Chapter 6: Our People
In the deep wood of a scarred and radiated Earth, clustered in groups of five and six around small campfires and huddled under makeshift blankets within the cold confines of the dropship, the one hundred young survivors from humanity's Ark settled down for their first night on the planet's surface, their eyes comforted by the familiarity of the stars in the night sky above. It had been a long and exhausting day for the teens, who had been torn from their beds in the early hours of the morning, and had since experienced the terrors of the dropship's dangerous landing, the unknowns of the forest beyond, and the uncertainty of what might come in the days ahead as they must certainly struggle to survive. As tired as they were, however, many would not find comfort in sleep this first night, their minds too occupied with the fears, hopes and wonders of the past day to allow them to rest.
Lexa and Aden sat beside each other at a small campfire of their own, both quiet as they listened to the sounds of night settling over the Skaikru camp. Occasional bursts of laughter or conversation could be heard winding through the trees, but otherwise it was mostly silent but for the hum of insects and crackle of the fire. Aden was cradled against the outstretched roots and gently sloping trunk of a nearby tree, his body slouched and fighting off sleep. Lexa watched him out of the corner of her eye, not wanting the boy to sense her attention. He was clearly exhausted, and she wanted him to get some sleep. He had been in a state of hyper alertness since waking to this place, and a young body could only take so much of that type of stress before collapsing.
Aden's eyes finally slid shut and stayed closed, his breathing evening out as he slipped fully into sleep, and Lexa smiled, struck in that moment by a new memory from her life on the Ark. This time, rather than Wells or Anya, she saw a slightly younger Aden asleep in the single cot of the modest room they had shared. It wasn't so much the vision itself that surprised her, but the emotions that came with it, ones of tenderness and affection. She had always felt some of this towards the boy, of course, though she had often fought off and repressed those feelings, but these were much stronger and more intense, and she felt the memory of them fill her heart and tighten the lump in her throat.
Lexa Black loves her brother.
She knew this was true. Since finding Clarke, she had relearned what love felt like, and there was no doubt in her mind that what she was feeling for Aden was love, though of a different type.
It terrified her. She'd never meant for this to happen. She'd never wanted to love and lose again. It was hard enough right now dealing with the reality that she might never find Clarke in this place. Oddly enough, having Aden here with her was helping her stave off the grief and loneliness she felt whenever she thought about the other woman, but it also frightened her… What if she lost him, too?
Lexa turned her eyes back to the fire, fighting off the tears she now felt forming in them, not allowing them to fall by sheer force of will alone. She didn't have time for this. She needed to be strong, to be the Commander. Maybe someday in the future, once things had calmed down and a measure of security and safety had been obtained for both of them, she would be able to allow herself to grieve fully over what had been lost, and to feel whatever she needed to feel… But not right now.
With that, Lexa pulled her attention away for the Natblida boy and her precious memories of Clarke and back down to the pack she held in her hands. It was the same pack she had been wearing since she first awoke, and she had yet to look at its contents. Something had told her to wait until she was alone. That whatever was in the pack was not meant to be seen by other's eyes, and so she had waited until the cover of nighttime to open it. She was relieved that no one had asked her about it during the course of the day, though she had seen Wells looking at it with curiosity more than once. After their confrontation in the woods, they had returned to the others together and begun to organize a thorough search of the dropship and surrounding areas for supplies. The canvas from the parachutes had been retrieved and bundled up for future use as tents. Firewood had been gathered and the dropship itself stripped of anything that might be useful. The more they worked to get organized, the more people slowly began to join them in their efforts without being asked. There was no better way to fight off the anxiety of the unknown than to keep busy, she knew, and everyone had seemed happier having something useful to do.
Glancing around to make sure they were truly alone, Lexa unbuckled the two outside straps and unzipped the pack, pulling it open to peer inside. There was a canteen filled with water and a small bag that held a lighter, matches, large folding knife, and a small mirror. There was also a small book, its cover a worn and nondescript brown, the pages filled with an indecipherable hand written scrawl. Lexa squinted at the words in the firelight, trying to make sense of them, but the letters squirmed and crawled in her vision, and were in no alphabet she had ever seen before.
