Raven's voice was faint, repeating the same exact thing over and over again on the bottom level of the dropship. She begged for the Ark to hear her, pleading for their help. All we had gotten so far was static.
Octavia winced, grabbing my attention. "Can you please not space out while you're stitching my forehead? I'd really like to avoid a scar."
I smiled slightly. "Trust me, a scar is the least of your worries these days."
She frowned, her eyes shifting to the floor. "Do you think Finn will be alright?"
"I hope so." I responded, tying off the stitch and cutting the end with the small scissors that came in the pack. "Clarke will figure it out. She always does."
"You know her better than I do."
I noticed Octavia shift in place as I reached over to grab some gauze. Placing it over the wound on her head, I used the little bit of tape Clarke had offered up to stick it on. "You're good to go."
Octavia sighed, running her fingers along the bandage. "Thank you."
"No sleeping for another few hours, alright? Just in case." I said, as thunder grumbled outside.
"I don't think anyone is sleeping anytime soon."
"Probably not." I sighed.
"Athena!" Clarke's voice boomed through the dropship.
Octavia stiffened. "You should go, I'll be alright."
"Athena!"
I stood from my spot on the floor, grabbing the suture kit before looking down at Octavia. "If you need me at all, call for me, alright? If you feel dizzy or anything-"
"I'll call for you, I promise."
I gave her one last smile before opening the hatch and climbing down to the bottom floor. Clarke quickly spotted me across the room, waving me over with her free hand.
"How's Finn doing?" I asked, placing the suture kit at Finn's feet.
Clarke averted her eyes. "He's still alive, for now."
I noticed Raven's eyes shift towards us, before focusing back in on the radio. "Calling Ark Station. Please come in. The hundred are alive."
Suddenly, the radio crackled, a voice coming through. "This is a restricted station. Who is this? Please identify yourself."
Everyone fell silent, staring at Raven. Her face was pale, her eyes wider than usual. Finally, she responded. "This is Raven Reyes. I'm from Mecha Station. I'm transmitting from the ground. The hundred are alive. Please, you need to get Doctor Abby Griffin, now."
"Hang on, Raven. We're trying to boost your signal."
I blinked. "You did it? That's really the Ark?"
Raven turned her head, smiling, though her eyes were still laced with tears. "It's really the Ark."
"Raven? Are you there?" I recognized Abby's voice instantly.
Clarke's eyes darted back the radio, a frown forming across her face. After a few moments she took a deep breath, heading over and taking the radio from Raven.
"Mom? Mom, it's me."
"Clarke?"
Clarke smiled for just a moment, though it quickly faded. "Mom, I need your help. One of our people was stabbed by a Grounder."
A new voice emerged. "Clarke, this is the Chancellor. Are you saying there are survivors on the ground?"
"Yes, the Earth is survivable. We're not alone." Clarke said. "Mom, he's dying. The knife is still in his chest."
"Okay, just give us two minutes."
"Clarke," Jaha's voice emerged again. "Is my son with you?"
Clarke looked at me, her eyes swelling with tears. I gave her a reassuring look and she turned her attention back to the radio. "I'm so sorry. W-Wells is dead."
Everything fell silent once more, only the static of the radio coming through. Finally, Abby's voice came through once again. "Okay, Clarke... I'm going to talk you through this step-by-step. Just find-"
The radio cut out for a moment, coming back through in mumbles.
"Raven, what's going on?" I asked.
She shook her head. "It's not the radio, it's the storm."
"Clarke, we need to hurry." Abby's voice was clear again.
"Clarke!" I turned around, noticing Octavia rushing into the dropship. I hadn't even noticed her climb down after me. "Here, this should help."
Clarke headed over, grabbing one of the canisters from Octavia. She screwed open the lid, breathing it in. "Monty's moonshine?"
"Pretty sure no germ could survive this."
The dropship began to shake, lightning striking off in the distance.
"The storm is getting worse. Monroe, close the doors." Clarke commanded.
"We still have people out there."
Octavia nodded. "Monty and Jasper still aren't back. Neither is Bellamy."
"It's okay, they'll find somewhere to hide out."
Before Octavia could argue, Clarke turned back to me. "The suture kit?"
I nodded my head towards Finn's feet. "Right there."
Clarke grabbed the kit, pulling out the needle. She then poured the moonshine over it, rotating it to cover every inch of the needle.
"Tell me you can do this." Raven spoke, moving closer to Clarke.
Clarke looked up at me. "We can do this."
"We?" I asked.
She nodded. "I need your help. Our mothers work together, you and I used to spend hours together in medical reading those journals."
"Clarke, I've had zero training. Sewing Octavia's head was hard enough."
