Disclaimer: I do not own The 100 nor any of its characters, plot lines, dialogue, or other materials that can found within the show.

Fallen from Grace

Prologue / / The Hundred

Wells entered the apartment of the Vice Chancellor and Councilor, Marcus Kane. He couldn't remember the last time he had stepped foot inside. He must have been little because he remembered it being a lot bigger. Really little. It was still of good size, but majority of it was only one room. The kitchen, living room, and dining room were all connected. Not counting the door he had entered through, there was two others that Wells figured led to the bedrooms and a bathroom. It was even smaller than some of the homes on the poorer parts of the ship. Not that Wells spent much time on those parts of the ship. Actually, he had never been on those parts of the ship, but he assumed. It was about half the size of his home. Of course, it was only Kane and his daughter, so they didn't necessarily need that much space. Then again, it was only Wells and his father...

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Wells spun around, greeting the young brunette who had emerged from one of the doors, holding an old, black-bound book. As children, they had spent a lot of time together. His mother had died when he was five and then hers passed about a year later. They were two curious, wide-eyed children, who were not trusted to leave alone, so they would spent their days together waiting outside of the chancellor's office. But the last time either one had done that was about six years ago. These past years, they somehow unintentionally managed to rarely cross each other's paths.

"Axelle, I need your help."

They were practically strangers now.

"With what, Wells?" she asked annoyed and exasperated, like it was costing her her life.

In a way, she was right.

He stiffened, standing tall and strong, trying to perceive himself as if he wasn't terrified. What he was about to ask, wasn't only awkward, it would have them both convicted and it would no doubt spread gossip. The chancellor's son and the vice chancellor's daughter damaging the last tree... He was getting on that drop ship.

"I heard our father's talking."

Axelle pushed past him and settled on the couch. "Yeah, they do that."

"No, listen. They are sending the prisoners to the ground."

"The ground?"

"Earth, Axelle."

"I know what the ground is, Wells!" she spat.

"I want to get on that ship."

"What ship?"

"The drop ship."

She stood. "The drop ship that will be of prisoners and landing on a radioactive planet, you want in on that?"

"Yes."

Axelle was about to ask why when suddenly it clicked. Her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Because...Clarke."

"Please, Axelle, I need to go down there with her."

"I think Clarke is quite capable of defending herself."

"Probably, but I just want to make sure she's okay." We're okay.

"So, you're just gonna risk your own life for this girl?"

"She's my best friend."

"She's more than that, Wells," Axelle muttered. When he didn't respond, she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. This was crazy! Wells had to know that, but he was still persistent. She dropped her arms, sighed once more, and she almost couldn't believe the words that flew out of her mouth. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

The boy grinned.

"You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding." Axelle was crouched beside the door to her grandmother's church. She was dressed in all black. She looked like a robber. Wells, though, he was wearing reds and yellows, bright colors, like he wanted to get caught. But that was the whole point of the mission.

He shook his head.

"You're insane." She jammed her finger against his chest. "You are insane."

"Yeah, whatever." He brushed her off. "You have the password?"

She grumbled incoherently as she yanked out a crumbled piece of scrap paper from her pocket. She held it out, and when Wells went for it, she pulled it back, staring right into confused eyes. "You know, I told my grandmother that I wanted to get a book from inside. She's gonna know I was the one that gave the code to you. I'm gonna get arrested too."

Wells snatched the paper from her hand. "You better hope she's loyal." He stood and started pressing buttons on the keypad. The door clicked, then it slowly rolled open, revealing the object to interest sitting center on a table at the far wall. "The Eden Tree." Also known as the last surviving tree on the Ark and Wells's genius plan was to destroy it.

Axelle jumped up as Wells was about to take that step inside. She grabbed his shoulder. "Wait." He turned. "Are you sure about this?"

Wells didn't hesitate. He nodded.

Even though she meant to turn around and run now so she wouldn't get caught, Axelle followed him in. She had been here many times as a kid, but after her mother got sick, those times became rare. Her grandmother saw it as a reason to attend her church sessions, but her father had seen it differently. He saw a lot of things differently after his wife's death.

