disclaimer--see chapter 2
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Chapter 14—trickery
By the time Silver woke up, the hologram was in place around the Hork-Bajir valley and everyone in it to look and sound like the Yeerk pool. The Hork-Bajir were persuaded (not easily, I may add) to act as they had when infested.
"Hello, sub-Visser," I said meekly, noting that my voice was slightly changed.
"Who are you and where—" he asked, looking around.
"The great Visser 3 found you, and the Andalite bandits ran. You are back at the pool complex," I said.
"Oh, really. And who are you?" he asked, looking around.
"Ignet 1455, secondary twin," I said meekly as I lowered my eyes.
"Get the Visser, Ignet. I have much to tell him. All of it good," he said, taking an air of importance.
"Yes, sub-Visser," I said, leaving the "room" he was in, "Aximili, you're on," I whispered.
((Why I have to be Visser 3,)) he grumbled in private thoughtspeak, taking on Visser 3's arrogant swagger.
"Because you are the only male Andalite. Let's just hope Erek's hologram of the Visser's evil works."
In public thoughtspeak, he said, ((Aftrun 4376, what are the secrets I wished to know?"
I listened, close to tears, as Silver poured our secrets into the "Visser's" ear.
Ax acted the proper amount of surprise and glee.
((Let us leave at once!)) he said, ((We can easily infest them if they don't suspect us.))
"Not yet, my Visser," Silver's Yeerk said, "I must first take in the nutrients of the pool.
Translation, "I am enjoying being the second Yeerk with the morph technology, thankyouverymuch."
((Altrun, you aren't stalling?))
"No, my Visser. Never, my Visser. I must only take in the Kandrona rays."
((My patience thins, but I will grant you this small pardon. Do not linger,)) Aximili said impatiently.
"Never, my Visser," said Silver's Yeerk, stepping into the "pool."
Two Hork-Bajir, Toby and Tobias, took their places by either side of him as he knelt by the side of the "pool", readying to hold Silver when the Yeerk left him.
I was wary of a trick, but the slug was actually stupid enough to leave Silver.
He fell into a tub of water and Silver decided to fight his captors.
"Erek, holograms down. Toby, Tobias, let go of him," I ordered, walking up to Silver.
Evidently I still looked like a low-level Yeerk—Erek had over 40 holograms and was taking them down slowly.
"What are you doing?" he asked when I walked up to him.
"Silver, you had one helluva stupid Yeerk," I said as my hologram disappeared.
"Michelle! Oh, I was afraid he'd ratted you guys out," he said, giving me a great big hug.
"To Aximili," I said, laughing.
"Oh, it was horrible! I tried to move—I couldn't. I tried to talk—I couldn't. I tried to stop him from being rude to you or fighting you—I couldn't," with each sentence, he punctuated with a kiss.
"Well, we can't go home again. You're free, and I'll let you kill the slug," I said, looking at the gray Yeerk testing the boundaries of the tub.
"My pleasure," he said, stomping it. He splashed everyone in reach, but squashed the Yeerk flat.