𝟐.𝟏𝟗

─── 「THIS ISWHAT SHE DOES」 ───

     It was nighttime and we were still waiting for the sign that Raven and Wick had managed to get the Mountain's power down. It was taking too long. Something must have gone wrong and they had failed. Lexa's stance on the subject was opposite to mine: she stood calm, unwavering patience.

- "What will you do when it's over?" -she looked at me, I guessed she was trying to distract me but I had no idea how to answer that-    "What do you want?"

- "My people back; I can't think past today."

- "You should come with me to the capital, that will change the way you think about us."

- "I thought that's why you took Sam with your warriors." –I reminded her, glancing at her for just a second- "Besides, you already have."

- "Still, you should come."

Lexa gave a soft smile and I nodded. Maybe there was more to it but I couldn't allow myself to think past the next couple of hours. Gunshots cut our conversation short, soon having Lincoln, Monroe, Sam, and Sheda behind us, informing us that the shots were coming from the dam.

- "They know we're going for the power."

- "They know we're going for the door." -I added to Lexa's words.

- "Raven will get it done," –Monroe spoke confidently, trying to raise the morale- "she's one of us."

- "Yeah, if someone can blow something up, it's my girl."

Sam was the last to speak as Lincoln started giving orders to the grounders. I knew Sam trusted Raven would do this but I also knew she was worried she'll get hurt; after everything we'd been through I felt like they had become good friends, something I never thought would happen since Sam was half the reason Bellamy destroyed Raven's radio, but they seemed to have left their differences aside and they worked pretty well together. Sam and Raven could become an unstoppable team.

- "As soon as those lights go off," –Miller's father came next to me- "you push that button."

- "We'll do the rest." –Lincoln reminded me.

- "They really have no idea what's coming."

Sam crossed her arms over her chest satisfied next to Lincoln who nodded in agreement. I knew he was eager to make the Mountain Men pay for what they'd done to him and Sam was impatient to get inside to get our friends back; I just hoped they wouldn't get hurt and would pause to think, although I knew if they went in together, they would protect each other. Suddenly, the lights on both sides of the door went off.

- "She did it."

- "Hell yeah!" –Sam cheered beside me.

- "One minute starting now."

Miller's father reminded me and I nodded. I turned to Lexa, offering her the remote but she didn't take it, simply placing her hand over my own.

- "For those we've lost."

- "And those we'll soon find."

We pressed the button together, but nothing happened. We pressed it again and again, the device beeped but nothing happened at the door. Something was wrong. They were jamming us, which meant we had to get closer to the door. I moved from behind the rocks we had covered ourselves with and started walking towards the door when gunfire started to come from over the door; Lincoln quickly pulled me back and covered me from the fire.

- "Forty-five seconds." –Sergeant Miller screamed over the noise.

- "We had to kill them or we'll never get through that door." –Sam spoke and Lexa nodded.

- "Swap emo triga op! Gyon au!" –Lexa screamed and Grounders started moving towards the shooters. [Flank the shooters! Go!]

- "If I get there, I can trigger it manually." –Sergeant Miller explained to me.

- "No." –I argued- "You can't get there."

- "For Nate, I have to try."

I handed him the remote as Lexa gave orders to some Grounders, who positioned themselves around the sergeant, covering him from the fire with their metal shields; they started moving slowly but surely towards the door but, as they got closer, some of them were hit and the shield around the sergeant failed, all of them falling to the ground.

- "We'll find another way in."

- "There isn't another way." -I looked at Lexa, fearing we had lost before we even started.

- "I'll give you a way in." –Sam quickly spoke- "Cover me."

And with that, she moved to the side of the rocks taking an arrow in flames in her bow while Lincoln and Sheda took each a metal shield, covering Sam and themselves. Sam took a deep breath as Lexa and I looked at them in shock: looking at them was like seeing a scene from a movie in real life; she looked so powerful and confident, I was glad she was there with us.

- "Now."

Sam let go of the arrow on Lincoln's sign, both men moving their shields for a second long enough for the arrow to fly toward the door, covering her again and pulling Sam with them to the rocks. I watched the arrow fly directly into the hydrazine, making it explode, sighing relieved as Sheda congratulated Sam on the shot.

- "Well," -Sam chuckled as she pointed at Lincoln- "I learned from the best."

- "We need to get to that ridge and take out the shooters."

Lincoln started to move but Lexa stopped him, commanding him to stay with me and get the door open as soon as the shooting stopped. Lincoln agreed and we stood there, watching as she rose, letting out a war cry and being followed by her people.

- "She's a good Commander." –Sam spoke again- "She is not sending her people to fight alone and die for her, but she chooses to go with them even if that means she could die... weird but honorable I'd say."

Yeah, Sam's right. Why would she choose to put her life in danger like that? After what seemed like an eternity, the gunfire stopped, but I wasn't sure if it was because the shooters had been taken down or because they were waiting for us to show our faces again. Lincoln rose from beside Sam, leaving his body exposed. I tried to get him down but he didn't budge.

