Chapter Ten
**Raven Reyes's POV**
The last few days had made Raven dizzy.
First, landing on the planet and waking up concussed. Then having to construct flares to signal their survival because the radio was still wet, thanks to a certain dumbass that will not be named, which ended up not working and starting a war.
Let's not forget the fact that the guy she'd loved for so long, who she'd risk anything for, had slept with another girl just days after landing. I mean I get it, thinking you would never see the person you have been with since forever, but couldn't he have at least waited longer than a few days?
That wasn't even covering everything that had happened since Logan smashed through the gates like one of those animated characters she'd seen once in the Ark before the last projector blew out and there were no more movie nights. End of a very short childhood to be sure.
Now the camp was swarming with both the 100 and a group of about 150 Grounders, some intermingling, mainly the younger grounders closer to our age.
And Raven was trying to figure out why the transmission to the Ark had been cut. The Ark was in the middle of the ceremony when the signal just stopped. She checked and double checked her cobbled together radio, but everything was still working fine on her end.
She'd been monitoring every frequency available, including the ones they'd been using for the wrist devices and the radio. She even tried old, automated warning systems signals seeing if anything was still active. *Nothing*
That's when she noticed it.
A new signal had started up, blanketing the airwaves.
"What is that?" she questioned out loud.
For the next hour, she did everything she could to isolate and decode the signal. She was only able to make such easy progress because whoever was using it were dumping so much power into broadcasting the signal she was able to find the gaps and holes in the signal and could crack it given time the idiots were blaring it for everyone to hear.
If this kept up, in another hour she'd have it cracked and be able to hear what was being said in the clear and they wouldn't even know about it.
The signal cut off just as quickly as it had turned on.
"What the hell?" Raven yelled out. "I almost had it!"
Not one minute later, she heard and felt a very large explosion somewhere off in the distance.
She ran out of the drop pod, not yet putting the coincidence together.
Just like everyone else, she stared in the direction where smoke was rising.
Everyone including herself was stunned into petrification, as whispers spread about what was just witnessed. Even many of the grounders bowed their heads and stood in shock.
*Did over seven hundred of our people just crash and die?*
The thought kept churning over and over again.
Then a loud voice broke through the fog and woke everyone up.
*Logan.*
He was giving out orders, organizing everyone into two groups, one to stay, one to go help and look for survivors.
Logan only took fifty warriors as backup, but he took almost half of the kids. Mainly because he felt that if there were any survivors, they'd look more favorably on everyone if half the group consisted of people they'd known their whole lives.
He left Clarke and Jasper to organize any and all available space in the drop ship for survivors who might need medical care.
Seeing as Finn was easily able to navigate the woods, Logan brought him along. He took Finn in case they needed a runner to return with any vital messages that could save lives.
Monty stayed to help Raven try and get the radio working again to find out what was going on aboard the Ark and hopefully find out who and what was onboard.
Of course, Bellamy and his sister went with them.
Raven was still having a difficult time just accepting these people into their lives like this. But... it was better than fighting.
---
A little more than half a day had gone by since the group left.
They'd been keeping in contact, thanks once again to Raven making some radios with just barely enough range to communicate.
*If only I had some more parts, * Raven thought. *I could build a relay to boost the signal and give it real range.*
Tristan had asked dozens of technical questions about the drop pod, the radio, life on the Ark, if she had family or friends still up there.
Some really weird questions, too. Like: Are you happy with life among your people? Have you ever thought of striking out on your own?
It almost sounded like he wanted to recruit her for something.
Just as she was about to respond to his last question, gritting her teeth at being annoyed by his calculating eyes and cryptic questions, the signal returned.
The handheld radio started to emit the same sound she'd heard earlier.
She immediately tried the radio, getting only static and the weird signal once again. This time much stronger, as if aimed directly at them.
Tristan immediately became a different person.
The easy way in which he spoke stopped.
"What has happened to your radio? Have you set us up in some trap?" His hand rested on the blade by his side, his demeanor becoming colder by the second. "I swear if this is some subterfuge, you're using to attack us I will end you all here and now!"
"NO! NO!" Raven immediately shouted, holding up her hands in surrender, hoping to show as much confusion as she was feeling. "Look, I heard that signal before, okay? Right before our ship crashed, the signal started. It blanketed the airwaves above."
She showed him the data on the pad she had.
"I think I can guess, based on what just happened and what I know," I paused to catch my breath before continuing. "I think someone is jamming our comms, look if it's not you, then it's at least the same people who jammed the comms of the drop ship and probably caused the crash. I won't know for certain until they bring me the black box."
Tristan let out a breath, closed his eyes, and took a few calming breaths.
"Hey, if you need a minute to calm down and not cut me in half, I say take all the time you need, big guy," Raven said, half-joking, trying to hide just how scared she was.
He looked up at her.
She could see the shame in his eyes.
"Forgive me," he said, completely throwing her off her game.
Raven wasn't really the touchy-feely person, more the suffer in silence with a snarky quick attitude type. So, seeing this mountain of a man looking so sad, she felt like she'd kicked a puppy that she had seen in a picture on the Ark for being upset.
She didn't know how to respond, so she just stood there waiting.
Luckily, he quickly continued. "I let past prejudices and poor judgment almost cloud my thoughts. I doubted refugees who have just lost a thousand of their people."
When Raven heard him say the number, she gritted her teeth.
Three hundred twenty people died to save air.
And now over seven hundred just crashed to their deaths.
Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to put herself in the now, there was a time and place for things, this was not it.
She firmed up her resolve and answered him back. "No sweat, big guy, don't worry about it."
He just looked at her, then nodded once and told her to follow him.
---
While walking toward where Clarke and someone named Todd, he was apparently Tristan's second, Raven took stock of the man.
Todd had not said a single word since he'd arrived, he just watched patiently or walked away when he didn't want you asking him questions. He was never in the way or rude. He just seemed... sad.
He would often be found shadowing Clarke for some reason. It would be creepy, but the man never gave off that feeling he gave off the feeling of regret and heartbreak.
Unlike most other Grounder warriors, his armor plates were completely plain with the exception of Tristan's sign, showing who he served under.
He never spoke, but he would give hand signs, and the men would jump to get it done.
They arrived, and Tristan wasted no time, ordering everyone to get back to the perimeter.
The camp was a rush, people running back and forth, gathering, moving, planning, and getting ready for an attack that Tristan was sure was about to take place.
And here Raven was, under the drop pod, trying not to make them all explode as Clarke had some fucking crazy-ass idea to light off the boosters on the ground.
Could she rig up an easy switch down here to do it? Sure.
Would something catch fire and/or explode? Oh, without a doubt.
Now, would the tanks and the shielding hold after already entering the atmosphere, crashing into trees, slamming into the ground, and being exposed to the elements?
She'd really rather not say, but if she pulled if off, she might have to learn to play cards and gamble more often.
Monty was breaking down the radio equipment and storing it, as well as trying to get the younger kids situated into the dropship.
Raven finished her work under the pod and climbed out, wiping grease from her hands. She frowned not liking the fact that someone might have to light it from under the pod.
She was on her way now to meet in Tristan's command tent, where all his leaders were gathered. She and Clarke had been invited, as they'd both helped contribute to the defense.
This was going to be a long day.
And if the Mountain Men attacked, which Tristan seemed certain they would, it was going to be an even longer night. Even the closest help wouldn't arrive till morning.
Raven took a breath, squared her shoulders, and walked into the tent.
Time to see if they'd survive this.