Unpleasant confrontations

Everything in the quarters looked the same as when he left to meet Abby. Even the light was still on, as he seemed to have forgotten to turn it off when he left. Madi squeezed past him and began to examine the room. She hadn't been here before, but her face told him that she was already looking for her things. She scanned the room, her eyes full of determination. "Let me see," Bellamy said, thinking aloud as he joined her in searching for her belongings. But before he could remember where he had put them, her eyes widened as she spotted the two bags she had hastily packed when she and Bellamy had made a quick detour to get some things from the village.

While Madi checked her and Clarke's things, his attention was drawn to something else. There was a splashing sound coming from the bathroom. It sounded like a small, steady stream. The faucet was not running at full power, but it was loud enough to be heard through the half-closed bathroom door. "Wasn't that awake in the morning, huh?" He said to himself as he entered the room and turned off the faucet. But that wasn't quite true. He realized that he had left the water running while he was still in despair over Clarke's condition. A condition - or rather, the chain of events that had led to it - that was partly his fault. Much to his relief, she was alive and improving. Their relationship was fixed, thanks to Madi. And she didn't seem to want to waste any more time in this place, as she loaded her belongings and stared at him expectantly as he stepped out of the bathroom and turned off the light. Though Madi spoke from his soul with her spirit of optimism, Belllamy would not let this opportunity go to waste. He had to talk to her, knowing that this might be his only chance to have an undisturbed four-eyed conversation with her for quite some time.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Bellamy said, touching her shoulders gently to make sure he had her full attention. She said nothing, so her silence was a signal for him to continue. "Why did you tell me about the radio calls?" He asked her directly. Madi's blue eyes stared at him hypnotically for a long moment before she answered. "Because you were angry with her," she told him, "would you have gone to her if I hadn't told you? She was dying," her voice had changed to a more accusatory tone, but she almost shouted the last sentence at him. "It changed a lot," he admitted, "I wasn't prepared for this outcome. That goes for just about everything after Polis."

"But why?" Madi asked him "Did you really think that Clarke would forget her friends? And betray them for a bunch of criminals. Yes, she betrayed you - if you want to call it like that - because of me." Madi spoke the truth. And Bellamy knew that Clarke would never betray her friends, unless it was for something... more important. Like Madi. Bellamy slowly walked over to the bed and sat down, much to Madi's disappointment, as she was about to leave the quarters, just wanting to get some food and going back to Clarke. She wasn't in the mood for another round of talking. But Bellamy's face was pensive. Very pensive. His eyes looked as if he was going to cry at any moment. He could barely control himself. He tried to hide it away from Madi. With only moderate success, since she had already noticed that he wasn't as fine as he pretended to be. He looked at her sincerely. "Six years. She has known you for six years. I have only known her for a few months. If you don't count all those years in between. Sometimes it feels like weeks ago when I left her. Not like years. Damn..I never thought about it. I was so stupid." He paused and looked down at his feet before continuing, "I should have known how much you mean to each other," Bellamy acknowledged.

"For me, this time almost feels like my whole life," Madi explained, as she walked over to him. She dropped her things and sat down on the bed next to him. "And she still called you every day, Bellamy!" She continued, "All of you. Raven. Murphy. Monty. Harper. Emori. Even Echo. Sometimes I pranked her or made fun of her while she was talking to the radio. That was the only time she got mad at me for a moment. Not for long. Just for seconds." Madi told him, making him smile. "It wasn't until later that I took it more seriously and started talking to you as well. Occasionally. She always told me that you were her best friend. The person she trusted the most." For a moment, Bellamy sat motionless, letting Madi's words sink in. Clarke had obviously told her a lot, if not everything, about him and her friends. How else would Madi have recognized him immediately when she found him and the others. Not only that, but also saved them. "My parents died during the Praimfaya," Madi continued talking to Bellamy, "Clarke found me. More than that, she saved me. She's my family. She means everything to me. And she didn't have to do this. To be responsible for me, to take care of me. She had a choice. I tried to kill her, but she still came to me. She needed someone. And so did I," Madi explained to Bellamy, who listened intently, "and now I know it's our destiny. That we were meant to find each other, even if it meant losing everyone else. I lost my family. And Clarke has declared me her family. And she's my family.

"Wow... That must be hard for you," was all Bellamy could say in response. It left him speechless and reminded him that Madi had also suffered a hard fate. Finding Clarke was her luck and probably her saving as well. That Madi had told him about her past meant a lot to him. In a way, he had already succeeded in deepening his bond with Madi. For Clarke's sake and for the sake of preventing him from making the same mistakes. He didn't stop making eye contact with her as they sat on the bed and talked.