"My mother will give us instructions. I just need your extra set of hands, alright?" I averted my eyes, hoping she'd give up. "Athena, please. I need you."
I looked back up, noticing her pleading eyes. "Alright."
"Hey, they're back!" Monroe called out.
Octavia turned to the door, rushing over. "Bellamy!"
Bellamy entered the dropship first, Monty and Jasper lagging behind, carrying the Grounder from the cave. They dropped his unconscious body to the floor, him handing at Octavia's feet.
She looked up at her brother, her face red. "What the hell are you doing?"
"It's time to get some answers."
"You mean revenge?"
"I mean intel," Bellamy responded, turning back to the boys. "Get him upstairs."
I marched over to Bellamy, a frown across my face. "Bellamy, you know she's right."
"Clarke, we're ready." Abby's voice came through again. "Can you hear me?"
"Athena, I need you."
Bellamy's eyes landed on the radio, his face going pale. I placed my hand on his shoulder, my eyes fixed on his. "Bellamy, this is not who we are."
I watched as his eyes shifted back to the radio, before landing on me once more. "It is now." He said, pulling himself away from me and headed up the ladder after Monty and Jasper.
Shaking my head, I turned to Octavia. "Please, just sit down somewhere, alright? I can't worry about Finn, the Grounder and you all at the same time." Octavia nodded, heading up to the second level of the dropship.
I walked over to Clarke, standing next to her. "The blade is at a sharp, upward angle. Between the sixth and seventh rib."
"How deep?" Abby asked.
"I can't tell."
"That's alright, just don't remove the knife yet."
Clarke grabbed the canister of moonshine, pouring some into her right hand. She then handed it to me, rubbing her hands together. I did the same, and then Raven.
Abby's voice came through again, though we were distracted by the fighting of two delinquents behind us.
"Damn it!" Clarke yelled. "Raven, clear the room."
Raven nodded. "Everyone upstairs. Now! Let's go!"
Clarke placed her hand on Finn's body. "He feels warm."
Raven spun around, rushing back to his side.
"That's alright, fever sometimes accompanies a trauma." Abby responded. "Clarke, I need you to tell me if there's any fluid leaking from the wound."
Clarke examined the wound. "No."
"That's good! That's really good. You got lucky."
Raven crouched down, her face close to Finn's. "Do you hear that? You're lucky." She smiled.
"Okay, Clarke... You need to have a firm grip on the knife." Abby started. "You're gonna need to angle it upward to the left, very slightly to the left, as it exits the ribcage."
"How very slightly?" Clarke asked, her voice now shaking.
"Three millimeters. Any more would be bad, any less too."
"Okay, three milimeters. Got it."
"You can do this, Clarke." Abby encouraged her. "You've assisted me on trickier procedures than this. Once that knife is out, the hard part is over."
Clarke nodded, taking a deep breath. "Extracting now."
Placing her hands around the knife, Clarke began to pull slowly.
"Clarke, he's waking up!"
My eyes landed on Finn's face, his body beginning to move.
"Finn, I'm going to get the knife out of you, okay?" Clarke spoke before looking between Raven and I. "I need you two to hold him still."
While Raven and I held Finn down, Finn strained, trying to keep his body from moving. As Clarke neared the end of the knife, the dropship began to shake again, throwing us all across the room. I watched as the knife tore out of Finn, him falling to the floor in the other direction.
"Clarke! Clarke, what's going on?"
I lifted my head, noticing Clarke standing with the knife in her hand, her eyes fixated on Finn. He was awake, staring right back at her.
"She did it," Raven mumbled, looking between the two. "She did it."
...
The three of us had managed to get Finn back on the cot and Clarke was now finishing up her stitches. "Okay, I'm done."
"Good," Abby responded. "Do you have anything to cover the wound?"
"We still have one bandage left," I spoke up, handing it to Clarke.
"Athena?"
My eyes darted to the radio, my shaky legs rushing over. "Mom? Is that you?"
"Oh, thank God." My mother cried. "When your wristband went black I-"
"I'm okay, I promise." I smiled through teary eyes. "I miss you."
"I miss you too, sweetheart."
"Guys," Raven spoke, grabbing my attention. "Should he be this pale?"
"He's lost a lot of blood, Raven." Abby spoke. "If he's anywhere near as tough as you though, I'm sure he'll be fine."
Clarke placed her hand on his forehead. "Mom, she's right. He's feverish and his breathing is uneven."
"You need to give him some time to recover. Let me know if he gets any worse, but I think he might just be out of the woods."
"There's nothing but woods down here." Clarke rolled her eyes. "I need a break."
"Clarke, wait!" Abby pleaded. "Raven, Athena... Can you please give us a few minutes?"
