Polis meets Arkadia 5: Becca Pramheda
The guest quarters must be close. Clarke thinks, worried that she's lost again in the Ark. Her mind is wrapped in fear, making her judgement cloudy. Last night, Clarke returned to her room after visiting Raven but sleep never came. Her mind was grappling for control to come up with a solution to bring ALIE down because their plan was so flawed. If getting to the bunker is their only hope, why would ALIE, with the entire Arkadian guard on her side, let them go through the gates with the AI that she craves? When the sun peaked through the horizon and the humming of the generators stopped and the solar panels began to move like metallic sunflowers attracted to the light, Clarke kicked the sheets off of the bed and got dressed. Lexa will have answers. Clarke reaches the guest quarters and on the farthest door stands four guards. Two from Trikru and two from Skaikru.
"Lexa and I have a scheduled meeting." Clarke says, hiding her fear behind confidence.
"The Commander is resting." One of the Skaikru guard replies. Clarke looks to the Trikru guard and they step aside, knowing that she is no threat to Lexa.
"It's the morning. She's expecting me." Clarke argues. "You wouldn't want to keep her waiting." There is a shuffling behind the door and a few moments later it opens. Lexa is standing before them in a black robe fastened just below her chest. Her hair is resting on her shoulders and her red cape trails down beside her. Her guard immediately puts their spears forward, not to attack but to block the way of the two Skaikru guards.
"Ambassador, you are late." Lexa addresses Clarke, no doubt hearing her excuse to see her and going along with the lie.
"Forgive me, Commander but the Skaikru guard would not let me pass." She says. The two guards are staring at Lexa but their eyes are glazed over and after a few moments their eyes dart back to Clarke, or rather, at something behind Clarke. Clarke looks behind her but no one is there. Now the Skaikru guards are nodding.
"Forgive us, Commander." The Skaikru guard says, now facing Lexa. "Protocol. For your own safety. No one is to enter your quarters."
"I can keep myself safe." Lexa smiles coldly. "And if Skaikru truly honors their place in my Coalition, I would not need a guard in the first place. Send for Chancellor Kane and tell him I refuse any Skaikru guard at my doorstep while I stay here." Clarke doesn't wait any longer. She pushes through the guards and into the room. Lexa closes the door behind her.
"What's wrong?" Lexa asks immediately. Her hands land on Clarke's hips before she searches her face for answers. Clarke flustered and breathing hard. Her hands wrap around Lexa's wrists and she takes a deep breath, grounding herself in her eyes and making her brain quiet down for a moment to focus on Lexa's face.
"You're not safe here." Clarke whispers. She pulls Lexa away from the doors, away from prying ears. "The chips. They control minds and right now, they're tracking you down because they think you have an AI."
"AI?"
"Artificial intelligence." Clarke says, looking around the room, fearing that it might be bugged. She pulls Lexa into the bathroom and locks the door. "Turn on the water." She orders Lexa and she does. The shower is flowing and for good measure, Clarke opens the sink as well.
"We can talk here." Clarke says with a low voice.
"What's happening?" Lexa frowns. The room begins to steam and it makes it harder for her to look at Clarke without wanting to hold her or kiss her.
"Arkadia has fallen." Clarke begins. "The chips are making the people mindless slaves to a woman they call ALIE. They mean to take over the camp and maybe even Polis. Raven thinks that this second AI, it's a machine, is the only thing that can stop her. The problem is they know it's with you and I know that both of us have no freaking idea about this so either we go out fighting or we look for that AI and get it before they do."
"Clarke, I—" Lexa suddenly jerks back, her hands release Clarke's and reach up behind her neck. A wave of pain overcomes her beginning from the back of her neck and down along her spine. For a moment she loses control of her legs and she's sinking onto the floor of the bathroom. Clarke stumbles to catch her and Lexa falls on her lap. Lexa's fingers wrap around the nape of her neck, struggling to get hold of the pain but it is too much. When she falls to darkness she is greeted by familiar voices speaking in unison. Somewhere far away she can hear Clarke calling for her but this new voice demands her attention.
"Heda." She whispers, realising that she's in the presence of all those before her. In this void, she cannot know which is up or down, left or right. She looks around but there is only the dark. It is strange but the place feels familiar to her.
"Lexa kom Trikru." They begin, their voice getting louder now and Clarke's calls are being drowned and for a moment, Lexa forgets about all of it.
"Help me understand." Lexa pleads. When the voices answer, the sound is clearer, more feminine. Becca Pramheda.
"We can only understand as much as you do." Becca explains. her voice seems to be standing over her, trailing around in an orbit. "Let me in, Lexa. Let me take over."
In the distance of the Dark Place, Lexa can hear someone else. A familiar voice calling out to her, "Lexa, come back! We need you. I need you."
"That's Clarke." Lexa whispers her head turned back, searching for the sound, yearning to give comfort.
"Focus, Heda." Becca demands and Lexa turns her attention back to Pramheda's voice. She feels like a child. A night bleeder once again. Only a few Commanders have been into the Dark Place. It is known that those who come here lose a part of themselves that never returns once they resurface from the darkness.
"I'm not ready." She says, her voice has changed. It's become more youthful, more scared, and more reluctant to succumb to her destiny.
"You're not." Becca says, her voice cold and unsettling. "But you are strong enough and I cannot help you if you do not let me take over." Lexa nods ever so slightly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. There is a flash of light and the pain that overcomes Lexa is stronger than the one that took her in the Dark Place. It breaks into her mind and forces itself in every crevice of her being until there is no more room for her.