"It wasn't too hard. Because of Clarke. She made my life liveable. More. I was really happy during all of this time. Sometimes it was a little annoying how careful she was, but... I know you did the same with Octavia. She told me how much you cared for her during her first days on Earth. How far you went to protect her. You didn't let her down. Octavia wasn't made for this and should have been by your side."

"Yeah... you're probably right," he agreed with a sigh. "I don't want you to hate her or Clarke," Madi revealed, "I don't want anyone of you to hate each other. This isn't how Clarke had imagined seing you all again. Or I..." Madi said with a sad face. 

Hey, it's okay. None of us could have imagined how things would turn out..." He tried to comfort her and gave her a quick hug. She didn't hug him back, just stared straight ahead with a blank stare. "Then I hope you don't hate me," Bellamy said. But only to himself. He hesitated, struggling to reveal the truth. Right now, this was the best opportunity, since everything was still relatively fresh. And as he made the promise to himself, he wanted to put it all behind him. The risk he feared most was that Madi would get angry with him and storm off to Clarke. Even now, even though he knew he had no other chance, he wanted to play on time. To say everything else that could be said first, before having to confess.

"This is an ambitious project. Even for a commander. As said, I don't hate her. I never did. How could I? Its more the opposite. I hope she doesn't hate me. And as for Octavia... yes... a part of me does hate her. More than anything else. Even wishes she would just die or disappear. But another part of me screams that she's still my sister. That I love her as much as she loves me, deep down. She's already changed. It's a long way to go... But she needs me. More than anyone else. I can't let her down," Bellamy poured out his heart to her, "Luckily the part that wants to do that is where my heart is"

"I know it's hard. But we don't know what happened to her... To them. This is not the Octavia from the stories Clarke told me" Madi explained to him. She was right. This was not the Octavia Bellamy knew as his sister. "It won't be easy, but you're right, we have to get to the bottom of this." Bellamy nodded in agreement with her words. "Yeah, we have to find out what turned Octavia into this..." He stopped after his voice became more and more trembling "What turned her into the monster she became." A monster... Octavia really had turned into a monster... His heart finally spoke the truth. But Madi wasn't the one who should hear this. This words were now reserved for Octavia. She needed to hear. "What made her forget who her brother is, that I'm her family. And who her friends were and what they meant to her. Anyway, I shouldn't bother you with these problems. She's my problem, my responsibility. Not yours. Even if I don't know if I can take it anymore".

He felt his mind settle. In a way, he already felt better. With every word he spoke about the past, it helped him process the events and maybe even come to some understanding and closure. He looked at Madi with a pained expression. In a way, she was stronger than most of the adults he had known. Not that she had any choice. He took a deep breath. It was time to make a painful confession.

"I'm sorry, Madi. I'm deeply sorry that I didn't tell you that you had a choice, that you didn't have to take the flame. That Clarke was safe all along. I just wanted to end this madness of Octavia's reign... I poisoned my sister for that reason..." He looked at Madi, who looked back at him, almost staring him down with her bright blue eyes. "I thought when Clarke and I killed Kara Cooper that it would ground Octavia, bring her to her senses once we cracked her inner circle. All we wanted to do was stop her insane plan. Using the worms as a weapon. If I had given the flame to Clarke, Octavia wouldn't have accepted it. It would have looked like we'd staged a coup against her. I was so stupid..." He didn't want to tell her this, but since she was so sincere, he couldn't help but tell her, to lift this burden from his heart. "I should have freed Clarke right away. And given her the Flame. Lexa is in there, isn't she...? How could I have been so stupid. So moronic..."

The silence that followed was tormenting, though it didn't take Madi long to answer. Bellamy was mortified the whole time.

At that point she became angry. She was angry with him. That he made decisions without thinking about the consequences. He acted stupidly and rashly. He had managed to get Clarke to leave him to die. It was his own fault. And it was her own fault for listening to him. It made sense at the time, but now she wasn't so sure. The wheels he had set in motion now threatened to crush him. Madi had to think. She tried to remember what had happened in the bunker. How Clarke and Bellamy had killed Kara Cooper. A bad, but hopeless situation. At least she could not think of a better solution or alternative. Poisoning Octavia was a brutal decision, so Madi also had great respect for his decision. She thought about Clarke again. No, she thought of Clarke ALL the time. Even if Clarke would act like Octavia, she wouldn't have had the heart to poison Clarke to stop her. No. Clarke was here before any of them. And she was their most important possession. And Madi knew that this would be a big obstacle for her role as Heda. For in one aspect Octavia had actually inspired her further. She was ready to become Bloodreina herself if anyone touched a hair on Clarke's head.

