Chapter 18
Murphy used his binoculars to check out Granary station from the top of a ridgeline.
"What's it look like?" Nick asked.
"There are a few people on top of it and it looks like it was torn almost in two when it landed. One side is on a slope and the other is on flat land but very close to a stream."
"At least they have water on hand," Nick said. "Any sign of weapons?"
"Some, but those on duty seem to have them. Others walking around don't have any, or at least I can't see them."
"Anything else of note?"
"Yeah, there seems to be a gravesite nearby and it looks fuller than ours did at the dropship."
"Think there was an internal war?"
"Could be, but we don't know which side won," he said.
"How do we find out?" Murphy looked through the binoculars once more and noted three people going off hunting. Murphy walked over to the rest of them.
"Alright, three people have just left with rifles. I guess they want to hunt. We use those tranq guns to knock them out and we tie them up and question them."
"Which clan territory is this?" asked Brenda.
"Boudalan, or Rock Line in English," Murphy said.
"Are they friendly?"
"The Commander gave orders to let us deal with them, why?" Brenda pointed to their right where several people were waiting, watching them. Murphy turned to them.
"Ai laik Murphy kom Skaikru of Polis. We are here to deal with our people." One of them came over.
"Ai laik Rondor kom Boudalan. We have watched them fighting among themselves. Many died." Murphy sighed.
"A group of them caused trouble at one of our villages in Trikru lands and did the same thing. We had to kill their leader before we could put that rebellion down. We need to get them off your lands." Rondor nodded.
"Sha, they do not understand nature and their tek weapons are noisy and scare the animals!"
"Do you know which side won? Are they living peacefully with your people or are they still trying to kill you all?"
"They keep to themselves. We have not shown ourselves and they do not know how close we are."
"Are they hunting in your grounds?"
"Sha and they are not working with nature. They destroy what they do not understand. They kill predators and then leave the carcass to rot where it falls! Do they not realise that it draws many more predators around?"
"No, they don't. Do you think they'd listen to one of their own?"
"I do not know. We stay away but watch."
"Then it's up to us to figure it out. Three people went off hunting and we want to capture them and question them." Rondor nodded and Murphy took Brenda and Tim with him and the tranq guns.
"These will knock them out but not kill them," he explained to Rondor. They set off with Rondor leading the way. They caught up with the three hunters around a mile from the station, just over a ridgeline. Murphy had his people spead out and each assigned a target. When they were ready, Murphy rose up and fired and the other two did the same, all of them hitting their targets. They waited a few seconds for the tranquilisers to take effect before moving down to them. They tied them up and sat them against the trees and then did the same thing and waited.
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"Ugh," a woman said, as she scrunched up her face before slowly opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was the Boudalan warriors. She jumped and was scared.
"Don't worry, they won't hurt you," Murphy said from his position at another tree.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I was once John Murphy, Factory Station, then I became John Murphy, Skybox prisoner. Now I'm Murphy kom Skaikru of Polis."
"Murphy kom what?" she asked, screwing up her face again.
"Skaikru. It's what the clans call us because we came from the sky. The Polis part is where we live."
"But you were from the Ark, right?"
"Us three were, but they aren't," Murphy said, pointing to the three warriors. "They are Boudalan warriors. You fell into their territory. You got lucky and fell into an unsed part of it, but it is still their territory."
"We didn't have a choice!" the woman said.
"We know, but we are still seen as invaders. Lucky for you that us kids were sent down first. We've proven ourselves to the grounders and now we have an alliance with them and will soon become the thirteenth clan. It affords us protection from anyone who wants to fight us. No clan can attack another without all the rest of them joining forces and wiping that invading clan out."
"What about us?"
"You're one of the last stations to be found. Only Freight and Arrow are yet to be contacted by us. Arrow is far down into Florida and Freight is over near Missouri somewhere. All the others have been identified and contacted."
"So where did we land?"
"First, what's your name and what the hell is going on?" Murphy asked, non-threateningly.
