The world was calm, it was quiet, vibrant and so very overwhelming. Anya stood in what had become the final resting place of Go-Sci station. Its arrival onto the ground had thrown trees, stone, rocks and boulders away in such violence that it was hard for her to imagine what the surrounding area had once looked like.

Stretched out as far as she could see around her were the remnants of trees shattered from the force of the station slamming into earth, small patches of fire simmered and burnt and filled the air with the stench of burning things she couldn't identify. And yet it was marvellous, it was breathtaking and more beautiful than she could imagine.

Her lungs filled yet again with real air, she didn't mind that whatever vapours emanating from the station burned her nostrils, she didn't care that all she could smell was a metallic tang. She was on the ground and she was alive. That was all that mattered. She thought that the only thing that could matter in the moment.

Other people moved about around her, some half as dazed as she was, others more focused on whatever task was at hand. She watched as two men stumbled together, one having clearly injured a leg on reentry, the other helping to support his weight. She watched as a woman knelt down and scooped up handfuls of burnt earth and let it crumble between her fingers.

Anya let the world go by her for the time being. She knew she had things to do but for a moment she would be as selfish as she had ever been. She wanted to remember the moment she found herself in for as long as she could. How could she not?

Despite the wonder of the world that filled her mind, Anya's attention was pulled back to the present as someone settled into place beside her. Octavia, with hair a mess yet as tamed as could be expected given the circumstances stood next to her. Sweat clung to her face, her eyes were wide and Anya couldn't help but to winder if Octavia had ever dared dream of one day walking on Earth's surface when she had once never even set foot outside her own quarters on the Ark.

She didn't voice her curiosity though, there would be time for that, just as there would be time for her to satisfy her own desires. Anya took in one last deep breath before she turned from the view in front of her to face Octavia fully.

Octavia met her half way with a smile.

"We made it," Octavia's voice was breathless, disbelieving but so very accepting of the new reality.

"We did," Anya said with a sigh, the motion perhaps just a little heavier than she was used to. "We did."

Lexa's mind ran, it jumped up and down, back and forth. There were so many different facts and thoughts and ideas running through her mind that she couldn't quite figure out what she was even thinking. Perhaps the only thing she did know in that moment was that the Ark's arrival had given her an opportunity to get the answers she needed, to talk to someone she could trust that would hear her out, would be willing to investigate the claims Clarke had made.

"We need to see the Commander," Lexa said as she turned from Bellamy who still stared out the crack in the window, eyes wide and awestruck. "Now."

Lexa banged her fist against the locked door, perhaps not so violently that it would seem like she was trying to escape. Only enough that whoever was outside would hear over whatever commotion the Ark's arrival would cause.

The door opened a crack to reveal a face she didn't recognise, but Lexa didn't care, not when she knew she needed to act fast.

"I need to speak with the Commander," it was simple, straightforward. She didn't quite mean for it but her voice slipped into the same tone she always used when explaining why she rationed energy on the Ark.

The guard, a man with ritual scars across his face and who didn't seem much older than herself gave her request a single second's pause before he opened the door, "he stays," was the only answer she got before he gestured for her to follow.

And so Lexa nodded to Bellamy before she ducked out of the building and fell into step behind the guard - though it wasn't lost on her that there were other guards nearby already taking their place by the door lest Bellamy try to escape.

It didn't take any time at all before Lexa found herself slipping into that same small room that Clarke occupied, Maya seemingly ever present as she sat in a corner, the shadow cast by a single ray of light almost hiding her from view.

There was an awkward silence as Lexa shuffled where she stood now that she was faced with Clarke. In the silence she took the time to organise her thoughts as much as she could, and she took the time to take in whatever state Clarke was in. It hadn't quite occurred to her until that very moment that Clarke might not actually be receptive to other people coming to the ground so soon. She hadn't even really considered the fact Clarke might be already sending her warriors out to kill the newcomers.

