AN: Right, we're picking up the pace a little – I honestly hadn't planned on the part on the ship to go on for as long as it did, but once I started writing, it sort of just happened! I enjoyed writing the last chapter, exploring this new planet with them, but I want to get to the good parts ;) so this chapter will start with a sort of time jump – nothing like on the show, of course!
Thanks to everyone who's left reviews, they make my day!
As always, I don't own anything related to The 100
-10-
The next two weeks go by in a flurry of activity and long stretches of downtime.
They decide to take one day to explore down on the ground and then use the next one to run all their samples through the analyzer and get some rest, since, as Raven puts it, they aren't doing mankind any favors if they pass out from exhaustion because they spend twelve hours every day on the new planet. Better to take their time, they have enough rations for a while and the people in cryo aren't exactly going anywhere. Bellamy's quietly relieved since it will give him a little more time before he has to actually deal with the rest of his life. And if it means getting to spend more time with Clarke, well, that's just a bonus.
They start by really mapping out the area around the north hill, which they've decided is the best place for their eventual settlement. There's a large, mostly flat area on top of the hill, about two or three miles long and a mile or so wide, which will work good for building without them being too cramped, and just like Clarke thought, a stream cuts through the ground on the side closest to the lake below. It doesn't have any tributary, but seems to be the result of rainwater gathering in a pool at the highest point of the hill and then making its way down the slopes towards the lake.
The only thing that Bellamy's a little worried about is that there's not a lot of trees up on the hill, so they'll have to cut down trees in the wooded area below and then move the timber up the slope for construction. Raven says that there's equipment on the ship that they can use for this, though, which means they won't have to lug it by hand, at least, so the plans stand for now.
To the west is the lake, which stretches on seemingly without end to the north and south. It's possible it's just a really wide and fairly deep river and not a lake at all, but it doesn't really make a difference – they have spotted fish in there, and the shore where he and Clarke took a break their first day should be good for swimming during the warmer months. The current doesn't seem too bad, so hopefully they won't have to worry about it being dangerous. The area beyond the lake is rocky, cliffs stretching twenty-five, thirty feet into the air in some places, and they quickly rule it out as an option for anything beyond hunting and possibly quarrying for stone, if they find they need it while building the settlement. That area's inhabited by something resembling goats, apart from the fact that they walk on their back legs and have sharp finger-like appendages on their front legs (Bellamy refuses to call them arms on principle – they're animals, damn it) that they use to climb seemingly sheer rock faces. They keep their distance from the explorers, but Bellamy hopes it might still be possible to domesticate them eventually, to get milk and wool – their furs look just like pictures of sheep he's seen in old books.
To the north of the hill, there's woods and open areas stretching along the lake, as far as they can see, interspersed with smaller bodies of water. They explore as far as they can during one day, not wanting to set up camp out in the open just yet, and find more potential food – fruit, berries and mushrooms – that they bag for analysis. They also find more animals here, a pack of what looks sort of like wolves or large dogs, but with longer legs and what seems to be dark blue feathers instead of fur. They don't get close enough to see much details, the animals seem to be apprehensive about the newcomers, but it's good to know for the future – Shaw suggests that they might be able to domesticate a couple and maybe use them for tracking or hunting, or as guard dogs if need be, though they haven't come across any sign of human life so far.
They take a closer look at the valley as well, but just like Bellamy thought, there's not much there. They take soil samples, to see if it's a suitable place for farming, and then climb the hill to the south. The land stretching beyond it is the same as the area north of the other hill, so they decide against exploring it further at the moment. They can see far enough to tell that there aren't any types of settlements, at least.
The area around where they landed seems to have a lot of potential. There's obviously trees, for building, and as they explore, the animals they scared off when they first landed slowly reappear. Unlike the sort of dogs and goats to the north and west, these don't seem afraid of humans at all, a possible sign that they're the first ones here. There are large, deer-like animals with red, silky fur that they actually get close enough to that they can pet, something resembling rabbits but twice as large and with nasty looking claws, small pigs or boars with green fur that almost glitters in the sun but works as good camouflage in the underbrush – "See, I told you I saw a pig," Shaw exclaims the first time they spot one when all of them are together, earning a grumble from Raven "How was I supposed to know it was green?" – and a large, cat-like creature that Clarke claims looks just like a lynx. That one's ruled out as food pretty quickly though, as it takes a liking to Clarke immediately and starts meeting them at the ship every time they land and then accompanying them on their explorations, rubbing its head against them and making a low, purring noise when they pet it.