"Olivia Brown, Granary station."
"Well Olivia, what happened here? We've seen the gravesite."
"A lot of people died in the crash. Those of us who didn't, tried to band together to survive, but a few of them decided they should be in charge and started acting like Jaha and his people did! Griggs would order executions based on some imaginary thing that no-one else even knew about!"
"Well, Griggs is dead, so what's happening now?"
"He's dead? How? He left to find other stations at the beginning of winter."
"And he found Arkadia, which is the home of Alpha and Mecha. They landed close together so they banded together. He called for an election because neither Marcus Kane nor Abby Griffin were ever elected. People were basically threatened into voting for Griggs and as soon as he was elected, he began locking everyone up. Cooper and Bellamy went and freed everyone and killed Griggs in the process. The rest of his people were locked up and a couple of them were killed because they would not conform to a more non-violent way of life."
And the others?"
"Coerced into going with him and doing what he wanted, according to them. Kane's got them on a short leash and so far, they appear to be doing okay." Olivia sighed.
"My husband was one of them," she said.
"Well, I don't know about names but most of them lived."
"So what now?"
"Who's in charge of Granary? Are they like Griggs or more peaceful?"
"Simon Young. He was a store manager on the Ark. He became our leader after we staged a coup against Grigg's stay-behind lackey!"
"So, the gravesite is from the internal war?"
"Some, but most are from the crash."
"How many are still alive?"
"Not many. When we landed, around 190, 195ish. After Griggs left and the war that followed, we're down to 103." Murphy whistled.
"Almost half!"
"There was a lot of fighting," Olivia said.
"So are you more peaceful? Would you fight if the Bouldalan showed up?"
"Yeah, we're peaceful, but we've never encountered anyone else around here," she said.
"They've been watching you," Murphy told her. "They've seen everything including how many people died in the civil war." Olivia sighed.
"What now?"
"In what way?"
"I assume you're here to move us somewhere else?"
"I'm here to see if you can be redeemed. If I decide you can't get along with the clans and all you want to do is kill them, then we are not moving you at all."
"You'd leave us here, all alone?"
"No, I'd send a message to our leader, Clarke Griffin, who is also our Ambassador in Polis. She'll talk to the Commander and I'll recommend that the Commander deal with you."
"Will he be fair?"
"She, and she will deal with you as she feels. These people were fighting wars with each other only five years ago. She stopped that by making them join the Kongeda - the clan alliance. If she determines you need to be eliminated, she'll order her warriors to attack. It's really up to her." Olivia was scared.
"Do we have any say in this? I don't want to die and I don't want to fight them," she said, nodding her head towards Rondor.
"Would you be willing to live peacefully among other Skaikru from other stations? Would you be willing to put aside Station bias to survive?"
"Station bias?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah, you know, not hating someone just because of which station they came from. Not hating guards because they're guards."
"Oh." Olivia thought about it some more. "I can't guarantee I won't hold a grudge against some of the guards, after all, we've all been subjected to their stop and detain methods." Murphy grunted. He'd seen it in action more times than he cared to when a guard would stop someone and try to find a reason why they should not be in that corridor or room. It was a bit of fun in a guard's boring day, but the civilians of the Ark were always terrified they'd be floated for watever perceived injustice they decided upon.
"Alright, I get that, but down here, it's a whole new start and Ark rules do not apply. Civilians use weapons for hunting, skinning, gutting, cloth making, kitchen prep and even for eating. We do not punish for having a weapon. We punish for using that weapon against someone who didn't warrant it. There are new jobs on the ground and new ways of doing things. Are you willing to try?"
"Yes, I am," Olivai said, holding her head up.
"What about them?" Murphy said, pointing to the two men still unconscious.
"Daniel is peaceful but Gomez may not be. He was a junior guard when we came down. Not enough time to get the feeling of power, but the uniform keeps going to his head."
