A means to an end

I sat alone in the dark cell, stowed away upon the Blade Ship of Visser Thirty-One, whose host body had been, of all people on the planet, my ex-girlfriend. I was feeling pretty low at the moment. The mission had been a fiasco, a plot devised by the traitor, Zane Leeds, and Elias, who had been infested three days ago. Now, Elias was dead, Fletcher and the Bates twins were imprisoned in a part of the Blade Ship, and Leeds was now doing something sinister to Maria Louise; apparently, the two had a score to settle, and I shuddered at the thought of what Leeds, with his fucked up morals and arrogance, had in mind. That the mission was a failure was not my fault, but I still blamed myself; for not realizing that Elias had become a controller, and for not seeing Zane Leeds for what he truly was, a snake! But I couldn't understand how a member of the human race could sell out their friends, family and team mates, and be so willing to relinquish their freedom.

The door to my cell flew open, and a bright white light filled the room, blinding me. Dana stepped forward, the sound of her heels echoing off the bare walls of my prison cell. She grabbed me by the hair and forced my head upwards, so my eyes would meet hers. She wore an arrogant smile upon her face, and she whispered, with relish,

"Your friend Fletcher is dead."

Dana laughed and turned to her guards, a group of pre-mature looking Taxxons, none of which were armed with Dracon Beams. My head hung to the side, where all I could see was the hilt of Dana's belt, where a Dracon Beam hung lazily by her thigh.

"Turn on the lights, just a bit; I want to David cry."

The room lit up, just enough for me to see Dana's facial expressions, though not nearly strong enough to draw attention to the plethora of wounds that covered my naked and burnt flesh.

"And close the door!" she barked. "You lot can have whatever's left of him once I've finished.

The door to my cell closed with a classical whoosh, leaving me at the mercy of my ex-girlfriend. I doubt if any of the characters from Friends ever found themselves in this situation.

"Your entourage," I said, struggling to keep my body upright. "They're controllers, I presume."

"No, they're free. But really, what difference does it make—the Taxxons are on our side." She crouched down low in front of me, smiling. "Now that the Empire has a large abundance of human hosts, my race no longer needs to be assigned to the pitiful Taxxon race. I was assigned to three before I was given this…lovely body. You cannot imagine the hunger…it can drive any stable man to insanity."

"Well congratulations on your promotion." I said sarcastically. "I am so very happy for the both of you."

"You know David; we could have continued our relationship…if you would only joined the Empire."

"I'm confused…who am I speaking to, Dana or Visser Thirty-One?"

"We are one and the same, David." The Visser said. "Dana and I cooperate with one another, so we both share control of this body. Dana is a voluntary host, so the two of us get along wonderfully. This is what your race has to look forward to; if only you would agree to a symbiotic relationship."

"Why would any sane human willingly give up their freedom to a parasite?" I asked. "I don't understand either of you; honestly I don't. How can you live a life where somebody….something else is in control of everything you say and do?"

"Cooperation between Yeerk and man is possibly if one becomes a voluntary host." Visser Thirty-One repeated. "I learn from Dana, and Dana learns from me."

"And what, exactly, have the two of you learned?" I asked.

"Dana wasn't a very bright girl, was she?" The Visser said. "But I was able to show her things—teach her things—that no other man, woman or educator could ever show her; entire planets, galaxies and races that are far more advanced than any species to be found on this planet."

"And what about you, Visser?" I asked. "What have you learned?"

The Visser smiled. "Dana taught me to understand this human obsession with reproduction." She placed both hands on her chest and took a firm grasp. "Initially, I couldn't understand female breasts; aside from providing mil for infants, they are nothing more than a distraction…albeit, a pleasurable distraction." She looked at me with an inviting grin. "Would you like to feel them?"

"You disgust me!" I spat.

"Would you like to know if he was better than you?" Dana asked. "Dana had another lover after she left you…not too long after I infested her, in fact."

"No, I'm not really interested."

"Did you k now that Dana had been so unsatisfied with your performance?" she laughed. "You never were able to do anything…spectacular…anything unorthodox that would have left a smile on Dana's face…is that why she left you?''

"Fuck you!"

"He was better than you." Dana…or the Visser taunted. By this point, I couldn't distinguish one from the other. "His name was Aaron Phelps; the former Visser Five. Aaron was just as curious about Human reproductive organs as I was…so we agreed to mutual fornication.

"Dana also told me that he was much bigger than you…" the Visser giggled. "She was dumbfounded by the size of it…now, was it eight or nine inches?"

"What do you want from me?" I cried. "We lost and you won; so if you want to kill me, go right ahead. Just kill me and get on with your pathetic invasion."

"This has its benefits," she grinned. "I always loved watching you get all fired up over every little thing. Do you remember when I refused to sleep with you—even after we had been living together?"

