𝟐.𝟏𝟒

──── 「INFILTRATION」 ────

     After we left the girls, Lincoln and I walked all night without stopping. With the sunlight, Lincoln stopped to perfect his disguise: to fully look like a Reaper he had to be covered in blood, so he haunted a deer and covered the lower part of his face with its blood, splashing it onto his clothes too. My mind kept going back to Sam, unconsciously moving my head in the direction we had come from, half of me expecting to see her running after us, relieved that didn't happen.

-    "Okay." –I started, shaking my head to focus on our task- "We make it to the intake door without any of the real Reapers seeing us. What happens then?"

-    "I kill everyone and you slip inside." –Lincoln's answer was short and to the point, almost like he was avoiding having a long conversation because he needed to keep his mind focused- "Limestone." -I handed him the Limestone and he painted a couple of lines on his face with it; once that was done, he stood up-    "Let's go. We have a lot of ground to cover before dark."

I sighed, following him through the woods but, after walking for a while, I needed to get more information. I had to make sure it would all work out.

-    "I need to know what happened after the intake door."

-    "They remove your clothes, blast you with boiling water, then douse you with something that burns even more." –he kept his eyes in front of us- "We were also sorted. The others were tagged 'Harvest'. I was tagged 'Cerberus' and turned into a Reaper."

-    "Cerberus." –I nodded- "Three-headed dog that guards the underworld." -Lincoln stared at me with a confused look on his face-    "My mom read mythology to us all the time. Octavia loved it." –I explained as Lincoln nodded- "You're good for her. You make her strong."

-    "She was already strong."

-    "Hey, I need to ask you something." –I stopped him- "You protected my sister before you even knew her. Why?"

-    "When I was a boy I saw a ship fall from the sky; the man inside was hurt, his body broken. I couldn't get him out."

-    "Suicide by Earth. I heard the stories in the guard, I just didn't know they were true."

-    "I brought him food, water... I didn't speak the enemy's language yet so I couldn't understand him but I wanted to. So, on the third day, I told my father; he made me kill him. The world's been trying to turn me into a monster for as long as I can remember." –he ended without giving me a second to open my mouth- "Let's keep moving."

He started jogging away so I followed him, choosing not to bring that story up again. It had been easy to tell it wasn't something he shared lightly. It also was easy to tell it wasn't a fond memory. Instead, I questioned why we were going South when the garage in where we found him was North.

-    "There's a mine entrance closer to where the Reapers hand us over." –he glanced back at me- "We go into the underworld when we have to, not before."

He started jogging again and I had no other option than to for after him; after all, he was right. A couple of hours later, Lincoln stopped and I took the opportunity to check Clarke's map one last time. Once I had memorized it as best as I could, I turned towards Lincoln.

-    "The Mountain has many eyes between here and the tunnels." –he explained as he carved a branch- "From now on, details must be exact."

-    "What if we run into real Reapers? Wouldn't they wonder where you've been?"

-    "All they see is the Red. Once you've taken it, nothing else matters, just how you'll get more."

-    "How much do you remember from when you were on it?"

-    "Everything." –he stood up- "Turn around."

I took a deep breath knowing fully well what I had gotten myself into. As Lincoln placed the branch over my shoulder and tied my hands to it, I started to think. This is what we do, we risk our lives to save those who can't save themselves. I thought of Sam and O and what they'd be up to.

At least they both are safe back at camp and that's the only thing that matters. That, and getting alive out of this one.

Once Lincoln was content with how everything had turned out, he started moving, pulling me after him. When we finally made it to the entrance, Lincoln stopped and looked at it.

-    "Come on. Let's do this."

Lincoln took a deep breath and we walked into the darkness. The tunnels all looked the same, but thankfully Lincoln knew where he was going. He suddenly stopped.

-    "Why are we stopping?" –I asked turning around; he was looking at the ground: an empty bottle of the Red liquid was standing in front of him and he had his eyes focused on it. He stepped his foot over it, crashing it-    "You okay?"

-    "As soon as they open the intake doors, we attack." –he informed me- "Do not let it close. Once they're all dead, you go in. I'll make it look like you escaped. Once you're inside..."

-    "I know." –I cut him.

