Chapter 14

Big shout out to Cogland about Jake's book and money. I completely forgot. It will be resolved. However, his paralysis is a MAJOR plot point, so it will not be resolved any time soon L

Same disclaimer applies.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day…

(Jake…yes, we're back to the fearless leader)

"Let her go," I finally said.

"WHAT?" my parents said, incredulously. "Are you serious?" Mom asked.

I actually had some time to think about this. In all likelihood, I would be living here with my parents, and Cassie would be staying up in the Bay Area. I wouldn't be able to see Rae that much. I do love her, I love her so much, but she deserved a better life. One without aliens in her dreams. Cassie could provide that.

I couldn't.

"Son, I want you to think about this. We can fight this if you want." Dad said. "She'll be a single parent, while we'll all be living together-"

"No, Dad, don't bother. No one can do a better job of raising Rae."

I saw my folks shift in their chairs, looking sad. They probably loved Rae more than me at this point.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go get some supplies for rounds. I'll be back in a few minutes." Dr. Westbrook got up and went out of the room.

With the doctor gone, my parents intensified their pleas.

"Jake, we know you have been through an immense ordeal, but please, take a little more time to think this through. Losing a child…" Mom couldn't even finish talking. Her eyes started to well up with tears. She reached into her purse and grabbed some tissues to dab her eyes with.

I stared down at the papers.

: "Jake, what were you thinking? You KNOW you have to take your medication on schedule or these things will happen. And are you CRAZY for leaving Rae in the kitchen by herself? You cannot, under any circumstances, leave a 2 year old unsupervised. The kitchen is a mess! She got into everything! What if she had gotten into the stuff under the sink…" :

Try as I might, I couldn't get the look that Cassie gave me when she found me passed out on the floor and Rae destroying the house.

Fatherhood.

Another one of my failures.

Dad came over to me.

"Jake, if you want to go through with this, I'm sure she'll let you visit. When Rae was born, Cassie let us visit almost every day."

Mom stopped crying and picked up her phone. I heard her talking to someone, probably Marco. She said goodbye and hung up.

"That was Marco. He said he would be here in about 45 minutes. Would you like for all of us to sit with you today?"

I semi-nodded my head.

"Ok Son, we'll grab some lunch. Then when Marco comes, we can sit and talk about your options once you are released."

Dr Westbrook came back.

"Dr. Berenson, Mrs. Berenson, Jacob. It seems like Maggie wants you now for art therapy. Don't worry, the session should only last 30 minutes."

That was strange. Why did Dr. Westbrook care about the length of art therapy? I looked up at him, and for a millisecond, I thought I saw flash of something unnatural, something evil in his eyes.

Jake, you're getting too paranoid for your own good.

My parents started to leave.

"We'll be back soon, son, don't worry." Mom kissed my cheek and Dad squeezed my shoulder. Dr. Westbrook motioned to the cop and took me down to the art room.

People were all sitting around one giant table, sculpting with clay. That was another of Rae's favorite activities.

There was only one spot open at the table. The cop put me next to another guy, also in a wheelchair. He looked me up and down.

"Vet?" he asked.

I stared at him and asked semi-sarcastically, "How could you tell?"

"Well, if it weren't for the fake eye, and the scar on your face, I would have to say it would be the-"

"Wheelchair," I cut him off.

"Brown, Phil." He offered his hand. I recoiled at first. It looked like it had been burned to a crisp. Then I shook it.

I'm the LAST person to judge somebody in here by the way they look.

He had a head of black hair that was going gray at the top and sides. He looked to be 10 years older than my dad.

"I did two tours in 'Nam. First as a Butter Bar, second as a Captain. I got lucky the first time out. Barely a scratch. Second time, sent all my men, 120, up the Mekong, damn! Four of us came out. Or three and a half." He laughed bitterly & pointed at his leg.

It was missing.

"I'll never forget the sight, the screams, Agent Orange…my own men being burned alive. Fucking government! They knew we couldn't win and they sent us in to die! Because of them, my wife left me, my kids can't stand the sight of me, I never see the grandkids…"

He slammed his hand into the clay, flattening it.

He started to mutter some more.

"Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown, please calm down. We don't want to go through the tranquilizers again, do we?" the art lady said.

"No Maggie. I'll, I'll, follow orders."

He turned away from me.

All I could do was stare into my clay. I couldn't mold anything. It looked like my life was set in stone.

(Marco)

As my limo pulled away, I could see Cassie's sad, tired face behind me. Of all people, she deserved this the least. Everyone said that she lost the least during and after the war, no parents or siblings dead…But to deal with everything after we left to go save Ax…my god, what the hell was Jake thinking? He didn't tell me that he had sex with Cassie while we were on the Rachel. I mean, as a guy, it's easy to forget all the chicks you've been with, but still…if you're going to have a one-night stand, ALWAYS use a rubber. Not that Rae wasn't the coolest toddler on Earth. She was. But I guess I never truly thought about Cassie's side of their relationship.

