(A/N)Simply Sara, thanks for reviewing again. Prepare to be awed, because
this whole story is a fast-paced thriller. Nah, not really, I just needed
something to say. Now you will find out why I decided to rate this story PG-
13.
Written in the Stars
Chapter 6: When the Light Fails
Black, steel walls. I had been trapped behind them for five days. I hadn't slept and I hadn't eaten. But that was because Visser Three had denied me food and water until I gave him the information that he wanted. When I gave myself up to him I hadn't really intended to tell him anything. Now he was pushing me to the brink. When I had refused to tell him the first time around he had threatened to kill my grandparents. When I didn't speak he really did it. He killed them right in front of me. Both of my grandparents died in pools of their own blood. Just like my parents. When I refused the second time he killed both of my uncles, Jeff and Steve. Then my aunts, Kelly and Maggie. Now I was completely numb. I was waiting to die, all alone in a cold dark cell. Visser Three had wounded me in many places. I now had bloody gashes all over my arms and legs. I was slowly bleeding to death. I hadn't been able to stand up for three days now. The funny thing was that I no longer felt any pain. I could have easily morphed to save my skin but Visser Three said that if I even attempted to morph that he would kill my cousins. I had no doubt that he would, so here I lay, dying with no help to be had.
All I could think about now were those last few precious moments with Ax. It broke my heart to know that I would never be with him again. Never kiss him again.
Suddenly a door appeared silently in the wall and in walked Visser Three. Behind him came three Hork-Bajir with my cousins Joe, Mike, and Jim in tow.
{ Hello Stella. Maybe you are in a better mood today. I certainly hope so for their sake.}
"I ain't tellin you anything." I said stupidly as the cell door vanished.
{ I must say, you have certainly lasted much longer than even I expected. I expected you to give in after just one day. I have seen Andalite warriors far beyond your years and experience crack after just two days. }
"And that's- supposed to make me- happy." I grunted.
{ Actually you should take it as a complement. A weak, pathetic human child outlasting a full-grown Andalite war prince. It is unheard of. Now tell me where the Andalite bandits are hiding and I will spare the lives of these three human adolescents. }
I didn't answer. I only turned my face away from him to let him know that I still refused.
{ All right, fine! } Then he turned to the Hork-Bajir.
{ See to it! } he ordered.
All three of my cousins were panic-stricken.
" Stella what's going on?!" Joe asked me. His voiced cracked in fear.
I didn't explain to them as I had tried to explain to the rest of my family. They were being slaughtered because of me. Because I had to go and keep the location of the Animorphs a secret. I could very easily have saved them with a few simple words......and yet I knew that it would do no good. Visser Three would kill us all anyway. So I remained silent and watched while Visser Three destroyed the only life that I had ever known.
All of the Hork-Bajir pulled out their dracon beams and leveled them at my cousins' heads. At the last minute Mike realized what was happening and tried to break free. The Hork-Bajir that held him whacked him on the head and he went flying. Mike was dead before he even hit the ground. Meanwhile the other two Hork-Bajir held their weapons up to Jim and Joe's heads. I turned my face away as they pulled the triggers. I felt hot tears stream down my face as I heard their dying screams. When I looked down and saw the wet puddle of my tears on the floor beside me I noted with shock that they were as red as blood. The tears had mingled with the dried blood on my face and now they might as well have been blood.
{ Release the bodies into space. } Visser Three said coldly.
It was his final cruelty. To set the bodies of my cousins adrift in space without a proper burial. No one would ever even know that they had died. It was almost more than I could bear. He had done the exact same thing to my grandparents and aunts and uncles.
Two of the Hork-Bajir dragged away the bodies and one remained in the cell. Suddenly it jerked me off of the floor and brought me to face Visser Three. I tried to stand without the Hork-Bajir but I couldn't. It lifted me up again and Visser Three laughed cruelly at me. Then he stepped forward and punched me square in the jaw. After awhile I began to feel blood trickle out of my mouth. Then he raised his tail blade to my face. Before I could even blink he moved it to the side and I felt a sharp pain in my right wrist. Slowly I turned my head to the right and I saw that he had chopped off my hand at the wrist.
Normally I would have screamed my head of but now I no longer had the strength to cry out. I just let my head droop as fresh blood spurted from the wound. The only thing that I thought of was morphing. As I began the change to a falcon I heard Visser Three speak again.
{ I wouldn't do that if I were you. You still have two cousins remaining. } he sneered.
I gave up on the transformation and let my body go limp. Suddenly I was flying through the air. I smashed headlong into the wall. For a long while I lay where the Hork-Bajir had thrown me. The pain in my body was so great that for a moment I thought that I was already dead. But I was finally able to open my eyes again. I saw that the Hork-Bajir had gone and that it was just Visser Three and myself.
{ We seem to have a prime human specimen on our hands. Still alive after five days of this. It is simply amazing. Maybe you humans are a bit stronger than I gave you credit for. But not strong enough. Now, on to more important matters. } Having said this, Visser Three lowered his tail blade to my neck once more.
{ WHERE ARE THEY HIDING!!!? Either you divulge what I want or you won't ever get up again! }
I only shook my head in response. He would get no help from me. Visser Three sneered once more.
{ You cannot hold out forever. You are dying. I can see that much. But do not think that you can escape me by dying. We have ways of keeping you alive. Ways that you will not like. Do you really wish to go on living in such agony? }
No answer.
{ I will return tomorrow. Maybe by then you will have come to your senses. }With that he turned and left.
As I lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness, images floated to the surface of my mind. Claire, my parents, the other slaughtered members of my family. The first time I had met the Animorphs and learned the whole story. Seeing the Ellimist. Visser Three and his triumphant gloating when I surrendered to him. The first time that I had seen Ax. When I first morphed a female Andalite. When Ax told me that he loved me. When I had shown him the "proper" way to kiss a human. I remembered the warm, wonderful feeling of having his arms around me. To my growing pain I realized that I had never told him that I loved him back. I don't know when it happened but I truly did love this strange and wonderful alien that had suddenly come into my life. Once again I felt tears streaming down my face. The only reason that I wanted to go on living was so that I could at least see Ax one last time. But how could I live with myself knowing that innocent people had been killed because of me? My only dying comfort was that I had not given in. Ax and the others were still safe and hidden.
I had once heard Ax tell me that no one could possibly survive the tortures that Visser Three could inflict and still keep their silence. He was wrong. The torture that Visser Three could inflict was only for beings that had something to live for. Visser Three would get no information from me. I had nothing.
