by Peter Withers
Animorphs and related characters don't belong to me. Only Chance and Mona are mine and shouldn't be used without my permission.
Ch1
I guess I'm one of the most luckiest or unluckiest people in the world. This will probably take some explaining in order for most people to figure that out. There is extraterrestial life out in the universe but they are not a of cute and cuddly alien like E.T. There are some galactic bastards out there that are here on earth to conquer and enslave the population of this planet. They are called the yeerks and they are a bunch of parasites that are capable of taking over the minds and bodies of nearly anything in the universe that are big enough for them to take over. The nearly part is where I come in. My nickname is Chance and that is the best name for me. The reason my friends gave me that name is that I can get better than 95 percent with anything that involves the odds. This talent tends to be great in poker and a couple other things in school. That is until most people stopped playing poker with me or checked me for cheating so many times I just quit the game. I am seventeen and I have a little over average height, build and have light brown hair and greyish-blue eyes. My true name or my fake isn't important and I cannot give it out for fear that the yeerks will find my new home and terminate my existance. That is right, no putting a slug into my head except possibly from the kind that comes out of a gun. The Animorphs are correct in that Visser Three and the yeerks are attempting to capture them and enslave them before he thinks about killing them. But my case is different in many ways. For one thing, the yeerks think the Animorphs are Andalites, who tried to help us, and they know or are fairly certain that I am human 100%. Another is well..I explain below.
It was about six months ago that I heard about a new club called the Sharing that was sort of like a combination YMCA and boy/girl scouts. They had alot of parties and community services. I wanted to join and it was too good to be true. And it was. One month and two days later I'm being escourted down a flight of stone steps by "Hork-Bajir" and "Taxxons" aliens, or that is what the other prisoners called them. The other thing is that I'm screaming my head off. I was led into a line out onto a peer and when my time came, one of these Hork-Bajir forced my head in the water. I felt my head go tired for a few minutes and a minute in which I couldn't control myself.
(You're mine, Chance.)
(Who and what are you?)
(I'm Igness 2-4-5 and I'll be controlling you from now..Aaugh!!!.)
Whatever that was who was controlling me was spazing out and I was jerking around. I felt my mind go free and I found myself in the driver's seat again just as a Hork-Bajir grabbed me.
"Enegg wrong?" Beats me what he said but I got the drift while the yeerk was being put back in the pool and my head was submerged again. And the new yeerk was just as arrogant as the old and went spastic just as the old, even a tad quicker. Then the Hork-Bajir on the peer dunked me twice more until he gave up and threw me into one of the cages where other human were. They were crying, screaming, begging, and cursing at the aliens but with no avail or even notice from the aliens. There were also several Hork-Bajir in stronger cages. I sat there silently and tried to figure out what was going on.
I noticed that "my" Hork-Bajir was speaking to an alien that looked like a furry blue cross between a deer and human with a sharp scorpion tail. I figured out that they were talking about me when the Hork-Bajir gestured in my direction. Then it lost it's head. Not in temper or anything but literally as the new alien sliced the Hork-Bajir's head off with it's sharp tail. Then it came in my direction as the wormlike Taxxons devored the dead corpse of the Hork-Bajir. Then he gestured in my direction. Two new Hork-Bajir grabbed me and "escorted me toward the lead colored pool. Then they dunked my head in again and again trying in infest me. After a number of times (I lost tract), I passed out.
Ch2
I woke up by a wet rag being put on my forehead. I opened my eyes and saw a green eyed, brown haired angel cradling me.
"I'm died and gone to heaven." I muttered even through I was sure I wasn't there.
"Nope. Not lucky enough. What did you do to make Visser Three so angry at you?"
"Who?"
"The blue alien. He is an andalite-controller, the only one in the galaxy. He is in charge of the invasion."
"Invasion?!" I sat up quickly but got dizzy.
"Yeh. But what was Visser so angry at you about.?"
"Don't really know. They forced my head in that pool over there," I gestured, "then I lost my mind for a moment to some sort of evil being..."
"The yeerk."
"Yes, that's what it was. Then we went into spasms and I regained control of my body and mind. Then they dunked my head in the pool over and over again with the same happening to me. Does this sort of thing happen alot?"
"Never."
"I guess that was why they seemed very curious and quite frustrated with me. I couldn't surrender myself."
"But how?"
"Honestly.."
Then He came over. The blue furred alien, Visser Three.
(So, your finally awake.) I figured it said that in some sort of telepathy.
"Yes, I am." I said in a low measured tone that I learned to use during poker games.
(How are you preventing yourself from becoming one of ours?)
I said nothing.
He repeated it a little louded in telepathy.
