Here we are again ... I'm embarking on a new journey of a fanfiction story. This time, we're going with a post-apocalyptic vibe. I recently watched The 100 on Netflix. I'd been intrigued to write a story based off that show/series of novels. I decided to write it for NaNoWriMo. I'm starting almost halfway through the month, but I'm determined to, at least, get something going.
In regard to how many chapters, update schedule and all that jazz, I'm not certain, but I'm hoping to get a big chunk written in the next fifteen days.
Anyway, we're going to hear from Edward and possibly Renee in this chapter. We're going to move to the point where they were going to head to the ground.
Chapter Two: Three Months Ago
Edward
"We need to figure this out," Dr. Renee Swan growled, scrubbing her face. She looked so drawn, exhausted ... all because I was doing my job. I should have left well-enough alone. This is your fault, Cullen. All your fault. Renee shot up, stopping my self-loathing. She paced angrily, clenching her hands into tight fists. "In three months, my husband is dead set on floating my daughter. On killing our child. All because he wants to make an example of her." Her voice cracked with her hands flying to her face. "I can't lose her. I can't lose my sweet baby girl."
"What did she say the last time you were granted a meeting with her? When you were last able to visit her?" my father asked. Renee choked out a sob and my mother scurried over to her, hugging her tightly. My father was getting frustrated, blinking to me. "Can you get Renee in again? It's important for Renee to talk to Bella. We need more."
"I'm trying, but the warden is a staunch supporter of the Chancellor," I explained. "What Charlie Swan says is law according to Warden Pike. If Bella is in solitary confinement for her own protection, she is in solitary confinement. No outside visitors or interaction with the other prisoners." When I worked in the prison, I visited Bella and each day, she lost more of the life in her eyes. It sparked slightly when I brought her food, but that flash of emotion was hatred for me.
Yeah, I don't blame you for hating me. I hate me, too. This is my fault.
"I cannot believe Charlie," Renee snapped, shrugging off my mother's embrace. She stomped to the window and stared, sightlessly outside. Crossing her arms over her chest, she continued, "Our quarters are quite tense. I've taken to sleeping in Bella's room. It's the only way I can be close to her. He tried to convince me to come back to our room, but I said that I wouldn't come back to him until he acted like a father and not as a Chancellor when it came to Bella. If I could, I'd leave him. But, he's more concerned about fucking optics."
"I miss Chancellor Molina," my mother muttered, sitting down on the couch. "She had compassion. Hell, it was her compassion that prevented my death."
"Because you did nothing wrong, my love," Dad said, caressing her cheek. "You were attacked by an animal who got his just desserts. He hurt you and took away your choice. He paid for what he did to you with his life."
"If Charlie was in charge, he probably would have floated Esme," Renee grumbled, crossing back to the table, and picking up the tablet. She angrily swiped at it, shaking her head. "Ugh! We're missing something. Bella told me to look at the oxygen scrubbers and the correlation between the increased hypoxia cases. What did she see that we're not?!"
"What's hypoxia?" I asked, my ears flaming with embarrassment. "I'm not a doctor and ..."
"Apologies, son. Hypoxia is where you're not getting enough oxygen to your vital systems," Dad responded. His eyes scanned his tablet, trying to make sense of the numbers on the screen. "But, according to the computers, the scrubbers are working fine. I think?"
"It's all gibberish to me," Mom said, shaking her head. "I can teach simple algebraic equations, but that is ..."
I pressed my fingers to my temples. "Let's back up. What are the symptoms of hypoxia? And what happens to a person who has to deal with this condition long term?" I pressed. "Obviously, Bella is concerned about this if she's adamant that something is wrong with the oxygen scrubbers and recyclers, causing hypoxia or whatever."
"Symptoms include headaches, shortness of breath, a bluish tint to the skin, cough, confusion, and a slowing heart rate. If it continues for some time, people can lose their sight, with decreased blood flow to their extremities, causing them to turn gangrenous and, if untreated, they will eventually die," Renee answered. Snapping her fingers, she looked back at her tablet. "Wait, let's look at the trending cases of hypoxia. Where are they all located?"
