This Black Blood is Without End

Chapter 14 – Captives

"What's the meaning of this? Out of my way."

Anya glared at the two uniformed security officers who currently barred her path. The men had intercepted her the moment she entered Alpha station, and beneath her surface anger was a sinking suspicion that she knew exactly the reason for their presence. The Council was supposed to meet in just a matter of minutes, and a vote for immediate population reductions to conserve the remaining Ark life support was undoubtedly going to be called for. Her vote could be crucial, and she couldn't afford to be delayed.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we are under orders to hold you here until Chief Kane arrives."

"Hold me? I am a member of the Council," she said coldly, "By what authority do you hold me anywhere?"

"By authority of the Ark Charter," said Marcus Kane from somewhere behind her, his booted footsteps echoing down the metal corridor. Anya lifted her chin and turned unhurriedly, her face and body perfectly calm and in control. This was not entirely unexpected, after all, and she was never one to panic easily. She had been expecting Kane and the Chancellor to make their move soon, and had been preparing for this from the moment she told Raven that they needed to launch the escape pod earlier than planned.

The Ark's Chief of Security strode directly up to her, and she felt the two men behind her step closer behind her, as though to block her escape. Anya's jaw clenched and her cool, hazel toned eyes narrowed. Where another person might have felt fear or apprehension, she only felt a growing, steely determination that worked to sharpen her mind and bring her greater clarity.

"Anya Petrova," Kane began, holding up a signed document before her for her inspection, "By authority of the Ark Charter, a warrant for the search of all public sections of Polaris station has been issued and signed by the Office of Justice. During execution of this warrant, per chapter three, section five of the Charter, you are being detained by Ark Security without charges for a period not to exceed twenty-four hours, or until such a time as charges can be legally brought against you."

His words rolled smoothly and confidently off his tongue, as though he had practiced this speech many times. However, rather than the satisfaction she had been expecting to see in him in this moment, he instead seemed cold and distant, as though he had removed himself emotionally from what he was doing.

"It is also my duty to inform you," Kane continued, "that you, your staff, and all residents of Polaris station are legally required to give all due assistance to the officers as they conduct their searches. Failure to cooperate will result in charges of non-compliance. You are not required to give any personal testimony which may incriminate yourself in a crime. You do not have the right to access to legal counsel, nor do you..."

Anya waived her hand, interrupting him and his flow of tedious legalize.

"Enough of this… Get to the point already, please. What, exactly, do you suspect me of doing?"

"I am not legally required to tell you that, Councilwoman."

"This is complete bullshit, Kane," Anya snarled, giving vent to some of her aggravation. It was important that she act as normally as possible. She was known for her temper, as well as for bluntly speaking her mind. She needed to act as though she had nothing to hide.

It wasn't what she had done, she knew, but rather what they could prove. As intimidating as his speech had no doubt been intended to sound, it had in fact been a relief of sorts. She was not yet being charged with a crime, only held in suspicion while they conducted further searches, which in all likelihood meant that Kane didn't yet have any hard evidence to support his suspicions. They could only hold her without charging her for twenty-four hours, and per the Special Amendment, search warrants for Polaris station were only valid for eight hours… Polaris was a large station. With the number of officers he had in his department, eight hours wasn't nearly enough time for a truly thorough search. Raven and the escape pod had launched almost two hours ago, and her people were already hard at work removing any hint of the pod's existence. If Kane really had any idea of what she, Raven, and Sinclair had been up to for the past few days, she didn't doubt that she would already be on her way out the nearest airlock.

"I have Council business to attend to… I don't have time for this."

"This is the law, Ms. Petrova," Kane replied, his eyes narrowing at her words and tone, "And I'm afraid you won't be making it to the Council meeting."

"This is absurd… Why all the secrecy, Kane?" she asked, shaking her head as though bewildered by all of this, "I know the Chancellor and I have our differences, but this is taking a political grudge to an unprofessional level. What exactly do you hope to find?"

"Find?" he mused, "Well… nothing, I expect. I'm sure whatever it is you've been up to, you've already erased any evidence of it, though I supposed there is a chance you've missed something."

Anya glanced at him sharply, her own eyes narrowing at his astuteness. Perhaps this wasn't about Jaha's dislike of her and Polaris station at all, or even about Kane's belief in a strict adherence to the law. It couldn't be a coincidence that he had chosen to bring her in now, mere minutes from the Council meeting. Kane had been pushing for action since the moment the problems with the Ark's life support became known, and it was no secret that she planned to vote against the motion today.

