**Outside POV**
As afternoon hurried to dark, Camp Jaha rushed to prepare. Bombs were loaded into packs with careful instructions from Wick. Weapons were all being checked and cleaned before being handed out. The grounders were on their own preparation path; cleaning knives and swords, giving weary looks to the guns being loaded around them. Tensions swirled as the moment of the first strike team's departure grew closer and closer.
Abigail Griffin hid in her office, fuming at her public defeat and the verbal beat down she had heard Marcus receive moments before at the hands of our Rebel King and his Princess. Kane himself was fuming, not used to being so blatantly disrespected. Especially from the likes of Nathan Miller Sr. He did not have kids however, so he did not understand that kid trumps loyalty in most parent's hearts.
Abby, couldn't get the words her daughter had used against her out of her head. She couldn't believe her daughter would use Jake against her, but Clarke Griffin, is her mother's child. It is something she would have done to Marcus Kane not that long ago, even if she didn't see that connection.
Across camp Bellamy Blake was speaking to Indra about their strike team. Ensuring that they could indeed reach their destination at the hoped for time, and get this rescue mission started. Clarke Griffin, never far away from the Rebel King, was putting together a few med kits to disperse. She was rolling bandages and dispersing tiny glasses of moonshine for disinfectant to put in each med kit when the Rebel King himself made his way to his princess. He was worried for her. She was leading an army, in broad daylight, with a person he did not trust, and even worse; taking his sister with her. He knew that it had to be done, but that didn't make him any happier about the prospects of the two people in complete control of his heart going to war. He was denying the extent of his care for the blonde girl, but care he did. He had no idea that the same feelings were taking place in his co-leaders mind. She too was denying the extent of her care for this man, she worried that things had been going to easy. Something was going to bite them in the ass, she just hoped whatever happened didn't happen to him.
With twenty minutes left before his departure the two are once more standing side by side. "Be safe Bell." The words, given quietly, made his heart warm. "You to Princess." He turned to his sister who had appeared at his side. "Don't be dumb big brother. I can't lose you to." The dark-haired man smiled at his female counter-part, "You to O. On all accounts." The three parted ways as Indra stepped forward, two quiet men lingering behind her. "Let's move." Bellamy's quite order was issued, and as the sun began to set over the mountain that was soon to fall, there was nothing but hope in the hearts of the rescuers, both those waiting for dawn and those already on the march.
***Bellamy's POV**
As the safety of Camp Jaha faded, the five us quietly crept towards our mark. It would be an all-night trek, and in the early morning we would give Raven the final push that she needs. The 48 have hopefully made it this far, and we can get them the hell out of that mountain and, with any luck, secure peace at the same time.
As we walked away, I could feel the heaviness of what I was about to do settling in. Blowing the damn was good, but it would also draw attention, we would be the first wave of combat. I knew, logically, that it would come to that, but I was not a fan of the idea of killing. I understand that it is a reality of war, but that doesn't mean it makes me feel any better. Yes, I Bellamy Blake have killed before, but I didn't and don't enjoy it. Sadly, it is a reality of our lives here on the ground, so I have learned to numb myself to that reality. I shook myself out of my stupor when I felt someone fall into line with me.
I looked to my left, and there was Murphy. "So Blake, are you ready for some action?" I rolled my eyes, but before I could respond, he looked me dead in the eye and said the words I never expected to come out of his mouth. "I am sorry for what I did to you. What I made Charlotte feel like she had to do. I know that I have made mistakes, but I have been on my own longer than most. My dad was floated on the ark for stealing the medicine that saved my life, and my mom never forgave me for that." He paused, and took a deep breath. "But I am realizing now that I need to wield that anger elsewhere, like you do, instead of taking it out on the people who are trying to survive with me. So I'm sorry, and this is me saying I am going to try to do better. Starting with having your back out here. Do you think we can agree to at least try and work together again?" Well that was unexpected, but in my mind I heard Clarke's voice saying I do believe in second chances though and I realized that I never gave him a second chance the way she did so I was going to now. "Ya Murphy, I can agree to that." He nodded and fell silent, and we walked most of the rest of the way in silence. I was strategizing in my head, at least for what the three of us from the ark could do, and I knew that we would have to sync that with whatever the grounders decided to do, but I would cross that bridge when I came to it.
