End of the Resistance
"We have all three."
"Wake up! Get up, scumbag! Let's see some movement!"
I was awake. My arms and legs felt cold. I must have been lying on them. I couldn't see, because something was blocking my eyes, like a piece of cloth wrapped around my head. A sharp kick to the stomach brought me full alert, and I groaned with the pain, squirming away from where the hit had come from.
A hand grabbed at one of my headblades and tried to hoist me up. I followed it and brought myself to hands and knees, panting and crying out, not knowing where I was or what was happening around me.
"Stay still! Do as you're told, creature!"
"Where is Seerow?!" I called, desperate for an answer. At the first struggle, the hand around my headblade pulled hard, hurting my neck. I stopped, waiting for what was to come.
The hand left, but only for a little while. It took the cloth around my head and started to pull. It loosened, and soon it was gone. I could see again, but the sun was bright and it hurt to look. I hadn't seen for a while.
"Is this the one?" A voice behind me asked.
"We'll find out. The others are coming."
It was getting easier to see. I squinted to look around, and saw a small, isolated ravine. There were big machines covered in metal and dirt. Only the Yeerks had machines like that. There was no grass, and all that remained of the trees were wide stumps and collapsed, leafless branches. The sky was orange and clouded.
"No!" I gasped, struggling to get to my feet. "Not here! Let Seerow go!"
Two arms grabbed roughly at mine, holding me firmly in place. I tried to swing my tail, kick out with my legs, but I was limited to small movements. There was something tied around them.
A Hork-Bajir walked close-by, in front of me. A Yeerk slug was in his head, controlling everything he did. He was no longer Hork-Bajir. He was waiting for something. I didn't know what.
The Yeerks had me… The Yeerks had me!
It began to dawn on me, and I was struggling again. One of my captives hit me around the head, and I felt a horrible dizziness. I crumpled back to my knees and sobbed. How had the Yeerks gotten me? What about Mother? What about Father? Would I be turned into a Yeerk, too?
"No," I cried. "Not Yeerk Seerow! Not be Yeerk!"
"Shut up!" One of the Yeerks holding me ordered. "I'll hit you again!"
"No Yeerk! Seerow will not be Yeerk!" I screamed.
Another hit to the side of my head, and it was harder this time. I tried to stay on my knees, but they fell from beneath me and I hit the ground. I bit at the dirt and whined. The Yeerks had me… They would make me a slave, just like my brothers and sisters. I would be lost, just like them.
"What did I tell you, huh?!" The Yeerk boomed. His foot slammed into my side, and I creased into the pain. "Stay still!"
"No Yeerk…" I whimpered. "No."
A voice drifted over the wind into our direction, faint but near. "Visser Eight will handle them."
I opened my eyes enough to see. Through the waving heat off the ground I saw five figures coming closer, all Hork-Bajir. They were coming to me.
"Get up," My violent captor told me. "Onto your knees. Somebody wants to speak to you."
It hurt to move, but I did. Not moving would make him hit me again, and I didn't want to be hurt anymore. It was hard, but I could push myself shakily onto my knees again. I could see the figures coming closer, and through my aching eyes I could recognise them. They were hobbling, hands tied behind their backs and tails around their ankles. The three other Hork-Bajir were pushing them forward.
They saw me, and they knew me. I wanted them. I needed them!
"Mother! Father!" I barked. "Fight the Yeerks! Make the Yeerks go!"
They said nothing. When they were closer, I could see them covered in blood. Father's right eye was bludgeoned and closed. Mother had lashes across her chest, like she had been clawed by a terrible monster. The Yeerks kicked them to me, pushed them roughly from behind. They laughed. Soon, Mother and Father were in front of me. I could almost reach out and touch them. Hold them. They were forced to their knees.
"Mother… Father…" I said, disrupted by my sobs. "Not Yeerk. Not Yeerk!"
