Chronicle One
"Life is just one damned thing after another." - Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)
- Chapter Fifteen-
Ax
I am Ax Isthil and I have no idea what the hell is happening to me.
It started with a weird sensation in my hand. At first I didn't even notice it, but then a second later I glimpsed my palm.
I'd grown two extra fingers on my right hand.
That was when I started screaming.
The others all turned to look at me and they started screaming, too. Not that I blame them.
My face was melting along with the rest of my body as it began to shift and change.
The odd thing was that it didn't hurt. It was beyond strange, I admit, but not painful.
Or maybe I'd gone too deep into shock to even feel the pain.
I could feel organs in my body sloshing around as they began metamorphosing into something else.
I felt my heart turn into hearts. With an s. Plural!
"Heeeppp!" I screamed. I'd meant to say "help me" but my lips had sealed themselves shut.
Help me! I begged, to anyone who could hope to hear me.
I saw Cassie lurch over like she was about to faint. The others just stared, transfixed in horror.
Then Cassie began walking towards me.
"Ax? Ax!" She shouted. "Ax, don't panic. Just go with it." She coaxed me.
We all stared at her. Then I felt her take a hold of one of my multifingered hands.
"You'll be okay." She whispered. "You'll be okay." But it turned out Cassie spoke too soon.
Because at that moment we all heard cars parking outside the barn.
"Jake?" Cassie asked, still holding my mutated appendage, "Go see what it is."
Jake opened the barn door just a crack. Big enough for him to peek through undetected.
"It's some guy." Jake reported.
"Do you know him?" Rachel asked. Jake shook his head. "Never seen him before." He whispered.
Jake popped his head back inside the barn the split second I hit the ground.
Soon I realized that I was growing an extra set of legs. Cassie threw a hand over her mouth.
I could tell by the look on her face she was trying not to vomit.
Jake hit the dirt, hard, his eyes a reflection of sick disbelief.
"Oh." Rachel moaned. "Look at his head."
Having no idea what Rachel was talking about, I started feeling the top of my cranium.
Something had grown there. Two stalks of flexible skin were now perched on top of my head.
With eyes attached.
"What the hell are those?" One of the guys shouted. I think it was Marco.
Despite all the other choas running rampant through my body, I still had my ears and I could hear footsteps. Jake must've heard them as well because he whispered that we all had to shut up now.
He nodded over to Cassie and I. "Go hide." He whispered to me. "Cassie, go help him."
"All right." Cassie whispered as she took my hand and pulled me off the ground.
We ran off behind a few huge bales of hay.
"Ax, j-just close your eyes." Cassie instructed me.
"It's not gonna kill you, I remembered that. It just feels weird." She added.
That's an understatement. I thought as I closed all four of my eyes.
"You can talk in that body?" Cassie whispered.
If I could have, I would've told Cassie that no, there was without a doubt no way I could talk.
So why is she asking? I asked myself. But before I got an answer I shoved Cassie away.
I was growing a tail.
Someone began rapping on the barn doors. I heard them squeak as they opened, slow, to try and give me and Cassie some extra time. Which was good, since patches of fur started sprouting all over my body. Under normal circumstances that would've freaked me out, but after all the other changes I'd gone through, I didn't care if I turned into a damn Furby.
Then I heard Cassie's voice. "Ax?" She asked me. "Is it over?"
I knew what she meant. Whatever had been happening to me had stopped. It was over.
As best I could do in my new form, I nodded. Then I opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was Cassie staring at me like I was some kind of a ghost.
"Oh my god." Cassie gasped. "Ax, you, you look just like him." She said.
On pure instinct, I swiveled my stalk eyes down and looked down at the rest of my body.
I almost fainted.
I'd become the alien in my flashback. I'd become an Andalite.
Holy hell. I thought. Cassie gave me a quizzical look, but she didn't say anything.
Instead, Cassie walked out from behind the hay. I followed her as best I could.
Walking on four legs isn't easy. You've got more balance than you have with the normal two, but it's also pretty easy to forget to move the new legs you've acquired.
In particular, it was hard to walk with hooves. Hooves that would every few seconds suck up dirt, which I had the wonderful pleasure of tasting. It more or less tastes like you think it would.
But somehow I managed to trot, so to speak, over to the others.
They all had the same expression of pure disbelief that Cassie'd donned just a few seconds ago.
Then the barn doors swung open.
