It was part shock and part relief that flooded Lexa's mind. Perhaps she should have considered the fact that people could have survived on the ground, especially in underground facilities that had ben designed to withstand nuclear explosions. But she had never really given the possibility much thought.

And so, as Carl Emerson withdrew his hand slowly, and as an understanding smile touched his lips, Lexa found herself laughing, she found herself unable to contain the emotions that seemed to be taking hold.

So many things she knew about Earth were wrong, from it being uninhabitable, void of intelligent life, and to it being infested with monsters, with something between man and beast. Even the weather wanted to kill, to destroy and to burn.

But Lexa's laughing died out as soon as it begun, and all those emotions fled her just as quickly as they had bubbled to the surface.

"I understand," Carl said then, and she watched as he turned walked a few short paces to a chair with its back to the small bunker's wall. "I had the exact same reaction when our cameras picked up your people coming out of the drop pod."

"I—" Lexa paused for she didn't know what to say.

"We thought we were the only people left on Earth," he said with a smile. "And I think you thought the same."

Lexa winced as she shuffled on the spot where she stood, the just barely there burn of her clothes still enough to cause discomfort.

"You might as well take a seat," Carl said and he gestured to the opposite wall, and as Lexa looked she found another chair waiting for her. "The acid fog doesn't dissipate for hours."

And so Lexa found herself moving to the chair and taking a seat, her motions a little robotic and her thoughts trying to organise themselves. But as she sat and came to face Carl, she found herself simply taking in a relieved breath, if only because whatever terrors those monsters were seemed not to be able to get in, or had simply been chased away by what she now knows to be called acid fog.

"Lexa," she said after a moment and she watched as Carl's face frowned before turning into a smile. "Operations officer. Government and Sciences Ring, the Ark."

"Nice to meet you Lexa," Carl said.

"How?" she asked, but she wasn't sure if she asked Carl how humanity had survived, how he had found her, or simply just how anything.

"When the bombs fell," Carl began. "Our ancestors were the soldiers, scientists, janitors, chefs even a politician or two, anyone inside Mount Weather. We were able to survive the blasts."

"We didn't think anyone else made it," Lexa said quietly. "We thought we were the only people left in the entire universe."

Lexa fell silent then, and she began to think, began to consider, began to analyse everything that must have happened since the bombs fell.

"We tried contacting anyone after the bombs," she said and she found Carl looking at her with a sad glint in his eyes. "We tried. We tried all the Earth governments that could have survived but no one responded."

"Our communications were knocked out by the explosions and the following EMPs," Carl said. "We didn't get them running until years later."

"There was no sign of life," Lexa whispered, her voice quiet and frayed. "Hardly any sign of vegetation, at least not enough to provide for any large population for years."

"We lived underground for the first decade or two," Carl said equally as quietly. "We rationed everything. Made mistakes along the way, and sacrificed when it was required."

Lexa didn't need to pry, she didn't need to guess or to wonder what Carl spoke of, for her people — their people — had done just as much in times of desperation.

Part of her wanted to break down, part of her wanted to collapse into a ball and curse their years of isolation, their years of wasted opportunity to rebuild what was left of the human population. But she knew none of that would help, none of that would be useful and so she took one last second to regret all the decisions that had been taken before she locked them away somewhere deep into the recesses of her mind.

"What were those things?" Lexa asked and she watched as Carl grimaced, as he nodded and seemed to look into a shadow as memories took hold.

"We aren't entirely sure," he said eventually. "We know they're the surface survivors. Those with whatever genetic makeup allowed them to adapt and to survive the radiation."

"A mutation?" Lexa asked.

"The first surface party we sent outside after almost a decade," Carl said. "They ran into what we call reapers. And they were hacked to pieces, torn apart."

Lexa grimaced at the mental image Carl's words conjured, and she had no doubt that the reapers were capable of such things, if only because their own features had seemed grotesque, modified with what she had thought were tattoos, scars, ritualistic and barbaric.

"That's why we didn't make contact with your people sooner," Carl continued. "It's dangerous in the forests. We can't take risks with anyone's life unless it's very important."

Lexa wasn't surprised, if only because she knew any life was valuable, especially with how low humanities numbers must be.

"But now?" Lexa asked.

"We need to work together," Carl continued with a smile. "When the reapers came and when the acid fog came we couldn't wait any longer. So I was sent out to make contact."

