~~~ Recap ~~~
Kane: "What is it, Commander Shumway?"
The Commander hesitates.
Kane: "Spit it out."
Commander Shumway: "We could start now. As Chancellor Pro Tempore, you can give the order to begin reducing the population."
It hangs there. Kane is clearly tempted. Then...
Kane: "Not yet. The Chancellor's Hail Mary mission to Earth is failing. Once it's clear the ground still isn't an option, the council will get in line. (looking back down to Bellamy's picture) In the meantime, I'd like to know who helped this janitor get on that dropship. Because he sure as hell didn't do it by himself."
The Commander says nothing, but clearly agrees.
Kane: "It seems we have a traitor in our midst, Commander... (looking to the mug shots) And the Hundred have an assassin in theirs."
~~~ Earth ~~~
~~~ The Woods ~~~
~~~ Willow Trikova P.O.V. ~~~
Several hours into the trek. The group has fanned out amidst the trees. Sunlight dapples and wildflowers are everywhere. Clarke has assumed the lead and is setting a fast pace, appreciating none of it. Behind her, Octavia, Finn, and his two recruits all wish that she would slow down to let them enjoy the scenery. Jasper and Monty, on the surface, the furthest thing from delinquents. They are clearly very intelligent and, it must be said, incredibly uncool. The fact that they're studying Finn to remedy this will become clear. As we arrive, Finn stops to pick a flower and slip it into Octavia's hair. She'd jump him here and now if he'd let her. Jasper and Monty see this and exchange a glance.
"Poison sumac…haha. I wonder if anyone else will notice. I should look around for plants I can use."
Jasper: "That, my friend, is game."
I look around, wait for them to get slightly ahead of me, then jump down and scan all the different plants. While doing so I noticed some dandelions and feverfew at the base of a few trees. I picked some of each of them, ate a few dandelions and placed the rest of them in a pouch I found in one of the backpacks my brother gave me.
"I miss you brother so very much. I hope you make it down here, you would absolutely love it."
Monty: "That, my friend, is poison sumac."
Octavia: (swatting away the flower) "Jesus, Finn! Thank you."
Monty: "Don't worry. The flowers aren't poisonous. They're medicinal. Calming actually.
"I should mark this place on my map so I can come here later after I find my place even though Clarke has left a noticeable trail by marking the tree."
He pops one in his mouth. Finn and Octavia are curious.
Jasper: "His family grows all the pharmaceuticals."
"That makes sense that he would know that if his parents were the growers."
Clarke: (abruptly turning around) "Hey! Try to keep up."
I jump behind a bush quickly and dart up into the trees silently without any of them noticing me.
Finn: "Come on, Clarke, look around you. How do you block all this out?"
Clarke scratches an X into another tree to mark their path.
Clarke: "It's simple. I wonder: why haven't we seen any animals? Hm. Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us...Sure is pretty, though."
"We would already be dead then Clarke. We have been down here for a little bit now and I think we would notice some changes by now."
With that, she strides onward. The others follow, their buzz sufficiently killed.
Octavia: "Someone should slip her some poison sumac."
I laugh inside my head and keep following them. I am still able to keep an eye out for anyone else that isn't from our group and able to forage for things that would be useful at the pace that we are going.
Jasper laughs a bit too loudly. Monty smacks him.
Finn: "I got to know what you two did to get busted.
Monty: "Sumac's not the only herb in the garden, if you know what I mean."
Jasper: (meaning Monty) "Someone forgot to replace what we took."
Monty: "And that someone's apologized like a thousand times."
I laugh on the inside again.
"Maybe these guys won't be so bad to hang around with. They make me laugh and that is something I'm not used to."
Jasper: "How 'bout you Octavia? What'd they get you for?"
"Oh no, they shouldn't have asked that. I mean she has a brother, it's quite obvious. Or maybe it's just obvious to me since it's the same reason I got locked up."
For a moment it looks like she isn't going to respond, but then.
Octavia: "Being born."
With that, she speeds up to catch Clarke.
Monty: "That is so not game."
Before Jasper can respond, they notice that Clarke has stopped and is holding out a hand for them to do the same. Octavia sees what Clarke sees and gestures the boys excitedly closer. They creep up slowly. Clarke points at a grazing deer. Partially obscured by brush, but it's the first sign of life other than insects and plants they've seen and it has a profound effect on them all.
I stop as well and look for other deer, just hoping to find more.
"I wish I had my bow, so I could follow it back to others and get some meat. I bet it's delicious, I've never had meat before. Plus the fur would be nice for warmth when winter comes."
Finn: "You were saying?"
Monty: "Can we eat it?"
They all look at him in disgust.
Monty: "Kidding."
