It's Alive! It's Alive!

The ride to the bunker was beyond stressful. I was worried for two reasons: I was worried that we would be attacked again, and I was worried that James would die before we could heal him. We had a whole entourage with us this time, nearly fifty warriors in total just in case we were attacked again.

When we passed the location where the assassins had attacked us, I had ordered a couple of warriors to grab two of the bodies and place them on their respective horses. The dead assassins' faces were clean of any blemishes, but I was willing to bet that there would be identifying markings somewhere else on their bodies. I would find out who was responsible for the attack and bring the might of the entire coalition down upon them.

Arriving at the main entrance of the bunker, I could see a large pile of bodies piled aways from the door. The bodies weren't more than charred corpses. It seems that once my warriors were finished clearing out the bunker, they had burned the bodies.

As we passed, my gaze lingered on one of the smaller corpses in the pile… a child's.

I'm just glad that James wasn't awake to see this, he'd probably be even more hard on himself.

Throughout the bunker, there were guards placed at different points sporadically. As James and I were discussing before we got attacked, Monty and Raven would surely be helpful in understanding how everything worked, as well as to make improvements where they are needed.

Once we were on the medical level, it only took us a short while to find a room appropriate enough for advanced surgery. It was the cleanest room that I have ever seen, the walls and floor both clinical white.

We were also rather blessed in the sense that there was useful equipment to use as well. Upon making note of everything available, Abby pointed out a very handy X-ray machine that would supposedly allow her to see the arrow and the damage it has potentially caused.

I asked her how it worked and she did her best to explain it to me in terms that I could understand, though I was still pretty confused. Apparently it used a form of radiation to see through the body, but that was about the gist of what I understood.

It wasn't long before they had an image of James' body up on the wall. The X-ray image showed that the arrow luckily hadn't pierced any of his organs. However, it was beyond close. "A miracle." Abby said, explaining how the arrow was only millimeters from his heart's right atrium and was very close to nicking a coronary artery. 

That wasn't all, though. The reason he wasn't breathing very well was that the arrow had nearly pierced his lung, but lucking didn't. The arrow was currently lodged along the side of his right lung, pushing up against it forcefully. It was a "pulmonary contusion" the doctor said breathlessly, looking over the many images shown. 

"Is that bad?" I asked worriedly, my face showing deep concern. All of this medical mumbo jumbo made no sense to me whatsoever.

"Well," Abby started, her eyes not leaving the X-ray imagery. "It's not good. However, as long as I can remove the arrow cleanly without causing any more internal bleeding, he should be fine. With the arrow removed, I can easily go in and fix up the damage the arrow head has caused."

Her explanation calmed me visibly, my shoulders suddenly relaxing as I released a deep breath. The only time I've been this worried was when James was taken by the mountain.

"If everything goes as smoothly as I hope it will, he will have to remain on bed rest until the bruising of his lung lessons and I'm sure none of the cuts inside of him will reopen."

I nodded my head in understanding. James wouldn't like it, and I knew I'd probably have to order him to rest, but it was for the best. I didn't want him to suffer for any longer than he had to.

Before long, Abby and Eric both dressed in bluish-green surgery attire that they found in some lockers somewhere on the medical floor.

That wasn't all they found either. In a cabinet near the wall were different bottles of what they called anesthesia. They said that it would make it so James didn't wake during the surgery and that he wouldn't feel any pain. It was similar to what Nyko used, though he used more herbal means such as the milk of poppy, willow, bloodroot, and others.

"Heda, I'm going to need you to leave." Abby stated suddenly, motioning towards the door. For a moment, I was affronted, but I understood. Me distracting them was the last thing that they needed. 

"Very well," I squared my shoulders and nodded once. "But before I go, do not forget about the consequences of letting him die." 

With my final words, I swept out of the room and joined John in the hallway. Before I left, however, I could see Abby's eyes flash and her jaw clench. She would do her best to save James if she wanted to save her daughter's life.

John looked at me with eyes of sympathy as I approached. He was handling this much better than I was. 

"He's going to be okay, Heda." He uttered after some moments of silence. Just as with James, John also seemed to see through my mask. I didn't know if it was because he's seen me wearing my emotions freely so often, or because James had taught him some tricks.