A journal, perhaps? She wondered, turning the book over and over in her hands. It felt familiar, as though she had held it many times before. Her thumb rubbed across the name she saw scrawled on the bottom right side of the front cover.
Becca… Who is Becca?
Lexa half hoped that a memory might surface with a face or an explanation, but none did, and so she set the book aside with the other things, reaching in to pull more items from the small pack. What came next was just as baffling – a sealed plastic bag that contained a jumble of folded papers, the drawings, words and numbers on them just as confusing to her eyes as the journal had been. She shuffled through the papers for several minutes before stuffing them back into their protective case, sealing the bag carefully to keep out any moisture, something telling her that these papers were important somehow.
Lexa reached into the pack to retrieve the final item that was there, her fingers closing over a surprisingly heavy object wrapped in a soft, dark cloth. She pulled it out, setting it on her knees with a frown, then began to unwrap it carefully. When the cloth fell open and revealed what lay within, she nearly gasped in shock, her fingers freezing mid-motion.
There, balanced on her knees and shining darkly in the red and yellow glow of the fire, was a semi-automatic pistol. If anything so far had convinced her that she was living a very different life now than she had before, this heretical item in her possession now made it abundantly clear. Her chest ached with the remembered pain of the gunshot wound which had killed her, and her fingers and hands began to tremble, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps. Her mind immediately flashed back to her earlier death, to Clarke's face above hers, pleading for her not to die. Unable to look at the weapon in front of her for a moment more, Lexa hastily re-wrapped it with the cloth she had found it in, then shoved it back into the bottom of the pack, feeling as though it was burning her hands to even touch it indirectly.
Who are you, Lexa Black? She asked herself, still shaking slightly from the flashback itself, as well as the unusual, uncontrolled panic she had felt at the sight of the pistol. Why do I have this here, and what was I planning to do with it?
No answers came, and Lexa felt herself slowly becoming calm again. Her unusually strong reaction to the pistol had unnerved her. Clearly her death was affecting her in more ways than one. This new irrational fear and revulsion felt like a weakness she couldn't afford to have right now. Firearms may be heretical and forbidden technology, true, but a warrior couldn't fear a weapon if they wished to be able to fight against it.
Lexa put all of the items she had discovered back into the pack, except for the folding knife, which she finally shoved into the top of her right boot after some consideration. She would need to make a sheath for the knife, and find a way to bind it so that it stayed open. A folded up knife, no matter how large or sharp, would do her no good if she needed it in a hurry.
The sound of crackling underbrush as someone approached made her look up and tense, her nerves on high alert now after discovering what exactly was in the pack. She relaxed slightly as she saw who it was, his handsome face smirking at her playfully as he came to stand across from her, holding his hands out to the fire.
"Finn… Where have you been?" she asked, just now realizing that she hadn't seen him since stepping off of the dropship that morning.
"Around," he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief, "There's a whole world down here, you know."
Lexa frowned at this, just the slightest downturn of her dark eyebrows. He'd been out exploring the forest, she knew, and the knowledge concerned her. She and Aden had not yet had the opportunity to slip away and scout the surrounding terrain. There could be any number of dangers close by, not to mention the mountain itself, and possibly even Trikru villages. The last thing they needed was Finn stumbling into trouble and bringing it back to camp with him before they were ready.
"It's not wise to wander by yourself, Finn," she told him, her tone hard with censure, "You have no idea what is out there. Your actions put the whole camp in danger."
He seemed a bit taken aback at her tone and criticism, his smile turning into a look of consternation.
"How can you be so serious all the time? Just look around! We're on the ground… and it's incredible! How can you not be at least a little curious to explore?" he asked her.
She couldn't tell him the truth of course, so she answered with the best truth she could.
"It's easy. I remember that all of the lives in this camp, the life of my brother, depend on us all making smart choices. One person is already dead, Finn… You saw just this morning what happens when you choose to be reckless. I would have thought the lesson would stay with you a little longer."
An uncomfortable silence fell over them after she finished speaking. She watched him in the firelight, again wondering what Clarke had seen in this young man that was worth loving, worth sacrificing so much for. As of yet, she was less than impressed, though she did sense that there might be more to him than she had seen so far. Perhaps he would surprise her?
