Lexa and I walked back into the war tent where the soldiers were waiting for, Clarke, Lexa, and I to reveal the plan. My mind was put on ease from talking with Lexa about this whole, Nightblood business. There was still a lot of unanswered questions that I had, but I guess that had to wait until later. What matters right now, is getting my friends out of Mount Weather.

"Field Commanders," Lexa addressed the army in the room, "today is the day we get our people back. The enemy thinks it's safe behind its doors, but it's not. When she realizes that, it will fight back... Hard. We need to be ready."

"Which we will be." I finished as Lexa turned her head reluctantly. I stood just as tall and just as confident as Lexa did. My eyes glanced around the crowd of both the Sky People and the Grounders, and I tried to hold each and every gaze as my eyes flickered to each face. "But let's get one thing straight before we divulge into this plan. This is not a kill mission. This, people, is a rescue mission. Our goal is to get our people out of that goddamn mountain without shedding a single drop of blood of those that helped us, of the children that know no better to get involved, do we understand this?"

There was a resounding, yet begrudging, acknowledgement in the crowd of my request. A smile slipped across my lips. "Wonderful! Now, as for the dicks shooting at us, feel free to rip their limbs apart." I heard a few Grounders throughout the crowd chuckle amongst themselves as they agreed with my statement. I walked to the right where the war model that I helped create with Clarke and Lexa was sitting on top of a table. "Alright, let's begin. We have four teams. Two of them at the dam and in the mines; are moving into position already. The third is inside the Mountain, freeing all of the Grounder prisoners to create an even larger team. And now the fourth team.. is us."

"Now, our primary responsibility is to distract those dicks inside the mountain from realizing there are other teams extracting the prisoners. Therefore, we go straight to the front door with everyone we have. We need a big enough army to make them believe that our strategy is merely going through the main entrance. We have to play dumb with these idiots."

More chuckles spread through the crowd and I placed a smile on my face. "The Mountain Men believe that the door can't be opened from the outside, so they don't gave guards patrolling it. but it can be. The electromagnetic locking system on the door has one flaw: if the power goes out, the lock disengages and that's were Raven's team comes in. The Mountain's electricity is generated at Philpott Dam. So long as everything has gone according to plan, Raven and her allies have taken the turbine room and will blow the power out so that we can blow the lock on the door with the hydrazine she provided with us."

I sighed as I looked over the battle model with a twinge on my lips. "But of course, nothing is that easy. Mount Weather has a backup generator inside the mountain to keep them safe in this sort of situation. Hence, if the lock is still functioning when the generator goes up.. we lose our chance to get inside the Mountain. In other words, we won't be able to get our people back.

Sergeant Miller clears his throat. "How much time do we have until the backup power kicks in?"

"One minute." I state bluntly. "That's the window."

"Small window." The man adds. "Why don't we just take out the backup generator, too? Bellamy's inside. Have him to do it."

"Cutting off the backup generator would leave the people of Mount Weather without power and would inevitably kill them all. And as I said, Sergeant Miller.. This is not a kill mission. We are there to rescue only."

'Besides," Clarke intervened from beside me, looking into the crowd. "We lost contact with Bellamy."

My head snapped over in her direction, and Clarke kept her eyes from meeting mine. Just as I was about to say something, Monroe shouted. "What? We did? When?"

"After he took out the acid fog."

"Bellamy's a warrior," Lexa spoke up, and looked over at me and she nodded. "He will be fine." Lexa reassures me, trying to calm the situation.

Clarke nods. "As the Commander said, once the door is open, the shooting will start, and they'll throw everything they have at us, but that's what we want. We want them looking at us because we're fighting at the front door, Indra's team will be escorting the prisoners out the back, right through the Reaper tunnels. Once all our people are free, they'll sound the retreat. We'll be back home before Mount Weather even knows they're gone." She pauses and glances around the tent.

"That's it, that's the plan." I finish for Clarke as I look at her.

