As we hiked to our positions in the hills, I hung back with Kenna to avoid Ella's ire. I ran through the plan once more in my head: get to the pillbox, shoot it up, wait for reinforcements and hope it was enough of a distraction for an entire army to get into the valley. It wasn't all that different from the plan Peter and I had made. The one that had gotten him killed.

"You never told me about you," I said, abruptly. Kenna turned toward me. "Kenna O'Brien? That's not exactly a Russian name."

"Oh, yeah, I'm hella Irish. First generation American actually." She sounded proud, despite the fact both those countries had been gone for decades.

"How'd you end up with the Shadows?"

Kenna sighed. "That's a long story."

I looked at the trees ahead of us. "We've got time."

"I grew up in Brooklyn, my parents died when I was in high school, so I dropped out before the end of senior year." She walked slow, staring off into the distance, lost in some memory. "I wanted to paint, but I didn't have the cash for art school. Instead I took a day job as a nanny for this rich family on the Upper East Side."

"Nika was sick, gene therapy gone wrong. She was wasting away, we could all see that. But her parents were doing everything they could to prolong her life. They had a really hard time having kids, so they weren't going to let their baby girl go, no matter how much pain she was in." She sounded bitter, and I couldn't blame her.

"She was sixteen, a little firecracker even as weak as she was. All she wanted was to have a normal life. So when she asked me for one day, how could I say no?" Kenna looked at me, as if she genuinely wanted to know the answer. I put my hand on her shoulder for a moment, crossing a border between us to give her a little bit of comfort.

"She told me it was the best day of her life," Kenna continued. "We went to the Central Park zoo and ate slices of pizza the size of our faces." She smiled a little. "Then we took the subway to Brooklyn, she wanted to see how the rest of us lived. After the Crash things got bad outside Manhattan, so it was pretty ugly. But I think she was happier there than she'd ever been in that damn penthouse. It may have been beautiful, but a cage is still a cage."

I understood that, the feeling that your whole life was dictated for you. That need for freedom, even if it was only a tiny act of rebellion. "What happened?"

"The pollution, it was too much for her. She couldn't breathe. I wanted to take her home, get her help, but she wouldn't go." For a long time Kenna didn't say anything. We walked in silence. I had a feeling I knew where this story was going, but I didn't want to push.

"Nika died with a smile on her face, and her parents blamed me for it. I couldn't argue with them, it was my fault. So I ran. I didn't have much money; I only made it to Long Island. For a while that was far enough."

"Did you meet Cal there?" I asked.

"Nah, he was in New Riker's already. We met on the ship," she said with the ghost of a smile. "But, yeah, I had an aunt down there, she was married to a Shadow, so I kinda fell into the life. I changed my name, bought myself a good two years. But finally Nika's parents caught up with me. They wanted me dead for what I'd done, but there wasn't a death penalty anymore, so they fought for the next best thing."

"A mining colony," I finished.

"Yep," she said, popping the P.

"Are there more out there?" I asked suddenly. Kenna glanced over, brows furrowed. "Mining colonies, I mean."

"I don't know, there were only four Eligius missions when we left, but we were gone a long time. Eligius wasn't the kind of company that just gave up."

"So there could be more people out there," I concluded. "Maybe in cryo, or maybe ones who made a whole new world for themselves. Had kids on a ship, or on some shitty planet they made their own."

Kenna smiled to herself. "I like the idea of that."

"Me too," I whispered. We neared the top of the hill and the pillbox we were meant to target. But I didn't feel so hopeless anymore. "Ready?" I asked, raising my gun.

Kenna smirked. "Always."

OoOoO

Ella looked near giddy as she shot down another of McCreary's men. "Tell your boss I'm coming for him next," she shouted, not that the man would do much speaking with a bullet in his brain.

When the echo of her voice died out, it was eerily quiet. Alex was the first to voice what we were all thinking. "Something is wrong."

The pillboxes were empty, save for the few unfortunate souls who'd caught one of Ella's bullets. There was no sound of reinforcements on the way. The hill was quiet, much more quiet than it ought to have been.

I turned toward the other pass; the one Wonkru would be coming through at any moment. "They're walking into a massacre," I whispered.