"You're right," he said finally, his eyes rising to meet hers, "I'll try to be more careful."
She didn't say anything, just watched him warily. It was something, this admission of wrongdoing, but he still didn't seem to grasp what she had been trying to tell him. Finn was not a leader like Clarke, or even the Chancellor's son, Wells, was. He was still mostly only thinking of himself. That didn't make him a bad person… just a normal one.
"It looks like you guys have been busy back here," he said, changing the subject, "What's the plan for tomorrow? Are we leaving for Mount Weather?"
"No, not yet," said a new voice in the darkness, and Finn flinched in surprise as Wells stepped into the ring of firelight to join them. Lexa had heard his approach and therefore didn't react at his words. She glanced at Aden, amused to see the slightest gleam from beneath his closed eyelids. He was awake now, she knew, watching them with slit eyes and pretending to be asleep, no doubt ready to jump to her aid if it looked like she needed it.
Spirits, he is clever for one so young! He is going to excel when he goes through Conclave… If ever there was a Nightblood destined to be chosen by the Commander's spirit, it's him.
This thought of the Commander's spirit, still silent and unreachable within her, brought back some of her earlier unease. She felt strangely adrift without the driving confidence and absolute surety that usually arose from the flame within her. It was unnerving making decisions without that warm assurance, that certainty that came from possessing the combined wisdom and experiences of all of the previous Commanders. As though for the first time since her Ascension, she was simply a young woman named Leksa once more.
If the spirit no longer speaks to me, am I still truly the Commander? Or am I only Lexa Black, child of the stars and daughter of the Ark?
Finn and Wells were still discussing plans for the next day, and Lexa refocused her attention back on them when Finn asked her, "What do you think, Lexa?"
He looked at her expectantly, and she registered the annoyance on Wells' face that he seemed to be deferring to her and not him. For her own part, she was just glad that he was using her name instead of the ridiculous nickname he had earlier used, though she doubted very much she had heard the last of it.
"Our focus tomorrow should be on obtaining a good source of water first, then on building better shelter. We can survive without food for many days, but water truly cannot wait. We also need to find a way to keep the others from wandering off too far on their own, at least until we have had a chance to more carefully search the surrounding area. There's no telling what dangers might be in these woods."
"I'll go with you to look for water," Finn offered, "I was pretty good at Earth Skills back on the Ark. Maybe I can help."
Lexa nodded once, accepting his offer. If he was determined to go off and explore, it was better that he do so at her side where she could keep an eye on him. She might not yet be sure if she liked Finn, but Clarke wouldn't have wanted him to get hurt. Plus, if he went off again on his own and stumbled into a Trikru camp, he could unwittingly set of a chain of events that led to conflict and death. In her own reality, it was a series of deadly accidents, miscommunications, and poor decisions on both sides that had led to so much death and suffering. She was determined to see that the same did not occur this time around.
After adding more wood to the fire, they all settled down to sleep, and Lexa looked somewhat askance at them when the two boys chose to stay by her side instead of seeking out other company elsewhere. For Wells, she was sure it was mostly part of his pledge to "keep an eye on her", but she wasn't certain what Finn's motivation was. For some inexplicable reason, he seemed inclined to give her his attention, to listen to her and consider her words with more seriousness than he did all of the others.
She wondered at this and other things as she lay beside the crackling fire, but like most things that day, she was unable to find the answers she sought. Finally, her eyes closed as her body and mind gave up their struggle, and Lexa Black fell into a restless sleep, her dreams chased by blue eyes and the longed for feeling of Clarke's loving arms wrapped tight around her.
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"Alright, Sinclair," the Chancellor said, and the surrounding hum of conversation and activity fell as all those in Earth Monitoring quieted so they could listen in, "Brief me on what has happened so far."
"Well, sir, so far we have not yet been able to establish communications with the dropship, although we have been able to confirm that it's not due to a failure on our end. It's likely that the dropship suffered some damage during the landing which has caused the blackout, in which case it's difficult to say if we will ever be able to reestablish a connection," Sinclair briefed him, his voice even and professional despite the deep circles of fatigue under his tired eyes.
"Very well... Jackson. What can your medical team tell us?"
