So Close
(Author's note; Part 14 of the Time Matrix Chronicles. Part 13 is "Closing the Trap", and part 1 "The Only Way Out")
Still another number of hours later - and a few demorphs and remorphs for Ax and Larynia and whoever morphed the bat - the narrow passage hadn't changed a bit. Solid stone or dirt on one side. BioFilter on the other. The group continued into what seemed like an endless mountain. The sun and sky seemed very foreign. Fresh air was becoming more and more of a dream.
Thirst and hunger were emerging quickly in their places.
"I'm so hungry I could eat an Andalite!" Marco exclaimed during one of the pauses.
Highly unlikely, Ax said. He had demorphed, and was remorphing.
"A Taxxon, then."
It would ruin your breath, Larynia said. So please don't. She was almost human, except for her stalk-eyes. They were useless anyway, in the dark tunnel.
Marco sat down, sighing heavily, and leaned against the wall. Larynia sat down next to him, searching in the dark until she found his hand.
We can't stop now, Jake said. He was the bat for the moment. The only one who "saw" anything. We need to continue. Before the Yeerks find us.
"Find," Marco huffed. "In this dark crack for a tunnel? Pah! I couldn't find my own nose down here if I searched for a thousand years!"
"The path hasn't split once, except for the time we first came to the BioFilter," Rachel pointed out. She had pushed Jordan and Sara out of her mind by focusing on the mission. She had to focus very hard. "All they have to do is follow the tunnel, and they'll find us."
"Neither Andalite or Hork-Bajir or Taxxon will be able to get through the tighter parts of the tunnel," Tobias said. "So if they're on to us, they'll be human."
"Or some other animal. A snake would get through easily," Marco said.
"How fast would the snake travel all the way here?" Ax asked.
"Not very fast. But the point is… a morphable Hork-Bajir or a morphable Andalite. Both would get through easily."
"And remember," Larynia said. "They'll bring weapons. Maybe flashlights. They'll be able to see. That will allow them to move faster."
They'll probably have numbers on their side, Jake added.
"And time," Tobias said. "They'll just wait until we're too weak with hunger and thirst to be of any danger, and they'll…"
"I don't like the turn this conversation has taken," Marco interrupted. "Let's keep moving. Discussing how we'll lose won't help us win."
They continued in silence. The darkness was relentless. The path endless. But turning back was not an option.
"I believe this path is descending," Ax said suddenly. "The path is moving downwards."
"Good," Marco snapped. "Something actually changed down here. Variation is good."
"Actually, no," Tobias said. "How deep do you think the Time Matrix was buried? Not much deeper than this."
"We are nine and a half meters below the surface," Ax said. "Descending half a meter for each twenty-five forwards."
"Which would put us seven meters too far down."
Rachel sighed. "Oh, well. We'd have had to dig ourselves anyway to reach it."
The tunnel dug on, endlessly deeper into the ground. Following the edge of the BioFilter, sometimes going frighteningly close. Edging along in the darkness, seeing nothing, and knowing only that there was a BioFilter set to let nothing through on one side, and a packed-dirt wall on the other side.
"How long have we been down here?" Marco asked finally.
"Almost twenty-four hours," Ax said.
"No wonder we're hungry," Tobias said. "None of us have eaten since… well, maybe twelve hours before we even entered this tunnel. There wasn't really that much time to stop and eat when the Yeerks attacked camp."
Ax continued. "It is almost time to demorph again."
"How long can you humans last without water?" Larynia asked. "Or food? I am actually hungry too. There is simply no grass down here."
"It depends," Marco said.
"Which means that Marco has no idea," Rachel snapped. "We'll last a while. But no water gets us tired. And weak."
"Same with Andalites," Ax said. "We can only hope we find water soon."
"Or that the Yeerks are thoughtful enough to bring some when they find us…" Marco said.
Hello? Jake said suddenly. Did anyone else hear someone say it was demorphing-time?
It's right up ahead, Tobias said. Four meters in front of us. The path turns. Away from the BioFilter.
