Going Down: John Murphy

Chapter ‖ 2 ‖ Plummeting

The ship rumbles, the metal panels creaking around them, entering the earth's atmosphere for the first time in almost 100 years.

Murphy stirs beside Amanda, half-conscious as the drug used to put hostile delinquents asleep finally wears off the teenage boy. Over the ship's speakers sounds the voice of Chancellor Jaha, explaining their situation.

They were going to Earth.

Amanda's POV:
The dim lights mixed with the drugs made my vision fuzzy. I took a brief look at my surroundings, not moving my head too much. Teens were in seats or standing along the metal walls with orange-red seatbelts, making an X over their chests.

I only recognized a few people, consisting of Clarke Griffin whom I befriended in science (yeah, we're both nerds when it comes to that class), and Jasper Jordan+Monty Green. The duo was inseparable and unbelievably fun, so I participated in a few pranks with them; that was about it.

I felt bad for Clarke since she was sitting next to her ex, Wells Jaha, the chancellor's son. Talk about a real crime. The contempt seemed to rise behind her eyes as she turned, acknowledging his presence and then speaking to him. I couldn't hear what she said or what he replied with due to the loud machine murmur, but I could tell it wasn't a "long time no see" type conversation but more of a "say one word and I'm unbuckling you right before impact" type exchange.

From what I've heard, Wells ran off to his father after she told him that her father was trying to tell people the truth—that the Ark was dying. In my view, he wanted to be the perfect son and the perfect successor. attempting to gain respect by preventing public discussion. Once the chancellor learned about this from Wells, her dad got floated, and she got secured in solitary.

I couldn't care for what was being said, but it gave me a small smile to see that he was getting treated as he deserved by her.

I knew the guy next to me was an asshole—well, at least not personally, but he always made earth skills 101 class unbearable, so I didn't bother turning to him to ask if he had any insight on the mission.

I glanced down at my wrist to see the wristband still latched onto me. The spokes dug into me with a stinging pinch.

A wide bang rattled the ship, almost as if we had crashed into something. Half of everyone screamed or gasped. The lights flickered on and off for a few seconds. There wasn't a reason to get scared now; we were hurdling through space, and the pressure and force of entering the atmosphere were probably what caused the sound. The dim lights rekindled.

"What the hell was that?" Murphy muttered in a dull tone.

"That was the atmosphere," I replied in an informative tone.

The monitor mounted on the wall to my side blinks on with a high-pitched beep. Seeing Jaha's face seared my inadequate hope. He rambled on with such nonsense that I imagined the ship's panels peeling and ejecting me.

"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 as a chance for all of us, indeed for making itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there, if the odds of survival were better we would have sent others frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable. If however..."

"Your Dad's a dick Wells!" Jasper boisterously exclaims, hoping to provoke a reaction from Wells, which elicits laughter from a decent percentage.

Jaspers's words, despite how humorless they were, did encapsulate who Chancellor was.

Murphy remained silent so I glanced at him; a lazy smirk plastered on his narrow and chapped lips.

He returned the glance, presumably to unlatch his mouth and make a suitably sharp comment concerning my gaze.