When we got to our stopping point, where we would wait to give the army a start before blowing the damn, Indra approached me. "What do you propose our strategy to be, Bellamy com Skaikru?"
"I think that we utilize the strengths we have to our advantage. We have the high ground, we hold them off with sniper fire as long as we can after we blow the damn, and then we resort to hand to hand only when they get in close range. We do need to find cover though because according to Clarke they have fire power as well. I am hoping that the damn being blown will delay them in retaliating, but in the off chance it doesn't, we fight like hell to get to somewhere with cover and hold them off until the army gets here." Indra nodded. "That may be a few hours. Do you believe we can hold out that long?"
"I do. Part of the plan was for Raven to lock down our prisoners in their prospective cells, so we don't have to worry about injuring them. She is also dismantling the signal for the acid fog so they won't be able to utilize that to their advantage either. We have enough rounds to last awhile, and I know that we have good aim, so I think we will be okay." She took a moment to consider my words and then agreed and went to tell her men the plan, while I relayed it to Monroe and Murphy.
"Okay so the plan is to hold them down with fire power after we blow the damn. Don't take the hard shot, find the shot you know you can take and take it. No need to waste ammo. If we need, we resort to hand to hand combat, but I am hopeful it won't come to that right away. So after we blow the damn, find cover and get ready. Got that?"
They both nodded and so we settled in to wait for our signal. As soon as the army moved, we would blow the damn and then hold the mountain men off until they arrived. The signal would be a burst of static from Raven saying she was ready and the army was moving. I could only pray that they covered that ground quickly because as confident as I was in our plan, I didn't want to risk the fate of the 48 on five people, three rifles, my hand gun, and the grounder spears and knives.
Right as the sky began to lighten the signal came through. We crept to the opening of the damn, and it was exactly as Clarke had drawn it. We pulled the pins on the bombs, threw two into the mouth of the damn, and put the other three on the sides of the damn and then we ran back to the high ground, and the ground shook when the damn blew. We turned in time to see the water fly high and then resettle but the machines we could faintly hear whirring before were now quiet and knew Raven was shutting down the doors inside the mountain and dismantling what she could for us.
Ten minutes later I saw movement through my scope. "We got movement. Here we go! Remember take the shot you are sure you can take!"
***Clarke's POV**
As the army moved out I prayed that Bellamy and the others would be able to hold out until we made it to them, but they had more than enough firepower so I had to put my faith in that. As we moved out of the safety of the riven I could feel the rush of adrenaline in the air around me. We had marched early this morning, as the sun was barley rising to make it to the riven, followed by the grounders that had been training us. We were small in number, compared to the grounder army, but there was still almost 100 sky people headed for the mountain.
Lexa was riding on the horse next to mine, that I had been given upon arrival. Octavia was not far behind on a horse of her own, however this horse was hers now. It had been presented to her as a token of appreciation from some of Lincoln's clan members.
She looked every inch the grounder warrior she had become, and I knew that Lincoln would be proud of her. I just had to pray that he was okay and that the 48 remained locked away until we could get to them.
We felt the ground shake moments after I had given the signal to Raven, it was faint, but the rumble could be heard, we knew that the plan was underway.
We moved quickly, and thankfully we were covering the remaining distance between us and where I knew we would halt to await the mountain men's action. We had been marching in near silence except for the clinking of armor and weapons when Lexa turned to me. "You are quiet, Clarke, what is on your mind?"
"We are marching to war Commander, a war that has started without us, and our only line of defense is five people deep."
"You worry for your partner and the people you sent."
