Author's note: Just a little something I've written to try and help process all these emotions that I'm still feeling right now. Hopefully it'll help some of you process things too…
Warnings: Angst, lots of angst. Character death.
Notes: I started thinking about this before I'd seen 2x15 but after I'd seen the promo (don't ask…) but I think it still fits reasonably into canon now that I've seen the ep :) Please forgive me for any feels you may get from this…
It's dark when they attack.
Marcus hears nothing initially as he lies frustrated in medical, his arm attached to yet another IV and his leg wrapped securely in bandages. He's confined to bed rest for at least a week, even though the pain is minimal and the injury to his thigh is healing well. He's able to get up and about, albeit slowly and with a significant limp. Abby has been a near constant companion in the times she is able to spare from her other duties as a doctor and Chancellor.
There's been no word from Clarke for 24 hours, and Marcus is restless to get involved in the action - he's a solider first and foremost and the fact that they're all involved in a war and he's unable to fight merely adds to his frustration.
It seems, however, that he doesn't need to go to the action; it comes to him instead.
There is an almighty crash as something rams the gates, and suddenly there is shouting and gunfire and a horrific cacophony of noise that takes him back to the chaos that ensued in Tondc.
Marcus takes a shuddering breath as he searches for a weapon but finds nothing in the nearby area. The tent door flaps open and Abby comes rushing in, a panicked look on her face. She heads straight for him and starts talking before he's had a chance to utter a word.
"They're here... Emerson and a load of Mount Weather forces." She's terrified, Marcus realizes, and he reaches out and takes her hand, linking their fingers together.
"Where?"
"Everywhere," she continues hastily, eyes drifting to the door every couple of seconds. "The main gates, all around the fence. They've spread out, but they've got more snipers in the forest; they're picking us off one by one again. They… they got a couple of the guards before we started to get people into cover."
Her eyes lower to the floor as she speaks and he senses that she's struggling to cope with number of deaths that have occurred in recent days. He squeezes her hand tightly again and the motion urges her to look at him.
"We need to evacuate everyone into the station," Marcus says, urgency rushing through him, adrenaline flowing through his veins as he tries to analyze the situation and find a solution that will save as many of their people for as long as possible.
Abby merely shakes her head, a forlorn expression on her face.
"They've cut off our power," she confides, voice breaking slightly, "there's no way to seal the doors permanently and they're almost through the ga…"
She's cut off by the sound of a small explosion and Marcus flinches again, tastes the memory of dust and blood and death in his mouth.
It's mere seconds before the screams and shouts intensify. Abby quickly lets go of her fingers, aware that she's the only doctor on site with Jackson marching with the Grounders. Marcus reaches for her, catches her sleeve, draws her attention back to him for a second.
"Be careful," he urges, voice determined as he struggles to hold back his worry, "stay safe Abby, we can't… I can't lose you okay?"
She smiles at him and nods, clearly unable to voice anything herself. Abby rushes towards the door and has the flap halfway open when she freezes. Marcus shifts quickly so he can see the door more clearly and he realizes, horror rushing through him, that the Mountain Men have arrived.
"Step back."
One of the enemy soldiers has a gun pointed at Abby, the sights aimed at her head and Marcus clenches his fists in anger at the sight. He moves to sit up, to protect her as Abby raises her hands and takes a hesitant step back. His movement is cut short when Emerson enters and points his weapon at Marcus.
"Don't move," the man whispers, eye glinting at him. He's not wearing a hazmat suit Marcus realizes, and the confirmation that the Mount Weather doctors have perfected the bone marrow treatment makes him feel sick to his stomach.
He wants to fight, but he merely raises his own hands from his position in the bed. Sometimes it's best to sit back and take note of the situation rather than rushing in all guns blazing. He's pretty much useless at the moment, no weapon, no upper hand; he just has to bide his time, an opportunity will surely arise soon.
Abby has moved closer to him in the meantime, shifting slowly so that she's standing almost in front of Marcus, attempting to protect him as she would any of her other patients, any of her people.
"Chancellor Griffin," Emerson mutters, "Councillor Kane. A pleasure to see you again."
The venom in the man's voice is barely veiled and Marcus breathes in a quiet breath. Emerson is dangerous and likely out for personal revenge after their treatment of him. This situation is turning against Abby and himself more and more by the second.
"We've been requested to take you in," Emerson continues, and Marcus notes that his gaze flickers continually towards Abby, as if she's the main reason he's here, "your daughter," the man spits in Abby's direction, "is currently launching an attack on Mount Weather. The Grounders have abandoned them, but I have to say, she's pretty determined."
