Flying Visit II

28th April 4:35 AM; Inside the Second Dawn Bunker

The door slammed open, interrupting their steamy moment. Monty and Harper had just begun a brief lovemaking session before they were so harshly and rudely interrupted. And now Raven was standing in the middle of the door, looking at them unimpressed, but actually annoyed. As if she should have known this was going to happen.

"Get dressed. We have visitors. Bellamy, Echo and some others are coming. In a few minutes, actually. They're bringing supplies and some last-minute reinforcements..." She paused for a moment and observed as Monty slowly unrolled from Harper, "Murphy's coming too."

"Raven!" Monty finally said, once he had digested the first wave of shock, "Will you ever learn to knock on someone's door before you enter?"

"Maybe I will finally learn if you two will tell me the next time what you were up to," she said with a more than accusatory undertone. She still looked at them, not feeling ashamed or uncomfortable in the least. Her eyes pierced them. Raven countered: "We are meeting in five minutes at the main office... Emori's running hot fixing that water pump. Could use your help. But first we need to discuss a few things with Bellamy," she said before turning and leaving.

Monty and Harper looked at each other in confusion. As always, Raven's words left room for interpretation. Although five minutes might be just enough to finish their intimate moment if they hurried, the feeling in his lower body told Monty that this was far from happening. "Sometimes I really hate her," Harper grumbled, "how would she take it if we walked in casually while she's in the middle of..."

"The only difference is that we couldn't even get to the middle of it..." Monty laughed softly as he rolled over to the side of the bed.

"So we're not finishing?" Harper asked him slightly disappointed when she noticed that he was about to get out of bed.

"I'm sorry. That just killed it for a while," he said with an embarrassed smile. "She's such a bitch," Harper complained as she watched him sitting at the bedside, "I promise she'll pay for this."

The reality was that this rude interruption made his mind focus on all the problems they had to face in the next couple of days and - on a larger scale - in the next couple of months. Starting with Clarke's uncertain condition, there were too many things to think about. And now he started to get angry with Raven as well. For a few minutes he almost managed to forget everything.

"Yes," Monty remarked, "but now I'm curious. Why are they coming back? Especially so close to the storm. What's so important. Do you think...?"

"What? You mean... Clarke?" Harper asked him, guessing correctly. "Yeah. Something's weird. They didn't talk about the radio and..." Monty expressed his concern. "The radio doesn't work. It allows us to say hello every 10 minutes or so...and that's it," Harper said, "They probably couldn't say anything. Then she realized that wasn't helping at all. "Yes, and that's why I'm worried," Monty said, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking over at her. "Hey," Harper said as she crawled naked across the bed towards him.

When she reached him she hugged him gently from behind, "I don't think they're going to... you know... bring her body down or...?" She immediately made a sad face as she realized what she had just said. Monty made the same face and grabbed her to hug her back. Harper whispered a hoarse "Sorry" into his ear as they stayed like that for a few moments. "I just mean... they would have told us..."

"She's fine," Monty assured her and himself, trying to find a more positive and uplifting thought. "I know... I'm sorry," Harper mumbled and began to hug him, "She would have wanted us to stay here anyway. We can do our best here."

"You don't have to remind me. But thank you..." Monty said with a brief smile and kissed her before they both got dressed and quickly left the room.

4:55 AM: Aboard the Gagarin

As soon as the roar of Gagarin's engines faded, Bellamy and Echo rose from their seats simultaneously. "Let's not waste any time," Bellamy said loudly enough for everyone in the cabin to hear. Shaw had also risen from his seat and turned to them. He gave Bellamy a concerned look. Bellamy was more than aware that Shaw just wanted to see Raven. And in a way, he had to admit that they somehow deserved this time together. All circumstances aside. And otherwise he wouldn't have been so willing and - together with Murphy - the driving force behind this.

