Prologue: AscendanceI do not own anything related to The 100. I really got into reading some 100 fanfics and decided to have a crack at it.
It's an AU so please don't complain since things are going to be different since that's the point of this I guess.
I hope you enjoy.
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One day before Unification Day
Darah Sydney was working in the laboratory of Alpha Station. Her own station which she had commissioned all those years ago after hearing how that cow Becca had planned to do the same thing.
She never saw eye to eye with the richest person in the history of Earth. They had always competed in everything since they have known each other since childhood.
'Those were the simpler days,'though Darah as she recalled how her Becca competed in everything. Sports. Boys. Girl Scouts. Academics. Hell, they took the same courses at University.
However, it was then where the difference between them became more apparent. Becca excelled in the field of IT to a degree that Darah was not quite able to match while Darah excelled in the field of biology.
This led them to both eventually specialising in these and creating their own companies in their respective fields. Unfortunately for Darah though, Becca became world famous thanks to the massive improvements she'd made in the field of artificial intelligence.
Becca revolutionised the way in which the world saw AI. She was able to create intuitive AIs of a calibre the world hadn't even dreamt about. She quickly became the richest person to have ever lived and it was probably then that Becca Pramheda had truly beaten Darah Sydney once and for all.
It was not long perhaps a year or so after they had both launched their private stations to join the other 11 stations orbiting the Earth (something Becca had beaten her to yet again) that the Apocalypse had happened.
There was no clear indication of what had set it off, but within a matter of hours the Earth had been decimated by a nuclear war. The mushroom clouds and explosions formed by the warheads had been visible from all space stations.
Any attempt to radio in to the ground were unsuccessful and it was still haunting for Darah to think about how she had witnessed the near extinction of humans from the safety of Alpha Station.
However, it had inspired her to carry on and improve her life's work. Darah had continued to study biology specifically in the field of genetics.
Darah had made enormous breakthroughs in the field of genetic engineering and editing. She was able to create a method to identify and edit out unfavorable genes in a foetus long before she left the Earth.
Unfortunately, these discoveries had made her both famous and infamous throughout the Earth. It was to be expected after all. The service she was providing to the world was frowned upon by various religious groups and people.
They did not see that she wanted to improve the lives of people and unlock the full potential of humans. They only saw her as someone who was playing God. It led to her experiments with the American military being publicly exposed by a whistleblower within the military.
It had ruined her reputation and it had caused her to hit a slump for a few weeks, but she had bounced back and secretly continued the work the American military had contracted her for.
The USA thought that their soldiers needed an edge over the rest of the world. One would think that having some of the best weaponry ever made would be enough, but it never was.
Their designs along with the rest of the -entire world- had been leaked by a group of supposed "vigilante-hackers". The group had said that the world deserved to know how their governments spent their tax money on various weapons instead of focusing on welfare and combatting poverty or whatever problems their countries were facing.
It had sent the world into turmoil as various countries who had previously claimed to be pro-peace were revealed to have spent millions on nuclear warheads, submarines and virtually everything else one could think of.
The heads of state had at first negatively reacted to this being brought into light however. The group of hackers had all been captured and swiftly eliminated unknown to the public. This did not solve the unrest and protests around the world however and amid calls for peace and cries for war every single country on Earth had signed a disarmament agreement.
The treaty was signed in Hiroshima one of two locations to have experienced the horror of nuclear warfare nearly a century ago. The signing of the Hiroshima treaty was met with public approval however when Darah had been approached by Alycia Taylor –president of the USA– she found out the truth.
The USA– despite the Hiroshima treaty– were not disarming and they had decided on a different approach to bolster their forces.
Project Ascendance.
It probably should have disgusted Darah, but she saw it as a way to make new bounds within genetic with next to no limit on her budget thanks to the project being on the payroll of the world's richest nation.
After a few long months spent on the project in Annapolis and many, many failures . She'd managed to make a breakthrough. The first of her Ascendants was finally created. The nanobots she created were infused into a solution of various chemicals that would forcibly adapt the body to accept the nanobots which were able to completely alter the body they were in.
