Chapter 14

            I sensed that we were moving.  After the One met with the Yeerks, he convinced them that he was some sort of god and would bring the Yeerk Empire back, greater than before.  After he absorbed me, and I knew what he had done, it made me sick.  If I could morph human, I would do what Marco called barf.  He said that the Yeerks had only to call for him, and he would come.  It was sickening.  We showed up again in the Blade Ship.  We were in the command center, and were looking into the visual contact screen, and, to my great relief, there was a human looking through it at me, at the One at least.  I did not recognize this human, however.  He looked as though he was a few years older than Jake and Marco would be right now. 

The One took on my body, and then made it grow a mouth.  I was disgusted.   

Ax?  I heard.  It was Tobias' voice.  I wanted to reply, to talk to him, but without a true body under my own control, I could speak to no one but the One.

I knew that the One could sense the presence of other minds nearby, so it did not surprise me when he called for another person to come out.  I was not even surprised at who it called for.  I had been expecting him to come, although I now wished he had not.  I had hoped he would come to rescue me ever since I said his name as I was captured.

            "Save your tricks for this Yeerk fool.  I see the truth.  I see all.  Step into view, Jake the Yeerk-Killer.  I know you are there, I feel your mind" the One said.  Inwardly, I cried.  I did not want him and Tobias and whoever else was with them to suffer the same fate as I had. 

            Jake stepped into view.  I was so happy to see him, but I was so sad that he was soon going to be with me and the other thousands of aliens absorbed by the One.  "I'm here," he said. 

            "You have done well to come this far.  You have come to find your friend.  But the Andalite is a part of me now.  As you soon will be."

            I felt a shiver of fear go up my spine, figuratively.

            "Can we shoot?"  Jake asked another human.

            "His Dracon cannon have longer range and greater power," said the other human.  "And his defensive fields have been enhanced.  I doubt our cannon can penetrate them."

            "Thought so," Jake replied, but he sounded strange, calm.  "But we're faster."

            "Yes."

            "Okay."  He looked around the ship, at people I could not see.  "What was it, Marco?"  So Marco was there too.  " 'Crazy, reckless, ruthless decisions'?"  He paused, waiting for an answer from Marco, I guess.  He smiled, and it reminded me of Rachel.  "Full emergency power to the engines," he said, "Ram the Blade Ship."

            My hearts leapt with joy.  Perhaps, just perhaps, he could bring the One out into space.  He had said I would leave him then.  I would no longer be his prisoner!  I hoped as I watched Jake on his ship come closer and closer.  Poor Jake, I thought.  He was going to die.  I was sad for him, but at the same time I was overjoyed at the thought of being apart from the One, being myself again.  I did not know if I would even survive the crash, or what would happen to me after it, but I hoped.  Always, there was hope.  I waited for impact.  I knew that it would not hurt, because the One had taken my physical body, but I still braced myself.  However, when they were still about one thousand feet away, the Blade ship blew apart.  I watched as the walls around me vaporized, and then disappeared.  All around me, human-controllers twisted, before the vacuum of space killed them.  I knew that their blood was both boiling and freezing at once.  Though I have never felt that, I have heard that it is very painful. 

Then, I realized that I was free, free of the One.  I did not recognize where I was though.  It was strange.  Around me were bright lines, intersecting and diverging, splitting and weaving into a complex grid.  However, I sensed that I would not be able to touch them.  I would need to be more powerful in order to do so.  Unexpectedly, the Ellimist appeared before me.  Crayak was next to him.  They were conversing.  Joyfully, I realized that I had my own, Andalite body back.  I listened to their conversation.

"We have always just let the memories go on to the next place," Crayak said.  "We never let them go on to a place in the physical world."

"Yes," Ellimist answered, "But they were always dead.  That was just it, they were memories, nothing more.  This is the first time a trully living person has been brought to us after the One went into regular space without a ship around him, and the vacuum pulled the people's memories out.  He is still alive, and deserves to stay that way.  The rules, Crayak, you cannot kill a sentient creature."

"The rules.  How I hate them.  Otherwise, death would prevail over life; you know it, Ellimist.  As for the game, it continues.  Fine then Ellimist, you win this round.  Return him to where you will."

I started to speak, but it was too late; Crayak and Ellimist had disappeared.