Nicole>
It felt good being reunited with my sister. I was afraid that I would never get to see her again. I brushed the thought away and just soared next to her. It was getting dark and we had to flap our wings more often to stay aloft.
"Maybe we should demorph," Stacey suggested.
"Good idea," I agreed.
We landed and reverted back to our human shapes. David shivered in the cool air from his lack of proper clothing. All he wore was a spandex shirt and shorts. Stacey took off her jacket and draped it over his shoulders.
"Thanks," he said through chattering teeth.
She looked at Ketara. "Any way you could give him an up-grade?"
It is possible. Our technology has improved over the years so I believe we can overwrite his version of the morphing power.>
"There's a cube in my room," I said.
Stacey snapped her head in my direction. "You have a morphing cube?"
"She gave it to me for safe keeping."
"I don't care, it's still dangerous for you to have it. You best get rid of it."
I rolled my eyes. She was still bossy, even after being a Yeerk puppet. I decided not to listen to her, we may need it later down the line. We morphed again and flew back to my house. I had left my window open to let the breeze in and we dove through and landed on the carpet.
Once human I got a stepladder, pulled the grate off of the air vent in the ceiling and took out the blue box. "Here we go."
Ketara took it in her hand and approached David. Place your hand on the square.> David set his hand on top of the cube and removed it a minute later. It is done.>
David closed his eyes and began to morph. Whoa!> he shouted as he shrank rapidly. Within seconds he was a golden eagle then human again. "I could get used to this."
Jason handed him some of his clothes to wear. "These should fit."
David slipped them on over his morphing outfit. Stacey started down the hall towards her room and stopped. She was staring at something downstairs.
"What is it?" I asked. I was afraid that the Yeerks had found her.
She put her finger to her lips and gestured for us to come over. I tip-toed quietly to where she was standing and saw my dad talking to Cassie.
"I had fun tonight Jake," she said.
"So did I. I never thought I could be happy again, thanks for showing me I can."
He leaned in close and kissed her passionately. Part of me wanted to throw a fit, but another part told me to be happy for him because he found someone to love once more. They drew apart and smiled, then the world around them came crashing down.
CRASH! the front door was busted down and through it came an army of Controllers lead by Visser One.
"They found me!" Stacey shrieked.
"Where's the girl?!" Visser One demanded.
"I don't know," Dad said.
Visser One lunged and grabbed Cassie by the throat. "Tell me or she dies!"
"I told you I don't-"
"I'm here!" Stacey announced. She was already downstairs before anyone realized it. "Let her go."
"Hold her."
Tom and Melissa took her by the arms and held her close to Visser One. He pressed his head against hers and began to squish into her ear canal.
"Wait!" Dad shouted. "Take me instead."
"Dad no!" I shouted.
"Why should I?"
"What better way to get back at the one who is responsible for destroying the Yeerk empire than to make him your host."
"I can see your point. It's a trade." He threw Stacey across the room and she crashed into the wall, falling unconscious to the floor.
"Stacey!" Dad started to run to her aide but Tom and Melissa dragged him over to Visser One. He pressed his ear to the side of his head. Dad struggled and kicked as the Yeerk made its way to the brain. Finally, the kicking stopped. "Put me down you fool!"
The Iguadon set Dad (now Visser One) down. He twisted his head from side to side, popping the joints in his neck. "Ah. This is more like it! I have to admit, Jake is strong-minded. But I shall break him soon enough, just like I broke Stacey."
"ROOOWRR!" a black figure tackled him to the floor. The only thing getting broke is going to be your neck! Now guys!>
Darrax and Ketara leapt over the railing of the staircase and into the living room. The Control-lers attacked as we ran down to join the fight. I morphed to my white tiger morph and swatted down the nearest Controller. Ketara's tail flashed and severed an Iguadon's head.
Cassie! Get Rachel and Marco, tell them to get here fast!> Stacey shouted.
Cassie creeped into the next room and picked up the phone while we provided her some cover.
Watch out!> David yelled.
I turned in time to see an Iguadon in mid-pounce. He landed on me and began slashing my hide with his claws. AAAAHH!>
David jumped and sank his fangs into my attacker's throat. He fell dead as his jugular was punctured. He looked at me and smiled (about as good as a lion can smile), then went back to the fight. More and more Controllers poured into the house, we were being outnumbered fast.
Have no fear, Marco the Mighty is here!>
Along with Xena.>
Marco and Rachel barrelled through the Controllers like they were bowling pins. Rachel's grizzly bear slapped a Controller through the wall while Marco's gorilla broke an Iguadon's back over his knee. Stacey was fighting Visser One who had now morphed to Siberian tiger. He was twice her size and overtook her easily. Darrax lashed out with one bladed arm and one of the visser's paws fell to the floor.
Take my advice and leave before we kill you,> Stacey told the Yeerk.
You wouldn't kill your father.>
Better to die than be a Controller, as he used to say.>
This isn't over yet human! You may win the battle, but it will be I who wins the war.>
The Yeerks ran and we sat exhausted in a now demolished house. I glanced at Stacey, she was lost in emotion. Dad had sacrificed himself so that she would remain free, that was the ultimate price of love to pay.
I went over and put her head on my shoulder. "It'll be okay, we'll get him back," I confided.
"What are we going to do now? Our house is trashed and our parents are no longer with us."
"You can come stay with us," Rachel offered. "We just got a new house and there's plenty of extra space for all of you."
Stacey looked over at David then back to Rachel. "What about him? Where will he stay?"
I knew what was going through Rachel's mind at that moment, she hated David for what he had done to her in the past and was not about to live under the same roof with a traitor who could turn on them any time he chose.
Rachel let out a long surrendering sigh. "Okay, but I'll be watching you. One false move and your head goes rolling."
"Thanks, you won't regret this," David said.
"I better not."
We arrived at Rachel's house ten minutes later. She was right when she
said that it was big. There were four bedrooms and three bathrooms, almost
like our house except it was a little bit bigger. Stacey and I picked a
room to share while Jason and David got the other down the hall from us.
Michael's was in the basement, I guess he liked living like a gopher, I
never really understood his motives. Our rooms were fully furnished with
beds and dressers, all we had to do was go get the rest of our stuff and
bring it over. Tobias would take the truck and haul everything back. He
wasn't happy about David staying with them but he wasn't about to argue
with Rachel about it. I crawled into bed and shut my eyes, I was worn out
from the fight and the emotional stress I was now faced with. Would I be
able to kill my father if it ever came down to it, if there was no other
way? Could I strike the blow that would end it all? I wasn't too sure,
somehow I knew that in the end it would be left up to Stacey.