While Kane and Byrne were having, even more problems poured over their heads, my team and I were working on our gear. Our frequent ambushes against the Ice Nation had diminished our stock of bullets to a rather low level. While that wasn't exactly a problem, since we could always return to Camp Jaha anytime we want, at the same time, that would have to put a stop to our skirmishes against Azgeda.
As I was putting some of the remaining bullets into one of my clips, Sergey who finished cleaning his gear sat beside me chewing on some plant that he likes.
"Do you think, Gustus, reached the grounders by now?"
"He did leave the dam two weeks before us, so chances are that he may have reached it. Then again, we both knew how bad his situation was, thanks to the stunt he pulled back when we had our first peace meeting with Lexa and her people."
"Hopefully he would warn our people about Clarke's kill order."
"It's not a kill order, it's a bounty. They believe Clarke's a symbol. After what our friends did inside Mount Weather, she became known as Wanheda or The Commander of Death."
"But didn't Bellamy, Finn, Raven and Monty also have a hand in that?"
"They had, but thanks to Dr. Griffin they were forced to remain inside the safety of their walls while Clarke left the camp alone, putting even more fuel to that rumor."
"Damn, poor her."
"Well, the Azgeda kind of search for her day and night, since most of these parties are actually after her rather than grabbing slaves."
"Whoever put that bounty on her head, must have been crying now thanks to us."
"Their Queen had put the bounty, I'm willing to bet on that."
Just as I was about to continue, Monroe walked inside our hiding place, dragging a small dinosaur behind her. In these past months, she started loving catching prey with traps and whatnot. Because of that, she kind of became our daily source of food, a job that she loved more than killing grounders, and with a good reason.
"Talking about our princess?"
"Yeah, we are trying to figure out where she may hide."
"C'mon boys, you don't want the bounty, right? Right!"
"Be serious Zoë What good it would bring us to take our friend to the enemy?"
"Fair point, Leon, so where do you two think Clarke's hiding?"
"A cave maybe."
"While she's not the same as when we first landed here, I don't think that Clarke would live inside a cave for three months. "
"She needs supplies right? Then who's closer to Azgeda's territory and also a very good friend with our leader?"
"I get it, ok? Just don't call me a leader like that. I don't deserve that title."
"Sure thing, chief. So when are we going to meet Niylah? "
"Let's fill up all of our clips before leaving. After we get our princess back we all go home."
While we were getting ready to search for Clarke, Kane and his group had already left Arkadia on the rover towards the same destination as us. Unfortunately, for them, someone had other plans. The rover was forced to stop somewhere in the forest, thanks to some tress that conveniently fell in front as well as behind the rover, keeping the vehicle from doing anything other than standing still.
Kane was looking outside through the window, hoping to spot the party that blocked their vehicle. It has been two hours since their car was ambushed, forcing them to stop, and until now, no one has ever made himself or herself known to them, which only increases the tension inside the car.
"No matter how long you look out, chancellor, you won't see anyone if they don't want to be seen."
"I know that Byrne, but we still need to find something, anything that could help us."
For the first time since they stopped, Monty opened his mouth speaking out his mind as he kept his hands on the steering wheel.
"Can't we just make a run for it?"
"No, that's what they want us to do."
"Why do you say that Harper?"
"Think about it, Monty, if they wanted to kill us, they could have simply destroyed the rover, but my guess is that they want to capture it in one piece or at least in a working condition."
Suddenly something fell next to the rover, prompting everyone to be alert in case whoever stopped us may attack.
Byrne, Kane, and Bellamy both had their guns stuck between the blinds, their fingers tapping the trigger in anticipation of some action.
"The boy is right," Indra remarked, looking at Monty and then back at Kane. "They can wait longer than we can."
Both Kane and Byrne looked at each other wondering if they should risk the lives of everyone for a chance of getting out of there. In the end, both of them had to agree with Indra. They didn't have the necessary supplies to survive for longer than a day or two inside the rover, while whoever was outside could wait for weeks if they really want the rover.
"I need your help, Bellamy. You get in the turret and you cover us."
He looked outside and pointed through the blinds at a place that seem to be good enough in case they would need cover after the enemy engages them.
"Once we get to that ridge over there, we'll cover you, so until then, please hold up and don't you die on us, son."
"Copy that, sir. Better run faster than their arrows."
Without wasting any more of their time, he lifted himself out of the turret, his weapon ready to shoot any grounder that would foolishly make his presence known to him. However, the second he lifted himself into the open air, a pair of strong arms caught him. The grounder threw his gun away, as he looked down inside the rover.
"They're here, sir!"
Bellamy informed them, his voice deep. Kane pointed his gun out of the turret, but the masked figure above them had a knife to Bellamy's throat.
"Everybody out or the boy dies."
Before Kane had a chance to answer, the grounder drags Bellamy out of the turret and threw him onto the ground, scaring almost everyone inside the rover. Seeing and hearing Bellamy yelp, he had no other choice than to do as he was ordered to, otherwise, Bellamy and everyone inside the rover would be killed.
"Okay! Okay, we're coming out! Just, don't hurt him!"
He and everybody else disarmed themselves as Kane opened the doors of the rover. He barely let the sunlight in before they were all assaulted, the doors were forcefully opened and each of them thrown outside.