Only the sweet remembrance of Ax's touch.
* *
*
"Tobias, what are we going to do about Ax?" Jake asked me.
{ I don't know. He hasn't spoken since it happened. He hasn't done that ritual thing of his. I'm pretty sure he hasn't eaten either, or slept. }
"Well we have to get him back on his feet! We can't help Stella without him!" Rachel practically shouted.
{ Don't you think I know that Rachel? I've tried talking to him but he won't even look at me. I don't know what we're going to do with him. I've never seen him so helpless before. }
"Ax just feels guilty I think. He thinks that it's his fault that Stella was captured." Cassie speculated.
{ But Cassie, I've told you before she wasn't captured. She gave herself up to Visser Three. No fighting, no begging, no nothing. }
"There's guilt there too. Stella felt guilty because her family had been made into controllers and she believes that it was her fault."
"Not to sound critical or anything but it sort of was her fault. If she hadn't found the cube none of it would have happened." Marco noted.
"Marco!-" Rachel started to say.
"Not now you two. We've got to think of something. Stella's been a captive for five days now. Tobias, I think we should go try and talk to Ax again. We have to get through to him before it's too late." Jake said solemnly.
{ Right. } I replied. Then they all morphed into birds and I lead them out of Cassie's barn and back to the forest.
It had been nearly a week since that night up at the lake. After Visser Three had taken Stella onto the blade ship and taken off, Ax and I managed to escape. There hadn't been as many Hork-Bajir warriors as usual and there were hardly any humans or taxxons that night. The two of us bolted away through the forest. When we reached a safe distance Ax spoke.
{ Tobias.....she's gone. I.....I could not save her. } After that he fell silent and we continued to flee through the forest. Finally we reached Cassie's farm. I decided that it was best to tell the others what had happened rather than waiting until morning. I flew directly to Rachel's place and rapped on her window with my beak. At first she was a little upset at being woken up at that hour of the night. "A little" being the understatement of the year. But then I told her the whole story.
"And you guys didn't even bother to come and get us?" she asked me incredulously.
{ Ax said that there wasn't any time. }
"This is bad. We need to meet tomorrow."
{ I know. I'm about to go and tell the others. }
"I wouldn't recommend it Tobias. Not everyone is as nice as I am when it comes to being woken up in the middle of the night. I give the others a call tomorrow morning. Okay?"
{ All right. I only hope that tomorrow morning isn't too late. }
When I finally got back to Cassie's farm I saw that Ax had left. I didn't try to find him that night. The next day when I did find him in order to drag him to Cassie's barn for the meeting, I found him standing beside the stream. Only this morning he wasn't doing that whole ritual thing. He just stood there, staring blankly ahead. He didn't actually respond to me but he did finally move. He didn't race through the forest as usual. He just sort of stumbled around like he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Instead of meeting in the barn we met on the edge of the woods. Ax could not be coaxed into going any farther.
I explained the situation to Marco, Jake, and Cassie. Ax remained silent the whole time.
"Ax, don't you have anything to say about this?" Jake asked him after we had started making plans.
He didn't answer. Ax simply turned and walked back through the forest.
"Ax get back here!" Jake yelled after him. But he just kept going. "Your Prince commands you!"
I could tell that Jake felt really stupid saying that last part but there wasn't anything else that any of us could think of that would stop Ax.
It didn't work. Ax just kept going. He didn't answer Jake. He didn't even look back at us.
It had been that way for the past five days. I had tried talking to him but he didn't even seem to notice that I was there. He just stood by the stream, staring at nothing. His eyes seemed haunted, even dead, somehow.
Slowly we drew nearer to the spot where Ax stood.
* *
*
This was all my fault. Stella would die. Visser Three was ruthless. She would die and it would be all my fault.
These were the only thoughts that had crossed my mind for the past five days. After the blade ship disappeared into the night everything had become a blur. I remember Prince Jake calling out my name. I remember Tobias trying to speak to me but I could not really remember what he said. The only thing that I could remember were those final haunting words that Stella had spoken before Visser Three took her from me. That and the dream. I kept hearing Stella scream over and over again in my head. I heard Visser Three saying that she was dead and I heard myself denying it. It couldn't be true. But how could she still be alive? Stella had been gone for five days. If she hadn't succumbed to Visser Three by now then she must be dead.
Yet I went on denying it. Even though experience had taught me to accept, I just couldn't. Her death was inevitable the moment she surrendered. An Andalite not able to accept the inevitable, unable to accept death, was unheard of. This terrible, new reality was slowly destroying me.
Suddenly I realized that Prince Jake was standing right beside me.
"Ax, you have got to pull yourself together. Standing around isn't going to get Stella back. We can't take Visser Three alone. We need you." He said to me.
They needed me. Hah! What good was I if I couldn't even prevent Stella from walking willingly to her death?
{ If there's even the slightest chance that she's still alive, we've got to take advantage of that. } I heard Tobias saying.
Slowly I turned all four of my eyes in their direction. They didn't understand, none of them.
{ You are not still thinking that she is alive are you? } I asked bitterly.
"We can't just give up hope Ax." Cassie said.
Suddenly I rounded on them angrily.
{ Who do you think you are?! Don't you understand? There is no possible way that Stella can still be alive! Do you have any idea what Visser Three does with his prisoners?! Stella would be lucky just to be dead right now! }
"Whoa, Ax-man, chill. What's your problem?" Marco asked me.
Instead of answering I swiftly brought my tail blade up to Marco's throat.
"Aaaaaaarggh!"
"Ax what are you doing?" Rachel demanded.
{ My problem?! Right now you five are my problem! You mock my pain! You are nurturing false hope. She is on the Yeerk mother ship, thousands of miles from here. What do you suggest we do!? Stella is dead and you can die too for all I care! }
As soon as the words left me I felt horrible. How could I have said such things to my friends? I slowly lowered my tail blade from Marco's throat and backed away from them. They too, were backing away from me. They were right to be afraid of me. Finally I turned around and walked away from the stream.
Little did I suspect, I was being followed.
* *
*
While Jake, Marco, Rachel, and Tobias backed away from Ax I followed him further into the woods. I don't think he noticed that I was behind him. He must have been very distracted.
We had gone quite a long way before he even noticed that I was there.
{ Oh, Cassie. I did not realize that you were here. }
"Ax.....what's wrong? We're all afraid for Stella. Why are you letting this eat you alive?"
Ax hung his head in shame.
{ Stella is.........special to me. }
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
{ I.......I am in love with her Cassie. } he whispered brokenly.
