The Abominations Part 4

Rachel

Warren would be glad to hear, though everyone else would probably collapse with a heart attack if they realised that I was being serious, that I was actually a little annoyed when Ax flew by and told me we needed an emergency meeting. I'd spent the day actually enjoying myself. Melissa and I had spent the whole morning working on her gymnastics routine for her competition, Melissa perfecting her moves while walking me through it. While I wasn't nearly as graceful as she was, I did still actually pull off every flip and twist. I got a good thrill on the uneven bars trying more daring tricks. The sport was really starting to come alive for me again.

And of course, when we headed off for lunch, we got into one of my favourite conversations: shopping. The Farewell dance was really close now. Just a few more weeks and we'd never see the inside of our middle school again. You know, as students. I say that because you never know what Yeerk movement could end up there next.

But back on topic, our final middle school dance meant we just had to get a whole new outfit. And decide on what hairstyle would suit it. And then, of course, you had to consider makeup and accessories. Not that I've ever needed the excuse, but we are graduating. It's one of the most important moments of our lives, we have to look our best. This time, I was even calling in Melissa's help in preparing Cassie. We'd already somehow, even I don't know how Melissa pulled it off, convinced her to start growing her hair out a little and we were going to have her appear before Jake looking more glamorous than she'd ever looked in her life even if we had to strap her to a chair, force her into a dress and drag her all the way from her home to right before Jake's gaping mouth ourselves. Part of me hopes she goes and plays difficult, the hard way sounds like a lot of fun.

I was really enjoying the idea of spending my whole day that way. But no, come mid afternoon, Ax flew over and told me to come running to Tobias' meadow. And just to ensure that I knew why, he told me to grab Cassie on the way while he searched for my cousin. That meant it was an emergency.

So there I was, sitting in the meadow with my back against Tobias' favourite tree with the boy in question unusually silent above me, Cassie carefully urging a snake away from us, Ax demorphing a few feet away and Erek standing across from me as the rest of our merry crew made their way loudly through the surrounding bushes.

"Hey look, it's Erek! What'd you call us for this time?" Marco called, brushing a few leaves out of his sleeve before claiming some grass and flopping down.

"Actually, I didn't. I was going to, but Tobias beat me to it." Erek shrugged, nodding and waving Jake and Warren caught up.

"Seriously?" I asked, frowning up into the trees. "What did you find? And how big of compound are we looking at?" If Tobias was the one to notice something, then it was probably in the woods and it would have to be big. If he'd just found the newest Hork-Bajir feeding ground or something, he would have just told Toby.

/The situation was a compound./ Ax stated stiffly for Tobias when he wouldn't talk, bringing a frown to my face. I took a quick second to send a glare at Warren. This had to be Tobias' reaction to that kiss he gave me. And, if anything, Warren only felt the need to be more annoying by simple grinning innocently back at me! /As you are aware, Tobias and I assist Toby with her people's raids. Today, we were attacked by a Minos./

"A Minos?" I asked, blinking confusedly. "What the heck's a Minos and why is it so bad?" I'd never heard of a Minos before, but Ax said it like it should explain everything. How does a name like that help me?"

"Minos? You were attacked by an Ancient Greek King?" Warren raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "If that's the case, why didn't you just poke him? He'd be like three thousand years old."

"Um, what are you on about?" Marco stared weirdly. "Something tells me that we're not dealing with ancient history. And how do you know the name of some ancient king?"

"Because it's Ancient Greek history? Heavily mixed with mythology?" Warren replied, he face practically screaming 'DUH'. "My best friend's a bookworm, I have to learn a lot of random, but interesting stuff to keep new conversations going and the Greek stuff's always mixed with monsters and Demigod heroes and villains. The story involving King Minos holds all the above. It's the original story of the Minotaur."

/Which is what attacked Toby and the others. Ax got so frazzled that he picked out the wrong name./ Tobias stated shortly, keeping his eyes focused right on Jake the whole time while every human among us gasped and/or visibly tensed. /It punctured trees with its horns, ripped a few Hork-Bajir apart and crushed my polar bear morph's bones like I was made of sticks. It didn't even care when I shoved my claws into its skull./

"Please tell me you're kidding!" Jake practically demanded before I could say it myself. My dear cousin looked ready to completely freak out. His eyes were growing wild, he was paling and he definitely wasn't breathing right now.

Of course, none of us were in a position to snap him out of it, especially when Tobias shook his head, solidifying our fears. A minotaur? And it was that tough? That was impossible! The polar bear was basically my grizzly bear's equal. I knew how tough the bears were far better than anyone and this thing managed to wipe the floor with one and didn't even care when Tobias hurt its head? That's absolutely unbelievable! Even most of Visser Three's deadly monster morphs would be made to flinch or stumble for a second or two against that much power, especially with an attack aimed for the brain. And to plough through trees with just its horn?

