Clicks of a Tail




*5:20:00 REMAINING*

Where's Larynia? Marco called when he was halfway through the morph.

Larynia? Ax's head turned jerkily from side to side as he looked around. Larynia!

You lost her! Marco exclaimed and rose into the air as quickly as possible. You lost her!

She… she was right behind us… Rachel panted. How…

I'll tell you how! Marco snapped. That's the second time in her life she morphs the stupid hawk! She can't morph as quickly as any of us!

Ax said something - and did so much too quickly for anyone to understand what he said.

And she's not an expert flier either! Marco continued. Oh, no no no no no no…

Damn it! Tobias said. The downdraft! The downdraft got her.

Downdraft?

We had a hard time climbing into the air, Tobias explained. And if we had a hard time…Maybe she didn't make it.

Well, we can't stay here! Rachel said. The Yeerks are hot on our trail! Let's move!

What about Larynia? Marco said. We can't just leave her! I've gotto find her! I… he set off in the direction the others had come from.

Not again, Rachel sighed. That was the second time Marco set of on some crazy must-find-Larynia mission. The last time, he'd been caught by Yeerks. Another thing to worry about. And the transponder in Rachel's talons was feeling much heavier by the second.

Marco! Tobias snapped. Marco, get back here!

Marco flared, turned to face them, and then tilted his wings and turned away again.

Marco! Tobias called. There are two ways to do things. One is the smart way…

And then there's your way! Rachel finished. Now get back here! One dizzy osprey isn't much to put against the Yeerk empire.



Jake! Jake, you down there?!

Jake woke from his half-sleep and noticed the voice calling him. It was Marco's voice; and he sounded seriously stressed. But Jake was still happy to hear his friend, because he had for a time been completely sure that Marco was dead.

Don't fly to close, Jake warned. I hear you. Keep a distance. What's happened? Did the Andalites refuse to listen?

The Andalites aren't the problem, Marco said. The problem is the Yeerks.

I think I figured that out a long time ago, Marco, Jake said, keeping his voice calm. What's wrong this time?

Larynia's gone.

Jake sighed heavily. So that's why Marco was stressed. He'd be totally impossible to deal with. That would also be why the others had sent him to talk to Jake. A wonder Marco hadn't flown away on some crazy spur-of-the-moment rescue mission.

Yeerks got her?

Marco began talking quickly, the words tripping over each other and none of it made any sense.

Talk slowly, Jake instructed. What happened?

I walked away from the group for a few minutes, Marco said in a stressed but forced-slow voice that was still pretty unsteady. Not important why. Then suddenly the others came as birds of prey above me and told me to morph because they'd spotted Yeerks.

And Larynia wasn't with them, Jake finished for him.

Yes.

And you wonder what to do about it.

I know what to do about it, Marco said shrilly. It's just… the others… they don't agree with me! They…

Slow down, Marco, Jake snapped. You know war. What's the biggest mistake you can make in war? Marco was silent, so Jake sighed and let the question drop. Instead he said; You're loose control of yourself, buddy. That's a bad idea. You panic at the wrong moment in a standard life-death mission situation, then you're most likely dead. And your friends as well. Keep cool!

But…

Get a grip, Jake said in a fake-calm voice. For Larynia's sake, if nothing else. Where are the others?

Ax went back to the spot where the Yeerks had been spotted and checked it out. Tobias and Rachel went ahead to the Yeerk pool to see if they found anything.

What were you told to do?

Inform you about the whole thing.

And then?

Nothing, Marco cried. They told me to do nothing! Oh my god, I can't just do nothing! What do I do?!

First of all, calm down.

And then?!

Then fly to where the others are and join… Jake stopped talking. He might have been in cockroach morph, and saw nothing at all, but he knew Marco well enough to know that Marco was already gone.



So, Rachel said. She was still an eagle, hovering over the old mall, trying not to be noticed by the guards below. Fortunately, it had begun to get dark, and add that to the altitude and they were pretty safe. The transponder was hidden in a safe place in the ruins of Loren's house. How do we get in?

Don't know, Tobias admitted. We're meeting Ax - and Marco will probably be coming as well - outside the old school. From there, why not use the same way we went in last time?

Which way was that?

The cockroach highway. That crack that the Yeerks didn't notice when they filled in the passage from the janitor's closet at school.

Did we use that today?

In a way. Remember what day it is, Rach. This is the day you and Jake almost tore Visser One's tail off.

Almost, Rachel said and sighed dreamingly. Think he's pissed?

Probably, Tobias said.

Good.

No; not good. If he's mad, he'll take it out on the first person who comes along. Which in this case would be Larynia.

