Dividing Lines
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.
"It can't be as great as you say it is?"
Clarke turned her head to look at the man speaking, his arms wrapped around his knees. The other people on the ground, all gathered around a fire and Clarke, looked between her and the man. He had interrupted her mid-story which irritated some people. They wanted to hear more about the 100 Camp, not have it questioned. But Clarke just smiled at him, in an almost heartbreaking way.
"This place is so bad that you think a warm bed and friendly people are impossible. The 100 Camp is not some fantasy that I made up; the stories we've been told aren't completely far off from the truth. The people there are both adventurous and smart so they've learned to survive."
She looked around at the group again, happy to see some new faces. She had talked to so many new people over the past few days that she was losing count. It was a good thing because her message was getting around. Her mom had been doing a pretty good job as well; even Kane had convinced others to change sides. She had spent her last few evenings sitting around various fires and whispering stories. People were actually eager to hear about what was out there.
"Diana is just keeping us all here, behind these walls for no reason. She's scared and that's alright but she can't stop all of us from finding a better life."
The short alarm went off to tell everyone that it was time to return to their sections for the night and Clarke bit back a growl of annoyance. Some of the group hurried away while others walked slowly, whispering to each other about what they had just heard.
Clarke wrapped Bellamy's jacket tighter around herself and stood up from her seat. She strolled through the camp, keeping an eye on the guards by the wall. There had been some confusion about the sudden exhaustion that had hit them all at the same time but it had been put down to double shifts and too much moon shine.
As she passed the main area of the camp, she looked up at the oak tree that peeked over the walls. She carefully examined the tree but kept walking as to not attract attention. Tied to one of the upper branches was a piece of cloth, a dark blue against the wood. Even if you did pick it out, it would just look like the cloth got thrown up there by the wind. But Clarke knew what it really meant. The cloth was a message, telling her that he friends were watching. It gave her comfort to know that Caitlin was in the trees somewhere with her knives and Jasper was ready with his gun.
It was also nice to have Hunter outside to keep an eye on Bellamy. Octavia could calm him down but Hunter had a better chance of pinning him if he lost his temper.
She hurried the last few steps to her section and opened the door before looking back over her shoulder. Diana's quarters seemed quiet with two guards standing outside the door. She hadn't been seen around camp much in the past few days which had made Clarke's plan run smoothly.
But a feel of dread made the hairs on Clarke's neck stand up, as if something was going to jump out at any moment and scare her. Things were just working out too well. She looked around the camp once again before going inside and closing the door.
"I'm going to fall on my face and break every bone in my body."
Bellamy turned away from his view of the Ark Camp to look backwards at Monty, who was clutching the trunk of a tree for dear life. In fairness, they were a few metres off the ground, getting a bird-eye view of the enemy camp below, but Monty still didn't have to be so dramatic.
"Calm down and... don't look down," Bellamy advised him and then went back to his post.
He saw Clarke's blonde head disappear through a door and he felt his heart sink slightly. She hadn't been able to sneak out in a while so it had been days since he had seen her. He couldn't even tell her that Chris was doing ok; it was like he had always lived at the 100 Camp.
What was really irritating Bellamy was the fact that it could be so easy to just take over the place. Their security was useless and he hated that he couldn't have Clarke by his side. He was tiered of the waiting.
The leaves rusted with the wind and Bellamy jumped slightly when Hunter appeared on the opposite branch at the same time. He crouched down, without having to hold onto anything, and stared down at the camp.
"Everything quiet?" he asked and Bellamy nodded. Yet Hunter didn't look too happy.
"Has anyone come in and out of the camp? Of the front gates or the secret exit?"
Bellamy looked back at Monty, who was frowning and terrified at the same time. "No one had gone anywhere. Why?"
Hunter sighed and examined the guards below. "Ever since the attacks started, we've been keeping a closer eye on the forest; checking for tracks and broken trails. A few days ago we spotted some footprints between this camp and the river. It could be nothing but I don't want to underestimate this camp again."
"They must be from before we started a closer watch," Monty reasoned but Hunter still looked concerned. He turned to Bellamy again. "Did Clarke tell you what the signal was? How will we know when to attack?"
