Chapter 6
Lexa had become accustomed to the constant ache of her chest. Sometimes it was difficult to catch her breath, sometimes it lifted enough that she barely noticed it, but it almost never went away. Anya told her that sometimes she felt that ache as well, it came with the heartbreak and emotional pain of the Keryontai.
Lexa was shocked to learn this. She had never felt extensive emotional pain from her Keryontai, she had assumed it was solely a physical connection. Immediately guilt shot through her belly. She had been causing her Keryontai so much pain in the last few years.
Titus told her that Heda must suffer alone, but Lexa was not the only one to suffer.
About a month after her chest pain began, Lexa sat in her throne room, waiting idly for her ambassadors to completely arrive. As per usual, the ambassador to the Glowing Forest Clan was late. Grumpily, Lexa made a mental note to have a discussion with that ambassador, and if that didn’t work, she’d have another discussion on her balcony. She’d had a headache all day as well, and she had a feeling that it didn’t have anything to do with her own skull.
Her body had been aching much more, the last two days, obviously her Keryontai’s life had changed considerably. Rapidly switching from a decent, painless life to emotional and physical pain and suffering, Lexa couldn’t help but worry, even if she had never met the other person. At least they had been safe all their life.
“Heda!” Someone shouted as they entered the large double doors. The man was covered in sweat and hadn’t bothered to take his armor or riding gear off of his person as he scrambled to run towards her. “Heda! Urgent news from TonDC!”
Lexa stood and swept towards the man. “Everybody out, this is strictly Trikru business!” Lexa ordered, satisfied in the almost immediate evacuation of the throne room. The only people left were her top advisors, Anya, Gustus, and Titus.
“Chit yu gaf?”
“There are invaders near TonDC.” The man rushed out. “They fell from the sky and poured out of this metal box. Indra set a five mile radius around them and they immediately attempted to cross it in order to go towards the Maunon. They dress and speak like the Maunon too. There are one hundred yongon, but one of them, the only adult, has a fayogon.” He gasped for air. “They run and play throughout the forest, scaring away all of the game, like they’ve never been free along the ground.”
“The Maunon has managed to come outside?” Lexa tilted her head.
“No, they are like the Maunon, but they fell from the sky. A piece of their box damaged a few buildings in TonDC.”
“The sky?” Lexa furrowed her brows.
“Sha, Heda.”
“Very well, go, rest, water your horse.” Lexa dismissed the messenger and as soon as the double doors closed behind him, she whipped around to her three advisors, making direct eye contact with Titus. “You understand the importance of this, Titus.” She stated. “Anya, gather your gona. You will go to TonDC and provide martial support. Do not approach the Skaikru. Maintain the border, but do not attack unless they attack you. If they approach in an attempt to negotiate, negotiate with your best judgment, Anya. I must prepare Polis for my absence and I will follow you to TonDC in two days.”
“Heda, there are only one hundred, we could wipe them out easily.” Anya furrowed her brows.
“No!” Lexa and Titus both snapped. Lexa glared at him for silence. “They fell from the sky, Anya. This is where the first Commander, Beca, came from. We can’t risk slaughtering people who could be Natblida or even important to the Flame.” Lexa paced. “Titus will remain in Polis to tend to my duties here, Gustus will travel with me to TonDC. Now, I must go meditate. Titus, cancel the ambassador meeting for today, Anya, leave now, get to Polis by tomorrow.”
Lexa swept from the room and headed to her bed chambers for peace.
It may be her last peaceful moments for quite a while.
“Fifty two, but who’s counting?” Raven was.
Oh Raven definitely was counting. She counted a lot of things, like how many years it had been since a mechanic her age had made it into the zero-g program onboard the Ark, like how many days until Finn turned eighteen and had the opportunity to argue for his freedom before the council, like how many days it had been since the hundred prisoners were sent to the ground and she was told that she couldn’t see Finn any longer. She counted how many times she saved the Ark’s ass by taking big risks that not even Sinclair would take. She counted how many people were going to be culled if she didn’t succeed, even as Abby Griffin spoke. She counted all of the parts she would need to make a shitty, long out of date, filthy, and degenerated drop ship work well enough to keep her alive. She counted how many rations she would have to trade Nigel in order to get those parts. Oh she counted.
