seventeen - Hard Out Here Part Two

Brandi lowers her figure to they're level as the group was kneeled beside Ontari's dead body. ''Tell them all about how you think I'm not capable enough to be commander. That I make decisions based off of favorites..''

The blondes features cringe with tears and a mixture of sweat, a tension of silence settling between them.

''Brandi,'' Bellamy cooed. ''There's gotta be a better way to settle things.''

Her intense orbs remained on Clarke as she quirked a smirk, a dry chuckle coming out of her as she shakes her head. ''Yeah, and that's to put a bullet through her head.''

Their eyes widen as they hear the sound of the gun cock.

''Brandi, there are over hundreds of people out there who are out to get us. We need to stick together so we can survive-''

''You know,'' She breathes out. ''I'm really tired of listening to you. Because, in case you didn't notice, I've been basically your one step away to getting us all out of your messes. But not anymore.''

Just as Brandi was bout to pull the trigger, a disturbance was heard from behind and before she knew it, her arm was twisted backwards and the gun was snatched out of her hand.

Brandi stood onto her feet, dropping her weight backwards so her and whoever it was behind her fell onto their backs.

She saw the gun slide across the room from the corner of her eye. She got off of Octavia and raced for the gun, but the younger Blake took her by her ankles, using both of her hands to hold her back.

But just as much as she loved Octavia, nobody but Clarke was her target. She hesitated when kicking Octavia in the face, causing Octavia's grip to loosen easily.

Brandi got up and as she was ready to dash for the weapon, multiple guns cocked around her, one after another.

She looked around her to see Miller, Bryan, Pike, Indra and Bellamy.

Bellamy shakes his head before saying, ''You're not thinking right, Brandi.''

She jerks her head back. ''Oh, I'm not?''

Her features fell flat as she walk towards him. ''Tell me, who else in this room thinks I'm not fit to be commander?''

It was only a few seconds before she saw Bryan raised a hand.

Miller looked at him with tightened features. ''Seriously?''

''She just kicked Octavia in the face, aren't they suppose to be friends?''

''Who else?'' Brandi spats, looking around the room.

But it looked as if anyone was too scared to move anytime soon, that even included Indra. This was a side of Brandi no one has ever seen before.

Bitchy? Yes. Sarcastic? Yes. Kind at heart? Yes. But having the looks of a massive serial killer? No.

''Clarke,'' The blonde jumps as she meets the dark and unreadable eyes that belong to Brandi.

''Lead them to another room, make sure Bryan gets his rest'' She looks back to the group circling them and cocks a brow. ''As for the rest of you? Barricade the perimeter.''

''What are you gonna do?'' Murphy asks. Out of all, he didn't see as intimidated by the archer as he was a matter of seconds ago.

''You said there was a kill switch?'' Brandi asks directly back at Clarke, ignoring Murphy's question.

She nods in response.

''Well,'' Brandi turns to look at everyone around the room with calm features, but switched with anger within a split second. ''What Are You All Waiting For? Go!''

× × ×

''Hey, put the guns down!'' Brandi snaps from the throne as Pike, Bellamy and Murphy barged into the room with guns aimed at Clarke and Abby who were having a moment.

''That's funny, coming from you'' Pike scoffs.

Her features fall flat and a brow is arched as she sits herself up from the seat and Bellamy senses her attitude radiating from where he stood.

''Let me handle this'' Bellamy mumbles back over to Pike.

Brandi point at them. ''Now, that's funny. Considering you don't control shit of what I do.''

''Can we all get back to topic, please?'' Murphy quarrels aloud and a solemn expression conquering his features.

''I used the EMP to bring her back'' Clarke informs, following Murphy's wishes.

''Well, what about Ontari?'' Murphy stutters out, pointing at lifeless body that was no longer leaking out pints of dark colored blood. ''I thought you said you had one shot with that thing?''

''Didn't you hear her, when she said she's brain dead?'' Brandi sneers with twisted features, shaking her head at him.

Clarke stands up from stops from the stairs, stepping towards the group when asking, ''Is the floor secure?''

''For now, Jaha and the guards are tied up in one of the bedrooms'' Bellamy informs.

