I was never entirely satisfied with the first version of 'Fight for the future', and being the perfectionist I am, I just HAD to give it a rewrite. Forgive me...
My name is Jake. The 'Fearless Leader' as Marco used to call me. The war has dragged on for quite a while now, and it has taken a heavy toll on all of us. We have all changed. And not for the better.
Rachel, once the warrior, no longer shouts a suicidal 'Let's do it!' and then charge headlong into battle. It's more like 'ok, fine'. I don't think find that she cares if we win or lose anymore.
Marco, once the joker, no longer tells a joke anymore. Instead he is constantly in a bad mood, yelling to everyone for the slightest thing. We rarely se each other, except in meetings. And in battles.
Tobias, the nothlit, has become even more quiet and withdrawn. And when he do speak up, it is usually to utter something sarcastic, like 'Gee, another fight. How fun.' In several cases he has been gone for weeks at the time, refusing to tell where he has been. I think the hawk-part of him is in the process of winning over his human part. Maybe he wants it that way.
Ax, the andalite, has began loosing it. When we attack the yeerks, he usually yell something like 'Let's go dying!' He even laughs every time he kills a controller. A laughter that chills me to the bone.
And Cassie, the peacekeeper, has just stopped caring. She still fights, but it's like every emotion has been burnt out of her. Once I and Cassie had this thing going, but now.. I must not think about it. I must be strong.
And me, the leader? I have become colder and harder than I like to be. I have constant fights with Tom and my parents. Tom is pushing me harder than ever to join the Sharing, and I am daydreaming of killing him. Both the yeerk AND my brother. It doesn't bother me anymore. I hate what I have become almost more than I hate the yeerks.
We are all pretty messed up.
We were gathered in Cassie's barn as usual. Rachel was sitting in the hay starring at nothing, Marco in the other end of the barn, as far away from her as possible with his arms folded. Cassie was just standing up and down, looking at me. In the old days, she would have tended to some animal. But this was the new Cassie. Tobias was sitting on the log, doing nothing. Just waiting for me to send him to near death again. Ax was of course also there, tail raised high and ready to attack. It was always ready to attack these days.
"We have a new problem." I began. "Erek called me over the secure phone line. Apparently, the yeerks have developed a morph-seeker. It is a sensor that can track the energy-signature of someone who have the power to morph. The victim doesn't even need to morph for the device to work."
I looked around for any reaction. As usual there were none. In the old days, Rachel's eyes would have lit up, Marco would have come with a stupid remark, and Cassie would have kept them both from fighting. Not today.
"Luckily for us, the blasted thing is still on the prototype stage. And we know where it is kept. Needless to say we will have to destroy it, and all technical schematics for it. If we don't, we are finished."
"Aren't we finished anyway?" Marco asked darkly.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean! We attack the yeerks again and again, and yes, we win a few small victories, but we never deal a serious blow."
"Have you forgotten when we destroyed the Kandrona?" I asked coldly.
"And what did it cost us! I was a miracle we got out of it alive! Wherever we fight or not, we will still die! Or become controllers! And the andalites will never come!" He practically yelled.
My people will come! Ax yelled in return. We fight the yeerks...
"...all over known space!" Marco finished. "Except here, right? To hell with your people!"
And then it happened. Ax finally snapped.
DIE, HUMAN! He yelled and swung his tail. Marco had no way of defending himself from it, and I would never reach them in time. Not that I could do much to stop a pissed off andalite. I realized that I would now witness Marco's death. And I didn't care.
And then...
And then, with Ax' tail in mid-air, came a bright flash...
And we found ourselves floating in space.
"What? What happened?" Marco asked.
"Beats me." I said and looked around. Cassie was with us, Rachel had 'woken up', and Marco was outside of Ax' range, thank God. But when I saw Tobias in his human form without he having morphed first, I understood who was responsible for this.
WE MEET AGAIN.
A collective groan could be heard from the group. Some things hadn't changed.