I looked at him for a moment, taking in his seemingly at ease form. "How can you be so sure?" I asked skeptically. I wasn't trying to be pessimistic as I couldn't imagine my life without James, but John seemed to not doubt his words in the slightest.

"Because I believe."

Scrunching my eyebrows in confusion, I wasn't entirely sure why he believed he was okay. As long as I have known John, he hasn't once pegged me as a man of faith. Seeing my look, he continued.

"I don't know why I believe it to be so, but I do. Belief can be a very powerful thing, Heda. Faith gives us hope when there is none." He leaned back against the concrete wall with his arms crossed over chest. "James is a strong man, the strongest person that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I just don't believe that he'd let himself die like that, especially when he has someone who loves him so much to take care of." 

His words made my lips curve up slightly in a small smile. Perhaps he was right, I hoped he was right. 

James would make it through this. And when he is fully recovered, I'm going to make sure he knows just how much I love him. That and I'm going to punish him for making me so worried. Seeing him lying on the ground like that… I shuddered at the memory. 

Doubts slowly started to creep in, but I shook them away. I wouldn't allow myself to think that he won't make it. 

James will live. I knew he would because I believe. 

I had faith…

Sighing to myself, I thought about what to do next. 

Abby had told me that the surgery would likely take multiple hours, and I didn't want to sit there moping and hoping for all that time like a worried mess.

Telling John to stay and make sure the doctors weren't interrupted, I made my way towards the entrance of the bunker where we left the corpses of those two assassins from the road. John would keep the doctors safe in case anyone were to try anything and put James in even more jeopardy. I didn't want to leave, but I had Heda duties to attend to.

"Heda," a warrior greeted me as I approached. "Osir know chon sent em. Emo don Azgeda markings ona their bodies."

My eyes flashed with barely concealed rage upon hearing the news. Azgeda… that rabid dog Nia will pay. She had crossed the line once with the death of Costia, and she just sealed her fate. "Ai beda don killed her when em was in ai grasp!" I all but growled.

She wouldn't be getting away with this a second time. The only reason I left her alive before was to show the coalition that I have the strength to be merciful when need be and not let personal feelings get involved. But her attack on me? That was a direct assault on the Heda—treason. There would be no mercy to be shown. 

With James being injured and I not knowing who it was that attacked us, there was no reason before to call a meeting of ambassadors to discuss the event. But now? I had the perfect reason.

Wor ste ona the horizon.

"Go to Titus and explain the situation." I ordered the warrior, watching as he promptly sits himself on a nearby horse and rides off towards Polis with a sense of urgency.

I had half the mind to get Monty down here and make him launch one of The Mountain's missiles towards the Azgeda scum, but that wouldn't do. Other than there being too many innocents involved in that scenario, I would be sending the wrong message to the clans. I would effectively become the new boogie man, a tyrant that would bathe all of those who oppose me in fire.

I would be seen as a threat.

No, the missiles would be for emergencies only or existential threats to the coalition, such as rival clans from far away lands or something similar.

I debated internally on the use of guns in my army as well. The mountain men were the reason no guns were allowed in the first place. If I were to allow the use of firearms, I've no doubt that Nia would use that as a point of argument to turn the people of the clans against me.

I would wait for James to get better before making any final decisions on the subject. He was my closest counsel.

Nodding to the guards outside of the bunker, I went inside and decided to explore a little. It was a strange feeling, walking around a generational nightmare's former home. The halls were bare, except for the occasional guard here and there. My footsteps against the concrete floor made for a surprisingly calming sound as I went.

While the bodies were gone, I couldn't help but frown at the blood left behind. Until everything was cleaned up and the bunker was once again occupied, walking the quiet halls felt quite somber.

After an hour of exploring the quiet tomb, I soon stumbled upon a school area for the children. It was a melancholic scene, the silence palpable. The whole bunker was a reminder to what James had to do, but these rooms were different.

The noncombatants that he had to kill weighed heavily on his conscience. Though he didn't speak on it, choosing to instead lump all the lives together, I knew that it was mainly the children's lives that had stuck with him the most. As far back as I could remember, James had treated the younger children with a certain kindness.

He always had a soft spot for the young nightbloods. Before he started training John, James worked with them just as often as I did, but he didn't seem to want to get too close to them.

