It was over. He was dead.
It felt so impossible. What seemed even more impossible was that we were all still alive. All of us.
Even Alanna.
She finally got her revenge. I hoped she was happy.
We met in the barn the next day, and no one said anything. Jake's face was pale and he was staring at a spot on the floor. He had suffered the most from the last battle, but being Jake, he wouldn't say anything. Cassie sort of stroked his head softly and he didn't look up.
"Is he really dead?"
We all looked at Marco. His face was dark as he looked at me. "Well?"
I swallowed hard. I didn't want to be the one to tell the story, but Ax wasn't going to. He had been withdrawn and silent ever since we saw the Visser-
I ran a hand through my hair. I hadn't gone through the story yet, and no one had even asked. We had all been too relived to be alive, too worn out by the terror to even care.
"Alanna killed him," I said, and my voice sounded strange. Soft- not like mine. Even gentle- definitely not like mine. "Alanna… shot him, in the head. The Yeerk- there was no way he could have survived."
"So… it's over," Cassie whispered.
I shook my head angrily. "It's not even close to being over," I snapped. "This was a big step- but the war isn't even close to being over. They don't have anymore morph capable Controllers, but they still have Alexxen."
Jake took a shaky breath and Cassie looked over at him, concerned. "We-" his voice had a touch of fear in it, but he swallowed it down. "Rachel's right," he said, looking up. "The war isn't over."
(This has to be a blow to them, though. Their one Andalite Controller? Dead? It's got to hurt them somehow, even if it's only their pride,) Tobias said, but his voice didn't sound very hopeful. I smiled up at him.
"Tobias is right," Cassie said stubbornly. "Even though we still have Alexxen to deal with, Visser Three has been our greatest threat until now."
"Yeah, until now," Marco sneered. "Now we've got a guy who fights like a fucking war machine to deal with. Visser Three could never do that. Alexxen is a one man Hork Bajir army."
"But he's not unbeatable."
We all jerked around at the new voice. I jumped to my feet, ready for a fight.
It was Alanna.
She stood in the entrance to the barn, her face worn and tired. Her hair was tied back messily and she looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep.
I stared at her in shock as she laughed, but the sound lacked its usual humor. "Relax, I'm not here for a fight." She paused, cocking her head to the side. " 'Andalites.' "
My first thought was to morph and take her down, but a steady hand from Jake caught me.
"What are you talking-" Jake started to say.
"Don't," she said, and her voice reflected a tiredness I had never seen from her. "Don't give me any of your shit, Jake. I know. I know."
Jake didn't say anything, but stood there trembling.
"How?" Marco asked, and I glared at him for blowing any chance of us convincing her otherwise. He glared back. "You really think you could fool her, Rachel?" He turned to Alanna. "How did you find out?"
She shrugged, sitting down on a hay bale. "I listened. You sound the same in morphs, you have to realize that. You were smart to let him do the talking," she said, jerking her head to Ax, who didn't even look up.
"How long have you known?" I asked bitterly, still tense. What was she doing here?
"Long enough Rachel," she said with another humorless laugh. "Long enough."
Her answer depressed me. We had thought that we had the upper hand when all along she had been deceiving us.
"What do you want?" Jake demanded.
"Alanna, how do we know…" Cassie started to say.
"If you can trust me?" Alanna snapped. "Ask her," she said, glaring at me. "She knows."
I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. I remembered the fight, and she was right. I knew she wouldn't sell us out to the Yeerks. But that didn't mean I had to trust her. "She's not… she won't help the Yeerks."
"That's right, I kill them, don't I? Alissan the Yeerk Killer. Alissan the murderer. Alanna the-" she looked disgusted, "the human."
Hey- it's not over yet!! I couldn't just let it end like that, with so many loose ends! But it MIGHT be near the end- unless you people give me some reasons to keep it going! (And by the way- I'll let you know when it's REALLY over!)
It felt so impossible. What seemed even more impossible was that we were all still alive. All of us.
Even Alanna.
She finally got her revenge. I hoped she was happy.
We met in the barn the next day, and no one said anything. Jake's face was pale and he was staring at a spot on the floor. He had suffered the most from the last battle, but being Jake, he wouldn't say anything. Cassie sort of stroked his head softly and he didn't look up.
"Is he really dead?"
We all looked at Marco. His face was dark as he looked at me. "Well?"
I swallowed hard. I didn't want to be the one to tell the story, but Ax wasn't going to. He had been withdrawn and silent ever since we saw the Visser-
I ran a hand through my hair. I hadn't gone through the story yet, and no one had even asked. We had all been too relived to be alive, too worn out by the terror to even care.
"Alanna killed him," I said, and my voice sounded strange. Soft- not like mine. Even gentle- definitely not like mine. "Alanna… shot him, in the head. The Yeerk- there was no way he could have survived."
"So… it's over," Cassie whispered.
I shook my head angrily. "It's not even close to being over," I snapped. "This was a big step- but the war isn't even close to being over. They don't have anymore morph capable Controllers, but they still have Alexxen."
Jake took a shaky breath and Cassie looked over at him, concerned. "We-" his voice had a touch of fear in it, but he swallowed it down. "Rachel's right," he said, looking up. "The war isn't over."
(This has to be a blow to them, though. Their one Andalite Controller? Dead? It's got to hurt them somehow, even if it's only their pride,) Tobias said, but his voice didn't sound very hopeful. I smiled up at him.
"Tobias is right," Cassie said stubbornly. "Even though we still have Alexxen to deal with, Visser Three has been our greatest threat until now."
"Yeah, until now," Marco sneered. "Now we've got a guy who fights like a fucking war machine to deal with. Visser Three could never do that. Alexxen is a one man Hork Bajir army."
"But he's not unbeatable."
We all jerked around at the new voice. I jumped to my feet, ready for a fight.
It was Alanna.
She stood in the entrance to the barn, her face worn and tired. Her hair was tied back messily and she looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep.
I stared at her in shock as she laughed, but the sound lacked its usual humor. "Relax, I'm not here for a fight." She paused, cocking her head to the side. " 'Andalites.' "
My first thought was to morph and take her down, but a steady hand from Jake caught me.
"What are you talking-" Jake started to say.
"Don't," she said, and her voice reflected a tiredness I had never seen from her. "Don't give me any of your shit, Jake. I know. I know."
Jake didn't say anything, but stood there trembling.
"How?" Marco asked, and I glared at him for blowing any chance of us convincing her otherwise. He glared back. "You really think you could fool her, Rachel?" He turned to Alanna. "How did you find out?"
She shrugged, sitting down on a hay bale. "I listened. You sound the same in morphs, you have to realize that. You were smart to let him do the talking," she said, jerking her head to Ax, who didn't even look up.
"How long have you known?" I asked bitterly, still tense. What was she doing here?
"Long enough Rachel," she said with another humorless laugh. "Long enough."
Her answer depressed me. We had thought that we had the upper hand when all along she had been deceiving us.
"What do you want?" Jake demanded.
"Alanna, how do we know…" Cassie started to say.
"If you can trust me?" Alanna snapped. "Ask her," she said, glaring at me. "She knows."
I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. I remembered the fight, and she was right. I knew she wouldn't sell us out to the Yeerks. But that didn't mean I had to trust her. "She's not… she won't help the Yeerks."
"That's right, I kill them, don't I? Alissan the Yeerk Killer. Alissan the murderer. Alanna the-" she looked disgusted, "the human."
Hey- it's not over yet!! I couldn't just let it end like that, with so many loose ends! But it MIGHT be near the end- unless you people give me some reasons to keep it going! (And by the way- I'll let you know when it's REALLY over!)