"Just you?" Lexa asked.

"It's easier not to draw attention to yourself if you're the only one walking around," he said. "I'm surprised your people didn't stumble onto the reapers sooner than you did."

"Just dumb luck, I guess," Lexa said and she couldn't say she was displeased with having not come face to face with the reapers any sooner.

Carl smiled before he reclined in his chair and seemed to get into a more comfortable position.

"Now what?" Lexa asked.

"Now we wait until the acid fog dissipates."

The warmth and brightness of an early morning sun streamed in through the cracks of a wooden shuttered window. Clarke sat in a chair, her gaze turned to a painting of old that hung in the centre of a blank stone wall. Ontari sat behind her, the woman's fingers moving through her hair as they braided, twisted and tamed.

Every now and then Clarke fought back a wince as Ontari pulled a knot free, every now and then Clarke fought back a grimace at the tugging of her scalp and every now and then she wondered just what would happen if she let her hair go unbraided.

She thought long and hard over the things Costia had said. She thought long and hard over the reports Indra's scouts had delivered and she considered what it must mean that the Mountain may have reinforcements, that they may have bided their time and waited for whatever they deemed the perfect moment to strike.

And yet Clarke thought there must be more, and the answers for which, she hoped would come soon.

A knock sounded from the closed doors to her quarters in Ton DC. Ontari took only a moment longer before she twisted one last braid into place before moving back from her and coming to stand against the wall, her hands held behind her back and her chin raised in what Clarke had come to find a familiar sight.

"Enter," Clarke said as she shifted in the chair she sat in and crossed one leg over the other as one hand fell to her side where one of her knives remained hidden in her furs.

The door opened with barely a sound to reveal Gustus, broad shouldered and stern eyed standing before her. Behind him stood Maya, the woman in a thick and beaten leather coat and her wild hair pulled back with a simple braid.

Gustus stepped through and nodded at Ontari before he took his place beside the door. Maya followed him through with a careful few steps and through it all Clarke watched as Gustus followed the woman's motions with his eyes, one hand never far from the knife strapped to his own hip. Beyond her door Clarke saw more guards, warriors and village people moving through the corridor.

"Sit," Clarke said as she gestured for a chair not far from Maya.

The chair Maya sat in was old and wooden. Its frame cracked in places, bound by weathered leather where needed. The chair even seemed to protest Maya's weight with the barest of groans before embracing its fate.

Maya sat somewhere between hunched over and square shouldered. Her hands were folded in her lap demurely and she seemed not to be able to look anyone in the eyes for too long before she turned her gaze and stared into a shadow or into the rays of sunlight that broke through the wooden shuttered windows.

"Maya," Clarke said, and she made sure her voice remained quiet and calm as she looked the woman in the eyes. "Look at me," though soft, Clarke knew her tone would be recognised as order and command.

Maya looked up at her then, and Clarke wondered what the woman saw. She wondered if she saw her as a demon, as a monster, something to be feared or to be used. Clarke knew, in the rays of light haloing her face from behind, that her skin would appear almost translucent, that the black of her veins would make others picture spider webs etching their way beneath her skin.

And Clarke liked that.

If only because it always made those pause, consider and recoil when she stared at them for too long to be comfortable.

"I don't know who they are," Maya said eventually, and Clarke stared her in the eyes and she looked for deceit, she looked for a hiding of the truth but all she saw was a determined confusion.

"Yet they speak of travelling to the Mountain," Clarke said, and she narrowed her eyes as she uncrossed her legs and planted her feet firmly on the floor before she leant forward.

"We believed we were the only people left," Maya said.

"You have no knowledge of these new people?" and Clarke heard Ontari scoff.

"No, Heda. I do not."

Clarke leant back as she found herself satisfied with Maya's answers for the moment. Part of her believed that these newcomers from the sky would cause nothing but headaches, would derail all the plans she had made in recent times. And part of her believed the newcomers could be a blessing in disguise, that if she was smart, if she was intelligent and careful, she would be able to capitalise on their presence, would be able to sway them to her cause just as she had done Maya. But she knew she would need to strike soon. And she knew so for if these people were not in fact allies of the Mountain, then she would need to turn stranger to ally before the Mountain's stench would sully their view of the world.

