We had finally made it to the entrance of the valley without being caught. I firmly gripped my gun as we quickly but quietly stopped behind a cliff. Bellamy looked through the scope of his gun. "Two pillboxes, just like Echo said."
The sound of machine-gun fire caught my attention. "That's our signal."
The gunfire continued. I turned to Bellamy as he continued looking at the pillboxes through his scope. "It's working. They're moving out."
Octavia turned and looked at Indra behind her, nodding. Then, she unsheathed her sword and raised it into the air. We then began marching. I kept my gun ready as we continued marching, my eyes looking up onto the cliffs on either side of us.
"You did your best to stop this." I looked to my left to see Indra talking to Bellamy. "In the end, if we have to fight, it's better to win."
I gave the woman a nod. Just then, a gunshot went off, causing me to flinch. My eyes widened as more and more gunfire flew around us. I felt a hand grab my arm and drag me out of the open area. Just as we were about to make it to cover, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach, causing me to fall to the ground. I let out a gasp as pain shot through my body. I was pulled behind a large rock by Indra, who pressed her hands on my stomach. I felt my eyes grow wide as realization hit me; I've been shot!
My heart pounded so loudly in my chest, I bet everyone could hear it over the gunfire. I looked at Indra, who had a horrified expression on her face. "Indra--"
The woman shook her head. "You're going to be okay." I watched as the woman shouted for someone. A man whom of which I've never met ran over to us, managing to dodge the gunfire. "You need to take her back; get to Jackson as quickly as you can."
The man nodded as Indra took a walkie from her belt and handed it to him. "Contact Jackson and tell him Aiden is injured. Go!"
The man nodded before Indra grabbed my gun. I let out a whimper as the man picked me up, carrying me toward the entrance of the valley. We had managed to make it out unharmed... You know what I mean. As the man carried me, I tried keeping pressure on my stomach, blood slowly seeping out of my wound.
"Jackson!" The man shouted into the walkie. "Jackson! I need your help!"
After a few seconds, I heard Jackson speak. "Parker. What is it?"
"Aiden's injured... Bad; bullet wound. Bring everything you need; Indra said to call you."
"Where's the bullet wound?" The man asked frantically.
"Stomach."
"I'll be there as quickly as I can. Hang tight, and make sure she stays awake. Tie something above the wound to restrict blood flow and keep her from bleeding out."
The man nodded. "Got it."
I felt my legs slowly failing me and the man lost his hold on me. I fell to the ground, sand getting in my mouth. I felt the man, Parker I've learned, roll me into my back before tying something around my waist a few seconds later.
My vision blurred in and out as Parker frantically tried to keep me awake. It was a few minutes before I saw Jackson drop to his knees beside me. My eyelids became heavy and that's when everything went dark.
°°°
My eyes shot open as I cried out in pain. A tear slipped from my eye as the pain got worse and worse.
"Get more anesthesia!" I heard a voice shout. "We need to put her back under! Now!"
I cried out. Slowly, the pain subsided and my vision became blurred. I felt my eyelids grow heavy as I slowly lose consciousness once again, my head falling.
°°°
My eyes fluttered open as I regained consciousness once again. I let out a quiet groan as my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room I was in. Furrowing my eyebrows slightly, I realized I was on Eligius IV. I went to sit up, but pain shot through my body so I stopped, letting out a groan.
"Hey." I heard someone say softly. I licked my lips as I looked to my right to see Abby. The woman brushed some hair away from my face in a comforting manner.
"What happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"You were shot," Abby answered. "Would you like me to call Bellamy?"
I nodded. "Yes, please."
She woman gave me a single nod before placing a light kiss on my forehead. I watched as the woman left the room. A few minutes later, I heard the door opened. When I looked to my left, I saw Bellamy sending there, a look of sadness and relief on his face.
I gave him a small smile as he made his way over to me. He sat in the chair Abby was originally in, grabbing my hand.
"Hey," I greeted quietly.
He gave me a smile. "Hey... How do you feel?"
"My stomach hurts," I replied. I was silent for a few seconds before I remember the baby. I looked at Bellamy. "Bellamy... The baby?"