"The mountain has cast a shadow over these woods for too long," the Commander began slowly as she stepped forward and stared down her subjects. "They've hunted us, controlled us, turned us into monsters. That ends today. Thanks to our alliance with the Sky People, the mountain will fall! As Dakota said, we spare the innocent..and as for the guilty.. jus drein jus daun!"

The space begins to erupt. The warriors first, with Lexa's aid, then many of the guards from the Ark, and soon, the rest of the Grounder army outside of the tent eager for their turn in the bloodbath. I looked around as they all shouted and noticed that Clarke started to shout too. I looked at her as we met eyes and I nodded before opening my mouth and began shouting.

"Jus drein jus daun!"

***

I stood at the front of the doors, watching Monroe painstakingly drill into the iron door at the front of Mount Weather. The entire Grounder army stands around ready to act at any given moment. We were all on edge, the threat of war drawing nearer and nearer as the seconds ticked away, as the drill went further and further into the door.

"That should do it," Monroe announced as she finally stepped away from the door and pulled the drill out with a nod. "Bombs away."

Miller, who had volunteered to place the hydrazine into the whole in the door, looked back at Clarke, who nodded her head at him reassuringly.

"Be careful," the blonde reminded him cautiously as the older soldier stepped forward, Lincoln trailing closely behind him for protection. Lexa turned to her men standing father away from the rest of the people.

"Archers, watch the trees!" the Commander said sternly.

"He's scared." Clarke muttered under her breath as she watched Miller's hands shake with the hydrazine situated in them.

"Aren't we all?" I retorted. Up at the door, Lincoln stopped Miller's trembling fingers and reached forward to clamp a steady hand down on his arm. The guard looked up with a surprised expression. Miller steadies his hands with Lincoln's reassuring words and slides the cylindrical tube into the hole. Then presses a button on the small control panel arming the weapon.

"Nice work, Sergeant." I looked at the Ark soldiers that were standing beside me. "Alright, everyone! Positions, please. I want safeties off and eyes alert. Remember to think quickly, but act sharply. Do you understand?"

There were murmurs throughout the army and I sighed, knowing that this was just the beginning and the easy part was over. I took my sword from my back and watched the glimmer of the metal reflect the torchlights.

"You were made for this, you know." I turned my head to look at the blonde beside me, who stood with a stern look on her face. "You were born to lead, Dakota."

I looked at her for a second, taking a few moments to respond. "Maybe it's in my blood." I told her, which caught the attention of Lexa.

****

The sky quickly fades from blue to black with only torchlight illuminating the battleground. There was still no sign that the power had gone out and that the door was unlocked. Clarke paced, but everyone else stayed completely still. After awhile of silence, there was he distinct sound of gunshots firing off in the distance. I tensed up, knowing that my friend was in the location of where those gunfire's were coming from. Lincoln emerged from the crowd and came up between Clarke and I.

"It's coming from the dam."

"They know we're going for the power," Clarke breathed.

"They know we're going for the door!" Lexa corrected.

I turned to Lincoln and shook my head. "No one leaves here, got it? Raven is strong and can handle this on her own. If we lose warriors, that means were less prepared. No one leaves."

Lincoln nodded, then turned to the crows and relayed the orders in his language.

"As soon as those lights go off, you push that button." One of the Ark's guards speaks up motioning to the wireless remote in Clarke's hand.

"We'll do the rest." Lincoln offers going back to staring at Mount Weather.

"Damn right we will," I agreed under my breath. Lincoln looked down at me with a smile.

Everyone stands around on edge waiting for the moment when the turbines are shut off and the mountain loses power. Finally, after what seems like a lifetime, the lights lining the door flicker before blinking out completely.

Clarke smiles in disbelief. "She did it."

I chuckle. "Of course she did."

"One minute starting now." Sergeant Miller informs Clarke. Clarke looks down at the button in her hand and turned to Lexa beside her.