They looked to me sadly, but they were not giving tears. They never did. They were great leaders, and they were proud. Mother spoke, "Seerow, my child, please don't cry."
I couldn't help it. When I stared into her eyes I could only see defeat. I hated it. I wanted it to go away! Nothing could defeat Mother, or Father.
One of the Yeerks stepped forwards and between us. "So this is it! The resistance leaders. Nothing more than pathetic simpletons, really!"
"Kill us!" Father demanded, his voice croaky and weak. "Get it over with. Just leave Seerow alone!"
"He had nothing to do with it!" Mother followed. "He's only a child!"
The Yeerk laughed. "Looks like a grown adult to my eyes. Isn't that right, Hork-Bajir?"
He stepped to me and lightly prodded his foot against my thigh. I tried to see his face, but the sun hid behind him and caused me to flinch.
"The end of the resistance…" He muttered. "It's about time. You've been nothing but trouble since we arrived. You've been so much trouble, in fact, that you've made a name for yourselves," He moved away from me and towards Mother. She didn't even give him the pleasure of a glance. "Especially you, Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan. It's so sad that you would sacrifice your Andalite body to live with such simpletons. What possessed you? Was it madness? Not like an Andalite to stoop so low. Maybe it's the embarrassment of your father. Then again, why name your son after such an embarrassment? How peculiar…"
"You aren't worth my time, Yeerk," Mother seethed. "Not anybody's. You're nothing but filth!"
All he did was chuckle. "I knew you'd be like this. It's been so long since you were truly Andalite, but you'd never get rid of that arrogant sneer, would you? If it were up to me, I'd have you made a slave like every other Hork-Bajir, but I'm afraid Visser Eight has other ideas."
Visser Eight… Mother and Father talked about him a lot. He had been leading the Yeerks on our home for some time.
"Do it." The Yeerk spoke.
The hands around my arms both hoisted me up to my feet. I kicked out, but only pulled painfully at my own tail. They turned me, and I came face-to-face with a great hole in the ground. A thick brown liquid rippled within, but silently.
"Mother! Father!" I yelled out. "Seerow not be Yeerk!"
I could turn my neck enough to see behind me, back to them. They both thrashed to lurch forward, to follow and help me, but their restraints and their captors made sure that they made no progress.
Mother called to me, desperate and panicked. "Seerow, don't let them beat you! Fight them!"
I tried. I pulled my arms and flailed my joined tail and legs. I did anything to push the Yeerks away. They held their grasps tightly, and refused to go.
Maybe… Maybe she didn't mean right now.
"We will always love you, Seerow. No matter what they make you do! We will always love you."
"Love Mother! Love Father!" I replied desperately to Mother's words.
"No matter what!" Father agreed.
One of my captors put his leg before mine. With no time to react, I lost my balance and collapsed forward, turning my head just in time to see…
SPLOOSH!
My eyes immediately stang, shunted with dirty, brown liquid. I locked my mouth shut and attempted to pull my head back out, but a big hand pressed me back down, holding me firmly below the surface. I heard nothing but the bubbling of water. I knew Mother and Father would be scared for me. They would be screaming, crying. They had done before for things that were nowhere near as bad.
Something touched my ear! It was thick and slimy. It must have been a Yeerk! I thrashed, so wanting to swing my head away, but the hand held me in place. The thing squelched and squirmed into my head. It felt disgusting. It made me feel sick.
I was being turned into one of them! I was going to be a Yeerk, too!
"No!" I screamed, creating nothing but bubbles and a watery noise. "Not Yeerk! Not Yeerk!"
It was all the way in! I could still feel it, wiggling up into my head.
"Mother! Father!" I cried. "Seerow not want this! Seerow wants to go home! Yeerk is-"
My words didn't come out! I tried again… Nothing!
It was happening! Father told me what would happen. I wouldn't be able to do anything. Speak. Touch. Hold. Run. The Yeerk would make it all happen. Was it true?
((Hello, Seerow.))
