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'd starting almost halfway through the month, but I'm determined to, at least, get something going.

Chapter Thirteen: On the Ark

Charlie

"Sinclair, when does the window open?"

"A minute, Chancellor," Sinclair replied. "And, sir? In peace may you leave the shore …"

"In love may you find the next," added Esme.

"Safe passage on your travels," said Alec.

"Until our final journey to the ground," cried Carlisle. "I shall miss you, brother."

"May we meet again," Renee sniffled. "And, we will meet again, Charlie. I love you."

"I love you, too, Ren," I choked out, pressing the buttons to release the Ark. "May we meet again." I disconnected the call and released the Ark from the central ring. The station vibrated with the power of the thrusters. I fell onto my ass, groaning as my injury barked. I monitored its departure, breathing deeply as it cleared the central ring. Scrambling up, I walked to the window as I watched what remained of the Ark descended into the atmosphere. Pressing my hand to the window, I repeated brokenly, "May we meet again."

"Dad?"

I blinked my eyes, trying to reconcile the fact that my daughter was standing before me. She wore a doctor's coat and a warm smile, reminding me of her mother, but a younger version. You're losing your shit, Swan. Bella is on the ground. She's not on the Ark.

"You're not losing it, Dad," Bella snorted. "I'm here. In a sense." I walked over to her, reaching out to touch her, but her form evaporated like a puff of smoke. She reappeared the same way, but standing further away. "I'm in your mind, Dad. I'm just … I'm here to help you. This is not your end."

"But, baby girl, I deserve this fate," I argued. "I hurt you. I hurt your mother. Let me do this one last thing. This is my penance. My choices broke our family."

"The Ark broke our family. It was overcrowded, overwrought and overused. All in all, the time of the Ark is in the past. Our time on the ground is our future. Now, I'm going to help you join your family so the real Bella can actually forgive you. She might be a hard nut to crack … In time, though, she will forgive you."

"Ain't that the truth?" I huffed. "My daughter is more stubborn than me."

"And, she's far more brilliant," dream Bella smirked. "That's why your brain conjured me and not, let's say Carlisle or your wife. I can help you get out of this pickle. Have you ever had a pickle? I've heard they're delicious and I want to try one."

"Is this my subconsciousness's way of saying I'm hungry?" I mumbled. "I really am losing my shit."

"No, it's hypoxia," Bella answered. "The air is getting thin up here. I'll be fine. I don't breathe. I'm just a figment of your overactive imagination, but we do need to work fast. After two orbits, the air will become toxic and I hate to say it, you won't make it back to your family."

"How can I get down to the ground, Bells? We don't have any more drop ships and our space suits were destroyed when Aro disengaged the Exodus ship," I frowned.

"Check in the closet next to your office in the command center," Bella whispered, gesturing to her right.

Frowning, I crossed the command center. I tried opening the closet, but it was secured with a locking mechanism. I used my command code; the door slid open. Inside, there was a space suit. What the hell? "How long has this been here?"

"Since the Ark was created," Bella responded. "The first Chancellor put in here for himself, the selfish bastard. He wanted to be protected from the vacuum of space. You know this. It was in your manual that you received when you were sworn in as Chancellor, Dad."

"I think I remember it now. Chancellor Molina made a note of it, but said that only a coward would use it," I said, remembering her notes on the manual. "I'm not a coward. I don't want to …"

"The way off the ark doesn't have protection or atmosphere. You'll be protected from the fiery reentry to the atmosphere," Bella explained, leaning against the door frame. She pinned him with a pointed glare. "Put it on, Dad. Trust me."

"But, you're not here," I mumbled. I scrubbed my face, feeling sick to my stomach. "Bella … I don't know …"

"Then, trust yourself," she pushed. "Put it on. You're going to need it. But, don't put on the helmet. The oxygen tank only has an hour's worth of oxygen. It will take about that long to get down to the ground."

I eyed the apparition of my only child. I took in a deep breath, reaching for the suit. I stuffed my feet into the boots and zipped up the suit. I left off the gloves and helmet, blinking up at my daughter. "I'm in the suit. What's next?"

"Go back to the table. You need find a docking port," Bella commanded. "14-A."

"What's there?" I asked.

"Your ride out of here," she smirked, puffing out like a flame.

"Bella? Bella! Don't go …" I whimpered, sliding down onto the floor. "I just got you back."

"Dad, I'm not real. Your brain is making me up," she said, leaning against the table with a wry grin. "Pull it together, please?"

"Just promise me you won't poof away like you just did," I pleaded. "Not until …"

"I promise," she smiled, pointing to the table. "Docking port 14-A … your ticket out of here."

Clumsily, I walked to the table, pulling up the docking schematics. I searched for docking port 14-A, finding an old Stoke rocket tethered to the port. It was used a supply transport before the bombs went off. It was one of the last space-bound rockets before the world was set on fire. "Wait, does this thing have fuel?"

