CLARKE'S POV:
The lights slowly burn back on. My head swims. Maya gently opens the door, pastel pink jumper on and tight pastel blue jeans cling to her muscular legs. "Hi Clarke." She grins, unhooking me from the monitor. "It's my day off." She grins when she catches me staring. "You're my last patient." My stomach twists and I feel the colour flush out my face. Her cheeks redden when she realises what she's said. "Oh no," she stutters, squeezing my hand. "Not like that... You're going to the main hospital." She grins, "Your friends are alive. They come out of quarantine today." She pushes the bed towards the door, and into the corridor. The soft, warm grey startles my eyes. The walls are neat and flat, my eyes scanning from the perfect stone walls to the ceiling that floats high above. It seems miles away, but so close. It crushes me. Maya reaches a set of heavy looking blue doors. She pulls the brakes on the bed and presses a red flashing button. "Clarke for main hospital, accompanied by Maya." She talks slowly. A bulb above the doors flashes green and they peel open, sardine can. The corridors turn creamy, bases lined with a mellow green. Machines hum distantly, and at the edge of every corridor massive fans the size of Amaya spin in chain link cages. Narrow pipes crawl along the ceiling, grey and black. Maya trundles me through a large pair of double doors. The sudden silence is deafening. The hospital is empty. Six starch beds stand to attention, soft yellow blankets turned at the foot of the beds. Neat empty tins for medical equipment line the bedsides. Huge circular florescent lights shimmer. Maya stops the bed at the end of the room, against a pair of grey doors. "Clarke, I'm going to have to help you stand up. I don't want you to injure yourself by putting strain on your shoulder, and according to your friends you're left handed." She puts a warm arm under my right shoulder and let her lift me into a sitting position. I can't remember anyone other than Bell being so gentle with me for over a year. I blink back the tears. I swing my legs into the warm air outside of the blanket. Gently I place my feet onto the floor, bracing for spikes of cold that don't come. "Under-floor heating." Maya grins, "Best perk of working here." She laughs, eyes heavy with a stare that lingers on the door. She helps me clamber into the bed. The sheets cascade silkily over me, and it tickles. "Thank you." I whisper.
"It's alright." She squeezes my right shoulder before letting her arm drop to her side. "I'll go and get your friends."
"How many of them are tra-" I stop myself. Just because I think Maya is my friend doesn't mean others aren't listening. "Are here?"
"Seventeen." She grins. My stomach twists as she leaves. That's nothing like the number that I saw. That was the majority of the camp. Who's dead? How many of my friends did they kill? Did they get Bellamy? A gentle ghostly tingles echoes on my lips, a soothing second of bliss in eons of pain. The light flickers, and I jump out of my own thought, cheeks burning red from an embarrassment no one witnesses.
The doors slam open to a small army of familiar, happy faces. Monty and Harper, followed by Murphy, Charlotte and Jasper clutching Amaya's hand lead the charge. Monty gently squeezes me in a one armed hug, and Harper runs to hug me on the other side. Seventeen, like Maya said. Not Bell, Raven, Monroe... A small relief eases but not by a lot. Murphy sighs in relief when I smile, and squeezes my free arm gently. Amaya slips under Harper, who lightly places a hand on her shoulder, and turns dough-eyed to me. "Can I have a hug?" she asks.
"Of course you can." I smile at her. She turns the puppy eyes to Harper, who practically melts, and takes off her shoes, and lifts her onto the bed. Amaya snuggles onto my right shoulder, and smiles at me. I wrap my arm round her. She's quite warm, and her eyes shine with energy. "Sorry if I scared you guys." I say, eye travelling from relieved face to relieved face. Murphy snorts.
"Scared?" he laughs, but his hands shake slightly, "TRAUMASTISED." He laughs. "That guy's blood went EVERYWHERE!" Charlotte squeezes his still shaking hand.
"What's it like here?" I ask.
"Dunno." Harper shrugs, "We've been quarantined to our dorm for three days... Co-ed." She stage whispers the last bit, winking. I waggle my eyebrows, and she flushes.
"Maya said the food's really good." Jasper calls from behind Fox and Scott, both nursing black eyes and bruised cheeks. I make eye contact with Fox's good eye.
"What happened?" I question softly. She grins.