Bellamy rolled his eyes in amusement and replied, "She said that we'd just know. In Clarke speak that meant when the bullets start flying and people start screaming."
Hunter shrugged. "At least it'll be noticeable."
The guards below them marched across the wall, passing right under the tree. The other trees surrounding the camp were filled with other Grounders and the 100 yet not one guard ever really looked up. It made him irritated to think that he had once worked for these people on the Ark.
Bellamy had to wonder at how much things had changed in such a short space of time. Now they were changing again. The next few days would completely change how all the camps interacted with each other. It sent a tension into the air that Bellamy didn't like because he had to wait it out. He didn't like waiting.
"You should rest soon," Hunter advised, "Get someone to cover your spot for a while."
Bellamy nodded but glanced back at Monty. "My concern is how we're going to get Monty down this tree without alerting everyone in a ten mile radius."
"No thanks guys, I'll just stay up here forever."
When she looked back on the moment things went bad, Clarke remembered that it started very calmly. She had been hurrying between her section and the medical bay when Diana had called her name. At first she didn't acknowledge it because Diana had been absent for days and there was a women with a gashed knee to care for. But Diana repeated herself, with a hint of irritation in her voice.
"Miss Griffin?"
Clarke froze in the middle of the camp and turned her head to see the Chancellor standing on the platform outside her quarters. Two guards stood either side of her, their guns clutched in her hands. She eyed them carefully, suspicion creeping in. Bellamy told her that people only hold their guns that way if they really intend to use them. Soon. She swallowed harshly but kept her cool.
"Yes?" she answered, not stepping any closer. It was already feeling like a stand -off between them and the other campers could feel it. They stopped what they were doing and stared at Diana and Clarke. Work ceased, silence fell and Clarke realised that this was it. Adrenaline started to spike through her and she desperately wanted to glance into the trees for her friends but stopped herself. The look on Diana's face had barely contained fury but with a mask of indifference and pity.
"It has come to my attention that you have been deceiving our camp," Diana said, "I have it on good authority that you are in contact with the 100 Camp and even Grounders, in order to destroy the home we have built here. I think the whole community deserves to hear your reasoning."
It wasn't a bad plan; put her on the spot with no warning and watch her stutter. It was Diana's style to put what she wanted out in front of everyone to make a statement. It might have worked; except for the fact that Clarke had been anticipating this for a while.
"I haven't been deceiving anyone," Clarke replied calmly, "Of course I've been in contact with the 100 Camp; they're my friends. They also know that we are suffering here because of your poor leadership and wish to offer their camp as a new home."
The guards surrounding the wall and Diana all seemed to freeze and turn to their Chancellor. They hadn't expected such a calm and honest answer; not to mention a direct attack on Diana's authority. Clarke jumped at their weak moment and kept going.
"I mean, do the Council even make any decisions anymore?" Clarke asked, "Or do they just follow your lead. Your lead, that doesn't even go anywhere by the way. You make us all suffer behind these walls and for what? For nothing? And while we're all being so open and honest as a community, why don't you explain your reasons behind setting bombs off at innocent Grounder camps?"
Clarke was on a roll at this point and the entire camp, which had shoved its way into a circle to watch the fight, broke out into shouts and chaos. Diana looked around wildly, yelling at her guards to quiet down the masses. Clarke saw her mother and Kane shove their way to the front of the crowd but couldn't get to her. She took a chance to look up at the trees and wished that she could spot someone to give the signal.
"These allegations are false and ridiculous," Diana exclaimed, "You are just reaching for any excuse to run back to your friends-the enemies of this camp!"
"They are your enemies because you made them that way!" Clarke spat back, "You set those bombs, you killed innocent people and for what?! For the delusional idea that you could take over?"
"It is not delusional! I will not take orders from Grounders or children!"
Diana's words acted like a muffler to the crowd, some people actually taking in her words and being shocked into silence. Others were only making noise because the guards were pushing them and pointing their guns.
