Visions
By Starseeker
Part 6
The excitement is picked up from part 5. Any comments? Please put them in a review or e-mail me at Starseeker__1@hotmail.com.
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In the previous part:
Alyssa and Trei go back to the Yeerk base to destroy it. After they get in, they begin setting up remote bombs. And they're caught by the Yeerks. What will happen to them? Read to find out...
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My head was pounding. I opened my eyes and sat up. I was on the floor of a dirty cell.
"Finally." I looked up and saw Trei. "I was wondering when you'd wake up." I looked around. We were the only ones in the cell, but we weren't alone. All around us were other Yeerk prisoners, locked up. Many of them, I guessed, were traitors. Far worse than us.
Someone was coming. I heard the slight echo of their footsteps on the concrete floor.
"What do you think they'll do with us?" I asked Trei. He shrugged.
"I doubt that they'll infest us. Killing us would just crush the hopes of hosts. We wouldn't be much use as Controllers."
"Why not?"
"Just like the Yeerks, the Stryfer buildings have BioFilters installed. But ours give off an alarm if there is a Yeerk in the head. We would be just like regular hosts, but stronger willed and harder to control." I nodded.
"I get it. So they'll probably..."
"They'll kill us." A grim fate awaited us either way. Kill or be infested. But I'd rather die than have a Yeerk in my head.
The footsteps got louder. A shadow fell across our cell and I looked up. I knew who this was. The leader of the invasion of Earth. We had seen many pictures of him at Stryfer. But I never thought I'd see him in real life.
"Let's see our little caged rats," he said, a mocking smile on his face.
"These are the soldiers, Visser Three," a guard told him.
"They're children," the Visser muttered. "These...these children snuck past security and almost destroyed the base?!" I cracked a smile. Obviously, he was surprised at our abilities.
"Y- yes sir," the guard stammered. "They had w- weapons with them...we believe that they're from Stryfer, sir, but they aren't talking." I looked at Trei.
"They know about-"
"Yeah. Long story. But they haven't figured out where the base is hidden. And we plan to keep it that way."
"So..." Visser Three hissed, looking at us, "Another plan from Stryfer foiled, eh? And now they're sending children after us? How low can they get?" I felt anger bubbling up in my chest like a wave of heat. My throat burned with it, my vision was clouded by it. That's what anger does. It seeps into your brain and controls your actions, almost like a Yeerk does. And angry people do crazy things.
"Not as low as you, Yeerks. Stryfer doesn't control us. We can at least control ourselves! You disgust me!" I spat. Trei nudged my back with his foot, a warning. I stopped talking. The Visser was silent for a minute. But then...he started to laugh.
"I see that we have a little firecracker locked up in here," he chuckled. "But girl," he then said, "If you say another word, I will kill you myself." I stared calmly at him, a sudden confidence coming into control. It surprised me.
"What will we do with them, sir?" Visser three looked at the guard, then at us.
"Kill them. In the morning, in front of an audience. It will bring down the hosts' spirits." Trei had been right. But...could we escape from it?
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I don't know how much time passed when another person came. It felt like years, but it could have been half an hour for all I knew.
He stood in front of us, hands behind his back, and smiled.
"These are the intruders?" he inquired.
"Yes, Sub-Visser," the guard told him.
"Two kids...they can't be older than fifteen." He stared at us for a minute then turned to the guard. "Release the girl."
"What? But she's...they're Stryfer soldiers. Visser Three has ordered their execution," the guard objected.
"I want her to deliver a message for me." The cell door opened.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Don't question my orders. Release the damn child!" the Sub-Visser snapped. The Controller opened the door, grabbed my arm, and led me out of the cell. The door closed behind me. I stood weakly and looked at the Sub-Visser. "I have a message for you to deliver," he told me.
"What?" I asked, not having the energy to argue with him.
"Tell your Stryfer friends that the Yeerks will win. Tell them that we have your friend, and when he dies, the hope of millions will die with him. Tell your friends at Stryfer that," he hissed. I glared at him silently. He grinned. "Let her go." The guard released me. My knees trembled and I rubbed my arm. "Show her the way out." The Sub-Visser's orders were obeyed...they let me go.