Rachel sighed with relief. "Do you hear any water yet?"
Maybe. I don't know. There's this weird buzzing. Don't know what it is. Can't hear much else.
"Something Yeerk?" Jake suggested.
Maybe. I don't recognize it from anywhere. Well… actually, I've heard it before. Or something like it. But I don't know where.
"That's a lot of 'don't know's, Tobias," Marco said. "Is there anything else you don't know? While you're at it?"
"Shut up, Marco," Larynia snapped. "You are being grumpy again."
"Oh," Marco said. "So now thirst, starvation, fatigue, and the fact that we're as good as trapped by the Yeerks isn't good enough to be grumpy?"
"No. Not as long as I have to listen to your silly comments."
Rachel smiled in the dark. "Good, Larynia. Very good."
Jake, still in the lead, was the first to notice the turn of path that Tobias had mentioned. "Stop," he said. They all stopped obediently behind him.
Tobias flapped his bat wings and flew into the new crack. It goes upwards, he said, landing clumsily on the sloping ground. Noticed that he didn't get a good grip in the mud, and flew up to hang in the roof. And it's steep. You won't be able to climb it.
Jake turned around the corner, bent down and felt the muddy, steep surface. He still saw nothing, but was getting used to finding things with his hands.
The walls were close together. Good. That would make things easier.
"Tobias," he said. "How long is this thing to climb?"
Depends on how you look at it, Tobias replied. Ten meters, maybe a bit more. But on top of that it's really steep, all the way up.
"How far below surface are we?" Rachel asked.
"Approximately eleven meters," Ax said. "Which is nine and a half meters lower than we want to be."
It isn't that much to think about, Tobias said. This is the only way, except for going back.
Jake nodded. But as they were still in pitch-black darkness, he said "Yes" as well. He kept feeling along the edges of the new crack. It was steep. But the walls were close to each other, and the roof wasn't too high.
You should be able to…
Yes. He climbed into the crack. Pressed his back against one side, and hands and one foot against the other. Moved, slowly, upwards.
His foot slipped on the steep floor. He pressed harder against the walls, and continued upwards.
"It's climbable," he said. "It'll take time, though. A lot of time. Press against the walls. The floor is slippery."
"Mud?" Ax said.
"Mud," Jake confirmed.
"Mud means water," Ax continued. "Maybe there is a spring up there!"
"Then let's get to the top of this thing before we die of thirst," Marco said. "hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Michael was not happy.
It was just that simple.
Not. Happy.
First of all, he was a host. He had - half way - hoped the fall into the tunnel would have broken more than his feet and legs (for example his neck) but it didn't. Adriss had easily made him morph away the wounds.
And that Sub-Visser had ordered Adriss to catch the prisoners that were somewhere in the tunnel. Hunt them out.
Now Michael, as well as being a host, was hungry, thirsty, and feeling generally depressed. No-one who has been part of the resistance wants to see it crushed.
Unfortunately, Michael wasn't exactly in charge any more. Adriss was.
And Adriss made him lift the electrical rod higher into the air. She made him keep the button pressed; light shone dimly from the rod. Enough to see by, at least. Enough to see the escaped prisoners before they came too close.
Fifteen morphable Hork-Bajir followed him. Two went in front of him. They were all Hork-Bajir, because for the moment the tunnel was wide and tall enough to allow that.
He had had seventeen Hork-Bajir when they started into the tunnel. But two of them had walked into what could have been nothing else than a BioFilter.
Michael hoped Adriss would make a mistake, and touch the BioFilter as well. But whatever mean names he had for his Yeerk, "stupid" wasn't among them. Adriss was highly intelligent.
And highly dangerous.
Interesting thought, Adriss mused. Any more positive thoughts? It's not often one gets admiration from a host.
That wasn't admiration, Michael muttered in the only corner of his mind which was still his own. It was unwilling acknowledgement.
Whatever, slave, Adriss sighed. Whatever.
