If Zoran attacked now, he would certainly be killed. I felt humiliated, being carried like this. I assumed this was why he had done it.

((I will find you Inara, I love you.)) Zoran said softly as we boarded the blade ship. The aliens and Zoran split off from us.

The controller set me down and grabbed my arm, dragging me along. His guards followed quietly behind us. I lost sight of Zoran and my hearts sank. We finally stopped outside a large black metal door and the Yeerk opened it, pushing me inside. Hork-Bajir and Human-controllers just gaped at us.

"OUT! now!" The Yeerk bellowed.

The Controllers rushed past us, abandoning their stations. I backed away from him, my stalk eyes swiveling in every direction, looking for an exit. I attempted to remove the sheath from my tail, but my fingers were not strong enough.

The room was bare, save for a small platform in the center of the room and various computer stations. The only door was the one we came through.

"No there is no way out, Andalite filth." He spat.

He seemed amused as he pulled two devices from a storage compartment near the door. Why wouldn't he be? I was here, disarmed on his blade ship. Alone. One of the devices appeared to be a control pad, and the other a large metallic ring.

Hatred filled me now. My thoughts went to Zoran. At least he would be okay. He was a trained Prince and would find a way to escape.

"So it is you who has been causing all the trouble for my people lately. It is so strange." He said, walking towards me. "You are so small, so delicate and graceful compared to your cousins. And yet, you are able to cause so much damage."

I tried to step around the Yeerk, but he matched my movements, pressing me back into the corner.

"Why don't you speak? Inara-Nahele-Darath?" He mocked.

I kept silent, knowing it would infuriate him. I whipped my tail at him repeatedly, but with the sheath it did no damage. I aimed at his head instead and he hissed, stumbling from the blow. The Yeerk grabbed my face, securing the metal ring around my neck.

He grabbed my arm again, dragging me into the middle of the room. I pulled at the metal collar with my weak fingers. It was secure.

"Now. You will reveal to me how you have prevented us from infesting your species." He said.

I ignored him, turning my eyes away in disgust.

"You are a stubborn female, aren't you? Your father always thought so." He taunted.

My eyes widened and snapped to his face, he smirked at me.

"Have you figured it out yet? I am Visser One. Your fathers master. I find it amusing that I am now yours. Soon I will be wrapped around your smug Andalite brain." He sneered.

Anger and pure hatred filled me, I wanted to kill him. My nostrils flared. He had to die. I couldn't let my father's tormentor live.

I jumped at him, not caring if I did any damage, I just needed to hit him. I swung my tail again and he dodged it, landing a kick to my midsection. The air was knocked out of me and I went sprawling across the floor.

"Foolish arrogant filth. I am stronger than you can imagine."

He walked forward, towering over me. I leapt to my hooves, wincing at the pain in my midsection.

"Still you refuse to speak." He said, his yellow eyes narrowing. "No matter, I know how to break you."

He pulled me back into the center of the room, onto the small platform there.

He pressed a button on the pad he held, and the sides of the platform began to encircle me. The walls were transparent, but I had no more than two meters to move in each direction.

"You really are a claustrophobic species. You always were, weren't you? More than others your age as a child. I had this made for your arrival. Tell me, what do you think?"

Of course, everything my father had known when he was infested, this Yeerk would know.

I had been trapped under some falling rocks as a child, unable to move. It had taken over an day to free me. Ever since that time I had hated enclosed spaces more than anyone I knew.

"As much as I would enjoy hearing you beg, I offer you the chance to cooperate now. I will only offer this once. I suggest you take the offer, it is a generous one."

I stayed silent, staring defiantly at him. His eyes narrowed once more, and the sides of the box turned opaque.

My main eyes widened and I backed up instantly, hitting the wall. It was almost completely dark inside the box, except for a small light built into the platform below my hooves. I had to reach out to see how much room I had. I could not fully extend my arms.

"There are ways to break an Andalite. Each has their own weakness." The Visser hissed.

The walls felt like they were slowly moving. Panic began to set in.

I was trapped!

I felt the walls press closer in on me.

My main eyes widened further. Instinct kicked in and I felt panic rise in me. I closed my eyes tightly.

((There is enough air, there is enough room.)) I repeated a few times quietly.

Panic had almost overwhelmed me. My hearts began to beat faster and adrenaline coursed through me. I fought the scream building inside me while I forced myself to breathe slowly, trying not to hyperventilate on the stagnant air.

The walls were moving at an extremely slow rate, but still I stood frozen in fear. Eventually they would crush me. I knew I should let them, rather than give in. I felt I would die either way.

I needed air! I needed the open meadow of home.

"Do you feel the walls slowly closing in on you? How much air do you think you have left?" He asked cruelly.

I screamed silently in my own head.

My hearts were racing, and I was breathing as if I had been running for hours.

The walls pressed against my sides now, beginning to slowly crush me. Panic completely overwhelmed me now.

"You will disable the device or you will be slowly crushed to death."

I was paralyzed with fear, every muscle in my body freezing.

((Stop! Please!)) I cried.

"Arrogant Andalite filth, I know how to break you." He taunted.

The walls began to recede and turned transparent. I collapsed to my knees, trying to steady my breathing. I was shaking. I turned my stalk eyes to him.

((Kill me, you cannot infest me. What use am I?))