I couldn't even imagine how Cassie felt, in pain all those nights, sitting alone on Earth, feeling that she was the only Animorph alive. And to be pregnant by the guy who systematically cut you out of his life…that really was a jackass move by Jake. He should have been thanking his lucky stars that she welcomed him back into her life.

Then again, Cassie is not the type to hold grudges.

Even interstellar ones.

I shook my head.

Maybe their relationship was too complicated to save.

"Esta contento, Senor Jones?" my driver asked.

"Yeah," I lied. "Take me to the hospital, Jose." I told him.

"Ok, sir." He rolled the window up and we were soon on the way to the hospital.

On the way, my cell phone rang. My first thought was Jean or Steve, but as I saw the area code, I got suspicious.

Pay Phone. Who would call me from a pay phone? Are those even around anymore?

"Hello, who is-?"

"Marco, it's me, Tobias. And we need to talk."

TOBIAS!

"Tobias, where the HELL have you been?"

"Look. That's not important right now. I've seen the news…what happened to Jake."

"Cassie broke up with him…he tried to kill himself…he's in the psychiatric ward."

I heard silence on the other end of the phone.

"Look, I don't have many quarters, so I have to keep this brief. Last night, I had this really messed up dream. Jake was on the blade ship, and the One was back, only Jake was his face, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. A voice said.

HE WANTS THE WILDCARD.

I knew it was the Ellimist. So I turn on the TV, and I see that Jake is in the hospital for some reason, and I got suspicious, it was the same hospital in my dream-" Tobias started to say.

"BEEP, please insert a quarter for the next 2 minutes" a mechanical voice said.

I could hear him fumbling for change.

"Ok, I have another one."

I heard him put the money in the slot.

"So, I contacted Ax via satellite. And guess what he tells me. The Blade Ship is on the DARK SIDE OF THE MOON! OUR MOON!"

Ok, now I was weirded out. I hadn't heard much from Tobias since Jake and Cassie's engagement party, in fact, I hadn't heard anything at all from him. But we could deal with this later. Right now, we had a new set of facts.

The Blade Ship, again, was right next to Earth.

A horrible creature was commanding it.

And again, we were powerless to stop it.

I took a breath.

"What else did Ax say?" I asked him as calmly as possible.

"He said that the Andalites are not going to help us."

"What the FUCK?" I yelled. "Why the hell not?"

"They hate us now."

"Why?"

"We went into Kelbrid space. The whole war council. Half the population, it's nuts there. They suspect he's up to something, they won't even let his fighter off the planet."

I blew out an angry breath. Why must the deck be stacked against us?

"Ok, so what is the plan?"

"Don't worry, he's coming to Earth. But we need your help. You endorse Krispy Kreme, right?"

"Yeah…but what does that have to do with-"

"I'm out of money and almost out of time. But I am at the airport. Gate C. On the lower level, arrivals. I'm wearing a green T-Shirt, Khakis, and Flip-flops. "

"Gotcha. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Beep. Please insert a quarter for the next 2 minutes."

"Thanks so much-" I heard his voice get cut off, then the dial tone.

I knocked on the glass again.

"Jose, I'm so sorry amigo, but we need to go back to the airport. I need to pick up a friend."

"Ah, una chica?"

"No, no. Just take me there. Then we can go to the hospital."
I re-dialed Jean.

"Hi, Mrs. Berenson, I'm sorry, I can't meet you and Dr. Berenson for lunch. I know, I know I promised, but something very important has come up. I can be there in another 2 hours…visitor's hours are over? I'll try to work something out…he's not your average patient…I understand. I'll see you later then. Bye."

Great. I couldn't see Jake after visitor's hours, and his parents probably thought I was even more of a selfish jerk.

Cassie would understand. She needed to know.

I called her cell. No response.

Odd.

I called her house.

Her father picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dr. Branch. It's Marco. I need to speak to Cassie."

"Marco, weren't you just here 20 minutes ago? You hittin' on my baby too?"

"No, no, not me sir." I had this feeling in the back of my mind he wasn't joking this time.

"Well, anyway, you just missed her. She and Rae went to work."

"Oh. Oh well. I'll try to catch up with her there. Talk to you later Dr. Branch."

"Goodbye son."

I had a decision to make. Go tell Cassie now, or meet up with Tobias later.

I need to keep a promise to at least one person today.

We kept going straight to the airport.

But one question bothered me.

What was the 'wildcard'?

(Tobias)

Hi.

My name is Tobias.

I'm guessing that you already know the story by now. The only question that most of you have by this point is where I've been. Sometimes, I wonder it myself, what my purpose in life is. Marco got me a place by the bay, near Cassie, Jake, and little Rachel, but it's been too painful to stay near them, watching them live out the life that I was supposed to live with Rachel.

If I didn't have her, I should be a hawk, spending my last days in my meadow.

But saving Ax and fighting the One changed all of that.

No more hawk. Government orders. I was to become human.

I should have killed myself instead.

Loren, my biological mom, still lived in the area where we fought. But I saw no reason to go back there. Too many painful memories.

So this hippie co-op in New York said that I could be their nature guide. That was pretty nice. It was upstate, away from the city. It was calm, peaceful, and beautiful. Not many people realized who I was on the East Coast.

