HOW WE STOP THE WAR.

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LOST IN FIRE (book three).
°• CHAPTER ELEVEN •°

" SURE, THEY ALL DID SOMETHING
TERRIBLE TO SURVIVE, BUT YOU
OF ALL PEOPLE HAVE NO RIGHT TO
JUDGE THEM FOR IT OR SENTENCE
THEM TO DEATH! "

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       "I don't care how you make it happen, Clarke," Diyoza's voice continued on the radio. "Kill Octavia if you have to. Bring her to me in chains, and I'll do it for you. Or she can surrender herself, but your red queen doesn't seem like the type." It was almost amusing for the Colonel and it made Harley sick because she was right. Octavia wouldn't surrender, she had too much pride. It was one of the main traits about her that Harley loved, how Octavia refused to give up no matter what obstacle was in her way. Now, it had come to bite her, maybe being the one thing that would kill her brother and her family.

"Let us worry about that," Clarke replied without a pause to think about what she's doing.

"We have an understanding, then?" Diyoza questioned.

"We do."

"Good. Call me back when it's done, and we can work out the details of your crossing," Diyoza ordered. "Over and out."

Once Harley heard Diyoza's good-bye, she flung away from where she was pressed against the table and glared in Clarke's direction. "Forget it," she snapped.

A look of pity is evident in Clarke's features. "Harley..."

"We are not killing my sister, Clarke," Bellamy cut in harshly from where he had composed himself after the shock. "I don't care how crazy she is." He swiped back the radio from Clarke's hand, giving it back to Monty to plug into the computer again. "Run the loop." Bellamy picked up a bag, plopping it on the table and started packing it with Harper. "The rover's charged. We're getting our friends. That was reckless, we had a plan, you agreed."

"That was before Octavia made Madi her second," Clarke argued. Harley stopped, picking her head up to meet Clarke's desperate eyes. She knew she had said Octavia had an interest in Madi, but Madi was just a child. She wouldn't survive a war in the front of the line. "That army marches to war as soon as they find out the eye is down," Clarke continued. "I can't let that happen."

"So we don't tell anyone," Harper suggested.

Monty shook his head. "They'll know as soon as we drive away."

Huffing, Bellamy shut the bag's flap. "Oh, who cares? We grab Madi and we go."

"She's by her side," Clarke pointed out.

Briefly, Harley pressed her lips together, fighting the despair weighing on her shoulders. She won't cry, and she can't hurt Octavia. She can't let anyone else hurt Octavia. Harley waited until Clarke's blue eyes met her wet ones before whispering. "I love her, Clarke."

"I know. Tell me what else to do," Clarke pleaded.

"We stop the war," Monty spoke up. When Bellamy asked him how, he gingerly pulled out a small can. Harley took one look at the label before heaving a deep sigh, swiping her finger under her nose and blinking hard so the tears went away. "Algae," Monty read aloud, hopeful. His girlfriend gave him a pointed look. "Cooper already gave me permission to show what it can do," he explained. "She's meeting me before the afternoon meal so I can take her to the - "

Monty is cut off when Harper impatiently snatched the canister out of his hands. "That's enough."

"Hey, give it back!"

"Monty, Bellamy's right. Cooper's worse than Octavia," Harper said. She then sent an apologetic look to Harley and Bellamy. "No offense." Harley doesn't respond. "Besides, the first batch put Murphy in a coma for almost a week," Harper continued. "By the time it's ready to eat - "

"The first culture!" Monty exclaimed, cutting her off, surprising her. "And we're not gonna eat it this time. We're gonna feed it to the plants. If I can make the farm viable again, then we'll still have a chance."

The arguing stops when the metal door shook and pushed open. Harley's head snapped to it, greeted by Octavia with a few of her guards behind her. Octavia's gaze immediately landed on the computer's screen. "The spy did her job?" She questioned at the sight confirming that they could see the enemy.

Nobody answered at first, unsure what to do. The second the worms are brought to the valley, everyone they knew and loved there was dead, so even though Octavia already knows, Harley can't tell her. Bellamy slowly stepped in her line of view. "... We were just about to send for you. Told you Echo would get it done," he said, the words sounding more questionable than firm. Harley could have slapped her forehead over the clear lie in his tone.