"Of course-"
"No, no. Raven, stay with Finn." Clarke responded, rubbing her temples. "Athena, come with me."
I followed Clarke up the dropship ladder, reaching the top level. Bellamy stared at the Grounder, who was tied up using seat belts we'd salvaged. Clarke pulled herself through the opening, a boy I didn't recognize stepping in front of her.
"Get hell hell out of my way."
Bellamy sighed. "It's alright. Let them through."
The boy stepped aside, allowing us to pass. I stood next to Bellamy, Clarke approaching the Grounder, who left out a hardy groan.
"Well," Clarke turned back to look at Bellamy. "If he didn't hate us before, he sure as hell does now."
"Who cares?" Bellamy asked. "How is Finn?"
"Alive," Clarke responded, glaring. "His people will care. How long until they find out where we're keeping him? What happens when they do? I mean, when they come looking for him."
"Relax, Princess. No one saw us take him. Thanks to the storm, you couldn't see a soul out there." He reached out, Miller handing him a journal. "In case you missed it, his people are already killing us. How many more of our people need to die before you realize we're fighting a war?"
"We're not soldiers, Bellamy." I spoke up. "There's no way we can win."
"You're right. If we don't fight."
Clarke went to speak, being cut off by Raven's cries. "Clarke! He's seizing!"
"I'm on my way!" Clarke called out, rushing back down the ladder.
I ran down after her, rushing to Finn's side.
"Get my mom on the radio." Clarke said.
"The radio is dead. Interference from the storm." Raven responded, staring at Clarke. "Please don't let him die."
...
Finn soon stopped seizing, his body settling in Raven's arms.
"It's stopped." Clarke spoke. "Quick, help me get him on his side."
I moved into position, noticing Raven remained holding Finn, staring off into the distance. "Raven? Raven, please."
"There's fluid in his lungs, he could choke." Clarke added. Raven snapped back into focus, nodding as she stepped away. Clarke and I then rolled him over, fluids spilling out of his mouth. "He's burning up!"
"Fluid in his lungs? Does that mean the knife-
"No, this isn't blood. It's something else." I responded, looking at Clarke.
Clarke stared at Finn. "I-I did everything she told me to."
"Wait, we've seen this before." I said. "Shortness of breath, fever, seizing."
"Poison." Clarke spoke, her eyes lighting up.
Raven shook her head. "You sterilized everything, I watched you do it."
"Not everything."
Clarke reached over, grabbing the knife. "Raven, stay here."
I followed Clarke back up the ladder. "They locked the damn door!" Clarke hissed, banging on the hatch. "Open the door, now! Bellamy!"
Finally, Miller opened the hatch, allowing Clarke to pull herself through. I followed close behind, watching as she marched over to the Grounder.
"What's on this?" She waved the knife in the air. "Answer me!"
Bellamy looked at me. "What is she talking about?"
"He poisoned the blade!" Clarke snapped her head back. "All this time he knew Finn was going to die no matter what we did."
"What is it?" I asked, moving closer. "Is there an antidote?"
"Athena, he doesn't understand you." Octavia spoke, poking her head through the hatch.
"The vials." Bellamy mumbled, turning around and picking up a small pack. "It's gotta be here." He laid them all out on the floor in front of the Grounder.
"You'd have to be stupid to have a poison around for this long without an antidote." Clarke mumbled, getting on her knees. "Which one is it?"
The Grounder just stared at Clarke, his face never changing.
"Answer the question!" Bellamy yelled.
Octavia pushed her way through the small crowd. "Please, just tell us."
"Which one?" Clarke asked again. "Our friend is dying down there, and you can stop it!"
My eyes shot to Bellamy, silently pleading for him to do something. He rubbed the back of his neck, moving closer to the Grounder. "I'll get him to talk."
He lifted his fist, Octavia jumping in front of him. "Bellamy, no!"
"He wants Finn to die! Why can't you see that?" His eyes drifted to Clarke. "Do you want Finn to live or not?"
"Athena, please!" Octavia begged. "You said it yourself, this is not who we are. He was protecting me, he saved my life!"
Bellamy shook his head. "We're talking about Finn's life!"
"Do it."
I looked at Clarke, shame written all over her face.
"Clarke, please..." Octavia begged before turning back to the Grounder. "Please, just tell us which one it is."
Bellamy picked up a knife, using it to rip open the Grounder's shirt. "Tell us which one it is, or you'll wish you had."
"Bellamy," Octavia pleaded. "Please don't do this."
Bellamy grabbed a seat belt, taking a deep breath before swinging it. As it hit the Grounder's skin, he let out a small yelp, causing me to turn away.
"Please!" Clarke begged, still on her knees. "Which one is it?"
