CHAPTER ONE
( pandemonium )
SEPT 13, 2149
DAY ONE ON THE GROUND
THE SKY BOX WAS NOT SO BAD, DAKOTA THOMPSON HAD DETERMINED OVER the past 12 months of her incarceration. If you could look past the metal coffin you lived in, there were some positives to be found.
All cells were the standard hollow cube of steel, circulating the same stale air for its convicts to breathe day in and day out. They each held an uncomfortable sleeping area with relentlessly squeaky springs, barely able to be called proper beds. Four long fluorescent tube lights framed the ceiling, casting an unflattering brilliance among the dull, gray prison room; a heavy strain on the eyes over time. A compact window was modeled in the middle of the square the bulbs formed above, leaving a small glimpse of the darkness that was speckled with an array of radiant stars for the inmates to relish in. They were cramped and boring, seeming to have been purposefully designed to bring madness to whomever was captive inside of them.
In Dakota's cell, however, the dreary and desolate walls were lined with textbooks of all kinds; stacked a mile high, in surprisingly pristine condition considering how often they were investigated by the girl. Under her bed is where she stored her massive conglomeration of neatly laid out string, the various shades of the thin fabric the only thing that brought a pop of color into the insipid space. Her cellmate, Fox, kept an array of pencils and notepads as her treasures; the young girl quite the artist.
Abby Griffin, a doctor and a member of the Ark's council, had fought long and hard for prisoners to be granted a few personal items within their cells; hence, leading to aiding Dakota's thirst for knowledge of any kind and her fierce obsession with crafting friendship bracelets.
It had been approximately 11 months and 28 days since Dakota's arrest; the girl having kept a flawless record of the time passing, despite how challenging it was to do in such a place. 11 months and 28 days since she had seen outside of the prisoner corridors, only getting scheduled 'bathroom breaks' twice a day; barbaric. Showers only came once every three weeks, being how scarce the water supply was on the Ark. Not to mention that the majority of the prisoners would soon be floated, which didn't exactly place them at the top of the council's list for being blessed with opportunities to promote good hygiene.
Currently, she was lying on her back against the cold, hard floor; her butt pressed against the wall with her legs extended upwards as they too rested against it. She held a gigantic ecology textbook above her face, re-reading it for what had to be the hundredth time. Her arms trembled slightly from supporting its mass in such a position for so long, the girl holding it up as if she were weightlifting, too engrossed in what she was reading to move her stiff muscles and roll more comfortably onto her stomach.
"Hey, Fox?" the girl queried, her eyes never straying from her beloved text book; Fox sprawled out on her belly across her bed as she quietly sketched.
Fox had been arrested for stealing rations coincidentally the same day Dakota had been apprehended for her own crime. Stealing- or any sort of illegal activity- was way out of her comfort zone, but she had mustered up the courage to do so in order to try and fit in with a group. Her plan- obviously- had miserably failed, leaving the shy and timid girl trapped in a metal box. Thankfully, she was alongside Dakota; who was probably the best person someone as timorous as Fox could have ended up with, since the Thompson girl was a highly empathetic individual. The two thoroughly enjoyed each other's presence, having developed a sibling-like relationship during their shared time of imprisonment.
"Yeah?"
"What do you think-" she never got to finish her sentence, getting cut short by the familiar sound of the painfully loud alarm that buzzed through their cell; alerting them that guards were entering.
Dakota scrambled up to her feet as the hefty door was pushed open, a few of her joints cracking in the process as Fox leapt hurriedly from the bed. Confused as to why two armed guards were sauntering inside her room, Dakota knitted her brows; the same stone-cold looks plastered on their faces like always.
"Prisoners 347 and 348, face the wall." one of the men's dark voices sternly commanded them; not a hint of emotion behind it.
Dakota did as she was told, abandoning her science book on the floor and moving over to the opposite side of the room; her mind promptly racing as Fox joined her side, sheepishly intertwining her fingers with Dakota's.
Her birthday was not for another six and a half days; her final shower should've been a week ago now that she was preparing to turn eighteen. Had her calculations somehow been off? Had the prison finally won and gotten her to lose track of time?
"Hold out your right arms."
Dakota peered over her shoulder, viewing as they pulled a clunky, metal, handcuff-looking item from a fancy case; a cluster of minuscule needles visible on the inside once they had snapped it open, very obviously preparing to attach it to her wrist.
"What is that?" Dakota questioned with an innocent curiosity, her words laced with interest.