"But...but you're both so young. How can you possibly know your own mind so well?"
{ Forgive me for saying so Cassie, but you and Prince Jake seem to know your own minds so well that you can make that decision. }
"Maybe what you're feeling is just a simple infatuation."
{ Don't you dare tell me I do not care about her! }
"I'm not saying that Ax but......never mind. Don't you have laws on your planet to abide by? Aren't those feelings somewhat...forbidden?"
{ That is true. But I find that I do not care. I would risk anything for her. }
"In that case help us come up with a rescue plan. You're the only one who can get us on to the mother ship. How can we do it?"
{ I'm not certain. We could try letting ourselves get captured again, but I do not think that it would do much good. Cassie, I am afraid. }
"I know. We all are."
{ No, you do not understand. Do you remember that song that played on the radio? Concrete Angel? }
"Yes, what about it?"
{ How does it end? }
His question confused me but I started to sing.
A statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgot
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete Angel.
{ What does it mean? }
"At the end of the song the girl it's talking about dies." I answered sadly.
{ The song reminds me of Stella. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. One of the last things that she did before she was taken was to scream. Somebody cries out in the middle of the night. I keep thinking that it is her that the song is referring to. I fear that the rest of the song may come true. }
"Ax don't talk that way."
{ But it is true. It would be a miracle if she is still alive. }
"Then we'll just have to hope for a miracle."
As I looked back at Ax I could tell that he wasn't accustomed to hoping for miracles. When I looked into his eyes I saw all the fear and doubt that he had experienced over the past few days. We were all afraid but I could tell that Ax had suffered much worse. I couldn't even fathom the anguish and guilt that he was feeling right now.
It was so strange to see him like this. Ax always seemed to have an answer for things. For the most part anyway. But now it was he who was lost. As I reflected on it I began to see the truth and the depth of his feelings. Being the only free Andalite on planet Earth had to be lonesome. I had always sensed that he was somehow lonely for companionship. Ever since Stella had joined us I had noticed a sort of lightening in his disposition. He didn't seem nearly as reserved as he had been when he first came to us. I had chosen to ignore it before, but now the signs were perfectly clear. Ax did love Stella. If she died he would be crushed.
"There has got to be something that we can do." I said in a frustrated voice.
{ It is not as simple as that. } he replied.
Suddenly I saw something up in the sky zip over our heads. Then I heard the sound of trees being ripped from the ground and I heard something huge crash to the ground.
"What was that!?"
{ I'm not sure. If I didn't know any better I would say that it was a bug fighter. }
Without wasting another word he shot off through the forest. I ran after him, towards the direction of the explosion.
When I reached the crash sight I was shocked by what I saw. It was indeed, a bug fighter. I was so shocked that I hardly noticed when the ramp of the craft appeared and a Hork-Bajir warrior stumbled out and collapsed. It was badly injured. Ax and I immediately rushed forward. Ax drew his tail blade down across the Hork-Bajir's throat.
{ Why are you here, Yeerk?! } Ax asked. The contempt in his voice was plain to be heard.
"I- I have been- sent by Visser Three. With a message for the Andalite bandits. Though it would seem- that not all of you are- Andalites. I was told- to get your attention by any means possible."
{ You have found us. What do you want? }
"I have come to tell you that- the human Stella- will be made into a controller. That is- unless- you agree to give yourselves up for her. Either way- Visser Three will have you. Whether he gets the information from the girl- or- if you turn yourselves in. You are all-"
Ax didn't allow him to finish. He drove his tail blade into the Hork- Bajir's throat.
"Why did you do that? He was helpless!" I cried out.
{ He was far from helpless. I have a feeling that this whole thing was a set up. This Hork-Bajir was ordered to crash the bug fighter. Visser Three knew that a downed bug fighter would get our attention. He knew that we would get the message. } Having said so he walked onto the bug fighter. I followed.
When I entered the fighter I saw taxxon gore covering the consoles. The taxxon pilot must have died on impact.
{ Notice how the fighter is not too badly damaged. If this had been a real crash the damage would be much worse. This ship is a calling card. He is daring us to come and try to rescue her. } He ran his hands tenderly over the controls.
"Ax you are not thinking of flying this to the Yeerk mother ship are you!?"
{ That is exactly what I am thinking of doing Cassie. There is no other way to get there.}
"But he will be expecting you. You'll never come back! It's a suicide mission!"
"All the more reason to do it." Rachel's voice came from outside of the ship.
I rushed outside and found the other four there.
"How did you all get here so fast?" I asked.
"We heard the crash and came to investigate. And of course it would lead to another mission." Marco answered sarcastically.
"What happened?" Jake asked, looking down at the beheaded Hork-Bajir.
"This thing crashed here and the Hork-Bajir controller came out and told us that Stella was going to be made into a controller if we didn't give ourselves up. Then Ax killed him. Only Ax thinks that this whole crash was a set up."
"Duh. Of course it's a set up. Visser Three is up there waiting for us." Marco put in.
"It's obviously a trap, but if we don't go what's to keep Visser Three from putting a Yeerk slug in Stella's ear and getting the information that way?" Rachel shot back.
"Why do we have to rush into this?" Marco asked her.
Rachel started to say something but at that moment Ax strode out of the fighter and broke her off.
{ Because if we don't Visser Three will find us and Stella will be worse than dead. } he answered calmly.
{ But Ax-man, how exactly do we go about defeating an entire army of controllers? } Tobias asked him.
{ I do not care. But I will say this. No matter what the outcome of your vote is, I must go. I have to help her. }
"And I'm going with you." Rachel said boldly.
{ My vote doesn't really count. I guess I have to sit this one out. } Tobias said dejectedly.
"I vote that-" Marco started to say.
"We know what you vote Marco. What about you Cassie?" Rachel interrupted him.
"I vote we go right now. If we wait too long then Visser Three will find us." I said with more conviction than I felt.
"I vote that we go, but not now. We can't just take off into outer space. We should at least wait until tomorrow morning." Jake said.
"I'd vote no, but once again I would be the only one. So lets go for it." Marco voted.
"You know, that sounds strange coming from you Marco." Rachel laughed.
"In that case, we'll do it tomorrow."
{ We cannot wait too long Prince Jake. }
"Don't call me prince. By the way, do you think that you could do any repairs that need to be done on this thing?" Jake asked, indicating the bug fighter.
{ I can check the ship out and if anything needs to be done I will do it. But I will not wait long. Every minute that we waste is another minute that Visser Three could be using to infest Stella. }
* *
*
{ Release the body into space. } I heard Visser Three tell his Hork-Bajir guards. My cousin Ella was dead.