A sudden but forceful tap on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. It was Echo. She pulled him closer so that only he was within earshot. "I know what you are thinking. Raven needs to stay here. Things will be a lot harder to fix without her. You know that. So please don't be a merrymaker right now. Stick to the plan".She sounded as if she was admonishing him. But she probably was. Bellamy looked at her in surprise before nodding in agreement. She was right. Murphy had almost managed to soften him up. This whole trip - now that it was already underway - seemed ridiculous, except for the conversation with Raven and Monty, which he was looking forward to the most. In the end, it was better to fix the radio here on the ground and discuss some kind of work schedule for the next few days. And with Indra as backup, security would be much tighter. Just in case something unthinkable happened. He hoped that Madi's mercy would make the prisoners think about what they had done. And how they would move forward from that point. After all, he wasn't sure if Madi would keep her mercy for them if they didn't take their chance and try to find their peaceful way in this new society.

"Yeah, you're right. Don't worry, I'm not planning anything like that. He and Raven have to go through this..." Bellamy assured her.

This made Echo's face change to a more pleased expression, "I know you get soft when it comes to other people's welfare. But this is for the greater good." Echo told him. "You almost sound like Kane... or Clarke," Belllamy remarked with a short laugh. "Because it's common sense..." Echo told him as she walked with him to the door and then through the drop ship corridor. Meanwhile, the hand-picked crew wasted no time in preparing and unloading the equipment they had selected to bring to the bunker to speed up their efforts.

Everyone was already on duty and Bellamy spotted a familiar face, though he had only known it for a short time. The man Bellamy looked at seemed to be in his early thirties and was the healer Jackson had chosen to come with them since Jackson had to stay on the Eligius. He and Miller weren't as lucky as Raven and Shaw, who would be reunited in a few minutes.

"Kesbran, right?" Beallamy asked the man who seemed to be waiting to be called. He nodded firmly, "That's right," his voice sounded a bit too high and also a bit hoarse for his appearance, as he was almost a head taller than him. Although he was not as muscular as the normal warriors, he was far from weak. In fact, right now he seemed to have the upper hand in a potential fight between the two. But Bellamy could already tell that he was one of the softer kind, who didn't seek trouble and destruction. And his profession only seemed to underline that fact.

"Thanks for coming with us, by the way," Bellamy thanked him, knowing that he, as well, might have planned his stay on the Eligius and not at the place where Octavia had ruled her bloody reign. Even more bizarre was the fact that it was him, her brother, who was asking him to come back to the ground.

"I'm not too eager to go back here," Kesbran told him while checking a crate of medical supplies. "Neither are we," Bellamy let him know. Some part of Bellamy expected that kind of answer. But Bellamy was also surprised by Kesbran's willingness to follow his call. "But it wasn't a hard decision for me. My friends are here too. At least the ones that survived," he told Bellamy with a bitter undertone. "I'm sorry to hear that..." Bellamy tried to offer his condolences. Kesbran made a sad and pained expression, followed by a quick nod to let him know he understood and accepted his condolences. "Let's hope the deaths were not in vain," he said then.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. And I hope the same... Thanks again for helping us," Bellamy assured him, while looking over his shoulder at Echo.

She gave him a half amused, half annoyed look. Echo couldn't tell if she was proud of how hard Bellamy tried to keep everything running, or if she was getting more and more annoyed with his almost "too much" attitude. Of course he was ambitious. And dedicated. After all, he had risked not only his own life, but also that of his sister and the friendship with his best friend to be where he was now. Echo wondered how far he would go to make this dream come true. After all, she too had dreamed of a peaceful life. The last six years had changed her.

Once Kesbran had completed his quick inventory check, as he hadn't been able to do this rather important task before they left the Eligius, he nodded to Bellamy and together they lifted the supply crate. "How is Wanheda? She's your friend, right?" Kesbran asked him as she carried him down the ramp. "'Yeah, she's fine. Already awake and recovering," Bellamy replied. He realized that more people seemed to care about Clarke's fate than he had thought. Of course, Clarke - or rather Wanheda - was still famous among the people of Wonkru.

