Chapter 13
There was a knock on the hatch. Everyone went quiet. Clarke moved closer to the door. Octavia drew out a knife and waited for Clarke to say something, anything. Clarke raised her hand at Octavia, silently telling her to stand down, before she reached down and opened the hatch. Looking down into the hatch, Clarke stared at the two women waiting to talk to her. Harper and Monroe looked back up at her.
"What's wrong guys?"
"Pascal and Trina are missing. They didn't go out with their crews and no one has seen them since before breakfast. Miller just got back and wants to know if you want us to go look for them," Harper told her.
"Not yet. I'm sure that they'll be okay. They know enough to stay close. For now, keep everyone together and no one goes out alone, always three or more. How's the water level?" Clarke lied in the beginning, before she continued on, needing to know how they were fairing in the camp at the moment.
She turned and gave Octavia a quick look before she ran her hand down her face. She was exhausted. There was still too much to do and she didn't know if they were going to have enough time to do it. She gave a quick huff and then waited to see who was going to answer her first, Monroe or Harper.
"Monty says it's almost full, and he's got plenty for his job until tomorrow. I sent Dax and a few others to go see Murphy about the meat. A gathering team came back with some of those berries and nuts your described," Harper told her.
"Good, good," Clarke answered. "We'll be out in a minute. But, can you send Monty up here please? I need him to meet Raven. They are going to be partners in their jobs for awhile."
"Yeah, sure thing, Clarke," Monroe answered, jumped off the ladder from underneath Harper and was out the dropship before Harper could respond.
"Raven's here?" Harper asked.
"Yeah, we found her this morning."
"She was the streak in the sky?"
"Yeah, she was."
"Does Finn know?"
"He was there, too," Clarke answered.
"Does she know?" Harper asked quietly.
"Not yet, I'm going to give him the chance to tell her."
"Good luck with that. I'll start planning the crews for the morning, okay? Anything else?" Harper asked.
"Not right now, and thanks," Clarke answered and then shut the hatch back.
"Is the fog today?" Octavia asked her, as soon as the hatch closed.
"Fog?" Raven questioned.
"I don't remember. We need to get out of here and check on the camp. Wells, you and Bell first down," Clarke stated.
They all left the section via the ladder. Clarke was about to go down when she stopped. She looked over at Raven, still in the corner working with the radio. She knew that she needed to talk to the older brunette, but they didn't have time. The hurricane was coming, the fog was always going to be deadly, and unlike before, the grounders weren't hunting them. Winter would be upon them. She had to save the Ark and her mother. There were too many things that needed to happen in the next two weeks.
"Raven," Clarke said.
"Yeah?"
"I know that we need to talk, like have a serious discussion. I get it, but right now, I need you to get in touch with the Ark. We need to let them know that we are surviving and that they can come down. Get me in touch with the Ark and I'll tell you anything that you want to know. Okay?"
"Deal. Now, go do whatever it is that you have to do to save us, Princess. But, I think I need to move down to the lower level and hook into the -"
"I don't know computers or radios or any of that, Raven. I promise you I don't. Do what you think that you have to do. I'll have Monty with you. He's my geek in residence. He and Jasper will be your lackeys and report to you."
"Sounds, good," Raven answered. "And, who do I report to, Griff?"
"Me," Clarke replied as she went down the ladder.
"Well, good to know that I'm high up on the food chain."
Clarke hit the first floor and looked up the ladder through the hatch at Raven. "The highest, Raven. Just remember that I'll always pick you first. Get the radio working. I don't care if we have video or not. Just get me in touch with the Ark."
Clarke walked out of the ship and looked around. She gazed over to the horizon and the to Octavia who was at the fire with Murphy. She could see that Octavia was talking with Murphy. She nodded to Octavia and moved around the camp. They needed to start moving things into the dropship in order to survive the hurricane. Thankfully this time, she wasn't going to have to patch Finn up during the height of the storm.
Harper came back from where she had been near the water point. She saw Clarke and she saw the worry on her face. Lincoln was watching her more than he was watching the camp. She knew that he was, and she knew why. Octavia had to have told him more than she let on. There was no way that Lincoln was just so calm about all of this, or them, but Clarke wasn't going to worry about that today. She had a hurricane to prepare for.
And, then they heard the the horn's call. Clarke's eyes bulged. The fog. This time she wasn't stuck in a car with Wells and Finn. They were in camp, but she didn't...couldn't remember how far the fog would go before it lost its potency. It didn't matter. She turned around in time to see Lincoln blow his horn.