"That is...you know, insane doesn't even begin to cover it!" Marco snapped, throwing himself onto his feet and practically running as he started pacing. "Are you sure it wasn't a mutant bull again? That would make a lot more sense! How the hell would the Yeerks manage to make a freaking mythical creature come to life?"

"They didn't." Erek answered, calmly, but grimly. "The Minotaurs, or Tauriques as they are known elsewhere, genuinely existed. They were brought to Earth millennia ago."

"Say what?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Please back up."

"If that's true, how the hell haven't we noticed them before now?" Jake cried as Marco, me and Warren quieted down, every single set of eyes in the meadow staring dumbstruck at the Chee.

"Yeah, from the way bird boy and Ax-man are talkin, these things aren't exactly subtle or stealthy." Marco added quickly, waving his arms at Ax. "Sure they would have been noticed if they stuck around for a few thousand years!"

"That's because each one was either killed by a lucky shot or a cliff fall or were sealed away. Though yes, the species should have died out on Earth by now. There were too few and they were spread too far to breed in most cases." Erek answered, not looking too pleased with himself. "We made sure of that. Though the Yeerks may not have found this one on Earth. I only know they did find it, not where and there are plenty of possible where's."

"What do you mean?" Cassie asked, softly and nervously, taking deep breaths every few seconds. Even she was rattled at the prospect of facing this monster. "I think we should hear the whole story. Where did they come from, how did they get here and how were they stopped?"

"Ok then. I guess I'll start right at the beginning. Which, ironically enough, means talking about a race of galactic invaders that laid waste to galaxies for hundreds of years."

"Oh, of course it does. Another race out for universal conquest. Why would we think any differently?" Marco exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "How many races have to conquer all of existence anyway?"

/Many have tried throughout the Millennia./ Ax answered stoically. /You have already seen multiple current examples. The Yeerks and the Howlers. Though they are absolutely ridiculous to believe they can, the Helmacrons also fall into this category. The Espheni are also well known through the Milky Way, as you call it, for invading and enslaving a large quantity of worlds. There are many more, although, they generally only attempt to take over worlds close to their own, due to either lack of desire for more, transport limitations or need for specific atmospheric or climactic conditions./

"And the same could be said for this group." Erek nodded before continuing. "They were called the Graniss. They were very technologically advanced for their time, able to access Z Space. Their appearance doesn't matter too much at this point, but from what I have heard, they bore a close resemblance to depictions of the red, leathery skinned demons and ghouls. But to get back on point, this race appeared out of nowhere. To this day, no one knows where their homeworld is. It may not even exist anymore. They simply started showing up on planets and attacking. Like the Yeerks, they stole resources from the worlds they conquered and enslaved the few survivors. Though, since they're not parasites, subtlety and absolute control was impossible. Revolts occurred often and it was open war combat, so naturally, they had plenty of hardships and casualties. They were a problem to a lot of underdeveloped worlds, but with each one they conquered, their ultimate defeat seemed inevitable."

/However, then they discovered several creatures./ Ax added darkly. /And the strongest of them all was the Taurique./

"Correct." Erek nodded grimly. "They found a number of creatures on the worlds they invaded that had advantages they could exploit. They were wild and not sentient, incapable of being tamed, but they learned to contain them and bred them like cattle. They were then used for two things: ending rebellions of their slaves and as advanced agents in a new method of invasion."

/They would send one scout ship to find worlds that their species could survive in. Once the ship was successful, how they responded next was a matter determined by the creatures the world hosted./ Ax continued for him. /If there was little threat, they would simply come and themselves and begin construction. If there were living organisms that could be seen as a threat, be it sentient, intelligent races or large quantities of powerful beasts, they would send in their advanced agents to the strongest areas of the world's occupations. With a few in other areas where lesser threats were noticed./

"Three thousand years ago, that was Greece." Warren said with a nod. "They were undefeated until the rise of the Roman Empire."

"Exactly." Erek stated. "The beasts were sent to cripple any opposition. Though in Earth's case, the human forces alone wouldn't have had such a response. However, according to the logs the Chee looked over when one of their ships malfunctioned and crashed, due to one of their beasts getting loose of its confinement, we discovered that they were also sent here in part due to the large number of predators and because the Graniss were getting both cautious and desperate. They needed a world that they could to that would be of no risk to them, so they sent as many advanced agents to as many possible worlds as they could to ensure their safety."