So as Abby struggled to find the leverage she would need to convince Raven to help her, Raven was nine steps ahead. She had a checklist made and ready to go. She had weighed the consequences of getting caught over the consequences of failing over the consequences of succeeding. She had made her decision the moment Abby had told her that Finn was on the ground. She was going down there too. That was the only decision to be made. The only choice she had.
So when Abby finally stopped talking to get her answer, she said yes. Of course she said yes. She was the only one on the Ark who could do the job at all, let alone in four days. Not only does her opportunity to see Finn ever again rely on her doing this job, not only does her own life rely on her doing this job, but three hundred (three hundred and twenty one, but who’s counting?) people would be culled if she didn’t do this job. So, yes. She said yes.
The moment she stepped towards the pod, her fingertips began to itch. Yeah, this plan had a lot riding on it, but damn if it wasn’t fun.
This pod was a fucking relic. The bolts she had to take apart were practically crumbling in her fingers, and some were so warped they were unusable. She wouldn’t trust these things in the pressure chamber during launch. Her pod would rip itself apart.
Yeah, the bolts would need to be replaced, and a few panels could do with replacing. And who the fuck wired this thing? One of the monkeys shot into space in the 1960’s? She’d have to strip and rewire this thing to make sure there wouldn’t be any sparks that would blow her up. That was just the external. She shuddered to see the internal.
She shuddered all right. The pressure stabilizer was entirely missing. Nothing there. Someone probably got to this pod and took it out for spare parts. Her head would literally explode the moment they launched into space. She wouldn’t even have the opportunity to burn to ash in the atmosphere!
The navigation system was bum. She’d have to recalibrate it and try and fix it from there. If she drops without that she could end up on the wrong continent. Which would do no one any good.
She needed to check the chute, without that she’ll go splat. But she’d leave her mark all right, a nice, sizeable crater future historians would name the Reyes Crater. What an honorable way to go.
One good thing though, it seemed most of the controls were still up to par. At least, usable, not quite up to Raven’s standards, but they would work and keep her alive.
Raven had her work cut out for her.
Two days of intense work and she finally got around to that pressure regulator. She knew Nigel had the part. But she really didn’t want to visit any old friends of her mom’s. She had just gotten out of that mess and she had no intention of returning.
But, she also had no intention of having her brains leak out of her tear ducts.
And so, in only an hour, she found herself facing Nigel, ready to trade her a favor, some rations, anything. “You can’t be serious.”
Except that.
“What do you think your mother traded for booze?”
“My rations. Nigel.” Raven snarled. “I would know, they were supposed to be mine.”
Nigel shrugged. “Rations aren’t always enough for what your mother was wanting. I have to pay the right people, and you can be sure as shit I’m not doing anything of the like.”
Raven practically growled. “I’m not doing it.”
“It’ll only be an hour or so-“
“No.”
“Then you’re not getting a pressure regulator.” Nigel shrugged. “I trust you can see yourself out.”
Raven stalked from the room and back to her precious drop pod. She would tell Abby to get the regulator when she came to check on her. But for now, she had some dents in the panels to hammer out and a chute to pack.
“You went to Nigel?” Abby demanded as she burst into the room a few hours later. “Kane has been trying to bust her for years.”
Raven shrugged a shoulder. “I needed a pressure regulator. She has one, but the price was too high. Sorry Doc, but I’m not willing to sell myself for this. Some things are just too traumatic.” Raven shook her head. “So that falls on you. Get the regulator, I’ll install it, and we can launch.”
“How quickly can you install it?”
“Couple of hours once we have it.”
“I’ll get you the part. Just don’t do anything that will implicate us in anymore crimes than we’re already about to commit.” Abby warned, glaring at the younger girl.
Without any further fanfare, Abby marched from the room, shoulders so tense they practically touched her ears. Raven clicked her tongue as she continued to perform the hundreds of little repairs required of the pod to get into working order.
Bellamy had one reason and one reason only to be alive.
