Edge of Exile
part 1
Following episode 9 Unity Day of the 100
You were escorted from your cell. The guard fixing you with a stern look as you both walk the all-too-familiar route away from maximum security.
"Don't cause any more trouble," he warns. you simply nod, too overwhelmed with anticipation to respond.
You were led through the halls to Mecha Station. The guard ushering you toward a small but cozy room. "Home sweet home," he says gruffly before departing.
You step inside the new room, making faces at his back as he walks away. This room was so different from your drafty, sterile cell in Prison Station. This space feels lived in. The desk was the same, your photos and colorful blankets placed neatly inside the room already.
The medium sized window that adorned one of the walls adding some natural scenery, just missing your drawings and paintings, each one a reflection of your innermost thoughts and emotions.
…
Your first week of freedom went better than you would have imagined.
At first, you were skeptical of his offer. Everyone knew how Jaha led - with an iron fist. You had witnessed his disregard for human life firsthand when he floated most of your friends. But his deal was your only chance to get out of that cell.
The work itself felt good. Kept your hands and mind busy, and finally able to use the skills that had been useless in your cell. The engineers even valued your input, unlike the guards who had tossed you in confinement.
These full, simple days of freedom were all anyone could wish for after surviving isolation. Every morning you reminded yourself to be thankful for this second chance, even if you didn't fully trust the man who had granted it.
Kane had only visited twice your release. Your stubbornness kept you from speaking, a trait you most definitely adopted from being around him so long. But no matter how much you tried pretending he didn’t exist anymore, he had always tried to be by your side.
You found it so hard to hate him. Even now when you think about it. They had placed you in indefinite lockup instead of death, if it were anyone else you would have been floated with the rest.
….
A soft knock sounded from your door, vibrating through the thin walls, waking you from your deep sleep. Bleary-eyed, you approached the door to find your grandmother standing there in the dimly lit corridor.
"Vera? What are you doing here so late?” you state, head lolling to the side.
She stepped inside, a small smile appearing on her lips. "I'm sorry to wake you, y/n. I couldn’t sleep but there’s something I wanted to ask you."
A look of confusion spreads across your face as you extend your hand, gesturing for her to sit at the small table as you shook off sleep. "What is it?"
"It's about your uncle, Kane."
You sighed, "What about him?" your voice came out harsher than intended as you crossed your arms, unwilling to yield. "You don't know what he put me through."
"You're right, I don't," she conceded softly. "But I know you. And I know holding onto bitterness will destroy the bright, brave girl I love."
“I won’t be alive for long. He's still family. His burden is heavy too. Will you at least try, for your old Grandma's sake?”
You let out a long breath, feeling your heart crack open despite yourself. You nodded reluctantly. Where Kane and you would end up, only time would tell.
Sadness filled her eyes. "Resentment will only poison your spirit, child. What's done is done. But you still have a choice - let go of the anger, or let it define you."
…
It was Unity Day, and the entire Ark was celebrating, minus you and the few engineers working to get the last three stations fixed up.
You had gotten to work the moment you woke up, Vera’s words still circling your mind. Sinclair had been first to join you, meeting in the remnants of flint station, helping you figure out the repairs for the damage.
Together, you both had spent hours poring over the manual, checking, and rechecking each step to make sure everything was done correctly.
Both of you taking turns going on breaks and grabbing snacks you had stolen from the eating hall, but for the most part, you were both fully focused on the task at hand.
The temperature in the room rose as well, making your work even more challenging. The air conditioning had been broken for weeks in flint station as if the mounting pressure of work wasn't enough.
You and Sinclair had pushed through it, determined to see this done.
The heat was stifling as you both crawled through the tight utility space, searching for the wiring short that was causing power fluctuations in Mecha Station. Rivulets of sweat dripped down your back.
"Phew, it's boiling in here," you complained, pushing past another bundle of wires. "Couldn't they have put in some AC?"
Sinclair chuckled. "Unfortunately for you y/n, the Ark wasn't built with comfort in mind. But don't worry, we're almost there."
You grumbled good-naturedly as he shuffled forward. your toolkit banging against the metal walls, the sound echoing in the tight space.
"Watch out for that junction box," Sinclair warned over his shoulder. You looked to the side and saw the hazard just in time and pivoted awkwardly around it.
"Thanks for the heads up. Wouldn't want to get zapped in here."
You reached the problem spot - a bundle of fraying wires with melted insulation. Sinclair gave a satisfied nod. "Just needs some fresh wraps and it'll be good as new."
As you both worked, Sinclair made quiet small talk, telling stories about past repairs and close calls he had with a coworker of his, Raven Reyes.
His calm expertise putting you at ease.
After another 30 minutes, all your hard, sweaty work paid off as you finally heard the hum of the machines coming back to life.
