In Time
For Time is the catalyst for all change ...
Jake's lips curled into a feral smile from where he sat on an ornately carved throne. Ax stood behind him, his stalk eyes darting nervously around him. "They will be dead within the hour, Milord," promised the dark-haired young man in front of them, "I'll see to it personally."
"Do that," Jake told him. "Kill the Animorphs."
******************************************************
Marco ran down a dark, narrow hall in the citadel, his footsteps echoing behind him. He'd gotten separated from the group.
Granted, they hadn't really been getting anywhere, but this place was creepy and there were a thousand other places he'd rather be than alone down here.
"Makes me wonder about Jake's state of mind when he designed it," he muttered aloud.
His breathing was loud and harsh in his ears as he ran, and he worried that someone would hear it. And the things his overactive imagination could imagine happening.
Stop thinking about that, he told himself fiercely, you have to find the others and get out of here. He turned a corner and hoped he'd see something familiar, something he'd recognize.
He'd been wandering the labyrinthine halls for what felt like hours, though was probably far less, and he was certain he'd never before seen any of them in his life. "The things I could be doing right now. Maybe if I learned to keep my mouth shut..."
He heard a sound ahead of him and froze. It's nothing, Marco. Just a rat or something, you're listening so hard for sounds you imagine you can hear them, he thought desperately, nothing to worry about... But in the next moment a group of guards burst into the hall, shattering the silence, and his fragile hopes.
Marco quickly turned and ducked down a hallway.
A moment later gunshots rang out and Marco, blood pooling at his feet, fell to his knees. He stared in shock before collapsing onto the concrete floor. His breathing grew slower...than stopped.
One of the men pulled out a portable phone. "This is Lt. Smith. We've killed one of them."
******************************************************
[Prince Jake, is this.....wise?] Ax asked hesitantly from beside Jake as he put down his communicator.
[We could cancel the order and call the others back. It was all simply a -- a misunderstanding]
Jake glanced quickly at Ax.
"Why ever would I want to do that, Ax?"
[Sir.....] He looked at Jake.
[Who was killed?]
Jake's eyes flicked toward the communicator. "I don't know. I didn't ask. Surely, Ax, you don't agree with them?"
[Of course not, sir.]
"Then there is no need to discuss this..."
Ax sighed and lowered his stalk eyes. [No.]
******************************************************
"I don't know how we could have lost him," Cassie said worriedly, "He was there one minute, and gone the next."
"Yeah, Cassie, we know. It's not your fault. We'll find him,"
Rachel assured her.
"I know."
But she knew it wasn't likely. They all did. It could take days to search the lower floors of the huge structure. Added to fact that they were being pursued by trained squadrons who could find their way around quite easily and were armed, Marco's chances were slim.
"Are you sure you don't know were the exits are? You have lived here for the past five years."
"I never came down here. I never did like this place."
"Ah. Okay."
******************************************************
The Yeerks had been defeated nearly twenty years before with help from the military. After the world had overcome its initial shock at the discovery that they'd been invaded by aliens, it had organized its military power rather quickly. Jake had been given command of the army. Victory had come swiftly.
The Andalites had never come; Ax hadn't heard from his people in nearly two decades. It was speculated that they'd become enslaved by the Yeerks, or maybe they'd all been killed in war. Jake hadn't particularly cared and had never bothered to investigate or try to contact them.
The Earth's economy had collapsed shortly after the war, and the world had entered another depression.
Jake and Cassie had gotten married after the Yeerks had been defeated, and their daughter had been born three years later. Jake had been elected leader of the United States in the chaos during the next few years.
Ax had been his second-in-command during the war, and kept that position afterwards.
Jake had ordered the palace built fifteen years before, right after he had declared himself ruler of the world; it had taken nearly a decade to build and was generally regarded as the greatest man-made structure in the world. It had been built over the site where the White House had stood in Washington, D.C.
In the beginning, he'd been little more than a figurehead, but that had quickly changed. He'd swiftly gotten rid of anyone who didn't support him.
Five years after his election, Rebel factions began uprisings.
Towns had been systematically destroyed.
In the next years, Jake had become more of a public figure, while the other Animorphs faded to the background.
Which suited them perfectly. No one else wanted the spotlight, though people had a tendency to look toward the Animorphs in times of trouble. Rachel and Tobias had gotten married about four years after the end of the war. They'd lived in California for the last seven years.
Marco had lived in Washington, but he hadn't been particularly close to Jake, and had rarely spoken to him.
War had broken out between European rebels and Jake's army. The order had been given that they be destroyed.