Take care of Octavia.
That’s all he cared about. He didn’t care about the hundred children looking to him for guidance. He didn’t care about Clarke’s strange hatred for Wells. He didn’t care about Finn’s fascination with Clarke. He didn’t care about Murphy’s mean streak. And he certainly didn’t care about those assholes up on the Ark. The ones who took advantage of and then threw away his mother. The ones who threw away his chance at a good life for the actions of his mother. The ones who forced his sister under the floorboards. The ones who locked her in the Skybox for being alive. The ones who sent her to die.
No he didn’t care much about anybody but Octavia.
Of course, that meant that she had to push him away and run wild through the trees and sleep with any boy who would have her (which was just about all of them). Octavia, he supposed, was officially a rebellious teenager.
Yeah, he knew what it felt like to rebel, but he guessed that Octavia never got the chance to do anything fun. The least he could do was let her go off with Clarke, Finn, and those other boys. What trouble could she get into away from everyone else?
Bellamy couldn’t contain his smile as he watched the hundred whoop and holler and run through the forest with abandon. Even he couldn’t fight the lightness in his chest as he basked in the sunlight that seemed to melt away his sins and breathe in air with a taste on his tongue he’d never experienced. It was light, and organic, it lacked the stale, chemical, metallic smell that the Ark had, though it’s not like Bellamy had noticed, he’d lived there his whole life. Stepping foot on the ground, relishing in the way it sponged and sprang beneath him, wading through grass and feeling the breeze ruffle his hair, it was a brand new experience, something he’d grown to manhood assuming he’d never feel.
But here he was, and he’d go down in history as the older brother of Octavia the Younger, the first person to step back on the ground since the destruction of mankind. So as he walked through the woods, exploring his new surroundings, there was a spring in his step and he felt the stress melt from his shoulders.
But his mood dropped as he felt the beginnings of a headache twitch and ache at his temples and behind his eyes. It was frustrating having a soulmate. He didn’t care much for consistent and constant aches and pains that weren’t even his own. When he wasn’t dealing with his own pains from whatever trouble he managed to get into, like guard training, he was dealing with his soulmate’s constant migraines and stiff joints.
It was downright infuriating.
Yes, he still wanted to meet her. He knew she was female because she had fucking awful menstrual cramps every month, (he’d never looked down on a woman for being grumpy every month since that started). In fact, whenever Octavia complained of cramps he spent hours curled up with her, rubbing her stomach and telling her stories of the ancient Romans. He had to empathize though, it was weird and awful, and it wasn’t even his uterus!
He better get back to the dropship though, nightfall was coming and the kids were going to start getting cold and hungry and tired, and he ought to take charge. Since he was the only adult on the ground, responsibility fell on his shoulders.
But he’d be damned if he ran things the way the Ark did. Fuck Jaha, and fuck the Ark.
He’d take care of the kids that couldn’t take care of themselves, the younger ones, but for the rest, they could do whatever the hell they wanted.
Even as he reached the dropship, there were groups of delinquents sitting around in the grass, laughing, talking, and dozing. “Murphy,” Bellamy barked. If anyone could give him authority it’d be the lead thug within the Skybox. Octavia had told him about Murphy, how he had a couple of goons that’d do whatever he told them to. “Go and round everyone up. It’s time to make camp. None of us are going to live long without a base.”
Murphy lifted his head from where he and his bully friends had been huddled. “Why me?”
Bellamy rolled his eyes. “Just do it. Get your friends and round everyone up.”
Murphy looked Bellamy up and down, eyes landing on the gun at his hip. “Alright. We’ll be back then.”
Bellamy nodded and moved to the dropship. A few of the previously loosened panels had been entirely torn off, and Bellamy suspected they were to make the knives that Murphy’s group had been carving into a branch with. He should probably make one himself.
Ripping a panel off as he went, Bellamy stepped into the dropship and sighed. Nothing had been scavenged from the ship yet, but he was going to need to organize these kids and get them building tents and structures. Once Clarke came back with the rations, he’d have them fed and comfortable. They’d be listening to his authority in no time.
