SAVIOUR, BELLAMY BLAKE ( 1 )

ONE

      The older man steps towards her with no expression on his face. Grace doesn't recognize him. "New guys, huh? What, was Shumway too nervous to face me?"

      The smaller one seems furious with her comment. "You almost broke his wrist."

      "Almost?" she pouts. "Well, that's not what I was hoping for."

      "Up against the wall, " Big-Man orders. He seems almost bored, but with a few broken nerves. She wonders just how quickly he'll want to get this done. She wonders if her sister will be there, and then decides that that is selfish and she hopes that she isn't.

      Grace does as she is told. She knows the drill. After this, they'll bring her down to the airlock where Chancellor Jaha, Vice President Kane, Dr. Abby Griffin and more will take her belongings (the little bit she had, which basically consisted of her jacket and nothing else) and then send her out into space. Maybe Clarke Griffin will show up to say her goodbyes, but Grace knows that is unlikely. The blonde had probably completely forgotten about her.

      "Hold out your arm," Small-Man says, sort of in a soft tone. Grace, startled by the gesture, brings her arm up quickly. He clamps something metallic down on her wrist. She hisses at the little pin-like stabs in her skin.

      Grace rips her hand out of Small-Man's grip. Her eyes widen as they drift over the thick bracelet. "What the hell is this?" she demands. Big-Man grabs her shoulder, shoving her towards the door without a proper answer. "Don't touch me! What do you think you're doing? Let go of me!"

      Grace pushes the man back, nerves making her jittery as she rocks back on her heel. Small-Man grabs at his electric baton. Grace sends the heel of her hand into his chin, knocking him backwards. Grace whips around to dash out of the open door, but Big-Man yanks her back by her shirt.

      Before she can react, Small-Man presses the baton into the small of her back. Her body convulses. Her knees give out. Her chin smacks against the floor, hard. He doesn't let up until her eyes roll into the back of her head as she drifts into unconsciousness.

✧

Grace wakes up with a dull ache at the bottom of her chin. She briefly wonders about whether or not the blow will leave a bruise, but when her eyes wander over the group of teenagers surrounding her, the thought is thrown away.

Prisoners are seated in black, plastic chairs, secured with thick red seatbelts. Others stand against the wall, strapped in with the same amount of protection as everyone else. Grace recognizes some of them from Earth Skills, a class she had been forced to take (and didn't mind) two weeks ago and that had ended the day prior.

Her eyes widen in surprise. Was that why they were in a dropship of all places? The Council was sending the prisoners to Earth, a planet that has been bathing in radiation for almost a hundred years? It was possible. The Council was anything but worried about the prisoners and their lives, despite them all being teenagers or children. Once you commit a crime on the Ark, you're worthless to them. Nothing but a waste of oxygen.

Her pointer finger comes up to massage the tense area on her neck as she tries not to think about it. If things went as she was sure they were going to, everyone on this ship would die in a couple of hours.

Her mind travels elsewhere once more. She glances to her left and spots a young boy — younger than her by at least a year — that she doesn't recognize. To her right is a girl with pin-straight, raven-coloured hair and an olive complexion. Grace smiles at the sight of her.