A/N: Welcome to chapter 2 of 'The 100'. Thanks to those of you who took the time to review/follow/fave. I appreciate it! Just FYI, I plan to try and update every Friday, but, for those who notice it's Saturday-I had an unexpected friends day yesterday, which was much needed because my week was really crappy. But, I digress. I will aim to update every Friday but please keep in mind I work full-time, so I'm very busy. But I'll do what I can :)

Anyway, Enjoy!


"It's been considered theoretically possible to return to earth, though this discovery came years after what is being referred to as AE, or After Earth. The scientists aboard the Arks are talking to each other, some are even saying we could return to earth within the next couple of years—some sort of crazy radiation experiment being done on Ark 13, I guess. But others give more lofty estimates, saying within the next one thousand years. Long after I'm gone, unfortunately, unless those hacks at 13 actually have their heads screwed on right. But, even if that means I never see the ocean again, it means my great grandchildren could. And that's good enough for me."

Excerpt from the Diary of Ashley Granham, AE 6


The 100


Chapter Two


Day 337,119, AE 923

Ark Substation 12

Skybox

In his mind he found himself dreaming of a starry night without the need for protective helmets or thick glass. He tried to imagine what that would look like from the pictures in the books he'd seen throughout his seventeen years. Little balls of light, not unlike what they witnessed from the thick, small windows aboard the Ark. But it was somehow different in the pictures, because there was also the soft tickle of grass on his bare toes, the woodsy scent of pine and cedar wafting gently in a mid-summer breeze. The way it'd caress his skin and give him goosebumps. He tried to sink into the image of his mind, an image he'd seen in old magazines and photo albums, one that told a story he'd likely never be able to tell.

It was also in his mind's eye that he saw everyone standing there, smiling. His dad, tall and broad, a grin plastered on his face, just like the one he had in that stupid photo. His mother, arm around his dad's waist. She had a life about her, a spark in her eyes, something he hadn't seen in her in so long.

But even more amazing still, was the man standing beyond them, nose pointed towards the sky, eyes drinking up the view. He hadn't seemed to have noticed him standing there, awestruck. And the smile that pulled across his lips when he finally did notice was enough to make him shiver.

Just as the man's name came to his lips, Keith woke with a startle, the small cell he'd come to call his home for the past year being intruded upon. The whirl of gears, heavily rusted, pulling the clunker of a door open made him leap from a deep sleep, but the guards who came in, wearing full riot gear, surprised him more. Sitting up from his bed, he glared at them, "What the hell?"

Before the final syllable could leave his mouth, he was dragged from his bunk by the taller of the two guards. Fighting, squirming, Keith only landed a half-punch to the side of the man's face before electric current rendered his body temporarily useless. With a grunt, he hit the ground as the smaller guard put away the electric baton he'd pulled from his belt. Then the guards busied themselves with pulling Keith to his feet. He was pulled through the doorway, out into the tall, metal walkway of the Sky Box. A small part of the 12th subsection of the Ark, used for the detention of juvenile criminals.

Throughout the whole Sky Box, chaos erupted. Prisoners were being pulled from their cells, with guards using electric shock on anyone who didn't comply. There were others, too, overseeing the removal.

Keith tried to struggle but his body hung like lead. That's when a familiar voice echoed through his ears, even above the chaos that was ensuing around him. With blurry eyes he tried to see who'd commanded the guards to stop. It wasn't until a few more blinks that he recognized Krolia. She was addressing the guards, even as her gentle hands laid on Keith's face. "I told you to wait for me."

They mumbled something but Keith couldn't make it out over the noise. Instead, he forced slightly slurred words from his mouth. "Mom, what's happening?" Was this for his hearing? After all, only those under the age of 18 were allowed imprisoned. Everyone else was floated for their crimes. When someone turned 18 in the Skybox, they had a hearing to determine if they could successfully reintegrate back into the population. "I'm not eighteen yet, my hearing shouldn't be for another three months! Why is everyone getting dragged out of their cell?"

Kneeling down, she smoothed his hair from his face, the look on her own face solemn. "Keith, you're not being executed. You and the others are going to the ground."

Chills ran down his spine, numbing him. "What?"

