Chapter Text
14 Years and 9 months after the Massacre of Sanctum
"You ready, kid? Today's your full day in the hospital." It was Sunday and the whole family for once sat at the big ass table in the kitchen eating breakfast.
Little Oakley stood next to her mother's stool. Raven had worked night and day for the past few weeks to design a brace that enabled the almost one year old girl to stand and learn to walk. It would grow with her for the next years and Raven already had lots of ideas to make life more easier for her and her by now almost 5 cm shorter and slightly crooked leg. The brace itself rightened it some without hurting her and it was connected to a spring that allowed her to walk as naturally as possible without the sole of her left feet touching the ground.
"Yeah,“ Lex was eating fast, having overslept but keen on being punctual at Jacksons service. Even if it was meant as a punishment for his fire stunt in Clarkes Office, he grew to love the time he spent in the hospital. Just yesterday, working half a shift, he told them, excited like a newborn puppy, about how Jackson let him participate in the nurse training, even letting him set an IV to some poor young woman in that class.
He just turned fourteen two months ago, but since a few weeks, Lex was dead set on being a doctor in the future. Murphy was proud of Lex. He had grown so much over the last months, but he and Emori both were equally sad to see their baby boy developed into a little man. Jackson had promised them to let Lex stay a kid, to make the learning experience fun. And it mostly was, so Lex told them each day he was allowed to help out in the hospital - his parents were careful not to overwork him with school and the hospital and to let him be a kid with freetime every once in a while.
The only time Lex was bummed was when he was supposed to work with Clarke, often simulating some tummy pain to stay home. And most of the time, even if they knew better, Murphy and Emori indulge him. Regardless how much they had forgiven Clarke and regardless of the knowledge that at least Murphy had hurt her too, they still got what it felt like not liking Clarke. Speaking of the devil, as Lex probably would mutter, if he was allowed to bad talk her without being grounded.
"We need to talk,“ she said, strolling into the house - they should really start to lock doors. Raven, Penn, Bellamy and Gabriel on her heel.
"Wow, I get a feeling the world's at stake,“ Murphy joked, but when nobody said anything, he just sighed. Sometimes he should just shut up.
"What is this?,“ Gail said, because well, she just came too much after him and despite being only almost twelve, she was witty as fuck, "Is this an invasion?"
Lola poked her into the side. "Shh, Gilly. Looks like Grown-Up talk, there."
"Is everything a joke to you?" Gabriel sighed and Raven agreed: "That's the Murphy family in a nutshell to you."
"You done insulting us?,“ Emori rolled her eyes, ushering the kids outside, before Bellamy told her: "Maybe Lola should stay."
"Then I'm staying too!"
"Lex,“ Murphy warned.
"Let him stay. It's okay,“ Clarke sat down next to Lola, who just watched her sideways. Since 99% of the time Lex opinion was her opinion and vice versa, Lola wasn't the biggest Clarke Fan as well. Since Lola lived with them full time, they had only gotten closer. As much as Murphy wished they were like siblings, they weren't. Murphy shuddered at the thought, but he really should have that talk with them again. It would only be a matter of time before they sat on the porch, hidden from noisy eyes, making out.
Murphy still remembered what it was like to be a teenager and to spend his days away in a cave, kissing Emori until his lips hurt.
"Show them the message, Raven,“ Clarke said.
Raven tapped onto her touchpad - she just developed that months ago and since then wasn't seen much without it. Murphy wasn't sure if she loved her portable, touchable computer more than Penn, who once again stood dutifully at her side.
"Here look,“ she said and read out loud: "The shepherd will die. We beg free passage. Expect message in 600 hours straight. Don’t try to contact. K"
“You sure that translated right?,“ Murphy asked, just as Jordan entered the kitchen with Levitt, Octavia and Indra in tow. Really he will lock it, starting tomorrow.
"Absolutely sure,“ Jordan said. And then: “That’s tonight. 600 hours on Bardo are exactly 9 hours here.”
„Who is K?,“ Lola asked and Murphy thought her question was the most valid.
“I say tonight at 06:20 we will find out,“ Murphy shrugged.
"We definitely won't."
"What, why Clarke?,“ Lola exclaimed.
"We are not opening the Bridge. Not now, not ever. We all swore,“ Raven said.
"I never swore anything,“ Emori said and Murphy nodded. Sounded like those people needed their help. He exchanged a glance with Indra and she nodded agreeable. None of them swore such a thing, not caring about the anomaly much.
"All of us who were involved,“ Octavia answered, but she didn't sound as sure as Clarke and Raven.
"She's involved,“ Lex said, pointing to Lola. "It's a message from Bardo. So let those decide, that came from there. Right, Levitt?"
"For them it has been almost 900 years. None of those people are ours anymore."
