𝙃𝙄𝘿𝘿𝙀𝙉 𝘿𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙎² ➣ 𝐵. 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑘𝑒✔

28 | Praimfaya

I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for Clarke and Bellamy. I wanted to say good-bye to Abby since I won't be seeing her for five years. My head shot up when I heard the door open. I stood from the chair I was sitting in to see Clarke, followed by Bellamy. Clarke's face was grim, and a bit red, like she had been crying.

"Clarke?"

The girl shook her head. "The radio's dead."

I felt my heart drop to my stomach as my face fell, turning my attention to Bellamy. He had a sad look on his face as Clarke walked toward me, pulling me into a hug. I hugged back, closing my eyes as a tear slid down my cheek.

"Clarke, Bellamy, Aiden, get down here," I heard Murphy shout. I pulled away from the hug, wiping my tears away before turning and walking down the stairs to everyone else. We watched the screen in front of us, watching as the storm swept over Polis, covering the tower. Suddenly, the camera went to static. I clenched my jaw slightly as I felt my heart pounding in my chest.

"It's 210 miles from Polis to the island. According to what was our last drone, the wave is accelerating. If we're not off the ground at least 20 minutes before it hits, the electromagnetic charge in the pyroclastic cloud will shut down the rocket's avionics, meaning it won't fly. That gives us 90 minutes to run a six-hour preflight check, retrieve the oxygen generator from the lighthouse, turn a cockpit designed for two into one that can carry nine, and load the cargo hold with enough food to keep us from starving in space while we wait for the algae to bloom."

"I thought you said it was gonna be hard?" Murphy asked sarcastically.

"That's not the hard part. Becca designed her rocket to dock with Polaris, not the Ark. That means I have to pilot it into the hangar bay on the ring."

"What's so hard about that?" Harper asked, a bit confused.

*That's not the hard part, either."

"What is the hard part, Raven?" Clarke asked, rushed.

The girl looked at her. "Assuming we blast off in time, CO2 scrubbers on a two-person rocket won't support nine of us."

"So we use supplemental oxygen," Clarke suggested.

"Our tanks only hold an hour of air," Monty butted in.

Raven nodded in agreement, "Correct. We'll have one hour to get into orbit, land in the hangar bay on, and fire up the life-support system using an oxygen generator built to supply a lighthouse bachelor pad."

"You suck as talking people into things, you know that, right?" Murphy commented.

Bellamy spoke, "Anyone here still need to be talked into this?" No one said a word. "Good. Now we know the many ways we might die today, why don't you tell us what we have to do to live?"

Raven nodded before turning to one of the many computers and setting a 1 1/2 hour timer on the screen.

°°°

Murphy and Monty had gone to the lighthouse to get the oxygen generator. Emori, Harper, and me are helping Raven with the inside of the rocket to fit all nine of us inside.

"Guys, need your help," Raven announced to us since we're kind of slacking off. "Harper let's go."

Harper sighed, "I'm worried."

"I'm worried, too, but we got to get this done. Come on, give me a hand."

After a few minutes of working on the rocket, sparks suddenly flew everywhere, temporarily blinding me.

"Ugh! no! Ugh," Raven shouted. The four of us inside the rocket coughed as smoke escaped the machine.

"Raven, what is it?" I heard Bellamy ask. I turned to the exit to see him and Clarke looking inside the rocket, worried expressions on their faces.