Hey there! *Waving*

Claws: *wide grin* What can I say? I´m glad you enjoyed it. Hope your pillow will survive until the end of this story.

Joy: You want to know what Gallaxhessa will do next? Well. All I can say to that is ... read. You won´t regret it. *wink, wink*

Waking up

It was dark and shady and yet it wasn´t. There was a bright uncomfortable light but it wasn´t really blinding her. Susan had no idea why until she realized that her eyes were still closed. Maybe it was because her head was still spinning. And this despite the fact that she was sure she was lying on the ground. How could the room spin around you when your eyes were closed and you lay on the floor? But it did. She groaned, tried to open her eyes but closed them again when the light penetrated her pupils.

„She´s waking up." someone said. It sounded as if the voice was in another room.

„Wait for it." another voice answered. Then a little closer: „Careful."

She heard a clicking sound and wondered for a moment what it had been. Then she opened her eyes again and understood that it had been a gun. The Marines she had been with, were standing around her in a wide circle, some of them aiming at her. Despite their grim posture, the look in their faces was a complete different one. They didn´t want to aim their guns at her. They simply believed that they had no other choice. She could have killed some of them when she had struggled with them and they had not forgotten that. Unfortunately Susan´s memory was not as fast as theirs. She´d just woken up from a drug-induced sleep after all.

Major Stanton cowered before her, waiting for her to come by. He didn´t aim his gun at her. He didn´t needed to. His men were watching them closely.

Susan blinked again. „What happened?" she asked confused.

„I had to take you out." Stanton explained. „I´m sorry, but you left me no choice."

Now Susan started to remember. Now she recalled why she was lying on the floor with this spinning head, surrounded by heavy armed Marines who were obviously afraid that she could try to attack them. When the memory came back to her, her heartbeat increased rapidly. Her head jerked around and she searched the sky for what her mind knew that it wasn´t there anymore.

„Don´t." Stanton said empathizing. „Its over. There is nothing you can do about it."

Susan felt a sting in her heart. She remembered what happened. She remembered his cries. His death screams. And she remembered Stanton. The gun he had aimed at her to keep her from stopping it. Now she turned to him, her anger clearly written all over her face.

„I know what you want to say." Stanton said matter of factly before she had a chance to accuse him.

„Do you?" she asked cynical.

„Yes." he replied sternly, not blinking under her stare. „I´m sorry about your friend but I have a duty to fulfill. We all have, Miss Murphy."

„I could have saved him." she cried.

„You don´t know that." Stanton replied. „They would have killed him anyway. The only thing you can be sure about is that if you had given yourself up, you would have given them what they needed to finally conquer this planet. To defeat our resistance and enslave human race forever. And I don´t even want to talk about, how many of us they would kill first just to make sure to truly brake our resistance. These are the things I had to consider, Miss Murphy. And I want you to understand that before you dare to judge what I have done." He stood up from his cowering position and stood before her. „I lost friends in this war too, Miss Murphy." he said. „My own wife and child are somewhere in this city. I don´t know if they are okay. But I accept the possibility that they are not because this battle is about a greater cause. Its about earth. The whole goddamn human race."

Susan was shocked when she realized that his voice had started to brake. There was something glistening in his eyes. But he was keeping his stern face nevertheless. No tear would roll down this soldiers cheeks. Not as long as he could stop it. And all the sudden Susan felt herself reminded on another argument she had had with a soldier like him, about a similar theme not long ago in the cockpit of an alien saucer.

„Dammit, you think this is easy for me?" he had yelled at her after she had demanded to turn around to save her parents instead of going on with the plan to infiltrate the alien ship. „My family is down there as well!" he had said. „In this very city! Don´t you think, I would like to go down to check out if they are all right? There is nothing, I would like to do more. But I don´t, because I have a duty to fulfill. A duty to the earth. The entire human race. And so do you. We all have."

Now that she remembered that her own eyes began to fill with tears. She wanted to cry. For Monger, for Link, for Dr. Cockroach, her parents and oh so many others that had died and suffered today. But she didn´t allow herself to give way for the tears. Neither did Stanton. He made a hissing sound of anger and turned his back on her, probably to keep himself from getting weak. The other Marines lowered their guns. The tension was gone. Now there was only grief. And regret. A lot of regret.

