Word had quickly got round the stations that Arrow and Mecha had been closed off to all other stations. However, everyone had a different story why they had been closed off. Some were saying it was because there was a mass outbreak of strep, some said there had been outbreaks of violence amongst the stations and everyone inside was on lock down and some had even said they were being punished for all fighting over food.

But Bellamy knew the truth.

After work, and in search of Abby Griffin to find out the truth, he had ended up eavesdropping on a council meeting discussing the station closures. He had not seen it coming one bit. The colour fell from his face. Sickness grew heavy in his stomach.

The council had chosen to close Arrow and Mecha off... as an experiment to see if the stations could survive on reduced oxygen and rations. The council had made that choice to use their own people as lab rats; to test their theories out so they had a better chance of survival.

He hadn't been able to sleep that night and instead formed a plan of action. His first mission that morning was to track down Abby Griffin and demand he get inside of Mecha. Did they know the truth inside? Probably not, but the rumour mill in Arrow would be busy for sure.

Could Arrow even communicate with Mecha? Surely the doors were still open in between the stations?

"Bellamy Blake. What can I do for you?"

His head shot up when Doctor Griffin spoke up, looking up for her electronic pad and a patient in the bed beside her.

"I'm not here for me. I'm here for Nora." He spoke and he saw how Abby's shifted to those around her. There weren't that many people around them, but still he could tell she wouldn't want to be heard. "I need you to open those doors or get me inside at least."

He saw her jaw clench and remorse fill her eyes. She paused, almost unsure of how much information he knew already before saying, "I can't open those doors."

"Can't or won't?"

Abby stepped away from the patient, and three steps closer to Bellamy. She lowered her voice for good measure, "it is just for one month, that's all."

"Do you hear yourself? One month? One month on reduced oxygen? You saw what it did to Nora last time! That was only a night."

"Keep your voice down, no one else knows." Abby pulled him away from Jackson's prying ears, "It won't be that low in there, it's a slight reduction, a test to see if the rest of the Ark could live that way so we can save more oxygen up here." She hissed at him.

"You agreed to that?"

She looked horrified. "No, I protested but myself and Kane were outnumbered."

Bellamy scoffed. "They are just kids."

"I know that! I am doing my best to appeal to Jaha. If I have my way, this can be stopped in a week, but we need to be careful with how we handle—"

"Abby Griffin? Doctor Griffin?" A voice called out and Abby held up a hand to Bellamy.

"Just wait here." She turned to find the voice, only to see a man with a worried look on his face. "Yes?"

"I have a message from Nora Thorn."

Bellamy's head whipped around at the mention of her name, he hadn't been able to speak to her in almost a week because of his shifts and the locked doors.

"She said she needs urgent medical help. She's at the doors of Mecha." At those words, he straightened up and saw Abby's face pale.

"What else?"

"She just said to hurry." The man said and Abby quickly retrieved her bag.

"Jackson, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I'm coming with you." Bellamy didn't accept no for an answer. He led the way to Mecha, with Abby trying to keep up with every long stride he took.


Gwen cradled Jupe close to her chest, with multiple blankets around him, as they settled by the doors of Mecha. They were trying to keep him hydrated and comfortable, but he wouldn't stop coughing. He had grown pale and lethargic and it didn't take long for a crowd to gather by them at the doors.

Nora felt helpless as the guard had ignored all of her pleas. But it was no use. When the crowd had seen Jupe, they had brought blankets for him, more water and even shared their ration packs with him. But he needed medicine, better medicine. Nora didn't want to think about what would happen if he didn't get it. He also needed oxygen and plenty of it.

A commotion began and she heard rising voices around them, looking up she saw Abby being held back by the guard on the other side... her eyes were drawn to the familiar mop of dark hair.

Bellamy.

She sighed in relief at the sight of the man and rose to her feet quickly. She hadn't seen him since the day after her birthday and they had planned another moonrise. Now it all made sense why he never showed up; he couldn't get in.

The former cadet, had pushed someones hands off him and pointed to the doors. She couldn't hear their muffled words. But when Abby gestures to her council pin and then at Bellamy beside her, she saw the guard release her and move aside with an eyeroll, but he blocked anyone else from approaching the doors.

"Nora." Abby breathed out when she reached the door and tried her badge to get in. It beeped back at her and nothing opened.