Krolia's voice was barely above a whisper, but she might as well have been screaming into his ear. "The Ark is running out of time..."

"So Shiro was right..." Keith's chest tightened. He'd known it all along but something inside of him had always fought it, had demanded that Shiro be wrong. The Ark couldn't die, not before humanity was able to descend. But also, in trying to pretend Shiro had been incorrect, it also made Keith sick to his stomach. The man would have died for nothing. Keith didn't know which would have been better, not that it mattered now.

"I wish there was another choice. I wish the Council had acted sooner, but now you're all that we've got. You kids our are only hope." She gently kissed Keith's forehead, arms slipping around him to squeeze him tightly. "I love you, Keith. Be brave."

At that, Keith felt a pinprick at his neck and the whole world went dark.


Day 337,119, AE 923

Ark Substation 1

Control Room

Adam's hands wrangled together in knots, his eyes watching the many large monitors that sat linked together all around him. Every few seconds, one of the one hundred screens would spring to life, an image of a child from within the Skybox appearing. Beside that picture was a reading of vital signs. They were pulsing weakly for the most part. Drugs, Adam thought. The guards had been instructed to dose anyone who resisted too heavily. But of course they'd resist. These teens were being dragged out of their cells and forced aboard a drop ship. No explanation, no preparation, no good-byes. Adam felt sick just thinking about it. Sometimes he missed the ignorance he'd had a year ago.

After Takashi's 'betrayal', Adam had been grilled heavily. Would he also attempt to betray the Ark? Would he follow his boyfriend's example? The obvious answer by the end of it was 'no', not that Adam didn't consider it every single day. But he couldn't let Shiro die for nothing. The man had sacrificed everything to try and warn the Ark of its impending death and in the end, it hadn't worked. Adam wasn't going to allow te Ark to die. Shiro had been sure, so sure, of the Ark's demise so Adam would make sure that, one way or another, this ship would survive.

Even if it involved sending one hundred child prisoners to the ground.

Being a member of the council now—so Alfor and the others could keep an eye on him, more than anything—Adam was able to aid in the design of this plan. He didn't fancy sending his own students to their likely deaths, but he also knew that very soon, possibly within the next couple of months, the Ark and everyone on it, would be dead anyway. He couldn't remember who'd first proposed the idea but the more they developed it and looked into it, the more likely it became.

The ground might be livable. That's what one theory was,anyway, based off of the ramblings of long-dead scientists: The radiation of space might have caused mutations within the human genome, improving the metabolism of radioactive partials. There was no way to test this theory, though, and so it floated as empty words in the back of his mind; a hollow grasp at hope for the remainder of the human race.

Snapped from his thoughts by the mechanical sliding of the doors behind him, Adam turned to see Krolia. She had as grim a look as ever. Walking over to him, she nodded towards the screen. Keith's name had come on, vitals weak but stable.

"You were able to speak with him?" Adam's eyes glanced at Krolia, who was worrying her lip raw.

"Yes, briefly. They got him linked to the system."

"I know it's hard to send him down there..."

"Unimaginably hard. I might just be sending my son to his grave."

Putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Adam sighed, "if we are, then at least we know we'll be joining him soon. If this doesn't work, if the ground isn't survivable, then we're all going to die."

Krolia's body shuddered, but she nodded. "I just wish they would have listened a year ago, before things had gotten this bad. Maybe, if Shiro was here..." He could feel her shoulder's slouch under his palm. "There's not point lingering on the past. What's done is done, for better or worse."

From behind again, the doors opened, but this time accompanied by a person responding, "Chancellor on deck." Everyone turned, eyes looking to the man who had brought them to this point. For Adam, there was disdain there. This was the man who'd killed Shiro. This was the man who may very well be responsible for the extinction of the human race.

Alfor, calm and still, nodded to the crew. "It's taken a great amount of engineering and teamwork to make this plan come to fruition. Now is the time when humanity charts its own course. Now, we return to the ground."


Day 337,119, AE 923

Ark Substation 12

Cargo Bay

Keith began coming to as the loud, steady beeping began. He recognized the sound, one he'd heard countless times aboard the Ark. It was the sound of the Cargo Bay doors opening. Usually, they were opened to expel unwanted junk into space. Right now, Keith and the others were the junk.