I've just been outmaneuvered, she realized grudgingly.

"This isn't even about me at all, is it?" she growled, "You just needed me out of the way for a while so your pet Councilmen can vote the way you want them to today. Tell me something, does Jaha know that you are taking such… initiative… with his orders?"

"I am the Chief of Security, Ms. Petrova. Even the Chancellor cannot stop me from carrying out my appointed duties," he intoned, a small, satisfied smile breaking his stoic façade for a moment. "Besides, Council matters are none of my concern, and he did order me to look into your activities… I'm only doing my job, here, and doing what is necessary to protect the Ark, nothing more."

It was a clever move, and a bold one… Jaha would be furious when he realized just how much Kane was actively manipulating events so that the Council would vote the way he wanted them to. But then, he could hardly go after his Chief of Security for following his own orders.

"Why, Marcus," Anya purred, a little impressed with him despite herself, "Who knew you had it in you? You know, you might actually make a decent politician someday after all…"

He didn't reply, having said everything he wanted to say, and instead nodded for his two officers to take her into custody. Anya endured the indignity of being handcuffed in the public hallway without comment, and made no complaint – other than a pointed, cold glare at their offending hands – when the two security officers took her by both arms and led her away.

There was nothing else she could do in this situation. Whether she liked it or not, Anya was about to spend the next twenty-four hours in a holding cell, and she would be unable to effect anything that happened on the Ark or on the ground. The Council meeting would go forward with or without her, and she knew as well as Kane what the resulting vote would be. Hundreds of innocent people were about to be offered up as sacrifices for the greater good, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. It was all up to that cocky young mechanic on the planet's surface now, and whether or not she could get that radio working in time... As for her own rather sticky situation, all Anya could do was hope and pray that her people on Polaris could handle whatever Kane threw at them.

Anya sighed deeply. It was a frustrated, heavy sound that seemed to rise from somewhere deeper than her chest, as though the breath was pulled from her very soul.

For someone who generally hated to feel powerless, the next twenty-four hours were going to be excruciating.

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Finn shifted uncomfortably, his wrists and arms sore from the tight bonds that currently strapped him upright to a vertical beam in the dropship, his aching posterior slowly going numb from sitting in the same position on the hard metal floor for the last two hours. His head still throbbed from the blow Lexa had given him, but it stung considerably less than his pride. She had rung his bell good and proper, and by the time he was sensible again he'd found that he was already tied up and deposited in the dropship like a sack of useless rubbish.

He'd been an idiot… Honestly, he should have known better than to challenge her in front of everyone like that. Finn had always prided himself on being able to read people, to learn what motivated them and what was important to them. Lexa Black, as it turns out, was far more complex and difficult to read than anyone he had ever met before. Despite that, he still felt that he was beginning to understand a bit about who she was and how she thought.

She was a true leader, through and through. There was quite simply no other way he could think to describe her. Though at first he had wondered if she sought to take command merely because she enjoyed the feeling of power and control, he had since come to believe that her reasons were nowhere near so selfish. In fact, he doubted there was a truly selfish bone in her entire body. Everything she did was for others… For her brother, for the camp. For protecting everyone, both those here on the ground and those still up on the Ark. When she had told him that she believed life was about doing what you must to survive, and that survival sometimes required sacrifice, those had not been idle words. In fact, he suspected that her belief in the necessity of self-sacrifice formed the very core of who she was. When the Reapers had charged through the gate just hours ago, she had thrown herself into the gap without hesitation, clearly ready to die if necessary to protect the rest of the camp. When his own life had been on the line that second night on the ground, she had done the exact same, even though she had hardly known him at the time.

When the survival of her people was on the line, Lexa Black would do whatever it took… Including knocking him on his stupid ass.

Though it galled him, now that he had cooled off and had some time to think, he could understand why she hadn't wanted him along on the recovery mission. She didn't trust him, and why should she? His reckless behavior during the dropship's landing had already gotten one person killed. Then, he had been captured while doing exactly what she had warned him not to do, and she and her brother had almost died attempting his rescue. It was no wonder Lexa would rather not bring him along when lives were on the line.

