Copyright: I do not own The 100, nor the characters in this story. (At this point I have not added any of my own characters yet.)
Further notice/copyright thing: I was inspired by another author on here, who is writing an amazing story about Clarke and Lexa. My story may tie into hers eventually/hopefully (my fingers are crossed) if she wants, although I intend for this to still be readable and enjoyable in its own right. IF this happens, then I do not lay claim to any of her ideas or characters, though they make pop into this story.
Note 1: This story will be getting quite a bit darker as time goes on. This is the first time in quite a while that I have written this genre of story, and this is is the first time I've ever submitted any of my writing to anywhere.
Criticism, comments and questions? Feedback is wanted and welcome, and I'll do my best to respond as soon as I am able! :)
Monty
I woke up quite early, a thing that is taught to all engineers on the Ark, (as the station was always breaking in some way or another, even late at night/early in the morning). I put on my regular clothes, and slipped my boots on and began tying the strings. In the doing of such, I got this feeling that someone was watching me. Not worried about it, I made my bed, as I normally did in Mount weather, thankful to now have a bed still, as I preferred it, obviously, to sleeping on the ground, as we did when all 100 of us had initially landed. I lifted the mattress, and tucked the sheets under them on each side, as I realized how thin these mattresses were, compared to those in the mountain.
The mountain. I didn't even want to think about that.
Instead of dwelling on it, I took mental inventory of all of the farmable plants we had had seeds for from the drop ship, and where they could have gotten to, when the mountain men had taken us. I figured I'd ask around. Between Raven, Bellamy, and Finn, one of them would hopefully know, as they weren't taken by Mount Weather. It probably wasn't Bellamy, though, but it is a possibility that someone may have picked up the seeds, upon returning to the dropship after the battle with the grounders. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, thinking back. How things had changed.
I had finished tucking the sheets in on either side, and was starting to do the same on the bottom of the bed, when I remembered that it had felt like someone was here with me. As I turned my head to and fro, my eyes fell upon Harper as she leapt onto my bed, so she landed with her head near mine, and on top of the mattress, as she fluttered her eyelids at me. I immediately withdrew my hand from beneath the mattress, as it was not exactly the most comfortable thing, having her crash into my wrist. In doing so, I scratched my middle finger on the frame.
"Ouch," I said, instinctively, "You could always try being more careful, you know." I looked at her as her fluttering eyes changed, and she turned from being on her back to her stomach, with her arms propping her head like a bipod would.
"I'm sorry, Monty," she whispered, as she reached for my hand. I let her take my hand with her hand, which had a cool floral print on the arm of her nightgown—wait, what? I blinked hard, and confirmed I wasn't dreaming, as I examined what she was wearing. I mean, damn, she looked attractive, but…where was the nightgown from?
"Harper, where did—" I started, though I was cut off. I was wrapped up in my thoughts momentarily and just realized how she had been reeling my hand in towards her face. She kissed the back of my hand, interrupting my train of thought. I cared for her a lot.
"Monty, I didn't mean to hurt you…" She looked at me with big eyes, "Will this make it better?" she questioned, quietly. Unsure of what to expect, I opened my mouth to ask, and before words formed, she kissed the scratch on my finger, threw herself at me in an embrace. This was interesting, as I was standing and she was laying on my bed. "Thank you for everything back at the mountain." I put my hands on her back now, as I realized she must be more than a bit shaken up from such an experience. Why would she hug me laying down…this is awkward.
"Umm…Harper?" Words! I can use these! As I mentally patted myself on the back for not being tongue tied, she looked up at me, waiting for me to finish my question, "Do you think you could stand up?" She blinked at me and sighed, then stood up.
