"The first dose is the worst."
Lincoln watched as his former torturer, Cage Wallace, groaned and writhed on the ground. He hadn't lasted long after Lincoln had injected him with the Red.
The words seemed only fitting, considering what the bastard had said and done to him in that dark room inside Mount Weather. What he'd turned him into.
Before the Commander had ordered the retreat, he'd fully planned to exact revenge on this weak little man. But when he'd seen the coward running out of the tunnels, Lincoln knew this was his chance.
With a flick of his sword, he was running, right into his own personal hell.
It was worth it. She was worth it.
What he told Indra had been the truth. He couldn't let her die. He wouldn't.
That mountain had already taken too much from him. Not Octavia.
He wouldn't let that happen. She was everything to him.
Lincoln dashed through the Reaper tunnels, even as unwelcomed memories assaulted him. He remembered these tunnels well, too well – his time as a Reaper still haunted him; he supposed it always would. Once, he had needed a map to navigate them, but now he knew them by heart.
But, while he still wished to put a stop to the Mountain Men's cruel practices and to save the Sky People, his vengeance for what had been done to him had ended with Cage's death.
Just before leaving him the knife that had given him his freedom, Indra had said that the lands surrounding the Mountain were forbidden to the Trikru as part of the deal made with the Mountain Men, and that if he stepped on enemy territory to help the Sky People, Lexa would never take him back.
That was fine by him. He had no wish to follow a Commander who would betray and abandon her allies so quickly in the middle of a battle.
He could see it now, as he reached his destination – the door, the way into the Mountain. The door.
The place where the Reapers handed in their prey to the Mountain Men, in exchange for more of the Red.
Lincoln still felt deeply ashamed of how he'd succumbed to the urge, to the calling of the Red and had left Bellamy to die at the hands of the enemy. He'd damned him to the same fate that so many of his people had suffered – to be hung upside down and drained of his blood.
Luckily, Bellamy had survived, but it still baffled him how Octavia had been able to forgive him after he'd done that to her brother.
Cage had left the door wide open in his haste to run away. Coward.
If Cage was running away, could it mean that things weren't going well for his side? Maybe.
Still, he had to be careful.
Watchful of his surroundings, Lincoln walked forward slowly, sword at the ready.
Before he could get inside, something caught his eye. The body of a Sky girl lay bloodied and limp in the cart by the door.
That could've been Octavia. He drove the thought from his mind. It wasn't too late.
Cautious but ready for battle, Lincoln got inside.
The place looked deserted. A big red sign informed him that he was on Level 4.
The prisoners from the Ark were being held on Level 5. He knew that much from the information Bellamy had relayed through the radio.
Even though he didn't have the required key card, Lincoln decided to try the elevator. It worked. Once inside, he pressed the button next to the number 5.
When he got to Level 5 and the doors opened, he stepped out carefully, ready for a fight. To his right, the bodies of two Mountain Men were on the ground; guards by the look of them – uniformed and armed.
Taking a closer look at the dead bodies, Lincoln noticed something.
These wounds hadn't been inflicted by guns, there were no bullet wounds. And the blood splattered on the wall… These had been made by a sword. Octavia had been here.
She couldn't have gone far.
A sign at the end of the hall pointed the way to the Mess Hall. She could be there now. If not there, then close.
With Cage's escape attempt, the deserted halls and the dead guards, it became clearer to him that the fight was over or heading that way. Despite this, Lincoln decided to not let his guard down.
In a fighting stance, sharp eyes taking everything in, he advanced.
In the Dorm, Octavia was helping a girl out of her restraints.
The girl gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."
Octavia returned the smile. But inside, her heart was heavy.
After all of this was done, she still had to find Lincoln.
According to Clarke, he'd been taken by his own people when he'd refused to leave the battle. It scared her to even think of what they could do to him.
Indra had said earlier that night that if he chose sides against the Clan again, not even his bravery could save him. What would Lexa do to him? How would she get him back?
As soon as this was over and her friends were safely on their way home, she would figure something out. She would find him and she would save him. But, right now, her people needed her.
Moving to help another one of her friends, she felt something. Like a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. She lifted her head and there he was.
Lincoln stood there, sword in hand, looking around the room.
He caught sight of her and sheathed his sword.
They flew across the room, straight into each other's arms; both overwhelmed with relief. Holding her close, Lincoln lifted her up off the floor.
He set her back down and they pulled apart only far enough that their mouths could touch for a quick and intense kiss.
They pulled back from the kiss, but she couldn't keep her hands off him.
Holding his face, Octavia let out a relieved sigh. "Clarke said they took you."
Lincoln gave her a slight smile, and cupped her cheek.
"Grounders don't give up, we fight. Remember?" he reminded her, leaning down to touch his forehead to hers. She nodded.
When they finally pulled back, Lincoln noticed for the first time the cut on Octavia's throat. He eyed her questioningly.
She placed a hand over the superficial wound and wiped off a bit of the blood that had trickled down from the wound.
She looked down at the blood on her fingertips.
Looking back at him, she explained with a sad expression. "Yeah, a parting gift from Indra."
Becoming a Grounder had meant a great deal to her. But earning Indra's respect had meant even more. When she'd lost that, by refusing to obey the Commanders orders, it had felt like her world had been turned upside down. The look of disappointment on Indra's face had etched itself into her mind. Still, she didn't regret her decision and would do it all over again. Nothing could make her leave her brother behind.
Understanding, Lincoln drew her in, cradling her head and kissing her forehead.
Close to them, Bellamy and Kane stood, surveying as their people were reunited and rejoiced in their freedom. Nearby, Clarke was next to her mother, who was sitting on the medical table, her pants torn at the knees.
Lincoln greeted them with a nod.
Glancing around the room, at the people hugging with grateful tears running down their cheeks, Bellamy nodded. "It's over."
Kane shook his head, displeased. "Cage got away."
"No, he didn't." Lincoln stated calmly.
He felt several pairs of eyes on him. "It's over." he confirmed.
"We got everybody. We should go." Bellamy declared before reaching for the key card of one of the dead guards.
"We don't need that." Monty told him. "I disabled all key card actions when we were in the Command Center."
"Okay, then. Let's go home." Bellamy announced.
When they were all ready to go, Lincoln took Octavia's hand and gave it a little squeeze of reassurance and comfort. Then they were off; to a place they could call home, and hopefully toward a better future.