"D-Block and E-Block," Dad answered, reading from his tablet. "The inhabitants who are furthest away from promenade."
"And the quarters that are packed to the gills," I offered. "There are two to three families living in a room half this size."
"I think I get what she's trying to say," Renee said. She pulled up another file on her tablet. "Holy shit, the oxygen scrubbers and recyclers are not providing enough oxygen to those locations on the Ark. It was buried deep within the environmental systems files. Carlisle, you wouldn't have been able to see it. Hell, I wouldn't have been able to see it. I had to use Charlie's access codes."
"The Chancellor's office is covering this up," I frowned. "If anyone should be floated, it's him."
"Edward Anthony," Mom admonished. "I know you're not his biggest fan, but he's still our Chancellor."
I rolled my eyes, standing up and walking to the window, taking Renee's spot. I watched as the stars twinkled in the distance among the velvet background of space. It was such a stark view, but I found it to be calming. "So, the oxygen scrubbers are not working and it's resulting in people getting sick," I said to my reflection. "What can we do to alleviate the stress on the machinery? This equipment is nearly a century old."
"Lessen the number of people on the station," Dad whispered. "That's what can be done to alleviate the stress on the oxygen scrubbers ..."
"Are you saying that we ...?" Mom asked. "No one would agree to that! How many people would we have to kill?"
"No one," I answered, blinking back to my parents and Bella's mother. "What about everyone in the prison ward? We can send them to Earth. Things are coming back to life. There's a lot of green and the nuclear winter has abated."
"The nuclear winter may have abated, but the surface could still be toxic to humans," Renee argued.
"Is there a way to test it?" I asked. "Can we send a probe or something to see what the current radiation levels are on the surface?"
"To send a probe, we need the approval from Charlie," Renee sighed. "He won't approve it. He would hate to waste valuable resources."
"He might not be able to prevent us launching this probe if we present this evidence to the council," Dad said. "He'll have no choice but to allow the launch of a probe before this cover up is made public."
"We have a meeting with the council tomorrow. We can bring this up, but under the guise of a medical concern with the increased number of cases of hypoxia," Renee muttered. "This plan ... if the ground is habitable, could be viable. We could send those prisoners." Her voice cracked on the word, and she wiped a tear away. "I'd rather see my daughter on the ground than floating in the vacuum of space. At least, she has a chance to live."
"I want to go, too," I whispered.
"Edward, no!" Mom gasped. "You're not a criminal!"
"Neither is Bella or half of those people in the prison ward," I argued. Turning to face my mother, I arched a brow challengingly. "Neither is my sister."
"W-W-W-What?" Mom whimpered. "How does he know that? You're not supposed to know, Edward. You're not!"
"Yeah, I met her," I said. "It was a couple of days after I brought in Bella and Rosalie. I was filling in for Halsted after he got a little handsy with one of the female prisoners. I met my sister. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it was a dark time in our past, son," Dad explained. "Your mother was raped."
"I know that," I said, frowning deeply. "But, I didn't know that she was pregnant!"
"You were only seven. I wasn't all there, and you were so focused on school," Mom whispered. Her face was ashen, and she looked shattered. "We just chocked it up to me getting 'fat' and you never questioned it."
"Yeah, well, Alice hates the world. She really hates you two, but she wants to get to know me," I shrugged. "Besides, it might be beneficial to have a member of the security team on the ground to create some semblance of order."
"First, let's get a probe sent down and preliminary data about the conditions on the ground," Renee said, sliding her arm around my shoulders. "Then, we'll go from there."
"I have to make this right," I whispered. "This is my fault."
"No, Edward, it's not," Renee said soothingly. "Bella did make the choice to get the medication to give to Angela and her daughter. Was she wrong? Yes. However, does the punishment fit the crime? No. I agree that she should be punished for breaking our laws, but not death." She looped her arm through mine. "Escort me home, Officer Cullen?"
I nodded jerkily. "I'll be back soon," I said to my parents. I exited my parents' quarters and walked with Renee. "I ..."
