three; LIVING HELL

His muscles ached in a way he had never experienced before as he sprinted through the forest, the others not too far behind them, but he couldn't be sure because he hadn't stopped or looked back since he took off after the realisation that people already inhabited this radiation-soaked planet.

His breathing came out in short laboured gasps and his lungs were screaming at him, desperate for a break. He hadn't felt the usual pain he had in his ribs for a while and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

A figure moved passed him and he glanced over briefly just in time to see Monty trip and fall.

Archer hesitated for a split second before skidding to a halt and jogging over to where the boy lay on the ground, stopping before he held his hand out for the boy who stared at it for a moment.

"It's not going to bite." He told him hoarsely as he tried to catch his breath and when it became clear that Monty was not going to accept his outstretched arm, Finn and Octavia quickly moved to pull him off the ground.

"Monty, come on!" Finn urged, "We got to go!"

"Monty, get up!" Octavia exclaimed.

Archer stared at the bones as he began to feel pain in his legs.

"Who are they?" Finn asked before he noticed the disfigured shape of the skull in Clarke's hand.

"What are they?" Clarke corrected as she examined the deformed skull.

Archer began to feel uneasy as birds in the trees around the group began to squawk.

"We are so screwed," Octavia whispered fearfully as a pained scream echoed throughout the forest.

"Jasper." Clarke exclaimed as she sprinted off in the direction of the shout, "He's alive."

"Clarke, wait. Wait!" Finn yelled as he and Monty took off after her, "Wait. Stay out of the trees."

"In case you haven't noticed, Spacewalker, all that we're surrounded by are trees," Archer called after the delinquent's retreating forms.

He shared an exasperated look with Octavia before the two sprinted back in the direction of the lake where the makeshift rope swung limply over the large lake and Clarke, Finn, Monty stood all staring at something across the water and Archer slowed to a stop next to where Octavia had stopped and turned to look for whatever the others were searching for.

"He was right there!" Finn exclaimed.

His gaze shot to the exact place where he had remembered seeing Jasper land after being hit with the spear, only to see that the only sign that the boy with the goggles had even been there was the sigh he had raised high over his head and a dark red stain on a rock.

But Jasper Jordan was nowhere in sight.

"No." Monty whispered, his voice cracking as he searched desperately for his friend, "Where is he?"

"They took him," Clarke answered fearfully.

✦❀✦

Octavia let out a small groan of pain as she stumbled, Monty losing his grip on the girl as he and Archer attempted to guide her down the steep hill.

"Screw this." Archer murmured under his breath before he raised his voice, "Octavia, I'm going to carry you down, is that okay?"

At the girls rather hesitant nod, the accused murderer wrapped his left arm around her waist, before crouching slightly in order to hook his right arm under Octavia's knees and once he was certain that he had a firm grip on the girl, he lifted her from the ground and held her tightly as he began the rest of the journey down the hill, doing his best to ignore the burning pain of his muscles in his calf, the self-made bandage loosening from around his thigh, and the way his ribs twinged every time Octavia shifted against him.

"Thanks." Octavia murmured.

Archer only jerked his head slightly in response, breathing slowly through his nose as the girl accidentally knocked his bruised torso.

When the group finally returned to where the dropship had landed, they were met with the sight of Wells Jaha using one arm to keep John Murphy in a chokehold and his free hand held a knife to his throat and he almost dropped Octavia onto the dirt so he could rush to his best friend's aid, but Clarke rushed forward as soon as she realised what was happening.

"Wells!" She shouted angrily, "Let him go!"

Just like Archer knew he would, the second Wells let him go, John Murphy was back on his feet, rushing at the Chancellor's son, only to be blocked by Octavia's brother.

"Enough, Murphy." He ordered before his eyes landed on his sister.

Archer let out a sigh of relief as his feet finally met the flat surface of the ground.

"Octavia. Are you all right?" He asked, rushing over to where Archer had stopped.

"Yeah," Octavia replied with a smile.

The older sibling turned his gaze to Archer and his features shifted to that of contempt when he realised who was holding his sister.

"Put her down." He commanded harshly.

"You got it, boss," Archer responded with a sarcastic grin as he winked at the older man.

He groaned slightly as he shifted onto his bad leg in order for him to lower the brunette onto the ground without injuring her further, or himself for that matter.

"Where's the food?" Bellamy demanded once he deemed that distance between his little sister and the rumoured murderer was far enough, not at all impressed with the smile that Octavia gave the other male as she moved away from him.

"We didn't make it to Mount Weather," Finn answered after he sat down on a boulder not too far from where Bellamy stood.

"What the hell happened out there?" The self-appointed leader questioned.

"We were attacked," Clarke answered.