Clarke had carried her for so many years. And Madi never stopped loving that comfort. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to jump into Clarke's bed and hide from the world under the blanket. Not because she was afraid, but because she liked the feeling of protection, safety, comfort and most of all the love Clarke gave her every second of the last six years. But at the same time, she wanted to show Clarke that she was more than just ballast. That she was capable of helping her and making her feel good. With Bellamy and Echo's help - as they had promised her when they flew down to secure the valley - her plan could hopefully come to fruition. While Bellamy and Echo would take care of the valley and help the people settle in once a plan was finalized, Clarke would hopefully make sure everything else ran smoothly. As she knew by now, there was no one besides Marcus Kane and Clarke who could fill that void. They were urgently needed. Madi continued to ignore the bitterly distraught Bellamy as she tried to find the right balance. But he deserved being talked off with hard and certain words. At least this one time. But before Madi could respond to Bellamy's words, she felt something. Something she hadn't felt in almost a day: The flame. Not just the flame. Again, it was one Commander in particular who interfered with her thoughts, making sure she drew the right conclusions...

"Enough," Madi blurted out, almost startling Bellamy. Even though she hadn't addressed those words specifically to him, it hadn't failed to do its job. He looked at her, almost intimidated. Her eyes fixed on him. "Bellamy. If you could save Clarke or our people. Whom would you save?"

"What?" He asked confused. "I know you love Echo. Don't worry, she's safe in this scenario. It's Clarke and our people. Who would you save?" Madi wanted to know. "I love her too. She's my friend, Madi." He began his stuttering reply "But I don't understand why..." But Madi cut him off by firing the next question at him. "So it's Clarke?" Madi asked him to assure herself. "Clarke," he confirmed in a flat voice. He didn't know what game Madi was playing. Her mood had changed. Drastically. She was energetic and he could see that she was upset. "Clarke or Octavia. Who would you save?" She questioned him further. "Madi… I can't… It's…"

"WHO?" She asked him while jumping up and manifesting herself in front of him. "I can't…" His voice almost faded as he looked at her, both in despair and disbelief. "Clarke or Echo?" Madi barked. She drove him further and further into a corner. Now she acted almost like an ambitious inquisitor trying to extract a delicate confession from a suspect. "Why are you asking me these questions?" Bellamy burst out in a desperate attempt to stop her questioning.

"Because I would always choose Clarke, Bellamy! I would always choose Clarke. You wanna know something? I don't care who dies. I just care about Clarke. You played with her feelings and mine. Towards each other. And then you had the guts to get mad at her. Like her other friends. She stayed on Earth because of you, and she had a bullet in her stomach because of you." Madi yelled back at Bellamy. She had realized how desperate her situation was. So many mistakes, so many misunderstandings. It was frustrating. Clarke had done nothing wrong. At least not intentionally. And Bellamy just wanted to save Clarke, his people, but also his sister. His goals were too high. And he made mistakes, acted irrationally, and was unaware of the damage his actions had cost them. Despite their success in the end. It was a high price everyone had to pay. So many losses and victims. And that was what she wanted him to understand. She didn't know if she had succeeded. But with Lexa's help she tried to get the whole situation under control again, starting with Clarke, Bellamy and the others. At least in this situation it was good - at least in her own opinion - that she was in charge. At least right now.

"You have acted rashly. I understand your reasons, but not all of them. Like why you didn't free Clarke when you had the chance. You always worked with her. Made decisions. You didn't have to do this alone. You could have counted on Clarke. On Indra. And me. We should have captured Octavia instead. Or..." She paused. It was the first moment she actually paused from her tantrum. "It was wrong. Everything," Madi said after she had calmed down further. It wasn't just her own effort as she heard Lexa's determined voice so loud in her head. She told her to calm down. That Bellamy would understand this lesson of hers. "Thank you for making certain things clear to me." Madi recited the words Lexa had dictated in her head. "I still trust you, Bellamy. Because Clarke does. And because you want to make our lives better, too. I wanted to take the flame because you made me believe it was the only way to keep Clarke safe. And I really wanted to save our people while Clarke couldn't. At least now I can protect her for once," Madi said. She slowly sat down on the bed again, her eyes still on Bellamy, who listened to her without saying a word in return. "I have to protect her."

