Here we are again … I'm embarking on a new journey of a fanfiction story. This time, we're going with a post-apocalyptic vibe. I recently watched The 100 on Netflix. I'd been intrigued to write a story based off that show/series of novels. I decided to write it for NaNoWriMo. I'm starting almost halfway through the month, but I'm determined to, at least, get something going. But, here I am in June and I'm still working on it. I hope to have the story finished by the end of my summer.
Also, due to some craziness to my schedule, updates/teasers will be happening on Sundays, as opposed to Wednesdays. I have rehearsals until 5pm, which means I won't get home until after six. Thank you for your support and flexibility. :-)
We're going to find out all that's happening up on the Ark. It might be a shorter chapter, then we'll head back to the ground and with Bella and Edward. What will come for them?
Chapter Six: On The Ark
Renee
Seated next to my still recuperating husband, I looked at the agenda for the council meeting. It revolved around Aro's involvement in what happened to my husband and why he was injured so egregiously. We still couldn't find proof, a link that Aro was behind this assassination attempt.
Aro was still confined to his quarters, but we'd interviewed his wife and child to see if they had any information. His wife, Sulpulcia, refused to answer any questions. She claimed spousal privilege. That might have worked in the old world, but those rights were no longer recognized. So, she was placed in the prison and her child, a ten-year-old boy named Demetri, was placed in Carlisle and Esme's care.
Charlie wearily called the meeting to order. He was easily tired because he hadn't allowed himself time to heal. "I know call this council meeting to order. The items on the agenda revolve around Vice Chancellor Aro Volturi. Do we have any new information regarding his involvement in what happened the day I was shot?" Charlie asked.
"Vice Chancellor Volturi worked closely with Warden Pike and the more conservative members of the Ark. We're working with members in the command center to trace their steps prior to Warden Pike's and Officer Halsted's execution," Marcus explained, arching a brow at Charlie.
"I know I reacted hastily, but he was going to float my wife," Charlie snarled, pounding his hand on the council table. "Halsted was going to rape my daughter and my wife! They needed to pay."
I bit back my spiteful retort. Charlie was ready to float our daughter. He only acted after he heard about what Halsted was going to do, thanks to the recording that Edward made.
There was a chirp on my communicator. I pulled it out, seeing a message from Esme. Charlie doesn't look good. Too pale. Should he be handling all this stress?
"Charlie," I interrupted, placing a hand on his arm. His skin was clammy. "I think that we need to investigate further before we can continue searching for proof that Aro had a hand in your attack. Your pulse is racing and you're running a fever. You need to appoint a Vice Chancellor to take over in case something does happen to you."
"Are you speaking as my wife or as a member of the council?" Charlie asked.
"I'm speaking to you as a physician," I pressed. "You have a couple of options for Vice Chancellor that we've provided for you. You're worthless to us if you're dead and there's no one to succeed you other than Aro Volturi, who will surely kill us all."
"I second Dr. Swan's concern," Carlisle pressed. "Who is going to be Vice Chancellor?"
"Looking at the votes from when Chancellor Swan was elected, you came in third, Dr. Cullen," said Eleazar Sartori, the representative from Farm Station.
"Fine, Carlisle, you're Vice Chancellor," Charlie said, waving his hand. He blinked up at me and I saw his exhaustion in his dark brown eyes. He huffed out a sigh. "Do we have a motion for …"
"I move to appoint Dr. Carlisle Edward Cullen to become Vice Chancellor," Marcus said.
"Second," Eleazar nodded.
"All those who approve?" Charlie asked. We all raised our hands. "Opposed? Abstention? Okay … congrats, Carlisle." He leaned back against his chair, looking much older than his forty-five years.
Carlisle stepped up and closed the meeting, asking the rest of the council members to leave while he examined my husband. He took his pulse, feeling his forehead. "Have you been taking your medications? Antibiotics? Pain medication?"
"The pain meds make me loopy," Charlie grumped, trying to swat Carlisle's hand away. "I'm fine."
"You're not fine. Your pulse is racing, you have a fever and … I think you've got an infection. We may need to open you up again," Carlisle said. "Come on, Chancellor." He helped Charlie to his feet, guiding him out of the council chamber.
I blinked to Marcus once the door was closed. "You need to get into Sulpucia's head. If Aro was innocent, she would say so. Sulpulcia wants nothing more than to be a wife the Chancellor with all the advantages and bonuses therein. You know?"