"Our people are here. We are safe,“ Clarke agreed. Murphy shook his head. All it needed was a fucking threat and Clarke was back to being her most ugly self again. She had been selfless lots of times, yes, she had saved them more than once, and he was thankful for it. Without Clarke they might have never survived the City of Light or Praimfaya. But she had made so many bad decisions. Decisions that weren’t even hers to make.
"But they aren't." Emori took Murphy's hand - he was so freaking proud of her - and looked to Jordan. "And they are human too."
"That's how we do better, Bell,“ Murphy said. "Raven. Come on, Clarke. Even you know it's the right thing to do."
"I liked you better, when you weren't the hero, Murphy,“ but then Raven nodded and Bellamy did to, after exchanging a glance with Octavia, who brazed herself and said. "Okay."
"Yeah, don't lie, Raven,“ Murphy grinned, knowing full well, she was the one who wanted him to be a man of good morals all those years ago.
"We got work to do,“ Emori stood and nodded at Jordan, who was still Chancellor, even if he did let her take over for a moment. "We need the shield up and running and all people outside of it are going to evacuate to the city center. We aren't taking any risks."
"God, you're so hot right now,“ Murphy whispered in her ear, and she blushed. Even after all those years.
"We need an army. Octavia, Penn, Bellamy you with me,“ Indra, almost sixty but still a warrior by heart, said and left the house. Murphy thought as much as she loved the peace, maybe she might have missed it a bit - leading an army.
— —
"We got a message, guys,“ Raven screamed at nineteen minutes after six. "Open Bridge Now. Count of 120S. Beg free passage for 47Head. White Flag, don‘t shoot. K. - Come on, Gabriel, Jordan. Open now."
Murphy looked ahead to the green light, wishing Emori would be next to him and able to see it. In the dark of their bedroom she had once told him, years ago, that she found the anomaly interesting, if only for the fact that it was a mystery to unfold.
But in fact, the others had been right this morning. Bardo had never been their fight. Not his, not Emoris, not Indras. They had told him, he didn't need to come. He should stay with Emori and his kids, with the People of Sanctum. But Murphy had looked at Lola and suddenly he had needed to kiss Emori, passionate and apologizing, and she had shooed him off to go with Indra's army of Wonkru People, some lone former Eligius Prisoners and a couple of CoG who wanted to help out, telling them, the woods were still their weapon and they knew it like no other.
So now Murphy stood there staring at the green light, off to the side with the science group, consisting of Raven, Gabriel, Levitt and Jordan. What fun.
Suddenly people emerged from the green fuzzy ball of energy. Murphy lost count, but suddenly he saw it. A young guy, covered in blood and goo - in fact all of them were young, some of them clearly kids, but nobody else was dirty. The guy made his way from the very back of the group to the front, holding up a head.
"Don't shoot,“ he screamed, throwing the severed head to Indra's feet. "We come in peace. The Shepherd is dead."
Then there was quietness. Almost. Murphy heard the rustling of the woods. He heard panting, almost like the beginning of a panic attack. Was it the guy? Murphy wasn't sure. Maybe it was someone else. And then Indra said: "Who are you?"
"I'm Konrad. We are Rebels of Bardo. We need … we need…"
“Okay, Konrad,“ Murphy made his way through the army, Bellamy suddenly on his heels. When Murphy stood in front of the boy, he looked him over. There was blood even in his dark and messy short ponytail and his brown eyes looked tired and full of panic, even if he tried to be the hard guy, standing in front of that group of kids and teens.
"I'm John Murphy and you need a shower, wash off the rest of Bill here. Come on. My house is just minutes away.”
“It’s not going to work like that. Not this time,“ Bellamy warned him. Just like Clarke, Bellamy didn’t seem to cope well with the situation. Just like her, he fell into his old ways really fast. Murphy hoped, for their sake and Sanctums, that the peace lasted. Clarke and Bellamy certainly weren’t ready to do better when faced with a new enemy. Bellamy was just back to being Clarkes soldier again, as if the past fifteen years hadn’t happened. They certainly needed to go to the therapy center more often.
“What? What kind of fucking teacher are you, Bellamy?” What kind of father, Murphy thought, but he didn`t say it aloud. Bellamy was his friend, his brother in fact. They had hurt each other enough for a lifetime and brothers weren`t supposed to do that. “We are not leaving them here to fend for themselves in the woods and we don't lock them up or whatever.”
“You can’t adopt everyone.”
“Not what I’m doing here.”
“You are, Murphy. And I don’t allow it,“ Clarke said and he knew she thought of Lola and Ryder and maybe of all the Sanctum kids he and Emori had sorta adopted when shit hit the fan. Maybe she even thought of Madi. Maybe in some ways, Murphy and Emori hadn’t changed as much, too. But Murphy thought they were in the right here. Kids, wherever they came from, needed protection. No matter if their faces were covered in blood or chocolate .
“There’s nothing I need your permission for.”
