I know, I know, I'm really late. But it's not my fault. I did mention somewhere in part one that you people shouldn't be alarmed if I happened to 'drop dead'. The luxuries of moving; sort of wipes out Internet access and cable access, but hey, if I do get the chance to get on-line again I'll post as many chapters as I can.
Sadly, this is it for today;
Chapter Twenty-four
"What sort of idiot has a name like that?" Rachel demanded, "Sixkiller? Excuse me, but who on Earth gave her that name?"
"Not her mother –that's for sure." Abby muttered.
"What's her problem anyway?" Tom wondered, they were all in the barn, the whole team –with Abby. Of course Rachel, had a cast on her leg, Jake –smirking- insisted that she should tolerate the torture he received previously.
Abby turned away.
"You haven't been up front with us on this subject," Jake said, "That was okay before but now I'm afraid we have to insist. I'm not going to stand around waiting for her to show up uninvited. We need some information about her, like what are her potentials? What is it that she wants?"
Marco nodded, "I'm not getting any clear motives here. This girl got your friend Mark and Roger brutally murdered, she turned your leader into a fruitcake"-Cassie raised an eyebrow-"she knocked Rachel off the school building- and for what? She hasn't asked us for anything. What is it that she wants? She did not even talk to us."
Abby shrugged.
"Hey-" Rachel said sharply, but Tom cut her off. Rachel glared angrily but remained silent.
"Abby. We need your help. What does she want?"
Abby shrugged again, looking very troubled, "I don't really know. I never understood what she wanted. After Vic stopped being first in command she waved me off. I have no idea what she could have been up to."
"Are you saying Victor knows what she wants?" Tom asked.
Abby snorted, "I doubt he would tell you."
"Mickey? Dominic?"
"Dominic would just ignore you if you talked about Sixkiller. Mickey would turn around and walk away. Forget them. They're useless."
And you're not? Ax commented bluntly, Correct me if I am mistaken, but you seem to be just as useful.
Tom glared at Ax and Jake admitted a little smile.
"I'm not going to get anything out of telling you people what she wants or what she could want." Abby said slowly. "But since you've befriended me I suppose I owe you some."
They all waited.
Abby sighed. "I told Tom this. I don't know if he told you or not. But I'm repeating it just for the record." Abby paused, "We first met Sixkiller near a river. In the middle of the forest, it was night and we were recuperating. You see, that day was a particularly good day. We managed to get the job done. No one hurt, no one left behind- no complications."
"No one would have noticed her at all. We could have passed meters away from her and we wouldn't have seen her." Abby shook her head, "But Victor said he heard a sound, at first we laughed it off. But then we heard it. It was awful." Abby shuddered, "I don't know if it was Sixkiller herself who was making the noise, back then, we didn't relate the sound to her, but now…..now I wonder, I really wonder."
"The sound." Cassie said suddenly, feeling a shill go down her spine, "it sounded like a…it was like a shrill scream. Part howl."
Everyone stared at Cassie, except Abby who turned away slightly. She murmured, "Yes, just like that."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Marco said. "Hold your horses girl! What does Cassie have to do with this?"
Cassie looked confused.
Abby said. "She has nothing to do 'with it' but someone close to her used to know something about Sixkiller."
"Um, someone I know?" Cassie asked. "It isn't someone in here is it?"
The animorphs looked at each other in turn; everyone shaking his or her head.
"No. It isn't someone in here." Abby said gloomily.
"My family?"
Tom sat up. Paying close attention –he knew what was coming next.
"Yes." Abby said. "Someone in your family."
Cassie looked sick, "My parents?"
"Could be your grandmother." Jake muttered.
"Not your parents. Someone closer than that." Abby's eyes filled with tears.
"A cousin?" Cassie looked baffled, "But I don't have any cousins."
Abby took a deep breath. "Your brother."
There was a brief silence, then Marco laughed. Jake said, "Cassie doesn't have a brother."
"Yes, she does." Abby said, "I mean, she used to, but he's dead."
"I never had a brother." Cassie said slowly. But she didn't look a hundred percent sure of herself. Something was nagging deep within Cassie's conscious mind.
Ax looked at Abby skeptically and Tobias's infamous glare was present. Rachel shared the same concerned look Jake had for Cassie and Tom's attention was drawn to Abby.
