𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍─𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞²

48. our hope

I knew that everything he was saying was completely true. Monty and Harper and thrived on the Ring, and it was the happiest I had ever seen the two of them.

"Get dressed and meet me at the bridge." Jordan instructed, leaving us a few moments to register everything he was telling us. "Dad left explicit instructions. Wake Avery and Bellamy first. Play them the message."

As Jordan turned to leave, something struck in my chest. Why would Monty and Harper have sent Jordan to greet us after all this time...and why did Monty leave us instructions rather than telling us face-to-face?

Further, Jordan looked much order than ten, meaning however much time had passed, it had been more than a single decade.

"Wait!" I called, taking a small step forward after him. When Jordan turned to face me, my face crumpled ever-so-slightly in sadness. "How long were we asleep?" I wondered, almost afraid of the answer.

The smile that had been plastered on Jordan's face since the moment he walked in here suddenly faded. He gave a small tilt of his head as he looked back at me. "125 years."

---

My mind was still reeling as Bellamy and I made our way toward the bridge a few minutes later.

I truly couldn't fathom that over a century had passed since we had all closed our eyes and gone to sleep. I then began to wonder why Monty had kept us asleep for so long, and I soon came to the conclusion that whatever the answer was, it wasn't a good thing.

"125 years." Bellamy awed as he and I turned down the corridor that led to the bridge. "And Monty and Harper have a kid."

I looked over to him with a small smile, trying to find the good in all of this. "He looks like them." I commented, my heart clenching at the thought of my friends. I wished that I had known that the day we all went to sleep would be the last time I would see them.

"Maybe they're in cryo." Bellamy suggested, instantly noting the sadness that dripped from my voice.

"Maybe." I mused, but it was evident that I was not convinced at all.

Bellamy reached out and laced his finger with my own. "Whatever they did was for a good reason." he assured. "And I'm sure of that."

A forced smile spread across my lips as we entered the bridge, instantly being greeted by Jordan who still wore an excited smile.

"Good." he breathed, typing something into the computer. "You're here."

I gave him an unsteady smile as Bellamy and I stopped next to the computer, our hands still interlocked.

"Mom and dad left these videos for you guys...they really missed you, but they had their reasons." Jordan explained, pulling up the first video. "I'll just let the entries speak for themselves."

I leaned into Bellamy slightly as Jordan hit play, the screen instantly filling up with Monty's face. He looked about the same as when I last saw him, meaning it couldn't have been too long after we all went into cryo.

"Hey guys." Monty greeted with a smile. "It's been about a year since you all went to bed. Not much to report, really. My algae farm is awesome. No surprise there."

Bellamy and I let out a soft laugh at that. That algae farm had to be the pride of Monty's life...well I guess that was before he had a son.

"Oh." he continued. "I'm able to monitor conditions on the ground using the ship's geological equipment, so, I'll know when it's safe for us to go back down." His smile faltered ever-so-slightly. "Gets a little lonely sometimes without the rest of you, but the peace and quiet is what--"