“Talk to Emori. She’s gonna have the same opinion as we do. Come on, Konrad. We need to have a very long talk ourselves,“ Bellamy said, not as harsh as Clarke. Clarke really hated Bardo, maybe not as much as Echo, who refused to have anything to do with this shit show, as she called it. Murphy would know why, if he had listened more closely to their stories of the last war that never happened, stupid tests and a crazy cult leader called Bill. Head lying to his feet right now.
“Yes,“ Konrads' gaze shifted from Bellamy to Murphy and he said: “Thanks, Mr. Murphy. Really.“ But Murphy just shook his head and stood in front of Konrad, shielding him from the army, not really knowing what got to him. But look at them, they were a bunch of kids. No fucking Rebels, Murphy thought. They were kids, some of them still babies in his eyes, looking into the barrel of a gun.
“He is a kid. And before he is answering any more of your questions, he’s gonna have a shower, some food and a nap. You need a nap, Konrad?”
“I’m … I’m good, really, Mr. Murphy.” Murphy knew it was what he had expected. He was asking for safe passage, knowing full well nobody would trust him. Not even when he took the Shepherds head as a proof. Poor kid.
“He’s not. He’s lying,“ a petite girl, sixteen, seventeen and most, just like Konrad himself probably, said, “Konrad is up for days now and the blood is making him shake!” That was it, Murphy nudged Bellamy to the side.
“Yeah, you‘re with me, kid. All of you. Gonna feed you and then we’ll find you a home, me and my wife. Because”, he looked at Indra, Bellamy and Clarke, challenging them to say anything, “that’s what we always do.”
— —
„The Shepherd was my father. One time he woke up from cryo and he decided he needed an heir. So they made me,“ Konrad said, clean now and a bowl of soup in front of him. Murphy had stood by his word and the first thing he did, while Konrad was showering the blood off in their bathroom, was making dinner for 47 hungry kids and teenagers. "I don‘t have a mom anymore then they do but I always knew that the Shepherd was my father. It was boon and bane at the same time. I had much more leeway but I knew they expected me to be something special. Something more. Wiser, like they thought him to be. I only met him twice, three times if you count today. He wasn’t wise. Bill was a fool.“
"Not that I can be the judge of it,“ Murphy said, thinking of his friends who were involved in the Bardo Thing all those years ago. "But I know lots of people who would agree with you."
"I know,“ Konrad said, almost inhaling the warm soup, before pointing the spoon to a girl with fiery red hair. She waved at them from her seat on the couch. "Gemma found a way to listen in on you, thanks to the wavelengths of your radios. Don't worry. None of the Sheeps has a clue how that works."
"Yeah, that's comforting." Murphy put a hand up to his neck, suddenly as all kids were fed, he was out of his wits. What now? Where was Emori, when he needed her to do the hero thing their friends alleged them of.
"We are not here to harm you. We don't want anything from you,“ the petite girl from before - Konrad had called her Meg - told him, just as Bellamy, Clarke and Octavia came strolling into his house, like it belonged to them. Jordan, Indra, Emori, Lola and Lex followed them more quietly. Murphy supposed she left the little ones with their friends in the City Center. That was good, not that Murphy thought Konrad and his group of wannabe rebels would do them any harm, but better safe than sorry.
"Then what do you want?" Octavia said, calm but voice full of suspicion.
"Just to … we want to go to earth. That's the plan,“ Konrad offered, intimidated by all the people. All the kids seemed to be on alert suddenly.
"Earth is destroyed,“ Clarke said. She still sounded sad about it. Murphy wasn't. Sanctum was his home. He almost never thought back to Earth with longing. Not to the Ring or to the Ark either. Sanctum had made him a happy man.
"It isn't,“ Gemma said, standing up from the couch and making her way over.
"At least she thinks it isn't,“ another guy, blond and muscled, said, as he laid an arm around the petite girl. They seemed to be a thing, what would explain that little bump she was spotting. Teenage pregnancy, what fun, Murphy thought. He definitely needed to have that talk again with Lola and Lex.
"You brought us his head. You were covered in blood. That's not exactly the peace offering we expected."
"What?" Konrad explained, suddenly angered by whatever part of Jordans speech. "So you'd just have believed us that he was dead? Fuck, course you wouldn't."
"I think they would have,“ Lola looked to Murphy, then to Emori. "Trust me, some of them would have."
"And you are?"
"I was from Bardo. I'm Lola'', she said and Murphy would have definitely laughed at the sudden jealous spark in Lex's gaze, if the situation wasn't as fucked up. That must have been somehow like Trikru felt, when suddenly 100 punk kids landed in their territory, right? Murphy looked at Indra. Yeah, right. He huffed either way.
"What about trying out Sanctum for a while?,“ Emori said and Murphy was proud, how well he and his wife understood each other. Doing better, just like Monty wanted them to.