ALLIANCE – CHAPTER 10

A cycle of recycled revenge

Lincoln effortless carried the girl in his arms until they reached the medical station. Clarke cleared the table and Abby got the IV therapy ready, applying the needle with care on the girl's arms. They cut of her clothes fast trying to see the source of the bleeding, but couldn't find anything.

"She wasn't shot or stabbed. There's no wound", declared the doctor.

"Then what is wrong with her?" Octavia had entered the room right behind them and now looked worried for the little girl.

"It must be some kind of disease. I'll need to run a few tests to know for sure what it is. On the meantime, she'll be fine here. Her vitals are stable."

The doctor checked again the monitor showing Malia's heartbeat and it was going strong, but the girl wasn't awake yet. The serum would help keeping her hydrated until they could find what medication she actually needed. Abby carefully inserted a syringe inside the girl's arm and began collecting blood for the test.

"You don't need to stay", explained the doctor looking at Clarke, Octavia and Lincoln. "This will take a while; I'll ask Jackson to look after her while I run the tests."

"I'm not going anywhere", declared Octavia, knuckles turning white for holding her sword's grip too tight. "I know how our people feel about Grounders now. I'm not leaving her side."

Lincoln didn't say a thing; he just stood next to Octavia looking serious, indicating that he wasn't going to leave either. Abby nodded and left the room carrying Malia's blood sample and Clarke decided to stay behind so she could monitor the girl's vital signs.

OOOOOOO

Two hours later the doctor returned to the room reading something on the small screen of her tablet. Her expression was a little puzzled.

"Mom? What is it?"

Abby put the device down and raised her head, looking at everyone around the medical center and finally at Malia, who was still unconscious.

"I wish we had more medical registers so I could compare her results, but our database was lost when the Ark crashed. However, I've seen this case before in medical class, a long time ago…"

"Quit stalling, Chancellor", asked Octavia harshly. "What is it? Can you cure it?"

Abby glared at Octavia for a few seconds and Lincoln held his girlfriend's hand in a silent plead for her to calm down.

"She has something we used to call commonly as the space flu. It was a variation of Earth's flu that was spread through the space stations a decade before the bombings, when the astronauts and scientists began to come and go more often. A few people died but soon they were able to synthesize a medication to ease the symptoms and the disease was controlled. A hundred years later, with all the changes on our DNA for being born in space, our bodies became resistant to this disease, so now it's just what we call a simple flu, with mild symptoms and a duration no longer than three or four days."

"Then how come she's almost dying from it", inquired Octavia.

"The Grounders have never encountered this disease before, so their bodies are not ready to fight it. It's like when it first reached our people in space."

"But we've been here for over a month", said Clarke. "Why now? Shouldn't they have become sick when we came down here?"

"Before the alliance we didn't have much contact, but over a week ago we started living among them; someone must have been sick and passed the flu along. The virus' incubation time is seven to ten days before the first symptoms appear."

That was enough explanation for the three of them, because everyone got silent, looking at Malia with worry.

"This was us", stated Clarke more to herself than anyone else. "We did this to them."

"Not on purpose, Clarke. Don't blame yourself."

Abby put an arm around her daughter's shoulders. The girl had just returned to Camp Jaha; it really wasn't the best time to go on another guilt trip.

"But can you cure her?"

"I think I can. We have some medicine here that might help. Let's hope her natural strength will give her a bigger chance."

OOOOOO

The night went by and the morning came with no signs of recovery on Malia, even with all the medicine Abby was pushing through her veins. The doctor said it was normal and her body needed some time to react, but Octavia was very anxious and couldn't stop pacing around the room. Lincoln decided to guard the door, since they had seen some people passing through the hallways and saying nasty things about "curing the enemy". Clarke just sat down by Malia the whole night, holding her hand, hoping that no one else had to die so her people could live on Earth.

Suddenly, when the first sunrays reached the room's windows, the girl opened her eyes a little.

"She's waking up!"

Octavia ran to the bed so she could take a better look. She and Clarke waited anxiously for the patient to be able to speak.

"Hey, Malia", started Clarke softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better", she replied in a weak voice, still fighting to wake up completely. When she finally registered where she was and glanced at the needle on her veins she looked a little scared.

"It's okay", said Octavia. "You are safe here with us, no one means you harm. This is just some medicine to cure you faster."

Malia relaxed a little bit, probably recognizing Octavia from the times the woman spent with the Grounders. She then focused her eyes on Clarke.

"Clarke of the Sky People. I was looking for you."

"Did someone send you here?" Clarke had mixed feelings about that question. She both wanted it to be answered with yes and no, because yes meant that Lexa had sent for her, and no meant the Commander wasn't going to bother her anymore.

"No one knows I'm here. I ran away to come get you."

"Get me? What do you mean?"

"I saw you saving people before, and it is known that your mother is also a healer. Please, Clarke, we need you to come to Polis and help us."

Clarke stared at the little girl with surprise. When she raised her head and met Octavia's gaze, she knew what her friend wanted her to do. However, it wasn't that simple.

"Malia… If they wanted my help they would have sent a team of soldiers to ask for it. But something tells me that they don't want it. It's not likely for the Grounders to ask for anything."

"That's why I came", she explained with eyes full of hope as she reached for the blonde's hand. "They didn't want to ask for help, but almost everyone is sick. Over fifty people died since we arrived in Polis after the rescue on the mountain and when I left the city yesterday a hundred more was showing signs of sickness. It is spreading really fast."

"Polis is a big city", said Octavia, raising her eyes to meet Clarke's. "There are thousands living there. This is a disaster."