"Don't worry, the uniforms will be gone soon. We'll still have security, but the black uniform will be gone. It's not warm enough in winter." Olivia nodded. "Will they behave or do we need to keep them tied up?"
"Daniel will, but I'm not sure of Gomez."
"Was he one of Griggs' people?"
"No, but he was still a guard."
"Then he stays tied up." Murphy went over to Olivia and pulled his knife. "I have no problem using this on you if you're lying to me," he threatened. Olivia violently shook her head. Murphy nodded and cut her ties, freeing her.
"I'm holding you to that," he said as he moved back to his tree to wait for the others to wake up.
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On the trek back to the station, they kept Gomez tied up while they freed Daniel as well. They took them all back to speak to Simon Young, the temporary leader.
"Simon!" Murphy called out. A head appeared over the top of Granary station.
"What?"
"That's not him," Olivia murmured.
"Nice try!" Murphy called out. "Bring Simon Young out." Another guy opened a door and stepped out.
"That's him," Olivia confirmed.
"Simon, I'm Murphy, once of Factory station," he introduced himself.
"Simon Young, Granary Station," he said, automatically.
"Not anymore," Murphy grinned. "Now you're Simon kom Skaikru."
"Who?"
"When you landed, there were already people on the ground. People survived the bombings, Simon. They formed groups, banded together for mutual protection and those groups absorbed more people and more lands until eventually there were only twelve clans. These clans are spread out over most of the eastern USA and into Canada. This territory belongs to the Boudalan clan," he said, pointing to Rondor who had just stepped out of the trees to be seen.
"Grounders!" Simon said, his eyes going wide.
"Yep, but they prefer to be called clan and better yet, by their clan name. This is Rondor kom Boudalan." Simon stared at him and then nodded.
"Are you here to kill us? He asked.
"No, we are here to make sure you do not destroy our lands."
"How?"
"That's what I'm here for," Murphy said, before letting out a piercing whistle. The rest of Murphy's people came out of the trees along with Rondor's people. "Don't worry, they are here to help. Now, are you going to be peaceful and cooperate? Or, do I tie you up like Gomez, here?" Simon looked again at the guard.
"Most of us are peaceful," Simon said.
"Most?"
"There are a few hotheads like him," Simon admitted, pointing to Gomez.
"I think we need to round everyone up and have a talk with them."
"What are you going to do with us?"
"Depends on your mentality and what you intend to do," Murphy said. "This is a station that's given us a lot of trouble. Griggs is dead, by the way. He took over Arkadia - another of our places - and then locked everyone up. A couple of our people went there and snuck in and dealt with him and his people."
"You mean killed?"
"Only Griggs and later on, two others who wouldn't cooperate and play nice with the locals and that includes both Alpha and Mecha whose village it was."
"Are the other stations okay? Simon asked.
"Most of them. A lot of people still died, but a lot survived as well. So far, we're at about 2500 people still living."
"What about the Skybox?" a voice asked.
"It was found but half of the prisoners died in the crash." The woman started crying. "Who were you looking for?"
"My son, Alex Sharpe."
"He's alive. He had a broken leg, but he lives." This time she did break down and cried in earnest, not for a lost son, but for a found one.
"Gillian's been hanging on by a thread since we came down, more concerned about her son than anything else."
"Then she can come with us to see him, but if she's a clingy mother or an abusive one, there will be repercussions."
"Are you saying that parents can't see their kids?"
"No, I'm saying that those kids have the right to decide for themselves if they want to see their parents. Down here, age is a number, not an indication of your knowledge. Life experience starts the day you are born and not once you turn 18. There are kids down here who are adults aleady. Do not make the mistake of seeing a 14 year old kid, they could actually be a legal adult." Murmurs arose at that.
"So what do we do?"
"Is this all of you?" Murphy asked.
"Most of us. Some of us are too sick to get out of bed. Three with injuries and one who's old." Murphy turned to Rondor.
"Any of your people here a healer?" Rondor shook his head.
