Fate Awaiting
The door creaked open and Clarke couldn't suppress a sigh of annoyance.
'Give us a minute.' Clarke demanded.
'Clarke, your blood pressure cannot be sustained-'
'I just need a minute!' Clarke shouted at her mother.
Abbey looked between Clarke an Raven with a mixture of consternation and concern.
'In private.' Clarke emphasised.
Abbey's mouth dropped open but a second later Clarke heard the door slam behind her and she turned to Raven.
'Lexa can't have an-an'
'AI.' Raven finished when Clarke struggled to recall the term.
'She can't.' Clarke insisted stubbornly.
She was sure Lexa would have said something. Lexa didn't seem at all different to anybody else but from what Raven had said, those who had taken this other chip were all already lost from this life...and themselves. Lexa wasn't like that.
'She does.'
'But how do you-'
'Once a person takes the chip they are in ALIE's network. Everyone is connected.' Raven explained. 'When Jaha made his journey back he convinced grounders to take the chip.'
'And they told her enough?' Clarke asked, horrified.
'They didn't need to tell her anything.' Raven told her. 'She had access to all of their thoughts, all of their memories...as soon as the first grounder took the chip ALIE would have known all about the fact that only people with black blood would have been able to become commander. How do you think I know it?'
It was true: Clarke had never discussed the black blood with Raven. She'd never had a chance to and she hadn't talked about it with anyone else on either of her visits to Arkadia.
'And where else would black blood have come from except this first Commander?' Clarke muttered to herself.
The knowledge of the black blood alone would have been a trail to the first commander's plans and therefore the ambitions of ALIE. She knew her creator wouldn't stop, not after ruining the world. She would want to try to fix it. Clarke was sure she'd have done just about anything to try to make it right.
'Becca.' Raven clarified.
'But you found a way to break the connection.' Clarke said slowly. 'With the EMP.'
'We don't have enough wrist bands.' Raven said, knowing where Clarke was heading. 'They will all be on their way to Polis to take the Nightbloods.'
'So they can kill Lexa and still take the Flame if she doesn't go with their plan?'
'Yes.' Raven nodded. 'ALIE's scheme failed. As soon as Lexa stormed the gates, there was chaos and no one could get close to her without being killed. When Lexa killed Jaha, they all began to make their escape.'
'But they aren't really dead?'
Raven had said the City of Light had tried to subvert death; if that was true then perhaps they could use it to their advantage. They fought every day to survive but what if they could make it so death didn't have to be something they were afraid of?
'They are gone.' Raven replied. 'At least from here.'
Clarke's brow furrowed as she was lost in thought. They had to find a way to destroy ALIE but potentially keep the City of Light. Clarke was sure there was more to it though than ALIE had even let Raven see.
'How did Jasper know to cut it out?' Clarke asked after a minute.
'I warned him before that there might be some remnants under the skin. I thought it might need complete removal for me to come back to this life- disconnected.'
The door banged off the wall as Abbey charged in, looking murderous and both Raven and Clarke jumped with a start.
'Clarke-'
'Fine.' Clarke snapped.
Raven looked devastated and Clarke offered her a small smile for telling her all of this. She needed Raven to know that none of this was her fault. Clarke couldn't quite believe how far Raven had been pushed. She'd be strong throughout everything. If Raven had taken the chip, it was easy to believe that hundreds, perhaps even thousands of others would and there was little they could do to stop it.
Abbey pulled the trolley full of surgical equipment round and Clarke felt her heart rate pick up. She was running out of time.
'Raven,' Clarke started firmly, 'trust Lexa.'
'Clarke?'
Clarke swallowed as her mother picked up the reaper stick.
'If I don't make it- trust Lexa.' Clarke insisted. 'She will know what to do. She'll look after Skaikru.'
'Clarke,'
Clarke turned to face her mother, whose face was drawn.
'It's time.'
Clarke shut her eyes briefly. When she opened them again she made sure to give her mother a look of acceptance before she slowly nodded. Abbey's hand reached forward and Clarke felt a scratch as the reaper stick was pressed to her neck and the ground turned to black.
Lexa stepped into the engineering room with Murphy. He shut the door behind them and she had to admit, he looked worse for wear.
'Clarke and I haven't had the best twenty four hours.' Murphy drawled, noticing Lexa's gaze.
Lexa inclined her head slightly in agreement. She knew why he had brought Clarke up; it was a reminder that he was hers. Murphy still felt the need to protect himself and Lexa understood why.
'I need you to explain why Titus took you.'
Murphy gave her a slow smirk. He titled his head slightly as though calculating just which way to proceed and what he believe.
'I was taken for carrying a chip that had your mark.'
'So Titus kept you and tortured you for information?'
Murphy nodded.
Lexa took in his battered and weary features. Their ways were harsh and Titus acted in her best interests...or so he had thought but he would have known she would not have wanted this, which she assumed was precisely why he had not informed her of the development.
'You don't trust him, do you?'
'He did just shoot Clarke.' Lexa reminded him.
'You have to kill him.'
Lexa stiffened. She did not wish to be given orders from Skaikru. She wanted to be rid of any threat to Clarke but if she broke jus no drein jus daun then all of their futures would be threatened.
'He's too dangerous to you.' Murphy said quickly. 'Someone wants you and he'll go with it. He believes in all that crap about faith and destiny. They'll manipulate him.'
'Who?' Lexa asked quickly.
Murphy looked away and wiped his face on his sleeve before he looked up at her again.
'You've got a bigger war on your hands than you know.'