"Oh don't worry, Eliza! It's not like you're being given a death sentence or anything! You just happen to meet NASA's colonist qualifications.  Due to the closing of Guantanamo, our prisons have been fuller than ever and petty criminals like you are getting the boot to make way for the actually dangerous people!"   Eliza snorted as the warden of the Leon County Jail undid her handcuffs and ankle chain, then handed her back a big Ziploc bag of what ratty clothes she'd been wearing before her lockup.  [color=92278f]"Thanks,"[/color] she muttered.[color=92278f] "Next time I guess I'll rob a bank if it's that important to you,"[/color] she muttered sarcastically. 

The warden cocked his head. "What was that, Eliza? I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut. This is a huge opportunity for you!  I've even arranged to have a van pick you up outside and take you straight to their headquarters!  I'm told that normally someone would go through with about six weeks of training prior to departure, but since the ship is just about scheduledd to leave, they're condensing your orientation to today.  Good luck!"  He merely turned around as she dressed down out of the orange jumpsuit and into her plaid button-up shirt, a ratty, holey faded-blue jeans, and worn white Reebok sneakers.  She made him wait while she put up her blonde hair in a ponytail with her one scrunchy before clearing her throat.  

The warden seemed all too eager to spin about and shoo her out the door. He even escorted her out to a side entrance of the prison where an idling black van with the NASA logo was parked.  Eliza smirked at his nervousness.  The reason why she'd been fitted with an ankle chain was because the rest of the inmates in her pod had dubbed her "Field Goal" for her propensity to kick peoples' kneecaps like they were American footballs.  Not that Eliza played any sports to begin with; she had never had the money.  

The ride to NASA's Florida headquarters was quite short.  Once arrived, they only made her assign about ten different forms and change into a standard blue jumpsuit before sitting her down in a tiny theater-like room, of which she was the only occupant, to show some orientation videos to the program.  The video narrator had a way of making everything he was talking about exciting and interesting. By the end of it, Eliza was easily fooled into thinking she wanted to go up into space to some unknown planet.  There was that small bit about being frozen to a near-death state though.  

NASA was all gung ho to get Eliza from theater into a cryogenic pod.  [color=92278f]"What's the big rush?"[/color] she asked one medical technician who would apparently be staying earthbound.  The visibly harried technician replied, "Oh it's nothing Miss Zerbst.  We just have to keep you on your nearly eight hundred year time schedule!"  The woman winked at her, which did nothing to lessen the butterflies in Eliza's stomach as various tubes were stuck into her arms to monitor vital signs.  Upon stepping into her pod, Eliza felt oddly warm. She guessed she wouldn't feel that way for long, but suddenly this "new opportunity" seemed all very sudden. [color=92278f] "Why me?"[/color] she blurted out to the technicians bustling over her pod prepping it for freezing.  [color=92278f]"What makes me so special?"[/color]  The lead technician, the woman from before, just smiled.  "Why you indeed?  You are on a list Miss Zerbst.  Don't worry, everyone here has been handpicked for various reasons. I'm sure there will be a place for you in your new home!"  Her easy tone and implication that Eliza had no place on Earth was frankly starting to anger and terrify her in equal portions. [color=92278f] "Wait a minute! What reasons? Do I not have a place he--"[/color] The techs shut the pod door with a metal clang that rang out with a note of finality, cutting off room for discussion. 

Her breathing quickened, body tensing in expectation of the coming cold, but the air remained warm for the moment.  Outside, she heard voices like they were underwater. The words "pulse elevated, respiration normal. She'll be fine" floated through, but the rest was nearly incomprehensible medical and technical jargon.  Eliza listened, but there was no "freeze her up" or anything related to cold. 

After a few minutes, her pod jolted and she looked out from the tiny porthole to see that her pod was being wheeled somewhere.  She watched as they rolled her into the trailer of a huge truck filled with other pods.  Then for an amount of time unbeknownst to Eliza, her existence was just the three pods across from her and the feeling of jolting over asphalt at high speeds with occasional stops.  

Sometime later, the truck stopped completely and the back was opened.  One-by-one the pods were wheeled off, Eliza's pod going after two of the three that had been in front of her porthole.  When she saw the size of the ship her pod was being wheeled onto, her breath left her.  The thing was immense!  She was barely inside when her pod was wheeled into an alcove near the entrance and, once again, a different set of technicians bustled around her pod, more briefly this time.  An audible hissing started up after one tech seemed to plug her pod into some outlet on the wall behind her.  Another tech pressed some buttons and all of a sudden the cold started.  Eliza's thoughts went unbidden to the mother alone at home whom she had lost all contact with, had rebelled against.  Now she would never see her mom again.  Did her mom even know where Eliza was being taken?  Out of fear, Eliza tried futilely to bang her palms against the glass. [color=92278f]"Hey, wait!"[/color] she breathed. Her breath frosted on the porthole glass as the two stone-faced technicians watched her reaction with clipboards in their hands. The struggling slackened as her body temperature lowered.  Suddenly Eliza found it impossible to keep her eyes open as her hands drooped to her sides and she fell asleep against her restraints, head lolling. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Slowly, Eliza fluttered back to consciousness.  [color=92278f][i]Where am I?[/i][/color] she tried to murmur, but found that her mouth and body weren't responding to commands very well.  On the ship still was the most obvious answer.  Her eyes fluttered open seemingly of their own accord.  Outside the porthole, techs bustled around and some of the pods in the distance were open, empty of occupants.  Eliza's breath quickened and she found she was able to flex her freezing fingers, the digits tingling and itching as blood flow sped up in them.  So this was it, she had finally arrived at her destination?  How many years had really passed?  Was this all a dream?  Was it still possible to contact Earth?  Her mother would be dead by now. [i]Oh God...Mom I'm sorry. I left you behind. I didn't even ask if you were on the list. Oh God I'm so sorry Mom.[/i]   She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily, tears leaking out of the corners.  She was so selfish.  

The eyes came open just in time for a shadow of a person to fill her porthole.  No, from this day forth, Eliza Zerbst was fully in charge of her own destiny.  Perhaps this time she would have more control and not become the scum of society.  She breathed in deeply, listening as air discharged and equalized between ship and pod  Reaching up to wipe her eyes, she plastered on a small thin smile and raised her chin defiantly towards her welcoming committee.