Lexa took in a steadying breath as she stepped forward. Clarke didn't move from where she sat, her legs crossed elegantly and her hands steepled. She couldn't help but to feel like a watched prey animal in that moment, Clarke's gaze never wavering from her, the dark of the shadow she sat in blending so viscerally with the grey of her skin. But Lexa swallowed her newfound uncertainty. Whatever she was to say next had to be calm, measured — it would need to be if she were to convince Clarke of her newly realised plan.

"I have a plan," Lexa said, Clarke's eyebrow raised ever so slightly at that and her head tilted to the side as if she were trying to gauge the distance between them.

"You have a plan," Clarke's voice sounded a little more foreboding this time.

Perhaps it was because Lexa thought herself pushing whatever boundaries there were between them — ironic that she thought boundaries still existed considering the fact they had shared a bath. Perhaps it was because she knew Clarke was in some way testing her by keeping her and Bellamy locked away, unable to do much more than wait. And perhaps it was simply because she still didn't know how human Clarke actually was.

"I have a plan," Lexa repeated and she stood up straighter, hands behind her back and her chin levelled at the sitting woman.

"Enlighten me."

Lexa was sure there was a smirk hidden in Clarke's eyes, she was sure the twitch of her lip was mirth and not sneered annoyance.

"The part of the Ark that just came down," and Lexa pointed up. "I know someone on it. It didn't look like it landed far from here. If I can get a message to her she'll help us."

Clarke uncrossed her legs at that and leant forward, curiosity colouring her pale face.

"You can trust this woman?" Clarke asked.

"With my life," Lexa said, and she meant it.

She waited for a moment as Clarke seemed to take in what she said. For some reason she thought Clarke looked at her even more closely as if she was trying to read her thoughts, as if she was trying to look past whatever exterior shell Lexa had constructed in the hopes of coming across more confident than she really felt.

"What is your plan?" Clarke asked eventually as she leant back and crossed her legs again as if the urgency in Lexa's arrival was lost on her.

"We need help from my people," Lexa said. "Right?"

Clarke nodded her head in agreement, "perhaps."

"You would have thought about sending me or Bellamy, but you can't risk us not being trusted, right?" Lexa assumed what she said to be true, only because she would have considered it herself. "It'd be too suspicious if we somehow escaped so you can't use us."

Clarke hummed a response that sounded impressively as though she was half impressed, half unconcerned at the same time.

"But if I can contact my friend without anyone knowing she'll be able to spy for us — at least get us someone into the Mountain to get us answers," and to get me the answers I need. Lexa thought. But she didn't voice that.

Clarke's eyes narrowed a fraction her head tilting to the side yet again and Lexa almost began to shuffle where she stood in an attempt to break the silence that began to stretch out between them.

"What is your plan?" Clarke asked eventually.

"All I need is for my friend to drop us a radio somewhere no one will find," Lexa said, she ignored the fact that she didn't know if Clarke knew what a radio was for the moment. "We can use that to talk without anyone hearing."

"If they discover this friend of yours is spying they will kill her," it was said so bluntly that Lexa wondered if Clarke had already sent more people than she could count to their deaths in an attempt to spy for her.

"Anya's smart. She's our Chief of Communications. If anyone can figure out how use a radio without being caught it's her."

"Your plan is interesting, Lexa," Clarke said, and for a moment Lexa thought she heard approval in Clarke's voice before it was forced back behind that ever present mask of unsettling cool-grey. Lexa half expected Clarke to do something more, perhaps tell her to leave, perhaps tell her to stay or something entirely different. But no instruction came, none was given and Lexa had no idea what she was supposed to do in the silence.

"So," Lexa trailed off as she watched Clarke continue to sit in her chair, gaze ever focused on her. She even turned to Maya in an attempt to see if the other woman had something to say, yet she found her ever content to remain quiet and unnoticed in the corner of the room. Lexa turned back to Clarke, what else could so do? "What do I do now?" She realised she didn't even know if Clarke would even think her plan was feasible.