Abby, spoke quickly, rushing over the words as if afraid to stop to look at Cassie, she twisted her fingers as she spoke. "No. In this timeline there is no Jimmy. But in another one -only god and a few other beings know how- he existed. Cassie you used to have a brother, an older brother, just as old as Tom or me. He used to be a freedom fighter. But now, he is a causality of war. No one remembers that he exited. Only us. The freedom fighters. This was Sixkiller's doing, this is her potential. You have to understand that none of you are equipped to handle her. She is dangerous. She will always get her way. You have to back off. I'm sorry."
Rachel barked out a laugh, "No, we are sorry. Let me tell you something. We don't back off just because there's someone out there bigger and meaner than we are. We've been in situations like these before; we know how to handle. All you have to do is tell us more about her."
Marco muttered, "Speak for yourself."
"How can she do this?" Jake said sharply, "She isn't the Ellimist or even Crayak. She can't mess around in time."
No Prince Jake, Ax interrupted, We do know someone who wasn't an Ellimist or Crayak but was still able to 'mess around in time'. That someone was my brother.
She has access to the Time Matrix? Tobias wondered.
I do not know. Ax said, But it is a dangerous possibility.
"How come the Ellimist didn't interrupt her work?" Marco pointed out, "He fixed Elfangor's mess. Crayak summoned us to stopped Visser Four. And both of these two were meddling with time. They both used the Time Matrix and were stopped by either of Crayak or the Ellimist. Why not stop her?"
Abby hesitated, "I don't know. I've never met either of the Ellimist or Crayak, but I know something about them. And I'm also wondering why they didn't butt in."
"Tell us more about this girl." Cassie urged, "What's her real name?"
"Sedra." Abby said, "I don't know much about her personal life –she never talked about that."
You said she was able to overthrow your previous leader. What did she do once she was first in command?
Abby stared at Ax, as if she didn't understand the question, but then she answered. "She turned us into a group of terrorist. We used to hold back and react to whatever it is the Yeerks were doing"-Jake nodded-"But Sixkiller? She doesn't wait. She wouldn't wait for the Yeerks to think of something creative. She hit them hard every month or so. We'd hamper many of the Yeerk tasks. But they keep coming and with that, Sixkiller's attacks grow more and more aggressive."
"Sounds like someone I know." Marco muttered trying not to look in Rachel\s general direction.
You attacked the Yeerks? Ax frowned, How did you manage to do that without morphing. You are not a morph capable batch of warriors.
Abby gave Ax a bitter smile, "That didn't stop Sixkiller form dreaming up ways of getting in. Of course, as you know, once the Yeerks discover how you got in it isn't long till they close that particular area off. Sixkiller is aggressive beyond belief. Hey, she even managed to get Visser Three afraid of her. I'm not surprised."
"What is it that she did?" Rachel didn't look impressed.
"What is it that she did?" Abby laughed, "Maybe it's easier to tell you what she didn't do; because those are countable." Abby shook her head, "we –Sixkiller- attacked the Yeerks with chemical weapons. She used to time bombs to blow up parts of a building we were going to raid. Sixkiller isn't big on going in on noticed. If she wants something, Visser Three is sure going to notice her advance."
That's very bold. Tobias muttered.
"No kidding." Marco said, "I bet Rachel here is thrilled. Jake, maybe we should send Rachel off. We don't want our girl getting any ideas."
"Marco. Shut. Up."
"What are you going to do?" Marco taunted, "You know you're not supposed to morph. You can't touch me."
"I can whack you with my crutch."
"Shutting up."
"Sixkiller didn't care which type of Yeerk troops were deployed on her. Visser Three uses Hork-Bajir as primary troops. When causalities were extremely heavy he sent humans in hope that Sixkiller would stop the slaughter. That didn't work. Sixkiller does not care whose brain the enemy hides underneath. She'll kill. She's mad you know. Absolutely nuts. Her objective had always been to wipe out as many Yeerks as she could. She did that good. Until Visser Three managed to catch her."
"He caught her?" Jake questioned.
"Well." Abby sounded nervous, "I shouldn't put it this way. But if you want the ugly truth; we handed her over."
They all stared.
Abby fidgeted, "I handed her over."
Another long silence.
"And if she finds out. Well." Abby tried to smile, "I haven't much to loose really, have I?"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Over so soon? I guess I should tell you that the next chapter will reveal to you who SXK's prisoner is. Take a deep breath and when it does come; read on.
