Guards began flooding in, filling up the hallways of every prison sector. Their main objective was to retrieve the 100 randomly selected prisoners and prepare them for their journey. All 100 had no clue as to what was happening and why. The guards definitely were not gentle. They said very little, and when they did it usually consisted of 'shut up' or 'keep moving'. A voice resonated throughout the speakers of the sectors, though little prisoners bothered listening.
"Congratulations. You were selected to be sent to earth, your mission is to survive on earth as long as possible to see if it is still inhabitable. You are currently being transported onto a shuttle. There will be items needed for survival on the shuttle, but it will soon run out, so you will most likely be forced to do things on your own. Good luck." The voice repeated itself over and over, one could easily figure out that it was a recording.

---

"What the-" Claudette's isolation unit was immediately barged into by four guards. Their feet were in sync as they approached her, grabbing her by both arms and dragging her. "Where are we going!?" She yelled and flailed her arms, though the guards kept a tight grip on her. Things were happening so suddenly. Was she going to be floated? The girl could hear herself breathing heavily as the guards dragged her onwards.
Why are there so many? This didn't feel right.
She frantically turned her head around to get a good look at everything, but all she could see were guards surrounding the many doors that aooeared to go on forever in the hallway.
When the recording began to play, the girl's emotion were mixed. She grew into a slightly dazed state as the guards left the prison and threw her aboard the shuttle, she was the first of many to come. They strapped her down and demanded that she stay seated. So there she sat, her mouth gapped slightly open as she stared blankly at what was ahead of her.

Adela looked up when the guards entered her unit. Before she knew it, she was walking in sink with others, a blaring voice telling them what was to happen. Adela wasn't concerned in the least. She at first had thought that the laws regarding floating had change and she was going to be floated right then, but this was actually better. A lot better. She was finally getting out of that stupid isolation unit. A whole planet for herself and 99 others. She had heard that alcohol was loosely given out everywhere. As she looked at the others she spotted a few of her old customers, who had gotten arrested for the use of alcohol as a minor. Some scowled at her, and others ignored her. Whatever, they made the choice in the first place, wasn't her fault.

There was a building in the distance. It looked like a huge mirror, reflecting light into her eyes. She blinked until she got used to the brightness. She was floating towards it, slowly but definitely getting there. She didn't know what it was, but she felt like it would keep her safe. So on she went.

Mira woke up with a start. Guards had busted into her unit and were hauling her halfway through the room when she gained consciousness. Realizing what was happening, she began to pull away, trying to escape from their iron grip. She screamed at them. But they wouldn't let her go. They were nearly at the doors and Mira was panicking. Where were they taking her? What were they going to do to her? Why was she leaving her room? Questions bombarded her mind, her heart racing faster and faster. As soon as she took one step through the door, she went limp. The guards looked back in surprise but continued to pull her along. She heard bits and pieces of the recording and bits and pieces of the other prisoners' confusion. The next thing she knew, she was strapped into a chair in a new room filled with even more seats and lots of people.

"They're taking you away!" "It's safe!" "It's dangerous!" "They don't like you!" "What are you going to do, girl?" A million voices echoed in her head, mixed with the noise around her.

"O-oi! Hold on a second!"

Cleon Alistair had just finished up with taking a dump at his putrid latrine when the prison guards suddenly rushed all throughout the rest of the custody sectors, and three pairs of two wardens flocked his individual isolation unit. It was the first time that he had seen them in such a hurry, and perhaps, it was the first time he ever saw one of them take a single step in his chamber of confinement. Having prepared himself for a nap, those preparations were cut short as they took him by his wrists and began to forced him out of his cell. "What the hell are you- Get your sweaty hands offa-"

One of the guards landed a kick to his thigh, causing Cleon to crumble to the ground and allowing them to seize control of his body. "Pipe it, you," the guard hissed as they dragged him through the halls that all looked the same to him. "Dont wanna break your glasses, kid. You're gonna need 'em on Earth."