I did something very stupid. With a cold smile on my face I said arrogantly, "You still don't know, do you. I guess the human race was wrong all these decades."
(About what?)
"About there being intelligent life outside of our own." Gutsy, but very stupid. Fortunately, I was far enough in the cage so he couldn't kill me immediately with his razor edged tail. Unfortunately I got shot by his Hork-Bajir's laser weapons. Also unfortunately (I felt at the time), I didn't die. Ch3
"Not very bright, are you." The same female voice scolded me as I woke up again.
"I know it wasn't bright, but I lost my temper there for a second."
"Don't do that again. Visser Three barely restrained himself from killing you.
"You should know they tried to put a yeerk in you while you were out. It stayed in there just about the same amount of time as the others."
"Could you bring me up to speed as to everything that is happening er.."
"Mona. I guess I should." She told me about the yeerks, andalites, the taking of various species, including humans as slaves for yeerks. She also mentioned Visser Three and other important yeerks. There was how she was forced by The Sharing to become a host. She has been a host for almost six months already.
I managed to get a good look at her. Green eyes, long brown hair, slim body. Gorgeous.
"So," she said once she was finished with her story, "How did you prevent yourself from losing your body to the yeerks?" She smiles softly at me.
I stared at her for a second. Her face distorted for a second but quickly came back to her, what I quickly found out, was her normal expressive face. Clever, very clever. They must have infested Mona while I was out cold. The old switch-a-roo trick. But let's make sure by fishing out a lie.
"I better whisper the answer to your question."
"Okay." She leaned in close.
"The reason why is that I am a genetically engineered human. My kind comes from a future and I have a mission which is to assassinate the possible dangers to a human interstellar empire. Oh yeah, I more thing...
"Yes." She leaned a bit closer. I quickly looked over her head the the metal bars that are a little more than a foot away. I noticed that the Hork-Bajir were discreetly watching us. Or trying do. I don't think they have much skill with stealth.
"I hope this hurts you more yeerk than it does Mona." I slammed her head into the bars. She back off and she came to her feet. The look of pure hatred on her face simply wasn't human. She cradled her head as blood seeped out.
"We'll get what we need from you and then you will die for what you did to me."
"Don't think so, slug. I'll be spitting on your grave. I hope you believe in some sort of Hell, yeerk, because that is where I'm sending all of you."
(Brave words from a human vermin behind a cage.) Visser Three again.
"My way out may be caged but so is your way in."
(And what does that mean, human?)
"Go to hell! You ain't getting me."
(We shall see, human.)
Ch 4
So for the next week, I sit there in the cage as the yeerks go about their normal business of placing the yeerks into the pool for Kadrona recharging and putting them back into the host's heads. This is a process which takes several hours so most of the time I end up having some company. It took some time but I got used to the sounds of the Damned. I just sat there thought, planned, and remembered. There is a big piece of the puzzle that I'm missing and that is just how I'm resisting the yeerk infestations. They try to infest me three times a day with fresh slugs but they are rejected. The time of rejection is down to seconds now. The yeerks seem to be getting more and more irritated at me as time goes on. As if I'm not the least bit unhappy at them for what they've done. I tried to resist the Hork-Bajir as they forced me face down into the pool for the tenth time in a row.
I tapped into. . . something that I had no idea I had. I actually resisted the Hork-Bajir as he pressed me down for more time than it expected. Then he dislocated my knee and I tumbled into the pool. The yeerks slugs in the pool went after me. One tried to infest me, then lost in seconds, then another, and another until the Hork-Bajir pulled me out. There must have been over a dozen attempts or more at infesting me within the time I was in the pool. But the wierdest thing was the fact I got flashes of information from each yeerk as it was rejected. Some had Hork-Bajir as hosts, others had Taxxons and humans. Most of the ones which got to me had Hork-Bajir as hosts. I think I learned some of that language in the pool. Then I lost consiousness, again.
Ch5
I woke up again because of the sound of a certain voice weeping. I got up and limped over to Mona. She got closer to me and cried into my shoulder.
"It's okay. it's okay, Mona."
"No, it isn't. We'll never get out of here free."
"Yes we will. I promise. I don't know how but I will get us out of here."
I searched in my pockets for my cloth tissue. I found it but I noticed that my clothes were clean and my pocketknife was gone. All that was left was my wallet and the rag. I wiped Mona's tears off and hugged her some more. "How long have you been here?"
"Less than an hour. I heard about what happened to you. Are you alright?"
"As much as can be expected. From person to person, I feel like crap."
"You should know that this is something totally new for _them_. They're used to a little bit of resistance from the hosts while they take over a body but nothing like this. Fifteen yeerks implanted and rejected in less than a minute."