"Well, after Bellamy and Monroe saved us, we went and charged the other guards... I got in a fight with one of them." She's smiling, but her eye not covered by the bruise darkens. "I broke my hand breaking his jaw."
"Good girl!" A burn of pride courses through me. That's my girl. My heart beats faster as the joy bounces round my head.
A new doctor hurries in every time I go to stand up. The day ticks by slowly, my friends sent back to the dorm. Silence sings. So Monroe and Bell were able to rescue the majority of our friends, the pain in my gut eases. Not so much in my shoulder. A dull ache begins to tug as I try to relax it. Maya hurries in, the same clothes as earlier, hair slightly more tousled. "I found a compromise." She grins at me, before pulling a long piece of white fabric from behind her back. "You've got to join your friends for their first dinner." She grins, and helps me to sit up, warm hand gently pulling me. I pull my legs swinging over the edge of the bed. "This is going to hurt." She sighs. I nod. I've done this job to. The screams haunted my nightmares. Tears spring as Maya pushes my left arm to a 90 degree. I blink them back. The deftly tied knot secures something inside me. We can trust Maya. She walks away to the doors, and opens a heavy chest my eyes had skidded over. "What shoe size are you?" she calls.
"Erm... 6? Maybe... I think... Can I have my boots back?"
"Soon." She grins, "But we need you in flatter shoes until we're sure your heads okay and you won't trip." She holds up two pairs of grey plimsolls. One has Velcro straps whilst the other holds together with ribbons like the ballet shoes in the display case on the ark.
"Left." She nods, and helps me slide them on, pulling the Velcro tight. She grins. "Come on then. I've heard they've prepared a feast in honour of you guys joining us." She smiles, and takes my right arm. My legs ache after the first few steps, and I lean against her. She holds tighter, and helps me to the lift. We judder up a few floors, each rattle sending new shocks of pain into my shoulder. Maya leads me in through a side door to the restaurant. My friends sit uncomfortably, on a set of circular tables shoved together. Thick white table cloths cloak the tables; fake bold flowers sit in small vases in the middle of the tables. Maya pulls up two chairs, and sits next to Jasper. He grins at her, hastily swallowing a mouthful of chips. I sit next to Harper. I gently try a chip, and the warmth blossoms through my soul. Harper grins, laughing. She leans until her hair tickles my cheek. "He hasn't stopped staring at her since we got here." She whispers, casting a sidelong look at Jasper and Maya, laughing together.
Harper carries Amaya on her shoulders to the dorm room. Monty helps me, Maya still distracted with Jasper. Monty's soft jumper is gentle against my back. He's afraid of hurting me. He mouths 'go get her' at Jasper as they pass us. Jasper flips him off. We stop to laugh, the red tinges of embarrassment burning on the back of Jasper's neck, his ears a violent red. The door has a massive fan at the end of it, big enough to fit my tent in. Red framed bunk beds line the room, a radio blares. Maya waves as she leaves, and Jasper stares at the closing door. I snort, before sinking onto one of the bunks, legs aching. Murphy turns the radio up a bit more, and we all group together. Charlotte crawls onto Murphy's lap, eyes drooping shut. "How do we get out?"
"When you're in pain from simply walking here? With difficulty." Murphy bluntly states, wrapping his arms round Charlotte.
"It should be temporary. Just soreness from lack of use." I state, knowing I'll have to give myself physio if I want to escape with my friends.
"We comply until we know HOW to escape." Jasper points out.
"You mean until you and Maya fu-" Murphy slams a hand over Graham's mouth.
"Little ears are present." He hisses, glaring.
"I've heard worse Johnnie." Charlotte grunts from his chest. Harper glances at Amaya and glares at Graham. Amaya catches the look.
"I'M NOT LITTLE!" She shouts, standing up and teetering on her tiptoes.
"I know." Harper giggles, catching her as she falls. She walks away from the group, bouncing Amaya from bed to bed. Monty stares after her, smiling.
BELLAMY'S POV:
As dusk settles the group sent to TonDc return. A messenger has rushed to Polis, but it's doubted anyone will get here until two days from now. I give up on staring at the slightly empty campfire, and walk into the dropship, placing cold hand onto cold metal up the ladder. Monroe opens the trapdoor.
