With every strike he watched Shumway deliver to Nora, he felt his rage grow and grow. He was late for her and now she was going to die because of it.
He had heard the commotion before he had seen her. When Bellamy had arrived at the ration supply room, there was no sign of her. He ran through the hallways with his trolley, before he heard the commotion, the shouts and the scream he found out belonged to Nora.
Seeing her slumped against the wall, completely devoid of any fight left in her, she turned to her voice; the only weapon she had left. But Shumway would take that from her too.
He had failed her.
Watching her body flop on the shoulder of the guard, he kept his dark eyes fixed on her red face, a bruise already starting to appear on her cheek. Her eyes were so heavy as they stared back at him. He took a step forward through the crowd just as her hazel eyes dropped and closed, her body going limp.
She would be floated, either today or tomorrow, depending how quick Shumway wanted it to be.
His dark eyes floated down to the bag full of rations. He at least had to finish her mission. But before he could do anything, the other guard stepped forward and grabbed it.
Following them quietly and from a distance, he watched as Shumway followed the guard carrying Nora to lock up and the other guard split to go a different way, under Shumway's instruction. Making a snap decision, he followed the lone guard. He would make sure those kids were fed.
He had to finish her mission.
Lingering back from the guard, he followed him through the hallways until the guard stopped to drop the guardsman office. A smirk touched Bellamy's lips; this would be easier than he thought. Sprinting back the way he came to near the janitors closet, where he had left his trolley.
It was hard for him not to sprint back to the guardsman closet, but he had to seem as normal as possible. Knocking on the door, he called out, "cleaning!".
He waited for the door to open with as blank face as possible. The same guard that had been on duty when he was a cadet opened the door to him, munching on a ration, Bellamy's eyes hardened.
"Make it quick, Blake."
Nodding, the guard stepped outside and Bellamy pulled his trolley behind him. With the door locked shut, he did a quick search for Nora's bag of rations before finding it shoved in a cupboard. He grabbed it and dropped it into the trolley. In its place, he found a different bag and placed it in the cupboard and took a few rations from Nora's bag and placed them in the decoy bag. That would keep them going long enough to get suspicious.
Throwing some dirty blankets over the trolley, he quickly went around the room, tidying it up. He had to at least do something to make it seem like he was working.
"All done!" He yanked the door open with a nod to the guard. The guard just nodded, waving him off, still munching before shutting the door behind him.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Bellamy took off for the children's centre. His heart was hammering in his chest, the adrenaline pumping through him in full force. Nora should've been here, doing this with him. But she wasn't. She was somewhere in lock up awaiting a quick trial he would've imagined. When he made it to the doors, he knocked, waiting to hear the locks before entering discreetly. "Gwen."
The blonde frowned at him, "Bellamy? What are you doing here?" Her frown disappeared and slowly her face fell, "has something happened? Where's Nora?"
Upon hearing her panic, he clenched his jaw, locking the door behind him and stepping forward. "Shumway arrested her. She's in lock up."
A look of horror appeared on the woman's face as she covered her mouth in shock. "I shouldn't have let her go."
"She didn't want the kids to go hungry again." Bellamy pulled her in, trying to comfort the distressed woman. "And they won't, I made sure of it." Gwen looked up at him, her brow furrowed again. He gestured to the trolley and reached inside, pulling out Nora's centre bag and the ration packs that lay inside. "You'll eat good tonight. Make sure to hide it under the floors now. They'll come looking for it when they know it's missing, I'm sure."
Holding back the tears, Gwen hugged Bellamy tightly as she kept thanking him in quiet sobs. "I'll try to appeal to Abby. I'll go now and get her to do something. She has some pull over Jaha, she must do."
All Bellamy could do was nod as Nora flashed into his mind. He remembered the helpless look on her face when they arrested her; she knew her fight was over. He couldn't let her be floated though. He couldn't lose her too. He had already lost his mother to the sky and Octavia to the skybox. She was all he had left.
"Don't tell the kids yet. Just until we know for sure." He said, knowing there were just around the corner.
"Okay."