He turned his head right and left, taking in the dark view. Others from the Skybox, they were also waking up. Each of them was strapped into a seat, buckled tight. Some of the teens began to struggle against the binds, others just sat in shock. "What's going on?" one asked, a chorus of uneasy responses following.

That's when the radio aboard the ship snapped on, static overwhelming them before Chancellor Alfor's voice came through. "This is your Chancellor speaking—" a cadence of boos, "you are about to embark on a very dangerous mission, one that is not to be taken lightly. Today, you will begin humanity's newest chapter. Today, you go to the ground."

Murmurs, but everyone kept listening. " Each of you has been outfitted with a wristband. It sends your vitals to the Ark and lets us know of your well-being."

Keith lifted his right wrist, seeing a thick, gray band there. He didn't remember having this before speaking to his mom. But looking around the room, he could see that everyone had one.

The loud beeping increased in speed, blaring in Keith's ears as Alfor continued. "If things on the ground are favorable, we of the Ark will join you." A pause. "So what's in it for you? You will be cleared of your crimes, given a clean slate. We feel it's only fair since you're risking your lives."

From somewhere beyond Keith's field of vision, a voice shouted, "not by choice!" A resounding chorus of agreement followed.

"You are tasked with preparing a campsite for the rest of the Ark. We're dropping you close to a mountain, Mt. Weather, which has a massive underground bunker. According to records, there should be military rations, farming supplies, munitions and more. It was meant to be an 'Eden' for humanity's use once we returned to the ground. Food supplies and navigation tools have been loaded aboard your ship as well."

Keith could see it now, through the darkness, boxes strapped down with nylon cords. He could barely make out Alfor's next words, the beeping of the hanger bay intensifying. "If things go well, we will be joining you soon. Take care and may we meet again."

The radio sputtered out and the final long beep of the cargo hold echoed. The massive drop ship, housing 100 juvinile criminals—and humanity's only hope—began their turbulent descent to the ground.


Day 337,119, AE 923

Earth

Northeastern United States

The landing had them careening through the atmosphere of the long deserted planet. Spiraling and spinning, until the sharp tug of the parachutes yanked them to stability, though they still fell quickly. Through trees and brush, the drop ship smashed into the solid earth with a thunk. Keith was jostled in his seat, seat belts biting into his shoulders and waist. For a long moment, they were all still. Waiting.

As if to signal the end, the seat belts disengaged, freeing them from their confinement. Standing, Keith rubbed at his tender shoulders, feeling the weight of the wristband again. So this was the only thing that connected them to the Ark, to their families. This was all that stood in the way of salvation for the people or destruction for humankind. His musings were interrupted by the clamoring. Others had gotten themselves out of their seats, hurried to check on their friends. Keith could see at least one of them was dead, head split open from too rough an impact with the back of his seat. How many more, he wasn't sure. But the ruckus at the drop ship door pulled him away from the death.

Keith made his way through the rows of seats, reaching the gathering crowd of teens. One, whom Keith recognized as James Griffin, was standing in front of the lever, the one that would open them to the outside. The other was someone Keith hadn't expected to see here. The daughter of the Chancellor, Allura Altea. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun, a deep blue jumper underneath her worn jacket. She looked tired, scared, but determined as she glared at Griffin. "We need to open the door."

"And when it kills us when we do? Your dad sent us down here to die!"

"No, he sent us down here to chart a course for humanity, to plant the seeds for—"

Griffin interrupted, "Right, and we're supposed to buy that crap."

"He isn't lying. Our purpose is to prepare things for the Ark's descent, so we should get moving."

Crossing his arms, Griffin growled, "I'm not letting you open up the drop ship. That door is the last thing standing between us and a very quick and painful death." Matching Allura's glare with his own, Griffin added, "Why are you even here? I didn't think daddy would want his daughter barbecued."

Irritation was starting to settle on Allura's features, visible even in the dim flood lights that basked them. "I put myself on this ship, thank you. I wanted to be of help down here." She turned to address the teens around her. "The Ark is planning to follow and they'll be expecting us to have things prepared for their landing. We need to head for Mt. Weather and begin prepping a campsite."