He smirked at me. "No, you are still valuable alive. Now tell me, what is this new technology?"

I struggled to my hooves, bracing myself against the side of the box. I stayed silent and glared at him.

((I could tell you, but your small mind would not be able to comprehend it, Yeerk.)) I taunted.

"You Andalite filth!" He roared. He pressed a different button on the pad.

Pain. Pain like nothing I had ever felt hit me. It radiated over my entire body.

((Ahhh!)) I screamed and staggered. It felt like every inch of me was being burned.

The Visser glared at me with hatred in his eyes, and after a moment the pain dulled.

"Your mate is dead. Your people are trillions of miles away." He walked smugly up to me. "Your people grow weaker every day. When we enslave this species, we will finally move against yours."

((Liar!))

"I control the pain and pleasure receptors in your brain now. Tell me what I wish to know or I will show you just how far Yeerk technology has advanced."

Fire! My nerve endings were on fire! I screamed and collapsed to my knees. The Visser circled the box as I writhed.

"I envy you, you know. So small and graceful. So dangerous. Imagine what we could accomplish together." He sneered at me.

The pain dulled again, leaving my knees weak. I panted. I did not know how much more I could take.

"What is this technology?" He cried.

((You will never defeat us, Yeerk. No matter how much technology you steal, we will always be a step ahead of you filthy slugs.)) I said smugly.

A sharper pain hit me, I could never have imagined the pain could have been worse. It was all I could focus on. For a moment, I felt like giving in to the pain, letting it consume me completely. There was no way out.

More pain, more screaming.

Make it stop!

All I had to do was tell him, and it would stop. It would be so easy. All I had to do was betray my people.

((NO!))

The pain left me. I was left gasping, lying on my side. exhaustion began to radiate over my body.

"Do not defy me, you will break. Why endure this?"

The pain hit me so hard it knocked the breath out of me. It was a struggle to breathe. My eyes lost focus.

((Please.)) I whispered.

The pain was replaced slowly by a new sensation.

Pure joy filled me, I was running with Zoran across my meadow, near my scoop. We were laughing. Zoran stroked my face.

"Are you remembering a happier time? Running free with your mate?"

I was ripped back to reality, deafening pain filled me now. The pain was more intense than ever. There was a pounding in my head I could not ignore. The Visser stood over me now, the transparent cage gone. He knew I was finished.

"This could all be over, just give in."

The tearing pain continued to rip through me. My body felt heavy and dizziness began to set in. Intense fear and pain were all there was now. It was too much.

I just wanted it over.

((Please.)) I gasped. ((Kill me. I have nothing left.))

The pain faded.

"All you need to do is give me the answers I want, Andalite. And I will reward you, defy me and..." He looked down at me triumphantly.

Pain so intense hit me that I didn't know who I was, or where I was. I could not take anymore. My vision blurred and my body began to shut down. I tried to raise my tail blade to my throat, but I was too weak.

A sharp pain hit me in my midsection and I gasped. The Visser raised his foot again and kicked me harder.

"I grow tired of this, Andalite filth!" He roared at me.

((Please... no more... I will tell you.)) I said weakly.

I could barely think, barely breathe. The pain faded, leaving me feeling empty. Had there ever been a time without it?

He leaned closer. "Yes?"

((It is a new technology.)) I whispered. ((No Andalite with the technology is compatible with a Yeerk. The Yeerk will die.))

I tried to push myself up with my weak arms, but I collapsed again.

Another wave of pleasure washed over me. This could not be real. I knew it. But I grabbed onto the only thing I could.

((Zoran?)) I whispered incoherently.

"And you discovered it, clever female. How does this new technology work?" His words were soft, as if he were speaking to a foal. Fingers brushed my face. "Can it be reversed?"

((Yes, but why would we want to. Zoran... I am so tired.))

I faded slightly, I was exhausted.

"How can it be undone?" He whispered urgently. "You can sleep when you tell me."

My lids would not open and I continued to fight against the darkness that was threatening me. I was too weak to move.

((I am forbidden from revealing...You know that.)) I managed to say.

"You can, I have gotten approval from the council."

I was too exhausted to argue.

((You must re-sequence the micro bionic units with an inverted polaron wave.))

Fingers continued to trace my face. "Is that all? How is it done?"

((You need the proper frequency. Each Andalite has a different frequency. It could take months to break. Zoran. Let me sleep.))

"Sleep now."

I drifted, letting the blackness take me.


I awoke to voices arguing around me, my head was pounding. I groaned and opened my eyes, looking around and blinking.

"... Want it tested now!" A voice commanded.

The Visser was arguing with another controller. They both ignored me.

"We should wait, you almost killed her. She needs time to recover."

The Visser looked furiously down at me. He grabbed me, pulling me to my hooves. The quick movement sent more pain and nausea through me. My head spun and my legs wobbled unsteadily.

"As you can see, she has recovered. Do it now." He snapped.

The controller sighed and brought a box over. He opened the small box and removed a Yeerk, holding it carefully in his palm.

"This is the forty-fifth frequency we have tried. Perhaps we should get the frequency from her." He muttered.

((No! No! Get that away from me!)) I cried.

"I don't care how many Yeerks you need to use, just find it." The Visser said, ignoring my pleas.

Panic and disgust welled up in me, I tried to back away, but the Visser held me. He twisted my head sideways and I felt the Yeerk touch my ear.