"No, but I can send for one." Murphy nodded.
"Mochof, Rondor," he said, Rondor nodded once and then moved off to organise a messenger to the nearest settlement with a healer.
"Simon, gather as many as you can out here, please. We need to talk."
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Murphy outlined what had happened so far in the lives of the Ark personnel, from the moment those first delinquests touched down, to current times. He left nothing out. They were stunned at what had happened to them in such a short time.
"So what now?"
"We need peaceful people to go to Michigan and begin their new lives. It will be hard, but it will be ours," he told them, smiling as he did so.
"Where will we live?"
"I'm afraid we'll have to split you up. There are several villages and we need you split between all of them. It will take a lot of people a lot of time to build the villages into what we want. There are people there from all the stations found so far and more on the way. Each village will be mixed. No one village will have only people from one station. For Skaikru to grow, we need cooperation, not isolation!" A few cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Who decides who goes where?" Simon asked.
"You do. You're the leader. You have to make sure that there are enough people willing to move to a new village. I know it will be difficult for you as you've all bonded since you came down, but this is for our future and the future of our children. A future where they can have siblings and in a few generations, there will be aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. A future where the most scary thing to encounter is a local predator or the weather. A future where our children are safe, taught the ways of the ground and are secure enough to make it in a scary world. We know what it was like on the Ark and I'm afraid, some of the people are still like that, but there are enough others to counteract them. This is not going to be easy, and in some ways, it is harder than the Ark, but we are on the ground, have our own territory and can live in peace. Is that what you want?" This time there were more cheers and sighs of relief as they realised that the ground was not going to kill them just for existing and that there was hope for the future.
Simon turned to his people.
"Well?" He asked them. "Who wants a fresh start?" There was an abundance of joy at his question and they all clamoured to be heard.
"What now?" Simon asked.
"I'll leave a couple of my people here for now. Listen to them and the Boudalan, they know what they're talking about. Rondor is organising a healer to come here. Once they've been assessed, we'll see about moving your people north to Michigan to begin a new life. Oh, one more thing. The clans don't use modern weapons, so we won't be either. They stay behind except for a couple and those are for hunting and protection from predators only."
"How long until we get there?"Simon asked, eager to start his new life.
"Probably a couple of months," Murphy admitted. "It's a long walk." Simon sighed but nodded.
"How long are you here for?"
"Another few days and then I must be off to inform Heda Clarke of your arrival. I'll need a list of those who survived and those who have died. I'll be back before you set off and will accompany you to Michigan." Simon nodded.
"I'll get on that straight away," he said, turning away back to the station. Murphy nodded. It had gone better than he thought it would. At least they were willing to work with them instead of having to order the entire station to their deaths for acts against the grounders. He couldn't wait to go home to Polis!
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Kane was chivvying the rest of Arkadia to get ready for the long walk to their new homes. Messengers had been sent back and forth between Michigan and Arkadia about their homes and most of them would be going straight to their new villages. This was the last lot of people to go. Kane and Abby would bring them home but knew that once there, others would be in charge. Kane wasn't certain that going there in the first lot and leaving someone else in charge would have them all moving. He was certain that some of them wanted to stay where they were, so others went ahead and Kane stayed to make sure everyone left. He had them moving out of the gates and into the trees. He stopped at the treeline and looked back. Abby stopped beside him and did the same. They both saw an empty place that neither of them realised they'd come to accept as home. It felt like they were leaving their homes for a second time.
"It's weird, isn't it?" Kane said.
"What?" asked Abby.
"That place was once a place we hated because it was so different from what we once knew. Oh, Alpha was mostly still there, but the rest of it was on the ground and we couldn't ignore it if we tried. But, Abby, think about all we've achieved and all that those kids of ours achieved. Did you even think you'd accept the ground as home?"
"No, I never did, but looking at it now, I feel a sense of sadness that we have to leave it."
"I know, but it was never our land, Abby. We were only allowed to stay because the Commander said so."