I asked why one day, and he said because he knew that most of them will die, so he doesn't want to grow to love them when he knows he can't save them. What he said next broke my heart: he said that if a time comes when the next conclave occurs, it would be because he had failed in protecting me.

Other than the young nightbloods, James would also give the occasional kid in Polis a snack or some money to help them on their way. A mysterious little flutter erupted in my stomach every time he did such a thing. Even though he is the most feared and respected warrior of the twelve clans, he had a kindness to him that I have grown to love.

Traveling deeper into the bunker, I came across the president's office. 

He had a lot of old paintings that must have been from before Praimfaya. I reckoned that they must be famous or important if they were a priority when stocking the bunker for the war. As much as I get the importance of preserving your culture, I'm sure there are more important things to consider when it comes to the end of the world as you know it.

Taking notice of a small yellow flower in a jar on the president's desk, I leave the room and make my way towards the security office. 

Inside, there were a bunch of screens that showed all around the bunker. Watching the monitors, I saw my warriors doing patrols, standing guard, and even John outside of the surgery room. I needed to post a couple of guys in here, their overwatch would be really helpful. And whenever I get Monty over here, his help would be beyond valuable. I don't know of anyone in the entire twelve clans that knows their way around computers or any type of technology like this.

Tearing my gaze away from the screens, I take notice of the blood against one of the walls. This must be where James killed the president and those two security officers, I think to myself. 

Just as I was about to head out to the medical area, I noticed a little white rectangle sitting innocently atop the puddle of dried blood. Raising an eyebrow at it, my curiosity got the better of me and I reached down to pick it up to get a closer look. 

"Roy…" I read aloud, running my fingers over the bold black lettering. I frowned as I saw the name. It must have been the same Roy that James brought up in his recollection of what happened in the bunker.

Deciding it wasn't really important, I shrugged my shoulders, dropped the name tag, and made my way towards the medical facilities. Though that was where James was undergoing surgery, I hadn't properly looked the rest of it over. I wanted to see the cages that James told me about, the cages where they locked us up like animals.

It wasn't long before I found the 'hidden' door that was described to me, tucked away near the elevator.

Upon walking inside, the rage I was feeling earlier because of the assassination attempt came back with a vengeance. Rows of cages lined the walls, each filthy in their own right, full of human waste and other such messes. The smell in the room was horrible. James said that they cleaned them with hoses, but obviously they weren't very thorough. The fact that he was exposed to such conditions only added to my ire. 

Hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room were multiple sets of shackles. Beneath the shackles, there was still dried blood from the last victims of such treatment.

Knowing that this is what the Mountain Men have been doing with my people filled me with anger and a deep sadness. For so long we have been unable to help them, and for so long we have allowed the Mountain Men to keep us under their thumb. If it wasn't for James, they would still be the monster prowling in the dark.

Near one end of the room was some kind of disposal area. Noticing a big red button on the side of the door, I gave it a press. Almost instantly, a yellow warning light turned on along with a mild alarm.

Just as I was beginning to worry I did something stupid, the floor of the room opened up into a dark shaft causing me to frown.

The only thing down there that I knew of were the reaper tunnels…

My face lit up in realization of what they were using the dead bodies for. It wasn't just to dispose of the corpses, but also to feed the reapers that used the tunnels as their home. I was disgusted. Not only did they take people from their families in the middle of the night, get them addicted to some awful drug that made them lose their minds, but they turned them into cannibals as well.

As Heda, until recently, I was getting reports on the Mountain's dealings and reaper activity almost daily. Family members would suddenly go missing and then by next week the missing would return and attack them. It was very psychologically damaging to their loved ones and was a traumatic experience for those who lived to tell the tale.

The horrors of Mt. Weather did nothing but incite nightmarish legends for my people.

***

"You're going to pace a path into the floor if you keep that up." 

Looking at John annoyedly, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. It's been at least five hours since the surgery began and my anxiety about the situation seemed to be eating me alive. "How can you be so calm about this?" I asked him, gesturing at his relaxed figure. He was standing near the door as though he knew for a fact that James would be okay.

"I told you already, it's because I believe." He answered with a shrug, his arms crossed over his chest as James likes to do. Though I couldn't see it, I knew he was smirking at me underneath that mask of his.

I had faith that he would be okay, but the longer I had to wait, the longer the doubts could eat away at my resolve.

