordingly, and was just about to pull the trigger when suddenly an arrow came out of nowhere and pierced him in the neck. He was killed almost instantly, and the hit screwed up his aim, preventing him from firing at Clarke. Instead, one of the riders were wounded and fell from his horse, which immediately alarmed the others.

Emerson was also alarmed by the arrow that killed his friend, and so he quickly stood up and frantically looked in every direction waiting for the shooter to show themselves. He was caught off guard when Indra and another warrior appeared from his right, while Octavia—who had recently started training as Indra's second—appeared on his left.

The Trikru warrior unsheathed his sword, ready to attack, but Indra instantly stopped him. "No! Her kill."

With that, Octavia charged at Emerson with full speed and raised her weapon at the man in the hazmat suit. He quickly blocked her first attack, but was immediately hit in the gut by her counterattack, and then bashed in the head from her elbow, which made him grunt in pain. The man then succeeded in grabbing the brunette's arm, where he twisted it back and raised his other hand which held a knife. Octavia yelped from the pain of her arm, before she used the sword in her other hand to slice open his suit. Emerson immediately dropped his weapon and tried to close the rip on his pant leg, afraid that that the infected air would kill him.

This allowed Octavia to kick him to the ground and aim her sword at his neck, ready to slit it.

"Finish it!" Indra shouted, while the air began to seep into the man's suit and burn him alive.

"Octavia! No!" Clarke yelled, as she finally rode into the scene. "He's from Mount Weather. We need to keep him alive. Check to see if he's got a patch kit. We've got to get him back to camp."

Indra allowed the other warrior to take over for Octavia, while the brunette searched through Emerson's gear just a few feet away. Meanwhile, the man continued to groan and cry out in agony from the radiation.

Octavia looked through his bag, where she happened to stumble over a pile of photos. "Clarke, it seems like you and Lexa were supposed to be the targets." She informed her, as she handed over the pictures.

The blonde observed the first photo on top, as it was a zoomed in image of her and the Commander side by side, with red circles drawn around their heads.

"We have to warn the Commander." Indra stated, before ordering the other riders to return back to Tondc as quick as possible.

________

Back at camp, they were able to save Emerson from dying before placing him in an airlock chamber that was free from radiation, courtesy of Raven. They tried getting the man to talk, but the only words he chose to speak were: "Carl Emerson. Mount Weather Security Detail."

His failure to cooperate, caused tensions to rise amongst Kane and Abby, on how to handle the situation. But in the end, the doctor/chancellor made it clear that the man was to be kept alive until further notice.

Meanwhile, as Raven was listening to the radio and waiting for Bellamy to make contact, she was also observing the tone generator that Clarke had found in Emerson's belongings, and had handed over to her.

"Yeah, I can totally replicate this frequency." She responded to the blonde, who was looking over her shoulder.

"Good. If we can neutralize the Reapers, the tunnels are an option. Get on it."

The mechanic immediately paused what she was doing, and rolled her eyes. "You don't need to give me orders, Clarke. I got this."

"Raven." Octavia called out, upon entering the room and interrupting the two. "Any word from Bellamy?"

"Nothing yet."

"Kota's still missing too." The brunette sighed. "She should be back by now."

"Hey, they'll be okay." Clarke assured her, causing Raven to scoff.

"They better be. Your whole plan rests on Bellamy getting in."

"He will."

With that, Clarke was requested to return back to the airlock where Abby and Kane were waiting for her. She was only gone a few minutes, but in just those minutes alone, they had made an unfortunate discovery. Emerson's blood had genetic marker anomalies that could only come from someone who was born on the Ark.

That meant that the process of draining blood from the delinquents being held in Mount Weather, had already begun. To say that Clarke was pissed, would be an understatement. After hearing the unnerving news, she wanted nothing more than to kill the man that was resting comfortably behind the glass of the chamber, but she couldn't. So instead, she made her way back to where Raven was working.

"We're too late. They're already bleeding them." The blonde instantly informed the mechanic. "It's over."

"No." Raven frowned at her, and stood up from the desk. "You don't get to give up, Clarke! You killed Finn, and I didn't give up. I'm building a damn tone generator, you do your job!"

"What is my job!?"

"I don't know! To come up with something!?"

