Disclaimer: I (sadly) don't own The 100. GOOD JOB, Kass Morgan.
- - - -
- 03 -
- Hit or Miss -
The children gradually move towards the newcomers, scoping them out in awe.
"Uh, guys," Octavia murmurs, her eyes on a new wave of much older people marching towards them.
"Remember, we're in their home," Bellamy grunts, now on his feet despite the pain in his leg. "Everyone stay calm."
"Weapons down," Clarke commands.
"Rose! Get away from them!" A voice called. Guards began to rush in, their spear-like weapons aimed while they shifted to stand in front of the children.
"Hey, it's okay!" Clarke shouts with her hands spread in defense. "We're from Earth. We come in peace."
"Kaylee," a woman in extreme makeup gasps. "Where have you been? Where's your family?"
Kaylee's bitter eyes shoot towards the newcomers. "They killed them."
Bellamy's eyes dart to Coralie. All she could do was shrug.
"That's not good," Jordan voices.
All of their attention is brought to Murphy when his body began to shake, rigid gasps leaving his mouth.
"No, not now, not now," Abby repeats. "Easy, easy. He's seizing!"
"Help us, please!" Clarke begs. "Our friend's dying."
"He's not breathing." Abby acts out CPR against his chest.
"Let me pass," a male voice demanded. People cleared a way for him as he marched through, two guards on either sides of him. "Move them back."
Guards use their weapons to push them away from Murphy's body.
"What are you doing? He'll die."
"You want my help or not?" he remarked, brushing his cape behind him before kneeling beside Murphy. He brings their friend's shirt up and observes the black marks. "He's already dead," he announced.
Coralie swore her knees almost buckled.
"Fortunately for him, death is not the end." He turns to one of his people. "Cillian. He was exposed to the seaweed during the red sun. Do it."
Cillian doesn't say a word as he moves towards Murphy, placing a bag down and opening it. Everybody did a double-take when the man pulled out a... snake.
"What the actual hell?" Coralie murmured, her wide eyes meeting Jordan's. He was just as confused as her.
"We call it kepa-she," the ominous man tells the group. "Means hideous snake in chinese."
Cillian brings the snake to Murphy's abdomen.
"Oh, my god," Clarke utters.
"Trust me, I know," Cillian insisted. "But the venom degrades too quickly to deliver it in any other form."
Clarke moves to kneel before Murphy as the snake's tongue with ridges struck his skin. "It's working," she gasped, the black marking fading instantly.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Mr.Boss Man amuses. Coralie's eyes narrow at his form of speaking. "It's curative properties were discovered during one of the earliest red suns. Poison made the demon Gabriel believe he could walk on water." The crowd began to hiss at the sound of whoever's name that was. Bellamy and every one of his friends' eyebrows furrowed. "The kepa-she bit him, and the toxin from the seaweed had no effect."
Murphy takes a deep inhale before gasps and choked coughs left his mouth.
"He's breathing," Clarke exasperated. Bellamy let out a relieved breath he wasn't even aware he was holding.
"Well done, Cillian," Coralie's attention is brought back to the man who walked like he ran the place. He probably did. Either way, Coralie didn't like him. "Now lock them up."
"Here we go," Coralie's eyes roll as a man harshly grabs onto her arm. "Watch it," she hissed, moving to pull herself out of his grip but inevitably failing.
"Take it easy," Bellamy bellows as he, too, is apprehended.
"Where are you taking us?" Octavia snaps.
"We didn't do anything wrong!"
•
"Why is he not waking up?" Bellamy ponders, his eyes not moving from Murphy's death-like state.
"He will," Abby sympathized.
"I can't believe I did this to him," Emori somberly whispers, her seat closer to the head of Murphy's body.
"Emori, you didn't," Bellamy frowns. "I did."
"Who cares? We need to get out of this place," Octavia schemes from halfway across the room. They had all been put in what appeared to be a bar and/or hangout bungalow. Coralie wasn't sure why, but she wasn't complaining. It had been a better 'cell' than most, if not every, other time she's been locked up.
Bellamy rises from his seat, turning to his maniacal sister. "What are you even doing here?" he asks with spite.
"I came to save your ass," she barked back.
He scoffs, moving to walk towards her but fails due to the grip Coralie put on his forearm, holding him rooted to his spot.
"Not now," Coralie snips.
"We're gonna need all of our power to fight us out of here," Leah interrupts, tired of the constant quarreling.
"Leah, we're not fighting them," Clarke detested. "We need them to teach us how to survive down here-" She's interrupted by the opening of the door.
All eyes direct towards the guards accompanied by civilians of wherever the hell they were.
"Welcome, friends," a bald man's hefty voice takes Coralie by surprise. He's followed by a pretty young girl and another woman, all of them holding trays and cups. They must've been family. "If it's true you've survived the red sun, then you need a drink." He stops first at Clarke, who gratefully takes a mug.