"Yes. I lead as well as I do because of Bellamy." She looked my way. Before saying, "Leadership is a funny thing Clarke. We do not get the luxury of relying on someone else. We must lead as we see fit. Love is a weakness to leaders as I have had to learn the hard way." I scoffed. "Maybe to you Commander. For us it isn't only love, it is trust. I trust that Bellamy will do what is necessary to bring our people home, and he trusts me the same. Yes, I care for him, but that is not the sole reason why I am worried about our five men defense team." Just then we heard the distant popping of rifles and Octavia made her way towards us. "That will Bellamy and the others. We are closing in."
Lexa turned in her saddle and began a grounder war chant that went up around us and after a moment, they quieted and she spoke. "We have been afraid of the mountain for far too long. Today that tyranny ends. Today we rescue our people, and bring them home. Today we solidify peace through war. Skaikru are our allies, fight with them as equals." She turned to me and I spoke up. "Today we bring the remaining 48 of the Sky people home. Today we rescue them. Tomorrow we work on thriving on earth. We didn't survive a hundred years in space to give up now. The grounders are our allies. Fight with them. Protect one and other, and we will soon be reunited with our loved ones." The roar once again broke out and we moved even more quickly over the remaining ground, and within a half an hour we reached our stopping place.
We saw bodies littering the ground in the distance, closer to the hill where the damn was, and I knew they were all mountain men soldiers.
I brought the radio to my lips and began to speak, knowing that Raven would have patched our radio feed into theirs digitally. "We are here for our people. There is an army at your doors. We are willing to make peace, but we will not allow more of our own to die at the hands of you. So you have two choices. Open the door and surrender peacefully, or we blow the door, and you all die from radiation poisoning. Your choice. You have ten minutes. Jasper, delinquents, hold tight. We will bring you home."
The radio crackled as soon as I released the button. "Nice of you to join in Princess." I smirked. He was letting his people know he was here as well.
We waited only a few moments more before I heard Dante begin to speak. "We can not allow your people to leave. They are our chance at salvation. Blow the doors if you must but know that there is an army inside this mountain."
I brought the radio up, "Yes Dante there is, but that army is nothing compared to the one at your doorstep. Do you want to condemn the women and children in your mountain to death at their hands, because believe me, there will be no mercy if we have to force our way in. We will do whatever it takes to get our people home. Grounder, sky person, it doesn't matter, we will get them out." A cheer went up behind me at my words and I watched the door across the small open area across from us for any sign of movement before speaking again. "You have five minutes left, then we blow the door and your people perish. Your choice."
"I am sorry Clarke, but we can't open the door. Do what you must." It was no longer Dante speaking. It was his son, Cage. "Your funeral Cage." I nodded to Octavia who waved two of the guard forward and they moved for the door, placing the bombs that would force their door open. "Last chance, otherwise we take no prisoners." That was Lexa, but I remained stoically silent. I was not a fan of the idea of killing innocents, but logically I knew that no one in that mountain was innocent, they knew my people could get them to the ground, they would not stop until they got what they wanted, even if it meant killing innocents. We would do the same to get our people out of there safely.
When no action was taken I gave the signal for the door to be blown, and the war began.
**Bellamy's POV***
As I listened to Clarke, I could only pray that this didn't destroy her. I knew that she was no more a fan of killing innocents than I was, but they were trying to harm our people, and that meant we do whatever it takes to get them out. We had stopped firing until the doors blew, but I knew that there were still men trying to get to us, and I was worried because some of the men I had shot hadn't been in radiation suits, which meant they had already began using our people.
"Clarke, some of them have no suits on."
"Got it Bell." Was her only response, and then they must have given a signal to move because the army surged forward, and chaos began. "Indra you and men get rid of the remaining men down there. Monroe, Murphy with me." I was not about to let my sister go into that mountain without me in there as well. "Wait. You must trust that they do what they set out to do. We must clear this forest together, and then we join them." I clenched my teeth so as not to snap, but I knew she was right. "Fine. Make this quick then." She nodded and her and her men ran towards the remnants of the unit we had been picking apart for the last two hours and I set my rifle back down and began firing once ore, Monroe and Murphy followed my lead.