"I have tried!" The blonde fired back. But before anything else was said, a static sound cut out on the radio, before being replaced with Bellamy's voice.

RADIO: "Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Anyone read me? "

The two girls immediately rushed over to the radio and Clarke picked up the speaker. "Bellamy?"

"Clarke?"

"Are you alright?" She sighed in relief.

"I'm fine. But that's it for the good news. We have to talk fast, something has changed. Jasper, Monty, everyone is locked in the dorm."

"But they're alive? All of them?

"I think so. For now. But Maya says that they're already using their blood, and things are gonna get ugly in here real fast."

"Maya's with you?"

"She helped me escape." He informed her. "If not for her I'd be dead. And Clarke, there are kids in here. We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me you have one."

"I hear you. But we can't do anything until you disable the acid fog. Raven's gonna help you."

"Got it. What else?"

"You have to figure out a way to free the Grounder prisoners. There's a whole army inside that mountain and they don't even realize it."

"Trojan horse." He replied with a small smirk. "Good plan. But Clarke, if I'm gonna pull this off, I need you to buy me some time. It won't be long before they realize that I don't belong here."

"That can't happen. I'll come up with something."

"Come up with it quick."

"Copy that." Clarke then handed the speaker over to Raven, so that she could assist Bellamy.

"What are you gonna do?" The mechanic questioned her, causing the blonde to smirk mischievously.

"I'm gonna keep them looking outside, instead of in."

Not long after that, Clarke had Octavia, Indra, and other Trikru warriors follow her to the airlock chamber where Emerson was.

"Get dressed." She ordered the man, while the warriors backed her up with their threatening glares. "You're coming with me."

Once he was zipped up in his hazmat suit, they lead him outside where a crowd quickly formed around them.

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Kane questioned her, Abby hot on his heels.

"I'm letting the prisoner go."

"But he hasn't told us anything yet."

"He doesn't have to. He's gonna tell them something." She then turned over to her mother who was fuming. "You may be the chancellor mom, but I'm in charge. And you need to trust that I know, what's best for us."

With that, the blonde led Emerson to the gates and turned him to face her. "I have a message for your leader.We're coming for him." She stated, making sure he could hear her. "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."

Emerson stared at her dryly, taking note of everything she said, however, not necessarily taking the words she said seriously.

"And now thanks to you..." The blonde paused, and held up the tone generator she stole from his bag. "...neither can the Reapers." She finished, cockily. "So you have one last chance. Let our people go, and we'll let you live. It's just that simple."

"I got it." Emerson nodded.

Clarke then grabbed his oxygen calculator and read the dial. "It's an eight-hour walk back to Mount Weather?" She asked, before turning the knob and letting some of his oxygen leave the tank. "Well, you're gonna do it in six."

"Six hours?" He scoffed. "That's not enough. How am I supposed to deliver your message?"

"That's your problem." She shrugged.

Emerson gave the girl one last glare before turning around and leaving the camp, deciding that running would be best for him in order to reach his destination on time before his air ran out.

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Present time...

"Clarke! Clarke!" Lexa called out, amidst the screams coming from the direction of the burning village. She was attempting to shake the blonde away from her trance, but Clarke was too focused on all of the chaos happening around them.

"I could have warned them." She mumbled in guilt. "I could have saved them."

"If they see us, they'll strike again." Lexa told her, but the blonde just shook her head and kept looking around at all of the destruction. "Clarke," Lexa tried again. "Victory stands on the back of sacrifice. You know that."

Clarke sucked in a deep breath—as best she could with all of the smoke and ashes floating around—and looked the Commander dead in the eyes.

"I want the Mountain Men dead." She spat with venom. "All of them."

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One day ago...

The next day after Emerson left, Raven was able to assist Bellamy in locating the air vents in Mount Weather, where he was able to eavesdrop on a conversation happening between Emerson and Cage Wallace. Because of the portable radio that Bellamy was able to obtain, Raven and Clarke could also hear them talking as well.

Cage: "Let's get back to this secret army that she claims to have. Did she tell you anything that might help us find it?"

Emerson: "No, sir, nothing about the army. She did say she was coming for you. And that if we let her people go, she'll let our people live."

Cage: "Well, it's a little late for that."

Emerson: "I'm sorry I failed, sir."