Her grandmother, Vera Kane, a bubbly and free-spirited woman and one of the Ark's religious leaders, was going to be over the moon about the prisoners being sent to Earth. The religion she practiced saw the ground as some sanctuary. It was their heaven. She worshiped that damn tree — they all did — but it would soon be burnt to ashes. Suddenly everything wrong with the plan hit Axelle. She had to stop him!

Wells took out a pack of matches from his jacket pocket and flipped it open. He swiped a single match across the side of the box and a small flame lit the dark room.

"Wells!"

The boy was startled at his friend's distressed yell. He dropped the burning stick in surprise, landing on the potted plant. It created a small hole in a leaf, very slow and almost memorizing, and then the the two teenagers blinked and half of the tree had gone up in flames.

Axelle threw her sweatshirt over her head and used it pat down the fire. But instead of decreasing, the flames grew, spreading on to the black sweater's sleeve and scorched her hand. She let go of it with a yelp.

A loud blaring sounded, a siren repeatedly screaming. Axelle covered her ears, but Wells smiled faintly. She then realized, the emergency alarm. It didn't go off often on the Ark. Most people kept in line. If you were over eighteen, then they floated you. But if you were under eighteen, you were locked in the Sky Box until you're eighteenth birthday, then you were floated. People were supposed to be given a chance to be reviewed, but in the past recent years, nobody was pardoned.

The door flew open. A group of guards burst into the room, led by no one else but the vice chancellor.

"Dad!"

"Axelle? Wells? What—"

She couldn't hear what he had asked next for a guard had grabbed her, another taking Wells, and dragged them out of the room.

Once out of the room and the guards had dropped her and Wells, by instinct or whatever—she wasn't sure what came over her—Axelle struck a blow to one's face.

"What were you two thinking?!" Wells's father, Chancellor Jaha, bellowed.

After Axelle's punch, the guards shoved her and Wells into the chancellor's office, who was already unhappy to be woken, never mind that his son and his right hand man's daughter had played a reckless act in destroying the last tree.

"I'm sorry, Dad."

"Sorry?" Jaha's face scrunched up in disbelief. "You burned the damn tree and assaulted a guard!"

"Hey, she's the one that threw the punch." Wells lifted his hands to point at the girl beside him, or to the best he could. One was handcuffed to the chair, as so was one of Axelle's.

"Not now, Wells." The chancellor took in a breath. "You two are good kids. Why did you do this?"

Axelle's eyes drifted to the corner of the room. She was not going to answer that.

"Hmm?

Wells shrugged. "We weren't thinking."

"Like hell you weren't thinking!" Jaha took a moment to calm himself before he said, "You both already know this, the oxygen supply is limited. We're running out of time. So, we are going to send a hundred prisoners to the ground."

Wells had to bite his lip to hold back his smile. "The ground, like Earth?"

Axelle rolled her eyes.

Jaha didn't notice the bullshit in his son's voice. He nodded. "They will test if the earth is survivable."

"That's a suicidal mission and you know it!" she spoke up, finally voicing her thoughts ever since learning of the plan merely hours ago.

"We have to think of the greater good, Axelle. You should understand that better anyone."

The comebacks reeled in her mind, but she clamped her mouth shut. Think of the greater good..

"Each will be given a bracelet that will monitor their vitals," he continued, "Up here in the Ark, we will be able to see the effects that the radiation has on you."

"Wait, what?"

Jaha stepped back and and two guards appeared. The pair of men each approached a single teenager. Axelle noticed hers was the guy from before. A bruise was forming nicely under his right eye. "Hold out your right arm, princess."

"Why, wanna go again?" Axelle retorted, but she didn't think she could, and the guard knew it too. A bag of ice was sitting against her swollen knuckles.

He grabbed her arm, yanking it out from under the ice, and unlocked the handcuff.

She felt relief wash over her. A red ring had formed on where the handcuff had been uncomfortably rubbing against her skin. But it was cut short when the guard slapped a new cuff on to her wrist. It was cold, metal, and it pinched her skin when it clasped shut.

Axelle glanced down. "What the hell is this?" She peered at Wells. He was just as confused as her.

"That is the bracelet that will monitor your vitals," Jaha spoke up from the corner of the room.

She looked at Wells again. This time for longer and it was more of a glare.

Axelle Kane was a part of the hundred. She was now a criminal, a deliquent. She was going to be one of the first people in ninety-seven years to set foot on the ground. She was being sent to Earth.