"Edward, listen to me. Do not blame yourself. I raised Bella to be a strong, independent thinker. Hell, I'd done what she had for my patients. I never took as much, but I've helped the residents of the Ark. She was doing her job, just like you were doing yours," Renee said soothingly.
"I just thought that she'd be incarcerated and released on her twenty-first birthday," I frowned. "Bella and I aren't close. We have a mutual hatred to each other."
"You don't hate my daughter. If you did, you wouldn't be so upset about what happened," Renee murmured. We walked the short distance to the Chancellor's quarters. "We'll make this right, Edward. Bella and all of the prisoners will not be floated." She opened the door, poking her head inside. "Come on, Edward. He's not here."
"Yeah, I don't want to be floated for punching out your husband," I deadpanned.
"He's meeting with farm station, discussing their latest crop yields," Renee said, gesturing to the couch. I sat down, running my hands down my pants. "Do you want something to drink? I have some leftover lemonade."
"No, thank you," I answered.
"How about some vodka? You look like you need something to drink to calm yourself down," Renee quipped. She walked to the side table, pouring two glasses, and carrying them back to the couch. "Talk to me about your sister."
"You don't hold back," I snickered, taking the proffered drink.
"I don't sugarcoat," she responded with a shrug. "Neither does my daughter. I know she's handed you your ass."
"She has because she's called me out on my hypocrisy," I sighed. "I gave her shit about being a pampered princess and she turned it back on me."
"Why am I not surprised?" Renee smirked. "So, how did you and Alice become acquainted?"
"In the prison," I answered. "I'd heard about the blow up involving my parents, but not the full details. I was blocked from reading the incident report. Another cover up, it would seem."
"A cover up because if people found out the truth ... it would be chaos. Anyway, it was an awful situation. Your mother had her body violated. If she was punished for another man's crime, it would have been counterintuitive. Chancellor Molina, your parents and I were involved in hiding the truth. I was the doctor who found the couple to take in your sister. They were told that the baby was left in medical with no indication of who the parents were," Renee explained. "Your sister, however, turned out to be brilliant. She hacked into the computers, discovering the truth about her parentage. She attacked your father and screamed at Esme. She was so angry. Understandably so ... but, she couldn't ..."
"The people of the Ark couldn't know," I finished. "Has there been another situation like with Alice before?"
"Usually, the pregnancy would be caught before it was viable," Renee said. "Your mother, she was broken by what Billy did to her. She didn't realize she was pregnant until it was past time to terminate. She hated the baby she was growing. She hated the distance between her and your father. She hated herself. When Alice attacked her, your mother was thrown back into that dark, horrific time."
"Have you spoken with Alice?" I asked.
"I have. I monitored her growth because I was her doctor and I also met with her on a psychological basis, as well. I spoke with her after she was incarcerated," Renee explained. "My heart breaks for your mother and my heart breaks for Alice. But, I think her building a relationship with you would be a good thing. You have a lot in common with her. You're both strong-willed, smart, and kind."
"How can you say that I'm kind after I put your daughter in jail?" I asked.
"Because I've known you since you were in diapers, Edward. You're not mean or cruel. You were doing your job and I don't fault you that," Renee said, squeezing my hand.
"I'm trying," I sighed. "It'll take some time for me to forgive myself. It's why we need, why I need to help solve this problem that your husband is avoiding. How can he even ... think about floating his child? Does he care?"
"He cares. He loves Bella, but his image is far more important," Renee sighed. She looked at me with sympathy, with understanding. "You are a good man, Edward. It was you who suggested that we think outside the box. We'll figure this out."
"I hope so," I nodded. I checked my comm unit. "I should go. I have to shower and then I have to be on shift in the prison. The warden asked me to fill in again."
"Can you check in on Bella? Rose?" she asked.
"I will, but both of them abhor me," I snorted humorlessly. "Thank you for talking to me, Dr. Swan. I ... I'm angry at my parents for hiding the truth from me, finding out from my incarcerated sibling." I got up, giving her a tight smile. "If I talk to Bella, I'll let you know. What about the council meeting tomorrow?"
"Fingers are crossed that my husband sees the light," Renee answered. "Be safe, Edward."
xx MWMA xx
The day before the launch of the drop ship ...