Despite two years of being ordered around and stomped into the mud, the people of the Ark Camp weren't stupid. Technology was common in their camp, even if Diana chose not to use it. They knew it was possible to make weapons; many had suggested it so that they could expand camp. Now they knew why Diana said no. She had plans for those weapons. Diana zeroed in on Clarke again and with a fury in her eyes, she ordered, "Take Clarke Griffin to the holding cells!"
Abby and Kane shot forward to stop the guards and even Finn shoved a few people aside to appear in the circle. Clarke scrambled backwards, knowing that she was boxed in by at least two drop ships. Three guards held their guns out in front of her and closed in.
Just as one of them reached out to grab her arm, a knife came out of nowhere and sank itself into his throat. He fell with a bloody cry and the two beside him were taken down the same way. Clarke looked up to see every guard get either stabbed or shot, all of them falling to the ground, their guns useless. People screamed and scrambled away from them.
Suddenly, Grounders dropped down from the trees and landed on the wall. Clarke actually smiled when she saw Caitlin and Hunter, even though they looked deadly and serious. Soon, it was just Diana standing alone on the platform with no one to carry out her orders. The Ark Campers were finally silent and all staring up at the people who had haunted their nightmares. Clarke could understand their fear; the Grounders did make a terrifying sight. But then Caitlin smiled at Clarke and called out, "You asked for a rescue?"
Clarke laughed, which seemed to break the tension somewhat. Hunter nodded his head towards the large metal gate and Clarke nodded back. "Open the gates," she called out, "Quickly, open them!"
Kane reacted first and he and Finn hurried to follow Clarke's command. Just as she had hoped, Bellamy was standing right outside with the 100 fighters. They marched into the Ark Camp like it was just another day. People craned their necks to see Bellamy Blake stroll his way through their camp, looking every bit the hero from their stories.
Clarke let out a sigh of relief, the anxiety leaving her. They had won so far; most of the danger was over.
"That was embarrassingly easy," Jasper called out, "Should we ask them to do it again just to make things interesting?"
Monty managed to elbow his friend in the side but Bellamy had his eyes trained on Clarke. She kept her hands clenched by her sides; they were in front of everyone and the next few moments would decide how the Ark Campers would see their leadership. They could make out later.
"I told you this would work," Clarke said to him and he picked up on her train of thought straight away. So he refrained from hugging her and just nodded.
"It worked a bit too well Princess; what do we do with her?"
Clarke spun around and frowned when she saw Diana kneeling on the platform. The two guards either side of her were on the ground, but Diana's arms were pinned to the wooden floor with sharp daggers that had caught on her sleeves. She was desperately trying to free herself but with little success. Grounder had really good aim.
Caitlin and Hunter, with a skill only received from years on Earth, simply climbed across the tops of the buildings until they landed on the platform either side of her. Diana stopped her struggles and stared up at them with an attempt at bravery. She swerved her head towards Clarke and Bellamy. They looked right back and Clarke was very aware of how glad she was that he was beside her again.
"Is this how you want your peace?!" Diana spat, "Gained through force and bloodshed."
Clarke flinched but Bellamy quickly answered, "You gave us no alternative. You started a war with people you couldn't win against. Now you have to face the consequences of your actions."
Diana curled her lip in disgust and taunted them. "And what will my punishment be? How will two children judge me?!"
Clarke just started back at her in an almost sad way. "It won't be us judging you. It wasn't our camps you destroyed."
Fear finally spread across Diana's face and she looked up at Caitlin and Hunter again. The Grounder leader just titled her head at the women. "You killed entire camps," Caitlin said, "Our people want a word with you."
She whistled sharply and two other Grounders jumped down from the wall. They reached the platform and freed Diana, only to grab her by the arms and drag her towards the gates. The other campers gave her no help or sympathetic looks. She had been a nightmare for people even back on the Ark and people were done being stuck under her thumb.
She passed Clarke and Bellamy and looked over her shoulder as she went through the gates. Clarke had never been looked at with such hatred before. On instinct, she reached out and took Bellamy's hand behind her back. Then, right before she disappeared from sight, Diana smiled.
