Chapter Text
The Followers’ hideout looked unassuming from the outside: it was an old, historical building that might once have been of importance but was now forgotten. The façade was a blackish grey from the years of gathered smoke from passing vehicles and some of the windows were boarded up to keep the wind from getting in through broken panes. In front of the steps leading to a heavy black wooden door, some trash had gathered, carelessly discarded by drivers and passers-by. It looked completely abandoned and prone to breaking down, a far cry from what Lexa knew awaited her inside.
She stepped off her bike, offering her hand to Anya out of politeness, respect and habit, then secured their helmets inside the seat. Pulling it behind the wrought-iron fence pieces still standing around areas of crusted earth, she concealed it as best as possible before stepping out into the street and looking around. The night was mostly clear, which would help the people Indra would send on patrol. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon and she could see the shapes of Clarke and Lincoln heading towards them. Anya and her met them halfway, heading back together to the looming door.
Lexa knocked, hoping the Followers wouldn’t be too quick to try and jump the gun at the sight of their unexpected guests, and the door opened without a sound shortly after. Harper greeted her with a bright smile, though it was replaced by a confused, polite frown at the sight of their other two companions. “Unlikely yet welcome allies, they’re under my protection- and responsibility.” Lexa explained. Harper nodded and opened the door wider. After some quick introductions, they were led through the building to meet with Indra and her people.
The inside of the building was the complete opposite of the ruins they’d seen outside. Everything was well cared-for, the rooms clean and slightly decorated, each with a very specific purpose. As they walked through the Followers’ headquarters, they were followed by fascinated whispers and impressed gasps. Lexa’s visible arsenal was no doubt the source of some of them.
They went up the stairs until they reached a wide office. The room was sitting at the back of the house, its walls busy with screens. At its centre a wide, circular table covered in papers and surrounded by a few chairs awaited them. Indra was sat in the middle alongside Octavia, sharing a hushed conversation. Wordlessly, Harper grabbed a few extra chairs for their plus ones and left the room. Once she’d finished her conversation with Octavia, Indra turned to the party of four.
“Welcome. I remember you both…” She trailed, eyeing the two vampires. “Clarke and Lincoln, correct? You helped Lexa and Anya with the ambush and its aftermath.”
Lexa was about to let them reply when she was interrupted by the clattering of a chair. Octavia had stood up, white-hot anger directed at the newcomers.
“You brought them here?! Do you have any idea what they could do to us? Now they know where we live!” She half-yelled, prompting Lexa to step in front of her group defensively, feeling aggravation eating away at her patience but remaining calm.
“They have nothing to do with what’s been happening. They’ve even offered to help us knowing that their decision would get them exiled from the Ark. As I’ve said, they’re with me- and my responsibility.” She explained, her tone even to try and diffuse the situation.
Octavia didn’t budge, most likely – as Lexa was familiar with the feeling – lost in painful memories. After a moment to consider the situation, she stared right into Octavia’s eyes and matched her intensity. “Attack them and you attack me.” She stated, her voice cold enough to give even the two vampires chills. The threat behind her words was obvious to all. She was the Slayer, her abilities were far beyond even the best trained humans, let alone Octavia: as promising as she was, Lexa was beyond her. If she didn’t wish to spar, Lexa could take Octavia down in an instant. This realisation seemed to shake the young Follower out of her rage. She stood down and looked away before picking up her chair, nodding an apology towards her mentor.
“Circumstances make for unlikely bedfellows. I understand this more than many might imagine.” Indra smiled, leaving Lexa wondering what she might be referring to. “It’s good to meet people that share our goal to keep innocents out of harm’s way. As long as our aims align you will be welcome here.”
Clarke and Lincoln thanked her, the four of them sitting down across the table. They were about to start talking when a knock interrupted them. Monty walked in carrying a crate of technological equipment, heading into a booth off to the side of the room after excitedly greeting Lexa, who returned the greeting with a smile, making sure to show him that she remembered his name. Harper and Niylah sat down on Indra’s other side, greeting Lexa and her group while doing so, while a different group waited at the door. Octavia sunk into her chair, visibly displeased with being there instead of with the armed team standing before them.
The Followers gathered were no joke: seven people, led by Monroe whose hair was gathered in a tight mohawk-like braid, they were all wearing discrete thin-weave chainmail – maybe Kevlar, Lexa thought – rising high along their neck. Thicker protections covered their joints and fists, leaving their fingers free. There weren’t too many obvious weapons, though Lexa could notice a few stakes, telescopic batons, religious symbols specific to the wearer’s faith and vials of what she assumed was holy water. She also spotted the glint of a few silver-lined blades.