- "Lexa did it."

- "Well, time to work, people!" -Sam stood up next to Lincoln- "Come on."

As we started to move, we realized Sergeant Miller still alive on the ground, Monroe quickly moving to him to check his wounds. I warned everyone there: the people inside the mountain now knew we were coming. They'd be waiting for us.

- "Good." -Lincoln nodded before addressing the Grounders. With his words, two lines of warriors were formed in front of the door with a rope each that was attached to the door-    "Train your fire on the door."

Behind us, the army of Grounders was pointing all their weapons towards the door as Lincoln kept giving instructions to the people with the ropes. Sam stood on my left now, with an arrow in her bow, ready to shoot, and Sheda on her side with his sword. The Grounders started pulling the ropes as hard as they could and, for a moment, it seemed as if we would never be able to open the door but, with another effort, the door gave in, the Grounders starting to cheer as I let go of the air I had been accumulating in my lungs.

- "Attack! Now!"

I yelled and Sam and Sheda were the firsts to move when Lexa's voice interrupted us and the Grounders stopped cheering. She appeared from in between her warriors with none other than Emerson.

- "What is this?" –I questioned moving up to them.

- "Why is he alive?" –Sam appeared next to me, closely followed by Sheda.

- "Hey, look!" –someone yelled from the crowd- "They are coming out."

We all turned to face the door as the prisoners started to come out.

- "They're surrendering?"

- "Not quite." –Emerson spoke with a smile on his face.

- "Where are my friends." –Sam moved threateningly to Emerson but a Grounder stopped her and that's when it hit me: none of the people getting out were Skaikru.

- "What did you do?" –I asked Lexa as my voice trembled.

- "What you would have done." –she held her gaze on my eyes- "Saved my people."

- "Where are my people?"

- "I'm sorry, Clarke. They weren't part of the deal."

With that, she turned to Emerson and cut his ropes, setting him free as he looked all pleased with himself, congratulating Lexa on her choice before sparing me a glance and moving toward the door.

- "What is this?" –Lincoln approached us.

- "Your Commander's made a deal."

- "What about the prisoners from the Ark?"

- "They'll all be killed, but you don't care about that, do you?" –I angrily questioned Lexa.

- "I do care, Clarke, but I made this choice with my head and not my heart. The duty to protect my people comes first."

- "Please, don't do this."

- "I'm sorry, Clarke."

- "Commander, not like this. Let us fight."

- "No, the deal is done."

The retreat sound was played, and the Grounders' army started moving away, taking their people back home.

 - "You too, Lincoln." –Lexa faced him- "All of our people withdraw. Those were the terms."

- "They'll be slaughtered, let me help them."

Lexa spoke in Trigedasleng and two Grounders moved towards Lincoln taking him back, but he fought them, getting rid of them until two more moved up to him and started to hit him until he was knocked down. I couldn't bear to look at it, so I turned to face Lexa when Sheda came into sight, he was leaving too, but he was alone and with a familiar bow in his hands.

- "Where's Sam?"

He looked at Lexa and then at me but didn't say anything. I knew the second I saw that bow that something was wrong.

- "She needs to leave with us," -Lexa's voice shook with anger; I wasn't used to seeing her lose control like that, even if minimal- "she is one of us now."

- "Sheda, where's Sam?"

- "She's inside."

     When Heda came back and made the army stop, Sam looked at me, confusion written all over her face, until she saw the guy Heda was coming with. She recognized him, putting her bow down, glaring at them, saying something was wrong as we walked toward Heda.

- "Why is he alive?" –Sam pointed her knife towards the man who shot her a smug smile.

At that moment, people started to get out from Mount Weather and, for a second, I thought everything was gonna be just fine. I thought Heda had made a deal for their surrender, but it wasn't exactly that, coming to learn that the deal was for our people, leaving behind Skaikru. It was wrong. Heda turned to the man and cut his ropes, setting him free as he thanked her and moved back inside Mount Weather. Sam followed him with her gaze and turned to face me, handing me her bow and quiver.

- "Take them. You're really gonna have to learn to shoot now." –she smiled- "And please, use them carefully cause I made those and it took me some time, alright?"

- "What are you doing?" –I asked confused, but with an idea in mind.

- "I'm going in."

- "You can't do that; you'll get yourself killed."

- "I have to, you know I do. I promised Oreth I'd avenge her and I have to save my friends."

- "You'll die, Sam. If they sound the retreat I can't go with you, I..."

- "I wouldn't let you in with me anyway." –she cut me off- "I have to do this, on my own."

- "Sam..."

- "Sheda, just because your Commander made a deal doesn't mean I'm going to obey her; even if that means she'll want my head once I'm back." –she sighed- "My people are in there and they will get killed; I have to try."

- "There has to be another way."

- "You and I both know there isn't."

- "Why?"

- "I can't leave them behind, that's not how I do things."

- "The inside man..." –I wandered off, remembering how she had reacted when we saw the flame.

