On the Run ~ON HOLD~

Chapter 10 Flashback

"Daddy! Daddy!" the little girl yelled in excitement as she ran into the room.

She stopped however when she saw the scene in front of her. Her father was being handcuffed by two guards while another stood by and her mother lay in bed.

Thea knew that her mother had been very ill lately and her father had been bringing home medicine to help her. However, what she didn't realize at the time, was that her father had been stealing the medicine. There were very strict rules on the Ark, and the medicine that her mother needed to get better was highly regulated and not often distributed as it was valuable and they had only small stores of it. This, Thea later learned, was why her father was arrested.

When Thea's father realized she was there a sad look crossed his face, "Thea, go play with your friends. You don't need to be here for this."

"Daddy, what's going on?" the little girl asked, confused.

"Thea, please, just go," her father pleaded as he was dragged past her and out the door by the guards.

Thea, however, didn't listen and followed them, trailing a short distance behind them. When they reached their destination, the guards stopped and turned her father around. Then, much to the girl's surprise, the chancellor emerged and stood in front of her father.

"Phillip Johnson, you have been charged with the theft of valuable medical supplies and the deception of those around you. Do you admit to these charges?" Chancellor Jaha spoke sternly to the man.

"Yes, sir," the man responded, looking sadly at his daughter who stood behind the chancellor, watching in horror, "But sir, my wife, she was dying. No one would prescribe her the necessary medication that was needed to save her. I didn't know what else to do."

"Ah, yes. Love often makes us do irrational things. Unfortunately, however, that does not relieve you of your crimes."

Thea's father hung his head, a single tear slipping from his eye, "I am aware of that sir. And I am willing to face the consequences, but please, my daughter needs her mother. And she will die without the proper treatment."

"I am sorry, Phil, there isn't anything I can do. I hereby sentence you to death, effective immediately by use of the airlock release chamber. You may say your last goodbyes," Chancellor Jaha finished, taking a step back and motioning to the guards who removed the handcuffs from the man's wrists.

Rushing forward and scooping his crying nine-year old daughter into his arms, he whispered to her, "You need to be strong, Thea. Okay? Be strong for your mother and for me even though I won't be there anymore. And most importantly, be strong for yourself. You are my little princess, you always will be no matter what."

"No, daddy, please. You can't leave us. You can't leave me," the young girl cried as she gripped onto her father's shirt, her tears staining the rough fabric.

"Thea, listen to me, you are so strong and smart and you can do whatever you put your stubborn little mind to," he smiled and the girl let out a tearful laugh, "and I know that you will grow to be a beautiful, intelligent woman someday. You're gonna be okay. I love you, don't ever forget that."

"I love you too, daddy," Thea replied, tears streaming down her face as she spoke.

"You'll always be my little princess," her father told her as he was wrenched away from her arms and dragged towards the airlock chamber, to his death.