Kingdom Of Heavens - The 100 [1]

Chapter 12

"Every simulation has been run. Every system modification has been made. The hard and simple fact is that in 51 hours, life on the ark will no longer be possible." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Twice in the past couple of hours I had been convinced that I would live only to have my dreams quickly quashed by death staring me in the face. 51 hours. Just long enough to do something, but just short enough to not be able to do anything. "I choose to find consolation in one remarkable truth..." I hurried out of there, I just couldn't listen to it anymore. I had an expiration date now, a clock ticking down from 51 hours and I didn't want to spend any of it in there.

"Venus." I heard Skylar's footsteps follow as her voice called out to me. "Hey Venus!" I felt her hand grip my arm and whip my body around to face her. "You can't just walk out on the Chancellor speaking like that."

I rolled my eyes and continued to walk down the corridor. "What's he going to do, float me? Then let him. It would get it over with." I was emotionally drained. I was so close to having my lifelong dream of actually going to the ground and not just dreaming about it fulfilled, only to have it torn away from me so quickly and then be told I'm doomed to die in this hunk of metal.

I found my way to and stood in front of the large window that overlooked Earth. The window that we used to beg her mother to let us look out for just 5 more minutes. The window in front of which we'd eat stolen brownies and day dream about what Earth would be like. The window that so cruelly framed the portrait of what my future almost was.

"We should be down there." My voice came out soft, like a whisper. "We should be with John, Neil, the rest of the 100..." I lost my voice as I choked on tears that would not come. My mouth was parched and I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten or drunken anything. If the lack of oxygen didn't get me, starvation and dehydration would. My father should have just left me in that service hatch, at least the pain would all be over by now. He saved me, but only to die.

"C'mon," Skylar pulled at my arm slightly as she begun to walk down the hall.

"To where?" I only glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, not wanting to take my eyes away from what could have been just yet.

"Anywhere. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not spend the last 50 hours of my life all sad and depressed. I bet I could beat you down this hall." Her smirk challenged me. We hadn't raced through the halls since we were little kids, and according to her mother it was always a tie. We both stood with our backs to one wall, it was finally time to see which of the two of us was fastest. I watched Skylar tear a button off from her shirt. "We start once the button hits the ground." She tossed the button up into the air, and it wasn't long before it came plummeting back down and bounced on the hard metal floor and we were off.

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Skylar and I laid across the tables of the mess hall, laughing at old stories that almost seemed to be from another life.

"Remember in Earth skills that time Pike tried to kick Samuel out of class?"

"Yeah, he said 'I think I'm going to stay right here' and put his boots up on the desk. I swear, Pike nearly popped a blood vessel."

"I think he popped a couple."

"Don't you mean more than a couple?" The two of us laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. Our heads turned to the door and our laughter died away as Skylar's father walked into the mess hall. We both sat up and watched him.