Facing The Consequences

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Marcus Kane

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy was sitting in a room. It wasn't large, and one held for those awaiting trial. He didn't know what was happening. All he knew was that he had just seen his mother get floated and befoer then, his sister taken away to the Sky Box. He felt everything crumbling underneath him . . . and it was all his fault. Octavia's discovery was the worst possible thing that could happen to the Blake family, and because of his recklessness, it had happened. His mother died because of it. Octavia was arrested. Where was his punishment?

He was the one who deserved it the most. And yet, here he was, seemingly alive. Would they float him too? They should. He deserved that. He was the one who had caused all this. Everything they had planned in order to proteect Octavia . . . he had failed. Failed in every sense of the word. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, how long he had been sitting there for, until the door opened and Marcus Kane stepped inside.

Bellamy wasn't sure he could say anything to him to make it worse . . . unless by some bizarre chance, they were planning on floating Octavia sooner than 18. If he lived, that would give him two years to do something about it. Because, he had to. Losing their mother was bad enough. Losing his sister would completely destroy him. He didn't say anything. He didn't even look at Kane right away. It took a few moments before his gaze slowly moved to the respected figure, awaiting his words, dreading them, yet needing to hear them.

[Marcus Kane]

How did one even hide a child for 16 years? Under a floor, no less. It was impressive, and the fact that they were Blakes told he everything he needed to know about their resourcefulness. He had known her, even had come to love her in a way once. Long a ago. 16 years. It almost seemed as if he was thinking about someone else.

Marcus walked down the hall and nodded to his men to let him into the holding cell with Bellamy Blake. Once he was in the room, Marcus stood there, his hands folded behind his back while he waited for Bellamy to look up at him. He could see the sorrow in the boy's face and regretted he was about to make it worse, but the rules would bend for no one.

Almost no one. Bellamy would not be floated, for Marcus had often wondered if Bellamy could be his son, and for that he had proposed another deal. One that would punish more then floating would teach a lesson. "The council has decided that they will not have you floated. They have decided to spare you, since the crime was your mothers." He explained, being direct and wanting to make sure Bellamy knew what this talk was about.

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Marcus Kane

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy hardly felt any relief in the man's words. He was not to be floated. He didn't care about his life. His mother was already dead and Octavia's fate was left undetermined . . . or well, unstated. It could be assumed but Bellamy wasn't about to give up. He clenched his jaw, hearing the words of the crime being his mother's. It made it sound like Octavia was a crime. That her existance was a crime. How could a life be a crime? It was unsettling to think of her in such terms, and he would never consider her to be such.

Octavia was a gift, not a crime. Yet . . . the council would fail to see that. To them, she was a figure that used oxygen. That alone, justified the killing of so many innocent children. And Bellamy could not -- would not -- allow his sister to be added on to that list. "What about my sister?" He questioned, needing to know where her fate lay. Because by Marcus' words, by that logic, she too should be pardoned . . . and Bellamy should be found guilty. If he could, he would exchange places with her in an instant, but deep down, even he knew it was not that simple. It never was.

[Marcus Kane]

"What about my sister?" So much loyalty. It only made what he had to say a bit harder--more then a bit. It made it very hard. Still, if this was what saved his life, then he would do it. He had broken a few rules to get this done, and it was how it had to be. "Your sister will serve out her time, and when she is eighteen, we will review her case then. For now this is the only decision that has been made."

Only there was more too it. "As you did have some part in this, you will be put on some restrictions, the first is not associating with other known offenders." His sister. "Though we will allow you a chance to see her one last time." Another rule he was breaking, as no such allowance has been approved. He had not asked, knowing it would not have been. He was just doing it. "When she turned eighteen you can be a witness on her behalf, until then, as you both are on restrictions, you will not have visiting rights."

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Marcus Kane

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy listened still not finding relief. He supposed it was good that it was not decided that she was going to be floated . . . but he knew the chances of that happening were high. Very high. And he couldn't sit around for two years just waiting to find out her fate. He needed solid answers. For now though, he remained silent as Marcus continued on. He told him he would have restrictions, and that they would allow him only to see her once. That's it? Just once? That indeed was part of the punishment. It had to be. Why else keep him away from his sister? He had spent sixteen years with her, and now they were forcing him to endure a life without her. She was alive for at least two more years, and they wouldn't let him see her? A new height of cruelty indeed. He wanted to ask why, but he knew the answer. Punishment Consequences. Bellamy remained silent, processing everything, trying to find a way to get her out of there.

"She's not guilty for anything," he began to say, looking directly at Kane, meeting his gaze so that he knew that Bellamy was not just throwing out words recklessly and without thought. "I made a choice, to help my mother hide her. I aided and abeted this, as you put it, crime." The last word was clearly said with a bit of sarcasm. "She didn't have a choice. We protected her. We broke the laws to protect her." Why the hell were they punishing her for this?! Bellamy rose to his feet, though made it very clear that it wasn't to be intimidating or agressive toward the vice chancellor. Bellamy's words may be bluntly spoken, but he knew better than to pose as any threat toward Kane. "I'm the one who should be punished for this. Not her." He needed to appeal to the man; to tell him that he was more guilty. That Octavia was innocent in all of this. He should be the one who floated for this, and she should be the one allowed to live.