My jaw clamped. Twice. I didn't want it to, didn't think to. I felt my tail wiggle when I didn't tell it to. My hands clenched to fists. My eyes blinked. I didn't do any of it.
Suddenly, the hand let go. I was going to thrash out and run. I would rescue Mother and Father. But none of those happened. Instead, I gently pulled my head from the water and casually panted to catch my breath. I got slowly up with the help of the Yeerks. One of them sliced away my restraints.
"You monsters!" I heard Father bellow. "You let him go! Let Seerow go!"
I wanted to cry. Instead, I smiled. The Yeerk made me smile! He stretched out my aching arms and legs, and rubbed against the sore parts of my body.
((Did they have to beat you so much? I'll be limping for days.)) A voice spoke in my head.
Then, I spoke. Not me, but… my mouth. I spoke to the Yeerks around me. "You beat him too much. The body is weak. Make sure I have a medical team on standby."
"Yes, Visser." One of them said back.
((So,)) The voice said to me, inside my own head. ((You're the son of the notorious Alread-Iskillion-Falan. I was hoping for something special. You're just like the last Hork-Bajir I had! How disappointing.))
((Go away!)) I thought. I knew he could understand. ((Yeerk not have Seerow!))
((Oh, but I do. I also have Aldrea. Shall we go speak to her? There's a good Hork-Bajir…))
He made me move forward. I tried to turn him away, to stop him having full control, but there was nothing I could do! No matter how hard I thought to stop movement. He guided my eyes to Mother and Father.
They were crying. I can't remember the last time I saw them crying.
"Aldrea, the Andalite nothlit, son of Seerow the Embarrassment. And your Hork-Bajir lover," He said, standing tall over them both. "Have you any idea how much stress you've caused me? How many sleepless nights?"
"I hope you never sleep again." Father commented with a growl.
"Was I speaking to you?" My mouth spat. "I'm speaking to the Andalite. The Andalite that gave up her own body for a futile endeavour. Did you really think you'd get anywhere?"
Mother was able to hold eye contact, but it was not anger I saw. She wasn't looking at the Yeerk. "Seerow, we love you. We love you so much."
"Seerow is dead!" My Yeerk boomed. "Talk to me, Andalite. Talk to me! Answer my question!"
"We will always look over you," Mother continued. I saw tears down her cheeks. "Till the end of time. Wherever you are. You're my son and I will love you forever."
"Silence!" I screamed. "You stupid, ignorant Andalite scum! Don't you listen? I won't deal with this stupidity! Never! Answer my question or I'll tear out your eyes!"
"Forever, my kawatnoj!" Father intervened. "You'll never be alone. We'll always be with you."
"Enough!" Visser Eight squealed. "You'll say nothing more!"
My body pitched towards him. I didn't know what was going to happen. The Yeerk didn't like Father talking. I stomped behind him and cursed him. My hand reached down and grabbed at the biggest blade on his head. I pulled hard and sharp! Harder than I've pull to remove a stump from the hardened ground! Father groaned and choked, while his captors held him down by the shoulders.
((No!)) I screamed! ((Not hurt Father! Not hurt! Seerow will do what Yeerk say! Seerow do anything!))
The Yeerk said nothing back to me. He didn't care, and he was pulling harder! He pulled with all his might, and rejoiced in the sound of Father's strained grunts. He couldn't even wail or scream.
Mother did. In the corner of my eyes I saw her thrashing, yelling out at my Yeerk. Her screams rang through my ears, but there was nothing I could do.
I saw Father's eyes dulling. His rasping became a weak whimper. Suddenly, with a tearing and a crack, his neck gave up the fight. My hand pulled his head from his neck like a sprout from stubborn soil. His body collapsed, blood trickling from his opened neck.
((Fath-fa-…)) I stuttered. But the Yeerks didn't allow me to look away. He held Father's head high into the sky like a prize, and he made me look as the remnant flesh dangled beneath his skull.
