Chapter 48: Ch. 48 – Can’t Escape the Trouble

Raven and I kissed one last time before she laid down on the bed and Abby shut the lid on the radiation pod. I placed a hand on the glass to which she placed her's as close to mine as she could and gave me an encouraging smile before she gave Abby a nod. I gritted my teeth while Abby walked away, and while I knew this needed to be done, I could not help but be concerned. I had already lost several important people to me since I had started here, and I could not imagine continuing on without her.

 

"We're going to start this slow, Raven, so let us know if you are in pain," Abby said into the intercom.

 

"Alright. Someone pull Octavia away though before she tries to burn a hole through the protective seal," Raven teased over the speaker.

 

Echo placed a hand on my shoulder, and I sighed, dropping my hand. Luna stood on the other side of the pod and watched on. If the test proved to be a failure, there would be no reason to extract her bone marrow, but that did not mean that she was hoping for such an outcome.

 

Raven's eyes never left mine as the machine kicked on. Although the radiation was invisible, I could vaguely sense a sickening, corrupt energy twist around her, especially as it grew stronger. Her expression remained neutral at first, but after ten minutes, her discomfort and nausea were clear.

 

"You're doing great, Raven. We're at the projected level after the Death Wave. Just hang in there for another ten minutes and we'll shut it down," Abby said.

 

"Okay," she answered with a strained voice.

 

I started to put a hand towards the pod, but Echo grabbed me by the wrist, and I sighed with frustration as I dropped it back by my side. Raven gave me a weak smile which I did my best to return, but I knew it was strained. Although she seemed to be looking sicker and sicker, I did not see any signs of welts or discoloration on her skin, so I could only hope that was a good sign.

 

"I'm shutting everything down. It needs about a minute to make sure that the radiation is clear then we'll get you out of there," Abby said.

 

Raven nodded her head, but she seemed reluctant to open her mouth. Abby typed a few more things into the computer then walked around and headed towards us. She tapped a few things on the command pad of the radiation pod before she shifted to the side where she could open the pod.

 

"You can't heal her unless we think her life is in danger, Octavia. We need to know if this worked or not," Abby reminded me.

 

"I know," I sighed.

 

The console beeped and Abby undid the latch then opened the lid. Immediately, I helped Raven up and out of the pod, but she pushed me away as soon as her feet hit the ground. She dropped to her knees, grabbing a nearby wastebin, and started throwing up. Abby moved over to Raven's side while I watched on with concern. 

 

"What does that mean?" Echo asked.

 

"Hell if I know," I growled.

 

"Considering that she is alive, I think it worked. A normal person would have been dead before we reached the final level, and vomiting is just a minor symptom," Abby explained.

 

"Then I can heal her?" I asked.

 

"Not yet. We need to see if she can recover on her own like I said," she replied.

 

"It's okay, Octavia. It's not too bad," Raven said after she wiped her mouth.

 

"Let's get you up so that I can start running the tests," Abby suggested, patting Raven's shoulder.

 

I helped Raven to her feet, but she refused to let me carry her over to the medical bed. Thankfully, that was the end of her stubbornness, and she did not try to get me to leave her side throughout the rest of the day. Abby's tests took a while, but nothing alarming was popping up and by the evening, Abby gave Raven permission to return to the mansion. She refused to let me carry her back when we first left the lab, but when no one came with us, she agreed with only a little prodding.

 

"How are you feeling, honestly? We can still pick a place in a bunker if this is too much," I asked as I walked through the woods.

 

"Just a little weak," Raven replied, resting her head on my shoulder.

 

"Do you really have to do that again?" I sighed.

 

"Abby thinks I'll be better the next time."

 

"That doesn't make me feel any better," I grumbled.

 

"I already told you, you aren't the only one who will be doing crazy things for us," she chuckled, running her fingers up my neck.

 

"Don't tease me to win your arguments," I chided despite my body reacting to her touch.

 

"Because you're one to talk," she retorted.

 

I gave a huff, but did not argue since I knew that I would lose. Raven and I were far too similar in personality and knew each other too well for either of us to get an advantage over the other. She let me carry her through the woods, but when we got to the grounds of the mansion, she demanded to walk on her own. It was only with me that she was willing to be vulnerable, but everyone else had to see the tough, sarcastic wall that she put up... a woman after my own heart, I tell you.