"You…can you fuck yourself."

"I think that would please Dana more than you ever did." The Visser laughed wickedly. "I guess you wouldn't want to prove yourself right now?"

"Don't count on it, Yeerk." I snarled. "I am not so easily manipulated by women… not anymore."

"What if I let you touch them?" Dana asked. "Maybe that would get you all fired up."

"You can go fuck yourself!"

"You know, Fletcher wasn't nearly as rude. Not even when his own children shot him dead."

"What did you say?" I asked, snapping to attention.

"Leeds told me everything about you…all of you. I brought Fletcher's children aboard the Blade Ship and had them kill Fletcher. It was quite the sight; a true family reunion. He cried, and moaned and begged…until his son shot him.

"But Fletcher's death wasn't nearly as dramatic as the Bates girl, crying after we had her twin sister brought to her cell…that twin is on our side now."

"Which twin?" I asked. "Which twin did you infest?"

"Sandria Bates." Dana smiled. "I've been told that you slept with the girl…really David, you couldn't get laid by a woman your own age? You had to resort to lechery?"

"You're lying." I said. If I had the strength to do so, I would have lunged at her. Instead, I sat back, propped against the wall of the cell. "Fletcher's alive, and Sandria isn't a controller."

"You know that I'm telling the truth, David." Dana sighed. "Denial is a pathetic aspect of the human race that I don't particularly appreciate…it's like your pathetic denial of the power of the Empire; all of you, fighting because you have this pathetic glimmer of hope that your race will defeat ours. You must accept the might of the Empire."

"From what I've been told, there is some disagreement within the Empire."

"A slight schism is not enough to bring down the Empire." Dana shrugged. "Darmenian will fall soon enough, and the Council of Thirteen will triumph; everything will be as it was."

"And you say you hate denial." I laughed…well, coughed. "Your Empire is crumbling around you…you high and mighty Vissers can't even keep your own foot soldiers in line."

"We have nearly conquered Earth." Dana retorted.

"All great Empires Fall." I reasoned. "Take a look at Egypt, and the Romans, and Napoleon…Castles made of sand fall into the sea…eventually."

"You were never a Hendrix fan." Dana replied.

"No, but the man knew what he was talking about." I shifted a bit. "The Empire will fall, and something bigger—with more advanced technology, and with stronger numbers—will come around…I think your downfall is coming very, very soon."

"I wouldn't count on it, David." Dana said, moving closer to me. We were face to face with each other. "I mean, look what happened today—look at what you're up against…just…just go with it."

Dana's lips met my own, but I didn't kiss her back. The Visser…or Dana, I'm not sure which, looked down at me, visibly annoyed.

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill you." She shrugged. "I will not dignify the situation by infesting you."

"You're ripping me apart!" I said, sarcastically. "How could I bear to go on without having a parasite eat away at my brain?

"Look at what happened to you, Dana: you can't even tell who you are anymore—Dana or Visser Thirty-One. The both of you have serious mental issues. Your whole symbiosis plan will never work—the Empire is fucked!"

"Shut your mouth, human!" the Visser spat. "You will not speak to a Visser like that. You are at my mercy!"

Dana/Visser Thirty-One reached for the hilt of her belt for the Dracon Beam.

Tseeewwww!

Dana's body toppled over to the floor, motionless. I had made sure to keep the conversation going long enough that she wouldn't notice that I had taken her Dracon Beam. I set it on stun, so she would remain conscious. I wanted the Visser and her host to see how I had bested them. I morphed into Dana's clone.

"You know, I never thought that I would ever have to use this morph." I said with Dana's voice. I began to undress the stunned Visser whose eyes stared up at me in surprise. "Well…I mean, for things other than touching myself…by the way, I think I will give those bad boys a feel."

I placed a hand on Dana's left breast and squeezed it like some sort of hormone crazed teenager on a first date. "I have to say, they aren't nearly as firm as I remember…but age tends to have that effect on a woman."

Within minutes I was fully clothed, wearing the Vissers black-leather attire. I placed the Dracon Beam around the hilt of my belt and looked down at my clone. I had the most arrogant look on my face at that moment, looking down in triumph at my ex-girlfriend and her twisted co-part, lying on the cold metal floor.

"And Visser," I said, right before I opened the cell door. "This is going to hurt me a lot more than it will hurt you."

The cell door flew open with a whoosh and I dimmed the lights of the cell. "He's finished." I said to the group of Taxxons standing outside the cell. "Go ahead and have at him."

I am not sure of how much the Taxxons understood, but clearly Dana had promised them my remains, so they entered the cell rather excitedly.