"….Whatever, Monty." She got up, and brushed off her nightgown. She moved to leave, so I bent down to smooth out the bed again. As I did, I felt someone's hand grab the center of my shirt, and swiftly pull me into them as my eyes closed, naturally. I felt someone's lips against my own, in a brief, yet hard kiss, which tasted so sweet. Then, as quickly as it had happened, I was released, and saw that it was Harper, who was already speeding away, in the direction of her room. I was definitely not suspecting this, let alone at 4:30 in the morning, as for the most part camp was quite quiet until around 7 or 8.
I was so confused. I wasn't entirely sure what emotions to feel. I pulled out the radio I had from mount weather, and began tinkering with it, when I heard the tiniest bit of what sounded like…..I couldn't quite place it…but definitely something not as static-y as the rest of the wavelengths were.
"What is that annoying sound?" A voice behind me complained, in a voice implying it was asked in jest.
"What is my friend Miller doing awake at this early an hour?" I responded, both in curiosity and in minor jest, by answering question with question. Not looking up from the radio to face him, he approached the bench I was working on.
"Aghh. Wasn't exactly sleeping easy, man," his earlier smile morphed to reveal his true unhappiness, as he talked a bit about how he had meant to apologize to Jasper for never being too fond of Maya, especially with the way things were now. "So I figured that it being 5:30 in the morning, you engineers would probably be awake, and know where Jasper's room is," he paused, "And also, I was seeing how you were handling things, man."
"It's not even 5, Miller, and…" I started saying. Miller raised one eyebrow, and pointed me at a clock, which revealed my error. "Well," I said, as I laughed at the mistake nervously, as I dropped the radio on accident. Looking into the distance, I chuckled, bit my lip, and "Shit…"
"…Monty, is everything alright with you, man?" Miller asked, confusion written across his face, as he looked at me with concern.
"Yeah!" I replied with a grin, as I stood up. "Jasper doesn't really do mornings, but after breakfast, I can find him for you," I offered as I met his gaze. "Though, you saw me yesterday…I tried to talk to him, and he looked right through me. This is hitting him really hard."
"Monty, that's why I want to apologize. I was a jerk to her when she was what was making him happy. I didn't always like Jasper being in charge, but…" again he paused. He waved his hand in front of my face. I guess I was staring at something. "You sure you're alright, man? You keep zoning out"
"It's a crazy life," I stated simply, "Time really does fly when you're..." I stopped, unsure if I should tell him about Harper.
Miller glanced at me, suspicious but not saying it verbally. "This is not exactly what I was looking for when I was reminded it was my birthday," he mentioned, after a while of talking.
"It's your birthday? And additionally, how did you not remember?"
"Yeah, my dad reminded me of such as soon as we got back to camp," Miller looked down at his feet, and then took a seat. "Kind of makes me wish he didn't remind me, what with yesterday…"
"So you feel guilty," I deduced, as my hands and gaze went back to tinkering with the radio and other parts on my table, as I sat next to him, "…that you want to be happy with people on your birthday?"
"Wouldn't you?" he making towers out of things, by putting different parts on top of one another, and stacking them, which ended up surprisingly sound structurally.
"I mean, I can see what you are saying, honestly, but I'd point out that now you have double reason to celebrate being alive," I said, in an attempt to get a smile out of my friend.
It did not make Miller smile, though it made him think, as was evident by his facial expression. We ended up having a minor discussion about the philosophy of having one's celebration day, birthday, or even if it were a wedding, on the same day that follows a terrible and/or traumatic event.
The alarm (which I had made last night while tinkering around before I fell asleep) went off, causing us both to jump.
"Breakfast is supposed to be ready soon," I said, as I watched him examine the alarm I had made, which had so rudely interrupted our brief philosophical talk.
"I'd better run back to my bed and grab a clean shirt," he said, as he excused himself. "I'll see you at breakfast!" I turned my alarm off, (pronounced 'disassembled') and put on a jacket, as I began to mosey over to the mess hall.