"Agreed," Marcus nodded. "Perhaps if we give her an ultimatum … share everything you know about your husband and you can have your life back, minus the husband or be floated."
"Try more traditional interrogation techniques before we go to the extreme," I said, standing up and tucking my tablet under my arm. "I'm going to the command center to check on the one hundred before heading to medical to check on Charlie."
"Making sure that Bella is okay?" Marcus asked.
"If I can't see her, I need to see her vital signs," I whispered. "We can't share this information because the rest of the Ark population doesn't know what we did and why we did it. So, it's only accessible in the command center. Contact me if Sulpulcia cracks."
"Maybe you can interrogate her. Woman to woman," Marcus shrugged.
"Doubtful. Sulpulcia hates me," I snorted humorlessly. I left the council chambers, walking swiftly to the command center. When I arrived there, I nodded curtly at the crew before logging into one of the empty stations. My heart calmed when I saw Bella's steady heartbeat and normal vital signs. She was okay. I stared at her photo on the screen. Her hair was down, and her expression was bland, but she was the most beautiful young woman. "I miss you, baby girl. I hope you're safe. I love you."
Shaking my head, I checked on the rest of the kids and they were all okay. Perhaps a little hungry with the blood sugar readings I saw, but they weren't dying from radiation poisoning. With a swipe of my fingers, I closed the terminal. With another curt nod, I left the command center and went to medical bay to make sure my husband was okay.
Yes, I was pissed as hell at him for how he'd behaved, but he was still my husband.
In the medical bay, I found Carlisle looking at some results. Charlie was asleep in a private room, hooked up to an IV and going through dialysis for his kidneys. "What's the prognosis?" I asked.
"If we'd waited any longer, he would have been beyond our help," Carlisle huffed. "He's septic. I've got him on antibiotics and heavy-duty pain killers. He'll remain here until the sepsis clears. Before he slipped into unconsciousness, he invoked his power to make me Chancellor. He doesn't think he'll make it."
"Based on these readings, he should already be dead," I frowned.
"Your husband is stubborn and wouldn't let something like multi-organ system failure keep him from dying," Carlisle snorted. "We're filtering out his blood with dialysis, while monitoring his kidneys. He should be fine, if he allows himself to heal."
"Okay," I replied. "I'm going to check on the other patients in med bay. Call me if you need me."
"Of course," Carlisle said. "Please join Esme and me for dinner tonight."
"I think I may just stay here and monitor Charlie," I said. "I know Aro is confined to his quarters, but that doesn't mean another person will try to hurt him."
"I have security standing outside. Marcus assured me that he'll have the best guys watching over medical," Carlisle argued. He blinked up at me. "I think you can help us get through to Demetri. He's a very frightened little boy."
"Frightened? Of whom?" I asked.
"His father," Carlisle whispered. "I figured you could use your psychology training to get into this kid's head. He may know more than we think."
Arching a brow, I nodded in agreement. I'd stay for dinner, but I would come back to medical to monitor the care of my husband. Carlisle grinned and went back to checking Charlie's test results while I went to work on the people in the waiting area of medical. The hours flew by, and I left with Carlisle, after seeing Marcus standing outside of medical with one of his most-trusted officers standing guard.
In Esme and Carlisle's quarters, I met Demetri. Esme was finishing up dinner and I sat down on the couch next to the little boy. He was tiny for his age, with black hair, pale skin, and haunted hazel eyes. He had his father's coloring, but looked more like his mother.
Demetri was clearly afraid of something. His eyes tracked every movement in Esme and Carlisle's quarters. He barely hid a flinch when Carlisle sat down across from him. "So, Demetri, are you adjusting to staying Dr. and Mrs. Cullen?" I asked, sipping my water.
Demetri shrugged, picking up his tablet and idly flipping through the pages of games, apps, and educational tools. I gently pried it away from him. "I'm impressed you're so dedicated to your schoolwork, but I want to get to know you."
"Why?" he asked. "You don't care about the people."
I frowned, looking at him. "I don't understand, Demetri. I care very much about the people."
"That's not what my father says," Demetri retorted, glowering at me. "He said that you and your husband, the Chancellor, only care about yourselves. Not the people of the Ark."
"Demetri, I'm one of the Ark's physicians. I want everyone to be safe and happy," I said, reaching over to take his hand. When I did, his sweater rolled up on his arm. It was covered with new and fading bruises, scratches, and lacerations. "Demetri, what happened to your arm?"