"I'm gonna go talk to a few guards and see what they know. If you talk to Abby, we can meet at medical and do a recon there?" Gwen just nodded, mutely, brushing away the stray tears and Bellamy gave her another quick hug before leaving with his empty trolley.
Her cheek felt cold and hot at the same time.
Nora knew where she was before she opened her eyes. Holding cells. Her head was humming and not in a pleasant way.
Her mind greeted her with flashes of her head meeting the hard wall, thanks to the guard.
Her body reminded her of the shocklashes, thanks to Shumway, as she tried to move.
She hated the sound of the whimper that came from her as she opened her eyes and pull herself up. But it was easier said than done, thanks to the plastic cuffs which were still around her wrists. Shimmying backwards, she turned over and used her joined hands to pull herself up onto the bed.
The thin blanket was a warm welcome for her. Leaning into the corner, with her back against the wall, Nora reached down to pull her long sleeved t-shirt up as much as possible. She got a brief glimpse of the bright red marks from the shocklash and dropped it back down.
She didn't know what would come next, she really didn't.
The natural step would be floating. It would be the end for her.
She knew she was solely responsible for her actions, no one else was to blame. For that reason it would be an easy sentencing. It wouldn't take long at all.
Shuffling down the bed, if you could even call it that, she rested her head and let sleep take her. She didn't want to think about anything else right now.
A loud beep made her eyes flash open, instinctively shuffle back into the corner again with a wince. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep in here for. The door opened, a guard figure moving into its place. Nora recognised the man instantly; Jones, the one who had helped Bellamy with her training. Beside him, Abby moved into the picture, stepping into the room, and she felt her whole body relax and want to sob at the same time. "Nora, honey. It's okay."
The older woman's warm arms enveloped her, pulling her in closer; one hand on her head and the other on her back. Jones stepped forward quietly, "I can take these off" he said, pointing to the cuffs.
"Thanks." She answered him quietly, holding her arms out. "How did you guys get in here?"
"Kane allowed it." Abby answered, "although he insisted on a guard supervision." Nora gave Jones a small smile, he was probably the only member of the guard she would trust. "Bellamy got the rations to the centre. He asked me to tell you. He wanted you to know."
The redhead smiled, "He's good like that." Tries to hold back the tears. Was this it? It felt like it. Would she see Bellamy again, or Octavia, or Jimmy and Kyra? She took a deep breath and tackled the elephant in the room, "so when are they floating me?" They were both silent. "That soon, huh?"
"I'm working on it. I'm trying to appeal to Jaha, but it's not that easy. Shumway is being persistent."
"Persistent pain in the ass." Jones quipped, crossing his arms over his chest.
Nora chuckled, "he'll push to get me floated."
"And I'll push to save you." Abby promised, placing her hands either side of her head. "I promise you."
"Don't make promises you can't keep." Nora said solemnly, all hope snuffed out of her golden eyes.
"Well I make promises. Now, I need to see your wounds." She reached down to beside the bed for a small bag Nora had missed completely. The older woman reached in to pull out a small tub and a pair of gloves.
Moving to block the window in the door, Jones stood quietly, looking on as Abby inspected the bruise on her cheek. Nora saw his gaze flicker away from her when Abby pulled her shirt up to reveal her stomach. "You're gonna tell him about them, aren't you?"
"I think he already knows you're injured. That's why he's spitting blood right now." He said, still not looking at her.
When the cold cream touched her red skin, she winced and flinched. Abby repeated the process for all three marks, although one she was muttering under her breath about being worse. Pulling a pad from her bag, she placed it over the worst wound and stuck it to her skin. "That should keep it protected for now."
"Why bother? This is it, right? Why waste the resources on me?" The redhead felt her chin wobble.
"Because you're not getting floated."
It was all white noise and empty promises to Nora. There was no way of getting out of this; she had been caught and this was the consequences she had been running away from for a while now. "I'm never gonna see him again." There was no question over who he was; both Abby and Jones knew.
She felt so lost and withdrawn from it all, she never even felt Abby pull her chin up to make her look at her. Her eyes stared off into the distance.