"How much time?" she asked him.
"If we could hear the call, more time than we need, but less than we want."
"OCTAVIA!" Clarke called.
"Yeah, is everyone back?"
"I think so, Harper and Monroe hadn't sent anyone else back out yet."
"MONROE!"
"Yeah?"
"Get all the food that you can in the drop ship now. Get a team and move. We have less than five minutes."
"I'll take Harper and start moving the water," Octavia told her.
"Good," Clarke said as she looked at Murphy.
"I'll move it in with him," Lincoln told her.
"EVERYONE GET YOUR GEAR AND GET IN THE DROP SHIP!" Clarke called as she rushed to help with the water and food.
They all looked at Clarke and then the other leaders. They were all moving things into the drop ship. The rest of the 100 started gathering up their stuff and moving into the ship. Clarke grabbed the tent and other gear that she was sharing with Octavia. She dumped it inside the ship next to where Raven was setting up the radio. Raven looked at her, kept quiet, and kept setting up the radio near a control panel. Octavia came in moments later with Harper and Monroe's stuff. She dropped near theirs and kept moving.
"We need to set up a latrine or something," Octavia told Clarke.
"I know. What can we use? We'll be in there for hours," Clarke stated.
"The fog can't get under the ship, right?"
"I don't think so," Clarke answered.
"Then, we'll use the the back area over there. It is the same area that Jasper had to go into to create the ring of fire. We'll get Raven to pull the panel and we'll make sure that it is ventilated enough that it doesn't come back to haunt us. This will help when the hurricane hits in the next few days," Octavia replied as she switched to Russian quickly.
"Where's Lincoln?"
"There," Octavia answered pointing to him.
"Go get Raven started on prying that panel. She is the only one with real tools. I'll deal with the rest."
Octavia nodded and ran to Raven's side. Clarke looked around. She saw Wells and Bellamy.
"Get up to the second level and start hunkering down," Clarke told them.
"How?" Bellamy asked.
"Take some of the younger kids with you. Get them set up. We're going to be in here for a couple of hours," Clarke said as she turned to go get Murphy and Lincoln. "Think of this as a dry run for the hurricane. We came down in this ship and it is the only true shelter that we have. Get everyone a little bit of area, but we are going to be tight in here. So, keep some of the groups together and make sure that no one tries anything stupid."
"We'll handle it," Wells told her and pulled Bellamy a long.
They could both see the look that she was giving Bellamy. What they didn't know was this was just a precaution, because neither she nor Octavia could remember the fog coming this far to their camp because of the distance from Mount Weather, but they weren't willing to take the risk. She didn't want anyone dying from the fog, and it was mostly because of Atom. She didn't want to have to put anyone down. Bellamy for his part knew that if Clarke was scared about something, she must have a reason. And, with the speed that she and Octavia reacted to the horn, he knew better than to question her. He gave her a quick nod and was up the ladder as fast as he could go.
"I'll watch him, Clarke. Just take care of us. We'll handle the second level."
Clarke nodded as she watched Wells climb the ladder. When she turned back around, Charlotte and Murphy were in the corner with their big pot of the stew. She saw Charlotte setting up their bowls and stuff to eat. She knew that they needed to eat as soon as they could. She grabbed the next body that moved by her and it was Dax.
"Go help Murphy and figure out how many people are on each level for me," Clarke ordered and let him go.
He looked down at her arm on his, cocked an eyebrow at her and then nodded. She was worried about him. She knew that Shumway sent him in her past lives to kill Bellamy before he could tell Jaha that he was part of the plot to overthrow him. She didn't have time for that. She would get someone to watch Dax soon enough. It would probably be Murphy. He wouldn't ask too many questions. Octavia would just try to kill him, or help him kill Bellamy, she wasn't sure at the moment. But, she knew that Dax was also loyal to a cause that he believed in. She needed to get him on their side and quickly. She'd talk to him as soon as they were settled in for the night.
Within minutes, they were all in the drop ship. All their major supplies were in their too. They just grabbed everything not knowing why Clarke and Octavia were telling them go. Lincoln just grabbed whatever he saw that he knew they would need, be it water or dried meat. He looked at a disheveled Clarke and noticed that the weight of her leadership sat squarely in her shoulders. Octavia bore some of it, but Clarke bore most of it, like Heda. There was something about Clarke that reminded him so much of Lexa. He just didn't know why.
"Hey, Princess," Murphy stated as he walked up on her.