Alex's mouth was set in a grim line as he nodded. "There's a traitor in our camp."

"I've got to go, I've got to get them though that gorge." I started toward the other pass. I had no ideas, no plans, all I knew was that I had to fight. Cal grabbed my arms, trying to stop me. "My friends are out there! Bellamy is out there!" My shoulders shook as I tried to hold back tears.

Cal put his hands on my shoulders, holding me in place. His hands slid up to cup my face. "We will help them. But you can't do that if you're dead."

"No one's seen Kane or Diyoza since last night," Kenna said from behind me. I turned to see her holding the radio. "Fuck. Sorry to interrupt." I took the opportunity to shake Cal off.

"Charmaine must be behind this," Cal said. It was an unofficial rallying call, and Gav and Alex flanked him immediately. Ella moved slower, kicking the body of a fallen miner as she went.

"You should find her," I said.

"Come with us."

"I can't!" I took another step back. "I can't let them die thinking I don't care enough to fight for them." I turned away, heading back toward the cave, without a glance behind to see if anyone was following.

OoOoO

In the cave, Raven and Echo were already exchanging information with Monty back in camp. "Where's Bellamy?" I asked. Murphy looked toward me with pity in his eyes. I shook my head. "No. He's not dead."

Raven took a step toward me. "Maia–"

I sidestepped her before she could reach me, and held a hand out toward Echo. "Give me the radio." She stared blankly. "Give me the radio I need to talk to someone in that camp."

The rest of my friends turned to look at me, no one moved. "Now!" I snapped. Shaw was the first one to move, grabbing the radio and throwing it over.

"Look who's back–" Murphy started.

I cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "I am not Azplana."

"Well what do you expect me to call you?" He muttered. "Robin Hood's a little played out, and peacekeeper seems a little inaccurate these days."

"I don't need a fucking title to be a leader. But right now I'm not the leader we need." I held the radio up. "Is Harper there?"

"Yeah, Maia, I'm here." I let out a small sigh of relief at her voice. "What do you need?"

Switching to Trigedasleng, I explained, "Is Gaia in camp?"

"No, she's missing along with Indra, Octavia, and Bellamy. It's chaos here, no one knows who's in charge. Octavia's followers are fighting with the followers of the flame, it's going to get ugly soon."

"Listen to me, we have to get you through that gorge. It isn't going to be easy, but there's no choice. It's face the fire or starve, and I know which way I'd rather go."

"I'm with you, but I don't know how we do that. Everyone's scared. There are so many injured or sick already. I don't know if we can make it."

"You're right, you can't. Not without a leader." I paused. "I have a plan for that. Clarke's kid. She's the last nightblood, and that makes her commander. If she tells them to move…"

"No one can argue."

I nodded. "Okay. Can you keep order there until we get Madi? Or at least keep everyone from killing each other."

"Order? No. Murder? Hopefully."

"Be safe." I handed the radio to Raven, and looked at the rest of the group. "Now let's go kidnap us a nightblood."

OoOoO

Echo and I slipped into camp undetected. For a spy and a thief, stealth was second nature. As we slid past the building the miners had been using as an infirmary, voices stopped me in my tracks. Kane and Abby were arguing inside.

Echo glanced over at me, with a silent question on her face. I was frozen in place. "I'll meet you there," I whispered. She looked at me for a moment before nodding and continuing on into the blackness without me.

I made my way toward the door, keeping my back pressed against the wall. My eyes swept the clearing, searching for any signs of McCreary's men. I knelt down by the stairs, and took a series of deep breaths. I had no idea what I was going to say when I walked in that room.

The door opened and Abby stepped outside. She stood on the step for a moment looking toward the trees before shaking her head. I crouched lower, hiding in the shadows. I didn't have the time to deal with her.

Finally, Abby walked away. I stayed hidden until she was out of sight, and then swung around the railing and climbed the stairs. "Abby?" Kane called as I opened the door. He turned, and froze. It was the face of a man who knew he'd been caught, and I wished more than anything that I'd gone with Echo. If I didn't know the truth, it wasn't real.