Packing up the tools, Sinclair nervously smiled at you. "You did great work today. With some more training, you'll make an excellent mechanic."
Pride swelled in your chest at the praise as you fanned yourself off from the heat. "Does this mean I get to do the fun zero-G jobs next?" you said jokingly.
He laughed heartily. "Maybe not just yet. But you've got a bright future ahead. Now let's get out of this sauna."
Grinning, you followed him out, grateful for his patience. Both of you let out a sigh of relief as you collapsed into a chair, exhausted, still drenched in sweat, sharing a fist bump before you stood and headed to the hallway to catch your breath, the sound of music and chatter filled the air.
The hallways decorated in banners and streamers recycled from the previous Unity Day adorned the walls.
Your thoughts were interrupted as you remembered that you needed to find Kane and your grandma before getting back to work.
"fuck," you whispered to yourself, speed walking down the hall.
you turned a corner, eyes on the floor glancing at the confetti when you were jolted out of your thoughts as a blonde lady bumped into you, causing you to stumble backwards.
"Oof!" you gasped.
Quickly regaining your balance as you looked up to see who had collided with you. It was Diana Sydney.
Diana looked at you with a mix of surprise and annoyance, her mouth pinched into a thin line before quickly brushing past you and disappearing down the hall.
"Excuse me!" You called after her, irritation flaring. "You just ran right into me!"
She paused and half-turned, eyes scanning right through you with her dark eyes. "Did I?" she murmured dreamily before whisking away again.
You stood there rubbing your left shoulder where she had hit you, stunned by her complete lack of courtesy. "Unbelievable," you muttered under your breath.
You couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about her reaction.
You had never met her before, but you had heard all the stories from your uncle about their shared time on the council.
You quickly made your way through the rest of the halls, passing by Jaha speaking to the citizens on the Ark and the delinquents on the ground through a broadcast.
His voice was firm as he spoke, pausing every so often to look at the faces in the crowd, stating that the ark would be sending down reinforcements within the next 3 days.
Just when you were about to give up your search, you spotted both Kane and your grandma off to the side of the room in the middle of a conversation.
Kane brushing off his mother’s request, about to walk away leaving Vera to stand alone to watch the unity speech.
Your heart ached at the sight, you couldn't understand why Kane would leave her like that.
You walked faster, almost in front of them when all of a sudden your thoughts were drowned out by a deafening boom as an enormous explosion rocked the station.
Your body lifted off the ground, a flying piece of metal stabbing your leg as you crashed to the floor. You felt a jolt of pain as your head smacked onto the surface, and everything went black.
...
When you came to, a groan escaped your lips, your whole body aching in pain from the fall. You look around to find yourself lying on the cold, hard surface of the floor. The footsteps vibrating on your face and muffled voices nearby.
You tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through your head and you fell back down. Adrenaline coursed through your veins as you struggled to move, your ears ringing and your vision blurry.
The feeling of wetness pooled on your thigh, a gasp escaping your lips when you looked down to examine your leg.
A gash stretched across the area above your knee. Your nose wrinkling in disgust at the sight of your thigh jaggedly cut open.
With trembling hands you ripped off your sleeves to tie around your leg. Pain shot through your body in ripples the tighter you made the knot.
Shouts and screams all around you, the smell of smoke and burning filling your nostrils, panic set in as you frantically looked around, trying to make sense of your surroundings.
It took a second for you to even understand how you ended up in this situation, how did this happen.
The chaos around you seemed to intensify as you looked around, noticing the number of people panicking, some of them injured and bleeding. The ground was littered with debris and shattered glass, and the walls were crumbling from the force of the explosion.
You spotted your grandmother lying on the floor impaled by a jagged piece of metal, your heart began to race, eyes widening at the sight of her blood pooling beneath her. The sight of Kane leaning over her, his voice trembling as he recited the Travelers Blessing.
"In peace, may you leave the shore. In love, may you find the next,” he whispered, his eyes filled with tears. “Safe passage on your travels until our final journey to the ground. May we meet again," Kane said, spending his mother’s last moment comforting her.
Pushing down the swirling panic in your stomach, you focused only on putting one foot in front of the other. You couldn’t look at her anymore. The adrenaline dulling the pain coming from your gash slightly.
You limped forward slowly, the bodies of council members greeting you as they lay motionless on the ground. There were four of them, all of them unconscious.
Jaha approached from your side, concern etched on his face.
"Y/n! Are you alright?" he asked urgently.
"I - I think so," you stammered back, disoriented.
Kane stood from his place on the ground, closing vera’s eyes and coming over to where you stood with Jaha.
“You need to get out of here, they tried to kill you,” Kane said to him, voice shaking with fear and adrenaline.
“Do you realize it was Diana who tried to kill you, she’s the only one not here.” Jaha looked at you with a grave expression.
