So, I had this idea - nothing groundbreaking to the plot of the series - but wouldn't it be interesting if Clarke and Kane were closer before and during the events of the series? I imagine Kane to be close friends with Jake and present in the family's life. I always thought that he and Clarke were very alike in their resilience and pragmatic approach, so why not imagine her getting it from him, at least in some part?
Anyway, this will likely be a multi-chapter, but mostly one shots or very loosely connected events, described and intertwined with this new background piece.
please share your thoughts and ideas!
-s.
"What is this?" she asked glancing at the tray in Marcus' hands.
"It's your breakfast, Clarke," Marcus answered matter-of-factly, hoping that his silhouette was blocking an additional – and definitely not edible – object sitting on a tray next to her actual breakfast.
Before she managed to fire another question, Marcus shook his head shortly. He glanced back at the guard standing a few steps behind him, next to the open door. The man was looking straight ahead of him but Marcus wasn't fooled – the man could hear every word exchanged between them.
Clarke followed Marcus' eyes only to move them back to his face a second later.
She took the tray from his hands and set the food on a tiny table next to her bed. While working on the food with one hand, the second one reached for the book and within a second she pushed it under her pillow.
Seeing that the book was neatly tucked and hidden, Marcus knew that it was his cue to leave, but he hesitated. He should have just left the cell not to raise any further suspicion. He wasn't even supposed to be there – head of guard was the last person to be bringing breakfast to a delinquent. He already noticed a couple of surprised and raised eyebrows on his way to Clarke's cell. The guard accompanying his was trusted – Marcus chose him himself – but there was always a risk of him mentioning this situation to someone who was not trusted. It was something Marcus couldn't allow to happen. He knew that he needed to leave, but something stopped him.
Clarke was watching him with expectation and slight confusion painted all over her face. She also felt the tension rising in the small cell. Marcus knew her well enough to guess that she was experiencing the same conundrum as he – she knew that he needed to leave not to draw unnecessary attention but she also desperately needed him to explain himself.
As if sensing his hesitation, the guard behind him turned his head to look at the older man and the teenage girl inside the cell. Making his decision, Marcus was about to open his mouth to bark some order, when the young man simply moved from his post. A moment later, the door to Clarke's cell has been closed and the overall noise level diminished to almost nothing.
The silence was almost overbearing.
Realising what happened, Marcus let out a breath that he had no idea he was holding. He knew that they still didn't have much time. The closed door bought them mere minutes before he would be forced to leave. But suddenly Marcus was lost at words. His eyes focused on the walls and floor of the small cell – almost every bit of accessible surface have been covered in drawings and sketches made by Clarke's hand. He found himself staring at the floor, where he found a semi-finished depiction of a new moon shining over a line of trees growing by a lake.
He recognised the picture immediately. It was a replica of a painting that had been hung on the walls of Clarke's room in the Griffin's quarters. The same that he stole from his mother and gifted to Clarke for her twelfth birthday.
"I guess I should thank you for the charcoal."
Almost startled, Marcus tore his eyes off the floor to look at the girl standing in from of him. Clarke's hair was tousled and messy. She was also wearing a charcoal stained shirt and a light jacket. He wondered if the jacket and blankets were keeping her warm at night.
He wondered if the jacket will be enough for the nights on the ground.
He wondered if she will even survive long enough to test the jacket during her the first night on the ground.
"Kane?" Clarke's voice brought him back to reality once more. Suddenly he realised even more that they were running on borrowed time and he couldn't afford to waste it. He strode to Clarke's cot, pulled out the hidden book and lifted it to her eye level.
For the first time, Clarke took in the book properly and read the title.
"I appreciate the gesture, but I've already aced my Earth Skills 101 course," she told him, making a face. "Couldn't you have brought me some novel instead?"
"I need to have this back tomorrow before breakfast," he barked ignoring her snarky comment. "I will not be able to sneak it in again so make sure you read every bookmarked chapter twice before that time comes."
This time, Clarke shook her head. She was still confused, but the tone of Marcus' voice brought about to her face also fear.
"Why?" she asked suspiciously and then demanded, with a tinge of anger to her tone. "Tell me what is going on, Kane."
