Should I have told my dad that I was going to a Factory Station meeting to try and clear Bellamy's name? Probably. Should I have expected that as soon as walked through the door, hand in hand with Bellamy, that I would get several weird and mean looks? Definitely.  

I felt Bellamy give my hand a reassuring squeeze as we pushed our way through the dense crowd. I heard someone speaking at the front of the room explaining why the meeting had been called.

I was definitely out of place. Everyone there had on clothes with several rips and holes and stains. Most people had bags underneath their eyes and tired looks on their worn faces. It smelled like sweat and fuel and being in such a cramped room didn't help.

We found Bellamy's mother towards the front of the crowd. She was standing with her arms crossed over her chest as she gave Bellamy and me an alarmed look.

"Bellamy, it's not a good idea for Harley to be here."

"She's the one that overheard everything from the Council," Bellamy answered. "Besides, she's not like most of the people in Alpha Station."

Aurora glanced over me, "I just hope you know what you're doing."

The three of us turned our eyes to the woman at the front of the room. I recognized her as the person that was Chancellor before Jaha, Diana Sydney. She looked older. Her blonde hair had a small tint of grey and a few wrinkles marked her face. She spoke in a calm tone that seemed to make everyone give their undivided attention to her.

I looked around at how intently the people were listening to her every word. They seemed to respect her; to follow her, and I couldn't help but realize that there was something off about her. She definitely fit the profile of being a suspect.

"I know all of you want justice. I know you want to be treated fairly, just as all the other stations are. I know you work twice as hard as everyone else to provide for your families," My gut told me she was the person I was looking for. "But, the Council is never going to treat us fairly unless we make them." And my theory was confirmed. "They don't take us seriously, and even if we sent someone to talk to them we all know how it would end."

"No you don't," I stepped forward from the crowd, and I heard murmuring all around me. "There are people on the Council willing to listen. They want to help you and do everything they can to improve the situation here on Factory Station."

Diana Sydney raised her eyebrows, "And how would you know? You don't understand-"

"I understand perfectly," Maybe I shouldn't have interrupted her. Oh well. I turned around to face the people of Factory Station. "My father has always believed that everyone on the Ark should be treated equally. He has been doing everything he can to try and get Jaha to start improving Factory Station, but if you all turn to violence there will be nothing more he can do. If you send someone in to talk to the Council, I can guarantee that my father will make sure everyone listens with an open mind."

Silence hit the room for a few moments before a man with ginger hair stepped up from the crowd, "And why should we trust one word that comes out of your mouth? You're not one of us. You're one of them."

"You're wrong," I answered. "Alpha Station doesn't own me, and they don't own any of you. You have every right to go to them and express your complaints and demand for what you want. Here on the Ark, we shouldn't have sides. We should all be in this together to survive, and do what is best for everyone. No matter what Station you're from."

Bellamy came to stand beside me. He laced his fingers through mine and gave me a confident smile as he turned his head to the crowd, "Harley is right. Violence will get us nowhere. We have to send someone in to talk to the Council. That's our best option. Alpha Station shouldn't be our enemy. They should be our ally."

My eyes scanned the crowd as I silently pleaded for someone, anyone, to agree with us. Maybe I was in over my head thinking these people would even take me seriously. Maybe none of them could see past the fact that I was from Alpha Station. Maybe all of this was just a horrible idea. What if I had only made the situation worse?

Then, as I was mentally panicking, I saw Aurora step forward, "I'm with you."

Something like the domino effect happened after that. More and more people began to step forward, and I watched in absolute wonder at how quickly they banded together. The workers may not have had much, but they had more character and integrity than the richest person on the Ark.

I looked up at Bellamy and smiled as he pulled me against his chest. He placed a kiss on the top of my head, "I knew you could do it, Princess."

I placed my hand on his chest and corrected him, "We did it."

Diana Sydney glanced over the crowd. Her eyes then fell on Bellamy and me as understanding washed over her face, "It seems I've misjudged you, Harley."

I nodded, "It seems you did."

She gave me an impressed look as she turned to the workers of Factory Station, "Now that we've all been inspired by Harley and Bellamy's words, we must choose our representative. This person must have a wide understanding of what needs to be improved in our Station, and he or she must also have an understanding of how to bargain with the members of the Council."

"Why not the girl?" I heard a voice suggest. Wait who? Me? What? "She has a boyfriend from Factory Station and a father on the Council. They'll respect her and listen to her."

Diana turned to me, "What do you say, Harley?"

