Chapter Text
Who would've thought the daughter of two known criminals would end up locked up? I'll do you one better, who would've thought that same daughter would be a part of the first people to return to Earth in 97 years? Not you.
But here you were.
"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankid itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odd of survival were better, we would've sent others." A voice - Jaha's - explains calmy. "Frankly, we've sent you because your crimes have made you expendable. And if, however, you do survive your crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean..." He continues, but you've stopped listening.
For the first time, you look around you. You recognize a few faces - Jasper, Monty, Harper - your gaze quickly finds Finn, who's gotten out of his seat. A cry for attention, most likely, as the group cheers him on.
"Go, Finn!"
"Check it out, your dad floated me after all." Finn speaks, you barely hear it over Jaha's voice. You assume he's taunting Wells, who wouldn't be? Especially now after his father sent you all to die.
"You should strap in before the parachutes deploy." Wells responds, unamused yet concerned.
"Hey, you two! Stay put if you want to live!" Clarke orders, as two guys were taking off their seatbelts. "Stay in your seats!" She repeats.
Then it all comes crashing down.
The world tilted, the ship screeched as metal met metal, chaos erupting. You barely had time to brace yourself before it all went dark.
The machine hum disappears as the lights flicker. The belt buckles all click off and everyone immediately gets up. Looking around, everyone seems shocked. As if they can't believe where they are, or the situation they're in. Truth be told, you can't believe it either.
Clarke runs over to the boy on the ground. "Finn, is he breathing?" You hear faintly as you climb down the ladder to the lower floor. You spot a guard — or someone in a guards uniform.
"The door is on the lower level!" You call out, as you push towards the front of the group. The guard (whom you recognize as Bellamy Blake) holds out his arm, in attempts to push the group back.
"Hey, just back it up, guys." As he speaks, Clarke climbs down the ladder.
"Stop!" She yells, moving towards Bellamy. "The air could be toxic."
"If the air's toxic, we're all dead anyway." You chime in. You don't mean to bring down anyone's spirits, you merely state a fact. "It's not like we can stay in here forever."
Bellamy nods over at the blonde. Then he hears her.
"Bellamy?"
Your attention is redirected at the voice behind you. You spot a brunette around your age. She's pretty, you think as she approaches the guard. You hear a whisper. Thats the girl they hid under the floor. Your eyes travel back to her in surprise.
You watch the two siblings share a moment. Then, Clarke speaks. "Where's your wristband?"
The pretty girl turns to glare at her in annoyance. "Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year."
"No one has a brother!"
"That's Octavia Blake! The girl they found hidden in the floor." Someone announces. The crowd begins to mutter, and someone has the audacity to laugh.
So they locked her up for what — being born? Your eyes on her. Though it doesn't surprise you, it's a ridiculous situation. She shouldn't be here, you think. She's not a criminal. But in the eyes of the Chancellor, you suppose she is.
As you think, the door opens. Your eyes narrow, not used to such light. You take in the view, the trees, the sun. But no one dares to move. Until, the girl — Octavia, as you overheard — takes a reluctant step, breathing in the fresh air. She waits a moment, before walking all the way down. Once she reaches the ground, she looks around before finally exclaiming.
"We're back, bitches!"
—
Once on Earth, you realize a couple things. One, it's nothing like space. You can actually breathe freely, without having to worry about how much oxygen there is. Two, mosquitoes are annoying little shits. And three, you're going to need some allies.
Which is how you ended up with Jasper and Monty. You barely know them, truthfully. But they're approachable and relatively harmless.
"How's Earth treating you, Watson?" Monty grins, bumping his shoulder with yours. "Is it everything you've ever dreamed of?"
"It's hot. And mosquitoes keep biting me." Your dry tone makes him and Jasper laugh. Then, Jasper walks up behind Wells and Clarke, peering over their shoulders.
"Ah, cool, a map." He starts, looking at the blonde. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you a beer—" Jasper gets pushed back by Wells. Uncalled for, but alright.
"You mind?"
"Hey, hey, hey. Hands off him, he's with us." Another voice interrupts. Your gaze lands on Murphy and some guys whose names you don't know. Jasper walks back to you and Monty, with an annoyed yet confused expression.
"Relax. We're just trying to figure out where we are." Wells defends. You can't help but roll your eyes.
"We're on the ground. That not good enough for you?" Bellamy interjects from next to Octavia.
You, Jasper and Monty take a step back, as you watch it unfold.
"We need to find Mount Weather." Wells starts walking towards Bellamy. "You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."
"Screw your father." Octavia speaks. "What? You think you're in charge here? You and your little princess?" She scowls.