"This is good news. Heda and Wanheda. I never thought to use those two names again..." Kesbran said. He looked at Bellamy for an awkwardly long time. Bellamy could already see what was coming next. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up again as he thought about it. "Bloodreina's time better be over now," Kesbran said, confirming his initial fear, "I know she's your sister..." He added thoughtfully after a short pause. "Great..." Bellamy had already guessed that he would have to face the consequences of Octavia's actions sooner or later. Especially since he was her brother, and that fact seemed to be fairly well known among the remnants of Wonkru.

"How does everyone feel about her?" Bellamy asked him curiously, "I know most of them hate her, and I don't blame them, but do you think..." This might be the best step to find out how to "fix" his sister. To find out how much damage she really did and how to fix it while keeping her out of the line of fire of any potential vengeful beings. To protect her. He couldn't protect her from herself, but maybe he could protect her from everyone else. Knowing that Clarke was safe and their friendship was restored, he felt partially relieved. To deal with the next problem.

"Depends..." Kesbran said. "Don't worry. I don't hold a grudge against her. Nor do I wish to take revenge on her. If that's what you think." Kesbran added, seeing Bellamy's sober expression.

"Great. At least one individual less..." He commented sarcastically.

"You can't change everyone's perception of her in one day. She did terrible things. But so have others. I admire the way you protect her. Despite what she did. That must be the love between brothers and sisters. I always wished I had a sister. Or a sibling in general..." Kesbran remarked a bit pitifully.

"She's not just my sister. I helped my mother raise her... She's my responsibility... Or was... I don't know..." Bellamy revealed to the man he had known for no more than an hour. Not even an hour. "Most of us from space are only children. Octavia and I are the only exceptions. At least that was the case in the past. But now the times are different, now it's the future..." He continued to explain to Kesbran. 

"Yeah, you're probably right," Kesbran agreed as they slowly lowered the crate to the ground, slightly away from the Gagarin. It was pitch black around them, with only the bright spotlights of the dropship illuminating the surroundings. "Can you be my eyes and ears here? Listen to what the others are saying about her. I know she caused a lot of pain, but she's still my sister and..." Belamy asked him. "I know. Sure. Don't worry," Kesbran reassured him with a flat smile. Then Bellamy looked around. Nearly everyone had gathered in front of the dropship, looking at him expectantly.

"It's now 5:01..." Shaw said suddenly from behind him, "so let's hurry up and try to leave this area before 11. Better be 10 or so... The clouds are already pretty dense here. And the wind is very gusty..."

"Yeah, five hours I'd say. When I give the signal, everyone goes back to the Gagarin," Bellamy said with a raised voice "Everyone has 10 minutes after we give the signal to assemble at the drop ship. Anyone who does not make it in time will stay here for the next few days" Bellamy waited until he received a few short nods. Enough to assume that everyone had understood the announcement. "All right," Bellamy concluded with satisfaction.

Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he spotted some familiar buildings - or what was left of them. Shaw had landed the Gagarin almost perfectly. The way to the bunker must be short, only a few hundred meters, he estimated. The entrance was covered by several layers of tarps held in place by a series of very strong ropes. They hadn't had time to prepare it, so the fighting pit would (most likely) remain partially exposed to the elements as a reminder of the storm. But the rest of the bunker probably wasn't affected anyway.

"Bellamy!" Echo's voice rang out as a short but powerful gust of wind swept over their heads. She made a hand gesture before pointing straight into the pitch-black distance. As his eyes focused on the direction, he saw a single dark figure approaching them. And it wasn't alone, as several more silhouettes began to emerge from the bunker entrance. "Looks like our message still got through to them," Shaw remarked as he noticed them as well. Soon the group was within earshot. A voice called his name and he recognized it immediately. It was Nathan Miller. Bellamy took the opportunity to catch Miller in the final yards. When they reached each other, Miller greeted him with a quick and powerful handshake.