Much to our surprise, Charlie agreed to launch the probe. The early results indicated that it might be feasible to send the prisoners, the one hundred prisoners, down to the ground. The radiation levels in the atmosphere were slightly higher than the radiation levels on the Ark. We were surviving and thriving up here.
Well, thriving as much as we could with a near century old oxygen scrubbers. We'd lost about ten people to carbon monoxide poisoning and lethal hypoxia, or whatever it was called.
I'd been officially transferred to the prison. Two of the deceased were guards in the prison and they were short-staffed. I was the sergeant in charge during alpha shift. In the main common area, I watched as the prisoners mingled together. Rosalie was sitting with Emmett McCarty, Jasper Whitlock, and my sister. The glowers I received from Rosalie would have killed me dead. Alice got up, walking over to me, and leaned casually against the wall. "You have a ton of enemies, brother mine."
"Tell me about it," I snorted. "What does Rosalie have to say about me?"
"Oh, just the usual. You're responsible for the death of her best friend and that you've got a stick so far up your ass ..." Alice teased.
"I do have that," I deadpanned. "I'm working on something to stop ... all those deaths."
"Including Bella's?" Alice asked.
"Especially hers," I replied.
Alice looked up at me, her blue eyes dancing. "You like her! The girl you arrested ... you've got the hots for her!" she whispered.
"Alice, really?" I deadpanned.
"Yes, really! Look, my life has been one disappointment after another, ending up in here because I was thrown away like garbage," Alice said, waving her hand dismissively.
"You're not garbage, Alice," I argued. "No one is."
"Well, my sperm donor was a piece of garbage," Alice snarled. "As was my incubator. Why couldn't she keep me?"
"It's the rules on the Ark, Alice. No one can have more than one child. It's a part of population control. There's only so much space on the Ark. I know that means little to you," I said.
"I know, I know," Alice grumbled. "I just ... I wanted to feel loved."
"Did your adoptive parents love you?" I asked.
"They said the words, but never really showed it," she answered. Pushing away from the wall, she walked to sit down at one of the tables. "I'm sorry for being so heinous. I just ... I have so much anger inside me. I never fit in anywhere. I was too smart and was pushed into advanced classes with older students. I was ignored by them so I ..."
"I wish I had known, Alice," I said, blinking around the common area.
"Well, we have time, Edward," she replied, giving me a gentle smile. "Now, back to what I said. You have the hots for Bella Swan. Am I right?"
Trying to keep my face impassive, I shook my head. Bella was very pretty, with long brown curls and pale skin. She also had curves in all the right places. Was I attracted to her? Yes, physically, but I knew I could never have her. Especially after I arrested her. "Look, free time is almost over."
"Are you going to check on your girlfriend?" Alice snickered, giving me a coy smirk.
"I'm supposed to deliver her meal today. Hopefully, she won't look at me like I'm the dirt under her boot," I answered. There was a short buzz from the alarms.
"Are you working tomorrow?" Alice asked.
"I'm pulling a double shift," I replied. "I'm working in the morning, patrolling farm station. There are rumors that some of the younger farmers are growing marijuana. Then, I'm working second shift on the office here."
"When will you be back here? In the prison yard?"
"Day after tomorrow," I said, giving her a crooked grin. Alice responded in kind, hugging me before darting toward Rose and the two guys. I watched her as she was escorted back to her cell. Once the common area was emptied out, I went to the cells in solitary. There were ten inmates inside, all under the age of twenty-one and all were extremely violent offenders. All except Bella ... who was inside solitary confinement since her father had so many enemies.
Picking up the cart with food, I delivered meals to the inmates, saving Bella for last. Using my comm unit, I unlocked her cell and pushed the door open. Bella was curled on her side on the pallet, with her back to the doorway. The meal that had been delivered yesterday went untouched. "Bella, I have your meal."
"I'm not hungry," she said. She had zero emotion in her voice. "I'm going to die anyway. I might as well speed things up."
"I know I'm the last person you want to hear from, but we're working on something to prevent your death, Bella. My parents and your mom, we looked at the ..." I said.