"Why was that?" I frowned confusedly, most of the others doing the same at that little titbit. "It sounds like they were all over it, beast taming conquers. If they were so successful so many times with their hordes, as you and Ax are suggesting, then what went wrong?"

"A part of it was their own methods." Erek responded emotionlessly. "The enslaved got smart on many worlds. The beasts were dangerous even to the Graniss if they were unprepared for them and the new revolt methods included guiding those monsters right into Graniss strongholds. On other worlds they conquered, their method worked too well. A major reason why we believe that their homeworld is gone or unrecognisable is because they polluted it until it reached the point where it could no longer sustain any kind of organic life is because the latter is exactly what happened to a number of worlds they conquered."

/Sicknesses also were involved in a rapid decline of numbers./ Ax picked up from there. /Unlike the Yeerks and Andalites, though we do it through different methods, they did not shield themselves from illnesses native to the worlds. With no built up immunities, many fell to simple sicknesses. The final contributor was failed attempts at conquering. They spread themselves too thin and underestimated many races. Including the Andalites. Though in most cases, the Andalites included, it was just barely a failure./

"Their method required resistance from the monsters by the populace." Erek continued on. "Only so many monsters were sent to each world, with the hope that they would all be killed, even near the end for two reasons. The first was the obvious risk of these beasts coming out of nowhere and attacking the Graniss when they arrived. Once thrown in an environment, they were no longer under any influence after all, which was why they were always dumped near large cities or strongholds. The other was the fear that the natives would gain enough control to herd the monsters themselves and actively turn them on the Graniss. As such, races that were as advanced as the Andalites were at the time could survive in large enough numbers to sufficiently fight back when the Graniss armies did arrive and repel them."

/Sometimes with forces and technology more advanced than we'd had before./ Ax added, somewhat proudly this time. /Andalite weapons and military organisation increased dramatically due to the monsters that attacked us. By the time Graniss did arrive on our world, we were prepared. Though that wasn't before a great many of our kind and fellow species were cut down./

"How far they spread over suitable planets, the loss of planets conquered, however they were lost, and the decline in resources and numbers ultimately ended in their complete extinction. Their army never even made it to Earth. However, the beasts they used were left scattered throughout the galaxy. There are many planets that hold either remains or depictions of them and just as many where the beasts still thrive. However, though they cost many lives, almost all the beasts brought to Earth were wiped out, mostly by man, super predators, elephants and the common cold. Not to mention the wide range of poisons this planet holds. The few that are left have gone rather docile over the centuries and becomes myths. Like the Loc Ness Monster and Big Foot. So rare that most don't believe they exist."

"But what about the Minotaurs?" Jake asked, sighing deeply. "What happened to them?"

/Even on worlds as advanced as Earth is now, the Taurique were always near impossible to kill./ Ax stated, scaring even me a bit as he lost control of his emotions and shivered fearfully. /They are incredibly strong and durable. Even my tail blade has great difficulty cutting through their skin, and even when you do, it is often like they do not even feel the pain you inflict./

"If anything, the rage of being hurt simply makes them stronger." Erek agreed with a sigh, looking to the sky. "Ultimately, the Chee had to get involved. One of us, going by the name Daedalus at the time, designed a series of mazes for the rulers of Greece. The design was so great that almost no one who went in could ever hope to get out and the walls were made to be incredibly strong. Enough so to hold the minotaurs. A man by the name of Minos and his forces lured them into the mazes. Only one ever lucked out and found the exit many years later. When the people living above the maze noticed that it was getting close to seeing daylight again, a prince named Theseus took his most brave and loyal men to confront it. He became the only human to slay a minotaur, and even then, it was only by luck. Don't get me wrong, he was a great fighter, it was no wonder that he was believed to be the Son of Poseidon, but even he admitted that he was no true match for such a beast."

"So history got a few details tweaked. And the Chee actually got a mention. Strangely enough, there is absolutely no surprise there." Warren summed up with a shrug. "But none of the history lesson helps us solve the problem in front of us now. Now that we know that a minotaur is here on Earth again, how do we deal with it?"

"And how are the Yeerks planning to use it?" Marco added.

"How about the other question? Are there more of them around?" I added, crossing my arms. "I mean, knowing where they found this one could help to answer that question. Which, I for one, think is a pretty important question."

/Laser fire is the most effective method in which to fight them./ Ax stated, reapplying his emotionless mask. /The higher levels of Dracon Beams and Shredders should kill them./

"I can't answer the third question. I have no idea where they found the minotaur or how many they have. I can answer Marco's though." Erek stated, if any anything, growing grimmer. "I know about the minotaur because it had been placed at the Yeerks' mutation lab. It broke free after causing a riot. The shields were all knocked down in the process, so we finally got contact from our guy inside."