If Octavia can sense her brother lying, she doesn't mention it. "Can the enemy still see us?" She asked.

"For now, yes," Monty replied with a nod. "It's technical, but..." He trailed off.

"He has to run a loop," Kara pitched in. "To mask our troop movements. When the time comes, we need to clear the surface to reduce the risk of anyone noticing the same people moving in the same direction again and again."

A thin smile spread on Octavia's lips. "Well done, Monty," she complimented him. For a moment, Harley heard the softness in her tone, and she almost sounded like her old self. That changed with the command following to Kara and Miller. "Load the worms into the rover and mobilize the army." She marched to the door, leaving, with one last order that brought a chill to them all. "War is here."

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With the air still tense between Harley and Monty, she wants to fix it and followed him to the hydrofarm to show Kara how his algae could help the plants. As he's setting up, hooking the canisters to the pots with some tubes, she leans over a tabletop, arms crossed under her chest. She doesn't know what to say. Harley and Monty were close in the ring, they all were. After seeing one another every day, or night, for six years straight, they became a family. Now, there was a wave between them, caused by Harley taking Octavia's side and defending her. There was truthfully only one thing that she could say.

"For what it's worth," she began in a mumble. "I am sorry."

The apology caught Monty off guard. He glanced up, eyes landing on her, waiting for him to say anything, whether it'd be to tell her to can it or accept it. "I get it," he finally said. "You love her, but you love Murphy too. Try not to forget that."

"I love all of you. You are all my family, not just John and Octavia," Harley reminded him. "And if I could... If I could figure out a way to save everyone without any bloodshed, please believe that I would take it." She didn't realize her voice had dropped into a low, whisper and Monty had averted his attention from his work to Harley. "But I can't find one. If you can tell me a way to save them both, please do," she pleaded.

"If this works, we might have a shot," Monty admitted. Harley pressed her lips together. She doesn't want to argue with him again, but she's not willing to put the life of her brother and Octavia on the line over a shot. They've at least made up at this point, and Harley will have to let it go for now.

When Kara joins them, Monty sprung into action. He eagerly explained his plans to her, talking so fast that Harley can hardly keep up. Although she's still down, she feels a spark of pride, proud of Monty and his passion. He was so firm on the belief that he could save everyone, and she admired that he was smart enough to actually do so. Kara had been silent for most of it, occasionally making a comment or suggestion, but she was also clearly amazed by how much work was being put into this.

"... I admit it. I'm impressed," Kara confessed. When she turns around, she's holding a warm smile that Harley had never seen on her face before. "Your mother would be proud, Monty."

There's a brief moment where Monty seems taken back by the compliment, but he comes back quickly to pour a greenish-yellow liquid into a container. "I told you. It's the nitrogen, and that took less than a day." Kara kept her chin up, listening as she took the seat beside Harley who eyed her hand, seeing it wander into a bucket of Monty's algae. "In a week, the entire farm could be - "

"Wait!" Harley suddenly broke out in a panic, leaning over to snatch Kara's wrist that was guiding the piece into her mouth. "Believe me. You do not want to eat that." Confused, but complying, Kara dropped the food again.

"The first culture, even from an old strain like this, isn't safe," Monty explained to her, taking out a cloth to wipe her fingers and make sure there wasn't any remains on her skin. "I mean, it is for the plants, but on the ring, it put Harley's brother in a coma."

A slightly amused look was brought to Kara's expression. "I'll keep that in mind." She set her hands back in her lap. "Monty, here's the truth... We leave in a few hours. After that, I don't ever want to see this place again."

Curiosity hit Harley since she wasn't being given stories of what happened in the six years here by anyone else. She cocked her head in Kara's direction, she found herself questioning her. "Why?"

Suddenly less amused and more full of pain, Kara's fingers curled into a fist and her jaw clenched firmly before she answered. "I'm not allowed to say." Harley's mouth opened, prepared to push farther, thinking that it couldn't be so bad, but Kara stopped her by asserting. "You misunderstand me. I legally can't say, or I'll be arrested and thrown into the pit." Neither Harley or Monty know what to say at that, but she turned back to him. "If you want to take it over, be my guest." She rose from her seat. "If you'll excuse me..."

"You don't have to leave," Monty stopped her quickly. "That's the point. No one else has to die. You did things to survive, that's in the past. We can have protein and biofuel, and... Beer! Yeah, it'll taste like crap, but who cares if it gets you drunk?" He joked.