Susan clung her hands to the ground as if she was afraid of losing halt. After a minute or so she managed it to get halt of herself again. She looked up at Stanton. His gaze was still hard and in some way even hurt and accusing. But he didn´t say anything. She wanted to say something but just didn´t know what. Eventually Stanton looked around and sharply sucked some air through his nose.

„The shooting we´ve heard has stopped." he stated. „But that doesn´t mean that the perimeter is save. We have to assume that the aliens are still close. They probably watch the building."

„By now they will know that someone is hiding at the FBI´s." Myers agreed.

Stanton nodded but he didn´t look at Myers. He looked at Susan. She was still lying on the floor.

„Can you walk?" he asked her.

She sniffed briefly before she was able to answer his question with a nod. He mirrored the nod.

„Can you fight?" he asked her.

„I think so." she answered. Though her head was still a little dizzy, she had started to feel better. Clearer.

„Good." was all he said. He turned to his men and gave some simple instructions to them, giving Susan the time to get to her feet. When she managed it to stand he turned back to her, a checking look on his face.

„Don´t worry about me." she dismissed the unspoken question. „I´m fine." Her tone was harsh.

Stanton just nodded again.

„All right." he said, addressing not only her but all of his team. „Let´s move. The FBI headquarter is only one quarter ahead. Let´s go. And be ready. We don´t know what we will face when we get there."

His men grabbed their guns, their faces rigid and determined. Stanton saluted them and they answered his salute. Then they just turned and started to move. Stanton threw a look over his shoulder to make sure Susan would come too. She was coming.

„Just one more thing, Major." she said before they joined the others. He waited. „If you ever aim a gun at me again …" she said. „You better really intent to shoot me."

He hold her gaze without blinking. „I did." he said. „And next time … it won´t be a dart."

With that he turned around and followed his men. He didn´t look back at her.

...

Outside in the country, somewhere in the middle of a field, Gallaxhessa sat on the top of her robot. She had needed to get out, to have a lungful of fresh air. To get her head free. She hadn´t cried in years, not even when she had gotten the message of Gallaxhar´s death. She had almost believed that she had forgotten how to do it, that she had become incapable of crying. But now she had cried and it had been forceful, as if a dam had broken inside of her. It had left her weak and with a feeling of emptiness. How was something like that possible? She didn´t even know why she had cried. Not really. She had been angry, yes. But that was no reason for crying. Not really. Or was it? Maybe it would be if she just knew why she had been so angry in the first place.

Why, because of the carrier of course. Because she had denied to give herself up. To give her, Gallaxhessa, the Quantonium. And because of her coldness. This lower lifeform had sacrificed her friend for her own sake. Not that Gallaxhessa had expected anything else. Not really. Oh, who was she kidding? Of course she had expected something different. If she hadn´t she wouldn´t have tried it. But this … Now they better didn´t expect any mercy from her any longer. Because she wouldn´t show any more. Not after this. She would …

Something caught her eye. A movement in the distance. And a familiar sound. Faint. Very faint but it was there. She was sure of it. But that was impossible. She stood up and strained her four eyes to see what it was. There in the distance, right where the trees began. Something was there.

As fast as she could she went down into her robot and activated her screen. The machines brought the treeline closer to her and enabled her to see what was there. When she saw the picture, she almost couldn´t believe it. It was her Crock-dog that came running at her. He was alive. She had no idea how that was possible and how he had found her but it was him. And he was really here.

She swirled around and rushed into her elevator to get down to the ground. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. When the doors opened and she stepped out the Crock-dog had already reached the huge legs of her robot. For a moment she saw him running at her, his mouth open and his tongue hanging out. The same way she had seen him running at her when they had played with the speed balls back at her home planet. Then he was at her, jumping up into her arms, his tail wagging happily behind him. She couldn´t believe it. She just couldn´t believe that he was really here. Her loyal little friend. She embraced him eagerly and for a moment she was crying again. Only this time she cried because she was happy.

„Where do you come from?" she asked him but of course he couldn´t give her an answer. She didn´t need an answer. She was just happy to have him back. Just that she could see his rolling eyes again when she fondled his head was more than she could have wished for.

Before she knew it she had started to laugh and play with him. That was until she noticed another movement in the distance. There where the Crock-dog had come from. But this one was much bigger than him. When he noticed her stare, he turned around and then made a happy sound to her. She knew that sound. He wanted to show her something. But this couldn´t be. Those creatures that now started to come from the woods were too strange. She started to back up without noticing it.