"Or Gwen or Jimmy or Kyra. They must be so confused by all of this." Nora turned to Abby with curious eyes, "do you think I could say goodbye to them?"
Abby's face turned hard. "Nora, please just listen to me... you are not getting floated. I will not allow it. I made a promise to your father to help you and I will. Just give me time and you won't need to say goodbye to them."
Nora tried to give the older woman a smile, but her chin wobbled as tears gathered in her eyes. "Thank you." She knew deep down in her heart that this was the end though. If it was, she wanted a chance to say goodbye to Jimmy and Kyra, they were two little lights in her life and she couldn't stand the thought of never seeing them again or even saying goodbye.
It tore her up that she would never see Bellamy again either, but he would understand. The innocent, happy kids wouldn't. She just hoped he would understand that if it came down to a choice of who to say goodbye to, that it would be the kids and not him.
"She is a good person and would be a good leader on the ground for those kids. You of all people have to see that?"
"She has proven herself to care for others, yes, but look where that has gotten her. If she does the same to those kids on the ground, could they all die because of her decisions?"
Abby closed her eyes, shaking her head at Kane's words, ignoring every single one of them. "She is older, they will follow her. She will do right with them. She is a protector at the core."
"It takes more than age for people to follow someone, Abby. These are delinquents we are talking about."
"She cannot be floated!" Abby stressed, her voice rising. "It would be a waste, especially when there is a seat there. We only have 99 delinquents and 100 seats. It shouldn't even be a question?"
"Abby, I know."
"Then why won't you put her on that dropship?"
Kane sighed heavily, his hand rubbing his face as he stared at the floor. "Drop ship leaves in 6 hours. Jaha is in the Chamber so we can discuss it with him, but there are no guarantees."
"Well, then let's go now." Kane shot her a confused face. "I'm not wasting time here, Marcus. 6 hours is long enough to appeal and get her that seat."
"Are you sure this is the right thing for her?"
Abby paused, turning back to the man. "She either dies in 6 hours or she gets a seat on that dropship and another chance at life on the ground. I don't see the argument here. It would be a waste of a good life when there is a seat available for her." She said before turning for the Councils' Chamber. Kane sighed deeply before following in her footsteps.
The woman didn't even knock as she entered, but Thelonious didn't bat an eye lid as she walked over to stand before him. "We need to discuss Nora Thorn's sentencing as a matter of urgency."
Kane and Jaha shared a brief look and nod before he spoke, "I gathered you would like to protest it."
"No... I want to bargain it."
He frowned, "go on."
"We have one seat spare on the dropship and I want her in it when that ship launches."
The sound of suction from the doors woke her up. She had just been dozing, curled into a ball on her bed as the two guards stepped into her cell. Her hazel eyes shot open and she scooted back and pressed herself into the wall as they spoke, "prisoner 635, stand up and face the wall with your hands out."
"What's happening?"
"Stand up and face the wall." The guard repeated again, but louder, while the other one shut the door behind them.
Her eyes flickered wildly between them, her brain not completely catching up with their words. "Not until you tell me what's going on." Nora saw his jaw clench quickly before he stepped forward. "Where's Abby Griffin?" She asked and got no response from the guards.
They made no sound as the first guard stepped forward to grab her from the bed, her feet met the floor harshly, the rubber of her soles squeaking. As he shoved her forward to the wall, her hands shot out, protecting her face before he went to grab her again. But she slipped out of the hold before they could, turning around and walking backwards.
Nora knew this was a losing fight. The door was locked. Only the guards would be able to get out with their passes. She could either go willingly or cause a fight... and she was not going willingly.
"Get off of me!" She yelled as the other guard made a move to grab her arm and she launched a punch forward with her free arm and caught his cheek. His hand fell away immediately and the first guard stepped forward with a face of thunder and backhanded her into the wall. She felt the hum of her head instead of the impact from the wall, as she sunk to the floor, clutching the side of her face. She'd already taken one hit on that side of her head already; but this one felt worse and stung with a sharpness.
"Stupid bitch."
She heard the guard say as he yanked her wrist up. His voice was so loud in her head.
