Hey, again. I took a little longer updating than usual, but It's not like I have enough reviewers to flame me anyway. Enjoy the chapter! And yes, to enjoy it, you have to read it.

Concerns have been expressed about the Mary-Sueness of Brandi, but a lot is reaveled about her in this chap, and I'll let you decide for yourself whether I fixed her or not.

Own nothing!

~CrAzY


Brandi hoped her friend had lived up to his part of the deal. Because if he didn't, she was dead.

A very good reason to hope he had done what she asked. Because if Brandi walked the mile away to find and empty plot of sand, she would be a mile from water, and several miles from civilization.

Without water.

In the dessert.

In the middle of nowhere.

Needless to say, Brandi was getting worried. She was on good terms with her friend, he had no reason to kill her. Unless Z told him too. In which case, she was dead. Her friend was terrified of Z. Terrified for his family, mostly. Brandi wasn't scared of Z at all. Z threatened peoples families to get them to do things. People they loved. So, Brandi had nothing to loose. She loved no one.

All Brandi could think about though, was what would happen if her friend stood her up. She knew the way to him, not back. She hadn't needed to know it. Luckily, she still didn't. As she came over the hill, she saw a 4-wheeler. Not unlike the ones McCains men rode on. For a moment she was worried it was McCains men, and they had discovered her plan somehow.

But she was reassured when she spotted a small figure slumped down in the seat, his skin so black it almost blended in with the night sky.

He held up a hand, with the thumb folded against his palm.

She was safe.

Brandi jogged the rest of the way, relieved of her fears she was going to die out here, alone.

"Mel." She whispered to him as she slid into the passengers seat.

"Amy." He whispered back in greeting.

Brandi nodded, remembering that was the alias she had given him.

"Lets go." She said, and the motor started up, seeming very loud in the eerily quiet dessert.

"You know I'm taking a big risk for you." Mel said.

That was Mel, always talking cautiously, turning down her reckless ideas, but usually doing them anyway.

"Yeah, but I can get Z of your tail for you, and you'd better be grateful and drive." She added the last part as an afterthought. Remembering Amy's character was snippy.

Mel just laughed. "You better. He wants to take Sun, and you know I can't let that happen."

Sun was Mels younger sister. Mel was hardly a fit guardian, was only sixteen, and they lived on the street, relying on charity to feed them. She wondered how he had got a hold of the 4-wheeler. But she didn't ask, and he offered no wasn't their fault, their parents were killed, and they had no relatives close. and no one was stupid enough to take two orphaned kids in. Not in this town.

"Yes, " Brandi mused. "Yes, I do know."

It wasn't a long drive to town, not moving as fast as they were. But it seemed very long. Not because Brandi was worried of what would happen when she got there, no she had done that a million times if once. She was bored, mainly. she would have to find a portable gaming system or something from Z as part of the deal.

They stopped a mile from town. Mel didn't want to be caught assisting a criminal, so him and "Amy" split up, both taking separate ways into town. Abandoning the 4-wheeler for some lucky passerby to find.


Brandi had memorized the way to Z's place. She wasn't proud of it either. But she had to survive somehow. And if this was what it took, then she had to do it, proud or not.

She was standing in the alley now, hand on the door that would lead her to another day of negotiation. She had considered storming in, pulling out both guns, and shooting Z and all his cronies, setting all the kids free. But in all the times Brandi had been here, she had never been able to bring herself to do it. Never been able to value the lives of the kids over hers.

She smiled to herself, remembering the speech she gave Alex. It had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, another add on to the "Brandi Jones" character. Some sappy emothional spy, it was an odd thing to pretend to be, but she thought she did it well.

She opened the door, knowing she wasn't going to lay a finger on her guns the whole time. And she was okay with that.

A greasy man met her at the door. He smiled.

"Welcome to The Hotel." He said. He was faking being nice, and it was oblivious. He was making no effort at all to desguise the sarcasum dripping off his voice.

"Cut it, freak." Brandi told him. "I'm here to see Z."

"Do you have an appointment?" He said.

"Always." Brandi said. "I'm Erica Sealing"

The mans eyes grew wide for a spit second, but he quickly tried to hide it with another sick smile.

"I see. Right this way." He said, and with that, he lead her away from the door, and into The Hotel.