I would have been ashamed of giving Dana over to a group of hungry Taxxons if she hadn't killed and infested all of my friends. Besides, she felt no remorse about killing Fletcher. So, I watched, unsmilingly, as three full-grown and hungry Taxxons surrounded the naked woman's body and devoured the person who had been the real Visser Thirty-One. I left the Dracon Beam on stun specifically so that Dana and the Visser would feel as much pain as they had caused. I wanted her head to be filled with the silent screams of the hundreds of thousands of people locked up down in the Pools.

I locked the cell door, leaving the Taxxons to enjoy the splendours of the feast. Hopefully, their hunger would not be quenched, and the miserable creatures would turn on each other. I honestly hoped they enjoyed it.

The hallways of Cell Block D had been the equivalent of the Labyrinth of Minos; a never ending maze filled with twist and turns, and cells at every corner. Fortunately, I had more than enough time to try and find the rest of my team mates; about two hours' worth of time. And because I wore the guise of the host body to Visser Thirty-One, I wasn't stopped by any guards on my way to the Cell containing Maria Louise and Olivia Bates. My morph only looked a few years younger than the real Dana, but the difference wasn't too significant; a Hork-Bajir wouldn't notice, and the Taxxons didn't seem to notice either. There were only two people on this ship who would notice that I might not really be Visser Thirty-One; the Councillor and Leeds, and I did not count on running into either of them any time soon.

Just as soon as I thought it, I saw Leeds exiting a cell; wearing a pleased smile on his face. He must have been through with torturing Maria Louise. It took every ounce of will power not to shoot Leeds with my Dracon Beam. I wanted to kill him, and I could have killed him right then and there, but I didn't think such a thing would be wise. Instead of shooting him and avenging the life of Fletcher—and who knows how many others— I entered the cell of Maria Louise, expecting to find the bleeding Nympho-warrior bound in chains.

The door closed behind me, and I was left standing in darkness. There was a foul smell in the cell, a stench that tore at my nostrils and made me wish that I no longer had a sense of smell. I knew that smell quite well; I've become quite familiar with the smell of rotting flesh since our brush in with the Controllers at Free New York a few days ago. The smell was fresh. The room was hot; though, the source of the sudden heat was unknown to me. For some reason, this cell, so very unlike my own, was moist. And, if I strained my ears just a bit, I could hear breathing. The slow and twisted noises that I knew came from the vocal chords of a Taxxon!

I drew my Dracon beam and took aim…but I couldn't see my hand from my face.

((Who's there?)) Maria Louise asked in thought speech. ((Is it the Visser?))

"Maria Louise?" I said.

((So…it is the Visser.)) She said angrily. ((Well…you made a mistake walking into this cell, didn't you?))

"Listen…it's me, David!" I said. "You have to believe me. I morphed into the Visser and I escaped; I'm here to save you!"

((A likely story Visser.)) Maria Louise said. ((But I am beyond saving...thanks to you and your twisted ally.))

I heard the sound of the legs of a Taxxon drawing closer towards me. The breathing grew heavier, and I could almost smell the rotten flesh of animals that wafted from the Taxxon's maw.

((I am going to enjoy eating you Visser!)) Maria Louise said. ((Because I am so very, very hungry.))

((If I wasn't in morph, would I be able to use thought speech?)) I said, hoping that I would be able to convince Maria Louise. ((I acquired Dana's morph years ago…you have got to believe me. I'm here to save you.))

((So…you are David.)) She said. ((You're alive.))

"For now, yes." I said. "But I won't be able to play the Visser for very long, so we have to get out of here, A.S.A.P."

((I won't hold you back.)) She said, backing further into the darkness of the cell. ((Go without me David; save the others.))

"Don't be stubborn," I said. "It's nobody's fault that the mission failed. Leeds was a traitor."

((It's not that at all…I'm beyond saving David…I'm trapped in morph.))

"You just have to focus on your real form." I told her. "Trust me, it's difficult, but you just have to focus."

((I've been trying for the better part of an hour, David.)) She cried in anguish. ((Leeds…he did this to me…I was about to demorph back in the Pool Complex, but there were so many controllers around me…I had to fight them off…and Leeds knocked me out…and when I came to, Leeds was sitting in the cell, smiling…he said my time was up!))

"Well…he must have lied to you then." I said, not believing a word I had said. I too had lost track of how much time had elapsed since we were brought to the Blade Ship, but I'm sure it was somewhere around an hour. Still, I couldn't afford to have Maria Louise feeling sorry for herself; not when our very lives were at stake.

((It's no use, you idiot!)) She howled. ((I can't do it! I can't demorph! And it has nothing to do with stress…or anxiety…I'm trapped in this…hideous body forever.))

I could hear the sound of Maria Louise's Taxxon body writhing around in anguish, as her thought speech echoed about in my head; things about losing her humanity, and the never ending hunger of the Taxxon.