The young doctor stepped forward, his nervousness and excitement apparent as he addressed the Chancellor and assembled Council members.
"So far we are seeing extremely positive results. After the initial excitement of the landing, readings have normalized across the board. They are all beginning to show signs of light dehydration, but that is to be expected… There wasn't much water on board and they likely ran out within the first few hours of landing yesterday."
"And what about our one casualty?" Jaha asked, indicating the deceased signal on the giant screen before them where each of the hundred young people's identity and vitals were displayed.
"We've determined that he was most likely a casualty of some type of accident during the landing. He flat lined very quickly, and was dead before they even touched ground, which effectively rules out the possibility of radiation poisoning as the cause of death."
"Excellent," the Chancellor breathed out, the excitement in his voice echoed by the palpable excitement in the room. The young prisoners had been on the surface of the planet for over twenty-four hours now, and so far only one had died. No signs of radiation sickness had yet to emerge, and everyone in the room was beginning to see the first glimmer of true hope.
"Dr. Jackson…Sir? You should take a look at this," a voice called out anxiously, and all heads swiveled in its direction. "We just lost someone!"
"What?! What happened?" the doctor asked, rushing over to the display and pulling up the data for the young man who was now registering as deceased.
"I don't know… His vitals were fine one moment, then there was a slight rise in heart rate, and then they just dropped off suddenly."
Over the course of the next hour, they watched with growing horror as, one after another, at a pace that was so methodical that it was almost predictable down to the minute, vital signs continued to go black across the display. In the end, fourteen deaths occurred in an hour's time, and a strangled hush now fell over the room.
"I don't understand," Dr. Jackson protested in confusion, "It doesn't make any sense! They shouldn't be dying this way."
"But they are, Doctor," Jaha ground out in reply, his voice nearly savage with the depth of his disappointment. "So do your job, and find out why."
With that, he nearly stormed from the room, only pausing for a brief second on his way out, looking back at the hunched form of the Ark's Chief Engineer.
"And Sinclair… for God's sake man, take the next shift off and go get some sleep. There isn't much else you can do here."
"Yes sir," he replied to the Chancellor's back, his eyes meeting Anya's across the room and seeing the hidden command there.
Sinclair sighed, not for the first time wishing that there weren't so many people depending on him. He hadn't slept in almost two days, and hadn't seen his family in that time either, and it didn't look like things were going to get much better any time soon.
Now to see what fresh disaster Anya has to share, he thought wearily as he shuffled from the room, wishing he could do nothing more than what the Chancellor had ordered, but knowing he was still needed elsewhere.
Saving humanity for two different bosses sure is exhausting work...
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"This is bullshit," Raven Reyes declared, her fierce brown eyes boring into the guard who was blocking her way, completely unimpressed by how greatly his larger form dwarfed hers.
"I just watched you come out of there… If there is a medical quarantine, then why weren't you wearing a facemask, or a biological hazard suit? Why are all the air ducts between the rest of the Ark and the Sky Box prison still open?! You must think I am either blind or a complete idiot!"
The guard sweated and squirmed under her verbal barrage, his eyes rolling as he searched for someone, anyone else to step in and take over the conversation. He certainly wasn't the sharpest nail in the toolbox, and Raven Reyes was an expert at bullying information out of people when she wanted to. And she did want to, desperately. Today was visiting day, goddamn it, and she deserved some honest answers out of these people!
"I don't care if you are blind or an idiot… I told you, no visitations today! You'll just have to come back in a couple of months to see your lover boy when the quarantine is lifted. Now, it's time for you to go," the guard informed her, trying for intimidation but failing miserably.
"Lover boy?" she echoed incredulously, wanting to punch the self-satisfied smirk off of the stupid guard's face. She stopped herself from doing so, but it was difficult. Raven had always had strong emotions. She loved hard, she hated hard, and she rarely held back what she was feeling, her brutal honesty having cost her more than one friendship in the past. But she was also incredibly smart, and far, far more intelligent than most people gave her credit for. Many people only saw her youth and good looks, and they fell victim to the terrible stereotype that someone as beautiful as she was couldn't possibly be as smart as she claimed… But she was as smart as she claimed, and that was the reason she was currently the youngest zero gravity mechanic on the Ark in over fifty years.