The two men suddenly began to manhandle her, easily overpowering the short girl as she tried to escape their vastly tighter grips; finding it absolutely no use. She hissed as the needles sunk into her skin, her right arm slightly heavier-feeling with the device now securely affixed to her; still fighting helplessly against them. Her eyes widened when she was drug out onto the balcony by the two tall guards, seeing that this was happening to every other prisoner in the Sky Box; the clamor and protests reaching a deafening roar amidst the overwhelming chaos.
She shot her head over her shoulder, realizing she had somehow been separated from Fox in the havoc; the thin brunette already out of her sight.
"Fox?!? Fox!" she begged, both of her arms pinned by the two men holding onto her; stumbling over her own two feet as they unintentionally slung her about as they walked, roughly hauling her along.
"Are they letting us go?!" she inquired hopefully, looking back and forth between the two expressionless faces by her side; ever the optimist.
"What are we gonna-" she was cut off when they abruptly came to a halt, unhesitatingly jerking the girl's head back and penetrating the side of her neck with a tiny needle; Dakota gasping in both surprise and at the brief infliction of minor pain.
Within seconds, a strange tingling sensation was nipping at her fingers-tips and toes, the chaotic scene before her suddenly spinning as she grew immensely dizzy. She swallowed slowly as her eyelids began to lazily flutter, aware that she was falling fast into some sort of daze, but unable to do anything about it. The dizziness soon became too much to bear as her tired eyes gave in to the exhaustion, her knees buckling as the world went black; Dakota entirely oblivious that the next time she'd be seeing outer space would be from the ground.
༻✧༺
WOKEN BY AN UNSTEADY CRASH AND A CHORUS OF FRIGHTENED SCREAMS, Dakota's eyes shot open so intensely it almost seemed theatrical; her panicked and still slightly blurry gaze darting instantly about the unfamiliar environment in utter turmoil. Dozens and dozens of petrified teenagers were fastened securely into seats and up against the walls, including herself. She looked down at her constraints, the tight, red straps immobilizing her as she remained pinned to the wall; yelping lightly when the room harshly shook again.
"Look who's awake."
Despite not knowing where she was or what was happening, a warmly familiar and cheeky voice immediately set her more at ease; her head whipping to the left as her eyes widened even further once her theory was proved correct.
"Jasper." she breathed, in disbelief that her best friend was standing right beside her, grinning widely at her; the boy looking the same as the last day she had seen him.
His wild mop of messy ebony hair was pushed back by his trusty military goggles, his goofy smile thankfully not having been dulled and stolen away from his time in the Sky Box; Dakota unable to imagine a world in which the boy wasn't his humorous, cheerful self.
She wanted to hug him more than anything, she needed to hug him; suddenly finding herself hyper-aware of the fact that it had been 11 months and 28 days since she'd last felt his embrace. Her lips stretched into an untamable beam, their sparkling eyes remaining locked for a perfect moment in time. This didn't last long, however, the smile shattering from her features and once again being replaced by shock when a realization dawned on her; wherever Jasper Jordan was, Monty Green was close behind.
With a happy gasp, she hurriedly looked to her right, the dark-haired boy already smiling at her; his cheeks hurting from its intensity.
"Hey, Kody." he tried feigning a causal tone to mess with her, though his words were laced with a bursting glee he could not hide; using the nickname that only he and Jasper were allowed to call her, this rule having been decided by them a long time ago.
An elated, breathless laugh rose from her throat, causing the two teenagers to instantly do the same.
Since childhood, the bubbly girl had been joined at the hip with Jasper Jordan and Monty Green; the two boys adoring her as much as she did them, despite that they were about a couple years younger than her in age. The three best friends were a wacky, goofy, insanely clever and sometimes odd trio, but they were consistently each other's favorite people since kindergarten. Dakota knew, looking at them now, that it was as if no time had passed for the three teenagers. Not even a year long imprisonment could put a dent in their indestructible relationship.
She opened her mouth to speak, having entirely forgotten about their current situation amidst being able to reunite with her two best friends. But before she could get any words out, the large room gave another violent lurch, the lights flickering this time at the jolt; Dakota instinctively squeezing the red straps her fingers were wrapped around in trepidation.
"What was-"
She was interrupted by a loud bing, everyone's eyes shooting over to the nearest TV that abruptly came to life; a broadcast of the one and only Thelonius Jaha- the Ark's unforgiving chancellor- appearing on the tiny screen. She listened and watched attentively as he spoke.
"Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance, and as your chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us; indeed, for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there."
At this, Dakota could swear her heart ceased to pump blood through her body for a full five seconds; the girl freezing at his words.