''We took out the elevator and the ladder as we climbed'' Pike adds in. '' The stairs are collapsed. No one's following us.''

''Good'' Brandi nods. ''Then we have time.''

''What we don't have is a way down'' Murphy complains, countering the point of discussion.

''Time for what?'' Bellamy asks.

Brandi cocks a brow, throwing off her right leg from her left and taking a stand from the throne. She walks down the very few steps while saying, ''An ascension ceremony.''

''Ascension?'' Murphy questions. ''You both said that she wasn't an option. Besides she's still chipped and we no longer have an EMP.''

''Who said the flame was going into Ontari?'' Brandi counters, a smirk hinting at the corner of her lips.

Clarke looks at her with narrowed eyes. ''You're really obsessed with the flame aren't you?''

Brandi rolls her eyes and turns to her. ''You wanna start?''

''Brandi'' Bellamy scolds, shifting his weight from leg and onto another.

The group watch as her eyelids flutter frequently when rolling her eyes. Brandi lets out a breath before saying, ''If you insert the flame into me, I'll take the key and enter the City Of Light. Once I do, I'm gonna find my way towards the kill switch.''

Clarke shrugs her shoulders. ''Why not have me do it?''

''It wouldn't be possible'' Brandi smirks. ''And if it was, it'll probably be a dangerous procedure and right now, we don't have the time. So I suggest that for once, give me the flame so the sooner we get through with this, the less people we'll have to kill today.''

The room fell silent after Brandi's outburst.

That is, until Octavia came running into the room. ''Whatever you're doing, you better do it fast.''

''Why? What happened?'' Bellamy asks, looking back and forth between Brandi and Octavia.

''They're climbing.''

Brandi and Bellamy furrow their brows while looking at younger Blake before locking contact with each other. In an instant, both dashed to the balcony of the room, looking at the lower levels below to see actual people climbing the walls of the tower.

''So,'' Brandi breathes out when Clarke comes running from beside her. ''You wanna do that thing now?''

× × ×

''Bellamy-''

''If you take this chip, you're handing over the flame- you'll be giving everything we're fighting for to Alie'' He spazzed, his hands running through mop of curls every now and then.

Brandi shakes her head. ''No, I won't. Because I have a feeling that this flame will protect me.''

His head is bow as he looks down upon her, eyeing her features. The corners of her mouth quirked into a small yet gentle smile and a glint in her eyes is bursting with determination.

''Now do me a fucking favor, and give me the damn key,'' She hissed, her once peaceful countenance long gone.

Bellamy's dull brown orbs shift into a roll as he turns of the heel of his foot, walking over to a table where at one of its corners held a small bowl with chips designed with an infinity symbol.

''Do you even know what you're looking for?'' Clarke questions her from a distance, her weight dropped on one leg while her arms are crossed against her chest.

She cocks a brow, watching Bellamy return to her side, ''I'll know when I find it.''

Brandi gnaws at her bottom lip when Bellamy holds the key in front of her, waiting for her to take.

He brings his fingers closer, his fingertips lightly grazing her tongue and lips before she swallows it down.

She leans back into her throne with a sigh erupting out of her, her eyes closed as she felt her surroundings changed.

The key was already taking affect on her mind, her body, her presence.

Her eyes snap open when she felt a cold gush of window blow by, allowing her to notice the empty city in front of her.

She turns around towards the empty tune behind her.

It was something she never seen before. The city postal lights, the tall building with many windows that reflected off of it's shady sky.

Before she knew it, she was making her way out of the tunnel and into the abandon city streets.

Though, it wasn't so abandoned when a man with a hat was walking her way. His bushy brows were furrowed and his features were scrunched up.

Like if he's angry.

The closer he got, the farther Brandi kept walking, until she bumped into someone and the abrupt noise of cat horns alarming her and her ear drums.

She turns to see a whole crowd of people, walking back and forth either by themselves, with a friend, and with kids.

Her wide eyes shift around her, breathing out a hearty ''What the hell?''

× × ×

''If you pull that, you will be killing everyone'' Alie warns as she walks up from behind Brandi, whose hand was only inches away from the lever. ''See for yourself.''