"I guess we got ourselves a cat," Raven notes the third time the animal is waiting for them when they leave the ship and immediately bounds up to Clarke so she can scratch its head, a low, rumbling purr filling the air.
"Could be good for keeping smaller animals away from the settlement," Bellamy reasons. "There's bound to be things similar to mice and rats even if we haven't come across them yet. Don't want them getting into the food stores when we eventually have those."
"You just don't want to be the one to tell her that her pet should be food," Raven teases with a smirk, and Bellamy rolls his eyes.
"There are plenty of animals around, we don't have to eat that particular one," he grumbles. "Besides, you like it too, don't even try to deny it."
"Yeah, yeah," she says dismissively, but Bellamy doesn't miss the fact that she lets the animal use her leg as a pillow when they take a break later in the day and absentmindedly scratches it behind the ears as she talks to Jordan and Shaw about the possible fruit trees they've just found. Bellamy sends her a knowing smirk, but she just rolls her eyes at him.
They only get brief glimpses of various birds during their explorations, flashes of color disappearing among the trees or zipping across the sky above them. What they do see reminds Bellamy of images in a book they used back in school on the Ark, about the Amazon and the rainforests on Earth before the nuclear apocalypse – the plumages are all in bright colors it seems, from blue and green to pink and red, and they range in size from tiny ones, smaller than his closed fist, to large ones with wingspans of several feet.
The last area they explore is to the east of their original landing spot, further than Raven and Shaw went on their first day on the planet, but when they reach the end of the woods, all they find are flat, empty plains – not quite a desert, but with very little vegetation. They stretch on as far as they can see in three directions, no signs of animals or humans anywhere.
"I think we can skip this part," Raven notes, scanning the horizon. "We have enough arable land in the valley for now, and if we need to expand we can go north or south across the hills, or use some of the wooded areas between here and the lake."
"We did it," Clarke says quietly. "We've really explored everything we need… we're done." The cat, which she's decided to call Lynx – I suck at naming things, OK – seems to detect something in her voice and rubs its head against her hand.
Bellamy feels a sort of sinking in his stomach that he knows is stupid – this was the plan all along, explore enough to be sure they could wake everyone else up and bring them down here. They've done that – they have a plan for a settlement, Clarke has even made a rough sketch of the area with cabins for living, a mess hall for eating and meetings, smoke houses, kitchens, a med bay, a workshop for Raven, Shaw and Jordan… They've reached their goal, or at least the first one, the one they can manage just the five of them. He knew this little bubble wouldn't last forever, but the last few weeks have been… possibly the best time of his life, which… he's not going to analyze that further at the moment.
"We still need to figure out if any of the food we've analyzed is edible," he says, grasping at straws to make this last just a little longer. "I say we head back up to the ship, get a good night's sleep and then wake your mom tomorrow, let her go through the analyses."
They've agreed to wake Abby up before the rest, both so she can help them get a handle on the food situation, and so she can advise them on what to do with the injured people in cryo. Clarke's certain that Kane will need further surgery, but she's not sure about Murphy or Gaia.
"Sounds like a plan," Jordan agrees excitedly. He's been going through the analyses of the potential food sources so far, but doesn't feel comfortable saying a definite yes or no as to whether they are actually OK to eat – even though everything seems fine so far – so Abby will be their second opinion.
They trudge back through the woods, Jordan taking the lead with Raven and Shaw a few steps behind. Clarke is trailing a little, so Bellamy waits for her and Lynx to catch up.
"You OK?" he asks when she's next to him.
She shrugs, burying her fingers in Lynx' fur and keeping her eyes on the ground in front of them.
"I just can't believe we did it, you know," she says after a moment, but there's still something off in her voice. "I think I kept expecting something to go wrong, some sort of obstacle along the way…"
"I thought I was the one keeping our expectations low?" he counters with a chuckle. "You were the one going oh, we're due some luck by now."
