I loped up to the shack with Cassie still slung over my shoulder. {There's
some rope in the corner,} I told Jake. {Tie her up.}
He nodded obediently and picked it up. I dropped Cassie on the chair and held her there with my massive bear arms. He quickly began knotting the rope around her hands and feet.
Right on cue, she groaned. "Animorph," she muttered, not opening her eyes, not fully conscious yet. She probably thought she was still in Chapman's office. "Iniss."
{Iniss two-two-six is dead,} Tobias said coldly. {And very soon, you will be, too.}
Her eyes snapped open and she tried to raise her arms to protect herself. I heard the scratch of old rope against flesh, but it was too thick to give way. As I began to morph, I smiled harshly, showing my teeth.
{I don't like people that do this to my friends,} I commented softly. {I don't like them at all.}
Jake took over, then. "We'll give you a choice, Yeerk. Three days of Kandrona starvation or we'll kill you quickly. Either way, you'll die."
"They'll find you before three days is up," she snapped. "They'll realize I'm gone."
{No, they won't. Someone is playing your part,} Tobias corrected with a smirk. {No one will ever know. You'll die and they won't even take notice.}
Cassie's deep brown eyes widened. "The Chee!"
"Yes," Jake answered. "The Chee. Mr. King, to be specific."
"They'll be discovered," she argued weakly. "Everyone in the empire is looking for the remaining Chee."
"No," I said, grinning dangerously with a now-human mouth. "Everyone in the empire is looking for me."
"And they'll find you. You and that bird!" she spat. "They'll find you and kill you!"
{Not in three days.}
"Tobias is right." Jake nodded. "You can face it, or you can stay in denial. You are going to die."
"Cassie doesn't want you to do it," Visser Thirty-eight said desperately. "She. she doesn't want anyone to be hurt. She's suffered enough."
I snorted. "You're appealing to our pity for our friends? You're more of a fool than I thought."
"My Yeerk tried that too," Jake commented dryly. "And yet, here I am. We're not going to bend, Visser."
Cassie's body began to shake. "I don't want to die," she whimpered. "What do you want me to do? Just crawl out of this ear canal and wait to be crushed? Do you know what it's like to walk to your death?"
{Better than anyone,} Tobias retorted.
Impassively, I offered, "No one you killed wanted to die, either. But we'll give you more than you gave them. We'll give you a quick death."
"No!" Cassie's mouth opened in a scream. Jake clapped his hand over her mouth and leaned down until he was almost whispered in her ear.
"Do you know," he asked quietly, "what I would do to have Cassie free again?"
The Yeerk went still.
"There's nothing I wouldn't do to you. There's no death that's too harsh for you. I want you to starve, Yeerk. Do you want to spend three days with me? Really?"
I smiled slightly at Tobias despite the gravity of the moment; that was as close to a declaration of love for Cassie that Jake had ever given.
I saw surrender on Visser Thirty-eight's face. Then that face went blank.
A grey edge appeared at Cassie's ear.
Immediately, she started flailing. "Kill it!" she screamed. "Kill it now!"
Jake snatched the slug out of her ear and threw his arms around her with the same desperation I'd felt when I saw Tobias. "Cassie."
"Kill it," she sobbed helplessly. "Please kill it before it gets back inside."
"It's not going to get back in you," Jake murmured soothingly. "It's over." He ripped open the knots and grabbed her hands. "Everything's over now."
At last she went still. Jake buried his face in her shoulder.
Tobias and I looked at each other and in wordless agreement stepped out. I picked up the Yeerk almost gently and carried it out with me. It writhed in my hands.
I did not feel the same hatred for it that I had felt before. Not helpless, not about to die. I felt a sudden rush of pity.
"I'm more like it than I am you," I said softly. "Tobias. I'm never going to be okay."
{You're human, Rachel,} answered the hawk. {Not a Yeerk. And we'll all be okay.}
I smiled weakly. "Can you be human too?"
He swooped down and began to demorph instantly. When he was done, he took the Yeerk from me.
"I'll take care of this," he told me. "You've done more than your part."
I was grateful.
But even so, my eyes were fixed on his hands as they tore the Yeerk in two.
[A/N: Guess what I realized? This is right after book #17. The Animorph involvement with the peace movement began in #19. However, I'm going to leave the references in here - my apologies!]