"Good to see you, Miller. Everything okay here so far?" He asked him, getting right to the point. "Yes, everything is normal here. And up?" Miller said. "Yeah, very quiet. Almost boring... And I've got some good news: Clarke is awake... She seems to have made it," Bellamy informed him. "Oh thank God..." Miller said with a relieved face, "I thought the worst had happened..."

"Abby and especially Jackson are the real heroes here..." Bellamy acknowledged, "And you, of course..." He added, making Miller smile briefly. In the meantime, Miller's colleagues had also arrived at the drop ship. Now there were more than two dozen people gathered in front of the drop ship. "A lot of helping hands..." Bellamy remarked with satisfaction. Not only would this allow the supplies to be transported to the bunker in a short time, but it also meant that there might be some extra time to do some last minute work - like repairing the radio system and making some additional contingency plans. Just in case.

Meanwhile, Murphy had also managed to limp down Gagarin's boarding ramp. When Bellamy spotted him, he realized that he had somehow forgotten Murphy for a moment. "Don't worry about me. I just got shot recently. Nothing worse. But I guess I'm okay..." Murphy commented sarcastically. "Hey, it was your idea after all. You can still come back with us if you don't feel right..." Bellamy said in return. "No, chance Bellamy…" Murphy blocked off his half-serious offer.

"Then let's not waste any time," Bellamy declared, nodding in agreement with Miller. "We'll take it all at once," Bellamy shouted, and the others did not hesitate and began to carry out what sounded more like an order than an announcement. "Back to the roots," Miller commented with a laugh, helping Bellamy carry the nearest crate to the bunker. Soon a small caravan was on its way to the bunker. Each one packed with supplies, cargo, or other equipment. 

By the time they reached the bunker, the wind gusts had surprisingly subsided. While it was a relief to finally not have to shout every other word since they were about to enter the cramped bunker anyway, it was almost humiliating that the wind stopped just as they were about to enter the safe inside, as if the weather or nature itself were making fun of them. Bellamy looked down the entrance. He spotted Raven, who started to smile when she saw him. "Hey!" She called up to greet him. "Good to see you," Bellamy greeted her as well.

"After you," Miller said, inviting him to be the first to enter the bunker through the entrance hole. The wire rope hoist was still operational and had even been slightly modified to carry more people and, most importantly, more weight. "Go, we'll take care of the cargo." Miller assured him, understanding the urgency of the visit. As Bellamy began to attach the climbing gear to himself, he realized that he already had some experience with it. "I'll see you down there," Bellamy said to Echo and Murphy before he started to lower himself into the former fighting pit. The closer he got to the bottom, the more tension rose in his body. He began to feel increasingly uncomfortable as memories of past events flooded his mind. As soon as Bellamy's feet touched the ground, Raven reached out for him, giving him a quick hug before helping him out of the rope. A quick thumbs up from him signaled to the others that the next person could come down as well.

"I swear to you, the radio is..." Raven began as soon as he was free of the device. "Don't worry. We bought some parts to fix it... or at least make it better..." Bellamy reassured her as he looked up and saw that Murphy and Shaw were now the next to come down. Shaw had Murphy tied to him and slowly began to lower them into the remains of the former fighting pit. "Hey, Murphy," Raven greeted him with a gentle hug, aware of his fragile condition after he and Shaw had also reached the bottom. Then she helped them both out of their gear. Before anyone could say a word, she gave Shaw a passionate kiss that lasted several seconds, leaving Bellamy and Murphy slightly uncomfortable. So Bellamy decided it would be best to leave Raven and Shaw alone for a moment and look back up. He saw that Echo and Indra were now in the process of preparing to descend as well once the gear was pulled back up.

Meanwhile, Shaw and Raven had finally finished their slightly over-ambitious reunion. "Everything okay?" Raven asked when she saw his pensive and uncomfortable expression. To be fair, Bellamy really didn't care or even notice how he looked to those around him. "Oh yeah... sure," Bellamy replied quickly. But before Raven could dig any deeper or think of a more confident answer, the door leading to the bunker inside swung open and Emori, followed by Monty and Harper, appeared to greet them as well.