Finn sighed, a dejected sound that made a few of his current co-inhabitants in the dropship glance over at him. Several of them were the recently wounded from the earlier battle, and he immediately felt guilty for dwelling in self-pity while others were either dead or injured. Lexa may have rejected his help and seriously bruised his ego, but he should be counting his blessings. He had been lucky to survive the attack today... They all had been.

No, not lucky… It was Lexa. If not for her, we might all be dead.

She truly was terrifying in battle. The first time he had seen her fight, it had been in the dark of night, and her skills and ferociousness had impressed and frightened him even then. She was absolutely fearless, and in the bright light of day her abilities had been, if anything, even more impressive. How she had learned to fight like that on the Ark was a complete mystery to him, but he couldn't deny that it was her abilities and willingness to use violence that were currently saving the camp from complete destruction…

Was he wrong, then, not carrying a weapon, not learning to fight? Any time Finn thought about picking up a weapon, he felt like he was losing a small part of himself. It was as though life on the ground was slowly cutting pieces of his soul away and discarding them in the dirt. War and senseless human conflict were what had destroyed the planet in the first place, and he truly did believe that there had to be a better way, but it was getting harder and harder to remember that with each day that passed. Now people were dying, being killed right before his eyes. Was it fair for him to refuse to fight if it only meant others must fight and die in his stead?

Sitting here by himself was giving him too much time to think. Though he doubted it had been her intention, Lexa's knee to his face had actually been a bit of a wakeup call… He had always been extremely independent, and he loved the thrill he felt when he took chances and did dangerous things, but it was time he stop acting like his actions didn't have an effect on anyone else besides himself. He was one of the hundred now, and Lexa was the one keeping them all alive. From this moment forward, he decided he would do whatever it took to support her, to prove to her and the others that he could be trusted. She'd more than proven that she deserved to be in charge, and he owed her that much, at least… She'd already saved his life several times over, after all.

"Hey, Spacewalker," Wells called, and Finn lifted his head, relieved to be distracted from his depressed thoughts and self-recriminations.

"You doing alright there?" the Chancellor's son asked, looking down at him with a slightly concerned expression. "I could get you some water… Or, you know, untie you, if you promise not to do anything stupid."

Finn looked at him with surprise, not saying anything for a moment. He had always gotten the impression that Wells didn't like him very much, and was therefore surprised he was being so kind to him now. Did Wells not approve of Lexa having him tied up, or was it that he didn't like to see anyone suffer, never mind who they were?

"Water would be great," Finn admitted, "and being untied would be even better, but won't that piss Lexa off?"

Wells bent over him and starting the slow work of loosening the knots that held him.

"Not as long as you stay put and don't do anything idiotic, it won't… Besides, they should be back soon."

As though his words had summoned them, a sudden noise broke out from outside, and Finn could tell from the shouting and raised voices that their friends had returned. Wells abruptly stood and stepped back at the sounds, a guilty expression on his face, as though he was a little boy who had just gotten caught doing something wrong by his parents.

"Sounds like they're back," Finn said dryly, raising and eyebrow, "So… are you still going to untie me, or what?"

Wells sighed, scrubbing the back of his head roughly with one hand, then turning and glancing out the dropship door. After a moment more of consideration, he finally shrugged and stepped back over to Finn, bending down and reaching for the knots once more. He had no more than freed the first knot, however, when loud, hurried steps echoed on the dropship ramp and caused him to pause and turn again. His body blocked Finn's view, but he still heard her voice with startling nearness and clarity when she called his name.

"Finn?!"

At the sound of her voice, his head jerked so sharply in surprise that he almost banged it against the metal beam supporting him.

There's no way… She can't possibly be here!

"…Raven?"

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Throwing herself past the large young man who stood in her way, Raven flung herself down and wrapped her arms around Finn, burying her face against the side of his neck. The moment she felt his warm body against hers and smelled the sweaty tang of his skin, the reality of him there safe and sound hit her and she started both laughing and crying in relief.

"Raven, what... What are you doing here?" Finn was asking, and she could hear the shock in his voice.

She laughed again, pulling back from him a few inches so that she could see his face, rubbing away her happy tears with one hand and smiling down at him. She was nearly sitting in his lap, and his confused face was only inches from hers.

"You didn't think I would let a little thing like this separate us, did you?" she told him, waving her arm as if to indicate the entire planet, her grin so big that it felt like her face was splitting right open.