Don't tell Marco that.

I wasn't going to. Anyway. Let's get to school. Tobias would have flinched at that sentence… if he'd been human and not hawk. Ouch. That sounds odd. 'Get to school'. Haven't said that in years. And it still gives me the creeps.

The two of them veered away from the heavily guarded mall area and steered towards the charred remains of the school. The school had been blown up when the invasion was made publicly known. The Yeerks had simply blasted it and told the families to children and teachers that they'd blast the rest of the city as well if they didn't get things as they wanted.

Rachel remembered that people had done one of two things; run or surrender. Enough people to suit the Yeerks had surrendered. The ones who ran were either hunted down and killed, or had been found by the resistance, and joined the fight.

In the end, they ended up dead or infested either way, she thought bitterly.

The school was still the unrecognisable heap of rubble it had been the last time they'd seen it. The basement was the only part to even partly survive any of the explosion. It had left a pattern of pits and trenches. The walls were gone. So were the doors. And the stairs.

An osprey - Marco - was perched on a piece of rubble, hidden down in one of the trenches.

What took you so long? he called when they came closer.

We didn't take long, Rachel said. Didn't you go see Jake?

I did, said Marco and fluffed his feathers as the two landed beside him.

What did he say?

Marco began demorphing, hopping down from his perch to the floor. He told me to cool down.

And you listened? Tobias wondered sceptically and started his own demorph.

No.

Course not, Rachel said. She was also demorphing. The next step would be cockroach. Seen the Ax-man?

"No again. But I've got a feeling you two are going to make us wait for him."

"He'll be quick," Tobias assured him. The worry was more easily seen on Marco's human face than on his osprey. "It's his cousin."

"Which would make you another relative," Rachel said to Tobias.

Tobias blinked. "I didn't think about that. But yeah, she would be my dad's cousin, right?"

Surely enough, it was only minutes before Ax arrived. They went through a quick sketch of a plan - basically sneak in and bust out - and located the small crack which lead into the Yeerk Pool. It was hidden under a strangely oval slab of stone, so it was pretty easy to find for anyone who knew what to look for. The group morphed cockroaches as quickly as possible and entered the crack.

They made Marco go third, with someone to keep an eye on him from behind and two someones to stop him from rushing ahead.



Larynia thought that things were as positive as they could get.

Okay, so she didn't have that many places to go. In fact, she had no places to go. Except forwards, were the Hork-Bajir guards - that made an effectively trapping circle around her - were determined to get her. She wasn't too keen on obeying, because that was the direction of the pool. So she dug her hoofs in and refused to move.

But on the other hand, she didn't have that stupid collar that she'd had to wear the last time she was - that time on purpose - trapped by Yeerks. And another plus; no leash. If there was anything Larynia ever had really hated (well, anything she could think of right then), it was that collar and leash.

Her tail was tied down to her hands, behind her back. But the restraints were made for Alloran. With her own, much sleeker hands and wrists, she'd have no problems wriggling out of them. And if she got her hands free, at least her tail could slam. Not cut or slash - the sheath was covering it and she wasn't sure if she could open the lock quickly enough. But slam.

The only real problem was the guards. Larynia was honest enough with herself to admit that she couldn't fight two dozen Hork-Bajir all by herself. And even if she could, there'd be another few dozen to take their places. And, at the end of it all, there'd be still be Visser One.

So why not skip straight ahead to the Visser?

Larynia thought up a quick plan and squeezed and twisted her slim wrists free of the shackles.

The Hork-Bajir reacted instantly. So did Visser One, who began shouting orders. Larynia, though, wasn't planning to lose this new freedom. She swung her tail in a wide circle. The heavy restraints and shackles and the sheath were still attached to it, and it all made clonking sounds when it hit two Hork-Bajir faces.

The other Hork-Bajir pulled back as the two stumbled away, roaring. There was a short confusion, and only the Visser seemed certain about what to do; shout orders from a safe distance. But before any Hork-Bajir moved forwards again, Larynia had had time enough to inspect the lock on the tail-blade sheath. It was a simple one, so she opened it quickly with a click.

With her tail free, she'd have a better chance to get away. Or at least get further from that pool. But she had to snap her tail at a large number of Hork-Bajir eyes before they got the picture.

What are you doing?! Visser One yelled at his guards. Catch her!!

Afraid, Visser? Larynia yelled back. Do you send your guards because of fear?

I fear no-one! Visser One raged.

Then why do you hide behind your guards like a common coward? Larynia watched the Visser's face carefully. She clearly saw the anger growing. The reaction she had hoped for. She took half a second to congratulate herself before continuing. You are afraid. You're afraid of a simple little Andalite female.

