Finn shook his head, "I'm surprised he decided to come." He nodded toward Jason, who was walking a few paces behind, quiet as ever.
Jason's lips curved slightly. "Yeah, well... someone's gotta make sure if this all goes south, we have an escape route."
Finn huffed, trying to stay optimistic. "It's going to work."
Jason's expression didn't change. He just looked at him, shook his head slightly, then turned his gaze toward Clarke, who merely shrugged as she dropped something in the floor leaving faint trails for Bellamy to follow.
"I hope you're right," Jason murmured under his breath.
As they walked on, he caught Clarke's eye for a fleeting moment. No words passed between them, but they both felt the same unease. Jason's thoughts drifted bitterly.
'Hopefully this doesn't all blow up in our faces.'
————————-
By the time they reached the bridge, dawn had broken. The sky was pale gold. The sound of rushing water filled the air, mingling with birdsong.
Octavia stood waiting at the far end, looking nervous but relieved when she saw them.
"I'm glad you're okay," Jason said as they approached.
She smiled faintly. "Thank you... for trusting him."
Jason shook his head. "Not him. You."
Her smile faltered at that, a mix of surprise and guilt flickering in her eyes.
Jason didn't linger on it. His gaze swept over the treeline, quiet and calculating. He could feel it, the air was too still.
'They're here already,' he thought. Then, faintly, a smirk crossed his lips.
'But so are we.'
"So that's how you set this up," Clarke said suddenly, her tone was sharp and her eyes narrowed on Octavia. "You helped him escape, didn't you?"
"I trust him, Clarke," Octavia replied firmly.
"There's a lot of that going around," Clarke muttered, glancing at Finn and Jason.
Jason didn't answer. He just stared straight ahead with his arms crossed, thinking dryly, 'Well then.'
Footsteps echoed from the opposite side of the bridge.
Lincoln emerged from the shadows, jogging toward them with his usual calm expression.
Octavia broke into a run, relief overtaking her anger as she threw herself into his arms. Lincoln lifted her effortlessly.
Jason, however, noticed Clarke subtly backing away, tension in her shoulders as Lincoln looked over to her. Finn reached out, catching her hand before she could retreat.
Then came the low thunder of hooves.
Three grounders on horseback appeared through the forest.
Jason's eyes narrowed. 'Anya.'
"Hey, we said no weapons!" Finn shouted, stepping forward protectively with Clarke still in his grasp.
"I was told there wouldn't be," Lincoln said, his tone calm but firm.
Jason looked back at Finn and said dryly, "Normally, most people say, 'I hate to say I told you so.' Yeah... I don't hate it this time."
"Jason," Clarke hissed.
He lifted a brow. "It's stupid to expect something from people you don't even know."
"Enough," Clarke snapped.
Jason sighed, crossing his arms. Clarke's voice softened. "It's too late now."
Anya pulled up on her horse, her dark eyes flicking over them. Finn tried to move forward with Clarke, but Lincoln stepped in his path.
"Jason and her only," Lincoln said firmly.
"I'll be fine," Clarke said quickly. "I have Jason with me."
Jason glanced at her, saying nothing, but gave a slight nod.
They crossed the creaking bridge side by side. Clarke looked uneasy, her hand brushing nervously against her leg. Jason leaned in slightly and whispered, "Hey. We got this."
His hand rested lightly on her shoulder. She inhaled slowly, steadying herself as they reached the center of the bridge.
"Your name is Jason?" the woman asked, her voice commanding. "And you are Clarke?"
"Yes," Jason replied immediately.
"I'm Anya."
Clarke extended a hand, offering peace. Anya just looked at it and turned away.
Jason's jaw flexed. 'How rude.'
"Last I checked," he said, tone edged with calm steel, "the agreement was to meet without weapons. I figured courtesy was included."
Anya's gaze locked on him. "We didn't know if we could trust you."
Jason chuckled quietly. "Is that so?"
Clarke stepped in, trying to diffuse the tension. "We got off to a rough start, but we want to find a way to live together in peace."
Anya's reply came sharp and cold. "You started a war you don't know how to end."
"What? No! We didn't start anything. You attacked us for no reason," Clarke said, voice rising.
"No reason?" Anya's eyes hardened. "The missiles you launched burned a village to the ground."
Clarke froze, completely thrown off. Jason's eyes widened slightly. 'Oops.'
"The flares, Clarke," Jason muttered under his breath.
"Wait—the flares? No! Those were meant to signal our families. We never meant to—"
"You're invaders," Anya interrupted harshly. "Your ship landed in our territory."
Jason straightened, his tone low and steady. "The flares were our fault. A desperate move to get our people's attention. We weren't targeting anyone." He crossed his arms.
"We didn't even know anyone was here," Clarke added, frustration bleeding into her voice. "We thought the ground was uninhabited."
"You knew when you captured one of ours," Anya countered. "When you tortured him. These are all acts of war."
Jason exhaled sharply. 'Thank you, Bellamy.'
"I see your point," Clarke said, recovering. "That's why we need to put an end to this."
Jason nodded, "If we can make peace, if we can come to an understanding, then we can create and respect boundaries. We never meant for anyone to get hurt. All we're asking is a place to live, separate from your lands. A chance to survive."
Anya's eyes flickered with thought. "Lincoln says there are more of you coming. Warriors."
"The guard, yes," Clarke said. "But also farmers, doctors, engineers. We can help each other, but not if we're at war."
"Can you promise that these new arrivals won't attack us?"
Jason. 'No.'
But aloud, he said, "We'll try."