"I didn't want it to be true," I whispered. "I thought, it's paranoia. It's being with the Shadows too long. Kane wouldn't do that to us. He wouldn't betray us." My voice grew louder with each sentence.

Kane took a step toward me. "Maia, you have to understand–"

"Cal thought it was Diyoza, but I knew better." I took a step back. "You haven't been the same since you came out of that hole. The Kane I knew would have never abandoned his people. Not even if it meant risking his own life. I used to admire you, Abby too. Hell, it felt like you were my second chance at parents. I was wrong."

"You don't know the things Octavia's done," he defended. "I did what I had to do. Blodreina cannot come to this valley. She will destroy it."

"You don't know that, you never gave her a chance!"

He shook his head slowly, sadly. Like he was the one disappointed in me not the other way around. "You can't save her, Maia."

I let out a sharp short breath. "She's my family. I have to try."

We looked at each other for a long moment, and then I turned away. At the door, I stopped and looked back. "Be careful, Kane. You have no idea what these people are capable of. You're playing with fire."

OoOoO

I met Echo and Madi at the door. The three of us made our way out of camp, where Murphy and Emori were waiting with the rover to take us to the wasteland. I launched myself into the back, and as soon as Echo and Madi had followed, Emori slammed the gas.

As we made our way into the mountain pass, I hung between the front seats. It felt familiar, swinging with each bump. I remembered all those years ago, with a different set of people in the front seat, like it was yesterday. "It was a good idea," Emori said. I blinked, coming out of my momentary reverie. "Getting Madi. She'll be able to help Wonkru."

I looked at her for a moment then nodded. "Thanks." After a few minutes I spoke again. "Are we cool? After everything up there."

Emori was quiet for what felt like a long time, but couldn't have been longer than sixty seconds. "I'm worried about you, Maia. The Ring wasn't good for you. But I can't hold that against you, and you risked your life to help the rest of us. I mean, we're family, right?"

I nodded once. "Family."

"We're almost to the pass," Echo called from the back. "Time to get ready."

Emori hopped into the back to man the gun, while Echo took over the wheel. "Do you see anything?" I yelled to be heard over the machine gun. For a minute Echo didn't respond, then finally she was shouting.

I swung the back door open as Echo put on the breaks. I almost went flying out into the sand, but Madi grabbed me around the waist, keeping me balanced. It took me a moment to find her, on her knees, arms spread. "Octavia!" I yelled.

Octavia opened her eyes slow, as if unwilling to believe her own ears. Then she was sprinting toward me, practically tackling me back into the rover. She buried her face in the crook of my neck. For a moment, I forgot all the terrible things she'd done. She wasn't Blodreina, she was just Octavia Blake, the girl I'd grown up with.

"Maia." Bellamy's voice brought me back to reality. Octavia slipped out of my arms, knowing I needed space. She always knew. I turned toward Bellamy, and before I could say anything, he was scooping me up into his arms. Echo stepped on the gas and the two of us fell into the door hard.

I laughed, breathlessly, and Bellamy kissed the top of my head. "There's so much I need to tell you," I whispered.

"It doesn't matter," he assured me. "None of it matters as long as you still love me." I glanced up at him, looking for the catch. But there was no hint of bitterness or disappointment in his eyes. He looked at me like I was water, and he'd been dying of thirst. Which considering the predicament we'd just pulled him out of, he probably was.

"We have to talk about it," I said finally. "We can't just bottle it up. We have to understand each other, and work things out. We've never been particularly good at that part."

Bellamy looked at me for a moment. "We can learn."

Six years was a long time. Neither of us was the person we'd been when we left Earth. But maybe that change wasn't all bad, maybe some of it was for the better. Maybe this time we'd be the people we needed to be to make it work.

I kissed him, quickly; well aware we were in close quarters with three of our closest friends, Indra, her bleeding daughter, and a twelve-year-old nightblood. "I love you, Maia," he whispered.

Murphy pushed Bellamy's shoulder, forcing us a part. "Jesus Christ, get a room you two." I smirked, leaning back against the wall between Emori and Bellamy. Across from me, Murphy was shaking his head. I caught his eye and winked. Yeah, some changes were definitely for the better.