Fifty-two, to be exact.
Raven turned on her heel and stormed away from the secure entrance to the Ark's only prison, all hope of seeing Finn that day now completely trashed. First there was the weird absence of damage she had noticed that morning while working nearby the dock where the dropship had, supposedly, been emergency launched the day before due to some kind of accident, and now there was this? A supposed medical quarantine of all the juvenile prisoners, but no medical personnel in sight and the guards all standing around like it was business as usual… Something wasn't right, and her bright mind turned over the facts and details obsessively as she stormed back towards her own quarters.
Something isn't right here. They are hiding something, and I'm going to find out what.
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The heated sounds of an argument reached their ears as they approached the dropship camp, and Lexa and Finn shared a look of concern between them. They had risen early with the sun that morning, and after gathering the needed supplies, had wasted no time in setting out in search of water. Aden had joined them of course, but so had one other, a girl with dirty blond hair named Harper. She had seen them leaving and followed after them, asking if she could come along and help, and Lexa had considered carefully for a moment before nodding her approval. The girl had been helpful, if somewhat quiet and shy, the day before, and if they were going to remain among these people for much longer, then it was important that she begin to get a sense for who was dependable and who wasn't.
Following the low, sloping terrain away from camp, it hadn't taken long for them to find water, the sound of a small waterfall leading them to a little stream not a ten minute hike away. These mountains were abundant with streams, and it rained frequently this early in the spring, so Lexa was not surprised by their good fortune. They took several minutes to each drink their fill of the chill water and to wash the sweat and dirt from their faces, then filled the makeshift water bladders they had created out of cutting large squares of cloth from one of the parachutes and tying off the corners. The water immediately began to seep through and drip down their legs and backs as they carried them, but they would hold water long enough to get back to camp and share with the rest. Later they could work to devise a better method for holding the water they gathered from the stream.
As they approached the dropship and the sounds of shouting grew louder, Lexa handed her heavy burden of water over to Finn and strode with purpose towards the sizeable crowd that was gathered next to the central fire. As she pushed her way through, she again noticed the reaction people had to her, immediately stepping out of her way as soon as they noticed who it was. Perhaps it was only the guard jacket, or the fact that as the only true adult among them, she had immediately become a figure of some authority in their eyes, but the truth was something both less tangible and more significant. Lexa had been in command, and commanded men and women in battle, for over six years. Without being conscious of it, she carried herself as someone who was in charge, and as someone who expected to be obeyed. It affected everyone around her on an almost instinctual level, whether they wanted it to or not, and for that reason she quickly parted the rowdy crowd and came to find herself at its center.
"What's happening here, Wells?" she demanded, finding the young man standing there toe-to-toe with Murphy, both of their faces dark with anger.
"Well if it isn't big sister, swooping in to save the day," Murphy snarled, and it was only then that she saw the makeshift knife in his hand, gripped awkwardly with angry white knuckles as though he was readying himself to strike out at the other boy.
"Put that knife down, Murphy… Now," she ordered, her voice crackling with authority. Murphy's eyes rolled over to her, and a hushed, nervous silence fell over the watching Sky People as they all waited to see whether or not the volatile young man would obey her.
"Why should I? This isn't any of your business, sister… His father killed mine. It's only fair I get to have a little justice of my own. What makes you think you get to tell me what to do? Just who in the hell do you think you are, anyways?" Murphy spat out at her, his words rushing out of him with a furious, anguished haste. His eyes stared into her, the same tormented, tortured soul behind them which had stared into her own as she was shot in the back. His eyes carried her back to that moment, stealing her breath.
Why must he be here?... Why must I be forced to look at him every day and remember my own death? He's like a rabid animal, gnashing and biting at everything around him, a danger to us and a danger to himself. Wouldn't it be best if I put him down right here and now, and save us all… save myself the agony?
She took a step closer to him, her mind going to that cold, dark place it always went when she found herself in this type of situation. She rarely enjoyed taking another person's life, but she had been doing it for a long time, and had needed to kill a great many people, and she found that once the decision had been made, she normally didn't feel much of anything at all. It was as though the part of her that was Leksa – the young woman who had hopes and dreams, who loved and wanted love in return – simply shut down and was locked away. She was Heda, and sometimes that required her to set aside who she wished to be, and become what she must be for the good of her people.