"His wife's name is Anna. His daughter is called Zara. His best mate was killed by me, obviously," she giggles, but her eyes are heavy with guilt. "And he had three kids. One of them is two, the others are twins, aged 6." Her eyes flick from side to side as she tries to recall information. "Oh yeah, and Cage holds all the power, his dad may technically be in charge on paper but it's Cage who pulls all the strings. Alex's Sheila was sent out of the mountain a year ago after it was discovered she'd tried to help outsiders escape through the reaper tunnels. She's probably dead, and Alex drinks himself to oblivion every night to numb the pain." She nods at me.
"What did you do?" I ask in shock. That's a lot of Mountain information. When Indra, Lincoln and Lexa get here they'll be able to make more sense out of though. Monroe smirks.
"Kneed him in the balls like two times."
"Three." The guard grunts.
"OH! Forgot the most important part, his name is Jack." I nod. She clearly knows what she's doing. "You want to question him for a while? I'm hungry." She walks out before I can answer. She doesn't want to be here. I get why. The awkward silence is uncomfortable, and I have no idea where to look. I eventually look at him, only to find him staring right at me.
"She's powerful." He says. "Clearly rules the roost, I mean she has no shoes on!?"
"Yeah." I grunt, I can do quiet guard.
"And she just marches back in here, telling the guy with the gun to stay down there." I nod. "You not going to talk?" he asks.
"Do you want me to?" I ask. He shrugs.
"She's quite strong as well. I don't think my little girl's going to get any siblings." He laughs awkwardly, searching for a moment of bro bonding.
"Cool." I nod my head, leaning against the wall.
"You made her stop though..." the guard tilts his head. "She wanted me dead."
"She wanted all of you dead." I hiss. "But I needed you alive."
"For the girl that got shot?" His tone is light, conversational. I stand up, and the man flinches. I tighten the seatbelt slightly.
"That's right. MY girl. Who'll be looking after her?" I hiss, shifting closer. He swallows, eyes cast down.
"Probably Maya until she gets into the main hospital."
"Maya?" I ask, storing the name.
"She's one of the few who can naturally take low levels of radiation. She takes care of all outsiders before they enter the chamber." He pauses, a sad look behind his eyes. "Let them think we're kind till they realise the truth."
"The truth?" I hiss, stooping and tightening the seatbelt around his left ankle.
"The truth. We do not know the truth unless we get attacked by radiation. I know the truth, but Cage makes you vow to secrecy. Telling people is death." He hisses, eyes distant. "It kills them as well as you."
"In case you hadn't noticed, you're already pretty much dead."
"No I'm not. None of you have hurt me." He rolls his eyes. I laugh.
"Yet." I pop the t, walking to the wall.
"My people will like your girl. She had spirit." I clench my jaw together but remain silent. "She'll have lived though buddy." I grate my teeth but don't speak. "She's too important to have been left for dead." I grunt, no longer even bothering to look at him. "So you're not going to question me?" I still don't respond, and instead pull out my knife. The guy stiffens, but I begin to spin it round and round my hand like Lexa did in the tent. "Alright buddy. I get it, you're the brawn not the brains." I snort at that, but don't give him an answer. "Come on man she's not gonna be back for a while..." he grunts, "what do you wanna know?" He eyes me cautiously. I laugh, high pitched and as close to Charlotte's as I can physically manage. He stumbles back, straining on the seat belts. I stand up, and flip the knife into the air. It slices the ground below us with a juddering thud. The handle vibrates. "Shut up." I hiss, crossing my legs in front of the knife. "I want you to tell me the true story. How did you get to know 'the truth'?" I hiss, twanging the knife back and forth.
"You are unworthy of knowing the truth." He mutters. I yank the knife out of the floor. It took more effort than it should have. I step closer, and gently begin shaving away the plastic coating on the wires. The knife screams like nails down a chalk board. A small burn of blue cascades as a mountain next to my feet. I move to the next one, the earth wire. Lull him into a false sense of security. Scrape, scrape. Knife against plastic, silence on violence. Quickly the mountain is coated in yellow and green and towers over my shoes. I press the knife against the red live wire. "Stop." His voice is shaking, barely a whisper.