The echoing of footsteps behind him alerted Bellamy to the presence of another person. He turned to find Wells Jaha, his arms crossed, regarding him with observant, calm eyes. “Well if it isn’t the princess’s prince?” Bellamy sneered.
Wells rolled his eyes. “I’m not looking to start shit Bellamy. I want to help. I heard you tell Murphy to get everyone rounded up. Couldn’t hurt to have an extra pair of hands to help while Clarke is off looking for the supplies.”
Bellamy grit his teeth. “If you think I have any intention of working with a Jaha-“
Wells rolled his eyes again, huffing a long suffering sigh. “I’m a criminal too remember? Just like you, just like everyone else here. My dad put me in here because that’s what happens when you break the law. Actions have consequences-“
“I don’t need a lecture from you.” Bellamy snarled. “Especially not about what’s right and wrong when the people here are overwhelmingly grunt workers from grunt families.”
Wells averted his eyes to the side. “I’m not saying that the law is necessarily fair and equal towards everyone, but the rule of law is still necessary to ensure the survival of everyone. And down here? We have a chance to change things. You’re in a natural position of power, as an adult on the ground with a hundred kids, and the only one with a gun. Add in a familiar face that these kids can trust-“
“Trust?” Bellamy laughed sardonically. “Your father put us in here. You think anybody trusts you?”
Wells shrugged. “Either way, you need to institute a law system. A set of rules, something. Because we’ll fall apart very quickly if you don’t.”
Bellamy’s head twinged with pain once more. “I’m not going to become the Chancellor of the ground if that’s what you’re asking.”
Wells shook his head. “No, just get them organized, start breaking up arguments and fights and lead us. Clarke is doing her best, but none of them know her. She was in solitary for the last two months. They know you, they see that you’re not a guard, you’re Octavia’s brother, and you have that gun. You need to step up.”
Bellamy shook his head, massaging his temple. “Fine, fine. What do we do now? I know we need to set up camp, I know that. But there’s not enough blankets. There’s no food, no water.”
Wells shrugged. “Most of the kids have already been down to the stream nearby. Splashing around, drinking, the water’s close enough that we don’t need to worry about it. The food problem, hopefully Clarke will be able to solve by tomorrow. We need to focus most on making camp and organizing a system of rules. At least establish who is in charge.”
Bellamy shrugged. “So what? Stage a power play?”
Wells shook his head. “No, that could be dangerous. Just, keep everyone busy and safe until Clarke comes back.”
Bellamy nodded. “You get to work on building a bonfire, I’m going to see what materials we can scavenge from the dropship to make tents.”
“Check the chutes.” Wells waved, already halfway outside.
As it turned out, the children were very efficient in setting up camp, and Bellamy was proud to find a roaring bonfire and several large tents in a circle around the blaze within a few short hours. Wells had dug two graves for the kids that had died during landing, and a set of latrines on the other side of camp, downwind, thankfully. Once the sun had set, camp settled, and it settled rapidly. The children were exhausted from their day of frolicking and working. Whoever wasn’t asleep by the time the brightest stars were winking into the violet sky were watching in silent awe as the sky darkened, like ink spilling across a page, and the solar system slowly revealed itself to them.
Bellamy wasn’t immune to the stars himself, but his stargazing was cut short by the steady movement of one of the bright lights, the one he knew to be the Ark. As if on cue, he remembered the wrist bands that reported the delinquents’ vitals to the doctors onboard the station. His blood ran cold. If they continued monitoring the kids and found that the ground was inhabitable, they’d come down, and Bellamy would be executed for treason. He’d shot the chancellor in order to get on board the dropship with Octavia. But that also meant that the pardon the delinquents were offered wouldn’t extend to him, if it was carried out at all.
He needed to get those wristbands off of those kids. He’d start tomorrow, for now they needed rest.
Of course, the next day didn’t bring them any sort of rest, or food for that matter. Clarke, Finn, Octavia, and one of the nerdy boys Bellamy didn’t bother with returned, talking about Jasper and how he’d been killed by someone else with a spear to the chest. They weren’t alone, they weren’t alone, they weren’t alone.
They weren’t alone.