She held out Michael's hand further. There was a turn of the tunnel not far ahead. Adriss had pushed both her own host and the hosts of the others to the limit. If the prisoners weren't brought back in chains, then Adriss and the other Yeerks would be starved.
A happy thought, Michael laughed, remembering how horrified Adriss had felt when the Sub-Visser had said that.
If I get starved, you get reassigned, Adriss hissed. She was busy examining the muddy floor of a steep crack. Maybe your next Yeerk will be less… kind… than I am.
If you're kind, Adriss, then the universe is a very happy place.
It is. If you happen to be a Yeerk. And a Council Member.
Aloud, with Michael's voice, Adriss whispered; "These tracks are fresh. They're not far away. Let's keep on moving."
The slope was followed by a large cave. There was a tiny stream slithering out of a crevice on one wall, and they all drank their fill before taking a brief pause.
The two Andalites demorphed. So did Tobias. Ax morphed the bat and they examined the rest of the cave.
It is large, he said. Oval-shaped with low roof.
Any exits? Larynia asked. She was morphing human again, but had been muttering about it. She didn't like being human; she missed her tail. And she was still clumsy, and inexperienced with walking on two legs.
One, Ax said. Or two, with the way we came. It is a tiny crack in the other end of the cave. You will have to crawl through it on your bellies, if you want to get through.
Jake sighed. "Tell us which way, Ax-man."
Ax guided the five humans through the cave towards the crack in the other end. Jake reached it first, but one by one they made sure they knew exactly where the crack was before Ax hopped in, on wing-fingers and small feet. Jake lay down flat on the ground and followed. Rachel hurried after, and then Tobias.
Marco was about to follow when he was surprised by a sudden light. Coming from behind him.
Yes; light. There was light in the cave.
He spun around. His eyes hurt, they were too used to darkness. He squinted against the dim light.
Hork-Bajir were suddenly everywhere. Very close, having been able to sneak up that close in the shelter of darkness. Marco didn't have time to count them. He shouted a warning, and saw Tobias trying to back quickly out of the crack again.
But then a Hork-Bajir was suddenly there. Before Marco had time to react, he had grabbed Tobias's foot, pulled him out, and threw him over his shoulder. Tobias hit the roof, and fell to the floor with a moan.
And lay there, motionless.
Larynia was demorphing. Quickly. She wanted her tail. She was very vulnerable in her unfamiliar human morph.
Marco wished that Rachel would hurry up to get out. She was the one that carried the weapons.
But while he was waiting, he found the source of the light. A tall man - a Controller, of course - was holding an electrical rod that shone dimly. A dracon was strapped to his leg. He was a Guard.
"Stop demorphing!" the Guard snapped at Larynia. He took the few steps towards her, and slammed the rod on her arm. "Andalite scum!"
Larynia staggered. Her features melted back to human as the electricity from the rod shot through her.
Marco felt anger boiling up inside him. He shouted something and started forwards.
Larynia turned and faced the Guard. Her fists were clenched. He swung the rod again but she avoided it. Second time he swung it, she wasn't that lucky. The electricity made her fly backwards.
Marco rushed forwards. But suddenly a Hork-Bajir arm appeared in front of him, and slammed - hard - into his chest. He flew backwards, through the air, and into the wall.
The dirt on the wall crumbled down to the floor where he hit. Marco followed, landing in a heap. He raised one hand to his forehead, as if to steady himself. And used the other to lean against the wall. Slowly, he got up to his feet. Blinked a few times to clear his vision.
There was a funny humming in his head. Or outside his head. He wasn't really sure.
Tobias was still lying on the floor. A small bat was zooming wildly around the head of a Hork-Bajir. Rachel was hanging from the same Hork-Bajir's hand by her wrists. She was morphing, but not fast enough. Jake was trying to kick away Hork-Bajir hands that were grabbing after his feet as he crawled out of the crack.
Marco forced his feet and legs to obey him and got up to his feet, still one hand grabbing at the wall.