After everything she had gone through in the last week to be here… After defying all the odds, and surviving the dangerous trip to the surface, Raven couldn't believe she had actually made it and that Finn was really here, right in front of her. Her heart felt like it was going to explode with joy and relief, and not able to wait a second more, she leaned forward and kissed him passionately, pouring all of the love and happiness she was feeling into the kiss. Finn didn't react to the kiss immediately, his surprise and confusion over her presence there obviously still overwhelming him, but after several seconds he finally responded and kissed her back, albeit not with nearly as much passion as she would have hoped. When the kiss ended, Raven leaned back and searched out his eyes with her own, her brows furrowing slightly as she realized just what situation he was in. She'd been so overjoyed to see him that she had hardly stopped to wonder why he was sitting stiffly on the floor.

"Finn… What the hell? Why are you tied up?" she asked, jerking back further to examine his bonds.

The large boy who had been standing there beside them all along coughed awkwardly, and she glanced up at him with a frown.

"I was just about to untie him," he explained apologetically, looking slightly bashful at the intensity of her glare, though she supposed his embarrassment could have been over seeing their intimate kiss moments before. The large, handsome young man bent down, his fingers working the knots that tied Finn's wrists together behind the beam.

"Raven," Finn said, drawing her attention back to him, "What are you doing here? Was that you that landed earlier?"

"Of course," she replied, a cocky smile replacing the frown on her lips. "Did you really think anyone else would be crazy enough to take a trip to the surface in a hundred year old escape pod?"

Her boyfriend groaned and rolled his eyes at her arrogance, his face still worried and pale in the dim light inside the dropship.

"You could have died! Why would you do that? It's not safe down here… You shouldn't have risked it!"

"I'm not an idiot, Finn," she interrupted, a note of annoyance creeping into her voice. Really, this was not exactly the happy reunion she had been imagining. Why was he being such a jerk about things, scolding her as if she were a child? She was a mechanical genius… She knew better than anyone what the risks had been in coming down in that pod. Of course, Raven knew that he was only worried about her. He'd always protected her, ever since they were children, and she knew he simply didn't want to see her get hurt, but that didn't keep his words from being hurtful, and from wounding her pride.

"I knew what I was doing… And why would you even need to ask me why I did it? I did it for you, of course… I love you, Finn. Did you think I would let them leave you down here on the planet to die and not do anything?" she said, some of the hurt she was feeling showing in her voice.

As she was talking, Finn's bonds abruptly came loose as the other boy succeeded in feeing him, and his arms fall back to his sides. He reached out to her, putting his arms around her and smiling apologetically, his long, soft brown hair falling into his face.

"I'm sorry, Raven… I didn't mean… I didn't mean for you to think that I wasn't glad to see you," he told her, his words soft and soothing. He kissed her softly, a chaste brushing of lips against hers, and she felt some of her hurt disappear with the kiss. The words and gesture were exactly what she had wanted, and yet… It still felt a little strange. Despite his closeness, she couldn't help but feel like there was still some distance between them, as though she had left a part of herself up on the Ark, and he was holding a part of himself back as well. He was right there in her arms again, just as she had hoped and dreamt of for days, and yet nothing was quite as she had imagined it would be.

"I'm glad you came down for me," he told her, pulling back from the brief kiss and smiling.

"Well, I might have lied just a little bit about that," she said, shifting into a joking mood in the hopes that it would dispel whatever strange, uncomfortable sensation was now filling her.

"I mean, I did come down for you, of course, but I also came down because we needed to get a working radio here on the surface or else hundreds of people are going to be killed. The Ark is dying, Finn, and Anya said they're going to vote for a big population reduction soon if we don't convince them that the surface is survivable. I brought a replacement radio for the dropship so we can try to talk to them."

"Anya?" Finn asked, and for some reason, his mention of the Councilwoman suddenly made her mind flash back to the unexpected, fierce kiss they had shared just before the escape pod launched, and Raven felt her face flush at the memory. In all the excitement of the launch and landing, Raven hadn't thought much about the kiss, but had instead pushed it firmly from her mind.

Raven cleared her suddenly dry throat, leaning back from Finn and standing so that he himself could get to his feet, reaching down with one hand to help him up.