In Clarke's arms, Lexa turns rigid, unmoving against the force of The Spirit. Lexa's eyes open, her green eyes roll up until only the sclera is seen. As Clarke holds on to Lexa, she places a protective hand behind her neck, prepared to turn her sideways to clear her airway but something beneath her skin vibrates and behind to heat up. Clarke gently turns Lexa over, inspecting her neck but finding only a vertical scar under her tattoo.
"Clarke, I—" Lexa chokes as if to continue what she was saying before she fainted. Clarke looks for signs of a seizure but whatever this is, there has been no medical precedent. Suddenly, Lexa falls limp. Clarke fumbles to check her pulse. Under her fingers Lexa's pulse races strong.
"Clarke kom Skaikru." Becca says, her eyes opening and focusing on the girl looking down at her. It feels different to be conscious at this level. Becca tests her ears and her touch. It is strange to back in a place filled with so much metal and to hear the electricity running through such an institution. Lexa's body is stronger than hers ever was, she can feel it in every fiber of the child's muscles.
"Lexa" Clarke exhales, pulling the Commander into her arms. "Are you alright? You fainted and you were convulsing and then you're muscled tensed up. We need to get you to Medical. Can you stand?" Clarke's hands are all over her, steady in the face of an emergency but her eyes and her quivering lips show otherwise.
"Please," Becca clears her throat, she may be in control of Lexa's mind and body but certain emotions of the true Commander cannot be suppressed. Becca reluctantly pulls away from the Ambassador, fighting every urge to stay in her arms as Lexa would want. "Let me introduce myself." Becca says, getting to her feet and waiting for Clarke to stand as well.
"Lexa?" Clarke asks, and steps forward, making the space between them even smaller in the bathroom.
"No." Becca smiles. "My name is Becca. I recognise this place this must be the united stations. I came from Polaris Station, the thirteenth. I travelled back to Earth to become the first Commander."
"I don't understand." Clarke is shaking her head. "How is this possible?"
"Lexa spoke of communicating with her past Commanders." Becca says and Clarke nods. "When a Heda is in perfect control of the Spirit, Commanders can come back to life through the true Commander's body. With permission, of course."
"This shouldn't be possible."
"Ambassador Clarke, details of Lexa's immense power as Heda are not the issue right now." Clarke looks back at Lexa, or rather Becca, willing her mind to wrap around what is happening. "I came here to help Lexa. To help you."
"But if you're here, where is Lexa?" Clarke asks, pleading the question but Becca knows exactly where the true Heda is. She can feel her right now, pushing Becca to take the Sky Girl's hand, to push through the small space between them and to kiss her. Becca has never kissed anyone since Chris, the very man who helped her create what she has come back to destroy. Becca steps back from Clarke. In this state of being, Becca is in control of reason but the true Commander will always have control of emotion. Both have the power to force action but today, reason must take over.
"I am Lexa and Becca at the same time." She tries to explain but she can tell from the way Clarke is looking back at her that this doesn't help. "Take me to our allies."
"It's not that easy." Clarke says, "We're supposed to be pretending that we don't know anything or else ALIE will have a reason to attack."
"Then we have no time to waste." Becca says, leaving the bathroom as Clarke follows behind her. "With the Flame working hard to keep me and Lexa both active, it's protective firewall will be compromised, and when the firewall crashes, they will know exactly where I am."
"Lexa, you're the AI? Titus. Flamekeeper. Reincarnation. You're a machine passed down from the previous Commander? A machine?" The Ambassador's stunned voice pierces through Lexa like a blade. Within Becca, Lexa is hurting.
"No." Becca says, fuelled by Lexa's pain, "No and yes. Ambassador, it is difficult to explain."
"You're just like them. You're every move has been run by algorithms." Clarke eyes dart left to right, her mind twisting and turning the ideas, finally completing the puzzle that is Polis. "Children are chosen to receive the AI but it doesn't matter who wins the Conclave. The AI is programmed to always choose survival. Every decision was made on the basis of survival alone… and Wanheda needed to be part of the Coalition." All of a sudden, Clarke is jolted back into the Mountain. Deserted, used, and angry.
"Tell her the truth!" Lexa screams at Becca. In her mind, Lexa is seething with rage, willing Becca to comfort Clarke. Angry that she knows that Becca has already decided that Clarke's idea of Lexa is not important right now.
"Ste yu daun!" Becca commands her voice mixed with the voices of all the Commanders. Stay down! Lexa has begun to invade consciousness again but the word of Pramheda makes her yield. "In time, you will have the chance to tell her that she is wrong. But now, young Heda, we must choose duty."
"Survival is the only way we can live." Becca replies to Clarke.
"Your agenda for this morning is to meet with the prisoners." Clarke answers coldly. "We can't break composure so you go down to the prisons and I'll meet with Raven. When the sun is down and the curfew is in effect, I'll take you to her."
"Ambassador, we do not have a whole day." Becca explains, angry that she is held helplessly dependent on an Ambassador, "The Flame is working to keep me and Lexa both conscious. To do that it puts the firewall as it's last priority. Once the firewall is gone, ALIE will find me and it will all be over. Convene our allies in the prison if you must keep composure!"
"We'll be vulnerable there." Clarke shakes her head. "I can't lose you. We have another plan."
"Tell me." Becca says.
"Raven said she found a place off camp where we can work. It's far enough for them to lose track of the—of you."
"Then we leave now."
"They'll follow us."
"My guard can protect us." Becca says, eager to get out of the room.
"There's too many of them." Clarke says and then slowly, she smiles "But I think there's something else we can do. Be ready to ride."
