chapter fourteen
SPACEWALKER'S SINS
"but my hope is burning,
the shadows are calling us out."
Bellamy watched as Clarke's figure came closer and closer to the camp from meeting with Lexa to discuss the truce.
"Hold your fire! She's back!" He bellowed, "Open the gate."
Major Byrne ordered, "Power up the gates. Roll-out positions. Stay ready!"
Bellamy eyed the two men on horses on both sides of Clarke suspiciously.
Finn ran up to Clarke, "You okay?"
Clarke seemed to try to shove him out of view from the Grounder's, "Shut the gate."
She turned to Finn, walking him away from the gate, "You can't be out here."
Abby joined the group, scanning her daughters face, "What did she say? Is there a chance for a truce?"
"Yes."
Finn could sense her hesitance, "What's wrong?"
"They want you." She told him flatly, visibly upset, "If we want a truce, we have to give them Finn."
Raven jumped in the conversation, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"That's their offer."
"That's not an offer."
"It's punishment." Finn said, a hint of defeat already encompassing him, "For what happened at the village. Blood for blood."
Bellamy shook his head, "That's insane."
"If we refuse?" Abby asked.
Clarke breathed deeply, "They attack."
"I say we give him up! Get rid of him!" Someone in the crowd yelled out, causing others to shout in agreement.
Bellamy felt the anger levels in everyone around him rise. He realized they probably should have shared this news somewhere more private. But it was too late for that.
Major Byrne tried to calm the heated crowd, "Easy, people."
Another man spoke up, "Give him to the Grounders!"
Raven's temper was rising with the rest of the crowd. She lunged at the man, "Back off!"
Clarke pulled Raven back while Bellamy held off the angry man.
"Hey, Raven! Raven, listen to me." Clarke raises her eyebrows at Raven, "Nothing is gonna happen to him. I promise, okay?"
"I'm not dying for him." Someone else stepped forward, "Spacewalker burned 3 months of oxygen from the Ark. We should've floated him a long time ago. Throw him out!"
This really set Raven off. She punched him in the face, ready to go again, "Back off!"
Major Byrne pulled her away, "Stop, Raven!"
But in the heat of the moment, Raven punched Byrne in the face as well.
They gasped.
Bellamy, Clarke, and Finn watched helplessly as some other guards grabbed Raven from behind and took her away.
"Let me go!"
»»————- ★ ————-««
Bellamy walked with Clarke towards where Finn and Murphy sat.
He couldn't help but get a sense of deja vu. The night sky and the anxious anticipation of war was so familiar, and yet everything was so different.
"Hey." He greeted the two, "We're reinforcing all defenses. Doubles on the perimeter. No one's getting past that wire."
Finn stood, "I'll see where they're thin."
"No. You should head inside. B corridor will be easier to defend if it comes to that."
"I'm not gonna hide." Finn shook his head.
Clarke combated him, "Right now, we have to think about keeping you safe. I'm gonna talk to Lincoln."
Bellamy gestured to follow him inside, "Come on, Finn."
The two walked in silence to the B corridor.
"I don't want to hide," Finn said quietly.
Bellamy sighed, "Right now, we need to keep you safe. That's our priority."
"Why? So that innocent people can die first before they find me? Then, they find me, and I die anyway."
"We're trying to make sure it doesn't come to that," Bellamy answered after a pause.
When Finn said it like that, it really didn't seem sensible to hide him. But Bellamy didn't want to dwell on that. They were not just going to send Finn to die.
"I massacred a village," Finn said.
"And I'm responsible for the culling on the Ark," Bellamy told him remorsefully, "We've all done things that we're not proud of. Things that will haunt us. But it doesn't make you a monster. And it doesn't mean you deserve to die."
Finn sighed deeply, a very small weight lifting, for now.
»»————- ★ ————-««
"Jus drein jus daun! Jus drein jus daun!"
Two of the Commander's army men sat on horses at their gate. They looked intimidating with their masks and weapons.