"Uh, yes… Anya Petrova. She's the Station Representative for Polaris and she's also on the Council. Anya is… a major control freak, and she's annoying as hell, but it was her idea to launch the escape pod and bring a radio down. This whole thing was her plan. She's hates the Chancellor, but she was convinced he was actually right about the surface. This radio could save everybody, Finn… If we can just let them know that the planet is safe, we might be able to convince them to start the Exodus instead of killing people to keep the life support system running for longer."

Was she babbling? It kind of felt like she was babbling just a little bit, and it aggravated her that the infuriating politician was still messing with her even while separated by thousands of miles and the vacuum of space. Raven was pretty sure that the only reason Anya had kissed her was because she knew exactly how upsetting and confusing that might be, and she hadn't wanted to pass up one last opportunity to torture and unsettle her.

"You have a radio? Raven, that's great! If we can talk to the Ark…"

"Wait, wait… Finn, you never told me why you were tied up here," she said, looking both at him and the other young man who still stood nearby.

"It's… complicated," Finn said, shaking his head dismissively, "And it was totally my fault."

"What? That's bullshit, Finn… Who did this to you?"

Raven was starting to get angry, annoyed by his evasiveness. Why wouldn't he just tell her what had happened? She turned to the other boy, glaring at him pointedly. She was going to get answers, one way or another.

"You! Who are you, by the way?"

"Wells," he told her quickly, looking a bit uncomfortable to have her fury directed at him.

"Well then, Wells," she said, "Do you mind telling me why my boyfriend was tied up in here like a goddamn prisoner?"

"Look, Raven," Finn interrupted with a placating tone, "Just forget it, okay? I tried to do something stupid, and Lexa was just making sure I didn't…"

"Wait, Lexa did this?" she asked, not letting him finish, a note of surprise in her voice. "Are those bruises on your face from her too?"

"Well… yes. But like I said, it's not a big deal. She was only doing what she had to. I shouldn't have pushed her."

Finn was looking guilty and uncomfortable as he spoke, his eyes shifting sideways, not looking at her. Wells used her moment of distraction to shuffle towards the door and make his escape, clearly intent on not getting any further in the middle of their lover's quarrel. She snorted in exasperation and Finn looked back at her, sighing.

"Look," he said, trying once again to explain, "A lot has happened down here… We're not alone. There are people trying to kill us, and Lexa… Lexa is the one who is keeping us all alive. If it weren't for her, we'd all be dead already. I was about to do something I shouldn't have, and I didn't give her much of a choice. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"

Raven eyed him distrustfully, a bit alarmed by his conciliatory tone and apparent deference towards the woman who had forcibly tied him up and left him in the dropship like a prisoner. This didn't seem at all like the Finn she had known… Why was he so determined to defend what Lexa had done to him? After everything Anya and Sinclair had told her, Raven had looked forward to finally meeting Lexa with much anticipation. Anyone who worked closely with that crazy politician must be a pretty formidable person, she had assumed, and it had intrigued her that Anya clearly cared so much for her. Who was this Lexa Black person, really? In the woods, she had definitely been the one in charge, and she had seemed extraordinarily confident and decisive, though she couldn't hardly be much older than the rest of them. Clearly her authority extended to everyone else in the camp, not just the small group that had rescued Raven in the woods.

The way Finn was defending and praising her gave Raven some pause. It wasn't that she was jealous, exactly. Of course not! She knew Finn loved her, and she felt secure in their relationship. It was just… strange that Finn was apparently so loyal to this other woman whom he had only known for a short week.

"Fine," she said finally, shoving aside her concerns, not having forgotten that there was still an urgent, time sensitive mission that needed to be completed. There would be plenty of time for them to catch up and reacquaint themselves with each other once the radio was fixed.

"You tell me about everything that's happened on the ground, and I'll get to work on the radio. Monty should be here soon with the supplies," she told him, and Finn looked relieved that she was dropping the subject.

"And don't leave anything out, understand?" Raven added, pointing a scolding finger at his chest, "I want to hear about everything."

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Lexa leaned her head back, her eyes searching the stars overhead, watching the bright points of light as they wheeled and twinkled mysteriously in the night's sky. The sun had just set a short time ago, and each second revealed more and more of the hidden heavens beyond. For a brief moment, Lexa felt how small and insignificant she truly was when compared to the vast expanse of the sky. Somewhere up there the Ark spun its graceful loop around the planet, travelling the same endless path it had been travelling for almost a hundred years. She strained her eyes, wondering if she could make out the moving point of light that was the Ark. It wasn't really the Ark that she wanted to see, however, but the one station which seemed to carry both all the questions and all of the answers…

…Polaris.

