Chapter 60: Ch. 60 – Checking on the Bunkers

After my touching reunion with my 'brother', we turned around and headed for Mount Weather. Thankfully, everyone in the vehicle understood how I felt towards him, so no one really brought up the subject and we just listened to the music that I played until we reached the area of the Mountain. I was driving at this point, so I was able to get the rover close to the main entrance by sensing the calling card that I had left behind.

"Why are we stopping?" Echo asked.

"Because the door to Mount Weather is buried about twenty feet under the ground there," I replied, pointing at the mountainside, while I turned off the truck.

"It's a rockface," she insisted.

"I can sense weak mana under us, so Rebecca's metal is the most likely explanation," Katye retorted.

"Do you want to try the radio while I start uncovering the entrance?" I asked, looking at Raven.

"Sure," she agreed.

I gave her a quick kiss before I got out of the rover and stretched, activating my Earth Domain. About ten feet behind the rockface, I could sense the structure of the entrance of Mount Weather. I walked towards it, channeling more mana into the ground to push it into the rocks that were blocking the way. With a wave of my hand, I ripped a large chuck of the rumble away and sent it flying off the side of the mountain. Two more swipes and I cleared a path to the main door, leaving just a few small rocks and some dirt behind.

There were a few car door slams behind me, and I turned around to find Raven, Echo, and Katye had all exited. They walked over to me with relaxed expressions, so I figured that they were able to connect the Mountain easily. I retracted my Domain as I put an arm across Raven's shoulders and gave the other two a nod.

"I take it that you guys made contact with them," I said.

Katye nodded, "They are prepping the first floor now and Abby is suiting up."

"Insisting that she checks us over?" I asked with a chuckle.

"She is a doctor, through and through," Katye replied.

About five minutes later, we heard the sound of the large metal door unlocking and it slowly opened. Abby and Indra were both in radiation suits as they stepped outside and, while they looked at us for a moment, their eyes were drawn to the wasteland behind us. We parted so that they could get a better look, understanding their feelings quite well.

"It's all been destroyed," Abby sighed.

"The world will recover... with time," Katye assured. "We just need to protect the last of humanity until then."

Abby nodded her head as she turned around and said, "Come on in. I'll check you all over then get you something to eat."

Abby walked back to the bunker, yet Indra did not move. I waved the others on to follow Abby then headed over to Indra's side. I just stood there silently while she took everything in and waited for her to speak.

"I've lived in these woods my entire life. I've seen wars, fires, droughts... but nothing has ever reduced these lands to such a state," Indra said quietly.

"What has been lost cannot be replaced, but I will find us a new home, I promise," I replied, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know you will," she agreed, turning back to the bunker.

I followed her inside and pulled the door shut. Raven sealed it by pulling a lever and the air scrubbers kicked on right after that. Abby was already taking the vitals of Katye and writing them down while Echo sat next to her. Raven and I joined them on the bench and waited for our turn.

"Decontamination procedure complete," someone announced through the intercom.

"We have the shower and changing room through here," Abby said, directing us through a door. "You can leave your clothing on the shelves; we've prepared some clothing in the changing room, but I want to minimize the chances of exposure."

"We understand," Katye said as we walked into the locker room.

"We'll wait for you in the hall," Abby said then headed into the changing room with Indra behind her.

After the door shut behind them, I sighed and asked, "We aren't going to have to do this every time we come to the bunkers, are we?"

"Only if we want to stay inside, or have a decent conversation," Katye retorted.

I gave a huff but did not vocalize my annoyance otherwise as I pulled off my glove. I looked down at my silver fingers for a moment before I took them off and set them in the locker next to me. Raven noticed my reaction and rubbed my back as she smiled softly at me.

"It's not a big deal," she encouraged.

"I know," I sighed.

"It makes you more human and it's a minor sacrifice for what you survived," Echo added as she started undressing with no shame.

"Who knows, maybe we'll be able to heal it at some point," Katye said.

