Chapter 15
The Ark
To say that the atmosphere amongst the survivors in the ark is tense is putting it mildly. The fact that there were people inside Mount weather – and that the kids had been sent straight into some sort of trap – put everybody on edge. Wasn't the threat from the grounders and the elements enough!
Abby worries about Clarke and the others, and has called a meeting with the remaining members of the council, Julie and Sergeant. After some debate they decide to increase the watch duty, this was no time to be surprised by grounders. The new recruits sergeant had trained had better weapon skills now, including ones who had never touched a gun before. But even if they were better prepared, they couldn´t agree on a tactic for liberating the kids. In the end Abby takes on the acting chancellor hat and forces the decision that she is to lead a group to try to negotiate with the people at Mount Weather. She does not want bloodshed if she could avoid it.
She walks to the mess hall to ask for volunteers. Lincoln and Octavia are waiting for her. They have new information, and it is not good.
The current rescue plan is quickly discarded as Lincoln explains what he knows about the mountain men – the grounders´ name for them - and their methods. Drugs, reapers, blood, and prisoners - it almost sounded to gruesome to be true.
"Why haven´t you fought them"
"They have guns and poisoned gas while we have spears and swords. Even if we outnumber them 100 to 1 they are able to overpower us and we wouldn´t stand a chance. Lexa, our commander, had to agree to a deal so they wouldn´t slaughter all of us. They get to keep a certain amount of our people for experimenting on in exchange for them leaving the rest of us alone"
"But why" Abby needs to know. Her daughter was there!
"The leaders in Mount Weather are desperate to be able to go outside without protective gear and are convinced that our blood is the solution. I bet your missing people are there too. I know for a fact that Lexa despises both the deal and the Mountain men, but until now there has been no other solution" He looks at Octavia.
Octavia sees that Lincoln is thinking what she is thinking and she cuts in. "So if the grounders and the Ark can work together – that can be a new solution, right? We have guns after all. And with your manpower we might be able to take them and free your people for good".
It might be a long shot but Abby realizes it this is probably the best - if not the only - plan of action if she wants to see her daughter again. So now they only have to get Lexa and the grounder leaders to agree to cooperate with the people who were responsible for the deaths of several of their people. And then they had to make a plan together. Easy-peasy…
The Ark entrance
Finally! They were here. Bellamy was exhausted from basically carrying Murphy most of the way. Not that he minded - he wanted to help. Ever since the trial and the last battle with the grounders he had unwittingly become an honorary member of the let´s-redeem-Murphy gang. Clarke and Raven seem to already be members. Monroe, on the other hand, was definitely not a member, even if she also helped get them back to the Ark in more or less one piece.
The guards at the entrance wanted to ask where the supplies and extra food was - they all missed some food favourites – but when they saw they state of the gang stumbling from the forests edge they quickly led them through the barrier by the main entrance. People were staring but not really approaching them. Strange, Raven thought to herself.
"Get him to the infirmary, I´ll get my mom" Clarke wastes no time and in a second she is gone into another part of the Ark. She has a feeling her mom will be in the mess hall or the room they use for council meetings. She wants to be the one who breaks the news about what Mount Weather really is, and she wants her to take another look at Murphy´s condition. Head wounds are tricky to diagnose properly.
She finds her with Octavia and Lincoln – of all people - in the mess hall.
Abby sees Clarke and almost doubles over in shock. She can´t help the tears flowing and she has to sit down as her daughter bends down and gives her a long hug. "Mom" Clarke whispers and gives in to the secure feeling of hugging her mom again. "I thought you were captured and maybe dead," Abby says through the tears.
Captured, why could her mom know about that? "So you already know that there are people living in the mountain. And that they have our people captured as well as hundreds of grounders"
"I told them", Lincoln explains. Octavia gives Clarke a warm welcome back hug while Abby tells Clarke of the plan they have made.
Mother and daughter walk together to the infirmary.
The infirmary, The Ark.
Murphy is awake. Abby does a quick exam and concludes like her daughter. He has a fairly severe concussion and general bruising. "So doctor, what´s the verdict?" he asks her without really looking at her. It comes out more pleading than he intended. "How long do I have to stay here this time?"
"Well Mr Murphy, you are the most injured-prone person I have ever met, but you´ll live this time round also". Abby gives him a reassuring smile. After she has gotten to know him more she likes Murphy. She just knows that there is a decent guy under all that bravado.
"You´ll need a few days of rest though, this type of head injuries needs some time before all nausea and dizziness is gone"
Murphy nods, he was feeling dizzy and had been all day.
"I spoke to Clarke about what happened to you, that can´t have been a fun experience" Murphy looks down but doesn´t speak, he doesn´t want Clarke´s mom to see how panic inducing that whole thing was. He tried to keep his suddenly erratic breathing under control. If he could help it he would never be in a cage ever again. It reminded him of being back in the Ark, in the pits. He would never forget that feeling.
Even if she really wants to know, Abby doesn´t want to push the obviously traumatized boy. He didn´t have to revisit it right now. She could ask one of the other kids.
Bellamy, Raven and Clarke are relieved that the prognosis is good. They have been listening to the exchange between doctor and patient from the other side of the room. The adrenaline from the day is wearing off and they are all knackered. Monroe had not followed them to the infirmary. She is hopefully already sleeping, Raven thinks. One day she would get to the bottom of whatever the issue between Murphy and Monroe was. Bellamy had mentioned it also which made it extra easy to pick up on. It was like a quiet animosity, she was sure they had a history!