"John," Emori's voice echoed through the former battle pit. Then she stormed to Murphy's side, stopping only at the last inch, and fell into his arms. Despite making a soft, painful groan, he grabbed Emori and kissed her hard. Catching Raven's irritated face, Bellamy struggled not to give her the "that's what you two looked like" face. 

"Bellamy!" Monty greeted him as they exchanged a quick half hug, "What a nice surprise."

"What brings you here?" asked Harper as she greeted him.

"We have work to do," Indra's stern and serious face was enough to get everyone back to their duties. Bellamy and the others hadn't noticed the fast and silent descent of the Echo and Indra. "Yes, she's right," Bellamy agreed, "and we have a few things to discuss."

"Let's go inside then," Raven invited them. "We can go to the main office," Monty suggested. After the group silently agreed to his suggestion, they started walking. For some reason, the atmosphere was strangely tense. Bellamy was surprised to find that the cleanup had included the former fighting pit. Aside from small remains - some of them possibly human - and the disturbing and probably eternal stench of blood and rotting flesh, the pit was almost 'clean'. "As much as that word could ever apply to this place again," Bellamy thought as he tried to get past it as quickly as possible. He didn't want to spend any more time in this place and almost pushed Monty, who was leading the group just a few steps ahead of him. 

The inside of the bunker itself was cold, as if the approaching weather cell had already reached its interior. Except for Monty, Murphy, and Emori, everyone else was silent.

"Clarke?" Raven suddenly asked him, breaking their silent walk, "Is..."

"She's made it so far," Bellamy informed her, "She's awake and Madi's by her side. I think she's through the worst of it."

"You think?" Raven asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"She's fine..." Bellamy assured her and himself, trying to put more confidence in his voice. "It's just... I think I'm being a little paranoid."

"Well, you were not the one who got her blood on your clothes. Which I am still wearing, by the way..." Raven stated before realizing that her comment was more than inappropriate. Even though it was the truth, her directness got the better of her once again. "I thought she was dying..." She added quietly. "Me too," Bellamy said, "but she's not. Nightblood supplies for her and Madi are a little low, but we'll fix that. She's fine, Abby and Jackson are keeping an eye on her."

Raven closed her eyes and nodded, "That's good." She was relieved to hear that news. "So she's really okay?" Harper asked from behind, having overheard their conversation. Now Monty was listening as well. "Yes, definitely," Bellamy said in his most confident voice. "But she's some way ahead of her. She's not on her feet yet," Bellamy revealed.

"She will. She's a cockroach. If she could survive Praimfaya, she can survive being shot," Murphy commented. "I know, Murphy," Bellamy said. Although his mind told him to tell Murphy that this was not comparable, he didn't want to start another pointless discussion.

"I should tell you from Clarke that she misses you all" Bellamy then told them all, remembering the words Clarke told him he should tell them. 

"So much that she pointed a gun at my head when she saw me for the first time in six years..." Raven remarked in a bitter voice.

"She did it because she wanted to protect Madi..." Echo stepped in, almost hissing at Raven, "It was wrong to go around Clarke... To act against her will..."

"She let McCreary torture me..." Raven fired back. The group had stopped by now, everyone standing still in suspense. "It was my fault, Raven," Bellamy confessed, "I pushed Madi to take the flame without Clarke's consent..."

"That does not justify her actions," Raven replied.

"And she left me here to die. But guess what, Raven... she sacrificed herself to save you. Many times. How many times have you sacrificed your life for her? Murphy put a goddamn bullet in your spine and you're closer to him than ever. This is not fair to her. Or Emori? Who offered you her suit when we rescued you. Who saved you in Becca's lab after you killed an innocent man to save your ass," Bellamy raged, feeling increasingly agitated. Of course, Clarke was wrong to leave him here. And it was probably wrong to have this outburst now. But he knew that he had pushed his luck too far back then, and a lot of things were the result of that mess. There really wasn't just this one culprit, but many. Probably too many.