He nodded obediently and picked it up. I dropped Cassie on the chair and held her there with my massive bear arms. He quickly began knotting the rope around her hands and feet.
Right on cue, she groaned. "Animorph," she muttered, not opening her eyes, not fully conscious yet. She probably thought she was still in Chapman's office. "Iniss."
{Iniss two-two-six is dead,} Tobias said coldly. {And very soon, you will be, too.}
Her eyes snapped open and she tried to raise her arms to protect herself. I heard the scratch of old rope against flesh, but it was too thick to give way. As I began to morph, I smiled harshly, showing my teeth.
{I don't like people that do this to my friends,} I commented softly. {I don't like them at all.}
Jake took over, then. "We'll give you a choice, Yeerk. Three days of Kandrona starvation or we'll kill you quickly. Either way, you'll die."
"They'll find you before three days is up," she snapped. "They'll realize I'm gone."
{No, they won't. Someone is playing your part,} Tobias corrected with a smirk. {No one will ever know. You'll die and they won't even take notice.}
Cassie's deep brown eyes widened. "The Chee!"
"Yes," Jake answered. "The Chee. Mr. King, to be specific."
"They'll be discovered," she argued weakly. "Everyone in the empire is looking for the remaining Chee."
"No," I said, grinning dangerously with a now-human mouth. "Everyone in the empire is looking for me."
"And they'll find you. You and that bird!" she spat. "They'll find you and kill you!"
{Not in three days.}
"Tobias is right." Jake nodded. "You can face it, or you can stay in denial. You are going to die."
"Cassie doesn't want you to do it," Visser Thirty-eight said desperately. "She. she doesn't want anyone to be hurt. She's suffered enough."
I snorted. "You're appealing to our pity for our friends? You're more of a fool than I thought."
"My Yeerk tried that too," Jake commented dryly. "And yet, here I am. We're not going to bend, Visser."
Cassie's body began to shake. "I don't want to die," she whimpered. "What do you want me to do? Just crawl out of this ear canal and wait to be crushed? Do you know what it's like to walk to your death?"
{Better than anyone,} Tobias retorted.
Impassively, I offered, "No one you killed wanted to die, either. But we'll give you more than you gave them. We'll give you a quick death."
"No!" Cassie's mouth opened in a scream. Jake clapped his hand over her mouth and leaned down until he was almost whispered in her ear.
"Do you know," he asked quietly, "what I would do to have Cassie free again?"
The Yeerk went still.
"There's nothing I wouldn't do to you. There's no death that's too harsh for you. I want you to starve, Yeerk. Do you want to spend three days with me? Really?"
I smiled slightly at Tobias despite the gravity of the moment; that was as close to a declaration of love for Cassie that Jake had ever given.
I saw surrender on Visser Thirty-eight's face. Then that face went blank.
A grey edge appeared at Cassie's ear.
Immediately, she started flailing. "Kill it!" she screamed. "Kill it now!"
Jake snatched the slug out of her ear and threw his arms around her with the same desperation I'd felt when I saw Tobias. "Cassie."
"Kill it," she sobbed helplessly. "Please kill it before it gets back inside."
"It's not going to get back in you," Jake murmured soothingly. "It's over." He ripped open the knots and grabbed her hands. "Everything's over now."
At last she went still. Jake buried his face in her shoulder.
Tobias and I looked at each other and in wordless agreement stepped out. I picked up the Yeerk almost gently and carried it out with me. It writhed in my hands.
I did not feel the same hatred for it that I had felt before. Not helpless, not about to die. I felt a sudden rush of pity.
"I'm more like it than I am you," I said softly. "Tobias. I'm never going to be okay."
{You're human, Rachel,} answered the hawk. {Not a Yeerk. And we'll all be okay.}
I smiled weakly. "Can you be human too?"
He swooped down and began to demorph instantly. When he was done, he took the Yeerk from me.
"I'll take care of this," he told me. "You've done more than your part."
I was grateful.
But even so, my eyes were fixed on his hands as they tore the Yeerk in two.
[A/N: Guess what I realized? This is right after book #17. The Animorph involvement with the peace movement began in #19. However, I'm going to leave the references in here - my apologies!]