"I do not sound like that," Clarke complains, giving him an annoyed look out of the corner of her eye. "But doesn't it seem too easy to you?"
He shrugs. "Maybe, but we still don't know if any of the food we've gathered is actually edible. Your mom might wake up and tell us it's all poisonous and then we'll be back at square one."
"Doubtful, I trust Jordan's opinion on that even if he doesn't. But thanks for not trying to make me feel better."
"You want reassurance, talk to Jordan," Bellamy tells her – the kid really is an endless source of optimism and excitement, to the point where it's almost overwhelming at times.
"Not right now, thanks."
They continue in silence for a while, the only sound their footsteps against the ground, the occasional snapping of a twig, birds in the distance and their friends' voices up ahead.
"This has been nice," Clarke says eventually, a wistful note in her voice.
"You're going to have to be a bit more specific," Bellamy replies.
She tries to elbow him in the ribs, but he deftly side-steps out of her reach.
"Just… it's felt a little like the first few days on Earth," she continues. "Minus the Grounder attacks and the acid fog and the killer water snakes, but… the feeling is the same. New planet, new possibilities… And, you know I love Madi, but it's been kind of nice to not have to worry about her for a little while."
"Yeah, now we just need to worry about the future of the human race, no big deal."
This time she does catch him in the ribs with her elbow, and to avoid further violence, Bellamy catches her arm and hooks his own through it. It's definitely not because he wants to feel the warmth from her body pressed against his side.
"No, I know what you mean," he says. "On the Ring… I mean, it was horrible at first – we thought you were dead, the rest of our friends were either also dead or buried in a bunker underground for the next five years, the Earth was a fiery inferno below us, and we were stuck in a metal can we weren't even sure could keep us alive for five years – but at the same time, for the first time since we were sent to the Ground, maybe even longer, I didn't really have any responsibilities. Sure, keep everyone up there alive, but honestly, Raven and Monty basically took care of that part, there wasn't much I could do… so I get it."
Silence stretches between them again.
"Also, it's been nice… it being just us," Clarke then continues, voice small, and he feels his heart stutter a little as she puts words to the feelings he was trying to push down earlier. "I mean, I miss Madi and my mom and all, but… I've enjoyed spending time with just you."
He desperately wants to ask if that's a singular or plural you, but he reigns himself in. "Me too," he replies instead.
"I'll miss it," she mumbles, low enough that he just barely hears her, and maybe she didn't mean him to.
"Hey," he says, stopping and pulling her around to face him. "You think you're getting rid of me, of us, that easily? We'll still hang out, just us."
"I just meant that there will be a lot more people, and we'll all be busy," she reasons, avoiding his eyes. "Building a new society, it's going to be a lot of work."
"So is exploring a new planet," Bellamy argues, and she shrugs. "OK, let's make a deal – no matter how busy we are, we always have breakfast together, OK?"
Clarke lets out a deep sigh but meets his gaze, a smile on her lips that doesn't extend all the way to her eyes. "OK."
He considers pushing the subject, but she pulls her arm out of his grasp and continues their trek back toward the ship, and he has to hurry to keep up.
-100-
Raven and Shaw found a storage room full of tents during one of their explorations of the ship – Bellamy's not entirely sure why a ship for mining in space would need tents, he seriously doubts they were camping on the asteroids – so they unload and set those up before they get back into the transport ship, to avoid having to do that when they bring the others down. The weather's been mild so far, no rain or strong winds, and hopefully it won't change too much in the next few days. There are only twenty three tents, but they figure if people double up, there's enough space on the transport ship for the rest, while they get started on construction.
They won't be able to bring everything they would want from the main ship, especially not the larger furniture – Bellamy already misses his bed, he's gotten used to the wonderfully soft mattress, and the foldable cots from the prisoners' living area that they'll be using until they'll be able to build new furniture just won't be the same – but they've already packed up what they'll be taking down for now, so it's ready to be loaded onto the transport ship.
"There's one more thing I want to do before we head back up to the ship," Raven says as they all strap into their chairs, turning to Jordan. "You OK taking this thing for a bit of a spin, kid?"
He rolls his eyes good naturedly – despite having had the option to stay behind up on the main ship, he's chosen to go with the other four down to the planet over the last few weeks. "It's fine, I'm way over my initial fear of flying," he assures her, and Raven grins.