As I got in line for breakfast, I tried to peek and see what it was, but those ahead of me were all taller, blocking my vision. I let out a brief exasperated sigh and reminded myself that being patient is a trait that is much needed in times like this. Damn. There's nothing quite like waiting in line and smelling food to make you realize how hungry you are.
Oatmeal with berries. Not terrible, all things considered.
I turned around and saw Jasper, who did not look as broken as he did yesterday. I approached him and went to sit beside him. I hoped he was feeling more talkative, though I knew better than to get my hopes up too much. As I pulled out the chair across the table from him, I caught the eyes of my wiry-haired friend. Again he was looking off into space in my general direction. He seemed better than yesterday, or at least had clean clothes on, though he still seemed absent from the body that was in front of me.
"Hey bud," I tried, as I placed my tray across from his own on the table. He seemed indifferent behind those eyes, my best friend in the world, eyes that were once filled with life and an outgoing personality, they now appeared devoid of everything. He made only a single grunt of indifference. Not even a 'hello'.
"Jasper," I tried again, as I positioned my body so that he would know by my body language that I was here as his friend, to try and help, or to listen, or…I wanted my best friend back.
I began talking, though the attempt may have been in vain, as it seemed pretty clear that Jasper was not going to be speaking too much at this point.
"You're awake early," I began, "and dude, the craziest thing happened earlier this morning." Jasper merely nodded his head.
"I was just getting up, and Harper came into my room at like 4am." I tried to interest him, as he had once shrugged off Harper and I thought perhaps gossip would at least make him give me a glare, or something.
"Either way, though, the rest of us from inside the mountain were looking for you yesterday night, man. They look at you as a leader, now." I continued, as my hope of him listening and also hearing my monologue was fading. His eyes had not blinked once since I sat down, and he seemed to hardly notice me there. "You inspired people, and as the chancellor is…" I was cut off then, as Harper came over, and sat on my lap.
Harper looked at Jasper and stated, "Jasper, we're having a meeting tomorrow at lunch for all of those who were inside the mountain. To talk about…you know." He nodded his head, as he scooped oatmeal into his mouth, eyes still emitting an aura of emptiness.
"It's also Miller's birthday today," I added, without a response from the only person I had left who I could really call family. "You should stop by later today."
I started to get up, to put my tray away, as I left Jasper to his silence. In time, he'll recover. Harper followed me, then went and sat down when she saw I was putting away my dishes. As I turned back around to the dining area, after I had taken care of all of my own dishes, Jasper had left, and sitting with Harper was Miller. I looked at the sun through a nearby window, and seeing as it was halfway through its rise, I still had plenty of time before the day really began. I walked over to their table, and sat across from them both.
"What took you so long, man?" I asked as I approached, curious how on this wild earth it was possible to spend an hour putting on a shirt. I grabbed my chin in a pose that humans before the war had called something like the tinker, if memory serves. "I mean…it looks a bit tight on you, but nothing that I can see you needing an entire hour for."
Miller and Harper both chuckled. "I ran outside the gate for something," Miller replied. "….My dad thought he saw something shiny," he mused, while we let ourselves forget for a moment the horrors of yesterday. Suddenly, he looked to the ground and swore under his breath. "These damn boots never stay tied for long," he complained, as he leaned over to tie his boot.
While he was lacing his boot, Harper leaned across the table, whispering in my ear, "Meet me in medical. I'll leave first, you follow in a few minutes." She winked at me as she sat naturally again. We spoke for a few minutes more with Miller, in attempt to lighten the mood of the morning meal, then Harper excused herself, saying she had to go get something from her room, as she winked at me and blew me a kiss, despite Miller being right beside us. I felt all the blood rushing to my cheeks as she left the table.
"So, you and Harper, then?" Miller teased, before whistling, once she was out of earshot.
"What?" I said, trying in vain to mask my feelings. "We're friends, Miller." As I said this, I felt my face turn a neon shade of crimson.
"Mmhmmm," he stopped pursuing it and began just staring at me with a friendly mocking grin.
