David>
I don't know what happened, but one minute I was about to be a hawk's
lunch and the next I'm surrounded in blackness and human. I looked around
and saw a girl about my age next to me. Then I saw him. I never forgot
the large red eye and the way it seemed to stare straight into my soul.
Crayak.
"Hello David," Crayak said. "I brought you here to have another chance
at revenge."
"How?" I asked.
"I'd like you to meet Visser One. Formerly known as Visser Three."
I looked at the girl. She was remarkably attractive, short brown hair
and dark eyes. There was a familiarity about her that I couldn't quite
place. But the thing that now resided in her head was another I wanted
to kill. He had taken my family away from me and made them Controllers.
I wanted so badly to rip him out of her skull I could barely conceal my
rage. But to have another shot at Jake and Rachel, I would be more than
happy to team up with a slug. Especially to get back at Rachel.
"All right," I said.
"Very good. When you return your powers will be restored."
"One question: who's the girl?"
"My host body has a special connection to Jake, the one you seek,"
Visser One said. "I not only will give you a chance to destroy him, but
the rest of the Animorphs as well."
This was getting better by the minute. Every one of the Animorphs?
I think I was really beginning to like Visser One. But I knew there had
to be a fine print hidden somewhere within this verbal contract.
"What's the catch?" I asked him.
"You must help me enslave the planet. And after we are through with
the human race we'll take over the Andalite homeworld. If you prove yourself
worthy, I will make you the first human visser. Maybe Visser Two if I am
impressed enough."
How could I resist temptation like that? Visser One and I formed an
alliance that would not only mean the end of the Animorphs, but total and
complete planetary enslavement. And I would rule next to Visser One. But
wait... that would only make me second best. I had to get rid of him as
well. Crayak waved his hand and the two of us were sent back in the midst
of a fight between the Animorphs and a band of giant lizards. I morphed
to lion and saught out my first target. I found him standing over a lizard's
dead body. A Siberian tiger. Jake. I ran over and knocked him to the floor.
Hello Jake. Remember me?>
David?! You can't still be alive!>
An old friend of yours named Crayak brought me back.>
I opened my jaws and clamped down on his throat, about to rip out his
jugular when another lion attacked me. We tumbled over each other and stood
at a face-off.
Back off you freak!>
I'll tear you apart,> I snarled.
Bring it on,> he said.
We were now locked in a fight to the death. Lion to lion. Biting and
clawing, trying to destroy one another. I was not about to be beaten by
the enemy. I lashed out and drew blood on his face, he ducked and bit my
left leg. I roared in pain and bit down on his shoulder. Jake leaped, landed
on my back and began to maul me with all four paws. I had been weakened,
I left to demorph and repair the wounds inflicted upon me before I continued.
One of the giant lizards fell wounded at my feet. I reached down and absorbed
his DNA. I began to morph. I grew to a towering height as my skin turned
leathery and green. My spine shot outward and formed the thick muscular
tail. I could see in thermal vision as my eyes became less human. The creature
only had two instincts: hunt and kill. And that I would do. I bounded back
out where everything was happening. There were only eight lizardmen left,
Jake was ripping the throat out of one while Marco pulled another's arm
completely off of it's body. Rachel landed a blow to a third's head, crushing
its skull. I had her targeted, her body glowed bright red from the immense
heat she put out. I crouched, gathering strength in my legs, and leapt.
"RaaaaaHH!" I belowed as I landed atop her.
Get off me you creep!>
Not a chance. I'll get you for what you did to me,> I said.
David?>
Good, you remember me. Now think of me as the person who's going
to kill you.>
I sank my razor-sharp fangs into her paw and injected poison into her
bloodstream. She swung and knocked me over, as she stood she staggered
about as the venom took its toll on her nervous system. She began to demorph
before she became totally incompacitated. When she was human I noticed
that she seemed older than I remembered her being. A lot older.
What the hell is going on here? I thought to myself.
All of Visser One's soldiers were lying on the floor either dead or
dying. The Animorphs surrounded him and began to close in.
It's over visser. You've lost,> Jake said. Release my daughter.>
His daughter? Visser One's host is Jake's daughter?!
I leapt and stood beside the visser, preparing to fend off another
attack when the visser gave an order I didn't think he ever would give.
"Retreat!" he/she yelled.
We ran away from that building, away from certain death. Two golden
eagles flew to the mountains where Visser One's ship was hidden. As soon
as I was human I questioned the visser to clear up the confusion as to
why the Animorphs were much older. But what I mainly wanted to know was
who the kids with them were.
"You're twenty years in the future," Visser One explained. "The Animorphs
have matured and now have families of their own."
"But I just saw Rachel a few hours ago and she was my age," I said.
"You saw the past Rachel. Crayak brought you to the future to help
me invade Earth."
"What happened the first time? You guys get your asses whipped?"
"My men surrendered. Thus betraying me in the process. I was tried
and imprisoned for the past twenty years and to be quite honest I am very
pissed off!"
"Why should I help you? You took my family away and made them slaves!
Give me one good reason as to why I should help you at all."
"Because!" he yelled. "Jake didn't do a damned thing to save your parents.
He and his little 'army' were right there in front of them and they didn't
bother to lift a finger. Why? Because you had the morphing cube, not your
parents. That's why."
I gave it some thought. It was true that they didn't try to save my
mom and dad, even though they were there. Instead, they came for me. And
all because I possessed that stupid blue box that they just had to get
their hands on at any cost. Even if it meant the freedom of two people
who were of importance to me. Visser One was right.
"Okay, I'll help. But only if you let me remain uninfested," I told
him.
"Agreed."
We shook hands and began to formulate a new plan. After several disagreements
we came up with an idea. If Visser One couldn't harm Jake physically, he
would do it emotionally. He would take action tomorrow once we had gone
over everything and made sure it was going to fall in place properly. I
slept that night on a cot that had been provided in a room for me. I dreamt
of how my life was before the Animorphs ever came into the picture. My
parents and I would go out to a movie on the weekends and have barbecues
on the holidays. One time we went on a road trip across the country during
the summer. I had so much fun. Then they came along and took all of that
from me. I hated everything about them, their powers, rules, and endless
mission to save the world and all of humanity. I couldn't handle being
bossed around by Jake, being insulted by Marco, and being threatened by
Rachel. Tobias? I just plain didn't like him, that freak. Ax was too weird
for me to deal with. The only one that treated me like a person and stood
up for me, cared for me, was Cassie. I had no grudges against her, that
is until I discovered she was the one who came up with the idea of making
me a nothlit. I had another dream, one of me laughing victoriously
as I watch my enemies receive the kind of justice they deserved. With those
lovely thoughts in my head, I drifted off to sleep.