Shouting started to be heard in the distance as a firelight approached us.

-    "Another raider party." –Lincoln approached me to free me- "We have to go back."

-    "Go back? No way. There's three, maybe four, we can fight our way through."–I argued- "We'll never get a better chance than this."

-    "Look, I thought I could do this but I can't, okay? It's over."

-    "No, it's not. We can join them. Listen to me, when they bring out the Red you grab it and you run like hell." –I explained- "The Reapers will go nuts, the Grounders will run and the Mountain Men will have to deal with it. No one will be looking for a Grounder running into the mountain."

-    "I said no."

Lincoln grabbed the branch from my shoulders and threw it away. I threw myself at him and punched him.

-    "Fight back. They'll think I'm trying to escape."

Said and done; Lincoln wasted no time and I was on my knees with a knife to my neck in less than two seconds. Just then, a Reaper approached us and Lincoln spoke to him in Trigedasleng. The Reapers answered him and soon Lincoln raised us both from the ground and moved with me towards where the other prisoners had been tied up together; my eyes were covered and my hands tied up, forced to walk like the rest of the prisoners had been doing: in the darkness.

It didn't take much longer until we stopped and I heard them speaking again as they took off all of our clothes except for our underwear. We were made to kneel on the ground before taking the fold from our eyes. I looked around until I found Lincoln looking at me, giving me a small nod. The door to our right opened and people in protective suits started to come out of it while a high-pitched humming was heard.

-    "Stay back or you won't get your dose." –one of the men in suits announced.

A woman carrying a folder and a pen in her hands positioned herself in front of us and started to check us. She looked at me and tagged me harvest. I looked beside me and saw the Reapers getting on their knees to receive their dose; I saw Lincoln slowly approaching the man with the Red. No. I shook my head but Lincoln got on his knees, tilted his head, and received the Red. His eyes shut and he fell to the floor, grunting. This is not how it was supposed to go.

-    "Harvest them all."

The woman from before spoke and the men got all of us up. I fought them back until I was hit on the back of my neck and fell to the floor, in front of Lincoln. They took me by the arms and I was dragged through the floor and inside the Mountain, leaving Lincoln out there alone. We were taken to a room and chained by the neck to the walls and, after that, what Lincoln had described earlier became a reality, only worse. Everything we were showered with burnt my skin, we were brushed with the hardest brooms that made us bleed, they checked our mouths and injected us with things I never knew what were. After everything and all the screaming I did, I passed out.

Once I came back to my senses, I was in a cage. I looked around me and what I saw, frightened me and infuriated me at the same time: two people were hanging by their feet as their blood was taken from them. The room was full of cages and in each of them, I could see an exhausted Grounder. I started checking the cage for a way out and all eyes were on me. The Grounder next to me said something but I couldn't understand her.

-    "I can't... I don't understand you."

-    "Sky person?"

She asked me, moving in her cage to face me and I nodded; she spat on me.

-    "I take no one has told you we are not enemies anymore." –I cleaned my face as she moved away, pure hatred in her eyes- "I need to get out of this cage."

-    "And then what?"

-    "And then I'll kill everyone in this mountain."

For my people, to save my family, and to get back home. I kept trying to get out, but it seemed impossible. A noise was heard and the door to the room opened. The Grounder beside me spoke.

-    "They come." –she warned everyone as I kept trying to break the lock- "Quiet!".

Everything went quiet as the men approached us: a guard and a man on a white coat, a doctor I assumed. They stopped in front of her cage and the hatred in her eyes quickly dissolved into panic as she pushed herself as far into the cage as she could, trying to get away from the door; I knew I had to help her somehow, so I started kicking my door, which drew the men's attention.

-    "We got us a lively one." –the guard almost joked.

The doctor nodded and introduced a stick in my cell that electrocuted me as it touched my skin. I yelled as they opened the door, I wanted to resist but my body wouldn't react. The doctor poke my upper arm with a needle and injected something into my body. I felt my senses beginning to numb and I knew this was the end. I'm sorry, Sam, O.

     After promising Jasper I'd keep looking for his friends, I went straight into the hospital room; I checked all the patient's dialysis files, trying to find a clue about where they had taken them. As I was checking the last one, the door opened, startling me.