"I'm not kidding though, but they don't know that. Maybe I should show myself to them, I might be able to help them more. Then again, I won't ever be able to keep to myself and I like to be by myself."
Finn wants a better view, gestures for silence, pads closer. One step and the animal looks up, revealing, to their horror, that it has two heads. One is hideously deformed. A collective gasp and the mutant deer bolts.
"Hmm that might be a deal breaker on eating it. If I eat something that has radiation then I might just get mutated to. So I guess I'm going to stick to plants for now."
~~~ Earth ~~~
~~~ Dropship ~~~
Leaning on a walking stick, Wells limps into camp, a pile of kindling under one arm. The mood here has dimmed a bit. People are hungry, thirsty. Still they play, flirt, fight.
Two kids, covered in mud, approach Wells.
Random Kid: "We finished burying the bodies. You find any water yet?"
Wells drops the sticks in a growing pile, then...
Wells: "Not yet. I'm going out again if you wanna join."
They nod. Wells is about to lead them back out when he sees a message scratched into the side of the dropship. His helpers see it, too:
FIRST SON/FIRST TO DYE
It's unsettling to say the least, but Wells swallows it and looks around to see who did it. Doesn't take long. The boy who already assaulted him watches from nearby with another dangerous-looking lad, named John Murphy.
Wells limps toward them, knows not to show fear...
Wells: "You spelled die wrong."
John Murphy: "You sure you wanna do this? I don't see Finn or your daddy in any of these trees."
Wells: "Actually, I'm sure I don't wanna do this. What I wanna do is find water and make a fire because I'm thirsty and it's gonna be dark soon...We could use some help."
The Johns feel the eyes of the group. John Murphy draws a shiv and steps to Wells with unmistakable menace.
Wells stands his ground, but is clearly afraid. This is not a situation he's faced before. Not just schoolyard bullies.
John Murphy: (a menacing whisper) "My dad begged for mercy in the airlock when your dad floated him."
Wells goes pale.
Bellamy: "What's the problem here?"
They see him approaching. The uniform prompts an instinctive backing down. The Johns melt into the crowd. Wells is still suspicious of Bellamy, but appreciative nonetheless...
Wells: "Thanks."
He holds out a hand, but Bellamy doesn't take it.
Bellamy: "I meant what's your problem?"
The Johns drift back. Wells summons courage.
Wells: "My problem's the same as yours. (looking to the group) The same as all of ours. The more of us who look for water, the more likely we are to find it."
He starts to walk off, but Bellamy snatches his walking stick. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he keeps going. The effort draws a few more people to his side. Bellamy watches Wells go as the Johns return.
John Murphy: "You're not really a member of the Guard, are you?"
Bellamy: "No. But the real Guard will be here soon, unless we stop it."
It gets their attention.
Bellamy: "You don't actually believe they're gonna forgive your crimes?"
They did believe it.
Bellamy: "Even if they do. Then what? Guys like you, you gonna be model citizens now? Get jobs? If you're lucky, maybe pick up their trash."
John #2: "You got a point?"
Bellamy: "No, I got a question. They locked you up. Dumped you down here like lab rats to die. So why are you helping them?"
John Murphy: "The hell we are."
Bellamy: "You're wearing those bracelets, aren't you? Right now, those things are telling them whether or not it's safe to follow us down."
John #2: "You said we could stop it. How?"
Bellamy pauses, realizes he's not recruiting rocket scientists here, and manages a smile.
Bellamy: "Take 'em off. The Ark will think you're dead. That it's not safe to follow. You follow?"
It takes a moment, but they nod.
John Murphy: "And if we do? What's in it for us?"
Bellamy: "Someone's got to help me run things."
Two Johns. Two smiles.
~~~ The Ark ~~~
~~~ Operation Room ~~~
Abby has been operating on the Chancellor for hours.
Jackson, her chief apprentice, assists. Two nurses.
Medical supplies, we are about to realize, like everything on the Ark, are severely rationed.
Moments after we arrive, the patient starts to wake up mid-surgery. He jerks from the pain of it. Vital signs dive.
Abby: "Increase anesthesia."
The nurse whose job it is hesitates. Abby looks over...
Abby: "Your Chancellor is going into shock. Now do it!"
Jackson: "Abby, we are way over the line. According to the law, we have to st-"
Abby: "I'll do it myself. Let them come after me."
Jackson turns into her path, stopping her, whispering.
Jackson: "...Boss, come on. Are you really going to risk your life to save the man who ordered your husband's execution?"
Without hesitating, she turns the knob, releasing the gas. The Chancellor calms instantly and his vitals are stabilized.
~~~ The Ark ~~~
~~~ Corridor ~~~
Just out of surgery, Abby strides heatedly down a long connector tube. Cece rushes to catch up.