She mouthed the word silently, testing how it felt on her tongue. It felt familiar, and the knowledge of its familiarity haunted her now. When Wells had told her that he knew who she was, he had mentioned not only Anya, but Polaris as well. At the time, there had been so much she hadn't known and so many strange, unexplained things happening that she had been fairly overwhelmed. She hadn't thought much about Polaris until the moment she saw that escape pod in the forest just a few short hours ago.

Now, everything had changed. Lexa didn't know what was real any more… what was true. Was what she had been taught in her old life the truth, or had it only been one small piece of the puzzle? What was Polaris, and how was it linked to the first Commander? Who was Lexa Black, and why had she been born on the Ark and not on the ground? For that matter, who was the first Commander, and where had the Spirit come from, really?

If Lexa followed the clues to their logical conclusion, it seemed everything led back to Polaris… And if Raven was successful, she might soon have a means to contact the mysterious station directly. Was it possible that Anya would have some of the answers she sought? As confused and lost as she was currently feeling, the sudden possibility of being able to speak to her deceased childhood mentor again was like a desperate soul deep wish come true. Her heart ached to have someone with whom she could share some of her burdens and ask for advice. However, the Anya who lived on the Ark was not the same one she had known in her own lifetime, and no matter how much she tried, she had only been able to find small pieces of her in her new memoires. Could she completely trust and confide in this Anya just as she had the one in her own reality?

She should be talking to Aden about what she had discovered… He was a Nightblood, and the truth about the Commander's spirit was as much his legacy as it was hers, but she dreaded putting so much doubt and uncertainty on his young shoulders. Discussing her suspicions with him might make her feel better, but it seemed too much to ask of someone so young. He had already lost everything he had ever known when he came with her to this strange world. Throwing all of her current doubts and concerns at him now would only cause the boy more pain and fear, and she didn't want that for him.

Lexa closed her eyes briefly, blocking out the painful sight of the stars, her chest and throat growing tight as loneliness wrapped its cold limbs closer around her.

No, there was only one person Lexa wanted beside her right now… Just one person with whom she could have shared all her burdens and fears. What she wouldn't give for just a few moments with Clarke again. Just to be able to talk to her, or even to be scolded by her… Those last few weeks in Polis had been the first in many years that Lexa hadn't felt alone. Even when Clarke was angry with her and not speaking to her, even just having her there had soothed some part of Lexa's soul. Now that same part of her soul was torn out and missing, and with each new revelation that challenged everything she thought she knew about herself, and about her place in the world, the pain of missing Clarke became harder and harder to bear.

Lexa released a slow breath, wishing she could find some measure of peace in meditation and communion with the Commander's spirit, but even that small solace was currently denied to her. More than ever, she was desperate to discover why the Spirit was inaccessible. If only she could awaken it within her again, she felt sure that some of the answers she needed could be found through its wisdom and accumulated knowledge.

She allowed herself to stand in the darkness for a minute more, staring at the stars and letting her mind wander wherever it wanted to go, images of Clarke and Anya as she had last seen them flashing before her eyes. Finally, she lowered her head and gathered herself, the stoic and determined façade of the Commander taking over her features once more. Lexa straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, then strode from the darkness and back into the light of the campfires, her steps sure and purposeful.

Raven and Monty were still working on the radio, and those not assigned to the first shift of guard duty were settling in for the night, trying to get what sleep they could before the Reapers attacked again. Lexa was tired from the exhausting day and she wanted nothing more than to find her own rest, but she had something that needed to be taken care of first. Something that could no longer be put off. She'd thought carefully about who else she should involve in this matter, and had finally decided on the two whom she felt were the best suited.

"Jones, Miller, I need you both for something… Come with me," Lexa said when she found the two boys. They were sharing a campfire and a meager meal of cooked deer meat with several others, but at her words they both nodded and set down their food, grabbing their weapons and joining her. She led them away from the lights of the fire, following the curve of the dropship into the deeper darkness at the rear of the camp.

Once they were well away from all the others, she stopped and beckoned them closer. They both stepped close and looked back at her with careful attentiveness.