-    "Sergeant Lovejoy," –I greeted him, turning to face him- "hi."

-    "Where's Trope? I need to go over the treatment schedule so I know how many cages to clear."

-    "He just left."

-    "Thanks. I'll try to catch him."

He was moving back towards the door when the patient's device beeped, letting us know the treatment had ended. Lovejoy moved beside me to check her file.

-    "She's done an hour early. Twenty-five-minute treatment, that's gotta be a record."

-    "You really need Thorpe now, huh?" –I questioned, thinking of something- "You know, I think he said something about going to the main hall."

-    "Thanks."

He left the room. An hour early. That has to be one of Jasper's friends, it's the only explanation. I walked in there, to the room where they kept the Grounders and took their blood and I saw a guy hanging down. It has to be him. He wasn't moving but he was still alive, so I assumed they had given him something to keep him still. I checked the cabinet beside him and found epinephrine. This should work. I took one of the vials and injected it into his thigh. He gasped for air and blinked hard, trying to focus his gaze as I lowered in front of him.

-    "Who are you?" –I asked but he didn't answer- "You're from the Ark, aren't you?"

-    "Yeah."

-    "Do you know Jasper?"

-    "Maya." –he whispered surprising me, but I nodded- "How about getting me down, Maya?"

I nodded and started ripping the electrodes that monitored his heart rate when a guard came in.

-    "Lovejoy, hey."

-    "What are you doing here? You're not cleared for this facility."

-    "I know, I'm sorry. I just wanted to see what was so special about him but... he's dead."

Lovejoy approached me and checked the screen to view his vitals, which were flat.

-    "He is." -He then moved to the panel to lower the guy from the Ark to the ground. As he laid on the floor, Lovejoy approached him and started to unchain his legs-    "You're a brave girl, coming in here alone..." -He couldn't finish his sentence due to the guy's feet colliding with his chin, making him fall backward. The guy unchained his other leg as Lovejoy recovered and stood up-    "Don't move!" –he shouted taking out his gun- "Don't move." –he stopped- "On your feet!"

I took a scalpel from a table beside me and stabbed Lovejoy with it, giving the guy some time to stand up. Lovejoy took the scalpel and cut the guy's arm with it, making him move backward. He then punched him in the face and smashed his face with the metal cages. I saw he dropped his gun on the floor and I took it.

-    "Stop!" –I demanded, pointing it at him.

-    "No, don't!" –the guy stopped me- "They'll hear."

He then punched Lovejoy in the stomach, making him grunt in pain; Lovejoy stroke him in the stomach with his knee, and the guy grunted as Lovejoy took him by the neck and was about to cut his throat when the Grounder inside of the cage took his arm and prevented him from moving it, making Lovejoy release the guy and fight the Grounder to get his hand mobility back. This opportunity was taken by the guy to strangle Lovejoy, who tried to fight back with only one hand, trying to poke one of the guy's eyes, but he bit him instead, making Lovejoy remove his hand to his neck, trying to strangle him back but unable to. Finally, Lovejoy fell to the floor, dead.

     Once we finally got rid of the guard and I could breathe again, I took a deep breath, looking at my hands for a moment before turning to the cage behind me.

-    "Thank you." –I told the Grounder in the cage and turned to face Maya- "Are you alright?" -she had the gun still in her hands and was shaking. I felt bad for her, for what she had had to see and do-    "Are you okay?" –I asked again approaching her.

-    "I'm fine." –she finally answered.

I swiped my hand across my mouth, cleaning the blood as I turned to watch the dead guard.

-    "Help me get him undressed." –I said moving towards him- "We need to get rid of the body." -she nodded and moved to help me-    "My name's Bellamy."

-    "I know you, Jasper told me about all of you."

I smiled knowing Jasper. We undressed the guard and I put on his clothes and got rid of his body through something that looked like a tunnel that went down. Maya still looked uncomfortable.

-    "You've done enough." –I told her as I put on the belt- "You should walk away."

-    "You don't know where you're going."

-    "Draw me a map."

-    "No." –she handed me the gun and the guard's pass- "I'm in."

