somewhere | b.blake ✔️

1x07 Part 1✔️

"But there's a side to you
That I never knew, never knew"

- Set Fire to the Rain, Adele

*****

Flashback:

"Today in Earth Skills, we'll be learning about storms," Pike's voice booms across the classroom, immediately grabbing the attention of a group of 13-year-olds, including Ash Growins. The usual chatter dies down as everyone focuses on the images now flashing on the whiteboard at the front of the room—pictures of dark clouds, swirling winds, and torrential downpours.

Ash leans forward in her seat, her eyes wide with awe as Pike continues, "There are many types of storms we'll eventually cover, but today we're talking about hurricanes." Pike's tone grows more serious. "Hurricanes are classified by categories. Category one is the least powerful; category five is the most. But don't be fooled. Even a category one hurricane can cause significant damage."

The pictures on the screen shift from ominous clouds to the aftermath of storms: homes reduced to rubble, entire neighborhoods submerged underwater, trees snapped in half like twigs. Ash feels a shiver of unease run through her. She's never seen anything like this in her life in the Ark.

Pike steps forward, grabbing the attention of the class even more. "Take out a piece of paper," he instructs, and the students scramble to obey. "Now, draw a large circle, and inside that, draw a smaller circle. This," he points to an image of a hurricane taken from space, the swirling mass of clouds forming a distinct eye, "is the eye of the storm."

Ash stares down at her paper. The larger circle represents the hurricane's power, but the smaller one, the calm at the center of chaos, captivates her the most.

"The eye of the storm is the calmest part," Pike says, his finger circling around the image on the screen. "But just outside the eye? That's the most dangerous place to be. It's where the storm is at its strongest. Winds that would rip you apart, debris that can become deadly in an instant. You never want to be there."

The warning rings in Ash's ears, even as the lesson moves on. It stays with her, a quiet reminder in the back of her mind. Calm in the middle of chaos. But outside it? Deadly.

Present:

Ash has never experienced a storm before. She's barely even experienced rain, first night aside. 

The rain is relentless, pounding against the drop-ship like the sky itself is falling. Wind howls through the cracks in the metal, causing the entire structure to groan under the force. Water seeps through the flaps, soaking the delinquents huddled on the lower level.

"This is Ash Growins and Raven Reyes calling Ark Station!" Ash's voice cracks as she shouts into the radio, her body shivering violently from the cold rain that's soaked through her clothes. The static on the other end is deafening, drowning out any hope that someone might respond.

Raven frantically adjusts the dials. "Come in, Ark! We're on the ground! Please, someone answer!"

Ash's heart pounds in her chest, her eyes flickering toward Finn's unconscious body lying a few feet away. His skin is pale, far too pale, and the knife wound in his chest is still oozing blood. They're running out of time. The storm outside is bad, but the storm inside Ash is worse.

"Do you guys even have the right frequency?" one of the delinquents, soaked to the bone like the rest of them, calls out.

"Yes!" Ash snaps, her patience worn thin by the cold, the fear, and the incessant worry gnawing at her insides. "The static means we're close, but the storm is interfering with the signal!"