The Guard had grabbed Larynia's hair. She kicked out wildly, but the Guard tapped her shoulder with the rod again. She went stiff, and then fell. The Guard knew his job. He placed one foot down - hard - on her shoulder, grabbed her arm, pulled at it, and twisted her around so she lay flat on the ground, back up.
One foot down on her back, near her neck. Her head pulled back and her hair still held tightly. The dracon was pulled and aimed at her head.
The light still shone dimly from the rod, now lying on the floor.
Suddenly the soft dirt wall fell away under Marco's fingers. It was replaced by a cold, smooth surface that made his fingers tingle. There was a glint of metal. He scraped away more earth, and revealed a surface large enough for a hand.
The humming grew louder. It came from the metal surface.
Somehow, Marco knew what he had found. There was simply no mistaking it. A smile appeared on his face and his hand moved victoriously towards the metal surface.
Towards the Time Matrix.
More power than anyone could ever imagine.
And it was right there, barely centimeters away.
The power to undo the past. Change the present. Alter the future.
The power to change everything and anything.
But the Guard was not stupid. He had seen the triumph on Marco's face. He glanced at the Hork-Bajir. One raised and aimed his dracon towards Marco. The Hork-Bajir who held Rachel put a blade against her throat. Ax, the bat, was caught and held tightly. Tobias was still motionless on the floor, but now with a dracon aimed at him. Another Hork-Bajir finally managed to grab Jake's foot and pulled him out.
The Guard pulled harder at Larynia's hair.
"I don't know what type of mighty weapon you've found," the Guard spat. "But move that hand another millimeter, and your friends… first of all this Andalite scum… dies."
Marco couldn't endanger Larynia.
He felt his hand automatically fall away.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's note;
Okay, okay, I know Marco's an idiot. (so what else is new?) But I promise, honestly, he knows what he's doing.
Hm. More or less, that is.........Hm again. Actually, it leans more towards 'less' than 'more'.
Anyway. Next part coming soon. Hopefully. Reviews *might* make it come faster...
(Author's note; Part 14 of the Time Matrix Chronicles. Part 13 is "Closing the Trap", and part 1 "The Only Way Out")
Still another number of hours later - and a few demorphs and remorphs for Ax and Larynia and whoever morphed the bat - the narrow passage hadn't changed a bit. Solid stone or dirt on one side. BioFilter on the other. The group continued into what seemed like an endless mountain. The sun and sky seemed very foreign. Fresh air was becoming more and more of a dream.
Thirst and hunger were emerging quickly in their places.
"I'm so hungry I could eat an Andalite!" Marco exclaimed during one of the pauses.
Highly unlikely, Ax said. He had demorphed, and was remorphing.
"A Taxxon, then."
It would ruin your breath, Larynia said. So please don't. She was almost human, except for her stalk-eyes. They were useless anyway, in the dark tunnel.
Marco sat down, sighing heavily, and leaned against the wall. Larynia sat down next to him, searching in the dark until she found his hand.
We can't stop now, Jake said. He was the bat for the moment. The only one who "saw" anything. We need to continue. Before the Yeerks find us.
"Find," Marco huffed. "In this dark crack for a tunnel? Pah! I couldn't find my own nose down here if I searched for a thousand years!"
"The path hasn't split once, except for the time we first came to the BioFilter," Rachel pointed out. She had pushed Jordan and Sara out of her mind by focusing on the mission. She had to focus very hard. "All they have to do is follow the tunnel, and they'll find us."
"Neither Andalite or Hork-Bajir or Taxxon will be able to get through the tighter parts of the tunnel," Tobias said. "So if they're on to us, they'll be human."
"Or some other animal. A snake would get through easily," Marco said.
"How fast would the snake travel all the way here?" Ax asked.
"Not very fast. But the point is… a morphable Hork-Bajir or a morphable Andalite. Both would get through easily."
"And remember," Larynia said. "They'll bring weapons. Maybe flashlights. They'll be able to see. That will allow them to move faster."