-    "Okay." –I checked the bullets on the gun- "I need to get to the radio so I can contact my people. We heard Jasper's SOS."

-    "I helped them set that up, I know where it is." –she looked worriedly at me- "Bellamy, your people are disappearing. Two so far: Monty and Harper. I thought they'd be in here but...

-    "I wanna see the others." –I cut her off- "Now."

-    "The dorm's on the way to the radio." –she explained and I started moving towards the door- "Wait. Everyone here knows everyone." –she ripped the name tag from my suit- "Put this on..." –she handed me a cap- "...and roll up your sleeve."

I did as she said and moved towards the table where she stood by.

-    "The tracking chip." – I realized what she was thinking of.

-    "It'll trip alarms once we start moving." –she explained- "We need to take it out."

-    "Do it." -I moved my arm towards her and she started cutting.

-    "How'd you know what my name was before I told you?"

-    "Clarke." –I answered- "She said Jasper couldn't stop talking about someone named Maya."

She chuckled lightly and pulled out the chip as I covered the cut.

-    "Put this in your cage." –she handed it to me.

I moved towards my cage, placed the chip in it, and closed it before facing the Grounder that helped me.

-    "I'll come back for you. I promise." –I moved to Maya- "Take me to my friends."

Maya nodded and started walking in front of me as we got out of there.

-    "There are 382 people inside this mountain." –she explained to me as we walked through the corridors- "If any of them realizes that you're not one of us, you're dead." –she passed her card through the elevator's security panel- "We're on level two, the dorm is on five. There's a camera in the upper right-hand corner. Keep your head down."

She explained to me as the elevator bell rang and we entered. I covered my face from the camera using the cap she had handed me. The elevator door started closing when a man stopped it.

-    "Hold the elevator." –Fuck- "Hey, Maya. You know I missed you in my Expressionists class."

My friends are getting killed and they are receiving art lessons. I thought as Maya talked to him. Sam would have loved those. I placed my hand over my gun and looked at Maya, who looked at me and shook her head. The elevator stopped at level 4 and two more people entered. I lowered my cap even more to try and cover my face from them. When the elevator finally reached level 5, the two people from level 4 got down and Maya made me a sign to get out too. As we were doing so, the man spoke.

-    "Hey, you're bleeding. Are you okay?" –he asked me.

-    "You've been exposed." –Maya reacted quickly- "We need to retrace your steps and find the breach." –she pulled me inside the elevator again and took the man's handkerchief to cover my wound- "You better go." –she told the man.

-    "What about you?" –he asked getting out.

-    "This is my job, I'll be fine."

-    "Keep the handkerchief."

We ended up at another level as I kept following Maya. When we were about to turn a corner, a bell rang and she stopped me as I heard a woman's voice. Kids going to class? This is not good.

-    "Come on." –Maya told me as she kept moving.

I was about to follow her when someone pulled on my sleeve.

-    "Mister?" –a little kid spoke to me- "Are you on a ground unit? My dad's training for a ground unit."

-    "It's pretty cool up there." –I answered- "I hope he makes it."

He smiled at me and walked past us towards the classroom. His backpack had a name on it: Lovejoy; the man I had just killed and whose uniform I was wearing. I felt sick, closing my eyes and sighing.

-    "They're just kids."

-    "What did you expect you'd find here?"

Maya asked me and I didn't know what to say. She turned around and started walking again; I took a deep breath and followed her.

-    "There they are."

Maya informed me after we had been moving around the place and finally made it to the dorm; I could see Jasper inside but, before I could say anything, an alarm started ringing and the door to the dorm closed.

-    "What the hell is going on?"

-    "I don't know. It's not a breach but it can't be good." –Maya spoke as she looked towards the door.

I followed her gaze and saw Jasper on the door's little window.

-    "Get me to that radio."

Once we got to the radio, I followed the instructions Raven had given me to contact them.

-    "Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Anyone read me?" –I spoke on the radio- "Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Does anyone read me?"

-    "Bellamy?" –Clarke's voice sounded through the radio-    "Are you alright?"

-    "I'm fine." –I quickly answered- "But that's it for the good news. We have to talk fast, something has changed. Jasper, Monty... everyone is locked inside the dorm."

-    "But they're alive? All of them?"

