all hail the underdogs

                  ❝am i serious ?❞ persy sneered back, the statement coming off as a question even though she knew what he had realized. she could see the cogs and wheels in marcus’ head turning and saw them continue as he spoke. ❝yes… i live here, however they only bring it to my cabin if i ask.❞ she stated, watching him carefully as he assessed the situation. she didn’t know what to make of his expression, his face twisted into a million different emotions. when his voice softened as if his words would get him floated, persy’s eyes became gentler. ❝he’s my uncle… unfortunately.❞ persy had added on the last bit not only because she meant it, but because she wanted him to know she wasn’t like the rest of the posh, pompous upper class. persephone was raised to follow her uncle without question, and she did. but once she got older she realized he was no angel and people died under his command.

                   an awkward silence hung in the air for a moment, a knock on the metal door interrupting the quiet. persy opened the door, letting the kitchen boy set the platter on her desk. she pulled the boy aside, whispering in his ear and slipping a bill into his pocket. when he nodded, persy smiled and guided him out. she turned towards marcus, gesturing him towards the food. 

THIS WAS ALL A BIT TOO MUCH for him. It was one thing if she was middle class, as he had initially expected, or even Go Sci, but a girl from Alpha Station who was related to the chancellor? This was far more than he was prepared to deal with. “Unfortunately...?” He repeated. Marcus couldn’t understand how it could be unfortunate to be related to the most powerful man aboard the Ark, especially when the perks included breakfast in her own luxurious compartment. “What about being related to the chancellor is unfortunate exactly?” Finally, he found it within in himself to be aggravated. She was different, he hadn’t expected any of the chancellor’s relations to be willing to sleep with men of the Factory Station, but she was still one of them. “Look at this place. You’ve got people literally waiting on you. Nobody in the great chancellor’s family would ever have to slum it in the Factory Station, and yet you’ve got the nerve to act like it’s an inconvenience.” What his friends, coworkers, loved ones, and even he wouldn’t give to have such perks. 

                    ❝marcus.❞ she repeated softly, liking the way his name bubbled out of her mouth. she led him towards alpha, the route unfamiliar in the way that persy never came from the factory station, her rendezvous with marcus being the only time she had been there. at his question a smirk upturned her mouth, ❝yes… is it not as glamorous as you thought it’d be ?❞ her tone came off more smart than she meant, but it was too late to take it back. they walked through the throngs of people she only knew in courteous small talk, earning a few “good morning miss fraiser” ‘s in the process. at that, persy just smiled politely and kept on until they had reached her room: A107. she pressed her hand to the plate by the door, her fingerprints being recognized by the machinery immediately, letting the two in.

                     her room wasn’t made for a queen nor a princess, but compared to the bunks of the commoners it was luxurious. a white linen clad bed stood against the far wall, a desk adjacent, and an en suite bathroom on the opposite wall. the metal walls were covered with vintage photographs and postcards from earth―fond keepsakes that persy studied as she was fascinated with a planet she had only ever seen outside the window that was above her bed. she walked towards the phone that laid on the desk next to a picture of her and her parents and dialed up the kitchen. ❝can you bring my breakfast to my room ? and add on another portion… i have someone with me… and do not tell him that i had you do that. thanks.❞ she hung up the phone and turned towards marcus. ❝should be here soon.❞

MARCUS COULDN’T HELP BUT ADMIRE alpha station. He didn’t want to. No, he wanted to hate the technology and the people and the clean corridors, but all he could do was stare. He knew, of course, that the United States had been rich and powerful, and that they’d had a tremendous space program, but this was beyond imagination. "No, I expected...” he wanted to tease back, to belittle the station and all it stood for, but he couldn’t think of anything worth critiquing. For the first time in his life, Marcus went silent. Instead, he followed her through the corridors like some poor, lost puppy. He listened carefully as the people greeted her and feeling more and more ill at ease by the moment. Fraiser. Everyone seemed to know her, to mind their manners when they realized that she was headed toward them, and his attention shifted from the station and the people to her. Blonde. Pretty. Poised. An Alpha Station brat. Who was she? Fraiser. The name was familiar enough... 

And then it hit him. 

“It’s nice, yeah.” Felix replied, taking a moment to admire it. The words that followed it, however, caused him to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He hadn’t spent much time in Factory. Outside of medical checks, he never had any reason to go to the station. And it wasn’t as… nice as Go-Sci. “I guess.” Felix said with a slight shrug. He’d hardly say that he or anyone was born posh. Everyone shared based on need, including Alpha and Go-Sci. “I’d say it’s a perk of being a doctor. But… you’re not just here to admire the view, are you? Did you need something?” Feeling awkward sitting, he stood and held his rations in one hand. 