"Gustus," Clarke called out and Lexa felt the door swing open behind her as the large man ducked into the room.

"Heda?" he asked, his voice gruff, perhaps a little suspicious as he came to stand beside her.

"Lexa," Clarke said and she inclined her head towards her. "Has a plan."

"I do," Lexa said, though why she interjected she wasn't so sure.

"She does," Clarke seemed to almost smile yet again before the expression was seemingly killed. "Gustus. You will take her hunting."

Though the volunteers had told them Earth's gravity would be heavier than they had grown accustomed to on the Ark it still shocked Anya at how tired her body already felt. It wasn't that she was tired, but she seemed to have to think just a little harder with each step, her muscles not quite used to working the slight percentage more than they were in space.

Sweat clung to her forehead as she shrugged the backpack a little higher onto her shoulders as she looked back behind her and to the remnants of Go-Sci station. It had embedded itself into the earth so firmly that it almost looked like it grew out from the ground like some grotesque radiation formed beast that had once been proud in stature. People moved about, many already in the process of construction their preplanned barricades to try to fortify their new bases from potential reaper attack.

It didn't surprise her that the twelve stations were to be made into outposts. It made more than enough sense. She wasn't a fool, she knew that Mount Weather wouldn't be able to provide for so many more arrivals. Neither could the Ark. It made sense to use the Ark's hulking pieces as the first step to expanding their borders, to securing some form of safety from the reapers that roamed the lands now.

It saddened her just a bit though. She couldn't help but to feel like her home was being picked apart, broken down without any concern for the sacrifice it had made for them all.

"You ready?"

Octavia's voice cut into her thoughts and Anya shook herself into the present to find the younger woman looking at her cautiously.

"Yeah," she didn't really know what else to say.

The fact that Octavia had assumed she was welcome on such an ill-advised mission wasn't lost on her. Yet she didn't think she'd be able to convince her otherwise. Of course other scouting parties were already getting ready to head out, at least a little further into the surrounding forest in an attempt to get the lay of the land until Mount Weather made physical contact with them. But Anya's goal was a little more risky. She wanted to get to the drop ship, find answers to what happened to Lexa and rescue her if needed. She wasn't even going in blind, she had radioed earlier to let them know. Though they had simply said it was too risky to make the journey on her own despite the fact that reapers hadn't been seen for a few days.

But she didn't care.

They had advantages now. They knew about reapers now. They had weapons. And none had been seen for long enough that she at least thought they had been scared off by the increased presence. But when it came down to it, she was willing to take the risks.

"We're going to move quickly," Anya said as she looked Octavia in the eyes. "We've got our map, we know where we are and we know where the drop ship is. It's not that far and if we move quickly we can get there in a few hours."

Not for the first time that day Clarke found herself sitting in a simple chair and her thoughts too eager to move from thing to thing without her authority. This time it was a little different. If she lied to herself she'd say she didn't know why it was different. If she was honest it would be because Lexa had impressed her.

The plan was sound. It made perfect sense for Lexa to use someone she trusted and to get them into the Mountain. Perhaps it would even give her an advantage in some way. Perhaps it would give her a distraction when her time came. But until that time she would remain quiet, she would keep the entirety of her plans to herself and she would sit back and watch as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, only interfering when one piece would fall just a little too haphazardly for her comfort.

Sending Lexa out on her mission didn't worry her either, not that she should be worried. Not that she was worried. Her people knew the forests better than the Mountain Men. Her people would be more than capable of keeping Lexa alive if the need should arise.

And ye—

Clarke stopped whatever thoughts began to coalesce in her mind. She didn't appreciate the direction they seemed to be heading towards. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. She felt her lip twitch in annoyance as she rose from her chair and began to slowly pace around the perimeter of the room.