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I ran. Like a coward, I ran. Back to the school. Immediately, I picked up the phone and practicaly hammered the numbers with my fist. I was calling Stryfer for assistance.
"I need to speak to Professor Idia!" I cried out of panic.
"Please hold."
"Yes?" It was Professor Idia. I breathed a small sigh of relief.
"This is Alyssa," I told her.
"Oh, it's you! How's your assignment coming?" she asked. I sighed.
"Not very well." Taking a deep breath, I told her the whole story.
"So Trei was captured? What about you?"
"I was too, but they let me go," I told her. She was silent for a minute.
"Alyssa," she said somberly, "Pack up your weapons, your explosives, everything. Get out of there--wherever you are, leave! Now!"
"But-"
"DO IT!" She hung up. I slammed the phone down and packed up everything I had brought with me. It all fit into my duffel bag. I picked up the bookbag full of other things I had been given by Stryfer and ran from the building. I realized what Professor Idia meant. They would have followed me, thinking I had gone back to Stryfer. And they'd try to destroy it.
I ran faster.
"Errin!" I stopped. It was...
"Brad?! What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to ask you the same question," he told me. I tossed him my bookbag, not completely sure that I trusted him with the weapons inside. But he didn't have to know they were there, did he?
"Run," I said. "As fast as you can. We have to get away from here!" I grabbed his hand and we got away. My heart was pounding, adrenaline pumping in my veins. Suddenly the whole school burst into flames. I was knocked to the ground, dragging Brad with me. He yelled something that doesn't need to be repeated.
I covered my head, being hit with pieces of wood and debris. He did the same.
After it was done, I sat up and looked at the ruined school.
"What the hell was that?!" Brad demanded. "What happened?!" He looked at me and took a deep breath. "Well?"
"I- I can't tell you," I replied hastily, standing up and brushing myself off. It was useless, though, my black pants had grass stains all over them. Too bad.
"What do you mean, can't tell me?! The school just blew up! I want to know why!"
"Brad." I grabbed his shoulders as he stood and glared at him. "If I tell you, you can't breathe a word of it to anyone. Not even to yourself. Can you promise to do that?" He stared at me. "Promise me!" I shook his shoulders, looking past him at the remaining flames of the school. He slowly nodded.
"I...um, I promise," he stuttered.
"Okay. It started a while ago..." I slowly explained everything from the beginning.
"Errin...that's nuts," he said after I was done.
"No, not Errin. Alyssa," I told him.
"Alyssa. Fine, whatever. You're crazy either way!"
"That's what I thought about the whole thing at first. But now...oh shit, Trei...come on!" I dragged him for forty minutes back to the Yeerk base.
"Where are we going?" he demanded.
"Yeerks...they have Trei."
"Who's Trei?"
"He was pretending to be my brother," I said.
"Oh. But why here?"
"This is a Yeerk military training base. They have him inside. They're going to kill him tomorrow."
"Let me guess: you want me to help you rescue him?" I shrugged.
"You can't be too much of a setback."
"So now I'm a setback?" I shook my head and kept running.
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"The problem is how to get in, right? Have you, ah, have you checked everything? Maybe there's a basement?" Brad suggested.
"I don't know. But we can try to find something." I nodded.
We had almost surveyed the whole base. As Brad and I came back towards the path to the ruined school, he fell. I turned around.
"Ouch," he muttered. "I guess I tripped on a rock." I walked back and gave him my hand. He got up. I looked down at what he fell over and realized something.
"That's not a rock." I pointed to the metal doors almost hidden in the ankle-high grass. "It's a way in."
We pulled the rusting doors. They opened, but not without creaking and groaning. I was afraid that we'd get caught. Someone was bound to hear the noise.
Luckily, no one came. Brad and I looked at the darkness behind the opened doors hesitantly.