"Tomorrow..." she muttered to them, Abby had said tomorrow would be the soonest they would float if they did. She didn't mention anything about tonight. She had said to Abby if it was tomorrow, she wanted to say her goodbyes.
Watching through bleary eyes, she looked up as one of the guards held her arm out and the other opened a box. That's when she saw the blood on her hand; dark red and she couldn't look away from it. Was it hers? Or theirs? A sharp bolt of pain pulled her eyes from the blood and to the metal wristband they had snapped around her wrist. She let out a hiss; it felt as if a thousand tiny needles had cut into her.
"Get up."
His voice was gruff, hard and impatient. Nothing like Jones. Where was he?
She tried to move, getting to her knees first, blinking back the pain and throbbing in her head. But clearly she wasn't moving as fast as the guard would've liked.
"We've got 30 more of these delinquents to get inside. We're gonna be here all night at this rate." He said but it didn't make sense to her. She heard the other scoff, before reaching down to pull her up again.
"No."She pleaded again, feeling their hands on her jacket, gripping her arms. Their grip tightened and she struggled more, her arms moving about beside her, trying to shrug them off.
"Settle down!" A guard yelled and it just surged her on to move more. She couldn't go without a fight. She had people to say goodbye to. She couldn't go like this.
She used all her strength to slap his hands away before launching fists at the louder guard. They weren't coordinated fists; Bellamy would not be proud of her technique, nor Jones. But it was all she could muster at this point. She wanted their hands off her, she wanted Abby there with her, she wanted to say her goodbyes... she wanted Bellamy.
The guard made a move and grabbed her arm with a strong grip, making her wince. "Get the sedative, Tommy." He called for the other guard and it rang alarm bells in her head. He twisted her arm and pushed her into the wall, pulling her arms back behind her. He held them in place with arm, while the other tilted her head to the side.
"No, please... no." She tried with all her might to look back at the other man, but she couldn't move her head. Nora squirmed more, feeling tears in her eyes. She wouldn't even feel the pain of being floated. That would probably be the only thing she was happy for, but then the last thing she would see would be these two guards and this dingy, dark cell.
"I don't need it. I'll float without it, please, no." She said, still struggling in his hold and wishing Jones would come back.
"Sorry, sweetheart, no can do."
He didn't sound sorry at all.
Nora gave a quiet sob, squeezing her eyes shut and thinking of something else. She thought of Kyra and Jimmy in the children's centre, happy memories of teaching them new stories, the friend she had made in Octavia, and her brother… Her brother, Bellamy. She tried to think just of him. His kind smile, his gentle hands, the look on his face when she was caught by Shumway and the other guards, so apologetic and remorseful that it killed her. It would kill her…
She felt the sharp sting of the needle in her neck and grit her teeth together. It felt cold. Or did she feel cold?
Bellamy… She hoped he would be okay, that him and Octavia would eventually get to see each other again. It would be cruel to keep the two siblings apart. She wouldn't see either of them ever again… She wouldn't get another hug from Bellamy or share another laugh with the younger Blake.
Bellamy… His smile… His eyes… The myths he told her and taught her, the ones she then went onto to tell the children in the centre… the stories he told her of him and Octavia growing up…
Octavia….
Kyra… Jimmy…
Bellamy… Octavia… Kyra… Jimmy…
Slowly, their faces merged together, blurring… until there was nothing. Darkness took her and she gave up, falling weak in the arms of the guard.
The guard she wished had been Bellamy.
"Take her to the dropship, Tommy, and try to avoid Jaha seeing. They said to only use the sedative as a last resort." The guard spoke. "Dr Griffin will be pissed if she finds out we used it on her golden girl."
Tommy hoisted her limp body over his shoulder and walked out the door towards the dropship that was due to leave in half an hour. While the other hung briefly back to straighten up the room as if there hadn't been a struggle.
Abby hadn't told him anything. He was completely in the dark about what was going on. All she told him and Gwen was that she was in a holding cell, awaiting trial tomorrow. That was more than 5 hours ago. He hadn't heard anything from her since.
But it was Kane's words that lingered in his mind. "If Shumway has his way, she'll be floated this evening."