"For those we've lost," Clarke said softly to the Commander, who caught her gaze. Lexa grabbed Clarke's hand with the remote in it and nodded. "And those we'll soon fine."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, push the damn button already or I'll do it for you." I snapped angrily at Clarke who was taking her sweet time with it. We didn't have time.

Clarke and Lexa immediately pressed down on the remote, but even though the remote beeped, there was no explosion. The two of them pressed it over and over again, but nothing happened.

"What's wrong? Why isn't it working?" Lexa demanded.

"They're jamming us! I have to get closer," Clarke realized as she darted away from Lexa and ran towards the door.

As soon she was out in sight, there were at least fifty shots fired at her. I darted forward and yanked Clarke back from the open fire and shoved her behind a rock we were all using as a shield. Lexa yelled out to order her men, who tried to retaliate against the shooters, but were no match. I turned around. "Stop shooting! You are wasting bullets." I screamed out at the top of my lungs so everyone could hear me. The shooters stood down.

"If I can get there, I can trigger it manually." Miller came up from beside me.

"I know, but you can't get there. There must be at least 15 snipers out of range."

"For Nate, I have to try."

He moves over the rest of the Ark guards readying the medal slabs to deflect the assault of bullets. They hold up the slabs forming a protective shield around them. Once the shield is ready, they begin to move towards the door slowly. As they inch across the open space, Mount Weather's troops continue to open fire.

Out of nowhere, a bullet clips one of the men in the leg sending him off balance. One after the other, the men fall to the ground shot dead by the Mountain Men.

"We'll find another way in." Lexa calls out to Clarke.

"There is no other way in."

"We don't need one." Lincoln speaks up pulling a bow from his shoulder. He grabs an arrow lighting the end with a torch next to him. Moving to the end of the large boulder protecting him, Lincoln raises the weapon ready to fire.

"10 seconds!" Clarke shouts.

He readies his arm aiming for the small bomb in the massive door.

"Five seconds." Clarke states again.

"Lincoln if you don't get this!" I shout.

At the last possible second, Lincoln releases the arrow sending it soaring across the open space. The flaming point miraculously hits it's mark causing the hydrazine to explode into a rain of sparks and fire.

"Boom. That was awesome." I smiled at Lincoln to which he returned the smile.

"We have to get to that ridge and take out the shooters." Lexa states, as the Mountain Men continue to take Grounders left and right. Lincoln moves to head in the direction of the ridge, but the Commander stops him. "No! You stay with Clarke and Dakota. When the shooting stops, you get that door open."

***

Over the course of ten minutes, the gunfire finally comes to an end. No one dares to make a move hesitantly glancing around the battle ground. Lincoln slowly began to crouch out from behind the rock to test the waters. When there was no fire, he sighed in relief.

"Lexa did it," He relayed, causing everyone to slowly lift out from underneath their shields. Monroe looked right in front of the door to see Sergeant Miller stirring from the floor, wounded but not dead.

"Clarke, look!" Monroe exclaimed as she rushed forward to help Miller.

"Make sure he's okay." Clarke told her as Monroe tossed the metal shields aside and lifted Miller out of the pile of dead bodies on top of him.

"This is it. They'll be waiting as soon as we open that door." I looked over at Lincoln who nodded.

"Good," Lincoln replied as he turned his shoulder and shouted to his people, "Mafta ai op! Tu tayon! Ge to ogud na pul kiln! [Follow me! Two Lines! Get ready to pull!]"

As a group of warriors rushed forward and tied ropes to the handle so that they could pry the heavy door open, I turned my head and commanded the soldiers on my team. "Aim your fire for the door and do not stray off the mark!"

The soldiers aimed their weapons at the door, the warriors in front of them struggled to pry the solid iron door away from it's frame. But, finally, the strength of all the men pulling cracked it open.

"Attack now!" Clarke shouted at the Grounder's behind her, but right as they moved forward as commanded by Clarke, Lexa's voice rang out in the distance.

