Chapter 24
Despite the situation, I couldn't help feeling relief wash over me as I stepped out of the cramped ship quarters onto the planet. Having open skies above my head and grass under my feet immediately made the situation feel better for me. I twisted one of my stalk eyes towards Visser Three and could see a similar look of respite on his face.
[So,] Visser Three said dryly, [we're back where we started.]
[At least,] I said shortly, [we have the Ellimist's clue to help us get off the plant.]
[I presume the great Elfangor has already solved it, then?] Visser Three settled onto his hind legs and stared at me expectantly.
I didn't answer. I knew he was baiting me and it angered me to realise that I could be baited so easily. I could feel my fur bristle and I could hear my hearts pounding louder. Turning my back on him, but still keeping a stalk eye trained on him for safety, I walked away.
[Ah yes,] Visser Three called after me, [I'm positive that sulking will help us both.]
I ignored him as I walked away. I needed to think about the Ellimist's puzzle. I suspected that the answer was quite simple. The Ellimist was a trickster by nature and he enjoyed setting riddles that seemed complicated at first glance but could be easily solved. It reminded me of those little puzzle boxes they used to sell in gift shops on Earth. I watched my Earth friends spend hours trying to solve them, and when they finally did, the answer was always laughably simple.
I stopped walking when I could no longer see Visser Three. I walked up to a therant tree and leant up against its cool bark. [Help me,] I whispered, but the tree was silent.
I dug one hoof into the grass and ate. The grass was delicious and nourishing but didn't serve to make my head any clearer. Could it all be a joke by the Ellimist? Did he plan all of this to take both of us out of the galactic equation? An unpleasant thought occurred to me. Perhaps the galaxy was better off without either of us. Loren had once ran her fingers through my human hair and whispered that I was a fulcrum around which events changed.
Certainly, the galaxy would be better off without Visser Three. Out of all the Yeerks I'd had the displeasure of meeting face-to-face, I found that he was one of the most megalomaniacal of them all. But surely, I was a force of good in the galaxy? The Ellimist couldn't have meant to strand me here for eternity?
[Brooding, I see,] Visser Three said.
I jumped, feeling startled. I had forgotten to always keep a stalk eye scanning my environment for possible enemies. Visser Three had crept up behind me silently enough that he could have used his tail blade to slice me in half and I wouldn't have noticed until the blood began leaking out of me. I blamed the years I had spent as a human. They had obviously weakened and dulled my natural Andalite reflexes. However, a small part of me wondered if it was something more. [I'm not brooding,] I snapped.
[It would be much easier if we could just eliminate the Ellimist,] Visser Three mused. To my surprise, he laughed silently. [Eliminate the Ellimist. Very amusing.]
I stared at him. [Feel free to try,] I told him, gesturing around at the forest around us. [If you could find him and eliminate him, it would benefit both of us. I suspect you won't be able to find him though. That's one of the benefits of being a trans-dimensional being.]
[I would have thought your years on Earth might have imbued you with a sense of humour,] Visser Three said. [Alloran didn't understand my little joke either.]
A sudden thought was beginning to occur to me, but the idea was so unpleasant that I immediately pushed it away. Surely the Ellimist couldn't mean for us to do that. It was against every Andalite fibre in my body. I suspected Visser Three wouldn't be particularly unhappy with the situation, but then again, he was a Yeerk.
Visser Three studied me with all four of his eyes. [You've thought of something, haven't you?] he said bluntly.
[No,] I denied adamantly. Besides, it was only an idea. A very small idea floating in my mind.
Visser Three stepped closer to me. I could see his muscles in his legs flex and tense. He was so close to me that I could see and smell the sweat on his fur. It was strange smelling Andalite sweat after so many years. Human sweat was very unpleasant. Loren had tried to explain to me that it had something to do with pheromones and attraction, but I still refused to breathe through my nose whenever we were in a crowded place. Andalite sweat, however, had a smell that was close to pine cones and rain. [I know you better than that,] Visser Three said softly, his words causing my fur to rise up on the back of my neck.
[It's just a thought that crossed my mind,] I said. [It's probably nothing.]
Visser Three leaned closer. His larger, slightly more muscular body felt like it was dwarfing me. I would have stepped backwards if there wasn't a therant tree behind me. [I would like to know your thought, Elfangor.]
I sighed mentally. I suspected I'd have to tell Visser Three eventually. [The Ellimist mentioned three species. I'm an Andalite. You're a Yeerk.]
Visser Three snorted. [I could have told you that.]
[But,] I continued, [I have also been a human for many years. I have my human DNA inside of me. Sometimes...] I hesitated. [Sometimes, I even feel more human than Andalite.]
[Yeerk, Andalite and human,] Visser Three said thoughtfully. [How would we combine them though?]
I hesitated again. This was the unpleasant part my mind was backing away from. [I don't know,] I lied.
There was a gleam in Visser Three's eyes. I was beginning to get a bad feeling about this. I suspected that he had come to the same conclusion as me. [You could morph into human and I could take over your body,] he said, sounding strangely eager at the idea.
[No,] I burst out. I turned away from Visser Three and began to walk away as fast as I could. [I would rather stay on this planet for a lifetime.]
[I don't think so,] Visser Three called after me. [I know you, Elfangor. You will do this. And it will work.]
Author Notes: My apologies for not updating for so long! RL got in the way. Updates should be regular again with one update every day or every two days.