"Clarke!"

Clarke smiled at Monty's excited exclamation, happy to see that what looked like everybody had survived the acid fog. "Monty! Is everyone alright?"

"One dead. Harper saw it coming from the distance and everyone got inside. The hunting party found caves to hide in. Only Atom died." Monty hugged her tightly for just a second. "We were worried about you. Where did you go?"

Clarke's mind wandered not back to the bunker but to Lexa, her partial smiles and the one half-hearted laugh she'd managed to get out of her. "I found an old bunker. There wasn't much in it of use, but it's well hidden."

Monty was about to reply before Clarke heard her name called again. Octavia grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her back and forth. "Where the hell were you?"

"I found a place," Clarke replied vaguely. "Do you have any idea what that was?"

"Some sort of poisonous mist," Monty replied. "It burns the skin. Atom had blisters as big as a dinner plate on him after laying in it for the entire time. It didn't kill him, but it would have after a few hours. The way it reacts to flesh reminds me of a chemical reaction."

"Is it radiation?" Wells asked, coming up behind Monty. Clarke's lips twitched down and Wells' face looked like a kicked puppy.

"I don't know what else it could be. There was never anything like this in old-world texts. We'll have to watch out for it in the future."

Clarke nodded in agreement. "So we will."

"Clarke." Said girl turned to Wells with a frown. His eyes were on the ground, his face downcast. "Can we talk?"

"About what?"

Wells flinched at how much venom was in her tone. "Mount Weather."

Clarke did not want to deal with his bullshit right now, but she supposed she would have to at some point. "Fine. We'll talk." She stalked into the dropship. Wells trailed behind nervously.

He walked in to Clarke facing him, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently though it hadn't even been a minute. Wells took a deep breath. "We need to go to Mount Weather."

"We've had this discussion already."

"I know, but we need those provisions. Yes, it's a three dozen mile walk, but we won't survive another week at the rate we're going. An occasional rabbit isn't enough to keep a hundred people fed."

"Then maybe they should get their shit together and actually get some food," Clarke scowled.

"Clarke-" Wells sighed heavily. "Listen, I didn't want to have to tell you this, but if it will get you to hear me out, then I will."

"Tell me what?"

"I didn't kill your father."

Clarke was taken aback, not by the statement, but by the abrupt change of topic. "No. Your father did you that after you betrayed my trust."

"That's not what I mean. I mean I didn't tell him."

"Then who fucking did?" She hissed. "Who else knew?"

Wells' sad look made her pause before it hit her. Only one other person had known. If not Wells, then…

"No." Clarke stepped back, her eyes widening. "No. She wouldn't. She wouldn't."

Wells moved closer, hesitantly resting a hand on her shoulder, and she surprised him by wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his shoulder. Tears slid down her cheeks. "Why would she do it?"

Wells rubbed circles on her back. "She was doing what she thought was best for her people."

"By killing her husband?"

"She thought my father would convince him to stop, not float him."

Clarke snarled, pulling out of Wells' hold. "Your father's a bastard."

Wells nodded sadly. "I wish he wasn't, but… even I can't deny that he is."

Clarke heaved another breath, the sadness replaced with a raging fury. At her mother, at Jaha, at Murphy and everyone else who didn't understand that they are going to die. Not just the hundred on the ground, but those on the Ark as well if they don't come to the ground.

Clarke pushed past Wells toward the door to the dropship. He watched her, confused. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving for a bit. I need to be alone." Her face softened just a bit looking at Wells. "And, just so you know… I'm happy to have you. Thank you."

Wells didn't have time to respond as Clarke slipped out of the dropship and strode into the woods she'd come from not ten minutes prior.

Clarke paced the woods outside of camp, careful not to stray too far after earlier events. Her mind was reeling. She felt overwhelmed. After spending the first half of the day with Lexa and then being told that Wells had let her hate him just so she wouldn't hate her mother? She felt a swirl of emotions flooding her mind: anger, at her mother for killing Jake, at Wells for keeping it secret. Sadness, at her father being slaughtered by his wife. Confusion, at why Abby had killed him. She'd loved him. Of that Clarke had no doubt. Yet she killed him.

Clarke rested her forehead against the bark of a tree, her breath coming in quick gasps as she struggled to rein herself in. She knew she should go back; there were things to do after being stuck inside all morning. She took a minute, breathing deeply under she felt her racing heart calm down. With a last heaving sigh, she pushed herself off the tree and headed back to the dropship.