"Chil yo daun! [Stand down]" Not a single Grounder moved, and when Lexa emerged from the forest with Carl Emerson by her side, along with many more Mountain Men and the warriors she had taken to defeat them, Clarke knew something was wrong.

"What is this?" Clarke demanded, just as someone shouted in the crowd to look towards the door because people were coming out. When Clarke turned her head, she saw the imprisoned Grounders from the Harvest Chamber being released, limping out into the cold. "They're surrendering?"

"Not quite," Emerson answered and I the him a look of confusion, but it was when Lexa didn't reply we really knew what was going on here. All of the prisoners that were being freed were not Sky People, they were Grounders.

"What did you do?"

"What you would have done. Saved my people."

Clarke's face dropped. "Where are my people?"

Lexa stared at the blonde in front of her with undeniable coldness. "Sorry, Clarke. They weren't apart of the deal."

"You made the right choice, Commander." Emerson praised the Grounder beside him as he stepped away.

"What is this?" Lincoln asked as he and I stepped forward. Clarke's eyes began to water.

"Your Commander's made a deal."

The second I heard the words, my shoulder stiffened. Lincoln looked over at Lexa and shook his head. "What about the prisoners from the Ark?"

Clarke and Lexa did not once remove their eyes from one another. "They'll all be killed. But you don't care about that, do you?"

"I do care, Clarke! But I made this choice with my head and not my heart. The duty to protect my people always comes first."

I had to turn my head as the anger bubbled through me. "Please don't do this," Clarke begged.

"I'm sorry, Clarke."

"Commander, not like this! Let us fight," Lincoln requested but Lexa didn't flinch.

"Lincoln." My head snapped up. "The deal is done." I spoke as I heard the doors behind us shut, completely sealing us out of Mount Weather for good.

"Teik oso rowenes laud. [sound the retreat]" The warrior obliged, blowing into the horn that let all of the Grounders around them know it was time to fall back.

As the horn blew loudly in front of me, I couldn't hold it together anymore. In a split moment, my hand snapped Clarke's gun from her waist and I stepped forward so quick Lexa was taken by surprise when my barrel hit the side of her skull. Lexa inhaled sharply, but didn't move.

"You." I started as my voice began to shake, indicating my rage. "You will sound off the retreat and you will help us get my people back." My voice got increasingly more firm, never once did it crack under the pressure. "I will put a bullet straight through your fucking head."

"You won't kill me," Lexa said calmly. "If you do, you will die. My people won't let you live."

I pushed my barrel harder into her skull as her mouth opened slightly. "I hope you sleep well at night knowing you just sentenced over forty kids to their death."

"Dakota.. put down the gun. You are not a murderer, you are a warrior." Lexa said calmly and I closed my eyes, letting the fact that Bellamy was in that Mountain but so was Jasper, Monty.. I couldn't see straight anymore. Clarke came up from behind me and grabbed my hand that was holding the gun.

I let out an exhale and lifted the gun from Lexa's temple and stepped back, squaring my jaw tightly to prevent myself from throwing a punch or actually killing someone.

"All of our people withdraw. Those were the terms. Let's go, Lincoln." Lexa let out a relieved breath as she spoke.

"They'll be slaughtered," Lincoln tried to reason. "Let me help them."

Lexa wouldn't hear it. Without turning her head, she commanded the people behind her to take Lincoln from his place, but as they dragged him away, Lincoln tried to fight back. He nearly got away with it, but three more Grounders came up behind him and kicked him into submission. Clarke looked down with tears falling down her face.

"May we meet again."

I watched as the retreating Grounder army completely devastated and so did the Sky People. My head was blocking out all sound as I stared at the iron door with pure rage. Monroe insisted that Clarke and I had to go and she left as well.

I looked over at Clarke slowly, rage burning in my eyes. "We're getting into that fucking Mountain."