"Just tell them." Octavia begged again.
Bellamy placed his hand on Clarke's shoulder, a tear falling from her eye as she eventually stood up. As Clarke moved away, Bellamy hit the Grounder with the seatbelt once again.
Each time he'd hit the Grounder, we would plead for answers. Finally, Octavia had had enough.
"Stop it! He's not going to tell us anything." She yelled.
"Clarke!" Raven yelled. "He's getting worse!"
"We're running out of time," I spoke, kneeling in front of the vials. "If you tell us, they'll stop. Please. We just want to save our friend."
The Grounder simply stared back at me, and I knew reasoning was never going to work. Bellamy sighed, kneeling down next to me.
"Hey, you don't have to be here for this, alright?" He whispered.
I shook my head, looking him in the eyes. "I'm not leaving until we get that antidote."
Bellamy stared back for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright." He stood up. "Maybe this will work."
I watched as he retrieved a metal pick from the makeshift table. He adjusted it in his hand, looking back at Clarke who nodded. Bellamy took a deep breath, driving the pick into the Grounder's right hand, causing him to groan once more.
"What's taking so long?" Raven asked, poking her head through the hatch. "He stopped breathing."
"What?" Clarke asked, getting ready to run downstairs.
Raven grabbed her hand. "He started again, but next time he might not."
"He won't tell us anything." I said, standing up. "We've tried."
"Wanna bet?" Raven asked, marching over the cables next to Grounder.
Bellamy eyed her. "What are you doing?"
Raven ripped the cables out of the wall, touching them to each other, causing sparks to shoot off of them. "Showing him something new."
The Grounder began to panic, attempting to move himself away as much as he could while tied up. Raven took the cables, placing the ends of them against the Grounder's chest as he screamed out in pain.
"Which one is it?" She yelled, shocking him again. "He's all I have!"
"Stop it!" Octavia yelled.
Raven turned back to look at her. "He's letting Finn die!"
Octavia looked to Clarke's hand, grabbing the knife from her. Without hesitating, she placed the knife against her wrist, pulling it back along her arm.
"Octavia!" Bellamy called out.
I watched as the Grounder's unwavering calmness turned to panic, him attempting to lunge forward. Octavia stared at him, her eyes filled with tears. "He won't let me die."
Bellamy attempted to grab Octavia, her shoving him off before falling to her knees.
"Which one is it?" She asked, using the knife to point at each one. The Grounder nodded his head towards the last one. "This one?" She asked, earning a final nod.
Clarke reached down, grabbing the antidote. "Thank you." she said before running back downstairs, Raven and I following close behind.
...
After giving Finn the antidote, I went back upstairs to check on the Grounder, a bucket of water in my hand. I placed my hand on his, grabbing the handle of the pick. I looked back up at him, his head turned away from me.
"I'm so sorry." I mumbled, yanking the pick from his hand.
He hardly made a sound, nothing probably compared to Raven shocking him. I tossed the pick on the floor, grabbing the wet rag from the bucket and attempting to clean his hand, him shutting his fist.
"I need to clean your hand, please." I begged, trying to pry it open.
Footsteps came from behind me, Octavia appearing in my peripheral. "Here, let me try."
I nodded, handing her the cloth and watching as he opened his hand again. Taking a deep breath, I spoke again. "I'm so sorry, Octavia. We had to save Finn."
Octavia turned her head, looking me in the eyes. "For the record, I saved Finn. Nobody else."
I nodded, stepping back slightly. "You're right. We should've listened to you."
"Nobody ever does."
Not knowing what else I could say to possibly make things any better, I grabbed the pick from the floor, heading back down the ladder and out of the dropship. Looking around, I noticed everyone setting up camp again, repairing any damage from the storm. It was as if Finn almost dying and the Grounder never happened.
"We'll get it cleaned up." Bellamy spoke, standing next to me.
I scoffed, walking past him. "I wish this was the only mess we had to deal with."
"Athena," Bellamy spoke, grabbing my hand with the pick in it. I spun back around, our eyes meeting. "Who we are and who we need to be to survive are very different things."
We remained staring at each other for a few more moments. I noticed Clarke approaching, slowly, her eyes falling to our still touching hands. I pulled mine away, clearing my throat.
"What are we going to do about him?" Clarke asked, nodding to the dropship. "We can't keep him locked up in there forever."
"If we let him go, he'll come back. Not alone next time." Bellamy sighed. "Not easy being in charge, is it?"
Clarke sighed, looking away.
Bellamy gave me one last look before heading off to help the others. I placed my free hand on Clarke's shoulder. "Hey, everything is going to be alright. Our people will be here soon."
"Not soon enough."