In the midst of this, they'd all suddenly received invitations to Washington, to see Jake and Cassie.
Everyone had reluctantly agreed and they had all flown down during the next month.
******************************************************
"Couldn't we morph, or something?"
"No, Jake had Gleet BioFilters installed a few years ago."
Cassie laughed bitterly. "He's become quite paranoid in the last couple of years."
Very paranoid, indeed, she thought darkly.
Who knows what else he could have hidden here, and not told even me... She sighed. We're running ou of options.
******************************************************
On their third week there, Jake had decided to have a ceremony in honor of them. It had been a huge, televised event.
Marco had gotten into and argument with Jake and, unfortunately, had gone too far this time.
"Jake, man, you're no better than Visser 3! You've turned into a dictator."
Jake's eyes had flashed angrily. "How dare you speak to me like that! I saved this country from economic ruin! The world. Without me, the world would be dead. Without me, it could not exist."
He motioned to the guards. "Get rid of him."
Cassie stood up "Jake..."
"Shut up, Cassie."
She looked away from him.
"Jake," Rachel spoke up in disbelief, "Are you nuts?"
He glared at them. "Take them all away."
******************************************************
Cassie had come to their rescue. They were forced to escape down to the lower floors. They had then promptly gotten lost.
Marco had then disappeared.
Tobias cocked his head.
[Did you guys hear something?] [Author's note: He's still a bird, in case anyone's wondering. But Rachel and Tobias got married anyway. :P ]
They quickly looked back and scanned the hallways that were in their lines of vision.
Cassie frowned. "No."
Tobias looked back. [Maybe I'm hearing things.]
Rachel looked at him uneasily. "I doubt it."
From further down the hall they heard voices. "There they are!"
Rachel spun around, only to be shot in the chest a moment later. She fell over, dead.
[Rachel!] Tobias screamed.
He, too, fluttered to the ground in a flurry of blood and feathers.
Cassie gritted her teeth. She stared defiantly at the guards. A moment later she fell to the ground, joining her comrades in death.
******************************************************
Jake stared into the darkness beyond his windowpane, the light casting odd shadows on the contours of his face. Ax had retired to his private quarters a few moments earlier.
Perhaps I was rash, perhaps I judged too quickly, he thought, Perhaps . . . I was wrong.
He frowned and looked up at the night sky.
No, of course not.
For Time is the catalyst for all change ...
Jake's lips curled into a feral smile from where he sat on an ornately carved throne. Ax stood behind him, his stalk eyes darting nervously around him. "They will be dead within the hour, Milord," promised the dark-haired young man in front of them, "I'll see to it personally."
"Do that," Jake told him. "Kill the Animorphs."
******************************************************
Marco ran down a dark, narrow hall in the citadel, his footsteps echoing behind him. He'd gotten separated from the group.
Granted, they hadn't really been getting anywhere, but this place was creepy and there were a thousand other places he'd rather be than alone down here.
"Makes me wonder about Jake's state of mind when he designed it," he muttered aloud.
His breathing was loud and harsh in his ears as he ran, and he worried that someone would hear it. And the things his overactive imagination could imagine happening.
Stop thinking about that, he told himself fiercely, you have to find the others and get out of here. He turned a corner and hoped he'd see something familiar, something he'd recognize.
He'd been wandering the labyrinthine halls for what felt like hours, though was probably far less, and he was certain he'd never before seen any of them in his life. "The things I could be doing right now. Maybe if I learned to keep my mouth shut..."
He heard a sound ahead of him and froze. It's nothing, Marco. Just a rat or something, you're listening so hard for sounds you imagine you can hear them, he thought desperately, nothing to worry about... But in the next moment a group of guards burst into the hall, shattering the silence, and his fragile hopes.
Marco quickly turned and ducked down a hallway.
A moment later gunshots rang out and Marco, blood pooling at his feet, fell to his knees. He stared in shock before collapsing onto the concrete floor. His breathing grew slower...than stopped.
One of the men pulled out a portable phone. "This is Lt. Smith. We've killed one of them."
******************************************************
[Prince Jake, is this.....wise?] Ax asked hesitantly from beside Jake as he put down his communicator.
[We could cancel the order and call the others back. It was all simply a -- a misunderstanding]
Jake glanced quickly at Ax.
"Why ever would I want to do that, Ax?"
[Sir.....] He looked at Jake.
[Who was killed?]
Jake's eyes flicked toward the communicator. "I don't know. I didn't ask. Surely, Ax, you don't agree with them?"
[Of course not, sir.]
"Then there is no need to discuss this..."
Ax sighed and lowered his stalk eyes. [No.]