I saw the boy stiffen slightly as he slowly shook his head, his eyes watering. I felt my world completely shatter as my eyes filled with tears. "No... No..."
My voice broke as tears fell down my face. I let sobs rack my body as Bellamy climbed into the bed beside me, holding me close. I buried my face into his shirt, crying. I lost it... I lost my baby.
"I should have listened to you," I sobbed. "I should have stayed behind."
"No. No," Bellamy said. "If you stayed behind, you would have been going against everything you know; you're stubborn. That's why I love you."
I looked at the boy beside me, pulling him down into a hard kiss.
°°°
Bellamy had brought me up to speed on everything that had happened while I was out. McCreary launched weaponized Hythylodium and launched it into the valley, destroying it; Clarke had killed him afterward. Shaw, the pilot, said it maybe 10 years before the valley comes back. So, instead of growing old, were going into Cryosleep in the pods here on Eligius IV until then.
There was an extra wheelchair that I had gotten into. Bellamy had led me to the room with the pods. Most people know about my pregnancy and what had happened; even Diyoza knows about it.
Bellamy had put Echo into Cryosleep after he had talked. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and when I turned, I saw Monty and Harper making their way toward me.
"I'm so sorry," Harper gushed as she bent down, pulling me into a hug. "You would've made an amazing mother, Aiden."
I gave her a smile, a single tear rolling down my cheek. When I pulled away, I hugged Monty. "Harper's right. As an old friend once said, 'You're a badass'."
I smiled at the fact that Monty quoted Finn; something I haven't heard in years. After they left, I was greeted by Murphy, Emori, and Raven. I hugged Emori, who said she was so sorry about everything. When I hugged Raven, she gave me a present.
"I made this while a prisoner in the valley," the girl said, holding a small wooden horse in the air. "I made it for the baby, but you can have it instead."
I let out a quiet laugh. "This is amazing, Raven; thank you."
She nodded. I turned to Murphy, an eyebrow slightly raised. "You thinking of a snide comment to make?"
The boy let out a breath laugh, shaking his head. I smiled slightly. "Not this time, big sister." That's the first time I've ever heard Murphy call me sister. "I'm sorry about the baby... It's too bad I'll never get to meet the little guy... Or girl. I'd have made a damn good uncle."
I chuckled. "Come here."
I pulled Murphy into a hug. The boy hugged back, tightly. But not tight enough to hurt me. I thanked my friends for everything.
"Okay. Let's get you into a pod," Bellamy said, wheeling me toward one of the empty pods. Once we stopped beside it, Bellamy helped me out of the wheelchair and into the pod, which I was sitting on.
"Hey, Aiden." I looked past Bellamy in front of me to see Clarke walking this way. She stopped beside Bellamy, her lips pursed. "I'm really sorry about the baby... I know how much it must suck. I wish I could've done something..."
I bit my lips slightly as I gave her a small smile. After a few seconds, the girl pulled me into a hug. I hugged back, squeezing my eyes shut. "I love you, Clarke. And I'm really glad I can call you my sister."
"I love you too, Aiden."
"Do you mind if I speak with her. Alone?" I pulled away from my hug with Clarke to see Abby.
"Of course."
Bellamy nodded, kissing my forehead before walking away. Abby took his place in front of me. "I'm so sorry, baby; I really wanted you to be a better mother than I ever could be."
I shook my head, pulling the woman into a hug. "Shh... It's okay. I already told you; I forgive you for everything... I love you, mom."
Abby completely relaxed in my arms; that's the first time I've called her mom since after I was sent to lick up when I was 14. It feels good. "I love you, too, Aiden."
The woman spoke a bit more before calling Bellamy back over. When the boy reached me, I saw a tear slip from his eye. I wiped it away. "Hey... Don't cry."
Bellamy shook his head. "I shouldn't have let you march with us... I-I should've made you stay behind. If I wouldn't have given in, maybe the baby--"
"Hey," I interrupted, putting my hands on Bellamy's face and pressing my forehead to his. "Hey. Listen to me; it's not your fault, okay? You did everything you could to keep me safe. Bellamy, it was only a matter of time when things didn't go our way. I love you, okay? And I am so proud of you... I'm proud of us."