"We..." It was the first thing Bellamy said, after he had been silent the whole time. As he listened and now had the task to think about what Madi had just told him. But he couldn't get deep into it because Madi spoke to him again "But from now on I demand complete honesty from you," Madi said with a stern voice, "You must tell me everything. Without being asked"

"I will. I promise" He said to her

"Don't ever betray my trust again. Be honest to me. It was the hardest decision of my life to take the flame. And I almost lost Clarke because of that" Madi said. She hoped that she wouldn't have to speak out her threat. That this implicit warning was already enough. She had tried so hard to make Bellamy and Clarke friends again. But now she realized that Clarke had never done anything wrong. At least that it was never her intention to hurt her friends or anyone else she didn't have to.

"I know. I messed up. But I really didn't see any other way out of it. I know I could have given the flame to Clarke. It would have made things easier, but... you were an outsider. Someone neutral. Let's face it. Octavia still had a few loyalists on her side. And you were a Nightblood of Origin. That way, I thought we could prevent any kind of unrest within our own people. "He paused and maintained eye contact with her. "Is everything okay between us?" He asked her.

Madi nodded silently. "Yes, I know you only wanted the best. Clarke told me that. She said that you always had a big heart. That it was some kind of instinct of yours to always try to save as many people as you could. But you made one of the worst choices to do that. Bellamy..." She said with a worried and painful expression, "I can't go against Clarke."

"And you don't have to. I navigated you into this, so it's my responsibility to help you where I can, okay?" Bellamy promised to her "I promise"

"Okay. Thank you," Madi said, giving him a side hug after they sat in silence for a few moments. Although she was disappointed in him, she didn't want her anger to consume her mood. She wanted to forgive him, as she knew that he was trying his best, even if he failed terribly in the process. Bellamy would have plenty of time to make up for what he'd done. It was a brave move on his part to admit his mistake to her, showing her that he could still be trusted. 

"Is there anything she hasn't told you?" Bellamy asked her after they sat on the bed for a moment. He still couldn't stop thinking about Clarke telling Madi about their past. That Clarke wanted Madi to be prepared when she met her friends. To know who they were and what they had endured. She was convinced that they would return one day. She wanted Madi to meet them. This brought him to the conclusion that Clarke had always hoped for their return and had never given up hope. He was still amazed at how well Madi recognized him the first time she saw him. Clarke must have drawn him or continued to draw him. Out of her mind. Another thing he hadn't thought of until now. And suddenly another question began to torment him: What if Eligius had never arrived and they had never made it to Earth on their own?

"The bad things," Madi said with a bitter voice, "like what she had to endure."

"It's because she wants to forget about it, I guess" Bellamy tried to find a reason. He remembered too well that suppressing such thoughts was one of Clarke's methods of recovering from these low blows. 

"I know. That is why she deserves some peace," Madi said.

"And what about you?" Bellamy asked her

"I only need her. As long as I'm with Clarke I'm fine" Madi said

"I think that should not be difficult. I need her too. And Abby needs her." Bellamy said as he put his hand on her shoulder and gently massaged it to cheer her up. He tried to smile at her, but she didn't notice as she looked down at the floor.

"So it's settled then?" He asked her about the plan the made on the day before while flying to the ground. The plan that gave him so much hope of finally having a future worth living.

"Yes," Madi said confidently, "we are building a home for us. For all of us. And for Clarke and me. We will make sure that everyone will be happy. This will be our new beginning."

"Good, then let's take the stuff and get something to eat. I could eat a lot by now," Bellamy said, standing up with a smile and giving her his hand.

"Let me take that," Bellamy offered his help, but Madi - already fully packed - passed him without paying attention. When she was halfway out of the room, she stopped abruptly, forcing Bellamy to slam on his brakes hard. He immediately saw the reason. Octavia. She was sitting on the floor just in front of his quarters. Octavia herself seemed surprised that someone was already inside, so she stood up quickly and stared at them in surprise. It was obvious that she had been waiting for them outside. Especially Bellamy, as she looked directly at him after noticing that Madi was with him as well.