"Earth?" Cleon uttered in confusion, the pain in his thigh thriving wildly. His ears perked up towards the communication speakers as the obvious pre-recorded voice congratulated him for, essentially, being sent into an atmosphere of radioactivity. From the stories his foster mother would tell, that was all the Earth was reduced to, now; ashes and radiation, all because their predecessors two generations prior thought it was smart to duke it out against each other with weapons capable of... well, reducing Earth to ashes and radiation.

"What the hell?! Why am I being taken?!" Cleon complained as he attempted to struggle against the men, to no avail. Fucking psychopaths! Isn't there nothing left?! "Are you people mentally deficient?!"

"Be quiet!" one of the six guards barked, only serving to further incite Cleon.

"Let go!" the teenager stammered as he looped his head around and lunged his face towards one of their arms, sinking his teeth into a layer of protective clothing and feeling as if he chipped a tooth or two. In mere moments, Cleon was thrown into the shuttle where he was kicked a number of times as an 'anesthetic' before being tied down. "Damn you!" he called out to the departing guards from his seat.

Loren awoke with a gasp and a heavy heart, she looked at the guards who had her by the arms, her vision hazy and bright lights everywhere. Where was she going? When would they get their? Was she about to die?

With a bite of her lips and a rough jerk of the arms she started to remember, they were going to Earth. Ninety-nine others would join her in the battle to reclaim the world some once knew. She straightened and started to walk with the guards. Now unafraid. They seemed surprised by her courageousness but eased their holds on her arms and walked straight like her. She saw that she was now in line with others, A hundred others to be exact. All walking, towards their new destinies. "Where are we going?" She asked, they looked at her and one nodded. "You are going to Earth, it is best to be quiet though." He said with a gruff voice, a distinct difference to her gentle and hazy one.

"Thanks, it means a lot that you told me." She knew that they were going to Earth, she just needed conformation before she started jumping for joy. With a rough grin her face brightened. This was going to be fun.

Cera waited with her arms around her knees, hugging them to her chest, listening intently to what she could hear beyond her own private cage. When the guards burst in, she was not at all surprised. She figured her floating would be soon anyway. The guards ushered her out of the room as she mutters, "I can walk on my own two feet, you know..." The guards, however, paid no attention to her and brought her to the shuttle.
What? she thought as one of the guards strapped her in, rightfully next to her brother, Soren. Well, I knew something would happen today, but nothing like this.

---

Soren was unaffected by all of this. Happy, in fact. This was the first time in a while that there had been a change in the dreary daily routine. As much as he enjoyed being seperated from his over-bearing sister, he couldn't help but feel good with this new rush of adrenaline.
He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't really care. What did it matter to him what happened? Surely finally being free for just a few minutes was worth any pain that may come to them, and he was more than ready to deal with the consequences.

Jon sat cross-legged against the wall of his cell, a permanent scowl imprinted on his face. It was the second week of his detainment, and he could already feel himself slipping away. Time seemed to trudge at a snails pace, food came at too long of intervals to be considered "healthy," and Jon felt completely and utterly grotty in the murky garb given to him.

No regrets, Jon, the rebellious young man thought to himself. Someone had to take the fall. Needs of the many and all that jazz.... Jon perked his head up as the doors of his cell sprung open, and he grimaced as he noticed two guards approaching him.

"My my, what brings the pigs from their sty?" Jon said with a cheeky smirk, his voice hoarse from dehydration. The guards paid no mind to Jon's words; Jon had more than once heckled the guards, and the beatings that the guards usually gave afterwords gave them no reason to be afraid of this weak peasant of a boy. Stoically, the guards took Jon by his arms and forced him to his feet.

"I wouldn't be smiling, Hanson," one of the guards murmured as Jon was led out of his cell and down a hallway. "Where you're goin', I think you'll finally learn to mind your manners."

"Oh? Where would that be?"

"Hell, Hanson." The second guard chuckled and tsk'd at the pathetic little man that was Jon. Jon had paid no mind to their insults, hell even before he was detained the guards would pass him the occasional jab or kick to the side. Along with everyone else in the commons...I hope the people rise up and burn these suckers.

"Any place is better than here with you filth," Jon replied as the guards pushed him forward with more force. "I'd ask if you were proud of me for moving on, that is, until I remembered that you pieces of trash have no pride..."