"Nothing," he yelped, yanking his arm back. "Can I go to my room?"
"Son, you can't," Carlisle said sternly.
The flinch that Demetri gave was even more intense as he tried to move off the couch. I shot Carlisle a look. He must have seen that I needed him to go, and he stood up smoothly, walking to help Esme in their kitchenette. Moving so I was crouched in front of him, I spoke quietly. "Demetri, sweetheart, we're not going to hurt you. Dr. Cullen and I are both healers on the station. So was my daughter, Bella."
"I saw her once," Demetri muttered. "You were dealing with an emergency in Mechanics Station and Dr. Cullen was in surgery or whatever. Dr. Bella helped when I broke my finger at school." He showed me his right hand, pointing to his pinky finger. "She was nice. It didn't hurt when she pulled my finger to make it straight."
"She probably gave you some medicine while she set your finger," I smiled gently. I pushed up his sleeves, revealing more injuries. "Who did this to you?"
Demetri looked away, fidgeting in his seat. "I can't say. They'll get floated. I'll have no one."
"No, Demetri. We'd protect you. You could stay with Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, or you could stay with me," I said. "We can keep you safe."
"But, I don't want anyone to float," Demetri cried, tears streaming down his little face. "If I don't say anything, nothing bad will happen."
"You'll still get hurt, Demetri," I argued. "When someone loves you, they shouldn't do this. This is not love. This is abuse, sweetie. Whoever did this to you doesn't love you, but wants to hurt you. Demetri, I want to help you. Please, let me."
"Can you make the scars go away?" Demetri asked with tears falling onto his cheeks.
"I'll try, baby," I nodded. "I can take you to medical …"
"No! Here," he pleaded, taking my hands with surprising strength.
"Okay," I smiled. "I'm going to get my kit from my home, and I'll be back, Demetri. While I do that, can you please think about telling me who did this to you?" Demetri nodded. I squeezed his fingers, poking my head in the small kitchenette in Carlisle and Esme's quarters. I told them I was getting my medical bag from my place, and I'd be back. Carlisle shook his head, grabbing his bag and handing it to me. I went back to Demetri, carefully inspecting his injuries and covering them with bandages. I was quiet, save for my explanation of what I was doing.
"My mom and dad," he whispered. "They hurt me. It's my dad more than my mom, but I don't think they love me. They don't love each other, and they take it out on me."
"I'm so sorry, Demetri," I whispered, sitting next to him, and hugging him gently. He clung to me, crying almost hysterically. "Children are a gift. The fact that they hurt you … it's awful."
"They did this because I heard something I wasn't supposed to," Demetri sobbed. He slid off my lap, picking up the tablet. His fingers worked quickly, opening up a digital file. He handed it to me. "Watch."
Carlisle and Esme drifted back into the living room. They watched over my shoulders as Aro spoke to a man in the shadows of his quarters. I didn't recognize the man, but Aro's nasally voice was quite distinct.
"I promise you that you won't be floated for this," Aro hissed. "You'll be guaranteed freedom."
"How? I'm going to kill the Chancellor," came the other voice. "If they catch me, I'm as good as space dust."
"You'll be sent to Earth," Aro cut in.
"So, I can become an irradiated freak? No way! You want to be Chancellor … get the votes," the male voice growled.
"The ground is safe. I saw the readings myself. Dr. Swan insisted we send a probe in order to prevent her own daughter from floating for her crimes," Aro scoffed. "Stupid bitch deserves every bit of torture … perhaps, Halsted can sneak into her cell and remind Bella of her place. She's nothing but a hole to fuck." He handed something to the man in the shadows. "You have until tomorrow morning to get this done. Afterward, you go to the drop ship attached to the prison, hide in one of the compartments until the prisoners are loaded on. You'll be okay. You'll get your revenge and I become Chancellor."
On the screen, the other person left and Aro turned to see his son filming him. After that, the camera was jostled, sliding underneath someplace dark, and Aro screamed several profanities. I heard punches being thrown, along with Demetri's cries for his father to stop. With another hard thump, Aro left the room and Demetri's blood face came into view. He ended the recording with tears streaming down his face.
"Will my dad be floated now?" Demetri asked, looking up at me. His expression was vacant, lost. I ran my fingers down his cheek. He snuggled close to me, trying to burrow into my side for comfort.