Larynia preformed a mocking bow and clicked her tail-blade against the floor in front of her three times. Then she straightened up, held her tail cocked and ready, and focused all four eyes on the Visser. She hoped the Hork-Bajir would keep out of it.

Visser One quivered. You challenge me?!

Yes. I challenge you. Accept it, or cower behind your guards in fear!

Visser One laughed.

Larynia ignored that. If I win, you shall let me go free.

Visser One laughed even harder. His Hork-Bajir had joined him - except the ones clutching what once had been their eyes. Human-Controllers and Taxxons also laughed.

Larynia waited (not so patiently) until the laughter had died. She had been laughed at before for challenging other, real, non-Controller Andalites. Most of them had regretted it. Even if she hated being laughed at, in this case it was one anger she could keep under control.

Finally the Visser looked at her again. Motioned for his guards to step aside. Larynia met his gaze calmly, with all four eyes, standing very still.

'Show no fear,' her brother had taught her. 'And let them fear you for it.'



*4:50:00 REMAINING*

"Do you see them?" Marco asked.

The three others were crouched on the cliff ledge, hidden from anyone below by shadows. Marco hadn't been allowed to crawl up to the edge yet.

Rachel glanced over the edge and down into the pool area.

Larynia had been surrounded by the Hork-Bajir guards. Now they formed a half-circle behind her, with the Visser in front. The two were talking. Their thought-speech voices barely reached the ledge where they were hidden. Marco was a few meters further behind and couldn't have heard anything more than a faint mumbling.

"Yep," Rachel whispered. "We see them."

"What's happening?"

"She's managed to lose the restraints and sheath," Tobias said. "And the Hork-Bajir have backed off."

"Good."

Tail-clicks. Ax formed one of those special eye-smiles that Andalites used. He was peering over the edge with his stalk-eyes. My cousin just challenged the Visser to a duel.

"WHAT!?" Marco cried.

A Hork-Bajir almost straight below them spun his head around suspiciously. Fortunately he didn't think about looking up.

"Shut up!" Rachel hissed. "They'll hear you!"

"Oh, god," Marco whimpered.

I almost feel sorry for the Visser, Ax contradicted. Marco. Do you know the duel's law?

"Of course I know!" Marco exclaimed - in a low voice. "I had to morph a blue four-leg and fight a few myself, to convince the more stubborn Andalites that they should listen to me!! Larynia's dad trained me."

"Did you win any?" Tobias asked.

"Most of them. Actually, in the end after a few rematches, all of them. Except for one."

Who? Ax asked in a voice soaking with over-done interest.

Marco wrinkled his forehead and stopped a laugh. "Larynia."

Thought so, Ax said smugly. Did she used that dance trick? The knee slashes? Or the triple feint? I always fell for that one.

"The dance," Marco said. "I mean, it's hard to concentrate on the duel when your opponent suddenly starts dancing! I just stood there, and then suddenly my eyes were cut out and she'd won."

Her father and brothers taught her to fight, Ax said. Her mother taught her to dance and improvise. Combined, she's deadly.

"And you're still worried?" Rachel laughed at Marco. "Cute."

"I've got reasons," Marco said. "Last time she fought she got her butt kicked."

Ax's stalk-eyes dropped. That was Ilris, my Yeerk. He had a mind for evil tricks. But he never shared them with anyone except those he killed.

"Hush," Tobias ordered. "You can hear what they're saying again."

And if I win, Andalite? Visser One spat, his thought-speech voice reaching the ledge where the group was hiding. If I win, then what?

Larynia didn't twitch a muscle as she replied. Then I shall hope to have died with pride.

Marco crawled up to the edge of the cliff and peered down. From there, the thought-speech voices were clear even to him. It was also clear that his mind was screaming at him to morph something.

Tobias gave him a harsh glare to make sure he didn't.

The Yeerk Visser below chuckled delightedly. No. No, no, no, my sweet. If I win, little Andalite, I will not kill you. Nothing says I must. I know the duel's law.

Alloran knows it, Larynia said. You know nothing.

I know what he knows, the Visser hissed. If you win, Andalite - which I highly doubt - I shall indeed let you go.

"He better," Marco growled. Rachel slapped the back of his head to make him quiet down.

If I win… the Visser smiled cruelly. If I win, my sweet, I shall see you walk up to the pool and place your own head beneath the surface.

Rachel and Tobias grabbed one each of Marco's arms to keep him from jumping down from the ledge.





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Author's note;

Hmmm. Not too bad. Not too bad at all. *does a rather silly dance around the room celebrating the finishing of another chapter with an effective cliffhanger*

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