章 1: Waking up
27th April 2156 22:30, Aboard the Eligius
Marcus Kane stood at the window and looked down at the green dot everyone knew as 'Eden'. It had been 36 hours since the last shots had been fired.
Peace. It was a strange - almost unknown - word to him. He remembered standing at one of the Ark's many windows, looking down at the blue and - as it turned out - habitable planet. In his mind, Kane saw an image of his alter ego sitting at the Ark's council table, making decisions. It felt like it happened in another life. On another planet.
He watched the huge storm clouds that were about to engulf the small green dot surrounded by dead wasteland. A great storm was brewing. The first signs of its approach came on the evening of the Battle of Eden's conclusion. With Shallow Valley unable to provide shelter from the rain, wind and thunder, the people of Wonkru had to be evacuated once again.
Although Kane was reluctant to the idea to send most of the people back to the Second Dawn Bunker for the duration of the storm, he eventually softened his stance after Bellamy persuaded him with reasonable arguments. It was just the best option. Otherwise the Eligius would have been very cramped by now. And that for about three to four days, depending on the prognosis. Equipped with enough food and water for the next few days, as well as a semi-functioning communication device - thanks to Raven and Emori - the people of Wonkru had everything they needed to ride out the storm. Even though the connection between the Eligius and the bunker was very unstable, there was at least something like communication between the bunker and the Eligius for the next few days. And although Raven, Monty, Harper and Emori were forced to stay in the bunker to keep order and assist everyone, they all remained in good spirits. But that was about the end of the good news.
Thanks to Bellamy's almost motivational speech on Madi's behalf, most people went to the bunker willingly, despite the horrors that had taken place there only weeks before. Much to Kane's horror, Monty and Raven had even suggested that the bunker's further use should be investigated - be it for food production, as storage space, or once again as a last refuge for the human race. Monty was probably already in the process of repairing the bunker's hydrofarm and working on ambitious plans for future upgrades. Or maybe that was just the spirit everyone in Wonkru needed right now.
It was time to make plans for the future. Like the ones he had made with Dyoza. Soon they would decide how to use the valley and how to settle there. Kane knew it wouldn't be easy, but with their combined efforts it could be the beginning of a peaceful future at last.
Kane's left arm was still in a tight bandage, the result of Vinson's almost successful attack on him. If it hadn't been for Abby, he would have died that night, or suffered a much worse fate. Despite being in considerable pain, he refused to take painkillers, despite Abby almost forcing them into his system when he initially refused to take them.
Hearing a soft snort, he glanced over his shoulder to his left to see that Madi was still asleep in the huge double bed. The girl had curled up across the length and width of the bed. She looked comfortable and peaceful for the first time in the last 36 hours. In fact, it was the first time she had slept at all since the ceasefire.
Kane was relieved to see the girl finally catching a break after all this time. Even asleep, Mad still looked defeated. She had already slept for a few hours. Occasionally she let out a few sighs, as if trying to come to terms with the near loss of Clarke.
Clarke was still in an artificial coma after being shot by McCreary's men while trying to stop him from destroying Shallow Valley. Teaming up with Raven, Shaw and Dyoza, Clarke managed to defeat the mad leader of the criminal Eligius Prisoners.
Nearly a dozen bags of liquid Nightblood from the Eligius Blood Bank had saved Clarke's life. At least for now. Her condition was still critical, and not only Madi, but Bellamy as well, was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Only the impending storm and the urgent need to evacuate the people and to prepare Shallow Valley gave them a possibility to distract themselfes while Abby and Jackson tried to save Clarke's life
Madi and Bellamy, who co-ordinated the rescue with Raven and Kane, proved to be a good working team, as did Bellamy and her mother. Not only has it helped them bond and trust each other more, but it has also allowed them to forget their constant worries about Clarke for a few moments.
He remembered seeing Bellamy and Madi crying together afterwards on the floor of the Eligius as they waited for an update on Clarke's condition. He was there when Madi told Bellamy how Clarke had tried to communicate with them in space every day for the last six years. Bellamy's pain - especially after Madi told him - was almost more intense than when he mourned his sister's presumed death at the hands of Echo back in Polis. To make things even stranger, this time it was Echo who tried to comfort him. The person who almost killed his sister and tried to kill his best friends several times now gave him comfort and strength. But she also inspired him, for she was perhaps the most extraordinary example to him of how much people can change. She was an inspiration and a manifestation of hope, at least for Kane. That conflicts and even enmities could be overcome.