 

The next day went similarly, but the time that Raven stayed within the radiation pod tripled. Thankfully, she did even better than before, not even showing signs of nausea, so Echo and I were scheduled to undergo the Nightblood procedure tomorrow. For once, things were proceeding smoothly and according to plan, so I should have expected the call that I had got six days after we left Polis.

 

"Octavia! Kane is calling for you on the radio," Sinclair called out.

 

I was carrying a large box that was filled with video games to the lighthouse bunker where the game systems had already been stored. I had made it out the door of the mansion, but the joys of radios meant that they were mobile. I dropped the box on the edge of the stairs with a sigh and held out a hand.

 

"Thank you, Sinclair," I said when he handed me the radio, then hit the button on the side. "Kane? This is Octavia."

 

"It's good to hear your voice," Kane replied.

 

I let out a deep sigh and said, "It hasn't even been a week yet, Kane. What could be going wrong already?"

 

"Riots have broken out in Trishanakru, Ingranronakru, and Delfikru territories. The leader of Trishanahru is pleading for me to send my army, but that's the only thing preventing the same thing from happening here," another voice explained.

 

"Well, hello to you as well, Lexa," I said dryly.

 

"I'm sorry, Octavia, but this is serious. Damol kom Ingranronakru and Salma kom Delfikru have already been killed while Jaemo kom Trishanakru was forced to flee here to Polis after his people turned on him," she responded.

 

I sighed, recognizing the names as the leaders of their clans, and asked, "What's the plan?"

 

"I can't spare my army, or I'd risk losing control here, so we want to send you to collect the members of the clans," Lexa explained.

 

"You want me to pick out who lives and dies from three separate clans that I've never met?!?" I demanded with anger.

 

"It's four hundred and five person's lives we are talking about, spread through those clans. By killing their leaders, I have every reason to abandon them entirely, but we both know that isn't the right thing to do. Even a team of Skaikru warriors, armed to the teeth, could not bring a group that large back to Polis safely, but with your powers and reputation, you have a chance, and you don't have to make these choices on your own. Talk to Luna and try to get her to help you, but no matter what, we need you to be back here by tomorrow night," she sighed.

 

"Can I please have a break after the end of the world? It's constantly one disaster after another," I complained.

 

"I'll do my best," she promised.

 

"I've already sent a rover to the dock that you used before which will be waiting on you," Kane added.

 

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"Are we shutting down the salvage operations here? I've still got Sinclair here, so it would be a good time to tell him."

 

"How much longer does your team need to get everything?" Kane asked as I passed back to Sinclair.

 

"We still need another five days if we can start breaking down the lab, but until Abby gives the go ahead..." Sinclair started.

 

"Abby will come back with Octavia and her group, so that won't be a problem. Keep gathering what you can and keep me posted."

 

"Understood, sir."

 

"Octavia, you have my permission to bring whoever you want with you, but as Lexa said, we need you back here by tomorrow evening."

 

"I understand. We'll take the boat back to the mainland before the end of the day," I assured.

 

"Thank you. Sorry to keep asking you to run around, Sinclair, but I need to talk to Abby next."

 

"It's fine, sir. It will take me about ten minutes to reach the lab where she should be," Sinclair replied.

 

"I'm going to take Raven with me, sorry. If you see Echo, could you send her my way?"

 

"I get it and I will," he agreed, before he headed down the stairs and then walked off in the direction of the lab.

 

"Thanks," I called out.

 

I could sense where Raven was, since she still had her necklace on, so I made my way to her. She was sitting in the server room which had been disassembled, but she waved some device over the top and bottom of the individual servers.

 

"Whatcha doing?" I asked as I walked in.

 

"Making sure Alie is truly gone. Magnetic wands and hard drives don't mix," she chuckled, setting aside the metal box. "So, what's up? I thought you were personally transferring the gaming systems to the lighthouse bunker."

 

"I was, but I got a call from Polis. Riots have broken out in the three furthest clans, and two of the three leaders have been killed apparently. Lexa wants to send me out to gather the members of the clans that will stay in the bunkers," I replied, leaning on the doorframe.

 

"What's that song you like to listen to? Ain't No Rest for the Wicked... it's starting to sound like your life here," she joked.