"The Andalites will be able to help you." I said. "We just have to get off the Blade Ship and…"

((I am so hungry!)) she moaned. ((Leeds brought in a wounded Hork-Bajir…he left the cell…I tried to control myself, but I could smell blood all over the room…I ate the Hork-Bajir while it was still alive!))

"Maria…." I said, weakly.

((And then…he came in with a Taxxon and he had the two of us fight…to see which one of us would survive…I won…and I ate the Taxxon!))

"Please…don't do this…" I begged.

((But…then, Leeds brought in a dead human…and I knew it was a human, because it smelled different from a Taxxon, or a Hork-Bajir…it was fresh too…dead only half an hour…but it was still whole; bleeding from every part of his body…by then, I didn't bother to fight it…I couldn't beat the hunger….

((Then…the lights came on…and I saw the face of the dead man…)) Maria Louise seemed to be talking aloud, as if I hadn't been in the room at all. ((…it was Fletcher! Fletcher was dead…and I…I devoured his corpse!))

I was going to be sick. Dana told me that Fletcher was dead, and I knew that she had been telling the truth, but I didn't expect her to feed his remains to his own friend and team mate…I started to wonder about how warped Dana's mind had become over these past few years. Dana had become a monster, more vicious than any Taxxon. Dana had ordered Fletcher's death, and she had Sandria infested, solely for the purpose of torturing the last member of the Bates family.

Leeds was just as vile; just as despicable; just as evil. He took away the humanity of the woman that he must have slept with over a dozen times since the war began, a woman who shared so much in common with him. And Leeds had forced Maria Louise to consume whatever had been left of Fletcher, to further the torture and to seal the woman's fate. By consuming a piece of flesh—Hork-Bajir, Taxxon, and Human—Maria Louise had completed her bitter transition from humanity to the life of a cannibal.

But what had all this been for? What had been the purpose of torturing each and every last one of us? We had done nothing personally to Dana or Leeds, so their actions seemed to almost be random. Or had this been a way to set an example for everyone involved in the empire? Was this their way of saying that, conspiring against the Yeerks meant certain torture, if not death, that would drive any sort of person to insanity. Leeds and Dana had tortured us physically, emotionally and psychologically…and they showed no remorse for their actions. I could not, and doubt if I ever would, understand how a person could be so indifferent about murder and torture.

You had Dana devoured by a swarm of Taxxons, a voice in the back of my head said to me. You could have stunned her, but you chose to sink down to her level; really, you are no better.

That had been different. I wanted revenge. Besides, Dana couldn't live, she would have jeopardized everything.

Who are you to decide who gets to live and who has to die?

She deserved it. She killed Fletcher.

You killed as well; not only Dana, but ten or twelve other people down in the Pools.

That was different…

And you enjoyed it, too.

No…the lion enjoyed it…I was just piloting the body.

You had complete control over the lion's mind, and you know it. You wanted action; to get the same sort of thrill that Leeds and Maria Louise got out of killing. You wanted to be a leader…but the harsh reality of it all is that David Matherson could never be a leader; a follower, sure, and observer…of course, but never a leader. Do everyone a favour and quit trying to play the hero. Get out of this war and go far, far away. Morph into a golden eagle…or a lion…or a rat…The world will be better off without any more soldiers…

((Kill me….please...))Maria Louise said.

"There is no way in hell that I'm going to kill you." I snapped. "So you'd better quit feeling sorry for yourself, and get back into the fight."

((Did you think I was beautiful, David?)) She asked.

"I did…I lusted after you for eight years…I mean, you had everything a man looks for in a woman…a fiery personality, a sick sense of humour that no other woman has…a body Aphrodite would envy…"

((But not anymore…)) Maria Louise said. ((If only you could see me for what I am now…maybe this is what I really look like underneath the beauty, and the tough exterior, and the huge rack…Maybe, on the inside, I'm just as ugly as a Taxxon.))

"Self-pity is not going to do us any good…we have to get out of here, now!"

((Did you enjoy sleeping with me?)) Maria Louise asked. ((Was…was it any good for you?))

"It was incredible…"

((I didn't think I would enjoy it…but I did. You made me feel things I haven't felt since I was sixteen…you really understand women, David…in some strange way…))

"We have to get out of here…or else Leeds will have won." I said, trying to get Maria Louise back on track.

((I hate to break it to you…but he already has won.)) She said. ((Even if the Yeerks do fall…Leeds succeeds; he gave the Yeerks full control of New York…and he defeated the last division of the Resistance…he won…and I just don't care anymore….please…just…just kill me now David…))

This was probably my favourite chapter so far. I had a lot of fun writing it.

Again, I didn't initially plan to end this chapter here…and it doesn't end the same way in the original draft…but oh well.