                    ❝what do i want ?❞ persy laughed, shaking her head. she leaned against the door frame, looking him up and down as if that were to give her the answer. ❝i want to have breakfast and do something nice for you, considering i doubt our paths will ever cross again.❞ she sighed, feeling content with her response. persy knew he was right: people only do things if they will get something in return. she masked her selfishness as good deed, knowing full well she only wanted to show off the small luxury that set her apart from the rest of the ark.

                   persy opened the door further, the sounds of machines whirring and people chattering weighing down the air. she stepped out, walking north towards alpha. her heels clicked against the metal flooring, the sound melodic in her ears. she looked behind her to make sure he was following before she called out to him: ❝i’m persephone by the way. people call me persy.❞

HE WAS CONVINCED NOW that she was playing games with him. The night before had been exciting, fun even, but he was less impressed with the lies that she told him presently. “Right, see? That’s the problem.” He told her. Marcus studied her expression carefully, as if something in the way she looked up at him might give him a hint of her true desires. “Why do anything nice for me if you’re never gonna see me again?” Marcus asked, shaking his head as if she was speaking some other, unintelligible language. It didn’t make sense, and the fact that she wouldn’t tell him the truth made him hesitant to go along with her ploy. What would she ask him for? What sort of trap was this?

The ark was getting cold almost every second, especially in the mecha station. It was her job to fix broken devices, it was her job to fix the ac that was running cold air through the vents.She grabbed the wrench that was sitting on a red bucket along with other tools, She took a few steps onto the latter that was in front of her but before she could fix the ac, She heard footsteps coming towards the girl.“You know its bad to disturb a mechanic at work. What do you want?”

                     persephone was only half asleep when she felt the mattress shift and the lingering singe of the man’s eyes on her. HIS EYES were what drew her in; one blue and one brown. it was perplexing and interesting and his dimpled smirk only enticed her further. she knew the man―max, was it?―was below her stature, but she didn’t think so low she would end up in the factory station quarters. he looked regal with high cheekbones and cleaned up nice and no evidence pointed to his low class. even so, she kept her mouth sewn shut about how the film of grease on everything down there made her stomach burn.

                      at his sharp cue, persy swung her legs over the side of the bed stretching upward before looking over her shoulder at him. ❝you’re not going to work today.❞ she said firmly in her pointed accent that balanced on the line between german and american. she reached down for her dress from the night before and slipped it on. the bed’s springs creaked as persy stood up in search of her heels an eye cutting over to the man. she slipped on the shoes and headed towards the door, eyeing him expectantly. ❝well don’t just stand there. come on.❞

IT WAS IN HIS NATURE to be sharp. Soft edges, politeness, and social faux pas were luxuries afforded to those who had time on their side. Who could spare a moment in the factories? Certainly not Marcus. There was work to be done, both in the factory itself and on its workers, and he didn’t see much point in beating around the truth. He wanted her gone, wanted to wash himself of the grease, alcohol, and sweat, and get on with his life. Apparently, she had other plans. “What?” Marcus glared at her, evidently unconvinced and unimpressed with her knowledge. “How could you possibly know what my schedule is?” He’d be willing to bet that she didn’t even know his name, so it’s not as if she could have looked him up.

The dining hall was too filled for Felix to bother hunting down a seat. He spilled into the hallway outside it. He sat next to a large window that currently had a decent view of the moon. Unlike in the crammed dining hall, here he felt like he could breathe. The view wasn’t too bad either. Dinner with a view. He started eating, but he didn’t get too far into it before his meal was interrupted. Apparently someone else also wasn’t interested in eating in the packed dining hall, or all alone in their room. “No, the seat’s not taken. You can sit there, if you want. Or did you want something else?”

PAIN COILED IN HIS TEMPLES, in his cheekbone, and his right fist. “Ugh.” Marcus groaned. The sound of his own voice was distant, as if he were hearing a stranger through a fog, and he opened his hazy mismatching eyes in confusion. Where was he? A well-worn uniform hung on a hook in the corner, the familiar whirr of the factory echoed through the compartment, and Marcus was relieved to have made it home in mostly one piece. He’d almost been arrested, first for sneaking into a party that he didn’t belong at and then for getting into a fight, but she had saved him. 

Oh. Right. 

He turned slowly, cautious of the headache beating on his skull, and was faced with the blonde from the night before. Marcus eyed her carefully, studying the clean lines of her face. Unlike the people that lived on the Factory Station, who were constantly smeared in dye and grease, she was the image of what a person ought to be. She was pretty, maybe even beautiful. He frowned at her. She was trouble. “Hey,” Marcus grumbled. “Don’t know where you think you are, but this is Factory Station. We don’t sleep in here. Got work to do.” The last words were pointed and he dragged himself out of bed and started to pull on a shirt. “Rise and shine.” 

❝ ——･✧ ( dominic sherwood ) may the ark provide you a good life ( marcus fox ) ! you are now at the age of ( 26 ), and identify as a ( cis male ). around the ark you are known as the ( rebel ), and you’re a ( courageous ) citizen even if you’re sometimes ( mercurial ) ! with your contribution to the ( factory ) station as ( a factory worker ) we’re going to make this place a better home for us, and our future generations.