"Do you think we care who's in charge?" Clarke retorts. "We need to get to Mount Weather. Not because the chancellor said so but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll be and the harder this'll be." She continues. "How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a 20 mile trek, okay?"
"So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave. Now."
"I got a better idea." Everyone turns to Bellamy as he speaks. "You two go. Find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change." The crowd agrees with him, yelling out 'Yeah!' and nodding along.
"You're not listening. We all need to go." Wells argues, looking around for support. You nod, finding it obvious. Murphy steps up from behind you, pushing Wells back.
"Look at this everybody. The Chancellor of Earth." He mocks, and you can hear the smirk in his tone.
"Think that's funny?" Famous last words as he falls back.
"No but that was."
Before the two can start a full-on fight, Finn drops down. Seriously what was he doing up there? "Kid's got one leg. How bout you wait until it's a fair fight."
Murphy moves back into the crowd. Your eyes are trained on him as you take him in. He acts before thinking, he's impulsive and aggressive. He's the type of guy you usually steer clear of.
As the crowd dispersed, you turn back to Jasper, Monty and some others. "He had it coming." Someone says, with a shrug. "He thinks he's in charge."
You roll your eyes. "He's trying to help us survive. We need food, don't we?" You say, looking at the male expectantly. He doesn't meet your gaze.
"It's his attitude thats annoying. I mean—" Before Jasper can finish his sentence, Finn grabs him and Monty.
"4 of us. Can we go now?" You overhear, looking over your shoulder. There go your allies. You sigh, walking away from the group.
—
Pushing past Murphy, you look over at Wells. "Find any water yet?" You ask, but then your eyes trail over to the writing on the wall.
First son first to dye.
"Not yet. I'm going back out if you guys want to come." He stares at the writing before looking back at you, Murphy and Mbege. Murphy chuckles.
"Y'know, my father, he begged for mercy in the airlock chamber when your father floated him."
Wells merely pushes past him, bumping into his shoulder. "You spelled die wrong, geniuses."
In comes Bellamy. "If you're gonna kill someone it's probably best not to announce it."
"You're not really a member of the guard, are you?" Murphy asks, with a smug expression.
"No. But the real guard will be here soon unless we stop it." He's speaking only to Murphy and Mbege, while you're to the side, watching the encounter. "You don't actually think they're gonna forgive your crimes."
Silence.
"Even if they do, then what?" Bellamy continues his little speech. "Guys like us, we're gonna become model citizens now, get jobs, if we're lucky, maybe pick up their trash?"
"You got a point?" Mbege interrupts, annoyed.
"No, I got a question. They locked you up, dumped you down here like lab rats to die. So why are you helping them?" You have to hand it to Bellamy, he makes a great point. Even if he's trying to save his own ass.
"The hell we are." Mbege scoffs.
"You're wearing those bracelets, aren't you?" You look at your own bracelet, intrigued. "Right now, those things are telling them whether or not it's safe to follow us down."
"Okay. You said we could stop it. How?" Murphy finally speaks.
"Take them off." Bellamy replies, as if it's nothing. "The Ark will think you're dead, that it's not safe to follow. You follow?"
Murphy's smirk reappears. "Right, and if we do, I mean, what's in it for us?"
"Someone has got to help me run things." And there it is. Before he can walk away, you make yourself known.
"I want in." Your voice interjects, drawing Bellamy's attention. You cross your arms.
His lips form into a mocking grin, copying your stance. He glances over at Murphy and Mbege, who share the same expression. "You want in?" He laughs.
"To your little boy's club. I want in." You clarify, expression unwavering. Your eyes travel to Murphy, before going back to Bellamy. "You'll need me."
Your words make him laugh again, as he takes a step closer. "Why would I need you?" He challenges. With the way he towers over you, you think he's trying to intimidate you. It doesn't work.
You let out an annoyed sigh, eyes trailing over to the writing carved onto the wall. "You clearly need someone with a brain." Your eyebrows raise, as you look back at Bellamy. You hear Murphy scoff in the background, but your gaze doesn't leave Bellamy's.
He looks down at you, amused. For a moment you think he'll push you away, refusing your help. But you know he needs allies, followers. So, he nods. "Alright, sure. Welcome to the club, Sherlock."
Your eyes narrow. "It's Watson." But he's already off.
You feel eyes on you, so you turn slightly, your gaze meeting Murphy's. He studies you with an unreadable expression, perhaps intrigued. He doesn't look away when you return his gaze. You take the opportunity to look him up and down, before turning away to set up your tent.
With your back turned, you don't notice his eyes lingering on you.