Cece: "Ab, slow down. How is he?"
Abby: "Ask me again if he makes it through the night."
Before Cece can respond, a maintenance worker on a ladder suddenly drops down into their path. It's Raven, Finn's best friend as it turns out, and it's clear at once that Cece, not work, is the real reason she's here.
Raven: "Where the hell is Finn?"
Cece checks her ID badge, then...
Cece: "Let's see your work order, Raven."
Clearly, she doesn't have one. Cece starts for a nearby intercom to report it, but Abby stops her.
Abby: "It's okay."
The kindness gets Raven's attention. She looks at Abby for the first time, recognizing her at once.
Raven: "Your kid's locked up, with my friend Finn too."
Abby's taken aback. Raven plows right through...
Raven: "My best friend, Finn Collins, missed message day today for the first time in two years. Same day folks saw a ship leave. One with seating for a hundred. I got friends who worked on it. A hundred. Same as the number of cells in the Sky Box. You see where I'm going with this?"
Cece: "Come on, Abby. We have to go now."
But before she can lead Abby past, Raven grabs Abby's arm.
Raven: "...Wait."
Her facade cracks. Her desperation shows. She hates that.
Raven: "I may not be important, but my best friends means as much to me as your daughter does to you. Please...tell me where my best friend is, he's all I have left."
Abby holds her stare, trying to decide what to do.
~~~ The Ark ~~~
~~~ Maintaining Station ~~~
Abby leads Raven into the monitoring station. Less chaotic than before. They have entered watch and wait mode. It's clear from the shock in Raven's face that Abby brought her up to speed on the walk over. The moment they enter, Abby's eyes go to the big board, where two more dark squares can now be seen. Two more dead kids. She tries to hide concern from Raven, but it's clear.
Abby: "Nothing leaves this room. Excuse me for one –"
Raven: "You said two dead. I count four."
Abby: "Who else did we lose?"
An apprentice punches buttons, isolating the wristband feeds and accompanying mug shots of the two Johns.
Apprentice: "Murphy and Mbege. Both named John."
Raven is relieved. She turns to the board, wanders closer, searching for Finn's face as Abby joins her team.
Apprentice: "Neither was injured during landing."
Jackson: "I concur. Something else killed these two. One second they were fine, the next, bang."
Abby: "It wasn't radiation."
Jackson: "How can you be sure?"
Abby: "Because one-second-fine, the-next-bang is not how exposure to radiation presents. You know that."
Jackson: "It could if there was enough of it."
Abby: "If there was enough of it, they would all be dead!"
It echoes. She wishes she could take it back. Raven looks over, meeting her stare from across the room. No one else here knows how it feels having someone down there. Raven turns back to the board and we see that she's found Finn, his face now right in front of her. Guy can't even take a bad mug shot. In it, he is without fear. Something primal stirs within her. This is not the look of a woman who will stop at knowing the truth about her best friend. It's the look of a someone who will stop at nothing to save him. They stay for a few more moments then leave.
Minutes after they leave another walks in. A tall man with a lean muscular build, slightly tan skin, black hair, and some of the brightest blue eyes. Clad in a guards uniform he walks to the screen showing the delinquents and looks for one in particular. He finds it:
Willow Trikova.
"Little sister you seem to be doing well. I hope you find friends amongst them instead of staying to yourself, but remember to just stay alive until I make it down there. I'm sure if any problems occur the guard will be the first down and I will be with them."
~~~ Earth ~~~
~~~ Woods ~~~
Finn is now at the back of the pack now. Daylight is fading. Octavia has the lead, the sway of her body keeping Jasper and Monty's minds off hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. Finn, the one person she wants to notice, doesn't.
Finn: "You know what I'd like to know? Why send us down today, after ninety-seven years? What changed?"
Octavia: "Who cares? I'm just glad they did. I woke up rotting in a cell. Now I am spinning in a forest."
She spins around a tree. Jasper beams, but her eyes are on Finn, who still doesn't notice and from what it seems it's starting to piss her off.
Monty: "Maybe they found something on a satellite. You know, like an old weather satellite or –"
Clarke: "It wasn't a satellite."
The way she said it gets everyone's attention including mine. She keeps her secret for another moment, then.
Clarke: "The Ark is dying."
Although it lands hard, no one grasps the magnitude yet except me. Because Clarke keeps walking, they all do and I follow them from above.
Clarke: "At the current population level there's roughly three months left of life support, maybe four now that we are gone."
Finn: "That's the secret they locked you up to keep? Why they kept you in solitary? Floated your old man?"
Emotion threatens, but she keeps it down and nods.
Clarke: "My father was the engineer who discovered the flaw. He thought that the people deserved to know. The council disagreed, my mother disagreed. They were worried it would cause a panic. My dad and I decided to go public anyway."
