The sliding door to his cell opened with a hydraulic hiss, the sound of his door opening was something he had not heard in a while. He made no effort to observe who entered his cell but he didn't need to.
"On your feet 318." The guard barked sharply.
"It's not my time yet."
"I said on your feet prisoner." Footsteps drew nearer and the guard began to reach out.
"Alright alright don't touch me I'm going." 318 rolled his eyes and sighed. He lifted himself off his bunk and slowly walked to his cell door. 318 guessed he would not be granted review and that the Ark had decided he would he floated.
His thoughts were cut off by the guard pushing him onward and the brighter lights outside his cell hurt his eyes. 318 hadn't been outside of his cell in more than a year, but it was not time ill spent. He became well toned, doing everything he could to stay in shape because without that focus he felt he would lose who he was and he was afraid his mental health would suffer.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that it took him longer than it should've to notice something was wrong. Every prisoner was being moved just like he was. They wouldn't execute everybody, would they? As he was pushed into line with the other prisoners a blonde girl was being brought out of the cell next to his, she was unconscious and on a stretcher. A result of resisting no doubt, the guard stun batons were no joke.
They were ushered out of the skybox prison and into the hallway but they weren't being lead to the airlock where criminals were floated but rather towards the main docking port. The docking port was off limits from what 318 remembered, guards with special clearance and government personnel were the only people allowed. Why would they be taking juvenile delinquents to a restricted area?
The line of prisoners was halted just outside of the bulkhead door leading into the docking port hangar area. 318 was roused from his speculation by a hand grabbing his wrist and watched in confusion as a guard opened a metal wristband that resembled a thick handcuff. He winced as the small needles inside the band were clamped onto his left wrist.
"Prisoner 318, Desmond Taylor?" A woman in a lab coat asked him inquisitively. He hesitated for a second, Desmond hadn't been called by name since he was imprisoned two years ago. It was almost foreign to him but it made him feel human again, like a person with emotions and feelings.
"Yes Ma'am" Desmond nodded. The woman gestured to the guard who just fitted his wristband and felt a pinch in his neck before everything went black
Desmond awoke in a seat across from the unconscious blonde girl from the skybox. He recognized the interior from Ark history, it was a drop ship used for reentry from the Ark to Earth. Were they going to Earth? Desmond felt his heart racing and gripped his seat tightly.
He looked around the drop ship and saw nothing of interest besides a screen mounted on the wall and there was a ladder that led up to what Desmond assumed was more seats or a sort of storage area. The gunmetal gray interior was not very different than that of the corridors and rooms of the Ark.
A soft groan came from across Desmond, the girl was waking up. Her eyes opened slowly and she blinked a few times before looking around
"Where are we?" She was obviously confused, but she also seemed to be worried about others welfare by her word choice of 'we' and not 'I'. Nobody answered her and everybody was startled as the drop ship began shaking violently.
The panic died down as the screen on the wall flickered to life and Chancellor Jaha was shown
"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 a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable."
"Your dad is a dick Wells." Someone yelled and Desmond couldn't help but chuckle and it seemed a few others thought the same thing but it was the only light in what he thought to be a dark situation.
"If, however, you do survive, those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean." Jaha continued on, it must've been prerecorded Desmond thought. He would've said something to his son Wells.
The ship rocked harshly again and Desmond felt a pain on the back of his head before everything went black again.