Bellamy nodded before his lips pressed against mine. I kissed back, pulling the boy close. After a few seconds, we pulled away, breathing slightly heavy.
"Let's get you into that pod, okay?" Bellamy said, causing me to nod. The boy helped me lay down slowly on my back inside the pod. "Raven rewired your pod a certain way so that you be healing, but you won't age. You should probably thank her when you see her again... See you on the other side, Sunshine."
A smile made its way to my lips as I shook my head at the ridiculous nickname Bellamy had given me all those years ago. "See you on the other side."
Bellamy pressed a single kiss to my forehead before closing the pod. It took a few seconds, but I felt my body slowly get colder until everything went dark once again.
°°°
I furrowed my eyebrows slightly as I felt myself slowly begin to wake. I opened my eyes, turning my head to see the pod beside me open, with Clarke and Bellamy standing beside it, looking at me. I sat up in my pod, not feeling any pain in my stomach. When I pulled my shirt up, I saw that I was completely healed, all except for a scar; it was right beside the scar I got when I was impaled at Tondc. I looked at Clarke and Bellamy, who seemed just as confused as me.
"Why are we the only ones awake?" I asked.
"That's the way mom and dad wanted it," I voice spoke, causing my head to shoot in the direction of the doors. A young Asian boy stood in the doorway, looking at us. I got out of my pod, standing beside Clarke and Bellamy. "Uh... Can I just say, wow? I mean, I can't tell you how good it is to finally meet you. Weird but good. Great, actually."
The three of us stepped forward, as the boy pressed some buttons on the keypad beside him.
"Who are you?" Bellamy asked, confused.
"My name, right. I didn't tell you my name. Sorry," the boy said. "I've never met anyone before, so, I clearly sick at it. Heh heh... I'm Jordan, Monty and Harper's son."
My face fell when I realized what that meant.
"They didn't go to sleep," Bellamy said quietly.
Jordan spoke again. "They talked about your time on the ring a lot. Too much, actually. How happy they were there. I guess they wanted to get back to that. Get dressed and come to the bridge. Dad left explicit instructions. Wake Clarke, Aiden, and Bellamy first. Play them the message."
I furrowed my eyebrows as the boy as he turned and walked away, but Clarke spoke. "Hey, wait." The boy stopped and looked at us. "How long were we asleep?"
Jordan seemed hesitant, but he eventually spoke. "125 years."
My eyes widened slightly.
°°°
"Hey, guys, it's been about a year, since you all went to bed," Monty spoke on the screen. "Not much to report, really. My algae farm is awesome. No surprise there. Oh. I'm able to monitor conditions in the ground using the ship's geologic equipment, so, I'll know when it's safe for us to go back down... Gets a little lonely sometimes without the rest of you, but the peace and quiet is what--"
"Monty, I've been waiting," I heard Harper speak as the door opened behind the boy.
"Harper, wait. I'm in the middle of--"
"Let's go. You promised me." The girl kissed Monty. "We have another 40 staterooms that--"
That's when the girl noticed the log, and let it a squeal, going out of frame. She laughed, causing a small smile to form on my face. "Why didn't you tell me."
"Uh... Not a lot to do in space. Ahem."
"I so didn't need to see that," Jordan muttered, embarrassed. I glanced at him. The next log showed Harper and Monty, but this time, Harper was pregnant.
"Hey, again," Monty spoke. The pair had huge smiles on their faces. "Today's the two year anniversary of the long nap. Harper's been eating a little too much algae."
Harper let out a laugh. "Hilarious. Hey, guys, um... Surprise. Ha! Oh. We picked a name today. Boy or girl-- Jordan."
"I think Jasper would like that," Monty said, causing me to bite the inside of my lip. "Anyway, still no sign the ground is coming back. I wouldn't expect it this soon, so I'm not worried. We'll check back in next time there's news."
The video cut and when it came back, a baby was near the screen, held by Monty, causing a small smile to form on my face. Only, it disappeared soon after at the thought of my baby. "Meet Jordan Jasper Green..." The baby started to fuss, causing Monty to pull the baby away from the screen. "Shh. That's all for now. Harper's resting. We're both good, though. Oh, shh. He'll be eight when you meet him. I can't wait to see your faces."