"Down there?" she whispered under her breath, not even loud enough for her to hear her own awe-struck words.
Her palms grew instantly clammy, her mind racing at the possibility of him referring to earth; the mere idea of this filling her body with an uncontrollable exhilaration and overwhelming emotion.
"If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable."
"Your dad's a dick, Wells!" an unhappy voice called out, Dakota's face contorting in confusion as her gaze searched for the boy the random kid had named. Surely Jaha's son was not on this drop ship, which is what she had determined the mystery room to be; there's no way that could ever happen to someone of such privilege.
But, much to her surprise, there he sat; buckled up in a seat right next to the widely known Clarke Griffin, both teenagers wearing displeased looks on their faces.
Something suddenly occurred to Dakota, a concern quickly glistening in her eyes as they scanned what of the drop ship she could see; the girl relaxing once again when she spotted Fox safe and sound, glancing innocently up at the screen.
"Those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean." their leader continued. "The drop sight has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough nonperishables to sustain 300 people for up to two years."
Nearly everyone's attention was drawn away from the screen when a brunette boy unclasped himself from his seatbelt; gracefully floating into the air due to the lack of gravity, earning multiple cheers and hollers from various prisoners.
"Woah." Dakota exhaled in wonder, her raven-hued eyes trained onto him in an avid interest as the faintest of smiles tugged at the corners of her mouth; watching as the boy swam through the air and over to chat with the blonde Griffin girl.
She easily recognized him; Spacewalker. The boy whose crime had resulted in a devastating loss of 3 months worth of oxygen back on the Ark, all for a short moment of illegal pleasure. Dakota had still been a few weeks away from being arrested when he was, remembering the event clearly; it was kind of a big deal when it had happened.
It didn't take long for two other boys to follow his actions, completely ignoring Clarke's vehement protests and demands for them to stay safe in their seats. Despite knowing what a bad idea it was, Dakota's fingers had begun to slowly reach for her own buckle; the idea of levitating in the air seeming too enticing to pass up.
Instantly when the parachutes abruptly deployed, the girl was washed over with an extreme gratitude that she hadn't made the irresponsible move; silently scolding herself for knowing better and still ever considering doing it.
The three teenagers in the air went flying across the room; screams and gasps erupting from everyone as the drop ship slammed violently against the atmosphere. Two of the boys who had been out of their seats were hurled into a set of pipes, snapping the appliances in half and creating an outburst of thick steam spewing around the room; a hissing sound piercing their ears from the large, mangled tubes as the bright lights strobed formidably.
Something above Dakota, Jasper, and Monty's heads broke, something they knew had to have been important when dangerous sparks suddenly came gushing out of the ceiling. The teenage girl shrieked as the three did their best to hunch their shoulders and tuck themselves away from being harmed by it, not having too much control over their safety in the moment.
Still being thrashed brutally around, their bodies viciously being jostled along with the drop ship as the lights continued their harrowing flashing so aggressively it was impossible to see straight, Dakota's hands frantically fumbled to find her friends; desperately intertwining their fingers once she had managed to. Their hands trembled just as hard as hers did, just as sweaty, but each teenager thankful to be clutching tightly onto one another.
"Why are you smiling?!?" Monty shouted over the strident noise; his face remaining in one of fear even when he glanced over to discover the grin on Dakota's between the flicker of the lights.
Her smile wasn't necessarily happy or joyful, it mostly appeared strained and terror-stricken, like she was forcing it onto her face to trick herself in the horrifying situation; but there were subtle undertones of excitement and hope to it.
"Because!" she yelled back, working hard to project enough so she could manage to be heard over the pandemonium; panic just as present in her as the others, despite her slightly different thought process. "We're going to earth! That's something to smile about!"
"Can't go to earth if we're dead!" Jasper screeched, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The entire group collectively screamed the loudest they had the whole ride when their bodies felt the free-fall the drop ship had commenced in a trice; powerless in the situation they believed to be the plummet to their final doom. After all this time, they thought, after the solitude and unfair imprisonment and frequent floatings; earth would wind up being their death place in the end. But they ironically would never even get to see it. The planet would be reduced to nothing more than a radiation-soaked graveyard full of broken dreams and failed missions, and the Ark would be forced to wilt away among the stars.
And then, with a final mighty crash, the screaming suddenly ceased, and everything went still.
A/N!
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First chapter, heck yes I'm excited
Thoughts?
Have an amazing day/ night lovies! Hope you'll stick around! <3
word count 2,868