They'll probably have numbers on their side, Jake added.
"And time," Tobias said. "They'll just wait until we're too weak with hunger and thirst to be of any danger, and they'll…"
"I don't like the turn this conversation has taken," Marco interrupted. "Let's keep moving. Discussing how we'll lose won't help us win."
They continued in silence. The darkness was relentless. The path endless. But turning back was not an option.
"I believe this path is descending," Ax said suddenly. "The path is moving downwards."
"Good," Marco snapped. "Something actually changed down here. Variation is good."
"Actually, no," Tobias said. "How deep do you think the Time Matrix was buried? Not much deeper than this."
"We are nine and a half meters below the surface," Ax said. "Descending half a meter for each twenty-five forwards."
"Which would put us seven meters too far down."
Rachel sighed. "Oh, well. We'd have had to dig ourselves anyway to reach it."
The tunnel dug on, endlessly deeper into the ground. Following the edge of the BioFilter, sometimes going frighteningly close. Edging along in the darkness, seeing nothing, and knowing only that there was a BioFilter set to let nothing through on one side, and a packed-dirt wall on the other side.
"How long have we been down here?" Marco asked finally.
"Almost twenty-four hours," Ax said.
"No wonder we're hungry," Tobias said. "None of us have eaten since… well, maybe twelve hours before we even entered this tunnel. There wasn't really that much time to stop and eat when the Yeerks attacked camp."
Ax continued. "It is almost time to demorph again."
"How long can you humans last without water?" Larynia asked. "Or food? I am actually hungry too. There is simply no grass down here."
"It depends," Marco said.
"Which means that Marco has no idea," Rachel snapped. "We'll last a while. But no water gets us tired. And weak."
"Same with Andalites," Ax said. "We can only hope we find water soon."
"Or that the Yeerks are thoughtful enough to bring some when they find us…" Marco said.
Hello? Jake said suddenly. Did anyone else hear someone say it was demorphing-time?
It's right up ahead, Tobias said. Four meters in front of us. The path turns. Away from the BioFilter.
Rachel sighed with relief. "Do you hear any water yet?"
Maybe. I don't know. There's this weird buzzing. Don't know what it is. Can't hear much else.
"Something Yeerk?" Jake suggested.
Maybe. I don't recognize it from anywhere. Well… actually, I've heard it before. Or something like it. But I don't know where.
"That's a lot of 'don't know's, Tobias," Marco said. "Is there anything else you don't know? While you're at it?"
"Shut up, Marco," Larynia snapped. "You are being grumpy again."
"Oh," Marco said. "So now thirst, starvation, fatigue, and the fact that we're as good as trapped by the Yeerks isn't good enough to be grumpy?"
"No. Not as long as I have to listen to your silly comments."
Rachel smiled in the dark. "Good, Larynia. Very good."
Jake, still in the lead, was the first to notice the turn of path that Tobias had mentioned. "Stop," he said. They all stopped obediently behind him.
Tobias flapped his bat wings and flew into the new crack. It goes upwards, he said, landing clumsily on the sloping ground. Noticed that he didn't get a good grip in the mud, and flew up to hang in the roof. And it's steep. You won't be able to climb it.
Jake turned around the corner, bent down and felt the muddy, steep surface. He still saw nothing, but was getting used to finding things with his hands.
The walls were close together. Good. That would make things easier.
"Tobias," he said. "How long is this thing to climb?"
Depends on how you look at it, Tobias replied. Ten meters, maybe a bit more. But on top of that it's really steep, all the way up.
"How far below surface are we?" Rachel asked.
"Approximately eleven meters," Ax said. "Which is nine and a half meters lower than we want to be."
It isn't that much to think about, Tobias said. This is the only way, except for going back.
Jake nodded. But as they were still in pitch-black darkness, he said "Yes" as well. He kept feeling along the edges of the new crack. It was steep. But the walls were close to each other, and the roof wasn't too high.
You should be able to…
Yes. He climbed into the crack. Pressed his back against one side, and hands and one foot against the other. Moved, slowly, upwards.