He placed a hand on your shoulder, looking to both you and Kane with urgency, “First priority is getting survivors to safety. Then we stop them before they cause any more harm” he said. “We have to lock down the ark.”
“Kane find Diana.”
….
The adrenaline was pumping through your veins as you and Kane walked down the dimly lit hallways, the sound of your footsteps echoing off the metal walls. The air was thick with smoke, making it difficult to see and breathe.
Four skilled ark guards following in the rear behind Jaha, their weapons at the ready. Diana’s followers were not to be underestimated, they were fighting for their cause and would do anything to escape.
After what felt like an eternity, you reached the end of the hallway where the exodus ship was docked.
The doors were sealed shut, the guards and Kane charged towards the door, using all their strength to break it down. To no avail, the door didn’t budge. Jaha begged Diana not to do this.
You spotted a long metal pry bar lying nearby and snatched it up.
"Use this!" You called, passing the bar to the nearest guard. He wedged it into the seam between the doors, the muscles in his arms bulging as he heaved with all his strength. They worked together, pushing with everything they had but it wasn’t enough.
Jaha persisted attempting to talk Diana down, “Diana, please! You don't want to be remembered like this!” The desperation clear in his voice.
“I won't be because you brought this on yourself, Jaha. You promised the people truth, and all you gave them were lies!”
Jaha paled in response, “You had me shot! You detonated a bomb in a public meeting, killing six innocent people, and now you want to kill everyone on this space station to satisfy your ego?”
Diana smirked, looking back to her followers “He is still lying to your face. There aren't enough dropships to get everyone to the ground.”
The men shared a look, Red deciding to break the ranks and save himself and sprinted forward, before anyone could react. Just out of your grasp, he had slipped through the open doors and seized the controls.
With a grinding screech, the massive doors began sliding closed, causing the dropship to begin its launch.
Sinclair began pleading with Jaha, his breathing heavy. “ Sir, we have to go right now! Everybody out! Get back behind the containment doors. Go, go, go! Please, sir.”
….
The ship was pitch black and the air was thick and heavy, causing sweat to bead on your skin despite the cool air lightly blowing around the halls. In the distance, a shuffling noise came from behind you.
Your heart rate quickened as you turned around, but there was no one there. But then, you heard it again, this time, it was closer. You strained your eyes, trying to make out any movement in the shadows.
The sound of footsteps bounced off the walls, slow and deliberate, as if whoever was making them was trying to be quiet. You tried to tell yourself that it was just your imagination, but the footsteps grew louder and closer.
Just as you were about to scream, a hand landed on your shoulder. You jumped and let out a gasp, as a familiar voice started to speak. “It's just me, Kane,” he said, his voice low and calm.
You let out a sigh of relief and turned to face him, thankful to see he was okay. In the faint light, you could see his tall figure looming over you on the floor.
“Can you stand up?' Kane asked, concern written on his face, the blood from your soaking the white fabric of your sleeves. You nodded yes and grabbed Kane's hand to stand up.
“We should look for everyone else,” he said, breaking the eerie silence. “We have to find Jaha.”
You nodded in agreement, relieved to have a goal in this unknown darkness.
…
Kane kept a steady hand under your arm while you slowly made your way down the hallway, leg throbbing with every step you took.
You both rounded a corner, stopping in the middle of the hallway as you stifled a groan when a spike of pain shot through your leg. Kane paused, his brow creased in concern. "Just a little farther," he encouraged.
You nodded, biting your lip as he continued walking you forward. The hall was eerily silent, a sudden clanging rang out, followed by a loud curse. You jumped abruptly, exchanging startled glances with Kane, heading forward to investigate the noise.
There on the floor was Wick, his arm caught in a doorway, tools scattered at his feet. He looked up at you in dismay. He was in a state of panic, his eyes wild with fear as he struggled to free himself.
"A little help here?" Wick pleaded, still trying in vain to free himself.
Kane sighed and moved to examine Wick's predicament. "What happened?"
"I was trying to override the door panel when it decided to eat my arm!" Wick explained in exasperation.
"What the hell happened, anyway?" wick said distracting himself while you and Kane use an axe to try and open the door.
Kane had a somber look on his face when he replied, "We were betrayed. Councilor Sydney... she took the Exodus ship by force. The damage to the Ark was catastrophic."
Wicks face turned in disgust, "What a bitch! You know, my mom voted for her."
You bit back an amused smile at the absurd situation despite the pain you were in. Only Wick could get into such a mess.
Once freed, Wick shook our hands gratefully. "I owe you both. Let’s look for everyone else."
With your leg burning in pain, you decided to separate and venture back to the med bay, you knew that they would be able to handle themselves and you were useless until you patched up your leg.
You could feel the warmth of the dark blood soaking through your pants, and you knew that you needed to find a safe place to tend to your wounds.
You hobbled through the wreckage of the ship, pushing the doors to the infirmary open.
….
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