Subject #450 was shown to have superhuman strength, speed and reflexes. His aim was near impeccable with everything. They had finally created the perfect soldier.
Subject #450 was capable of lifting masses in excess of 3000 kg. He was able to run at speeds exceeding 60 km/h and could even dodge bullets.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The government had been exposed yet again, but this time from within by a scientist who'd grown disgusted by the experiments he had witnessed.
Darah, after successfully creating an army of the likes the world had never even thought possible, had been exposed and was promptly fired by the government.
Her crowning achievement that was meant to protect the citizens of the USA was rejected by those very citizens. The USA had been forced to pay a multitude of reparations to all of the other nations that signed the Hiroshima treaty and it had never fully recovered until it's demise during the Apocalypse.
Darah–once she managed to launch her space station– continued her work as she was unable to let go of what had happened. She'd begun to recreate Project Ascendance in the safety of Alpha Station–her private research station.
However, she hadn't set out to achieve what she had on Earth. She wished to make the human body into actual weapons.
She hadn't shared this with the majority of the other researchers that were on board instead she had forged ahead on her own and she had created something which was beyond that of Project Ascendance. Nanobots that were able to self-replicate and gift humans with powers the American military could only dream of.
Darwin-bots or D-bots for short. They did not require the special formula to adapt bodies and could be ingested and were made a part of the genetic structure of the recipient.
She had already gifted these to only a few of those that she trusted. The results had however been somewhat disappointing. There was a chance that some would fail to manifest any powers at all and others would often fail.
For example, James Noah had gained the ability to control liquids however one day he'd been found in his cabin and it looked like someone had drained his body of all liquids.
Luckily, she had managed to cover it up and she'd managed to put his body into an escape pod that she launched to Earth. The Atlantic Ocean to be specific. His death had been ruled a suicide and few were aware of what had actually happened.
The other issue with this early version of her D-bots was that the powers that manifested within those who took them were random. There was no discernible cause for this, but it was an unacceptable flaw.
She'd spent time further improving the results and although she couldn't control the final output she was able to make it such that the D-bots would cause a pale imitation of the results of Project Ascendance to appear if the D-bots weren't rejected by the immune system of the subject.
The results were nowhere near as astonishing as Ascendance, but still people were able to perform superhuman feats.
In a few months, she had made well over a 1000 of these, but she kept these under severe protection in locations only known to her.
Darah herself had never ingested one for she wished to create a Darwin-bot beyond the others she'd already made.
Her first series –which she called Primus –were too faulty and too much of a variable. She had already planned to suppress the emergence of them using her gene-editing machine she'd made on Earth.
The second series –Duos– were very near to what she needed, but they were still lacking in one part which lead her to create the perfect Darwin-bot.
It was one that truly encapsulated what she felt one could need to not just survive, but thrive once the Duos and Primus series were spread out . She had worked on this the longest and had been stumped on it for weeks. Finally she had managed to procure the very last peace that she had required.
Novus was going to be glorious. However, just as she had managed to integrate the missing piece into her Novus series, she'd yet again been betrayed.
One of her partners had somehow stolen a multitude of her Duos versions that she'd hidden and used an escape pod to get to Earth. She didn't report it as she was sure her ship would get blasted out the sky if people were to discover what the seemingly innocent Alpha Station was up to.
She supposed it was fitting then that the Apocalypse happened not long after that incident. She had watched as every single slice of Earth was decimated and a well of satisfaction had sprung in her chest as those who had shamed her for her life's work reverted into the primitive, violent species she knew was typical of the human race. Project Ascendance was completely useless in the face of nuclear weapons
She had been the one who'd come up with the idea to unite all 13 space stations into the Ark. The ship that, like the biblical story, would keep humans safe from the flood that ravaged and tore at the Earth.
She was sure a new world would rise from the ashes of the last. In fact, she was sure that soon enough the Earth would be habitable again. The human race was rather resilient after all.