"Thank you," Coralie mumbled as it was her turn to take a cup.
"No, thanks," Bellamy grumbled from beside her. She elbowed him with her free arm, not bothering to look at the face he sent her.
"Thank you," Jordan tells the pretty young girl, their eyes not leaving one another's as he downed the drink in one gulp. "That's amazing. What is it?"
"We call it-"
"Delilah," the older harshly called.
"Relax, Mother. I don't think they'll steal your recipe," she chuckles, turning back to Jordan. "We call it Jo-Juice, after Josephine Prime, hallowed be her name."
"Hallowed here her name," both adults synchronized.
Coralie watched as her friends all share brief looks.
"Uh, can I ask - it's probably none of our business, but what's a prime?" Clarke steps forward.
"Sanctum was colonized by a team from Earth made up of four families, The Primes. Their blood rules us still."
The doors open once again, more guards entering the room along with the man Coralie had internally founded a dislike for, Kaylee and another woman beside him.
"Make way for the Primes," a guard voiced.
"Which one's the pilot?" the man questions.
"There, that one," Kaylee points towards Raven. Guards are quick to head forward, when they're stopped by the man in charge.
"Stop," he ordered. "Did I say to take her?"
"No, sir. Sorry, sir."
"Look," Clarke starts. "If this is about what happened on the mothership, your people stole our transport and then boarded us by force. My people were just defending themselves."
"Lies," Kaylee intruded. "She wasn't there. We hurt no one."
"What's your name?" the man asks Clarke.
"Clarke Griffin. What's yours?"
"He is Russell Lightbourne, seventh of his line, savior of Sanctum, and you will bow before using his name," the only unrecognizable woman bellowed as she stepped forward to stand beside him.
Coralie internally noted that she was just as irritating as the other one.
"I don't think so," Clarke whispered and Coralie smirked.
"My wife's a stickler for protocol, but she know you can't observe customs that you're unaware of," Russell states. "You have questions, understandably, and we'll get to them all. But first, we need your transport ship flown into Sanctum. You can land in one of the lower fields."
"Why?" Abby spoke up. "What's out there?"
"There are worse things in this world than eclipse-induced psychosis," Russell's wife informed them. "All of them are outside the shield, and the worst of them would love to get their hands on the weapons Kaylee says are on your ship."
"Why are we asking for permission?" Kaylee bellows. "My family is on that ship!"
"Which is why you'll be on the team sent to retrieve them." He notices her cower. "What? Now you're afraid to leave the shield?"
"I told you, we were late for shelter when we saw that ship. Either we took it or we suffered the red sun."
Coralie tugged on Bellamy's arm. He turned to her with furrowed eyes. "Aurora's on the ship," she whispers, his face tightening.
"You brought her here?" He whispered harshly.
"It was either with us or with sleeping prisoners bound to wake up, Bell," she frowned. He's silent for a few seconds, his jaw tightening before slacking. "Okay. Okay," he repeats, turning to the others. "We're going, too."
"Raven will fly the ship," Clarke tells The Primes.
"I didn't know you were giving orders again, Clarke," Raven remarks with obvious aggression.
"Fine," Russell brings their attention back to him. "Choose your most disposable people. It's time to go." He looks to Clarke. "You don't strike me as disposable."
"None of us are," Clarke counters. "But my child is out there. So, I'm going to get her."
"Please," he lifts a single hand. "We have things to discuss. Are you the leader of your people, or not?"
"She is," Bellamy discloses. "She can speak for us."
Raven scoffs.
"Good," Russell nods. "You can escort your team to the steps. The rest of you will remain here, well-cared for, until we can decided what to do with you." With that said, he, his wife, guards and Kaylee all exit the room.
"Raven, Leah," Bellamy announces.
Coralie didn't care for him not calling her name as she walked right by him and towards the door. He clenched his fist, knowing he couldn't stop her.
"Octavia," Leah calls. "Let's go."
Bellamy wanted to kick something.
•
Aurora was bored. She let out one dramatic sigh after another as she sat a few feet from Diyoza, who was cleaning her gun.
She expected more from such a colorful planet. She was just as let down as she was when they got to Earth, except this one was prettier.
Her ears fell deaf upon Gaia, Madi and Diyoza's exchanged words. They were boring, too. She groaned as she wanted nothing more than her bag with Monty's iPod that was left on the mothership.
Her heels dug into the dirt before she stood up with a huff. There weren't any animals to play with, so she'd have to entertain herself. She looked towards Diyoza, then Gaia, then Madi. None of them were watching her.