There was a pause, pregnant against the anxiety that was building among the one hundred. Griffin looked pointedly at Allura before turning his gaze to his peers. "We open this door, we die." A mumbling of agreement came from the crowd. Keith frowned.

He'd never really liked Griffin, though Griffin had never liked him, either. The two had a mutual hatred or each other that stemmed way back. Keith couldn't remember exactly what had gotten them on such sour terms, but here they were. And Keith never felt inclined to try and fix it.

But the truth was, the Ark needed to know it was survivable and they didn't have the supplies to last in the drop ship for a month. The way Alfor had made it sound was they'd been given enough edible supplies to help fuel them for their journey to Mt. Weather, but nothing more. Perhaps Alfor was smarter than Keith gave him credit for. Or maybe he was just cruel. Either way, they'd need to head out if they wanted to survive longer than half a week. And if they wanted the Ark to survive, too.

Shoving his way forward, he made his way behind Griffin, taking a hold of the lever in the wall before the man could spin around and say a word. Yanking it up, the drop ship's loading bay door began to rise up, while a secondary outer door began to slowly lower to the ground. If Griffin was angered by Keith's actions, he didn't have a chance to say, his eyes turning to stare at the slowly exposing world.

Keith too, watched, amazed.

As the doors finished opening, a lush wilderness came into view. Dark, sturdy trunks rose from the deep black soil, thick and vibrant leaves adorning. They were painted in reds and golds. The rich smell of earth covering their senses as the cool, brisk air brushed against their exposed skin. Keith couldn't break his eyes away from the beauty of it all. He'd seen pictures, so many pictures, of what Earth used to look like. He'd dreamed of it, too, but nothing compared to what was actually standing in front of him. Nothing compared to the smell and feel of the real surface of the earth.

Allura, standing in awe, whispered, "We're back. After nearly one thousand years, we're back."

From the crowd, a cheer came, "We're back, bitches!" The crowd of teens pushed forward, rushing the door. Keith moved with them, stepping out onto the earth's surface for the first time in his whole life. For the first time in many generations of people. It'd all been for this and he felt exhilarated. Reaching out with tentative fingers, he touched the bright crimson leaves. They felt cold and wet and yet soft and brittle. Had it just rained? The earth beneath his feet was soft and molded to each footstep he took. The light of the trickling sunlight, which was broken apart by the vast, stretching branches, warmed his pale skin. It was mesmerizing to look out along the paths of those who'd rushed forward, seeing the littering of footsteps that had been molded into the soil.

Taking a deep breath in, he felt a wild rush of excitement, cheering loudly like the others.

They'd made it. Earth was survivable.

For now.


Day 337,119, AE 923

Ark Substation 1

Control Room

The control room was in a state of barely contained chaos, though it had Krolia's head spinning. Re-entry had been successful, by all accounts, up until the transmitter from the drop ship had been destroyed in the landing. From there, their only source of information on the well being of the 100 was the signals coming from their wrist bands.

Already, there were two dead. Alfor had immediately begun questioning Krolia and the only thing she could think of was the rough landing. It made sense. They'd been buckled in but the mechanisms on board the almost one thousand year old drop ship were bound to fail in such a rough landing. Thankfully, Keith's wrist band was still broadcasting brightly.

From beside her, Adam spoke, "It looks like we're seeing a spike in all readings."

Alfor ventured, "Is it radiation?"

"I don't think so. We're not seeing any drop offs." She pondered it for a moment. "They're excited, Chancellor. That would explain the spike in their stats."

Alfor nodded, though he didn't seem wholly satisfied with the answer. "Keep me updated on any and all changes. I want to know the moment anything happens with them." He turned, heading towards the door. "I need to go spin this to our people..." Disappearing through the control room door, it slid shut with a thunk.

Adam regarded Krolia with a sideways glance. "Not sure how long people are going to believe his lie about the Skybox having 'contracted a strain of strep that needs to be contained'."

"It's not the first time in the Ark's history to have an outbreak that requires quarantine. People only need to believe it for awhile" They'd be on the ground soon enough, she hoped, and the truth of the whole story could hopefully, finally, be revealed.