The feeling of powerlessness was probably the worst thing about so many situations. And that was another reason why it was so important to focus on the few things that could actually be changed. But Madi was no help in his long-term plans as long as her only thoughts were about Clarke's condition. In fact, Madi had completely relinquished her role as commander after the rescue mission was completed, caring only for Clarke and nothing else.
She refused to speak, did not eat and rarely drank. Her body seemed to be operating in emergency mode, focusing on nothing but Clarke. She did not talk much, and when she did, the only thing she was interested in was getting access to Clarke, which Abby had so far aggressively denied, even to Bellamy.
When Bellamy was about to pass out from the extreme physical and mental strain, he asked Kane to keep an eye on Madi and look after her. Fortunately, Madi didn't last much longer either, and it was no challenge for him to take care of her and lead her to this room, where she fell asleep almost immediately, only to ask for Clarke once more before succumbing to exhaustion.
The door opened silently, and Kane didn't realise at first that someone had just entered the room. Just as the door closed with a soft hiss, he turned around. To his great and relieving surprise, the intruder was Abby, who looked very tired. Actually, she looked terrible, but under the circumstances it was more than understandable. Her eyes were red, lined with huge rings and sparkling with the remaining tears. She looked older than ever.
He held his breath. His heart began to beat faster, preparing itself for what was now about to come. She looked at him while he looked back, not saying a word. He couldn't.
"She's stable," Abby said in a trembling voice as she approached him to fall into his arms. Kane opened his arms, even though his caused his injured arm to hurt significantly.
"That's great news" He said into her hair as she cried silently into his arms.
"She's hasn't made it yet" Abby sobbed in his arms
"She's strong," Kane said as he held her in his arms and looked at her face, now covered in tears.
"I almost lost my daughter, Marcus," she sobbed even harder now.
"You didn't. And that's because of you and Jackson. You always did great" he comforted her "If you hadn't fixed Jaha in time…" He tried to distract her even further, causing Abby to smile at him for a brief second.
"Perhaps you will have to float me again. Maybe she will come to my rescue just in time".
"I will never float you Abby. I'm sorry…" He apologised, but couldn't finish as she kissed him to silence his mouth.
"It's okay Marcus. We got over this long time ago"
"I know... It just feels so present..." He looked at the window he had been looking out of a moment ago.
A heavy moan interrupted their conversation and caught their attention. Madi had just turned over in her bed, obviously still asleep.
"How's she doing?" Abby asked
"She's been asleep since early afternoon," Kane told her with a gentle smile. He was beginning to like Madi, even though he had only known her for a day.
Abby looked at her granddaughter. She was proud of her. And of Clarke. Clarke had done a fantastic job of bringing her up, raising her and above all, loving her unconditionally. A bond they seemed to share. She knew it herself. There's nothing like a mother's love.
"She is so brave. She helped evacuate everyone to the bunker and got Shallow Valley ready for the storm. Together with Bellamy..." Kane said proudly of her achievements.
Abby walked slowly towards her granddaughter. She sat down on the side of the bed and watched Madi sleep as her mother always did. Her hair was still braided and she still had all the dirt from the past few days on her. Surely Clarke enforced a much stricter hygiene regime when they had the valley to themselves.
Abby hesitated. She wanted to wake Madi so that she could be at Clarke's side when she hopefully woke up. But at the same time, seeing Madi asleep, separated from her worries, seemed to be the best thing for the girl.
She sighed. Slowly her hands moved to Madi's sleeping body. Gently touching her shoulders, Abby began to slowly shake Madi awake.
Her eyes did not open immediately. They opened slowly, scanning, trying to register who had just interrupted her sleep. Then her eyes shot wide as she recognised Abby.
"Hey," Abby said with a smile. Madi sat up and stared directly at her, her bright blue eyes shining in the light that was being reflected from Earth back into space.
She looked at Abby and it took her a while to fully understand where she was and who was talking to her. Then she seemed to remember everything.
"How's Clarke?" her hoarse, sleepy but still excited voice murmured. Thinking about Clarke was the last thing she did before falling asleep and now it was the first thing that came to her mind, just to show Abby how much she meant to her.
"She's fine," Abby said with another confident and genuine smile. It was heartwarming, but she was still worried that her daughter wasn't over the hill yet. But that was the doctor talking. She knew her daughter. Clarke was strong. As Marcus had just said.
"Is she awake?" Madi asked with growing euphoria.
"Not yet. But hopefully soon" Abby said as she gently brushed Madis hair back.
"I thought you wanted to be by her side when she wakes up," she added, not knowing what her words had just started. Madi could no longer contain herself. She tried to jump out of bed and almost pushed Abby away.