A killer.
"I am the person who is going to break that hand in three different places if you don't drop that knife right… now," she informed him, her voice cold and unhurried as she clearly annunciating each word.
Anya would have been proud of her delivery of the threat, she thought. The silence around them was now absolute, and even Wells had taken a step back from her, his previous anger with Murphy now transforming into worry, and perhaps, even, a touch of fear.
Murphy stepped towards her challengingly, his expression clearly disdainful, as though the idea of a woman being capable of doing as she claimed was something to laugh at. She felt her body tense, the controlled calm filling her, readying her for what must come next. A part of her reveled in this feeling, in the chance to release the violence contained within her. To her, Murphy was beginning to represent all of the bitterness and anger she felt over her own death, and she wanted nothing more than to erase him, and those feelings, from existence.
"That's rich," Murphy sneered, his grip on the knife tightening. "So you think because you're wearing that jacket that it means you're in charge here, huh? Well, that's too bad, because I'm done taking orders. I'm done being a slave to the Ark." He turned slightly, taking his attention off of her to address the rest of the crowd. "And I'm not the only one, am I? Aren't we all sick and tired of someone telling us what…"
He never got a chance to finish his question, because the moment he took his focus totally off of her, Lexa moved forward with all the precision and fluidity of a striking rattlesnake. She ducked low and spun, her outstretched leg sweeping the boy from his feet before he had even noticed she had moved. His back hit the earth with a startled "oohf!", both hands flying outwards in an attempt to catch his fall. The moment he hit the ground she was on him, one booted foot slamming into the side of his skull, dazing him, the other stomping down hard on the wrist of the hand still holding the knife. With the knee of the leg that had just struck his head, she dropped down and put pressure on his windpipe, her other foot still pinning his hand, and watched with satisfaction as his pale face first went red, then slightly purple as he struggled to breathe. His hand dropped the knife as he scrabbled and scratched the ground beneath her, legs and free arm flailing uselessly. With one hand she picked up his knife and flipped it into the nearby fire, not wanting anyone else to be able to pick it up and come to his aid.
"Jesus, Black! You're killing him!" Wells exclaimed, alarm in his voice.
Lexa ignored him, and ignored also the rising sounds of confusion and alarm from the gathered crowd. Didn't he understand? She needed to kill him… No, she wanted to. Wanted to remove him completely from her sight forever, so she would never again need to be reminded of her helplessness, of her failure, of how he had watched her being betrayed and shot in the back by a man she had trusted with her life. How he had looked down at her as she lay dying, pity and disgust in his eyes.
I want to kill him… I want to kill him…!
Lexa stood abruptly, releasing his throat and taking several steps away, and Murphy gasped and pulled in tortured breaths of air, nearly unconscious, the color slowly returning to his face. No one moved to help him. She wasn't sure if it was because they didn't care what happened to him, or because they now feared her too much to approach.
I want to kill him… But I don't need to kill him.
She took several deep, slow breaths, willing herself to calm down, a bit uncertain of what had just come over her. If it wasn't for her complicated history with this young man, for everything he represented to her, would she have been so quick to decide that he needed to die?
What would Clarke say if she could have seen me just now?
Suddenly Lexa felt ashamed. She'd let her emotions control her. She had ached to get rid of Murphy from the moment she had seen him on the dropship, but it was wholly because of how he made her feel, and had little to do with anything he had actually done in this life. He was untrustworthy, clearly unstable and likely still dangerous, yes, but she had dealt with far worse people in her time, and it was nothing that she couldn't overcome. The decision to go straight to killing him to remove any potential threat he represented had been purely a selfish one, and was not worthy of her or the Commander's spirit she still carried, regardless of how quiet it had become within her.
She gathered herself, lifting her chin and facing the crowd, needing now to salvage this situation as best she could. Everyone's eyes were still on her, some with fear, some with revulsion, and not a few glowing with excitement and awe over the swift and brutal violence they had just witnessed.