"Wow. The yeerks are going to be pissed at me now if they weren't already."
"You betcha." Her voice was wry. The tears stopped flowing.
"You know something, if I wasn't captured and put in a place that resembles Hell and I wasn't subject to constant attempts to put alien parasites in my head, I would ask you out on a date."
She blushed slightly and said, "And if I wasn't being used as a host by one of the above parasites and this was a normal situation, I would probably say yes." Good. A decent sense of humor will do wonders.
"And if you said yes, I would probably show up at your front door with a single deep red rose and lead you to my black Mustang."
"You would, would you? Then what would you do?"
"Take you out to a romatic movie and then to the nearby Italian restaurant with the candlelit tables."
"I know the place that you are talking about. Please keep going."
"Then we could go to a special place that I know. It has an overhang that shows you all the stars in the sky."
"That's nice."
"I would place my arm around you and hopefully you would lean your head against me."
"Maybe I would or maybe I would slap you. Or maybe not."
"Then . . .oh great. Our 'chaparone' has arrived." One of those walking blades, Hork-Bajir, opened the cage and grabbed Mona.
"See you in three days, Mona."
Then I heard a soft voice say. (I would love to be the one to figure out how to get into that human. Visser Three would most likely promote me up to a Sub-Visser for that. )
Ch 6
What the devil was that? I wondered. I must be hearing things. But I was certain that that came out of the Hork-Bajir who was dragging Mona away but it didn't speak. Was I going crazy? I certainly had enough excuses to do so. Over the next couple of days, the frustration of the yeerks inability to capture my body grew. They still tried to infest me once a day but that didn't work. They cut down on my food and water. They yeerks were doing everything possible to weaken me. They had the yeerk who infested Mona come down occasionally between rest periods to torment me.
There was something that concerned me. Am I human? The yeerks didn't know whether I was one or not and neither did I. I couldn't figure out what they thought was worse for them: An alien race with this ability that was marqerading as part of the human race or a portion of the human race with that ability. But the one thing they nor I couldn't ever figure out was that it wasn't an ability made with technology or training or rather it was natural. They thought I was doing this whole thing on purpose. I know I wasn't. Wasn't I?
Mona came down, or rather the yeerk that controlled her did. I was sitting on the ground crosslegged and philosophically listening to the screaming and begging. Was that person screaming in a contro-alto tone? What was the cursing person truly thinking? She walked right up to the bars then backed up a few feet. Why? I was sitting down. I couldn't reach her before she backed away from me even if she leaned against the bars. Was she doing this because of orders or because it couldn't stand me? Or maybe it was worried my condition might be catchable?
"So what did you yeerks do with my disappearance? Suicide or runaway?"
"You 'ran away.' You will return after we get you. It doesn't matter rather or not we get you, we will still take your primitive race."
"Really, then why am I still alive, yeerk?" No answer. "Let me give you a scenario that might answer that. It looks like you yeerks have a fairly organized operation here. But I would bet that you haven't been in a full business of taking mankind for more than a year or even less depending on what I have heard. A hundred thousand humans give or take at most. Now consider if out of that number you get one of me. Out of six billion people you would have 50,000 or more humans like me even I my condition isn't catchable. That would comprise a very good resistance force to fight you especially if the Andalites (reaction: a look of pure hatred.) help us with technology and stuff."
"You stupid fool. They will never help you because of their stupid noninterference law (later information I found says it is called Seecrow's Kindness) of theirs and your kind will be destroyed."
"You're probably right. If you manage to take humanity, the Andalite race and all of the Galaxy, your arrogance would get yourselves destroyed."
"Why?"
"Rule of nature: No matter how tough you are or think you are there are others who are tougher. I read a lot of science fiction so I could give you some hypothetical examples of beings capable of destroying you."
"Like what?" The arrogance again. Probably thinks I can't give an answer.
"One: An advanced civilization too small to become your hosts. That could be viral size to earth bug size or slightly larger. Two: An advanced civilization that sent a force comprised of sentinent machines or a civilization that are composed of sentinant machines like in the book about the Berserkers. Three: A civilization comprised of cybernetics such as the Borg on Star Trek. Four: A civilation that is a hive or destributed mental civilization like ants or termites. I could give you more with a little more thought."
I watched the yeerk in Mona change expression from arrogance to irritation. "Remember," I finished, "it is a big universe out there and you mess around enough out there, your going to get nailed sometime."
She stalked away. I sat there and stared at her for a moment. (A very beautiful woman.) I thought.