Clarke understood the situation quite well. Yes, they had the medicine and the knowledge to produce more if it was needed, and they had the ability to treat the sick if they had to. But how was it possible for the Sky People to march across the land to Polis and treat the same people who left them a few days ago to die in the battlefield alone? Would anyone want to go on that mission besides Lincoln and Octavia?

"Please, Clarke", insisted Malia. "You are Heda's wife. Her people are your people as well."

And suddenly Clarke remembered that she was still married to Lexa after all they had been through. For the Grounders, their souls were still interlaced; for the Sky People, they were still bonded by law.

"You must rest now, Malia. When you wake up again we'll talk more, okay?"

The girl wasn't completely satisfied by that answer, but for now she just gave in to tiredness and slowly drifted back to sleep.

OOOOOO

Clarke found herself wondering around the woods outside Camp Jaha again. This time, though, she wasn't going to run away – on the contrary, actually. She was trying to think about what to do next, and after her seclusion in the forest she realized that it was better to think alone. Especially now that they weren't at war anymore and she didn't need to make decisions under pressure, watched by a several anxious eyes.

However, she didn't have much time to spend because people in Polis were dying, as Malia had said. Every hour she spent thinking could represent a death. More blood for Clarke's hands.

This is not your fault. You can't control it, she heard Lexa's voice inside her head. That would probably be the Commander's opinion on this matter. Don't feel guilty for something you have not done.

She could maybe get passed the guilt of bringing unintentionally a disease from space, but not offering help when she was able to save these people was something she wasn't so sure she could overcome later.

But even if she did it, even if she decided to go to Polis, who would go with her? There was no way of treating all the sick only by herself, and her mother certainly wouldn't want to go. After what happened in Mt. Weather the Grounder's image was pretty stained for the Sky People, maybe even more than it was before they met Lexa and the clans, when all they knew was the Grounder's fierce ways of killing.

And there was a second problem: the Commander. She had a pretty certain feeling that Lexa would never allow the Sky People to treat her protégés, for it would look like a weakness on their behalf and a favor they would have to repay later. She was probably right now sitting on her throne thinking about ways to isolate the sick and stop the contamination, hoping that they would find a way to live pass this probation.

But then again, Lexa would do anything for the survival of her people, as she had proven so many times before.

The only way to know it she would authorize the Sky People to cure the citizens of Polis was to go there and asking.

Clarke just sighted and started walking back to Camp Jaha, realizing she was about to go into a very long meeting with the Council in order to authorize the mission to Polis.

OOOOOO

"Absolutely not!"

Turns out that Clarke was right. Her mother's immediate reaction to her idea was to shut it down before it developed into a plan.

"Your mother is right, Clarke", said Kane, "this is too dangerous, specially after what happened in Mt. Weather."

"And what exactly was that?" Clarke pierced the man with her eyes. "They didn't attack us, didn't kill any of our soldiers. Actually, they sacrificed much more of their people than we did of ours in order to get the mission done."

"And then they took their people and left us to die", said Abby.

"They found a way to resolve the problem without having to fight. Maybe we would have done the same if the offer was thrown in our table."

Abby and Kane stared at Clarke looking a little shocked by the girl's words. It was very unlikely that her, from all people, was now trying to convince them to not blame the Grounders for their actions that night.

"So this is what you've been thinking about in the woods", realized Abby, glaring at her daughter with disappointment the same way she did when she found out about the bombing of Tondc. "You forgave her."

"I have", she answered without hesitation. "I have already too many burdens to carry, mom. Holding grudges over Lexa for doing what she had to do will not be one of them."

Kane just watched the exchange between mother and daughter, not sure if he should intervene. He was more likely to agree with the blonde's idea, since he was always in favor of peace between the clans. This could be a way of bringing Grounders and Sky People together, but the plan needed a little more elaboration.

"Clarke", he finally said, "just because you want to offer help doesn't mean the Commander will take it. You told us that Malia had to ran away to search for you."

Clarke stared at him serious, certainty marking her next words. "I'll make her accept our help."

Abby didn't like the tone on her daughter's voice, especially because she was talking about Lexa. The relationship between the two girls was something that frightened the doctor deeply, since it had been nothing but explosive from the beginning. The last thing she wanted was her daughter engaged on some twisted-up seduction power game with the Commander.

"And what exactly do you plan to do for her to agree?"

"I'll just ask."

Kane frowned a little, confused by the certainty on Clarke's statement. Abby, on the other hand, approached her daughter with a deadly expression, both hands spread on the Council's table.

"Be careful, Clarke. That's a dangerous game you are playing."

"I know", she answered without even flinching. "But it's worth it. Don't you see that all we have been facing since we got here is problems whose solutions involve death? Decisions that end up on the killing of many? This is the first time we have the power to save lives instead of taking them. You of all people should be glad about that, mom."

Abby lost her ground a little, crossing her arms and studying her daughter's face. She was a doctor after all, so saving people should always be her priority, but lately she had been so lost on war matters and no ways out. Killing was always the final solution.

"You take so much pride on saying that we are different from them", continued Clarke, "but if you let them die just because they betrayed us, it will be a revenge. It will be our version of blood must have blood."

Kane nodded and put a hand on Clarke's shoulder.

"I agree. You have my support vote on this mission."

Clarke gave him a thankful smile and they both turned to Abby, waiting for her final say.

"Fine", she finally agreed, "but this mission will be volunteer-only. I'll make an announcement in a few minutes and we leave tomorrow at first light."

OOOOOO

This chapter's title is an excerpt from the song "Death and All His Friends" by Coldplay.