"Bellamy..." Echo tried to calm him. He was right. Every word he said was right. "No, Echo, please," he said, pulling away from her gentle grip as she tried to calm him. "You don't deserve her friendship" Bellamy told them, yelling at them. What followed was silence. A deaf and disturbing silence. For a moment it was so quiet in the hallway, the simmering of the light bulbs could be heard, as well as the ongoing roaring of the ventilation system.

"You're right, Bellamy," Murphy said in a calm voice, "you're right." Except for Murphy, everyone was silent. Bellamy's lips quivered from the tension in his body.

"We all haven't seen her for six years," Echo then took over from Bellamy. Her hand now gripped Bellamy's arm tightly, almost squeezing it. This time she was more energetic. "We had us. For six years… while Clarke had no one but Madi. Even her mother had Kane, Jackson and the others. Sure, life in the bunker was hell, but they had someone. All of them. They had each other to get through that nightmare. But Clarke only had Madi. And Madi only had her. We should not have crossed that line, not respecting their closeness." Echo explained, "We came to snatch Madi. Even if she wanted to come with us..."

"Madi took the flame to save Clarke. That's what I made her believe... She didn't know Clarke was safe. I left her tied up so she couldn't interfere," Bellamy confessed to them after barely pulling himself together, "otherwise I don't think she would have taken it. She was afraid because Octavia had captured Clarke.

"She called us every day from the valley. Every single day since she got there. If you don't believe me, go ask Madi. She told us..." Then he told them the whole truth, "Because she didn't want us to hate her..."

"Madi told us after the battle," Bellamy repeated, because that was the most important thing right now. To do his part in picking up the rubble, "For six years. Every day.

"Remember, I tried to kill her because she almost got Bellamy killed. And she almost killed us because, in her eyes, we endangered Madi..." Echo reminded them. "'They are much closer than any of us have ever been to her..." Bellamy added thoughtfully and dejectedly, "And she still sacrificed herself for us. Her friends. We are still her friends... At least I am still her friend..."

"As am I," Monty said without hesitation. "Me too," Harper agreed, fighting back tears. "So am I. Despite our past..." Echo said, surprising some.

"She's my friend too, Bellamy," Murphy said, "She's not the only one who screwed up. Now she has that in common with us, I guess..."

"We don't hate her," Emori told him, trying to speak for everyone.

His eyes wandered to Raven, who had so far remained silent. "Bellamy... I know, but..." Raven started before being interrupted by Bellamy. "It was my fault. I caused this. Because I was so sure it would go well. I couldn't know it would go so wrong. So if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. But not Clarke. She did nothing wrong" He paused for a moment. He reflected on Madi's words to him as they sat in the hallway in front of Gagarin's bridge. When he was still angry with her, not knowing what he had done and that it was all his fault to some extent. He felt stupid and ashamed for being angry with her. Raven still stared at him in agonizing silence. Her pupils danced as she stared at him.

"What?" He asked her, "Now you are silent. Because you don't want to be angry with me. For what I have done, but angry with her." Bellamy knew he had gone too far, but it was too late. His anger at himself, his anger and disappointment at Octavia, the lack of sleep and the torturous last few days: The battle for the valley, the fear for Clarke's life, and now the storm. It was too much. Everything was just too much. Bellamy realized he was on the verge of a mental breakdown, but now Echo's hand grabbed him and pulled him closer to her.

"Raven!" Shaw called after her as she left the group and ran off without saying anything in return. 

"I'll take care of her," Shaw assured them, and began to follow her quickly without waiting for them to say anything in return.

"Great, you stupid fool..." Bellamy said to himself. But he did not have time to criticize himself any further as Indra now raised her voice over the group. "We should go to the office and work on a strategy. We have wasted enough time," Indra suggested, but it sounded more like an order.