"I don't have to answer to anyone." — John Murphy, "Murphy's Law"
Medical was silent at this early hour, but Kane had to see him before he left. Abby insisted on coming, saying something about having to clear an issue with Jackson before leaving. He knew she wanted to be there in case something had happened to Jasper in the night and they hadn't heard.
Kane wasn't the only one who had the idea of seeing him before leaving. Harper was at his side — like she had been so often over the past two weeks — his hand loosely in hers as she slept awkwardly in the chair. He knew she had come here after training the previous night and he knew now that she had never left. He glanced at Abby and she smiled as she met his eyes.
"You should wake her, we're leaving soon," she said quietly as she touched his arm. He nodded and Abby walked away toward her office where a light was on and he knew Jackson was still hunkered down after a long shift, going over charts.
Kane turned to Harper and Jasper, watching them for a moment before he crouched next to Harper and gently shook her shoulder. Her eyes flashed open in alarm, her hand squeezing Jasper's tightly on reflex. The alarm faded when her eyes met Kane's. She looked at the clock on the wall and said, "I overslept, didn't I?"
"You have ten minutes," Kane said, nodding. Harper glanced at Jasper before looking at Kane again. He smiled sadly and said, "I'll give you a moment."
"Thanks," she said, standing. Kane walked toward the office and stepped just inside, leaning against the wall. The two doctors looked at him, Abby's eyebrow rose. Kane explained, "Harper's saying goodbye."
Abby's lips pursed together, fighting a smile as she looked at him. "He woke up last night, Marcus."
Kane's eyes shot to Jackson, needing confirmation from the person who was present when it happened. He nodded and Kane sighed in relief, sliding down the wall a fraction of an inch. He asked, "Will he be okay?"
"It seems so," Jackson replied with a nod.
Kane smiled and said, "Good, I can't thank—"
Harper's head popped into the room and she said, "He's asking for you, Kane."
Kane felt the blood drain from his face. "He's awake?"
"Yeah," she said, a small smirk on her face. She grabbed his arm and said, "Come on, boss, we're leaving soon, right? Let him say his peace."
Kane was pulled from the room by Harper as he glanced over his shoulder at Abby, annoyed to find that she was fighting a laugh. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as Jasper came into view, his eyes wide open and a smile settling on his face as Kane came closer. Kane started to imagine all of the hurtful things Jasper would say: how his injuries were Marcus' fault, how he blamed him for everything, how they all would be better off without him.
"Thanks, Harper," Jasper said quietly.
"Anytime," she said with a smile. She leaned over the bed and kissed his cheek before she walked toward the door. She called over her shoulder, "You had better still be alive when I come back."
"I'll try my hardest!" He called, watching her until the doors slid shut behind her. Jasper's eyes found Kane who stood with fidgeting hands in front of the boy who should have died because of him. Kane took in Jasper's appearance, noted that the color had returned to his face after being absent for thirteen days and that his cheeks were less gaunt, like he had a hearty meal recently.
Jasper's eyes were still on him, searching his face. He said, "I wanted to thank you."
Kane's mouth fell slack as he looked at him. It was a few seconds before he managed to regain his composure. He asked, "Why?" That was the last thing he expected to come out of his mouth.
Jasper maintained eye contact with Kane who felt the urge to break it. His voice was rich with emotion, something so unlike Jasper that it took Kane by surprise, when he spoke again, "You made sure I got out of there alive. You—"
Kane cut him off, shaking his head. "I nearly got you killed, Jasper. Don't ever thank me."
Jasper's eyes narrowed as he shook his head quickly. "You don't get it, do you? Pike was going to kill me, you stopped it. He—"
"Pike was going to kill you because of me, Jasper."
He rolled his eyes before glaring at Kane, half-rising out of bed as he nearly shouted, "This self-deprecating crap is really pissing everyone off, especially me. Pike wanted information, he would have done anything to get it. I'm not having any of this crap from you, not now, not anymore. Take my thanks or don't — it's out there, that's all I need."
Kane stared at him, eyes wide for a moment before he nodded slowly.
"Good," Jasper said, sinking back into the pillow. "Now, I need you to promise me something."
"Anything," Kane said quietly, staring at the floor.
"Take care of Harper for me," he said. His voice so full of endearment, Kane felt like he was intruding on a private moment.
"Marcus?" Abby was behind him, leaning against the doorjamb of her office. She was smiling softly when he turned to her. "It is time to go."
He nodded and walked a few steps forward, touching Jasper's good shoulder briefly before saying, "I'll do everything I can for Harper."
"You'd better — that girl deserves it," he said quietly. The corner of Kane's mouth twitched up as he nodded his agreement. He looked at Jasper once more before turning and following Abby out the door.
They walked in silence along the hallway, she absently took his hand but he knew she had been listening. Still, he had to say something. He had to tell her that he had been forgiven. He whispered, "He thanked me, Abby."
"I heard," she said with a nod. He glanced at her and found a small smile on her face. "You think you don't deserve it, Marcus, but you do. You didn't do any of that to him, you saved him. You saved all of us."