"I…should actually get going as well, to see if Wick or Raven can help me with this radio thing." I started to say.
"Weren't we going to see Jasper?" he asked, looking confused.
I grimaced. "Jasper isn't…Jasper isn't himself right now." With that, I departed, and began hastily walking to medical, wondering what Harper had had in mind, and why she had asked to meet in medical, of all places.
As I passed by engineering, I saw Raven and Wick, working on lord knows what. I popped in for a bit, hoping to see what they were up to, and to ask if they knew where the plant seeds had gotten to.
"Raven?" I inquired, as I made my presence known.
"Monty?" she replied, playfully mirroring my inquisitive tone.
"Do you know what happened to the seeds we had, after the rest of us got taken to the mountain?"
"Monty. This is engineering...Not lost and found." Wick responded, as he smirked in my direction.
"Shut up, Wick. Raven?"
Breaking her silence, she finally spoke up, "Monty, I think the only one who might know is Finn. And as he is..." she stopped talking.
"He is what?" I asked. "Can you tell me where I might find him?"
Raven stopped what she was doing, placing it down on the workbench, stood up, as best she could, and abruptly limped angrily out of the room, as Wick looked at me. "Monty, Finn is dead."
Taken aback, I sat down. "I don't have the emotions to deal with this right now," I solemnly stated.
"Neither do we all" Wick countered.
Not in the mood for matching wits, I apologized for interrupting their day, and began to head over to the medical bay of the camp.
I wondered what Harper had in mind, as I had heard whispers of how she was into some…interesting things. Please let this not be an enema. Please not an enema.
As I saw a crowd leaving from the same direction that medical was in, I wondered what the source of the commotion was. I pulled aside someone to as them.
"What's happening?" I asked the young man in front of me. His build made me initially guess he was a member of the guard, but upon closer look, wasn't so sure. The man looked to be around 6 foot, though hard to say for sure, I'd guess 240-260 pounds, and was very much in shape, with jet black hair a bit longer than mine, and whose cheekbones gave him a pleasant face.
"Wait…you're Monty, aren't you?" He intoned, "I've heard so much about you on the Ark! I'm Azib!" His smile was so bright. I doubt he ever needs a flashlight.
"Who's asking?" I replied simply, as I was yet unsure of who exactly he was. He had a gentle aura about him, despite his large size.
"I remember hearing tales of you and Jasper, while I was working in medical," he said. "Anyways, the Chancellor called a meeting of all of us who had had any medical training at all. I'd love to chat longer, and 'get to know the legend,' as it were, but…anywho, I'll look for ya after the meeting!" He sure did talk fast.
How was I now a celebrity? I wondered as I entered medical bay.
As I took my third step in, I heard a girl's scream. As I began sprinting to see who and/or what it was, I tripped, on something and felt something blunt hit my head from behind as I fell to the floor. A bag was put over my head as everything faded to black.
Jasper
Following breakfast, in walking around, my glances into others' rooms revealed just how overwhelmed with emotions everyone was. But I felt nothing. It was that funny feeling you get, when everything is really in color, but everything feels gray. You know? I doubt it. It felt like I was in a haze, a dark hole, devoid of emotion. I happened to walk by Monty's room, though I knew he wouldn't be in there. I put on as much of a smile as I could, though were he actually here, he'd see through it, and glanced down at my shoes as I kept walking. I ran into Monroe, (who I didn't know was still alive, to be quite honest).
"Monroe?" I asked, though as I said the words, they sounded empty, even to me.
"Jasper! Oh my gosh," She replied as she walked over to me and embraced me. "I didn't know if they had..."
"Monroe, I'm just wondering if you've seen Clarke since we got back," I responded, as a small smile somehow found its way onto my face, though not changing the world's gray aura. I was glad to see there were others who were alive.
