Dusk fell and the lights on either side of the colossal door remained on. Lincoln met once more with his warriors and Monroe and Sergeant Miller to go over the plan.
"Sergeant Miller, you make sure that bomb goes off within that minute," Lincoln said. "Once the lock disengages, be prepared for enemy fire." He looked around at his warriors, seeing his own pain and loss reflected back. Everyone had lost someone to the Mountain over these last fifty years. It was time to end it.
Gunfire echoed from a distance, reaching their ears. With dread, Lincoln was able to pinpoint the direction and rushed to Clarke's side. "It's coming from the dam."
"They know we're going for the power," Clarke said.
"They know we're going for the door," Lexa replied somberly as Monroe and Sergeant Miller hurried up.
Lincoln called out to his warriors to get ready. At last, the Mountain Men were fighting back.
"Raven will get it done," Monroe said to Lexa. "She's one of us."
Sergeant Miller passed Clarke the trigger for the bomb. "As soon as those lights go off, you push that button."
"We'll do the rest," Lincoln said. His warriors were ready.
The lights on either side of the door flickered once and then went out.
"She did it," Clarke said in relief.
"One minute starting now," Sergeant Miller called out.
"For those we've lost." Clarke held out the trigger to Lexa.
"And those we'll soon find," Lexa replied as both Hedas pressed the button.
Nothing happened. They pressed again and again yet the bomb didn't go off.
"What's wrong?" Lexa asked as Clarke grabbed the trigger from her and continued to press the button. "Why isn't it working?"
"They're jamming us." Clarke moved around from the protective barrier. "I have to get closer." She aimed the trigger at the door just as gunfire broke out from above the ridge, aimed straight at Clarke.
"Clarke!" Dammit. Lincoln snatched her about the waist and dragged her back under the cover of the boulder.
"Forty-five seconds!" Sergeant Miller called out in warning.
Lexa shouted to the troops to flank the shooters as the gunfire continued, the warrior armor no match for the bullets.
Sergeant Miller crawled over beside them. "If I can get there, I can trigger it manually."
"No," Clarke replied, as bullets continued to ricochet around them. "You can't get there."
"For Nate, I have to try."
Lexa ordered more warriors to form a moving shield to take Sergeant Miller to the door. They rushed forward with their metal sheets in front of them and got into formation with Sergeant Miller tucked inside. They began moving forward as bullets rained down on them from the ridge up above.
"Thirty seconds!" Clarke called out.
One unlucky shot into a warrior's unprotected leg caused the buffer tower to rapidly crumble, leaving a pile of shields and bodies lying feet from the door.
Lincoln came up with a clever idea that Octavia would be proud of. The Sky People were so reliant on their technology that they sometimes forgot the basics. Sergeant Miller had given him the idea when he said he could trigger it manually and now Lincoln only had seconds to do it. He grabbed a bow and an arrow off a dead warrior and wrapped a bit of cloth on the arrowhead.
"We'll find another way in." Lexa tried to reassure Clarke.
"There is no other way in," Clarke said hopelessly. "You know that."
"We don't need one," Lincoln said as he lit the cloth on the end of the arrow from a torch held out by one of his warriors.
"Ten seconds!" Clarke glanced at her stopwatch as Lincoln took a breath, steeling himself. He wasn't an archer by trade but he was a damn good shot. "Five seconds!" He stepped out from behind the barrier. "Four…" Lincoln thought of Octavia, knowing he would most likely be gunned down. "Three…." He zoned in on only the door, only the trigger implanted in the door, ignoring the sound of gunshots as he released the arrow. "Two…."
An explosion as the arrow met the trigger. Lincoln ducked down behind the barrier with Clarke and Lexa, allowing himself to be aware of his body again as he mentally checked for gunshot wounds. He hadn't been hit. He let out a heavy breath. He was still alive.
"Haha! It worked!" Clarke exclaimed.
"We need to get to that ridge and take out the shooters," Lexa replied.
Lincoln started to move to gather his warriors with him to take down the Mountain Men on the ridge.
"No!" Lexa yanked Lincoln back. "You stay with Clarke. When the shooting stops, you get that door open." Lexa turned to Lincoln's warriors behind her. "Gyon au!" she ordered them to go with her and took off to circle around to the top of the ridge and take out the shooters.
Now all they could do was wait again. Lincoln gestured to his strong men, the ones he assigned to prying the door open, getting them into position to be ready with the ropes.
They waited through sporadic shooting, mostly suppressive fire at this point since anyone who hadn't found cover was already down. Eventually even that stopped.
Lincoln stepped out hesitantly, waiting for the gunfire to resume and pin him back down.
"Lincoln," Clarke called out in warning.
"Lexa did it," he said, straightening up. Clarke and Monroe stepped out from behind the boulder and still, there was no shooting.
"Clarke, look," Monroe said, pointing to the metal pile in front of the door. There was movement. At least one of them was still alive.
"Make sure he's okay," Clarke said as Monroe rushed forward.
"Sergeant Miller!" Monroe said as she helped him to his feet. Lincoln was relieved the man still lived to be reunited with his son.
"They'll be waiting just inside the door," Clarke told him.
"Good," Lincoln said. The Mountain Men had killed too many warriors here today. Jus drein jus daun. He turned to his strong men. "Masta ai op!" He ordered them to follow him to the door.
He directed them into two lines with their grappling hooks and ropes. From the drawings Raven had sent, Lincoln pointed them to the four points on the door that would allow them to force it open.
"Train your fire on the door." Clarke motioned to the Sky People gunners.
Lincoln's strong men got the hooks in the door. "Pull!" He shouted.
The strong men dug in, their bodies leaning back with their weight against the ropes. "Again!" He ordered. "Pull!" They pulled in unison. "Pull!"
The door creaked open.