"It doesn't work. They're locked remotely. They said not even an emergency will open them." Nora bit out and spared a dirty look to the guard on the door. "Is this a culling? Is that was this is?" She said helplessly, it was the only reason she could think of. She wasn't surprised when Abby ignored her question, but her silence to Nora's question didn't stop the tears gathering in her eyes.

"What happened? What's the emergency?" Instead, Abby just ignored her question altogether.

"Are you okay?" Bellamy spoke up, his eyes scanning her for any sign of injury.

She just nodded, then stepped aside to show Gwen cuddling Jupe to keep him warm. "He needs more medicine, Abby. Stronger, like the stuff you gave him before."

Abby's face tensed and then paled. "I don't have any of that with me. I-it's back at Medical." The woman looked hard at the 3 year old, "how long as he been like this?"

"Shivering a few hours, coughing constantly for the past few days, he's only been sipping some water and won't take any food. He's wheezing and sweating. He said his chest hurts. He hasn't coughed up any blood yet, but that's usually next."

"Okay, I'm gonna pop back to Medical quickly—"

"No!" Nora yelled instantly, "you can't leave him. You have to get him out and take him with you!"

"I'll be back." Her eyes were hard, unwavering as she looked at the redhead. "Bellamy will stay here in the mean time, but I need that medicine and I can't get in there right now."

"What's happening, Abby?" Nora said, her voice taking a slight waver. She wouldn't cry, not now, not in front of all of us these people and Jupe. "Do you know why we're on lock down?"

"The council are reducing oxygen and supplies in Arrow and Mecha." Bellamy said before Abby could take a breath. Abby turned to Bellamy and gave him a deadly stare though, enough to scare anyone off, but Bellamy remained hard faced, staring only at Nora.

Her mouth dropped open slowly. "The months rations. That's why..." It all clicked into place, the chilling temperatures on deck, the locked doors and the months rations that had been reduced.

"They called it an experiment." He muttered to her, his eyes hard and his words bitter.

"W-what?"

Abby interrupted him before he could go on any further, "Kane and I are doing our best to stop it but we are outnumbered."

Nora shook her head, her eyes swaying back to Jupe. He was so small and defenceless, they really wanted to torture children like this? And what about the older residents like Ken and Yara next door to the centre? They were really just gonna toss their needs to the side like trash? "How can they do that? They're just gonna kill us in here. It really is a culling."

"I'm gonna get you out" Abby promised. "Just give me some time."

"Jupe needs out now, Abby." Nora clenched her jaw. "He won't survive the night. If something happens to him because of this—"

"I know, I know." Sparing one last look to the small, young boy, Abby darted back the way she came. Bellamy stared at him through the glass, his dark eyes focussing on the little boy wrapped up warm in the blankets. He was asleep right now, but his skin was pale and sickly and his chest rose and fell in a weird rhythm.

The crowd, which had gathered in the small hallway, kept sending him dubious looks, unsure of his position. Most were coughing, bags under their eyes from sleep lost and their body's paler than normal.

The oxygen deprivation had significantly affected them, faster than he thought possible too. If the council wanted to do this to the entire Ark, he wasn't sure how long they would all last.

His eyes swayed to Nora, she had always been pale but she looked smaller, as if she had impossibly lost weight. She was shivering too and he forgot to bring her new jacket with him.

"You hanging in there?"

Nora looked up at Bellamy, his eyes now on her as she leant back against the door. She watched as he mentally checked her over, giving him a small smile. "I'm fine." That was a small lie, her lungs were sore and she was cold. Her thin fleece did nothing to ward off the cold. She would need to see if Rose had any thicker jackets for her, Bellamy had said he would keep an eye but she needed one fast. "We missed the moon rise."

Her voice was a quiet mumble, resting her head on the glass, her eyes firmly fixed on Jupe. The redhead heard a small laugh from the former cadet behind her, but she didn't turn around.

"There will be other moon rises, don't worry. We'll catch the next one."

She didn't move from that spot by the doors, the minutes filled with quiet chatter with Bellamy, catching up with him from the week missed. They only stopped when Jupe woke up coughing and wheezing. Nora shot forward to support his head while a Mecha resident passed them water. But a splutter made them freeze.

Blood.

Nora knew it was coming. She had predicted it, but she just thought they would be able to get him to Abby before this stage. She knew if the reduced oxygen had just done this to Jupe, then who knows how many more days would pass until someone else was pulled down. Who would be next?