"Yeah?"
"How long we going to be in here?" he asked her as she pulled the lever to close the drop ship door.
"A few hours at least," she answered.
"So, we're eating dinner here?"
"Yeah, we're going to have to. Raven and Octavia are working on a latrine of sorts for us to use. Wells and Bellamy have the second level. Dax is getting me a count. You're in charge of rations," Clarke told him as she looked over all the harried kids. "Have you seen Monty and Jasper?"
"Yeah, they went straight to the top when they came in," Murphy told her.
"Thanks, can you let Octavia know that the three of you have the first level for the moment? I'm going to check in with everyone else. And, let Lincoln help you if you need it. I'll be back down in a few minutes," Clarke said.
"Wait, three of us?"
"Yeah, you, Octavia and Raven," she said and headed for the ladder before he could say anything else to her.
She was in the second level quickly. Her hands were starting to hurt, but she knew that she had to push through. A little pain wouldn't matter in a few months, for now, she would deal with it. As long as they didn't turn into blisters, she didn't care. She saw Bellamy and Wells. They were talking to Dax. Bellamy looked upset, but he was doing as asked and letting Wells lead them on those on the second level.
"Clarke?" Wells questioned when he saw her.
"Hey," she replied. "So, Dax, how many?"
"So far, there are thirty up here and ten in the top," he answered.
"Jasper and Monty up there?"
"Yeah, they are," Dax said.
"Good, you three stay here and keep them all calm. Raven and Octavia are working on a latrine of sorts, so when you need to go, go downstairs. For now, keep everyone calm and we'll trade out kids for food as Murphy dishes it up. For now, just try to keep everyone calm and as comfortable as we can. This is going a preview of what we'll be dealing with in a few days when the hurricane hits. So, let's call this a dry run. We'll learn from this and know what we need to work on because this is only going to be a few hours. When the storm hits, it will be a few days. So, pay attention and don't be stupid," Clarke told them.
"We got it, Clarke. Just let us know what else you need us to do," Wells told her. "We'll watch this level."
She nodded after Bellamy nodded. Dax grabbed her arm and pulled her aside before she went up to the top. She gave him a look.
"Look, I don't know what's going on and I don't care. I know you made a deal with Murphy to keep him happy, so that's enough for me. But, you keep giving me things to do like you and I'm going to be worried that there is more going on than you are telling us. I'm not the smartest, but I'm the next oldest after you. I would have been floated like you. Do you know why?" Dax asked her.
"Murder."
"So, you do know things."
"I do."
"And, what does that mean for me?"
"I want you to promise me something," Clarke told him.
"What?"
"Shumway is going to ask you to kill Bellamy to help him keep a secret."
"Why?"
"Doesn't matter. But, I want you to agree to it. I don't want you to kill him, I just want you to agree that you'll do it. Shumway is going to promise to make sure your mother is on the next drop ship. When he does, tell him that you don't want her to come down on that one. Tell him to have her wait. I promise you she'll survive, but if she gets on that ship, Dax, she won't."
"So, lie to Commander Shumway, and tell him to let my mom wait, that's it?" Dax questioned.
"Yup, and I'll make you my other general with Octavia. That work for you? I'll even let you pick those that are under you."
"Deal. But, you sure that you don't want me to rough up Bellamy a little. He seems to have his own agenda," Dax replied.
"If I need it, I'll let you know. But, thanks for watching him for me, too. You'll have to get in line behind Octavia though. She'll kill him if he screws up again. For now, just watch him and help out on this level."
"No problem, Princess."
"And, Dax?"
"Yeah?"
"There is a war coming soon enough. I'll let you kill as many of them as you want. Trust me when I tell you that they deserve it, like that guard that you killed," Clarke told him. "For now, keep Bellamy alive."
"Done."
She scaled the ladder to the top section. There were a few people up there, but they were all milling about in the small space. Monty, Jasper and Harper were on one side, kinda backed into a corner, together. Monroe, Fox and Roma were on the other side. Monroe and Harper immediately moved towards her when they saw her. She saw Jasper hiding something and knew that he had some 'shine with him. She cocked her eyebrow at him and moved closer to where he was. Harper saw her look and shook her head. She'd told them to leave it, but Jasper wouldn't leave it outside.
"First batch?" Clarke asked as she sat down beside him.
"Yeah."
"Is it strong?"
"Kinda," Jasper said.