"Then tell me what I want to know." I hiss, peeling away a long thin strand of plastic that spirals together.
"I was exposed to radiation in a freak accident 5 years ago." He whispers. "It wasn't a lot, enough to know people could survive low levels of radiation... but not me." Tears prick his eyes. I move the knife along and curl away another strip of coating. "I was rushed to the hospital." His voice shakes. "I don't remember anything more than blinding pain. It felt like my skin was melting and bleach had been poured inside me." He shakes now, but I peel away another curl of wire. "They used outsider blood on us." He whispers. "I saw the dead body of the girl they'd used on me. She was a tiny thing, no bigger than that eight year old you had." His voice lowers to a murmur. My stomach twists at the thought of Amaya being killed for her blood. "They extracted her bone marrow first, whilst she was conscious. From her hip. They transplanted it with mine, and then pumped her blood through me." His tears splash onto the floor. "I was back to normal in twelve hours." He chokes on tears. "I asked if we could stop taking small children. Cage said no." I let the knife clatter to the pile of plastic shavings. They poof round the room. I slam the trapdoor shut.
ABBY'S POV
We scrunch up the 4th list of the night. The circadian lights over-turned in the cabinet, shots of coffee passed out. "There's no way we can do this." Kane whispers.
"We have to." Jaha growls, his eyes lit up for the first time in weeks. Something's up.
"What aren't you telling us?" I look at him. He breaks the stare, gaze shifting to the floor. "Thelonius!" The others look at me, confused. But he is to similar to Wells for his own good. He takes a deep shaky breath.
"It's called the City Of Light." His gaze shifts slowly from one to the other of us, before stopping on me. "There's no pain in the City Of Light. No pain, no heartbreak, no sadness, no aging, no death..." I look at Kane, eyebrows raised.
"Right. I don't care." Amanda hisses from across the table. "You can do whatever the hell you want WHEN we get our people safely to the ground." I nod, pulling out another scroll of paper.
"THEY'RE KIDS!"
"A THREE YEAR OLD WON'T SURVIVE-"
"THE ARK! NO ONE IS SURVIVING THE ARK!" I yell, throwing the pen at the table. Kane squeezes my wrist below the table.
"We can't give up a seat for them."
"People have laps." I hiss. "Finn Collins survived the 100's drop by being on Wells's lap." Jaha rolls his eyes. Amanda picks up the pen and adds twenty five seats to the list. 725.
"We could try sending the whole ark down." Jaha whispers. Everyone snaps their heads to him. "Everyone goes down... And we have enough recourses to survive winter." Annoyingly, he makes sense. I flick on the radio to Sinclair in the hangar, fine tuning the dropship for re-entry.
"Sinclair?" The radio floods with crackly sounds, and we cringe.
"Hi." He calls down the radio.
"How quickly can you get here?" Jaha calls.
"I'm coming." He calls. We turn to the monitors, and Sinclair is already hurrying down the corridors. I change the radio channel again.
"Attention all guards, Jacapo Sinclair is working on council business, he doesn't need curfew enforcement. Over." I call.
"YOU'RE MAD!?" Sinclair yells, eyebrows creased and eyes wide. "Genuinely, are you insane?" he blinks rapidly, tilting his head from either side. "It's literal suicide on a plate."
"Can you just check the odds?"
"Of a 138 year old spaceship blowing up? I can tell you now, they're astronomical." But he turns on his tablet anyway. Silence rings over the room. "95%" he whispers. A tightness eases in my chest. "95% of explosion in every section of the ark." The relief dies, and blood pounds round my head.
"What'd happen if we tried for that 5%?" Jaha asks. We look him in shock. This is not the man we backed. Sinclair snorts.
"We die in the 95% explosion... but before that? The ark separates into it's 12 original stations, breaking further as they re-enter the atmosphere at terminal velocity, and the few that did survive would likely fall miles and miles away from the kids."
"Then screw landing near the kids." Thelonius's voice cuts deep, and sharp, pinging round the shocked room.
"What?!" I laugh, fists balling. "NO!" I laugh hysterically. "MY daughter is still ALIVE, and I will be DAMMED if you don't let me see her again." I lean across the table, dodging Kane's arm to pull me back. "I'll do what Bellamy couldn't quite manage." I hiss over the table.