She spun on her heels and began to walk towards the path her mom had went down. Though, instead of continuing it, she stopped at the tree. When sizing up the tree, she took notice of every branch and how far they were from one another. She wondered if she could climb it successfully and how far she'd be able to see when at the top.
With a grin, she threw herself onto the lowest branch which was only a few inches taller than her. She fixed her balance before she stood and reached for the next one. Her friend's words grew distant with every branch she pulled herself onto. At one point, she had to curve herself around the tree to reach another branch, but did so successfully.
Before she knew it, she was roughly thirty feet above the ground. She happily maneuvered from one thick stump to another.
Her grin stay plastered on her face as she went to call to her friends, wanting nothing more than them seeing her accomplishment. The rush of joy was just as quick to leave at the sound of shouts.
"Everybody on the ship, now!" Diyoza yelled from her stance on the dropship door.
Aurora's eyebrows furrowed as she stood from above, watching Gaia rush Madi onto the ship. They went to close the door but were shot by darts before they could do so. One by one, their bodies fell.
Aurora's bottom lip quivered as scary-looking figures emerged from the trees. Her heart beat fast and her legs beneath her trembled.
She was petrified.
•
It had been an hour since they were ambushed. The people dressed in camouflaged leaves and dirt dragged the bodies of Kaylee's dead family members off of the ship.
"Nice knife," one hovers Diyoza's still body. "The man you killed with it was my friend."
"Geo," another calls for him. "Leave her. Get back to position. It's almost second moon."
When they were all off of the ship and gathered in the opening in front of it, Diyoza made eye contact with Madi.
"Aurora's in the trees. Keep an eye on her," Diyoza ordered. Gaia and Madi's eyes briefly widened, both at the fact that Aurora hadn't been counted for and Diyoza was able to speak. "The dart hit my bulletproof vest. How many do you see? Blink it out."
Madi's eyes move towards the trees first. She freezes at the sight of Aurora sitting on a branch high enough off the ground for someone to not notice right away. Her arms hugged the tree as she cried with her eyes closed.
Madi's eyes then moved to the gathering behind Diyoza's back. She looked from one to another, blinking with every count
Before any of them could register what was happening, the savages began chanting "Death to Primes!" as they repeatedly stabbed and slashed at Kaylee's family members.
Thirty feet above, Aurora let out a whimper. Her clenched shut eyes opened for a second, only to catch sight of a severed head being thrusted into the air like a gold medal. Her stomach dropped and she quickly looked away, not being able to comprehend what she had just witnessed.
She felt sick.
She wanted her parents.
•
"Death to Primes! Death to Primes!"
The chants could be heard miles away.
"We're too late," a guard tugs at Kaylee's arm. Coralie tried not to panic, but it was the only thing she felt bubbling within her.
"Like hell, we are," Kayle opposed. "Let me go!"
"Victor, Faye and Daniel Prime are lost," the guard argues. "You're the priority. Abort the mission now."
"What are you talking about?" Bellamy angrily marches forward. "Our people are there."
"It's okay, we don't need them," Leah grabs the flare gun that would turn off the electric dome for them on their journey back from the guard's holster. "Go. We'll bring our family home."
"This should be fun," Octavia moves forward first.
Bellamy's stern eyes meet Coralie's shaking ones.
•
"Can you tell what they're saying?" Bellamy asked Coralie, who's peering at the unknown hijackers through the binoculars. Night had fallen upon them quickly, the darkness clouding over most of her vision
"No, but one of them's leaving," she mutters. "And she's taking the guns."
"Why would they give up their advantage? Doesn't make sense."
"No, but it makes a fair fight," Raven notes.
"Okay. Once the guns are clear, we go in-"
"Don't be an idiot," Octavia taunts. "I'm going for the guns." She doesn't wait for appliance, running towards the opening without a second thought.
"O!" Bellamy tried to yell as quietly as he could. "Damn it, O!"
Coralie's face falls into her palm.
"Octavia, get back! Do not engage!" Bellamy tries, but inevitably fails when she continues to venture forward. "Octavia, they'll kill our people! Do not engage, O!"
But it's too late. She's already apprehended a sword and killed the one who she took it from. Not another second went by before she used it to puncture two others.
One of them begins to descend from the drop ship with a gun aimed, but Diyoza brings him down by going for his legs. She gets to her feet and takes the gun he held before shooting him in the head.
The grounds grow quiet.
"They were withdrawing!" Diyoza shouted towards Octavia. "Why the hell would you attack?"
"Are you out of your mind?" Bellamy marches out of the bushes. "You didn't have to kill anyone!"
"Why aren't they moving?" Leah jogs towards Madi and Gaia's paralyzed bodies. "What's wrong with them?"
"Paralytic darts," Diyoza confirms.
Coralie's eyebrows furrow at the sight of only two bodies on the ground. "Where the hell is Aurora?"