"Bellamy..." Octavia began, until she noticed his face changing. It wasn't an angry or annoyed face, but a face that signaled her to postpone her attempt to speak. Especially in the presence of Madi. Octavia stopped and focused on him, wondering if she should continue. She was brave when she faced her brother and decided to let him fight in the pits. Brave enough to condemn him to death, even though her heart splintered into countless fragments while she watched them fight. And the same was true for Indra. Her mentor and friend. But even if these were the acts of a coward instead of a strong leader, now was definitely not the time nor the excuse to be cowardly. It was time to act. Time to retaliate and make up for the damage and pain she had caused. Starting with those she had hurt. Her friends and loved ones. Redemption was about to be paid. As she had promised Niylah. Her encounter with Echo wasn't the best start, but she just wanted to show good will and her ongoing transformation. It was hard to become the old Octavia because that girl died when Lincoln was shot by Pike. The pain she endured gave her strength. Willpower, endurance and anger she desperately needed to fight her battles. It didn't mean that her good, warm-hearted side was completely swallowed up by those emotions, but it was a rocky road to extricate it from the debris that now lay shattered over her life. But the hardest part was her ongoing battle with her inner demons.

Maybe her original goal had been staked too high. Maybe it really was going to take some time before she got the chance to have her talk with Clarke, or just the chance to make sure she was okay. "Rome was not built in a day" Her mother used to say that sentence a lot. Not only when they read the stories about ancient Rome. She could not insist that everything would change for the better in just one day. It was a process, and she was only at the beginning of it.

Bellamy was talking to her. Even if only barely. That alone was a success. But she wasn't sure if the same was true for Clarke. She couldn't lose Clarke as a friend, although Clarke had every right to feel that their friendship was over. But Octavia also felt that she had the right to stand up for her friendship with Clarke. To prove to her how sorry she was. Just as she was fighting to win back Bellamy as the brother she once loved so much. It was hard to accept that no one believed her genuine fear and concern for Clarke's life. Not that this was surprising after she nearly had her executed for killing Kara Cooper. A person who had once revolted against her. For some reason, she felt relieved when Madi took over as Commander and removed that burden from her. She felt as free as she could be, given the events of the past six years. Not much, but still.

"I just want you to know that I'm not a threat. To no one," she raised her trembling voice to make her point.

"Octavia…"

"No, Bellamy, you listen now," Octavia said with a raised voice, her blood still steaming from her encounter with Echo just a few minutes ago. Although she felt the urgent need to vent her anger on some innocent piece of furniture, she mustered all her remaining strength to resist the urge. It was terribly difficult. To make matters worse, Bellamy seemed to have little sympathy for Octavia's quick temper. His expression darkened visibly.

"Let her speak, Bellamy," Madi intervened with her presence of mind. She didn't want it to sound like an order, but when the words left her lips, she knew she had failed at that part. Surprised that she was taking action, Bellamy obeyed and regained a more composed expression, even though she could see that it was more forced than voluntary. Octavia nodded with a relieved and even grateful expression.

"I want to lend you my sword. At every opportunity. Your life is my life. And I swear to protect you and Clarke. At all costs," Octavia said as she knelt before her, as she had done when she formally handed over her reign before the Battle of the Valley and accepted Madi as her new Heda.

"Leave the sword out. At least for now," Bellamy tried to lecture her. But it was also a warning.

"We don't know if we might need her," Madi reminded him of the still existing uncertainty regarding the prisoners. For the time being, they might comply, but that was no guarantee. The peace was fragile. Mistrust was still a very common currency in the days after the battle, "But I agree with Bellamy. We don't need swords, we need guns. They are more useful. As much as I want to ban them," Madi added with a bitter voice.

She quickly turned to Bellamy, "We need to control who has access to them," she said to him, again in Commander mode. Bellamy nodded eagerly. That was a very good point. This reassured him that maybe he had made the right choice. Madi seemed capable of making good and rational decisions. At least when Clarke's life wasn't at stake. When her head was clear.

"I accept your offer, Octavia. And I am very grateful for it. But I don't want you to risk your life for me." Madi said as she turned back to the still kneeling Octavia.

"I am sorry, but I cannot obey. I will fight for you. And protect you and if it means that I die for you," Octavia insisted.

"I agree with Octavia," Bellamy said, "you are too important to us. And besides... Clarke will have a word in this as well..." He said with a wink when he saw Madi's unhappy face. Only when she heard what Clarke would think of it, Madi lifted her rejection of the idea. He was right. Madi remembered the oath-like promise she and Clarke had made to each other just a few hours before. If Madi did not want Clarke to risk her life for her, she had to do her part: Staying safe. The only thing that helped her accept Octavia's offer was the fact that Octavia needed a role she could fill. Something that would give her purpose and function in their new world.