"Well, this will be good." I muttered, my gut filling with dread. That facility was a perfect representation of the word abomination. They play God, injecting a series of chemicals from other worlds into our animals, mutating them. Most, according to Toby, had absolutely horrific, agonizing results that had to be destroyed. However, by the time we were made aware of it, they were having a few breakthroughs with... "Wait, bull-like creatures being placed in the same place as the mutant bulls?" There was no way that was a coincidence. A fact that Erek, unfortunately, was quick to confirm.

"They have focused solely on the bulls since you and the Hork-Bajir encountered their first partially successful specimen and have had quite a few breakthroughs. In terms of strength, armour and spikes, it's mostly the same as you remember, but they have managed to...turn them into mutant steers. They also managed to enhance their herd instincts, complete with the understanding of having a head bull. The strongest amongst them takes that position. Further research allowed for the minotaur, as you guys call it, to be close enough to their breed for them to call it their leader. With control of the minotaur..."

/They will be able to control an army like none we've ever seen./ Tobias finished for him, so nervously that his voice sounded choked even though it was mental communication.

"The mutant bulls have already being massed produced within the base. They have twenty as it is now, with another eight well on the way, though a quarter of the new twenty four are cows, not bulls, though almost as strong. They're also planning to set up more labs to speed up production. All they need is the minotaur under their control. And while they are working on that, they are gathering other animals to start testing again in the next few days."

"Brilliant. Just bloody perfect!" Marco scowled, surprising me when he stomped his foot into the ground. "One mutant bull almost took us all down and now there's twenty eight of them. And Mr Minotaur is even more badass! How the hell could this get any worse?"

"There is one bright side. Or rather, a hopeful one." Erek grinned unsurely. "They tried infesting the minotaur, but its will and temperament were too much for the Yeerks to suppress. Which means, even if they've gotten the minotaur back already, placing it within the bulls' hearing range is bad for the Yeerks."

"Great. Maybe we'll get lucky and the Yeerks will repeat the Graniss' mistake. Attacked by their own horde." Jake mused out loud. I was a little put off by the dark, near uncaring look on his face as he said it. Before the disaster with the Howlers, yes, he would have said that, but his face and voice would have spoken of sympathy for the hosts in the line of fire. I didn't like the fact that he was growing so much like...like I did throughout the war. Becoming what I was working to prevent becoming myself.

/We will not be so fortunate./ Ax stated, much quicker and blunter than he usually would dismiss one of Jake's thoughts. /The Graniss were far inferior technologically than the Yeerks are today. Unlike them, the Yeerks would have plenty of fail safes in place should their beasts revolt. They may have to destroy them, but they will not be destroyed themselves. Their plans would simply be scrapped or restarted./

/Then we have to deal with it. Plain and simple./ Tobias declared, shifting his wings as he stared hard right at Jake. /Take out the base and everything in it, no matter what it takes, or find and remove every minotaur on Earth. Which is easier?/

"Probably the base, high level security and all." Jake snorted, throwing his head back. "We'll talk to David and Allen about blowing the place up. If they bring in new animals to test, then the shields will have to come down, so we'll need eyes on the place, figure out the times that are safe to enter. Tobias, Ax, Erek, you guys and the Chee inside will work on that, if you're willing Erek." He added, turning back into the old Jake for a moment as he turned his focus to the Chee. He wasn't Erek's leader and he'd never make demands of him like unless we had absolutely no choice.

Especially not right now. While he wanted to help more, and could allow himself to now that he'd regained the Pemalite crystal, he was still freaking out a little with determining what type of programming to give himself. He'd taken to experimenting with parameters, but he had yet to find a setting that he felt comfortable with, so we had no idea just how far was willing to go yet. Obviously, even he wasn't sure. Which was a bit of a shame because I was confident that he could go toe to toe with the minotaur. But still, he was trying to make a life altering decision, so I perfectly happy to be patient while he figured himself out.

"Naturally." Erek nodded, giving Jake a reassuring grin. "Brad will tell me when the shipments are expected or sudden ones occur and when have I not relayed that kind of information to you?"

"Never." Jake grinned back thankfully before turning back to the rest of us. "And if you don't mind, I'd also like it if you sat down with Cassie in the meantime. Go over everything you know about the minotaurs and see if you can find an animal capable of handling them. With or without the mutants, the minotaurs are a threat that we need to be able to face in any circumstance."