And so Clarke rose in one single motion, the light leathers she wore cut in patterns that exposed the scarred grey of her flesh enough to cause discomfort in most who looked upon her.

"Come Maya," Clarke said and she gestured for the woman to rise and to follow her.

Clarke didn't dare walk about outside during the daylight this close to the Mountain. Some would think it cowardice, others would think it weakness, but for her, it was more important that she not risk the lives of those that lived in Ton DC more than she already did.

It was too easy for her to be spotted by anyone looking, it was easy for her to stand out amongst the green and the brown of the forests. Perhaps that was why she had aligned herself so closely with Azgeda as soon as she could. If only because she could blend in with the freezing wilds of the ice and snow. And so Clarke settled for standing in the shadows of the archway that looked out to the open village centre.

Village people moved about, some in quiet conversation with others, some laughing, others rushing from one task to the other. Warriors moved about, too, some clearly headed to the healers, others in search of whatever awaits. Her warriors milled about, too, their numbers few, but their presence welcomed.

Maya stood beside her in uncomfortable silence but Clarke was happy for the time to pass without need to hurry, without need to move too quickly. She knew whatever was to come next would need to be executed perfectly or her chance at destroying the Mountain for good would go to waste.

"Once my kind was able to walk the forests without worry of being hunted like cattle," Clarke said and she felt Maya stiffen beside her.

Maya didn't respond though and Clarke knew she wouldn't say anything, she knew Maya had little she could offer to give alleviate whatever pains still existed.

"No nightbloods have been born in years," Clarke continued. "Or all those that have been born have been taken as far away from the Mountain as possible," and Clarke couldn't help but to feel her lips turn up into the barest hints of a snarl. "I was born in these forests," she continued. "In a village not far from here."

Maya didn't say anything at that, either, she simply stood in the shadows, her head bowed ever so slightly as she twisted her fingers together in uncomfortable uncertainty.

"I will destroy the Mountain," Clarke continued. "I will make it bleed. Just as it has made all nightbloods bleed," and she could almost feel what it must be like to drive her blade into the heart of every single Mountain Man that would dare stand before her.

"Are you questioning my loyalties?" Maya asked then, and her voice seemed to border on fearful, on resigned, on something between sadness and acceptance.

"No," Clarke said and she turned to face the woman. "You are not responsible for the sins of your forefathers."

Maya looked her in the eyes then, and in her gaze Clarke saw a bitterness, something deep and steady, but she couldn't tell whether that bitterness was directed at her, inwards or somewhere in the woman's past.

"I will skin your leaders alive," Clarke continued, and it surprised her to find that her voice remained just as calm as it would if she were discussion the weather. "I will pull your warriors limb from limb. And your healers — your doctors — I will make them suffer a thousand deaths before they breathe their last breath," Clarke could see from the corner of her eye that Ontari's chest had begun to rise ever so rapidly with each proclamation. "But perhaps your innocents. Your children. They will be given the opportunity to learn the poison that is your people."

"Two children," Carl said with a small smile. "Almost 400 people live in Mount Weather."

"There's over two and a half thousand people on the Ark," Lexa said.

"With those numbers," Carl began, "when your people come down we'll have a real chance at rebuilding civilisation," he paused for a moment in thought. "Even genetically," and he laughed. "I mean, I'm sure your people needed to be careful with who had children with who."

"Yeah," and Lexa tried to hide the grimace at the thought of what had once been a certainty in her ever approaching future. "We needed to be careful and everyone needed to play their part."

Carl sighed and he ran a hand through his short hair before reclining a little further in his chair.

"No family up there?" Carl asked as he pointed upwards. "Or out there?"

"No," Lexa shook her head. "Not yet."

Carl smiled a sad smile then and Lexa knew he understood enough not to pry or to push the subject.

"My wife," he said quietly. "Long ago, just after my second child turned two, she went out with a scouting party to look for supplies," he paused and blinked back tears. "But the savages got to them."

"I'm sorry," Lexa said, and not for the first time she flinched at the mental image forming in her mind.

"It's ok," Carl said eventually. "They left their bodies for us to find," and Lexa found that Carl's voice hardened and seemed to grow more cold. "That's why our people need to work together," he said. "We can rebuild what humanity has lost—"

A beeping cut into the quiet and Lexa's eyes narrowed as she watched Carl look down at his wrist and to the watch that flashed a red line of text across its screen.