The butt end of a guard's rifle met Jon's nose, and the prisoner collapsed to the ground. Jon's world was fading, his vision now blurred and his hearing was muffled. He could hear the distorted voices of the guards as they picked him up, no doubt saying something cheeky to add insult to injury. But there was also something else in the background. He couldn't make out everything that was being broadcasted, be he swore he could of heard the uttering of the word "Earth..."

If these assholes are going to execute me, they better do it quickly, Jon tried to utter his thoughts into words, but the force of the blow along with his already weakened state made it impossible to shake himself out of his dazed trance. Jon blanked, but awoke and found himself being thrown into a shuttle's seat. What the hell is going on?

Jon brought his hands up to his nose, feeling a sharp pain and noticing blood on his fingers. Broken... Jon looked around the shuttle and saw what appeared to be dozens of his fellow prisoners also being forcefully strapped into seats. To add salt to the wound, situated right next to Jon was...

"Damn You!"

Cleon? Oh brother... Jon slumped over, letting the blood drip from his nose. Wherever we're going, this is going to be one hell of a trip...

Kenny McBee had been sitting upright in his bed, breathing mechanically through the machine covering the lower half of his face. Dark rings surrounded his eyes from lack of sleep. Staying awake late was finally taking a toll on him, it seemed. There were sounds and footsteps outside. Kenny was going to take a nap, before he heard them...
He got up, again. The footsteps were getting closer.

The door to his cell was opened.

"What's all this about?" He asked the two guards that entered his cell.
"Get up and start moving." The guard said.
"Where?"
"Stop asking questions and get up." At this, Kenny nearly tried to pick up a sharp object to try to fight them, but they grabbed him and, with Kenny still protesting, dragged him to the shuttle and strapped him into a seat."Fuckers..." He whispered.

Anders lay awake on his rack as he often did during the periods of isolation. With little to do he was left alone with his thoughts. Sometimes scheming, sometimes pondering life and daydreaming. However, the recent outbreak of commotion about the isolation wards had drawn his thoughts to it.

Could it be that the authorities had decided it was time to float them all. After all, it was the logical decision. We were a drain on already strained resources, no reason to keep us around.

A knock at his cell door jolted him to alertness. It was his turn. He slumped himself to his feet as the door slid open revealing the guards outside. The sound of the commotion intensified once the door no longer insulated the cell from the outside.

"Come in,"

He smirked as he spoke.

If it really is time for my execution then I'd have play along. Or better yet aggravate the guards. Angry people made mistakes. It depended on the guard in question. Some of them are real nasty bastards. Sadists. Not afraid to strike a minor. Except I'm not a minor anymore.

Anders was probably the oldest inmate in detention currently, he knew the system well and knew the majority of the guards by first name. He knew how to push their buttons and how far he could push them.

The two guards rushed into his cell, one was short, the other was a beast of a man. Pablo and Stav. Pablo: one mean little bastard, expressing his napoleon complex through beatings and being a general dick. Stav: A likable giant who often played along with Ander's sense of humor. However he still followed protocol and allowed Anders no special privilages.

Well there goes my idea of overpowering them. Stav could break me with a single blow and Pablo is just looking for an excuse to beat me/

"Out Anders," the smaller one shouted.

"Okay, Okay.. I see we're skipping the niceties today then Pablo"

Anders didn't budge from where he was stood. The big one spoke.

"Oh I almost forgot, Happy Birthday." he said wryly

Anders grinned. A small smile briefly appeared on the larger guards face.

"I trust you didn't get me anything then Stav?"

"Enough! Get him moving" shouted Pablo a lot more anger laced in his voice than the first time. Pablo shot a glare at Stav. A truncheon also appeared in his hand. "Move. Now." He gestured to the door with the baton. Stav followed suit by motioning his head toward the door and reaching out to grab Anders.

They both manhandled Anders out of the cell and through the corridors.

"Ooh I sure hope it's a surprise party."

His sarcastic remark earned him a strike to the gut from the little man's baton. Anders just smiled in an attempt to mask the pain.

They entered a room with a shuttle which Anders was quickly pushed into the back of.

