( fifteen )
When Harley first reached the top level, she could feel herself shudder at the sight of the grounder. Not because he came off as terrifying, which he had, but because Bellamy's boys had tied him upwards. His arms were spread out, and rope was tied tightly around his wrists, ones that he struggled against. Bellamy was ordering for him to be tied tighter, before he escaped.
Harley planted her feet on the ground, pulling herself out of the ladder hole. "What are you doing to him?" She asked in a small voice, staring the grounder down. He was caked in dirt and blood, but staring at Octavia. Bellamy didn't answer, but he didn't have to. Harley saw the look in his face, and knew this wasn't just an interrogation. He wanted revenge for who they had lost, who had been injured by the grounders.
"I told you, he was protecting me," Octavia said desperately, stepping forward and gazing at the grounder. "You didn't have to do this."
"This isn't about you," Bellamy retorted. "I'm doing this for all of us. For Finn, and Jasper, and John, and Diggs, and Roma." Harley visibly tensed as Bellamy listed of people wounded, people who had died since they landed. "We need to know what we're up against. How many there are, and why they're killing us." He paused, looking from Octavia to the grounder, but this time with a threatening expression. "And he's gonna tell us right now."
"Wait, stop," Harley had pleaded, her tone still small, but this time more pleading. "Don't hurt him, that's not justice for our people." Octavia agreed with her, reaching forward and grabbing her brother's arm in hopes that he would listen.
Having enough, Bellamy shrugged her off with an annoyed expression. "Drew, Miller, take them downstairs," he ordered.
The pair immediately complied to their leader, Miller grabbing Harley by her upper arm and pulling the smaller girl to the ladder. She didn't fight, only eyed the back of Bellamy's head with hurt. Octavia, however, struggled harshly against Drew's grip on her. "Get off me!" She demanded, pushing him off, and stumbling back to where Harley was. She tried to get Bellamy to understand her. "I don't even think he speaks English. He won't understand you." She sighed, holding Harley's wrist and pulling her down the ladder with her.
Climbing down, Harley frowned when shutting the top door behind her. "Hey," she said softly. "Are you okay?"
Octavia stormed past the delinquents who had crowded on the second level. Harley assumed that Clarke and Raven had cleared out the bottom one, so they could focus on Finn's surgery without being crowded. Harley watched as her friend made herself as comfortable as she could be on the steel ground of the dropship. She waited for Octavia to answer, sitting cross-legged in front of her, but receiving nothing.
"He didn't hurt me," Octavia finally mumbled, bitter, and hardly able to be heard over the chatter of the other delinquents resting. "He saved my life. I don't know why Bellamy doesn't believe me, and.." She sighed, bringing the palm of her hand up to wipe at her sweating forehead.
Quiet, Harley studied Octavia's expression that was a mix of hurt and tiresome annoyance. "I can't understand what it's like to have a brother that..." She paused, choosing her word carefully. "Obnoxious." It was obvious Octavia still loved and cared for Bellamy, clearly, but it didn't cover up the fact he hardly listened to her and only believed in fighting. "But I believe you. And If I can, I want to help. I can't exactly force him to listen to you, but we can talk about how irritating it is."
"Yeah, that could take awhile," Octavia joked, seeming to lighten up a bit. She laid on her side, curling against the sheets.
Looking down and averting her gaze away, Harley fondled her fingers. "I'm sorry," she spoke up. "For him." Able to see that Octavia clearly hadn't wanted to talk about him anymore, or think about what Bellamy was really doing to the grounder, Harley reached into her pocket and pulled out her stack of cards. "Want to play Go Fish?"
As it turned out, Octavia was actually a great Go Fish player. She claimed that Bellamy would play the game with her all the time when she was younger, before she grew out of it. Harley explained that she didn't have much fun playing Go Fish on her own in the Sky Box, cracking a smile out of the other.