My eyes widened. Oh, they were actually serious about that, "Well, if there are no objections then I'd be happy to take your case to the Council."The words left my mouth before I fully thought them over. Well, no turning back.

"Is there anyone that objects to Harley Winters being our representative?"  A long silence followed her question, and I took that as a no. "Ok, well, in that case, welcome aboard Harley."

~_~_~_~_~

I took frequent visits to Factory Station during the next week. I talked to several workers about what they wanted to see improved in their Station and wrote down the most mentioned issues. One thing they wanted was more living space. There were several rooms in Factory Station that were vacant and that could be turned into apartments for families instead of a working space like the Council wanted.

They also wanted more hours off. The people in Factory Station worked five hours longer daily than any other Station. They wanted to make a system of rotating on and off duty so they had more time to get rested. This was a very serious issue because there was a countless number of sleep-deprived people in Factory Station.

They also wanted a higher ration. As everyone knew, Factory Station received the lowest rations, which was unfair considering that they worked the hardest. All they wanted was a small boost.

There were also many rooms in Factory Station that needed some serious remodeling and cleaning. I wanted to get some engineers and mechanics over in Factory Station to make it look a little nicer and not so... gloomy.

The day of the meeting had arrived. The Council still wasn't aware that I was the one that would be talking to them, but I made sure that they got a message that the meeting would be held in Factory Station. Not the Council room.

My guess was the Council hardly ever visited Factory Station. They never had seen how in need the people really were. Showing them how big of an issue the people's living situation was might help persuade the Council.

I was currently in the meeting room of Factory Station. Several chairs had been brought in and seated in front of me. They were for the Council and as I looked over them, my stomach ignited with anxiety. There was so much riding on this meeting. It had to go well. No, it had to go amazing.

What I didn't know at the time was that a large crowd of people from Factory Station was in the very next room and would be able to hear my every word. If I had known that, I probably would have spoken a bit differently.

When seven o'clock rolled around, I heard footsteps outside the meeting room. One by one, members of the Council filed into the room. They had shocked expressions on their faces when they saw me. Abby Griffin, Marcus Kane, Chancellor Jaha, and my father, Daniel Winters were the most taken aback.

"Harley?" My dad asked with confusion as he sat down in a chair. "What are you doing?"

"I'm representing the people of Factory Station," I answered with confidence.

"Harley, you're a teenager," My dad said with a pleading look in his eyes. "You don't understand what's going on."

"I know exactly what is going on," I turned to address all the other Councilmen. "Did you all take a good look at your surroundings when you came to meet me here? Did you see the overworked people? Did you see the tiny living compartments in horrible conditions? Did you see the crying babies that mothers are struggling to provide for? And yet, you have the audacity to say that the situation in Factory Station isn't important? It is important. The workers in Factory Station deserve your time. They deserve to be treated fairly and equally just like all the other Stations."

Chancellor Jaha was the first to speak, "We have done a lot for Factory Station in the past few years."

"Oh yeah, like what? Please, name all the generous things and selfless sacrifices you've personally made to improve their living conditions to the best of your ability... Chancellor," My voice was full of defiance and challenge that I could tell Jaha was not a fan of.

Marcus Kane was next, "Harley, we have tried to help Factory Station, but it's not our fault they try to go against the system of the Ark."

"The system?" I scoffed. "You mean the one that put them at the bottom in the first place? There shouldn't be some insane social system that tells them they have to live in poverty just because they're the workers. They work their assess off every day so you can live with the privileges you do, and how do you thank them? By giving them the lowest salary, the worst jobs, and telling them they're below you."

Abby Griffin nodded, "I think you're right. I think we should do better and do more for the workers. We've ignored this problem for too long."

My dad gave me a proud look, "I agree. I think it's time we do away with the old system and make a new one that treats everyone equally."

"The system is the only reason we have survived without anarchy," Jaha added. "It's how we've lived for ninety-seven years. We can't just abandon it. There could be total chaos without it."

I shook my head, "You don't know-"

Jaha cut me off, "I do know, Harley. You were in way over your head here. This is a matter for adults. You're still a child. You can't even begin to understand the stakes with this situation."

Ok, that just pissed me off. I stepped closer to where Jaha was sitting, "Over the past week, I've spent a lot of time with the people of Factory Station, and even though they don't have many possessions, they have more character, more loyalty, and more compassion than you ever will. They don't just want your help. They need it."

"I know you probably don't want to hear this Harley, but the Factory Station situation isn't our biggest issue at the moment. There are other matters that have top priority, and trust me as soon as we figure them out we will try our best to help the workers," Jaha replied.