******************************************************
"I don't know how we could have lost him," Cassie said worriedly, "He was there one minute, and gone the next."
"Yeah, Cassie, we know. It's not your fault. We'll find him,"
Rachel assured her.
"I know."
But she knew it wasn't likely. They all did. It could take days to search the lower floors of the huge structure. Added to fact that they were being pursued by trained squadrons who could find their way around quite easily and were armed, Marco's chances were slim.
"Are you sure you don't know were the exits are? You have lived here for the past five years."
"I never came down here. I never did like this place."
"Ah. Okay."
******************************************************
The Yeerks had been defeated nearly twenty years before with help from the military. After the world had overcome its initial shock at the discovery that they'd been invaded by aliens, it had organized its military power rather quickly. Jake had been given command of the army. Victory had come swiftly.
The Andalites had never come; Ax hadn't heard from his people in nearly two decades. It was speculated that they'd become enslaved by the Yeerks, or maybe they'd all been killed in war. Jake hadn't particularly cared and had never bothered to investigate or try to contact them.
The Earth's economy had collapsed shortly after the war, and the world had entered another depression.
Jake and Cassie had gotten married after the Yeerks had been defeated, and their daughter had been born three years later. Jake had been elected leader of the United States in the chaos during the next few years.
Ax had been his second-in-command during the war, and kept that position afterwards.
Jake had ordered the palace built fifteen years before, right after he had declared himself ruler of the world; it had taken nearly a decade to build and was generally regarded as the greatest man-made structure in the world. It had been built over the site where the White House had stood in Washington, D.C.
In the beginning, he'd been little more than a figurehead, but that had quickly changed. He'd swiftly gotten rid of anyone who didn't support him.
Five years after his election, Rebel factions began uprisings.
Towns had been systematically destroyed.
In the next years, Jake had become more of a public figure, while the other Animorphs faded to the background.
Which suited them perfectly. No one else wanted the spotlight, though people had a tendency to look toward the Animorphs in times of trouble. Rachel and Tobias had gotten married about four years after the end of the war. They'd lived in California for the last seven years.
Marco had lived in Washington, but he hadn't been particularly close to Jake, and had rarely spoken to him.
War had broken out between European rebels and Jake's army. The order had been given that they be destroyed.
In the midst of this, they'd all suddenly received invitations to Washington, to see Jake and Cassie.
Everyone had reluctantly agreed and they had all flown down during the next month.
******************************************************
"Couldn't we morph, or something?"
"No, Jake had Gleet BioFilters installed a few years ago."
Cassie laughed bitterly. "He's become quite paranoid in the last couple of years."
Very paranoid, indeed, she thought darkly.
Who knows what else he could have hidden here, and not told even me... She sighed. We're running ou of options.
******************************************************
On their third week there, Jake had decided to have a ceremony in honor of them. It had been a huge, televised event.
Marco had gotten into and argument with Jake and, unfortunately, had gone too far this time.
"Jake, man, you're no better than Visser 3! You've turned into a dictator."
Jake's eyes had flashed angrily. "How dare you speak to me like that! I saved this country from economic ruin! The world. Without me, the world would be dead. Without me, it could not exist."
He motioned to the guards. "Get rid of him."
Cassie stood up "Jake..."
"Shut up, Cassie."
She looked away from him.
"Jake," Rachel spoke up in disbelief, "Are you nuts?"
He glared at them. "Take them all away."
******************************************************
Cassie had come to their rescue. They were forced to escape down to the lower floors. They had then promptly gotten lost.
Marco had then disappeared.
Tobias cocked his head.
[Did you guys hear something?] [Author's note: He's still a bird, in case anyone's wondering. But Rachel and Tobias got married anyway. :P ]
They quickly looked back and scanned the hallways that were in their lines of vision.
Cassie frowned. "No."
Tobias looked back. [Maybe I'm hearing things.]
Rachel looked at him uneasily. "I doubt it."
From further down the hall they heard voices. "There they are!"
Rachel spun around, only to be shot in the chest a moment later. She fell over, dead.
[Rachel!] Tobias screamed.
He, too, fluttered to the ground in a flurry of blood and feathers.
Cassie gritted her teeth. She stared defiantly at the guards. A moment later she fell to the ground, joining her comrades in death.
******************************************************
Jake stared into the darkness beyond his windowpane, the light casting odd shadows on the contours of his face. Ax had retired to his private quarters a few moments earlier.
Perhaps I was rash, perhaps I judged too quickly, he thought, Perhaps . . . I was wrong.
He frowned and looked up at the night sky.
No, of course not.