CH 7 (my lucky number, usually)
After Mona got out of my sight, I got up and went into my exercise routine. I started with stretch my muscles and moved into a combination of martial arts and dance that I wouldn't be able to do if I didn't have a cage to myself. I never did get rid of my new limp but I confensated for it in my routine. Soon I was able to ignore it in my routine. I sweated and pushed myself. The strange thing was that I enjoyed it a lot. I would start up my morning with the exercises and moved on to my morning shower. Something I noticed was the fact that the bathroom facilities were hastily modified with the shower. I then moved on to my mental state which included reading books on various subjects and meditating. I just asked them kindly for the books and in a few days they relented. The yeerks seemed amused with my requests but complied. That was in part because of my study of my new mental abilities. That talent for telepathy kept on increasing and I was able to soon read surface thoughts of the yeerks and their hosts sometimes. I could even tell a free human from a yeerk-controlled human. Eventually, I was able to effect a few human-controller thought processes and got them to give me books. I also noticed a telekinetic ability forming within me. That was strange. I first flipped a coin over from a foot away without thinking about it. Then I really concentrated and it did it when I wanted to. It was fun when I started stumbling human and Hork-Bajir controllers. They never figured out it was me from fifty feet away. The lesson I learned was the first time I used any of my abilities voluntarily, it was hard. But it eventually gets easier. After the mental workouts, I set up a poker game with the others in the cages except when Visser Three taunted me. I just acted depressed and except for testing, taking care of me and the occasional attempt to infest me, the yeerks left me alone. The playing cards were another practice with my telepathy. It took a few tries to get my prisonmates to play but some of them eventually did. The rest sat there and watched my group play. The games (that I won 500$ at) got the attention of everyone in the cages except for the captive Hork-Bajir. The silence in our groups surprised the yeerks alot. It wasn't the sound of giving up but rather the sound of ignoring them. They took the cards away after several days but the damage was done. Instead of screaming and cursing, we all exchanged stories and taught each other different things.
Mona was the highlight of my time there every three days or so. I would greet her and we would just talk about life. I would tell her what was happening to me and she would tell me what was occurring on the surface. We talked and fantasized and hoped together. Then one day:
"Hi Mona." I said as she was escorted into the cage that I was in. If we didn't struggle, they gave us a choice as to what cage we go in. They didn't care where we went.
"Hi, Chance." she said brightly as we sat down on the ground together. "What's up?"
"Same old, same old. You?"
Mona looked determined for some reason. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately and I've made a decision. This might not be a Italian restaurant but it will do?"
I didn't make the connection for a minute. "For what?"
"For this." AND SHE KISSED ME. I've been kissed a few times while on dates but this was totally different. The kiss felt like fire and I never enjoyed anything so much in my life. I laid down all the way and she crawled on top of me and we continued kissing. I felt nothing like this before for a woman. The rest were mere girls. I didn't know how far we would have gone after those few minutes and I didn't care until I heard a mind shout.
(Stop that!)
Visser Three. We didn't move one bit. I was shirtless and Mona's shirt was hitched partway up where I was carassesing her back. We both had mussed up hair. We both sat up and looked around. All of the temporary free humans, human controllers, and a lot of the aliens were staring at us. All of the poker games and my other actions and my condition didn't bother them but a little making out and we practically shut down the yeerk pool.
I whisper, "Geeze Mona, you would think that they have never seen anything worse than PG in life." She giggled softly. We got up and adjusted our clothes accordingly.
(What were you doing?)
I snarled, "What, Visser, no one ever explain the birds and the bees to you." I regretted that the second it came out of my mouth because my tone of voice made my statement sound like Visser Three couldn't control us. I was 'pissing in his sandbox' big time and only one course of action could be done. More torture for me or..
(Grab the human female.) The Hork-Bajir grabbed Mona and dragged her out. (You will tell me how you are doing what you are doing or she dies in front of you. You have one Earth minute.) Mona was shaking with fear in the clutches of the Hork-Bajir.
There was a couple things to do. One tell him everything I know and he kills her and me or don't tell him anything and she dies. There might be a far off third option. I telepathically sent suggestive thoughts into one of the closest human controllers and I started screaming. "I don't know, I don't know. Please don't hurt her."
(Too bad, human.) Visser Three cocked his tail to slice Mona apart.
"Please...Visser." A very hesistant human voice said. "She is a member of The Sharing. If she disappears, humans might notice and might prevent their offspring from joining. That might slow plans down even more especially with those Andalite bandits around. The Councial of Thirteen might not be pleased with a delay on the timetable." Please, please let that person be high ranking or Visser Three will kill him without even thinking about the suggestion.
(Very well. Seperate them. And step up the testing on this vermin.)