It already was the evening and not knowing was eating away at him. Abby had said she would come find him if anything changed. That to him meant he had to stay put. But if he hadn't heard from her in a few hours, he was going to find her. She surely couldn't expect him to wait until the morning to find out?
With nothing left to do and his shift over for the day, he undid the first few buttons of his jumpsuit and took a look around his home. The home he had once shared with his mother and sister, but now lived alone. He looked to the bed where him and Nora had spent many times sat on reading, only once falling asleep together on it... and once sharing a kiss on it.
Slumping back on the bed, he reached for a book, in attempt to keep himself awake. Just as he had turned the page, a thumping bolted him upright. "Please have good news, Abby." He muttered to himself.
But when he tore the door open, it wasn't Abby on the other side.
"Cadet Blake."
The man before him gave him a small smirk. That was enough to make his blood boil.
He had just seen Nora get arrested this morning because of this man. He still remembered the way her body had shuddered as he sent a ripple of shocks through her, the way he had struck her across the stomach without a flicker of emotion on his face. He could still hear her cries of pain and the look in her eyes, like she was weightless as they carried her away from him.
Now Shumway was stood in his doorway. Had he come to gloat?
"It's Janitor Blake now, Lieutenant." He bit out.
"Commander." Shumway's smirk widened as he gestured to himself. "A lot has changed in the past year. May I?" Without waiting for the answer, he strolled into Bellamy's home, as if he owned the place and him. He had once, but not anymore. The Commander's eyes scanned across the minimalist home. The council had removed many of Octavia and his mother's possessions already, leaving him with just the essentials.
"You've got some nerve coming here after getting my mother floated, locking up my sister and now Nora."
The Commander waved it off, still a smile resting on his lips. "I was following orders."
He made his own orders by the seems of it. Gritting his teeth, Bellamy stood still. "What the hell do you want from me?"
"You were a hell of a guardsman, Bellamy, you know that? Smart, hardworking, resourceful."
"I wasn't a guardsman. That's what you said."
"I remember. You also said you'd do anything to protect your sister, I remember too." He paused his pacing to spare him a look. "I hope that's still true?"
He felt his heart drop. "Is she okay?" They couldn't have floated her. She wasn't 18 yet, she had just under a year left in lock up. They couldn't be that desperate for oxygen already.
"What I'm about to tell you is classified." He paused briefly, before continuing, talking a step closer to him. "Chancellor Jaha has approved a mission to Earth. He's sending the juvenile prisoners to the ground. Every single one of them. Your sister included."
"N-No, you can't." Bellamy could feel his heart beat faster, his mind already conjuring visions of Octavia being killed by radiation on Earth. His little baby sister, the one he had tried so hard to protect all his life. Who was to say they would survive the journey? Let alone the landing and the ground itself? "It's not safe. You have to stop them."
"I wish I could." Bellamy knew he didn't care whether they died on Earth or on that near 100 year old dropship. "What I can do is get you a seat on that dropship. It's doubtful those kids will survive, but if you're there, at least Octavia won't be alone." His eyes stared directly at Bellamy, they gave nothing away and were void of any emotion. But Bellamy could tell there was something else to it.
"Sumway is all about himself." Nora's words flashed through his mind. She had told him that one evening together on the bridge. "Everything he does has a motive, an underlying reason. He never does you a favour, never." He knew he could never trust Shumway. The older man would not blink twice if it came down to sacrificing his life. There was another reason for him coming to him; it couldn't be this easy to get a seat on a dropship with Octavia.
"What do I have to do?"
"Kill the chancellor." Reaching behind him, Shumway pulled a gun from his holster and handed it to him with the handle extended to him.
He was once again faced with the choice of risking his life to save another's, and not just anyone, his sister. He would do it without thinking twice, but he wanted something more this time. Taking the gun from Shumway, he immediately turned it on him and aimed it at his head. "How about we make a deal instead?"
Shumway took a deep breath and shook his head. "That's the deal, Blake. No negotiation."