Clarke reached her hand out expectantly at him. He pulled the bottle out the hiding place that she'd him stash it and handed it over. To their surprise, she uncorked it and took a very healthy swig of it. She coughed as it burned the back of her throat, but she smiled at him.
"Not bad. When we get out, make the still bigger. We're going to need this," Clarke told him and stood up.
"You're seriously going to let him keep that?" Harper asked her.
"Actually, I am. Jasper and I have an understanding. Don't we, Jasper?"
"We do," Jasper said as he looked up at her sheepishly, still unbelieving that she asked him to actually make moonshine for them.
"Got any more stashed up here?"
"Yeah, two more bottles," Monty said as he grabbed them from their hiding space and handed them to her.
"Any more?" Clarke asked Jasper point blank.
"Here," Jasper said handing her two more bottles.
"Well, you've been busy. Good job. These are for the rest of the camp to share tonight. This one is for medical purposes. Got any more ready outside?" Clarke asked them.
"Should if the still is still working when we get out of here," Monty told her.
"It will be, but you'll need to wash off everything before you finish brewing it. And, by washing, I mean dump water over everything that is exposed. Any of the alcohol that inside will be fine. We'll need all that you can bottle in the next few days."
"Okay," Jasper answered.
"That will be your only mission when we get out of here, Jasper. Got it. Getting water and working the still. There is going to be a big storm in a few days and we're going to have to live in the drop ship for a few days. We're going to the alcohol to take the edge off of being so cramped for a while. So, don't make it too strong. And the four of you take care of each other those that are up here. Raven and Octavia are in the bottom with me, so that means that Monty might have to trade out to help her with the radio. Also, for everyone's safety and such, if one person comes down, another must come up. So remember that. There isn't a lot of room, but we'll give everyone every inch that we can. There will be a latrine in the bottom soon and we'll start serving dinner. You all will eat first so there is less movement. Any questions?"
"There is a storm coming?" Harper asked.
"Yeah, nothing like we've seen with the little bit of rain we've had so far. We're going to have to dig in. So, later tonight, I'm going to need you and Monroe to trade out with some of the younger kids to talk with me and the rest. I'll let you know when and send someone up to switch out with you, then. Until then, the four of you got this level. When Harper and Monroe come down, Jasper and Monty will be in charge. By then hopefully, everyone will be bedding down for the evening. Just try to get as comfortable as you can. And, if you get industrious, start figuring out how to make this area as comfortable as possible for all of you for at least two days, but remember you'll have ten people at minimum up here with you total, so make it count," Clarke told them.
"Okay," Monroe answered. "I'll see what Fox, Roma and I can do. Harper and Jasper will deal with the people. That way Monty is free to help."
"Sounds good guys. Take it easy. I'll send Charlotte up with some others when it is time for dinner."
They all nodded and Clarke moved carefully back to the ladder and then all the way back down to the ground level of the drop ship. When she landed on the ground floor, she went towards Murphy first. Charlotte was helping him get the food dished out. So far they had like twenty bowls ready.
"Stop there. We'll feed in shifts. Let me check in on Raven and Octavia's progress. When I get back, Charlotte will go all the way to the top and send them down to eat first. When those ten are done, we'll start on the second level. Actually, Charlotte, go gather nine other people to start, okay?"
"Okay, Clarke," the youngster said and went to go gather some more people.
"So, how long are we in here tonight, Princess?" Murphy asked her.
"At least until morning," Clarke answered. "You sure you got this?"
"Don't worry about me, Princess, remember? I'm your cockroach. I survive everything."
"That you do, Murphy. That you do. Thank you for not being a dick about all of this."
"Just keep your promise and I'll keep mine. And, find the time to find Emori for me, and I'll do anything you want. I don't want to be stuck here the rest of my life ladeling out stew, okay?"
"I'll see what I can do," Clarke replied and then moved to where Octavia and Raven were working on their latrine.
Lincoln just watched as she dropped down into the hole. He took note of how Clarke kept going to certain people and other children went to them, too. He wasn't sure of their rank structure, but he could tell that it was working for them.
"How's it going?"
"I think that I got a place for us to do our dooty without too much smell getting back in there. But, I don't understand why you want this so bad to begin with. What gives, Clarke? And, don't tell me that you'll tell me later. It's later. Spill," Raven demanded.
"She can take it, Clarke. We can trust her. She'll always be in the inner circle. Let her in now," Octavia told her.
"Fine, but I swear this is the last time that I'm doing this for a while," Clarke answered as she held her hand out for one of Octavia's knives.