Harley smiled, but in a second, it was dropped when she saw a black shadow dart around the walls. She straightened, shooting to her feet, with hand bringing down to rest on the handle of her sword. "Monty," She said softly, informing him of the hiding intruder by tilting her head in the spot she saw it.

Interested herself, Kara turned and slowly started walking over. "Is someone there?" She called out to the empty space.

For a moment, Harley considered maybe she was wrong, that no one was hidden and spying on them. That changed when a tall and well-built figure threw themselves at Kara, pressing one hand to the back of her neck and the other over her mouth, holding a cloth over it. When Kara let out a muffled shout, thrashing in their grip, they turned around and Harley caught a glimpse of their face. Monty gasped their name. "Bellamy!"

It's definitely Bellamy, but he doesn't say anything - or explain why he's attacking Kara. She fell limp in his hold, out cold from whatever was on the rag pressed against her mouth and nose, and he lifted her with ease, balancing her body over his shoulder just as Clarke appeared. "Monty, come on. We need you to open the processing room," she rushed out.

"What the hell are you doing to her?" Harley demanded instead. "She didn't do anything."

"We'll explain later," Bellamy grunted out from Kara's weight.

Infuriated, Monty spun around as they passed him. "Actually, if you want me to open that door, you'll explain it to us now."

With a sigh, Bellamy lowered Kara to the ground,  holding her up. "I know it doesn't look like it, but this is how we stop the war."

"I was stopping the war!" Monty defended loudly.

"Keep your voice down!" Clarke hissed. "If anyone hears us - "

But Harley can't keep her eyes off of Kara's unconscious body, so she interrupts. "You're killing her," she whispered, breaking her stare to meet Bellamy and Clarke's eyes. "Aren't you?"

They don't respond. Monty looks both disgusted and astonished at it. "Are you?" He echoed over Harley, much louder than her.

This time, Clarke faintly nodded, confirming it. "Yes." She turned around, picking up the tool that Monty had used before to break into the room.

"If you don't open that door, we're the ones who get killed," Bellamy informed him.

Finally busting out of her daze and repulsed at what was happening, Harley narrowed her eyes at the pair. "We wouldn't be if you didn't knock out an innocent person," she snapped at them harshly. "You can't just kill her, she didn't do anything!"

"She's apart of Wonkru," Bellamy retorted. "They've all - "

"Sure, they all did something terrible to survive, but you of all people have no right to judge them for it or sentence them to death!" Harley exclaimed furiously. She's full of rage, her clenched fists trembling at her sides, that they're putting them all at risk for what - to kill an innocent woman?

"Harley," Bellamy began, saying her name slowly after her outburst. "Who are you willing to sacrifice? Murphy and everyone we care about, or one person?"

The question made Harley stop. Her head was whirling with all the thoughts so fast that she suddenly felt nauseous. Was Bellamy right? She had a choice of who she wanted to die, and it was as if he knew she didn't want it to be the ones she loved over an innocent person. Harley can't say anything. She doesn't want anyone to die. Clarke takes advantage of the quietness, holding out the tool in Monty's direction. "Open it, Monty," she requested, except not leaving room for him to argue it.

Huffing sarcastically, Monty snatched the object out of Clarke's hand. "And, of course I help. Because what's one more, right?" He crouched to the door's handle, working his way through. "We're already murderers."

"That's not fair," Bellamy protested. "We're talking about one life to save hundreds."

"Really?" Pausing his movement, Monty angrily suggested. "Then let's kill Octavia." Harley's eyes are sad as she looks at the back of his head. She can't. She won't. "Didn't think so," Monty muttered when none of the three agree.

The door pops open, and Monty walks away, his shoulder slightly bumping into Harley's. He's clearly revolted at this. Her voice breaks when she says his name. "Monty..." But he doesn't look back, leaving the hydrofarm to let them kill Kara.

"We're doing the right thing," Clarke says from behind Harley. She turned slowly, eyes misty, but shakes her head. They weren't, and Harley was just as bad for refusing to leave and not be apart of it.

"If you say it enough, maybe I'll believe you," Bellamy mumbled.

And the question he asked remained. Who was Harley willing to sacrifice?