Seven pairs of eyes, counting my two new peepers, turned to see whom it was. What it was.
"Hey," It said. "Hope I'm not too late."
I just stared, shocked to the core. I tried pinching myself to see if I was dreaming.
An effort that was in vain. I knew that this was no dream.
"Who are you?" Jake asked. There was a dangerous look in his eyes. Like he might attack, if he needed to. I hoped that our visitor wouldn't be stupid enough to piss him off.
"You mean Ax didn't mention me? I'm crushed!" Our Visitor said, laughing, his voice sardonic.
"But since you asked, I'm Erek King. And you guys need to get out of here." Erek said.
Then he nodded over to the blue box lying by Tobias's backpack. "Might want to bring that."
"My car's by the back and I'll explain on the way." He added.
Jake looked to me and Erek. Suspicion danced in his eyes. "Where are you taking us?" He asked.
"Somewhere safe, Jake. Somewhere where they won't find you." Erek asked.
Jake bit his lip. Glanced at me again. "Why should I trust you?"
"Let me put it this way; do you have a choice?" Erek asked.
Jake's eyes swept the barn again and he sighed. Ran a hand through his hair. "No." He whispered.
Tobias picked up the blue box, stuffed into his backpack and swung it over his shoulder.
"Let's go." Erek said.
"Can't you speed up?"
"Can't you put on a seat belt?"
"You don't have any, Dad."
Rachel had grown antsy and was unleashing some of her frustration at Erek.
To be honest with you, I have no idea what her problem was. It's not like she was the one who kept falling down every time Erek hit a speed bump. I would've tried sitting down, but I found that to be next-to-impossible in my new body. So I had to hold onto the railing and pray that I wouldn't crash down onto the metal, which I had already done twice.
It'd taken Jake and Cassie three minutes to get me back into a standing position.
"Anyway, as I was saying before a certain blonde someone interrupted me, that blue box can give you the power to morph. To change into any animal that you touch." Erek said.
"You're serious?" Tobias asked. He was just about cradling his backpack in his hands.
"One-hundred percent." Erek said.
Then, "Oh, crap!" Erek's voice cried out. With an impressive wham, we all flew up in the air. Then we all came crashing back down on the hard steel of the truck.
"OW!"
"Sorry!" Erek shouted.
"That's gonna hurt in the morning." Marco groaned. "You're not trying to kill us, are you?"
"If I was, I'd have given you to that cop I almost hit." Erek replied.
"What cop?" Jake asked, alarmed. He and Cassie were trying their best to get me off the floor.
"Um, I think he was a redhead. I didn't get a good look." Erek muttered.
"But he's, like, way behind us now, right?" Jake asked. "Should be." Erek said.
Jake breathed a sigh of relief while I just wondered what the heck that was all about.
"Now, what about this blue box? It can turn you into animals?" Cassie asked.
"Well, yes. It's a piece of Andalite technology, by the way, not something they're born with."
Erek went on. "The Yeerks would do anything to get their hands that box. They'll even reveal the damn invasion if it will assure them the cube. Because if the Andalites have one real advantage in this war, it's the morphing power. But if the Yeerks got a hold of it..."
"Bye-bye Andalites?" Marco offered.
"Try, 'Bye-bye Earth.'" Erek said. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg."
Marco didn't say anything to that. Neither did the rest of us.
But what could we have said to finding out Tobias had one of the most dangerous weapons in the galaxy hidden in his backpack?
"Look on the bright side; the Yeerks don't have the box just yet. You do." Erek said.
"Whoop-de-doo." Marco said, rolling his eyes. Rachel elbowed him in his side.
"Shut up." She growled. Marco winked at her, a huge grin plastered on his face.
"Why don't you make me?" He asked.
This time, Rachel rolled her eyes. "You're revolting." She said, smiling.
"I think the word you're looking for is 'charming'." Marco told her.
"No, no, I'm pretty sure I meant revolting." Rachel assured him. Marco just shook his head.
"You're just having trouble adjusting to the fact that you can't resist my ruggish good looks."
"You mean your girly hair and that annoying smirk? Face reality, Marco." Rachel said.
"I am facing reality. It's you who's in denial." Marco said.
"Right. Tubs of denial for me." Rachel said, then she began inspecting the blue box with Tobias.
She was oblivious to the irritated, hurt look that passed over Marco's face. I wasn't.
We just listened to Erek after that. Listened as he explained all about the Yeerks, the invasion, and the weapon we now possessed.