"Jasper, I haven't seen her at all. I was actually asking around for her, to ask what our next move was, but no one I asked had even seen her in the camp...are you sure she came back here? She seemed quite mortified after the whole thing with Mount W-"
I cut her off, not wanting to even hear the name. "Alright," I said, and with that, I began to turn around and go on my way, when she kept talking to me.
"But I saw Bellamy. I believe his room is on the far side of camp...I think Kane was worried about him starting a revolution, or uprising or something, so his bunk is a bit away from the rest. I know that Abby doesn't trust him, though I'd guess that's because of him and Clarke being the leaders of all of those of us from the original 100. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Chancellor Abby since the incident, either."
"Alright. Thank you for your help," I said, as I left her to her...whatever she was doing, probably getting breakfast/brunch.
I had to talk to Bellamy, who would surely know what was next for us all, as he still was still an unofficial leader of us, and he may even, with any luck know something about where Clarke went. As I cleared my throat to see if he was inside, I saw a blurry rush of motion, on the very edge of my peripheral vision, just down the hall towards the outside. Quickly, I ran to the corner of the hall, unsure of what I had just seen.
"Hello?" I shouted out the door, and into the night. "Who's there?" I waited there, hand ready to draw my pistol, should it be a threat, and was caught off guard when I felt something on my shoulder. As I screamed, I whirled around to see Bellamy, with one foot on a stool next to me, using my shoulder to steady himself while tying his boot.
"Jasper, it's just me. I'm not going to hurt you," his deep voice more gruff than usual. He must have just woken up. "I thought I heard you out here," he continued, "How are you managing?"
"I-I'm fine, thanks," I huffed, humiliated to be seen in such a manner. I didn't mean to be caught so unaware, yet here I was, as jumpy as anything.
"What brings you all the way to this side?" he asked, then in a poor attempt to make the mood a bit lighter, "I somehow doubt you're here to bring me breakfast."
I glared at him. "I thought I—" I started, but as I saw the way he looked at me, I stopped. "I was wondering what is next. No one has see Clarke, and the chancellor hasn't been heard from since returning, so I figured if anyone's was, your head might be on straight."
"Do you truly think me such a monster? That I would be content after everything that happened back there?" He asked, as he motioned his head in the direction of the mountain. He looked at me, with a puzzled look on his face. He asked how safe I felt against the grounders. If I thought I could hold my own in a fight. Why the hell was this important? I was trying to find out what we would do with the upcoming winter, not start a fight with the grounders.
"Sorry, Jasper, was just thinking about some stuff. In regards to your question, you heard Kane at dinner last night. I'd say our best bet is to start salvaging what remains of the crashed parts of the Ark. We may have a wall, but beyond that we're sitting ducks here. We're blind to what happens outside the fence, being in here. We need to get more food, but it is too close to winter to grow crops." I nodded my head as I heard the words, and saw the logic of them, though part of me was struggling to believe that they were coming from Bellamy. "And I think Clarke has left us, though I'm not sure even her mother knows for certain where Clarke is."
I nodded my head, remaining silent. I did not mean to anger Bellamy, and did not want to further provoke him. I'm a coward.
"Anyways, that's just my thoughts…although we do have a Chancellor again, who I bet would love to discuss this," he remarked, though even a fool could tell he was still coming to terms with not being in charge, the way the statement had reeked of sarcasm. It barely seemed like Bellamy anymore. I wondered then, how much he must have changed in the time the rest of us had been in Mount Weather.
I thanked him and left, having definitely had enough craziness for this particular morning. I decided that I'd take a little nap, before the rest of the day ended up being as unbearably numb as this morning had been. As I walked back across camp to my bed. I saw a crowd of people coming from medical. That's weird. I was walking and wandered past Raven, to whom I gave as close to a friendly smile as I could manage, as she hustled back to engineering with a tray packed full of food.
I got to my bed and laid down on it, as I heard a familiar voice.
"You're not a coward. You're brave"
