A Place For Yeerks
Arissa 955 connected with the part of the brain that controlled her new host's sight, and opened his eyes. The well-known uniformed guard was watching. "Report," he ordered.
"Arissa 955 monitoring the activities of…" she scanned the man's memories. "Alex Timberville. Mr Timberville is sentenced to lifetime for… oh, gosh. THAT was not nice. I've seen worse, but… bad human. Very bad human."
"Arissa!" the guard warned, and Arissa rolled her new host's eyes.
"I know the procedure, Marcus," she said with Alex Timberville's voice. "I take control if he misbehaves, or tries to misbehave, but at no other time. I monitor everything he does and thinks during his leave for my report when we return. Which I will make sure we do in exactly two days and twenty hours, and if he refuses I am free to take control then as well. I will then report directly to you and release this host for my feeding."
Marcus nodded. "Good, Arissa."
"I've done this my entire life, of course I'm good. Could you open the shackles on his wrists now so he could walk out of here?"
Marcus nodded again and set the lifetime-sentenced prisoner free.
"What's the code this time?" Arissa asked, briefly retaking control of Alex's vocal cords and mouth.
"Corral Spider."
Arissa made Alex nod and say; "See you later, Marcus," before she let him leave the room and walk down the hallway towards his temporary freedom.
So, this is what it's like to be a Controller, Alex thought.
Arissa laughed silently. No. A Controller is where the Yeerk - that would be me - is and remains in total control over the host - you. Which actually would make me the Controller, and you the Controllee.
Oh, great. A funny one.
You just be glad I don't decide to take control and skip town.
That's more like it, Alex mused. Rebellion. Disobedience. Criminality. My kind of activities. So why don't you?
Partly because I like my job. Partly because, if I don't follow orders, they deny me access to Kandrona.
So it's, they control the Kandrona, they control you Yeerks.
Exactly.
So you are prisoners as much as I.
I wouldn't call it that. They had reached the exits, and the security there, so Arissa took over and told her host; Let me handle this. Because you can't get us through security on your own.
She sauntered up to the control post at the door.
"Morning, Jack," she said to the guard with Alex's voice.
"Morning. Codes and report, please."
"Prisoner C769 Alex Timberville, leave code Corral Spider. Monitored by Arissa 955, monitoring code Jellyfish."
Jack checked the schedule on his computer, ticked a few boxes, made sure the codes matched, pressed enter, and then nodded when he was done. He pressed a button under his desk and the door opened. "Good luck, Arissa."
"No problemo," Arissa laughed. "I've done this before."
Jack handed her a credit card, and a handful of cash. "Same code as always. This is his leave money."
"I know that," Arissa said and put the card and money in Alex's pocket.
So it's that easy, Alex said thoughtfully. Well, if I'd known… let's just say I wouldn't be here right now.
No, you'd be in a containment cell, Arissa agreed. Because you need the codes. You might get the leave code, somehow, but you'll never get the monitoring code.
I know yours. Jellyfish. And you're Arissa 955.
That won't get you anywhere. I registered that code half an hour before I infested you. I had another code the last time. And another before that. The last time I used "Jellyfish" was… about three years ago.
They continued in silence, walking through a long, white tunnel that ended in freedom. More or less.
Alex was deep in his thoughts, and could stay there because Arissa made sure his feet kept moving. Then he said; How many are there of you… you…
They call us Monitors. We monitor prisoners on leave. There are, at any time, about 100 or 150 of us on duty.
Enough to overpower the guards and take off with the Kandrona, Alex said.
Why would we do that? We're happy. We get hosts now and then, see the world, experience sight, sound, smell, taste… you've got no idea what a wonder they truly are. Even though it's limited, it's enough. We got all the Kandrona we'll ever need. We don't have to live in terror of Vissers, we don't have to listen to our hosts crying and weeping and we don't have to fight them for control more than a few, rare times. We've finally got a place we can call ours, a place where we are accepted and welcome… even needed. What more can we ask for?
How about freedom? Alex suggested.
Arissa didn't even need to dig into his thoughts to know what he was thinking.
It won't do any good, I'll tell you that straight away, she informed him. I'm not big on converting. And, anyway, if we decide to take off, we'll need hosts. Which would mean you would spend the rest of your life as my host - and slave. Maybe you should rethink your brilliant plan of escape, Alex. Because I'm sure you can do better than that. Now let's leave this place.
When they left the prison area, Arissa dutifully gave control back to Alex. Have fun, she said.
And what will you do?
Make sure you follow the laws of this country.
As which?
I know the entire law book by heart, Alex, so; all of them. Maybe if you behave I'll let you get away with some mild littering.
You're too kind.
I know. Oh, one more thing. Could you do me a favor?
Do I have any choice?
Actually, no, but I hate forcing control. So yes, you do have a choice. Could you please stop by the coffee shop down the next street and bye a cinnabun? That's the only point where the Andalites are right; those things are delicious.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's Note;
Hope you liked it.