A small smile formed on my face as Monty placed a kiss to the baby's forehead.
"Things didn't go as planned," Jordan stated.
The video cut and went back o Monty once again. However, his hair was longer and he looked a bit older and he was walking through the ship. "Happy wake-up day. Ten years. And since you're watching this sometime in the future, you know that... That I didn't wake you up. That's because there's still nothing down there. I'm working on the problem..." Monty looked in the distance before looking back at the screen and speaking quietly. "I've told Harper it's to be expected, but, um... Well, that's a lie. This is gonna take a while. Jordan is doing great, though. He's a happy kid. I took a page from Clarke's parenting book. He knows all about you guys. Believe it or not, Murphy's his favorite."
I held back a laugh as I turned to the boy, who looked embarrassed. "It was a rebellious phase."
"Anyway, it's gonna be a while," Monty continued. "I'll let you know if things change."
The video stopped and when I turned back on, Monty and Harper were much older. My heart skipped a beat in my chest as I felt my eyes begin to water. I held back the tears as I listened to Monty. "Hey, guys. It's been a long time since we recorded one of these. We just out Jordan in Cryo... He's a good boy." I pursed my lips slightly as Harper's eyes filled with tears.
"Smart like his father," Harper spoke.
"And kind like his mom. We chose this life. He didn't. Hey." Monty sat beside Harper, who wrapped her hands around Monty's arm. "If you're watching this, kiddo. We love you so much. Did you follow my instructions? Assuming he did. Hey, Bellamy, hey, Clarke, hey Aiden. We wanted him to wake your first so we could talk. Earth... Isn't coming back. You've been asleep for over 28 years and it's as dead as the day we left. I'm working on a plan 'B', through... If you're awake, that means I found it. I'll see you again when I do."
Monty went to stop the recording, but Harper stopped him. "Wait, not yet... Take care of our boy."
That's when the video ended. When it came back on, I saw someone sitting in a chair slowly; it was Monty, and he was much much older than the last time. "Jordan... Your mother died today. She was pretty sick the last few years. Clarke, you were right. Her dad's genetic condition finally got her."
My eyes filled with tears as I watched the screen in front of me. I covered my mouth with my hand, wrapping my arm around myself.
"We had a good life. Sometimes... I know she wanted to be with you guys. Maybe I did, too. But if we did that... I wouldn't be able to show you this. Son."
I turned to Jordan as he flipped a switch on the control panel in front of us. The door to the large window in the front of the ship slowly opened and the three of us looked at it. My eyes widened slightly at the sight in front of me. A beautiful planet, that looked much like earth, sat in front of us.
"It took me 30 years, but I finally cracked the Eligius III mission file. Turns out it wasn't a mining mission. After sucking the Earth dry of oil, they went looking for another planet to tap."
My eyes widened slightly as a second sun, a much larger and red sun came into view behind the planet. "Two suns?" I whispered in awe.
"I set the coordinates a week ago," Monty continued. "If I'm right, you should get there in... 75 years. I'm tempted to put myself in Cryo to see it but without Harper... Anyway, it's in the Goldilocks Zone of a binary star system. But that's all I know. Eligius III never radioed back or, if they did, it was after apocalypse one, so, no one heard it. Can you see it? Is it beautiful? It is in my dreams." I didn't hold back the tears in my eyes, letting them slip down my cheeks as I grabbed Bellamy's hand, holding it tightly.
"I hope we do better there. I hope Jasper was wrong and we aren't the problem. I hope your lives there will be as happy as mine has been. Be the good guys... May we meet again."
"May we meet again," the three of us spoke in unison, my voice breaking slightly. I leaned into Bellamy's side, marveling at the beauty of the planet.
°°°
Holy shit you guys!!! We did it! We made it to the end of Season 5! I know you probably all hate me for what I did to Aiden and don't worry, I hate myself too... I can't believe Monty and Harper are gone and they had a baby. May we meet again.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one.
Buh-bye.