Disclaimer - I don't own The 100 nor do I want their bone marrow for survival

Monty had lost count of how long he'd been locked up. The only thing he could count with accuracy was the amount of times Dr Tsing had seen it fit to drill into him. The weeping puncture wounds were kind of hard to ignore. All three of them throbbed in time with his heartbeat.

Monty looked up sharply as he heard movement but relief instantly swept over him when he realised that it was just Harper shifting in her sleep. The doctors had been taking it in turn with the Ark natives to give them a little rest in between procedures, not that it made that much difference, they weren't going to miraculously recover in a couple of hours. It was Monty's turn next.

Having Harper caged up with him was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because he wasn't alone in this hell on Earth and a curse because he got to witness a preview of what was going to happen to him. Only an hour or so ago he'd seen them drill into and extract bone marrow from Harper. He heard her pleas for Dr Tsing and the others to stop, her tears and screams of pain and finally her blissful silence of unconsciousness. Monty had panicked at first, rattling his cage with all the force he could muster, thinking the worse. It was only after they'd placed the teenager back in her cage and Monty threaded his fingers through the small gaps to feel her pulse that he calmed down.

Another shift from Harper had Monty tensing up. He really wished that he didn't feel so jumpy. He needed this time to recuperate and think of a plan to get Harper and himself out. He didn't have much hope of succeeding, however, as there was no way he could escape his cage and the doctors were too fast and too strong to attempt anything when they opened to door.

Monty let out an involuntary whimper when the doctors did come through the doors. It was his turn again. He didn't think he'd survive this much longer. He braced himself and tried to climb to the back as they unlocked his cage. There was no use in fighting but that didn't stop Monty from trying. He lashed out at the nearest doctor with his fist but to no avail. The doctor had seen it coming and caught the punch before it could do any damage. He then used that arm to pull Monty from the cage. Monty gasped in pain as his shoulder was forcefully wrenched forward, almost dislocating it. He was dragged from his cage to the floor. He landed on his knees and the only reason he hadn't landed face-first was the strong grip still on his wrist. Monty cried out when the shock from fall wore off and the pain finally hit him but he didn't have much time to recover as he was yet again pulled up by his arm. Monty supposed he was lucky that his arm hadn't dislocated.

Dread filled his stomach as he was dragged towards the operating table. He felt like he was going to be sick. Not again, he unconsciously repeated Harper's pleas from earlier. Not again, please! Monty struggled again, trying to pull himself from the doctor's firm grip. If only he could get free now. He could go find Jasper, Miller and the others, go get help. What he wouldn't do to see his friends right now. In a brief glimmer of hope and determination, Monty had actually escaped the doctor's grasp. He couldn't believe it! He'd broken free. His momentary dream of freedom was shattered in an instant when he felt something hit the back of his head. He fell to his knees before flopping forward onto his stomach. He let out a pitiful moan as he probed the back of his head. No blood but the throbbing pain was enough to make him nauseous. Struggling equals pain, Monty noted but that wouldn't stop him in the future. He had to keep fighting, he couldn't let the the people of Mount Weather win.

Monty was lifted from the floor and dumped onto the table where he was strapped down none too gently. He trembled in fear and trepidation. This would be his fourth drilling and he just knew it wouldn't get any easier to experience. All Monty could hope for is that he'd fall unconscious like Harper to spare him some of the pain. At the sound of the drill, Monty screwed his eyes shut and let out a sob. Monty felt the doctor pull back his gown before they began to drill.

White hot pain shot through his thigh and Monty howled in agony. He couldn't stop the tears when he felt the blood trickle down his leg. This was the worst pain he had ever felt and that was including the previous three times. His aching body was alight with pain. There wasn't an inch of him that didn't hurt. Four puncture wounds, one pounding skull, two bruised knees, one aching shoulder and a catalogue of many other injuries he'd attained since being locked up. It was all too much.

"STOP! PLEASE, STOP STOP! PLEASE, PLEASE," Monty screamed. He was almost at the end of his tether but nowhere near the unconsciousness that he craved. "Stop...stop...s-s-sto, ple-e-e-ease," he sobbed and whimpered.

"It's okay, Monty, it's okay," Harper soothed. She'd awoken to the sounds of Monty's screams. "Listen to me, it's nearly over, it's nearly over." Harper kept up a litany of reassuring words and Monty clung onto them like a lifeline. The procedure was nearly over but the pain was far from gone. He could still feel a phantom drilling sensation in his leg and if not for the absence of the buzzing, Monty would have thought that the torture was still ongoing.

After extracting his bone marrow, Dr Tsing quickly dressed the wound and slung Monty back in his cage. The blood slowly seeped through his bandages and onto the yellow gown. It blended in nicely with the other droplets from his previous surgeries, Monty thought absently. He was really tired and sore but he couldn't quite go to sleep, no so soon after his hellish ordeal. Every time he moved shooting pains racked his abused body. At his moan of discomfort, Harper reached her fingers through the gaps at the bottom of his cage. Seeing this, Monty reached down and the grasped each her fingers, not quite holding hands but the close as they could get. Seeking a little comfort in the gesture, Monty relaxed enough to fall into an uneasy sleep with his hand still in Harper's grip.

