The scream came from Fox. Harper now hid her friend's face from the finial on the post outside the village's main entrance. Nathan's mutilated head was guilty of causing the distress.

When grounders approached, they tried to run, but not soon enough. They turned only to find Bellamy, Murphy and Clarke blocking their exit and sporting crude blades.

"Can we help you?" Murphy asked, unable to hide the sneer.

Fox crumbled into a puddle, but Harper dug in her heels and refused to show fear. "We wanted to talk. See if there wasn't a way to just stay outta each other's way. But I see that's not gonna happen. So we'll just warn you before you kill us. We got more guns and bullets. Lots of 'em. You'll get annihilated."

Indra and Anya stepped out of the crowd.

"You wouldn't be the first to try," Indra said in her signature threatening tone.

"Perhaps we can work something out." Anya circled the two girls, Fox still cowering, while Harper glowered. "Clarke?"

"Yes, Anya?"

"What would you suggest we do with these frightened diplomats?" Anya's smile chilled Fox into casting her gaze down and broke some of Harper's fortitude.

Clarke's lack of expression didn't help either girl. "I know what to do with them."

The army marched toward the dropship at dawn, led by an unprotected Fox and Harper. The rest lined their clothes and helmets with BPP, underneath to not give away their advantage. Harper's hands were strapped to a pole, forced to hold it high, even though Nathan's head made it top heavy and cumbersome.

Murphy and Indra marched side by side. Indra said, "You're wrong, sky boy. This is exactly the kind of thing Anya would do."

"I don't know. This feels a lot like what Clarke's mother did to her. Sent her to an almost certain death in hopes to avoid a definite death. Clarke picks up those kinds of things."

"We'll find out after the battle."

"And if I'm right?"

With a wry smile, Indra said, "Then you can be my second."

"You're on." Murphy noticed a familiar cluster of trees, and at the same time drummers in the rear began. "This is gonna be fun."

Indra raised her sword. "Gonsplei!"

The roar belted out by the entire army should've had their enemy staining their pants. But they crashed the gates to find the place deserted.

Fox fainted from the stress, while Harper let the pole drop, Nathan's head hitting the ground with a thud. Most of the army growled and grumbled in frustration. Picking up a canister and then tossing it after a glance, Indra snorted. "Mountain men took them. They musta done something to anger them."

Right when Murphy opened his mouth to say something sarcastic, he saw several pieces of the Ark falling from the sky. One exploded and he doubted survivors, but the other two landed in opposing directions, without any explosions. "Well, looks like some of the 'rents made it to the party." He looked to Indra. "It's going to take forever to go all the way back to Shaw before checking out the new crash sites. Let's hope the mountain men don't get to them first. Are we double-timing it home?"

With a few barked orders, Indra sent scouts to all three crash sites, had a group scavenge the dropship camp, and then led the rest back to Shaw, prisoners in tow.

Pacing in front of Harper and Fox in the old subway they used as lock up, Clarke thought over a myriad scenarios. She determined the need for more information before making any decisions.

"Fox. You were one of the youngest people to ever end up in the Sky Box, but no one knows what you did. Tell me."

Her timid cowering act dissolved, replaced by something sardonic. "Fine. I wasn't one of the youngest people put in the Sky Box, I was the absolute youngest. I was also the youngest to go into a Chaos Pit and come out the other end." At Clarke's blank look, Fox raised an eyebrow. "I take it Murphy hasn't talked much about Pit Life. I'm younger than him by four and half months, or he'd have been the youngest dog in any ring back then. We would have been in that Chaos Pit together but I sliced him up his leg in the fight before. Took me a while to figure out why he let me win that one."

Clarke could see that Fox knew Murphy well, but he wasn't the point here. "You still haven't answered me."

"I may have survived the Chaos Pit, but the Guard broke the party up before everyone could go home. A few adults got floated, and as the only remaining juvenile, I got sent to the Sky Box for thirteen counts of murder. Funny, since none of us were even registered and I'm still not sure I killed anyone. A little 411 for the ignorant, all the dogs were second children born to be sold. Some bought by Pit Bosses, others by pedos. Well, there were a few like Murphy. The throw aways or orphans. Murphy was a bit of both." Fox leaned forward, menace shining from her dark eyes. "Hey Clarke? I hear you live with Murphy. Do you really know what he's capable of? Do you think deep down that he's a victim? Because the Murphy I know - is slick. He's not only tough, but deadly and crazy smart. Tricked me into cutting him deep enough that his Pit Boss kicked him out until he could walk again. Timed just right to avoid the Chaos Pit. And cunning enough to sic all the other dogs on each other, except the little girl he thought of as family, ensuring her survival."

The only expression on Clarke's face was boredom. "Huh. Do you have any skills that don't include killing people or tricking them into thinking you're helpless?"

"Aren't those skills enough? No? Okay, well I'm probably about as proficient as you are with medical know-how. The only reason I didn't stitch up Murphy was because I'd been drugged and passed out before I could. Funny coincidence, huh?"

"Fisas always have a place here." Clarke turned to Harper, who looked petrified of Fox. "What were you locked up for?"