Darah looked up from her work and finally place her Novus capsule in a briefcase that also had the last 120 Duos capsules she had.
She wouldn't let these go to waste. It was not her destiny to return to Earth, but she would make sure that the first to return to Earth would use these. The Earth was infinitely more resilient and adaptable than the human race and she was sure whatever the first people to return to Earth would find would be unlike anything ever seen before.
A knock at the door drew her attention and she activated the button that would open it.
"Commander Sydney,"said Michael Oliver, her most trusted guard,"The other stations are inquiring if Alpha Station is ready for the unification process tomorrow?"
Darah smiled and nodded,"Everything is in order. Please begin the pre-preparations for the docking process."
Michael nodded and said,"Yes Commander."
As Michael was about to leave Darah said,"By the way Michael. You don't need to refer to me as Commander anymore."
Michael looked back at Darah in surprise and smiled as she answered his unspoken question.
"Call me Chancellor."
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97 years later
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Thelonious Jaha sat inside the office and contemplated the news he had received regarding the 100.
Charles Pike had informed that only a few of the 100 had taken his teachings to heart and that without an edge they'd succumb to whatever threats that were lurking before they'd die of radiation.
The Chancellor's pin weighed heavy on his soul as he had to make what was a decidedly immoral choice, but ultimately the right one.
It was only known to a few, but it was discovered that there were parts of the Earth that were not as affected by the lingering radiation.
The Earth Rover that they had sent down 20 years ago had detected that the levels were dropping however it had stopped transmitting a long time ago.
Thus, the 100 will either step into an inhospitable planet and die or they might find the Earth to be habitable, but succumb to what else might still call the Earth home.
Thelonious stood from his chair and leaving his office he walked to an area of the Ark known only as the Keep.
It was an area only accessible by the current Chancellor and was guarded at all times by various guards. It was here where all the secrets of the Ark and all plans were kept.
He reached the door and nodding to the guards outside the door he entered the PIN and opened his eye for the retina scan before the door opened.
He stepped in and was allowed into the area of the Keep that all council members were allowed access to.
There was a door further back at end of the room with the symbol of the Ark gleaming on it. He walked past the various cabinets and eventually reached the door.
It was made out of thick cast iron and had a small button next to the door. He pressed it and was unsurprised at the robotic voice that emanated from hidden speakers.
"State your name."
"Thelonious Jaha."
Instantly, the door opened and inside the room were shelves and cabinets containing secrets that were beyond the jurisdiction of even the council. It was here where the history of mankind was kept– the space stations had managed to procure as many of the secrets of the governments of old as both a show of faith and bartering tools to enter into the Ark.
The information here was meant for the Chancellor's eyes only and while it barely meant anything now, the first Chancellor Darah Sydney had deemed it enough of a trade-off for them to join.
It ranged from information on their operations in other countries to secret technology that had been kept secret.
That was not what he was here for though.
He approached the very last cabinet at the end of the room and this one unlike the others in the room only had one drawer.
He pulled it out and within was a suitcase with the initials D.S emblazoned across it.
He opened it and saw vials of a silvery solution arranged in rows of 10 and in the very centre the pattern was broken by a single vial containing a glittering gold.
He knew what these were. In fact, every Chancellor was briefed on what these could do and when they could be used.
The Darwin nanobots were the brainchild of the first ever Chancellor of the Ark and grandmother of his predecessor.
She had made it law that these could only ever be used upon returning to
Earth and Jaha knew from her journal that while they weren't 100% efficient he felt the 100 would need them in the hopes that it would keep them alive that little bit longer.
It was dangerous though to essentially give what were weapons to convicted criminals however he was sure that they'd do right by the faith he was placing in them.
The 100 were the last hope of the Ark and he knew that if they did survive the Earth then they would need the gifts that the Darwin-bots would bestow upon them.
They would also need a leader and from Pike's assessment on the readiness of each of the 100 he knew who the leader would be.
Clarke may hate him for killing her father, but she cared about others like few other people that he has ever seen before.