Bellamy stood with the guards in formation, gun at the ready. He shouted back to Clarke and Abby who watched the scene nervously, "They're trying to scare us."
Abby turned to her daughter, "I think we should pull back and go inside the station."
"No." Clarke shot down, "We need to prove we're not afraid."
"What if I am?"
"Fake it."
Bellamy smiled lightly. As much as he wanted to take control when they first landed on the ground, Clarke was a great leader, and everyone saw that and followed her.
He was just glad it's less of a power struggle and more of a duo.
It should be a trio.
Abby walked quickly towards the camp entrance with Bellamy and Clarke on her heels, "Open the gate."
The Grounder on the left spoke, muffled through his mask, "Where's the boy?"
"We're not giving him up. We're ready to fight if that's what it comes to." Abby told them sternly.
Just then, a horn sounded in the distance, calling the Grounders back to their camp.
Bellamy watched them go, wearily scanning their surroundings, "Watch the woods! Watch for movement!"
Clarke nudged his back, nodding towards the trees, "Bellamy—"
The other guards picked up on her cue, "Movement on the tree line!"
A familiar voice called out, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"
It was Kane. He approaches the camp, hands above his head.
Abby was the first one he came to. She eyed him intently, "Marcus."
"Chancellor." He shot back, a small smile gracing his face.
"I was afraid that I wouldn't see you again."
"I had those fears myself." He sighed as he looked around the camp, "It's good to see this place again."
Bellamy jumped in, "We can't be out in the open. We need to get somewhere safe."
"It's safe for the moment." Kane told him, his smile reappearing. He then turned to Abby, lowering his tone, "Come on. We need to talk. I managed to buy us a bit of time."
Clarke and Bellamy watched as the two walked right past them, hushed tones between them.
They were up to something. And for some reason, they were left out.
»»————- ★ ————-««
Bellamy stood with Raven outside the council meeting room door. They both knew full well they were talking about Finn.
Raven was tapping her foot repeatedly, impatiently, the stress wearing her down.
Bellamy didn't mind though. She was terrified, Finn was family to her. He felt her pain.
They both jumped as Abby quickly exited the council room.
Raven tried to stop her fast walk, "What's happening?"
Bellamy joined, "You were in there a long time."
Abby blocked their questions, "There was a lot to talk about."
"Well, what's going on?" Raven asked exasperated
Abby dodged it, trying to move past them, "There was a lot to talk about."
"Hey." Bellamy stood forcefully in front of her, "We are not turning him over to the Grounders."
Abby glared, "Step aside now. We're all trying to find a way out of this."
He reluctantly let Abby past, but only because he knew that Finn's survival was now up to them.
Bellamy sighed as he turned to Raven, "They're gonna give him up."
Raven's face contorted in anxiety, but she tried to hide it, "Okay, what's the plan?"
Bellamy though for a minute, "We can take him to the dropship. The Grounders will look for him here, and if they find us, we can protect him there."
"Got it," Raven nodded, "I'll shut of the power to the fence."
"Hey, Raven," Bellamy grabbed her arm before she left, "This will work."
She gave him a feeble smile before turning away.
Bellamy then turned and sped to the B corridor, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.
Finally he found Clarke and Finn talking in at the end of the hall of people.
"Finn," he called out urgently, "You need to get out of here."
Clarke eyed him, "Where would he go?"
"The dropship."
Clarke shook her head, "No! You know that this is the safest place for him right now."
"It isn't if they're turning on him. We can protect him at the dropship until we figure this thing out." Bellamy told her, insistence evident in his tone. The group started walking fast through the halls, avoiding eye contact with the people around them, "Grab your gear and meet at Raven's gate in 5. She's already working on cutting the power to the fence."
"Okay, but nobody's coming with me." Finn shot back.
"That isn't up for discussion."
"We are surrounded by Grounders." Clarke pressed.
Bellamy sighed, "If we split up, we take the low ground, we'll make it through. We'll meet at the dropship."