Her Crock-dog on the other hand seemed not a bit afraid of those big animals. He even started to run back for them. She jumped when she saw this and tried to call him back, but he wouldn´t stop. No, he obviously wasn´t afraid of them. Usually a sign for Gallaxhessa to know that they were harmless. But something about those animals made her afraid anyway. She tried not to be but she was scared. She didn´t know what they were and that was scary. She went back into her elevator and up into her robot. On the screens she could see her Crock-dog how he ran back and forth between those strange animals as if they were his best friends. The creatures seemed not to mind him being there. Though they were mostly busy with each other.

Gallaxhessa took a moment to think it over. What was she supposte to do now? She had no idea what they were and even more important, how they were. Were they aggressive creatures that could be dangerous? They might not seem aggressive now but her Crock-dog was a predator too when his instincts told him so. She couldn´t take their passive behavior they were showing now for granted. She had to make sure. And she knew how she could do that. She might not know this planets fauna but she knew someone who did.

She opened a channel to Las Vegas and demanded her clones to get the Link on the line.

„He is talking to the other prisoner right now." her clone informed her. „But I´ll get him."

„No." she stopped her clone. „No, its all right. Let them talk. I wait. Tell him I want to talk to him when he is ready."

...

„Link?" Dr. Cockroach asked for the third time now. He was still confused and it hurt Link to see him that way.

„Yeah, Doc." he said trying to talk steady. „Its me."

„What are you doing here?" the Doc asked.

Link sighed heavily. „I´m not there with you." he tried to explain. „I´m just a projection. I mean … what you see is a projection."

„I know that." Dr. C snapped. „I meant are you here in Massachusetts?"

„Oh." Link said. „Ehm, no, I´m in Vegas."

„Vegas?"

„Yeah. Las Vegas. We came here with the army. Butter and Toady and I."

„Toady?"

„Toadagantua." Link gave him the full name the government had given to her. The Doc blinked thoughtful for a moment but then he seemed to just dismiss that question.

„How did they catch you?" he asked Link instead.

„That …" Link started but cut himself off, not sure how to answer that question without embarrassing himself too much.

„How did you get them to let you talk to me?" the Doc just went on asking.

„Actually that was her idea." Link explained.

„Her?"

„Gallaxhessa."

„You talked to her?" the Doc asked wide eyed. „She is still alive?"

„Yeah." Link confirmed. He more and more got the feeling that he was lying to his friend by keeping the whole truth from him. All the facts that were there and that the Doc didn´t know. And why the hell did this make him feel like a traitor?

The Doc had closed his eyes. His head was moving around on his rest in desperation. He almost looked as if he was crying.

„Listen Doc." Link tried to say something.

„We almost had her." the Doc whined. „We destroyed her ship. All for nothing."

Link didn´t know what to say about this. He felt more and more uncomfortable in this situation. But he didn´t get a chance to say anything anyway.

„What did they do to you?" the Doc asked him angrily his head snapping up again.

„Nothing." Link said startled. „Listen … There is something I need to tell you."

„We need to stop her Link." the Doc cried, not listening to what he said.

Now Link really didn´t know what to say. It was obvious that he wouldn´t get through to him. Not as long as he was in this state, half fantasizing and delusional. Link sighed.

„I think you should rest, pal." he said. „You´re not recovered yet."

„Link." the Doc cried excited. „When the guards talk, listen to what they say. We might gain some useful information with that."

„Don´t worry about that." Link replied with a sad tone. „I´ll handle that. Just … rest."

The Doc lay his head back but his eyes stayed open. There was a look in his eyes that worried Link. He looked like a haunted man. Like a crazy guy in a mental hospital. The fact that he was lying on this altar, still unable to move more than his head, almost looking like an immobilized patient, didn´t help to improve this impression. Link wanted to say something but he couldn´t think of anything appropriate. So he decided to just switch off the channel, hoping that the Doc would respond better to him next time he talked to him.

He had just switched off the channel when one of his alien guards came to him.

