the scent of air and darkness x b. blake

o n e

W E ’ R E
B A C K,
B I T C H E S

NINETY-SEVEN YEARS HAD PASSED since the nuclear war on Earth had domino-effected into twelve nations scurrying up to the space stations they hoarded above the radiation-oozing atmosphere. The dozen nations came together to form what they now called the Ark. Citizens of the Ark had another century of living inside the enormous hunk of space junk until Earth could finally be reconsidered as a habitable planet. Just like the human race had done in the previous millennia, people committed crimes and were henceforth punished for such crimes.

As Lilly peacefully allowed herself to be led through the endless halls upon the Ark, she thought about her own crime in great detail. She'd been doing so ever since she was put in Lockup three months ago. Even after all that time, she easily recalled each memory of how her pale fingers looked when they were caked in blood. Her clothes stained with the same blood. Her skin crawling with the grimy touch of Austin Rogers, a man meant to mentor her in the Engineering Station. He had deserved to die, of course, but the memories still mocked her with malicious intent. She couldn't remember the last night she'd slept peacefully.

And today, Lillian Grace Kane would be floated for her crimes.

One of the guards leading her—whose name she now knew to be Ian—was the same one that had threatened her the evening she'd been sent to the SkyBox. The other was a guard she'd yet to meet until now. Ian had made sure to follow through with his threat...several times. Bruises still covered her torso from where he'd repeatedly kicked her. Lilly had developed a nervous tick at the sight of the tasers they carried after being tortured with one so many times. Ian had been best friends with Austin Rogers and held a hate for Lilly Kane that ran so deep, she was practically counting down the days until her eighteenth birthday.

And here it was.

The door to Chancellor Thelonious Jaha's office slid open as they approached, the guards leading Lilly inside. "Ah, Lilly, it's been a while." Chancellor Jaha said, waving her in and telling the guards to stay standing outside. Though there was still rumor of an assassination, Thelonious wanted to try to get Lilly to confess the events leading up to her crime without prying ears. Maybe her time in the SkyBox made her miss her life on the outside.

Although Chancellor Jaha waved her in, Lilly didn't move. "I'm not going to plead or give you my story, Chancellor." She announced matter-of-factly. Her intentions with this meeting were not to unload her troubles, but rather to get things over with quickly. If she'd had it her way, Lilly would've jumped ship the moment they put her in Lockup. Her tone left little wiggle room for the Chancellor to convince her to think again. "Do what you must," she continued, "but I request that I be floated as soon as possible."