Ruthless
Oh my God. This is easily the worst thing that has happened to me since a certain slug decided it might be fun to crawl into my ear.
>Nice to see I get a mention.>
I ignored Edriss. It's hard, when she is the one controlling my movements, and my body, but I am really too distracted to deal with her.
>Poor Eva. Is this about your precious Marco?>
>Don't you even say my son's name,> I snapped.
>Why?>taunted the visser. >Afraid? Are you afraid to confront the fact that he would trade your life? Knowingly? Willingly? Are you afraid that he knows, but just doesn't care?>
I don't want to be, I don't, but... yes. I am afraid of that. I'm afraid that Marco, my little Marco, my only son, doesn't give a damn about hisold mother anymore.
>'Old dead mother.' You forgot dead. The boy thinks you're dead. Probably didn't recognize you,> Edriss said.Not an understatement to sayI hate her. She never shuts up!
>Why should I? I believe humans consider it a medical problem when they can't confront reality.>
She was enjoying this. Way too much.
Sadistic parasite. She kept focusing on the fact that Marco was willing to kill me, not that his goal was to kill her and Visser Three.
It breaks my heart to know that my Marco was willing, planning, to kill anyone. My little son. My gentle, perhaps naive son...
>...is a vicious murderer,>Visser Onefinished gleefully.
>Don't you ever stop?>I raged, silent and trapped in my own mind. >It's not like you can talk! You would kill him yourself if you had the chance! If you didn't need us, you'd kill every living, breathing human being!>
For some odd reason I could never fathom, that shut the Yeerk up.
Maybe she was scared. She should be. The Council of Thirteen and Visser Three were mad as hell at her. Visser One was a typical corrupted leader, being tried for treason. I had a sickening desire to hear the visser's pleas and screams as her arch-rival, Visser Three, starved her.
>The feeling is mutual, human, trust me.>
>Yeah, and you want to see my Marco die slowly and painfully as well, right?> I screamed. You won't! He will kill you one day! He will! And I will savor it!>
>I'll bet,> Edriss sneered. >Wake up, human. While you undoubtedly would enjoy my death, and immensely if it were by your stupid son's hands, if he does kill me...> she paused dramatically, >it will mean that he is a ruthless, cold-blooded little monster.>
She practically sang her next words. >The unfeeling brat, he could be a visser!>
NO! No no no no no! Not my Marco! Not my little boy, my sweet, gentle son! No! He isn't a general, he isn't a tactician, he's...
Ruthless. Cold. Able to do what needs to be done.
But unfeeling? No. Never. Not my Marco.
He sees it, I realized. He sees that brilliant, perfect little line from A to Z. The one beautiful way, the simplest way to do things. He knows that if something is done, it must be done fully.
No second chances, no guesswork, no what ifs. Just the lovely, bright, little gray-shaded line.
Just like I do.
And he's a smartass.
>Which is how I figured out who he is, Eva!> the Yeerk reminded me.
I didn't really care just then. Humor had been the one thing I wanted my son to learn. I wanted him to see life as several little ironies, not one big Romeo and Juliet-esque tragedy. It seems I succeeded.
And unwillingly, unknowingly, I passed on another of my traits to Marco.
The ability to see that little line.
It still pained my mother's heart to know what the war and my apparent 'death' has done to my child. But I was heartened to know that as long as my Marco was in the fight, Vissers One and Three had a guaranteed death warrant written, signed, and waiting to be delivered.
Edriss did the mental equivalent of a malicious scowl. >That's a matter of opinion, human.>
>Maybe,> I told my own,personalversion ofevil incarnate. >And, in case you forgot, hon, it's a matter of the Council of Thirteen's opinion whether or not you live to ruin another day.>
I was pleased when the annoying slug didn't respond.