„Gallaxhessa wants to talk to you." it informed him. Link sighed. He wasn´t sure if he wanted to talk to her right now. Not after this. And certainly not since he didn´t know in what mode she might be now, remembering the last time she had called. But then he followed the clone over to the table anyway. Gallaxhessa was already waiting for him there, in form of that floating projection he had already gotten used to by now.

„How is your friend?" she asked when she saw his face. It was obvious how desperately she tried to ignore the awkward feeling that was still there after their last talk. No matter how short it had been it still hung between them. Talking like nothing had happened felt odd.

„I don´t know." Link said, thoughtfully rubbing his neck. „He´s better I guess but …"

„What is it?" she asked.

„Well, I´m not sure." he said. „I tried to talk to him about … you know. I think he is delusional. He doesn´t understand what I´m saying."

„He will." she assured him but even in her own ears it didn´t sound quiet convinced. She was really just saying this so she was saying anything. This kind of talk had never been easy for her. She remembered that it had been like this after she and Gallaxhar had had an argument. Something she really didn´t want to remember.

„Ehm, listen, Link." she hurried to get back to the point and away from that uncomfortable memory. „The reason why I called you is … there are some creatures here that I don´t know. Maybe you could tell me what they are and if they are dangerous to my robot. I mean I can protect myself but … I´d prefer not to shoot some random animals just because I misjudge their behavoir. So far they keep their distance but …"

He nodded understanding. „Show me." he said.

She did. The first thing he saw was just the wood in the distance, the way he guessed Gallaxhessa saw it from her robot. But then the picture zoomed in and he could see them. They were sitting and occasionally jumping around near the treeline. He just couldn´t believe what he saw.

„Oh, my god." he gasped, leaning forward on the table. „These are Toady´s kids."

„Who?" Gallaxhessa asked.

„Toady." Link repeated. „She is … She came here with me and Butterflyosaurus. She said she lay her eggs in a lake. And that she was worried your aliens would hurt them."

„I see." Gallaxhessa mused. „So that was her reason to fight me, was it?"

Link didn´t give a response to that. They had had this talk already. So this time he just looked at her.

„Anyway." she said and dismissed the subject. „Do you have any idea what they will do?"

„Ehm, I´m afraid not really." he admitted. „I mean they are not your enemies."

„Of course, I know that." she said and it sounded earnest enough for him. „I´m more afraid about what they might think that I am."

Link looked at the screen and the young frogs he saw there. It had to be at least a dozen of them. He still couldn´t believe it. „How many are they?" he wanted to know.

„My computer counts fourteen." Gallaxhessa informed him.

„Fourteen." he repeated completely stunned. After a moment he shook his head. „Where did they come from?" he asked.

„It seems my Crock-dog led them here." Gallaxhessa told him.

„Your what?"

„He´s my pet. Its unbelievable. I thought he was dead. I thought he died when my ship exploded."

„Then … how did he come here?" Link asked, a little startled about the joyful tone Gallaxhessa had taken on all the sudden.

„I don´t know, but isn´t it great?" she cheered. „I already had him when I was a squidling."

Link couldn´t help himself but smiled at her excitement. That was an interesting new side of her that he hadn´t expected to see. Not unpleasant though. It gave her something he didn´t know to put any other way but with the word human. When she noticed his reaction, she cleared her throat to regain her posture.

„Maybe I can comunicate with them." she suggested. „Tell them that I´m no danger to them so they will leave me alone. Do you know how I can do that?"

„Well, thats tricky." he said rubbing his neck. „Usually no one understands their language. So far I always was the only one who could talk to them."

„Well, perfect." she stated. „Would you do that for me?"

„How?" he asked. „I´m here. They are there."

„I project you outside." she explained. „Thats quiet simple. Will you do it?"

Link hesitated. He knew that as soon as he would agree to do something for her, even something that was only partly for her, would somehow make them partners. It wouldn´t oblige himself to anything but it would mark a change in their relationship anyway. He wasn´t sure if it was a good idea to risk that. No matter what, he would have helped her. He would have helped the enemy if you wanted to put it that way. But it was about Toady´s kids. And Gallaxhessa was right. If they would decide to attack her they would force her to defend herself. He just couldn´t allow that. He owed it to Toady. So he agreed to the request. He would have to find a way to deal with the consequences later.

Gallaxhessa thanked him and made some changes in the projector calibrations. After a few minutes she told him that he could speak. His head would be projected on the outside of her robot now. He had no choice but to believe her. For him the picture of the field still looked the same.

