Here we are again … I'm embarking on a new journey of a fanfiction story. This time, we're going with a post-apocalyptic vibe. I recently watched The 100 on Netflix. I'd been intrigued to write a story based off that show/series of novels. I decided to write it for NaNoWriMo. I'd starting almost halfway through the month, but I'm determined to, at least, get something going. My goal is to finish the story for NaNoWriMo July Camp …

Chapter Twenty-Two: At the Drop Ship

Edward

After our early morning meeting with Amun and his advisory board, we came up with a plan. As it turned out, Bella had been in the encampment last night and Amun provided some medical care to her, along with feeding her a hasty meal. He was concerned about her, wanting nothing more than to get her out of the horrific situation she was in, but Jacob refused to let her go.

Jacob was certain that Bella could save Aro, but according to Amun, nothing could save Aro.

As we sat with Amun and his leaders, he shared what he saw about Bella. "She was bruised from head to toe. I don't think she's eaten since she's gotten here," Amun said, his sneer disappearing and his gaze softening, obviously concerned for my Bella. "Jacob has been obsessed with trying to fix the one inside. He will not survive. I believe your Bella told them the same and he beat her until she was unconscious."

"What does that prove?" Emmett huffed.

"That he's more powerful than she," Amun explained. "He might be physically stronger, but he's a weak man to beat a woman to prove his worth. Women are to be revered and loved, not beaten."

"He's a man who will pay for his crimes," I said darkly. "I hope that you won't judge me for what I will do to him, or that it will cause a rift in our alliance."

"If Jacob had taken my Indra, hurting her as he has with your Bella, he would no longer breathe," Amun snarled, his eyes flashing with hatred. "You are well within your right to bring him to justice, however that looks to your people."

Shortly after that, we finalized our plans. With the Grounders, we were going to be escorted to the Drop Ship as prisoners, but we would be armed to the teeth. The Grounders would also finagle a way to get Bella out of the ship and to safety. In addition to that, members of our security team would be hidden in their tents and homes, primed to attack Jacob's followers, should they try to run or fight.

Amun stood to my right and his second in command was on Emmett's left. We walked slowly toward the Drop Ship encampment. Jacob's people were in pitiful shape, living in hovels and appeared to be malnourished. The only people who seemed to be in good health were the Grounders.

This was no alliance with Jacob.

We approached the inner circle of the Drop Ship. Two Grounders stood outside the ship. One of them, I recognized from the Ark and in disguise. The other was one of Amun's men who was at our meeting. They grunted, stepping in front of the door.

"I'm here to see Jacob," Amun said, arching a brow. "We captured these two men, sneaking around our campsite."

They grunted and stepped back, allowing us entrance.

Inside the Drop Ship, the sickly-sweet stench of illness filled the space. Emmett gagged next to me, as did Amun's second-in-command. I wrinkled my nose, but focused on what was causing the smell.

In the center of the space, laying on a pallet, was the shattered, broken form of Aro Volturi. His skin was charred and oozing. His face was not burnt, but he was pale and gaunt. He also was missing one of his legs and there was a deep rattle emanating from where he breathed.

Aro was dying.

"What is it, Amun?" Jacob asked, jumping down from the upper level of the ship.

"We found these two trying to infiltrate our camp," Amun said, gently pushing me. I played it up, glowering at him. "They said they're here to negotiate."

"Yeah, and I'm not starving," Jacob snorted humorlessly. He walked over to me, circling around us and stopped next to Aro and grinned widely. "Amun, you've proven yourself once again."

"I do try, Jacob," Amun nodded. "Tell him why you're here!"

I looked at Jacob, arching a brow. "We're here to negotiate a truce between our people," I said. "We can peacefully live together in the mountain, sharing its resources." Jacob scoffed at that. "You've been there, Jacob. Do you or your people have the capabilities to run its systems?"

"What is he talking about?" Amun asked, playing along with our ruse.

"We can figure it out," Jacob snapped, glaring at me.

"There are systems in the mountain that need to be maintained. The biggest system is the hydroelectric generators, which are in a constant state of flux due to their age. They need a special, nuanced touch. We've lived for generations on a space station with similar systems. We have the knowledge to work with the systems," I explained.

"You failed to mention that, Jacob," Amun said, his sneer reappearing on his face.

"I want the MOUNTAIN!" Jacob yelled, slamming his hand against the bulkhead of Drop Ship. "No sharing! No collaborating!"

"If you won't budge on that, then I want my doctor back," I snarled.

Jacob's face grew dark, and he crossed his arms. "Isabella's freedom is not up for debate," he said. "She's the only one who can save Aro."

