Chapter 5
“A whole section of the wall was destroyed in the last 24 hour, the majority of it by your Jaegers. Natblinda I believe?” Jaha’s voice was like a knife through Lexa's thoughts, one that cut deep and hard. It took everything she had to yet again, not snap at the badly lit Holo-screen version of the council member,
“That is correct Chancellor Jaha. The class four Kaiju, codename Magma, set Natblinda alight with projectile flames and pushed did back into the wall,” Bellamy replied before Lexa could even open her mouth,
“Again, your Jaegers are causing more damage then the monsters,” Jaha continued. Lexa's hands balled into fists, her nails digging hard into her palms,
“The Rangers barely made it out with their lives and they still managed to exterminate Magma before it reached the city. Aden had a broken collarbone and several cracked ribs from this,” Lexa snapped, her fists slamming against the table before her. The nine faces of the council all turned to her. Eyes dark and face shadowed,
“And he will be commended, the Jaeger programme is done Marshall. That section of the wall would still be standing of Natblinda hadn't destroyed it,” Jaha continued, “This is the last time your Jaegers will march Marshall. Decommission your Mechs and Rangers,” with his last words and a murmur of agreement through the council, the Holo-screens flickered and went blank, leaving Lexa and Bellamy stood side by side in silence,
“This is bullshit, and you know it Blake,” Lexa growled low, staring darkly at the screen before them,
“I assume you have some sort of plan to combat their orders Marshall?” Bellamy asked, his tone as always light and airy. For a moment Lexa repeated his words on her head, slowly turning to face the floppy haired man who's been sent to decommission her just like the Jaegers,
“What exactly are you proposing Mr Blake?” Lexa tried to keep her tone level as their eyes met. Bellamy had a certain. Sort of glint behind his dark eyes that Lexa had only ever seen in her cousin's eyes before. A plan, a risky plan that everything could reply on.
Clarke never got to see the footage of the three Jaegers verse the two category four's but Raven had given her a pretty good low down as they sat on one of the metal walkways of the ‘dome. They were a few hundred feet up, legs dangling over the edge as Raven gazed longingly at Heda. The old Mark 3 sat silent, staring back at them with a steady black gaze from its huge head,
“So Natblinda is out of action?” Clarke asked, her gaze dropping to the small Jaeger who sat besides Heda. He was clawed, signed and missing it's whole left arm. Clarke had heard what had happened to Natblinda, how the Kaiju has projectile vomited flame onto the Mech's chest, lighting him up instantly. Inside the Conn-pod the Rangers had to think quick, Clarke had heard that it had been Tris who disconnected first, trying to put out the flames inside the Conn-pod, while Aden held both sides of the Jaeger. That's when Magma, the category four had pushed Natblinda back into the wall and tore it's arm clean off. Leaving Tris with a severe concussion and Aden with a broken collar bone and possible nerve damage. Probably a shot load of Drive Suit scars too, Clarke thought as she stared at the damaged Jaeger.it mad ever think of the Marshall and her prominent scars and her father, whoa body had been littered from head to foot woth them when they'd laid him to rest. Raven huffed low, resting her chin on the rail before her,
“Yup. And there's a rumor that the rest will be soon. They'll just be relics in a museum soon,” Raven muttered sadly. Clarke sighed and returned her gaze to Heda.
What would be the point in the whole Psych Analysis if she'd never get to be a Ranger now? The Cadet thought glumly, knowing full well that her face had twisted into a scowl. It would all be a waste.
She'd heard the rumors spilling from the LOCCET hours earlier. That Chancellor Jaha and his council were closing down the Jaeger programme in favour of the wall. That it was all the Jaegers fault that the damn wall kept crumbling. It was like the council, hidden deep in the heart of the country, had never seen a Kaiju smash through the steel and cement like it was nothing but paper. Like they hadn't even stepped up to fight the foe that threatened humanity's survival.
“Why don't you ask your girlfriend is if true or not?” Clarke grumbled, instantly regretting her words. She was angry at the situation, not at her sister, but still she aimed it at Raven. Raven who she'd barely seen for months on end, who'd spent all her recent time with the chief Mechanic, Anya.
“The hell is that supposed to mean Griffin?” Raven snot back instantly, her dark eyes finding Clarke's blues. For a moment neither of them spoke, just glared at one another,
“You know what it means Raven. I barely see you, we're supposed to be in this together and you're just off, off doing your thing and I'm stuck,” Clarke muttered, dropping her gaze from Raven's. The Latino mechanic sighed low, reaching over to pull the blonde into a tight hug,
“You're not stuck. You fought the Marshall and nearly won, you finally got your Psych Analysis, you're getting where you want to be!” Raven hugged Clarke right, mussing her blonde tendrils before letting her go and thrusting one of the two bento lunch boxes into her hands, “Now shut it and eat your sashimi,” the mechanic nudged Clarke's shoulder as they set about their lunch, swiped earlier from the food court. Clarke had learnt early on that if you got to the food first, you where more then likely to get the good stuff, if you got there late you were limited to bread and spring rolls. They were pretty lucky to get the bento boxes, usually only the officers got such fancy foods. But a bit of sweet talking from Raven to the head chef, Harper, and they were away,
“What are we gonna do?” Clarke asked, between mouthfuls,
“About?”
“If they shut down the ‘dome. We'll all be out of work and I'm not going to the wall. I'll protest naked before that happens!”
“Wouldn't that be a sight to see,” Raven laughed loudly, almost losing her balance on the walkway.
“Better than you naked,” Clarke muttered, shoving another slither of sashimi into her mouth as Raven elbowed her hard,
“Some people are dying to see me naked!” the dark haired girl protested, her chopsticks darting into Clarke's lunch box to steal some salmon,
“Oh you're totally crushing on your Chief!” Clarke laughed hard, doubling over as she wheezed,
“Shut it Griffin!”