Clarke blinked and once again a feeling of dread struck her gut. Something was wrong. Bellamy put his gun away on his belt and called out orders for the 100 to gather up the weapons. He looked at her again and gestured towards the platform. Clarke walked with him, knowing that they had to calm down the crowd but she kept glancing back at the gates. Diana was up to something; she had to be.
"Bellamy, something's wrong," she hissed and he frowned. "This was too easy," she added.
They joined Hunter and Caitlin on the platform and the three of them stood there in a circle. "We took her by surprise, that's all," Caitlin answered but Clarke shook her head.
"Maybe but there's something else I can feel it."
"Well right now we need to focus on this crowd," Bellamy reasoned and he and Clarke turned back to the people. They were eerily quiet, all staring back at them.
"This is not a takeover, despite everything you've seen," Bellamy announced, "Diana and her guards killed innocent people and now have to answer for their crimes. The 100 Camp is opening its gate to anyone who willingly chooses to join us. We can give safety, food, water and a home as long as you follow basic human rules."
Clarke joined in at this point, standing right beside him on the platform. "You can stay here if you wish but like I have already told so many of you, the 100 Camp is your best chance at survival. We'll be leaving soon so if you want to come with us, gather your things and be back here in time."
Some people hurried off immediately, others did the same and cheered as they did so. Clarke saw her mother and Kane striding towards the medical bay and Abby smiled proudly at her daughter before she went to collect the medical supplies.
Clarke also spotted Finn standing in the middle of the camp, glancing between her and Bellamy. Feeling self-conscious, Clarke walked down the platform to speak to him. She felt Bellamy's reluctance to let her go but she threw him a smile. He raised an eyebrow, smirked and then turned back to Caitlin and Hunter. She met Finn halfway and hoped to convince him to come with them. She didn't want him to try and survive on his own.
Instead, Finn spoke. "You two look like a real team up there."
Clarke nearly blushed and replied, "We do, I guess."
Finn was almost smiling despite himself and he leaned in close to her. She was ready to push him away but Finn just shook his head. "I didn't stand a chance, did I? The moment you two met, there was never going to be anyone else was there?"
Clarke blinked and then let out a sigh. "Finn, you may be a great friend but he's my best friend. That's the difference. Please, come with us and start over at the 100 Camp. We could use your skills and you could have an actual home."
Finn just took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry about me, Clarke. I'll be fine."
He gave her another smile but then walked away to his section. Clarke let out a puff of air and ran a hand through her hair. Everything had just changed and it had changed very fast. Now her brain was filled with plans and ideas about the 100 Camp. They would have to build more houses, which meant expending the walls and was there enough food in the area for a larger group? She turned back to the platform for only a second, only a moment.
But it was enough time for a loud booming sound to echo around the camp and make the ground shake. Everyone spun around to see a large black cloud appear from the trees.
"What the hell was that?!" Bellamy yelled as he skidded to a stop beside Clarke, his arm automatically going around her. Caitlin and Hunter appeared beside them but their faces were in shock. Clarke quickly racked her brains for what could possibly be in that direction and she got her answer.
"Isn't that where your camp is?" she asked but Hunter shook his head.
"No way, ours is at least another mile away from the cloud. But-but we do have a supply village there. It's where we keep the books and raw materials before we make them into something else. It's pretty big so someone might have thought it was a village."
Bellamy and Clarke looked at each other and everything clicked into place. Clarke hadn't had spare leaves from the tea; a guard had been planting the bomb instead. The footprints Hunter found weren't from weeks ago but much earlier. Diana had smiled because she had already managed to cause one more destructive moment.
Caitlin suddenly choked out, "Mason!" and she darted forward.
Hunter caught her wrist and stopped her. "What?! What's wrong?"
Caitlin looked more desperate than Clarke had ever seen her and the Grounder girl replied, "Mason said that he was spending the day there doing research. He was there!"
She pulled her arm away and sprinted out of the gates with her brother right behind her. "Jasper, Miller!" Bellamy called, "Organise the camp and send everyone back home!"
Together he and Clarke went after the Grounder siblings, knowing that they wouldn't be able to catch them. But they ran anyway and kept them in sight as they sped through the trees. The happy moment was gone and Clarke felt defeated. They may have won the war but Diana might have just have had one last laugh.