- "I won't leave him behind." –she looked at the door- "Even if there was another way, I won't risk losing the man I love because it took us too long to find a solution to this mess. That's not my job."

- "What is it, then?"

- "Saving those who deserve to live. And I'm also getting my man back." –she stated with a small smile on her lips as she looked back into my eyes- "I hope we'll meet again Sheda. I truly do."

And with that, she walked towards the doors as she made a sign to the people exiting not to say a thing, which, surprisingly, they understood and kept their silence. Before going in, she turned to face me, giving me a soft smile. She's truly something else. I hoped that guy wouldn't catch her as she disappeared through the door but I knew Sam was too smart for that; if anyone could get in and out of there, that was the Skaikru girl I had quickly become friends with and who had almost kicked my ass a couple of times. Good luck Sam, I hope I'll see you soon.

As the door closed and they sounded the retreat, I moved back towards the Commander and Clarke, who quickly questioned me about Sam's whereabouts as she saw me carrying her weapons. Heda looked angry, annoyed, looking around for Sam, reminding me she had to come with us, as if I, somehow, was in charge of Sam's ways.

- "Sheda," -Clarke rose her voice- "where's Sam?"

- "She..." –I sighed, looking back at the door- "She's inside."

- "What do you mean she's inside." –Clarke looked uneasy- "How?"

- "She followed the guy in."

- "Why didn't you stop her!"

- "She said it's her job to save those who deserve to live." –I answered Clarke before glancing at Heda for a second- "She also said she's not leaving the man she loves behind to die."

- "She's gone in for Bellamy." –Clarke sounded somewhere between surprised and annoyed.

- "Love will get her killed," –Heda spoke with a solemn tone as she glanced at the closed door- "that's her weakness."

- "She's willing to sacrifice herself for those she loves." -Clarke turned to face Heda completely- "That's not her weakness, that's her strength."

     After they sounded the retreat, everyone had left me alone at the tunnels, even the guards from the Ark, even Jackson; but there was no way I'd march back to camp and leave my brother there to die. I was sat against a metal container when an alarm went off.

- "About time."

I rose and looked up at the damper as it opened and a body fell into the container. Fox. No. They were still inside and they were getting killed. I have to do something. I was facing the main door when I heard footsteps approaching me from the tunnels, so I hid behind a wall and took out my sword, ready to fight whoever it was.

- "Octavia." –Clarke came into sight and I lowered my sword and turned to the door- "You stayed."

- "Screw you." –I turned to face her as she sounded surprised- "Of course I did, I know where my loyalties lie."

- "We have to get in there."

- "If that was possible do you think I'd still be out here?" -I pushed her to look inside the container where Fox's body was and it was as if Clarke couldn't speak anymore- "Why did Lexa sound the retreat?"

- "She made a deal with Mount Weather: freed the Grounders. Now we are on our own."

- "As Sam'd say, we were always on our own." –I crossed my arms over my chest- "Where is she? I know she'd never leave Bellamy inside nor Monty and Jasper. Did she and Lincoln find a way in?" -Clarke ignored me and moved to the door and started knocking with her gun- "Stop! They'll know we're here!" -She turned to face me, desperation covering her face as she tried to breathe slowly- "Answer me, where are Sam and Lincoln? They'd never leave."

- "They didn't." –she faced me- "They took Lincoln."

She took her gun in both hands and pointed it at the door's opening panel.

- "What's wrong with you?" –I yelled pushing her gun away.

- "I am getting through that door."

- "And that's your plan?" –I scoffed, knowing she was acting out of desperation- "Bellamy's counting on you. This was your plan, getting him inside to get everyone out. Everyone's always counting on you."

- "What do you want from me?"

- "You trusted Lexa, you let a bomb drop on Tondc, you let all those people..."

- "I am doing the best I can!"

- "Well, it's not good enough." –I ended- "Now, where is Sam? Why won't you tell me?"

As Clarke was about to answer, the door started to open behind us and I took out my sword as Clarke pointed her gun at it. I wasn't sure who'd come out, but we had to be ready for everything; however, the face the door revealed once it fully opened was the last I expected to see.

- "Bellamy!" –I sighed relieved, putting my sword away and running toward him, hugging him- "You're okay."

- "Hi, O."

As Bellamy let go of me, Jasper and Monty walked outside. I was so glad they were all okay; maybe Bellamy had found a way to get out people to the tunnels. I glanced behind them, only seeing a girl in a suit like the one's the Mountain People worse. I tensed.

- "Hey, it's alright," -Jasper squeezed my upper arm- "she's with us."

- "Maya?" –I asked remembering Sam telling me about the girl who saved Bellamy.

- "How you know?" –Monty asked me.

- "Sam told me about her."

- "She's alive? I mean, if Bellamy is alive of course Sam would be too." –Jasper laughed- "Where is she anyway? I need to see my first Earth friend."

- "I don't know... ask Clarke, maybe she'll tell you."

- "Clarke's here?" –Monty looked behind me- "Clarke!"

Where are you, Sam? You better still be alive... I can't lose you, sister.