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A LION DOES NOT CARE for the opinions of sheep, and that was exactly what Jinny did when they attempted to take over her dropship. She couldn't stop Bellamy from bunking down in the lower level but she did lock the hatch to the top. The cabin was starting to gain an odor though and she made a mental note to remove the bodies at first light.
The young woman found a row of seats to lie down on, settling herself with a weary sigh. Her body felt weighed down with exhaustion, the muscles in her back sore from burdensome activity. The night was humid and filled with the incessant noise of small insects—almost like the constant hum of the Ark. Her eyelids drooped of their own accord and almost immediately, she fell into a fitful sleep.
She was back on the space station, walking down a familiar corridor that she had traversed countless of times before. Reaching an intersection, she pressed herself against the wall and peeked around the corner with an eye before quickly pulling away. Footsteps approached her position, growing nearer with each passing second, and she saw a boot clad foot step out from the adjacent hallway.
Jinny pounced, tackling the taller boy and knocking the both of them to the floor in a crash of tangled limbs. Bellamy gave a strangled cry as he flailed his arms about in an attempt to push her off but she clung tightly to the front of his shirt. Then she laughed loudly at the murderous glare he sent her way.
"It's not funny, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" he yelled.
"Rule One; always be prepared," she said with a smirk before getting off of him and offering a hand to help him up.
He grasped hold of her arm, pulling himself back to his feet with ease. Bellamy readjusted his jacket, the dark colours of the uniform making him appear intimidating in the dimly lit corridor. His hair was groomed back from his face in an attempt to look tidy, but she never thought it suited him.
"How did you know I was on patrol here?" he asked.
She shrugged with an impish smile. "I know everyone's patrol route."
"And why aren't you on patrol?" He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"'Cause I'm not a guard anymore," she replied simply. "I changed jobs."
"What? How? When?" His face fell, aghast. "And how did the Commander take that?"
Jinny paused to look up at him, eyes crinkling at the sides from an amused grin before breaking out into a light laugh. "I'm kidding! I have to take days off from the Guard when Sinclair calls me in to do a systems analysis."
"You can do that?" he asked in bewilderment.
"I'm just brilliant that way," she replied without an ounce of humility.
He rolled his eyes. "Watch out, I don't think the Ark can handle the weight of your inflated ego."
She chuckled and grabbed hold of his arm. "C'mon, I wanna show you somethin'," she said before dragging him back down the hallway. The older boy allowed her to lead him towards one of the observation windows that spanned a section of the port. Jinny let go of his arm and pressed her hands against the cool glass, not caring whether she left her smudged prints on its clear surface. Her warm breath misted over the window as she leaned in closely.
"It's almost time," she told him, eyes wide and searching.
"For what?" he asked.
"There!" She pointed with a finger and he looked up just in time.
A flash erupted in the distance, searing with a bright white light, then a single beam pierced through its epicenter. It burned brightly for a few seconds before exploding into a large dense sphere of red, purple and gold tinctures. The colours swirled and danced in the cataclysmic aftermath, as if freed from the confines of its physical body. It floated in the wake of jealous constellations that would have to wait eons to succeed it. Jinny turned back to Bellamy with another large grin on her face.
"Congratulations, you just witnessed the death of a star," she said.
"It was so bright," he breathed out, gaping in astonishment with his eyes still trained on the interstellar remnant. "Does that mean it was in our galaxy?"
"No, but it's the brightest supernova our galaxy has seen since Assassin 15LH," she told him. "If it had been anywhere near our galaxy, the entire Milky Way would have disintegrated. It's probably billions of times brighter than our sun for us to be able to see it like that with the naked eye."
"I'm glad space is infinite," he said, glancing at her with a crooked smile.
"We are infinite."
Jinny woke up with a jolt as someone threw a rock through the open window. It landed a few feet away on her right and she rubbed her face tiredly, her mind still fogged with sleep. Another rock went soaring through the air and fell with a dull ring on the metal floor. Then another.
"Stop it!" she shouted.
There was a pause and she heard Wells' voice from outside. "Open the hatch, Jinny!"
She frowned and went towards the window, climbing up the chair resting underneath it. Her face peered out through the opening down at the boy.
"What do you want?" she snapped grumpily.
He held up the handmade shovels in his hands and she blinked once before realisation dawned on her. Running a hand through her tangled hair, she sighed and nodded her head. "Meet me out front. I'll bring 'em down."
She quickly jumped from the top of the seat and headed towards the opposite side of the cabin. Jinny bent down to pick up the first body's legs and dragged it towards the hatch, then went back for the other one. Opening the cover, she could hear a girlish giggle from the lower level. She ignored it and shoved one of the bodies through the hole. A scream erupted from below and she peered down, not being able to see much from her vantage point. With a huff, she sent the next body tumbling down to another squeal of fright.
Jinny slid down the ladder and her boots landed heavily on the metal floor. She looked around to find an unfamiliar girl staring at her with wide eyes. Behind her was Bellamy with his shirt off, exposing the defined muscles rippling across his torso and brawny arms wrapped around the girl's waist. Jinny blew stray hair from her face with indifference before picking up the legs of a body and dragging it towards the ramp. Someone had fastened a parachute over it and she paused to slap the flap away from her face. Wells was waiting for her right at the threshold.