"Let there be no mistake," she told them, thinking carefully over her words before she spoke, her voice loud enough to carry, "Any person who threatens violence against another in this camp will be answering to me… and I will not be gentle." The eyes of the crowd stared back at her, not a person, not even Wells or Finn, interrupting. She continued, "You are children no longer, and this is not the Ark. If we wish to survive down here, then these childish games must stop. Many of you don't know me, just as I don't know many of you, but that changes today. From now on, we are one people. We will work together, and we will survive together. Any of you who can't accept that, who think you are better off on your own, doing whatever you wish… grab your things and leave this camp right now."
No one moved. A few, those who had taken to following Murphy around the day before, looked sideways at each other, each waiting to see who would be the first to challenge her. After an awkward minute passed and not a person made to leave or step forward, Lexa relaxed her posture and let her arms come to rest clasped behind her back, not for the first time wishing that she had her sword at her hip so that she could grip its handle as she was accustomed too.
"Alright then. Now that we all agree that we are working together from now on… Wells, what was happening here?" she asked, gesturing with one hand towards the small stack of medical bracelets that was off to one side. Clearly this had been the cause of the confrontation she had just interrupted.
"Murphy and some of his… friends, decided to take off their wrist bands. Said they wouldn't be shackled like prisoners anymore. They want the Ark to think they are dead," he answered readily, but his tone and expression worried her.
Clearly the tentative trust and mutual respect which had been building between them had been greatly damaged by her actions just now. Wells had never fully trusted her, or her motives, and now he felt justified in his earlier assertion that she was dangerous. She could see him second guessing himself now, wondering if he had made the wrong choice the day before. If ever there had been a chance for him to convince the others to come with him to Mount Weather, then that moment had clearly just passed. In one swift act of violence, she had asserted control and authority over the young Sky People of the camp, and it would be some time before any of them would seriously challenge her. Such demonstrations only did work for a short time, however. She would need to quickly prove to them that she was worth following, otherwise all the violence in the world would not secure their continued respect. These were lessons of leadership that Lexa had learned at a young age, and learned well.
"Wells, why don't you tell them all what you told me earlier," she suggested, hoping that this might be an olive branch of a sort. She wanted to show him that her intention was to work with him, not against him, to protect the people of this camp. That she still understood the stakes involved.
"The Ark is dying," Wells told the crowd, passion rising in his voice as he went on to explain the truth of the circumstances which had brought them to the ground. How people on the Ark, perhaps even their friends and families, might soon be sacrificed to extend the life support a few more months. How without working communications, the medical bracelets were the only way they had of proving to the Ark that the ground was safe.
"Unless you wish to claim responsibility for the deaths of hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives, the wrist bands stay on," she told the crowd when he finished speaking, and she felt little resistance from them, most of the teens appearing to be shocked and concerned over the news of the Ark. Those who had already removed theirs rubbed their bare wrists worriedly, no doubt wondering if she was going to come after them somehow for having taken them off.
"As for these," she said, brushing the pile of removed bracelets with her foot, "What's done is done. Perhaps some use can be made of them."
Monty Green stepped forward, his face a bit apprehensive as he drew her attention with a raised hand.
"I'll take those, if you don't mind," he said, "Maybe I can use them to find a way to get in contact with the Ark. They're sending some type of signal that the Ark can read, obviously, so there's got to be some way to use that."
She nodded, stepping aside so that he could gather them up in his thin arms.
"Good, and as for the rest of us," she addressed the crowd again, "You'll be happy to know that we found water this morning, but there is still much to be done."
The rest of the morning and early afternoon went quickly, and again she worked with Wells to divide up the labor of the camp, some gathering wood, others working to construct tents out of the salvaged fabric, and still others retrieving water and constructing a holding tank near the dropship to keep it in. Aden stayed close by her side, silent and watchful, as she moved among the Sky People, directing their efforts and offering advice when asked. Wells also kept relatively close, his eyes following her distrustfully. Despite how busy she was, it didn't fail to escape her notice that, once again, Finn had disappeared, likely exploring beyond the camp on his own again. The moment they had a free second to themselves, Lexa pulled Aden aside and spoke to him in low tones.