"So why do you want us?" Abby asks, and Marcus senses she's playing for time; it's plainly obvious why Emerson's there.
As if to confirm his suspicions, Emerson laughs before speaking again.
"We're here," he continues gesturing to the soldier beside him and then outside the tent, where the gunshots and shouts are slowly fading, "because you are the best bargaining chip we can get. Your daughter is determined to save her friends, but I'm sure she'll stop her attack once she understands her mother's life is at risk."
"Clarke will do everything to protect her people," Abby mutters defiantly, before moving closer to Emerson. Marcus moves to stop her, but he can't reach her in time. She steps closer to Emerson, inch by inch, until she's standing right in his personal space. "And so will I. You won't be taking me anywhere. Or Councillor Kane for that matter. And the rest of my people? They'll fight to the death to protect each other if they have to."
The other man doesn't reply, just glares at Abby and Marcus senses what will occur half a second before it does.
The sound of Emerson's fist hitting Abby's cheek resonates in the now silent medical bay.
Abby stumbles and Marcus moves in an instant to catch her, wincing as he puts weight on his sore leg but he ignores it as he holds her as upright as he can. He can hear her shuddering breath as the pain impacts her, but she's conscious and that's the important thing. Marcus moves her so that Abby is resting against his bed. He then shifts, facing Emerson, anger coursing through him in hot waves.
"You shouldn't have done that," Marcus growls, staring Emerson down.
There's a split second where the other man looks hesitant, before Marcus strikes, hitting him with as much force as he can muster. In the instant that Emerson steps back at the impact, Marcus reaches for his gun and snatches it from him, turning it on the other guard and shooting him in the shoulder before the other man has a chance to react.
Emerson grunts and rushes for him before Marcus can fire another round, but Marcus strikes him again, knocking the other man to the ground, moaning in pain. He turns towards Abby, who still looks terrified and a horrific bruise is beginning to form under her left eye. Marcus reaches out a hand to smooth the beaten skin, but he's interrupted when shouts come from outside and suddenly the tent is filling with more Mount Weather guards. Marcus stands in front of Abby in a reversal of her stance moments before.
"Drop the weapon," one man shouts and Marcus does so, knowing that the two of them are in an untenable situation. He curses to himself as one of the soldiers helps Emerson off the ground while another moves to stand in front of both Marcus and Abby.
He and Abby are handcuffed, under a furious Emerson's instructions. Marcus tries to keep Abby in sight at all times, tries to focus on remaining calm as the two of them, and the rest of the ark survivors are rounded up and shepherded out of Camp Jaha, step by step, towards an unknown destination.
They're outnumbered, outgunned and now almost completely at the mercy of the Mountain Men.
But at least they're together. And together they can do anything.
It feels like hours later when Marcus is unceremoniously slammed onto his knees by one of the guards that has been escorting them from Camp Jaha. His leg sears with pain, the constant pace the Mount Weather guards had set just a fraction too fast to be comfortable. Marcus is weary, exhausted and he takes in a shuddering breath as the sack over his head is removed. He squints as the light from the room hits his eyes and he blinks furiously as he adjusts. He can see Abby next to him in the corner of his eye. He wants to look over, to reassure himself that she's fine, but he can't, knows that any sudden moves are likely to get himself and a lot of other people killed. He just can't take the risk.
He dares to look around him and Marcus quickly spots that the walls are lined with the survivors of the Ark. Everyone is chained to the wall, arms raised above their heads, helpless. He spots a couple of the guards who left with the Grounders, sees Monroe and Raven and Wick as they are hoisted indignantly up against the dark dank walls of the room.
Despite the number of survivors present, everything is quiet. It's unnerving, he thinks, eyes glancing over the faces of the people he'd sworn to protect. It's as if the fight has finally left them all, that they've accepted their fate at the hands of the Mountain Men.
All of them, it seems, apart from Abby.
"This is a mistake," she says with determination, and Marcus notes that she's glaring at Emerson again, "Clarke isn't a stupid child; she'll see through your poor attempts at blackmail and ensure that you and your men are dealt with."
Emerson laughs.
"Oh, I don't doubt her determination," he mutters, as he grabs Abby by the arms and throws her against the wall. Marcus moves to stand, but a guard trains his gun on him in an instant and he is forced to back down. "But the Grounders have already abandoned her and we've heard her desperation in her communications with the rest of her people."
Abby doesn't reply, just continues to glare as the man chains her securely against the wall. Marcus is next and he struggles to hold himself back from lashing out at the guards as his hands are pulled above him and the handcuffs secured again over his wrists.