All I wanted was to be.

But last night, I had the strangest dream.

I saw Jake, and some doctor killed this cop near him, and then literally zapped him out of this hospital room onto the Blade ship. The next thing I could see was Jake's face in the one.

He WAS the One.

The Ship was right over Washington, and the country had to surrender. But that wasn't the only thing. I kept on hearing the booming, all powerful voice of the Ellimist saying

HE WANTS THE WILDCARD.

But Crayak, the One, whatever the hell they/it was, never referred to Jake as the wildcard. Or anyone as the wildcard.

What was going on?

So then I woke up and went over to the TV cabin. I saw that the main story on the news was that Jake was in the hospital. It looked like the same place from my dream. The General Hospital across from the gas station and the Mall. Something was up. Too many coincidences.

So I called Ax via the satellite radio he left me as a parting gift. He gave me the lowdown on what was happening on the Andalite home world. What was even crazier is that he got reassigned and his extra-terrestrial privileges suspended for going to the council.

Crayak was trying to influence everyone to get to Earth.

But I had a plan. That's why I got the hippies to get me a plane ticket 'home'.

And in his limo, I told Marco my plan to get Ax here to Earth.

"So, Ax says that he has an idea. He and his crew want to stow away on the next Krispy Kreme supply ship to leave Earth for the home world. Because of the high demand for doughnuts there, they leave and return by Z-Space every other day. If we back that up with a fighter, we can attack the Blade Ship. The only way that could happen is if the most famous endorser in the world makes a peace visit to the Andalite home world."

"Tobias, brother, you and Ax are geniuses." He looked to me and slapped my hand.

"Yeah, well, this is for the world." I purposely left Jake out of my statement.

I looked out the window. I noticed that we were going downtown.

"Marco, where are we going?"

"Oh, we're going downtown to Cassie's office. She needs to know about this."

"Ah, right. Are they seriously broken-?"

"Yeah. I definitely wouldn't talk to her about it."

I was silent. I mean, it was sad, because I didn't want to see anyone unhappy, but at the same time…no I couldn't wish ill will on anyone else.

Let's just hope we can stop Crayak in time.

(Cassie)

After Marco left, I decided that the best thing to do with my time would be to work, instead of mope around feeling sorry for myself. Besides, I hadn't checked into the field office, and the president needed some more information before he made a decision on the Hork-Bajir colony.

So here I was, digging through what seemed like hundreds of files on the colony. Rae was playing in her playpen.

Quietly.

I really did wonder what effect all of this was having on her. I just felt like such a bad mother for having all this negativity surrounding us. I wished she didn't have to see last night. If I could take that moment back, I would.

While I was lost in thought, a small folded envelope labeled financial fell out of a manila folder. Curious, I picked it up and opened it.

It stated:
"THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF JACOB ADAM BERENSON, executed 2/12/ 2002" (A/N: I've delayed this story so much, I don't even think I know the calculations with the dates anymore)

Oh, god, why? I've tried EVERYTHING today to get my mind off of him, and yet again…

But I couldn't stop reading.

I, Jacob Adam Berenson, being of sound mind and body, donate my entire net worth of 46 million dollars and any other proceeds from my book, and or endorsement deals and military death benefitsto the Hork-Bajir colony of Southern California. I request that the donation(s) be under the label 'anonymous'. My parents are to inherit my non-financial possessions. This will is to be executed by my parents, Dr. Steven Berenson and Mrs. Jean Berenson. I request that for all other matters that aren't financial, Cassandra Branch be my next of kin.

Signed 2/12/2001

Jacob Adam Berenson.

I dropped the will.

It all clicked.

That's why Jake's dad kept the Jaguar.

And that was the reason the military came to my house. Both times.

The first time, it was on the first anniversary of the disappearance. I suppose that's when they declared Jake and everyone else legally dead. Rae was only 3 months old, and they wanted to have a memorial service for the crew of The Rachel. I was his next of kin, but in my well of emotional pain over the pregnancy, I really didn't take the time to think about it. I felt cold and unemotional throughout the ceremony.

The second time, they came to tell me he was alive.

But the more I thought about it, the more irate I became.

He wrote the will because he KNEW that he was going to die on this mission.

Is that why hehad sex withme that night?

Don't Cassie. DON'T think about this. Don't keep filling your mind with hate. Then he wins. Think about the good that came out of it.

I went over to Rae and pulled her out of her playpen.

"Hey hon.,Whacha doin'?" I asked her.

"Money." She pointed down to the cash register she was playing with.

Wait a second…

I had another light bulb moment.

The money came to the colony when Jake was declared legally dead. But the will should be null and void since he is alive.

I could sense a HUGE fight coming. Jake would want that money back, especially since he is unemployed and broke.

Great. Just great. I'll be in court with him until we're 50.

I was interrupted by a knock on the door. My secretary was there.

"Cassie, there are two gentlemen out here waiting to see you."

Marco and TOBIAS? walked in.

"Cassie, we need to be quick. Get Rae and come with us. Jake's in big trouble and we need your help."