Kane shook his head. "You saved us, Abby."
"Stop," she snapped, gripping his hand tight and pulling him to a standstill. He looked down at her, a frown settling on his face. She leaned against the wall behind her and grabbed both of his hands, pulling him closer. His eyes searched her face, finding her lips pressed together in a thin line as she stared down at their hands. She ran her thumbs lightly over the backs of his hands as she whispered, "You are a better man for all of this tragedy. You have learned from it and I need you to stop treating yourself like the man you were on the Ark. Would you ever sentence 320 of our own people to death without their knowledge?"
He shook his head, chin falling to his chest. A heat burned through him as the memory of the Culling flooded his mind.
"Stop acting like him then, accept gratitude when it is given, you idiot." She said, gripping his hands tightly. His eyes met hers and found a yearning there he saw often when they had disagreements like this one, a longing for him to accept himself for who he truly was now rather than who he used to be.
Abby gripped him by his hip and pulled him to her as her other hand buried itself in his hair, pulling his head down. She rested her forehead against his and whispered, "You are just going to have to get used to this new affection and adoration from the kids, okay? Like it or not, you've adopted about ten of them, not including that football-crazed boy who drinks all of our tea."
He nodded against her forehead and whispered, "Why are you always right?"
"You have to stop saying things like that if you don't want me to hold it over your head," she said with a smile. He pulled back slightly to look at her, still amazed that she could ever smile at him like this, that she loved him after everything he had done, that they were raising a child together. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his, gripping her hips tight in his hands. He reveled in the feel of her hands getting lost in his thick hair, of her tongue in his mouth, of her body pressed against his like it was always meant to be there.
"Hey! Enough of that, Lovebirds, you're in public. Shouldn't you be leaving?" Kyle Wick asked, walking by with a box in hand. Kane broke from Abby and glared at the engineer. He retorted, "Don't you have radios to build?"
Wick turned on his heel and walked backward away from them, shaking the box for emphasis. "What do you think this is for, Chancellor? I know Abby's gorgeous, but have some dignity, man. At least I'm doing my job, go do yours."
He turned around again, walking away from them with a grin on his face. Kane hid his embarrassment as others started to pass, ignoring the scene that had just transpired as they began their days. Abby tugged on his hand and whispered, "Let's go."
He nodded and laced their fingers together as they walked out of Alpha Station. Their group was waiting for them at the patio, packs ready and at their feet. Clarke handed Abby hers and Bellamy gave Kane his. Benja stood between them, holding the straps of his backpack that was already secured on his shoulders, ready to go. He had talked about nothing but Niagara over the past few days, ever since they told him he was going with them. He was practically bouncing with excitement over seeing the Falls.
"Hey, Kane," Octavia called as she sharpened her sword near the extinguished fire pit. She nodded toward the stables and said, "Penn's looking for you."
He nodded and shouldered his pack before kissing Abby's forehead. He said, "I'll meet you at the rovers."
He headed for the stables and noticed Sinclair walking out of Alpha. He waved his hand and Sinclair nodded in acknowledgement. Kane smiled to himself, knowing that the man had his hands full now. He found Penn leaning against one of the stalls, watching camp come to life around him.
Penn clasped his forearm and said, "It is strange to not be going to war with you."
Kane smiled and said, "You will be missed, but we need you here. I can count on you to protect my people, Penn."
The Grounder smiled and glanced toward the hulking space station. "I'm honored to have your faith, Skaihef."
"Do you see that man over there?" Kane asked, pointing to the curly haired engineer who was talking with Abby. The Grounder nodded. "That's Jacopo Sinclair, he's in charge of Arkadia while I'm gone. You go to him with any problems, okay?"
Penn nodded and clasped Kane's forearm again. "Gouthru klir, ai lukot. | Safe passage, my friend."
"Ste klir hir, Pen. | Be safe here, Penn." Kane said, releasing his arm. The men looked at each other for a moment longer before Kane nodded and walked away.
"Kein," Penn whispered. He turned and found Penn looking at him seriously, arms crossed over his chest. "Nou ge pon klin kom Azgeda. Nou vout in yu na wich emo in. | Don't be fooled by Ice Nation. Don't assume you can trust them."
"Ai nou dula gada loda sad klin, ai dula? | I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Kane asked, eyes searching Penn's face for an answer that wasn't there.
Penn shrugged, his eyes scanning the camp before settling on Kane again. "Otaim yu na gada sad klin. Yu na sad nou branwoda klin kom yu kru, Markos. Fou taim gon we snap. | You always have a choice. Make sure you choose wisely for your people, Marcus. Before it's too late."
As the rover bumped along the road, Kane took stock of the people surrounding him. They were the six people he cared about most in the world and if Penn's warning proved true, he was leading them into danger.
Bellamy was at the wheel, Clarke in the passenger's seat; the two of them were chatting absently about Gina and the breakup that had apparently occurred late last night between the two of them. Kane mentally noted to ask Bellamy about it later — he and Gina had seemed just fine at the fire when he last saw them.