Blinking up at Carlisle and Esme, their faces were a mirror of my own.
Shock.
Disgust.
Anger.
Betrayal.
I just let Demetri snuggle against me. No decisions needed to be made right now. But, with this recording, we had proof that Aro had conspired to assassinate my husband, along with working with Warden Pike to commit more atrocities to those prisoners who were not of age, all while proclaiming that my husband went along with it when in reality, it was Aro who condoned those awful behaviors.
While I held Demetri, too upset to even think about food, two questions spun around in my head. One, who was that man who shot Charlie, and did he get off the Ark? Two, how many people believed the same way as Aro?
Either way, things were changing. Not for the better, either.
xx MWMA xx
Charlie ended up staying in medical for two weeks, but he was insistent that we continued running things as normal. He did recover, but he'd be weak for some time, but he was no longer on death's door.
In regard to Ark business, no one, other than the council, knew about the departure of the prisoners. Aro was still confined to his quarters and Demetri was permanently placed into my care. Sulpulcia found a way to end her life. She did not want to speak to the authorities and slit her wrists.
She was found the following day, laying in a pool of her own blood.
Marcus suggested moving Aro to the prison while we investigated the video, trying to discover who the mystery man was. Carlisle said no. He wanted to give Aro the allusion that he was receiving preferential treatment, but we'd been slowly taking his freedoms away while he languished in his quarters.
Aro was locked in, with two armed guards outside his door.
He did not have access to the Ark's computer, save for its movie database.
His meals were delivered once a day and while he received his usual fare, the portions were getting smaller and smaller.
We were also diverting oxygen from his quarters elsewhere, namely to quarters on D and E-Block. It wasn't a lot, but it was something.
Sitting at another council meeting, we were looking over the oxygenation records inside the Ark. According to our calculations, we should have six months more of breathable air. Unfortunately, Carlisle and I saw the hypoxia and carbon monoxide poisoning cases rising, even after lessening the number of people on the Ark.
"Things should be improving," Eleazar said. "But, they're not?"
"No," I sighed. "It appears the damage to the oxygen recyclers is more substantial."
"We need to send more people to the ground, lessen the numbers of people on the Ark," Carlisle pressed.
"We only have one more drop ship – the Exodus ship. I'd rather use that for when we're all ready to go to the ground," Charlie replied, his eyes flying over the readings within the Ark. "But, that's a whole other problem for another day." He put the tablet down, grinding his teeth and arching a brow. "Aro Volturi … what should we do about him?"
"Float him," Eleazar said simply. "He made an attempt on your life, abused his child! Both are … he deserves to die for what he did."
"I agree with Eleazar," said Daniel Hale, the councilor from Mechanics. "I don't agree with a lot of your policies, like sending my daughter Rosalie down to the ground, but I do agree that Aro Volturi should float for his crimes against his son and against you."
"I'm in agreement with that," Carlisle nodded. "I think we all are. But …"
"Why is there a but?" Eleazar grumped.
"How many people feel the same way as Aro?" Esme finished for her husband. "Aro did not succeed in killing Charlie, but what if one of his followers does succeed?"
"Offer him a plea?" Charlie asked. "Give up the names of your followers and we won't sentence you to float in the vacuum of space for the rest of time? No … he tried to kill me. He damn near did kill me."
"And, you don't remember who the shooter was?" Marcus asked.
"All I remember was a bright flash, a loud bang and a fiery pain in my belly," Charlie grumped. "After that? It was a god damned blur."
"Why not kill two birds with one stone?" I suggested. "Aro needs to pay for his crimes. That payment is death. We need to lighten the load on the Ark …"
"Are you saying that we kill innocent people?" Eleazar asked.
"Aro and his followers," I said. "Things are going to get infinitely worse if things continue along the same vein … people are already suffering from long-term oxygen deprivation. We can't repair the oxygen recyclers because we don't have the technology. So, we have to repair the people …"
"It's something to consider," Charlie murmured thoughtfully.
As he said that, all the screens turned on and Aro's slimy face skittered across it. "People of the Ark, you have been deceived. Your Chancellor has lied to you."
"How the fuck is he broadcasting?" Charlie roared. "Marcus! Get this shit off the comms!" He coughed heavily, reaching for his glass of water.
"Where is the signal originating from?" Carlisle asked.
