A feeling a dread suddenly washed over me and I sat down in a chair in my office. I don't know how I know. I can just feel it. Something has happened to Jake and the others. I hadn't had contact with them for almost a year now, but this feeling was quite different from ones I felt several months ago.
"What is it Ma'am? Something wrong?" My aid ran over to me, her voice was full of concern.
"It's… nothing," I sighed. "I'm alright, you can go about your work."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," I smiled meekly. However, I was not okay. Something bad had occurred, and I was powerless to do anything about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[ Jake ]
The enveloping darkness fluctuated, then slowly began to dissipate. I blinked several times, as I tried to adjust. Through blurred vision, I saw what looked like Tobias and the others. They also stumbled about as if they were blind. I'm not sure how long we'd been in the darkness, maybe a day, maybe a few hours, maybe five minutes.
"Jake?" I looked over at Marco, who had grabbed my arm to steady himself.
"Yeah?"
"What the hell just happened?"
"I-I don't know," I turned and walked into a large blue creature.
"WELCOME!" The thing shouted. Marco and I crept backward, in order to distance ourselves from this new entity.
< It's him, > Tobias said.
My eyes fully adjusted to the light. We were in a wide, grassy field. The grass was a light blue. We were all there, Tobias, Marco, Menderash, Jeanne, Santorelli and myself. He was there as well. The One. It looked like Ax, except for the mouth full of teeth. And the ridge of spikes running down its back, the gills on the shoulders, talons on the now more muscular arms, four large, two toed and clawed feet, and the scaled tail, which ended in a circular blade.
"How did you like my pet, the Uvbin? It is quite a wondrous creature, being able to pierce the z-space realm and all," it steepled its talons and gloated.
"What!? Impossible!" Menderash was obviously shaken.
"Ah yes, the nothlit Andalite, how pitiful," The One smirked. "You Andalites act all high and mighty because of your advanced 'technology', but when someone comes out with a new and better toy you won't accept the truth. I guarantee that any Andalite vessel you have is of no match to my Kelbrid weapons. Of course," he turned to look at Tobias, "The Kelbrid are merely part of me, this form that you see me in is merely a physical manifestation of my tremendous power. The Andalite Aximili Esagarouth Isthil is no longer in existence. He is but a minute part of my vast being."
< You're going to pay, > Tobias glared at The One.
"Your heroic antics on earth for the past several years will have in no way prepared you to survive this next encounter, little Tobias. I'm afraid that you and your friends will be slaughtered and your consciousness will be absorbed by me."
"You don't know what you're dealing with, pal," Marco crossed his arms over his chest.
"No, I believe it is you who are mistaken," The One let out a high pitched screech. A glowing green portal appeared thirty feet behind him. Several other high pitched screeches answered him. The ground began to rumble. Thousands of aliens poured out of the portal and lined up behind The One. They were bipedal, green-brown, and obviously reptilian, with clawed four toed feet, their thorax was pitched forward where a human stomach would have been, a large, four foot long head protruded outward, with a large mouth containing hundreds of rows of large, knife-like teeth. They had two three foot long arms, one on either side of the head, with elbows bent upward, each of the limbs ended in two sickle-shaped hooks. Over each of the two pairs of eyes was a rounded spike that formed a hood over the slit-pupil, bright yellow optical orbs. They had two sets of nostrils, one at the end of the snout and one a few inches below the eyes. The multitude of green-brown aliens swayed back and forth rhythmically. "Meet the Kelbrid." The creatures honked in unison as if on cue.
We were all terrified at the multitude of menacing Kelbrid. My heart felt as if it would burst from my chest. Jeanne took one look and fainted. Marco and Santorelli rushed over to her. Tobias stood next to me, looking defiant, even as a hawk. Menderash looked as though he really regretted his decision to become a nothlit in human form. He and the two officers had absolutely no chance of survival if a battle started. Even with our many morphs, I had no doubt Tobias, Marco, and I would be cut down in a heartbeat. Not only did the Kelbrid look extremely agile and deadly, they had the odds on their side in sheer numbers. Time to try the negotiator act.
"Is there any possibility you'll let us go?"
"I'm sorry, but no, I will enjoy watching you all die," he punctuated the last word with a hiss.
"The Andalites will come for us, proviso or no proviso," Menderash declared.
"Let them! They, too will be annihilated and absorbed. I will however, 'even' the odds slightly," he looked at Menderash and his eyes glowed for a moment. Menderash became his old self. "I have restored your morphing capability, use it wisely." Menderash looked down at his hands, then waved his tail around behind him happily. The one looked at his Kelbrid and barked several times. They warbled in reply. Suddenly, they were upon us.