[Marcus Kane]

Marcus remained still and stoic while the young man got everything out of his system. He found a bit of admiration for him for standing up for himself, even if he didn't agree with what was being said. Everyone always thought the rules were dumb when they were in trouble for breaking them; no one wanted to stop and ask why that rule was important. Yet Marcus knew. He knew the Ark was in trouble and he knew things like this were not helping.

"I am not in the habit of explaining myself or the council to anyone--however, as you are clearly upset and seem to have forgotten what you should have learned in cadet training," or many he had not made it that far or maybe he had and just didn't care, "I will remind you that the Ark is not the Earth. We have limited space, limited food, limited air. It can produce only so much, and people like your sister put extra strain on it. An example must be made, or everyone would start breaking the rules and the Ark would falter under the weight." As it was now. "She will be given a fair trail, and we will look at everything when she turns 18."

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Marcus Kane

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy found himself continuing to struggle to remain calm and composed. He spoke of Cadet training? Bellamy didn't give a damn about cadet training. He learned more trying to protect Octavia than he did at training. And this, wasn't about that. He doubted he was even a Cadet anymore considering what he had done. It was Marcus' words about how Octavia was a strain on the system, that made Bellamy needed to inwardly force himself to stay planted in his current position.

To hear somoene speak of his sister in such a way was infuriating. But he wasn't suicidal; he wasn't going to get floated for attacking the vice chancellor. "This isn't a child that you can abort before it joins the world," he stated. "She's sixteen years old. She never had a choice." She couldn't exactly kill herself. "If you want to make an example out of this, then make an example out of the person who protected her. Who broke laws, stole, assisted in hiding an illegal child. You want a criminal, that would be me. Not her. Let me pay for the crime, and let her live as she deserves. It'll still be one less person to breathe the limited oxygen and feed with limited food." His last words had a hint of bitterness in him, detectable but not outright obvious. He understood the rules, but right now, he was only thinking of his sister and grief stricken by everything that had happened.

[Marcus Kane]

He was trying to bargain and make a deal but Marcus wasn't the type to make deals--and this wasn't something that one could talk their way out of. "We will be making an example out of you." He told Bellamy, "You will no longer be a cadet int the guard. We will find another job that will give you no access to power or thus giving you less of a chance to break any rules." Marcus told him, not wanting to deliver the news in such a way, but nor was he going to waste more time letting Bellamy beg for something that would never happen.

"You also will not be allowed to have interactions with anyone else who has a record." Such as someone who was in the Skybox. "You will be given a post in the janitorial staff, in one of the smaller stations. Perhaps with time you can move up with in their ranks, but you will never be allowed to hold any sort of position with power."

"There will also be biweekly inspections on your rooms and person. They will only be announced minutes before happening, and the guards will do this when you are not there. No chance at hiding anything." But at least he would be alive.

[Bellamy Blake]

Tag: Marcus Kane

whatever

THE HELL WE WANT

Bellamy didn't give a shit about his cadet position. The only reason he had even wanted to do it was to take care of his family; to protect them. And so that his mother no longer had use her own methods of finding out about surprise inspections. Bellamy just stayed quiet, tuning out the ways he was being demoted and punished for his actions. He would be given a janitorial position. There would be inspections. He wouldn't be able to have interactions with anyone who held a record.

All of this . . . everything, didn't matter to him. He wasn't even sure when Marcus had finished talking; how many moments of silence had passed until Bellamy finally responded. "But you'll let me live." It wasn't a statement said with relief. It was more, an accusation if anything. "You'll let a guilty man live, but an innocent girl potentially die." Both a question and a statement. He had a choice. He consciously broke the law. Octavia had done nothing and yet she was the one locked up!

"That's not setting an example. You're punishing her more than me. Why? She's just a girl! She's innocent." Bellamy knew he was saying the same thing over, but he couldn't help it. "Please." He wasn't above begging. "Replace us. Let me pay for her crimes. That is true justice, and you know it." A young girl; fifteen years old. A girl who had no choice in the matter. This was all Bellamy's fault . . . and his punishment was the least severe. Then again, living while having lost your loved ones was the greatest form of torture and punishment of them all.

[Marcus Kane]

"Don't stand there and tell me what i know." Marcus told him without anger. "You broke the law, and you will be the one to pay for it. We will deal with her as an adult, and look at her actions she had made since." He was doing what he could but the law was the law. He wasn't going to push it more. If they let families trade siblings then any time a child before unwanted they would want to trade--or if a child was arrested. He wasn't going to open up that hole of trouble.

"We have already passed judgment. You can revisit this when her 18th birthday is approaching. For now, this is done. You are dismissed." He was telling Bellamy to leave now while he had the chance. Because if he kept pushing things, then they would leave him in a cell to 'cool off' for a while. Marcus didn't want this to drag out. He wanted it to end. "You can report to the Skybox, and they will give you your visit. You have until the end of the day." He was all he could give him.