"The other one's still inside." She jabbed with a thumb.
He darted into the ship and the girl from before made another loud obnoxious cry. Jinny waited with the body on the damp soil and Wells emerged a moment later seemingly flustered. He looked at her with horrified eyes before clearing his throat.
They started to drag the corpses across the camp until they were a good distance away where Wells had found a clearing to set them down on. Jinny took a shovel from him before starting to dig. An awkward silence stretched between the two as they scooped dirt from the ground in tandem. Then her eyes caught sight of something out of place and she stopped to grab the boy's arm.
Wells started unhappily. "What?"
"What happened to your band?" She frowned at the bruised skin of his wrist.
He clenched his jaw and looked away, snatching his arm back from her. Jinny's disquiet deepened as he angrily went back to digging and she leaned against her shovel, pushing it deeper into the ground.
"Bellamy forced you," she stated. "Hey, I'm sorry about last night, okay?"
"I thought you were one of the good ones," he muttered.
She barked out a laugh. "I am the farthest from that! But look, I did it for a reason."
He paused and glanced at her, unable to contain his curiosity. "And what's that?"
"I think I can build a transmitter with 'em, somethin' like a telegraph key. You following?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in disbelief. "I spent the whole night hating your guts."
Jinny smirked slightly at that. "I grew up learning that I didn't have to explain myself to anyone. Also, I don't want Bellamy to know."
"I thought you and him were pals," Wells commented sourly.
"Gross, don't say that again." She grimaced at the thought before resuming her work.
After about an hour, they had buried the bodies and covered the graves in two long mounds. They left the shovels there, collecting the clothes they had stripped from the deceased boys and headed back to the dropship. A group of delinquents ran past them, yelling excitedly at each other as they tore through the camp with wasteful abandon. As they approached the camp, they could hear the rhythmic sound of drums acting as the soundtrack to the display of couples making out wantonly in the open.
"Wells," she started with a wince and he looked at her questioningly. "I think we actually died and went to hell."
He chuckled before they heard someone calling out to them. They paused and looked to Atom as he made his way over from the front of the dropship. "Where'd you get the clothes?" he asked, cocking his head at the pile in Wells' arms.
"I killed someone," Jinny answered immediately.
Atom frowned in concern, considering the possibility that she was serious, and Wells rolled his eyes. "It's from the two kids who died during the landing," he corrected like the honest kid he was.
"Smart." The other boy nodded and relaxed. "You know, I'll take it from here. There's always a market for—"
"We share based on need!" Wells exclaimed, moving away from Atom's grubby hands. "Just like back home."
"You don't get it, do you, Chancellor?" Bellamy's deep voice questioned loudly as he walked out of the dropship, pushing the parachute to the side with dramatic flair. The girl he was with before stepped out behind him, sashaying her hips as if she'd just won a prized trophy. She stopped next to Bellamy and leaned in to kiss him on the lips before walking away. Jinny couldn't help glaring distastefully at the girl before rolling her eyes at Bellamy so hard that she thought she almost went blind.
He smirked at her. "This is home now," he finished, then walked up to Wells. "Your father's rules no longer apply."
Bellamy quickly grabbed a shirt from Wells' arms and the boy lunged forwards angrily. Atom blocked and pushed him away from the man who was laughing in amusement. "No, no, Atom. Hold up."
Atom stopped and turned to look back at him questioningly. Bellamy held the shirt up in front of him and raised his eyebrows at Wells tauntingly. "You want it back, take it."
Wells glared at him before turning around and throwing the rest of the clothes on the ground behind him. Immediately, a group of boys rushed forwards to claim them like vultures and Atom went to join the fray.
"Is this what you want?" Wells asked Bellamy with indignation. "Chaos?"
"What's wrong with a little chaos?" Bellamy smirked as he pulled the shirt over his head.
"You're such a dick, Bellamy," Jinny commented coolly and he glanced at her in consternation.
"Since when were you two friends, huh?" he asked her.
"Why do you care? I do whatever the hell I want," she mocked.
Bellamy opened his mouth to retort when a scream pierced through the air. It came from the direction of last night's bonfire and everyone ran to inspect the commotion. Jinny slowed down when they reached the clearing, finding Murphy holding a girl's face over a fire pit. Her body trembled pitifully with fear as she struggled against his stronger grip.
"Bellamy!" the boy called. "Check it out. We want the Ark to think that the ground is killing us, right? Figured it'd look better if we suffered a little bit."
Wells darted forwards and shoved Murphy into the dirt, causing him to release the girl who quickly scrambled to a stand and scampered away. The Chancellor's son shook his head at Bellamy, disgust growing in his eyes.
"You can stop this," he said.
"Stop this?" Bellamy asked, watching as Murphy stood up and stomped over. "I'm just getting started."