-    "I think so. For now... Maya says that they're already using their blood and things will get ugly in here real fast."

-    "Maya's with you?"

-    "She helped me escape; if not for her, I'd be dead." –I looked at Maya who was looking at the floor now- "And Clarke, there are kids in here. We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone, please, tell me we have one."

-    "I hear you, but we can't do anything until you disable the acid fog. Raven's gonna help you."

-    "Got it, what else?"

-    "You have to figure out a way to free the Grounder prisoners. There's a whole army inside that mountain and they don't even realize it."

-    "A Trojan horse, good plan."

-    "What does Maya think? Is it doable?" –Clarke asked and I looked at her.

-    "She says it's not a problem." –I said even if Maya's face denoted the opposite- "Clarke, if I'm gonna pull this off, I need you to buy me some time. It won't be long before they realize I don't belong here and if that happens..."

-    "That can't happen." –Clarke firmly said- "I'll come up with something."

-    "Come up with it quick."

-    "Copy that. And Bellamy?"

-    "Yeah?"

-    "You came through. I knew you would."

-    "All I've done so far is not get killed."

-    "I'd say so far you're doing great, though with a little help I've heard."

-    "Sam?"

-    "Who else could it be?" –I heard her chuckle through the radio, a smile taking over my lips.

-    "You alright?"

-    "Haven't done anything dangerous yet, keeping myself and your sister out of trouble, don't worry."

-    "Good."

-    "Raven wants to talk with you so I'm gonna go now but stay alive and say hello to the guys from me and give Maya a hug for keeping you and the guys alive."

-    "Alright." –I chuckled looking at Maya.

-    "Can't wait to meet you Maya!" –Sam said before Raven's voice came through- "Get out of here before he loses his focus and dies. Hello, Bellamy."

     I had been looking for Murphy for the past two days, only to find out Jaha had had this brilliant idea of going somewhere past a dessert to find a promised land. If he wasn't insane already, he definitely is now. He had spoken with a few people that left with him, including Murphy since they left from the dropship. I was mad he left without saying goodbye, but I also understood he felt like he didn't belong here; I just hoped I'd see him again. And then I'll beat his ass for leaving.

I was walking past Raven's workplace when I heard Bellamy's voice on the radio and my heart skipped a beat. He did it. A prideful smile plastered on my face while Clarke talked with him and Raven gave me a look.

-    "What?" –I whispered to her- "I knew he'll come through."

-    "You know very well what I mean."

I rolled my eyes and took the radio from Clarke's hands when she looked at me.

-    "All I've done so far is not get killed." –he told Clarke.

-    "I'd say so far you're doing great, though with a little help I've heard."

-    "Sam?" –his voice sounded like a surprised whispered and I found it hilarious.

-    "Who else could it be?" –I chuckled.

-    "You alright?"

Of course, he would ask me that.

-    "Haven't done anything dangerous yet, keeping myself and your sister out of trouble, don't worry."

-    "Good."

I could practically hear the relief in his voice as Raven poked my arm and motioned for me to give her the radio. Right, no time for this.

-    "Raven wants to talk with you so I'm gonna go now but stay alive and say hello to the guys from me and give Maya a hug for keeping you and the guys alive."

-    "Alright."

-    "Can't wait to meet you Maya!" –I hurried as Raven practically ripped the radio from my hands and pointed towards the door.

-    "Get out of here before he loses his focus and dies." –she practically kicked me out- "Hello, Bellamy."

I smiled and stuck my tongue out at her before leaving her to work with Bellamy. I walked outside to find Octavia and let her know Bellamy was alright. Once I got out of the ship, I saw the Grounders following Clarke and I moved towards them. They had the guard from Mount Weather with them. What's going on? I found Octavia in between the Grounders and I walked to her as I heard Clarke speak.

-    "You may be the Chancellor, but I'm in charge."

Badass Clarke has risen to the surface, everyone beware.

-    "Indra, tell your people to stand down before this gets out of hand."

-    "No." –Indra answered.

-    "People could get hurt."

-    "Not if you get out of my way." –Clarke answered her mother- "You need to trust that I know what's right for us."

-    "The Grounders trust Clarke." –Kane told Abby- "Maybe we should too."