Brandi pulled herself away from the switch as she walked over to Alie's side, viewing outside the windows, where earth was exploding in all different directions.

''The nuclear power plants that were destroyed by the bombs have begun to melt down. My drones detected the first of them, four months ago. There were more than a dozen at risk plants around the world. Seven currently burning. Global radiation levels are already rising. By my calculations, in less than six months, ninety six percent of the earth's surface will be uninhabitable, even for those born in space. So, you see, the City Of Light is the only thing that can save you'' She explains thoroughly as Brandi eyes at what seems to look beautiful in the distance, was only deadly up close.

''Black rain will come first. There will be no drinkable water. Precancerous lesions will form on-''

''She's stalking'' Becca spat, making her way back towards the table. ''As soon as the updates complete, she'll delete the kill switch.''

''I am not stalling'' Alie clarifies. ''I'm telling the truth.''

Brandi shakes her head. ''Why tell us now? Why not start with that instead of getting through people with manipulation and threats and torture?''

''The last time I warned my creator of a threat to human survival, she chose to lock me away and came here to work on my replacement.''

Brandi turned to Becca Pramheda with pursed lips.

''Define perverse instantiation?'' She asks.

Alie looks away, her heading tiling to the side before informing, ''Perverse instantiation; the implementation of a benign final goal through deleterious methods unforeseen by a human programmer.''

''Like killing six and a half billion people to solve overpopulation'' Becca counters. ''The goal isn't everything, Alie. How you reach the goal, matters too. I'm sorry that I didn't teach you that.''

Brandi looks up as she hears, ''It's now or never, Brandi. Once Alie's upgraded, I won't be able to help you anymore.''

''But I will,'' Alie chimes in. ''In the City Of Light, you don't have to bear the burden of decisions like this one, Brandi. You don't have to live with the pain of the things that you've done anymore, the lives that you've lost. You will be at peace. You will live forever.''

Her dark colored locks bounced as she shook her head. ''I never ran away from anything. Not from pain, my choices, or people.''

''Your people don't agree, Brandi. You heard Jasper, even those who were coerced would still choose to stay here.''

Brandi eyes her incredeously, never stuck in a predicament like this before. One of life and death.

If this decision only impacted her, she would have pulled the switch a long time ago. But this section is for hundreds and hundreds of people. If she chooses wrong, everyone will die.

''Twenty seconds, and the kill switch will be gone'' Becca presumes, her voice bringing Brandi back to reality.

''Would you really condemn the human race to die in six months?''

''We'll figure something out, we always do'' Brandi says as she grips onto the switch.

''Yes, Brandi'' Becca breathes out. ''There's still hope.''

''According to my calculations, there is not-''

''Man, screw your calculations'' Brandi sneers. This back and forth was getting to her head and it was like fog was steaming. She couldn't decide what was right and what was wrong.

What is the right answer?

''Ten seconds.''

Her palms began to sweat against the metal level, that began to slip under her touch.

''Let me ease their pain, Brandi. We can save the human race together.''

She looked up at Alie through her lashes, muttering ''I won't be needing your help.''

She grips the lever tighter, pulling it to its other end.

And in a blink of an eye, Brandi was back in Polis. Only this time, bodies laid all around her, dead or alive.

Brandi's lips tug into a small smile as Bellamy approaches her with his face full of blood, bruises and cuts.

''Why is it your face can never be clean?'' She chuckles softly.

He mirrors her smile, shaking his head at her. ''You saved us. You saved everyone.''

She goes back to gnawing at her bottom lip. ''No, no I didn't.''

He tilts his head to the side, questioning her with furrowed brows as she adds, ''Not yet.''

The two turn when they hear a struggled grunt exclaim out of Pike, Octavia forcing her blade into his abdomen, keeping it in for lingering seconds to watch him die in the palm of her hands, before pulling the blade out him.

Everyone left in the room, watches as his body falls to the ground with a thump, his eyes closing within seconds.

''Oh shit.''

author's note; the reason why i skipped the whole, city of light adventure is because something happened when Brandi went and you'll be seeing what happened when season four airs. hope you enjoyed the last chapter for now.