Marcus desperately tried to ignore the knot tied tightly in the pit of his stomach. He darted towards the door, leaning even closer to them as he closed his eyes. He ran his hand over his face and then through his hair, thinking of how he was supposed to do it. He still couldn't believe it was even happening. He still couldn't believe that her mother could've suggested doing it to her own daughter.
Or more precisely, doing it and not giving Clarke the best possible chance to prepare herself for what's coming, like they did with the others.
Resulting from years of experience, he was sure his face was devoid of emotions as usual when he face her again. He never was more grateful for his guard training than he was at that moment – Clarke needed to see him in control of emotions if he wanted her not to panic when he finally decided to reveal the real purpose of his visit.
He cleared his throat.
"You are being sent to the ground," he finally revealed after a long pause. "The rest of the prisoners are heading towards their last earth skills lecture as we speak."
His was met with a wall of silence. Marcus decided to take his time to study the girl's face in search for first signs of reaction – whatever it should be.
Clarke opened her mouth but no voice came out of it.
If he was honest with himself, he didn't know what to expect of her. He knew what he wanted her to react like, but in all honesty he couldn't fathom what was going through her head the moment he spoke the words aloud. Kane knew the girl standing next to him all her life, but never has he felt more like a stranger to her than in this moment.
She was staring at his face but he was certain that her eyes didn't see him. He, however, could almost see chaotic thoughts running through her head, chasing one another until finally it clicked.
When she still didn't move or say anything for another moment, he stepped a little closer towards her. It finally stirred a reactionnd from her. She covered her face just like he had seconds before.
She shook her head, but the words that left her lips were uttered in a voice full of desperation:
"You're killing us all to reduce population and make more time for the rest of you."
Wincing for the first time, Marcus was seconds from denying. He opened his mouth to disagree with her and tell her that they weren't killing them, but stopped. Abby would do it, he thought to himself. Abby would embrace her daughter and fed her lies on how the Earth could be survivable and how sending them down there was not an execution. The woman was too weak to face the reality and admit that she was simply choosing a different kind of death sentence for the hundred prisoners locked in the Skybox.
Marcus Kane had too much respect for the girl to do just that.
"You need to stay strong, Clarke," he told her instead. "Whatever happens down there, I need you to stay strong and don't give up."
For the first time, Marcus noticed that in her hands Clarke was clutching the book that he has given her. Her hands were trembling slightly and Marcus stepped towards her and grabbed her forearms.
Unexpectedly, his words triggered a flame of anger in her eyes.
"'Whatever happens'?" she repeated mockingly. Her legs tore off the floor and she cut the small space between them, pushing him hard on the chest. Unexpectedly, Marcus stumbled a bit, less from her push and more from the surprise. She shoved him again and this time he saw that her eyes were full of tears.
He gulped.
"I was supposed to be reviewed in a month," she hissed angrily through her teeth and tears. "I could have been free in a month and now you are standing in the cell that you had thrown me into, telling me to be strong when you are killing me for the second time!"
Marcus grabbed Clarke's arms again and pushed her away from him, steadying her as she stumbled after he made the unexpected move. She tried to escape his hold but was too weak. Marcus grimaced when she dig her nails into his palms but he didn't let her go either way.
"Stop it, Clarke!" he hissed while shaking her a bit.
It set off another wave of fury, but this time he was ready. Marcus quickly immobilised Clarke's arms and legs, pushing her against the wall to their right. The girl winced in pain and hissed but this time in pain, when her back collided with the cold and hard surface. She opened her eyes and Marcus was almost taken away by the amount of fear that finally surfaced. Clarke started shaking and it was Marcus' time to panic until he realised that she was sobbing.
Despite her breakdown, Marcus knew that the girl was strong – she had been since she was young – and it was one of the few traits that made him feel so protective of Jake's daughter. It wasn't only his promise made to Jake, not only the fact that – deep down – he was still a decent human being, it wasn't even the fact that being close to her daughter, drove Abby insane. It was because Clarke Griffin despite her age was the only other person that he knew that he saw would understand him and his decisions.
Even if initially, clouded with feelings and driven by instincts, when push came to the shove Clarke's strength was not blinded by emotions. Even in this case – especially now – he knew that she would see this sooner or later.