She flew up from the pallet, tugging me inside. The door closed with a soft click. "What did you figure out?" she hissed.
Looking at her, I saw how gaunt she appeared, with dark smudges under her eyes and her hair tied into a messy ponytail. "I'll tell you what you want, but you need to eat," I murmured. "I know you hate me."
"I don't hate you," she argued, narrowing her eyes at me.
"Sure, you don't, and I'm the Chancellor," I deadpanned, sitting down on the floor, and pushing her tray to her. "Please eat, Bella. I'll tell you what we've discovered." I went to explain our findings when the door opened, and Halsted glowered at us. "What is it?"
"Getting friendly with the inmates, Cullen?" Halsted sneered, looking at Bella hungrily. "This one is mine ..."
"I don't belong to anyone," Bella growled. "Least of all, you."
"The Chancellor floated my dad, bitch. He died because of your dad and now, your dad will feel my wrath when I take you," Halsted growled, stepping toward her, and grabbing her hair. He wrenched her head back at an awkward angle, forcing her to call out. Swiftly, I stood up, pushing Halsted against the bulkhead and separated Bella from his grasp. "What the fuck?!"
"Exactly! What the fuck?" I snarled. "Is this how you get your rocks off? By attacking people in the prison ward? Perhaps, you should join your father, Halsted."
"Fuck. You," Halsted rasped.
"Go float yourself," I huffed, snapping on a set of cuffs onto Halsted's hands. "I'm sorry, Bella. Are you okay?"
She was curled on her pallet, with wide eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks. She blinked a few times before nodding slowly. "I'm ... okay," she whispered. "I ..." She shuddered, rolling into a tighter ball.
"I'll check on you after I deal with this piece of trash," I said. "Please, eat." Dragging Halsted out of Bella's cell, I walked to the warden's office. Inside, I threw Halsted into the chair and glared at the head of the prison. I also had the sense of mind to turn on my comm unit to record our conversation. "This asshat attacked a prisoner."
"The prisoner got what they deserved," Warden Pike responded, barely looking up from his tablet.
"No, they don't," I frowned. "The people, the children in this prison are criminals, but not expendable."
"But, they will be. It's only a matter of time," Pike said with a nonchalant shrug. "By the time they all turn twenty-one, they will be floated. Chancellor's orders." He looked at me, arching a brow over his glasses. "Get with the program, Cullen. Hell, join in the fun."
I clenched my jaw, staring at Warden Pike. "You're no better than the criminals you're exploiting. Keep him away from Bella Swan."
"I told you, Cullen. She's mine," Halsted snarled.
"Halsted, he has a point. She is still the Chancellor's daughter. Keep your paws off her until the day before she gets floated. Then, she's yours," Pike smirked.
"Thanks, boss," Halsted laughed. "Officer Goody-Two-Shoes shouldn't be a part of the team."
"We're short staffed. We'll just need to keep a close eye on him," Pike replied. He blinked to me. "Go home, Cullen. Think about what you saw today. Life is more interesting on the other side of the law."
I blew out a breath, reaching into my pocket and held up my comm unit after I stopped recording and saving it to my personal database "I bet the council would love to hear what's going on in here, Warden Pike," I said. Turning on my heel, I left the office and checked on Bella once more. She was eating, but was trying to huddle into the bulkhead. I wanted to help her, but I had to talk to my father and Dr. Swan. I made my way through the promenade, dodging through people to get to medical.
When the doors slid open, Dr. Swan gave me a smile, but it fell when she saw my stark expression. She walked me back to her office, closing the door. "What is it?"
I took out my comm unit and pressed play, sharing the 'conversation' with Warden Pike. "He's no better than the animal who took my mother's choice away," I whispered. "And, the Chancellor condones this."
Dr. Swan sat down heavily, listening to the conversation I had with Warden Pike. "And, he let you leave?" she asked.
"He didn't seem all that fazed by the fact I recorded him. I wasn't stopped ..." I answered.
"Maybe because they're going to do something to permanently silence you," Dr. Swan frowned. She picked up her comm unit and sent a message to the council. "I'm convening a meeting. This has gone long enough. We're going to send those kids to the ground."