"OK, then hold onto your seats people, we're off."
Instead of taking them straight up, towards the main ship, she flies them in widening circles, low enough that they can make out most things on the ground.
"I figured we'd do a bit of a sweep for human habitation," she explains.
They haven't come across any signs that there are other humans on the planet so far, and still haven't received a response to their radio calls, which Raven has left running, so this seems like a good call.
They fly over areas similar to the one they've chosen for their settlement, over large forests and winding rivers, and, eventually, mountains and deep ravines. They come across snow-capped peaks and huge deserts, herds of what look like buffalo roaming wide plains and finally blue-green waves crashing against rocky beaches.
And not one single sign of other people.
The feeling on the ship as they return is a little subdued. Personally, Bellamy has been hoping they won't find any other humans on this new planet – he doesn't think it would work out any better than it did on Earth, so he figures it will be better if they don't even have to try. But he can see how it would have simplified things if there was already an established society with technology, for instance. Now they're basically back where they were on Earth, with whatever they can salvage and use from the ships their only advantage to the cavemen from millennia ago.
Still, he prefers it this way.
They dock with the main ship and unload the last of the samples in the bridge, where Raven starts organizing them for analysis. It's long since established that she and Shaw handle that part, while the other three keep an eye on the algae farm and keep the apartment and rec room in order, which basically means they watch a lot of TV and play a lot of pool and board games. The first day of downtime after an exploration trip to the ground, Jordan decided to see if the pair needed any help with analyzing the samples, but he quickly returned to the rec room where Bellamy and Clarke were playing Clue, a deep blush on his face and muttering about how they definitely didn't need his help with that.
So, yeah, they've figured out that analyzing the collected samples is code for getting it on in the bridge while the analyzer does all the work, and since then the other three have stayed well away from that part of the ship during their free time.
"We'll run the last of these, make sure we have all the results for Abby in the morning," Raven says as she and Shaw exchange a look.
"Sounds good, see you later," Clarke replies, her voice void of the teasing tone she usually takes with Raven in this type of situation, to tell the mechanic that she's not fooling anyone, and the three of them leave the bridge.
They walk in silence for a while, until Jordan pauses at the hallway that leads to the algae farm.
"I think I'll go water the plants," he says. "We still don't know for sure that the stuff down there is edible, might as well make sure the algae will be good if we need it."
"Do you want some help?" Clarke asks. "Or just company?"
The kid gives them a brief smile. "I'm good, you go ahead and relax, it's been a long day."
Clarke seems to pick up on the same thing Bellamy does – that Jordan wants to be alone. He's been spending quite a lot of time in the farm, even refusing help the last couple of days, and Bellamy thinks that maybe that's where he feels closest to his dad. He's not about to take that away from him.
Bellamy and Clarke continue through the winding corridors, not stopping in the rec room like they do on most of their days off, and finally reach the apartment.
"Do you want to watch some TV?" Bellamy asks as he closes the door behind them. That's their usual go-to when they're winding down after a long day of exploring – either a couple of episodes of Friends if they're all there, some soccer game, if it's just the two of them and Clarke gets to pick from the archive, or a documentary or quiz show, if it's his turn.
But this time, Clarke shakes her head, her back towards him.
"I'm pretty tired, I think I'm going to take a nap before dinner," she says, voice low. "Like Jordan said, it's been a long day."
It's true, of course. But they've had long days before, longer than this one even, and they always wind down together, so there must be something else.
"You sure?" he pushes a little, and finally she turns to him.
"I'm sure. Maybe later," she allows, giving him a small smile that he doesn't buy. But she's clearly not in the mood to talk about whatever it is that's bothering her, so he'll just have to give her some space. For now.
"OK. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks, I will." She squeezes his hand briefly before disappearing into her bedroom and closing the door behind her, the click loud in the quiet room.
Bellamy can't help but feel like she's already pulling away from him, and the feeling makes a heavy weight settle in his stomach.
AN: OK, initial exploration done, next chapter will be The Great Awakening, part 1! Did I take the easy way out, making the planet uninhabited? I just want them to get to live for a change, without having to fight for survival… As usual, reviews are greatly appreciated!