“This is crazy Lex, like serious bat shit insane crazy,” Anya muttered as she stared down at the Blue print before her. Lexa grinned across the table, arms crossed over her chest, eyes alight with excitement.
“But it could work, right?” Lexa asked, probing the mechanic for answers. Anya sighed and rubbed at her temples slightly. She kicked back in her seat, eyes meeting her cousins. This whole plan had been a long time coming, Anya knew it. Ever since she'd first heard that the council wanted to put more stock into the wall, Anya had been waiting with baited breath for Lexa to come up with some sort of last stand plan. And here it was.
“Theoretically, yes, I guess it could,” Anya sighed, pulling the blueprints back towards her.
“Then start building, right away,” Lexa's tone was jubilant and excited, like a kid at Christmas,
“You're gonna a need more muscle than just the one Jaeger Marshall. And you've already down the fasted one out of your three,” Bellamy Blake spoke up then, stepping forward towards the blue print table. His wide hands set heavily against the table as he too began to look over the plans, “You're gonna need one Jaeger to carry the payload and the others to protect and defend it. Depending how it's built, it could either be highly sensitive or really fortified, but your gonna need more Jaegers,”
“We still have three working ones and I could get ‘Blinda back up and running if Aden gets his shit together,” Anya murmured,
“three?” Bellamy questioned, his brows furrowed,
“Yes, Blake, three,” Lexa shot back. Anya met her cousins brilliant green eyes, and she too couldn't help but grin along with her Marshall.
Clarke flattened herself to the metal wall as she continued to eaves drop. She couldn't help it, she was only doing what the summons had called for her to do.
Marshall Woods requests your presence immediately.
She'd been slipped the note by one of the Rangers, the stern dark skinned woman, Indra, who only grunted and frowned when she handed over the note. Clarke had grumbled and sighed once she'd originally read it but now, as she cranked her head around the corner, trying to listen to the conversation about payloads and a top secret plan, Clarke didn't regret not coming.
She'd originally figured the Marshall was going to give her a roasting about their match in the Kwoon, but now she had to wonder if it had something to do with her Psych Analysis. Clarke knew that she'd felt something in the fight, when they'd been chest to chest, breathing heavy, lips almost against one another's as the blades of their sabres pressed harshly together. She knew, deep deep down, that she'd felt a something that had to be similar to the Drift.
“Thankyou for your time, but now, I have a prior engagement that I'm late for, so if you'd excuse yourselves -”
“Of course Marshall, I'll be in touch over the payload,” Bellamy Blake's voice was clear as the scraping of chairs began. Clarke panicked then, they'd finished their meeting and she was hanging around a corner. Shit. The Cadet thought as Anya began to speak,
“I'll get the crews together, work on this, this contraption, check in with me in 12 hours,” Anya laughed as she spoke, a noise that tinkled through the air. Clarke couldn't even see the woman but she could already tell why Raven liked her so much. Chairs groaned against the concrete floor again and Clarke moved quickly, she darted up the corridor, away from the doorway into the Marshalls private quarters, then turned and began to walk slowly back towards it. They'd never know the difference.
As Clarke grew closer to the end of the hall, both Blake and Anya nodded as they passed the blonde Cadet, rolls of blueprints tucked under each of their arms, and this look of secret in their eyes. Clarke couldn't help but frown, trying her damned hardest to piece together the information she'd over heard. Payloads? Contraptions? Something serious was going down.
“Cadet Griffin?” the Marshalls smooth tone made the blonde jump, the smallest of squeaker coming from her.
“M-marshall Woods! I, I got your summons. I’m here, reporting for…well whatever I guess,” Clarke stood up straight, saluting hard as the Marshalls eyes raked down her body. Clarke felt like she was under complete scrutiny, she had no idea why. She was in the Marshalls doorway and was trying her damned hardest not to remember the last time she’d crossed by this door.
When the Marshall had been sweaty and toned and working out. And now. She was in the crispy dark blue suit that fitted her in all the right ways and made her look way more badass then Bellamy Blake in his matching suit,
“I have the results from your PA. And there are some interesting things in here, in your whole file really Cadet,” Woods commented, beckoning the blonde into the main body of her quarters. Clarke couldn’t help but look around, at the bare walls and single bookcase. To the battered leather couch that sat next to the partition that most likely led into Lexa’s bedroom or bathroom. But now, now Lexa stood besides a meal table, clear of any evidence of what she, Blake and Anya had been discussing. Only Clarke’s files sat upon it,
“I can guarantee anything and everything within that is the truth. Even the fighting,”
“I was unaware that your father was Jake Griffin, he was one of my CO’s while I was a Cadet. Great man, amazing Ranger,” Lexa said softly. Clarke stared, unsure what to say, so she simply nodded, “I suppose your main goal in going to the Academy, other than pissing off your mother, was to do your father proud? Become a Ranger just like him, be better even?” again, Clarke nodded, a lump forming in her throat as Lexa continued to talk, “Well, it looks like you're going to do just that Cadet. As of now, you’re the newest Ranger Griffin.”
“No offense Marshall, and trust me I really appreciate this promotion, but rumor has it the Jaeger programme is closing down?” Clarke finally found her voice, speaking up body as she met those forest Green eyes. Lexa sighed and her shoulders sagged slightly,
“Trust me Ranger, the Jaeger programme is not going anywhere, not as long as I am a Ranger and a Marshall,” Lexa's tone was stubborn strong, just like Clarke’s fathers had been before he went on that last mission. With a nod of agreement, Clarke beamed,
“So, who’s my copilot?”
“Me.”