"No, but the Ark does," Bella said. "We have hydrazine that can be used to power the rocket. What will take time is siphoning off the hydrazine into the rocket. Time is running out, Dad. Two orbits and then you won't make it. The air is becoming toxic."

"And I can't use the oxygen from the suit because there's only an hour's worth," I mumbled to myself. "Okay, you want to help?"

"I can't help, but I can be your own personal cheerleader," Bella giggled. "Go, Dad! Go!"

I smiled at her, making my way to docking port 14-A, needing to prepare it for launch and reentry into the atmosphere.

May we meet again …

xx MWMA xx

Edward

Early the next morning, Bella went in for a shift in medical. Jasper and his team came back with medicinal herbs. Bella had to work to create salves, creams, and medicines with the herbs. I went to work on the security schedule, focusing on training the team. I also created several new positions to monitor the exterior buildings surrounding Mount Weather.

"Knock, knock," Bella said. "Are you busy?"

"I'm almost done. How were Jasper's finds?" I asked.

"Really good. I got the kitchen staff to work on creating ointments and creams. He also found mint that can be used for toothpaste. We're working on creating shampoo, detergent and other cleaning supplies using the recipes from the database," she said, smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

That's when I noticed the dark grey smudges under her eyes. "Do you want to get out of here? Go exploring with me?" I asked. Anything to get her out of here, even for just an hour or two.

"Where?" she asked, her face brightening.

"Looking at the exterior buildings and checking to see if they can repurposed to be living facilities for the Ark residents," I suggested. "We have room for five hundred people in here, but there are more than that in the Ark."

"If they all survive," Bella added with pursed lips. Her gaze fell to her feet as she leaned against the door jamb.

I got up from my seat and walked over to her. "Princess, look at me," I commanded gently. She bit her lip, but kept her eyes downcast. Cupping her face, I guided her gaze to mine. Once her eyes found mine, I brushed her hair back from her face. "I know you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, but you now have a partner to share in your burdens. You didn't sleep well last night …"

"I had nightmares of being floated or if Halsted had followed through with his promise," she whispered, moving to snuggle into my arms. "It won't happen because we're on the ground, at least being floated. What about Halsted?"

"My guess was that he wasn't long for this world," I said, trying not to snarl out my anger. Halsted had every reason to be floated. He'd taken liberties … no, he raped girls in the prison and many of them ended up taking their own lives because of what happened. Shaking my thoughts away, not focusing on those dark moments, I said, "Let's check out these spaces. We can also see if there's a way for us to build a settlement around the mountain."

"I think I need a few moments outdoors. I'm getting cabin fever," she sighed. "Can you grab a radio from Lauren? I'm going to let Austin know he's in charge of medical while we check out the buildings."

"We should also get a Geiger counter, just to be safe. We don't want people to get sick from their accommodations," I suggested.

"Smart," Bella said, giving me a genuine smile. She pressed a kiss to my cheek, leaving me in the command center.

I got a radio from Lauren. She also directed me to some keys, which might open up the doors. I grabbed a set, stuffing them in my pocket of my jacket. I clipped the radio to my pants. "Have you heard anything more from the Ark?"

"Nothing since last night," Lauren replied. "They said they'd depart at some point today. We got an approximate landing zone, too. Keep your eyes peeled while you're outside. You could see the Ark landing."

"Wow," I mused. "This is good news."

"I'm using the satellites to track them, but so far, nothing," Lauren shrugged. "Eric is supposed to relieve me in twenty minutes. I need to train more people to work up here. Twelve-hour shifts are not my idea of fun."

"Add me to the training schedule and pick a couple of security folks to be trained, too," I nodded.

"I will, Edward. Thanks," Lauren said. "I'll get you those names by the end of the day." Then, she yawned. "Or early tomorrow. My eyes are crossing with staring at these screens all day."

Eric walked in, carrying a cup of coffee and a plate with some food. "Sorry, I'm late. I got a late breakfast. Go, Lauren. You look dead on your feet."

"Thanks, Eric," Lauren sighed, squeezing his arm, and ducking out of the command center.

I told Eric my plans with Bella. He wished us well, logging into the computer. I left the command center, picking up Bella at medical. She was wearing a jacket and held a Geiger counter. I held out my hand, which she eagerly took. With a wave to Austin, we walked to the elevator and rode up to top level. We strolled through the garage, checking in with Emmett and his team. He offered us the use of a Rover, but we decided to walk since it was a lovely day with clear blue skies and a soft breeze. There was a chill in the air, indicating that winter was on its way.

Once we were out of earshot of the garage and on our way to the buildings, I gently pulled on Bella's hand to stop her. She looked at me with confusion, her pretty brown eyes narrowing. "Is everything okay, Edward?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Are you okay?" I pressed. "I know you didn't sleep well."

She sighed, continuing to walk toward the first building. "I'm … I'll be okay. I know that I'm struggling with some PTSD."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder," she answered. "And, before you start blaming yourself, it's not your fault. I just need to talk it out or journal it out … I don't know. I'm good at fixing bodies. If there's a laceration, you use sutures to sew it closed. My laceration is in my mind, and I need to sew those parts together, but I don't have the right tools."