{ Now all that remains is the little one. The human hatchling. }
I don't know why but for some reason his mention of killing Gwyn struck me deeper than any of the others had.
"No, please. Leave her alone. It's me you want, not her." I begged him. He only laughed at me. I tried to stand, but to no avail. I tried to lash out with my remaining hand but he quickly stepped out of the way.
{ My, my, my. Aren't we feisty this morning. } Visser Three mocked me. { Anyway, it doesn't really matter. You will soon be a controller. }
"What!" I asked, shocked.
{ If you will not voluntarily give me the location of the Andalite bandits then I shall have to have you infested and have one of my lieutenants pull the information out of you.}
This news sent me into even deeper despair. Now I couldn't die and Gwyn would be killed. The others would be discovered because of me.
{ I have sent a message to your Andalite friends. I highly doubt that they will come for you though. An individual life doesn't matter to those meddlesome do-gooders. But then again, I also doubt that would wish for you to be infested. Then I would find them anyway. Oh dear, what a predicament. }
He didn't know them like I did. The others would come after me. I was leading them into greater danger. I was such a fool!
{ They have until noon of this day. I'll be seeing you later on this afternoon. But in the meantime I will leave you to these "happy" thoughts. } Visser Three laughed once more and then he walked out of the room.
A controller? A host for some slimy Yeerk? I couldn't even conceive a fate worse than that. It was far worse than death. I would be a slave inside my own head. I was now doomed to the emptiest sort of life possible. I could have morphed and taken my own life but then he would kill Gwyn. While I lived there was still a chance that the Animorphs would come and save her. I couldn't give up yet. I wanted to fight but I was weary and empty. All the fight had left me a long time ago. I just lay there, crying my tears of blood and waiting for the end.
As my mind drifted into darkness I saw Ax in my mind's eye once again. I could almost hear him whispering those same words of love that he had spoken that night that now seemed a lifetime ago.
* *
*
{ We are approaching the docking bay now Prince Jake. } I told the others as we drew closer to the Yeerk mother ship.
"Guys, are we sure that we want to go through with this? I mean, we almost died on that ship and now we have to go and fight Visser Three on his own turf." I heard Marco saying.
"Ax, Aren't the Yeerks going to know that it's us?" Cassie asked me.
{ Most likely , but there is always the chance that they will not. We must take advantage of that. }
"Oh thank you Ax. I feel so much better now." Marco said.
{ Actually I do have a plan of some sort. The docking bay is never to busy. There is the possibility that I might be able to acquire a Hork-Bajir controller and dispatch him before anyone notices. }
"That's terrible." Cassie cried out.
{ True but it is necessary if we wish to pass through the ship undetected. }
"And what are we supposed to be doing?" Rachel asked.
{ You all will morph bugs. That way we will be less conspicuous. }
"Fun." Marco said. At the same time that he said this a pained look crossed his face.
"All right Ax. If you're sure that this can work." Prince Jake said.
{ I am not certain that it will work Prince Jake, but at the moment we seem to have run out of options. }
"Don't call me prince."
{ Yes Prince Jake. }
He just sighed.
Finally we docked and the others began to morph bugs. I activated the ramp and cautiously poked my head out of the exit. As I had suspected, it wasn't very busy. Most of the controllers would be working at the bridge or the launch bay. There were only a handful of Gedds and Taxxons. There were no humans in this particular area and, luckily for me, there was but one Hork-Bajir warrior in the docking bay at the time.
As he walked by I slid down the ramp and placed my hand on his back before he could even react. As I acquired his DNA He became calm, but it was only temporary. The second I removed my hand from the Hork-Bajir I rammed him in the head with the flat side of my tail blade. He slumped to the ground without a sound. I quickly kicked him out of sight beneath a row of bug fighters. I morphed the Hork-Bajir as fast as I could. As far as I could tell, no one had seen the scuffle. It had been fairly quick and out of sight.
The Hork-Bajir mind then surfaced beneath my own. It wasn't really all that overwhelming. The Hork-Bajir had been simple, peaceful people before the Yeerks took them over. The creature actually seemed somewhat dull- witted.
Then I walked back aboard the bug fighter.
"Is everyone ready?" I asked them.
{ Ax, watch where you're stepping man. You almost got me that time. } Marco said.
"What have you all morphed?"
{ Marco and I are fleas and the girls are flies. } I heard prince Jake saying.
When I looked up I saw two flies buzzing around the ceiling. The two of them quickly landed on my shoulders.
"Prince Jake, where are you and Marco now?" I asked them.
{ No worries Ax, I'm already on you. } Marco answered.
{ Same here. } Prince Jake said.
{Lets do it! } Rachel said.
With that I headed back out of the fighter and left the docking bay. I had a vague memory of where the detention cells were so I headed in that direction.
{ Um......Ax, do you have any idea where we're going? } Cassie asked me.
"I think I might. No more talking now, all right. It will look strange if they see a Hork-Bajir talking to himself." I told them.
{ Right. } they all said at the same time.
Slowly I walked through the corridors of the ship. The need to find Stella growing stronger in me with every passing second. Finally I started to recognize the black steel of the Yeerk prison cells.
"Which one is Stella's?" I asked myself.
{ We'll just have to search them all. } Prince Jake announced.
After I had been searching the detention block for nearly an hour I started to lose confidence. When suddenly I heard a scream from the end of the corridor that I was currently walking through.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"
"Stella!" I whispered fearfully.
"You all should hop off now and demorph." I said with much more control than I felt.
{ Yeah, we need some more fire power! } Rachel said as she took off with Cassie by her side.
{ Jumping off. } I heard Marco and Prince Jake call out.
I immediately raced down the hall as best as I could in the clumsy Hork- Bajir body. The desire for revenge burned strongly within me.
I finally reached the end of the hallway and the cell door opened before me. The sight that awaited me on the other side of the door nearly made me sick with fear.
There was one other Hork-Bajir in the cell. He held a crying human child in his arms. But that is not what scared me. Stella lay on the floor of the cell, writhing and twitching like mad. Visser Three stood over her, laughing maniacally. Worst of all was the fact that I could see the bottom half of a foul Yeerk slug slithering into her ear.
"NOOOO!!!" I cried out. We were too late.
* *
*
(A/N) Okay, I know that the whole bug fighter thing was really stupid but I couldn't think of any other way to get them up there. I also know that none of the Animorphs acquire a Hork-Bajir for quite some time. So don't bother to tell me that in your review if you noticed it. But if you have something constructive please say it.