We cleared the remaining men fast and then I heard a voice I hadn't heard in a while come over the radio. "Bellamy you there?"
"Miller? How do you have a radio?"
"Long story, but now that we know you're in the feed here's the situation. Jasper and Maya got us weapons. We can fight if we need to. I am assuming that we have Raven to thank for the fact that we are locked in and talking now?"
"Affirmative."
"Okay what do you want us to do. We are on level three. Most of the population lives on level 5. Jasper wants to know if there is any way we can spare the innocents." Maya. The girl he liked, had to be the reason behind that. "I don't know Miller; we already blew the main door. I am assuming the oxygen scrubbers are doing their job for now, but I don't know how long you will have before that level gets irradiated. Put Jasper on."
"Hey Bellamy."
"Put her in a suit Jasper. That is the only way I can think to keep her alive for now. As for the rest of them, I am sorry but I don't know. What's the status of the rest of the 48?"
"Its 46 now. Fox is gone, and Bellamy, they have Harper. They are outside the doors trying to get it open. I can hear them." I closed my eyes. "Okay you have weapons. If they get in use them."
"Jasper." Clarke was back. "Clarke! Hey!"
"We have cleared the first level. I have men headed your way. Hold them off as long you can if they get in, but be safe. Bellamy, any chance you can join us? We may need you all in here soon. They are locking themselves in their rooms, that will keep them alive, but not for long. We need to get this over with before they get a chance to recoup."
I met Indra's eyes form where she was across form me, and she gave me a nod. I smirked. "I will be in shortly Princess, save some fun for me."
I turned back to the others and gave the order to move, and we were off. We had people to save.
***Clarke's POV**
Octavia was at my side, and I saw the release of breath she let out when we heard Miller and then Bellamy speak. It was chaos around us and in front of us but we were out of the fray for a moment. I smirked at Bell's sign off, and then met her eyes. "Let's go find the grounders and see if Lincoln is there." She met my eyes, shock clear in her expression. "You don't want to rush for the others?"
"They have weapons O. The grounders don't. Yet. Let's get to them and change that, and end this. Let's get you back to Lincoln okay?" She grinned and threw her arms around me. "You are the best Clarke!"
I turned to my left and nodded at Lexa. "I am going for your people. Help my team of guards get to mine of you can, but we also need to find the command center, that is where their leaders will be, and we also need to get to their lab, they have some of our people there." She nodded. "I will send some warriors to your people. Let them know that we will be with the people rescuing them." She turned and headed into the fray, Gustus prowling in front of her, ever the bodyguard.
"Jasper, Miller we are in here with the grounders. Some of them are going to be there when we get you out. Don't shoot them."
"Got it, and Clarke, Maya. How are we going to get her out? She saved most of us Clarke, I am not leaving her here. She is in a suit but her oxygen tank is low."
"I will get her more. I will do my best to ensure that we get her out. Tell the rescue team I said she is with us."
"Okay thanks Clarke."
I signed off and made to follow Octavia towards the Grounders when we heard a growl emanating from behind us. We turned to the doors and I flinched when I realized what we had forgotten. "Reapers." I met O's eyes. "Let's get the hell out of here before they get here. We need to get to the grounders!" We started running, warning as many as we could as to what was coming.
We managed to warn enough grounders that they turned to meet the reapers and were holding them off. "Clarke, the reapers are here." I rolled my eyes. "I see them. You guys got ammo enough to start picking them off from the back?"
"For now, but if we are needed inside I don't see how we will get there."
"How many do you think there are?"
"40 tops form the looks of it. We can handle them, but I will get inside as soon as that happens."
"Okay. Be careful." I looked at Octavia and we once again pushed off. Heading for level three and the grounder prisoners.
Part two of the final battle will be Chapter 11, which should hopefully be up later this afternoon.