As she got closer to their camp, a commotion caught her attention. She sped up, half jogging back and pushing through the crowd of people hovered around the entrance to the ship. Miller and Harper were keeping everyone back best they could but neither stopped Clarke from walking right between them.

Finn and Monty were crouched on the floor while Bellamy was trying to calm down a raging Octavia, who had a knife pointed at Murphy. Murphy was leaning against the wall, hands up in surrender but not seeming at all bothered. Jasper was hovering in the corner, unsure. Monty looked up at her and breathed in relief. "Clarke! Thank god, you have to come quick."

"What is it?" Clarke rushed over to him and almost collapsed as she saw Wells, lying on the floor in the same spot she'd left him standing before she'd left, with blood leaking out of the side of his neck. "What the hell happened?"

"Murphy," Finn answered. "Stabbed him in the neck. He's alive, but…"

Clarke scrambled to his side, pressing her fingers to his pulse. She could feel it's beat, but it was so faint Clarke knew it was hopeless. Wells' breath came in stranged gasps, his body convulsing slightly. Her face contorted in pain. "He… he won't make it. We should…"

Finn nodded. "I will." He touched her shoulder lightly, leaning over. "You don't have to be here for this."

She shook her head. "I should. Just do it."

He nodded, pulling a knife from his belt. Clarke slipped her hand into Wells', holding onto her friend tightly. She'd never get the chance to reconcile with him, to ask him why he'd let her hate him when it hurt them both. To thank him for everything he'd given her.

She had to force herself to watch as Finn slipped the knife into his neck, hitting point. He died within seconds.

Clarke had to keep a sob from forming. She could cry later. Now was not the time.

She let out a shaky exhale. "Dig a grave and bury him with the others."

Finn, Monty, and Jasper began to comply with her orders as Clarke went over to the Blakes and Murphy. She grabbed Murphy's shoulders and slammed him against the wall. "Why? Why the hell did you have to murder him?"

Murphy smirked. "Princess is angry I killed Junior Chancellor. How surprising."

"Is that why you did it? Because of his father?" She snarled, releasing him from her hold. "You're sick, do you know that?"

Murphy smiled lazily. "I know."

"What are we going to do with him?" Octavia asked, prodding him with her blade.

"We could kill him," Bellamy suggested.

"No," Clarke said firmly. "We are not the Ark. We are not going to kill people, even him." Clarke looked Murphy dead in the eyes, her face cold and expressionless. "I say we banish him."

Clarke was eager to escape camp the next day. The whole atmosphere was tense, wary of everyone after Wells' death. They were surrounded by criminals. Who knew if anyone else was out for blood?

Clarke moved as silently as she could toward her and Lexa's usual spot. They'd claimed a small section of the southern woods for their own use, and the trees there were all filled with the marks of Clarke's knife. She rested her hand on the hilt of said knife, feeling reassured by its constant presence at her side. It was all the protection she had, and these woods still made her a bit nervous.

To her surprise, Lexa was waiting leaning up against a tree, sharpening her dagger on a whetstone. She usually had to wait until Lexa dropped from the trees somewhere (because no matter how hard she tried, Clarke could never find where she came from) and yet she now stood in the open.

Lexa saw her before Clarke could get a word out. "Clarke. I was wondering when you'd show up."

"Since when do you wait for me?"

Lexa let a small smile grace her face for just a second. "Since today. You have your knife, yes? Throw it at the target."

Clarke did as she asked. The knife struck dead center.

Lexa nodded approvingly. "Good. You're a natural at this."

"Surprisingly." Clarke whirled around at the unfamiliar voice, startled to find another woman behind her. Her hair was brown, more chestnut than Lexa's chocolate. Her eyes were narrow, a feature commonly attributed to what the old-world had called 'Asian.' She held the same steely, emotionless mask Lexa normally showed. "I had thought all skai people were horrendous at weaponry.

Clarke snorted. She was right. "And you are?"

The woman tilted her head. "You should learn to respect your superiors, skaigada. I am Anya, general under the Heda."

Heda. It was a familiar term, one she'd heard Lexa bring up in passing a few times. "Heda. Your… leader, yes?"

"Yes." Anya's eyes flickered to Lexa for a moment before coming back to Clarke. "And you are the Skai Heda."