Long minutes pass as the final few prisoners are chained to the walls, hung up like cattle carcasses in the abattoirs that existed before the war. Marcus has no doubts that each and every one of them will be made to suffer, but he holds out some hope that Clarke will find a way to save them, to help them. A tense atmosphere lies over them all and Marcus can sense the dread that fills each of the prisoners, himself included. They have never been this vulnerable before, and he hates, hates this overwhelming feeling of helplessness.
It isn't until all the prisoners are chained to the wall that Emerson looks around and finally speaks to Marcus and Abby himself.
"I'm awaiting word from President Cage that he's ready to beginnegotiations," he utters quietly, the underlying threat sending yet another chill down Marcus' spine. It's times like this that he wishes he'd never handed over the damn Chancellor's job to Abby, that she'd remained his adviser and not the other way round. He wishes it was his life that was being bargained with; anything to prevent Abby's life being placed in any more unnecessary danger.
Breaking from his introspection, Marcus belatedly notes that Emerson has continued talking.
"I see no reason why we can't start out secondary mission," he waves some guards over and gestures towards a set of medical personnel who have appeared at some point in the last few minutes. "These fine ladies and gentlemen will be preparing you all for your operations. I'd like to thank youall for volunteering to donate your bone marrow to the more deserving people in this facility. You should find it's relatively painless. No, actually, it'll hurt like Hell, but then, I think that's exactly what you all deserve…"
Emerson laughs darkly then and motions towards a set of prisoners against the far wall; the wall that contains, for a start, Wick, Sinclair and Raven.
Marcus watches, shocked and in disbelief, as one of the guards pulls Raven from her chains and pulls her towards the medical bed in the middle of the room.
"No! Stop it!" Marcus shouts then, aiming his words at the doctor who is currently strapping Raven into the chair. His outcry prompts a guard to hit him squarely in the jaw and Marcus sees stars as the back of his head impacts the wall with force and a sickening 'crunch'. He hears Abby's breath hitch next to him, hears her quiet mutter of concern, her voice soft enough that only he can hear her.
"I'm fine," he whispers back, shaking his head slightly to fight off a wave of dizziness.
His injuries, both to his head and the lingering one that itches and pulls in his thigh, are quickly forgotten as a haunting buzz of a drill fills the room. There are sobs from several prisoners in the room, and there is a collective horrified gasp as Raven's first screams of agony penetrate the relative quiet of the room. It's not long before the shouts of protest and sobs of fear add to the yells of pure terror being wrenched from Raven as she is subjected to the bone marrow removal process.
Suddenly, a voice drifts out from the radio attached to Emerson's hip. Marcus struggles to hear it over the cacophony in the room and he's relieved when the other man calls off the doctors with the drills in order to hear the radio more clearly.
"Emerson, are you there? Can you hear me?"
The guard takes the radio from his belt and lifts it to his lips, his eyes never leaving Marcus'.
"I can hear you loud and clear President Cage. We're currently in Bunker 14, carrying out our secondary mission; it was getting a little noisy."
Marcus listens carefully, glances over at Abby. All her attention is on Raven however, who is bleeding and sobbing into the medical bed. Marcus watches as Abby attempts to pulls her hands from the wall, her instincts as a doctor taking over. He wishes he could free her, could help her get to Raven's side…
"Excellent work Emerson. And your primary mission?"
"We have all the prisoners from the camp sir, including Griffin's mother and her precious Councillor. Do you wish for me to bring them to you?"
There's a quiet crackle over the radio, and then a chilling message is spoken, loud enough for them all to hear.
"That won't be necessary Emerson, you can stand down. Clarke Griffin has been captured and the remaining 44 children are in confinement; the danger is over…"
A pause follows, then; "Chancellor Griffin is no longer required for the negotiation process…"
Silence fills the room and dread fills Marcus, a chill running down his spine as he takes in the words he's just heard. It's over…
Any hope they had of being rescued is over; there will be no last minute reprieve, no final showdown; this is how it will end for the survivors of the Ark - a brutal death in a dark, rank underground bunker, bodies subjected to medical experiments, their life drained through needle after needle until nothing remains.
"Well," Emerson says wryly, tossing the radio to a nearby guard, and turning towards Abby as she stands in front of him, "seems you're not as important as we thought Chancellor. What a shame. Still, at least your bone marrow will be helpful; you're a doctor, you'll know we can still feasibly harvest a short time after death…"
He laughs then, cackles evilly, and the sound hits Marcus right in the gut as he stands, chained, helpless to protect her. Again.