"Erica" tried to remember every turn, elevator, staircase, and lobby they went though on the way to see Z. Z'd never turned on her before, but she was better safe than sorry.

It seemed to take forever to get to Z's office. She checked her landmarks repeatedly, making sure he wasn't leading her in circles, and it didn't seem he was.

Finally they reached a door and stood in front of it.

"Behave." The greasy man said, and walked off. Brandi wouldn't miss him.

She pushed open the door.

And there sat Z, fat as ever, in a colorful lazy chair on the far side of the room. Two guards are on either side of him. A child holding a bucket of some fruit stares terrified at them all.

"You never change do you." Brandi said to him. It wasn't a question.

"Ahh, Ms. Sealing." he said, sitting up a little. "What do you want now?"

"Right down to business, I see." Brandi said. "You haven't changed a bit."

"Neither have you Erica." He said. He had a deep voice, one that was used to giving orders.

"Leave us!" He roared to the child, who ran terrified out of the room. Brandi felt sorry for her, but there was nothing she could do.

"You stay." He said to the guards.

"Alright." Brandi said. Not waiting for an invitation to start.

"I want you to leave a couple of kids alone. Mel and Sun Chinam. you know 'em."

Z growled at her. "The girl is strong. I could use her."

"Well too bad." Brandi said. It's what I want an you agreed to do anything I wanted, therefore, . . ."

"Alright, alright." Z said, obliviously mad. "And the CIA? You know I'm not the only one with a part in this deal."

"Yes, of course."Brandi said. "If you asked them about Z, they would tell you it was the last letter in the alphabet."

"That's exactly what they need to say." Z said. "But you know, Ms. Sealing, I might get tired of keeping you quiet."

"Don't even think about it, Z. the CIA is expecting me back tomarrow. And if I'm not there, they're will be a full scale search in this area for anything suspicous. Do you really want the police snooping around this dump of yours?" Brandi said, a sneer in her voice.

"I'll take my chances." Z said. And the two guards behind him pulled out thier guns.

Brandi said some choice words.

The guards fired as one. Brandi ducked and rolled a second before the bullet sailed into the spot where her head should have been. As she rolled, she pulled out both her guns. She sat up from her roll, and pointed the guns at Z's head.

"Shoot me and he dies." She said.

Z growled at her. "Can't believe the CIA gave you guns."

"Who said the CIA gave them to me?" She asked. "I've got friends, Z. More than you'll ever have."

"That's probably true, but my friends have guns. Pointed at you. Shoot her!"

"Ah, ah, ah." Brandi said.

"I''ve got guns too. Pointed at you boss. You'll notice my fingers on the trigger, very tightly. You shoot me, he dies. Who'll pay you then?"

"Fine. Don't shoot her." Z growled.

"Now, If you dont mind, I'm gonna quitly slip out of the room, while you drop your weapons. " The guards DID put their guns down, and as soon as they did, Brandi made a run for it. she checked behind her shoulder a few times, but no one was chasing her. She ducked out the door, ignoring the strange looks she got from the disgusting guest Z kept.


Brandi had gone to Mel's place first.

A girl in a worn out, faded yellow dress, her skin the color of coffee, welcomed me at the door, which was a old quilt draped over a clothesline.

"Hi, Sun!" Brandi said. She was no character around Sun. She was too sweet to fool.

"Amy!" The girl yelled, hugging her.

"Is your brother here?" She asked.

"Yeah, let me go get him." She said, ducking back under the curtain.

A second later, Mel appeared at the "door".

He looked worried. "Whats wrong, Amy, did something go wrong with-"

"You could say that." She said, pushing herself in, invited or not.

"Z got tired, of, . . . . our deal. Needless to say, he will not be leaving you, or Sun alone."

Now it was Mels turn to say choice words.

"You can't stay here." Brandi finished.

"What choice do we have?" Mel asked.

"More than you know." Brandi said.


That morning, the real CIA helicopter arrived, expecting to see Brandi and a boy her age.

Instead, he saw a boy a little older than Brandi, and a girl of about 6. Both had skin the same black as the helicopter.


More revealed, more to find out!

Challenge-What's Z up to? And why was Brandi fooling everyone with her alias's?

~CrAzY