It was 1:32 in the afternoon when Erek opened up the driver's door of the FedEx Truck.
He assured us that he was just going inside the house to check out a few things.
Looking back on it, I'm not sure why we trusted him at first. I suppose it was because we couldn't deny that what he was telling us was the truth. Sure, we could've said he was crazy.
But all six of us were incapable of lying to ourselves about Erek's words.
Plus, turning from high school boy to blue furry alien made you a little less eager to declare someone else nutso. Seeing it happen didn't help much, either.
Erek had left the six of us in the back of the truck with the box.
"How'd you get it?" Rachel asked Tobias. Even though she was too busy eyeing his carved cheek to notice, or care, about the box.
"I found it last night when I was, um, walking around." Tobias mumbled.
"Night? Isn't that, like, super-dangerous for punching bags like you?" Marco asked.
Rachel glared at him but Tobias didn't seem fazed. He shrugged. "It's not so bad." He said.
I could tell that Tobias wanted to get away from the topic. He didn't want the others to know what I already knew, even though Tobias had no clue about my knowledge.
I'd overheard Mrs. Smith and Tobias talking last night. I knew what had happened.
I had read in Tobias's profile that he lived with an uncle, a man named Rodney Thomas Avan.
Mr. Avan was best known for his numerous DUI's but he did have a history of random violence.
I guess it was never reported when that "random violence" was unleashed on Mr. Avan's nephew.
It made me feel sick inside.
Tobias was my only friend. It was no secret that the others, except maybe Cassie, didn't trust me.
Who could blame them?
Looking at the others, the obviousness of it hurt. I wasn't like them. I was different.
I'd wanted to be their friend but I'd blown that chance to smithereens the second I agreed to Chapman's proposition. Despite that, I'd hoped that maybe they could forgive me.
The truth was that I'd been hoping that maybe I'd found the people who would accept me.
I was an idiot. A naive idiot.
I've always been different, that's no secret. Normal people don't have the kind of intelligence I do, or an odd ability to tell time. They don't acquire athletic talents for no reason.
Normal people don't turn into aliens.
Tobias kept on talking. "When I picked it up, I remembered the Andalite using it."
"He made us--Jake, Rachel, Cassie, and Marco--place our hands on it. Then he did the same."
Tobias smiled. "I remember this funny tingle come over me. Then the flashback stopped."
"So it made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?" Jake said, an eyebrow raised.
Cassie had been staring at the box for a while. "The Andalite said it made you able to morph."
Morph. That was the word for what I'd done; for what Cassie had remembered doing.
Changing your body to that of any living animal, regardless of what planet it's from.
Well, I'm an Andalite, or at least in the form of one. I said. Perhaps I could use it.
I wasn't quite "speaking" in the usual sense. It was more like I was directing my thoughts to the others. I'd done it earlier, on instinct, without realizing. Hence Cassie's weird looks.
Rachel grinned. "I like the sound of that."
I turned all four of my eyes to Tobias. Could you give it to me? I asked.
Tobias did so. I would've smiled, if I'd had a mouth at the time.
As I placed my hand on one of the smooth edges of the box, I could feel it charging up.
Any volunteers? I asked.
Tobias was the first to put his hand on the box. Then Rachel, then Jake, then Cassie, then Marco.
FLASH!
Press your hand on the square nearest you, I said.
I passed the morphing power onto the others.
I didn't even give a second thought to my flashback. I just assumed I was remembering a similar, perhaps even the same, event. Was it not possible I was "The Andalite" everyone else remembered?
Cassie did say that I looked just like him, after all.
The next second the others all removed their hands from the cube.
"I say we try it out." Jake said.
Marco shook his head. "No. There is no way I'm going to do it until I see him," he pointed at me, "Turn back into a human. I'm not going to risk being a cockroach forever."
I felt like an utter idiot. It hadn't occurred to me that I could change back.
But could I? This change had been forced upon me, and I'd been an alien for an hour and a half.
Was there some sort of time limit? If so, had I exceeded it?
I don't know if I can do that. I admitted. Cassie put her hands on her hips and glared me down.
It was funny, how much she reminded me of Mrs. Smith when she did that.
"Why wouldn't you be able to?" She demanded. Cassie then stood next to me.
"What I remember was thinking about turning into a horse." She said. "I pictured the changes."