As soon as all of them were dragged out of the rover, the grounders surrounded them.
"All targets secure!" One of the grounders informed the rest, and in the next second, they pulled Monty up from the ground without considering if the boy could have had a hidden weapon on him. One of the grounders grabbed the blinking red transmitter and held it in front of his face.
"It's mine! Give it back!"
"Monty, let it go!" Bellamy yelled from under the foot of the very same grounder that dragged him outside of the rover. Suddenly, in the middle of their struggles, there was a soft voice from one of the masked grounders.
"Monty?"
Everyone froze, including Monty, who heard the rather familiar voice. He looked over to his right to see a woman in disguise, but somehow the voice let him see beyond the mask. No matter where we would be, he would always remember that voice.
"Mom?"
The woman didn't waste any time. Hannah Green quickly removed her mask, her eyes widening at the sight of her son whom she had thought she had lost, standing a few meters away from him. Her breathing was heavy as the man holding Monty hostage slowly let him go, realizing that they hadn't attacked the enemy, instead they caught their own people. As his mother stared, open-mouthed and entirely relieved to see him alive, Monty stepped forward and launched himself into his mother's arms, grateful for her warmth.
The man who had taken Bellamy from the turret jumped down and ordered the rest of his people.
"Farm Station, stand down."
Kane immediately recognized the commanding voice behind him, so he turned around onto his back with the same surprised eyes Monty's mother had.
"Pike?"
Looming over him, Charles Pike removed his mask and smiled down at the old Chancellor.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you! You two Byrne, sorry for our rather brutal welcome, but the landing taught us to never trust anyone, especially …never mind. It's good to see you."
He laughed and helped Kane and Byrne up from the ground, albeit with a grunt of pain from both of them, which only made him smile in response, not feeling even the tiniest bit of regret for what he had done. They hugged, happy to see each other again. However, those still holding Bellamy, Indra, Gustus, and Harper were still being held at gunpoint, or at the tip of a knife. Seeing that the rest of his people were still treated like enemies, Kane could only stare at Pike in disbelief, not recognizing his friend.
"Lacroix, Smith, watch our six! Everyone else, I said stand down, for god sake. They are our people, at least some of them."
Pike ordered glancing at Gustus and Indra with some clear hate, not like the fact that two grounders were so close to them.
"What's the deal with them?"
"It's a long story, but they are our allies."
"Last time I heard from the kids, they were under attack. What happened?"
Bellamy, who recovered from what happened to him, approaches Pike, answering in Kane's place.
"We fought back against the grounders and won. Then we found out that we had a bigger enemy."
"So he didn't lie after all. Now I feel bad for not believing him."
Everyone that wasn't from Farm Station looked confused when they heard Pike's words, but Gustus was the first one to realize something that may have escaped from the chancellor and his right-hand woman's eyes, not that they could have ever known about it. He glanced at Pike before speaking what Leon told him.
"Thunder?"
For a second, Pike was shocked, but then he quickly answered.
"Lighting. So you are also part of that group, huh?"
"Not exactly. I'm still a Trikru, but for the past three months, I had to adapt to a new way of war or die. So, I chose the better option.
Indra glanced at him with disgust, not wanting to even comprehend what Gustus had become, once one of the most trusted and devoted warriors of the commander, now a disgrace to his name.
Seeing that he was left in the dark, Kane turned and looked at Pike, wanting to change the subject to something that he hopes would be easier to talk that those secret meanings of them.
"How many of you are there?"
"Seventy-one. The rest are camped in a mountain north of here. Grounder killers one and all. Am I right?"
"Hoo-hah!"
All of the Farm Station survivors cooed back at their leader, causing a very uncomfortable situation to arise. Indra looked around cautiously as everyone's eyes involuntarily floated to her, the only Grounder still alive. While Gustus was clearly one, he had the same body language a trained soldier had, different from the grounders and more familiar with the way, the Sky people fought.
Thankfully, nothing happened, as Bellamy interrupted with urgency and directed at Kane.
"Hate to cut this reunion short, but we have to find Clarke as well as Leon."
"Clarke Griffin and Leon Kennedy?"
Bellamy nodded at him as soon as he heard the names. Pike smiled when he saw the older Blake nodding at him.
"If only all of my Earth Skills students were as good as them. I don't know where Clarke is, but Leon and his friends brought us a lot of stuff from their skirmishes, and since you are searching for the younger Griffin, then I'd say that we'll definably find her with him."
After that, Pike ordered his people to remove the trees so that the rover could move forward when Kane walked beside him.
"Seventy-one? Farm Station left over with more than that."
"We landed with that number, Marcus."
As he said that, Pike's head unconsciously turned towards Indra and Gustus, who realized quickly why they were so against Grounders. Indra lifted her head and tried to remain calm in the presence of enemies.
"The Ice Nation can be ruthless. Take pride in the number you saved."
"Indra, this is Charles Pike. He was a teacher on Ark. This is Indra Gustus. Gustus was a warrior of Trikru, before he left with Leon, while Trikru's clan Indra leads. She is our most trusted ally amongst the grounders."
"I'll have to take your word for it. At least until proven wrong. Mount up, people we are going back to hell!"