Written in the Stars
Chapter 6: When the Light Fails
Black, steel walls. I had been trapped behind them for five days. I hadn't slept and I hadn't eaten. But that was because Visser Three had denied me food and water until I gave him the information that he wanted. When I gave myself up to him I hadn't really intended to tell him anything. Now he was pushing me to the brink. When I had refused to tell him the first time around he had threatened to kill my grandparents. When I didn't speak he really did it. He killed them right in front of me. Both of my grandparents died in pools of their own blood. Just like my parents. When I refused the second time he killed both of my uncles, Jeff and Steve. Then my aunts, Kelly and Maggie. Now I was completely numb. I was waiting to die, all alone in a cold dark cell. Visser Three had wounded me in many places. I now had bloody gashes all over my arms and legs. I was slowly bleeding to death. I hadn't been able to stand up for three days now. The funny thing was that I no longer felt any pain. I could have easily morphed to save my skin but Visser Three said that if I even attempted to morph that he would kill my cousins. I had no doubt that he would, so here I lay, dying with no help to be had.
All I could think about now were those last few precious moments with Ax. It broke my heart to know that I would never be with him again. Never kiss him again.
Suddenly a door appeared silently in the wall and in walked Visser Three. Behind him came three Hork-Bajir with my cousins Joe, Mike, and Jim in tow.
{ Hello Stella. Maybe you are in a better mood today. I certainly hope so for their sake.}
"I ain't tellin you anything." I said stupidly as the cell door vanished.
{ I must say, you have certainly lasted much longer than even I expected. I expected you to give in after just one day. I have seen Andalite warriors far beyond your years and experience crack after just two days. }
"And that's- supposed to make me- happy." I grunted.
{ Actually you should take it as a complement. A weak, pathetic human child outlasting a full-grown Andalite war prince. It is unheard of. Now tell me where the Andalite bandits are hiding and I will spare the lives of these three human adolescents. }
I didn't answer. I only turned my face away from him to let him know that I still refused.
{ All right, fine! } Then he turned to the Hork-Bajir.
{ See to it! } he ordered.
All three of my cousins were panic-stricken.
" Stella what's going on?!" Joe asked me. His voiced cracked in fear.
I didn't explain to them as I had tried to explain to the rest of my family. They were being slaughtered because of me. Because I had to go and keep the location of the Animorphs a secret. I could very easily have saved them with a few simple words......and yet I knew that it would do no good. Visser Three would kill us all anyway. So I remained silent and watched while Visser Three destroyed the only life that I had ever known.
All of the Hork-Bajir pulled out their dracon beams and leveled them at my cousins' heads. At the last minute Mike realized what was happening and tried to break free. The Hork-Bajir that held him whacked him on the head and he went flying. Mike was dead before he even hit the ground. Meanwhile the other two Hork-Bajir held their weapons up to Jim and Joe's heads. I turned my face away as they pulled the triggers. I felt hot tears stream down my face as I heard their dying screams. When I looked down and saw the wet puddle of my tears on the floor beside me I noted with shock that they were as red as blood. The tears had mingled with the dried blood on my face and now they might as well have been blood.
{ Release the bodies into space. } Visser Three said coldly.
It was his final cruelty. To set the bodies of my cousins adrift in space without a proper burial. No one would ever even know that they had died. It was almost more than I could bear. He had done the exact same thing to my grandparents and aunts and uncles.
Two of the Hork-Bajir dragged away the bodies and one remained in the cell. Suddenly it jerked me off of the floor and brought me to face Visser Three. I tried to stand without the Hork-Bajir but I couldn't. It lifted me up again and Visser Three laughed cruelly at me. Then he stepped forward and punched me square in the jaw. After awhile I began to feel blood trickle out of my mouth. Then he raised his tail blade to my face. Before I could even blink he moved it to the side and I felt a sharp pain in my right wrist. Slowly I turned my head to the right and I saw that he had chopped off my hand at the wrist.
Normally I would have screamed my head of but now I no longer had the strength to cry out. I just let my head droop as fresh blood spurted from the wound. The only thing that I thought of was morphing. As I began the change to a falcon I heard Visser Three speak again.
{ I wouldn't do that if I were you. You still have two cousins remaining. } he sneered.
I gave up on the transformation and let my body go limp. Suddenly I was flying through the air. I smashed headlong into the wall. For a long while I lay where the Hork-Bajir had thrown me. The pain in my body was so great that for a moment I thought that I was already dead. But I was finally able to open my eyes again. I saw that the Hork-Bajir had gone and that it was just Visser Three and myself.
{ We seem to have a prime human specimen on our hands. Still alive after five days of this. It is simply amazing. Maybe you humans are a bit stronger than I gave you credit for. But not strong enough. Now, on to more important matters. } Having said this, Visser Three lowered his tail blade to my neck once more.
{ WHERE ARE THEY HIDING!!!? Either you divulge what I want or you won't ever get up again! }
I only shook my head in response. He would get no help from me. Visser Three sneered once more.
{ You cannot hold out forever. You are dying. I can see that much. But do not think that you can escape me by dying. We have ways of keeping you alive. Ways that you will not like. Do you really wish to go on living in such agony? }
No answer.
{ I will return tomorrow. Maybe by then you will have come to your senses. }With that he turned and left.
As I lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness, images floated to the surface of my mind. Claire, my parents, the other slaughtered members of my family. The first time I had met the Animorphs and learned the whole story. Seeing the Ellimist. Visser Three and his triumphant gloating when I surrendered to him. The first time that I had seen Ax. When I first morphed a female Andalite. When Ax told me that he loved me. When I had shown him the "proper" way to kiss a human. I remembered the warm, wonderful feeling of having his arms around me. To my growing pain I realized that I had never told him that I loved him back. I don't know when it happened but I truly did love this strange and wonderful alien that had suddenly come into my life. Once again I felt tears streaming down my face. The only reason that I wanted to go on living was so that I could at least see Ax one last time. But how could I live with myself knowing that innocent people had been killed because of me? My only dying comfort was that I had not given in. Ax and the others were still safe and hidden.
I had once heard Ax tell me that no one could possibly survive the tortures that Visser Three could inflict and still keep their silence. He was wrong. The torture that Visser Three could inflict was only for beings that had something to live for. Visser Three would get no information from me. I had nothing.
Only the sweet remembrance of Ax's touch.
* *
*
"Tobias, what are we going to do about Ax?" Jake asked me.
