Lexa storms off the elevator angrily into the penthouse of Polis Tower. After an hour of riding hard through the desert, she had made it back to the Sankru outpost, where she had only stopped long enough to grab her stuff before hopping into the fastest car Calvin owned and racing to the airport. When she arrived, her private plane was waiting for her and ready for take off. On the plane, she had meditated about the failed hit on Cage and thought through what her next steps should be. Thinking about her failure only served to increase her rage.
"I want to know who this bitch is." Lexa growls as she tosses the tape from her binoculars to Echo. She storms past Gustus and Titus into the conference room where Anya is waiting for her.
After giving Lexa a once over, Anya picks up the phone and mumbles quietly into it as Lexa paces around the room.
"First Wanheda wanted to make a deal and now she tries to kill me? This ends now." Lexa punctuates sentence by slamming her fist on the table.
"It must end now, Heda. You know the rules. For the safety of the Coalition you must end Wanheda's fight within 48 hours." Titus tells Lexa sagely, as he closes the door behind him and Gustus.
Lexa turns to glare at him, but refrains from verbalizing her annoyance with her advisor. Instead, she turns to Anya. "Onya, Gostos, I need you to go over the footage with me. Cage was a threat, but Wanheda is a bigger one. Let's find out who she really is."
Anya and Gustus both nod, just as a knock sounds at the door.
"Enter." Lexa calls out, still riled up.
A tall, imposing woman dressed all in white enters the room. "Heda, I'm glad to see that you are alive, not so many people can count themselves lucky to escape Wanheda." The woman smiles maliciously at Lexa.
"Nia." Lexa growls a greeting. "What brings you to Polis?"
"I heard about your run in with Wanheda and thought I should offer my assistance as I was in town."
"That won't be necessary."
"It seems like you are not in a position to be turning down assistance. After all, if you can't find Wanheda, the woman who has evaded us for years, in two days…" Nia trails off with a fake sympathetic look.
Lexa stands tall and imposing as she steps towards the Ice Queen, staring her down. "While you may rule the Ice Nation, I am still Heda. You will do well to respect that." Anya and Gustus step up behind Lexa, backing her up.
After a moment, Nia, realizing that she is outnumbered, tips her head ever so slightly in deference. "Of course, Heda. I will leave you to it."
As Nia exits the conference room, Echo enters with a flash drive in her hand. She plugs it into the computer and waits for it to load.
As Lexa continues to glare in the direction that Nia disappeared in, Anya walks up behind Lexa and puts her hand on Lexa's shoulder to hold her still as she examines a large scrape on her shoulder blade. "This needs stitches and a good cleaning. There's dust and gravel in it." Lexa stiffens as Anya prods her wound and turns her head to growl at her former mentor. Anya just raises an eyebrow and points to a chair, asserting her authority.
After a few seconds, Lexa relents and sits. Anya grabs a first aid kit from a cabinet in the room and dons gloves to begin cleaning Lexa's wound.
There is silence for a few moments as Gustus and Titus take their seats around the table facing the TV. Once everyone has settled and Lexa seems a bit calmer, Echo glances at Lexa warily, then tentatively says, "Heda, I have a copy of the footage here, and I sent a copy down to the analysts to see if they can find anything. Would you like me to play it?"
Lexa goes to speak, but winces as she feels a sharp pain in her shoulder. She turns her head to glare at Anya over her shoulder as the older woman threads a needle through her skin.
"If you were sloppy enough to get injured…"
"I need to feel my injuries so it don't let it happen again. I know, Onya." Lexa growls half-heartedly at her former mentor. Anya hums in approval and continues her ministrations. Lexa turns her head to Echo and tilts her head at the window, indicating that she should close the blinds.
Echo closes the blinds, blocking out prying eyes from within and outside Polis Tower. She glances at Lexa one more time for approval before playing the video.
The group watches the video, and then watches it again, and again, and again. Each viewing only brings Lexa more frustration. They watch it in slow motion, then normal speed, then double speed, yet they still find nothing helpful.
"Gustus, go talk to the analysts, see if they found anything." Lexa orders. Gustus silently stands and leaves, heading down a few floors below.
After several more viewings, Titus sighs and tells Lexa, "Heda, there is nothing here for us to see on this tape. If we declare war on Skaikru, however, we will no doubt draw out Wanheda."
"I will not put my people at risk by declaring a war that I can prevent. If you're not going to help, get out." Lexa snarls at Titus.
Titus looks like he is going to protest, but checks himself at the last moment. He stands and bows his head, adding an "As you wish, Heda" on his way out the door.
Lexa brings her hands to her face and begins to rub her eyes in frustration and exhaustion.
"I'll go get us some coffee." Anya says in response to Lexa's obvious exhaustion. Knowing how tired and frustrated her former second is, Anya briefly squeezes Lexa's shoulder in comfort on her way out the door. Lexa flashes her a small smile before returning her gaze back to the video.
Lexa pulls the laptop closer to her so she can manipulate the video better. She watches as first the case holding the rocket launcher falls from the sky, then the woman. She zooms in, attempting to find an identifying mark on the case or the parachute, but she is unable to find anything. She zooms in on the woman's face, but it is blurry. However, as she watches the wind buffet the woman's hair, she catches a flash of yellow. 'Maybe her hair isn't red after all.' Lexa thinks to herself. She fast-forwards to after she first shot the woman, when she was running for cover behind the rock. As Lexa slows it down, she catches another flash of brilliant gold color, one of the most beautiful blonde colors she has seen. 'So Wanheda is really a blonde.' Lexa mentally notes, knowing that this would change their entire profile on her opponent.
After watching the video another time to confirm her suspicions, Lexa goes back to the beginning to watch it in slow motion once again. As Lexa watches the woman stand up after her plummet to the Earth, Lexa notices that she checks the time on a watch on her left hand. Lexa zooms in, but discovers that the watch is only a cheap, ordinary watch. It looks several years old, however, and somewhat familiar. As the video plays on, Lexa notices that Wanheda does shoot at her with the gun in her left hand.
A phone rings outside the conference room, disturbing Lexa's focus, and so she waves her hand at Echo to answer it.
"Great, so all I know is that she's blonde, is left-handed, and has a sentimental attachment to an old watch." Lexa grumbles, but continues to watch the video, seeing if she has missed anything else. She stares intently; trying to absorb everything she is seeing.
"Lexa, it's Clarke." Echo says as she sticks her head into the room. Echo pauses, waiting for an answer, but Lexa only leans closer to the screen. As the video plays, Lexa's eyes widen and her jaw goes slack, but she remains silent.
Unsure how to continue, Echo prompts Lexa. "She says she's back from her trip and wants to know if she should pick up something for dinner?"
Lexa swallows hard. "Tell her I will make dinner, it should be ready by 7. And I look forward to speaking with her."
Confused, Echo asks Lexa, "But what about Wanheda?"
Without answering, Lexa stands up abruptly and briskly walks out the door without looking back.
Echo relays the message to Clarke before hanging up. She is at a loss as to what just happened, until Anya walks into the conference room holding two cups of coffee.
"Where's Lexa?" Anya pierces Echo with a questioning stare.
"She just left. Clarke called and she practically ran out the door."
Anya sighs and sits down to continue watching the video. Annoyed with her friend, she grumbles, "Hodnes laik kwelnes."
AN: Sorry it's short, but I wanted to include Lexa's point of view! Also, the next chapter should be a big one so I'm trying to get to that one ASAP