I took a deep inhale, wrinkling my nose. "He's decomposing as he's lying there, Jacob. You backed the wrong horse."

Jacob became enraged. He clenched his fists, rearing back and preparing to hit me. I took a step back, unholstering my weapon, holding it up to Jacob's head. Emmett moved to put restraints on Jacob's hands. As he did that, his radio crackled.

"Clearwater to McCarty," Seth said. "We got her. She was in Paul's tent and she's in a bad way, but she's out of harm's way."

I cocked the hammer, glaring at Jacob and moving the gun to Aro. Putting him out his misery might be the most compassionate thing I could do. "Your reign of terror is over, Jacob," I snarled. "You will pay for your crimes." I nodded to Emmett. He turned on his radio, holding down the button as I read off Jacob's litany of crimes. "You have been charged with treason, the attempted assassination of Chancellor Swan, assault against Dr. Isabella Swan … what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I should have fucked her," Jacob spat, pulling against Emmett. "Felt her tight pussy around my cock, completely ruining her for her."

I arched a brow. Like a viper strike, I punched the fuck out of Jacob, sending him flying onto Aro's broken, shattered body. I turned, walking out of the Drop Ship and into the fresh air, out of the stench of death. Paul, Sam, and Embry were all restrained with Grounders holding spears at their necks. The rest of the people from the Drop Ship were all held at bay by my security team.

The attempt to take over the mountain had been foiled.

"Now that the threat is contained, I'd like to meet with you to discuss formalizing our alliance," Amun said, holding out his hand. "I did not fully trust Jacob, but this technology scared me. You fell from the sky."

"You are a marvel to us because you're surviving here. The radiation levels are enough to kill a human," I mused. "We're able to withstand it because of genetic engineering."

"Perhaps, it's the same for us, but it happened naturally for us," Amun said, a smile spreading over his face.

As we spoke, my father and Renee came into the camp. Renee skirted past me into the Drop Ship while my father went into a tent near the edge of the camp. I went back into the Drop Ship, gagging with the smells coming from inside. It had gotten exponentially worse.

Renee was checking on Aro, listening to his chest and shaking her head. "He's not even conscious anymore. He's dying of sepsis. Our best bet is to give him medications to make his passing comfortable," she said, looking up at me.

"What about Jacob?" I asked, looking at him. He was tethered to the bulkhead, scowling at me angrily. His nose was bleeding, and he had several other bruises on his face.

"Broken nose and two broken arms," Renee snickered. "I think he may have a hairline fracture to his jaw, but I can't see that until we get to Mount Weather."

"If I had my way, he'd be floated before he had a chance to get treatment," I sneered at him. "His punishment …"

"He'll get punished," Renee said, walking over to me and squeezing my shoulder. As we stood there, my dad walked in. His face was a mask of concern as he approached us. "What is it, Carlisle?"

"It's Bella," he said. "Paul, Embry and Sam were quite violent with her. Jacob beat her to hell and gave his guard dogs a chance to have their turn."

"Why?" Renee asked, shooting Jacob a hateful scowl. "Why would you do that to my daughter?"

"Because I could," Jacob laughed. "She thinks she's so high and mighty? She needed to brought down a peg or two."

I went to hit Jacob, but my father's arm was wrapped around my waist. "Don't let him get to you," he said.

"He had his way with her because he could. That means, I can beat him to hell because I can," I yelled. "You're dead, Black! Dead! It takes a real strong man to beat the fuck out of a woman."

"Let's get out of here," Dad said, pulling me out of the Drop Ship. Renee pushed me. I struggled against them. I wanted to rip Jacob Black limb from limb. Every bruise and injury he gave her, I wanted to give right back to him. My father stepped into my line of sight. "She's barely awake, but she was asking for you. You can't go to see her like this … crazed and angry. She needs your support, your love. Please, Edward." He pressed his hand to my cheek, and I gave up, closing my eyes.

"Take me to her," I whispered. "I need to see her. I need to know she's still breathing."

We walked to a ramshackle tent. I could hear Charlotte and Austin inside. My dad pushed back the flap, displaying my broken and bruised girl. Both eyes were swollen. Every inch of exposed skin was bruised. I walked inside, sitting down next to her and brushed back her matted hair. "Princess," I whispered. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, baby."

"Edward," she moaned, grasping my hand with surprising strength. "They wouldn't stop. Why wouldn't they stop?"

Tears fell from my eyes, and I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I don't know, love, but I'm not going to let you go. You're stuck with me, Princess."