{ I don't know. He hasn't spoken since it happened. He hasn't done that ritual thing of his. I'm pretty sure he hasn't eaten either, or slept. }
"Well we have to get him back on his feet! We can't help Stella without him!" Rachel practically shouted.
{ Don't you think I know that Rachel? I've tried talking to him but he won't even look at me. I don't know what we're going to do with him. I've never seen him so helpless before. }
"Ax just feels guilty I think. He thinks that it's his fault that Stella was captured." Cassie speculated.
{ But Cassie, I've told you before she wasn't captured. She gave herself up to Visser Three. No fighting, no begging, no nothing. }
"There's guilt there too. Stella felt guilty because her family had been made into controllers and she believes that it was her fault."
"Not to sound critical or anything but it sort of was her fault. If she hadn't found the cube none of it would have happened." Marco noted.
"Marco!-" Rachel started to say.
"Not now you two. We've got to think of something. Stella's been a captive for five days now. Tobias, I think we should go try and talk to Ax again. We have to get through to him before it's too late." Jake said solemnly.
{ Right. } I replied. Then they all morphed into birds and I lead them out of Cassie's barn and back to the forest.
It had been nearly a week since that night up at the lake. After Visser Three had taken Stella onto the blade ship and taken off, Ax and I managed to escape. There hadn't been as many Hork-Bajir warriors as usual and there were hardly any humans or taxxons that night. The two of us bolted away through the forest. When we reached a safe distance Ax spoke.
{ Tobias.....she's gone. I.....I could not save her. } After that he fell silent and we continued to flee through the forest. Finally we reached Cassie's farm. I decided that it was best to tell the others what had happened rather than waiting until morning. I flew directly to Rachel's place and rapped on her window with my beak. At first she was a little upset at being woken up at that hour of the night. "A little" being the understatement of the year. But then I told her the whole story.
"And you guys didn't even bother to come and get us?" she asked me incredulously.
{ Ax said that there wasn't any time. }
"This is bad. We need to meet tomorrow."
{ I know. I'm about to go and tell the others. }
"I wouldn't recommend it Tobias. Not everyone is as nice as I am when it comes to being woken up in the middle of the night. I give the others a call tomorrow morning. Okay?"
{ All right. I only hope that tomorrow morning isn't too late. }
When I finally got back to Cassie's farm I saw that Ax had left. I didn't try to find him that night. The next day when I did find him in order to drag him to Cassie's barn for the meeting, I found him standing beside the stream. Only this morning he wasn't doing that whole ritual thing. He just stood there, staring blankly ahead. He didn't actually respond to me but he did finally move. He didn't race through the forest as usual. He just sort of stumbled around like he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Instead of meeting in the barn we met on the edge of the woods. Ax could not be coaxed into going any farther.
I explained the situation to Marco, Jake, and Cassie. Ax remained silent the whole time.
"Ax, don't you have anything to say about this?" Jake asked him after we had started making plans.
He didn't answer. Ax simply turned and walked back through the forest.
"Ax get back here!" Jake yelled after him. But he just kept going. "Your Prince commands you!"
I could tell that Jake felt really stupid saying that last part but there wasn't anything else that any of us could think of that would stop Ax.
It didn't work. Ax just kept going. He didn't answer Jake. He didn't even look back at us.
It had been that way for the past five days. I had tried talking to him but he didn't even seem to notice that I was there. He just stood by the stream, staring at nothing. His eyes seemed haunted, even dead, somehow.
Slowly we drew nearer to the spot where Ax stood.
* *
*
This was all my fault. Stella would die. Visser Three was ruthless. She would die and it would be all my fault.
These were the only thoughts that had crossed my mind for the past five days. After the blade ship disappeared into the night everything had become a blur. I remember Prince Jake calling out my name. I remember Tobias trying to speak to me but I could not really remember what he said. The only thing that I could remember were those final haunting words that Stella had spoken before Visser Three took her from me. That and the dream. I kept hearing Stella scream over and over again in my head. I heard Visser Three saying that she was dead and I heard myself denying it. It couldn't be true. But how could she still be alive? Stella had been gone for five days. If she hadn't succumbed to Visser Three by now then she must be dead.
Yet I went on denying it. Even though experience had taught me to accept, I just couldn't. Her death was inevitable the moment she surrendered. An Andalite not able to accept the inevitable, unable to accept death, was unheard of. This terrible, new reality was slowly destroying me.
Suddenly I realized that Prince Jake was standing right beside me.
"Ax, you have got to pull yourself together. Standing around isn't going to get Stella back. We can't take Visser Three alone. We need you." He said to me.
They needed me. Hah! What good was I if I couldn't even prevent Stella from walking willingly to her death?
{ If there's even the slightest chance that she's still alive, we've got to take advantage of that. } I heard Tobias saying.
Slowly I turned all four of my eyes in their direction. They didn't understand, none of them.
{ You are not still thinking that she is alive are you? } I asked bitterly.
"We can't just give up hope Ax." Cassie said.
Suddenly I rounded on them angrily.
{ Who do you think you are?! Don't you understand? There is no possible way that Stella can still be alive! Do you have any idea what Visser Three does with his prisoners?! Stella would be lucky just to be dead right now! }
"Whoa, Ax-man, chill. What's your problem?" Marco asked me.
Instead of answering I swiftly brought my tail blade up to Marco's throat.
"Aaaaaaarggh!"
"Ax what are you doing?" Rachel demanded.
{ My problem?! Right now you five are my problem! You mock my pain! You are nurturing false hope. She is on the Yeerk mother ship, thousands of miles from here. What do you suggest we do!? Stella is dead and you can die too for all I care! }
As soon as the words left me I felt horrible. How could I have said such things to my friends? I slowly lowered my tail blade from Marco's throat and backed away from them. They too, were backing away from me. They were right to be afraid of me. Finally I turned around and walked away from the stream.
Little did I suspect, I was being followed.
* *
*
While Jake, Marco, Rachel, and Tobias backed away from Ax I followed him further into the woods. I don't think he noticed that I was behind him. He must have been very distracted.
We had gone quite a long way before he even noticed that I was there.
{ Oh, Cassie. I did not realize that you were here. }
"Ax.....what's wrong? We're all afraid for Stella. Why are you letting this eat you alive?"
Ax hung his head in shame.
{ Stella is.........special to me. }
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
{ I.......I am in love with her Cassie. } he whispered brokenly.
"But...but you're both so young. How can you possibly know your own mind so well?"