It was why he would give her the Novus capsule. He knew that even in their supposedly civilised world that might makes right and the smartest thing to do would be to give the most power to the one who'd use it wisely.
It may cause Abby to hate him more, but he didn't care. Clarke will be the key to saving them all and that's all that mattered.
Thelonious closed the case and once he existed the Keep he signalled for one the guards to walk with him.
"Jack, tell your men to gather the councillors for a meeting within the next half-hour. Tell them if they're late they will be stripped of their rank as a councillor effective immediately."
The guard –while surprised at the
serious tone in the Chancellor's voice– nodded and said," Yes sir!"
Jaha nodded and once he was left alone said softly," I'm gifting weapons to 100 criminals in the hopes that they'll survive whatever hell awaits them and in turn allow the citizens of the Ark to survive. This will either cement my name in history or... condemn everyone on board to a slow death."
It was this that caused the turmoil within Jaha to keep churning and bubbling until he reached the door to the council's meeting room.
He calmed his nerves once he opened the door and observed that the entire council had already made it here in the time it took him to walk here.
Jaha sat in his designated seat and said,"There's been a change to the plan regarding the 100."
Stony silence was his answer and with a deep breath Jaha began to explain his plan to the council.
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Clarke sat in her prison cell and regarded all the pictures she'd drawn onto the cold, harsh walls of her cell.
She still couldn't believe the gall of Jaha. He'd been given irrefutable proof by her father of the impending failure of the Ark and the thanks her dad had been given was a one-way trip to the void of space.
She'd been locked up as well, but due to being under the age of 18 she hadn't been floated. There were times where she wished she had been. She often felt as though the walls of her cell were pressing down on her and squeezing the life out of her very soul.
The only thing keeping her from losing her mind was drawing and thoughts of the people of the Ark. If she died then the dirty, little secret of the Ark would die with her. It was why she had to soldier on and in the event that she passes her review on her 18th birthday she would expose the truth to the citizens of the Ark.
A commotion outside her cell drew her attention before she stood up as the room to her door slammed open.
A few guards entered and one yelled at her,"Prisoner 316! Up against the wall! Now!"
Apparently, she'd taken too long to proceed and the sting of a shock baton against her side spread throughout her body and she fell to the ground after what felt like hours of torture.
Her mind was barely aware of what was going and as she was placed on a trolley and wheeled away the ceiling lights above her were passing by in a blur. At some stage she felt the tightening of straps across her ankles and wrist before she felt a prick in her neck and she fell unconscious.
In a daze, Clarke had gained some awareness and recognised she was in the private, medical wing of the Ark only see her mother approach her. She felt the weight of something on her wrist and before she could say a word her mother spoke.
"Honey, I know this is all confusing, but just have faith and remember this was the only way,"stated Abby with slight tremors in her voice.
Clarke was still confused and as she was about to voice an inquiry her mother pulled out a syringe filled with a golden liquid and without pause injected her with it.
"Mom...What was that? What's going–"
Clarke's frantic interrogation was cut off by her own scream of pain and she began convulsing wildly.
Abby steeled herself despite the agony that Clarke was going through and prepared another syringe. She approached her daughter and injected the contents of the syringe.
Within second Clarke fainted and fell still. Abby let tears fall freely from her eyes before she wiped them and called for the guards outside to take Clarke to the designated dropship and to bring in the next inmate.
"I hope you will survive the ground Clarke. This was the easiest challenge you'll have to face from now on."
Abby straightened and prepared the next inmate for their journey into hell.
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Clarke groggily woke up and saw all of her fellow inmates being strapped into seats on what she was sure was one of the dropships.
By the time Clarke had gained full awareness, the dropship had already launched and it was then that a voice next to her drew her attention.
"Clarke,"said Wells as he tried to gain the attention of his once best friend,"They're sending us to Earth. All 100 inmates have been sent to Earth. I don't–"
"Shut up Wells,"said Clarke gruffly as she grew more annoyed at the rambling of the person who had betrayed her,"You killed my father and now you expect me to just act like nothing's wrong?"