"Well, signs are good so far," Adam stated, crossing his arms as he regarded the screens. "Two dead on impact, most likely, though I wish our other transmitters were working. We tried to protect them as much as possible, but I guess it wasn't enough."

Krolia could only nod. They'd given it their best, but they knew their best hope of gathering information was from the wrist bands on the children. It still made her feel sick, the idea of using children as test subjects. They didn't even get a say in being sent, they just were. Closing her eyes for a second, getting her bearings, she reminded herself of the purpose. But she couldn't help the lingering doubt. No one aboard the Ark truly knew if the ground was survivable, as the very best minds had guessed it'd take at least one thousand years for the radiation to reach livable levels again. Plus, there were signs of life. The world bled green and blue again, when in previous generations it had been spotty at best. But now, the planet looked like it had in the old space photos.

One thousand years before humanity's descent.

923 was close enough.

They hoped.

Plan B, at any rate, was much worse than the current Plan A, so Krolia could only hope for the success of the 100. Regardless, in two weeks time, they'd have their results. Radiation sickness can take as long as two weeks to kill someone, so they had to wait that long at least. Until then, it was triage on the Ark as oxygen deprivation related illness continued to skyrocket.

Her eyes flicked over to Adam, who was pinching the bridge of his nose again. He'd taken off his glasses again, sandy brown hair falling into his face as he grimaced.

"Another headache?"

He mumbled, "yah."

His symptoms had started a year ago and had only gotten worse since then. "Come on, let's get you checked out." She gently took Adam's arm, guiding him towards the door. Before he could protest about the monitors, Krolia added, "Someone will contact us the moment things change."

With that, he relented and the two headed towards the medical bay.

Krolia was the resident medic. She'd trained under her own mother in surgery and medicine. There were only a handful of doctors and she was the only surgeon. Of the almost three thousand people aboard the Ark, she was the one standing between life and death for them all. Being head of medicine had it's perks, like a council seat and an almost guaranteed assurance against being floated, but it also had it's disadvantages. She worked long hours and was pulled away from any and all occasions at a moment's notice. While she'd worked hard to train the few others doctors aboard the Ark in simple surgeries, the truth was there just wasn't enough supplies or patients to practice on. They offered her assistance during the procedures, but they were never able to take the reins from her, and that had made it difficult at times, both mentally and emotionally.

Entering the medical bay from the back, she urged Adam to take a seat on the examination table. He did so, massaging his temples as he did. "Think these pressure headaches will go away when I'm on the ground?"

Busing herself with locating her stethoscope, she replied, "I can't make any promises but it's possible, yes." Oxygen, at the very least, couldn't hurt his condition. She'd run MRI's and CAT scans on Adam's head in the year since he'd developed symptoms, and couldn't find any obvious problems. But she'd had several patients come into her clinic since then with the same symptoms. Others had intensified and worsening symptoms and some had even resulted in death. Hypoxia was starting to become a problem aboard the Ark and Alfor was determined to keep it quiet. She could only hope that they'd be on an oxygen-rich planet soon and anyone experiencing long-term symptoms would begin to find relief.

Walking over to Adam, she gave his heart and lungs a good listen before feeling along his neck and the base of his skull. Her fingers trailed up his lymph nodes, along his ears and chin, before she lifted her hands in front of Adam's eyes. "Alright, tell me what numbers you see." She began flashing her fingers along his periphery vision, Adam calling out numbers as he saw them. She began with his right eye, upper periphery.

She held a two, he responded with two. She moved to right side periphery.

She held a one, he responded with one. She moved to the left side periphery.

She held a three, he hesitated.

"Adam?"

"I," he paused, furrowing his brow, "I don't see anything."


Day 337,119, AE 923

Earth

Northeastern United States

Allura allowed herself only a few minutes to enjoy the newness of the world around her before she set to work searching through the supplies that had been dropped with them. A compass and map, a few packages of military rations, basic medical supplies and antibiotics, but that was it. Not enough to last even a full week with how many of them there were. The navigation supplies were more important to her, though, since they'd help lead her to Mt. Weather. Grabbing a backpack from the supplies, she stuffed it full of a few day's rations, the map and compass, too. She'd learned how to use a compass in Earth Survival class but had never actually seen one in action. Space didn't have the polar fields required to make a compass spin north. Now, though, she supposed she'd just have to apply what she'd learned and hope for the best.