"Then, bit by bit, I was becoming the horse. It worked. So just picture turning back into yourself, Ax." Cassie then hugged me. "I believe in you." She whispered.
So then I started to think about it. I thought about losing the extra fingers, the blue fur, and the tail. I thought about the color of my hair and the shape of my nose.
I thought about it like I've never thought about anything in my life.
Then I felt the changes begin. My stalk eyes began to shrink and sink into my head.
Judging from the ill looks on the others' faces, it wasn't a pretty sight.
The blue fur began melting away. The tail re-entered my derriere.
I swung backwards, losing any control over my balance as my two extra legs began to shrivel up.
I felt someone grab me seconds before I hit the ground.
As my eyes, which were becoming blurrier by the second, locked onto said person I was shocked.
It was Marco.
Thanks. I said to him. He shrugged and let me go a moment later as I balanced again.
Which was a good thing, because it wasn't long after that I realized I was a lot less "covered" than I had been when I'd entered Cassie's barn. The next second girls turned away.
Jake and Marco politely fixed their eyes on the wall.
Tobias began rummaging through his backpack for clothes. I hoped he had a shirt that fit me.
As I found a few moments later, he did. When I was dressed again, I turned back to the others.
"We're gonna have to find something to do about that." Jake said. I nodded with utmost vigor.
Because, speaking for myself, I had no desire for the others to see me in the buff.
And I like to think the feeling was mutual.
Erek and the other Chee were going to keep us for the weekend. Most of them dropped by our houses.
I told one, a Chee who went by the name Maria, that there was no need to stop by Tobias's home.
With the cops already searching for him, there was no use in further arousing suspicion.
Besides that, I didn't want Rodney T. Avan to be able to find his nephew any time soon.
Erek arranged two rooms for us upstairs. One for the boys and another for the girls.
We also acquired dog morphs when Erek showed us the downstairs kennel.
I had acquired myself a mute gray mutt.
After dinner, the six of us hit the sack. Jake and I let Marco and Tobias take the beds, while we borrowed a couple of spare sleeping bags Erek had lying around.
It had been a hell of a day.
Aside from having my insides go out and back again, I was still trying to wrap my head around everything that Erek told us inside the truck. He told us all about The Sharing.
The Sharing, which you might know as a New-Age Boys and Girls Club, is a front for the Yeerks.
The Yeerks are parasitic slugs that force you into slavery the moment they crawl into your ear.
Anyone who tells you that they're a "full member" of The Sharing is a Controller.
Slave to the slug in their head. They could be anyone, too. The little kid down the street.
Or maybe your principal. Maybe the guy on the basketball team who's trying to be your friend.
Next to the Chee, there is no defense against the Yeerks.
And the Chee can't do much. They're just androids incapable of violence.
All that the Chee can do is infiltrate and play spy, which doesn't help much when there's no one to spy for.
"What will we do?" Jake's voice filled the room.
"Hnh?" Marco groaned.
"What are we going to do about the Yeerks?" Jake asked the three of us.
"What's with the 'we' stuff?" Marco asked Jake, his voice tinged with wariness.
"Aside from the Chee we're the only ones who know what's going on." Jake stated.
"The only ones who can do something." Tobias whispered.
"What? We're gonna morph fleas and itch 'em all to death?" Marco asked.
"Or we could morph rhinos and rip the place apart." I suggested.
"Like we're gonna get into the rhino exhibit at the zoo." Marco said.
"Cassie's parents own The Gardens, y'know." Jake said.
"Shut up." Marco told him. "We don't have to do a damn thing."
"You're right, Marco." Tobias said. "But you really want to leave Earth to the Yeerks?"
Marco didn't have anything to say to that.
This might sound odd, but I can't say that I blamed him. I knew the urge to save your own skin.
Or the urge to keep your skin saved for someone else's sake.
But Tobias had a point. We couldn't just sit by and let the world crumble, could we?
I didn't want to think about it. I just wanted some sleep.
I had no urge to explore the reasons behind my change. No urge to know what Erek must know about us. No urge to put the weight of the world on my shoulders.
But I did have one thing I wanted to do before I gave to sleep.
"Tobias?" I asked.
"Ax? What is it?" He whispered.
"I'm sorry about your uncle." I said, feeling like a jackass.
"How? Oh. You overheard, didn't you?" Tobias asked. "Yeah, I did." I admitted. "Sorry."
"It's okay. I just, just don't tell the others. I don't want them to know." Tobias told me.