Clarke couldn't wait until it was nightfall. She dare not risk being seen outside when the sun was up. Not because it put her at risk, but because she knew if her presence was known the Mountain would kill every single person between them and her in their attempt to capture her. She was willing to sacrifice her life. She was willing to sacrifice others, too. But not for nothing. Not because she couldn't be patient and wait until it was safe. She didn't think she could live with herself if lives sacrificed were wasted, were thrown away simply because she was weak.

But those thoughts pulled her mind to plans she had put in motion years ago. They pulled her into the past and she found herself running a finger over the raised edge of an old wound that ran the length of her forearm, the ever present annoyance long since pushed into the back of her mind.

"Heda," Maya's voice cut into her wandering thoughts and Clarke stopped mid step and turned to face her.

"It is time?" it came out half question, half statement.

"Yeah," Maya said, and it seemed just as sheepish, just as fearful of rejection as it had been the first time.

Part of Clarke pitied Maya for her existence, for needing to rely so strongly on her. She didn't know what Maya would do once the Mountain was killed, part of her didn't care. And yet part of her did. Part of her had grown accustomed to the woman's presence. And it was sad. It was full of something tinged with pity, with anger, hate and understanding. It was hard for Clarke to divorce Maya from the atrocities her people had and continued to commit. And yet Maya had been the only one to ever choose her people over the Mountain.

"Bring it," Clarke said a little more gently than she intended as she returned to her chair.

Maya approached, in her hand the vial that she would use to inject herself with her blood. Clarke took a moment to eye how full it was. It never surprised her to find that Maya never injected all of it into herself. She didn't blame her, really. She knew Maya kept enough ever ready incase something happened to her. Clarke wouldn't be surprised if Maya had a plan to run to the Mountain if she was ever to die, all in the hopes of being welcomed in with open arms. She probably would be, too, considering the fact that by all accounts the Mountain thought Maya long dead. She knew they'd think Maya a slave, perhaps tortured, abused, beaten daily. The woman had the scars on her body to say as much.

"Does it ever lessen?" Clarke asked as she reached for her knife and rolled up her sleeve.

"Not really, no," Maya answered and Clarke was sure she could see the faintest signs of her fingers twitching. "Sometimes I try to go a little longer before taking it. Just to see," she shrugged, the motion accepting of whatever truths she had come to believe. "It just makes the pain last longer."

Clarke looked Maya in the eyes as she began to cut into her own flesh, the sting from the knife barely felt after so many years. She didn't miss the way Maya flinched and looked away, her eyes averted as if she was exposed to something she was never supposed to see.

It was funny though. From what Clarke knew, Maya had seen things far more brutal in the Mountain then what she now witnessed. Perhaps it had never been so human though. Perhaps she had been able to think of Clarke's brother sand sisters as cattle, animals to be hung up and bled until they could no longer bleed only to be bled again and again. And again. Until one day she could not.

Clarke took in a steadying breath as she took the vial from Maya's outstretched hand. She watched as she let her blood drip into it and she marvelled at the black that ran down her skin. For a moment she felt the tug of something foreign in her forearm, for a moment she felt the burn as things shifted and then that same stinging pain began to consume the wound. It was always the same, it had always been that way. Flesh began to stitch itself back together slowly, each passing second oddly satisfying, each passing second too uncomfortable for her to appreciate. And yet she did simply because it gave her purpose, it gave her the desire to do what she had planned to do since she had ascended the throne.

And then the stinging, burning, wretched pain stopped as quickly as it had begun. Blood still smeared across her arm, it still clung to her grey skin, yet the wound was gone and the vial was full of her blood.

"Here," she said quietly as she held it out for Maya to take. "It is a gift, Maya," Clarke said, her voice slightly detached as her thoughts began to drift to kinder memories. "I hope one day you no longer have need for my generosity."

Maya accepted it with as much deference as she always did, and Clarke found herself not caring if Maya took her words to be threat or friendly wish for better times.

Truthfully, she didn't even know which one they were, herself.