Wells was about to respond, but he was interrupted by a boy who'd escaped his seat and was flying around the interior of the dropship.
"Hey guys. It's looking a little tense here so I thought I'd cut in,"said Finn as he looked at the two people seated in front of him.
"Look Spacewalker and you guys clowning around,"said Clarke increasing in volume to get the attention of the other idiots that were out of their seats ,"You're going to die if you don't get back into your seats. The gravity of–"
"Fuck you princess! Your mom being on the council means shit over here!" yelled one of the boys who' Clarke had been addressing.
Finn, however, took his seat which happened to be next to Clarke's and said,"Thanks for the warning princess!"
The screen in the room lit up and the face of Thelonious Jaha appeared on screen.
"To all 100 inmates of the Ark. You have been sent to Earth to see if it's habitable for human life. This is a second chance for all of you to make something of yourselves. The Earth Skills you had been taught were in preparation for this exact moment. You will need to stick together and make sure you survive. The wristbands you have on are important as they will tell us whether or not you have died. Do not take them off under any circumstances. The rest of the Ark will follow you down to Earth if and only if we believe it to be habitable. There is an old base that contains supplies and food designed to feed 100 people for 1 month it's called–"
"Shut up!"screamed one of the floating boys who'd apparently had enough of what the Chancellor had to say before he punched the screen and the recording of what Jaha had to say was cut off.
Clarke's eyes flashed angrily and she yelled,"You idiot! He was going to tell us the location of an old base! How else are we going to survive!"
The dropship grew eerily quiet at Clarke's words before a sudden lurch shook the dropship as the thrusters activated and the culprit was slammed hard into the floor.
Everyone on board screamed as they began their plummet to ground. Clarke was able to regain her calm rather quickly and she was surprised to note that the metal handrails she'd been holding onto had grooves in it where she'd held onto it.
Her confusion at the sight didn't last as the parachutes were deployed and she checked on everyone to see if anyone else had been hurt. There were none except for the two boys who had foolishly stayed out of their seats.
The dropship finally landed and in a rush everyone got out of their seats and approached the door.
A person in the standard regalia of the Guard stood at the door and was about to press the button to open the door when Clarke cut him off.
"Stop! There might still be some radiation left over. Open that door and we die."
The Guard looked at her and said,"If there is radiation out there and we stay in here we'll die anyways."
Clarke paused for a bit and ultimately accepted his reasoning and said,"Open the door."
The guard was about to press the button before a voice called from the back,"Bellamy? What are you doing here?"
A girl with long black hair approached the guard before hugging him tightly. Clarke was surprised as she recognised the girl.
Octavia Blake. The girl who got locked up for being born. She'd spent the vast majority of her life under the floor of her family's room and judging by the murmurs Clarke wasn't the only one who had identified her.
"I came to protect you O,"said Bellamy as he hugged her tightly before saying,"Do you want to be the first person to return to Earth?"
A smile spread across Octavia's face before she nodded enthusiastically. Bellamy pressed the button and as the door lowered, everyone held their breaths.
When they weren't suddenly destroyed, Octavia rushed out and took in the sights of the forest and blue skies around her. She finally stepped of the ramp and once she landed on the ground let out a loud scream,"We're back bitches!"
Immediately, cheers rang out amongst the teens as they all rushed out. Eventually, there was only one person left aboard.
Clarke looked at her seat where the grooves in the metal were still prominent.
She observed the joyful faces of her fellow inmates before looking down at her hands.
"Something's wrong,"said Clarke as she looked down at her hands.
She had a feeling that life was about to get more complicated and it was probably thanks to whatever her mother had injected her with.
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Author Notes:This just came into my head. This is obviously an AU so the events of the 100 might not happen as expected. I'm sure you've picked up on the changes and this was just the exposition and I hope there is enough interest in this for me to continue writing.
The length of the chapters will increase, but I just had to put feelers out first and this idea came to me out of nowhere.
Romance: ClarkeX?
I'll just leave that there. All it means is that Clarke won't end up with the first person she falls for. Or will she?
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