Marcus watches, broken, as the man raises his gun, points it at Abby, who, despite the chains that bound her to the wall, is still standing defiantly before Emerson. Her face shows no fear and Marcus wonders how she remains so calm when his body, his mind, his soul, is in utter chaos.
Time slows and Marcus can hear himself begging, pleading with anyone who'll listen to exchange his life for hers. It wasn't supposed to end like this, he was supposed to save her, protect her, protect everyone. He was the one who deserved to die, to sacrifice himself for the greater good of their people.
He watches, horrified, as Abby turns to look at him one last time, a small smile on her face as she stares at him. Things that were left unsaid between them linger in the air, but neither of them speak, neither of them physically able to say a word. Instead, Marcus can only smile back a little. He hopes the gesture is enough to tell her everything he feels for her in those final moments: "I'm sorry… don't leave me… I love you…"
He doesn't register the gunshot, doesn't register the sound of the impact or the maniacal laughter of Emerson. He doesn't feel the warm splash of her blood against his cheek nor the rattling of her chains as her body jerks as the bullet enters her with deadly precision. All he can focus on is the way Abby's body suddenly slumps, lifeless, against the wall, arms still hanging above her.
She's gone.
Dead.
Dead.
He screams.
He wakes.
There's a warm body lying next to him, arm curled around his torso and fist clenching in his sweat drenched shirt. They don't fit comfortably on the tiny cot together, but he vaguely remembers offering her space to sleep last night as she'd stumbled into medical, exhausted, at the end of her final patrol.
She's as awake as he is now however, her eyes wide and afraid, although not of him, he thinks, but afraid for him. Marcus peers down at Abby, arm moving instinctively to sweep through her hair as he tries to calm his frantically beating heart.
"Abby…" His voice is hoarse, rough from sleep and the nightmare that plagued his rest.
"Are you okay?" She whispers, fingers still curled up in the fabric of his shirt.
He can feel the warmth of her skin through the thin material and the burning sensation is another reassurance that she is alive.
"Nightmare," he manages to choke out, breath still struggling to escape from his lungs and provide him the oxygen he desperately needs. "They… they attacked the camp, they, they took us prisoner and you, God, Abby… they…"
He clings to her desperately then, the overpowering emotions hitting him in the gut as he tries to process everything. She isn't dead, isn't gone, she's right here.
"I'm right here," she repeats out loud, voice muffled slightly as she puts her head into his chest. "You're safe Marcus, we're safe."
Marcus clutches her hands desperately, brings it to his lips, kisses her knuckles in thanks as he fights the urge to hold onto her and never let her go.
"I know," he says, more to reassure himself than to do the same for her. "But I can't help but sense something is wrong…"
As if he'd overheard the conversation, Sinclair suddenly appears in the tent, approaching the two of them as they lie curled together on the cot.
The other man doesn't acknowledge the strange sight before him, merely looks determinedly at Abby as she moves to sit up next to Marcus. She maintains her hold of his hand, even as the Chief Engineer starts to talk.
"We've lost radio contact," he starts, looking between the two of them, "and the last message wasn't good… the Grounders have retreated, and all indications suggest that Clarke and the others are stuck in the vicinity of Mount Weather with nowhere to go."
Marcus feels Abby sag slightly against him. He knows how concerned Abby has been for Clarke since they went their separate ways outside of Tondc. And now it seems that the tentative alliance with the Grounders has shattered; everything is falling apart and there's nothing he can do to stop it.
At least, not while he's stuck in medical.
"Well then," he urges, pushing himself more upright on the uncomfortable bed, his leg twinging and aching as he attempts to move it. Abby reaches for him and places her hand reassuringly on his arm. "I guess we'd better find a way to help them; we need to mount a rescue mission, and soon…"
Abby looks at him and he watches as her glance drifts down to his leg and back to his face.
"Okay," she says eventually, smiling despite the unwelcome news they've just received, "let's move this to the council room; we're going to need maps and the remainder of the guards."
Abby directs the last instructions at Sinclair, who utters a quick 'yes ma'am' of acknowledgment and disappears from the tent as quickly as he has arrived.
Marcus reaches for Abby again as soon as Sinclair has left, fingers interlinking with hers once more, palm squeezing against hers in what he hopes is mutual reassurance.
Abby smiles up at him and carefully helps him to stand as they begin to discuss different rescue options.
"It's going to be fine," Marcus whispers suddenly as his thumb sweeps over the back of her hand, "we can do this, we'll get them back. We're in this together, and nothing's going to stop us…"
Abby chuckles by his side and Marcus vows to himself that when this is all over, when Clarke and the rest of the kids are safe, that he'll do everything in his power to hear that sound as often as he can…