Their game was interrupted by Clarke, who was racing up the ladder. The blonde seemed frightened, on a mission, with the knife Finn was stabbed with in her hand. Octavia set down the cards in her hand, staring up at the other. "Clarke, they locked the hatch," she called out. Harley, knowing there had to be something wrong, quickly swiped the cards into a pile and tied them together before shoving it back into her pocket and following them.
Peering forward, Harley watched as Clarke angrily banged on the hatch door, demanding for them to open it. Eventually, it did, and she immediately climbed onwards. Octavia followed, glad to be back on the level, and Harley shrugged to herself before making her own way up.
Once she was on the level, Harley shut the hatch closed and turned to see Clarke in the grounder's face, waving the knife. "What's on this?!" She exclaimed, outraged. Harley furrowed her eyebrows, confused.
"What are you talking about?" Bellamy asked, confused, and stepping forward.
"He poisoned the blade!" Clarke answered making Harley's breath hitch. Finn was already deathly wounded, and now that she knew there was poison on the blade, it's changed his life changes even more. "All this time he knew Finn was going to die, no matter what we did." She turned back to the grounder, gripping the handle. "What is it?!" Clarke shouted. "Is there an antidote?"
"Clarke," Octavia spoke, passing Harley. "He doesn't understand you." Harley's eyes flickered to the grounder, who said nothing. She tried to study his expression, searching for any signs that showed he understood anything they were saying, but there was nothing. There wasn't any emotion, no unspoken words. Maybe Octavia really was right, she thought.
Suddenly brightening with an idea, Bellamy turned. "The vials," he said, grabbing a small box off a case. "It's gotta be here."
Clarke set the knife down, taking the small box from Bellamy. Harley missed the way Octavia looked at the knife for a second, thinking. "They'd have to be stupid to have a poison around this long without an antidote," she mumbled. Harley leaned forward, catching a glimpse of tiny bottles with different substances in them, but nothing recognizable. Not that she'd be able to put a label on anything that was medical, anyways. Clarke held the box forward, motioning to the grounder. "Which one?"
The group didn't receive any response. The grounder continued to stay silent, only staring them down. Bellamy, growing irritated from the treatment they were being given, shouted. "Answer the question!"
Octavia tried pleading, but the grounder stayed quiet. "Which one?!" Clarke shouted again, growing distraught.
"Hey, our friend could be dying down there," Harley cut in, her tone desperate. The grounder looked towards her this time as Harley tried to convince him to do the right thing, hopeful. "You can stop that!" He stayed quiet, making her feel slightly hopeless. "Please," she begged again. "You can do the right thing and help our friend."
Realizing that the grounder wasn't going to answer them, Bellamy rubbed his nose in anger and stalked forward. "I'll get him to talk!" He declared.
Upset, Octavia reached out, attempting to stop him. "Bellamy, no!" She begged.
Without hesitation, Bellamy pushed his sister's hands away from him. "He wants Finn to die, why can't you see that?!" He shouted. Harley shook her head, agreeing with Octavia. There was always the real chance the grounder really hadn't understood them. Bellamy looked towards Clarke, waiting for her input. "Do you want him to live or not?"
"Clarke," Harley spoke, soft, seeing her hesitation to make the choice. "You said downstairs this is not who we are. We don't do.. Do this.." She stammered, trailing off, as she scanned the grounder again, covered in blood. They were delinquents, criminals, but not soldiers.
"He was protecting me," Octavia added, gravely. "He saved my life!"
"Do it." Clarke's firm decision had Harley's shoulders drooping in disappointment, and making her step back. Octavia begged for the grounder to just tell them, but Miller had grabbed her and pulled her back as Bellamy went to cut straps off the seats. She listened as Bellamy gave the grounder one last chance to tell them before he was cutting his shirt to prepare him for what was to come.