 

I chuckled, "It's good to see you making jokes about it."

 

"Isn't that your usual MO?"

 

"Perhaps, but you're still the one doing it, not me," I retorted.

 

She stood up and walked over to me. "Fine, we can focus on the important parts. Are you going to leave me again?"

 

"It seems to be up to me this time, so you tell me what you want. Hopefully, I can convince Luna to also come with me, and Echo unless Katye wants to fight me on it, but she is one of the few people that I truly trust. I'm not sure if Kane is going to give us any Guardsmen, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm needed," I replied.

 

Raven slid a hand along my jaw and then buried it into my hair as she gave me a smile. "Then you're stuck with me. So, I can see how Echo would be helpful, but why do we need Luna?"

 

"Because I don't want to decide who lives and dies from the three clans alone. Luna is going to be the next Heda when the rest of humanity can walk on the surface again, so she can share in this burden, and her title as leader of Floukru will ease the Grounder's minds," I answered.

 

She sighed, fully understanding the purpose behind this journey, and replied, "Alright, we can work with that."

 

I leaned in and kissed her happily, thankful for her support, then said, "I love you, Raven."

 

"You're not too bad yourself, Rebecca," she chuckled.

 

I grabbed her by the waist then spun her up against wall, pinning her hands above her head. "Don't play with me."

 

She chuckled, "I love you too."

 

We kissed for a moment while my empty hand slid down her side and grabbed her butt. It was nice to have someone like her that would stand by my side no matter what the world threw at me. I could forget my problems when I was with her which I needed desperately in this crazy world. 

 

Unfortunately, both of us knew that there were more important matters to attend to, so we parted far sooner than I would have liked. Raven and I walked, hand in hand, through the mansion and headed for the backyard. Luna and Adria could often be found there, where Luna would watch over as Adria played or swam in the giant pool. Thankfully, we found them easily and Adria was in the pool while Luna laid on a beach chair next to the pool.

 

"Octavia! Come and play!" Adria called out as we walked up.

 

"I'll handle the kid, you get Luna," Raven whispered before she kissed my cheek and moved ahead. "She can join us in a bit; how about I come and play with you until then?"

 

"Okay!" she said, excitedly.

 

Raven headed over to the edge of the pool as she stripped down to her underwear and jumped in. I enjoyed the view while I could, then I walked over and sat down next to Luna. She gave a soft sigh as she sat up straight.

 

"So, what has brought you to me now?" Luna asked.

 

"Riots have broken out in Trishanakru, Ingranronakru, and Delfikru territories, and both the Ingranronakru's and Delfikru's leaders have been killed apparently while Jaemo fled to Polis before they could kill him. Lexa can't send her army to handle the matter without risking the same thing from happening in Polis, so she is sending me to escort members of the clans to the bunkers. I would greatly appreciate it, if I did not have to pick the four hundred and five people alone, but I'm also not going to force you to come with us."

 

"Now you see why I don't want to be Heda," Luna sighed.

 

"Oh, I understood from the beginning," I retorted with a light chuckle. "I need to leave tonight, no matter your decision, so I will ask that one of your people accompany my group back to the mainland, so that they can bring the boat back for the rest of my people that are staying here."

 

Luna looked out at Raven and Adria playing in the pool. "It never stops, does it? The cycle of killing."

 

"I ask myself that every day. I do my best to keep hope, that the future will be better, but it's hard not to doubt when things keep popping up," I sighed.

 

"I'll pass Adria off to Derrick when we reach Polis, but you and your group will follow my orders," Luna said.

 

"Happily, Heda," I replied.

 

Luna groaned as she stretched back out across the beach chair which made me chuckle.

 

"Thank you, Luna," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder, then stood up.

 

She gave me a smile and turned her attention back to her adoptive daughter. I took off most of my clothes, leaving me in my underwear, then headed over to the pool and hopped in. For the next hour or so, Raven and I played with Adria, until Echo appeared. Luna used that moment to collect Adria and tell her that they needed to pack, which left me to tell Echo what was going on. She did not seem surprised or troubled by the situation, so she readily agreed to head back to Polis with us. After that, Raven and I packed up our things and waited for Abby to return, then all of us walked down to the boat and took it back to the mainland as the sun started to set.

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