"There he is." One of the men from earlier who wanted to turn Finn in approached them angrily, "You are gonna get us killed!"
As soon as he got close enough to them, Bellamy punched him and knocked him down.
"Anyone else?" He surveyed the rest of the room and then nodded towards Clarke and Finn to get going.
Clarke nodded back and grabbed Finn's arm, "Bellamy's right. We have to go."
»»————- ★ ————-««
"I checked again. Still no sign of them." Raven told Bellamy, re-entering the dropship.
Bellamy groaned, "Where are they?"
Raven was bouncing on her toes, fear pulsing through her bones, "We shouldn't have split up."
Before he could respond, Bellamy heard the sound of someone getting closer to the dropship. He raised his gun for protection, "Someone's coming."
"Oh woah! Hey, hey!" Murphy jumped seeing the gun aimed at him.
"Murphy." Bellamy furrowed his eyebrows, "What are you doing here?"
Murphy between the two, confused, "I believe I was invited."
"I thought we could use an extra gun." Raven defended with a shrug.
Bellamy nodded, "Might be a good idea."
Raven watched the sheets over the ship intently, "Finn should've been right behind you."
"Don't worry." Murphy said nonchalantly, "The spacewalker's gonna be fine."
Still Raven paced nervously, uncertain of what would come next.
»»————- ★ ————-««
The sound of someone bursting through the dropship sheets caused the three to turn abruptly.
They all froze seeing Finn carrying an unconsious Clarke.
"What happened?" Bellamy asked rushing towards him.
Finn's face twisted in anguish, tears threatening to spill, "A Grounder hit her on the head."
Murphy was quick under pressure, laying out a blanket on the floor, "Put her here."
Finn did so, immediately stepping away as soon as she was comfortably laid on the ground. He stressed, walking away.
"I need a bandage. A rag. Anything." Bellamy called out.
"Got it." Murphy called back, "Here."
Bellamy graciously grabbed the small towel while Murphy situated himself beside Bellamy to help. Bellamy told him, "Hold her head."
Murphy followed instruction while Bellamy practiced what he'd seen Clarke do so many other times with the hurt delinquents, "Clarke, can you hear me? Clarke? You're gonna be fine. You just need to rest."
»»————- ★ ————-««
While Raven and Murphy took watch on different sides of the dropship, Bellamy decided to rest and keep an eye on Clarke, who was still completely knocked out.
He sighed as he pressed his back against the cool metal wall. It was hard to forget the memories he had here, the people he knew. All of it was gone. And it feels like forever ago.
Bellamy carefully placed Evelynn's music box ear pieces in his own ears and hesitantly played her music. It still felt weird to do, especially since it was so private to her, but he couldn't help himself. He missed her.
He let his eyes flutter shut and let the music wash over him while he rested.
Bellamy didn't know how long he was asleep for, but he perked up hearing Finn climb down the ship's ladder.
Finn's eyes were trained on Clarke, but he then turned to Bellamy who was slowly putting Evelynn's music box back securely in his pocket.
"Everything okay?" Bellamy asked.
Finn sniffed and moved to sit beside him, "I made one mistake. And now all of you are paying for it."
The guilt in his tone could pierce a soul. Bellamy empathized, "Clarke will be okay. She's doing just fine."
"Not just Clarke," he trailed off.
Bellamy could tell Finn was deep in thought, his teeth gritting.
"I need to tell you that I'm sorry," Finn finally said breathlessly, "I told Evelynn that you were bad for her, that she was too good for you."
Bellamy knew Finn didn't really like him at first so this was no surprise. He exhaled with a smirk, "You're right, she is too good for me."
Finn shook his head, "I was wrong. You're not a bad guy. You're a really good guy, actually. You're selfless and protective. Evelynn, she knew that, and I didn't see it. So, I'm sorry."
Bellamy paused, still taken a back by Finn's random apology, "Don't worry about it."
"Well, when you see Evelynn, tell her I'm sorry too. You two are good for each other."