"Twice." Archer added, "If you decide to count Octavia and me, which I highly doubt you did."

Clarke shot him a glare.

"Attacked? By what?" Wells questioned as he looked at Clarke, assessing for any injuries she may have received and Bellamy's eyes shifted between his sister and Archer, who were both favouring a certain leg.

"Not what." Finn told him, "Who. It turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder."

Murmurs erupted around the group as Archer lowered himself onto a boulder to reduce the pressure on his leg.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked.

He glanced up to see Henry looking down at him in concern.

"I'm good." He replied, "Just a scratch."

"It's true. Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong." Clarke announced to the group who had surrounded the area due to Murphy and Wells' fight, "There are people here, survivors. The good news is, that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us."

"The bad news is the Grounders will," Finn said quietly and Archer snorted slightly at his words

"Where's the kid with the goggles?" Wells questioned after realising that the group that had gone to Mount Weather was one man short.

"Jasper was hit." The blonde girl answered heavily, "They took him."

"Hit is one way to put it," Archer muttered.

"Where is your wristband?" Clarke demanded as she grabbed Wells' bare wrist.

Wells jerked his head in Bellamy's direction with a scowl.

"Ask him." He snapped.

Clarke's eyes flashed dangerously as she turned to glare at Bellamy.

"How many?"

"Twenty-four and counting," Murphy replied with a smug smirk.

Archer glanced down at his wrist knowing that his wristband would be the twenty-fifth to come off.

"You idiots." Clarke whispered, before raising her voice in order for everyone to hear, "Life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again, and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them. You're killing us!"

He may have hated her long before he had been imprisoned but he had to admit, her speeches were pretty damn inspiring, but Bellamy Blake definitely knew how to win over a hesitant crowd, a quarter of whom were staring down at their newly bare wrists in guilt.

"We're stronger than you think. Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same?" Bellamy shouted, "We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm? It makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive your crimes."

"Bullshit." Archer murmured under his breath, knowing damn well that he would be imprisoned and executed the second that the rest of the residents of the Ark came down and the guard laid eyes upon him.

Henry huffed a laugh.

"Well, I say you're not criminals!" Bellamy shouted, "You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!"

The crowd of teenagers cheered in response, causing Clarke to shake her head and storm away.

"What do we do now?" Monty asked as the two walked past the rock that Archer and Connor were sitting on.

"Now we go after Jasper," Clarke replied, her blue eyes alight with determination.

✦❀✦

Archer watched quietly as Bellamy pressed the wet rag to Octavia's leg, causing her to let out a groan of pain.

"What the hell was it?" He questioned, ignoring his sister's grimace.

"I don't know." She replied, "The others said it looked like a giant snake."

"Looked nothing like those books that were on the Ark though," Archer commented, causing Bellamy to look up from the makeshift bandage he was wrapping around Octavia's thigh.

"You could have been killed." He finally said after he tore his gaze from Archer.

"She would have been if Jasper didn't jump in to pull her out," Clarke said as she stopped a foot away from the trio, having overhead their conservation.

Archer shook his head, a scoff passing his lips.

Things never changed with Clarke Griffin.

"It's not like I was the one who got her to Jasper or anything." He murmured under his breath, causing Octavia to shoot him a smile as she tied off her bandage the way Archer had shown her earlier.

"You guys leaving?" She questioned as she quickly got to her feet, "I'm coming too."

Bellamy stood and placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving further, his expression becoming rather panicked when he saw the look on his sister's face.

"No, no. No way. Not again." He exclaimed and surprisingly, Clarke nodded in agreement to Bellamy's words.

"He's right. Your leg's just gonna slow us down." Clarke told Octavia apologetically before she turned her attention to the girl's brother, "I'm here for you."

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Wells asked immediately as Archer cocked his head to the side curiously.

"I hear you have a gun." The blonde commented.

Bellamy gazed at the girl before gripping the hem of his shirt and pulling it up, revealing a gun stuffed down the waistband of his pants.

Archer's eye trailed down exposed skin and a small grin began to form on his lips.

"So it was a gun in your pocket." He remarked, grinning when he noticed the dark-haired man's turn a dusty pink.

"Good." Clarke nodded, ignoring their exchange, "Follow me."

"And why would I do that?" Bellamy questioned, his eyes focusing on anything except for Archer who was grinning rather innocently.

"Because you want them to follow you, and right now, they're thinking only one of us is scared." Clarke replied, "Archer, are you coming?"

"If Octavia's leg is gonna slow you down, then what is my injury going to do? Speed you guys up?" He sneered, "Besides, I'm not going to go on this suicide mission just because you've said no to pretty much the only people who have willingly offered and yes to the people that you're wishing would just disappear."

Clarke scoffed before she walked away from the small group that had formed.