"Can I come with you?" Octavia asked before Madi could respond to Bellamy's words. Madi exchanged a quick glance with Bellamy. He immediately understood the true nature of her request. She wanted to see Clarke.

"You shouldn't see her now," Bellamy stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders gently and looking into her unique green eyes. It was a mixture of emotions that rushed through her mind behind them.He appreciated her efforts to reconcile with him and Clarke. And he knew that her worries came from her heart. It wasn't completely corrupted, though it was still sick.

"I know you are trying your best. But please don't overshoot. I will call you when the time is right. Okay?" He said to her. Octavia looked at him with a look of pain on her face. She didn't agree with this, but she knew that he was trying to be reasonable. And that she could only regain his trust, his love and affection, if she showed that she listened. Especially to Bellamy, her brother, whom she still loved so much. Her heart was broken, haunted by the sight of him fighting in the pits. She deeply regretted her decision and could not even find a reason for it. She had lost control so badly. But at the same time, she couldn't accept being rejected by him. To be forced to listen to him. Just like in the past. There it was again. Was she really going to be his little bird again, he would whistle and she would appear. This wasn't the treatment she wanted. But maybe it was what she deserved. Normally, this would have led to a fight between them. It cried out for a fight. But her internal conflict was complicated.

"Do you want Clarke back as your friend?" Madi asked her, rescuing her from her desperate thoughts of remorse and self-pity.

"Yes. Just like I want my brother back," Octavia confessed with tears in her eyes. She lowered her head just enough to touch his shoulders. She could feel him slowly pulling her closer until they found themselves in a kind of pseudo-hug. They didn't know how to touch each other, but they were trying to learn again. Madi watched this intense moment between them carefully. She still had to make a decision. And so she tried to put herself in Clarke's place. "What would Clarke do now? Would Clarke want to see her or not?" It wasn't an easy question to answer, because in her mind there were arguments for and against allowing Octavia to see Clarke right now. But then Madi found the only answer that would be the right one. At least for now. She wanted to be alone with Clarke. Now that she and Bellamy had their talk, she only needed to convince Clarke to help them. But more than everything she wanted to have some undisturbed time with her. And Octavia made no exception in this equation. In fact she even secretly hoped that Bellamy and Echo would soon leave for Earth. This would give her a few undisturbed hours with Clarke. But most of all, she was tired now.

"I'm here, or am I not?" He said to his sister. A few small tears ran down her cheek.

Right now, Bellamy didn't want to delve any further into the matter. As urgent as it seemed. Octavia was still a big problem. Probably his biggest. And although he sincerely wanted to help his sister, to talk things out, he was still fighting a heavy conflict deep inside himself, between wanting to reject her and forgiving and reconciling with her, trying to lead her back to the right path. No matter how things turned out, this was her last chance to redeem herself. Her last chance for the rest of her life. But he didn't want to have this conversation in front of Madi. Not even Clarke. This was primarily his responsibility. He knew that he would only consult Clarke when he knew what her position on Octavia was. And of course he wanted to make sure that she accepted Echo and made peace with her.

"Octavia," Madi said. She quickly got their attention, "Bellamy will be going to the ground soon. He and Echo could use your help while they check on the bunker."

"This is not a good idea, Madi. She can't go back to the bunker. Not now. She has to stay here to guard you. Like she promised," Bellamy vehemently rejected the idea.

"I will," Octavia confirmed. The bunker really wasn't the place to be right now. Even if she was its only inhabitant.

"Okay" Madi agreed to them. For a moment, she almost dared to see how far she could stretch her position as commander. She was just curious if Bellamy and Octavia would have obeyed her if she'd ordered Octavia to go to the bunker as well. For some reason it was important to her to understand if she was really in charge or just a symbolic figure or some kind of tool. She knew that as long as she was commander, she needed to know where she and everyone else stood when it came down to it. But that stress test would have to wait until later.

"We are departing soon, making some plans and exchanges with the people there. In the meantime, you can help keep things running. There shouldn't be much to do. Just help Dyoza and Kane if you want to make things right. Otherwise, I promise we'll talk about everything when I get back," Bellamy told his sister, while he gently pushed Madi forward. He wanted to leave as Shaw's call could come at any moment. He was almost overdue…

Bellamy reached for Madi and the both departed, leaving Octavia behind them on the now empty hallway. Octavia looked after them, while they were heading towards the crews mess to get some food. She knew where to go next.