Arissa 955 connected with the part of the brain that controlled her new host's sight, and opened his eyes. The well-known uniformed guard was watching. "Report," he ordered.
"Arissa 955 monitoring the activities of…" she scanned the man's memories. "Alex Timberville. Mr Timberville is sentenced to lifetime for… oh, gosh. THAT was not nice. I've seen worse, but… bad human. Very bad human."
"Arissa!" the guard warned, and Arissa rolled her new host's eyes.
"I know the procedure, Marcus," she said with Alex Timberville's voice. "I take control if he misbehaves, or tries to misbehave, but at no other time. I monitor everything he does and thinks during his leave for my report when we return. Which I will make sure we do in exactly two days and twenty hours, and if he refuses I am free to take control then as well. I will then report directly to you and release this host for my feeding."
Marcus nodded. "Good, Arissa."
"I've done this my entire life, of course I'm good. Could you open the shackles on his wrists now so he could walk out of here?"
Marcus nodded again and set the lifetime-sentenced prisoner free.
"What's the code this time?" Arissa asked, briefly retaking control of Alex's vocal cords and mouth.
"Corral Spider."
Arissa made Alex nod and say; "See you later, Marcus," before she let him leave the room and walk down the hallway towards his temporary freedom.
So, this is what it's like to be a Controller, Alex thought.
Arissa laughed silently. No. A Controller is where the Yeerk - that would be me - is and remains in total control over the host - you. Which actually would make me the Controller, and you the Controllee.
Oh, great. A funny one.
You just be glad I don't decide to take control and skip town.
That's more like it, Alex mused. Rebellion. Disobedience. Criminality. My kind of activities. So why don't you?
Partly because I like my job. Partly because, if I don't follow orders, they deny me access to Kandrona.
So it's, they control the Kandrona, they control you Yeerks.
Exactly.
So you are prisoners as much as I.
I wouldn't call it that. They had reached the exits, and the security there, so Arissa took over and told her host; Let me handle this. Because you can't get us through security on your own.
She sauntered up to the control post at the door.
"Morning, Jack," she said to the guard with Alex's voice.
"Morning. Codes and report, please."
"Prisoner C769 Alex Timberville, leave code Corral Spider. Monitored by Arissa 955, monitoring code Jellyfish."
Jack checked the schedule on his computer, ticked a few boxes, made sure the codes matched, pressed enter, and then nodded when he was done. He pressed a button under his desk and the door opened. "Good luck, Arissa."
"No problemo," Arissa laughed. "I've done this before."
Jack handed her a credit card, and a handful of cash. "Same code as always. This is his leave money."
"I know that," Arissa said and put the card and money in Alex's pocket.
So it's that easy, Alex said thoughtfully. Well, if I'd known… let's just say I wouldn't be here right now.
No, you'd be in a containment cell, Arissa agreed. Because you need the codes. You might get the leave code, somehow, but you'll never get the monitoring code.
I know yours. Jellyfish. And you're Arissa 955.
That won't get you anywhere. I registered that code half an hour before I infested you. I had another code the last time. And another before that. The last time I used "Jellyfish" was… about three years ago.
They continued in silence, walking through a long, white tunnel that ended in freedom. More or less.
Alex was deep in his thoughts, and could stay there because Arissa made sure his feet kept moving. Then he said; How many are there of you… you…
They call us Monitors. We monitor prisoners on leave. There are, at any time, about 100 or 150 of us on duty.
Enough to overpower the guards and take off with the Kandrona, Alex said.
Why would we do that? We're happy. We get hosts now and then, see the world, experience sight, sound, smell, taste… you've got no idea what a wonder they truly are. Even though it's limited, it's enough. We got all the Kandrona we'll ever need. We don't have to live in terror of Vissers, we don't have to listen to our hosts crying and weeping and we don't have to fight them for control more than a few, rare times. We've finally got a place we can call ours, a place where we are accepted and welcome… even needed. What more can we ask for?
How about freedom? Alex suggested.
Arissa didn't even need to dig into his thoughts to know what he was thinking.
It won't do any good, I'll tell you that straight away, she informed him. I'm not big on converting. And, anyway, if we decide to take off, we'll need hosts. Which would mean you would spend the rest of your life as my host - and slave. Maybe you should rethink your brilliant plan of escape, Alex. Because I'm sure you can do better than that. Now let's leave this place.
When they left the prison area, Arissa dutifully gave control back to Alex. Have fun, she said.
And what will you do?
Make sure you follow the laws of this country.
As which?
I know the entire law book by heart, Alex, so; all of them. Maybe if you behave I'll let you get away with some mild littering.
You're too kind.
I know. Oh, one more thing. Could you do me a favor?
Do I have any choice?
Actually, no, but I hate forcing control. So yes, you do have a choice. Could you please stop by the coffee shop down the next street and bye a cinnabun? That's the only point where the Andalites are right; those things are delicious.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's Note;
Hope you liked it.