His foot slipped on the steep floor. He pressed harder against the walls, and continued upwards.
"It's climbable," he said. "It'll take time, though. A lot of time. Press against the walls. The floor is slippery."
"Mud?" Ax said.
"Mud," Jake confirmed.
"Mud means water," Ax continued. "Maybe there is a spring up there!"
"Then let's get to the top of this thing before we die of thirst," Marco said. "hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Michael was not happy.
It was just that simple.
Not. Happy.
First of all, he was a host. He had - half way - hoped the fall into the tunnel would have broken more than his feet and legs (for example his neck) but it didn't. Adriss had easily made him morph away the wounds.
And that Sub-Visser had ordered Adriss to catch the prisoners that were somewhere in the tunnel. Hunt them out.
Now Michael, as well as being a host, was hungry, thirsty, and feeling generally depressed. No-one who has been part of the resistance wants to see it crushed.
Unfortunately, Michael wasn't exactly in charge any more. Adriss was.
And Adriss made him lift the electrical rod higher into the air. She made him keep the button pressed; light shone dimly from the rod. Enough to see by, at least. Enough to see the escaped prisoners before they came too close.
Fifteen morphable Hork-Bajir followed him. Two went in front of him. They were all Hork-Bajir, because for the moment the tunnel was wide and tall enough to allow that.
He had had seventeen Hork-Bajir when they started into the tunnel. But two of them had walked into what could have been nothing else than a BioFilter.
Michael hoped Adriss would make a mistake, and touch the BioFilter as well. But whatever mean names he had for his Yeerk, "stupid" wasn't among them. Adriss was highly intelligent.
And highly dangerous.
Interesting thought, Adriss mused. Any more positive thoughts? It's not often one gets admiration from a host.
That wasn't admiration, Michael muttered in the only corner of his mind which was still his own. It was unwilling acknowledgement.
Whatever, slave, Adriss sighed. Whatever.
She held out Michael's hand further. There was a turn of the tunnel not far ahead. Adriss had pushed both her own host and the hosts of the others to the limit. If the prisoners weren't brought back in chains, then Adriss and the other Yeerks would be starved.
A happy thought, Michael laughed, remembering how horrified Adriss had felt when the Sub-Visser had said that.
If I get starved, you get reassigned, Adriss hissed. She was busy examining the muddy floor of a steep crack. Maybe your next Yeerk will be less… kind… than I am.
If you're kind, Adriss, then the universe is a very happy place.
It is. If you happen to be a Yeerk. And a Council Member.
Aloud, with Michael's voice, Adriss whispered; "These tracks are fresh. They're not far away. Let's keep on moving."
The slope was followed by a large cave. There was a tiny stream slithering out of a crevice on one wall, and they all drank their fill before taking a brief pause.
The two Andalites demorphed. So did Tobias. Ax morphed the bat and they examined the rest of the cave.
It is large, he said. Oval-shaped with low roof.
Any exits? Larynia asked. She was morphing human again, but had been muttering about it. She didn't like being human; she missed her tail. And she was still clumsy, and inexperienced with walking on two legs.
One, Ax said. Or two, with the way we came. It is a tiny crack in the other end of the cave. You will have to crawl through it on your bellies, if you want to get through.
Jake sighed. "Tell us which way, Ax-man."
Ax guided the five humans through the cave towards the crack in the other end. Jake reached it first, but one by one they made sure they knew exactly where the crack was before Ax hopped in, on wing-fingers and small feet. Jake lay down flat on the ground and followed. Rachel hurried after, and then Tobias.
Marco was about to follow when he was surprised by a sudden light. Coming from behind him.
Yes; light. There was light in the cave.
He spun around. His eyes hurt, they were too used to darkness. He squinted against the dim light.
Hork-Bajir were suddenly everywhere. Very close, having been able to sneak up that close in the shelter of darkness. Marco didn't have time to count them. He shouted a warning, and saw Tobias trying to back quickly out of the crack again.