{ Forgive me for saying so Cassie, but you and Prince Jake seem to know your own minds so well that you can make that decision. }
"Maybe what you're feeling is just a simple infatuation."
{ Don't you dare tell me I do not care about her! }
"I'm not saying that Ax but......never mind. Don't you have laws on your planet to abide by? Aren't those feelings somewhat...forbidden?"
{ That is true. But I find that I do not care. I would risk anything for her. }
"In that case help us come up with a rescue plan. You're the only one who can get us on to the mother ship. How can we do it?"
{ I'm not certain. We could try letting ourselves get captured again, but I do not think that it would do much good. Cassie, I am afraid. }
"I know. We all are."
{ No, you do not understand. Do you remember that song that played on the radio? Concrete Angel? }
"Yes, what about it?"
{ How does it end? }
His question confused me but I started to sing.
A statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgot
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete Angel.
{ What does it mean? }
"At the end of the song the girl it's talking about dies." I answered sadly.
{ The song reminds me of Stella. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. One of the last things that she did before she was taken was to scream. Somebody cries out in the middle of the night. I keep thinking that it is her that the song is referring to. I fear that the rest of the song may come true. }
"Ax don't talk that way."
{ But it is true. It would be a miracle if she is still alive. }
"Then we'll just have to hope for a miracle."
As I looked back at Ax I could tell that he wasn't accustomed to hoping for miracles. When I looked into his eyes I saw all the fear and doubt that he had experienced over the past few days. We were all afraid but I could tell that Ax had suffered much worse. I couldn't even fathom the anguish and guilt that he was feeling right now.
It was so strange to see him like this. Ax always seemed to have an answer for things. For the most part anyway. But now it was he who was lost. As I reflected on it I began to see the truth and the depth of his feelings. Being the only free Andalite on planet Earth had to be lonesome. I had always sensed that he was somehow lonely for companionship. Ever since Stella had joined us I had noticed a sort of lightening in his disposition. He didn't seem nearly as reserved as he had been when he first came to us. I had chosen to ignore it before, but now the signs were perfectly clear. Ax did love Stella. If she died he would be crushed.
"There has got to be something that we can do." I said in a frustrated voice.
{ It is not as simple as that. } he replied.
Suddenly I saw something up in the sky zip over our heads. Then I heard the sound of trees being ripped from the ground and I heard something huge crash to the ground.
"What was that!?"
{ I'm not sure. If I didn't know any better I would say that it was a bug fighter. }
Without wasting another word he shot off through the forest. I ran after him, towards the direction of the explosion.
When I reached the crash sight I was shocked by what I saw. It was indeed, a bug fighter. I was so shocked that I hardly noticed when the ramp of the craft appeared and a Hork-Bajir warrior stumbled out and collapsed. It was badly injured. Ax and I immediately rushed forward. Ax drew his tail blade down across the Hork-Bajir's throat.
{ Why are you here, Yeerk?! } Ax asked. The contempt in his voice was plain to be heard.
"I- I have been- sent by Visser Three. With a message for the Andalite bandits. Though it would seem- that not all of you are- Andalites. I was told- to get your attention by any means possible."
{ You have found us. What do you want? }
"I have come to tell you that- the human Stella- will be made into a controller. That is- unless- you agree to give yourselves up for her. Either way- Visser Three will have you. Whether he gets the information from the girl- or- if you turn yourselves in. You are all-"
Ax didn't allow him to finish. He drove his tail blade into the Hork- Bajir's throat.
"Why did you do that? He was helpless!" I cried out.
{ He was far from helpless. I have a feeling that this whole thing was a set up. This Hork-Bajir was ordered to crash the bug fighter. Visser Three knew that a downed bug fighter would get our attention. He knew that we would get the message. } Having said so he walked onto the bug fighter. I followed.
When I entered the fighter I saw taxxon gore covering the consoles. The taxxon pilot must have died on impact.
{ Notice how the fighter is not too badly damaged. If this had been a real crash the damage would be much worse. This ship is a calling card. He is daring us to come and try to rescue her. } He ran his hands tenderly over the controls.
"Ax you are not thinking of flying this to the Yeerk mother ship are you!?"
{ That is exactly what I am thinking of doing Cassie. There is no other way to get there.}
"But he will be expecting you. You'll never come back! It's a suicide mission!"
"All the more reason to do it." Rachel's voice came from outside of the ship.
I rushed outside and found the other four there.
"How did you all get here so fast?" I asked.
"We heard the crash and came to investigate. And of course it would lead to another mission." Marco answered sarcastically.
"What happened?" Jake asked, looking down at the beheaded Hork-Bajir.
"This thing crashed here and the Hork-Bajir controller came out and told us that Stella was going to be made into a controller if we didn't give ourselves up. Then Ax killed him. Only Ax thinks that this whole crash was a set up."
"Duh. Of course it's a set up. Visser Three is up there waiting for us." Marco put in.
"It's obviously a trap, but if we don't go what's to keep Visser Three from putting a Yeerk slug in Stella's ear and getting the information that way?" Rachel shot back.
"Why do we have to rush into this?" Marco asked her.
Rachel started to say something but at that moment Ax strode out of the fighter and broke her off.
{ Because if we don't Visser Three will find us and Stella will be worse than dead. } he answered calmly.
{ But Ax-man, how exactly do we go about defeating an entire army of controllers? } Tobias asked him.
{ I do not care. But I will say this. No matter what the outcome of your vote is, I must go. I have to help her. }
"And I'm going with you." Rachel said boldly.
{ My vote doesn't really count. I guess I have to sit this one out. } Tobias said dejectedly.
"I vote that-" Marco started to say.
"We know what you vote Marco. What about you Cassie?" Rachel interrupted him.
"I vote we go right now. If we wait too long then Visser Three will find us." I said with more conviction than I felt.
"I vote that we go, but not now. We can't just take off into outer space. We should at least wait until tomorrow morning." Jake said.
"I'd vote no, but once again I would be the only one. So lets go for it." Marco voted.
"You know, that sounds strange coming from you Marco." Rachel laughed.
"In that case, we'll do it tomorrow."
{ We cannot wait too long Prince Jake. }
"Don't call me prince. By the way, do you think that you could do any repairs that need to be done on this thing?" Jake asked, indicating the bug fighter.
{ I can check the ship out and if anything needs to be done I will do it. But I will not wait long. Every minute that we waste is another minute that Visser Three could be using to infest Stella. }
* *
*
{ Release the body into space. } I heard Visser Three tell his Hork-Bajir guards. My cousin Ella was dead.