"Trouble?" Lexa asked and she looked up at the hatch in part to make sure no shadows of the monsters stood lurking outside.

"No," Carl said with a smile as he unzipped a pocket on his pants and reached inside before pulling out a small metal canister with a window in it that seemed to show a thick black liquid contained within. "It's medicine," he said and Lexa was sure he saw the confused expression across her face. "We don't have a natural cure for the radiation yet," and she continued to watch as Carl rolled up his sleeve and twisted off what turned out to be a cap from one end of the canister to reveal a small needle. "But we're continuously working on one," he grunted as he found a vein and injected himself with the medicine. "Maybe your scientists could help?"

"I'm sure we can," Lexa said and she was thankful she didn't need to go through the endeavour of medicating herself. "Do you have enough to get back to Mount Weather?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," Carl said and Lexa found her eyes widening just a little as she watched the vein Carl had targeted blacken as the medicine met his blood stream and begin to flow up his arm and spider its way through each and every vein.

"That doesn't hurt?" Lexa asked.

"It's better than the alternative," Carl said with a smile as he rolled down his sleeve and tucked the canister back into his pocket.

Carl stood up from the chair then and walked over the the small ladder that led up to the hatch that had kept them from burning in the acid fog.

"I think we can risk checking," he said, and Lexa could be forgiven for not quite taking him at his word. "You can stand back if you want," Carl said with a laugh as he began to rise up the few rungs of the ladder. "But grab me if I get burnt."

Lexa nodded as she rose from her chair and took a cautious step forward as she eyed the hatch. Carl seemed to peer up at the edges of it, he seemed to take in a shallow breath as if to test if the air remained acid free.

He coughed then, and Lexa almost reached out and grabbed him before he waved her off.

"It's ok," he said as he reached out and grabbed the hatch's rusted handle. "Just some residue."

Carl took in a deeper breath as if to brace himself for the inevitable but then he pulled hard on the handle and pushed the hatch open with a grunt.

Sunlight streamed in from the opening and Lexa half expected for acid fog to stream in violently and engulf them both in an agonising blanket of searing heat. But instead all that met her was the calm of what must have been a late morning. She could just barely make out the blue of the sky that could be seen through the thick forest canopy overhead, and she could hear the birdsong that sang and chirped and she could even hear the rustle of the wind as it danced with the leaves.

"Come on," Carl turned to face her with a smile, "it's safe."

Pulling herself out of the small bunker was more difficult than Lexa could have anticipated. Her body still not fully accustomed to the higher gravity. But as she came to stand up straight she found herself enjoying the fresh air and the smell of the forest despite the horrors of hours earlier.

"We should head back to safety," Carl said quietly as he looked around them before pushing the hatch shut. "It's best if I head back to Mount Weather now and tell them we've made contact," and he patted the pocket that held the medicine.

"I understand," Lexa said and she didn't blame him for not wanting to be caught out in the open without anymore life saving medicine.

"The best thing to do if you stumble across anymore reapers is to hide," Carl said, this time his voice was a little more iron. "You won't be able to outrun them, and you won't be able to fight them off, not by yourself. They always run in packs."

"Thanks," Lexa said and she looked around herself in the attempts to orient her position.

"That way," Carl said as he gestured outwards. "Keep walking straight and you'll arrive at a hill, from there you'll be able to see the clearing your drop ship made."

"Be safe, Carl," Lexa said as she held out her hand.

"You, too," and Carl smiled as he shook it firmly. "Give me two days and I'll send a team to meet you at your camp. We've got a lot to discuss."

With that Carl nodded at her just once before turning and beginning to walk his way through the forest and towards where Lexa assumed Mount Weather lay. She continued to watch his retreating figure until it disappeared from view, blocked by the ever growing thickness of forest.

Lexa took in a deep shaky breath and unslung the rifle she had all but forgotten about. Its weight felt comfortable in her hands, especially after the run in with the reapers and the acid fog, and she spared a moment to thumb her safety off and then on again, and to check her bullet count before she turned back in the direction Carl had shown her.

And with that Lexa began what she assumed to be a slow and tedious trip through the forest and to the drop ship, all the while wondering just how she was going to explain Mount Weather to her people, and hoping not to run into anymore reapers.