Who would have guessed, Kane on Clarke's side? Abby finally yielded, all of us walking to the gate, realizing just then that two Grounders were pushing our prisoner outside of the camp. I wondered what Clarke was going to do, so I kept closed, standing next to Abby, and soon joined by Octavia.

-    "Can you hear me alright?" –Clarke asked him- "Because I need to make sure you get this."

-    "Loud and clear."

-    "I have a message for your leader: we're coming for him. You're watching us but you haven't seen a thing. The Grounder army is bigger than you think and, even if you could find it, your acid fog can't hurt them; and now, thanks to you, neither can the Reapers." –she pulled out from her pocket something that looked like a linter but that emitted a high-pitched sound- "So, you have one last chance; let our people go and we'll let you live. It's just that simple."

-    "Got it."

Clarke took the guard's suit oxygen level marker and checked it.

-    "That's an eight-hour walk back to Mount Weather, right?" -He nodded and Clarke pressed a button, making the oxygen escape from the bottle-    "Make it seven."

-    "Seven hours? That's not enough."

-    "Not enough?" –I moved forward as he looked at me- "Well, then make it six." –I looked at Clarke who nodded and pressed the button again.

-    "How am I supposed to deliver your message?" –he looked at me.

-    "Oh, you will." –Clarke assured him confidently.

-    "Or you and everyone inside that Mountain that's not our people will die. Trust me."

-    "Now, go." –Clarke ended for me.

He started moving away from us as we turned around to walk inside the camp.

-    "Clarke." –Octavia approached her- "Do you wanna explain to me how this helps my brother?"

-    "I just told them we have a secret army to worry about. The more they are looking at us, the less they're looking at him." –Clarke reassured her and I nodded in agreement- "Bellamy is the key to everything, Octavia. If he dies, we die."

Octavia widened her eyes but nodded nonetheless.

-    "He better not, or you'll be the first one down, I promise you." –I told Clarke.

A Grounder moved his hand to his sword while looking at me as I raised my eyebrow at him.

-    "It's fine."

Clarke told him and he relaxed. She looked at me and nodded before leaving.

-    "Sam..."

-    "Don't worry, O. He's fine. I was there when Clarke spoke to him, don't worry."

Octavia sighed and looked at Indra who was still beside us.

-    "I'm gonna go to Tondc now."

-    "It's nighttime, Sam."

-    "I'm not scared of the dark, O." –I smiled- "Lexa wants me there in the morning to train with one of her generals, I'll see you in the afternoon once Indra and you arrive."

-    "Oreth and Ion will go with you." –Indra informed me.

I nodded and Indra started to move away, Octavia hugged me.

-    "Be careful."

-    "You too." –I smiled.

Octavia left after Indra and I moved to look for Oreth and Ion, the two Grounders that had been like my shadow for the past two days. After Octavia and I had fought Quint and Fio, and after Octavia took Indra's offer and Indra learned of my intention of accepting Lexa's, she sent one of her soldiers to inform Heda of my decision while she made Oreth and Ion provisionally responsible for my training. Later, I found out that Ion had been the Grounder who had taken me to see Lexa on his horse the day I tried to convince her to take me instead of Finn.

As he had told me then, we spent the first day together learning Trigedasleng, which I appreciated since my ribs still hurt a bit; I was pretty sure he knew and therefore chose to start easy instead of going full warrior mode on me. I met Oreth the next day after my Trigedasleng lessons, both of them deciding I had rested enough and we started training. It was hard but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. They were both good teachers and even if I ended up 90% of the time on the ground, they made sure I repeated their moves until I carried them out properly, the resting 10% accounting for when I landed on the floor after a new move was introduced as soon as I figured out the previous one. Fun times.

I finally found them with their horses, two amazing creatures so fast and strong, sometimes I had trouble believing they were real. I spoke to them about going to Tondc and they both agreed on parting as soon as possible.

Once we got everything ready, even my bow that I had finally found hidden by Abby at the Hospital Centre, and had said goodbye to Raven, Oreth, and Ion mounted their horses and he offered me his hand to mount with him. Oreth moved in front of us and Ion made his horse follow her. The first day of my new life.