I chuckled since I knew they all care about me and replied, "Thanks."

We all undressed and left our clothes in a locker then headed over to the showers. They were not divided by anything, so there was little point in being modest, though it did lead to some stolen looks and comparisons. Obviously, we all had interest in women and each of us had unique relationships with the others, so it was bound to happen at some point.

Echo and I were the most muscular of the bunch though Katye and Raven did have more pleasant, womanly curves. Katye was the only one with tattoos, sporting Lexa's conclave tattoo down her spine, which drew both Raven's and my attention more than once.

Still, all of us were adults and had other things to do than ogle each other. We washed up and headed for the changing room after drying off. The clothes were simple and obviously leftovers of the original residents of the mountain bunker, but none of us minded since it was only for the night. Abby and Indra were out of their radiation suits when we stepped out into the hallway. Two others had joined them, Kane and Roan, and both looked happy to see us.

"Never failing to do the impossible," Roan remarked.

"I'm in good company with this group," I replied with a chuckle.

"That you are," he agreed, looking over the others.

"How did you weather the storm here?" Katye asked.

"We've lost the outside cameras, connection to the satellite dish, and the power plant at the dam was destroyed, but that was all within expectations," Kane answered.

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"Good; it was the same at Arkadia. We talked to Bellamy since Sinclair was working on repairs, but the ground relay remained intact, so once we create enough wire, we'll be able to relink the bunkers and Arkadia."

"That's a relief. We'll have the things that you left behind sent up by the morning as well as the seeds that you requested. Are you sure that you don't need anything else?" Kane asked, motioning down the hall.

"No, we brought most of what was in the lighthouse bunker since Rebecca made a large sled to tow behind the rover. We should have no problem finding Eden before we run low on supplies," Katye said as we all walked together.

"Any reason why you settled on Rebecca?" Abby asked.

"It just felt right," I replied with a shrug.

"It does suit you," she agreed.

"Thanks."

We entered a small room where a table and some cots had been arranged. All of us sat at the table and discussed a few of the various problems that the Mountain would be facing throughout the six years. The only real problem that Mount Weather was facing was its source of power. Without the dam, they were reliant on the power of generators. The warhead that Alie had originally used as her mobile powered unit was being used to power Mount Weather, but it could only last for three years. After that, they would have to rely on solar power if they could come up with a method to handle the sandstorms that would appear in the future.

The conversation went on for an hour or so before everything was wrapped up. There were going to be some problems in the future, but with a little luck and ingenuity, it should all be within the range of what they could handle. The big hope was that the metal that I created for Wick could repel outside radiation which would allow us to transfer parts, medical supplies, and food between the bunkers, but there was still a number of tests that needed to be run before we would know if the idea would work.

After that, Kane, Abby, Indra, and Roan left us in the room. Katye and Echo took one side of the room while Raven and I took the opposite side. No one tried to do anything other than kiss their partner goodnight, but I was surprised to find that Katye skipped sleeping so that she could practice her Wind spells, though I had little room to talk when I was working on my Shadow spells. It was good to know that she was just as dedicated to this as I was. Even if the rest of our time here in 'the 100' was peaceful, there would still be 'Voyager' and whatever else came after that, so we needed to utilize every moment that we had, or we would constantly be struggling to survive.

In the morning, Kane had Raven's and my things brought to the door to the changing room where we had all entered as well as a collection of seeds. Taking my guitar case out of the count, everything amounted to a total of three crates which left Raven without something to carry since the rest of us grabbed the boxes. We left the clothes that they had lent us behind and changed back into our own then left the bunker once we got the all-clear.

There was still room in the back of the rover, so we packed away the crates then climbed into the vehicle. Katye was on driving duty this morning, so Echo joined her in the front while Raven and I sat in the back. Instead of hooking up my music player like I normally would, I opened my guitar case and pulled out my guitar.

"So, you do know how to play then?" Katye asked, glancing behind her.