"Hiding in the trees."
Coralie's eyes dart from one tree to another, but it's too dark to even attempt to see clearly.
"'Rora! Baby!" She called frantically.
"Starshine!" Bellamy shouts when he sees a petite figure making its way down a tree. He runs up to it, Coralie following, just as Aurora reached the last branch. She jumped into her father's arm and let out the loudest cry both parents have ever heard.
Bellamy falls to his knees as he holds her head in the crook of his neck, the feeling of her hot tears as prominent then ever.
"It's okay," he hushed, running his hand down her hair. "We're here, we're here."
She doesn't stop crying, her body shaking as she sobbed. Coralie felt her own eyes water at the sound. She kneeled beside Bellamy and kissed the back of Aurora's trembling head.
"What happened here?" Coralie turned to Diyoza.
"They cut off the heads of the hijackers," Diyoza glances at the bawling child. "She saw it."
"How come you're okay?" Raven asks as she helps Madi sit up.
"They missed."
Bellamy stands up, his daughter still in his grasp, and moves to the dropship. "Diyoza, Leah, get the body bags. Raven- would've heard the gunshots. Get us in the air before they come back," he orders.
"They were waiting for something," Diyoza mentioned. "Kept talking about a second moon."
"When you figure out what that means, let me know."
Bellamy bends over to put Aurora down, but she clings her arms tightly around his neck. He looked towards Coralie.
"'Rora," she murmured. "C'mere, baby." Aurora opens her classy eyes warily and is quick to move from her father to her mother.
Coralie let's out a sigh when she feels her small child in her arms.
Bellamy rises and takes a step in front of Octavia before she can get on the dropship. "Not you."
"Oh, come on. What are you gonna do, leave me here?" Octavia scoffs.
"Yeah, for your own good and ours. Monty gave his life for us so we could have another chance, and I'm not gonna let you destroy that."
"We saved your kid, Madi, Gaia and Diyoza. We got the damn ship back. We lost no one. How is that a bad thing?"
Bellamy's face emits bafflement. "Until you can answer that yourself, you're on your own."
Octavia glares at her brother. "Fine." She turns and begins walking away. "Should have died in that gorge, anyway."
"Octavia," Bellamy calls. "My sister died a long time ago."
•
After getting the transport ship safely into Sanctum, the group is guided back to where they had been held prior the journey to rescue the ship and their friends.
Aurora timidly walks behind her mother, their hands clasped together and fingers interlocked, as the guard opens the door for them.
"Clarke!" Madi hollers.
The two groups intertwine into one as everybody shares hugs.
Bellamy goes to stand behind Murphy, placing a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, man," Murphy shakes his head, his eyes halting at the sight of Aurora and Coralie across the room. Coralie was knelt before her daughter who wouldn't lift her head from the ground. "Monkey okay?" Murphy asks.
Bellamy frowns. "She saw a few things today."
Coralie lifts Aurora into her arms and stands up, the child resting her head on her mother's shoulder. She walks towards Bellamy and smiles when she sees Murphy.
"I knew you were too much of a cockroach for death," she used her free handle to ruffle his hair and he rolls his eyes. Bellamy leans in and kisses both Coralie and Aurora's cheeks as the doors open once more.
Russell, his wife and guards join the party, without the invitation, of course.
"It's been a long day, so I'll keep this short," Russell begins. "Sanctum was created to be a sanctuary for the human race. After seeing you save Delilah," he looks to Clarke and Coralie's face scrunches in confusion. How much had they missed? "We've decided you deserve that, too."
"You changed your mind?" Clarke queries. "We can stay?"
"For now," Russell's wife speaks up. "But no more of you. You will follow our rules and respect our traditions. We will teach you how to survive here."
"What my wife is trying to say is, welcome to Sanctum."
Bellamy let's out a relieved sigh, along with everyone else in the room. He turns and hugs Coralie, minding the six-year-old in between them.
"You should've seen Diyoza and Octavia fighting terrorists," Madi grins to Clarke, Russell's ears perking at the name.
"Charmaine Diyoza?" Russell steps towards the woman.
"Yes," Diyoza answers, though her tone held confusion.
"Escort tha woman past the shield right now," Russell broadly demanded.
"Just wait!" Bellamy moves toward them. "What is this?"
"Seems my reputation precedes me," Diyoza shrugs.
"You can say that," Russell seethed. "Your face is in our history books next to Hitler and Bin Laden."
"Please," Abby begs. "What about the baby?"
"If any of you would care to join her, be my guest," he declares.
Madi lets out a grunt as she tries to move forward, but Clarke keeps her from doing so.
"It's okay, kid," Diyoza winks as shes led out by guards. "Stay frosty."
Murphy turns back to his drink. "One way or another, the devil gets his due."