"This is what happens!" Visser Eight thundered. "Do you listen now?!"
"You… You m-monster!" Mother yowled. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Another Yeerk had to restrain her, and they held her to the ground that Father's blood was swallowing.
I had to cry. Every emotion in me demanded it, but the Yeerk was making me bark with anger, and chuckle with laughter. One tear did force its way to my right eye, but he wiped it right away. He kept hold of Father's head, swinging it casually in front of Mother like a juicy slab of bark.
Father, please don't be dead! I'm so sorry, Father! I'm so, so sorry!
((Yeerk go!)) I shrieked. ((Seerow will kill Yeerk! Yeerk die!))
((Now, now,)) He sniggered back. ((We're not done yet.))
He stepped right in front of Mother, who was drenched in tears and Father's blood. One of the Yeerks had been flicking it onto her. "Now we can talk with interruption." Visser Eight spoke.
Mother didn't say a word. I don't think she could.
((Let Mother go home,)) I told him. ((Not hurt Mother!))
Visser Eight held Father's head in front of her and smirked. "Aldrea, I think your lover has something to say! Don't you want to listen? Don't you?"
Mother struggled again, but it was weaker now. She was tiring, and still sobbing. She couldn't stand if she wanted. Father was dead…
My other hand came forward and grabbed Father's lower jaw. Visser Eight moved my hand and moved Father's jaw, just as if he were speaking. "No matter what! Even if he tears my stupid little head off! I'll still love him!" He mocked. "I bet you'll miss getting fucked, won't you! Will you pleasure yourself, thinking of me? Look into my eyes and tell me you will!"
Mother bawled, and she wouldn't look. I roared at the Yeerk, told him to stop. I tried to pull my hands away, but I could barely make myself flinch.
"Make her look!" The Visser told the others. "Make her see her poor, pathetic lover!"
The other Yeerks did just that, grabbing Mother's head and forcing her eyes open with sharp claws. Her eyelids starting to bleed, and though she tried to turn her eyeballs away, I knew she could see.
"You'll get fucked again, my love," The Visser continued, moving Father's jaw right before her. "I promise! I bet you're wet just looking at me!"
"Stop!" She yelled! "Just stop!"
"Oh, you want him to stop?" The Visser replied with fake concern. "Are you sure? Is he being too forceful? Too crude?"
She said nothing again. She just stared ahead blankly, unable to physically turn away.
"Say something!" The Visser ordered. He was getting angry again.
She didn't.
He'd gotten bored of the game. He's started to apply pressure again, and I knew what he was doing. I still couldn't stop him. He pulled hard, and with a series of terrible cracks, removed Father's jaw from his skull.
Mother was now motionless. She wasn't even crying anymore. Visser Eight threw the pieces of Father to either side. "Aldrea, the Andalite nothlit," he fumed. "Your fight is over! You've lost! Our Empire stretches far throughout the galaxies! One race after another, after another. Now that your pitiful little rebellion is over, I'm going to leave. There are billions more to enslave, and your son will be right there with me. A little place called Earth."
She moved for the first time in a while. The claws around her head and eyes had gone, and she used to opportunity to spit at the ground before me.
Then she looked into my eyes. Again, no anger. Only sorrow, and hurt.
"I love you, Seerow Hamee. Always."
Visser Eight had lost patience.
((Yes,)) He agreed. ((I have. But I'm not done.))
He grinned. "Put her down. Make sure she doesn't move."
The Yeerks holding her roughly threw her onto her back. Father's blood splattered, coating her sides and bristling from her like leaves from a windswept tree.
And then my body moved down. I felt something below. He was making something happen. He placed a hand to her throat and another on the ground beside her to support.
She started to sob lightly again, tried to writhe away, but she was too tired. Too hurt.
I lay my weight upon her, and my now spare hand raced between her thighs. My fingers danced gently.
"I love you, Seerow. No matter what."
All I could do was cry. Nobody would hear.