"Will these new lands be taken from us?"
"No, the Commander won't allow it. Queen Cooper of Azgeda gave us those lands in compensation for the war against us."
"We never actually fought that war though," Abby said.
"Arkadia didn't, but Tesla and Farm did. Both had to fight to stay alive. They both had three hundred warriors that the Commander sent to aid in their fight against the aggressors."
"And now Cooper's one of them," Abby said. Kane looked at her and wondered why she never got it.
"No, Cooper is the Azgeda Queen, Octavia Blake is now Octavia kom Trikru, second to Chief Indra of Tondc and therefore high up in the food chain in that clan. Clarke is our leader. Heda Clarke is a well-respected clan leader in her own right. We have three of our kids in high positions in less than a year on the ground - and in all cases within months of coming here. None of those positions were something we gave them or let them have. They went out and got them themselves, Abby. They, not we, did that. They did not need our permission to do it. It's time to stop seeing kids and start seeing people. I know that's hard to do, believe me, I know! They have done something extraordinary that we wouldn't - couldn't - do. They made peace with their enemies and then joined them in a fight to get both of our peoples out of that damned mountain. We didn't want to fight that war, we just wanted to fight the Trikru and clans. We don't have the mental flexibility those kids did to do what they needed to do to survive and save their own people. They are the grown-ups in all this. They've done extraordinary things and most of them haven't even been alive for twenty years yet! What were we doing at twenty?" The question was rhetorical, but both of them were thinking about it. Neither of them was listened to because of their age and lack of life experience.
"No, Abby, those three people are the ones to lead the entire clan - and maybe even the clans - into a bright new future. I want to be there to see it happen." Abby thought it through, but couldn't see past the fact that Clarke was her daughter.
"She's just so young!" Abby said.
"She's old enough, Abby. With what they went through, they have more life experience than both of us combined." He held his hand up to stop her from speaking. "Think about it. How much true-to-life experience have we had on the Ark? What kind of life experience was it? Those kids were sent to the ground to deal with things on their own. The experience they got was more than we've ever had. Then they got into a war with the grounders and we weren't there to guide them. They had to figure it out on their own. What life experience on the Ark matches that? They were captured by monsters in the mountain. Again, what experience did we have that mimics that? And then they make peace with their old enemies to fight their new enemy. They made peace with themselves over what they went through. They went to Polis and made peace with the Commander and found a way to keep that peace even though WE wanted to fight them again. They learned new trades and how to integrate with the clans. Did we do that? No, we didn't. Clarke became our leader because she was flexible enough to deal with them fairly and not think of them as savages - which we have certainly done. Octavia became a trusted member of another clan - something that's difficult to do - and Cooper fought a deathmatch with a Queen while still a prisoner and became their queen when she killed Nia. She was a prisoner three times and each time she was supposed to die! Tell me Abby, what kind of Ark life experience even comes close to matching even one percent of all that?" Abby was silent as she finally figured it out.
"They are the new order, aren't they?" Kane nodded, smiling at last that she finally got it.
"Yes, Abby, they are. With them at the helm, our destiny will take a few years to sort out, but with the start they gave us, we'll survive long enough to see them rise high in whatever clan they become. Three clans have our people in them. Cooper and Octavia have blazed the way for our people to integrate with the clans while still keeping our identities as Skai people. They have not compromised our principles for their needs, Abby, we did that to them, not the other way around. They've earned the right to rule us and earned the right to be respected as adults and not seen for their age. We have to learn their ways or be left behind. We are the relics of the past, Abby, and they are the stars of the future. They've already begun. What they will accomplish in the next few decades, I have no idea, but I'll enjoy finding out!" Kane turned and walked into the treeline before stopping. He had no intention of leaving Abby there by herself, but he moved far enough away to give her some privacy while she struggled against the thought of her daughter being more than Abby thought she could be. It was a hard lesson to learn but Kane had embraced it once he'd figured it out.