"Ellimist! What do you want this time?" Marco asked. "Want us to fight another battle for you? Save another world? Huh? Well, you can forget me, because I've had it! I am tired of alien slugs and murderous andalites, I am OUT OF THIS!"
While Ax tried to kill Marco by looking at him, Rachel's old temper flared up again. "What do you want now, you bastard! What the hell are we supposed to do now? What? JUST TELL US, WHAT?!"
NOTHING.
"Nothing?" I asked. "Then why bring us here?"
I JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING. NO BATTLES, NO DECISIONS. I ONLY WANT YOU TO WATCH. AFTER THAT, I WILL RETURN YOU TO EARTH.
"That's all?" Cassie asked.
THAT'S ALL.
I looked at the others. While Ax seemed to have calmed down, Marco was still angry. But in the end he sighed and said: "Okay, Ellimist. What do you want to show us?"
OBSERVE.
A new flash, and suddenly we had solid ground under our feet again. I looked nervously at Ax, but he seamed to have forgotten the entire matter with Marco, and was busy examining his surroundings.
We were back on Earth. It was a bright sunny day, and we were standing in the middle of a street. Only, the ground itself didn't look like it was made of asphalt, but rather a black material I didn't recognize. There was houses on both sides of the street, but they looked different from those I were used to seeing. They had a... modern appearance. Like they had been built recently. Above us I could see a five meter thick glass tube, following the street.
"What kind of place is this?" Rachel asked.
THIS IS YOUR HOMETOWN AS IT WILL LOOK LIKE IN 18. JULY 2023.
"This is the future?" Cassie asked. "What about the yeerks?"
THE YEERKS HAS BEEN DRIVEN AWAY FROM EARTH A LONG TIME AGO.
"Well, that's good to hear." Marco grunted.
"I don't recognize this area." I said.
THAT'S BECAUSE IT WAS BUILT AROUND 2015. LET ME TRANSPORT YOU TO A MORE FAMILIAR LOCATION.
Flash!
A second later we were standing outside the school. It looked exactly like it had been two decades earlier.
"Some things never change." Marco remarked. And for the first time in ages we chuckled a little.
That is; until we looked around. Then we lost our collective breath. There were a lot of people walking around, and generally going about their business. Problem was, not all of them were human. Humans dominated, of course, but there were quite a few hork-bajir and andalites, in addition to a few Skrit Na, and not to mention aces I've never seen nor heard about. There was even a couple of leerans. Bet they were here to try out Earth's oceans.
A buzzing sound made us look up, and we saw humans and a few hork-bajir sitting in what looked like chairs mounted on a platform. This platform were flying at a fair speed through the glass tube we had seen earlier.
Cassie was the first to get over the initial shock. "I don't understand. Why show us the future as it might be if we win?"
YOU MISUNDERSTAND, CASSIE. THERE IS NO 'MIGHT' OR 'IF'. THIS IS *THE* FUTURE.
"You mean.." I almost didn't dear ask the question. "We actually will win?"
HAHAHA! YES, JAKE. YOU WILL WIN. BUT ONLY IF YOU KEEP ON FIGHTING. GO AHEAD. LOOK AROUND YOU. ISN'T THIS WORTH FIGHTING FOR?
Yes, it was. The yeerks were defeated. Various alien races were living on Earth in harmony with humans. And the human race itself seemed to prosper. It was definitely worth fighting for.
Flash!
We were standing outside of what could only be a spaceport. It was a large, open area covered in what looked like concrete, although I was not entirely sure. A large square-shaped building was located to our far right. To it's left was a tall tower with a glass-dome on top. Probably the controltower. Two Dome Ships were hovering above the ground to the left, along dozens of smaller andalite craft. To the right was four disk-shaped ships, at least as large as the Dome Ships.
THE SHIPS TO THE RIGHT ARE BATTLECRUISERS, BUILT AND OPERATED BY HUMANS, AND COMMONLY REFEREED TO AS 'DISK SHIPS'.