"Talk to me, Princess," I murmured, capturing her hand. "I'm not a doctor …"

She bit her lip, tightening her fingers in my hand. "I don't want you to think that I'm closing you out, but a lot of what I need to talk about is my fears of what Halsted wanted to do to me. I want to share my body with whom I choose. He wanted to take me, steal my body. I remember how it impacted your mom and I don't want that. I'd never want that. Yes, you think he might have been floated, but this irrational fear is on loop in my mind that anyone could do that." She blinked at him, looking at him with a lot of guilt.

She's afraid that I'm going to be like Halsted …

"Bella, I would never … I love you and you're in charge," I vowed, stopping to take her face in my hands. "We're both in the same boat … never being with anyone. I'll wait forever for you. We share a bed, a living space, but if you want …"

"No!" she exclaimed, moving to hug me. "I don't want to be alone. I was alone for months and being alone made my mind spin. I constantly went to the worst-case scenario. When I'm with you, I feel safe. I feel surrounded by your strength. That's the only thing that grounds me."

"Okay, Bella. I'm not going anywhere," I promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry I'm a mess," she mumbled against my chest.

"We're all a mess," I chuckled. "But, we'll be okay."

"I love you, Edward. I don't know how I'd survive without you," she breathed, relaxing in my embrace.

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"I'll take any help I can get," she said.

"Talk to Rose. She's your best friend and she can understand what you're dealing with," I murmured, tightening my arms around her tiny body. "Do you want to talk to her now or do you want check out the building with me?"

"I'll see if I can talk to her tonight. You can do boy things with Emmett or whatever," she giggled. "The database has a whole bunch of sports that we didn't have on the Ark. You could watch something with him."

"I think that's doable," I chuckled. "Now, let's scope out these buildings to see if they're adaptable for dormitories or apartments for the Ark survivors."

We kissed for a few minutes, breaking apart to go to the closest building. Thankfully, the keys Lauren gave me worked to open up the locked door. Inside the building, we found desks, computers, and file cabinets. Bella did pull out the Geiger counter, checking the radiation inside. It was slightly elevated, but still within the safe range.

"For these spaces, we'd have to pull out the desks and technology … I wonder if any of it is salvageable?" Bella mused.

"My guess is probably no. The bombs destroyed all the electric components. What did Rose call it? An EMP, an electric magnet pulse?" I shrugged. "We could have Rose come and take a look."

We walked through the buildings, finding more of the same. The only building that was different was large apartment complex. It was the barracks for the military personnel. It was the furthest away from the entrance to the mountain, but could hold approximately a hundred people. We could use the apartments for the families with the other buildings for single or couples in the dormitories. We'd have to discuss with the other department heads, figuring out how to make the idea work for the Ark survivors.

We were going to walk back to the mountain when Austin's voice crackled through the radio.

"Dr. Marks to Dr. Swan," he called.

I handed the radio to Bella, who stood straighter. "This is Dr. Swan," she replied.

"I need you to come back to medical. Someone came to the garage … someone from the drop ship," Austin explained. "They were heavily injured, face completely bruised and an indication that she might have been sexually assaulted."

"She?" Bella asked. "Do you know who it is?"

"As soon as she arrived, she asked for Bella and then passed out," Austin explained. "With the nature of her injuries, I'd figured she'd be more comfortable with a female team. Charlotte is with her. I set up an IV and administered pain killers. But, no, I don't know who it is. She has long brown hair and is fairly petite."

Blinking to Bella, my eyes widened. "Alice?"

"Could your patient be Alice Brandon?" Bella asked, moving to squeeze my fingers.

"Either her or Leah Clearwater," Austin answered. "Those are the only two that match the description."

"We'll be back there in fifteen minutes. We're pretty far out," Bella replied. "Please do a full body scan and x-ray for any broken bones. I'll do a rape exam once I get there."

"Understood," Austin said. "Dr. Marks out."

Bella handed me the radio with wide eyes. "It might not be her," she whispered. "It could be Leah …"

"Leah has never been here," I choked out. "Alice has." Tears welled in my eyes. "It has to be Alice."

"Come on, Edward. I'll do everything in my power to help her," Bella said calmly. "Trust me to save your sister."

"I do trust you," I said. I squeezed her fingers, gently tugging on her hand. "I trust you more than anyone."

"I will need Austin to help me," Bella explained. "Do I have your permission to perform surgery if it's needed? You're her next of kin."

"Do whatever you need to do," I breathed.

And, with that, we took off back to Mount Weather.

A/N: Is it Alice or is it Leah? Also, what did you think about a glimpse into Charlie's brain. Leave your thoughts as to what's happening. Thank you for reading!

Pictures from this chapter are on my blog. You can find a link to the blog on my profile. I'm also on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. I'm also on Twitter, HIVE and Spoutible: tufano79.