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Another month went by and it was time for Cooper to return to Polis for the bi-annual leader's meetings. They were held in spring and in the fall. The spring one was to decide what they had to trade with and how much they projected to have spare. Something Cooper knew she didn't have.
They were on their way and were just shy of the Trikru border, approaching one of the furthest villages from her palace. The old town of Syracuse was just fifty miles from the Trikru border. As they approached, they heard the sounds of fighting. Swords clashing and arrows whizzing through the air were heard. Cooper pulled her sword and held it up.
"We go find out what's happening. Do not kill anyone unless it's Nia's thugs. Those you can kill." Cooper turned around and started her horse forward at a trot and then a gallop until they were galloping towards the village and into it. It was carnage with many dead already. Cooper saw the enemy was indeed Nia's thugs.
"Charge!" she yelled as she rode into the fight, cutting down the old guard left and right. Koby and Echo beside her. Cooper's loyal guards were surrounding the village and either getting people out of the way or capturing and killing Nia's people.
An arrow whizzed past her head, just missing her. One of her guards took off to find the shooter while Cooper, Koby and Echo continued to fight. It wasn't long before it was over, but not before one final arrow pierced Cooper's arm and came out the other side.
"Aarrgh! Shit!" Cooper said, immediately pulling her arm to her side. Echo and Koby closed ranks around her, looking for any possible attack. Jardin came running to tell her the shooter had been dealt with and all fighting had stopped.
"Echo, cut the back off the arrow and shove it through please," Cooper asked. Echo nodded and did as she was told and soon the arrow was pulled out of Cooper's arm. Bandages were pressed into the wound and wrapped up until they could find a healer. Cooper organised a search of the village for any more of Nia's thugs who may be hiding. When none were found, the villagers who had lived, returned to their destroyed village. Sounds of wailing and crying were heard as people found their dead loved ones.
"Find the chief of the village or the nearest person in charge," Cooper said and Jardin went running.
The chief was dead and so were most of his council. Only one woman remained because she was the one wise elder on his council but had no powers of her own, only advisory.
"What's your name?" Cooper asked.
"Hanrah," she replied. Cooper nodded.
"I'm Cooper kom Azgeda, Queen of this clan." Hanrah's eyes widened and she immediately fell to her knees.
"Forgive me, ai kwin, I did not know!" Cooper bent forward and took her arm to bring her back to her feet.
"I am not Nia, Hanrah, I do not find fault because you don't know who I am." Hanrah dared to look at the young woman.
"What do you need, ai kwin?"
"We were on our way to the leaders meeting in Polis. This village was on our way and we heard the sounds of fighting so we came to see what was happening."
"Queen Nia's warriors came to the village and demanded goods we did not have, ai kwin." Hanrah was still scared she'd be killed for not giving them what they asked for.
"They have or will be dealt with, Hanrah. I do not condone raiding, especially by them. I have let one of my generals take some warriors and hunt them down to the last man or woman. I do not want them defiling the lands here. Nia already caused so much trouble for the clan."
"You are not going to punish us for not giving them what they wanted?"
"No, Hanrah, I won't. I will punish those thugs though. I have to move south to Polis soon. Can you get a report ready about how many people were killed, how many stores were destroyed and what you need to survive? I will collect it on my way back to my palace."
"Sha, ai kwin, at once," Hanrah said, bowing and bobbing her head repeatedly.
"You may go," Cooper said, knowing she wouldn't until she had been dismissed.
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Cooper sighed as she mounted her horse. Her arm had been strapped to her side because she kept using it and the bleeding would start again. Koby helped her up and then moved his horse next to her. Echo moved her horse to the other side. Until they reached Polis, they would be by her side as much as possible to negate any other attacks on her.
They moved across the border the next day and Jardin had the banner unfurled. The Azgeda hand was proclaiming who she was as they travelled through Trikru lands.