Bellamy couldn't help but lightly chuckle, "Ev would never believe that coming from me, trust me. Here, when we get this whole truce thing figured out and we storm Mount Weather, you tell her yourself."
Finn slightly laughed, but it died down quickly, seemingly sending him into another spiral of thoughts.
Bellamy wished he could read minds.
Where's Evelynn when you need her?
»»————- ★ ————-««
Bellamy squinted as he took his shift watching for Grounders outside the dropship.
It was an odd feeling to stand alone in the ashes of their once green camp full of people.
"Hey," Murphy whispered. Bellamy turned and looked at where he was nodding towards.
There was a figure running past their camp. Then another. And another.
"Stay low," Bellamy told him. Murphy ducked behind an unrooted tree stump
"We got company!" Bellamy yelled out to the people still in the dropship, "Get out here."
He watched Finn, Raven, and Clarke walk out of the dropship. He whisper-yelled to them, "Get down! Grounders."
They all followed orders, ducking behind man made barriers and hills. Clarke stressed, "We're surrounded."
The five waited for what felt like years, sitting in anticipation of an attack, but it never came. They slowly and carefully retreated into the dropship as the day became night.
"They're not moving any closer." Murphy checked through the sheet.
Bellamy nodded, "They're staying out of range. Probably waiting until it's dark."
"If we hit them now, at least we'd take them by surprise." Murphy reasoned.
Clarke shook her head, opposed, "We don't even know how many of them are out there."
Murphy sighed, "I'm not hearing any better ideas, Clarke."
"We'll give them something." Raven piped up.
Bellamy pinched his eyebrows together, "All they want is Finn."
"Finn wasn't the only one at the village."
"What are you talking about?" Clarke asked urgently.
Bellamy knew what she meant, "Raven, hold on."
Murphy seemed to catch on too as Raven looked towards him, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Raven, I came here to protect him. You were the one who wanted me to come!"
He paused as he spoke, sour realization settling under his skin, "You—That's why you asked me to come along."
Raven continued to challenge him, "Enough Grounders saw him at the village. They'd believe he was the shooter."
Murphy's nose twitched as his anger rose, "Sick bitch."
"Raven, you don't mean this." Clarke tried to reason.
Bellamy stood between the stare down of Murphy and Raven, "You know what they do to people!"
Raven's jaw clenched, "They want a murderer, we'll give them one."
Raven didn't hesitate. She raised her gun and aimed it at Murphy, "Drop your gun."
Murphy stared her down, "Go to hell, Raven."
"Put it down, Raven." Clarke attempted to be the voice of reason, "Like it or not, he's one of us."
Raven only moved closer to Murphy,gun touching his chest, "I said drop it!"
Finn finally stepped in, pushing the gun down, "Stop! We're not doing this."
The chaos immediately died down as Finn spoke to them, "They've got us surrounded. The only thing we can do is stay. And defend this place."
Bellamy nodded, "I'm with you."
Everyone else nodded showing their approval.
Finn then turned, "Murphy,"
Murphy sniffed, still feeling betrayed from Raven's outburst, "Yeah,"
"Go upstairs. Watch the rear." Finn said, "I'll take the lower level. You three, take the front gate. That's the plan. All right?"
Everyone glanced at eachother before all parting ways.
Bellamy left the dropship and crouched behind a fallen tree, gun raised and ready.
Night was falling fast and the only sounds were the noises of bugs and birds.
"Eyes peeled everyone," Bellamy called out to Raven and Clarke a few feet away from them, "They could attack at any moment."
"Wait," Raven perked up.
Clarke did too, "Did you hear something?"
"No," Raven shook her head, "Someone's coming. There!"
The three all aimed their guns ready to attack.
But the all did a double take as Finn stepped into the open, arms raised in surrender.
Clarke gasped, "Finn?"
The three all called out desperately, "No! Finn!"
Before any of them could run to help him, two Grounders grabbed him and swept him away into the brush of the forest.
And he was gone.