"You're not really in a position to negotiate anymore." Bellamy spoke, his voice hard and his jaw clenched as he held the gun still. "Get Nora a seat on that dropship too and you've got yourself a deal. Octavia and Nora or it's off. You can get someone else to do your dirty work." He would make sure they were all together and on that ship, far away from the people who didn't care for their lives.
Shumway pressed his lips together into a thin line. "They haven't told you?" His eyebrows rose, waiting for Bellamy to respond.
"Told me what?"
He could see the smile threatening to appear on his lips, but the lieutenant held it back as he spoke. "Nora Thorn was floated this evening."
It was like someone had punched him in the gut and knocked all the wind out of him.
Bellamy had just seen her this morning when she was arrested; Abby said there would appeal, that she would let him know if anything happened. Shaking his head, he didn't accept it. She couldn't be dead. Abby would have fought for her to live. "You're lying."
"I can assure you, I'm not." Shumway had the audacity to give him a smile. "The council met this evening to discuss her punishment. The decision was final; the punishment for theft is death. Sweet how hard Doctor Griffin tried, but even she isn't that persuasive with Jaha."
So many thoughts were swimming through his mind, not one focused. He could just see her smiling face, her red hair tied back in a loose braid and those tattered combats of hers. The kids would be devastated, inconsolable... he was devastated.
"I was there when Jaha pressed the button that killed her. I saw it with my own eyes. So pitiful how she begged for life and forgiveness… but she didn't deserve it. Jaha just pressed the button."
"Shut up." Bellamy ground out and pointed the gun back to Shumway's head.
He didn't want to accept it. It couldn't be true. She couldn't be gone, he never got to say goodbye to her. He would never be able to tell her how he felt about her… She would never know…
"Ship launches in 20 minutes, Bellamy." The strong voice pulled him back. "If we're gonna do this, we have to leave. Right now."
Swallowing back the lump in his throat, he nodded and pulled the gun away from Shumway. If he couldn't save Nora, he would save his sister. That's what Nora would want him to do. She wouldn't want him to sit here and sulk and get depressed. No, he would do what he always did and protect the people he loved.
He just wished he could have protected Nora and saved her. "Let's do this." The minutes that followed were a blur, as he followed Shumway out of his home and to a nearby mechanics wash room. He was handed a bag filled with a guards uniform and wordlessly, changed into them as Shumway waited outside to give him the next instruction.
Turning around, he caught his reflection in the mirror and he looked dead behind the eyes. The news of Nora's death had knocked him and the only thing that would help would be seeing Octavia again after a year apart. Splashing some water on his face, he scraped his hair back so it was slick and off his face.
He tucked the gun in the band of his combats and opened the door to find Shumway with a hard expression and holding out a guards pass for him. He listed off the location of Jaha, giving him strict instructions to head straight to the dropship on lower B dock. "We've got 15 minutes, Blake."
He didn't respond, just nodded, his head dipped low and his eyes hard. He knew this was murder, a crime punishable by death as well. His mother hadn't raised him this way, This wasn't who he was. But for his sister, he would do anything. Taking off without another word, he traced his steps to nearby Jaha, but back tracked when he saw the route for lock up.
What if Nora was still alive? What if Shumway really had been lying to him? He couldn't leave her here. Without another spare thought, he took off and ran down the hallway, his feet thumping on the floor as he darted around others. Scanning the pass Shumway had given to him, he slipped through the locked gates and took in the open doors and frowned.
The young offenders were all gone.
Turning to the left, he knew exactly where Nora was, Abby had recited it to him after her visit to the redhead. But when he made it to the row of three doors, they were all sealed closed with nothing out of place and blankets neatly in place. It was as if no one had ever been there.
Or they had all been floated already. A true clean slate for lock up and no wasted oxygen…
Clenching his jaw, Bellamy swallowed back the sickness that rose in him, trying to push the sight of Nora's face from his mind. No, Octavia… He had to save her. She was and always will be his top priority in life.
His sister, his responsibility.
Taking off for the exit, his feet thudded down the corridor in a sprint as he made his way to Jaha.
A/N: An extra long chapter because I couldn't face breaking it up in any way, Thanks for your reviews! What do you think?