Harper talked fast, in part due to nerves and in part from intuition telling her failing this interview meant getting floated. "My mom sold me as a sex slave to some old guy. I sorta made him die quicker. And before you ask, I've always been good with designs. In lock up, I managed to get through half the reading requirements for engineering. And I'm good with my hands. Give me directions and I can make or fix anything put in front of me. I couldn't help when we first landed because there were no instructions or blueprints. But from what I saw, you have some now, don't you?"

Tossing the keys to Harper, Clarke said, "Report to Raven and Monty. They could use someone like you. We'll be out as soon as Fox and I have a little heart-to-heart."

As soon as the chain was off her leg, Harper tossed the keys back and bolted up the stairs.

"Feeling the need for a bonding session, Clarke?"

Sitting next to Fox, Clarke leaned her head against the wall. "You know that's an interesting story, but I don't think I've ever seen you talk to Murphy. For someone who saved you, I'd have thought you'd have been close. All the kids in the Sky Box knew each other, except the ones in solitary. I find it interesting that the people Murphy considered friends were Mbege, Kate and that group. You don't look the type that would've fit in with them. So what aren't you telling me?"

"My old Pit Boss, afraid I'd rat him out, paid off one of the guards to poison me. My leg was broken at the time, a souvenir from the Chaos Pit. And I dropped my tray. I picked up what food I could but the mushy stuff couldn't be saved, so I didn't ingest enough poison to kill me. But it was enough to ruin my digestive system. I get sick a lot now. Don't absorb the nutrients I need to keep fit. So I learned a new way to survive. People like to take care of the poor, skinny, pale girl." She shrugged.

"But why doesn't Murphy seem to know who you are?"

"I looked very different by the time Murphy got locked up. And when we were in the Pit together, my only name came from my owner. And it wasn't Fox. Your mother named me when she set my leg."

"And what was your name?"

"Skeet."

"What was his?"

"Blen."

"So, considering you've spent six years deceiving everyone around you, give me one good reason I should let you out to join the community instead of kill you right here?"

"Sorry but I don't have any great story about how I've changed since my leash turned into a cage. All I can say is that, if I fail you, do worse to me than what you did to Nathan. My survival instinct is honed enough to avoid that."

"Deal." Clarke leaned forward and unlocked Fox's manacle. "Find Anya or Indra to get a housing assignment and then report to the fisa house in the morning. Nyko and I could use a little help. There's been an outbreak of chickenpox and we need all the extra hands we can get. The place is crawling with pint-sized patients."

Fox stood up, looked toward the exit, and then back at Clarke. "Thank you. And don't tell Murphy who I am."

Cocking her head to the side, Clarke asked, "Why not?"

"He remembers me as a badass. I know he'd be disappointed in what I've become." Fox turned and ran up the stairs. "Thanks again!"

Bellamy got back late. His scouting party found one of the sites but weren't able to get close to it. They had no rope or anything to scale down the cliffside to get to the wreckage. Binoculars only helped so much. He could see that there could be survivors and he wanted to help them but had to remind himself that he swore loyalty to Shaw Village, Anya, and Indra. His only hope for saving anyone was by honoring that loyalty.

When he pushed open the door to his home, he'd expected it to be dark, but instead Clarke and Murphy were staring each other down. The way they were glaring at each other made him worry. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Hey, Bell? Looks like Clarke isn't done accusing me of shit I didn't do." Murphy's eyes never left Clarke.

"I didn't accuse him of anything. I asked him a question." Her eyes never left Murphy.

"What question?"

"She seems to think I'm some kind of master manipulator. That I put all the pieces in place from the moment we landed to get us all here. I'd like to know how I managed that one. Care to enlighten us, Clarke?" Murphy's scorn for Clarke hurt Bellamy. He'd thought they'd managed to get past all the animosity over the last week and a half.

"I didn't say you manipulated everything. I said it's amazing how you turned every horrible thing into a bonus for you. I only asked how you managed that."

"Must've suddenly turned into a lucky guy."

Knocking interrupted them. Bellamy opened the door to see Finn. "Yeah?"

"Is Clarke here?"

Bellamy looked over his shoulder at Clarke and interpreting the look she gave him, stood by to let Finn inside. Finn and Bellamy had never gotten along, but the animosity boiling in Blake's stomach now felt different than it had before. Collins didn't just annoy him, there was more to it.

Watching Finn whisper to Clarke, and how he seemed so familiar with her, nagged at Bellamy's gut.

"Avoiding you wasn't an accident, Finn. I think you should go." Clarke turned away from him.

When Finn grabbed Clarke's arm, Bellamy grabbed his and dragged him to the door before throwing him out. "Don't come back, Collins."

"I can fight my own battles, Bellamy." The normal sting was missing from her tone. Instead she sounded tired.

"Never said you couldn't. I thought I was being a friend."

Clarke shook her head. "The only friend I've ever had was Wells, and we - we didn't act like that with each other."

"You look exhausted. It's been a long couple days. Why don't you get some sleep?"

"That's probably a good idea." Clarke stopped and peered around him. "Where'd Murphy go?"

Bellamy glanced about. "The facilities would be my guess." He shrugged and then turned off the lantern. The two of them lay down, and just as Bellamy started to drift off, Murphy returned, shed some layers, and settled in on the other side of Clarke. With all present, Bellamy fell off the cliff of sleep at complete ease.