{ Now all that remains is the little one. The human hatchling. }
I don't know why but for some reason his mention of killing Gwyn struck me deeper than any of the others had.
"No, please. Leave her alone. It's me you want, not her." I begged him. He only laughed at me. I tried to stand, but to no avail. I tried to lash out with my remaining hand but he quickly stepped out of the way.
{ My, my, my. Aren't we feisty this morning. } Visser Three mocked me. { Anyway, it doesn't really matter. You will soon be a controller. }
"What!" I asked, shocked.
{ If you will not voluntarily give me the location of the Andalite bandits then I shall have to have you infested and have one of my lieutenants pull the information out of you.}
This news sent me into even deeper despair. Now I couldn't die and Gwyn would be killed. The others would be discovered because of me.
{ I have sent a message to your Andalite friends. I highly doubt that they will come for you though. An individual life doesn't matter to those meddlesome do-gooders. But then again, I also doubt that would wish for you to be infested. Then I would find them anyway. Oh dear, what a predicament. }
He didn't know them like I did. The others would come after me. I was leading them into greater danger. I was such a fool!
{ They have until noon of this day. I'll be seeing you later on this afternoon. But in the meantime I will leave you to these "happy" thoughts. } Visser Three laughed once more and then he walked out of the room.
A controller? A host for some slimy Yeerk? I couldn't even conceive a fate worse than that. It was far worse than death. I would be a slave inside my own head. I was now doomed to the emptiest sort of life possible. I could have morphed and taken my own life but then he would kill Gwyn. While I lived there was still a chance that the Animorphs would come and save her. I couldn't give up yet. I wanted to fight but I was weary and empty. All the fight had left me a long time ago. I just lay there, crying my tears of blood and waiting for the end.
As my mind drifted into darkness I saw Ax in my mind's eye once again. I could almost hear him whispering those same words of love that he had spoken that night that now seemed a lifetime ago.
* *
*
{ We are approaching the docking bay now Prince Jake. } I told the others as we drew closer to the Yeerk mother ship.
"Guys, are we sure that we want to go through with this? I mean, we almost died on that ship and now we have to go and fight Visser Three on his own turf." I heard Marco saying.
"Ax, Aren't the Yeerks going to know that it's us?" Cassie asked me.
{ Most likely , but there is always the chance that they will not. We must take advantage of that. }
"Oh thank you Ax. I feel so much better now." Marco said.
{ Actually I do have a plan of some sort. The docking bay is never to busy. There is the possibility that I might be able to acquire a Hork-Bajir controller and dispatch him before anyone notices. }
"That's terrible." Cassie cried out.
{ True but it is necessary if we wish to pass through the ship undetected. }
"And what are we supposed to be doing?" Rachel asked.
{ You all will morph bugs. That way we will be less conspicuous. }
"Fun." Marco said. At the same time that he said this a pained look crossed his face.
"All right Ax. If you're sure that this can work." Prince Jake said.
{ I am not certain that it will work Prince Jake, but at the moment we seem to have run out of options. }
"Don't call me prince."
{ Yes Prince Jake. }
He just sighed.
Finally we docked and the others began to morph bugs. I activated the ramp and cautiously poked my head out of the exit. As I had suspected, it wasn't very busy. Most of the controllers would be working at the bridge or the launch bay. There were only a handful of Gedds and Taxxons. There were no humans in this particular area and, luckily for me, there was but one Hork-Bajir warrior in the docking bay at the time.
As he walked by I slid down the ramp and placed my hand on his back before he could even react. As I acquired his DNA He became calm, but it was only temporary. The second I removed my hand from the Hork-Bajir I rammed him in the head with the flat side of my tail blade. He slumped to the ground without a sound. I quickly kicked him out of sight beneath a row of bug fighters. I morphed the Hork-Bajir as fast as I could. As far as I could tell, no one had seen the scuffle. It had been fairly quick and out of sight.
The Hork-Bajir mind then surfaced beneath my own. It wasn't really all that overwhelming. The Hork-Bajir had been simple, peaceful people before the Yeerks took them over. The creature actually seemed somewhat dull- witted.
Then I walked back aboard the bug fighter.
"Is everyone ready?" I asked them.
{ Ax, watch where you're stepping man. You almost got me that time. } Marco said.
"What have you all morphed?"
{ Marco and I are fleas and the girls are flies. } I heard prince Jake saying.
When I looked up I saw two flies buzzing around the ceiling. The two of them quickly landed on my shoulders.
"Prince Jake, where are you and Marco now?" I asked them.
{ No worries Ax, I'm already on you. } Marco answered.
{ Same here. } Prince Jake said.
{Lets do it! } Rachel said.
With that I headed back out of the fighter and left the docking bay. I had a vague memory of where the detention cells were so I headed in that direction.
{ Um......Ax, do you have any idea where we're going? } Cassie asked me.
"I think I might. No more talking now, all right. It will look strange if they see a Hork-Bajir talking to himself." I told them.
{ Right. } they all said at the same time.
Slowly I walked through the corridors of the ship. The need to find Stella growing stronger in me with every passing second. Finally I started to recognize the black steel of the Yeerk prison cells.
"Which one is Stella's?" I asked myself.
{ We'll just have to search them all. } Prince Jake announced.
After I had been searching the detention block for nearly an hour I started to lose confidence. When suddenly I heard a scream from the end of the corridor that I was currently walking through.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"
"Stella!" I whispered fearfully.
"You all should hop off now and demorph." I said with much more control than I felt.
{ Yeah, we need some more fire power! } Rachel said as she took off with Cassie by her side.
{ Jumping off. } I heard Marco and Prince Jake call out.
I immediately raced down the hall as best as I could in the clumsy Hork- Bajir body. The desire for revenge burned strongly within me.
I finally reached the end of the hallway and the cell door opened before me. The sight that awaited me on the other side of the door nearly made me sick with fear.
There was one other Hork-Bajir in the cell. He held a crying human child in his arms. But that is not what scared me. Stella lay on the floor of the cell, writhing and twitching like mad. Visser Three stood over her, laughing maniacally. Worst of all was the fact that I could see the bottom half of a foul Yeerk slug slithering into her ear.
"NOOOO!!!" I cried out. We were too late.
* *
*
(A/N) Okay, I know that the whole bug fighter thing was really stupid but I couldn't think of any other way to get them up there. I also know that none of the Animorphs acquire a Hork-Bajir for quite some time. So don't bother to tell me that in your review if you noticed it. But if you have something constructive please say it.