"I won't. I promise." I said. I meant it.
"Thanks." Tobias whispered.
I heard him turn in the bed, away from me, as ready as I was to fall into the abyss.
"Good night, Tobias." I said.
"Good night, Ax."
Wunnit that sweet? Didn't this chap suck? (Reader's Response)
Siora - Why, no, Ax never turns into an Andalite. Never ever. =P Sorry 'bout the long chap wait!
Angelrain32515 - Glad you like the fic. =)
Lavenderangel - Look on the bright side, FFN posted ONE of your long reviews. And, no, Loren doesn't remember Tobias and I'm not certified to tell you if she ever will or if he'll live with her and Axy. Maybe it's 'cuz I'm usually getting ready for bed by now, but instant morphing = instant noodles in my head. And the next Rach chap should have enough R/T to tide you for a while. =) No spoilers! And sex junkmails suck, and hey, no problem about the other thing.
Ash - Glad you like the fic. And, gee, a lot of people seem to prefer Human!Ax to Andalite!Ax. And I'm gonna confess right here, right now, that I'm not all that sure how the plot's gonna pan out, either. Which isn't a good thing, is it? And, hey, who says Tobias's uncle didn't get bribed or something? And I think you're the first person to compliment my Marco, so yay! **hands over a plushie**
Freak Apple - Aha, traitorous copycatter person! Nah, I'm just kidding. Actually, it's kinda cool to see bits of this fic showing up in other stories -- like other people using "Branch" or "Jones" for last names. Copying my fic is a whole different deal, though. Grr to that. And no comments about whether Tobias will live with Loren and Ax. And I think Rach's mom was probably kidding about the "no dating 'til college" thing. And if she wasn't, you think that's gonna stop Rachel? And if you hate cliffies, maybe you should stop reading this fic, 'cuz I like ending my chaps on cliffies. My M/A fic had lots of cliffies, too. And you should definitely update THE HOSPITAL, 'cuz I like that one, even though Marco got an anal probe...which, um, is actually very nasty. Especially to a slash fan. I'm gonna shut up now.
DawnOfEast - Actually, this chap's rather tame. Next few chaps are when the madness really kicks in. Glad you liked the hand-holding scene.
DH - I'm gonna try and squeeze in "quality shorm time" soon. And I'm glad you liked the hand-holding scene, too. And Ax isn't even close to freaking out YET. **hides spoilers**
And, yes, Ax is a human nothlit in his "natural" form. Hence his time-tracking and b-ball ability.
SouthrnBelle - I'll get more R/T in very soon, promise ya. And David's gonna show up in Part Two of this fic, so don't worry about him. You're right about the Buffy/Faith/Rachel thing. Though I think David's more of a Faith than Rachel--or, well, Rachel's more like Redeemed!Faith and David's Crazy!Faith. David's also kinda Spike-like, too. But I'm gonna try and focus on Rachel's craziness without making her too crazy...
DJ Eagel **gasp** Read the other chapters, or else you'll get real bad confused, I promise! And the Tobias thing had to be done for plot's sake, unfortunately.
Loony Lovegood - Ha. Does this mean I surprised you? But, heehee, I'm waiting to see your face after some of the stuff that'll happen in the next few chaps. They'll knock your socks off, I hope. And Ax-freakage is commencing, though it won't go into full swing 'til Part Two. Let's just say he's got Identity Crisis From Hell waiting for him. 38 did kick ass. Sort of a pity Estrid didn't stick around, though. Not a fan of hers and Blueboy's romance, but I think an Andalite buddy woulda been good for Ax. Lisa Harkrader and Kim Morris are, I think, my fave ghosties. Their books rock. Sorry I haven't reviewed your fics yet, btw. I was trying to get this damn thing finished. No idea what's up with FFN's search, either.
Patrick Blah - Oh cool, a OLL fan AND an anirarepair person! YAAAY! Glad you liked Tom, the plot twist, and cliffie from hell.
freak show - Controlling your nerves might come in handy for the next few chaps, just so you know. Ax and the others probably will have nightmares for life. And as far as I know, Tobias has no pictures of Loren. And feel free to ask me your other question, if you remember it.
Dysphoria - You should review more. =P And after cranking out this chap, I'm convinced nothing'll keep me from finishing this fic except for my own health. And school, since it sucks.
And Dr. Ben Glory was chockfull 'o Buffy ref.