"After you," he mumbled. I nodded and stepped down the stairs that were there. He followed me. We were in...the hard part would be rescuing Trei.
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"So where is he?" Brad asked.
"I don't know," I told him.
"Then wha-" I pulled him aside. Three Controllers rounded the corner, followed by a man in a business suit. I recognized him as the Sub-Visser that had let me go.
"We have reports that there are two intruders in the building," one of the Controllers said.
"Is that right?" the Sub-Visser responded.
"We think it may be the Stryfer soldier that you, ah, released."
"Could be."
"She'll want to retrieve her partner."
"Then take him out of the base. Ship him off to another one. No harm done."
"Against Visser Three's orders?"
"These are Visser Three's orders. Get the kid and put him somewhere. He'll be gone by morning."
"Yes sir." The Controllers continued walking, in a separate direction from the Sub-Visser.
"Follow them," I hissed to Brad, pointing at the three Controllers. And we did.
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They went back to the small prison for traitors...people like us. Stryfer soldiers, I mean. I stood behind the door, silently listening to whatever they were doing. But all I could hear was low mumbles.
The door was flung open, two men carrying an unconscious Trei from the room. I nodded to Brad, who was beside me. Once they had turned their backs to us, we followed them.
Brad stopped me three hallways later.
"How are we going to get them to release your friend?"
"You still have my backpack?" He nodded. "Give it to me." He tossed me the bag and I unsipped it, bringing out two weapons. I gave one to him and kept one for myself. Then I threw the bookbag on my shoulders and we continued following Trei's captors.
"What do you plan to do?" I looked at Brad. It was a silly question for him to ask. I didn't answer it.
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They were going to the garage that Trei and I had snuck into. We would have to make a move...and soon.
"Brad?"
"What?"
"When I say so, aim at the Controllers and start firing. But don't hit Trei, got it?" I asked. He just stared at me for a moment.
"What?! You're crazy!" he then cried. I clapped my hand over his mouth.
"Unless you want to get killed, you'll follow my orders. Do you understand me?" He nodded, wide-eyed. "Good. Remember, when I say so..." I pulled my hand away from him and turned my attention to Trei. He was still out cold.
I sighed and slid forward, very slowly and quietly.
"Ready...now!" I started shooting at the Controllers. There were only two, it shouldn't be too hard to get rid of them.
Brad stood like a stone, not even blinking. One after the other, the two Controllers fell. Trei fell too.
"You idiot! Brad, you could have helped a little!" I said. Then, a memory...
~*~
"You're telling me that they're evil slugs from space?! Are you nuts? Do you think I'm stupid?" I snapped.
"It's true, every word of it!" Trei insisted, stopping to throw his bookbag down, taking a small gun out of the front pocket. I gasped and said a few words that need not be repeated as Trei handed the weapon to me and took out an identical one. I looked from him to the gun, astonished that I was even holding it. Trei turned and started shooting at the men behind us.
They opened fire. I panicked.
"What do I do? What do I do?!" I shrieked.
"Kill them!"
"I'm not a freaking assassin! I don't kill people!" I snapped. Trei sighed and continued shooting. I shut my eyes tight and the shooting ceased quickly. I took my hands away from my eyes, thinking that my heart would explode from beating too fast. This whole day was insane!
"You could try and be a little more helpful next time."
~*~
Brad was standing in the corner, leaning against the wall. I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry," I said. "I'm just being a little tense, I guess. You'll get used to it." Slowly, a grin spread across his face.
"S'ok. No big deal. Let's get your buddy out of here before they figure out that something's wrong." Brad and I went to where Trei was just barely awake. I looked down at him.
"Alyssa?" he asked slowly. I cocked a half-smile.
"Come on, we have to get out of here," I told him. I pulled him up. Brad and I led him out of the building.
"Alyssa," Trei said dryly, "This is one mission I would not like to repeat." I laughed.
"Same here," I agreed.
"I think I agree," Brad mumbled. That was it. My first mission...practically a failure. But for some reason, I didn't care.
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To be continued...