"What's the problem, boss?" Jones asked with his typical blunt cheerfulness, but his eyes glinted dangerously in the darkness, as though sensing she was about to ask them to do something violent that he would enjoy greatly. His constant, careless good humor seemed sharply at odds with how effortlessly brutal he could be, but Lexa had known his type before, and so the apparent dichotomy did not alarm or confuse her as it did many others. Miller remained quiet and watchful, as much of a cipher as he always was, but she sensed his anticipation as well. She trusted that these two young men were well-suited to the specific task at hand, and Lexa had always been an excellent judge of such things.

"The problem is John Murphy," she said without hesitation, her voice as hard and frozen as a mountain glacier, "and I need you to bring him to me."

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When two strong sets of hands yanked him abruptly backwards by the scruff of his shirt, John Murphy nearly pissed on himself.

Oh, not because he was frightened, of course. No, it was because the two men grabbed him as he stood relieving himself over the long, dugout trench that served as the camp latrine. As soon as he realized what was happening, Murphy cursed and struck out with his arms, flailing and kicking against his attackers. Large, meaty arms wrapped tight around him, however, pinning his own arms uselessly to his sides and choking the breath from his lungs. Barely able to move, he quickly gave up his struggle when a low voice warned that they would, "rip his useless prick right off" if he didn't stop fighting them. That made him freeze, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and exposed, and his captor chuckled cruelly in his ear at his reaction to the threat. It was the laugh that gave him away, and Murphy twisted his head, craning to see his face.

"Jones? What the fuck, man? Let me go!"

"Sorry, John-boy, no can do… Somebody needs to talk to you," Jones said, his words whispered cheerfully.

"Oh, right, because every good conversation starts with an abduction," Murphy snarled sarcastically, never one to openly show fear if he could help it.

Jones didn't say anything, merely laughed softly again, and Murphy tried to jerk free one more time. As he did he felt the sharp point of a blade prick the side of his neck, and he turned to see another form in the darkness beside him, his weapon held against his throat in a clear threat.

"Don't," the other man said, and Murphy was pretty sure the second man was Miller.

"Let's go, and be nice and quiet or I'll see just how good my aim is with this knife at night, understand?"

Mind racing, Murphy allowed the two young men to haul him further into the darkness near the back of the camp, his heart beating faster and faster as he struggled to remain calm. He was pretty sure he knew who they were taking him to, but he didn't yet know why, and he couldn't help the small knot of fear that was slowly building in his chest.

When they reached the wall that surrounded the camp, Jones abruptly threw him forwards and Murphy fell to his knees, stopping with his nose only inches from the wooden wall. He pulled himself to his feet and turned around, and there she was, standing right before him, the two boys framing her on either side. Murphy swallowed, his clever mind working frantically.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, talking directly to Lexa. The other two were just her goons, he knew, and there would be no point in talking to them.

She took a slow step forward and extended her hand, something round and dark held there. Her gaze was calm and composed in the dark, her face a pale oval from the poor light of the waning moon.

"Do you recognize this?" she asked, and the question was sharp and laced with meaning.

Murphy frowned, squinting at her hand in the dark, struggling to make out what it was she held.

A rock?... What the hell?

"It's a stupid rock… So what?" he snarled.

Lexa's eyebrow arched, and even in the darkness he could see her perfect jawline clench in anger at his tone. Her chin tilted towards him slightly, and before he even had time to register the movement, Jones stepped forward and slugged him directly in the stomach with his large fist, causing the breath to fly out of him in a forced exhalation. Murphy wretched and bent over, his stomach muscles burning and protesting, chest heaving. As soon as he was able to pull himself upright again, he immediately regretted doing so, as Jones then promptly punched him in the face once, then twice, making Murphy's head spin and blood drip from his nose. He staggered backwards, but was brought up short when his back hit the camp wall, and he watched in panic as Jones took another step and raised his fist again, clearly intending to hit him more.

"Enough," Lexa's cold voice called, and Jones paused, then stepped back with a faint look of regret.

Murphy patted his dripping nose with his sleeve and spat blood on the ground, anger burning up from the center of his being, filling him and muting much of the pain from the blows. This wasn't his first time taking a beating, and he would be damned if he would give her the satisfaction of acting like it had hurt.

"Now," she said, and Murphy's angry glare focused away from Jones and back on her. "Let me ask you again… Do you recognize this?"

"Jesus, what do you want from me? It's a rock, okay? Yes, I've seen rocks before," he replied, his words an annoyed growl.