So no floating. I guess that's a plus. Then again wherever this shuttle was bound for was certainly not going to be fun.

Pablo stood back as Stav forcibly strapped Anders in. Anders looked about at the other inmates who were sharing a similar fate.

"I guess this is goodbye then Stav?"

Stav glanced at his superior officer to his side and didn't respond, avoiding eye contact. He walked off quickly leaving Pablo. Anders smiled mockingly at Pablo who just responded with a full blow to the face. Anders spat out blood and after a brief moment in shock resumed his smile.

"I'll miss you too buddy."

Silence and a scowl his only response. He blew a kiss after Pablo as they walked away. An effort that his restraints made quite difficult.

Kenny observed the other prisoners. Various trouble-makers, a mixed bag of criminals, all being strapped to seats. All 99 of them boarding the shuttle to Earth. He had been eavesdropping on guards, so he knew exactly where he was going, and-

Oh. Eugene is on the shuttle too. Kenny glared at him with a scowl, and whispered under his breath, "My luck is absolutely terrific. Get into an accident, go to an isolation unit, get sent on a suicide mission to Earth, and the absolute best thing is I have to deal with Anders's bullshit..."

He put his face into both of his palms, sighing robotically. "Absolutely terrific."

Equinox had been asleep when they came.

The doors to his isolation unit slid open and the sound of footsteps followed as a group of guards approached his bed. One of them gave a jarring kick to its frame, effectively waking the boy. "Get up," they said, voice gruff. Equinox did just that. He had learned early on in his confinement that it fared him better if he simply listened to the guards' orders and not make a scene. He wasn't Sol. He didn't have much fight left in him.

Raising a hand to check if his eye-patch was still in place, Equinox asked the men one question. "Where are you taking me?"

"Away," the guard to his left huffed. "Now get up."

Walking down the corridor, two men flanked him on each side- another at his rear and front- while a magnetic cuff bound his wrists in place. Equinox struggled to suppress his growing panic. Since his isolation had began, he had been hearing rumors from the other prisoners about a radical new idea that the Council conceived to save the Ark's twenty-four hundred citizens. It had something to do with the planet in which his namesake originated, and with sacrificing about a hundred or so "expendable" lives.

It seemed that he was one of them.

Equinox barely registered the shuttle dock he was entering or the seat he was shoved into later on. It wasn't until he was being firmly strapped in that the boy began to struggle. It was to no avail. This- this was real, and they might not make it and God I feel horrible but I wish Sol was here too.

---

"Let me go, asshole!"

Solstice had been tracing patterns on his ceiling when four guards barged into the room. They had demanded that he get up and follow them, however Sol wouldn't give until they answered his questions. They ignored him, naturally, and proceeded to manhandle him out the door.

Sol knew where he was heading though. During the few times that he and Equinox managed to talk, the dark-haired boy spoke urgently about rumours he had heard. A hundred lives sacrificed for the good of everyone else.

What a load of bull.

Solstice struggled against the guards' grip. He needed to buy some time. Maybe...maybe he could- "Let me talk to my dad!"

The guard behind him laughed as the pair at his side doubled their efforts. He was practically being carried down the hall.

"Councilman Evans doesn't have time to listen to your whining, boy. Your fate was sealed long ago."

"What-"

They all stopped. In front of the group were doors directly connected to a shuttle via a catwalk. Suddenly, said doors opened and Sol found himself being roughly shoved through the entryway. No! he thought. He refused for things to end like this.

In a flurry of movement Sol broke free, kneeing one guard in the crotch while elbowing the other in the face. Without pause, the boy bolted down the hall. He barely made it two steps before someone grabbed hold of his jumpsuit and pulled back hard. The teen had a second to look behind him before the tip of a stun-rod touched his neck and the world went black.

...Solstice came to not long after.

The first thing he realized was that he was strapped in tightly to a seat. The guards must have enjoyed that because he could barely breathe (and his head hurt like a bitch).

Secondly, he noticed his best friend sitting in a similar manner beside him, face twisted with both relief and guilt. "Uh, hi?"

