Ashes of the FutureChapter 8 – Ghosts of the Sky
The wind howled through the skeletal remains of the abandoned Ark station, its voice high and keening like the spirits of those who had never made it down to Earth. Kira stood at the base of a collapsed bulkhead, eyes scanning the half-buried door ahead, pistol drawn. The forest had long since begun reclaiming the station, ivy clawing through cracks in the metal and moss softening once-razor edges. But the faint signal Raven had traced was unmistakably coming from here.
"You sure this is it?" Bellamy asked, peering around her shoulder. His voice echoed faintly.
"Yeah," Raven confirmed from behind them, holding a battered scanner. "It's weak, but the ping's coming from below. We're standing on top of it."
Kira narrowed her eyes. "Then we dig."
They set up a perimeter while Kira and Raven examined the access hatch embedded in the floor. Clarke crouched beside them, watching with barely concealed nerves.
"Why would a signal come from an abandoned station?" Clarke murmured. "They didn't think anyone made it here."
"Could be someone set it to transmit before they died," Kira offered. "Or maybe someone survived."
Bellamy grunted. "Or a trap. Don't forget the Grounders are smart."
"This signal's Ark code," Raven countered. "Even the best Grounder hackers couldn't replicate it. I'd bet my tools it's genuine."
Kira nodded. With a grunt, she popped the hatch. The stale breath of ancient, recycled air wafted out, tinged with decay. She climbed down first.
The interior of the station was bathed in eerie green emergency lighting. Dust particles floated in the beam of Kira's flashlight like tiny ghosts. The walls were scorched in places, as if fire had ravaged sections of the corridor. She could hear her own breath as she moved forward slowly, every muscle tense.
"We should've brought Octavia," Bellamy muttered behind her. "She's better with tight spaces."
Kira chuckled dryly. "She'd have brought a sword to a console fight."
They pressed deeper. Raven followed close, mapping the interior layout on her tablet. Clarke watched their backs, pistol raised.
"Got something," Raven whispered. She darted to a console, brushing dust away from the cracked screen. Her fingers danced across the surface. Sparks flew, but the machine hummed to life.
A low, mechanical voice crackled to life. "Cryo-chamber status: critical failure. Two survivors. Stasis compromised."
"Cryo-chambers?" Clarke repeated.
Raven blinked. "Why the hell would a research station have cryo pods?"
Kira's heart dropped. She remembered something like this from the show—deep lore, almost a throwaway line. A secret Earth-based experiment with long-term human stasis. Canon hadn't expanded on it much. But now, it felt like a major plot twist.
"We have to find them," she said. "If someone's alive, they've been here for over a year."
They hurried down a corridor lit by flickering lights. Halfway down, they passed a window. On the other side, through grimy glass, two cryo-pods sat against the wall. One was dark. The other blinked weakly.
Raven hissed. "Pod 4 still has power. But barely."
Kira found the controls and activated the sequence. The machine shuddered to life, releasing a hiss of steam as the pod's front began to retract. Inside was a woman—mid-thirties, pale from stasis, with dark braided hair and military tattoos along her arms.
Her eyes snapped open.
She lunged.
Kira moved first, catching the woman by the arm and flipping her with the ease of instinct. The woman hit the ground hard, but didn't stay down. She came up swinging.
"Hey! Easy!" Clarke shouted.
"Who are you?" the woman demanded, voice hoarse.
"We're from the Ark," Kira said. "We found your distress signal."
The woman froze, staring at them.
"The Ark? We thought… we thought we were the last."
Kira helped her up. "You're not. Come on. We'll explain outside."
The woman's name was Captain Elara Reyes. She had been in charge of a deep-earth cryo research team placed on Earth decades before the Ark descended. An experimental project, hidden from most of the Ark's population.
Her pod had glitched mid-cycle, leaving her in partial stasis. Her partner, Lieutenant Mason, hadn't made it. She took the news with a hard face and a nod. No tears.
Back at camp, Lexa arrived the next morning, summoned by Kira's message. She brought Indra, and surprisingly, no guards.
Lexa examined Elara with curiosity. "You're not like them."
"I was born on Earth," Elara confirmed. "But my blood is the same."
"And your loyalty?"
"To survival."
Kira watched them carefully. She knew this encounter could tip the balance.
"She brings knowledge of Earth no one else has," Kira said. "And skills. We could use her."
Lexa nodded slowly. "Then let her prove herself."
And just like that, Elara was in.
Over the following week, Kira trained with Lexa's warriors. Not to show off—though that happened anyway—but to learn. Grounder fighting styles were different. Brutal. Efficient. They didn't just fight to win. They fought to end.
One afternoon, during a spar, Lexa herself stepped onto the field.
Kira raised an eyebrow. "You sure about this?"
Lexa smirked. "Are you?"
They circled each other under the sharp gaze of the warriors. Indra stood silently by, arms crossed.
Lexa struck first—fast and low, aiming to sweep Kira's legs. Kira flipped backward, narrowly avoiding it. She came in with a jab, only for Lexa to catch her wrist and twist. Kira used the momentum to roll and break the grip.
They clashed again and again, until sweat coated their skin and breaths came heavy. Finally, Kira landed a palm strike to Lexa's ribs, and the commander stumbled back a step.
She raised a hand. "Enough."
The crowd murmured, impressed.
Lexa looked at Kira with something like respect. "You fight with honor. And fury."
Kira bowed slightly. "So do you."
That night, Lexa visited her tent.
Not to spar.
Just to talk.
They shared tea. Stories. Silence.
And a look that lingered a moment too long.
Kira didn't act on it. Not yet.
She wasn't ready.
But the fire had been lit.
And Lexa had definitely noticed.
End of Chapter 8
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