"Slowly, Madi," Kane intervened in a friendly but authoritative voice. She looked at him with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. "You're not going to hug Clarke when you're all dirty. Take a shower. I'm sure Clarke can wait."
"No, she can't" said Madi defiantly.
"She sure can" Abby agreed to Kane's intervention. "Besides hospitals are sterile environments. I would really appreciate if you could do that"
"Fine" Madi agreed and stomped off to the bathroom.
"She's stubborn. I think that's a Griffin thing" Kane said while taking her hands again.
"You have no idea," Abby smiled at him. Stubbornness is more of an understatement. But this stubborn Griffin had an army of several hundred beings. Hopefully she would listen to Clarke. When Abby heard about Madi's emotional outburst after learning that Clarke had been shot, she felt worried and proud at the same time. Although killing prisoners was wrong, she couldn't deny that she felt the same way. But in the last few hours, Abby had no time to be angry. She was worried, but fortunately she had a thick skin. Especially under pressure. But now that she felt the pressure easing, the emotions had a free pass.
A stubborn Clarke out of control was one thing, but a stubborn Madi as commander with seemingly endless power was another addition to Abby and Kane's encounters with madness and terror. Bellamy clearly hadn't thought this plan through. Not thinking of Madi's personality and affection for Clarke, nor of Clarke's own feelings for Madi.
But the Eligius problem was still on the table. Indra had taken McCreary into custody and was keeping a close watch on him. Kane and Abby knew this wasn't over and that Bellamy's intervention didn't mean that Madi's death sentence was overturned. It just stayed. Hopefully Clarke will talk some sense into her.
"How do I use this?" Madi's voice echoed from within the bathroom.
The shower! The poor girl had never experienced a modern shower before...
"I'll take care of it," Abby replied quickly, going to help her.
A few minutes later, a freshly showered Madi emerged. Although she squeaked and screamed a few times, mistaking hot water for cold, she managed to shower successfully. Her hair was no longer braided and her long hair was now tangled in all directions.
"Here are some new clothes. They're from the ship, but they'll fit you," Abby said as she handed Madi her new outfit.
"Dont worry, you'll get your normal clothes back later" she added.
"Thanks" Madi said with a little tension in her voice.
"Get dressed quickly and then we go" For a moment it felt like Abby had traveled back in time. It reminded her when Clarke was in Madi's age.
Abby turned to let Madi dress herself. Kane had already left to talk to the bunker and get some information from Raven about the storm and other things now that Madi was awake and in Abby's more childlike hands.
"You should eat something," Abby said with a slightly concerned voice.
"I don't want to", Madi stubbornly refused the offer.
"Then at least drink something. I don't want you to pass out because you didn't drink enough. Then you will not see Clarke at all".
"Okay…" Madi grumbled.
As Madi forced some water into her system under Abby's watchful eye, she spent some time thinking about the parallels between Clarke and Abby. Clarke also always made sure she ate and drank enough or set rules for her safety.
"No climbing without my permission..."
"Avoid sharp rocks..."
"Do not swim after eating..."
"Eat only what Clarke has tried and tested".
Not to mention the tick checks...
The list was long. But now Madi understood. Maybe she should have made a list for Clarke too. What was the point of protecting her when Clarke was the one who almost died?
Madi remembered how Clarke used to cry for her when she was very sick and had a high fever. Clarke would wrap her in cold towels, hug her, sing to her and wouldn't sleep or eat while she cared for her.
Now Madi did the same. Or at least she was trying to. To be there for Clarke. Nothing else mattered. She loved Clarke. And even now she never understood why Clarke didn't go after her when she almost killed her. She never defended herself. Started a counterattack or set up traps. Instead, she drew a picture of her and bonded with the girl who led her into a bear trap, tried to stab and kill her, and robbed her of her belongings - although Madi returned the latter almost immediately after the two began bonding. Madi is always sad and remorseful when she thinks of their first encounter, even though Clarke told her so many times that she wasn't angry with her and was just defending herself, as Clarke later taught her how to defend herself. It was not love at first sight. But once they fell for each other, it hit them so much harder.
Clarke was more than her mother. She was also her sister, best friend, soul mate and life companion. Madi also realised that she had never spoken to anyone about what Clarke had done for her. How she looked after her during the last six years.
Her friends didn't know what had happened in Shallow Valley. And Madi wanted to tell Clarke's friends about her life. How they met, how they became a family. How they fell in love.
But first, it was time to not only return the favour, but to send a message to Clarke, to never leave her again, and to stop her from ever risking her life again.
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