Clarke was still crying uncontrollably. He knew that it was ridiculous, but in this moment Marcus wished that Abby was there to take care of her daughter and soothe her. But Abby was not there and Marcus did the only thing that he deemed appropriate – he reached out and brought Clarke close to his chest. She clung to it.
"I'm sorry," he heard himself say, as if through water, and wasn't even sure what exactly he was apologising for. "I am sorry, Clarke."
He gave her another few minutes to get herself together. When she did, his expression was back to stoic when he observed at how she lifted her palm to her face, drying her eyes in one swift movement. Even though her face looked like it was carved in stone now – mimicking his own expressions, for sure – in her eyes hew saw a well-hidden panic. He took his chance now before she crumbled in front of him again.
"Clarke, they will be taking you tomorrow before breakfast," he murmured, looking straight into her eyes that were now wide open. "You will be dropped in the north west part of the former US, nearby an old military base. Nod if you understand."
She did. Marcus did all he could to keep his voice steady and tone matter-of-fact while he explained her the details of the plan. She was nodding sporadically or asking questions, but never tried to stop him.
"Your mother believes that the ground is survivable," he told her finally. "But we have no proof unless you land there and tell us yourself. You will all be given bracelets that will send us information about your vitals. You must not take them under any circumstances."
She nodded again. He mimicked the movement but more to reassure her and himself that the whole idea was not going to kill the hundreds of kids immediately.
"If it works, we will join down there you as soon as possible," Marcus finished.
At that, Clarke let out a humourless chuckle.
"If we don't crash or the radiation doesn't kill us sooner."
Marcus couldn't help but lift the corner of his lips.
"Your mother would be disappointed by your pessimism, Clarke."
Abby was so hopeful that she decided that killing her own daughter along with tens of other teenage prisoners away from their home was a better idea than floating them, he mustered to himself, not daring to make the comment aloud.
He still wouldn't believe that they will last a day on the ground. But every single one of the prisoners had made their bed and needed to lay in them. And Marcus needed the population to be decreased quickly to give the rest of them a chance at survival. Just like Clarke said. He couldn't care less how that happens.
He knew how he was viewed by other citizens of the Ark and he never denied the description and names that he was called. Cold. Calculating. Monster, even, by those whose families he floated. He ignored all this because he believed that he was doing the right thing. He knew that he was right. If the Ark is to survive, someone had to be relentless.
But he never agreed to kill Jake's kid.
Knowing that he did all he could, that he told her all she needed to know, Marcus was ready to turn around again and leave, but she stopped him.
"I want to see my mom," she demanded in a strong voice that was only slightly trembling now. "Can you arrange it?"
He shook his head curtly, much to Clarke's dismay. He couldn't risk news that someone was granted permission to visit the solitary to spread among the population. They wanted the Sky box to be isolated from the rest of the Ark's citizens – not to bring people's attention to the place.
He expected that question, though and let the corner of his lips to curve slightly once more.
"But I'm sure she will find a way to illegally sneak into the Sky box before we gather the prisoners. I may be able to turn my head away when she does"
Even if he could, he wouldn't be able to stop the woman from seeing her daughter.
A sudden knock has brought both his and Clarke's attention to the door behind them. Their time was up. Marcus nodded reassuringly to Clarke and turned to leave the cell, but was stopped by her hand grabbing his arm.
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
"Don't let anything to happen to my mom."
Kane stiffened and the reaction didn't go unnoticed by Clarke. Her fingers gripping his biceps were biting into his skin despite the guard jacket that he had on.
"I know that you aren't friendly." Marcus chuckled, raising his eyebrows at the understatement, but Clarke ignored him. "But I need you to promise me this. If I have to go, I need to do it knowing that anything bad will happen to her. I'm begging you, Kane, please keep her safe, even if from afar."
He had no idea what made him nod. He did promise to himself that he will not lie to her, but there he was, doing just that.
Clarke thanked him silently with her eyes. She finally let go of his arm and strode back towards her bed, grabbing the book and opening it on the first page. Marcus lifted his arm and punched the metal door three times to signal that he was ready to go.
He let himself and his accompanying guard to leave the Skybox before he stopped the young man placing a hand on his shoulder.
"What was that back there?" he barked.
The guard swallowed visibly before shrugging.
"I'm from the Alpha station. I was living next door from the Griffins, sir," the boy explained. "All I could do was give you chance to say goodbye."