There was a loud crack as the kid's fist connected with Wells' jaw and the latter boy staggered backwards. Murphy punched him in the middle but Wells retaliated with greater force, their yells and grunts quickly filling the air with the zest of their scuffle. The pale boy charged at Wells with a furious cry, picking him up and sending him down to the ground on his back. Jinny grabbed Bellamy's arm as the surrounding delinquents urged the two teenagers on.
"Hey, you gonna let everyone fight and kill each other?" she hissed at him.
"What if I do?" he retorted.
"Then you're a bigger dick than I thought," she said before starting forwards.
He pulled her back, his grip on her wrist like an iron vice. "You're not going anywhere, Jin."
She considered briefly whether she should knock some sense into his thick skull when Wells had managed to get the upper hand then, punching Murphy repeatedly in the face to submission before staggering to a stand. He addressed Bellamy once more. "Don't you see you can't control this?" he shouted angrily.
Murphy scrambled off the ground, grabbing a knife from his pocket. "You're dead," he growled venomously before rushing forwards.
"Wait!" Bellamy threw Jinny to the side and quickly intercepted the boy. He turned to Wells and offered up his own knife. "Fair fight."
He dropped it in front of Wells' feet and the boy hesitated for a split second before quickly bending down to pick it up. Jinny protested and Bellamy made to grab her again. She kicked his shin sharply, earning a grunt from the man as he stumbled away from her. The woman crossed her arms, eyes still trained uneasily on the two boys in the middle of the clearing.
Murphy made quick jabs at Wells as Jinny watched calculatingly—unsure whether to stop them or let them fight out their disagreements. If Wells did prove himself, maybe the kids would finally lay off on him. She didn't particularly care of either outcome, she just thought that Wells was an asset that she should protect.
"This is for my father!" Murphy shouted, lunging forwards with his knife held high. Wells stepped aside at the last moment, grabbing hold of the boy's jacket and turning him around swiftly.
He pressed his knife against Murphy's throat. "Drop it!" he yelled.
"Wells!" A female voice called out shrilly from the far fringe and everyone turned to find Clarke walking down into the clearing. "Let him go!"
Wells did as told and shoved Murphy back down to the ground. The pale boy jumped up and was about to attack again when Bellamy pulled him back. "Hey, enough! Murphy!"
He then looked around searchingly and found his sister limping into view with the others. He hurried to her with worry on his brows. "Octavia! Are you alright?" He grabbed hold of her and lifted her down from an incline.
"Yeah." She winced visibly.
"You're hurt?" Jinny hurried over to check the makeshift bandage around the girl's thigh. "What's this?"
"Where's the food?" Bellamy turned to Clarke who could only stare back speechlessly.
"We didn't make it to Mount Weather," Finn answered for her, taking a seat on a log.
"What the hell happened out there?!" Bellamy demanded.
"We were attacked," Clarke finally said.
"Attacked? By what?" Wells asked.
"Not what—who," Finn corrected. "Turns out, the last man from the ground who died on the Ark... wasn't the last Grounder."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jinny frowned. "There are survivors?"
"Yes." Clarke nodded. "Everything we knew about the ground is wrong. But the good news is that we can survive. Radiation won't kill us."
"Yeah, but the bad news is that the Grounders will," Finn said in a low voice.
"Where's the kid with the goggles?" Wells asked, glancing around in hope that he had just overlooked the boy.
Clarke turned to him. "Jasper was hit. They took him."
Jinny raised her eyebrows. "You saw them?"
"No." The blonde shook her head. "He got to the other side of the lake and the Grounders threw a spear into his chest. We ran, then went back, but he was gone."
"They threw a spear into his chest?!" Jinny repeated in disbelief. "And took him? For... what? They gonna eat him? Is he even still alive?"
"We heard him scream." She glanced to the side before grabbing Wells' hand and exclaiming sharply, "Where's your wristband?"
He looked away, almost in shame, before turning back to Bellamy with a look of pure loathing. "Ask him."
"How many?" Clarke asked frostily.
"Twenty four and counting," Murphy announced proudly.
Clarke shook her head. "You idiots," she whispered before raising her voice. "Life support on the Ark is failing! That's why they brought us down here! They need to know that the ground is survivable and we need their help against whoever is out there! If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them. You're killing us."
"We're stronger than you think," Bellamy countered, walking towards the middle of the clearing to address the delinquents. "Don't listen to her, she's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same?"
Most of the crowd started to agree, murmuring with one another and nodding their heads.
"We can take care of ourselves! That wristband on your arm makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore!" A few boys shouted encouragingly to him. "They said they'll forgive your crimes—I say you're not criminals! You're fighters! Survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!"
"Yeah!" They threw their hands in the air, cheering once again at another stirring speech.
Jinny scoffed in disgust just as Clarke walked away, fuming. She was about to follow the girl when Bellamy caught her elbow and forcibly held her back. "I need to talk to you," he spoke lowly into her ear.
She looked up at him with disbelief painting her features with a glower, the latent anger in her chest flaring with irrational fervour. That was it; she was done. Wristband or no wristband, she didn't want to have another single thing to do with him anymore.
"Screw you, Bellamy," she growled, shoving him away.
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