Monty didn't sense the doctors returning, the only thing he did feel was his hand slipping from Harper's. It was Harper's turn to be drilled already. She'd barely had time to recover from the last time. The doctors were coming more frequently and that worried Monty. Soon they'd both be out of bone marrow and Dr Tsing would have to look elsewhere. That meant their friends would join them. The doctors dragged Harper out of her cage with ease. Most of her strength had depleted along with her marrow. She had no fight left in her. They laid her on her back this time and strapped her down.

Monty sat up in his cage and watched as Dr Tsing picked up a scalpel.

"Please...stop, she's too weak," Monty pleaded, gripping the door of the cage.

"Don't, not again," Harper begged, her voice was hardly there. Monty had to strain hear her. When Tsing didn't stop Monty began to shake his cage with all his strength.

"No! no! NO! NO!" Monty shouted and grunted with exertion. He didn't know if Harper could survive another extraction.

Monty was so caught up in stopping the doctors that he didn't hear the doors opening.

"Mr President!" Dr Tsing exclaimed in alarm.

"Put that down!" he ordered pointing to the drill. "Get away from that girl!"

Monty turned his attention towards the new arrivals when he was sure Harper was safe. President Wallace and a couple of guards had interrupted them, and-

"Jasper!" Monty shouted.

"Monty!" Jasper called back and rushed towards him.

"Release him!" Wallace shouted at the doctor.

"Open it," Jasper mumbled and when the doctor wasn't quick enough, he loudly repeated, "OPEN IT!" When the door was finally opened, Monty collapsed into his friends arms. "I was so worried," Jasper murmured in Monty's ear. Monty in turn sobbed in relief and buried his head in Jasper's shoulder.

"The ground is our birthright, you can't keep that from us," Tsing said, standing her ground.

"Watch me," President Wallace said with contempt, "Lock her up!" He turned back to Jasper, "Go back to the dorm and tell your friends to pack your things, you're going home."

Monty sagged a little in relief. He was lucky that Jasper was holding him up, otherwise he might have collapsed to his knees.

"Thank you," Jasper said sincerely. One of the guards helped Harper up whilst Jasper helped Monty limp towards the exit. Walking was painful but the overwhelming relief at being rescued overpowered that pain and he struggled on.

After cleaning up and changing back into normal clothes, the three teens headed back to the dorms. Although he could barely stand, Monty stayed upright to support Jasper in his evacuation attempt.

"Alright, listen up," Jasper started, "there's going to be questions but there's no time for that, so pack your stuff."

"What are you talking about?" Fox asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What, they're just letting us go?" Miller scoffed.

"Yes, right now, before they change their minds," Jasper urged.

"Jasper, what the hell's going on?" Fox asked.

When nobody looked like they were going to move, Monty spoke up, "They lied to us the whole time about everything. The Ark is on the ground and we're not safe here, now do what he says!"

"Now!" Jasper ordered.

Just when everyone was about to spring into action an alarm sounded and the doors slammed shut.

"NO!" Jasper shouted in frustration as he slapped his hand uselessly against the doors. It took all of Monty's remaining strength to stay on his feet and not breakdown and have a panic attack. There was no stopping the Mountain Men. If there was any constellation, it was that Harper had at least been saved.

Later, when everyone had calmed down somewhat, Monty still hadn't had a chance to properly relax. Everyone had slowly started to settle in for night but the tensions were still high. Monty grasped Harper's hand and helped her drink a mug of water before heading towards his own designated bunk bed that he shared with Miller. Jasper had chosen the bunk opposite so he could be on the same level as his best friend. Monty's bed wasn't empty when he got there.

Jasper, Miller, Fox and a few others had decided to use their two bunks as a meeting point and Miller was perched in the middle of Monty's bed. Too exhausted to try and get him to move, Monty sat down next to him and tried to pay attention to the ongoing discussion. He was getting warmer and warmer and although he could clearly hear the others talking he couldn't recall a single word they'd said. He felt his eyes drooping and he immediately snapped them open again. He blinked harshly, trying to wake himself up a bit but it was no use. He'd been through an ordeal and this was one of the first times he could properly relax. Monty's eyes slid shut again and this time they didn't reopen.

Miller tensed when he felt a weight on his shoulder but instantly relaxed when he saw in was only Monty. Jasper smirked in amusement at Miller but his eyes still held a look of concern for his slumbering friend. Miller just looked fondly down at the boy's head resting on his shoulder before shrugging his free one and continuing the conversation as normal. Jasper smirked to himself, looking as though he knew something everyone else didn't.

They may all be trapped in the dorms, and the people of Mount Weather may be coming for them but tonight, tonight they could just rest and enjoy each other's company. This might be the last chance they got to do it.