"The readings from the probe?" I asked. "What about survival training? It's a six-month long course!"
"Once we considered the option of sending them down to the ground, we had the teachers give them an expedited course," Dr. Swan explained.
"Even Bella?"
"She's already taken the course. It was a part of her medical training as a physician," Dr. Swan responded. Her comm unit chimed. "There's a council meeting in an hour. I'm going to have the drop ship prepared for launch. You stay here so you're safe."
"I'm fine, Dr. Swan," I argued.
She looked up from her tablet, flying around the desk and putting her hands on my face. "No, you're not. Pike is a man of substantial power. You will stay here, and you will have protection until the launch of the drop ship. Are you still determined to go down with them?"
"I am," I nodded. "Even more so now with the perceived threat of Pike and his cronies."
"Okay," Dr. Swan said.
Things sped up until they emptied the medical bay of the patients. We made it to the council chamber ten minutes before the meeting was set to begin. Chancellor Swan was sitting at the head of the table with his lips pursed and his dark brown eyes swirling with anger. I sat in between my father and his wife as we waited for the rest of the council members to arrive.
"I hereby call this meeting to order," Chancellor Swan said, hitting the gavel onto the table. "I don't see the point ..."
"You will in a moment, Charlie," Dr. Swan snapped. She stood up and put our plan for sending the prisoners down to the ground. "Three months ago, we told you about the oxygen scrubbers and how the Ark is dying. We have the finalized our findings about the radiation levels on the surface."
"And, what does this have to do with Pike?" Chancellor Swan sneered.
"This is where Officer Cullen comes in," Dr. Swan smiled, gesturing to me.
I stood up and shifted on my feet. "As you know, I'm a member of the Ark's security team. I've been working in the prison ward for a few months now. Anyway, I was delivering meals to the prisoners in solitary confinement."
"Were you in the cell with my daughter?" Chancellor Swan asked, his eyes narrowed on me. "Taking liberties with her?"
"I was in there, dropping off her food," I snarled. "However, I'm not the person you should be concerned about!" I hit play on my comm unit and watched as Chancellor Swan's pale skin turned a sickly gray. "Warden Pike all but told Halsted that he could rape your daughter the day before her execution. An execution that you support. Do you find that to be okay? She's your daughter! No one should ..." I screamed. My mom's hand found mine and I looked at her. She was crying, but smiling with pride. "Apologies."
"No, Edward, no apologies needed. You're right," Chancellor Swan murmured. He blinked to his wife and my father. "When do you want to send them down?"
"When we pass over North America. There's a government installation at Mount Weather where there are supplies and facilities for them," my father answered. "We need time to load up the drop ship with some supplies for the prisoners ... the one hundred ... in case the drop ship lands off course."
"How much time will that buy us? With our current oxygen problem?" asked Eleazar Sartori, one of the council members from farm station.
"An additional six months to problem solve the issue, or to figure out a way to send all of us down to the ground," Dr. Swan said. "Ultimately, that's our plan. However, it's up to what happens to the one hundred. If they can survive on the ground, so can we. No more floating, no more artificial gravity, no more recycled air, and synthesized proteins. We'll have fresh air and an opportunity to rebuild ... the human race has a chance to thrive again!"
"I make a motion to send the hundred down to the ground," Dad said.
"Second," Eleazar said.
"All those in favor," Chancellor Swan asked. Everyone's hand went up. "Okay, make the preparations. We have a lot to do. Now, if Renee, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward could stay, that would be great." The rest of the council members shuffled out of the chamber. I sat back down in between my father and Dr. Swan, who took my hand. Chancellor Swan walked to the window and blew out a harsh breath. "How long has this been going on with Pike?"
"I don't know for certain, Chancellor," I answered. "However, this is the first time I'd seen him be so brazen. He said that you condoned this behavior."
"I would never," Chancellor Swan growled, turning around abruptly. "I remember what happened to Esme and how it impacted her. I was on the council when that happened. Billy Black ... he got what he deserved, as do all rapists."