Octavia looked stunned, watching as her brother wrapped the seat belt around his hand before Clarke gave him a nod, telling him it was okay. Harley knew that this wasn't okay, not at all. Her eyes filled with overwhelmed tears and she flinched when Bellamy whipped the metal of the belt forward, striking the grounder in the chest violently.
The grounder grunted, falling back, but soon being brought back to his feet. Harley knew if he could understand them, he wasn't going to give in. She stepped further back, covering her hand with her mouth as Bellamy swung again.
Clarke signalled for Bellamy to step back. She kneeled forward, pouring the vials out in front of the grounder. "Please," she begged. "Which one's the antidote?"
Harley whispered a quiet; "Please" under her breath, cradling the sides of her face with her hands as Octavia begged again for the grounder to tell them. "Clarke," Bellamy mumbled, putting his hand on her shoulder and directing her out of the way. She reluctantly stood again, moving to the side and allowing the torture to continue. Harley gasped, watching as he took each hit to his chest.
Bellamy didn't back down either, but he was realizing they were getting nowhere. Harley could see he was panting, tired from swinging. Raven, from downstairs, shouted up the ladder that Finn was getting worse. "We're running out of time," Clarke said, kneeling back in front of the grounder and holding a few vials. She continued to beg, telling the grounder that they'll stop if he tells them.
Angrily, Bellamy threw the seatbelt aside and picked up a sharp nail from a pile of rubble. "If that doesn't work, maybe this will."
Eyelids flying open in horror, Harley felt her heart sink as Bellamy stepped towards him. "Bellamy, please, don't.." Her words came out small instead of brave and firm, too soft for Bellamy to care for her contribution.
"Last chance," Bellamy offered. The grounder said nothing, not even gave the other a glare for the torture he's endured. When realizing there was going to be no answer, he gripped the grounder's wrist and shoved the point through the palm of his hand.
Panting, Harley ran one hand through her hair and turned away with her eyes squeezed shut, unable to handle it. The grounder had grunted in pain, but she couldn't hear him say anything to save Finn's life.
Raven interrupted them, demanding to know what was taking so long as she climbed the ladder to their level. When Clarke informed the mechanic that he won't tell them anything, Raven gritted her teeth and stomped forward. "Wanna bet?"
Forcing herself to turn back around, Harley watched as Raven went to a panel of wires besides the grounder. She put the flat of her boot on the edge, tugging with her hands until blue wires came free. When Bellamy asked what she was doing, even though Harley was sure that they all knew, Raven pressed them together until a large spark flew out. "Showing him something new."
Harley's jaw dropped as she watched Raven press the wires to the surprised grounder's chest, shocking him. The lights flickered as Raven shouted, pulling them away, demanding to know which vial was the cure. Harley wiped at her eyes, a vile feeling in her stomach, seeing the grounder look so terrified for the first time. "He's all I have!" Raven shouted, her voice breaking.
Before Raven could hurt him again, Octavia's outburst stopped her. "No more!" Harley turned her head, seeing Octavia was now gripping the knife that stabbed Finn. "He won't let me die." Harley could barely let out a protest in a second, as the girl already slid the knife across her arm, gasping quietly in pain.
Bellamy watched his sister, terrified, as Octavia dropped in front of the grounder and pointed to the vials with the knife. "This one?" The grounder said nothing, and she panted, desperate. "Come on!"
Finally, the grounder nodded to the one on the far left. Octavia quickly picked it up, holding it in his view. Harley watched as he nodded again, signalling it was the right one. She sighed as Clarke and Raven raced down the ladder, now with the cure to save Finn. Leaning forward, Bellamy attempted to comfort her, but Octavia snapped. "Don't touch me!"
Knowing that Octavia was bleeding, Harley picked up a rag from a small pile and walked forward to her. "Hey," she said softly, grabbing her attention. "Here." Nodding slowly in thanks, Octavia took it, wrapping her arm. Harley took the moment she had to look up at the grounder. All she wanted to do was know that she was sorry for what happened.
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