Clarke glanced at him, confused by his tone, but pressed on. "We promise we'll do everything we can to convince them to honor whatever terms we agree on."
Anya's voice remained cold. "Why would I agree to an alliance your people could break the moment they arrive?"
Clarke took a step closer. "Because if you fire the first shot, the people coming down won't bother negotiating. Our technology will wipe you out."
Jason sighed quietly, rubbing his jaw. 'Great. Nothing like a threat to seal a peace deal.'
Anya's eyes narrowed. "They wouldn't be the first to try."
Jason raised an eyebrow, tone suddenly lighter but edged with warning. "Quick question, Anya when are you going to invite your friends to come say hi?"
Clarke blinked. "What?"
Jason looked toward the treeline. "In the trees."
Anya's eyes widened.
"Clarke! Jason! Run! They're gonna shoot! Run!"
The shout tore through the forest like thunder, it was Jasper's voice. Jason didn't even need to look back to know what was coming. He spun on his heel, instincts flaring, and caught the sight of Anya's hand slipping something from her sleeve. Without thinking, he grabbed her wrist, twisted sharply until he heard the pop of bone, and drove a kick straight into her stomach. She screamed, stumbling backward just as a bullet ripped through the air and tore into her shoulder.
"Clarke, Jason! Get down!" Finn yelled, sprinting toward them.
Jason barely ducked before an arrow whizzed past his face. He twisted, catching the next one mid-air and whipping it back at the tree line it hit a grounder in the chest, pinning him to a trunk. The Horses screamed as the chaos exploded around them. Jason saw Clarke stumble, Finn pulling her upright while another horseman drew back his bow.
Jason moved first. He darted forward, caught the shaft of the arrow mid-flight, then leaped up, grabbing the rider's arm and pierced him with his arrow. With another brutal motion, he tore the man from his horse and slammed him to the ground. The impact was heavy and Jason's kick followed a second later, snapping the man's neck.
He turned around searching for Anya but she was already mounting another horse, clutching her bleeding shoulder. "Shit," Jason muttered as she rode off through the trees, the sound of hooves fading fast.
"Okay, run! Don't stop 'til you get behind your walls. Go! Take her!" Lincoln's voice cut through the chaos as he shoved Octavia toward them.
Jason didn't hesitate. "Move!" he barked, taking point as arrows rained down from the forest edge. They sprinted through the trees, without stopping, feet pounding against dirt and roots. Octavia stumbled once, Clarke catching her, and Jason slowed just long enough to help pull her up before pushing them onward.
They didn't stop until the camp walls came into view and they saw the wooden spikes and metal panels that looked a lot safer than they actually were. Everyone doubled over, gasping for air. Everyone except Jason, who looked more irritated than exhausted at having lost a valuable hostage.
Bellamy was the first to speak. "You got something to say?" he asked, seeing the look Finn was giving him.
"Yeah," Finn snapped, pointing a finger at Clarke. "I told you no guns!"
The sound that followed wasn't verbal, it was a slap. Jason's hand connected with Finn's cheek before anyone could react.
"I've had it with your stupidity," Jason said coldly. "In case your blind optimism failed you again, they came there to ambush us."
"I told you we couldn't trust the grounders," Clarke said bitterly. "I was right."
"Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?" Raven demanded, stepping up beside Finn.
"I tried," Finn said defensively. "But you were too busy making bullets for your gun."
"You're lucky she brought that!" Bellamy shot back. "They came there to kill you, Finn."
"You don't know that! Jasper fired the first shot!"
Jason exhaled through his nose and muttered, "Oh my god… You know, I'm not saying you're dumb, Finn, but you better hope the dumbest person on earth doesn't die otherwise, you'll have to take his place."
Jasper snorted, trying to hide a laugh. Bellamy's sharp glare shut him up immediately.
Octavia stepped forward, her face tight with anger. "You knew, didn't you?" she accused Jason.
Jason looked at her calmly. "About the guns? Yeah. I told you before I don't trust the grounders. Lincoln meant well, sure. But that doesn't mean his leaders do."
Octavia shook her head, glancing at Jasper with a glare that said this is your fault before she stormed off.
"I saved you! You're welcome!" Jasper shouted after her, but she didn't look back.
"Well, if we weren't at war already," Finn muttered, "we sure as hell are now."
Jason's jaw tightened. "You didn't have to trust the grounders," Finn added, turning to Clarke. "You just had to trust us."
"And that," Jason said, stepping forward, "would've been a death sentence."
Finn's eyes narrowed. "Screw you, dude." He turned and walked off with Raven, who hesitated briefly.
"You okay?" she asked Jason quietly.
"I should be asking you that," he said.
"Yeah… I'm fine," she replied, before jogging after Finn.
That left Bellamy, Clarke, and Jason standing there in the silence that followed chaos.
Bellamy cracked a half-smile. "Like I said. Best Unity Day ever."
Jason rolled his eyes. "Yay."
Then the sound came that sounded like a low, rumbling roar that grew louder by the second. They turned toward the sky. Something was breaking through the clouds, burning, spiraling.
"The Exodus ship?" Bellamy breathed.
"Your mom's early," Jason said, eyes narrowing.
Clarke stepped forward, her face draining of color. "No, something's wrong… they're not slowing down."
The object hurtled faster, flames trailing behind it like the tail of a comet. Then…
BOOOOOOOM.
The ground shook as the ship slammed into the earth in the distance, a fiery cloud blooming against the horizon. The echo reached them seconds later along with a thunderous shockwave rolling through the forest.
Clarke dropped to her knees, the realization hitting her like a blade. "Mom…"
Jason's eyes widened. His gut twisted. "Shit."
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