Really, this insane woman was even crazier than he had originally thought. More blood pooled in his mouth from a cut on the inside of his lip and he spit again, keeping his eyes on her as he did.

"Do not think to play games with me, Murphy," Lexa said, and her voice was liked bared steel in the night.

"Let me be more clear… During the battle today, this rock was thrown at me while I was fighting a Reaper, and it nearly got me killed."

She dropped the heavy stone into the muddy earth at her feet and Murphy's eyes followed it as it fell, the dark slash of his eyebrows drawing together in consternation. He looked back up at her face, and the knowing, cold gaze she gave him chilled him to the bone.

"So… what? You think I threw it, then?" he asked, understanding now why she had ordered him grabbed in the night and brought here, away from observing eyes.

"I am not a fool, Murphy," she snarled, her eyes narrowing. "Of all the people in this camp, you are clearly the one who did this."

"Oh, of course, blame John Murphy, it had to be him!" he replied, his tone mocking. "As if this whole camp isn't made up of criminals… You know what, Black? I may be trash, but so is everyone else here, and it doesn't matter how hard you all try to forget that, it's still true. Just look at Jones, here… Do you know what he did to get locked up? Well, let me tell you…"

Murphy's tirade was cut short as Jones again leapt forward and punched him, this time three quick strikes to his face, the ferocity and quickness of the blows making Murphy stumble and fall to his knees.

"I said, that's enough, Jones!" Lexa shouted, and the boy finally stopped, his chest heaving as he panted, fists clenched as he stared down at Murphy's hunched form. Miller had stepped closer, his expression wary as he watched Jones, clearly concerned by the other boy having gone off script.

"Hey man, calm down," Miller said, and Jones seemed to shake himself, his normally cheerful face twisted into an intense frown. He turned and walked several feet away, clearly upset, and Murphy laughed through his bloodied mouth, shaking his head as he struggled back up to his feet.

"See?" he said, eyes meeting Lexa's again, "Everyone here is just the same as me."

"So, you deny it then? You expect me to believe that you didn't do it?"

"I didn't do it," he insisted, frustration in his voice. "Look, I might be nothing but criminal trash, but I'm also not an idiot… Seriously, you honestly believe that I would be so stupid as to try to kill you with a rock? And when the whole camp is about to be killed by fucking savages? Thanks, but I actually like being alive… You would have to be an idiot to think that was a good plan."

The insufferable woman seemed to hesitate at this, her cool expression lifting for a moment as she puzzled over his words, a note of confusion now in her eyes. Murphy sniffled his bleeding nose and dabbed at it again with his sleeve, suddenly extremely tired and feeling every one of the painful blows he had received.

"Look, Black… I don't like you," he said after several moments, "You're a real bitch, and it pisses me off how everyone is so eager to lick your damn boots all the time, but I didn't try to kill you…"

She seemed to consider him in silence for a few moments more, and he braced himself for another beating.

"If not you, then who?" she said finally, her eyes intent on his face.

He laughed sourly, and there was no amusement in the sound.

"Hell if I know… You got any other enemies down here?"

Lexa Black stared back at him in the moonlight, her eyes lost and distant, and he wondered just what strange thoughts were moving behind those eyes.

"I don't know," she said quietly, a questioning lilt in her voice.

Then, turning on her heel and walking away from him slowly, she paused and added a few more words over her shoulder; words that sounded like a promise.

"But I intend to find out."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Author's Note:

Ohhh Murphy, you poor lost soul you. Always getting blamed for things you didn't do. It's kind of his thing. I bet even you gentle readers were blaming him for that whole rock throwing thing!… Shame on you, readers! ;)

Also, it looks like Lexa Black's past might be coming back to haunt her (Lexa Black, not Heda Leksa). Her memories are filling in, but there is still a lot she doesn't know about herself! And let me just say that it hurts my heart a little bit that she and Clarke are so close, and yet they both have no idea the other is there… Why am I writing a slow burn fic again? Honestly, though, I enjoy writing all of the other plotlines as well, and the anticipation for Clexa is just going to make it more enjoyable for me when they do finally meet again, so hopefully you feel the same way (though I know the wait is getting excruciating for some of you… stay strong, my friends!)

Thanks so much to all you kind people who take the time to comment/review... Your insights are wonderful, and you all keep me honest to the characters and really do make me a better writer with your thoughtful words. Thanks so much for reading!

-FlyUpInSky