Two days later, Cooper found herself falling from her horse as a heavy weight landed on top of her. She fell to the ground and fell on a rock which snapped her already injured arm. Echo had the young man tied up and dragged him away from Cooper while Koby and Patrika attended to Cooper.
"Shit! Again?" Cooper asked. "Crap, arm's broken," she said.
"Sha and we don't have a healer with us."
"We're bringing one next time," growled Koby.
"What do we do?"
"Get two flat sticks the same length as my lower arm," Cooper said. Jardin went and found two and brought them back.
"Good, get more bandages, please. Koby, hold these on either side of my arm and hold them in place while someone else wraps them and my arm up. The splints are to hold my arm in the correct position." Koby nodded as Patrika grabbed the proffered bandages and she wound them around her lower arm. When she was finished, she tied them off.
"Good," Cooper said, "now, get me to a village with a healer please. I can't wait until we get to Polis, it'll take too long and it could start to set in the wrong position." She was helped back onto her horse, but the pain was too much and she couldn't concentrate on handling the horse. Koby joined her on her horse and Cooper rode in front of him, curled into his arms as he rode. Patrika rode ahead, checking for villages with a healer. Luckily they came to Harribur and they remembered when Cooper was just a normal Skaikru person. They brought her inside and to their healers hut. The chief met them there.
"Hey, Chief, good to see you still alive," Cooper said with a grimace rather than a smile.
"It is good to see you too, though the news of your elevation in rank and clan only reached us when Sterling passed us on the way to the downed station west of us."
"Ahh, yes, I assume they were leading them to their new homeland." the Chief nodded but was concerned with Cooper's state.
"What happened to you?"
"One of my villages was attacked by queen Nia's thugs. We killed all we could find, but I got shot in the arm with an arrow. Echo took it out but we didn't have a healer with us so we just bandaged it up and set off towards Polis. This morning we were ambushed by one person jumping out of a tree onto me. He knocked me off my horse and I broke my arm on a rock." The healer was carefully unwrapping the bandages.
"What happened to the young man?" the Chief asked.
"We have him prisoner. I'll be turning him over to the Commander for her to deal with." The Chief nodded and stood back while the healer went to work.
"I'll need to put an infection fighting paste on it and it will sting. We haven't found a way of reducing that yet," the healer cautioned.
"Do it," Cooper said and then hissed at the sting.
"Sorry," the healer said. The healer also fixed a painkiller for her which she drank. They waited for half an hour for it to kick in before they had to manipulate the arm to set the bones in the correct position to set it properly. Cooper was grimacing and wincing with the pain but let them do it. She knew from Clarke that bones not aligned properly could cause more harm than good.
Eventually the healers had the arm in the right position.
"We don't have anything to hold it in position but the last time Sterling came through, he left a bag he said was medical things from the old world."
"He did? Bring it here and we'll have a look through it," Cooper said. The bag was brought and she told Echo how to open it. She looked through everything she saw, including some fibreglass bandages. She grinned and asked Echo to pull out a blue one. She read the instructions and worked with the healers to get everything ready. The net stocking was carefully pulled over her arm and a thumb hole made and fitted. Then cotton wool was wrapped around it and then once the bandage had been soaked in warm water, it was wrapped around her arm and hand. Cooper turned the top of the stocking sleeve over to create a cuff and then the bandage was wrapped around the bottom edge and once it had been done, Cooper told them to run their hands over the bandage to smooth it out. Once done, they had to wait until it set and then she had Echo pull out a triangular sling. It had pictures so the healers and Echo could work out how to fit it. It was a relief to take the weight of her arm on the sling instead of trying to hold it up by sheer muscles alone.
Cooper searched the medkit for anything else and came up with some painkillers in a bottle. She had no idea if they were still good, but she'd take them to Polis and ask Clarke. If she said okay, she'd use them, if not, she'd get a load of the painkillers they used.
They spent the night there and the Chief was all for giving up his bed to her, but Cooper wouldn't hear of it and had her tent pitched within the walls where she used to park the wagons when she passed through.