Once all 100 boarded, the prisoners could feel a slight shaking as the ship was detached from the dock. It was all up to momentum to do the rest. Rocket propellers would push the ship along until they reached the earth's atmosphere. So, for now the ship was a quiet and surprisingly cozy ride(though not a long one).
There were no windows, sadly. So the prisoners had no choice but to stare at one another and make slight conversation.

---

Claudette gripped onto the seatbelt and watched as the other prisoners talked somewhat. Most looked like strangers to her, though there were a few she recognized.
She turned her head to the side to speak with one of the prisoners. "So..." Claudette murmured, "What do you think earth is like?" The girl had seen old videos that were preserved before earth was devastated, so she had a rough idea of what it appeared to be like.
The prisoner didn't reply, he merely brushed her off and looked away from her.
"Rude..." Claudette frowned slightly at his reaction and turned her head back.

Cera sized up the other prisoners, judging which she knew and which she didn't. She also decided which ones were threats, and which seemed harmless. Great, she thought, I'm going to have to watch my back. I don't like this situation. It's best not to trust anyone. Cera looked towards her brother and whispered, "Be careful. If we are allowed free when we get to Earth, some of these people can or will attempt to kill you." Soren snorted, "None of them could even stand a chance against me. I may be one of the youngest, but I can handle myself. Stay out of it and stay away from me." Cera frowned slightly, upset not by her brother's rejection, but by the ignorance of his own vulnerability.

Cera sighed, and looked around for any people who may have more information on where they were going. All she knew about Earth was its name, and that it was ripped apart. Seeing that most people looked just as clueless as she was, she decided to simply remain silent and wait it out. Looking down at her lap, she thought, Well, at least its quiet.

"The earth? Probably a big rock of nothing" Adela spoke to Claudette, as she was sitting on the other side. "Of course, there could be something. An old building, a few rusty things here and there. Who knows? Maybe a new form of life" Adela listed on and on, in quite a bored tone. The only thing she really was interested was in the old breweries. "Quick question, would 97 year old alcohol be poisoning if you drank it? Or others drank it? I have such a hard time thinking about the answer. That and it could be slightly radioactive. Of course, those are only minor bumps in the road. Wow, its been such a long time since anyone has listened to me for this long. This is such a delightful conversation. We should be friends. I like the idea. What do you think?" Adela blabbered on.

Kenny breathed through his breathing apparatus and decided that not many people on the shuttle would be good company. All had done some form of crime to even be on here, anyway. Well, he did kill two people in quick succession, but atleast one person did something worse. Right...?

He decided to just wait it out. Maybe even take a nap. It had been a while since he had last slept. He pulled his hoodies hood up, closed his eyes and the only thing that was still awake was the machine he used to breathe, glowing faintly in the shadows of his hood...

Anders nursed his freshly bruised face as the shuttle departed. After a few moments he glanced around the passenger cabin at the other unfortunates bound for Earth and potential allies. Noticing the glare coming from the masked kid, he was quickly reminded of the nature of some of these young people.
Anders recognized him immediately, the trademark mask all to obvious. But what was his name again.. Oh yeah Kenny or something. He remembered when the boy went mental a few years back and stabbed up some other kids. Anders couldn't help but think that he was on the kid's list too. The mask was ripe ammunition to get laughs out of a class of thirteen and fourteen year-olds.
There were many more with violent tendencies among these kids. If Anders was going to survive down there he'd need friends or at least people that he could depend on.

For all his thoughts Anders didn't meet the eyes of Kenny. Instead he pretended not to have noticed him and continued surveying the room for potential candidates.

The flight so far had been disarmingly pleasant, further reminding Equinox of their current predicament.

"Sol," he whispered, nudging the dosing boy beside him. The blond shifted in his seat, cracking one eye open expectantly.

"Has it occurred to you that we're about to be sent to Earth with a hundred teenage criminals? And that we're supposed to play nice long enough to find some habitable plane on a long dead planet?"

"I don't know, man," Sol replied with a grin and a casual shrug, "we both got charged with treason. I think that's pretty hardcore."

...Equinox blinked, face deadpan.

"Fine, fine!" Hands rose in a placating manner (as far as Solstice could in his restraints). "I'm guessing you wanna ditch this group as soon as we land?"

"Yes."