Jasper: "They found out before you could?"
Another nod and it looks like she is back in control of her emotions.
"I guess not everyone is able to put on an emotionless face. It may just be a few like me, who do not want others to pity or worry for us. Although I just hate showing emotion of any kind. I just lock it up, it allows me to think more logically. Then I let it out when I need to or I have the time to do so."
Clarke: "Anyway, that's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all die, at least they bought themselves more time."
Monty: (as it hits him) "They're gonna kill more people, aren't they? If Earth still isn't safe, they have to."
Clarke nods soberly. Finn, Jasper, and Monty are gutted by what this means for their loved ones. Octavia doesn't care.
Octavia: "Good. After what they did to me, I say let them all die for all I care."
Jasper: "You don't mean that."
Octavia doesn't respond, her eyes suddenly on something in front of them. The others don't notice yet and neither do I.
Finn: "We have to warn them."
Clarke looks over and it seems she is deeply affected by that statement.
Clarke: "That's what my father said."
I decided to check out what Octavia saw. I jump forward onto another tree and notice a river. I pull out my map and look at it. There wasn't a river on the map, but I decided to mark it anyways.
"I should go a little to the side, upstream from here. I hate to leave them unprotected, but I need water and I need to see if this water is good to drink."
She thinks hard and because of that, she runs smack into Jasper, who has stopped dead to watch Octavia suddenly peels off some of her clothes, leaving her in her t-shirt and underwear.
"Typical boys."
Jasper: "Damn, I love Earth."
I jump out of earshot and go a little further. I pulled it out of the mesh pocket on the side to see it was clipped in as well. I unclip it and jump down to the water. I look around, the water isn't to deep and I don't see anyone else. I bend down to the water and place my bottle on the ground beside me. Cupping my hands I put them in the water. It's cold and when I pull my hands up out of the water, I examine it for anything and don't find anything.
"I guess the only way now to see if it's good to drink."
I pour the liquid down my throat and it's fresh. Unscrewing the lid of my bottle I place it in the water and fill it. I take another drink from the bottle then fill it again. Placing it in the mesh pocket and clipping it in, I jump back into the trees.
"There now I have water. I guess I should head back to –"
I hear Jasper yell.
Jasper: "…Octavia, get out of the water! Now!"
I jump through the trees as fast as I can and eventually making it to them.
~~~ While Willow is away ~~~
Octavia knows they're watching. Loves that attention is back on her where it belongs. The others are behind her. Finn's expression is more controlled than the other two boys, but only just.
Clarke: "Octavia, what the hell do you think are you –"
That's when Octavia, down to just her underwear, takes a step forward and suddenly plunges underneath the water. A moment of confusion for the others ends with a splash! Fair to say it's the most amazing sound they've ever heard. Instantly, they rush forward, stopping on the rim of A narrow gorge cut through the woods by A river fifteen feet below. They get there in time to see Octavia rise up, enraptured as she breaks the surface. When you've survived on drops of water a day your entire life, swimming is transcendent.
Monty: "Octavia, can you swim?!"
Octavia: "No, but I can stand."
With that, she rises like a sea goddess from the chest-high water. In seconds, the boys are stripping down to join her. Only Clarke hesitates.
Finn: "Come on Princess, take your damn clothes off."
She ignores him, moving to the edge, pulling out the map.
Clarke: "There's no river on the map. We're going the wrong way."
Finn steps up behind her, pointing across the river...
Finn: "No, we're not."
We see it as Clarke does: A man-made structure, the wreckage of one anyway, above the trees on the horizon. Still too far away to be sure, but possibly an old guard tower.
Clarke: "…Mount Weather."
She spins excitedly, her smile melting at the sight of Finn's rather amazing physique. She peels off her shirt, too. At that moment, Jasper, about to jump, suddenly freezes, gripped by fear.
Jasper: "…Octavia, get out of the water! Now!"
All eyes shoot to the river where a long dark shadow is rocketing toward Octavia. We won't get a good look here. Could be a croc. Or a giant snake. Of course, it's possible that a hundred years marinating in radiation has created something else entirely. Whatever it is, it's fast, it's aggressive, and it's hungry. Before Octavia can react, the creature strikes, violently taking her under and dragging her away.
~~~ Author's Note ~~~
Thank you for following:
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Also thank you to everyone else who viewed and to the one who reviewed. It made me happy to know you liked it. It also brightened my day seeing my story get a review. Sorry this chapter took awhile, I was also doing my first edit for chapter 4 and 5. So, that means chapter 4 should be ready for you all to read in the next few days.
~~~ Have a wonderful day ~~~
~~~ It's 9:50 a.m. where I am ~~~