She didn't hear the feet at first, but the Mecha residents in the hallway did. Their voices rose and Nora wondered what had drawn such a reaction, or rather who. But when she looked up, she knew it could only be Jaha. Her face immediately hardened at the man walking behind Abby and Kane.

He had done this. He had caused Jupe this pain he was in. He had sacrificed his already short life to benefit others.

It seemed that when Abby went to get the medicine, it was actually her going to the council and appealing to have the lock down lifted.

Jumping to her feet, she squeezed through the group of people to get to the front. Locking eyes with the Councillor, he spoke muffled words to Abby and Kane, only sparing Bellamy a quick look.

She could see that Abby had some sort of medicine in her hand, along with a syringe, and Nora gave a sigh in relief, he had a chance now. Turning back, she reached Gwen and Jupe and guided them through the crowd, feeling the people move aside for them.

"The doors will open in a matter of moments, only are these three permitted to leave." Jaha's voice came loud through the sound system as he held a small device to his mouth and gestured to Nora, Gwen and Jupe. "Should anyone else leave, they will be arrested immediately." Nora narrowed her eyes.

That wasn't what she wanted in the long term, but she would take it for now if it meant Jupe got the help he needed.

Glancing back at the crowd, their faces were full of anger but they all seemed to look at Jupe before taking one step back.

"Thank you." She said to the people of Mecha, her eyes full of sadness.

The doors slid open and it was as if everyone in Mecha took a collective gasp of the warmer air, momentarily distracting everyone from the current situation. Gwen, Nora and Jupe walked forward through the doors, before the guards surged forward to block the entrance and the doors rolled shut.

Bellamy was at her side immediately, "can you carry Jupe please?" She asked in a small voice to him and he nodded without question, taking the blanket from Abby and wrapping the small boy up before holding him close. Jupe seemed to bury himself further into Bellamy's chest for warmth. Abby stood by, measuring the medicine in the syringe, before give Jupe a quick shot of medicine.

"This should be enough until we can get him on an IV drip, it'll help with the pain." Abby said and Nora and Gwen just nodded solemnly.

Glancing back behind her, she saw that the crowd didn't dissipate, instead the people of Mecha stayed firmly in their spot, unmoving. She thought of Kyra and Jimmy and swore that they would have normality resumed by tonight. She couldn't let them live like this a moment longer, especially knowing that the council had done this to them.


Standing by the doors, Nora and Bellamy watched as Gwen held Jupe while he had an IV drip put in. Abby advised that a drip would be quicker and easier to get both fluids and medicine in and would ensure a quicker recovery. He had an oxygen mask placed over his nose and mouth as he rested in Gwen's arms.

She hated seeing any child this weak and defenceless. She knew she had been like this once before and knew this must have been how her dad felt. There was a surging need to do anything and everything possible to help him get better.

That's when her thoughts floated to every other person on Mecha trying to survive through this shutdown.

"Abby," Nora called, drawing the attention of the doctor beside Jupe's monitor. "When are we gonna get heating and oxygen back to normal?" She pulled the blanket on her shoulders tighter; Bellamy had put it there when they had arrived in Medical.

The doctor shifted her gaze and shrugged, "I don't know."

Nora's jaw clenched. That wasn't the answer she wanted.

Kane stepped closer to the group, having been watching from afar up until now. "The council will be convening now to discuss the situation with Mecha and Arrow. An answer will not be reached until tomorrow I expect. They don't exactly move fast with these things."

"So he's just gonna have to go back into that environment that could just kill him?" Nora gestured to Jupe.

"No," Abby began, "Jupe will stay here overnight for observation. One of you can stay with him... but the other Jaha said will have to return to Mecha."

Nora knew she would offer herself to go back in a heartbeat; she couldn't leave Jimmy and Kyra overnight. "That's not right."

"That's the council's decision." Kane spoke, his eyes soft but his words seemed to be final.

"Well, their decision is bullshit. They shouldn't be made to suffer another minute, none of them, and you know it."

Dropping the blanket, she turned sharply and pressed the doors to open medical and leave. Bellamy turned hot on her tail, with Kane following after Abby's request. She heard Gwen try to call her back but she refused.

She had had it with the council and their "decisions"; all they did was put innocent lives at risk to save or better themselves. They were all equal on the Ark and should be treated that way.

Bellamy had caught up with her easily, damn long legs, she thought. "Nor, think this through before you storm that meeting."

"I'm making my voice heard before they kill us all, Bell."