Daniel's fingers flew over his tablet, along with Marcus's. Marcus gasped as he got the answer. "It's coming from the command center, completely encrypted and will not stop until the message has completed."
We watched in silence as Aro described his plan, implicating Charlie as the figurehead of the whole situation. My husband's face grew ashen as he listened to the lies. Aro's words were chilling as he provided fabricated evidence.
"I want everyone in the command center taken into custody and interrogated," Charlie wheezed. "Your belief that Aro had more followers was true, Esme."
"We need to … We have to prove that Aro is wrong, what he's saying is a lie," I hissed. "We need a forum for the citizens of the Ark to ask questions and to give them the truth."
"They might not believe it," Marcus frowned. "We know that Aro's message was a lie, but his 'evidence' was pretty damning, painting Charlie as a tyrant, hell-bent on pushing his own agenda."
After ten minutes, Aro's diatribe ended, and we could hear the people outside of the council chamber. They were shouting, screaming, and banging on the bulkheads of the hallways. Carlisle and Charlie shared a look. My husband stood up, pulling on all his inner strength. They opened the doors to the council chambers, nearly crushed by the number of people outside. Marcus and the guards outside, protected Carlisle and Charlie, pushing the crowd back.
"Is what Aro said true?" asked a female voice. "That you condoned what Pike did to the prisoners?"
"That you sent the prisoners down to the ground as a way to execute them?" asked a man.
"What about the Ark?"
The questions came too quickly, creating a din of confusion.
"Everyone, please stop," Charlie yelled. The voices grew louder. "ENOUGH!" The voices stopped. "The accusations made by Aro Volturi are damning. But, they are false. If you give me an hour, meet me on the promenade and I'll discuss everything that Aro said to be true."
Communicators vibrated and an announcement was sent through the Ark's computer system, saying that Charlie and Carlisle would discuss the defamatory accusations made by former Vice Chancellor Aro Volturi. Marcus also locked down the command center to find Aro's accomplice who placed the program into the computer.
The angry mob hovering near the entrance to the council chambers begrudgingly backed off after the security team threatened criminal charges, leading to floating the people who lingered. That cleared the hallway.
Marcus left the meeting, going to interrogate the people working in the command center after checking if Aro was still in his quarters. We quickly worked on dissecting Aro's message and creating counter arguments with proof that Aro was lying. The one thing we couldn't deny was sending down the one hundred to the surface, but not to execute them. Instead, we sent them down to the surface to save our lives.
We had to tell the citizens of the Ark that our safe harbor was dying.
Finishing up the presentation, Charlie changed into a suit, and we walked to the promenade, protected by security officers. I stood next to my husband, showing a united front, but I was an anxious mess inside. On the promenade, Charlie stood at a podium, looking into the camera with a determined glint in his eyes. The crowd was rowdy, but when he held up his hand they quickly got quiet. However, it was a tense silence.
"Good afternoon," Charlie began. "I know that many of you are confused and pissed off. I know I am." He shook his head. "The former Vice Chancellor Aro Volturi made some interesting accusations. Most of which are false."
"He said that about you," spat a man near the front.
"His 'proof' was fabricated. But, let me start from the beginning," Charlie said harshly. "We did send the prisoners down to the ground."
The crowd exploded in shouts, anger, and fear. Many people began screaming, some were crying, and the rest were in a stunned silence.
"If you let me finish, I'll explain why!" Charlie yelled, glowering out at the crowd. "The ground is not an irradiated wasteland. We sent them down to the planet's surface because the Ark is … it's dying."
"Is this another lie?" asked the first guy.
Charlie pulled up the presentation, showing the readings regarding the oxygen recyclers. "We can't repair the oxygen recyclers. We've been patching them to the best of our abilities, but they are seventy-five years old. Hell, there are a few that are well over a hundred years old. We can't fix them anymore. They need a complete overhaul, which would take a spacewalk that our suits are not capable of taking. To put it simply, we needed to lighten the load for the oxygen recyclers."
"So, what did you hope to do when it came to the oxygen?" asked a woman.
"Buy us time to try and solve the problem," Charlie answered honestly. "We hoped that sending the kids to the surface would give us another six months of breathable air. The kids are fine. If you had a child in lock up, you could speak to my wife or the new Vice Chancellor, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, about their well-being. Due to medical privacy, we cannot share the information publicly, but we will share the information we do have."
"But, the ground is too dangerous!"