He cleared his throat. „Hey." he called out. „Hallo you guys. Over here."

He could see the young frogs turning around to him at the sound of his voice. So they had heard them.

„Listen." he said. „I need to talk to you. Could you … could you come closer for a second?"

The frogs looked at each other uncertain for a moment. But then they seemed to agree that there was no harm in just doing what he asked them to and to hear what he had to say. So they came jumping over at the robot and gathered together around it.

„Hey." Link greeted them again. „My name is Link. Ehm. I know your mother."

The young frogs looked at him with surprised eyes. Some of them opened their mouths and gave a loud croak.

„No." Link said. „No, she can´t come to you. She´s too far away. But I´ll tell her that you all are okay. She was very worried about you."

They croaked again. Eagerly.

„No." Link cried. „No, thats not a good idea. Listen. Its the best you just stay where you are right now. You´re safe there. Just … stay there and don´t go near any cities or something like that. Oh and … this thing here behind me. Don´t touch it. I´ll need that to talk to you so don´t damage it, ok?"

Another croak. This time affirmatively.

„Ok." he said, relieved. „I … I need to go now. I let your mom know that you all are ok and then … well, we´ll see. Just don´t go anywhere."

Another affirming croak.

„All right. See ya later then." He gave them a tiny wave and then he looked at Gallaxhessa´s image that was right next to him. She switched off the channel and the picture that showed him the field went down.

„That was very good, Link." she said. „Thank you."

He barely had heard her words. In his head there were a dozen thoughts at once.

„I need to tell Toady that her kids are alive." he said at last. „She needs to know."

Gallaxhessa frowned at this, surprised and yet not surprised at all that he wanted this. She lowered her gaze drawn to her own thoughts.

„Therefore you had to go outside." she finally said.

Link just looked at her, not saying anything. She seemed unsure.

„The … The streets are still dangerous." she said.

„Do you mean dangerous for me?" he asked. „Or dangerous because I could decide that I don´t want to come back?"

Her reaction to this question really surprised him. She seemed sad.

„No, Link." she said. „If you would decide not to come back, it would mean that I couldn´t convince you about my offer. And if I couldn´t convince you by now, then I won´t convince you ever, will I?" She looked at him with somehow regretful eyes when she added: „And that means there is no point in holding you hostage any longer."

His jaw dropped open when he heard this. Did she really just say that? He couldn´t believe it.

„So you …" he started but didn´t know if he could dare to finish the question. It wasn´t necessary though. She finished it for him.

„You are free to go." she said, still in this sad tone. „Tell your friend her children are all right. And that they don´t have anything to fear from me." When he still didn´t move or react or anything she gave him an encouraging smile. „Go." she said. „I won´t stop you."

Slowly he turned around, still looking at her projection in case there should be any change in her face that told him she was just kidding, or maybe testing him, or maybe … maybe he had just imagined her to say all this. Everything seemed more likely in this moment than the possibility that she really would let him go. But there was no change in her face. Only this strangely regretful expression.

He approached the door, watching the clones that had been his wardens closely, if they would try to stop him after all. But they did nothing like this. They had heard Gallaxhessa´s decision as well and they would do nothing to violate their mistress´ order. And in some way the clones´ lack of action made him finally believe that it was true. Because it meant that he hadn´t been the only one who heard the words. What meant it had to be real. He reached for the doorknob and opened it.

„Link." Gallaxhessa addressed him. „Just one more thing."

He turned back to her expecting everything from her changing her mind to a laser that would suddenly shoot at him. But neither of this happened. Instead he just looked into Gallaxhessa´s face that still hovered over the table, where the projecting device stood. It was strange how different all of this suddenly looked to him. As if he had just woken up from a dream.

„In case you should really decide not to come back." Gallaxhessa said now. „I really enjoyed talking to you."

For a moment he was just too stunned to give an answer to that. But then he managed a smile. „Same here." he said.

Gallaxhessa mirrored his smile and gave him a nod. He nodded at her too. They had come to an agreement at last. An unspoken one and certainly one that he couldn´t completely define if someone had asked him. But it was there nevertheless. After another moment he just turned around and left.

Did I promise too much? If I did, sorry. If not, great. In that regard: See you next week.

And thanks for reading.