Their quick strides meant it wouldn't take long to reach the council chamber. She hadn't exerted this much energy in a while and her lungs were showing it as she wheezed out. Her chest hurt, her lungs yelling out for her to slow down but she couldn't let them continue to hurt the people on her station, or any other station. It wasn't right.

Picking up speed, she slammed her hand on the door to the council chamber and said a mental prayer that the door was unlocked and no guards were there to block her. She heard Bellamy and Kane enter a few paces behind her and she didn't stop walking until she came face to face with Shumway. Council members surrounded a large round table, mid-discussion, but they stopped short when she burst in.

Her heart was hammering in her chest and before she even spoke up, all eyes of the council were on her.

"A child nearly died today! Do any of you care about that?" As her voice cracked and she gulped for breath, council members looked alarmed at each other, before she turned back to Shumway, pointedly continuing her words. "An innocent, 3 year old child, who's already lost his parents!" She finished, staring into his cold eyes. He remained impassive. "He nearly died because of a decision that you all made to save your own skin."

Jaha rose up from his seat, "Miss Thorn."

Her raging eyes turned to him, narrowing. "Don't even think of trying to reason your decision or defend it. What you all did was disgusting; sacrificing those lower down than you, so you could survive. It's you who should be floated- all of you! You should be made to watch the ones you love die slowly, from oxygen deprivation, from hunger!"

Shumway took a step closer to her, his hands out to remove her from the room. His hand reached out to touch her shoulder, making a move to get her out the room but she swung her arm up and swatted him out the way. "Don't touch me!" She warns him, staring at him hard and cold. "I would gladly give you another scar to match."

His eyes narrowed. "Threatening a lieutenant is a criminal offence."

Nora scoffed. "You'd love that, wouldn't you? Finally get me floated and out the way, then start picking us all off one by one in Mecha and Arrow? I wouldn't be surprised if you were the ring leader in this little experiment." She spat at him, her features hard and focussed on his every move.

As Shumway reached behind him for his shock baton, Kane stepped closer until he was positioned between the pair. "Shumway. Step away." He ordered sternly.

A warm hand touched her shoulder, gripping onto her gently. As she went to shrug the hand off, assuming it was a guard, she heard his voice, "Nora."

Bellamy's soft, yet commanding voice pulled her attention to him as he slowly pulled her back from Shumway. When it came to her people, her loyalty and love knew no bounds. She was lioness, fiercely protective and had a temper to shield her family from any threats.

Her eyes remained hard and fixed on Shumway, with Kane ordering him back. "You all just lost the respect of hundreds of people who live on Mecha and Arrow. Don't expect them to ever do anything for any of you again. Not after the way you treated them like lab rats. You all did that." She pointed towards the table full of council members. "Now imagine if we voted that for your station, for your family? Except, we would never be that cruel and inhumane."

Bellamy pulled her back again and this time, she came with him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her from the council's chamber and into the hallway. The emotions had built up inside of her into a raging fire but as soon as she was out of those doors, the flood gates opened and the energy disappeared from her body.

Bellamy pulled her into his body, his arms holding her tightly to him, as a small sob made her shoulders shake and chest heave. As her forehead rested by his neck, in the nook, his fingers tangled in her red locks and his other hand rubbed her back. "Breathe, Nor." He whispered to her, hearing her ragged breaths and feeling her tears on his skin.

"They left us there to die..."

"I know, I know."

He didn't let her go until he felt her crying slow down and her shoulders stop shaking, he felt glued to the spot with her. That was until Abby came out of the council doors with Kane by her side.

"Mecha and Arrow will be opened."

Nora looked up at Kane, her eyes red fixed on the council member, "for now? Or for good?"

"For good. They've realised their grave mistake now. Well, some do." Kane said, shaking his head.

Nora nodded, sniffing and wiping a tear away. "You can also tell the council that the people of Mecha and Arrow deserve the rations they were meant to have allocated."

Kane shared a long look with her before reluctantly nodding. "I will pass your comments on to Chancellor Jaha."

A/N: WE ARE TWO CHAPTERS AWAY FROM LAUNCH. I repeat TWO CHAPTERS. Hi, sorry I've been a bit quiet on this story for a bit but I haven't stopped writing it. I've been trying to get this bit right and hope it came out okay? Anyway, I just wanted it posted so that we could get on to the next chapter. I promise not to make you wait too long. But in the mean time, let me know what you thought!