Indra beckoned Monroe forward and she complied, exchanging greetings with Lexa and her people while doing so.
“Monroe. Good team makeup, what’s your briefing.” Indra asked, leaving the young woman to explain her strategy.
“I won’t take full credit for our game plan, Monty helped a lot in setting it up. Most of the team will take to the rooftops, only two of us will be on the ground at any time. We’ll be spread out a little, keeping each other updated through radio and GPS tracking. Monty will be guiding and coordinating our movements. We’ll move through the city in an irregular pattern, focusing on areas of most activity, with a two-team of fliers reaching for the more remote areas semi-regularly.
“Interesting. This is a very different strategy compared to Nyko’s tried and true grid pattern, any reason you wish to change it?” Indra asked. Monroe answered right away, her faith in the plan they’d made completely unshaken.
“While it’s been working for a while, Nyko’s plan has always had side casualties. We believe that a consistent grid pattern, even randomised in its direction, may cover more ground but could easily be figured out. Especially if the people trying to find out our troop movement is a team of vampires numerous enough to figure us and our direction out. By keeping to wider areas and sending flyers to remote point, especially with a consistent conversation, we get to keep watch on areas that tend to be hit and still check the ones that are more sheltered, all the while having an optimal trajectory to go back and forth in case something happens. Our guess though, by that I mean Monty’s, is that whatever vampire coven attacked Lexa is licking its wound at not seeing any of their folk back, so this would be a good time for a test run of our strategy.”
Indra seemed to think on it for a moment, exchanging a meaningful look with Anya, then nodded.
“Your plan seems sound, good job to you and Monty. Good hunt.” Indra approved, sending the team on its way. Monroe gave a nod, waved excitedly to Monty with a smile, giving him a thumbs up, then put her war face back on and turned to leave the room when Lexa got up.
“Wait, Monroe, I think you should have these.” She grabbed the most impressive and advanced parts of her arsenal: the darts, her trusty silver knuckles and her holy pepper spray. She extended them to the Follower, who looked at the items then to Lexa with a shocked expression. “These never failed me. Seeing that we’re colleagues and you’re doing my job tonight, I’d like you to have them. If they come in use, all the better.” Lexa gave a small smile.
Monroe took hold of the weapons, balancing them in her hands, then thanked Lexa and left with her team. The brunette sat back down, feeling somewhat naked without her usual equipment. Anya must have noticed, because she moved innocuously to lean her elbow against her protégé’s.
The conversation lasted until late at night, the drone of Monty running communications providing background noise from the other room. They exchanged any and all information they had, sharing theories and drafting plans. Hours later, Anya, Octavia and Harper started feeling the exhaustion of the full day of work preceding this conversation more than everyone else (experience, Slayer’s gift and vampirism all helping against tiredness). The group decided to call it quits for the night and to let people rest. Clarke and Lincoln offered to escort Anya home, which Lexa accepted. She went to Monty to let him and the team know that she’d be joining them for the tail end of their patrol. Slayer and Watcher thanked the Followers present for their hospitality, offering to hold the next meeting at their house, then exited flanked by their vampire plus ones.
Lexa offered her bike, Lincoln picking up the keys and climbing on while Clarke assured that she’d be fine running along the vehicle. Lexa watched the trio depart then turned around, listening on the earpiece she’d been loaned by the Followers to join up with the team. She let Monroe keep her gear for the remainder of the patrol, each returning the items to their owner once done. The night had been calm, only a few scattered vampires here and there that were quickly disposed of, but it looked like Monty’s patrol route was indeed more efficient than a simple grid. Indra would be pleased and, Lexa thought, this would work quite well for Monty’s confidence, especially since Monroe made sure to point out that he’d been a key element.
Once home, Lexa crashed on the couch for the few hours between sunrise and Anya’s morning alarm, not wishing to risk waking up her mentor. Something had been running through her mind for a while and she needed to hold on to the bravery it would take to go through it. Anya had seen her through thick and thin, her loyalty was unquestionable. She deserved the truth.
When Anya walked downstairs in the morning, still tired from the previous day’s activities, she was surprised to see Lexa awake, still in yesterday’s clothes, with breakfast ready.
“It’s taken me a while.” Lexa started, trying to hold on for dear life to the few strands of courage slipping away from her. “But I need to do this. You deserve the full truth and I don’t want to hide anymore, regardless of how it makes me feel to be this vulnerable.”
Anya set her mug of tea on the side table, sitting down in front of Lexa and ever so softly covering her Slayer’s hands – she’d been wringing her fingers – with one of her own. Her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest. This is it, she thought. She remained quiet, the weight of her hand a reminder to Lexa that she was here and wouldn’t go anywhere.
“I want to talk about Costia.”