"Yeah... my brother taught me before he died," I answered as I tested the cords then noticed a problem and complained, "I think I would have rather lost a leg."

"Then practice. It's not like you're going to give up music," Raven said, settling into her spot.

I smirked as I positioned my metallic fingers on the neck of the guitar, "Fine... bear with me until I get the hang of this."

While Katye drove to Polis, I strummed on my guitar, trying to play different songs. The disconnect between my mind and the metallic fingers were making me seem like a novice, but that only spurred my determination. It did not matter if I had been injured, I would learn how to control these new fingers and play properly. I would hate to hear how bad I was at the piano now though.

It was before midday when we arrived at the ruins of Polis, but there was little left of the former capital city. Raven took over the wheel as both Katye and I walked in front of the truck, using our powers to clear the road. Just like in the show, the Commander's Tower had collapsed on the temple and buried the entrance to the bunker under a ton of rubble.

"I can handle moving the debris if you want to just look around," I offered.

"No... It would be better to just let these ghosts sleep," Katye sighed, looking around at the remains of what had been her city.

I nodded my head and started working while she joined me a minute or two later. Both of us had to infuse our mana into the large chunks of buildings, so that we could move them aside, but it was still a slow process. It took most of the day, but we cleared out, and secured, a pathway in and out of the bunker.

Raven signaled the bunker and got a reply, so we made our way down. Unlike Mount Weather, the Second Dawn Bunker had a small chamber that was connected to their first level which could easily be separated from the main airflow, allowing us to head straight into the bunker. Clarke and Luna joined us about thirty minutes later, fully dressed in radiation suits and carrying a few bags.

"It's good to see you all again," Clarke said, placing the bag on the ground.

"You, too. Your mother is doing fine, by the way," I replied with a smile.

"And Arkadia?"

"Safe, though we only talked to Bellamy through the radio. The damage was within the projected estimates, so hopefully, when we visit next month, the airlock will be operational."

"Good," Clarke sighed with relief.

"How have you been adjusting to the Flame?" Katye asked Luna.

"It has been... difficult, but your memory and Maddie's have been helping me keep the others at bay. Few appreciate or believe in the concept of peace," Luna replied.

"Trust yourself and your will. You have the strength needed to lead our people, but don't fall to Sheidheda's schemes. While there are many things that he can teach you, he cares only for himself."

"You sound like Gaia, telling me things that I already know," Luna complained.

"A lecture today to save from a loss tomorrow," Katye retorted with a smile.

Luna sighed, "You were always Seda's favorite. I remember and I am taking all of the lessons to heart."

"So, how are things here?" I asked.

"Fine. Praimfaya did not damage us too much if you managed to clear the way down here, but the whole bunker felt the tower collapsing, so there are already rumors developing that we are sealed in here," Luna replied.

"Sending a few groups up to the surface should nip that in the bud, now that we've opened the path, but it could also be ominous with the lifelessness of it all," Katye sighed. "We'll try to get the bunkers reconnected, but it could take a few months. I'd recommend waiting until then, but it's your call, Heda."

Luna huffed and shot Katye an annoyed look, making her chuckle. The six of us talked for a bit, but unlike when we were at Mount Weather, there were no plans for us to stay the night. Luna's rule as Heda had only just begun, so Katye could not walk the halls without causing future problems for her.

The Second Dawn bunker was in far better condition than the other two locations, but the difficulty that Clarke and Luna were facing was that most of the surviving children were placed here, with less than a dozen exceptions. About thirty-five percent of the population was under the age of thirteen, which was intentional. We had all agreed that the best chance of fostering a peaceful future was by starting with the children, so they had all been placed here where they would attend school, under both Grounder and Skaikru education. Traditions from all Twelves Clans would be taught and combined while Skaikru would teach things like math, science, and technology. Hopefully, this generation, or the next, would truly be able to bridge the gap between the different clans and unite as one clan, but only time could tell if our hopes had any promise.

 

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