Across from him sat Lincoln and Octavia, alert and ready for anything that might come their way. They always were and Kane admired that about them. Octavia was nothing like she had been on the Ark: timid, quiet, scared for her life. But he figured 16 years of hiding had made her that way. The Ground had freed her and Lincoln had brought out the warrior in her. It was amazing was six months could do for someone, Octavia had changed in so many ways she was almost unrecognizable — she was leader now, someone to look up to. Someone he could rely on and trust with his life.
Benja was to his left, leaning against his side, lost to sleep. The boy had come to mean so much to him in the few short weeks he had been in his life. He could never have guessed that finding him would change his life so much, but it really had. He worried over his safety, wanted him to be happy, hoped he grew up well — it was one of the reasons he couldn't deny the boy his football games, why he indulged him and watched them together nightly before bed. Abby said that he really was a dad now, but he didn't feel like it.
Abby sat to his right, reading. Since leaving her second job as chancellor, Abby had been blazing through books. They had a small library growing in their living room, stacking the books in the recesses in the walls. Abby was making their new quarters really feel like home and he found that was yet another thing to love about her. He found new things every day and could fill a novel with everything he loved about the woman seated next to him, lazily turning the pages of Heart of Darkness as she rested her head against his shoulder.
It was a seven hour ride to Niagara and they had barely crossed the border into Ice Nation, meaning they still had another five hours. Music softly placed from an iPod salvaged from Mount Weather and Kane let himself get lost to the music, some rock group from the early 21st Century.
His mind was forced on high alert though when the rover lurched to a stop. He shared a look with Abby before he rose from his seat and peeked his head between Bellamy and Clarke. He asked, "What's going on?"
"No idea, sir. Rover 1 stopped," Bellamy said, nodding through the windshield. Kane stared through the glass and watched as Roan exited the rover, walking toward the front.
"Everyone stay here," Kane said, walking to the door. He grabbed his gun from his bag as he went and checked the magazine before he pushed open the door and hopped out. He walked north, toward Roan, and found that he wasn't alone.
A woman sat astride a horse covered in white war paint. She was speaking with Roan and stopped short when she saw him. Roan glanced over his shoulder and, upon seeing Kane, said, "En's ogud, em laik lukot. | It's okay, he's a friend."
The woman spat, "Em laik Skaikru. Em laik baga, Haihefa. | He's a Sky Person. He's the enemy, King."
"Nou mou, oso throu daun ogeda. Ontari laik baga, Bri. | Enough, we fight together. Ontari is the enemy, Bri." Roan said gruffly. The woman eyed him hard before she whistled.
"Osir lid yu in honon | We bring you captives," Bri said, nodding toward the trees. A man walked out, pulling two blindfolded teenagers.
"Chit dison bilaik? | What is this?" Kane asked, pointing his finger between the two prisoners.
"Thieves on my land," Roan said, glancing at Kane. "Bri and Lington are to be rewarded for the heads of these two." He looked at the two bounty hunters and said, "Teik emo gon nila. Teik emo ai omo wamplei op. | Put them on their knees. Let them see their deaths."
Bri swung down from her horse and took hold of the female prisoner. Lington tore the blindfold from the boy's head and Kane exhaled a sharp breath. Bri took the blindfold off the girl but Kane didn't recognize her; from the tattoo on her face, he assumed she was a Grounder. He turned his attention back to the boy and their eyes met.
"Breik em au! | Free him!" Kane said, eyes wide.
"Do you know him?" Roan asked, amusement dancing on his face. Kane nodded.
"The boy is one of my people," he replied, finally looking away from the delinquent and meeting the king's eyes. Roan was studying him and continued to do so for nearly a minute.
He turned to the bounty hunters and said, "Yo don sen Chansla in, breik emo au. | You heard the Chancellor, free them."
"Ba— | But—" Lington began to protest. His words died when Roan shot him a glare and spat, "Ai laik yu Haihefa, dula kom ai biyo! | I am your king, do as I say!"
Bri and Lington released the bonds holding the prisoners' hands behind their backs. The two rubbed their wrists and John Murphy glanced at the bounty hunters before he looked at Kane again. He said coldly, "I didn't need your help."
"It looks like you did," Kane said, beckoning him over. "You're just in time, Mr. Murphy, we could use you."
Murphy raised an eyebrow at him and glanced at his Grounder friend. "That's rich, coming from the guy who helped send me to this hellhole in the first place."
Kane grinned sadly at the boy as he said, "Mr. Murphy, we are going to war with half of Ice Nation. We could use your skill — if you'll have us, that is."
Murphy stared at him for nearly a minute before he took off toward the rovers, his friend following. He called over his shoulder, "I don't have anything better to do. This had better not get me killed."
Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated! :)
After that episode, I needed to write. So it's 4:30am here and I've finally finished the chapter. I'm so happy to bring Murphy into the fic because he's such a great character! I hope you guys like him joining the story!
-Lauren