"Murphy. Come with me." Bellamy ordered as he pulled on his jacket, "Atom? My sister doesn't leave this camp. Is that clear?"

"I don't need a babysitter," Octavia announced with an eye roll.

"Anybody touches her, they answer to me." He threatened the teenager, his eyes flickering over to where Archer was sitting, "Let's go."

As he walked away, Octavia stood to follow him, causing Atom to grab her arm, "You're staying here."

Octavia glared at him as she ripped her arm from his grip.

"I'm gonna make your life a living hell." She warned before turning on her heel and walking away from the males.

"I'm actually scared for you," Archer told him with a laugh.

An hour later, the hatch in the dropship swung shut loudly, causing Archer to crack an eye open.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" A female voice shouted angrily, "What are you doing?!"

"Consider yourself controlled." A second voice replied, the sound of his voice muffled between the floors and Arched turned his head to see Octavia trying to pull the hatch up with no luck.

"Is this all you got? They locked me under the floor for sixteen years just for being born!" She screamed, her voice echoing, "This is nothing!"

Monty cleared his throat from the corner of the ship opposite to where Archer lay.

"You want to keep it down?" He asked, "I'm trying to concentrate."

"And I was sleeping so thanks for that awesome wake-up call." Archer called shooting the girl a sarcastic thumbs-up as he pulled himself into a sitting position, "Though I must admit, it was a lot better than one of the guards doing it."

✦❀✦

"He may not be my real brother, but he's always been there." Monty rambled as she tinkered with Octavia's wristband, "Every memory I have, there's Jasper. I should be out there."

"You're not gonna cry, are you?" Octavia asked teasingly.

Monty cracked a smile, "Shut up."

Octavia laughed lightly and Archer let out a groan of pain as he dug the piece of metal underneath his own wristband, moving it around until he was sure it was at a place where he wouldn't stab himself.

"You sure about this?" Monty asked, "Your brother won't approve of you helping us contact the Ark."

Arched pushed the piece of metal up, hissing in pain as he felt the needles from the band slowly leaving his flesh until he heard a pop and the piece of metal clasped around his wrist hit the floor with a loud clang, the ends of the needles glowing a bright blue before fading until it disappeared.

"He's not my keeper." Octavia replied, "Let's just do this. Let's do it."

"Doesn't hurt at all," Archer commented sarcastically.

"Son of a..." The female cried, just barely interrupting Archer's words as Monty began prying the bracelet off her own wrist.

"Sorry." Monty apologised, looking down at the metal spikes as the blue glow faded just as it had done in Archer's, "Dead."

Octavia groaned in annoyance.

"Damn it." The engineer recruit cursed.

"If we can't even take it off, how do you expect to turn it into a radio?" The brunette girl asked as the hatch door opened and Atom's head appeared.

"Go on. I'll be fine." Monty said once he noticed the look on her face, "Work to do."

Octavia smiled at him as she got to her feet, ruffling his hair as she walked past him on her way to the ladder.

"Hey, Monty?" She called, "Jasper would understand why you stayed."

He nodded his head.

"How is someone raised beneath the floor, not a total basket case?" He inquired causing Archer to cough in order to disguise his laughter.

Octavia smirked at them, "Who says I'm not?"

Once she had disappeared, Archer glanced over to Monty.

"You know, she's right." He said, "Your friend would understand why you had to stay."

Monty looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"I know."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bellamy exclaimed a few hours later as Archer cut the line and grasped one of the sticks that held a chunk of meat, "What the hell are you doing?"

"What everyone else is doing." He responded with a small smirk, "Whatever the hell I want."

Bellamy glared darkly at the male who still hadn't met his eye, "If you're wearing a wristband, you don't get to eat."

Archer rolled his eyes before he finally turned his attention to the dark-haired male, the smirk leaving his lips as he stared at the self-appointed leader icily.

"Are you blind?" He questioned, as he lifted his bare wrist for the older male to see, "I took it off this morning, I don't want the council down here any more than you do."

"Well, you play by my rules," Bellamy told him, his expression one of distaste as he stared up at the accused murderer just as his expression schooled into one of innocence.

"I thought that there were no rules?" He pondered with a grin as he ripped a piece of meat from the stick, popping it into his mouth and beginning to chew the meat as he watched with immense amusement as Bellamy's face fell, "You have a good night now, King."

Without waiting for Bellamy to respond in retaliation, Archer turned on his heel and sauntered away from the large group waiting for their dinner by the flames, humming a light tune to himself as he went.

══════════════════

i adore archer with my entire heart and that's the tea.

also, i absolutely love clarke and her character so i'm not hating for no reason whatsoever. archer and clarke have quite an intense history and all will be explained in regards to that.

thanks for reading!

~r