"That's not good enough," I went to stand right in front of Jaha's chair ignoring everybody else in the room because if the Chancellor wasn't on board, nothing would ever get done. "This is what's going to happen. First, you're going to raise the workers' ration salary. Second, you're going to turn all empty rooms in Factory Station into nicer living quarters. Third, you're going to send over engineers and mechanics to do some very needed repairs. And lastly, you're going to stop treating the workers of Factory Station like they're your personal mules, or there will be an uprising and you won't be able to contain it no matter how hard you try."

Jaha looked taken aback by my boldness, and I saw my dad looking at me like I had just overstepped a boundary line, but there was also a hint of pride in his eyes.

"I could have you arrested for treason," Jaha said lowly.

"Go ahead," I challenged him even further. "I dare you to arrest me. I dare you to put me in a prison cell and watch as everything erupts into chaos because we both know that the only thing standing between you and hundreds of angry workers is me."

Jaha leaned back in his chair as a thick silence fell on the room. I glanced at my dad who looked both horrified and proud.

Abby Griffin was the first to break the silence, "She's right. I vote to give our resources to Factory Station."

My dad nodded, "And as do I."

That was two out of seven. I glanced at Marcus Kane as he pondered over what to say, "You all know what the biggest issue is right now, and unlike this, it is life or death. I'm sorry Harley, but our resources are needed elsewhere at the moment."

"I agree with Kane," Said another Council member.

"Well, I think we should do whatever we can to avoid a riot," Another added. "I vote yes."

There were two left. Jaha and another woman who I didn't recognize. The woman gave me an apologetic look, "I have to say no. We can come back to this issue later."

My eyes flickered to Jaha, "It looks like you have the deciding vote, Chancellor."

Jaha looked at the ground for several moments. I didn't realize it, but I was holding my breath as I awaited his answer. I prayed and prayed for his answer to be yes. I didn't want to let the people of Factory Station down. They put all their faith and hope in me. I had to show them that they were right to do so.

"Please, Chancellor. Your people need you."

The Chancellor looked up from the ground to meet my eyes, "You're right. They need their Chancellor now more than ever before," My hopes slowly began to rise. "But, right now the main focus of the Ark should be survival. I can't tell you what it is, but we have a very grave issue that needs top priority and all the resources we can spare," Jaha stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Harley. You're a very brave and passionate girl. You presented a great case for Factory Station, and I promise you that as soon as we get this problem worked out, I will do everything I can for the workers."

I was devastated. He couldn't even spare any resources at all? He wasn't even giving them anything? Anger filled my whole body as the Councilmen started to leave the room behind their Chancellor. I stood unsure of what to do next as my dad stopped in front of me.

"You tried your best, kiddo," He patted me on the shoulder. "We'll talk about it at home ok?"

I nodded as my dad gave me one last smile before walking out of the meeting room. I was left alone to replay the meeting over in my head. I should've been nicer or more polite. I should've tried to bargain with him more, or offered him something.

I slowly walked out of the meeting room and stopped in my tracks when I saw a myriad of workers waiting for me outside. I expected all of them to start yelling at me, or cussing me out, or telling Diana Sydney what a mistake it was to let me be the representative.

But, they all just stood there with unreadable expressions on their faces. Diana Sydney stood at the head of the crowd, and I spotted Bellamy making his way towards the front.

"The Chancellor had the deciding vote, and he said no," I wanted to disappear. I didn't want to face their disappointment. "I'm sorry."

Confusion filled my face when I wasn't met with angry screams. Instead, an old woman with wrinkles all over her face stepped forward. She came to stand right in front of me, and she took my hand in her own.

"We know."

"You do?"

She nodded, "We heard everything."

"And you're not angry with me?"

"Of course not, child," She gave me a smile. "No one could've gotten Chancellor Jaha to take the stick out of his behind and help us." I furrowed my eyebrows as she continued. "We are so proud of the way you fought for us and defended us even when the Council challenged you. Not many people would have had the guts to do that, especially for people like us."

Bellamy finally was able to break through the crowd. He hurried over to where I was standing and the old woman stepped back slightly, "You were amazing, Princess," he said with a smirk on his face. "You really went in there and stuck it to the man.

I let out a little snort at his comment as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me against his side. I placed my hand on his chest, right above his steady heartbeat, and took comfort in his embrace.

"So what now?" I asked.

The old woman grinned, "Now, we start planning how we're going to make them help us ourselves."

We? Oh crap, I think I had just become one of the rebel leaders.

Um...Oops?

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