Fire Away // The 100 // Book 1

Fai

***The Ark***

"Ten more, one after the next," Abby said with intense focus, her eyes fixed on the screen displaying critical data.

Jackson approached her with a sense of urgency. "Abby, look at the plasma osmolarity; they're going up across the board."

Abby's eyes lit up with hope, and she reached out, grabbing his arm in excitement. "They found water."

Just as their jubilant moment was unfolding, the door behind them swung open dramatically. In strode Commander Shumway, making a grand entrance into the Earth Monitoring station, flanked by a retinue of stern-faced guards. "Councilor Abigal Griffin, you're under arrest for exceeding the maximum medical supplies allowed for a patient," Shumway declared with authority.

Kane entered the room, walking in behind the guards, and approached Abby. He spoke softly, filled with a sense of regret. "I'm sorry this has to be public," he said to her. "The policy in these matters is very clear—no special treatment."

Abby's gaze remained unwavering, locked onto Kane's. "What about Delyn? She's 21 and was supposed to be floated. She got special treatment when you and Jaha arranged for her to be on the dropship when other people didn't get that chance and were instead floated."

Kane raised an eyebrow, his tone unyielding. "That's a different matter. She was underage when her crime was committed."

Abby shook her head, her voice filled with frustration. "No. She was underage when it started. She helped hide the truth for 16 years. When we arrested Octavia, your daughter was 20."

Kane hesitated for a moment, then firmly stated, "That is a different matter and we will discuss it no further," Kane repeated more sternly. He started to walk away, then abruptly turned back. "How much blood did you use, Abby?"

"Don't answer that," Jackson warned her, his concern evident.

"I used whatever it took," Abby blurted out, her defiance unwavering. "Breaking the law to keep you from becoming chancellor was the easiest decision I've ever made." The deep-seated disdain between Abby and Kane had never been concealed, and their daughters had grown up immersed in this bitter enmity.

"In that case, given your confession, in my role as Chancellor Pro Tempore, you leave me no choice but to find you guilty," Kane declared, his voice tinged with regret.

"We always have a choice, Kane. You chose to press charges against my husband, your friend, even though you knew he would get floated for it. You chose to include my daughter in those charges, yet let yours walk, and now you're choosing this," Abby said, her words laced with bitterness. "Hiding behind the law absolves you of nothing."

Kane straightened his posture, his tone defensive. "My daughter wasn't a threat to our survival. She was an engineer working on the issue. And this isn't about her." He always bristled when anyone spoke ill of his daughter. Abby's attempts to convince Kane of his daughter's criminal involvement had always been a source of tension.

"In accordance with penal code one, because all crimes committed by those above the age of maturity are capital crimes, you are hereby sentenced to death. Execution is set for the morning, and I choose at every turn and at any cost to make sure that the human race stays alive," Kane declared as he began to walk away.

Abby's retort was filled with a profound sense of purpose. "That's the difference between us, Kane," she said resolutely. "I choose to make sure that we deserve to stay alive." Their fundamental disagreement on the nature of survival and justice loomed large, threatening to drive a deeper wedge between them as the events unfolded.