Humans? Ax said. But how did they get the technology? Surly the couldn't have developed in such a short time, and I doubt my people gave it to them?
AH, AH, AH. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I CAN NOT ANSWER. WE DO NOT WANT TO ALTER THE COURSE OF HISTORY, DO WE?
Flash!
Suddenly we were standing a lot closer to the spaceport. A man walked past smiling, without seeing us. To me he looked oddly familiar...
WHAT'S THE MATTER JAKE? DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE YOURSELF?
"That's Jake?!" Cassie exclaimed.
'Of course!' I thought (when I started breathing again). The guy was basically an older version of me. I/He was dressed in a black uniform-like outfit consisting of a jacket and pants. On my/his left breast was a small crest. It was a small Earth surrounded by twenty-four stars.
SEE THOSE STARS? THEY SYMBOLIZE THE TWENTY-FOUR SOLAR SYSTEMS HUMANS HAVE COLONIZED.
Suddenly I/he was joined by a female. She was quite beautiful, black, kind of small, and...
"Ohmygosh." I muttered.
"Yup." Marco replied.
The I got the final proof when the future me and the girl embraced each other and kissed.
It was Cassie.
Let me tell you this: If the Cassie I know is beautiful, then the future version of her is absolutely stunning!
YES, THAT'S CASSIE. WHILE JAKE IS CAPTAIN ONBOARD THE 'DEFIANCE', CASSIE CHOSE TO BECOME AN XENOBIOLOGIST.
Our future selves stood there chatting for a few minutes. Soon a sleek car stopped not a dozen paces away. It was so quiet we didn't notice it at first. I thought it might be electrical powered. The car door went up, and out came a man who wore the same outfit the future me did, except his crest had a sword beside it with hilt facing down.
"Oh, boy." Marco muttered.
"I don't believe it!" Rachel exclaimed.
This was one person we immediately recognized. Although his hair was cut short, and he was much taller, it could not be anyone else than... Marco.
MARCO JOINED THE INTERSTELLAR INTELLIGENCE AGENCY A WHILE BACK.
"What am I...he...we doing there?" Marco inquired.
SORRY, CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
"Great, an ellimist with humour."
DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A MONOPOLY?
"Um, guys?" It was Rachel. "Are you seeing what I am seeing?" she said and pointed to a couple walking towards the small group of future Animorphs. They were walking hand in hand, the female was a blonde, stunningly beautiful, the male a tall confident fellow. They were both wearing the same black uniform.
"Rachel and Tobias." Cassie said.
"Yes, and look at what they are doing!" That was Marco of course. "I knew they would end up like that all the time!"
"Shut up, Marco!" Rachel said.
RACHEL AND TOBIAS ARE ALSO IN THE MILITARY. TOBIAS IS A FIGHTER PILOT, WHILE RACHEL IS A TACTICAL OFFICER.
Our twins suddenly waved to someone. It was a andalite who had just stepped out of an fighter. He moved with a confidence and a gracefulness that I admired him. One could almost think he was a hero from an andalite legend.
"Hi, Ax!" Future me called. "Welcome back to Earth."
Our immediate reaction was looking towards 'our' Ax, who looked like he had turned into a statue. If he had been human, his jaw would have hit the ground hard enough to make cracks.
"Surprises keeps rolling in." Marco said.
A most accurate description. Ax said.
WHAT? SURPRISED THAT AXIMILLI HAS FOLLOWED IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS BROTHER, AND BECOME A PRINCE AND A FIGHTER PILOT?
I got the impression that the Ellimist's 'voice' was full of barely concealed laughter.
When the future Ax reached the others, the future me said something. Then they turned smiling towards us, and waved their hands.
"Shit, they noticed us?" Rachel said.
OF COURSE. THEY HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH NOW.
Flash!