—
Joining Bellamy was a smart move. At least, you thought so until he ordered you to collect firewood, while him and his boys go off to do God knows what. You don't mind being excluded, in fact, you were counting on it. Your plan is to lay low to not draw too much attention, but be at least allies with someone in power.
But, at some point, Murphy waltzes over to where you're gathering wood. You're crouched down, looking up at him through squinted eyes. "You need something?"
He merely smirks, perhaps studying you. "Yeah, your bracelet." He twirls the knife in his hand. He crouches down next to you, waiting for you to give him your wrist.
You tilt your head, looking down at the bracelet. You hesitate, but you're not sure why. It's not like anyone will miss you up there. Maybe it's because cutting off your last bit of contact with the Ark seems... final.
Perhaps you should've joined Clarke's side, you muse.
Your eyes snap back up to Murphy, before you extend your wrist. "Go ahead."
He gets to work quick, letting out a chuckle. "Don't think your folks will miss you?" He mocks, his usual smirk gracing his lips. His eyes stay trained on the bracelet as he fumbles around with it.
"No folks to miss me." Your tone is flat, perhaps careful not to give anything away.
He doesn't respond right away, finally clicking off the bracelet, letting it fall with a thud. He lingers there for a moment, scanning you over. It's when you first notice his eyes. You find them pretty, you're not sure why, but you do.
Murphy's eyes flickered to yours, brief but calculated, like he's sizing you up. Or checking you out. You do the same, but much more subtly.
Before he can say anything else, you stand back up. "Thanks." Is all you say, before walking off to gather more wood.
—
You find yourself sat against a tree stump, watching as a group forms around the fire, as Murphy and Mbege take off people's bracelets. The crowd cheers them on.
You remain seated, observing the scene unfold as Murphy takes another bracelet off with an almost too-eager smirk. He tosses it into a growing pile, and you can't help but think of how reckless this might all be.
Yet, there's something about Murphy that catches your eye, but you're not sure what it is quite yet. He's a character, for sure. Quick to follow this rebellion Bellamy initiated. It tells you he's not a leader, though neither are you.
And while you technically stand with Bellamy's crew, you're not sure if you stand with him. It's survival, but his way is definitely reckless. You don't trust him just yet.
"Who's next?" Bellamy's voice cuts through the crowd, but Murphy's gaze shifts from the bracelets to you, lingering longer than it should.
You pretend not to notice, leaning back and focusing on the fire in front of you, but your mind keeps circling back to him. He's impulsive, but there's more going on under the surface, you're sure of it. You file that thought away for later.
Right now, you're playing your part, just like everyone else.
As the fire crackles and the chaos of the night continues, you feel his eyes on you again, and this time you glance up to meet his stare, challenging him without words. He doesn't look away. A slow smirk forms on his lips, and there's a glint in his eyes that tells you he's not as unaffected as he seems.
You look back at the fire, heat rising to your cheeks. It's not the flames.
Suddenly Wells appears. "What the hell are you doing?" he asks.
"We're liberating ourselves." Bellamy responds, with a cocky smirk. "What does it look like?"
"It looks like you're trying to get us all killed." And as you watch, you really can't understand why Wells even bothers. Last time he tried arguing he nearly got his ass kicked, and now, again? "The communication system is dead. These wristbands are all we've got. Take them off, and the ark will think we're dying, that it's not safe for them to follow."
"That's the point, Chancellor." A few laugh. "We can take care of ourselves, can't we?" Bellamy yells again, causing the group to respond with an enthusiastic 'yeah!'.
"You think this is a game?" Wells begins, turning towards the people. "Those aren't just our friends and parents up there. They're our farmers, our doctors, our engineers. I don't care what he tells you, we won't survive here on our own." Turning back to Bellamy, he continues.
"And besides, if it really is safe, how could you not want the rest of our people to come down?"
"My people already are down." Bellamy's response is quick. "Those people locked my people up. Those people killed my mother for the crime of having a second child. Your father did that."
"My father didn't write the laws." Wells defends, and you feel bad for him. Although he's right, there's no reasoning with the group.
"No. He enforced them, but not anymore, not here. Here, there are no laws. Here, we do whatever the hell we want, whenever the hell we want." Bellamy smirks as the crowd cheers for him. You think he must love the attention. "Now, you don't have to like it, Wells. You can even try to stop it or change it, kill me. You know why? Whatever the hell we want."
"Whatever the hell we want!" Murphy yells, and the crowd follows, chanting. And as it begins to rain, the people grow more excited.
You find you quite like the rain. Despite the ruckus, it's peaceful.
—
You fall asleep to Wells' screams, pleading the group — Bellamy — not to take his bracelet. You shut your eyes tighter.