Cage: "No, it's okay. We'll finish the job tonight. Whitman just radioed in. Apparently there's a War Council meeting happening tonight in one of their villages, and all of the leaders are gonna be there."

Emerson: "Sir, I feel good. Let me take the team out, and support Whitman."

Cage: "No, he has less chance of being spotted if he's alone."

Emerson: "Sir, Whitman's good, but he can't take out that many targets alone."

Cage: "Which is why we're gonna use a missile.

Cage: "This time we're not gonna miss."

"Please tell me you heard all of that?" Bellamy questioned the two that were listening in on the other end of the radio.

"We did." Clarke sighed.

Raven turned to look at her with worry. "We have to warn them." She spoke, referring to all of the people currently in Tondc. Because Clarke was waiting for updates from Bellamy, she had already sent Kane to attend the meeting in her place. And since Octavia was now Indra's second, she followed the warrior everywhere, which meant that she was there also.

"Did Kane take a radio?" Clarke asked, but Raven quickly shook her head.

"No, this is the only unjammed frequency. We have to keep it open for Bellamy."

"If I leave now, I can make it there in time."

"In time to be blown up, you mean."

Clarke ignored the mechanic's last statement and directed her next words to Bellamy. "When I get back, I wanna know our friends are safe and the acid fog is down. Can you handle that?"

"Yeah, we can handle it." Raven responded for both of them.

"Clarke, wait." Bellamy stopped her. "Octavia was in Tondc when I left. Is she...um—"

"—She's here." The blonde lied. "She's safe."

"Okay, good. You be safe too."

"I will." She responded, before releasing the talk button so that Bellamy couldn't hear them anymore.

Raven looked over at her, skeptically. "Octavia's in Tondc for the meeting. Why'd you lie?"

"Bellamy can't be distracted." Clarke instantly replied. "It helps no one."

To not waste any more time discussing it, Raven hugged her before allowing the blonde to leave and quickly ride over to the village before it was too late.

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"Azgeda, the Ice Nation." Indra notified the brunette beside her, as they walked around Tondc and observed the many leaders that were arriving for the meeting. "Last time they stepped foot here, we were at war with each other. Now the twelve clans fight together. Remember this day. You may never see one like it again."

Octavia nodded in understanding, although the majority of her mind was distracted by something else. Or should I say, someone else.

"You haven't heard a word I've said." Indra stated, causing her to sigh.

"Sorry. It's just that Bellamy left Kota in the tunnels two days ago, and she should be back—"

"—Dakota is no longer your concern." The warrior cut her off.

"Look, I've done everything you've asked me to do, and I'll continue to do so." Octavia spoke, seriously. "But what you're asking me now is impossible."

"I'm not asking." Indra remarked. "Were at war, Octavia. And a warrior does not mourn those she's lost till' after the battle is won. Now go stand watch with the other seconds. Assassins from the mountain will try again, and we need to be ready." The brunette nodded and did just that, right when Clarke arrived and asked to speak with the Commander.

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"A missile!? You're sure?" Lexa asked, worry quickly taking over.

"Yes. We have to start evacuating now." Clarke sighed, causing Lexa to shake her head.

"No."

The blonde immediately looked over at her with a frown. "What do you mean, no, Lexa?"

"If we evacuate, they'll know we have a spy inside their walls." The Commander tried to explain.

"Not necessarily."

"Well, we can't risk it."

"What's the point of having an inside man if we can't act on what he tells us?"

"Is the acid fog disabled?" Lexa questioned. "Is our sleeping army uncaged?" Clarke shook her head once more. "Then Bellamy's job is not done. Without him, we can't win this war."

"So, what are you saying? We just do nothing? Let them bomb us?" She asked in disbelief.

"It'll be a blow." Lexa admitted after a moment. "But our army will be safe inside the woods. And it will inspire them."

"And what about us?"

"We slip away." The Commander decided, glancing at her. "Right now."

"Lexa wait, you don't understand. I provoked Mount Weather. I sent a message to distract them from Bellamy."

"Clarke, sometimes you have to concede a battle to win a war."

"No." She shook her head in denial. "We can inform the leaders of the clans. Pick a rendezvous point in the woods. Each of them can slip out separately."

"And how many more people will they tell? Where do we draw the line?"

"Well then cancel the meeting!" Clarke raised her voice in frustration. "Start a fire,