Charlie blew out a breath, "The ground is … it's not an irradiated wasteland. We sent a probe and have been monitoring growth on the ground for the past couple of years. Thanks to my wife and my daughter …" He trailed off, gripping the podium. "My daughter, Dr. Isabella Swan, and her best friend, Rosalie Hale, discovered the issue about the oxygen recyclers. They also tried to help another citizen of the Ark and in my haste to make an example of her, I almost doomed us all."
"Yet, you had her detained and sent her to the ground," sneered Daniel Hale. "Both your daughter and mine."
"I made a mistake and now, I'm trying to atone for it," Charlie said, shooting Daniel a glower. "I was more eager to make an example of my daughter until I received evidence of an ongoing conspiracy in the prison ward. Warden Pike and several guards were sexually assaulting female prisoners, with my daughter next on the docket. They said it was under my orders, but we have proof that it was under the orders of Aro Volturi." He showed the various communications with receipts from Pike, Halsted, Volturi and a few others.
He also pulled up the information that I'd garnered from Demetri, including the video of Aro speaking to the mystery man, all implicating that Aro had tried to assassinate my husband. "On the day of the launch of the drop ship, Aro had someone try to kill me. Dr. Cullen and my wife, Dr. Swan, saved my life, but by exceeding medical rationing. Aro tried to float both of them. Obviously, he did not succeed. Instead, I floated Warden Pike and Officer James Halsted for their numerous crimes against the prisoners, including sexual assault, sodomy, rape, and assault with a deadly weapon."
"What will happen to Vice Chancellor Aro Volturi?" asked another woman. "He's brought up some very compelling arguments."
"All of it was a lie," Charlie said, squeezing his eye shut. "Aro Volturi will be sentenced for his crimes against the citizens of the Ark. But, we need to address the oxygen recyclers. The departure of the prisoners … it didn't help as much as we'd hoped."
"How much longer do we have?"
"Not long," Charlie answered. "We have too many people on the Ark and not enough breathable air."
Carlisle stepped forward. "The reasoning behind our choice of sending down the prisoners to ground was for our people, our citizens. Unfortunately, we need more volunteers …"
"To go down to the ground?" asked a man. "I'm in."
"We're not ready to send people down to the ground. We have one other drop ship, and we need to be certain that it's safe down there. For now, we still need observe," Carlisle frowned.
"You need volunteers of people to die," Frank Yorkie muttered. "My son is down on the ground and you're asking for another sacrifice?"
"It's a sacrifice that we need. I will also be among those of you who …" Charlie trailed off. My heart lurched as I gasped. He took my hand, looking at me with tears welling in his eyes. "I have to do this for our people. I would be remiss as chancellor if I asked something of my people that I wouldn't do myself. I need … I need to atone for my sins. I need forgiveness from my wife, from my daughter … So, I will be among those of you …"
"I volunteer," said a woman. I looked at her and the woman who spoke was Marcus's mother, Didyme. She was one of our spiritual leaders.
"Me, too," responded another voice.
Most of the older members of the population volunteered. Almost two hundred people volunteered to end their lives for the greater good of the citizens of the Ark. Two hundred people will die to save over a thousand. I hated to resort to the loss of life, but we needed to do this. Oxygen deprivation is an awful way to die, lingering and painful.
"Marcus to Carlisle and Charlie," chirped our communicators. He sounded somewhat panicked. "It's Aro …"
Charlie stepped back, pressing his communicator to his ear. "What about him? He's caused enough damage to the Ark!"
"He's not in his quarters," Marcus hissed. "He had help and he's gone."
"Check the drop ship," Charlie hissed. "He may be making a play for …"
Over the intercoms, Aro's disembodied voice filled the promenade, "Too late, Chancellor. The Exodus ship is mine and if you want to live, join me. You have one hour. Anyone who wants to leave the Ark, and get away from Chancellor Swan's lies …" A countdown flickered onto the screens.
Fifty-nine minutes, fifty-nine seconds … fifty-eight … fifty-seven …
"Tick tock," Aro sang.
A/N: So, Aro Volturi is a few eggs short of a dozen. What do you think will happen up in orbit? Will Aro win? Leave me your thoughts.
Pictures for this story are on my blog. You can find a link for that on my profile. I'm also on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. Twitter: tufano79.
We'll be heading back to the ground to find out what's happening with the prisoners on the ground. What will happen with Edward, Bella, and crew? Thanks for reading!