"Not a princess," she said. She coughed, whimpering lowly and crying out in pain. "It hurts, Edward."

"My dad will give you some medicine so the pain will stop," I promised. "We'll get you better." I gestured to my dad, who walked into the tent.

"Stay, please! Don't leave me!" she said, sitting up and shrieking in pain. "I can't do this without you!" Her arms weakly wrapped around me. "Edward, please!"

"I'm not leaving, love," I murmured. I carefully held her, uncertain what her injuries were. My father crouched down, and he lifted her torn sleeve, injecting her with some medication. I tucked her into my lap, gently cradling her. She sounded like a wounded animal. She eventually grew heavy in my arms. I looked down, seeing that she was asleep, but her rest was not peaceful.

"She's got several cracked ribs and her leg is broken," Dad said, gesturing to her awkwardly bent right leg. "We're going to use one of the Rovers to bring her back to the mountain. I need to perform surgery to correct the break."

I picked her up and carried her out of the tent. When we exited the tent, I saw that Amun had a pallet rigged to carry her. He approached me. Anger flashed in his eyes before blinking up to me. "We have much to discuss, but now you need to care for your mate." He reached out, squeezing her fingers gently. "With her injuries, you will need help. I'm a healer, but I want to stay here with my people. My daughter, Kebi, who is another healer, can come with you to the mountain."

Kebi stepped forward. She had deep, coffee-colored skin with her hair in tiny braids. She approached Bella. "May I?"

I nodded and she pressed a clump of wet moss against her chest. "It will help with her cough from the ribs. It's a natural suppressant," she explained. "It won't help with her pain, but she will breathe easier."

"Thank you, Kebi," I smiled, holding Bella closer to my body. She was shivering. "I know I should meet with you, Amun, but …"

"You love her. You should be with your loved ones," Amun nodded. "Our alliance will not change in the time it takes for you to get back to the mountain to heal your mate. Once she's safe, we can meet." He gestured to the pallet, helping me lay her on it.

"My friend, Emmett, he can come with you to the mountain, or we can meet closer to your lands," I said.

"We go where the food is, but we'd be honored to meet at the mountain," Amun replied amiably.

"Let me get Emmett and we can head back to get Bella the medical attention she needs," I murmured, holding out my hand. He grasped my forearm, smiling brightly. I led him away from the pallet. I explained to Emmett the plan. He eagerly agreed, having made a friend in Amun.

Using the pallet, we carried Bella to the Rover. We loaded her into the back. I slid in there with her, along with Kebi. Tyler agreed to drive us back since I was more focused on caring for Bella than driving. Emmett was walking back with Amun and the rest of our people.

The drive back to the mountain was bumpy, making Bella groan in agony for the entire ride. Kebi was in shock of the Rover, but she focused on my girl. I tried to cushion her body, but it did little to help. Pulling up to the garage, Makenna and Meredith were waiting for us with a gurney.

Carefully, we loaded Bella onto the gurney. I held her hand as we rode down to medical. When we got to medical, Renee gently separated our hands. Bella grew agitated, even in her slumber. I needed to keep close. "Edward, I know you want to be here for her, but we need to perform surgery on her leg and see the full extent of her injuries."

"But …" I argued.

"Edward, I will stay with her and be by her side," Kebi said. "I have much to learn with all this medicine." She sat down, taking Bella's hand. "My father entrusted me with you. Trust me with her."

"Thank you, Kebi," I whispered. I blinked to my father, pursing my lips. "You make her better. Every part of her …"

"I will," Dad nodded. "I promise."

Renee led me out of medical. She stood in front of me, taking my face in her hands. "We'll do everything to help her, Edward."

"She said that you can treat your loved ones," I whispered.

"You're not supposed to, but I have to help with setting her leg and to observe if … she'd …" her voice cracked. "If Jacob or the other boys …"

"I know Jacob didn't do that," I snarled. "But, the others?"

"Most women don't want a man to touch them down there if they'd been sexually assaulted. After we're done with that, I'll take a step back," Renee said. "Why don't you go to your suite and shower? I know your mom would love to see you. Rose put her in the suite next to mine."

"I should be here," I whispered. "She needs me."

"We've got her," Renee whispered back, hugging me. "We've got her."

I nodded, kissing Renee's cheek, and taking a hesitant step back. When Renee disappeared, I fell to my knees. The emotions I felt bubbled to the surface, and I sobbed. I sobbed like a fucking baby. I cried until I felt a pair of arms around me. I looked up, seeing my mother. She brushed my hair back and gave me a sympathetic smile. I turned, crushing my mother to my chest.