"Are you planning on floating Halsted?" I asked. "Pike?"
"Once we get corroborating information, we will," Chancellor Swan nodded. "We'll go over the security feeds for proof of what Halsted and Pike have done."
"What now?" Dad asked.
"Now, we get the hundred ready to leave for the ground," Dr. Swan said. "We also need to get Bella out of that prison. If ... Halsted ..."
"Halsted will get is coming to him," Chancellor Swan vowed. "I'm sorry that I was such ..."
"We're not the person you should apologize to," I muttered.
"He's got a point, Charlie," Dr. Swan sneered. "You were ready to float Bella and now? You're upset that Halsted and Pike might do something to her? You need to talk to her before she's sent to the ground. I don't know if we'll have communications with them on the ground."
"Come on, Edward. Let's get you back to our quarters and help you pack," Mom murmured, looking at me with tears in her eyes.
"Let me get some security set up for you," Chancellor Swan offered.
"It won't be necessary," I said. "Until told otherwise, I'm still a part of the security team. I can protect myself and protect my family." I stood up, stuffing my comm unit into my pocket. I offered my arm to my mother, who looped her arm through mine. Leaning down, I kissed her cheek and tried not to break down in tears. We walked to our quarters and spent the night packing up my stuff. Just before I went to bed, my parents sat down and stared at me. "What?"
"I know and understand why you're going, but I hate that you're leaving," Dad murmured.
"I'm losing both of my children," Mom sniffled.
I bit back a snarky response. "You're not losing me. We're getting a chance to live. What if the oxygen scrubbers continue to deteriorate?"
"You're right," Dad nodded.
"And, if things go the way we'd hoped, you'll be coming down to the ground, as well," I said.
"We'll need more information. Renee and I have been working on way to collect that data. Give me your left wrist," Dad ordered. I held out my arm and a tight cuff was put onto my arm. He picked up his tablet, smiling as he looked some readings. "You're in perfect health, son." He turned his tablet to me, showing my health readings.
"Good to know," I chuckled.
"Look, I know that you've been upset with us regarding Alice and the circumstances surrounding her birth," Dad murmured.
"I get it. I truly do, but I hate that I never got to know her," I shrugged. "Despite about she was conceived, she's still a part of our family."
"She is, but she was reminder of a violation of my body," Mom sniffled. "I'm happy that you're building a relationship with her, but I can't." She took my face in her hands. "I love you and in some tiny way, I love her, too. Seeing her is a cruel reminder of what happened to me ..."
"I get it, Mom," I murmured. "I'm sorry that I'm ..."
"You don't get to apologize. It's not your fault. It's not my fault. It's just the way things are," Mom whispered, brushing my hair back. "Let's get some sleep. You need to be ready to go and it won't be easy, Edward. Those survival training classes will really come in handy."
"This will probably be the last time I'll enjoy the softness of a bed and pillow," I snickered. "I'm also going to use the last of my water rations to scrub my body raw." I hugged both of my parents, watching as they left my room. I went into the bathroom and stripped off my uniform. I washed my body knowing that it would be some time before I'd feel this clean again.
After a restless night's sleep, I dropped off my bag at the drop ship and went to the prison ward. All of the security team was at the prison, but noticeably, Warden Pike was missing. I saw the Chancellor as I entered the prison. He nodded at me with a smile, but I didn't return it. I just went to solitary confinement.
I was shocked when I saw Halsted unlocking Bella's door. I overheard Dr. Swan screaming, causing me to rush into the cell. I blinked to one of my few friends on the security team who took Halsted, slapping some cuffs on him. I stepped into the cell as Renee was explaining our findings. Halsted blurted that he'd more than willing to help on the ground, but Renee caught my eyes and said that I was going to the ground with the one hundred. Bella was swaying from whatever they injected with. I caught her before she collapsed on the bulkhead. I held her slight form against my body.
My comm unit vibrated. "Dr. Swan, the drop ship is leaving in twenty minutes," I said.
Dr. Swan nodded and we walked toward the exit. There was a loud alarm and there was another vibration in my comm unit. Once outside, I put Bella onto a gurney, turning away while she said goodbye to her daughter. When she looked back at me, Dr. Swan had tears in her eyes. "Keep her safe, Edward. Keep them all safe."