"We can't wait much longer to find out what is around us here. Tonight, once everyone is asleep, you and I will sneak away from camp and scout the surrounding woods. There was a small Trikru village fairly close to the dropship, I remember… We'll start searching there. It's time we tried to find some answers."
Aden nodded his agreement, but she sensed a hesitation in him, as though he was holding himself back from speaking. Rather than return to the others immediately, Lexa paused, considering him.
"What is it, Aden?" she asked, hoping to coax him into saying whatever it was he was thinking. The boy really did need to become more confident, more outspoken in his thoughts and opinions with her. It was partly because he respected her and held her in such high regard, she knew, that he didn't often speak his mind to her, but she needed him to. They were all each other had here, after all.
"We are in this together, remember?" she told him, smiling slightly at his young, serious face. "You should speak your mind."
"It's just that I don't understand, Heda," he said after a few seconds, his eyes meeting hers.
"Don't understand what?"
"I don't understand why you are helping them… Why you are working to save the lives of the Skaikru on the Ark. You told them we must act as one people if we are to survive together, but they are not our people, Heda. After the massacre… after everything they have done, why are you trying to save them still?"
She didn't answer him right away, but instead carefully thought over her words. This was an important conversation, and perhaps a valuable lesson, and she wanted to lead him to it on his own rather than simply tell him the answer. It was important that he understand this for when he himself was Commander someday.
"Tell me something, Aden… Have you been remembering the life you lived on the Ark, and who you are as Aden Black?"
The boy's face turned pensive, and he nodded.
"What exactly do you remember?"
"It's all mostly the same," he told her, "I'm always in the same couple of rooms, either with you or another woman named Anya, and I know I'm not often allowed to leave… That if I were to leave and someone from Skaikru were to see me, then I would likely become a prisoner and you and the other woman would be executed for helping me."
Well, that certainly helped explain some of her own memories, as well as his presence among the young prisoners of the Ark, but it was hardly helpful for what she had wished to demonstrate.
"I've also been remembering," she told him, and he did not look at all surprised at her words. "Though it may seem strange to us, in this life, Lexa and Aden Black are part of the Sky People… But that's not why I am doing all of the things you said. The reasons are in fact much simpler, and much more important."
She paused, again considering her words carefully.
"Do you remember the vow I asked you to make to Clarke, just before my duel with Prince Roan?" she asked, continuing when the boy said that he did, "Well, I also made a vow of my own. I vowed that I would treat Skaikru as though they were my own people. I have sometimes been forced to go back on my promises in the past in order to protect the people of the twelve clans, but each time I have done so, it was not an act befitting the Commander's spirit, and I have regretted breaking each and every one of those promises. This vow that I made… it is important to me, and I refuse to break it. Even if this is no longer the world we've known… Even if they do not want my protection, I swore to treat the Sky People as my people, and I will continue to do so until this body no longer draws breath and the Commander's spirit passes to another."
Aden continued to look at her as she spoke, his young face contemplative and far too old for his years.
"Did she ask you to make this vow?" he asked solemnly and much to her surprise, the question revealing a greater depth of understanding regarding her complicated relationship with Clarke than it had ever before occurred to her that he possessed.
Am I so transparent to him, then? She wondered.
"No, it was not asked for, but freely given… and I would give it again."
"But what about our people?"
This she knew how to answer, the certainty filling her almost as if the Commander's spirit was speaking through her again.
"Aden, do you remember the first tenant of the Commander?" she asked, and his reply was swift, as this was an easy answer and one of the first lessons a Natblida child learned.
"Of course Heda. The sacred purpose of the Commander is to protect all of humanity from the evil which wishes to enslave it," he recited, a light of faint understanding beginning to spark in his eyes at his own words.
"Exactly, Aden. To protect all of humanity. That is the burden of the Commander; the reason the spirit exists in this world. Not just the twelve clans, or even the thirteen, but all."
She stepped over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders, smiling at him as she saw that he was, truly, beginning to comprehend her.
"So you see… Skaikru, the people on the Ark, they are our people. It has always been my duty to save them all, and when you become the Commander, it will be yours as well."
They walked back together several minutes later to rejoin the others, united now in purpose and in spirit, a new understanding and shared goal between them.
As I vowed once, I vow again… I will protect our people just as I promised you, Clarke… Always.