"If there is more than elephants and rhinos, I'll find it." Cassie nodded, her face turning thoughtful. She was already going through every animal she knew, looking for something special.

"And speaking of the rhino, Cassie, can you help me get safely near one please?" Warren butted in, startling more than a few of us with the sudden deviation. "The whale aside, which couldn't move if you remember correctly, I've never touched anything close to that kind of power as a human. I'd like to get away without being trampled."

"Why the sudden interest in a rhino?" I asked, slightly intrigued and slightly annoyed. For that kind of power, the elephant was bigger, better and a favourite morph in general of mine.

"My morph pool's still pretty shallow and I have no heavy morph. I'm going to need one sooner or later, with sooner being more likely if we're fighting super bulls again." Warren answered casually, shrugging his shoulders. "And we have more elephant morphers than rhinos, so I'd even it up a little. And maybe get some more morphs to build up my morph variety while we're at it?" He added, turning hopefully back to Cassie.

"Yeah, of course. We can do it all tonight if you want." Cassie nodded, bringing a big smile to Warren's face.

"Sweet! You are awesome Cassie."

"That'll be a good idea. See if you can get David to go as well. He may need a heavy morph in the near future too." Jake stated before turning back to Erek. "Is there any chance that you guys could get us a blueprint of this base?"

"I'll ask Brad next time he reports in."

"Great. Then Marco and I will go talk to Allen about blowing the place out of the ground now. Tobias, Ax would one of you sweep the area for the Yeerks' patrol routes while the other informs Toby of what we're doing. We may need help later on and she may want involvement anyway. At the very least, it's best she's informed."

/Yes Prince Jake./

/Happy to head out./

"Good." If Jake was put off by the sudden attitude Tobias put into that line, he didn't show it. I on the other hand was caught, partially feeling guilty and partially seething at a still completely unphased Warren. What was up with that? He was usually sympathetic with anything that was bothering one of us, but this time he almost looked proud of it. And he's a major carrier of the blame for how Tobias feels! But still, as much as I felt the urge to knock some sense into him, Jake was ready to go on and this wasn't the time or place. "Everyone with a job, let's head out. And everyone, make sure your schedules are free this week. We'll only get one shot at this base. If we screw it up, the security will only become more intense and that's likely to happen with the wild monster there anyway. We need to do this at the first opportunity we can prepare for if we want this to be successful."

"There's also the added advantage that all the chemicals used in these experiments on Earth are all still in the one base." Erek added helpfully. "If you can destroy them before the other bases are finalised, it'll slow down their productions and experiments by months."

"Now that's an incentive." Marco declared, already starting to grow feathers for the his flight to the farm. "Let's do this people. Leave nothing to chance and walk away from this mission with a really good score."

"Wow, now Marco's acting like Rachel. He even put his own twist on your line." Warren smirked, turning playful eyes my way.

"STEEERRR!" I actually had to fling my hands onto my ears as Tobias took off with a screech, passing very low by Warren's head as he shot away. Shocked, the suddenly developed pain flinched rather dramatically, but was right back to definitely looking proud of himself a mere second later as he watched Tobias power flap away. He didn't even bother waiting for Ax, who was pointing particularly strong glares at both Warren and me as he finished his harrier morph and took off after him.

/What the heck was that about?/ Marco cried as the rest of them stared off after our friends before turning sharp gazes to our psychologist. Who's only response was to shrug and smirk under their gazes.

"I seem to be getting under his feathers, don't I?"

"And why are you SO PROUD OF THAT?" I exploded. I couldn't hold it in anymore, he was driving me insane. I didn't need Cassie's talent for empathy and knowledge about manipulation to know exactly how Tobias was feeling and how Warren was stringing him along. Who the hell does that? Especially to a friend?

And yet he still stood there smirking proudly away, folding his arms and leaning against a tree. "Because it's working. Which means my theories are all accurate. Which means I can make him realise what's needed a whole lot sooner."

Say what? What the heck was he on about? What good could possibly come of this? Tobias was miserable, angry, heartbroken. Even if there was something to gain, what could possibly be worth putting him through all of that?

I never got my chance to ask though. Before I, or any of the others, whose faces were strangely unreadable rather than outraged like me, could say another word, he nodded his head in a goodbye and took off into the woods. So, burst with anger and the losing my target to the trees before I could even respond, I took great joy in punching Tobias' tree a couple of times.

I had to find out what Warren was playing at. And I had to talk to Tobias. I couldn't let him go on suffering like this.

I guess I'd made more progress with my issues than I thought. A huge, important battle was on the horizon and I was more worried about my friend and my love life. Probably not the best moment to make that kind of change in priority.