"Is everything okay, Dr. Swan?"
"Someone attacked my husband," she whispered. "He's being taken to medical. He was shot in the stomach." She hugged me before darting off.
I blinked down to Bella, who was completely unconscious. I rolled the gurney to the drop ship. I put a jacket on Bella before carrying her inside. I settled her into a seat before sitting down next to her. I buckled us both in. My sister was sitting across the drop ship. She was holding Jasper Whitlock's hand. Both of them looked terrified. Hell, we all were terrified.
Alec came in, looking around. His eyes found Bella and he smiled sadly. "It shouldn't have come to this," he sighed. "Edward, you need to help them. May we meet again ..."
"May we meet again," I nodded. "Tell my parents that I love them, Alec."
"I will, Edward," Alec smiled before ducking out of the drop ship.
The doors were closed, and I felt the engines begin to throttle up. The roar of the engines caused Bella to stir. She blinked around, confused, and terrified. "What's happening?"
"We're on a drop ship," I explained. "We're heading to the ground."
"I need to say goodbye to my mom, my dad," she said, reaching for the harness.
"You already said goodbye to your mom and Bella, your dad ..." I trailed off as the drop ship jarred us. Bella jumped, taking my hand. I closed my eyes and tried to keep myself calm. The descent was obviously bumpy, and the screams of the prisoners filled the ship, almost drowning out the sound of the engines.
I don't know how long it took for the drop ship finish its descent, but we landed harshly. The quiet in the ship was weird. There were no sounds from oxygen scrubbers, engines, or anything else. However, screams pierced the quiet of the ship. Bella went to unbuckle the harness, but she couldn't do it. "I need to help," she said.
"Relax, Bella," I said, unbuckling her. She stood up, but fell back down heavily. "You were given a mild sedative. Let me help you, please?"
She eyed me dubiously, but nodded. I helped her down to the first level of the drop ship, finding two prisoners on the ground. Their necks were snapped. "What happened?" Bella asked.
"They got out of their seats and moved around the cabin when there was no gravity," Rose explained. "When we landed, they fell on their heads, breaking their necks."
"Well, I don't know about all of you, but being in this ship with two corpses creeps me out," Alice said as she hopped down off the ladder. "We're on the ground. I want to go outside."
"It might kill us," Bella said. "The air, the ground ..."
"If it does, at least, we're dying free," Alice said, striding to the doors. She punched a few buttons, and the doors began to move down and open. The sun spilled into cabin of the drop ship. The scent of earth, pine needles and humidity filled the drop ship. I moved to stand behind my sister. She looked back at me, giving me a shaky grin. That grin turned to a confident smirk, and she stepped out into the sunlight. She hopped down onto the grass, holding up her hands. She let out a rebel yell, which encouraged the rest of the one hundred to step out of the drop ship.
Everyone except me and Bella ...
She was covering the bodies of the two prisoners who'd died with some fabric she'd found on the ship. "We need to bury them," she murmured.
"We'll give them a proper burial, but let's go outside, Bella," I said, offering her my hand. "We're on the ground."
"We have so much to do," she whispered.
"We do, and we'll get it done," I whispered back, crouching in front of her. "For now, let's go outside."
She stared at my hand, looking up at me with a wary gaze. "Are you going to cuff me if I don't?"
"No, Bella. I'm not a security officer down here. I'm one of you," I explained. "Please?" She gave me a tiny smile, putting her hand inside mine. Together, we stood up and we shuffled to the doors of the drop ship. Hand in hand, we stepped out into the sun and onto the ground.
A/N: They're on the ground and Edward and Bella are starting to build something. Right? Now, pictures of the characters and such are on my blog. You can also find me on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. I'm on twitter, too: tufano79.
Up next will be a combination of Bella's POV and a little bit of Renee's POV. We're going to find out more about what happened to Charlie and who attacked him. We're also going find out about the inner workings of Ark politics. Meanwhile, on the ground, the one hundred set up camp ...
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