The hardest part was going to be finding a team to take with her, anyway.

Exiting the drop ship, she looked at the group of teens, of unlikely explorers and adventures who'd inadvertently found themselves in a new world. They were enjoying the newness of nature, some were even starting to enjoy the newness of each other. Rolling her eyes, she called out to all of them. "We need to get going."

Some paid her mind, but most ignored her.

She huffed.

Being the daughter of the Chancellor had given her many privileges aboard the Ark and while she hadn't expected this particular group of people to pay her those respects, she'd hoped for at least a mindful ear. She hadn't even gotten that.

Stomping her way down the ramp from the drop ship, she was stopped by Keith Kogane, whom was standing at the base of the ramp, gray eyes watching her. His red leather jacket hung was as bright as the crimson leaves, denim jeans torn and worn from being passed from generation to generation. Trying to keep the irritation out of her voice, especially since Keith hadn't done anything wrong to begin with, she asked, "what is it?"

Keith shrugged, "Thought I'd come to you to sign up."

She smiled, irritation vanishing, "Really?"

"Well, we're going to starve if we don't, so it's not like we have a choice."

Allura passed him a pack, "Thanks, Keith." He nodded. She made her way to Griffin next, if only because he'd made himself something of an icon for the people with his little display of defiance. Griffin was also well respected among the delinquents, which made him someone Allura needed on her side.

He noticed her approach and smirked, "What is it, princess? Here to demand we begin our march to Mt. Weather."

"Yes and no," she stated, giving him a firm glare. "The truth is, Griffin, rather you like it or not, Mt. Weather is our key to surviving. Our current rations won't last us the week. So unless you want to die of starvation, we need to head to Mt. Weather, we need to start gathering wood for shelters and fires, we need to start building a camp."

The truth seemed to get his attention, though he rather flippantly huffed. "And since when are you in charge?"

"I'm not," Allura stated, "but I thought you were. A leader has to make tough choices, Griffin. And sometimes that means sending a bunch of lazy teenagers out on a gathering mission." She did her best to keep her tone in check. She didn't want to come off as too sarcastic, despite her desire to.

"You know, princess, you're right." He crossed his arm, "Which is why I'm putting you in charge of getting those supplies." It wasn't like she wasn't already planning on leaving. "I'll send some people with you and the rest of us will start making things more comfortable around here."

Allura found herself to be somewhat surprised by his cooperation, though she wasn't going to argue with it. "Good, I'll take whoever you can spare."

Griffin looked over his shoulder and then around the group. His eyes finally settled on a handful and he pointed. "Them. They can help you get your precious supplies."

Standing none-too-far from them were the three in question. Lance Diaz, Hunk Lefao and Katie Holt. Allura knew their crimes more than she knew them. Lance, who was wearing a brown jacket and zipper hoddie with stained jeans, had been locked away in the Skybox for stealing from her father. He'd stolen a lot more before being caught, too, all of which had been found stored in the floor of his room. Hunk, who was sporting a mustard-colored vest over a dark shirt, worn shorts beneath, had been mixing chemicals to make synthetic drugs and alcohol to sell to others for a hefty price.

Katie, for her part, was vastly different. Allura had heard rumors of her but had only seen her a handful of times. The girl beneath the floorboards. Aboard the Ark, to help control the population, families were allowed to have only one child. Katie was child number two of the Holt Family, hidden beneath the floorboards until she was eventually caught by the guards. She'd been locked away in the Skybox since then. Long hair tied back in a lopsided ponytail, she was wearing a green sweater with dark leggings and thick boots.

The three of them didn't appear particularly useful to Allura but she wasn't going to complain. If she could navigate them there, they'd just need to carry supplies back.

Walking over to them, Griffin and Keith following behind, Allura cleared her throat and spoke, "Lance, Hunk, Katie." The three turned to her, regarding her cautiously. "You're coming with me to Mt. Weather."