Sometimes, you just need your mom.

xx MWMA xx

After a long shower, a hot meal, and some sleep, I felt like a new man. Early the next morning, I went down to medical and found a sedated Bella in the private suite that Alice had stayed in while she was recuperating. Alice had been moved to a suite and was sharing a space with Charlotte as she continued to improve.

Dad was checking Bella's vitals, pointing out all the medical equipment to Kebi as while he worked on her. I cleared my throat, which made my dad look up with a smile. "You look better," he said.

"I feel better, but how's she?" I asked, moving to sit next to her. I gently took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Her heartbeat slowed and she seemed to relax when I touched her. I took a visual appraisal of Bella. Her skin was mottled with bruises. Her left eye was swollen shut and she had a split lip. Her leg was in a cast from her toes to her knee. "She looks ... like she survived hell."

"Well, her injuries are numerous, but not life threatening," Dad explained. "She has a broken leg, which was repaired with surgery. Her ribs are cracked, but not broken and will heal with time."

"Was she …?" I asked, trailing off.

"No, she wasn't. They were going to, but …"

"Some of my tribe stepped in and took those monsters into custody, threatening their manhood with their spears," Kebi said with a smirk.

"I like their style," I smirked back.

"Women are revered in our culture. What happened to Dr. Bella would have never happened with us," Kebi growled. "My father should have seen that. I'm saddened that he did not see it in the first place."

"Your father was duped by Jacob. He told lies and after he met Bella and spoke with me he saw that we were not the bad guys," I explained.

"No, you are not," Kebi smiled. "With this technology, so many of our people will live. It's like magic."

"We'd also love to know what you know about the local medications," Dad said. "That trick with the moss really helped Bella's breathing, preventing more damage to her ribs and lungs."

"We would be more than happy to share our homeopathic remedies," Kebi nodded. "But, compared with this … we must seem like …"

"You survived down here and are thriving," I murmured. "We're in awe of your ingenuity and grit. We have much to learn from each other. I look forward to working with you and your people. I just wish ... Bella's our leader. She should be a part of our meetings."

"She will, but her body needs time to heal," Kebi said, brushing some hair back from Bella's face. "We're not going anywhere."

"Come Kebi, let's give Edward and Bella a moment. Let me show you the CT scanner," Dad said with a wide grin on his face.

They left the medical bay, leaving me with Bella. I trailed my fingers down her battered face, frowning at the bruises marring her beauty. "Hey, Princess," I whispered. "I'm so glad you're out of that hell hole and you're safe." I stared at her, wishing I could speak to her and hear her voice. "I've missed you so much, Bella. I cannot do this without you."

I spent the next hour telling Bella about our time apart. I just kept talking until Dad came back without Kebi. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, arching a brow. "Where's Kebi?" I asked.

"Esme took her under wing, getting her food and a place to sleep. Poor thing was dead on her feet. She was too polite to say anything. Your mother saw her exhaustion," Dad snorted, checking on Bella. "Your presence relaxes her. Her BP is down, and she's sleeping more deeply."

"Will she be okay?" I murmured. "Bella?"

"Physically, she'll make a full recovery. Mentally, it'll take more time. Her bubble of safety was invaded. She might do two things … either cling to you or push you away." He looked at her with sympathy. "If I had to hazard a guess, she'll probably see you as a solid port in the storm. Renee will probably want to meet with you, individually and as a couple."

"That's got to be weird for Bella, to meet with her mom as a psychologist," I frowned.

"Alec has some expertise in this, and he might take over the case, but that's up to Bella," Dad explained. He squeezed my shoulder, giving me an understanding look. "Please know that I'm proud of you, of what you and Bella created down here. You have the respect of the people. You and Bella created an alliance with Amun and his people, building a new relationship."

"Thank you, Dad," I whispered, turning back to Bella. I lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "It was Bella who fostered the relationship, I just built on her foundation."

"It was a solid foundation," Dad said with pride. "I'm going to get some sleep. Austin is on his way back, along with Alec. Renee will be in here in an hour or so to take over her care. I'm assuming, you're staying here?"

"You just said that my presence is helping her rest," I murmured, looking at my sleeping princess. "I'm not going anywhere. Ever."

A/N: So, we're getting close to the end. Bella's safe. Aro is as good as dead (but not dead yet). Jacob is captured with broken arms and will not be long for this world, along with his pack of douche canoes.

Up next will be the summit with the Grounders, more of Bella's recovery and Alice's tentative reintroduction to Esme … We're also going to get some drama with Edward … some rage on his part at several people in his life.

Leave me your thoughts and thanks for reading!