Adapting to the Ground (a The 100 fanfiction)

Descension

Earth's Atmosphere: Sometime in the Fall, 2148

    The heat was intense. Ribbons of orangish-yellow and orange streaked over the window as the pod shook, and Natalie Campbell clenched her eyes shut as she grit her teeth. The console sparked, and she prayed that nothing caught fire inside. The descent seemed to last forever, but sooner than she expected a jarring crash indicated that she had landed. A thought she barely managed to register before she lost consciousness.

~~

The Ark: Three Days Before Descension, 2148

    Natalie was bored. She had just set the cards up for a new game of solitaire, when they started whispering. Looking back, if they were trying to keep this secret, they were failing. Of course, she was always listening hard for whispered secrets because otherwise life in space was boring.

    “My dad found a problem with the oxygen system. I'm not supposed to know,” a girl stated, sounding worried. There was a mumble about malfunctions, then an anxious reply. “No, this one may not be fixable.” Silence. Then, “The Council doesn't want anyone to know.”

    She glanced behind her to see who it was, catching a glimpse of the Chancellor's son and Doctor Griffin's daughter. They were leaning forward in an attempt to keep their conversation private. Natalie still heard what was said. Griffin's dad, head engineer Jake Griffin, had discovered the awful truth: the Ark was running out of air. Natalie licked dry lips and shuffled her cards, straining her ears to hear more.

    “The council, meaning my dad?” Wells Jaha sounded unsure.

    “Yeah. And my mom.” The Princess sounded distressed, and Natalie chanced another glance back as she laid the cards out for a game. “And others. I think he's gonna go public anyway.”

    Natalie's breath caught in her throat, playing solitaire without really looking at the cards. “Clarke, he can't! He'll get floated!” The Jaha kid sounded desperate, and Nat silently sent her support.

    “I know!” the girl was quiet a moment. “But what if he's right? Don't people deserve to know the truth?” A sigh and Natalie lost her game, gathering the cards to reshuffle them. “You can't tell your dad I told you. You can't tell anyone.”

    “You're secret's safe with me. I promise.” Natalie almost snorted, resetting her cards. That boy was crushing hard.

    “Campbell, deal for poker?” A loud voice cut into her musings. She looked up to see her best friend, Raven Reyes, grinning at her. Finn Collins stood behind her with his hands in his pockets.

    “Yeah, sure. What are we betting on this time?” She smiled, shuffling the cards once more.

~~

Earth: Sometime in the Fall, 2148

    Pain was the first thing Natalie noticed as she came to. The second was silence. She sucked in a breath, then forced her way out of the still smoking pod. She took another breath before taking off the helmet of the space suit she wore. She held her breath, waiting for the certain death she had prepared herself for. When it didn't come, she sank to the ground and gasped for breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she curled up on the dirt and leaves beneath her.

    No one knew she was here. (Well, by now someone did. She wasn't the first person to leave the Ark via pod. She'd done her research.) She hadn't told Raven and Finn where she was going, she hadn't told Bellamy. Her friends probably think she was floated for knowing secrets she shouldn't have heard. Or whatever other excuse the Council gave out. Probably something lame like breaking some rule or another.