"You could say that." She'd rather not tell this unknown of her and Bellamy's competition for leadership.

"Clarke has offered her support against the Maunon," Lexa said from behind her, moving to stand at her shoulder. "I would like to know your opinion on this."

"Has she?" Anya's eyes shone with interest. "And what can this singular girl do for us? From what I know, no one else has noticed us. I hadn't known you were aware of our presence."

"You're right, no one else knows you exist. And it will stay that way until I think my people can handle the news."

"You are afraid they will act rashly." Anya nodded. "A sound decision, as long as you can handle them."

Clarke chose to ignore that. "You are here to discuss the mountain."

"Sha, I am. The clans have tried many times to fall the mountain. What makes you think you can make a difference?"

"Tech." Clarke explained to Anya what she had told Lexa. "We understand the Mountain's workings. You say it's impossible to get close? We can help you with that."

Anya leaned forward, a malicious smirk forming on her face. "Tell me all you know about tech, Skaiheda. Their eyes in the trees. You know how to close them?"

"I know what they are. We call them cameras. They're small cubes that have a recorder and transmitter inside them, and the maunon can watch you through them. If you can locate the cameras and destroy them, they can't see you."

"And how would this help? The door is still the only way in."

"I don't think it is. From what Lexa's told me, the maunon or their reapers will periodically leave the mountain. If they don't go through the doors, then they must have another way somewhere else. You'd be more skilled in that area, so that would be your job. I can't tell you much more with how little we know, but if we can get inside or just close, maybe we can see more of how they operate."

Anya nodded. "You have covered most of what we know. The only other information I can give you is what we can see from where we stand. One of those is large metal platings stood up on the peak. What of those?"

"Satellites, probably. We had them on the Ark. Where I came from," Clarke added at Anya's confused look. "They can pick up signals and send them back to the source. That's how the cameras work. The cameras send a signal into the air that the satellites can pick up and send into the mountain."

"It enables long-range communication?"

"It would, yes."

Anya hummed thoughtfully. "The only other thing we can observe is a large wall that pours water in from the rivers."

"A dam. In the old world, they used dams for many things. To block out water, to provide a source of water, or even to provide energy."

"Energy?"

"Electricity. What we use to power our tech. We'll have to look farther into the purpose of the dam."

"You offer a promising relationship, Skaiheda," Anya said. "Your information can be beneficial to us. But how do we know you will not turn to the mountain? You are more alike them than us."

"Lexa told me what they're doing to your people. I would never side with someone who would condone that," Clarke scowled. "Though I would ask of something in return if we were to ally our peoples."

Anya raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think you can demand something of us?"

"If you want us to give you something, I want something in return," Clarke answered. "It isn't anything that should be a problem."

"What is it you ask, Skaiheda?"

"Help." Anya tilted her head at Clarke's request. "As you may know, we don't know how to survive in this new world. All I ask is that you help us live. Help us along until we can manage ourselves."

"And say this plan does succeed and the maunon do fall. What of our alliance then?"

"How do the different clans keep an alliance?"

Anya shot a knowing look at Lexa, one that left Clarke confused but didn't speak up on. "Our Heda forged that alliance. She brought all twelve clans together peacefully, a feat no other commander has done. The clans keep the peace through Heda and through trade agreements."

"Could we offer the same trade agreements?"

"What would you have to trade?"

Clarke shrugged. "Tech, maybe. If not, I'm sure we'd eventually grow skilled enough to sell what we catch."

Anya looked at her with a look that Clarke thought was respect, though with this woman it was hard to be sure of anything. "Very well, Skaiheda. You shall have this alliance, but only when you organize your people. I believe Lexa wishes to continue with your… meetings. She will inform me of when you are ready to begin negotiations."

Clarke nodded, and Anya sent one last amused glance toward Lexa before slipping into the foliage.

She sighed heavily, dropping her back against the trunk of a tree. "She's… intense."

Lexa couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. "Indeed."

"I'm guessing she's your general, then?"

Lexa's smile dropped. "In a sense."

She didn't elaborate. Clarke knew she wasn't going to.

"So… are we training or what?"

Lexa snorted in amusement. "Yes, Klark. We are." Her eyes moved down to her legs. "You have no muscle."

"I lived in a metal box my entire life."

"Yes, you did." Lexa met her eyes once more. "We need to fix that. Try and keep up."

Clarke's legs were going to hurt like hell when this was over.