This time we appeared in a park. A pretty large one, with lots of different trees spread out over the entire area. We could se some children playing in the distance.
"And what are we suppose to do here?" Marco asked.
WE HAVE MADE A NEW JUMP THROUGH TIME. THIS IS THE YEAR 2098. LOOK BEHIND YOU.
We turned around and looked. And looked. And looked. I swear we stared at the monument we saw for a full five minutes, before any of us uttered a word.
It was us. A statue of me with my arms crossed against my chest, looking towards the horizon. Cassie was standing at my right side, with one arm around my shoulders. To Cassie's right stood Marco, first on his hips. To my left was Rachel, knees slightly bent, and looking ready to charge forward. Tobias sat on her shoulder, wings spread out. And to Rachel's left was Ax, with tail raised high. On the base of the monument was an inscription witch read: "In honour of the six heroes who fought a war on behalf of the entire human race."
"Um." Cassie said.
"Well." Marco said.
"Quite." Ax said.
Flash!
We were back in space, and we could se the Earth in front of us. Clouds layered the atmosphere. In the seemingly tin gap beneath each cloud, the shadows which they cast on the surface of the Earth could be seen. It looked as though the clouds had been painted on the topside of a sheet of glass which had been laid atop the land. The most staggering sight was that of the sun disappearing behind the edge of the Earth. The sun moved closer and closer to the limb of the planet, which was outlined with a thin, blue arc of haze. When the sun touched this haze, it seemed to set it afire. Gorgeous yellows, oranges, and reds shone through the atmosphere. It was a sunset in the shape of a rainbow. The light soon dimmed, and blackness was all around.
"Beautiful." Cassie said, and I agreed.
We just floated in silence for a while, then...
Hello, Animorphs.
"What? Who was that?" Marco asked.
The Earth slowly faded away, and was replaced with... an andalite. An andalite I had seen before, a lifetime ago. On an abandoned construction site.
"Oh my God!" I said.
"Christ!" Marco said.
"Jesus!" Rachel said.
"It's him!" Cassie said.
Tobias and Ax said nothing. Ax looked like he was made out of rock, while Tobias shook uncontrollably.
Yes, It's me.> Elfangor said.
You have all grown a lot I see. Looking at Tobias, he continued. Especially you, my son.
"Dad?" Tobias said as he fought to control his voice. Elfangor smiled that typical andalite smile and nodded.
With tears forming in his eyes, Tobias continued. "Is mom with you?"
Yes, of course she is.
Are you still... Poor Ax couldn't finish the sentence.
Dead? Yes, I'm afraid so. My time with you is almost up, too.
"But, can't the ellimist bring you back." Cassie asked.
No, that's beyond even his powers. He couldn't even give me more time.
Marco uttered the one word that summed up the situation rather nicely: "Crap."
I just wanted to say, that I am proud of every each and one of you. You are all true heroes.
With those words he faded out of view, leaving us alone.
"It is time to go back." A familiar voice said.
We turned around and, sure enough, there was the ellimist.
"Why did you do this?" Cassie asked. "What could you possibly get out of it?"
"I did it simply because you deserve it. More than deserve it."
Flash!
And thus, we were back in the barn, with Tobias back in hawk morph. We just sat there several minutes, lost in our own thoughts. After a while Ax broke the silence.
I am sorry, Marco.
"What?"
I am sorry for what I did. If the ellimist hadn't showed up, you would have been dead now.
"Hey, just forget it, Ax-man. We were all pretty stressed out."
"So what do we do now?" Cassie said.
"Well, we still have this morph-seeker to take care of." I answered.
"Let's do it!" Rachel said with a grin.
"Here we go again." said Marco, but even he had a grin.
I knew you'd say that. Tobias said. And with the smile Cassie sendt me, the day seamed far from dark.
"Okay, people." I said. "Let's fight for the future."
From that day on, the Animorphs fought with a passion and determination that proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that Elfangor did the right thing, giving them the power to morph.