But then a Hork-Bajir was suddenly there. Before Marco had time to react, he had grabbed Tobias's foot, pulled him out, and threw him over his shoulder. Tobias hit the roof, and fell to the floor with a moan.
And lay there, motionless.
Larynia was demorphing. Quickly. She wanted her tail. She was very vulnerable in her unfamiliar human morph.
Marco wished that Rachel would hurry up to get out. She was the one that carried the weapons.
But while he was waiting, he found the source of the light. A tall man - a Controller, of course - was holding an electrical rod that shone dimly. A dracon was strapped to his leg. He was a Guard.
"Stop demorphing!" the Guard snapped at Larynia. He took the few steps towards her, and slammed the rod on her arm. "Andalite scum!"
Larynia staggered. Her features melted back to human as the electricity from the rod shot through her.
Marco felt anger boiling up inside him. He shouted something and started forwards.
Larynia turned and faced the Guard. Her fists were clenched. He swung the rod again but she avoided it. Second time he swung it, she wasn't that lucky. The electricity made her fly backwards.
Marco rushed forwards. But suddenly a Hork-Bajir arm appeared in front of him, and slammed - hard - into his chest. He flew backwards, through the air, and into the wall.
The dirt on the wall crumbled down to the floor where he hit. Marco followed, landing in a heap. He raised one hand to his forehead, as if to steady himself. And used the other to lean against the wall. Slowly, he got up to his feet. Blinked a few times to clear his vision.
There was a funny humming in his head. Or outside his head. He wasn't really sure.
Tobias was still lying on the floor. A small bat was zooming wildly around the head of a Hork-Bajir. Rachel was hanging from the same Hork-Bajir's hand by her wrists. She was morphing, but not fast enough. Jake was trying to kick away Hork-Bajir hands that were grabbing after his feet as he crawled out of the crack.
Marco forced his feet and legs to obey him and got up to his feet, still one hand grabbing at the wall.
The Guard had grabbed Larynia's hair. She kicked out wildly, but the Guard tapped her shoulder with the rod again. She went stiff, and then fell. The Guard knew his job. He placed one foot down - hard - on her shoulder, grabbed her arm, pulled at it, and twisted her around so she lay flat on the ground, back up.
One foot down on her back, near her neck. Her head pulled back and her hair still held tightly. The dracon was pulled and aimed at her head.
The light still shone dimly from the rod, now lying on the floor.
Suddenly the soft dirt wall fell away under Marco's fingers. It was replaced by a cold, smooth surface that made his fingers tingle. There was a glint of metal. He scraped away more earth, and revealed a surface large enough for a hand.
The humming grew louder. It came from the metal surface.
Somehow, Marco knew what he had found. There was simply no mistaking it. A smile appeared on his face and his hand moved victoriously towards the metal surface.
Towards the Time Matrix.
More power than anyone could ever imagine.
And it was right there, barely centimeters away.
The power to undo the past. Change the present. Alter the future.
The power to change everything and anything.
But the Guard was not stupid. He had seen the triumph on Marco's face. He glanced at the Hork-Bajir. One raised and aimed his dracon towards Marco. The Hork-Bajir who held Rachel put a blade against her throat. Ax, the bat, was caught and held tightly. Tobias was still motionless on the floor, but now with a dracon aimed at him. Another Hork-Bajir finally managed to grab Jake's foot and pulled him out.
The Guard pulled harder at Larynia's hair.
"I don't know what type of mighty weapon you've found," the Guard spat. "But move that hand another millimeter, and your friends… first of all this Andalite scum… dies."
Marco couldn't endanger Larynia.
He felt his hand automatically fall away.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Author's note;
Okay, okay, I know Marco's an idiot. (so what else is new?) But I promise, honestly, he knows what he's doing.
Hm. More or less, that is.........Hm again. Actually, it leans more towards 'less' than 'more'.
Anyway. Next part coming soon. Hopefully. Reviews *might* make it come faster...