With amusement absent from my features, I pinned him with a blank look. "When James is fully recovered, I will have him increase your training." 

He snorted at my threat and shook his head lightly. "Well, at least you are assured enough about the situation to make jokes." And that I was, surprisingly. I'm not sure if it was because of all the convincing I had to talk myself through, or if it was because of John's words, but I was much more relaxed with everything. As John had said, I believe he will come out of this just as he always had.

James has always been one to come out on top against unfavorable odds. I don't know how he did it. I don't know if it was luck, skill, or just some mystical armor granted to him by the creator…

It was another hour until anything happened. Abby walked out of the surgery room with her scrubs still on, wearing a relieved smile on her face. My heart seemed to leap when I saw her face. A smile was good, it meant that James was okay.

I moved swiftly towards her with as much decorum as I could muster under the circumstances. It wouldn't do to have the doctor know of the exact relationship between James and I. John was the only person that was aware of it at all. "Well, what do you have for me?" I asked with my Heda mask firmly in place, struggling to keep my voice even and my impatience out of it. 

Abby's face was a little sweaty, whether it was from the heat or the stress of the situation, I wasn't sure. "He's stable. I was able to remove the arrow from his chest cavity without issue." She said, pleased that the surgery went off without a hitch. "He will need to rest, and I'm not entirely sure when he will awake, but I don't think it will be too long. There's a good chance he will be cognizant by tomorrow."

I immediately felt my shoulders relax at her words. With James stable, the dread that I was feeling all day ebbed away to merely a back-of-the-mind worry.

Before I could form a proper thank you or start asking any more questions, I noticed a nervous look on the doctor's face. She looked as if she really wanted to ask me something, but wasn't completely sure. Eventually though, she seemed to come to a decision.

"My daughter, Clarke… will you keep your end of the deal?" 

Ah, her daughter. "Yes. My word is law, and I shall always honor my word." I say to her great relief. I've been thinking about what to do with Clarke if the doctor actually pulled through and saved James, but I haven't really committed to anything. Even if she knew only a little bit of what her mother knows, her skills would be extremely valuable to my people. A good healer is hard to come by. 

Thinking about it, I suppose that Nyko could take her on as a second. That way, they would be able to trade knowledge on how to help people the best way they know how. Nyko was a genius when it came to healing salves and ointments. He knew the properties of all the flora that grew in Trikru territory and even some beyond Trikru borders.

I had asked Abby a little bit about Clarke on the way to the bunker, and she said that Clarke was her apprentice on the ark for a while. The knowledge and skills that she picked up from her mother would be very helpful to Nyko.

With Clarke being a Trikru healer, she could begin to make amends for what her people had done. And in doing so, it would make the process of the Skaikru refugees being integrated into my people go a lot smoother.

"Thank you, Heda." She says gratefully with tears in her eyes.

I still had to figure out what to do with the rest of the Skaikru prisoners as well. My people would still want retribution for what they've done, and taking in the refugees was already pushing what they were comfortable with.

James had given me full confidence with what to do with Kane. He didn't seem to care what I did with the man. As a leader of Skaikru, his death would make a great peace offering to my people, but they had also been greatly placated with the death of Thelonious Jaha.

Then there was Bellamy Blake, Octavia's older brother.

I knew that she would want to come to Polis and speak with him before I decided on anything. And as much as I hated to say it, her counsel on the subject of prisoners would be of great help. They were her people, after all.

A large majority of my people didn't know the power structure and chain of command of Skaikru. That being said, that bit of ignorance allows me a good bit of leeway when picking and choosing who to make an example of and who not to. We captured dozens of Skaikru members when we took Camp Jama. My people just wanted blood, they didn't really care who it came from.

"Now that he's only resting while his body recovers, you're able to go in and see him." The doctor said after a while, noticing my occasional glance towards the door.

Nodding my head in thanks, I entered the surgery room and felt my heart clench in want. There resting on the medical bed was James, his skin still so pale. But he was alive, and that is what mattered. 

***

Osir know chon sent em. Emo don Azgeda markings ona their bodies. = We know who sent them. They have Azgeda markings on their bodies. 

Ai beda don killed her when em was in ai grasp! = I should have killed her when she was in my grasp!

Wor ste ona the horizon. = War is on the horizon.